a Sea of Faces

As part of a Universal Earbook series that was launched in 2006, Dusty Springfield's 2000 box set Simply Dusty was reissued in a new format. It still contained the four CDs and 98 tracks of the original set, but this time it was packaged within a nearly LP-sized hardback coffee table book.

Recorded at Seibu Theatre, Tokyo (June 3rd and 4th 1977). This album packs a wallop! Lots of outstanding music and playing from everyone in the group - Jun Fukamachi, Randy & Michael Brecker contributing songs from the Brecker Bros albums. The 2CD set is a must - the song Triangle Session is actually a note for note cover of John Lee & Gerry Brown's song Rise On from the recently reissued album Still Can't Say Enough that the Brecker Bros played -recommended along with the companion album Mango Sunrise! Kenji Ohmura nails the guitar on this song and the whole performance. The drummer, Martin Willweber, and bassist Kenji Takamizu are also excellent.

Moondog & The London Saxophonic - Sax Pax for a Sax (1994) {Kopf kd 943333}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 298 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 127 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 23 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1994 Roof Music / Kopf Records | kd 94 33 33
Classical / Jazz / Avant-Garde / Modern Classical / Modern Composition / Saxophone

The composer calls his saxophone project Sax Pax, underlining that in this case the saxophones are not to be linked with military bands for which the instruments originally had been intended, but are used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Pax like peace or packs, meaning different sized groups within the ensemble, the first "pack" involves 4 saxes, as in Single Foot, the second one using 5 saxes, as in Sandalwood, then seven saxes, as in New Amsterdam, nine saxes in Novette No.1, and so on.

In the '70s, brothers Michael and Randy Brecker co-led a band of New York session big shots that included, at various times, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, and George Duke, among others. When they chose to, the Brecker Brothers Band could be one of the most intelligent and creative fusion outfits. Chief composer/trumpeter Randy's best tunes were structurally unpredictable, melodically intricate, and harmonically complex, inside/out bop heads played in an impossibly precise manner over a bed of funk rhythms. Unlike the bulk of jazz-funk, the Breckers - on their first record, at least - kept the pandering to a minimum. Though it had a certain commercial appeal, 1975's Back to Back was an artistic success as well. The Brothers' music was a smart combination of extended pop forms, top-notch jazz improvisation, and sophisticated compositional techniques.

Rainbirds - Call Me Easy Say I'm Strong Love Me My Way It Ain't Wrong
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 328 MB | Full Artwork: 70 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Mercury # 838 176-2 | Country/Year: Germany 1989
Genre: Rock | Style: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

"…The band formed in 1986 and named themselves after an instrumental track by Tom Waits. When they won the Rock competition of the Senate of Berlin, they were contracted by Mercury Records. Their first album Rainbirds was produced in the Audio Studios of Berlin and became a success, the single "Blueprint" enjoyed attention across Europe in 1988. The band's first line-up included Katharina Franck (guitar, vocals), Michael Beckmann (bass), and Wolfgang Glum (drums). Due to a concert tour, guitarist Rodrigo González became a member of the Rainbirds. Later he joined Die Ärzte and Abwärts…"