Various Black Jazz Records - The Complete Singles (CD)

(Real Gone Records) 15 tracks.

Our CD and LP release of the 20 albums recorded for the legendary collector's label Black Jazz in 2020 and 2021 was probably the most consequential and successful reissue campaign we have ever undertaken at Real Gone Music. The fact that music recorded 50 years ago could speak so eloquently to the turmoil our society was experiencing in those days of COVID and civil unrest is a testament to its enduring beauty and the power of its spiritually-driven message of Black empowerment. Ever since we released the last Black Jazz album, we've been wrestling with the question of how to create a compilation of this amazingly diverse and rich body of work. And then we realized why not have label producer Gene Russell do it for us. Russell may be long dead, but the compositions he selected for the ten singles the label released provide us with a ready-made template for a Black Jazz collection. So we are releasing this CD of 15 tracks with three goals in mind. First, we want to offer a sort of "best-of" for people who don't know the label yet, or for those who are looking for a "sampler" (although we highly recommend delving into the entire album catalog). Secondly, we've included the unique single edits for those collectors who want to get really specific... with one caveat. For the singles where the album title simply faded out on one side and faded back in on the next, we decided to present the album titles without interruption to ensure a seamless listening experience. Finally, Black Jazz Records: The Complete Singles offers an insight into what Gene Russell considered to be the label's most commercial titles. His judgments may not have led to Black Jazz's financial success, but the production values and passionate playing that he and his artists brought to every single piece of vinyl on the label, be it a long player or a single, are undeniable. It's an artistic legacy, and we at Real Gone are very proud to have contributed to its re-evaluation and appreciation, which we hope to enhance with this collection. Remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, with extensive notes by Pat Thomas.