Stormy Night In London

Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers – and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic James P. Johnson-derived stride manner, with a powerful left hand delivering the octaves and tenths in a tireless, rapid, seamless stream. ~ AllMusic

Not to be confused with the identically titled Parrot Records release, which is a 20-track double-LP set, this is a 13-track single CD set and a U.S. reissue of the Decca U.K. LP from 1982. It would have been less confusing if they had called it "Them's Greatest Hits" since it is primarily a singles compilation…

This fabulous five disc set is replete with some of those old Stokowski warhorses all recorded in absolutely mind boggling Phase 4 sound, overblown perhaps but astounding for its time. Decca's remastering is absolutely magnificent and the discs are jam packed with almost six hours of music. This is another fine memorial to a great conductor who remained astonishingly vital until the very end of his life.

King Crimson ProjeKct One - Jazz Cafe, London, England - December 04, 1997 (2006) {2CD DGM 16/44 Official Digital Download}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (dgmlive.com) -> 553 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 218 Mb | Artwork (pdf+jpg) | 5% repair rar
© 1997, 2006 Discipline Global Mobile / King Crimson / DGMlive.com
Rock / Progressive Rock / Art Rock

“Great. Really good. What now?” enquires a delighted Bill Bruford at the end of a number What now indeed? The residency at the Jazz Café felt fresh and different yet paradoxically recognizable and familiar, suggesting that P1 were in many respects the missing link between 1974 and 1994. Despite Mr. Clueless of Camden interrupting Robert’s first KC-related stage announcement in over 13 years, nothing could take away from the fact that it had been an amazing week of momentous improvisations with the fourth and final evening being particularly strong. This gig represents both a completion and a new beginning as Bill takes his final bow on the KC stage.

This exemplary four-disc box takes the high road, attempting nothing less than an honest reconstruction of the Who's stormy, adventurous, uneven pilgrimage. While offering an evenhanded cross-section of single hits and classic album tracks, 30 Years garnishes the expected high points with B-sides, alternate and live versions of familiar tracks, and the quartet's earliest singles as the High Numbers…