The Lady 20 February 2015

In the 1960s, The Hep Stars were Sweden’s biggest band - inspiring screams and Beatles-like devotion. For the first time outside Sweden, Like We Used To: The Anthology 1965-1967 collects them at their peak, from being one of the era’s wildest bands - emphasised on the live tracks - to performers of affecting songs with a yearning atmosphere.
The band’s songwriter Benny Andersson later achieved global fame with ABBA and Like We Used To features classic early compositions, including the first-ever song he wrote. Also collected is a rare early collaboration with his future ABBA companion Björn Ulvaeus - the first song they wrote together…

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett sang before 2014's Cheek to Cheek – she popped up on his 2011 collection Duets II – so this standards album isn't exactly out of the blue. Furthermore, the two aren't such an odd pair…

In 1601, English composer Thomas Morley published a volume of madrigals called The Triumphs of Oriana. The music was intended to honor the aging Queen Elizabeth I, referred to as Oriana for reasons about which historians disagree (one version of the story is given in the detailed and informative notes by Thomas Elias). Each madrigal concluded with some variant of the couplet "Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana/Long live fair Oriana," allowing the composer (there were 23 different ones for the 25 pieces) to strut his polyphonic stuff at the end of the song.

Billie Holiday - Lady In Satin: The Centennial Edition (1958) {3CD Set Columbia 888750828224 rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 958 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 401 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 56 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958, 2015 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | 888750828224
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Blues

"Lady in Satin", Billie Holiday's penultimate studio album, is both revered and reviled by her fans. Recorded in February 1958, a mere 17 months before her death at the age of 44, it was said to be her personal favorite. These historical recordings show that her voice was ravaged by hard times, alcohol and drugs. Yet, heartache always informed her art, and she delivers here with unequated poignancy twelve songs that she'd never recorded before. We celebrate Billie's Holiday 100th birthday with this new and ultimate edition of "Lady In Satin", In addition to all of the original album tracks, all newly remixed and mastered in 24-Bit, the first CD is enhanced by the presence of three bonus tracks, including for the very first time a true stereophonic version of "The End Of A Love Affair"

George Benson - The George Benson Cookbook (1966) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 34}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 340 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 300 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 34
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Groove / Guitar / Organ Hammond B-3

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. While the phenomenal success of George Benson’s Breezin’ (1976) album may have fattened his wallet; it led the guitarist down a path that dismayed jazz critics worldwide. Indeed, the bulk of Benson’s albums over the past 20 years have featured considerably less jazz and, unfortunately, more pop. Not so with The George Benson Cookbook (1966). This sizzling CD features the then young, hotshot string-picker on 14 swingin’ bebop/soul-jazz tracks. Benson kicks things off in rapid fashion with the aptly titled, "The Cooker." Not only does this track feature blazing licks from Benson, but baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber and organist Lonnie Smith also weigh in with tasty solos.