Return To Forever - Live At Yomiuri Land Open Theatre, 1983 (2022) [FLAC]

 Live At Yomiuri Land Open Theatre, Japan 1983

•     Chick Corea     fender rhodes, piano, synthesizer, composer
•     Stanley Clarke  electric bass, composer
•     Al Di Meola     guitar
•     Lenny White     drums

1.  Overture 6:59
2.  No Mysyery 10:53
3.  Romantic Warrior 22:13
4.  Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant 10:13
5.  Vulcan Worlds 4:44
6.  Song to the Pharoah Kings 24:24 

Charlie Parker - Bird In Boston - Live At The Hi-Hat 1953-1954 (2 CD, 2016/FLAC)

  

For over two decades, the Hi-Hat Club occupied a choice location among the jazz clubs of Boston’s South End district, at the corner of Columbus and Massachusetts Avenue. After the end of World War II, lesser luminaries took over the band-stand, and after a while entertainment practically stopped altogether.

Dave Coleman, a jazz promoter, had taken over management of the club in 1949. Through Coleman’s personal initiative, the Hi-Hat enjoyed its most successful years, and by 1951 it was the only club featuring a consistent policy of presenting modern jazz.

Between 1953 and 1954 Charlie Parker made several visits to Boston, where he was often hired to play as a “single” at the Hi-Hat, backed by local musicians. The performances contained in these two albums come from radio broadcasts emceed by famed disc-jockey “Symphony Sid” (Sid Torin), duplicating here his New York role from the control booth inside the Hi-Hat for his nightly radio show on WCOP.

• Charlie Parker (as), 
• Herb Pomeroy, Herbie Williams (tp), 
• Jay Migliori (ts), 
• Dean Earle, Rollins Griffith (p), 
• Bernie Griggs, Jimmy Woode (b), 
• Bill Graham, Marquis Foster, George Solano (d)

 

John Coltrane - European Tour 1961 (7 CD, 2017) [FLAC]

 

The 1961 European tour took place from November 11 through December 4, and immediately followed the Coltrane quintet's stay at the Village Vanguard (captured on Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard and The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings). During the tour, the group was paired with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. The tour consisted of a UK portion (Kilburn (London), Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leicester, Brighton, and Walthamstow (London)) from November 11 - 17, followed by a continental visit (Paris, Scheveningen, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Hannover, Hamburg, Copenhagen (again), Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg, Munich, Berlin, and Baden-Baden) from November 18 - December 4.

Clifford Jordan - Night of the Mark VII [1975/FLAC]

 

Night of the Mark VII is a live album by saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded in 1975 and first released on the Muse label.

•     Clifford Jordan – tenor saxophone
•     Cedar Walton – piano
•     Sam Jones – bass
•     Billy Higgins – drums

1.     "John Coltrane" (Bill Lee) – 7:45
2.     "Highest Mountain" (Clifford Jordan) – 6:02
3.     "Blue Monk" (Thelonious Monk) – 7:20
4.     "One for Amos" [listed as Midnight Waltz on all issues] (Sam Jones) – 10:53
5.     "Midnight Waltz" [listed as One for Amos on all issues] (Cedar Walton) – 10:49

Miles Davis - The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 [8 CD, 1995/FLAC]

 

In late December 1965 recordings were made of two nights of performances by Miles Davis´ second great quintet at the Plugged Nickel nightclub in Chicago. Some tracks were available on Miles Davis compilations, but the full recordings were released thirty years later as a box set under the title The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965. The studio recordings of the quintet consist almost entirely of original compositions by members of the quintet. These club recordings show the group playing tunes which were either standards or had been in Davis's live repertoire for several years. The tunes are performed with substantially more rhythmic and harmonic freedom than on earlier recordings.

Fela Kuti - Live In Detroit 1986 (3 CD, 2012/FLAC)

 

In its own way, this is a kind of grail; a live recording by the great Fela Kuti captured live mere months after his release from prison in 1986. After serving two years on a trumped-up charge of "currency trafficking," he was reluctantly released by the Nigerian government in April due to considerable pressure by Amnesty International. This show took place at Detroit's historic Fox Theater in November. The recording is the first release of "new" Fela material in nearly 20 years. 

CD1
01 - Just Like That

CD2
01 - Confusion Break Bone
02 - Teacher Don't Teach No Nonsense

CD3
01 - Beast Of No Nation 

Jim Hall – Live Vol. 2-4 ( Toronto 1975) (3 CD, 2012/FLAC))

Features previously unreleased recordings from trio performances at Bourbon Street in Toronto, Canada on June 11-13, 1975.

The recordings provide an additional 3 hours of music from the original 1975 album Live!

 

• Jim Hall - g
• Don Thompson - b
• Terry Clarke - d

Rec.: live at Bourbon Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 11 (CD 2 - Volume Three), 12 (CD 1 - Volume Two) and 13 (CD 3 - Volume 4), 1975.

CD 1 - Volume Two

01. How Deep Is The Ocean (11:10)

02. Emily (6:24)

03. Valse Hot (7:11)

04. Love Letters (9:28)

05. Chelsea Bridge (10:06)

06. Something Tells Me (7:22)

07. Fly Me To The Moon (10:32)

CD 2 - Volume Three

01. Secret Love (14:56)

02. Baubles, Bangles And Beads (6:24)

03. In A Sentimental Mood (5:42)

04. Star Eyes (10:41)

05. Where Would I Be? (7:51)

06. Body And Soul (10:36)

07. Careful (7:45)

CD 3 - Volume 4

01. Someday My Prince Will Come (9:35)

02. Come Rain Or Come Shine (12:46)

03. Prelude To A Kiss (6:33)

04. Everything I Love (9:37)

05. Blue Dove (9:18)

06. Embraceable You (8:09)

07. The Theme (5:33)

Bill Evans Trio & Guests - Live In Nice 1978 (2 CD, 2010/FLAC)

 

This release presents a complete never before released live performance by the great Bill Evans with an unusual trio that never made a studio album (featuring drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Marc Johnson).

 
Joining them are Lee Konitz for three amazing quartet tracks, Curtis Fuller (who joins Konitz and the trio for a marvelous quintet version of Lover Man), and Stan Getz and Christian Escoude (who join Fuller and the trio for the finale on All the Things You Are).

 
A rare interview with Evans made right after the Nice concert has also been included on this release, as well as another unissued concert by the same trio taped in Italy a few days later. 

Recorded Live at Le Grande Parade Du Jazz, Nice, France, July 7, 1978.

 

VA - Blue Note Live At The Roxy Vol. 1+2 (1976/FLAC)

  

2 CD comprising live recordings from the 'Blue Note Live' concert at the Roxy in Los Angeles, California on 28th June 1976, featuring performances by Alphonse Mouzon, Carmen McRae, Ronnie Laws, Earl Klugh & Donald Byrd.

Vol. 1

01. New York City (Alphonse Mouzon) (5:33)

02. Just Like The Sun (Alphonse Mouzon) (4:19)

03. Without A Reason (Alphonse Mouzon) (8:02)

04. Captain Midnight (Ronnie Laws) (4:48)

05. Night Breeze (Ronnie Laws) (8:19)

06. Piano Interlude (Ronnie Laws) (1:44)

07. Always There (Ronnie Laws) (3:30)

08. Places And Spaces (Donald Byrd) (4:56)

09. (Fallin' Like) Dominoes (Donald Byrd) (6:12)

Vol. 2

01. Music (Carmen McRae) (3:55)

02. Paint Your Pretty Picture (Carmen McRae) (4:53)

03. Them There Eyes (Carmen McRae) (1:53)

04. T'ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do (Carmen McRae) (5:00)

05. You're Everything (Carmen McRae) (3:05)

06. Presentation of Proclamation (Councilman Dave Cunningham) (4:40)

07. Medley: Like A Lover~A Felicidade~Manha De Carnaval~Samba De Orfeu (Earl Klugh) (12:57)

08. Blue Note '76 (Blue Note All-Stars) (12:46)

Steve Coleman - Live at the Village Vanguard Volume II (2021) [ FLAC]

 Recorded live in performance at the renowned Village Vanguard in New York City, "Mdw Ntr," finds MacArthur Fellow Steve Coleman exploring new terrain in his use of non-linear performance practices in his music. Featuring his long-running flagship ensemble Five Elements, he utilizes spontaneous and pre-composed modules, or motivic cells that can be played in any order, allowing each musicians to spontaneously jump forward or backward to different sections – even between compositions – highlighting different strata of the music and reinventing the form each time in a completely interactive way. Coleman often composes these modules by envisioning them as chains of tonal dyads that are strung together along rhythmic patterns to create melodic structures, something he sees as an analogue of DNA sequences. 

• Steve Coleman (alto saxophone)
• Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet)
• Kokayi (wordsmith)
• Anthony Tidd (bass)
• Sean Rickman (drums) 

1. Menes to Midas 12:29

2. Unit Fractions 16:15

3. Little Girl I'll Miss You 09:34

4. Compassion (drum solo) - Ascending Numeration - DeAhBo (Reset) 16:14

5. Pad Thai-Mdw Ntr 14:33

6. 9 to 5 09:36

7. Mdw Ntr 08:42

8. Rumble Young Man, Rumble 08:52

9. Khet & KaBa 07:38

10.DeAhBo (Reset) 08:04

11.9 to 5 - Mdw Ntr 21:33 

The Quintet (Charlie Chan, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie) - Jazz At massey Hall (1956-2004/FLAC)

Bop pioneers Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell,and Max Roach are on fire in this performance given in 1953. Parker is listed as "Charlie Chan" due to his contract with his record label.

 Recorded live at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada; May 15, 1953.

• Alto Saxophone – Charlie Chan
• Bass – Charlie Mingus
• Drums – Max Roach
• Piano – Bud Powell
• Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie

01. Perdido (7:43)

02. Salt Peanuts (7:40)

03. All The Things You Are / 52nd Street Theme (7:51)

04. Wee (A.K.A. Allen's Alley) (6:42)

05. Hot House (9:11)

06. A Night In Tunisia (7:34)

Charlie Parker - The Complete Live Performances on Savoy 1947-1950 [4 CD, 1998/FLAC]

 

This four-CD set contains a somewhat streamlined presentation of Parker's complete known live broadcasts from New York's Royal Roost, dating during 1948 and 1949, augmented with five of the live September 29, 1947, Carnegie Hall recordings and one lower-quality tape made in Chicago during 1950.

For years, the audio quality of many of the performances gathered on these four CDs prevented a full-on embrace, what with all the other available Charlie Parker out there. But this collection restores these sessions to notoriety. They're mostly from New York's Royal Roost, 1948 to 1950, but with a 1947 Carnegie Hall supergroup concert and a 1950 Chicago pickup date that boasts some unknowns--and undersung guitarist George Freeman--with Parker. First, the single drawback: emcee and radio host "Symphony Sid" Torin's sometimes obsequious, faux-hipster shtick that bookends several of the tunes. Rest assured, though, Torin makes only brief intros and outros. Beyond that, these are all stellar works. The quintet on three of the CDs (the Royal Roost sessions) features Parker with Miles Davis on much of CD 1, highlighting the clipped fire of bebop's architecture being tunneled under by Davis's mellow-tone brass. Even when Kenny Dorham takes over on trumpet, the alchemy is built on contrast, Parker's raspy, fast wit and Dorham's wry (but often likemindedly fast) ripostes. Pianists Tadd Dameron and Al Haig make great showings, as does Max Roach, pushing the energy with a loose attack that defies the fact that the majority of these performances were for radio. The more-famed quintet fronted by Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and pianist John Lewis (famed cofounder of the Modern Jazz Quartet) closes the collection with five tunes from a 1947 Carnegie Hall concert. Parker seems more restrained, Gillespie gleeful, and Lewis characteristically spare. But the playing is first-rate, whether at light-speed (as on "Dizzy Atmosphere") or at the loping clip of "Groovin' High."

 

Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond - The Complete Storyville Broadcasts (3 CD, 2014/FLAC)

 

In the history of jazz, there have been a handful of iconic figures who have transcended popular music styles of their era to create a new generation of jazz devotees. The late Dave Brubeck was one of these. 

Beginning in February of 1951, shortly after the Brubeck Quartet was formed the prior August, George Wein signed Brubeck to perform at his jazz venue called Storyville which was located in the Copley Square Hotel in downtown Boston. This was the beginning of a series of broadcasts by Brubeck from Storyville over the next three years. This release gathers all these broadcasts in a 3 CD set which is an absolute must for Brubeck fans for a variety of reasons not the least of which is the aural evidence of the development of the Quartet's style as personnel changes took place over the three year span of these recordings. The fact that Brubeck and Paul Desmond anchored the groups lent stability and direction which evolved into the golden years of the Quartet before Desmond's departure for a solo career. There is very little to critique here. The playing is wonderful - the improvisations are elegant, unique, and ultimately Brubeckian - in short, essential to any serious jazz collection. The notes are extensive and the sound reproduction is superb. The transfers are clean and immediate. 

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!: Live at "The Club" (1967/2012 reissue/FLAC)

 Cannonball Adderley's most popular album, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy wasn't actually recorded "Live at 'The Club'," as its subtitle says. The hoax was meant to publicize a friend's nightclub venture in Chicago, but Adderley actually recorded the album in Los Angeles, where producer David Axelrod set up a club in the Capitol studios and furnished free drinks to an invitation-only audience. Naturally, the crowd is in an extremely good mood, and Adderley's quintet, feeding off the energy in the room, gives them something to shout about. By this point, Adderley had perfected a unique blend of earthy soul-jazz and modern, subtly advanced post-bop; very rarely did some of these harmonies and rhythms pop up in jazz so saturated with blues and gospel feeling. Those latter influences are the main inspiration for acoustic/electric pianist Joe Zawinul's legendary title cut, a genuine Top 40 pop hit that bears a passing resemblance to the Southern soul instrumentals of the mid-'60s, but works a looser, more laid-back groove (without much improvisation). The deep, moaning quality and spacy texture of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" stand in contrast to the remainder of the record, though; Nat Adderley contributes two upbeat and challenging originals in "Fun" and "Games," while Zawinul's second piece, "Hippodelphia," is on the same level of sophistication. The leader's two selections -- the gospel-inflected "Sticks" and the hard-swinging, bluesy bop of "Sack O' Woe" (the latter of which became a staple of his repertoire) -- are terrific as well, letting the group really dig into its roots. Adderley's irrepressible exuberance was a major part of his popularity, and no document captures that quality as well -- or with such tremendous musical rewards

- Cannonball Adderley - alto sax

- Nat Adderley - cornet

- Joe Zawinul - piano

- Victor Gaskin - bass

- Roy McCurdy - drums

Side One:

A1 Introduction (00:07)

A2 Fun (07:33)

A3 Games (08:03)

A4 Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! (05:07)

Side Two:

B1 Sticks (03:53)

B2 Hippodelphia (05:43)

B3 Sack O' Woe (10:45)

Miles Davis - The Lost Concert (2021/FLAC)

 

The stunning double album ‘The Lost Concert’ from Miles Davis is released for the first time on 28 September 2021, the thirtieth anniversary of his death, on 2CD and digital through Sleepy Night Records. This completes the trilogy from company that brought you the Number One jazz album ‘The Lost Quintet’ followed by ‘The Lost Septet’. This stunning show was captured at La Grande Halle, La Villette, Paris, France on 10 July 1991.

Miles Davis was renowned for never revisiting the past, even though many fans, critics and concert promoters always hoped that he would. Then, in July 1991, Miles Davis did return to the past, not once, but twice. The first was two days earlier, when he had played the classic arrangements of Gil Evans from the 1950s and 1960 at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Then, Miles arrived at Paris to play this special gig. It was simply advertised as “Miles and Friends” and neither the audience, nor Miles’ band, had any idea on what they were about to witness.

Playing with Miles was an amazing roll-call of past musical associates from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s: Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Al Foster, Steve Grossman, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Darryl Jones, John McLaughlin, Jackie McLean, John Scofield and Joe Zawinul. Miles’ band members were Kenny Garrett, Foley, Deron Johnson, Richard Patterson and Ricky Wellman.

Ray Charles - The Complete 1961 Paris Recordings (3 CD, 2019/FLAC)

 A really fantastic slice of work from Ray Charles – billed here as the only live recordings in which Ray played Hammond organ throughout – instead of his usual piano! The 3CD set brings together three full performances recorded in Paris on October 21 and 22 in 1961 – right at a point when Ray was moving between Atlantic and ABC Records – and working with lots of the strong jazzy charts used in his final years at the former label! The Hammond is fantastic, and a number of tracks are nice and long, with great instrumental solos – so much so that it's almost as if Charles' is putting that side of his skills forward first, then coming in for a vocal punch second. Some of these tracks have been issued before, but there's also a lot of unreleased titles in the package.

 

Stan Getz - The Lost Recordings - Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1966 (2 CD, 2021/FLAC)

 

The Lost Recordings found the master tapes of this double recital in the Berlin radio archives. How can one not be transported by this concert, which delivers a previously unreleased version of the tracks from the legendary 1964 album on Verve? The label is offering the world premiere of this concert recorded at the Berlin Philharmonic, as part of the 1966 Berliner Jazztage. The 19 tracks of this now unforgettable concert are added to the collection with, as always, an unequalled sound quality, thanks to the Phoenix Mastering® process

The concert given by Stan Getz's quartet with Astrud Gilberto on November 4, 1966, was a sort of contretemps. In these crazy years when everything is rushing, things have indeed changed in the lives and careers of the two main protagonists who, after a fleeting romance, have each regained their personal and artistic independence. 

After a brief romantic idyll together, each one returned to their private lives and resumed their independence as artists. Verve had brought out a series of albums by Astrud Gilberto where seductive easy listening intermingled with cool jazz, sentimental pop and languid Brazilian groove. She was at the very pinnacle of her fame, while Getz had made a remarkable comeback to jazz. Once again, he worked with arranger Eddie Sauter, this time on the soundtrack of Arthur Penn’s Mickey One. Even more noteworthy was his discovery of vibraphonist Gary Burton, barely twenty years old, the ideal musician with whom to form a regular jazz quartet with Gene Cherico on bass and Joe Hunt on drums. It was an ensemble that was receptive to new sounds and harmonic ventures. 

CD 1

1.     On Green Dolphin Street (06:48)
2.     Introduction by Stan Getz (00:52)
3.     The Singing Song (03:12)
4.     The Shadow of Your Smile (05:10)
5.     O Grande Amor (06:41)
6.     Blues Walk (06:37)
7.     Once Upon a Summertime (06:42)
8.     Edelweiss (04:16)
9.     Medley: Desafinado / Chega De Saudade (06:50)

CD 2

1.     Samba De Uma Nota So (03:43)
2.     The Shadow of Your Smile (03:04)
3.     Voce E Eu (Eu E Voce) (02:40)
4.     Corcovado (04:26)
5.     The Telephone Song (02:00)
6.     It Might As Well Be Spring (04:14)
7.     The Girl from Ipanema (04:11)
8.     Announcement by Stan Getz (00:38)
9.     Jive Hoot (09:04)
10.     Goodbye by Stan Getz (00:57)

Wynton Marsalis - Live at the Village Vanguard (7 CD, 1999)

 

This stupendous seven-CD collection from the all-world trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Wynton Marsalis chronicles the amazing evolution of his underrated live septets at the legendary Village Vanguard from 1990 to 1994. Sequenced to simulate a week-long gig, the set melds together three different incarnations of Marsalis's ensemble: the gifted New Orleans-born drummer Herlin Riley, the ebullient Wessel Anderson on sopranino and alto saxes, and the fluent trombonist Wycliffe Gordon are the constants. The mercurial Marcus Roberts and the fleet-fingered Eric Reed alternate on piano, while Ben Wolfe and Reginald Veal lock it down on the bass. These selections showcase the astounding "school" of musicians that followed Marsalis's first superband with his brother, Branford Marsalis, the late Kenny Kirkland, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. 

 

 

Art Pepper - Unreleased Art, Vol.8: Live at the Winery September 6, 1976 (2013/FLAC)

 Live At The Winery, September 6, 1976 is made up of six songs inner-dispersed with Pepper's grateful and sincere stage banter. The disc opens with possibly Pepper's most passionate reading of the Juan Tizol classic "Caravan." Written for the Duke Ellington orchestra, "Caravan" was composed with a Middle Eastern flavor in mind, but in the hands of Pepper and local pianist Smith Dobson, it is a samba bullet shot from a Latin jazz gun. Pepper gives a long introduction before steering into the familiar theme, fighting a guerrilla war for the next ten minutes of exhilarating performance.

 

 

VA - Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl 1956 (2 CD, 2011/FLAC)

 

This double LP was the first jazz concert ever recorded at the Hollywood Bowl (and only the second one held at that L.A. institution). Although not an official Jazz at the Philharmonic concert, it has the same basic format and was also produced by Norman Granz. Trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Harry "Sweets" Edison, tenors Flip Phillips and Illinois Jacquet, the Oscar Peterson Trio and drummer Buddy Rich all jam on "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and there is also a ballad medley and a drum solo by Rich. In addition the Oscar Peterson Trio plays two numbers, the remarkable pianist Art Tatum (in one of his final appearances) has four, Ella Fitzgerald sings six songs (including a scat-filled "Airmail Special") and collaborates with Louis Armstrong on two others. For the grand finale nearly everyone returns to the stage for "When the Saints Go Marching In" which Armstrong sings and largely narrates, cheerfully introducing all of the participants. This is a historic and very enjoyable release featuring more than its share of classic greats.