Who are these guys? That’s the usual reaction of anyone fortunate enough to have come across this remarkable (and remarkably rare) session from 1963. The last of six albums saxophonist Curtis Amy recorded for Pacific Jazz in the early-1960s, Katanga! transcends not only the rest but plenty of other recorded jazz from that period as well.

Trumpeter Dupree Bolton’s brilliant playing here is simply breath-taking in one of his very few recorded appearances during a career plagued with personal problems. Bolton and Amy are joined by guitarist Ray Crawford, pianist Jack Wilson, bassist Victor Gaskin, and drummer Doug Sides on this gem of an album.

The Tone Poet Vinyl Edition of Katanga! Is not a gatefold but will include a new essay by Thomas Conrad that elucidates the story behind the album.

Blue Note Records’ Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series is produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tapes, 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe packaging. Mastering is by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) and vinyl is manufactured at Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).



1. Katanga (Side A)

2. Lonely Woman (Side A)

3. Nativer Land (Side A)

4. Amyable (Side B)

5. You Don’t Know What Love Is (Side B)

6. A Shade of Brown (Side B)