Cliff Craft

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 stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

A1: Laconia
A2: Soul-Lo Blues
A3: Cliff Craft
B1: Confirmation
B2: Sophisticated Lady
B3: Anthropology