CRAFT RECORDINGS’ ORIGINAL JAZZ CLASSICS

UNVEILS FIVE REISSUES TO KICK OFF 2025

 

Among them Miles Davis’ The Musings of Miles and Walkin’, Thelonious Monk’s Thelonious Himself,

Wes Montgomery’s The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass’ Virtuoso

Available now for pre-order on 180-gram vinyl and hi-res digital audio

 

Click here to pre-order / pre-save

View trailer video at: youtube.com/@originaljazzclassics

 

Los Angeles, CA (January 9, 2025) – Craft Recordings is excited to announce the first reissues of 2025 from Original Jazz Classics, the series that revisits seminal and rare jazz albums celebrated by critics and aficionados alike. The latest releases include Joe Pass’ Virtuoso, Wes Montgomery’s The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk’s Thelonious Himself and Miles Davis’ The Musings of Miles and Walkin’. All of these albums can be pre-ordered now, with releases rolling out between February 28 and April 18.

 

The reissues feature lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio (Wes Montgomery is the stereo version and was cut from a tape copy), 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets reproducing the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 hi-res audio on the same date as each vinyl.

 

Original Jazz Classics (OJC), created in 1982 (under Fantasy Records), was relaunched in 2023 and has reissued more than 850 jazz albums to date. Its catalog includes thousands of genre-defining titles originally released by Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland and Pablo. Since its launch two years ago, OJC has received resounding critical acclaim, with Record Collector Magazine declaring that “the sound is out of this world.” Tracking Angle described the OJC reissue of Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Music as “remarkable” and “the best-sounding pressing” of the album to date. Absolute Sound raved about the stereo reissue of Mal Waldron’s The Quest, noting it “sounds fabulous—full-bodied, immediate, and crackling with energy.” Jazzwise went on to praise the series’ “peerless” quality, describing the reissues as “exceptional,” with “stunningly eloquent” sound. Meanwhile, Qobuz highlights the remastering work, stating it “breathes vibrant life into the original tapes.” Subscribe to the official YouTube channel here for more content from Original Jazz Classics.

 

Read more on the latest OJC releases below.

 

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Joe Pass – Virtuoso (Available February 28, 2025)

After guitarist Joe Pass released Virtuoso in 1973, almost every critic agreed that this was his best album, one living up to its name. (“Joe Pass looks like somebody’s uncle and plays like nobody’s business,” New York Magazine once enthused.) Before this album, Pass had stints with everyone from Gerald Wilson to Benny Goodman. But he also lost many years due to a dependence on heroin, and Virtuoso proved that cleaning up would only heighten his powers.

 

With this album (the first of his Virtuoso series), All About Jazz observed, “Pass had accomplished, using standard guitar performance techniques, to play lead melody lines, chords, and bass rhythm simultaneously and at tempo, giving the listener the impression that multiple guitars were being played.” Here, he adds a new sheen to already well-traversed covers, with a breathless reworking of ‘Night & Day’ and a dazzling, unpredictable take on ‘Cherokee.’ Meanwhile, ‘Blues for Alican,’ his lone original composition on the album, is a nimble, brightly soulful track that doesn’t disappoint.

 

 

Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Available February 28, 2025)

The legendary artist is famous for his mellow, thumb-picking flourishes said to be born of necessity: not wanting to wake his kids or neighbors at night. This, combined with his penchant for playing in octaves, impressed saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who pretty much discovered him. This also came to define The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, one of the guitarist’s most stellar releases.

 

Here, he vaults Sonny Rollins’ bright “Airegin” to even greater heights, infusing it with a thrilling, joyous urgency. In contrast, his own song, “West Coast Blues,” comes in with a pensive swagger that stretches the idea of what it means to be bluesy. And sonic alchemist that he is, Montgomery couldn’t help but transform the downtempo popular standard “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” into a uniquely comfy embrace.

 

Of this 1960 release, AllMusic said, “Setting him apart from the rest, this recording established Montgomery as the most formidable modern guitarist of the era, and eventually its most influential.” In 2017, the album was even inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress for its cultural, artistic and historical relevance.

 

 

Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself (Available March 28, 2025)

“When you hear his name,” NPR declared, “you can expect to hear some of the most original and challenging music of the 20th century.” Although his achievements were undeniable, the sometimes-eccentric Monk wasn’t always considered a success. To that end, the 1957 Thelonious Himself was considered one of the jazz great’s significant breakthroughs after his artistic turning point with Brilliant Corners.

 

Thelonious Himself features just that: Monk alone, save one track featuring bassist Wilbur Ware and saxophonist John Coltrane. That track, “Monk’s Mood,” is a transcendent exercise in sonic expansion, with sounds gradually enveloping the room around them. The rest of the album is a bounty of unexpected treats: disciplined when it needs to be and subtly peacocking only when it makes sense. Highlights include his take on “April in Paris,” which is at turns escapist and wistful, and his nine-minute original track, “Functional,” strikingly sly in its experimentation. Wrote AllMusic, “Monk’s hesitant stride and thoughtful yet very unpredictable flights are always a joy to hear.”

 

Miles Davis All Stars – Walkin’ (Available April 18, 2025)

Walkin’, released in 1957, brings together Davis’ tracks recorded three years earlier as the Miles Davis All-Star Sextet and the Miles Davis Quintet. Unsurprisingly, it features a solid line-up, including saxophonist Lucky Thompson, drummer Kenny Clarke and pianist Horace Silver.

 

The title track had been in constant rotation at the trumpeter’s live gigs for a reason: It’s a smooth, shimmering example of hard bop-blues that follows Davis’ lead. The album’s next track, “Blue ’N’ Boogie,” however, is a showy, sprightly retort to the chilled-out ease of “Walkin’.” And the standout final track, “Love Me or Leave Me,” is even more blissed out in its freneticism.

 

Walkin’ is particularly interesting in how it illustrates Davis’ gradual break from bebop conventions. “Miles Davis’ album Walkin’ is one of those albums that should be in every jazz fan’s album collection,” noted Jazzwise. “Here Davis’ solos are the epitome of less is more.”

 

Miles Davis – The Musings of Miles (Available April 18, 2025)

The album, released in 1955, was the trumpeter’s first 12” LP. With pianist Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones in tow—who’d later become key parts of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet—the album is a fascinating peek into the mind of Davis rediscovering his superpowers.

 

The Musings of Miles is an important transition in Davis’ evolution towards some of his most seminal works. This album veers from carefree (the meticulous “A Night in Tunisia”) to elegant (“A Gal in Calico,” a lovely summertime escapade) to sentimental (the silky “I See Your Face Before Me”). “The interpretations are generally lyrical and melodic,” AllMusic explained. It turns out that part of witnessing Davis getting his groove back is witnessing the showman tame himself to exude a comforting warmth.

 

Click here to pre-order these new titles and view digital formats or click here to shop the complete OJC collection.

 

 

Tracklists:

 

Joe Pass – Virtuoso

 

Side A

1. Night And Day
2. Stella By Starlight
3. Here’s That Rainy Day
4. My Old Flame
5. How High The Moon
6. Cherokee

 

Side B

1. Sweet Lorraine
2. Have You Met Miss Jones?
3. ’Round Midnight
4. All The Things You Are
5. Blues For Alican
6. The Song Is You

 

 

Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery

 

Side A

1. Airegin
2. D-Natural Blues
3. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
4. Four On Six

 

Side B

1. West Coast Blues
2. In Your Own Sweet Way
3. Mister Walker
4. Gone With The Wind

 

 

Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself

 

Side A

1. April In Paris
2. Ghost Of A Chance
3. Functional
4. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You

 

Side B

1. I Should Care
2. ’Round Midnight
3. All Alone
4. Monk’s Mood

 

 

Miles Davis All Stars – Walkin’

 

Side A

1. Walkin’
2. Blue ’N’ Boogie

 

Side B

1. Solar
2. You Don’t Know What Love Is
3. Love Me Or Leave Me

 

 

Miles Davis – The Musings of Miles

 

Side A

1. Will You Still Be Mine?
2. I See Your Face Before Me
3. I Didn’t

 

Side B

1. A Gal In Calico
2. A Night In Tunisia
3. Green Haze

 

 

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., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, 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, HITCO, 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 the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

 

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