PAQUITO D'RIVERA & THE UNITED NATION ORCHESTRA - A Night in Englewood (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After Dizzy Gillespie's death in 1991, his colorful Afro-Cuban United Nation Orchestra (which was formed in 1988) was headed by altoist-clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. With the better-known sidemen on this 1993 CD including first trumpeter Byron Stripling, trombonist Conrad Herwig and tenor saxophonist Mario Rivera, additional solo space was allocated to some of the other talented players as were guest spots for trumpeter Claudio Roditi, trombonist Slide Hampton and vibraphonist Dave Samuels. A Night in Englewood is an easily recommended set. The music is very Latin-oriented and shows that the orchestra had moved away from Gillespie's usual repertoire to exclusively feature originals by bandmembers (including D'Rivera's "I Remember Diz"). Definitely worth investigating. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Snow Samba    6:38
Paquito D'Rivera / Claudio Roditi
2    Alma Llanera    6:18
Pedro Elias Gutiérrez
3    I Remember Diz    5:04
Paquito D'Rivera
4    Blues For Astor    6:31
Diego Urcola
5    Modo Cubano    5:30
Leopoldo "Pucho" Esclante
6    La Puerta    3:17
Luis Demetrio
7    Bonitinha    5:02
Carlos Franzetti
8    Milonga Para Paquito    6:53
Diego Urcola
9    To Brenda With Love    7:09
Paquito D'Rivera
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Marshall McDonald
Congas – Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (faixas: 6)
Drums – Adam Cruz (faixas: 1, 3 to 9), Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (faixas: 2)
Electric Bass – Oscar Stagnaro
Guest, Bandoneon – Raul Jaurena (faixas: 4, 8)
Guest, Marimba, Vibraphone – Dave Samuels (faixas: 2, 6, 9)
Guest, Trombone – Slide Hampton (faixas: 1, 3)
Guest, Trumpet – Claudio Roditi (faixas: 1)
Guitar – Romero Lubambo (faixas: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
Leader, Alto Saxophone, Flute – Paquito D'Rivera
Percussion, Guiro, Bata, Claves, Congas, Bongos – Bobby Sanabria
Piano – Carlos Franzetti (faixas: 4, 7, 8), Mike Orta (faixas: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9)
Tenor Saxophone – Andres Boiarsky (faixas: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9), Steve Sacks (faixas: 4, 7, 8)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Mario Rivera (faixas: 8)
Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone – William Cepeda
Trombone – Conrad Herwig
Trumpet – Byron Stripling
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Diego Urcola (faixas: 3, 8), Mike Ponella (faixas: 8, 9) 

BILL EVANS - Touch (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Mixing laid-back melodies with go-for-broke jams with some of the greatest names in modern instrumental music, saxophonist Bill Evans lives in the middle ground between smooth jazz and what could easily be termed of as contemporary jazz fusion. On his Zebra Records debut, Touch, the distinction is based on each song's sense of adventure. "In Your Heart," for instance, is the kind of right in the pocket, sweet little slice of passion that radio drools over, made unique (as Evans does on all tunes) by switching off from the high tones of the soprano with the darker shades of tenor to better discuss the emotional complexities of love. Likewise there's the cool, urban-flavored "Remember," which features subtle vocal chanting floating off in the distance. But then there's the edgier side of Evans intertwining his soprano with Lew Soloff's staccato trumpet energy on the brisk blues of "Dixie Hop," and kicking up all sorts of dust on the last two tunes, "Back to the Walls" and the ten-minute "Country Mile." "Back to the Walls" blends both of Evans's axes with Soloff's trumpet, an African vocal chant, the insistent wah-wah guitar of Adam Rogers, and a jamming Memphis soul-inspired horn section featuring Soloff and trombonist Conrad Herving as the Voodoo Horns. by Jonathan Widran 

Tracklist:
1     Wild Ride     3:41
2     In Your Heart     4:46
3     Remembering     4:30
4     Dixie Hop     4:54
5     Girl By The Sea     5:20
6     Nashville Cowboys     4:01
7     Touch     5:00
8     Little Hands     4:44
9     Skippin'     4:46
10     BackTo The Walls     5:30
11     Country Mile     10:32
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – Chris Minh Doky
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Tim Lefebvre
Bass – Mark Egan, Victor Bailey
Drum Programming – Michael Colina, Zach Danziger
Drums – Lionel Cordew, Vinnie Colaiuta
Grand Piano – Jim Beard
Grand Piano, Keyboards [Additional] – Henry Hey
Guitar – Adam Rogers, Chuck Loeb, Dean Brown, Lee Ritenour
Percussion – Manolo Badrena
Producer, Written-By, Arranged By – Bill Evans
Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Keyboards – Bill Evans
Trombone – Conrad Herwig
Trumpet – Lew Soloff, Wallace Roney
Vocals – Lani Groves, Philip Hamilton