James A. Mclaughlin

Recorded in 1987, A Prayer Before Dawn is one of Pharoah Sanders' gentle, reflective dates. Some jazz fans may cringe at his versions of "Christmas Song" and Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All," but the music displays a heartfelt spirituality as opposed to financial slickness. It is the opposite of Sanders' characteristic fire-breathing tenor of his Impulse days, but there is nobility in taking this tranquil direction; Sanders refuses to repeat himself. He demands you listen with open ears, dropping preconceived notions. For instance, unlike the adult contemporary direction taken by one-time free jazz tenor titan Gato Barbieri, this date doesn't sound like a polished commercial venture as much as a quiet, meditative one. The use of tabla, sarod, and chandrasarang adds to the session's spiritual nature.

Already an international success story with platinum and gold sales across Europe, this specially priced 2-CD set now comes to America. These 31 tracks take you to a mystical place as you listen to superstars from Bono to Sinead O'Connor to The Chieftains and themes from The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter and more. A beautiful gift for all fans of Irish, Celtic and film music.

Here we go again with yet another compilation of soundtrack excerpts and vaporous ditties, to be filed under "Celtic" and pronounced, one assumes, with a soft "c." Some of the selections, such as those featuring old hands like Loreena McKennit, Sinead O'Connor, Clannad, the Corrs, and the Chieftains, actually merit the moniker. But how a pair of embarrassingly twee tunes by David Arkenstone and Vangelis (!) made the cut is anyone's guess. Other choices of dubious provenance include Annie Haslam and Steve Howe's cover of an already hoary Yes tune, a squirm-inducing bit of overkill called "Elysium" (by Elysia, whoever that may be,) and Ryan and Rachel O'Donnell's flaccid reworking of Enya's "May It Be" from Lord of the Rings. "Hedwig's Theme" from the OST to Harry Potter also appears, courtesy of the City of Prague Philharmonic, even though the books never so much as hinted at the owl's nationality. –Christina Roden

We would like to pay homage to one of the greatest and most infamous guitarists Bruce Langhorne. His music has influenced and touched a lot of lives over the years, either through his soundtrack work with Peter Fonda or his studio work in the 1960’s as the go to hired hand for musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Odetta… and many others. If his name is new to you I suggest browsing his wikipedia page to acquaint yourself with the volume of work he accomplished throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Scissor Tail Editions was lucky enough to release Bruce’s score to Peter Fonda’s 1971 anti-western “The Hired Hand”on vinyl in 2012.

Miles Davis - The Original Jacket Collection (2006) [30 Albums, 37 CDs] {DSD Japan Mini LP Analog Collection} (part 5of6)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.88 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.11 Gb | Artwork
© 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1222~29 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Fusion / Jazz Rock / Jazz Funk / Trumpet

None of Miles Davis' recordings has been more shrouded in mystery than Jack Johnson, yet none has better fulfilled Miles Davis' promise that he could form the "greatest rock band you ever heard." Containing only two tracks, the album was assembled out of no less than four recording sessions between February 18, 1970, and June 4, 1970, and was patched together by producer Teo Macero. Most of the outtake material ended up on Directions, Big Fun, and elsewhere. The first misconception is the lineup: the credits on the recording are incomplete. For the opener, "Right Off," the band is Miles, John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock, Michael Henderson, and Steve Grossman (no piano player!), which reflects the liner notes.