Calvin Keys Shaw-Neeq LP

THIS IS A PRE-ORDER. THE ITEM WILL SHIP BEFORE THE 03/07/25 STREET DATE. PLEASE NOTE BY PRE-ORDERING THIS ITEM YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR IT NOW. WHEN ORDERING PLEASE ONLY PURCHASE0 03/07/25  ITEMS ON YOUR ORDER. IF YOU WANT TO ORDER OTHER ITEMS PLEASE ORDER ON ANOTHER ORDER SO THOSE ITEMS ARE NOT DELAYED. Please Note: The industry is experiencing longer turnaround times than usual. Expected shipping dates are based on encountering no unexpected delays due to manufacturing issues or shipping back-ups and are subject to change. Images are mockups and may vary from finished product.

The late, great Calvin Keys’1971 debut album for the Black Jazz Records label announced the arrival of a new star in the jazz guitar firmament. Keys had spent the ‘60s backing up the crème de la crème of jazz organists—Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Richard “Groove” Holmes—but for his first record as a leader, he was eager to play with a piano player instead. So he recruited one of the best—Larry Nash, who, besides being a member of the L.A. Express, played with everybody from Eddie Harris to Bill Withers to Etta James. Bassist Lawrence Evans, drummer Bob Braye, and flautist-songwriter Owen Marshall rounded out the group on Shawn-Neeq, which might remind some of Pat Metheny’s early work (Metheny acknowledges Keys as an influence), or Grant Green. But what gives Shawn-Neeq extra depth is that it comes from the heart; as Keys says in Pat Thomas’ liner notes, which feature an interview with the artist: “My thing was, I write about some of the experiences that I’ve had in my life.” Keys became a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene before he passed in April 2024; this is the album that started his journey. Another gem from the celebrated Black Jazz catalog, pressed in blue with black swirl vinyl limited to 750 copies!

LP SIDE ONE

1. B. E.
2. Criss Cross
3. Shawn-Neeq

LP SIDE TWO

1. Gee-Gee
2. B. K.