Modern Pioneer From April May 2016

Born in late 2011, Human Factor is an exciting Russian group formed by talented and experienced musicians. Konstantin Shtirlitz and Alexander Meshcheryakov, respectively former drummer and bassist with mighty Infront, have joined forces with keyboardist and guitarists Sergei Volkov, principle composer and arranger for Kaftan Smeha, and guitarist Ivan Ivanov of Hagi Tragger. The band’s music is probably best described as modern instrumental rock with major space and progressive rock influences, strong melodic edge, and definite sense of adventure: tracks segue one into the other, atmospheres are established and broken, some rhythm patterns have progressive-like complexity, but the primary attention is given to strengthening a sense of enjoyable aural journey. This is an excellent, mature recordings which fans of good instrumental rock music.

Michel de Villers - Low Reed - Complete Small Group Sessions 1946-1956 (2018) {Fresh Sound FSR-CD 951}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 337 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 180 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1946-56, 2018 Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 951
Jazz / Bebop / Swing / Saxophone

Michel de Villers (1926-1992) was one of the most influential French reed players in modern jazz, known by most of his fellow musicians by his nickname: “Low reed.” From a very young age, de Villers excelled on alto sax and clarinet. After gaining the attention of fans and musicians as an amateur, he was hired by Django in 1946. Shortly afterwards he began recording as a leader, improvising with cohesive drive and swinging passion, with a clear tone and vocabulary straight from the leading swing alto players—Benny Carter, Willie Smith and Johnny Hodges.

Allison Brewster Franzetti's debut on Naxos invites the listener to compare and contrast four early modern piano works, performed with muscular vigor and sharp intelligence, and presented in a terrific-sounding album. However, this disc's title is slightly inaccurate, for among the twentieth century piano sonatas by Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, and Karl Amadeus Hartmann is placed Arnold Schoenberg's Three Piano Pieces, which is neither a sonata nor even of the same century as the other works, as it dates from 1894.

Misha Alperin - Her First Dance (2008) {ECM 1995 171 6742}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 138 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 115 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 60 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2008 ECM Records | ECM 1995 / 171 6742
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Classical / Chamber Music / Modern Creative

After a decade-long absence, Russian pianist-composer Misha Alperin returns to ECM with his most fragrant release to date. He retains cellist Anja Lechner from the last session, Night, and rejoins his longtime ally, horn player Arkady Shilkloper. The deeper (if only for being the oldest) relationship of the two is with Shilkloper, who since 1990’s Wave Of Sorrow has been a constant companion throughout Alperin’s ECM tenure. In fact, the only piece not by Alperin on this album, “The Russian Song,” flows from Shilkloper’s pen in a lovingly arpeggiated duet for French horn and cello, with no piano between them. The remaining pieces comprise a mixed palette of solos, duos, and one trio. The latter, “Tiflis,” again features French horn, only now working a mournful charge between cells of piano and cello. It’s a stunning, lyrical voyage that works its subtle ways into the mind.

After 1988's …And Justice for All, Metallica pared down its progressive, heavy metal sound. During the '90s, the band's studio releases grew slicker and more produced, resulting in mostly radio-friendly, good ol' boy metal. By the end of the decade, Metallica was established as the pioneer of modern metal, but the band hadn't done anything innovative, arguably, in ten years. In April 1999, the group performed two concerts with the San Francisco Symphony, and the result was S&M, a two-disc collection of the concerts…