Record Store Day: 20 jazz rarities and reissues to add to your vinyl collection
By 2022/03/14
The 15th edition of Record Store Day will take place April 23, 2022, featuring more than 300 special releases.
Taking place annually since 2008, Record Store Day encourages collectors to head over to their local independent record shop to browse a lineup of special vinyl releases, including rarities, reissues and box sets.
Here’s a list of some of the special releases that jazz enthusiasts and collectors can find in the 2022 edition of Record Store Day. Your local shop can tell you if they have the one you want.
This first-ever release captures Miles Davis and one of his final great bands at the Theatre St-Denis during the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1983. He’s joined by John Scofield on guitar; Bill Evans (the other Bill Evans) on saxophones, flute and electric piano; Darryl Jones on bass; Al Foster on drums, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. The set includes tracks from Star People, released that same year, along with Jean-Pierre from the 1982 album We Want Miles and the Marcus Miller tune Hopscotch. This record marks the first time the songs What It Is and That’s What Happened have been released in their original, complete forms. The double-LP comes in gatefold packaging with liner notes by music journalist Greg Tate. Copies: 10,000
On the day after the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Mingus comes a previously unreleased live recording of the jazz legend performing at Ronnie Scott’s in London in August, 1972. Here, the Mingus band features alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, trumpeter Jon Faddis, pianist John Foster and drummer Roy Brooks. The triple-LP set was mastered by acclaimed sound engineer Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. It includes an extensive insert with rare photos from Jan Persson, Christian Rose, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Hans Harzheim and others; an essay by British author Brian Priestley; new interviews with McPherson, Fran Lebowitz, Eddie Gomez and Christian McBride. Copies: 3,000
This release features eight tracks recorded by renowned engineer Elvin Campbell at CI Recording Studios in New York in December of 1977. Known as the In My Prime sessions, these recordings were originally released by the Dutch jazz label Timeless Records (and produced by its owner Wim Wigt) as two separate volumes. This iteration of the Jazz Messengers included altoist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Valery Ponomarev, bassist Dennis Irwin, percussionist Ray Mantilla, trombonist Curtis Fuller and tenorman David Schnitter, and this particular session brought pianist James Williams into the fold. The album showcases the Messengers’ energetic signature hard-bop sound with swinging solos, big choruses, solid virtuosity and a dash of good humour and camaraderie. This double-vinyl reissue includes the original artwork and session shots from Mark Bug Zester, Don Diesveld and Hans Harzheim, along with the original liner notes by renowned author and producer Chip Stern. Copies: 1,500
This collection includes two Chet Baker performances recorded in Paris by Radio France, one of them at Esplanade de la Defence on July 17, 1983, and the other at Le Petit Opportun on Feb. 7, 1984. In both performances, he’s backed by pianist Michel Graillier and bassists Riccardo Del Fra and Dominique Lemerle. Available for the first time, this release includes liner notes by Grammy-winning writer Ashley Kahn, interviews with Del Fra and Lemerle, an essay by French journalist Franck Bergerot, recollections by former Chet Baker sideman Richie Beirach, and never-before-seen photos by Bergerot and French photographer Christian Rose. Copies: 2,500
This extremely rare performance by Dave Brubeck features his famous rhythm section — drummer Joe Morello and bassist Gene Wright — but not alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, who missed the plane to Vienna. The remaining trio showed the packed hall that they could play up a storm even though they were one man down. This recording finds the trio at the top of their game, stretching out their solos out of necessity and exploring new creative territories as a result, especially Wright, who solos far more than usual on this album. It promises to be a thrilling set with impeccable sound. Copies: 3,500
In cooperation with the Bill Evans estate, this is the first official release of the legendary pianist’s performance with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera at the Teatro General San Martín in Buenos Aires on Sept. 27, 1979. The limited double-LP set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos from the concert, essays by U.S. journalist Marc Myers and Argentine author Claudio Parisi, and new interviews with Johnson, LaBarbera and pianist Enrico Pieranunzi. Copies: 4,000
Similar to its companion Inner Spirit, Morning Glory is the first release of Bill Evans’ concert at the Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires on June 24, 1973. This time, he’s joined by bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell. Also a limited double-LP set, Morning Glory includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, essays by Marc Myers and Claudio Parisi, and new interviews with Gomez, Morell and pianist Richie Beirach. Copies: 4,000
Originally released in 1960, Max Roach’s We Insist is highly revered as a groundbreaking avant-garde jazz masterpiece and an essential musical document of the Civil Rights Movement. In his five-movement Freedom Now Suite, Roach addresses the racial and political issues of the day, moving from from slavery to Emancipation Day to the struggle for African-American independence. “We American jazz musicians of African descent have proved beyond all doubt that we’re master musicians of our instruments,” Roach told Down Beat magazine, vowing to never again play music that wasn’t socially relevant. “Now what we have to do is employ our skill to tell the dramatic story of our people and what we’ve been through.” This reissue will be available on Record Store Day first before getting a wider release at a later date. Copies: 2,000
The story goes that on the morning of Jan. 19, 1957, alto saxophonist Art Pepper woke up to learn that he was booked for a session with Miles Davis’s highly respected rhythm section of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Just a few hours later, the group recorded the landmark album Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section. This special mono edition features all-analog mastering from the original mono tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram black vinyl. Copies: 6,000
The Vince Guaraldi Trio were beloved for their musical contributions to the Peanuts TV specials. Originally slated for last year’s Record Store Day, the classic Baseball Theme now gets its own special 7-inch edition. This record includes the original 1964 soundtrack version along with an alternate studio take, pressed on white vinyl and housed in a jacket featuring baseball images of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Copies: 3,000
Christian McBride’s 10th album as a leader features 13 tracks, each a duet with a different artist. His collaborators include Regina Carter, Roy Hargrove, Angelique Kidjo, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Russell Malone, Chick Corea and more. You can get the limited-edition repressing on coloured, numbered vinyl this Record Store Day. Copies: 1,900
Two of Cuba’s most highly regarded jazz musicians are captured in performance in Germany on this record originally released in 1991. Reunion was the first time that alto saxophonist D’Rivera and trumpeter Sandoval had recorded together since D’Rivera’s defection in 1980; Sandoval had recently left Cuba himself. They’re joined by a superb band: pianist Danilo Perez, acoustic guitarist Fareed Haque, bassist David Finck, drummer Mark Walker, and conga player Giovanni Hidalgo. The set features mostly originals, along with songs by Chucho Valdes and Dizzy Gillespie plus the jazz standard Body and Soul. Copies: 1,000
The eighth historical release from archival imprint Real to Reel Records is an unreleased concert recording of baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams with the Tommy Banks Trio. The 70-minute performance was recorded at the University of Alberta on Sept. 25, 1972. Transferred from the original analog tapes, the deluxe 180-gram double-LP was packaged in a gatefold sleeve with an extensive booklet containing rare photos; essays by Gary Carner and producer Cory Weeds; and interviews with baritone saxophonists Frank Basile and Gary Smulyan as well as the original producer Marc Vasey. Copies: 1,000
Recorded live on June 18, 1971, during the Montreux Jazz Festival, Fairyland is a top-notch jazz fusion album. Led by guitarist Larry Coryell, the trio features bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Pretty Purdie. This special vinyl edition is pressed on marbled pink and white vinyl. Copies: 2,000
Originally released in 1963, Here Comes… Fats Domino received one reissue in 1975 and never got another until now. A prime example of Fats Domino’s role as a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll — prompting Elvis Presley to declare him “the real king of rock ‘n’ roll” — this album combines piano blues with “countrypolitan” vocals and includes the top-40 hit Red Sails in the Sunset. The new reissue is pressed on heavyweight, violet-coloured vinyl. Copies: 1,500
This 2008 live album of Kenny Garrett at the Iridium in New York is now available on vinyl for the first time. Here, the alto sax player is featured in a quintet with tenorman Pharoah Sanders, keyboardist Benito Gonzalez, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Jamire Williams. It’ll be available on coloured, numbered vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive. Copies: 1,900
This five-track album has been quite a rarity since its first release back in 1972. It was only pressed once, and its original run of 500 copies are hard to find. Bobby Hamilton sold his last personal copy to the musician Jamie XX last year for a hefty sum. Now, collectors have a chance to own a copy of this deep, spiritual jazz recording. The record was pressed directly from its original master tape in an all-analog transfer by Bernie Grundman. The story of Dream Queen is told for the first time in extensive liner notes by Torii McAdams. Copies: 1,000
The story goes that the U.K. jazz trio by the name of Jazz Sabbath were recording two albums in 1969 before their debut was cancelled and their second record shelved; then, a band from Birmingham calling themselves Black Sabbath rose to fame by playing metal versions of Jazz Sabbath’s songs, claiming them as their own. Or at least, it’s fun to pretend. Here, longtime Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne keyboardist and guitarist Adam Wakeman reassumes the role of fictional jazz musician Milton Keanes for a second volume of Sabbath songs rendered in the jazz style. Hear covers of Paranoid, Symptom of the Universe and more, along with a bonus track, bonus DVD and alternative artwork for the Record Store Day special edition. Copies: 4,000
This album features the Seattle-based soul-jazz trio led by organist Delvon Lamarr recorded at Plaid Room Records in Loveland, Ohio, on Record Store Day in 2018. On that day, they were celebrating the release of their Record Store Day special Live at KEXP! Basically, Live in Loveland! is a Record Store Day release that was made on Record Store Day during a concert promoting another Record Store Day release. Does it get any more Record Store Day than that? Copies: 7,500
Continuing the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club, this four-track EP features a previously unheard track plus three others that were never before pressed on vinyl. Copies: 2,700
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