Grant Green am I Blue

This quintet date by guitarist Grant Green was one of the last of his Blue Note albums to be reissued on CD, and it is somewhat clear why. The musicians (Green, trumpeter Johnny Coles, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, organist John Patton, and drummer Ben Dixon) play well enough, but there are few inspiring moments. The material is not all that exciting, and the laid-back feeling sometimes leads to dull moments. Most of the fire is provided by Henderson, but such songs as "Am I Blue," "I Wanna Be Loved," and a nearly 14-minute version of "For All We Know" are a bit sleepy. Although certainly listenable enough, this is one of Grant Green's lesser efforts from the 1960s.

Grant Green - Live At Club Mozambique (1971) {Blue Note}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 313 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 178 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 93 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2006 Blue Note / Capitol / EMI | 0946 3 63522 2 0
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Groove / Guitar

Live at Club Mozambique was, according to Bob Belden's liner notes, rumored to exist for decades in Blue Note's Grant Green discography, but was never released. His explanation as to why is satisfactory – Green's star had waned considerably – and makes some sense, but the label had 15 unissued albums by the guitarist by 1971. This date recorded at the famed Detroit jazz club (Green was living in the city at the time) is the second such set of grooves to be issued from the club floor – Lonnie Smith's was the first. The band consists of Idris Muhammad, Ronnie Foster, Houston Person, and the all but unknown Clarence Thomas, and the two tenor saxophonists (Thomas also played soprano here) laid out heavy, deep funk on the tunes that were chosen.

The first popular jazz singer to move audiences with the intense, personal feeling of classic blues, Billie Holiday changed the art of American pop vocals forever. More than a half-century after her death, it's difficult to believe that prior to her emergence, jazz and pop singers were tied to the Tin Pan Alley tradition and rarely personalized their songs; only blues singers like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey actually gave the impression they had lived through what they were singing.

Real Gone Jazz reissued seven classic albums from the early '60s by hard bop pianist Horace Parlan, Movin' and Groovin', Us Three, Speakin' My Piece, Headin' South, On the Spur of the Moment, Up and Down, and Doin' Alright (with Dexter Gordon). Even though this set does not contain any bonus tracks, this isn't a bad way to pick up these sessions if you don't already own them.

Another serious project in vein of Time Life Music, the "24 Golden Hits" is a compilation series of the world famous hits, released on CD circa 1987-1988. Here is the complete series packed into five boxes and each box was re-released separately. Each Volume-set contains the five discs and titled as "120 Golden Oldies". 600 "Golden" songs total and over than one day of the continuous listening!

Another serious project in vein of Time Life Music, the "24 Golden Hits" is a compilation series of the world famous hits, released on CD circa 1987-1988. Here is the complete series packed into five boxes and each box was re-released separately. Each Volume-set contains the five discs and titled as "120 Golden Oldies". 600 "Golden" songs total and over than one day of the continuous listening!

Jimmy Forrest - Black Forrest (1959) {Delmark DD-427 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 165 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 107 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 7 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1999 Delmark Records | DD-427
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

This 1972 LP (recorded at 1959), a complement to All the Gin Is Gone, released the remainder of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest's two Delmark sessions, including four alternate takes and five other songs. Forrest sounds fine, guitarist Grant Green was making his debut on record, and the rhythm section (pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Elvin Jones) plays up to par. Get All the Gin Is Gone first, and then, if one wants to hear the rest of the story, this set.

NIGHT COMES DOWN continues RPM’s ongoing pedigree in creating bespoke Sixties compilations of rare British music aimed at discerning collectors. This 3-CD box set follows previous collections Looking Back (2011) and Keep Lookin’ (2014), which ran the gamut of musical styles which emanated from the UK, diverse and yet united in their dancefloor appeal, from the discotheques of the day to nouveau Mod clubs in the 21st century.