Monterey Festival

This two-LP set is the definitive early Cal Tjader album and one of the high points of his career. For a Monterey concert that was considered a preview concert for the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival, Tjader was teamed up with flutist and altoist Paul Horn, pianist Lonnie Hewitt, bassist Al McKibbon, Willie Bobo (on drums and timbales), and percussionist Mongo Santamaria. Their renditions of Latinized jazz tunes along with a few Latin originals practically define the idiom. Highlights include "Doxy," one of the earliest versions of Santamaria's "Afro Blue" (pre-dating John Coltrane's famous rendition by four years), "Love Me or Leave Me," and "A Night in Tunisia." Essential music for everyone's Latin jazz collection.

This two-LP set is the definitive early Cal Tjader album and one of the high points of his career. For a Monterey concert that was considered a preview concert for the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival, Tjader was teamed up with flutist and altoist Paul Horn, pianist Lonnie Hewitt, bassist Al McKibbon, Willie Bobo (on drums and timbales), and percussionist Mongo Santamaria. Their renditions of Latinized jazz tunes along with a few Latin originals practically define the idiom. Highlights include "Doxy," one of the earliest versions of Santamaria's "Afro Blue" (pre-dating John Coltrane's famous rendition by four years), "Love Me or Leave Me," and "A Night in Tunisia." Essential music for everyone's Latin jazz collection.

Billie Holiday - At Monterey 1958 (1986) {Black Hawk Japan, 32XB-100, Early Press}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 199 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 161 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958, 1986 Black Hawk Records Japan | 32XB-10
Jazz / Torch Songs / Vocal Jazz / Standards

This year Black-Hawk Records, Inc. is very excited to announce the inaugural CD release of Billie Holiday Live at Monterey 1958. This is more than a great recording. The fact that it lay undiscovered for 20 years, took place at the most prestigious Jazz Festival on the West Coast, and is among just five of Holiday's live concert recordings, makes Billie Holiday Live at Monterey 1958 a rare jewel among the archives.

Woody Herman - Live At Monterey (1959) {Atlantic Jazz 7567-90044-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 230 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959 Atlantic Jazz / Warner | 7567-90044-2
Jazz / Big Band / Cool / Swing / Clarinet

At the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival, Woody Herman headed an all-star orchestra that served as the house band for the weekend in addition to performing its own sets. The lineup is quite remarkable, including Herman on clarinet or alto, both Al Porcino and Bill Chase on first trumpets, Conte Candoli and Ray Linn taking trumpet solos, trombonist Urbie Green, Victor Feldman on piano and vibes, guitarist Charlie Byrd, bassist Monty Budwig, drummer Mel Lewis, baritonist Med Flory, and the tenors of Zoot Sims, Don Lanphere, Bill Perkins, and Richie Kamuca. Nearly every one of these players is featured in one spot or another.

One of the most exciting new jazz big bands of the period, Ellis' ensemble became notorious for its ability to play coherently in odd time signatures. One of the four originals heard on this acclaimed outing from the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival is titled "33 222 1 222" to show how the band manages to perform in 19/4 time. The other selections are Hank Levy's "Passacaglia And Fugue," "Concerto For Trumpet" (in 5/4) and "New Nine." In addition to the time signatures, Ellis enjoyed utilizing unusual combinations of instruments; the instrumentation on this date consists of five trumpets, three trombones, five saxes, piano, three bassists, two drummers and a percussionist. Among the more notable sidemen are a young Tom Scott (who solos on alto) and tenor-saxophonist Ira Schulman.

Named after Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints," the Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas quintet Sound Prints is a collaborative ensemble born out of the duo's involvement in the 2008 SFJAZZ Collective's tribute concert to legendary jazz saxophonist Shorter. Inspired to continue the creative spark they ignited at that event, saxophonist Lovano and trumpeter Douglas conceived of a group that would play original compositions, as well as new material from Shorter. The group's 2015 concert album, Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, showcases their debut appearance at the famed jazz event. Joining Lovano and Douglas here are pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Joey Baron…

In aftermath of their successful American debut at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 18, 1967, San Francisco promoter Bill Graham offered the Experience an extended, five show booking at the Fillmore Auditorium. The gigs were critical to the group, as they had come to Monterey with nothing booked in the U.S. apart from their festival appearance. The Experience initially came on the bill as a support act, along with Gabor Szabo, for the Jefferson Airplane. That arrangement unraveled when the Jefferson Airplane backed out of the gig after one show and let the Experience take over. During the week-long stint in June when the Experience were performing at the Fillmore in San Francisco, co-manager Michael Jeffery had secured a position for the Experience to serve as an opening act for the Monkees on their summer U.S. tour.