Free And Modern Jazz From Japan

Masabumi Kikuchi, Masahiko Togashi, Gary Peacock - Poesy (1971) {2015 Japan We Remember Poo Complete Series} [CD5of8]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 296 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 107 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 216 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2015 Philips / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9207
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Free / Piano / Percussions

A set that definitely lives up to the poetry promised in its title – with none of the too-clean sounds you might guess from its hand-washing reference either! The album's one of the freest, most organic sessions we've heard from pianist Masabumi Kikuchi – almost improvised at points, but with a poetic cohesion in the piano lines that's really great – kind of an offbeat sense of lyricism that points in the same directions that Steve Kuhn or Keith Jarrett were heading in the late 60s. Drummer Masahiko Togashi plays lots of cool percussion and even a bit of gong – and Gary Peacock's bass here is as great as on any of his other excellent Japanese recordings. Titles include "Dreams", "The Trap", "The Milky Way", "Apple", "Get Magic Again", and "End".

Masabumi Kikuchi Trio - Feel You (1993) {2015 Japan King Super Jazz Collection KICJ 2488}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 307 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 137 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 234 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1993, 2015 King Record Japan | KICJ 2488
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz / Piano Jazz Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering. Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi leads the set, but the group's a very equally-balanced trio that features wonderful work from James Genus on bass and Victor Jones on drums – both players who shape the sound every bit as strongly as the piano! In fact, if you were to hear the record without the cover, you might even think Genus is the leader at times – given the way his rich, deep lines begin some of the cuts – and give a grounding to the record that allows Kikuchi to create these little constellations in sound with his deft lines on the piano – archly modern, yet deeply soulful at the same time – and almost "sparked" into greater flames by Jones' drums. A really special sort of trio date – one that's way more than just the sum of its parts – on titles that include "Free Stroll", "Zig Zag", "Pain Killer", "Up Beat Blues", "20th Street Shuffle", and "Little Treat".

Miles Davis - The Original Jacket Collection (2006) [30 Albums, 37 CDs] {DSD Japan Mini LP Analog Collection} (part 3of6)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.42 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 626 Mb | Artwork
© 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1211~15 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Miles Davis' concert of February 12, 1964, was originally divided into two LPs, with all of the ballads put on My Funny Valentine. These five lengthy tracks (which include "All of You," "Stella by Starlight," "All Blues," "I Thought About You," and the title cut) put the emphasis on the lyricism of Davis, along with some strong statements from tenor saxophonist George Coleman and freer moments from the young rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

Various Artists - The House That Trane Built: The Story Of Impulse Records (2006) [4CD] {Impulse! Japan Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 1.62 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 610 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 114 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2006 Impulse! / Verve | UCCI-7001/4 / B0006680-02
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Bop / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Free Jazz / Hard Bop / Modern Creative

The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records is a four-disc set, compiled and annotated by author Ashley Kahn who wrote the book of the same name being published concurrently with its release. Impulse's great run was between 1961 and 1976 – a period of 15 years that ushered in more changes in jazz than at any other point in the music's history. Impulse began recording in the last weeks of 1960, with Ray Charles, Kai Windig /J.J. Johnson, and Gil Evans. While Impulse experimented with 45s 33 1/3 EPs, cassettes, and reel to reel tapes later in its existence, it was–and this set focuses on– it was the music on its LPs (with distinct orange and black packaging in gatefold sleeves containing copious notes) that helped to set them apart.

John Coltrane - The World According To John Coltrane (2002) [DVD] {Columbia Music Japan}
DVD5 -> 3.66 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | LinearPCM, 2 ch | ~ 60m | ISO Image | Artwork | 5% repair rar | Subs: japanese
© 1990, 2002 East Stinson / Imagica / Columbia Japan | COBY-91008
Jazz / Modal Music / Hard Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Documentary

Saxophonist, composer and bandleader John Coltrane has been almost as popular in death as he was during his lifetime. The prolific jazzman passed away at 40 but left a legacy of influential musical work. The World According to John Coltrane is one of the few documentaries to feature the background of this famous player. Directed by Robert Palmer, the hour-long release delves into Coltrane's beginnings starting with his childhood in North Carolina. It also showcases some live performances including the songs "My Favorite Things", "So What" and "Naima". Narration is provided by close friends and peers like Roscoe Mitchell and La Monte Young. Having recorded with masters Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman, Coltrane held his own and even surpassed the popularity of many of his contemporaries.

Lee Morgan - Lee Morgan (Last Album) (1971) {2014 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster TYCJ-81075}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 415 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 157 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 261 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit 192kHz remaster
© 1971, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81075
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Trumpet

Features SHM-CD format and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. Lee Morgan's final studio recording before he was murdered was initially released as a two-fer LP, and the original recordings without alternate takes are included here on one CD. This was a fertile creative time for Morgan, as rivals Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw were embracing the electrified sounds of the times and Morgan followed suit. Harold Mabern is on the Fender Rhodes piano, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper proves a formidable front-line mate, and the vibrant Bobbi Humphrey is heard on flute before she commercialized her sound.