Charles McPherson - The Quintet/Live! (1967) (OJC ltd)

Charles McPherson - The Quintet/Live! (1967)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 305MB

OJC limited edition

Allmusic:
Altoist Charles McPherson and pianist Barry Harris are the stars of this live bop-oriented session. Trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer does his best although he stumbles a bit on the rapid "Shaw 'Nuff," drummer Billy Higgins and the forgotten bassist Ray McKinney are fine in support and the repertoire (ranging from the funky "The Viper" and "I Can't Get Started" to "Here's That Rainy Day" and the recent "Never Let Me Go") is diverse and challenging. It's an excellent CD overall.

Tracks
-1. "The Viper" - McPherson - 4:16
-2. "I Can't Get Started" - Duke, Gershwin - 9:10
-3. "Shaw 'Nuff" - Brown, Fuller, Gillespie - 10:15
-4. "Here's That Rainy Day" - Burke, VanHeusen - 6:30
-5. "Never Let Me Go" - Evans, Livingston - 11:30
-6. "Suddenly" - McPherson - 6:50

Personnel
* Charles McPherson (alto saxophone)
* Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet)
* Barry Harris (piano)
* Ray McKinney (bass)
* Billy Higgins (drums)

sample & buy: Quintet - Live

Michael Nyman - Live (1994) (eac-log-cover)

Michael Nyman - Live (1994)

classical, contemporary | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 490MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
Chameleon-like and resistant to categorization, Michael Nyman is one of the most eclectic composers to emerge from the late twentieth century's minimalist scene. Nyman's music encompasses many styles, not only the neo-Baroque pastiches in his film music but also popular and world music styles that may be less familiar. This live recording makes Nyman's diverse output comprehensible and amounts to his first greatest-hits package. The program opens with In Re Don Giovanni, a fun pattern piece drawn from the introductory measures of Leporello's Catalogue Aria. Bird List, with its obsessive backbeat and hard saxophone edge, is somewhere between minimalism and rock, an ambiguity Nyman clearly intended. The Queen of the Night, adapted from Nyman's soundtrack for The Draughtsman's Contract, is an extended version of one of the film's mordant pieces. Water Dances, in two movements entitled "Dipping" and "Stroking," is derived from pop harmonies of the 1960s, which Nyman admits as an important influence. The Upside-Down Violin features the Moroccan Orquesta Andaluzi de Tetuoan and provides an example of Nyman's ethnic explorations. The atmospheric concert suite from the soundtrack for The Piano is perhaps Nyman's most widely acclaimed work, and here it brings several ovations from the audience.

Tracks
-01 In Re Don Giovanni
-02 Bird List
-03 Queen of the Night
-04 Dipping
-05 Stroking
-06 Slow
-07 Faster
-08 Faster Still
-09 To the Edge of the Earth
-10 The Promise/The Heart Asks Pleasure First
-11 Here To There
-12 Lost & Found
-13 The Embrace
-14 All Imperfect Things
-15 Dreams of A Journey
-16 Here To There (Encore)

Personnel
Musicians from the Michael Nyman Band
*Michael Nyman, piano
*Jonathan Carney, violin
*Bill Hawkes, violin
*Catherine Musker, viola
*Tony Hinnigan, cello
*John Harle, soprano/alto saxohones
*David Roach, soprano/alto saxophones
*Andrew Findon, flute/piccolo/baritone saxophone
*Nigel Barr, trombone/tuba/euphonium
*Martin Elliott, bass guitar
and others...

sample & buy: Michael Nyman Live

Piazzolla - Tangos Arranged for Saxophone and Orchestra (1999)

Piazzolla - Tangos Arranged for Saxophone and Orchestra (1999)

F. Mondelci: sax; Moscow Camber Orchesta, C Orbelian cond

classical, latin | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Delos Records

NY Times:
The sax is a particularly good instrument for Piazzolla's music: like the tango, it is sexy, steamy and evocative, perfect listening for hot summer nights. Mondelci, playing baritone, tenor and soprano saxophones, brings a rich, jazzy appeal to Piazzolla's hauntingly beautiful melodies; he seems to have a real feel for the music's power and gutsiness, as well as its gentle tenderness.
Amazon:
Federico Mondelci and the strings of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra have collectively caught the tango bug and dedicated an entire program to Piazzolla here. Suddenly strings and saxophone alike have become inflamed with a new and beautiful fever that manifests itself in shivers, secrets, palpitations, flowing silences, triumphs and tears that crackle beneath the music's dark surface, merging in an elegant and intense unity like the balance of reason and passion.
Mondelci has reworked Piazzolla's music with originality and fantasy, clothing it in the same instinctive elegance with which the muted yet penetrating tone of his saxophone recalls the bandoneon's haughty languors. With deft affection, Mondelci's devotion, professionalism, and sheer love of his instrument share the same intuition that tormented and motivated the young Piazzolla: the need to completely rethink -- but always with respect and admiration -- a music that already existed, and to reweave its thematic material according to his own sensibilities and creative imperatives.
Mondelci has succeeded magnificently in blending intimacy and distance, plenitude and emptiness, bombast and lyricism, and he has done so with arranging so intelligent as to be imperceptible.
From the overflowing vessel of melodies written and recorded by Piazzolla for various ensembles and purposes, Mondelci, in this anthology-like sequence, has accomplished a new and sophisticated interweaving of orchestra and soloist, where profane angels, loosed from their urban shackles, are free to sing of their ardent dreams of a most human resurrection.

Tracks
-01. "Libertango (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 4:45
-02. "Adios Nonino (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 5:39
-03. "Cierra tus ojos escucha (Close your eyes and listen) (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 6:39
-04. "Revirado (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 5:47
-05. "Milonga del angel (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 5:50
-06. "La Muerte del angel (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 2:24
-07. "Resurrecction del Angel (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 6:58
-08. "Violentango (arr. saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 3:21
-09. "Melody in A minor" - Mondelci" - 4:58
-10. "Anos de Soledad (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 4:26
-11. "Meditango (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 6:23
-12. "Oblivion (arr. for saxophone and orchestra)" - Mondelci - 5:53

sample & buy: Piazzolla: Tangos arranged for saxophone_

Stan Getz - Stan Getz with Cal Tjader (XRCD) (1958)

Stan Getz - Stan Getz with Cal Tjader (1958)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 275MB

JVC XRCD

Allmusic:
In the vein of many a smooth West Coast jazz outing, this 1958 disc finds original cool stylist Getz paired with vibraphonist Cal Tjader on a very enjoyable selection of jazz standards and Tjader originals. The lineup includes pianist Vince Guaraldi, guitarist Eddie Duran, bassist Scott La Faro, and drummer Billy Higgins (this was one of the earliest record dates for either La Faro or Higgins, both of whom were playing with Getz at San Francisco's Black Hawk in between recording sessions). Guaraldi's spry "Ginza Samba" kicks thing off with nimble and imaginative statements by all the soloists. Tjader's swinging originals "Crow's Nest" and "Big Bear" provide prime solo vehicles as well, while his lovely waltz number "Liz-Anne" adds some nice contrast to the set, eliciting one of Getz's best solos in the process. The group rounds things out with fine ballad readings of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and "For All We Know." A suitable title for both Getz and Tjader fans. Highly recommended.

Tracks
-1. "Ginza Samba" - Guaraldi - 11:01
-2. "I've Grown Accustomed to HerFace" - Lerner, Loewe - 4:00
-3. "For All We Know" - Coots, Lewis - 5:45
-4. "Crow's Nest" - Tjader - 8:22
-5. "Liz Anne" - Tjader - 3:49
-6. "Big Bear" - Tjader - 4:35
-7. "My Buddy" - Donaldson, Kahn - 5:15
Recorded at Circle Record Studios, San Francisco, California on February 8, 1958.

Personnel
*Stan Getz (tenor saxophone)
*Cal Tjader (vibes)
*Eddie Duran (guitar)
*Vince Guaraldi (piano)
*Billy Higgins (drums)
*Scott LaFaro (bass)

sample & buy: Stan Getz with Cal Tjader (XRCD)

RCA Living Stereo: Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris (1959&61)

RCA Living Stereo: Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris (1959&61)
Arthur Fiedler, Earl Wild, Boston Pops Orchestra
classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 430MB

RCA | SACD | rel.: 2005

Classicstoday:
This is the finest Gershwin disc available, period. The items featuring Earl Wild have never been bettered, particularly the Concerto in F, which is dazzling in its excitement and irresistible panache. Fiedler alone does a splendid job with An American in Paris, and this collection for the first time includes the Cuban Overture, a rip-roaring performance with the Latin percussion front and center. This latest remastering is noticeably brighter than the previous Living Stereo reissue, whether in stereo or SACD, and the added brashness suits both the music and the interpretations. The three-track SACD channel separates the various instrumental choirs quite effectively, but some listeners may find the result artificial. It doesn't matter: You have the choice of how you listen, but if you haven't yet, you simply must listen one way or the other. Priceless.

Tracks
Rhapsody in Blue, for piano & orchestra (orchestrated by F. Grofé)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra
with Pasquale Cardillo, Earl Wild
Conducted by Arthur Fiedler

Concerto in F, for piano & orchestra
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra
with Earl Wild
Conducted by Arthur Fiedler

An American in Paris, tone poem for orchestra
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Arthur Fiedler

Variations on "I Got Rhythm" for piano and orchestra (or 2 Pianos)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra
with Earl Wild
Conducted by Arthur Fiedler

Cuban Overture
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Arthur Fiedler

sample & buy: Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris

Modern Jazz Quartet - Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) (eac-log-cover)

Modern Jazz Quartet - Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 185MB

Blue Note

Allmusic:
The Modern Jazz Quartet never actually recorded for Blue Note but their United Artists date was reissued on this Blue Note CD. The MJQ (vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Connie Kay) perform six of Lewis's compositions which were used in the film Odds Against Tomorrow. Best known is "Skating in Central Park" but all of the selections have their memorable moments and it is good to hear this classic unit playing such fresh material.

Tracks
-1. "Skating in Central Park" - Lewis - 6:07
-2. "No Happiness for Slater" - Lewis - 5:18
-3. "A Social Call" - Lewis - 4:45
-4. "Cue, No. 9" - Lewis - 5:00
-5. "A Cold Wind Is Blowing" - Lewis - 7:29
-6. "Odds Against Tomorrow" - Lewis - 3:33

Personnel
Milt Jackson - vibraphone
Percy Heath - bass
Connie Kay - drums
John Lewis - piano

sample & buy: Odds Against Tomorrow

Count Basie - Kansas City 5 (1977) (eac-log-cover)

Count Basie - Kansas City 5 (1977)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

OJC

Allmusic:
This studio session from 1977 features Count Basie in a quintet with vibraphonist Milt Jackson and guitarist Joe Pass. The predictably excellent group performs spirited versions of some of Basie's "hits" (including "Jive at Five" and "One O'Clock Jump"), some blues and a few standards. It is always interesting to hear Basie in a hornless setting like this one where he gets opportunities to stretch out on the piano.

Tracks
-01. "Jive at Five" (Count Basie, Harry "Sweets" Edison) – 5:30
-02. "One O'Clock Jump" (Basie) – 3:53
-03. "(We Ain't Got) No Special Thing" (Basie, Milt Jackson, Joe Pass) – 5:33
-04. "Memories of You" (Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf) – 3:49
-05. "Frog's Blues" (Basie, Jackson, Pass) – 4:55
-06. "Rabbit" (Basie, Jackson, Pass) – 3:46
-07. "Perdido" (Ervin Drake, Hans J. Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol) – 4:27
-08. "Timekeeper" (Basie, Jackson, Pass) – 5:12
-09. "Mean to Me" (Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk) – 5:00
-10. "Blues for Joe Turner" (Basie, Jackson) – 4:55

Personnel
* Count Basie - piano
* Milt Jackson - vibraphone
* Joe Pass - guitar
* John Heard - double bass
* Louie Bellson - drums

sample & buy: Kansas City 5

Bill Evans - Crosscurrents (1977) (eac-log-cover)

Bill Evans - Crosscurrents (1977)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

OJC

Allmusic:
This superior set was a logical idea. One of pianist Bill Evans' earlier influences was Lennie Tristano so on the date Evans' trio (with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund) was teamed with Tristano's two top "students": altoist Lee Konitz and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh. The quintet performs four standards (all of which fit easily into Evans' repertoire) plus "Pensativa" and Steve Swallow's "Eiderdown." Konitz and Marsh always worked very well together and their cool-toned improvising makes this outing by Bill Evans something special. The CD reissue adds three alternate takes to the original program. Recommended.

Tracks
-1. "Eiderdown" (Steve Swallow) – 8:17
-2. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" (Cole Porter) – 3:28
-3. "Pensativa" (Clare Fischer) – 5:35
-4. "Speak Low" (Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill) – 6:30
-5. "When I Fall in Love" (Edward Heyman, Victor Young) – 4:16
-6. "Night and Day" (Porter) – 6:05
Reissue bonus tracks:
-7. "Eiderdown" (Swallow) – 7:02
-8. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" (Porter) – 3:26
-9. "Night and Day" (Porter) – 7:02

Personnel
*Bill Evans – piano
*Eddie Gomez – bass
*Eliot Zigmund – drums
*Lee Konitz – alto saxophone
*Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone

sample & buy: Crosscurrents

Ian Carr's Nucleus - Awakening & Live At The Theaterhaus (1980 & 85)

Ian Carr's Nucleus - Awakening & Live At The Theaterhaus (1980 & 85)
jazz-rock | 2lp on 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 460MB

Mood/Bell

Nucleus on Allmusic
Nucleus on Wikipedia
Album reviews cannot be found.
Note: the above two Mood Records albums were re-issued as two albums on one CD (albeit in a truncated form) on the Bell label [Bell Records BLR 83 752] however due to CD space restrictions this CD features the following tracks only from the two albums Awakening andLive at the Theaterhaus, originally released on the Mood Records label:

Tracks
Awakening:
-1. "Awakening" - 10:05
-2. "Midnight Oil" - 6:25
-3. "Mutatis Mutandis" - 5:40
-4. "White City Blues" - 7:00
-5. "Thing Past" 10:00
Live At The Theaterhaus:
-6. "Bouquets Pour Ma Belle" - 12:00
-7. "For Miles And Miles" - 10:49
-8. "Easy Does It Now" - 9:31

Personnel
Awakening:
Sep,1980
Ian Carr - trumpet,flugelhorn
Brian Smith - tenor,soprano,percussion
Geoff Castle - electric piano,synthesizer
Chucho Merchan - bass
Nic France - drums,percussion

Live At The Theaterhaus:
6 Apr,1985
Ian Carr - trumpet,flugelhorn,piano
Phil Todd - saxophone
Mark Wood - guitar
Dil Katz - bass
John Marshall - drums

sample & buy: Awakening/Live At Theaterhous

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave (1967) (eac-log-cover)

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave (1967)

jazz, latin | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 190MB

A&M

Allmusic:
When Creed Taylor left Verve/MGM for his own label under the auspices of A&M, he quickly signed Antonio Carlos Jobim and they picked up right where they left off with this stunningly seductive record, possibly Jobim's best. Jobim contributes his sparely rhythmic acoustic guitar, simple melodic piano style, a guest turn at the harpsichord, and even a vocal on "Lamento," while Claus Ogerman lends a romantically brooding hand with the charts. A pair of instant standards are introduced ("Wave," "Triste"), but this album is to be cherished for its absolutely first-rate tunes -- actually miniature tone poems -- that escaped overexposure and thus sound fresh today. The most beautiful sleeper is "Batidinha," where the intuitive Jobim/Ogerman collaboration reaches its peak. One only wishes that this album were longer; 31:45 is not enough.

Tracks
-01. "Wave" – 2:58
-02. "The Red Blouse" – 5:06
-03. "Look to the Sky" – 2:20
-04. "Batidinha" – 3:15
-05. "Triste" – 2:04
-06. "Mojave" – 2:23
-07. "Diálogo" – 2:52
-08. "Lamento" (lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes) – 2:44
-09. "Antigua" – 3:10
-10. "Captain Bacardi" – 4:30
All songs composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Personnel
* piano, guitar, celeste, harpsichord: Antonio Carlos Jobim
* violin: Bernard Eichen, Lewis Eley, Paul Gershman, Louis Haber, Julius Held, Emanuel Green, Leo Kruczek, Harry Lookofsky, Joseph Malignaggi, Irving Spice, Louis Stone, Emanuel Green, Harry Lookofsky, Joseph Malignaggi, Raoul Poliakin, Gene Orloff
* cello: Harvey Shapiro, George Ricci, Charles McCracken, Abe Kessler
* trombone: Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland
* flute, piccolo: Raymond Beckenstein, Romeo Penque, Jerome Richardson
* bass: Ron Carter
* french horn: Joseph Singer
* drums: Claudio Slon, Dom Um Romao, Bobby Rosengarden
* arranger/conductor: Claus Ogerman

sample & buy: Wave

Art Blakey - The Big Beat (1960) (RVG) (eac-log-cover)

Art Blakey - The Big Beat (1960)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 310MB

Blue Note | RVG remaster 2005

Allmusic:
Perhaps the best known and most loved of Art Blakey's works, The Big Beat is a testament to the creative progress of one of the best jazz drummers of all time. Now over 40 years old, The Big Beat is as thunderous as ever. Here, Blakey combines his rhythm with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter's brilliant composing to make what could only be termed a "structurally raw" album. Each track rips through bebop as quickly as Blakey ripped through drum heads. "Dat Dere" and "Lester Left Town" stand out as part of the true canons for hot jazz. Two alternate versions of "It's Only a Paper Moon" round out the album, both brimming with the fluid integrity of the song and the drive only Blakey could provide. As one of the few drummers to step out and lead, not just play backup, Blakey created a true jazz treasure in The Big Beat.

Tracks
1. "The Chess Players" (Shorter) - 9:39
2. "Sakeena's Vision" (Shorter) - 6:06
3. "Politely" (Hardman) - 6:04
4. "Dat Dere" (Timmons) - 8:48
5. "Lester Left Town" (Shorter) - 6:26
6. "It's Only a Paper Moon" (Arlen, Harburg, Rose) - 6:41
7. "It's Only a Paper Moon [alternate take] (Arlen, Harburg, Rose) - 6:22
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 6, 1960

Personnel
*Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
*Lee Morgan — trumpet, flugelhorn
*Bobby Timmons — piano
*Jymie Merritt — bass
*Art Blakey — drums

sample & buy: Big Beat

Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter - 1+1 (1997) (eac-log-cover)

Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter - 1+1 (1997)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Verve

Allmusic:
Beyond category or idiom, audacious in its very idea, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter perform a little over an hour of spontaneous improvised duets for grand piano and soprano sax. That's all -- no synthesizers, no rhythm sections, just wistful, introspective, elevated musings between two erudite old friends that must have made the accountants at PolyGram reach for their Mylanta. Hancock's piano is long on complex harmonies of the most cerebral sort, occasionally breaking out into a few agitated passages of dissonance. His technique in great shape, Shorter responds with long-limbed melodies, darting responses to Hancock's lashings, and occasional painful outcries of emotion. The leadoff track, "Meridianne -- A Wood Sylph," clearly takes off from a base of Satie to set the reflective mood for nearly the whole CD; only the final, brief "Hale-Bopp, Hip-Hop" offers a hint of comic relief. All of the tunes, save for Michiel Borstlap's "Memory of Enchantment," are Hancock or Shorter originals; some, like Hancock's "Joanna's Theme" (from the film Death Wish) and Shorter's "Diana," date back to the '70s. As avidly as this music was awaited and as wildly as it was acclaimed by critics, it doesn't really touch the emotions as deeply as the best of the pair's work together and apart. It stands as a graceful, high-minded anomaly in the output of both, but not something you would expect to pull off the shelf to hear too often.

Tracks
-01. "Meridianne - A Wood Sylph" - Shorter - 6:09
-02. "Aung San Suu Kyi" - Shorter - 5:45
-03. "Sonrisa" - Hancock - 6:26
-04. "Memory Of Enchantment" - Michiel Borstlap - 6:20
-05. "Visitor From Nowhere" - Hancock/Shorter - 7:44
-06. "Joanna's Theme" - Hancock - 5:22
-07. "Diana" - Shorter - 5:32
-08. "Visitor From Somewhere" - Hancock/Shorter - 9:04
-09. "Manhattan Lorelei" - Hancock/Shorter - 7:22
-10. "Hale Bopp, Hip-Hop" - Hancock - 1:51

Personnel
*Herbie Hancock - piano, producer
*Wayne Shorter - soprano saxophone, producer

sample & buy: 1+1

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - Live in New York (1958-59) (eac-log-cover)

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - Live in New York (1958-59)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Jazzdoor | JD1242

Amazon:
I'm please to announce that this one is actually good, at least the perfomance. Must be around the time of "Kind of Blue" and "Round Midnight" - sparce album notes - the gang from those albums is intact here. Miles has the modal, lyrical Bill Evans on piano. And a mellow Coltrane really listens here to what others are playing. And the great Miles himself, slightly sad and melancholy and tuneful with that Harmon mute. They still seem to LOVE the music.
A tuneful version of "Bye Bye Blackbird", not sped up. Miles quotes from "Maria" from Westside Story. "It Never entered my Mind" - Miles invests himself emotionally in the playing. "So What!" played in the better walking tempo.
The only problem, of course, is the recording, which is flat and two dimensional. CD was cut from an LP, not a master tape! Sounds like a cheap tape recorder or a cheap mike. But I've heard much worse recordings of Davis.
But don't let that keep you away from what is otherwise great songs and great performances.

Tracks
-1. "Bye Bye Blackbird" - Dixon, Henderson - 6:48
-2. "Four" - Davis - 4:49
-3. "It Never Entered My Mind" - Hart, Rodgers - 3:48
-4. "Walkin'" - Carpenter - 6:28
-5. "Milestones" - Davis - 9:23
-6. "So What" - Davis - 8:50
Track #3: Cafe Bohemia, NYC, July 13, 1957
Tracks #1, 2, 4, 5: Cafe Bohemia, NYC, May 17, 1958
Track #6: The Robert Herridge Theatre, CBS-TV, April 2, 1959

Personnel
on track #3: Miles Davis: trumpet; Red Garland: piano; Paul Chambers: bass; Art Taylor: drums.
on track #1, 2, 4, 5: Miles Davis: trumpet; John Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Bill Evans: piano; Paul Chambers: bass; Philly Joe Jones: drums.
on track #6: Miles Davis: trumpet; John Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Wynton Kelly: piano; Paul Chambers: bass; Jimmy Cobb: drums.

sample & buy: Live in New York

Naked City - Grand Guignol (1991) (eac-log-cover)

Naked City - Grand Guignol (1991)

jazz, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 350MB

Avant

Allmusic:
Naked City's follow up to their self-titled album is a departure from the New York noir that they had perfected. Here, after a 17 minute, moody title piece, all low rumbling punctuated by drum thrashes and distorted screams, is a very straight transcription of Debussy's "Cathedrale Engloutie" featuring some very lovely, watery guitar work from Bill Frisell. Other modern pieces follow, with works by Scriabin, Ives, Messian, and Di Lassus. And then for something completely different: 32 thrash'n'burn numbers lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to a whopping 1:14, most with humorous titles (some favorites: "Jazz Snob: Eat Shit," "Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh," "Pigfucker"). Forget the subtlety of the first half -- this is thrash jazz! Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms provides vocals. As they say, there's screaming, and then there's Yamatsuka Eye. Whether or not such eclecticism makes for awkward listening is apparently the last thing on Zorn's list, and it probably shouldn't be a concern anyway. A rewarding album.

Tracks
-01. "Grand Guignol" – 17:41
-02. "La Cathédrale Engloutie" – 6:24 (Claude Debussy)
-03. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Douloureux, Déchirant" – 1:17 (Alexander Scriabin)
-04. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Très Lent, Contemplatif" – 1:43 (Scriabin)
-05. "Three Preludes Op. 74: Allegro Drammatico" – 0:49 (Scriabin)
-06. "Prophetiae Sybillarum" – 1:46 (Orlande de Lassus)
-07. "The Cage" – 2:01 (Charles Ives) - Featuring Bob Dorough
-08. "Louange à l'éternité de Jésus" – 7:08 (Olivier Messiaen)
-09. "Blood Is Thin" – 1:02
-10. "Thrash Jazz Assassin" – 0:47
-11. "Dead Spot" – 0:33
-12. "Bonehead" – 0:54
-13. "Piledriver" – 0:36
-14. "Shangkuan Ling-Feng" – 1:16
-15. "Numbskull" – 0:31
-16. "Perfume of A Critic's Burning Flesh" – 0:26
-17. "Jazz Snob: Eat Shit" – 0:26
-18. "The Prestidigitator" – 0:46
-19. "No Reason To Believe" – 0:28
-20. "Hellraiser" – 0:41
-21. "Torture Garden" – 0:37
-22. "Slan" – 0:24
-23. "The Ways of Pain" – 0:33
-24. "The Noose" – 0:13
-25. "Sack of Shit" – 0:46
-26. "Blunt Instrument" – 0:56
-27. "Osaka Bondage" – 1:17
-28. "Shallow Grave" – 0:42
-29. "Kaoru" – 0:53
-30. "Dead Dread" – 0:48
-31. "Billy Liar" – 0:13
-32. "Victims of Torture" – 0:24
-33. "Speedfreaks" – 0:50
-34. "New Jersey Scum Swamp" – 0:44
-35. "S/M Sniper" – 0:17
-36. "Pigfucker" – 0:24
-37. "Cairo Chop Shop" – 0:25
-38. "Facelifter" – 0:57
-39. "Whiplash" – 0:22
-40. "The Blade" – 0:30
-41. "Gob of Spit" – 0:21
*All compositions and arrangements by John Zorn, except where noted.

Personnel
* John Zorn – alto sax, vocals
* Bill Frisell – guitar
* Wayne Horvitz – keyboards
* Fred Frith – bass
* Joey Baron – drums
* Yamatsuka Eye – vocals
* Bob Dorough – special guest vocalist

sample & buy: Grand Guignol

Don Cherry - Brown Rice (1976) (eac-log-cover)

Don Cherry - Brown Rice (1976)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 255MB

A&M Records

Allmusic:
If Eternal Rhythm was Don Cherry's world fusion masterpiece of the '60s, then Brown Rice is its equivalent for the '70s. But where Eternal Rhythm set global influences in a free jazz framework, Brown Rice's core sound is substantially different, wedding Indian, African, and Arabic music to Miles Davis' electrified jazz-rock innovations. And although purists will likely react here the same way they did to post-Bitches Brew Davis, Brown Rice is a stunning success by any other standard. By turns hypnotic and exhilarating, the record sounds utterly otherworldly: the polyrhythmic grooves are deep and driving, the soloing spiritual and free, and the plentiful recording effects trippy and mysterious. The various ethnic influences lift the album's already mystical atmosphere to a whole new plane, plus Cherry adds mostly non-English vocals on three of the four tracks, whispering cryptic incantations that make the pieces resemble rituals of some alien shaman. The title cut has since become an acid jazz/rare-groove classic, filtering Charlie Haden's acoustic bass through a wah-wah pedal and melding it with psychedelic electric piano riffs, electric bongos, wordless female vocals, short snippets of tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe's free jazz screeching, and, of course, Cherry's whispers and trumpet. Closer "Degi-Degi" works a similarly mind-bending mixture, but the middle two pieces ("Malkauns" and "Chenrezig") are lengthy explorations where Cherry's languid trumpet solos echo off into infinity. Of all his world fusion efforts, Brown Rice is the most accessible entry point into Cherry's borderless ideal, jelling into a personal, unique, and seamless vision that's at once primitive and futuristic in the best possible senses of both words. While Cherry would record a great deal of fine work in the years to come, he would never quite reach this level of wild invention again. [Brown Rice's original title was Don Cherry, which was changed a year after its initial 1975 release.]

Tracks
-1. "Brown Rice" - Cherry - 5:15
-2. "Malkauns" - Berger, Cherry - 14:02
-3. "Chenrezig" - Cherry - 12:51
-4. "Degi-Degi" - Cherry - 7:06

Personnel
* Don Cherry – trumpet, electric piano, vocals
* Frank Lowe – tenor sax
* Ricky Cherry – electric piano
* Charlie Haden – acoustic bass
* Hakim Jamil – acoustic bass
* Moki – tamboura
* Billy Higgins, drums
* Bunchie Fox – electric bongos
* Verna Gillis – vocals

sample & buy: Brown Rice