Dick Heckstall Smith

Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jack Bruce, John Stevens - This That (1994) {Atonal Records ACD 3017}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 343 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 169 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1994 Atonal Records } ACD 3017
Jazz / Blues Rock / Fusion / Neo-Bop

Heckstall-Smith was an active member of the London jazz scene from the late 1950s. He joined Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner's groundbreaking blues group, in 1962, recording the album R&B from the Marquee. The following year, he was a founding member of that band's breakaway unit, The Graham Bond Organization. (The lineup also included two future members of the blues-rock supergroup Cream: bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.)

The This Is the Blues series from Eagle Records (there are four volumes thus far) features players from the late-'60s/early-'70s golden age of classic British blues-rock covering, for the most part, songs by Willie Dixon and John Lee Hooker, all drawn from a series of tribute albums originally produced by Peter Brown. The fact that everything on these volumes was overseen by the same producer means that there’s an unusual unity of sound throughout the series, and listening to these collections feels a bit like listening to concert recordings at some super all-star British blues festival. The lineup is impressive, including the likes of Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Rory Gallagher, Jack Bruce, former members of Foghat (Lonesome Dave Peverett, Rod Price), and Peter Green, who has several of his own songs also covered in the series…

Jack Bruce - Things We Like (1968) {Polydor Japan, Paper Sleeve, UICY-9303 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 277 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 115 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968, 2003 Polydor / Universal Japan | UICY-9303
Jazz / Jazz Rock / Post Bop

Enthusiasts expecting to hear a continuation of the type of material that Jack Bruce (bass) had been responsible for during his tenure(s) with Cream or the Graham Bond Organisation might be in for quite a shock when spinning Things We Like (1970) for the first time. Instead of an album's worth of blues-based rockers, the seven instrumentals feature Bruce with other former Graham Bond stablemates John McLaughlin (guitar), Jon Hiseman (drums), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax) performing post-bop and free jazz. A majority of the compositions were penned by Bruce in his preteen days of formal scholarship at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where he also mastered the cello and composed a string quartet at the age of 11.

First fully authorised release comprising Colosseum recorded live at the BBC 1969-1971. Over 60 tracks, many recordings new to CD - over 6 hours playing time. Painstakingly researched by Colin Harper, Nigel Lees and Ashley Wood. Restored and remastered by Eroc for optimum sound quality throughout. In-depth liner notes by Chris Welch with a foreword by Pete Brown. Includes 44-page booklet, photographs and contributions from former band members.

Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.
An excellent album from this majestic blues/jazz-rock band. There are two real characteristics for the album 1)

Neil Ardley's New Jazz Orchestra - Camden '70 (2008) {Dusk Fire DUSKCD105}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 390 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 43 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970, 2008 Dusk Fire Records | DUSKCD105
Jazz / Experimental Big Band / Jazz Rock / Progressive Jazz / Third Stream

The legendary NJO has few issued recordings to its name, much to the shame of the British recording industry. I applaud Dusk Fire for their efforts to gain a commercial release for this historic document. Other reviewers have expressed concern about the audio quality. The accompanying notes explain the clean-up job which had to be done to the original 2-track tape but, while it is not perfect, the sound is not noticeably distorted, most of the instruments can be heard just fine and overall the effect is no worse than many other officially released live recordings.