5 x 2

Released a year after Eat a Peach, Brothers and Sisters shows off a leaner brand of musicianship, which, coupled with a pair of serious crowd-pleasers, "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica," helped drive it to the top of the charts for a month and a half and to platinum record sales. This was the first album to feature the group's new lineup, with Chuck Leavell on keyboards and Lamar Williams on bass, as well as Dickey Betts' emergence as a singer alongside Gregg Allman. The tracks appear on the album in the order in which they were recorded, and the first three, up through "Ramblin' Man," feature Berry Oakley – their sound is rock-hard and crisp.

Billy Eckstine - Once More With Feeling (1960) {Roulette Jazz-Blue Note 7243 5 81862 2 2 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 245 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 5 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2003 Roulette Jazz / Blue Note / EMI | 7243 5 81862 2 2
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Oldies / Standards / Traditional Pop / Trumpet

Billy Eckstine was looking back more than forward by 1960, and his second record for Roulette featured two remakes of familiar hits he'd enjoyed almost 20 years earlier. He also covered two average themes from forgottable movies, the first being the title song (from a Yul Brynner vehicle), the second being "Secret Love" (from a Doris Day film). It may read like a desultory date, and indeed it would have been if not for the presence of a solid jazz band and the surprisingly sympathetic arrangements of big-brass auteur Billy May.

Don Byron - You Are #6 (2001) {Blue Note 7243 5 32231 2 0}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 388 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 137 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 Blue Note / Capitol Records | 7243 5 32231 2 0
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Clarinet

Don Byron's fourth Blue Note album is a belated follow-up to 1995's Music for Six Musicians. Six musicians are once again featured here, but they're joined by a large number of guests, bringing the cumulative total to 20. As always, Byron looks to unlikely sources for inspiration, beginning with Henry Mancini's theme from the 1962 John Wayne flick Hatari. (The artist is a diligent student of Mancini's music in general.) The rest of the tracks are originals, save for "Shake 'Em Up," a calypso party song that features Don Byron, Sr. on bass and Designer on vocals.

Sofia Gubaidulina - The Canticle of the Sun (2001) {EMI Classics 5 57153 2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 176 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 66 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 EMI Records | EMI Classics | 5 57153 2
Classical / Contemporary Classical

Sofia Gubaidulina (born in the former Soviet Tatar Republic in 1931) has earned immense regard from performers and new music intellectuals for her mingling of sonic innovation with a deep sincerity, and with a respect for the cultural traditions of her homeland. Her music abounds with unfamiliar sounds and equally unfamiliar playing techniques: one of her string quartets has the players bouncing rubber balls off of their instruments' strings. It is impossible, however, to accuse her of innovation for the sake of ego gratification, or merely to shock performers and audiences. Her music, as varied as it is, is consistently personal and honest, and unfailingly humble.

Kurt Elling - Live In Chicago (1999) {Blue Note 7243 5 22211 2 7}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 422 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 165 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 Blue Note Records / Capitol records | 7243 5 22211 2 7
Jazz / Post-Bop / Vocal Jazz / Contemporary Jazz Vocals / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Vocalese

Fans of Kurt Elling have long known that his recordings, as clever and well-orchestrated as they might be, don't quite match up to the power and charm of his live performances. Years of holding court at the Green Mill and other Chicago clubs are what really have brought Elling his most devoted followers, so it is exciting to see that Blue Note's new Elling album is a document of three special nights spent recording at the legendary Uptown jazz club. And indeed, with a few small exceptions, the album shows off Elling at his best – loose, uninhibited, creative, and solid. His standard backing trio has never been tighter and more balanced, and the performance of pianist (and Elling collaborator) Lawrence Hobgood really shines.

Bach - Violin Concertos - Perlman, Zukerman, Barenboim (2001) {EMI Records 7243 5 74555 2 7 rec 1971, 1974}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 361 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 150 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 238 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971-74, 2001 EMI Records | 7243 5 74555 2 7
Classical / Baroque / Violin / Orchestral

Outstanding collection of Bach violin concertos performed by beloved violinist Itzhak Perlman. Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958.

Whereas most great live rock albums are about energy, At Fillmore East is like a great live jazz session, where the pleasure comes from the musicians' interaction and playing. The great thing about that is, the original album that brought the Allmans so much acclaim is as notable for its clever studio editing as it is for its performances. Producer Tom Dowd skillfully trimmed some of the performances down to relatively concise running time (edits later restored on the double-disc set The Fillmore Concerts), at times condensing several performances into one track.

Jason Moran - Same Mother (2005) {Blue Note 7243 5 71780 2 0 rec 2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 297 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 117 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Blue Note | 7243 5 71780 2 0
Jazz / Jazz Blues / Blues / Progressive Jazz / Piano

Boundary-pushing pianist Jason Moran expands his sound yet again with a blend of modern electric and acoustic blues on Same Mother. Featuring longtime bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, Moran's seventh album also includes guitarist Marvin Sewell. An equally adventurous musician, Sewell adds a modern blues sound to Moran's usual mélange of post-bop, classical, New Orleans jazz, and funk. The results are raw, inspired, and frankly not wholly pleasing as Sewell's crisp acoustic attack does not always blend well with Moran's equally naked piano chops.

Shadow Zone is the third album by the band Static-X, released on October 7, 2003. Marked by many personnel and stylistic changes, the album sports a much more melodic sound than any other work in their catalog, while still staying in the confines of their industrial metal and nu metal sound. It was the only album to feature drummer Josh Freese and the first of two albums to feature guitarist Tripp Eisen.