Charles Tolliver Music Inc. Live At Slugs Vol. 1&2

MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean is a series of three compilations produced by Surfdog Records to benefit the Surfrider Foundation. The albums feature original songs as well as covers – many sharing a surfing or summer theme – by a range of popular artists.

The first of two CDs recorded for broadcast from a February, 1972 Paris Concert, this 45-minute set captures the Bill Evans Trio in excellent form, although the mood of this portion of the concert seems rather reserved overall. Evans opens with one of his favorite originals, "Re: Person I Knew," which is much slower than typical but absolutely captivating. Also notable are the dramatic "Turn Out the Stars" and top-notch versions of Scott LaFaro's "Gloria's Step" and Michel Legrand's timeless "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The overall melancholy mood of this performance adds a new dimension to several of the pieces within it.

Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions Vol. 1 & 2 {S-Curve Records}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 665 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 244 Mb
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© 2003, 2012 S-Curve Records | 42234 / 5053105347957
Soul / R&B / Blues / Neo-Soul

Hot on the heels of Amy Winehouse and Katie Melua, Joss Stone is the latest teenage sensation to be feted by the music industry. There's a massive buzz about Stone at the moment, with both Paul Weller and Lenny Kravitz offering to write songs for her, and soul legend Betty Wright producing this, her debut album. Joss Stone launched her career by singing soul standards so when it came time for a reboot she went back to the beginning, dusting off the old blueprint for The Soul Sessions and following it to a T, right down to replicating its title and giving a contemporary alt-rock hit a soul makeover. First time around, the intent was to prove that teenage Joss had soul bona fides, but in 2012 the purpose of The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2 is to signal how she's done messing around with fleeting fashions and is getting back down to the real business.

Schubert composed his first five symphonies while still a teenager, but they represent just one facet of his prodigious fluency. At this time some of his musical ideas bear a family resemblance to certain themes from Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, but already his own musical character is evident. He began his Second Symphony in December 1814 and had finished it by 24th March the following year.

Tito Puente - Dance Mania (1958) {2CD 2009 Legacy Edition Vol 1&2 Extra Tracks}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 825 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 316 Mb
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© 1958, 2009 RCA / Legacy / Sony Music | 88697 44710 2
Jazz / Latin Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz

Dance Mania, Tito Puente's best-known and best-selling album, came ten years into his career, but at a time (1957) when the craze for mambo and Latin music was beginning to crest. (Another landmark LP, Pérez Prado's Havana 3 A.M., had been released the previous year, and Prado's "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" had hit number one in 1955.) Recorded as part of a just-signed exclusive contract with RCA and appearing in vibrant sound as part of the label's Living Stereo series, Dance Mania exploded with a series of tight arrangements, propulsive playing, and the features of new additions in vocalist Santos Colón and conguero Ray Barretto (who helped, in part, make up for the recent loss of Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria to Cal Tjader's group).