JACK DeJOHNETTE'S SPECIAL EDITION — Earth Walk (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The final version of drummer/composer Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition bands sports a unique sound, on the verge of M-Base, and artfully driven due to saxophonists Greg Osby and Gary Thomas. Their tart sweet sounds are as much a part of the identity of this group as anything, and DeJohnette adds his own personal brand of funk and swing to the proceeding, making for an exciting and vital original music. Bassist Lonnie Plaxico, straight off the bandstand with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, keeps things briskly moving along, while Michael Cain plays a lot of acoustic piano, and some modified electric keyboards, to further separate this Special Edition from the others. DeJohnette's epic tribute to Wayne Shorter, "Where or Wayne," is reworked in a hip, measured melody missing beats on purpose, simmered in Cain's synthesized mystery. The spiked notes of "Monk's Plumb" provide space for drum fills, merging to an easy swing discipline, and a typically ribald Osby solo. A deliberate Herbie Hancock-styled funk identifies "It's Time to Wake Up & Dream" with the sour horns and Cain's intent acoustic piano driving this most M-Base track. If "Priestesses of the Mist" is reflective of its title through Cain's foggy electronic washes, the distaff, magical side is also represented by the flute of Thomas and Osby's soprano during a most evocative selection. Similarly, the title track feels like a trek through thick jungle flora and fauna, as a heavy-footstepped electric bass guitar from Plaxico leads the many and long, heavy strides of the bandmembers. Closest to jazz is the electro-acoustic hot bopper "One on One" and "Blue" with its patient, straight-ahead, no-amenities framework. This band has changed radically since the days when David Murray and Arthur Blythe were frontmen, but the music is all good, holds interest, and makes for another giant step in the varied, diverse, and intriguing career of DeJohnette. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1.    It's Time To Wake Up And Dream    5:29
2.    Blue    6:17
3.    Where Or Wayne    9:42
4.    Priestesses Of The Mist    7:45
5.    Earth Walk    13:03
6.    On Golden Beams    5:16
7.    One On One    11:17
8.    Lydia    2:23
9.    Monk's Plumb    12:07
10.    It's Time To Wake Up And Dream    0:53
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Greg Osby
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Electric Bass – Lonnie Plaxico
Drums, Producer, Composed By – Jack DeJohnette
Piano [Yamaha Midi Acoustic Grand], Synthesizer [Korg T2 And T3] – Michael Cain
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Gary Thomas
Voice [Animal Sounds] – Joan Henry (tracks: 5)

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON — The ACT Years (2015) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

"Oh man, she's got it! She's good, man! This little girl can play!" What Dizzy Gillespie recognized early on is now undisputed: Terri Lyne Carrington, born in 1965 in Medford, Massachusetts, is today regarded as "the most famous female jazz drummer in the world" (Spiegel Online). For almost 25 years, she has not only been at the forefront of the jazz world as a drummer but also as a composer, arranger, producer, and educator. She has played with jazz world stars including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, and Dianne Reeves. Her Grammy-winning career began with ACT. "The ACT Years" looks back on this time with 12 tracks and showcases the versatility of this fascinating drummer. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Jazz Is A Spirit 3:39
Terri Lyne Carrington
2    Manic Depression 5:26
Jimi Hendrix
3    Ethiopia 6:19
Joni Mitchell
4    Journey Of Now 4:15
Terri Lyne Carrington / Bob Hurst
5    Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 6:41
Jimi Hendrix
6    Omega 5:22
Jimmy Haslip
7    Burning Of The Midnight Lamp 3:41
Jimi Hendrix
8    Purple Haze 5:19
Jimi Hendrix
9    Mindful Intent 5:34
Terri Lyne Carrington
10    Middle Way 6:57
Terri Lyne Carrington
11    Samsara 7:23
Terri Lyne Carrington
12    If 6 Was 9 4:06
Jimi Hendrix
Credits :
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Nguyên Lê - Guitar
Greg Osby - Alto Saxophone
Adam Rogers - Guitar
Jimmy Haslip - Bass
Terence Blanchard - Trumpet
and many more

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON | ADAM ROGERS | JIMMY HASLIP | GREG OSBY — Structure (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The combination of Greg Osby with Terri Lyne Carrington is quite logical. Altoist Osby, an original innovator with the M-Base movement (which explored free-form funk) has a very original improvising style. Since Carrington has always loved funk, as has electric bassist Jimmy Haslip (of the Yellowjackets), this match-up works quite well. Osby's interplay with guitarist Adam Rogers is also a major plus. Other than a Joni Mitchell piece ("Ethiopia") that the drummer sings, the repertoire is comprised of group originals. Whether it be overt funky pieces, brooding ballads or the well-titled "Fire," the music is explorative, unpredictable and usually grooving. Well worth exploring by fans of creative funk/jazz. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Mindful Intent 5:31
Composed By – Terri Lyne Carrington
2    Black Halo 6:25
Composed By – Greg Osby
3    Ethiopia 6:18
Composed By – Joni Mitchell
4    The Invisible 6:22
Composed By – Adam Rogers
5    Spiral 6:22
Composed By – Jimmy Haslip
6    Facets Squared 4:30
Composed By – Greg Osby
7    Solace 5:22
Composed By – Terri Lyne Carrington
8    Fire 8:31
Composed By – Ed Barguiarena, Terri Lyne Carrington
9    Omega 5:19
Composed By – Jimmy Haslip
10    Columbus, Ohio 4:47
Composed By – Adam Rogers
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Adam Rogers
Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington

SAM RIVERS' RIVBEA ALL-STAR ORCHESTRA - Inspiration (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Prior to Inspiration, Sam Rivers hadn't recorded for a major label in nearly 20 years, and he hadn't cut a studio session in two decades. That doesn't mean he was inactive; he was teaching, playing, and giving concerts but never recording. Aware that many of Rivers' big-band compositions -- not only his recent material, but some earlier works as well -- had never been given the proper treatment, saxophonist Steve Coleman helped arrange a recording contract with BMG, with the end result being the astonishing Inspiration album. The compositions on Inspiration are as old as 1968's "Beatrice" and as new as 1995's "Solace" (incidentally, both of those pieces are tributes to his wife Beatrice, who also provides half of the name of the featured big band, the Rivbea All-Star Orchestra). Remarkably, all of the compositions not only sound fresh, they sound visionary -- still ahead of their time. It's not only because the stellar musicians give vibrant, unpredictable performances, although that undeniably helps; Rivers' writing is the real key. His writing for big band is utterly original, blending big-band, bop, and avant-garde traditions together in unique, surprising ways. The dissonance never sounds irritating -- it sounds melodic -- and the complex themes are strangely inviting. Similarly, Rivers' playing is robust, swinging between intense bursts of sound and beautiful lyricism, and sometimes combining it all at once. His 16 colleagues -- including such luminaries as Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Chico Freeman, and Ray Anderson -- follow suit, delivering wonderfully shaded, invigorating performances. Inspiration truly is a revelation, proving not only that Rivers retains all his creative power at the age of 75, but that avant-garde jazz can be as inviting as any other style without sacrificing any of its depth or daring. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Vines    13:36
2    Nebula    11:18
3    Beatrice    10:36
4    Inspiration    9:41
5    Solace    11:01
6    Whirlwind    5:43
7    Rejuvenation    8:32
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby, Steve Coleman
Baritone Horn – Joseph Daley
Baritone Saxophone – Hamiet Bluiett
Bass – Doug Mathews
Drums – Anthony Cole
Producer – Steve Coleman
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Written-By – Sam Rivers
Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas
Trombone – Art Baron, Joseph Bowie, Ray Anderson
Trumpet – Baikida Carroll, James Zollar, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Best
Tuba – Bob Stewart

SAM RIVERS' RIVBEA ALL-STAR ORCHESTRA - Culmination (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sam Rivers' second recording with his Rivbea All-Star Orchestra for RCA is similar to his first one in that he uses an impressive 17-piece band full of top avant-gardists to interpret the dense arrangements of his originals. The music, which is frequently atonal, has so much going on at times that it will take several listens to comprehend everything; it certainly does not lose one's interest! The only fault to this stimulating set is that the soloists are not identified. Although one may recognize the various saxophonists (Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas, and Hamiet Blueitt) and trombonist Ray Anderson, most of the brass players will be more difficult to determine. This very adventurous music is remarkable in ways and well worth acquiring by free jazz collectors. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Spectrum    7:22
2    Bubbles    8:27
3    Revelation    10:36
4    Culmination    8:12
5    Ripples    13:38
6    Neptune    5:53
7    Riffin'    6:26
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby, Steve Coleman
Baritone Horn – Joseph Daley
Baritone Saxophone – Hamiet Bluiett
Bass – Doug Mathews
Drums – Anthony Cole
Painting – Scramble Campbell
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Written-By – Sam Rivers
Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas
Trombone – Art Baron, Joseph Bowie, Ray Anderson
Trumpet – Baikida Carroll, James Zollar, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Best
Tuba – Bob Stewart