This was one of the great touring and recording bands of the 1980s, Harrell and Woods inspiring each other and the rhythm section inquiring and swinging. Woods didn't need to change anything about his own style, but it blossoms anew in counterpoint with Harrell's lyrical fire, and each album is handsomely programmed and delivered … Flash, the final album with Harrell (who has since been replaced by Hal Crook as the front-line horn), has the edge of some outstanding composing by the trumpeter – "Weaver" and "Rado" are particularly sound vehicles – and Crook's extra tones on a few tracks.
During a major portion of his career, Phil Woods predominately led a quartet or quintet, so the opportunity to work with his Little Big Band gave him a special pleasure, by expanding both the brass and reeds to an octet. His third release to feature the octet includes his working quintet at the time, including trombonist Hal Crook, pianist Jim McNeely, plus his longtime rhythm section, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin. Guests include Woods' former sideman trumpeter/flugelhornist Tom Harrell, alto and baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola, plus alto and tenor saxophonist Nelson Hill. Although the economics of touring with a band this size made it impossible to tour, the musicians dove into the difficult arrangements with plenty of gusto and end up sounding as if they had been playing them in concert for months…
Here You Are: The Best Of Billy Ocean is a new 2CD unique collection from original King Of Soul, packaged with a career spanning celebration of one of Britain’s biggest stars. Billy is a Grammy award winner with worldwide sales of over 30 million. He hit the number one spot across three continents in the 70s and 80s, counting no fewer than six UK top 10 singles. ‘Caribbean Queen’ stormed to number one on both the US singles chart and US R&B chart, and is amongst Billy’s six US top 10 singles. With top 10 albums the world over, Billy has notched up an impressive three Platinum albums (including two which are certified 2x Platinum).
Lightnin' Hopkins woke up The Dead when he played San Francisco in the 1960's and his song 'Wake Up The Dead' is the centerpiece of this two and a half hour journey into the electrified world of Texas blues. Accompanying Lightnin' on this journey is his long time harmonica player, Billy Bizor. While Lightnin' had a prolific recording career, Bizor's stature is relatively obscure due to the lack of solo recordings he released during his lifetime. Fortunately, 'Wake Up The Dead' seeks to rectify that situation by including the complete June 17, 1968 session with Lightnin' and Bizor, plus all of Bizors' 1969 solo recordings. As an added bonus, the rest of the April 11,1969 session that could not fit onto Lightnin's 'Shootin Fire' album is included on 'Wake Up The Dead'…
This 15-track set puts together some amazing performances by Billy Eckstine's band from the early '40s when he was leading one of the more intense, smoking bands on the scene. Some of his players during these years included Fats Navarro, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, and Kenny Dorham, just to name a few. The Eckstine band was sophisticated, jumping, and they swung like mad no matter the tune. Here, of course, the emphasis is on Eckstine's vocals, his smooth as silk baritone that could sing a ballad like Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," or a deep swinging blues by Doc Pomus ("She Got the Blues for Sale"). There's scat, solid jazz balladry, and jumping, tough-hitting blues here. Highly recommended.