Tonight’s show is uncommon albums in my collection.

The criteria I used to make my choices are pretty straightforward:

1. The album is in my collection
2. Less than 500 people have it (on Discogs)
3. They can’t be all jazz albums

If you’re not familiar with Discogs, it’s an online marketplace that allows you to catalog your collection of Music, regardless of medium. You can view my library [here]. There are over 9,000,000 releases on the website as of January of 2017 and 379,423 contributors of which I have a score of 1. Not first place, nor last but one of 346,567. Probably somewhere around the low 300,000’s.

Discogs shows you how many people have a release, the last time it was sold, and the average Low/Mid/High prices that it sold for. There is only one selection on tonights show that has not been sold on Discogs. Alongside the album title/song is how many people have and want the album on Discogs.

If you want to pick up any of the albums in this post, click the album cover to check it out on Amazon.

Bobby Blue Bland & B.B. King – Together Again – The Thrill is Gone 

(173 have 15 want)

I have two albums recorded by these two live, Together for The First Time, and Together Again. This one is my favorite of the two, but as I write this, I’m wanting to listen to the former for a comparison. The stage play between these two is hilarious. I would have loved to be there for this performance.

Kenny G (Featuring Michael Bolton) – Live (1989) Don’t Make Me Wait for Love

(129 have 42 want)

My first remembered concert was Kenny G performing in Jacksonville, Florida at a jazz festival. I was around 4 or 5, and that soprano sax was torture on my eardrums. I liked him on CD but didn’t have the aural capacity for him live. In hindsight, I wish I could have enjoyed that show. Enter this selection, there’s just something about Kenny G and Michael Bolton together.

The Foreign Exchange ‎– Authenticity – Make Me A Fool

(119 have 90 want)

If you’re not familiar with the Foreign Exchange, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Or you’ve been living under an aural rock, or you’re going to look them up right now…[here]. They didn’t press a lot of copies of this album, and I’m fortunate enough to have an autographed copy. I fell in love with their sound the first time I heard them; sometime during 2008 in my hometown of Washington DC.

John Coltrane – Giant Steps – Countdown

(225 have 267 want)

Jazz has always been a massive part of my life. My mother played a lot of Kenny G, Najee, and Miles. I developed my own tastes from my movie selections of my adolescence and teenage years. Love Jones was the first time my ears were graced with the tenor saxophone of John Coltrane, and now I have about 11 of his albums on vinyl. I think there are a few more to go.

Esperanza Spalding ‎– Emily’s D+Evolution – Rest In Pleasure

(318 have 114 want)

Having seen this album performed in its entirety live; twice, I can say that this is my most played Esperanza Spalding album. I’ve slowed down, it is one of my favorite albums and a special one. All of my albums are special, but I really bonded with the music of Emily (the alter ego of dear Esperanza).

Art Ensemble Of Chicago ‎– Les Stances A Sophie

(260 have 306 want)

I came across this album by recommendation of one of my trusted record store curators, and I knew nothing about it other than it was out of print.  I’m a sucker for hard to find albums [that sound good]. Though the album was recorded in Paris, the band hails from Chicago. The movie director commissioned the original music for the film when the group had only two weeks left on their French visas. It’s amazing what a time crunch can do.

Soul Scratch ‎– Pushing Fire – Look How Far We’ve Come

(33 Have 12 want)

This is a WOKE album, but not from who you would expect to see on the cover. I have a growing collection of albums from Colemine Records. If you want that sound of the 60’s and 70’s soul, you have a bevy of artists on the Colemine label to choose from. I also have enjoyed music from [Surefire Soul Ensemble, Durand Jones & The Indications], all from Colemine. Do yourself a favor and take a listen.

Yasiin Gaye: The Return (Side Two) – Travelin’ Man Pt. II (Distant Lovers Mix)

(420 Have 213 Want)

Amerigo Gazaway is a talented producer with quite the ear for matching up artists to create beautiful recreations of their work. I first heard, Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One) about 3 years ago and I’ve been singing praise for it ever since. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet the criteria to be on tonight’s show; as 567 people had it. I’m glad for that though, more people should enjoy good music. He recently released A Common Wonder which you can listen to and download for free from his Bandcamp page.

Jaguar Wright – Denials Delusions And Decisions – The What If’s

(73 Have 39 Want)

Jaguar Wright was the answer to my soulful wishes when she dropped this album in 2001. She hit covers of songs from my childhood and sang over Scott Storch beats cementing her place in the Neo-soul genre. I liked her follow up album “…And Your Point Is” from 2004, but not so much “Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul” from 2005. I did like her cover of Woman to Woman, but it wasn’t her first album. Nor should it have been, as progress is life.

Sweetback ‎– Sweetback – Softly Softly

(33 Have 30 Want)

In 1999 the question, “What would Sade be like without Sade?” was answered and Sweetback made their debut. Having great synergy and several awards under their belts was icing on the cake, but they went and collaborated with the likes of Maxwell (who’s featured on this track), Amel Larrieux, and Leroy Osbourne (of Sade). The follow-up album Stage [2] released in 2003 was my soundtrack on my first deployment. I was searching for a good copy of the LP while I’m writing this, but it was never released (sigh).

Amy Winehouse, Antonio Pinto ‎– Amy (The Original Soundtrack) – We’re Still Friends

(81 Have 90 Want)

Amy Winehouse is one of three women I can listen to that covers Donnie Hathaway. The first being his daughter, Lalah Hathaway and the second being Vanessa Fernandez. Sadly we won’t be hearing any new music from Amy, but if you haven’t heard this track from her; you’re welcome.

Show Recordings

 

Don’t forget to tune in to the show live on 89.1 FM KNSJ from 10PM to 11PM PST on Thursday.  You can stream the show at www.knsj.org or using the TuneIn App. 

As always keep spinning.

Tom

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Background Tracks:

Robert Glasper Experiment (Featuring Norah Jones) – Let It Ride
Esperanza Spalding – One