Artist: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Album: Running With The Blues (Live 72-82)
Label: Airline Records
Year: 2008
Genre: Blues
Tracks: 12
Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
Size: 88 MB + 92 MB


The elder statesman of British blues, throughout the 60s, his band, the Bluesbreakers, acted as a finishing school for the leading British blues-rock musicians of the era. Guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor joined his band in a remarkable succession in the mid- 60s, honing their chops with Mayall before going on to join Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones, respectively. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (of Free), John Almond, and Jon Mark also played and recorded with Mayall for varying lengths of times in the 60s. Running with the Blues chronicles seven John Mayall concerts played between 1972 and 1982. Mayall had given up trying to maintain and support a regular backing group by the early 70s, and was instead working with different configurations for specific gigs. For the 1972 Frankfurt show that opens this set, Mayall works with a lineup of Keef Hartley on drums, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Clifford Solomon on sax, Freddy
Robinson on guitar, and Victor Gaskin on upright bass. Red Holloway replaces Solomon on sax for a second show in Frankfurt a year later in 1973. A 1980 show in Huntington Beach, CA, finds James Quill Smith on guitar. Two 1982 concerts, one in Minneapolis and one in Chicago, feature John McVie on bass, while two shows in Italy later in the year, one in Rome and one in Lugo, sport a stripped-down lineup of Mick Taylor, Steve Thompson, and Colin Allen. Among the highlights are a scuffling No Holds Barred from the 1972 Frankfurt show and an appropriately ragged John Lee Hooker homage, John Lee Boogie, from the 1980 Huntington Beach performance.

Artist: Alexey Kozlov
Album: Alexey Kozlov and the
Shostakovich String Quartet
Label: Boheme Music
Year: 2000
Genre: Classical Music, New Emotional Music
Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
Time: 65:18
Size: 78.1+ 54.3 Mbytes

Presented on the CD is a part of joint program which came into being in the late 1996. It is characteristic that all pieces contain improvisations by myself and the members of the Quartet. The principle of improvisation was inherent in academic music from its very start, but towards the end of the 19th century the soloists stopped to improvise for some reason, maybe out of fear to intrude in the pieces by the composers who became classics. But at the beginning of our century a new kind of musical art based on improvisation appeared. It was called jazz.
The idea of this program is clear. It is an attempt to bring the principle of improvisation back to academic music on the one hand, and to introduce the aesthetics of chamber music to the performance of jazz on the other. Not all classical pieces can be reinterpreted, and it is not always possible or necessary to improvise. But in some pieces by the French impressionists and Russian composers of the late 19th – early 20th centuries there are harmonic outlines very close to modern jazz.

Artist: Dr. John with The Donald Harrison Band
Album: Funky New Orleans
Format: Ape & mp3@320Kbps
Size: 353 & 129 MB (scans)
Label: Metro (2000)
Total playing: 57:12
Genre: jazz, rhythm and blues

Playing in front of an invited studio audience, Dr. John is featured with a full-scale jazz ensemble on this 1991 session Funky New Orleans. Alto saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. is the leader of the date, which allows Dr. John to concentrate not only on piano and vocals but also his guitar playing. A hand full of Mac Rebennack and Harrison originals are mixed with the dirty blues of "Shave em Dry" and a nod to Professor Longhair and Earl King on "Big Chief." Also, two instrumental straight-ahead jazz pieces are explored on "Hu-Ta-Nay" and "Walkin Home." This really isn't a Dr. John recording as much as an honest portrayal of these (mainly) New Orleans musicians in an extremely loose and funky setting. Recommended and available on the budget Metro label. ~ Al Campbell, AMG

Artist: Teddi King
Album: Now in Vogue
label: Storyville
Year of release: 1955
Time: 37:40
Format/bitrate: mp3, 256 kb/s
Size:68 Mb

The subtlety and intimacy of the signature Storyville label sound perfectly complement what critic Whitney Balliett once dubbed Teddi King's "peaceful, spacious way of phrasing," and Now in Vogue captures in full the singer's Zen-like serenity, showcasing her uncommonly lyrical phrasing and deep affinity for melody. Recorded with a stellar septet including trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, trumpeter Nick Travis and pianist Billy Taylor, the session boasts a deceptive simplicity that underscores the sheer grace of all its participants. King's contralto is both the focal point and just another instrument in the mix, fusing with the music so seamlessly that it seems as if she's been singing these songs and playing with this band her entire life.
Jason Ankeny, AMG

     Artist: Teddi King
     Album: In The Beginning (1949-1954)
     Label: Baldwin Street Music
     Size: 140 Mb
     Format/Bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/sec

REPOST!
Today's Teddi's Birhtday!

Artist: Dinah Washington
Title: Mad About The Boy
Year: 2003
Label: Prism Leisure
Format: MP3+CUE+LOG+Covers
Size: ~ 100 MB



Dinah Washington was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century — beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop — and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time.

Album -"В рабочий полночь" -
Ретро концерт по заявкам 2
Artists - VA
Label - Murzik - Records
Years: 1956-1974, release - 1995
Quality - MP3@320 kbps
Total time - 71:28

     Artist: Gary Moore
     Album: Bad For You Baby
     Label: Eagle Records
     Year: 2008
     Genre: Blues
     Tracks: 11
     Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
     File Size: 64 MB + 62 MB

Gary Moore is acknowledged as one of the finest guitarists that the British Isles has ever produced. With his latest studio album 'Bad For You Baby', Gary continues with the sequence of blues rock albums that he began with 'Old, New, Ballads, Blues' and continued on 'Close As You Get'. Mixing original tunes with Blues classics that Gary has rediscovered, 'Bad For You Baby' reaffirms Moore's exceptional talent as a guitarist and his deep insight into and feel for the Blues as a living musical form.).[released 22 September 2008]

Artist: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio
Album: Live in Montreux
Label: Three Blind Mice
Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
Size: 236 MB & 104 MB
Time: 46:04

Весьма любопытный образчик японского джаза. Запись выступления пианиста Цуёси Ямамото на фестивале в Монтре 1977 г., переизданная на CD в конце 80-х. Ни сам Ямамото-сан, ни два его соратника не принадлежат к числу суперзвезд мирового джаза, однако джаз своей родины представляют достойно: все в меру страстно, в меру четко, в меру виртуозно - но в целом достаточно безлико. Среднестатистический пост-боп, для конца 70-х довольно старомодный (тогда эта музыка еще не вошла в повторную силу, как это случилось десятью годами позже). Что же до звука, то это удачный пример ранней (1989) удачи переноса с аналога на цифру: в отличие от сотен примеров тех же лет, в этом случае удалось сохранить плотность и массивность аналоговой концертной записи, в то же время обогатив ее четкостью цифрового звука (сведение и перевод в цифру делал Ёсихико Каннари в студии Yamaha Epicurus).

© Кирилл Мошков, 1998

Artist: Bim Sherman
Album: Miracle
Format: Ape & mp3@320Kbps
Size: 330 MB & 120 MB (scans)
Label: Mantra
Total playing: 52:40
Genre: reggae, soul

What a strange idea -- an unplugged reggae album. Stranger still is how well it works. On Miracle, the wispy-voiced Bim Sherman records some of the oldies that he seems capable of recycling endlessly ("Golden Locks," "Lovers Leap," "Can I Be Free from Crying") along with a few new songs, but what makes this session so unique is the instrumentation: acoustic guitars, strings, Indian percussion (courtesy of tabla virtuoso Talvin Singh) and only the most subtle smatterings of synth and electric bass. These versions of "Golden Locks" and "Bewildered" aren't even reggae, strictly speaking, but they sure are pretty. The string section plays in an explicitly Indian style, which, combined with the tabla, creates a strange West-Indies-meets-East-Indies sort of ambience. Skip McDonald's supremely tasteful guitar and multitracked backing vocals contribute significantly to the success of this weird but lovely album. In the Unintended Consequences Department: note how the spare acoustic setting of "My Woman" exposes the howling sexism of Sherman's lyrics. (Note: the entire program is presented in electric remixes on a companion disc titled It Must Be a Dream, available separately on the same label.) ~ Rick Anderson, AMG

   Artist: Ben Webster
   Album: Jazz Masters 43
   Label: Verve
   Quality, bitrate: mp3, @320
   Size: 149MB
   Year: Dec 21, 1951 - Nov 3, 1959
   Release: April 18, 1995

   There was only one Ben Webster, but the tenor saxophonist known affectionately as "the Frog" had in himself two very divergent musical personalities, one that was brash and powerful and blew hard and forcefully and one that whispered and cried with delicate nuance and emotion, sounding for all the world like one half of an intimate conversation late at night under a muted sky. This set has examples of both approaches and features Webster working with the likes of Oscar Peterson, Benny Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Coleman Hawkins, and others. Highlights include the breezy "Meet the Frog," the funky "Soulville," and Webster at his weeping, sighing best on moving versions of Harold Arlen's "Come Rain or Come Shine" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust."
Steve Leggett, AMG

   Artist: Hidehiko Matsumoto & N.Y. All Stars
   Album: Eternal Dreams
   Label: Meldac Jazz
   Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
   Size: 400 MB & 155 MB
   Time: 68:49

   Artist: Albert Collins & Barrelhouse
   Album: Live
   Year: 1986
   Label: Munich records
   Size: 65+64+ 1,5 mb (covers)
   Quality: mp3 @320

   This is a live recording of Albert Collins playing with a band from Holland. The band includes guys with names like Hans and Guus. The band is good. Albert Collins is hot. The CD includes a couple of tracks that do not include Albert's telecaster or his voice. The lead singer of Barrelhouse has a voice similar to that of Ashlee Simpson. But on the tracks that Mr. Collins plays on, he is hot, and his telecaster is just as smooth. This CD shows his versatility, his ability to play in different situations. Overall, a good CD.

   Artist: Ana Caram
   Album: Blue Bossa
   Label: Chesky records
   Year: 2001
   Quality: mp3 @320 + covers
   Size: 55 + 56 mb

   Ana Caram is an excellent singer and guitarist of Brazilian music, but this set lacks any real surprises. She only plays guitar on one song, sticking to singing while being backed by a rhythm section and the saxophones of Paulo Levi. The selections all date from the 1960s (other than her original "Pura Luz") and Caram is mostly cast in the role of Astrud Gilberto, performing Jobim tunes (including "Desafinado," "Corcovado," and "Triste") and other tunes from the era, including "Blue Bossa," "Fly Me to the Moon," and Baden Powell's "So Por Amor." The results are pleasant but very predictable, withmore… no real chances being taken nor any fresh light shone on the veteran warhorses.

   Artist: Ana Caram
   Album: The Other Side Of Jobim
   Label: Chesky records
   Year: 1992
   Quality: mp3 @320
   Size: 110 mb + all covers

   As the title would indicate, Ana Caram carefully sidesteps Antonio Carlos Jobim's most overplayed songs here, going after some of the rarer material in his catalogue. Not all are totally unheralded; "Luiza" received many performances from the composer in his last years, and is just about the best-known number on the CD, while "Correnteza" and "Caminhos Cruzados" aren't far behind. Caram's clear, delicate voice is perfectly placed for the Jobim idiom — cool as an ocean breeze, ever so slightly off-pitch in the Brazilian tradition — and her guitar gently drives the tunes forward. Guitaristmore… Sergio Assad (of the Assad Duo) also contributes the arrangements, which are gorgeously subtle and spare, where a single cello, flute, soprano sax or oboe is often the only obbligato that Caram needs. Steve Sacks contributes his soprano sax in a style where the inevitable shadow of Getz hangs heavy. While many of these melodies don't leap out at you in the manner of Jobim's best-known songs, they are beautifully crafted and will probably reveal their treasures upon repeated listenings.