Craft Recordings relaunches legendary Original Jazz Classics imprint
Kevin Whitlock
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Miles and Monk reissues head up year-long campaign, focussing on audiophile vinyl and hi-res downloads
Craft Recordings today announced the relaunch of Original Jazz Classics (OJC) – the acclaimed reissue series that faithfully presented more than 850 memorable jazz albums over three decades. First launched in 1982 by Fantasy Records, OJC reissued celebrated titles from the Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland, and Pablo labels. In the 1980s and 90s, it became the go-to imprint for jazz reissues on vinyl, CD and cassette. Its extensive catalogue boasted some of the most important albums ever recorded, as well as long-out-of-print favourites – all of which featured original cover art and liner notes, as well as superior audio. Original OJC vinyl LPs are still sought after by jazz fans and audiophiles alike.
Under Craft, OJC will relaunch with two of its foundational releases: the seminal Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet (28 April), followed by Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane on 26 May. Both albums have been cut from the original master tapes (in an all-analogue process) by renowned engineer Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Each LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI and housed in a replica of its original tip-on jacket. Additionally, Workin’ and Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane will be reissued digitally in 192kHz/24 bit HD audio. Both titles are available for pre-order now.
Sig Sigworth, President of Craft Recordings, says about the OJC series: “Given Craft’s shared passion for meticulous curation and quality, it was a natural step to relaunch OJC. Its popularity and iconic status have endured decades and many audio formats, but its mission remains the same. We are excited for longtime fans of the series to rediscover these historic titles as well as introduce them to an entire new generation of jazz fans.”
Upcoming reissues in the series include titles from Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Mal Waldron and Yusef Lateef, with further details to be announced soon – stay tuned to Jazzwise for updates.
For more info visit www.craftrecordings.com
