Tone Report 2015

The Three Sounds - Here We Come (1960) {2015 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster UCCQ-5091}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 298 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 115 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 231 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster
© 1960, 2015 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5091
Jazz / Post Bebop / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano Trio

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. The Three Sounds pull away from the curb in a sweet sports car – a great cover image that really sets the tone for the entire record! The album's the epitome of early 60s class and cool that the group had to offer – as they effortlessly mix soulful groovers with mellower, more introspective pieces – all delivered by the godlike hands of Gene Harris on acoustic piano – already a giant in jazz, even at the start of his long career. The rhythm is great, too – sublime bass from Andy Simpkins, whose round, warm tone we always love – and just the right sort of work on drums from Bill Dowdy, who always keeps things on track. Titles include "Now's The Time", "Summertime", "Poinciana", "Here We Come", and "Sonnymoon For Two". Great cover too – with one of the all-time best "car jazz" images!

Edouard Lalo - Tassis Christoyannis & Jeff Cohen - Complete Songs (2015) {Aparte-Harmonia Mundi AP110}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 594 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 336 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 226 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Aparté / Harmonia Mundi | AP110
Classical / Vocal Music / Romantic / French Classical / Chamber Music

Composer Edouard Lalo's work encompassed the period of Romanticism that witnessed the evolution of the romance de salon genre into the melodie francaise or French art song. It is an injustice of posterity that only Faure, Duparc and Debussy acquired true fame in this genre. This collection from baritone Tassis Christoyannis and pianist Jeff Cohen featuring the two scenes de salon for voice and piano, the seven romances and the 23 melodies, shows that Lalo easily stands alongside his more well-known countrymen.

David Liebman Quintet - If They Only Knew (1980) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 106 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 247 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1980, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6341
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Post Bebop / Fusion / Saxophone / Guitar

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. There's a lot of great chromatic elements going on here – thanks to the work of John Scofield on guitar, who's at that key point where he could effortlessly balance melody and tone with these edges that are sharp, but also very spacious – kind of a wide style that really reaches out and wraps up the rest of the players in the group! Not that the record's one of John's as a leader, because the real driving force here is David Liebman on tenor and soprano sax – but he also seems to let Scofield set the tone at many times – which opens up work from the rest of the players, who include Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Ron McClure on bass, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. This approach makes the record a lot less arch than some of Liebman's other material from the time – and titles include "Reunion", "Moontide", "Move On Some", "Autumn In New York", "If They Only Knew", and "Capitstrano".

Coming in at a tidy three hours and eight minutes, Donizetti’s huge Les Martyrs, composed (or adapted) for Paris in 1840, is here presented in its fullest conceivable form, including ballet and many passages cut right after the first performances. The opera was a reworking of his 1838 Poliuto, composed for the San Carlo in Naples, which had been banned by the king himself, since Christian martyrdom under the Romans was found unpleasant by the censors and the king was devoutly religious.

This three-CD package from Sony Classical consists of Vladimir Horowitz's studio recordings of the piano music of Alexander Scriabin, recorded between 1950 and 1976 and previously issued by RCA Victor and Columbia Masterworks, along with several live recordings.