CD Rip

Acclaimed for their interpretation of Vivaldi and Barriere's sonatas, Bruno Cocset's Les Basses Reunies return to Italian 18th century music in this fantastic new recording. The programmed, comprising sonatas by Francesco Geminiani, calls upon a distinguished guest: theorist and lutist Luca Pianca. Also featured under Cocset is Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord), Mathurin Martharel (cello), and Richard Myron (double bass).

"Jo Sago" was the band's second (and final) album and originally appeared in November 1970 on the now legendary Harvest label. The band began life as a Progressive Folk band comprising of the core members Jeff Daw (Vocals, Guitar, Flute), James Langston (Vocals, Guitar) & Nigel Phillips (Drums, Recorder, Keyboards) and were part of Jim Simpson's Birmingham-based Big Bear Management stable of artists (who also included Bakerloo, Black Sabbath and Locomotive).
By the time of the "Jo Sago" album, Jeff Daw and James Langston were joined by Bob Wilson on Keyboards, Guitar and Bass and had moved further into the area of Progressive Rock. Produced by Tony Cox at Sound Techniques studios, "Jo Sago" was a conceptual work that touched on subjects such as race relations in 1970s Britain and more…

Released in 1970, Just a Little Lovin' was the fourth (and last) studio album Carmen McRae cut for Atlantic Records in the late '60s/early '70s. The albums were for the most part a mix of pop and jazz songs with a decidedly pop angle. Just a Little Lovin' isn't too different, though it leans more toward the soulful end of the street. Producer Arif Mardin put McRae together with the Dixie Flyers studio band, backup singers extraordinaire the Sweet Inspirations, and an all-star horn section led by King Curtis, and then let her loose on the usual Beatles covers (a lifeless "Something," a very relaxed and sensual "Here, There and Everywhere," and a dramatic take on "Carry That Weight") and pop tunes like Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" and Laura Nyro's "Goodbye Joe"…

Even before his solo concerts became popular successes, Keith Jarrett was clearly getting a free hand from ECM founder Manfred Eicher, as this ambitious double album of classical compositions proves. In this compendium of eight works for all kinds of ensembles, the then-28-year old Jarrett adamantly refuses to be classified, flitting back and forth through the centuries from the baroque to contemporary dissonance, from exuberant counterpoint for brass quintet to homophonic writing for a string section. Though the content is uneven in quality, Jarrett is clearly sincere and skilled enough to exploit his European roots with only a handful of syncopated references to his jazz work. The strongest, most moving individual pieces are the strange, gong-haunted "In the Cave, In the Light" (the probable source of the title of Jarrett's publishing company, Cavelight)…

One of the rarest albums by Frank Rosolino - and a surprisingly great vocal set as well! The tunes are short, but Frank manages to both sing and turn in his usual trombone solo work here - and while the latter is great, we especially love the former! Frank's vocals have a raspy, playful quality that's a bit like Jack Sheldon's singing - and as with some of the later Sheldon albums, this one's a great illustration of the under-recorded side of some of the talents of players on the LA scene - their "entertainer" personas that were often used when working the bandstand in a live environment. And if you're suspicious about the vocals, don't be - because Frank is really great here, and manages to transform the tunes heavily - taking old standards and playfully inflecting them with new life and a rough edge - a bit similar to work by Bob Dorough or Johnny Watson (for his Chess session) on similar material…

German album recorded in '70 with a strong west coast rock orientation, and adding small psychedelic feeling to it. Listening to this, you could never believe this was recorded in Germany 1970!

A fine showcase for Chico Hamilton as a triple-threat artist: drummer extraordinaire ("Miss Movement," "Trinkets," etc.), vocalist ("She's Funny That Way," "The Best Things in Life Are Free," "Where or When"), and, of course, leader. His vocals are reminiscent of Nat King Cole, with subtleties all his own, and his drumming is just as impressive amid its own set of superlatives, many of which are shown off on the Hamilton originals "Happy Little Dance" and "Trinkets." The other members of the group, Wyatt Ruther (bass), Eric Dolphy (flute, reeds), Dennis Budimer (guitar), and Nathan Gershman (cello), get their own moments to shine, on "Newport News," "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)," etc. Hamilton also brought in a full reed section for several numbers here, in acknowledgement of his own appreciation of the classic 1940s big-band sound…

Jazz -funk fans must have been taken aback when multi-instrumentalist and composer Bennie Maupin's Jewel in the Lotus was released by Manfred Eicher's ECM imprint in 1974. For starters, it sounded nothing like Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters recording, which had been released the year before to massive sales and of which Maupin had been such an integral part. Head Hunters has remained one of the most reliable sales entries in Columbia's jazz catalog into the 21st century. By contrast, Jewel in the Lotus sounded like an avant-garde jazz record, but it stood outside that hard-line camp, too, because of its open and purposeful melodies that favored composition and structured improvising over free blowing. Jazz after 1970 began to move in so many directions simultaneously it must have felt like it was tearing itself apart rather than giving birth to so many new and exciting musics…

Quite possibly the best album to feature the talents of Chico Hamilton and Eric Dolphy - a set recorded at a time when Dolphy was an up-and-coming player on the west coast scene! Although Chico Hamilton had recorded with unusual reed players before, Dolphy brings a depth of soul and spirit to this album that's missing from a lot of Chico's earlier work at the time - a style that still holds onto some of the measured qualities of the Pacific Jazz work by the Hamilton group, yet which also opens up into some of the darker corners that Dolphy would explore more on his own recordings of the 60s. The group also features some great guitar by Dennis Budimir and cello by Nathan Gershman - but the real standout aspects of the set come from Dolphy's work on flute, alto, and bass clarinet.