Jack Victor

Regardless of who came up with the term "freakbeat" - either Bam Caruso czar Phil Smee created it in the mid-'80s or Richard Allen came up with it as the name for his psych fanzine - it's generally agreed that the Smoke were one of the best examples of the style (along with the Birds, the Creation, Les Fleur de Lys, and a few others) during the "swinging London" era of the mid-'60s. This 23-track comp of feedback-rich primeval psych-beat is highlighted by their finest moment right up front: "My Friend Jack" hit the U.K. Top 50 in 1967, despite the fact that it was banned by the BBC. (According to the excellent liner notes, the Beeb banned the song after the Bishop of Southwark - who misconstrued it as a celebration of drug abuse - contacted EMI head Sir Joseph Lockwood to complain about the song right in the midst of hysteria over a then-recent Rolling Stones drug bust, LSD, and "moral decline")…

Lionel Hampton - The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (2007) {5CD Set Mosaic MD5-238}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.06 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 768 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 219 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1937-41, 2007 Mosaic Records / BMG | MD5-238
Jazz / Swing / Vibes

Garnished with a fistful of alternate takes, the 2007 release of Mosaic's 107-track Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 is a welcome and long overdue CD realization of The Complete Lionel Hampton 1937-1941, a six-LP box set released during the 1970s by the Bluebird label. Only Teddy Wilson came close to achieving what Hamp did in the late 1930s and early '40s, by bringing together the greatest soloists on the scene for a staggeringly productive and inspired series of recordings that essentially defined the state of jazz during the years immediately preceding the Second World War.

Stephane Grappelli - Le Toit de Paris (1969) {RCA Victor 74321887172 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 207 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 84 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 28 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 2002 RCA Victor / Bluebird | 74321887172
Jazz / Continental Jazz / Violin

This is a welcome re-release for Grappelli fans, featuring the violinist in top form with a European rhythm section playing a mixture of standards,lesser known tunes and originals. The session took place in 1969 whilst Grappelli was semi - resident at The Paris Hilton ( from 1967 - 1972 ). At that time he was employed to play in the restaurant for the benefit of the diners.

Jack Wilson - Song For My Daughter (1968) {2014 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster TYCJ-81089}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 282 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 107 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 251 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit 192kHz remaster
© 1968, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81089
Jazz / Cool / Post Bop / Piano

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. On Song for My Daughter, his third record for Blue Note, Jack Wilson "changed with the times," to paraphrase one of the record's songs. Like many of his peers on the label, Wilson pursued a pop direction as the '60s drew to a close, which meant he covered pop hits like "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "Stormy," and that he recorded the album with a large band augmented by a string section. It is a testament to Wilson's strengths as a pianist that he doesn't get lost in this heavy-handed setting and manages to contribute some typically graceful moments, including the lovely title song.