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LionsMouth
^Where do you find this stuff?! I don't think I've seen a single jazz LP by a Japanese artist other some free-jazz/skronk type stuff that gets lumped in with the avant/noise section on rare occasion.

I bought a number of their albums from a seller in Japan a while back. They ended up costing a bit over $20 per disc including shipping and they are absolutely pristine. They also arrived faster than media mail from the east coast would have. Most of their releases were available on RCA in the US, too, so you should be able to find them at reasonable prices. One of the shops near me bought a jazz collection that had some Toshiko Akiyoshi etc. records on the US imprint and they priced them anywhere from $7 to $15 for NM copies.

^Good info. Guess it depends what part of the country/world you are in w/r/t availability, just like anything else. Need to put that stuff on my list.

For the fans of Madlib's Shades of Blue project...

Various ‎– Untinted (Sources For Madlib's Shades Of Blue) LP Blue Note Records 2003



^As much as I love Madlib's Shades of Blue remix project, where he reinterpreted some of Blue Note's finest moments without even remotely detracting from them (a feat of class most Hip Hop producers could never accomplish) I still gotta drop respect for the original works. After Blue Note handed Madlib the keys to the library and liberty to remix as he saw fit, they then handed us the originals he selected in this nice catch-all compilation. Even if you don't know Madlib's remix project this is great Sunday morning listening for any jazz aficionado or any jazz newb alike.

Check out all the classic tracks loaded on this compilation...

Gene Harris & The Three Sounds - The Look Of Slim
Donald Byrd - Distant Land
Ronnie Foster - Mystic Brew
Reuben Wilson - Stormy
Bobbi Humphrey - Please Set Me At Ease
Donald Byrd - Stepping Into Tomorrow
Andrew Hill - Illusion
Bobby Hutcherson - Montara
Horace Silver - Song For My Father
Wayne Shorter - Footprints
Horace Silver - Peace
Herbie Hancock - Dolphin Dance

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“Lesser artists borrow... great artists steal.” - Igor Stravinsky
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^Some great artists on those comps. I probably own albums by at least half of them, some I don't have anything by at all. I've heard great things about the Shades of Blue stuff, but I've actually heard any of it. I do like Madlib's production work but my collection of his stuff is very small and limited to his most popular projects I'd guess. He's a prolific guy for sure.

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^If you haven't yet given Shades of Blue a listen I gotta put that on my highly suggested listening list, there really is nothing like that in terms of remixed Jazz. I have other Jazz remixes type comps, a few on Blue Note a few on other labels like Verve, but their style of remixing a track is just not as classy as Madlib's style. Some of those other remixers have done something that is downright sacreligous, at least in terms of keeping the original song title and original artist information the same and adding (remixed by DJ-Fill-in-the-Blank) to the end. It's like, it was a Jazz standard, now it's a house song with 4 second horn loop over a 4 on the floor beat, I don't fucking think so. If you wanna sample Herbie Hancock fine, but that shit ain't Herbie Hancock any more so don't front type shit.

Sorry, Sunday morning preacher on some hell fire shit...



But back to Shade's of Blue, I have so much of Madlib's stuff, and this very early work for him is probably still the best thing he's ever done ever IMO. He took those songs and enhanced them, added a touch of bass, a slightly different beat, he had access to some of the original broken up tracks and he could have gone drastic, but instead he paid homage to the original by just adding a bit of funky Hip Hop flair to the vibes. It works on so many levels, and even the original artists agreed what he did was different, but still the same, if you know what I mean.

I'd post a Youtube album of this for you here but Blue Note's not having that apparently. And quite frankly I can tell you without hesitation it's worth buying on any format, I got it on CD and LP and I am almost 100% sure you would dig it LM.

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“Lesser artists borrow... great artists steal.” - Igor Stravinsky
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