Paul Weller – “Fly On The Wall, B Sides And Rarities” (3xLP)
Wayne Shorter – “Speak No Evil” (Blue Note, Blue Vinyl Series)
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Moanin” (Blue Note, Blue Vinyl Series)
Paul Weller – “Fly On The Wall, B Sides And Rarities” (3xLP)
Paul Weller’s 2003 compilation Fly On The Wall is a triple vinyl compilation that includes B-sides, remixes, and rarities from Paul’s time at Go! Discs and subsequently Island Records between 1991 and 2001. The compilation has been unavailable since its original release. Notable tracks include “The Loved,” “Fly On The Wall,” and “The Riverbank.” The set also includes Weller’s take on classic tunes like Lennon’s “Sexy Sadie” and “Instant Karma,” and Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” as well as a blistering version of Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s “Ohio.” It also features a remix of “Wild Wood” by Portishead.
Wayne Shorter – “Speak No Evil” (Blue Note, Blue Vinyl Series)
On his third date for Blue Note within a year, Wayne Shorter changed the bands that played on both Night Dreamer and Juju and came up with not only another winner, but also managed to give critics and jazz fans a different look at him as a saxophonist. Because of his previous associations with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Reggie Workman on those recordings, Shorter had been unfairly branded with the “just-another-Coltrane-disciple” tag, despite his highly original and unusual compositions. Here, with only Jones remaining and his bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter on board (with Freddie Hubbard filling out the horn section), Shorter at last came into his own and caused a major reappraisal of his earlier work.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Moanin” (Blue Note, Blue Vinyl Series)
This is truly one of the great classics of hard bop, with drummer Art Blakey leading arguably his greatest Jazz Messengers lineup through a driving program that never lets up. Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson (whose composition Along Came Betty is heard here, subsequently becoming a jazz classic), brilliant trumpeter Lee Morgan, and funky pianist Bobby Timmons (who wrote the hit title cut) each take some of the best solos of their great careers, and Blakey was never greater. No jazz record collection should be without this disc. It remains one of the premier items in Blue Note’s catalogue, and rightfully so.
