Dee Bell - Sagacious Grace

Size: 113,6 MB
Time: 49:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Watch What Happens (5:16)
02. You Can't Go Home Again (5:37)
03. Dear Bix (3:38)
04. You're My Thrill (5:38)
05. Isfahan (6:00)
06. I Remember You (3:41)
07. Comes Love (5:17)
08. The Peacocks (5:03)
09. If Dreams Come True (3:47)
10. I'll Never Be The Same (5:13)

Praised by critics both abroad and in the United States for her “gorgeous phrasing” and “clear and easy delivery (Stereo Review)” of the lyrics of a song, West Coast diva Dee Bell again delivers her warmth, clarity, and impeccable intonation on Sagacious Grace, her first release for the Laser label. “She knows just how to bring the best out in a song. She does her own thing; lazy, hazy, smoky singing (Jazz Journal, England).” Dee’s Concord Jazz recordings with Stan Getz, Eddie Duran and Tom Harrell made the jazz world “sit up and listen (Jesse Hamlin, SF Jazz Critic)” garnering top twenty rotations on the jazz charts.

With this latest release dedicated to the late pianist, Al Plank, there are three songs with Dee’s original lyrics and two that she has arranged. The swinging, elegant pianist influenced the balance of the riveting musical adaptations on this CD. Al was a major part of the San Francisco jazz scene for over 40 years, following an earlier musical career with the Mastersounds (the Montgomery brothers: Wes, Monk, and Buddy), as well as time on stage with Woody Herman, Chet Baker and Anita O’Day.

Houston Person on saxophone, John Stowell on guitar, and Michael Spiro on percussion round out a stellar roster of the Bay Area’s top musicians on this long-awaited CD. Interpreted with heartfelt nuances, this beautiful and diverse collection of songs will provide hours of entertainment for your delight.

Sagacious Grace

---

Bob Dorough - Eulalia

Size: 108,0 MB
Time: 46:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Bebop, Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Eulalia (Feat. Aralee) (3:40)
02. Love (Webster's Dictionary) (Feat. Aralee) (7:14)
03. Whatever Happened To Love Songs (Feat. Aralee) (5:16)
04. But For Now (Feat. Aralee) (4:50)
05. To Be Or Not To Be (Feat. Aralee) (8:00)
06. I've Got Just About Everything (Feat. Aralee (7:32)
07. A Few Days Of Glory (Feat. Aralee) (5:47)
08. Consummation (Feat. Aralee) (0:36)
09. Eulalia Reprise (Feat. Aralee) (3:27)

Pianist Bob Dorough is to the jazz repertoire what Loretta Lynn is to country music. Trained in jazz piano, Dorough is best known for his role as the music director of a national project in 1971, assigned to set the multiplication table to music which grew into the popular Saturday morning cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock. Some forty years later, Dorough maintains an infectious sprint in the cadence of his keys and a heartland-tempered twang in his vocal register. He puts all of himself into his music from the raw, craggy continence of his vocals to the polished, buoyant rustling of his keys.

A fusion of scripted chord movements and improvised phrasing, Dorough's latest release Eulalia from Merry Lane Records emphasizes the elasticity of the instruments and the keen reciprocation of the musicians on board to play off of one another. Dorough and his daughter Aralee demonstrate such active and reactive prowess between the piano and flute in the title track. The curvature of Aralee's flute gives the track shape and an organic texture while the keys incubate the piece in a sheath of bliss. The rippling waves of Thomas Hultén's trombone through "But For Now" pervade a Cab Calloway vibe supplemented by the sprinkling flare of the keys. The swinging romper "I've Got Just About Everything" is wreathe in the tweeting vibrations of the horns resonating a nostalgic glow that's reminiscent of Hoagy Carmichael, and counter-balanced by the spiritual ruminations of "A Few Days of Glory" featuring the soaring vocals of Tammie Bradley and the bluesy hues of the saxophone.

Pulsating with modern virility and wielding the crisp interplay of vintage bebop, Eulalia partners free-style with formulaic chord patterns harking back to the approach taken by the architects of '50s jazz. Liken to the way country music comes naturally to Loretta Lynn, spindling jazz idioms comes naturally to Dorough. The rawness of Dorough's vocals combined with polished instrumentation make for a personalized recording. ~by Susan Frances

Musicians:
Bob Dorough - piano, vocals, and arrangements; Steve Gilmore - acoustic bass; Herman Matthews - drums; Phil Woods - alto sax; Aralee Dorough - flute; Dennis Dotson - trumpet; Thomas Hultén - trombone and tuba; Warren Sneed - tenor and soprano sax; Keith Vivens - electric bass (Tracks 3 & 7); Ray Wilson - guitar; Mike Mizma - vibes and pandeiro (Track 2); Gary Mitchell, Jr. - choirmaster, vocals & Hammond B3 (Track 7); Tammie Bradley - vocals (Track 7)

Eulalia

---

Susanna Bartilla - Susanna Bartilla Chante Johnny Mercer - Live Au Sunside

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:26
Size: 131,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:18)  2. Travelin' Light
(4:14)  3. Fools Rush In
(6:33)  4. Blues In The Night
(5:17)  5. My Shining Hour
(4:07)  6. PS I Love You/I Thought About You
(5:32)  7. One For My Baby
(5:35)  8. Goody Goody
(3:44)  9. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(4:32) 10. Skylark
(2:57) 11. The Summer Wind
(4:39) 12. Let's Take The Long Way Home

A Johnny Mercer lyric always comes across as something authentically by him, a part of his real person, as lived and experienced by him and us ! He always strikes the right balance between nostalgia and optimism, between tenderness and passion; genuine emotions that we all can relate to and that accompany us through life. And beyond that, a wonderful singer himself, he is a singer's lyricist. His ambition was to write “a song that everybody loves and all the artists can’t wait to sing and record it”. That never failed. Every vowel is in its perfect spot, the intricate, often interior rhymes fall into place naturally and the lyric hugs the music in a way that makes every tune a shere joy to sing. I prepared my centennial tribute for several years, choosing out of the hundreds of songs the two dozen I find I truely cannot do without. They range from some of his very early lyrics ("Goody Goody") to some of his last ones ("The Summer Wind"), from the very famous ("Autumn Leaves", "One for My Baby") to maybe lesser known pieces like "Let's Take the Long Way Home" or "My Shining Hour". Out of all this wealth, personal highlights of my tribute CD are "Blues in the Night", "Fools Rush In" and my alltime favourite "Skylark". 

Before I started recording, I felt I just had to go to Mercer's hometown to walk in his steps, see the places that inspired him and talk to his friends and family. In my imagination, Savannah already existed as a dreamland, where a blossom covered lane leads toward a meadowland on the banks of the Moon River ... But its reality, its loveliness and the warmth and friendliness of the people by far surpassed my imagination and spurred my inspiration. All the immediately evocative countryside images that Mercer conveys in his lyrics are romantic in the original sense of the word. As a Berlin native, I consider them on a par with the poetry written by the great German romantics, where landscapes and emotions reflect and influence each other. "Autumn Leaves" is to my mind on the same level of greatness as Rilke's famous "Herbstlied" ("Autumn Song"), and the love, lust and longing tumbling in a spin in "That Old Black Magic" are as compelling as in Goethe's masterpiece "Gretchen am Spinnrad" ("Margaret at the Spinning Wheel"). To Mercer, writing songs was “an exciting, stimulating experience like an adventure in love”, and that’s exactly how I feel singing those songs. It is always a great thrill for me to make the audience aware that one great poet wrote such a varied range of timeless words and I'm very happy to have contributed a little bit to the celebration of his centennial.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/susannabartilla2

Susanna Bartilla Chante Johnny Mercer - Live Au Sunside

---

Carmen Cuesta - Mi Bossa Nova

Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:13
Size: 99,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Triste
(4:16)  2. Fotografia
(5:06)  3. Retrato Em Branco E Prieto
(3:52)  4. O Barquinho
(3:26)  5. Pois
(4:43)  6. Jobim
(3:04)  7. Modinha
(3:21)  8. Tormenta
(4:00)  9. Manha De Carnival
(3:49) 10. Chega De Saudade
(4:29) 11. Meditacao

The Spanish singer Carmen Cuesta has long had a love for the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and other bossa nova composers, though her earlier CDs have focused more on originals co-written with her husband, guitarist Chuck Loeb. But bossa nova reigns supreme on this 2011 release, with Loeb contributing well-produced backgrounds for Cuesta's fresh, pleasing alto voice. Initially she worked on translating the Portuguese lyrics into Spanish, only to be stymied by legal issues after she was well underway with her work. In any case, Cuesta is able to convey the elegance of these timeless melodies. Her vocals capture the longing of the lyric to "Retrato em Branco e Preto" in a heartfelt performance. Cuesta is equally sensual in her interpretation of "Meditaçao." Her flawless rendition of Luis Bonfá's "Manha de Carnaval" could easily be used in a film soundtrack. Cuesta and Loeb's daughters Christina and Lizzy are added on flutes for their mother's "Jobim," her warm tribute to her inspiration for this CD. Throughout the date, Chuck Loeb's orchestrations and acoustic guitar solos add to the beauty of Carmen Cuesta's performances. It's easy to understand why they enjoy making music together as documented in Mi Bossa Nova. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/mi-bossa-nova-mw0002112002

Mi Bossa Nova

---

Ralph Sutton & Johnny Varro - A Pair Of Kings

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:50
Size: 166,8 MB
Art: Front

( 4:23)  1. Swing That Music
( 4:19)  2. All By Myself
( 5:56)  3. What Am I Here For
( 4:43)  4. St. Louis Blues
( 5:24)  5. Crazy Rhythm
( 6:18)  6. Tea For Two
( 5:07)  7. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
( 4:58)  8. It's You Or No One
( 4:33)  9. Oh, Lady, Be Good!
( 5:45) 10. Farewell Blues
( 6:15) 11. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
(15:03) 12. Fats Waller Medley: Say Yes / Ain't Misbehaven / Keeping Out Of Mischief Now / Stealin' Apples

Well, Arbors Records has done it again: well recorded jazz from its glory years, played today by the people who played it then. This 2001 album documents two of the most reliable of these players, with all the sophistication, excitement, and spontaneity of a live performance.

The late Ralph Sutton was born in Hamburg, Missouri in 1922 and played the piano virtually his entire life. He joined the Jack Teagarden Orchestra at age 19, a several-year gig that was interrupted when the U.S. Army called. He played with Bob Crosby in New York in 1966 and with the World’s Greatest Jazz Band until 1974. In 1979, he and Jay McShann did a cross-country tour that resulted in the album The Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players, memorable if for no other reason than its title. Influenced by James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, Sutton nonetheless clearly developed a sound of his own, with a powerful left hand and an excellent sense of rhythm and harmonics.

Johnny Varro was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930 and played at the Central Plaza in New York City from 1946. At jam sessions on the Lower East Side, the young Varro met players of the era such as Willie “The Lion” Smith, “Big Sid” Catlett, Joe Thomas, “Hot Lips” Page, Joe Sullivan, Pete Brown, and others. After a stint in the Service, he toured with Bobby Hackett and often appeared at Nick’s and Eddie Condon’s, where he succeeded Sutton as intermission pianist. He ultimately became Condon’s band pianist, playing with and learning from a host of legends. In 1953 he moved to Miami Beach to work on the Jackie Gleason Show, subsequently touring the country and spending 14 years in Los Angeles. Now a resident of Tampa Bay, he records with his own Swing 7 and is featured as sideman on many Arbors CDs, as are bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Ed Metz, Jr.  

This album was recorded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; you’ll want to know that Sutton is on the left channel, and Varro is on the right, with good separation. Varro trios on Ellington’s “What Am I Here For?” and “It’s You or No One,” while Sutton returns the favor on “Tea for Two” and “Farewell Blues,” the latter as a solo. All tunes are standards, and if you can suppress the temptation to whistle or hum along, you have more self-control than myself. These two masters save the best till last; the “Fats Waller Medley” is more than 15 minutes of utter enjoyment. Sutton solos on “Say Yes,” the “other waltz,” while Varro solos on “Jitterbug”; both share choruses with each other and the rhythm section on the other selections. Both pianists segue smoothly and empathetically from tune to tune, and Flanigan and Metz trade tasty fours on the ninth chorus of “Stealin’ Apples.” This is the kind of CD that, as it begins to repeat, you think to yourself, “Well, I’ll be darned. How could 73 minutes of music have played that quickly and enjoyably?” ~ J.Robert Bragonier  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=12486#.Uu6zKrS1QwA

Personnel: Ralph Sutton and Johnny Varro (piano), Phil Flanigan (bass), and Ed Metz, Jr. (drums)

A Pair Of Kings

---

Mauri Sanchis - What Did You Expect?

Styles: Hammond Organ
Year: 2011
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 49:34
Size: 104,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. Nightmare
(4:22)  2. The Ninja
(6:28)  3. Lowdown
(4:36)  4. As For Me
(5:20)  5. Whisky Bob
(6:09)  6. Take Six
(5:29)  7. Groove Soup
(7:31)  8. In A Blue Mood
(4:16)  9. Guess What!

Absolutely new and risky approach to organ trio by Hammond Endorser Mauri Sanchis leading a set of innovative, transgressor and sometimes even aggresive tracks accompanied by Yamaha endorser Blas Fernandez on Drums and Gibson endorser Razl on guitar. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/maurisanchis

What Did You Expect?

---