Spellbound

With the supremely funky rhythm section of Marcus Miller (bass), Lenny Castro (percussion) and Omar Hakim (drums) propelling his piano most of the way – the other ringers on a few tracks aren't bad either – you would think that Joe Sample couldn't miss on this solo outing, Spellbound. Indeed, his distinctive piano cannot be mistaken for anyone else's, free of the usual mainstream influences and always a pleasure to groove to. And yet there is something too comfortable, too settled, too automatic about the musicmaking here, as if the grooves are being smothered by a warm, snuggly electric blanket.

Indian-born percussionist Trilok Gurtu pays homage to avant-garde trumpeter Don Cherry with 2013's Spellbound. As a member of Cherry's band from 1976 to 1978, Gurtu experienced Cherry's cross-cultural approach to music firsthand, an approach that greatly influenced his own musical direction. Bookended by two tracks Gurtu recorded with Cherry prior to the pocket trumpeter's death in 1995, Spellbound picks up on Cherry's mix of groove-oriented sounds from Indian to Afro-Cuban music to funk, free jazz, classical, and ambient improvisation. Spellbound is an engaging, stylistically varied album that truly evokes the magic of Cherry's music.

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - Spellbound (1964) {Real Gone–Dusty Groove RGM-0166 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 197 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 76 Mb
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© 1964, 2013 Concord Muaic / Real Gone Music / Dusty Groove | RGM-0166 | (Status ST-8303)
Jazz / Hard Bop / International Jazz / Bass

Sublime sounds from the always-amazing Ahmed Abdul-Malik – a jazz bassist at heart, but also a musician with a great ear for Eastern instrumentation as well! Ahmed cut a few key records at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – and this spellbinding set may well be one of his strongest – a set that moves past some of the more gimmicky use of exotic instrumentation on other albums, and focuses on a jazzy core that really shines strongly on the album's long tracks! There's still a nice sense of the East on the record – thanks to Hamza Aldeen's oud – but the set also features great jazz solos from Seldon Powell on flute and tenor, and the great Ray Nance on both cornet and violin. Drummer Walter Perkins plays with a fluid style that's perfect for the date – and pianist Paul Neves has a lyrical approach to piano that works wonders for the groove.

29th studio album from folk icon and cultural treasure Judy Collins! This very special songcycle is a first in Collins' long career - it's her first collection of all original material written by entirely by her - and it unfolds as a curated exhibition of her remarkable life! Co-produced with longtime collaborator Alan Silverman as well as singer-songwriter Ari Hest, whose album with Judy (Silver Skies Blue) was nominated for a Grammy in 2016, along with multi-instrumentalist Thad DeBrock (Duncan Sheik, Nelly, Jonas Brothers), bassist Zev Katz (Marc Anthony, Elton John, Billy Joel), and drummer Doug Yowell (Suzanne Vega, Joe Jackson, Duncan Sheik)!

Dorothy Ashby - The Fantastic Jazz Harp Of Dorothy Ashby (1965) {Atlantic–Spellbound Music SPELL4001CD rel 2016}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 169 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 34 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2016 Atlantic / Spellbound Music | SPELL4001CD
Jazz / Cool / Hard Bop / Harp

Reprint of the 1965 Original. On 1965's The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby, the harpist is joined by bassist Richard Davis, drummer Grady Tate, percussionist Willie Bobo, and a sporadic horn section on four Ashby originals and six standards.