Ed Ed Bickert

Guitarist Lorne Lofsky's first album for the Jazz Inspiration label, and his first recording as a leader in 11 years, finds him in a much different state of development than on his prior Pablo release. Gone are the blues-influenced phrases, and the direct resemblance to fellow Canadian guitarist Ed Bickert (although Bickert's presence is still evident in the advanced chordal playing of Lofsky's music). What remains is a very aggressive, harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated player whose unique guitar style bears a striking resemblance to Bill Evans. The Evans influence is everywhere on this recording, from the choice of material ("All of You," "My Foolish Heart," "Solar," and "Quiet Now" were all part of Evans' repetoire), to the tracks which feature Lofsky overdubbing multiple guitars, a procedure Evans employed on several records…

In 1992, Telarc unveiled a series of performances from the vault on a short-lived label punningly entitled "Telarchive," beginning with this long-delayed encore to the original releases from Paul Desmond's "Canadian" quartet. Recorded live in Toronto's Bourbon Street Jazz Club several months before the live dates released on Horizon and Artists House, it finds Desmond growing comfortable with his new Toronto friends but not quite settled into their laid-back ways quite yet. There are passages in this session where Desmond sounds a bit uncharacteristically scattered and unfocused, where guitarist Ed Bickert becomes the more fluid and stable solo partner, and bassist (and engineer) Don Thompson takes a lengthy solo on every track…

Rosemary Clooney - The Songbook Collection (2000) {6CD Set, Concord CCD6-4933-2 rec 1979-1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.44 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 623 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 229 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1979-89, 2000 Concord Records | CCD6-4933-2
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Swing / Standards / Traditional Pop / Cool Jazz

Individually, Rosemary Clooney’s albums giving tribute to the great American song-writers of approximately the middle of the twentieth century seemed interesting, and even illuminating, as she subtly evoked the intentions of those writers by her straightforward delivery of their tunes. Little did the listeners of the six CD’s in Rosemary Clooney: The Songbook Collection realize at the time of their release in 1979 and throughout the 1980’s that a larger perspective enveloped the incremental growth of Clooney’s discography focused on a single theme.