Dr. Z

Jane's Addiction were one of the most hotly pursued rock bands when they gained notice in Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, with record companies at their feet. Flamboyant frontman Perry Farrell, formerly of the band Psi Com, had an undeniable charisma and an interest in provocative art (he designed the band's album covers), and Jane's Addiction played a hybrid of rock music: metal with strains of punk, folk, and jazz. The quartet, comprised of Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins, and guitarist Dave Navarro, had already released its debut album as well, in the form of a live recording from the Roxy in Hollywood. Finally, Warner Bros. won the bidding war and released Nothing's Shocking in 1988. The band's abrasive sound and aggressive attitude (typified by the nude sculpture on the cover) led to some resistance, but Jane's Addiction began to break through to an audience – the album spent 35 weeks on the charts.

For John Mayall fans, especially those of his '70s period (good Lord, the man has had more bands than anyone except for Duke Ellington and Count Basie), this live CD from 1971 is a curious, and perhaps a treasured thing. Recorded in Canada between 1970 and 1971, these shows – all in fine sound quality – reveal the sheer magic of the Bluesbreakers when bassist Larry Taylor, guitarist Harvey Mandel, and drummer Paul Lagos were almost consistently in the band, and others such as violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris, drummer Keef Hartley, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist Freddy Robinson, and even Victor Gaskin were either members or guests, briefly…

Even though Angela Hewitt's repertoire is quite extensive and diverse, encompassing the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern eras, her true specialty is the music of J.S. Bach, which she has recorded almost exclusively for Hyperion since the 1980s. With this recording of The Art of Fugue, Hewitt completes her long-running series of piano renditions of the solo keyboard works, and while not everyone is convinced that Bach composed this study of fugal techniques for the keyboard, Hewitt's performance is credible and satisfying. She controls the often unwieldy counterpoint by regarding the lines as if they were vocal parts, and her phrases are shaped by natural breathing points, as well as the different emotional qualities she brings to each fugue and canon. The Art of Fugue can be daunting for both performer and listener because its persistent tonality of D minor and monothematic material can be quite tedious in the wrong hands.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) - Symphonies & Ouvertures
Anima Eterna / Jos van Immerseel
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 1,67 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Zig Zag Territoires # ZZT080402.6 | Country/Year: France 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Symphony

…As for the orchestral playing, it leaves nothing to be desired; intonation is true and ensemble is razor sharp. Anima Eterna captures the music’s raw energy and succeeds in coupling it with eloquence and warmth, resulting in a wonderful blend of soul and virtuosity. In the end, these are sterling performances, certainly capable of going toe-to-toe with the period-instrument competition and well worth the time and effort to open your wallet.

Fresh Sound presents 17 solid selections retrieved from Lionel Hampton's brief involvement with the Jazztone label. Recorded in New York City during the summer of 1956, this mixture of standards, ballads, and original work represents mainstream jazz at its warmest, friendliest, and most accessible. Hamp's front line consisted of trumpeter Ray Copeland, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, and tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson; the rhythm people were pianist Oscar Dennard, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and drummer Gus Johnson. Hamp played vibraphone on all but two of the tracks; he is heard at the piano on "Look! Four Hands" and does marvelous things with a marimba on Gerry Mulligan's "Line for Lyons." The Jazztone record label existed between the years 1955 and 1957.

Volker Kriegel - Lost Tapes: Mainz 1963-1969 (2013) {2CD Set Jazzhaus 101 726}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 707 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 326 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 463 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1963-69, 2013 SWR / Jazzhaus | 101 726
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Guitar

The complete - and previously unheard - early work of a later celebrated jazz guitarist recorded in first-class audio quality and produced by SWF-Landesstudio Rheinland-Pfalz in Mainz, as it was then known. It is fascinating to discover the sources from which Volker Kriegel - just 19 years old at the time of the first session - derived inspiration for some of the best known jazz standards: John Lewis' Django, a relaxed Thelonious Monk (Rythm-A-Ning), Autumn Leaves, Norwegian Wood, and other down-tempo numbers of the bop and beat era before discovering his personal laid-back style.

Fancy was a dance artist whose most popular work was recorded during the mid- to late '80s. Although his music never translated into the mainstream, he was quite successful within the club scene, topping Billboard's dance chart three times…

The God Machine were an alternative rock band, active in the first half of the 1990s. Its members were all from San Diego, California, United States, but they all lived and performed mainly in the United Kingdom and across Europe. Their second album, One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying, was recognized by Alternative Press as one of the "90 greatest albums of the 90s" (#88) in their December 1998 issue.