Craft Recordings is excited to announce the first reissues of 2025 from Original Jazz Classics, the series that revisits seminal and rare jazz albums celebrated by critics and aficionados alike. The latest releases include Joe Pass’ Virtuoso, Wes Montgomery’s The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk’s Thelonious Himself and Miles Davis’ The Musings of Miles and Walkin’. All of these albums can be pre-ordered now, with releases rolling out between February 28 and April 18.
The reissues feature lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio (Wes Montgomery is the stereo version and was cut from a tape copy), 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets reproducing the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 hi-res audio on the same date as each vinyl.
Original Jazz Classics (OJC), created in 1982 (under Fantasy Records), was relaunched in 2023 and has reissued more than 850 jazz albums to date. Its catalog includes thousands of genre-defining titles originally released by Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland and Pablo. Since its launch two years ago, OJC has received resounding critical acclaim, with Record Collector Magazine declaring that “the sound is out of this world.”
Joe Pass – Virtuoso (Available February 28, 2025)
After guitarist Joe Pass released Virtuoso in 1973, almost every critic agreed that this was his best album, one living up to its name. (“Joe Pass looks like somebody’s uncle and plays like nobody’s business,” New York Magazine once enthused.) Before this album, Pass had stints with everyone from Gerald Wilson to Benny Goodman. But he also lost many years due to a dependence on heroin, and Virtuoso proved that cleaning up would only heighten his powers.
Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Available February 28, 2025)
The legendary artist is famous for his mellow, thumb-picking flourishes said to be born of necessity: not wanting to wake his kids or neighbors at night. This, combined with his penchant for playing in octaves, impressed saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who pretty much discovered him. This also came to define The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, one of the guitarist’s most stellar releases.
Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself (Available March 28, 2025)
“When you hear his name,” NPR declared, “you can expect to hear some of the most original and challenging music of the 20th century.” Although his achievements were undeniable, the sometimes-eccentric Monk wasn’t always considered a success. To that end, the 1975 Thelonious Himself was considered one of the jazz great’s significant breakthroughs after his artistic turning point with Brilliant Corners.
Miles Davis All Stars – Walkin’ (Available April 18, 2025)
Walkin’, released in 1957, brings together Davis’ tracks recorded three years earlier as the Miles Davis All-Star Sextet and the Miles Davis Quintet. Unsurprisingly, it features a solid line-up, including saxophonist Lucky Thompson, drummer Kenny Clarke and pianist Horace Silver.
Miles Davis – The Musings of Miles (Available April 18, 2025)
The album, released in 1955, was the trumpeter’s first 12” LP. With pianist Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones in tow—who’d later become key parts of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet—the album is a fascinating peek into the mind of Davis rediscovering his superpowers.
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