LATEST ADDITIONS

A fabulous new retrospective collection being released via BMG on November 4 that celebrates Jamaican-born jazz pianist Monty Alexander is the latest offering from the Montreux Jazz Festival archives. Called simply Monty Alexander: The Montreux Years, this 180g 2LP set is a fine addition to this important archival series, which curates the finest performances from the Swiss festival’s acclaimed, vast catalog of recordings between 1993 and 2016. Read on to see why Alexander’s Montreaux Years on vinyl deserves to be a part of your upcoming rotation. . .

When it comes to making elite MMCs, Ortofon knows a thing or two about coming up with an elite thing or two. To wit: the company’s new Concorde Elite is a premium moving-magnet cartridge based on the legacy of the well-respected Ortofon Concorde MkII series — and the Concorde Elite sports an SRP of $439 to boot. Read on to find out more about the Concorde Elite MMC and what it can do for you and your turntable. . .

Yesterday, I visited one of my favorite record stores in the country — namely, Atlantic Sounds in Daytona Beach, Florida — and I sat down with owner Mike Toole for a two-hour conversation about his lifelong passion for listening to and selling music on vinyl, the long and storied history of the shop itself, and why Atlantic Sounds has endured and continues to see growth to this very day, ever since it first opened in the exact same location 40 years ago on October 15, 1982. Read on to get a sneak preview of the full story to come, and also find out how you can have your own favorite record store featured here on AnalogPlanet. . .

Your decision as to whether you need the second volume in the 1950s trilogy of recorded collaborations between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong — October 1957’s Ella And Louis Again — may depend on how much of a fan you are of the Great American Songbook and vocal jazz in general. Read on to see if this 180g 2LP offering from Verve and Acoustic Sounds whets the audiophile palate. . .