Lenny Breau, Richard Cotten - Pickin' Cotten

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:21
Size: 151.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 2001/2014
Art: Front

[ 7:59] 1. On Green Dolphin St
[ 8:14] 2. I Love You
[ 5:41] 3. Emily
[ 6:41] 4. Scrapple From The Apple
[ 8:24] 5. Autumn Leaves
[ 7:01] 6. La Funkallero
[ 3:06] 7. Stella By Starlight
[12:18] 8. Lenny Tuning His Guitar The Two Lonely People Nardis
[ 6:53] 9. Lenny And Richard Remembered

Lenny Breau is a jazz enigma. He never really caught on with the public, yet was recognized by his peers as a major guitar innovator. Add to this a mysterious and still unsolved death in a Los Angeles swimming pool at the too-young age of 43. This is the way a cult figure is born. Former student Randy Bachman has been meticulously and methodically issuing Breau material through his Guitarchives label. This one is a 1977 live session at a Nashville, TN, club where Breau teams up with Richard Cotten, with whom he played frequently when visiting the capital of country music. Country music and Nashville notwithstanding, the album play list is a mix of classic and jazz standards. One of the classic standards is a moving, flowing, highly lyrical "Stella By Starlight." "On Green Dolphin Street" has Breau starting off quiet and unassuming before he leaps off into a series of scintillating improvisational runs, during which you never hear anything played the same way twice. He pays tribute to one of his influences, Bill Evans, with the Evans pieces "The Two Lonely People" and "La Funkallero." Breau made no bones about it that his unique single-string voicings were due in no little part to his transformation of Evans' piano technique to the guitar. Cotten is a fine guitarist, although here he pretty much plays rhythm to Breau's melody. One of the more engaging moments comes with the coda, where for almost seven minutes Cotten's daughter Darci Cotten shares personal recollections, peeling away some more of the mystery surrounding this fine guitar innovator. Indications are that this CD is the first of Breau's Nashville performances that Bachman intends to get to market. One hopes that this is more than a rumor. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Pickin' Cotten mc
Pickin' Cotten zippy

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Lenny Breau - Cabin Fever

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:31
Size: 120.2 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1997/2014
Art: Front

[ 7:03] 1. Lenny's Warm Up And Improvisation Of Autumn Leaves
[ 2:14] 2. Lenny's Mood
[ 1:34] 3. East Side
[ 4:29] 4. You Came To Me Out Of Nowhere
[ 7:48] 5. What Is This Thing Called Love
[10:33] 6. Days Of Wine And Roses
[ 6:56] 7. Lenny's Mode
[ 6:30] 8. Here's That Rainy Day
[ 5:19] 9. Celtic Dream Stream

Almost any jazz fan who has become very familiar with recordings by the late guitarist Lenny Breau is likely very aware of his tremendous battles with drug addiction, which both hampered his career and shortened his life considerably. This undated studio session came about after a friend, Glen McDonald, bailed Breau out of jail and isolated him in his remote cabin -- which lacked electricity, heat, running water, or plumbing -- in an effort to straighten him out. So how was this session recorded? Breau, who plays acoustic guitar throughout this CD, was taped because a generator was available to power the tape machine and two microphones; the results are simply amazing. This is a talented artist heard woodshedding for his audience of one, mixing standards such as "Out of Nowhere" and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" with captivating originals like "Lenny's Mode" and the soft improvisation "Celtic Dream Stream." The lack of formal studio post-production adds to the appeal of this disc because the listener gets the feeling of being Breau's sole audience, so an occasional warmup passage or bit of conversation don't prove to be distracting. A brief interview with McDonald (which isn't listed in the CD packaging) concludes the disc. Released following Breau's death in 1984 by Guitarchives, a label founded to share his music on a wider scale, this CD is an excellent place to start an exploration of his brilliant musicianship. ~Ken Dryden

Cabin Fever

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Lenny Breau - Swingin' On A Seven String

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:20
Size: 92.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1984/2005
Art: Front

[4:01] 1. Back In Indiana
[3:20] 2. You Needed Me
[2:57] 3. Bonaparte's Retreat
[3:37] 4. I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You
[4:10] 5. I Love You Because
[4:25] 6. Please Release Me
[2:12] 7. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
[4:17] 8. She Thinks I Still Care
[4:19] 9. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
[3:41] 10. Anytime
[3:16] 11. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

Lenny Breau (7-string classical and 6-string electric guitar, vocals); Buddy Emmons (pedal steel guitar); Jim Ferguson (acoustic bass); Kenny Malone (drums).

While guitarist Lenny Breau's innovations may not seem so significant now, he was like a bolt of lightning when he emerged in the '70s out of Manitoba, Canada. A true self-accompanist who integrated virtuosic skills in jazz, country, and flamenco into an unmistakable voice, Breau made his guitar sound like an ensemble. Legend has it that Chet Atkins was walking down the hall of a Nashville studio and, hearing music coming out of one of the rooms, said to himself, "Who are those guys? When he went into the studio and found Breau playing by himself, it was the beginning of a friendship that would last until Breau's untimely and still mysterious death in '84.

With the upsurge of archival Breau sessions in recent years, Art of Life Records' recent rescue of Breau's last studio release, When Lightn' Strikes—now remastered with a bonus track and retitled Swingin' on a Seven-String—finds him at the peak of his musical powers. That Breau was a substance abuser for most of his adult life seems miraculously to have had absolutely no effect on the pristine perfection of his playing. Breau pioneered a number of techniques, including a self-accompaniment that roots contemporary players like eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, as well as an uncanny ability to wring rapid-fire harmonics out of his instrument that gave his guitar an almost bell-like timbre. He was equally at home on classical guitar—and a seven-string variant comprises the majority of Swingin' on a Seven-String—as he was on electric. The new title is wholly appropriate, given the way the entire session swings along comfortably with an unhurried pace. Five duet tracks feature bassist Jim Ferguson; on six tunes, Breau fleshes things out to a quartet with drummer Kenny Malone and pedal steel player Buddy Emmons (both of whom Breau had already collaborated with on Emmons' '78 recording, Minors Aloud, to be reissued by Art of Life in August of '05). Breau's growing posthumous discography has plenty of high points, most notably his '83 live duet set with bassist Dave Young, Live at Bourbon Street (Guitarchives, '95), but he has never sounded so completely relaxed as on Swingin'.

The record draws from popular tunes of the time, like singer Anne Murray's hit "You Needed Me and Engelbert Humperdinck's faux country tune "Please Release Me, as well as country tunes like Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. Breau reinvents and reharmonizes, shaping a programme where a wealth of musical riches are masked by an unforced and easy-going complexion. Breau may not have broken any turf in terms of pushing jazz out of the mainstream, but his interpretive skills and ability to retain a tune's essence while reimagining it in a pure jazz context remains evocative to this day. For those unfamiliar with Breau's magic, Swingin' on a Seven-String is a perfect place to start. ~John Kelman

Swingin' On A Seven String

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Tal Farlow & Lenny Breau - Chance Meeting: Music From The Soundtrack Of Talmadge Farlow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:36
Size: 129.6 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz, Soundtrack
Year: 1997/2014
Art: Front

[ 5:22] 1. I Love You
[ 7:00] 2. Satin Doll
[ 8:37] 3. My Funny Valentine
[11:29] 4. All The Things You Are
[ 2:33] 5. Conversation (Tal And Lenny)
[ 4:28] 6. Cherokee
[ 4:15] 7. What Is This Thing Called Love
[ 5:50] 8. Broadway
[ 6:58] 9. My Foolish Heart

The one-time meeting between guitarists Tal Farlow and Lenny Breau came about because Lorenzo DeStefano, who was making a PBS documentary (Talmage Farlow) in 1980, wanted a meeting between the veteran and a rising star. Farlow suggested Breau, and an invitation was extended and immediately accepted by the younger man. After the musicians spent time conversing in Farlow's New Jersey home, they moved to The Sign of the Times, a small nightclub in the tiny town of Rumson, to weave their musical magic. Although this was their first and only performance together, they complement one another's playing as if they had worked as a regular duo. Breau, on his seven-string guitar, is a bundle of energy most of the time, with flurries of notes accompanied by his flawless rhythm. Of course, the senior player is no slouch as a soloist on any of the eight standards heard on this CD, which include "I Love You," "My Funny Valentine," and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Bassist Lynn Christie and drummer Nat Garrantano are added for the smoking interpretations of "All the Things You Are" and "Cherokee." There's also a brief excerpt of a conversation between Breau and Farlow in the middle of the disc, during which Breau explains a bit about his technique and his familiarity with Farlow's recordings. It's too bad that this enjoyable session was only a one-time affair. ~Ken Dryden

Chance Meeting: Music From The Soundtrack Of Talmadge Farlow

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Lenny Breau & Brad Terry - The Complete Living Room Tapes (2-disc set)

Originally released as "The Living Room Tapes - Volume 1" & "The Living Room Tapes - Volume 2", this two CD set brings together, for the first time, both volumes of "The Living Room Tapes" in one package, in addition to over 30 minutes of previously unreleased material. All tracks have been digitally re-mastered. The total playing time of both CD's combined is almost two and a half hours long.

This two CD set contains 23 songs including 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks. The music contained on this two disc set is some of the best Lenny Breau ever recorded. This is a rare opportunity to hear Lenny play music by Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and many well known Jazz Standards. Lenny also performs many solo pieces in addition to the duo material with clarinetist Brad Terry. Two of the bonus tracks reveal the humorous side of Lenny's personality and are sure to put a smile on your face. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Recorded in 1978.

Lenny Breau (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Brad Terry (whistling, clarinet).

Album: The Complete Living Room Tapes (Disc 1)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 70:34
Size: 161.5 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2003

[9:03] 1. Blues For Carole
[7:42] 2. How High The Moon
[5:04] 3. You Needed Me
[3:19] 4. The Claw
[7:46] 5. Secret Love
[6:21] 6. Sweet Georgia Brown
[5:31] 7. My Foolish Heart
[5:07] 8. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[3:51] 9. Send In The Clowns
[2:32] 10. Nine Pound Hammer
[1:28] 11. Cannonball Rag
[5:12] 12. Flamenco
[7:32] 13. It Could Happen To You

The Complete Living Room Tapes (Disc 1)

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Album: The Complete Living Room Tapes (Disc 2)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:12
Size: 165.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[ 6:07] 1. Visions
[ 5:40] 2. Remembering The Rain
[ 7:25] 3. Autumn Leaves
[ 6:06] 4. Indiana
[ 7:11] 5. Stella By Starlight
[ 8:14] 6. Emily
[ 8:53] 7. My Funny Valentine
[17:58] 8. Autumn Leaves (Previously Unreleased)
[ 1:28] 9. Johnny Cash Sings Jazz
[ 3:07] 10. Lenny's Radio

The Complete Living Room Tapes (Disc 2)

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