Candela x

This release champions two relatively unknown Neapolitan composers. Mario Pilati’s style was described by musicologist Gianandrea Gavazzeni as “southern Baroque, full of songlike whims and lively impulses”, and the rhythmically vital and deeply expressive Piano Quintet of 1927–28 is one of his most important early pieces. Pianist Aldo Ciccolini was one of Achille Longo’s favourite pupils as a child, and his close association with the healthily eclectic Quintet brings a special warmth to its rich timbres and joyously refined nuances. The Circolo Artistico Ensemble specialises in the revival of the unpublished work of Italian composers.

With her powerful pipes, stunning showmanship, and superhuman sense of timing, Celia Cruz defined her chosen genre like few other performers in the history of popular music. EXITOS ETERNOS is a collection of tracks the "Queen of Salsa" recorded during the last decade of her life that, despite the vocalist's advanced age, clearly show Cruz's talents never wavered. Known for her uncompromising attitude and refusal to sing in English, Cruz valued aesthetic purity, but never became a museum piece. A driving pulse and rhythmic toasting that recall dancehall reggae propel her 2001 hit "La Negra Tiene Tumbao," and other tracks feature subtle synthesizer textures. Unlike lesser artists, however, Cruz is able to incorporate these disparate sonic colors seamlessly, making them sound as traditional as a conga drum or guiro. Of course, the unrelenting force behind each recording is Cruz's astounding voice, the sheer energy of which makes even these later recordings sound both classic and utterly contemporary.

Mongo Santamaria - Mongo At Montreux (1971) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series 24bit Remaster WPCR-27188}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 212 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1971, 2012 Atlantic / Warner Japan / WEA / Rhino | WPCR-27188 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Latin Jazz / Percussion

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. Recorded live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, the blistering Mongo at Montreux captures Mongo Santamaria in the absolute prime of his career, embracing all facets of his expansive musical vision for a set that is far more than the sum of its parts. Spanning from soulful Latin boogaloo grooves like "Come Candela" to psychedelic jazz renditions of pop hits like the Temptations' "Cloud Nine" to straight-up funk excursions like "Climax," Mongo at Montreux is relentlessly energetic music genetically engineered for dancing – most impressive of all is "Conversation in Drums," a virtual primer in Latin percussion.

If you wonder (a) why Barretto suddenly has such a hot band, (b) what the two hokey Mexicali cuts are doing mixed in with all the other fine stuff, and © why there are zippo notes, one explanation fits all. This CD, copyright 1994, is a re-release of one of Barretto's long-lost 1960s United Artists recordings. But the music is terrific: a hell of a swing, great solo trumpet.

Eddie Palmieri & Cal Tjader - Bamboleate (1967) {Fania Original Remastered rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 179 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
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© 1967, 2007 Tico / Fania / Emusica Records | 773 130 217-2
Jazz / Latin Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Piano / Vibes

The second album pairing Palmieri and Tjader, Bamboleate moves beyond El Sonido Nuevo into the respective territories of each artist. "Bamboleate" is the Latin cooker ones expects from Palmieri but didn't find on the more subdued El Sonido Nuevo. "Semejanza" is an equally affecting jazz lilt led by Tjader. Framed by a melody that could have come straight off the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Christmas album, it has an equally indelible, locomotive rhythm. Tjader's samba, "Samba de Los Suenho," is a welcome departure from the relative rigidity of El Sonido Nuevo.

Avishai Cohen - Devotion (1999) {Stretch SCD-9021-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 355 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 145 Mb
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© 1999 Stretch Records / Concord | SCD-9021-2
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Bass

Bassist Avishai Cohen, best known at this point for his work with Chick Corea, on his own projects mixes together adventurous jazz with influences from world music, original folk melodies, and his own creativity. He composed 12 selections on his second CD, including tributes to Horace Silver and Chick Corea (which do not really sound that close to either of those pianist/composer's styles). The music is consistently unpredictable, with Cohen being joined by pianist Jason Lindner, drummer Jeff Ballard, Jimmy Greene on reeds, trombonist Steve Davis, guitarist Amos Hoffman, a string quartet, and up to five singers (who are mostly used in the background). An intriguing set by an up-and-coming composer who is also a very fluent bassist.

If you like strings, consider Karenautas, a 14-piece outfit featuring five violinists, four cellists, and two double bassists – with a singer, clarinetist, and drummer completing the lineup. And Karenautas are from Argentina, so if you like tango…well, actually, don't expect any Piazzolla on Recreo, Karenautas' 2012 debut album, and clarinetist Martín Rur has suggested in an interview that listeners shouldn't regard the group as devoted primarily to Argentina's musical heritage. Instead, Rur noted the influence of Ravel, Debussy, and Bartók, but there are also non-classical touchstones, and even a big Argentine one: Recreo is dedicated to the late Luis Alberto Spinetta, a giant of Argentine rock who died in February 2012, not long after the album was recorded.

Borah Bergman Trio & John Zorn - Luminescence (2009) {Tzadik TZ 8131}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 277 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 108 Mb
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© 2009 Tzadik | TZ 8131 | Tzadik Radical Jewish Culture Series
Jazz / Modern Jazz / International Jazz / Piano Trio / Saxophone

The long awaited follow-up to Borah Bergman’s critically acclaimed solo recording Meditations for Piano takes his lyrical cross hands contrapuntal technique into the dynamic context of the classic piano trio. Rich and soulful, this is Borah at his most thoughtful, supported by a fabulous rhythm section and performing music very close to his heart. Influenced by the exotic melismas of cantorial singing, the counterpoint of Bach and the harmonic beauty of Alban Berg and Bill Evans, Borah forges a new language of joy and sadness, firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition. John Zorn guests on one track.