Jazz Cubano

Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Diz 'N Bird At Carnegie Hall (1997) {Roost CDP 7243 8 57061 2 7 rec 1947}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 337 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 179 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 23 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1947, 1997 Roost / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 57061 2 7
Jazz / Bebop / Saxophone / Trumpet

Nine years after Benny Goodman's groundbreaking concert, bebop finally came to Carnegie Hall. Most notable on this 1997 CD (which contains music that has been reissued many times, often incoherently) is the meeting between altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Joined by the underrecorded piano of John Lewis, bassist Al McKibbon and the slightly overrecorded drums of Joe Harris, Bird and Diz generate some real fireworks on five songs, and Parker's rendition of "Confirmation," and the CD's high point, is definitive and memorable.

ABUC is the 8th album by Roberto Fonseca hes released under his own name and the first to appear on the Impulse! label. Teeming with rascally rhythms and burly brass and woven from allusions, souvenirs and contrasts, ABUC is a kaleidoscope of dancing colors with which Roberto tells a story: the great and rich story of Cuban music, from yesterday to today.

Two absolutely superb piano players from different musical worlds: Bruno Canino, as a representative of art music, and Enrico Pieranunzi, as a representative of jazz. Two Americas, the Northern one and the Southern one, and some of the greatest composers from both. To what extent is music beautifully gifted with making a universal language flow out, beyond genres, places, artists, composers, performers? Listening to Americas one is again led to realize that apparent contrasts are actually bonds consisting of irresistible mutual attractions, common points, osmotic relations. The Americas project has been conceived for two pianos intertwining like cultures and musical worlds do. Here, between Canino and Pieranunzi, it matters little who is playing “what” and “when”.

After Dizzy Gillespie's death in 1991, his colorful Afro-Cuban United Nation Orchestra (which was formed in 1988) was headed by altoist-clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. With the better-known sidemen on this 1993 CD including first trumpeter Byron Stripling, trombonist Conrad Herwig and tenor saxophonist Mario Rivera, additional solo space was allocated to some of the other talented players as were guest spots for trumpeter Claudio Roditi, trombonist Slide Hampton and vibraphonist Dave Samuels. A Night in Englewood is an easily recommended set. The music is very Latin-oriented and shows that the orchestra had moved away from Gillespie's usual repertoire to exclusively feature originals by bandmembers (including D'Rivera's "I Remember Diz").

A set of previously unreleased recordings — in Paris between 1957 and 1962 — that Oscar Peterson made in the margins of the famous «Jazz At The Philharmonic» tours organized by impresario Norman Granz. The pianist was a JATP mainstay, and his Trio (featuring bassist Ray Brown with guitarist Herb Ellis or drummer Ed Thigpen), one of the greatest in the history of jazz. The set’s accompanying booklet by Michel Brillié is fi lled with interviews and anecdotes dealing with Oscar and his peers, providing valuable insight, and the music is arguably his best, with its unbeatable groove, unrivalled power, and all the generosity one associates with the Trio’s live performances. This album is a must for jazz fans, newcomers and purists alike. Patrick FRÉMEAUX The Live in Paris collection by Michel Brillié allows listeners to hear previously-unreleased recordings (made at concerts and private- or radio-sessions) by the great 20th stars in jazz, rock & roll and song. These “live” takes, and the artists’ rapport with their audiences, gives these performances an additional soul and sensibility in counterpoint to the rigorous demands of studio recordings. Particular care was taken when restoring the sound of these tapes in order to meet CD standards while preserving the original colours of the period.

Whatever it is or isn't, acid jazz is full of groove DNA and even when chilled, it makes the feet move. This third installment in the Diggin' Deeper: The Roots of Acid Jazz series, which collects likely funk, jazz, soul, fusion, and disco sides from the deep Columbia/Epic/Sony catalog, includes such gems as Art Blakey's "Cubano Chant" and Lalo Schifrin's "Jaws," a Shaft-meets-Frankenstein hybrid version of the Jaws movie theme. This set moves and grooves from end to end, and even listeners with little interest in the acid jazz movement that surfaced some two decades after most of these tracks were recorded will find a great little alternative dance album lurking here.

Chakachas - Jungle Fever (1971) {Polydor-Dusty Groove DGA3006 rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 222 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 82 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2007 Polydor / Dusty Groove America / Universal | DGA 3006
Jazz / Latin / Jazz Funk / Groove / Funk

A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms – a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" – an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! The track was a worldwide hit, and continues to be a funky classic today – thanks to a heavy sample history, and a life in playlists worldwide – but the rest of the album's pretty darn great too, and even weirder. Some tracks mix easy Euro grooving with heavy conga, others have kind of an LA Chicano funk approach, and still others throw in some mad horns to complicate matters with nice jazzy riffing. Really great throughout – and maybe one of the best funky albums to ever come out on a major label!