Phil Ranelin
Collected Works 2003-2019

On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, and recorded his first great masterpiece: Blue Train. It would be the legendary saxophonist’s sole album as a leader for Blue Note, a locomotive 5-track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic 6-piece band with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train will be released in 2 special editions as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series: a 1-LP mono pressing of the original album and a 2-LP stereo pressing of Blue Train: The Complete Masters which includes a 2nd disc of alternate and incomplete takes, 4 of which have never been released before, and none of which have been available previously on vinyl. The 2-LP set comes with a bound booklet featuring session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn.Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in deluxe gatefold tip-on jackets.

Composer, bassist and producer Horatio Luna is a musician intrinsically interwoven into the fabric of Melbourne’s (and indeed the global) jazz scene. Following his 2020 LP Boom Boom (Which won support from the likes of Jamz Supernova, Lefto, Bradley Zero, Earmilk and OkayPlayer) Horatio returns to Jitwam’s The Jazz Diaries imprint, inviting several of his alltime favourite producers to reimagine some of his standout tracks.The ‘Reworks EP’ kicks off with Horatio’s interpretation of ‘Milestones’ (a cover of the incredible Miles Davis track), while enigmatic UK producer Zepherin Saint takes to the boards with his remix of ‘Bumps’, giving the track a new lease of life with scattered drums and jazzy progressions. Next up Detroit’s Patrice Scott turns in his emotive remix of Horatio’s LP title track ‘Boom Boom’ - featuring moody pads, piano flourishes and an ominous bassline, he adds some Mo-town seasoning into the original. Last but not least the one and only Kai Alcé also turns his gaze to ‘Boom Boom’ opting for a more uplifting approach, and his Wurlitzer notes stretch into the ether, to be joined by a driving rhythm section to keep the dancers moving.With these incredible remixes, Horatio’s infectious and groove-soaked driving bassline and astral textures are given a soulful injection from some of the finest in the game.

The late Christian Burchard, who founded the Embryo ensemble in 1969, loved the slogan “Auf Auf,” German for “Up, Up,” or “Keep On Going.” Anyone with anything more than a passing interest in the German Krautock scene of the 1970s and 1980s knows that Burchard followed that intent all around the world, tirelessly seeking out new sounds and inspirations and creating a catalog of music unlike most anything else the world has ever heard.Madlib has often said Embryo is his favorite rock band. Of course the hip-hop producer with the deepest musical knowledge knows Embryo is more than just a rock band.When Marja Burchard, Christan’s daughter, who grew up with Embryo and toured with them for years, took the reins of the ensemble after Christian’s death in 2018, she started recording what would become the album Auf Auf. It was recorded over the course of two years, finishing it in the throes of the Covid pandemic in 2020. She approached Madlib and Egon – who had visited and jammed with Christian Burchard and Embryo musicians years ago in a Bavarian wine cellar – with the idea to issue Auf Auf on Madlib Invazion. The reply was a resounding, definitive yes.So here is Marja’s take on the Embryo ethos, continuing with her father’s intrepid style, and leading the band in her own style. Auf Auf ranges from the deep, free-form jazz of “Alphorn Prayer” to modal music from Afghanistan on “Baran” to psychedelic-tinged jazz-rock of the title track.Joining Marja are those like Embryo veterans Bunka, on oud and guitar, and Karl Hector and the Malcouns/Whitefield Brothers/Poets of Rhythm producer and guitarist Jan Weissenfeldt and others, including important players on the global scene from Afghanistan and Morocco.