Artist: Artie Shaw And His Orchestra
     Album: Blues in the Night
     Label - Bluebird/RCA
     Years: 1941, 1945, release: 1990
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 150 mb
     Total time - 70:07
     AMG Rating



While Bluebird in the late '70s released all of Shaw's recordings in chronological order on a series of two-LP sets, its CD reissues have thus far been samplers. Blues in the Night has ten selections from the 1941 string orchestra that featured trumpeter/singer Hot Lips Page in addition to 11 by the 1945 big band that showcased trumpeter Roy Eldridge. Filled with such memorable performances as "Blues in the Night," "St. James Infirmary," "Lady Day," "Little Jazz" and a classic Eddie Sauter arrangement of "Summertime," this excellent CD is recommended to those not already possessing the two-fers.

     Artist: Ron Carter
     Album: Empire Jazz
     Label: RSO Records
     Year: 1980
     Format, bitrate: mp3 (CBR), 320 kbps (LP-Rip)
     Time: 38:28
     Size: 90 mb (megaupload)

Можно по разному относиться к знаменитой саге Джорджа Лукаса "Звездные войны", но если кто-нибудь скажет мне, что звуковая дорожка написанная Джоном Уильямсом к этому кинополотну плоха, пусть первый бросит в меня камень. Но не о том речь, дело в том, что Рону Картеру с товарищами удалось создать замечательное джазовое переложение знаменитых мелодий к фильму, и сделать это блестяще. Один "Имперский марш" чего стоит! Так что данная пластинка - удовольствие для всех: поклонников саги и любителей джаза. Приятного прослушивания!

Record producer Meco demonstrated there was profit in marketing popular cover arrangements of John Williams' Star Wars compositions. Despite his Space Disco theme achieving hit status in 1977, three years later, even though Williams served up another memorable melody in The Empire Strikes Back, the enthusiasm for such projects seems to have waned. Boris Midney gave it a go, but who remembers him? Maybe it was just that no one could figure out what to do with the Imperial March. Leave it a jazz musician to give it a try.>>>

     Artist: Frank Cunimondo Trio (feat Lynn Marino)
     Album: Feelin' Good
     Label: Movie Play Music
     Year: 1971, release: 1997
     Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320kbps
     Time: 30min49s
     Size: 66.82Mb



A beautiful set of hipster jazz vocals! This legendary album by Pittsburgh pianist Frank Cunimondo has always been a favorite for the jazz-dance groover "Feelin Good" -- a cut which has an incredible drum and bass riff, and which has been sampled more than a few times over the past few years. But even above that track, the whole album's pretty darn great -- and it features an excellent set of vocals by the lovely Lynn Marino -- a very unique vocalist with a sweet style that's sort of like Blossom Dearie! The whole album's got a lovely light groove, with some heavy rolling piano lines from Frank, tight rhythm backing by the trio, and a really sweet sound from Lynn. A real treasure, and impossible to find on the original vinyl. Titles include "Beyond The Clouds", "Pretty Pretty", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "Love So Fine", "A House Is Not A Home", and the incredible "Feelin Good"!

     Artist: The Nels Cline Singers
     Album: The Giant Pin
     Label: Cryptogramophone
     Year: 2004
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320
     Size: 164 mb
     AMG Rating:


     This CD is a worthy successor to Instrumentals, the inaugural 2002 release from Nels Cline's working trio, which features Devin Hoff on contrabass and Scott Amendola on drums, percussion, and live electronics. As before, the mix is wildly eclectic, with Cline not only having his way with electric guitars and various effects boxes but also demonstrating a sympathetic grasp of disparate musical styles, including thrash/punk, lyrical mainstream jazz, and avant-garde experimentation. The witty, erudite Cline (who also writes great liner notes, by the way) isn't just going through the motions here, doing the survey thing and self-consciously displaying either his chops or his ability to name-check as many genres as possible. There's too much palpable joy (and pathos) in his playing to categorize his efforts as a mere exercise of musical one-upmanship. When he opens with "Blues, Too," a delicate homage to mainstream guitar master Jim Hall, Cline's respect for and appreciation of Hall is clearly genuine. And when he moves from the opening track to the occasionally outrageous noisefest of "Fly, Fly," trading fours and eights with drummer Amendola and coaxing sounds from the guitar that will make small animals run for cover, he wholeheartedly embraces the role of metal-shredder supremo. The hushed, somewhat abstract lyricism of pieces like "Bright Moon" comes closest to a delicate chamber jazz sound favored by the ECM record label, with thoughtful interaction among the three trio members and Cline's limpid, crystal-clear lines bringing to mind both Jim Hall and the more contemporary Pat Metheny. The closing track, "Watch Over Us," adds a discrete touch of celeste and harmonium, and a deep, thoughtful solo from Hoff. It communicates a sense of hushed reverence. But the three most striking pieces on the CD feature heavy, rhythmic chording and spiky, dissonant energy that veer more in the direction of Sonic Youth than Metheny or Hall. "Square King" is, as Cline puts it, a "barn burner," and the heavy wall of pensive riffage throughout "He Still Carries a Torch for Her" is set off against interludes during which Cline conducts musical lab experiments over Amendola's stark, tribal thumping. Still, the most powerful and moving piece on this fine CD is "Something About David H.," Cline's elegy to a long-dead friend of his youth. Cline refers to the "deep yet vague emotional baggage" of this unexpected and unsolicited memory, and he presents it as a musical journey in which a quiet, mournful meditation gradually gives way to a grave but insistent seven-note riff. This riff ultimately wrestles the music away from reverie and into an emotional confession of grief and loss that becomes truly cathartic. Not everything in the program carries this kind of emotional freight, but it offers the most dramatic example of Cline's general ability to synthesize beauty, emotion, intellect, technique, and even humor in his playing. He and his two bandmates truly offer the complete package.

     Artist: Houston Person
     Album: Houston Express
     Label: Prestige Records
     Year: 1971
     Format/Bitrate: mp3/320kbps (LP-rip)
     Size: 85.8mb
     AMG Rating


Хьюстон Персон (родился 10 ноября 1934) американский джазовый тенор-саксофонист и продюсер. Хотя он выступал в жанрах hard bop и swing, он является самым опытным в и самым известным исполнителем в стиле soul jazz. Хьюстон Персон также известен своим выразительным стилем игры и характерным звуком. В 1982 он был награжден Eubie Blake Jazz Award.

As period soul-jazz goes, this is considerably above the average. It's funky, but not in the bland crossover sense; there's a sense of jazz ensemble discipline to the arrangements, but it's still R&B-based enough to groove to. Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet), Billy Butler (guitar), Bernard Purdie (drums), and Motown bassist Gerry Jemmott are among the more notable contributors to this 1971 session. This and the 1970 LP, Person to Person, were combined onto one CD reissue in 1996, Legends of Acid Jazz. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

     Artists: Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt
     Album: Paris Jazz Concert - Olimpia - October 11th, 1960 2CD
     Label: Laserlight
     Year: 1960, release: 2002
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 128+125 mb
     Total time: 59:40+58:08
     AMG Rating



When John Coltrane departed from the Miles Davis Quintet, it left a major gap that would not be fully filled for several years. Veteran Sonny Stitt was with the band for six months in 1960 but the association was totally unrecorded until this two-LP set came out. Stitt (who plays alto on nine of the 12 numbers and tenor on the remainder) sounded much more conventional than Coltrane did at the time, turning these standards into a bebop jam session. Davis and the great trio (pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb) along with Stitt are in fine form on the seven lengthy performances, all but one being over 11 minutes. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Makoto Deguchi
     Album: Don't Be At a Loss
     Label: AE AECA-10015
     Quality: FLAC
     Size: 325MB
     Time: 57:49

     Artists: Ben Webster & Coleman Hawkins
     Album: Ben Webster & Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Giants
     Years: 1957, 1959; release: 1959
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s / Flac
     Time: 78:01
     Size: 173MB / 347MB
     AMG Rating



Coleman Hawkins was always Ben Webster's idol. They finally shared a record date on October 16, 1957, and it was reissued as half of this two-LP set. With the backing of the Oscar Peterson Trio plus drummer Alvin Stoller, Webster and Hawk match wits and ideas on seven standards and two of Hawkins's originals. Webster was really no match for the elder tenor (and he knew it), particularly harmonically (Hawk was a master of chords), but he had the advantage of a huge emotional tone. Although Hawkins wins honors, it is not a runaway. The second album also features the two tenor greats plus the tenor of Budd Johnson, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, and a four-piece rhythm section. Webster wrote three songs for the date (including tributes to Hawk and Budd), and there is a 20-minute version of "In a Mellow Tone" to wrap up the proceedings. The results are a deadheat except on "Time After Time" where Webster's beautiful sound is well-featured. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artists: Gerry Mulligan & Ben Webster
     Album: The Complete Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster Sessions 2CD
     Label: Verve/PolyGram
     Year: 1959; release: 1998
     Format, bitrate: FLAC
     Time: 2:22:09
     Size: 810MB



Although an earlier CD added five previously unissued tracks to the original LP Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster, this Verve Master Edition two-CD set adds just about everything else recorded during the two sessions that produced the original record, and also features 20-bit sound. Even though Gerry Mulligan was outspoken against issuing material omitted from his original recordings, it is a treat to hear how the songs evolved in the studio. Webster and Mulligan seem mutually inspired throughout the sessions, and strong performances by pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Mel Lewis are of considerable help. The music is presented in the order in which it was recorded, with each CD devoted to a separate session. In both cases it is clear that the initial takes of music from the Ellington songbook ("In a Mellotone" and "Chelsea Bridge") are more focused than the follow-up versions. They only needed one try to nail "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (also left off the LP), in an understated setting that shows off their beautiful interplay. Their barely disguised reworking of "I Got Rhythm," called "Who's Got Rhythm," was likely an effortless performance, though Webster seems to briefly laugh in the middle of his solo. Webster's swinging "Fajista" opens the second date, followed by two takes of Mulligan's beautiful ballad "Tell Me When." Webster's "Blues in B-Flat" is another fine swinger inexplicably left off the LP, and Rowles kicks off the oldie "Sunday" with a brief stride piano introduction (something Webster played himself but rarely in a recording studio). Fans on a budget can probably make due with the earlier CD reissue but serious fans of Mulligan and/or Webster should invest in this very rewarding set instead. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

ФИАЛКИ по СРЕДАМ (выпуск 71)

Composer: Frederic Chopin
Artist: Artur Rubinstein
Album: The Chopin Collection (CD-10 - impromtus & more)
Label: RCA
Year: 1991
Genre: classical music
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
Time: 1 h, 07 min, 20 sec
Size: 162 mb.

Итак, друзья мои, десятый диск из замечательного бокс-сета произведений Шопена, исполненных Артуром Рубинштейном, пожалуй, близок к тематике нашего джазово-блюзового клуба, как ни один из прочих, прослушанных ранее.
Да неужто? - спросите Вы?
А я отвечу. Отвечу утвердительно. Отвечу со всей ответственностью.
Потому что на десятом диске представлены экспромты. Пьесы-импровизации, которыми буквально пронизано творчество любого джазового музыканта.
Если это не так - гоняйте меня мокрыми тряпками по углам, буду уворачиваться.

     Artist: Various Artists
     Album: Swing, Swing, Swing
     Label: Hear Music (Starbucks)
     Release : 2009
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps CBR
     Time: 01:02:22
     Size: 141 Mb

Старый добрый свинг не умрёт никогда!

Americans swig into action in response to two of the central challеngеs of the 20th century—the Great Depression followed by World War II— embracing dynamic, rip-roaring music. Big bands roamed the land, bucking up morale with sounds that impelled a nation to search for a silver lining and swing, swing, swing!

     Artist: Adam Rogers
     Album: Apparitions
     Label: Criss Cross
     Year: 2005
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320
     Size: 140 MB


Adam Rogers' third Criss Cross CD as a leader focuses exclusively on his challenging original works. Joining the guitarist are four superb musicians: tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Clarence Penn. The many twists within the opener, "Labyrinth," are finessed with ease by the group, while Rogers adds a bit of distortion to his instrument for the intense "Tyranny of Fixed Numbers." The extended workout of "The Maya" is built upon an ostinato bass pattern, with Rogers and Potter playing in unison until the piece opens up and the bassist's role is freed; then the leader works his magic with an inventive solo. "Apparitions" is truly a haunting melody as Rogers and Potter introduce the theme, with Penn gradually adding background percussion. The finale, "Moment in Time," is an intriguing low-key ballad, omitting the piano and tenor sax, while Colley (a veteran of guitarist Jim Hall's trio) responds to the stripped-down setting with some of his best work of the session. Highly recommended. Ken Dryden, AMG

     Artist: Teddy Charles
     Album: The Teddy Charles Tentet
     Label:Atlantic
     Year: 1956
     Format, bitrate: MP3 320kbps/24 & 16 bit Flac
     Time: 39:50
     Size: 95 MB/381.5mb or 109.2mb
     AMG Rating:


     Most of this CD features vibraphonist Teddy Charles heading an advanced tentet in 1956, a unit including the likes of trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Gigi Gryce, tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose, pianist Mal Waldron, and guitarist Jimmy Raney. The arrangements of George Russell ("Lydian M-1"), Gil Evans (a year before Miles Ahead), Jimmy Giuffre, Mal Waldron, and Charles are quite advanced but often leave room for some swinging spots. The final three selections on the CD are actually taken from a slightly later album. Of these, "Blue Greens" is a change of pace, a quartet outing for Charles, pianist Hall Overton, bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Ed Shaughnessy. All in all, this CD is pretty definitive of Teddy Charles' more adventurous music of the 1950s and it grows in interest with each listening.

     Artist: The Black Sea Orchestra
     Album: The Black Sea Project
     Label:Lyra
     Year:1996 ; release:1998
     Genre:Contemporary Jazz
     Format, bitrate:Flac
     Time:50 Minutes
     Size: 332 mb