Japan Flac 2015

Archie Shepp - Live In San Francisco (1966) {2015 Japan Impulse! Classics 50 Series UCCI-9269}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 177 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 82 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 182 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966, 2015 Impulse! / Verve / Universal Music Japan | UCCI-9269
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

A great counterpart to some of Archie Shepp's studio albums for Impulse – a live date recorded in San Francisco, with a slightly freer, sharper edge! The sound is almost free at times, but always with that strong sense of focus that Archie brought to his brilliant work of the time – and the group's a well-honed ensemble who really understand each others motivations and inspirations – Roswell Rudd on trombone, Donald Garrett and Lewis Worrell on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – all almost working at an ESP level together. Shepp plays a bit of piano on the record – in sharply angular tones that are almost more modern than his tenor – and titles include "The Wedding", "Wherever June Bugs Go", and "Keep Your Heart Right".

Bobby Hutcherson - Four Seasons (1983) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6324}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 288 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 235 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6324
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A simple but effective session from vibist Bobby Hutcherson – one that comes across with a really subtle brilliance! The tracks are all standards – performed by Hutcherson on vibes, with a quartet that includes George Cables on acoustic piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – all working with Bobby in a style that allows a lot of open space between the notes, an approach that's especially nice in the interplay between piano and vibes on the set. The style is a bit more understated than some of Hutcherson's other records of the time, but that also makes for a wonderfully gimmick-free approach that takes us right to the core of his talents. Titles include "Star Eyes", "If I Were A Bell", "Summertime", "Autumn Leaves", and "All Of You".

Chet Baker - Mr.B (1983) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6310}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 224 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 193 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6310
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. The quality of Chet Baker's product was so varied during the last decade or more of his life that recording sessions varied markedly. For this "remixed version" of Mr. B Baker sounds a tad tired, though his chops are in fine form. The studio recording captures the trumpeter with highly sympathetic and self-effacing pianist Michel Grallier and bassist Ricardo Del Fra, both of whom engage in the leader's brand of sensitivity. There are no vocals by the trumpeter, but plenty of improvising.

Cedar Walton - Pit Inn (1974) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9139}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 330 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 128 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 134 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering
© 1974, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9139
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

A wonderful album from the great Cedar Walton trio that featured Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – a really beautiful group of musicians who completely transformed the sound of the piano trio in the 70s! The group played together often in the 70s, and they've never sounded better than on an album like this – freely soulful and dancing, with Walton in firm command of his talents – sometimes coming on with the strength of his early 60s material, but always opening up with a more exploratory vibe too. Walton worked often in this mode for the decades that followed this set – but this Japanese album is almost the start of that great legacy, and still one of the best from this group! Titles include "Con Alma", "Suite Sunday", "Suntory Blues", and "Fantasy In D".

Lou Donaldson - Forgotten Man (1981) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6307}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 265 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 93 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 201 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6307
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A tight quartet set from the great Lou Donaldson – cut in the early 80s and his first set for the Timeless label! Donaldson is of course unforgettable, always sounding his finest in quartet form – here doing his thing with passion with Herman Foster on piano, Geoff Fuller on bass and Victor Jones on drums. Titles include "Confirmation", "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman", "This Is Happiness", "Exactly Like You", "Don't Blame Me", "Melancholy Baby" and Donaldson's terrific centerpiece "Tracy".

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - The Freedom Rider (1961) {Blue Note Japan SHM-CD UCCQ-5105 rel 2015} (24-192 remaster)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 400 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 127 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 177 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster
© 1961, 2015 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5105
Jazz / Hard Bop

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. The final recording by this edition of The Jazz Messengers (featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Bobby Timmons, bassist Jymie Merritt and drummer/leader Art Blakey) finds the group consolidating their year-and-a-half of experience into yet another exciting document. Blakey's unaccompanied drum feature on "The Freedom Rider" is full of drama while the rest of the program (two compositions apiece by Morgan and Shorter) makes this last chapter for this particular band quite memorable.

Gary Bartz - Shadows (1991) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 461 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 164 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 275 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6328
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. The 90s were a really wonderful decade for reedman Gary Bartz – a time when he seemed to go back to basics, and find a way to open up whole new corners in his music! This album's a key illustration of that moment – as Bartz blows with a sense of darkly brooding power that we never would have expected a decade or two before – this deep sense of pacing and tone that often has us looking to make sure he's not blowing a tenor, instead of the alto and soprano sax listed in the notes.

Herman Foster - The One And Only (1984) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6309}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 259 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 174 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1984, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6309
Jazz / Bop / Soul Jazz / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. The one and only Herman Foster, indeed – a pianist who only cut a handful of records, but always managed to leave his mark! You might know Foster from his wonderful work with Lou Donaldson in the early 60s Blue Note years, or his bluesy albums as a leader for Columbia around the same time – but here, the pianist has this lyrical flow that's really amazing – and quite a change from his style of the early years! As before, Foster really knows how to do a lot with a little – make each note count, and in this way that's mighty powerful, even on the few mellow moments – and he gets some strong accompaniment from the full, round bass of Jeff Fuller, and the drums of Victor Jones. Titles include "Monsterbeach Blues", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To".

Al Cohn - Rifftide (1987) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6312}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 375 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 129 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 208 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1987, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6312
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. Although this recording of standards was made late in his career, tenor saxophonist Al Cohn was in peak form and clearly inspired by an excellent Dutch rhythm section. Cohn's very broad tone is much in evidence, as he runs through changes on tunes that he played innumerable times in his career. A distinct stylist, Cohn was never an innovator, but his lush, relaxed, carefully honed sound was perfect for the late nightclub atmosphere. Every solo was deliberately constructed, mixing just the right amounts of emotion and technique. You can hear Coleman Hawkins in his playing, but Cohn incorporated broad influences from the early history of bop. Pianist Rein de Graff is stunning throughout, and drummer Eric Ineke and bassist Koos Serierse add solid support.

Pharoah Sanders - Africa (1987) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6311}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 383 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 193 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1987, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6311
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A brilliant 80s set from Pharoah Sanders – a record that has him a much more understated setting than some of his other albums from the time – but one that's maybe even more soulful and searching overall! The great one plays blistering tenor right from the start – in a quartet with John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all players who have this way of doing a lot with a little, especially in the rhythm department – where they seem to give Sanders some of his strongest sense of groove since the key albums for Theresa. Muhammad's got this tight sense of timekeeping, but with a looseness that we love – and Lundy's warm soulful bass does more than enough to give the set a sound bottom – and Hicks' free lyrical piano works nicely with Sanders' spiritual horn. Titles include a remake of "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus "Africa", "Duo", "Heart To Heart", and "After The Morning".