McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington is a spectacularly expressive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized post-bop and modal jazz studio masterpiece led by the legendary American acoustic grand piano vanguard monarch McCoy Tyner, digitally preserved and reissued on compact disc in 1997 under the prestigious Impulse! Records banner. Spanning nearly 48 minutes of breathtakingly intense, conceptually deep harmonic interactions across 10 definitive selections, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute peak monument in mid-1960s acoustic jazz archaeology. Originally recorded on December 2, 7, and 8, 1964, at Rudy Van Gelder's legendary Englewood Cliffs studio, this historic project executes a fierce, forward-thinking sonic blueprint that daringly reinterprets the timeless swing architectures of Duke Ellington through the roaring, block-chord modal structures and volcanic rhythm dynamics that defined the golden era of post-bop.

Caravan is a spectacularly explosive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized hard bop studio masterpiece led by the legendary American trumpet vanguard innovator Clifford "Brownie" Michigan, documented in 1954 and preserved on compact disc by Bob Shad’s premier independent archival jazz preservation imprint EmArcy Records. Spanning over 36 minutes of breathtakingly intense, conceptually unbound instrumental interactions across 2 massive, side-long structural jams, this high-fidelity restoration serves as an absolute pinnacle monument in mid-1950s golden-era bop archaeology. Captured during a historic, star-studded Hollywood marathon session on August 11, 1954, this legendary lineup acts as a fiery cross-continental meeting ground—fusing the razor-sharp East Coast fire of the Brown-Roach engine with the fluid, highly expressive aesthetics of elite West Coast horn kings.

Inner Voyage is a spectacularly introspective, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized acoustic jazz studio masterpiece by the legendary Cuban virtuoso pianist and composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba, released in 1999 by the premier international jazz imprint Blue Note Records. Spanning nearly 73 minutes of profound instrumental interaction across 9 expansive tracks, this high-fidelity document stands as a landmark milestone in the evolution of modern Afro-Cuban post-bop archaeology. Moving decisively away from the high-velocity, athletic pyrotechnics of his early career, Rubalcaba uses this brilliant major-label outing to unveil a deeply mature, lyrical, and spacious sonic blueprint, prioritizing complex harmonic nuances, impressionistic shading, and telepathic trio communication.

The Album is the ninth full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Caravan. The music is soft rock with only a few of the progressive elements left that made earlier albums by Caravan so great. The only song that gives small hints to their past greatness is Watcha Gonna Tell Me. It´s be far the best song on the album with flute and those quirky fast vocal lines. The Album is unfortunately another below average album by Caravan and it´s hard not to get the thought that they really didn´t have much more to offer to the world of music at this point in their career.

By all outward appearances, The Best of Caravan Live seems to fit the description and packaging of a budget release. Indeed, this is what all but the most inquisitive enthusiasts must surely have thought when passing up the French two-LP set in 1980. In actuality, the music contained within these grooves is a performance by Caravan from the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, September 1, 1974. The band used this gig to prepare for their inaugural North American tour. Additionally, the performance was documented in hopes of using the best bits as a promotional tool for their upcoming shows. However, the tapes remained dormant for nearly two years. Then in 1976, the epic "For Richard" was judiciously extracted and subsequently included as an unreleased bonus on the double LP Canterbury Tales retrospective. In 1980, the European-only Kingdom label released an edited and reconfigured version under the name The Best of Caravan Live to little or no fanfare - which is unfortunate, as it contains some of the band's finest live work…

The newly mined creative energies that guided For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night continued into the Caravan & the New Symphonia project. Fusing with a 39-piece orchestra is a daring move that pays off. The remastered CD includes over a half an hour of unissued material from Caravan, with and without the New Symphonia, during the same October 28, 1973 Theatre Royal concert. Subtitled "The Complete Concert," this performance captures Caravan at a creative zenith. The newly restored program commences with a brief introduction from BBC Radio's Alan Black. The band then presents three from For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night: "Memory Lain, Hugh"/"Headloss" suite, "The Dog, the Dog, He's at It Again," and "Hoedown." This mini-set sparkles with the frenetic energy that a live audience will often provide…

Contrasting the clever spoonerism from which Cunning Stunts derives its name, Caravan are heard on what is arguably their most uninspired material to date. The effort is certainly far from a total loss, but nowhere nearly as creative as their former studio effort For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973) - the likes of which sadly would not be equalled. Instead of commencing the affair with the aggression and spirit that informed previous LPs - such as "Memory Lain, Hugh" or "Waterloo Lilly" - which had christened their earlier albums, "The Show of Our Lives" comes off comparatively heavy and practically dirge-like. Caravan's trademark instrumental agility while perhaps temporarily mired, is not lost on Pye Hastings' uptempo rocker "Stuck in a Hole"…

For their first album, Caravan was surprisingly strong. While steeped in the same British psychedelia that informed bands such as Love Children, Pink Floyd, and Tomorrow, Caravan relates a freedom of spirit and mischief along the lines of Giles, Giles & Fripp or Gong. The band's roots can be traced to a British blue-eyed soul combo called the Wilde Flowers. Among the luminaries to have passed through this Caravan precursor were Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Hugh Hopper and Brian Hopper (pre-Soft Machine, naturally). By the spring of 1968, Caravan had settled nicely into a quartet consisting of Pye Hastings (guitar/bass/vocals), Richard Coughlan (drums), David Sinclair (organ/vocals), and Richard Sinclair (bass/guitar/vocals). Inspired by the notoriety and acclaim that Soft Machine encountered during the burgeoning days of London's underground scene, Caravan began a residency at the Middle Earth club…

After the musical uncertainty of Waterloo Lily, Caravan returned with their most inspired recording since In the Land of the Grey and Pink. The splendidly titled For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night is several steps ahead in terms of fresh musical ideas that wholly incorporate the band's trademark humor within the otherwise serious and challenging sonic structures. Two of the more dominant reasons for the change in Caravan's sound were the return of keyboardist Dave Sinclair and the addition of violist Peter Geoffrey Richardson. Die-hard fans gladly welcomed Sinclair back, however, Richardson was met with heckles from enthusiasts during live appearances. They were soon silenced as his place on For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night easily ranks among Caravan's watershed moments…

In the Land of Grey and Pink is considered by many to be a pinnacle release from Caravan. The album contains an undeniable and decidedly European sense of humor and charm. In addition, this would mark the end of the band's premiere lineup. Co-founder David Sinclair would leave Caravan to form Matching Mole with Soft Machine drummer and vocalist Robert Wyatt in August of 1971. As a group effort, In the Land of Grey and Pink displays all the ethereal brilliance Caravan created on their previous pair of 12" outings. Their blending of jazz and folk instrumentation and improvisational styles hints at Traffic and Family, as displayed on "Winter Wine," as well as the organ and sax driven instrumental introduction to "Nine Feet Underground"…

Caravan followed up their eponymous debut with the cryptically titled If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You in the fall of 1970. If I Could Do It All Over Again contains significant progressions over the first album. These include the intricacy with which compositions are sculpted around some of the finest instrumental improvisation in British rock at the time - or arguably since. Caravan's uncanny ability to create a montage that effortlessly maneuvers through acoustic folk and electric progressive rock is best exemplified on the "With an Ear to the Ground" suite. The extended instrumental passages weave in and out of each other, creating a hypnotic and otherwise psychedelic soundscape that would become a trademark of the European progressive rock movement. Another epic, "For Richard" quickly found solid standing as the Caravan live performance closer for decades after first appearing on this album…

Before the recording of Waterloo Lily, David Sinclair departed Caravan to join forces with Soft Machine skinsman Robert Wyatt and form Matching Mole. With the subsequent arrival of former Delivery member Steve Miller and an overwhelming jazz influence, the edgier progressive rock and folk elements that were so prevalent on their previous albums are somewhat repressed. The band's performance level did not suffer in the transition. In fact, the addition of Miller only punctuates Caravan's previously honed improvisational skills. Beginning with Waterloo Lily's leadoff title track, there is a sound more akin to the jazzier efforts of Traffic. Miller's "Nothing at All" incorporates the jazz fusion even further as the long instrumental introduction more than hints at Steely Dan circa Katy Lied…

2-on-1 set that brings the albums All Over You and All Over You… Too together in one package.
All Over You (1996). Whenever "classic rock" bands choose to re-record new versions of their old hits, the results are infamously less than favorable. Indeed, Caravan purists and other such enthusiasts may find it necessary to re-evaluate All Over You - as well as its companion release All Over You…Too - within their own standards. This single disc features a few acoustic-based reworkings, as well as some otherwise overhauled renditions of some of Caravan's most enduring standards. The remastered version - issued in 2000 on the Castle label - also contains two additional recordings. The tracks on this release basically fall into two categories. The first consists of new performances featuring the original arrangements….