The Big Issue From 12 December 2016

Don Ellis & Brad Fiedel - The French Connection Collection (2016) {2CD La-La Land LLLCD1408 Limited Collector's Edition rec 1971, 1975}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 766 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 354 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 186 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 1975, 2016 La-La Land Records | LLLCD 1408 | Limited Collector's Edition of 2000 units
Jazz / Stage & Screen / Soundtrack / Avant-Garde Jazz

Great thriller soundtracks back to back on one CD – the soundtracks for both French Connection films, both handled by funky jazzman Don Ellis – plus the even rarer score for the later Popeye Doyle film, by Brad Fiedel – packaged here with other rare bonus tracks too! The music by Don Ellis is really incredible – a real cut above other 70s cop and action soundtracks, with a dark edge that shows that Ellis had been listening to some of the hipper European soundtrack composers of the time, but was still also cool enough to kick in with a badass kind of groove whenever he could! The instrumentation on the tunes is very odd – familiar, yet askew – as trumpet, guitar, and keyboard bits come off with some very weird effects. The sound of Popeye Doyle is a bit different – given that the film was an 80s TV addition to the French Connection narrative – with Ed O'Neil in the lead role that was previously handled by Gene Hackman. But Brad Fiedel's score is still pretty nice – definitely more 80s in its instrumentation, but handled with a mode that echoes the Ellis years, with the flavor of a decade later. This 2CD package has way more material than the previous issue – with a total of 48 tracks from the first two films – and 29 more from Popeye Doyle – a whopping 77 tracks in all, with some great notes too!

Clifford Brown - The Complete Paris Collection (1953) {3CD Set Vogue Japan, K30Y-6184~6, Early Press rel 1987}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 930 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 463 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 250 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953, 1987 Disques Vogue / King Records Japan | K30Y-6184~6
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trumpet

In a way, Brown was the Wynton Marsalis of his time; like Marsalis, Brown came on the jazz scene following a period of significant stylistic change. However, unlike Marsalis (who rejected the free jazz made famous by the generation just preceding his own), Brown chose to embrace the innovations of his immediate elders. In the process, Brown became one of the great post-Gillespie trumpeters, developing a voice that spoke the language of bebop with a distinct, personal inflection. In September 1953 – having just recorded his first dates as a leader for Blue Note – Brown went to Europe with Lionel Hampton.

Frank Zappa & The Mothers - The Roxy Performances (2018) {7CD Box Set Zappa Records-UMe 0200282 EU Issue rec 1973}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.92 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.10 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 140 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1973, 2018 Zappa Records / UMe | 0200282 | EU Issue
Rock / Experimental Rock / Avant-Garde / Art Rock / Jazz Rock

Zappa Records presents The Roxy Performances. A 7-Disc Box Set that contains the MOTHERLODE of all things Roxy. All 4 public shows from December 9 & 10 1973, remixed in 2016 and presented in their entirety for the first time. Also included is the sound check from December 8th and bonus content that features rehearsal nuggets and unreleased tracks along with highlights from the recording session at Bolic Studios that took place in conjunction with the filming dates. Recording Medium: #M Scotch 2inch 16 Track Analog Tape @ 30ips.