LENNY WHITE - The Adventures of Astral Pirates (1978-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of Lenny White's finest, most essential albums, The Adventures of Astral Pirates is a jazz-fusion masterpiece with a futuristic science-fiction theme. Star Wars was number one at the box office when, in 1977, White produced this disc with Al Kooper, and perhaps Elektra was hoping to cash in on the film's popularity. If you open the record's foldout cover, you can read White's tale of sci-fi battles that take place in the fifth millennium A.D. But you don't have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate the mostly instrumental songs on this imaginative, risk-taking album, which finds White blending a jazz/rock/funk foundation with elements of everything from Middle Eastern music to Asian music. This set isn't the least bit predictable, and it could easily be described as "the sound of surprise" -- critic Whitney Balliett's term for jazz -- even though no one will mistake it for straight-ahead bop any time soon. by Alex Henderson
Tracklist:
1  Prelude: Theme For Astral Pirates  1:13
    Written-By – White
2  Chapter One: Pursuit  3:08
    Written-By – Blake, Blackman, White, Moroch
3  Chapter Two: Mandarin Warlords  5:07
    Written-By – Blackman, White
4  Chapter Three: The Great Pyramid  2:29
    Written-By – Blackman, White
5  Chapter Four: Universal Love  3:27
    Written-By – Blackman, White
6  Chapter Five: Remembering  0:36
    Written-By – White
7  Chapter Six: Revelation (Astral Pirates)  3:26
    Written-By – White
8  Chapter Seven: Stew, Cabbage And Galactic Beans  3:56
    Written-By – Blake
9  Chapter Eight: Heavy Metal Monster  4:39
    Written-By – Moroch
10  Chapter Nine: Assault  3:36
    Written-By – White
11  Chapter Ten: Climax: Theme For Astral Pirates  7:40
    Written-By – White
Credits:
Arranged By – Alex Blake, Don Blackman, Lenny White, Nick Moroch
Arranged By [All String Arrangements] – Don Blackman
Bass [Basses] – Alex Blake
Concept By [Album & Story Concept By] – Don Mizell, Lenny White
Drums, Electronic Drums [Syndrums], Synthesizer, Percussion [All Percussion] – Lenny White
Lead Guitar [Lead Guitars] – Nick Moroch
Organ, Piano [Acoustic Piano], Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals [All Vocals] – Don "Captain Keyboards" Blackman
Programmed By [All Synthesizer Programming] – Patrick Gleeson
Rhythm Guitar – Jeff Sigman

LENNY WHITE - Streamline (1978-2002) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Lenny White's 1977 recording The Adventures of Astral Pirates was an incredibly tough act to follow -- so tough, in fact, that anything less than a five-star gem was likely to seem a bit disappointing. Streamline, the 1978 LP that came right after The Adventures of Astral Pirates, isn't a five-star gem, but it isn't bad either. Although not in a class with The Adventures of Astral Pirates or 1975's Venusian Summer, let alone White's work with Return to Forever, Streamline is a generally decent, if mildly uneven, collection of instrumental jazz fusion and R&B vocal numbers. While this album (which White produced with Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn) isn't as R&B-oriented as White's Twennynine projects would be, the drummer is obviously going after R&B audiences on "Time" (a somewhat Earth, Wind & Fire-ish funk item) and an interesting cover of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna" (which features soul goddess Chaka Khan). But there is also plenty of fusion, and instrumentals like "Night Games," "Struttin'," and the Brazilian-influenced "Pooh Bear" are enjoyable even though they fall short of the brilliance of the material on The Adventures of Astral Pirates and Venusian Summer. While Streamline isn't among White's essential albums, it's a likable set. by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
1     Struttin'    4:45
    Synthesizer [Mini Moog] – Larry Dunn
2     Lady Madonna     3:54
    Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan
3     12 Bars From Mars     3:10
4     Earthlings     4:48
5     Spazmo Strikes Again     0:25
6     Time     2:58
7     Pooh Bear     5:02
8     Lockie's Inspiration     0:41
9     I'll See You Soon     6:30
    Bass – Marcus Miller
10     Night Games     3:58
11     Cosmic Indigo     0:50
    Bass – Marcus Miller
Credits:
Bass [Basses] – Marcus Miller
Drums, Percussion – Lenny White
Guitar – Jamie Glaser, Nick Moroch
Keyboards – Denzil "Broadway" Miller
Keyboards, Vocals – Donald "Captain Keyboards" Blackman
Programmed By [All Synthesizers] – Larry Dunn
Chaka Khan – lead vocals (track 2)

Diane Reeves – vocals (track 4), background vocals

MIROSLAV VITOUS - Majesty Music (1976-2015) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Vitous is often at his best when the usual band dynamic is inverted so that his fellow band members fade back to become a mere accompaniment to his bass soloing. This release continued the high quality of Vitous's previous solo work, and while not every track is memorable, the floating dissonance of "Streams and Fields" and the frenzied bowed bass over brittle staccato drums in "New Orleans" are both clear precursors to Vitous's superb work the next year with Jack DeJohnette and Terje Rypdal. by Paul Collins
Tracklist:
1 X Rated 3:26
Bass, Guitar Synthesizer [360 System] – Miroslav Vitous
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Drums – Lenny White
Synthesizer [String Ensemble], Electric Piano, Vocals – Rimona Francis
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
2 See You, November 3:31
Composed By – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas, Percussion – David Earl Johnson
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Synthesizer [String Ensemble, Mini Moog] – Miroslav Vitous
Tenor Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
3 Majesty Music 4:35
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Piano [Acoustic] – Miroslav Vitous
Drums – Gerry Brown
Synthesizer [String Ensemble], Electric Piano, Vocals – Rimona Francis
4 New Orleans 3:22
Alto Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Clavinet, Electric Bass, Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Synthesizer [Mini Moog] – Miroslav Vitous
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Drums – Lenny White
Electric Bass – Francesco Centeno
5 Do You, Don't You, Won't You ? 2:58
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Composed By, Arranged By – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Soloist – Miroslav Vitous
Drums – Lenny White
Electric Bass – Francesco Centeno
Electric Piano, Synthesizer [String Ensemble, Mini Moog] – Kenny Bichel
6 Best Friends 4:11
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Drums – Gerry Brown
Guitar, Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – Miroslav Vitous
Synthesizer [String Ensemble] – Rimona Francis
Tenor Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
7 Streams And Fields 3:07
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Synthesizer [String Ensemble, Mini Moog] – Miroslav Vitous
Vocals, Synthesizer [String Ensemble], Electric Piano – Rimona Francis
8 Folks 4:31
Baritone Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Drums – Bobby Goldman
Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano, Synthesizer [String Ensemble], Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – Miroslav Vitous
9 Mount Shasta (Part II) 3:50
Baritone Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Composed By, Arranged By – Miroslav Vitous
Congas – David Earl Johnson
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Synthesizer [String Ensemble, Mini Moog] – Miroslav Vitous
Drums – Lenny White
10 Requiem For My Mother 5:09
Composed By, Arranged By – Jaroslav Jakubovic
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass], Synthesizer [String Ensemble] – Miroslav Vitous
Tenor Saxophone – Jaroslav Jakubovic

VERTÚ - Vertú (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Vertu is undeniably an ambitious project, certainly more so than most contemporary fusion projects. At the core of the collective are Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, the renowned rhythm section of Return to Forever; they're augmented by violinist Karn Briggs, keyboardist Rachel Z, and former Poison guitarist Richie Kotzen, of all people. It's a wildly eclectic group of musicians, and they appropriately tackle all sorts of music, from straight-ahead fusion and post-bop to worldbeat and classical-tinged rock. Thanks to the fine musicianship of all involved, it's not nearly the mess that it could have been, but it's hardly an unqualified success, either. The main problem is the weird blend of songs and compositions. Vertu is basically divided between songs (only a handful of which feature Kotzen's strained bluesy vocals), which have one simple melody, and flowing, multi-layered, multi-sectioned compositions. In each case, they're graced by some truly extraordinary playing (laugh you may, but Kotzen is a gifted guitarist and it's a pleasure to hear him stretch out, instead of being confined to pop-metal), but the songs often are built around lame themes that feel like excuses for improvisations; even worse, those themes are often delivered with the tone and grace of a television commercial. Vertu is much better with "Topasio Es Puro Corazon" and "Danse of the Harlequin" -- opportunities to build fascinating contrasts in sound, both through themes and improvisations. These pieces, along with the plentiful solo sections in the flawed songs, have some great interplay that will certainly be of interest to fans of all the involved musicians. And if they're longtime fans of any of the members (especially Clarke, White, and Return to Forever), they'll realize that creative risks are often successful and flawed in equal measure, so they won't be discouraged by the awkward moments on Vertu. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist:
1 V-Wave 5:09
Composed By – Lenny White
2 On Top Of The Rain 7:40
Composed By – Stanley Clarke
3 Anoché 5:29
Composed By – Karen Briggs
4 The Call 7:21
Composed By – Lenny White
5 Topasio Es Puro Corazon, Part One 4:47
Composed By – Stanley Clarke
6 Topasio, Part Two 5:00
Composed By – Stanley Clarke
7 Danse Of The Harlequin 6:38
Composed By – Lenny White
8 Start It Again 4:10
Composed By – Richie Kotzen
9 Marakesh 5:35
Composed By – Karen Briggs, Lenny White, Rachel Z, Richie Kotzen, Stanley Clarke
Mastered By – Vlado Meller
Mixed By – John X
10 Toys 7:54
Composed By – Stanley Clarke
Credits:
Bass Guitar – Stanley Clarke
Drums – Lenny White
Guitar, Vocals – Richie Kotzen
Keyboards – Rachel Z
Violin – Karen Briggs

RACHELLE FERRELL - First Instrument (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Rachelle Ferrell made her name performing R&B, but this strictly acoustic jazz CD is her earliest recording. Her voice is quite soulful, making her later shift to R&B less of a surprise in hindsight, but Ferrell seems quite unsure of how to use her wide range, and her improvisations are often quite eccentric. Her lack of warmth and subtlety (along with a tendency to scream and screech in unexpected spots without a buildup) makes it difficult to listen to several of the numbers on this standards-oriented set. Trumpeter Terence Blanchard and Wayne Shorter on tenor make worthwhile cameo appearances, but Rachelle Ferrell at that point in her career did not really sound ready for prime time, despite her potential. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1-You Send Me. 

Sam Cooke / Clarence Paul / Ed Townsend

2-You Don't Know What Love Is. 

Gene DePaul / Don Raye

3-Bye Bye Blackbird. 

Mort Dixon / Ray Henderson

4 Prayer Dance

Morris Bailey / Eddie Green

5-Inchworm.  

Frank Loesser

6-With Every Breath I Take.  

Cy Coleman

7-What Is This Thing Called Love?.  

Cole Porter

8-My Funny Valentine.  

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

9-Don't Waste Your Time.  

Rachelle Ferrell

10-Extensions.  

Rachelle Ferrell

11-Autumn Leaves.  

Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert

Credits:

Rachelle Ferrell, Piano, Vocals

Lenny White, Drums, Producer 

Terrence Blanchard, Trumpet 

Tyrone Brown, Bass, Stick Bass

Stanley Clarke, Bass

Kenny Davis, Bass

Alex Foster, Sax (Soprano) 

Doug Goldstein, Synthesizer, Drums

Gil Goldstein, Synthesizer, Piano

Eddie Green, Piano

Pete Levin, Synthesizer

Doug Nally, Drums

Michel Petrucciani, Piano 

Wayne Shorter, Sax (Tenor)