Strata 2014

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata (1971) {2014 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series WPCR-27919}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 244 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1971, 2014 Atlantic / Rhino / Warner Japan / WEA | WPCR-27919 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Reeds

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. A totally amazing album – and one of the clearest examples of Roland Kirk's genius approach to reeds! The set's essentially solo, and features Kirk playing without any tape tricks or overdubbing – but still at a level that has multiple saxophones layered on top of one another – thanks to his creative approach to playing more than one instrument at once, and groundbreaking use of circular breathing! The record has these fantastic throbbing pulsating reed lines –with one horn blowing rhythm, and one playing an adventurous solo – and both being blown live a the same time, in a style that's still very soulful and swinging overall – and amazingly done without any sense of overindulgence.

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - Child's Dance (1972) {2014 Japan Prestige Masters Collection 1000 Series UCCO-90294}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 243 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 89 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1972, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90294 / UCCO-9884 (Prestige PR 10047)
Jazz / Hard Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Drums

After several years of few recordings, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers re-emerged with totally new personnel on this Prestige LP. The strongest performance is a quartet feature for the great trumpeter Woody Shaw on "I Can't Get Started," but the other three selections (which include such musicians as George Cables or John Hicks on keyboards, bassist Stanley Clarke and Ramon Morris on reeds) are also worth hearing and sound surprisingly "contemporary" for the time. An interesting set.

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - Buhaina (1973) {2014 Japan Prestige Masters Collection 1000 Series UCCO-90295}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 281 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 217 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90295
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Groove / Soul Jazz

An amazing album that has Art Blakey completely reinventing himself for the 70s! Blakey shifts from straight hardbop to kind of a modal soul jazz groove, touched with some of the electric playing of the younger jazz generation, but not enough to qualify as fusion or funk. Instead, he's working with some great younger players – like Carter Jefferson, Woody Shaw, and Michael Howell – hitting a groove that reminds us of some of the best underground soul jazz on labels like Muse or Strata East. Includes the amazing long groovers "Mission Eternal" and "Chant For Bu", a famous Tribe Called Quest sample – plus new electric piano versions of "Moanin" and "Along Came Betty", both of which feature vocals by Jon Hendricks.

Stanley Cowell - New World (1978) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 222 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 169 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978, 2014 Galaxy / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90365
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Post Bop / Rhodes / Hammond

A surprisingly righteous little album from Stanley Cowell – a set cut after his more famous music for the Strata East label, but one that still hangs onto a similar vibe! The style's a bit tighter than before, but still filled with soul and spirit – thanks to a lineup that includes Julian Priester on trombone, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, and Pat Patrick on reeds – making a key appearance here away from the Sun Ra Arkestra! Cowell plays both piano and keyboards, and the record has a bit of strings, and a bit of vocals – but all used tastefully, in ways that further enforce the depth of the tunes. Tracks include "El Space-O", "Ask Him", "Island Of Haitoo", and "I'm Tryin To Find A Way".

Azar Lawrence - Summer Solstice (1975) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 Series UCCO-90360}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 269 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 152 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2014 Prestige / Concord / Universal Music Japan | UCCO-90360
Jazz / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Spiritual Jazz / Saxophone

A beautiful album of spiritual soul and Brazilian influenced jazz from Azar Lawrence – and a pretty rare one we're thrilled to have! Lawrence is a stellar sax player with a sound that's a bit like Gary Bartz, which means that he fits in perfectly with the Fantasy-era Prestige Records sound – but the sounds on this set are uncommonly rich and globally influenced. The set's predominantly acoustic, with lots of modal grooves in kind of a Strata East vein – and angular post-Coltrane playing that's very similar to Bartz's work on the Libra album from his early days. Players include Raul De Souza on trombone, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Dom Salvador, who is really allowed to shine on piano on a few tracks, and drummer & percussionist Guilherme Franco, who brings a world of wonderful percussion on a couple of numbers.