Artist: Fats Waller
     Album: The Essence of Fats Waller
     Label: Delta Leisure Group
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 1.13:16 + 1.14:49
     Size: 160 + 163 MB

     Как утверждает обложка этого альбома, 50 лучших записей знаменитого страйд-пианиста в полной мере раскрывают его сущность.
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     Artist: Billie Holiday
     Album: Billy's Blues
     Label: Edel
     Year: 2007
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 119 MB

   Artist: George Benson
   Title Of Album: Songs And Stories
   Year: 2009
   Label: Concord Records
   Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
   Time: 62:02
   Size: 142 Mb

   Songs and Stories is the latest in a long line of excellent recordings from jazz legend George Benson. His guitar and vocal work remain topnotch with the passage of years and his creative approach on this collection reveals him to be in top form.
   The guest artists accompanying George Benson are well-known to those who love listening to good jazz. Greg Phillinganes and David Paich are the keyboardists, Jubu plays guitar as does Lee Ritenour, Patti Austin is one of the vocalists. Other well-known guest artists are in this project as well, and each artist gives fine performances whether in solo or group format.
   There are 12 songs in this memorable collection. Among the songs are found "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "Family Reunion," "Show Me The Love," "A Telephone Call Away," "Someday We'll All Be Free," "Nuthin' But A Party," "Come In From The Cold," the imaginative "Exotica" by Marcus Miller, "Rainy Night In Georgia," "One Like You," "Living In High Definition," and "Sailing" by Christopher Cross. Each song enchants and draws the listener into its intricate jazz motifs. If you like George Benson, this is definitely a CD collection you will want to have in your home library, as a gift for friend, and to have your local librarian order for the public library patrons. Totally enjoyable, this is George Benson at his finest. Highly recommended. Nice & easy. Perfect listening experience.
   ~ Lee Prosser (JazzReview.com)

     Artists - Eric Alexander & Lin Halliday
     Album - Stablemates
     Label - Delmark Records
     Year - 1996
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 132 mb
     Total time - 61:25
     AMG rating



     Perhaps no other combination in the history of jazz has inspired the amount of verve, energy, and knock-down-drag-out fun as the pairing of two tenors. With this recording, Eric Alexander and Lin Halliday rekindle the tradition of the tenor meeting with the same spirit that sparked the classic bop dates of partners in arms such as Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, and Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. At the heart of this meeting, is the mutual admiration, playful competition, and familiar rapport of old friends.

      This is an old-fashioned two-tenor blowing date that matches together the relatively young Eric Alexander and the veteran Lin Halliday. As with the best tenor battles, the two co-stars show plenty of fire and intensity and consistently battle to a tie, with the audience being the real winner. With fine support given by pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Dan Shapera, and drummer Wilbur Campbell, the tenors jam hard on such tunes as "The Eternal Triangle," "Speak Low," and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," being reminiscent of the Sonny Stitt/Gene Ammons dates of the 1950s and '60s. Highly recommended to fans of this genre. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Willis "Gator" Jackson
     Album: On My Own
     Label: Whiskey, Women, And... RBD 705
     Years: 1950-1955
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 45.7 minutes
     Size: 91.9 Mb

     Frenetic soul-jazz; w/ torrid organ from Charles Earland.

     Artist: Eddie Gomez
     Album: Street Smart
     Label: Sony
     Year: 1989
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 Kbps
     Time: 44:11
     Size: 88.3 MB

     This outing by bassist Eddie Gomez does not come close to living up to its potential. The strong cast does include several top-notch improvisers (including the reeds of Dick Oatts, trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist Kenny Werner and organist Jack McDuff) and the music is often jazzy but there are absolutely no chances taken. The album sounds preplanned, second-by-second. A "contemporary" jazz item with Oatts playing the part of a low budget Michael Brecker is followed by an easy listening original, a salsa performance, a heartfelt ballad and a straightahead but uneventful blues. A couple of meaningless funk numbers alternate with a pair of forgettable ballads; all of the music clocks in between 3:52 and 5:38. The lack of spontaneity and excitement makes this a disappointing and passable item. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

    Cто лет назад в кафе Нью-Йорка не было ни динамиков, транслирующих инди или прогрессив-хаус, ни плазменных панелей, показывающих Fashion TV. B заведениях звучали песни, которые под аккомпанемент фортепиано исполняли сами официанты. Такие кафе находились в Чайнатауне на каждом углу, а их владельцы старались переплюнуть друг друга в борьбе за посетителей. Майку Салтеру, хозяину «Пелхэма», больше известного как Nigger Mike's, срочно требовался новый номер — слишком часто клиенты стали предпочитать соседнее заведение, чтобы послушать песню, которая звучала только там.
    «Пелхэму» тоже была нужна своя песня. Музыку взялся написать пианист кафе Ник Николсон. C текстом было сложнее. Майк решил поручить его молодому пареньку с хорошим английским, который недавно начал работать в его кафе поющим официантом. Новая песня «Мери из солнечной Италии» позволила не только вернуть посетителей. Она имела такой успех, что вскоре была напечатана. Тот самый поющий официант получил от издательства свой первый гонорар, a вместе c ним — новое имя, ставшее легендой...

     Artist: Chris Potter
     Album: Gratitude
     Label: Verve UMCF-4316-2 (2001)
     Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
     Size: 436 MB & 161 MB
     Time: 71:23
     AMG Rating

     Saxophonist Chris Potter honors the legacy of some of jazz's greats on Gratitude, his debut for Verve. The award-winning virtuoso and composer is compelling on his tributes to John Coltrane, Eddie Harris, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Parker, and several other legendary saxophonists. Gratitude contains nine original compositions written by Potter, who plays tenor saxophone on the majority of the songs, switches to soprano saxophone on "Eurydice," his tribute to Wayne Shorter, and plays the alto saxophone and Chinese wood flute on "Star Eyes," the tribute to Charlie Parker. Chris Potter is outstanding on bass clarinet on his composition "The Visitor" for Lester Young and captures the ambience that reflects the many styles of these accomplished players, including sliding from one note to a higher or lower note with intermediate pitches on "The Source," his tribute to the glissandi (sheets of sound) of John Coltrane, and capturing the dense, soulful sound of Joe Henderson on "Shadow." Gratitude also includes a song titled "What's New," for the current generation which completes the set. Potter, leading his great quartet of contemporaries -- keyboardist Kevin Hayes, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade -- makes a significant contribution to jazz history with this project and offers musical statements and voices that are truly varied in scope and deep in their essence. ~ Paula Edelstein, AMG

     Artist: Thelonious Monk
     Album: Nonet Live
     Label: Charly Records
     Year: 1967, Release: 1993
     Format, bitrate: Vbr 320
     Time: 67
     Size: 97 mb

     Pianist/composer Thelonious Monk led a quartet throughout the 1960s but on a European tour in 1967 his group was expanded with the addition of several top horn players. This CD, which contains all of the music from a Paris concert, features Monk with his regular tenor Charlie Rouse, bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley on a couple of songs, adds trumpeter Ray Copeland to make the band a quintet and for a few numbers they are joined by trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, altoist Phil Woods and tenor-saxophonist Johnny Griffin; in addition flugelhornist Clark Terry sits in and stars on "Blue Monk." Monk had only recorded with this large a group on two prior occasions, making this rare recording a historical curiosity; more importantly the music (six of his originals) is excellent. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG