Al Hirt – Soul In the Horn (1967/2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Al Hirt – Soul In the Horn (1967/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 28:29 minutes | 922 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA – Legacy

You’ll never mistake Al Hirt for Blue Mitchell, but Soul in the Horn is nevertheless a surprisingly genuine and expressive detour into soul-jazz that captures an energy otherwise absent from the trumpeter’s ho-hum catalog. The slinky “Harlem Hendoo” is the standout – sampled by De La Soul for the Buhloone Mindstate cut “Ego Trippin Pt. 2”; it’s also the reason why the record is so scarce and commands such high prices among crate diggers who wouldn’t otherwise allow Hirt’s records into their homes even as insulation. No less soulful is the opening cover of Booker T. & the MG’s “Honey Pot” or the bluesy “Sweetlips” – “Love Ya Baby” even gets funky, albeit in a forty-something white guy kinda way. It’s a shame Hirt never made another record quite like Soul in the Horn – with the right material and the right intentions, his talent was fierce.

(more…)

Read more

Al Hirt – Al Hirt Live at Carnegie Hall (1965/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Al Hirt – Al Hirt Live at Carnegie Hall (1965/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 43:41 minutes | 983 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA Victor – Legacy

By 1965, trumpeter Al Hirt was a commercial success, although from the jazz standpoint most of his output for RCA was becoming increasingly forgettable. Although he was joined by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra for nine of the 13 selections on this live LP, all of the selections (other than a six-minute rendition of “Carnival of Venice”) are quite brief, with several under two minutes. Hirt shows off his technique on a variety of showy devices, but every note sounds planned in advance, whether it be “Bye Bye Blues,” “Down By the Riverside” or a remake of his hit “Java.” –AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

(more…)

Read more

Al Hirt – Greatest Trumpet Hits of All Time (1979/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Al Hirt – Greatest Trumpet Hits of All Time (1979/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:15:06 minutes | 1,51 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Good Time Records

Alois Maxwell “Al” Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of “Java” and the accompanying album Honey in the Horn (1963), and for the theme music to The Green Hornet. His nicknames included “Jumbo” and “The Round Mound of Sound”. Colin Escott, an author of musician biographies, wrote that RCA Victor Records, for which Hirt had recorded most of his best-selling recordings and for which he had spent much of his professional recording career, had dubbed him with another moniker: “The King.” Hirt was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in November 2009.

(more…)

Read more

Al (He’s The King) Hirt – They’re Playing Our Song (1965/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Al (He’s The King) Hirt – They’re Playing Our Song (1965/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 32:35 minutes | 698 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA Victor – Legacy

They’re Playing Our Song is an album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor in 1965. The album was produced by Jim Foglesong. It was recorded at Webster Hall in Manhattan, New York City. The album landed on the Billboard Top LPs chart, reaching #39 in 1966.

(more…)

Read more

Al (He’s The King) Hirt – The Horn Meets ‘The Hornet’ (1966/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Al (He’s The King) Hirt – The Horn Meets ‘The Hornet’ (1966/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 26:58 minutes | 1,00 GB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA Records

(more…)

Read more
%d bloggers like this: