Jeff Victor

Too edgy and artsy for smooth jazz, too rockin' and bluesy for bebop, young Harlem-based electric guitarist Jeff Ray finds a niche playing likeable, melodic, sometimes brooding, often grooving post-millennium fusion. The album title refers in part to the ten-block distance from Ray's apartment to St. Nick's Pub, one of Harlem's best-known jazz nightspots from where the Ohio native may just conquer the jazz world. He's not afraid to stretch out and jam (most tunes run over seven minutes) and he modulates between subdued tones and distorted rock energy frequently.

Edouard Lalo - Tassis Christoyannis & Jeff Cohen - Complete Songs (2015) {Aparte-Harmonia Mundi AP110}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 594 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 336 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 226 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Aparté / Harmonia Mundi | AP110
Classical / Vocal Music / Romantic / French Classical / Chamber Music

Composer Edouard Lalo's work encompassed the period of Romanticism that witnessed the evolution of the romance de salon genre into the melodie francaise or French art song. It is an injustice of posterity that only Faure, Duparc and Debussy acquired true fame in this genre. This collection from baritone Tassis Christoyannis and pianist Jeff Cohen featuring the two scenes de salon for voice and piano, the seven romances and the 23 melodies, shows that Lalo easily stands alongside his more well-known countrymen.

To most listeners, Jeff Berlin is utterly unknown as a musician and composer; to progressive rock enthusiasts, however, Berlin is a god, ranked alongside Jaco Pastorious and Victor Wooten as one of the most exciting virtuoso bassists ever. Crossroads compiles his first two albums, Pump It! and Champion, into a single-disc "greatest hits" of sorts, although neither album had much impact beyond jazz-rock circles.

The legendary keyboardist started making his unique brand of old-school soul meets modern funk back when old-school was still in session, and the title of his third Narada Jazz disc is a throwback to that era, when the 45 RPM was king. Rather than overwhelm this time with hardcore commercial funk grooves and calculated radio hooks, Jeff Lorber is more into cool vibes and soulful atmospheres. Melodies have always been his gift, so those just come naturally, as on the laid-back, chillout opening track, which features a lush, loose acoustic piano lead. There are less horns than usual, but Ron King (trumpet) and Gary Meek (sax) are given free reign to create snazzy textures on "Everybody Knows That" and the nifty, acoustic soul-jazz flavored title track.

The plan was for the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to join with guitar god Jeff Beck and his singer Rod Stewart in a supergroup of sorts. The plan was derailed when Beck had a motorcycle accident that incapacitated him for 18 months. Stewart then joined pal Ron Wood in the revamped Faces (and pursued a somewhat lucrative solo career), leaving Bogert and Appice to find alternates for their dream band. They recruited guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's disassembling Detroit Wheels, and singer Rusty Day from Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes…