Glad we Met

Various Artists - The Chess Story: 1947-1975 (2000) {14CD Box Set, MCA–Universal 3805962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.61 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 178 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1947-75, 2000 MCA / Universal | 3805962
Blues / Chicago Blues / Electric Blues / Regional Blues

First the good news, which is really good: the sound on this 340-song set is about as good as one ever fantasized it could be, and that means it runs circles around any prior reissues; from the earliest Aristocrat sides by the Five Blazers and Jump Jackson & His Orchestra right up through Muddy Waters' "Going Down to Main Street," it doesn't get any better than this set. The clarity pays a lot of bonuses, beginning with the impression that it gives of various artists' instrumental prowess. In sharp contrast to the past efforts in this direction by MCA, however, the producers of this set have not emasculated the sound in the course of cleaning it up, as was the case with the Chuck Berry box, in particular.

This recent gospel compilation from Swedish producer and collector Per Notini is a three disc, 84 track set focused exclusively on a capella singing without any instrumental accompaniment. Featuring many well-known quartets such as the Fairfield Four and Soul Stirrers as well as lesser known artists, the set traces stylistic changes over a thirty year period, concluding in 1969 before the ‘contemporary’ gospel era. These groups created some of the most inventive and progressive African American vocal music of the post-war period, which had a profound effect on later R&B and soul artists, not to mention artists across all other genres.

Carol Sloane has long been one of jazz's more underrated singers. On her Contemporary CD, Sloane holds her own with some illustrious sidemen (flugelhornist Art Farmer, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Akira Tana); her two duets with Burrell ("I Wish I'd Met You" and "For All We Know") are among the high points, along with "Love You Madly," "That Old Devil Called Love" and "Getting Some Fun Out of Life." This is a strong effort that finds Carol Sloane in prime form.

Born 25th August, 1925 in Montreal, Canada, Oscar Emmanuel Peterson grew up in Little Burgundy, a predominantly black neighbourhood in greater Quebec. He took up piano and trumpet at age five, quickly becoming adept on both instruments. At seven he was diagnosed with tuberculosis which prevented him from playing the trumpet, he thus concentrated on the piano during this time, practising four to six hours a day. Studying under the Hungarian-born player Paul de Marky - himself a student of virtuoso Istvan Thoman - the young Oscar began learning classical piano but later switched to jazz styles, most notably 'boogie-woogie'. By 1961, with the piano-bass-drums line up now firmly established, the OPT performed a week's residency at The London House, a renowned jazz spot in Chicago. These performances were among the finest the new line-up ever gave, and were released on Verve as four separate albums; The Trio, Something Warm, The Sound Of The Trio and Put On A Happy Face, in '61 and early '62. The following year, Peterson's most commercially successful record Night Train (Verve, 1963), was released, another Trio masterpiece that due to its shorter track times, received considerable radio play.

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to present the sophomore album, "Elevate" from Brazilian melodic rockers Landfall. Hailing from Curitiba, Brazil, Landfall features singer Gui Oliver (ex-Auras), guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke, bassist Thiago Forbeci, and drummer Felipe Souzza. The band’s delightful Melodic Rock/AOR sound can best be described as falling somewhere between classic melodic rock, a là Journey, and slightly heavier influences, such as classic era Dokken, White Lion, and Extreme. With phenomenal musical and songwriting abilities and the golden voice of Oliver, Landfall is truly a welcome addition to the melodic rock genre.