Sociolinguistics Soziolinguistik. Volume 2 2. Tielband (auflage: 2)

Early jazz electric guitarist whose dazzling single note style unshackled the instrument from the rhythm section, immeasurably influential. It can be said without exaggeration that virtually every jazz guitarist that emerged during 1940-65 sounded like a relative of Charlie Christian. The first important electric guitarist, Christian played his instrument with the fluidity, confidence, and swing of a saxophonist. Although technically a swing stylist, his musical vocabulary was studied and emulated by the bop players, and when one listens to players ranging from Tiny Grimes, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis, to Wes Montgomery and George Benson, the dominant influence of Christian is obvious.

Pauline Alpert - Keyboard Wizards Of The Gershwin Era - Volume I (1943-1944) {Pearl GEMM CD 9201 rel 1995}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 237 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 173 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1943-44, 1995 Pearl | GEMM CD 9201
Jazz / Classical / Pop / Piano

Pauline Alpert was known as a "whirlwind pianist" during the novelty era. She played within orchestras and as a solo artist. She also appeared in movies and videos, and was a contributing artist to many musical releases. Here is a wonderful variety of selections recorded by the phenomenal Pauline Alpert taken from her 1940's 78's. They are very finely remastered, and the overall quality is outstanding. A highly recommended CD by this artist.

Indiana's Straight No Chaser is an all-male a cappella ensemble known for their sophisticated vocal harmonies and popular holiday-themed albums. Taking an unconventional approach from their beginnings at Indiana University in 1996, the male a cappella ensemble Straight No Chaser worked up a repertoire that included not only traditional songs, but also modern pop tunes performed without the use of instruments. Various local performances, including a storied early-morning appearance at the university's annual 36-hour dance marathon, caught the public's attention and helped the ensemble gather a fan base on campus. The original lineup of the group released several albums, toured the Midwest, and even competed nationally at Carnegie Hall before the students graduated and went their separate ways.

Picking up in 1965 where Past Masters, Vol. 1 left off, Past Masters, Vol. 2 collects the 15 non-LP tracks that the Beatles released in the last five years of their career (not counting the singles that were released on Magical Mystery Tour). If Vol. 2 is more eclectic than its predecessor, it isn't quite as thematically consistent, but it does hit greater highs with a greater frequency…

The third installment of this series devoted to British '60s girl group-like sounds is, like the genre itself, not a match for the best American girl group music. But like its predecessors, it's a fairly good compilation, if more notable for inventive orchestral pop production than for the talents of the singers. Julie Driscoll, represented by the early single "I Know You Love Me Not" (which sounds a little like an experimental Dusty Springfield), is the only fairly well-known name on this 22-track disc, though Twinkle had some success in Britain, and Glenda Collins and Samantha Jones have their enthusiasts.

Although volume four of RPM's Dream Babes series of 1960s British girl group sides gets further into obscure flops than its predecessors, there's barely any drop in the quality, which remains good, though hardly great. And as with most of the rest of the songs on this series, the production's better than the singers or the material. That's not to say there aren't some pretty good cuts on this 22-song anthology, some of them explicitly derivative of the American girl group sound (like the Chantelles' cracking "I Want That Boy," a cover of an obscure U.S. single by Sadina), others taking a pop-soul approach, others mixing in some British beat music.

Pee Wee Crayton - The Modern Legacy. Volume 1 (1996) {Ace CDCHD632 rec 1948-1951}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 156 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
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© 1948-51, 1996 Modern Recordings / Ace Records | CDCHD 632
Blues / Jump Blues / Texas Blues / Electric Blues

As an overview of Crayton's work for Modern from 1948-51, this might not be ideal, as only about half of it appeared on singles during that time; the rest was mostly unissued until the 1980s and 1990s, some making their first appearance on this CD. It also means that some of his Modern singles, including his biggest hit for the label (the ballad "I Love You So"), aren't here, as they were saved for another Ace volume of Crayton's Modern sides. Those considerations aside, this is superior Los Angeles jump blues, with the rare vault sides holding up about as well as what came out on singles.

Bill Evans - The Solo Sessions, Volume 1 (1963) {Milestone MCD-9170-2 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 177 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1963, 1989 Milestone Records / Fantasy | MCD-9170-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Piano

In need of money and wanting to quickly fulfill his contractual obligations to Riverside, Bill Evans recorded two albums worth of solos in one day. The emotional and rather stark music was not initially released until the late '80s although it is now available on a pair of CDs. Due to the lack of much mood or tempo variation, this particular set is recommended mostly for Evans completists and longtime fans. There are two medleys (the pianist was playing one tune after another and a few songs overlapped) and every number would be recorded by Evans (generally in trio formats) at other times.