Artist: Red Garland Trio
Album:Red In Blues-Ville '
Label: OJC/Prestige
Year: 1959, release - 1993
Quality: MP3 320
Size:103МЬ (with covers+ 5% recovery)
Total time - 42:00

Pianist Red Garland and his trio (with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor) explore six veteran blues-based compositions ranging from Nellie Lutcher's "He's a Real Gone Guy" and "St. Louis Blues" to "Your Red Wagon" and Count Basie's "M Squad Theme." Throughout, Garland modernizes each of the selections with his distinctive chord voicings and he makes the songs sound fresh and new. A solid effort from this very consistent pianist who will always be best remembered for his playing with the classic Miles Davis Quintet. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Taj Mahal
Album: Mkutano
Label: Tradition & Moderne
Year: 2005
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Size: 93,1+23MB



French pressing was recorded in Zanzibar with Bill Rich and Kester Smith and the famous orchestra The Cultural Musical Club and features Bikidude and Makame Faki. Includes the tracks 'Dhow Countries', 'Muhoga Wa Jang Ombe', 'Zanzibar', 'Catfish Blues', 'Naahidi Kulienzi', the title track and more. Tradi. 2005.

Artist: Nor Dar
Album: Opus the Lizard
Quality: mp3@320Kbps
Size: 133 MB (scans)
Genre: world fusion, world music, ethno jazz
Label: Libra Music
Total time: 56:33

In their first album Nor Dar (Tigran Sarkissian, Kora Michaelian, Orestis Moustidis) give us a unique sample of contemporary musical expression. The album is dedicated to Komitas, the man that worked tediously through his life, in order to collect and save the musical tradition of Armenia. Nor Dar have the opportunity to give a new breeze to their musical tradition, enriching it with jazz-fusion schemes. The classical background of Kora Michaelian and her counting of jazz, gives her the opportunity to express in a modern language the endless melodic tunes she has raised with. The album 'Opus of the Lizard' won in 1998 the award for best album cover (artwork by Alexandros Kaloutas), with a special reference to the musical arrangements of the band, from the International Committee of the Armenian music Awards (Los Angeles, USA) - from libramusic website

Artist:Booker Ervin Quintet
Album: Cookin'
Label: Savoy
Year: 1960
Quality: MP3 320 + covers+ 5% recovery
Size:102МЬ

Cookin' reissues tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin's second session as a leader (with a quintet also including trumpeter Richard Williams, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker and drummer Dannie Richmond). The session has four Ervin originals plus two standards. The intense tenor, whose sound had roots in early R&B but was open to the influence of the avant-garde, was instantly recognizable by 1960 and this music, although not essential, has many strong solos by Ervin, Williams and Parlan. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Jean Luc Ponty & the George Duke Trio
Album: The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience
Label: One Way Records Inc
Year: 1993
Genre: Fusion Jazz
Format,bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
Time: 39:26
Size: 86.14 Mb



This album sounds nothing like the shiny electric world beat and new age influenced music that Ponty would end up playing later in his career. These jams were recorded in the late 60s and show Ponty playing a jazz-rock style that was growing out of the roots of hard bop and soul-jazz. A good way to describe this style would be an even mix of RnB/jazz, rock jam sessions and avant-garde jazz. This style was kicked off by Miles Davis and his sextant when they would often suspend the beat and allow the drummer and soloist to interact in a freer rhythmic sense. Other major influences on this rock influenced fee jazz were John Cotrane and Ornette Coleman, but in more indirect ways than Miles.
By the late 60s, when this album was recorded, many artists were playing in this
style including Jack Dejohnette, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Tony Williams, as well as some rockers such as King Crimson and Henry Cow. This is not a style that Ponty would stay with for long, that it is why this is a unique album for Ponty fans to check out.
Most of these songs start out with a nice bluesy hard bop groove, but as the soloists kick in drummer Dick Berk starts to take things to another level. Most of Ponty's solos are good and show how much his early playing was influenced by sax players like Ornette and Trane. He even has breaks in his lines that are similar to a horn player's breathing patterns. Ponty's solos are good, but keyboardist George Duke's solos are incredible. Duke really connects with Berk and creates dense layers of rhythmic variation and sheets of sound that parallel some of the best work by Tony Williams and Herbie Hancock. The difference is that Duke and Berk add a bit more rock style noise and energy to their energetic flights. It helps that Duke is playing an almost distorted electric piano instead of a more subtle acoustic piano.
This is a great album that captures a unique style of jazz that only lasted for a few
years, but was an influence on music in general for many years to come.

Artist: Art Pepper
Album: Roadgame
Year: 1981
Label: Galaxy/OJC
Time: 53:55
Quality: MP3 @320kbps
Size: 119mb on RS

Altoist Art Pepper's 1981 appearances at Los Angeles' now-obsolete Maiden Voyage club were fully documented, resulting in three LPs and a greatly expanded program that is included on Pepper's massive "complete" Galaxy box set. This particular release, the only one thus far to be made available as a single CD, has Pepper and his quartet (with pianist George Cables, bassist David Williams and drummer Carl Burnett) performing "Roadgame" (an alternate take has been added to the CD reissue), "Road Waltz," an intense "Everything Happens to Me" and "When You're Smiling"; on the latter, Pepper switches to clarinet. Although only a year away from his death, the great Art Pepper was still very much in his prime for this memorable outing. - AMG

Artist: Herb Ellis
Album: Man with the Guitar
Label: Universal Victor/Dot
Year: 1965, release:2006
Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
Size: 183 MB & 72 MB
Time: 31:55

Herb Ellis's first record for the Dot label was also his last, and his last solo project (apart from a Columbia release around the same time) for the next eight years, during which time he mostly played sessions on other people's albums. With tenor saxman Teddy Edwards, organist Ron Feuer, bassist Monty Budwig, and drummer Stan Levey, he has put together a tight pop-jazz ensemble, in which Ellis' guitar is surprisingly understated in its prominence. This may actually disappoint some fans, though the playing by Edwards and Feuer is certainly pleasing enough, even if Ellis does most of the really interesting improvising, most notably on Ray Brown's "AM Blues." "Tennessee Waltz" is also well worth hearing, for Ellis' and Edwards' playing. And the group has fun with "Besame Mucho" as well. The CD version of this album is available exclusively as a Japanese import (Universal Victor), with extremely delicate sound in a superb analog-to-digital transfer. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

   Artist: Ray Brown
   Album: Concord Jazz Heritage
   Year: 1998
   Label: Concord Records
   Quality: mp3 @320
   Size: 155 MB
   Time: 01:07:48

   Famous as a bop pioneer, a longtime member of the Oscar Peterson Trio and a greatly in-demand sideman through the years, bassist Ray Brown has also led a series of notable groups during his Concord sessions. He brought Ernestine Anderson and Gene Harris to the label and has been a major asset both with his own trios and as an inspiring force (with his authoritative tone and swinging style) in all-star bands.

   Artist: The Houdini's
   Album: Unleashed and Remixed
   Label: Social Beats
   Year: 2007
   Quality: mp3 @320
   Size: 75+75+65 mb

      Phil Martin, musician, dj and head of the Social Beats-label says:
   "It was in the beginning of the 90's that I started to get interested in jazz music. I began listening to all this Blue Note classics by Art Blakey, Hank Mobley and Donald Byrd.
   I was also looking for live music in different jazz clubs but almost every concert was a disappointment. The Dutch jazz musicians weren't into the hard bop sound I liked. I gave it one more try with this new group called The Houdini's. I read their story and they had just recorded an album with the famous Blue Note producer Rudy Van Gelder. The man with the sound I loved so much. Well, they blew my mind!
   What power, what energy! The Houdini's showed me that jazz was all about fun. This was the live sound I had been looking for. These guys were like a rock 'n roll band playing jazz. I have been a fan ever since and they have kept growing and developing their music, releasing other great albums. In 2001 I started doing some gigs with them and I formed The Jazzinvaders with two of the members.
   In 2007 we got together to work on a project together. You're now looking at the result. An album on which we wanted to go back to the Houdini's roots. I think we succeeded in getting that powerful energy of their great live sound on tape. To make this project even bigger I asked a couple of my favourite producers to give their interpretation of the tracks. What a big surprise! It shows that the material of the Houdini's is funky, danceable and irresistible."
      Phil Martin - May 2007

     Artist: Ruby Braff
     Album: Ruby Braff/Concord Jazz Heritage Series
     Genre: Jazz - mainstream
     Year: 1998
     Quality: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
     Size: 136,57 MB (including all covers)
     Total time: 59:40

     I bought this cd today, great mainstream jazz...


    Cornetist Ruby Braff recorded so many rewarding albums for Concord that it must have been quite difficult to put this single-disc 1998 sampler together. Braff is heard in his popular quartet with guitarist George Barnes, in duets with pianists Dick Hyman and Roger Kellaway and interacting with such players as tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, guitarist Howard Alden, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and pianist Dave McKenna, among others. Most of the dozen selections are hot swing standards (including "A Sailboat In the Moonlight," "Shoe Shine Boy" and "Dinah"), along with a few slightly later show tunes and Braff's original "Here's Carl." An excellent buy for mainstream jazz fans with a limited budget, although all of Ruby Braff's numerous Concord sets are well worth acquiring. ~ Scott Yanow , AMG