Jeff Lynne - Long Wave

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 24:28
Size: 56.0 MB
Label: Frontier Records
Styles: Pop/rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:19] 1. If I Loved You
[2:30] 2. So Sad
[2:51] 3. Mercy, Mercy
[2:14] 4. Running Scared
[2:18] 5. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[2:30] 6. Smile
[2:32] 7. At Last
[2:29] 8. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
[1:49] 9. Let It Rock
[2:52] 10. Beyond The Sea

When Jeff Lynne was growing up, he listened to music on longwave radio, soaking up all the sounds coming through the big radio in the living room. His 2012 tribute to these days, appropriately called Long Wave, is a far-reaching salute to the glory days of pop in the years before the Beatles. It's too easy to peg this as a standards album, a designation that isn't quite accurate. Lynne may cover many show tunes along with '50s favorites of big-band vocalists but he spends nearly as much time with rock & roll, and not just the operatic pop of his fellow Traveling Wilbury Roy Orbison, either. He cranks through Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock," slides into the silken harmonies of the Everly Brothers on "So Sad," and grooves through Don Covay's "Mercy, Mercy." These are the cuts that stick the closest to the original hit recordings. When Lynne tackles Rodgers & Hammerstein ("If I Loved You"), Rodgers & Hart ("Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"), Fain & Webster ("Love Is a Many Splendored Thing"), and Chaplin ("Smile"), he breaks the song down to its melodic basics then builds up candied, layered arrangements that are distinctly his own, suggesting the gorgeous cascades of sound that were the signature of prime ELO. Indeed, when these sweet reinterpretations are combined with the straight-ahead rockers, Long Wave adds up to a blueprint in reverse for Lynne; by going to back to his beginnings, he winds up figuring out why he went in the direction he did. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, vibraphone, drums, background vocals); Marc Mann (strings); Steve Jay (shaker, tambourine).

Long Wave

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Tom Rust & The Malcolm Edmonstone Trio - Are We There Yet?

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:09
Size: 101.1 MB
Label: Swing Out
Styles: Contemporary jazz vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:41] 1. Tv Blues
[3:04] 2. The Coffee Song
[4:50] 3. Learning The Blues
[5:12] 4. Saturday Night
[3:12] 5. Witchcraft
[3:45] 6. The Bare Necessities
[3:51] 7. I Only Have Eyes For You
[4:29] 8. Ruby Baby
[4:09] 9. Honey Suckle Rose
[3:54] 10. That's Amore
[0:00] 11. I Keep Going Back To Joe'sâ
[2:57] 12. Orange Coloured Sky

Are we there yet? is another collaboration with The Malcolm Edmonstone Trio. The jazz trio features Malcolm Edmonstone on piano, Andrew Bain on drums, Julian Jackson and Alec Dankworth on bass. This "Radio friendly" recording has a considered vocal approach and intimacy of recording that takes the listener through a thoroughly entertaining journey. Edmonstone's arrangements give the impression of a big band, with confident vocals from the slightly altered lyrics of the opening track TV Blues, right through to the snappy arrangement of Orange Coloured Sky. Rust has dedicated this CD to beautiful and precious gifts, his two children.

Tom Rust - Voice; Malcolm Edmonstone - Piano; Julian Jackson - Double Bass; Alec Dankworth - Double Bass; Andrew Bain - Drums.

Recorded at Red Gables Studios in London.

Are We There Yet?

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Roy Meriwether - This One's On Me

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 64:18
Size: 147.2 MB
Label: Fahrenheit
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 5:57] 1. The Sidewalks Of New York
[ 4:16] 2. This One's On Me
[ 6:42] 3. Don't Look Under The Bed
[ 7:24] 4. When I Think Of Miles
[10:45] 5. Ah George, We Hardly Knew You
[ 5:38] 6. Don't Call Me Brother (& Rip Me Off)
[ 6:05] 7. Please Send Me Someone To Love
[ 5:41] 8. Soup & Onions
[ 5:27] 9. Silver Mist
[ 6:19] 10. The Beautiful Ones

New York City-based pianist Meriwether has always had chops to burn, as he displays here. There are instances, however, where he does tone down and get into more soulful, patient constructions. Bassist Chris Berger and drummer Neal Smith are relatively unheralded, but do their rhythmic jobs in buoying the leader's flights of fancy. Meriwether also composed several of these ten selections. Three are ballads: the moderately slow title track; the slower "Silver Mist," an older composition (1968) which Meriwether revisits; and the languid "When I Think of Miles." He also penned the wildly upbeat soul blues "Soup & Onions," another older tune (1966) that has perennially been a set closer in his live dates. The pianist also has a penchant for jazzing up pop tunes: The O'Jays "Don't Call Me Brother" is done as a waltzy funk; Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" as a steady tick-tock ballad; and the universal Percy Mayfield evergreen "Please Send Me Someone to Love" as a patently slow and sweet number. A little more progressive is the Don Pullen piece "Ah George, We Hardly Knew Ya" in a six-beat blues funk bag with none of Pullen or Meriwether's histrionic pianistics, but with plenty of soul. A blues strut -- perhaps what the pianist does best á la Gene Harris -- appears on "Don't Look Under the Bed," while Meriwether's signature tune "Sidewalks of New York" sports "Cherokee" changes and inflections of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" in solid blues-gospel garb where the pianist splashes note clusters and furious runs in showy fashion. For those who are familiar with Meriwether's expertise, this CD will serve as further evidence of his talent. For those who are not, this may be a good primer to lead toward his older recordings, especially the Columbia discs of the '60s. ~ Michael G. Nastos

This One's On Me

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Geri Allen - Maroons

Styles: Piano Jazz

Label: Blue Note

Year: 1992

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:19

Size: 166,5 MB

Art: Front

(1:32)  1. Feed the Fire I

(7:06)  2. No More Mr. Nice Guy

(5:32)  3. And They Partied

(4:38)  4. Number Four

(5:45)  5. Prayer for Peace

(7:40)  6. Mad Money

(2:49)  7. Two Brothers

(3:29)  8. Feed the Fire II

(5:01)  9. Dolphy's Dance

(4:10) 10. For John Malachi

(8:21) 11. Laila's House

(3:19) 12. Feed the Fire III

(1:05) 13. Brooklyn Bound "A"

(5:21) 14. Bed-Sty

(6:25) 15. Maroons

Geri Allen's star had fully risen by 1992 with the release of this potpourri of tracks reflecting various aspects of her recording career and peeking at the future. Detroit mentor Marcus Belgrave appears on two tracks, while trumpeter and husband Wallace Roney is on the remainder of the ensemble selections -- and he has shed the Miles Davis clone visage, striking his own poses and shadings. There are also several trio or quartet tracks with different drummers and bassists, as Allen revisits older material and adds to her widening repertoire with new compositions, always with the ingenious, virtuosic, and spontaneous style that makes her one of the most interesting players in modern post-McCoy Tyner jazz. A remake of "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (done with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian on In the Year of the Dragon) is rendered a bit faster here with bassist Dwayne Dolphin and drummer Tani Tabbal, but retains its elusive, cryptic quality. There are three versions of "Feed the Fire" as preludes -- one with hand percussionists Tabbal and Pheeroan akLaff; one with them and twin bassists Dwayne Dolphin and Anthony Cox; and a third with Allen, Dolphin, and Tabbal -- and all are very energetic and probing, with drum solos or bop notions inserted. The best trio track is "Bed-Sty" with Dolphin and Tabbal, a steamrolling, head-nodding piece, swimming in the spontaneous improvisations only Allen can conjure on the spot. 

Of the cuts featuring the emerging personal voice of Roney's trumpet, "Mad Money" is all about the insane drive for the Benjamins, deliberate and clipped in its modal melody, but moving right into Allen's clever solo. "And They Partied" has the contemporary funky M-Base approach with a bit of an inebriated, sauced line from Roney, while the title selection is totally in an underground mood, with the trumpeter evincing voodoo tones but quite unlike Miles Davis. Allen and Belgrave play a jaunty, lyrical duet on the Lawrence Williams composition "Number Four" as a tribute to their Detroit home base, while the two trumpeters join forces for "Dolphy's Dance," an angular, scattered post-bop melody that has future standard written all over it. Because of the variety of groupings, ever-changing and chameleonic through this program, it makes for a remarkable listening session from beginning to end. Dressed in elegant Victorian period clothing in the artwork, Allen seems to suggest that her past is as important as her present -- yet Maroons still exists in modern times, and she refuses to be stuck in old habits while reaching for new vistas, standing solidly on terra firma. Thisexcellent recording is easily recommended to her fans and potential new devotees.~Michael G.Bastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/maroons-mw0000616167.

Personnel: Geri Allen (piano); Marcus Belgrave, Wallace Roney (trumpet); Anthony Cox, Dwayne Dolphin (bass); Pheeroan AkLaff, Tani Tabbal (drums).

Maroons

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Eddie Higgins Trio - Speaking Of Jobim

Styles: Piano Jazz

Label: Sunny Side

Year: 1998

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:02

Size: 132,9 MB

Art: Front

(5:40)  1. O Morro Nao Tem Vez

(6:51)  2. I Was Just One More For You

(4:38)  3. Brigas, Nunca Mais

(4:35)  4. Falando de Amor

(3:53)  5. Two Kites

(4:16)  6. Bonita

(5:21)  7. Voce e Eu

(6:32)  8. Choro

(6:26)  9. Felicidade

(3:17) 10. So Tinha De Ser Com Voce

(3:52) 11. Caminhos Cuzados

(2:34) 12. Inutil Paisagem

By now everyone has heard at least one of Antonio Carlos Jobim's beautiful compositions, if only his most famous ones, "Girl From Ipanema" or "Desafinado," playing poppishly in an elevator or mall somewhere. His work has been recorded by every combination of instrument and voice, including Sinatra's. What distinguishes this CD from hundreds of others is its inclusion of 11 relatively obscure Jobim tunes, and the way this classy trio succeeds in communicating the essence of his special gifts with a minimum of fuss and feathers. (One track is a Carlos Lyra composition, "Voce e Eu," which blends in nicely.) The arrangements are elegant, combining jazz and Brazilian rhythms to gently swing the melodies and highlight Jobim's lush harmonies. The under-recognized pianist Eddie Higgins is a delight: Straightforward, relaxed, and varied, he sizzles on the up-tempo "Two Kites" and does a gorgeous rubato turn on "Inutil Pasagem" (Useless Landscape), one of Jobim's most heartbreaking songs. 

The always melodic bassist Jay Leonhart has some wonderfully warm solos, and demonstrates his superb bowing technique on several tracks, including the lovely "Bonita," while drummer Terry Clarke is consistently sensitive and vital, whether lofting a samba or swaying a ballad. It's difficult to pick highlights from this collection of sparkling gems, but it's easy to recommend it. An excellent introduction to Jobim's unique beauty, it will also appeal to long-term fans who already have an extensive collection of his work. Highly recommended.~Judith Schlesinger http://www.allmusic.com/album/speaking-of-jobim-mw0000620445.

Personnel: Eddie Higgins (piano); Jay Leonhart (bass); Terry Clarke (drums).

Speaking Of Jobim

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Richie Beirach & George Coleman - Convergence

Styles: Jazz

Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:43
Size: 130,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:57)  1. The Lamp Is Low
( 6:48)  2. I Wish I Knew
( 4:39)  3. Flamenco Sketches
( 5:15)  4. Rectilinear
( 6:54)  5. For BC
( 5:45)  6. Riddles
( 6:16)  7. Zal
( 3:27)  8. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(10:37)  9. Infant Eyes

Pianist Richie Beirach and saxophonist George Coleman interpret a collection of standards, with a few Beirach originals thrown in for good measure. Beirach's a world-class jazz romantic; his soft touch makes it sound as if there's a pillow underneath the keyboard. Which is not to say he's an imprecise player, or needlessly docile. He's really quite the opposite, but there's an underlying gentleness to his work that imparts an air of vulnerability to everything he plays, even when he's at his most aggressive. Coleman is similar, in a way, though the saxophonist's sensitivity is occasionally camouflaged by a good-natured surliness that we know is just a front. On this album, Coleman can't help but put his heart on his sleeve Beirach's accompaniments demand it. The music that results is a nice blend of the bucolic and the temperamental; the pianist's pastoral tranquility combines with the saxophonist's restless urbanity to good ends.~Chris Kelsey http://www.allmusic.com/album/convergence-mw0000279091.

Personnel: Richie Beirach (piano); George Coleman (tenor & soprano sax).

Convergence

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