Fourplay's first Christmas album Snowbound features traditional and contemporary holiday songs, all performed in the supergroup's popular smooth jazz style. Their renditions of "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Away in a Manger," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "The Christmas Song" which also features vocals by Eric Benet combine the best of Fourplay's style with vibrant holiday spirit.

Filmed in the Netherlands towards the end of an extensive tour schedule, this is a stunning performance from beginning to end, encompassing the bulk of the 'Grand Experiment' album plus a selection of strong progressive tracks from older releases, such as 'Lifeline' and 'Testimony'…

Unsolicited Music Ensemble are a newish aggregate, comprising three generations of European free improvisation. Bassist Tony Wren has the longest CV, notable associates including Howard Riley and Phil Wachsmann. Swedish percussionist Raymond Strid has become established via high profile work with Marilyn Crispell and Mats Gustafsson, whilst reedsman Kochen is the youngster in the fold, his work with 'Exploding Customer' and 'The Sound of Mucus' only breaking out of Scandinavia relatively recently…

Fourplay are the reigning champions of urbane sophistication, bringing a sublime sense of form and interplay to the contemporary jazz genre. Taken as individuals, Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East and Harvey Mason are among the most persuasive, engaging improviser/arrangers in all of popular music, with scores of hit albums behind them as producers, leaders and sidemen. ELIXIR was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

Joanne Brackeen - Aft (1977) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series CDSOL-6348}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 193 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 239 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1977, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6348
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. Really great work from pianist Joanne Brackeen – a player who's always got plenty to offer, but who really seems to find a special space here – working in a unique trio that features Clint Houston on bass and Ryo Kawasaki on guitar! Houston's bass is wonderful – full, rich, and very well-rounded – an element that brings so much depth to the record that both Ryo and Joanne can really take off – Kawasaki on these colorful lines that have a bit more bite than his more fusiony guitar albums as a leader, and Brackeen with these incredibly deft, incredibly well-spun lines on piano. The balance of sounds is wonderful – very fresh and unique – and titles include "Aft", "Haiti B", "Dreamers", and "Winter Is Here".

The Aristocrats - Secret Show: Live In Osaka (2014) {2CD Set BOING! Music BH-00007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 623 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 289 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2014, 2015 BOING! Music | BH-00007
Rock / Jazz Rock / Fusion / Alternative Rock / Jazz

The Aristocrats' 2014 world tour brought Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller and Marco Minnemann to Japan where they performed at the 'Big Cat' club in Osaka. The show got recorded by Takashi Ogawa without the band's knowledge. When they heard the recording afterwards, they were impressed enough to release it as a double cd set. The recording does indeed sound excellent, and the show was great. An excellent decision to release it on album.

Fireworks, virtuosity and bravura pieces are essential ingredients of Vivaldi’s concerto oeuvre. Discover or rediscover Vivaldi’s concertos played by the most prestigious artists.

I always feel a special energy coming from all four corners of this group," says James, who originally came up with the album title. "This combination of passion and intensity is what keeps me coming back for more. The energy is multiplied by a factor of four. The title is a reflection of the various moods captured in the tracks," East adds. "Whether romantic or sophisticated, upbeat or mellow, each player brings his own unique energy to the music. That combination of energies reflects what this album is all about.

Louis Van Dijk Trio - Nightwings (1980) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4068}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 261 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 115 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 293 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1980, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4068
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest 2014 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Louis van Dijk, also spelled Louis van Dyke (born 27 November 1941 in Amsterdam, North Holland), is a Dutch pianist. He was educated as a classical piano-player and like so many other jazz musicans he became fascinated by the instrument in church. His father was sexton in the Prinsessekerk in Amsterdam. He studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory and became interested in jazz. For young jazz musicians the Loosdrecht festival was a usefull leg to success.

This Principato's release is a real gem on which he demonstrates a substantial amount of versatility moving from Jazz to Blues to Flamengo to Rock. All of the songs are of on an even, moderately paced tempo, making the stylistic changes subtle. Anyone familiar with Tom Principato knows that if imaginative, expressive, blistering guitar solos are your weakness, he's gonna have you hooked to his music. On this CD, you get a hearty helpin' of Tom's own recipe, with all except one song being original Principato compositions.