Now Only two sets of this very-rare release available.
Two 4LP box set collections of the rare jazz album covers designed by Andy Warhol in the 1950s.
"Andy Warhol designed more than 50 album covers over the course of his career.
A few years ago one might have been able to pick up a used copy of some of these albums for a few bucks, but since the publication of Paul Marechal’s 2008 book Andy Warhol: The Record Covers (1949-1987), and the 2009 Warhol Live exhibition—the first ever comprehensive retrospective of Andy Warhol’s album cover artwork—original copies have been known to change hands for thousands of dollars. For the most part (3 out of the 4 albums in each box) have never been reissued on vinyl, and a few have also never been issued on CD, making this box set your only chance to own these Warhols.
The four jazz albums collected in each box all come from that very exciting time in Warhol’s career (1954-58) when he, in addition to being a successful commercial designer, was also an up and coming fine artist. Through these covers, we can also see the evolution of Warhol’s “blotted ink” style, which would become a hallmark of his later work. The flowers on Johnny Griffin’s The Congregation, on the other hand, are an early example of his Flowers prints of the following decade. The calligraphic writing employed on some of the albums was done by Warhol’s mother. Her distinct handwriting would grace many of her son’s works over the years"
Click to pre-order:
Various Artists - Andy Warhol’s Jazz Album Covers (vol. 1) Format: 140 gram vinyl - 4LP box limited ed. 500 numbered copies for £59.99
Includes:
1) Thelonious Monk– Monk – LP (Prestige, 1954)
Includes original liner notes.
After leaving Blue Note in 1952, Thelonious Monk moved to Prestige. During his time with the label (’52-’54) he cut three stellar albums, including this Monk released in 1954. Side A was recorded in November 1953 and featured Monk playing two of his own compositions, “Let’s Call This” and “Think Of One”, in a quintet setting, joined by an all-star line-up featuring the great Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Percy Heath on bass, Julius Watkins’ amazing French horn playing, and Willie Jones on drums. Side B, recorded the following year in May 1954, finds Monk again in a quintet setting playing his own “We See”, “Locomotive” and “Hackensack” (dedicated to Rudy Van Gelder and his famed studio where these sessions took place), and the standard “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, featuring Frank Foster on tenor sax, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Curly Russell on bass, and Art Blakey on drums.
Track list - Side A: 1. Let’s Call This 2. Think Of One (Take Two) 3. Think Of One (Take One) Side B: We See 2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 3. Locomotive 4. Hackensack.
Count Basie– Count Basie & His Orchestra – LP (RCA Victor, 1955)
First ever vinyl reissue. Never issued on CD. Includes original liner notes.
These 12 sides are a collection of extremely rare recordings made over a series of several sessions in 1947, 1949, and 1950, but never issued until 1955 on RCA Victor. Prior to this album, only “South”, “My Buddy”, “Basie’s Basement” and “Seventh Avenue Express” had ever been released, and since this album has never been reissued (on vinyl or CD) until now, the remaining eight tracks have only ever been released one time, in 1955!
The material is extremely varied, with Basie playing in both a big and small band setting with Paul Gonsalves on sax, Emmett Berry on trumpet, Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet, and Freddie Green on guitar, among others. 1947 was a watershed year for Basie, who that year alone performed in 5 films and had three Top Ten hits, however by 1950 he had been forced to pare down his Orchestra due to the declining popularity of the big band style.
Track list - Side A: 1. Basie’s Basement 2. My Buddy 3. Lopin’ 4. South 5. Mr. Robert’s Roost 6. Seventh Avenue Express Side B: 1. Just And Old Manuscript 2. Katy 3. Wonderful Thing 4. If You See My Baby 5. Rat Race 6. Sweet
Jay Jay Johnson/Kai Winding/Bennie Green – Trombone by Three – (2xLP) (Prestige, 1956)
First ever vinyl reissue. Originally released as 16 r.p.m. single LP. Includes 14 bonus tracks & original liner notes.
This album was originally released as a single LP on Prestige in 1956 with two alternate jacket designs. The Andy Warhol designed jacket (found here) was created for a 16 r.p.m. version of the album (part of a short-lived 16 r.p.m. series done by Prestige). The album was never reissued on vinyl and only the non-Warhol jacket has ever appeared on the CD version.
This reissue features an entire album’s worth of bonus tracks (14 in all), including the celebrated dual-trombone “Jay and Kai Quintet” session from 1954 and a session by “Bennie Green with Strings” from 1952. The original album was a compilation of three sessions from 1949 and 1951 recorded by the leading trombonists of the era Sidemen include: Sonny Rollins, Kenny Dorham, Max Roach, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan and Brew Moore.
Track list – Side A: 1. Riviera 2. Dinner For One 3. Hip Bones 4.Windbag 5. We’ll Be Together Again 6. Bag’s Groove Side B: 1. Don’t Argue 2. How Long Has This Been Going On 3. A Night On Bop Mountain 4. Waterworks 5. Broadway 6. Sid’s Bounce Side C: 1. Elysses 2. Hilo 3. Fox Hunt 4. Opus V 5. There’s A Small Hotel 6. Stardust 7. Serenade To Love Side D: 1. Embraceable You 2. Green Junction 3. Flowing River 4. Whirl-A-Licks 5. Pennies From Heaven 6. Tenor Sax Shuffle 7. Sugar Syrup
Kenny Burrell – Vol. 2 LP (Blue Note, 1956)
First ever vinyl reissue. Includes original liner notes.
Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell (born in 1931 in Detroit) began playing guitar at the age of 12 and made his musical debut in 1951 with Dizzy Gillespie’s sextet. This album was recorded in 1956 at the Rudy Van Gelder studio shortly after Burrell moved to NYC, and has never been reissued on vinyl until now. It was Burrell’s second album as leader and features Frank Foster on tenor sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers and Oscar Pettiford on bass, Kenny Clarke and Shadow Wilson on drums, and Candido on congas.
Track list – Side A: 1. Get Happy 2. But Not For Me 3. Mexico City 4. Moten Swing 5. Cheetah Side B: 1. Now See How You Are 2. Phinupi 3. How About You 4. My Heart Stood Still
Various Artists - Andy Warhol’s Jazz Album Covers (Vol. 2) (140 gram vinyl - 4LP box limited ed. 500 numbered copies) for £59.99
Includes:
Artie Shaw – Both Feet In The Groove – LP (RCA Victor, 1956)
First ever vinyl reissue. Never issued on CD. Includes original liner notes.
"Born in New York City in 1910, Arthur Arshawsky, better known as Artie Shaw, was one of the leading jazz clarinetists and bandleaders of the swing era. In the late thirties-early forties Shaw’s big band was one of the most influential and popular in the world, on par with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller and Shaw was raking in a salary that by today’s standards would be $600,000 a week!! Shaw also was something of a playboy, marrying a 19-year-old Lana Turner in 1940 and Ava Gardener in 1945 (eventually marrying 8 times in all). These tracks are a collection of material recorded between 1938-1945, with several different bands, when Shaw was at his peak. 1938 was a significant year for Shaw because it was the year that his version of “Begin the Beguine” made him an international superstar. That same year Shaw also made a move that shocked audiences when he became the first white bandleader to hire a black vocalist (Billy Holiday – given tribute here with his version of “Lady Day”). This collection of tracks was released by RCA Victor in 1956 on the new 12” LP format. It has never been reissued on vinyl or CD. Featuring an 18-year-old Buddy Rich (called “the world’s greatest drummer”), Georgie Auld, Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge, and Helen Forrest on vocals"
Track list – Side A: 1. One Foot In The Groove 2. Rockin’ Chair 3. Jungle Drums (Canto Karabali) 4. Solid Sam 5. Just Kiddin’ Around 6. Octoroon Side B: 1. Prosschai 2. What Is This Thing Called Love? 3. Lady Day 4. Little Jazz 5. Comin’ On 6. One Night Stand
Johnny Griffin – The Congregation – LP (Blue Note, 1957)
First ever vinyl reissue. Includes original liner notes.
Born in Chicago in 1928, Griffin began establishing himself as one of the city’s best sax players after returning from the War in 1945, and soon became known as “the fastest tenor in the West”. His first album for Blue Note, released in 1956 made him an immediate success on the jazz scene. By the time this album (his third for Blue Note) was released in 1957, he had joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, soon followed by a stint with Thelonious Monk’s Quartet and Sextet. Here Griffin plays in a quartet setting with the great rhythm team of Sonny Clark and Paul Chambers, along with Kenny Dennis on drums.
Track list – Side A: 1. The Congregation 2. Latin Quarter 3. I’m Glad There Is You Side B: 1. Main Spring 2. It’s You Or No One 3. I Remember You
Moondog – The Story Of Moondog – LP (Prestige, 1957)
A revered pioneer of the avant-garde, championed by the likes of Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Artur Rodzinski (conductor of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1940s), Moondog was blind musician, composer and street poet known by most as the “Viking of 6th Avenue”. Moondog (1916-1998) lived on the streets of NYC (usually dressed up as the god Thor), from the late forties until 1974, when he eventually moved to Germany. In the 1940s and 50s Moondog would entertain his street audiences by playing his own homemade instruments and reciting his poetry. His third album for Prestige—way on the outer fringe for the time—is a percussion heavy album featuring Moondog’s own instruments: the oo, the trimba and the tuji. He also recites some of his poetry and uses some ‘found sound’ clips as well. In the 1960s Moondog predictably became an icon of the beat generation, performing with Allen Ginsberg, Lenny Bruce and William Boroughs.
Track list – Side A: 1. Up Broadway 2. Perpetual Motion 3. Gloving It 4. Improvisation 5. Ray Malone Softshoe 6. Two Quotations In Dialogue 7. 5/8 In Two Shades Side B: 1. Moondog’s Theme 2. In The Doorway 3. Duet 4. Trimbas In Quarters 5. Wildwood 6. Trimbas In Eighths 7. Organ Rounds
Kenny Burrell – Blue Lights – 2LP (Blue Note, 1958)
Originally released as two separate LPs: Kenny Burrell Blue Lights Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. Issued for the first time as a double LP. Includes original liner notes.
After over forty years on the jazz scene, Kenny Burrell (b. 1931) is one of the jazz guitar’s great masters. His pioneering style is highly praised among critics and fans alike (often referred to as “Duke Ellington’s favourite guitar player”) and he remains one of the few guitarists whose contribution to the instrument has forever changed the way the guitar is played. He has also been a professor at UCLA since the 1970s.
Burrell’s two volume LP, originally released as two separate albums on Blue Note in 1958 is essentially a cohesive jam session featuring some stellar playing by Art Blakey, Sam Jones, Duke Jordan, Junior Cook, Tina Brooks. The band plays jazz standards like “Autumn In New York”, and “Caravan”, Gershwin’s “The Man I Love”, Sam Jones’ “Chuckin”, his own “Phinupi”, “Yes Baby” and “Rock Salt”, along with bonus track “I Never Knew”, not found on the original LP. It comes from a time when Burrell was quickly becoming the hottest jazz guitarist in the city, a title he defended until moving to California in 1971.
Track list – Side A: 1. I Never Knew 2. Yes Baby Side B: 1. Scotch Blues 2. Autumn In New York 3. Caravan Side C: 1. Rock Salt 2. The Man I Love Side D: 1. Chuckin’ 2. Phinupi
