Onio

Greg Osby has had a long and lengthy career as both a side man and leader. Most of his albums are made in the post bop tradition, but in the 90’s he would make a series of albums that mixed jazz with hip hop. Of these albums, only one exists on vinyl, and even then, it was only pressed in the UK.

Saying that, it seems a fair amount of copies were imported to the States, and those aren’t particularly expensive on Discogs. This is one of only two original press 90’s albums I own.

As for the music, it’s a little divisive. Reviews from critics online are pretty negative. There are a few individuals who will defend and praise this album (me included). It’s a nice soundscape of 90’s jazz and hip hop. A window into an overlooked era of jazz and a golden era of hip hop. Worth picking up if you stumble upon it somewhere.

For years, I’ve mostly listened to old jazz. Most of my shelf and playlist is artists from the 20th century. But recently, curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I’ve been exploring some current jazz, starting with Blue Note, a label I’ll buy pretty much anything from.

I stumbled upon this one on eBay. I sampled it on streaming and enjoyed what I heard. A few days later, I was at a local shop and noticed that they had a copy. This is officially the newest Blue Note on my shelf (previously, it was “3-D Lifestyles” by Greg Osby, from 1993).

As for the music, it’s top notch. A jazz trio consisting of a drummer, a bass player, and a saxophonist. It has an old school vibe without being a total copycat of the greats of yesteryear. A chill and at times melancholy vibe. One I would really recommend to old jazz fans looking to explore today’s talent. Walter Smith III, who plays saxophone on this album, also has some albums. I’m hoping to add some of his to the collection soon.

I recently bought a cheap copy of Round about Midnight by Miles Davis, 1975 “electronically re-channeled for stereo” and I’ve seen nothing but negativity about these pressings. I, however, am not really bothered all that much and don’t really understand why the sound quality is considered to be so terrible.

Could it really be that much worse than an original mono pressing or remaster? I find people in the “audiophile” community can be a bit pedantic and just too much sometimes. Some records sound better than others. And there are some that sound particularly fantastic, but this is true across decades imo.

Can anyone share their view?

The original four members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago made this record shortly before taking on that name. Mitchell, Bowie, and Favors had recorded together twice under Mitchell’s name, with this being the first release on which they were joined by Joseph Jarman.

It’s wild stuff that will appeal to fans of the group, though I admit I’ve never clicked with this one as much as their other work.

I’ve been struggling to figure out what to listen to lately, for reasons both simple and complex. For better or worse this chaos is working nicely today.

Lester Bowie, Numbers 1 & 2. Nessa, 1967.

I was reading the liner notes of the Booker Little 4 and Max Roach TP when it arrived today and I'm gob-smacked at the lyricism of the author, Jon Hendricks. I didn't catch it on the first read, or even the second. But on the third pass some rhymes caught my eye and then I opened my eyes in wonder as I took it all in.

https://preview.redd.it/n64nzm1ixbyd1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4caebcb06093dcba47aac8d3e181115ab0d86aea

If you have your collection logged at Discogs, select a random item from your collection. You may need to "back" from your browser to do this again. Repeat five times. No skipping. Then show us the goods!

Feel free to improvise, some use the Discogs phone app and "shake" their phone to get a random album or this slick Chrome extension which has a "Random" button and TONS of other great features for navigating the site (Discogs Enhancer).

1. Kenny Burrell / Jimmy Raney – 2 Guitars
2. Philly Joe Jones – Showcase
3. Funkadelic – Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On
4. Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk – Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk
5. Red Garland – All Kinds Of Weather

Phenomenal pressing of this classic. Highly recommended.