The Blue Box Blue Note's Best (1997)

X-Legged Sally (XLS) is a Belgian avant-garde rock/jazz-band founded in 1988 by composer Peter Vermeersch, and disbanded in 1997. They were one of the first bands from Belgium to combine a set of very different musical styles (jazz, rock, improvisation and classical), becoming a starting point for the Belgian indie music scene that developed in the nineties. Initially, X-Legged Sally was formed to compose and perform the music Peter Vermeersch wrote for dance productions, such as Immer das Selbe Gelogen (Always the Same Lies), released as a live cd in 1991. Vermeersch' composing style was becoming too demanding for the constraints of sheet music such as was used in his earlier band Maximalist! From the beginning, improvisation played an important role in XLS' songs. The first X-Legged Sally concert took place in November 1988. Soon, XLS became a band in its own right, although there would be cooperations with dance ensembles throughout the existence of the group.

The ultimate exploration into Elton John’s extensive back catalogue, ‘Jewel Box’ encompasses a selection of deep cuts chosen by Elton himself; rarities from the earliest stage of his and Bernie Taupin’s musical journey; B-sides spanning 30 years, and songs discussed in Elton’s best-selling, critically acclaimed 2019 memoir, ‘Me’. The eight discs come in a beautiful hardcover book, enclosed in an outer slipcase. Each section contains extensive notes and, for ‘Deep Cuts’, there is track-by-track commentary by Elton. The set contains an unprecedented number of previously unheard, unreleased tracks from 1965-1971, the years that cemented the foundations of the iconic John-Taupin partnership: ‘Jewel Box’ truly is a treasure trove for Elton John fans.

Blues with a Feeling is a two-CD, 40-track compilation which makes the perfect audio bookend to The Essential Little Walter (or the single disc The Best of Little Walter for those on a budget) by systematically combing the Chess vaults and rounding up the best stuff. No bottom-of-the-barrel scrapings here; this compilation effectively renders all '70s Euro vinyl bootlegs null and void, both from a sound and selection standpoint. While not as exhaustive as the European nine-CD retrospective (in and out of print as of this writing), there are still things on this compilation that are left off the box set on Charly. The rarities (including the low down "Tonight with a Fool," possibly the rarest Walter Checker single of all and one whose title never shows up in the lyrics) are all noteworthy by their inclusion…

"That'll Flat… Git It!" is one of the best compilations of the 1950's rockabilly. Each volume contains nearly 30 songs, mostly rockabilly classics and unknown great artists. In spite the tracks were remastered, you can hear some noise, especially in the end of the tracks. This is because many songs were taken from original vinyl singles.

Stan Getz - East Of The Sun: The West Coast Sessions 1955-1957 (1996) {3CD Set Verve 314 531 935-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 725 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 500 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 41 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955-57, 1996 Verve / PolyGram | 314 531 935-2
Jazz / Cool / Bop / West Coast Jazz / Saxophone

The mainstream came to know this remarkable tenor sax player via bossa nova – his unforgettable, breathy solo on "The Girl from Ipanema" propelled the song to number five in 1964 and to continued popularity to this very day, every bit as much as Astrud Gilberto's equally stunning, spare voice. But Stan Getz's involvement in this populist '60s craze actually displeased many a serious jazz enthusiast who'd admired his work in that field for more than two decades. After all, this 17-time winner of the Down Beat poll for top tenor saxophonist had already staked out a remarkable reputation, playing in the bands of such vaunted names as Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman from 1944-1949, and then leading his own bands thereafter. This three-CD box, then, finds Getz in top form as a jazz soloist and bandleader.