Artists: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
     Album: Paris 1958
     Label: RCA / Bluebird
     Year: 1958, release 1992
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 1.04:49
     Size: 148 MB
     AMG rating: 4 stars

     Конец 1958 года был очень плодотворным для Арта Блейки и его команды. Не прошло и двух месяцев с момента записи самого выдающегося их альбома Moanin', как музыканты приезжают в Париж. Там они записывают несколько джем-сессий и дают великолепный концерт в Club St.Germain (в других изданиях записи этого вечера выходили под названием "Olympia Concert").
     Приглашаю всех послушать "The Jazz Messengers" на самом пике их музыкальной формы и в очень интересном и представительном составе...

   Artist: Roland Kirk
   Album: Domino
   Year: 1962
   Label: Mercury Records (Verve Master Edition)
   Format,bitrate: MP3@320kbit/s
   Time: 77:09
   Size: 95.3MB + 71.1MB
   AMG Rating:

   This CD is a 2000 reissue of Roland Kirk's 1962 album. His quirky originality is on full display here. There is always a sense of joy that permeates Kirk's work and this CD is no exception. I think all jazz fans will like this one but I know that Roland Kirk fans will love it. Features 15 bonus tracks!

Artist: Roy Eldridge
Album: 1943-1944
Rating AMG: 3 1/2
Label: Classics
Genre: Jazz, Styles: Swing, Big Band, Ballads
Time: 59:37
Format/Bitrate - flac (rapidshare)
Size: 150+96 Mb
Total time - 59:37

Хотел бы предложить вашему вниманию диск Roy Eldridge'а вышедший на лейбле Classics. Годы записи - 1943-1944.
Приятного прослушивания.


Roy Eldridge worked with Gene Krupa for a couple of years, then made a series of hot sides with a great seven-piece band, featuring tenor saxophonists Ike Quebec and Tom Archia. "After You've Gone" begins with a funny false-start introduction that Eldridge seems to have developed while working with Krupa. "The Gasser," a hot-to-trot walking blues, was based on the chord changes of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Also included here are two lovely, passionate ballads and an incomplete take of "Oh, Lady Be Good." The Esquire Metropolitan Opera House V-Disc Jam Session turned into a real all-star blowout on "Tea for Two," the conglomerated ensemble sounding pretty crowded by the time it works up to the out chorus. Eldridge's next adventure occurred with Lionel Hampton's V-Disc All-Stars. "Flyin' on a V-Disc" is, of course, Hamp's big hit "Flyin' Home." He hammers the vibes while saying "heyyy!' and keeps on saying it, clapping his hands and braying like a goat throughout all subsequent solos by the horn players, eventually leading the pack into an inevitable grandstand conclusion. The Little Jazz Trumpet Ensemble is heard on one of the earliest of all Keynote sessions, and the very first of producer Harry Lim's instrument-oriented dates, setting a precedent for the Coleman Hawkins Sax Ensemble and the Benny Morton Trombone Choir. Emmett Berry's inspiration was Roy Eldridge himself, while Joe Thomas patterned himself after Louis Armstrong. "St. Louis Blues" in particular is amazing. They work it up to a fine finish. Eldridge's working relationship with Decca Records bore fruit briefly in June of 1944 with another big-band date. This particular group included former Fats Waller trumpeter John "Bugs" Hamilton, ace trombonist Sandy Williams, and a pair of strong tenor players -- Franz Jackson and Hal Singer. Two dramatic ballads resulted, along with yet another patented stampede version of "After You've Gone." The orchestra assembled on October 13, 1944, had a formidable trombone section, as Williams found himself flanked by noteworthy slip horn agents Wilbur DeParis and Vic Dickenson. This band was also fortified with the presence of trumpeter Sidney DeParis, drummer Cozy Cole, and flashy amplified guitarist Napoleon "Snags" Allen, who is heavily featured on "Fish Market," a rocking blues that sounds a bit like "Tuxedo Junction." After Eldridge savors a pretty air called "Twilight Time," he leads a charge through "St. Louis Blues." Running the changes as fast as he can through a muted horn, Eldridge fires off a rapid stream of lyrics, turns Franz Jackson loose for a scorching hot tenor solo, and heads up an explosive hot finale. ~ arwulf arwulf, AMG

     Artist: James Carter
     Album: Out of Nowhere
     Year: 2005
     Label: Half Note
     Genre: Post-Bop, Free Jazz, Soul-Jazz
     Quality: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 71:18
     Size: 98 + 48 MB
     AMG Rating:

     Этот музыкант уже представлен в Клубе несколькими альбомами. Вот ещё один релиз в интересном составе.

Recorded in 2004 at the Blue Note in New York, Out of Nowhere finds James Carter paired up with fellow Detroiters Gerard Gibbs on organ and Leonard King on drums for the unofficial sequel to Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge. While the trio revitalizes the standard "Out of Nowhere" and breezes through Benny Golson's jazz classic "Along Came Betty," the fireworks really get under way on "Highjack." The tune signals the fervent arrival of its composer, guitarist James Blood Ulmer, and by the conclusion the quartet is joined by fiery multi-saxophonist Hamiett Bluiett. Carter and Bluiett then take center stage for a baritone sax duet on "Song for Camile," Bluiett's beautiful ballad initially recorded with the World Saxophone Quartet, of which he is a member, on their organ-drenched 1995 date Breath of Life. Ulmer directs the proceedings through Chicago blues territory with a quick and loose "Little Red Rooster," which leads into R. Kelly's 1996 pop hit "I Believe I Can Fly." Now, before indifference gets the best of you, in the hands of these musicians the tune receives a quick conversion from ballad into a quasi-Latin groove, through burning funk -- in which Gibbs absolutely shines -- and finally the reeds irreverently take it out honking and squawking in a manner that would have made Lester Bowie smile. Like its predecessor, Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge, Out of Nowhere provides an admirable cornucopia of modern jazz from Carter and friends. ~ Al Campbell, AMG.

Artist: Pete La Roca
Album: Turkish Women at the Bath
Rating AMG: 4
Release Date: 1967
Label: 32 Jazz
Genre: Jazz, Styles: Latin Jazz, Hard Bop
Time: 34:49
Format/Bitrate - flac (rapidshare)
Size: 150+85 Mb


A "lost" classic of spiritual free jazz, Turkish Women is a charming session inspired by the decadent Ingres painting of the same name. This late 1960s session brought together the fiery, refined tenor sax of John Gilmore; the ruminative acoustic piano of (pre-fusion) Chick Corea; the heavy, hefty-duty bass of Walter Booker; and leader Pete LaRoca. LaRoca, who left music shortly after this 1967 session to devote his time to the art of law, is a contrapuntal percussionist who's even credited in The Rough Guide to Jazz as "the first person to record a totally free-tempo drum solo." It's an ensemble effort, but longtime Sun Ra sideman Gilmore delivers a rare non-Arkestra performance that demonstrates why Coltrane was so clearly influenced by Gilmore's tightly-controlled, sonic whirlwinds. ~ Mike McGonigal, Amazon.com

     Artists - Joe Venuti And Zoot Sims
     Album - Joe & Zoot & More
     Label - Chiaroscuro
     Years: 1974/ 1975, release - 1994
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 144 mb
     Total time - 61:00


     At first glance, Philadelphia violinist Joe Venuti and Los Angeles tenor/soprano saxophonist Zoot Sims might seem an unlikely combination. Venuti was known for swing, classic jazz, and Dixieland, whereas Sims (who was young enough to be Venuti's son) was primarily a cool/bop musician along the lines of Stan Getz, Al Cohn, and Paul Quinichette. But when you think about it, the combination makes perfect sense. Before Sims made bop changes his main focus in the mid-'40s, he played in swing bands -- and Sims (like Getz, Cohn, and Quinichette) was heavily influenced by the seminal Lester Young. So all things considered, it makes perfect sense for Venuti and Sims to join forces on Joe and Zoot and More (which was recorded in 1973 and 1974). Stepping outside of cool jazz and bop, Sims enthusiastically joins Venuti in a classic jazz/swing setting. The performances generally recall the early '30s, and Venuti and Sims enjoy an undeniably strong rapport on inspired versions of "I Found a New Baby," "Indiana," and other familiar standards. As gutsy and hard-swinging as the up-tempo performances are, Venuti and Sims are unapologetically sentimental on ballads like "There's a Small Hotel" and "My One and Only Love." Some bop snobs might think the ballads are toosentimental -- in bop, ballad playing has often tended to be less sentimental and more intellectual than the swing and classic jazz ballad playing of the '30s. (Lyrical, romantic, and pretty don't necessarily mean ultra-sentimental.) But truth be told, there is nothing wrong with jazz instrumentalists being sentimental -- it certainly worked well for Bunny Berigan, Chu Berry, Artie Shaw, and countless others who emerged in jazz's pre-bop era. Joe and Zoot and More is an excellent CD that Venuti fans and Sims admirers should both make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

     Artist: Joe Venuti, Zoot Sims
     Album: Joe Venuti And Zoot Sims
     Year: rec. 1975
     Label:Chiaroscuro Records
     Format: MP 3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time:60:28
     Size:71.5 + 63.4 Mb
     AMG:

     Label - Topaz
     Years: 1926-1934, release - 1995
     Quality - MP3@192kb/s
     Size - 88,9mb
     Total time - 66:37

     Artist: Helen Merrill
     Album: Parole E Musica
     Label: Bmg
     Release year: 1999
     Size: 78 mb
     Quality: FLAC; MP3 320 kbps


     Nothing can beat the romance of this album! 'Parole e Musica': 'Words and Music' was recorded while Merril was living in Italy. Each performance is preceded by a spoken translation of the lyrics in Italien, backed by a solo musician in the style af a street busker. If it sounds cheesy, then don't expect me to defend it: it is! But I have never heard Merril sound so good. Her voice has a fragile strength which renders ballads heart-stopping, and tickles the humour out of the more optimistic numbers. Amazon.com

     Artist: Savina Yannatou
     Album: Terra Nostra
     Quality: APE & MP3@320 Kbps
     Size: 453 & 168 MB (scans)
     Label: ECM (Recorded live in Athens)
     Total playing: 74:18
     Genre: ethnic fusion

     No one can accuse Savina Yannatou of not taking chances. On this live recording (with the pristine sound quality one associates with everything on ECM), she not only goes through Mediterranean and Sephardic music, but also some Celtic and a healthy dose of Arabic. Her band, Primavera en Salonico, keep things close to the edge, as on "Madonna de la Grazia," which skirts the avant-garde (or the end of "Jaco," for that matter). On "Balio Dardo," they all prove that you can make electrifying noise without electricity. On several of the Arab-inflected tracks, singer Lamia Bedioui joins the group to sing (or in the case of "Close Your Eyes and See," recite) while Yannatou adds improvised vocal accompaniment. Mostly, however, this album is about the songs and the way the modalities connect the genres. Yannatou seems most at home on the Greek and Mediterranean material, but also acquits herself well on the songs that are more of a geographical stretch. It's a step forward for her, daring and satisfying. - by Chris Nickson, AMG

     Artist: J.J. Cale
     Album: Naturally
     Quality: APE & MP3@320 Kbps
     Size: 160 & 73 MB (scans)
     Label: Mercury
     Total playing: 32:07

     This quiet and leisurely album from an excellent guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter is a charmer. J.J. Cale has a unique approach to funk, blues, and country and all it involves is taking things at just as relaxed and mellow a pace as the human metabolism will allow. Here it results in one of the most enjoyable debut albums heard in some time. Cale is currently hitting the AM charts with a very unlikely number, "Crazy Mama," a typical Cale blues, done with a small rhythm section and his own incredibly controlled lead guitar playing. Its tempo is so unusually calm it is the last thing you would expect to hear blasting over your local Bill Drake outlet. The same contrast in pace is evident in the difference between Eric Clapton's version of "After Midnight" and the one done here by the song's author. Cale doesn't so much slow it down as ease it up. With the bass carrying the modest band arrangement via an intricately repeated line, Cale lets the guitar, voice, and song speak for themselves while the production provides just enough color to keep the song moving. It is a perfect blend for the number and results in one of the album's highlights. Part of Cale's talent consists in his ability to unify disparate elements. Even when he uses horns on "Nowhere to Run" or "Bringing It Back" the album suffers from no interruption in mood, as this additional element is perfectly blended with the more skeleton framework heard on the rest of the cuts. Likewise his ability to unify tempos, for no matter what real pace he takes a song at, it comes out sounding like nothing more than an extension of basic J.J. Cale time, which is heard from the record's beginning to end. Cale's lyrics are appropriately simple but always effective. Many of his songs deal with missing women and the resulting problems; others with feeling bad for no explicit reason. Possibly the album's best cut, and its simplest, is of the latter type. "Crying Eyes" contains all the musical virtues of Cale's style as well as its most emotional, personal and affecting statement of them. The only problem with this album is that Cale is not yet strong enough to pull off his goal, which was to produce a record completely unified in mood and sound. Occasionally the continuity he achieves leads to a feeling of sameness and then boredom. Which is only to say that the excellence of this album rests more in its individual highpoints than in the record as a complete entity. That accomplishment lies ahead of J.J. Cale but there is every reason to think he'll get it next time around. -- by Jon Landau (www.rollingstone.com)

Artist: Charlie Parker
Title: The Very Best
Year: 2007
Label: Time Music
Format: 320kb/s+CUE+LOG+Covers



Another anthology that has less value due to the exploding reissue market. These cuts were among Parker's most influential compositions and performances, but they've been reissued many times, both in anthology packages and on re-releases of their original albums. But it's part of the Essentials sampler line, and if you only want a little Parker, it's a good choice. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

     Artist: Yutaka Shiina
     Album: At the Moment
     Label: Novus
     Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
     Size: 433 MB & 156 MB
     Time: 69:34


     Great Japanese pianist who is also part of the international jazz elite.
     YUTAKA SHIINA has played with the greatest: Elvin Jones (Jazz Machine-European Tour), Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Robert Hurst…