Stan Getz - What The World Needs Now (1966 & 68)

Stan Getz  - What The World Needs Now (1966&68)

Stan Getz Plays Bacharach and David

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 260MB

Verve

Allmusic:
Long ignored by jazz folk who once thought the music of Burt Bacharach was beneath contempt, Stan Getz's collection of Bacharach-iana was no doubt rushed back into print in 1998 by the surprising resurgence of the composer's popularity among Generation X. Truth to tell, though, is that this isn't one of Getz's better gigs; his tone is not in the best of shape, and he sounds bored with some of the tunes (like lazily throwing in a jaded quote from "Tea for Two" in the middle of "Alfie"). However, "Any Old Time of the Day" is pretty good, as is "Trains and Boats and Planes," and "A House Is Not a Home" really engages Getz's attention (it is the only track to top four minutes in length). Richard Evans supplies the routine string and brass charts on most of the tracks; Claus Ogerman kicks in some others on three tracks, including some thoroughly useless voices. There are some top-flight jazzmen in the ranks -- Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell, Chick Corea, Phil Upchurch -- but listeners only get to hear the latter two in the solo spotlight. The original 11-track LP is topped off on CD by worthy outtakes of "A House Is Not a Home" and "In Between the Heartaches" along with, inexplicably, two versions of "Tara's Theme" by Max Steiner, whom even the deaf would not mistake for Burt Bacharach.

Tracks
-01. "Wives and Lovers" - Bacharach, David - 3:36
-02. "Windows of the World" - Bacharach, David - 2:43
-03. "The Look of Love" - Bacharach, David - 2:39
-04. "Any Old Time of Day" - Bacharach, David - 3:33
-05. "Alfie" - Bacharach, David - 2:51
-06. "In Times Like These" - Bacharach, David - 2:44
-07. "A House Is Not a Home [Master Take]" - Bacharach, David - 4:13
-08. "Trains and Boats and Planes" - Bacharach, David - 3:01
-09. "What the World Needs Now Is Love" - Bacharach, David - 2:58
-10. "In Between the Heartaches [Edited Master Take]" - Bacharach, David - 2:17
-11. "Walk on By" - Bacharach, David - 3:32
-12. "A House Is Not a Home" - Bacharach, David - 4:25
-13. "In Between the Heartaches" - Bacharach, David - 2:35
-14. "My Own True Love" - David, Steiner - 2:29
-15. "Tara's Theme" - Steiner - 2:36

 sample & buy: What The World Needs Now

 

Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Fanfare for The Warriorsl (1973)

Art Ensemble Of Chicago  - Fanfare for The Warriorsl (1973)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 260MB

Atlantic

Allmusic:
The Art Ensemble of Chicago's first (and arguably most significant) period concluded with this high-quality studio session, Fanfare for the Warriors. The quintet (trumpeter Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman on reeds, bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Don Moye) provides concise but adventurous performances. High points include Mitchell's "Nonnaah," Bowie's humorous "Barnyard Scuffel Shuffle" and "Tnoona," but all of the selections have their own musical personality. It's a fine showcase for this important avant-garde unit.

Tracks
1. "Illistrum" (Favors) - 8:17
2. "Barnyard Scuffel Shuffel" (Bowie) - 5:12
3. "Nonaah" (Mitchell) - 5:44
4. "Fanfare for the Warriors" (Jarman) - 7:58
5. "What's to Say" (Jarman) - 4:02
6. "Tnoona" (Mitchell) - 6:25
7. "The Key" (Mitchell) - 1:15
Recorded at Paragon Studios, Chicago, Ill., on September 6–8, 1973

Personnel
* Lester Bowie: trumpet, percussion instruments
* Malachi Favors Maghostut: bass, percussion instruments, vocals
* Joseph Jarman: saxophones, clarinets, percussion instruments
* Roscoe Mitchell: saxophones, clarinets, flute, percussion instruments
* Don Moye: drums, percussion
* Muhal Richard Abrams: piano

 sample & buy: Fanfare for the Warriors

 

Tinariwen - Amassakoul (2003)

Tinariwen - Amassakoul (2003)

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

Emma

Allmusic:
Tinariwen strip rock down to its basic building blocks of rhythm, guitars, and voice. On their second CD there are no fancy studio tricks or multiple overdubs. They stick to what they've shown they do well -- keep the music raw and emotional. While there are similarities to the desert blues of Mali, these Tuareg nomads from the Western Sahara are as much as rock band as the Stones at their best, capable of conjuring up magic with a guitar riff or lick. Oftentimes, the music has the same bluesy, undulating, hypnotic rhythm of a camel crossing the sand, as on "Aldhechen Manin." But they can also crank the amps and unleash something to tingle the spine and feet, which they do on "Oualahila Ar Tesninam," as frantic and primal a piece of rock & roll as you're likely to find. There's even a touch of rap on "Arawan." But there's a complexity in their basic approach, the interlocking layers of electric guitars and the plaintive, defiant voices. To listen to Tinariwen is to believe once more in rock and its power. This is angry and passionate; it's dangerous music in the very best sense. Western bands might have forgotten how to rock as if their lives depended on it; Tinariwen can teach them.

Tracks
-01. "Amassakoul 'N' Ténéré" (Alhabib) 3:24
-02. "Oualahila Ar Tesninam" (Alhabib) 3:47
-03. "Chatma" (Alhabib) 5:36
-04. "Arawan" (Abdoulahi) 4:06
-05. "Chet Boghassa" (Abdoulahi) 3:52
-06. "Amidnin" (Touhami) 2:51
-07. "Ténéré Daféo Nikchan" (Alhabib) 4:51
-08. "Aldhechen Manin" (Alhabib) 3:54
-09. "Alkhar Dessouf" (Alhabib) 4:55
-10. "Eh Massina Sintadoben" (Touhami) 4:29
-11. "Assoul" (Alhabib) 4:08

 sample & buy: Amassakoul

 

Bobby Timmons - The Soul Man (1966)

Bobby Timmons - The Soul Man (1966)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 260MB

Prestige

Amazon
The Soul Man! is beautiful, elegant music and, contrary to what one might expect from a straightforward Prestige session, it's made up entirely of compelling, memorable originals. When the album was recorded, both Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter were in the second Miles Davis quintet, and it appears from this record that they were willing to contribute original compositions for a smaller unit under someone else's leadership, even someone as modest as Bobby Timmons, who was essentially just a reliable, bluesy pianist, while Miles was a giant.
The result actually is a small gem. Shorter is at the height of his maturity as a player, delivering eloquent, lyrical statements in that rich, confident tone, while Timmons lays down solos as witty as he ever played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the "school" that gave him (and Shorter, incidentally) an assured place in the business.
What surprises me to this day is just how unknown and obscure this record is. The closing piece, Ron Carter's "Little Waltz" is a minor masterpiece, and ought to have become a standard straight away (it appears in several recordings made throughout the 70s featuring Ron Carter).

Tracks
-1. "Cut Me Loose Charlie" - 5:46
-2. "Tom Thumb" (Wayne Shorter) - 7:09
-3. "Ein Bahn Strasse (One Way Street)" (Ron Carter) - 7:21
-4. "Damned If I Know" - 6:31
-5. "Tenaj" (Carter) - 7:08
-6. "Little Waltz" (Carter) - 6:37
All compositions by Bobby Timmons except as indicated
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 20, 1966.

Personnel
* Bobby Timmons - piano
* Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
* Ron Carter - bass
* Jimmy Cobb - drums

 sample & buy: Soul Man!

 

Lol Coxhill - Coxhill on Ogun (1977 & 78)

Lol Coxhill - Coxhill on Ogun (1977 & 78)

Diverse & The Joy of Paranoia 

jazz | 2lp on 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 400MB

OGUN

Allmusic:
This Ogun CD is actually the reissue of two Coxhill albums from the '70s. The first, "Diverse" -- which is comprised of two improvisations ("Diver" and "Divers") with bassist Dave Green, percussionist John Mitchell, and cellist Colin Wood -- was issued in 1977 and is represented here last. The second, The Joy of Paranoia -- which features Coxhill in settings from solo to trio -- was released in 1978. The set comes out of the gate stomping with "The Wakefield Capers." It's an odd composition in that it features a funky, driven bass and electric guitar with ostinato figures from Coxhill and moves into a greasy groove before melting away temporarily to include an acoustic Spanish guitar to replace the electric in the forefront, and takes on a Brazilian rhythmic slant before shifting into reggae, soul, R&B, and free improv before winding out some 19 minutes later as a chaotic free jazz tune. "The Clück Variations" are a duet with Veryan Weston on piano that take as their inspiration a clarinet and piano duet by Webern. And there's also a lovely cover of "Loverman" with Coxhill blowing dry and sweet -- like sherry -- accompanied by Michael Garrick's electric piano in a reading of the tune that suggests it was originally written for broken tempos and scuttles harmonics. On the later material, the two long pieces that make up the Diverse album, we get Coxhill as we know him best: as a quirky, complex improviser with a sense of humor and a flair for understatement. "Diver" is completely solo, a long, loping travail through Coxhill's tonal universe as expressed by his great love of balladry. It's an unusual timbral specter he reveals, but it's a welcome one in that his phrasing, sonorities, and tonal explorations are never off the mark and always expansive harmonically. On the quartet piece, we get chamber improvisation at its finest; various dialogues and languages assert themselves only to disappear before they can take themselves too seriously. The music circles round, and turns out and in on itself before breaking onto higher ground as sound itself. In all, this is a fine retrospective view of Coxhill, even if it is only for two years. This was a particularly fertile period for him, and listeners will be more than gratified by its breadth and scope.

Tracks
-1. "The Wakefield Capers" - Coxhill - 18:46
-2. "The Clück Variations" - Coxhill, Weston - 7:49
-3. "Joy of Paranoia Waltz" - Coxhill - 2:11
-4. "Lover Man" - Davis, Ramirez, Sherman - 5:15
-5. "Perdido" - Drake, Lengsfelder, Tizol - 7:20
---
-6. "Diver" - Coxhill - 16:25
-7. "Divers" - Coxhill, Green, Mitchell-Davidson - 21:21

Personnel
* Michael Garrick: electric piano
* Dave Green : bass
* John Mitchell: drums
* Paul Michell-Davidson: bass guitar
* Ken Shaw: electric guitar
* Varyan Weston: piano
* Colin Wood: cello
* Richard Wright: spanish guitar

 sample & buy: Coxhill on Ogun

 

Biota - Invisible Map (2001)

Biota - Invisible Map (2001)

rock, electronic, avangarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 500MB

RéR

Allmusic:
The fifth album by the collective Biota (if one doesn't count the LPs under the name Mnemonists), Invisible Map carries on with the change of direction instigated on Object Holder. This time, instead of having about 20 minutes of pop songs in the middle of the group's usual dreamy landscapes, the pop material is thoroughly integrated to the music. The singer is Montrealer Geneviève Heistek (of Godspeed You Black Emperor's entourage). Her half-alternative, half-trip-hop voice appears on every third or fourth track, starting with "The Rapid Color." In 76 minutes, Biota takes the listener on a beautiful, if tormented, journey through 37 short pieces. Gordon Whitlow's David Thomas-like accordion riffs meet with Tom Katsimpalis' balalaika, William Sharp's hurdy-gurdy, and Chuck W. Vrtacek's delicate piano lines, all wrapped up with audio art fabric. With its wide range covering delicate post-folkish pop songs to ambient soundscapes, Invisible Map may be the collective's most accomplished and accessible release to date. All music styles (folk, jazz, blues, rock, musique concrète, free improv, etc.) coalesce to be filtered through the dreamer's ears: background vocals are slightly treated, soloing instruments are heard from a distance, rhythm tracks are deliberately just a bit out of sync. This way, the simple tunes never really come into focus, giving the whole album an aura of mystery. The 12-page booklet contains beautiful artwork by the Mnemonists collective. Strongly recommended to both fans and curious newcomers.

Tracks
-01 . "Moment" - Biota, Heistek - 0:44
-02 . "The Rapid Color" - Biota - 3:46
-03 . "Port" - Biota - 2:59
-04 . "Call" - Biota - 2:36
-05 . "Landless" - Biota, Heistek, Katsimpalis - 2:39
-06 . "Air on Water" - Biota - 0:29
-07 . "Mineral" - Biota - 3:19
-08 . "Common Broom" - Biota - 2:12
-09 . "Birthday" - Biota, Heistek - 3:29
-10 . "Dustman" - Biota - 0:52
-11 . "Sleeping Car" - Biota - 2:25
-12 . "Snake Out" - Biota - 3:21
-13 . "Occurrence" - Biota - 1:36
-14 . "Top Ray Done" - Biota - 1:58
-15 . "Glass Lizard" - Biota" - 2:08
-16 . "Telegraph Plant" - Biota - 0:56
-17 . "Spoonbender's Visit" - Biota - 0:54
-18 . "Remodel a Whisper" - Biota - 0:32
-19 . "Measured Not Found" - Biota - 3:22
-20 . "The Slow Forest" - Biota - 4:30
-21 . "Canopy" - Biota - 0:46
-22 . "Red's Big Day" - Biota - 1:32
-23 . "Lampblack" - Biota - 1:33
-24 . "There Is Probably Something" - Biota - 0:37
-25 . "Worry Hill" - Biota - 1:28
-26 . "Olive Drab Morionette" - Biota - 1:15
-27 . "Invisible Gap" - Biota - 1:19
-28 . "Yarn" - Biota - 3:18
-29 . "Words Disappear" - Biota, Heistek, Katsimpalis - 1:22
-30 . "Ballad Of" - Biota - 2:05
-31 . "Soil and Token" - Biota - 1:37
-32 . "Glazed Paper" - Biota, Katsimpalis - 3:21
-33 . "Paste" - Biota - 3:08
-34 . "Truth Table" - Biota - 0:56
-35 . "Dual" - Biota, Katsimpalis - 3:23
-36 . "Flicker" - Biota - 2:38
-37 . "Presto the Human" - Biota - 1:03

Personnel
Genevieve Heistek; lead vocals, violin: Steve Scholbe; slide guitars: Tom Katsimpalis; guitars, Clavioline, balalaika: Gordon Whitlow; accordion, pump organ: William Sharp; electronics, hurdy gurdy: Larry Wilson drums: James Gardner; Rhodes, noe, trumpet: C.W. Vrtacek; piano: Randy Yeates; Biomellodrone keyboard: Mark Piersel; acoustic & lap steel guitars: Andy Kredt; electric guitars

 sample & buy: Biota: Invisible Map

Eberhard Weber - Yellow Fields (1975)

Eberhard Weber - Yellow Fields (1975)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 260MB

ECM

Progarchives:
Of all of Eberhard Weber's classic albums Yellow Fields is probably the most likely to appeal to the average prog fan. First of all because it opens with "Touch", the most "symphonic" piece Weber has ever recorded without using an actual orchestra: a lush, stately, moving instrumental ballad with gorgeous mellotron, and with the main melody played in unison by Charlie Mariano's lyrical sax, Rainer Brueninghaus's synth and Weber's own plangeant bass. "Touch" is utterly delightful, a major highlight in Weber's oeuvre.
The remainder of the album's original A-side is taken up by the fifteen-and-a-half minute "Sand-Glass", which is strongly reminiscent of mid-seventies Weather Report, especially because Brueninghaus's playing on Fender Rhodes borrows a trick or two from the late Joseph Zawinul! As the title of the piece suggests, the beat is rockier and steadier than with Weather Report (not polyrhythmic) and the main melody sounds somewhat hesitant, at least until Mariano switches from sax to an Indian wind instrument (either shenai or nagaswaram) and the piece suddenly acquires wings! It's another magic moment on a deeply satisfying album.
Yellow Fields' B-side opens with the ten-minute title track, one of the sprightliest tunes Weber has written, beautifully played by Mariano on soprano sax. The real highlight of this piece, however, is Brueninghaus's exciting Fender Rhodes solo. Together with the magisterial Weber and the energetic Jon Christensen (on drums), Brueninghaus is also the star of "Left Lane", the thirteen-and-a-half minute closing track. Once again he shines on Fender Rhodes, but the piece also contains an intriguing extended break for grand piano solo, reminiscent of Yes's "South Side of the Sky" but much better recorded and played with far greater subtlety.

Tracks
-1. "Touch" - 4:58
-2. "Sand-Glass" - 15:40
-3. "Yellow Fields" - 10:05
-4. "Left Lane" - 13:35

Personnel
* Eberhard Weber (cello)
* Jon Christensen (drums)
* Rainer Bruninghaus (keyboards)
* Charlie Mariano (saxophone, soprano saxophone)

 sample & buy: Yellow Fields

 

Big Satan - I Think They Liked It Honey (1997)

Big Satan - I Think They Liked It Honey (1997)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 520MB

Winter & Winter

Allmusic:
Tim Berne (alto and baritone saxes) has been at the forefront of progressive jazz since the early '80s. On this release, the artist regroups with longtime musical associates Marc Ducret (electric guitar) and Tom Rainey (drums) for a truly mesmerizing set that rings with ominous overtones and intricately constructed fabrics of sound. Over the years, Rainey and Ducret have supported Berne-led dates, and here the trio pursues a fire and brimstone approach that packs a walloping punch. On pieces such as "Bobby Reconte une Histoire" and "Dialectes," the band melds shuffle grooves with complex unison choruses and linearly devised progressions amid slight shifts in strategy. Vivid imagery abounds as Berne and Ducret offer allusions of perhaps climbing a spiral staircase via climactic opuses and scorching licks. And while many of these pieces are structured and based upon solid frameworks, the artists' complementary musings and intuitive interplay provide the winning edge. The band explores various methods of expounding upon a story line via Berne and Ducret's shredding lines and implosive mode of execution, while Rainey anchors the proceedings with loosely based polyrhythms and sweeping fills. Here, the musicians straddle the outside while also providing supplementary insight into familiar musical territories.

Tracks
-1. "Bobby Raconte une Histore" - Ducret - 11:36
-2 . "Dialectes" - Ducret - 15:24
-3 . "The 12.5% Solution" - Berne - 10:46
-4 . "Scrap Metal" - Berne - 8:44
-5 . "Yes, Dear" - Berne - 14:08
-6 . "Description du Tunnel" - Ducret - 16:19

Personnel
* Marc Ducret: guitar
* Tom Rainey: drums
* Tim Berne: saxophone

 sample & buy: Big Satan

 

Tony Scott - Music For Zen Meditation (1964)

Tony Scott - Music For Zen Meditation (1964)

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

Verve

Allmusic:
After stints at Juilliard and in the Army during the '40s, clarinetist Tony Scott rose to prominence in the '50s as a respected jazz soloist. His resumé at the time included work with Sarah Vaughan, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, and Claude Thornhill, among many others. In addition to these sidemen dates, Scott also cut several solo albums. His subtle phrasing eventually found a perfect niche in the smattering of meditation and yoga dates he cut in the mid-'60s for Verve. Fueled by his burgeoning interest in Far Eastern culture, Scott hooked up with two Japanese master instrumentalists for this classic 1964 date. And while Scott, koto player Shinichi Yuize, and shakuhachi player Hozan Yamamoto produce nine cuts that sound classically Japanese and really nothing like jazz, they do actually improvise pretty much throughout the entire set. If you'd like to levitate to music with some unexpected twists, then Scott's Music for Zen Meditation is for you.
The album is considered to be the first New Age record.

Tracks
-1. "Is All Not One?" (Tony Scott, Hōzan Yamamoto, Shinichi Yuize) – 3:50
-2. "The Murmuring Sound of the Mountain Stream" (Scott, Yuize) – 8:05
-3. "A Quivering Leaf, Ask the Winds" (Yamamoto)– 2:30
-4. "After the Snow, the Fragrance" (Scott, Yuize) – 7:00
-5. "To Drift Like Clouds" (Yamamoto, Yuize) – 1:38
-6. "Za-Zen (Meditation)" (Scott, Yamamoto) – 2:05
-7. "Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya Sutra (Sutra Chant)" (Scott, Yuize) – 7:10
-8. "Sanzen (Moment of Truth)" (Scott, Yuize) – 6:45
-9. "Satori (Enlightenment)" (Scott, Yuize) – 5:25

Personnel
* Tony Scott - clarinet
* Shinichi Yuize - koto
* Hozan Yamamoto - shakuhachi

 sample & buy: Music for Zen Meditation

 

Phineas Newborn Jr. - The Newborn Touch (1964)

Phineas Newborn Jr. - The Newborn Touch (1964)

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

OJC

Allmusic:
This CD reissue adds an alternate take and an unissued selection to the original program. Pianist Phineas Newborn's only recording of the 1963-1968 period, the trio outing with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Frank Butler, finds Newborn's virtuosic style unchanged from the late '50s. As is usual on his Contemporary recordings, the pianist explores superior jazz compositions, in this case interpreting a song apiece by Benny Carter, Russ Freeman, Hampton Hawes, Art Pepper, Ornette Coleman ("The Blessing"), Carl Perkins, Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Jimmy Woods and Barney Kessel. Newborn's remarkable control of the piano was still unimpaired, and he is heard giving Oscar Peterson a run for his money. [Originally released in 1964, Newborn Touch was reissued on CD in 1994 and includes the bonus tracks "Good Lil' Man" and "Be Deedle Dee Do"; it was reissued again in 2006.]

Tracks
-01. "A Walkin' Thing" - Carter - 4:37
-02. "Double Play" - Freeman, Jones - 3:59
-03. "The Sermon" - Hawes - 2:40
-04. "Diane" - Mingus, Pepper, Pollack, Rapee - 4:17
-05. "The Blessing" - Coleman - 3:08
-06. "Grooveyard" - Perkins - 3:07
-07. "Blue Daniel" - Rosolino - 3:18
-08. "Hard to Find" - Difford, Tilbrook, Vinnegar - 4:04
-09. "Pazmuerte" - Woods - 3:30
-10. "Be Deedle Dee Do" - Kessel - 4:04
-11. "Good Lil' Man" - Jenkins - 3:10
-12. "Be Deedle Dee Do" - Kessel - 4:50

Personnel
* Phineas Newborn Jr. (piano)
* Leroy Vinnegar (bass)
* Frank Butler (drums)

 sample & buy: Newborn Touch

 

Ketil Bjornstad - Water Stories (1993)

Ketil Bjornstad - Water Stories (1993)

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

ECM

jazzreview.com
Water Stories was Bjornstad's ECM debut. Originally an enthusiast of classical style, Bjornstad's soft and often haunting technique overwhelms the mood of this album. The session features an incredible ECM veteran lineup with Terje Rypdal on guitar, Bjorn Kjellemyr (from Rypdal's Chasers band) on bass, and virtuoso Jon Christensen on drums. The record has an overall relaxing and polished feel, with abrupt and other-world sounds from Rypdal's electric strat--keeping the music from settling or being to pretty. The result is a lengthy piece with a consistent musical theme that, while easy and peaceful, never lets the listener lose interest. (the latter tracks feature Per Hillestad, an up-and-coming jazz percussionist with a Jack DeJohnette type rhythm).

Tracks
Part One: Blue Ice (The Glacier)
-01. "Glacial Reconstruction" - 6:58
-02. "Levels and Degrees" - 7:19
-03. "Surface Movements" - 4:27
-04. "The View I" - 5:18
-05. "Between Memory and Presentiment" - 4:02
Part Two: Approaching The Sea
-06. "Ten Thousand Years Later" - 7:09
-07. "Waterfall" - 2:14
-08. "Flotation and Surroundings" - 5:20
-09. "Riverscape" - 2:14
-10. "Approaching the Sea" - 4:50
-11. "The View II" - 4:30
-12. "History" - 3:47

Personnel
* Ketil Bjørnstad - piano
* Terje Rypdal - guitar
* Bjorn Kjellemyr - bass
* Jon Christensen (tracks 1-5), Per Hillestad (tracks 6-12) - drums

 sample & buy: Water Stories

 

Foetus - Male (1990)

Foetus - Male (1990)

rock, electronic | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 620MB

BigCat

Allmusic:
Recorded at a show at legendary New York venue CBGB's in late 1990, the two-disc Male shows Foetus and a crack band ripping through songs old and new, plus a few fun surprises along the way. Engineered by Martin Bisi, the recording packs all the brutal, unrelenting punch and atmosphere of Foetus' studio work, while the band itself avoids slouching at any and all points. The band membership itself is worthy of note, containing as it does a number of worthy names, many of whom also worked with Foetus' friend and sometime collaborator Michael Gira of Swans -- bassist Algis Kizys, guitarist Norman Westberg, and drummer Vinnie Signorelli are present and fully accounted for. Matched thus by similarly minded aesthetic souls (and with longtime underground type David Ouimet contributing samples for that particular Foetus touch), Foetus himself lives up to the proceedings. Starting with the virulent burn of "Free James Brown," which makes the similarly-minded song by Big Audio Dynamite seem like an effete whine, Male captures Thirlwell in over-the-top insane-preacher, end-is-nigh mode. Matching the band both in total calamitous rage or slow, doomy jazz-noir crawl (and even a bit of country psych on the Elton John-quoting "Puppet Dude"), he makes a perfect frontman for a trip through hell. His affinity for Tom Waits' own raspy voiced delivery is clear, but Foetus is his own man throughout, not a soundalike. The one-two punch of "Butterfly Potion" and "I'll Meet You in Poland, Baby," the latter's vicious conflation of romance and World War II extremely chilling, makes for a particular highlight. Two creative covers surface -- a vicious take on the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's obsessive glam classic "Faith Healer" and, reflecting a nicely open listening sensibility, a rumble through cult grunge band Tad's "Behemoth."

Tracks
cd1
-1. "Free James Brown" – 4:36
-2. "Fin" – 1:56
-3. "Hot Horse" – 5:08
-4. "English Faggot" – 6:25
-5. "Faith Healer" (Alex Harvey / Hugh McKenna) – 7:20
-6. "Honey I'm Home" (Thirlwell / Roli Mosimann) – 9:25
-7. "Butterfly Potion" – 3:09
-8. "I'll Meet You in Poland Baby" – 7:43
cd2
-1. "Anything (Viva!)" – 8:41
-2. "Death Rape 2000" – 1:59
-3. "Puppet Dude" (Thirlwell / Don Fleming / Jay Spiegel / Jim Dunbar) – 4:56
-4. "Stumbo" (Thirlwell / Mosimann) – 7:55
-5. "Someone Drowned in My Pool" – 9:25
-6. "Behemoth" (TAD) – 8:05
-7. "Your Salvation" – 14:24
All songs by J. G. Thirlwell unless noted.

Personnel
* Clint Ruin - vocals
* Algis Kizys - Bass
* David Ouimet - Samplers, Trombone
* Norman Westberg - Guitar
* Hahn Rowe - Violin, Guitar
* Vinnie Signorelli - drums

 sample & buy: Male

 

Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti - Magico (1979)

Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti - Magico (1979)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 205MB

ECM

Allmusic:
Perhaps it was the presence of bassist Charlie Haden, but this trio set has more energy than one normally associates with the other members of the group (Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano and Egberto Gismonti doubling on guitar and piano). The trio performs group originals and an obscurity during the picturesque and continually interesting release; this combination works well. 

Tracks
-1. "Bailarina" (Geraldo Carneiro, Piry Reis) - 14:30
-2. "Magico" - 7:47
-3. "Silence" (Charlie Haden) - 10:17
-4. "Spor" (Jan Garbarek) - 6:11
-5. "Palhaço" - 5:00
All compositions by Egberto Gismonti except as indicated
Recorded at Talent Studio in Oslo, Norway in June 1979

Personnel
* Charlie Haden — bass
* Jan Garbarek — saxophone
* Egberto Gismonti — guitar, piano

 sample & buy: Magico

 

Michel Petrucciani - Michel Plays Petrucciani (1987)

Michel Petrucciani - Michel Plays Petrucciani (1987)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 245MB

Blue Note

Allmusic:
Tackling his own material, with nary a vintage standard within earshot, Petrucciani combines his assertive, driving, mainstream piano with two different trios on two separate occasions. The first half of the program features the hard-swinging combination of bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Roy Haynes, augmented on "One For Us" by the slightly withdrawn guitar of John Abercrombie. The second half finds bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Al Foster providing somewhat smoother, perhaps more conventional support, occasionally with a Latin twinge, and Abercrombie and percussionist Steve Thornton sit in on one number apiece. Petrucciani's compositions are certainly worthy pieces, but as always, the pianist's direct, intelligently probing solos leave the source material way behind; he's an improviser through and through.

Tracks
-1 "She Did It Again" - 4:03
-2 "One For Us" - 5:09
-3 "Sahara" - 4:14
-4 "13th" - 4:05
-5 "Mr. K.J." - 4:19
-6 "One Night At Ken And Jessica's" - 3:08
-7 "It's A Dance" - 6:16
-8 "La Champagne" - 6:14
-9 "Brazilian Suite" - 6:24

Personnel
* Gary Peacock - Bass, tracks 1-5
* Roy Haynes - Drums, tracks 1-5
* Eddie Gomez - Bass, tracks 6-9
* Al Foster - Drums, tracks 6-9
* John Abercrombie - Guitar, tracks 2 and 7
* Steve Thornton - Percussion, track 9

 sample & buy: Michel Plays Petrucciani

 

Tony Scott - Music For Yoga Meditation and Other Joys (1968)

 
Tony Scott - Music For Yoga Meditation and Other Joys (1968)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 215MB

Verve

Allmusic:
With a title and front cover like this, one would expect 1968's Music for Yoga Meditation and Other Joys to have come out on an obscure San Francisco label run out of the back room of a natural foods store and feature amateurish players no one had ever heard of before or since. Yet, this duet album between clarinetist Tony Scott -- a former hard bop player in the '50s who had become drawn into world music and a style that can only be called proto-ambient -- and sitar player Collin Walcott is actually not just a lifestyle curio, but a musically interesting lifestyle curio. Strip away the Age of Aquarius trappings (although the liner notes are good for an ironic giggle) and Music for Yoga Meditation and Other Joys is not dissimilar to what Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders would get up to over the next decade: long, flowing melodies and one-chord drones colored by elements of Indian classical music and other world music influences. The nine tracks explore a surprising variety of moods and tonalities given the self-limiting instrument lineup, and though this is too twee and hippie-ish to be called jazz, ambient and space rock fans will be fascinated by it.

Tracks
 -1. "Prahna [Live Force]" - Scott - 4:16
 -2. "Shiva [The Third Eye]" - Scott - 5:09
 -3. "Samadhi [Ultimate Bliss]" - Scott - 4:54
 -4. "Hare Krishna [Hail Krishna]" - Scott - 6:16
 -5. "Hatha [Sun and Moon]" - Scott - 3:40
 -6. "Kundalina [Serpent Power]" - Scott - 4:45
 -7. "Sahasrara [Highest Chakra]" - Scott - 3:14
 -8. "Triveni [Sacred Knot]" - Scott - 3:22
 -9. "Santi [Peace]" - Scott - 2:48

Personnel
*Tony Scott (clarinet)
* Collin Walcott (sitar)

 sample & buy: Music for Yoga Meditation & Other Joys