Garden Japan

Released in 1981, Breakin' Away is not only a great follow-up to This Time, it all but perfected the effort. With an amazing batch of songs, producer/artist chemistry, and top-level players, Breakin' Away became the standard bearer of the L.A. pop and R&B sound. "Closer to Your Love" comes off as a tougher, more confident version of the songs from the previous album. However, in short order, Breakin' Away assumes its own identity with brilliant results. Everything works so well here that the hit, the pleasing "We're in This Love Together," comes off as the weak link. "Easy," with its gorgeous and subtle Latin flourishes, has Jarreau's purposeful delivery coming off oddly poignant in its joy and beauty. The bittersweet "My Old Friend" has him giving a charming and understated reading with gorgeous synth signatures that speak volumes.

Hozan Yamamoto & Masabumi Kikuchi - Ginkai (1970) {2015 Japan We Remember Poo Complete Series UCCJ-9205} [CD3of8]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 274 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 121 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 157 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970, 2015 Philips / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9205
Jazz / Post Bop / World Jazz / International / Neo-Traditional / Bamboo Flute / Piano

A brilliant album by Hozan Yamamoto – a flute player with a great ear for mixing traditional sounds and modern jazz! The set's a suite of sorts – performed by a cool quartet with Yamamoto on bamboo flute, plus Masabumi Kikuchi on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – all with a rich sense of poetry and feeling, that newly expressive sound that Japanese jazz hit as the 70s approached! Yamamoto's flute work alone is worth the price of admission – but alongside Kikuchi's well-timed (and toned) piano lines, and Peacock's roundly sensitive bass, the instrument is even more brilliant – heard on tracks that include "Silver World", "Stone Garden Of Ryoan Temple", "A Heavy Shower", and "Sawanose".

Ornette Coleman - New York Is Now! (1968) {Blue Note Japan SHM-CD TYCJ-81060 rel 2014} (24-192 remaster)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 290 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 246 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster
© 1968, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81060
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. "New York is Now" – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial".

Louis Armstrong - The Complete Town Hall Concert (1947) {2CD 2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4005~6}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 346 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 189 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 199 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1947, 2014 RCA / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4005~6 | Mono
Jazz / Classic Jazz / Early Jazz / New Orleans Jazz / Swing

Reissue with latest 2014 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. One of the key turning points of Louis Armstrong's career occurred at the Town Hall concert fully documented on this two-CD set, a reissue of the earlier two-LP release. Armstrong, who had been leading a big band for 18 years, was showcased with some musical friends who were all very complementary players (including trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Peanuts Hucko and cornetist Bobby Hackett), and the results were so exciting that Armstrong soon broke up his orchestra to form a similar all-star sextet.

There are a lot of latin-compilations as many as grains of sand on a vast beach. As we know, quantity has nothing to do with quality, though. On one hand there are astonishingly boring anthologies that do not get much attention by the audience. On the other hand there are compilations which are compiled without any plan by a trainee who was given maximum 30 minutes of time in the archive of the label to compile the cheap „ritmo-latino-cd“ of the week…