Artist: Joe Cocker
     Album: Hymn for My Soul
     Label: EMI
     Year: 2007
     Genre: Soul, Blues-Rock
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kb/s
     Size: 87,1 MB

     The very title of Joe Cocker's Hymn for My Soul suggests that this, his 2007 studio album, is a gospel affair, or at least something inspired by faith -- something that isn't true to the letter, yet there is something true about the spirit of this sentiment, for these are songs that serve as a tonic to Cocker's soul. He's pulled songs from several familiar sources -- Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Bob Dylan -- and found other newer songs that share a similar sentiment, offering reassuring thoughts in troubled times. While nobody could ever claim that this album -- produced by Ethan Johns, son of Glyn -- has any grit, it nevertheless is warmer than recent Cocker discs, boasting a soulful heart (even if it has been polished and cleaned until it sparkles). If this isn't enough to bring long-straying Cocker fans back into the fold, it nevertheless is his best record in recent memory, and will satisfy those who have been looking for nothing more than a good, solid album from him, which this surely is. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.

     Artist: Paul Chambers
     Album: Whims of Chambers
     Label: Blue Note
     Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
     Size: 236 MB & 86 MB
     Time: 38:33

     Of the seven songs on this Blue Note CD reissue, four are more common than the other three because they contain solos by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and have therefore been reissued more often. Actually there are quite a few solos in the all-star sextet (which includes the bassist-leader, Coltrane, trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer Philly Joe Jones) and all of the players get their chances to shine on this fairly spontaneous hard bop set. Coltrane's two obscure compositions ("Nita" and "Just for the Love") are among the more memorable tunes and are worth reviving. "Tale of the Fingers" features the quintet without Coltrane, the rhythm section stretches out on "Whims of Chambers" and "Tale of the Fingers" is a showcase for Chambers bowed bass. This is a fine effort and would be worth picking up by straightahead jazz fans even if John Coltrane had not participated. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Hiromi Uehara
     Album: Beyond Standard
     Year: 2008
     Label: Telarc
     Genre: Jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3@320
     Size: 76 + 61 mb

     For her fifth Telarc disc, keyboardist Hiromi Uehara departs from her usual program of original material for an album of standards. It's to her credit that the disc actually lives up to its title, as BEYOND isn't merely a pleasant walk down memory lane. She and her very able ensemble, featuring guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski (who can both blaze and simmer), apply semi-surreal but melodious fusion treatments to standards like "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" and "I've Got Rhythm." Hiromi spins out some nimble, percussive, and lyrical runs on the keys and the rhythms are alternately engaging and languid. Who says that fusion is dead?

     Artists: Various
     Album: Audiophile Bossa Voices
     Label: Premium Records
     Year: 2004
     Genre: Jazz
     Tracks: 15
     Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
     Size: 67 MB + 65 MB

     Premium Records proudly presents Audiophile Bossa Voices which contains 15 Brazilian love tracks by vocalists famous for their music. Included are Ana Caram singing "Fly Me to the Moon," Rosemary Clooney with "A Day in the Life of a Fool" as well as Karrin Allyson performing "O Barquinho (my little boat)."

     Artist: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
     Album: Cookbook, Volume 1
     Quality: mp3@320Kbps
     Size: 96 MB (scans)
     Year: 1958 (Prestige)
     Label: OJC (1991)
     Total time: 40:35

     Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Shirley Scott set an enduring standard for tenor saxophone/organ groups, beginning with this their first recording together. Davis' authoritative, hard swinging style came through his seasoning as a key player in the Count Basie band. Scott, an accomplished pianist, took up the organ when she joined Davis in 1955, emerging with her distinctive, driving yet subtle style virtually fully formed. The music on this 1958 date holds few surprises; it's meat and potatoes all the way, but it's made using the choicest ingredients. The barbecue sauce is applied in moderation, as the band steers closer to Basie-style swing than to overt R&B riffing. Davis and his working band -- Scott and drummer Arthur Edgehill -- are joined here by reed player Jerome Richardson and bassist George Duvivier. Richardson, playing flute on most tracks, provides a useful complement to Davis' tenor. Duvivier is indispensable in anchoring the music with a commanding walking bass. Edgehill's quick, light touch helps maintain the swinging, jazzy feel. The tracks comprise three strong Davis originals, two standards, including "But Beautiful," which ranks as a master class in ballad playing, and the CD's centerpiece, the 12-minute plus "In the Kitchen." This slow blues by Johnny Hodges has room for extended soloing all around in a performance that underlines the skill, passion and artistry that made the Davis and Scott partnership a potent and influential combination.
~ Jim Todd, AMG

     Artist: Johnny Hodges & Coleman Hawkins
     Album: Vogue Recordings/In Paris
     Label: BMG International
     Years: 1949-1950, release 1998
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 1.11:13
     Size: 163 MB

     Coleman Hawkins and Johnny Hodges small sessions in Paris.
     (This is not Coleman Hawkins playing with Johnny Hodges, these are separate Paris sessions).

     Enjoy...

     Artist: Earl Klugh
     Album: The Spice Of Life
     Label: Koch Records
     Year: 2008
     Genre: Smooth Jazz
     Tracks: 13
     Format: mp3, Bitrate: @ CBR 320
     Size: 64 MB + 65 MB

     Turn down the lights, pour the wine and slip this CD into your player for a perfect evening of romance. “THE SPICE OF LIFE” is a mellow collection of songs by the renowned Earl Klugh. It is his first release since 2005, and fans will find it well worth the wait. The thirteen tracks on the CD offer a variety of jazz, R&B, and a little funk. Some of the songs are classics, but there are some Klugh originals: “Ocean Blue,” “Driftin’,” a soft, melodic pop piece; the funky “Sleepyhead,” “Snap!” and “Venezuelan Nights.” Some of the pieces are backed by full, lush orchestration, while others feature the strength of the guitar alone. Klugh has been described as “one of the most highly esteemed jazz guitarists in the world,” and he lives up to that reputation in this new release from KOCH Records.

     Artist: Kenny Drew Trio
     Album: Expressions
     Label: Alfa Jazz
     Relase: 1990
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Size: 120 MB




     Всем почитателям таланта Kenny Drew - еще один прелестный альбом от меня...


     Enjoy....

     Artists: Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins
     Album: Dig
     Label: Prestige Records
     Year: 1951
     Genre: Be Bop
     Format: FLAC (tracks)
     Time: 35.01
     Size: 222 mb + 3%

     Сонни Роллинз в течение 40 лет остается одним из истинных джазовых гигантов такого же класса, как великие тенор - саксофонисты всех времен: Колман Хокинс, Лестер Янг и Джон Колтрейн. И всё же при всей своей импровизационной гениальности Сонни Роллинз оставался, в какой то степени, ”гласом вопиющего в пустыне” до тех пор, пока Джон Колтрейн качественно преобразовал джазовую сцену в начале 60-х.

     One of Miles Davis' early dates as a leader, Diggin' has subsequently been released as part of a few different packages, including two-fers and single-album compilations. Taken as a distinct set of songs, Diggin' offers a fine view of Davis at his youthful best. This may not quite stand up to such later offerings as his Blue Note sessions and classic quartet work, but the LP does include such Davis highlights as "Dig," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Denial." The sound is cool bop and the solos come courtesy of a young Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Walter Bishop, Jr., and Davis himself. Not essential listening maybe, but a enjoyable listen for Davis fans all the same. ~ Stephen Cook AMG

     Artist: Ike Quebec
     Album: Easy Living
     Year: 1962
     Label: Blue Note
     Time: 56:32
     Format: MP3@320 kbps & FLAC
     Size: 137 Mb (MP3) & 257 Mb (Flac)
     AMG Rating:

     Allmusic.com:
     The release history behind Ike Quebec's Easy Living session is pretty convoluted. Eight songs were recorded in all, five of them bluesy sextet jams and three of them ballad standards in Quebec's trademark romantic style. The LP was slated to feature three of the blues tunes and all of the ballads, but remained unissued; in 1981, all five blues were released as Congo Lament, and in 1987, Easy Living was issued on LP in its originally intended, six-song form. Blue Note's CD reissue cuts through all the confusion by gathering all eight songs, grouping the blues cuts together in the first part of the album for continuity's sake...

     Artist: Hans Theessink
     Album: Journey On
     Label: Minor Music
     Recording Date: 1996
     Release Date: Apr. 28, 1997
     Genre: Blues » Modern Electric » Modern Delta Blues » Folk
     Format: 320 Kb/s mp3
     Size: 109 Mb (Incl. scans all covers & booklet)
     AMG-rating:

     AMG-Review by Hal Horowitz:
Taking his cues from the '70s output of Ry Cooder, there is nothing in the sound of the Dutch-born and raised Hans Theessink that would indicate he learned his craft from albums and not from being raised in the swamps of Mississippi. His dusky baritone, greasy slide licks, and soulful male backup singers (led by Cooder vet Terry Evans who turns in a stunning performance throughout) plant him firmly into the deep South. The gospel feel of the title track, along with its subtle shuffle beat and rousing yet mellifluous supporting vocalists, sounds as natural as if he spent his entire life soaking up the spirits of the bluesmen he obviously adores. When he and the elegant singers harmonize on "Set Me Free," with pedal steel crying and longtime cohort John Sass' tuba counterpointing the bass, you can almost feel the flies buzzing around your head as you sit beside the banks of the mighty Mississippi. The ghost of Robert Johnson haunts this graceful music, yet the feel is less of the raw Delta blues than of a shimmering, daydream inhabited by the spirits of the swamp. Similar to J.J. Cale, Theessink finds his soul hovering through the backwoods, and with his sympathetic band, he has created an album that is hypnotizing in its intensity. Jaunty covers of Willie Dixon's humorous "29 Ways," Rufus Thomas' classic "Walking the Dog," and Leadbelly's "Bourgeois Blues" all get similar treatment, as Theessink nudges these often-covered tunes into the marsh and mud, wrapping his voice around them and providing interpretations so unique and distinctive it seems he's re-written the songs. An album-closing solo turn on Muddy Waters' "Feel Like Going Home" is a beautiful, sad coda, as the guitarist takes his time languidly unspooling the track, as if he's playing at home alone. In fact, the entire disc sounds comfy and cozy, with Theessink secure in his talents and especially those of his remarkable band. This is an artist steeped in the blues, but like Ry Cooder, one who successfully interprets it in his own characteristic fashion, which is what makes Journey On so consistently engaging, on so many levels.

     Artist: Johnny Hodges
     Album: The Complete Verve Small Group Sessions (6 CD set)
     Year: 1956-1961
     Label: Mosaic Records
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 7.06:45
     Size: 977 Mb

     Продолжая рассказ о сольной (вне оркестра Дюка) карьере Джонни Ходжеса, предлагаю вашему вниманию небольшую подборку его работ с малыми составами музыкантов.

     Artist - Duke Ellington
     Album - New Orleans Suite
     Genre - Jazz, swing, third stream
     Label - Atlantic Jazz
     Year - 1971
     Quality - MP3@320kb/s
     Size - 90,8 mb
     Total time - 40:57


     Предлагаю прослушать альбом, который гениальный Duke Ellington посвятил своим друзьям и коллегам - известным джазовым музыкантам. Это последняя студийная запись, в которой принимал участие Johnny Hodges...

     This late-period Duke Ellington album is perhaps most notable for including altoist Johnny Hodges' final recordings. In fact, Hodges was supposed to record his first soprano solo in nearly 30 years on "Portrait of Sidney Bechet," but he passed away before the second session. The set consists of the five-song "New Orleans Suite" plus tributes to Wellman Braud, Bechet (tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves took Hodges' place as its soloist), Louis Armstrong (a feature for trumpeter Cootie Williams), and Mahalia Jackson. Interesting if not essential music with a few memorable themes being the main reason to acquire this release. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide