The Word: Everyone loves the great vibes players (Hapton, McCoy, Pike, Tjader, etc), and that's a great way to approach jazz if you're not really a jazzbo. Jazz percussion includes everything from Art Blakey and the funky drummers of soul jazz (playing drum kits, that is), to the bongo boppers, the conga players, and the radical weirdbeards such as Emil Richards who invent new time signatures, expressed as fractions, where both numerator and denominator are double-digit prime numbers. Whew. So, whether it's ka-boom or something more tinkly, percussion both drives and sustains.
Further below: Drum/Vibes 45s & trade wants
Links: are to artists bio/discog pages in the Hyp Records guide:
Images: accurately represent items but are not always the exact copy listed/purchased
Discount: ALWAYS try to buy more than one item at a time
Afro Blues Quintet Plus One: Introducing the; Mira LPS-3002; E+/E- S $15 -- soul-jazz vibes; Monkey Time, Liberation, Moses, Jerico..
Afro Blues Quintet featuring Rene Bloch: The Afro Blues Quintet Next Album; Mira MLPS-3016; white-label promo E/E+ S $50 -- mod/soul-jazz vibes; rare one by great group featuring Latin maestro Rene Bloch (see Latin page for his records); Pata Pata, Look of Love, I Say a Little Prayer, Goin' Out of My Head, Some Velvet Morning, Little Tangi, Woe is Me, A New Kind of Blue..
Max Albright: Mood for Max; Motif ML-502; 1956; deep groove E+/E $25 -- modern; West Coast all stars populate this 12-tune, drummer-led obscurity: John Anderson, Dave Wells, Buddy Collette, William Green, Chuch Gentry, Gene Cipriano, Gerald Wiggins, Joe Comfort, Curtis Counce
The Aquarians: Jungle Grass; MCA/Uni 73053; 1969; Unipak gatefold; cutout N-/E S $90 -- soul-jazz vibes/Latin soul (sort of)/Brasilian/rare groove; arr. Vladimir Vassilieff w/Francisco Aguabella, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Pass, Al MacKibbon.. (like "Afro-Latin Soultet: Afro Brazil Oba!" but better); conga, vibes, horns, hippie chicks singing--everything essential!; all terrific (incl. psychedelic jacket--here in top shape); obscure, love-in/hippy "The Aquarians" is the monster rare groove in our book; other close contenders: Bayu-Bayu, Batakum, Mucho Soul, Jungle Grass, Saja, The Head, Excuses Excuses, What Do You Mean-What Do I Mean?, or Adela
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers at the Jazz Corner of the World Vol. 1; Blue Note BLP-4015; deep groove N-/E+ $150
Art Blakey & the Afro-Drum Ensemble: The African Beat .... Afro
Candido: Thousand Finger Man; Solid State SS-18066; 1969; gatefold V/E+ S $40 -- conga soul-jazz/funk; prod. Duke Pearson and arr. Joe Cain; major hip rarity; priced low just for cosmetic reasons: jacket has significant rub wear and the disc has a dishpan warp (no effect on play)
Buck Clarke Quintet: Drum Sum; Argo LP-4007; 1960; 1st/deep groove/white-label promo N-/N- $125 (or 1st/deep groove/green cutout E+/E $90, specify) (or 1st/deep groove/white-label promo E/V+ $50, specify) -- bongo bop; fantastic bongo-vibes quintet rarity in the Audio Odyssey series by 3-LP (all rare and terrific) Washington, DC wonder Buck Clarke; w/Charles Hampton, Clement Wells, Fred Williams, Roscoe Hunter; Woody'n You, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Funk Roots, Darben the Redd Foxx, Bags' Groove, Blues for Us, Georgia, Drum Sum, Buckskins, I Got Rhythm
Joe Dukes: The Soulful Drums of; Prestige 7324; 1964; purple N-/N- S $50 -- soul-jazz drums; way ahead of its day with plenty of clean drum breaks -- an incredible set for DJs!; with Red Holloway, George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff; Soulful Drums, Two Bass Hit, Greasy Drums, Moohah the D.J., Moanin' Bench, My Three Sons
Chico Hamilton: El Exigente/The Demanding One; Flying Dutchman FDS-135; 1970; gatefold white-label promo E-/N S $25 -- drums; out/strange/electric/acid; crazy Bob Thiele production, mainly the creation of Arnie Lawrence (electric alto) with Bob Mann on guitar, Steve Swallow bass; 9-part suite called Maybe Tomorrow, Never
Chico Hamilton: Peregrinations; UA/Blue Note BN-LA520-G; 1975; sealed cutout S $30 -- soul jazz/percussion/exotic; one of his best and one of the hip Blue Notes every DJ should have; w/Steve Turre, Arnie Lawrence..; the exotic Abdullah and Abraham is just one of several standouts (it's all great, funky, hip); Andy's Walk..
Chico Hamilton: Chico the Master; Stax/Enterprise ENS-7501; 1973; cutout N-/N S $35 -- conga funk; one of the best things ever on Stax and easily his best LP for DJs--all great, funky, heavy!!!; Ghenghis, Stu, Fancy, Conquistadores '74, I Can Hear the Grass Grow, Feels Good..
Lionel Hampton: Hamp in Japan/Live; Glad-Hamp Glad LP-1006; 1964; N-/N S $30 -- vibes/jazz/soul; rare and worthy live set with Eddie Pazant, Virgil Jones, Jiro Inagaki..; Yukari Kuroda guest sings on the Ray Charles hit; Opening Theme (Big Slide), Sakura, Midnight Sun, Akirfa, What'd I Say, Vibe Boogie, Happy Monk, Sunny Side of the Street, After You've Gone, Georgia On My Mind, Shojoji
Lionel Hampton & the Inner Circle: Them Changes; Brunswick BL-754182; 1972; E/N S $40 -- vibes/soul/funky; 1st of 5 LPs in this great series, which is always good for interesting breakbeats; only partly vocal; with the great Lee Moses(!!!); Them Changes, You Got a Friend, I Who Have Nothing, California Dreamin', Light My Fire, Ain't No Sunshine, Tired of Being Alone, Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Lionel Hampton & the Inner Circle: There It Is!; Brunswick BL-754198; 1972; sealed cutout S $40 -- vibes/soul/funky; hip, scarce series with breakbeats and other delights (the Inner Circle features funk legend Lee Moses and others); There It Is, Stoned Out of My Mind, Beautiful Day, Happiness (top cut!)..
Lionel Hampton & the Inner Circle: Stop! I Don't Need No Sympathy; Brunswick BL-754203; 1974; sealed cutout S $30 -- vibes/soul/funky; 4th of 5 LPs in this great series (the Inner Circle features funk legend Lee Moses and others), with breakbeats, partly vocal, romantic rare groove in the Barry White/Monk Higgins vein; topped off by a sexy jacket!; Stop! I Don't Need No Sympathy, You Wouldn't Believe, I Wake Up Crying, Where Were You When I Needed You, Turn Back the Hands of Time, Stop Look & Listen, This Must Be the Place for Love, Where the Lillies Grow, It's Time for Peace, I Wish It Was Me
Khan Jamal: Three; Steeplechase SCS-1201; 1985/1984; N/N- shrink S $30 -- soul-jazz vibes; a full 45 minutes of Philly's own Jamal (w/guitarist Pierre Dorge, bassist Johnny Dyani) in a typically first-rate Swedish digital recording on US vinyl (scarce in the US!); Lilli Goes to Town, Bhala, Blueslife, Tjader, MK Speak of the Nation, A Bomb, Children of the Third World, Three
Jan Johansson: 300.000; Megaton MFLP-S18; 1968/1967-68; Sweden N-/N- S $35 -- percussion/out/free/space-electronica/Latin jazz/flute/vibes; lots of ideas, styles; excellent
The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine: Remembrance; PAUSA 7052; 1978; E-/N S $20 -- soul-jazz/drums; incredibly beautiful set licensed from MPS
Johnny Lytle: Nice and Easy; Jazzland JLP-67; E+/E+ S $25 -- vibes w/Bobby Timmons, Johnny Griffin, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes
Johnny Lytle: People & Love; Milestone MSP-9043; 1972; 2nd/red label E-/N- S $35 -- soul-jazz vibes; funky and FANTASTIC! (his last great US LP, comparable to Soulful Rebel); w/Betty Glamann on harp; Where is the Love?, Libra, Family, Tawhid, People Make the World Go 'Round; great shape (clear tape on jacket seams) and as clean as you'll ever hear (the yellow label 1sts never seem to play this purely)
Shelley Manne & his Men Play More Music from Peter Gunn (Son of Gunn!!); Contemporary M-3566; 1959; yellow deep groove E+/E- $50 -- jazz/drums/crime/tv; wildly rarer than the scarce volume one and here in impeccable shape (penalized by grade only for the kind of background noise you expect with acoustic recordings--not from wear!); original "label" inner sleeve, extensive liner notes, terrific sound, jazz breakbeats -- this is a find!; Odd Ball, Blue Steel, Spook!, Joanna, Goofin' at the Coffee House, Walkin' Bass, My Manne Shelley, Blues for Mothers, A Quiet Gass, Lightly
Freddie McCoy: Beans 'n' Greens; Prestige PR-7542; 1967; cutout N-/N S $75 -- soul-jazz vibes; fantastic set (and one of his rarest) w/such powerhouses as Wilbur Bascomb and Wally Richardson; "Tony's Pony" is the boogaloo standout for DJs, but for McCoy and vibes fans there's much more: Beans 'N' Greens, Whiter Shade of Pale, I Was Made to Love Her, You Keep Me Hanging On, Doxy..
Freddie McCoy: Soul Yogi; Prestige PR-7561; 1968; cutout E-/E+ S $35 -- soul-jazz vibes/sitar; scarce--like the Spider Man LP, it didn't sell very well originally, in this case no doubt bc of the sitar (played by Steve Wolfe, w/Wally Richardson on guitar) and rock covers; the jacket is hip & at least 3 or 4 cuts are very respectable, useable boogaloos; Soul Yogi, Salem Soul Song, Sorry 'Bout That, I Am a Walrus, Pet Sounds, What Now My Love, Mysterioso, Ride On, Autumn Leaves
Freddie McCoy: The Best of Freddie McCoy; Prestige PRST-7706; sealed cutout S $40 -- vibes; compilation; unopened, stereo, with the groovy title tracks from all his rare albums!!!: Listen Here, Beans 'n Greens, Soul Yogi, Peas 'n Rice, Harlem Nocturne (the only tune that isn't an LP title), Spider Man (rare!), Lonely Avenue
Famoudou Don Moye: Sun Percussion Vol. 1; Aeco 001; 1975; N/N S $60 (or E/E S $45, specify) -- wow! Art Ensemble of Chicago drummer featured on this first title for the label started by the group; way-out percussion (strange/exotic/avant); Moye later appears on LPs by Cecil McBee and others; great jacket art and notes; Saba Saba, ATT, Oyekeye, N'Balimake, Olosolo, Scowiefamuja, Pioneer Song
Mike Pacheco: Bongo Bop; Tampa TP-10; red vinyl, deep groove, promo E/V $50 -- bongo bop; THE classic of the idiom (see the bongo bop page at the Soul Patch) by former Perez Prado player; stellar West Coast jazz quartet w/Oscar Moore, Carl Perkins, Joe Comfort; Up Tempo, Buddy Can You Spare a Dime, There'll Never Be Another You, April in Paris, Warm Up, Samson & Delilah Theme, Kiss Me Again, Dinner for One, Walkin' Home, Moonlight in Vermont; wear/noise but well worth it
Mike Pacheco: Bongo Skins (Bongo Bop); Tampa TP-10; deep groove N-/V+ $30 -- bongo bop; second version of THE classic of the idiom (see the bongo bop page at the Soul Patch) by former Perez Prado player; stellar West Coast jazz quartet w/Oscar Moore, Carl Perkins, Joe Comfort; Up Tempo, Buddy Can You Spare a Dime, There'll Never Be Another You, April in Paris, Warm Up, Samson & Delilah Theme, Kiss Me Again, Dinner for One, Walkin' Home, Moonlight in Vermont; pressing noise seems to be endemic but it's well worth it
Mike Pacheco: Bongo Session; Tampa TP-21; deep groove E/V+ $75 -- bongo bop; sextet w/Carlos Vidal, Shelly Manne, Robert Gil, Julio Ayala, Frank Guerrero; another of his few, scarce, wonderful records; Move, Sometimes I'm Happy, Rhumba by Candlelight, Fascination, Caravan, Magitos, Number Four
[Mike Pacheco &] Carlos Vidal: Congo Drums; Tampa RS-1000 (formerly TP-32); black label deep groove E+/as is $25 -- Latin jazz/bongo bop; fantastic rarity (great jacket, great music) w/Mike Pacheco, Shelly Manne, Robert Gil, Tony Rizzi, Tony Reyes; Too Marvelous, Hop Skip & Jump, I'll Take Romance, Round Robin, Nightingale (Cugat's exotica masterpiece), Gil's Dilemma, Bobby's Fables
Dave Pike Set: Live at the Philharmonic; MPS 15257; 1970/1969; Unipak gatefold E-/N S $50 -- soul-jazz vibes/Indo-jazz; the quartet live in their prime!; note: we weren't able to get decent exposure on the image, but it's the real thing just as it should be; Hey Duke, Mambo Jack the Scoffer, Riff for Rent, Nobody's Afraid of Howard Monster, The Secret Mystery of Hensh
Dave Pike Set: Riff for Rent; MPS MC-25112; 1972; 2-LP Unipak gatefold cutout N-/N S $50 -- soul-jazz vibes/Indo-jazz; reissues classic MPS LPs Live at the Philharmonic and Four Reasons; with "Greater Kalesh No. 48" (one of their great sitar/Indo-jazz pieces) and other funky standouts; Hey Duke, Mambo Jack the Scoffer, Riff for Rent, Nobody's Afraid of Howard Monster, The Secret Mystery of Hensh, Professor Porno's Romance, A Nose Opener, Greater Kalesh No. 48..
Emil Richards: New Time Element; Uni 3003; promo N-/N- $40 (or promo E+/E- $30, specify) -- percussion/mod jazz; as with his other (second) Uni LP Stones, it's both hard to find and a wonderful thrill (as is all his work); with Chino Valdes on Latin percussion; in keeping with the microtonal/new-time-signature theme, "Take Five" perversely is the only tune in 4/4 here; while mostly mod, the Indo-jazz pick is Tom Scott's "Blues for Hari" (for Harihar Rao who helped Richards form the legendary Hindustani Jazz Sextet); Havah Nagilah, Georgy Girl, Girl Talk, Call Me, Hot Fudge Sundae, Sunny, Here, Happy Together, Jimmy, Sand Pebbles theme
Emil Richards: New Time Element; Uni 73003; cutout E/E S $35 -- percussion/mod jazz; as with his other (second) Uni LP Stones, it's both hard to find and a wonderful thrill (as is all his work); with Chino Valdes on Latin percussion; in keeping with the microtonal/new-time-signature theme, "Take Five" perversely is the only tune in 4/4 here; while mostly mod, the Indo-jazz pick is Tom Scott's "Blues for Hari" (for Harihar Rao who helped Richards form the legendary Hindustani Jazz Sextet); Havah Nagilah, Georgy Girl, Girl Talk, Call Me, Hot Fudge Sundae, Sunny, Here, Happy Together, Jimmy, Sand Pebbles theme
Emil Richards & the Microtonal Blues Band: Journey to Bliss; Impulse A-9166; 1968; gatefold; cutout N-/E+ S $40 (or cutout N-/E- S $30, specify) -- percussion/psychedelic-exotic/Indo-jazz/sitar; awesome, "transcendental malletization" masterpiece LP by our favorite iconoclastic percussionist; features the sitar of Tom Tedesco and similar to Bill Plummer's Cosmic Brotherhood LP but lightyears better (Impulse labelmates Plummer and Richards both were members of the legendary Hindustani Jazz Sextet, which never recorded but influenced all psychedelic sitar jazz to come); incredible microtonal timings (forget Brubeck, this is perhaps the ultimate crazy time-signatures album), various percussion (Richards hits everything), some hippie spoken word, some cosmic Indo-jazz; all fantastic but we must single out "Mantra" as the hip DJ's absolute necessity (plinky but it swings bigtime)
Emil Richards & the Microtonal Blues Band: Spirit of '76; Impulse AS-9182; 1969; gatefold; promo E/E S $25 -- jazz vibes/percussion; recorded live at Donte's, it serves as a much-desired sequel to the "transcendental malletization" of Journey to Bliss (you'd do well to get both at once); as Journey to Bliss you get a few more crazy time signatures that are part of what make Emil Richards so great (our favorite jazz percussionist); the longest cuts are Miles Davis' "All Blue" and an original, "10 to 5"; the remaining tunes: Spirit of 1976 (seven years early!), Peek-A-Boo, One Tooth Grin (hip, funky), Like Me, Jordu (Duke Jordan)
Emil Richards: Yazz Per Favore -- see Latin for this great Latin-jazz LP; we play ours at dinner parties, it's a solid winner from start to end
Cal Tjader: Soul Sauce; Verve V-8614; 1964; N-/N- $20 -- Latin jazz/vibes; a classic/best-seller, easily his best LP, w/all-star cast: Johnny Rae (see Latin for his vibes LP), Armando Pereza, Willie Bobo, Gary McFarland, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, Grady Tate..; every cut a winner, all strong Latin jazz, mostly uptempo, and with a gorgeous mid-'60s, high-gain sound quality that sounds as fresh and exciting today as the day it was made; Soul Sauce, Afro-Blue, Pantano, Somewhere in the Night, Maramoor, Tanya, Leyte, Spring is Here, Joao
Cal Tjader: Tjader; Fantasy F-8406; N-/E- S $15 -- soul-jazz vibes; of all the many top Tjader cuts on all labels, "I Showed Them" here is our hands-down, no-brainer choice for #1, funky-vibes masterpiece; essential for DJs/100% HIP; so good it pains us to have to mention lesser-only-by-comparison top cuts Evil Ways, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Mambero, You Keep Me Hanging On, She's Leaving Home, First There is a Mountain, Fresh Air, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life; w/all stars Coke Escovedo, Pete Escovedo, Johnny Rae..
Cal Tjader: Bits & Pieces ("Puttin' it Together"); Fantasy F-9463; 1974/1973; live promo E-/N S $25 -- jazz/Latin jazz/vibes; recorded at Concerts by the Sea, it features many of his heaviest hits of the period: The Prophet, A Time for Love, Mambo Inn & Theme, Amazones, Manuel Deeghit (13.5 minutes of heaven for the Latin-jazz DJ); note: this LP is more commonly seen under its reissue title ("Live at the Funky Quarters" or something) but this is the definitive article
Cal Tjader at Grace Cathedral; Fantasy F-9521; 1977/1976 (live); E-/N- S $20 -- replacing the late Vince Guaraldi at a benefit concert, Tjader turns in an amazing 11:32-min version of "I Showed Them" (his best late piece) and nearly equally long versions of Bluesology and Black Orpheus Medley (Carnaval/Samba de Orfeu), also Body & Soul, Theme
Cal Tjader: Guarabe; Fantasy F-9533; 1977; N-/N- S $20 -- his final great LP features Clare Fischer, Pancho Sanchez..; 6 tunes, all mesmerizingly terrific Latin jazz: Guarabe, Where is Love, This Masquerade, Reza, Black Orchid, El Muchacho
Johnny Lytle: Side Street/The Nearness of You; Travis TR-034; E- $20 -- soul-jazz vibes; top shape except noisy at the end of side 2 (pressing, probably); anyway, we don't see it anywhere as LP tracks and it's good!
Johnny Lytle: The Snapper/Screamin' Loud; Tuba 2007; 1967; N- $20 -- soul-jazz vibes; top tracks from a rare LP (better than The Loop!) that, even if you find it or settle for a reissue, won't match this for sound
Johnny Lytle: Gonna Get That Boat Parts 1 & 2; Liberty/Pacific Jazz 88143; 1967; promo N $15 -- soul-jazz vibes; slow groove in which he raps to the audience, from the Swingin' at the Gate LP
Freddie McCoy: Hav' Mercy/Spider Man; promo V+ $15 -- soul-jazz vibes; super rare and coveted B-side track (from his hardest-to-find LP, not that any are particularly easy); the cut is available on comps, at least, so only get this if you can tolerate some wear/noise
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