The Complete Musician

Best known as a member of Dave Brubeck's legendary quartet and the man who wrote the biggest-selling jazz single ever, 'Take Five', Paul Desmond's importance as a jazz performer cannot be underestimated. A master of the alto saxophone as well as a consummate composer and musician, Desmond was a pivotal figure on the West Coast cool jazz scene. His time with Brubeck produced some of the most critically-acclaimed recordings in history, in particular the magnificent Time Out (Columbia, 1959). However, Desmond was also an accomplished bandleader in his own right, with the material released during the early part of his career remaining among his finest work. Paul Desmond remained active throughout the rest of his career, producing a multitude of albums and performing live with Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Ed Bickert and The Modern Jazz Quartet among others.

Bill Jennings - The Complete Bill Jennings On Prestige 1959-1960 with Brother Jack McDuff (2018) {Fresh Sound FSR-CD 973}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 508 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 193 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1959-60, 2018 Prestige / Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 973 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Hard Bop / Jazz Blues / Soul Jazz / Guitar / Organ

Bill Jennings was a very short man, but a giant on guitar—entirely self-taught, his attack and phrasing were astoundingly sax-like. As a jazz musician, he always insisted on soul as well as sound. That is not to say that he was not a perfectionist and a precisionist, for indeed he was. Although an ardent admirer of the great guitars in jazz, Jennings was always biased towards reeds and (admittedly a frustrated saxophonist) claimed that his style had been heavily influenced by Charlie Parker and Herschel Evans.

A pianist whose work transcended time, Lili Kraus was a Hungarian musician with a love for Viennese classics. Kraus made a career from an early age, performing internationally from the age of 18 and becoming a professor at age 20. She was not only a great solo artist, but was a renowned collaborator. As described in Gramophone, ""Her superb playing in various violin sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart set standards that have not been matched since the 1930's.

Miles Davis - The Complete Miles Davis At Montreux (2002) {20 CD LongBox Warner 0927-41836-2 rec 1973-1991}
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© 1973-91, 2002 Warner Music Switzerland | 0927-41836-2
Jazz / Jazz Rock / Fusion / Experimental Big Band / Trumpet

Produced with loving care by Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, with no edits or overdubs, this document of Miles Davis's Montreux performances shows through never-before-released material how Miles and company transformed his music live, with their fire, invention, and interplay. The list of sidemen on these dates is a who's who of today's superstars, including saxophonist Dave Liebman, guitarists John Scofield and Robben Ford, keyboardists Adam Holzman and Kei Akagi, bassist Michael Henderson, and percussionist Mtume. Most of the music on these discs features versions of Davis's fusion "hits." The funky and R&B-ish ditty "Ife" and the bouncy "Calypso Frelimo" are rendered with more gusto than their studio versions, as are the in-the-pocket, mid-'80s tunes "Star People" and "New Blues." A package this big has more than a few surprises, however. Chaka Khan lends her powerful pipes to Davis's unique cover of the Michael Jackson sleeper, "Human Nature," and "Al Jarreau" is an upbeat (though too short) tribute to the great vocalise master.

Tal Farlow – The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions (2004) {7CD Box Set Mosaic MD7-224 rec 1951-1959}
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© 1951-59, 2004 Mosaic Records / Verve / Universal | MD7-224
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Guitar

Tal Farlow, was an innovative self-taught jazz guitarist who influenced generations of guitarists following in his footsteps. Although some of his peak years as a recording artist occurred during his association with Verve between 1954 and 1959, relatively few of the tracks were available for decades until the release of this comprehensive Mosaic box set. The music is consistently brilliant, as the leader's solos seem to evolve effortlessly, often finding fresh ground in the many standards and classic jazz compositions performed in this set. Aside from the three opening tracks from Farlow's days as a member of vibraphonist Red Norvo's trio, the guitarist is the leader.