AHMAD JAMAL — Ahmad's Blues (1958-1994) RM | The Original Chess Masters Jazz Series, GRP Presents The Legendary Masters Of Jazz | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

One of Miles Davis's favorite musicians, Ahmad Jamal has a unique approach as a pianist, composer, and arranger that is highly influential and distinctive. Possessed of a light, almost classical touch, and a purveyor of negative space and minimal phrasing (his influence on Davis can certainly be seen here), Jamal worked largely in trio settings, and used his conceptions of space and subtlety to create dynamic tensions within the group. At the same time, the artist's work is rooted firmly in the blues and swings intently, without fail. Ahmad's Blues, the trio's 1958 live date in Washington D.C., demonstrates all of these qualities in spades. Supremely attentive playing by bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier (his brush work on the intricate, gear-shifting "Autumn Leaves" is especially noteworthy) provides groundwork, foil, and shifting frames for Jamal's virtuoso explorations. The ensemble's work brings new ideas -- the musicians often incorporate understated mambo, fractured swing rhythms, or airy, abstract structures -- to standards ("Stompin' at the Savoy;" "Cheek to Cheek") and to Jamal's own compositions (the delicate "Seleritus"). Ahmad's Blues allows us to eavesdrop on the sophisticated, innovative artist and company at work. AllMusic
Tracklist :
1. Ahmad's Blues 4:05
 Ahmad Jamal
2. It Could Happen To You 4:15
 Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
3. I Wish I Knew 3:45
 Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
4. Autumn Leaves 7:40
 Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
5. Stompin' At The Savoy 4:15
 Benny Goodman / Andy Razaf / Edgar Sampson / Chick Webb
6. Cheek To Cheek 4:47
 Irving Berlin
7. The Girl Next Door 3:26
 Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin
8. Secret Love 3:51
 Sammy Fain / Paul Francis Webster
9. Squatty Roo 2:18
 Johnny Hodges
10. Taboo 4:01
 Margarita Lecuona / Bob Russell
11. Autumn In New York 3:18
 Vernon Duke
12. A Gal In Calico 4:44
 Leo Robin / Arthur Schwartz
13. That's All 2:38
 Alan Brandt / Bob Haymes / Clyde Otis / Kelly Owens
14. Should I? 3:39
 Nacio Herb Brown / Arthur Freed
15. Seleritus 3:12
 Ahmad Jamal
16. Let's Fall In Love 5:06
 Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
Credits :
Bass – Israel Crosby
Drums – Vernell Fournier
Piano – Ahmad Jamal
Notas :
Recorded in performance at the Spotlite Club, Washington D.C.; September 6, 1958.
Tracks 3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 & 14 originally issued as Argo LP636, "Ahmad Jamal".
Tracks 1,2,4,13,15 & 16 were included on Argo LP2-638, "Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal".

CHRIS POTTER — Traveling Mercies (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Chris Potter gets more and more adventurous. On this follow-up to the strong Gratitude, the tenor and soprano saxophonist beefs up strong writing and heady group interplay with occasional sampled sounds and miscellaneous textures like clavinet and reed organ. True to form, he plays additional wind instruments -- alto flute and bass clarinet in this case -- and isn't afraid of overdubbing them to create lush orchestration, on tracks like "Snake Oil" and "Any Moment Now." On the haunting "Invisible Man" he even doubles the alto flute melody with his singing voice. Not until the fifth track, a Meters-like adaptation of the spiritual "Children Go," do you hear a 4/4 tempo; loping lines over odd meters prevail, with pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Bill Stewart expertly laying down the edgy grooves. (Like on Gratitude, Hays doubles on Fender Rhodes.) John Scofield contributes tart solos on three tracks, while Adam Rogers adds nylon-string and slide colors on two others. The sweeping, Metheny-esque harmonies of "Highway One" bring the program to a head, followed by a closing bass clarinet/piano duo on Willie Nelson's "Just as I Am." As a jazz record, Traveling Mercies is very much a product of its post-millennial times, but it still comes across as highly individual. Its value will be lasting. David R. Adler
Tracklist :
 1 Megalopolis; 7:00
 Chris Potter
2 Snake Oil; 6:04
 Chris Potter
3 Invisible Man; 5:08
 Chris Potter
4 Washed Ashore; 7:07
 Chris Potter
5 Children Go; 5:37
 Public Domain / Traditional
6 Any Moment Now; 5:21
 Chris Potter
7 Migrations; 8:06
 Chris Potter
8 Azalea; 5:50
 Chris Potter
9 Highway One; 10:12
 Chris Potter
10 Just as I Am. 3:37
 Willie Nelson
Credits :
Chris Potter - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone, Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, Reed, Organ, Clavinet, Sampler, Percussion, Voice
John Scofield - Guitar
Adam Rogers - Acoustic & Slide Guitar
Kevin Hays - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet
Scott Colley - Bass
Bill Stewart - Drums

DOM — Edge Of Time (1970-2001) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Witch & Warlock reissued Dom's Edge of Time in 1991, but one could barely hear the music over the scratchy vinyl they dubbed it off of and the poorly engineered sound. Thankfully, the more recent Second Battle reissue gives this classic early-'70s Krautrock album the CD treatment it deserves, with crystal-clear sound and even a bunch of bonus tracks. Edge of Time combines cosmic folk, psychedelic freeform, and electro-acoustic avant-garde in a unique mix that is strange and surreal. With just four long tracks, the album is dark and brooding, at times even haunting, as the music wends from hypnotic psychedelic folk to bizarre soundscapes of drones and clankings. Though much of the vocals consist of wordless trills similar to the first Ash Ra Tempel record, a couple of tracks, "Silence" and the title cut, have spoken word in English that only adds to the bleak beauty of the sound. Most of the bonus pieces date a couple years later by the original group, and though not quite as effective, are similar to the album cuts, though three of them at slightly over a minute long apiece are way too brief. The last cut, "Let Me Explain" from 1998, is the Baksay brothers from Dom fooling around with more contemporary, electronic-based music. Rolf Semprebon
Tracklist :
    Edge Of Time    
1        Introitus    8:51
2        Silence    8:47
3        Edge Of Time    9:03
4        Dream    9:31
– BONUS TRACK –
5        Flötenmenschen 1    6:27
6        Flötenmenschen 2    1:12
7        Flötenmenschen 3    1:14
8        Flötenmenschen 4    1:08
9        Let Me Explain 5 6:36
Performer – Gregor Jabs, Gabor v. Baksay, Laszlo v. Baksay
Credits :
Bass, Lyrics By, Vocals – László v. Baksay (tracks: 1 to 8)
Composed By [All Songs Composed By] – Dom
Guitar, Vocals, Flute – Rainer Puzalowski (tracks: 1 to 8)
Organ, Guitar, Vocals [Vovals] – Hans Georg Stopka (tracks: 1 to 8)
Percussion, Flute, Vocals – Gábor v. Baksay (tracks: 1 to 8)

ALISON BALSOM · TOM POSTER — Légende : Works for Trumpet and Piano (2016) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Alison Balsom has been successful since the early 2000s with a standard diet of Baroque trumpet works and the usual Classical-period concertos. In the mid-2010s she turned toward more contemporary repertory with a French conservatory flavor. The results on the trumpet-and-piano Légende, named for the effusive Enescu piece (track five), are impressive; Balsom deepens her art with a coherent program even as she plays mostly music that could be characterized as light. Sample one of the movements of the opening Sonatine of the mightily underrated Jean Françaix, whose understated style, not so much humorous as subtle and elegant, poses challenges for a trumpet confined mostly to its middle register. Balsom's bright, perfectly controlled lines and close ensemble with pianist Tom Poster pass all the tests. After that you get a mix of other neoclassic pieces, the heavier Hindemith Trumpet Sonata in the middle, and popular songs, small chunks all hanging together that stimulate the listener even without awareness of same. Brava. James Manheim
Tracklist :
1-4.    Sonatine Pour Trompette Et Piano (6:50)
Composed By – Jean Françaix
5. Légende For Trumpet And Piano 6:09
Composed By – George Enescu
6. Concert Etude, Op.49 (3:17)
Composed By – Alexander Goedicke
7-11. Farewell To Stromness 3:52
Composed By – Peter Maxwell Davies
Transcription By – A. Balsom, T. Poster
8-11.    Sonata For Trumpet And Piano (15:47)
Composed By – Paul Hindemith
12. Minuet From Sonatine (Piano Solo) 3:36
Composed By – Maurice Ravel
13.    The Thoughts Of Dr May 6:27
Composed By – Alison Balsom, Tom Poster
14.    Sonate For Trumpet And Piano 7:05
Composed By – Bohuslav Martinů
15.    Rondo For Lifey1:19
Composed By – Leonard Bernstein
16.    Someone To Watch Over Me 4:00
Arranged By – J. Turrin
Composed By – George Gershwin
17.    The Way You Look Tonight 2:52
Arranged By – A. Balsom, T. Poster
Composed By – Jerome Kern
Credits :
Piano – Tom Poster
Trumpet – Alison Balsom

KARTHAGO – Karthago (1972-2012) RM | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Just months after their formation in Berlin in 1970, Karthago began recording music for their first album. Karthago's sound was influenced more by North American rock than by anything that was coming out of Europe, composed of a tapered and rather simplistic mixture of light funk and freestyle jazz with a basic rock & roll substratum for everything else to rest on. Within the album's nine tracks are melodies that are accommodating and recognizable, quite different than what was otherwise coming out Germany's music scene in the early '70s. "String Rambler," "Black Fire," and "Morning Surprise" best represent Karthago's breezy, undemanding air, led by the bright organ playing of Ingo Bischoff and fastened by Wolfgang Brock's unmitigated drum work. "Why Don't You Stop Buggin' Me" and the shimmering "wow" of "But I Know"'s keyboard-guided intro lead into some electrifying pieces, with comparisons to Steppenwolf, Procol Harum, and even early Chicago arising from the melodies. Although labeled as a progressive band, Karthago's sound is more along the lines of German rock rather than prog, with shorter song lengths and a tendency to balance out the keyboards, guitar, and percussion equally throughout their music. After their fourth album in 1976, Karthago broke up, with Gerald Hartwig joining the more prominent Guru Guru and Bischof hooking up with Kraan. Second Step (1973) and 1974's Rock 'N' Roll Testament begin to show signs of commercial leanings, but their last installment, entitled Live at the Roxy, is just as impressive as their debut album. Mike DeGagne
Tracklist :
1.    String Rambler 5:20
Written-By – Bob Devlin
2    I Don't Live Tomorrow 2:45
Written-By – Joey Albrecht, Tommy Goldschmidt
3    But I Know 5:34
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
4    Morning Surprise 2:29
Written-By – G. Bolstad, Joey Albrecht
5    I Give You Everything You Want
Text By – Regina Falk
Written-By – Gerald Luciano Hartwig, Joey Albrecht
6    I Know What You Can Do My Babe 4:12
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
7    Why Don't You Stop Buggin' Me Babe (Wave On) 6:00
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
8    Black Fire 4:45
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
9    Nos Vamos 1:40
Written-By – Gerald Luciano Hartwig, Ingo Bischof, Joey Albrecht, Tommy Goldschmidt, Wolfgang Brock
Credits :
Bass, Vocals, Percussion – Gerald Luciano Hartwig
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Tommy Goldschmidt, Wolfgang Brock
Guitar, Vocals – Joey Albrecht
Organ, Vocals – Ingo Bischof