American expatriate Joe Dassin was one of France's most popular singers during the late '60s and '70s, initially building his name with stylized adaptations of folk and country material from his birthplace. As his career blossomed, Dassin turned increasingly to traditional-style chansons penned by some of the genre's best writers, scoring an all-time classic with his 1975 smash "L'Eté Indien." Notorious for his perfectionism, Dassin could play the introverted romantic, but his persona also played off of American archetypes and imagery. His premature death of a heart attack in 1980 robbed French pop of one of its greatest modern-day practitioners.
Joseph Ira Dassin was born November 7, 1938, in New York City. His father was future film director Jules Dassin, and his mother was Hungarian violinist Beatrice Launer. In 1940, the family moved to Los Angeles to further Jules' highly promising directing career; however, it was interrupted when he fell victim to the McCarthy-era blacklist. Moving to Europe in search of work, the family lived a migratory existence for a time, and finally settled in Paris in 1950. Joe's parents divorced in 1956; stung, he returned to the United States and enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he studied medicine and anthropology. In his free time, he worked as a radio DJ, and began singing folk songs and Georges Brassens compositions around the area with another French-speaking student. After returning to France, Dassin worked some low-level jobs in the film industry, including a few small parts in his father's movies; he also worked in radio and wrote freelance articles for Playboy and The New Yorker.
In late 1964, at the urging of his future wife Maryse, Dassin made a demo recording for CBS France that turned some heads; soon, the label made him its first French signer. His debut single was "Je Change un Peu de Vent," an adaptation of the American folk song "Freight Train" with additional lyrics by Jean-Marie Rivat (who would become a frequent Dassin collaborator). It flopped, as did two EPs released in 1965. However, 1966's "Bip Bip" -- an adaptation of John D. Loudermilk's "Road Hog" -- was a hit, and CBS subsequently teamed Dassin with one of France's top producers, Jacques Plait. Minor hits in "Ça M'avance à Quoi?" and "Excuse Me, Lady" followed, but Dassin's career really took off when he was tapped to host the inaugural MIDEM music festival at Cannes in 1967; well covered by the French media, it gave him crucial exposure. Not long after, Dassin collaborated with Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas on an original work, the gunfighting-cowboy ballad "Les Dalton." Dassin had intended to give the song to another singer, but recorded it himself at Plait's vehement insistence; the result was a breakthrough smash hit, one that made Dassin a genuine star. His deep, charismatic voice and good looks made him highly popular with female audiences, but his American roots also lent him a certain novelty, a link to the free open spaces and flower-child optimism of his native country.
Dassin had further success in the late '60s with hits like "Marie-Jeanne" (a version of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe"), "Siffler sur la Colline" ("To Whistle on the Hill"), "La Bande à Bonnot," and "Le Petit Pain au Chocolat." He suffered a minor heart attack in 1969, but recovered to make a triumphant appearance at the Olympia in Paris later that year, and scored his biggest hit yet with "Les Champs-Elysées," an international smash that broke him across Europe. Further hits followed in 1970 with "L'Amerique" and "Cécilia" (the Simon & Garfunkel song), both adapted by legendary French songwriter Pierre Delanoé; he and Claude Lemesle gradually replaced Rivat and Frank Thomas as Dassin's primary suppliers of material. "La Fleur aux Dents" and "L'Équipe de Jojo" were successes in 1971, and the following year, amid heavy international touring, Dassin bought a second home in Tahiti.
1973 started well for Dassin, as "Le Moustique" and "Salut les Amoureux" became enormous hits. Sadly, though, his wife gave birth to a premature son who died not long after; always moody and private anyway, Dassin sank into a deep depression that effectively stalled his career for over a year. He recovered his momentum in late 1974 with the singles "Si Tu T'appelles Melancolie" and "Vade Retro," and in 1975 he scored the biggest hit of his career, the French pop classic "L'Été Indien" ("Indian Summer"), which was adapted by Delanoé and Lemesle from an Italian song ("Africa," by Albatros). "L'Été Indien" kicked off probably the most successful period of Dassin's career; over the next two years, he landed smash after smash, including "Et Si Tu N'existais Pas," "Salut," "Ça Va Pas Changer le Monde," "Le Jardin du Luxembourg," and "À Toi."
Dassin divorced his wife in 1977 and married his new girlfriend early the next year. His first child was born later in 1978; by that time, disco had begun to take over the French music scene, and a new generation of pop singers were also making their presence felt. Dassin kept pace with "Si Tu Penses à Moi," a disco-reggae adaptation of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," but although his international tours continued to sell out, the momentum of his recording career began to falter somewhat. He performed at the Olympia for what proved to be a final time in 1979; by the end of the year, his second marriage was on the rocks, and he suffered a heart attack. Early in 1980, not long after the birth of his second child, Dassin's marriage officially broke up. With his personal life in turmoil, and feeling the pressure for a comeback hit, Dassin suffered a heart attack that summer; while in the hospital, he also underwent surgery for a stomach ulcer. Nonetheless, Dassin attempted to make his way to his second home in Tahiti for a break from the pressure. During a layover in Los Angeles, Dassin suffered yet another heart attack; still, he pressed on with the journey. On August 20, 1980, while dining in a restaurant in Papeete, Tahiti, Dassin suffered a final, fatal heart attack; he was not quite 42 years old. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

A brilliant album by Hozan Yamamoto – a flute player with a great ear for mixing traditional sounds and modern jazz! The set's a suite of sorts – performed by a cool quartet with Yamamoto on bamboo flute, plus Masabumi Kikuchi on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – all with a rich sense of poetry and feeling, that newly expressive sound that Japanese jazz hit as the 70s approached! Yamamoto's flute work alone is worth the price of admission – but alongside Kikuchi's well-timed (and toned) piano lines, and Peacock's roundly sensitive bass, the instrument is even more brilliant – heard on tracks that include "Silver World", "Stone Garden Of Ryoan Temple", "A Heavy Shower", and "Sawanose".

Alice Coltrane, also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini.

The highly-anticipated ‘Currency of Man’ is an intensely creative milestone, transcending musical distinctions of jazz, blues and R&B, to offer a stirring social and musical statement. On the new album, Melody joins forces again with Grammy Award-winning producer Larry Klein. This striking musical partnership saw their last collaboration, 2009’s ‘My One and Only Thrill’, sell over 1.5 million copies, and produce songs that have become modern classics.
‘Currency of Man’ marks a substantial leap forward indeed, as we see Gardot take her gift for songwriting in a completely different direction to her last record, the critically acclaimed release ‘The Absence’

Bass – Nobuyoshi Ino
Drums – Takeo Moriyama
Piano – Takehiro Honda

这是山本刚在TBM的第六张专辑，身为最受欢迎的爵士钢琴手，山本刚以不断创新的技法演出来满足广大的爱乐迷，在本张专辑中，山本刚以非常浪漫及轻松幽默的方式来诠释多首经典名曲，包含有"The Way We Were","Girl Talk","Autumn In New York"….等，每一首曲子皆是完美演出的杰作，千万不能错过!
曲子中除了第一首「追忆」最为人称道之外，「乱世佳人」、「I love You,Porgy」也是经常演出的曲子之一，1975年录音时，当时这三位演奏家都还是爵士新鲜人，不过从音乐中你完全听不出任何生疏之感。乐器定位明确清晰，钢琴颗粒逼真的优秀录音。
转：
音響論壇 劉總編榜單內專輯之一
入選原因：首先，我是因為第一首歌實在非常迷人，所以想選它入榜。但是，我不能因為一首歌好聽就選它，所以找到了一個藉口，那就是它的貝司可以測中低頻駐波。只要您聽到貝司彈出來的聲音形體有過大的地方，那就是駐波所在。不過，如果偶而有一、二個駐波並無傷大雅，每個房間都會有的，但是如果一直轟轟作響，那當然太過分了。除了貝司測中低頻駐波之外，其實也可以測鈸，那鈸聲肯定是很脆很甜很美的。
難關：每一個彈出來的貝司聲形體是否都一樣大？不能有些音很肥，有些音很瘦，很肥的地方是駐波，很瘦的地方是不足。最好的狀態就是既結實又低沈，還有清楚的質感。腳踩大鼓雖然躲在背後，但是噗噗聲是否夠清楚？如果渾渾的那就糟了。第四軌每一種樂器可說都像一粒粒滾動的東西，速度既快又俐落，鈸更是清脆甜美，如果您對此處的鈸無動於衷，那就太可惜了。

Yamamoto was largely self-taught as a pianist, although he did have piano lessons as a child.He attended Nihon University.As a student there, he played professionally, first as an accompanist to pop singer Micky Curtis; they toured Europe in 1967.In 1974, he became house pianist at Misty, a Tokyo jazz club.He also made his recording debut as leader that year.He played major international festivals in the late 1970s.He also "lived in New York for a year, when he performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Carmen McRae, Sam Jones, Billy Higgins, Elvin Jones, and Sonny Stitt, among others."

While Art Pepper's career was nearing an end when this quartet date was recorded in Tokyo, he substituted timing, knowledge, and experience for flash and power on this LP's six tunes. His alto and occasional clarinet work had color, conviction, and edge, which compensated for the loss of tone and speed from his peak days. Pianist George Cables was the group's top soloist, sometimes playing with remarkable fire and other times underscoring a direction began by Pepper or providing soothing melodies or enticing answering themes. Even near the end, Pepper's solos maintained an intensity that was commendable, and this date will delight both his fans and general jazz audiences. (allmusic)

西城秋色，誉为2001年度最佳XRCD2录音，FIM邀请三盲鼠年代爵士钢琴大师山本刚与录音大师神成芳彦重新泡制爵士钢琴经典名曲，演绎、音效更胜当年。
聆聽著爵士鋼琴演奏，在秋天時份也非常對味的，日本著名的爵士鋼琴演奏家Yamamoto二十餘年前曾演奏一張的Misty專輯，其扣人心弦之演繹和音色，在當年是非常著名的，在錄音表現上也曾考倒當年一班發燒友。如今FIM馬老闆盛情的邀請他們三位在日本享有盛名的爵士名家，重新演奏和詮釋他們當年的名曲。在經過這二十餘年的歲月洗禮，他們音樂的造詣和對事物的觀察角度更為寬廣細膩的同時，在此專輯裡的詮釋顯得更為入木三分，和聆聽者之間更有互動和共鳴。
Yamamoto先生想來也是視馬老闆為知己，他更為FIM馬老闆親自撰了一曲，馬老闆命名為「西城秋色」，因為他聆聽到此曲時就想起在西雅圖秋天所欣賞到美麗的日落景色，本曲的詩意讓聆聽者對西雅圖美麗的秋色更能身歷其境。
這三位爵士名家當年所詮釋的Misty專輯被發燒友稱為三高，也就是高度悠揚的樂韻、高度動聽的旋律和高度躍動的節奏，如今重新詮釋的「西城秋色」則再多加了一份悠游充容的感覺，不但日本錄音界譽為2001年之最佳製作，香港更稱為一張演繹與錄音俱達無敵境界的天碟之王。

1. Misty 薄雾迷离
2. Blues 布鲁斯
3. Yesterdays 往昔
4. Honey Suckle Rose 忍冬玫瑰
5. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 雾迷双眸
6. I Didn?t Know What Time it Was 我不知曾是何时
7. Angle Eyes 天使的眼睛
这是一张可以让您完全放松心情的Easy Jazz专辑，是山本刚三重奏的第二张专辑，是以钢琴为主奏而穿插搭配贝斯及爵士鼓的和弦，在曲目的选择上亦是以轻松为发展基调，收录有"misty" "yesterdays" "smoke get in your eyes"…..等脍炙人口的经典名曲，山本刚的钢琴技法出神入化，完全没有艰难深涩的感觉，由浅入深，让发烧迷多了一份亲切感!

爵士乐坛无庸置疑的钢琴巨匠带领其四重奏在维也纳的爱乐协会厅(也就是维也纳爱乐举办新年音乐会的地方，音响效果闻名遐尔)现场演出实况录音,风靡无数爵士乐迷，五、六十年来彼得森演奏出无数华丽优美的作品，生涯精华在这一夜化为永恒。
来自加拿大的奥斯卡．彼得森，打从四零年代出道以来，超过半世纪的时间，奥斯卡．彼得森以热烈摇摆的钢琴演奏，风靡了无数爵士乐迷，繁花似锦的绚丽技法更是被评论界誉为亚特泰坦之后的第一人，一九九三年的一次心脏病发，虽然让奥斯卡．彼得森休养了两年，但是一生纵横于舞台的彼得森并未放弃，身体康复后仍然持续演出。
重量级不是指他的体重，呵呵。当这位年事已高(超过80岁)的老人家颤抖着走到钢琴旁坐下，流水行云般弹奏出动人的爵士音乐，你可能会怀疑他其实是个年轻的小伙子装扮而成的。音乐没有年龄，永远年轻充满活力。但只有成熟的经历岁月磨练的乐手，才能掌握最纯熟的音乐技巧，以及最深厚的音乐情感。
一九九三年曾经中风的奥斯卡彼得森，在 DVD 的画面上虽是垂垂老矣，但意志坚强，勤于复健的他，弹起琴来丝毫不含糊。这张专辑是彼得森在维也纳乐友协会爱乐厅的现场演出，团员则包括了曾经来台演出的低音贝斯手 NHOP ，吉他手 Ulf Wakenius 和鼓手 Martin Drew 。透过摄影机拍摄的画面，我发现爱乐厅不但大爆满，椅子还一路排到入口的大厅，不难想象当天的演奏会有多热闹。上半场的几首慢歌如「 Nighttime 」、「 When Summer Comes 」或是「 Requiem 」，都是由彼得森作曲，他收敛起快速与华丽的弹奏，取而代之的，是略带忧伤的优美琴音，深情款款，指尖之间流露真意，配上那酷似 Barney Kessel 风格的吉他手 Ulf Wakenius ，带劲地拨弄琴弦，以及 NHOP 旋律性十足的贝斯，三人你来我往，交织成完美的音乐对话。下半场开始，彼得森好似吃了人参果，生猛有劲地弹了几首蓝调风格的曲子如「 The Backyard Blues 」，他诠释艾灵顿公爵的作品「 Satin Doll 」，也是既愉悦又摇摆。细心的乐迷不难观察到，DVD 的版本中，导播运镜是非常用心的。无论是构图、摄影角度或是乐手之间的交流，影片的制作实在是一等一。这是今年爵士乐迷绝对要细细品味的好专辑之一，非常值得推荐！

三盲鼠，从一开始便追求表现有摇摆性的、轻快的、有创意的、有个性的爵士风格。藤井与录音师神成芳组成黄金拍档，着力挖掘新人，炮制天碟级的录音。这张 XRCD精选了“三盲鼠” 历年的极品录音，选曲通俗、平易近人。都是耳熟能详的爵乐经典。钢琴手三本刚水晶般的音符和女歌手细川绫子狐惑般的魅力几乎能在几秒钟内将人迷倒。录音上，“三盲鼠” 都是标准的多轨近距离制作，细节多、质感强、动态逼人、音色鲜艳是其最大特色。同时，他们的录音又能兼顾非常好的透明度和空气感，定位、层次、音场的安排极其精准，鲜辣凌历的音响效果中保留着难得的自然韵味。以数码时基误差极小的XRCD技术，重整“三盲鼠” 这类模拟极品录音，是最佳手段。
三肓鼠(简称TBM)在爵士&音响发烧友中非常著名。因为三盲鼠的爵士不但演唱 & 演奏非常精彩，而且录音的品质更是发烧。这张“三盲鼠超级精选集”音乐内容之丰富前所未有，包括三位嗓子最美的女歌手及一男歌手的代表作，及TBM公司爵士精华之精华，首首动听，再经过XRCD处理，绝对是爵士发烧友及音响发烧友必备的CD。
这张TBM之超级XRCD精选集在发行之后，在众多国际音响展之中皆列为示范片之一，在1998年六月美国Stereophile音响大展中初次亮相，首三天即告售罄，成为会展中的佳话。

不管你喜不喜欢，日本是世界第二大爵士乐国的事实，还是无法改变。近年来不断有新的日本爵士乐品牌引进国内，虽然价格不菲，卖座依然不错，可见得乐迷的接受程度越来越高。不过上述CD的内容仍以外国艺人为主，日本本土乐手反而少见，这就让人想起七○年代由藤井武所创办的三盲鼠（Three Blind Mice）唱片公司。当时日本爵士音乐蓬勃发展，Takt唱片公司积极灌录了许多唱片，却一直不算成熟。直到藤井武的三盲鼠出现，日本爵士录音才往前迈进一大步。
日本爵士乐大摇篮
三盲鼠标榜他们的音乐具有摇摆性、流畅性、创意性，以及独特的个性。仔细观察，可以发觉这几项要素至今仍被日本爵士乐师奉为最高标准。藤井武为制作人，神成芳彦负责录音，西泽勉担任艺术指导，这个铁三角组合也一直被人怀念。经由三盲鼠发掘、培养的艺人，像是今井英人、山本刚、铃木勋、今田胜、细川绫子、户谷重子、中本Mari、三木敏悟等，后来都成为日本爵士乐坛的重量级人物。很可惜三盲鼠受大环境影响而经营不佳，先后由日本 Phonogram、Trio、德国ATR、美国Cisco与香港金弦代为发行，但八○年代以后就几乎没有新录音了。长久以来音响迷对三盲鼠的优异录音则是念念难忘，他们是最早把录音器材与录音配置图标示出来的爵士唱片之一，近场录音的真实感少有匹敌。
吾人或许可以从许多再版CD中重温三盲鼠的光辉岁月，不过新录音要达到类似的感染力，似乎还很少，结果我在T.S.C.C（Tokyo Sound City Planning Co,）看到神成芳彦（Yoshihiko Kannari）的名字时，直觉想到：莫非三盲鼠又回来了！再翻开唱片里精美的解说，同样附上详细的录音图解与场地配置，没错，这是三盲鼠的做法啊！怀着忐忑兴奋的心情开始聆听，摇摆的、流畅的、优美的、清爽的音乐风格，哇！这是现代版的三盲鼠啊！T.S.C.C的唱片制作人岩浪洋三（Yohzo Iwanami）是日本著名的爵士评论家，经常在各种刊物上发表文章，他与三盲鼠有无渊源并不清楚，但可以肯定他也受过三盲鼠浪潮的洗礼。主要录音师加登屋正和（Masakazu Katoyo）则是音响学校的教授，对现场录音特别拿手。加上有名的老牌录音师冈田则男、神成芳彦，以及年轻一代的录音师高山胜已，他们正联手打造出日本爵士乐的新风貌。
跨世纪的爵士新录音T.S.C.C
先从神成芳彦录制的《Right On》专辑看起，这是钢琴手冢原小太郎（Kotaro Tsukahara）率领的小太郎三重奏新作，收录了《Caravan》等热情的拉丁旋律，在朝霞市民会馆制作完成。特别要提到本片使用JVC的K2技术刻版，在首批引进的唱片中音响效果抡魁。同样是神成芳彦的手笔，经过时间淬炼，我们发现当年三盲鼠的霸气与迫真感少了，透明甜美则增加了。小太郎三重奏的百老汇音乐风格，加上几首挠人的女声，使得整张唱片生动热闹又不失娇柔。
T.S.C.C的主要录音师加登屋正和，我们听到 Jimmie Smith 四重奏在新座市民会馆录制的《From the Heart》；小喇叭手神村英男（Hideo Kamimura）编曲，率领多位好手共同演出的轻爵士《Million》；以及活跃歌坛四十多年的长青歌手辰己（Tatsumi）新专辑《Now I am》。加登屋正和习惯在新座市民会馆录音，这几张唱片听起来有自然的空间残响，多麦克风近距离收音则捕捉到丰富的细节，音域平衡极佳，音色清淡不浓郁，与清恬容易入耳的音乐相得益彰。即使不懂爵士的朋友，在《Million》专辑中也能愉快的享受舒畅优雅的气氛，我觉得它与钢琴手青木弘武的另一张专辑《Wedding》，根本可以当成轻音乐欣赏。从五○年代开始走红的辰己，带着浓厚口音的英文唱着盖希文的〈夏日时光〉，一下子好像岁月倒流，复古气息撒满一地。Jimmie Smith 四重奏有个洋文名字，实际上除了鼓手 Jimmie Smith 与一位小喇叭手外，所有团员都是日本人，他们演出的风格很“东方”，加入电风琴后使得音响更丰富，反而有美式乐团的印象。
别轻看《Wedding》专辑音乐浅显，老少咸宜，笔者连听两个晚上依然觉得趣味无穷。在新座市市民会馆的舞台上，青木弘武（Hiromu Aoki）与贝斯、鼓三种乐器，简单但很有魅力的诠释了多首盖希文的歌曲，电影《我爱红娘》的旋律，以及经典的爵士情歌，在年终结婚旺季时，这是一张从里到外都很可观的新人礼物。萨克斯风手领家敏（Satoshi Ryoke）的《Links》专辑，有较多独创的音乐，基本上仍是传统的摇摆节奏，加上迷人的曲调，在领家敏华丽多采的长笛与萨克斯风铺陈下，有着很特别的韵味。
如果要明白指出三盲鼠与T.S.C.C有什么不同，我想最大的差异在前者为录音室作品，后者多在音乐厅制作，加上录音器材的进步，所以T.S.C.C听起来更舒畅，更美了。至于音乐内容，江山代有人才出，当年三盲鼠为许多默默无名的爵士乐手带来了希望与勇气，今天我们从T.S.C.C看到丰硕的果实。

山本刚的爵士钢琴

Music from the Woody Allen Film, including selections from the original soundtrack.