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 CRRINGTON — Jazz is a Spirit (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In the male-dominated jazz genre, this veteran drummer has been happily accepted as one of the guys and has forged a strong touring career (Al Jarreau, David Sanborn) as she has, on her solo projects, pushed the improvisational and conceptual boundaries. This free-spirited recording emerges from the fun of bebop and traditional jazz balladry into the more challenging realm of tribal rhythms and global-mindedness -- a wacky journey to be sure, but true to her heart of wanderlust and her contention that, indeed, jazz can only be defined as a spirit. She opens with a weird, mystical ambience behind Cosby Show kid Malcolm Jamal Warner's spoken-word definition, then jams in a live setting with longtime associates like Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, and Paul Bollenback (guitar) on tunes that range from the avant-garde ("Little Jump") to the smoky and romantic ("Samsara," a thoughtful tribute to Wayne Shorter). Throwing off the shackles, she does a long tribal drum roll piece and opens the door for a "Journey East From West" with Kevin Eubanks. "Journey of Now" combines the best of all worlds, with Wallace Roney's traditional trumpet, Jeff Richman's fusion guitar edges, and an irrepressible percussive tribalism. The remaining tracks are a balance between measured craziness and gentle tradition, with a bit of advice offered to Terri Lyne Carrington as she plays before the spoken words of Papa Jo Jones on "Mr Jo Jones." Innovative yet sometimes maddening, this is above all else her truest heart. Jonathan Widran
Tracklist :
1    Jazz Is    2:28
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
2    Little Jump 7:30
Performer [Introduction] – Wren T. Brown
Written-By – Lars Danielsson
3    The Corner    7:02
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
4    Lost Star    4:11
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
5    Samsara (For Wayne)    7:23
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
6    Journey Agent    1:31
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
7    Journey East From West    0:49
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
8    Journey Of Now 4:13
Written-By – Bob Hurst, Terri Lyne Carrington
9    Giggles    6:12
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
10    Middle Way    6:55
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
11    Princess 5:30
Written-By – Niels Lan Doky, Terri Lyne Carrington
12    Witch Hunt 3:09
Written-By – Wayne Shorter
13    Mr. Jo Jones 2:25
Speech [Speaking To Terri Lyne In 1984] – Papa Jo Jones
14    Jazz Is A Spirit    3:47
Written-By – Terri Lyne Carrington
Credits :
Bass – Bob Hurst (tracks: 2 to 5, 7 to 12)
Bass, Speech [Spoken Word] – Malcolm-Jamal Warner (tracks: 1, 14)
Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington
Flute – Gary Thomas (tracks: 3)
Guitar – Danny Robinson (tracks: 1, 14), Jeff Richman (tracks: 8, 12), Kevin Eubanks (tracks: 5, 7), Paul Bollenback (tracks: 2 to 4, 9, 11)
Keyboards – Greg Kurstin (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 12, 14)
Percussion – Ed Barguiarena (tracks: 1, 7, 14), Darryl "Munyungo”"Jackson (tracks: 3, 8, 14)
Piano – Greg Kurstin (tracks: 3, 4, 7 to 9), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 2, 5, 10)
Soprano Saxophone – Katisse Buckingham (tracks: 3)
Tenor Saxophone – Gary Thomas (tracks: 2 to 5, 9 to 12)
Trumpet – Terence Blanchard (tracks: 10), Wallace Roney (tracks: 2, 7, 8, 14)

MILES DAVIS QUINTET — Miles Smiles (1966) Three Version (1998, RM | Serie Columbia Jazz) + (2006, RM | Serie The Original Jacket Collection) + (2018, RM | SACD, Hybrid, | Ultradisc UHR, Original Master Recording 24-48.1Hz) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With their second album, Miles Smiles, the second Miles Davis Quintet really began to hit their stride, delving deeper into the more adventurous, exploratory side of their signature sound. This is clear as soon as "Orbits" comes crashing out the gate, but it's not just the fast, manic material that has an edge -- slower, quieter numbers are mercurial, not just in how they shift melodies and chords, but how the voicing and phrasing never settles into a comfortable groove. This is music that demands attention, never taking predictable paths or easy choices. Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible -- it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release. And, like its predecessor, ESP, this freshness informs the writing as well, as the originals are memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century. Arguably, this quintet was never better than they are here, when all their strengths are in full bloom. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Orbits    4:35
 Wayne Shorter
2    Circle    5:52
 Miles Davis
3    Footprints    9:44
 Wayne Shorter
4    Dolores    6:20
 Wayne Shorter
5    Freedom Jazz Dance    7:11
 Eddie Harris
6    Ginger Bread Boy    7:40
 Jimmy Heath
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Tony Williams
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax] – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Miles Davis

HERBIE HANCOCK | CHICK COREA — An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea In Concert (1978-1998) RM | Serie Columbia Jazz | 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Since Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock had by 1978 spent several years mostly playing electric keyboards, their acoustic duet tour surprised many listeners who thought that they would always specialize in fusion. This double album contains many fine performances including lengthy versions of "Maiden Voyage" and "La Fiesta" but it is the striding by Corea and Hancock on "Liza" that is most unique. Scott Yanow
Tracklist 1 :
1    Someday My Prince Will Come    12:39
 Frank Churchill / Larry Morey
2    Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)    9:00
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / Gus Kahn
3    Button Up    17:37
 Chick Corea / Herbie Hancock
Tracklist 2 :
1    Introduction Of Herbie Hancock By Chick Corea    0:41
2    February Moment    15:47
 Herbie Hancock
3    Maiden Voyage    13:31
 Herbie Hancock
4    La Fiesta    22:02
 Chick Corea
Credits :
Grand Piano – Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock

HERBIE HANCOCK – Quartet (1982) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

This is an extremely symbolic album, for Herbie Hancock and the V.S.O.P. rhythm section essentially pass the torch of the '80s acoustic jazz revival to the younger generation, as personified by then 19-year-old Wynton Marsalis. Recorded during a break on a tour of Japan, a month before Marsalis made his first Columbia album, the technically fearless teenaged trumpeter mostly plays the eager student, imitating Miles, Freddie Hubbard, and Clifford Brown, obviously relishing the challenge of keeping up with his world-class cohorts. Things start out conventionally enough with a couple of Monk standards, and then they progress into the mid-'60s Miles Davis post-bop zone, with Ron Carter and Tony Williams driving Marsalis and Hancock relentlessly forward. Several staples from the Miles/V.S.O.P. repertoire turn up ("The Eye of the Hurricane," "The Sorcerer," "Pee Wee"), and there is one wistful ballad, "I Fall in Love Too Easily," where Marsalis sounds a bit callow, not yet the master colorist. Hancock remains a complex, stimulating acoustic pianist, the years of disco having taken no toll whatsoever on his musicianship. This looked like it would be a Japan-only release, but since the buzz on Marsalis was so loud, CBS put it out in the U.S. in 1983, fanning the flames even more.  Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    Well You Needn't 6:26
Written-By – T. Monk
2    'Round Midnight 6:38
Written-By – B. Hanighen, C. Williams, T. Monk
3    Clear Ways 5:01
Written-By – T. Williams
4    A Quick Sketch 16:24
Written-By – R. Carter
5    The Eye Of The Hurricane 8:03
Written-By – H. Hancock
6    Parade 7:56
Written-By – R. Carter
7    The Sorcerer 7:18
Written-By – H. Hancock
8    Pee Wee 4:32
Written-By – T. Williams
9    I Fall In Love Too Easily 5:53
Written-By – J. Styne-S. Cahn
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Tony Williams
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Trumpet – Wynton Marsalis

WAYNE SHORTER — Adam's Apple (1966-2003) RM | RVG Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With the possible exception of its song, "Footprints," which would become a jazz standard, Adam's Apple received quite a bit less attention upon its release than some of the preceding albums in Wayne Shorter's catalog. That is a shame because it really does rank with the best of his output from this incredibly fertile period. From the first moments when Shorter's sax soars out in the eponymous opening track, with its warmth and roundness and power, it is hard not to like this album. It might not be turning as sharp of a corner stylistically as some of his earlier works, like Speak No Evil, but its impact is only dulled by the fact that Shorter has already arrived at the peak of his powers. Taken in isolation, this is one of the great works of mid-'60s jazz, but when Shorter has already achieved a unique performance style, compositional excellence, and a perfectly balanced relationship with his sidemen, it is hard to be impressed by the fact that he manages to continue to do these things album after album. But Shorter does shine here, while allowing strong players like Herbie Hancock to also have their place in the sun. Especially hypnotic are two very different songs, the ballad "Teru" and Shorter's tribute to John Coltrane, "Chief Crazy Horse," both of which also allow Hancock a chance to show what he could do. Stacia Proefrock
Tracklist :
1    Adam's Apple    6:47
Wayne Shorter
2    502 Blues (Drinkin' And Drivin')    6:32
Jimmy Rowles
3    El Gaucho    6:28
Wayne Shorter
4    Footprints    7:27
Wayne Shorter
5    Teru    6:10
Wayne Shorter
6    Chief Crazy Horse    7:32
Wayne Shorter
7    The Collector    6:54
Herbie Hancock
Credits :
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Producer – Alfred Lion
Recorded By, Remastered By [2003] – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter

HEBIE HANCOCK — Fat Albert Rotunda (1969-2001) RM | Warner Bros. Masters Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Centered around some soundtrack music that Herbie Hancock wrote for Bill Cosby's Fat Albert cartoon show, Fat Albert Rotunda was Hancock's first full-fledged venture into jazz-funk -- and his last until Head Hunters -- making it a prophetic release. At the same time, it was far different in sound from his later funk ventures, concentrating on a romping, late-'60s-vintage R&B-oriented sound. with frequent horn riffs and great rhythmic comping and complex solos from Hancock's Fender Rhodes electric piano. The syllables of the titles alone -- "Wiggle Waggle," "Fat Mama," "Oh! Oh! Here He Comes" -- have a rhythm and feeling that tell you exactly how this music saunters and swaggers along -- just like the jolly cartoon character. But there is more to this record than fatback funk. There is the haunting, harmonically sophisticated "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" (which ought to become a jazz standard), and the similarly relaxed "Jessica." The sextet on hand is a star-studded bunch, with Joe Henderson in funky and free moods on tenor sax, Johnny Coles on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Buster Williams on bass, and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums. Only Williams would remain for Hancock's 1977 electric V.S.O.P.: The Quintet album to come. In addition, trumpeter Joe Newman, saxophonist Joe Farrell, guitarist Eric Gale, and drummer Bernard Purdie make guest appearances on two tracks. Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist :

1 Wiggle-Waggle 5:51

Alto Saxophone [Uncredited], Tenor Saxophone [Uncredited] – Joe Farrell

Baritone Saxophone [Uncredited] – Arthur Clarke

Drums [Uncredited] – Bernard Purdie

Electric Bass [Uncredited] – Jerry Jemmott

French Horn [Uncredited] – Ray Alonge

Guitar [Uncredited] – Billy Butler, Eric Gale

Percussion [Uncredited] – George Devens

Trombone [Uncredited] – Benny Powell

Trumpet [Uncredited] – Ernie Royal, Joe Newman

2 Fat Mama 3:49

3 Tell Me A Bedtime Story 5:03

4 Oh! Oh! Here He Comes 4:08

5 Jessica 4:12

6 Fat Albert Rotunda 6:28

7 Lil' Brother 4:25

Alto Saxophone [Uncredited], Tenor Saxophone [Uncredited] – Joe Farrell

Baritone Saxophone [Uncredited] – Arthur Clarke

Drums [Uncredited] – Bernard Purdie

Electric Bass [Uncredited] – Jerry Jemmott

French Horn [Uncredited] – Ray Alonge

Guitar [Uncredited] – Billy Butler (3), Eric Gale

Percussion [Uncredited] – George Devens

Trombone [Uncredited] – Benny Powell

Trumpet [Uncredited] – Ernie Royal, Joe Newman

Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass, Soloist – Buster Williams (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Drums, Soloist – Tootie Heath (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Flute [Alto], Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Joe Henderson
Piano, Electric Piano, Producer, Written-By, Arranged By, Conductor, Soloist – Herbie Hancock
Trombone, Soloist – Garnet Brown
Trumpet, Flugelhorn [Fluegel Horn], Soloist – Johnny Coles

MILTON NASCIMENTO — Angelus (1993) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The list of prominent North American and British fans of Milton Nascimento continues to grow almost exponentially -- and as a result, his first album for Warner Bros, recorded in Rio, New York, Pittsburgh and L.A., has a longer guest list than ever before. On the jazz side, Wayne Shorter reunites with his Brazilian soulmate on two tracks, his beam-of-light soprano soaring brightly, and a quintet containing Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, and Robertinho Silva sails magnificently through two early Nascimento classics: "Vera Cruz" and "Novena" (his first song ever). On the rock side, Nascimento pays homage to the Beatles -- who are as powerful an influence on his album conceptions and sound as anyone -- with a drawn-out, orchestrally backed "Hello Goodbye," and Peter Gabriel lends his voice to the lovely "Qualquer Coisa a Haver Com o Paraiso." Another worthwhile experiment is the convincing transformation of James Taylor's "Only a Dream in Rio," with Taylor's distinctive voice on hand with both English and Portuguese lyrics. But the state of Nascimento's songwriting imagination remains in a moderate slump, made glaringly evident by the inclusion of so much superior early music. Having made his mark as a great songwriter, Nascimento had evolved into a gifted, meticulous record maker, and alas, we have a far, far greater quantity of the latter than the former these days. Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1. Seis Horas da Tarde (Nascimento) 4:12
Saxophone [Tenor] – Wayne Shorter
2. Estrelada (Borges, Nascimento) 5:01
Vocals – Jon Anderson
3. De Um Modo Geral... (Lopes, Nascimento) 5:37
Saxophone [Tenor] – Wayne Shorter
4. Angelus (Nascimento) 2:35
Percussion – Naná Vasconcelos
5. Coisas de Minas (Lopes, Nascimento) 5:27
6. Hello Goodbye (Lennon, McCartney) 4:30
7. Sofro Calado (Faria, Nascimento) 1:11
Arranged By – Robertinho Silva
8. Clube da Esquina, No. 2 (Borges, Borges, Nascimento) 5:51
9. Meu Veneno (Gullar, Nascimento) 3:45
Percussion – Naná Vasconcelos
10. Only a Dream in Rio (Taylor) 6:30
Percussion – Naná Vasconcelos
Vocals, Guitar – James Taylor
11. Qualquer Coisa a Haver Com O Paraiso (Nascimento, Venturini) 6:59
Vocals – Peter Gabriel
12. Vera Cruz (Borges, Nascimento) 6:34
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Guitar – Pat Metheny
Percussion – Robertinho Silva
Piano – Herbie Hancock
13. Novena (Borges, Nascimento) 5:03
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Guitar – Pat Metheny
Percussion – Robertinho Silva
Piano – Herbie Hancock
14. Amor Amigo (Brant, Nascimento) 4:19
Guitar – Pat Metheny
Piano – Herbie Hancock
15. Sofro Calado (Faria, Nascimento) 2:25
Piano – Milton Nascimento

JOE FARRELL— Penny Arcade (1974-2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Joe Farrell gained his greatest fame with his popular string of CTI recordings. For this set, he performs three of his originals (none of which caught on), guitarist Joe Beck's "Penny Arcade," and a 13-minute version of Stevie Wonder's "Too High." Farrell (heard on tenor, soprano, flute and piccolo) is in excellent form, as are keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Beck, bassist Herb Bushler, drummer Steve Gadd and Don Alias on conga. As is true of his other CTI sets, this Joe Farrell effort expertly mixes together some slightly commercial elements and superior recording quality with strong solos. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Penny Arcade (Joe Beck) – 4:45
2. Too High (Stevie Wonder) – 13:15
3. Hurricane Jane (Joe Farrell) – 4:25
4. Cloud Cream (Joe Farrell) – 6:15
5. Geo Blue (Joe Farrell) – 7:30
Credits :
Joe Farrell – Tenor and Soprano Sax, Flute, Piccolo
Herbie Hancock – Piano
Joe Beck – Guitar
Steve Gadd- Drums
Herb Bushler – Bass
Don Alias – Conga

JOE ZAWINUL — Zawinul (1971-1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Conceptually, sonically, this is really the first Weather Report album in all but name, confirming that Joe Zawinul was the primary creative engine behind the group from the beginning. It is also the link between WR and Miles Davis' keyboard-laden experiments on In a Silent Way; indeed, the tune "In a Silent Way" is redone in the more complex form in which Zawinul envisioned it, and Miles even contributes a brief, generous tribute to Zawinul on the liner. Two keyboardists -- Zawinul and the formidable Herbie Hancock -- form the underpinning of this stately, probing album, garnishing their work with the galactic sound effects of the Echoplex and ring modulator. Earl Turbinton provides the Wayne Shorter-like beams of light on the soprano sax, spelled by Wayne himself on "Double Image." The third founder of WR, Miroslav Vitous, checks in on bass, and hard-bopping trumpeter Woody Shaw proves to be perfectly adept at the jazz-rock game. Two short-lived standards of the jazz-rock era, the aforementioned "Double Image" and "Doctor Honoris Causa," are introduced here, yet it is mood pieces like "His Last Journey" and "Arrival in New York" that with the help of tape-speed manipulation, establish the lasting, murky, reflective ambience of this CD. Richard S. Ginell      Tracklist & Credits :

JOE ZAWINUL — Concerto Retitled (1976-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As Joe Zawinul's electric band Weather Report gathered momentum in the '70s, Atlantic put together a single-LP anthology of Zawinul's earlier two albums for Atlantic and one for Vortex. The irony, of course, is that the Zawinul of most of these tracks basically did not exist as of 1976, nor has this compulsively forward-looking musician returned to his acoustic jazz roots since. Fully half of the tracks - the Tatumesque solo number, "My One and Only Love," the straight-ahead "Riverbed," and trio numbers "Del Sasser" and "Sharon's Waltz" (with Cannonball Adderley's rhythm section, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes) come from the Money in the Pocket album. "From Vienna with Love" and "Concerto Retitled" (both from The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream) are backed by William Fischer's brooding neo-classical arrangements for cello and three violas. From these relatively conventional pursuits, it is a jolt to hear two hauntingly spiritual tracks - the electronically slowed-down "His Most Journey" and "In a Silent Way - " from the Zawinul album, the prelude to Weather Report. Though all of this stuff is out on CD in complete form, this is still useful as a quick trip through Zawinul's extraordinary changes over a short span of time. Richard S. Ginell    Tracklist & Credits :  

SAM RIVERS — Contours (1965-2004) RM | Blue Note Connoisseur Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On Contours, his second Blue Note album, tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers fully embraced the avant-garde, but presented his music in a way that wouldn't be upsetting or confusing to hard bop loyalists. Rivers leads a quintet featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Joe Chambers through a set of originals that walk a fine line between probing, contemplative post-bop and densely dissonant avant-jazz. Each musician is able to play the extremes equally well while remaining sensitive to the compositional subtleties. Rarely is Contours anything less than enthralling, and it remains one of the high watermarks of the mid-'60s avant-garde movement. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Point Of Many Returns    9:24
2    Dance Of The Tripedal    10:10
3    Euterpe    11:46
4    Mellifluous Cacophony    9:01
5    Mellifluous Cacophony [Alternative Take]    9:05
Credits :    
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Composed By – Sam Rivers
Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard

HANK MOBLEY - The Turnaround ! (1965-2000) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 The Hank Mobley of the Turnaround album was a markedly different one from a few years earlier. This session issued in early 1965 was the product of two different sessions. The first was in March of 1963, immediately after Mobley left the Miles Davis band. Those recordings produced "East of the Village," possibly the greatest example of Mobley's "round tone" on record, and the other was "The Good Life," a ballad. The rest was recorded nearly two years later in February of 1965. The title cut was produced here -- an Alfred Lion answer to Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," which was burning up the charts -- as well as the beautiful "Pat 'n' Chat," with "Straight Ahead" and "My Sin" rounding out the program. On the earlier material, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren, and Philly Jo Jones helped Mobley out, and on the latter it was Freddie Hubbard, Barry Harris, Paul Chambers, and Billy Higgins. In each case, there were alumnus members of the Miles band Mobley had played in. The main thing about "East of the Village" is the striking difference between the gorgeous melding of Latin and post-bop, straight-ahead rhythms, and the easy, loping blues feel that is cheered on by Jones. This track contains one of Mobley's most memorable solos. On the title track and "Pat 'n' Chat," there are elongated blues structures; in the former -- it is an unusual 18 bar figure -- and in the latter, there is the major 44 bar pattern that sounds like a blues with a bridge when the AABA pattern is invoked. Here is the evolution of Mobley's tone in full flower, all but gone is the rounded, warm sound, and in its place is a shorter, declarative, bluesier tone with real bite that is perfect for pianists like Harris, who were used to the deeper funk of the Detroit sound. In all this is a solid date, despite its time lapse, and one that gives us a solid picture of the two Mobleys.
|This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa'|
Tracklist :
1     The Turnaround 8:15
Hank Mobley    
2     East of the Village 6:44
Hank Mobley    
3     The Good Life 5:08
Sacha Distel / Jack Reardon    
4     Straight Ahead 7:02
Hank Mobley    
5     My Sin 6:53
Hank Mobley    
6     Pat 'n' Chat 6:27    
Hank Mobley
Credits :
Bass – Butch Warren (tracks: 2, 3), Paul Chambers (tracks: 1, 4 to 6)
Drums – Philly Joe Jones (tracks: 2, 3), Billy Higgins (tracks: 1, 4 to 6)
Piano – Barry Harris (tracks: 1, 4 to 6), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 2, 3)
Recorded By, Remastered By [2000] – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 2, 3), Freddie Hubbard (tracks: 1, 4 to 6)

HANK MOBLEY - No Room for Squares (1964-2000) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Why any critic would think that Hank Mobley was at the end of his creative spark in 1963 -- a commonly if stupidly held view among the eggheads who do this for a living -- is ridiculous, as this fine session proves. By 1963, Mobley had undergone a transformation of tone. Replacing the scintillating airiness of his late-'50s sides was a harder, more strident, almost honking one, due in part to the influence of John Coltrane and in part to Mobley's deeper concentration on the expressing blues feeling in his trademark hard bop tunes. The CD version of this album sets the record straight, dropping some tunes form a session months earlier and replacing them with alternate takes of the title cut and "Carolyn" for historical integrity, as well as adding "Syrup and Biscuits" and "Comin' Back." Mobley assembled a crack band for this blues-drenched hard-rollicking set made up of material written by either him or trumpeter Lee Morgan. Other members of the ensemble were pianist Andrew Hill, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and bassist John Ore. The title track, which opens the set, is a stand-in metaphor for the rest: Mobley's strong and knotty off-minor front-line trading fours with Hill that moves into brief but aggressive soloing for he and Morgan and brings the melody back, altered with the changes from Hill. On Morgan's "Me 'n' You," an aggressive but short bluesed-out vamp backed by a mutated samba beat, comes right out of the Art Blakey book of the blues and is articulated wonderfully by Mobley's solo, which alternates between short, clipped phrases along the line of the changes and longer trill and ostinatos where the end of a musical line is dictated by his breath rather than a chord change. Morgan is in the pocket of the blue shades, coloring the ends of his lines with trills and short staccato bursts, warping them in Hill's open, chromatic voicings. All eight cuts here move with similar fluidity and offer a very gritty and realist approach to the roots of hard bop. Highly recommended.                                 
|This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa'|
Tracklist :
1     Three Way Split 7'49
Hank Mobley    
2     Carolyn 5'30
Lee Morgan    
3     Up a Step 8'31
Hank Mobley    
4     No Room for Squares 6'57
Hank Mobley    
5     Me 'N You 7'17
Lee Morgan    
6     Old World Imports 6'08
Hank Mobley    
7     Carolyn (Alternate Take) 5'35
Lee Morgan    
8     No Room for Squares 6'45
Hank Mobley
Credits :
Bass – Butch Warren (tracks: 3, 6), John Ore (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5)
Drums – Philly Joe Jones
Piano – Andrew Hill (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 3, 6)
Recorded By [Recording By], Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 3, 6), Lee Morgan (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5)

JIMMY HEATH AND BRASS — Swamp Seed (1963-1997) RM | Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a delightful if underrated set that was reissued on CD in 1997. The multi-talented Jimmy Heath has many consistently rewarding and distinctive tenor saxophone solos; he also contributed three of the seven pieces and arranged all of them for a group also including trumpeter Donald Byrd, two French horns, Don Butterfield's tuba and a rhythm section that has bassist Percy Heath and (on three numbers) drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The music is straight-ahead but contains some unpredictable moments. Highlights include Heath's versions of Thelonious Monk's "Nutty" and "More Than You Know." Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Six Steps 4'49
Jimmy Heath
2. Nutty 4'05
Thelonious Monk
3. More Than You Know 5'09
Edward Eliscu / Billy Rose / Vincent Youmans
4. Swamp Seed 5'19
Percy Heath
5. D. Waltz 6'33
Jimmy Heath
6. Just In Time 5'28
Betty Comden / Adolph Green / Jule Styne
7. Wall To Wall 5'27
Jimmy Heath
Credits
Jimmy Heath - Tenor Saxophone
Donald Byrd - |Trumpet
Julius Watkins - French Horn
Jim Buffington - French Horn
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Harold Maybern - Piano (tracks 1, 2, 4)
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Percy Heath - Bass
Albert "Toothie" Heath - Drums (tracks 1, 2, 4)
Connie Kay - Drums

BENNIE MAUPIN — The Jewel in the Lotus (1974-2019) Touchstones Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Jazz -funk fans must have been taken aback when multi-instrumentalist and composer Bennie Maupin's Jewel in the Lotus was released by Manfred Eicher's ECM imprint in 1974. For starters, it sounded nothing like Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters recording, which had been released the year before to massive sales and of which Maupin had been such an integral part. Head Hunters has remained one of the most reliable sales entries in Columbia's jazz catalog into the 21st century. By contrast, Jewel in the Lotus sounded like an avant-garde jazz record, but it stood outside that hard-line camp, too, because of its open and purposeful melodies that favored composition and structured improvising over free blowing. Jazz after 1970 began to move in so many directions simultaneously it must have felt like it was tearing itself apart rather than giving birth to so many new and exciting musics. Considered carefully, however, Jewel in the Lotus was the perfect realization of the skills acquired by Maupin from the mid-'60s on, when he had played in bands led by Marion Brown, McCoy Tyner, and Pharoah Sanders. He'd even recorded an album under his own name in 1967 entitled Almanac. Maupin was first heard by the masses, however, when he played bass clarinet on the landmark Bitches Brew session by Miles Davis, and as a member of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi and Sextant groups. He was the lone holdover when Hancock formed the Headhunters, who blasted their way onto FM radio and into the ears of fans who also dug Earth, Wind & Fire and P-Funk.
Maupin's band for this set contained close friends and musical allies encountered over the years. For starters, fellow Headhunter Bill Summers and Hancock himself are on this date, with drummer Billy Hart and versatile electric and acoustic bassist Buster Williams, who were both members of the earlier Hancock group. The other drummer on the set (there was one in the right and one in the left channel), the criminally under-recorded Frederick Waits, was a former skin man for Motown and John Lee Hooker who Maupin knew from his hometown in Detroit. Charles Sullivan, who plays trumpet on two cuts, was someone Maupin encountered in his travels in New York and jammed with. Jewel in the Lotus is not exactly a "lost" jazz classic. ECM kept it in print for many years on vinyl, but 2007 saw its first official CD release. That said, it has been traded widely on the Internet and vinyl copies of any edition command major dollars in record stores and in online auctions. There is good reason for this: it is a classic of 1970s spiritual jazz, and as much as any recording on Strata East or Black Jazz, Maupin's ECM offering is a wonder of arrangement and composition with gorgeous ensemble play, long yet sparse passages, space, and genuine strangeness. Maupin plays all of his reeds and flute in addition to glockenspiel here; Summers' percussion effects include a water-filled garbage can. The two drummers swirling around in different channels don't ever play the same thing, but counter and complement one another. And Hancock plays some of the most truly Spartan and lyrically modal piano in his career here.
From the six seconds of silence that introduce the percussive beginnings of "Ensenada," with Williams' acoustic bass on a pulse line, Waits' marimba inside a tight scale, Summers' bells, and Hancock's ghostly piano, you know you are on a journey. It doesn't matter whether that music is jazz, classical, or avant-garde. It's a journey into sound and silence. When Maupin on flute fronts the rest of the group as they enter with long-held notes and Hart begins flitting around the top with sticks playing the rims of his tom-toms, the magic is already transpiring. The music is somewhere in the twilight, perhaps better yet in the first emerging pink of a new day, where everything seems transparent because it is partially hidden from view. The ringing ostinato Hancock introduces about halfway through in the middle register is rhythmic, not melodic. The melody is so restrained it only engages one note at a time, held almost interminably but seductively. The beginning of "Mappo," by contrast, is almost startling: as both drummers move through and around the front line, Williams bows his bass at the lower end of its register, and Hancock begins to dramatically play his bottom register keys, Maupin's saxophone enters -- masculine, definitive, and pronounced -- before it gives way to space and his flute. Rhythms and themes shift and more notes are introduced, but they are still skeletally structured. Themes give way to the return of others, and everything becomes circular. The entire track -- regardless of the frenetic but taut percussion and the intense bowing of Williams -- remains in the realm of absolute crystalline beauty.
The elemental concerns of journey and transformation are paramount on the first half of the recording, all the way through the brief ostinato tune "Past + Present = Future." The primordial moment has been revisited; one listens in the moment and heads toward the sum of the two parts, which becomes almost uncomfortably clear with the introduction of electric piano sounds (think of the score from Tarkovsky's Solaris), slow deep modal lines from Williams, and Maupin's muscular tenor -- but these two give way to brave new sound worlds in the title track. The fact that the vibe remains on the border between light and dark (and nowhere more so than with the bass clarinet lines and flutes in "Winds of Change") doesn't make it a difficult record to listen to. Quite the opposite. Maupin's harmonic explorations may be unfamiliar, even downright strange at times, but they are inviting. The beckon gently; they never assault. Edges are rounded and seductive. "Song for Tracie Dixon Summers" is one of the most haunting and beautiful modal ballads ever written in the modernist jazz literature. The interplay between Williams, Summers, Maupin's saxophone, and Hancock is symbiotic. Sometimes these moments are so dramatic that what the listener hears is the sound of a new world opening up, so that by the time "Past Is Past" closes the set, with its contrapuntal piano and open-key melody, the listener has been taken completely out of the day-to-day, out of the moment and into a new one, where time is formless, free-floating, a stream. Coming back into everyday life with its business can be a bit jarring.
The true worth of Jewel in the Lotus is that perhaps no other bandleader at the time could bring together players from such different backgrounds and relationships to his own musical development and make them interact with one another with material that is scored so closely and whose dynamics and tensions are so pronounced and steady. Maupin was so utterly accomplished as a composer as well as a soloist by this time it comes as a shock that he hadn't been making records regularly -- and even more so that he has only recorded very sporadically as a leader since (only a handful of recordings bear his name on top but they are all as fine as they are different from one another). Jewel in the Lotus is a true jazz classic because only jazz was big enough in the early '70s to hold music like this, with all its seeming paradoxes, and recognize it as its own. This album sounds as timeless and adventurous in the present as the day it was released. Amen.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Ensenada 8:15
Bennie Maupin
2     Mappo 8:30
Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Charles Sullivan
3     Excursion 4:52
Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Charles Sullivan
4     Past+Present=Future 1:52
Bennie Maupin
5     The Jewel in the Lotus 10:02
Bennie Maupin
6     Winds of Change 1:30
Bennie Maupin
7     Song for Tracie Dixon Summers 5:19
Bennie Maupin
8     Past Is Past 3:57
Bennie Maupin
Credits :
Bass – Buster Williams
Design – Sascha Kleis
Drums [Left Channel], Marimba [Left Channel] – Frederick Waits
Drums [Right Channel] – Billy Hart
Percussion, Percussion [Water-filled Garbage Can] – Bill Summers
Piano, Electric Piano – Herbie Hancock
Producer, Remastered By – Manfred Eicher
Reeds, Voice, Glockenspiel, Music By – Bennie Maupin

AIRTO MOREIRA - Struck by Lightning (1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    It's Time For Carnival 5:56
Acoustic Guitar – José Neto
Electric Bass [Fretless] – Randy Tico
Electric Guitar – José Neto
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – José Neto
Lyrics By – Airto Moreira
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Tamborim – Junior Homrich
Vocals – Airto Moreira
Written-By – A. Moreira
2    Burning Money (Queimando Dinheiro) 4:08
Acoustic Bass ["John Hawk" Fretless] – Randy Tico
Acoustic Guitar – José Neto
Electric Bass [Fretless] – Randy Tico
Flute, Keyboards [Korg M-1] – Gary Meek
Percussion, Vocals – Airto Moreira
Twelve-String Guitar – José Neto
Written-By – J. Neto
3    Berimbau First Cry 5:07
Berimbau, Vocals, Flute [Wooden], Percussion, Noises [Background Noises], Voice – Airto Moreira
Written-By – A. Moreira
4    Sea Horse 6:48
Acoustic Bass ["John Hawk" Fretless] – Randy Tico
Acoustic Guitar – José Neto
Electronic Wind Instrument [EWI] – Gary Meek
Lyrics By [Underwater] – Airto Moreira
Percussion, Vocals, Electronics [Electronic Water Bottle] – Airto Moreira
Twelve-String Guitar – José Neto
Written-By – J. Neto
5    Struck By Lightning 4:42
Drums [Trap Drums] – Mike Shapiro
Electric Bass – Rob Harrison
Keyboards – Marcos Silva
Lyrics By – Flora Purim
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Vocals – Flora Purim
Written-By – G. Meek
6    Samba Louco (Crazy Samba) 2:03
Electric Bass – Mark Egan
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Synthesizer [Yamaha Tx-7, Roland D-50, Fairlight SG10] – Chick Corea
Tenor Saxophone – Gary Meek
Written-By – A. Moreira, C. Corea, M. Egan
7    Seven Dwarfs 4:18
Electric Bass – Mark Egan
Electronic Wind Instrument [EWI] – Gary Meek
Percussion, Drums [Trap Drums], Vocals – Airto Moreira
Piano – Chick Corea
Soprano Saxophone – Gary Meek
Written-By – A. Moreira
8    Samba Nosso (Our Samba) 9:04
Electric Bass – Stanley Clarke
Electronic Wind Instrument [EWI] – Gary Meek
Percussion, Drums [Trap Drums], Vocals – Airto Moreira
Piano, Synthesizer [Yamaha Tx-7, Roland D-50, Fairlight SG10] – Herbie Hancock
Soprano Saxophone – Gary Meek
Written-By – A. Moreira, H. Hancock, S. Clarke
9    Skins & Rattle 5:56
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Written-By – A. Moreira

AIRTO MOREIRA AND THE GODS OF JAZZ - Killer Bees (1989) APE (image+.cue), lossless

In November of 1989, after ten years of California living, Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira felt the need to get back in touch with the free-music roots he established two decades earlier in New York City. A spate of slumberous L.A. studio sessions, in combination with a tired scene in his adoptive hometown of Santa Barbara, was beginning to take its toll on the creative percussionist. New York of the late 1960s bustled with musical vibrancy for Moreira. All night jam sessions with the likes of Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jan Hammer, Stanley Clarke, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, and Walker Booker were the rule for the artist. On occasion, even such heavyweight legends as Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley, Buster Williams, and Thelonious Monk would sit in. In an effort to shake off L.A. studio stupor and re-create the wonder days of impromptu dream team sessions, he invited long time jazz comrades Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Mark Egan, and Stanley Clarke to record improvised music with him in a local Santa Barbara studio. Jumping at the opportunity to play with their friends for the sake of playing, these musicians ended up producing the Killer Bees CD. Peppered with subtle overdubs by vocalist Flora Purim, saxophonist Gary Meek, and guitarist Hiram Bullock, Killer Bees is a set of nine tracks characterized by the sense of spontaneity and adventurousness that Airto intended to revisit. From the opening "Banana Jam," a track in which Moreira, Corea, and Egan experiment with sounds in an improvised section that eventually crescendos into a powerful bass and piano ostinato, to the concluding "Chicken on the Mind," a whimsical track that builds on the sounds of a barking dog and the cackles of Corea, this CD captures superb studio musicians playing out on a limb. If you are looking for the precise articulation of rigid song structures, then this CD may leave you feeling a bit unsatisfied. On the other hand, if you enjoy listening to evolving and amorphous forms full of mercurially virtuosic content, then Killer Bees will make you yearn for more projects that recreate Moreira's free-jazz jams of yore. by John Vallier  
Tracklist :
1     Banana Jam 6:03
Chick Corea / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira / Flora Purim
2     Be There 4:43
Stanley Clarke / Herbie Hancock / Airto Moreira
3     Killer Bees 7:36
Hiram Bullock / Chick Corea / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira
4     City Sushi Man 4:03
Hiram Bullock / Chick Corea / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira
5     See Ya Later 5:36
Chick Corea / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira
6     Never Mind 7:46
Stanley Clarke / Herbie Hancock / Airto Moreira
7     Communion 8:39
Stanley Clarke / Herbie Hancock / Airto Moreira
8     Nasty Moves 2:12
Hiram Bullock / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira
9     Chicken in the Mind 3:29
Chick Corea / Mark Egan / Airto Moreira
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Stanley Clarke
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Airto Moreira
Electric Bass, Fretless Bass – Mark Egan
Guitar – Hiram Bullock
Overdubbed By – Steve Hart
Piano, Keyboards – Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Meek
Vocals, Producer – Flora Purim

STANLEY TURRENTINE - Joyride (1965-2009) Blue Note Best & More 1100 - 94 / RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Stanley Turrentine is the featured artist in this big band session with an all-star orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson. While Nelson's charts are funky and easygoing (without providing any solo space for the likes of Phil Woods, Clark Terry, and Jay Jay Johnson), they serve the purpose to inspire the tenor saxophonist. Turrentine is quite soulful on Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitation," and his huge tone carries the day in a waltzing chart of the 1960s hit "A Taste of Honey." The artist also contributed some originals to the date, including the easygoing "Little Sheri," which features the unison flutes of Danny Bank and Jerry Dodgion, and "Mattie T," a gospel-like song that almost seems like a march. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    River's Invitation    6:18
Percy Mayfield
2    I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone    4:25
Buddy Johnson
3    Little Sheri    6:29
Stanley Turrentine
4    Mattie T.    5:59
Stanley Turrentine
5    Bayou    6:18
Jimmy Smith
6    A Taste Of Honey    3:57
Scott, Marlow
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Phil Woods
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Flute [Alto], Clarinet, Piccolo Flute – Jerry Dodgion
Arranged By, Conductor – Oliver Nelson
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Danny Bank
Bass – Bob Cranshaw
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Robert Ashton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Albert J. Johnson
Trombone – Henry Coker, J.J. Johnson, Jimmy Cleveland
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Ernie Royal, Snooky Young

KENNY DORHAM - Una Mas (One More Time) (1963-1986) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

When one thinks of great talent scouts in jazz, the name of Kenny Dorham is often overlooked. However, many top young players benefited from playing in his groups, and for proof one need look no further than the lineup on this 1963 CD reissue: tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Butch Warren, and (before either player joined Miles Davis) pianist Herbie Hancock and drummer Tony Williams. Together the quintet performs three of the trumpeter's originals ("Una Mas" is the most famous) along with the standard ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You." Even if the playing time (under 37 minutes) is a bit brief, the explorative yet swinging music lives up to its potential. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Una Mas [One More Time] 15:16
Kenny Dorham
2     Straight Ahead 8:55
Kenny Dorham
3     Sao Paolo 7:16
Kenny Dorham
4     If Ever I Would Leave You 5:07
Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe
Credits :
Bass – Butch Warren
Drums – Anthony Williams
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Henderson
Trumpet – Kenny Dorham