Los Angeles jazz, rock and blues jams are frequently heavily infused with latin percussion; Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Alvin Lee guitar licks; George Duke, Willie Dixon, Berry Oakley and James Johnson bass runs; and horns. Oh yes, the horns. Although they rarely take the lead, they act as point and counter-point. Quick blasts of power followed by torrents of blues guitar licks. When the music slows an Angeleno mestizo Eagles sound a mixture of country, blues, folk and rock - predominates. And, of course, all of it is layered in an often hypnotic blues, country or latin-tinged rhythm punctuated by lead and background vocals. That summarizes The Delgado Brothers and the contents of their September 2009 release, Learn to Fly.

This is a reissue of some of Cuban piano master Chucho Valdes's earliest Havana recordings in 1964 (almost a decade before he founded the legendary Irakere), embracing the debut of the great Cuban saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. It has been gathering dust for decades. There are 27 short tracks, most of them following the formalities of traditional Cuban dance styles, and many of the solos are barely longer than a chorus or two - which throws the emphasis on to the historical interest of the materials, rather than the spontaneities of the players.

Cees Slinger - Sling Shot! (1985) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 268 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 37 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1985, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6354
Jazz / Post Bop / Hard Bop / Modern Post Bebop / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A beautiful little album from Dutch pianist Cees Slinger – one that features a quartet with Clifford Jordan on tenor, Philly Joe Jones on bass, and the wonderfully-toned Isla Eckinger on bass! The presence of Jordan adds a deep edge to the set that really opens things up – bringing in a strong degree of soul to the session, and reminding us a lot of the work by the Jordan/Cedar Walton team back in the mid 70s. Slinger has a touch on the keys that's a bit like Walton too – lightly expressive, yet also rhythmically soulful – and the bass work of Eckinger drives things along with the same sort of bounce as Sam Jones on the classic Jordan/Walton outings of the 70s. Tites include "Slingshot", "Growing Up", "Waltonia", "Eye Witness Blues", and "Dizzizzit".

Kirk Lightsey Quartet - First Affairs (1986) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 214 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 254 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2015 Limetree / Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6408
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. One of the most hard-edged albums we've ever heard from pianist Kirk Lightsey – thanks to the presence of Jerry Gonzalez on congas, which really adds a nice extra bite to the record! The whole lineup is great – and includes Santi Debriano on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums – but it really seems to be Jerry's percussion that kicks the whole album into gear – bringing up a bit more bottom than usual in Lightsey's work on the keys, and giving even the mellower moments a Latin current that really keeps things fresh – and which we would have liked to hear more from Kirk over the years. Titles include "Habiba", "For Albert", "One Finger Snap", "Blues On The Corner", and "Eighty One".

Harry Verbeke / Rob Agerbeek Quartet - Gibraltar (1979) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 240 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 256 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1979, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6410
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Post Bebop / Saxophone / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. A killer Dutch duo from the end of the 70s – tenorist Harry Verbeke, who's got a bold, clear sound – and pianist Rob Agerbeek, who's been making soulful sides from the 60s onwards! The pair get great accompaniment here from drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Herbie Lewis – the last of whom may be at his best here – with these well-placed, well-rounded lines that help the record groove right from the start – and which give the record a nice bounce, even in gentler moments – followed up strongly by Agerbeek and his strong sense of chord progressions. Most tunes are familiar, but get nice readings by the group – and titles include "Gibraltar, "Holy Land", "Soul Sister", "No Me Esqueca", and "No Problem".

Franz Joseph Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation) is one of the greatest oratorios, beloved for its moving religious content and admired for its abundant melodies, stirring choruses, imaginative scene-painting, and colorful orchestration. An argument can be made that period instrumentation and historically informed performance practices give a real boost to Haydn's scoring and effects, in ways conventional modern ensembles can't, and experts in early music make it especially striking by employing the sonorities the composer would have known and wanted.

The art of the improvisers beyond all borders. Preaching equality for all the idioms, anticipating the gathering wave of “world music”, drawing on traditions from all the continents, Codona was like no other band. Its sound: simultaneously poetic and powerfully evocative and stamped, in every second, with character. Summoned into being by Collin Walcott in 1978, the trio provided an utterly original context for Don Cherry’s starkly melodic trumpet and for the multi-instrumentalism of all three players.