Central Square Records Blog

Now for those who dig jazz, you know that the magic of improvisation is best found in a live set, where spontaneity fuels the groove. Here are a few choice live recordings of some of our favorite jazz artists:

1. Hugh Masekela, Lasting Impressions of Ooga Booga - a compilation of tracks recorded at the Village Gate, NYC, 1965; Masekela weaves stories from his native South Africa among stellar covers (’Cantelope Island’) and Afro-centric originals.

2. Jimmy Smith, Live At Club Baby Grand Vol. 1 -2 - The master of the Hammond B3 shows his stuff from these intimate dates recorded in 1956. A small trio with a big sound, Smith’s group delivers the goods.

3. Miles Davis, Live at the Plugged Nickel, Chicago, 1965 - this series of shows recorded in late December, 1965, features the one of the most exciting quintets ever assembled, with Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Fierce yet cool at the same time, this 8-disc set is worth the investment.

4. Kenny Burrell, On View at the Five Spot, 1959 - great live date from one of the leading soul jazz guitarists of the genre. Though sticking more to his hard bop guns, Burrell still conjures enough blues to keep it grounded. Featuring Tina Brooks on sax, genius pianist Bobby Timmons, and the great Art Blakey on drums, this date has all of the planets aligned for a remarkable performance.

5. Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957 - one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time, Rollins heads this trio with Wilbur Ware on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Leaving more than enough space for himself, Rollins levels his horn at the crowd and never lets up, constantly reinventing new approaches to his music.

Today is the release day for Pearl Jam’s new album, Backspacer, available now in CD ($18.98) and LP format ($30.98). The band has worked closely with the independent label, Junketboy, in order to promote the album in the indie retail sphere, versus making an exclusive deal with big box retailers. So support your local music store and get it here at Central Square Records!

Just thought we’d let you see what albums sold the most this summer (not counting Michael Jackson). We have to say the Dan Auerbach Keep it Hid took the cake,  garnering appeal from fans across the board: blues fans, indie fans, folk fans, all loved it. Thanks for a great summer, but every Tuesday is new music day, so we will always have the freshest sounds no matter what season we’re in. Enjoy:

1. Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid

2. Various Artists - Dark Was the Night

3. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

4. Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People…….Lazers Do

5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Hey everyone, just a reminder that the Beatles CD Re-Release will start tomorrow, 9/9, and we should have every album from Please Please Me (1963) to Let It Be (1970) remastered and each with a mini-documentary enclosed, for only $15.98 each. The Past Masters and White Album, both 2-disc reissues, will be $24.98 each. Free Beatles re-release T-Shirt (very limited supply), and lithograph (very cool) with purchase of these items. So come by and celebrate a bit of musical history, these have not been reissued since their advent on CD in 1987, more than 20 years ago! See you here!

Calling all Beatles fans! Apple Corps/EMI are remastering all of the classic Beatles titles, to be released on 9/9. This is a cd only release (for now) and features all of the calssic 12 albums from 1963 (Please Please Me) to 1970 (Let It Be), plus the Past Masters 2-disc compilation. Not since their original release on cd in 1987 have these albums been upgraded, so now’s your chance to get in on this historic release.  We will also be carrying two types of box sets, one of Mono recordings, and one of Stereo recordings, here’s the breakdown:

Beatles Stereo Box Set:

-Contains all 13 albums in 3 panel softpacks

-Contains new Stereo Past Masters double CD in single pack

-Contains bonus DVD of 13 contemporary mini-documentaries

-17 discs total

Beatles Mono Box Set

-Beatles’ first 10 albums released in their original Mono format

-Authentic mini-vinyl editions recreated from original packaging

-Bonus Mono Masters set of singles, EPs, and rare tracks that never appeared on albums

-13 discs total

Plus T-shirts to give away and limited lithographs free with purchases! Starts 9/9/09!

Hey fellow music lovers, this Saturday (9/5) we will be celebrating Vinyl Saturday, an extension of National Record Store Day (which some of you helped celebrate in April), featuring exclusive vinyl pieces from a few notable artists. Here’s what we will have:

Avett Brothers Slight Figure of Speech 7″ - exclusive release of the new single featured on the upcoming album (produced by Rick Rubin) I and Love and You (out 9/29; vinyl out 9/15); the B side (More of You) will not be on the upcoming album, only on this release.

Big Star Feel 7″ - the A side features an alternate mix of Feel, a song featured on the upcoming Keep an Eye on the Sky box set (releases 9/15) and best known as the first track from their #1 Record recording. The B side features a lost track from 1974, Mod Lang, which is just now seeing the light of day.

Mars Volta Octahedron full length vinyl - much anticipated vinyl release of the latest album, complete with original artistic packaging. Limited supply.

Hope to see you this weekend, we may have some other surprises as well. Also check out our recently acquired used 45s and LPs, and as always, we carry the best new music and classic jams on cd and new vinyl. We also carry posters, guitar accessories and much more! We are open from 9am-8pm

Oxford, Mississippi label Fat Possum has done a world of good in bringing the blues into a new context. Drawing from the foundation laid by the ‘last school’ of true Delta bluesmen like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, Fat Possum has made sure its subsequent artists maintain the same dusty, unrefined style of its forefathers. The latest talent fostered by the label is guitarist/vocalist A.A. Bondy, hailing from Alabama and evoking a subtler, folk-driven style of  blues on his latest release ‘When the Devil Is Loose’. Bondy’s sound does not have the signature stomp and riffage of labelmates the Black Keys, but is more reminiscent of Ryan Adams (’Cold Roses’ era), or the stripped-down folk of Elvis Perkins (with whom he will be touring in the fall). Though mellow throughout, with graceful guitar lines threading his earthy vocals along, ‘When the Devil Is Loose’ exhibits  the natural intensity of a confident songwriter.