Pat Martino El Hombre (1967) [rvg Remaster 2006] (2014_hdtracks 24 44,1)

Pat Martino - El Hombre (1967) {Prestige OJCCD-195-2 rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 1990 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-195-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Guitar

The first album that guitarist Pat Martino ever cut as a leader – and an excellent mix of styles that links his soul jazz roots with his later, trippier recordings! The group here is a sextet, and it features organist Trudy Pitts (who was Martino's boss at the time), plus flute, drums, and percussion – all stretching out with a really unique sort of sound! The tracks have a bit of an Eastern feel to them, especially when Martino stretches out on his solos – but they also have a nice solid groove that keeps them right in the pocket rhythmically.

The name Young Guns seems ironically amiss until one learns that this recording dates from 1968-69 when organist Gene Ludwig was thirty years old, guitarist Pat Martino twenty-three and drummer Randy Gelispie somewhere in that neighborhood, long before he became fondly known as "Uncle G." The organ trio was in its heyday then, and this one was caught on tape during an exciting live date at Club 118 in Louisville, KY. How many other such performances have been lost forever owing to the absence of a tape recorder or the failure to turn it on is anyone's guess. But this one, thank goodness, has been preserved for present-day ears to appreciate.
Ludwig, an admirer of Jimmy Smith and forerunner of Joey DeFrancesco and other Hammond masters, sprays bluesy notes and ideas all over the landscape, while Martino, a lyrical machine, has the proper phrase for every occasion…

Demon's Dance was Jackie McLean's final album for Blue Note, closing out an amazing streak of creativity that's among the more underappreciated in jazz history. The record retreats a bit from McLean's nearly free playing on New and Old Gospel and 'Bout Soul, instead concentrating on angular, modal avant bop with more structured chord progressions. The whole session actually swings pretty hard, thanks to drummer Jack DeJohnette, who manages that feat while maintaining the busy, kinetic style McLean had favored since Tony Williams' appearance on One Step Beyond. ~ AllMusic

Anyone who likes the B-3 Hammond organ soul-jazz style and doesn't mind a bit of pop-lounge spice occasionally stirred into the sauce should check out this compilation. It combines Pitts' first two LPs, Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts and These Blues of Mine (both from 1967) on one CD. Introducing is a strong debut, divided between covers of pretty mainstream standards ("The Spanish Flea," "It Was a Very Good Year," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker") and gutsier straight soul-jazz, including four originals by Bill Carney, whose "Organology" is a highlight for its nervous, bopping edge. The languorous swells of the opening number "Steppin' in Minor" make you think you're in for a set of swank lounge-jazz, but the pace quickly picks up, and Pitts really catches fire on "Take Five," jamming a lot of notes into her improvisation without sounding self-indulgent…

Guitarist Pat Martino's second recording as a leader finds him essentially playing advanced bop. His quintet (with Joe Farrell on tenor and flute, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Walter Perkins) really roars on an uptempo version of "Minority" and is diverse enough to come up with meaningful statements on four of Martino's originals.

McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy (1967) [1999 Blue Note RVG Remaster]
EACRip | MP3 @320 -> 85 MB | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 227 MB | Full Artwork Scans -> 14 MB
© 1999 Blue Note | 9133 | Jazz / Modern Jazz / Post Bop

Two and a half years after his last recording as a leader for Impulse, pianist McCoy Tyner emerged to start a period on Blue Note that would result in seven albums. Having left John Coltrane's Quartet in late 1965, Tyner was entering a period of struggle, although artistically his playing grew quite a bit in the late '60s. For this release, the pianist is teamed with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Elvin Jones for five of his originals. Highlights of the easily recommended album include "Passion Dance," "Four by Five," and "Blues on the Corner."