Craft Recordings announces the second batch of Original Jazz Classics series reissues—all of which are essential additions to any jazz fan’s collection. Delivering the highest-quality listening experience, each album boasts lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets, replicating the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 HD audio.

Multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef (1920–2013) was a musical explorer and lifelong student, who set himself apart from his contemporaries by mastering new instruments and studying the sounds of other cultures. Once described by the New York Times as “play[ing] world music before world music had a name,” the innovative artist first recorded as a leader in 1957. That same year, he began incorporating elements of Eastern music into his work.

1961’s Eastern Sounds, which marked Lateef’s 16th album, skillfully fuses influences of Middle Eastern and Asian music with the popular hard-bop sounds of the day. Exploratory yet highly accessible to mainstream audiences, the album offers an array of unique musical textures. In a testament to his talent, Lateef can be heard performing the tenor saxophone, oboe, flute and a Chinese xun (an ancient globular flute). Accompanying him is pianist Barry Harris, drummer Lex Humphries and bassist Ernie Farrow, who also performs the rubab—an Afghani lute-like instrument.

Spanning a variety of moods, Eastern Sounds is comprised primarily of engaging originals, including opener “The Plum Blossom,” “Blues for the Orient” and the intriguing closing track, “The Three Faces of Balal.” The group also delivers inspired renditions of Hollywood classics “Love Theme from Spartacus” (Alex North) and “Love Theme from The Robe” (Alfred Newman), as well as the Jimmy McHugh standard “Don’t Blame Me.”