Artist: Buddy Guy
    Album: The Very Best Of
    Label: Rhino / WEA
    Year: 1960 -1981
    Release: 1992
    Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 1:14:15
    Size: 173 Mb (cover)
   
       

   The Very Best of Buddy Guy is a credible attempt to digitally summarize Buddy Guy's entire pre-Silvertone career on a single 18-song disc. It encompasses the guitarist's 1957 demo "The Way You Been Treating Me," two killer Cobras, four of his hottest Chess sides, a couple notable Vanguards, a pair of alluring Atlantics, and three tremendously unsubtle 1981 items from Guy's days with the British JSP label.
   ~ Bill Dahl, AMG

    Artist: Buddy Guy
    Album: Stone Crazy (The Blues Collection Vol.4)
    Label: Blu NC
    Release: 1992
    Format, bitrate: mp3, 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 53:14
    Size: 91,1 Mb (full covers)


   Blu NC an obscure record label released in 1992 a collection comprising 92 cds called "The Blues Collection". After John Lee Hooker, B.B. King & Chuck Berry, vol.4 is dedicated to Buddy Guy. The choice of the tracks is taken mostly from the beginning of Guy's career.

   Artist: John Scofield Trio
   Album: Shinola
   Label: Enja
   Year: 1981
   Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 Kbps
   Time: 37:40
   Size: 42,1 Mb
   AMG Rating:


   Shortly before joining Miles Davis' group, guitarist John Scofield recorded this passionate trio set with electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum. Much of Scofield's playing here is quite rock-ish although he does show off his jazz chops on Jackie McLean's "Dr. Jackle." The frequently intense music (which has been reissued on CD), which is not as essential as many of the guitarist's later sets, has plenty of fiery moments.
   ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

   Artist: PRIMA MATERIA
   Album: Peace On Earth (music of John Contrane)
   Label: Knitting Factory
   Year: 1994
   Format, bitrate: mp3/194 Kbps
   Size: 117 mb

   Most tributes to John Coltrane focus either on his "sheets of sound" work of the late '50s or his early Impulse recordings. For this spirited outing, the emphasis is on Trane circa 1965, the year his music began emphasizing atonality. With Coltrane's last drummer Rashied Ali and the basses of William Parker (best known for his association with Cecil Taylor) and Joe Gallant playing at their most creative, the rhythm section certainly keeps the music stimulating. Louie Belogenis (on tenor) and Allan Chase (doubling on soprano and alto) have plenty of intense but not forbidding solos, showing that they have learned from Coltrane's innovations but avoiding mere imitation and not feeling compelled to blow the roof off the entire time. Actually the most exciting soloist, altoist John Zorn, is only on two of the five selections, but he makes a strong impression. Other than the eight-minute ballad "Alabama," the other four Coltrane compositions ("Spiritual," "Peace on Earth," "Brazilia" and "India") are each given very lengthy treatment, between 16-19 minutes apiece. The fact that this exciting set continually holds on to one's interest is evidence of how compelling the music is, making this a recommended release for listeners who are open to post-bop sounds.

   Artist: Artist: Elvis Presley
   Album: 30 #1 Hits [5.1 DTS] CD
   Label: SONY
   Year: 2002
   Format, bitrate: DVD-Audio
   Time: 77:07
   Size: 677.8mb


   Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, 30 #1 HITS presents a career-spanning serving of the King's chart-toppers.
   Dating back to "Heartbreak Hotel" (which was inspired by a suicide note printed in the Miami Herald), most of these cuts have become indelibly etched into the fabric of pop culture and each has a unique story behind it. "Love Me Tender" has its origins in the Civil War ballad "Aura Lee," "It's Now Or Never" found Elvis Americanizing the Neapolitan ballad "O Sole Mio," and "Wooden Heart" likewise was converted from a German children's song.
   This Memphis native's choice of artists to cover was equally intriguing and includes Hollywood legend Al Jolson ("Are You Lonesome Tonight?"), New Orleans soul shouter Smiley Lewis ("One Night"), blues great Big Mama Thornton ("Hound Dog"), and country titan Hank Snow ("[Now And Then There's] A Fool Such As I"). Further testimony of Presley's long-lasting appeal is the inclusion of the JXL Radio Edit Remix of "A Little Less Conversation," a UK #1 that not only enabled Elvis to have more chart-toppers than The Beatles, but also became a hit in a number of other countries including the United States.
   This DVD audio features 30 different Elvis Presley #1 hits, re-mixed and re-mastered in 5.1 Surround Sound from the original master tapes. Special features inlcude tracks in reverse order from Elvis 30 #1 Hits CD for optimum sound experience, 3 A:B versions of Elvis songs, comparing the original masters to the newly mixed and re-mastered versions, three rare and never-before-heard outtakes in stereo.
   CDUniverse

   Artist - Charlie Ventura
   Album - Charlie Ventura Plays Hi-Fi Jazz
   Label - Gala Records
   Year - 1956, release - 1958
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 74,5 mb
   Total time - 34:08
   AMG rating



   By 1956 tenor-saxophonist Charlie Ventura no longer had a regular band and was drifting into semi-retirement. In fact, other than an album for King the following year and a set for Famous Door in 1977, this Lp was his final recording. Teamed with the then-unknown pianist Dave McKenna, guitarist Billy Bean, bassist Richard Davis (at the beginning of his career) and drummer Mousey Alexander, Ventura switches between tenor, alto, baritone and bass saxophones. The repertoire is filled with swing and dixieland standards including such unlikely songs as "When The Saints Go Marching In," "Bill Bailey" and "Sweet Sue" (in addition to a remake of Ventura's old hit with Gene Krupa "Dark Eyes") but the interpretations are full of spirit and swing. Although it may not look too promising, this budget Lp (which is long out of print but may be found at a cheap price) is actually well worth picking up.

   Artist: Tete Montoliu
   Album: Blues for Myself
   Label: Ensayo
   Year: 1977
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
   Size: 67 MB
   AMG Rating:

   The blind Catalonian pianist Tete Montoliu is in great form on this 1977 session recorded in Spain, accompanied by bassist Eric Peter and drummer Peer Wyboris. He shows off his tremendous chops in a roller coaster treatment of the bittersweet ballad "You've Changed," then switches to a jaunty mood for a brisk treatment of "It Could Happen to You." Wyboris kicks off the thunderous take of Jimmy Heath's "Jimmy's Tempo," a passionate hard bop vehicle. But the primary focus of this CD consists of four original blues penned by the pianist. It seems likely that at least some of them were improvised on the date, though "Blues for Coltrane" seems to draw inspiration from the late tenor saxophonist's rapid-fire live solos that left little open space. "Blues for Myself," the centerpiece of the release, seems closely related to "You've Changed," though the chord progressions do vary. Released by the Spanish label Ensayo, this disc is worth acquiring.
   ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

   Artist: Count Basie & His Orchestra/ Jimmy Rushing
   Album: Count Basie & His Orchestra: Vocals Jimmy Rushing
   Label: Pickwick
   Year: 1990
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
   Size: 82MB

     Artist: Erroll Garner
     Album: Yesterdays . 1944-49
     Label: Naxos Jazz Legends
     Year: 2001
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 86+34MB


   Erroll Garner was one of the great jazz piano stylists that emerged in the 1940's, being self taught he was able to break all the rules, or maybe he just established some new ones of his own! He had a unique style, often imitated but never sounding as good as the original. A feature of his latter day concerts were long flowery cola voce introductions and it was interesting to watch the Bass player listening hard, because Erroll could play any tune in any key and frequently did!
   The fascinating thing about this CD, which covers only a small amount of his output recorded in the period 1944 to 49, is how he develops as a trio player. In the earlier tracks the Bass player and Drummer are almost superfluous, this was a trend which continued and during later periods the Trio became a highly integrated unit. It is by track 6, 4&5 are Piano Solos that we hear the trio start to work as a unit. Track 6 is of course Indiana, a great jazz standard and this version has everything we associate with Erroll, chorus after chorus of inventive improvisation. Stardust and Laura repeat the dose but this time in Ballad format, Stardust being a Hoagy Carmichael tune, has the subtle chord changes that bring out the best in Erroll's performance. Frantonality seems to have more than a touch of 'Love Me or Leave Me' about it to me, but as he wrote Misty, his immortality as a songwriter is assured anyway. He has a good original called Trio as well; it has certainly stood the test of time well and sounds extremely fresh even now. Blue Lou has the great Tenor Sax stylist Wardell Gray on Tenor and Irving Ashby on Guitar, it gives us the opportunity to hear Erroll comping behind other players, something it appears he was good at, but a roll he was not often heard in.
   If you are a Garner fan or you need an introduction to his work, this CD is very good value in many ways.
      

    Artist: Various Artists
    Album: The Nat King Cole Show no. 19
    Label: NBC Television
    Year: 1957
    Format, bitrate: avi 191 kb/s
    Time: 27:00
    Size: 174 Mb

            EVERY DAY IS AN OSCAR PETERSON DAY!

   "For 13 months, I was the Jackie Robinson of television," wrote Nat King Cole in a revealing 1958 article for Ebony magazine. "After a trail-blazing year that shattered all the old bug-a-boos about Negroes on TV, I found myself standing there with the bat on my shoulder. The men who dictate what Americans see and hear didn't want to play ball."
   The conventional wisdom about The Nat King Cole Show is that it was the first network TV program hosted by an African American, that NBC cancelled it after it failed to attract a sponsor, and that potential advertisers were reluctant to sign on for fear that their products would be boycotted by disgruntled Southerners. While based in fact, none of these statements is exactly true. . . .