Ira Sullivan

Eddie Harris - Come on Down! & The Reason Why I'm Talking S–t (2006) {Atlantic–Collectables COL-CD-7672 rec 1970-1975}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 505 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 205 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970-75, 2006 Atlantic / Collectables Records | COL-CD-7672
Jazz / Jazz-Funk / Soul Jazz / Blue Humor / Comedy / Saxophone

This repackages two of Eddie Harris' 1970s albums: Come on Down! was recorded in Miami in 1970 and The Reason Why I'm Talking S–t is a bizarre live album from 1975. Released as a two-disc collection, this is one of the stranger things Collectables has ever done. The first disc is a solid soul-jazz, rock, and funk date with Ira Sullivan, pianist Dave Crawford, Duck Dunn on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar with an all too rare appearance by Tubby Zeigler on drums. Harris wrote all but one track. Produced by Tom Dowd, it's a gritty, greasy burner with the guitars allowed front space with the horns and paired with Harris' electric sax. It's FONKIFIED.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Originally (1956) {Columbia ‎COL4718722 rel 1990}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 289 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 106 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 50 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 1990 Columbia / Sony Music | COL 471872 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Drums

This LP contains valuable performances by the early Jazz Messengers that sat unissued until decades later. Four selections feature the band when drummer Art Blakey and pianist Horace Silver were co-leaders; trumpeter Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley on tenor and bassist Doug Watkins were also in that quintet. Two numbers from June 1956 find Blakey as sole leader of The Messengers for the first time, heading an otherwise unrecorded unit with Byrd and multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan.

J.R. Monterose's first session as a leader was a thoroughly enjoyable set of swinging, straight-ahead bop that revealed him as a saxophonist with a knack for powerful, robust leads in the vein of Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins. With a stellar supporting group of pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Ira Sullivan, bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer "Philly" Joe Jones, Monterose has recorded a set of bop that swings at a measured pace and offers many delightful moments. Throughout the session, Monterose sounds vigorous, whether he's delivering hard-swinging solos or waxing lyrical. With his bluesy vamps and soulful solos, Silver is equally impressive, while Sullivan's spotlights are alternately punchy and skilled; similarly, the rhythm section is tight, letting the music breathe while keeping the groove. In fact, the quality of the music is so strong, J.R. Monterose qualifies as one of the underappreciated gems in Blue Note's mid-'50s catalog.