Russell, George - Jazz Workshop (expanded)
SKU
28-IMT5031690.2
This has been out of print for some time and while pirate editions are out there, this Japanese release is directly off the master tapes and sounds fabulous. Truly one of the biggest deal jazz and/or creative music albums of the 1950s, in my world! Includes two alternate takes, not on the original 1957 release. Great sounding, big budget, late 50s studio recording as well.
One of my big musical heroes of all time, George Russell is probably best known as an educator, but he's one of the great theorists AND composers of jazz, whose lively and great experimental work reaches back to Dizzy Gillespie and the bop era. One of the first composers to combine jazz and classical (he wrote a very famous piece called "A Bird in Igor's Yard" in the mid 40s, he's released a relatively small number of albums and most of them are great.
This is his first full album and the first release he made fully under the influence of his amazing Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization.
Features performances by Bill Evans (one of - or possibly THE very first recording by Bill), Paul Motian, Milt Hinton, Barry Galbraith, Hal McKusick, Art Farmer and others. Hugely personally recommended.