Keyboardist/composer Doug Carn was the biggest star on the legendary Black Jazz Records label, with four releases to his credit (all reissued by us at Real Gone Music), and remains a touchstone for spiritual jazz fans and musicians alike. But very, very few folks have heard his debut record, cut for the venerable Savoy label back in 1969. In fact, it’s so rare that we couldn’t even find a copy to use for artwork, so, with Doug’s help, we enlisted his daughter Eroniffa Ibrahim to create illustrations for our reissue based on the original cover photos. But you know what we did find? That’s right…the original master tapes! So, not only is this the first LP reissue for The Doug Carn Trio, but it’s an all-analog edition to boot, pressed at Gotta Groove Records with their proprietary GrooveCoated stampers to minimize high-frequency loss with each successive pressing. And, we’ve added an insert with liner notes by Aaron Cohen based on an exclusive interview with the man himself. As for the music, it’s a tight organ trio set that starts cooking right from the get-go with a groovin’ cover of Gus Cannon’s “Walk Right In,” which became a folk hit for The Rooftop Singers. Carn’s fluid, forward-thinking playing anticipates Larry Young’s future keyboard forays, and originals like “Butter from the Duck” and “Yna Yna’s Delight” presage the compositional prowess he flashed on the Black Jazz releases (note: that’s Don Hales on guitar, not Gary Starling as credited on the original record). The opening salvo from a scintillating career, finally available again!
