Artist: SMV (Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller & Victor Wooten)
      Album: Thunder
      Label: Heads Up International
      Year: 2008
      Format, bitrate: mp3@256kbps
      Time: 01:02:40
      Size: 114Mb

      Get the subwoofers primed for this one. Three of jazz fusion's finest and most respected bassists -- Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten -- join forces for an hourlong frolic in the studio that's a fun, frisky, funky romp for the players and a potent showcase for an instrument often relegated to support status. Not here. On paper, it would seem unwieldy for three bass players, especially with the proficiency of this trio, to navigate their parts in the same song without the sound getting hopelessly cluttered. But it takes less than a minute into the opening track, which unexpectedly kicks off with full orchestration, for the concept to prove viable. One bass works the traditional low riff while the other two solo in harmony and trade licks with such ease and finesse that you wonder why someone didn't think of this collaboration earlier. Actually, someone did. Wooten came up with the idea but it took until the group worked together at the October 2006 Bass Player Live! event in N.Y.C. (where Clarke won the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award) for it to be discussed as a reality with the other two. Clarke was no stranger to playing with his fellow bottom dwellers, as he proved on his Night School DVD where he joined with about ten other bassists for an extended version of "School Days." Still, it's amazing how well these guys navigate their strummed, plucked, and thumped parts around each other without clashing. Horns, drums, loops, and keyboards (from guests Chick Corea and George Duke as well as Miller) flesh out the upper registers while Miller's clean, unfussy production also keeps things in order. Acoustic bowed bass and strings on "Milano" shift the sound away from the more rhythmic approach naturally favored on the majority of the tracks. The three amigos take on a Spanish spaghetti Western feel for "Los Tres Hermanos," a refreshing changeup that features some of the disc's most nimble playing and its prettiest melody. Some tunes will be familiar to jazz fans. "Tutu" was written by Miller for Miles Davis and Clarke's "Quiet Afternoon" gets referenced, as does his "Silly Putty," but these versions are quite different than the originals. All three musicians weave their lines together on the lovely ballad "Lil' Victa," with Clarke's high end sounding enough like a guitar to hold down the strong melodic line. The closing "Grits" is a hot slab of funky jazz that gives each a chance to solo over a sparse beat. Although their styles are relatively distinct, it would have been helpful if the liner notes described who was playing which part, especially for newcomers. Otherwise, this will thrill fusion fans -- and for bassists it's nothing less than a master class on the instrument from a handful of its most accomplished, eclectic, and veteran practitioners.
   Hal Horowitz, AMG

     Artist: McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster
     Album: McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster
     Year: 2000
     Label: Telarc
     Quality: MP3@160kbs
     Size: 75MB
     Time: 01:05:31

     No longer trying to push the envelope of innovation, Tyner settles down with a pair of experts and carves out a very nice, fairly orthodox piano trio album. This is Tyner reaffirming most of his strengths: the massive tone quality, the two-handed control over the entire keyboard, and the generally uplifting attitude conveyed through the shape of his melodic invention. He does so in a program of six originals, three standards, and one tune by Stanley Clarke, mixing modal tunes, blues, funk, ballads, and a mildly Caribbean ringer. Only once does he evoke memories of the classic John Coltrane Quartet -- not in "Trane-Like" but in "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes." Clarke takes a break from the film studios and turns in one of his rare sessions on acoustic double bass, producing solid, faultless, relatively conventional support. He doesn't leave the electric bass entirely at home, however; his funky side bumps through one of the two versions of "I Want to Tell You 'Bout That," and he exercises low-key, electric subtleties on his "In the Tradition Of" and "Caribe." Foster throws himself skillfully into every situation; he is at ease in all idioms. The sound is excellent, with each instrument, even Tyner's formidable piano, in perfect balance.
   Richard S. Ginell (AMG)

     Artist: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
     Album: The Complete Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington Sessions
     Year: 1961
     Release: 1990
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s vbr
     Time: 1.8:21
     Size: 65 + 64 MB

     Два величайших мастера встретились в студии...
     Биографии музыкантов можно найти на JazzBluesClub.com
     Louis Armstrong biography
     Duke Ellington biography

      Artist: Barbara Dennerlien
      Album: Outhipped
      Year: 1999
      Quality: MP3 CBR 320 kbps All Covers
      Time: 1h 15m 22s
      Size: 163 MB


      Barbara Dennerlein has 75-and-a-half minutes to indulge her eclectic tastes on her third Verve outing, Outhipped, and she uses them. Working with ensembles numbering as many as nine sidemen, she embarks on such ambitious efforts as the nine-minute "Mabuse," a five-section reflection on director Fritz Lang's 1922 silent film epic Dr. Mabuse. The ten-and-a-half-minute funk workout "In the Mud" leaves considerable space for the horn section to shine. Trumpeter Darren Barrett and saxophone player Craig Handy are also heard extensively in the quintet arrangements of the boppish "Black and White" and "Farewell to Old Friends." And there is a version of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" that sounds like what it might have become in the hands of the Meters, beginning with a second-line New Orleans R&B before becoming another funk number. Dennerlein, who wrote all the other numbers, is often content to comp behind her sidemen, though she does come out and play fluidly on her Hammond B3 organ in a style that emphasizes the instrument's rhythmic possibilities. Outhipped is the music of a composer/performer who has a wide knowledge of musical styles, and wants to play at least a little bit of all of them.

     Artist: Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Charlie Mingus
     Album: Money Jungle
     Label: Blue Note Japan
     Year: rec.September 17, 1962/rel.2007
     Format: MP3 @ 320 KB/s
     Time: 68:42
     Size: 90.5+56 Mb
     AMG:

REPOST!
The King of Jazz - Duke Ellington - was born today, April 29, 110 years ago!

   Artist: Thelonious Monk
   Album: Monk Alone (The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings 1962-1968)
   Label: Columbia/Legacy
   Year: 1998
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s vbr
   Time: 2:25:52
   Size: 118+125+29,5 (complete covers)
   AMG Rating

   As any Monk aficionado knows, his solo piano performances were wonderful, idiosyncratic, living works of art that often wound up in completely different territory from where they began. Sometimes the results would be a little shakey; often they would be inspiring. Regardless, these solo performances were adventures, and that quality makes the double disc Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings, 1962-1968 irresistable. Much of this music was released on such Columbia albums as Monk's Dream and Underground over the course of the '60s, but this is the first time all the material has been collected in one place and the results are frequently stunning. The first disc, plus the first two tracks on disc two, contain the master takes. The second disc is largely comprised of alternate takes — four have been released, the remaining 14 make their debut here. That's nearly a full album of "new" material and almost all of it is as compelling as the master takes. Certainly, the collection is designed for Monk completists, but even casual fans will find something to marvel at here.
     

   Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov / Сергей Рахманинов
   Artist: Jorge Bolet
   Album: Rachmaninov: Chopin Variations
   Label: The Decca Record Company
   Year: 1988
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
   Time: 1h, 3 min, 42 sec.
   Size: 152 mb.

   Итак, друзья, продолжим знакомство с миром классики. Сегодня к нам на огонёк заглянул (кстати, второй раз) американский пианист кубинского происхождения Хорхе Болет. Я думаю, все, кому понравилось его исполнение произведений Ференца Листа будут неравнодушны к сегодняшней публикации.
   Итак...

   Artist: Ann Hampton Callaway
   Album: Blues in the Night
   Label: Telarc
   Year: 2006
   Format: MP3 192 CBR kbps
   Time: 55:29
   Size: 76.08 MB
   AMG rating

   Ann Hampton Callaway is not your typical jazz songbird. For one thing, she's an accomplished and award-winning songwriter, which is unusual in a field dominated by interpreters. But what's most surprising is her voice -- it's a low alto instrument with a rich, dark, butterscotchy tone, and when she gets way down into her lower range the effect can be downright startling. Her latest album is a pleasing mixture of originals and standards, some performed with a small combo that includes bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, others with the all-female Diva Jazz Orchestra. The big-band pieces pack the most wallop, which is no surprise given both the quality of the band and the fact that the arrangements were written by the great Tommy Newsom; a powerhouse rendition of her own "Swingin' Away the Blues" opens the program with a serious bang, and her small-scale but equally powerful take on the chestnut "Blue Moon" carries the energy forward nicely. The rest of the album is a mix of tender ballads and vibrant uptempo numbers, most with a theme related to the blues, either in a mood of resigned acceptance ("Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," "Willow Weep for Me") or defiant opposition (the Callaway original "Hip to Be Happy"). She imbues most of these songs with a smoldering, torchy quality that brings new energy to old material, and her new songs stand up very nicely next to the established standards. Highly recommended.
    Rick Anderson, AMG

   Artist: Anthology of Russian Blues / Антология российского блюза
   Album: I Won't See Mississippi / Я не увижу Миссисипи 2
   Label: Салон AudioVideo
   Year: 2004
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb
   Time: 59:53
   Size: 138Mb



   До выхода этого альбома я думал, что уровня профи у нас лишь парочка исполнителей. А остальное так... имитация. До сих пор остались воспоминания от переживания восторга первого прослушивания в 2004 году. Blues from Russia - быть!


      От продюсеров
   ПОЧТИ 5 ЛЕТ ПРОШЛО С МОМЕНта выхода первого сборника российского блюза «Я не увижу Миссисипи». На нем были собраны все лучшие достижения отечественного блюза, начиная еще с глухих времен застоя. Именно этим фактом объясняется ироничное название сборника — хороший блюз, выросший в отрыве от материнской дельты и не питающий надежды с ней когда-либо воссоединиться. За прошедшие годы очень многое изменилось. Ветераны вышли на другой профессиональный уровень, появилось несколько совсем новых интересных групп. Лучшие блюзовые силы, как ни странно, дала провинция. В Москве открылись новые клубы, где блюз чувствует себя естественно и раскованно. Каждый год проводятся крупные фестивали, приезжают западные звезды. Но, что самое главное — блюз из узко кастового искусства, понимание которого доступно лишь знатокам, стал (как ему изначально и положено) демократичной культурой, имеющей массовую аудиторию.
   Достижения нашего блюза имеют конкретные имена. Сегодня это Арсен Шомахов с группой «Рэгтайм» (Нальчик), чьи работы можно считать новым словом в современном блюзе. Молодой Владимир Демьянов со своей командой Blues Doctors (Екатеринбург) демонстрирует великолепное чувство истинно блюзового вокала и гитары, достойное лучших американских образцов. Леван Ломидзе и Blues Cousins — суперпрофессионалы, покоряющие Америку своей фантастической энергетикой. Svet Boogie Band из Минска очень естественно демонстрируeт исключительное чувство стиля и эмоциональность традиционного блюза. Дуэт Братецкий — Кораблин и Dirty Dozen Юрия Каверкина удачно вторглись на не занятое у нас ранее поле черного дельта-блюза. Михаил Мишурис собрал в своем стильном «Оркестре» лучших профессионалов, и его концерты — это классное шоу с великолепным блюзово-свинговым звучанием...

     Artist: Louis Armstrong
     Album: Les Triomphes Du Jazz Vol.1
     Label: Habana
     Year: 2000
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Time: 75:04
     Size: 100 + 61.5 Mb

     This is first CD from the 20-disc collection "Les Triomphes Du Jazz". Meet - Louis Armstrong.
Original Recordings - Restored & Digitalized. Issued under license from JBM . No comment!
More information about this collection click here

   Artist: Ray Charles
   Album: Live At Montreux
   Year: 1997
   Format: DVD
   Size: 3,95Gb
   Audio: AC3 5.1 - AC3 2

   Description
   Ray Charles was one of the true pioneers of soul music. Born in Georgia in 1930 he was one of the first performers to mix gospel, R & B and jazz to create a new form of black pop music that would come to be known as soul. His voice and delivery were strikingly different and instantly recognizable. He had his first hits in the early 50's and was still hitting the charts into the 21st century. His death in June 2004 from liver disease was front-page news around the world.
   This concert was filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 19, 1997 and features Ray Charles and his orchestra, led by sax player Al Jackson, and of course The Raelettes.
   The set includes many of his most popular tracks such as Shadows Of My Mind, Georgia On My Mind, and the No.1 hit I Can't Stop Loving You.

   Artist - John Coltrane
   Album - The Believer
   Label - OJC/Prestige
   Years - 1957, 1958; release - 1996
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 92,2 mb
   Total time - 44:43


   Reissued as an individual compact disc through the OJC imprint, The Believer is also available on CD as part of John Coltrane's huge Prestige box set, Fearless Leader. However, the original LP as included in the box set only contains half an hour of music, and is here supplemented by two bonus tracks of over seven minutes each, "Filidia" and "Paul's Pal," performed by the Ray Draper Quartet featuring Coltrane and originally included on an album released by the New Jazz label. On the first three (non-bonus) tracks, the masterful tenor saxophonist is joined by pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Louis Hayes, and either Donald Byrd or a young Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. An interesting aspect to the set is that it is the first example of Coltrane being associated with pianist McCoy Tyner. Tyner is not on the date, but he contributed "The Believer," which Coltrane performs along with Calvin Massey's "Nakatini Serenade" and the Rodgers & Hammerstein ballad "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"
    Scott Yanow, AMG

    Artist: Caribbean Jazz Project
    Album: Paraiso
    Year: 2001
    Label: Concord Records
    Format: Mp3@192kbps
    Size: 94 Mb
    Time: 01:09:08


   When Dave Samuels first formed the Caribbean Jazz Project with, at that time, Paquito D'Rivera and Andy Narell, it was an extension of his own studies in Latin jazz that had been part of his music -- both solo and with Spyro Gyra -- since the mid-'70s. After two albums with the first team, the Project was set aside for other gigs. During this time, Samuels kindled musical friendships with flutist Dave Valentin and guitarist Steve Khan, and Samuels got excited about the possibility of playing off of a traditional Latin instrument -- flute -- and the guitar, which wasn't. This current lineup released New Horizons in early 2000, and Paraiso is an exciting fusion of many different influences and styles. Most of these tunes are over seven minutes, allowing for a live dynamic without the trappings of airplay consideration. Samuels' "One Step Ahead" begins mystically with flute and soundscaping, then romps as a duet between vibes and flute -- backed by increasingly powerful percussion patterns and improvisations -- before Khan's crisp and subtle electric lines offer an irresistible power and edge. The slow dance "Naima" is a loving twist on a Coltrane tune, pepped up by a breezy extended flugelhorn solo by Ray Vega. Khan plays a subtle rhythm line behind a bouncy cha-cha groove and Valentin's cheery flute on "El Tacano." The Duke Ellington standard "Caravan" rolls along at a brisk pace, with Khan backing exciting melodic and improv passages by Samuels and Valentin. Samuels' "Jamboree" is smooth and silky, very much reminiscent of his work with Spyro Gyra -- but think flute in the lead instead of Jay Beckenstein's sax. Overall, this is another glorious celebration of the ways traditional and Latin jazz can meet on common ground. It's a disc that can be appreciated by hardcore fusion fans as well as Latin fans who just want to party.
   - Jonathan Widran(AMG)

   Artist: Jabbo Smith
   Album: Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces 1929-1938
   Label: Classics
   Year: 1929-1938
   Release:1996
   Format, bitrate: mp3 160 kb/s
   Time: 74:08
   Size: 82,7 Mb
   AMG Rating

   Irrepressibly hot music, vintage Brunswick jazz, most of it dating from 1929, that year so filled with raucous creativity. Brace yourself for the grand interplay between Jabbo Smith's cornet and New Orleans clarinetist Omer Simeon. Banjo Ikey Robinson adds an entire dimension of his own, while pianist Cass Simpson solos with great dignity. Poor Cass ended up in a mental institution just a few years later following his sudden attempt to murder Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon. Here, under apparently more harmonious circumstances, Simpson creates the best solos he would ever put on to records. Hayes Alvis does wonderful things with his tuba, firmly nudging the band along through the "Little Willie Blues," "Sleepy Time Blues" and a succession of similarly solid numbers. Jabbo's band cooked a bit like Louis Armstrong's (whose didn't?) but also with some of its own mischief that sounded like nobody else's business. Comparisons could also be drawn with Henry "Red" Allen, both as horn player and vocalist. As 1929 progressed, Simpson shuffled off to meet with destiny and was replaced by Earl Frazier. Omer Simeon gradually augmented himself with alto and tenor saxophones, while Jabbo crossed over at times to the trombone. George James briefly filled in for Omer Simeon on June 9 then disappeared forever. Millard Robbins made noises in a deep clef using the bass saxophone, a seemingly strange choice in an ensemble anchored by tuba. Then, speaking of tubas, on August 8, Hayes Alvis was thrown from the saddle by Lawson Buford, who handled the big horn thereafter. Unfortunately, Jabbo Smith's Rhythm Aces made only a few more sides in 1929. The chronology, in fact, leaps to February 1938, when Jabbo led an eight-piece orchestra in devising four sides for the Decca label. "Rhythm in Spain" is a swinging thing, peculiarly arranged with periodic machine gun snare drum intrusions and hot solos that fit into the '30s small-group bag. The other three titles from this session are pumped full of sentimentality, with Putney Dandridge-styled vocals by an older and already more weathered Jabbo. "More Rain, More Rest" is the hottest of these. The ensemble is nicely bolstered by the presence of several saxophonists, who sound smooth in unison and tough as soloists. But how different it all feels from those Rhythm Aces' sides of 1929! There's no going back, except to listen.
   ~ arwulf arwulf, AMG

   Artist: VA
   Album: Legends of Acid Jazz, Hammond Heroes
   Label: Prestige Records
   Year: 1967
   Release: 1998
   Bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
   Time: 71:11
   Size: 162 MB

   Very good compilation of 13 soul-jazz cuts from the Prestige vaults featuring the Hammond B-3 organ, recorded between 1959 and 1967. Some of the names (Shirley Scott, Jack McDuff, Richard Groove Holmes) are pretty well known to fans of the style, but others are not. It's also a useful disc because it has key sides on which McDuff, Larry Young, John Patton, and others were playing as sidemen to non-keyboardist leaders, and thus might be overlooked by collectors of the style. Willis Jackson's "Pool Shark" (with Carl Wilson on organ) and Trudy Pitts' ebullient run through "Take Five" are real groovers; Richard "Groove" Holmes' "Misty" was a Top Fifty pop hit and one of the few soul-jazz singles to hit the charts.

     Artist: Jack Kerouac
     Album: Blues And Haikus
     Label: Hanover
     Year: 1959
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320kbps
     Size: 97 MB
     AMG Raiting:



   In the spring of 1958, just a few weeks after cutting Poetry for the Beat Generation, producer Bob Thiele suggested making a second album quite a daring notion, considering that the first album would prove so controversial that it wouldn't reach the public for a year and Jack Kerouac agreed. Instead of pianist Steve Allen, however, Kerouac insisted that he be accompanied this time by two good friends, tenor saxmen Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. With Cohn doubling on piano, the resulting Blues and Haikus is a stunning duet between speaker and saxmen, working spontaneously in this peculiar mix of jazz and voice, in which the saxmen do get their solo spots around Kerouac's work. There's much more of a sense on this album of a conscious interaction here between Kerouac and his accompanists, and the album is more arch but also more intense and more imposing than its predecessor. [Reissued as part of Rhino's Jack Kerouac Collection with 16 minutes of outtakes.
   ~ Bruce Eder, AMG

   Artist: Jeremy Monteiro
   Album: The Girl from Ipanema & Friends with Special Guest Star Eden Atwood
   Label: Sangaji MSMCD 012
   Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
   Size: 301 MB & 122 MB
   Time: 53:59


   Eden Atwood, the Memphis-born and Montana-raised daughter of the late composer and arranger Hubbard Atwood, is a throwback to an era when lyrics were something to be savored and caressed. Hence, she has a soft spot for the torch song and the big ballad. Fortunately, she also has the requisite vocal equipment to deliver them.
   The first thing you notice about Atwood is her youth and cheeky self-confidence. Yet she is trapped in a time warp of sorts. Although clearly, in both attitude and mannerisms, a woman of the '90s -- and a child of the rock generation -- her musical instincts and reference points belong to another era. She has said that she is "incredibly happy" listening to the music of the big bands. "Then the minute I walk outside, it's 1992!" Atwood has managed to evoke the music of that earlier period while developing within the jazz genre her own distinctive style.
   At the age of 22, Eden has produced a record that celebrates beginnings. This is only fitting since she, too, is at the cusp of what one expects will be a full and satisfying career. "No One Ever Tells You" is a work of hope and optimism but also one of exquisite pain that, under its sunny veneer, masks a surprisingly melancholy heart. Listen to the plaintive vocals of "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" and try not to be impressed by the artist's sensitive delivery.

   Artist: Dexter Gordon
   Album: The Resurgence Of Dexter Gordon
   Label: Jazzland
   Year: 1960
   Quality: mp3@320 + all covers
   Size: 95 mb
   AMG rating

   As the title The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon (1960) suggests, the tenor sax master resurfaced from his chronic bouts of addiction in an attempt to revive his on-again/off-again recording career. Truth be told, Gordon was actually on parole from Chino State Penitentiary and co-starring in a local Los Angeles production of The Connection -- a play ironically enough about the victims of heroin dependence. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was able to talk the tenor into participating in a no-strings-attached studio date. Gordon (tenor sax), alongside Martin Banks (trumpet), Richard Boone (trombone), Charles "Dolo" Coker (piano), Charles Green (bass), and Larry Marable (drums) convened under the watchful eyes and ears of legendary producer Wally Heider in mid-October 1960 to document the half-dozen selections featured here. Not surprisingly -- especially under the circumstances -- Gordon only supplies a third of the contents with the remainder of the excellent material courtesy of pianist Coker. The piercing, penetrating melody of the Gordon-penned "Home Run" gets things underway as the horns' boppin' call-and-response sets the pace for the solos to follow. Coker's contributions are uniformly strong, and the frenetic energy of "Dolo" -- the keyboardist's nickname -- gives Gordon something substantive to dig into. And he does just that with all the assured litheness that ultimately defined Dexter Gordon's musical phoenix. After reeling off ribbons of sonic inspiration, Coker keeps up with him tickling the 88s with an enviable panache while maintaining the full-throttled pace. The bouncy blues of "Lovely Lisa" and the exotic syncopation fused within "Affair in Havana" place Gordon's sax in prominent proximity to Banks and Boone for a brass-lovers treat. The tunes are complex and provide insight into Gordon's flawless improvisational prowess. Gordon's other composition is the evocative ballad "Jodi." His lines are robust yet retain a moody and searching mystique. The subtleties become more clearly revealed when contrasted to Coker's comparatively personable interlude. "Field Day" closes the effort on a lighthearted and uptempo note. Boone getting his chops in early, followed by Gordon and then the highly underutilized Banks, who saves his best work for the end of the album. All told, The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon uncovers the immeasurable talents of an artist whose musical journey passes a critical crossroads on this project.
      ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

   Artist: Stanley Clarke
   Album: The Toys Of Men
   Year: 2007
   Label: Heads Up
   Format/Bitrate: Mp3, 192 kbps
   Time: 58:20
   Size: 143,6 MB

   

REPOST with a new MP3@192 link from Mr. pakospain

   Этот альбом - настоящий антивоенный марш Стенли Кларка, и прежде всего его протест против ситуации на Ближнем Востоке. Оружие - главная игрушка человечества вызывает глубокое отвращение Кларка, и он предлагает взамен другие игрушки - Жизнь, Мир и Музыку