Red Sun Setting

2 x CD with remixed/remastered 2022 audio: Live at The Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan, MTV satellite telecast concert (6 December 1983, USA time), remixed 2022 from the master tapes; Live at The Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan, previous night’s show (6 December 1983, Japan Time), remixed 2022 from the master tapes.

Julie London made the folks at the Liberty label rich with more than 25 albums, exclusive of compilations, cut over a period of 1955 to 1969. Usually put into a torch song setting, this release allows London to shed that garment and become jazzy. The reason, of course, is the presence of the invaluable Jimmy Rowles, who did the charts, played piano, and led an orchestra of top-flight but unidentified musicians. Unidentified or not, that could well be Don Fagerquist's muted trumpet on "Midnight Sun" and other cuts and either Ted Nash or Bob Cooper on tenor on "Somebody Loves Me."

This giant 16-CD Galaxy set features Pepper at the peak of his powers. Most of the performances are in a quartet setting, although this collection also includes a session with strings, five unaccompanied alto solos (he also plays clarinet on a few tracks), and a pair of CDs in which Pepper performs duets with pianist George Cables. Although more general collectors may want to acquire some of the individual sessions first (most of which are available separately on CD), the more dedicated jazz fans are advised to save their money and acquire this essential package.

Cricklewood Green provides the best example of Ten Years After's recorded sound. On this album, the band and engineer Andy Johns mix studio tricks and sound effects, blues-based song structures, a driving rhythm section, and Alvin Lee's signature lightning-fast guitar licks into a unified album that flows nicely from start to finish. Cricklewood Green opens with a pair of bluesy rockers, with "Working on the Road" propelled by a guitar and organ riff that holds the listener's attention through the use of tape manipulation as the song develops…