Monday, December 20, 2010

BASta! (2009) -Cycles



Artist: BASta!
Albums: Cycles
Released: 2009
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 101 MB

April 2009 was a busy month for Antwerp double bassist Joris Vanvinckenroye. Not only did he spearhead the recording of Songs from Mirage, the third full-length CD by his principal creative outlet, the neoclassical chamber rock outfit Aranis, but he also kept his fingers busy under his solo moniker BASta! (exclamation point included and fully warranted), recording this occasionally astounding 45-minute album of multi-tracked bass. Cycles is 100 percent Vanvinckenroye and his double bass — there are no other instruments present (or at least that is the claim, as hard as that might be to believe at times) — although this is not the sound of unaccompanied bass solos. Rather, Vanvinckenroye plays what would appear to be a handful of bass parts at the very least, and oftentimes what sounds like a bass-filled ensemble of nearly orchestral proportions, in multi-layered compositions that surely encompass both the highest and lowest notes the instrument is capable of producing. …Vanvinckenroye takes things a step further here — with their woody textures and grain, his basses are engaged in a deeply organic dance as they lay down a strong foundation of repeated, loop-like phrases while also answering one another in counterpoint, chugging through the middle ground with relentless drive, and singing wildly in the high registers. ~ Read more





Charlie Haden & Hank Jones (1995) -Steal Away: Spirituals, Hymns & Folk Songs



Artist: Charlie Haden & Hank Jones
Albums: Steal Away
Released: 1995
Quality: lossless (FLAC tracks)
Size: 238 MB

Charlie Haden has always had a penchant for roots music, including folk songs from varied traditions in the repertoire of his Liberation Music Orchestra. It's more than affectation; the bassist's musical roots are in Oklahoma, and his career began in early childhood with his family's country-music group. Those sources loom large in this inspired meeting with pianist Hank Jones over a program devoted largely to spirituals, with a few secular folk songs added in. The feelings communicated here arise from no simple reading of traditional material. It's Jones's unmatched harmonic sensitivity that often works the transformation, his close-voiced chords adding new resonance to summon the depths at which this material communicates. Haden, for his part, is as effective a soloist as he is an accompanist, spare and exacting and making full use of his huge, dark sound and powerful lower register. This is music by two masters, immersing themselves in a profound stream of American music. ~ Stuart Broomer


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Bettye LaVette (2010) -Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook



Artist: Bettye LaVette
Albums: Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
Released: 2010
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 184 MB

At first glance, Bettye LaVette’s new album Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook, would appear to be just another collection of song covers. But “interpretations” is the key word here, because LaVette, a Detroit soul veteran and a contemporary of more famous peers like Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson, is no run-of-the-mill singer, and she takes these classic British Invasion tracks and gives them new dimension, making them in every sense and nuance her own. That’s not an easy task, since every one of these tracks is a well-known song, seemingly immutable in the original version, but amazingly, LaVette steals each and every one of them. John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “The Word,” which leads things off, for instance, becomes the gospel stomper the Beatles always intended it to be, while Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy” becomes a swampy, haunting, and profoundly wise blues song in LaVette’s capable hands. And she’s not afraid to make changes to these classics, either, updating the Rolling Stones’ “Salt of the Earth” to include references to the HIV epidemic. She rearranges things in song after song here, moving choruses, swapping out verses, all in the name of claiming the song and placing it in new emotional territory. The idea for this album came after she performed the Who’s “Love Reign O’Er Me” in 2008 at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony for the band, and her version that night (it is included here as an extended bonus track) is nothing less than stunning, pulling a depth of emotion from the song that the Who could only dream of, as fine as the band’s original version was. Now in her mid-sixties, LaVette is singing better than ever, and if she isn’t a household name, she ought to be. This is a remarkable album because this lady is a remarkable singer -- that’s the bottom line. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide.



Monday, December 13, 2010

Various Artists (2007) -Erik Satie Et Autres Messieurs - Airs De Jeux [3 CD]



Artist: various
Albums: Erik Satie Et Autres Messieurs - Airs De Jeux [3 CD]
Released: 2007
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 108 + 137 + 156 MB

A wonderful compilation of 3 CDs, including interpretations of great Satie's works.
CD 1 consistso of works of different artists, CD 2 is Ulrich Gumbert's way of playing Satie while CD 3 is Tony Hymas exploring mysterious friendship of Erik Satie and Claude Debussy.







Sunday, December 12, 2010

Knut Rössler, Johannes Vogt, Miroslav Vitous (2007) -Between The Times



Artist: Knut Rössler, Johannes Vogt, Miroslav Vitous
Albums: Between The Times
Released: 2007
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 131 MB

Fortune's ways are often unpredictable. Two musicians with seemingly completely different focus. One of them a German jazz saxophonist, blue note saturated by countless gigs in subterranean joints since the 1960’s.The other a lute player from a completely different scene, specialist for ancient music from the middle ages on. Brought together by the visual arts – both of them often performed at gallery openings for a number of Heidelberg artists. One day they were asked to play together, as the relevant exhibition connected the old and the new. An unexpected and consequential prod: It resulted in a lasting collaboration. Now saxophonist Knut Rössler and lutenist Johannes Vogt are releasing their ACT-debut: Between the Times is the name of the CD and the ensemble itself, which is manoeuvred through time and style by the two masterminds and their collaborators percussionist Mani Neumeier and stellar bass player Miroslav Vitous.

Between the Times is an effervescent name that resonates on a number of levels. Here it also means
between two musical epochs, meaning not quite renaissance anymore but not baroque yet. The compositions that have inspired this recording stem from the period around 1650. Johannes Vogt finds the music from such transitional periods especially fascinating, the pieces from this time display an unusual pleasure in experimentation, their vocabulary is not yet standardised, like that of later compositions: a daring, un-clichéd and often surprising language. Rössler and Vogt venture into almost uncharted territory (outside of esoteric circles, that is!), with music by composers like Ennemond Gaultier, Pierre Dubut or Jacques Gallot. This allows for discoveries on a number of different levels.
~ ©





Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Various Artists (2009) -Pomegranates: Persian Pop, Funk, Folk, And Psych Of The 60s & 70s



Artist: various
Albums: Pomegranates: Persian Pop, Funk, Folk, And Psych Of The 60s & 70s
Released: 2009
Quality: mp3 CBR 192
Size: 95 MB

Finders Keepers are simply unstoppable! Delving deep into the crates once more, the relentless folks at Finders Keepers have uncovered these mindblowing funky idiosyncratic musical gems from 60's & 70's Persia!
Collected together on this ace 16 track album are some of the finest Persian Pop songs ever recorded. Many are acknowledged classics within "Iran and throughout the Iranian diaspora. Some are super obscure. They date back to a period of intense modernization and tumult in Iran. The songs are by and large, concerned with love and longing, rich in metaphor and emotion, often melacholy, wistful and ecstatic.
- ©






Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Various Artists (1996) -Banzai Freakbeat: Raw 60’s Group Sound From Japan



Artist: various
Albums: Banzai Freakbeat: Raw 60’s Group Sound From Japan
Released: 1996
Quality: mp3 CBR 256
Size: 103 MB



Monday, December 6, 2010

The Al Cohn – Zoot Sims Quintet (1960) -You’n’Me



Artist: Al Cohn & Zoot Sims Quintet
Album: You'n'Me
Released: 2002
Recorded: 1960
Quality: lossless (FLAC)
Size: 289 MB


Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims (1956) -Tenor Conclave



Artist: Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims

Albums: Tenor Conclave
Recorded: 1956
Released: 1990
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 109 MB

These four sides should not be hard to locate, as the primary participants in this November 30, 1956, session have all issued them within their individual catalogs. However Tenor Conclave was first released as credited to the "leaderless" Prestige All-Stars -- consisting of tenor saxophonists John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims. Providing support are pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Taylor. The Mobley-penned title track commences the effort with the quartet of tenors showing off their stuff in high-flying style. It takes a couple of passes and somewhat of a trained ear to be able to link the players with their contributions, but as is often the case, the whole tends to be greater than the sum of the parts. After a brief introduction with all four rapidly reeling off short riffs, Mobley charges ahead into truly inspired territory. The midtempo take of "Just You, Just Me" keeps things lively with a light swinging pace that is custom-made for bringing the combo's jocular side to the surface, particularly toward the end as they "trade fours," with each tenor blowing four bars before passing the melody on. The other Mobley composition is "Bob's Boys," and by all accounts it is the most compelling piece on the outing. The blues-based tune rollicks as Coltrane, Mobley, Cohn, and Sims find themselves configured in a seeming myriad of sonic face-offs. Wrapping up Tenor Conclave is an ultra-cool and sophisticated "How Deep Is the Ocean?" Cohn commences the long and luscious reading with a subtle strength, suggesting the powerful undercurrent flowing throughout the number. Also, listeners are treated to what is possibly Garland's finest interaction, leading right into Sims, Chambers, and finally a sublime Coltrane caboose. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide.



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Saturday, December 4, 2010

The Ronettes (1997) -The Ultimate Collection



Artist: The Ronettes
Albums: The Ultimate Collection
Released: 1997
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 185 MB


The Ronettes weren't the most commercially successful girl group, but their music was some of the most groundbreaking in the field, thanks to their association with the legendary Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector. Their biggest hit, "Be My Baby," is widely regarded as one of the crowning achievements of Spector's oeuvre, and of girl-group pop in general. In fact, many critics have deemed it one of the most supremely romantic records of the rock & roll era; Spector's production frames the song's yearning lyrics and Ronnie Bennett's sweetly sultry vocals in a sweeping, near-symphonic level of emotion. Even though the Ronettes never managed another hit as big as "Be My Baby," many of their subsequent singles boasted the same kind of creative synergy between Spector and Bennett. MORE INFO






Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Kan Mikami (2008) -Juw



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Juw
Released: 2008
Quality: mp3 CBR 192
Size: 52 MB



Kan Mikami (2008) -Barking Practice///White Lines



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Barking Practice///White Lines
Released: 2007
Quality: mp3 VBR 224
Size: 46 MB



Kan Mikami (2004) -Bachi



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Bachi
Released: 2004
Quality: mp3 CBR 128
Size: 41 MB



Kan Mikami (1994) -ベスト・アルバム



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: ベスト・アルバム
Released: 1994
Quality: mp3 CBR 128
Size: 69 MB



Kan Mikami (1992) -Ju-You



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Ju-You
Released: 1992
Quality: mp3 VBR 192
Size: 41 MB




Kan Mikami (1978) -Makeru Toki Mo Aru Darou



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Makeru Toki Mo Aru Darou
Released: 1978
Quality: mp3 CBR 128
Size: 33 MB



Kan Mikami (1974) -Bang!



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Bang!
Released: 1974
Quality: mp3 CBR 256
Size: 89 MB



Kan Mikami (1972) -Hiraku Yume Nado Arujanashi



Artist: Kan Mikami
Albums: Hiraku Yume Nado Arujanashi
Released: 1972
Quality: mp3 CBR 192
Size: 71 MB



Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Robert Johnson (1999) -Steady Rollin' Man



Artist:Robert Johnson
Albums:Steady Rollin’ Man
Released:1999
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 248 MB

“One of the greatest blues artist of all time, the legendary Robert Johnson recorded only enough music to fit onto two CDs. After his death at the age of 27 in 1938, Johnson had only 12 known 78rpm records (42 tracks in total if you include alternate takes) under his belt. But those records would go on to influence the world of blues and rock & roll like no other recordings and become an essential influence to Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Keith Richards (to name just three). When you think of the blues -- despair-filled, acoustic, yet often sly and humorous -- you think of recordings such as these. Though myths about the blues icon selling his soul to the devil abound, all that really matters is the wonderfully timeless, and frustratingly small, body of music he left us.” - ©