DUKE PEARSON — Sweet Honey Bee (1966-1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

Pianist/composer Duke Pearson leads an all-star group on this run-through of seven of his compositions. The musicians -- trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, altoist James Spaulding, Joe Henderson on tenor, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Mickey Roker, and the pianist/leader -- are actually more impressive than many of the compositions, although the swinging minor-toned "Big Bertha" deserved to become a standard. The frameworks are quite intelligent, everyone doesn't solo on each selection, and the improvisations are concise and clearly related to each tune's melody and mood. Although not quite essential, this set has some rewarding music. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Sweet Honey Bee    4:50
 Duke Pearson
2    Sudel    5:40
 Duke Pearson
3    After The Rain    4:25
 Duke Pearson
4    Gaslight    5:50
 Duke Pearson
5    Big Bertha    5:50
 Duke Pearson
6    Empathy    6:00
 Duke Pearson
7    Ready Rudy?    6:10
 Duke Pearson
Credits :
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
James Spaulding - Alto Sax & Flute
Joe Henderson - Tenor Sax
Duke Pearson - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Mickey Roker - Drums

DUKE PEARSON – The Right Touch (1967-1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Duke Pearson rises to the challenge of writing for an all-star octet (with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Garnett Brown, altoist James Spaulding, Jerry Dodgion on alto and flute, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, bassist Gene Taylor, drummer Grady Tate, and the leader/pianist), contributing colorful frameworks and consistently challenging compositions. The set is full of diverse melodies (the CD reissue has a previously unissued take of "Los Malos Hombres") played by a variety of distinctive soloists; many of these songs deserve to be revived. This is one of the finest recordings of Duke Pearson's career. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits

LOU DONALDSON - Lush Life (1967-2007) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

After brief sojourns at Argo and Cadet, Lou Donaldson marked his 1967 return by recording Lush Life, the grandest project he ever attempted. With its plush arrangements and unabashedly pretty melodies, Lush Life stands in stark contrast to everything else he cut in the '60s. There are no blues, no stabs at soul-jazz grooves, no hard bop -- only sweet, sensitive renditions of romantic standards. Donaldson shone on ballads before, but it's nevertheless surprising how successful he is on this set of slow love songs. His tone is full and elegant -- it's easy to get lost in his rich readings of these familiar melodies, as well as his slyly seductive improvisations. Of course, it helps that his instrumental backdrops are as lovely as those his nine-piece backing band provide. Nonets are unwieldy, to be certain, but Duke Pearson's arrangements are clean, sparkling, and attractive, and the superstar band -- Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Jerry Dodgion (alto sax, flute), Pepper Adams (bari sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Garnett Brown (trombone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Al Harewood (drums) -- knows enough to provide sympathetic support and not steal the show. When they do take solos, it enhances Donaldson's original statements, and helps make Lush Life the singularly enchanting record it is. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Sweet Slumber 5'56
Lucky Millinder / Al J. Neiburg / Henri Woode
2     You've Changed 4'23
Bill Carey / Carl Fischer    
3     The Good Life 4'53
Jean Broussole / Sacha Distel    
4     Star Dust 3'40
Hoagy Carmichael    
5     What Will I Tell My Heart 4'25
Irving Gordon / Jack Lawrence / Peter Tinturin
6     It Might as Well Be Spring 5'58
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
7     Sweet and Lovely 5'58
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jerry Dodgion
Arranged By – Duke Pearson
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Al Harewood
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Recorded By, Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard

BLUE MITCHELL – Boss Horn (1966-2004) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Trumpeter Blue Mitchell delivers a solid hard bop date with his 1966 Blue Note release Boss Horn. [The Rudy Van Gelder edition of Boss Horn features remastered sound by original producer Van Gelder that does significanly improve the overall sound quality over the original release.] Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1 Millie 6:15
Duke Pearson
2 O Mama Enit 5:34
Blue Mitchell
 3 I Should Care 7:31
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / Paul Weston
 4 Rigor Mortez 6:21
Dave Burns
 5 Tones for Joan's Bones 6:37
Chick Corea
 6 Straight Up and Down  6:36
Chick Corea
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Jerry Dodgion
Arranged By – Duke Pearson
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Trumpet – Blue Mitchell
Bass – Gene Taylor
Drums – Mickey Roker
Piano – Cedar Walton (tracks: 1 to 4), Chick Corea (tracks: 5, 6)
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Junior Cook
Trombone – Julian Priester