Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 28:44
Size: 65.8 MB
Styles: R&B
Year: 1962/2013
Art: Front

[2:38] 1. Twistin' The Night Away
[2:15] 2. Sugar Dumpling
[2:07] 3. Twistin' In The Kitchen With Dinah
[2:31] 4. Somebody's Gonna Miss Me
[2:19] 5. A Whole Lotta Woman
[2:26] 6. The Twist
[2:07] 7. Twistin' In The Old Town Tonight
[2:33] 8. Movin' And Groovin'
[2:12] 9. Camptown Twist
[2:54] 10. Somebody Have Mercy
[2:06] 11. Soothe Me
[2:30] 12. That's It, I Quit, I'm Moving On

This was one of Cooke's more successful LPs, only his second ever to chart (the first was his 1957 debut long-player), and from here on, all of his albums would sell in serious numbers. Twistin' the Night Away remains one of Cooke's most accessible records, despite the fact that it was a "twist" album, aimed by the producers at cashing in on that craze, and Cooke was shoehorned into doing numbers like "Camptown Twist," "Twistin' in the Kitchen With Dinah," and "Twistin' in the Old Town," as well as his version of Hank Ballard's "The Twist." Around them, the singer is at his most soulful, exciting, and passionate, on the bluesy "Somebody Have Mercy"; the romantic lament "Somebody's Gonna Miss Me"; the ebullient "Sugar Dumpling"; the achingly beautiful, yearning "A Whole Lot of Woman"; the soaring "Soothe Me" (with Lou Rawls); and the slow dance number "Movin' and Groovin' ." One of the great dance albums of its period, but a brilliant soul album as well, which is why it holds up 40 years later. ~Bruce Eder

Twistin' The Night Away

---

Charlie Rouse - Soul Mates (Feat. Sahib Shihab)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:58
Size: 141.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[5:45] 1. November Afternoon
[5:08] 2. Green Chimneys
[5:39] 3. Prayer Song
[5:10] 4. So Nice
[6:05] 5. Soul Mates
[5:36] 6. Bohemia After Dark
[5:58] 7. Soft Shoulder
[7:41] 8. I'm Never Happy Anymore
[4:50] 9. Dida
[5:33] 10. Bittersweet
[4:29] 11. Bird's Nest

Soul Mates, an exciting studio date from 1988, combines a front line of Charlie Rouse, Sahib Shihab, and Claudio Roditi (who doubles on trumpet and flügelhorn), with a first-rate rhythm section of Walter Davis, Jr., Santi Debriano, and Victor Lewis. With Don Sickler providing most of the arrangements, the full sextet is heard on six of the 11 tracks. The fast-paced hard bop opener, "November Afternoon," is a neglected work by Tom McIntosh and features some of the hottest playing of the two sessions that make up the date. Rouse, already well-versed in Thelonious Monk's "Green Chimneys," makes the most of Sickler's well-crafted chart, which incorporates quick quirky phrases by Shihab and Roditi to accent his tenor sax. Shihab composed and arranged the tricky "DiDa," in which Davis mirrors the baritone saxophonist throughout the introduction. Rouse is heard with just the rhythm section in his lyrical arrangement of the ballad "Bittersweet." On a sad note, by the time this Uptown CD was finally released in 1993, Rouse, Shihab, and Davis had all passed away. ~Ken Dryden

Soul Mates (Feat. Sahib Shihab)

---

Henry Mancini - Breakfast At Tiffany's (50th Anniversary Edition)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 42:48
Size: 98.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:35] 1. Moon River (Original Main Title)
[3:09] 2. Something For Cat
[3:07] 3. Sally's Tomato
[2:31] 4. Mr. Yunioshi
[2:28] 5. The Big Blow Out
[2:02] 6. Moon River (Audrey Hepburn Version)
[2:31] 7. Hub Caps And Tail Lights
[2:47] 8. Breakfast At Tiffany's
[2:57] 9. Latin Golightly
[3:20] 10. Holly
[3:10] 11. Loose Caboose
[3:08] 12. The Big Heist
[2:36] 13. Moon River Cha Cha
[2:42] 14. Moon River (Choral Version)
[3:38] 15. Moon River [fjohnny Mercer Vocals]

It seems extraordinary now to think that Moon River almost didn't make it into the final cut of Blake Edwards' iconic 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. However, when a Paramount executive suggested it be deleted after an early screening, it was only at the insistence of the film's star, Audrey Hepburn, that the song was kept in. Of course, the rest is history. Moon River went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, alongside the film's other Oscar, for Best Score.

Henry Mancini's soundtrack is certainly a work of musical storytelling genius. As brassy big band numbers rub shoulders with slinkily suave city sophisticate ones, you find yourself submersed within the 1960s New York It Girl glamour to which Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, aspires. Then, amidst all this jazzy energy and upper Manhattan class comes Moon River. Simple, wistful, strummed on a guitar as Golightly perches over the fire escape, it's a striking encapsulation of the culture divide between her New York existence and her country roots.

Fast-forward to the present day and, whilst Mancini's music itself sounds as alive and evocative as ever (with the exception of the bizarre Mr Yunioshi theme), it's hard to make a new recording look fresh and desirable when it's been on the market in one form or another since 1961. That said, Jackpot Records have made a pretty good fist of it by offering more bonus tracks than any previous or existing recording.

In addition to the soundtrack itself, there are seven Henry Mancini Orchestra tracks, featuring songs such as Misty and Blue Satin. Then, there are five extra Moon River recordings, performed by Danny Williams, the Eddie Harris Quartet, Jerry Butler & Orchestra, the Grant Green Quartet, and finally Audrey Hepburn's version extracted directly from the film.

Less impressive is the fact that whoever compiled these extra bonus tracks did so by the powers of logic rather than of musical flair, grouping them into two distinct sections. Most people would agree that five Moon Rivers in a row is a bit much even for the most enthusiastic Tiffany's fan. Still, it's all good stuff, and if you don't yet own the soundtrack this will be the version to go for, not least because it's cheaper than the others. You may want to do a bit of re-sequencing, though. ~Charlotte Gardner

Breakfast At Tiffany's (50th Anniversary Edition)

---

Diane Marino - From The Heart

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Samba
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:53
Size: 160,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. I Concentrate On You
(6:27)  2. Don't Misunderstand
(6:33)  3. Incompatibilidade De Genios
(5:32)  4. (The Man From) The Old Country
(8:38)  5. Killer Joe
(4:26)  6. Anyone Who Had A Heart
(2:51)  7. This Can't Be Love
(6:24)  8. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:25)  9. So Danco Samba
(6:29) 10. Moanin'
(5:09) 11. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
(4:28) 12. Bernie's Tune
(5:35) 13. Once I Loved / O Amor Em Paz

The whole is the sum of its parts. That statement is a principle in the science of mathematics and the art of music. You're holding a sampling of the sum of what I'm musically about. These selections flow from my soul to your heart via the sounds of my voice and piano. This music carries a kind of communication that words alone cannot, and emanates from deep inside me where thoughts are often expressed, and unavoidably felt. To hear these selections, priorities from my life of musical nurturing, is to know me as I've been, and accompany me as I go in multiple directions, often onward, always upward and never backward. I feel as though my music, although having its foundation in Jazz, is resistant to a particular branding. Following the release of my album, "Just Groovin," some people assumed I was a exclusively a smooth jazz artist. Because I'm comfortable with Brazilian music, others later surmised I'm a Brazilian artist. Admittedly, the labels are flattering, but ultimately restrictive. My music is diversified and it's my own, offered for my satisfaction and your edification. I might even refer to this CD as “Eclectic Jazz”. “Eclectic jazz? With this album, have I birthed a new genre? If so, it was intentional, and was the unavoidable upshot of a maverick artist, and the lovable liability of that incessant spiral onward, upward and never backward. Diane Marino… Building Bridges Across Jazz Lines…

When you combine an accomplished vocalist, an accomplished pianist, and accomplished arranger all in one individual, you have the dynamic Diane Marino. M&M Records Recording Artist Diane Marino has recorded, performed, and shared the stage with jazz legends Houston Person, Joe Henderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Pete Escovedo, Tania Maria, Kirk Whalum, pop music icon Felix Cavaliere and many others. Having a passion to “Build Bridges Across Jazz Lines”, Diane arranged and blended the elements of contemporary, traditional, smooth and Latin jazz with great pop standards from the sixties. This creative mosaic of music led to Diane’s 2008 Release, ‘Just Groovin’.
Critically acclaimed, “‘Just Groovin’ is a stellar collection featuring twelve wonderful re-interpretations of pop standards from the sixties. These are not copies of other versions. Diane's fantastic voice and arranging is a breath of fresh air for these tunes, reminding us once again that a great song can be interpreted in any number of styles”… Bob Perry – The Penthouse Radio.

Diane’s debut jazz quartet CD ‘A Sleepin’ Bee’ was released in 2003 and has received national acclaim charting #25 on the national JazzWeek charts as well as receiving extensive radio airplay and rave reviews. This CD offers a wide array of vocal and instrumental traditional jazz standards, Latin jazz, and Brazilian jazz (sung in Portuguese). Diane’s second CD ‘On the Street Where You Live’, released in May of 2004 has also received national acclaim charting on the national JazzWeek charts and proves once again that Diane is a natural whether playing, singing, or both. This CD will take the listener to the very depths of emotions. There is a re-current theme throughout that tells stories of love, and love lost, as well as playful gems of Latin and Brazilian jazz. Diane is joined by bandmates Frank Marino (bass), Mitch Reilly (saxes/flute), and Chris Brown (drums).

Diane has performed at Trumpets Jazz Club in NJ, The Metropolitan Room-NYC, Montreux Atlanta Festival, Town Point Jazz Festival, Music City Jazz & Heritage Festival, WorkPlay Theatre, BayFest, Jazz n’ June Huntsville, Minnetrista Cultural Center Jazz Series, Churchill Grounds Atlanta, Riverfest, Jazz In The Valley, Music Midtown, Bowling Green International Festival, The Jazz Factory, HarborFest, Main Street Jazz Festival, City Stages, Three Rivers Music Festival, Jazz Junction, Bele Chere Music Festival, Franklin Jazz Festival, Summer Lights Music Festival, Celebration of The Arts USCS, and more.

Singer/pianist Diane Marino was born in Manhattan, NYC. She received her early piano training of classical studies and improvisation from the age of 10. Diane was accepted on NYC’S ‘Famed’ High School for the Performing Arts as a classical piano major. She later attended and graduated from Mannes College of Music in Manhattan where she studied piano with world-renowned concert pianist Murray Perahia.  

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dianemarino4

From The Heart

---

Johnny Guarnieri - Walla Walla

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:26
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Gliss Me Again
(1:56)  2. Walla Walla
(3:59)  3. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
(2:23)  4. Sweet Georgia Brown
(2:56)  5. Tea for Two
(3:03)  6. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
(2:37)  7. The Sheik of Araby
(4:13)  8. Love for Sale
(4:03)  9. Sometimes I'm Happy
(2:37) 10. Cherokee
(3:59) 11. Back Home Again in Indiana
(0:56) 12. One O'Clock Jump
(1:58) 13. Walla Walla (take 2)
(3:19) 14. Black and Blue
(3:38) 15. Gypsy in My Soul
(3:28) 16. Back Home Again in Indiana
(3:41) 17. Gliss Me Again (take 2)

Johnny Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City, perhaps best known for his big band stints with Benny Goodman in 1939 and with Artie Shaw in 1940. Guarnieri is also noted for his embellishment and juxtaposition of jazz with classical piano, such as Scarlatti and Beethoven. In the early 1980s, Guarnieri recorded "Johnny Guarnieri plays Duke Ellington" on a Bosendorfer Grand "SE" player piano, for the Live-Performance Jazz Series.

Throughout the 1940s Guarnieri was a busy sideman, recording with artists such as Charlie Christian, Cozy Cole, Ike Quebec, Charlie Kennedy, Hank D'Amico and Ben Webster. He also led his own group called the "Johnny Guarnieri Swing Men" and recorded with them on the Savoy label, a group that included Lester Young, Hank D'Amico, Billy Butterfield and Cozy Cole. He also led a trio in the 1940s composed of himself, Slam Stewart and Sammy Weiss, recording again for Savoy. During the 1940s he also recorded for the short-lived Majestic label, playing solo piano and with his trio. In 1949 Guarnieri recorded an album with June Christy titled June Christy & The Johnny Guarnieri Quintet.

In his later years Guarnieri shifted more toward jazz education. In commemoration of his reputation as a teacher, Guarnieri's students financed a label for him called Taz Jazz Records. In the 1970s Guarnieri recorded numerous albums on his new label, and until 1982 worked at the "Tail of the Cock" nightclub in Studio City, California. He died onstage during a performance with Dick Sudhalter.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Guarnieri

Walla Walla

---

Chantal Chamberland - This is Our Time

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2002

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 54:00

Size: 123,7 MB

Art: Front

(6:16)  1. This Is Our Time

(6:22)  2. Don't Explain

(3:37)  3. Why Don't You Do Right

(6:07)  4. Here Comes The Rain Again

(6:19)  5. Just The Way

(4:23)  6. Rock Away Baby

(4:53)  7. Fever

(6:12)  8. When You Leave

(5:16)  9. La Vie En Rose

(4:32) 10. The Best Thing

Slow burning passion and world-weary grit coalesce in the sultry, urban nightclub-style vocals of Chantal Chamberland. The Canadian singer/songwriter mines the depths of emotion once again with her album

This Is Our Time, a collection of original compositions, pop covers and classic torch songs. With her mature, aggressive vocal delivery, Chamberland turns each of these songs into an intense display of soul-searching poignancy.Included is a lusciously smoky rendition of the Peggy Lee classic "Fever,"an already sensual song that Chamberland makes even more potent. Also included are covers of Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose" and The Eurythmics'"Here Comes the Rain Again"

" Chantal has always had the ability to create moving, atmospheric music out of pop arrangements, and now she effortlessly transfers that ability to jazz... sparse but never empty, This Is Our Time is a smoky affair that manages to avoid the glossy trappings to which some jazz recordings succumb."  Chamberland puts a unique spin on Edith Piaf's beautiful "La vie en rose" as well as her lead-off radio single "Here Comes The Rain Again", first made famous by the Eurythmics. "This is our time showcases Chamberland's talent for jazz with deep, resonating, passionate vocals." http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chamberland2

This is Our Time

---

Silver Horace Quintet - The Tokyo Blues

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:01
Size: 91,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:44)  1. Too Much Sake
(12:13)  2. Sayanora Blues
( 7:43)  3. The Tokyo Blues
( 6:08)  4. Cherry Blossom
( 7:10)  5. Ah! So

Following a series of concert dates in Tokyo late in 1961 with his quintet, Horace Silver returned to the U.S. with his head full of the Japanese melodies he had heard during his visit, and using those as a springboard, he wrote four new pieces, which he then recorded at sessions held on July 13 and 14, 1962, along with a version of Ronnell Bright's little known ballad "Cherry Blossom." One would naturally assume the resulting LP would have a Japanese feel, but that really isn't the case. Using Latin rhythms and the blues as a base, Silver's Tokyo-influenced compositions fit right in with the subtle cross-cultural but very American hard bop he'd been doing all along. Using his usual quintet (Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor sax, Gene Taylor on bass) with drummer Joe Harris (he is listed as John Harris, Jr. for this set) filling in for an ailing Roy Brooks), Silver's compositions have a light, airy feel, with plenty of space, and no one used that space better at these sessions than Cook, whose tenor sax lines are simply wonderful, adding a sturdy, reliable brightness. 

The centerpieces are the two straight blues, "Sayonara Blues" and "The Tokyo Blues," both of which have a delightfully natural flow, and the building, patient take on Bright's "Cherry Blossom," which Silver takes pains to make sure sounds like a ballad and not a barely restrained minor-key romp. The bottom line is that The Tokyo Blues emerges as a fairly typical Silver set from the era and not as a grandiose fusion experiment welding hard bop to Japanese melodies. That might have been interesting, certainly, but Silver obviously assimilated things down to a deeper level before he wrote these pieces, and they feel like a natural extension of his work rather than an experimental detour. ~ Steve Leggett   

http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-tokyo-blues-mw0000081525

Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Junior Cook (tenor saxophone); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Gene Taylor (bass instrument, bass guitar); John Harris, Jr. (drums)

The Tokyo Blues

---