The Band Robbie Robertson

Mel Lewis and The Jazz Orchestra - Naturally (1979) {Telarc CD-83301 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 251 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 111 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1979, 1992 Telarc | CD-83301
Jazz / Bop / Modern Big Band / Post Bop

This was the first recording by the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, made just a short time after co-leader Thad Jones surprised everyone by suddenly quitting and moving to Europe. Although Jones was gone, the band was still performing his arrangements, and all six of the charts on the set were his; plus, he was the composer of five of the tunes. With such soloists as pianist Jim McNeely, altoist Dick Oatts, trumpeter John Marshall, and the tenors of Bob Rockwell and Richard Perry (along with plenty of tight ensembles), it was clear that the orchestra would live on. Worth searching for.

Considering the amount of quality music the ad hoc Canadian singer/songwriter "supergroup" has released under the Blackie & the Rodeo Kings moniker – five albums, including a double from 1996-2007 – this 14-song, 55-minute set should have used the extra 20 minutes of its CD playing time to better advantage. The trio – Colin Linden, Tom Wilson, and Stephen Fearing, all solo artists with well-regarded catalogs of their own – began life by covering the songs of journeyman Canadian songwriter Willie P. Bennett before expanding into original material…

Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks - The Roulette Years (1958-63) [2CD] {1994 Sequel Records}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 718 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 326 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 228 Mb
© 1994 Sequel Records | NED CD 266
Rock / Rockabilly / Jazz

This 57-track double-CD set seems like a no-brainer – get almost all of Ronnie Hawkins' rock & roll recordings in one place. The packaging here is good, thoughtful, and legitimate, but could also be a little misleading to those who are buying this expecting to hear a lot of early work by the musicians who later became the Band – Levon Helm was aboard on drums from the Hawks' first official recordings, but the remainder didn't begin arriving on the scene until almost two years later; they're only on hand more than one or two at a time for less than half of what's here.