Stories Masayoshi Fujita

Vocalist Paulette McWilliams and veteran session pro Tom Scott swing hard on this collection of mostly standards. McWilliams has a killer range and Scott provides the tasteful and unpredictable arrangements while soloing on saxes for most of the tunes. One tune, "Too Hot" seems geared for airplay. A slick production with a sparseness that refreshing. Recommended for fans of serious jazz vocals and Scott's always distinctive playing!

In 1973, or thereabouts, Nico, Mike Oldfield, Mike Ratledge (from the Soft Machine), Michael Giles (ex-King Crimson), Geoff Richardson (from Caravan) and many others lined up to help Kevin Ayers have his final stab at greatness, THE CONFESSIONS OF DR DREAM, which was released in 1974…

With their new album Mart Soo and Esa Pietilä combine the worlds of acoustic playing and diverse use of live-electronics. The Sonic atmospheres of the album are inspired by both artist´s interest in different sceneries at sea – this time their focus is at the most fascinating Lighthouses of the Finnish and Estonian coastlines which rise up imaginary stories out. The two talented musicians have made a significant impact in the international jazz scene and are known for their exceptional improvisational skills, making each performance a unique and dynamic experience. Their ability to create and develop ideas on the spot also with live electronics, sets them apart as some of the most talented musicians in the scene.

The long anticipated new Pineapple Thief album 10 Stories Down is now due. This stunning set of new songs that is easily the best produced by the band to date. Lush arrangements sit alongside the traditional sonic canvas of guitars, bass, drum, vocals and keyboards (Mellotrons, Hammond, Prophet 5 and Fender Rhodes). Pieces here consist mostly of song based material of a melancholy nature with more than a little alternative influence. Bruce Soords tell tale guitar work has never been so cutting with some soaring soloing amongst the memorable songs, especially on the 15 minute ending epic.

The Italian saxophonist pays tribute to the great Ennio Morricone, who passed away last summer. The album features Morricone’s most famous works (Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, The Great Silence etc.) as well as an unpublished song dedicated to Stefano, who had the chance to work with the Maestro in his later years.
Ennio Morricone’s film music provides an infinite treasure trove of creative thinking, associated with the most varied of images. It is also extremely versatile, just waiting to be delved into, reworked and rediscovered - his compositions would still be equally enjoyable and perfectly recognisable performed by a Bulgarian choir or a quintet of ocarinas. But throwing jazz into the mix takes things to a whole new level, creating what feels like a perfect match, a natural, perhaps even inevitable partnership…

George Benson's sound is so recognizable that, in its way, it's quite comforting to hear his voice or his guitar come across on the radio or in a club. His recordings have been polished and extravagant in many cases, but there are those signature elements – his relaxed delivery and silky touch on the strings and his voice, as evocative as a cool breeze floating across a hot summer night. Songs and Stories doesn't deviate from his formula a great deal, but it doesn't have to. He's chosen ten ubiquitous pop tunes from a variety of songwriters (and one by a relatively new kid on the block), and with the help of producers John Burk and Marcus Miller, he puts them across in fine style.

Robbie Fulks - Upland Stories (2016) {Bloodshot Records BS 242}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 268 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 108 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 Bloodshot Ltd. | BS 242
Folk / Bluegrass / Alternate Country

"The album delivers yet more evidence that Fulks is one of our greatest living songwriters"– Chicago Reader. Robbie Fulks is a brilliant songwriter and a very funny man, but that sense of humor sometimes hindered his work as much as it helped. His biting wit tended to undercut the humanity of his more serious songs, a quality that kept some of his earlier albums from reaching as deep as they could and should. Fulks seemed to have overcome this flaw on 2013's Gone Away Backward. The album was a stark, bone-dry set of acoustic songs that recalled the sound of Depression-era country as it spun tales that were compassionate but unflinchingly honest.