Billie Holiday – Body And Soul (1957/2011)
DSF 2.0 Mono DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 00:37:13 minutes | 1,6 GB | Genre: Jazz , Blues
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Source: Acoustic Sounds | Artwork: Front cover | © Verve Records
Recorded in Los Angeles #1, 3 January 7, 1957; #2, 4, 5 to 7 January 9, 1957; #8 January 3, 1957.
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound from the original analog master tapes to vinyl and PCM. The DSD was sourced from the PCM. George listened to all of the different A/D converters he had before he chose which to use, and he felt the George Massenburg GML 20 bit A/D produced the best and most synergistic sound for the project.
Small jazz groups brought out the best in Billie Holiday – especially groups as good as the one heard on this classic 1957 recording. Ben Webster, Harry “Sweets” Edison and the other members of this stellar ensemble were not just gifted soloists but sensitive accompanists as well. Lady Day was rarely more ably supported than she was on this program of sturdy standards, including three gems by the Gershwin brothers -and she rarely sounded more luminous.
This session comes from close to the end of the line (1959) in the erstwhile swinging company of Barney Kessel on guitar, Ben Webster on tenor, and naysayers will be quick to point out that Lady Day wasn’t in peak form here. But Billie Holiday with some of the platinum chipped off the pipes is still way better than a buncha finger-snappin’ wannabes anyday. Her interpretations of the title cut, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” and “Darn That Dream” hold you in the palm of her hand with their gentle swing and the band support here is never less than stellar. This Mobile Fidelity reissue (also available as an audiophile vinyl pressing) features in-the-control-room sound that makes this session sound even cozier. The Lady sings and swings. –Cub Koda
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Sonny Stitt – Blows The Blues (1960/2011)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 00:36:49 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Source: acousticsounds.com | Artwork: Front cover | © Verve Records
Recorded: Los Angeles, California on December 21 & 22, 1959.
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound from the original analog master tapes to vinyl and PCM. The DSD was sourced from the PCM. George listened to all of the different A/D converters he had before he chose which to use, and he felt the George Massenburg GML 20 bit A/D produced the best and most synergistic sound for the project.
Sonny Stitt led a number of excellent record dates in 1959, especially at the end of the year when he produced three LPs for Verve over a span of three sessions with pianist Lou Levy, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Mel Lewis. Playing alto sax throughout this album, Stitt hardly sounds like a Charlie Parker clone, something that unfortunately was a frequent claim by tin-eared critics throughout a fair portion of his career. The music includes several potent originals, especially “Hymnal Blues” and the slow, powerful “Morning After Blues.”
Sonny Clark – Leapin’ and Lopin’ (1961/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 00:41:16 minutes | 1,62 GB | Genre: Jaz
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Source: acousticsounds.com | Artwork: Front cover | © Blue Note Records
Recorded: November 13, 1961 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Sonny Clark is not often heralded as one of hard bop’s great talents, but albums like Leapin’ And Lopin’ should rectify that oversight. An excellent pianist, composer, and bandleader, Clark demonstrates all three capacities on this 1961 date, turning in a host of fine originals and even better performances.
The personnel includes tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse and drummer Billy Higgins, among others, and there’s fine playing all around, including Clark’s elegant skills on the keys. This album was the artist’s last as a leader (he died two years later), and it’s a fitting swansong, as well as a thoroughly satisfying listen.
Robert Schumann – Complete Chamber Music with Piano – Eric Le Sage (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/88.2 kHz | Time – 07:17:31 minutes | 5,88 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Source: Qobuz | Artwork: Front Cover , Digital Booklet | @ Alpha , Outhere Music
Recorded: recording at Plant Studios, Sausalito and Studio 55, Los Angeles between March 28, 1984 to November 1, 1984
With the participation of: Denis Pascal, François Leleux, Victor Julien-Laferrière, Gordan Nikolitch, Lise Berthaud, Paul Meyer, Christophe Coin, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Frank Braley, François Salque, Bruno Schneider, Daishin Kashimoto, Antoine Tamestit
Schumann’s chamber compositions are undoubtedly among the most important European works of the nineteenth century. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was the archetypal Romantic composer, a man with unbounded imagination, who mastered almost every genre of his time. His chamber music, which may be regarded as an extension of his piano music, enabled him to explore the construction of his works.
This new box-set from ALPHA (seven CDs) presents for the first time Schumann’s complete chamber music with piano, played by one of the great Schumann interpreters, who has been exploring this world with great success since 2005: Eric Le Sage. The pianist is joined here by outstanding musicians Paul Meyer, Francois Salque, Franck Braley, Antoine Tamesit and others, who enable the listener to appreciate to the full these masterful works, written by genius of German Romanticism.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Red Hot Chili Peppers (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 31:51 minutes | 710 MB | Genre: Rock
Official Digital Download – Source: WEB | © Capitol Records
The Red Hot Chili Peppers made their stunning self-titled debut in 1984. Produced by Andy Gill, the album is the only recording to feature guitarist Jack Sherman. The Red Hot Chili Pepperslaunched the band’s illustrious career, which boasts multiple GRAMMY® Awards, over eighty million records sold worldwide and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Standouts include “Green Heaven,” “Get Up And Jump” and “Out In L.A.”
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William Walton – Symphony No. 1 & Violin Concerto – BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner, Tasmin Little (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96kHz | Time – 1:15:45 minutes | 1.28 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: theCLASSICAL|shop | Booklet & Front cover | © Chandos Records
Recorded: Watford Colosseum: 18 September 2013 (Violin Concerto); Fairfield Halls, Croydon: 3 and 4 February 2014 (Symphony No. 1)
Edward Gardner, a Chandos exclusive artist, conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in two masterpieces by William Walton, the Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 1.
Walton burst onto the British musical scene in his twenties, the success of works such as Façade, the Viola Concerto, and Belshazzar’s Feast establishing him in both the avant-garde and the mainstream of British composers. The obvious next step for Walton was to compose a symphony and he was duly commissioned to do so by Sir Hamilton Harty in 1932. The first complete performance of his Symphony No. 1, in 1935, was a triumph, immediately gaining the work an honoured place in British music which it has never lost. It is a highly virtuosic work with a remarkable expressive range, in turns powerful and broad, malicious, melancholic, and majestic.
Alexis Cole – A Kiss In The Dark (2014) [Binaural+]
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 53:32 minutes | 2,02 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet
Called “one of the great voices of today”, Alexis Cole has been compared to classic jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Anita O’Day. Her luxurious voice and innovative interpretations make her an instant favorite with audiences of all ages. Cole is the recipient of a Swing Journal Gold Disk award, and has won the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival vocal competitions… (more…)
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Alan Gilbert, New York Philharmonic, Thomas Hampson – Passion & Pain: Haydn, Adams, Schubert & Berg (2010)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96kHz | Time – 80:11 minutes | 1,54 GB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Digital booklet
In September 2009 Alan Gilbert began his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the first native New Yorker to hold the post. Passion & Pain: Adams, Haydn & Schubert is one of four individual performances produced and distributed by the New York Philharmonic and personally selected by Alan Gilbert for commercial release during his inaugural season with the Philharmonic. (more…)
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Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 76:11 minutes | 1,66 GB
Blu-Ray Audio Rip | Sourced Track – LPCM 2.0 Stereo | Cover sleeve
It was designed to be a blockbuster and it was. Prior to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John had hits — his second album, Elton John, went Top 10 in the U.S. and U.K., and he had smash singles in “Crocodile Rock” and “Daniel” — but this 1973 album was a statement of purpose spilling over two LPs, which was all the better to showcase every element of John’s spangled personality. Opening with the 11-minute melodramatic exercise “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” — as prog as Elton ever got — Goodbye Yellow Brick Road immediately embraces excess but also tunefulness, as John immediately switches over to “Candle in the Wind” and “Bennie & the Jets,” two songs that form the core of his canon and go a long way toward explaining the over-stuffed appeal of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. This was truly the debut of Elton John the entertainer, the pro who knows how to satisfy every segment of his audience, and this eagerness to please means the record is giddy but also overwhelming, a rush of too much muchness. Still, taken a side at a time, or even a song a time, it is a thing of wonder, serving up such perfectly sculpted pop songs as “Grey Seal,” full-bore rockers as “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” and “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock & Roll),” cinematic ballads like “I’ve Seen That Movie Too,” throwbacks to the dusty conceptual sweep of Tumbleweed Connection in the form of “The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34),” and preposterous glam novelties, like “Jamaica Jerk-Off.” This touched on everything John did before, and suggested ways he’d move in the near-future, and that sprawl is always messy but usually delightful, a testament to Elton’s ’70s power as a star and a musician. (more…)
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Prince – Prince (1979/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 41:05 minutes | 1,44 GB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Front cover
Prince is the second studio album by Prince, originally released in October 1979. It was written, produced, and performed entirely by Prince himself, and is a harbinger of what Prince would be capable of in his future albums. The song “I Feel for You” is a true masterpiece, all the more incredible given the fact Prince was only 20 years old when he recorded the album. Other great singles from this album include “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” (more…)
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Prince – For You (1978/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 33:21 minutes | 1,19 GB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Front cover
For You is Prince’s highly regarded debut album. He showcases his unworldly arrangements and performance skills, blending R&B with funk. Reaching the top twenty five on Billboard’s Top R&B albums, For You includes the standouts, “Just As Long As We’re Together” and “Soft And Wet.” This iconic debut is an essential addition to your music collection. (more…)
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Billy Hart, Ethan Iverson, Mark Turner, Ben Street – All Our Reasons (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 59:36 minutes | 1,07 GB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Digital booklet
This astounding release is the epitome of pure jazz featuring an all-star quartet of musicians including drummer Billy Hart, pianist Ethan Iverson, saxophonist Mark Turner and bassist Ben Street. Shading from dark and light, this rhythmically engaging effort is a flawless collaboration between a quartet that has worked together since 2003. Each member contributes pieces to this spectacular album, included is the jaunting memorable track “Duchess.” The album full of improvisations is simply exquisite. (more…)
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Elton John & Leon Russell – The Union (2010) {Deluxe Edition}
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 71:29 minutes | 1,59 GB
+ Full DVD (from CD Deluxe Edition) – Making Of, Directed by Cameron Crowe | 370 MB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Scanned Booklet
The Union is a unique collaboration of two of the most talented artists in the music business. Combining forces and fusing diverse talents, John and Russell along with T. Bone Burnett have produced an extraordinary album. Recorded live in the studio with John and Russell on dueling pianos, the album features a variety of musical genres from R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop and rock. Icons Neil Young and Brian Wilson provide guest vocals on the 16-track record along with legendary R&B organist Booker T. Jones, steel guitarist Robert Randolph and a 10-piece gospel choir. Cameron Crowe has filmed the sessions for a documentary, creating too a moment of history as this is the first time that the genesis of Elton’s music has been recorded on film. Critics who have had an early preview of the album are united in praise for the work that Elton describes as a “Seventies record with a modern feel”. (more…)
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Prince – Purple Rain (1984/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:46 minutes | 1,58 GB
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Front cover
Purple Rain is Prince’s 1984 masterpiece and one of the best albums in music history. This multi-Platinum classic has sold over twenty million copies worldwide, becoming one of the bestselling albums of all time. This chart-topping hit features the Top Ten singles “Purple Rain,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.” It earned Prince two GRAMMY Awards and is featured on countless “Best of” lists including Time, Rolling Stone, VH1, Vanity Fair, Slant Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and many others. In 2012, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. This brilliant masterpiece is an essential addition to any collection.
Chart History/Awards:
– On Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
– On Tempo’s “Greatest Albums of the 1980s.”
– #2 on Slant Magazine’s “Best Albums of the 1980s.”
– Inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
– One of Entertainment Weekly’s “100 Best Movie Soundtracks.”
– One of Vibe’s “100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.”
– Reached #1 on the Billboard 200.
– “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
– Won two GRAMMY Awards.
– Allmusic.com – 5/5 stars, album pick.
Neil Young Archives – Volume I (1963-1972)
Folk, Counry, Acoustic, Rock | 2009 | Reprise Records | FLAC 2.0 24bit 192kHz | FLAC Tracks | 16.68 GB
“…Extracted directly from Blu-Ray PCM streams using AnyDVD and tsMuxer. Files tracked and converted to FLAC using CDWave and tagged in Foobar. Entire 236 page book accompanying the set is included as an additional pdf file…”
This is the first volume of the Neil Young Archives series of box sets, produced by Neil Young himself. This series is the definitive, comprehensive, chronological survey of his entire body of work. Volume I covers the period from his earliest recordings with the Squires in Winnipeg, 1963, through to his classic 1972 album, Harvest and beyond, including studio and live tracks with the legendary Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Neil Young with Crazy Horse. This Blu Ray disc edition contains 10 discs, each in its own custom sleeve. 9 of these discs hold a total of 128 tracks (12 hidden), all presented in ultra high resolution 24-bit/192 Khz stereo PCM state-of-the-art master quality sound, and featuring nearly 60 previously unreleased songs, versions, mixes, or rare tracks. Also found on these 9 multimedia discs are 20 special feature videos, film clips, and film trailers, an additional 55 audio tracks of rare interviews, radio spots, and concert raps, and an array of interactive features, including image galleries of archival photos, press, lyric manuscripts, documents, biographies, tour dates, and complete lyrics, as well as an interactive timeline feature which presents an in-depth overview of Young’s life and career. Each of the 10 Blu Ray discs feature 1920X1080 high definition picture quality. In addition, a Blu Ray disc of Young’s acclaimed first film, ‘Journey Through The Past’, available for the first time since its original theatrical release in 1973, is included, featuring pristine picture transfer, audio presented in both DTS 5.1 surround and stereo 24-bit/96 Khz PCM, plus archival materials. Included in the durable custom display box are a digital download card to access MP3 files of all 128 audio tracks, a lavish 236 page fullcolor hardbound book that features additional archival materials, tapes database, and detailed descriptions of the music and artwork, a foldout Archives poster, a custom keeper for the 10 sleeved discs, and more.
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