Jacqui Naylor - Smashed For The Holidays

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 46:26
Size: 106.3 MB
Styles: Holiday
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
[4:26] 2. Santa Baby
[3:21] 3. Celebrate Early And Often
[3:36] 4. Happy X'Mas (War Is Over)
[4:36] 5. What Child Is This
[3:01] 6. Thank You Baby
[3:52] 7. We Three Kings
[2:28] 8. The Christmas Song
[3:42] 9. Winter
[4:06] 10. Father Christmas
[3:09] 11. Silver Bells
[3:41] 12. Christmas Ain't What It Used To Be
[3:18] 13. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

With one foot in vocal jazz and the other in the world of singer/songwriters, folk-rock and adult alternative, Jacqui Naylor has never been easy to categorize -- and Smashed for the Holidays doesn't make her any easier to pin down. Not that it needs to; the fact that Naylor is so original and so hard to pigeonhole is a definite plus, and her risk-taking nature remains very much in evidence on this 2007 release. The title, Smashed for the Holidays is a clever double-entendre; those unfamiliar with her background will see that title and think of inebriation during the holiday season, but Naylor's fans will also think of what she calls "acoustic smashing" (her way of combining elements of different songs). However, this unorthodox Christmas album isn't always acoustic-oriented; parts of it are very amplified, including "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (which combines that Christmas standard with the melody of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"). Elsewhere, Naylor blends the lyrics of Christmas standards with Led Zeppelin melodies, employing "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" on "What Child Is This" and "D'yer Mak'er" on "Santa Baby" as well as "When the Levee Breaks" on "We Three Kings." Some parts of Smashed for the Holidays definitely rock (perhaps those parts could be called "electric smashing"), but the intimate, acoustic-oriented approach that Naylor is known for is very much in evidence on the Kinks' "Father Christmas" and jazz-minded performances of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and Mel Tormé's "The Christmas Song." And whether a performance is more rock-minded or more jazz-minded, Naylor's stubbornly individualistic personality always comes through on Smashed for the Holidays -- which may very well go down in history as the most adventurous Christmas album of 2007.

Smashed For The Holidays

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Graham Dechter - Right On Time

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:46
Size: 136.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[6:36] 1. Low Down
[6:03] 2. Wave
[6:15] 3. The Nearness Of You
[6:36] 4. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
[5:12] 5. Broadway
[7:26] 6. Right On Time [db Tune]
[4:21] 7. Squatty Roo
[4:08] 8. With Every Breath I Take
[5:53] 9. Lined With A Groove
[7:12] 10. In A Mellow Tone

Guitarist Graham Dechter's debut album as a leader could hardly be more charming or enjoyable. He does several things just right: for one thing, he presents a program that demonstrates impeccable taste, nicely combining familiar standards ("In a Mellow Tone," "The Nearness of You") with more obscure fare (Ray Brown's "Lined with a Groove," a nearly-forgotten Johnny Hodges bop number called "Squatty Roo"). For another, he quietly demonstrates his confidence by including a very fine pianist in the quartet -- a move that many guitarists' egos would prevent. And for another, he keeps his tempos moderate and his solos lyrical and self-possessed -- a sure sign of that rarest of commodities, a virtuosic young guitarist with nothing to prove. None of this is to say that his playing isn't expert or adventurous: he tackles headlong "Squatty Roo" with almost offhand grace and skill, and his playing on a strutting arrangement of "Nothing But the Blues" bespeaks complete self-assurance as well as impressive musical invention.

There are a few moments when you wish he would cut loose just a bit, especially on a rather pedestrian rendition of "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (on which his solo sounds more like a string of pro forma blues clichés than an original statement), but for the most part, his understatement works beautifully. His solidly swinging take on the Thad Jones composition "Low Down," and his contrastingly gentle interpretation of the Jobim standard "Waves," stand together as bookended examples of both his skill and his taste. ~Rick Anderson

Right On Time   

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Joya Mooi - Crystal Growth

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:30
Size: 108.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Intro
[5:15] 2. Tomorrow
[4:09] 3. Looking Backwards
[1:10] 4. Change Time
[3:44] 5. When He's Seen
[6:10] 6. Interlude
[5:08] 7. Beyond Of You
[4:07] 8. Before You Know
[3:07] 9. Tomar Medidas
[4:25] 10. Out Of Love
[3:16] 11. Way Of Life
[4:01] 12. I Left

Joya was brought up in a house filled with jazz. After playing years of saxophone, she questioned herself if she could compose music with her own vocals. Joya started taking vocal lessons, and got accepted to Artez Conservatory to study jazz. At that time she discovered other genres of music and began writing her own songs. Two years later she was asked to create a soundtrack for a theatre play for theatre production house MC, called “BH”. The project turned out to become a multilateral album with the help of producers SirOj, Presto, Big2, Hayzee, Wan and Full Crate. In 2011 she released an EP with Kubus called “Mister Sinister”, inspired by the book Lord of the Barnyard.

She was featured on Saux’ Rear Window EP, released in Feb 2012. And past june her track “Looking Backwards with producer/dj Anthony Valdadez was released on Anthony’s album JUST VISITING (label Plug Research). On the 31st of January 2013 she was invited by Dutch poet Ramsey Nasr to perform their song ” From Istiklal to the Herengracht” accompanied by the Metropole Orchestra in Paradiso, Amsterdam.

Joya is currently working a new project, a studio album with her band, songs written by Dennis Maks and herself.

Crystal Growth

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Paul Gonsalves - Cookin': Complete 1956-1957 Sessions

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:51
Size: 178.2 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 1957/2011
Art: Front

[3:13] 1. It Don't Mean A Thing
[2:55] 2. Take Nine
[3:05] 3. Everything Happens To Me
[3:17] 4. Don't Blame Me
[6:52] 5. Festival
[3:36] 6. Clark's Bars
[2:14] 7. Daddy's Patio
[4:59] 8. Blues
[4:18] 9. Impeccable
[2:46] 10. Paul's Idea
[3:16] 11. Phat Bach
[2:31] 12. Mili Terry
[4:01] 13. Funky
[3:31] 14. The Girl I Call Baby
[3:11] 15. Falmouth Recollections
[4:54] 16. The Way You Look Tonight
[6:58] 17. Foofy For President
[4:20] 18. The Man From Potter's Crossing
[4:22] 19. Dance Of The Reluctant Drag
[3:23] 20. Empathy For Ruth

This compilation includes the contents of two LPs and part of a third, all featuring Paul Gonsalves and Clark Terry, though only one of them, Cookin', was originally issued under the tenor saxophonist's name. The CD opens with four songs from The Jazz School, one side of a 1956 recording featuring the two Ellingtonians with pianist Junior Mance, bassist Chubby Jackson, the little known baritonist Porter Kilbert, and drummer Gene Miller. Gonsalves contributed "Take Nine" with the other tracks being enjoyable, if unremarkable arrangements of familiar standards. The ten tracks from Cookin' include fellow Duke Ellington bandmembers Jimmy Woode on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums, with Willie Jones on piano. The date consists of originals by either Gonsalves or Terry, with the tenorist taking lots of long solos, as was typical for him. None of the compositions ended up becoming lasting vehicles in either man's repertoire. The final six tracks actually represent the entire contents of Jimmy Woode's sole recording as a leader, with fellow Ellington sidemen Gonsalves, Terry, and Woodyard, in addition to Kilbert (on alto sax) and flautist Mike Simpson. This session was a rare opportunity for Woode to showcase his songwriting abilities, with one standard, "The Way You Look Tonight," becoming a vocal feature for the bassist. ~Ken Dryden

Cookin': Complete 1956-1957 Sessions

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Houston Person - Nice 'n' Easy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:51
Size: 128,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Someday You'll Be Sorry
(5:37)  2. All My Tomorrows
(5:01)  3. Stolen Sweets
(4:06)  4. It's All in the Game
(5:41)  5. Nice 'n' Easy
(7:02)  6. If It's the Last Thing I Do
(5:51)  7. Ill Wind
(3:53)  8. Let's Fall in Love
(7:02)  9. Sweet Life
(5:49) 10. Bluesology

Even though Houston Person isn't, strictly speaking, a "Texas tenor" he hails from Florence, SC the crafty veteran hits the mark in almost every other respect, from his clear and powerful sound to his unremitting propensity to brighten a melody and to swing under any and all conditions. On his latest album, Person, still marshaling all the right notes at age seventy-eight, is said to be taking it Nice 'n' Easy, but that's anyone's guess, as he makes what he does sound easy no matter how intense or heated the surroundings.

While the spotlight shines brightest on the leading man, his supporting cast should not be overlooked, and Person has assembled a superior team for this largely even-tempered session, starting with the tasteful pianist John di Martino and including (on several tracks) vibraphonist Chuck Redd, the reliable bassist Ray Drummond and drummer par excellence Lewis Nash. Di Martino, Drummond and Nash have been Person's backup trio of choice for several years, and in tandem with Redd they see to it that the leader's every step is beyond question nice 'n' easy. It's good that Person is a charming balladeer, as half the songs on offer ("All My Tomorrows," "It's All in the Game," "If It's the Last Thing I Do," "Ill Wind," "Sweet Life") abide in that realm. Person unsheathes the luster in each of them, as he does the more hurried numbers ("Someday You'll Be Sorry," "Stolen Sweets," "Nice 'n' Easy," Let's Fall in Love," "Bluesology").

While nothing here is less than admirable, the standards by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler ("Ill Wind," "Let's Fall in Love") are especially engaging, mainly because they are simply marvelous compositions. On the other hand, it's hard to find fault with any of the others, in particular Sammy Cahn / Jimmy van Heusen's "All My Tomorrows," Alan and Marilyn Bergman's "Nice 'n' Easy" or Milt Jackson  vibraphone 's "Bluesology" (like those Texas tenors alluded to earlier, Person has always been a bluesman at heart). Those who have heard Houston Person before will know pretty much what to expect from Nice 'n' Easy; those who haven't are in for a pleasant ride. Even though Person never strays from conventional norms, neither does he undervalue the music or its import, lending every tune the full measure of his attentiveness and ardor. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45763#.UqtjRrRc_vt

Personnel: Houston Person: tenor saxophone; John di Martino: piano; Chuck Redd: vibraphone; Ray Drummond: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Nice'n'Easy

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Magnolia Jazzband & Topsy Chapman - Live At Oslo Concert Hall

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:42
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:48)  1. Lonesome And Sorry
(5:37)  2. Shout, Sister, Shout
(6:12)  3. I'm Through With Love
(7:39)  4. St. Louis Blues
(5:36)  5. Muddy Waters
(7:21)  6. Blue Bells Goodbye
(8:17)  7. Fine And Mellow
(5:30)  8. I Cried For You
(8:06)  9. My Man
(5:30) 10. Down In Honky Tonk Town

The 35th anniversary concert was a great success. The audience also had the benefit of hearing Magnolia's former pianist, the one and only Morten Gunnar Larsen, accompanying Topsy on "Muddy Waters". We took the liberty of sending a test copy of the resulting CD to Butch Thompson, asking him what he thought. Butch wrote:

"The partnership of Topsy Chapman with the Magnolia Jazzband is magic. Ms. Chapman brings that to all her performances, but with these guys you know there is something very special going on the moment she walks onstage. New Orleans music is all about connections between people, and the easy way the music comes together on this CD is born of longtime friendship and respect. Everybody is happy to be there, and it shows.

The Magnolia is simply one of the very best old-style New Orleans groups on the scene today. These tracks taken from their ambitious 35th anniversary performance at the Oslo Concert Hall in late 2007, are testimony to their remarkable cohesion. It's all about teamwork. Yes, they are fine soloists, but it all works so very well because they have mastered the art of the ensemble, the true basic of the music they have immersed themselves in for so long.

A Bonus here is the magical duet by Topsy and the superb Norwegian pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen, who made a cameo appearance that evening. The tune is Muddy Water,  well-remembered both for Bessie Smith's classic 1927 recording and for its dramatic performance by Thais Clark in Vernel Bagneris' hit off-Broadway show One Mo' Time. Like Ms. Clark, Topsy Chapman was a member of that show's original cast, but her performance here is entirely different from that of Ms. Clark, whose intense performance regularly stopped the show. For Topsy, it's something else: Intense, yes, but in her own very different, more relaxed style, finely and sensitively phrased and perfectly accompanied by the versatile Mr. Larsen, whose perfectly chosen tempo and sensitive playing are, as always, a marvel."  http://www.magnoliajazzband.com/eng/news.html

Magnolia Jazzband : Anders Bjørnstad - trumpet, Georg Michael Reiss - clarinet and alto sax, Gunnar Gotaas - trombone, Håkon Gjesvik - grand piano, Arild Holm - banjo, Per Hobbel - string bass and Torstein Ellingsen - drums; Topsy Chapman - vocal; Morten Gunnar Larsen accompanies on "Muddy Waters".

Live At Oslo Concert Hall

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