Pete la Roca Basra

This is a REAL KEEPER. One of the Blue Note magical "All Star"recordings. From the beginning bars of the recording to the end, this magical journey will knock your socks off.

Pete La Roca - Basra (1965) (RVG Edition 2005)
EAC rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG -> 282Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96Mb
Full Artwork @300 dpi -> 4Mb (jpg)
Blue Note / RVG Edition

This is a REAL KEEPER. One of the Blue Note magical "All Star"recordings. Pete La Roca led the date, but it could have been any of the "Quartet which doesn't seem like a Quartet". These gentlemen are painting with a huge tonal canvas with broad, bold strokes. Joe Henderson is on tenor sax, Steve Kuhn on piano, Steve Swallow on bass, and Pete on drums. From the beginning bars of the recording to the end, this magical journey will knock your socks off.

Pete La Roca - Basra (1965) {Blue Note Japan The Finest 1100 Series UCCQ-9123 rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 263 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 78 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2015 Blue Note / Universal Japan | UCCQ-9123 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Drums

Reissue with the latest 24bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. It is strange to realize that drummer Pete La Roca only led two albums during the prime years of his career, for this CD reissue of his initial date is a classic. La Roca's three originals ("Basra," which holds one's interest despite staying on one chord throughout, the blues "Candu," and the complex "Tears Come From Heaven") are stimulating but it is the other three songs that really bring out the best playing in the quartet (which is comprised of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Steve Kuhn, and bassist Steve Swallow in addition to La Roca). "Malaguena" is given a great deal of passion, Swallow's "Eiderdown" (heard in its initial recording) receives definitive treatment, and the ballad "Lazy Afternoon" is both haunting and very memorable; Henderson's tone perfectly fits that piece.

The Blue Note Record label needs little introduction. Musically, graphically and sonically iconic, the label created and defined the golden age of modern jazz on record. Founded in 1939 by German émigré Alfred Lion, the label's roster of artists is a litany of giants – Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock and many more. With peerless musicians in the grooves, the legendary Rudy Van Gelder behind the boards, and graphic design genius Reid Miles creating emblematic artwork for every release, Blue Note – 'the Cadillac of the jazz lines' – was outstanding in every way.

Predictable is not an adjective associated with the recordings of pianist Steve Kuhn. He is joined by bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Pete La Roca for this exciting studio session from the mid-1960s, both of whom he had worked with under Art Farmer, as well as on La Roca's smashing debut as a leader, Basra. With the exception of "Ida Lupino" and "Never Let Me Go," the music will likely be unfamiliar to most jazz fans, but adventurous souls are in for a treat. Kuhn's originals include the furious modal work "Bits and Pieces," which sounds as if it represents the center of a storm, as well as "Today I Am a Man," which suggests a well-known composition from the heyday of the bop era. "Why Did I Choose You" is played with a soft bossa nova accent, while Sergio Mihanovich's "Three Waves" is intense, with overlapping changes of rhythm. "Never Let Me Go," a favorite of singers, is understated and subtle, only hinting briefly at the melody.