Artist: B.B. King
Album: Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan
Label: MCA
Year: 1999
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Time: 60:08
Size: 137,5MB

Even if B.B. King is the King of the Blues, some might find it strange that he chose to record Let the Good Times Roll, a tribute album to Louis Jordan, the King of Jump Blues. King's work was never as boisterous or enthusiastic as Jordan's, but his debt is apparent from the first cut of the album. King may have never done straight jump blues, but his sophisticated urban blues -- complete with horn sections and an emphasis on vocals -- shows as much jump influence as it does Delta. Let the Good Times Roll brings that home with a quiet, seductive insistence. Backed by a stellar band -- featuring Dr. John on piano, drummer Earl Palmer, alto saxophonist Hank Crawford, and tenor saxophonist Dave "Fathead" Newman, among others -- B.B. King sounds loose and natural. There are stars in the band, but this is hardly a bloated all-star effort, since the focus in on delivering no-nonsense performances. Strangely enough, King doesn't play that much guitar on the album, concentrating on his vocals and letting the band interact. When he does solo, it's as elegant and tasteful as always, but the focal point is always the songs. Since he's such a fine guitarist, B.B.'s singing often goes underappreciated, but here it's at the forefront, and he shines. His phrasing is impeccable, and he always captures the spirit of the songs, either through humor or heart. Of course, that's a skill that Jordan had, as well, and realizing that sheds new light on B.B.'s music. Much of his celebrated skills as a showman and a performer indirectly came from Jordan, as did elements of his musical style. Never has that been as clear as it is on Let the Good Times Roll. Stephen Thomas Erlewine.AMG.

Artist: Jaco Pastorius
Album: Montreal Jazz Festival '82
Year: 1982
Label: Spectel Video
Format : MKV
Video : 352x240, mpeg4, 1200kb/s
Audio : MP3 128kb/s, 2CH, 48HZ
Time : 57:29
Size : 150 MB

History:
For its third edition, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal set up shop in the “Latin Quarter” of St.Denis Street, where a stage was set up at the corner of St.Denis and Ontario Streets for free shows. The Festival catered to 80,000 jazz-lovers in five venues and produced 14 television specials and 29 radio programs.
The Festival also officially became a non-profit organization with the aim of showcasing local jazz musicians, and even launched its own record label, featuring recordings of Festival performances, which was distributed by CBS Records. These included the Orchestre Sympathique, the Vic Vogel Big Band and Oliver Jones with Charlie Biddle. The 1st edition of the Concours de Jazz, designed to honour Canadian jazz musicians, was won by Michel Donato. Festival activities now included screenings of jazz films, dance, and bustling street activity. The public and media success of the event was such that the organizers were overwhelmed: additional free outdoor concerts were scheduled to satisfy the demand. The Festival also featured Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Sonny Rollins, Jaco Pastorius, Buddy Rich and Maneige.

Artist: B.B. King
Album: Deuces Wild (Japanese Release)
Label: Universal Japan
Year: 1997
Release Date: 2000
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Size: 176,5MB

This is B.B.'s celebrity duet album, and a straightahead blues album this is not. But longtime fans who are aware of King's genre-stretching capabilities will find much to savor here. Kicking off with B.B. playing some beautiful fills and solo work behind Van Morrison on "If You Love Me," the superstars start lining up to jam with the King, with Tracy Chapman ("The Thrill Is Gone"), Eric Clapton (a funkified "Rock Me Baby"), the Rolling Stones ("Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," with a fine harp solo from Mick Jagger), Willie Nelson (his "Nightlife," long a standard in B.B.'s set list), Bonnie Raitt ("Baby I Love You") and Marty Stuart ("Confessin' the Blues") all turning in fine efforts. The only clinker aboard here is an ill-advised attempt to make a rap record with Heavy D, the execrable "Keep It Coming." Cub Koda, All Music Guide.

Japanese Release featuring Four Bonus Tracks: Polly's Birthday Boogie (W/Jules Holland), Hummingbird (W/Dion Warwick), Let the Good Times Roll (W/Zucceiro), and an Undecided Bonus Track.

Artist: B.B. King
Album: There Is Always One More Time
Label: MCA Records (USA)
Year: 1991
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Time: 46:03
Size: 90,2+19,9MB

Most of B.B. King's studio albums of the '80s and '90s tend to de-emphasize his guitar playing and consist largely of forgettable originals and obvious attempts at pop hits. However this CD (which was cut in the studios) is on a higher level and is quite rewarding. Most of the tunes were co-written by pianist Joe Sample and Will Jennings, and the majority are quite catchy and memorable. Certainly it is easy to sing along with the refrains of "I'm Moving On," "Back in L.A." and "Roll, Roll, Roll." On this date King usually overdubbed his guitar to play along with his vocals (somehow the interplay does not sound spontaneous) but it does not detract from the final results. The intelligent and philosophical lyrics fit King's style very well and his voice is very much in prime form. Well worth acquiring. Scott Yanow.AMG.

Artist: B.B. King
Album: Take It Home
Label: MCA Records (USA)
Year: 1979
Release Date: 1998
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Size: 75,7MB

This 1979 effort finds B.B. interpreting a number of pop-blues tunes, many of them co-written by Will Jennings and co-producer Joe Sample, with King co-writing two of the songs aboard. Even with a large, contemporary backdrop (including a seven-piece horn section and female backup singers), there's still plenty of room for B.B.'s stinging guitar and stentorian vocals in the mix. Highlights include the gospel-tinged "Better Not Look Down," "Same Old Story (Same Old Song)," "Happy Birthday Blues," "The Beginning of the End" and the title track. As one of B.B.'s more pop-oriented offerings, this succeeds admirably. Cub Koda.AMG.

Artist: B.B. King
Album: To Know You Is to Love You
Label: MCA
Year: 1973
Release Date: Mar 12, 2008
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Time: 40:54
Size: 96,2MB



The combination of King and the well-oiled Philly rhythm section that powered hits by the O'Jays, Spinners, and Stylistics proved a surprisingly adroit one. Two huge hits came from this album, the Stevie Wonder/Syreeta Wright-penend title track and "I Like to Live the Love," both of them intriguing updates of King's tried-and-true style. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide

Artist - Dinah Washington
Album - The Fats Waller Songbook
Label - EmArCy/Verve
Genre: Jass vocal, blues
Year - 1957, release - 1988
Quality - MP3@320 kbps
Size - 69,8 mb
Total time - 31:16

Dinah Washington makes the most of Ernie Wilkins' charts as she explores a dozen songs written by or associated with Fats Waller. Recorded over several sessions in the fall of 1957, Wilkins' all-star orchestra includes Charlie Shavers, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cleveland, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, and Sahib Shihab, to name just a few of the players, though the arrangements are brief and to the point, without much space dedicated to instrumental solos. Washington picks up on the generally playful attitude of the music and has no trouble with the downcast "Black and Blue," though she changed the lyrics somewhat. Another interesting facet of this record is the premiere of a vocal version of "Jitterbug Waltz," with lyrics by Maxine Manners and Charles Grean. Tenor saxophonist Eddie Chamblee does a great job sharing the vocal duties with Washington in the swinging "Everybody Loves My Baby" and a laid-back interpretation of "Honeysuckle Rose." Originally released by EmArcy and reissued a few years later on Mercury, this long out of print LP will be difficult to acquire. ~ Ken Dryden, AMG

   Artist: Omara Portuondo
   Album: La Gran Omara Portuondo
   Original Release Date: May 7, 2002
   Label: Egrem
   Format: mp3 320 kbps
   Size: 148 MB

   Born in Havana in October 1930, Omara's mother came from a rich Spanish family and was expected to marry into another society family. Instead she ran off with the man she loved, a tall, handsome baseball player from the Cuban national team. Moreover he was black and in those days mixed race marriages were still frowned upon in Cuba. "My mother always hid the fact that she had married a black man. If they bumped into each other in the street they had to ignore each other. But at home they recreated what society denied them - a haven of peace and harmony. They loved each other very much," Omara recalls.
   They had three daughters and as in any Cuban household there was music. There wasn't a gramophone - they didn't have the money. But there were the voices of Omara's parents, singing in the kitchen and as they went about their daily lives. She remembers their favourites included songs by Ernesto Grenet and Sindo Garay's 'La Bayamesa' (also performed by Compay Segundo on Buena Vista Social Club). They were her first informal singing lessons and the songs remain in her repertoire to this day.
   When her older sister Haydee became a dancer at the famous cabaret Tropicana, Omara soon followed her - by accident. One day in 1945, the ballet troupe found itself short when a dancer dropped out two days before an important premiere. Omara had watched her sister rehearse so often that she knew all the steps and was asked to stand in. "It was a very chic cabaret but I said it was out of the question," Omara recalls. "I was very shy and I was ashamed to show my legs." Her mother told her that she couldn't let them down and thus began a career as a dancer, forming a famous partnership with the dancer Rolando Espinosa. Today she still performs at the Tropicana as one of it's star singers.

   Artist: Cal Tjader & Mongo Santamaria
   Album: Latino
   Original Release Date: 1960
   Label: Fantasy
   Format: mp3 320 kbps
   Size: 170 MB

   Vibraphonist Cal Tjader is heard leading five different groups throughout this CD but the identities of the flutists, bassists and pianists are less important than knowing that Tjader, Willie Bobo (on drums and timbales) and the great conga player Mongo Santamaria are on every selection. The music really cooks with torrid percussion, inspired ensembles and occasional solos from the sidemen (which sometimes include pianists Lonnie Hewitt or Vince Guaraldi, bassist Al McKibbon and flutist Paul Horn). Highlights include Latinized versions of "Key Largo" and "September Song," "Night in Tunisia," "The Continental" and a definitive version of Santamaria's "Afro Blue." This is Latin-jazz at its finest.
      ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

   Artist: Arturo Sandoval
   Album: Jam Miami (A Celebration Of Latin Jazz)
   Release Date: 06/11/2000
   Original Release Year: 2000
   Label / Distributor: Concord Jazz / New Note/Pinnacle
   Producer: John Burk (Compilation)
   Format: mp3 320 kbps
   Size: 162 MB

   As if to remind anyone who's forgotten his roots, Chick Corea re-connects here with his past, when he was pianist for Willie Bobo and Cal Tjader in the 1960s, and a catalyst for Brazilian fusion in the 1970s. Playing a Fender Rhodes piano throughout this 10-song live session, Corea reminds one more of Latin jazz master Clare Fischer than the adventurous soloist who always keeps his music on the edge. With Arturo Sandoval on Mongo Santamaria's "Beseme Mama," Corea recalls his days with Return to Forever.

   The disc opens with all the pots boiling on "Soul Sauce" and "A Night in Tunisia," two standards by Dizzy Gillespie, the godfather of Latin jazz. Corea, Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, and former Spyro Gyra vibes player David Samuels are all featured with fiery solos, with Sandoval trading high-flying riffs with fellow trumpeter Claudio Roditi on the latter tune. A tribute to Tito Puente, who was originally a part of this jam before falling ill, Jam Miami features two former members of his group, flutist Dave Valentin and trumpeter Ray Vega, as well as Escovedo, who, with Puente's death, may be the leading timbalero in Latin jazz. The theme from "I Love Lucy" and Corea's own "Wigwam," featuring members of his band Origin, are among the sparkling highlights of these long, solo-rich numbers. And smoke from the smoldering percussion riffs probably will linger in the South Florida night for ages.
      --Mark A. Ruffin

Artist: John Lee Hooker
Album: Universal Masters Collection
Label: MCA Records/Universal Music
Year: 2003
Genre: Blues
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
Size: 87,6+68,5MB


John Lee Hooker was the most elemental of the electric blues giants. His spooky musical minimalism--plaintive yet powerful vocals coupled with guitar work alternately haunting and toe-tapping-- inspired countless artists, from contemporaries like Slim Harpo to acolytes the Rolling Stones. Few, however, can summon up the inexplicable erotic charge at the heart of Hooker's best performances. The patented "boogie" rhythm upon which seemingly every blues-rock and hard rock band of the 1970s wrought variations was virtually invented by Hooker. One of the most-recorded post-war bluesmen, Hooker released records over 100 albums on countless labels, working much of the time in Detroit and Chicago. He kept working well into his eighties, opening his own blues club in San Francisco and in 2000 was awarded with the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement. He passed away, at the age of 83, the following year.

   Artist: Horace Silver
   Album: Cape Verdean Blues
   Label: Blue Note (RVG-edition)
   Year: 1965
   Quality: mp3 @320
   Covers: all
   Playing Time: 00:43:46
   Total Size: 100,19 MB

   After the success of Song for My Father and its hit title cut, Horace Silver was moved to pay further tribute to his dad, not to mention connect with some of his roots. Silver's father was born in the island nation of Cape Verde (near West Africa) before emigrating to the United States, and that's the inspiration behind The Cape Verdean Blues. Not all of the tracks are directly influenced by the music of Cape Verde (though some do incorporate Silver's taste for light exoticism); however, there's a spirit of adventure that pervades the entire album, a sense of exploration that wouldn't have been quite the same with Silver's quintet of old. On average, the tracks are longer than usual, and the lineup -- featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson (a holdover from the Song for My Father sessions) and trumpeter Woody Shaw -- is one of the most modernist-leaning Silver ever recorded with. They push Silver into more advanced territory than he was normally accustomed to working, with mild dissonances and (especially in Henderson's case) a rawer edge to the playing. What's more, bop trombone legend J.J. Johnson appears on half of the six tracks, and Silver sounds excited to finally work with a collaborator he'd been pursuing for some time. Johnson ably handles some of the album's most challenging material, like the moody, swelling "Bonita" and the complex, up-tempo rhythms of "Nutville." Most interesting, though, is the lilting title track, which conjures the flavor of the islands with a blend of Latin-tinged rhythms and calypso melodies that nonetheless don't sound quite Caribbean in origin. Also noteworthy are "The African Queen," with its blend of emotional power and drifting hints of freedom, and "Pretty Eyes," Silver's first original waltz. Yet another worthwhile Silver album.
      ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

   Artist: Horace Silver
   Album: Serenade to a Soul Sister
   Label: Blue Note (RVG-edition)
   Year: 1968
   Size: 100 mb
   Quality: mp3 @ 320
   Playing Time: 00:37:56

   With this album, Horace Silver introduced his new group with Charles Tolliver, Bennie Maupin and Billy Cobham, recorded his only encounter with Stanley Turrentine and added two more future jazz standards (Psychedelic Sally and the title tune) to his arsenal. From the first note to the last, infectious grooves and good feelings abound on this album.