New batch of CD reissues includes albums by Miroslav Vitous, Ray Barretto, Stanley Turrentine, Pat Martino, Herbie Mann & Mingus Dinasty

An excellent batch of CD reissues just came out in Asia, by Warner Music Japan, a few days ago. Among the rare items released on September 25 is Miroslav Vitous' fusion-funk-disco trip "Magical Shepherd" (1976), produced by David Rubinson and featuring Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, James Gadson and Airto Moreira plus vocalists Cheryl Grainger and Onike Lee. It had been previously released on CD in the USA ten years ago, by the independent label Wounded Bird, but remained in-print for only six months and immediately became a much sought-after title.

Another eagerly awaited item is top conguero Ray Barretto's "Can You Feel It," originally released by Atlantic in 1978. This latin-soul-disco session, mixed at Electric Lady Studios in NY, features Clifford Carter, Neil Stubenhaus, Andy Newmark, Hiram Bullock, Neil Larsen, Jeff Richman, Eddie Rivera and vocalists Cissy Houston, Googie Coppola (the extremely underrated singer who recorded with Hermeto Pascoal, Flora Purim, John Blair, Jeremy Steig and David Matthews), and Ray's daughter, Kelly Barretto, who later would work with Eumir Deodato.

Other CDs on this batch: Mingus Dinasty's awesome "Chair in the Sky" (with Don Pullen, Charlie Haden, Dannie Richmond, Joe Farrell, Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Jimmy Owens), Stanley Turrentine's "Betcha" (arranged by Gene Page, featuring Sonny Burke, Jeff Porcaro, James Gadson, Lee Ritenour, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, Thom Rotella and Eddie Bongo Brown), Yusef Lateef's "Detroit: Latitude 42-30`-Longitude 83," Larry Coryell/Alphonse Mouzon's "Back Together Again," Keith Jarrett's "Restoration Rain", the Michel Legrand/Miles Davis' collaboration on the "Dingo" soundtrack, "The Atlantic Sounds of Burt Bacharach," David Fathead Newman's "The Weapon," Herbie Mann's "Brazil Once Again" (with Dom Um Romão, Rick Marotta, Tony Levin, Amaury Tristão, Pat Rebillot, Rubens Bassini, Ralph MacDonald, Jeff Mironov etc, including a lovely slow-tempo take on João Donato/Gilberto Gil's "Lugar Comum.")

Plus: Mose Allison's "Middle Class White Boy," Chris Connor's "Witchcraft," Hank Crawford's "Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul," Sarah Vaughan's "Songs of the Beatles" (arranged by Marty Paich with Marcos Valle guesting on "Something"), Pat Martino's masterpiece "Starbright" (with bassist Will Lee and Weather Report's mythical precussionist Alyrio Lima Cova) and also Martino's "Joyous Lake," Chico Freeman's "Tradition in Transition," Sonny Fortune's "Infinity Is," David Sanborn's "Sanborn," Dee Dee Bridgewater's self-titled 1976 album for Atlantic, Miles Davis/Quincy Jones "Live at Montreux" and two albums by Grover Washington, Jr.: "Paradise" and "Come Morning".

Many thx to Misao-san and all the staff at Warner Music Japan's publicity department.