Japan And Ghost

The Deep Purple spin-off project Paice Ashton Lord were formed by ex-Deep Purplers Ian Paice (drums) and Jon Lord (organ) with Tony Ashton, who had been in the Remo Four during the British Invasion era and then in Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (famous for "Resurrection Shuffle"). When they got together in mid-1976, Deep Purple had just broken up; for the sole Paice Ashton Lord album, the sound was filled out by guitarist Bernie Marsden and bassist Paul Martinez. That LP, Malice in Wonderland, was not nearly as heavy as Deep Purple had been, though it still owed much to mainstream British hard rock. However, there was a fair amount of jazz influence in the arrangements (which sometimes included brass) and some soul ingredients to the songwriting.

Johnny Smith - Moonlight In Vermont (1953) {2016 Japan SHM-CD Jazz Masters Collection 1200 Series WPCR-29024}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 213 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 89 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remaster
© 1952-53, 2016 Roost / Parlophone / Warner Music Japan | WPCR-29024
Jazz / Cool / Guitar

Reissue with SHM-CD format and new 24bit remastering. A beautiful document of some of the most laidback jazz ever recorded – the sublime 50s recordings of the Johnny Smith group, done at a time when the lineup included Stan Getz! The tunes on the set feature Johnny's mellow electric guitar setting the pace, alongside wonderfully-blown early solos from Stan, plus some other tenor work from Zoot Sims and Paul Quinichette, who also sit in the tenor chair on a few of these recordings. The tunes are mostly standards, but done in a great style that's not exactly cool jazz, but which has a groundbreakingly easy groove that's simply sublime!

Apollo Four Forty - Gettin' High on Your Own Supply
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 377 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Epic ESCA 8055 | Country/Year: Japan 2000
Genre: Rock, Electronica | Style: Big Beat

….Their third album overall, Getting High on Your Own Supply is a ride through sampladelic breakbeat that's just as mad as 1997's Electro Glide in Blue. Seemingly oblivious that even their youngest listeners could spot their samples, Apollo 440 pillage Led Zeppelin and Status Quo (among others), blending styles from trance, ska, hip-hop, dub, and disco with a tossed-off feel that's quite charming…

Sonny Fortune - Serengeti Minstrel (1977) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series 24bit Remaster WPCR-27370}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 275 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 98 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 167 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1977, 2013 Atlantic / Rhino / WEA / Warner Japan | WPCR-27370 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Post Bop / Saxophone

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. A great one from Sonny Fortune – done with the fusiony sound he was working so well with at the time, and still filled with a tight conception and an incredible group of musicians who bring depth and deliver some really great solos! The title track is an incredible 10 minute cut that breaks into a beautiful modal groove about 4 minutes into it – and that groove is completely wonderful. It's far from the only high point of a set filled with them. Players include Kenny Barron on Fender Rhodes, Woody Shaw on coronet & flugelhorn, Gary King on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Sammy Figueroa on congas, Rafael Cruz on percussion, and Sonny doing his thing on flute, piccolo and sax. Other tracks include "Bacchanal", "Never Again Is Such A Long Time", "There's Nothing Smart About Being Stupid" and "The Afro-Americans".

The Ventures - History Box, Vol.1 (1992) {4CD Set, Liberty ‎Japan TOCP-7129~32 rec 1960-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) -> 1.35 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 540 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 69 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960-62, 1992 Liberty ‎/ Toshiba-EMI Japan | TOCP-7129~32
Rock / Pop / Rock & Roll / Surf Rock

Box set containing 4 jewel case CDs (TOCP-7129, TOCP-7130, TOCP-7131, TOCP-7132) and two booklets. The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band, formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar in the United States and across the world during the 1960s. While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains especially revered in Japan, where they tour regularly to this day. The classic lineup of the band consisted of Wilson (rhythm guitar), Bogle (initially lead guitar, switched to bass), Nokie Edwards[3](initially bass, switched to lead guitar), and Mel Taylor (drums).

This is a very good album, no question about it. The disc covers a lot of musical territory and has a great prog sensibility. The musicianship and vocals on the CD are impeccable. The CD reviewed here is a Japanese import, and the two bonus tracks are only available on the Japanese edition. It is also important to note that these bonus tracks are separated from the rest of the CD by a long pause. A special treat on the disc is a great cover of the theme song to the old British sci-fi series Space 1999. Rocket Scientists are Erik Norlander and Mark McCrite. Tommy Amato, Neil Citron, Greg Ellis, Tony Franklin, Lana Lane, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, and Don Schiff join them on this album.

The saying that "life begins at 40" is certainly open to debate – especially if you live in a youth-obsessed culture like the United States. But for jazz artists, there can be some truth in that saying; the history of jazz is full of artists who did some of their best work after 40. Joe Pass is a perfect example; Pass turned 40 in 1969, and the '70s were an amazingly productive time for the late guitar icon (who recorded frequently during that decade thanks to Pablo founder Norman Granz). In fact, Pass did so much recording during the '70s that albums of previously unreleased material were still coming out long after his death from cancer in 1994. Virtuoso in New York, for example, is an album of recordings that went unreleased for 29 years; recorded in 1975, these Granz-produced performances didn't see the light of day until 2004.