Welcome to ISC HiFi. Explore our growing collection of classics and rarities from around the world. Discover the stories behind the records. Experience the ISC listening space from home through our (( ROOM RECORDING )) audio player below.
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Released in 1969, the In A Silent Way Sessions, as they were known, was all recorded in a day. These recordings were a departure for Davis and would mark the beginning of his “electric” period. Taking on a decidedly more live rock sound, this work is often regarded as the first jazz fusion record. While […]
John Abercrombie’s first musical output as a band leader was in his own words originally conceived as an “organ record”. The product of persistent nagging from Manfred Eicher, the founder of ECM Records, Abercrombie enlisted close friend and former roommate Jan Hammer to play hammond organ alongside his current bandmate, drummer John De Johnette. Timeless […]
Recorded in Mols, a remote peninsula region located in the eastern coast of Denmark with ambient producer DJ Sports at the controls, “Petersminde” is a dubbed out, effortless listen for the masses where organic textures and acoustic instruments meet dub FX and synth pads. The playing here is wonderful loose and laid back, with each […]
It’s not every day that you listen to a record where jazz and ambient genres can meld so cohesively that they form another thing altogether. On Lemon Quartet’s debut Crestless, we are taken into their saxophone laden cinematic dreamscape world, and it’s every bit worth the journey. Filled with warmth and nostalgia, Crestless is as […]
Bit of a hidden gem from one of our favorite new labels Last Resort, G.S. Schray’s “Gabriel” is a warm, ambient trip through the suburban streets of Akron, OH. Dreamy synths, reverb-tinged guitar, vintage drum samples, gentle percussion, the varied sounds and textures combine effortlessly here to paint a beautifully lush landscape that you can’t […]
A future classic from two rising stars of the LA jazz/electronic scene. Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar was originally self-released as a limited white label in 2018 and has only just recently seen a wider release (500 copies) on beloved LA electronic label Leaving Records, a sub-label of the legendary Stones Throw. The music […]
When a former psych project decides to drop the guitars and approach recording a new record with looped clarinet as a basis, you don’t get psych. Instead, Tara Clerkin Trio provides a smoke-filled room of trip-hop, disjointed jazz and dubby, euphoric chamber pop. Heavy syncopated drums and dissonant pounding keys trudge throughout, as if stomping […]
Canadian electronic collective New World Science (made up of Ramzi, Priori, Ex-terrestrial, and Emmanuel Thibau) follow up their heady debut, New Atlantis, Vol. 1, with this full length. Within its four movements the record explores the space between modern electronics and traditional natural acoustics, with each composition defined by its own stylistic multi-stream journey. Whether […]
When you think of classic digger records, Lonnie’s albums are sure to come up. Endlessly sampled (the most famous being Digable Planets’ “Pacifics”) and sought after for his warmly produced cosmic funk, Visions of a New World is a slight departure from the artist’s typical sound. Much of the record dives into a more soulfully […]
Jon Lucien is known as one of the most focused and emotional balladeers to ever step in front of a microphone, but it’s his soothing baritone voice that really sets him apart from the rest. On Rashida, Lucien creates an amalgamation of many cultures with his Caribbean folk meets r&b soul/ jazz infused orchestral arrangements. […]
A limited edition LP of previously unreleased live recordings from a session at The Museum Of Modern Art, Stockholm, January 16, 1977. Modern Art features “organic music” maestro Don Cherry at his best performing selections from his then recently released album “Hear & Now” with a group of likeminded local musicians. The performances are beautifully […]
Stepping Into Tomorrow is a classic jazz-funk bomb from the great Donald Byrd featuring an all star cast including Gary Bartz on saxophone, Chuck Rainey on bass, and the legendary Mizell Brothers on writing as well as production duties. Byrd was in a new creative phase of his career, moving away from the hard bop […]
Archie Shepp’s Attica Blues is a multi-faceted jazz masterpiece. Musically, it represents a departure in Shepp’s music from the free jazz leanings of his previous output to cohesively span jazz, funk, soul, r&b, and gospel with a large ensemble of musicians and vocalists. Politically, the record functions as a powerful piece of social commentary, a […]
Zummo With an X is the debut album of Peter Zummo, a multi-instrumentalist and frequent collaborator/friend of the great Arthur Russell. Zummo’s playing can be heard on some of Russell’s most classic records such as Dinosaur L’s “Go Bang #5” and “The Platform on the Ocean.” Russell in turn plays cello on this album. The […]
Tim Buckley’s third album represented many important changes for the young songwriter. He stopped working with the lyricist of his first two albums and began to write his own. In addition, Buckley’s newfound appreciation for jazz gave him more of an expansive approach to songwriting. He started to use his voice more like an instrument […]
San Francisco is the perfect introductory album to American jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. Featuring his right-hand man Harold Land on reeds, the duo’s style takes a step forward from their previous post-bop and hard bop sound that didn’t sweep records off the shelves, into more commercial jazz fusion territory, without compromising on edge, intricacy, intellect, […]
A cerebral trip through a land where classical music, Eastern exploration, and psychedelic jazz converge on a magical vortex. Gabor Szabo was a one-of-a-kind Hungarian jazz guitarist with Latin, Indian, and psychedelic rock fusion influences. Releasing the album on Skye Records, a label Szabo co-founded, gave him creative freedom to fully explore these diverse influences […]
Blacks and Blues was recorded in 1973 when American jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey was just 23 years old, two years after becoming the first African-American female instrumentalist signed by Blue Note. And yet, the only indication of her age is her sweet sugary timbre as she makes her vocal debut. The success of Blacks and […]
If you’re new to Alice Coltrane, this is an exciting first album to catapult you straight to her planet, whereas other albums might fly you there more slowly. Recorded in two days and featuring a string orchestra of 16, this sonic kaleidoscope features originals by Alice Coltrane, as well as upside down inside out reimaginings […]
A good rule of thumb if you want to dive into an enormous artist discography and don’t know where to begin: trust the artist’s own recommendation. In this case, Nina Simone said she’d rather be remembered for Nina Simone and Piano! than for a commercial hit like “My Baby Just Cares For Me.” The simple, […]
What makes this record so special is the sublime interplay between Bill Evans piano playing and Jim Hall’s guitar work. These two masters of their craft found a way to share the lead on this record and the result is one of the most seminal jazz duets ever recorded. While the music itself is rather […]
It comes as little surprise that Miles Davis was a great admirer of Ahmad Jamal. The critically acclaimed jazz innovator, known for his understated playing and elegant arrangements has been referred to as “the zen master of piano”. It is rumored that his pianos sometimes needed to be tuned between sets due to the percussive […]
Charlie Haden’s Closeness is comprised of 4 duet collaboration based melodies crafted by Haden. On each number, Haden (the bassist) pushes the musical envelope playing opposite an artist he respected and was excited by: Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, and Paul Motian. For Haden, “Closeness” is part of the creative process of feeling close […]
A monumental jazz big band record, Masterpieces by Ellington was one of the earliest releases to take advantage of the extended time available on Columbia’s brand new 12-inch “long-playing” LP format. Ellington classics “Mood Indigo” and “Sophisticated Lady” are presented here for the first time in their complete, concert-type arrangements with dazzling orchestral textures and […]
When Pharoah Sanders’ Love in Us All was released in 1974, it was already becoming clear that the artist was shifting away from the wilder experimentations of his earlier days. After leaving Impulse! and taking a three year hiatus from recording solo material, Pharoah would re-emerge in 1977 with an entirely new band and release one […]
A much needed reissue of Chicago jazz legend Philip Cohran and his Artistic Heritage Ensemble’s private press gem On the Beach. Cohran played with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 50’s and continued a similar forward-thinking approach with his own group. TheArtistic Heritage Ensemble’s sound largely centered around melodies from Cohran’s signature frankiphone or “space […]
A daytime favorite at ISC, John Carroll Kirby’s solo piano album Tuscany on NYC label Patience is music inspired by a time and a place. The Los Angeles-based Kirby, who has become a go-to collaborator for numerous pop artists over the years including Solange, Frank Ocean, Blood Orange, Connan Mockasin, among others, composed the album […]
Fluid Rustle is a subtle, beautiful piece of storytelling music – the themes and titles reflect on a passage from Richard Adams’ 1972 classic Watership Down. Through the 4 tracks, the artist blends minimalism, chamber music, ambient, and jazz with touches of eastern influence, most notably in Weber’s use of the Indian tarang on the […]
