Esgi Riverside Insights

Bill Evans Quintet - Interplay (1962) {Riverside Japan, VDJ-1546, Early Press}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 231 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 157 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 1986 Riverside / Victor Japan | VDJ-1546
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Piano

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes.

Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane - The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings (2006) [2CD]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 652 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 239 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 34 Mb
© 2006 Concord / Riverside | 88807230279 | 24-bit Remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Cool

This fine two-disc set brings together all the recordings Thelonious Monk made for the small, influential Riverside label in 1957. The piano eccentric cut excellent versions of some of his best compositions during that year, including "Off Minor," "Epistrophy," "Well, You Needn't," and the lovely "Ruby My Dear." The exhilarating saxophone work of John Coltrane makes these dates instant classics. Like most "complete sessions," the set features plenty of false starts and alternate takes that might seem extraneous to the casual fan, but Monk fanatics will be overjoyed at being provided with a glimpse into the brilliant artist's studio process.

Thelonious Monk - Monk's Music (1957) {Prestige-Riverside 50th Anniversary 20-bit K2 Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 181 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 107 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 Riverside / Fantasy | RCD-242-2 | 20-bit K2
Jazz / Bop / Piano

Monk's Music is among the most significant of Thelonious's classic Riverside albums. Here he was literally looking back and ahead at the same time, by bringing together Coleman Hawkins (the very first important voice on tenor saxophone) and John Coltrane (on the verge of becoming a major shaping force of the Sixties). Equally notable is the incredible rhythmic support provided by combining Art Blakey and Wilbur Ware; and, justifying the album title, a selection of vital Monk compositions–plus his choice of the 19th century hymn, "Abide with Me" (written by one William H. Monk).