The Kingston Trio - The Kingston Trio (1958)

"The Kingston Trio" is The Kingston Trio's debut album, released in 1958. It entered the album charts in late October 1958, where it resided for nearly four years, spending one week at #1 in early 1959.

Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane formed the Kingston Trio in Palo Alto, California in June 1957. By 1958 they had a recording contract with Capitol Records and were in the studio by February. From their first recording sessions, the single "Tom Dooley" was released and became a number one hit in the US. The single's success helped propel their debut album to the number one spot of the Billboard Pop chart.


It's easy to rate the group's debut album too low, since its two best-known songs ("Tom Dooley," "Scotch and Soda") have had no shortage of appearances elsewhere in the decades since, and the group went on to cut more than 20 additional albums in their prime years. A little less polished and accomplished than, say, the music that Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders were cutting at Columbia around this time, it makes up for those shortcomings with youthful spring, exuberance, freshness, and a number of song choices that spoke of a new generation of folk singing -- not only their hits but the first version of the comedic piece "Coplas" and "Sloop John B," which would become a rock standard in the hands of the trio's fellow stripe-shirted labelmates the Beach Boys. Dave Guard was the most influential member of the group here, in terms of song selections and arrangements, but the entire trio is well represented.

Additionally, producer Voyle Gilmore made their singing on "Bay of Mexico" and "Fast Freight" into something slightly larger than life. "Sara Jane," which the group learned from Louis Gottlieb of the Gateway Singers and, later, the Limeliters, who also arranged it, isn't far behind, a potential hit single in the same league with "Wimoweh." Listening to this album, one also gets a sense of just how strong the trio was musically right out of the starting gate - "The Kingston Trio" was essentially an idealized version of the group's stage show of the era, recorded over three days in the studio, and a fine, bracing body of music.  

The Kingston Trio - Same (1958)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Sun Ra - The Magic City (1965)

The boundaries of Sun Ra's self-proclaimed "space jazz" underwent a transformation in the mid-'60s. "The Magic City" is an aural snapshot of that metamorphic process. Many enthusiasts and scholars consider this to be among Ra's most definitive studio recordings.

Although the "city" in the album's title was thought to have been New York - where the disc was recorded - it is actually Ra's earthly birthplace of Birmingham, AL. "The Magic City" consists of four free jazz compositions: the album side-length title track, "The Shadow World," "Abstract Eye," and "Abstract I" - two variants of a common work. These pieces are essentially ensemble improvisations recorded live. Any direction from Ra, indicating the order of soloists for instance, would be given either through his playing or with hand signals.

Sun Ra & His Solar Myth Arkestra took up residency in Manhattan's East Village in the early to mid-'60s. Their neighbors included Pharaoh Sanders as well as Babatunde Olatunji. In fact, "The Shadow World," "Abstract Eye," and "Abstract I" were actually recorded in Olatunji's loft. The title track begins with weaving distant and frenetic lines from Ronnie Boykins (bass) and Ra (piano, clavoline), connected by intermittent eruptions from Roger Blank (drums). All the while, Marshall Allen's dreamlike piccolo randomly maneuvers through the sonic haze. The piece also contains an ensemble onslaught that abruptly contrasts with everything experienced up through that point. In the wake of the innately earthbound "Magic City" are three comparatively shorter pieces with subtle undercurrents that return Ra to space motifs. For example, the importance of sonic contrast defines "The Shadow World" by juxtaposing the lightly churning bass and cymbal into some surreal keyboard interjections from Ra. The Magic City also comes with an insightful liner notes essay from Ra scholar John F. Szwed, aiding in understanding the circumstances surrounding this piece of free jazz genius.

John F. Szwed explains in the Village Voice:

"[Birmingham was] the earthly birthplace he steadfastly denied, and in the recording he reimagines the city without its grim, racist, smoke-choked past. By simply pointing to musicians when he wanted them to play, he proved it possible to collectively improvise an entire album on the strength of nothing more than a shared belief. 

Tracklist:

A	The Magic City	27:24
B1	The Shadow World	10:59
B2	Abstract Eye	2:45
B3	Abstract "I"	4:01

Sun Ra - The Magic City (1965)
(320 kbps, cover art included)     

VA - The Gospel Sound (2 CDs)

"This recording documents the changes in Afro-American religious music over a forty-year period. This collection is powerful, filled with vitality, integrity and direct personal communcation.

The best in gospel music from the mid-forties to the late fifties contained moving spirituals by Mahalia Jackson, Marion Williams, The Staple Singers and many other great gospel artists.

Gospel is one of the dominant sounds of our times. In one form or another, gospel has reformed our listening expectations.

The tension between beats, the almost subliminally anticipated climac are straight out of the church. The dance steps that ushered in a new physical freedom were copied form the church dance, the shout. The sit-ins soothed by hymns, the freedom marches powered by shouts, the "brother and sister" fraternity of revolution: the black gospel church gave us all these." - From the liner notes

VA - The Gospel Sound pt 1
VA - The Gospel Sound pt 2
(192 kpbs, front cover included)

Luis Mariano - Le Chanteur de Mexico

Mariano Eusebio González y García (13 August 1914 – 14 July 1970), also known as Luis Mariano, was a popular tenor of Spanish Basque origin who achieved celebrity in 1946 with « La belle de Cadix » (« The Beautiful Lady of Cadix ») an operetta by Francis Lopez. He appeared in the 1954 film Adventures of the Barber of Seville and Le Chanteur de Mexico (1957) and became popular in France as well as his native Spain.

Luis Mariano was born in Irun, Spain on 13 August 1914, the son of a garagiste and taxi-driver and showed interest in singing as a child. His family moved to France at the start of the Spanish Civil War and settled in Bordeaux where he studied at the Conservatoire, and also sang in cabarets.
Jeanne Lagiscarde, who was in charge of the classical department of a record store in Bordeaux, took Mariano under her wing, and gave up her job to nurture his talent in Paris. To earn a living, he sang in stage shows and appeared in films, starting with 'L'escalier sans fin' in 1943. That year he auditioned for the role of Ernesto in Don Pasquale, and sang in the opera at the Palais de Chaillot and later at the Théâtre des Variétés, with Vina Bovy, recording excerpts from the opera. He also left many recordings of popular song and operetta.

He continued to appear in other films from 1946, including a singing role in Napoléon and a film adaptation of Lehar's Der Zarewitsch.
In his encyclopedia Gänzl describes Mariano as a "svelte singing idol of French operetta of the post-war stage and screen". Mariano died in Paris in 1970.
His music is featured prominently in the 1996 Belgian film Le huitième jour in which he is played by Laszlo Harmati during scenes employing magical realism.

Luis Mariano - Le Chanteur de Mexico
(256 kbps, front cover included)

King Size Ska - Original Jamaican Instrumental Ska Sounds 1964-1966 (Trojan)

This album is a collection of original Jamaican instrumental ska sounds, recorded from 1964 to 1966.
This compilation collects some excellent ska tunes, in particular "El Torro" and "The Cat" by Roland Alphonso. Baba Brooks trumpet never sounded better as it does on "First Session", check it out. Well done, Trojan!

Trojan Records was founded in 1967 by Chris Blackwell and Lee Gopthal, as an Island Records subsidiary. The first releases were licensed from Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, and the company took its name from Reid's sound system - The Trojan. In the 60s and 70s Trojan did a major effort in spreading Reggae over the UK, licensing Jamaican releases as well as pushing their own UK acts.

Tracks:
1 Roland Alphonso -El Torro
2 Baba Brooks & His Recording Band -King Size
3 Granville Williams Orchestra -Hi Life
4 Roland Alphonso -On The Move
5 Sammy Ismay & Baba Brooks Band- Cocktails For Two
6 Raymond Harper & Carib Beats- No Other Love
7 Roland Alphonso -Women Of The World
8 Baba Brooks & His Recording Band- Faberge
9 Granville Williams Orchestra -Old McDonald
10 Roland Alphonso -Nothing For Nothing
11 Tommy McCook & The Supersonics- Riverton City
12 Val Bennett & His Selected Group -Atlas
13 Roland Alphonso -Jungle Bit
14 Baba Brooks & His Recording Band -First Session
15 Granville Williams Orchestra-Popeye Ska
16 Roland Alphonso The Cat
17 Roy Richards & Baba Brooks Band, The Contact
18 Raymond Harper & Carib Beats, The Amour
19 Roland Alphonso Guantanamera
20 Carib Beats, The J.J. Special
21 Granville Williams Orchestra-Honky Tonk (Ska)
22 Roland Alphonso -Song For My Father
23 Baba Brooks & His Recording Orchestra -The Scratch
24 Granville Williams Orchestra -Tear Up
25 Cluett Johnson Orchestra Hot Nosh

King Size Ska - Original Jamaican Instrumental Ska Sounds 1964-1966  (Trojan)
(192 kbps, front cover included)

Bessie Smith - Empress Of The Blues 1923 - 1933

Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer.

Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists.


"Empress of the Blues: 1923-1933" is a respectable, budget-priced collection of Bessie Smith's best material from her most potent period. It contains 21 tracks of piano-based blues from an era when the music was just coming out of brothels and saloons and on to the American (and European) stages. Notable tracks on this set include "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" and  "St. Louis Blues".

Bessie Smith - Empress Of The Blues 1923 - 1933
(256 kbps, front cover included)

              

Robert Wyatt - Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (1975)

An enduring figure who came to prominence in the early days of the English art rock scene, Robert Wyatt has produced a significant body of work, both as the original drummer for art rockers Soft Machine and as a radical political singer/songwriter.

There was no way that Wyatt's follow-up to "Rock Bottom" could be as personal and searching, but this album that came barely a year later instead collects some earlier material to be revamped for this release. "Soup Song," for instance, is a rewrite of "Slow Walkin' Talk," written before the forming of Soft Machine. "Team Spirit," written with Phil Manzanera and Bill MacCormick of Quiet Sun, would turn up the same year as "Frontera" on Manzanera's "Diamond Head".

While some of the songs tend to plod along, the dirge-like "Five Black Notes and One White Notes," a lethargic cover of Offenbach's "Baccarole," Charlie Haden's "Song for Che," and Fred Frith's piano team-up with Wyatt on "Muddy Mouth" are magical. As usual, the assembled band, including the underrated Gary Windo on sax and Mongezi Feza on trumpet, never dissapoint.

Tracklist:

1. Muddy Mouse (0:50)
2. Solar Flares (5:35)
3. Muddy Mouse (0:50)
4. 5 Black Notes and 1 White Note (4:58)
5. Muddy Mouse (6:11)
6. Soup Song (5:00)
7. Sonia (4:12)
8. Team Spirit (8:26)
9. Song for Ché (3:36)

Robert Wyatt - Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard 1975)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Shakara (1972)

Fela Kuti was often
described as
"the James Brown of Africa," but one could also argue that he was Africa's equivalent of Miles Davis or John Coltrane. Truth be told, either description is valid. Kuti was highly eclectic, and his innovative, visionary music contained elements of funk/soul, jazz, and blues, as well as African music.

That eclectic spirit proves to be a major asset on Shakara, which consists of two 13-minute performances by Kuti's Africa 70 band: "Lady" and "Shakara (Oloie)."

Performed in English, "Lady" finds Kuti criticizing modern African women in a humorous way for becoming what he sees as overly westernized and embracing a western view of feminism. You might agree or disagree with the song's viewpoint, but the groove and the beat are irresistible. Equally addictive - and equally sarcastic - is "Shakara (Oloje)," which is sung in both Yoruba and English and makes fun of the type of pompous, loud-mouthed braggarts who can never make good on their empty boasts.

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Shakara (1972)
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Billie Holiday - Songs For Distingué Lovers (1957)

"Songs for Distingué Lovers" forms part of the last series of extensive small-group recordings that Lady Day would make in the studio.

Although her voice was largely shot at this point, she puts so much feeling into the lyrics that it's easy to overlook her dark sound. The band is a major asset, and made up of all-stars: trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, pianist Jimmie Rowles, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Red Mitchell, and Alvin Stoller or Larry Bunker on drums.

There are plenty of short solos for Edison, Webster, and Kessel. Holiday does her best on such numbers as "A Foggy Day," "One for My Baby," "Just One of Those Things," and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and there are plenty of haunting moments, even if one could tell (even at the time) that the end was probably drawing near for the singer.

Tracklist:

A1	Day In, Day Out
A2	A Foggy Day
A3	Stars Fell On Alabama
B1	One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
B2	Just One Of Those Things
B3	I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Billie Holiday - Songs For Distingué Lovers (1957)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA -Tiger Goes Calypso (Esso, 1966)

This is a fine LP from 1966 put out by Esso gas for promotional work. It is a collection of Calypso, Reggae, and Ska songs. Two of the tracks have to do with Esso gas. A rare little promo item with pretty good songs. It features Young Killer with "Tiger in your tank" and some big names of the calypso scene, like Mighty Sparrow and The Merrymen. Enjoy it!

Tracklist:
1 Young Killer - Tiger in your tank
2 Carlos Malcolm Orchestra - Tribute to Don Drummond
3 The Merrymen - Never on a sunday
4 Westside Symphony Orchestra - Jamaica ska
5 Clarence Curvan Orchestra - Mama dis is mas
6 The Mighty Sparrow - She's been gone too long
7 André Tanker Flamingoes - Linstead market
8 The Mighty Dougla - Leave me


VA - Tiger Goes Calypso (1966)
(192 kbps, back & front cover included)

René Bardet´s Poesie & Musik: Pablo Neruda 2 - Tiersammlung (Mood, 1980)

Here´s the second "Poesie & Musik" album with interpretations of works by Pablo Neruda. "Tiersammlung" was recorded live at the famous club "Manufaktur" in Schorndorf in the southern part of Germany in 1980.

Members of the band were at this time René Bardet (bouzouki, guitar, voice), Tini Hägler (marimba, percussion), Ruedi Häusermann (flute, sopranino), Martin Schütz (cello, mandoline) and Orlandon Valentini (bass, drums, guitar, percussion).

Tracks:
1 Wo mag Guillermina sein
2 Wie lange lebt man
3. Gewisser Überdruss
4. Tiersammlung


René Bardet´s Poesie & Musik - Pablo Neruda 2 - Tiersammlung

(192 kbps, cover art included)