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Somethin' Else: Remastered

by: Cannonball Adderley

Release Date April 05, 1999
Somethin' Else: Remastered

Quite by chance I caught just three or four bars of the theme of "Autumn Leaves" on the radio. It was so obviously Miles, and at his very best. I immediately decided, on the basis of that brief snatch of melody, to try to get the CD. But it was not easy to run it down as, of course, the band was under the (nominal) leadership of Cannonball Adderley.

This is a wonderful CD with all players on top form and I heartily endorse what other reviewers have said. It is worth its modest price just for that exposition of the beautiful "Autumn Leaves" theme!

CD-Charts Position 2
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Moanin': Remastered

by: Art Blakey

Release Date May 03, 1999
This is the sort of Jazz you'll hear in (coffee) bars. More emphasis on the (drum) beat than, for instance, in Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue'. Excellent playing, original compositions. Title track is one of the all time classic, instantly recognisable jazz tracks.
No freak rythms but big bouncy jazz. Classic album on par with the aforementioned. Better still, less 'cool' and less 'boring'(can one really say this?) than many of Miles late 50's and early 60's stuff. Recommended as an introduction or addition to the uniniated of jazz (like me). Can't be disappointing.

CD-Charts Position 3
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Maiden Voyage: Remastered

by: Herbie Hancock

Release Date June 14, 1999
Like the sea itself, Maiden Voyage is vast and epic- flirting with adventure and myth. It is Herbie Hancock's tour de force- what the wonderous Speak No Evil was to his Blue Note peer, Wayne Shorter- ie. representing the composer/pianist at his imaginitive peak. We can only imagine what kind of zone Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman, Ron Carter and Tony Williams must have been during the recording of this masterpiece- so wonderfully coherent yet brimming with subtle musical conflict. And Hancock's playing is simply majestic.

The opening track is stunningly simple- you might feel a little uninspired by the low-key opening, but then, all of a sudden, it all opens out beautifully during the trumpet solo. This short flourish embodies the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

by: Charles Mingus

Release Date March 20, 1999
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Speak No Evil: Remastered

by: Wayne Shorter

Release Date May 03, 1999
This album is proof that the criticisms of Wayne Shorter being just another Rollins-Coltrane imitator were indeed fatuous. Shorter, who has always incorporated a stronger element of the blues to his playing than Coltrane did in the mid-sixties, mixes this with some masterful composition and improvisation. Couple this with some astounding support from the polyrhythmic Elvin Jones, a (sometimes over) brassy and exuberant Freddie Hubbard, with the mercurial Herbie Hancock and journeyman Ron Carter.

The compositions themselves are wondrous, opening with "Witch Hunt", an interesting piece with a separate intro that moves straight into the main theme. It is a haunting blues with great solos from Shorter and Hubbard, driven along by Jones' fiery beat. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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A Love Supreme

by: John Coltrane

Release Date November 07, 2005
OK, it's 1964, and Bebop has come a long way. We are six years after Coltrane recorded Kind of Blue with Miles, and it would be another five years before Miles records the next milestone: In A Silent Way. Tunes seem to be getting longer and longer...and with A Love Supreme John Coltrane finally produces a recording that gives himself free rein to really explore the furthest recesses from seed ideas, and just go with them. This is a very spiritual album, there seem to be no constraints.
Most of the four tunes begin with a basic theme, which is quickly jettisoned as Coltrane's creative juices start to flow.
There are some astounding sections on this CD, the musicians almost seem to be jostling for position at the mic, and yet they meld organically together. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Sidewinder: Remastered

by: Lee Morgan

Release Date June 14, 1999
"The Sidewinder," is probably Jazz's,"Smells like Teen Spirit." It's undeniably brilliant but it's been so over-exposed, covered and plagiarised down the years that it's genius is no longer instantly apparent. The extended blues track became something of an anchorism for Blue Note, it's a shame because there is some truly wonderful playing on this track, Morgans's ranging trumpet and another set defining performance by Joe Henderson on sax. I prefer to analyse the title track in conjunction with the other brilliant peices of music on this record. You have the hypnotic "Totem Pole," and it's alternate version which somehow manages to be even better. It merges beautifully into the funky,"Gary's Notebook." Higgin's drumwork constantly helps Morgan and Henderson cut the groove. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Giant Steps

by: John Coltrane

Release Date September 23, 2002
That is what Coltrane is on the title track of this album. At what is already a ferocious tempo Coltrane kicks into his first solo playing a double time solo where it seems every chord change has every possible note combination played. I was absolutely astonished when I first heard this. Ira Gitler used the term 'Sheets of Sound' to describe Coltrane's playing, and I'm sure it was this title track that gave him the idea. However don't misunderstand this album. This isn't the Coltrane of the mid 1960's onwards, where I do struggle to keep up with his more avant-garde playing.

The tunes on this album are very strong. 'Naima' is a beautiful slow number that hints at the ballads record he would record a year or two later. The vastly under-rated Wynton Kelly is the only ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Blue Train: Rudy Van Gelder Remaster

by: John Coltrane

Release Date August 18, 2003
With BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly not only as individuals, which is to be expected of players of such high caliber, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" bands would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly.Coltrane burns through the opening blues, igniting the rhythm section with rapid flurries of notes and reaffirming his absolute mastery of both sound and medium. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His ideas flow, flawlessly executed, logically developed and easily accessible. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Kind of Blue

by: Miles Davis

Release Date April 07, 1997
It has already been said here that this album is usually found in non-jazz fans' collections alongside Bob Marley's greatest hits and most probably David Gray's entire ouvre. Perhaps it stands sentry there unplayed, just so its spine can be read, head tilted sideways, begging to impress upon whoever it is browsing through their collection some ill-gotten measure of sophistication? Perhaps they did play it once then decided no, they were right about jazz all along?

Modal, understated, and (aaargh!) cool, or tedious, cicuitous and under-cooked? Amongst aficionados, the most fiercely debated issue with the session is whether you are appreciating it at the correct pitch (an issue with the tape playback speed when it was mastered). That sums up the excitement levels for you. Hardly a dynamic recording ... Read More: