The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (50th Anniversary) (Legacy Edition) [Disc 1] And (Disc 2)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:37 (Disc 1)
Size: 89,2 MB (Disc 1)
Time: 54:19 (Disc 2)
Size: 125,3 MB (Disc 2)
Art: Front

Disc 1
(6:46)  1. Blue Rondo a La Turk
(7:24)  2. Strange Meadow Lark
(5:27)  3. Take Five
(5:25)  4. Three to Get Ready
(4:51)  5. Kathy's Waltz
(4:24)  6. Everybody's Jumpin'
(4:17)  7. Pick up Sticks

Disc 2
(7:55)  1. St. Louis Blues
(4:57)  2. Waltz Limp
(6:19)  3. Since Love Had It's Way
(6:00)  4. Koto Song
(4:49)  5. Pennies from Heaven
(9:36)  6. You Go To My Head
(7:22)  7. Blue Rondo à la Turk
(7:18)  8. Take Five

The year 1959 could easily go down as the one of most important years in the history of recorded jazz. In addition to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia), it saw the release of the Dave Brubeck Quartet's groundbreaking LP Time Out. Columbia Records got the risky inclination to release the album's third track, the Paul Desmond-penned title song, as a single and it went on to become the first jazz single to sell one million copies. Despite the fact that "Take Five" might be one of the top three most-recognized jazz recordings ever, the album's history shows that it almost wasn't even released. 

According to Brubeck (in an interview included on a bonus DVD), Time Out made Columbia executives extremely skeptical on three major counts. First, Brubeck wanted to feature nothing more than an abstract painting on the cover. Second, the execs feared the album's groundbreaking, unconventional time signatures wouldn't hold up in dance halls. Third, all of the tunes were originals, meaning standards like "Stardust" and "Body and Soul" wouldn't pad the more unfamiliar works. Luckily, company President Goddard Lieberson believed in Brubeck's vision, resulting in what remains today as one of music's undisputed masterpieces.

The aforementioned DVD that comes with it includes a 30-minute interview conducted in 2003 with a lively and reflective Brubeck where he discusses in great detail the album's origin, as well as that of each individual track. The DVD also features an interactive, multi-angle "piano-lesson" where the viewer can toggle through four different camera angles that simultaneously shoot Brubeck performing a solo version of "Three to Get Ready." The crown jewel of this edition, however, has to be the bonus disc featuring the same quartet from Time Out in various performances at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1961, '63 and '64. It's hard to describe the thrill of listening to this classic ensemble playing at its very best and to audiences whose enthusiasm equals that of the performers on stage.

Highlights include the haunting, noir-ish "Koto Song," as well as Brubeck's magnificent solo work on "Pennies From Heaven."~Graham Flanagan http://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-out-50th-anniversary-legacy-edition-dave-brubeck-legacy-recordings-review-by-graham-l-flanagan.php

Personnel: Dave Brubeck: piano; Paul Desmond: alto sax; Eugene Wright: bass; Joe Morello: drums.

Bill Evans Trio - Live In Buenos Aires Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Live In Buenos Aires Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:23
Size: 104,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:34) 1. Stella by Starlight
(8:18) 2. Laurie
(4:58) 3. Theme From MxAxSxH
(5:57) 4. Turn Out the Stars
(6:42) 5. I Do It for Your Love
(7:10) 6. My Romance
(4:42) 7. Letter to Evan

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Album: Live In Buenos Aires Disc 2
Time: 49:53
Size: 114,5 MB

( 7:35) 1. I Loves You Porgy
( 7:23) 2. Up with the Lark
( 4:11) 3. Minha
( 6:48) 4. Someday My Prince will Come
( 6:31) 5. If You Could See Me Now
(17:22) 6. Nardis

This two-CD set features the final edition of the Bill Evans Trio with Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums in a complete concert that originally appeared as a two-LP set on the Yellow Note label. In spite of occasional surface noise resulting from using the earlier records as this set's source material, the music catches the trio during one of its many peaks from their last year of touring together. A rather reserved rendition of "Stella By Starlight" kicks things off, which is a bit of surprise because Evans seemed to prefer his moody "Re: Person I Knew" as an opener during this period.

An excellent version of "Turn Out the Stars," one of Evans' most beloved compositions, is also a first-set highlight. As the second CD gets underway the groove noise proves somewhat distracting during the otherwise quiet beauty of "I Loves You Porgy." A romp through "Someday My Prince Will Come" is followed by the almost obligatory closer "Nardis," in its typically abstract form, with long solos by each of the musicians. Well worth acquiring.Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-buenos-aires-1979-mw0000678039

Personnel: Bill Evans - piano; Marc Johnson - bass; Joe LaBarbera - drums

Live In Buenos Aires Disc 1, Disc 2

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Cedar Walton - Mobius & Beyond Mobius

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2015
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 79:52
Size: 146,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:07)  1. Blue Trane
(10:34)  2. Soho
( 7:48)  3. Off Minor
( 6:18)  4. The Maestro
( 5:39)  5. Road Island Red
( 4:15)  6. Bad Luck
( 6:18)  7. Low Rider
( 5:16)  8. Beyond Mobius
( 4:32)  9. Jive Talkin'
( 5:16) 10. Canadian Sunset
( 7:24) 11. The Girl with the Discotheque Eyes
( 6:17) 12. Lonely Cathedral

Two killers from Cedar Walton back to back on a single CD! First up is Mobius a real revelation from pianist Cedar Walton an unusual electric album from the 70s quite a surprise, given the mostly-acoustic sound of most of Cedar's other records! The album's a killer, though and has this fresh, full take on funky jazz for the time not the usual CTI copycat mode, and instead this compelling hybrid of elements that includes lots of Fender Rhodes from Walton, sweet guitar likes from Ryo Kawasaki, and lots of rootsy percussion from Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay two players who really make the album nice and earthy at the bottom. The rest of the group is wonderful, too and includes tenor from Frank Foster, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, and trumpet from Roy Burrowes all fresh players who open up a big can of soul for the set on titles that include a classic break version of "Off Minor", plus "Blue Trane", "Soho", and "Road Island Red". Beyond Mobius is a great electric set from Cedar Walton and a set that moves beyond his previous Mobius album, in case you couldn't guess from the title! The style here is a bit more tightly arranged with some backup vocals on a few cuts, which underscore the core jazzy elements from Walton on a range of keyboards and synth, Eddie Harris on tenor, and Blue Mitchell on trumpet all grooved together with some tight guitar lines from Eric Gale and Cornell Dupree! Keyboards definitely get some great solo time in the spotlight, but the overall sound is quite strong too a nice instrumental funk approach, save for the added chorus vocals in a few spots. Titles include the moogy "Beyond Mobius", a cover of "Low Rider", and the tracks "Jive Talkin", "The Girl With The Discotheque Eyes", and "Lonely Cathedral". © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc.https://www.dustygroove.com/item/766015

Personnel: 
Beyond Mobius: Cedar Walton - keyboards, synthesizer arranger, conductor;  Burt Collins, Jon Faddis, Blue Mitchell - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Wayne Andre, Alan Raph – trombone;  George Marge, Eddie Harris - tenor saxophone;  Norman Carr, Harry Cykman, David Moore, Morris Sutow – strings;  Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale - rhythm guitar;  Gordon Edwards – bass;  Charles Collins, Jimmie Young – drums;  Angel Allende – percussion;  Mike Lipskin - percussion, ARP synthesizer, voice, string arranger, string conductor;  Alan Abrahams, Adrienne Albert, Yolanda McCullough, Maeretha Stewart – voice;  Rod Levitt - horn arranger, horn conductor, string arranger, string conductor

Mobius: Cedar Walton - keyboards, arranger;  Roy Burrowes – trumpet;  Wayne Andre – trombone;  Charles Davis, Frank Foster – saxophones;  Ryo Kawasaki - electric guitar;  Gordon Edwards – bass;  Steve Gadd – drums;  Omar Clay, Ray Mantilla – percussion; Adrienne Albert, Lani Groves - vocals

Mobius & Beyond Mobius

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Lisa Hilton - Life Is Beautiful

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:27
Size: 122,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:50) 1. Ernie's Blues
(4:01) 2. Retro Road Trip
(4:05) 3. Nightingales & Fairy Tales
(4:34) 4. Too Hot
(4:50) 5. Unforgotten Moments, Half Forgotten Dreams
(5:51) 6. Stepping into Paradise
(4:07) 7. Santa Monica Samba
(6:16) 8. Seduction
(5:10) 9. Temporary Lullaby
(5:54) 10. More Than Another Day
(4:44) 11. So This Is Love

There's an affirmation of goodness to the music of pianist Lisa Hilton, a quiet something of a positive nature that is known intrinsically true. But the world and its crowded barges of babbling talking heads are frantically convincing us all otherwise. So listen in to Life Is Beautiful before it's all too late.

Without flash, pyrotechnic soloing, or virtuoso histrionics, Life is Beautiful casts an aura that envelops and holds. Intimately reworking tunes she has recorded throughout her twenty-five disc history, ("Seduction" reaches back to her 1997 debut) the music drops from the ether with the husky fullness of bassist Luques Curtis, and the restive blues of Ernie Wilkins' "Ernie's Blues" sweeps the dust away. Rudy Royston's drums are, as ever, perfect. It is a synthesis, an intent, too will better things into being. It works.

Not in any way to distract from the golden hues of the four tracks that precede it, but the finespun grace of "Unforgotten Moments, Half Forgotten Dream" (its big sky and pacific sun) sets off a suite-like approach for the rest of the album that absolutely enthralls. The vaporous way it rolls into the Latin light of "Stepping Into Paradise," then into the quiet gravity of "Santa Monica Samba, re-framed from 2021's Transparent Sky (Ruby Slippers Productions), before slide saddling solo with the redemptive "Seduction," "Temporary Lullaby" and "More Than Another Day" only doubles down on the trio's deep resolve.

As she often and gracefully does, Hilton quietly delves into the emotional health of every listener with the sincerest desire to soothe the frenzy within. Life Is Beautiful does just that. And maybe it will or won't land on most or many 'best-of' lists, but it is a thing of beauty. A category all its own.~Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/life-is-beautiful-lisa-hilton-ruby-slippers-productions

Personnel: Lisa Hilton: piano; Luques Curtis: bass, acoustic; Rudy Royston: drums.

Life Is Beautiful

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