Jon Pepper

Although Leonard Feather, in the original liner notes that are reproduced for this reissue, says that it is an oversimplification to call the music on this 1958 session "hard bop," the performances are actually pretty definitive of the idiom. Baritonist Pepper Adams, freshly arrived in New York from Detroit, co-leads a quintet with the up-and-coming trombonist Jimmy Knepper that also includes such young notables as pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Elvin Jones. They perform an obscure Jon Hendricks song, a lyrical version of "All Too Soon," the straight-ahead bebop blues "Beaubien," a couple obscure originals, Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You" (which has Kelly switching to a spooky-sounding organ) and Knepper's "Primrose Path"…

Jon Savage follows up last year’s “1966” set with a similarly packaged 2CD anthology of hits and rarities from 1967. There is no accompanying book this time – so you’ll have to buy this to read all about it in his sleeve notes. In a nutshell: Now typified as the year of flower power, 1967 was the year the 60s divided. During those 12 months, the revenues from LP sales in Britain finally overtook those from 45s. It’s also the year when the British singles charts suddenly revealed a vacuum that, in March 1967, was filled by a Top 10 that included Englebert Humperdinck, Petula Clark, Harry Secombe, Vince Hill, the Seekers and other mums and dads records that you will not be hearing on this compilation.

'Lagos Pepper Soup', Michael’s second solo release, is an integration of all of his diverse musical influences. He picked a core band of Terreon Gully, Aaron Parks, Etienne Stadwijk, and enlisted the talents of Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves Music, Regina Carter, Joe Lovano, Laura Mvula, Lionel Loueke, Grégoire Maret, Becca Stevens, Brandee Younger, Robert Mitchell and Onaje Jefferson, alongside top studio arrangers David Metzger, Joseph Joubert and Jason Michael Webb to realize his vision of what he calls Cinematic Afrobeat. His own virtuoso melodic bass playing shines throughout’.

This is a great collection of rare and hard to find tunes compiled by Jeffrey Glenn. Hundreds of odds & ends by little known groups, famous singers, and famous singers before they became famous.

In the early 1980s, a particular alchemy between new musical technologies and significant social, cultural, and political transformations in Ghana gave rise to a new style of highlife. Drum machines and synthesisers appeared alongside lilting guitar lines and punchy horns, and the emerging Ghanaian diaspora began incorporating US disco and boogie, R&B, European new wave, and Caribbean zouk and soca into their music.

Thad Jones & Mel Lewis - Potpourri (1974) {Columbia 4714782 rel 1995}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 106 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 1995 Columbia / Sony Music | 471478 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modern Big Band

A magnificent big band record from 1974 on the old, long-gone Philadelphia International label, which was distributed by CBS Records. The band included a who's-who of jazz stars of the day then including Pepper Adams, Billy Harper, Cecil Bridgewater, Jimmy Knepper (of Mingus fame), Jon Faddis, and Sir Roland Hanna, among others, who ALL shine beautifully on eight gorgeous charts, four of which were composed by Thad,himself. There are also two Stevie Wonder tunes, "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", and "Living For The City". DOWNBEAT magazine readers in its 1974 poll had voted this band the #1 Big Jazz Band, and with very good reason.

Teo Macero - Impressions of Charles Mingus (1983) {Teo Records rel 2015}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (deezer.com) -> 347 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 117 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1983, 2015 Palo Alto Records / Teo Records
Jazz / Third Stream

Teo Macero worked as a saxophonist with Charles Mingus off and on from the late 1940s through the mid-'50s, and also produced some of his later records. This obscure Palo Alto LP, recorded shortly after Mingus' death, was Macero's first recording as a player (tenor, alto and flute) since 1957, although on most of the selections, his role as a musician is small. However, Macero was responsible for the eight selections which include tributes to Mingus, Thelonious Monk ("Monk's Funk") and Duke Ellington.

The sun has set, it’s cocktail hour and you need some sounds to help you settle into the evening. These are those sounds. More than four hours of the very best after-hours jazz around. Whether sultry saxophone, cool singing, muted trumpet or relaxed piano, this Late Night Jazz is the perfect accompaniment to your wee small hours.
Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Scott, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Kenny Barron and many others.