Artist: Bennie Green
     Album: Blows His Horn
     Label: Prestige/OJC
     Year: 1955, release:1992
     Format, bitrate: FLAC
     Size: 164 mb
     Total time: 39:07
     AMG Rating:


One of the most overlooked of the fine trombonists of the '50s and '60s, Bennie Green amply showed off his smoky tone and considerable swinging skills on several enjoyable dates for Prestige, Blue Note, and sundry other labels up until his last recording in 1964. After coming up with the bands of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura in the '40s, Green struck out on his own with five entertaining dates for Prestige between 1955-1956. This 1955 release was his first and finest for the label. Including standards and a few rambunctious originals featuring vocal interjections by the band, the eight cuts here are all impressive and chock full of top solo statements. Joining Green are tenor saxophonist and future Monk sidekick Charlie Rouse, pianist Clifford Smalls, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Osie Johnson, and conga player Candido. Highlights include a nice ballad rendition of "Laura," a bebop swinging "Sometimes I'm Happy," and the Green original "Groovin' the Blues." And while Green was not necessarily a full-blooded bebop player, his work here certainly bears the fleet complexity of a J.J. Johnson, even on numbers reminiscent more of big-band era combo dates than sessions by Parker and Gillespie. A fine disc for jazz fans in need of a dose of solid and varied hard bop. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide

     Artist - Dave Brubeck
     Album - Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007
     Label - Monterey Jazz Festival/Concord Records
     Years:1958-2007, release - 2008
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 153 mb
     Total time - 70:26
     AMG rating:

     Dave Brubeck appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival on so many occasions since its launching in 1958 that it seems like compiling highlights to make up just one CD should have been an impossible task. But Brubeck's longtime manager Russell Gloyd was involved with co-producing this compilation and the result should please the pianist's fans. Brubeck hardly fits the stylistic molds of some of his critics in this collection, that he is too bombastic or dismissing him merely as a cool player. The pianist not only evolves as a player and composer, but shows an incredible knowledge of music from earlier eras. His classic quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond is well-represented with a lengthy excursion into Brubeck's "Two Part Contention" (with its intriguing use of counterpoint), the always swinging treatment of "Someday My Prince Will Come," and the crowd-pleasing favorite "Take Five" (though it suffers from over-modulation). Two tracks are from his years with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, bassist Jack Six, and drummer Alan Dawson, including Brubeck's lonely, exotic "The Sermon on the Mount" and Mulligan's spry Latin-flavored "Jumping Bean." Brubeck's challenging "Tritonis" features Bobby Militello on flute in an extended solo recalling Rahsaan Roland Kirk's simultaneously singing and playing, in addition to regular quartet members Bill Smith (clarinet), electric bassist Chris Brubeck, and drummer Randy Jones. Bassist Stan Poplin is the pianist's sole accompanist for Brubeck's poignant memorial tribute written following Mulligan's death, appropriately titled "Goodbye Old Friend." A delightful romp through "I Got Rhythm" showcasing Miltello on alto sax and guest Christian McBride. Brubeck dug deep to recall old chestnuts like the blazing "Sleep" and the loping, easygoing "Margie" (the latter featuring Michael Moore's amusing arco bass). While Brubeck fans may regret the omission of two suites that the pianist premiered at the Monterey Jazz Festival, "^The Real Ambassadors" (with Louis Armstrong) and "Cannery Row Suite" (with Kurt Elling and Roberta Gambarini), hopefully these performances will appear in later volumes of this superb series recorded at the legendary festival. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

     Artist: Andre Moss
     Album: Het Beste Van
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 96 mb

     Artist: Sonny Rollins
     Album: Tenor Madness
     Format: FLAC & mp3 (320k/s)
     Size: 227 & 81 MB (scans)
     Label: OJC (1991)
     Total time: 35:24

     At a time when he was a member of the legendary Clifford Brown/Max Roach sextet, Sonny Rollins was still the apple fallen not too far from the tree of Miles Davis. Tenor Madness was the recording that, once and for all, established Newk as one of the premier tenor saxophonists, an accolade that in retrospect, has continued through six full decades and gives an indication why a young Rollins was so well liked, as his fluency, whimsical nature, and solid construct of melodies and solos gave him the title of the next Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young of mainstream jazz. With the team of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, staples of that era's Miles Davis combos, Rollins has all the rhythmic ammunition to cut loose, be free, and extrapolate on themes as only he could, and still can. This is most evident on his version of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," started in its normal choppy waltz time, followed by a sax/drums prelude, a drum solo from Jones, and steamed from there on in, a hot 4/4 romp. Garland is particularly outstanding for keeping up the pace, depth and placement on this one. A bluesy version of "When Your Lover Has Gone," again enlivened by Jones, and the legendary title track with Rollins and John Coltrane trading long solos, and fours with Jones, are tunes that in the mid-'50s defined the parlance "blowing session." "Paul's Pal," in tribute to Chambers, has become a standard in its own right with a bright, memorable melody showing the good humor of Rollins, especially on the second time through, while the saxophonist's ability to sing vocal like tones through his horn is no better evinced as during the light ballad "My Reverie." A recording that should stand proudly alongside Saxophone Colossus as some of the best work of Sonny Rollins in his early years, it's also a testament to the validity, vibrancy, and depth of modern jazz in the post-World War era. It belongs on everybody's shelf. - by Michael G. Nastos, AMG

     Artist: Joao Donato
     Album: A Bad Donato
     Label: Blue Thumb Records
     Year: 1970
     Format: MP3; bitrate: 192 kbit/s
     Size: 37 MB

     A wickedly funky album from Joao Donato -- quite different than his earlier bossa sessions, and recorded in LA with a sweet jazzy bounce! The album's overflowing with great keyboard work -- and Joao plays both piano and organ, in a group that includes percussion from Emil Richards, who also produced the set with this mad skittish edge that's awash in crazy and off-kilter rhythms! Deodato helped a bit with the arrangements, too -- and the album's got an electric feel that's somewhat similar to Deodato's own work on CTI, but a lot more messed up -- and with that sense of odd instrumental placement that we love so much in Donato's classic Quem E Quem album! Tracks are all pretty darn great -- and titles include "Mosquito", "Bambu", "Cade Jodel", "Lunar Tune", and "The Frog", nicely done here in a funky version! ~ Dusty Groove America.

     Artist: Ray Conniff
     Album: Just Kiddin' Around
     Label: Sony
     Release 1993
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 28 min. 53 sec
     Size: 69 mb.

     Artist: Sonny Criss
     Album: Plays Cole Porter
     Label: Imperial
     Year: 1956
     Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
     Size: 121 MB & 78 MB
     Time: 37:07

     Artist: Van Morrison
     Album: Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
     Label: MANHATTAN RECORDS
     Year: 2009
     Format: mp3 320 kbps
     Size: 143 MB

     Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl is not Astral Weeks, but it's brilliant and emotionally intense; it's honest and spiritually revealing. Morrison not only inhabits these songs 40 years later, but he fully understands them; making for a extremely engaging and necessary document from an artist who still has plenty of fire in his belly.

     Artist: Johnny Coles
     Album: Little Johnny C
     Label: Blue Note
     Recorded: 1963
     Release date: 2005-02-14
     Quality: mp3@320 kbps + covers
     Size: 94 mb

     This is the second of only four albums led by Johnny Coles during his lifetime. Best known for his featured sideman work with James Moody, Gil Evans and Charles Mingus, Coles was a trumpeter with a rich sound, a lyrical bent and lot of power. His one Blue Note date features Duke Pearson as pianist, arranger and composer of all but one tune. The sextet with a young, emerging Joe Henderson on tenor sax and the rich flute and pungent alto of Leo Wright tackles a variety of moods and rhythms on this exceptional album.

     Artist: Andrew Hill
     Album: Compulsion (RVG-edition)
     Label: Blue Note
     Year: 1965. remastered in 2006
     Quality: mp3@320 kbps + all covers
     Size: 101 mb

     Compulsion continues Andrew Hill's progression, finding the pianist writing more complex compositions and delving even further into the avant-garde. Working with a large, percussion-heavy band featuring Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Cecil McBee (bass), Joe Chambers (drums), Renaud Simmons (conga), Nadi Qamar (percussion), and, for one track, Richard Davis (bass), Hill has created one of his most challenging dates. The extra percussion is largely used for texture, as is the dueling bass on "Premonition," and that's one of the reasons why the record is so interesting -- it's a provocative, occasionally unsettling set of shifting tonal colors. Hill's compositions often seem more like sketches and blueprints than full-fledged songs. This, of course, is not a bad thing, since this approach allows the musicians room to improvise and discover evocative new sounds. Overall, Compulsion doesn't hold together as well as Black Fire or Point of Departure, but the session has enough fiery, challenging highlights to make it necessary for Hill fans.

     Artist: Billy Boy Arnold
     Album: Ten Million Dollars
     Year: rec. 12/15/1984/ rel. 1995
     Label: Evidence
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 48:04
     Size: 71.5 + 35 MB

     Artist: Oscar Peterson
     Album: Live at Montreal Jazz Festival
     Year: 2004
     Format: video mpg
     Time: 58:23 + 78:00
     Size: 987 Mb

     It's used to say that Montreal Jazz Festival is the greatest all over the world.
     On it's 25th silver annyversary in 2004 Oscar Peterson had two of his final appereances in public.
     One with old time friend piano player Oliver Jones and one with a quartet.
     The second one can be seen in this video.
     Although suffering from health problems, Oscar plays wonderful together with his band mostly his own compositions. - Bubu Hans