Chijin no ai 1967

The Miles Davis Quintet only recorded new material during 1965-68 but in their live performances they still played some of the trumpeter's older standards. Until recent times, few of the live sessions by the Quintet made it onto record but this very valuable CD features the group in late 1967 playing such songs (for nearly the final time) as "'Round Midnight," "No Blues," "I Fall in Love Too Easily," "Walkin'" and "Green Dolphin Street" in addition to the newer songs "Mascalero" and "Riot." It is utterly fascinating to hear the Quintet at that late date stretching out on these veteran songs and coming up with fresh new ideas one more time. This Italian import is well worth searching for; it fills an important gap in jazz history.

First released in 1967, O Bidú is Jorge Ben's fifth full-length album. It is in many ways a typical album for Ben in the '60s, full of sweet, sincere, and mainly upbeat songs, with the music mixing samba with elements of bossa nova, swing, pop, and soul. Compared to many other works by Ben, the string and horn sections are used very sparsely. The tone of the album is set right from the start with the catchy opening track "Amor de Carnaval," one of the best songs Ben has ever written. "Frases," with its soft groove and neat lyrics, and "Toda Colorida" are two other highlights on this highly enjoyable album, whose only real flaw is its brief playing time (only just over 31 minutes).