Japan And Scenery

Phil Woods - Warm Woods (1957) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4213}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 312 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 189 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2014 Epic / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4213 | DSD Remaster
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

This long-out-of-print CD has finally been reissued and it's a must-have for Phil Woods fans, or for anyone interested in an excellent example of post-Parker be-bop saxophone. The sound quality is excellent, the rhythm section is very competent and Phil is at the top of his game on a nice mix of standards and originals. It's easy to see why he has been the benchmark for jazz alto for decades. His swing and inventiveness are nicely showcased as he eases his way through the list of tunes. If one were to buy one or two CD's that best show Phil Woods' ability to create meaningful jazz, this one would have to be high on the list for consideration. Don't miss it!

George Benson - It's Uptown (1966) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 33} (ft. Dr. Lonnie Smith)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 382 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 143 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 324 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 33
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Pop / Soul Jazz / Guitar / Organ Hammond B-3

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. George Benson's first LP for Columbia – a hard, heavy, soul jazz slammer that bears no resemblance to his overproduced work of the 70s! The album's a real cooker – recorded hot on the heels of Benson's classic work on Prestige with the Jack McDuff group, and sounding a lot like McDuff's hard wailing organ jazz of the same time. George is working with a group that features a young Lonnie Smith on organ, plus Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on sax, and Charlie Persip on drums – all tightly coming together, and jamming hard on the album's short cooking tracks. Tracks include "Clockwise", "Jaguar", "Hello Birdie", and "Bullfight". Plus, the CD adds five bonus tracks, including "Sideman", "Minor Chant", and the previously unreleased "J.H. Bossa Nova" and "Clockwise (Alternate Take)".

Denny Zeitlin - Zeitgeist (1967) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 81}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 249 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 113 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 269 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 81
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest 2015 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Pianist Denny Zeitlin is sporting a beard on the cover of this fourth album for Columbia Records – and his music here definitely reflects a bit of a change from his earlier cleaner-cut image! Denny steps a bit outside at times – never to much so to make the album a session of avant jazz, but definitely showing the listener at the start that he's able to stretch out in the same way as some of the more adventurous pianists of his generation – yet really sound best as a master of lyrical understatement, as on his previous few records! Zeitlin's command of chords is wonderful – these blocks of color and subtle sound in his hands – inspired by Bill Evans, but taken in a whole new direction – and set up here in two different trios, with either Charlie Haden or Joe Halpin on bass, and Oliver Johnson or Jerry Granelli on drums. The real star of the show is always Denny.

By the time Bad Company released Desolation Angels, it was evident that even Rodgers and Ralphs were getting tired of their '70s-styled, conveyor-belt brand of rock & roll, so they decided to add keyboards and some minor string work to the bulk of the tracks…