Miles Davis - Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973-1991 [20 CD, 2002]

 

The Complete Miles Davis Live at Montreux 1973-1991 compiles 20 CDs documenting every performance by the trumpeter at the famed Swiss jazz festival in its entirety. What's more, 19 of these volumes have never before been issued in any form.

 

The Brecker Brothers discography [1975-2020] (FLAC)

 In the '70s, brothers Michael and Randy Brecker co-led a band of New York session big shots that included, at various times, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, and George Duke, among others. When they chose to, the Brecker Brothers Band could be one of the most intelligent and creative fusion outfits. Chief composer/trumpeter Randy's best tunes were structurally unpredictable, melodically intricate, and harmonically complex, inside/out bop heads played in an impossibly precise manner over a bed of funk rhythms. Unlike the bulk of jazz-funk, the Breckers -- on their first record, at least -- kept the pandering to a minimum. Though it had a certain commercial appeal, 1975's Back to Back was an artistic success as well. The Brothers' music was a smart combination of extended pop forms, top-notch jazz improvisation, and sophisticated compositional techniques. On later albums, the temptation to sell records apparently became too great to resist. Still, virtually every record had something of substance to recommend it. In the early '90s, RCA issued a pair of compilation CDs that combined the best of the band's purely instrumental, jazz-based work. By 1982, the brothers had ceased working together, but they did reunite occasionally for touring and the recording of two albums for GRP: Return of the Brecker Brothers in 1992 and Out of the Loop in 1994. 

1975 - The Brecker Brothers (2016)

1976 - Back To Back (2016)

1977 - Don't Stop The Music (2016)

1978 - Heavy Metal Be-Bop (2017)

1980 - Detente (2017)

1981 - Straphangin' (2017)

1991 - Score (1991)

1992 - Return Of The Brecker Brothers (2017)

1994 - Out Of The Loop (2017)

2015 - The Bottom Line Archive (2015)

2020 - Live And Unreleased

Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday at Newport (1958/2015) [FLAC-HD]

 Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday at Newport presents the naturally intriguing results when Verve paired two sets recorded two days apart (over the 4th of July weekend, 1957) by the two best female singers of the 20th century. 

Recorded: July 4-6, 1957, Newport Jazz Festival, Freebody Park, Newport

Personnel:

Tracks 01-07 (July 4, 1957)

• Ella Fitzgerald (vocals)
• Don Abney (piano)
• Wendell Marshall (double bass)
• Jo Jones (drums)

Tracks 08-13 (July 6, 1957)

• Billie Holiday (vocals)
• Mal Waldron (piano)
• Joe Benjamin (double bass)
• Jo Jones (drums)

01. This Can't Be Love ((1:45)

02. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (4:29)

03. Body And Soul (4:28)

04. April In Paris (4:02)

05. I've Got A Crush On You (2:30)

06. Airmail Special (4:35)

07. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (5:08)

08. Nice Work If You Can Get It (2:38)

09. Willow Weep For Me (3:08)

10. My Man (3:29)

11. Lover, Come Back To Me (2:05)

12. Lady Sings The Blues (2:59)

13. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (3:11)

Art Farmer, Benny Golson, The Jazztet - The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [5 CD, 2004]

 

The Jazztet was one of the best small groups playing hard bop during the early '60s, jointly led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson. This boxed set not only includes all six albums that they recorded for Argo and Mercury, but also features three sessions apiece led separately by Farmer and Golson. Farmer was in the process of making a switch from trumpet to flügelhorn during this time frame, while Golson's solid tenor sax was overshadowed somewhat by his impressive contributions as a composer and arranger, a primary reason the group is remembered. Their first session alone featured three of Golson's most lasting compositions, "I Remember Clifford" (showcasing Farmer's heartfelt solo), the exciting hard bop anthem "Blues March," and the funky, sauntering "Killer Joe." The Jazztet struggled financially and had quite a turnover among its sidemen during its two years in existence.

 

The Alex Skolnick Trio discography [2002-2016]

 

The Alex Skolnick Trio is an American jazz music trio comprising the guitarist Alex Skolnick, Matt Zebroski on drums, and Nathan Peck on bass. Previously, John Davis played bass for the group. The Trio is known for its inventive jazz take on hard rock and heavy metal "standards". Alex Skolnick himself is a member of thrash metal band Testament. He is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time as well as one of the fastest guitarists in the world.

The Trio is known for performing songs written by bands of the Classic rock and Heavy metal variety - what they call "modern standards". They have covered portions of, or the entirety of the following songs, in concert or on record: Tom Sawyer, The Trooper, Highway Star, Practica lo que predicas (Testament's Practice What You Preach), Goodbye to Romance, Detroit Rock City, Still Loving You, Don't Talk to Strangers, Dream On, No One Like You (which appears twice on the UK version of their debut album, once as a studio recording, and as a bonus last track from a live show), War Pigs, Electric Eye, Money, Blackout, Fade to Black, and Pinball Wizard.

Since their first album, the Trio has shifted to a direction that includes more original material, as half the songs on their second album are original compositions, and only three are covers on their third album. Their fourth album, Veritas, contains only one cover song.

The Trio has covered 3 Scorpions songs to date, and bandleader Alex has called them "our Rodgers and Hammerstein".

Alex Skolnick Trio.2002-Goodbye To Romance (Standards For A New Generation)

Alex Skolnick Trio.2004-Transformation

Alex Skolnick Trio.2007-Last Day in Paradise

Alex Skolnick Trio.2011-Veritas

Alex Skolnick Trio.2016-Live Unbound

Alex Skolnick Trio.2018-Conundrum

Joe Henderson featuring Alice Coltrane - The Elements [1974/2017/FLAC]

 

The Elements is a Joe Henderson classic, part of a decade of spirituality and psych-jazz experimentation that saw the eminent saxophone player break free from post-bop instrumentation and repertoire. Playing through Fire, Air, Water and Earth, Henderson leads his all-star ensemble—which included Alice Coltrane, Charlie Haden and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler—in an open-ended setting of heat and mercurial invention.

This is one of the odder Joe Henderson recordings. The four lengthy selections not only feature the great tenor-saxophonist but the piano and harp of Alice Coltrane (during one of her rare appearances as a sideman), violinist Michael White, bassist Charlie Haden, percussionist Kenneth Nash and Baba Duru Oshun on tablas. The somewhat spiritual nature of the music (Henderson's compositions are titled "Fire," "Air," "Water" and "Earth") and the presence of Alice Coltrane makes these Eastern-flavored performances rather unique if not all that essential: an early example of world music in jazz.

• Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute, piano
• Alice Coltrane - harp, piano, harmonium, tamboura
• Michael White - violin
• Charlie Haden - bass
• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - drums (1, 4)
• Baba Daru Oshun - tabla, percussion
• Kenneth Nash - narrator (4), flute (3), congas, sakara drum, bells, gongs, percussion

Rec.: at The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA, October 15-17, 1973.

01. Fire (11:08)

02. Air (9:58)

03. Water (7:33)

04. Earth (13:14)

Billie Holiday - At Jazz At The Philharmonic (1954/2015/FLAC)

 

Billie Holiday's At Jazz At The Philharmonic was originally recorded live February 12th, 19454 and October 3rd, 1946 at the Shrine Auditorium in LA, California. The performance was part of the touring jazz series At Jazz At The Philharmonic installed by American jazz producer Norman Granz. The album features popular song titles "Body and Soul", "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" and "All of Me".

There is a noticible difference in vocal timbre in the Newport recordings-- thicker, darker and more bluesy. While not as techinically proficient as her earlier work, there is an appeal to this style as well-- since the sweet, sexy embellishments in 'Nice Work If You Can Get It' and the sustained notes in 'My Man' suggest new approaches to time and phrasing. Jazz At The Philharmonic is a memorable collection and, at moments, manages to capture Holiday at her finest."

• Billie Holiday - vocals
• Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet - tenor saxophone
• George Auld - alto saxophone
• Buck Clayton, trumpet
• Trummy Young - trombone
• Ken Kersey - piano
• Tiny Grimes, Barney Kessel - guitar
• Al McKibbon, Charlie Drayton - bass
• JC Heard, Jack Mills - drums

Live At The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, 1945

01. Body And Soul (3:27)

02. Strange Fruit (2:55)

03. Trav'lin' Light (3:26)

04. He's Funny That Way (2:52)

Live At Carnegie Hall, 1946

05. The Man I Love (3:04)

06. Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (2:20)

07. All Of Me (2:02)

08. Billie's Blues (3:33)

Illinois Jacquet - Memories of You (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 31, 1922–July 22, 2004) was a jazz tenor saxophonist most famous for his solo on "Flying Home". He is better known simply as Illinois Jacquet. Although he was a pioneer of the honking tenor sax that became a regular feature of jazz playing and a hallmark of early rock and roll, he was a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up-tempo tunes and ballads. He doubled on the bassoon, one of only a few jazz musicians to use this instrument.

The Complete Candid Recordings Of Cecil Taylor And Buell Neidlinger (4 CD, 1960/FLAC)

 

The sessions that comprise the four discs on this first-rate Mosaic boxed set were done in 1960 and 1961 for the short-lived Candid label. Taylor's concept had not yet evolved into a finished package; he wasn't always sure where he was going. There are solos that begin in one direction, break in the middle, and conclude in another. Tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp often sounds unsure about what to play and whether to try and interact or establish his own direction. At the same time, there is plenty of exceptional playing from Taylor, Shepp, and the drum/bass combination of Buell Neidlinger and Dennis Charles. You cannot honestly say everything works on these four discs, but there is never a dull moment. It won't please everyone, but listeners ready for a challenge should step right up. 

Django Reinhardt - Retrospective 1934 - 1953 (3 CD, 2003/FLAC)

This gorgeously packaged three-disc box set collects a range of guitar genius Django Reinhardt's work from the pre- and post-war periods. 

The first disc consists almost exclusively of the recordings he made with the original Quintette du Hot Club de France between 1934 and 1940. These are some of Reinhardt's most enduring sides, and include classics like "Minor Swing," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and "Swing 39," with plenty of chugging rhythmic intensity from the drumless ensemble and showers of dazzling leads from violinist Stephane Grappelli. 

The second disc, which covers '40 through '47, mixes Quintette du Hot Club dates with some of the artist's other sessions--including big-band recordings--on a range of standards ("Embraceable You") and originals (the beautiful "Nuages"). 

The third disc spans '47 through '53, and finds Reinhardt moving away somewhat from his "gypsy jazz" and more toward a mainstream swing sound. The thread through the entire set, naturally, is the virtuosity of Reinhardt's playing, the speed and grace of his lines, and the poetry of his expression.