The Orisha Suite is inspired by some of the Afro-Cuban deities—or orishas—from Lucumí religious lore, with the exception of the soulful, funky, danceable and exquisite opening cut, which is dedicated to—and inspired by—the daughter of the date's leader. As such, nonetheless, the recording is a sonic interpretation of some of the theological tenets associated with this particular religious phenomenon so richly endowed with musical potential. The Orisha Suite has shown that Mossman knows not only how to cast a crew that can communicate and perform together at the level that his music requires, but also how to impersonate his own compositions accordingly as a player with a rich and beautiful tone, fine technique, an inexhaustible well of ideas, and New York street smarts.

Second full lenght album in 19 years of existence. Excellent epic atmosferic black metal

"What's the difference between a Rocker and a Jazzman? A Rocker plays 3 chords in front of 3000 people. A Jazzman plays 3000 chords in front of 3 people." The story for Dean Watson is probably somewhere in the middle as he manages to balance his virtuoso skills (Jazzman) with solid structures and catchy riffs (Rocker) and the combination seems to work. This is the fourth release after a number of highly ranked albums; listening to this album one can see why. This is no mere 'bedroom artist' with good ideas, rather an accomplished composer with a clear direction, skill and appreciation of structure; it is not just mastery of the instruments but also character, which is abundantly evident especially in the guitar solos…

Ambient Sleeping Pill 1 (2014). This album is divided into two 40-minute, 5-track halves - both a sort of mini voyage. Both “Warm Night on the Cold Front” and “Dark Moon Lullaby” are epic and blissful (though quite different), slowly fading in and out, ebbing and flowing, with the most dynamic range on the album. Both tracks fade out slowly enough to allow you to fully leave your consciousness behind, before giving you a plush entrance into dreamland via “A Strange Economy” and “Gumball.” We then visit the more mysterious scenes of night, with the reverent “Catenary” and “Eluded.” Flying back on the wings of “Drift Chamber” and “Watching a Glowing Horizon Bend with Earth,” we drift in the heavens for what seems an eternity longer, before coming awake again…

Stuff - Live At Montreux 1976 (2012) {Eagle Records ER 20142-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 400 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
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© 1976, 2012 Eagle Records / Montreux Sounds | ER 20142-2
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Funk / Boogaloo / Jazz Blues

Stuff, caught here in their only performance at Montreux, combined the talents of five amazing musicians: Cornell Dupree on guitar, Gordon Edwards on bass, Steve Gadd on drums, Eric Gale on guitar and Richard Tee on keyboards. Individually they were among the most sought after session players of their day but together as Stuff they had a magic all of their own, brilliantly captured on this CD, which also features a guest appearance from vocalist Odetta on "Oh Happy Day" and specially written sleeve notes by Gordon Edwards and longtime fan of the band Chris Rea. "The purity of what's on this [CD] is the true history of modern music. It's as good as it ever got and ever will get." - Chris Rea.

Antwerp's Opera Vlaanderen continues its Rossini opera cycle with this production of his rarely performed Armida, conducted by Alberto Zedda. The work features no less than four tenors in the leading roles, taken here by the commanding voices of Enea Scala, Robert McPherson, Dario Schmunck and the young rising star, Adam Smith.
Stage director Mariame Clément teams up once more for Opera Vlaanderen with set designer Julia Hansen, building on their successful production of Cavalli's Il Giasone. Here they take a critical look at the world of the Crusades. Clément sees Armida as the incarnation of the magical concept of ‘love’, for which noble and heroic knightly ideals are cast aside, turning love into a destructive frenzy.

Kurt Elling - Live In Chicago (1999) {Blue Note 7243 5 22211 2 7}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 422 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 165 Mb
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© 1999 Blue Note Records / Capitol records | 7243 5 22211 2 7
Jazz / Post-Bop / Vocal Jazz / Contemporary Jazz Vocals / Straight-Ahead Jazz / Vocalese

Fans of Kurt Elling have long known that his recordings, as clever and well-orchestrated as they might be, don't quite match up to the power and charm of his live performances. Years of holding court at the Green Mill and other Chicago clubs are what really have brought Elling his most devoted followers, so it is exciting to see that Blue Note's new Elling album is a document of three special nights spent recording at the legendary Uptown jazz club. And indeed, with a few small exceptions, the album shows off Elling at his best – loose, uninhibited, creative, and solid. His standard backing trio has never been tighter and more balanced, and the performance of pianist (and Elling collaborator) Lawrence Hobgood really shines.