Rob Franken

In 1976, the pianists Rob Franken en Jan Huydts both lived in Soest (Netherlands). They hung out together a lot, and shared their love for newly developed key instruments. Both of them were Fender Rhodes electric piano pioneers. Rob Franken's piano virtuosity is to be recognized on as many as four hundred records. In 1976, he had his own trio and performed with the Dutch funk fusion formation ‘Scope’ from the city of Zwolle. In this band, he met with drummer Henk Zomer, whom he was very impressed with.
At the end of 1975, Rob Franken came to the idea to start a new formation based on the combination of different consonance colors by combining Fender pianos with synthesizers, string cabinets and other electronic key instruments…

Rene Thomas - Hommage A… Rene Thomas (1974) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6330}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 249 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6330
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Modern Post Bebop / Guitar

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A tribute to the great European guitarist Rene Thomas – and one that features Thomas himself fronting a sweet small combo with Fender Rhodes from Rob Franken – with a sound that's unlike any other album that Rene ever recorded! Thomas first rose to fame on the bop scene in Paris in the postwar years – but here, he's got a much more longform approach to guitar – really stretching out on these very long tracks that build beautifully with his own richly chromatic lines, and some great solo moments from Franken. The group also features Koos Serierse on bass and Louis Debij on drums – and titles include "My Wife Maria", "Jesus Think Of Me", "Star Eyes", and "Round Midnight".

Batida - Batida (1983) {2016 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6435}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 251 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 231 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983, 2016 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6435
Jazz / Latin Jazz / Post Bop / Samba Jazz / Bossa Nova / Brazilian Traditions

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. One of the first Dutch bands - if not the first - to perform purely Brazilian music, but not with the bossa nova's until then, but with his own compositions that radiate power and are compelling. Founders Josee Koning (vocals) and Peter Schön (keyboards, compositions) devise as a trademark for this approach: two percussionists on stage, live and in the mix on the record.

The predecessor band of Scope was called Strange Power and was founded around 1969 in Zwolle/Holland. Rik Elings, Henk Zomer (drums) and bassist Erik Raayman had founded the fusion project and had already released a 7"-single that was added to the first Scope CD as a bonus. With the entry of guitarist Rens Nieuwland in 1972, Strange Power became Scope. Subsequently, the Dutch jazz rock foursome made a name for itself in both Holland and Germany. A talent scout from WEA/Atlantic became aware of the band and hired them for his label. In 1973 the band entered the Hamburg studio Maschen to record their debut album Scope under the direction of Jochen Petersen. The result was an exciting, varied fusion/jazz rock album, which contained a lot of improvisations and perfectly reflected the craftsmanship of the four musicians…

German drummer Klaus Weiss appeared in groups with many American expatriates as well as leading his own bands in trio, quintet, sextet, and big-band settings from the '60s through the '90s. Influenced by such drummers as Big Sid Catlett and Buddy Rich, Weiss began playing professionally at age 16. His first gigs, with a group called the Jazzopators, provided accompaniment roles for trumpeter Nelson Williams and vocalist Inez Cavanaugh. Weiss also worked with the Klaus Doldinger Quartet, and played at the Blue Note in Paris with Bud Powell, Kenny Drew, and Johnny Griffin…

John Lee & Gerry Brown - Still Can't Say Enough (1976) {2013 Japanese BNLA Series 24-bit Remaster TOCJ-50546}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 289 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 179 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2013 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50546
Jazz / Fusion / Neo Bop / Jazz Funk

Reissue with the latest 24bit/192kHz remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. Great work from John Lee and Gerry Brown – a pair of fusion stalwarts who added key help to a number of classic 70s sessions for other artists – and got to make a rare few albums like this on their own! Lee's on bass and Brown's on drums, and the pair are in perfect time throughout – working with Skip Drinkwater production, which helps them find even more focus than before, and shake off some of the more jamming aspects of their rock-fusion performances with others – a move that helps them come up with a wonderfully soulful sound in the process – very much in the best Drinkwater soul jazz style of the time!

John Lee and Gerry Brown's Blue Note debut pairs the duo with producer Skip Drinkwater, who strips their fusion approach to its bare essentials to create a moody, deeply funky sound that smolders with intensity. Bolstered by session aces spanning from Motown studio great Wah Wah Watson to Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, Mango Sunrise burns as slow and steady as a stick of dynamite – while Drinkwater's production is undeniably slick, it also eliminates the superfluous sounds and technical wankery that undermine so much of Lee and Brown's subsequent output.