Happy Holidays all

Sonny Sharrock - Monkey-Pockie-Boo (1970)

An album recorded in Paris on June 22nd, 1970 with wife Linda plus Ben Guerin (bass) and Jacques Thollot (drums). Sonny Sharrock was one of the top avant-garde guitarists and his playing was intense and ferocious. He mixed together Jimi Hendrix and Pharoah Sanders. "Sharrock was the first guitarist to really embrace fire music. He wanted his playing to mirror the emotional scream of the tenor saxophone' (Thurston Moore and Byron Coley)".


Tracklist

1. 27th Day 17:01 Written BySonny Sharrock
2. Soon 7:59 Written By Linda Sharrock
3. Monkey-Pockie-Boo 9:00 Written By Linda Sharrock


Credits

Bass - Beb Guérin
Drums - Jacques Thollot
Engineer - Daniel Vallencien
Guitar, Whistle [Slide], Vocals - Warren «Sonny» Sharrock
Photography, Coordinator [Coordination] - Jacques Bisceglia
Producer - Jean Georgakarakos , Jean-Luc Young
Vocals - Linda Sharrock

Recorded June 22, 1970 at Studio Saravah, Paris.

Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff : Zenph Re-performance (2009)

Sony Masterworks and Zenph Studios announce the third release in an ongoing collaboration to breathe new life into legendary performances that have been marred by the poor recording quality of past times. Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff follows upon the success of Zenph Studios' productions of Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations (2007) and Art Tatum's Piano Starts Here (2008). This new compilation of re-performances is made from original masters that the colossal Russian composer and pianist recorded during his lifetime. Available on September 22nd, 2009, the release celebrates the 100th anniversary of Rachmaninoff's United States debut recital, which took place at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The recording features Rachmaninoff playing five of his own compositions, including the Prelude in C-sharp Minor, the Etudes Tableaux in C- and E-flat Major, Op. 33, his piano transcription of the song "Daisies and Moment Musicaux in E-flat Minor, Op. 16. It also includes Rachmaninoff's renditions of Kreisler's Liebesleid and Liebesfreud, Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, Mendelssohn's "Scherzo" from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tchaikovsky's Lullaby, and the Prelude, Gavotte and Gigue from Bach's Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006.

Sony Masterworks has newly recorded—in crystaline stereo sound—performances originally recorded by Rachmaninoff between 1921 and 1942. The production team selected and customized an instrument that Rachmaninoff likely performed on during his lifetrime, a 1909 Steinway D concert grand piano. This CD release allows the listener to experience his performances without the hissing or popping that were once considered as much a part of those monaural 78s as the music itself. Zenph Studios eliminates the need for such compromise, returing Rachmaninoff's performances to their original luster, like a team of artists restoring the painting of an old master.

Rachmaninoff was well known for his exacting standards during his recording sessions; biographer Max Harrison relates that he used a hammer to smash the 78s for takes he deemed unsatisfactory. The team of Zenph Studios has pride in restoring the brilliance of these marvelous artifacts of musical genius.

All 13 tracks are presented twice on the CD, once in regular stereo, and again for headphones. For the second version, the "dummy head" was positioned where Rachmaninoff's head would have been during the recording process, so listeners hear the music as Rachmaninoff himself might have heard it when he was positioned at the piano. ”

tracklist:

•Krelsier/Rachmaninoff: Liebeslied (r. 1921)
•Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3/2 (r. 1928
•Rimsky-Korsakov/Rachmaninoff: The Flight of the Bumblebee (r. 1929)
•Mendelssohn/Rachmaninoff: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream (r. 1935)
•Rachmaninoff: Etude Tableau in C Major, Op. 33/2 (r. 1940)
•Rachmaninoff: Etude Tableau in E-flat Major, Op. 33/7 (r. 1940)
•Rachmaninoff: MOment Musicaux, Op. 16/2 (r. 1940)
•Rachmaninoff: "Daisies," Op. 38/3 (r. 1940)
•Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninoff: Lullaby, Op. 16/1 (r. 1942)
•Bach/Rachmaninoff: Violin Partita No. 3: Prelude, Gavotte, and Gigue (r.1942)
•Kreisler/Rachmaninoff: Liebesfreud (r. 1942)

Jimmy Raney - Solo (1976)

As the title suggests, this album is Jimmy Raney all by himself, the genuine article if you will, as Raney chose to accompany himself using overdubbing like Bill Evans did on his famous "Conversations with Myself" string of recordings. Raney said in an interview that he doesn't think of the guitar in guitar terms, but rather as a means of making music. Nowhere is this more evident than on this album where he lays his artistry bare to the listener and everything falls into place magnificently. My favorite Raney recording. ”


Personnel:

Jimmy Raney - guitar


Tracklisting:

1. The Fugue
2. New Signal
3. How Deep is the Ocean
4. The Way You Look Tonight
5. Wait Till You See Her
6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
7. Blues Variations
8. Suzanne
9. The End of a Love Affair

#1-7 NYC 12/20/1976
#8-9 NYC 09/02/1975
FDC 5178 / ADE 664 / XANADU 140

Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio - 1958

Stan Getz said of this historic meeting with the Oscar Peterson Trio, "This is one of the most enjoyable recordings I ever made. How refreshing it is to play with these pros." ...Here, for the first time - in one collection - is the complete session.

TRACKLIST

1 I Want to Be Happy
2 Pennies from Heaven
3 Ballad Medley
4 I'm Glad There Is You
5 Tour's End
6 I Was Doing All Right
7 Bronx Blues
8 Three Little Words
9 Detour Ahead
10 Sunday
11 Blues for Herky



PERSONNEL

Stan Getz
Oscar Peterson
Herb Ellis
Ray Brown


Original session produced by Norman Granz. Recorded October 10, 1957 at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles in mono.

Sonny Sharrock & Nicky Skopelitis - Faith Moves (1990)

Outstanding duo session featuring two very adventurous guitarists. Skopelitis generally plays a supporting role on various guitars and guitar-like instruments while Sharrock soars. Sharrock had already made a great solo album ("Guitar", 1986) and this one is on the same high level. CMP (Creative Music Production) was started by Kurt Renker in 1977 and specialized a traditional and modern Avant-Garde Jazz, Experimental Rock and World Music. Almost all of CMP Records albums have an identifiable CMP Records sound, much like ECM, courtesy of recording engineer Walter Quintus. His production work gave CMP recordings uniquely spacious and detailed sound. After CMP records became defunct the label name and catalog was acquired by Silva Screen Records and almost the entire CMP catalog has been resurrected.

Tracklist

1 Who Are You 5:27
2 Becoming 2:34
3 Mescalito 3:28
4 Venus 5:48 (Pharoah Sanders)
5 In The Flesh 3:05
6 Sacrifice 4:43
7 First Of Equals 5:11
8 The Pyre 6:06
9 Uncle Herbie's Dance 2:55

Credits

Sonny Sharrock - electric guitar

Nicky Skopelitis - electric guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Baglama, Baglama [Saz], Sitar [Coral], Bass, Tar (lute)

Produced by Bill Laswell , Nicky Skopelitis

tracks 1 to 3, 5 to 8 composed by Nicky Skopelitis, tracks 1 to 3 & 6 to 9 by Sonny Sharrock

Tommy Flanagan - The Tokyo Recital (Pablo 1975)

Tommy Flanagan on piano, Keter Bets on bass and Bobby Durham on drums in an outstanding all-Ellington/Strayhorn set. Fantastic JVC K2 sound. Enough said.

Track Listing:

1. All Day Long
2. U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)
3. Something to Live For
4. Main Stem
5. Day Dream
6. The Intimacy of the Blues
7. Caravan
8. Chelsea Bridge
9. Take the "A" Train

Personnel: Tommy Flanagan (piano); Keter Betts (bass); Bobby Durham (drums)

Liner Note Authors: Benny Green; Norman Granz

Recording information: Tokyo, Japan (02/15/1975)

Photographer: Norman Granz

The Tommy Flanagan Trio - Prestige Moodsville Series No. 9

The Prestige Moodsville series was a series of LPs intended to provide a a compilation of performances where "imporant names in jazz can just relax and play the tunes they like" and where the "emphasis will be on relaxed, thoughtful and expressive jazz, after hours music if you will". Tommy Flanagan must have been an obvious choice. He is aided in this set by Tommy Potter on bass and Roy Hanes on drums. Rudy van Gelder captured the exquisite sound in his usual manner by setting up a couple of high-fidelity microphones and letting the players and room speak for themselves. Sound even bettered and brought up to modern standards by JVC's renown K2 remastering process.

Track Listing:

1. 2257 You Go To My Head
2. 2258 In The Blue Of The Evening
3. 2259 Velvet Moon
4. 2260 Come Sunday
5. 2261 Jes' Fine
6. 2262 Born To Be Blue
7. 2263 In A Sentimental Mood

personnel:

Tommy Flanagan (p) Tommy Potter (b -1/3,5/7) Roy Haynes (d -1/3,5/7)

Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 18, 1960

Stan Hope - Pastels

This Stan Hope recording combines bold confidence with a polished elegance reminiscent of Erroll Garner, his early influence. Hope's playing sparkles like Garner's, but is not as fanciful or as ornate. Hope doesn't engage in those long, twisting runs Garner is noted for, but he certainly swings and plays in an unabashedly romantic manner. His renditions of 4 Garner charts have the same spare yet melodic selectivity as that of his idol. While this album is primarily a piano trio set, long-time sidecick Houston Person shows up with his swinging soulful tenor saxophone on three cuts. Drummond and Washington are their usual excellent selves and sonics are plush in trademark Savant manner.

1. Be Anything
2. Summer Serenade
3. Moment's Delight
4. That's My Kick
5. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing / Forest Flower
6. Hopeful Blues
7. Pastels
8. Nightwind
9. Indiana
10. Cottage For Sale / Everything I Have Is Yours / I'm Falling For You



Personnel: Stan Hope (piano); Houston Person (tenor saxophone); Ray Drummond (bass); Kenny Washington (drums)

Recorded at M & I Studios, New York, New York on November 17, 1999.

Paul Chambers & Tommy Flanagan - Motor City Scene

Collected recordings of two excellent hard bop units consisting of musicians solely from Detroit, the first led by Thad Jones and Billy Mitchell and the second by Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams that not only stand out as two of the rarest of the Bethlehem jazz recordings, but which are also two of the best records made by the teams of these venerable Detroiters. Lone Hill Jazz chose to market this CD under the names of Flanagan and Chambers which were present on both sessions. Both combos groove very nicely here and who dares not to in the presence of hard bop royalty such as Kenny Burrell, Thad Jones, Al Grey, Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, "Hey" Lewis (a Louis Hayes alias) and Elvin Jones. The bands are very tight and the tracks are long enough that everybody gets in some good licks on the solos. 9 numbers in all: "Let's Play One", "Minor on Top", "Like Old Times", "No Refill", "Stardust", "Trio", "Philson", "Libeccio", and "Bitty Ditty". Originally released as Motor City Scene (#1-4) and Stradust (#5-9) on the Bethlehem label this CD puts the 2 sessions together for the first time. Way harder than most of the west coast sessions on Bethlehem, and two essential hard bop classics that's nigh on impossible to find on wax.



1. Let's Play One
2. Minor on Top
3. Like Old Times
4. No Refill
5. Stardust
6. Trio
7. Philson
8. Libeccio
9. Bitty Ditty

1-4 (Motor City Scene): Thad Jones (cnt, flhrn), Al Gery (tb), Billy Mitchell (ts), Tommy flanagan (p), Paul Chambers (b), Elvin Jones (d)
New York October 24 & 32, 1959

5-9 (Stardust): Donald Byrd (tp), Pepper Adams (bar), Tommy Flanagan (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Paul Chambers (b), Louis Hayes (d)
New York, 1960