The Vipers - A Time To Swing

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 30:40
Size: 70.2 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. Sunny
[6:33] 2. Just Squeeze Me
[2:13] 3. Sway
[3:25] 4. Makin' Whoopee
[2:14] 5. Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
[4:01] 6. Don't Know Why
[4:21] 7. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
[3:30] 8. Besame Mucho

The Vipers are run by the dynamic husband and wife team of Josh and Adrienne Hindmarsh. Their diverse talents create a unique musical sound in New Zealand's music industry and their numerous projects have become a fixture to the Wellington city scene. Since their inception a decade ago the band has maintained a busy schedule of gigs in Wellington and throughout New Zealand.

Fronting the The Vipers is sultry singer Adrienne Hindmarsh, whose vocals are often compared to Norah Jones and Eva Cassidy. Her repertoire includes popular jazz standards, bossanovas and more popular tunes including hits by Burt Bacharach and Norah Jones. Adrienne Hindmarsh also brings to The Vipers her unique skill on the Hammond B3 organ, where her skill on the footpedal bass and use of dynamic chords make sure the classic sound of the Hammond B3 lives again. Founding member and guitarist Josh Hindmarsh contributes his unique driving chords and spirited improvisations in the spirit of George Benson and Wes Montgomery and his playing never fails to give the bands performance the upbeat swinging edge they have become known for. To complete the bands lineup The Vipers use a rotating roster of special guest artists on the drums. For larger performances The Vipers add a horn section, augmenting their sound to include the trumpet, saxophone and trombone. Josh Hindmarsh's swinging arrangements create a contemporary take on retro ballroom swing, funky latin, and 60's classic motown soul. .

A Time To Swing

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The Mark Edwards Swing Gospel Jazz Orchestra - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:32
Size: 115.7 MB
Styles: Big Band, Christian
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. The Battle Hymn Of The Republic
[4:50] 2. Wade In The Water
[5:46] 3. Hymn To Freedom
[3:40] 4. Put Your Hand In The Hand Of The Man From Galilee
[3:38] 5. How I Got Over
[3:46] 6. I'll Wait And Pray
[6:08] 7. Amazing Grace
[5:19] 8. You Are Mighty
[2:43] 9. The Preacher
[3:04] 10. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
[1:06] 11. Home Into Your Arms
[6:13] 12. Hiow Great Is Our God

A much respected jazz musician, session pianist and record producer (whose story Cross Rhythms published a while back), Edwards offers here an outstanding album packed with top quality musicianship which conveys passion, tenderness, joy, emotion and conviction. There are moments on this album, such as during the full band sound of "Hymn To Freedom" and the powerful reworking of "Amazing Grace", when if you close your eyes you could be forgiven for thinking you are following a New Orleans jazz funeral procession. The authentic feel of this album is founded on classic sound of jazz from the deep south, whilst drawing influences from the wider world of jazz music, for instance in "I'll Wait And Pray" and "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" there is an improvised piano-based feel that you might expect to get in a smoky nightclub or jazz bar. Whatever your preference, from the opening piano and muted trumpet of "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" to the uplifting cover of Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God" this is an album to savour. Over the years the Christian record companies have delivered their share of "jazz praise" duds. This, emphatically, isn't one of them. ~Alastair McCollum

Performances that are rich, and full of feeling, tenderness and power set this CD apart from so many instrumental albums. Each arrangement is lovingly crafted, and rooted in praise. The difference is tangible; a listening experience that will move you into a sense of the Father. Mark takes a number of well-known worship tunes and offers fresh arrangements and expressive performances, backed by a host of top musicians. Simply stunning!

The Mark Edwards Swing Gospel Jazz Orchestra

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Molly Johnson - Lucky

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 116.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Lucky
[5:21] 2. Ode To Billie Joe
[4:10] 3. Solitude
[3:14] 4. Whatever Lola Wants
[5:34] 5. Lush Life
[4:15] 6. Mean To Me
[4:08] 7. April In Paris
[4:48] 8. I Got It Bad, And That Ain't Good
[4:56] 9. It Ain't Necessarily So
[4:37] 10. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
[4:33] 11. I Loves You, Porgy
[2:44] 12. If I Were A Bell

By saying that Molly Johnson knows all the other idioms of popular music today, one might nearly lose sight of the fact that she is a jazz singer. Here she is coming home again, with a dozen major standards: compositions by the greatest jazzmen, tunes from musical comedy that have become playing fields for the great voices, but also a few surprises which say quite a bit about the taste and the sense of humour of this beautiful Canadian woman of mixed race origins. Behind her, with her, around her, is her stage trio, which is now reaching the summits… to the point in fact that it plays four parts, since pianist Phil Dwyer also takes over the tenor saxophone. Let us follow her in her exploration of the most enchanted repertoire in jazz…

Molly Johnson – Vocals; Mark McLean – Drums, Percussion, and Glockenspiel; Mike Downes – Bass; Phil Dwyer – Piano, Tenor Saxophone; Ben Riley – Drums (on Solitude, Lush Life, and Mean to Me).

Lucky

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Cynthia Sayer - Attractions (With Bucky Pizzarelli)

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 52:38

Size: 120.5 MB

Styles: Banjo jazz

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[4:20] 1. Viper Mad

[4:00] 2. Half As Much

[4:13] 3. Banjo Tango

[4:03] 4. Shakin' The Blues Away

[5:14] 5. Over The Rainbow

[3:45] 6. El Choclo

[5:06] 7. The Gift

[4:58] 8. Romance Without Finance

[4:38] 9. Dark Eyes

[4:13] 10. You Are My Sunshine

[3:44] 11. Swing De Paris

[4:17] 12. Aba Daba Honeymoon

Cynthia Sayer, best known for her work with Woody Allen's Dixieland band, is now fully recognized as a leader in her own right. On this, her eighth recording, she mixes up traditional jazz with an occasional Latin element, country or classical asides, and a fun tune here and there. Her lead and rhythm banjo playing is prominent in the instrumental numbers, while her vocals take center stage on the other half of the selections. Clearly a skilled player and performer, her singing is pleasant enough, at times a bit strained, but it is on the banjo strings that she truly shines. Think Elmer Snowden meets Banu Gibson. With top-notch help from saxophonist and clarinetist Scott Robinson, trumpeter Randy Sandke, violinist Sara Caswell, and especially legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, Sayer has a band that can challenge her to be better. Of the vocal numbers, the sly, Latin tinged "Viper Mad," and whimsical "Aba Daba Honeymoon" work best, while the more old-timey "Shakin' the Blues Away" and "You Are My Sunshine" sound a bit trite. The best material lies in a cover of The Hot Club of France's "Swing de Paris," a straight but well rendered version of the famous pop tango classic "El Choclo," and Sayer's original "Banjo Tango." The Tiny Grimes evergreen "Romance Without Finance" is a delight but a tad stiff, while the most heartfelt interpretation comes in the traditional gypsy anthem "Dark Eyes." The CD concludes with Sayer playing solo on Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2." There are several high points on this program for sure, a few that rank unmemorable like the sappy "Over the Rainbow," but generally Sayer's skill and playful demeanor come through for those who might be interested in this revisit of vintage jazz. ~Michael J. Nastos

Attractions (With Bucky Pizarelli)

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Erin Bode - The Little Garden

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:00
Size: 116,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:47)  1. New England Friends
(3:35)  2. Chasing After You
(5:23)  3. Sweater Song
(5:58)  4. The Little Garden
(4:29)  5. Born At the Right Time
(4:04)  6. It's All Your Fault
(4:19)  7. Sydney Come Down
(3:46)  8. Two
(4:00)  9. The Cold Water
(5:08) 10. Out of Time
(3:24) 11. Fences
(3:02) 12. Goodnight

Like Norah Jones, Erin Bode is a sweet-voiced singer with a jazz background and a healthy disregard for musical boundaries. Also like Jones, she gravitates towards quiet, gentle, straightforwardly melodic fare. On The Little Garden she continues her songwriting collaboration with bandmember and multi-instrumentalist Adam Maness, and the result is a bit more mixed than their previous work has been. It may be the deepening of their skill and their musical relationship, but their songs are getting more and more subtle as time goes on sometimes a bit too subtle. "New England Friends" is a charming and deeply felt song, but as it progresses you start to get the feeling that it's more about the words than the music (a tendency that we critics refer to as the Elvis Costello Disease); "Two" also feels a bit flat and uneventful, melodically speaking, and "Out of Time" spends way too much time on a two-chord vamp. But the rest of the album moves from strength to strength: "Sweater Song" is sad and heartrendingly lovely; "Sydney Come Down" rocks out gorgeously; "It's All Your Fault" is both witty and soulful, with a brilliant horn chart. And Bode's jazzy take on the Paul Simon song "Born at the Right Time" is a gem. Throughout the album, her voice is a complete joy, and redeems even the songs that are least interesting otherwise. ~ Rick Anderson   http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-little-garden-mw0000792094

The Little Garden

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Mary Stallings - But Beautiful

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:56
Size: 108,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:39)  1. Dedicated to You
(4:30)  2. Just A Gigolo
(3:37)  3. Some Other Spring
(5:45)  4. But Beautiful
(5:32)  5. The Lamp is Low
(2:58)  6. Time On My Hands
(5:49)  7. Autumn in New York
(5:08)  8. I Didn't Know What Time it Was
(5:40)  9. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:13) 10. I Thought About You

Mary Stallings enchants audiences around the world with her divine musicality, elegant stage presence, and a voice that is, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "supple and timeless, encompassing the whole history of music." The New York Times says she's "perhaps the best jazz singer alive today" and her 2013 HighNote recording offers ample proof. With the supremely gifted pianist, composer, arranger Eric Reed as Music Director, Mary offers ten tunes which show the full range of her considerable talents. ~ Editorial Reviews  

http://www.amazon.com/But-Beautiful-Mary-Stallings/dp/B00CM9JN3W

But Beautiful

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Joe Locke - For The Love Of You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:41
Size: 134,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Two for the Road
(7:30)  2. Old Devil Moon
(5:58)  3. For The Love Of You
(6:26)  4. Verrazano Moon
(4:54)  5. I Miss New York
(4:54)  6. Birds
(7:56)  7. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(5:21)  8. Cinema Paradiso
(5:21)  9. Pure Imagination
(5:06) 10. Bright Side Up

Honoring various composers, vibraphonist Joe Locke has led his group for three years in an annual gig at Dizzy's Coca Cola Club in New York. Recently Locke decided to record the output with the happy result being For The Love Of You.  Four top-flight musicians are gathered for this gig pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Clarence Penn. Joining the four, little-known vocalist Kenny Washington - Vocals (not to be confused with the renowned drummer of the same name) is the real star here.

How they all got together is an interesting story. Locke met Washington singing in a small venue in Half Moon Bay, Northern California. He was so impressed with what he heard that he decided to collaborate with him in the future. He got the chance during Mancini week at Dizzy's, an event that honored film composer Henry Mancini. This was the beginning of what became a yearly get-together.

After the first year, the program expanded to include the music of other film-score writers, including Johnny Mandel and Ennio Morricone. In 2009, the scope was widened further, bringing in material from pop-rockers the Isley Brothers and Neil Young, along with standards and Locke originals.

Washington is heard on seven of the ten tracks. He has a smooth tenor voice with a four-octave range. At all times, he respects the lyrics. Each number, whether slow ballad or swing, he stays with the story. In a style akin to Nat "King" Cole, he begins in a mellow mood with Mancini's "Two for the Road." Next the atmosphere warms with a bouncy version of Lane/Harburg's "Old Devil Moon."

The backup from Locke and his crew could not be better. They create a sphere for the vocals to shine while leaving ample space for all to show their solo talents. Three instrumental tracks further emphasize their collective prowess.

A centerpiece of the record is Mandel's "The Shadow of Your Smile." At the start, Penn's up-tempo drumming is effective counterpoint to Washington's leisurely pace. Soon it builds toward an explosive climax. Keezer and Locke further add sparks with torrid solos, and Washington finishes with a coda that vividly shows off his wide range. Of the instrumentals, Morricone's "Cinema Paradiso" is a winner. Mraz's stately bowed-bass opening gives way to dreamy solos by Locke and Keezer. Mraz concludes the piece with a lovely pizzicato flourish.

 ~ Larry Taylor   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=35271#.UlnZ6xDFpEM

Personnel: Joe Locke: vibes; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; George Mraz: bass; Clarence Penn: drums; Kenny Washington: vocals.

For The Love Of You

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Bob James & Howard Paul - Just Friends The Hamilton Hall Sessions 2011

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:23
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:50)  1. Alone Together
(4:17)  2. Autumn Leaves
(5:17)  3. Emily
(2:33)  4. Just Friends
(4:25)  5. Laura
(4:48)  6. Out of Nowhere
(6:44)  7. I Only Have Eyes for You
(4:34)  8. Georgia on My Mind
(3:27)  9. Moon River
(4:22) 10. But Beautiful

Bob James is an integral part of the American music scene, and has influenced generations of players. An auspicious discovery by Quincy Jones in 1962 at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival resulted in his first solo album "Bold Conceptions", and soon after that a 5 year stint as pianist with the legendary Sarah Vaughan. His career has spanned five decades of countless recording sessions and tours with major jazz figures, nearly 40 solo albums, two Grammy awards, and more than twenty years with the iconic contemporary jazz group Fourplay. His solo, duet, trio and collaborative albums have been widely acclaimed, and his original compositions like ‘Angela, Theme From Taxi,’ have become ingrained in the American cultural soundtrack. His collaborations, “The Angels of Shanghai” & most recently "Botero" with Korean jazz guitarist Jack Lee have helped redefine World Music, and his tours have taken him repeatedly around the globe and the to the top of the music charts. For more information visit: www.bobjames.com

Howard Paul is a jazz guitarist who has followed his passion for the instrument well beyond the boundaries of a typical gigging musician. After years of performing professionally while maintaining careers in the military and business, he partnered with the world’s most renowned guitarmaker Bob Benedetto to create Benedetto Guitars, Inc., a jazz guitar manufacturing company base in Savannah, GA. Performing routinely with guitar greats like Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Joe Beck, Jimmy Bruno and many others, performing workshops at colleges, universities and conservatories around the U.S., recording with and supporting many featured artists at clubs and festivals, he has risen to prominence in the jazz guitar world. 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bobjameshowardpaul

Just Friends The Hamilton Hall Sessions 2011

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