(2-LP set) In 1958,
a young, successful French composer-arranger with a major infatuation on
American jazz, worked his way to New York and convinced the very best players
of the time to record an album of largely jazz standards. Michel Legrand
would go on to win numerous prizes and accolades (3 Oscars, 5 Grammies, 2
Palmes D'or, etc.), but little of what followed matched the sheer brilliance
of Legrand Jazz. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Phil
Woods and practically every other session man in town signed up for sessions
with Legrand to record his idiosyncratic arrangements of standards
("Django", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Night
in Tunisia", etc.). Instead of regurgitating then current bop styles, he reinvented the very nature of orchestral jazz band repertoire to make a unique and forward-looking statement on the genre. The sound of Impex's all-analog LP preserves the wide soundstage of late 50's Columbia recordings while creating intimate spaces between players on the stage for maximum definition. This rare, highly-praised recording has never sounded as good as it does now. The meticulously recreated outer jacket is packaged in a gatefold with an original photo montage inside honoring Michel Legrand's masterpiece of reinvention and sublime fan-boy enthusiasm. 100% Analog 180g 45rpm Vinyl! Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering! |