ARCHIE SHEPP | DOLLAR BRAND — Duet (1978-1990) Serie PCM Digital | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A somewhat surprising pairing at the time, the former firebrand of the tenor sax and the wonderful South African pianist found a pleasant and relaxed meeting point. By 1978, Shepp had largely abandoned the ferocious attack that gained him renown in the '60s, settling on a rich, Ben Webster-ish tone and playing a repertoire consisting of modern standards and bluesy originals. Two such pieces, the lovely Dave Burrell/Marion Brown composition "Fortunato" and Mal Waldron's "Left Alone," are highlights of this session, Shepp's burnished tone as soft as an old shoe. Ibrahim is a fairly deferential partner here, generally preferring to play the role of accompanist, although certainly one sprinkling his work with plenty of ideas for Shepp to work off. But the prevailing sense of relaxation begins to pall after a while and one wishes for a bit more of the old rough and tumble that these two were surely capable of. Still, for those who enjoyed Shepp's mid-'70s dates for Arista/Freedom and Ibrahim's more subdued group efforts of the late '70s and early '80s, there's much good listening here. Brian Olewnick
Tracklist :
1    Fortunato 7:37
Composed By – Dave Burrell, Marion Brown
2    Barefoot Boy From Queens Town - To Mongezi 7:45
Composed By – Archie Shepp
3    Left Alone 7:51
Composed By – Mal Waldron
4    Theme From "Proof Of The Man" 8:12
Composed By – Yuji Ohno
5    Ubu-Suku 4:30
Composed By – Dollar Brand
6    Moniebah 8:18
Composed By – Dollar Brand
Credits :
Piano – Dollar Brand
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp

LEE KONITZ - Chicago 'N All That Jazz (1975-1986) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For Chicago 'N All That Jazz, altoist Lee Konitz and his augmented nonet perform eight numbers from the musical Chicago, all songs that have been long forgotten since. However, Konitz (switching between alto and soprano) and his sidemen (who include trumpeter Richard Hurwitz, Dick Katz, and Michael Longo on keyboards, and bassist Major Holley, who also takes a couple of vocals) play with enthusiasm and melodic creativity; some of the themes are quite catchy. The playing time (around 36 minutes) is quite brief and the music is far from essential but the performances are surprisingly pleasing, making this a worthy purchase if found at a budget price. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     My Own Best Friend 3:55     
Fred Ebb / John Kander
2     Razzle Dazzle 4:09
Fred Ebb / John Kander
3     Loopin' the Loop 3:59
Fred Ebb / John Kander
4     Funny Honey 5:03
Fred Ebb / John Kander
5     Class 5:51
Fred Ebb / John Kander
6     Me and My Baby 5:20
Fred Ebb / John Kander
7     Roxie 3:30
Fred Ebb / John Kander
8     Ten Percent 4:36
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass, Vocals – Major Holley
Drums – Eddie Locke
Guitar – George Davis
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Michael Longo
Percussion – Ray Armando
Piano, Electric Piano – Dick Katz
Trombone – Alan Raph, Barry Maur
Trumpet – Lloyd Michels, Richard Hurwitz

ARCHIE SHEPP - Ballads for Trane (1977-1984) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Soul Eyes 6:37
Written-By – Mal Waldron
2    You Don't Know What Love Is 5:38
Written-By – Don Raye, Gene DePaul
3    Wise One 6:58
Written-By – John Coltrane
4    Where Are You? 6:15
Written-By – Jimmy McHugh
5    Darn That Dream 5:59
Written-By – Jimmy Van Heusen
6    Theme For Ernie 6:23
Written-By – Fred Lacey
Credits :
Bass – Reginald Workman
Drums – Charlie Persip
Piano – Albert Dailey
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp

ARCHIE SHEPP - Day Dream (1977-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Don't You Know I Care 7:06
Composed By – Duke Ellington
2    Caravan 5:52
Composed By – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol
3    Day Dream 5:42
Composed By – Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington
4    Satin Doll 5:19
Composed By – Duke Ellington
5    I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good 7:30
Composed By – Duke Ellington
6    Prelude To A Kiss 5:27
Composed By – Duke Ellington
Credits :
Bass – Earl May
Drums – Philly Joe Jones
Piano – Walter Davis
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp

ARCHIE SHEPP | DOLLAR BRAND - Duet (1978-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A somewhat surprising pairing at the time, the former firebrand of the tenor sax and the wonderful South African pianist found a pleasant and relaxed meeting point. By 1978, Shepp had largely abandoned the ferocious attack that gained him renown in the '60s, settling on a rich, Ben Webster-ish tone and playing a repertoire consisting of modern standards and bluesy originals. Two such pieces, the lovely Dave Burrell/Marion Brown composition "Fortunato" and Mal Waldron's "Left Alone," are highlights of this session, Shepp's burnished tone as soft as an old shoe. Ibrahim is a fairly deferential partner here, generally preferring to play the role of accompanist, although certainly one sprinkling his work with plenty of ideas for Shepp to work off. But the prevailing sense of relaxation begins to pall after a while and one wishes for a bit more of the old rough and tumble that these two were surely capable of. Still, for those who enjoyed Shepp's mid-'70s dates for Arista/Freedom and Ibrahim's more subdued group efforts of the late '70s and early '80s, there's much good listening here. Brian Olewnick
Tracklist :
1     Fortunato 7:41
Marion Brown / Dave Burrell    
2     Barefoot Boy From Queens Town - To Mongezi 7:51
Archie Shepp    
3     Left Alone 7:55
Eric Dolphy / Billie Holiday / Mal Waldron    
4     Theme From "Proof of the Man" 8:18
Yuji Ohno / Yumiko Ohno    
5     Ubu-Suku
Dollar Brand    
6     Moniebah 8:22
Dollar Brand
Credits
Piano – Dollar Brand
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp

ARCHIE SHEPP - Lady Bird (1978-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Donna Lee 6:32
Charlie Parker    
2     Relaxin' at Camarillo 7:14
Charlie Parker    
3     Now's the Time 7:43
Charlie Parker    
4     Lady Bird 7:47
Tadd Dameron    
5     Flamingo 12:29
Edmund Anderson / Ted Grouya
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Jaki Byard

ARCHIE SHEPP - Tray of Silver (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     No Smokin' 7'21
Horace Silver
2     If You Could See Me Now 13'20
Tadd Dameron / Carl Sigman
3     Nica's Dream 12'01
Horace Silver
4     Cookin' at the Continental 10'25
Horace Silver
Credits :
Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson (pistas: 3)
Bass – Takashi "Gon" Mizuhashi
Drums – Roy Brooks
Piano – Mickey Tucker
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Tuba – Howard Johnson (pistas: 4)

THE GREAT JAZZ TRIO - N.Y. Sophisticate : A Tribute to Duke Ellington (1983-1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Hank Jones is one of the most gifted jazz pianists of the second half of the 20th century, and this salute to Duke Ellington is only slightly blemished by the sometimes overbearing string arrangements by Masahiko Satoh. His trio, with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jimmy Cobb, sticks to familiar selections from the vast Ellington songbook, with Jones occasionally switching to a Fender Rhodes electric piano or celeste. Happily the strings are omitted from cookers such as "C Jam Blues" and "Take the 'A' Train." Worth searching for. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     In a Sentimental Mood 4:51
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
2     C Jam Blues 4:44
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington
3     Mood Indigo 4:29
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
4     Satin Doll 4:12
Duke Ellington / Johnny Mercer / Billy Strayhorn
5     Lush Life 3:27
Billy Strayhorn
6     Sophisticated Lady 4:53
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
7     Take the 'A' Train 3:35
Billy Strayhorn
8     I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 4:44
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
9     Caravan 4:06
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
10     Solitude 4:40
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Masahiko Satoh
Bass – Eddie Gomez
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Piano – Hank Jones
Strings – The Strings Quartet

THE GREAT JAZZ TRIO - Monk's Moods (1984) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     'Round About Midnight 6:10
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
2     Blue Monk 5:50
Thelonious Monk
3     Bemsha Swing 4:58
Denzil Best / Thelonious Monk
4     Misterioso 5:32
Thelonious Monk
5     I Mean You 5:57
Coleman Hawkins / Thelonious Monk
6     Ruby, My Dear 4:58
Thelonious Monk
7     Monk's Dream 4:15
Thelonious Monk
8     Jackie-Ing 4:13
Thelonious Monk
9     Monk's Mood
Thelonious Monk
Credits :
Bass – Eddie Gomez (faixas: 1 to 8)
Cornet – Terumasa Hino (faixas: 1, 5)
Drums – Jimmy Cobb (faixas: 1 to 8)
Piano, Keyboards [Yamaha DX-7], Arranged By – Hank Jones

ART FARMER & THE GREAT JAZZ TRIO - Ambrosia (1984) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    The Windmills Of Your Mind 6:06
Written-By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand
2    Once Upon A Summertime 5:11
Written-By – Eddie Barclay, Eddy Marnay, Michel Legrand
3    Watch What Happens 4:34
Written-By – Jacques Demy, Michel Legrand
4    What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life 5:53
Written-By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand
5    You Must Believe In Spring 5:10
Written-By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Jacques Demy, Michel Legrand
6    The Years Of My Youth 5:23
Written-By – Hal Shaper, Jean Dréjac, Michel Legrand
7    The Summer Knows 5:25
Written-By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand
8    I Will Wait For You 5:28
Written-By – Jacques Demy, Michel Legrand, Norman Gimbel
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Masahiko Satoh
Bass – Eddie Gomez, Toshio Katayama
Cello – Hiroto Kawamura, Yoh Kigoshi
Concertmaster, Violin – Takashi Katoh
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Flugelhorn – Art Farmer
Piano – Hank Jones
Viola – Hiroshi Watanabe, Shunichi Hirayama
Violin – Chizuko Tsunoda, Etsuo Ejiri, Hiromichi Hara, Hiroshi Ikeda, Kaori Koyamatsu, Kunihiro Kohno, Masao Kawabata, Setsuka Ryu, Takashi Fukumori

JIM HALL TRIO ft. TOM HARRELL - These Rooms (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1988 studio date is one of the overlooked treasures in the considerable discography of Jim Hall, possibly due to the label's low-key promotion and less than eye-catching cover art. It is easy to understand why artists like Art Farmer and Paul Desmond omitted a pianist after hearing a release such as this one, because it would only clutter Hall's soft yet complete accompaniment. Joined by Tom Harrell (heard mostly on flügelhorn), bassist Steve LaSpina, and drummer Joey Baron, this CD is a delight from start to finish. The interaction of the musicians in the opener, a lively, waltzing "With a Song in My Heart," makes it sound like they have been a working unit for years. The well-conceived arrangement of "Where or When," which Hall dedicated to Basie guitarist Freddie Green (who died the year prior to the sessions), proves to be the most captivating track, with its understated yet consummately swinging air. Hall contributed the tense "Cross Court," a smoking post-bop vehicle, a pulsing calypso written originally for his 1985 Montreux concert with Michel Petrucciani and Wayne Shorter, as well as the haunting ballad "These Rooms," which opens with Harrell's melancholy unaccompanied trumpet solo, and has an abstract solo by the leader. "Something Tells Me" is a lovely bittersweet ballad by Jane Hall (Jim's wife, a talented composer whose work he has often recorded), featuring Hall and Harrell. Hall's unaccompanied take of Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon" makes one wonder why he has never recorded an entire album of guitar solos. This out of print CD is destined to become a collectible. Ken Dryden 

Tracklist:

1 With a Song in My Heart 8:26

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

2 Cross Court 5:15

Jim Hall

3 Something Tells Me 5:13

Jane Hall

4 Bimini 9:20
Jim Hall
5 All Too Soon 4:02

Duke Ellington / Carl Sigman

6 These Rooms 11:28

Jim Hall

7 Darn That Dream 4:08

Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen

8 My Funny Valentine 6:25

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 

9 Where or When 5:51

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

10 From Now On 7:08
Tom Harrell
Credits:
Bass – Steve LaSpina
Drums – Joey Baron
Flugelhorn – Tom Harrell (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 10)
Guitar – Jim Hall
Trumpet – Tom Harrell (tracks: 6)

TORU TAKEMITSU : Orchestral Works I • Visions · November Steps (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1    Requiem for Strings-1957    9:21
2    November Steps (For Biwa,Shakuhachi and Orchestra) 19:50
Biwa – Kinshi Tsuruta
Shakuhachi – Katsuya Yokoyama
3    Far Calls,Coming far (For Violin and Orchestra) 1980 14:46
Violin – Yuzuko Horigome
4    Visions for Orchestra-pt 1,Mystere    5:40
5    Visions for Orchestra-pt 2,Les yeux clos    6:40
Credits:
Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi
Orchestra – Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

TORU TAKEMITSU : Orchestral Works II • Gémeaux · Dream · Window · Spirit Garden (1995) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :

    Gémeaux    

1    I - Strophe    6:58

2    II - Genesis    9:00

3    III - Traces    6:17

4    IV - Antistrophe    7:45

5    Dream/Window    14:07

6    Spirit Garden    15:05

Credits:

Composed By, Liner Notes – Toru Takemitsu

Conductor – Hiroshi Wakasugi

Contractor – Ryusuke Numajiri

Oboe – Masashi Honma

Orchestra – Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

Trombone–ChristianLindberg

TORU TAKEMITSU : Orchestral Works III • Autumn · A Way A Lone II · I Hear The Water Dreaming · Twill By Twilight (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Performed by various soloists with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryusuke Numajiri. Recorded both in analog and digital versions in the Japanese double-CD release. "Twill by Twilight" is a harmonically and timbrally lush work, which often evokes the tone painting breadth of Debussy and the crystalline delicacy of Webern, an outpouring of "pastel coloring...reminders of the transient nature of twilight, before the coming night and after the sunset" (Takemitsu). It is dedicated to "the memory of my dear friend Morton Feldman." Takemitsu described the work's sub-structure as developed "through strictly measured musical units, through what might be called musical principles before a melody is constituted or before a rhythm is formed." This is a very apt metaphor applicable to Morton Feldman's own compositional style. The small and broad cyclicism of the rhythm patterns in Takemitsu's work is however much more hidden -- a kind of phased, elastic, non-clockwork repetition with imaginative variations. The brilliant orchestration contains many unique details, some of which are difficult to hear in a recording but greatly enrich the concert hall's acostic space. New instrumental combinations abound -- for example, harps in unison with French horns, or a surprising, delicately interruptive chord constituted of antique cymbal, bass drum, piano in its extreme ranges, viola harmonics and double bass. The emotional texture breaths with large sonorities, is pleasantly awakened by unusual and unexpected timbres, and is confirmed in a human warmness and quiet confidence (especially by the concluding chordal sequence). "Blue" Gene Tyranny

Tracklist:
1    Autumn - Into The Fall After A Little While - For Biwa, Shakuhachi & Orchestra [1973] 16:21
Biwa – Kakujo Nakamura
Shakuhachi – Katsuya Yokoyama
2    A Way A Lone II - For String Orchestra [1981]    14:18
3    I Hear The Water Dreaming - For Flute And Orchestra [1987] 11:35
Flute – Hiroshi Koizumi
4    Twill By Twilight - For Orchestra [1988]    10:56
Credits:
Composed By – Toru Takemitsu
Conductor – Ryusuke Numajiri
Orchestra – Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra

TORU TAKEMITSU : Orchestral Works IV • Coral Island for Soprano and Orchestra (1998) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Performed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Yuzo Toyama with soprano Rie Hamada. A beautiful digital recording of several rarely performed works by Takemitsu (the soprano part of the marvelous "Coral Island" is very difficult, for example, and the "Archipelago S" is for an unusual ensemble of instruments). Many of the subtleties of Takemitsu's writing are lost in recording (for example, subtle harmonics behind more foreground material), but the engineers made a good effort here. The title of "Archipelago S." for 21 players describes an imaginary archipelago made up of five real islands widely separated in the natural world, each island's name beginning with an "S": islands in Stockholm, Seattle, and the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. The composer imagined the islands "calling out to each other across the great distance separating them...experienced as a metaphor for the universe." The orchestra is divided into five sections and dispersed throughout the concert hall: three ensembles and two independent clarinets on the left and right sides of the space. Each of the five sections describes the five islands: "I mentally sketched the beautiful scenes of each island until gradually a clear musical theme took shape." Although this is one of the most soloistically melodic of Takemitsu's concert pieces, with single lines often containing several unusual and expressive ways of playing the instrument, many of the timbres suggest icy or at least barren landscapes. But there lurk some signs (and lovely ones at that) of life amongst this quiescent landscape: in brief moments the separate groups sing together in unison, and there are also a few moments of rich string writing when one can imagine sunlight suddenly illuminating the scene, and all of the "islands" join in glorious full orchestral passages. "Corona II" for strings is a fascinating graph work from Takemitsu's early period where he experimented with his concern for separating the distinct parameters of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre (or tone color) modulation. This separation of basic musical parameters was also an interest and compositional practice of the composers of the '50s and '60s, both composers who wrote strict serialist music and composers who created freer forms with elements of spontaneous improvisation, chance, indeterminacy, group, and theater-work composition, and so on. In Takemitsu's piece, the performers freely choose a pitch which they constantly play throughout the piece and do not change. The changes are all made in the dynamics, timbre, and manner of playing that pitch. These changes are read from a score consisting of colored plastic sheets which have modulations of coloration (similar to many scores of John Cage, and later of Karlheinz Stockhausen, which used color as a notational symbol, and used overlaid transparent plastic sheets in order to shift notational symbols). "This is a kind of study for grasping single sounds as full and vital entities" (Takemitsu) "Blue" Gene Tyranny

Tracklist :
1    The Dorian Horizan [1966]    9:14
Coral Island - For Soprano & Orchestra [1962]
2    Accumulation 1    2:46
3    Poem 1    3:20
4    Accumulation 2 With "Corona 2 For Strings"    2:26
5    Poem 2    3:52
6    Accumulation 3    2:37
7    A Flock Descends Into The Pentagonal Garden [1977]    13:14
8    Archipelago S. For 21 Players [1994]    13:37
9    Appendix: Corona 2 For String(s) [1962]    1:34
Créditos
Composed By – Toru Takemitsu
Conductor – Yuzo Toyama
Orchestra – Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Soprano Vocals – Rie Hamada (tracks: 2, 4)

PETER ERSKINE • MARTY KRYSTALL • BUELL NEIDLINGER – Aurora (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This trio outing signifies a little-known gem that stands among the top modern jazz releases of 1989, as well-traveled drummer Peter Erskine wields his mighty chops while also serving as the traffic director for bassist Buell Neidlinger and saxophonist Marty Krystall. The opening number, "Daddy Trane & Cousin Wayne," is a wondrous piece, marked by Krystall's tunefully melodic choruses atop the rhythm section's slowly enacted jazz waltz pulse. Here and throughout, the band infuses soul-drenched modern jazz motifs with airy and somewhat open-ended three-way dialogues. They incorporate a few well-placed twists and turns into the grand mix, featuring effervescent swing vamps and subtle tonal contrasts amid their stringent attention to detail. The trio's clever outlook is starkly evident during its calypso-soul-blues yet predominantly free jazz rendition of Albert Ayler's "Ghosts," while they mesh a quaint Texas roadhouse blues motif with modern jazz-type dialogue on the piece titled "Like Latin." A super fine outing indeed, and strongly recommended. Glenn Astarita
Tracklist :
1    Daddy Trane & Cousin Wayne    7:24
Buell Neidlinger
2    Buejerk    5:26
Marty Krystall / Buell Neidlinger
3    The Music Of My People    4:09
Peter Erskine
4    Ghosts    6:37
Albert Ayler
5    Two Hats    2:43
Peter Erskine
6    Like Latin    5:40
Marty Krystall
7    Buell St. Blues    5:04
Buell Neidlinger
8    Round Midnight    5:20
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
9    I Go(rs) Blue(s)    7:21
Marty Krystall / Buell Neidlinger
10    Pete's Boogie    5:51
Buell Neidlinger
11    El A    2:59
Marty Krystall / Buell Neidlinger
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Drums, Percussion – Peter Erskine
Synthesizer, Guest – Don Preston
Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Marty Krystall