Larry Vuckovich - Somethin' Special

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:32
Size: 169.9 MB
Label: Tetrachord
Styles: Bebop, Piano jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[7:10] 1. Somethin' Special
[6:25] 2. Enchantment
[7:18] 3. What Will I Tell My Heart?
[7:08] 4. Comin' Home Baby
[8:54] 5. Soultrane
[6:06] 6. How Insensitive
[3:36] 7. Pannonica
[9:08] 8. Cheese Cake
[6:45] 9. Loving Linda
[6:29] 10. Zeljko's Blues
[4:29] 11. Star Dust

A veteran pianist deserving of wider recognition, Larry Vuckovich has spent several decades on the American jazz scene since leaving his native Yugoslavia for the U.S. in the early '50s. For the most part the songs on these 2011 sessions focus on bop and hard bop from the late '50s and early '60s, ranging from solo piano to trio, quartet, and quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton on five selections. Vuckovich's working group includes tenor saxophonist Noel Jewkes, bassist Paul Keller, and drummer Chuck McPherson. Vuckovich's solo treatment of Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica" mixes glistening lines with jaunty bop, while his approach to Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" is lush with a few Tatum-inspired runs added for fun. Hamilton shares the spotlight with Jewkes for three songs. The robust twin tenor interpretation of Sonny Clark's "Somethin' Special" is a breezy take of an infectious blues with potent solos all around, with Hamilton's hard blowing contrasting with Jewkes' lighter but equally swinging approach, in which they both playfully exchange a tag from Bizet's Carmen. Keller steals the show with his intricate opening solo to "Comin' Home Baby," though the one-two punch of the tenor team energizes this favorite, with the leader's solo blending soul-jazz with a Brazilian air. The tenor men also devour Dexter Gordon's "Cheese Cake" with a delicious performance. Hamilton plays the sole tenor in a snappy rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim's melancholy "How Insensitive" and the touching ballad "What Will I Tell My Heart," while Jewkes is featured in Horace Silver's infrequently recorded "Enchantment." Vuckovich contributed two fine originals as well. "Loving Linda" showcases Jewkes' impressive chops on soprano sax, a shimmering swinger with a Brazilian touch. The rhythm section tackles the pianist's driving "Zeljko's Blues" with gusto, featuring each of them individually in what should be a natural set-closer for Vuckovich. This CD easily lives up to its title with outstanding performances throughout the sessions. ~ Ken Dryden

Recording information: Megasonic Sound, Oakland, CA (02/14/2011/02/15/2011).

Larry Vuckovich (piano); Noel Jewkes (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); Chuck McPherson (drums).

Somethin' Special

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Kelly Eisenhour - Now You Know

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 54:01

Size: 123.7 MB

Label: (Self released)

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2005

Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Now You Know

[4:58] 2. Lazy Afternoon

[3:54] 3. Moondance

[5:02] 4. My Funny Valentine

[3:02] 5. You Do Something To Me

[4:56] 6. Gentle Rain

[4:49] 7. The Right Thing

[4:08] 8. God Bless The Child

[3:03] 9. Day By Day

[6:58] 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

[3:00] 11. Just In Time

[4:02] 12. Love Is Here To Stay

[3:07] 13. It Had To Be You

A collection of original jazz and classic standards with a twist. Great arrangements with sultry, sophisticated, yet soulful vocals. Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops says "...she's the real thing."

Kelly Eisenhour is a prolific jazz vocalist, and the winner of the 6th annual Seattle-Kobe Female Vocal Jazz Competition in 2010. Her last album released in 2007, "Seek and Find" featuring Bob Mintzer, reached #14 on JazzWeek national radio airplay charts, #11 on College radio, and #3 on the respected national jazz radio show, "The Bob Parlocha Show." It received continuous airplay for 7 months after it's release. Kelly has performed in various jazz festivals and has toured as guest soloist with the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart. She is also a songwriter and arranger, and has done numerous projects in that capacity, including the 2006 Grammy award winning album, Gladys Knight: One Voice, in which she serves as songwriter, soloist, co-arranger, and assistant choir director. Kelly has two more jazz recordings, "Kelly Eisenhour, Now You Know," released in 2001, and "Kelly Eisenhour with the Jeff Hamilton Trio." She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music as a vocal performance major, and has an M.M. from the University of Utah in jazz studies, composition and performance. Her career has taken her many places, starting as a jazz singer in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona (sometimes working with another native Tucsonan -Brian Bromberg), and then diving into the various music scenes in Boston, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and currently in Seattle. Other career highlights: opened for Ramsey Lewis at the Park City Jazz Festival, performed live at the Apollo Theatre, and was an invited performer at the 2007 International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference. As an educator, Kelly is a sought after clinician, and was the vocal jazz instructor for the 2006 3-day Teacher's Training Institute for IAJE, as well as workshops for UMEA. She was the vocal jazz director at Brigham Young University as an adjunct instructor, and made the move to a full-time faculty position as the choral director at Green River Community College in Washington state where she now resides. Kelly loves the combination of teaching and performing and feels she has the best of both worlds. The great sax player Bob Mintzer says, "I truly enjoyed playing on her recording and I look forward to watching Kelly's rise to the recognition level she deserves."

Now You Know      

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Joe Loco - Vaya! With Joe Loco

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 29:18
Size: 67.1 MB
Label: Hallmark
Styles: Latin jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:21] 1. Vaya
[2:28] 2. Los Marcianos
[2:10] 3. Aqui Viene El Swing
[2:20] 4. Rhumba Rhapsody
[2:43] 5. En Vano Te Espero
[2:41] 6. Anaboaca
[2:20] 7. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[2:30] 8. Almendra
[2:49] 9. My Rival
[1:50] 10. Coco Seco
[2:54] 11. Pan Con Queso
[2:07] 12. Siboney

A composer of numerous hit recordings, quality music orchestrator and top contender for the title of "most melodic pianist." Started with Montecino's Happy Boys in 1938. He was Machito's pianist before being drafted into the US Air Force in November, 1945. After his discharge in 1947, he free lanced with Latin music's top bands, which included Polito Galindez, Marcelino Guerra, Pupi Campo, and Julio Andino before striking gold whith his monstrous hit recording of "Tenderly" in 1952. His Latinized arrangements of American pop standard tunes enabled Loco's Quintet to perform at jazz clubs and other popular spots which never featured Latin music. ~bio by Max Salazar

Vaya! With Joe Loco

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Lyn Stanley - Lost in Romance

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Self Released
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:10
Size: 143,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Change Partners
(4:00)  2. Watch What Happens
(4:08)  3. Fever
(4:00)  4. That Old Black Magic
(5:18)  5. The Nearness of You
(5:00)  6. You Go To My Head
(3:48)  7. I Just Want To Make Love To You
(4:26)  8. My Foolish Heart
(3:36)  9. What Am I Gonna Do With a Bad Boy Like You?
(4:47) 10. Losing My Mind
(4:07) 11. One For My Baby
(4:29) 12. Sugar on the Floor
(2:40) 13. Too Close For Comfort
(3:53) 14. Something
(3:09) 15. The Last Dance

Singer, dancer, ingenue, Lyn Stanley is a fully realized and mature talent exploding into her own. An award-winning ballroom dancer, Stanley melds that physical experience of movement with her performance of jazz standards, bringing the genre back to its dancing, kinetic roots. As executive producer, Stanley brings a Midas touch to the proceedings, producing in wholly urbane and sophisticated collection of the best the Great American Songbook has to offer. It takes a certain fortitude to record one more collection of jazz standards,but, then again, this is the most appropriate starting place for Stanley. Standards are the proving ground for Stanley's singing philosophy and that philosophy is a sound and entertaining one. 

The songs include a smoldering "Fever," an island humid "That Old Black Magic" and a late-night "The Nearness of You" (featuring the inestimable Bob Sheppard on tenor saxophone) that set a relaxed mood, one that is sure of the talent to which it's being devoted. There are no steep cliffs here, only straight and elegant byways to pass the time, with some exceptional ballad and mid-tempo vocal performances by the dense loam of talent that is Lyn Stanley. Stanley takes these songs on with a conservative ear, opting for a traditional performance. The value of this approach is to always allow the composer to speak as intended when conceiving these pieces. Stanley's singing is beyond sexy or sensuous; it is whatever transcends these anemic descriptors. This is singing and delivery that must wait for the proper word to come along to define it. The same applies for the elegance and grace her accompanying musician bring to the project, a who's who of West Coast jazz talent convening for a holiday and that holiday is Lost In Romance.~C.Michael Bailey 

(http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45010#.UhdknX-Ac1I).

Personnel: Lyn Stanley: vocals; Tamir Hendelman: piano (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 15); Mike Lang: piano (3, 6, 9-11); Llew Matthews: piano (7, 13, 14); Trey Henry: bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 15); Jim DeJulio: bass (3, 6, 9-11); Kevin Axt: bass (7, 13, 14); Jeff Hamilton: drums (1-3, 6, 9, 15); Bernie Dresel: drums (4, 5, 8, 10-12); Paul Kreibich: drums (7, 13, 14); Gilbert Castellanos: flugelhorn (1), trumpet (15); Bob Sheppard: tenor saxophone (4, 5); Thom Rotella: guitar (10-14); Bob McChesney: trombone (6, 9).

Lost in Romance

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Harry Allen & John Pizzarelli - Harry Allen Meets the John Pizzarelli Trio

Styles: Jazz
Label: Slider Music
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:46
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. Pennies from Heaven
(3:33)  2. Dear Old Stockholm
(7:01)  3. P-Town/You're Driving Me Crazy
(3:23)  4. Early Autumn
(5:30)  5. I Want to Be Happy
(6:00)  6. These Foolish Things
(3:47)  7. Blue Lou
(5:35)  8. Body and Soul
(4:43)  9. Sunday
(5:43) 10. Dot's Cheesecake
(3:15) 11. When Harry Met Martin
(4:28) 12. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(5:07) 13. Limehouse Blues

After a decade on the scene, tenor-saxophonist Harry Allen, in 1995, was finally on the brink of being discovered, or at least recognized, by the greater jazz world. At that point in time, his tenor sound often recalled Stan Getz and Zoot Sims, but in a more swing-oriented setting. Teamed up with the John Pizzarelli Trio (with Pizz on guitar, pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist Martin Pizzarelli), Allen performs 11 vintage standards plus Bucky Pizzarelli's "Dot's Cheesecake" and his own "When Harry Met Martin" (which he co-wrote with Martin Pizzarelli). Among the highlights of this melodic and swinging set are "Pennies from Heaven," "Dear Old Stockholm," "I Want to Be Happy," "Sunday" and "Limehouse Blues." Easily recommended to mainstream swing collectors and an excellent example of Harry Allen's tenor playing.~Scott Yanow (http://www.allmusic.com/album/harry-allen-meets-the-john-pizzarelli-trio-mw0000602194).

Harry Allen Meets the John Pizzarelli Trio

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Marian McPartland - All My Life

Styles: Jazz, Piano Jazz
Label: Savoy Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:30
Size: 153,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(3:18)  2. It Might As Well Be Spring
(2:46)  3. Strike Up the Band
(2:50)  4. Love is Here to Stay
(2:58)  5. Lullaby of Birdland
(3:17)  6. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
(2:27)  7. Limehouse Blues
(2:48)  8. It's Only a Paper Moon
(3:06)  9. Hallelujuh!
(2:59) 10. Moonlight In Vermont
(3:04) 11. Moonlight In Vermont
(2:31) 12. Love For Sale
(2:31) 13. Love For Sale (Previously Unreleased Version)
(2:54) 14. Yesterdays
(2:44) 15. All the Things You Are
(3:04) 16. All My Life
(5:48) 17. Love You Madly
(3:08) 18. The Lady is a Tramp (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:42) 19. Four Brothers (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:10) 20. Aunt Hagar's Blues (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:14) 21. A Foggy Day (Previously Unreleased Version)

This Savoy Jazz anthology compiles various recordings pianist Marian McPartland made in the studio as well live performances recorded at the Hickory House in New York City during the 1950s, with the pianist backed energetically by various rhythm sections. Showcasing a startling technique and impeccable melodic sense, McPartland was just beginning to lead her own trio and develop a personal style on these tracks. Some of these cuts are rare, and longtime fans should find the newly discovered live recordings fascinating.~Matt Collar(http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-my-life-mw0000032546).

Personnel: Marian McPartland (piano); Max Wayne, Eddie Safranski, Bob Carter, Vinnie Burke (bass); Mel Zelnick, Elmer "Mousie" Alexander, Don Lamond, Joe Morello (drums).

R.I.P.
All My Life

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Paul Desmond - Like Someone In Love

Styles: Jazz
Label: Telarc Distribution
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

( 8:45)  1. Just Squeeze Me
( 9:46)  2. Tangerine
(10:59)  3. Meditation
(10:37)  4. Nuages
( 9:50)  5. Like Someone In Love
(11:11)  6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

In 1992, Telarc unveiled a series of performances from the vault on a short-lived label punningly entitled "Telarchive," beginning with this long-delayed encore to the original releases from Paul Desmond's "Canadian" quartet. Recorded live in Toronto's Bourbon Street Jazz Club several months before the live dates released on Horizon and Artists House, it finds Desmond growing comfortable with his new Toronto friends but not quite settled into their laid-back ways quite yet. There are passages in this session where Desmond sounds a bit uncharacteristically scattered and unfocused, where guitarist Ed Bickert becomes the more fluid and stable solo partner, and bassist (and engineer) Don Thompson takes a lengthy solo on every track. 

Desmond seems to produce his best work in the material that he seems most familiar with. The title track is the one that catches fire most brightly (with a wry assist from "We're in the Money") and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" finds him working in some clever asides from, yes, Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe." The wistful European melancholy of Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" suits him perfectly and Jobim's "Meditation" makes its first appearance on a Desmond recording. The boxy, confined live sound doesn't suit the late saxophonist nor, obviously, the perfectionist standards at Telarc but every precious unreleased note from Desmond is definitely worth sampling at whatever sonic level.~Richard Ginell (http://www.allmusic.com/album/like-someone-in-love-mw0000088986).

Personnel: Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Ed Bickert (guitar); Don Thompson (bass); Jerry Fuller (drums).

Like Someone In Love

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