Artists - Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Billy Taylor, Mary Lou Williams,
                  Charles Bell, Willie "The Lion" Smith
   Album - The Jazz Piano
   Label - Mosaic Records
   Year - 1965, release - 2007
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 173 mb
   Total time - 78:47
   

   "While Duke, Earl and Mary Lou are masters of ”stride” piano, the dean of ”stride” pianists is, without a doubt, Willie ”The Lion” Smith... Charles Mingus commented, after hearing Willie demonstrate the finer aspects of ”stride” piano, ”Most guys need a whole band to swing like that.” - Billy Taylor, liner notes

   The "Various Artists" on this album read like the history of jazz piano: Willie "The Lion" Smith, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, Billy Taylor and Charles Bell. The occasion was a piano workshop on a Sunday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival in 1965, obviously a time when giants still walked the earth.

   The original album contains only ten tunes. This CD reissue contains all 19 performances, newly remixed from the original three-track masters, adding new material from Smith, Williams, Taylor and Bell. The concert is now presented in the order in which it was performed.

   Each pianist performs solo or with bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley. Earl Hines duets with Ellington on an improvised blues and with Taylor on "Sweet Lorraine." The concert closes with a blow-out version of "Rosetta" with Hines, Smith, Williams, Taylor and George Wein sharing two pianos. A one-of-a-kind event.

    Artist: Jimmy Smith
    Album: Live at the Florida Keys 1999
    Label: FS World Jazz
    Recording Date: October 23, 1999
    DVD Release Date: 2005
    Format: Online-video
    Time: 42 mins
    DVD-Size: 2,77 Gb

    Перенеситесь сегодня во Флориду: осенний вечер, берег у Атлантического окена... Но все нипочем, потому что Вы на концерте Джимми Смита!
   Джимми Смит исполняет вечно зеленые стандарты Бобби Тиммонса (Bobby Timmons), Сонни Роллинза (Sonny Rollins), Эллингтона (Duke Ellington), Ричарда Роджерса (Richard Rodgers) и Лоренца Харта (Lorenz Hart)! И, конечно же, свои собственные вещи: Funk In The Keys, Blues For Lynn, Eight Counts For Rita! Его окружаут молодые музыканты Claudio Spiewak, Abner Torres, Nestor Torres и Edwin Bonilla. Расслабьтесь и наслаждайтесь великолепными соло Джимми Смита. Концерт сыгран именно в этом ключе - Funk in The Keys!
    Jimmy Smith ruled the Hammond organ from the '50s to his decease in 2005. He revolutionized the instrument, showing it could be creatively used in a jazz context and popularized in the process. This DVD shows a rare late performance of this genius.

   Artist: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
   Album: Love Calls
   Label:RCA
   Year:1967
   Format/Rate: MP3/320
   Size: 81 MB

   Artist: Mighty Joe Young
   Label: Verve
   Album: The Sonet Blues Story
   Year: 1972, release: 2005
   Quality: FLAC (image+cue+covers)
   Size: 287 Mb



   Mighty Joe Young (Young was using the name well before the movie of the same name was released) arrived on the Chicago blues scene from Louisiana a bit late in the game and never really received the critical attention he deserved. Add in health problems related to a pinched nerve in his neck, and Young's solo recording dates were relatively few (he was, however, an active sideman, working for a time as Otis Rush's rhythm guitarist) given his obvious talent as an electric guitarist and as a strong and sturdy vocalist. This solid set, The Sonet Blues Story, was tracked in Chicago in 1972 and was originally released as part of Samuel Charters' Legacy of the Blues series on the Stockholm-based Sonet Records imprint. It features Young with the rhythm section from his club band at the time: Sylvester Boines on bass and Alvino Bennett on drums, along with Chicago session pianist Bob Reidy, and horn men Charles Beechham (trumpet) and Walter Hambrick (tenor sax). Together they produce a classic South Side sound. Highlights include the elegantly done opener, "Rock Me Baby," a solid cover of Percy Mayfield's "Baby, Please," and a pair of horn-augmented gems, the instrumental soul piece "Just a Minute" and the blues/R&B blend of "Lookin' for You." Nothing here is too flashy, but that ends up being part of the charm.
   ~ Steve Leggett , AMG

    Artist: Ray Conniff
    Album: 'S Wonderful! (1956) & 'S Marvelous (1957) 2LP/1CD
    Label: Columbia
    Year: , release 1956 & 1957
    Genre: pop-jazz (Easy Listening)
    Format, bitrate: mp3, 192 kbps
    Size: 97 mb[/b]
   



   Ray Conniff had a solid career of big band arranging and conducting the orchestras backing Columbia Records' stable of '50s pop singers before he managed to get his name on a record himself. But that didn't prepare anybody for the success of this album, named after the Gershwin song he first arranged when he was working for Artie Shaw. Conniff updated the big band sound to the '50s, retaining its danceable tempos and building upon the unison section innovations of Glenn Miller, his own added idea being a vocal chorus that hummed and sang syllables as an extra part of the ensemble. Employing standards with familiar melodies, the imaginativeness of his work became all the more noticeable, and 'S Wonderful! became a substantial hit that kicked off a run of successful albums in the same style.
   ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

    Artist: Ry Cooder
    Album: Jazz
    Year: 1978
    Release: 1987
    Label: Warner Bros / Wea
    Quality: MP3@320 kbps
    Size: 93 mb

   Beginning with his self-titled debut in 1970, Ry Cooder's records seemed to be as much history lesson as they were entertainment. Not because Cooder was trying to club you over the head with this stuff; he simply gravitated to great songs, no matter what the era or genre. Released in 1978, Jazz seems to be his first conscious attempt at a concept album, in the historical sense. Here he pays homage to some of the early tunes and masters of jazz, ranging from the late 1800s through the "coon songs" of the early part of the next century, to the ragtime and "Spanish" music of Jelly Roll Morton, and the sophistication of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. The only living artist (at the time of release) who's represented here is the great Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, who recorded from the '50s through the '80s, and whose syncopated style was extremely influential in Cooder's own development as a guitarist. Spence's sacred songs are presented here in string and brass band arrangements that emphasize the Caribbean connection between his music and Morton's habaniera pieces. The complexity of the material on Jazz, as well as the arrangements by Joseph Byrd, dictate that this is Cooder's most polished and orchestrated effort to date. Whereas in the past, even at their most removed, Cooder's records usually kept at least one foot in rock & roll or blues, Jazz can, at times, lack some of that fire and be almost bookish in its approach. Still, there is enough excitement in the music's intricacies and Cooder's beautiful, fluid playing to forgive the politeness of some of the performances. From the informative liner notes by Ry Cooder himself to the brilliant compositions, Jazz is, at the very least, educational. But, a little time spent with this music and you'll see why it was and continues to be relevant, as well as beloved.
   ~ Brett Hartenbach, AMG

   Artist: Sonny Rollins
   Album: Rollins Round Midnight
   Year: 1996
   Type: Compilation
   Label: BMG Camden
   Quality: MP3 @320kbps
   Size: 176mb ((RS.com) with cover

   Artist: Miles Davis
   Album: Miles in Tokyo
   Year: 1964
   Recording Date: July 14, 1964
   Time: 54:16
   Label: CBS Sony/Columbia/Legacy
   Quality: MP3 @192kbps
   Size: 77mb (RS.com) with cover

   Recorded in '64, Miles in Tokyo finds the iconic Miles Davis performing with his almost-second great quintet. Tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers, a more accomplished and daring experimentalist than his predecessor, George Coleman, joined the group after a fellow Bostonian, drummer Tony Williams, recommended him to Davis. There are times on this recording when one might understand why Davis and Rivers never meshed, and times when the partnership is quite wonderful, though brief...

   Artist: Bireli Lagrene
   Album: Inferno
   Year: 1987
   Time: 39:12
   Label: Blue Note
   Quality: MP3 @ 320kbps
   Size: 80mb (RS.com) with cover

   Much has been expected of Bireli Lagrene. He was playing Django Reinhardt's repertoire at age 8. By the time he was 12, he was touring Europe and being hailed as the next Django. He decided to take that Gypsy style in a jazz and jazz fusion direction. Over the years, he has played with many great musicians. On Inferno, he finds himself with stars of the second wave of fusion that hit the beaches in the 1980s...

   Artist: Dexter Gordon
   Album: Live At The Both/And Club
   Year: 1970
   Recording Date: August 7, 1970
   Time: 75:51
   Label: Bizarre Planet

   Like many touring jazz artists, Dexter Gordon worked with local rhythm sections on a regular basis to make him more affordable to nightclubs. On this evening in 1970 at the Both/And Club in San Francisco, the young pianist George Duke, bassist Donald Garrett, and drummer Oliver Johnson were recruited to work with the tenor saxophonist...

   Artist: Dick Heckstall-Smith
   Album: Live 1990
   Format: FLAC & mp3 (320k/s)
   Size: 303 & 118 MB (full scans)
   Label: Bellaphon
   Total time: 50:50

   Dick Heckstall-Smith - English tenor saxophonist, educated at Dartington/Devon, studied at Cambridge University, than freelancing with Ronnie Scott, the drummer Ginger Baker. Later he played blues and blues-rock, with groups conducted by Alexis Korner (Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated 1962-3), Graham Bond (The Graham Bond Organization 1963-7) and John Mayall (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers 1967-8) and with Jon Hiseman's Colosseum (1967-8); later he studied for a doctorate in sociology, he played with Bo Diddley, again freelancing with musicians like Jack Bruce. In his playing he is influenced by Sydney Bechet, Wardell Gray, Lester Young and other, "was one of the first musicians to commute successfully between jazz and blues-rock, at a time when such a move was less fashionable than it later became" (after Digby Fairweather). as you find it on the inner sleeve of his autobiography - what he calls a "personal history of British rhythm & blues" - Heckstall-Smith not only evokes, economically and hilariously, this period, but also illuminates it, reflecting on the "blues boom" in Britain, involving Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, John Mayall et al., it is of seminal importance both in turning its growing audience's attention to the music's American roots and in paving the way for R&B-influenced rock groups like Fleetwood Mac, the Yardbirds, the Animals and the Rolling Stones. Dick Heckstall-Smith, a very respected saxophonist, witnesses the whole of this fascinating period from its very heart.
   - from the CD cover

     Artist: Quinsy Jones
     Album: Sounds...And Stuff Like That!!
     Label: A & M Records
     Year: 1978
     Format, bitrate: Mp3 320 Kbps
     Time: 36:10
     Size: 73,4 MB



     With ears dead set on the trends of the moment but still drawing now and then on his jazz past, Quincy Jones came up with another classy-sounding pop album loaded with his ever-growing circle of musician friends. Disco was king in 1978 and Jones bows low with the ebullient dance hit "Stuff Like That" -- which is several cuts above the norm for that genre -- along with a healthy quota of elegantly produced soul ballads. Yet amidst the pop stuff, Jones still manages to do something fresh and memorable within the jazz sphere with a gorgeous chart of Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story." Hancock himself sits in impeccably on electric piano, and violinist Harry Lookofsky painstakingly overdubs one of Hancock's transcribed solos on 15 violins. Despite the cast of hundreds that is now de rigueur for Quincy Jones, the record does not sound over-produced due to the silken engineering and careful deployment of forces. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

    Artist: Quincy Jones
    Album: Smackwater Jack
    Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
    Year: 1971
    Format, bitrate: Mp3 320 Kbps
    Time: 42:42
    Size: 84 MB


   This is where a lot of serious jazz purists get off the train but for the rest of us, this is an exciting journey into Quincy Jones territory where labels are meaningless. Though Q takes us deep into Hollywood and TV with his themes to Ironside, The Anderson Tapes and the first Bill Cosby Show (with humorous vocals from the Cos' himself), his jazz base remains intact in these fascinating charts, and stellar friends like Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Toots Thielemans, and Jim Hall are left alone to shine. The centerpiece, "Guitar Blues Odyssey: From Roots to Fruits" is the first of many attempts by Q to summarize musical evolution in one fell swoop. Moreover, this ambitious collage actually works -- and it's great fun to hear Thielemans, Hall, Eric Gale and Joe Beck try to mimic guitarists from Robert Johnson to Wes Montgomery to Jimi Hendrix. One can't be quite as enthusiastic about Q's rather weak-kneed vocals on two tracks, but that's about the only stumble in this hugely enjoyable project
   ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

     Artist - Andre Previn
     Album - Andre Previn Plays Songs by Jerome Kern
     Label - Contemporary/OJC
     Year - 1959, release - 1997
     Quality - MP3@320kbps
     Size - 99,9mb (RS)
     Total time - 42:31
     AMG Rating:





     For this solo piano session (a Contemporary date which has been reissued on CD), the remarkably versatile Andre Previn interprets ten Jerome Kern songs including several ("Sure Thing," "WhipPoor-Will," "Go Little Boat" and "Put Me to the Test") that are quite obscure. Sometimes he treats the melodies with great respect while other performances find him stretching the themes and coming up with fresh variations; "They Didn't Believe Me" is a highpoint. This is a well-rounded set with plenty of surprises along with consistently tasteful playing, one of Previn's better jazz efforts. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artists - The Dave Brubeck Quartet Featuring Jimmy Rushing
     Album - Brubeck & Rushing
     Label - Columbia
     Year - 1960, release - 1988
     Quality - MP3/320kb/s + Flac (w. scans)
     Size - 82Mb + 236 Mb
     Total time - 36:41

REPOST with additional info and a link for lossless from Mr. hungaropitecus

     Предлагаем вам прослушать интереснейшую сессию выдающегося джазового пианиста Dave Brubeck с
джазовым и блюзовым вокалистом Jimmy Rushing

     Artist: Grant Green
     Album: Born To Be Blue
     Total Time : 59:05
     Recording Date : 1961-2
     Label : Blue Note
     Format : Flac
     File Size : 409 MB

REPOST with a new link for lossless from Mr. hungaropitecus

     Although Grant Green provided his share of groove-oriented soul-jazz and modal post-bop, his roots were hard bop, and it is in a bop-oriented setting that the guitarist excels on Born to Be Blue.

     Artist: Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie
     Album: Jazz Maturity....Where It's Coming From
     Label: Pablo/OJC
     Year: 1975, release 1994
     Genre: jazz
     Format, bitrate: 182 kb/s + Flac
     Time: 1:10:15
     Size: 64,4 Mb + 342 Mb
     Bubu's Rating: ***

REPOST with a new link for lossless from Mr. hungaropitecus

     Teaming together Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge should result in some classic music, but by 1975, Eldridge (although still a fierce competitor) was past his prime and Gillespie was starting to fade. The material performed for this CD reissue is just not all that inspiring — a few overly played standards and blues. Despite some good efforts by Gillespie and Eldridge, pianist Oscar Peterson easily emerges as the most impressive soloist; ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Kelly Eisenhour
     Album: Seek and Find
     Year: 2007
     Label: NalyD
     Genre: Vocal Jazz, Standards
     Quality: FLAC & MP3@320
     Size: 362 MB & 138 MB
     Time: 60:51

     An accomplished jazz singer and recording artist, Kelly Eisenhour has performed at numerous national and international jazz festivals and toured as a guest soloist with the Boston Pops under the direction of Keith Lockhart. In addition to her BluJazz release Seek And Find featuring saxophonist Bob Mintzer, Kelly has also recorded the albums Now You Know and Kelly Eisenhour with the Jeff Hamilton Trio. As a songwriter and arranger Kelly has participated in projects including the 2006 Grammy award winning album, Gladys Knight: One Voice on which she served as a songwriter, soloist, co-arranger and assistant choir director. Amazon.com

     Personnel include: Kelly Eisenhour (vocals); Bob Mintzer (saxophone); Jay Lawrence (vibraphone, drums, percussion)

     Artist: Ry Cooder
     Album: Show Time
     Year: 1976
     Label: WEA International
     Genre: Blues
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 95 mb

     On this live set, Cooder is joined here by a typically diverse set of sidemen including accordian master Flaco Jimenez and vocalists Terry Evans and Bobby King. Features nine blues-drenched multi-culti tunes including "How Can A Poor Man Stand" and "Smack Dab In The Middle."

     Artist: Rick Margitza
     Album: This is new
     Year: 1991
     Label: Blue Note
     Genre: Post-Bop
     Time: 60:44
     Quality: FLAC
     Host: RS

     The problem with tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza at this early stage in his career was that he sounded almost exactly like Wayne Shorter with a strong streak of John Coltrane on ballads. Margitza partly overcomes his lack of individuality by giving the standards on his CD some fresh interpretations. The melody of "On Green Dolphin Street" sneaks up about halfway through and then is barely hinted at, while the theme of "Just in Time" does not pop up until just before the closing vamp. Margitza displays maturity on "Body & Soul" and "Everything Happens to Me" and is quite stormy on the more up-tempo material. Trumpeter Tim Hagans' guest appearance on "Beware of the Dogs" really seems to inspire Margitza, and the rhythm section (pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts) is excellent. Now if only Margitza could solve his identity problem. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide