Transferred from a 15ips 2-track tape. This release was mastered in DSD with no PCM. High Definition Tape Transfers is the brainchild of an avid 2 & 4 track open-reel collector and a serious audiophile. Collected over the years, many of our tapes contain forgotten performances of historical importance. Our mission is to preserve and share these rare gems with other music lovers by painstakingly remastering them with the finest state-of-the-art equipment and best techniques available.

Christmas with Conniff is Ray Conniff's first holiday record, and it remains one of his very best efforts in that genre. His light, pretty, signature touch is perfectly suited to Christmas music, and he and his singers make such carols and holiday songs as "Frosty the Snowman," "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "Silver Bells" irresistible easy listening. Perfect background music for any holiday event.

Two CD set containing three remastered albums from the legendary American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. Includes the albums: 'Freedom Suite' (1958), 'A Night at the Village Vanguard' (1957), 'Newk's Time' (1957).

Telephones have been part of our lives for over a hundred years. Like automobiles, which appeared at roughly the same time, telephones had a massive impact on how we live from the very start. Not surprisingly, people sang about telephones almost as quickly as the devices appeared. Previous ‘Talkin’ on the Telephone’ collections have focused on hillbilly and R&B music (RWA 12524 and 12557). This long-awaited collection brings together Telephone Songs from the early days of rock & roll and teen pop music. Teenagers were becoming a force in the music business during the 1950s and rock & roll gave them a chance to sing about their newfound freedom. Talking on the telephone offered teenagers independence from parental oversight, and the birth of rock and roll gave them a chance to sing about it.

This second volume of producer Steve Hoffman's discoveries in the Chess Records vaults features some less-prominent Chuck Berry tunes, again in the form of demos, unreleased alternate takes, and stereo remixes. Listeners are getting into collector territory here, but there are still some enjoyable examples of the Berry repertoire.

On May 15, 1953, five of jazz's most influential musicians - Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Bud Powell - met at Massey Hall in Toronto for their first and only known recording as a quintet. Although only a small audience had the opportunity to experience this historic evening in person, it was captured on tape. The resulting album, The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall, became one of the genre's most important and acclaimed releases.

Rock & roll's prime innovator, thanks to his detailed songwriting, dazzling lyrics, and clear, economical guitar licks.
Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none was more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He was its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. Quite simply, without him there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting. The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat…

Contains original Columbia Records recordings from 1953-56.

This collection compiles, for the first time ever on a single set, all existing studio recordings of Chet Baker singing from 1953 (his earliest vocal recordings) until 1962.
The music on this CD puts Chet Baker on the scene not just as a brilliant trumpeter, but also as a talented singer. These songs were a revelation at the time and won Baker new fame and a new audience, which was less familiar with jazz than with pop music. The reasons are quite clear: Chet's voice is tender and beautiful, and at the same time his phrasing always swings and surprises. Among the contents of this set are the complete original albums Chet Baker Sings and Chet Baker Sings It Could Happen to You, plus all other existing studio vocal sides within that period.

You know it's about time somebody took all the little records that Big Joe Turner managed to make back in the day and brought them out in sequence the way they appear in the Classics Chronological Series. Nobody in the world ever sounded quite like Joe Turner and nobody ever will. There is a magical quality that makes his blues performances feel like rituals full of clarity and grace. Each and every Joe Turner record is as beautiful as a massive stand of tiger lilies growing up through the middle of a brickyard, silent, solid, and dignified under the dew in the first light of dawn. Incredibly, despite his enormous popularity during the Second World War, by 1949 this gifted vocalist was scuffling to get recording gigs. Ten tasty sides were cut in Los Angeles for the MGM label with a solid band fairly bursting with hot horns and driven by Pete Johnson's piano. Joe Turner closed out the year by waxing two sides for Rouge Records in Baton Rouge, LA, and four for the Freedom label in Houston, TX. In April of 1950, Joe Turner made a fistful of records in New Orleans backed by Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra with Fats Domino at the piano.

Avid Jazz here presents four classic Andre Previn albums including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
“West Side Story”… A 1959 recording of the classic Leonard Bernstein score featuring Andre Previn on piano accompanied by Red Mitchell on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Take a listen and consider Bernstein’s thoughts from his book “The Joy Of Music” … ”A popular song doesn’t become jazz until it is improvised on, and there you have the real core of jazz improvisation”. “Collaboration”… Andre is joined by Shorty Rogers in an unusual collaboration where each arranger takes turns to lead off with three standard arrangements while the other follows with three original tunes based on the standards chords…

On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey and recorded his first great masterpiece: Blue Train. The fulfillment of a handshake deal Coltrane made with Alfred Lion, it would be the legendary saxophonist’s sole session as a leader for Blue Note Records, a locomotive five track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Blue Train established Coltrane as a force of nature and set him on a course towards becoming one of the most revered and influential jazz artists of all-time.

Back in the late 50s/early 60s, many R&R/Pop records were notoriously short on playing time, often clocking in at two minutes or less. The shortest UK No.1 was 'What Do You Want, by Adam Faith (in 1959), at one minute thirty-eight seconds. These compilations, inspired by a suggestion from deejay BERNIE 'ROCK'n'ROLL HEAVEN' KEITH, each feature three-and-a-half dozen 'Sub-Two Minute Wonders'; i.e. forty-two killer tracks which get the business done in two minutes or less. You've got a bit of everything here; hits, misses, some that got away, B-sides, odd EP and/or LP tracks - but I'll bet none of you realised some of these were 'quickies', until now! Featured artists include Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Marty Wilde, Joe Brown, Adam Faith, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Lord Rockingham's XI, Jimmy Justice, The Krew Kats, Helen Shapiro, John Leyton, Emile Ford & The Checkmates, and many more.

Acoustic Sounds and Contemporary Records present this new reissue of iconic jazz trumpet player Art Farmer’s 1958 Contemporary Records debut, “Portrait of Art Farmer”. Featuring Hank Jones (piano), Addison Farmer (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums) with this edition features remastered audio from the original tapes.

Meet Oliver Nelson marked the leader recording debut of a considerable talent in tenor saxophonist Oliver Nelson (1932-1975). He was to win even greater acclaim later as a composer and arranger, but at 27 he was already a vastly experienced performer and a notably imaginative soloist, affectingly sensitive on ballads like Passion Flower and What s New, with a voluminous sound, full and fiery, on more driving material. For his debut he had simpatico company in trumpeter Kenny Dorham, so lyrical on Booze Baby Blues, and a shrewdly chosen rhythm section in pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Art Taylor. It was a noteworthy beginning. Recorded almost two years later, Main Stem was much more like a typical Prestige blowing session of the time, heavily dependant on the wit and invention of the participants. Fortunately, Nelson again chose his colleagues well. Trumpeter Joe Newman is particularly good and pianist Hank Jones is his usual lucidly impeccable self in a swinging rhythm section with bassist George Duvivier and drummer Charlie Persip, while the leader, on both alto and tenor, produces an abundance of melodic, well-constructed solos over a satisfying session.