Steely Dan UHQR Series

Music Reviews: Jazz Fusion

December 11th, 2022

Joni Mitchell Locked in an Asylum Box!

click bait, yes, literally not true, but metaphorically true.

By: Michael Fremer

The speculation below re digital is wrong. Patrick Milligan commented on an unboxing video that it’s from tape. I stand corrected and sorry I didn’t see obscure unboxing video. However, I stand by my sound comments. These records don’t sound great compared to previously released versions and the compression is noticeable and unwelcomed. Compared to nothing I’m sure they will sound okay. And glad they are cut from tape.The four albums in this box document an artist on... Read More

genre Folk Jazz Fusion format Vinyl

December 2nd, 2022

The Last (and Least) of Columbia Legacy’s Miles Davis “Bootleg Series”

Miles Gets Freaky Deaky

By: Fred Kaplan

I saw Miles Davis’ pop-rock band a half dozen times in the 1980s and loved the music each time. The concert-recordings from that period—"Miles Live Around the World" and the relevant discs from the 20-CD "Complete Miles Davis at Montreux", both released posthumously on Warner Brothers—were also wondrous, a departure from his discography (as every new phase of his was from the phase before) but still ranking high. His famous covers of Michael... Read More

genre Jazz Jazz Fusion format CD

November 15th, 2022

Cool Multi-Artist Bowie Tribute LP "David Bowie In Jazz" Found in the Bins

French jazz release shows up in U.S. vinyl supply chain

By: Larry Jaffee

“David Bowie in Jazz"'s Aladdin Sane-era cover art might lead you to believe this Bowie tribute record is tied in with or is somehow connected to Bret Morgen’s feature-length "Moonage Daydream" documentary released September, 2022 in IMAX and standard theater formats and currently available for streaming and purchase on Amazon, itunes and other sites.The scant credits, however, indicate that the French Wagram Music label marketed and distributed... Read More

genre Jazz Jazz Fusion format Vinyl

November 5th, 2022

UHQR "Can't Buy A Thrill"—You Can Buy a Thrill

a remarkable "pick up" band's assured debut

By: Michael Fremer

When Steely Dan recorded "Can't Buy a Thrill" it was more of a "pick-up" studio band than a "group". As Donald Fagen recounts in the notes accompanying this new UHQR release sourced from the original master tapes (shown on the notes insert), Fagen and Walter Becker had failed as ABC Dunhill "staff composers" and decided it was time to live the dream leading a real band.The pair called their friend New York guitarist Denny... Read More

genre Rock Jazz Fusion format Vinyl

October 21st, 2022

Azymuth's "Telecommunication" Reissue Delivers

Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary Reissue Unique Funk-Jazz From Original Master Tapes

By: Evan Toth

Formed near the sunny sands of Rio De Janeiro in 1973, Azymuth is a Brazilian funk-jazz trio though they manage to sound like a much larger group, especially when hosting guest players. The band features Jose Roberto Bertrami (unfortunately, deceased in 2019) on an array of keyboards, Alex Malheiros on bass and Ivan Conti on drums. These three musicians initially connected with one another in a previous band called Group Projeto 3 which later became Grupo Seleção. The... Read More