Dsd

The Pentagon - The Pentagon (1976) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9196}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 206 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 77 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 142 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1976, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9196
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. A really wonderful album that's sometimes overlooked because of it's relatively oblique cover and name – which both hide the wonderful talents within! In truth, the set might be billed as a Cedar Walton session – or maybe almost an Eastern Rebellion one – as the vibe here is very similar to that later group, with a strong tenorist working alongside Walton's trio, plus a bit of extra Latin percussion. Clifford Jordan delivers wonderful tenor throughout – and the core sound of Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums is as great as on any of that group's other wonderful albums of the time. Add in Ray Mantilla – who throws in some congas to complicate the grooves a all the best moments – and you've got some mighty nice icing on the cake! Titles include "He Is A Hero", "Una Mas", "Manteca", and "DB Blues".

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1206}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 284 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 118 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 232 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1206 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space.

Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (1960) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition, Analog Collection, SICP 1207}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb | Full Artwork
© 1960, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1207 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Cool / Third Stream / Orchestral Jazz / Trumpet

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea".

Air Pocket (The Fowler Brothers) - Fly On (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 272 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 130 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1975, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9145
Jazz / Fusion / Light Bop

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. A warm and soulful set of fusion tracks – issued only in Japan, but recorded by a hip group from the US! Air Pocket features the Fowler Brothers – Walt, Bruce, Ed, and Steve – on trumpet, trombone, bass, and alto, respectively – plus drummer Chester Thompson, guitarist Mike Miller, and pianist Stu Goldberg, who really plays some great moog, clavinet, and electric keys on the set! Tunes are well-written – a bit choppy, but never too jamming, and really just done in this nice blocky way that creates a slightly funky approach, and a good degree of soul. Titles include "Elephant's Graveyard", "Hi Lo Redic", "Colors For Marvin", "Night's Move", and "Becky".

Kohsuke Mine - Out Of Chaos (1974) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9133} (ft. Masabumi Kikuchi)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 233 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 188 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1974, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9133
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. Fine flowing modal music from Mine and his crew (a crack team of the usual j-jazz suspects) from back in '74. This was one of Mine's first outings after switching from alto to tenor and definitely one of his best ever. Also one of the first albums on the very righteous East Wind label. The stately lyrical second track (by Kikuchi) is a standout here, sandwiched between the two high-power numbers penned by Mine. The concept for the cover art is questionable (red gloop as a representation of chaos? Or maybe the art director used this image because s/he was clean out of chaos?). But when it comes to the music, there's nothing lacking here whatsoever!

Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine (1964) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1211}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 365 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 154 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 158 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1211 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

One of the finest live albums in the history of jazz, My Funny Valentine presents the Miles Davis Quintet live at the Lincoln Centre's Philharmonic Hall in 1964. Surrounded by the vibrant and youthful rhythm section of Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums), Davis was enjoying a strong new surge of creativity, and played with a stunning level of invention and passion throughout. The resonance of the long title track - one of those flawless performances that happens only very occasionally - dominates the record. Front-line partner George Coleman (tenor saxophone) chose a good evening to play some of the most beautiful solos of his life.

Miles Davis - Miles In Berlin (1964) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1214}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 138 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1964, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1214 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

A really great bit of live work from Miles Davis – and the first-ever recorded appearance of the quintet with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams – even though the album was never issued in the US at the time! The set follows very strongly in the mode of the group's work at the Plugged Nickel – with a pace that's faster than usual, and bristling with freely exploratory energy. Titles include "Milestones", "So What", "Walkin", and a nicely stepped-up version of "Autumn Leaves". Shorter's solos are worth the price of the record alone, but Williams' work on the kit never ceases to amaze!

Miles Davis - E.S.P. (1965) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1215}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 259 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 116 Mb | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1215 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

ESP marks the beginning of a revitalization for Miles Davis, as his second classic quintet – saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams – gels, establishing what would become their signature adventurous hard bop. Miles had been moving toward this direction in the two years preceding the release of ESP and he had recorded with everyone outside of Shorter prior to this record, but his addition galvanizes the group, pushing them toward music that was recognizably bop but as adventurous as jazz's avant-garde.

Miles Davis - Miles Smiles (1966) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1216}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 284 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1216 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible – it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release. And, like its predecessor, ESP, this freshness informs the writing as well, as the originals are memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century. Arguably, this quintet was never better than they are here, when all their strengths are in full bloom.

Miles Davis - Sorcerer (1967) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1217}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 64 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1217 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Sorcerer, the third album by the second Miles Davis Quintet, is in a sense a transitional album, a quiet, subdued affair that rarely blows hot, choosing to explore cerebral tonal colorings. Even when the tempo picks up, as it does on the title track, there's little of the dense, manic energy on Miles Smiles – this is about subtle shadings, even when the compositions are as memorable as Tony Williams' "Pee Wee" or Herbie Hancock's "Sorcerer." As such, it's a little elusive, since it represents the deepening of the band's music as they choose to explore different territory.