Moody's Mood For Love - James Moody (1LP Vinyl)

Moody's Mood For Love by James Moody.

There is a particular kind of magic that happens when a great jazz record captures a musician moving between cities, sessions, and moods, and "Moody's Mood For Love" by James Moody does exactly that. Split across two recording dates in two different towns, this album feels like a snapshot of an artist in motion, carrying his sound from the studios of New York to those of Chicago in the space of a single winter.

Four of these tracks were laid down in New York on December 14, 1956: "I'm In The Mood For Love" and "Phil Up" on the first side, along with "You Go To My Head" and "Billies Bounce" opening the flip. The remaining four came together in Chicago on January 13, 1957, giving us "Foolin' The Blues" and "Plus Eight" to open the record, then "Stardust" and "Mean To Me" to close it out. Two sessions, one month apart, woven together into a program that flows from blues to ballad to standard with an easy, unhurried confidence.

The heart of the album is right there in the title. "I'm In The Mood For Love," the piece that gave rise to Moody's enduring legend, sits at the center of side one, a tune so associated with him that the whole record takes its name from it. Around it, Moody stretches into originals like "Foolin' The Blues," "Plus Eight," and "Phil Up," balancing his own writing against timeless material such as "Stardust," "Mean To Me," "You Go To My Head," and the bebop staple "Billies Bounce."

This particular pressing is a piece of label history in itself. It carries the black and white jacket with Cadet logos, a jacket variant that pairs with the same LP labels found on its companion issue. The Argo imprint became Cadet in 1965, so this jacket reflects that transition, a small but telling detail for collectors who track the shifting identities of Chicago's great jazz labels.

The record was pressed by Plastic Products, a fact you can confirm yourself by looking for the etched P.P. stamped into the deadwax. Little marks like these are the fingerprints of a record's manufacture, the kind of thing that separates a casual listen from a true collector's find. On the jacket, the songwriting credit for "I'm In The Mood For Love" appears as printed there, while the labels themselves use a comma separator, another one of those quiet variations that reward a close eye.

For anyone chasing the warmth of Moody's tenor and alto across a career defining program, this is a rich and rewarding entry, grounded in real sessions, real playing, and a pressing worth knowing.

Pressing Details:
Black and white jacket with [l=Cadet] logos, jacket variant of [r15040844] with the same LP labels.
The Argo label was changed in 1965 to Cadet.
Recorded in New York, 12/14/56: A3, A4, B1, B2
Recorded in Chicago, 1/13/57; A1, A2, B3, B4

Pressed by [l=Plastic Products] identified by the etched P.P. in the deadwax.
Songwriting credit for A3 is as on the jacket; the labels use a comma separator.

Track Listing:
A1. Foolin' The Blues
A2. Plus Eight
A3. I'm In The Mood For Love
A4. Phil Up
B1. You Go To My Head
B2. Billies Bounce
B3. Stardust
B4. Mean To Me

Artist: James Moody

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Argo (6)

Catalog Number: LP 613

Release Year: 1965

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)