Jazz/Rock Fusion

Bob James – Three

More Jazz Recordings Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder

  • A vintage CTI pressing with very good Hot Stamper sound from first note to last
  • It’s richer, fuller and with more presence than the average copy, and that’s especially true for whatever godawful Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently being foisted on an unsuspecting record buying public
  • This is true of even our lowest-priced, lowest-graded copies – they are guaranteed to sound much better than any pressing you can find on the market today, as well as any pressing you may already own
  • “The five tracks here reflect [James’s] obsession with hard, danceable grooves that take as much from the soul-jazz book as they do his years with CTI. Using many of the same session players he bonded with at his former label…and a large host of stellar horn players, James offers five selections of simple but fun jazz-pop.”

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Miles Davis – Aura

More of the Music of Miles Davis

  • This 2-LP set of Miles’s last Columbia label recording debuts on the site with superb Double Plus (A++) sound on all FOUR sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • You’d be hard-pressed to find a copy that’s this well balanced, big and lively, with wonderful clarity in the mids and highs
  • Backed by a full orchestra, and with John McLaughlin on guitar, Aura is unlike anything else in Davis’s catalogue – it’s a unique musical journey worth taking for those of a more adventurous nature
  • Won a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.
  • “The music is an amalgam of classical impressionism, European new music, jazz, rock, electronic, and other genres. As a tribute and separate orchestral work, it’s quite moving and beautiful, full of moody interludes and evocations of nuance, color, texture, and dynamic.”

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Quincy Jones – Walking In Space

More Jazz Fusion

  • Here is a vintage A&M pressing (and one of only a handful of copies to ever hit the site) with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it from start to finish – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sonics on this side one are rich and Tubey Magical, yet transparent and spacious in the way that only vintage pressings ever are, and side two is not far behind in all those areas
  • The vocals (courtesy Hilda Harris, Maretha Stewart, Marilyn Jackson, and Valerie Simpson) are wonderfully sweet and breathy with remarkable in-your-listening-room presence (particularly on side one)
  • 5 stars: “The protean Quincy Jones returned to the recording studio as a leader after a long stretch in Hollywood with this triumphantly contemporary big band album. For jazz buffs, the long, dramatic title track from the then-raging musical Hair is the highlight… This is one of the great peaks of Creed Taylor’s A&M period, and it still sounds spectacular today.”

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Miles Davis / Bitches Brew

More of the Music of Miles Davis

  • A seriously good Stereo 360 copy of this 2 LP set with roughly Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER on all FOUR sides
  • Sides one, two, and three are clean, clear, lively and present with an abundance of space around all of the players, and side four is not far behind in all those areas
  • You can hear right into the soundfield, and you can be sure that there’s a whole lot more going on in there than you can bring out, but that’s what makes audio fun
  • Improving your playback can reveal more and more of what’s always been in the grooves of your records
  • This is not an easy album to find in clean condition, let alone a copy that sounds like this and plays reasonably well throughout
  • If jazz-fusion is your bag, the Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) side three of this copy will take you on a trip like few other records can
  • 5 stars: “Thought by many to be the most revolutionary album in jazz history, having virtually created the genre known as jazz-rock fusion (for better or worse) and being the jazz album to most influence rock and funk musicians, Bitches Brew is, by its very nature, mercurial.”

The incredible musicianship and Teo Macero’s innovative production each help take these jazz-fusion soundscapes to places most folks had never imagined before. And a copy like this one takes the entire production to a whole new level. I can’t begin to tell you how many crappy copies have hit our table over the years, but after finding this one I’m really glad we never gave up on this album.

I remember buying this record when I was in college and I had a hell of a time trying to make any sense of it. I also bought the first two Weather Report albums and had a hell of a time with those. But then when Sweetnighter came out, which was angular but still accessible, this kind of music started to make sense to me. This is music for those who want to be challenged. It’s as true today as it was 53 years ago when this record came out.

Our favorite track on this album, “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down,” is found on the Double Plus (A++) side four, which means the sound for it is OUTSTANDING.

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Return to Forever – Romantic Warrior

More Jazz Rock Fusion

  • Boasting two excellent Double Plus (A++) sides, this vintage pressing is guaranteed to blow the doors off any other Romantic Warrior you’ve heard
  • Our favorite Jazz Rock Fusion Album of All Time – on the right stereo this is a Demo Disc like no other
  • None rocks harder – of course that wouldn’t mean much without the music being so exciting and brilliant, and we’re happy to report it is!
  • These are four instrumental pyrotechnicians – the band is absolutely on fire like no other album they recorded together
  • 4 stars: “Romantic Warrior is the sound of a mature band at the top of its game, which may help explain why it was Return to Forever’s most popular album, eventually certified as a gold record, and the last by this assemblage. Having expressed themselves this well, they decided it was time for them to move on.”
  • If you’re a Jazz Fusion guy, this title from 1976 is surely a Must Own
  • If you’re looking for the best sounding jazz from the 70s and 80s, you might want to check out these titles

If you’re a fan of ’70s jazz fusion there aren’t many albums better than this. (It’s the only RTF record we bother to carry as a matter of fact.) It’s an absolutely phenomenal recording, and if you have any doubts about that fact, these two pressings are more than capable of disabusing you of such like. (more…)

The Crusaders – Chain Reaction

More Jazz Fusion

  • An outstanding copy of Chain Reaction with solid Double Plus (A++) sound from first note to last
  • The overall sound here is Tubey Magical, lively and funky, with the kind of rich, solid sound that will fill your listening room from wall to wall
  • If you own the Mobile Fidelity remaster, or some Heavy Vinyl LP, you are in for a real treat – this pressing will show you just how good the recording is
  • 4 1/2 stars: “One of the tastiest concoctions of the mid-’70s jazz-fusion era, Chain Reaction finds the Crusaders at the top of their form. The compositions are both accessible and memorable, and the playing is uniformly excellent.”

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John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Paco De Lucia – Passion, Grace and Fire

More Guitar Jazz

  • Passion, Grace and Fire makes its Hot Stamper debut with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Fast and clean, yet still full-bodied and natural, this is exactly the way you want your analog guitar battle to sound, which is why this copy won our Shootout!
  • The guitars are surprisingly real here – energetic, solid and present
  • 4 stars: “Passion, Grace and Fire, If this can be considered a guitar ‘battle’ (some of the playing is ferocious and these speed demons do not let up too often), then the result is a three-way tie. This guitar summit lives up to its title.”

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Jeff Beck – Blow by Blow

More Jazz Fusion

  • Beck’s 1975 release, here with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it from first note to last
  • These are just a few of the things we had to say about this incredible copy in our notes: “bass fully extended down low”…”tubey and 3D”…”great energy”…”jumping out of the speakers”…”focused and transparent and spacious”
  • These sides are doing practically everything right — they’re clean, clear and open with lots of space around the players, and plenty of rich, bottom end weight
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Blow by Blow signaled a new creative peak for Beck, and it proved to be a difficult act to follow. It is a testament to the power of effective collaboration and, given the circumstances, Beck clearly rose to the occasion. In addition to being a personal milestone, Blow by Blow ranks as one of the premiere recordings in the canon of instrumental rock music.”

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Al Di Meola – Casino

  • With incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades throughout, this copy (only the second to hit the site in years) is practically as good as we have ever heard, right up there with our Shootout Winner
  • Both of these sides are open and transparent, with wonderfully full-bodied guitars, solid bass and huge amounts of jazz fusion energy
  • A fusion classic featuring the stunning technique and superb improvisations that keep us on the hunt for great Di Meola pressings like this one
  • 5 stars: “Following up the superb Elegant Gypsy was no mean feat, but Al di Meola gave it his best shot with the similarly styled Casino…. Featuring a core band of Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, and Barry Miles (whom di Meola came up with before the guitarist was invited to join Return to Forever), the playing is sharp and fiery, matching the youthful intensity of the leader.”

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Pat Metheny – American Garage

More Pat Metheny

More Jazz Fusion

  • You’ll find superb Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it throughout this original ECM pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • This side two is open and transparent throughout, with wonderfully full-bodied guitars, solid bass and huge amounts of swingin’ jazz energy, and side one is not far behind in all those areas
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The arrangements are more structured, the playing often more intense and searching, with a more pronounced rock influence. [T]his is…high-quality jazz-rock for its time.”

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