Introducing “Video Vinyl Spotlight”, A New DGM YouTube Series
I’m back, once again. Vinyl Spotlight posts began back in January 2014 and have been a cornerstone of this blog for the past eight years. Well, I recently acquired a new camera and decided it was time to bring Deep Groove Mono into the 2020s … More→
How a Blue Note Remastering Session Works: DGM Visits Cohearent Audio
(Ed. Note: I originally intended to do a formal interview with Joe and Kevin, but as the day progressed and the friendly vibe between us grew, I became less and less interested in the idea of shifting gears into being “on the record”. So I kept it casual. As a result, this article … More→
The Deep Groove Mono Classic Jazz Album Art Extravaganza
Ladies and gentlemen, after several unexpected weeks immersing myself in images and history, I present to you the Deep Groove Mono Classic Jazz Album Art Extravaganza! This design love fest has been broken into two parts with links below. The first is an essay on Modern American design and its origins, and the … More→
Origins of Bop: Maxine Sullivan / Kenny Dorham, “My Ideal”
I’ve been noticing some buzz on the internet about an up-and-coming mono reissuing of Kenny Dorham’s Quiet Kenny by the Craft label, so I thought I’d feature a track off that album for this edition of Origins of Bop. “My Ideal” dates back to 1930, the year of both its publishing and … More→
Introducing “Record Collector Confessions”, A New DGM Video Blog
It is my pleasure to introduce a new Deep Groove Mono video blog (“vlog”, as the kids say) series titled Record Collector Confessions. The inspiration to do this partly came from fellow members of the jazz community who are making terrific podcasts, and it also came from filmmaker Alan Zweig. The confessional style … More→
Shellac Spotlight: Lester Young, “These Foolish Things” / “Jumpin’ at Mesner’s” (Aladdin 124)
Original 1946 pressing Recorded December 1945 in Los Angeles Selection: “These Foolish Things” (Strachey) Truth be told, I snubbed Lester Young for a long time for the simple fact that he rose to fame during the swing era. I didn’t realize how hip he could be until I heard the Oscar Peterson Trio … More→
Origins of Bop: Sigmund Romberg, “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise”
For the first installment of Origins of Bop, we looked at a 1948 bebop classic (Bird’s “Ah Leu Cha”) covered in the hard bop era (by Miles). This time, we explore a jazz standard with roots stretching back much further. “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” has been covered by many artists including John Coltrane and Larry Young… More→
Shellac Spotlight: Max Roach Quintet, “Maximum” / James Moody Quartet, “Just Moody” (Blue Note 1570)
Original 1949 pressing “Maximum” recorded May 15, 1949 at Studio Technisonor, Paris “Just Moody” recorded April 30, 1949 in Lausanne, Switzerland Selection: “Maximum” (Dorham-Roach) There is something to be said about the role exclusivity plays in record collecting and even in music appreciation in general, with this 78 being a prime example. If … More→
Origins of Bop: Charlie Parker / Miles Davis, “Ah-Leu-Cha”
Welcome to Origins of Bop, a new Deep Groove Mono series that aims to explore the lineage of some of my favorite hard bop recordings. I have always been interested in music history, and with jazz, that has meant finding out more about where my favorite compositions came from. This series is therefore intended to provide some backstory… More→