JAZZ DISPENSARY’S TOP SHELF SERIES PRESENTS GARY BARTZ NTU TROOP’s SPIRITUAL JAZZ CLASSIC I’VE KNOWN RIVERS AND OTHER BODIES

Continuing Jazz Dispensary’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the landmark 1973 live album, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, returns on November 13 on all-analog 2-LP edition

Pre-save the album and stream the newly remastered “I’ve Known Rivers” today

Click here to pre-order / pre-save I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies

Los Angeles, CA (September 16, 2026) — Jazz Dispensary announces the latest release in its acclaimed Top Shelf series: Gary Bartz NTU Troop’s I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies. Originally released on Prestige Records and recorded live at the legendary 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the double album captures Bartz and his ensemble’s powerful live performance that has become a favorite among collectors and spiritual jazz devotees.

Now, as part of Jazz Dispensary’s ongoing 10th anniversary celebration, the album returns to vinyl for the first time in more than 50 years. As with every title in the meticulously curated Top Shelf series, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies has been restored with all-analog (AAA) mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, with 180-gram vinyl pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket. Arriving November 13, the album is available for pre-order now with the track “I’ve Known Rivers” available to listen to today.

Recorded at the Montreux Festival, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies features Gary Bartz on saxophone, and vocals, alongside pianist Hubert Eaves, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Howard King. Together, the quartet delivers an expansive performance that blends original compositions with extended improvisation across more than seventy minutes of music.

Released during a prolific period for Bartz, the album showcases material that has become closely associated with the saxophonist and the NTU Troop, including “Nommo – The Majick Song,” “Jujuman,” “The Warriors’ Song,” “Uhuru Sasa,” and the album’s title track, “I’ve Known Rivers.”

One of the album’s defining moments is Bartz’s performance of “I’ve Known Rivers,” which incorporates lyrics from Langston Hughes’ celebrated poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” Supported by Eaves, James, and King, Bartz delivers a moving vocal interpretation that remains one of the most memorable recordings in the album’s program.

The recordings also highlight the chemistry between Bartz and pianist Hubert Eaves, whose acoustic and electric piano work provides both harmonic depth and momentum throughout the performance. Combined with the rhythmic foundation supplied by Stafford James and Howard King, the quartet creates a dynamic and immersive live document that remains compelling more than five decades after it was recorded.

I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies remains an essential document of live jazz in the 1970s and a standout title in the Prestige catalog. This new Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf edition offers listeners the opportunity to experience the album with all-analog mastering from the original tapes and premium audiophile production throughout.

The release continues Jazz Dispensary’s year-long 10th anniversary celebration, highlighting landmark recordings from across the worlds of jazz, funk, fusion, and beyond. With its historic festival setting, inspired performances, and long-awaited return to vinyl, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies stands as a fitting addition to the Top Shelf series.

Click here to pre-order/pre-save I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies

Tracklist

Side A

1. Nommo – The Majick Song
2. Sifa Zote
3. Jujuman

Side B

1. Bertha Baptist
2. Don’t Fight That Feeling
3. Mama’s Soul

Side C

1. I’ve Known Rivers
2. The Warriors’ Song
3. Uhuru Sasa

Side D

1. Follow’s Dance
2. Peace and Love

About Jazz Dispensary:

Jazz Dispensary is a homegrown label celebrating mind-expanding, high-grade selections drawn from the finest original sources of funk, jazz, and all the areas they intersect. With knowledgeable sound sommeliers as guides, Jazz Dispensary brings deep catalog gems to the table, offering bespoke selections to match every mood and inspire an elevated conversation. A funky good time, a mystic journey, a powerful inspiration, Jazz Dispensary has the medicine that will spark things off. One hit and you’re hooked!

For more info, visit JazzDispensary.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., and Joan Sebastian. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Daddy Yankee, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers. Craft Recordings is part of BMG.

For more, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.