The Crusaders - The Vocal Album

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:57
Size: 135.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, Crossover jazz
Year: 1987/2012
Art: Front

[7:31] 1. Street Life
[5:24] 2. This Old World's Too Funky For Me
[5:42] 3. Better Not Look Down
[3:55] 4. Inherit The Wind
[4:10] 5. Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing)
[4:31] 6. Help (I Need Somebody)
[6:24] 7. Soul Shadows
[4:47] 8. The Way It Goes
[5:01] 9. I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today
[4:12] 10. (No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still Be Looking Up To You
[7:16] 11. Burnin' Up The Carnival

Track 1 taken from 'Street Life' album by The Crusaders; Tracks 2 & 9 taken from 'Standing Tall' album by The Crusaders; Track 3 taken from 'Royal Jam' album by The Crusaders; Track 4 taken from 'Inherit The Wind' album by Wilton Felder; Track 5 taken from 'Midnight Believer' album by B.B. King; Track 6 taken from 'Private Dancer' by Tina Turner; Track 7 taken from 'Rhapsody & Blues' by The Crusaders; Track 8 taken from 'The Good And The Bad Times' by The Crusaders; Track 10 taken from 'Secrets' by Wilton Felder; Track 11 taken from 'Voices In The Rain' by Joe Sample.

Funny, we can't remember this many singers turning up on the Crusaders' albums, but look a little closer at the liner. For this 1987 compilation -- designed, perhaps, to fill the gap between albums by a group that no longer was a full-time act -- MCA reached for records by B.B. King, Tina Turner, Joe Sample and Wilton Felder that various Crusaders played on, as well as the band's output from Street Life through The Good and Bad Times. B.B. takes the prize for his fabulous, humorously funky, live-in-London turn on "Better Not Look Down" -- he plays guitar so sparingly, and every note is right in the pocket -- but Joe Cocker comes close, riding on a classic bumpy Crusaders groove on "This Old World's Too Funky for Me." Of course, Randy Crawford's career-making "Street Life" leads off the set, and Tina Turner (in a lugubrious dissection of the Beatles' "Help"), Bobby Womack, Alltrinna Grayson, Bill Withers, Flora Purim and Josie James also contribute with various degrees of effectiveness. Despite a few weak moments, the album works amazingly well, partly as an alternative highlights collection and partly as a sober reminder to the remaining Crusaders and their fans as to how essential drummer Stix Hooper was to their sound. ~Ruchard S.Ginell

The Vocal Album

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Tony Bennett - Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:05

Size: 130.7 MB

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2001

Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Alright, Okay, You Win (With Diana Krall)

[3:35] 2. Everyday (I Have The Blues) (With Stevie Wonder)

[2:41] 3. Don't Cry Baby

[4:53] 4. Good Morning Heartache (With Sheryl Crow)

[3:14] 5. Let The Good Times Roll (With B.B. King)

[4:12] 6. Evenin' (With Ray Charles)

[3:52] 7. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (With Bonnie Raitt)

[3:49] 8. Keep The Faith, Baby (With K.D. Lang)

[3:23] 9. Old Count Basie Is Gone (Old Piney Brown Is Gone)

[3:19] 10. Blue And Sentimental (With Kay Starr)

[4:29] 11. New York State Of Mind (With Billy Joel)

[3:15] 12. Undecided Blues

[3:32] 13. Blues In The Night

[4:32] 14. Stormy Weather (With Natalie Cole)

[4:45] 15. Playin' With My Friends (With Others)

Tony Bennett's latter-day albums tend to have themes, and this one has two, as indicated by its double-barreled title: It is both a duets album and a blues album. The duet partners include ten singers who range from his recent touring partners Diana Krall and k.d. lang to fellow veterans Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Kay Starr, and younger, but still mature pop stars Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and Billy Joel. All sound happy to be sharing a mic with Bennett. Not surprisingly, the singer's conception of the blues does not extend to the Mississippi Delta or the South Side of Chicago; rather, he is interested in the blues as filtered through the sound of the Swing Era, particularly from around Kansas City, and as interpreted by Tin Pan Alley and show tunes. For the former, his true mentor is Count Basie, whose overt influence is heard on six of the 15 tracks. Bennett makes no attempt to hide this, leading off the album with two songs, "Alright, Okay, You Win" (a duet with Krall) and "Everyday (I Have the Blues)" (a duet with Wonder), closely associated with Basie singer Joe Williams. The Broadway and Hollywood blues style is introduced in three selections written by Harold Arlen. On about half the tracks, the Ralph Sharon Quartet is augmented by Harry Allen's saxophone and Mike Melvoin's Hammond organ, but this remains a small, intimate affair that emphasizes the singers. There are missteps -- Sheryl Crow's Billie Holiday impersonation on "Good Morning, Heartache" is unfortunate, and Natalie Cole, as usual, sounds out of her depth on "Stormy Weather." But the trade-offs Bennett enjoys with King and Charles are priceless, and the Joel duet is surprisingly effective. On the whole, this is yet another entry in Bennett's lengthening series of autumnal recorded triumphs. ~William Ruhlmann

Playin' with My Friends"

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Grover Washington Jr. - Strawberry Moon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:22
Size: 107,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Strawberry Moon
(4:40)  2. The Look Of Love
(4:46)  3. Shivaree Ride
(5:10)  4. Caught A Touch Of Your Love
(2:46)  5. Maddie's Blues
(5:39)  6. I Will Be Here For You
(5:53)  7. Monte Carlo Nights
(4:27)  8. Keep In Touch
(6:29)  9. Summer Nights

Grover Washington, Jr.'s first album in three years (and debut for Columbia) did not yield any major hits but found him playing in prime form. Switching between his distinctive soprano, alto and tenor, Washington is joined by bassist-producer Marcus Miller, a large rhythm section and guest vocalists B.B. King ("Caught A Touch Of Your Love") and Jean Carne (on two songs). Highlights include "Strawberry Moon," "The Look Of Love," "Maddie's Blues" and "Summer Nights." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/strawberry-moon-mw0000649776

Personnel: Grover Washington, Jr. (soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer); B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Jean Carne, Spencer Harrison (vocals); Marcus Miller (various instruments); James Lloyd (piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer); Joey DeFrancesco (piano, Fender Rhodes); James "Sid" Simmons (synthesizer); Richard Lee Steacker, Michael J. Powell (guitar); Gerald Veasley (5-string bass); Tyrone Brown (electric upright bass); Jim Salamone (drums, percussion, programming); Darryl Washington (drums, timbales); Leonard "Dr." Gibbs (conga, percussion); Ellen Cohen (wind chimes, bell tree); Jason Miles (programming); Elizabeth Hogue (background vocals).

Strawberry Moon

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Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:48
Size: 155.2 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:54] 1. Lay It Down (Feat. John Scofield)
[4:08] 2. Am I Wrong (Feat. Keb Mo, Taj Mahal)
[4:51] 3. L.P. (For Les Paul) (Feat. Pat Martino, Joey Defrancesco)
[5:14] 4. Give Me One Reason (Feat Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa)
[4:58] 5. 68 (Feat. Slash, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather)
[5:56] 6. In Your Dreams (Feat. Neal Schon, Steve Lukather)
[1:45] 7. My One And Only Love (Feat. George Benson)
[4:58] 8. Moon River (Feat. George Benson)
[6:34] 9. Why I Sing The Blues (Feat. BB King, Jonny Lang, Keb Mo, Vince Gill)
[1:54] 10. Daddy Longlicks (Feat. Joe Robinson)
[4:48] 11. Shape Of My Heart (Feat. Andy Mckee, Steve Lukather)
[3:40] 12. Drifting (Feat. Andy Mckee)
[4:56] 13. Freeway Jam (Feat. Mike Stern, Tomoyasu Hotei)
[4:33] 14. Lee Fives (Feat. Guthrie, Govan, Tal Wilkenfield)
[3:31] 15. Caprices, Op. 20, No. 2 And 7 (Feat. Shon Bublil)

On his release 6 String Theory, Ritenour is among twenty legendary world class guitarists who guest on the recording, produced with John Burk of Concord Records. Joining him in this tribute to the guitar, the all-star line-up includes: George Benson, BB King, Slash, Steve Lukather, John Scofield, Robert Cray and Vince Gill among many other superstars. Blending rock, blues, jazz, acoustic, country and classical, they come together for a seamless project that promises to take the listener on a musical journey and exploration of the guitar.

Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory  

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Branford Marsalis - I Heard You Twice the First Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:48
Size: 161,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:06)  1. Brother Trying to Catch a Cab (On the East Side) Blues
(10:10)  2. B.B.'s Blues
( 9:21)  3. Rib Tip Johnson
( 6:48)  4. Mabel
( 6:32)  5. Sidney in da Haus
( 5:27)  6. Berta, Berta
( 7:16)  7. Stretto from the Ghetto
( 5:33)  8. Dance of the Hei Gui
( 6:23)  9. The Road You Choose
( 3:09) 10. Simi Valley Blues

Branford Marsalis plays the blues on this interesting if erratic CD. Among his many guests are B.B. King (although surprisingly, there is no interaction between Marsalis and King), John Lee Hooker, Russell Malone, Linda Hopkins (who comes across very well), Joe Louis Walker and brothers Wynton and Delfeayo Marsalis. Ranging from hints of field hollers and New Orleans to country blues, a vignette ("Brother Trying to Catch a Cab (On the East Side) Blues") and a few more conventional burnouts, this is an intriguing set that is worth picking up. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-heard-you-twice-the-first-time-mw0000084782

Personnel:  Branford Marsalis (vocals, soprano, alto & tenor saxophones);  B.B. King, John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar); Linda Hopkins, Thomas Hollis, Roscoe Carroll, Carl Gordon, Charles Dutton (vocals); Wessel Anderson (alto saxophone); Wynton Marsalis, Earl Gardner (trumpet); Defeayo Marsalis, David Sagher (trombone); Kenny Kirkland (piano); Russel Malone, Joe Louis Walker, T-Blade (guitar); Robert Hurst, Reginald Veal (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts, Bernard Purdie, Herlin "Homey" Riley (drums).

I Heard You Twice the First Time

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Various - The Aretha Franklin Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:05
Size: 128.4 MB
Styles: Jazz/Soul/R&B
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:43] 1. Dr. Lonnie Smith - Think
[4:40] 2. George Benson - Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
[5:39] 3. Stanley Turrentine - Dr. Feelgood
[4:35] 4. Cassandra Wilson - Angel
[4:59] 5. B.B. King - Spirit In The Dark
[4:19] 6. Will Downing - Daydreaming
[7:45] 7. Jimmy Smith - After Hours
[3:46] 8. Grover Washington, Jr. - All The King's Horses
[2:27] 9. Dianne Schuur - Climbing Higher Mountains
[7:13] 10. Quincy Jones - Daydreaming/First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
[5:55] 11. Stanley Turrentine - Dr. Feelgood (Alt. Take)

She is both a 20th and 21st century musical and cultural icon known the world over simply by her first name: Aretha. The reigning and undisputed “Queen Of Soul” has created an amazing legacy that spans an incredible six decades, from her first recording as a teenage gospel star, to her current releases. Her many countless classics include “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain Of Fools,” “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”; her own compositions “Think,” “Daydreaming” and “Call Me”; her definitive versions of “Respect” and “I Say A Little Prayer”; and global hits like “Freeway Of Love,” “Jump To It,” “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” her worldwide chart-topping duet with George Michael, and “A Rose Is Still A Rose.”

The recipient of the U.S.A.’s highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal Of Freedom, an eighteen (and counting) Grammy Award winner – the most recent of which was for Best Gospel Performance for “Never Gonna Break My Faith” with Mary J. Blige in 2008 – a Grammy Lifetime Achievement and Grammy Living Legend awardee, Aretha Franklin’s powerful, distinctive gospel-honed vocal style has influenced countless singers across multi-generations, justifiably earning her Rolling Stone magazine’s No. 1 placing on the list of “The Greatest Singers Of All Time.”

The Aretha Franklin Songbook

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B.B. King - Reflections

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:09
Size: 105.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. Exactly Like You
[3:20] 2. On My Word Of Honor
[2:47] 3. I Want A Little Girl
[3:29] 4. I'll String Along With You
[3:01] 5. I Need You
[2:56] 6. A Mother's Love
[3:28] 7. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
[4:25] 8. Neighborhood Affair
[3:34] 9. Tomorrow Night
[3:26] 10. There I've Said It Again
[3:54] 11. Always On My Mind
[4:28] 12. Cross My Heart
[3:55] 13. What A Wonderful World

B.B. King was 77 years old when Reflections was released, which perhaps entitled him to reflect back on the song standards the album contained. Despite advancing age, King had already been unusually busy on the recording front for a septuagenarian, turning out the gold-selling duets album Deuces Wild in 1997, Blues on the Bayou in 1998, Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan in 1999, the double-platinum Riding With the King with Eric Clapton and Makin' Love Is Good for You in 2000, and the seasonal recording A Christmas Celebration of Hope in 2002. For Reflections, he again worked with Simon Climie, who produced Riding With the King, and collaborated with a session band including such notables as Joe Sample, Nathan East, and Doyle Bramhall II. The songs ranged from pop evergreens like "I'll String Along With You" and "For Sentimental Reasons" to blues favorites such as Lonnie Johnson's "Tomorrow Night," with oddities like "Always on My Mind" thrown in and even a couple of remakes of the earlier King songs "Word of Honor" and "Neighborhood Affair." The arrangements, which included horn and string parts, left room for King's distinctive blues guitar work, but really supported his always expressive voice. The result was a confident, easygoing album that stylistically could have been made in 1953 as easily as 2003. Blues purists and aficionados of blues guitar would find it only partially satisfying, but it reflected the breadth of musical taste of an artist who always played the blues but never restricted himself only to blues music or blues fans. ~William Ruhlmann

Reflections

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GRP All-Star Big Band - All Blues

Styles: Big Band
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:05
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Cookin' At the Continental
(5:16)  2. Stormy Monday
(7:38)  3. All Blues
(6:03)  4. Birk's Works
(5:19)  5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
(6:16)  6. Senor Blues
(5:31)  7. Blue Miles
(8:12)  8. Mysterioso/Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are: Mysterioso
(3:46)  9. Some Other Blues
(7:19) 10. Aunt Hagar's Blues

When one considers the large number of great players who participated in this project (including trumpeters Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker and Chuck Findley, trombonist George Bohanon, the reeds of Eric Marienthal, Nelson Rangell, Tom Scott, Ernie Watts and Bob Mintzer, such keyboardists as Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis and Russell Ferrante, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Dave Weckl, and guests B.B. King and tenor great Michael Brecker), the rather predictable results are a disappointment. With the exception of Chick Corea's recent "Blue Miles," this album could have been titled "Warhorses" due to the very familiar material. The arrangements by Michael Abene, Scott, Grusin, Mintzer and Ferrante contain no real surprises (other than some unexpected moments on "Misterioso"), and none of the solos are long enough to really build. 

There is a certain novelty in hearing some of the crossover players like Rangell, Scott and Lewis playing hard bop tunes such as "Birks Works," "Senor Blues" and "Cookin' at the Continental," but why waste B.B. King on yet another version of "Stormy Monday Blues?" ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-blues-mw0000124778

GRP All-Star Big Band: Eric Marienthal (alto & soprano saxophones), Nelson Rangell (alto & soprano saxophones, flute), Ernie Watts (tenor & soprano saxophones), Bob Mintzer (tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet), Tom Scott (baritone, soprano & tenor saxophones), Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Findley (trumpet, flugelhorn), George Bohanon (trombone), Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis (piano), Russel Ferrante (piano, Hammond B-3 organ), B.B. King (guitar, vocals), John Patitucci (acoustic & electric bass), Dave Weckl (drums).

All Blues

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Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company (10th Anniversary Edition)

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Soul
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:01
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. Ray Charles & Norah Jones - Here We Go Again
(3:47)  2. Ray Charles & James Taylor - Sweet Potato Pie
(3:56)  3. Ray Charles & Diana Krall - You Don't Know Me
(4:00)  4. Ray Charles & Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
(3:32)  5. Ray Charles & Natalie Cole - Fever
(4:35)  6. Ray Charles & Bonnie Raitt - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
(5:01)  7. Ray Charles & Willie Nelson - It Was A Very Good Year
(5:16)  8. Ray Charles & Michael McDonald - Hey Girl
(4:26)  9. Ray Charles & B.B. King - Sinner's Prayer
(4:33) 10. Ray Charles & Gladys Knight - Heaven Help Us All
(4:55) 11. Ray Charles & Johnny Mathis - Over The Rainbow
(3:44) 12. Ray Charles & Van Morrison - Crazy Love (Live)
(5:04) 13. Ray Charles & Poncho Sanchez - Mary Ann
(4:06) 14. Take 6 - Unchain My Heart

"The way these days just rip along, too fast to last, too vast, too strong..." ~ Jackson Browne

The final recording of Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company, enjoys its tenth anniversary. It is striking to consider that it has been over ten years since the death of Ray Charles, one of the most imposing figures in American music. The music made in the second half of the twentieth century has had a remarkable staying power owing partially to its revolutionary quality and the near frantic dedication of the Post-World War II Baby Boom generation. Charles' contributions to this music are without measure. It is useful to consider the role, or roles, played by Charles in American music. He deftly fused the blues with gospel music forming that offshoot of rhythm and blues: soul music. He then took this new eutectoid and mashed it up with jazz, creating an earthy humus. Once he had done this, he took on country and western music, infusing that mostly-white genre with the same soul music he previously created, resulting in the groundbreaking Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (ABC, 1962). Charles' reach was long and deep. 

Genius Loves Company is Charles' valedictory. It was recorded between June 2003 and March 2004, with Charles passing away from liver disease on June 10, 2004. While Charles' health was certainly questionable during recording, there is no indication of diminished capacity. His singing is robust and vibrant, overt and assertive. Charles had to have his eye on the end but he was never going to let on. If anything can be said of Charles' singing voice, it is that he "became more himself" as he aged. If Johnny Cash's late voice and appearance were those of an Old Testament prophet, then Ray Charles in autumn was a dying Mozart composing his sunny Clarinet Concerto less in defiance than acceptance.

Duet recordings, pitting old masters with contemporary musicians, are nothing new. Tony Bennett has made a cottage industry of them (and not to any bad effect at that). Time was of the essence for Charles and what better a love letter to his mastery than for him to share the stage with so many like-minded musicians who admired him so. It was because of this programming, the chosen artists and some shrewd marketing that Genius Loves Company was Charles' first top ten recording in 40 years. One of the biggest criticisms of the Charles biopic Ray was that the story ended 40 years early. My argument would be, "what was there left for Ray Charles to do?" This is an album of artists' collaborative praise for a fellow artist. Programming for the original recording was superb as was duet partner and song choice. Norah Jones, a closet country queen masquerading as a jazz artist, is a perfect foil to Charles on "Here We Go Again." Broad country block chords and Jones' creamy voice properly accent Charles' sacred sandpaper tone. 

Charles is most simpatico with his near contemporaries. "Fever" with Natalie Cole and "Heaven Help Us All" with Gladys Knight are love fests. Charles digs deep with BB King (and Lucille) on "Sinner's Prayer" and Bonnie Raitt on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Raitt's signature slide guitar, ever influenced by Lowell George, is captured beautifully sonically. Ray Charles possessed a stylistic depth and breadth with few peers. When considering who could step in and accept the mantle from Charles after his death, I posited two names, both gratefully represented here. Willie Nelson has had as varied a career as Charles, sampling and then mastering every genre attempted. The two duet on a song closely associated with another such kindred spirit, Frank Sinatra. "It was a Very Good Year" is an unexpected luxury of artistic irony and grace). Van Morrison shares and ultimately offers his "Crazy Love" as a gift to Charles, the two crossing traditions with all we have in common.  The present Deluxe Edition sports a piquant "Mary Ann" with percussionist Poncho Sanchez and an awesome "Unchain My Heart" with Take 6. An hour-long DVD detailing the making of Genius Loves Company is a bit of gravy for this Fall class. Happy Birthday, Genius Loves Company... it has been a very good year. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/ray-charles-genius-love-company--10th-anniversary-deluxe-edition-by-c-michael-bailey.php
 

Personnel: Ray Charles: vocals, keyboards; Ray Charles-vocals, piano; Norah Jones, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison-vocal; B.B. King, guitar, vocal; Billy Preston-organ; Poncho Sanchez: percussion; Take 6; 63-piece orchestra; others.

Genius Loves Company (10th Anniversary Edition)

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Dave Brubeck, B.B. King - Jazz Café Presents

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:56
Size: 88,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:28)  1. Lover Man
(7:07)  2. Blue Rondo a la Turk
(6:24)  3. Ol' Bill Basie
(4:59)  4. The Thrill Is Gone
(5:47)  5. Guess Who
(6:09)  6. Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss

The Dave Brubeck Quartet with clarinetist Bill Smith, bassist Chris Brubeck and drummer Randy Jones, has the most interesting program, utilizing an electronic delay along with Smith's clarinet to add a new touch to "Lover Man," offering an energetic version of "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and introducing a recent work by Brubeck, the very swinging "Ol' Bill Basie" which showcases some fine playing by the leader and some choice bass trombone by son Chris. B. B. King's set is at best average and an odd choice to include on what is predominantly a jazz record. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

Personnel:  B.B. King & His Orchestra:  B.B.King vocals, guitar; Edgar Sunigal Jr. saxophone; James Bolden, Calvin Owens trumpet; Joseph Carrier keyboards; Caleb Emphrey, Jr. drums; Leon Warren, Russell Jackson guitar.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet:  Dave Brubeck piano; Bill Smith clarinette; Randy Jones drums; Chris Brubeck bass, bass trombone.

Jazz Café Presents

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BB King, Pat Metheny, Dave Brubeck - Move to the Groove

Styles: Jazz/Blues
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:05
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(0:48)  1. Introduction
(7:19)  2. Move to the groove
(7:28)  3. Lover man
(7:07)  4. Blue rondo a la turk
(6:24)  5. Ol' Bill Basie
(4:59)  6. The thrill is gone
(5:47)  7. Guess who
(6:09)  8. Payin' the cost to be the boss

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. His bent notes and staccato picking style have influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric provides a worthy match for his passionate playing. Between 1951 and 1985, King notched an impressive 74 entries on Billboard's R&B charts, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone" crossed over to mainstream success (engendering memorable appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand). Since that time, he has partnered with such musicians as Eric Clapton and U2 while managing his own acclaimed solo career, all the while maintaining his immediately recognizable style on the electric guitar. The seeds of Riley B. King's enduring talent were sown deep in the blues-rich Mississippi Delta, where he was born in 1925 near the town of Itta Bena. He was shuttled between his mother's home and his grandmother's residence as a child, his father having left the family when King was very young. The youth put in long days working as a sharecropper and devoutly sang the Lord's praises at church before moving to Indianola another town located in the heart of the Delta in 1943.

Country and gospel music left an indelible impression on King's musical mindset as he matured, along with the styles of blues greats (T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson) and jazz geniuses (Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt). In 1946, he set off for Memphis to look up his cousin, a rough-edged country blues guitarist named Bukka White. For ten invaluable months, White taught his eager young relative the finer points of playing blues guitar. After returning briefly to Indianola and the sharecropper's eternal struggle with his wife Martha, King returned to Memphis in late 1948. This time, he stuck around for a while. King was soon broadcasting his music live via Memphis radio station WDIA, a frequency that had only recently switched to a pioneering all-black format. Local club owners preferred that their attractions also held down radio gigs so they could plug their nightly appearances on the air. When WDIA DJ Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert exited his air shift, King took over his record-spinning duties. At first tagged "The Peptikon Boy" (an alcohol-loaded elixir that rivaled Hadacol) when WDIA put him on the air, King's on-air handle became "The Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to Blues Boy and then a far snappier B.B.

King had a four-star breakthrough year in 1949. He cut his first four tracks for Jim Bulleit's Bullet Records (including a number entitled "Miss Martha King" after his wife), then signed a contract with the Bihari Brothers' Los Angeles-based RPM Records. King cut a plethora of sides in Memphis over the next couple of years for RPM, many of them produced by a relative newcomer named Sam Phillips (whose Sun Records was still a distant dream at that point in time). Phillips was independently producing sides for both the Biharis and Chess; his stable also included Howlin' Wolf, Rosco Gordon, and fellow WDIA personality Rufus Thomas. the Biharis also recorded some of King's early output themselves, erecting portable recording equipment wherever they could locate a suitable facility. King's first national R&B chart-topper in 1951, "Three O'Clock Blues" (previously waxed by Lowell Fulson), was cut at a Memphis YMCA. King's Memphis running partners included vocalist Bobby Bland, drummer Earl Forest, and ballad-singing pianist Johnny Ace. When King hit the road to promote "Three O'Clock Blues," he handed the group, known as the Beale Streeters, over to Ace. It was during this era that King first named his beloved guitar "Lucille." Seems that while he was playing a joint in a little Arkansas town called Twist, fisticuffs broke out between two jealous suitors over a lady. The brawlers knocked over a kerosene-filled garbage pail that was heating the place, setting the room ablaze. In the frantic scramble to escape the flames, King left his guitar inside. He foolishly ran back in to retrieve it, dodging the flames and almost losing his life. When the smoke had cleared, King learned that the lady who had inspired such violent passion was named Lucille. Plenty of Lucilles have passed through his hands since; Gibson has even marketed a B.B.-approved guitar model under the name.

The 1950s saw King establish himself as a perennially formidable hitmaking force in the R&B field. Recording mostly in L.A. (the WDIA air shift became impossible to maintain by 1953 due to King's endless touring) for RPM and its successor Kent, King scored 20 chart items during that musically tumultuous decade, including such memorable efforts as "You Know I Love You" (1952); "Woke Up This Morning" and "Please Love Me" (1953); "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta' Love," and "You Upset Me Baby" (1954); "Every Day I Have the Blues" (another Fulson remake), the dreamy blues ballad "Sneakin' Around," and "Ten Long Years" (1955); "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little Angel," and a Platters-like "On My Word of Honor" (1956); and "Please Accept My Love" (first cut by Jimmy Wilson) in 1958. King's guitar attack grew more aggressive and pointed as the decade progressed, influencing a legion of up-and-coming axemen across the nation. In 1960, King's impassioned two-sided revival of Joe Turner's "Sweet Sixteen" became another mammoth seller, and his "Got a Right to Love My Baby" and "Partin' Time" weren't far behind. But Kent couldn't hang onto a star like King forever (and he may have been tired of watching his new LPs consigned directly into the 99-cent bins on the Biharis' cheapo Crown logo). King moved over to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, following the lead of Lloyd Price, Ray Charles, and before long, Fats Domino. More Bio ~ Bill Dahl  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bb-king-mn0000059156/biography

R.I.P.  

Born: September 16, 1925 (age 89), Berclair, Mississippi, United States

Died: May 14, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Move to the Groove

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B.B. King - Discoveries

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:06
Size: 144.4 MB
Styles: Modern electric blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:05] 1. Sneakin' Around
[2:12] 2. I'm Gonna Sit In 'til You Give In
[2:56] 3. Blues At Midnight
[2:35] 4. Never Trust A Woman
[4:48] 5. Night Life
[3:37] 6. Tired Of Your
[5:45] 7. Watch Yourself
[2:45] 8. You Put It On Me
[4:54] 9. Confessin' The Blues
[9:51] 10. Worry, Worry
[6:06] 11. Don't You Lie To Me
[4:03] 12. Eyesight To The Blind
[2:44] 13. Caldonia
[5:16] 14. Playin' With My Friends
[3:21] 15. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)

Another in Geffen's digital download series, this volume, called Discoveries, collects some of the rarer tracks in B.B. King's sizeable portfolio, including "Night Life," "Eyesight to the Blind," and "Tired of Your Jive," among others, most of which feature plenty of his trademark sharp and brittle guitar runs and his surprisingly flexible voice, making this an interesting glimpse at this iconic blues player and singer. ~Steve Leggett

Discoveries

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B.B. King - The Life Of Riley OST

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:34
Size: 170.7 MB
Styles: Modern electric blues, Soundtrack
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:20] 1. Walking Dr. Bill
[1:27] 2. Nobody Loves Me But My Mother
[8:34] 3. To Know You Is To Love You
[2:32] 4. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
[2:59] 5. Three O'clock Blues
[3:10] 6. Sweet Little Angel
[2:30] 7. Catfish Blues (Fishin' After Me)
[2:36] 8. Everyday I Have The Blues
[3:34] 9. How Blue Can You Get
[4:52] 10. Chains And Things
[5:23] 11. The Thrill Is Gone
[3:57] 12. Caldonia
[6:08] 13. Sweet Sixteen
[4:07] 14. Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing)
[4:15] 15. When Love Comes To Town
[4:22] 16. Riding With The King
[2:32] 17. Messy But Good
[3:20] 18. Precious Lord
[2:47] 19. Think It Over

B.B. King became the very face of modern blues at the close of the 20th century, mixing his warm and weary vocals with an elegant call and response electric guitar style, bridging the old country blues with the urban elements of R&B, jazz, and soul, and all of it done with a consistent class and style. King's story, which begins as an orphaned child working in a cotton field and ends with him playing headlining shows in the best clubs all over the globe, was given a fine film treatment in Jon Brewer's bio documentary The Life of Riley, and this set is the soundtrack for that film. Following the storyline of the documentary closely, it does a wonderful job of showing King's musical development chronologically, beginning with 1951's “3 O’Clock Blues” and running all the way through to his comeback (although he'd never really been away) hit "Riding with the King" from 2000, and adding live tracks at key intervals, featuring guest spots from Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Derek Trucks, and others. Assembled with care, this release makes a great introduction to the history, depth, and scope of King's iconic career. ~Steve Leggett

The Life Of Riley OST

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