Lalo Schifrin:the Legendary Paris Concert

Bill Evans - The Paris Concert (1976) {Fantasy Japan VDJ-25035 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 309 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 133 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 1989 Fantasy / Victor Japan | VDJ-25035
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Cool / Piano

Vintage Evans recorded in pristine sound and preserved in all its brilliance by one of the most important figures in Modern Jazz from the late 1950s until his death in 1980 – his work serves as a blueprint for modern interpretation and impressionistic playing ever since. That we’re given evidence of this artistry in a live and unrestricted setting is a dramatic bonus and one that only affirms the importance of Evans in the grand scheme of things.

This 1965 Paris concert by Louis Armstrong is not all that different in content from many of his live dates recorded during the last 15 years of his life. His all-stars had changed somewhat, with clarinetist Eddie Shu replacing Edmond Hall, singer Jewel Brown taking the place of the late Velma Middleton, and trombonist Tyree Glenn replacing Trummy Young, but the dependable pianist Billy Kyle (who died the following year) is still on hand to keep the band in a familiar groove. Armstrong sticks to his dependable opener, "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," following it with a spirited "Back Home Again in Indiana." Jewel Brown is acceptable on the snappy "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," but butchers "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" with an overly dramatic and very pop-ish rendition…

Sonny Rollins & Don Cherry - The Complete 1963 Paris Concert (2008) {Gambit 69292}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 356 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 156 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1963, 2008 Gambit Records | 69292
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modern Creative / Saxophone / Trumpet

The collective discography of Sonny Rollins and Don Cherry spans less than a year, but was a fascinating association. This release contains a complete and long unavailable concert by the Sonny Rollins-Don Cherry piano-less quartet - recorded at the Olympia, Paris, in 1963. Among its many highlights, The band work out on a 23-minute version of 'Sonnymoon For Two', a 13-minute version of 'On Green Dolphin Street' and almost 10 minutes of the only existing rendition of "Everything Happens To Me" in both Rollins´ and Cherry´s discographies.

The self-imposed quarantine on solo concerts over, Keith Jarrett returned to the improvisatory format that he virtually invented, mellower and more devotional than ever. Indeed, within the 38 minutes of solo improvisation captured at Paris's Salle Pleyel, Jarrett pulls further away from the old rousing (and thoroughly American) gospel, blues and folk roots of earlier concerts toward a more abstract concept.

Vladimir Horowitz possessed freakishly superb technical equipment, plus inspiration and a mercurial imagination that caused him to never play the same work twice in the same way. There has been no greater writer of pianistic works in the history of the instrument. There was never a better ear for piano color, and his performances usually succeeded in giving a work "the stamp of approval" causing his contemporaries to begin programming works he chose to champion. The was, and is, nobody who can imitate Horowitz, for his genius was truly a never ending source of inspiration.

Louis Armstrong was recorded live so many times during the last two decades of his career that jazz fans tend to take many of these releases for granted. But this second volume from a 1965 Paris concert finds Armstrong expanding his repertoire a bit, including pop songs of the day in addition to expected fare like "Muskrat Ramble." The fluid muted trombone of Tyree Glenn is showcased in a swinging "Volare," vocalist Jewel Brown (Velma Middleton's replacement) offers a spirited rendition of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" backed by Billy Kyle's bluesy piano, while bassist Buddy Catlett takes his turn in the spotlight during "Cocktails for Two." The recent turnover in personnel not long before this concert tour hardly seems to have hampered Armstrong, who returns for an crowd-pleasing medley of "When the Saint Go Marchin' In" and the inevitable request for "Hello Dolly."