Rca Best 100

The J. J. Johnson Quintet - Dial J. J. 5 (1957) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 22}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 269 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 274 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 22
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trombone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of JJ's best from the late 50s – a tightly crackling hardbop set, recorded very much in the manner of his classic JJ Inc album! The sound here is a bit more compact overall – with some shorter tracks that really allow Johnson to display his keen sense of economy on his horn, while working in a burning mode that recalls some of his best bop sides from the early years – particularly his work on Blue Note.

Joe Morello - It's About Time (1961) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4257}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 85 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 89 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD remastering
© 1961, 2014 RCA / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4257
Jazz / Cool / Hard Bop / Drums

Reissue with the latest 2014 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Of course it's about time for Joe Morello – because as Dave Brubeck's drummer, he was constantly caught in recording sessions that were all about unusual rhythms and timings in jazz! Yet this set really helps Joe break free from the Brubeck mode – and also shine strongly as a leader, too – something he only did on a rare few records over the years! The approach is a bit more straight ahead – almost an extension of the RCA large ensemble sides of the 50s, with arrangements by Phil Woods and Manny Albam – yet there's also some great 60s touches too, thanks to work from a young Gary Burton on vibes, and some nicely mature solos by Woods on alto.

Phil Woods - Warm Woods (1957) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4213}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 312 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 189 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2014 Epic / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4213 | DSD Remaster
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

This long-out-of-print CD has finally been reissued and it's a must-have for Phil Woods fans, or for anyone interested in an excellent example of post-Parker be-bop saxophone. The sound quality is excellent, the rhythm section is very competent and Phil is at the top of his game on a nice mix of standards and originals. It's easy to see why he has been the benchmark for jazz alto for decades. His swing and inventiveness are nicely showcased as he eases his way through the list of tunes. If one were to buy one or two CD's that best show Phil Woods' ability to create meaningful jazz, this one would have to be high on the list for consideration. Don't miss it!

Carmen McRae - Sarah, Dedicated to You (1990) {RCA–BMG 3110-2-N}
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© 1991 RCA/HMV / BMG Music | 3110-2-N
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Bop / Standards / Soul Jazz

The follow-up to the essential Carmen Sings Monk is a tribute to the recently deceased Sarah Vaughan that ranks at the same very high level. Carmen McRae's final recording finds the singer backed by the Shirley Horn Trio (unfortunately, Horn turned down McRae's request to sing a bit) on 13 numbers associated with Sassy, plus Carroll Coates' original "Sarah." On such songs as "Poor Butterfly," "Misty," "Tenderly," "I'll Be Seeing You" and even "Send in the Clowns," McRae brings back the spirit (and some of the phrasing) of Sarah Vaughan while still sounding very much like herself. This very well-conceived tribute is a classic of its kind and a perfect swan song for Carmen McRae.

Phil Woods & Michel Legrand and Orchestra - Images (1975) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4280}
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© 1975, 2014 RCA / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4280
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone / Modern Big Band

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. A wonderful record – one in which Phil Woods blows alto solos over the arrangements of Michel Legrand – handled in the masterful style of Legrand's best jazzy soundtrack work, and in a way that lets Woods hit some of his best solos of the 70s! Legrand's always been great at this sort of album for any jazzman – and here, he unlocks a romantic tone in Woods' style that is a nice counterpart to some of the hippy-dippiness that he'd been showing in other sides from the 70s.

Jerry Reed - Even More Original RCA Albums (2018) {2CD Set BGO Records BGOCD1355 rec 1971-1972}
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© 1971-72, 2018 RCA / BGO Records / Sony Music | BGOCD1355
Country / Folk / Acoustic / Country-Pop / Rockabilly / Nashville Sound

Four albums from the breakout years of Jerry Reed – all collected here in a single CD set! First up is When You're Hot – the record that firmly catapulted Jerry Reed to the top – a set that draws on all his years of lyrical wit and razor-sharp guitar work – served up with some surprisingly funky touches too! That upbeat chugging groove that Jerry began on "Guitar Man" is in place on many tracks here – although there's also a few ballads that balance things out nicely, and some instrumental moments too. Titles include the hit "When You're Hot You're Hot", "Thank You Girl", "Turned On", "My Kinda Love", "Big Daddy", "Amos Moses", and "I'll Be Around".

Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups - Mingus Dynasty (1959) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 387 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 183 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4003 | 2014 DSD remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz

Reissue the with latest 2014 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Mingus Dynasty is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released in 1959. It is the companion album to the classic Mingus Ah Um and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Brilliant work by Mingus – recorded right around the same time as his legendary Mingus Ah Um album for Columbia! The group features some of Mingus' best sidemen – like Booker Ervin, Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Roland Hanna and Don Ellis – and the tracks have that wild mix of emotion, tight composition, and freewheeling soloing that made Mingus' late 50's output so compelling. Includes "Diane", "Song With Orange", "Gunslinging Bird", and "Far Wells, Mill Valley". Plus the CD includes the bonus track "Strollin" and unedited versions of "Slop", "Song With Orange", "Gunslinging Bird", and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" – all of which were originallly shaved down for release on the original album, now here in their proper form.

In 1972, Lou Reed was a minor cult hero to a handful of rock critics and left-of-center music fans who championed his former band, the Velvet Underground, but he was unknown to the mainstream music audience. By 1986, Reed was a rock & roll icon, widely hailed as a master songwriter and one of the founding fathers of punk, glam, noise rock, and any number of other vital rock subgenres; he even scored a few hits along the way. If you want to know what happened during those 14 years to make such a difference, the answer can be found in The RCA & Arista Album Collection, a 17-disc box set that brings together nearly all of Reed's recorded work from this period…