The Sidewinder

There is some serious shaking going on in the studio here, and it appears the veteran Sample has found a great situation to let out his more aggressive edges. What must it be like to be a legend and try to somehow uncover a path you haven't driven on before? How can a cat like Sample top himself? It's always rewarding when a veteran artist twists expectations with a brand new sound, even if reaching into his past for the germ of the idea. Sample darts at the listener with a whole new, nonstop brass funk approach, allowing his all-star Soul Committee to lay down the grooves beneath his still plucky ivory spirit. Though Did You Feel That? cooks from start to finish, employing inventive rhythmic touches, simmering cool, and a flashy retro production style, it's sometimes too easy to compare the wild horn tandem of Oscar Brashear and Joel Peskin with old Sample cohorts Wilton Felder and Wayne Henderson…

Although not yet an innovator himself, Benny Green has managed to combine the styles of Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Gene Harris, and especially Oscar Peterson in his playing; his fast octave runs are often wondrous. He grew up in Berkeley and played as a teenager with Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw. After moving to New York, he spent important periods with Betty Carter (1983-1987) and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1987-1989), becoming quite well-known during the latter association. In addition to working with Freddie Hubbard, Green popped up in many bop-oriented settings for a few years before joining Ray Brown's Trio in 1992. At the same time, he has worked with his own trio, which originally included Christian McBride and Carl Allen…

REM Automatic For The People (2017 UK 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 3-CD box set comprising a 12-track remastered CD of the album, a 13-track live CD recorded at the 40 Watt Club on 19th November 1992 and 20-track DemosCD plus bonus track Photograph [featuring Natalie Merchant].

R.E.M. will mark the 25th anniversary of their widely successful eighth studio album, Automatic for the People, with a deluxe reissue. It’s the latest archival release from R.E.M., who previously served up anniversary reissues for the seven albums put out prior to Automatic, including last year’s repacking of Out of Time.