Riverside

Bill Evans Quintet - Interplay (1962) {Riverside Japan, VDJ-1546, Early Press}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 231 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 157 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 1986 Riverside / Victor Japan | VDJ-1546
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Piano

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes.

Wes Montgomery With Strings - Fusion! (1963) {Riverside Japan VDJ-1671, Early Press, rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 233 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 108 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1963, 1989 Riverside / Victor Japan | VDJ-1671 | Early Press
Jazz / Hard Bop / Guitar

Although most Wes Montgomery fans associate his playing with strings with his later A&M and Verve recordings, the influential guitarist actually fronted a string section for the first time on this Riverside date from 1963, which had the ironic name of Fusion. As with his later albums, Montgomery's guitar solos here are brief and melodic but the jazz content is fairly high even if the emphasis is (with the exception of "Tune Up") on ballads.

Johnny "Hammond" Smith - Black Coffee + Mr. Wonderful (1962-63) {2012 Riverside Remaster, Jazzplus Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 507 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 184 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2012 Riverside / Universal | 06007 5340501
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / Organ

This two-fer combines two early-'60s dates for Johnny "Hammond" Smith, a gifted organist who had the chops to play more complex jazz changes while keeping the groove deep. Both of these dates were originally released on Riverside. Black Coffee, a club gig, was issued in 1962 with a lineup of saxophonist Seldon Powell, guitarist Eddie McFadden, and drummer Leo Stevens. Smith walks the line between beautifully rendered standards such as "Body and Soul" and "I Remember Clifford," as well as some hard-edged soul-jazz stompers including the title track and his own "Rufus Toofus."