The Ralph Sharon Sextet - Around The World In Jazz

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:34
Size: 76.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1957/2010
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. Tipperary Fairy
[3:33] 2. Strictly Occidental
[3:13] 3. Ask An Alaskan
[2:58] 4. Blue In Peru
[3:05] 5. Prettily Italy
[3:05] 6. Piccadilly Panic
[2:54] 7. Sorta Spanish
[2:49] 8. Parisienne Eyeful
[2:54] 9. Stateside Static (Original)
[2:38] 10. Hassle In Havana
[3:16] 11. Gibraltar Rock

Ralph Sharon made his professional debut with Ted Heath in 1946, then moved on to Frank Weir's orchestra before leading his own sextet. He moved to the U.S. in 1953, where he initially worked as an accompanist to Chris Connor. In 1957, he became musical director and pianist for Tony Bennett. He acquired American citizenship in 1958. In 1965, he and Bennett split up, but they got back together in 1979 and have played together since. Sharon has also led various groups and made many recordings as a leader. ~William Ruhlmann

Pianist Ralph Sharon's Sextet features Lucky Thompson on tenor sax, Eddie Costa on vibes, Joe Puma on guitar, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums.

Recorded in NYC, 1957.

Around The World In Jazz

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Ellyn Rucker - Now

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:09
Size: 162.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[ 5:33] 1. Now
[ 3:34] 2. Can't Get Out Of This Mood
[ 5:33] 3. Now
[ 7:02] 4. Strollin'
[ 5:06] 5. With You In Mind
[ 5:28] 6. Estate (Summer Passed)
[ 5:07] 7. Stockholm Sweetnin'
[ 5:32] 8. The Heather On The Hill
[ 6:25] 9. Last Resort
[10:52] 10. Useless Landscape Moon And Sand
[ 2:35] 11. The Best Thing For You
[ 2:09] 12. Lucky To Be Me
[ 6:07] 13. Here

Not many people can get away with putting two 5/4 bossa novas into a single program, but pianist and singer Ellyn Rucker has always done things just a bit differently. On her fifth album as a leader she steers clear of the usual repertoire of jazz standards, instead selecting a winning program of more obscure material both new and old, though a number of the songs and tunes were written by such familiar names as Horace Silver (the vocal version of "Strollin'"), Quincy Jones ("Stockholm Sweetnin'"), Ron Carter ("Last Resort"), and Irving Berlin ("Best Thing for You"). The arrangements call for a shifting complement of sidemen; her cool and lovely rendition of "Stockholm Sweetnin'" is performed by a standard quartet that includes alto saxophonist Rich Chiaraluce, while she handles Leonard Bernstein' s "Lucky to Be Me" all alone, singing and accompanying herself on piano. Rucker is an expert and charming singer, but for some reason this album's highlights tend to come on the instrumental numbers: her duo arrangement (with the exquisitely tasteful bassist Dave Young) of Lerner & Loewe's "Heather on the Hill" is simply gorgeous, as is her simple trio take on "Last Resort." And she effectively treads the fine line between excessive rhythmic looseness and effortless swing on those two 5/4 bossas, both of which could probably have done without the additional vocal contributions of their male composer. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Recorded at Greywood Studios, Denver, Colorado, March 2001.

Ellyn Rucker (vocals, piano); David Mackay (vocals); Mark Rose (soprano & tenor saxophone); Rich Chiaraluce (alto & tenor saxophone); Pete Sommer (tenor saxophone); Ron Satterfield (synthesizer); Mitchell Long (guitar); Dave Young (bass, percussion); Claudio Slon, Paul Romaine (drums).

Now

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Joao Donato & Paulo Moura - Dois Panos Para Manga

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:06
Size: 110.1 MB
Styles: Brazilian jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:16] 1. A Saudade Mata A Gente
[5:01] 2. On A Slow Boat To China
[4:31] 3. Swanee
[5:37] 4. Copacabana
[4:33] 5. Tenderly
[4:36] 6. That Old Black Magic
[7:56] 7. Minha Saudade
[4:36] 8. Pixinguinha No Arpoador
[5:56] 9. Sopapo

During a party at TV director Carlos Manga’s home, João Donato and Paulo Moura decided to work together and to issue a record in which they, for the first time, performed as a duo. It was Manga´s birthday and, while having a few drinks, the host asked them to play some of the themes which had once delighted the members of the Sinatra-Farney Fan Club in the auditions that were performed during the decade of the 50ies. The Murray Stores, in downtown Rio were then the meeting point for samba and jazz buffs, and such meetings have been regarded by many as the origin of Bossa Nova. During hours, and inspired by so many memories, Donato and Moura presented before a distinguished group of guests some of the songs mostly requested during those anthological auditions. And that is precisely the core of the repertory of “Dois panos para Manga”, based on the sentimental remembrances of João and Paulo, with some hints from Manga. “He even sang a few tunes with his tenor voice and managed to improvise in certain passages while we were playing our favorite songs from that period”, remembers Donato. “Carlos Manga was the president of the Sinatra-Farney Fan Club and its driving force”, recalls Moura. The interaction between performers and repertory was so intense that this album was recorded in less than a week, in February last, at the AR studio, with the only presence of Paulo’s clarinet and Donato’s piano. The repertory includes seven classics and two new songs composed by them expressly for this album: "Pixinguinha no Arpoador", and "Sopapo". Among the jazz classics - favorites of the Fan Club members – are “In a slow boat to China”, (Frank Loesser); “Swanee” (George and Ira Gershwin); “That old black magic” (Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer), as a tribute to Sinatra; and “Tenderly” (Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence), one of Nat King Cole’s greatest hits. In the Brazilian repertory, there are two re-creations of songs composed by Braguinha (João de Barro) that were great hits during the 40ies: “A saudade mata a gente”, in partnership with Antonio Almeida, and “Copacabana”, written together with Alberto Ribeiro. Also included are “Minha saudade”, by Donato and João Gilberto, and that has a special meaning to Paulo: “This was the first song in Bossa Nova format that I came across. I included it in first record. It probably was that music's first recording”, reports Paulo. The new songs, composed after the party in Manga’s home (not by chance located in Dick Farney Street, in Barra da Tijuca), reflect the influence of this repertory's earlier ones. "Pixinguinha no Arpoador", contains passages with themes recurrent in Brazilian and international songs. “My inspiration came after visiting Paulo at his home and having played a few chords. He asked what those chords were and I answered that they were nothing, but in reality they were the first notes of ‘Carinhoso’. We kept on playing until it turned out to be a samba canção (samba with lyrics) somewhat resembling also “La vie en rose”, explains Donato. On that same day, “Sopapo” was written. Paulo gave it that name. “Sopapo is the name of a drum from the Pelotas region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of which was given to me as a present by percussionist Giba-Giba”. Coincidently or not, Pelotas is the native town of Ivone Belém, João’s wife, who together with Halina Grymberg, Paulo’s wife, is in charge of the executive production of this record. “Sopapo is a joyful theme that appeals to any child. Besides, joy is my favorite emotion”, concludes Donato. * “Dois panos para mangas” makes a pun with the Brazilian idiomatic expression “dar panos para a manga" (which means “a lot to be said”, "a lot to occur”,” a lot f things that may happen”, and / or similar meanings) and the family name of director Carlos Manga.

Dois Panos Para Manga

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Chantale Gagné - Wisdom of the Water

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:45
Size: 105,7 MB
Scans: Front

(7:06)  1. Wisdom of the Water
(6:35)  2. Over the Bridge
(5:29)  3. My Wild Irish Rose
(5:25)  4. Squinky Pete
(1:45)  5. Roseline
(6:12)  6. The Light We Need
(4:52)  7. Waking Dreams
(4:27)  8. I Shall Not Be Moved
(3:50)  9. Lullaby For Winter

In many ways, water is the ultimate life force. Approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water and more than half of the human body is made up of water. Perhaps, it was with this in mind that nature endowed water with a certain degree of logic in motion. Water often flows ever-forward in endless streams of beauty, creating deep ripples within the very fabric of its moving form, and the same can be said for much of the music that pianist Chantale Gagné creates on Wisdom Of The Water.
On this, her sophomore effort, Gagné has crafted a program that demonstrates her ample skills behind the piano, while highlighting her compositions, which balance accessible ideas with unique harmonic hues. The can't-miss rhythm team of drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Peter Washington that appeared on her debut Silent Strength (Self Produced, 2008) return for round two, providing just the right touches in all the right places. While Gagné was clearly happy with her rhythm men, she obviously wasn't content to repeat herself, and she chose to augment this ensemble with the addition of the inimitable Joe Locke on vibraphone.

Both Locke and Gagné give off a similar sense of emotional radiance, embodied by the warm cocoon of sound they create on tracks like "Over The Bridge" co-written by Locke and Gagné and "The Light We Need." A sense of longing lives in these pieces and Gagné proves to be masterful in the molding and shaping of her own creations. While Locke's presence is most impressive in these types of setting, he also proves to be an asset on more lively fare, like the squirrelly "Squinky Pete." Gagné and Locke deftly move through single note lines together before Nash and Washington launch into a swinging groove. Locke is his ever-impressive self during his solo spot, Gagné tosses off her spunkiest solo on the record, and Nash is given some room to let loose before the head returns.

While Gagné is clearly a competent soloist and expert musical architect, her gifts aren't limited to these two areas. She proves to be a solo pianist with great range, as demonstrated by her ability to move from reflection and rumination ("Lullaby For Winter") to rubato introductions for pseudo-saloon piano playing ("Roseline"), and she takes a keen interest in providing bassist Peter Washington with a platform that he so richly deserves. It's a far-too-frequent occurrence for bassists to be buried beneath the rest of the band, but Gagné gives Washington more than his fair share of solo space, and uses his cello-like pizzicato work to provide the introductory melody on "My Wild Irish Rose." Gagné's ability to showcase her own skills, while proving to be selfless in highlighting each member of the band, is telling.

From the first note to the last, Wisdom Of The Water presents the wisdom, warmth, passion and promise inherent within the work of up-and-comer Chantale Gagné.~ Dan Bilawsky http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=38707#.UlG82RDNn8p

Personnel: Chantale Gagné: piano; Joe Locke: vibraphone; Peter Washington: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Wisdom of the Water

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Judy Wexler - What I See

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:23
Size: 112,9 MB
Scans: Front

(6:30)  1. Tomorrow Is Another Day
(3:15)  2. The Moon Is Made of Gold
(4:17)  3. Convince Me
(4:46)  4. They Say It's Spring
(5:25)  5. A Certain Sadness
(5:11)  6. The Long Goodbye
(3:49)  7. Just for Now
(5:35)  8. Follow
(3:28)  9. Another Time, Another Place
(3:21) 10. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
(3:37) 11. Laughing at Life

Vocalist Judy Wexler is more than a mere singer of songs. She's an actress, mood painter, song archaeologist and vocalist par excellence, and those designations shouldn't be taken as independent virtues; they all merge in her marvelous musical pursuits.

When I See is Wexler's fourth album, but it only took two Easy On The Heart (Jazzopolis, 2005) and Dreams & Shadows (Jazzed Media, 2008)  to establish her as one of the most highly respected vocal artists on the West Coast. She furthered her sterling reputation with the all-encompassing Under A Painted Sky (Jazzed Media, 2011), and she's likely to do the same with this one; it's a real beaut.

What I See finds Wexler covering a lot of ground again, as she moves from Benny Carter to John Williams to King Pleasure. She's in familiar company, working with some longtime colleagues like multi-reedist Bob Sheppard, drummer Steve Hass and pianist/arranger Jeff Colella, but she continually avoids the familiar in all other aspects of her work; she doesn't radically reinterpret anything or purposely pounce on never-before-heard numbers, but she also doesn't tread over well-worn ground.

Wexler kicks off the album with a comfortably swinging take on Pleasure's "Tomorrow Is Another Day." Her reading of this better-things-are-on-the-horizon statement is neither depressed nor sunny; it's matter-of-factly honest about the topic at hand. A similar sense of clarity and truthfulness shines through on every number. Wexler's acting credentials no doubt help her in this regard, but it never sounds like she's acting. When Judy Wexler sings a song, it becomes her song and her story, period. She's more than convincing on "Convince Me," a slow jam-of-a-song if ever there was one, and her voice rises to the occasion on "The Moon Is Made Of Gold." The mere mention of spring on "They Say It's Spring" and "Just For Now" brings a blooming quality to her voice, and she carries "Follow" forward in her own inimitable fashion.

The A-list musicians that join Wexler on this journey also do their part to make this a magical listen. Sheppard is ever-impressive, delivering the goods on bass clarinet ("Tomorrow Is Another Day") and adding warmth with his alto flute ("A Certain Sadness"), and Ron Stout adds a touch of brass beauty to the proceedings ("The Moon Is Made Of Gold"). Colella and guitarist Larry Koonse match Wexler in the sensitivity department and prove to be the instrumental MVPs on the project.

What I See, much like Wexler's prior album, is a marvel of sincerity and beauty.~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45314#.UlHATRDNn8o

Personnel: Judy Wexler: vocals; Jeff Colella: piano; Larry Koonse: guitar, ukulele; Chris Colangelo; bass; Steve Hass: drums; Ron Stout: flugelhorn, trumpet; Bob Sheppard: bass clarinet, alto flute; Scott Whitfield: trombone; Billy Hulting: percussion.

What I See

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Chicago Jazz Orchestra - Burstin' Out! (feat. Cyrille Aimée)

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2013

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:45

Size: 131,8 MB

Scans: Front

(2:41)  1. What a Little Moonlight Can Do

(5:33)  2. September in the Rain

(4:39)  3. A Night in Tunisia

(4:49)  4. Sometimes I'm Happy

(5:33)  5. Dindi

(3:25)  6. Yardbird Suite

(4:42)  7. Easy Living

(3:18)  8. Cheek to Cheek

(7:18)  9. Long as You're Living

(5:34) 10. Them There Eyes

(5:35) 11. I'm Through with Love

(4:20) 12. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Covering the Great American Songbook can be tricky, thankless work for a singer. The options for handling the material just aren't as numerous (i.e., nigh infinite) as they are for instrumentalists. Severely warping a melody, chopping it up or getting rid of it altogether work perfectly well if you're blowing through a horn. But such abstractions of voice can seem forced or simply too weird within a straight-ahead format. There's scatting, of course, and other forms of nonverbal vocalization, but they rarely score on the same level as instrumental solos, and they can turn stale or quaint-sounding pretty quickly.

Enter Cyrille Aimee. Over the course of the last several years, the French singer has established herself as one of the more innovative interpreters of this music. Her sound is classic, tinged with the exotic. Her vocals thrill with technical proficiency, yet don't lack emotional nuance. Yes, she scats (quite a bit, actually), but as a natural and very instrumental extension of her verbal singing. All her skills are on display here, allowing her to mix exceedingly well with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra . It's notable that track particulars list Aimée as a soloist like any other in the band. For while she certainly has a more prominent position in these performances than singers often did in the heyday of big band music, where they might come in for a verse or two at the end after the big-gun instrumentalists had had their say, this album is by no means simply an Aimée vehicle with CJO assigned to the boiler room. Through both its orchestrated sections and plentiful solo statements (pianist Dan Trudell is a particular standout) the band plays just as prominent a role as Aimée.

As the album's title suggests, the performances tend toward big, brash swing. Many of the arrangements come from the band's artistic director, Jeff Lindberg, though other band members lend a hand as well. Still other arrangements are adapted from the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Fans of Frank Sinatra's work with Antonio Carlos Jobim will be intrigued or distracted perhaps both by Lindberg's faithful use of Claus Ogerman's arrangement of "Dindi."

Aimée has recorded a handful of these songs before, albeit in smaller settings. And her approach certainly changes to adapt to the grander backing, her style a bit less free, more refined, with even some of her scatting dialed back to play as but another instrument in orchestrated section pieces. Again, group sound is emphasized over the individual. And all in all, CJO and Aimée have produced a compelling, highly enjoyable record a testament, of sorts, to the continuing power of straight-ahead big band jazz in the contemporary music world.~ Matt Marshall

 http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45453#.UlHFShDNn8o

Personnel: Jeff Lindberg: artistic director, conductor; Charley Harrison: associate artistic director; Cyrille Aimée: vocals; John Wojciechowski: alto sax, flute; Bill Overton: alto sax; Scott Burns: tenor sax; Eric Schneider: tenor sax; Jerry DiMuzio: baritone sax, flute, alto flute; Danny Barber, Doug Scharf, Marquis Hill, Art Davis, Victor Garcia: trumpet, flugelhorn; Scott Bentall, Tom Garling, Kendall Moore, Andy Baker: trombone; Michael Young: bass trombone; Dan Trudell: piano, Fender Rhodes; Dennis Carroll: bass; George Fludas: drums; Charley Harrison: guitar; Lisha McDuff: flute, alto flute; Darlene Drew: flute, alto flute; Janice MacDonald: flute; Lyon Leifer: flute; Daniel Won: clarinet, bass clarinet; Jennifer Cappelli, Eugene Pazin: violin, co- concertmasters; Bernardo Arias, Karl Davies, Pauli Ewing, Roberta Freier, Katherine Hughes, Whun Kim, Betty Lewis, Carmen Llop Kassinger, James Sanders, Paul Zafer: violin; Patrick Brennan, Matthew Mantell, Cheryl Wilson: viola; Barbara Haffner, William Cernota, Jocelyn Davis-Beck, Edward Moore: violoncello; Robert Kassinger: double bass; Marcia Labella: harp; Steve Ramsdell: acoustic guitar; Rubén Alvarez: bongos, shaker.

Burstin' Out!

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