Few Bobby

With 2 full albums by Spy Glass Blüe and 4 full albums by Scaterd Few in addition to 17 bonus tracks, the Scaterd Blüe Box is unquestionably an essential listening. All the music has been remastered by the competent Rob Colwell (Bombworks Sound), the impeccable box and album layout art by Scott Waters (No Life Til Metal), and is a collaborative between Retroactive Records and Allan Aguirre’s own Faceless Gen Recording Company. You also get an absurd amount of attention to detail, Allan Aguirre autographed lithograph prints, and six cool trading cards with the CD boxset. Only 500 of these will be made, so make sure to get yours. Two words: Get Stoked!! ….Doug Peterson / Music Critic

When Bobby Hackett's band is in the house and presents a pretty tune at a relaxed tempo, the spirit within the song has a chance to climb out of its shell and perch for a few minutes over the front door like one of William Blake's pigmented angels. Hackett's sensitivity turns every ballad into a magical daydream. When the band turns on the heat, you're getting Chicago-style, Eddie Condon-approved traditional jazz, right straight out of the bottle. Condon in fact played guitar on the session of December 23, 1943, along with a swell tenor saxophonist named Nick Caiazza and no-nonsense trombonist Ray Conniff…

Recorded live at the New Daisy Theater with Bland's regular working road band, this captures him in fine form, bringing together old favorites with some other numbers for a heady blend. When called for, the old Joe Scott heavy horn-laden arrangements are summoned up on tunes like "St. James Infirmary," "Farther on Up the Road," "That's the Way Love Is," "I Pity the Fool," and "I'll Take Care of You" with consummate ease. But even more telling is how effortlessly and seamlessly material like Buddy Ace's "Love of Mine," "Members Only," "Soon as the Weather Breaks," and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time" meshes with the old standbys. A lengthy slow blues medley brings guest appearances from Johnnie Taylor and Bobby Rush on "Stormy Monday," but the real star here is Bland himself. He's in good voice and good humor, and this makes a fine addition to his stack of latter-day recordings.

Bobby Hutcherson - Mosaic Select 26 (2007) {3CD Set, Mosaic MS-026 rec 1974-1977}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.33 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 495 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 62 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974-77, 2007 Mosaic Records / Blue Note / EMI | MS-026 | 24-bit Remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Post Bop / Vibraphone

The triple-disc Mosaic Select Series has been, in some ways, more rewarding than even its limited-edition box set collections. While these are numbered and limited as well, they tend to shine light either on artists who have never gotten their due, or those who, while certainly respected, have an entire pocket of their careers largely ignored for one reason or another. Some of the titles in this series make that quite clear: John Patton, Curtis Amy, Charles Tolliver, and long unreleased recordings by Andrew Hill, to name a few. Bobby Hutcherson is an excellent example. While his 1960s recordings are well known, most of his mid-'70s recordings have never been available on CDs.

At the time of this recording, Watson was still building his reputation, playing in a group co-led by bassist Curtis Lundy. This was an outstanding band bolstered by the booming baritone sax of Hamiett Bluiett and featuring a strong rhythm section with pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith alongside Lundy. Special guest trumpeter Melton Mustafa provided sparkling lines and fiery solos, interacting smoothly with Watson and Bluiett in a solid frontline. Watson has since recorded more impressively engineered and mastered dates, but few have been musically superior to this early-'80s session.