Donald Byrd - Jazz in Paris: Parisian Thoroughfare (1958)

Donald Byrd  - Jazz in Paris: Parisian Thoroughfare (1958)

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

Gitanes | 24-bit remastered

Allmusic:
The second of two CDs that document a Paris concert by trumpeter Donald Byrd also features Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, pianist Walter Davis, Jr., bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor. Other than Byrd's "At This Time" and Davis' "Formidable," the quintet sticks to bop standards, many of which are quite concise and clock in around three minutes. Longer versions of "Parisian Thoroughfare" (a highpoint) and "52nd Street Theme" are exceptions. This spirited bop-oriented music is the equal of the first volume.

Tracks:
-1 "Salt Peanuts" 2:13
-2 "Parisian Thoroughfare" 9:05
-3 "Stardust" 3:19
-4 "52nd Street Theme" 6:42
-5 "At This Time" 10:03
-6 "Formidable" 9:28
-7 "Two-Bass Hit" 2:56
-8 "Salt Peanuts" 2:15

Personnel:
*Double Bass - Doug Watkins
*Drums - Art Taylor
*Piano - Walter Davis Jr.
*Saxophone [Tenor] - Bobby Jaspar
*Trumpet - Donald Byrd

sample & buy: Parisian Thoroughfare

Allison Brewster Franzetti - The Unknown Piazzolla (1999) (eac-log-cover)

Allison Brewster Franzetti - The Unknown Piazzolla (1999)

classical, contemporary | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Chesky

The name Astor Piazzolla may be forever linked with the tango, but the master composer/artist had another passion that is finally revealed on this release: chamber music. Written primarily in the 1940's, before Piazzolla developed New Tango, these pieces demonstrate his flair for serious classical composition. The influences of Alberto Ginastera (his Argentine teacher), Bartok and Hindemith clearly steered the impressionable Piazzolla in a different direction. In addition, several tango-flavored chamber pieces composed in the 1960s and 1970s complement this unique collection. Most of the works on here have never before been recorded. The album features noted pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti, violinist Hector Falcon, violist Nardo Poy and cellist Eugene Moye.

Tracks
-01. Vayamos Al Diablo (piano solo) - 1:35
-02. Dos Piezas Breves - Tanguango (for viola and piano) - 3:33
-03. Dos Piezas Breves - Noche (for viola and piano) - 4:55
-04. Preludio 1953 (piano solo) - 3:04
-05. Milonga En Re (for violin and piano) - 4:24
-06. Suite Op. 2 - Preludio (piano solo) - 2:03
-07. Suite Op. 2 - Siciliana (piano solo) - 3:24
-08. Suite Op. 2 - Toccata (piano solo) - 2:26
-09. Milongo Sin Palabras (for treble instrument/voice and piano) - 5:52
-10. Preludio No. 1 (for violin and piano) - 5:47
-11. Suite No. 2 - Nocturno (piano solo) - 2:16
-12. Suite No. 2 - Miniatura (piano solo) - 0:37
-13. Suite No. 2 - Vals (piano solo) - 1:55
-14. Suite No. 2 - Danza Criolla (piano solo) - 1:29
-15. Tres Piezas Breves - Pastoral (for cello and piano) - 2:53
-16. Tres Piezas Breves - Serenade (for cello and piano) - 2:42
-17. Tres Piezas Breves - Siciliana (for cello and piano) - 2:31
-18. Sonata No. 1 Op. 7 - Presto (piano solo) - 3:02
-19. Sonata No. 1 Op. 7 - Coral con Variaciones (piano solo) - 6:02
-20. Sonata No. 1 Op. 7 - Rondo (piano solo) - 4:41

Personnel
*Allison Brewster Franzetti - piano
*Hector Falcon - violin
*Nardo Poy - viola
*Eugene Moye - cello

sample & buy: Unknown Piazzolla

Art Farmer & Gigi Gryce - When Farmer Met Gryce (1955) (eac-log-cover)

Art Farmer & Gigi Gryce - When Farmer Met Gryce (1955)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

OJC

Allmusic:
When Farmer Met Gryce features trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Gigi Gryce and two rhythm sections with either Horace Silver or Freddie Redd on piano, Percy Heath or Addison Farmer on bass, and Kenny Clarke or Art Taylor on drums. The early hard bop music is highlighted by "Social Call" (one of Gryce's best-known compositions), "Capri," "A Night at Tony's" and "Blue Concept" but all eight numbers will easily be enjoyed by straight-ahead jazz fans.

Tracks
-1. "A Night at Tony's" - Gryce - 5:06
-2. "Blue Concept" - Gryce - 4:56
-3. "Stupendous-Lee" - Farmer - 5:47
-4. "Deltitnu" - Gryce - 4:18
-5. "Social Call" - Gryce - 6:04
-6. "Capri" - Gryce - 5:01
-7. "Blue Lights" - Gryce - 5:19
-8. "The Infant's Song" - Farmer - 5:15
*[1-4] Recorded on May 19, 1954
*[5-8] Recorded on May 26, 1955

Personnel
*Art Farmer, trumpet;
*Gigi Gryce, alto sax;
*Freddie Redd, piano;
*Horace Silver, piano;
*Addison Farmer, bass;
*Percy Heath, bass;
*Arthur Taylor, drums;
*Kenny Clarke, drums.

sample & buy: When Farmer Met Gryce

Miles Davis - Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall (1974) (20-bit SBM) (eac-log-cover)

Miles Davis - Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall (1974)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 790MB

Columbia/Legacy | 20-bit SBM

Allmusic:
Dark Magus is a live recording of a very specific 1974 Carnegie Hall date that included most, but not all, of the members who recorded the classics Agharta and Pangaea. While drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, percussionist James Mtume, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas were all present, the key element of Sonny Fortune was not yet in the band. Saxophonists David Liebman and Azar Lawrence were doubling in the saxophone chairs, while Dominique Gaumont, with his Jimi Hendrix-styled effects and riffs, was the band's third guitarist. The deep voodoo funk that gelled on the aforementioned recordings hadn't yet come together on this night at Carnegie, near the end of a tour. Featuring four titles, all of them Swahili names for the numbers one through four, Dark Magus is a jam record. In his liner notes to the CD issue, Liebman explains that this wasn't the band at its best -- perhaps he was referring to his playing, which is certainly unimaginative compared to what the rest of the band is laying down chromatically. By this point, Miles was no longer really rehearsing his bands; they showed up and caught a whiff of what he wanted and went with it. Rhythms, colors, keys -- all of them would shift and change on a whim from Davis. There were no melodies outside of a three-note vamp on "Wili" and a few riff-oriented melodics on "Tatu" -- the rest is all deep rhythm-based funk and dark groove. Greasy, mysterious, and full of menacing energy, Dark Magus shows a band at the end of its rope, desperate to change because the story has torn itself out of the book, but not knowing where to go, turning in on itself. These dynamics have the feel of unresolved, boiling tension. Gaumont's effects-laden guitar playing overshadows the real guitarists in the band: Cosey and his partner, the rhythmically inventive Lucas. Gaumont doesn't fit naturally, so he tries to dazzle his way in -- check the way Miles cuts his solos off so abruptly while letting the others dovetail and segue. Ultimately, Dark Magus is an over-the-top ride into the fragmented mind of Miles and his 1974 band; its rhythm section is the most compelling of any jazz-rock band in history, but the front lines, while captivating, are too loose and uneven to sustain the listener for the entire ride.

Tracks
cd1
-1. "Moja, Pt. 1" – 12:28
-2. "Moja, Pt. 2" – 12:40
-3. "Wili, Pt. 1" – 14:20
-4. "Wili, Pt. 2" – 10:44
cd2
-1. "Tatu, Pt. 1" – 18:47
-2. "Tatu, Pt. 2" – 6:29
-3. "Nne, Pt. 1 " – 15:19
-4. "Nne, Pt. 2 " – 10:11

Personnel
* Miles Davis – organ, electric trumpet with Wah Wah
* Dave Liebman – flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
* Azar Lawrence – tenor saxophone
* Pete Cosey – electric guitar, Synthesizer
* Reggie Lucas – electric guitar
* Dominique Gaumont – electric guitar
* Michael Henderson – electric bass
* Al Foster – drums
* James Mtume – percussion

sample & buy: Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall

Can - Soundtracks (1970) (SACD) (eac-log-cover)

Can - Soundtracks (1970)

rock, soundtrack | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Spoon | SACD | 2004 remaster

Allmusic:
Malcolm Mooney passes the baton to Damo Suzuki for Soundtracks, a collection of film music featuring contributions from both vocalists. The dichotomy between the two singers is readily apparent: Suzuki's odd, strangulated vocals fit far more comfortably into the group's increasingly intricate and subtle sound, allowing for greater variation than that allowed by Mooney's stream-of-consciousness discourse.
Wikipedia:
Soundtracks is a soundtrack album by the Krautrock group Can. It was first released in 1970 and consists of tracks written for various films. The album marks the departure of the band's original vocalist Malcolm Mooney, who sings on two tracks, to be replaced by new member Damo Suzuki. Stylistically, the record also documents the transition from the psychedelia-inspired jams of their first recordings (i.e., Monster Movie and Delay 1968) to the more meditative, electronic, and experimental mode of the studio albums that followed (such as Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi).
"She Brings the Rain" was later featured in Wim Wenders' 1994 film Lisbon Story, the 2000 Oskar Roehler film Die Unberührbare and Tran Anh Hung's film Norwegian Wood, released in 2010.
"Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone" features Damo Suzuki's first recorded performance with Can.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Mother Sky" at number 48 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

Tracks
-1. "Deadlock" – 3:27 (from the film [[Deadlock, 1970, dir. Roland Klick)
-2. "Tango Whiskyman" – 4:04 (from the film Deadlock, 1970, dir. Roland Klick)
-3. "Deadlock (Titelmusik)" – 1:40 (from the film Deadlock, 1970, dir. Roland Klick)
-4. "Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone" – 3:42 (from the film Cream)
-5. "Soul Desert" – 3:48 (from the film Mädchen... nur mit Gewalt, 1970, dir. Roger Fritz. Cited on album sleeve as "Mädchen mit Gewalt")
-6. "Mother Sky" – 14:31 (from the film Deep End, 1971, dir. Jerzy Skolimowski)
-7. "She Brings the Rain" – 4:04 (from the film Bottom - Ein großer graublauer Vogel 1971, dir. Thomas Schamoni)

Personnel
* Holger Czukay – bass, double bass
* Michael Karoli – guitar, violin
* Jaki Liebezeit – drums, percussion, flute
* Malcolm Mooney – vocals on "Soul Desert" and "She Brings the Rain"
* Irmin Schmidt – keyboards, synthesizers
* Damo Suzuki – vocals on "Deadlock", "Tango Whiskyman", "Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone" and "Mother Sky"; percussion

sample & buy: Soundtracks

Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - A Classy Pair (1979) (eac-log-cover)

Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - A Classy Pair (1979)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 230MB

Pablo

Allmusic:
This studio album matches together Ella Fitzgerald and the Count Basie Orchestra 16 years after they first recorded together. Basie's sidemen are unfortunately restricted in the Benny Carter arrangements to backup work but Basie has a few piano solos and Fitzgerald is in good voice and in typically swinging form. Highlights include "Just a Sittin' and a Rockin'," "Teach Me Tonight" and "Honeysuckle Rose."

Tracks
-1. "Honeysuckle Rose" - Andy Razaf, Fats Waller - 5:58
-2. "My Kind of Trouble Is You" - Benny Carter, Paul Vandervoort - 4:35
-3. "Teach Me Tonight" - Sammy Cahn, Gene de Paul - 3:15
-4. "Organ Grinder's Swing" - Will Hudson, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish - 5:56
-5. "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" - Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler - 3:30
-6. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" - George Bassman, Ned Washington - 2:52
-7. "Ain't Misbehavin'" - Harry Brooks, Razaf, Waller - 4:00
-8. "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'" - D Ellington, Lee Gaines, Billy Strayhorn - 4:42
-9. "Sweet Lorraine" - Cliff Burwell, Parish - 4:23

Personnel
* Ella Fitzgerald - vocals
* John Clayton - double bass
* Ray Brown, Pete Minger, Sonny Cohn, Nolan Andrew Smith - trumpets
* Bobby Plater, Danny Turner, Kenny Hing, Eric Dixon, Charlie Fowlkes - saxophones
* Bill Hughes, Mel Wanzo, Dennis Wilson, Mitchell 'Booty' Wood - trombone
* Freddie Green - guitar
* Butch Miles - drums
* Count Basie - piano

sample & buy: A Classy Pair

Dexter Gordon - XXL: Live At The Left Bank (1969) (eac-log-cover)

Dexter Gordon - XXL: Live At The Left Bank (1969)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Prestige | rel: 2002

Allmusic:
Ready for a 24-minute rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-ning"? You don't think so? Well, give it a shot -- you might be pleasantly surprised. Material from Dexter Gordon's May 1969 concert at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore has already appeared on another live album (L.T.D., also on Prestige), but the three long tracks presented here are not cold leftovers. Opening with that 24-minute version of "Rhythm-a-ning," Gordon shows himself to be in peak form, improvising for a solid seven minutes without doing anything boring. Pianist Bobby Timmons is playing well too (though he's a bit hard to hear in the slightly unbalanced mix; bassist Victor Gaskin is, unfortunately, practically inaudible). And on this track, Percy Brice delivers one of what may be only two or three truly interesting drum solos in the history of jazz. The second tune is a version of "Misty" that comes across as surprisingly robust and rhythmically driven, despite its slow tempo and balladic melody; here, again, Gordon shines on an unusually long performance. The program culminates with a 22-minute rendition of "Love for Sale," which is given a gently propulsive and faintly Latin-tinged arrangement. Whether this can be considered an essential Dexter Gordon document is open to debate, but for those with a particular interest in the artist, it can be recommended without reservation.

Tracks
-1. "Rhythm-A-Ning" - Monk - 24:12
-2. "Misty" - Burke, Garner - 10:14
-3. "Love for Sale" - Porter - 21:58

Personnel
*Dexter Gordon: tenor sax
*Bobby Timmons: piano
*Victor Gaskin: bass
*Percy Brice: drums

sample & buy: Xxl