Albert Dailey – Renaissance

Panorama Records returns to the world of Catalyst Records with the first official reissue of Albert Dailey - Renaissance, remastered and pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl.Originally released in 1977, Renaissance was Dailey's only album for Catalyst, and remains one of the real standouts from the label's short but brilliant run. A pianist with serious depth, Dailey had already built a heavy resume by this point, working with names including Art Blakey, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, Charles Mingus, and Woody Herman. On Renaissance, that experience comes through in full: strong compositions, fluid playing, and a band that knows exactly where to take the music.The session features Carter Jefferson on reeds, Cecil McBee on bass, Cheryl Alexander on vocals, and drums from Charlie Persip and Adam Nussbaum, recorded at Blank Tape Studios, New York across November 1st and 2nd, 1977. It has that New York jazz feeling running through it, but with enough space, rhythm, and color to make it hit beyond straight-ahead territory.For many, the entry point is Mimosa - the beautiful, gently Brazilian-leaning track featured on this year's miche & Rainer Trüby compilation, The Catalyst Files. But the full LP goes much deeper. Black Raspberry opens the record with real weight, while tracks like Dues We Have To Pay, Mr. Pogo, and Autumn Rain show the range of Dailey's writing: soulful, spiritual, modal, and always led by the piano.A rare and essential jazz LP made properly available again - respectfully remastered, pressed on heavyweight vinyl, and brought back into circulation for DJs, collectors, and anyone still discovering the deeper corners of 1970s American jazz.