Jazz Conception

Once in a while, an album comes along to take your breath away. That is certainly the case with this boxed set, which contains no fewer than 25 CDs tracing the history of jazz piano from early 1899 to the end of 1958. Several years ago, the same record company issued a set ten CDs covering some of the same ground, but this expanded version is even more amazing.

Sam Rivers - A New Conception (1966) {Blue Note Japan SHM-CD TYCJ-81055 rel 2014} (24-192 remaster)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 275 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 234 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster
© 1966, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81055
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone / Flute

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. The title of A New Conception refers to Sam Rivers' ingenious interpretations of standards on this record. Rivers treats the songs – such familiar items as "When I Fall in Love," "I'll Never Smile Again," "That's All," "What a Difference a Day Makes," and "Secret Love" – with respect, but he doesn't treat them as museum pieces. He knows that if the songs are to remain fresh, they need to be heard in different ways, and he skillfully opens up each composition to contemporary avant-garde techniques.

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers - Ugetsu (1963) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2011 - item 07of33}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 441 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 150 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 524 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1963, 2011 Riverside / Concord | 0888072326927
Jazz / Hard Bop

An extension of the popular Original Jazz Classics series (est. 1982), the new OJC Remasters releases reveal the sonic benefits of 24-bit remastering-a technology that didn't exist when these titles were originally issued on compact disc. The addition of newly-written liner notes further enhances the illuminating quality of the OJC Remasters reissues. "Each of the recordings in this series is an all-time jazz classic," says Nick Phillips, Vice President of Jazz and Catalog A&R at Concord Music Group and producer of the series.

Milt Jackson - Jackson's Ville (1956) {Savoy Jazz Japan SV-0175 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 119 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 73 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 1992 Savoy Jazz / Denon Records / Nippon Columbia Japan | SV-0175
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Jazz Blues / Vibes

This fine 1956 date features Jackson leading a session that moves with ease and authority through a relaxing eight-minute ride on Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," an Ellington ballad medley, and a pair of the vibist's own blues-based, hard bop compositions. The real treat here is Lucky Thompson's tenor sax. The Don Byas-influenced Thompson has a sound that invites the listener to luxuriate in its grace and strength. Thompson solos on "Mood Indigo" with a sublime, breathy legato, adding bite and rougher edges – without sacrificing nuance or subtlety – on Jackson's "Minor Conception" and "Soul in 3/4."

Masabumi Kikuchi, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian - Tethered Moon - Triangle (1991) {2015 Japan King Super Jazz Collection KICJ-2487}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 263 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 134 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 224 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991, 2015 King Record Japan | KICJ-2487
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering. A stunning follow-up to the first Tethered Moon album from the trio of Masabumu Kikuchi on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Paul Motian on drums – material recorded at the same time as the first record, but with a vibe that's sometimes slightly different! As before, the acoustic tones of Kikuchi ring out strongly – with those sharper, modern edges that he first brought to play on his key albums of the 70s – but there's also almost a looser quality to some tracks, as Peacock's bass works as a strongly subtle force, as does Motian's drums – both with those special sound-shaping qualities that have made them such unique musicians. Titles include a take on Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround", plus "Little Abi", "Gaia", "True You", and "Conception Vessel".