Artists: Various Artists
     Album: Diggin' Deeper Legendary Blues Treasures
     Release: 2005
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/VBR 160 кбит/с
     Size: 580 MB (10 CD Box-Set)

     Этот десятидисковый бокс поможет вам окунуться в мир блюза.
     Естественно на нём собрано только лучшее из лучшего и убедиться в этом можно просто взглянув на треклист.

Artist: Al Kooper
Album: Soul of a Man: Live I-II
Format: Ape & mp3@320Kbps
Size: 325 + 340 & 128 + 129 MB (scans)
Label: Music Masters (1995)
Total playing: 113:04
Genre: blues, jazz

A gift from heaven is the only adequate way of describing this superb double-CD set, which comes in a slip-case with a neat little booklet. It is the definitive Al Kooper solo project, and a career reconsideration and retrospective, but it's also damn close to definitive as a document of the Blues Project and the original Blood, Sweat & Tears as well. At three February 1994 gigs at New York's Bottom Line, Kooper got together the original members of both bands (with BS&T billed as "Child Is Father to the Man") and his own Rekooperators, including John Simon and Harvey Brooks, with John Sebastian sitting in on harmonica, to perform new versions of 33 years' worth of repertory. The eerie thing is that it sounds like Kooper didn't skip a beat between the last shows of any of those bands and these gigs -- his voice is better than ever, and the performance on "I Can't Quit Her" (a song he introduces by saying he hates playing it "except with these guys"--the original BS&T) and the rest of the '60s repertory has all of the energy one could wish for, and more precision than the group might have achieved in 1968 (and certainly better sound). There are some new arrangements on numbers like "My Days Are Numbered," which features a soaring trumpet duel between Randy Brecker and Lew Soloff, and some hot guitar by Jimmy Vivino -- all of which only adds to the original. And "I'll Love You More than You'll Ever Know" features such an intense performance by Kooper, that by itself it's worth the price of the double CD. The Blues Project pick up where they left off in 1967, doing hard, crunchy renditions of Muddy Waters songs ("Two Trains Runnin'") and classic originals, including a glorious nine-minute "Flute Thing." The Rekooperators, led by Mike Bloomfield-disciple Jimmy Vivino, do glowing performances of Bloomfield-Kooper repertory such as "Albert's Shuffle" and "Season of the Witch," and Kooper-related numbers like "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (part of a surging medley with "Season of the Witch"), and the Ronnie Van Zant number "Made in the Shade" (featuring Kooper on blues mandolin). The Uptown Horns and back-up soul singers Sheryl Marshall and Catherine Russell fill in the sound on various songs, on what must have been three extraordinary nights. For some reason, Steve Katz refused to allow his guitar to appear on the release, so his part has been wiped and replaced by Jimmy Vivino and other guest players on both the Blues Project and Child Is Father to the Man tracks, but that seems to be the only major sweetening done in the studio. The beautiful part of this set, beyond the superb performances and the excellent sound quality, is that the music has been treated with respect in the packaging -- the heavily annotated booklet even lists each soloist on every number, in the manner of proper jazz releases. ~ Bruce Eder, AMG

     Artist: Michel Legrand
     Album: Michel Legrand and Friends
     Label: RCA
     Year: 1975
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 0.43:36
     Size: 100 MB

     На обороте этой довольно редкой пластинки стоит знак "Not for sale", поэтому слушайте её даром...

     This lesser-known Michel Legrand LP is a jazz-oriented date that teams the composer (heard on keyboards) with trumpeter Randy Brecker, altoist Phil Woods, guitarist Joe Beck, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Grady Tate. The sextet performs seven of Legrand's pieces, the best of which are "Once Upon a Summertime," "J&B" (a Beck feature) and "Splittons." In addition, Legrand has a couple of vocals, and singer Laury Shelley duets with the leader on "Pieces of Dreams." A bit of a mixed bag, this set is mostly worth getting for Woods' occasional solos. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Artist: Hal Singer, Charlie Shavers
Album: Blue Stompin'
Label: Prestige/OJC
Year - 1959, release - 1995
Format: MP3@320
Size: 88.5 MB
Time: 38:51

This is a fun set of heated swing with early R&B overtones. The title cut is a real romp, with tenor saxophonist Hal Singer and trumpeter Charlie Shavers not only constructing exciting solos but riffing behind each other. With the exception of the standard "With a Song in My Heart," Singer and Shavers wrote the remainder of the repertoire, and with the assistance of a particularly strong rhythm section (pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Osie Johnson), there are many fine moments on this enjoyable set. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Serge Chaloff
     Title: Boston 1950
     Label: Uptown Records UPCD 27.38
     Year: 1994
     Format: CD>EAC 0.99>FLAC 1.21 + Paraphernalia (Canon scan 300dpi)
     Size: ~ 300 MB

     Description (distilled from AMG crap): UPTOWN RECORDS ! ! ! ... sapienti sat ...
     For completists/collectors (FLAC only). Good luck!

     Учитывая то, что в Клубе уже выложена приблизительно 1/3 часть наследия этого уникального баритониста, думаю, что альбом найдёт своего благодарного слушателя...
     Удачи!
The previously unreleased material included on this 1994 CD features the great baritonist Serge Chaloff performing on radio broadcasts from Boston. Most intriguing are four concise duets from 1946 (before Chaloff became famous) with pianist Rollins Griffith. Otherwise, Chaloff is heard in 1950 with quartets and quintets which often include pianist Nat Pierce, and sometimes trombonists Sonny Truitt or Milt Gold. The recording quality is decent for the period, and Chaloff (who at one point is briefly interviewed by a disc jockey) is in excellent form on the boppish material. Highlights include "The Goof and I," "Four Brothers," "Body and Soul," two versions of "Pennies From Heaven," and "Keen and Peachy." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Astrud Gilberto
     Title: Astrud Gilberto
     Year: 1997
     Label: Weton-Wesgram
     Format: MP3 320 kBit/s + CUE + LOG + Covers
     Size: ~ 59 MB