Wes Montogmery - Plays The Blues

Wes Montgomery's approach to the guitar brought new shades to America's bedrock music: the blues. Montgomery (b. 1925 - d. 1968) eschewed the customary pick in favor of his remarkable right thumb, with which he played the signature octaves that gave his blues an earthtonal quality. It was a vastly appealing sound that, through a series of commercially-geared recordings (plus some flat-out club date smoking with Wynton Kelly's trio or jamming with the perenially poll-winning organist Jimmy Smith) won Montgomery a larger following.



1. West Coast Blues
2. The Thumb
3. Born To Be Blue
4. Unit 7
5. Naptown Blues
6. 'Round Midnight
7. Sun Down
8. Willow Weep For Me
9. Twisted Blues
10. James And Wes
11. Tear It Down



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Sources For Madlib's Shades Of Blue - Untinted

This is a great introduction to jazz for those who may be brought into the form from Madlib's Shades of Blue. This is the exciting corner of jazz during the mid-late-60s, by some big names if not necessarily the BIG names that even non-jazz fans know. All of these tracks are great selections for this compilation, but Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew" stood out most to me. Maybe that's because I hadn't heard it before AND it is a great performance. The Andrew Hill tune, "Illusion", is also a standout. I could list every track as a standout, and Madlib did a good job on the sequencing because every song flows after the next in a sensible manner.

If you are new to jazz, this is a great listen for you to get a sampling of great music from different artists. If you are a sometimes listener, this will probably convince you to buy more albums by the artists included. If you're a long time fan, you may still want this for the couple of songs you don't have, or to have the collection on one disc. It's that good.


1. Shades Of Slim - Gene Harris & The 3 Sounds
2. Distant Land - Donald Byrd
3. Mystic Brew - Ronnie Foster
4. Stormy - Reuben Wilson
5. Please Set Me At Ease - Bobbie Humphrey
6. Stepping Into Tomorrow - Donald Byrd
7. Illusion - Andrew Hill
8. Montara - Bobby Hutcherson
9. Song For My Father - Horace Silver
10. Footprints - Wayne Shorter
11. Peace - Horace Silver
12. Dolphin Dance - Herbie Hancock




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Bonobo - Dial M For Monkey

Simon Green aka Bonobo is back with nine perfectly formed tracks on a perfectly formed album. No huge, bloated, over-conceptualised rottage for the monkey man. He gets in, does what he has to do, gets out.

From the opener, "Noctuary," with it’s creepy stoned-Hammer feel, through the headnod sitar-funk of "Flutter," on into the Rhodes-meets-Gamelan of "D Song," the first third of the record sets out the tone for what is to follow – all beautfiully melodic and perfectly assembled but with enough of a creeping undertow to stop the music becoming empty or saccharine. "Change Down" is all double bass folk and cut-up drums, "Wayward Bob" is a devilish waltz, while single "Pick Up" is a straight funk ‘n’ flute throw down. "Something For Windy"sounds like a dub of a postman on his rounds, "Nothing Owed" is epic pastoralia, while "Light Pattern" rounds things off with what sounds like the theme to the best TV programme never made.

With all instruments played, sampled and sequenced by Green’s own fair hand, there is a consistency here, both within the tunes and across the record that crate diggers can only dream of. There is real development, the building of moods and feelings, a genuine attempt to make great music which is incidentally computer music. He may make a monkey of himself, but he’s no musical mug…

1. "Noctuary" – 5:22
2. "Flutter" – 4:44
3. "D Song" – 5:19
4. "Change Down" – 4:33
5. "Wayward Bob" – 4:39
6. "Pick Up" – 4:08
7. "Something for Windy" – 1:11
8. "Nothing Owed" – 6:16
9. "Light Pattern" – 5:12

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Groundation - We Free Again

There are no words that I can write that would even do justice. Listen to this album if you like reggae or music for that matter.

1. Praising
2. Dem Rise
3. Suffer The Right
4. Music Is The Most High
5. Wish Them Well
6. We Free Again
7. Smile
8. Fourth Dimension
9. Feel Jah
10. I
11. II
12.III
13.IV
14.Seventh Seal, The




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Thievery Corporation - The Outernational Sound

This is hands down my favorite Thievery album. Why you might ask, well its the quadruple powerhouse of Lagos Communique>Sea Groove>Cookin'(version)>Cramp Your Style. It simply doesn't get better than that. Mixing fluidly between afro-beat, reggae, rock, Brazilian, soul, easy listening, electronic and rare library music, Thievery Corporation create a set that takes the listener on a trip of truly global proportions. The Outernational Sound is a seamless recording from many nights of sonic exploration with the turntables and a crate of records. From warehouse parties in Caracas to elegant soires in Honolulu, and root downs in Kingston, Garza and Hilton have played a lot of rare wax for a broad spectrum of listeners. Now, in a one-hour mix CD, the sound system has been mashed up and the whole world can share in Thievery Corporation's Outernational Sound.

		1.	International Flight - (with David Snell)
		2.	Ya Me Le - (with The Gimmicks)
		3.	Vai Vai - (with Thunderball)
		4.	Chez Roger Boite Funk - (with Troublemakers)
		5.	3 Play It Cool - (with Crazy Penis)
		6.	Slow Hot Wind - (with Block 16)
		7.	Under My Sensi - (Thievery Corporation remix, with Boozoo Bajou)
		8.	Lagos Communique
		9.	Sea Groove - (with Big Boss Man)
		10.	Cookin' - (with Beatfanatic)
		11.	Cramp Your Style - (with Breakestra)
		12.	Simbarere - (with Antonio Carlos Jocafi)
		13.	Re-return Of The Original Artform - (with Major Force)
		14.	Shall We Dance - (with Karminsky Experience)
		15.	Within You, Without You - (with Alan Lorber Orchestra)
		16.	Mathar - (Discovery Of India mix, with Indian Vibes)
		17.	Tokyo Expo - (with Alan Moorhouse)
		18.	My French Brother - (with The Bobby Hughes Experience)
		19.	Richest Man In Babylon, The - (Groove Corporation remix)
		20.	Better Must Come - (with Delroy Wilson)

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The Motet - Live

The Motet is a touring powerhouse with a penchant for creating fresh, new and mind-bending ways to fuse musical styles including funk, latin-jazz, R&B, house, West African, Brazilian, New Orleans and Cuban styles. The Motet - LIVE! is the first ever live release from one of the nations most talented live acts. The CD was compiled from professional multi-track recordings from the March 2002 West Coast tour.

1- w.o.w. drums
2- Know Her
3- Sandunga
4- The Archer Or The Arrow
5- Scribbitts
6- Foxploration I
7- Rumba Pa Los Santos
8- Aquelle Esquina
9- Foxploration II
10- Belly
11- s.l.o. drums





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Eliot Lipp - Tacoma Mockingbird

This shit is hot like the sun. Kangfirmed.


1. Glasspipe
2. Tic Tac
3. Rap Tight
4. Times Four
5. Last Night
6. Check Weight
7. Rhyme War
8. People, The
9. Sex Tape
10. Mashin' On 'Em
11. Spit Rap
12. Vallejo


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Black Star - Black Star

I highly recommend that hip-hop heads add this lp to their collection, because it is one of the better albums released in the last five years. A far cry from the "money, cash, ho's" aesthetic that continues to dominate the scene, Mos Def and Talib Kwieli bring substance and emotions to their lyrics that define "keepin' it real."

While the album does have a sense of humor ("Children's Story"),it never strays too far from its message of self-awareness and perseverance. The standout tracks are "Redefinition," "K.O.S.," "Brown Skin Lady," and the off-the-chain collaboration with Common, "Respiration." Black Star confirms that there is indeed hope for hip-hop.

1. Intro

2. Astronomy (8th Light)

3. Definition

4. RE: Definition

5. Children's Story

6. Brown Skin Lady

7. B Boys Wil B Boys

8. K.O.S (Determination)

9. Hater Players

10. Yo Yeah

11. Respiration

12. Thieves In The Night

13. Twice Inna Lifetime

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Madlib - Blunted In The Bomb Shelter

We weren't certain at first whether to call this a hip hop or a reggae set, since it's made up of mighty tracks of burning reggae classics, but selected by West Coast beatmaker extraordinaire Madlib! This is what happens when you let Madlib loose in the Trojan Reggee Vaults and I am sure he was doing plenty of puffing on that day.

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St. Germain - Boulevard

Chill House. Thats all I can really think about when I hear the name St.Germain. This album really goes a lot of places. It even has a dub track. I really like this album and highly recommend it. Also these tracks are M4a so if you don't use iTunes you might have trouble. Sorry.


1. Deep In It
2. Thank U Mum (4 Everything You Did)
3. Street Scene (4 Shazz)
4. Easy To Remember
5. Sentimental Mood
6. What's New
7. Dub Experience II
8. Forget It


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Yesterdays New Quintet - Yesterdays Universe

Madlib displays even more virtuosity with his fifth release under the Yesterday's New Quintet moniker. This time around, the Beat Konducta expands his own universe of aliases and jazz-player personas to include the Young Jazz Rebels, the Jazzistics, and Suntouch, among many others. The key to YESTERDAY'S UNIVERSE is spotting the tastes and styles of each alter ego. For example, Jackson Conti has a penchant for Brazilian flavors, the Yesterday's Universe All-Stars go for all-out fusion jam sessions, while Suntouch delivers spaced-out journeys a la Sun Ra. Somewhere amid the schizophrenia, Lib covers Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew" and Donald Smith's "Slave Riot" and collaborates with drummers Karriem Riggins and Mamao of the famed Brazilian group, Azymuth.



01. Otis Jackson Jr Trio - Bitches Brew (M. Davis)
02. The Jahari Massamba Unit featuring Karriem Riggins Trio - Umoja (Unity)
03. Young Jazz Rebels - Slave Riot (D. Smith)
04. The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble - One for the Monica Lingas Band
05. Kamala Walker and The Soul Tribe - Street Talkin'
06. The Jazzistics - Marcus, Martin & Malcolm
07. Suntouch - Two for Strata East
08. Sound Directions - She's Gonna Stay
09. The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble - Cold Nights And Rainy Days
10. Otis Jackson Jr Trio - Free Son
11. Jackson Conti - Barumba (L.Eca, Bebeto)
12. Ahmad Miller - Sunny C (California)
13. The Eddie Prince Fusion Band - Mtume's Song
14. Yesterday's Universe All Stars - Vibes from the Tribes Suite (For Phil)
15. Jackson Conti - Upa Neguinho



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