Tommy McCook & The Supersonics ‎– Down On Bond Street [1993]

 'Down on Bond Street' compiles 20 tracks from 1966-1968.Like Roland Alphonso did while leading Clement Dodd's own Soul Vendors outfit (with organist Jackie Mittoo), McCook and the Supersonics cut several instrumental sides, focusing on groove-heavy beats and tasty horn and organ solos. Trojan's Down on Bond Street brings together 20 of these gems, ranging from late ska cuts like "A Yellow Basket (A Tisket a Tasket)" to early reggae sides such as "Second Fiddle." Focusing primarily on rocksteady material, McCook also delves into some updated Jamaican R&B ("Heatwave (Moving)"), several choice covers ("Ode to Billie Joe"), and a few breezy originals ("Real Cool"). Showing off his considerable jazz chops, McCook is ever present with his vaporously tart and sinewy tenor lines (he turns in impressive flute work on a handful of cuts as well). Also part of that select crew of Jamaican jazz musicians, many being fellow Skatalite alums as well, the Supersonics featured alto saxophonist Lester Sterling, trumpeter Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, trombonist Vin "Don Drummond, Jr." Gordon, guitarist Lynn Taitt (whose Jets found work with producer Joe Gibbs), and organist Winston Wright. While Heartbeat's fine Tribute to Tommy and a few albums with the Aggrovators cover ska and reggae ground respectively, this McCook title is one of the few, if not the only wide-ranging collection of the saxophonist's instrumental output during the '60s. Highly recommended. 

                                                                                 Enjoy!

Don Drummond - Jazz Ska Attack:1964 [2000]

Drummond was one of the top soloists and most creative musical minds of Jamaica's ska era. His apex came in 1964 when he and fellow Skatalites, like saxophonists Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso, organist Jackie Mittoo, Lester Sterling, and trumpeter Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, ruled Kingston's musical scene as the virtual house band for producers Clement Dodd, Duke Reid, George Phang, and many others. Drummond's lopey sounding yet technically superb trombone work stood out on all the Skatalites sessions, whether the band was cutting some of its own records or backing numerous singers like Alton Ellis and Delroy Wilson. This fine Drummond roundup on Jet Set brings together many of the trombonist best Skatalites sides from 1964, including such self-penned classics as "Musical Storeroom," "Eastern Standard Time," and "Don-de-Lion." A great introduction to this most talented of Jamaican jazz masters. 

                                                                                Enjoy!

Milt Jackson ‎– Sunflower [1973]

Jackson is joined here by an outstanding aggregate of younger all-star musicians including Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn, Herbie Hancock, swapping chores on piano and Fender Rhodes, Ron Carter (of course) on bass and Billy Cobham on drums.
The image of a sunflower might best describe the music contained within this record. First there’s Someone I Love that is a light and casual Jazz piece that gets a little frantic in the middle with the Herbie Hancock’s piano playing. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? is in the same mood and range. The highlight of the album however, is a cover of People Make The World Go Round with Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet in the lead and Ron Carter and Billy Cobham locking down the rhythm into a tight groove in the middle when Jackson takes his solo on the vibes.

                                                                                  Enjoy!

Legion of Mary: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1 [2005]

Buried beneath Jerry Garcia’s endless side projects, guest appearances and solo endeavors is the rarely mentioned Legion of Mary. The LOM lineup consisted of Merl Saunders, JGB bassist John Kahn, Martin Fierro on sax and flute along with Ronnie Tutt on drums (who replaced Paul Humphrey in early ’75). The band was short lived—lasting only from July of ’74 to July ’75—but during the time it lasted the Legion of Mary was a rare force, blending the sounds of jazz, rock and R&B with a touch of psychedelia.

The two discs here feature 14 selections recorded at either the aforementioned club, the Portland Theater and the Great American Music Hall; none of the material has been previously released.The first disc includes readings of Bob Dylan's "Tough Mama," and Robbie Robertson's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," as well as the staple "I Second That Emotion." But the greatest surprise is the improvisation in "Talkin' 'Bout You" that closes the disc. Garcia's interplay with Saunders is simply magical, and Fierro's saxophone work here pushes them both. The second disc ranges from rollicking early rock & roll classics like "Let It Rock" and "Mystery Train," to more Motown tunes such as "Money Honey" and "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved by You." The playing is off-kilter funky, relaxed but adventurous throughout.

                                                                   Enjoy! Cd1   &   Cd2

Paul Giovanni - The Wicker Man [2002]

Extraordinarily literate and thoroughly compelling, The Wicker Man has often been called the Citizen Kane of horror movies. Writer Anthony Shaffer and director Robin Hardy built their contemporary (1973) English murder mystery/thriller upon gothic Druid underpinnings and wisely gave songwriter-composer Paul Giovanni (whose first and only film score this is) the freedom to create music of a piece. The score remains one of the most unusual in the entire genre: a collection of original, well-researched folk songs and instrumental underscore that evoke a rare, eerily discomfiting sense of displaced time and place--'70s folk-pop informed by ancient forces of nature and superstition. Long a holy grail among soundtrack aficionados, this lavishly packaged and annotated release has been prepared from recently discovered master tapes with a clarity and presence that gives the late Giovanni's haunting music the gratifying showcase it's so long deserved.

                                                                              Enjoy!

The Earthbound - The Earthbound [2000]

Formed in Athens (Greece) in 1998 by six former members of The Last Drive, Honeydive, Rockin’ Bones and Engine-V. The Earthbound recorded their self-titled debut album with producer Jim Spliff, which came out in 2000. The album contains three cover versions, namely Kyuss (Gardenia), Woody Guthrie and Guillermo Portaballes. Expect on this platter a sultry mix between americana and rock.

                                                                                Enjoy!  

The Baghdaddies - Random Acts Of Kindness [2003]

Touring the world for 14 years, the Baghdaddies’ music is world music with  strong Balkan tendencies alongside Caribbean grooves, Middle Eastern rhythms and even some Geordie [native Newcastle] touches, all awash with influences such as ska, jazz, punk , delivered with theatre and exuberance. Uplifting and infectiously danceable, full of blistering brass, rousing 5 part vocal harmonies and a rhythm section that you can’t keep still to. Songs to listen to and party!
  This album is called Random Acts Of Kindness  and you can't listen to it and not smile. On paper, the lyrics might not aspire to poetry, but the exuberant performance style and musical dexterity brings them to life. Songs like Winter Winds, the title track and 6/8 - We'll Be Late would grace any party. 


                                          

                                                                           Enjoy!

Dizzy Gillespie ‎– Matrix (The Perception Sessions '70-'71) [2005]

Excellent funk from Dizzy Gillespie – featuring all 3 of his albums for the legendary Perception label! The Real Thing is an amazing mix of funky jazz, cool rhythms, and some nice Latin-tinged grooves – and it's a stunning representation of the way that Dizzy kept on growing as a musician, long after his bebop years were over. James Moody sits in with some very funky tenor, and Mike Longo is on piano. Tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator" – all short, hard, and funky! Next up is Portrait Of Jenny, which has a cool electric feel that you don't really associate with Diz. The whole album has a sly sweet funky sound that's part CTI/part Latin-tinged Dizzy – and the real strength is the great Mike Longo, who plays some amazing stretched out piano lines, which work perfectly with the basslines on the record as a foil for Dizzy's sparkling trumpet solos. The album's got 4 long cuts – including the excellent "Me N Them", plus "Olinga" and "Diddy Wa Diddy". The last set is Giants – a live recording that features Dizzy with Mary Lou Williams and Bobby Hackett, in a pretty mellow, pretty straight setting that shows that Diz could still play straight jazz when he wanted to. Titles include "Love For Sale", "Caravan", "My Man", and "Birks Works". 2 CDs, with 21 tracks in all!

                                            

                                                       Enjoy!   CD1  &  CD2

Mike Longo - Matrix [1971]

 It was 1966 when Mike Longo was playing in Manhattan. His trio at the time consisted of Paul Chambers on bass and Chuck Lampkin on drums. The trio became a house rhythm section there and during this period Mike played with such jazz greats as Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and the legendary Roy Eldridge. It was Roy who went around the corner to where Dizzy  was playing and told Dizzy “you got to come by and hear this piano player who is playing with me.” Dizzy came by and heard Mike play a set with his trio and the next day hired him to be the new pianist with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, a post Mike would remain in for the next nine years.
During his first year with Dizzy, Mike began writing material for the group and Dizzy eventually appointed him as his musical director. A close bond of friendship as well as musical collaborator developed between the two which lasted until Gillespie’s death in 1993.
 Although Mike has led his own trio on and off for many years, this is his first solo effort on record. In trio and quintet context, Mike has assembled some of the finest rhythm players in jazz including Mickey Roker, Ron Carter, Sam Jones and Potato. Guitarist Al Gafa, whose sound is similar to George Freeman and the late Wes Montgomery, is less known, but in no way less talented.
The six tunes presented here provide a full range view of Mike Longo, the pianist and the composer. "Matrix" and "My San Francisco" are beautiful, rich ballads. "Let Me Out" best illustrates Longo's ability to just swing.
"Night Rider" is possibly his most poetic composition.
Some of these tunes were written for Dizzy's band, some specifically for this record, others were just written. This then is the music of Mike Longo.

                                                                             Enjoy!

Yusef Lateef & Adam Rudolph The World at Peace, Music for 12 Musicians [1995]

Picture a 12-piece orchestra with percussion from Africa, the Americas, India, and the Middle East; a rainbow of wind instruments (shenai, musette, kudu horn, bass clarinet, tuba, saxophone, trumpet, flute); and ethereal strings (cello, harp, violin, and classical acoustic and electric MIDI guitar). Now, picture a seamless integration of those textures and tones, a ritual celebration of live trance beats, shamanistic polyrhythms, melodies with wings, drum skins on fire, space and silence between thick brush strokes of color.
The compositions are as harmonically elegant as any score in the Duke Ellington catalog. At once earthy and cosmic, Lateef & Rudolph's two-CD set transcends the myopia of genre-based thinking. Reaffirming the power of the creative spirit, The World at Peace offers up pure expression as a source of positivity and wonderment. Its cultural import spans the planet.   

                                       

                                    Enjoy!   CD1  &  CD2