Artist: Willis Jackson with Jack McDuff
     Album: Together Again!
     Year: 2003
     Label: Prestige
     Genre: Jazz, Funk
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kb/s
     Size: 160,85 MB
     Time: 1:08:37
     AMG rating:


     On the five tracks of Together Again!, recorded with three separate lineups in 1959-1960, the Willis Jackson-Jack McDuff-speared combo offers respectable early soul-jazz, if not too different from many other Prestige-overseen sessions of the early '60s. They show their bop chops to good advantage on "Three Little Words" and "Tu' Gether"; take a slightly bluesier groove on "Glad 'a See Ya'"; and slow way down for a make-out mood on the cover of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "It Might as Well Be Spring." It's the slow-walkin'-tempoed "This'll Get to Ya," though, that gives them their greatest chance to stretch out, lasting ten minutes, and adding Buck Clarke on conga to the standard sax-organ-guitar-bass-drums lineup. All of the tracks are included on the 2003 Prestige CD reissue that's also titled Together Again!, which is a little more complicated than the standard expanded CD reissue; it combines all the tracks from Together Again! and the Jackson-McDuff-helmed sequel, Together Again, Again, though the songs are sequenced in the order in which they were recorded, not the order in which they were presented on the original LPs. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

     Artist: Lena Horne
     Album: It's Love
     Label: RCA Victor
     Year: 1955
     Size: 65 mb
     Quality: Mp3, 256 kb/s

     Even today the legendary Lena Horne has a quality of timelessness about her. Elegant and wise, she personifies both the glamour of Hollywood and the reality of a lifetime spent battling racial and social injustice. Pushed by an ambitious mother into the chorus line of the Cotton Club when she was sixteen, and maneuvered into a film career by the N.A.A.C.P., she was the first African American signed to a long-term studio contract. In her rise beyond Hollywood's racial stereotypes of maids, butlers, and African natives, she achieved true stardom on the silver screen, and became a catalyst for change even beyond the glittery fringes of studio life.

     Artsts: Teddy Wilson & Lionel Hampton
     Label - UNIVERSE/Comet Records
     Year - 1977, release - 2004
     Quality - MP3@320kbps
     Size - 83,0mb (shareonall)
     Total time - 36:59
     AMG rating:

     Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton reunited for the last time for this 1977 studio session, which was initially issued by Who's Who in Jazz and later was re-released by Legends of Music, Aurophon and Cleo. Half of the session features the veteran pianist with bassist George Duvivier, drummer Teddy Wilson, Jr. (making his only recorded appearance with his famous father) and conga player Sam Turner added on some of the tracks. The addition of the conga gives a different sound to Wilson's typically blazing "One O'Clock Jump," which is unfortunately prematurely faded out by the engineer. The leader opens "I Can't Get Started" unaccompanied and offers a polished performance as the bass and drums are added. Hampton joins Wilson on the remaining four tracks, with clarinetist Jerry Fuller also added on "Dizzy Spells" and "Liza." Two takes of "Sweet Sue" were recorded that day, with the longer interpretation appearing on this CD and the shorter one on Lionel Hampton's Rare Recordings, Vol. 1 anthology released by Telarc. While Wilson's elegant swing is still going strong late in his career, Hampton plays with a bit more energy. In any case, this is an enjoyable, if not quite essential, session. ~ Ken Dryden AMG

     Artist: Guy Barker
     Album: What Love Is
     Quality: mp3@320 Kbps
     Size: 136 MB (covers)
     Year: 1998
     Label: EmArcy
     Total time: 60:00

     There's a romantic in every jazz musician's heart. The opportunity to record love songs in a romantic setting is an ambition that so many jazz musicians aspire to. The musicians that I first heard doing records like this were Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker, but most of these projects have been based around well known standards with strings. When we started this project, I thought it would be interesting to have a lot of material by jazz composers. That's why Jimmy Rowles, Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman have come into it.

     Artist: Various
     Album: Preachin' the Blues: The Songs of Mississippi Fred McDowell
     Label: Telarc
     Year: 2002
     Genre: Blues
     Tracks: 12
     Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
     Size: 58 MB + 57 M


     If you like slide guitar, Delta blues or simply giving respect to a guy who deserves to be remembered, this album is terrific.

     Artist: Monti Amundson
     Album: The Mean Eighteen
     Label: Tramp
     Year: 1993
     Genre: Modern Electric Blues
     Tracks: 18
     Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
     File Size: 68 MB + 67 MB


     If you enjoy Stevie Ray Vaughn and Chris Duarte you'll love this album. While not quite the virtuoso SRV is, Monti does a great job laying down classic blues/rock.

     Artists: Roland Kirk wirh Jack McDuff
     Album: Kirk's Work
     Quality: MP3@320 Kbps
     Size: 79 MB (+ covers)
     Year: 1961
     Label: OJC (1990)
     Total time: 33:23

     Kirk's Work -- Rahsaan Roland Kirk's third long-player -- teams him up with organist "Brother" Jack McDuff for Kirk's most soulful post-bop set to date. His unorthodox performance style incorporates the polyphonies of a tenor sax, flute, manzello, and stritch. The latter instrument is Kirk's own modification of a second-generation B-flat soprano sax. This contributes to the unique sonic textures and overtones Kirk creates when playing two -- and often three -- of those lead instruments simultaneously. The loose and soulful nature of McDuff's Hammond organ lends itself to the swinging R&B vibe pervasive throughout the album. Completing the quartet is Joe Benjamin (bass) and Art Taylor (drums) -- both veteran jazzmen in their own right. They lend their expertise as well as innate sense of rhythm to the up-tempo "revival meetin'" rendition of Sammy Kahn's "Makin' Whoopee" as well as the ominous swing of the title track. This is also an ideal showcase for Benjamin and Taylor's running counterpoint that glides throughout -- supporting soloists Kirk and McDuff. Of the four original Kirk compositions, "Doin' the Sixty-Eight" is arguably the strongest. The percussive rhythms weave a hypnotic Latin groove over which Kirk and McDuff both snake some highly cerebral solos. The stellar interpretation of "Skater's Waltz" combines a well-known traditional melody with some of the most aggressive interaction from the quartet. The tune is put through its paces and the tenor sax/Hammond organ leads bounce around like a game of sonic ping pong. The more aggressive performance style that Kirk would later incorporate definitely shows signs of development on Kirk's Work. While certainly not the best in his catalog, it is a touchstone album that captures the early soulful Rahsaan Roland Kirk. - by Lindsay Planer, AMG

     Artist - Ben Webster
     Album: Ben Webster 1953-1954
     Label - Classics
     Years: 1953-1954, release - 2008
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 115,0 mb
     Total time - 71:00


     Robust, soulful, and stunningly lyrical (especially on ballads), Ben Webster is one of the giants of the tenor sax. The French Classics label does its usual excellent job of compiling chronological recordings on BEN WEBSTER 1953-1954. Taken from sessions near the beginning of his career, these small-group dates show off Webster's formidable chops to fine effect. The fare is primarily hard-swinging bop, and the repertoire, which includes well-worn standards like "My Funny Valentine," "Tenderly," and "Pennies a shot in from Heaven," is given the arm by the Verve and vitality of the players. ~ Classics 1953-1954 Review

     Artist: Lena Horne
     Album: Lena, a New Album
     Label: RCA / BMG
     Year: 1976, release 2004
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 0.43:43
     Size: 98 MB


     На этом альбоме, недавно переизданном на CD, Лена Хорн поёт в сопровождении оркестра Robert Farnon.

     Artist: Lena Horne
     Album: The Songs by Burke and Van Heusen
     Label: RCA
     Year: 1959
     Format, bitrate: MP3@256 kbit/s (LP-rip)
     Time: 0.35:52
     Size: 66 MB


     В День Рождения Лены Хорн предлалаю послушать один из её многочисленных альбомов...

     Artist - Ella Fitzgerald
     Album - Sings The Rodgers And Hart Song Book
     Label - Verve
     Year - 1956, release - 1997
     Quality - MP3@320 kbs/s
     Size: 120,0+125 mb
     Total time: 55:45 + 58:09



     The second of Ella Fitzgerald's famed Songbook series features her singing 34 of the best songs co-written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The arrangements by Buddy Bregman for the string orchestra and big band only border on jazz but she manages to swing the medium-tempo numbers and give sensitivity to the ballads. With such songs as "You Took Advantage of Me," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "It Never Entered My Mind," "Where or When," "My Funny Valentine," and "Blue Moon," it is not too surprising that these recordings (originally released on a two-LP set) were so popular. After being released on CD as part of the massive box set The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books, it was also released as a separate two-disc package in 1997. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Johnnie Bassett
     Album: I Gave My Life To The Blues
     Label: Black Magic Records
     Genre: Blues
     Styles: Blues, Modern Electric Blues
     Original Release Date: May 27, 1997
     Quality/Bitrate: MP3/320kb/s/44.1Khz/Stereo
     Cover: No
     Size: 76.2 MB + 65.6 MB

     В Детройте в 60-х много работал, как студийный музыкант, для души играя блюз по вечерам в клубах. В 1994 Детройтское блюзовое общество (Detroit Blues Society) вручило ему «Награду за достижения всей жизни» (lifetime achievement award). Два года спустя он выпустил первый альбом под собственным именем: «Я отдал свою жизнь блюзу» (I Gave My Life to the Blues), после чего отправился на гастроли со своей группой «Блюзовые повстанцы» (The Blues Insurgents).

     Artist: Kenny Drew Trio
     Album: Afternoon In Europe
     Label: RCA (LP)
     Release: 1983
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Size: 85 MB




     Еще один прелестный и довольно редкий альбом от Kenny Drew Trio



     Приятного прослушивания....

     Artist: Oscar Peterson
     Album: Blues Etude
     Label: Verve
     Release: 1966
     Rormat/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Time: 42:11




     This album is considered by some people to be one of the best recordings ever made. You'll appreciate the skill and artistry of the performance, as well as the quality of the actual recording...

     Enjoy....