Artist: The Prestige Blues-Swingers
     Album: Outskirts Of Town
     Label: Original Jazz Classics/Prestige
     Year: 1958; Digital Remastering, 1992 – Fantasy Studios, Berkeley
     Genre: Jazz, Blues
     Format, bitrate: mp3/320kbps
     Time: 36:32
     Size: 85 MB




     Of the many mid-'50s Prestige jam sessions, Outskirts of Town is probably one of the more successful. If nothing      else, it features a handful of players who did not record together on a regular basis. The all-star lineup featured, among others, Art Farmer, Idrees Sulieman, Jerome Richardson, Pepper Adams, Ray Bryant, Tiny Grimes, and Osie Johnson.

     Artist: Livin' Blues
     Album: Blue Breeze
     Label: Ariola/Repertiore GmbH
     Year: 1976
     Format: MP3 @ 320 kbs
     Time:67:59
     Size: 147,3 Mb

     Artist: William Parker Bass Quartett
     Album: Requiem
     Label: Splasc
     Year: July 25, 2006
     Format, bitrate: ape
     Time: 65:39 min
     Size: 191M + 80M

     Jazz is primarily thought of as a music of high registers. One need only look at the trumpeters, soprano saxophonists and pianists that for many define its sound or conversely at the relative lack of bassist-leaders, longtime demotion of the tuba and even the late development of the bass clarinet. Low frequencies require an attention to detail (and good stereo equipment).
     When William Parker convened his Bass Quartet to close out the Ninth Vision Festival in 2004, the environment was a giddy one. Henry Grimes was back to playing regularly, Alan Silva was in town and a few days earlier, the Revolutionary Ensemble had reformed and Sirone playing was dynamic. The group significance stemmed from the stylistic lineage evident from Grimes to Silva to Sirone to Parker and the addition of guest saxophonist Charles Gayle added a wrinkle, an uncommon hierarchy with a horn playing over four bassists. This reviewer notes from the concert indicate not much listening onstage and an impression of the four basses as one thick instrument matched against Gayle alto. But unusually for this kind of improvised scenario, the recording is more satisfying than the performance. In the comfort of home, with that all-important good stereo (and excellent recording quality), more of the subtleties come through. Gayle, originally the odd man out, makes absolutely vital contributions, providing refreshing spikes and edgy contrasts to the bubbling underneath. Perhaps some direction or shorter, distinct pieces would have worked better but that was not the objective. This was a memorial to the late bassists Wilber Morris and Peter Kowald (and others mentioned in remarks after). Given where those two fit on the bass tree that is Requiem, anything more disciplined would have been not the point. ~ allaboutjazz.com

     Artist: Koko Taylor
     Album: Old School
     Release Date: Apr 3, 2007
     Label: Alligator
     Quality: mp3/320 kbps and FLAC
     Size: 161 MB/499 MB

     Old School is Koko Taylor's first new album in seven years, and after a series of health issues that sidelined her for a while, it could be viewed as a comeback of sorts, but if so, there aren't any signs of rust here. She still belts out her trademark Chicago blues like she always has, sidestepping any 21st century recording tricks for a straightforward set that wouldn't sound out of place next to her classic Chess sides from the early '60s. It's also encouraging that she wrote nearly half the tunes here, while turning in solid covers of a pair of Willie Dixon songs ("Don't Go No Further" and "Young Fashioned Ways"), one by Magic Sam ("All Your Love") and a scorching performance of Lizzie Lawler's classic "Black Rat" that rivals Big Mama Thornton's version. A rendition of "Bad Rooster" is also top notch. Of the originals, the lead track, "Piece of Man," is the most impressive, setting the tone and feel for an album that clearly celebrates Taylor's unshakable Chicago blues roots. Old School isn't sleek, pretty, posed or polished, but is instead raw, ragged and as real as a biting winter wind off of Lake Michigan. Call it a comeback if you want, but this is the territory that Koko Taylor has lived in for nearly fifty years. She owns this stuff. Call it a continuance. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Traditional Blues Album.~ by Steve Leggett, AMG

     Artist: Louis Armstrong
     Album: Sings the Blues
     Label: BlueBird
     Recording Date: 1933 – 1947
     Release Date: 1993
     Format; MP3 320kbps
     Time: 35:54
     Size: 76.1 MB
     Label: BlueBird



     SINGS THE BLUES features versions of some of Pop's finest tunes. These tracks have been culled primarily from Armstrong's semi-big-band recordings of the '30s and from initial incarnations of his All-Stars in the mid-'40s (including early jazz legends like Kid Ory and Barney Bigard). Such tracks as the opening "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" and "The Blues Are Brewin'" showcase the man's gruff, conversational, and deservedly legendary approach to jazz vocals.
OKeh classics like "Basin Street Blues" and W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" are given reverent treatments here, with thrilling stop-time breaks and Satch's superb scat technique. All-Star concert staples like "Rockin' Chair" (performed with Jack Teagarden) and "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" are full of Armstrong's characteristic verve and good humor. Taken together, this collection represents the Armstrong of the '30s and '40s at his best. Album Notes

    Artist: Van Morrison
    Album: Astral Weeks
    Label: Warner Bros.
    Year: ; release: 1968
    Genre: Folk/Blues/Jazz
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s
    Time: 47:08
    Size: 113 Mb (covers)
    AMG Rating:

Astral Weeks is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history. For all that renown, Astral Weeks is anything but an archetypal rock & roll album: in fact, it isn't a rock & roll album at all. Employing a mixture of folk, blues, jazz, and classical music, Van Morrison spins out a series of extended ruminations on his Belfast upbringing, including the remarkable character "Madame George" and the climactic epiphany experienced on "Cyprus Avenue." Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Morrison sings in his elastic, bluesy voice, accompanied by a jazz rhythm section (Jay Berliner, guitar, Richard Davis, bass, Connie Kay, drums), plus reeds (John Payne) and vibes (Warren Smith, Jr.), with a string quartet overdubbed. An emotional outpouring cast in delicate musical structures, Astral Weeks has a unique musical power. Unlike any record before or since, it nevertheless encompasses the passion and tenderness that have always mixed in the best postwar popular music, easily justifying the critics' raves. - William Ruhlmann at All Music Guide

     Artist: Pee Wee Russell
     Album: Ask Me Now!
     Label: Impulse !
     Year: rec. Apr 9-10, 1963/rel.2003
     Format: MP3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time: 38:17
     Size: 79,5 Mb
     AMG rating:

     Artist: Milt Buckner
     Album: Please Mr. Organ Player
     Label: Argo
     Year: 1960, release: 1961
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps (LP-rip)
     Size: 70,4 mb (sharebee)
     Total time: 32:39

    Artist: Herbie Hancock
    Album: Mwandishi
    Label: WEA International
    Year: 1969; release: 1970
    Genre: Jazz/Post-Bop/Funk
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s
    Time: 44:58
    Size: 105 Mb
    AMG Rating:

With the formation of his great electric sextet, Herbie Hancock's music took off into outer and inner space, starting with the landmark Mwandishi album recorded in a single session on New Year's Eve. Ever the gadgeteer, Herbie plays with electronic effects devices — reverb units, stereo tremelo, and Echoplex — which all lead his music into spacier, open-ended directions very much influenced by Miles Davis' electric experiments, rendering it from post-bop conventions. There are just three tracks: the insistent 15/4-meter Afro-electric-funk workout "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)," the inquisitive "You'll Know When You Get There" with its ethereal Hancock voicings, and trombonist Julian Priester's "Silent Way"-influenced "Wandering Spirit Song," which eventually dips into tumultuous free form. Eddie Henderson emerges as a major trumpet soloist here, probing, jabbing, soliloquizing; Bennie Maupin comes over from Lee Morgan's group to add his ominous bass clarinet and thoughtful alto flute; and Buster Williams' bass and Billy Hart's flexible drums propel the rhythm section. Santana's José Chepitó Areas and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler also add funky percussive reinforcement to "Ostinato," along with guitarist Ron Montrose. The group's collective empathy is remarkable, and Hancock had only begun to probe the outer limits with this extraordinary music. - Richard S. Ginell at All Music Guide

     Artists: ROOTS (Don Pullen, Chico Freeman, Arthur Blythe, Nathan Davis)
     Album: Salute to the saxophone (DVD-rip)
     Live from the Brewhouse Theatre Taunton
     Studio: Image Entertainment
     Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
     Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
     Year: 1999
     Size: 640 mb
     Total time: 52 minutes

Another sparkling live concert from the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton, England. This tribute to the masters of the jazz sax features Arthur Blythe on alto saxophone, Chico Freeman on tenor and soprano, and Nathan Davis on alto, tenor, and soprano. Rounding out the band is Don Pullen on piano, Santi Debriano playing bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. Together, they salute the greats of the sax by performing six numbers, including ones by Lester Young and Charlie Parker.

Jazz saxophonists Chico Freeman, Nathan Davis, Sam Rivers, and Arthur Blythe display their distinctive sax styles in this swinging concert from the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton, England. They're backed by a rhythm section featuring pianist Don Pullen, bassist Santi Debriano, and drummer Idris Muhammad. Freeman's windy city tones blow brightly on the slow-tempo tune "Never Always" and on the after-hours blues "After Dark." Arthur Blythe's stinging alto pays homage to Charlie Parker's classic "Parker's Mood," while Sam Rivers's challenging solos bathe the Coleman Hawkins-associated standard "Body and Soul" with a touch of the avant-garde. Davis's sinewy, snaky soprano lines illuminate the ballad "You Don't Know What Love Is," and the grand finale, "Lester Leaps In," features all four horn players in a rousing, blues-riffed tour-de-force. On this DVD, you can hear the entire history of the saxophone. ~ Eugene Holley Jr.,

     Artist: Jimmy Rushing
     Album: Five Feet Of Soul
     Label: Roulette Records
     Year: rec.Jan 22, 1963,Jan 23, 1963 / rel.1963
     Format: MP3@320 Kb/s
     Time: 32:05
     Size: 68, 3 Mb
     AMG rating:

    Artist: B.B. King
    Album: Live in Cook County Jail
    Label: MCA Records
    Year: 1971; release: 1998
    Genre: blues
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s
    Time: 38:43
    Size: 98, 2 (covers)
    AMG Rating:

B.B. King has cut a lot of albums since the success of Live at the Regal. And, like the live shows they document, none of them are any less than solid and professional, hallmarks of King's work aesthetic. But every so often B.B. truly catches fire; his playing and singing comes up an extra notch or two, and the result is a live album with some real sparks to it. Live in Cook County Jail is one of those great concerts that the record company was smart enough to be there to capture, documenting B.B. firing on all cylinders in front of an audience that's just damn happy for him to be there. Possibly the best live version of "The Thrill Is Gone" of all its many incarnations, and rock solid renditions of classics like "Everyday I Have the Blues," "How Blue Can You Get?," "Sweet Sixteen" and a great medley of "3 O'Clock Blues" and "Darlin' You Know I Love You." Live at the Regal is still the champ of King's live output, but many say this runs a close second, and they just may be right. - Cub Koda at All Music Guide

     Artist: Oliver Jones, Hank Jones
     Album: Pleased To Meet You
     Label: Jastin Time Records
     Year:Rec.Jun 25,Jun 26, 2008 /Rel.Oct 20, 2009
     Format: MP3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time:52:56
     Size: 114,4 Mb
     AMG rating:

     Artist: Hank Jones
     Album: Someday My Prince Will Come
     Label: Village Records Inc., Japan
     Year: rec. 12 and 13 May, 2002 in NY and 1 August, 2003 in Tokyo./US rel. date: 14 September 2004
     Format: MP3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time: 56:45
     Size: 120, 2 Mb

     Artist: Pat Boone
     Album: White Christmas
     Label: MCA Special Products
     Original Release Date: 1959-Audio CD (June 1, 1995)
     Genre: Vocal
     Format FLAC with .Cue
     Size: 96 +95 MB

Счастливого рождества!

Тhis album was orginally released in 1959. This is a good recording of traditional Christmas and holiday music, interpreted by Pat Boone in a very straightforward manner. Thus, the record is a very good listen.What struck me as interesting is that, in several numbers, Pat Boone sounds somewhat similar to Bing Crosby; their vocal ranges were similar and, for songs without either's trademark vocal embellishments, the interepretations and sounds were similar.