Artist: LTC
     Album: A Different View
     Label: Ricky-Tick Records
     Year: 2008
     Quality: mp3;VBR
     Size: 58 mb
     Total time 46:20

Классический комбо состав, моё мнение - яркий альбом. Нет замысловатости, на первый взгляд, ну, а надо ли? Мне понравилась "Shibuya crossing" и заглавная "A different view". Стиль выдержан во всех 10 треках.

Crackling piano trio work from LTC a groovy Italian combo who burn things up nicely with this club jazz set for the Ricky Tick label! There's a tightness here that takes us back to some of the best European piano sets of the 60s influences from soul jazz, modal jazz, and a bit of bossa all wrapped up tightly in a tremendous balance between piano, bass, and drums grooving hard with a soulful, soaring power that never lets up! Think of some of the best classic piano sets on the Saba label from the 60s, and you've got a great idea of the sound here and as usual, the Ricky Tick production and presentation of the material seems to add an extra level of grooviness to the already-great music. Titles include a great remake of the Francy Boland groover "Just Give Me Time" plus "A Different View", "The Holy Ghost", "Magic Mirror", "Easy Does It", "Antony & Cleopatra's Love", "Shibuya Crossing", and "Breakfast With Silvia". Japanese CD features the bonus funky track "Japanese Crowd". ~ © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

     Artists - Chu Berry & Lucky Thompson
     Album - Giants Of The Tenor Sax
     Label - Commodore
     Years 1938-1944, release - 1988
     Quality - MP3@320 kb/s
     Total time - 43:06
     Size - 91,9 mb


This Commodore material reissued as an LP culls out tracks from sessions headed by others, but which feature tenor saxophonists Chu Berry and Lucky Thompson. The Chu Berry cuts come from separate Roy Eldridge and Hot Lips Page sets. Hot Lips Page also led the group, which included the Lucky Thompson tracks heard here. Berry was killed at the age of 31 in a car accident. Although he spent most of his performing career in someone else's sax section, there's no telling what heights he might have reached if he lived longer. His version of "Body and Soul" on this album was recorded 11 months to the day prior to Coleman Hawkins', the man usually given the credit for "setting the saxophone free." Yet Berry was as improvisational as Hawkins would later be. In fact, Hawkins probably heard the Berry recording and used its ideas a year later. Hawkins was 35 when he recorded his famous rendition; Berry was just 28 when he cut his interpretation, which was never accorded the same magnitude of acknowledgment. This track also features some hot trumpet by Eldridge. Berry also shows his incredible technique on "Stardust." Thompson has four cuts to Berry's nine, but he makes the most of his time. His big, fat tenor sound dominates the four tracks he's on, all tunes by Page. He went on to lead many of his groups, making a name for himself on the center of the jazz universe, 52nd Street in N.Y.C., before moving to Europe where he achieved even greater success. Unfortunately, his later life was marred by mental problems. This fine album has been transferred to CD and is a testimonial to two top tenor saxophone players whose respective careers were shortened by different types of calamitous circumstances. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide

     Artist: Artist: Abdullah Ibrahim
     Album: Africa - Tears and Laughter
     Label: Enja
     Release: 1979
     Format: MP3, 320 kbps
     Time: 40:25
     Size: 92 MB




This unusual set is powerful but clearly for selected tastes. Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and saxophonist Talib Qadr, who doubles on soprano and alto, are mostly heard singing and chanting during Ibrahim's religious piece "Ishmael," a heartfelt but difficult-to-listen-to tribute to the pianist's Islamic faith. His other originals, which sometimes find Ibrahim playing soprano, are also quite spiritual, featuring a lot of emphasis on the melody statements and pure religious passion from the quartet, which also includes bassist Greg Brown and drummer John Betsch. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Artist: Dennis Chambers, Bireli Lagrene And Dominique Di Piazza
Album: Front Page
Label: Sunny Side
Year: 2003
Release October 21, 2003
Genre: jazz, fusion
Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
Time: 55 min, 17 sec
Size: 134 mb

Честно скажу, не являюсь я большим поклонником творчества французского гитариста Бирели Лагрена. Альбомы его, в принципе, слушать могу, но переслушивать по нескольку раз тянет буквально 2-3. Одним из этих двух-трёх решил поделиться с почтенными членами клуба. Надеюсь, понравится.
Итак...

     Artists - Rex Stewart/Jonah Jones
     Album - That's Rhythm 2CD
     Label - History
     Years: 1944-1946, release - 1999
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 144 mb
     Total time - 47:37; 36:13

This release is part of a massive set of compilations of jazz from the past issued by the German History label. This two-CD set focuses on two pre-bop trumpet masters, Rex Stewart and Jonah Jones, compiling records they made from 1944 through 1946 for a variety of labels. Stewart liked to experiment with his cornet, creating different sounds. He popularized the half-valve technique and was quite adept at playing just his valve. Both are employed on "Jug Blues," backing the rough-and-ready vocalizing of bass player Wilson Myers. "I'm True to You" is where Stewart employs the melodic swinging that helped to propel such orchestras as Fletcher Henderson's, Lionel Hampton's, and especially Duke Ellington's. One of the tunes Stewart brought with him when he left Ellington, "Swamp Mist," is a premiere track. Otherwise forgettable novelty tunes, such as "B.O. Blues," are worthy of a listen due to Stewart's strong horn playing. Although Jones is shown as the leader of each of the three sessions on the CD, the July 1945 was Milt Hinton's. Jones is content to rely on a no-tricks swinging approach to a play list of primarily swing tunes, some head arrangements, some Jones originals, and familiar pieces. A treat is a rare alto sax soloing from one of the unsung sidemen of jazz, Hilton Jefferson. He and Jones combine on the lovely ballad "Just Like a Butterfly." "Rose of the Rio Grande" is given a going over. This tune was a favorite of several top performers during the '40s. It stayed in Duke Ellington's band book for more than 20 years. Jones arguably had the more highly charged group of musicians with him, and though they swing, the performances seem stiff and contrived compared to Stewart's, which stay nice and loose. While neither Stewart nor Jones were jazz pioneers as this album reveals, they made valuable contributions to the jazz musical literature. ~ Dave Nathan , All Music Guide

     Artist: John Coltrane
     Album:Dakar
     Label:OJC/Prestige
     Year:1957, release: 1991
     Format, bitrate:mp3;320Kb/s; Flack
     Size: 77M; 272 mb
     Total time: 40:00
     AMG rating

Dakar (1957) presents half-a-dozen numbers recorded April 20, 1957 by an ensemble credited as the "Prestige All-Stars." On the bandstand for this date are John Coltrane (tenor sax), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). Although at the time these were considered "leaderless" units, upon hearing the interaction of the participants, modern ears might desire to qualify that statement.

The Latin-flavored title track "Dakar" finds Coltrane adapting his solo to faultlessly conform to Payne and Adams' comparatively fuller-bodied involvement. The brooding chord progressions take on dark overtones with Coltrane joining Waldron as they burst forth fuelled by the soulful brass section. "Mary's Blues" is a treat for sax lovers as Adams -- who penned the number -- almost immediately raises the musical stakes for Coltrane. The differences in their respective presentations offer a contrast that complements the cool refinement of Adams and Pepper when juxtaposed with Coltrane's frenetic flurries. Particularly engaging are the sequence of four-bar blasts from the horn players, just prior to Coltrane pushing the combo through their paces. On "Route Four" the strongest elements of each player surface, creating one of the platter's brightest moments. Right out of the box, Waldron unleashes line upon line of masterful lyricism. The driving tempo keeps the instrumentalists on their toes as Coltrane is sandwiched between the undeniably and equally inspired Payne and Adams. Here, the urgency of Coltrane's tenor sax clearly tests the boundaries of the Taylor/Watkins rhythm section. The moody and sublime ballad "Velvet Scene" is a Waldron composition containing some of the author's strongest individual involvement as he interjects his expressive keyboarding directly into the melody. If the album is flawed, that may well be due to Coltrane's inability to deliver during "Witches' Pit." Perhaps because he is the first soloist, there seems to be no immediate direction to his playing. In a highly unusual move, he simply trails off rather than concluding his portion with his usual command and authority. "Cat Walk" restores Coltrane's sinuous leads during a couple of jaunty double-time excursions that tread gingerly around the catchy tune. Jazz enthusiasts - especially lovers of Thelonious Monk should easily be able to discern Adams' nod to "'Round Midnight." ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

Artist: Tord Gustavsen Ensemble
Album: Restored, Returned
Label: ECM
Year: 2009
Release: 2009
Genre: downtempo jazz
Format, bitrate: 320 mp3s
Time: 51:30
Size: 108 mb

Before he started his trio, Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen was already very much involved in his country's jazz scene. Contributions to releases by groups like the Silje Nergaard Band, the Ulrich Drechsler Quartet, and others had already helped to establish him as one of Norway's top players. In 2003, signed to ECM, Gustavsen, along with drummer Jarle Vespestad and bassist Harald Johnsen, released Changing Places, which was followed in 2005 with Ground. Two years later, Being There, what Gustavsen called the completion of the trilogy, hit shelves. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide

     Artists: Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim
     Album: Getz/Gilberto
     Label: Verve
     Year: 1964
     Format, bitrate: MP3@256 Kbs
     Time: 0.33:21
     Size: 87 MB
     AMG Rating:


     Лучшие тенор-саксофон Америки и джазовый вокал Бразилии в самом впечатляющем альбоме года.

     Artist: Oscar Peterson
     Album: Plays Count Basie
     Year: December 27, 1955
     Label: Polygram Records
     Format: MP 3 @ 320 Kbps; lossless
     Time: 45:11
     Size: 84.9 Mb; 186 mb (with full scans)


On the face of it, pianist Oscar Peterson (whose virtuosity always allowed him to play an infinite amount of notes) and Count Basie (who made inventive use of silence and space by emphasizing single rhythmic sounds) would seem to have had little in common. However they both swing, and there was a definite overlapping in their repertoire. Peterson's Basie tribute is a near-masterpiece. With guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and guest drummer Buddy Rich all playing quite sympathetically, Peterson's arrangements make the nine Basie-associated songs (along with Peterson's original "Blues for Basie") all sound quite fresh and lightly swinging. Quite a few of these renditions (particularly "Easy Does It," "9:20 Special," "Broadway," and "One O'Clock Jump") are instantly memorable. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

     Artists: Various
     Album: In The Wee Small Hours - 17 Of The Smoothest Jazz Sounds
     Label: Spectrum
     Year: 1987
     Format: Mpeg-4 320kbps
     Time: 68:50
     Size: 158 MB




The music on this collection consists of prime exemples of ballad artistry by some of the greatest names in jazz. Not all jazz muzicians can play at slow tempos and still keep the essential "jazz feeling" in their performances. Probably the earliest successful jazz ballad performance was "Singin' the Blues" by Frank Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke in 1927...
All these performances make this CD an enjoyable and relaxing collection of ballads for any occasion.

     Artists: Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins
     Album: Sonny meets Hawk!
     Label: RCA Victor
     Year: 1963
     Format, bitrate: MP3@192 kbit/s
     Time: 0.41:15
     Size: 58 MB



Throughout a career that spanned more than 40 years, Coleman Hawkins consistently maintained a progressive attitude, operating at or near the cutting edge of developments in jazz. If Hawk's versatility came in handy when he backed Abbey Lincoln during Max Roach's 1960 We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, he took on an assignment of challenging dimensions when in 1963 he cut an entire album with Sonny Rollins in the company of pianist Paul Bley, bassists Bob Cranshaw and Henry Grimes, and drummer Roy McCurdy. Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins each virtually defined the tenor saxophone for his respective generation. To hear the two of them interacting freely is a deliciously exciting experience. Hawkins is able to cut loose like never before. Sometimes the two collide, locking horns and wrestling happily without holding back. For this reason one might detect just a whiff of Albert Ayler's good-natured punchiness, particularly in the basement of both horns; such energies were very much in the air during the first half of the 1960s. Rather than comparing this date with the albums Hawkins shared with Ben Webster (1957), Henry "Red" Allen (1957), Pee Wee Russell (1961), or Duke Ellington (1962), one might refer instead to Hawk's wild adventures in Brussels during 1962 (see Stash CD 538, Dali) or Rollins' recordings from around this time period, particularly his Impulse! East Broadway Run Down album of 1965. Check out how the Hawk interacts with Rollins' drawn-out high-pitched squeaking during the last minute of "Lover Man." On Sonny Meets Hawk!, possibly more than at any other point in his long professional evolution, Hawkins was able to attain heights of unfettered creativity that must have felt bracing, even exhilarating. He obviously relished the opportunity to improvise intuitively in the company of a tenor saxophonist every bit as accomplished, resourceful, and inventive as he was. ~ arwulf arwulf, AMG.

    Artist: Keith Jarrett
    Album: Nude Ants (Live at Village Vanguard 2cd)
    Label: ECM
    Release: 1979
    Style: Post-Bop
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s vbr
    Time: 1:41:34
    Size: 173 Mb (cover)
    AMG Rating:

There is a lot of music on this set, including the 30-minute "Oasis." This is a Live at the Village Vanguard recording by pianist Keith Jarrett and his European quartet (Jan Garbarek on soprano and tenor, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen). The pianist very much dominates the music but Garbarek's unique floating tone on his instruments and the subtle accompaniment by Danielsson and Christensen are also noteworthy. - Scott Yanow at AMG

    Artist: Keith Jarrett
    Album: Vienna Concert
    Label: ECM
    Release: 1991
    Style: Post-Bop/Free/Improvisation
    Format mp3, bitrate: 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 1:08:8
    Size: 113 Mb (cover)
    AMG Rating:

Keith Jarrett feels that this is his finest solo concert; having "courted the flame for a very long time," he writes, this music speaks "the language of the flame itself." Perhaps playing in the European-tradition-encrusted Vienna Staatsoper had an overt influence, for never has a recorded Jarrett solo concert fallen into such a logical, even classical overall structure as this one — all on the wing, mind you. Part I develops in a majestic 41-minute arch, opening with a simple chorale, devotional and trenchant, and suddenly kicking into a daring, complex, agitated toccata without a key center, technically dazzling and darting. That coalesces into a grand tonal passage with inferences of the great European piano concertos before subsiding into a quietly affirmative finale. Part II is shorter and less rigorously structured, surging and ebbing around shimmering tremolos and a brief pulsating rhythm, alternately evoking the Middle East and the medieval Dies Irae. Jarrett's exalted judgment is close to the mark; though more Eurocentric than ever, these are his most impressive solo performances since Sun Bear. - Richard S. Ginell at AMG