Jimmy Rogers

When your father was the late Chicago blues and Chess Records icon Jimmy Rogers (not to be confused with pioneering country singer Jimmie Rodgers), some would argue that you have a hell of a lot to live up to. But the question "How does Jimmy D. Lane compare to Jimmy Rogers?" is both unrealistic and unfair – it would be like expecting Ravi Coltrane to accomplish what John Coltrane accomplished, or expecting Hank Williams, Jr. to be another Hank Williams, Sr. Besides, Lane is a fine Chicago bluesman in his own right. With Rogers making a guest appearance on "One Room Country Shack" and Muddy Waters' "Another Mule Kicking in Your Stall," listeners get to hear father and son playing alongside one another. Rogers, who died on December 19, 1997, had only two months to live when this historically important album was made. But Legacy is not only noteworthy because it contains the last recording of Rogers; it's also noteworthy because of the rich singing and expressive guitar playing that Lane brings to Memphis Slim's "Four O'Clock in the Morning" and Howlin' Wolf's "Big House," as well as heartfelt originals like "In This Bed," "Clue Me," and "Pride." Lane is someone who really understands the blues, and that fact is impossible to miss on this excellent date.

You might call Jimmy D. Lane a natural born bluesman. His father was the legendary Jimmy Rogers, who Jimmy D. shared the stage with for many years before recording on his own. Lane can play it '50s-style, as he did with his father and on Eomot RaSun's album, but he can also turn it up and rock out with any of the finest guitar slingers. For It's Time, Lane tackles a program of original tunes (except for one), with the aid of Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section. These guys bring decades of experience to their blues rhythms, and know exactly how to support a player like Lane. Keyboard duties are split between Celia Ann Price on B3 and piano, and Mike Finnigan on the B3. In addition, the album was produced and engineered by the one and only Eddie Kramer, who adds crisp, clear production values and some very subtle studio tricks (check out the panning in the slide solo on "Stuck in the Middle"). As a writer, Lane sticks close to standard subject matter "What Makes People" is certainly a close cousin of Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing," but the variety of tempos and grooves and great playing all around keep the album exciting.

Shorty Rogers - West Coast Sounds: Shorty Rogers and His Orchestra, featuring the Giants 1950-1956 (2006) {Fresh Sound Records}
XLD rip | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 808 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 347 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 45 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1950-56, 2006 Capitol / RCA / Fresh Sound Records | FSR 2231
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet

This 2-CD set truly demonstrates what was defined as the "West Coast style of jazz" but, in fact, was the Shorty Rogers style. We can hear arrangements of a loose variety, played by the most outstanding group of musicians of the Los Angeles jazz scene. The music presented here is a major example of Shorty Rogers' great talent, and a milestone in the orchestral idiom of modern jazz. Shorty's writing and playing were a pretty honest reflection of his own personality. If there was ever an individual to be selected as the head of the West Coast school, it definitely would have been Shorty Rogers.

Various Artists - The Chess Story: 1947-1975 (2000) {14CD Box Set, MCA–Universal 3805962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.61 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 178 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1947-75, 2000 MCA / Universal | 3805962
Blues / Chicago Blues / Electric Blues / Regional Blues

First the good news, which is really good: the sound on this 340-song set is about as good as one ever fantasized it could be, and that means it runs circles around any prior reissues; from the earliest Aristocrat sides by the Five Blazers and Jump Jackson & His Orchestra right up through Muddy Waters' "Going Down to Main Street," it doesn't get any better than this set. The clarity pays a lot of bonuses, beginning with the impression that it gives of various artists' instrumental prowess. In sharp contrast to the past efforts in this direction by MCA, however, the producers of this set have not emasculated the sound in the course of cleaning it up, as was the case with the Chuck Berry box, in particular.

CDs from this collection began to appear in the sale of one after the other in early 1998. The collection was designed primarily for fans of blues and those wishing to join him in France, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as its literary part was originally made in French and it seems and has not been translated into other languages.