Chet Atkins, Les Paul - Chester & Lester

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:03
Size: 116,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. It's Been A Long, Long Time
(4:43) 2. Medley: Moonglow/Picnic (Theme from "Picnic")
(3:17)  3. Caravan
(3:32)  4. It Had To Be You
(3:12)  5. Out Of Nowhere
(6:31)  6. Avalon
(3:04)  7. Birth Of The Blues
(3:20)  8. Someday Sweetheart
(2:30)  9. Deed I Do
(2:41) 10. Lover Come Back To Me
(2:19) 11. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
(2:48) 12. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me
(3:15) 13. Caravan - alternate version
(5:16) 14. Medley: Moonglow/Picnic (Theme from "Picnic") - rehearsal version

After eight years away from the microphones, Les Paul joined forces with country music's Chet Atkins in a marvelously relaxed, tasty session of cross-cultural jamming. The sound of the backup band may be Nashville country, but the tunes, mostly drawn from Paul's repertoire, are jazz and pop standards ("Caravan," "It's Been a Long, Long Time," "Avalon," etc.). Both players improvise, duel and converse with the spontaneity of jazz always in the air and unlike almost all of Les' recordings since 1947, there is no overdubbing except on "Caravan" and "Lover, Come Back to Me." You won't have any problem telling Chester and Lester apart on these tracks; Les' bright, almost metallic sound and twirling, yet now more economical flurries are a world away from Chet's mellow fingerpicking, lightly tarted with echo. Yet the two styles play brilliantly off each other; one potent example occurs as Chet superimposes the theme from "Picnic" from his repertoire over Les' statement of "Moonglow." A lot of the between-takes session chatter is intentionally left in, with Les's hotfoot voice trading quips with Chet's Tennessee drawl. On "Avalon," heard in two consecutive takes at different speeds, the dialogue is particularly funny, as Atkins mockingly tries to browbeat his old idol. This album (now on CD) had the effect of putting Les Paul well on the road toward canonization by young rock guitarslingers who noticed his name on Gibson instruments. Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/chester-lester-mw0000608766

Personnel: Chet Atkins – guitar; Les Paul – guitar; Randy Goodrum – piano; Larrie Londin – drums;  Ray Edenton – guitar; Henry Strzelecki – bass;  Bob Moore – bass

Chester & Lester

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Chet Atkins and Les Paul - Chester and Lester Guitar Monsters

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:17
Size: 80,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Limehouse Blues
(3:42)  2. I Want to Be Happy
(2:41)  3. Over the Rainbow
(2:34)  4. Meditation
(3:00)  5. Lazy River
(3:48)  6. I'm You Greatest Fan
(2:59)  7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)
(4:04)  8. I Surrender Dear
(2:41)  9. Brazil
(2:52) 10. Give My Love to Nell
(3:01) 11. Hot Toddy

The seventies were bountiful years for guitar fans. Looking now at Guitar Player magazines of the period, it's almost dizzying to see how many veteran guitarists were doing some of their most interesting and liberated work. Bop stalwarts, blues greats (often obscure), and notable country pickers were all well-represented on vinyl throughout the decade, on a variety of labels. Chet Atkins, whose easy listening country guitar records (all on RCA) were too often tasteful to a fault, came out of his shell a little more than usual in that decade, cutting great duet records each with thumbpicking idol Merle Travis and the brilliantly pyrotechnical Jerry Reed. But his most commercially successful pairing was with Les Paul, the Thomas Edison of electric guitar, whose fifties hits were landmark masterpieces both of recording technique and guitar arrangement. Their 1976 Chester & Lester (RCA Nashville/Legacy) was a sloppy, rambling tiptoe through a set of standards replete with studio chatter. It got by on its considerable charm, and won a Grammy (Best Country Instrumental Performance), despite there not being anything on it that was country music. Its success warranted a followup, and Guitar Monsters was it. Fortunately, it includes less chatter, and the performances are more focussed. Atkins and Paul are quite a study in opposites. Atkins' neat, orderly thumbpicking collides happily with Paul's gregarious, even joyously vulgar soloing. Where Paul is not afraid to be sloppy, Atkins is pristine at every turn, even as he takes a few single note soloing turns that for him are unusually extroverted, even showy. From the first note, it's evident that these two men love each others' playing and take real joy in the back-and-forth. The tunes are, as on their first recording together, all standards, save for two needless comedy numbers. Opening with "Limehouse Blues" (with Atkins doing some of his finest playing), we immediately are clued into Monsters' intent: a bunch of standards as lighthearted blowing vehicles for two complementary but highly contrasting guitar icons. Things stay mostly mid-tempo, although there's a straight ballad reading of "Over The Rainbow" that spotlights some gorgeous chordal work from Atkins. Special mention should be made of bassist Joe Osborne, whose playing throughout is understated and deep in the pocket. (Chris Morris' liner notes are breezy and very smart, perfect to the music they describe.) This isn't adventurous the way Coltrane At Birdland is adventurous, but it's such an enjoyable disc, one whose best moments are hard to resist. For guitar mavens, it's a joyous truffle. ~ Skip Heller https://www.allaboutjazz.com/guitar-monsters-chet-atkins-and-les-paul-real-music-review-by-skip-heller.php

Personnel: Chet Atkins: guitars; Les Paul: guitars; Joe Osborne: bass; Buddy Harman, Larrie Londin, Randy Hauser: drums

Chester and Lester Guitar Monsters

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Les Paul, Mary Ford - Bye Bye Blues!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:39
Size: 67.9 MB
Styles: Traditional pop, Jazz guitar
Year: 1952/1982
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Wabash Blues
[2:03] 2. Bye Bye Blues
[2:14] 3. Blues Stay Away From Me
[2:31] 4. Deep In The Blues
[3:06] 5. It's A Lonesome Old Town
[2:43] 6. Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
[2:36] 7. St. Louis Blues
[1:44] 8. Mammy's Boogie
[2:34] 9. Frankie And Johnny
[2:26] 10. Don't Cry Baby
[1:35] 11. Jazz Me Blues
[2:56] 12. Smoke Rings

By 1952, Les Paul was already thinking in terms of album concepts; hence this often-soulful collection of genuine blues, or songs with blues in their titles. As a result, the tempos are mostly relaxed, with Paul giving himself ample opportunity to bend notes to his heart's content and exercise his jazz instincts more than he usually does on his Capitol records. The exceptions to the down-and-out feeling are, ironically, the upbeat hit title track, which professes to blow the blues away, and the spectacular "Mammy's Boogie," a single-line boogie blues transformed by echo into an electronic shooting gallery. The 12-inch version added older tracks like "Jazz Me Blues" and "Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues," which fit the concept, and "It's a Lonesome Old Town" and "Smoke Rings," which are a stretch. ~Richard S. Ginnell

Bye Bye Blues! mc
Bye Bye Blues! zippy

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Les Paul, Mary Ford - The Hit Makers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:46
Size: 63.6 MB
Styles: Jazz/Pop vocals & guitar
Year: 1953/2015
Art: Front

[2:05] 1. How High The Moon
[2:00] 2. Josephine
[2:16] 3. Mockin' Bird Hill (Tra La La Twittle Dee Dee Dee)
[1:59] 4. Whispering
[2:51] 5. Vaya Con Dios
[2:53] 6. I'm A Fool To Care
[2:13] 7. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
[1:49] 8. Meet Mister Callaghan
[2:05] 9. Tiger Rag
[3:07] 10. Tennessee Waltz
[2:15] 11. I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
[2:07] 12. Whither Thou Goest

A superb 1953 10" LP became an even better 12" LP in 1955 with the addition of four tracks covering a slightly later span of time: "Vaya con Dios," "Whispering," "I'm Sitting on Top of the World," and "I'm a Fool to Care." Three of the newer cuts are shoehorned into side one, while the fourth enlarges side two. All in ultra-clean and sharp native mono, no added reverb or faux stereo effects, and still the sort of sounds that still would have (and did) wowed hi-fi fanatics at the end of the 1950s. And it holds up 50 years later just about as well. ~Bruce Eder

The Hit Makers mc
The Hit Makers zippy

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Various Artists - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 153.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Pop
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. Nat King Cole Trio - Straighten Up And Fly Right
[2:58] 2. Martha Tilton - (Ah Yes) There's Good Blues Tonight
[2:51] 3. Freddie Slack - The House Of Blue Lights
[2:55] 4. Alvino Rey - Guitar Boogie
[2:42] 5. Geechie Smith & His Orchestra - Let The Good Times Roll
[2:37] 6. T-Bone Walker - Bobby Sox Blues
[2:53] 7. The Pied Pipers - Open The Door, Richard
[2:49] 8. Jo Stafford - A Sunday Kind Of Love
[2:50] 9. Jesse Price - Blue Book Boogie
[2:51] 10. Tex Williams - Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
[2:59] 11. Nellie Lutcher - He's A Real Gone Guy
[2:27] 12. Ella Mae Morse - Down The Road A Piece
[2:42] 13. Crown Prince Waterford - Coal Black Baby
[2:13] 14. Cliffie Stone - He's A Real Gone Oakie
[3:01] 15. Marvin Johnson - Hey Lawdy Mama
[3:26] 16. Benny Goodman - The Huckle-Buck
[2:55] 17. Big Sis Andrews And Her Huckle-Busters - The Huckle-Buck
[2:12] 18. The Selah Singers - I'll Be Satisfied
[2:52] 19. The Selah Singers - He's My Rock, Sword And Shield
[2:56] 20. Lee Young - Seeing Double
[1:53] 21. Dean Martin - I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
[2:34] 22. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Shot-Gun Boogie
[2:34] 23. Jimmie Dolan - Hot Rod Race
[2:04] 24. Les Paul - How High The Moon
[2:18] 25. Merrill Moore - The House Of Blue Lights

Much of the earliest mass-market rock 'n' roll sounded like a mix of country and rhythm and blues. Consequently, most rock journalists/historians assume that rock must have evolved from both of these forms. In fact, Billy Vera, in the liner notes to this CD, asserts that rock 'n' roll "had many sources," and we are offered 25 selections, consisting primarily of hillbilly-boogie sides and the tamest possible rhythm and blues, that allegedly prove as much. They don't even come close. With the exception of one or two tracks, nothing here sounds much like rock 'n' roll or the roots of same. None of the country tracks (all pre-Elvis) sound anything like rockabilly, and none of the r&b sides rock in the manner of Johnny Otis, Paul Williams, Hal Singer, or any number of other black artists of the period covered. Have the compilers deliberately misrepresented the black popular music of this period in an attempt to play it down, historically? Probably. Why, is anybody's guess. At any rate, the listener's willingness to accept this CD as a credible rock-roots document will depend on how easily he or she can accept people like Dean Martin, Tex Williams ("Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!"), ex-Tommy-Dorsey vocalist Jo Stafford, and Mary Ford as rock pioneers. The music itself is great, and the sound restoration is superb. But the folks behind this curiosity seem to have overestimated their audience's credulity. ~ Lee Hartsfeld

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: The Best Of '56

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:33
Size: 145.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Easy Listening, Pop-Rock
Year: 2000
Art: Front


[2:35] 1. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons
[2:32] 2. Nelson Riddle - Lisbon Antigua
[2:16] 3. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This
[2:33] 4. Kit Carson - Band Of Gold
[2:24] 5. Les Paul - Moritat
[2:25] 6. Les Baxter - The Poor People Of Paris (Jean's Song)
[2:10] 7. The Cheers - Black Denim Trousers & Motorcycle Boots
[2:49] 8. Billy May - Man With The Golden Arm
[2:33] 9. Gordon Macrae - I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[2:51] 10. Nat King Cole - Too Young To Go Steady
[2:58] 11. Nat King Cole - Never Let Me Go
[2:24] 12. Don Robertson - The Happy Whistler
[3:04] 13. The Four Freshmen - Graduation Day
[2:46] 14. Dean Martin - Standing On The Corner
[2:43] 15. Tex Ritter - The Wayward Wind
[2:16] 16. Nat King Cole - That's All There Is To That
[2:28] 17. Margaret Whiting - True Love
[2:17] 18. Stan Freberg - Heartbreak Hotel
[2:36] 19. Woody Herman - I Don't Want Nobody (To Have My Love But You)
[2:15] 20. The Five Keys - Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
[3:02] 21. Dick Haymes - Two Different Worlds
[2:08] 22. Louis Prima - Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days
[2:20] 23. The Four Preps - Dreamy Eyes
[2:28] 24. The Five Keys - Wisdom Of A Fool
[2:28] 25. Sonny James - Young Love

This sixth installment of Capitol records' label retrospective -- Capitol From the Vaults -- concentrates on the transitional and influential music released in 1956, as rock & roll began to show continual staying power on the pop music charts. However, as the 25 tracks on this volume illustrate, adults and even young people were still buying and listening to traditional popular music, and that is exactly what "the tower" was releasing. The set kicks off with a chart-topping entry from Tennessee Ernie Ford singing "Sixteen Tons" -- which had also been recorded by Merle Travis, who not only wrote the song, but was also a fellow Capitol recording artist. Although it had been a regional hit for Travis, it is Ford's version that became most memorable. There were several other notable male vocalists who also climbed the charts for Capitol in 1956. As Dean Martin's popularity continued to soar, "Memories Are Made of This" -- featuring the Terry Gilkyson-led Easy Riders -- was not only his first Top 40, but also first number-one hit. The disc ushered in 1956 firmly atop most pop-music and jukebox charts. Although not a number one, the show tune "Standing on the Corner" was another hit for Martin during March of that year, and is likewise featured on this collection. Another male vocalist who dominated the upper echelons of the pop singles chart during 1956 was newcomer Sonny James. The catchy "Young Love" -- James' entrée into pop music -- became one of his signature tunes and racked up hit singles on Capitol's country charts well into the 1970s. Jazz vocal fans continued as huge proponents of the label. Nat "King" Cole -- whose "Too Young to Go Steady," "Never Let Me Go," and "That's All There Is to That" are featured here -- was one reason. Another are Stan Kenton alumni the Four Freshmen -- heard here on their Top 20 hit "Graduation Day." Other notable inclusions on Capitol From the Vaults, Vol. 6: The Best of '56 are the novelty "The Happy Whistler" -- a Top Ten hit for one-hit wonder Don Robertson. Also worth noting is the biting, satirical view of Stan Freberg as he disassembles Elvis on his decidedly derogatory rendition of "Heartbreak Hotel." Recording engineer Bob Norberg lovingly remastered this entire series from the best possible source materials, and the results are uniformly spectacular. Music historian and musician Billy Vera produced Capitol From the Vaults and likewise penned some highly informative and entertaining liner notes for each volume. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: The Best Of '56

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Les Paul - The Best Of Les Paul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:04
Size: 75.7 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[2:34] 1. Blue Skies
[2:58] 2. Begin The Beguine
[2:50] 3. Dream Dust
[2:37] 4. Dark Eyes
[2:55] 5. It's Been A Long Long Time
[3:00] 6. Hawaiian Paradise
[2:53] 7. Rumors Are Flying
[2:52] 8. Steel Guitar Rag
[3:01] 9. Somebody Loves Me
[2:26] 10. Guitar Boogie
[2:30] 11. Caravan
[2:23] 12. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

His achievements spanned decades, but some of Les Paul's most rewarding efforts were his '40s Decca sides-12 of the best of which are collected here! Includes his appearance on Bing Crosby's 1945 #1 hit It's Been a Long, Long Time ; his own debut hit, Rumors Are Flying (with the Andrews Sisters), plus Caravan; Blue Skies; Dark Eyes; Guitar Boogie; Steel Guitar Rag , and more!

The Best Of Les Paul

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Pat Martino - All Sides Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:49
Size: 118.6 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. Too High
[5:52] 2. Two Of A Kind
[5:34] 3. Progression
[4:42] 4. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[3:09] 5. Ellipsis
[3:53] 6. Both Sides Now
[7:46] 7. Ayako
[5:14] 8. Two Days Old
[7:40] 9. Outrider
[2:52] 10. Never And After

The Blue Note Records debut by guitarist extraordinaire Pat Martino is spotty at best. It is primarily a series of duets and ensemble settings with a wide array of top notch guitarists spanning different genres. This recording was co-produced by jazz/fusion critic Bill Milkowski along with Matt Resnicoff. The feeling here is that Mr. Martino had been granted a minimal amount of artistic control from the onset. What we have here is something short of a hack job!

The CD commences with the Stevie Wonder tune "Too High". Charlie Hunter provides his trademark bass/leslie guitar shtick and Martino takes care of the single note runs; therefore, dictating the melody line. All in all a harmless and uneventful rendition of this generally delightful Wonder composition. The 2nd cut, a Martino original features the master along with Tuck Andress, Andress provides some sympathetic acoustic strumming behind Martino's airy electric lead. A nice tune but altogether uninspiring. The affair procedes with a Martino original called "Progression" in essence it's a duet between Kevin Eubanks on acoustic and Martino again, on the electric. Eubanks is mixed behind Martino's over the top electric. A fairly nondescript outing with Eubanks mainly comping in the background. These two guitar greats take on the chemistry of oil and water on this cut. The styles are so distinctly opposite and the listener feels that these two are off in different directions. A forgettable tune nonetheless. "I'm Confessin'" is an effective and low key effort between Pat and Les Paul. One tune with acoustic guitarist Micheal Hedges is pleasant but Hedges remains fairly low in the mix. "Ellipsis" is a totally negligible duet between Martino and rock guitar great Joe Satriani. Satriani is in the wrong neighborhood and the song never gets off the ground. These guys sounded as though they didn't want to be there but perhaps the producer's thought it was a novel approach? Satriani opens with some heavy metal type distortion than Martino enters with his his "as expected" single note runs at this juncture Satriani reduces his playing to remedial comping in the background. This is a disaster! A huge mistake. Satriani is a gifted stylist in his own right but had no business being here. Perhaps 2 or 3 days in the studio may have produced something more meaningful but I seriously doubt it. Things proceed with Martino backing Cassandra Wilson's vocal rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now". Two more cuts in a quartet setting with "chops of doom" guitarist Mike Stern. "Ayako" is a Martino original and along with Stern there finally seems to be a hint of chemistry in the air. The best cut on the CD, "Outrider" again features Stern along with drummer Ben Perowsky and Scott Colley on bass. This is a fast paced cut. Martino and Stern proceed at a blistering pace. Things finally get moving and we've reached the second to last tune on the entire CD. The final cut is another abysmal duet with Satriani.

Let's hope that Pat Martino enjoys a longstanding and prosperous relationship with Blue Note. He's one of the great guitarists of our time. Unfortunately, he's not off to a good start with this poorly produced and unadventurous recording. Martino doesn't blend very well with an onslaught of guitar heroes. His voice is too distinctive on the instrument. ~Glenn Astarita

Pat Martino: guitar; Tuck Andress: guitar; Les Paul: guitar; Joe Satriani: guitar; Mike Stern: guitar; Charlie Hunter: guitar; Cassandra Wilson: vocal; and various support. Recording Date: June 1, 1996 - January 15, 1997

All Sides Now

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