Open Wide

Hamiet Bluiett - With Eyes Wide Open (2000) {Justin Time JUST138-2 rec 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 369 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 134 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2000 Justin Time Records | JUST 138-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Baritone Saxophone

The esteemed baritone saxophonist and distinguished member of the World Saxophone Quartet previously known as Hamiet Bluiett has apparently dropped his first name, which is indicated on the title and credits of this 2000 solo release. Yet whatever the circumstances, Bluiett's quartet serves up a tasty brew consisting of soulful ballads, calypso rhythms, and hardcore swing on this affable effort featuring guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and drummer Nasheet Waits. Essentially, Bluiett balances a steely edged attack with fluid swinging lines and an altogether impressive faculty for enhancing the proceedings with his seemingly impossible ability to hit those high notes, which is uncommon or perhaps unattainable for most baritone saxophonists.

James Clay & David "Fathead" Newman - The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces (1960) {Riverside OJCCD-1075-2 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 280 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2002 Riverside Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1075-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

James Clay's debut album as a leader (and one of only two that he cut before moving back to Dallas for nearly 30 years) matches him with fellow Texas tenor David "Fathead" Newman, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor. Cannonball Adderley supervised the session, putting the spotlight on the competitive horns who really battle it out on the Babs Gonzales blues "Wide Open Spaces." Clay, who plays flute on the date's lone standard "What's New," holds his own with Newman and plenty of sparks fly.

Supported by a new batch of Howlers, Omar Dykes doesn't show any signs of wear and tear on World Wide Open. The band continues to turn out a gut-busting mixture of blues and dirty rock & roll, occasionally sounding like Howlin' Wolf, other times like the Stones or Creedence Clearwater Revival. As always, the quality of songs is slightly inconsistent but the band never sounds tired – they perform with as much energy, if not more, than they ever have. Austin, Texas-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Omar Kent Dykes fits the stereotypical image some have of an American blues musician: he's tall, wears cowboy boots, and has a deep voice with a Southern accent…