Category: Jazz

Dinah Washington – Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes (2001) [4CD Box Set]

Dinah Washington - Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes (2001) [4CD Box Set]

Dinah Washington – Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes (2001) [4CD Box Set]
EAC Rip | 4xCD | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 1.24 GB (CDs) + 41.4 MB (Scans) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: The Jazz Factory | Spain | Cat#: JFCD22841 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

A third-generation blues singer who matched the interpretive brilliance of Billie Holiday and the vocal sweetness of Ella Fitzgerald very early in her career, Dinah Washington needed precious little time to hone her art. While still a teenager, she recorded her first hit, “Evil Gal Blues,” with Lionel Hampton’s band, and was recording as a solo act by 1946. Continue reading “Dinah Washington – Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes (2001) [4CD Box Set]”

Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}

Dinah Washington - What A Diff'rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}

Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 189 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL, UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 698 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

One of the more notorious albums in the history of vocal music, What a Diff’rence a Day Makes! is the lush session that bumped up Dinah Washington from the “Queen of the Blues” to a middle-of-the-road vocal wondress — and subsequently disenfranchised quite a few jazz purists. Continue reading “Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}”

Dinah Washington – The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (2004) [5CD, Box Set]

Dinah Washington - The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (2004) [5CD, Box Set]

Dinah Washington – The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (2004) [5CD, Box Set]
EAC Rip | 5xCD | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 1.60 GB (CDs) + 641 MB (Scans) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Mosaic Records | USA | Cat#: MD5-227 | Genre: Vocal Jazz, R&B

During 1944-1958, Dinah Washington recorded jazz, blues, R&B, pop, and even gospel, excelling in each area. In 1959 after she had a major pop hit in “What a Difference a Day Makes,” the quality of her recordings declined as she was mostly backed by large anonymous studio orchestras in an attempt to duplicate that song’s commercial success. The arrangements were often more suitable for a country singer than for Washington, and her own singing seemed exaggerated and overly mannered. Continue reading “Dinah Washington – The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (2004) [5CD, Box Set]”

John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

John Coltrane - 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | 4xCD | WavPack/APE Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 887 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics / DCC Jazz | Genre: Avant-garde Jazz
 
Soultrane (1958) | Traneing In (1958) | Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette (1959) | Lush Life (1961) Continue reading “John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Nat King Cole - The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 279 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics | USA | Cat#: GZS-1119 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Nat King Cole possessed one of the most accessible and appealing voices of any singer in the 1950s. This ballad-oriented set puts the emphasis completely on his voice (there is no piano playing or any hint of his jazz-oriented past) and features Cole accompanied by Gordon Jenkins’ sweet arrangements for a string orchestra. Continue reading “Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

Billie Holiday – Body And Soul (1957) {1996, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Billie Holiday - Body And Soul (1957) {1996, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Billie Holiday – Body And Soul (1957) {1996, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 139 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 658 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

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. Continue reading “Billie Holiday – Body And Soul (1957) {1996, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

Al Jarreau – The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure (2009)

Al Jarreau - The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure (2009)

Al Jarreau – The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure (2009)
EAC Rip | APE Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 461 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Rhino | USA | Cat#: R2 521 468 | Genre: Vocal Jazz, R&B

Vocalist Al Jarreau is one of the most successful singers in history. He has scored hits on Billboard’s Jazz, R&B, Adult Contemporary, and Contemporary Jazz charts. He’s won multiple Grammys and sold millions of records. Rhino has assembled 15 tracks that represent his long career with Warner Brothers and even cross-licensed a couple from Universal’s GRP and Verve imprints. Continue reading “Al Jarreau – The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure (2009)”

Louis Armstrong & Friends – What A Wonderful Christmas (1997)

Louis Armstrong & Friends - What A Wonderful Christmas (1997)

Louis Armstrong & Friends – What A Wonderful Christmas (1997)
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans @600 dpi, JPG, Included
Total Size: 215 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Hip-o Records | USA | Cat#: HIPD-40065 | Genre: Vocal Jazz, Xmas

Although this Christmas compilation is credited to “Louis Armstrong & Friends,” it’s really more aptly categorized as a various artists anthology, since Armstrong only has six of the fourteen tracks. The disc is filled out with seasonal offerings by Dinah Washington, Mel Torme, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton, Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, and Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, mostly from the 1950s. Continue reading “Louis Armstrong & Friends – What A Wonderful Christmas (1997)”

Bing Crosby – Bing Crosby’s Christmas Classics (1962) {Reissue 1999}

Bing Crosby - Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics (1962) {Reissue 1999}

Bing Crosby – Bing Crosby’s Christmas Classics (1962) {Reissue 1999}
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans @300 dpi, PNG, Included
Total Size: 231 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Capitol | USA | Cat#: 72435-21433-2-0 | Genre: Vocal Jazz, Xmas

While it does not include Crosby’s biggest hit, the perennial “White Christmas,” this collection of holiday favorites remains a good representation of the singer’s many seasonal recordings. Among the highlights are “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” Any fan of Crosby, as well as good Christmas music in general, will want to hunt this down. Continue reading “Bing Crosby – Bing Crosby’s Christmas Classics (1962) {Reissue 1999}”

Frank Sinatra – Sinatra ’57 In Concert (1999) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra - Sinatra '57 In Concert (1999) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra – Sinatra ’57 In Concert (1999) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans @600 dpi, JPG, Included
Total Size: 447 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics, USA | Cat#: ARZ-101-2 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Sinatra ’57 in Concert is a 1999 live album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. It is a complete recording of a concert performed at the Seattle Civic Auditorium on June 9, 1957. It was digitally remastered and officially released from a recording made by Wally Heider and first released as a bootleg. Nelson Riddle, the arranger, conducted the orchestra at this concert. Continue reading “Frank Sinatra – Sinatra ’57 In Concert (1999) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}”

Frank Sinatra – Duets II (1994) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra - Duets II (1994) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra – Duets II (1994) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}
EAC Rip | WavPack (.wv) Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans @600 dpi, JPG, Included
Total Size: 336 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics, USA | Cat#: GZS-1073 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Duets II is the 59th and last studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra. It was released in 1994, and was the sequel to the previous year’s Duets Continue reading “Frank Sinatra – Duets II (1994) {DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}”

Frank Sinatra – Duets (1993) {1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra - Duets (1993) {1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}

Frank Sinatra – Duets (1993) {1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 286 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics, Japan | Cat#: GZS-1053 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993. Recorded near the end of Sinatra’s career, it consists of electronically assembled duets between Sinatra and younger singers from various genres. The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and selling over 3 million copies in the US. It is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification. Continue reading “Frank Sinatra – Duets (1993) {1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered}”