Satin Doll

Toward the end of his career, Duke Ellington found himself filling up his calendar when home in New York City with a residence at the famous Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza. This afforded fans to hear a scaled-down version of his Big Band in the form of an Octet, plus occasional added vocalists. On this album we present a rare stereo recording of Duke's Rainbow Room Octet as they were captured playing a private party in New Jersey during the summer of 1968. This is one of only perhaps two issued live recordings of this rare instrumentation, featuring some of Ellington's great sidemen such as Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Paul Gonsalves…

Wes Montgomery - The Complete Riverside Recordings (1992) {12CD Box Set, Riverside Japan VICJ-40060~71 rec 1959-1963}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.38 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.92 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 592 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959-63, 1992 Riverside / Victor Japan | VICJ-40060~71
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Guitar

Wes Montgomery recorded exclusively for the Riverside label during the four years covered by this massive 12-CD box set and, although his later albums for Verve and particularly the pop/jazz A&M dates sold many more copies, it is from his Riverside dates that his legacy was primarily formed. Virtually unknown at the time of his debut on Riverside, Montgomery soon became a major influence whose style is still copied decades later.

Howard Roberts was a talented guitarist on the level of a Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis, who spent most of his career playing commercial music in the studios. Shortly after he moved to Los Angeles in 1950, Roberts was firmly established in the studios, although on occasion he recorded jazz (most notably twice for Verve during 1956-1959, a Concord session from 1977, and one for Discovery in 1979); however, most of his other output is of lesser interest.
Color Him Funky (1963). Recorded with organ trio, Howard is slick and soulful. Find this one and you'll smile and tap your foot. The organ sounds a bit dated, but it's part of the charm…

Charlie Byrd - Byrd's World! (1958) {Riverside OJCCD-1054-2 rel 2000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 274 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1958, 2000 Riverside Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1054-2 / 0025218705424
Jazz / Bop / International Jazz / Guitar

Byrd's Word! is an early Charlie Byrd recording that finds the guitarist in a variety of settings. The idea seems to be showcasing Byrd with a number of friends, including valve trombonist Bobby Felder, tenor saxophonist Buck Hill, and pianist Tee Carson. Though there are really no bad cuts on the album, the content is so diverse – acoustic trios, electric guitar with brass, and acoustic guitar with vocals – that the album doesn't flow as a whole. "Byrd's Word" opens the album, with a big brassy sound, complete with Byrd cutting loose on electric guitar.

If the picture of three grown men hanging onto giant, colored swirl sticks looks a bit odd, or if the title The Poll Winners seems a bit conceited, the music, nonetheless - recorded in 1957 - still sounds great. Besides, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne really did win polls in Down Beat, Playboy, and Metronome in 1956, and this is precisely what brought the players together. Here, on their first outing, they interpret nine pieces for 40 lovely minutes of modern jazz. After kicking off with a fine take on Duke Jordan's "Jordu," the group delivers an emotionally warm, six-minute version of "Satin Doll," one the album's highlights. While each player is always fully engaged in this small setting, Kessel's guitar supplies the lead voice…