Mirch Masala 1987

George Young served in the Army until the early '70s before embarking on a full-time career as a musician. This second effort as a leader features Young on tenor sax, with pianist Warren Bernhardt, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Al Foster, and harmonica player Toots Thielemans as a guest on one track. Young is somewhat overshadowed by his rhythm section during some of this 1986 session but gets his inner fires burning in a furious take of "Groovin' High," though his languid interpretation of "My Foolish Heart" could have been a bit more inspired, as Thielemans steals the show. Among the four originals written by the leader, the brisk "Yum Yum" (based on the chord changes to the standard "You Stepped Out of a Dream") and the easygoing waltz "October" stand out.

Neil Larsen is a great keyboardist and composer and his 2 previous efforts are among the few fusion records released in the 70s that hold up after time. This was largely due to Neil's avoiding the trendy synth stuff and using a Hammond organ as his instrument of choice. His partner, guitarist, Buzz Feiten also contributed his stellar talents to these recordings to make them even more enduring. This Cd released in the late 80s suffers from some of the synth crazy sounds he had previously avoided, but still has its moments which include a searing tenor solo from Michael Brecker on "Carnival" and great playing once again from Larsen and Feiten.

G.E.N.E. (Grooving Electronic Natural Environments) is a Canadian New Age instrumental band. The idea of this world-famous project was born in June 1987, during a conversation under the stars around a campfire and tents on the shore of the lake in the Canadian woods. That night, Cleo de Mallio took the first steps in a musical odyssey that is still not completed. The conversation was carried on the nature and technology, the world and machines, the new digital sound and lofty emotions. Father of the project and the producer is Michael Weisser - founding member of the German band Software, one of the disciples of the legendary Klaus Schulze, the founder of the company's IC/Digit music, on which he produced G.E.N.E. and Software…

Terje Rypdal's recordings offer the listener an astounding array of styles - ranging from straight-ahead jazz played in small-combo settings to solo outings to mind-bending improvisations to orchestral compositions, and all points in between. His composition and playing and arranging are always tasteful and excellent, and the musicians he selects to execute his works are consistently first-rate. BLUE is no exception, falling into a trio of albums featuring roughly the same personnel, The Chasers - Terje on electric guitar (also adding some keyboard touches on this recordings), Bjørn Kjellemyr on electric and acoustic basses, and Audun Kleive on drums and percussion.

Drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith, widely regarded among jazz's premier percussionists and accompanists, got his chance in the spotlight when he made his debut as a leader for Concord. This 1987 session was a brilliant first effort, with Smith heading a wonderful four-horn octet. The group included alto and soprano saxophonist Steve Coleman, tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, trombonist Robin Eubanks and trumpeter Wallace Roney. The eight songs were not lengthy (none much longer than six minutes), but were structured to allow maximum individual identity and collective performances. It was the perfect blend of traditional setting and contemporary insights, which has been lacking in so much 1990s jazz material.

G.E.N.E. (Grooving Electronic Natural Environments) is a Canadian New Age instrumental band. The idea of this world-famous project was born in June 1987, during a conversation under the stars around a campfire and tents on the shore of the lake in the Canadian woods. That night, Cleo de Mallio took the first steps in a musical odyssey that is still not completed. The conversation was carried on the nature and technology, the world and machines, the new digital sound and lofty emotions. Father of the project and the producer is Michael Weisser - founding member of the German band Software, one of the disciples of the legendary Klaus Schulze, the founder of the company's IC/Digit music, on which he produced G.E.N.E. and Software…

One of the many jazzmen who started out playing hard bop but went electric during the fusion era, Joe Sample was, in the late '50s, a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders along with trombonist Wayne Henderson, tenor saxman Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper. The Crusaders' debt to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers wasn't hard to miss - except that the L.A.-based unit had no trumpeter, and became known for its unique tenor/trombone front line. Sample, a hard-swinging player who could handle chordal and modal/scalar improvisation equally well, stuck to the acoustic piano during The Crusaders' early years - but would place greater emphasis on electric keyboards when the band turned to jazz-funk in the early '70s and dropped "Jazz" from its name.