Thursday, November 20, 2025

Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer - It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:02
Size: 68,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
(3:18)  2. I Ain't Got Nothing' But The Blues
(2:27)  3. Satin Doll
(3:49)  4. Mood Indigo
(2:53)  5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(2:05)  6. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(2:37)  7. I've Got To Be A Rugcutter
(3:36)  8. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(1:55)  9. Tulip Or Turnip
(2:18) 10. It's Kind Of Lonesome Out Tonight
(1:53) 11. Poco Mucho

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. He led his orchestra from 1923 until his death, his career spanning over 50 years. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s onward, and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. In the 1930s, his orchestra toured in Europe. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington embraced the phrase "beyond category" as a liberating principle, and referred to his music as part of the more general category of American Music, rather than to a musical genre such as jazz. Some of the musicians who were members of Ellington's orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges, are considered to be among the best players in jazz. Ellington melded them into the best-known orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Some members stayed with the orchestra for several decades. 

A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington often composed specifically to feature the style and skills of his individual musicians.Often collaborating with others, Ellington wrote more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, with many of his extant works having become standards. Ellington also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, for example Juan Tizol's "Caravan", and "Perdido", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. After 1941, Ellington collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed many extended compositions, or suites, as well as additional short pieces. Following an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, in July 1956, Ellington and his orchestra enjoyed a major career revival and embarked on world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in several films, scoring several, and composed stage musicals. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and thanks to his eloquence and charisma, Ellington is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional musical genres. His reputation continued to rise after his death, and he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for music in 1999. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington

Teresa Brewer (May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American pop singer whose style incorporated elements of country, jazz, R&B, musicals and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs.Theresa Veronica Breuer was born in Toledo, Ohio, the eldest of five siblings. Her father was a glass inspector for the Libbey Owens Company (now part of Pilkington Glass), and her mother was a housewife. When she was two years old, her mother entered her in an audition for a radio program, Uncle August's Kiddie Show on Toledo's WSPD. She performed for cookies and cupcakes donated by the sponsor. Although she never took singing lessons, she took tap dancing lessons. From age five to twelve, she sang and danced on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, then a popular touring radio show. Her aunt Mary traveled with Theresa until 1949, when Theresa wed William Monahan.

At the age of 12, Brewer returned to Toledo and ceased touring in order to have a normal school life. She continued to perform on local radio. In January 1948, the 16-year-old won a local competition, and (with three other winners) was sent to New York to appear on a talent show called Stairway to the Stars, featuring Eddie Dowling. It was at about that time that she changed the spelling of her name from Theresa Breuer to Teresa Brewer. She won a number of talent shows and played night clubs in New York (including the Latin Quarter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Brewer

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Shutaro Matsui - Danse Macabre/Fragments/Steps of the Blue


Trumpet player Shutaro Matsui has been gaining attention as a rising star in the jazz world. Her debut album "Steps of the Blue," recorded at the young age of 22, is receiving a great response, including the Music Pen Club Music Award New Artist Award. In her second album, Danse Macabre, produced by her mentor Makoto Ozone, and recorded in New York, consists mainly of her own compositions. She is accompanied by some of the world’s most talented musicians, including Jonathan Blake, known as the pinnacle of modern jazz drumming! Her overwhelming musicality and natural jazz spirit have inspired a passionate sympathy among the members, resulting in a spectacular session of high concentration. This is the birth of the album that will attract the most attention in the jazz world in 2024!  

Born in 1999, she graduated with honors from the Kunitachi College of Music, majoring in jazz. She received the Yatabe Award. She majored in classical music in high school and played trumpet with the Japan Mozart Youth Orchestra. Upon entering university, she switched to jazz and studied under Makoto Ozone, Eric Miyashiro, and Akira Okumura orientation. While still a student, she began her professional career, performing her own jazz concerts and participating in the BLUE NOTE TOKYO ALL STAR JAZZ ORCHESTRA. In addition to her solo performances, she has also performed classical concerts with orchestras and wind orchestras, toured with brass ensembles, participated in Makoto Ozone's No Name Horses, performed the music of Kenshi Yonezu, and toured with King Gnu. Her multi-faceted talents have garnered attention for their transcending genres. She has also been featured in the media, including on TV Asahi's "Untitled Concert" and MBS/TBS's "Jonetsu Tairiku," garnering a lot of attention.

To date, she has released the albums "STEPS OF THE BLUE" (2023), "DANSE MACABRE" (2024), and "FRAGMENTS - CONCERT HALL LIVE 2025" (October 2025).
https://avex.jp/shutaro-matsui/profile


Tuesday, November 18, 2025

John Patitucci & Andy James - An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 82:48
Size: 152,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:23) 1. Autumn In New York
(7:08) 2. Besame Mucho
(3:08) 3. I Love You And Dont You Forget It
(5:07) 4. To Dream As One
(4:41) 5. Moonlight In Vermont
(5:09) 6. Day Dream
(5:46) 7. Blackbird
(3:19) 8. When I'm With You
(6:05) 9. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(4:12) 10. Unchain My Heart
(6:22) 11. Fire Rain
(4:19) 12. Burn For Love
(5:30) 13. Some Other Time
(4:26) 14. Laura
(4:00) 15. More Than You Know
(5:02) 16. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(4:03) 17. Angel Eyes

On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music. At a time when jazz aficionados around the world have been starved for musical experiences, the album recreates the sultry atmosphere of a candlelight nightclub as some of the most revered musicians in modern jazz perform classic standards. Due out November 5 via Le Coq Records, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features nearly 90 minutes of scintillating music featuring an incomparable ensemble. In addition to James’ mesmerizing vocals and Patitucci’s bass mastery, the album boasts arrangements by piano great Bill Cunliffe for an ensemble that includes saxophonists Chris Potter and Rick Margitza, trumpeter Terell Stafford, guitarists Chico Pinheiro and Jake Langley, keyboardists John Beasley and Jon Cowherd, percussionist Alex Acuña, drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Marcus Gilmore and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, along with powerful horn and string sections.

“I wanted people to just sit back and enjoy a listening experience of serene pleasure,” declares James. “John and I tried to create something easy to listen to that would leave people feeling good afterwards. I recorded the album in anticipation that people wouldn’t something too complicated at this time we all find ourselves in.” Jazz singing and Flamenco dance have been parallel passions throughout Andy James’ life. Flamenco took prominence during what she now refers to as “act one” of her artistic life. She became renowned as a world-class Flamenco dancer, enjoying a successful career dancing with husband and partner Piero Pata in Madrid. For “act two,” James relocated to the U.S. and focused on her singing career, renewing collaborations with the great jazz musicians who had crossed her path while they traveled through Europe. She and Pata launched Le Coq Records, releasing a series of albums ranging in style from the elegance of the female jazz swing tradition to vintage R&B to the post-bop urgency of the classic Blue Note era.

An estimable professional family has quickly found a home at the label, with Patitucci, Acuña and Cunliffe playing key roles on a number of releases and several musicians making recurring appearances from one recording to the next. On An Evening With…, Patitucci proves an ideal partner for James, bringing his revered tone and musical vision to the project and convening the ideal musicians for each piece.“When choosing personnel for any project,” Patitucci explains, “I try to find the greatest musicians that I have longstanding relationships with, in order to have the opportunity to get more deeply into the music at hand.” Over the course of a career lasting four decades, Patitucci has forged essential collaborations with some of the most acclaimed artists in jazz and beyond, most notably long-lasting partnerships with iconic saxophonist Wayne Shorter and the late Chick Corea.

Speaking of James, Patitucci says, “Andy is a very generous and flexible collaborator. She has a great love for the Great American Songbook. When she sings, her phrasing is reminiscent of so many of the great singers that I grew up listening to. The style that she sings in provides the opportunity to write arrangements for larger orchestrations.”James returns the compliment. “John is very important to my whole performance. Without John’s playing I would have been restricted in the way I could sing and approach every song in the album. John Patitucci brings a deep sound that allows me the freedom to sing with a lot of mood or feeling in my voice. He gives me a lot of space to create a meaningful performance.”

From the intoxicatingly lush opener “Autumn in New York,” with Patitucci’s robust bass matched by a fervent tenor solo by Potter, to the last-call balladry of “Angel Eyes” that closes the set, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features countless classic songs along with a few surprises, including the smoldering James and Pata-penned love song “Burn for Love.”As she did on her previous release, Tu Amor, James reaches into her Latin influences on “Besame Mucho.” In addition to a number of well-known jazz standards James stretches the American Songbook to encompass great pop and rock classics like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.”

The choices certainly inspire passionate playing from James and Patitucci’s guests, with standouts including Rick Margitza’s soaring solo on “Fire and Rain,” Terell Stafford’s heart-wrenching take on “Moonlight in Vermont,” and the soulful playing of Potter and John Beasley on the Gerry Goffin/Carole King favorite “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” “The songs came naturally,” James explains. “I just wanted to sing some beautiful songs. The mood I had in mind when choosing these songs was one of love I just wanted people to find love with each other again after the era of Covid!” https://bassmagazine.com/artists/john-patitucci-announces-new-album-an-evening-with-john-patitucci-andy-james

An Evening with Andy James & John Patitucci

Monday, November 17, 2025

Bill Evans & Shelly Manne - Empathy

Styles: Jazz
Label: Wax Time
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:43
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:26)  1. The Washington Twist
(3:42)  2. Danny Boy
(4:32)  3. Let's Go Back To The Waltz
(9:09)  4. With A Song In My Heart
(5:07)  5. Goodbye
(5:46)  6. I Believe In You

This album came about through a fortuitous convergence of circumstances. Shelly Manne & His Men were appearing at New York's Village Vanguard, sharing the bill with the Bill Evans Trio. Getting Riverside's permission to let the pianist participate, Creed Taylor set up a session at Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Evans and Manne sharing top billing. Manne's bass player, Monty Budwig, made up the trio. This was a busman's holiday for Evans, who was freed from the musical parameters he had set for his then-current trio. The result is that his playing seemed lighter, freer, and more relaxed than it had for a while. The album kicks off with a jaunty version of Irving Berlin's "The Washington Twist" from the unsuccessful Mr. President with Budwig sharing the honors with Evans as much as Manne. Manne spends most of his time driving Evans into more diminished and sharper playing than was usually Evans' wont. Another relatively unfamiliar Berlin work, "Let's Go Back to the Waltz," gives full reign to Evans' lyricism. The longest tune on the set is an audacious, almost lampooned version of "With a Song in My Heart" with light chordal phrasing that pretty much characterized much of the tone coming from this session. Listening to these three, it's clear that everyone was having a good time and simply enjoying being relieved of their duties with their regular combos, even if for just one day. Empathy has been reissued by Verve as a CD that also includes another Evans' goody, A Simple Matter of Conviction.~Dave Nathan (http://www.allmusic.com/album/empathy-mw0000531139).

Cozy Cole - A Cozy Conception Of Carmen

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:37
Size: 72,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Prelude
(3:21)  2. Chorus Of The Street Boys
(2:46)  3. Habanera
(3:06)  4. Seguidilla
(2:37)  5. Entracte (1 & 2)
(3:12)  6. Gypsy Song
(3:24)  7. Castanet Dance
(3:25)  8. Flower Song
(3:26)  9. Sextet
(3:06) 10. Entracte (3 & 4)

Cozy Cole has been among the most respected drummers ever since the 1930s, when his work with Stuff Smith and Cab Calloway gained wide notice. Many drummers keep the beat, but the mark of the extraordinary is to add the alchemy of Leadership. With Cozy there was no flailing of arms in vain tries for exhibitionism without reason; no overbearing pushing when the drums should be carrying; no noise for noise's sake. His solos have logic and direction. Cozy Cole was without a doubt one of the most musical drummers there ever was. Bizet Swings! That infectious Cozy Cole magic says that with every beat, and it is the synthesis of the entire recording you now hold. ~ http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/cozy-cole-albums/4479-a-cozy-conception-of-carmen.html

Personnel:  Cozy Cole (d), Bernie Privin (flh, tp), George Holt (tp), Bob Hammer (p, glockenspiel, org), Al Klink, John Hafer (ts), Jerome Richardson (bs, b-cl, cl, piccolo), Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg (b), Phil Kraus, Douglas Allen (perc)

A Cozy Conception Of Carmen

Fay Claassen - Soulprint

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 45:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 104,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. Purity
(3:09) 2. Vincente '78
(6:14) 3. Feel the Beat
(4:26) 4. Simple Song
(5:10) 5. Smiling Tears (for Toots)
(4:36) 6. Good Times
(2:32) 7. La Dame du Sans-Souci
(3:28) 8. Fast Future People
(5:50) 9. Bluesette
(6:37) 10. Sacret Love and Soul Enlightening Blues

Fay Claassen is a Netherlands-based Jazz singer with a career of over 25 years and is a regular guest of highly renowned big bands and orchestras, from the Metropole Orkest, the Residentie Orkest and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra to the WDR Big Band. In 2011, Claassen was asked by pianist, trombonist and arranger Bob Brookmeyer to take the vocal role for his last album Standards (Artistshare), recorded in Munich and featuring his New Art Orchestra. Other jazz greats Claassen has worked with over the years include Toots Thielemans, Vince Mendoza, Paquito D’Rivera, Tom Harrell, Michael Abene, James Carter, Eric Vloeimans and Benjamin Herman. 

Although very busy on the European continent Fay has hardly ever appeared in the UK. Last year she appeared at Scarborough Jazz Festival with pianist Barry Green who now lives in Rotterdam and rising star of the saxophone Emma Rawicz.

There has been quite a long gap since her last original band album (Luck Child, 2018), for which she won two Edison Awards (Vocal National & Audience), due to a combination of international collaborations with orchestras, her 25th anniversary tour, the pandemic, and several large-scale projects. 

For the album Soulprint Claassen wrote nearly all of the material herself, or co-wrote it with her longtime bandmates: pianist Karel Boehlee, guitarist Peter Tiehuis, bassist Theo de Jong , and drummer Martijn Vink (New Cool Collective, Metropole Orchestra). Two songs were written by Claassen’s husband, Paul Heller of the WDR Big Band.

The songs on Soulprint present a musical reflection of her soul, a personal blueprint. At times quirky and complex, at others deeply connective and loving, the album tells her story as a wife, mother, and daughter and the personal development that has shaped her.

It’s nice to hear Claassen backed by a small band which generally features either acoustic piano or Fender Rhodes, electric guitar, electric bass and drums. On four of the tunes on the album there are no drums which leads to an even more intimate feel. When the drums are present they come across with real impact. On quite a few of the songs the sounds, harmonies, grooves and textures of the band evoke Steely Dan. This is an ideal accompaniment to Claassen’s voice. She has great delivery, tone, intonation and diction, with all the lyrics being conveyed very clearly.

The album opens with the song “Purity” which is a quiet rocky ballad written by Karel Boehlee and Simone Pormes. The song talks of the need to reconnect, stopping being someone else and being ready to agree to this purity.

“Vincente 78” is another light rock based song and relates the fact that she found out shortly before her father’s death that she has a half brother born in 1978 that she has never met.

“Feel The Beat” is an up tempo collaboration with Belgian singer David Linx which starts with a rubato section over sustained electric piano and guitar chords moving into a steady groove. The song features solos by guitar, electric piano and some scatting by Claassen.

“La Dame du Sans-Souci” has another lyric by David Linx, this time in French that follows a walk through Paris and is inspired by the film “La Passante du Sans Souci”. This reminds me of song that could have been written by Sting.

“Simple Song” is the first contribution by Paul Heller, Claassen’s husband and tenor sax player in the WDR Big Band. This slow shuffle has been recorded before both as an instrumental and vocal. “Good Times” is also by Paul Heller with a lyric by Robin Meloy Goldsby. This funk shuffle was written as birthday present to Claassen. This has also been previously recorded. Claassen joins in with the guitar solo on this scatting in unison then again trading a few phrases towards the end of the song.

There are two pieces on the album with a connection to Toots Thielemans, “Smiling Tears (For Toots)” and Thielemans’ jazz standard “Bluesette”.

“Smiling Tears (For Toots)” is a collaboration between Claassen and bass player Theo de Jong. This song evokes something that could have been written by Bill Evans in his latter years. This includes solos by fretless bass and piano.

“Bluesette” takes its standard intro with altered chords and changes it slightly then the song is performed as a samba rather than the usual Jazz waltz. This song allows all players to take a solo and Claassen also takes a scat solo. The intro is reused as an outro but with Claassen joining in.

“Fast Future People” written by Karel Boehlee with lyric by Claassen has a medium rock type groove and is about making one’s own choices in world driven by social media and AI.

The album finishes with the Latin groove of “Sacred Love and Soul Enlightening Blues”, a collaboration between guitarist Peter Tiehaus and Claassen. The chord progression to this song is a really good vehicle for improvisation with guitar and electric piano both soloing to good effect.

This is a very enjoyable album with some really good songs played by a fine band, showing not only Fay Claassen’s skills as a vocalist in a variety of different styles, but also as a writer.  https://ukjazznews.com/fay-claassen-soulprint/

Soulprint

Simone Kopmajer - Very Strauss

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 19:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 45,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:44) 1. Birthday Roses
(4:01) 2. In the Clearing of the Forest
(3:36) 3. The Way We Make Our Love Our Own
(3:29) 4. Your Smile´s a Work of Art
(3:19) 5. Tipsy Song
(2:22) 6. By and By

In 2025, the world celebrates the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss Jr. – the composer who made Vienna dance and whose melodies have long since become part of the city's soul. For two centuries, his name has stood for elegance, romance, and rhythm. But what happens when this timeless beauty speaks the language of modern jazz?

A voice like Simone Kopmajer's knows the answer. With unmistakable warmth and effortless phrasing, she takes Strauss from the 19th-century ballroom and transports him to a contemporary jazz club – where chandeliers give way to soft light and the rustling of silk blends into the delicate play of drum brushes.

Every piece on this album is both homage and transformation. Simone doesn't imitate, she translates. Her English lyrics preserve Strauss's romanticism and tenderness, but add a modern soul and intimacy. The arrangements shine with delicate harmonies, carried by a walking bass and gentle grooves – a soundscape between nostalgia and curiosity. For the bicentenary of the birth of Johann Strauss' son, this project connects centuries and styles – Vienna in the sound of jazz: where time dissolves and melody begins to dance anew. Close your eyes. Imagine the city at night and let Simone Kopmajer's voice guide you through a new Vienna – graceful, bold, and timeless.
https://www.simonekopmajer.com/news/2025/11/3/new-ep-very-strauss-out-now

Personnel:

Simone Kopmajer - Vocals
Geri Schuller - Piano
Danny Ziemann - Bass
Reinhardt Winkler – Drums
Scott Robinson – Tenor Sax
Wesley Amorim – Guitar (4)
Laurinho  Bandeira - Percussion (4)

Very Strauss

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Paul Heller - Good Times

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:01
Size: 137.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Felicidado
[6:06] 2. Wings
[6:10] 3. Drivin'
[8:27] 4. Moon Song
[7:34] 5. Good Times
[5:23] 6. Night Shift
[6:48] 7. Finding You
[5:16] 8. Remembering
[7:29] 9. Daybreak
[0:57] 10. Miniature No. 7

Paul Heller - tenor sax; Peter Tiehus - guitar; Olaf Polziehn - piano; Ingmar Heller - bass; Wolfgang Haffner - drums.

Paul Heller has proved that he can serve up classic and modern across a number of albums. And on the album Good Times, Paul Heller displays a new aspect; Good Times grooves like hell. The 10 original compositions really make you want to dance! Paul Heller is a WDR Big Band saxophonist and the artistic director of his own concert series "Next Level Jazz" in Cologne. A true all-star line-up was invited into the Hansahaus Studio in Bonn for this energetic three and a half hour recording session that bubbles over with exuberant playing. He tailor-made nine compositions for the group as well as a bonus track recorded during an overdub session:

Good Times

Happy Weekend 15-11-2025