Bird Talk

Guitarist Lee Ritenour had just switched from Epic to Elektra when he cut Captain's Journey in 1978. It was a followup to the successful crossover work Captain Fingers and used a similar strategy: tight, hook-laden arrangements, polished production, and minimal solo space. What individual things it has are dominated by Ritenour, a supremely talented guitarist who doesn't display that much of it with these arrangements.

Wolfgang Dauner Trio - Dream Talk (1964) {Bellaphon CDLR 710627 rel 2008}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 238 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964, 2008 Bellaphon | CDLR 710627
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Modern Creative / Piano

An early session from German pianist Wolfgang Dauner – one with a sound that's every bit as great as you'd expect from the title! The "dream talk" component here is one that comes from Dauner's gentle, yet modern approach to the keys – one that's clearly learning lessons from 50s modernists like George Russell or Bill Evans, but which is stretching out here in some of the bolder freedoms of the European scene at the time – a precursor to later modes on MPS and Saba, but performed here with a bit more careful restraint. The record's nicely free from some of the overindulgences of some of Dauner's 70s sides, and is an acoustic effort throughout – extremely imaginative, with a "set free" quality that's also never too "out", nor too full of itself – a bit like the best early recordings by Steve Kuhn. Wolfgang's approach to the keys is nothing less than revelatory – and he receives well matched accompaniment from bassist Eberhard Weber and drummer Fred Braceful.

Charlie Parker - Bird's Eyes: Last Unissued, Vol. 9 (1949-1953) {Philology W 120.2 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 319 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1949-1953, 1996 Philology | W 120.2
Jazz / Bop / Bebop / Saxophone

Charlie Parker was a legendary Grammy Award–winning jazz saxophonist who, with Dizzy Gillespie, invented the musical style called bop or bebop. Charlie Parker was born on August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, Kansas. From 1935 to 1939, he played the Missouri nightclub scene with local jazz and blues bands. In 1945 he led his own group while performing with Dizzy Gillespie on the side. Together they invented bebop. In 1949, Parker made his European debut, giving his last performance several years later. He died a week later on March 12, 1955, in New York City.

The Screaming Blue Messiahs - Gun Shy (1986) {Elektra–Wounded Bird WOU488 rel 2009}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 301 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 31 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2009 Elektra Entertainment Group / Wounded Bird Records | WOU 488
Rock / Alternative / Hard Rock / Punk-Blues / Rock & Roll / Blues Rock

Starting off with the hyperactive pub rock sound of "Wild Blue Yonder," this is a great debut record. Taking its cues from punk rock, the Messiahs crank up the intensity with songs like "Smash the Marketplace" and the ominous "Let's Go Out to the Woods Tonight." If Gun-Shy stumbles, it's probably because it's a tad restrained (given the energy, volume, and power these guys generated live), as if it were assumed that audiences simply might not be able to handle it all at once. Still, that's a minor complaint. This record will knock you out.

Detroit's The Rockets are not one of the groups people might think of when considering that city's storied history of great bands - for a reason, since they weren't all that special. Still, they have a vital link to the Detroit sound as drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek was in Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and Detroit and guitarist Jim McCarty was also in the Detroit Wheels and went on to join the failed supergroup Cactus. Their 1979 record, Rockets (Turn Up the Radio), had two pretty solid AOR staples (in the Detroit area anyway) in their blistering cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and the rollicking "Turn Up the Radio." By the time of 1981's Back Talk, the band was still in the netherworld of being a perennial opening act and really struggling to survive…

Polish band Tale Of Diffusion was formed in 2002 by Bartek Florczak (guitars), Tomek Pawlikowski (bass) and Radek Malinowski (drums). By 2006 they felt ready to start recording a debut album, and in 2009 their initial effort Adventures Of Mandorius (The Bird) was issued.
Evoking a diverse range of atmospheres from the whimsical to the spooky, the album features fine production and excellent performances, the compositions throw in a few nods to prog greats of the past but for the most part have a very individual sound. The contributions of guest keyboardists Pawel and Michal Marciniak and trumpeter Szymon Żmudzinski adds a sort of late-era Talk Talk texture to proceedings which is especially interesting. On the whole, a tale worth listening to.