Heavy Hitters - That's What's Up

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 74:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:27) 1. JB
( 7:29) 2. That's Whats Up
( 7:26) 3. Shadows
( 7:12) 4. Groundation
( 7:08) 5. It's Magic
( 7:43) 6. Blues For All
(10:26) 7. Continuum
( 5:23) 8. My One And Only Love
( 7:55) 9. Lord Walton
( 7:58) 10. You’ll Never Know What You Mean To Me

Heavy Hitters is a superb New York-based sextet co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. Individually and as a team, the Hitters keep their eyes squarely on the ball, swing for the fences and, more often than not, slam the spheroid solidly out of the park. And on this typically upbeat session they do it in front of an appreciative audience at Frankie's Club in Victoria, British Columbia.

A freewheeling groove permeates the concert, a frame of mind grounded in and animated by the blues, which happens to be LeDonne's bag (he wrote seven of the session's ten impressive numbers). Alexander shares the front line with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and alto Vincent Herring, while LeDonne is something of a hybrid, soloing impeccably while sharing rhythmic duties with bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Kenny Washington.

The Hitters come out swinging on the robust "JB," the first of LeDonne's alluring charts (a blues, of course), wherein Alexander leads a quartet of sinewy sluggers that includes Pelt, Herring and LeDonne. The pianist's sturdy title track is next, followed by his rhythmically seductive "Shadows" and rapid-fire "Groundation" (on which Washington's drum set blazes the trail). The tempo slows appreciably on Alxander's handsome showcase, the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn standard, "It's Magic," before resuming its hurried pace on Alexander's riveting "Blues for All" and LeDonne's quirky "Continuum," on which Claffy's muscular bass leads the ensemble to its winding destination.

LeDonne embraces the spotlight on Grant Wood's eloquent ballad, "My One and Only Love," which leads to "Lord Walton," his sturdy salute to fellow pianist Cedar Walton, and the melodious mid-tempo finale, "You'll Never Know What You Mean to Me," on which Herring takes the first heavy swing, followed by Pelt (muted for the only time), Alexander and LeDonne. If stellar small-group jazz is what you are seeking, it is a safe bet the search may lead you to Frankie's Club where the Heavy Hitters offer a textbook lesson in how to blend stylish contemporary discourse with bright and pleasing entertainment.By Jack Bowers
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thats-whats-up-heavy-hitters-cellar-music-group

Personnel: Mike LeDonne - piano; Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone; Jeremy Pelt - trumpet; Vincent Herring - alto saxophone; Alexander Claffy- bass; Kenny Washington - drums

That's What's Up

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Cyrille Aimée & The Surreal Band - Live At Birdland

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@VBR ~148K/s
Time: 61:26
Size: 66,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. The Lamp Is Low
(7:46)  2. A Dream Is A Wish
(7:46)  3. Caravan
(5:39)  4. Blue Skies
(6:42)  5. Darn That Dream
(5:21)  6. Well You Needn't
(7:16)  7. You And The Night And The Music
(4:20)  8. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(6:18)  9. Nuit Blanche
(6:39) 10. You Stepped Out Of A Dream

Cyrille Aimée has consistently proven herself to be an unstoppable, undeniable talent in the modern age of jazz. Internationally renowned and praised for her unparalleled abilities, Cyrille's vocal stylings are synonymous with musical genius. Her culturally rich background has supplied her with the driving force of Dominican rhythm and the incredible swing of the French Gypsies. Taking these natural abilities with her across the world, she has done nothing short of receiving rave reviews and a loyal following in each country she graces with her voice. Cyrille mastered the art of improvisation while studying at the well known conservatory of jazz at SUNY Purchase, with teachers such as Pete Malinverni, Jon Faddis and Jimmy Greene. Cyrille Aimée was a finalist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition of 2010, performing in front of a jury of Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater... In 2007, Cyrille won both the first and public prize in the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition. Cyrille's discography and musical history is an impressive list for any musician, jazz or otherwise. At the young age of 26, she has already released three CDs internationally, including “Cyrille Aimée; The Surreal Band” and “Smile” with Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo currently on iTunes. 

The Japanese label Venus Records has just released Cyrille and Diego’s latest duo album “Just the Two of us” this past November. Cyrille Aimée has been featured on compilations, feature film soundtracks across the globe and on the albums of Denis Chang and David Reinhardt. She fronted France's latest worldwide sensation 'Caravan Palace' on their European tour and performed in front of crowds that number over 10,000 people. Cyrille currently lives in Brooklyn and regularly performs in Manhattan with legends of the East Coast jazz scene. She can be found any given day in the historic jazz clubs of NYC, including Joe’s Pub and Dizzy's Club, with musicians like Steve Davis, Spike Wilner, Tom Kennedy and Anat Cohen among many others. Her latest record “Cyrille Aimée; friends Live at Smalls” features Roy Hargrove and Joel Frahm and is released under the label SmallsLIVE.http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=20226#.U0Bi0VdSvro

Live At Birdland

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Clifford Brown, Max Roach - Study In Brown

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:41
Size: 90.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1955/2017
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. Cherokee
[5:07] 2. Jacqui
[2:53] 3. Swingin'
[4:57] 4. Lands End
[5:36] 5. George's Dilemma
[4:52] 6. Sandu
[2:53] 7. Gerkin For Perkin
[3:24] 8. If I Love Again
[4:15] 9. Take The A Train

Bass – George Morrow; Drums – Max Roach; Piano – Richie Powell; Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land; Trumpet – Clifford Brown. Recorded between February 23 & 25, 1955.

Study in Brown features the 1955 version of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, a group also including tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow. One of the premiere early hard bop units, this band had unlimited potential. Highlights of this set are "Cherokee" (during which trumpeter Brown is brilliant), "Swingin'," and "Sandu." All of this group's recordings are well worth acquiring. ~Scott Yanow

Study In Brown

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Emily Saunders - Outsiders Insiders

Size: 112,1 MB
Time: 48:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Brazilian Rhythms
Art: Front

01. You With Me (2:27)
02. Reflections (6:15)
03. Metronomic (7:02)
04. Descending Down (6:16)
05. Summer Days (4:16)
06. Moon (5:28)
07. Outsiders Insiders (5:04)
08. You Caught Me (5:19)
09. Residing (6:17)

It’s a delight occasionally to hear something that sounds genuinely new. Better still when it’s cool, sophisticated, full of space and light, and beautifully performed. Singer Emily Saunders’ second album falls into that rare category. Her music is hip and up-to-date, and even though you can hear her influences, it sounds highly distinctive. She also wrote, arranged and produced the album, which comes out in March, four years after her well-received debut Cotton Skies.

Not surprisingly, given its earworm quality, the title track has been getting airplay lately. Why wouldn’t it be a hit single, with that wonderful syncopated The Beat Goes On riff? There’s an android vocal, followed by a sweet harmony answering vocal; however the bridge is probably too challenging for the charts, featuring Byron Wallen’s squeaky trumpet over a broken rhythm and then a super-cool electric piano solo from Steve Pringle.

If you’re looking for vocal comparisons, you will hear echoes of Gretchen Parlato and Lauren Desberg here, and certainly Bebel Gilberto in Saunders’s glissando style – so apparently effortless as to be Teflon-coated. Yet what she’s singing is often extremely difficult, soaring through rapid chord changes on Brazilian-influenced tunes like Residing. There’s an alien, dreamlike quality to many tracks: You Caught Me, Moon and the tautological Descending Down, with their intriguingly elliptical lyrics and slow, vibrato Rhodes backing from Bruno Heinen.

The musicians are locked into Saunders’ musical vision. She has used two different pianists, two bassists and two percussionists, but such is her control over the arrangements that you wouldn’t know it. Vocally, she does so much more than just sing the songs over a backing. Take Metronomic, which begins with a wordless, snaky improvisation on some Eastern scale before settling into a dark meditation about ‘a man who sought to control’, and ending on a brief cacophony of electronic noise. The album closes with You With Me, a gorgeous, poignant voice-and-piano ballad that’s over much too quickly. ~by Peter Jones

Everything on Outsiders Insiders is drenched in melody, and it’s this, as well as the intimate and deeply-felt quality to the recordings that lifts them above the everyday.

Personnel:
Emily Saunders: Voice
Byron Wallen: Trumpet
Trevor Mires: Trombone
Bruno Heinen: Keys
Steve Pringle: Keys (Outsiders Insiders)
Dave Whitford: Bass
Paul Michael: Bass (Residing, Descending Down)
Jon Scott: Drums
Fabio de Oliveira: Percussion
Asaf Sirkis: Percussion (Descending Down)

Outsiders Insiders

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Buddy Terry - Lean on Him

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:18
Size: 99,4 MB
Art: Front

( 5:55)  1. Lean on Me (Lean on Him)
( 5:39)  2. Holy, Holy, Holy
( 3:13)  3. Climbing Higher Mountains
( 4:52)  4. Amazing Grace
(10:17)  5. Inner Peace
( 5:45)  6. Precious Lord, Take My Hand
( 7:34)  7. Love Offering

One of the fullest albums we've ever heard from saxophonist Buddy Terry a set that has him blowing along with a set of soulful larger backings sometimes with a bit of gospel overtones as well! The lineup on the album's pretty darn hip players who include Larry Willis on electric piano, Jay Berliner on guitar, Ernie Hayes on organ, Wilbur Bascomb on Fender bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Lawrence Killian on percussion plus added vocals from a group that includes Dee Dee Bridgewater, Alphonse Mouzon, and Peaches Wilson! Buddy arranges and conducts and while his tenor and soprano get some space in the arrangements, the overall sound is more focused on the full spirit of the group. Titles include "Lean On Me (Lean On Him)", "Love Offering", "Inner Peace", "Amazing Grace", "Precious Lord, Take My Hand", "Holy Holy Holy", and "Climbing Higher Mountains".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/850259/Buddy-Terry:Lean-On-Him

Personnel:  Buddy Terry - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, arranger;  Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Jay Berliner - electric guitar;nbsp; Larry Willis - piano, electric piano;  Ernie Hayes - organ; Wilbur Bascomb - electric bass; Bernard Purdie - drums;  Lawrence Killian - percussion;  Alphonse Mouzon, Dee Dee Bridgewater - vocals

Lean on Him

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Jane Bunnett - Embracing Voices

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 2008
Time: 70:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:01) 1. Sway
(6:12) 2. Kalaidescope
(6:14) 3. Wongolo
(4:30) 4. Serafina
(9:42) 5. If You Go Away
(5:31) 6. Pancho Quinto
(6:02) 7. I Hear Voices
(4:28) 8. Chen nan Ren (Protest Song)
(6:52) 9. Egberto
(4:53) 10. A Nu Danse
(4:01) 11. Pa gen Dlo (There Is No Water)
(6:08) 12. The Only One (For Sheila Jordan)

Canadian Jane Bunnett has distinguished herself as a soprano saxophonist and composer over a long period. Following her collaborations with the late pianist Don Pullen she was drawn to Cuban music, so she regularly incorporated it into her compositions and frequently used Cuban instrumentalists and vocalists. This session is a bit different from her earlier dates, as its main focus is on the Afro-Cuban/Haitian ten-voice a cappella choir Grupo Vocal Desandann, who piqued her interest with their inventive harmonies and ability to handle challenging rhythms.

These spring 2008 sessions feature traditional Cuban and Haitian songs and originals by Bunnett with various lyricists, along with an original plus a surprising arrangement by fellow Canadian Don Thompson, who alternates between bass, piano, vibes, and marimba. Bunnett co-wrote the tricky "Kaleidoscope" with lead vocalist Kellylee Evans, a rhythmically complex piece with many sudden chord changes that Evans and the musicians master easily. Bunnett's lighthearted soprano and pianist David Virelles are briefly featured in the traditional piece "Wongolo," a showcase for Grupo Vocal Desandann.

"If You Go Away" (written by Jacques Brel and poet Rod McKuen) is hardly the kind of piece that one would expect to hear on a jazz date, let alone a Cuban-flavored session, but Thompson's infectious arrangement and Molly Johnson's Billie Holiday-flavored vocal carry the day. Jane Bunnett continues to prove that jazz readily absorbs the best elements of any form of music with this fine effort.By Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/embracing-voices-mw0000819803#review

Personnel: Jane Bunnett: soprano saxophone and flute; Larry Cramer: trumpet and flugelhorn (1-3, 6-10, 12), producer; David Virelles: piano and marimba (1, 3-5, 7, 10, 12); Don Thompson: vibraharp (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10), piano (2, 9, 11), marimba (8), acoustic bass (5, 9); Junior Terry: acoustic bass (1-4, 6-8, 10, 12); Jorge Torres (Papiosco): bata (2-5), bata and percussion (7, 8, 10, 12); Frank Durand: drums and marimba (1-5, 7-10, 12); Pablosky Rosales: tres (2-5, 7-10, 12); Barry Schiffman: viola (7); Grupo Vocal Desandann: vocals; Kellylee Evans: vocals (1, 2, 4, 12); Molly Johnson: vocals (5); Telmary Diaz: vocals and spoken words (6); the ensemble: coro.

Embracing Voices

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Mal Waldron with Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin - The Quest

Styles: Piano, Saxophone Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:37
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:54)  1. Status Seeking
(4:09)  2. Duquility
(4:45)  3. Thirteen
(4:26)  4. We Diddit
(5:39)  5. Warm Canto
(5:39)  6. Warp and Woof
(8:02)  7. Fire Waltz

Although often reissued under Eric Dolphy's name, this CD reissue gives the leadership back to pianist Mal Waldron. The seven originals not only feature altoist Dolphy (who makes a rare appearance on clarinet during "Warm Canto") but tenor-saxophonist Booker Ervin, Ron Carter (on cello) and Waldron. With bassist Joe Benjamin and drummer Charlie Persip giving alert support, the complex music (which falls between hard bop and the avant-garde) is successfully interpreted. Worth checking out.By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-quest-mw0000078389

Personnel:  Mal Waldron – piano; Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone, clarinet; Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4, 6 & 7); Ron Carter – cello; Joe Benjamin – bass; Charlie Persip – drums

The Quest

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Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo - Just the Two of Us

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:03
Size: 110,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Sunny Days
(4:54)  2. Tea for Two
(3:32)  3. Samois a Moi
(5:11)  4. Willow Weep for Me
(5:01)  5. Just the Two of Us
(3:42)  6. Invitation
(3:16)  7. Midnight Sun
(5:21)  8. Morena Boca de Ouro
(2:18)  9. Je Suis Seule Ce Soir
(4:03) 10. Dos Gardenias
(2:42) 11. Paper Moon
(3:49) 12. Samba em Preludio

Cyrille Aimée (pronounced Surreal M – A ) has proven herself to be an unstoppable, undeniable talent in the modern age of jazz and pop music. Internationally renowned and praised for her unparalleled abilities, Cyrille’s vocal stylings are synonymous with musical genius. Her culturally rich background has supplied her with the driving force of Dominican rhythm and the incredible swing of the French Gypsies. Taking these natural abilities with her across the world, she has done nothing short of receiving rave reviews and a loyal following in each country she graces with her voice.

Cyrille Aimée was a finalist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition of 2010, performing in front of a jury of Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater. In 2007, Cyrille won both the first and public prize in the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition. Cyrille Aimée (pronounced Surreal M – A) has proven herself to be an unstoppable, undeniable talent in the modern age of jazz and pop music. Internationally renowned and praised for her unparalleled abilities, Cyrille’s vocal stylings are synonymous with musical genius. Her culturally rich background has supplied her with the driving force of Dominican rhythm and the incredible swing of the French Gypsies. Taking these natural abilities with her across the world, she has done nothing short of receiving rave reviews and a loyal following in each country she graces with her voice. Cyrille’s discography and musical history is an impressive list for any musician, jazz or otherwise. At the young age of 26, she has already released four CDs internationally, including “Cyrille Aimée & The Surreal Band” and “Smile” with Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo. The Japanese label Venus Records has just released Cyrille and Diego’s latest duo album “Just the Two of us” this past November, 2010. Cyrille Aimée has been featured on compilations, feature film soundtracks across the globe and on the albums of Denis Chang and David Reinhardt. She fronted France’s latest worldwide sensation ‘Caravan Palace’ on their European tour and performed in front of crowds that number over 10,000 people.Her latest record “Cyrille Aimée & friends Live at Smalls” features Roy Hargrove and Joel Frahm and is released under the label SmallsLIVE.

Diego Figueiredo was born in Franca, Brazil, in 1980, and at the age of 4, he used to strike poses carrying his small guitar. At six, he got a mandolin, which was kept in a very special place in his house. Diego played many instruments before choosing the electric guitar when he was twelve, playing in theaters and local pubs, revealing the great art of improvising and harmonizing. At 15, he conquered theaters and nightclubs in many different Brazilian states, playing solo or with renowned musicians.He has studied classical guitar, Brazilian Popular Music and jazz in conservatories in Franca, Ribeirão Preto and Tatuí.

In 1999, he won first place in a contest in South America ,  he was awarded a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music. He has played and shared the stage with , Hermeto Paschoal, Geraldo Azevedo, Sebastião Tapajós, Demônios da Garoa, Vanusa, Renato Borghetti, Osvaldo Montenegro, Jair Rodrigues, Elomar, Toquinho, Tunai, Paulinho da Viola, Nando Cordel; Moraes Moreira, Fafá de Belém, Amelinha, Los Hermanos, Zeca Baleiro, Miyazawa and others. http://pdxjazz.com/cyrille-aimee

Just the Two of Us

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Cheryl Bentyne - The Cole Porter Song Book

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2009
Time: 55:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:18) 1. Love For Sale
(3:55) 2. It's De-Lovely
(3:16) 3. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(4:10) 4. It's All Right With Me
(4:18) 5. Night And Day / Find Me A Primitive Man
(3:24) 6. I Love Paris
(3:39) 7. All Of You
(6:44) 8. I Concentrate On You
(3:06) 9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:47) 10. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(3:36) 11. Begin The Beguine
(3:40) 12. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(2:20) 13. Just One Of Those Things
(2:14) 14. Let's Misbehave

While much of the world knows Cheryl Bentyne as one-quarter of the multi-Grammy-winning Manhattan Transfer, this compelling vocalist has a story all her own - one that includes a solo career that encompasses a variety of musical styles.

Born and raised near Seattle, Washington, Bentyne was exposed to music at a very early age. Her father, a jazz clarinetist and bandleader, held his band's rehearsals at the family's home. It wasn't long before Cheryl was singing in her dad's band. After high school, she performed in Seattle area coffee houses where she met and joined a regional group called The New Deal Rhythm Band. The band combined campy comedy numbers with improvisation and “theatrical” swing. The New Deal served as a training ground for Bentyne to sharpen her performance technique and develop her own distinct style.

While on tour with The New Deal, Bentyne caught the attention of a talent agent who assured her that her singing ability could support a solo career and encouraged her to assemble material for her own show. Within a few months she moved to Los Angeles and was booked regularly at such legendary clubs as the Troubadour and the Bla-Bla Cafe.

In the spring of 1979, Bentyne’s manager told her about an audition that was to change her life. The Manhattan Transfer was searching for a new singer to replace the departing Lauren Masse. What they were looking for seemed like an impossible combination at the time - a soprano who was gifted and agile enough to immediately blend with the group’s unique four-part harmony sound, and yet who also possessed a strong individual musical personality which would contribute to the group's evolution. But Bentyne accomplished the impossible: she landed the job and made a vocal contribution that was immediate and decisive. The Manhattan Transfer won its first Grammy, for “Birdland,” a track from the 1979 album, Extensions (Best Jazz Fusion Performance). Since then, the Transfer has scored ten more Grammys.

Bentyne has sung some of the most memorable solos in the Transfer's repertoire: “Good-bye Love,” Benny Goodman's solo on “Down South Camp Meeting” (both on the 1983 release, Bodies and Souls) and “Meet Benny Bailey” (on their landmark 1985 recording, Vocalese). She won a Grammy (which she shares with Bobby McFerrin) for her arrangement of “Another Night In Tunisia” (also on Vocalese). Her hot performance in the video and single release “So You Say” (from Brasil, 1987) helped broaden the Transfer’s audience via frequent appearances on BET. She also wrote and co-wrote tracks for the Transfer’s 1992 release, The Offbeat of Avenues, including the Grammy winning “Sassy.”

But Bentyne has maintained a solid solo career separate and apart from her work with the world-famous vocal quartet. In 1988, she appeared on bassist Rob Wasserman’s highly acclaimed Duets album. Four years later, she released her solo debut album, Something Cool, a tribute to June Christy and other jazz singers of the 1950s.

Beyond the recording studio and performance stage, Bentyne has also dabbled in recording for motion pictures. She appears on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, in “Back in Business,” a song she performed with Lorraine Feather and fellow Transfer member Janis Siegel. She also collaborated with trumpeter/composer Mark Isham in the soundtrack to the 1991 Alan Rudolph film, Mortal Thoughts.

In 2000, Cheryl recorded and released an original cast album of her new musical revue based the music and wit of Cole Porter. Dreaming Of Mister Porter has played to sold-out audiences and received rave reviews in Boston and Seattle.

Bentyne joined the Telarc label in 2004 with the release of Talk of the Town, an album that featured a number of standards from the great American songbook. The album also featured a star-studded lineup of session players: pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman, flugelhornist Chuck Mangione, percussionist Don Alias and drummer Lewis Nash.

Bentyne’s second Telarc outing released in April 2005, Let Me Off Uptown, is a tribute to legendary songstress Anita O’Day.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/cheryl-bentyne/

The Cole Porter Song Book

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Nat Birchall - Dimension of the Drums

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 36:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 85,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:48) 1. Guiding Light / Guidance Dub
(5:50) 2. Fight Against Evil
(5:34) 3. Sounds of Meditation
(5:12) 4. Satta in the Hills
(5:15) 5. Lalibela
(8:11) 6. Dimension of the Drums / Gathering Dub

Manchester-based multi-instrumentalist Nat Birchall, who’s mostly made a name for himself as a saxophonist among the UK jazz scene, continues his explorations into the sounds of Jamaica with another superb instrumental roots reggae-influence album, titled Dimension of the Drums.

This 6-track 36-plus minute recording was inspired by the music coming out of Jamaica in the mid 1970s, in particular the use of drum machines by Lee Perry and Aston Family Man Barrett, as well as the instrumentals and dubs by Keith Hudson and Cedric “Im” Brooks & Count Ossie and others.

Even though Birchall has teamed up on a few reggae-inspired recordings with legendary dub producer Al Breadwinner, and Jamaican trombonist great Vin Gordon, this represents his first solo outing diving into this sound. Much like many of his most recent releases, Birchall impressively also plays all the instruments on the session.

With Dimension of the Drums, Birchall continues to show his diversity as a musician and celebrate a genre of music that has played a major influence on him throughout his life.
https://beatcaffeine.com/nat-birchall-continues-his-exploration-into-roots-reggae-on-dimension-of-the-drums/

All instruments, recording and mixing by Nat Birchall

Dimension of the Drums

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Monica Mancini - Cinema Paradiso

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:00
Size: 113,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Cinema Paradiso
(4:02) 2. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(4:49) 3. The Summer Knows
(3:42) 4. A Love Before Time
(3:31) 5. Soldier In The Rain
(3:59) 6. Alfie
(5:00) 7. Too Late Now
(5:12) 8. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(4:26) 9. Baby Mine
(2:43) 10. Senza Fine
(3:46) 11. I'll Never Say Goodbye
(3:11) 12. Over The Rainbow

Monica Mancini has been careful in her recording projects to reflect her heritage and promote it without exploiting it. Her first album, Monica Mancini, was, naturally enough, a collection of songs written by her father, Henry Mancini. Her second, The Dreams of Johnny Mercer, was a tribute to one of her father's main collaborators. Cinema Paradiso features songs by many different songwriters, but its source is the kind of movie theme music in which her father worked successfully for his entire career. Mancini deliberately mixes things up in her choices of material, going back in time as far as the late '30s for "Over the Rainbow" and as far forward as "Senza Fine" from Ghost Ship, a film that opened 11 days before her album was released. And she mixes well-known songs like "Alfie" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" with worthy but lesser-known efforts such as Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's "Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding and her father's "Soldier in the Rain" from the movie of the same name with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. She has also considered the arrangements carefully, using eight different arrangers to create settings for the songs. Some of the charts are lush, while three songs employ a single instrument as accompaniment. Yet they all work together well. And the material and arrangements prove to be good choices for Mancini's voice, which is fully showcased. It is a rich voice, and if her interpretations have their precious moments and are at times too deliberate, she also exudes warmth and feeling for the songs, making this another successful collection.~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/cinema-paradiso-mw0000227963

Cinema Paradiso

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The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - The Rebecca Kilgore Trio, Vol. 1

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:52
Size: 108,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:01) 1. Dear Bix
(3:28) 2. Day In - Day Out
(3:56) 3. Somebody Just Like You
(2:58) 4. Run, Little Raindrop, Run
(3:18) 5. Azure-Té / Azure
(2:55) 6. Talking to Myself About You
(2:48) 7. Old Soft Shoe
(4:25) 8. I Wanna Get Married
(3:00) 9. Like the Brightest Star
(3:51) 10. That Sunday That Summer
(3:59) 11. The Gentleman Is a Dope
(4:38) 12. Because We're Kids
(3:29) 13. There's a Small Hotel

What do "Doxy," "Cottontail," "Dear Bix" and "I Wanna Get Married" all have in common? Clues to a party game on some lost episode of Playboy After Dark? Give up? All make an appearance on Rebecca Kilgore's "swing and have fun" release, which is just what Kilgore and her co-conspirators (including her husband, Dick Titterington, on cornet) accomplish. Eclectic is the word for this marvelous compilation, whose composers run from Rube Bloom to Richard Rodgers.. But that's good. Putting the recording on and hearing "Dear Bix" was like reliving a summer Saturday night listening to Jim Cullum's "Live from the Landing" circa 1990, no small thing. But then again, Kilgore really hit the memory traces with Nat King Cole's "That Sunday, That Summer," which beats Percy Faith and "A Summer Place" for sigh, lost youth. And you thought Cole owned that song and the evocation of the summer of 1963, but he doesn't. At least not any longer.

How many ways can you sell a familiar song? Well, take "The Gentleman is A Dope," which is more ironic than disillusioned, and bright, even in its minor key, because Kilgore takes it slightly up from its customary tempo. This is what adventuresome musicians can do with "conventional" material from the Great American Songbook. It doesn't have to be dull. Maybe you never heard the "Because We're Kids" lyrics by one Doctor Seuss. Oh, oh. Trigger warning. They are, gasp, woke "Just because you wear a wallet near your heart, You think you're twice as smart, You know that isn't fair." Oh, yeah, sung up front in even quarter notes, just for emphasis. One's faith in Dr Seuss is restored. And Kilgore's ongoing project of rescuing interesting tunes from death by neglect is clearly validated..

Who doesn't like "There's Small Hotel," generally identified with Chet Baker? Kilgore takes it down a bit, in a very matter of fact way. This is the way a slightly whimsical and experienced woman who's lived a little would take the song. Her version does not record the enthusiasm of a first assignation. Kilgore does not sound like she's reading from anyone's script other than her own. Age sometimes matters, and not just in wine and cheese. Experience shows and it only deepens, rather than diminishes art. "Doxy," "Cottontail," "Dear Bix," well, you'll have to hear the CD to solve the puzzle. Hint: pianist Randy Porter does have a great sense of humor. Tom Wakeling's time and sound are never obtrusive, but are always there. Swing and have fun, indeed. You will.~ Richard J.Salvucci https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-rebecca-kilgore-trio-vol-1-rebecca-kilgore-heavywood-records

Personnel: Rebecca Kilgore: voice / vocals; Randy Porter: piano; Tom Wakeling: bass, acoustic; Dick Titterington: cornet.

The Rebecca Kilgore Trio, Vol. 1

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Peggy Lee - Portrait of Peggy: I'm Happy To Be A Girl

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
Time: 71:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 165,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:11) 1. I Enjoy Being A Girl (From 'Flower Drum Song') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(2:24) 2. Come Dance With Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:52) 3. As You Desire Me (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:09) 4. You Fascinate Me So (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:02) 5. C'est Magnifique (From 'Can Can') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(4:22) 6. Remind Me (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(3:16) 7. By Myself (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:01) 8. Fantastico (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:36) 9. Pretty Eyes (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:25) 10. Dance Only With Me (From 'Say Darling') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(3:03) 11. I Want To Be Loved (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:26) 12. It Could Happen To You (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:55) 13. Moments Like This (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:02) 14. Love And Marriage (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:32) 15. I Remember You (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:21) 16. Ole´ (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(3:08) 17. Because I Love Him So (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:50) 18. Just Squeeze Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(1:55) 19. The Surrey With A Fringe On The Top (From 'Meet Me In St. Louis') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(2:57) 20. Fly Me To The Moon (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:43) 21. You're So Right For Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:25) 22. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:20) 23. Too Close For Comfort Now (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:43) 24. Wish You Were Here (Feat. Jack Marshall)
(1:44) 25. Together Whereever We Go (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:20) 26. Non Dimenticar (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:08) 27. I Can't Resist You (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(1:49) 28. From Now On Leave It To Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(3:15) 29. The Party Is Over (From 'Bells Are Ringing') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)

More than two decades have passed since Peggy Lee sang with Benny Goodman’s swing band and made her first hit recording. Yet so inexhaustible is her talent and so intense her application to her work that, almost a generation later, she stands at the peak of her career. A product of the big-band era, she derived from that apprenticeship her ability to sing anything from jazz to blues, to sing it with a beat, and with enough volume to be heard above the band. Few vocalists have had her staying power. Peggy Lee is also a successful composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, and businesswoman. To all her careers she brings a perfectionism that leaves the stamp of professionalism on everything she touches.

Of Norwegian and Swedish ancestry, Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, a farm town on the Great Plains, on May 26, 1920. She was the seventh of eight children born to Marvin Egstrom, a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad, and Mrs. Egstrom, who died when the child was four years old. Encouraged by the recognition she had received for her singing with the high school glee club, the church choir, and semi-professional college bands, Norma headed for Hollywood after she graduated from high school in 1938. With her she took $18 in cash and a railroad pass she had borrowed from her father. Although she got a brief singing engagement at the Jade Room, a supper club on Hollywood Boulevard, she made little impression on the film capital, and she was reduced to working as a waitress and as a carnival spieler at a Balboa midway.

Deciding to try her luck nearer home, she found work as a singer over radio station WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota, whose manager, Ken Kennedy, christened her Peggy Lee. (To supplement her income she worked for a time as a bread slicer in a Fargo bakery.) Her prospects for a career brightened when she moved to Minneapolis, where she sang in the dining room of the Radisson Hotel, appeared on a Standard Oil radio show, and sang with Sev Olsen’s band. Miss Lee broke into the big time when she became a vocalist with Will Osborne’s band, but three months after she joined the group it broke up in St. Louis, and she got a ride to California with the manager.

It was at the Doll House in Palm Springs, California that Peggy Lee first developed the soft and "cool" style that has become her trademark. Unable to shout above the clamor of the Doll House audience, Miss Lee tried to snare its attention by lowering her voice. The softer she sang the quieter the audience became. She has never forgotten the secret, and it has given her style its distinctive combination of the delicate and the driving, the husky and the purringly seductive. One of the members of the Doll House audience was Frank Bering, the owner of Chicago’s Ambassador West Hotel, who invited her to sing in his establishment’s Buttery Room.

Benny Goodman discovered Peggy Lee’s vocalizing in the Buttery Room at a time when he was looking for a replacement for Helen Forrest. Miss Lee joined Goodman’s band in July, 1941, when the band was at the height of its popularity, and for over two years she toured the United States with the most famous swing outfit of the day, playing hotel engagements, college proms, theater dates, and radio programs.

Much of her present success Miss Lee credits to her apprenticeship with the big bands. "I learned more about music from the men I worked with in bands than I’ve learned anywhere else," she has said. "They taught me discipline and the value of rehearsing and even how to train…. Band singing taught us the importance of interplay with musicians. And we had to work close to the arrangement." In July, 1942, Peggy Lee recorded her first smash hit, "Why Don’t You Do Right?" It sold over 1,000,000 copies and made her famous.

In March, 1943, Peggy Lee married Dave Barbour, the guitarist in Goodman’s band; shortly thereafter she left the band. After her daughter, Nicki, was born in 1944, Peggy Lee and her husband worked successfully on the West Coast. In 1944 she began to record for Capitol Records, for whom she has produced a long string of hits " many of them with lyrics and music by Miss Lee and Dave Barbour. Among them are "Golden Earrings," which sold over 1,000,000 copies [sic; song not written by Lee and Barbour]; "You Was Right, Baby;" "It’s a Good Day;" "Mañana" (which sold over 2,000,000 records); "What More Can a Woman Do?;" and "I Don’t Know Enough About You." Today Peggy Lee has a top rating as a songwriter with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
More ....................https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/peggy-lee/

Portrait of Peggy: I'm Happy To Be A Girl

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Sylvie Courvoisier, Mary Halvorson - Bone Bells

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 42:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 98,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:31) 1. Bone Bells
(5:41) 2. Esmeralda
(5:08) 3. Folded Secret
(3:40) 4. Nags Head Valse
(6:17) 5. Beclouded
(4:58) 6. Silly Walk
(5:35) 7. Float Queens
(4:44) 8. Cristellina e Lontano

Given that Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson are two of the most distinctive instrumentalists in the world of jazz and improvised music, it is a particular treat to hear them together in a duo configuration, where the intimacy of the setting allows for a fuller appreciation of their virtuosity and empathetic sensibilities than is sometimes possible on their more ambitious group projects. Courvoisier's pianistic prowess can be astonishing, but on recordings like 2023's Chimaera (Intakt Records) it was her arranging and composing skills that came to the fore; the same goes for Halvorson's Cloudward (Nonesuch, 2024), in which Halvorson displayed her own evolving vision as a composer. Here, on Bone Bells, Courvoisier and Halvorson's third release together, the emphasis is squarely on the formidable mastery of their respective instruments and the power of their mutual expression, and it is a thoroughly stimulating listen from start to finish.

Unlike its 2021 predecessor, Searching for the Disappeared Hour (Pyroclastic Records), Bone Bells has no jointly improvised tracks to complement the pair's compositions; each player is credited with half of the album's eight pieces. One can hear Courvoisier's classical background peek through in the stately opening title track, built around Courvoisier's steady chordal accompaniment while Halvorson winds her beguiling path through the piece's somber theme; yet midway through, the two switch roles, with Halvorson now providing support for Courvoisier's arresting excursion, augmented with streams of cascading notes. True to form, Courvoisier spends a fair bit of time on the album utilizing prepared sounds, as on "Folded Secret," where an infectious vamp serves as the core of a piece allowing both players opportunities for sprightly explorations.

The recording generates much of its appeal by juxtaposing order with freedom. Take Halvorson's "Nags Head Valse," for instance, which alternates a bright, jaunty waltz theme with periods of almost-free improvisation and here Halvorson's own experimental instincts emerge, with a battery of quirky sounds and techniques only she can produce from her instrument. Or "Silly Walk," which is hardly silly in light of the piece's diabolically tricky unison passages that still manage to make room for the players' individual personalities to emerge, with both exerting themselves mightily amidst the thunderous collisions that ensue. And "Float Queens" carves out space for am evocative mutual reverie in the middle of a piece that otherwise barrels along formidably.

Closing with Courvoisier's fascinating "Cristellina e Lontano," the two create almost dancelike magic that is especially remarkable in light of the piece's complex and layered structure. It is an unqualified success, much like the album as a whole, which never ceases to captivate and charm. By Troy Dostert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bone-bells-sylvie-courvoisier-and-mary-halvorson-pyroclastic-records

Personnel: Sylvie Courvoisier, Piano; Mary Halvorson, Guitar

Bone Bells

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Tom Grant and Rebecca Kilgore - Winter Warm

Styles: Vocal, Piano
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:00
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:29)  1. Christmas Waltz
(3:17)  2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
(3:22)  3. Christmas Time is Here
(3:39)  4. I'll Be Home for Christmas
(4:06)  5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
(4:49)  6. The Christmas Song
(3:11)  7. A Song for Christmas
(2:30)  8. Let it Snow
(4:50)  9. Winter Warm
(4:12) 10. Winter Wonderland
(3:30) 11. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
(4:02) 12. Sleigh Ride
(2:43) 13. Christmas Dreaming
(3:14) 14. Snowbound

Warm is a treasure from two Northwest jazz icons. Pianist Tom Grant has produced over twenty albums of chart-topping smooth jazz and singer Rebecca Kilgore, a featured regular on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion and Terry Gross’ Fresh Air (both on NPR), is an acclaimed performer of the Great American Songbook. Rebecca tours the world with her own band and has sung on over 30 records. Famed guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli has said of her “If Benny Goodman were alive today, he’d hire Becky to sing in his band.” Dick Hadlock, author and jazz host on KCSM-FM, San Mateo CA says that Rebecca “has refined her vocal gifts and stands now….as a leading interpreter of America’s classic popular songs.” She has toured with the famed pianist, humorist-composer Dave Frishberg and they have recorded together as well. He says of Rebecca “she has a great sense of swing…and a heartfelt unpretentiousness.” Tom Grant has toured the world with such jazz greats as Joe Henderson, Tony Williams and Charles Lloyd. Jeff Lorber says “Tom is a terrific improviser and writer. He plays with an inventiveness, elegance and economy. He is one of the best players on the scene today.” He has recorded on Verve Forecast, Windham Hill and many smaller labels and during the 80’s and 90’s had sales of 30-50 thousand units on various titles.

Tom Grant is a fixture on the Northwest music scene. He was a pioneer of jazz fusion and adult contemporary jazz. His longtime group, the Tom Grant Band, was one of the biggest drawing bands of the ’80s and ’90s. Tom’s numerous recordings consistently landed at the top of the New Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz charts, a genre Tom helped pioneer in the mid-80s. Over the years he has played with numerous jazz icons, including Jim Pepper, Woody Shaw, Tony Williams and Joe Henderson. He plays jazz piano with the harmonic sophistication and deep sense of swing that comes from more than three decades on the bandstand, and his smooth crooning voice blends perfectly with Day’s clear-cut interpretations of the classics. Grant was recognized for his lifetime of work by the Jazz Society of Oregon, being its inductee to the Hall of Fame for 2004. The material on this Holiday record reflects Rebecca’s unique gift for finding little-known song gems. The title track “Winter Warm”, is a Burt Bacharach/Hal David song whose only prior recording is by the relatively obscure 50’s artist, Gale Storm. Another great track is the singularly quirky (and jazzy) Frishberg winner, “Snowbound”. Tom and Rebecca do a charming duet on a slightly obscure Sinatra classic called “Christmas Dreaming.” Another rare beauty is “A Song for Christmas” which Rebecca sings with a tenderness that touches the soul. http://tomgrant.com/winter-warm

Winter Warm

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Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 46:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:05) 1. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
(2:26) 2. Hello, Dolly!
(3:08) 3. Dream a Little Dream of Me (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(3:27) 4. La Vie en Rose
(5:51) 5. On the Sunny Side of the Street
(4:05) 6. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)
(5:54) 7. Cheek to Cheek (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(2:45) 8. Cabaret
(2:22) 9. It's Been a Long, Long Time
(4:40) 10. They Can't Take That Away from Me (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(2:59) 11. Moon River
(3:19) 12. Blueberry Hill
(2:16) 13. What a Wonderful World

Today, with the advent of streaming and the resurgence of popularity in vinyl, there is more music available to the public to listen to than at any previous time in history. Yet, year after year, people from around the world still choose to listen to Louis Armstrong more than any other artist born at the turn of the 20th century.

The question remains: Why? This new collection, the first authorized Louis Armstrong hits collection to be released in decades, helps to provide answers. Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong contains 13 of his biggest hits, including "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," "La Vie En Rose," "Hello, Dolly!" and "What A Wonderful World," plus timeless duets with Ella Fitzgerald like, "Cheek To Cheek" and "Dream A Little Dream of Me."By Editorial Reviews
https://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-World-Best-Louis-Armstrong/dp/B0DB9HM55B

Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong

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The Emily Masser Quintet - Songs With My Father

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 44:39
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 41,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. Old Devil Moon
(5:48) 2. Dat Dere
(4:52) 3. The Boy Next Door
(4:46) 4. Room 608
(5:26) 5. Song For My Mother
(4:10) 6. Take A Little Time To Smile
(5:09) 7. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:58) 8. Double Rainbow
(5:26) 9. Hackensack

Rising vocal talent Emily Masser has already attracted positive attention from British jazz luminaries Claire Martin, Liane Carroll and Clark Tracey. This is no small feat for an artist who has recorded an album while still studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is also helped by having on-tap mentorship and artistic guidance from her father, the highly regarded saxophonist Dean Masser, who joins her on Songs With My Father to add another dimension to her rapidly ascending career.

She first came to attention on the Clark Tracey Quintet's album Introducing Emily Masser (StrayHorn Records, 2024). This shone the spotlight on her vocal abilities, receiving positive reactions and comparisons to Annie Ross. She now returns under the guise of The Emily Masser Quintet with an album dedicated to her late mother. She is joined by her father on saxophone and a top-notch rhythm section of pianist Matyas Gayer (Eddie Henderson, Scott Hamilton), bassist James Owston (Gwilym Simcock, Greg Abate) and drummer Steve Brown (UK) (Alan Barnes, Barry Harris).

The album mainly features her take on standards, many of them favourites of her mother. It is always a risk offering modern twists on some of the jewels of the jazz world, but Masser has the ambition, voice and maturity to inject new vigour and vitality into these classics. Masser opens the album with a playful rendition of "Old Devil Moon," displaying her original phrasing alongside impressive solos from Masser (the elder) and Gayer. She also puts her spin on Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics to Bobby Timmons "Dat Dere," a song that perfectly complements the father-daughter aspects of the album. Her rapid phrasing emphasises the clarity of her diction as the rest of the quintet locks into just the right level of swing.

Her warm-toned nostalgic vocals bring charm to the opening of "The Boy Next Door." The gentle swing is elevated when her father dials up the swing with a top-notch saxophone solo, followed by Gayer's piano and clever interplay from Owston and Brown. Two tracks take on a more personal and reflective tone: "Song For My Mother," composed by father and daughter, together with a beautiful version of "I'll Be Seeing You," a song Masser sang at her mother's funeral.

On "Room 608" and "Hackensack," the band unleashes their power, creating a fine backdrop for Masser's adventurous vocal improvisations. Her playful scatting, riffing against the band's energy, and her joy in performance are evident throughout. The album stands as both a tribute and a showcase of the empathy and connection between father and daughter. Masser's classy and mature vocal performance focuses on getting the most from the lyrics and adding a sparkle of freshness to classic songs. She is content to find her own path through the material, is totally assured of her range and suggests an artist whose creative journey carries much promise and potential for the future. By Neil Duggan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-with-my-father-the-emily-masser-quintet-self-produced

Personnel: Emily Masser (vocals), Dean Masser (tenor saxophone), Matyas Gayer (piano), James Owston (bass), and Steve Brown (drums)

Songs With My Father

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Dave Holland Quintet - Points Of View

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:01
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:18)  1. The Balance
(10:54)  2. Mr. B.
( 8:48)  3. Bedouin Trail
( 8:23)  4. Metamorphos
(10:12)  5. Ario
( 9:40)  6. Herbaceous
( 6:53)  7. The Benevolent One
( 6:49)  8. Serenade

The eight compositions which make up Points of View are so varied that this in itself becomes a hallmark of Dave Holland's style here. Consistency instead comes from the interaction of the players, whom Holland's arrangements give ensemble roles during each other's solos; from the unusual instrumentation, used both for frank exoticism ("Bedouin Trail", "Serenade") and to leaven more traditional compositions with surprise. The soloists are imaginative, and swinging on those tunes where swing is part of the picture. Holland and Kilson power the ensemble, Holland with his rich tone, Kilson with clarity and a fine percussionist's melodic sense, both with impeccable time."The balance" seemingly begins with the sound of a bass tuning, as if for a live date, with the other players joining in with an improvised ensemble worthy of Mingus. The tune turns into a characteristic opener, but with a difference: swift and exciting, to be sure, but with a tricky time signature and a restlessness about settling on a major or minor mode."Mr. B" is like one of those great 1950's hard bop tunes seen through a post-modern prism, Holland playing a walking bass line throughout."Bedouin trail," beginning with Eubanks high on the trombone, almost a French horn sound, moves into a medium tempo clave groove. The virtues of Holland's group stand out in this sensous tune, which seems almost to suspend time.

"Metamorphosis" alternates rapidly between swing and funk, terms that don't do justice either to the edgy composition or the impassioned improvisations.The rhythm section opens "Ario" with an ostinato feel, moving eventually into a Latin groove. As usual on this recording, the horn parts belie the small group size. Likewise the vibes' fills provide a bigger than usual sound in the percussive/chordal instrument's role: richer than a piano, fuller than a guitar. The track shifts between the mellowness of a medium-tempo ballad and a series of climaxes."Herbaceous" has a samba-then-swing feel, opened up by spontaneity and virtuosity of the ensemble, making for a tumultuous ride. "The benevolent one" begins out of tempo as a duet between Nelson's ringing vibes and Holland's bowed bass, before turning into a ballad, with Kilson's brushes shimmering like aspen leaves. The rhythm section is nearly equal in the foreground during the solos, giving the tune a chamber-music intimacy "Serenade" concludes the recording with a taste of Latin folk-music, the marimba trilling a simple melody over the initially unchanging harmony implied by Holland's repetitive bass figure. This track's optimistic serenity, played only by the rhythm section, creates yet another musical world among the several in this unusual and brilliantly realized production.By Larry Koenigsberg https://www.allaboutjazz.com/points-of-view-dave-holland-ecm-records-review-by-larry-koenigsberg.php

Personnel: Dave Holland, bass; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Steve Wilson, soprano and alto saxophone; Steve Nelson, vibraphone and marimba; Billy Kilson, drums

Points Of View

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Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett - Vocal Encounters

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:02
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. That Old Black Magic
(3:14)  2. Summer Song
(3:58)  3. My Melancholy Baby (with Jimmy Rushing)
(1:56)  4. It's a Raggy Waltz
(3:06)  5. The Real Ambassador
(2:37)  6. My One Bad Habit
(3:17)  7. Because All Men Are Brothers
(2:06)  8. There'll Be Some Changes Made
(2:48)  9. Weep No More
(4:38) 10. Cultural Exchange
(2:54) 11. Travelin' Blues - Live
(3:21) 12. Ain't Misbehavin' (with Jimmy Rushing)
(5:27) 13. They Say I Look Like God
(2:29) 14. In The Lurch
(2:21) 15. Autumn In Our Town
(2:31) 16. Since Love Had Its Way
(4:37) 17. Blues in the Dark (with Jimmy Rushing)
(2:15) 18. Take Five (with The Dave Brubeck Quartet) - Single Version

Dave and Iola Brubeck wrote most of the songs on this vocal compilation, including excerpts from their show The Real Ambassadors. Culled from several early 1960s releases, each selection features a singer or singers. Two previously unreleased tracks are included: a take of “It’s A Raggy Waltz” with Carmen McRae and an arrangement of “Autumn In Our Town” with whispery singer Ranny Sinclair. The refreshing “Raggy Waltz” works well as a vocal number, while “Autumn In Our Town” proves to be much less effective. The combination of Sinclair’s pure, young and innocent voice alongside harsher pickups of guitar and piano creates problems. Precious moments include Paul Desmond’s few appearances, Tony Bennett’s “That Old Black Magic” thrill, the firm confidence of both Rushing and McRae, Louis Armstrong’s storytellin’ and LHR’s dazzling scat display. Brubeck and Desmond both provide examples of their best solo work on “Ain’t Misbehavin’” with Rushing. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross work hand in hand with Armstrong on The Real Ambassadors selections to remind the world that jazz is indeed a universal language. Featuring its own cast of expressive singers, the Vocal Encounters compilation offers the reader an interesting program  on CD.By Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vocal-encounters-dave-brubeck-columbia-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Dave Brubeck- piano; Paul Desmond- alto saxophone; Eugene Wright- bass; Joe Morello- drums; Danny Barcelona- drums; Trummy Young- trombone; Joe Darensbourg- clarinet; Louis Armstrong- trumpet, vocal; Tony Bennett, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Jimmy Rushing, Carmen McRae, Peter, Paul & Mary, Ranny Sinclair- vocals; other instrumentalists.

Vocal Encounters

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Herbie Hancock - The Best Of Funky Jazz

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 2004
Time: 64:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 146,8 MB
Art: Front

( 5:30) 1. Cantaloupe Island
( 6:12) 2. Tom Thumb
( 7:11) 3. Watermelon Man
( 8:19) 4. Blind Man, Blind Man
( 6:58) 5. Driftin
( 7:42) 6. Kuru Speak Like A Child
( 6:35) 7. And What If I Don T
(15:38) 8. Chameleon

Herbie Hancock will always be one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz just as his employer/mentor Miles Davis was when he was alive. Unlike Miles, who pressed ahead relentlessly and never looked back until near the very end, Hancock has cut a zigzagging forward path, shuttling between almost every development in electronic and acoustic jazz and R&B over the last third of the 20th century and into the 21st. Though grounded in Bill Evans and able to absorb blues, funk, gospel, and even modern classical influences, Hancock's piano and keyboard voices are entirely his own, with their own urbane harmonic and complex, earthy rhythmic signatures and young pianists cop his licks constantly.

Having studied engineering and professing to love gadgets and buttons, Hancock was perfectly suited for the electronic age; he was one of the earliest champions of the Rhodes electric piano and Hohner clavinet, and would field an ever-growing collection of synthesizers and computers on his electric dates. Yet his love for the grand piano never waned, and despite his peripatetic activities all around the musical map, his piano style continued to evolve into tougher, ever more complex forms. He is as much at home trading riffs with a smoking funk band as he is communing with a world-class post-bop rhythm section and that drives purists on both sides of the fence up the wall.

Having taken up the piano at age seven, Hancock quickly became known as a prodigy, soloing in the first movement of a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony at the age of 11. After studies at Grinnell College, Hancock was invited by Donald Byrd in 1961 to join his group in New York City, and before long, Blue Note offered him a solo contract. His debut album, Takin' Off, took off indeed after Mongo Santamaria covered one of the album's songs, "Watermelon Man." In May 1963,

Miles Davis asked him to join his band in time for the Seven Steps to Heaven sessions, and he remained there for five years, greatly influencing Miles' evolving direction, loosening up his own style, and, upon Miles' suggestion, converting to the Rhodes electric piano. In that time span, Hancock's solo career also blossomed on Blue Note, pouring forth increasingly sophisticated compositions like "Maiden Voyage," "Cantaloupe Island," "Goodbye to Childhood," and the exquisite "Speak Like a Child." He also played on many East Coast recording sessions for producer Creed Taylor and provided a groundbreaking score to Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow Up, which gradually led to further movie assignments.

Having left the Davis band in 1968, Hancock recorded an elegant funk album, Fat Albert Rotunda, and in 1969 formed a sextet that evolved into one of the most exciting, forward-looking jazz-rock groups of the era. Now deeply immersed in electronics, Hancock added the synthesizer of Patrick Gleeson to his Echoplexed, fuzz-wah-pedaled electric piano and clavinet, and the recordings became spacier and more complex rhythmically and structurally, creating its own corner of the avant-garde. By 1970, all of the musicians used both English and African names (Herbie's was Mwandishi). Alas, Hancock had to break up the band in 1973 when it ran out of money, and having studied Buddhism, he concluded that his ultimate goal should be to make his audiences happy. Head Hunters The next step, then, was a terrific funk group whose first album, Head Hunters, with its Sly Stone-influenced hit single,

"Chameleon," became the biggest-selling jazz LP up to that time. Now handling all of the synthesizers himself, Hancock's heavily rhythmic comping often became part of the rhythm section, leavened by interludes of the old urbane harmonies. Hancock recorded several electric albums of mostly superior quality in the '70s, followed by a wrong turn into disco around the decade's end. In the meantime, Hancock refused to abandon acoustic jazz. After a one-shot reunion of the 1965 Miles Davis Quintet (Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, with Freddie Hubbard sitting in for Miles) at New York's 1976 Newport Jazz Festival, they went on tour the following year as V.S.O.P. The near-universal acclaim of the reunions proved that Hancock was still a whale of a pianist; that Miles' loose mid-'60s post-bop direction was far from spent; and that the time for a neo-traditional revival was near, finally bearing fruit in the '80s with Wynton Marsalis and his ilk. V.S.O.P. continued to hold sporadic reunions through 1992, though the death of the indispensable Williams in 1997 cast much doubt as to whether these gatherings would continue.

Hancock continued his chameleonic ways in the '80s: scoring an MTV hit in 1983 with the scratch-driven, proto-industrial single "Rockit" (accompanied by a striking video); launching an exciting partnership with Gambian kora virtuoso Foday Musa Suso that culminated in the swinging 1986 live album Jazz Africa; doing film scores; and playing festivals and tours with the Marsalis brothers, George Benson, Michael Brecker, and many others. After his 1988 techno-pop album, Perfect Machine, Hancock left Columbia (his label since 1973), signed a contract with Qwest that came to virtually nothing (save for A Tribute to Miles in 1992), and finally made a deal with Polygram in 1994 to record jazz for Verve and release pop albums on Mercury. Well into a youthful middle age, Hancock's curiosity, versatility, and capacity for growth showed no signs of fading, and in 1998 he issued Gershwin's World.

His curiosity with the fusion of electronic music and jazz continued with 2001's Future 2 Future, but he also continued to explore the future of straight-ahead contemporary jazz with 2005's Possibilities. An intriguing album of jazz treatments of Joni Mitchell compositions called River: The Joni Letters was released in 2007. In 2010 Hancock released his The Imagine Project album, which was recorded in seven countries and featured a host of collaborators, including Dave Matthews, Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Beck, the Chieftains, John Legend, India.Arie, Seal, P!nk, Juanes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Chaka Khan, K'NAAN, Wayne Shorter, James Morrison, and Lisa Hannigan. He was also named Creative Chair for the New Los Angeles Philharmonic.https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/herbie-hancock

The Best Of Funky Jazz

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