Jazz, Soul and Prog Vinyl Restocks - January 2022

By: the_home_for_wayward_records

Continuing our coverage of all of the awesome restocks for this week, with a look at some Jazz, Soul and Prog albums coming in.

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle (Click to Buy)- One of only two recordings of the entire A Love Supreme album performed live, this recently unearthed recording from a week long run in Seattle is revelatory. The length of the songs are doubled and the added musicians give the LP a depth that I didn’t think was possible. I already loved the LP proper, but this release gave me an all new view of the songs involved. There are a few places where the new performances are even more mesmerizing than the original recordings. This was probably my favorite release of last year.

Etta James - At Last (Click to Buy) - The 1960 debut album by Etta James, At Last! was an immediate smash on its release. Filled with Blues, Jazz and R&B standards and driven by Etta’s amazing voice, At Last is an absolute classic. A constant on many All Time Best Of lists, this is a great album to put on a relax to. I’d say this would be a hit on any turntable and is one to grab while you have the chance.

Nina Simone - Hits (Click to Buy)  - If I have any advice for a budding record collection, it would be to take whatever chance you have to add some Nina Simone to your collection. With one of the best voices in Jazz and a catalog that covers so much amazing ground, this compilation would be a great place to start. Honestly, Nina is one of my favorite singers and there’s not an album in her deep catalog that is worth passing over.

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (Click to Buy) - The twelfth album by Jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters finds Hancock branching out into Funk and Rock and finding immediate success. There’s so much depth to Head Hunters that it takes multiple listens to really “get” it all, but that pay off is incredibly rewarding. This was his commercial breakthrough and led to entire new avenues in Jazz/Funk fusions and is still viewed as a landmark album in the Jazz genre.

King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King (Click to Buy) - The debut album from Prog masters King Crimson, In The Court of the Crimson King is one of the most influential albums of all time. While not the only band exploring the range of sounds that would become Prog, King Crimson crafted perhaps its first all-time classic. While 21st Century Schizoid Man kicks things off with a crazy blend of rock and rock sounds, the rest of the LP takes a more pastoral turn into a range of very english sounds. This is another LP that takes a few listens to really get into, but once you’re in, its a mind-blowing journey.