Earth Tones

Clocking in at 75 minutes, this single-CD release is probably as much Rare Earth as most casual fans want (even though it only contains nine songs), and as a mid-priced item it's doubly attractive…

Charlie Hunter, Chinna Smith & Ernest Ranglin - Earth Tones (2005) {Breadfruit Music GSE-704}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 387 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 57 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Breadfruit Music / Green Streets Entertainment | GSE-704
Jazz / Reggae / Modern Post Bebop / Soul Jazz / 8 String Guitar

Groovemeister Charlie Hunter joins Jamaican guitarists legends Earl “Chinna” Smith and Ernest Ranglin for a spirited set that blends reggae flavor with dub aesthetics, courtesy of Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton’s adventurous echo and looping effects triggered from his kit. Anchored by the tight hookup between Hunter’s deeply grooving bass lines and Pelton’s insistent, slamming backbeats, Earth Tones also features the coloristic percussion work of former Weather Reporter Manolo Badrena.

Released in 1970 by the Dutch group Earth & Fire, this debut presents a collection of fine psychedelic pop that shows the band starting to develop their signature sound. One of the most distinctive features of the music is the lead vocal of (female) vocalist Jerney Kaagman - vocals are in English with a bit of an accent. Jerney has a nice style and a great sense of melody; come to think of it, bouncy, and at times, melancholy melodies are everywhere on this album. The rich vocal harmonies are also nice and add a lot to the sound. Other distinctive features include the Hammond organ playing, which assumes a very "churchy" sound at times, along with some hard-edged electric guitar tones. Overall, these guys are fine players.

Kamasi Washington - Heaven And Earth (2018) {3CD Set Young Turks ‎YT176CD} (Complete Artwork)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.16 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 439 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 362 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Shoto Mas / Young Turks ‎| YT176CD
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Orchestral Jazz / Saxophone

Truly tremendous work from saxophonist Kamasi Washington – a set that may well even blow away his groundbreaking Epic album – given the scope of soul and spirit in the music! As with the previous project, this one's double-length, but maybe feels even more fitted to the mode – as Washington leads this incredible ensemble that unifies a jazz group, orchestra, and choir – all at a level that might even top some of Alice Coltrane's early 70s albums for Impulse! There's a richness in vision here right from the start – music that knows what it is, where it's going, and what it can accomplish – very personal, but also very welcoming too – just the right sort of spirit to help get the nation back on track! Washington blows tenor throughout – and gets great help from Cameron Graves on piano, Brandon Coleman on organ and keyboards, and Miles Mosley on bass – whose work alone really seems to drive the proceedings!

Heaven and Earth is a double album containing 2.5 hours of new music. The Earth side represents the world Kamasi sees outwardly, the world that he is a part of. The Heaven side represents the world he sees inwardly, the world that is a part of him. “The world that my mind lives in, lives in my mind.”

Someone opined a few days ago that the musical buck stops once you cross the alps and go South. In this guy’s august take on the scene, only classical music remains. But rock, folk and – for sure – metal take a nosedive to nothingness once you start cruising along the Po. And truly so, things change indeed, but not quite this way. From German precision, French bonhomie or the British stiff upper lip and lukewarm beer, you change into a more laid-back realm. But this does not mean non-existence of modern music, bad quality or – Loki forbid – a lack of intensity. Quite the contrary…