Poogie Bell: Poogie on Shuffle (2009)

This cd is for the real Poogie Bell fans and music fans all over the world! The musicains here are some of the best in world. Only 100 copies of this CD were made!

Personnel: Roberta Flack, David Sanborn, Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, Gerald Albright, Ron Cater, Marcus Miller, Maceo Parker, Poogie Bell, Hiram Bullock, Dean Brown, Patches Stewart, Vincent Henry, Bruce Flowers, Bobby Sparks, Keith Anderson, Rashard Barnes, Chris Parker, Dwayne Dolphin, Jeremy Mcdonald, Casey Benjamin, Josh Rosemen, Tony Depaolis, Gene Stovale, Sonji Woodward, Chris Hemingway, Andre Smith, Asa Livingston.

Playing and singing everything from funk, jazz, rock, R&b. Poogie on Shuffle is just what it means!

Tracklist:

01. Miss Alice 4:05

02. Brother J 4:47
03. Love Vibe 4:39
04. Sunshine 3:16
05. Sara Knows All 4:48
06. Joburgh 4:31
07. So! ?3:57
08. Kendras Blues 5:57
09. Forte Green 5:40
10. Brazillian Thing 4:47
11. Yaki Soba 5:59
Poogie On Shuffle
Hotfile / Uploading @ 192K

Bob James & David Sanborn: Double Vision (1986)

David Sanborn's saxophone complements Bob James' keyboards perfectly on the appropriately titled DOUBLE VISION. Sanborn, James, and bassist Marcus Miller all contribute compositions, and the listener encounters a wonderful variety of musical styles throughout the album's seven tracks. DOUBLE VISION opens on its highest note with Miller's "Maputo," a lush and moody song that highlights Sanborn's skills and sets the pace for the rest of the recording.

Miller also penned the romantic "More than Friends". James and Sanborn join compositional forces on "Moon Tune" and "Never Enough." Sanborn contributes the popular "It's You," a tune that features James prominently. "Maputo" may be the DOUBLE VISION's instrumental highlight, but Al Jarreau's vocal on "Since I Fell for You" is the album's romantic peak. This 1986 collaboration ranks top among contemporary jazz albums.

Tracklist
01. Maputo
02. More Than Friends
03. Moon Tune
04. Since I Fell For You
05. It's You
06. Never Enough
07. You Don't Know Me
Personnel
Bob James - keyboards
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Al Jarreau - vocal on track 4
Paul Milton Jackson, Jr. - guitar
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Marcus Miller - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Eric Gale - guitar
Double Vision
Hotfile / Uploading flac

Kevin Eubanks: Face to Face (1986)

Kevin Eubanks' first album with a string section is a triumph of good taste, both in the guitarist's gently swinging work and in GRP chief Dave Grusin's unobtrusive, intelligent, unsentimental string charts. Grusin's gorgeously recorded strings seem to seep into the texture, filling the spaces with just enough mortar. The backings alternate between an electric group — with Marcus Miller on bass and Grusin applying the Yamaha DX7 electric piano sound — and often just Ron Carter on acoustic bass (plus the strings, of course). The treatment of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave" is a beaut, with a lot of rapid acoustic guitar figurework in mid-track. Even unreconstructed beboppers will enjoy the fluid duo-only exchange between Carter's 4/4 bass and Eubanks' electric guitar on Wes Montgomery's "The Trick Bag" and Bird's "Relaxin' at Camarillo," the latter of which Eubanks immodestly calls attention to in his liner notes. But he's entitled; it is impressive.

Face to Face

Rapidshare / Hotfile @ 320K

George Benson: While the City Sleeps (1986)

The transformation of George Benson, guitar icon, into George Benson, pop singer, is completed here, on While the City Sleeps, for there are no instrumentals at all on this hard-sell, synth-laden series of ballads and dance tunes. This is marginally better than 20/20, for at least Michael Walden's high-tech production (with added tracks by Kashif and Tommy LiPuma) has more punch, and the material, though still mostly lame, is easier to take. There is very little guitar to be heard, and what little there is can usually be found hidden behind Benson's scatting or the pulsating electronics. The best bet for ferreting out some strong guitar is on "Love Is Here Tonight," but it's deep within the mix. For those who care, an animated Kenny G turns up on "Did You Hear Thunder." -- AMG

While the City Sleeps

Part 1 - Part 2 (RS) / Part 1 - Part 2 (HF) flac

Kenny Garrett: Happy People (2002)

With coproducer Marcus Miller thumping his bass on the first track on the 11-song disc, "Song for DiFang," Happy People starts off like it could be the first great contemporary jazz album of the millennium. But by the time the album ends with the Coltrane-ish tribute to saxophonist Billy Harper, "Brother B. Harper," it's obvious that this album is destined for best-of-the-year lists from hardcore beboppers and world-music lovers alike. Recorded during the week of September 11, 2001, Garrett has assembled a group of melodies nearly as haunting as some of the images from that period. The core band of bassist Charnett Moffett, former smooth-jazz pianist Vernell Brown Jr., hip-hop drummer Chris Dave, and the special guests weave a unique tapestry of songs rooted in China, Japan, and Korea, but with jazz sensibilities and pop overtones. The kudos abound here, from Garrett's soul-searching sax playing and emotional compositions to those who deliver powerful solos, including veteran vibes master Bobby Hutcherson, guitar wiz Randy Razz, and wordless vocalist Jean Norris. --Mark Ruffin

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Happy People (RS) / Happy People (HF) / Happy People (DF) @ 320K

Michal Urbaniak: Ecstasy (1978) / Serenade for the City (1981)

Once Poland's most promising import in the jazz-rock 1970s, Michal Urbaniak's chief value in retrospect was as a fellow traveler of Jean-Luc Ponty, a fluid advocate of the electric violin, the lower-pitched violectra, and the lyricon (the first popular, if now largely underutilized wind synthesizer). Like many Eastern European jazzmen, he would incorporate elements of Polish folk music into his jazz pursuits, and his other heroes range from the inevitable Miles Davis to Polish classicist Witold Lutoslawski. His electric violin was often filtered with a gauze of electronic modifying devices, and on occasion, he could come up with an attractively memorable composition like "Satin Lady."

Urbaniak began playing the violin at age six, followed by studies on the soprano and then tenor saxophones. His interests in jazz developed chronologically from Dixieland to swing to bop as he grew up, and he studied at the Academy of Music in Warsaw while working in various Polish jazz bands and playing classical violin. In 1965, he formed his own band in Scandinavia with singer Urszula Dudziak (later his wife), returning to Poland in 1969 to found Constellation, which included pianist Adam Makowicz. Having won a scholarship to the Berklee School upon being voted Best Soloist at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, Urbaniak made the U.S. his home in 1973. He soon formed a popular jazz-rock group called Fusion, recording for Columbia and Arista in a Mahavishnu Orchestra/Ponty fashion, with Dudziak adding darting, slippery scat vocals. This group lasted until 1977, and Urbaniak's profile would never be as high again, although he performed with Larry Coryell in 1982-83, led the new electric group Urbanator in the 1990s, and has performed and recorded in other styles ranging from bop to free jazz.

Ecstasy/Serenade for the City (RS) / Ecstasy/Serenade for the City (HF)

Ricky Lawson: Ricky Lawson & Friends (2001)

Grammy Award winning writer and former member of Yellow Jackets, Ricky Lawson, hailed as Modern Drummer's Best R&B Drummer of the Year (1999), with the help of his 'friends' conjures up a unique and engaging blend of R&B, Pop and Jazz quaranteed to satisfy a wide range of musical appetites. The list of participants is impressive: Phil Collins, the Emotions, Vesta Williams, Robben Ford, Al Jarreau, Sheila E., George Duke, James Ingram, and Donald Fagen are among the people who join Lawson on this CD.

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Ricky (RS) / Ricky (HF) @ 320K

McCoy Tyner: Double Trios (1993)

This little-known CD features the masterful pianist McCoy Tyner with two different trios: his regular group of the period (which includes bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Louis Hayes) and a unit with electric bassist Marcus Miller and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Percussionist Steve Thornton pops up with both groups. In addition to three Tyner originals and Miller's "Sudan," it is particularly interesting to hear the pianist's reworkings of "Lil' Darlin'," "Satin Doll," "Lover Man" and Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning," transforming them into modal masterpieces.

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Double Trios (Flac, scans, MU)

Poogie Bell Band: Get On The Kit (2006)

Even if you have never heard of Poogie Bell, you are most definitely familiar with his work and music. The fact remains that this man behind the drum kit has laid down beats and rhythms for a myriad of clientele that reads more like a 'Who's Who' list in the music industry. Artists across the widest variety of music genres such as Marcus Miller, David Bowie, Chaka Khan, John Scofield, Vanessa Williams, Victor Wooten, Roberta Flack, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Erykah Badu, Stanley Clarke, Angelique Kidjo, Randy Crawford, and Stanley Turrentine, have relied on Poogie's unique syncopated rhythms and ultra-tight grooves as the backbone for many an album.

Armed with an impressive musical resume and infectious rhythms, Poogie Bell pushes the boundaries of jazz, jam rock and funk into the stratosphere. Offering up head bobbing, body moving beats that will get you moving in the car, streets, or any concert venue, he commands the kit with a virtuosic prowess. Poogie's unique blend of jazz, funk, jam, and soul creates a style that is all his own. On Get On the Kit Poogie and company prove that not only can he lay down the most groovisious rhythms, but that he can compose music that will get you on your feet in a hurry.

Joining Poogie on this amazing CD are fellow groove masters, Marcus Miller, who also co produced, Ian Gordon, Tony Campbell, Reggie Watkins, Kevin Barefoot, Juan Vasquez, Howie Alexander, along with Wah Wah Watson, Dean Brown, Bobby Sparks, Keith Anderson, Jacob Toffee, Chris Parker, Luke Williams, Eric Dan, & DJ Muggy.

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Get On The Kit

David Sanborn: Voyeur (1981)

This 1980 recording is an excellent example of David Sanborn's music. The highly influential altoist is joined by familiar studio veterans (including guitarist Hiram Bullock and drummer Steve Gadd) with bassist/composer Marcus Miller being a key figure in creating the funky rhythms and colorful backgrounds. Miller, who shared the writing chores with Sanborn, not only contributed his powerful bass, but backed the altoist during a duet version of "Just for You" on piano. Easily recommended to fans of R&B-ish jazz.

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Voyeur

Cannon Re-Loaded: All Stars Celebration of Cannonball Adderley (2008)

Cannon Re-Loaded is simply that: a collection of tunes closely associated with Cannonball Adderley interpreted by an all-star collection of players on the current scene, with bandleader Tom Scott (who co-produced with Gregg Field) on alto saxophone (an instrument he doesn't play that often anymore), trumpeter Terence Blanchard, pianist George Duke (who was actually a member of the Adderley quintet and who also plays Rhodes and Wurlitzer), drummer Steve Gadd, bassists Marcus Miller and Dave Carpenter, and Larry Goldings on the Hammond B-3. Vocalist Nancy Wilson also guests on a pair of cuts that reprise her performances with Adderley from the Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley set released in 1962. In his liner notes, Scott claims Adderley as a major influence on his own playing, and that what he and his dream band wanted to convey was not only Adderley's brilliance as a musician, but also his sense of humor, one that welcomed the audience in to the music he made.There is no doubt that this quintet gets the tunes right. They open with "Jive Samba," move toward a fast-paced "Work Song," and then of course to "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" before Wilson joins the band for "Save Your Love for Me." The music has plenty of swing and groove, and it's tight. And maybe that's the problem. Adderley's best records (we could all argue forever about which records those were) had a sense of looseness and a vibe inherent in them that is lost on this group — with the exception of Duke, who uses his own sense of humor, percussive flair on the keys, and angular bits here and there to dress these jams up for the bandstand instead of the studio. The sound is so utterly pristine and shiny it contains none of that laid-back approach that made the Adderley groups so enjoyable.