Distant Land

If we ever choose to venture down the Unconvention path again the whole Violetta de Outono band have simply got to be there. Their brand of heartfelt, optimistic psychedelic-progressive rock is a perfect fit. ~ Daevid Allen

This CD is well crafted. There is a balance between tunes with a rock and roll edge, some more mellow songs and one with a calypso flavor, complete with steel drums! Also included in this musical work is a soulful rendition of the musical standard "I'll be there." The CD wraps up with a hard driving piece titled "Porcha". This band is hot!

From the start (with their 1997 studio album) it was obvious that the band decided to keep alive the spirit of the 70s, with a relatively strong Yes, Camel and Marillion influence, but a unique touch that only Brazilian bands can provide, the album was well received in the States but became really accepted in Continental Europe and specially in Japan, where they became some sort of minor icons.
With the same formation plus two guests (Marco Aurêh - flute on "O Dom de Voar" and Fernando Sierpe - vocals on "Discover"), the band releases their second album called "The Dawn After the Storm" (1999), and this time they hit the nail right in the head. If their debut was solid, this time they surpassed the expectations and gave us one of the best Brazilian albums full of lush keyboards and fresh ideas…

The recordings on Oneness date from Jan, March and September 2008 and were born from a period of experimentation as Halsall first began to explore the music that would provide the inspiration for his spiritual jazz recordings Fletcher Moss Park and When the World Was One.

United State Of Ambience (1994). The first of the United State of Ambience series probably features a more stylistically diverse collection of tracks than either of the follow-ups. In fact, at many times the collection seems to veer off into the worldbeat genre, where sampled chants and hand drums take the place of synth pads and computerized sound effects. Other times, it hovers perilously close to new age. The compilation was released in 1994, when electronica was still a very new genre - and it shows. Both the Eastern-influenced "Goa: Season of the Monsoon" and the uplifting "Creation" are underscored with fairly up-tempo drum tracks - something you would never find on a more recent ambient work…

Pat Martino - Baiyina (The Clear Evidence) (1968) {Prestige OJCCD-355-2 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 223 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 89 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968, 1989 Prestige / OJC / Fantasy | OJCCD-355-2
Jazz / Psychedelic / Post Bop / Soul Jazz / Guitar

Pat Martino's fourth of five Prestige albums contains plenty of intriguing music. The innovative guitarist is joined by Bobby Rose on second guitar, Gregory Herbert on alto and flute (making his recording debut), bassist Richard Davis, drummer Charlie Persip, Reggie Ferguson on tabla, and Balakrishna on tamboura. Together they perform Martino's four-part suite, whose sections are named after aspects of the Koran. The use of Indian instruments, drones, and unusual time signatures (including 7/4, 9/4, and 10/8) gives the performances the flavor of early fusion, and some of the effects sound a bit dated. However, the results were not overtly commercial, and the leader gets in several noteworthy improvisations.

Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist Rick Miller made his debut effort as a solo artist back in 1983 with the new age production Starsong, which shifted a highly respectable 30.000 units at the time. He would follow up this venture with Windhaven in 1987, and his efforts Interstellar Passage from 1998 and the EP No Passion, No Pain from 2009 would continue exploring similar musical territories. But after honing his craft working at Sound Design Studios in Toronto throughout the 80's and 90's, Miller wanted to have a go at his true musical love as well, atmospheric progressive rock inspired by artists such as Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues and Steve Hackett…