Star Moon

Big Star - Complete Third (2016) {3CD Box Set Omnivore Recordings OVCD-192 rec 1974}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.28 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 485 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 562 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2016 Ardent Music / Omnivore Recordings | OVCD-192
Rock / Contemporary Pop/Rock / Power Pop / Proto-Punk

By all rights, the album that came to be known as Big Star's Third should have been a disaster. It was written and recorded in 1975, when Alex Chilton's brilliant but tragically overlooked band had all but broken up. As Chilton pondered his next move, he was drinking and drugging at a furious pace while writing a handful of striking tunes that were often beautiful but also reflected his bitterness and frustration with his career (and the music business in general). Production of the album wasn't completed so much as it simply stopped, and none of the major figures involved ever decided on a proper sequence for the finished songs, or even a title. (The album was also known as Sister Lovers and Beale Street Green at various times.) And yet, Third has won a passionate and richly deserved cult following over the years, drawn in by the emotional roller coaster ride of the songs, informed by equal parts love, loss, rage, fear, hope, and defeat.

It's a bold concept; take Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon (Harvest, 1973) and reinterpret it in a big band jazz setting. With upwards of forty million copies sold, every note, every nuance of Floyd's eighth album is so firmly entrenched in the minds of the band's legion devotees that to tamper with the work in any way is to leave oneself open to facile criticism. French-Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê, however, is nothing if not adventurous. Lê has already demonstrated on Purple: Celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT Music, 2007) and Songs of Freedom (ACT Music, 2012)—his tribute to classic pop and rock songs of the 1960s and 1970s—that he can breathe new life into old material without being overly reverential.

Carmen McRae - Torchy & Blue Moon (1955-1956) {Decca–MCA Records ‎MCLD19392 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 180 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 157 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 49 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955-56, 1999 Decca / MCA Records ‎| MCLD19392
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Bop / Standards / Soul Jazz

There's a lot to enjoy on "Blue Moon" but "Torchy" is the reason to buy this CD. Immaculate performances of some wonderful songs in effective but not intrusive arrangements. "Midnight Sun" is simply beautiful; "Star Eyes" is definitive; "My Future Just Passed" one of those lesser-known songs that Carmen makes into something very special; "I'm a Dreamer" is not in the least corny; and "Good Morning Heartache" shows Carmen's strengths and why listening to her is such a pleasure.

A Complete Reggae Version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. The Easy Star All-Stars' stunning reinvention of this beloved record has been on the Billboard reggae charts since its 2003 release and features recordings with guest vocal appearances by Frankie Paul, Corey Harris, Gary "Nesta" Pine (of the Wailers), The Meditations, Dr. Israel, Ranking Joe, Sluggy Ranks, and more. Every detail is there, from sound effects to Wizard of Oz synchronicity.

The veteran pianist Llew Matthews grew up in Harlem, New York. Over his long career, he has performed with numerous jazz giants including Kenny Dorham and Jackie McLean. He accompanied Lena Horne and seved as musical director for Nancy Wilson. While well known and cherished for his abilities as a side man, he had to wait until 1998 to release his first album as a leader, Nathalie, from a Japanese label. His third CD as a leader, brought to you by M&I of Japan, is a sweet and romantic collection of songs associated with the moon and stars. Matthews' straight forward, honest and elegant piano is supported well by veterans Stan Gilbert and Carl Burnett. The mood is relaxed, and appropriately romantic, and the gentle, dreamy swing of the trio is intoxicating: perfect music for a starry night!

As the object of intense devotion for so many fans, it's fitting that Big Star receive a box set designed for the intensely devoted: four discs containing every song the band cut in the '70s, often present in slightly alternate mixes or versions in addition to the originals, a clutch of solo songs from both Chris Bell and Alex Chilton, as well as a handful of pre-Big Star cuts by Icewater and Rock City, all topped off with a live disc culled from a three-set stint at Memphis' Lafayette's Music Room in January of 1973, not long after Bell left the band…

The legendary Four Brothers reed section of Woody Herman's famous "Second Herd" big band of 1947, (Herbie Steward, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff) is reimagined and reinvigorated by jazz icons Harry Allen, Eric Alexander, Grant Stewart and Gary Smulyan on the exciting, swinging and audacious recording of The Candy Men by Harry Allen's All Star New York Saxophone Band. Offering a sensational set of twelve bop-infused tunes containing some hard-driving, mid-tempo swing pieces to breathy and bossa-styled ballads, one sampling of this disc is just not enough. The material and the musicianship is so outstanding, that the late, great bandleader Woody Herman himself, would be proud of the way this group of jazz icons, has so elegantly represented the original Brothers section.