ARTHUR BLYTHE TRIO — Spirits In The Field (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On this live club date, recorded at the Bim Huis in Amsterdam, Blythe and his combo (tubaist Bob Stewart and drummer Cecil Brooks III) perform a nice cross section of his most familiar material. Blythe's husky, virile alto sax has never sounded better, and though the recording quality is a little thin, the music comes roaring through the speakers nonetheless. The good-time swinger "One Mint Julep" kicks things off, and is followed by the rambling bopper "Miss Nancy," which is the leader at perhaps his most quintessential. The showstopper is a reworked, energized "Odessa," on which Brooks uses his mallets to fine effect, Stewart blows a minimal but insistent tuba, and Blythe unfurls more of his startling improvisational legerdemain. A quirky, elusive 9/8 rhythm informs the tuba modality of "Rambler," and the title track sports a sneaky melody and a short but free discourse without drums. The trio digs right in on "Lenox Avenue Breakdown," even dispensing with an intro. The slow waltz "Ah George, We Hardly Knew You" (written by Don Pullen for George Adams) and the funky and fat "Break Tune #2" close this satisfying set. In his insightful liner notes, Francis Davis questions Blythe's diminished cachet among critics. That he's moved back home to San Diego from New York City might be an issue, but it doesn't detract from the fact that Blythe's sound and vision remain as fresh and vital as ever. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1.    One Mint Julep 6:30
Written-By – Rudy Toombs
2.    Miss Nancy    7:23
 Written-By – Arthur Blythe 
3.    Odessa    10:55
 Written-By – Arthur Blythe
4.    Rambler 9:26
Written-By – Bob Stewart
5.    Spirits In The Field    3:20 
 Written-By – Arthur Blythe
6.    Lenox Avenue Breakdown    6:33
 Written-By – Arthur Blythe
7.    Ah George, We Hardly Knew You 7:20
Written-By – Don Pullen
8.    Break Tune #2    5:56
 Written-By – Arthur Blythe
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Co-producer [Associate Producer] – Arthur Blythe
Drums, Producer – Cecil Brooks III
Tuba – Bob Stewart

ERIC MARIENTHAL — Just Around the Corner (2007) Two Version | APE (image+.tracks+.cue), losslessless

When heard with Chick Corea's Elektric Band or as a sideman in more straight-ahead settings, Eric Marienthal consistently proves that he is a technically skilled and creative jazz altoist. Unfortunately, on his own recordings Marienthal is content to sound as if he is on automatic pilot, caressing insipid melodies, sticking close to the theme in a somewhat generic tone, and playing music that is clearly geared toward smooth radio and romantic backgrounds. Just Around the Corner has the altoist in the forefront throughout while backed by a purposely anonymous rhythm section. Whether showing a bit of pseudo-soulful heat or playing a ballad very straight, Marienthal sounds as if every note were planned in advance, with no room for errors, innovations, or spontaneity. The results are predictable instrumental pop performances by musicians capable of so much better. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1.    Blue Water    4:10
 Brian Culbertson / Eric Marienthal 
2.    Times Square    4:25
 Stephen Lu / Eric Marienthal 
3.    Flower Child    4:49
 Jeff Lorber / Eric Marienthal 
4.    Open Road     4:11
 Brian Culbertson / Eric Marienthal 
5.    21 Ocean Road    4:16
 Stephen Lu / Eric Marienthal 
6.    Just Around The Corner    4:21
 Stephen Lu / Eric Marienthal 
7.    I Believe In You    4:21
Brian Culbertson / Stephen Lu / Eric Marienthal
8.    Dance With Me    3:36
Brian Culbertson / Stephen Lu / Eric Marienthal
9.    Your Move     4:33
 Jeff Lorber / Eric Marienthal 
10.    Lost Without You    5:16
 Brian Culbertson / Eric Marienthal 
Credits :  
Acoustic Guitar – Paul Brown (tracks: 9)
Alto Saxophone – Eric Marienthal (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9)
Bass – Jeff Lorber (tracks: 9)
Drum Programming – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 1, 4, 10)
Drums – Dave Weckl (tracks: 3, 9), Russ Miller (tracks: 7)
Guitar – Jeff Lorber (tracks: 3), John Fields (tracks: 8), Michael O'Neill (tracks: 1, 2, 5 to 8), Ray Parker, Jr. (tracks: 4)
Keyboards – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 1, 4), Jeff Lorber (tracks: 3, 9)
Keyboards [Additional] – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 7, 8), Paul Brown (tracks: 3)
Keyboards, Programmed By – Stephen Lu (tracks: 2, 5 to 8)
Mixed By – Bob Horn (tracks: 2, 5 to 8), Paul Brown (tracks: 3, 9)
Percussion – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 4, 10), Paul Brown (tracks: 3)
Piano – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 1, 4), Jeff Lorber (tracks: 3)
Producer, Arranged By, Recorded By – Jeff Lorber (tracks: 3, 9), Stephen Lu (tracks: 2, 5 to 8)
Producer, Arranged By, Recorded By, Mixed By – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 1, 4, 10)
Soprano Saxophone – Eric Marienthal (tracks: 2, 3, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Marienthal (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6)
Trombone – Brian Culbertson (tracks: 4)

LAURIE ANDERSON & KRONOS QUARTET — Landfall (2018) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Accessibility and exclusivity are by turns peddled as a measure of value when the agenda dictates. Often, when Laurie Anderson's music finds favor with critics, it's the former they praise. Arguably, her work has always been approachable. It may not adhere to common structures, and often employs innovative resources for achieving original sounds. But at its core, her music has always been so warm, so human, and often so very funny that it never feels exclusive. Now in her fourth decade as a recording artist, she presents the album of a lifetime -- well, of one of them. Landfall pairs nicely with Big Science and Homeland as a concluding work in a trilogy of indefatigable imagination and compassion. Always adept at conjuring past, present, and future as if time flexes at her touch, those records share an underlying sense of doom, tempered by a healthy dose of the absurd and nods to the tragi-comic nature of collective existential dread.

Her chief inspiration this time around was Hurricane Sandy and the things she lost in the flood. And this record sees her collaborate with the inimitable Kronos Quartet, who lend their exquisite string work to an album epic in scale and reach. Musically, the record navigates an uneven terrain with a fluid combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic flashes that conjure a landscape both devastating and curiously fascinating. At this part of her career, Anderson remains as intrepid a sonic adventurer as ever. "Never What You Think It Will Be" embraces the very best of what electronic music can do, and it's electrifying in a way that most artists half her age can't muster. "Dawn of the World" is as much an experiment in agitation and anxiety as it is a song, and tracks like "We Head Out" feed into the record's sustained suspense, built on the metronomic ticks that pervade it, often scarcely detectable but quietly building tension nonetheless.

Since her first single, "O Superman," and subsequent decades of innovation and experimentation, she has emitted a calm and measured air. It's not that the compositions aren't often thrilling and full of drama, it's just that her response is anything but histrionic. This is particularly true of her trademark spoken-word delivery. It's most curious, powerful, and affecting toward the end of the record where she recalls her flooded basement and ruined belongings and remembers, "I thought how beautiful/how magic/and how catastrophic."

It's impossible to know whether some of the loss evoked on the record is a response to the death of her husband Lou Reed in 2013, but one suspects the elegiac reflections extend beyond ruined keyboards and props: while it may be inspired by Sandy's fallout, Landfall's reach runs to a sea of loss, chaos, and confusion. It's an elemental mystery of quietly epic proportions made exceptional through clarity of thought and feeling. Bekki Bemrose
Tracklist :
1.        CNN Predicts A Monster Storm    3:19
2.        Wind Whistles Through The Dark City    1:59
3.        The Water Rises    2:43
4.        Our Street Is A Black River    1:20
5.        Galaxies    1:07
6.        Darkness Falls    1:56
7.        Dreams    4:01
8.        Dreams Translated    0:51
9.        The Dark Side    1:11
10.        Built You A Mountain    2:16
11.        The Electricity Goes Out And We Move To A Hotel    3:04
12.        We Learn To Speak Yet Another Language    3:01
13.        Dawn Of The World    2:22
14.        The Wind Lifted The Boats And Left Them On The Highway    2:40
15.        It Twisted The Street Signs    1:13
16.        Then It Receded    0:52
17.        The Nineteen Stars Of Heaven    2:44
18.        Nothing Left But Their Names    9:38
19.        All The Extinct Animals    2:50
20.        Galaxies II    0:54
21.        Never What You Think It Will Be    1:11
22.        Thunder Continues In The Aftermath    1:55
23.        We Blame Each Other For Losing The Way    0:42
24.        Another Long Evening    1:57
25.        Riding Bicycles Through The Muddy Streets    2:37
26.        Helicopters Hang Over Downtown    2:16
27.        We Head Out    1:50
28.        Everything Is Floating    1:59
29.        Gongs And Bells Sing    2:33
30.        Old Motors And Helicopters    2:49
Credits :  
Arranged By, Transcription By – Jacob Garchik
Kronos Quartet :
Cello – Sunny Yang        
Viola – Hank Dutt
Violin – David Harrington, John Sherba
Violin, Vocals, Keyboards, Sounds [samples], Percussion, Effects [filters], Composed By [For Kronos Quartet], Producer, Music By, Text By, Arranged By, Artwork By – Laurie Anderson

WESLA WHITFIELD — In My Life (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Wesla Whitfield has long had one of the most beautiful voices in jazz and cabaret music. She usually sticks to the lyrics and melodies, but even when a tune has been recorded scores of times through the years, her version tends to be definitive and full of unexpected beauty. Accompanied on this outing by her husband, pianist Mike Greensill, and bassist John Wiitala, Whitfield performs 15 ballads, mostly at slower tempos with a couple songs taken at a faster pace for variety. Among the many high points are fresh renditions of "Tea for Two," "Autumn in New York," "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams," "But Beautiful," and "Some Other Time." All of Wesla Whitfield's recordings are recommended, and In My Life is an excellent place to start exploring her music. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1.        Tea For Two 3:31
Written-By – I. Ceasar, V. Youmans
2.        I Have Dreamed 3:54
Written-By – O. Hammerstein II / R. Rodgers
3.        In My Life 3:11
Written-By – J. Lennon / P. McCartney
4.        When The Children Are Asleep 3:48
Written-By – O. Hammerstein II / R. Rodgers
5.        Where Is Love? 2:12
Written-By – L. Bart
6.        A Beautiful Friendship 4:10
Written-By – D. Kahn, S. Styne
7.        Autumn In New York 5:09
Written-By – V. Duke
8.        Street Of Dreams 3:23
Written-By – S. Lewis, V. Young
9.        In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning 3:19
Written-By – B. Hilliard, D. Mann
10.        Young And Foolish 3:06
Written-By – A. Hague, A. Horwitt
11.        Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams 4:38
Written-By – B. Moll, H. Barris, T. Koehler
12.        But Beautiful 2:52
Written-By – J. Burke / J. Van Heusen
13.        You Don't Know What Love Is 4:55
Written-By – D. Raye, G. De Paul
14.        I'll Be Tired Of You 3:13
Written-By – A. Schwartz, E.Y. Harburg
15.        Some Other Time 5:29
Written-By – B. Comden / A. Green, L. Bernstein
Credits :  
Bass – John Wiitala
Piano, Arranged By – Mike Greensill
Producer – Orrin Keepnews
Vocals – Wesla Whitfield

LOUISE ROGERS — Come Ready and See Me (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Louise Rogers proves absolutely infectious with her delightful vocals. Her expressive voice, playful scatting, and crystal-clear intonation strike the listener right off the bat. Her core group includes Rick Strong (her husband) on bass and Mathias Kunzli on drums, with pianist Matthew Fries, guitarist Paul Meyers, and saxophonist Gottfired Stoger added on a few tracks. Rogers and Strong wrote a hip tune to accompany poet Nikki Giovanni's "Be My Baby," with Kunzli's hand percussion initially serving as her sole accompaniment, adding the bass after the first chorus and scatting up a storm with it in octave unison. Jerry Bergonzi's melancholy "Conjunction" benefits from her hopeful lyrics. Rogers wrote both the words and music to the soft bossa nova "Shadows of Yesterday." Stoger's tense "Poetic Song" features demanding unison lines by the singer and saxophonist. Rogers also finds a fresh approach to the standard "The Song Is You" (adding Stoger on soprano sax) and a playful duet with Strong of the forgotten chestnut "Louise." But the biggest surprise is her setting of a traditional Celtic song, "Lass from the Low Countree," a haunting duet with Strong on electric bass. Highly recommended. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1.    Be My Baby 4:52
 Poem by Nikki Giovanni, arr. by Louise Rogers
2.    Islands 8:54
 Mike Mainieri / Louise Rogers 
3.    Conjunction 5:43
 Jerry Bergonzi / Louise Rogers 
4.    Come Ready And See Me 3:11
Music by Ricgard Hundley, arr. by Louise Rogers
5.    Shadows Of Yesterday 5:13
 Louise Rogers 
6.    The Song Is You 5:41
 Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern 
7.    Poetic Song 5:35
 Gottfried Stoger
8.    Louise 3:30
 Leo Robin / Richard A. Whiting 
9.    Lass FromThe Low Countree 6:04
 Traditional 
Credits :  
Louise Rogers - Arranger, Bass Arrangement, Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals
Mathias Kunzli - Drums, Percussion
Matthew Fries - Piano
Paul Meyers - Guitar
Rick Strong - Arranger, Bass Arrangement, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocal Arrangement
 Gottfried Stoger - Saxophone (3, 6, 7)