Dan Barrett - Dan Barrett's International Swing Party Vols 1 & 2

A bunch of international jazz cats that all seem to have gotten together through an association with Arbors Jazz get their passports stamped for a get together in various places in Germany to jam, taking a lot of jazz back to the root. The kind of players that really blossom in a live setting away from the show biz trappings of the record making process, nobody steps on anybody else’s toes and the playing is one of those rare treats throughout. A delightfully swinging pair of discs, available separately, you can jump in any place and have a fine time. Wonderful stuff that’s sure to give you that blissful smile of enjoyment as you just sink into the music and let it do it’s thing. Killer stuff throughout. ~Chris Spector

Duke Heitger (trumpet); Dan Barrett (trombone, head arrangements, vocals); Dan Block (alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet); Engelbert Wrobel (clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax); Chris Hopkins (piano); Eddie Erickson (guitar, banjo, vocals); Nicki Parrott (bass, vocas); Butch Miles (drums); Bernard Flegar (drums, special guest.

Album: Dan Barrett's International Swing Party

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 76:46

Size: 175.8 MB

Styles: Swing

Year: 2001

Art: Front

[4:03] 1. Easy Street

[7:42] 2. Linger Awhile

[4:31] 3. 'tain't Me

[4:39] 4. I'm On My Way From You

[4:45] 5. Vic's Spot

[6:02] 6. The Lamp Is Low

[8:52] 7. I Double Dare You

[6:54] 8. What Is This Thing Called Love

[5:18] 9. Early Session Hop

[3:43] 10. Jumpin' Punkins

[9:15] 11. Hindustan

[6:41] 12. Esquire Bounce

[4:16] 13. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

International Swing Party 

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Album: Dan Barrett's International Swing Party Vol 2

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 67:33

Size: 154.7 MB

Styles: Swing

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Neal's Deal

[3:57] 2. Georgia Jubilee

[6:33] 3. Waste No Tears

[3:30] 4. Whoa Babe

[4:49] 5. Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)

[4:32] 6. Cavernism

[5:19] 7. Absolutely, Positively

[5:15] 8. With 'em

[6:25] 9. One O'clock Jump

[4:41] 10. Montevideo (Bonus)

[6:03] 11. If I Had You (Bonus)

[6:53] 12. Sweet Sue (Bonus)

[6:08] 13. Hindustan (Bonus)

International Swing Party Vol 2

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Will Matthews - Count On Swingin'

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:07
Size: 103.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Count On Swingin'
[4:05] 2. Corner Pocket
[5:12] 3. Can't Help It
[4:40] 4. Mikayla's Song
[6:43] 5. The Grease
[4:19] 6. Where There's A Will
[4:03] 7. Soul Changes
[8:35] 8. Milestones (Old)
[4:25] 9. Up And At It

In 1996 Will Matthews joined the Count Basie Orchestra, taking over the chair of the late Freddie Green, who had been Basie's guitarist for decades. The unique role Greene played in the Basie band was more of a supportive musician, as he rarely soloed. But Matthews is an articulate soloist, sounding like a cross between George Benson and Mark Elf. His disciplined, staccato delivery comes at you full faced and unadorned, cutting through harmonic nuances to get to the flesh and bones of the changes. Scotch without the soda.

The operative word on this cut is tradition. Propelled along at a blistering pace by veteran organist Mel Rhyne, this satisfying quartet of Kansas City jazzmen make their money the old fashioned way — they swing it. In the tradition of Burrell and Montgomery, Matthews delivers a solid, straight-ahead performance on his D'Angelico. Rhyne, a seemingly immortal B3 icon, holds it all together while adding well-seasoned chops to the stew. A satisfying chorus from Blakely alumnus Bobby Watson brings the lively romp back to the head. For those who have become addicted to the guilty pleasure of a guitar/organ ensemble, this session is a welcome fix. ~Bill Barnes

Count On Swingin'

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Shakin' Stevens - The Collection

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:37
Size: 177.7 MB
Styles: Roots Rock, Rockabilly
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. This Ole House
[3:12] 2. Cry Just A Little Bit
[2:44] 3. Lipstick, Powder And Paint
[3:10] 4. Green Door
[3:20] 5. A Love Worth Waiting For
[2:49] 6. What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For
[2:54] 7. Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)
[2:44] 8. Marie, Marie
[3:55] 9. Teardrops
[3:22] 10. Turning Away
[2:50] 11. You Drive Me Crazy
[3:09] 12. A Letter To You
[2:33] 13. Oh Julie
[3:18] 14. Because I Love You
[2:35] 15. Hot Dog
[3:56] 16. Breaking Up My Heart
[3:15] 17. It's Raining
[2:47] 18. Shirley
[3:28] 19. A Little Boogie Woogie (In The Back Of My Mind)
[3:03] 20. Give Me Your Heart Tonight
[3:29] 21. Radio
[3:10] 22. I'll Be Satisfied
[2:59] 23. Feel The Need In Me
[2:01] 24. It's Late
[3:39] 25. Merry Christmas Everyone

While there may not be many Shakin Stevens fans left here at the dawn of the 21st century, there are perhaps enough to take great delight in this double-disc set that collects the British rockabilly artist's many singles -- there are 25 cuts on the CD -- and also includes a live performance DVD (with the UK import version only). Stevens burst onto the scene at the dawn of the 1980s performing a roots rock style that was in fact both dated and timeless. His readings of Dave Alvin's classic "Marie, Marie" (right after the Blasters' version tanked) and Stuart Hamblen's "This Ole House" became nearly definitive versions as he used his '50s warble combined with a full and rich baritone. Stevens could sing country, blues, R&B, and (of course) rockabilly with equal acumen, as this excellent collection bears out. There have been many compilations over the years, but none are this extensive or pervasive in covering his underappreciated career. The DVD included with the import version offers proof as to why Stevens sold out concert halls all over Europe and Japan. This is a dynamite find. ~Thom Jurek

The Collection

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Sarah Moule - A Lazy Kind Of Love

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:39
Size: 111.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:54] 1. A Lazy Kind Of Love
[3:24] 2. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[3:53] 3. It's Not Your Night
[4:13] 4. I Will Write Your Book
[3:33] 5. Secret Of Silence
[3:01] 6. Hyde Side Blues
[4:26] 7. I Was Lost
[3:20] 8. In A Matter Of Moments
[2:57] 9. Remind Me
[3:37] 10. Living In Overdrive
[2:18] 11. The Flowers And The Wine
[3:57] 12. Sounds Like Goodbye
[2:59] 13. Devil May Care
[3:00] 14. The Last Smoker

This is my third CD, the first two (It's A NIce Thought and Something's Gotta Give) having been released on Linn Records. But what with building our own studio and all we decided to put this one out ourselves. It's mainly Landesman & Wallace songs, but with a lyric contributed by Julie Burchill, a song from the Clive James/Pete Atkin canon, something by the maverick Joe Henry, and two jazz classics from Styne/Cahn and Dorough/Kirk. Together with my regular (but irregularly splendid) trio, Simon Wallace piano and Hammond, Mark Hodgson bass, Paul Robinson drums, we had some stellar guests - Alan Barnes on tenor sax, Alec Dankworth guesting on bass for a couple of numbers, Clive Bell on shakuhachi, Paul Clarvis on percussion, and Mike Outram on guitar. Simon produced and arranged as well as writing 10 of the tunes. ~SM

Not sure that Ms Moule's CD is a jazz album at all, for although the band boasts top guns like Alan Barnes and Mike Outram as well as occasional haunting colours from Clive Bell's shakuhachi, they are all deployed completely in the service of the songs by MD, pianist and organ player Simon Wallace, an absolute master of his craft. He can turn in those storytelling piano solos as well, check 'Remind Me'. Most of the material is from the growing canon of work by Wallace himself and that brilliantly sharp lyricist Fran Landesman, who specialises in wryly humorous appraisals of love and a certain kind of metropolitan angst - searching for chemical comfort, wondering why we're depressed - which peaks on the insinuatingly catchy 'Living In Overdrive'. Moule can actually strut, but you have to wait until track 10, Bob Dorough's 'Devil May Care' (boasting an insanely good bass solo from Alec Dankworth), for her to show it. So for once just forget about looking for jazz thrills and let the verbal intelligence, original tunes that you can actually remember and Sarah Moule's truly outstanding voice get under your skin. They certainly did mine. ~Brian Blain

A Lazy Kind Of Love

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Jimmy Dorsey - The Complete Standard Transcriptions

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:55
Size: 171.1 MB
Styles: Big Band, Swing
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 3:04] 1. Stop, Look and Listen
[ 3:00] 2. Tangerine
[ 3:16] 3. All of Me
[ 3:32] 4. On the Alamo
[ 3:14] 5. In a Little Spanish Town
[ 2:57] 6. Out of Nowhere
[ 3:29] 7. Green Eyes
[ 3:16] 8. Don’t Blame Me
[ 2:00] 9. Contrasts
[ 2:29] 10. A You’re Adorable
[ 2:30] 11. Everywhere You Go
[ 2:39] 12. Careless Hands
[ 2:40] 13. Bali Hai
[ 2:39] 14. Some Enchanted Evening
[ 2:40] 15. Always True to You In My Fashion
[ 2:39] 16. Once and for Always
[ 3:14] 17. Similau
[24:29] 18. Jimmy Dorsey Interview (With Guy Knight)

Seventeen radio transcription recordings made by Jimmy Dorsey around 1949, and particularly priceless as studio documents by a band that hardly ever had a chance to record. The vocalists are Claire Hogan and Larry Noble, taking over for Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly, respectively, on such classics as "Tangerine" and "Green Eyes," both of which are handled in a slower -- and, in this reviewer's outlook, more successful -- tempo than the originals. "All of Me" gets a gorgeous alto sax solo from Dorsey himself. A lot of the rest of the repertory includes the band's versions of such contemporary compositions as "Some Enchanted Evening" from the then new musical South Pacific. Charlie Teagarden, Herb Winfield, and pianist Al Waslohn all get their good solo moments as well, in what was a surprisingly fresh and lively-sounding band (with Carl Kress on the guitar and Ray Bauduc at the drums). If the audience for big band music was declining, you'd never know that the music was on the ropes by 1949 from the bright and spirited playing on these sides. Additionally, sound quality is a major virtue on these tracks -- they compare favorably, in fidelity and volume, with any 1949-vintage recordings that one cares to name, all apparently drawn from clean, or carefully cleaned up, sources. The disc concludes with an extended May 1956 interview with Jimmy Dorsey, 13 months before his death, in which he addresses a multitude of subjects concerning his career, including his past disputes with his brother and the 1947 biographical film in which they both participated. ~Bruce Eder

The Complete Standard Transcriptions

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Corliss Dale - Crazy Rhythm

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:58
Size: 116,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. Crazy Rhythm  Broadway
(4:18)  2. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(6:17)  3. It Might As Well Be Spring
(4:08)  4. No More Blues (Chega De Saudade)
(4:08)  5. Rome
(4:17)  6. Alone Together
(4:07)  7. Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart
(3:41)  8. My Buddy
(3:46)  9. Lonely Eyes
(4:16) 10. Kiss And Run
(5:02) 11. Born To Be Blue
(4:14) 12. On A Slow Boat To China

Corliss Dale grew up listening to some of the greatest jazz singers of our time thanks to her mother who loved great musicians and great vocalists. As a result Corliss became familiar with the very best of the best… Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day, and Rosemary Clooney to name only a few, not to mention the men such as Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and of course the legendary Frank Sinatra. Their styles became engrained in her heart and soul and so no matter what musical path she has followed and continues to follow in her career, she always comes back to the great standards and the amazing musical styles of these great artists.

Corliss is a native Minnesotan born and raised in Minneapolis. She began singing very early in her life, at age 8 to be exact, singing solos in church, and at school concerts and talent shows. She is also a trained dancer in ballet,tap and jazz, which became very important as she started her professional career at the tender age of 16. Corliss was hired at a very prestigious dinner theatre in Minneapolis named “The Edgewater Inn” as one of the “Edgewater Eight” where she spent 2 years entertaining audiences and expanding her musical repertoire and experiences from singing Cole Porter & Gershwin to belting her heart out in Broadway review shows like Cabaret & Guys & Dolls where her dance training really came into play. You could have seen her tap dancing in a 1930’s review to “Lullabye of Broadway”, jitterbugging in a 1940’s show to “In The Mood”, or even dancing the tango to Pajama Game’s, “Hernando’s Hideaway”. Corliss left the show at only age18 and created her own theatrical show group, which was self-staged and self-choreographed. For 5 years she traveled the country with her band performing to sell out crowds and receiving standing ovations coast to coast.

Once while performing in a club in Minneapolis, she was approached by the owner of a local well known recording studio who asked her if she would like to be called for studio work whether it was singing on a commercial, or back up singing for various artists. After her first session it was apparent that this would be another avenue for her already busy singing career. She soon became the first call studio singer and recorded many local and national jingles such as Northwest Airlines, Dairy Queen, Hormel and Land O’ Lakes to name a few. Her success in the studios led her to Los Angeles where she has made her home. Continuing her dance and vocal training, she added songwriting and acting to her credits. She was a featured vocalist in a Movie of the Week produced by Dick Clark, and landed a costarring role in a PBS Movie Special for the Wonderworks series.

After taking some years off to raise a family, Corliss jumped back into her singing career and began performing in local Los Angeles jazz clubs returning to her love of jazz and the great American Songbook. She has been a featured artist at the “Jazz at the Hilton Concert Series” in Salt Lake City, and opened for the late great Jimmy Smith at the International Snowbird Jazz & Blues Festival. An evening performing at LA jazz club Monteleone’s, brought her together with jazz pianist and composer, Lou Forestieri. This was the beginning of a great partnership both musically and romantically. Corliss and Lou were married in Southern Italy in the year 2002 and now write, record and perform throughout the Los Angeles area. Their first album,” Fascinating Rythms”, was released in 2004 on the British record label, Mainstem Productions. Corliss and Lou can often be heard across the BBC airwaves, and just finished performing at 4 different venues for the 2008 London Jazz Festival where they debuted the release of their second album, “Crazy Rhythm”, also on the Mainstem label.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/corlissdale2

Crazy Rhythm

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Hot Club Of San Diego - West Swing

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:51
Size: 95,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:06)  1. The Gypsy Bug
(2:24)  2. Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)
(2:49)  3. Folie  Amphion
(3:21)  4. Conversation
(1:31)  5. Le Dindon s'Est Enfui!
(3:26)  6. Sabor a Mi
(2:22)  7. Bon Voyage!
(2:01)  8. It Always Does (Get Better)
(2:03)  9. Papy Musette
(3:17) 10. Bei Mir Bist du Schn
(6:27) 11. Nuages (Recorded Live At KSDS Radio)
(2:12) 12. Yes, I'm in Love
(1:47) 13. Gadjo de Luxe
(4:16) 14. The Shape of Things to Come
(1:44) 15. Take the 'A' Trailer

After hearing Gypsy Jazz, it is not hard to understand why its popularity is growing. It is a style rooted in tradition, yet it welcomes innovation. It offers guitarists a chance to express themselves in a wide variety of moods, ranging from the melancholic waltzes to timeless compositon by legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt to hard-driving swing standards. As one writer said when asked to describe the sound of Gypsy Jazz, "It is the music I hear in my happiest dreams."

This last sentence best describe the music of the Hot Club of San Diego. Formed in the spring of 1998, the Hot Club of San Diego perpetuates the tradition with a repertoire including many of Django Reinhardt's compositions, jazz standards, and a variety of the band's members' own compositions in the same style, Gypsy Jazz. 

 http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hotclubsd

West Swing

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Kenny Rogers - You Can't Make Old Friends

Styles: Country
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:13
Size: 101,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. You Can't Make Old Friends With Dolly Parton
(3:29)  2. All I Need Is One
(3:58)  3. You Had To Be There
(3:41)  4. 'merica
(4:30)  5. Turn This World Around
(6:03)  6. Dreams Of The San Joaquin
(2:49)  7. Don't Leave Me In The Night Time Feat. Buckwheat Zydeco
(3:54)  8. Look At You
(4:29)  9. Neon Horses
(3:38) 10. When You Love Someone
(3:42) 11. It's Gonna Be Easy Now

With an astonishing recording career that now spans over seven decades, you would think music legend Kenny Rogers had already accomplished it all. However, you d be wrong. Rogers 2013 album You Can t Make Old Friends proves once again that he still has plenty to say. The album reunites Rogers with long-time friend and collaborator, Dolly Parton, for a brand new duet on the title track, "You Can t Make Old Friends." It was over thirty years ago when Kenny and Dolly released "Islands In The Stream, " which went on to become an instant classic and one of the most successful singles by a duo in history.

"What a thrill it was for me to work again with my buddy, Dolly Parton, and what a special song, " remarked Rogers. "Working with Dolly is always a little like going home. Everything felt comfortable. " With a collaboration of producers, including Kyle Lehning, Warren Hartman, and Dann Huff, You Can t Make Old Friends is Rogers first country album since the release of Water & Bridges in 2006. Rogers considers this release the most varied and complete album of his lifetime.

"I can honestly say this may be the best album I've ever recorded, " added Rogers. "The musical diversity is extraordinary. It goes from songs I would normally sing, to songs I would normally never even listen to. In this business, you do albums to both grow artistically, and for the sheer love of music. We chose what I think are the most diverse and best songs I've ever had access to." You Can't Make Old Friends showcases a certain familiarity that can be expected from Rogers, along with fresh twists of creativity that see the versatile Grammy Award-winner stretching his artistry into new musical territory. In addition to the great story songs and love songs Rogers has become well known for, flavors of rock and roll, soul, gospel, southern rock, zydeco, and sounds of the Southwest are embraced in this bold recording.

Kenny Rogers had a massive year in 2013, including the announcement of his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall. Rogers also performed on the main stage at this year s Glastonbury Festival to a colossal audience on the grounds and around the UK as it was televised on BBC. His Through The Years World Tour included stops in Morocco, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada and the U.S. In addition, a novel Rogers co-wrote with Mike Blakely, What Are The Chances, and Rogers New York Times Best Selling autobiography, Luck Or Something Like It, were both released. ~Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Make-Old-Friends/dp/B00EZEHHRG

You Can't Make Old Friends

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