Thelonious Monk - Mønk

Sammy Stein - Something Else

Tapes of an previously lost Thelonious Monk performance have been rescued and mastered by Gearbox Records, and are now available on an LP. Mønk is from the idiosyncratic pianist’s prime period and feature his most critically acclaimed quartet recorded live on March 5, 1963 at Odd Fellows Mansion in Copenhagen. He memorably collaborated with saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie Dunlop on the Columbia studio albums Criss-Cross and Monk’s Dream, both released in 1963. Ore went on to play with Sun Ra.

Fifty-five years later these tapes have been saved, then cut using Gearbox’s legendary all-analog process. (They use the same lathe as Blue Note did back in the day.) The results on Mønk open a window onto Thelonious Monk in his prime, one year before he would become one of only five jazz artists to appear on the front cover of Timemagazine.

Already a renowned jazz pianist who had worked with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Monk began to employ improvisational technique which included gaps in the music and repetition of phrases in different formats, while also using the keyboard to introduce disharmonic chords. Though grounded in gospel, Monk started experimenting and introducing his own improvised sections in pieces. With his idiosyncratic style, both in his playing and off-stage, Monk undoubtedly had an influence on jazz musicians like pianist Bud Powell who followed, inspiring them to improvise and play according to their heart. He was one of the key musicians to help forge links between bop, hardbop and free jazz.

Mønk is a wonderful showcase of that prowess. Thelonious Monk’s playing on this night features many of the artistic and rhythmic improvisational traits that brought him such acclaim and admiration. As this celebrated quartet reimagines and explores Monk’s classics, that approach to the piano is inimitable and unmistakable.

“Bye-Ya” opens Mønk with a dramatic drum solo from Frankie Dunlop, whose hard-hitting style comes to the fore throughout, adding punctuation and structure. The sax line is lovely, rolling and backed by a walking, strolling and constantly supportive bass. The drums pop in and out like a timely reminder and the lower notes of the wonderful Charlie Rouse on sax are completely in control and absolutely gorgeous. This track shows the strength of the integrity of the quartet – and Monk’s piano, needless to add, takes its own lines, adds little points of interruption and commentary to make the track speak to the listener. The ever-so-polite clapping from the Danish audience halfway through is in contrast to the musical shenanigans on stage. The piano solo from those dextrous fingers of Monk, along with his disharmonic interpretation of the theme later in the track, tell you this is Thelonious Monk at his definitive best. The clapping is more enthusiastic as the track finishes.

“Nutty” makes masterful use of space and melody. The theme is set early on and repeated several times before Charlie Rouse’s masterful solo begins – and masterful is the right word, as he takes center stage musically, with Monk accompanying with some style. It is hard to express Monk’s ability as an accompanist, and he is rightfully considered one of the best the jazz world has known. Here, he is intuitive and almost psychic in his support of the solo, and the bass and percussive lines are pretty near perfect too. This allows the solo to develop, whilst offering solid scaffolding underneath. The piano emerges for a solo with the bass accompanying around the half way mark, and the drums never let you forget they are there as part of the music, not just to maintain the beat: Their emphatic complimentary strokes and beats add direction and strength. Monk does a few things which are so Thelonious Monk, including a little disharmonious section just when the theme is really getting going – almost like he’s saying to the audience: “Well, did you hear that? What I just did there? No? Well, how about this? Still the tune, though – Ha!” All the time, the bass is constant and steady.

“I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” is simply lovely, with some slight syncopations and weird harmonies worked in but not enough to throw the listener. It’s a clever and very Monk-ish thing to do and many who followed take this little trick, which adds interest and variation. After the piano introduction, the track moves along with sax, bass and drums all adding their weight and input. The sax solo is again wonderful and demonstrates the choice Monk made was right for this quartet. The piano rises, drifts, crashes and falls away as Monk sees fit, and this is a beautifully woven track. It’s tight as velvet, smooth as silk and strong as sisal.

“Body and Soul” opens with Monk serving up a smorgasbord of styles and deliveries, all for the listener’s enjoyment. Trinkels, triplets for doubles, then some classic-influenced methodology, all delivered with a twist and put together in a way which many players wish they could. The great thing with Thelonious Monk is he plays in the moment, and you can almost feel his emotions chasing each other here. Gorgeous does not go near this. Sometimes, the thought that such a recording could have been lost is too much. Mønk is amazing.

“Monk’s Dream” is totally band-delivered. The quartet here display just how tight their bond is, with Rouse altering dynamics and taking the lead for much of the track, whilst Ore and Dunlop are tuned in, seeming to foresee Monk’s unpredictable shifts and turns, intertwining with one another and him effortlessly. It is testament to the caliber of the musicians that they smoothly and effortlessly take the cues which Monk distributes so liberally, but so quickly one after the other and do not let it phase them at all. This create a sense of ease and fluidity which could be lost with lesser players. There’s a reason this is considered to be the definitive Monk quartet – and “Monk’s Dream,” perhaps more than any other here, confirms it.

Lost recordings of this stature are rare, especially when it comes to major players like Monk, making this a treat for enthusiasts, Thelonious Monk followers, historians and music lovers. Credit goes to Gearbox, a vinyl-led label that cuts and masters using original analog machinery in their London studio.

“The original tape was a Scotch broadcast tape amongst a collection of delights we bought from a Danish producer who had literally picked them from a skip some 20 years ago. He was going to use them to sample and remix during the acid-jazz heyday but didn’t have time,” label founder Darrel Sheinman says. “This album represents several years of hard work: Firstly, to source the tape and clear the Monk-related rights issues, then to create a special all-analog recording which is analog all the way from the source to the stock on the shelf. AAA means Analog recording, Analog mix, Analog master – no digital in the path. We felt this was the only way to produce probably one of the best Monk renditions we have ever heard.”

I asked Shienman what he felt the recordings and release meant for the label, which has already been instigators in saving recordings from tapes, mastered using their own machines, for example, from BBC sessions which would have been lost to time due to the quality deteriorating. “Well, it is not a remaster, as it has never been out before. It is a milestone for the label,” Shienman said. “Whilst we have released other great jazz artists on the label such as Dexter Gordon, Michael Garrick and Tubby Hayes, we have never had one of the ‘holy trinity’ [of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk]. Special!”

I asked him how he feels it contributes to the already vast store of Monk music. Darrell simply said: “You can never have too much Monk.” On the process Shienman comments, “The quality was excellent. We did only minor tickling on the EQ [equalization, or balancing the sound]. All analogue, an easy mastering job.”

The liner notes for Mønk have been written by Ethan Iverson of the Bad Plus, and jazz writer Stephen Graham. The collector’s edition of the vinyl – limited to 500 copies worldwide – will also come with a previously unpublished, signature-embossed 30×30 print of Thelonious Monk by British journalist and photographer Val Wilmer. The record will also be pressed on audiophile, transparent vinyl and comes in a vintage style tip-on, hand-numbered sleeve. There will also be a standard vinyl/CD release and Mønk will exist on all digital streaming platforms as well.

The overriding sense here is the connection between the players. All great, all capable of filling (or emptying) a place at will, these masters of their instruments listen, interpret, and at times with uncanny foresight, seem to be there just a shade before Monk: They really “get” his playing, which took some doing at the time.

Some might wonder why recordings – especially “lost” recordings – are so important, and also ponder the fact that many artists made personal recordings and many recordings have been lost. But the fact is few musicians had such an influence as Thelonious Monk, and latterly John Coltrane, and this is why it is important that any recording – and, indeed, perhaps especially those kept (as the ‘Trane tapes) by the artist – are shared because those who have followed in their giant footsteps can have a sense of a clearer path. The gaps are filled and the picture is complete.

Of course, practice sessions, jams and collective ensembles are now lost to time, but the listener can, with the help of these recordings, gain more a sense of the progression of these artists and how they developed over time. The more you hear, the easier the path is to trace. Found recordings also instigate a fear in the listener – the fear that, had it not been for some peculiar twists of fate and uncanny collisions of events, recordings like Mønk could have been forever lost.

Dexter Gordon - Fried Bananas

Scott Yanow   New York City Jazz Record

In 1972, Dexter Gordon was 49, had lived in Europe for a decade and was in one of his peak periods. He had been a major part of the jazz world since the mid ‘40s. Thought of as one of the first major bop tenor saxophonists, Gordon participated in legendary Los Angeles nightly jam sessions with fellow tenors Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards and survived a bad drug habit in the ‘50s. After making a comeback with his Blue Note sets of the early ‘60s, he moved to Europe. Gordon recorded for several labels during his years overseas, his SteepleChase albums of 1971-76 include some of his most rewarding performances. 

Fried Bananas consists of three songs from a Dutch club date of Nov. 3rd, 1972. The previously unreleased music is solely available as an audiophile LP. The album documents the otherwise unrecorded quartet that Gordon led for two months. The Dutch rhythm section (pianist Rein De Graaff, bassist Henk Haverhoek and drummer Eric Ineke) became familiar with Gordon’s playing quickly and gave him swinging support and fine bop-oriented solos. The LP consists of 14-minute versions of “Fried Bananas” (Gordon’s line on “It Could Happen To You”) and his boogaloo blues “The Panther”. Also included is the tenor’s seven-and-a-half-minute solo on “Body And Soul”, fading out after he had made his statement. The recording quality, particularly on part of the title track, is a little erratic, Gordon sounding off mic in spots, but it does not take away from the overall joy and swing of the music. 

The great tenor takes lengthy solos on each of the selections, never running out of ideas. It is obvious that he enjoyed performing with this group, stretching out without any worry that the trio could keep up with him. The result is a valuable album that Gordon collectors will savor. 

For more information, visit gearboxrecords.com. 

The Dexter Gordon Legacy Ensemble is at Dizzy’s Club Feb. 23rd-26th. See Calendar.

Dexter Gordon - Fried Bananas

Gearbox LP GB1535  ★★★★  Jazzwise

Dexter Gordon (ts), Rein de Graaff (p), Henk Haverhoek (b) and Eric Ineke (d). Rec. 1972

Dexter Gordon is one of those rare players in jazz where almost everything he recorded is of great interest today - why? Here was the guy who has influenced a whole legion of tenor players, not least John Coltrane in the 1950s, and in the 1960s a young Jan Garbarek. His cogent, often witty, lines were shaped and developed into solos of great internal logic and cohesion and in today’s pattern-based improvisatory culture he has much of value to posthumously pass on to younger players. After moving to Europe in 1962, he became a Copenhagen resident and here was caught mid-tour with a very competent Dutch rhythm section at a live date in Holland on 3 November 1972. High-spots are two staples of his live performance at this time, ‘The Panther’ and the title track. The one thought you are left with after listening to this excellent vinyl album is that Dexter Gordon’s stature in jazz today should really be much bigger than it is. For example, his compelling playing on ‘Fried Bananas’, is something to behold, sweeping the listener on with the sheer bravura of his playing and constant flow of ideas. - Stuart Nicholson

The Gearbox Automatic. An autostreaming hifi turntable - A small footprint, plug & go turntable with high quality components, vacuum tube tone and ability to add tracks to streaming playlists. - http://kck.st/2izDiQu

Focusrite Interface Shootout #2 at Gearbox Records

Interface Shootout 2 took place at Gearbox Records, a London-based record label with its own mastering studio and cutting facility. The reviewers were Gearbox founder/producer Darrel Sheinman, Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Michael Angelo, Gearbox mastering engineer Caspar Sutton-Jones and composer Dru Masters. 

Yusef Lateef - Live At Ronnie Scott’s 15th January 1966

Angel Eyes; Blues From The Orient; Song Of Delilah; Last Night Blues; Yusef’s Mood (41.38)

Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute, xun, shenai; Stan Tracey - piano; Rick Laird - double bass; Bill Eyden - drums

Gearbox RSGB1008  ★★★★    Jazz Journal

This crisp vinyl issue of previously unreleased material presents a typical night at Scott’s in the 60’s when there was a top soloist in residence and the house rhythm section was on good form. Ronnie Scott thought knowledge of recording might inhibit the band as it did him, so he asked Les Tomkins to secretly tape the music on his Ferrograph from a back room. In any event, on one occasion Lateef on flute carefully constructs an inventive solo that might have had other qualities if he had known he was on record. Occasionally the piano sounds distant but that was due no doubt to not having every instrument balanced with a microphone.

Lateef’s programme is mainly blues, perhaps chosen because he didn’t know what rhythm section he might find. As it was, he was exceptionally well served by Tracey and company and announces mid-concert that they are some of the finest musicians he’s ever had the pleasure to perform with. Blues From The Orient has Lateef on the shenai, a high-pitched type of oboe which sounds very exotic. His flute work is also very intense and personal and the backing by Tracey matches the leader at times. Song Of Delilah is a low-down dirty blues, played at slow tempi on flute with the rhythm section pacing him faithfully. It all makes for a very authentic sounding night at Scott’s way back when and is the nearest anyone can get to actually being there, as it happened then.

- Derek Ansell

Tubby Hayes Live At The Hopbine 1968, Vol. 1

LA Jazz Scene

Gearbox from England is a vinyl jazz label that has thus far released 25 beautifully packaged and recorded sets including albums by Dexter Gordon, Yusef Lateef and Mark Murphy plus a variety of British musicians. Of the latter, Tubby Hayes ranked at the top. A hard-driving tenor-saxophonist with a sound and style a little reminiscent of Sal Nistico (who he preceded), Hayes had a brief life (1935-73) due to a weak heart. Fortunately he was well recorded during much of his 20 year career.

Live At The Hopbine 1968, Vol. 1 helps to fill a gap in Hayes’ career, documenting his quartet of the era which otherwise had gone unrecorded. Taken from a radio broadcast, Hayes, guitarist Louis Stewart (who was just beginning his career), bassist Kenny Baldock and drummer Spike Wells stretch out on four pieces. Hayes contributed two of the pieces: “The Syndicate” and “The Inner Splurge.” The latter has some moments that hint at freer areas of jazz although as usual Hayes takes a high-powered solo. On “The Gentle Rain,” he displays the influence of Stan Getz” and he cooks on Jimmy Heath’s blues “Gingerbread Boy.” It is a bit unusual to hear the tenor-saxophonist in a pianoless setting but Stewart provides plenty of excitement, both as a fluent soloist and in his accompaniment and interplay with Hayes.

The music is very well recorded and well worth hearing. The Syndicate, available from www.gearboxrecords.com, is highly recommended.

 - Scott Yanow

Dexter Gordon - Fried Bananas

★★★★★ Jazz Journal  

Gordon recorded two excellent albums for Blue Note in 1962 and headed for an engagement at Ronnie Scott’s club in London. As he himself put it “I came for one gig in London and when I looked up it was 14 years later”. He spent those years playing at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, living and touring through Holland, France and Belgium. Mostly during those times he played solo with pickup rhythm sections but this LP of previously unreleased material was made when he had a regular Dutch section that toured with him for several months. Some of us may have been occasionally over generous with five-star ratings lately but this one could not reasonably receive any less. The recording is good for a 70s location job and the transfer to premium vinyl offers first-class sound with lots of air round it. One to dust off the turntable for. (Derek Ansell) 

THE JAZZ COURIERS LIVE IN MORECAMBE 1959: TIPPIN’

Tippin', For All We Know, Embers, Cherokee (37. 73) Tubby Hayes (ts, vib), Ronnie Scott (ts); Terry Shannon (p); Jeff Clyne (b); Bill Eyden (d). The Tivoli Restaurant, Morecambe, Lancashire, 25 March 1959. Gearbox 1510CD ★★★★★

When Gearbox began issuing rare and previously unreleased gems from the halcyon days of British modern jazz - the 1950s and 60s - some seven years ago, some wondered why the label showed no interest in issuing its albums on CD. However, given that Gearbox's entire specialist ethos was then based around the highest end of hi-fi, aimed directly at those who embraced the vinyl-is-now culture, there was never really any room for debate.

Now, with the release of five titles from its back catalogue as limited edition, mini-LP sleeve facsimile CDs, including this stunning recording, fans who, in the words of the accompanying press release "don't necessarily want to re-invest in a turntable" can enjoy music that deserves as wide an audience as possible. A volte-face? Not exactly - although there is little doubt that the vinyl boom has peaked - but whatever the motive this album is indisputably the jewel in Gearbox's initial set of CD releases, a hugely atmospheric gig by a band at the very peak of its powers.

Recorded just four months shy of the Couriers break-up, this session outstrips the energy, invention and emotional punch of virtually all the units Tempo put out, with Hayes in particular in tumultuous form. Not everything is high-octane though: Embers features some pretty Vibes and For All We Know gives a knowing wink to all those hours Messrs. Scott, Hayes and co. had spent at the Palais.

For the audiophile, the sound is first rate, for the tactile collector the packaging exquisite. I also have to declare an interest, having written the sleeve notes for the vinyl issue back in 2012, reproduced here in full. Indispensable, affordable and revelatory. What's not to like? - Simon Spillett

Dexter Gordon: Fried Bananas

Bebop Spoken Here    Review by Lance

Dexter Gordon (tenor); Rein De Graaff (piano); Henk Haverhook (bass); Eric Ineke (drums). Recorded November 3, 1972. Gearbox Records GB1535

Back in the day, in L.A., when Wardell Gray and Dexter were slugging it out on The Chase in Central Avenue bars and clubs, I'd always, on the recorded evidence, leaned towards Wardell with his lighter, more subtle approach. However, when Dex recorded those classic Blue Note Albums, I had to admit that Wardell, if he'd still been around, may well have lost the re-match! That was Dexter at his greatest - or so I thought until I heard this album!

Long, Tall, Dexter had been living in Europe since 1962 and, ten years on, he was residing in Copenhagen, started cycling, got married, had a son named after Ben Webster and, eventually, teamed up with the Dutch rhythm section heard here. They toured Europe and recorded this live radio broadcast, for The Netherlands' station VPRO.

The playing is comparable with the Blue Note albums and, indeed, his playing is as good as any of the other tenor-slinging contenders who were around at the time. Were he alive today a lot of saxmen would take to the hills.

The title track is 14:23 mins. of Fried Bananas - I swear I'm going to cook them tomorrow whilst listening to the track! Dexter is the master of the quote. He does it logically, seamlessly incorporating it into the solo. Listen to what he does with On a Slow Boat to China in an exchange of fours on Fried Bananas! This isn't Fried Bananas, it's Chicken à la king!

Flipping the platter, taking care not to disturb the bananas, The Panther is stalking - it senses the aroma of the the Fried Bananas and blows a slow funk as it prowls around. Dexter announces, "If you play tenor you have to play this tune". Body and Soul. Our man does it justice. Of course he does, but he couldn't have done it justice without the three Dutchmen on the case. They soloed, supported and slotted into every direction the great man took. There may be better jazz discs this year but I'm not taking odds on it.

I listened to it on vinyl - Gearbox vinyl which is the business.

Lance Release date November 4, 2016.

BBC Late Junction: Unpopular Music

   ★★★★   Record Collector  Gearbox GB1534 (2LP)

Maida Vale magic collected over two slabs of vinyl

As you may have gathered from this month’s The Collector (see page eight), we have a bit ofa soft spot for all things Gearbox Records here at RC.

Their latest release sees label head honcho Darrel Sheinman collaborate with Nick Luscombe, the sometime host of BBC Radio 3’s regular haunt for all things late-night and musically questing, Late Junction.

Unpopular Music puts together their picks of the ongoing series of collaborations in which artists are given a day to work on a completely new piece of music. It works as a primer for the adventurous spirit of the radio show while showcasing the quality of release that’s become the Gearbox trademark. Only on this kind of compilation would the lush kora of Dabel Cissokho and Kadiale Koyate embellished by the sprite-like flute of Finn Peters rub shoulders with something like Where The Heart is, Kate Tempest’s epic exploration of modern life ably backed by the Elysian String Quartet. 

Elsewhere Seb Rochford, Chartwell Dutiro, Leo Abrahams & Jyager’s effort Leo is an irresistible, bouncy delight and People Folk - the result of the meeting of Timariwen and Tunng - captivates. Let’s hope this proves popular enough for them to cook up a Volume Two. - Jamie Atkins

Late Junction Sessions: Unpopular Music - Songlines review

Gearbox Records (56 mins) VINYL ONLY  ★★★★

The Odd Couples

This intriguing collection of recordings was put together by BBC 3′s Late Junction programme, and it serves as fine documentation for their ever-popular ‘Sessions’ series, in which musicians from different disciplines are brought together to record brand new material. This particular release presents 11 wonderfully conceived musical exchanges recorded predominantly at Maida Vale studios in West London. 

The delicate opener ‘Many People of the Songbird’ sees singer-songwriter Eska collaborate with two members of the Owiny Sigoma Band, mixing Vibraphone with piano and voice to emulate the sounds of birdsong in a playful, alluring engagement. John Paul Jones’ piece with Norwegian experimental drummer Erland Dahlen is particularly good, with a remarkable groove interspersed with ominous soundscapes. Indeed, the record as a whole acts as a play of contrasts with moments of calm quickly followed by bold and daring numbers: Kate Tempest’s prophetic lyricism emerging from a serene meditation from Diabel Cissokho and Kadiale Kouyaté is emblematic of the curatorial prowess possessed by Nick Luscornbe and Darrel Sheinman. The energising encounters exemplify the breadth of musical endeavour that takes place across the globe. - Alex de Lacy

Track to try: Leo by Seb Rochford, Chartwell Dutiro, Leo Abrahams & Jyager

Mary Chapin Carpenter, Applewood Road: Barbican

THE TIMES

Sometimes you can have too much good taste. Mary Chapin Carpenter is a singer-guitarist whose lyrics have always been full of quiet meditations on small domestic details. A song such as This Shirt, one of the older numbers in a low-key display, unfolds like a short story as it sifts through memories of past journeys and past loves. In her late fifties, Carpenter confronts ageing and mortality with eyes wide open.

At her best, she combines the stark sincerity of the best country music with the poetic insights of a Joni Mitchell. The lesser numbers, on the other hand, lapse into a bland middle ground that lacks both country's down-home energy or the melodic hooks of the best pop.

Carpenter’s heart-on-Sleeve persona goes some way to making amends. Oh Rosetta, in which she communes with the ghost of the gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe, was easily the highlight of the material from the new album, The Things That We Are Made Of She proved that she could get down and dirty too, stoking up the temperature on I Feel Lucky. Her band — and the sound mix — proved a hindrance, however. Arrangements tended to plod, and as drums, electric guitar, bass and piano meshed uneasily it wasn't easy to focus on the storytelling.

There could certainly be no complaints about the glorious support set from the female trio Applewood Road. Their no-frills debut album, recorded in Nashville, has rightly won them no end of admirers — including Carpenter herself—and the close harmonies, augmented with spartan guitar and banjo, were every bit as exquisite in this brief performance. Original numbers were inspirational; so too was a soaring cover of REM's Losing My Religion. Clive Davis 

The James Taylor Quartet - Bumpin’ On Frith Street

Stuart Nicholson  Jazzwise

It was a good night at Ronnie Scott’s on 25 March last year, the James Taylor Quartet building up a head of steam and the excitement was captured on Bumpin’ On Frith Street (Gearbox). Well recorded, the Hammond C3 sound through the Leslie speaker is spot on, the band is tight and Taylor, literally, pulls out all the stops. 

Binker & Moses - The Creeper  Sofar London 5 June 2016.

The James Taylor Quartet: Bumpin’ On Frith Street

★★★★ Gearbox/Ronnie’Scott’s  180g vinyl  

The James Taylor Quartet was a headline act in the acid jazz era, a Hammond organ-led outfit with a penchant for sixties funk that gained a reputation for being a great live act. This 2015 set from Ronnie Scott's confirms that they can still kick it, the eight instrumental pieces positively steam with intense grooves and the energy cannot be faulted. The sound is raw and real, with no attempt at polish, it's a genuine live sound that the analogue mastering maestro at Gearbox has done a great job of getting down on wax. If you dig the Hammond C3 sound its an absolutely essential spin. JK

Hifi Choice  August 2016

Gearbox Records: New York City Jazz Record - Label Spotlight

by Eric Wendell In the contemporary music environment of listening to music on the go, London-based vinyl-only Gearbox Records is trying to put the custom, the ritual if you will, back into sitting and listening to music. “Actually putting a disc on, moving the tone arm across, dropping the stylus, hearing the faint crackle and then it kicks off; there’s a whole performance, there’s a whole theatrical element. Even if you’ve got guests and they’re watching you do it, there’s something quite special about that process and then you sit down and listen to the whole piece,” explains Gearbox founder Darrel Sheinman.

Sheinman founded Gearbox Records in 2009 as a hobby label with the goal of releasing previously unreleased live recordings by British and American jazz artists. Since its inception, Gearbox has released 34 records with unearthed sessions by tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes, vocalist Mark Murphy, pianist Michael Garrick and others seeing the light of day. Additionally, Gearbox has expanded its output to include studio releases from Folk/Americana trio Applewood Road, jazz duo Binker and Moses and spoken-word performer Kate Tempest, to name a few. Major periodicals have taken note of Gearbox’ keen ear as it has received praise from The Independent, Jazz Journal and more.

Jazz has always been a part of Sheinman’s life. He grew up with his father spinning classic records such as Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew and Dave Brubeck’s Time Out. Sheinman sees jazz not only as his love but also as a direct link to his childhood. Sheinman states, “The track ‘Take Five’, whenever I hear it, conjures up childhood memories.” As a youth, Sheinman began to play the drums, initially starting out on a series of Tupperware containers. Later, in his teens, Sheinman was involved in the punk scene.

Sheinman later rediscovered jazz when he started to collect vinyl records. One of the first original Blue Note records he purchased was tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin’s A Blowin’ Session. Sheinman states the album “typifies that hardbop feel more than anything else. And the players: it’s Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, everybody is on it. It’s almost like a super group.”

The initial idea for Gearbox came after seeing a live performance of the band N.E.R.D. “They had two drummers, which was really incredible. And the two drummers were so incredibly tight. That might have been part of it; just that real tightness in the live environment,” explains Sheinman. “I heard this gig done really well live. I just thought, well how about putting all this great live music that’s never been released before onto the best medium possible, which is vinyl.

Sheinman tried to secure the rights to the N.E.R.D. concert, but was unable to do so. However, this gave Sheinman the idea of releasing previously unavailable live material. Sheinman turned his attention to his love of jazz, particularly British jazz. “The British jazz world had not really been released thoroughly and done properly on vinyl. I managed to get the rights quite easily because A) it was vinyl in 2008 when vinyl was only just on the turn and B) it was British jazz, which everyone said ‘you can have the rights to that.’ So there we go, that’s how it started.”

In 2009, vinyl albums were only just creeping back into the consciousness of the music-buying public. The idea of starting a company whose main physical product was vinyl was met with some skepticism. Sheinman stuck to his guns, feeling that a vinyl record is more than just the music it contains. “It’s more than just the content; the content is only part of the whole thing. You’ve got the artwork, you’ve got the technical production technique that you used, so there’s a number of elements on the list,” explains Sheinman.

Gearbox’ first release was Tubby Hayes’ BBC Jazz for Moderns, a 1962 concert featuring the noted tenor saxophonist performing with a big band. Since then, Gearbox has unearthed gems from vocalist Leon Thomas, Ronnie Scott Quintet and others. Sheinman and his staff, which includes music industry veteran Adam Sieff, seek out material or have people seek them out. “Now that Gearbox’ name is well known, certainly in jazz anyway, we get lots of people coming forward now with stuff,” says Sheinman, who has been able to develop his hobby label into a full-time gig, ultimately quitting his day job in 2012. The same year also saw Gearbox developing its own cutting and mastering studio, allowing more freedom in their recording processes.

While the heart and soul of Gearbox is jazz, Sheinman looks to Gearbox to represent all alternative music. However, to keep the live spirit a part of Gearbox’ mission statement, Sheinman likes to use only one take and does not allow for overdubs, resulting in a studio recording being as close to live as possible. “That’s kind of the philosophy of the label. I believe that music should be a snapshot in time. So it’s really capturing the emotion of the instrumentalists and the writers and the vocalists or whatever at that moment and I feel unfortunately that if you spend a year doing overdubs it can’t be natural. I think a lot of what we put out people like because hopefully we’re capturing that feeling,” explains Sheinman.

Sharing the communal experience of listening to music is also an important factor. Gearbox hosts gatherings where they invite people to their studio to listen to their collection of Blue Note records. The gatherings are modeled after the “Jazz Kissaten” cafes that were popular in Japan in the ‘60s where people would gather in cafés and listen to music. “We invite 12 people and serve up whiskey and nobody talks and we sort of play out,” explains Sheinman. Ultimately, Sheinman would like to see Gearbox introducing jazz to a younger audience in the most organic way possible. “What I hope to be doing is bringing jazz to a younger audience but without manipulating the jazz.” With 10 releases scheduled for 2016, Sheinman and Co. show no plans of slowing down.

For more information, visit gearboxrecords.com