VAGN HOLMBOE : The Complete String Quartets (The Kontra Quartet) (2010) 7CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Vagn Holmboe was a natural quartet composer. This set contains all 20 of his numbered works in the genre, plus two other pieces. Holmboe’s original source of inspiration for these pieces was Bartók—you can hear this clearly in the Third quartet, with its five-movement “arch” form (slow-fast-moderate-fast-slow)—but he quickly moved beyond more obviously symmetrical structures as he developed the metamorphosis technique of his later style. In general, the harmonic idiom is tonal, though often widely expanded, with rugged rhythms in quick movements characteristic of Holmboe’s fundamentally neoclassical outlook. The late works, not surprisingly, become more complex but also more personal and concentrated. None of them lasts longer than about 25 minutes.

All of these performances were previously released by Dacapo on seven individual discs, and having them all together in a box is certainly convenient. The performances are uniformly excellent. The Kontra Quartet fully enters into the spirit of the music, offering vibrant rhythms and fine ensemble balances. The timbre of this group always has been a touch edgy compared to, say, the best Czech quartets (my personal touchstone), but it suits the music’s pungency, and the players relax nicely into Holmboe’s many moments of lyricism and tranquility. The engineering throughout is bold and clear. This important set belongs in the collection of anyone who cares about good 20th-century chamber music. naxos
VAGN HOLMBOE (1909-1996)
Tracklist 1 :
1-3.        String Quartet No. 1, Op. 46 (1949)    (27:11)
4-8.        String Quartet No. 3, Op. 48 (1949)    (24:17)
9-13.        String Quartet No. 4, Op. 63 (1954)    (24:28)
Tracklist 2 :
1-5.        String Quartet No. 2, Op. 47 (1949)    (27:14)
6-8.        String Quartet No. 5, Op. 66 (1955)    (20:14)
9-12.        String Quartet No. 6, Op. 78 (1961)    (18:54)
Tracklist 3 :
1-3.        String Quartet No. 7, Op. 86 (1964-65)    (20:40)
4-8.        String Quartet No. 8, Op. 87 (1965)    (19:20)
9-13.        String Quartet No. 9, Op. 93 (1965-66, Rev. 1969)    (24:43)
Tracklist 4 :
1-2.        String Quartet No. 10, Op. 102 (1969)    (25:49)
3-6.        String Quartet No. 11, Op. 111 (1972)    (18:31)    
7-11.        String Quartet No. 12, Op. 116 (1973)    (21:49)
Tracklist 5 :
1-5.        String Quartet No. 13, Op. 124 (1975)    (23:56)
6-11.        String Quartet No. 14, Op. 125 (1975)    (18:17)
12-15.    String Quartet No. 15, Op. 135 (1977-78)    (16:36)
Tracklist 6 :
1-6.        String Quartet No. 17, Op. 152 "Mattinata" (1982, Rev. 1983)    (26:30)
7-12.        String Quartet No. 19, Op. 156 "Serata" (1982, Rev. 1984-85)    (22:49)
13-18.    String Quartet No. 20, Op. 160 "Notturno" (1985)    (20:20)
Tracklist 7 :
1-4.        String Quartet No. 16, Op. 146 (1981)    (15:44)
5-10.        String Quartet No. 18, "Giornata", Op. 153 (1982)    (21:31)
11-21.    "Sværm", Op. 190B (1992)    (25:10)
22-23.    Quartetto Sereno, Op. 197 (Op. Posth.)    (8:40)
Credits :  
Arranged By [Redigeret Af] – Per Nørgård (tracks: 7-22, 7-23)
Ensemble – The Kontra Quartet
Cello – Morten Zeuthen
Viola – Peter Fabricius
Violin [1st] – Anton Kontra
Violin [2nd] – Boris Samsing

HOT LIPS PAGE — After Hours In Harlem (1973-1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

From a historic standpoint, this is a significant CD reissue (a straight reproduction of a long-out-of-print Onyx Lp from 1973), but the shaky recording quality makes it of primary interest to serious jazz record collectors. The great swing trumpeter and vocalist Hot Lips Page is heard in several live jam sessions during 1940-41 that were saved for history by Jerry Newman, a college student who owned portable disc recording equipment. The first four selections, recorded in Newman's apartment during a party, matches trumpeter Page in a trio with tenor saxophonist Herbie Fields and pianist Donald Lambert. While Lambert, who rarely recorded, was a great stride player, Fields was just a so-so and overly heated tenorman, and he sometimes gets in the way. The other five numbers feature Page jamming in a club (possibly Monroe's Uptown House) with musicians who vary greatly in quality. The young Thelonious Monk is heard at the beginning of his career, but he is only on two numbers, sounding surprisingly influenced by Earl Hines during his short spots. Guitarist Tiny Grimes on "I've Found a New Baby" shows off the strong influence of Charlie Christian, while trumpeter Joe Guy does his best but is overshadowed by Page; other saxophonists pass through without making much of an impression. Actually, the most remarkable moments during this CD are Page's brilliant scat singing on "Konk," sounding like an extension of Leo Watson. Interesting and historic music, but not essential. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1.        I Got Rhythm    4:57
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin 
2.        I'm In The Mood For Love    3:20
 Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh 
3.        Dinah    7:58
 Harry Akst / Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young 
4.        Tea For Two    6:45
 Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans 
5.        I've Found A New Baby    3:26
 Jack Palmer / Spencer Williams 
6.        Sweet Georgia Brown    5:23
Ben Bernie / Kenneth Casey / Maceo Pinkard
7.        Old Yazoo    5:59
 Fats Waller 
8.        Topsy    6:58
 Edgar Battle / Eddie Durham 
9.        Konk    8:52
 Hot Lips Page 
Credits :  
Alto Saxophone – Rudy Williams (tracks: 7)
Guitar – Tiny Grimes (tracks: 5)
Piano – Donald Lambert (tracks: 1 to 4), Thelonious Monk (tracks: 6, 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Herbie Fields (tracks: 1 to 4)
Trumpet – Hot Lips Page, Joe Guy (tracks: 5 to 8)  

KENNY BARRON TRIO — Lemuria-Seascape (1991) Two Version | WV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The Barron/Drummond/Riley trio step forward into the '90s and churn out another impressive collection, this one containing mostly either Barron or group originals rather than tons of standards. Exacting, carefully constructed, and consistently brilliant playing all around. Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1.        Lemuria 4:33
Written-By – Kenny Barron
2.        Ask Me Now 5:22
Written-By – Thelonious Monk
3.        Sweet Lorraine 7:08
Written-By – Cliff Burwell, Mitchell Parish
4.        Fungii Mama 5:37
Written-By – Blue Mitchell
5.        Slow Grind 7:08
Written-By – Kenny Barron
6.        Have You Met Miss Jones? 5:10
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
7.        Maria Isabel 6:22
Written-By – Christina Blalock
8.        You Go to My Head 8:47
Written-By – Haven Gillespie, Jay Fred Coots
9.        The Magical Look In Your Eyes 7:40
Written-By – Rufus Reid
10.        Seascape 5:38
Written-By – Kenny Barron
Credits :  
Bass – Ray Drummond
Drums – Ben Riley
Piano – Kenny Barron
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder

METHENY · MEHLDAU — Metheny Mehldau Quartet (2007) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau created a stir in 2006 with their wonderful duet recording. On that set, two of the album's ten cuts featured Mehldau's rhythm section of bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. Quartet is a mirror image: seven of these 11 cuts are full quartet sides. The musical magic established by that collaboration sets the stage for the pair to dig deeper here. It's true that melodic and harmonic invention is the root of each of the tunes here, though that doesn't mean there isn't room to move. Metheny's Way Up recording offered ample of evidence of how compositional sophistication could accomplish virtually anything. There, the players had written parts, but also had room for improvisation within that framework. The same happens here, though the pieces are shorter. Partial evidence of this is the disc's second selection, "The Sound of Water," which has a nearly pastoral theme. But Metheny uses counterpoint on a 12-string guitar to meet Mehldau's chordal investigation. One need only go one cut further in on "Fear and Trembling," by Mehldau, to see how quickly the two can step outside their bonds while retaining their commitment. The knotty playing with distortion by Metheny moves toward the rhythm section, which establishes the kind of fluidity his sense of time requires. Mehldau's own post-bop modal solo works through the lyric frames in the tune's structure and cuts through them, finding their densities and spaces. Grenadier's elasticity as a bassist allows the time to float and shift -- seemingly -- without ever losing the harmonic thread even when Metheny moves outside toward the end of the cut.

The duet ballad "Don't Wait," with Metheny on acoustic guitar, comes together with all the warmth and textured lyric sensibility that their debut displayed. These two men are not at all self-conscious here; they seem to hear each other in both solo and chorus with equally gentle ears. The shimmering piano on "Towards the Light" finds Mehldau exploring those gorgeous multi-note phrases he loves so much, with Metheny reacting sparely and creating a virtual shimmering in the cut. Ballard is very impressive here as he shades his beats with cymbals and rim shots, and gives the entire cut something earthy to hang onto. There are two Latin-tinged (barely) tunes, "En la Terra Que No Olvida" (Metheny) and "Santa Cruz Slacker" (Mehldau). The former is knottier and less obvious, but the meter is one Brubeck employed a lot in the early '60s and perhaps it serves as a model here. The latter cut is more languid on the surface, but Ballard's drumming is simply out of this world as he skitters and scampers all over and in front of the band throughout. There is perhaps no surprise at how well these two communicate -- especially with a rhythm section as wonderful as this one is. If there is a feeling that some tunes run together, they don't; this is not a suite, but a solid amalgam of brilliant musicianship, with a humble approach that is elegant and dignified. These guys have come up with a gorgeous and sexy creation, and listeners should be delighted to spend some time with it. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1.        A Night Away    7:59
 Brad Mehldau / Pat Metheny 
2.        The Sound Of Water    3:53
 Pat Metheny 
3.        Fear And Trembling    6:56
 Brad Mehldau
4.        Don't Wait    7:08
 Pat Metheny 
5.        Towards The Light    8:10
 Pat Metheny 
6.        Long Before    6:57
 Pat Metheny 
7.        En La Tierra Que No Olvida    7:43
 Pat Metheny 
8.        Santa Cruz Slacker    6:09
 Brad Mehldau
9.        Secret Beach    9:07
 Brad Mehldau
10.        Silent Movie    6:03
 Pat Metheny 
11.        Marta's Theme (From "Passagio Per Il Parasdiso")    2:31
 Pat Metheny 
Credits :  
Guitar, Producer – Pat Metheny
Piano – Brad Mehldau 

WALTER DAVIS TRIO — Illumination (1977-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Since Walter Davis, Jr. had relatively few opportunities to lead recording dates of his own, one would hope that conditions would be ideal for the occasional recording session. Sadly, he's stuck with a badly out of tune instrument on this occasion, making it almost excruciating to listen to his performance of his best-known work, the normally exciting hard bop vehicle "Scorpio Rising." Davis utilizes several different rhythm sections, including the likes of Buster Williams, Art Blakey, and Tony Williams. Guest Jeremy Steig's soulful, vibrato-laden flute is added for "Illumination" and trumpeter Charles Sullivan for a brief but haunting duet of Nino Rota's "Theme from 'La Strada'," while percussionist Nana Vasconcelos and rhythm guitarist Milton Frustino are added for the brisk, enchanting samba "Biribinya Nos States." But in spite of his best efforts, the lousy piano badly handicaps Davis' performances. The ironic cover photo, with Davis posing at a toy piano, may have indicated what he thought of the studio keyboard. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1.        Scorpio Rising 7:14
Written-By – Walter Davis
2.        Illumination 9:52
Written-By – Walter Davis
3.        Ronnie's A Dynamite Lady 8:32
Written-By – Walter Davis
4.        Backgammon 7:17
Written-By – Walter Davis
5.         Abide With Me 5:56
 – Traditional
6.        Crowded Elevator 5:18
Written-By – Walter Davis
7.        Theme From "La Strada" 2:31
Written-By – Nino Rota
8.        Biribinya Nos States 3:30
Written-By – Pepeu
9.        Just One Of Those Things 5:48
Written-By – Cole Porter
10.        Pranayama 6:00
Written-By – Walter Davis
11.        I'll Keep Loving You 7:51
Written-By – Bud Powell
Credits : 
Bass – Buster Williams (tracks: 1 to 4, 6, 8, 10)
Drums – Tony Williams (tracks: 6, 8, 10), Art Blakey (tracks: 3, 4), Bruno Carr (tracks: 1, 2)
Flute – Jeremy Steig (tracks: 2)
Percussion – Naná Vasconcelos (tracks: 8)
Piano – Walter Davis
Rhythm Guitar – Milton Frustino (tracks: 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Carter Jefferson (tracks: 10)
Trumpet – Charles Sullivan (tracks: 7, 10)