BMG is proud to announce its annual ‘Jazzuary’ lineup of releases celebrating all things Jazz with four new vinyl reissues from the seminal Bethlehem Records catalog to be released throughout the month of January 2023. These select titles from giants of the Jazz scene – John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Duke Ellington – have been remastered in high-resolution audio and pressed to 180-gram vinyl, ready for a new generation to discover these incredible recordings.

Kicking off the celebration on January 13 is Charles Mingus’ East Coasting, a little known gem in the Mingus catalog. Recorded during sessions in New York City in August 1957, East Coastingfeatures Clarence Shaw on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Shafi Hadi on tenor and alto sax, Bill Evans on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums.

Next up on January 20 is Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ Hard Drive, a classic album from the hard bop era. Recorded in New York City in October 1957, the album features Bill Hardman on trumpet, Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Junior Mance and Sam Dockery on piano, and Spanky DeBrest on bass.

Also due January 20 is Duke Ellington’s Duke Ellington Presents…, featuring his timeless big band sound. Recorded in Chicago in February 1956, Presents… includes Ellington’s arrangements of ‘Summertime’, ‘My Funny Valentine’, and more from the ‘Great American Songbook’.

Closing out Jazzuary on January 27 is the all-star jazz session Winners Circle featuring the musicians who were voted first and second in the 1957 DownBeat critics poll. Recorded in New York in September and October 1957, the album includes John Coltrane on tenor sax, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Art Farmer on trumpet, Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Oscar Pettiford on bass. This special reissue features the rare 1961 alternate cover art crediting the album to John Coltrane In the Winner’s Circle.

“The concept and spirit of ‘Jazzuary’ is to really honor an outstanding genre of music that can sometimes be overlooked and bring these classic titles and hidden gems from the BMG catalog back into the marketplace for fans to discover and rediscover alike,” said Michael Kachko, BMG’s SVP, Catalog Marketing. “Once again, BMG’s 2023 lineup of releases features several fantastic recordings from some of the all-time Jazz greats. This is one of the most fun campaigns that continues to grow year after year, we hope the industry is taking note. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year.”