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Stories   >   Impulse! Records: 25 essential albums / TREBLE

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Impulse! Records: 25 essential albums / TREBLE

Posted: September 21, 2018

When we think of jazz, there are a few notable labels that stand out as icons of the genre: Verve, Atlantic, Columbia and Blue Note, to name a few. But we also think of Impulse!, the iconic label established by legendary record producer Creed Taylor in 1960. Set up under the umbrella of ABC-Paramount Records (the same ABC that's now part of Disney), Impulse! began life with a short list of legendary artists, including Ray Charles and swing veteran Benny Carter, as well as John Coltrane, who released more albums than any other performer on the label. As a result, the label became known as "The House That Trane Built."

Impulse! had a run of two decades in the 1960s and '70s that were unlike just about anything else, constantly at the forefront of innovations in jazz, and sometimes outside of jazz: Prog-rock outfit Genesis were the rare rock band to actually issue an album through the label. Impulse!'s branding extended beyond its amazing sounds; the orange, black and white design scheme of the albums made them stand out on any shelf, and each record's cover was adorned with stunning photography. The list you see below isn't just an introductory guide to the music but likewise a gallery of incredible design. And with Impulse! in headlines again for the release of a lost John Coltrane album, the outstanding new work by Mercury Prize-nominated Sons of Kemet (and a newly unearthed recording by alum Charles Mingus), we saw fit to compile a list of 25 of our favorite releases to be stamped with the iconic logo.

It should be noted that, like many of our other surveys of significant labels, we stuck to one release per artist (with one sort-of exception). With Impulse! that was a particularly tough decision, since some of these artists released so much amazing material. But that being said, albums such as Coltrane, Ascension, Africa Brass, Journey in Satchidananda, Ptah the El Daoud, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Tauhid, Deaf Dumb Blind, Thembi, Karma, The Magic of Ju-Ju, Fire Music and various other albums are, without question, essential. We simply made the decision to focus on certain albums for the sake of personal preferences or to highlight something unique that wasn't represented in other albums. (We also didn't include Impulse! reissues of Sun Ra's catalog, since it wasn't the original label of release-sorry!) Regardless, these essential Impulse! Records albums all merit repeat spins. We hope you enjoy the journey.

SEE Impulse! Records: 25 Essential Albums via TREBLE