Mps Japan

The Cees Slinger Octet - Live At The North Sea Jazz Festival (1982) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 268 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 228 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1982, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6399
Jazz / Post Bop / Hard Bop / Modern Post Bebop / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. A mighty nice set from pianist Cees Slinger – a live performance from a very hip octet – a group who can come on with ensemble fury one minute, then play like a small combo the next! Slinger's choice of musicians is wonderful – and includes Dusko Goykovich on trumpet, Fredinand Povel on alto and soprano, and Ruud Brink on tenor – all musicians who really make the sound sparkle with their solos, but can also slide nicely into the context of the rest of the group, too – in the manner that Povel and Goykovich were so good at on performances for MPS. There's a great sense of color throughout – really showing off Slinger's skill as an arranger – and titles include "Never Forever", "From Way Back", "Changing Colours", "Fee Fi Fo Fum", and "Killer Joe".

Roy Ayers - West Coast Vibes (1963) {2011 Japan 24-bit Remaster} [Jazz Masterpiece Best & More 999 Series]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 265 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 97 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1963, 2011 United Artists Jazz / Liberty / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50121
Jazz / Straight-ahead Jazz / Soul Jazz / Vibes

A holy grail of jazz – Roy Ayers' first album as a leader, and a near-lost session that's simply sublime! The record was cut at the same time that Roy was working in LA with pianist Jack Wilson – and it's got an approach that's a bit similar to some of the Wilson/Ayers sessions for Atlantic, Blue Note, and Vault – but with a marked difference here in the presence of Curtis Amy, who plays some incredible tenor and soprano sax on the session – arcing out over the modal lines set up by the vibes and piano, and shading in the record with a much deeper sense of soul! Amy plays on about half the album's tracks – all of which are standout modal tunes that preface the MPS/Saba sound by a number of years, and which we'd easily rank as some of the greatest jazz recorded anywhere in the 60s.

Shorty Rogers and His Giants - Jazz Waltz (1962) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27458}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 281 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 129 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1962, 2013 Reprise / WEA / Warner Japan | WPCR-27458 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Trumpet

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. Don't think "waltz music", think "modal jazz" – because the version of jazz waltz that Shorty Rogers serves up here is a great precursor to the great grooves to come on the European scene – especially the work from the artists at MPS Records! Tunes all have this great rhythmic pulse – a way of leaping into a groove that has the piano and bass dancing together wonderfully – often with some cool vibes from Emil Richards, and loads of great reed lines from Bud Shank and Paul Horn! Some tracks feature a small combo, some feature a larger group – and the whole thing is wonderful – with energy that almost rivals the Clarke Boland Big Band with Gigi Campi. Titles include "Be As Children", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Jazz Waltz", "Terrence's Farewell", and "A Taste Of Honey".

Stu Goldberg - Fancy Glance
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 213 MB | Full Artwork: 25 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Inakustik "Compact Disc Reference Edition" # inak 8614 CD
Genre: Jazz | Style: Jazz-Funk | Country/Year: Germany 1979 / 1980's

Pianist/composer Stu Goldberg performed alongside some of the most daring artists of the mid-'70s fusion era as part of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and later embarked on a successful solo career that included film and TV scores as well as albums. Born in Malden, MA, and raised in Seattle, WA, the pianist began his career at a young age, notably performing as a keyboard soloist at the Monterey Jazz Festival at age 17. He then went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Utah in composition and piano. Following graduation he joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the mid-'70s and remained a member for five years, during which time he performed alongside such legendary fusionists as Al DiMeola, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Billy Cobham, Jack Bruce, Larry Coryell, Alphonse Mouzon, and more…

One of the coolest albums ever cut by Japanese wood flute player Hozan Yamamoto – a set that has him working with very groovy backings from the Sharps & Flats ensemble – who almost give the whole thing an MPS label blending of funky jazz and world music sounds! The approach is wonderful – a bit more upbeat and swinging than some of Yamamoto's other records, as Nobuo Hara leads the larger group with a totally cool sound – which makes the flute lines a sweet exotic touch over straightforward, soul-drenched, big band jazz! We might even link the sound to some of Dorothy Ashby's grooviest albums for Chess/Cadet – although with flute, instead of harp.