M Base

The final version of drummer/composer Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition bands sports a unique sound, on the verge of M-Base, and artfully driven due to saxophonists Greg Osby and Gary Thomas. Their tart sweet sounds are as much a part of the identity of this group as anything, and DeJohnette adds his own personal brand of funk and swing to the proceeding, making for an exciting and vital original music. Bassist Lonnie Plaxico, straight off the bandstand with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, keeps things briskly moving along, while Michael Cain plays a lot of acoustic piano, and some modified electric keyboards, to further separate this Special Edition from the others.

Power Tools - Strange Meeting (1987) {Antilles–New Directions 7 90627-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 245 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
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© 1987 Island Records / Antilles–New Directions | 7 90627-2
Jazz / Modern Creative / Contemporary Jazz / M-Base / Avant-Garde Jazz

Power Tools was a one-off semi-supergroup that, if it didn't quite fulfill expectations, at least offered up this enjoyable album. It's an odd mixture; drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson was in the midst of his time with the free-metal-noise band Last Exit, bassist Melvin Gibbs was involved with various avant funk bands (including that of Arto Lindsay), and the pre-Naked City Bill Frisell was beginning to delve into that hazy area between country/Americana and jazz.

Johnson's sophomore outing is quite a departure from the solo guitar format of Fingertip Ship, his debut. Determined to showcase his skills as a writer and orchestrator, Johnson assembled an unlikely cast of guest musicians: from electric bassist Reggie Washington of the M-Base Collective to Warren Haynes of the reformed Allman Brothers Band. Paul McCandless's oboe and soprano sax and Andy Reinhardt's accordion also create arresting musical colors. Those who don't care for the old-world quality of the accordion ought to hear what Reinhardt is capable of making the instrument become. Upright bassist Glen Moore, drummer Matt Wilson, and percussionist Cyro Baptista also join Johnson, bringing influences from their diverse musical worlds to the project…

The combination of Greg Osby with Terri Lyne Carrington is quite logical. Altoist Osby, an original innovator with the M-Base movement (which explored free-form funk) has a very original improvising style. Since Carrington has always loved funk, as has electric bassist Jimmy Haslip (of the Yellowjackets), this match-up works quite well. Osby's interplay with guitarist Adam Rogers is also a major plus. Other than a Joni Mitchell piece ("Ethiopia") that the drummer sings, the repertoire is comprised of group originals. Whether it be overt funky pieces, brooding ballads or the well-titled "Fire," the music is explorative, unpredictable and usually grooving. Well worth exploring by fans of creative funk/jazz.

Maxi Dance Sensation is another great compilation of current dance tracks that can easily become classics 90's. Enjoy!

Slade may have never truly caught on with American audiences (often narrow-mindedly deemed "too British-sounding"), but the group became a sensation in their homeland with their anthemic brand of glam rock in the early '70s, as they scored a staggering 11 Top Five hits in a four-year span from 1971 to 1974 (five of which topped the charts)…

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