Halfway to Paradise is brand new on Crimson! 3CDs in a Slim Digipak Packed Full of Romantic Classics of the 50s and 60s Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Everly Brothers, Billy Fury, Marvelettes, Del Shannon.

Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. Smoking work on Hammond from Freddie Roach – a key player in the Blue Note lineup of the 60s, and a strong link between the label's soul jazz and modern sides! The sound here is a really beautiful one – partly in the organ/tenor mode forged by Baby Face Willette and John Patton in their early recordings for Blue Note, but also stretching out in that way that started to show up in Patton's later work, and in the seminal work from the time by Larry Young. Freddie's touch on the keys is really opening up here – clearly driven by some more original ideas that help push the album past the more R&B influenced sound of some of his earlier work. Players on the set include Joe Henderson on tenor, Eddie Wright on guitar, and Clarence Johnston on drums – and title cuts include "Brown Sugar", plus "All Night Long", "Have You Ever Had The Blues", and "The Right Time".

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A tremendous moment for the great George Adams as a leader – a record that won the reedman widespread attention after some key work in the bigger groups of Gil Evans and Charles Mingus! Adams is a searing, soulful player right from the start – stepping out strongly on tenor at the kickoff of the record, but also blowing some flute with this moodier, more spiritual tone that really deepens our appreciation of his talents as a musician. The rest of the group is filled with similar spiritual energy – and includes Ron Burton on piano, Don Pate on bass, Al Foster on drums, and Azzedin Weston on percussion. The style is nicely different than some of George's later work with Don Pullen – maybe a bit more straightforward, but in a great way that really unlocks his voice as a leader – and titles include "Funk A Roonie Peacock", "Metamorphosis for Mingus", "Paradise Space Shuttle", and "Intentions".

"Eccentricity in music is tricky in that it's difficult to embrace it in moderation. There's risk of having it come off as either overly (and gratingly) deliberate, or teetering over the precipice into full-blown novelty. Pere Ubu co-founder Allen Ravenstine's Waiting For The Bomb is one of these rare exceptions where peculiarity, nuance and genuine warmth align in such a way that it's perched right on that edge and all the more evocative because of it. One of the album's most striking and disorienting attributes is its wide and volatile sound palette…

Shakatak's keyboardist Bill Sharpe's has always written memorable tunes, of which lyricist Roger Odell said: "The melodies are always very catchy, chord sequences are always nice." In fact Bill Sharpe's piano playing is one reason for jazz fans to enjoy Shatatak's music, as he produces well-constructed solos as well as writing sweet but jazz-infused melodies which are immediately unforgettable. Another reason for liking this band is its tight funkiness. One has only to hear on YouTube some of the amateur attempts at Shakatak tunes to realise how much the band contributes to their success. George Anderson Jr.'s slapped bass guitar drives the band along, with help from Roger Odell's propulsive drumming. There's a lot to like in this classic jazz-funk recording.

Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was still in pretty good form at the time of this later recording. The veteran great is joined by an all-star rhythm section (pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Art Blakey) along with guest appearances from trumpeter Woody Shaw and guitarist George Benson. Although this boppish set is rather brief (just four songs totalling around 37 minutes), the quality of the solos is quite high.

This session, under the leadership of trumpeter Louis Smith, brings hard bop veterans together with a couple newcomers who were at the time helping to revive the style. This is the kind of recording session where one gets a taste of the fireworks that would result from a live jam session featuring the participants. Each soloist launches into the heart of the tune, cutting out the preliminaries and never reaching the heights more extended blowing would allow. Each song gives the frontline and pianist Kevin Hays a chance to have their say. The hornmen have complementary yet distinctive approaches. Tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, like Smith a former member of Horace Silver's combo, is a study in soulful reserve, whittling statements from the grain of the tunes.

As a result of many years of successful producing of Kool&Klean series this album a compilation of the best tracks so far from 6 previous albums. The continued success of Kool&Klean genre is a result of talented approach and gently applied music craft by the mastermind Konstantin Klashtorni. His music feels like a soothing immersion into a musical mineral bath – a truly relaxing yet still sensual and romantic jaunt into the chill side of smooth urban jazz.

Drummer Shannon Powell stands tall in the lineage of New Orleans’ rhythmic giants; he is a torchbearer of the city’s culture and one of the finest drummers in the world. He’s also a great singer, his vocals invoking styles that echo the churches, street parades and jazz clubs of his hometown. Known for his contributions to traditional and modern jazz idioms, having worked with Danny Barker, Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis, Powell is also a veteran of New Orleans' rich rhythm and blues scene having backed up such greats as Snooks Eaglin, Earl King and Dr. John.

2019 release from the jazz tenor saxophonist. "I've been fortunate to have performed with so many wonderful musicians in the past but I live in the present and it hasn't stopped. I certainly enjoy what I'm doing these days." The consistently intriguing Seven Rays is yet another accomplishment in Jerry Bergonzi's productive and significant career. It finds the great the saxophonist reveling in jagged, tightly coiled phrases and steeped in remote harmonic progressions. His angular riffs, unexpected silences and big, barreling low pitches continue to underline how personal Bergonzi's approach to jazz is. Yet the charismatic nature of his delivery and the steely brilliance of his tone proves so compelling that his art speaks eloquently to both the esoteric theoreticians and the most casual of listeners.

Satoyama, founded in 2013, brings togheter four musicians focused on different styles, that seek to create a border music. Deeply influenced by the north european jazz, the contemporary classical music and the world music they combine all the contaminations as one.

French Canadian singer Chantal Chamberland strikes a perfect balance between the soul of the classic singer/songwriter and the dynamic verve of a jazz chanteuse. She can swing with the best of them, then capture your heart with a soft torch song. Her sixth album, SOIREE, captures both of those components - lively and tender, with a beautiful collection of songs mostly sung in French.

Luther Vandross scored a popular success with Jump to It, but this follow-up is less impressive and proved less successful. Vandross wrote most of the material, including the number one R&B title track and the R&B Top Ten hit "Every Girl (Wants My Guy)," although he also has Franklin tackle the Temptations hit "I Wish It Would Rain," in a painfully overwrought production. With this record, what had seemed to be an artist/producer marriage made in heaven hit the rocks.

Aretha is the debut album by Aretha Franklin released on Arista Records in 1980. Franklin's first Arista single release, "United Together", reached #3 on the Soul chart and crossed over to #56 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album itself peaked at #47 and spent 30 weeks on Billboard's main album chart, eventually selling close to 350,000 copies. It is currently out of print. This was the second album with this title to be released by the artist, and the first ever for Arista, after a 13-year tenure with Atlantic Records. Other Franklin albums titled "Aretha" were also released in 1986 and 1961. The disc's opening track "Come To Me" appeared again on her 1989 album "Through The Storm".

I was refreshingly suprised the first time I heard this album. I had been bored with most of my music collection when I stumbled upon this "nugget of pure gold". What's even more exciting is when you find out more about the man himself. Gil Melle is a true original, still going strong. His art will surely last the test of time. I write this based on my somewhat worn vinyl copy of "Primitive Modern". I found it in a thrift store for 50 cents and have thanked the powers that be every day that I had such luck. As the quote above indicates, Gil Melle and his outfit were serious about rhythm and doing interesting things with rhythm. Listen, for instance, to "Ironworks."