The Jazzprint

Released
1957— Atlantic 1265

Style
Cool Jazz

The Lineup
John Lewis — piano
Milt Jackson — vibraharp
Percy Heath — bass
Connie Kay — drums

Track of the Day
Bag’s Groove (click to listen)

This Album’s Flavour
Midnight Smoke: Smoky, slow-burning, and effortlessly smooth. For dim lights and late hours.

One Thought
John Lewis, the band’s pianist and musical director, felt the album was their best.

Tell Me Something
What do you hear in the Modern Jazz Quartet that I might be missing as a new listener?

The Jazzprint

Released
1963 — Sparton Impulse! Records A-42

Style
Post Bop, Modal

The Lineup
John Coltrane — soprano and tenor sax
Eric Dolphy — bass clarinet
McCoy Tyner — piano
Reggie Workman, Jimmy Garrison — bass
Elvin Jones, Roy Haynest — drums

Track of the Day
India (click to listen)

This Album’s Flavour
Mad Scientist: Exploratory, inventive, and beautifully unpredictable. Best for expanding your brain and hearing music think out loud.

One Thought
This music grows wilder, more emotional, and almost hypnotic as it plays on.

Tell Me Something
How do you like After the Rain — such a beautiful ballad?

The Jazzprint

Released
1959 — Columbia CL 1268

Style
Hard Bop

The Lineup
Miles Davis — trumpet
John Coltrane, Barney Wilen — tenor saxophone
Cannonball Adderley — alto saxophone
Bill Evans, René Urtreger — piano
Paul Chambers, Pierre Michelot — bass
Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Clarke — drums

Track of the Day
Florence sur les Champs-Élysées (click to listen)

This Album’s Flavour
Late Night Lounge: Smoky, sophisticated, and effortlessly smooth. Best for dimming the lights.

One Thought
Side 1’s Paris soundtrack has the loneliest, most hauntingly beautiful trumpet sound.

Tell Me Something
What do you know about this album?

I’m thrilled to be adding a new sub-series to Vinyl Hour called Uncle Gerry’s Jazz.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be listening my way through the classic jazz vinyl records I inherited from my Uncle Gerry shortly before he passed.

He was a high school electronics teacher, an amateur musician who played clarinet, saxophone, and flute, and an avid listener with, from what I can tell, excellent taste.

As I’m still a novice in the jazz world, I won’t be writing formal essays or reviews. Instead, I’ll be sharing “jazzprints” of each album: when it was released, the style, the lineup, my chosen track of the day (with a link to listen), the album’s fun flavour rating, and one personal thought on the record.

There’ll also be a “tell me something” prompt—where you can help expand my jazz knowledge along the way.

Uncle Gerry’s Jazz will run most Tuesdays through Thursdays at around 3:00 p.m.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey through his collection of records. And please share this notice with any Substack jazz fans you know of.

Thanks for your support.