Artist: Susannah McCorkle
   Album: Over The Rainbow: The Songs of E. Y. "Yip" Harburg
   Label: Jazz Alliance
   Year: 1980
   Time: 49:43
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320Kbps
   Size: 109 Mb

   Susannah McCorkle's first three recordings focused on the "songbooks" of specific composers or lyricists. For her third project, McCorkle (backed by pianist Keith Ingham, bassist Jack Six and drummer Ronnie Bedford) explored the words of Yip Harburg, who was most renowned for his work on The Wizard of Oz. McCorkle not only revisits a few of those classic tunes (including the title cut, "If I Only Had a Heart" and "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead") but plenty of obscure works such as "The Begat," "Napoleon" and "Moanin' in the Mornin'." McCorkle was very much up for this assignment and she did Yip Harburg's work justice.
    ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

   Artist: Oscar Pettiford
   Album: Another one (remastered)
   Label: Bethlehem, Avenue Jazz
   Year: 1956
   Release: 2000
   Format, bitrate: MP3, 320kbs
   Time: 37 min
   Size: 84 MB
   AMG Rating:


   Oscar Pettiford became a major influence on a number of jazz artists along with fellow bassists Jimmy Blanton and Charles Mingus. Another One, Pettiford's third album as a leader for the Bethlehem label, was recorded in 1955. This exceptional date features the horns of Donald Byrd, Ernie Royal, Bob Brookmeyer, Gigi Gryce, and Jerome Richardson. Highlights include the Pettiford-penned "Bohemia After Dark," named after the club in Greenwich Village and acknowledged as a jazz standard, "Stardust," featuring Pettiford's poetic bass faintly accompanied by pianist Don Abney, and "Minor Seventh Heaven," with Pettiford switching to cello. This is not just a bebop date; Pettiford had the range to incorporate influences like Duke Ellington and calypso, creating a full, lyrical band sound that matched his bass playing. Pettiford's legacy was cut short after he passed away suddenly in 1958 in Copenhagen at the age of 37.
   ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide

   Artist - Oscar Peterson
   Album - Recital By Oscar Peterson
   Label - Verve
   Years - 1952, 1954; release - 1956
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 107 mb
   Total time - 45:52


   Oscar Peterson is heard with several different small groups on this compilation of early-'50s recordings. Two relatively short-lived trios are represented, with four tracks featuring bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Barney Kessel, the most lyrical yet subdued selections of this album. Kessel takes a prominent role in the loping "Pompton Turnpike," while the influence of the Nat King Cole Trio on Peterson is a bit obvious in "Cherokee." The blues-drenched take of "Willow Weep for Me" features Irving Ashby (who briefly served in the trio prior to Kessel's arrival) on guitar. On the flip side, Herb Ellis is the guitarist and drummer Louis Bellson is added, with the now expanded quartet sounding a bit more extroverted in its workouts (particularly in "Singin' in the Rain"), as the addition of Ellis seems to stimulate Peterson to greater heights. The music in this anthology has been reissued sporadically, but most of it has not been available at all for decades, so this LP is well worth uncovering.

    Artist: Robert Cray
    Album: Some Rainy Morning
    Label: Mercury Records
    Release: 1995
    Genre: blues
    Format, bitrate: mp3 256 kb/s
    Time: 57:11
    Size: 105 Mb (covers)

Typically well-produced and well-played outing — mostly originals, with smoldering covers of Syl Johnson's "Steppin' Out" and Wilson Pickett's "Jealous Love" for good measure. Cray's crisp, concise guitar work and subtly soulful vocals remain honed to a sharp edge. - Bill Dahl at AMG

     Artist: Ron Carter Trio
     Album: So What
     Label: Blue Note
     Year: 1998
     Format, bitrate: mp3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 47:17
     Size: 110 MB



     Bassist Ron Carter continues to prove that less is more. Following a winning effort with a quartet on The Bass and I,Carter returns with a trio date balanced between originals and standards. His sidemen, pianist Kenny Barron and drummer Lewis Nash help create a supple sound that enables Carter to lead without sounding anachronistic (or worse, like the bass solo during a generic jazz set). The title track is an obvious reference to Carter's tenure with Miles Davis's quintet of the mid '60s, and he includes, "You Be So Nice to Come Home To" in honor of the late Davis's alum, drummer Tony Williams. The trio shines on Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly" and Carter's own "3 More Days," one of four originals that animate this engaging outing. ~Martin Johnson, Amazon.com
   

   Artist: Rastrelli Cello Quartett
   Album: Volume 2: Cello In Jazz
   Label: Manchester Files
   Year: 2005
   Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
   Time: 59:38
   Size: 135 Mb

   По традиции, для тех, кто "понюхал" последний букет фиалок от crazy_captain и уже слышал ту здоровенную скрипку, которую ещё между ног зажимают…

   "Rastrelli Cello Quartett" - очень необычный ансамбль. Во всех смыслах. Квартет виолончелистов играет джаз - знаменитые темы таких легенд джаза как Эррол Гарнер, Дэйв Брубек, Лерой Андерсон, Джордж Гершвин и Пол Десмонд. И звучит выдержанно, стильно и с немалым вкусом. Наверне потому, что запись производилась в церкви Alte Kirche (Босвиль, Швейцария). А место, как известно, обязывает…
   Любителям мейнстрима, авангарда и блюза просьба не беспокоиться.
   About musiciants

    Artist: Robert Cray
    Album: Take Your Shoes Of
    Label: Rykodisc
    Release: 1999
    Genre: blues
    Format, bitrate: mp3 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 59:26
    Size: 99,3 Mb (covers)
    AMG Rating:

It's evident right from the start that Robert Cray's aiming for a Memphis soul groove on Take Your Shoes Off. Willie Mitchell of Hi Records fame co-wrote and did the horn arrangements for the lead-off cut, "Love Gone to Waste," and Jim Pugh's burbling organ would have fit snugly into the mix of an early '70s Al Green record. The blues is not missing from this effort, but is most present in Cray's usual assertive blues guitar lines. Otherwise, this is far more appropriately pegged as a blues-soul album, or even just a retro-soul album, than a straight blues one.

   Artist: John Lee Hooker
   Album: Urban Blues
   Label: BGO
   Year: 1967
   Release: 1991
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
   Size: 74MB

   This is the Boogie Man's 1967 ABC-BluesWay album in its entirety. Hooker's Chicago sidemen (including Eddie Taylor, Wayne Bennett, and Louis Myers) deftly handle Hooker's eccentricities on "Mr. Lucky," and the harrowing "The Motor City Is Burning," as well as a sprightly remake of "Boom Boom."
   

    Artist: Screamin' Jay Hawkins
     Album: The Best Of Alligator Wine
     Release: 1997
     Label: Music Club
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbit/s
     Time: 71:56
     Size: 172.7 MB

     

   Screamin' Jay Hawkins was the first rock and roll humorist, and arguably the greatest (except maybe Zappa), salting even his most serious tunes with hilarious off-hand comments and other peculiar sounds. Unable to make it as an opera singer in an era when Paul Robeson was the only black person welcome in the field, Hawkins had a big booming voice. Oh, and his stage show presaged Arthur Brown, Alice Cooper, and so on: he used to climb out of a coffin at the beginning of each performance, for starters, and carried a skull named Henry. But his best work would stand up even without his whoopin' and hollerin' antics, like his signature tune, "I Put A Spell On You," covered by everyone from Nina Simone to Creedence Clearwater Revival.    

    Artist: Robert Cray
    Album: Shoulda Been Home
    Label: Rykodisc
    Release: 2001
    Genre: blues
    Format, bitrate: mp3 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 52:45
    Size: 94,6 Mb (covers)
    AMG Rating:

Perhaps the most telling tune on Shoulda Been Home is the T-Bone Walker-influenced "Renew Blues," not because of the style, but because the slow blues fades out after just one tiny minute. By contrast, the mellow soul sway of "Out of Eden" stretches out to over nine minutes. Robert Cray has been heralded as a savior of modern blues, but the truth is Cray's music is much closer to the vintage soul of O.V. Wright and Otis Redding than the 12-bar form of B.B. King or Albert King. Granted, his punctuating Stratocaster guitar riffs borrow from the books of all the blues masters, but his songwriting and arranging don't.

     Artist: The Pointer Sisters
     Album: The Pointer Sisters
     Label: Blue Thumb
     Year: 1973
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 Kbps
     Time: 47:01
     Size: 94,9 MB

     With a big push from their Blue Thumb label, who introduced the band by way of a full-page ad in Billboard magazine, the Pointer Sisters took their eponymous debut straight to the top of the R&B charts in summer 1973 on the strengths of their penchant for mixing classic '60s R&B with fresh forward-thinking grooves. Add the sisters' harmonies and complex vocal moves, and there's no doubt the group was destined for a fast rise. Produced by David Rubinson, The Pointer Sisters contained effusive covers that cradled two of the Pointers' own compositions. That remarkable combo, then, allowed the Allen Toussaint classic "Yes We Can Can" to rub shoulders with the original "Jada," a boogie blues-shaded slab of jazz, and a perfect fingerprint of the eclectic style that would define the Pointers' core. That same bent also allowed them to give equal energy to the Willie Dixon gem "Wang Dang Doodle," a song which quickly became a live set favorite, and also to their own "Sugar." Other high points include "River Boulevard," a mid-tempo vocal that gives way to a light rock riot. It was easy to see exactly where the Pointer Sisters were headed. With talent to spare and an energy that was fresh and unending, this set emerges a cohesive and joyous cabaret, allowing the quartet to do what it does best. Listening to these earliest gems, it's no surprise, then, that the band would spend the better part of the next two decades in the charts.
   ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide

     Artist: Brad Mehldau
     Album: Art of the Trio, Vol. 5: Progression
     Release: 2001
     Label: Warner Bros / Wea
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kbs
     Size: 310mb




     Mehldau brings his art to ever more musical places. Without a doubt, his trio remains one of the most identifiable groups in jazz, and Progression is one of its most substantial documents to date.
   Allaboutjazz.com

    Artist: Robert Cray
    Album: The Definitive Collection
    Label: Hip-O
    Release: 2007
    Format, bitrate: mp3, 160 kb/s
    Time: 1:10:24
    Size: 81,5 Mb

   Robert Cray's musical strengths, which include an economic, elegant and melodic guitar approach and a soulful and unthreatening vocal style, have led many blues purists to question his authenticity in the genre, but to his credit, Cray has ignored all that and fashioned an approachable legacy that treats the blues as a vital ingredient in a kind of soul/blues mix that looks forward as much as it enfolds the past. This is an artist, remember, who managed to get the blues, even if it was somewhat sanitized, into regular rotation on MTV in the 1980s, and if he seems more jazz than Delta in his guitar playing, well, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. . . .

     Artist: Peter Herborn
     Album: European Jazz Weekend: Peter Herborn - Large One
     Label: NYC
     Year: 1997
     Format, bitrate: FLAC
     Time: 58:29
     Size: 382 MB (+ scans)



     Peter Herborn's arrangements on Large One for his 17-piece big band are quite advanced and sometimes a little reminiscent (though not derivative) of both Bill Holman and Maria Schneider. His three originals and two by Gary Thomas are not particularly memorable melody-wise but contain stirring ensembles and unpredictable solos. In addition the band performs a song apiece by McCoy Tyner, Jackie McLean, and Thelonious Monk ("Misterioso"). The main soloists are tenor saxophonist Thomas, Greg Osby (on alto and soprano), trombonist Robin Eubanks, trumpeter Dave Ballou, pianist Uri Caine, and guitarist Marvin Sewell, all of whom sound challenged by the material. This is a set that grows in interest with each listen. ~
   Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Martin Sjostedt
     Album: Mondeo
     Label: Sittel Records
     Year: 2002
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 193 kbps
     Time: 01:07:03
     Size: 97MB



     As the AAJ column Nordic Sounds attests, there is a lot of fine jazz coming out of Scandinavia as of late. One group that certainly deserves an audience beyond the borders of Scandinavia is the Martin Sjostedt Band, which hails from Sweden. Led by the steel-fingered young bassist Martin Sjostedt, the band’s new release Mondeo puts forth an engaging set of compositions that are rich in emotional texture. Overall, though, Mondeo has more than its share of enriching moments. It’s a fine example of the mainstream jazz coming out of Sweden and is easily recommended on the strength of Magnus Lindgren’s exquisitely controlled lyricism.
   Allaboutjazz.com

   Artist: Benny Goodman
   Album: The Rehearsal Sessions: 1940-1941
   Year: 1940 - 1941
   Release: 1993
   Label: Jazz Unlimited
   Format: FLAC
   Size: 246.48 MB
   Time: 70:28

   The CD put out by the Swedish label Phontastic is comprised of alternate takes and rare studio recordings by the Benny Goodman Orchestra. There are two sextet tracks with trumpeter Cootie Williams, Count Basie and guitarist Charlie Christian and some advanced instrumentals. Most collectors will take an all-or-nothing approach to this important series.
   ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

   Artist: Roy Buchanan
   Album: You're Not Alone
   Release: 1978
   Label: Atlantic
   Format: MP3/320 kbit/s
   Time: 40:00
   Size: ~ 93 MB

REPOST with a new link from Mr. Kungynt

     Еще один альбом Роя Бьюкенена (Roy Buchanan), на этот раз - "You're Not Alone" (1978). Прекрасный альбом! Как и все другие альбомы Роя, этот можно слушать и слушать, не надоедает и не приедается. Высококачественная музыка, сыгранная отличным музыкантом для понимающих слушателей.
     P.S. ... и услышал я в этих гитарно-клавишных "напевах" что-то Pink Floyd-овское, наполненное светлой грустью "Темной стороны луны"... Или это мне только показалось?

   Artist: Roy Buchanan
   Album: Live Stock
   Release: 1975
   Label: Polydor
   Format: mp3, 192 kbps
   Time: 35:53
   Size: 59 MB

REPOST with a new link from Mr. Kungynt

     Продолжаем дискографию Роя Бьюкенена (Roy Buchanan).
     Вашему вниманию предлагается альбом "Live Stock". Об этом альбоме я бы сказал, перефразируя поэта: я блюз полюбил бы только за то, что его можно так играть, как играет Рой в треке "Roy's Bluz"! (извините, что немного не в рифму). Трудно представить, что можно извлекать такие звуки без всяких электронных штучек, голыми руками!
     Короче, господа, слушайте великого Роя Бьюкенена! И как можно чаще!

   Artist: Johnny Young
   Album: The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions
   Label: Sony BMG
   Year: 1969
   Release: 2007
   Format, bitrate: MP3, 256 kbps
   Time: 72:53
   Size: 100MB

   Issued in late 1969, "Fat Mandolin" was Johnny Young's sole LP on the now legendary UK cult label Blue Horizon. This CD is based around that album.
   Born in 1918 in Mississippi, Johnny Young had a voice similar to Little Walter. And yet, like Big Joe Turner too, there was also a sly sense of fun about him. He played both guitar and mandolin and was of the hard-hitting Chicago Blues tradition - mean, miserable and magnificent! Young hung out with and played with Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson in the mid Forties, Snooky Prior in the Fifties and also had stints with Walter Horton, James Cotton, Otis Spann and even Mike Bloomfield in the Sixties. The band on "Fat Mandolin" as you can imagine is tight, seasoned pros and just so up-for-it! Fans of OTIS SPANN in particular will adore this release - his piano fills and runs are just fantastic and brilliantly complimentary to PAUL OSCHER'S mean harmonica playing throughout. From the original master tapes, it looks like most tracks were accomplished in one-to-four takes and the entire album recorded in New York in one day - 5 June 1969! (The remaster has been waiting around since 1998 for a release).
   Young made some more albums for ABC in the States, but died of cardiac arrest in 1974 (his huge weight having contributed). He remains something of an unknown compared to the huge names he played with through the years - and hopefully this superb CD reissue will bring him back into the hearts of those who love their blues low-down and dirty. Another top release from Blue Horizon and one I urge you to buy!
   ~ Mark Barry, Revival Records, Berwick Street (London, UK), Amazon.com

   Artist: Brad Mehldau
   Album: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2: Live at the Village Vanguard
   Release: 1998
   Label: Warner Bros / Wea
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbs
   Size: 167mb
   Time: 73min

   It takes a certain nerve for a young jazz artist to subtitle an album Live at the Village Vanguard. The title evokes some mighty powerful spirits from the jazz pantheon. John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins. Bill Evans. Joe Henderson. But pianist Brad Mehldau is more than up to this daunting challenge. On this set of standards by the likes of Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk and Henry Mancini, Mehldau exhibits a musical erudition and a technical prowess that belies his youth. Though the obvious comparisons are with Evans and Keith Jarrett, Mehldau has a highly individual style that draws heavily on his classical training. Along with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, he has made a stunning album of exploratory jazz that holds its own with the great "Live at the Village Vanguard" recordings of the past.
   ~ Joel Roberts, AMG