[MICKEY BAKER a/k/a] McHOUSTON BAKER with STEFAN GROSSMAN - Mississippi Delta Blues (Owl 3051; France)
CD Sale $10
KENNY BARRON - Canta Brasil (Owl 3005; France)
CD Sale $10
KENNY BARRON QUINTET With STEFON HARRIS / ANNE DRUMMOND / KIYOSHI KITAGAWA / KIM THOMPSON - Images (Owl 3021; France)
CD Sale $10
KENNY BARRON - Live at Bradley's (Owl 3002; France)
CD Sale $10
KENNY BARRON - Perfect Set: Live at Bradley's 2 (Owl 3031; France)
CD Sale $10
RAN BLAKE - Wende (Owl 3516; France) 1976 solo studio recording!
CD Sale $10
PAUL BLEY & GARY PEACOCK - Partners (Owl 3503; France)
CD Sale $10
PAUL BLEY / JIMMY GIUFFRE / STEVE SWALLOW - The Life Of A Trio: Saturday (Owl 3514; France)
CD Sale $10
PAUL BLEY / JIMMY GIUFFRE / STEVE SWALLOW - The Life Of A Trio: Sunday (Owl 3515; France)
CD Sale $10
LUIS BONFA - Le Roi de la Bossa Nova / The King of Bossa Nova (Owl 3037; France)
CD Sale $10
CLARENCE GATEMOUTH BROWN - Down South in the Bayou Country (Owl 3046; France)
CD Sale $10
CLARENCE GATEMOUTH BROWN - Gate's on the Heat (Owl 3052; France)
CD Sale $10
CLARENCE GATEMOUTH BROWN - Boogaloosa Boogie Man (Owl 3060; France)
CD Sale $10
DENNIS CHAMBERS / BIRELI LAGRENE / DOMINIC DI PIAZZA - Front Page (Owl 3019; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL MISJA FITZGERALD With DREW GRESS / JOCHEN RUECKERT RAVI COLTRANE - Encounter (Owl 3040; France)
CD Sale $10
SERGE GAINSBOURG - Aux Armes et Caetera (Owl 3601; France)
2 CD Set Sale $14
SERGE GAINSBOURG - Mauvaises Nouvelles des Etoiles (Owl 3602; France)
2 CD Set Sale $14
STAN GETZ / KENNY BARRON - People Time: The Complete Recordings (Owl 3084; France)
7 CD Box Set Sale $50
JIMMY GIUFFRE / PAUL BLEY / STEVE SWALLOW - Fly Away Little Bird (Owl 3504; France)
CD Sale $10
STEPHANE GRAPPELLI & MARTIAL SOLAL - Happy Reunion (Owl 3513; France)
CD $10
TIGRAN HAMASYAN with BEN WENDEL / XAVIER PHILLIPS / SAM MINAE / CHRIS TORDINI / NATE WOOD / et al - Shadow Theatre (Owl 3099; France)
CD Sale $10
DAVE HOLLAND BIG BAND With CHRIS POTTER / ROBIN EUBANKS / JOSH ROSEMAN / TAYLOR HASKINS / et al - Overtime (Dare2/Owl 3028; France)
CD Sale $10
DAVE HOLLAND QUINTET with CHRIS POTTER / STEVE NELSON / NATE SMITH - Critical Mass (Owl 3058; France)
CD Sale $10
LEE KONITZ / KENNY WERNER - Unleemited (Owl 3511; France)
CD Sale $10
STEVE KUHN - Oceans in the Sky (Owl 3508; France)
CD Sale $10
STEVE KUHN / STEVE SWALLOW - Two by 2 (Owl 3526; France)
CD Sale $10
STEVE LACY With GEORGE E LEWIS / IRENE AEBI / JEAN-JACQUES AVENEL / JOHN BETSCH - Beat Suite (Owl 3012; France)
CD Sale $10
JEANNE LEE With LEO SMITH / GUNTER HAMPEL / DAVE HOLLAND / JEROME HARRIS / MARK WHITECAGE et al - Natural Affinities (Owl 3509; France)
CD Sale $10
LES PROMITIFS DU FUTUR - World Musette (Owl 3043; France)
CD Sale $10
FURRY LEWIS - Fourth & Beale (Owl 3050; France)
CD Sale $10
JOE LOVANO / ALDO ROMANO - Ten Tales (Owl 3507; France)
CD Sale $10
JOHN McLAUGHLIN / ZAKIR HUSSAIN - Remember Shakti: Way of Beauty (Owl 3076; France)
DVD $15
HELEN MERRILL / GORDON BECK - No Tears No Goodbyes (Owl 3506; France)
CD $10
CHARLES MINGUS With CHARLES McPHERSON / BOBBY JONES / EDDIE PRESTON / JAKI BYARD / DANNIE RICHMOND - In Paris Complete America Session (Owl 3065; France)
2 CD Sale Set $14
MINGUS BIG BAND with SEAMUS BLAKE / ABRAHAM BURTON / ALEX FOSTER / CRAIG HANDY / JEREMY PELT / JACK WALRATH / RANDY BRECKER / et al - I am Three (Owl 3029; France)
CD Sale $10
BOB MINTZER & GIL GOLDSTEIN - Longing (Owl 3517; France)
CD Sale $10
RED MITCHELL with BOB STENSON / RUNE CARLSSON - One Long String (Owl 3063; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PETRUCCIANI - Michel Petrucciani (Owl 3510; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PETRUCCIANI - Oracle's Destiny (Owl 3519; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PETRUCCIANI - Cold Blues (Owl 3520; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PETRUCCIANI With LEE KONITZ / RON McCLURE / JEAN-FRANCOIS JENNY-CLARK / ALDO ROMANO - Days Of Wine And Roses: The Owl Years 1981-1985 [2 CD set] (Owl/Sunnyside 3001 ,USA)
2 CD Set $12
EDITH PIAF - Vie En Rose 1935-1951 (Owl 3081; France)
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PORTAL With TONY MALABY / JEF LEE JOHNSON / TONY HYMAS / FRANCOIS MOUTIN / et al - Birdwatcher (Owl 3064; France)
CD Sale $10
CHRIS POTTER with KEVIN HAYES / SCOTT COLLEY / BILL STEWART - Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard (Owl 3022; France)
CD Sale $10
CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND With WAYNE KRANTZ / CRAIG TABORN / NATE SMITH - Underground (Owl 3034; France)
CD Sale $10
CHRIS POTTER 10 With MARK FELDMAN / MICHAEL RABBINOWITZ / STEVE CARDENAS / et al - Songs for Anyone (Owl 3074; France)
CD Sale $10
CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND With ADAM ROGERS / CRAIG TABORN / NATE SMITH - Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard (Owl 3075; France)
CD Sale $10
BADEN POWELL - O Universo Musical de Baden Powell (Owl 3016; France)
CD Sale $10
BADEN POWELL - Canta Vinicius de Moraes e Paolo Cesra Pinheiro (Owl 3038; France)
CD Sale $10
BADEN POWELL - Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell (Owl 3056; France)
CD Sale $10
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR - Rock N' Roll Gumbo (Owl 3029; France)
CD Sale $10
LINDA SHARROCK / ERIC WATSON - Listen to the Night (Owl 3525; France)
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM with MICKEY BAKER / ROOSEVELT SYKES / WILLIE DIXON / CANNED HEAT / HENRI TISCHITZ / et al - Paris Mississippi Blues (Sunnyside 3025; France)
2 CD Set Sale $14
MEMPHIS SLIM - Blue Memphis Suite (Owl 3045; France)
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM & CANNED HEAT - Memphis Slim (Owl 3047; France)
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM & BUDDY GUY - Southside Reunion (Owl 3053; France)
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM & ROOSEVELT SYKES - Double-Barreled Boogie (Owl 3070; France)
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM - Boogie Woogie (Owl 3071; France)
CD Sale $10
JACKY TERRASSON - Gouache (Owl 3092; France)
CD Sale $10
T-BONE WALKER - Good Feeling (Owl 3044; France)
CD Sale $10
RANDY WESTON & THE GNAWA MASTER MUSICIANS OF MOROCCO - Spirit, The Power of Music (Owl 3015; France)
CD Sale $10
RANDY WESTON / BILLY HARPER - Roots of the Blues (Owl 3097; France)
CD Sale $10
WILD MAGNOLIAS - They Call Us Wild (Owl 3068; France)
CD Sale $10
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[MICKEY BAKER a/k/a] McHOUSTON BAKER with STEFAN GROSSMAN - Mississippi Delta Blues (Owl 3051; France) “Mississippi Delta Dues is a complete departure from Mickey Baker's landmark 1950s electric guitar work for Ray Charles and others. With acoustic bottleneck specialist Stefan Grossman at his side and surprisingly backed by the London Strings Orchestra, the talented guitarist covers a variety of tunes by long-dead bluesmen. Excluding the bonus tracks, this was previously released as House of the Blues, Vol. 5 on the Blue Star label.†- Mark Allan, AMG
CD Sale $10
PAUL BLEY & GARY PEACOCK - Partners (Owl 3503; France) Fifteen solos and duos from this longtime partnership that have been playing together since the fifties. Paul Bley plays piano and Gary Peacock plays contrabass. This was first released in 1990 and has been a hard-to-find release ever since. All originals, except for Ornette's "Latin Genetics".
CD Sale $10
MICHEL MISJA FITZGERALD With DREW GRESS / JOCHEN RUECKERT RAVI COLTRANE - Encounter (Owl 3040; France) Featuring Misja FitzGerald Michel on electric & acoustic guitars, Drew Gress on double bass, Jochen Rueckert on drums plus Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax (2 tracks only). Considering that I hadn't heard of this French guitarist before this, he is a most impressive musician. This is Misja's fourth disc and he does have an impressive resume, playing with Gary Thomas, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Rich Perry, Seamus Blake, Robin Eubanks, Mark Helias & Billy Hart. You all should know of downtown bassist Drew Gress from various projects, but I hadn't heard of this drummer before this date either. Half of the tunes here were written by Misja, the other half well selected gems by Ornette Coleman (two), John Coltrane (two) and one by Wayne Shorter and the other by B(illy?) Stewart. Ornette's "Chopin" opens this disc with a strong performance by the quartet with Ravi Coltrane's strong tenor up front and interweaving with Misja's furious, swinging guitar. The drummer takes a long and spirited solo, continuing the flow just right. A few of these pieces feature solo acoustic guitar and are pretty incredible displays of impressive dexterity and chops. I dig his own piece, "Mirage" which reminds of Ralph Towner or early John McLaughlin playing with a sympathetic rhythm team. One of the highlights is Misja's solo acoustic 12-string version of Ornette's classic "Lonely Woman", which is ever so enchanting, fleeting and poignant. I like the way Misja switches back and forth between complex chords and quick flashes of notes on "Think Before You Think", the drummer navigating the changes so intricately. Coltrane's "Countdown" is taken at an amazingly pace and done entirely on solo acoustic guitar. Quite a tour-de-force. "The Gathering" features a strong, complex theme that keeps Ravi and Misja on their toes playing around one another, as well as some intense and busy rhythm-team work. Misja has a knack for choosing pieces that shift tempos and dynamics, putting the trio through some difficult hoops on "Wayne Shorter's " Limbo". All three players spin intricately around one another on this extremely challenging piece. They bring things to a somber close on Trane's "Central Park West", which is done exquisitely with a superb, dreamy guitar solo. 'Encounter' is without a doubt, one of the finest jazz guitar discs to come out in a long while. - BLG
CD Sale $10
SERGE GAINSBOURG - Aux Armes et Caetera (Owl 3601; France) “Released in 1979, this first reggae album by Serge Gainsbourg was reissued in 2003 with a bonus disc containing dub and DJ versions of the original songs.â€
2 CD Set Sale $14
SERGE GAINSBOURG - Mauvaises Nouvelles des Etoiles (Owl 3602; France) “Released in 1981, this second reggae album by Serge Gainsbourg was reissued in 2003 with a bonus disc containing dub and DJ versions of the original songs.â€
2 CD Set Sale $14
STAN GETZ / KENNY BARRON - People Time: The Complete Recordings (Owl 3084; France) "In March 1991, Stan and Kenny played four nights at Cafe Montmartre in Copenhaguen. The performances were miraculous. They include some of the most candidly impassioned music ever recorded and represent a pinnacle in the art and lives of the musicians. In the candid, poignant liner notes he wrote for the original release, Kenny recalled: "Stan played exceptionally well, giving every solo his all. But I noticed after each solo that he was literally out of breath." On the last night, they played one of the finest sets of the engagement a parting gift of luminous inspiration. "IF you are a Getz fan and you have the 2 CD set edition of People Time, think again. This 7 CD set is beyond words, but I'll say a few. The sound is better than the 2 CD set and so clear, that you can hear when Stan is out of breath.The music is touching, not just because Stan would die 3 months later, but his playing is flawless!"
7 CD Box Set Sale $50
TIGRAN HAMASYAN with BEN WENDEL / XAVIER PHILLIPS / SAM MINAE / CHRIS TORDINI / NATE WOOD / et al - Shadow Theatre (Owl 3099; France)â€Tigran Hamasyan's new record, Shadow Theater, is an example of a work by an artist creating in a world of cultural and ideological multiplicity. The music is by turns melodic, complex, meditative, lamentful, kinetic, culturally particular, boundless, very old, and very new. More than aesthetically pleasing, Hamasyan's music provokes listeners to consider new horizons of possibility. I will show this stylistically-inclusive approach to music making, especially with a focus on musical improvisation, as an example of music which can refigure the reality of those who listen. In the interest of exploring this capability, I will consider Hans-Georg Gadamer's description of “play†as related to aesthetic works and David Borgo's characterization of improvising music as platform for change and celebration of difference. By situating Hamasyan's music in these theoretical frameworks we can gain insight about how musical works change us, and why this is important.†- AJ Kluth - rest of the review found here: ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/consideration-worlding-power-music-tigran-hamasyan's-shadow-theater
CD Sale $10
MEMPHIS SLIM & CANNED HEAT - Memphis Slim (Owl 3047; France) “Memphis Heat documents Chicago blues piano legend Memphis Slim's studio collaborations with the rock group Canned Heat in France on September 18, 1970, and July 11, 1973. The results are tasty indeed. Slim's voice and piano are well matched by Henry Vestine's electric guitar, Canned Heat's rockin' rhythm section, and (on six out of 13 tracks) the Memphis Horns, a solid wind quintet of trumpet, trombone, two tenors, and a baritone sax. Memphis Slim tried on a lot of different styles and instrumental combinations during the 1970s. His Canned Heat sessions have been both praised and panned over the years, a state of affairs that often revealed more about the reviewers than the music itself. A fair assessment should take into account the blues and rock scene of the early '70s, the pianist's artistic intentions as he capped a long and eventful career, and perhaps most importantly the positive effect that this music is likely to have upon any listener who loves a good jumpin' electric blues band.†- All Music Guide
CD Sale $10
MICHEL PORTAL With TONY MALABY / JEF LEE JOHNSON / TONY HYMAS / FRANCOIS MOUTIN / et al - Birdwatcher (Owl 3064; France) Featuring Michel Portal on clarinets, alto & soprano saxes, Tony Malaby on tenor sax, Tony Hymas on keyboards, Jef Lee Johnson on electric guitar, Erik Fratzke & Sonny Thompson on electric basses, Francois Moutin on double bass, Airto Moriera on percussion and Michael Bland on drums. Michel Portal is an amazing French clarinetist and composer with a long recording career, yet has so few discs in print. Each of his recordings has different personnel and each is rich and varied in approach. Michel has worked with John Surman, Barre Phillips, Richard Galliano, Daniel Humair & Pierre Favre. 'Birdwatcher' employs some ten musicians from different backgrounds and cultures, yet it is Michel's direction that holds it all together. "Nada Mas" has a quick spinning theme with superb solos from Michel on bass clarinet and Tony Malaby on tenor. It is the smokin' rhythm team of Tony Hymas on piano, two basses of Sonny Thompson & Erik Fratzke and two percussionists, Airto & JT Bates, that is really most inspired and infectious. "Lanterne Helvete" features a haunting "Bitches Brew"-like groove with some haunting bass clarinet, eerie electric keyboards and atmospheric guitar by Jef Lee Johnson. Michel's writing is consistently effective at creating a series of hypnotic moods. Michel's clarinets and saxes become a different character on each piece and often shine at the center of each song. Solos by the other members are often kept to a minimum, yet it is the way Michel uses each instrument that often makes each piece so special. The musicians remain constantly creative within the framework of each piece. Jef Lee Johnson does a few chances to stretch out here and there for those who need to know. Another unexpected contender for one this year's best. - BLG
CD Sale $10
CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND With ADAM ROGERS / CRAIG TABORN / NATE SMITH - Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard (Owl 3075; France) In a rare move, saxophonist Chris Potter has released two CDs on the same day, and on the same label-Song For Anyone, his first album for a large ensemble; and Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard, featuring the Underground band that's been touring for the past couple of years. Risky, perhaps, but Potter's significance-the clear torch-carrier for the recently departed Michael Brecker-continues to grow, and is one of a limited number of artists who can actually pull it off. Potter's discography has been getting better with each passing year, but Underground (Sunnyside, 2006) was a true watershed, where conception, composition and performance came together for the most distinctive and fully realized album of his career. Follow the Red Line is even better, featuring the same group but with guitarist Adam Rogers in place of Wayne Krantz, whose sharp attack and oblique lines were amongst Underground's defining points. Those only familiar with Rogers' largely acoustic Criss Cross discs, including 2005's Apparitions, may be surprised to hear him kick such serious butt here, but those who've heard his mid-1990s work with Lost Tribe know that he's undeniably capable of this kind of electrified, rock- and funk-edged music. The gentle opening fanfare of "Train" starts the set on a lyrical and subdued note, but it's not long before drummer Nate Smith kicks in with a visceral funk groove, bolstered by Craig Taborn's uncannily dichotomous Fender Rhodes. Potter takes the first solo, building from ground zero to the stratosphere and demonstrating the kind of paradoxical blend of restraint and reckless abandon that makes his extended solos not just consistently captivating, but exhilarating. The same goes for Rogers, whose solo begins in melodic simplicity, but quickly takes off with a raucous energy and linear invention that's the main reason why he, along with Ben Monder, are two of New York's most in-demand guitarists across a wide swatch of styles. His tone is dense and sustaining, with a punchy attack and, like Potter, has an ability to milk the simplest of vamps for all it's worth. Taborn gets to do the same thing during the unrelenting, single-chord vamp that's at the core of "Arjuna," with Rogers soul-drenched single-line anchoring hand-in-glove with Smith's loose and unyieldingly responsive groove. "Pop Tune #1" offers a brief respite; a countrified ballad where Roger's rich, sustaining chords support Potter's singable melody before taking a blues-drenched lead. Rogers builds dramatically, only to suddenly dissolve as Potter morphs the tune into another lengthy and funk-laden vamp where everyone raises the temperature during his blistering and idea-filled solo. It's an exercise in futility to find a name for the music of Follow the Red Line. But as Potter blurs the lines between jazz, rock, funk and even a little afro-beat in ways that are finally being accepted again two decades after The New York Times declared the "pestilence known as fusion is dead," the best word to describe this recording is, quite simply, great. - John Kelman, AAJ
CD Sale $10
BADEN POWELL - O Universo Musical de Baden Powell (Owl 3016; France) In the early '60s when many Brazilian musicians brought bossa nova to the United States, classically trained guitarist Baden Powell took his guitar to France. Hence, the rest is history, as this Brazilian artist infused his hybrid jazz/classical/bossa nova articulations into the European scene. This program chronicles the work he did for the Barclay (CD one) and Festival (CD two) record companies, spanning the mid-'60s through the late '70s. Throughout these multifarious works, featuring Powell performing solo guitar and with various ensembles, the listener is provided with a radiant glimpse of his virtuosity and depth. On various works, Powell melds a distinct sense of classicism with buoyancy and sophistication. Sure, bossa nova and samba-based rhythms are firmly rooted within his palate. Yet, Powell's insightful ability to step out of preconceived boundaries becomes apparent from the opening moments of disc one. His delicate plucking and strumming are augmented by his penchant for injecting a driving force into many of these compositions, featuring the inherent rhythmic elements of Brazilian music. He performs with horns and strings on certain tracks, amid endeavors with standard rhythm sections and percussionists. Regardless, Powell's artisanship is partly founded upon the jubilance and festive-like environs of a Brazilian carnival. He molds the tried and true into a deeply personalized methodology, witnessed by his rhythmically complex renditions of Monk's "'Round About Midnight" and other works. Sadly, Powell's severe alcoholism took its toll, resulting in his death in 2000.†- Glenn Astarita, All Music Guide
CD Sale $10
RANDY WESTON / BILLY HARPER - Roots of the Blues (Owl 3097; France) Essential to understanding Randy Weston's artistry is the significance of the role played by Duke Ellington. Besides Duke's obvious cultural imprint which shaped so many musicians of Weston's generation, Ellington's piano style is at the root of Randy's technique. The enduring brilliance of Weston's playing is testimony to Duke's gift... The partnership of Randy Weston and saxophonist Billy Harper dates back to the summer of '74. This musical collaboration is based as much on their mutual love of the darker hues of their respective instruments as it is their blues simpatico. Weston and Harper bonded instantly after playing together in Tangier. "I heard that sound I like," recalls Weston, "When Billy plays the tenor it's like an orchestra - the call & response is always there, I always hear the black church in his playing, he's constantly singing through his horn. As far as why we work well together.. it's the magic ofThe Roots of the Blues that big, black sound he gets. Billy is a great blues player ! According to Randy.. "Another reason this partnership succeeds is Billy's sound. It comes comes straight out of Africa. He's a Texas-born-tenor-man of Semali ancestral lineage, but it's a universal sound; that cry he gets reaches into your soul. He plays a modern saxophone but it's very poetic. You listen to his solos and it's a complete composition. you hear the whole history of the tenor." In myriad ways The Roots of the Blues, recorded early in this very year 2013, marks a new hallmark in Randy Weston's distinguished 87-year odyssey on the planet, as a fervent seeker of African Rhythms.
CD Sale $10
WILD MAGNOLIAS - They Call Us Wild (Owl 3068; France) “New Orleans legends the Wild Magnolias released their second album, THEY CALL US WILD, in Europe in 1975, but it didn't come out in the States until the '90s, when the band finally went national. Today they're thought of as an old-school Mardis Gras party band, but these early recordings reveal a greasier, murkier sound that owes something to the swamp-funk shadings of late-'60s/early-'70s Dr. John, as well as the slightly jazzy West Coast funkateers in War. “ - All Music Guide
2 CD Set $14