Five-CD Boxed Set Honors Atlantic Records Legend Nesuhi Ertegun

In 1955, Nesuhi Ertegun joined Atlantic Records, the label founded by his younger brother Ahmet. Put in charge of the label’s jazz division, Nesuhi spent the next 12 years recording a number of landmark albums from significant artists such as Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. Rhino Handmade will pay tribute to Nesuhi Ertegun’s legacy with a five-CD boxed set of essential recordings that show the deep impact he had on the world of jazz. On December 15, Hommage À Nesuhi will be available exclusively from Rhino Handmade.com for a list price of $149.98. Rhino Handmade will offer the boxed set in an individually numbered limited edition of 3,000 copies.

The compilation was produced by Joel Dorn, who was mentored by Ertegun and succeeded him as Atlantic Records’ jazz producer in 1967. The boxed set was the last project Dorn ever worked on. He passed away the day after putting the final touches on the track list and liner notes.

Hommage À Nesuhi contains 61 songs recorded between 1955-76 that spotlight the musicians Ertegun assembled to make the Atlantic jazz catalog the singular body of work it is. The music is arranged thematically on the five discs: Some Atlantic Jazz, Shades of Blue, Live, On the Edge and Some More Atlantic Jazz. The collection comes packaged in a deluxe 10″ x 10″ slipcase containing an 84-page hardcover book as well as a portfolio of 19 photo cards, each featuring a previously unpublished image of an Atlantic jazz artist taken by legendary photographer Lee Friedlander.

The first and last discs of the collection feature selections from some of the first artists Ertegun signed-Milt Jackson, Chris Connor, and The Modern Jazz Quartet-as well as later finds like Mose Allison, Eddie Harris, and The Charles Lloyd Quartet, featuring future star pianist, Keith Jarrett.

Shades of Blue offers a tip of the hat to Ertegun’s fondness for the blues, spotlighting tracks he produced for Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker and Hank Crawford. Live presents 10 exceptional performances, including two from Rahsaan Roland Kirk, plus Les McCann and Eddie Harris tearing through “Compared to What” at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival.

On the Edge focuses on the groundbreaking jazz that found a home at Atlantic Records, starting in 1959, when Ertegun signed John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.

Track Listing

Some Atlantic Jazz

1. “Hard Times” – David “Fathead” Newman

2. “Summertime” – The Modern Jazz Quartet

3. “Stay With Me” – Yusef Lateef

4. “Listen Here” – Eddie Harris

5. “With These H ands” – Les McCann

6. “Sweet Sixteen Bars” – Ray Charles

7. “Your Mind Is On Vacation” – Mose Allison

8. “Martians Go Home” – Shorty Rogers & His Giants

9. I Miss You So” – Chris Connor

10. “The Golden Striker” – The Modern Jazz Quartet

11. “A Ladiesman” – Oscar Brown, Jr.

12. CMemphis Underground” – Herbie Mann

13. “Come Rain Or Come Shine” – Ray Charles

Shades Of Blue

1. “Cherry Red” – Big Joe Turner

2. “Doodlin'” – Ray Charles

3. “Deuces Wild” – Sonny Stitt

4. “Am I Blue” – Ray Charles

5. “In The Evening” – Yusef Lateef

6. “Empty Bed Blues” – LaVern Baker

7. “The Entertainer (Done In The Style Of The Blues)” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

8. “What Will I Tell My Heart” – Hank Crawford

9. “Stop This World” – Mose Allison

10. “Cousin Mary” – John Coltrane

11. “I Wish You Love” – David “Fathead” Newman

12. “Oh Lord Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me” – Charles Mingus

13. “Like It Is” – Yusef Lateef

14. “Blues #3/Willow Weep For Me” – Ray Bryant

Live

1. “I’ve Got A Woman” – Ray Charles

2. “Bluesology” – The Modern Jazz Quartet

3. “After Hours” – Ray Bryant

4. “Comin’ Home Baby” – Herbie Mann

5. “If I Loved You” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

6. “The Catbird Seat” – The Mitchell-Ruff Trio

7. “Compared To What” – Les McCann & Eddie Harris

8. “I’m Having Fun” – King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree

9. “One Ton” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

10. “Drown In My Own Tears” – Ray Charles

On The Edge

1. “Giant Steps” – John Coltrane

2. “Silver Cycles” – Eddie Harris

3. “My Favorite Things” – John Coltrane

4. “Ramblin'” – Ornette Coleman

5. “Vibrafinger” – Gary Burton

6. “Una Muy Bonita” – Ornette Coleman

7. “Hog Callin’ Blues” – Charles Mingus

8. “The Inflated Tear” – Roland Kirk

9. “Passions Of A Man” – Charles Mingus

10. “Day By Day” – Jimmy Scott

11. “In A Little Spanish Town (T’was On A Night Like This)” – Yusef Lateef

Some More Atlantic Jazz

1. “The Spirit-Feel” – Milt Jackson

2. “Love Theme From “The Sandpiper” (The Shadow Of Your Smile)” – Eddie Harris

3. “One Note Samba” – The Modern Jazz Quartet with Laurindo Almeida

4. “Naima” – John Coltrane

5. “Nubian Lady” – Yusef Lateef

6. “The Soul Of A Village – Part II” – Joe Zawinul

7. “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

8. “Let Her Go” – Hubert Laws

9. “Sombrero Sam” – The Charles Lloyd Quartet

10. “The Story” – Hank Crawford

11. “Barbados” – Phineas Newborn, Jr.

12. “Nommo” – Max Roach

13. “Equinox” – John Coltrane

Originally Published October 22, 2008