Fuse From Volume 04, 2014

Compiled and mixed by Ben Sowton and Sebas Ramis. Back in the Autumn of 2007, Puro descended on Marrakesh for what has become know as Desert Lounge Weekend. Sited in the middle of this bustling, energetic and atmospheric city is the ancient setting of the magnificent Palais Baldi…

John Zorn & Roberto Rodriguez - Aguares: Book Of Angels, Volume 23 (2014) {Tzadik TZ 8322}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 346 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 134 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2014 Tzadik | TZ 8322 | Tzadik Archival Series
Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Klezmer / Latin Jazz

Roberto Rodriguez’s dynamic blending of Cuban music with the Jewish tradition has produced some of the most popular and best selling CDs on the Radical Jewish series. Here he turns his brilliant arranging skills and fabulous all-star ensemble to nine beautiful melodies from Zorn’s lyrical Book of Angels. Recorded in Israel with some of the strongest musicians out of the exciting Israeli music scene the music is at once familiar and surprising, touching on traditions while bringing them into the 21st century with imagination, wit and a passionate creativity.

Various Artists - Ain't It The Truth! The Ric & Ron Story, Volume 2 (2014) {Ace Records CDCHD 1416 rec 1960-1963}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 228 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 140 Mb
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© 1960-63, 2014 Ace Records | CDCHD 1416
Rhythm & Blues / New Orleans R&B / Early R&B / Rock & Roll

This is the second volume celebrating the history and recordings of Joe Ruffino’s New Orleans-based Ric & Ron Records. The first volume, You Talk Too Much (CDCHD1390) came out some 6 months or so ago and concentrated on the early years of the label, between 1958 and 1960. This set completes the story covering the period from 1960 to early 1963, at which time the label wound down operations following Ruffino’s death.

Sonny Rollins - Road Shows, Volume 3 (2014) {Doxy Records 88843049982}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 517 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 172 Mb
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© 2014 Doxy Records / OKeh / Sony Music | 0602527749723
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

Over the span of his storied and still-unfolding 65-year career, Sonny Rollins has established himself as one of the giants of jazz — a towering influence, a trailblazer, a powerfully creative force in the music. From his earliest masterpieces, such as Saxophone Colossus and Freedom Suite, to his Road Shows archival series of live performances for his Doxy label in the 2000s, Rollins has presented his peerless music without compromise — and to consistent international acclaim. The new CD contains six tracks recorded between 2001 and 2012 in Saitama, Japan; Toulouse, Marseille, and Marciac, France; and St. Louis. “Patanjali,” a striking new Rollins composition, is given its debut recording.

Various Artists - You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story, Volume 1 (2014) {Ace Records CDCHD 1390 rec 1958-1960}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 216 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958-60, 2014 Ace Records | CDCHD 1390
Rhythm & Blues / New Orleans R&B / Early R&B / Rock & Roll

Ric & Ron are legendary New Orleans labels from the late '50s and early '60s, both founded by Joe Ruffino. Naming his twin labels after his sons, Ruffino didn't draw much of a distinction between his imprints, but Ric arrived first, with the recordman issuing a handful of sides he inherited from Ace before moving into local New Orleans artists he recruited with the assistance of Edgar Blanchard, who was hired as head of A&R. Blanchard didn't stick around long and his replacements Harold Battiste and Mac Rebennack –- later better known as Dr. John – helped Ruffino build a N.O. R&B empire that was the stuff of legend.

There are concessions that must be made on Keith Emerson and Greg Lake’s Live from Manticore Hall, starting with the absence of Carl Palmer - and then the occasional use of loops.
Too, the conversational aspect of the evening certainly works on its first listen, bringing us in with a confidential closeness. (Emerson, in an impish moment, recalls people asking questions about his pre-Emerson Lake and Palmer band: "The Nice what?") But once that context is understood, these lengthy segments quickly become extraneous detours away from what is often a adventurously re-imagined journey through some peak moments for both…

From the polished and carefully composed yet energetic grooving retro prog of their first self-titled album back in 1993, through modern electronic/dance influences, wild vocal- driven wig-outs and beyond, German band Electric Orange have constantly been evolving, changing their styles and sounds between albums on their unsuspecting listeners. Heading in directions that their last couple of albums only hinted at, `Volume 10' unleashes the band in pure Krautrock mode, with mostly instrumental lengthy freeform improvisations weaving a hypnotic spell over the listener, and the sparse production, along with the exploratory atmospheres and that necessary hint of danger ensures this is the band is honing the true essence of the style, something often missed in modern bands attempting to play in the Krautrock style.

Wes Montgomery - In The Beginning: Early Recordings from 1949-1958 (2014) {2CD Set Resonance Records HCD-2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 759 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 325 Mb
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© 1949-58, 2014 Resonance Records | HCD-2014
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Guitar

Rare Wes Montgomery material is hard to come by. Not counting Willow Weep for Me, the posthumous LP Verve issued in 1968 not long after the guitarist's passing, there was Resonance's 2012 set Echoes of Indiana Avenue, which contained largely live performances from 1957 and 1958. In the Beginning, released three years after Echoes, draws from a similar well of unreleased recordings, offering a heavy dose of live material along with five sides produced by Quincy Jones at Columbia Studios in 1955, plus three tracks a session at Spire Records in Fresno, California in 1949.

It feels redundant to say The Flaming Lips make complete weirdness out of The Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. This complete reworking—er, deconstruction—of songs known the world over for their bright, shimmering sounds and Technicolor melodies will annoy purists, naturally, but it's actually a fun, wild ride for everyone else. Miley Cyrus sweetly croons “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” while the endless list of “Fwends” (well, 27 strong, including Grace Potter, Tegan & Sara, and Foxygen) ensures tracks are flush with madness. Unexpected highlight: The Electric Wurms, led by the Lips’ Steven Drozd, re-channel “Fixing a Hole” into an astral ballad.