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Release Date: 13 December 2024
Label: Miles Music
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5052442026372
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
First ever appearance on CD for this 1985 session led by the British jazz saxophonists Alan Barnes and Tommy Whittle, alongside a stellar group that includes bassist Alec Dankworth, pianist Mick Pyne and drummer Alan Jackson.
'Straight Eight' was the first album to be released on the new Miles Music label in 1985, and the pairing of the established Tommy Whittle with the young Alan Barnes, who was rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the bright new talents on the jazz scene, would not have been immediately obvious.
That John Miles wanted to showcase both experience and youth in the UK jazz world was an indicator of how he imagined the role of Miles Music. To give the often unsung players from the British Isles the recording opportunities and exposure he felt they deserved.
For this debut album from the fledgling label, John, aided by co-producer Bruce Talbot, brought together a diverse rhythm section with a young Alec Dankworth on bass, the established and creative Mick Pyne on piano and Alan Jackson, a free spirit, on drums.
This remastering of the original tapes for the LP has four additional tracks from the original sessions, one an evocative tribute to Scott Lafaro, and three versions of 'Blues for Ronnie's', all with merit, that illustrate so well the difficult choices a jazz record producer has to make.
Tracklisting
Gareth Williams
Tubby Hayes Quartet
Tommy Whittle & Alan Barnes
Alan Skidmore Quartet
Bernard Miles
Peter King Quartet
Guy Barker Quintet
Peter King & Alan Skidmore
Tommy Whittle & Alan Barnes
Xhosa Cole
John Clayton & Mulgrew Miller
George Cables
Sylvaine Helary & Orchestre Incandescent
The Exu
Ruby Rushton
Bob James & David Sanborn
