AHMAD JAMAL - Nature : The Essence, Part 3 (1998) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Still pursuing his own muse, Jamal is up to his usual tricks with his hypnotic vamps and and feverish runs, as ever refusing to toe the line and sound like everyone else. In this, the third installment of his Essence series, Jamal adds a different twist -- a fine jazz steel drum player named Othello Molineaux -- and he mixes a few transfigured standards ("The End of a Love Affair" is completely re-routed through his nervous system) with pieces of his own. The first version (for quartet) of "If I Find You Again" is a magnificent example of the tension Jamal can generate. "And We Were Lovers" and "Chaperon" are huge, borderline bombastic piano solos that ought to erase any doubts that Jamal continues to command one monster keyboard technique. As in the previous Essence entries, a guest horn player shows up briefly, tenorman Stanley Turrentine in epigrammic form on "Devil's in My Den," and the ultra-responsive rhythm section remains Idris Muhammad (drums) and James Cammack (bass). by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    If I Find You Again (Quartet)    7:48
Ahmad Jamal
2    Like Someone In Love    6:44
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
3    Chaperon    2:44
Ahmad Jamal
4    Devil's In My Den    4:56
Ahmad Jamal
5    And We Were Lovers    3:25
Jerry Goldsmith
6    Fantastic Vehicle    4:38
Joe Kennedy, Jr.
7    The End Of A Love Affair    6:59
Edward Redding
8    Cabin In The Sky    8:47
Vernon Duke / Ahmad Jamal / John Latouche / Traditional
9    If I Find You Again (Duet)    4:43
Ahmad Jamal
Credits :
Bass – James Cammack
Piano – Ahmad Jamal
Steel Drums – Othello Molineaux
Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine (faixas: 4) 

JACO PASTORIUS - Jaco Pastorius (1976-2000) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's impossible to hear Jaco Pastorious' debut album today as it sounded when it was first released in 1976. The opening track -- his transcription for fretless electric bass of the bebop standard "Donna Lee" -- was a manifesto of virtuosity; the next track, the funk-soul celebration "Come On, Come Over" was a poke in the eye to jazz snobs and a love letter to the R&B greats of the previous decade (two of whom, Sam & Dave, sing on that track); "Continuum" was a spacey, chorus-drenched look forward to the years he was about to spend playing with Weather Report. The program continues like that for three-quarters of an hour, each track heading off in a different direction -- each one a masterpiece that would have been a proud achievement for any musician. What made Jaco so exceptional was that he was responsible for all of them, and this was his debut album. Beyond his phenomenal bass technique and his surprisingly mature compositional chops (he was 24 when this album was released), there was the breathtaking audacity of his arrangements: "Okonkole Y Trompa" is scored for electric bass, French horn, and percussion, and "Speak Like a Child," which Pastorious composed in collaboration with pianist Herbie Hancock, features a string arrangement by Pastorious that merits serious attention in its own right. For a man with this sort of kaleidoscopic creativity to remain sane was perhaps too much to ask; his gradual descent into madness and eventual tragic death are now a familiar story, one which makes the bright promise of this glorious debut album all the more bittersweet. (This remastered reissue adds two tracks to the original program: alternate takes of "(Used to Be a) Cha Cha" and "6/4 Jam"). by Rick Anderson  
Tracklist:
1 Donna Lee 2:28
2 Come On, Come Over 3:52
Vocals – David Prater, Sam Moore
3 Continuum 4:33
4 Kuru/Speak Like A Child 7:42
5 Portrait Of Tracy 2:22
6 Opus Pocus 5:29
7 Okonkole Y Trompa 4:25
8 (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha 8:57
9 Forgotten Love 2:14
10 (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha (Alternate Take - Previously Unreleased) 8:49
11 6/4 Jam (Alternate Take - Previously Unreleased) 7:45
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn
Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson
Bass Trombone – Peter Graves
Cabasa [Afuche], Bells, Bongos, Congas, Bata [Okonkolo Lya], Percussion – Don Alias
Cello – Alan Shulman, Beverly Lauridsen, Charles McCracken, Kermit Moore
Concertmaster, Violin – David Nadien
Conductor [Strings] – Michael Gibbs
Double Bass – Homer Mensch, Richard Davis
Drums – Bobby Economou, Lenny White, Narada Michael Walden
Electric Bass, Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Jaco Pastorius
Electric Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Alex Darqui
Flute, Piccolo Flute – Hubert Laws
French Horn – Peter Gordon
Liner Notes [CD] – Pat Metheny
Liner Notes [Original] – Herbie Hancock
Piano [Acoustic], Clavinet, Keyboards, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Herbie Hancock
Soprano Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Steel Drums – Leroy Williams, Othello Molineaux
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker
Trumpet – Randy Brecker, Ron Tooley
Viola – Al Brown, Manny Vardi, Julian Barber, Selwart Clarke
Violin – Arnold Black, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Matthew Raimondi, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman

JACO PASTORIUS - Word of Mouth (1981) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Bassist Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth orchestra was an unfulfilled dream, a worthy concept that did not last long enough to live up to its potential. Its debut album was released without a listing of the personnel, so here it is: Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and Tom Scott on reeds, trumpeter Chuck Findley, the easily recognizable Toots Thielemans on harmonica, Howard Johnson on tuba, drummers Jack DeJohnette and Peter Erskine, and percussionist Don Alias. The music ranges from the Beatles' "Blackbird" and some Bach to Jaco originals that cover straight-ahead jazz, Coltrane-ish vamps, and fusion. Next to the bassist/leader, Thielemans emerges as the main voice. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1. Crisis  – 5:21

2. Three Views of a Secret – 6:05

3. Liberty City – 11:57

4. Chromatic Fantasy (Johann Sebastian Bach) – 3:01

5, Blackbird (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:48

6. Word of Mouth – 3:53

7. John and Mary – 10:52

Credits:

Herbie Hancock: Keyboards, Synthesizers, Piano

Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Tom Scott: Saxophone

Toots Thielemans: Harmonica

Chuck Findley: Trumpet

John Clark: French horn

Howard Johnson: Tuba

Don Alias, Robert Thomas Jr.: : Percussion

Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette: Drums

Jaco Pastorius: Electric bass, acoustic bass,

organ, piano, synthesizers, autoharp, percussion,

vocals, drums on "Word Of Mouth"

Paul Horn-Muller: Steel pans

Othello Molineaux: Steel pan

John F. Pastorius IV: vocal on John and Mary

Michael Gibbs: Hanging out

JACO PASTORIUS - Invitation (1983-2004) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Electric bassist Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth big band made two recordings for Warner Bros. during its short life, of which is this is the superior one. The large ensemble (five trumpets including Randy Brecker, five reeds with solo space for Bobby Mintzer on tenor and soprano, four trombones, two French horns, Toots Thielemans on harmonica, drummer Peter Erskine, percussionist Don Alias, and Othello on steel drum) performs a variety of superior material. Although Pastorius takes his share of solo space, and the sound of a big band backing a bass soloist is rather unusual, he does not excessively dominate the music. Pastorius contributed some of the pieces (most notably "Liberty City"), is showcased on "Amerika," and also plays such tunes as "Invitation," "The Chicken," "Sophisticated Lady," "Giant Steps," and Gil Evans' "Eleven." by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Invitation 6:58
Written-By – Bronislaw Kaper
2 Amerika 1:10
Arranged By, Adapted By – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – Traditional
3 Soul Intro / The Chicken 6:49
Written-By [Soul Intro] – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By [The Chicken] – Alfred James Ellis
4 Continuum 4:29
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
5 Liberty City 4:35
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
6 Sophisticated Lady 5:18
Written-By – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish
7 Reza / Giant Steps / Reza (Reprise) 10:23
Written-By [Giant Steps] – John Coltrane
Written-By [Reza (Reprise)] – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By [Reza] – Jaco Pastorius
8 Fannie Mae 2:39
Written-By – Buster Brown, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson
9 Eleven 0:50
Written-By – Gil Evans, Miles Davis
Credits:
Arranged By – Bobby Mintzer (tracks: 1), Jaco Pastorius (tracks: 2 to 9)
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute [Alto] – Randy Emerick
Bass [Uncredited] – Jaco Pastorius
Bass Trombone – Bill Reichenbach, Peter Graves
Conductor [Co-Conductor] – Peter Graves
French Horn – Brad Warnaar, Peter Gordon
Harmonica – Jean "Toots" Thielemans
Producer – Jaco Pastorius
Soloist, Drums, Timpani, Gong – Peter Erskine
Soloist, Percussion – Don Alias
Soloist, Steel Drums – Othello Molineaux
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bobby Mintzer
Soloist, Trumpet – Jon Faddis (tracks: 7), Randy Brecker
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Piccolo Flute – Alex Foster
Tenor Saxophone, Oboe, English Horn – Paul McCandless
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute [Alto] – Mario Cruz
Trombone – Wayne Andre
Trombone, Tuba – David Bargeron
Trumpet – Elmer Brown, Forrest Buchtel, Ron Tooley