JOHN PATITUCCI — John Patitucci (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Stepping out from the shadows of Chick Corea's Elektric and Akoustic bands, Patitucci made a pleasing solo debut here largely on the strength of his brilliant up-front soloing on electric and acoustic basses. Adept at the popular funk slapping manner on electric bass, darting fluidly and jaggedly up high on the Smith/Jackson five-string bass, Patitucci always executes with the moves and body English of a bass player even when his instrument is up in the guitar range. Patitucci's compositions are pretty good, too, thoughtful and not too reliant upon jazz-rock cliches. He gets a lot of expert help from a variety of hot sidemen, including the astonishing Chick himself (who also produced the package), Chick's drummer Dave Weckl, other drummers like Peter Erskine and Vinnie Colaiuta, and the heated tenor sax of Michael Brecker. Without a doubt, this first opus enhanced Patitucci's developing reputation at the time. Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1. Growing 4:35
 John Patitucci
2. Wind Sprint 6:10
 John Patitucci
3. Searching, Finding 5:05
 John Patitucci
4. Baja Bajo 5:46
 Chick Corea / John Patitucci
5. Change Of Season 3:53
 John Patitucci
6. Our Family 3:01
 John Patitucci
7. Peace And Quiet Time 4:59
 John Patitucci
8. Crestline 5:13
 John Patitucci
9. Zaragoza 3:57
 Chick Corea
10. Then & Now 5:38
 John Patitucci
11. Killeen 5:15
 John Patitucci
12. The View 5:39
 John Patitucci
Credits :
Bass – John Patitucci
Drums – Peter Erskine, Vinnie Colaiuta
Piano, Producer – Chick Corea
Saxophone – Michael Brecker
Synthesizer – David Witham, John Beasley

THE CEDAR WALTON TRIO, QUARTET & QUINTET — Cedar! (1967-1990) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist Cedar Walton's debut as a leader is quite impressive. This CD reissue (which includes a "new" rendition of "Take the 'A' Train") showcases Walton with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Billy Higgins on "My Ship," features a pair of quartet numbers with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, has tenor saxophonist Junior Cook in Dorham's place on two other pieces (including "Come Sunday") and uses a quintet on the two remaining selections. One of the top hard bop-based pianists to emerge during the 1960s, Walton also contributed four originals to his excellent set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Turquoise Twice    7:17
 Cedar Walton
2    Twilight Waltz    4:17
 Cedar Walton
3    My Ship    5:31
 Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
4    Short Stuff    6:23
 Cedar Walton
5    Head And Shoulders    4:13
 Cedar Walton
6    Come Sunday    6:56
 Duke Ellington
7    Take The "A" Train    3:27
 Billy Strayhorn
Credits :
Bass – Leroy Vinnegar
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone – Junior Cook
Trumpet – Kenny Dorham

JACK BRUCE — Things We Like (1970-2003) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Enthusiasts expecting to hear a continuation of the type of material that Jack Bruce (bass) had been responsible for during his tenure(s) with Cream or the Graham Bond Organisation might be in for quite a shock when spinning Things We Like (1970) for the first time. Instead of an album's worth of blues-based rockers, the seven instrumentals feature Bruce with other former Graham Bond stablemates John McLaughlin (guitar), Jon Hiseman (drums), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax) performing post-bop and free jazz. A majority of the compositions were penned by Bruce in his preteen days of formal scholarship at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where he also mastered the cello and composed a string quartet at the age of 11. After having gained significant clout from Cream, Bruce assembled what was initially a trio. However, after a chance meeting with McLaughlin -- who was so broke he had to refuse an offer to fly stateside to join the newly formed Tony Williams Lifetime -- Bruce incorporated the guitarist into the fold in order to help him finance his journey, which was ultimately successful. The entire effort was recorded and mixed in less than a week during August of 1968 -- less than three months prior to the infamous Farewell Concert of Cream at the Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968.

As a testament to Bruce's expansive musical tastes, capabilities, and horizons, this disc sounds more like a collection of Rahsaan Roland Kirk sides than anything even remotely connected with Cream. This is especially true of the frenetic pacing of the brief opener, "Over the Cliff." Heckstall-Smith's ability to perform alto and soprano saxophone simultaneously likewise lends itself to Kirk's distinct reed polyphony. "Statues" is an interesting exercise, again with Heckstall-Smith providing some excellent extemporaneous blows during the darkly toned introduction working well against the nimble melody. While Hiseman's style is decidedly less aggressive than that of Ginger Baker, his drumming helps to amalgamate the song's various sections. McLaughlin's unmistakably sinuous leads are commanding throughout the "Sam Enchanted Dick" medley, with a cover of Milt Jackson's "Sam's Sack" and a Heckstall-Smith original titled "Rills Thrills." The tempo is slowed on the smoky cover of Mel Tormé's "Born to Be Blue." This interpretation is part West Coast cool and part Chicago-style blues. McLaughlin's contributions to "HCKHH Blues" is similar to that of Robert Fripp's jazzy fretwork throughout the Islands (1971) era King Crimson. While it was the first of Bruce's solo records to be recorded, he chose to issue the more rock-oriented Songs for a Tailor (1969) prior to Things We Like, which was perhaps considered an indulgent side project rather than a permanent musical diversion. [The 2003 CD reissue contains the previously unissued track "Ageing, Jack Bruce, Three, from Scotland, England," which is another brilliant Heckstall-Smith piece with all four musicians in top form -- especially McLaughlin, who provokes a variety of sonic imagery, ranging from intense fingerpicking to chiming notes and chord augmentations.] Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1    Over The Cliff    2:49
 Jack Bruce
2    Statues    7:24
 Jack Bruce
Sam Enchanted Dick (Medley)    (7:20)
 Jack Bruce
3a    Sam's Sack    
3b    Rill's Thrills    
4    Born To Be Blue    4:16
 Jack Bruce
5    Hckhh Blues    8:56
 Jack Bruce
6    Ballad For Arthur    7:31
 Jack Bruce
7    Things We Like    3:31
 Jack Bruce
– BONUS TRACKS –  (Previously Unreleased)    
8    Ageing Jack Bruce, Three, From Scotland, England 5:19
Written-By – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Credits :
Bass, Producer [Produced By] – Jack Bruce
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – John McLaughlin
Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith

JEAN-LUC PONTY — King Kong : Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970-1993) Two Version | WV (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Not just an album of interpretations, King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa was an active collaboration; Frank Zappa arranged all of the selections, played guitar on one, and contributed a new, nearly 20-minute orchestral composition for the occasion. Made in the wake of Ponty's appearance on Zappa's jazz-rock masterpiece Hot Rats, these 1969 recordings were significant developments in both musicians' careers. In terms of jazz-rock fusion, Zappa was one of the few musicians from the rock side of the equation who captured the complexity -- not just the feel -- of jazz, and this project was an indicator of his growing credibility as a composer. For Ponty's part, King Kong marked the first time he had recorded as a leader in a fusion-oriented milieu (though Zappa's brand of experimentalism didn't really foreshadow Ponty's own subsequent work). Of the repertoire, three of the six pieces had previously been recorded by the Mothers of Invention, and "Twenty Small Cigars" soon would be. Ponty writes a Zappa-esque theme on his lone original "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That," where Zappa contributes a nasty guitar solo. The centerpiece, though, is obviously "Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra," a new multi-sectioned composition that draws as much from modern classical music as jazz or rock. It's a showcase for Zappa's love of blurring genres and Ponty's versatility in handling everything from lovely, simple melodies to creepy dissonance, standard jazz improvisation to avant-garde, nearly free group passages. In the end, Zappa's personality comes through a little more clearly (his compositional style pretty much ensures it), but King Kong firmly established Ponty as a risk-taker and a strikingly original new voice for jazz violin. Steve Huey   

Tracklist :
1    King Kong 4:54
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Electric Piano – George Duke
Tenor Saxophone – Ian Underwood
Vibraphone, Percussion – Gene Estes
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
2    Idiot Bastard Son 4:00
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
3    Twenty Small Cigars 5:35
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty
4    How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That 7:14
Bass [Fender] – Wilton Felder
Composed By – Jean-Luc Ponty
Drums – John Guerin
Electric Piano – George Duke
Guitar – Frank Zappa
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Violin [Electric] – Jean-Luc Ponty
5    Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra 19:20
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Bassoon – Donald Christlieb
Cello – Harold Bemko
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Conductor – Ian Underwood
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Flute – Jonathan Meyer
French Horn, Recorder [Descant] – Vincent DeRosa
French Horn, Tuba [Tuben] – Arthur Maebe
Oboe, English Horn – Gene Cipriano
Piano, Electric Piano – George Duke
Viola – Milton Thomas
Violin [Electric] – Jean-Luc Ponty
6    America Drinks And Goes Home 2:39
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ian Underwood
Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Composed By, Arranged By – Frank Zappa
Drums – Arthur D. Tripp, III
Electric Piano – George Duke
Vibraphone, Percussion – Gene Estes
Violin [Electric Violin & Baritone Violectra] – Jean-Luc Ponty 

BACAMARTE — Depois Do Fim (1983-2009) RM | SHM-CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Arguably one of the strongest progressive rock albums from South America. We can even say that it can beat most European progressive rock albums of the 80's. Two trademarks are original Portuguese female vocal and virtuoso guitar. However, also keyboard layers and folk influences underlined by flute, are hearable. Influences could be traced to Italian prog and Genesis/Camel/Yes."Smog alado" is a symphonic composition with solemn organ in the second part and great vocal. The first track is a pleasant instrumental piece."Miragem" features guitar with Brazilian folk motives; by now you must have noticed that the guitar has a slightly different recorded sound than usually. "Ultimo Entardecer" is the longest track and most varied track. Howe-like guitar runs, Wakeman's synths, acoustic section after symphonic one,...

"Controversia" is not a controversial instrumental workout in a typical Bacamarte manner. The title track has a very solemn synth start and returns down to earth with the female vocals. stanley sgtpepper

Il y a bien longtemps que je n'ai pas écouté de disques de Progressive Rock, préférant me concentrer sur ma passion musicale pour la musique brésilienne. Après O Terço, les années 70, je découvre Bacamarte, les années 80. Le lien s'effectue entre deux de mes passions, la Prog anglo-saxonne et la MPB. Magnifique premier morceaux, "UFO", qui propose une ouverture latine (guitare acoustique) pour ensuite dériver vers des rivages qui m'évoquent Camel, Genesis ou Gentle Giant. Deuxième morceau, "Smog Alado", les esprits de la MPB invoquent Jethro Tull et Yes. Et puis l'apparition de la voix de Jane Duboc qui chante en portugais. Deux singularités dans le monde de la Prog dominé par l'anglais et les voix masculines. Bacamarte est un immense album de Prog Symphonique porté par des claviers luxuriants et la guitare inspirée de Mario Neto qui a composé la majorité des morceaux. Proche de l'album concept, homogène, mais pas répétitif, Bacamarte porte vraiment très haut la Prog, genre musical très mineur au Brésil. L'album fait partie des 100 meilleures productions de la Prog internationale. Dominique Deret
Tracklist  :
1    UFO 6:27
Composed By – Mario Neto
2    Smog Alado 4:10
Composed By – Mario Neto
3    Miragem 4:51
Composed By – Mario Neto
4    Pássaro De Luz 2:32
Composed By – Mario Neto
5    Caño 1:57
Composed By – Marcus Moura
6    Último Entardecer 9:26
Composed By – Mario Neto, Sergio Villarim
7    Controvérsia 1:57
Composed By – Delto Simas, Marco Veríssimo
8    Depois Do Fim 6:30
Composed By – Mario Neto
Credits :
Drums – Marco Veríssimo (tracks: 1 to 8)
Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass – Delto Simas (tracks: 1 to 8)
Flute, Accordion – Marcus Moura (tracks: 1 to 8)
Instruments, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Mixed By, Producer – Mario Neto
Keyboards – Sergio Villarim (tracks: 1 to 8)
Percussion – Mr. Paul (tracks: 1 to 8)
Programmed By [Drum Machine] – Mario Neto (tracks: 9)
Recorded By [Recording] – Toninho Barbosa (tracks: 1 to 8)
Written-By – Delto Simas (tracks: 7), Marco Veríssimo (tracks: 7), Marcus Moura (tracks: 5), Mario Neto (tracks: 1 to 4, 6, 8), Sergio Villarim (tracks: 6)
Vocals – Jane Duboc (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8)