Artist: Andy Summers
   Album: Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk
   Label: Rare Recordings
   Year: 2007
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s vbr
   Time: 57:27
   Size:130,0 Mb (complete covers)


   Guitarist Andy Summers long ago shed his Police-man's uniform to take a stab at being a jazz fusion guitarist, and this is his toughest test, tackling 13 of Thelonious Monk's most well known pieces. His backing band has some considerable talent; drummer Peter Erskine, organist Joey DeFrancesco, trumpeter Walt Fowler and cellist Hank Roberts are outstanding jazz musicians, and prove their mettle throughout. The CD overall is inconsistent, starting with an out-of-tune bass and an inaccurate reading of the title track. But it gets much better with horn charts, the precise Erskine and searing DeFrancesco saving grace on "Hackensack." Then they really get down with Monk's stealth Misterioso feel on "Brilliant Corners," and an economical Summers works effectively on "Monk's Dream." Sting sings "'Round Midnight" and botches the lyrics, but they come back strong for most of the remainder of the disc, especially with a pristine take on "Ugly Beauty," a moderately raucous "Think of One," a free-for-all "Light Blue/Rhythm-A-Ning," with Erskine cutting loose, and Summers' courteous solo acoustic finale on "Ruby My Dear." Summers is rather noodle prone, though a sharp-edged John Abercrombie-type tone creeps in occasionally. You do hear considerable riffing, and less improvisation, so if you're more into Jeff Beck than, say, Larry Coryell, bon appйtit. There's a fluid ease in Summers' playing that suggests a real comfort zone and genuine love for this music. Sometimes that can go a long way, but still, this is for special tastes outside mainstream jazz.
   ~ Michael G. Nastos , AMG

   Artist: James Brown
   Album: Live In New York 1981
   Label: Audio Fidelity
   Year: 1981
   Format, bitrate: mp3,320 kbs
   Size:175 mb






   "Soul Brother Number One," "the Godfather of Soul," "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Mr. Dynamite" — those are mighty titles, but no one can question that James Brown earned them more than any other performer. Other singers were more popular, others were equally skilled, but few other African-American musicians were so influential over the course of popular music. And no other musician, pop or otherwise, put on a more exciting, exhilarating stage show: Brown's performances were marvels of athletic stamina and split-second timing.

     Artist: Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian
     Album: Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian
     Label: Nonesuch
     Year: 2006
     Format: MP4@128
     Size: 93,7 MB



        Bill Frisell created his own terrain when he first combined the doleful sounds of country music with the improvised dialogue of modern jazz. Those elements are in optimum balance here, an empathetic encounter that builds on the chemistry developed between Frisell and drummer Motian in the latter's trio. A corresponding bond with Carter is apparent from the opening "Eighty-one" (co-composed by the bassist for Miles Davis' classic E.S.P.), the trio showing a relaxed yet precise way with time and Frisell and Carter matching pitch bends. That string-band intimacy extends to Frisell's postmodern country as well, adding new and dark dissonances to "You Are My Sunshine," "Pretty Polly," and Hank Williams' "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry," while the group’s approach to Thelonious Monk is just as fresh on "Raise Four" and "Misterioso." More than just another superjam, this is a genuine band, the three musicians subtly commenting on and amplifying one another's nuances, and creating subtle transitions between solos.
   

   Artist: Cecil Taylor & Art Ensemble Of Chicago
   Album: Thelonious Sphere Monk
   Label: DIW
   Year: 1990
   Release: 1992
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s
   Time: 1:02:17
   Size: 114 Mb



   This CD promises much more than it delivers, appearing to be a tribute to Thelonious Monk that features the Art Ensemble of Chicago and guest pianist Cecil Taylor. As it turns out, Taylor is not on the two Monk pieces ("'Round Midnight" and "Nutty"), which, although reasonably enjoyable, do not contain any new revelations. The four collaborations between the Art Ensemble (trumpeter Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman on reeds, bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Don Moye) and Taylor (which have nothing to do with Thelonious) find the group mostly in a subsidiary role behind the pianist's volcanic waves of sound. So overall, this set is more significant historically than it is musically.
   ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

    Artist: Joe Pass
    Album; Eximious
    Year; 1982
    Label; Pablo
    Format; Mpeg-4 320 kbps
    Time; 47:8
    Size; 110MB
    AMG rating





   Joe Pass took time off from his solo guitar projects to record this excellent trio set with bassist Niels-Henning Шrsted Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew. Pass swings hard throughout, is consistently inventive within the bebop tradition, and indulges in close interplay with Pedersen. Together, these musicians make the wondrous seem effortless. Among the highlights are "We'll Be Together Again" (the one unaccompanied guitar showcase on the program), "Robbins Nest," "Lush Life," "Night and Day," and "Speak Low."
   ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

   Artist: Stevie Wonder
   Album: Innervisions
   Label: Motown Records
   Year: 1973
   Format, bitrate:MP3,VBR ~ 220kb/s
   Time: 44:11min.
   Size: 76,5 MB
   

   Stevie Wonder - это имя уже давно вписано в историю музыки. Предлагаю вам прослушать его альбом.

   When Stevie Wonder applied his tremendous songwriting talents to the unsettled social morass that was the early '70s, he produced one of his greatest, most important works, a rich panoply of songs addressing drugs, spirituality, political ethics, the unnecessary perils of urban life, and what looked to be the failure of the '60s dream -- all set within a collection of charts as funky and catchy as any he'd written before. Two of the highlights, "Living for the City" and "Too High," make an especially deep impression thanks to Stevie's narrative talents; on the first, an eight-minute mini-epic, he brings a hard-scrabble Mississippi black youth to the city and illustrates, via a brilliant dramatic interlude, what lies in wait for innocents. (He also uses his variety of voice impersonations to stunning effect.) "Too High" is just as stunning, a cautionary tale about drugs driven by a dizzying chorus of scat vocals and a springing bassline. "Higher Ground," a funky follow-up to the previous album's big hit ("Superstition"), and "Jesus Children of America" both introduced Wonder's interest in Eastern religion. It's a tribute to his genius that he could broach topics like reincarnation and transcendental meditation in a pop context with minimal interference to the rest of the album. Wonder also made no secret of the fact that "He's Misstra Know-It-All" was directed at Tricky Dick, aka Richard Milhouse Nixon, then making headlines (and destroying America's faith in the highest office) with the biggest political scandal of the century. Putting all these differing themes and topics into perspective was the front cover, a striking piece by Efram Wolff portraying Stevie Wonder as the blind visionary, an artist seeing far better than those around him what was going on in the early '70s, and using his astonishing musical gifts to make this commentary one of the most effective and entertaining ever heard.
   ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

   Artist: Klavdia Shulzhenko / Клавдия Шульженко
   Album: Forgotten Waltz / Забытый вальс
   Year: 2006
   Label: Пролог-Мьюзик
   Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kb/s
   Time: 1:17:10
   Size: 182,8 MB(+5% recovery)







   Голос Клавдии Шульженко покорил поколения советских людей. Но еще больше впечатляла ее манера держаться. Ей всегда подражали, до сих пор пытаются повторить, делают римейки на песни и стремятся разгадать секрет артистки. На данном диске собраны самые известные песни в ее исполнении.

     Artists: Jim Hall and Bill Frisell
     Album: Hemispheres CD1 & CD2
     Label: ArtistShare
     Year: 2008
     Quality: MP3, 320 kb/s
     Size: 134,4 mb + 240 mb


     A "fan-funded" double CD featuring those non-identical twins of jazz guitar, Hall and Frisell, one disc given over to the pair of them, the other finding them in a quartet.

     As you'd expect, it's a reflective, sometimes near-silent, but profoundly jazzy affair. Frisell is the most touch-orientated of all contemporary guitarists and it's interesting to hear him in the company of one of the touch players who must have influenced him most. It's sometimes hard to tell which is which. Standards and originals cohabit genteelly.

     The face of jazz to come? An online venture with the financial support of music-lovers including The Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson, ArtistShare gives enthusiasts a chance to fund projects that might otherwise never see the light of day. The sotto voce collaboration between Frisell and Hall — the latter a father figure to a generation of guitarists — repays the investment. It’s a sprawling affair, but the duo and quartet format gives the set the freewheeling ambience of a live date. The soloing is more assertive when Joey Baron (drums) and Scott Colley (bass) are on hand in the more standard-oriented second disc, but the first one contains plenty of gems, including Frisell’s bluesy Monica Jane.
   ~ ArtistShare AS0079 (artistshare.com)

   Artist: Giants of Jazz
   Album: Budapest '71
   Label: bootleg
   Year: 1971
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
   Time: 1:11:16
   Size: 163 Mb
   Bubu's Rating:

   This bootleg taken live from the same 71 tour on which was recorded the official "Berlin '71" is a true gem.
   To hear the masters of jazz united on the same stage is always a pleasure and a celebration. The concert has taken place on the first of November 1971 at Erkel Theatre in Budapest, Hungary.
   The playlist is almost the same as the Berlin concert (5 from 7) but the main thing about this one is the easiness and freegoing spirit taken by The Giants in front of a public with boundless enthusiasm.
   Each artist is presented properly, Monk takes the highlights, most of the presentation been made by Dizyy, who's in good mood and makes a lot of jokes.
   Together with a very good sound this recording presents the masters playing beautifully as usual.
   - Bubu Hans

     Artist: Classical Jazz Quartet
     Album: Play Bach
     Year: 2002
     Label: Kind of Blue Records
     Format: MP3@320 kbps/0 FLAC
     Size: 95 MB (rapidshare.com)/298 mb (depositefiles)

REPOST with new FLAC links from Fusion_85

     As high-concept jazz groups go, few have been as fun, laid-back, and boisterous as the Classical Jazz Quartet. Taking classical compositions and transforming them into upbeat jazz anthems, the group isn't afraid to make drastically unique changes to the music they cover. The group first came together when bassist Ron Carter contacted pianist Kenny Barron to work together. Discussing the prospect of covering Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and drummer Lewis Nash were soon called in and the group decided to go ahead with the project. Released in 2001, their rendition of the classic Christmas ballet was a playful reinvention that swung hard and fun. A year later, The Classical Jazz Quartet Plays Bach did the same for the 17th century baroque composer.
     A really good piece of Jazz - highly recommended!!! I'm shure you will enjoy it

    Artist: Chester Thompson
    Album: A Joyful Noise
    Year: 1991
    Label: Blue Moon
    Quality/Bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s VBR / 44.1 Khz / Stereo
    Time: 49:12:38
    Size: 60 MB + 51,02 MB
    AMG rating

      Few contemporary jazz drummers attempt to become solo artists, but the ones who have--Alex Acuna, Dave Weckl and Danny Gottlieb, for example--have succeeded quite well. Add Thompson to the list of those who have an amazing knack for melody and who know how to surround themselves with good players. A Joyful Noise is an appropriate title for this disc, which ranks as one of the most pleasurable contemporary jazz players of the early 90s. The energy level is high with the tropical jaunts of the first two cuts and keeps going throughout, climaxing with the R&B licks of "Jussa Thang" and "Cool Groove" be fore coolingdown with a rich and rewarding rendition of "Amazing Grace." A drummer's albums sometimes feature too much "in your face" slamming, but Thompson uses restraint. When the percussive all-skin "Drums are Loud" arrives, therefore, it's an interesting interlude. Only the title cut is a little corny; it's a pretty melody, but the choir like vocals seem a bit sentimental. No matter, this is one serious party disc. "Amazing Grace" sums up the spirit of all the joyful noises present.

   Artist: Gary Smulyan
   Album: Hidden Treasures
   Year: 2006
   Label: Reservoir (City Hall)
   Quality: mp3@320kbps
   Size: 105MB
   AMG rating

   Since the death of Gerry Mulligan in 1996, Gary Smulyan has been one of a handful of baritone saxophonists acknowledged as the top player on the cumbersome instrument. Smulyan makes a solid claim with this outstanding studio session, Hidden Treasures, in which he eschews the presence of a pianist and relies solely on the extraordinary support of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Billy Drummond. Smulyan's slightly gritty approach to the baritone owes more to Pepper Adams than to Mulligan, though he has developed a very identifiable sound of his own. The CD's title is appropriate, as none of the nine jazz compositions, or the sole popular song ("A Woman Always Understands," recorded by Nat King Cole after he switched to a full-time career as a singer), has been played or committed to tape by jazz artists very often. Art Farmer's "Stretch in F" serves as a furious opener, with Smulyan's powerful lead and a fun trade-off between McBride's arco solo and Drummond's drum breaks. Tadd Dameron's "Jahbero" initially suggests a Latin groove а la tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, though its source "All the Things You Are," becomes more prominent as the piece progresses. John Coltrane's explosive "Fifth House" (which may be the most widely recognized song on this date, even though it surely qualifies as a hidden treasure) is the perfect finale to this compelling session. Liner note writer Rob Schneiderman lays down a challenge to the listener, asking him or her to name the standard which supplied the chord changes for each of the jazz pieces, a test not made that easy at times as Smulyan throws out a few false leads. Highly recommended.
   ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

    Artist: The Don Ellis Orchestra
    Album: Electric Bath
    Label: Columbia
    Year: 1967
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 Kbps
    Time: 51;00
    Size: 100 MB
   



   For his first studio recording with his colorful big band, Don Ellis utilized five trumpets, three trombones, five reeds, Mike Lang on keyboards, three bassists, drummer Steve Bohannon, and three percussionists to perform some remarkable new music. The most memorable selection is "Indian Lady" (accurately described as a "hoedown in 5/4"), which with its false endings is often quite humorous. The other four originals (the trumpeter-leader's feature on "Alone," "Turkish Bath," "Open Beauty," and the 17/4 "New Horizons"), while lesser-known, are also quite spirited. For the first time Ellis opened his band to the influence of rock (making liberal use of electronics) and the results lend themselves to some hilarity.

   Artist: Miles Davis
   Album: Round About Midnight - Legacy Edition 2cd
   Label: Columbia/Legacy
   Year: 1955-56
   Release 2005
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
   Time: 1:36:54
   Size: 225,0 Mb (booklet)
   

   Miles Davis' entry into the Sony Legacy Edition series features his Columbia Records debut and the first offering from his quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. The label already issued the album in a definitive presentation with four additional tracks taken from the sessions onboard. Musically, the sound on 'Round About Midnight is as unusual and beautiful as it was when it was issued in 1956. Davis, having already spearheaded two changes in jazz — with cool jazz and hard bop — was beginning to move in another direction here that wouldn't be defined for another two years. The title track showcasing his muted trumpet premiered at the Newport Jazz Festival the previous summer (in a sextet with Thelonious Monk on piano) to a thunderous reception, and the studio offering is stunning as well. Charlie Parker's "Au Leu-Cha" is edgy, with deep blues leaping from every chord. Coltrane's solo is notable for its stark contrast to Davis' own: Coltrane chooses an angular tack where he finds the heart of the mode and plays in harmonic counterpoint to the changes but never sounds outside. Cole Porter's "All of You" has Davis quoting from Louis Armstrong's "Basin Street Blues" in his solo. On "Bye-Bye Blackbird" we get to hear the band gel as a unit, beginning with Davis playing through the head, muted and sweet, slightly flatted out until he reaches the chorus and begins his solo on a high note. Garland slips shapes into those interval cracks and shifts them as the rhythm section keeps "soft time." Of the bonus material, the gem is Jackie McLean's "Little Melonae" — Davis and company recorded before the composer could. The band comes out blazing on this set, but it's Coltrane who's the surprise in his quoting various Dizzy Gillespie solos.

   Artist: Chet Baker
   Album: Comin’ On With The Chet Baker Quintet (Remastered)
   Label: Prestige/OJC
   Year: 1965
   Quality: MP3 @320kbps
   Time: 40:49
   Size: 102mb (RS.com) (covers & scans)





   In 1964, trumpeter Chet Baker returned to the United States after five sometimes-traumatic years spent overseas (which included a long stay in an Italian jail for drug abuse). Baker recorded prolifically during his first 14 months back in the States, including a set for Colpix, two records for Limelight, and, in a busy three-day period, five albums for Prestige titled Groovin', Comin' On, Cool Burnin', Smokin', and Boppin' With the Chet Baker Quintet…

   Artist: Ann Hampton Callaway
   Album Title: Slow
   Label: Shanachie
   Year: 2004
   Bitrate: mp3/192
   Total Size: 109 MB

   The sultry, sweet-molasses voiced veteran singer/songwriter has an impressive pedigree as an entertainment Renaissance woman, with a Tony nomination for Swing!, the theme song to TV's The Nanny, and some 40 CDs as a soloist and guest artist to her credit. Best of all, she lives up to her promises, most notably, the vibe she hints at in the album title. Her goal was to make a dreamy "make out" album and she succeeds, creating a lush, moody, sparsely arranged atmosphere-rich collection of sweet originals played at very slow tempos. Those arrangements are geared towards allowing her voice to stand out and ultimately caress the listener, but the drawback is that there's not a great deal of variety in rhythm and movement from track to track. Those who love the original version of Carole King's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" may be maddened by its languid pace (despite its shimmering beauty), but King loved it so much that she wrote the following track, the much more engaging, AC radio-accessible "Tonight You're All Mine," with Callaway co-producing and singing backup on the track. Callaway also picks up the pace to joyous effect, singing beautifully with her sister Liz (with whom she performs cabaret shows) on a lightly swinging version of "Moondance." Other familiar tracks include a thoughtful reading of Ivan Lins' "Love Dance," and "I've Dreamed of You" (Callaway's song which Barbra Streisand sang at her wedding to James Brolin and later included on three albums.)
   ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

   Artist - Charlie Mariano
   Album - Plays
   Label - Toshiba EMI/Bethlehem
   Years - 1953, 1955; release - 2007
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 88,4 mb
   Total time - 40:28
   AMG Rating





   Back in the 1950s, Charlie Mariano was one of the most promising of the bop-orietned altoists. This Japan import CD reissues 10 selections from three sessions originally released by Bethlehem. The personnel is consistent with Mariano joined by pianist Claude Williamson, bassist Max Bennett, drummer Stan Levey, trombonist Frank Rosolino (on eight songs). The repertoire mixes together fairly basic group originals and swinging standards with many fine solos by the horns. An excellent example of Charlie Mariano's playing in the 1950s. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

   Artist: Stanton Moore Trio
   Album: Emphasis On Parenthesis
   Label: Telarc
   Year: 2008
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s vbr
   Time: 46:49
   Size: 66 Mb
   AMG Rating:

   Drummer, composer and bandleader Stanton Moore has a well-deserved reputation for diversity. Besides being a founding member of New Orleans powerhouse jazz-funkmaster Galactic, he's played with Corrosion of Conformity, jammed with other traditional New Orleans R&B and jazz groups, and issued three fine albums as leader. On Emphasis! On Parenthesis, Moore is playing with guitarist Will Bernard and keyboardist Robert Walter, a pair of top-flight collaborators he's worked with in various settings in the past — in particular on his third album simply called III. Of course the trio isn't new to Moore by any stretch. He also records with Skerik and guitarist Charlie Hunter under the Garage a Trois moniker.
   The album's 11 tracks all contain titles with parenthetical statements — it is an acknowledgement of the gentle ribbing from his Galactic bandmates that he slips parentheses into the name of almost every tune he writes. In some ways the music reflects this; each of these tunes has extensions in it, where the riff or groove starts and gets grafted onto continually with other musical statements, transforming the original vamp, groove, or riff into a more complex and varied composition. This is possible because of the incredible balance in this group. The trio setting doesn't provide the same problems as a quartet or quintet, but it also doesn't provide the safety net. Certainly Moore's breakbeat crazy, full-force kit work is up in the mix as it should be for such a rhythmically complex groove record. He's certainly the bandleader and he composed the tunes, but this isn't a showcase for his drumming. Bernard and Walter are stellar partners. Bernard is one of the most well-respected guitarists among musicians, but he's a low profile cat who is almost unknown to all guitar freaks. Walter's profile is lower still. It makes them perfect for a date like this where everybody shines all the time...

   Artist: Stanley Jordan
   Album: State Of Nature
   Label: Mack Avenue
   Year: 2008
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
   Time: 1:16:46
   Size: 176 Mb
   AMG Rating:

   State of Nature is the first studio offering by Stanley Jordan in over ten years; it also his debut for Detroit's fine Mack Avenue imprint. For those who have only heard the early Blue Note records or his live dates, this will be both welcome and a bit of a shock. Jordan has always been an ambitious artist. He took a long break from recording to study music therapy as well. His pioneering tap technique on the guitar changed the way it is used in jazz and popular music for many, and his holistic approach to music has delighted many and infuriated some purists. Oh well. The 14 tracks here are, as one might expect, all over the map, and so are his support musicians. There are some killer pieces from the jazz canon here, most notably in Horace Silver's "Song for my Father" and Miles Davis' "All Blues." These are likely to get notice because Jordan plays both guitar and piano on them simultaneously with no overdubbing. There will no doubt be some gnashing of teeth because Jordan's not as fine a pianist as Bill Evans or Silver. So what? These are fine renditions of these tunes, performed by a crack band featuring bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer David Haynes (who make up the core rhythm section on the majority of the disc). They swing, they groove, and they remain not only faithful but soulful as well. Haynes' cymbal work on the Silver tune is gorgeous, and Moffett's driving pulse of a bassline on the Davis tune is in the cut and very creative. As for the quality of Jordan's pianism? It works beautifully, and his guitar solos on both cuts add breadth and dimension to the originals. It's actually dazzling on "Song for My Father." These are but two of the many surprises to be found here. The reading of Tom Jobim's "Insensatez" with bassist Dudu Lima and drummer Ivan Conti evokes the sparseness of the original — even with the multiple tonalities at work in Jordan's playing (many of them bluesy and rounded) combined with Lima's wildly creative, fretless bass playing — and still manages to hold a drop-dead precise groove for the percussive invention that engages Jordan in his interaction with Conti. This is a beautiful if very unusual interpretation of the tune that probably adds more to its timeless appeal than any cover of it in recent memory.

   Artist: John Scofield
   Album: Bump
   Label: Verve
   Year: 2000
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
   Time: 55:36
   Size: 139 Mb (complete covers)
   AMG Rating:

   John Scofield continued to use his Verve Records contract for unusual outings — like this one, his third release for the label, following the acoustic disc Quiet and A Go Go (which featured Medeski, Martin, and Wood). On Bump, he retained bassist Chris Wood and added Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen (the rhythm section from Sex Mob), keyboardist Mark De Gli Antoni from Soul Coughing, and drummer Eric Kalb and conga player Johnny Durkin from Deep Banana Blackout. Such sidemen allowed him to delve even more deeply into the second-line funk he had explored earlier in his career; indeed, "Three Sisters," the leadoff track, sounded like something Allen Toussaint might have produced for the Meters in the early '70s. The focus was always on the guitarist, and Scofield could remind you of Carlos Santana (on "Swinganova") or evoke Jeff Beck (on "Fez"). For the most part, however, he sounded like himself back in his days with Miles Davis, though by now, his playing was less busy and more fluid.
   William Ruhlmann, AMG