John Coltrane Great Live Moments

The focus of this exciting, if imperfect, CD is a 1973 reunion of Gene "Jug" Ammons and Sonny Stitt, who were responsible for some of the most famous tenor saxophone battles of the 1940s and early '50s. When the two locked horns, it was musical sportsmanship at its finest. Jug and Stitt had a mutual respect for one another, and their battles were the essence of friendly competition.

This excellent Columbia album was recorded less than a year after Dexter Gordon's well-publicized tour of the United States following a dozen years spent living in Europe. With assistance from such other major players as trumpeters Woody Shaw and Benny Bailey, vibraphonist Bobby Gordon sounds in superlative form on Woody Shaw's "The Moontrame," four standards and his own "Fried Bananas." In addition to the original program (which features Dexter with an all-star tentet), the 1997 CD reissue adds two 1979 features for vocalese singer Eddie Jefferson ("Diggin' It" and "It's Only a Paper Moon") which were originally released on Gordon's Great Encounters; trumpeter Shaw and trombonist Curtis Fuller co-star with Gordon. An excellent acquisition.

Cream - Those Were The Days (1997) {4CD boxset Polydor 31453 9000-2 rec 1968-1972}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.84 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 713 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 210 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968-72, 1997 Polydor / PolyGram | 31453 9000-2
Rock / Blues Rock / Hard Rock / Psychedelic / British Blues

Those Were the Days is an ambitious four-disc, 63-track box set that divides Cream's career into two halves. The first two discs feature every studio track the group ever released, plus a handful of unreleased cuts, alternate takes, and rarities. The other two discs are devoted to live material, which is segued together in an attempt to recreate the "ideal" Cream concert. It's a remarkably comprehensive collection, complete with an extensive booklet and remastered sound, yet it doesn't reveal any new insights about Cream, nor does it offer any invaluable rarities. Therefore, it's only for die-hard collectors or listeners wanting to acquire the entire Cream catalog at once; casual fans will be satisfied with individual albums or greatest-hits collections.

Chick Corea Akoustic Band - Live From The Blue Note Tokyo (1996) [Japanese Import]
EACRip | MP3 @320 -> 168 MB | APE+CUE -> 411 MB | Full Artwork Scans (.tiff) -> 41 MB
© 2000 MVP Records | 240 | Jazz / Modern Jazz

Chick is the king of all whup-as-s when it comes to chops among monster jazz pianists. I mean, if you want to talk intense technique on the keys, no one even comes close, not Jarrett, not Mehldau, not Hancock, not Kuhn, not Oscar Peterson or Hiromi and not even Lyle Mays, just listen to the endlessly creative hundred note runs of 64ths he plays with crystal clear tone in improv all over this CD, almost blowing Vinnie out of his seat, time and time again. Now, Vinnie is already a well-known alien from another planet, such a great drummer (some say the best ever, including Zappa, who named him the prize-winner of those he played with in his autobiography) that hardly any player fazes him but Chick is out to teach the 'kid' a lesson and a lesson he does, in fact, impart. I think Chick went into this gig thinking, all-right, I've got the greatest drummer on the planet here next to the one I had before, let me throw out every lick I know, as fast and furious as I can dish it out and see what he does with it. Vinnie freezes in his seat sometimes with awe or maybe just mock awe out of respect (Chick & John McLaughlin are Vinnie's ultimate idols) but then out of nowhere he does some unbelievable things with Chick's avalanche of licks, anticipating perfectly a zillion note run with perfectly calibrated fills and those are the moments of gold this disc is legendary for among Chick & Vinnie fans.

Dexter Gordon (tenor sax) entered the 1970s — as well as his career’s quarter-century mark — on a definite upstroke with the sly, sexy — and above else — stylish platter The Panther! (1970). Gordon commands a quartet whose membership boasts luminaries Tommy Flanagan (piano), Larry Ridley (bass), and Alan Dawson (drums). Remarkably — or perhaps simply a testament to Gordon and company’s prowess — the album’s half-dozen sides all hail from a single early July 1970 get-together. The material is divided between outstanding interpretations of the Great American Songbook classic “Body and Soul,” the Mel Tormé co-penned seasonal standard “The Christmas Song” aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” Clifford Brown’s “Blues Walk,” and a trio of Gordon originals.