Browse by Label: SEPIA-TONE

Artist:	COLTRANE, ALICE
Title:	Transfiguration
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	2CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	STONE 001CD

"In 1966, she replaced pianist McCoy Tyner in her husband John Coltrane's group. Coltrane's work became a spiritual wellspring for her, but she surely developed her own style on piano, organ, harp, and later, Indian instruments such as the tamboura. After Coltrane's death in 1967, Alice began recording under her own name for Impulse!, leading groups that included at various times saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Joe Henderson, Frank Lowe, and Carlos Ward, double bass players Cecil McBee and Jimmy Garrison, and drummers Rashied Ali, Ben Riley, and Roy Haynes. In the mid-'70s she moved from Impulse! to Warner Bros., for whom she recorded some of her most spiritual and adventurous music ever. Deeply infused with Hindu religious music, whole sides of her albums were devoted to arrangements of religious chants. Transfiguration was recorded live at UCLA in 1978, during a time when she briefly set aside the Hare Krishna choirs and exotic instruments in favor of the trio format of her early period, revisiting with Reggie Workman on bass and Roy Haynes on drums several of her own tunes as well as her late husband's way-out opus 'Leo.' This performance was deeply spiritual, but definitely jazz. Originally released as a double-LP, Sepia-Tone inaugurates the label with this historic recording on CD for the first time ever, newly re-mastered and released as a double-disc package with brief new notes from Alice herself."

Artist:	COLEMAN QUARTET, ORNETTE
Title:	This Is Our Music
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 002CD

"With the release of his 1959 debut album, Something Else!, Coleman had ushered in a new era in jazz history. This music was free from the prevailing conventions of harmony, rhythm and melody, and transformed the art form with a concept he called Harmolodic. 'When our group plays,' Coleman once stated, 'before we set up to play, we do not have any idea what the end result will be. Each player is free to contribute what he feels in the music at any given moment.' Soon he was signed to Atlantic Records, where he recorded some of his most brilliant work, characterized by an 'immensely vocal' sound, 'with virtually no vibrato: it is gutsy without being raspy, because there is a sweetness to it. He also had what in conventional mainstream jazz would be called the 'Texas cry,' only he pushed it further, distorted it more often.' Originally released in 1961, This Is Our Music marked Coleman's third release for the label and certainly one of his finest. Sepia-Tone has newly re-mastered this important release, presenting it with the best sound quality it's ever had. The Ornette Coleman Quartet made music that was simultaneously radical and beautiful -- This Is Our Music is incontrovertible evidence."

Artist:	WHITE, TONY JOE
Title:
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 003CD

"The self-titled third LP by Tony Joe White -- newly remastered for Sepia-Tone -- was originally released by Warner Bros. in 1971, a collection of soul-flavored, blues-drenched swamp rock with a few reflective, soul-tinged ballads about life and love thrown in. Recorded in Memphis, this is classic Tony Joe White: an influential mixture of rugged country and powerful rock songs garnished with gritty vocals, fuzzed-out wah-wah, and the brilliant sounds of the Memphis Horns. White has long occupied a revered place in the pantheon of completely laid-back Southern white-guy recordmakers (along with J.J. Cale, Don Williams, and Dan Penn). His style has been described by Jackson Griffith of Pulse as the 'ideal soundtrack to watching the world fall apart from your front porch.'"

Artist:	WHITE, TONY JOE
Title:	The Train I'm On
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 004CD

"Dubbed 'the godfather of swamp rock,' White has a laid-back, misty, sensual charm and a voice to match. The way he tells a story, his southern drawl at times sounds almost like another language. It should also be noted that Tony Joe White had some of the coolest sideburns in rock'n'roll history and he actually made leather pants work. The Train I'm On marks the fifth album in Tony Joe White's career, his second recorded for Warner Bros. Produced by Jerry Wexler and recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, The Train I'm On delivers more of his classic, swampy, soul-infused rock 'n' roll."

Artist:	COLTRANE, ALICE
Title:	Eternity
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 005CD

"As jazz tried to crossover to pop during the mid-'70s -- sometimes succeeding, sometimes sounding death knells for jazz careers -- Alice Coltrane headed in a different direction, although where is still a subject of debate. On the reissue of her wildly eclectic Eternity, which originally brought her from Impulse! to Warner Bros in 1975, two tunes are lush horn-and-string-orchestra settings; two are meditative, Eastern-sounding pieces; the album is rounded off by her first use of vocals (on 'Om Supreme'), and the percussion-heavy, rumba-esque 'Los Caballos.' As is customary all the tracks feature spiritual annotation and explanation."

Artist:	COLTRANE, ALICE
Title:	Transcendence
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 006CD

"Transcendence is Alice Coltrane's most successful vocal album. Side two is especially mind-twisting for its use of surprisingly funky Hindu chants accompanied by Alice's organ and the Indian percussion of the singers. Purists might balk at calling Hare Krishna filtered through a gospel sensibility 'jazz,' but they're too busy arguing about Ken Burns' documentary to worry about Alice Coltrane reissues anyway. This is probably the most 'swinging' Alice Coltrane material since Ptah The El Daoud."

Artist:	BANKS, DARRELL
Title:	Darrell Banks Is Here
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 007CD

"A great soul singer, contemporary of Edwin Starr, veteran of chart battles with Stevie Wonder and Supremes. Late in 1967, Atco originally issued Darrell Banks Is Here! LP, consisting of Banks' four singles, their B-sides, and two new tracks. The album is one of soul music's best, though it never achieved the cult status of Howard Tate's Get It While You Can or Edwin Starr's Soul Master, but collectors of Detroit soul music have long treasured this obscure gem."

Artist:	INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
Title:	Incredible String Band
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 008CD

"The Incredible String band formed in late 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Before that, founding members Robin Wiliamson , Clive Palmer and Mike Heron had played around the Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs. Originally known as Robin & Clive, the duo added Heron who bought just the bluesy feel that was needed. The initial sound was Scots old-timey with a bit of bluegrass and the blues. In 1966, a new eclecticism arrived in the folk and traditional circles, changing the three young men forever. The new wave of British folk had 'arrived' with Donovan, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Shirley Collins, The Watersons, and the Incredible String Band as the most genre-defying leaders. Almost immediately after The Incredible String band had finished recording their debut album for Elektra Records in 1966, virtuoso banjo player and third guitarist Palmer left the group to travel to Kashmir (and eventually to form C.O.B.). The first Incredible String Band album is the only one to feature this original trio lineup. It stands alone in the ISB catalogue, for its unique charm that precipitated the more hippie-laden records to follow. At this point, the trio still had a strong link (via Palmer) to traditional Scots old-timey balladry and ragtime and bluegrass, not to mention the traditional folk method. Yet, even in the beginning, traces of the Balkans, North Africa, and the Middle East come through clearly."

Artist:	INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
Title:	Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 009CD

"During their lifespan, The Incredible String Band contained several wives, children and pets, and were a five-piece when they disbanded in November 1974. Basically, everyone else acted as a supporting cast to the songwriting nucleus of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron. Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air marks the halfway point, more or less, of the Incredible String Band. This 1971 release was their first for Island Records, following Joe Boyd (formerly Elektra UK's director of A&R) to the label. The 'Incredibles' (as fans may know them) mined the successful formula of past releases on Liquid Acrobat, a sprawling, epic, and fanciful collection of folk musics from around the world, complete with Williamson's soulful brogue or Heron's bluesy warmth. Somehow, the ISB managed to combine numerous styles and add their own magic to the brew in order to make the sound uniquely their own. Many consider Liquid Acrobat to be the final release in the golden era of this legendary band."

Artist:	DICKINSON, JAMES LUTHER
Title:	Dixie Fried
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 010CD

"James Luther Dickinson is perhaps the best known unknown musician Memphis has ever produced. As a band leader, session musician and producer, his legacy stretches back to the early '60s, when he started out in garage rock bands like Flash and the Memphis Casuals. He developed into a session musician who was involved in recordings by a number of legendary artists at Ardent, Stax and for Sam Phillips. He played the piano on The Rolling Stones' 'Wild Horses' and can be seen in the studio with the Stones in the film Gimme Shelter. In the late '60s he was part of amazing house studio band called The Dixie Flyers. Jerry Wexler, impressed by their ability to play just about any style, signed them to Atlantic to back various artists he'd sign to the label. During this time the Dixie Flyers backed Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, Lulu, Delaney and Bonnie and many others. Wexler decided to sign the Flyers on to do their own album so that they might become a band in their own right and begin touring, something in which the Dixie Flyers had no interest. Dickinson convinced Wexler to allow him to do a solo album instead. The resulting album was Dixie Fried -- nine tracks of pure southern fried boogie. Dickinson got the cream of local talent to participate on this album, including Dr. John and Charlie Freeman. The album has been out of print for decades and fetches a high dollar in collectors' circles."

Artist:	COVAY & J. LEMON BLUES, DON
Title:	House of Blues Lights
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 011CD

"The compositions of R&B and soul songwriting great Don Covay have been recorded by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight to Wilson Pickett, and many others. Mick Jagger has even cited Covay as his all time favorite singer! During his period at Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s, Covay's tunes were continually cut by other artists (most notably 'See Saw' and 'Chain Of Fools' by Aretha Franklin; 'Watch Dog' and 'I'm Gonna Take What He's Got' by Etta James; and 'Think About It' and 'Demonstration' by Otis Redding). But Covay's own recording career had reached an impasse, so he began trying different approaches to reach a new audience. One such attempt was the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band, featuring former Shirelles guitarist Joe Richardson and John Hammond, a favorite of the Greenwich Village coffee house folk/blues crowd. Recorded at Herb Abramson's A-1 Studio, the album was aimed at what was then called the 'underground' audience. What may have seemed like an odd direction at the time produced one very raw and potent marriage of soul, blues and rock. Out of print for years, The House of Blue Lights has become a desired album by record collectors everywhere."

Artist:	DMZ
Title:	DMZ
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 012CD

"In 1975 five Bostonians with a shared obsession for '60s rock'n'roll and the Detroit sounds of The Stooges and the MC5 deemed the current musical landscape so bleak that they had to form their own band, with the sole objective of 'fusing the sound of the Chocolate Watchband and The Stooges,' according to their outspoken frontman, and notoriously obsessive record collector Jeff 'Mono Man' Conolly. DMZ developed a strong local following in Boston and, in New York, became fast friends with The Ramones (with whom they would eventually share many bills). The band released an EP on Bomp! in early '77 and soon caught the eye of Sire Records, who snapped them up for the label's growing roster of 'new wave' bands (which included the Ramones, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, The Saints, and Radio Birdman, to name a few). Flo & Eddie were chosen to produce the group's debut full length; the two former members of The Turtles turned out to be an appropriate production team for DMZ's smoldering batch of originals along side very well chosen covers by The Sonics, The Wailers and The Troggs. The album's release was greeted with a deafening silence when it came out in 1978. Their long-haired appearance in the current 'new wave' climate and the lack of a single live show outside of the East Coast did not help. They split up shortly thereafter, and Mono Man started The Lyres, who relied even more heavily on a retro '60s sound than DMZ."

Artist:	BAKER, MICKEY
Title:	The Wildest Guitar
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 013CD

"The first and only solo album by one of early rock'n'roll's most influential guitar players (along with Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley. Mickey Baker is best known as one half of Mickey & Sylvia, but his track record for incredible guitar work on countless '50s R&B cuts (many for Atlantic) is what makes The Wildest Guitar, his first and only solo album, so desirable among collectors. Despite Baker's well deserved reputation as one of the most influential guitar players of early rock'n'roll, The Wildest Guitar is one of the few chances he really gets to strut his stuff as a solo artist. This entirely instrumental set features keening, sharp, bluesy riffs in much the same distinctive style that gained him fame on 'Love Is Strange' and other tunes with Mickey & Sylvia."

Artist:	WHITE, JOSH
Title:	Empty Bed Blues
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 014CD

"Political activist and sex symbol, down-home bluesman and urbane stylist, Josh White's credentials as a genuine representative of Southern blues and gospel traditions were undeniable. Empty Bed Blues was his final record for Elektra, and this reissue should help reestablish a place in music history for this remarkable musician who has received relatively scant attention in blues circles over the past decades. With Elektra White rode the wave of the '60s folk revival, subsequently becoming one of the most popular performers on college campuses. With hundreds of amateurs jumping on the folk music bandwagon, White stood out with his brilliant guitar work, radiant stage presence, and seasoned professionalism."

Artist:	BRUTE FORCE
Title:	Brute Force
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	STONE 015CD

"Brute Force were a soul jazz group formed by brothers Richard and Ted Daniel, who invited childhood friend and free jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock to join the band some time before the recording of their sole album which was released in the summer of 1970. The album, produced and originally released by Herbie Mann, credits Sharrock on three of the seven tracks (a mistake Sepia Tone replicated exactly despite better judgement), while the unmistakable Sharrock can actually be heard on six of the seven songs. The album is an amalgamation of 'right on' personal politics-type songs with themes of both alienation and coming together. The band's soul jazz moves toward the free style of Pharoah Sanders' psychedelic classics Tauhid, Karma, Izipho-Zam, and Jewels of Thought -- perhaps the real reason Sharrock was asked to join in the first place. Except there's more groove with the tight eight-piece band. Two bass players and Richard Daniel's Bitches Brew electric piano will fry your ass. An uncredited vocalist (perhaps Stanley Strickland) really lets it out against long hairs on 'Some Kind of Approval', and yodels away on the mind-blowing, 16-minute 'Ye-Le-Wa'. Brute Force is an as-yet-undiscovered classic and a boon to Sharrock fans who probably only listened to the three songs the album credits him on."

Artist:	REVELONS
Title:	Anthology
Label:	SEPIA-TONE
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	STONE 016CD

"In 1978, everybody was in a band. As a backlash against disco, the eclectic underground new wave movement exploded in all directions. From poetry to punk, hardcore to art rock, all were unified by energy, excess and a contempt for the ordinary. The Revelons were pivotal to this exciting time, their angst-ridden poetry set to melodious, hard-driving rhythms. Band leader Gregory Lee Pickard's vocalizations have been described as 'rival[ing] David Bowie or David Byrne,' his delivery characterized as 'unhinged and intense,' and his use of abstract, poetic lyrics positioned as a link between Tom Verlaine and Patti Smith. Herein are recordings compiled from numerous sources and incarnations that reflect the band's evolution, including commercially released material, studio sessions, live performances and three newly recorded tracks especially written for this album."

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