Exposure From October 2014

Containing 1CD per year of live material taken from 2014-2018, Audio Diary features King Crimson in its ideal environment - recorded live.

Blending the literate and expressive lyrical style of a classic singer/songwriter with music rooted in indie rock, Joseph Arthur is a well-respected songwriter and performer whose work has impressed critics as well as artists such as Peter Gabriel and Michael Stipe. Arthur's original goal was to become a hotshot bass player, but exposure to Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain prompted him to take up songwriting, and in 1996, he self-released an EP that made its way to Peter Gabriel, who signed Arthur to his Real World label. 1997's challenging Big City Secrets and 2000's rootsy Come to Where I'm From impressed critics and discriminating listeners, and 2004's Our Shadows Will Remain found him digging even deeper into his confessional tales. With 2007's Let's Just Be, Arthur launched his own record label, Lonely Astronaut, giving him greater control over his music as he recorded idiosyncratic projects such as 2013's The Ballad of Boogie Christ and 2014's Lou (the latter a collection of Lou Reed covers).

Peter Zak - Blues on the Corner: The Music of McCoy Tyner (2007) {SteepleChase SCCD-31672}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 390 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 133 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2007 SteepleChase | SCCD-31672
Jazz / Post Bop / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Jazz Piano Trio

With his previous releases, pianist Peter Zak has focused on standards and works by a variety of jazz greats. This time around he focuses on McCoy Tyner, a veteran who has written a formidable array of compositions during his long career, though he has rarely, if ever, been the focus of a recorded tribute. Zak makes up for that oversight with this rewarding session, joined by his working trio consisting of longtime bassist Paul Gill and drummer Quincy Davis (the latter also appeared on Seed of Sin). Zak puts his own stamp on each piece, not merely trying to copy Tyner's style (which would be pointless), opening with a snappy take of "Blues on the Corner" that also features his sidemen.

Peter Zak - Down East (2011) {SteepleChase SCCD-31715 rec 2010}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 370 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 141 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 SteepleChase Productions ApS | SCCD 31715
Jazz / Post Bop / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Jazz Piano Trio

Peter Zak has greatly increased his exposure with a series of outstanding CDs for Steeplechase. This trio date with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Rodney Green covers a lot of ground: popular standards, jazz favorites, and infrequently played jazz works. Zak's lyricism is displayed in his treatment of Duke Ellington's 1940s ballad "I Didn't Know About You." The pianist dives full-force into Duke Pearson's "Is That So?" with his lively improvising in a brisk arrangement. Thelonious Monk's "Gallop's Gallop" isn't recorded much at all, but it is one of his most challenging tunes, with multiple twists that the trio negotiate with ease as they deliver a stimulating performance.