Eddie Diehl (With Hank Jones) - Well, Here It Is...

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:05
Size: 121.5 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:55] 1. My Heart Stood Still
[4:55] 2. Swedish Schnapps
[6:16] 3. Semisamba
[5:22] 4. Swinging Till The Girls Come Home
[8:11] 5. Aquarian Melody
[9:32] 6. Love You Madly
[7:32] 7. My Romance
[5:18] 8. Be Bu

Eddie Diehl has long been respected among his fellow jazz musicians, but finally makes his recording debut as a leader with on one of the first CDs issued by a new label, Lineage. It's quite a plus to have a co-leader like veteran pianist Hank Jones, along with having bassist John Webber and drummer Mickey Roker. While Diehl has a fluid touch on his instrument, he seems just as happy featuring his bandmates as himself. While the two standards from the Rodgers & Hart songbook are enjoyable, the interpretations of less-frequently heard works like the bop gem "Swedish Schnapps," Oscar Pettiford's intricate blues "Swinging Till the Girls Come Home," and Ellington sideman Harold Ousley's gently swinging "Aquarian Melody" are the tracks that command one's attention. Diehl also contributed a pair of choice originals. The informal air of this recording session almost make it sound like a gathering of old friends playing late at night for their own amusement; hopefully, Eddie Diehl won't have to wait long for an opportunity to lead another record date. ~Ken Dryden

Well, Here It Is... 

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Jack McDuff - The Prestige Years (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:40
Size: 180.1 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[8:13] 1. The Honeydripper
[2:59] 2. Brother Jack
[4:49] 3. Sanctified Waltz
[8:55] 4. Yeah, Baby
[5:00] 5. Mellow Gravy
[6:01] 6. He's A Real Gone Guy
[6:22] 7. Candy
[7:00] 8. Tough 'Duff
[2:23] 9. Grease Monkey
[6:46] 10. Jive Samba
[2:59] 11. Organ Grinder's Swing
[7:18] 12. Screamin'
[2:56] 13. Hot Barbeque
[6:54] 14. Opus De Funk

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – Wendell Marshall; Drums – Bill Elliot, Joe Dukes; Guitar – Bill Jennings, Eddie Diehl, George Benson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell; Organ – Brother Jack McDuff; Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest, Red Holloway; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

The history of jazz is full of great musicians who died tragically young; Clifford Brown, Bix Beiderbecke, Eric Dolphy, Fats Navarro, Charlie Christian, Booker Little, and the seminal Charlie Parker were among the many legendary improvisers who died in their twenties or thirties. But when Jack McDuff passed away on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74, his fans could take some comfort in knowing that he had lived a long and productive life. The soul-jazz/hard bop organist left behind a huge catalog, which is why best-of releases like The Prestige Years and The Best of the Concord Years are sorely needed. While the latter is devoted to McDuff's Concord Jazz recordings of the '90s and early 2000s, this 79-minute CD focuses on his Prestige output of 1960-1965. Although McDuff only spent a fraction of his career at Prestige and was still keeping busy 35 years after leaving the label, Prestige was the company that put him on the map as a recording artist -- and most soul-jazz enthusiasts would agree that he recorded some of his most essential work there. The Prestige Years bears that out; "Rock Candy," "Yeah, Baby," and McDuff's 1960 version of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" are required listening for anyone with even a casual interest in gritty, down-home organ combos. The list of musicians who join McDuff on these recordings reads like a who's who of '60s soul-jazz; Gene Ammons, George Benson, Red Holloway, Jimmy Forrest, and Grant Green are among the major names appearing in the credits. The Prestige Years is far from the last word on McDuff's long recording career -- for that matter, it's far from the last word on his Prestige output. But if one is seeking an introductory overview of McDuff's five years at that label, The Prestige Years wouldn't be a bad investment at all. ~Alex Henderson

The Prestige Years (Remastered)

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Hank Mobley - Thinking Of Home (Limited Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:49
Size: 98.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[10:04] 1. Suite Thinking Of Home The Flight Home At Last
[13:01] 2. Justine
[ 5:32] 3. You Gotta Hit It
[ 5:34] 4. Gayle's Groove
[ 8:37] 5. Talk About Gittin' It

Bass – Mickey Bass; Drums – Leroy Williams; Guitar – Eddie Diehl; Piano – Cedar Walton; Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley; Trumpet – Woody Shaw. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 31, 1970.

This is a good later Hank Mobley Album. The group is made up of some fantastic musicians, Woody Shaw is one of my favorite trumpeters, and Cedar Walton is a fine pianist, very well suited for Mobley's style and conception. There's some great guitar work from Eddie Diehl and the rest of the rhythm section is solid, with Mickey Bass on bass and Lex Humphries behind the kit. The tunes are originals, four from Mobley and one from Bass. Highlights are the title track, a suite that is made up of three different but connected pieces, and "Justine," a little more open and contemplative than the general Mobley mold. The latter is stretched out for thirteen minutes, and features good work from Shaw, Walton and Diehl, but Mobley is a little choppy and doesn't seem to know what to do with the bridge. The rest of the tunes are a little more casual and the feel is more relaxed and less serious.

Though Mobley sounds kind of drunk at times throughout this album, it's a worthwhile purchase for someone who has decided they like Hank Mobley and want to see some later work. It's not a great first Mobley album just because there are some earlier ones, like Roll Call, that are classics and should be appreciated first. ~Michael Hardin

Thinking Of Home (Limited Edition)

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