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

 

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Concert Program (1994) (eac-log-cover)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Concert Program (1994)

new age, chamber jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 510MB

Zopf

Allmusic:
This two-disc live program of music spanning the history of the group from the early 1970s to the early 1990s is remarkable not only for the quality of the music, but for the absolute hush of the audience; there's not a cough or a clap out of them. We are thus left free from distraction to enjoy PCO's unique combination of old-time parlor stylings, park bandstand music, folk, and classical. Emotionally, the mélange adds up to a wistful yet hopeful nostalgia. Intellectually, it's fascinating to watch the kaleidoscopic interplay of elements, such as the minimalist factor that enters the mix in "Numbers 1-4" with its Glass-like repeated gallop.
The music is all instrumental (it really is all small orchestra), but the possible sameness of the sound is broken up by clever arrangements and a little variation in the instruments, as with the occasional harmonium and the ukulele featured on the all-out hoe-down "Beanfields" (not to mention the telephonesounds on "Telephone and Rubber Band"). The instruments are unfortunately pushed too far back in the sound-space, as an effect rather like a soft-focus in a movie flashback. This may have been composer/producer Simon Jeffes' intent, but it doesn't serve the music well.
Half the fun of listening to PCO is trying to pin down the allusions and influences, the funniest being the riff from "La Bamba" played on the cuatro by Jeffes in "Giles Farnaby's Dream." However, the eclecticism makes it hard to define the market who will appreciate this music. If you like Cafe Noir, 81/2 Souvenirs, or Squirrel Nut Zippers, there's a pretty good chance you'll like this, too. But remember that Penguin Cafe Orchestra was there first.

Tracks
cd1
-01. "Air A Danser" - Jeffes - 5:26
-02. "Cage Dead [Version 2]" - Jeffes - 4:46
-03. "Organum" - Jeffes - 4:26
-04. "Southern Jukebox Music" - Jeffes - 5:10
-05. "Numbers 1-4" - Jeffes - 7:43
-06. "Air" - Jeffes - 4:13
-07. "Perpetuum Mobile" - Jeffes - 4:42
-08. "Nothing Really Blue" - Jeffes - 5:16
-09. "Telephone and Rubber Band" - Jeffes - 3:55
cd2
-01. "Beanfields" - Jeffes - 4:38
-02. "Vega" - Jeffes - 10:10
-03. "Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet the Sky)" - Jeffes - 2:08
-04. "Oscar Tango" - Jeffes - 3:43
-05. "Music for a Found Harmonium" - Jeffes - 2:36
-06. "Lifeboat (Lovers Rock)" - Jeffes - 6:51
-07. "Steady State" - Jeffes - 5:20
-08. "Scherzo and Trio" - Jeffes - 6:58
-09. "Giles Farnaby's Dream" - Farnaby, Jeffes - 5:25
-10. "Salty Bean Fumble" - Jeffes - 4:06
-11. "Red Shorts" - Jeffes - 3:59

sample & buy: Concert Program

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - When In Rome... (1988) (eac-log-cover)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - When In Rome...  (1988)

new age, chamber jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 380MB

Virgin EG Records

When in Rome... is a 1988 live album by the  Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and was recorded at The Royal Festival Hall, London, on the 9th of July 1987. It was produced by Simon Jeffes and published by EG Records. The cover painting is by Emily Young.

Tracks
-01. Air a Danser (5.17)
-02. Yodel 1 (4.46)
-03. Cutting Branches for a Temporary shelter (2.27)*
-04. From the Colonies (3.30)
-05. Southern Jukebox Music (4.53)
-06. Numbers 1 to 4 (7.44)
-07. Telephone and Rubberband (4.05)*
-08. Air (4.00)*
-09. Beanfields (4.28)
-10. Paul's Dance (2.19)
-11. Oscar Tango (3.20)
-12. Music for a Found Harmonium (3:18)
-13. Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots) (4.39)
-14. Prelude and Yodel (3.56)
-15. Dirt (5.27)*
-16. Giles Farnaby's Dream (4.13)
* *Not included on original vinyl LP

sample & buy: When In Rome...

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Signs Of Life (1987) (eac-log-cover)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Signs Of Life  (1987)

new age, chamber jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

EG Records

Allmusic
The PCO's last proper studio album of all new tunes also wound up being their last for EG Records, but the group shows no sign of slowing down or of boredom (the album title is certainly not ironic). In fact, the jokiness of some of the earlier albums (particularly in song titles) is totally absent here as well, suggesting Jeffes and company worked at considerable length to make this a mature effort. It is. Works like "Southern Jukebox Music" and "Swing the Cat" are an Englishman's imagined version of Appalachia, or Michael Nyman trapped in a bluegrass band. The centerpiece of the album is the brilliant "Perpetuum Mobile" -- which unfortunately went on to be used in several television ads for telecommunication companies, brokerage houses, and other yuppie pursuits -- a simple repetitive melody put through several tonal and textural changes, building grandeur as it goes. The album has a general bittersweet air, more sunset than sunrise, and balances its foot-tappers with its moments of quiet repose ("The Snake and the Lotus (The Pond)," the lengthy closing number "Wildlife"). An excellent place to start if interested in the band, and one of their finest hours.

Tracks
-01. Bean Fields - 4:19
-02. Southern Jukebox Music - 4:34
-03. Horns of the Bull - 4:30
-04. Oscar Tango - 3:10
-05. The Snake and the Lotus (The Pond) - 2:51
-06. Rosasolis - 4:12
-07. Dirt - 4:46
-08. Sketch - 3:19
-09. Perpetuum Mobile - 4:24
-10. Swing the Cat - 3:19
-11. Wildlife - 10:54

sample & buy: Signs Of Life

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Broadcasting From Home (1984) (eac-log-cover)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Broadcasting From Home  (1984)

new age, chamber jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

EG Records

Allmusic:
Bandleader Simon Jeffes composed the leadoff track "Music for a Found Harmonium" on a harmonium he found abandoned on a Tokyo street, which offers an inkling of the musical inspiration that sprang from this remarkable Englishman. As usual, he gathers a loose aggregation of musicians who create stunning, free-flowing acoustic sounds that defy categorization. Jeffes includes brass here for the first time on a Penguin Café Orchestra recording. Recorded over three years, the band's third album is worth the painstaking studio overdubbing by its leader, who died of a brain tumor in 1997.

Tracks:
-01. "Music for a Found Harmonium" - 3:36
-02. "Prelude & Yodel" - 3:51
-03. "More Milk" (Jeffes, Geoffrey Richardson) - 3:10
-04. "Sheep Dip" (Jeffes, Richardson) - 3:57
-05. "White Mischief" - 5:48
-06. "In the Back of a Taxi" - 3:21
-07. "Music by Numbers" (Jeffes, Richardson) - 4:41
-08. "Another One from the Colonies" (Jeffes, Neil Rennie) - 3:04
-09. "Air" - 4:20
-10. "Heartwind" (Jeffes, Ryuichi Sakamoto) - 4:11
-11. "Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)" - 4:29
-12. "Now Nothing" - 2:59

sample & Buy: Broadcasting From Home

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Penguin Cafe Orchestra (1981)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Penguin Cafe Orchestra (1981)

new age, chamber jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

EG Records

Allmusic:
The sophmore album from Simon Jeffes' homegrown band took over three years to record, but the signs are here that it was a labor of love. While drawing compositional and textural inspiration from both English folk and chamber music, it manages to sound like neither and a wondrous hybrid of both. "Walk Don't Run," a cover of the Ventures' classic, turns from a surf tune into a merry jig of sorts, with the violins and cellos playing the melody backed by drums, bongos, and shakers. "Telephone and Rubber Band" turns a busy signal into something full of beauty and joy. Unfailingly romantic, sunny music and an album that set the tone of all further PCO releases.

Tracks:
-01. Air à Danser - 4:30
-02. Yodel 1 - 4:07
-03. Telephone and Rubber Band - 2:28
-04. Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter - 3:09
-05. Pythagoras's Trousers - 3:18
-06. Numbers 1-4 - 6:57
-07. Yodel 2 - 4:34
-08. Salty Bean Fumble - 2:11
-09. Paul's Dance - 1:45
-10. The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas - 4:01
-11. Walk Don't Run- 3:01
-12. Flux - 1:48
-13. Simon's Dream - 1:48
-14. Harmonic Necklace - 1:12
-15. Steady State - 3:36

sample & buy: Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music from the Penguin Cafe (1976) (eac-log-cover)

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music from the Penguin Cafe (1976)

new age, chamber jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

EG Records

AMG:
Pegging Penguin Cafe Orchestra's sound has always proved problematic; imagine Cluster's toy melodies channeled through the Bonzo Dog Band with a hint of the Art Bears' high-mindedness, and you've at least got a point of reference. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Simon Jeffes, Penguin Cafe's debut was released under the imprimatur of executive producer Brian Eno, who had taken the onus of bringing like-minded minimalists (Harold Budd, Cluster, Jon Hassell) to light. But where the work of those artists demanded to be taken seriously, Jeffes and company almost defy you to take their music seriously. "Penguin Cafe Single" and "In a Sydney Motel" are playful pieces constructed to sound nonmusical, aided by Jeffes' eclectic instrumentation (e.g., the ukelele), which effectively undermines the serious sounds of cello and violin. It's not all light fare; "Surface Tension" sounds like Eno at his most morose and "Coronation" could have come from the ice queen herself, Nico. If there's a knock on Music From the Penguin Cafe (and from the vantage point of their second album, there is), it's that Jeffes merely teases listeners with his charm. On the second side (for CD owners, that's the last three songs), the Penguin Cafe Orchestra traverse artier terrain, with little of their original humor (although "Chartered Flight" does reuse themes from the first side in an effort to come across warmly). As a result, Music From the Penguin Cafe tugs from two very different directions: the avant-garde and the innocent. Listeners are trained to save room for the sweet stuff at the end; by placing it at the beginning, most listeners won't have the appetite for the heavy courses that follow. Mind you, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra are no laughing matter, but heavy artists abound, and musicians with a sense of humor about their art are cherished oddities. Music From the Penguin Cafe shows restraint, their eponymous second album is pure indulgence; reward yourself with their second album first and purchase their first album second. Note that, like Harold Budd's debut, this material was recorded in part in 1974 (with roughly half of the material dating from 1976), but the span in time has little bearing on the sound of the music.

Tracks:
-1. "Penguin Cafe Single" - 6:16
-2. "Zopf"
- -a. "From the Colonies" (for N.R.) - 1:38
- -b. "In a Sydney Motel" - 2:28
- -c. "Surface Tension (where the trees meet the sky)" - 2:22
- -d. "Milk" - 2:22
- -e. "Coronation" - 1:33
- -f. "Giles Farnaby's Dream" - 2:19
- -g. "Pigtail" - 2:44
-3. "The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter" - 11:46
-4. "Hugebaby" - 4:48
-5. "Chartered Flight" - 6:41

sample & buy: Music From The Penguin Cafe

George Winston - Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi (1996) (eac-log-cover)

George Winston - Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi  (1996)

new age | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 265MB

Windham Hill

AMG:
Combining the whimsical yet elegant compositions of Vince Guaraldi and the mellow, restrained playing of George Winston, Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi is a mostly happy marriage of the composer's and performer's styles. On much of the album, Winston tends to tone down the breeziness of Guaraldi's performances, opting for a gentler, reflective approach that sparkles on "Skating" and "Young Man's Fancy," but tends to make "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Treat Street" sound a bit washed out. However, sprightly renditions of "The Masked Marvel," "You're in Love, Charlie Brown," "Peppermint Patty," and "Eight Five Five" more than make up for the occasional lag and spotlight Winston's virtuoso piano playing. Though it's not necessarily intended as a best-of Vince Guaraldi collection, Linus & Lucy could certainly be used as one; however, it's Winston's distinctive style that makes it one of the best solo piano new age albums of the '90s.

Tracks:
-01. Cast Your Fate to the Wind 6:23
-02. Skating 6:02
-03. Linus & Lucy 3:15
-04. The Great Pumpkin Waltz 3:56
-05. Monterey 4:33
-06. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving 2:29
-07. Treat Street 4:51
-08. Eight Five Five 1:22
-09. The Masked Marvel 5:36
-10. Charlie Brown and His All-Stars 1:54
-11. You’re in Love, Charlie Brown 2:47
-12. Peppermint Patty 3:40
-13. Bon Voyage 1:46
-14. Young Man’s Fancy 3:52
-15. Remembrance 2:20
-16. Theme to Grace/Lament 5:02

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