Jordan, Cliff: Cliff Craft (Vinyl LP)

Tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan blew in from Chicago in 1957 and put the NYC jazz scene on notice with a trio of excellent Blue Note sessions including Blowing In From Chicago co-led with John Gilmore, the self-title Cliff Jordan, and Cliff Craft.

This third album featured Jordan at the helm of first-rate hard bop quintet with Art Farmer on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Side 1 presented three Jordan originals including the sublime “Laconia,” “Soul-Lo Blues,” and the hard-swinging title track. Side 2 found Jordan playing well-known tunes by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington including “Confirmation”, “Anthropology”, and a show-stopping version of the ballad “Sophisticated Lady".

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

1. Laconia 
   
2. Soul-Lo Blues  
   
3. Cliff Craft 
4. Confirmation 
   
5. Sophisticated Lady 
   
6. Anthropology