Hasaan Ibn Ali Reaching for the Stars: Trios / Duos / Solos 2LP (Mono)

The Max Roach Trio Featuring The Legendary Hasaan arrived in early 1965 and instantly became a jazz classic. Atlantic Records recorded Hasaan later that year, and the resulting album was shelved, and then thought lost, until it was restored from tape copies of acetates and issued nearly a half century later as Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album. Metaphysics was a critical sensation and furthered the legend and legacy of Hasaan's innovative, exhilarating and inventive playing and songs.

Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings, another collection of previously unissued performances, followed - prompting The New Yorker to say that it "…reveals his profundity, his overwhelming power, his mighty virtuosity. It does more than put him on the map of jazz history - it expands the map to include the vast expanse of his musical achievement."

Now, Omnivore Recordings presents Reaching for the Stars: Trios / Duos / Solos featuring eleven more previously unissued recordings. The Trios feature Henry Grimes (Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins) and Kalil Madi (Freddie McCoy, Mongo Santamaria - as well as Hasaan's Metaphysics), performing six tracks (four of which appeared in their studio versions on The Max Roach Trio Featuring The Legendary Hasaan.) It also adds three songs with vocalist Muriel Gilliam, aka Muriel Winston, and a pair of solo portraits of the master pianist.

Produced for release by Grammy® award-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski and ASCAP award-winning writer Alan Sukoenig, Reaching for the Stars features a new essay from pianist, composer & writer Ethan Iverson. As with the previous Omnivore Hasaan Ibn Ali releases, this collection has been painstakingly restored and mastered by Grammy® award-winning engineer Michael Graves. This collection is another look into the previously unheard recordings of Hasaan Ibn Ali whose lost recorded work proves he was Reaching for the Stars and touching them all.

...an invaluable document for its solo pieces and early trio performances.