I've Got Confidence

This Grammy-winning comeback set brought Buddy Guy back to prominence after a long studio hiatus. There are too many clichéd cover choices – "Five Long Years," "Mustang Sally," "Black Night," "There Is Something on Your Mind" – to earn unreserved recommendation, but Guy's frenetic guitar histrionics ably cut through the superstar-heavy proceedings (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler all turn up) on the snarling title cut and a handful of others. The Expanded Edition of Damn Right, I've Got the Blues features two bonus tracks, "Doin' What I Like Best" and "Trouble Don't Last."

This Grammy-winning comeback set brought Buddy Guy back to prominence after a long studio hiatus. There are too many clichéd cover choices – "Five Long Years," "Mustang Sally," "Black Night," "There Is Something on Your Mind" – to earn unreserved recommendation, but Guy's frenetic guitar histrionics ably cut through the superstar-heavy proceedings (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler all turn up) on the snarling title cut and a handful of others. The Expanded Edition of Damn Right, I've Got the Blues features two bonus tracks, "Doin' What I Like Best" and "Trouble Don't Last."

Roy Buchanan is the guitarist's guitar hero. Singularly uninterested in rock stardom and the trappings of fame that go with it, Buchanan never achieved the popularity of his six-string peers; yet his unfathomable technique and ferocious Telecaster tone put him near the top of any serious listing of the greatest guitarists of all time. Stories abound about the regard with which other musicians held Roy (and the indifference with which he greeted their esteem); for example, legend has it he turned down the Rolling Stones for the job Mick Taylor got, and blew off playing with John Lennon, while Jeff Beck dedicated "'Cause We've Ended as Lovers" from Blow by Blow to him. These days, his ability to create the sounds he did without the use of any effects, often from his patented "pinch harmonic" method of playing, continue to astound players both casual and professional. Buchanan recorded a number of commendable studio albums, but on stage was where the magic happened; that's why most listeners deem the 1974 Live Stock album to be his best.

Phil Woods Quintet - Live at the Deer Head Inn (2015) {Deer Head Records 005}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 380 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Deer Head Records 005
Jazz / Post Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

The Phil Woods Quintet's final recording on November 10, 2014 at the Deer Head inn with Bill Goodwin, Steve Gilmore, Bill Mays and Brian Lynch. If you are a Phil Woods fan (as I am), this album is essential; while the recordings took place not that long before Phil's death, and you can hear the evidence of his declining health, Phil is still Phil … and that means, that even with his health limitations, he is still masterful and this recording is a poignant tribute to his great career and legacy. The amazing trumpet playing of Brian Lynch is an added bonus; he really shines, and together, he and Phil … aw the whole quintet, really … make this album a not-to-be-missed gem!!

Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five And Hot Seven Recordings (2000) {4cd set, 84 page book}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 784 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 577 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 972 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2000 Columbia / Legacy | C4K 63527
Jazz / Early Jazz / New Orleans Jazz / Dixieland / Trumpet

This four-CD set brings together all the recordings made during the period of the Hot Five and Hot Sevens along with all the attendant recordings that Armstrong was involved in during this breakthrough period. Although this material has been around the block several times before – and continues to be available in packages greatly varying in transfer quality – this is truly the way to go, and certainly the most deluxe packaging this material has ever received with the greatest sound retrieval yet employed.