JEFF LORBER FUSION — Galaxy (2011) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

When Jeff Lorber reignited the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 2010 with Now Is the Time, he sought to re-examine the very music he'd helped to establish: contemporary jazz. Its instrumental tracks were solid and satisfying, but the vocal cuts lacked, holding fast to Lorber's M.O. as a solo artist. That said, the album sold well and earned a Grammy nomination. Galaxy features essentially the same group -- alto saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Yellowjackets' bassist Jimmy Haslip, and percussionist Lenny Castro -- with drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl, guitarists Michael Thompson, Anders Theander, Paul Jackson, Jr., and Larry Koonse, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and arranger Dave Mann. The seven new tunes share space with four reimagined tracks from the earlier incarnation of JLF: "The Samba," Wizard Island," "The Underground," and "The City." Lorber thinks of Galaxy as part two of Now Is the Time, but it's much more than that. It's funkier, with deeper grooves, yet it leans harder on jazz. The melodic statement in "Live Wire," which opens the set, is underscored by vamps from synthed flutes, Lorber's Rhodes piano, and the symbiotic percussion of Colaiuta and Castro. "Big Brother" is more laid-back and concentrates on setting out groove and melody simultaneously, leaving more room to explore the harmonic implications. The three-guitar approach is a nice touch, as are Marienthal's overdubbed altos. Lorber's pianos -- Rhodes and acoustic -- meet Haslip's funky, slippery bassline, trading fours and solos. "Singaraja" has a knotty, skittering vamp; the guitars and keys entwine with fine arpeggios and beautiful horns by Marienthal and Brecker. The title track is pure jazz-funk thanks to Marienthal's spiraling soprano, while Lorber's synth bassline gives Haslip room to move on the melody. "Horace," dedicated to Horace Silver -- the man who put the "funk" in jazz in the first place and was a huge influence on Lorber's playing -- is a fingerpopper from start to finish; it's a true highlight. Of the redone tracks, Lorber's group adds depth and dimension rather than just technological advances. They have more presence and more force in them. Koonse plays guitar on "The Samba," in twinned, arpeggiated exchanges with Lorber, underscored by gorgeous kit and percussion work from Colaiuta and Castro. On "The Underground," which closes things out, Lorber shines on piano and Rhodes, as does Randy Brecker in a stylized trumpet solo. The aggressive bass rumble by Haslip and stinging guitar by Jackson, Jr. (as well as Colaiuta's breakbeats) highlight what may have been missing in the original. Ultimately, Galaxy is an infinitely stronger album than its predecessor, and stands with Water Sign as the finest album the JLF has ever released. Contemporary jazz just doesn't get much better than this.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1.    Live Wire  7:03
Arranged By [Synth Horn Arrangement] – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Loops, Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Guitar – Andree Theander, Michael Thompson
Guitar, Soloist – Larry Koonse
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Written-By – Jeff Lorber
2.    Big Brother  4:51
Alto Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Guitar – Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr.
Guitar, Soloist – Michael Thompson
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Written-By – Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip
3.    Montserrat  4:58
Alto Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Piano, Synthesizer [Minimoog] – Jeff Lorber
Guitar – Jeff Lorber, Michael Thompson
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Written-By – Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip
4.    Singaraja  4:37
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Guitar – Andree Theander
Guitar, Soloist – Larry Koonse
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Rhythm Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr.
Soprano Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Trumpet – Randy Brecker
Written-By – Jeff Lorber
5.    Galaxy  5:17
Bass [Bass Melody] – Jimmy Haslip
Drums, Engineer [Drum Engineering] – Dave Weckl
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Guitar – Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr.
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Soprano Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Written-By – Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip
6.    City  4:29
Alto Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Piano, Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Guitar – Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr.
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Written-By – Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip
7.    Horace (Dedicated To Horace Silver)  5:35
Arranged By [Horns Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Guitar – Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr.
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Written-By – Jeff Lorber
8.    The Samba  4:50
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Guitar, Featuring – Larry Koonse
Percussion – Jimmy Haslip, Lenny Castro
Written-By – Jeff Lorber
9.    Rapids  4:25
Alto Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Bass, Soloist – Jimmy Haslip
Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr.
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Synth Bass – Jeff Lorber
Written-By – Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip
10.     Wizard Island  4:50
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement And Performance] – Dave Mann
Bass, Soloist – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Guitar – Jeff Lorber
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Written-By – Jeff Lorber
11.    The Underground  4:39
Bass, Soloist – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Piano – Jeff Lorber
Engineer [Randy Brecker Overdub Engineered By] – Ada Rovatti
Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr.
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Soprano Saxophone – Eric Marienthal
Trumpet, Featuring – Randy Brecker
Written-By – Jeff Lorber

BOB JAMES TRIO — Espresso (2018) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1.    Bulgogi  6:00
Drum Programming – Hugh Char
Written By – Bob James
2.    Shadow Dance  7:07
Written By – Bob James
3.    Ain’t Misbehavin’  5:33
Written-By – Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Harry Brooks 
4.    One Afternoon  3:30
Oboe [Featured Soloist] – Angela Scates
Written By – Bob James
5.    Mister Magic  6:20
Written-By – Ralph McDonald, William Salter
6.    Topside  5:50
Keyboards [Additional Keyboards] – Dayve Stewart, Mark Falchook
Written-By – Bob James, Sonny Abelardo
7.    Il Boccalone 4:04
Written By – Bob James
8.    Mojito Ride 7:35
Written By – Bob James
9.    Promenade 4:13
Written By – Bob James
10.    Boss Lady  4:45
Written By – Bob James
11.    Submarine  4:25
Keyboards [Additional Keyboards] – Dayve Stewart, Mark Falchook
Written-By – Bob James, Sonny Abelardo
Credits : 
Arranged By – Bob James
Bass – Michael Palazzolo
Drums – Billy Kilson
Ensemble – Bob James Trio
Percussion [Additional Musician] – Luisito Quintero
Piano, Electric Piano [Rhodes], Synthesizer – Bob James

BULL : Music for Harpsichord (Bob van Asperen) (2010) Serie Das Alte Werk | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

 JOHN BULL (1562-1628)
Tracklist :
Harpsichord – Bob van Asperen

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR — Anoushka (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While the sitar is usually taught master to student in a male to male tradition, this beautiful daughter to renowned sitar master Ravi Shankar has been given access to the art. Debuting in 1994 and touring with Ravi since, this album of five compositions, four of which are Ravi Shankar's, is a fitting recording debut. The pieces begin with a slow introduction of fluid rhythm (alap or aochar) and build in crescendo to a spirited display of virtuosity with tabla accompaniment. It appears Anoushka, who appears on the J card in stunning traditional garb but in the booklet in more Western clothes, including white, feathery boas, has chosen compositions that build to multi-note runs. These "sitar leads" are less like the traditional, serene raga collection usually heard from traditional Indian masters and more like the effect gotten by rock guitarists employing sitar for timbre difference. Perhaps it is that she is just choosing a faster tempo on this material, as speed is up to the player in this music tradition. Of course, whatever Anoushka's stylistic direction, she is overtly masterful on the 20-string instrument. Poetic texts, in English, are provided for the instrumental tracks. A detailed glossary and track-by-track notes further elucidate the musical science behind these fascinating, exotic sounds. Tom Schulte
Tracklist :
1.    Bairagi    20:15
2.    Tilak Shyam    10:35
3.    Kirwani    8:46
4.    Charukeshi    7:30
5.    First Love (Pratham Prem)    12:43
Credits : 
Producer, Composed By – Ravi Shankar
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tabla – Arup Chattopadhyay, Bikram Ghosh
Tambura [Tanpura] – Anoushka, Sukanya

YELLOWJACKETS — Yellowjackets (1981) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Yellowjackets made a splash with their first record, an accessible mixture of jazz, rock, and funk bearing the unmistakable mark of the L.A. session scene that spawned them. In fact, the Yellowjackets had their roots in the sessions for Robben Ford's 1979 album The Inside Story. Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, and Ricky Lawson all appeared on that album and reenlisted Ford's help for their own debut, with the guitarist's fluid soloing often taking the lead role. As fun an album as it is -- and there are times when the melodies rise to a joyful exuberance that recalls Weather Report's "Birdland" -- Yellowjackets isn't a true fusion record. Ricky Lawson provides rock beats to the material, Haslip's bass work is as funky as it is jazzy, and the arrangements tend to stick with the same groove (as ingratiating as they may be) rather than explore the musical themes like an esoteric jazz band might. The opening "Matinee Idol" is as much the Jackson 5 (one of Lawson's previous gigs) as fusion, "Rush Hour" is jazzy in a Steely Dan sense, while "Sittin' in It" actually borrows from the old funk classic "For the Love of Money." There are some nice, chunky grooves that give the album a sense of substance ("The Hornet," "Imperial Strut"), a wistful track in "It's Almost Gone," and a neat melody tucked into "Priscilla," all of which contribute to the album's charm. But compared to their GRP recordings, the Yellowjackets' debut does seem a little one-dimensional. If you enjoy the smooth, guitar-led jazz from this period (e.g., Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour), Yellowjackets is worth checking out, both for the upbeat melodies and Ford's seemingly effortless solos. Dave Connolly  
Tracklist :
1.     Matinee Idol 5:08
Russell Ferrante
Saxophone [Tenor] – Ernie Watts    
2.     Imperial Strut 5:25
Russell Ferrante
3.     Sittin' in It 5:06
Ricky Lawson / Bobby Lyle
4.     Rush Hour 5:13
Russell Ferrante / Robben Ford
5.     The Hornet 5:29
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip
6.     Priscilla 5:11
Robben Ford / Jimmy Haslip / Chris Palmaro
7.     It's Almost Gone 6:00
Russell Ferrante
Credits :
Arranged By [Horns] – Bill Reichenbach, Larry Williams
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums – Ricky Lawson
Guitar – Robben Ford
Keyboards – Russell Ferrante
Percussion – Lenny Castro, Paulinho Da Costa
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute – Gary Herbig, Larry Williams
Saxophone [Tenor], Saxophone [Baritone] – Kim Hutchcroft
Trombone – Bill Reichenbach
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jerry Hey