Kenny Clarke - The Golden Eight: Reissue (1961/2015) Vinyl

This is one of the rarest of all Blue Note albums, and one that is a must for record collectors. The Francy Boland/Kenny Clarke big band was one of the most exciting orchestras of the 1960s and '70s. Much less known but also brilliant was a unique octet co-led by Boland and Clarke just prior to the big band.

Called The Golden Eight, the group, in addition to pianist Boland and drummer Clarke, includes the dazzling hard bop trumpeter Duscko Gojkovic, alto sax, tenor sax, string bass and top musicians on both alto horn and baritone horn. The latter two horns were hardly ever featured in a jazz setting and they really add a great deal to the sound of the ensembles.

The debut recording by the Golden Eight from 1961 is up to the level of the best Blue Note albums of the time even if few know about it. Mixing together inventive versions of standards with Boland's memorable originals, this obscure classic will amaze today's listeners.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.

Tracklisting:

A1. La Campimania
A2. Gloria
A3. High Notes
A4. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
A5. The Golden Eight
B1. Strange Meeting
B2. You'd Be So Nice
B3. Dorian 0437
B4. Poor Butterfly
B5. Basse Cuite