Yusef Lateef Live At Pep's, Vol.2

John Coltrane - Live In Japan Vol.2 (1966) {Impulse! Japan, 55XD-579~580, Early Press, 2CD}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 610 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 289 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 161 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 1987 Impulse! / MCA Records Japan | 55XD-579~580
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

This very interesting four-CD set contains two sets of music by the 1966 John Coltrane Quintet, recorded in Tokyo, Japan. Most of the music had not been released in the United States until 1991. Coltrane (heard on tenor, soprano, and alto) engages in some ferocious interplay with Pharoah Sanders (on tenor, alto, and bass clarinet), pianist Alice Coltrane, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali; fans of Trane's earlier records may not like these atonal flights. However, listeners who enjoy avant-garde jazz will find many stirring moments among the very lengthy performances. The shortest piece is the 25-minute version of "Peace on Earth," and "My Favorite Things" goes on for over 57 minutes.

On this follow-up volume of recordings done live at Birdland from the second-edition "Jazz Messengers" (officially the Art Blakey Quintet), there are extraordinary high points, along with low points that either result from tiredness or a lack or preparation. With trumpeter Clifford Brown taking over briefly for Donald Byrd, and alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson in the fray post-Hank Mobley, the band has a very different sound, though pianist Horace Silver, Blakey, and bassist Curly Russell (sitting in for Doug Watkins on these recordings only) are solid as a rock. There's some quintessential bop and hard bop in this set, inspired and hard-charging as one might expect, but the Latin tinge of the original band is gone…

Continuation of an extensive live retrospective from the archives of Anyone's Daughter. The CD offers songs from all creative periods of the band which, apart from one coincidence (an early version of 'Anyone's Daughter'), were not included on the first volume due to lack of space, for instance four tracks which cannot be found on any studio album: 'Schwärzer als die Nacht', a German language cover version of UK's classic 'In The Dead of Night', the instrumentals 'Stampede' and 'Pegasus', as well as an alternative version of 'Land's End', already included on the regular 'Live' album.

The second half of the February, 1972 Paris concert is much more aggressive than the first. Starting with Evans' challenging "Twelve Tone Tune," the trio (with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell) plays a much more varied set that better demonstrated their abilities. Also excellent are the especially subdued arrangement of Denny Zeitlin's "Quiet Now" (a favorite of Evans throughout his career) and Evans' "Very Early," which is a great feature for Eddie Gomez. The bittersweet interpretation of another original, "Time Remembered," is a prime example of why Bill Evans was widely admired, both as a composer and as a pianist.

Art Blakey Quintet - A Night at Birdland Vol.2 (1954) {Blue Note Japan, CP32-5202, Early Press}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 318 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 124 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 200 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954, 1986 Blue Note / Toshiba EMI Japan | CP32-5202
Jazz / Hard Bop

During Blue Note vault research in 1975, four additional full performances from this historic Birdland recording were discovered. three of them were issued in the U.S. in 1978 as part of a Blakey double album. All four were issued in 1983 in Japan as A NIGHT AT BIRDLAND, Volume Three, which had a short playing time. Due to the expanded time limitations of the CD, half of these discoveries have been added to each of the original Birdland volumes. -Michael Cuscuna