Sunday, February 28, 2010

Bronco Bob - Hot Buttered Blues (EP) 2006

Bronco Bob - Hot Buttered Blues (EP) 2006

Blues

Bronco Bob "live" recording of Hot Buttered Blues is loaded with soulful Rhythm and Blues ....exciting and moving....These great musicians have performed with World Class Acts including James Brown and Sting!From his first cd titled "Gunfighters .Don't Charge by the Bullet" to his 5th cd titled "Hot Buttered Blues", BroncoBob's exciting playing and singing reaches your heart and gut and then takes your feet for a dance.."For years I've been playing and performing to do one thing...entertain the down and out....giving hope by creating upbeat grooves and hoping the listener will want more...and in doing so the groove will heal you!"Bronco Bob travels 50 weeks a year and rests his spursin California.
**
Bronco Bob- Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Tony Conniff- Bass guitar
Larry Saltzman- Guitar
Charlie Giordano- Organ, electric piano, keyboards
Robin Gould- Drums
Catherine Russell- Backup vocal
Elaine Casewell- Backup vocal
Curtis King- Backup vocal
Crispin Cioe- Sax, Uptown Horns
Larry Etkin- Trumpet, Uptown Horns
**
01.Got A Way With Women 5:03
02.Polk Salad Annie 4:28
03.Leave Your Hat On 4:32
04.My Heart Bleeds Blue 5:03
05.Living In America 5:18
**

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Paul GEREMIA - Gamblin' Woman Blues 1994

Paul GEREMIA - Gamblin' Woman Blues 1994

Blues

Paul Geremia is one of the greatest bluesmen alive. His superb 12-string McTell style and earthy vocals are hard to label as anything but a stroke of genious. He also masters the delta slide guitar and the harmonica to perfection, he truely is the best blues has to offer. "Special Rider Blues", "Skin Game Blues", the titel track and "Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down", are but a few of the excelent trax on this wonderful album. If you're a fan of John Paul Hammond, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, Alvin Youngblood, etc. you should switch off your computer immediately and RUN to your local cd-pusher for a shot of primo blues. But don't take my word for it! Find it, hear it, buy it, 'cause Paul Geremia's by far the real thing. - Enjoy!
**
From start to finish, Gamblin' Woman Blues is the work of a master acoustic bluesman (not some pop martinet who's just had his plug pulled by a honcho in the front office). If a better body of work has been produced in the genre recently, I haven't heard it." - Blues Revue Quarterly The most recent album by Geremia is an acoustic blues jewel, with superb renditions of songs by Barbecue Bob ("She Moves It Just Right"), Blind Lemon Jefferson ("Cheater's Spell"), Blind Willie McTell ("Blues Around Midnight"), and Skip James ("Special Rider Blues"), as well as some first-rate traditional-style originals. Del Long and Rory McLeod back up his six- and 12-string work on piano and upright bass, respectively, in this spare, authentic-sounding acoustic folk-blues outing. Eric Von Schmidt provided the cover art.
By Bruce Eder, All Music Guide.
**
Paul Geremia- (Vocals, Guitar, 12-string Guitar, Harmonica, Piano);
Del Long- (Piano);
Rory McLeod- (Upright Bass).
**
01. Gamblin' Woman Blues 4:53
02. Cocaine Princess 3:47
03. Skin Game Blues 4:41
04. Nobody's Sweetheart Now 4:48
05. Cheater's Spell 3:52
06. Blues Around Midnight 5:08
07. She Moves It Just Right 2:17
08. Special Rider Blues 4:21
09. Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down 4:19
10. One More Last Time 5:10
11. The Things That Used to Matter 5:46
12. Doctor Jazz 3:24
**

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Steve MILLER Blues Band - The Matrix. January 27th-1967

Steve MILLER Blues Band - The Matrix. January 27th-1967
The Matrix, SanFrancisco.
Bootleg
Thx To *Soundboard*

Blues

Disk 1

01.Worried About My My Baby
02.Mercury Blues
03.Think
04.Junior Saw It Happen
05.Superbird
06.Instrumental
07.Instrumental

Disk 2

01.Your Old Lady
02.Going Down To Mexico(Early Version)
03.Lovin´ Hell
04.Instrumental Jam
**

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Son HOUSE - Live At The Gaslight Cafe (Jan 3rd 1965) 2000

Son HOUSE - Live At The Gaslight Cafe (Jan 3rd 1965) 2000

Blues

Son House's earliest recordings, three two-sided 78s ("My Black Mama," "Preachin' the Blues," "Dry Spell Blues") recorded in New York on May 28, 1930, proved to be a hard act to follow, and House never really equaled these fierce, driving performances again, although he came close. The field recordings he did for Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942 are certainly indispensable, featuring a loose, ad hoc Delta string band on half the cuts, and the intimacy on these is amazing, but the larger-than-life roar of his 1930s Paramount tracks is muted (Catfish Records has released the early 78s and the Lomax field material on a single disc as Preachin' the Blues -- still the best Son House purchase out there). House's rediscovery in 1964 led to some interesting sessions for Columbia Records, and a handful of live recordings from his time on the folk and blues coffee house circuit have surfaced, including a set from House's Rochester home, recorded in 1969, but on each of these House sounds increasingly tired, worn, and wearied. The fire had long since gone out, although he was capable of generating a facsimile of the old roar on occasion, as this set recorded at Gaslight Café in New York in 1965 shows. The versions here of "Empire State Express" and "Death Letter Blues" (nearly nine minutes long and still incomplete, even at that length) are startling in their intensity, showing some of the power of the 1930s material, but it is obvious on most of the other tracks that age and a long, hard life have left House a mere shadow of his former musical self. Still, just like you don't want to be caught by a Baptist preacher (an occupation House once practiced) trying to sneak out on the sermon, it's nearly impossible not to listen to this set clear through once it begins. It feels like an important bit of living history, and behind every tortured, exhausted note you can almost hear the ghost of Son House in his fiery prime.
By Steve Leggett, All Music Guide.
**
01. Pony Blues   4:27
02. Motherless Children   4:10
03. Preachin' The Blues   4:59
04. This Little Light of Mine   3:53
05. Son's Blues   6:53
06. Death Letter Blues   5:20
07. I Shall Not Be Moved   3:17
08. Levee Camp Moan   8:32
09. Empire State Express   4:29
10. Pearline   4:00
11. Yonder Comes My Mother (When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder)   3:35
12. Louise McGhee   4:22
**
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Mighty Sam McCLAIN - Keep On Movin' 1995

Mighty Sam McCLAIN - Keep On Movin' 1995

Blues

Second Audioquest disc opens with a fine McClain original called "Can You Stand The Test Of Love", a breezy horn-blessed number with a confident vocal from the mighty one. He also had a role in the impressive horn arrangements here along with trumpeter Walter Platt. Real soul music is suppose to have horns and this album doesn't disappoint. The brooding "I'm So Lonely" features an especially noteworthy arrangement and the swingin' title track has some powerful blasts. Though this is mostly bluesy soul McClain doesn't shy away from his gospel roots on this album, covering the popular traditional "Lord Will Make A Way" and stamping each vocal performance with that deep tension between sacred/profane all great soul singers possess. Listen to how he reaches in and wrings the emotion out of "A Soul That's Been Abused" or the Bobby Bland-like "Don't Worry About Me". Very few singers today compare to Mighty Sam McClain.
**
McClain pours out his soul, but this album lacks the power evidenced on Give It Up to Love. The problem lies not with McClain, but with some of his supporting musicians. The closest cohesion exists between McClain and the musician on the title track, while "Who Made You Cry" has McClain sounding sympathetic and helpful to someone's plight, expertly complemented by Kevin Barry on guitar. However, the horn section extenuates the problems by cluttering up the arrangements and detracting from McClain's performance, while the Hammond B-3 lacks a nimble, crisp feel, and at times sounds buried in the mix.
By Char Ham. AMG. 
**
Kevin Barry- Guitar
Paul Bryan- Bass 
Joe Casano- Trumpet 
Zac Casher- Drums 
Ole Mathisen- Tenor Sax 
Mighty Sam McClain- Vocals
Walter Platt- Trumpet, Horn (Alto)
Scott Shetler- Tenor,Bariton Sax
**
01. Can You Stand The Test Of Love 5:04
02. I'm So Lonely 4:47
03. Lord Will Make A Way 4:47
04. Who Made You Cry 5:48
05. Hold On To The Dream 3:49
06. Don't Worry About Me 7:07
07. Keep On Movin' 4:04
08. A Soul That's Been Abused 6:57
09. I'm Sorry 4:39
10. Let's Have Some Fun 2:54
11. This Is All I Have To Say 4:26
**

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Tubby HAYES - Return Visit 1962

Tubby HAYES - Return Visit 1962
STL 5195
Recorded in New York, June 23, 1962

Jazz

A Saturday morning in June 1962 and Tubby Hayes arrives at the recording studio on West 48th Street in New York City. A session has been slated for later that day with a pick-up group. None of the group has been aware of the date until the night before. One by one they wander in. All have been playing spots in various clubs until the early hours. Introductions are made. One member wonders who Tubby Hayes is, asks if he's a rock `n' roll singer. This is Jimmy Gloomy, not his real name, as he probably shouldn't be there at all - contractual reasons. Memories of Louis Armstrong: "It wasn't me, sir. I won't do it again". Midday arrives and producer Quincy Jones suggests maybe they get started. But what to play? They don't have a play list, have never rehearsed. Apart from pianist Walter Bishop Jnr, Tubbs has never met any of them. Quincy suggests they warm up with a blues, and they choose `Stitt's Tune`, the theme of Tubb's old band The Jazz Couriers - Tubbs and Gloomy on tenor sax, Roland Kirk providing counter melody on manzello and stritch, his customary hybrid horns. Next it's a minor blues - a Kirk original `I See With My Third "I"', then a ballad medley, including `Alone Together', one of Tubbs' favourites. Next Tubbs switches to vibes for `Afternoon In Paris', with solos from Kirk and Gloomy on tenors and Bishop on piano, and an unrehearsed coda from one-man brass section Kirk on tenor, manzello and stritch. They round off the session with another Kirk original `Lady "E"', with Tubbs still on vibes and Kirk on flute. And then they're through. Just time for bassist and drummer Sam Jones and Louis Hayes to get to Birdland and Kirk to the Five Spot for their first sets, and for Tubbs to return to the UK. In the space of just a few short hours they've recorded an exciting and memorable jazz album. That's how it was and them were the days.
By David Baxter.
**
Bass- Sam Jones
Drums- Louis Hayes
Piano- Walter Bishop, Jr.
Sax [Tenor, Manzello], Flute [Standard, Nose Flute]- Roland Kirk
Sax [Tenor], Flute- Jimmy Gloomy
Sax [Tenor], Vibraphone- Tubby Hayes
**
A1. Afternoon In Paris 5:46 
A2. I See My Third "I" 9:27
A3. Lady "E" 3:15 
B1. Stitt's Tune 9:51 
B2. Medley: If I Had You; Alone Together; For Heaven's Sake 7:24
**

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Joshua REDMAN Quartet - At The Philharmonie Am Gasteig, Munich 1994

Joshua REDMAN Quartet - At The Philharmonie Am Gasteig, Munich 1994
Bootleg
Recorded on 13th July 1994 at the Philharmonie am Gasteig, Munich

Jazz

Joshua Redman- Tenor Sax
Brad Mehldau- Piano
Christian McBride- Bass
Brian Blade- Drums
**
01. Blues On Sunday
02. The Deserving Many
03. Sweet Sorrow
**

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Jane MONHEIT - Taking a Chance on Love 2004

Jane MONHEIT - Taking a Chance on Love 2004

Jazz

While the early 2000s bore witness to a bevy of youthful standards singers with earnestly traditional vocals, New Yorker Jane Monheit preceded Norah Jones, Michael Buble, Katie Melua et al. She wowed the jazz world when she was barely out of her teens with her 2000 debut, NEVER NEVER LAND, and quickly ascended to stardom. Monheit's fourth record, 2004's TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE, expresses her love for movie musicals of the 1930s and '40s.

From both Monheit's song choices and the fervor she pours into these selections, it's virtually impossible to challenge the sincerity of her affection. Monheit opens by finding a truly original, offbeat angle to the oft-visited Fats Waller classic "Honeysuckle Rose" and continues to connect throughout the 11 subsequent tracks. She teams up with the aforementioned Michael Buble on a charged version of the always-lively "I Won't Dance" and finds every ounce of sultriness in "Why Can't You Behave?" and "Dancing in the Dark." As with most of the acclaimed jazz stylists of her day, Monheit possesses incredible vocal shrewdness, but it is her almost spiritual connection to the tunes of a bygone era that clearly sets her apart.
**
Jane Monheit- Vocals;
Lew Soloff, Michael Davis, Andy Snitzer, Roger Rosenberg, Lawrence Feldman, David Taylor, Jim Hynes, Bob Malach- Horns;
Christian McBride, Ron Carter , Orlando LeFleming- Bass;
Romero Lubambo, Miles Okazaki- Guitar;
Joel Frahm- Soprano Sax, alto Sax, tenor Sax;
Donald Harrison- (Alto Saxophone);
Geoff Keezer, Michael Kanan, Rob Mounsey- Piano;
Lewis Nash, Rick Montalbano- Drums.
(Feat.Michael Buble,Christian Mcbride,Ron Carter,R.Lumbambo)
**
01. Honeysuckle Rose Jane Monheit 3:39
02. In The Still Of The Night Jane Monheit 5:06
03. Taking a Chance on Love Jane Monheit 3:19
04. Bill Jane Monheit 5:16
05. I Won't Dance Jane Monheit featuring Michael Buble 3:36
06. Too Late Now Jane Monheit 5:21
07. Why Can't You Behave? Jane Monheit 4:08
08. Do I Love You? Jane Monheit 4:53
09. Love Me Or Leave Me Jane Monheit 3:34
10. Embraceable You Jane Monheit 3:47
11. Dancing in the Dark Jane Monheit 5:04
12. Over the Rainbow Jane Monheit 3:56
**

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Grant GREEN - Am I Blue 1963

Grant GREEN - Am I Blue 1963
BST-84139

Jazz

This great guitarist recorded in a variety of settings and concepts during his years at Blue Note. Am I Blue featured the perennial trio of Green, organist John Patton and drummer Ben Dixon with the trumpet of Johnny Coles and the tenor saxophone of newcomer Joe Henderson.
What makes this album so unusual in Green's canon is that the entire album is in a soulful, atmospheric ballad groove. The material ranges from the blues ballad "Sweet Slumber" to the country song "Take These Chains From My Heart", but the after hours mood that these men create is never broken.
**
A1. Am I Blue 6:54
       Written-By - Clarke , Akst
A2. Take These Chains From My Heart 6:09
       Written-By - Rose , Heath
A3. I Wanna Be Loved 7:34
       Written-By - Rose , Heyman
B1. Sweet Slumber 7:12
       Written-By - Neiburg , Woode , Millinder
B2. For All We Know 13:57
       Written-By - Coots , Lewis
**
Drums- Ben Dixon
Guitar- Grant Green
Organ- John Patton
Tenor Sax- Joe Henderson
Trumpet- Johnny Coles
**

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Bonnie LAM (Lin Xiao Bao) - You Make Me Feel Brand New 2008

Bonnie LAM (Lin Xiao Bao) - You Make Me Feel Brand New 2008

Jazz

Bonnie Lam (Lin Xiao Bao) is a Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts graduate, is now a professional musical performers, has served in various musical performances by the female lead role, in fact, as early as when the Academy for Performing Arts student, Bonnie singing skills and beautiful voice has been known for in the school, plus take years to hone their live performances, singing accomplishments even more remarkable, from this her first solo album will be available to see her almost effortless mastery of music, they listen to first song You Make Me Feel Brand New, I believe will give you a pleasantly surprised! this CD where most are familiar with the classic, but the light jazz arrangement will bring a new feeling, Bonnie has her singing a unique charming sensibility, to express the real intentions a musical sense, through the absolute Audiophile Voices lifelike recordings, no one likes music, who are likely to fall in love with this CD.
**
01. You Make Me Feel Brand New 4:28
02. Blue Moon 4:21
03. Scarborough Fair 4:03
04. True Colours 3:45
05. Last Christmas 4:18
06. Bridge Over Troubled Water 4:46
07. You Light Up My Life 3:33
08. They Can’t Take Away From Me 4:28
09. That’s All 3:13
10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow 4:42
11. My One And Only Love 3:37
12. Close To You 4:10
13. Tammy 2:48
**

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Ahmad JAMAL – Rossiter Road 1986

Ahmad JAMAL – Rossiter Road 1986
7 81645-1 LP

Jazz

One of Ahmad Jamal's great mid 80s sets for Atlantic Records -- recorded in a spacious acoustic mode that has Jamal crafting beautiful tones on the Steinway, yet never falling into overindulgence! The record's got a surprisingly rhythmic quality -- as the drums of Herlin Riley and bass of James Cammack are often augmented by percussion from Manola Badrena -- fleshing out tunes with complicated changes that soar alongside Jamal's free-floating lines on the keys. The array of colors here is simply beautiful -- deeper and more expressive than Ahmad's sound in earlier years -- on titles that include "Without You", "Acorn", "Yellow Fellow", "Autumn Rain", and "Winter Snow".
From Dusty Groove.
**
Few of pianist Ahmad Jamal's many recordings are not worth picking up, and this effort for Atlantic boasts some fresh material and fine playing. Jamal (joined by bassist James Cammack, drummer Herlin Riley, and percussionist Manolo Badrena) performs seven of his little-known originals and the obscure "Yellow Fellow." The close musical communication by the players is, as always, the main reason to acquire this release.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
This is certainly one of the great jazz albums of the eighties and very popular with testing panels of audio equipment. I have been listening to it for almost twenty years and never got tired of it. Listen to “Without You” or “Yellow Fellow” to get a good idea of what this combination of musicians was capable of. Such a powerful drive from bass and drums makes Jamal fly - how great.
By K.Hug.
**
This disc sizzles for another reason: Herlin Riley, the drummer. Jamal flies, he soars across the keyboard, across modalities and changes like few others, but unlike some other discs, Riley, along with the solid, if sweating, James Cammack, on bass, provides a solid launch pad. Get it, listen, and wonder why these musicians haven't made more albums together.
Highest recommendations.
**
Bass- James Cammack
Drums- Herlin Riley
Percussion- Manola Badrena
Piano [Steinway]- Ahmad Jamal
**
A1. Milan 5:45 
A2. If I Find The Way 4:10 
A3. Without You 4:20 
A4. Acorn 4:55 
B1. Yellow Fellow 6:20 
B2. Autumn Rain 5:30 
B3. Winter Snow 4:10 
B4. Rossiter Road 6:15 
**

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Saturday, February 27, 2010

B.B. KING - Live and Well 1969

B.B. KING - Live and Well 1969
BLS 6031

Blues

Although Live & Well wasn't a landmark album in the sense of Live at the Regal, it was a significant commercial breakthrough for King, as it was the first of his LPs to enter the Top 100. That may have been because recognition from rock stars such as Eric Clapton had finally boosted his exposure to the White pop audience, but it was a worthy recording on its own merits, divided evenly between live and studio material. King's always recorded well as a live act, and it's the concert tracks that shine brightest, although the studio ones (cut with assistance from studio musicians like Al Kooper and Hugh McCracken) aren't bad.
By Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide.
**
Five late-1960s studio tracks and as many recent concert takes add up to a solid outing. "Why I Sing the Blues," utilizing contemporary studio players who spare no energy, was a R&B hit in edited form in 1969. This was the first of several King albums produced solicitously by Bill Szymczyk.
By Frank John Hadley.
**
"Live and Well" features a blend of concert material from the late '60s with tunes recorded in the studio. The material is not uniformly brilliant, but there are enough high points, both in B.B.'s singing and his playing, to make this a worthy release.
The best of the live material is the menacing "Don't Answer the Door," which King shouts over a pulsing organ line and punctuates with some wicked guitar licks. "Sweet Little Angel," a staple of his songbook, is also great, especially vocally. B.B's still one of the best blues singers around, and on "Angel" he shows off the power and sense of vulnerability he can deliver simultaneously.

There are a couple of clunkers in the live offerings, however. "Please Accept My Love" has another strong vocal, but the tune is hampered by sappy lyrics. "Just a Little Love" is a sing-along that doesn't offer a whole lot musically or lyrically.

The studio work includes a genuine classic, "Why I Sing the Blues," which is surely the definitive statement on that subject. King here is again in complete command as he storms through verse after powerful verse and unleashes some of his best solos on the record, if not ever. "I Want You So Bad" is a dark blues, mournful in the way that his hit "The Thrill Is Gone" was. Again, not all of the studio material is as strong as these two tunes, suggesting that King wasn't completely on his game for this date.

Still, there are plenty of good moments on the recording, making it a good representation of B.B.'s late '60s work, when he was working toward crossover status.
By  Tyler Smith.
**
Sonny Freeman- (Drums),
Hugh McCracken- (Guitar),
Al Kooper- (Piano),
Patrick Williams- (Trumpet),
B.B. King- (Vocals),(Guitars)
Lee Gatling- (Saxophone),
Charlie Boles- (Organ),
Herb Lovelle- (Drums),
Val Patillo- (Bass),
Gerald Jemmott- (Bass),
Paul Harris- (Piano).
**
A1. Don't Answer the Door  
A2. Just a Little Love  
A3. My Mood  
A4. Sweet Little Angel  
A5. Please Accept My Love  
B1. I Want You So Bad  
B2. Friends  
B3. Get off My Back Woman  
B4. Let's Get Down to Business  
B5. That's Why I Sing the Blues
**

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Friday, February 26, 2010

Susan MAUGHAN - Swingin' Susan 1963

Susan MAUGHAN - Swingin' Susan 1963
632315BL

Jazz

British singer Susan Maughan scored just one hit, 1962’s Bobby girl, but continues to make a rewarding career from it. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s she issued a string of high-quality releases, including – somewhat unusually for girl singers of the period – a number she had written herself.
She was born Marian Susan Maughan on 1 July 1942, and hailed from Consett, County Durham, in the north east of England. As a child, her family relocated to Birmingham, and after leaving school she became an office typist.
But Susan’s nine-to-five working life was set to change when she answered an advertisement in Disc Weekly for a featured vocalist with the Ronnie Hancox Dance Band. Susan successfully auditioned and during her three years with Hancox she learnt to read and write music.
In 1961 she was introduced to agent Dick Katz, who was looking for a female vocalist to join the Ray Ellington Quartet. Within a few weeks Susan was enjoying her first engagement with the quartet at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. She remained with Ellington for a year.
Susan had also signed to the Philips label and was destined for fame with guidance from her producer, Johnny Franz – even though her first three efforts failed to chart.
Her first long player for Philips in 1963 was titled I wanna be Bobby’s girl but…, and was a concept album of sorts, featuring songs that included boys’ names, such as Teddy (a Connie Francis US single) and Sue Thompson’s US releases James (hold the ladder steady) and Norman
(both of which were also issued by Brit girl Carol Deene).
That same year saw the release of SWINGIN’ SUSAN and, a year later, came Sentimental Susan. The two albums present her singing standards, which suit her singing voice very well. She also released four EPs for Philips.
**
With Wally Stott & His Orchestra
**
A1. A Lot Of Livin' To Do 2:55
A2. If I Were A Bell 2:35
A3. The Lady's In Love With You 2:14
A4. Poppa Don't Preach To Me   2:25
A5. When Lights Are Low 2:44
A6. Just One Of Those Things 2:53
B1. The Gypsy In My Soul 2:36
B2. Old Devil Moon 3:12
B3. It Might As Well Be Spring 3:10
B4. Things Are Swingin' 3:05
B5. Ca, Ce'st L'amour 2:51
B6. Gone With The Wind 2:37
**

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The Chico O'FARRIL Sessions - Cuban Blues 1996

The Chico O'FARRIL Sessions - Cuban Blues 1996

Jazz

Principally recorded at Reeves Sound Studio, New York, New York and Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California between December 21, 1950 and April 21, 1954. Includes liner notes by Oscar Hijuelos and an interview with Chico O'Farrill by Ben Young.

For any and all Latin jazz collectors, casual or serious, this is a fabulous deal, for it gathers together no less than six exceedingly rare Chico O'Farrill Clef and Norgran 10" albums, plus one under Machito's name, onto a slimline two-CD set. It will also come as a revelation to anyone who might scoff at anything associated with the 1950s mambo craze, for these discs reveal O'Farrill as a sophisticated, even daring arranger/composer who reached beyond merely providing a beat for dancers. Many of these charts -- whether for the brief, dance-oriented Latin numbers; ultra-familiar standards like "Malaguena" and "The Peanut Vendor"; or jazz tunes -- are loaded with intricate figures and striking harmonies obviously gleaned from classical study, all crisply executed with a brash, shiny edge by his Afro-Cuban groups and bands staffed by American jazzmen. Occasionally, he even conjures a delicate, classical ambience from a number like "Angels' Flight" (named after Los Angeles' legendary downtown funicular). The apotheosis of O'Farrill's experiments are his two full-blown, groundbreaking Afro-Cuban jazz suites. The first features Flip Phillips and the redoubtable Charlie Parker as soloists within the Machito band, and the second is even bolder in its zigzag journey through the classical, Latin, and jazz camps. Yet for all of his erudition, O'Farrill never forgets to ask for madly percolating Afro-Cuban grooves from his rhythm teams -- which clinches the deal for any Latin music fan.
By Richard S. Gine. AMG.
**
Chico O' Farrill dug a huge trench in which concerns to accomplish the legendary sounds of the great bands of the forties that rendered pleasant unforgettable moments, accomplishing a marvellous drift in the establishment of a solid musculature and expansive transcendence of the raising Latin Jazz genre. This band had such swing and accurate conveyance because among other merits, was totally equipped around any fashion current but above all the idiomatic expressiveness that eventually would become them its main landmark.
These early fifties sessions out Chico on the map of the most remarkable pioneers of the Latin Jazz by then, in which the Afro- Cuban roots were basically the veins of these fabulous pieces. The impressive gamut of kaleidoscopic genres were mesmerizing performed with that unerring elegance, spirit pureness and vibrating radiance.
Despite the first CD is fabulous, it explores with major detail, the different insights of the different musical genres (notice for instance, the impressive second Afro-Cuban Jazz suite) the second album is by far, rhythmical than the first one. Since the first track, simply you can't stop to move even your fingers, it's loaded of that characteristic "guataca".
If you really want to have a CD that had captured with major vehemence this fundamental transition moment and besides had featured with such mesmerizing rhythmic elegance, you have come to the right point.
An ageless album.
By Hiram Gomez Pardo.
**
Part1

01. Avacadoes
02. Taboo
03. JATP Mambo
04. Duerme
05. Almendra
06. The Disappearance
07. Cuban Blues
08. Sin Titulo
09. Dance One
10. Bright One
11. Flamingo
12. Last One
13. Tierra Va Tembla
14. Vamos pa la Rumba
15. Mambo Korula
16. Frizilandia
17. Peanut Vendor
18. Ill Wind (You're Blownin' Me No Good)
19. Malaguena
20. Castigala
21. The Second Afro-Cuban Suite
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Part2

01. Havana Special
02. Carioca
03. Fiesta Time
04. Heat Wave
05. It Ain't Necessarily So
06. Guess What.
07. Cry Baby Blues
08. Lamento
09. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
10. Cachita
11. Rumbonsito
12. Te Queiro Dijiste
13. Siboney
14. Angel's Flight
15. Tres Palabras
16. No Te Importe Saber
17. Vaya Con Dios
18. Pianarabatibiri
19. L.A. Mambo
20. Quiereme Mucho
21. More Mambo
22. Mambo For Bunto
23. Botellero
24. Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite
**

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SOS (A.Skidmore, M.Osborne, J.Surman) - FM Broadcast 1975

SOS (A.Skidmore, M.Osborne, J.Surman) - FM Broadcast 1975
Thx To *Tantris*

Jazz

This British saxophone trio was highly-acclaimed, but quite short-lived. It was formed by arguably the three greatest UK reedsmen of the time. They'd all played together for several years in different formats like Mike Gibbs band and John Surman's own big band.
The image above is the cover from their only commercial release, which was reissued on CD a couple of years ago by Ogun records and is still available direct from them.
The music is a curious blend of free improvisation, reels and jigs and post bebop. It makes use of Surman's pre-recorded synthesizer loops, which I'm not keen on, but which was probably quite revolutionary in jazz in those days. Certainly Surman went on to use these techniques in solo recordings on the ECM label. For me, though, the highlights of their music is the alto playing of Mike Osborne, who's career was tragically greatly shortened by mental illness, up to his death last year.
This recording is comprised of two radio broadcasts transmitted by the BBC in 1975.
**
Jazz in Britain
Broadcast 29-1-1975
BBC Sessions

John Surman- Bs, Ss, Bcl, Synthesizer, E-Piano
Mike Osborne- As
Alan Skidmore- Ts, Ss.
*
01. Announcer 1.17
02. Looking for the Next One 14.28
03. Announcer 0.52
04. Rashied 9.00
05. Announcer 0.50
06. News 3.04
07. Announcer 0.28
*
Jazz Club
Broadcast 14.9.1975
John Surman bs, ss, bcl, synthesizer, e-piano
Mike Osborne as
Alan Skidmore ts, ss, ,dr
Tony Levin dr
*
08. Country Dance 7.49
09. Announcer 0.54
10. QE Hall 14.23
11. Announcer 0.18
12. The Irish 4.49
**

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Steve HACKETT - Blues With A Feeling 1994

Steve HACKETT-Blues With A Feeling 1994

Blues

Blues Rock is certainly not my favourite style of music, but I can enjoy the odd Blues guitar lick or even sometimes a whole Blues Rock song. But not even my hero Steve Hackett can make a whole album of Blues Rock interesting to me. Like I said, I like the odd Blues guitar lick, especially coming from Steve, and I also enjoy his harmonica playing, and I love his vocals. But what I like best about Steve is his ability to fuse different styles into something new and exciting. It is when he alternates between his many different influences within the context of the same album, or even within the same song, that he creates his best moments, not when he concentrates on one style only for a whole album.
There are many Blues guitarists in the world, and many Classical guitarists too, and Rock guitarists, etc. But what is so special about Steve for me is his ability to blend all of his influences into one. This ability is put on hold whenever he decides to go into one single direction for a whole album. With Blues With A Feeling, like with Steve's Classical guitar albums, he goes too far into one single direction and thus looses some of what makes him so special as an artist. It would be very interesting indeed to see what would have turned out if Steve had attempted to integrate and fuse some of this Blues Rock material with some material from a Classical guitar album like Momentum and a Pop/Rock album like Till We Have Faces. It is hard to imagine perhaps, but I suspect that the result would be a (much weaker) version of the excellent Guitar Noir album, which is a great example of an album that shows all the different aspects of Steve Hackett within the context of the same album; Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Folk and Classical, etc.
I am not going to comment on each individual song here since they are mostly quite similar. Steve's guitar sound is recognizable, as are his vocals and harmonica playing, but overall this music still manages to be rather anonymous. Blues With A Feeling is exactly what the title says, but the feeling in question is not a very good one. This is by no means a disaster or a poor album, but it is not very interesting or memorable either.
Like Hackett's Classical albums, Blues With A Feeling is recommended strictly to fans and collectors, or to people with a deep special interest in Blues Rock.
**
Steve Hackett- Vocal, Guitar & Harmonica
Julian Colbeck- Keyboards
Doug Sinclair- Bass Guitar
Hugo Degenhardt- Drums
+
Dave Taif Ball- Bass Guitar (on Way Down South & Love of Another Kind)
Jerry Peal- Organ (on Love of Another Kind)
The Kew Horns Footloose, Tombstone Roller & Blues With A Feeling
Matt Dunkley- Trumpet
John Lee- Trumpet
Pete Long- Tenor Sax
John Chapman- Baritone Sax
**
01. Born in Chicago   3:57
02. The Stumble   2:55
03. Love of Another Kind   3:59
04. Way Down South   4:28
05. A Blue Part of Town   3:03
06. Footloose   2:30
07. Tombstone Roller   5:17
08. Blues With a Feeling   4:22
09. Big Dallas Sky   4:47
10. The 13th Floor   3:29
11. So Many Roads   3:15
12. Solid Ground   4:27
**

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The Derek Trucks Band - Soul Serenade 2003

The Derek Trucks Band - Soul Serenade 2003
Recorded at Dockside, Maurice, Louisiana and Reeltime Studios,
Athens, Georgia between October 1999 & April 2000

Blues

It would be wrong to pigeonhole Derek Trucks as a southern rocker despite his ongoing day gig as the Allman Brothers Band's second guitarist. On his fourth solo album (actually recorded before his third, 2002's Joyful Noise) the young slinger shows what he's made of, and it's not barbeque and bourbon. Instead Trucks caters more to the martini crowd, giving a sophisticated cast to his slide guitar, snaking it into elegant musical conversations with a rather frivolous flute, and some off time drumming that are reminiscent of the clean jazz fusion that Traffic used to conjure up. On the opening track, "Soul Serenade"/"Rasta Man Chant," Trucks inserts some of the languid licks and flirts with Miles Davis before devolving into Bob Marley. "Bock to Bock" is a more structured affair that recalls Henry Mancini. Gregg Allman sits in on "Drown in My Own Tears" and spits out the bitter words in his grizzled voice while Truck follows along in a perfect slow dance, punctuating each of the singer's phrases with his own mournful slide. Trucks ventures south of the border in "Afro Romp" and the band evokes the great jazz drummer Elvin Jones on "Elvin." By Jaan Uhelszki.
**
Though recorded nearly two years before the release of the Derek Trucks Band's previous album, Soul Serenade feels like a step forward from Joyful Noise in its maturity and focus. By almost any measure, this is a jazz album; the only references ...    Full Descriptionto rock can be heard in the overdriven tone and bluesy slide phrasing that Trucks consistently employs. The prominence of the Hammond organ, and in particular its registration and abundant Leslie tremolo, also nods transparently toward the leader's apprenticeship in the Allman Brothers Band. The rhythm feel is subtle, though, with an understated swing that borrows from this or that corner of world music but unmistakably centers itself on jazz practice. In particular, Kofi Burbridge's aromatic flute solos, and the drumming of Yonrico Scott, with its freedom, timbral nuance, and well-placed transitional rolls, pull the sound far away from rock or even from the jazz-flavored but backbeat-driven Allman Brothers groove. One track, the Gregg Allman vocal cameo, a full-blooded rendition of "Drown in My Own Tears" that features brisk back-and-forth between the singer and Trucks, sinks from the jazz embrace and into the bosom of the blues; another, "Sierra Leone," builds a musical bridge from the Missisippi Delta back to Africa, in resonant acoustic timbres. In this context, these two moments only enrich the spectrum of Soul Serenade without at all detracting from the integrity and maturity of Trucks's vision.
By Robert L. Doerschuk.
**     
Soul Serenade is the fourth commercial release for Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks. A second generation band member (the guitarist is the nephew of drummer Butch Trucks), Mr. Trucks studied carefully the lead and slide guitar styles of the late Duane Allman, incorporating the elder Allman’s propensity for crossing music genera lines at will into his own personal philosophy. Derek Trucks may safely be considered the logical extension of the art of Duane Allman without simply being an imitation.
The title cut is a King Curtis classic often performed by Duane Allman as part of a medley with Willie Cobbs’ "You Don’t Love Me." Here, Trucks segues effortlessly into Bob Marley’s "Rasta Man Chant" and ten minutes of intricate slide guitar playing and ensemble intuition. Trucks covers Buddy Montgomery’s "Bock to Bock" in a clever manner and again with the slide guitar, making Derek Trucks one of the first bona fide jazz slide guitarists. After a blues foray through "Drown in My Own Tears," sung by Gregg Allman, Trucks returns to familiar territory with Mongo Santamaria’s "Afro Blue." Trucks performed this piece as part of a Govn’t Mule concert ( Live...With A Little Help from Our Friends ). Here, the song is pared down and tightened with the help of Kofi Burbridge.
Derek Trucks is exactly the type of guitarist in need... for popular music, for the Allman Brothers Band, for Govn’t Mule, for the Derek Trucks Band. For popular music, Trucks enters as a self-contained virtuoso, capable in all styles of music. For the Allman Brothers band, he is the slide guitarist needed since the horrible loss in the early 1970s. For Govn’t Mule, Trucks pushed Warren Haynes in this creativity and drive. And finally, for the Derek Trucks Band, the guitarist proves himself a clever and capable leader, not afraid to visit new or old themes.
By C. Michael Bailey.
**
Derek Trucks- (Guitar, Sarod);
Gregg Allman- (Vocals);
Kofi Burbridge- (Flute, Piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, Clavinet, Keyboards);
Bill McKay- (Wurlitzer Piano, Hammond B-3 Organ, Keyboards);
Todd Smallie- (Bass);
Yonrico Scott- (Drums, ercussion).
**
01. Soul Serenade / Rasta Man Chant (C. Ousley, L. Dixon, B. Marley)  10:37
02. ock to Bock (B. Montgomery)  5:59
03. Drown In My Own Tears (H. Glover)  5:08
04. Afro Blue (M. Santamaria)  5:42
05. Elvin (D. Trucks, T. Smallie, Y. Scott, B. McKay, K. Burbridge)  6:10
06. Oriental Folk Song (Traditional)  6:43
07. Sierra Leone (D. Trucks, Y. Scott, K. Burbridge)  2:15
**

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Steve KUHN - Quiéreme Mucho 2000

Steve KUHN - Quiéreme Mucho 2000

Jazz

Somebody might want to tell the model on the cover that nude sunbathing on a field of rocks can be tricky business  yet you'll hear none of that pain in the music of Steve Kuhn inside the cover, as the date's a perfect illustration of his lyrical genius on the piano! Many tunes have Latin roots, and Kuhn plays them with a subtle sense of drama -- none of the overblown emotion you might usually find associated with renditions of the cuts, and instead a soulful swing that's a bit different than some of his other records, but which definitely ranks right up with them in terms of greatness. David Finck is on bass and Al Foster is on drums and titles include "Duerme", "Quierme Mucho", "Tres Palabras", "Besame Mucho", and "Andalucia".
**
Steve Kuhn- Piano
David Finck- Bass
Al Foster- Drums
**
01. Andalucia (8:01)
02. Besame Mucho (8:06)
03. Siempre En Mi Corazón (6:48)
04. Duerme (5:41)
05. Quiéreme Mucho (4:55)
06. Tres Palabras (9:48)
**

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Thelonious MONK – Monk In France 1961

Thelonious MONK – Monk In France 1961
Recorded live at the Olympia, Paris, France on April 18, 1961
1991 Issue

Jazz

One of his last records for Riverside, this live recording from his European tour (cut in France in 1961) finds Monk and his quartet in fine fettle. The program offers originals interspersed with standards, such as "Body and Soul" and "Just A Gigolo," both of which Monk plays unaccompanied and with notable, quirky brilliance. The live tracks, which include original favorites "Well, You Needn't" and "Crespuscule With Nellie," focus not only on the stringent jump-cut melodies and spiralling lines of Monk, but also on his combo.

Saxophonist Charlie Rouse seems to be in particularly fine form in these recordings, branching out in his solos in "Well, You Needn't" and "Off Minor." Bassist John Ore also contributes a fine syncopated chord-strum solo in "Well, You Needn't." There seems to be a unique tension in the vigorous, uptempo playing from the whole band, which adds a kind of dynamism without distracting from the swing. Overall, MONK IN FRANCE is a strong disc: great performances of outstanding tunes heightened by the energy of a live concert.
**
In 1961, Thelonious Monk and his quartet toured Europe, producing a series of live albums for various labels. The First European Concert, as well as recordings of Monk in Paris, Italy, Bern, Copenhagen, and Stockholm all date from that year. The performances drew almost exclusively from a body of the pianist's best-loved original material, and Monk in France is no exception. While his playing here is less energized than it can be, Monk's singular philosophy is well intact. The pianist's lines are sparse and fluid. Characteristically, he maps out only the necessary notes in his off-kilter melodies, building solos from perfectly balanced melodic/rhythmic motifs. The European touring lineup is completed by drummer Frankie Dunlop, bassist John Ore, and tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse. Rouse had joined Monk two years earlier, replacing Johnny Griffin on 1959's Evidence. He has a vibrant tone and fluid rhythmic sense best heard here on "I Mean You." Monk's responding solo seems slightly reserved, the fire and weight of his attack largely absent. The remaining two-thirds of the rhythm section, while accomplished, do little to drive him in that direction. Performing solo, Monk's reading of the standards "Body and Soul" and "Just a Gigolo" are two highlights. The former features the sort of ornate playing uncharacteristic of the date. Monk spins off dense lines that take many listens to untangle. The latter is given a brief rendition tinged with ringing dissonance. The 1960s would see Monk signing to Columbia Records, where he would release another string of excellent recordings like Monk's Dream, Criss Cross, and Solo Monk. Monk in France represents a pleasant but unessential sidetrack in the pianist's output.
By Nathan Bush, All Music Guide.
**
Thelonious Monk (piano);
Charlie Rouse (tenor saxophone);
John Ore (bass);
Frankie Dunlop (drums).
**
01. Well, You Needn’t (Monk) 1131
02. Off Minor (Monk) 1142
03. Just a Gigolo (Brammer, Caesar, Casucci) 143
04. I Mean You (Hawkins, Monk) 1102
05. Hackensack (Monk) 946
06. I’m Getting Sentimental over You (Bassman, Washington) 831
07. Body and Soul (Eyton, Green, Heyman, Sour) 248
08. Crepuscule With Nellie (Monk) 239
**

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Toshiyuki MIYAMA & His New Herd Masahiko SATO - Yamataifu 1972

Toshiyuki MIYAMA & His New Herd Masahiko SATO - Yamataifu 1972
ETJ-65019

Jazz

Toshiyuki Miyama & his New Herd – this avant-garde jazz-rock combo has been around for a long time and released many albums, most of which I know nothing about. For us, their all-time classic is reputedly ‘Yamataifu’.
**
"Thr greatest cosmic jazz album ever made? Thr pursuit of Krautrock's highest accolades armed only with an acoustic jazz orchestra and a single ring-modulator? The Dawning of Humanity's earliest ages as filtered? YAMATAI-FU is all of these things and more, a spell-binding and iconoclastic work the like of which has never before been encountered. Hot on the heels of the hard-bop drumfuelled kosmiche classic Amalgamation, and once again highly inspired by his collaborations with experimental pianist Wolfgang Dauner, Masahiko Sato next deliveredthis huge three-part score for Toshiyuki Miyama & New Heard Orchestra, in which drummer Masaru Hiromi became the lynchpin for its entire monumental groove. Indeed, it's difficult to image how much weight the drummerwould have lost over the course of this mighty session. Around Togashi's flailingPhilly Joe Jones-meets-Klaus Schultze drum insanity, the composer built a series of highly arranged and ever unfolding brass pieces (sometimes cacophonus/sometimes sweet) that united more cosmic jazz in the style of his own Amalgamation together with elements of fullflight Archie Shepp on the title track of his Yasmina, A Black Woman. Over this bizarre mix, Satoh added his own heavily ring-modulated electric piano, sending out Ur-sparks and shards of sonic light into the heavens with this primitive electronic device, kicking Christian Vander's underachieving butt and creating a proto-Cosmic Jokers work in the process. Side one contained the single epic 'Ichi' (First), while side two was split into 'Ni' (Second) and 'San' (Third). The whole album is a righterous ducking for those who believe the Japanese never get anywhere first"
**
Bass- Masao Kunisada
Conductor- Toshiyuki Miyama
Drums- Masaru Hiromi
Electric Piano, Composed By, Arranged By- Masahiko Sato
Guitar- Kozaburo Yamamoto
Piano- Yoshinobu Imashiro
Alto Sax- Kazumi Oguro, Shinji Nakayama
Baritone Sax- Miki Matsui
Tenor Sax- Kiyoshi Saito, Shoji Maeda
Trombone- Masamichi Uetaka, Seiichi Tokura, Takeshi Aoki, Teruhiko Kataoka
Trumpet- Bunji Murata, Kenichi Sano, Koji Hadori, Kunio Fujisaki
**

A. Ichi 18:54 
B. Ni, San 16:49   
**
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Tubby HAYES and Others All The Winners 1958

 
Tubby HAYES and Others All The Winners 1958
NJT 518

Jazz

There wasn't really a saxophone player to touch him. But he was difficult to work with. The way he would stop the band on stage and say "What's the matter? Can't you get this effing tune off the floor?" He had a go at me a couple of times - but you learn...
By Gordon Beck.
**
Born in 1935 Tubby Hayes was playing professionally at the age of fifteen, four years after he started playing the saxophone. A virtuoso musician he eventually played tenor, soprano, alto and baritone saxes, vibraphone, piano, flute and percussion as well as becoming a fine composer and arranger.
He started professionally in 1951 with Kenny Baker' Sextet and then worked in the big bands of Ambrose, Vic Lewis and Jack Parnell. His first major feature on record is a live concert recording (Hep) made with the Vic Lewis Orchestra in 1954, a day before his nineteenth birthday. The record contains a remarkable six minute quartet performance featuring Tubby throughout. He formed his own eight piece group in 1954 and toured with the group 1955 to 1956 and although a musical success it could not pay its way. The band recorded for the independent Tempo label during this time reveal a confident lively band playing many jazz themes of the day such as Peace Pipe, Opus De Funk, Jordu, Straight Life, Room 608 and Man Ray

Through the mid to late 1950s Tubby recorded a valuable series of albums for Tempo with Jimmy Deuchar, Dizzy Reece, and Victor Feldman's small groups and big band. These albums, all re-issued in the early 2000s, are a valuable record of the British modern jazz of that time. Tubby had just started to write and arrange and, in 1957 said of Jimmy Deuchar: Jimmy was the one who really made me start taking music seriously. I'd been on the road with big bands from 1952-54 and didn't worry much about anything, except having a ball! Then that Christmas came the group at the old Flamingo with Jimmy and Terry Shannon, Pete Blannin and Bill Eyden. Jimmy was so good that I had to try. Jimmy was a great help when I started to write too...

He went on to form the "Jazz Couriers" with Ronnie Scott, probably the most successful of British modern jazz groups. The Jazz Couriers were a quintet built upon the now classic format of two tenor saxophones and a rhythm section, and also upon the new wave of hard bop emerging from the United States. In 1957 Tubby had taken up the vibes after Vic Feldman had bequeathed his instrument to him before his return to the United States. Less than six months later Tubby was recording on them and sounding for all the world like Milt Jackson (on Reunion from the Jazz Couriers first LP). Then, in 1959 he took up the flute, and was playing the instrument on a gig within days. He also played baritone sax, his baritone work was well showcased on Jimmy Deuchar's Pal Jimmy CD.
Tubby used the Couriers to develop his composing and arranging ambitions. It says a lot for Hayes' abilities as a tunesmith that his arrangements for the Couriers of standards such as Cheek to Cheek, although the most popular items in the band's book, never overshadow his own compositions. The Couriers existed from 1957 to 1959 and would probably have continued for longer, but Scott and Hayes both wanted to do other things and the band folded.

Following the break-up of The Couriers Hayes reverted to the quartet format and the albums Tubby's Groove, Tubbs and Palladium Jazz Date, reveal that his talents had matured into a style that cleverley brought together the best of the musicians he admired such as Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin and Sonny Rollins.

Hayes was at his peak in the early 1960s, and it was during this time that he enjoyed some of his greatest triumphs; in 1961 he became the first visiting English jazz soloist to play a residency at the 'Half Note' club in New York attracting audiences that included Miles Davis. He also visited Boston and Los Angeles as well as recording in America with trumpeter Clark Terry. In London he led his own big band for which he did most of the writing, and had his own TV series 1961 to 1962 and 1963.
He consistently won musical awards often in several categories including Best Tenor Saxophonist, Best Small Band and Jazzman of the Year. By the early 1960s he was the best known jazz musician that England had produced and through the 1960s he appeared in films, played the major festivals and had his own recording sessions in New York. Tubby established his own big band on a semi-regular basis from 1961. Away from the small band format of hard bop, his big band featured a superb swinging sound. The albums made by the big band were Tubbs from 1961, Tubbs Tours, from 1964 and then in 1966 what was probably his finest big band recording, 100% Proof an album of bebop themes.

From 1962 to 1964 Tubby Hayes' led a group featuring the Scots trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar and the live albums the group recorded at Ronnie Scott's club in 1962, Late Spot at Scott's and Down in the Village are from a time when Hayes reigned supreme. Other later releases such as Tribute to Tubbs and Night and Day, from similar live sessions are available. With the quintet Tubby extended his virtuosity on the vibes to exquisitely chorded four part harmony renditions of songs such as But Beautiful, and although Tubby could have easily have based his reputation on vibes alone, he abandoned the instrument in 1966.

Late in 1965 Tubby's health began to deteriorate and he collapsed through sheer exhaustion brought on by overwork. There were further health problems in the following year. Tubby had always drunk heavily but he was now dependent on narcotic drugs. He had become frustrated with his colleagues and the music he was playing and in the summer of 1966 he formed a new quartet, using young jazzmen more in tune with the new ideas coming into vogue - pianist Mike Pyne, bassist Ron Matthewson and drummer Tony Levin. The band worked into 1967 (live sessions can be heard on the CDs For Members Only and Tete a Tete) and then came what many regard as Tubby Hayes' finest album, Mexican Green. It was released in early 1968 to critical acclaim everywhere, but it came at a time when Hayes' personal life was in tatters. Already a sick man, he ignored warnings to slow down and ravaged by drugs and drink, and disgusted with his playing, he turned reclusive and spoke to no one for nearly three months. He was sorting himself out when he was arrested and charged with narcotics offences.

In 1969 he formed a new quartet with guitarist Louis Stewart and drummer Spike Wells. He had a new interest in free jazz and rock music and dabbled with the format working from time to time with Georgie Fame as well as his now settled quartet format including the Mike Pyne and Ron Matthewson rhythm team.An excellent Live 1969 CD, captures one of Tubby's final gigs with this quartet.

But by early 1970 health problems resurfaced when doctors discovered he had a faulty heart valve. He underwent an operation a year later and was out of action for the whole of 1971. When Tubby made his comeback in early 1972, the jazz scene had changed. The avant-garde had wreaked havoc and jazz rock had ravaged the music. Tubby's rejected the changes and his reaction was to go out and do straight-ahead gigs with his reformed quartet, playing much the same repertoire as he had done a decade earlier. He began his comeback with an overseas tour, making a successful trip to Scandinavia in February 1972. This tour is commemorated on the Storyville CD Quartet In Scandinavia.

Although now in poor health he worked on until another collapse before what transpired to be his final public appearance in Brighton in May 1973. Doctors confirmed that the replacement heart valve was failing and that a second operation was necessary. His death from complications undergoing surgery on June 8th, 1973, aged just thirty- eight. was a major loss to the jazz world, not just in the UK.
Tubby Hayes made an incredible number of recordings and most of his important work is currently available on CD. he recorded many programmes for the BBC and a few titles have been issued on the IAJRC (International Association of Jazz Record Collectors) CD - Tubby Hayes: England's Late Jazz Great.
**
Cleo Laine- Vocals
Kenny Baker- Trumpet [B1],
Ian Hamer- Trumpet [B3]
George Chisholm- Trombone [B1],
Tony Coe, Bruce Turner- Alto Sax [B1],
Tubby Hayes- Tenor Saxophone) [A1],
Ronnie Ross- Baritone Sax[A1],
Johnny Scott- Flute [B3],
Vic Ash- Clarinet [B3],
Bill le Sage- Vibraphone) [A1],
Lennie Felix- Piano [A2],
Max Harris- Piano [A3],
Dill Jones- Piano [B1],
Dave Lee- Piano [B2],
Alan Branscombe- Piano [B3],
Dave Goldberg- Guitar [A1],
Johnny Hawksworth- Bass [A1]
Sammy Stokes- Bass [A3],
Lennie Bush- Bass [B1],
Spike Heatley- Bass [B3],
Allan Ganley)- Drums [A1],
Phil Seamen- Drums [A3],
Eddie Taylor- Drums [B1],
Kenny Clare- Drums [B2],
Dave Pearson- Drums [B3],
Leaders- Tubby Hayes, Lennie Felix, The Polka Dots,
Kenny Baker, Cleo Laine, Vic Ash
**
A1. Hark Dog (Ken Moule) (5:09)
A2. Scene '59 Act 2 (Lennie Felix) (5:08)
A3. Monday Date (Earl Hines) (2:06)
B1. Poll Winners (John Dankworth) (5:41)
B2. Sugar (Edna AlexanderSidney MitchellMaceo Pinkard) (3:11)
B3. Just for the Boys (Johnny Scott) (3:00)
**

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ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud 1972

ZZ Top - Rio Grande Mud 1972
(Unfortunately 1987 Cd Issue) 3269-2

Blues

Again, Billy Gibbons' guitar work is outstanding throughout, helping to spearhead such great cuts as the rugged opener "Francine," the gritty attitude of "Just Got Paid,"  and one of the band's most melodic compositions up until this point, "Chevrolet." RIO GRANDE MUD remains one of ZZ Top's most underrated recordings.
**
Dusty Hill- Bass
Frank Beard- Drums
Billy Gibbons- Lead, Slide Guitars, Harmonica, Vocals
**
01. Francine   2:53
02. Just Got Paid   3:48
03. Mushmouth Shoutin'  3:45
04. Ko Ko Blue   4:23
05. Chevrolet  3:19
06. Apologies to Pearly  2:47
07. Bar-B-Q   3:22
08. Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell  6:49
09. Whiskey'n Mama  3:20
10. Down Brownie  2:25 
**

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Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes - Live Grugahalle Essen 1979

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes - Live Grugahalle Essen  1979
Bootleg

Blues

01. All I Want Is Everything (5:52)
02. Your Reply (4:51)
03. Talk To Me (4:29)
04. Livin' In The Real World (4:53)
05. Security (5:56)
06. I'm So Anxious (2:57)
07. The Time (3:58)
08. Trapped Again (4:23)
09. Vertigo (3:42)
10. The Fever (10:08)
11. I Don't Want To Go Home (3:21)
12. We Are Having A Party (6:54)
13. Got To Be A Better Way Home (3:02)
**

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Taj MAHAL - London & Stockholm 1991 [FM]

Taj MAHAL - London & Stockholm 1991 [FM]
Bootleg
Thx To *dinostunz*

Tracks 1-6
Town & Country Club
Kentish Town
London
3rd November 1991
-
BBC radio 1 Broadcast
Tracks 7-12
Stockholm
1st October 1991
FM Broadcast

Blues

Town & Country Club
01. She Caught The Katy
02. Queen Bee
03. Big Leg Mama
04. Don't Call Us
05. Love Up (John Martyn Cover)
06. Squat That Rabbit

Stockholm
07. Blues With A Feeling
08. Come On In My Kitchen
09. Jack o' Diamonds
10. Don't call Us
11. The River Of Love
12. Squat That Rabbit
**

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Sue FOLEY - Big City Blues 1995

Sue FOLEY - Big City Blues 1995

Blues

Sue Foley is a Bonnie Raitt blues soundalike who, born in Canada, relocated to Austin (Texas). She debuted very young with Young Girl Blues (Antone's, 1992) and became an immediate sensation in blues-revival quarters, thanks to a sexy and spunky voice and thanks to a punkish approach to the blues (Walkin' Home, Gone Blind).
Without A Warning (Antone's, 1993), which is even more personal (and has more original songs),
and BIG CITY BLUES (Antone's, 1995) established her as an accomplished performer.

After three albums of mainly traditionals, Foley came to prominence with Walk In The Sun (Antone's, 1996), that collects eleven originals, including the boogie The Snake, the slow-burning blues Give It To Me, the folk lullaby Walk in the Sun, the Dylan-ian elegy The Wind and Lovesick Child, the powerful dirge Train to Memphis, the pop ballad Lover's Call. Foley graduated to mature songwriter.

There is very little blues on Ten Days In November (Shanachie, 1998), just an intelligent and emotional woman who sings and plays personal songs (Highwayside, Winds of Change) sometimes with an adrenaline drive (Give My Love To You).

You're Barking Up The Wrong Tree and Let Me Drive are the dynamite tracks on Love Comin' Down (Shanachie, 2000), that also features the peppery instrumental Mediterranean Breakfast. The blues returns in massive doses with Two Trains, Empty Cup and Let My Tears Fall Dow, three of her best ever.
**
Sue Foley- (Vocals, Guitar);
Stephen Bruton- (Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin);
Ted Roddy- (Harmonica);
Craig Simechek, Riley Osbourne- (Piano);
Chris Maresh- (Upright Bass);
Jon Penner- (Bass);
Freddie Walden- (Drums);
Amber July Morton, Donna Pearl, Toni Price, Carlos Campos- (Background Vocals).
**
01.Big City Blues 3:34
02.Howlin' for My Darlin' 3:38
03.To Be Alone With You 4:16
04.One Hundred Dollar Bill 2:21
05.Ain't Gonna Worry No More 2:36
06.This Time 3:45
07.As Long as I Have You 4:16
08.Highway Bound 4:04
09.If You Gotta Go 3:49
10.My Baby's Sweeter 4:21
11.Girl's Night Out 3:05
**

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Dr.JOHN - Woman Is The Root Of All Evil 2001

Dr.JOHN - Woman Is The Root Of All Evil 2001
MPG 74069

Blues

Nothing going to be said.
themonk
**
01. Crawfish Soiree (Bring Your Own)   5:56
02. Tipitina   3:15
03. In the Night   2:49
04. Woman Is the Root of All Evil   2:10
05. The Time Had Come   3:42
06. Shoo Raa   4:13
07. Zu Zu Man   3:18
08. Baldhead   2:32
09. Mean Cheatin' Woman   4:36
10. Make Your Own Bed Well   3:14
11. A Little Closer to My Home   3:13
12. Della (Part II)   1:56
**

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Carey BELL - Good Luck Man 1997

Carey BELL - Good Luck Man 1997

Blues

Carey Bell is an effective and surprisingly versatile singer but it is his powerful harmonica that really stands out. One of the last of the major Chicago blues harpists, Bell (an alumnus of the Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon bands) had led his own groups for most of the previous 30 years when he came out with this disc. His longtime guitarist Steve Jacobs offers some concise and stinging comments but the leader is virtually the whole show on his CD, which finds him leading a tight six-piece group. Nothing too unusual occurs but the music definitely has plenty of spirit. By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
The world needs more Carey Bells. With his fat tone, outstanding phrasing and great song selection, this man is truly worthy of legendary status among harmonica players, or blues men in general, for that matter. This man, and those like him, are the ones who will keep the blues harp tradition alive for years to come.
"Good Luck Man" is Bell's follow-up to the outstanding "Deep Down." With the same harp skill and strong sense of song selection, Bell turns out a record which equals, and in some ways surpasses, its predecesor. Bell opens with a great, funky rendition of Muddy Waters' "My Love Strikes Like Lightening" which sets the standard for the rest of the album. This disc is highly enjoyable throughout as Bell showcases some outstanding originals and fine covers. Throughout all 14 tracks, Carey gives us all the great blues we want, and then some.

Carey Bell is clearly among the greatest living harpists (his only competition in my opinion being James Cotton and Sugar Blue). He has the fattest tone out there and excellent phrasing to boot. This record demonstrates those skills well, as Bell blows up a storm on all pieces. Particularly memorable are the instrumental "Bell Hop" and the elegant, low down "Hard Working Woman," the latter demonstrating Bell's unsurpassed skill on chromatic harp.

Overall, this is an outstanding album. True, it feels a bit like a sequel to "Deep Down," but given the quality ofmusic on both records, I don't think there can be any just complaints. "Deep Down" may still be the essential first purchase from the Carey Bell catalog, but this one would definatly be the next stop on the list.
By Alex Harpskier.
**
Carey Bell- (Vocals, Harmonica)
Will Crosby- (Guitar)
Johnny Iguana- (Piano)
Johnny B. Gayden- (Bass)
Willie Hayes- (Drums)
**
01. My Love Strikes Like Lightning 4:10
02. Love Her, Don't Shove Her 3:25
03. Sleeping With The Devil 3:48
04. Hard Working Woman 4:38
05. Bell Hop 3:42
06. Bad Habits 4:49
07. Good Luck Man 5:24
08. Hard Hearted Woman 3:55
09. Going Back To Mississippi 3:42
10. I'm A Business Man 3:22
11. Teardrops 7:08
12. Brand New Deal 4:20
13. Good Lover 3:50
14. Double Cross 2:46
**

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Earl KING and Roomful of Blues – Glazed 1986

Earl KING and Roomful of Blues – Glazed 1986
BT 1035

Blues

Earl King, a native of New Orleans, was a flamboyant performer, singing with bluesy ease and playing guitar solos that curled and sliced across the rolling New Orleans beat. He recorded hundreds of songs that were rooted in both the 12-bar blues and New Orleans lore, with lyrics that could tell wry, compressed stories or come up with wild-eyed imagery. While Earl King performed widely, his songs also traveled by way of other musicians: Jimi Hendrix, who recorded King's ''Come On'' as ''Let the Good Times Roll,'' the Meters, who recorded ''Trick Bag,'' and Professor Longhair, who played piano and had the performer credit on the original 1964 version of King's ''Big Chief,'' although it featured King's vocals and whistling. The Professor Longhair recording and remakes of ''Big Chief'' by performers including Allen Toussaint and Dr. John are still heard every year at Mardi Gras time.
During the 1980's and 90's, King made albums for Black Top Records, including a 1986 collaboration with the band Roomful of Blues, ''Glazed,'' which was named because he made a Tastee Donuts shop his regular office and hangout. ''Glazed'' was nominated for a Grammy Award.
**
A1. It All Went Down the Drain   4:31
A2. Your Love Was Never There   4:52
A3. Everybody's Got to Cry Sometime   3:07
A4. Love Rent   4:10
A5. Three Can Play the Game   3:33
B1. Iron Cupid   3:11
B2. Somebody's Got a Tail   3:53
B3. I Met a Stranger   3:13
B4. Mardis Gras in New Orleans   3:05
B5. There's Been Some Lonely, Lonely Nights   3:17
B6. One Step Beyond Love   3:37
**

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Joni MITCHELL - Ladies of the Canyon 1970

Joni MITCHELL - Ladies of the Canyon 1970
RS 6376

Jazz

Joni Mitchell's third album offers a bridge between the artful but sometimes dour meditations of her earlier work and the more mature, confessional revelations of the classics that would follow. Voice and guitar still hew to the pretty filigree of a folk poet, but there's the giggling rush of rock & roll freedom in "Big Yellow Taxi," and the formal metaphor of her older songs ("The Circle Game," already oft-covered by the time of this recording) yields to the more impressionistic images of the new ones ("Woodstock"). The dark lyricism of her earliest ballads is intact (on "For Free" and "Rainy Night House"), yet there's a prevailing idealism here that sounds poignant alongside the warier, more mature songs to come on Blue and Court And Spark.
By Sam Sutherland.
**
With her second album CLOUDS, Joni Mitchell established herself as an artist who was here to stay. LADIES OF THE CANYON affirmed her status as one of the most important female artists in music history. Like most artists, Joni was just getting her feet wet with her first two albums, but it was on her third that she really blossomed. For the first time, Joni sings with the right emotions that her songs often call for. Songs like "Willy", "The Conversation", and "The Arrangement" are short but difficult songs that accurately portray the hardships of love and romance. Another prominent subject is that of the loss of innocence, and Joni brings to it her distinctive brand of poetry. The sad introspection continues on songs like "Woodstock" (not the CSNY version, but in a slower, more dirge-like sound), and "The Circle Game" (which for an almost-20 year old man like me rings all too true). In fact, "The Circle Game" might be the greatest song ever written about coming of age. CANYON's best-known song also deals with the album's prominent subject of time passage: "Big Yellow Taxi". Anyone who thinks Joni is all about the feminine point of view of life's trials and tribulations will probably be shocked by this song that takes a lighthearted, funny approach to a subject that would often get drowned in the emotiveness typical of folk singing/songwriting. Joni's expression at the end of the song is priceless! As her career progressed, Joni Mitchell would get even more personal and introspective. But LADIES OF THE CANYON is the perfect document of a young woman and her approach to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
Eric N. Andrews.
**
Joni Mitchell- Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Teresa Adams- Cello
Paul Horn- Clarinet, Flute
Jim Horn- Baritone Sax
Milt Holland- Percussion
The Saskatunes- Bop Vocals
The Lookout Mountain United Downstairs Choir- Chorus on The Circle Game
Don Bagley- Cello Arrangement
**
A1. Morning Morgantown 
A2. For Free 
A3. Conversation 
A4. Ladies Of The Canyon 
A5. Willy 
A6. The Arrangement 
B1. Rainy Night House 
B2. The Priest 
B3. Blue Boy 
B4. Big Yellow Taxi 
B5. Woodstock 
B6. The Circle Game 
**

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Archie SHEPP - The Magic of Ju-Ju 1967

Archie SHEPP - The Magic of Ju-Ju 1967
AS-9154

Jazz

On this 1967 Impulse release, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp unleashed his 18-minute tour de force "The Magic of Ju-Ju," combining free jazz tenor with steady frenetic African drumming. Shepp's emotional and fiery tenor takes off immediately, gradually morphing with the five percussionists -- Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles, and Dennis Charles -- who perform on instruments including rhythm logs and talking drums. Shepp never loses the initial energy, moving forward like a man possessed as the drumming simultaneously builds into a fury. Upon the final three minutes, the trumpets of Martin Banks and Michael Zwerin make an abrupt brief appearance, apparently to ground the piece to a halt. This is one of Shepp's most chaotic yet rhythmically hypnotic pieces. The three remaining tracks, somewhat overshadowed by the title piece, are quick flourishes of free bop on "Shazam," "Sorry Bout That," and the slower, waltz-paced "You're What This Day Is All About."
By Al Campbell. AMG.
**
Bass- Reggie Workman
Drums- Beaver Harris , Norman Connor
Percussion- Dennis Charles
Percussion [Rhythm Logs]- Eddie Blackwell
Percussion [Talking Drums] - Frank Charles
Producer - Bob Thiele
Tenor Sax- Archie Shepp
Trumpet, Flugelhorn- Martin Banks
Trumpet, Trombone- Michael Zwerin
**
A. The Magic Of Ju-Ju 18:34
B1.You're What This Day Is All About 1:47
B2.Shazam 4:43
B3.Sorry 'Bout That 10:08
**

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Joe ZAWINUL & Trilok GURTU - Duo,Glasgow International Jazz Festival 1994

Joe ZAWINUL & Trilok GURTU - Duo,Glasgow International Jazz Festival 1994
Old Fruitmarket
Bootleg

Jazz

There is a bit of saturation on a couple of tracks but it's not too bad. Track 3 Goose Bumps is split in two because of a tape flip. There was real technical problems with Zawinul's keys at the beginning of the show, that's why one can hear them dropping in and out and the audience applauding when it's fixed. I've left the recording in its original form. The editing was done at the gig by the original taper.
Any help with the setlist and exact date would be appreciated.
The original DAT tape was stolen (and probably destroyed) along with a collection of fusion bootlegs from around this time. Some copies I made on cassete in 1994 are all that remain. Eternal thanks to Ricky, the original taper, this one goes out for him wherever he might be.
May I be as bold as to say that this was definitely one of the greatest gigs I ever had the privelige to attend!
**
Joe Zawinul- KeysVocals
Trilok Gurtu- Perc.
**
01. The other Tune
02. !
03. Goose Bumps
04. Goose Bumps (Continued)
05. Morning Dance
06. (Tabla talk solo)
07. !
08. (Encore)
**

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Branford MARSALIS - Dark Keys 1996

Branford MARSALIS - Dark Keys 1996

Jazz

Dark Keys is Branford Marsalis' first major solo album since taking a leave from recording to be the musical director of The Tonight Show in 1993. Instead of following through with the hip-hop inclinations of Buckshot LeFonque, Marsalis has returned to traditional jazz, yet this is far from standard bop. Marsalis pushes at the borders of post-bop, adding elements of hip-hop and rock & roll, making for an adventurous and exciting listen. Occasionally, his experiments are unsuccessful, yet they are never less than intriguing.
By Leo Stanley, All Music Guide.
**
Joe Lovano- Tenor Sax,
Reginald Veal- Bass,
Jeff "Tain" Watts- Drums,
Kenny Garrett- Alto Sax,
Branford Marsalis- Tenor,Soprano Sax.
**
01. The Dark Keys Branford Marsalis 10:44
02. Hesitation Branford Marsalis 6:01
03. A Thousand Autumns Branford Marsalis Trio 6:23
04. Sentinel Branford Marsalis 8:54
05. Lykeif Branford Marsalis 6:08
06. Judas Iscariot Branford Marsalis 7:52
07. Blutain Branford Marsalis 7:41
08. Schott Happens Branford Marsalis 8:20
**

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Ahmad JAMAL - Live In Paris 1996

Ahmad JAMAL - Live In Paris  1996
Recorded live on October 26, 1996 by the
Radio France Mobile Studio at Salle Pleyel in Paris.
Mixed at Radio France, October 1998

Jazz

In this glorious live document from 1996, the master pianist/composer/bandleader breaks from the trio format to feature guitar, violin, the great Manolo Badrena on percussion, and the thrilling sax work of George Coleman.
**
Bass- Jeff Chambers
Drums- Yoron Israel
Guitar- Calvin Keys
Percussion- Manolo Badrena
Piano- Ahmad Jamal
Tenor Sax- George Coleman
Violin- Joe Kennedy Jr.
**
01. Bellows 14:09
02. Patches 11:04  
03. Autumn Leaves 12:02  
04. Devil's In My Den 12:23  
05. There's A Lull In My Life 9:48
**

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