Pizza Volume 02

Mose Allison - The Mose Chronicles: Live In London, Vol. 1 (2001) {Blue Note 7243 5 29747 2 6}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 405 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 160 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2001 Blue Note | 7243 5 29747 2 6
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Blues / Vocal Jazz / Piano

On this first volume of The Mose Chronicles, singer-songwriter and pianist Mose Allison brings his idiosyncratic brand of southern comfort to London for this well-cheered live session. Flanked by a crowd that wholeheartedly embraces both his sardonic drollery and the supple rhythm section of bassist Roy Babbington and drummer Mark Taylor, Allison is in top form in this enthralling program that's characteristically wry and full of sharp wisdom. Mose is always divinely swinging, too, leveraging the hundreds of gigs he's played with this trio. Plain-folk advice marks the jumping "No Trouble Livin'," just as poetic social commentary rivets the sly "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy" and the joyfully apocalyptic "Ever Since the World Ended." Straight-ahead balladry comes to the fore on "Meet Me at No Special Place," an early favorite of Nat King Cole's trio. Allison's punchy piano style is as effervescent throughout the Chronicles as his singing is backwoods, and it makes for great listening.

Mose Allison - The Mose Chronicles: Live In London, Vol. 2 (2002) {Blue Note 7243 5 29748 2 5}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 423 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 163 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2002 Blue Note | 7243 5 29748 2 5
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Blues / Vocal Jazz / Piano

The second volume drawn from Mose Allison's January 2000 run at London's Pizza Express presents the artist in a professional, if relaxed, form. Volume one was billed as an in-concert look at Allison's early, oft-covered material, but actually included a healthy number of selections from his prime later-career output. This second installment comes closer to that stated goal, as every single song dates back to the '50s and '60s. As a result, it's even more remarkable that Allison finds ways to make them sound vital and fresh; "Tell Me Something" features a piano solo that's alternately gentle and dramatic, while "Just Like Livin'" is revealed as an underappreciated summation of Allison's lyrical outlook.