A new "Jazz Under The Radar" drops tonight at midnight Pacific time (3 am Eastern, 8 am BST).

Today’s post looks at the early musical history of Sun Ra, and his excellent 1962 record The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra. #jazzsky

Today’s episode looks at jazz pianist Carl Perkins’ 1956 debut as a leader, the super-swinging LP “Introducing…”made for LA’s first Black-owned record label, Dootsie Williams’ Dootone Records. With Leroy Vinnegar and Larance Marable, this one’s a banger. #jazzsky

Boxing Day Special!

1950s 10-Inch Jazz LPs - A Guide For New Collectors.

A deep(ish) dive into the accidental rise and sudden fall of the dominant medium for jazz from 1950 to 1855. #jazzsky

Today's episode is a second instalment of 'Jazz Under The Radar': a look at ten brilliant, vintage jazz records which don't have much profile these days but are well worth your time seeking (or streaming, or whatever!).

Happy Sunday everyone. Today’s episode tackles a notable recording made in Sweden in March 1960, during the epic, combustible last tour together of Miles and Trane, with their bandmates buckling up for the ride. Two concerts in one on this thrilling release. #jazzsky #milesdavis #johncoltrane

The topic of Thursday’s episode was Conte Candoli’s gem of a West Coast jazz album, his first release on a 12” LP, put out in 1955 by Bethlehem Records. #jazzsky #westcoastjazz

New episode alert. This past week I interviewed Von Babasin, son of West Coast jazz stalwart Harry Babasin: bassist, jazz cello innovator, label founder, and an unwitting inspiration for the bossa nova craze in Brazil. Plus plenty of stories and detail about the LA jazz scene in the 50s.

Brand new review: Chico Freeman's sublime record of ballads on India Navigation, Spirit Sensitive. A masterpiece of production by Bob Cummins. in which Cecil McBee's magnificent bass work soars and sings.

#jazzsky

youtu.be/3gpSxzaKWJc

Good Monday, Bluesky. Latest album history & review: Lou Donaldson’s funky varitone outing from 1970, Everything I Play Is Funky. RIP.

With the great Idris Muhammad on drums. #jazzsky

youtu.be/SjofoYcxm6k

Optimist: The cup is half full.

Pessimist: The cup is half empty

Vinyl YouTuber: There’s no way Chad made that cup from analog sources.

Yesterday’s impulse-buy at Vinyl Envy Records in Victoria. 1979 black label issue. I didn’t leave the house with the intention of buying records, it just happened I swear. A brilliant record, breathtakingly play-it-three-times-in-a-row good. Cecil McBee sounds like he’s in the room. #jazzsky

It is damn good.

Spun this tonight. I’ve had it for years amongst all my other Ninas, but had never really given it a proper listen. Wow. Sad, funny, brilliant, painful. What an epic, endless talent she had. A genre all of her own. #jazzsky #ninasimone

Short and concise post about the economics of pressing records today.

This summer a viewer contacted me. He’d bought the entire post-1954 archive of Voice Of America, what we now estimate at 100,000 LPs, all genres. His goal is to extract a jazz record collection for the ages, and a colleague and I have been helping him. The story so far. youtu.be/PnR9Bsm8aA8?...

Hi Bluesky!

Any jazz record collectors on here?