Oscar Peterson - The London Concert (1978)

Oscar Peterson - The London Concert (1978)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 535MB

Pablo 2CD 2620-111

Allmusic:
This two-CD set, which reissues a Pablo two-LP release, features pianist Oscar Peterson in a strong and supportive trio with bassist John Heard and drummer Louis Bellson. Although his sidemen get some solo space, the focus is primarily on the remarkable pianist on a variety of standards, his own "Hogtown Blues" and a six-song Duke Ellington medley. Whether it be on rapid stomps or sensitive ballads, this trio (which was in reality an all-star pickup group) sounds as if they had worked together regularly for years.

Tracks
1. "It's a Wonderful World" (Harold Adamson, Jan Savitt, Johnny Watson) – 5:33
2. "People" (Bob Merrill, Jule Styne) – 8:02
3. "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller) – 5:07
4. "Jitterbug Waltz" (Richard Maltby, Jr., Waller) – 5:40
5. "Pennies from Heaven" (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 8:58
6. "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)" (Hoagy Carmichael, Jane Brown Thompson) – 7:12
7. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard) – 7:51
cd2
1. "Falling in Love With Love" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 6:51
2. "Hogtown Blues" (Oscar Peterson) – 8:03
3. "Emily" (Johnny Mandel, Johnny Mercer) – 6:42
4. "Satin Doll" (Duke Ellington, Mercer, Billy Strayhorn) – 5:23
5. "Duke Ellington Medley: "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"/"Do Nothing till You Hear from Me"/"C Jam Blues" – 9:30
13. "Cute" (Neal Hefti) – 8:12

Personnel
* Oscar Peterson – piano
* John Heard – double bass
* Louie Bellson – drum kit

 sample & buy: London Concert 

 

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Blast First bffp127cd

Allmusic:
The debut LP from Brooklyn's Liars is a churning collection of jerky punk rock, funk grooves, and computerized mayhem that oddly enough comes off quite charming. With sufficiently angular guitars, British-tinged vocals, and a truly pummeling bass presence, the group rocks with phenomenal energy and absolutely no restraint. The half-hour-long closer, "The Dust That Makes the Mud," collapses into a puzzlingly repetitive, sample-ridden hip-hop beat that ends things on a bizarre note, but the lead-up is pure rock & roll, complete with the attitude and aggression that makes for a great listen. Liars have a surprisingly unique approach that distinguishes them from other groups in their willingness to experiment with different tones, volumes, and styles, all of which make They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On an astounding debut. Catchy group vocals are all over the disc, and just about every chorus is instantly memorable yet still somewhat pummeling. The use of digital sounds and beats only adds to the unique properties of the record, giving it a feel somewhat akin to later Les Savy Fav records, only with a much more punk-fueled sound. Liars are something special, and when a young band puts out a record like this it is hard not to pay attention. Where they'll go from here is impossible to guess, but with a band this hyperactively creative, that seems to be the point.

Tracks
-1. "Grown Men Don't Fall in the River, Just Like That" – 3:03
-2. "Mr. Your on Fire Mr."[3][4] – 2:27
-3. "Loose Nuts on the Veladrome" – 2:19
-4. "The Garden Was Crowded and Outside" – 2:44
-5. "Tumbling Walls Buried Me in the Debris With ESG" – 4:05 (vocal cover of an ESG song)
-6. "Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend" – 3:03
-7. "We Live NE of Compton" – 3:01
-8. "Why Midnight Walked But Didn't Ring Her Bell" – 0:51
-9. "This Dust Makes That Mud" – 30:07

 sample & buy: They Threw Us All in a Trench and 

 

Johnny Coles - The Warm Sound (1961)

Johnny Coles - The Warm Sound (1961)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Koch 3-7804-2

Allmusic:
Trumpeter Johnny Coles, best-known for his association with Charles Mingus in 1964, made his recording debut as a leader on this Epic session which was reissued on CD in 1995 by Koch. A bop-based trumpeter with a lyrical sound of his own, Coles is showcased here with an excellent quartet (Kenny Drew or Randy Weston on piano, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Charlie Persip). He is in top form on a pair of standards (including "If I Should Lose You"), his own blues "Room 3" and four Weston originals; the reissue adds an alternate take of "Hi-Fly" to the original program. A fine outing.

Tracks
-1.  Room 3 (Coles)
-2.  Where ? (Weston)
-3.  Come Rain or Come Shine (Arlen, Mercer)
-4.  Hi-Fly [take 5] (Weston)
-5.  Pretty Strange (Hendricks, Weston)
-6.  If I Should Lose You (Rainger, Robin)
-7.  Babe's Blues (Weston)
-8.  Hi-Fly [take 2]* (Weston)

Personnel
* Johnny Coles - tp
* Kenny Drew - p [except # 2 & 7]
* Randy Weston - p [# 2 & 7]
* Peck Morrison - b
* Charli(e) Persip - dr

 sample & buy: Warm Sound 

 

Oscar Peterson - The Paris Concert (1978)

Oscar Peterson - The Paris Concert (1978)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 535MB

Pablo 2PACD 2620-112

Allmusic:
Pianist Oscar Peterson made so many recordings for Norman Granz's Pablo label (and was so consistent) that while all of his records are recommended, it is difficult to pick out any one as the definitive or essential release. This two-CD set (a straight reissue of the original two-LP release) features Peterson with an all-star trio, a unit comprised of guitarist Joe Pass and bassist Niels Pedersen. Just 16 days later Peterson would record The London Concert with a different trio. This time around he mostly sticks to standards but includes three songs associated with Benny Goodman (including the riff-filled "Benny's Bugle"), features Pass (who contributed his original "Gentle Tears") unaccompanied on "Lover Man" and really romps with his fellow virtuosoes on such numbers as "Ornithology," "Donna Lee" and "Sweet Georgia Brown."

Tracks
cd1
-1. "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" (Sidney Clare, Sam H. Stept) – 6:54
-2. "Who Can I Turn To?" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 8:09
-3. "Benny's Bugle" (Benny Goodman) – 6:09
-4. "Soft Winds" (Goodman, Fletcher Henderson) – 8:26
-5. "Goodbye" (Gordon Jenkins) – 6:19
-6. "Place St. Henri" (Oscar Peterson) – 5:01
cd2
-1. Medley: "Manha de Carnaval"/"If" (Luiz Bonfá)/(David Gates) – 9:33
-2. "Ornithology" (Benny Harris, Charlie Parker) – 4:46
-3. "Blue Lou" (Irving Mills, Edgar Sampson) – 3:28
-4. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:10
-5. "Gentle Tears" (Joe Pass) – 6:33
-6. "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)" (J Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, J Sherman) – 5:04
-7. "Samba de Orfeu" (Bonfá, Antônio Maria) – 4:36
-8. "Donna Lee" (Miles Davis) – 2:45
-9. "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard) – 6:24

Personnel
* Oscar Peterson – piano
* Joe Pass – guitar
* Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen – double bass

 sample & buy: Paris Concert 

 

Kroke - Trio (1996)

Kroke - Trio (1996)

klezmer | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 410MB

Oriente RIEN CD 004

Wikipedia:
The band was founded in 1992 by three friends and graduates of the Academy of Music in Kraków. Initially, they were associated with klezmer music with strong Balkan influences. Currently, their work draws inspiration from a variety of ethnic music and sounds of the Orient (especially on the album Seventh Trip), combining these with jazz to create their own distinctive style.
In addition to their own projects, Kroke have also recorded albums with artists such as Nigel Kennedy, Edyta Geppert, Maja Sikorowska and Tindra.
One of their songs, "The Secret of the Life Tree", features on the soundtrack of David Lynch's 2006 film Inland Empire.

Tracks
01. "Spiel Klezmer - Yiddish Freylekhs" - Kroke, trad. - 10:03
02. "Bessarabian Hora/Di Sapozhkelekh" - trad. - 8:45
03. "From Doina To Hava Naquila" - Kroke, trad.. - 8:53
04. "Rumenisher Tants" - trad.. - 2:39
05. "Ajde Jano (Balkan Piece In Klezmer Style)" - trad.. - 5:23
06. "Kazimierz Impressions:" - Amitai Neeman, trad., Kroke. - 13:23
--a) Nigun Atik/Sherele
--b) Impressions
--c) Nigun Atik
07. "Jerusalem (part 1)" - Kroke. - 2:01
08. "Jerusalem (part 2)" - Tomasz Kukurba. - 6:13
09. "Returns - Kazimierz 1995" - Kroke. - 3:59
10. "5757" - Kroke, trad. - 3:05

Personnel
* Tomasz Kukurba: viola, violin, vocal
* Jerzy Bawoł: accordion
* Tomasz Lato: double bass

 sample & buy: Trio 

 

Gil Melle - The Complete Blue Note 50s Sessions (1952-56)

Gil Melle - The Complete Blue Note 50s Sessions (1952-56)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 835MB

Blue Note Connoisseur series

Allmusic:
Blue Note raids the back of its vaults for all four of Melle's long out of print 10" LPs, plus the 12" Patterns in Jazz, in order to place back in circulation a musician who had been nearly invisible to the jazz world for a good three decades. Though Melle's entertaining self-penned liner notes may be outrageously self-aggrandizing, this collection leaves little doubt that he was (and remains) a marvelous saxophonist and an intriguing composer who hasn't been given his due. On the early sides, Melle plays an erudite, relaxed, always musical tenor sax, and "Transition" marks his recorded debut on baritone, which he uses in a thoughtful, even quizzical manner for the remainder of the set. As a composer, Melle was very much the uncompromising cool bopper, but was also equipped with a fascinating mind of his own. His first session is also the most startling: "Four Moons" is brilliant in its Kentonian harmonic way, with vibraphone striking the chords; so is his most famous jazz composition "The Gears," with its Monica Dell scat vocal lead doubled by vibraphone. Further on in the set, Melle does away with the piano in the cool tradition, but gives the lineup an unorthodox twist by using a guitarist (Tal Farlow, Lou Mecca, or Joe Cinderella) in the keyboard role, and a trombonist (Eddie Bert or the swinging, vastly underrated Urbie Green) or even a tuba (Don Butterfield) on the front line. He also employs consistently first-class rhythm sections, with Max Roach and a young Joe Morello among the drummers. For those super-collectors who may have the extremely rare originals (now worth hundreds of dollars each), there is one unreleased track, "The Nearness of You"; the digitally remastered sound, flaws in the master tapes aside, is excellent.

Tracks
cd1
01 - Four Moons
02 - The Gears
03 - Mars
04 - Sunset Concerto
05 - Cyclotron
06 - October
07 - Under Capricorn
08 - Venus
09 - Lover Man
10 - Spellbound
11 - Transition
12 - A Lion Lives Here
13 - Timepiece
14 - Gingersnap
15 - The Nearness Of You
16 - Lullaby Of Birdland
17 - Ballade For Guitar
18 - Metropolitan
19 - Newport News
cd2
01 - Summertime
02 - Quadrille For Moderns
03 - Five Impressions Of Color
04 - Life Begins At Midnight
05 - Night Train To Wildwood
06 - Threadneedle Street
07 - Weird Valley
08 - The Set Break
09 - Moonlight In Vermont
10 - Long Ago And Far Away
11 - The Arab Barber Blues
12 - Nice Questions

 sample & buy: Complete Blue Note 50's Sessions 

 

Dewey Redman - African Venus (1992)

Dewey Redman - African Venus (1992)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 285MB

Evidence ECD 22093-2

Allmusic:
By the time African Venus was recorded in 1992, Dewey Redman was combining the fire of his earlier playing with a gentler, melodic approach. On "Satin Doll," "Mr. Sandman," and "Take the 'A' Train," Redman glides along in a more traditional bop vein, while the title track and Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround" sound more like the fiery Redman of Look for the Black Star or Tarik. Joining Redman on this date are Charles Eubanks (piano), Anthony Cox (bass), Carl Allen (drums), Danny Sadownick (percussion), and Joshua Redman (tenor saxophone), on three tracks. Not an essential disc, but far from a throwaway.

Tracks
-1. "African Venus" – 9:27
-2. "Venus and Mars" – 7:48
-3. "Mr. Sandman" (Pat Ballard) – 6:54
-4. "Echo Prayer" – 5:53
-5. "Satin Doll" (Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn) – 8:23
-6. "Take the "A" Train" (Strayhorn) – 7:41
-7. "Turnaround" (Ornette Coleman) – 6:25
* Recorded at the Sound on Sound Studio in New York City on December 11, 1992

Personnel
* Dewey Redman – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, musette
* Joshua Redman – tenor saxophone
* Charles Eubanks – piano
* Anthony Cox – bass
* Carl Allen – drums
* Danny Sadownick – percussion

 sample & buy: African Venus