Big Leg

Frank Zappa - Zappa In New York (2019) {5CD Box Set, 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition ZR20029 rec 1976}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.88 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 724 Mb
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© 1976, 2019 Zappa Records / UMe | ZR20029
Rock / Experimental Rock / Avant-Garde / Art Rock / Jazz Rock

Of all the Zappa live albums out there (and there’s a lot, so we have to be careful what we say), the double album rendering of his December 1976 New York shows has always occupied a prominent position in the fan club’s “best of” ratings. There are misgivings, of course. The omission of the showstopping “Punky’s Whips”; the mass of edits and rearrangements that went into the final running order; the fact that close to two years elapsed between concert and LP…. But, if you stopped worrying about what could have been, and focus simply on what you got, it was a fabulous album.

One of the standout albums of 2021. It's everything you expected and more. Simply amazing. Dry Cleaning release their debut studio album New Long Leg on 4AD. The 10-track long-player, which includes ‘Strong Feelings’ and last year’s single ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’, was recorded over two weeks last summer at Rockfield Studios in rural Wales with producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding). Following on from their thrillingly taut 2019 EPs Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks and Sweet Princess, New Long Leg is more ambitious and complex, with Shaw’s spoken vocals tightly intertwined with the band’s restless instrumentals. With lyrics preoccupied by themes like dissociation, escapism, daydreaming, complicated feelings of love, anger, revenge, anxiety, the kitchen, lethargy, forgetfulness, and survival, Shaw says, “the title is ambiguous; a new long leg could be an expensive present or a growth or a table repair.”

Buddy Rich - Argo, Emarcy & Verve Small Group Sessions (1953-61) [7CD Set] (2005) {Mosaic MD7-232}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.17 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.02 Gb
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© 2005 Mosaic / Universal | MD7-232 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Drums

Buddy Rich, the most remarkable drummer to ever play jazz, can easily have his career divided into three. During 1937-1945 he was a notable sideman with big bands including those of Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey. In 1966 he formed his own successful orchestra that capitulated him to his greatest fame. During the 20 years in between, Rich led short-lived bebop big bands, a variety of combos, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recorded with all-star groups, and had stints with the orchestras of Dorsey and Harry James. This seven-CD set draws its material from Rich's second period and it can also be divided into two. The first half has Rich recording for producer Norman Granz in a variety of combos.

But Save My Soul is a surprisingly enjoyable and fresh album from a band many might have written off as already expending their allotted 15 minutes of fame.