ROLAND KIRK with JACK McDUFF - Kirk's Work (1961-2007) RM | RVG Remasters | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Kirk's Work, Rahsaan Roland Kirk's third long-player, teams him up with organist "Brother" Jack McDuff for Kirk's most soulful post-bop set to date. His unorthodox performance style incorporates the polyphonies of a tenor sax, flute, manzello, and stritch. (The latter instrument is Kirk's own modification of a second-generation B-flat soprano sax.) This contributes to the unique sonic textures and overtones Kirk creates when playing two -- and often three -- of those lead instruments simultaneously. The loose and soulful nature of McDuff's Hammond organ lends itself to the swinging R&B vibe pervasive throughout the album. Completing the quartet is Joe Benjamin (bass) and Art Taylor (drums), both veteran jazzmen in their own right. They lend their expertise as well as innate sense of rhythm to the up-tempo "revival meetin'" rendition of Sammy Kahn's "Makin' Whoopee" as well as the ominous swing of the title track. This is also an ideal showcase for Benjamin and Taylor's running counterpoint that glides throughout -- supporting soloists Kirk and McDuff. Of the four original Kirk compositions, "Doin' the Sixty-Eight" is arguably the strongest. The percussive rhythms weave a hypnotic Latin groove over which Kirk and McDuff both snake some highly cerebral solos. The stellar interpretation of "Skater's Waltz" combines a well-known traditional melody with some of the most aggressive interaction from the quartet. The tune is put through its paces and the tenor sax/Hammond organ leads bounce around like a game of sonic ping pong. The more aggressive performance style that Kirk would later incorporate definitely shows signs of development on Kirk's Work. While certainly not the best in his catalog, it is a touchstone album that captures the early soulful Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Lindsay Planer  
Tracklist :
1     Three for Dizzy 5'11
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2     Makin' Whoopee 5'09
Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn
3     Funk Underneath 6'17
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4     Kirk's Work 3'56
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
5     Doin' the Sixty-Eight 4'22
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
6     Too Late Now 3'54
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner
7     Skater's Waltz 4'24
Emile Waldteufel
Credits :
Bass – Joe Benjamin
Drums – Arthur Taylor
Organ – Jack McDuff
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Remastered By – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Reeds [Manzello, Strich], Siren – Roland Kirk

LOU DONALDSON & GRANT GREEN - Cool Blus (1961-2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    A Foggy Day    6:38
2    Here Tis    9:26
3    Cool Blues    6:54
4    Watusi Jump    7:32
5    Walk Wid Me    8:37
6    Misty    8:33
7    Please    6:09
8    Man With A Horn    5:49
9    Prisoner Of Love    5:12
10    Stardust    6:12
Notas.
Tracks 1-5: Recorded January 23, 1961. Previously issued as Here 'Tis.
Tracks 6-10: Recorded September 25, 1961. Previously issued on A Man With A Horn.

LOU DONALDSON - A Man with a Horn (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

These sessions were recorded for Blue Note in 1961 and 1963. The first date features five cuts with Jack Mcduff on organ, Grant Green on guitar, and Joe Dukes on drums. The four remaining cuts were recorded two years later with John Patton on organ, Ben Dixon on drums, and the addition of Irvin Stokes on trumpet. This is a mainly mellow affair with six of the nine tracks exchanging the hard bop and soul-jazz of the times for ballads and slow blues. However, the occasional up-tempo funky surprise does pop up on "My Melancholy Baby" and the Donaldson originals "Hipty Hop" and "Soul Meetin'." Al Campbell
Tracklist :
1     Misty 8:30
Johnny Burke / Erroll Garner     
2     Hippity Hop 5:44     
Lou Donaldson    
3     Please 6:07
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
4     My Melancholy Baby 6:29
Ernie Burnett / George Norton    
5     Man With a Horn 5:47
Eddie DeLange / Jack Jenney / Bonnie Lake
6     Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White 4:22
Mack David    
7     Prisoner of Love 5:10
Russ Columbo / Clarence Gaskill / Leo Robin
8     Soul Meetin' 7:11
Lou Donaldson    
9     Stardust 6:11
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
Notas.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on September 25, 1961 (#1,3,5,7,9) and June 7, 1963 (#2,4,6,8)
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Drums – Ben Dixon (pistas: 2, 4, 6, 8), Joe Dukes (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – Grant Green
Organ – Jack McDuff (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), John Patton (pistas: 2, 4, 6, 8)
Trumpet – Irvin Stokes (pistas: 2, 4, 6, 8)
Trumpet – Danny Moore, Ernie Royal, Joe Shepley

BETTY ROCHÉ - Singin' & Swingin' (1960-1992) Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series / RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Betty Roché should have been much more famous. She had two barely documented periods with Duke Ellington's orchestra and recorded three excellent albums as a leader from 1956-1961 (all of which are available on CD), but then faded away into complete obscurity. This reissue (which is mistakenly given the incorrect date of January 24, 1961, which was actually Roché's following release) matches the singer with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, organist Jack McDuff (near the beginning of his career), guitarist Bill Jennings, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Roy Haynes. Roché performs nine famous standards, coming up with fresh variations in her phrasing to such numbers as "Come Rain or Come Shine," "When I Fall in Love," "Blue Moon," and "Billie's Bounce." Recommended, as are all of the other recordings in her slim discography.  by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1   Come Rain Or Come Shine  3:48
Written-By – Arlen-Mercer
2   A Foggy Day  3:37
Written-By – Gershwin-Gershwin
3   Day By Day  3:55
Written-By – Stordahl, Weston, Cahn
4   When I Fall In Love  3:18
Written-By – Heyman, Young
5   Blue Moon  3:01
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
6   Where Or When
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
7   September Song   2:08
Written-By – Weill, Anderson
8   (It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along  4:10
Written-By – Nichols, Freeman, Holiner, Cahn, Chaplin
9   Billie's Bounce   3:12
Written-By – Charlie Parker
Credits :
Bass – Wendell Marshall
Drums – Roy Haynes
Guitar – Bill Jennings
Organ – Jack McDuff
Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Forrest
Vocals – Betty Roché

GRANT GREEN - Grantstand (1961-2003) RVG Edition / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Grant Green's third album to be released, Grantstand teams the clear-toned guitarist with an unlikely backing group of musicians who rarely appeared with Blue Note otherwise: tenor saxophonist Yusef Lateef (who doubles on flute), organist Brother Jack McDuff, and drummer Al Harewood. Although Lateef was beginning to delve deeply into Eastern tonalities and instruments around the same time, his playing here is pretty straightforward and swinging, fitting the relaxed, bop-tinged soul-jazz that makes up most of the session. For his part, McDuff is mellower than his usual ferocious self, laying back and swinging with a blissful ease. Green contributes two bluesy originals, the nine-minute title track and the 15-minute "Blues in Maude's Flat," which are turned into loose, loping jams that rank as some of the best examples of Green's ability to work an extended groove. (The CD bonus track, "Green's Greenery," is in much the same vein, though not as long.) Elsewhere, Green leads a delicate, sensitive exploration of "My Funny Valentine" that ended up as his greatest standard performance to date, setting the stage for a great deal more work in this vein that was soon to be forthcoming (including his brilliant sessions with Sonny Clark). Still, the groove is what reigns supreme for most of the album; if you're looking for Green the soul-jazz groovemaster, Grantstand is an excellent place to find him. by Steve Huey
Tracklist  :
1    Grantstand 9:03
Written-By – Green
2    My Funny Valentine 9:06
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
3    Blues In Maude's Flat 15:00
Written-By – Green
4    Old Folks 4:11
Written-By – Hill, Robison
5    Green's Greenery 5:10
Written-By – Grant Green
Credits :
Drums – Al Harewood
Guitar – Grant Green
Organ – Jack McDuff
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Yusef Lateef

BROTHER JACK McDUFF - Tobacco Road (1967-2002) RM / Atlantic Masters / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Brother Jack McDuff recorded an enormous number of albums during the '60s, so it can be difficult to figure out where to start digging a little deeper into his output (which Hammond B-3 fans will definitely want to do). 1967's Tobacco Road stands out from the pack for a couple of reasons. First, unlike many of his groove-centric albums, it's heavy on standards and pop/rock tunes (seven of nine cuts), which make for excellent matches with McDuff's highly melodic, piano-influenced style. What's more, about half of the album finds McDuff leading a large ten-piece ensemble arranged and conducted by J.J. Jackson, including a soulful horn section that sounds straight out of Memphis or Muscle Shoals (though this was recorded at Chess studios in Chicago). McDuff himself handles the arrangements on the rest of the material, which is done in a guitar/sax/drums quartet. The LP's style is fairly unified, though -- no matter what format, the tunes are given fantastically funked-up treatments that sound surprisingly natural. And these aren't grooves where everyone just settles back and stays in the pocket; McDuff attacks the arrangements with wildly funky rhythms and solos, and there's a polyrhythmic sense of interplay that recalls the best Southern soul. Arguably the most distinctive track is a cool, grooving quartet version of "The Shadow of Your Smile," complete with snaky bassline and airy flute solos from Danny Turner. Unfortunately, none of the tracks are all that long, in keeping with the jukebox/radio orientation of McDuff's Atlantic period, but that won't prevent soul-jazz fans from thoroughly enjoying Tobacco Road. by Steve Huey  
Tracklist :
1    Teardrops From My Eyes 2:06
Written-By – Rudolph Toombs
2    Tobacco Road 2:59
Written-By – John Loudermilk
3    The Shadow Of Your Smile 3:55
Written-By – Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster
4    Can't Get Satisfied 5:14
Written-By – Jack McDuff
5    Blowin' In The Wind 2:41
Written-By – Bob Dylan
6    And The Angels Sing 4:13
Written-By – Johnny Mercer, Ziggy Elman
7    This BItter Earth 2:38
Written-By – Clyde Otis
8    Alexander's Ragtime Band 5:57
Written-By – Irving Berlin
9    Wade In The Water 4:39
Written-By – Jack McDuff
Credits :
Arranged By – Jack McDuff (pistas: 3, 4, 8, 9), J.J. Jackson (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Baritone Saxophone – Lonnie Simmons (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Conductor – J.J. Jackson (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Drums – Joe Dukes (pistas: 3, 4, 8, 9), Robert Guthrie (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Electric Bass – Loyal J. Gresham (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Guitar – Calvin Green (pistas: 3, 4, 8, 9), Roland Faulkner (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Organ [Hammond] – Brother Jack McDuff
Percussion, Vibraphone [Vibes] – Bobby Christian (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Tenor Saxophone – Red Holloway (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Danny Turner (pistas: 3, 4, 8, 9)
Trombone – John Watson (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)
Trumpet – Fred Berry (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7), King Kolax (pistas: 1, 2, 5, 7)