Five Mondays in June means five records and five full evenings of Verve Mondays programming. The month stretches from Dinah Washington’s R&B-drenched balladry all the way to Lester Young trading phrases with Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison — with stops at the West Coast cool of Cal Tjader, the hard bop promise of Joe Gordon, and the bossa nova swing of Stan Getz along the way.
Each session plays through our audiophile hi-fi system. The Verve 70 cocktail is available all evening. Kissa Kissa opens at 6.
This Month on the Turntable
Five records. Five Mondays. Each one played on vinyl the way it was meant to be heard.
Dinah Washington was one of the most gifted vocalists in American music — a singer who could move between gospel, blues, jazz, and pop with absolute authority. Known as “the Queen” to her contemporaries, she had a voice with an edge that cut through any arrangement and a phrasing sense that was entirely her own. What a Diff’rence A Day Makes!, recorded in 1959, became her biggest commercial success and stands as one of the defining vocal recordings of its era.
The Verve Vault reissue returns this essential recording to vinyl. June opens with Washington at full command — which is exactly the right way to begin a month of listening.
Cal Tjader was the most important non-Latin figure in Afro-Cuban jazz — a vibraphonist who absorbed the rhythms of Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaría and built something wholly original out of the synthesis. The Prophet, recorded in 1968, finds Tjader at the peak of his Latin jazz powers: loose, warm, deeply rhythmic, and absolutely in the pocket. It’s one of the most joyful records in the Verve catalog.
The Verve Vault reissue gives this overlooked gem the audiophile treatment it deserves. June 8 is an evening for percussion, groove, and the unmistakable shimmer of Tjader’s vibes.
Joe Gordon was a Boston trumpeter whose talent was never in doubt and whose career was cut tragically short. A hard bop voice with a clean, burning tone, Gordon recorded Introducing Joe Gordon for EmArcy in 1954 with a group that included Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano, and Jimmy Woode. It’s a debut that sounds like a fully formed artist — direct, swinging, and technically assured from the first note.
This Verve Record Club exclusive gives this long-rare session its first proper vinyl reissue. June 15 is a chance to hear a record most people have never encountered — and to understand immediately why that’s a shame.
Stan Getz’s bossa nova recordings defined a moment in American music — and Big Band Bossa Nova, recorded in 1962 with arranger Gary McFarland, is the grandest of them. Where Jazz Samba was intimate and duo-oriented, this one is orchestral: lush, swaying, and utterly intoxicating. Getz’s tone — warm, breathy, perfectly controlled — floats over McFarland’s arrangements like a warm breeze. It’s summer music for people who take summer seriously.
The Verve Acoustic Sounds edition was mastered from the original analog tapes and pressed to 180-gram vinyl at RTI. June 22 is the evening for it.
Three trumpet and saxophone titans, one session, one of Verve’s finest small-group recordings. Lester Young’s supremely lyrical tenor, Roy Eldridge’s fire, and Harry “Sweets” Edison’s butter-smooth muted tone form an improbable and completely convincing front line. Laughin’ To Keep From Cryin’ was recorded in 1958, one of Young’s final great sessions, and every track carries the weight of deep swing-era authority.
The Verve Acoustic Sounds reissue restores this session to its full analog warmth on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI. June closes out with one of the great troikas in jazz history.
What Is Verve Mondays?
Verve Mondays is a year-long weekly listening event series at Kissa Kissa in partnership with Verve Records, celebrating the legendary label’s 70th anniversary. Every Monday from April through December, a different Verve reissue becomes the evening’s centerpiece — played on vinyl, through our audiophile hi-fi system, in Brooklyn’s only traditional jazz kissa. 39 Mondays. 39 reissues. One historic series.
The Verve 70 — an exclusive Monday-night-only signature cocktail (Song Cai floral gin, Prosecco, housemade sage lavender syrup, lemon) — is available all evening. Pair it with our full menu for the complete experience.
Each month’s lineup will be announced here and on our Instagram in advance. Read the full series announcement for the complete story behind the partnership.
Verve Mondays Continue Every Monday in June
667 Franklin Avenue · Crown Heights, Brooklyn
No cover. No reservations required but always encouraged.
