Punjab

As part of Blue Note's 60th anniversary gala, Benny Green was invited to record a selection of his favorite tunes from the label's venerable catalog. Green picked eight songs previously recorded by the likes of Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson, and Dexter Gordon, then he recruited bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone. Together, they recorded These Are Soulful Days, a splendid tribute to the glory days of Blue Note, when excellent hard bop musicians ruled the roster. Like the classic albums from the late '50s and early '60s, These Are Soulful Days clocks in at an economical 45 minutes and feels intimate. All eight songs were recorded directly to two-track, giving the music an immediate, vibrant feel.

Pepper Adams - Encounter! (1968) {Prestige OJCCD-892-2 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 105 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968, 1996 Prestige / Fantasy | OJCCD-892-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Baritonist Pepper Adams and tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims (who rarely performed together) make a surprisingly compatible team on this CD reissue of a 1968 Prestige session. With pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones forming a fairly adventurous rhythm section, Pepper and Sims sound inspired on material that includes obscurities by Flanagan, Thad Jones and Adams in addition to the Ellington-Strayhorn ballad "Star-Crossed Lovers" and a pair of Joe Henderson songs. The setting is more advanced than usual for Sims, who rises to the challenge.

A big improvement over his first release, On the One features the young trumpeter Ryan Kisor blowing high-powered Art Blakey-type hard bop with a group of impressive up-and-coming musicians, including Mark Turner and David Sanchez on tenors; altoist Chris Potter; bassist Christian McBride; drummer Lewis Nash; and the "old" man of the group, the 38-year-old pianist Mulgrew Miller. Kisor at this point did not yet have a distinctive voice of his own, but he shows much potential for the future.