Blue Volume 145

This is the first of two CDs issued by Concord Jazz compiling some of the best tracks from Emily Remler's sessions for that label. Cut short at a far too early age by a heart condition while touring in Australia, Remler had all the talent necessary to carve herself a niche in the jazz world as a premier jazz guitar interpreter and performer. Retrospective, Vol. 1 is probably the superior of the two volumes, as it includes, among other gems, an enticing unaccompanied rendition of "Afro Blue." Remler had the ability to be expressively warm with a romantic ballad, as on "In a Sentimental Mood," but she excelled on tunes that allowed her to bring out her hard bop credentials, especially in the company of similarly tough-minded rhythm sections. She displays those credentials on several tracks, such as "Hot House" and "Daahoud," where she is joined by the inestimable Hank Jones on piano and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. "Del Sasser" is the sole representative from that intriguing album she made with trumpet player John D'earth.

Portrait In Jazz (1960). The first of two studio albums by the Bill Evans-Scott LaFaro-Paul Motian trio (both of which preceded their famous engagement at the Village Vanguard), this Portrait in Jazz reissue contains some wondrous interplay, particularly between pianist Evans and bassist LaFaro, on the two versions of "Autumn Leaves." Other than introducing Evans' "Peri's Scope," the music is comprised of standards, but the influential interpretations were far from routine or predictable at the time. LaFaro and Motian were nearly equal partners with the pianist in the ensembles and their versions of such tunes as "Come Rain or Come Shine," "When I Fall in Love," and "Someday My Prince Will Come" (which preceded Miles Davis' famous recording by a couple years) are full of subtle and surprising creativity. A gem…

Dr. Lonnie Smith Octet - In The Beginning, Volumes 1 & 2 (2013) {2CD Pilgrimage PCD002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 716 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 255 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 145 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Pilgrimage Productions | PCD002
Jazz / Organ Hammond B-3 / Soul Jazz

On IN THE BEGINNING, the second release on Pilgrimage Recording, his imprint label which he founded in 2012, Dr. Lonnie Smith revisits, recontextualizes, and reimagines a dozen songs culled from his first decade as a recording artist. The end product is a document as distinctive and accomplished as any within Smith’s iconic canon.

2nd to None is the sequel to 2002's 30 #1 Hits, itself an attempt to gather Elvis' biggest number one hits on one disc – which is quite a bit different than all of his number one hits. Elvis simply had too many chart-toppers to fit on one disc, particularly because their definition of "number one hit" was all-inclusive, spanning the globe and Billboard alike, so there were a lot of really good number one hits left behind, not to mention all the great singles – including all of his Sun rockabilly sides – that didn't climb their way to number one…