The Platter

This triple-disc anthology complements Keep on Truckin': The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 1. Included are Eddie Kendricks' mid- to late-'70s long-players Boogie Down!, The Hit Man, He's a Friend, Goin' Up in Smoke, and Slick, as well as seven previously unavailable sides excavated from the Motown vaults.

Apple Pie (1969) pulled double duty for the Boston-based Apple Pie Motherhood Band. It was both the follow-up to their 1968 self-titled debut as well as their swan song. By decades' end the combo consisted of founders Richard Barnaby (bass) – now known as Dick Barnaby and also credited on bamboo flute, Jackie Bruno (drums), Ted Demos (guitar,) and Jeff Labes (organ/piano)…

Dexter Gordon - The Tower Of Power! (1969) {Prestige OJCCD-299-2 rel 1993}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 225 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 1993 Prestige / OJC / Fantasy | OJCCD-299-2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Dexter Gordon (tenor sax) returned to the United States in the spring of 1969 to create his first studio recordings in nearly a decade. Joined by James Moody (tenor sax), Barry Harris (piano), Buster Williams (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), Gordon actually documented enough material for two long players – Tower of Power (1969) and More Power! (1969) – both of which became primary staples of the artist's voluminous Prestige catalog. An opening flourish from Heath on "Montmartre" marks the commencement of the platter, leading into a mid-tempo bop. Gordon and Moody swing steadily as they bounce ideas off each other.

Chet Baker & Bud Shank - Theme Music From "The James Dean Story" (1956) {Pacific Jazz 07777 7 95251 2 6 rel 2000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 244 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 2000 Pacific Jazz / Capitol | 07777 7 95251 2 6
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Soundtracks

West coast cool purveyors Chet Baker (trumpet) and Bud Shank team up to provide the incidental soundtrack to The James Dean Story (1958). Granted, the biopic was presumably made to cash in on the actor's untimely demise, but movie buffs also recognize it as one of director Robert Altman's earliest features. The score was written by Leith Stevens, who had previously worked on Private Hell 36 (1954), The Wild One (1954), and the Oscar-winning sci-fi classic Destination Moon (1950). Those credentials may have gotten Stevens the gig, but his contributions remain somewhat of a double-edged sword.

Dave Brubeck (piano) began his Columbia Records association on a second album of material that his quartet had cut during its spring of 1954 tour of North American college campuses, Paul and Dave's Jazz Interwoven (1954) being the first. Joining Brubeck are Paul Desmond (alto sax), Bob Bates (bass), and Joe Dodge (drums), whose support of Brubeck is uniformly flawless, ultimately producing what many consider as the most memorable music in the artist's cannon. "Balcony Rock" commences the platter from sides documented at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor…