Grachan Moncur III – Evolution [Blue Note, 180g Black Vinyl LP]

Description

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey in November 1963, Evolution stands as one of the most quietly radical debut albums in the Blue Note catalog. Trombonist Grachan Moncur III assembled a remarkable ensemble for the date, bringing together Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and a then-teenaged Tony Williams on drums. The four original compositions spread across two sides place Moncur in a world of his own, moving fluidly between post-bop structure and avant-garde freedom in ways that felt genuinely new in 1964.

Each of the four pieces rewards close listening. “Air Raid” opens the album with an episodic tension that draws out the ensemble’s collective instincts, while the title track “Evolution” finds Moncur and McLean pushing against each other with a controlled intensity that is hard to look away from. “The Coaster” shifts the mood with a more playful, mercurial energy, and “Monk In Wonderland” closes the album on a note of unpredictable invention that makes clear exactly why Moncur was so far ahead of his peers.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog audiophile pressing, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal. The pressing comes in standard packaging.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: “Air Raid,” “Evolution,” “Monk In Wonderland”
• Pressing Details: Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, 2022 Reissue, All-Analog Mastered by Kevin Gray from the Original Master Tapes, Audiophile, Pressed at Optimal, Germany, Stereo, Padded Inner Sleeve
• Genre/Style: Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, Trombone Jazz
• UPC: 602445353354

Evolution is one of the great unsung masterworks of 1960s jazz, a record that sounds as fresh and unsettling today as it did when Moncur first laid it down at Van Gelder’s studio more than sixty years ago.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Air Raid
2. Evolution

Side B:

1. The Coaster
2. Monk In Wonderland