Susan Getz - Jazz Boxx

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:54
Size: 116.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[4:32] 1. Honeymoon
[4:02] 2. The Long And Winding Road
[3:02] 3. Say Goodbye To Love
[7:09] 4. That's All
[3:59] 5. Come Together
[4:54] 6. I Need Your Love So Bad
[4:08] 7. Peace Dream
[7:48] 8. Cry Me A River
[2:38] 9. My Buddy
[3:49] 10. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[3:33] 11. The Birthday Song For Caroline
[1:13] 12. Song For My Lover

With her first CD, 2005’s Jazz Boxx, Susan Getz announced her herself on the scene as a singer with a graceful, assured voice, denoting a quiet yet powerful inner strength and a refreshingly unique style. With the recent release of her newest effort, The Green Eyed Girl, Getz takes another step forward, establishing herself as a songwriter with a subtly distinctive approach and the confidence to highlight a calm warmth over dazzle and flash.

Getz shows, as well, her delightful flair for skillfully blending musical genres. As she puts it, “This album is not straight jazz or pop or blues or rock but a kaleidoscope of hues and simple intimate songs. And yet the songs and arrangements are firmly based in jazz harmonies and chord colors.”

Jazz Boxx

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Ken Schaphorst Big Band - Making Lunch

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 45:10

Size: 103.4 MB

Styles: Big band

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[2:59] 1. Making Lunch

[5:04] 2. Promise

[5:25] 3. Intimation

[9:50] 4. Stolen Moments

[4:12] 5. Gospel Garden

[8:17] 6. Chant

[4:58] 7. The Lashing Of Tongues

[4:21] 8. Prayer

The 18-piece Ken Schaphorst Big Band, created in 1988, has been hailed by the Boston Phoenix as "the most interesting and contemporary large ensemble to come out of Boston in recent years." W. Royal Stokes writes in Jazz Times that band's 1989 debut recording, Ken Schaphorst Big Band: Making Lunch, "combines the sophisticated and eclectic writing of the leader and the wonderfully loose playing of, for these ears, 18 of Boston's finest improvisers." About the Ken Schaphorst Big Band's follow-up recording, Ken Schaphorst Big Band: After Blue, released on the Accurate Recordings label in 1991, Gene Santoro writes in Pulse! that Schaphorst "cannily exploits the colors of his 18-piece group with a ferocious energy and an offbeat ear that will turn you on yours-just as Mingus meant to do." When the Moon Jumps, featuring the 10-piece Ken Schaphorst Ensemble, was released on ccurate Records in 1994. The recording that Jazz Times calls "one of the most excitingly provocative large ensemble ventures in years" received four stars from Down Beat magazine and features the three-movement Concerto for John Medeski, commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1991.

Jay Bradford (alto sax); John Carlson (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Dirac (guitar); Dave Finucane (tenor sax); Andy Gravish (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jim Harp (drums); Curtis Hasselbring (trombone); Hiro Honshuku (flute); Jerry Leake (percussion); Dmitri Matheny (trumpet, flugelhorn); Donny McCaslin (tenor sax); John Medeski (piano); Jim O'Dell (tuba); Mark Ortwein (baritone sax, bassoon); Josh Roseman (trombone); Mark Taylor (French horn); Dave Valdez (alto sax); Wesley Wirth (bass)

Making Lunch

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Sammy Davis, Jr. - All Star Spectacular

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 35:08

Size: 80.4 MB

Styles: Show tunes, Vocal pop

Year: 1962/2012

Art: Front

[3:56] 1. That Lucky Old Sun

[3:24] 2. Be My Love

[2:54] 3. Lulu's Back In Town

[2:36] 4. Stranger In Paradise

[2:18] 5. Ballerina

[3:30] 6. Sonny Boy

[1:56] 7. I Married An Angel

[3:24] 8. Falling In Love Again

[3:06] 9. You Can't Love' Em All

[2:31] 10. If You Are But A Dream

[2:09] 11. 'deed I Do

[3:18] 12. Without A Song

In 1960 Sammy Davis, Jr. signed on to Frank Sinatra's Reprise label at the zenith of his success and association with Ol' Blue Eyes and Dean Martin as a member of the one and only Rat Pack. All-Star Spectacular (1962) presents Davis like never before, both as a dynamic vocalist and as an actor of equally impressive proficiency. As Davis explains during the brief spoken introduction, the idea behind this title is to capture some of the good-natured frivolity of his one-man show onto the grooves of a studio LP. Backed by conductor and arranger Morton Stevens, Davis demonstrates his uncanny abilities on the first half of the affair as an impressionist, singing pop standards under the guise of a wide spectrum of well-known personalities. Among the highlights are his send-up of Raymond Chandler and Frankie Laine on the opener, "That Lucky Old Sun." He moves swiftly between the unlikely pairing of Mel Tormé and comedic genius Jerry Lewis during a rousing rendition of "Lulu's Back in Town." The cheerful mid-tempo Bob Russell ballad "Ballerina" is given a playful workout as Huckleberry Hound, Kingfish from Amos 'n' Andy, and even Nat King Cole -- the voice who made the tune famous to begin with -- all "drop by" to put their proverbial two cents in. Undeniably, the best of them all is Davis' parody of Mario Lanza and Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong on the Sammy Kahn classic "Be My Love." The second half of All-Star Spectacular consists of straightforward interpretations of a half-dozen swinging sides, representing the best of what the artist has to offer as a vibrant singer and consummate performer. The heartfelt "If You Are but a Dream" is given an upbeat delivery set against a scintillating mambo backdrop. Rodgers and Hart's "I Married an Angel" bursts with the brassy verbosity that became Davis' calling card, while "You Can't Love 'Em All" is nothing short of the definitive swingin' space-age-bachelor-pad anthem, not to mention the second of two Sammy Kahn lyrical contributions. Although there are many facets to Sammy Davis, Jr.'s immeasurable talents, All-Star Spectacular is a unique album, cashing in on his sizable talents as a seminal master of melody and allowing for a peek into his infectious sense of humor. ~Lindsay Planer

All Star Spectacular

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Sam Miltich & Dave Karr - Darn That Dream

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:06
Size: 119.3 MB
Styles: Bebop, Guitar jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:17] 1. Sweet Lorraine
[3:46] 2. Serenade In Blue
[5:44] 3. Poor Butterfly
[6:39] 4. Pennies From Heaven
[3:53] 5. My Foolish Heart
[4:36] 6. Gone With The Wind
[2:53] 7. Autumn In New York
[4:30] 8. Darn That Dream
[4:13] 9. I Surrender Dear
[3:35] 10. I Should Care
[3:33] 11. Don't Blame Me
[4:21] 12. Everything Happens To Me

"Darn That Dream" is a duet album featuring 24 year-old gypsy jazz star Sam Miltich on guitar and 78 year-old jazz veteran Dave Karr on saxophone.

On this album, Sam's love of both the Kansas City style of jazz playing and be-bop style pioneered by Charlie Parker is represented. Sam's one-man rhythm section is a perfect foil to Dave's tenor playing. The sparse, intimate atmosphere of the duets emphasizes the collaboration at work in this musical relationship –- and it’s a tasty sound, too!

Sam Miltich grew up in the woods of northern Minnesota, and at an early age he dedicated himself to the study of gypsy jazz, quickly becoming a master of the technique. With a love of all things jazz, he plays with his band The Clearwater Hot Club through the Upper Midwest and around the world.

Dave Karr is a legend in the Twin Cities jazz scene. An accomplished musician and composer, Dave grew up in New York City listening to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He moved to the Twin Cities in his twenties and has been contributing to the Minnesota musical community for over fifty years.

Sam and Dave's relationship started after Sam heard Dave perform and knew immediately that they had shared musical influences in the great tenor players as Lester Young, Zoot Sims and Stan Getz. The two hit it off musically, and in 2008 Sam Miltich and the Clearwater Hot Club released an album featuring Dave Karr -- "Just You, Just Me."

Darn That Dream

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Ute Lemper - Paris Days, Berlin Nights

Styles: Vocal, Cabaret
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:15
Size: 167,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Elle Frequentait la Rue Pigall
(6:11)  2. L'Accordeoniste
(9:54)  3. Surabaya Johnny & Die Moritat
(5:03)  4. Der Graben
(3:02)  5. Uber Den Selbstmord
(4:30)  6. Ballade Vom Wasserad
(7:12)  7. La Ultima Grela
(4:41)  8. Oblivion
(3:23)  9. Yo Soy Maria
(5:59) 10. Temnaya Noch
(6:40) 11. Ikh Shtey Unter a Bokersboym
(6:05) 12. Stiller Abend
(5:29) 13. Ne Me Quitte Pas

The title Paris Days, Berlin Nights is a little misleading. One might expect French songs about morning-after regrets and German ones about living cynically hedonistically, but this collection goes way beyond that. It includes songs about war, abandonment, the indifference of time to human suffering, and gritty street life, with music by Piazzolla and Polish-Jewish composer Chava Alberstein in addition to the expected Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, and Jacques Brel. Uniting them all is Lemper's incredible voice and sense of drama, no matter what language. 

The energy she puts into songs such as Der Graben or Ballade vom Wasserrad is so great, it's hard to believe that no physical harm is done, but she comes right back every time, putting just as much into the next one. She is well supported by the Vogler Quartet and accordionist/clarinetist/pianist Stefan Malzew, all of whom come close to matching Lemper's intensity when needed. Malzew made all the arrangements, and they are very well done. 

They not only provide interesting, textural accompaniment to the voice, the gestures also support the character and theme of the texts. Malzew even sneaks in little details, such as quoting La Marseillaise in L'Accordéoniste or a sustained, high-pitched note (like what is heard when a grenade falls) in Der Graben. Although the album's title might not fit the contents, Lemper and colleagues do make these culturally diverse songs go together. The concentration of their passion keeps the set as a whole from becoming desperately bleak and gives the music a fascinating presence. ~ Patsy Morita     http://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-days-berlin-nights-mw0002325073  

Paris Days, Berlin Nights

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Gail Jhonson - Pearls

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:47
Size: 107,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Pacific Breeze
(4:21)  2. My Soldier
(4:09)  3. Silky Slide
(3:18)  4. Moments Of Love
(4:33)  5. Runnin' Around
(3:50)  6. Feel Good Groove
(4:06)  7. Miles Away
(3:48)  8. Whisper Yours
(3:44)  9. Let's Do This
(4:12) 10. Sisters
(3:13) 11. Pearls
(3:43) 12. Soleh

There is both good news and bad news where Gail Jhonson's Pearls is concerned. The good news: Jhonson is a talented pianist, keyboardist and composer who gets a lot of direct or indirect inspiration from artists like Joe Sample, George Duke, Lonnie Liston Smith, Herbie Hancock and Rodney Franklin -- 1970s pianists/keyboardists who had serious jazz chops but also liked to get funky. The bad news: Pearls, like a lot of smooth jazz releases, is usually too produced for its own good. Going for a lot of production is fine if your focus is electronica, hip-hop or dance music, but Jhonson's focus is a mixture of jazz, R&B and pop. 

While Pearls isn't meant to be straight-ahead hard bop by any means, jazz is still an important part of the picture and if you are trying to bring together jazz, R&B and pop the way that, say, Sample did on Carmel, the soloist shouldn't be smothered by the production. The soloist should have some breathing room, which is something that Jhonson doesn't have nearly enough of on Pearls. That said, there are some attractive grooves on this 46-minute CD  and when Jhonson has enough room to stretch out and improvise, one catches some glimpses of what she is capable of as a soloist. Take "Whisper Yours" and "Let's Do This," for example. On those tracks, Jhonson is not suffocated by an excess of production and programming; as a result, she achieves a healthy balance of melodic accessibility and jazz spontaneity. Unfortunately, too many of the other selections downplay her skills as a soloist. Pearls has its moments, but Jhonson is capable of a lot more.  ~ Alex Henderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/pearls-mw0000784297             

Pearls

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Pasadena Roof Orchestra - Ladies and Gentlemen

Styles: Big Band
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:01
Size: 216,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. She's a Latin from Manhattan
(3:06)  2. Cherokee (feat. Les Brünettes)
(3:12)  3. I'm All in for you
(3:28)  4. When You've got a little Springtime in your Heart
(3:11)  5. White Jazz
(3:25)  6. I won't Dance (feat. Laura Fygi)
(3:47)  7. The Lullaby of Broadway
(3:28)  8. Undecided (feat. Les Brünettes)
(2:36)  9. How'm I doing
(3:32) 10. Puttin on the Ritz
(3:39) 11. King Porter Stomp
(3:59) 12. Let's Do it (feat. Laura Rygi)
(2:47) 13. Side by Side
(3:18) 14. Goodnight Sweetheart

The velvet-throated master crooner Duncan Galloway and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra perform a set of classic tunes from the 1920s and 30s with guest vocalists Les Brunettes and Laura Fygi.  With its authentic 1920s and 30s music, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra has been selling-out concerts and playing at society dances for more than forty years. Using the original arrangements the eleven-piece band has earned itself a reputation for transporting the music forward into present times in a fashion both fascinating and true to the original spirit.

Today the music is as popular as it has ever been. Big stars such as Robbie Williams and Bryan Ferry have been delving back into classic jazz and the Great American Songbook and they, of course, have employed members of the band on their recordings and on tour in order to create that authentic sound. ~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ladies-Gentlemen-Pasadena-Roof-Orchestra/dp/B00F3MM710

Personnel: Duncan Galloway (vocals, bandleader), David Fort, Malcolm Baxter (trumpets), Adrian Fry (trombone), Sam Bullard (baritone and alto saxophone, clarinet), Oliver Wilby (tenor saxophone, clarinet), David Pritchard (alto saxophone, clarinet), John Sutton (drums), Graham Roberts (guitar, banjo), Simon Townley (piano), David Berry (double bass, sousaphone), Vocals: Laura Fygi (6, 12), Les Brünettes (2, 8)

Ladies and Gentlemen

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Phil Woods - Voyage

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:10
Size: 124,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:37)  1. A Beautiful Friendship
(7:13)  2. Philly Twist
(7:28)  3. These Foolish Things
(6:09)  4. A Smitty Ditty
(7:57)  5. Trouble Is A Man
(6:46)  6. I'll Be Around
(5:48)  7. Voyage
(4:09)  8. I'll See You Again

Phil Woods needs little introduction, but here is one anyway. A true purveyor of the Be Bop vocabulary, Woods might be considered the Johannes Brahms to Charlie Parker's Beethoven, serving as the stalwart keeper of the flame. One cannot accuse Phil Woods of copying Bird. There are many, many other lesser talents that did that. No, Phil Woods carved out his place and continued to preach the same finely crafted gospel for the past 50 years.

Voyage, recorded with the Bill Charlap Trio with Roy Hargrove aboard the Queen Elizabeth II finds the seventy-plus year old Woods in top form. Woods' tone is rich, full, and fluid, without any trace of effort. He breathes Be Bop from his horn. Whether a slow ballad or up-tempo vamp, Phil Woods displays a diamond hard expertise beyond reproach. This is a well-conceived disc of standards that are so expertly performed that the listener might expect an empathy form a lifetime of playing with the same personnel. This in spite of the fact that Woods and Charlap did not begin their professional association until 1995, when Woods recruited Charlap for his quintet. An upbeat "A Beautiful Friendship" and sumptuous title cut surf over a bright assembly of material. The quartet becomes a quintet when Roy Hargrove joins them on flugelhorn for Kenny Dorham's "Philly Twist" and "These Foolish Things."

This disc would serve well anyone who has only read about Phil Woods but never investigated him. It is live and immediate and readily accessible. Coupled with the intimate Contrasts, this pair of disc would make any jazz enthusiast smile. ~ C.Michael Bailey   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=9286#.UrivW7TJI0g

Personnel:  Phil Woods: Alto Saxophone; Roy Hargrove: Flugelhorn; Bill Charlap: Piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Willie Jones III: Drums

Voyage

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