Artist - Eric Alexander Quartet
     Album - Gentle Ballads
     Release - 2004
     Label - Venus Record
     Format/Bitrate - MP3/320 kbps
     Size:160 mb

     A long-overdue session of ballads from modern tenor giant Eric Alexander a player we've always loved for his soaring, leaping lines on soul jazz sets but who also has just the right tone to carry off an album of mellow tunes and ballads! Alexander's tone reminds us a lot of the Sonny Rollins sound of the mid 60s that perfect, yet never too-polished style that Sonny was using when re-interpreting standards in a masterful demonstration of space and economy. The tracks on this set are a well-chosen lot and include 2 classic Mal Waldron ballads, "Left Alone" and "Soul Eyes", plus 2 takes on Earl Hagen's "Harlem Nocturne", and Alexander's own track "Gently". The group's a quartet, with Mike Le Donne on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums and the session's recorded with impeccable sound, in the Venus Records mode. ~ © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc

     Artist: Spyro Gyra
     Album: The Deep End
     Label: Heads Up
     Year: 2004
     Genre: Jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 148MB

     With their third label release, the longtime contemporary jazz powerhouse ensemble led by fluid and funky sax legend Jay Beckenstein celebrates 30 years of a consistent mix of making instrumental pop hits and pushing the musical envelopes into fusion territory. The title promises a plunge into something deep, or at least a little stretching, and the band -- showcasing new drummer Ludwig Alfonso on a few tunes -- more than delivers. But not right away. They open smooth and light-funky with the playful, sax-driven "Summer Fling," which is breezy and fun but only digs deep with Tom Schuman's heavily retro key solo. "Eastlake Shuffle" balances Beckenstein's adventurous sax punch with a heavy blues mood driven by Schuman and the rockin' guitar harmonies and solo of Julio Fernandez. Things don't really heat up until the exotic fusion jam "Monsoon," a live show crowd-pleaser that builds from an Indian-flavored meditation (complete with distant chance and bird calls) into a moody sitar-laced melody before exploding into a powerful, blues-drenched extravaganza featuring some of Beckenstein's most powerful lines blended with Fernandez's brimming, ready-to-explode guitar on the hook. From this point, the band alternates its light moods ("As You Wish") with more aggressive and sometimes blistering rock-flavored explorations ("Joburg Jam," one of the four tracks featuring the shimmering vibes action of Dave Samuels, "Wiggle Room"). Most veteran bands would gasp for survival in the culture of stricter radio formats by playing it ever safer and trendy, but Spyro Gyra has never been most bands. Each release has a few sweet pleasantries (and even these feature magnificent musicianship) but a great deal more energy and blowing than today's average smooth jazz listener is used to. It's worth the plunge. Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

     Artist: Joscho Stephan
     Album: Acoustic Live
     Label: Acoustic Music GmbH & Co
     Year: 2006, release 10 june 2006
     Genre: Gipsy Jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3 VBR Kbit/44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo
     Time: 67:06 min
     Size: 92 MB

     Guitarist Joscho Stephan from Moenchengladbach is the type of musician that naturally belongs on stage. As a real virtuoso, he is not only able to bring the gypsy-jazz-style of Django Reinhardt alive, he also creates a nostalgic atmosphere. Listening to the cd, it brings you back to the time of black and white movies, slapstick or mid-twentieth century Parisian nightclubs. Some songs are in fast finger picking-style, others are just creating a mood. Joscho understood that his music doesn't come alive in the studio as it does in a concert and he therefore recorded a live-show on a 8-trackrecorder. His gigs are normally with a trio or with an quintet/sextet. For this occasion, he did songs with both formations. A nice choice, there is so much variation in sound, that the cd never bores me, although I am not a typical Reinhardt-fan. ~ Luther Zevenbergen

     Artist - Louis Armstrong
     Album - Disney Songs The Satchmo Way
     Label - Walt Disney
     Year - 1968, release - 1999
     Quality - MP3@320kbps
     Size - 69,2 mb
     Total time - 31:18

     This is a delightful set, a straight CD reissue of an Lp featuring Louis Armstrong in 1968 (not 1966 as it states in the liners) performing ten tunes associated with Disney films. One may not expect much from such songs as "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," "Whistle While You Work" and "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" but Armstrong's joyful vocals and occasional emotional trumpet really uplift the material. His rendition of "When You Wish Upon A Star" is touching and few of the songs (including "The Bare Necessities" and "Heigh-Ho") have ever sounded livelier and more fun. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Russian Cinema Otchestra conducted by Sergei Skripka
     Album: Movie Romance: Piano with String Orchestra
     Featuring Pianists: Igor Nazaruk & Sergei Glavatskih
     Label: Avalon Music
     Year: 2002
     Genre: Easy Listening
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Time: 53:40
     Size: 130.2 Mb

     Artists: 4 Giants of Swing
     Album: S' Wonderful
     Label: Flying Fish
     Year: 1977, release 1992
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 0.38:41
     Size: 89 MB
     AMG Rating:


     Название альбома говорит само за себя - гиганты свинга Joe Venuti, Eldon Shamblin, Curley Chalker и Jethro Burns демонстрируют своё мастерство.

For this session, the veteran jazz violinist Joe Venuti is teamed with a top-notch group of country players including mandolinist Jethro Burns, Curley Chalker on steel guitar and guitarist Eldon Shamblin. The repertoire is strictly jazz and these diverse players (who are backed by a conventional rhythm section) find plenty of common ground on the veteran standards,... More most of them from the pens of Ellington or Gershwin. Venuti sounds inspired by the unusual setting. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Timofey Dokshizer
     Album: J. S. Bach. Preludes
     Year: rel.2006
     Label: Artservice
     Genre: Classical
     Time: 41:44
     Format: MP3@320/kbs
     Size: 92.95 MB

     Данный компакт-диск представляет запись органных и клавирных прелюдий Баха в переложении для трубы с органом. Переложения выполнены выдающимся музыкантом - трубачом Тимофеем Докшицером и записаны им в зале Домского собора (г.Рига, Латвия) в содружестве с органистом О. Циньтишем. Всемирно известные прелюдии из "Хорошо темперированного клавира" и органные прелюдии звучат в новом, несколько неожиданном сочетании тембров трубы и органа. =>

     Artist: Timofey Dokshizer
     Album: Rhapsody In Blue
     Year: rec.1978 – 1997, rel.2007
     Label: Артсервис
     Genre: Classical
     Time: 63:56
     Format: MP3@320/kbs
     Size: 141.59 MB

     Хотя в своем богатом композиторском опыте Т.Докшицер не считал возможным механически переводить текст оригинала для исполнения на трубе, его критерий: «не повредить, не испортить оригинал» - был решающим. Он никогда не брался за сочинение, которое на трубе могло бы прозвучать хуже оригинала: будь то романс Листа, этюд Шопена, Рапсодия Гершвина, Концерт для фортепиано Шостаковича или Концерт дл голоса Глиэра…
     Труба Т.Докшицера звучала на концертной эстраде более 60 лет. Многие его интерпретации музыки стали эталонными, они записаны на пластинки и компактные диски. Вдохновенность пения на трубе является жемчужиной его редчайшего дарования. Это качество отмечали музыкальные критики в известных и многочисленных публикациях.

     Though inhis rich composing experience T.Dokshizer did not consider to be possible to make transcriptions for trumpet mechanically, he had a deciding criteria “not to make harm, not to spoil the original music”. He didn’t ever take the composition which could sound on trumpet worse than the original music: f.i. a Liszt’s romance, a Chopin’s etude, the Rhapsody by Gershwin, the Concerto for piano by Shostakovich and the Concerto for voice by Gliere…
     The Trumpet by T.Dokshizer sounded on the concert stage more than 60 years. Many his transcriptions became model, were recorded on LPs and CDs. Inspired singing on the trumpet is a gem of his rare talent. This feature was marked by musical critics in many famous publications.

Artist: Roby Lakatos Ensemble
Album: Live from Budapest
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Year: 1999
Genre: Gipsy Jazz
Format, bitrate: CBR 256 kb/s
Time: 1:13:09
Size: 70MB + 76MB (RAR)

Violinist Roby Lakatos is a force of nature. Though practically unknown in America, his reputation in Europe is immense and those fortunate enough to have heard him live routinely are spellbound by his remarkable virtuosity. Because of his populist leanings (his training owes more to salon or gypsy fiddling tradition than academia) some have compared him to Andre Rieu but that's ultimately only partially true. After listening to the Sirba in in E flat major or his stunning transcription of Liszt's 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody here for instance, comparisons with Nathan Milstein or Henryk Szeryng are far more apt.

   Artist: Shigeo Fukuda
   Album: Blessing
   Label: Paddle Wheel
   Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
   Size: 296 MB & 117 MB
   Time: 52:33

      Artist: Oscar Peterson
     Album: Jazz 'round midnight (compilation)
     Label: Polygram Records
     Year: 1992
     Format, bitrate: Mp3 256 kb/s
     Time: 58:34
     Size: 108 Mb + 4 Covers
     AMG Rating: *** ; Bubu's Rating: ****

     This has become possibly my favorite CD, maybe edging out Joe Pass-- and you have to be damned good to do that for me. Oscar Peterson's control of the piano is one of the most exquisite I've ever heard. In his runs, even though they're at least as rapid as any I've heard from classical pianists-- Mr. Peterson did have classical training for a while until his teacher wisely suggested that he move to playing jazz-- you can hear every single note clean and clear, which I don't always hear elsewhere. Someone mentioned his performance on "Just a Gigolo." This song is full of contrast, and a simple song becomes an exhibition of the universe of human emotion. There are waves of exuberant playing suddenly followed by soft, reflective playing, and it all seems logical. "Laura" is also an example of fine, imaginative piano playing. In the tracks where Mr. Peterson is playing with his trio, the transitions between the solos are some of the smoothest I've ever heard. His trios have a wonderful sense of balance and follow each other perfectly dynamically, knowing how to highlight the soloist to best effect. Unlike so many I've heard who use beautiful music to make jazz, Oscar Peterson is one of the few who use jazz to make beautiful music. I emphatically recommend this CD to those who are studying to play jazz and want to hear some exquisite stuff to learn from; and to those who want to have pleasure from an album of beautiful music to "unwind" to. Reader at Amazon.com

     Artistы: Johnny Hodges And The Ellington Men
     Album: The Big Sound
     AMG Rating:
     Release: 1957
     Label: Verve
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Size: 107 mb


     The session was as good as one might hope. Gathered here was the Ellington band with Billy Strayhorn at the piano. While it was not an Ellington record, the band brought its solid qualities in backing and the occasional solo to all the fine Hodges features. This was an integrated unit, not some detached studio band for Hodges to blow over, under, around, and through. It was wonderful Hodges and fine Ellington... (AMG)

     Enjoy