Pied Piper

It is difficult to say why this album designed for children doesn't work any better than it does. Perhaps it's because everything here is so quaint, and quaintness is a distinctly adult notion, a close cousin to willful nostalgia, and neither trait is anything that most kids would even bother exploring. Mixing in older songs like "Mandolin Man and His Secret" and "Little Boy in Corduroy" with a handful of newer pieces (and what must be the 400th version of "Colours"), Donovan actually does here what he has really always done, and that is make a pleasant, at times even interesting, album for adults who want to feel like they're children again. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. Just don't try selling it to the kids, because they undoubtedly wouldn't sit still for it.

Jazz bagpipes? The one master is Rufus Harley, who does about all that can be done with that unpromising instrument. After all, once one blows a note, the sound is sustained until the air empties out. This well-conceived sampler draws its music from Harley's Atlantic albums (Scotch & Soul, Bagpipe Blues, and Deuces Wild), plus his guest spot on a Herbie Mann album. Harley, who also is heard playing a bit of soprano, tenor, and flute, performs such numbers as "Feeling Good" and "Pipin' the Blues," the latter teaming him with altoist Sonny Stitt. This sampler is worth exploring.

Chico Freeman - The Pied Piper (1986) {Blackhawk Records BKH508-2 rec 1984}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 248 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1984, 1986 Blackhawk Records | BKH 508-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Reeds

The first of two Chico Freeman recordings for the soon-defunct Black-Hawk label finds the leader switching between tenor, alto, sopranino, soprano, bass clarinet, bass flute and C flute. John Purcell "only" limits himself to five reeds (alto, baritone, oboe, alto flute and piccolo), and the horns are joined by either Kenny Kirkland or Mark Thompson on piano, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Elvin Jones. The many combinations of reeds highlight this set, which has originals by Freeman, Mark Thompson ("Monk 2000"), John Stubblefield, Alex North and Cecil McBee ("Blues on the Bottom"), in addition to the standard "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise." The style ranges from straight-ahead to more exploratory sounds, and this colorful album is worth searching for.

The Jack Wilson Trio - Live at The Pied Piper + 2 (1967) {Interplay Japan Mini LP DSD XQAM-1614 rel 2011}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 180 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 78 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar | Mini LP | DSD remastering
© 1967, 2011 Interplay / SS Jazz Records Japan | XQAM-1614
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

Includes two never-before-released bonus tracks. DSD remastered. Pianist Jack Wilson (1936-2007) was born in Chicago and moved Fort Wayne, Indiana at age seven. He became proficient with piano early, joining the local musicians union by his 15th birthday and playing a two-week stint as a substitute pianist in James Moody's band. He worked with Dinah Washington, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris before moving to Los Angeles.