David Amram – Havana / New York Flying Fish – FF 057 | Latin jazz The product of a cultural exchange between musicians in two different nexus cities for musical innovation, this is a solid listen featuring members of the pioneering Cuban group Irakere (on Side Two only) and New York salsa band Típica ’73 (on Side One only) along with Pepper Adams, Eddie Gomez, Candido, Ray Mantilla and others. Continue reading
Don “Sugarcane” Harris – Sugar Cane’s Got The Blues Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC | 300 dpi scans | Jazz, Rock 1.74 GB (24/192) + 934 MB (24/96) 1977 MPS Records || Orig. rel. 1972 Is the stunning cover art the best thing about this record? The album documents when fiddle wizard* Don “Sugarcane” Harris played the Berlin Jazz Festival with a lineup that featured Robert Wyatt on drums and Volker Krieger on guitar. Terje Rypdal also guests… Continue reading
Eddie Palmieri – Unfinished Masterpiece Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC | 300 dpi scans | Salsa, Latin Jazz 1975 Coco Records CLP 120 Titling an album “Unfinished Masterpiece” sort of confirms my suspicious that Eddie Palmieri wasn’t exactly humble, and a difficult, if admirably uncompromising artist to work with. His tendency to jump from one record label to another also reinforces it. But any such hubris is more than justified by the likes of this album and others… Continue reading
Raulzinho – À Vontage Mesmo 1980 RCA Japan RCA – PG-143 || Orig. rel. 1965 RCA Victor (Brasil) Do you like trombone? Do you like JAZZ trombone? Do you like trombone as the lead instrument on every track of a jazz record? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, well I still encourage you to give this album a shot. Because although trombonist Raul de Souza is the leader, it’s the band itself who is the star… Continue reading
Andy Bey – Ballads, Blues & Bey 1996 Evidence – ECD 22162-2 Except for a little-heard 1991 album released only in Croatia, this was Andy Bey’s first release since the classic rare groove masterwork ‘Experience & Judgement’ in 1974. As such – and because I still haven’t heard that 1991 album — I consider this record the first salvo in Bey’s “third act”. He’d begun his recording career with his sisters in classy, upbeat, swinging and bop-leaning vocal jazz. Then… Continue reading
Sparks – No. 1 In Heaven Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC | 300 dpi scans | Synth-pop, Electronic, Disco 1.35 GB (24/192) + 806 MB (24/96) 1979 Elektra 6E-186 This is Sparks’ world and we’re all just living in it. Their catalog is an embarrassment of riches. A group that continually reinvents itself but always remains unmistakably Sparks. Continue reading
