The weather outside is frightful, etc.

Hello, Friends.

A short and sweet mailer today focusing on a few superb reissues that are all released this week and getting good plays (alongside Vince Guaraldi) on the shop stereo.

Leading us off is a genuine milestone of the Spiritual Jazz movement with Pharoah Sanders’ extraordinary Karma. It was his third album as band leader and was a huge creative leap into the wilds. The album is structured as two tracks; the winding 33-minute epic 'The Creator Has A Master Plan' (which is broken in half across the two sides) and the accompanying 'Colors' that sits as a beautiful five minute coda to the journey that precedes it. It would go on to be one of the most critically acclaimed albums in his esteemed discography, a real classic.



Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analogue tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Over on the Blue Note today, they don’t really get more iconic. Thelonious Monk’s Genius of Modern Music, Volume One gets a reissue under the Classic Vinyl Series program and it really does sound amazing. The set has been released under different sizes, shapes and configs since debuting in the early 1950’s and comprises his earliest recordings (late 1940’s) as bandleader. We never clocked that it was Art Blakey on drums as part of the hugely impressive rotating cast of players.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

The third of today's jazz triplet is the much-revered post-bop Trombonist J. J. Johnson. After playing on Miles Davis’ first Blue Note session, Johnson led several dates in 1953–54 that were compiled on the 12” LP The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vol. 1 featuring Clifford Brown and Charles Mingus among others.

This release is also in mono, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original masters, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Numero have - if nothing else - made my Christmas with a repress of Duster’s self-titled 2019 return. The slowcore duo/trio released two glorious albums around the turn of the millennium, before going on hiatus to return in 2019 with the third, hiss-drenched, self-titled Duster. Any of you Slint / Sparklehorse heads will totally lose it; spooky and sparkling guitars that singe the rich smog of drums like sunlight through smoke. Always held back, it’s powerful stuff.

+ Available on a very limited European Exclusive Chocolate colour vinyl pressing.

Take it easy out there, and let us know what you’re up to.

- Drift