Kliller Joe

12 tracks new to CD. Joe Gibbs’ entire dub album output from the 1970s. Includes some of the most acclaimed dub albums of all time.

Far from being a casual collection of rejects, there is plenty of mellow gold from Joe Pass on this posthumously released second volume from what must have been a memorable gig at this Oakland, California night spot. The two-guitar quartet format was an optimum showcase for Pass' nimble, melodic bop electric guitar, for the greatly unsung fellow guitarist John Pisano offers inspired harmonic, rhythm or obligato support at all times, giving Pass an extra push from underneath. On "I Remember You" and "What Is This Thing Called Love?," Pisano even gives Pass some solo chases which generate a lot of steam, and the gentle semi-bossa nova treatment of Neal Hefti's "Repetition" also bring out the best in both. Bassist Monty Budwig (subbing for Jim Hughart) and drummer Colin Bailey are also in superb form throughout this can't-miss outing. The sound quality is OK, though hum can be heard in some quiet stretches.

Long-awaited reissue of an interesting and rare masterpiece by jazz guitar virtuoso Joe Pass, who took on jazz funk! This is the first release on Gwyn Records, a minor label in California, and features a very impressive lineup. Paul Humphrey and Earl Palmer on drums, Carol Kaye (label owner) and Ray Brown on bass, J.J. Johnson, Tom Scott, and Conte Candoli on horns, this is truly a historical session that brought together the top musicians of the West Coast at the time. From the cool funk of "Better Days" at the beginning of the session, almost the entire album was a storm of jazz funk. "Free Sample" by Joe Sample, "Burning Spear," with its impressive undulating beat, "Head Start," with its too-subtle bass line, and the boogie shuffle "Gotcha!"…

The very first release by the Concord label was a quartet set featuring guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jake Hanna. Ellis and Pass (the latter was just beginning to be discovered) always made for a perfectly complementary team, constantly challenging each other. The boppish music (which mixes together standards with "originals" based on the blues and a standard) is quite enjoyable with the more memorable tunes including "Look for the Silver Lining," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Georgia," "Good News Blues," and "Bad News Blues." This was a strong start for what would become the definitive mainstream jazz label.

Bay Area singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Lindsay Olsen is the mind behind the warped and magical project Salami Rose Joe Louis. Drawing from her studies in planetary sciences, she creates a unique experience: exploring ideas of multiverses and climate change through the lens of a fictional post-apocalyptic keyboard-toting earthling with a flashlight, a can of cashews and a hopeful optimism. Melding influences from jazz, rock and hip-hop – Shuggie Otis, Captain Beefheart, Stereolab, and R. Stevie Moore – she creates a unique blend of experimental galaxy sounds with jazz influenced vocals and keys.

Few "guitar shredders" of the late '80s were able to cross over into the upper reaches of the pop charts, but Joe Satriani proved to be an exception to the rule. And with over eight full-length studio albums in the shops by late 2003, Satch was ripe for a "best-of" collection – resulting in the release of the double-disc overview Electric Joe Satriani: An Anthology…

Big Joe Williams may have been the most cantankerous human being who ever walked the earth with guitar in hand. At the same time, he was an incredible blues musician: a gifted songwriter, a powerhouse vocalist, and an exceptionally idiosyncratic guitarist. Despite his deserved reputation as a fighter (documented in Michael Bloomfield's bizarre booklet Me and Big Joe), artists who knew him well treated him as a respected elder statesman. Even so, they may not have chosen to play with him, because - as with other older Delta artists - if you played with him you played by his rules.
As protégé David "Honeyboy" Edwards described him, Williams in his early Delta days was a walking musician who played work camps, jukes, store porches, streets, and alleys from New Orleans to Chicago…

Joe Hisaishi conducts Beethoven. Featuring Symphony No. 1 to 9 on five discs. Performed by the Future Orchestra Classics (Nagano Chamber Orchestra)