The Jazz Passengers (ft. Elvis Costello & Debbie Harry) - Individually Twisted - Peach Vinyl
Rock icons Deborah Harry and Elvis Costello join NYC avant garde collaboration The Jazz Passengers for a perfectly matched ‘96 album. The Passengers’ always entertaining grooves pair with Harry and Costello’s unmistakable vocal textures for exquisite originals and fresh takes on jazz standards, including the can’t-miss duet “Doncha Go ‘Way Mad”! Of course the vocalists get all the ink, but this is Roy Nathanson (sax) and Curtis Fowlkes’ (trombone) band including a stellar crew of jazzmen, Bill Ware (vibes), E. J. Rodriguez (drums), Brad Jones (bass), and Sam Bardfeld (violin). The featured guitarist is the unheralded icon Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, John Zorn, Tricky, Harry Shearer, Beck, etc.), what an embarrassment of riches!
“It's Harry who's the real star of Twisted. She has easily made the transition from pop diva to jazz stylist. As hard as it is not to immediately associate Harry with Blondie, there are times when it seems as if these are the songs she was born to sing. She radiates supper-club elegance in ‘L'il Darlin'’ and breezes through ‘Olé,’ her vocals as weightless and as lustrous as chiffon. And on ‘Angel Eyes,’ she shows a newfound control that's nothing short of remarkable. When she hits the song's last line, she sustains the last note with an almost unbelievable strength and clarity. The horns swell up behind, their sound melting into hers. When they fade down, you realize she's still holding out the note, unwavering and powerful: She's got a grip on it that just won't quit.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
- All star jazz album from ‘96 finally makes its way to vinyl!
- Cut and pressed on peach vinyl at Third Man Pressing!
- Features Debbie Harry & Elvis Costello!
Also available on CD, and on green vinyl from Rough Trade!
Includes:
Bubble A La Roy (ft. Debbie Harry) • Maybe I’m Lost (ft. Debbie Harry) • L’il Darlin’ (ft. Debbie Harry) • The Tide Is High (ft. Debbie Harry) • Pork Chop (ft. Debbie Harry) • Aubergine (ft. Elvis Costello) • Olé (ft. Debbie Harry) • Imitation Of A Kiss (ft. Debbie Harry) • Jive Samba • Doncha Go ‘Way Mad (ft. Debbie Harry & Elvis Costello) • Angel Eyes (ft. Debbie Harry) • It Came From Outer Space / Star Dust
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Mose Allison - I Don't Worry Bout A Thing - Gold-ish Vinyl
Mose at his beat poet best, on Atlantic!
This classic album—known as the moment Mose hit his stride in transitioning from iconic pianist to iconic beat-esque vocalist—features the first versions of two of his sharpest pieces (“Your Mind Is On Vacation” & the title track), bluish versions of standards, instrumentals, and more. Celebrating its 60th anniversary, cut all analog from the original mono Atlantic reels!
Mose Allison was already 34 and had recorded nine records as a leader before cutting his debut for Atlantic but this was his breakthrough date. One of jazz's greatest lyricists, at the time, Allison was making the transition from being a pianist who occasionally sang to becoming a vocalist who also played his own unusual brand of piano. In addition to the original versions of "Your Mind Is on Vacation," "I Don't Worry About a Thing (Because I Know Nothing Will Turn out Right)" and "It Didn't Turn out That Way," he sings bluish versions of two standards ("Meet Me at No Special Place" and "The Song Is Ended") and plays five instrumentals with his trio. There are only 33 1/2 minutes of music, but the set is one of Mose Allison's most significant recordings. – Scott Yanow (4.5 stars on AllMusic)
• CUT ALL ANALOG BY KEVIN GRAY FROM THE ORIGINAL MONO ATLANTIC REELS!
• AVAILABLE ON LIMITED EDITION GOLD AND STANDARD BLACK VINYL, BOTH PRESSED BY THIRD MAN PRESSING!
• 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THIS ICONIC ALBUM!
Includes:
I Don’t Worry About A Thing• It Didn’t Turn Out That Way • Your Mind Is On Vacation • Let Me See • Everything I Have Is Yours • Stand By • Idyll • The Well • Meet Me At No Special Place • The Song Is Ended
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Lisa Marné - Like Young - Black Vinyl
Cool Jazz, beatnik bop, & bossa nova baby!
Who was Lisa Marné? A TV personality. A ballerina. A burlesque performer. A political scandal-starter. A plane crash survivor. But most importantly, at least for our purposes, she was one hell of a singer. Those who know her, certainly know her as the “bookend” opposite Vikki Carr on the Ray Anthony Show.
From tongue-in-cheek beatnik love songs to bossa nova standards, this unissued album features never-before-heard cuts from the home of Tony Tamburello, a renowned pianist and vocal coach who worked with everyone from Tony Bennett to Judy Garland. Lisa Marné, who presumably was one of his clients, finally gets the spotlight in this long overdue release.
It’s impossible to know where Marné’s career might have gone if Like Young had been released. But her vocal power, precision, and personality are too vivid to be obscured, even by six decades of hiding.
Includes:
Like Young • Satin Doll • Bewitched • Wives And Lovers • I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City • Call Me Irresponsible • Hey Pussycat • Willow Weep For Me • Night Train • Moment Of Truth • The Boy From Ipanema
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Ranny Sinclair - Another Autumn - Black Vinyl
Soaked with the vibe and essence of New York City in the 1960s and seasoned with a rich variety of styles from breathy, beatnik pop to moody & magnificent jazz, folk and soul, the singles issued by Ranny Sinclair are uniformly brilliant, soft, sexy soundscapes--uncollected on a single album until now!
Sinclair attended Juilliard as a dance major, but ultimately landed a singing contract with Columbia Records. Her issued discography features several tracks that were turntable hits of the era or have since become valued Northern Soul favorites--all those cuts plus the remaining masters capture some of the top talent of the day, recorded in the glorious Columbia New York studios!
Her recordings were overseen by Columbia's main jazz and pop producer, Teo Macero, who was also responsible for Dave Brubeck's sessions. Macero apparently suggested the collaboration between the artists on the "Something To Sing About"/"Autumn In Our Town" single, included here. The pianist later reminisced about Sinclair, praising her
"gentle, whispery" voice and lyric writing.
The dozen masters here include the Columbia singles mixes from the original reels plus several previously unissued recordings, all in mono. Each moment reveals a true vocal artist at the peak of her talents, and well ahead of her time--decades overdue, listen now to the first collection by Ranny Sinclair, available on 180-gram RTI pressed vinyl or compact disc!
Check out the Spectrum Culture review here!
Includes:
Fan The Flame • If I Had A Ribbon Bow • There Won’t Be Trumpets • Sweet William • Wailing Waltz • Ode To A Cowboy • With Any Other Girl • Bye Bye • A Wonderful Guy • Barbara Allen • Autumn In Our Town (w/Dave Brubeck) • Something To Sing About (w/Dave Brubeck)
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Love Is A Drag - For Adult Listeners Only - Gold-ish Vinyl
A once shocking 1962 LP of love songs by men, for men. A long lost treasure featuring the cool & sophisticated vocals of Gene Howard and a cast of prime studio jazz musicians, performing a set of standards sung to a male suitor. Ahead of its time in every way. Reissued for the first time ever!
A fantastic, once-shocking album finally sees reissue - and brings with it the answer to a half-century mystery!
Case file: A big band vocalist, a Hollywood photographer, and an LGBT music and history archivist - they are the heart of the story behind Love Is A Drag, a 1962 shrouded-in-mystery long-player comprised of love songs by men, for men.
Decades ago, JD Doyle, renowned LGBT music historian and archivist, happened upon a copy of Love Is A Drag. Resonating with him immediately, the album presented compositions such as "The Man I Love" and "Mad About The Boy," (songs that were intended to be sung by a woman to a man), and featured them as songs performed by a man to another man. Doyle would often play cuts from it on his radio show, Queer Music Heritage. He remained intrigued by the lack of either artist or producer credited on the album. A vague line of jacket text ambiguously announced, "For Adult Listeners Only - Sultry Stylings by a Most Unusual Vocalist."
And, the facts behind the album would have most likely remained unclear if it were not for one Murray Garrett (Hollywood star-photographer through the late 1940s to the 1970s). Out of the blue, Murray Garrett contacted JD Doyle and wanted to talk about the album. According to Garrett, through his photography career, he had forged a friendship and partnership with prolific big band vocalist, Gene Howard. The two worked together on projects, eventually teaming with Jack Ames, founder of Edison International Records. When queried for ideas for a potential Edison International release, Garrett recalled a performance he had once seen in Greenwich Village - a performance of a man singing love songs to another man, in serious fashion, i.e., not at all campy or overly-dramatic.
Gene Howard (straight and happily married!) agreed to sing on the record, accompanied by a who's-who of Los Angeles A-list session men. Completed, the record was issued on a "surrogate" label named Lace Records - an imprint hastily-created in order to avoid any misinterpretation of the Edison International focus. Upon release, the record sold well in Hollywood, with Frank Sinatra, Liberace, and Bob Hope among its biggest advocates.
With the masters proudly owned by Sundazed, Love Is A Drag is now set to make its long-overdue reappearance. Presented on our new Modern Harmonic imprint - we give you a pristine gold vinyl RTI pressing including original artwork and notes, and insightful new liners from LGBT historian, JD Doyle!
On HQ RTI pressed gold vinyl!
Cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.
Check out the Love Is A Drag feature on NPR!
Check out the review on LGBTQ Nation!
Check out the review in The Guardian!
Includes:
Lover Man • He’s Funny That Way • My Man • Bewitched • Bill • The Boy Next Door • The Man I Love • Mad About The Boy • He’s My Guy • Jim • Stranger In Paradise • Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man