Thankfully (Vinyl) – Ross Taggart

When Thankfully was first released in 2001, neither Ross Taggart or Cory Weeds could have known that it would become the album that launched the Cellar Music Group. Recorded live during the very first year of operation at The Cellar, the album captured a special moment in time. The club was new, the future uncertain, and the Vancouver jazz community was finding a home in a small basement room that would eventually become an important part of the city’s musical history. What remains undeniable all these years later is the music itself: honest, swinging, lyrical, and deeply personal, much like Ross. The two nights of recording embodied everything a great live organ jazz record should be. The room was electric. The audience was enthusiastic, engaged, and appropriately rowdy. There was a constant exchange of energy between the band and the crowd, the kind of interaction that cannot be manufactured in a studio. You can hear it throughout the recording: the excitement in the room, the musicians feeding off the audience, and the audience feeding right back. The decision to make Thankfully the first Cellar Music release was an easy one. Ross was Cory’s hero. Over the past quarter century, Cellar Music has grown far beyond anything anyone could have imagined when this album was recorded. Hundreds of releases, countless artists, international recognition, and lifelong friendships can all be traced back to this single recording. Every chapter of the label’s story begins here. NEW 25th ANNIVERSARY Double vinyl, 180gram, hand-numbered limited edition of 200, blue vinyl.