Ran Black

On their authentic masterpiece Zeichen, the Wolves from VARG return to their roots and embark on a journey further down a new road. Forget anything you have seen or heard about them in the past few years and embrace the new album as a reboot of a band that never ceased to evolve and has gotten rid of everything superfluous. This seventh full length release marks a new era for the Wolves, haunted by wild battles, death and bloodlust - a resurrection from the fields of pagan metal, pairing razor-sharp melodic death riffs with Freki's furious vocals. Within the first seconds of the album opener breaking loose, VARG pulls the listener into the year “793” that heralded the ferocious era of the Vikings. In contrast, "Fara Til Ranar", including additional female vocals, is a melancholic, captivating saga about the Nordic sea goddess Rán, who pulls wandering sailors down into her wet grave. "Verräter", on the other hand, emphasizes the suffering and vengeance towards former allies with rapid guitar leads and ultimately the album culminates in the mighty title hymn “Zeichen”. In addition to the ten new tracks, the mediabook contains a bonus CD featuring alternative versions of each song the band recorded with renowned guest musicians from Eluveitie, Nachtblut and Equilibrium among others. Looking at the final opus, it's not surprising why VARG took four years after the publication of Das Ende Aller Lügen (which hit number 17 on the German charts) to regather their forces, and today, Zeichen shows that Freki, Fenrier, Morkai and Garm consciously took their time to realign their inner compass and are not afraid of musical and intellectual freedom.

Jimmy Giuffre - The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note (2012) {4CD Set Cam London BXS 1016 rec 1983-93}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 945 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 426 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983-93, 2012 CAM London / Black Saint / Soul Note | BXS 1016
Jazz / Cool / Avant-Garde Jazz

The closely affiliated Black Saint and Soul Note labels were established in the 1970s by Italian jazz lover Giacomo Pellicciotti, and together they released some of the most forward-thinking jazz recordings on the market during their four decades of independent existence (both labels were acquired by another company in 2008). In 2011, the labels' new owner began releasing a series of budget-priced box sets documenting the complete output of particular artists, each individual disc housed in an LP-style cardboard sleeve. This one features four albums by reedman and noted avant-cool composer Jimmy Giuffre. The box offers three albums (Dragonfly, Quasar, and Liquid Dancers) by the Jimmy Giuffre 4, which included keyboardist Pete Levin, bassist Bob Nieske, and drummer Randy Kaye.

This import, three-CD box set collects Black Sabbath's first six albums in near-entirety, excising a few lesser tracks and shorter instrumental pieces like "Laguna Sunrise," the only track from We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll not present ("Children of the Grave" is here, but mistitled "Embryo," which is actually its instrumental introduction). The tracks are ordered chronologically, often in their original LP sequence. It isn't as necessary to hear Sabbath's albums in their original forms as, for example, Led Zeppelin's, so if you can find it, this set is a less expensive (and definitive) way to acquire all of Black Sabbath's worthwhile material at once.

California Jam (also known as Cal Jam) was a rock music festival co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on April 6, 1974. It was produced by ABC Entertainment, Sandy Feldman and Leonard Stogel. Pacific Presentations, a Los Angeles-based concert company headed by Sepp Donahower and Gary Perkins, coordinated the event, booked all the musical talent and ran the advertising campaign. Don Branker worked for Leonard Stogel and was responsible for concert site facilitation, toilets, fencing and medical. The California Jam attracted 300,000–400,000 paying music fans. The festival set what were then records for the loudest amplification system ever installed, the highest paid attendance, and highest gross in history. It was the last of the original wave of rock festivals, as well as one of the most well-executed and financially successful, and presaged the era of media consolidation and the corporatization of the rock music industry.

Sun Ra - Sun Ra with Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold (2018) {Sun Ra Music Archive 048285989863 rec 1964}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (bandcamp.com) -> 369 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Sun Ra LLC / Sun Ra Music Archive | 048285989863
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Jazz Funk / Experimental Big Band / Cosmic Jazz

In November 1964, a number of New York musicians (including Sun Ra) formally banded together as the Jazz Composers Guild. Under JCG sponsorship, the series “Four Days in December” ran from December 28 through 31 at Judson Hall. Sun Ra and his Arkestra appeared on the 31st, along with the New York Art Quartet. All of the music from the Four Days in December series was recorded by the JCG for its own label; a December 1964 announcement in Down Beat indicates that a sampler LP was planned as the first release. However, the Guild broke apart early in 1965, so this never came to pass. Later there were plans (again abortive) to issue the concerts on the Fontana label. Almost a dozen years later (1976), Sun Ra issued the LP "Featuring Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold" [comprised of tracks 6–11 of this digital edition].