Artist: David Hazeltine Trio
   Album: Cleopatra''s Dream
   Label: Venus
   Year: 2005
   Format, bitrate: MP3, 224-320 kb/s
   Size: 76 mb
   AMG Rating:


   The capable New York City-based pianist David Hazeltine dives head first into the music of Bud Powell on these 2005 sessions with veteran bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Drummond. His straight-ahead interpretation of "Tempus Fugit" is full of energy yet without the quirky stop-and-go flavor of many recordings. "Wail" is a light-hearted affair, while the trio saunters through an easygoing take of "Bouncing with Bud." Hazeltine's dexterity is put to the test with a brisk rendition of "Dance of the Infidels," while his lyrical approach to the ballad "I'll Keep Loving You" also merits praise. Some of Powell's less frequently performed numbers are also explored, including the playful "Danceland" that showcases Hazeltine's partners at length, along with a breezy Latin-flavored setting of "Cleopatra's Dream." The CD wraps with "This One's for Bud," a fine salute to Powell by the pianist.
   ~ Ken Dryden, AMG

   Artist: Salena Jones
   Album: I Love Paris: Salena Jones Sings Cole Porter
   Label: JVC Victor
   Year: 1992
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 256 kb/s
   Time: 53.59
   Size: 97.22 MB


   Born in Newport News, VA, in 1944, Salena Jones (real name: Joan Elizabeth Shaw) would -- over the course of a 60-plus-year career -- become one of the leading vocalists of swing music, performing in a number of countries in Europe and Asia and recording a number of albums. Jones got her first break at the famed Apollo Theater in New York, winning a talent contest that resulted in a record deal. She spent the early part of her career touring and performing with such leading lights as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington. Her first forays overseas, to Spain and the U.K., were in the mid-'60s and were to begin a life spent mostly outside the rather fickle confines of the United States. In 1978, she made her first appearance in Japan and performed there on an annual basis. By the first decade of the 21st century, she had performed on most continents, recorded more than 40 albums, and sang at the 2006 Shanghai International Jazz Festival.
   ~ Chris True, AMG

     Artist: Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Feat. Frank Sinatra
     Album: I'll Be Seeing You
     Label: RCA
     Year: 1940 - 1942
     Release: 1996
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 71:37
     Size: 168MB


   In Philadelphia, one of the leading Frank Sinatra experts is a veteran DJ named Sid Mark, who hosts a local weekend radio show that plays Sinatra's recordings exclusively. When Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, the Philly media rang Mark's phone off the hook and asked him to comment on Sinatra's legacy -- and one of his most memorable comments was that the 20th century had officially ended with Sinatra's passing. Mark's point was that Sinatra, more than anyone, defined traditional jazz-influenced pop singing in the 20th century, and he would probably agree that Voice of the Century is an appropriate title for a collection of early Sinatra -- very early. When fans speak of early Sinatra, they often mean his Columbia period (which started in 1943). But there's early Sinatra and very early Sinatra -- very early as in the singer's pre-Columbia work with trombonist Tommy Dorsey. Spanning 1940-1942, this superb CD takes listeners back to a time when Sinatra had yet to record for Columbia and was still a featured vocalist for Dorsey's big band. A few of the tracks find Sinatra joining forces with Axel Stordahl & His Orchestra, including "The Song Is You" and "Night and Day." But most of the time, Ol' Blue Eyes is in Dorsey's employ -- and on several selections, Dorsey unites Sinatra with the distinctive vocal harmonies of the Pied Pipers (including pop goddess Jo Stafford). The Sinatra heard on sublime early-'40s performances of "I'll Be Seeing You" "Stardust," "Say It," and "Everything Happens to Me" isn't the strutting, swaggering Sinatra of the '50s, '60s, and '70s; in the early '40s, he was a boyish crooner with a strong Bing Crosby influence. Voice of the Century is easily recommended to anyone who is seeking a concise introduction to Sinatra's pre-Columbia period.
   ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

   Artist: Charles Mingus
   Album: Town Hall Concert
   Label: Ojc
   Year: 1964
   Release: 1991
   Format, bitrate: MP3, 160 kbps
   Time: 45min
   Size: 52MB


   The concert, which was billed as an open recording session with audience, was a shambles, with copyists seated on stage working feverishly even as the performance was going on. The record is pretty much a disaster as well, even with players such as Snooky Young, Britt Woodman, Charles McPherson, Eric Dolphy, Lee Konitz and Dannie Richmond along for the ride. No one is really quite sure of the exact personnel, the titles are all wrong, and the recording quality leaves something to be desired. This one is for completists only.
   ~ Stuart Kremsky, AMG

    Artist: John Mayall
    Album: Behind The Iron Curtain (live)
    Label: GNP Records
    Year: 1985
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 45:47
    Size: 106 Mb (cover)

   On his first new album in four years (and first new U.S. release in seven years), John Mayall reclaims the "Bluesbreakers" name for the first time in 18 years to highlight a quintet featuring two lead guitarists, Coco Montoya and Walter Trout, along with a rhythm section of Bobby Haynes (bass), and Joe Yuele (drums). The album was recorded in concert in Hungary in June 1985, and takes a fairly bluesy approach, with lots of space for the guitarists to shine, a format similar to that of The Bluesbreakers lineups of 1965-1968. Sound quality is only fair, and this is not an inspired performance, but Mayall has latched onto a cohesive unit here, and the results are encouraging for the future.
   William Ruhlmann, AMG

    Artist: John Mayall
    Album: Chicago Line
    Label: Island Records
    Year: 1988
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 53:45
    Size: 122 Mb (covers)
    Bubu's Rating:

   John Mayall's first new studio album to be released in the U.S. in more than a decade shows that his current crop of Bluesbreakers — Coco Montoya, Walter Trout, Bobby Haynes, and Joe Yuele — who have been together longer than any previous outfit, play like a seasoned blues band, sparking each other (especially guitarists Montoya and Trout), and never falling into complacency. Mayall presides over the music without dominating it, which makes The Bluesbreakers more of a group than they've been since the '60s.
   William Ruhlmann, AMG

     Artists - VA
     Album - Swinging Jazz Violin
     Label - MPS/Verve jazzclub
     Years: 1965-1980, release - 2007
     Quality - MP3@320 kb/s
     Size - 170 mb
     Total time - 78:48




     The violin's an unlikely instrument for a jazz tune but as you'll hear in this set, it's one that can sound pretty darn great when handled by the right artist! The collection has a strong focus on European use of the violin in jazz during the 60s and 70s in a movement that took the instrument strongly past its older swing-based use in the US, and into hipper territory that really explored its sonic properties with a lot more depth! Some tunes have a rootsy feel, others are more open and electric and a good bit of this material (nearly all of it) was recorded for the MPS label, and benefits from both the strong production and new freedoms allowed to its artists. Titles include "After You've Gone" by Joe Venuti, "Third Time Suspicious" by Don "Sugarcane" Harris, "Satin Doll" by Gypsy Jazz Violin Summit, "Some Of These Days" by Ray Nance, "ADGC" by Didier Lockwood, "Light Of The Future" by Zipflo Reinhardt, "Cat Coach" by Jean Luc Ponty, "Minor Swing" by Stephane Grappelli, "Praludium II" by Svend Asmussen, and "Makin Whoopee" by Csaba Deseo.

    Artist: Oscar Peterson
    Album: How High The Moon (compilation live)
    Label: Synergy Entertainment
    Release: 2005
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s
    Time: 1:08:14
    Size: 125 Mb
    Bubu's Rating: ****

                       EACH DAY AN O.P. DAY!

   This beautiful live compilation was issued in two variants one in 1999 by Hallmark and this one in 2005 by Synergy Entertainment, both with the same track list.
   Although I couldn’t find much information about this live compilation album, two things are very sure: one, this is essential for the O.P. fan due to the rarity and quality of the tracks and second all tracks are live recordings from different sources that can be found only on Hallmark and Synergy compilations. The most interesting track is of course ”Jam Session” which has a brass section added to the trio and has a lot of space for soloing and improvising due to its length: 12:53. Other outstanding tunes are: How High The Moon, the title track in which alternates the direct power with the lyrical softness of the quartet , Flamingo, very soft, mellow and additional cello, Seven Come Eleven, a very fast musical battle between piano and guitar, Noreen's Nocturne, a punchy and determined track. In most of the selections the great Oscar plays beautifully, inspired and very concentrated and you can actually hear him humming and mumbling along with his piano playing (a trick used by many piano players in order to fallow better the complicated musical line). -Bubu Hans

   Artist: Milt Jackson
   Album: Memories of Thelonious Sphere Monk
   Label: OJC/Pablo
   Year: 1982
   Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 kbps
   Size: 93.8 MB
   Time: 39:19
   AMG Rating:

   Milt Jackson and his quartet of 1982 (with pianist Monty Alexander, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Mickey Roker) recorded three albums of material during an engagement at Ronnie Scott's Club in London. Pianist/composer Thelonious Monk had passed away two months earlier and Jackson decided to pay tribute to his old associate. The vibraphonist is in excellent form on four of Monk's standards in addition to a lengthy "Django," his own "Think Positive" and Ray Brown's "Blues for Groundhog.
   ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

   Artist: Walter Trout Band
   Album: Life In The Jungle
   Label: Ruf
   Year: 1990
   Format, bitrate: mp3@320 kbps
   Time: 53:53 + Time: 39:19
   Size: 130 Mb

   Albums that combine live and studio tracks can, in some cases, be inconsistent. Some artists are so reliant on studio technology that they fall apart in a live setting; they sound stiff and awkward the minute they take the stage. And on the other hand, some artists are so fond of playing live that they become inhibited in the studio. But there is nothing inconsistent or uneven about Walter Trout's debut album, Life in the Jungle, a collection of live and studio recordings from 1989; on this release, the blues-rocker is as focused and inspired on-stage as he is in the studio. All of the tracks were recorded in Scandinavian countries; the live performances are from an appearance at the Midtfyn Festival in Denmark on July 2, 1989, while the studio material is from a session in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 21 and July 9 of that year. And in both settings, Trout really shines -- the singer/guitarist has no problem going that extra mile on original tunes (including the title song and "Good Enough to Eat"), as well as passionate versions of Jimi Hendrix's "Red House," Buddy Guy's "She's out There Somewhere," and John Lee Hooker's "Serves Me Right to Suffer." On the latter, Trout shows his appreciation of Canned Heat without allowing his own personality to become obscured. Life in the Jungle, which the German Ruf label reissued on CD in 2002, is blues-rock the way it should be: tough, gritty, rugged, and heartfelt. Not all of Trout's releases are strong or as consistent as Life in the Jungle, but this is one Trout album that blues-rock enthusiasts will be happy to get their hands on.
    ~ Alex Henderson, AMG

     Artists: Sarah Vaughan & Quincy Jones
     Album: You're Mine You
     Label: ITM
     Year: 1962
     Release: 1995
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 88,6MB


     This CD reissue finds Sarah Vaughan backed by big-band and string arrangements from Quincy Jones that could easily have been used for a Frank Sinatra date. Vaughan's voice is typically wondrous and sometimes a bit excessive on the ballads (some may find her slightly overblown version of "Maria" a bit difficult to sit through) but in top form on the more swinging numbers. In the repertoire are such tunes as "The Best Is Yet to Come," "The Second Time Around" and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads." More of a middle-of-the-road pop date than a creative jazz session (the personnel is not given), the set is not essential but should please those who love the sound of Sassy's remarkable voice.