Carolyn Lochert - She's Lookin' Back

Size: 141,2 MB
Time: 60:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Blues Jazz
Art: Front

01. A Girl Gets Weary (7:37)
02. She's Lookin' Back (5:14)
03. Grecian Urn (6:49)
04. In The County (5:53)
05. When It's This Right (4:35)
06. Walking The Moon (3:21)
07. Blues In July (6:12)
08. I Want Her Back (4:41)
09. Lone Tree (5:57)
10. This Place (3:49)
11. Carlota (6:28)

Carolyn Lochert's musical path has taken her from roots in a small North Dakota town growing up in a large musical family, through Flagstaff, Portland and Tucson - landing her in Corvallis where she studied jazz composition.

Along the way she encountered some of the great musicans who appear on She's Lookin' Back: Warren Rand (alto and soprano sax), John Willis (electric bass), and Dan Gaynor (piano and organ). Lochert brought in Corby Simpson (upright bass), whom she met in Yelapa, Mexico, just a year prior to the recording, and Simpson introduced her to the project's drummer, Todd Strait.

"I wanted to put together a CD that represents where I've been musically and emotionally all these years," Lochert said. " I grew up with blues, soul, funk, rock, the music of Mexico and was introduced to jazz in my early twenties. I believe all of these influences can heard in my music. I hope you enjoy it."

She's Lookin' Back

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Barb Jungr - Waterloo Sunset

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:26
Size: 131,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:00)  1. Do You Play Guitar
(6:04)  2. High Water for Charlie Patton
(3:42)  3. Cathy's Clown
(5:24)  4. This Masquerade
(3:54)  5. The Great Valerio
(3:07)  6. When Do The Bells Ring For Me
(5:32)  7. Written In The Dark Again
(6:09)  8. Like A Rolling Stone
(4:34)  9. Lipstick Lips Lament
(3:39) 10. Laugh Clown Laugh
(4:43) 11. Waterloo Sunset
(6:33) 12. The Joker

With her previous three albums, Barb Jungr had already proved herself one of Britain's most engrossing cabaret singers and one of the most adroit song interpreters in modern vocal pop, and Waterloo Sunset does nothing to alter or diminish that assessment. It does feel like a small step backward in terms of content after the all-Bob Dylan program of Every Grain of Sand, but it is certainly not a step down in quality and intelligence of performance. In fact, it is a return to the interpretive eclecticism of Bare, with its dramatic overhauls of pop tunes (in effect, similar to her contemporary Cassandra Wilson, if not in style) by the Everly Brothers, Leon Russell, and Richard Thompson (a masterful, almost art song "The Great Valerio"), among others, intermingled with a few of Jungr's own delightful originals. It might even be thought of as a dressed-up version of that album, nowhere more evident than in the Ray Davies-penned title tune. The stripped-down take from Bare is damaged, lonely, movingly reflective; the reimagined version of "Waterloo Sunset" is wistful, sure, but also bluesy, impregnable, rounding the corner toward sanguinity. That this Brit Invasion song sounds perfectly fluent and fluid coming after the Tin Pan Alley jazz chestnut "Laugh Clowns Laugh" says much about the caliber of the writing, of course, but also about how Jungr is able to locate and explore the je ne sais quoi of a composition, what is both ageless and new, unknown, what connects even as it perplexes. 

The album sustains this inquisitive mood, plowing into emotions that lurk beneath façades, like the enigmatic clowns and jesters that dance through the lyrics, and finally bubbling over on the marvelous concluding rehabilitation of Steve Miller's "The Joker," in which a crass come-on is transformed into an effusive flirtation. It's something to behold. Jungr had not quite gotten Mr. Zimmerman out of her blood either, so fans of Every Grain of Sand have a couple more Dylan treats in store with versions of the classic "Like a Rolling Stone" and the more recent Love and Theft track "High Water (For Charley Patton)." Calum Malcolm again produces beautifully, employing a carnival of colors and textures; the entirely new backing band is crackerjack throughout, breezing through music hall, cocktail jazz, bossa nova, and Western swing with the equal panache. 

~  Stanton Swihart    http://www.allmusic.com/album/waterloo-sunset-mw0000404763

Personnel: Barb Jungr (vocals); Geoff Gascoyne (double bass); Matt Backer (guitar); Stuart Hall (violin); Adrian York (piano); Nic France (drums).

Waterloo Sunset

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Johnny Varro Quintet - Speak Low

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:37
Size: 173,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. Speak Low
(3:51)  2. I Wish I Knew
(6:49)  3. Once I Loved
(4:24)  4. Falling in Love With Love
(6:11)  5. It Could Happen to You
(4:09)  6. Tangerine
(3:32)  7. This Year's Kisses
(6:11)  8. My Heart Stood Still
(6:52)  9. All the Things You Are
(6:49) 10. Waltz for Debby
(5:12) 11. Four
(5:35) 12. Sweethearts on Parade
(3:50) 13. The Lamp Is Low
(6:05) 14. Summer Samba (So Nice)

Johnny Varro has been a solid mainstream pianist since the 1940s, equally at home playing swing, cool, and bop, along with standards. In his eighties and still going strong, he assembled a quintet for these 2010 sessions featuring cornetist Warren Vaché, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, bassist Nicki Parrott, and drummer Chuck Riggs, all seasoned musicians who know a wide range of songs. While there aren't any surprises among the 14 songs selected for the session, several of them have fallen out of favor for no apparent reason. One of the nice things about hearing skilled musicians who know their music is that things seem to fall naturally into place; they can play around the melody without resorting to clichés, while they also share the spotlight without egos clashing. Varro's light touch at the piano is reminiscent of Teddy Wilson, though he eschews predictable improvised passages and keeps his solos short. 

Over half of the CD is devoted to standards. "All the Things You Are" is one of the most recorded songs, though Varro skips Dizzy Gillespie's famous added introduction, instead launching a swinging, lighthearted treatment featuring Allen's robust tenor and Vaché's sparkling cornet bookending his masterful piano solo, followed by Parrott's intricate feature. Varro tackles both Rodgers & Hart selections at a brisk clip, with terrific interplay in "Falling in Love with Love" and offering an unusually peppy "My Heart Stood Still." There are lovely interpretations of Brazilian favorites ("Once I Loved" and "Summer Samba") and a loping, happy "Sweethearts on Parade" (a throwback to the Eddie Condon era of Chicago swing). This is a thoroughly satisfying release. ~ Ken Dryden   http://www.allmusic.com/album/speak-low-mw0002137584

Personnel:  Johnny Varro – piano;  Warren Vaché - cornet, trumpet; Harry Allen - tenor sax;  Nicki Parrott – bass;  Chuck Riggs - drums

Speak Low

Zoot Sims With The Joe Castro Trio - Live At Falcon Lair

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:32
Size: 139,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. A Night In Tunisia
(6:59)  2. Pennies From Heaven
(6:39)  3. I'll See You In My Dreams
(9:32)  4. It's Always You
(9:24)  5. Blues for Nat
(7:19)  6. Swinging With Rudolph
(7:01)  7. East Of The Sun (West Of The Moon)
(7:13)  8. J.C. Blues

This loose-limbed rendezvous sounds exactly as it was, an impromptu late-night jam session planned on the fly in someone’s apartment in this case, however, no ordinary apartment but “The Playhouse,” a spacious second-story room above a garage and adjacent to the main house at Falcon Lair, the imposing Beverly Hills estate then owned by tobacco heiress Doris Duke and previously occupied by legendary silent film star Rudolph Valentino. Pianist Joe Castro, who was married to Duke from 1956-64, liked to invite his friends over for unrehearsed get-togethers, and one frequent guest who would blow anytime, day or night, at the drop of a downbeat was the irrepressible Zoot Sims. An unusual aspect of this particular session is that Zoot brought only his alto sax, not the tenor for which he is much better known. Not to worry; if he hadn’t been such a great tenor stylist, Zoot would certainly have been numbered among the best alto players of his day. Strangely, after playing alto for a couple of years in the mid-'50s he packed up the horn and seldom played it again. And as far as anyone knows, he never said why (he did play soprano sax in later years). As Zoot never recorded on alto with only a rhythm section, this album is, in that respect at least, historic. Castro, who thought he might be able to interest record companies in some of the sessions (Stan Getz was another regular visitor), generally had his Telefunken microphones plugged in and Ampex quarter-inch tape recorder running. 

Considering the source, the sound quality is quite good, the overall balance evenhanded with Castro, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Ron Jefferson clearly defined. Zoot also comes through loud and clear, complementing but never overshadowing the trio. Musically, the group doesn’t stray far from familiar territory, renovating five standards and a trio of undemanding Castro originals including two blues. There are one or two awkward moments when everyone is searching for the proper groove and tempo, but they are of little consequence in a session that swings as hard and consistently as this one, thanks mainly to Zoot’s inability to do anything less, regardless of time, place or crewmates which is not meant to suggest that the supporting cast, especially bassist Vinnegar, is less than admirable. “Zoot was a joy, a groove to be with,” says Castro, who has lived in Las Vegas since 1980 and still jams at home whenever he can. “He was a wonderful guy, unpretentious, and played his ass off” on alto as well as tenor, as Castro’s Ampex bears witness. We’ll not see his like again, and Live at Falcon Lair documents one of those occasions when Zoot was happiest relaxed, swinging, and clearly having great fun deconstructing and reassembling musical scores and swapping ideas with like-minded companions.~ Jack Bowers   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=13810#.UwEoZoXYMbg
 

Personnel: Zoot Sims, alto saxophone; Joe Castro, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; Ron Jefferson, drums.

Live At Falcon Lair

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Titi Winterstein Quintett - Gipsy Feelings

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 46:55
Size: 75,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. Noto-Swing
(2:37)  2. Amoureux
(4:15)  3. Sur Ma Tombe
(4:02)  4. Milko
(3:37)  5. Sinto Nova
(5:32)  6. Swing '85
(4:48)  7. DJinee Tu Kowa Ziro
(2:54)  8. For Babs
(4:31)  9. Ich Liebe Die Sonne, Den Mond Und Die Sterne
(1:51) 10. Lulu-Valse
(5:11) 11. Hunn, O Pani Naschella
(4:42) 12. J'ai Souvent Pleure

Violinist, 1956 - 2008
After all these years of touring, recordings and concerts, Titi Winterstein has not changed his lifestyle. He continues to travel by caravan from April to October, following in the footsteps of his father. In memory of the tragedy inflicted on his people by the Nazi regime, Gypsies often gather in a tent to pray … together. Titi Winterstein was born in Breisgau (Germany) in 1956. Tokeli his father and his uncle during the war suffered the abomination of the deportation and Nazi camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. They are the only survivors of a family of 50 people.

Apprenticeships: At 8 years, Titi is learning the rudiments of the violin with his father. It mounts a first time on stage one year later, at a celebration commemorating the end of a gypsy pilgrimage (Illingen, Saarland). He plays the same pilgrimage in 1969 at the age of 12 years, and surprise, dazzled the audience by playing swing standards of Schnuckenack Reinhardt. The latter also record his first album Musik Deutscher Zigeuner two months later. In 1972, things get serious. Weiss Häns’che just form a string quintet and asked Titi then 15 years old to join. The press widely encenser this quintet, and in particular the young violinist now presented as a child prodigy. The quintet is formed, in addition to Titi Häns’che violin and the guitar solo, by Holzmanno and Ziroli Winterstein guitar accompaniment and Hojok Merstein double bass which by his age and his character is also the role of group manager . The quintet recorded five albums before guitarist Holzmanno Winterstein is replaced by Lulu Reinhardt. These five years with the quintet of Häns’che Weiss have been training for Titi. The group toured much in Europe. 

One of the most memorable time of their tour was when played alongside the trio of Stéphane Grappelli, concerts ending in wild jam sessions with the two violinists, to the delight of the public. The quintet’s fifth disc, Fünf Jahre Musik Deutscher Zigeuner, won an important award in Germany: Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. At the end of this price Häns’che Weiss left the band. The Titi Winterstein Quintett officially created on 14 May 1978 at the “Festival der Jugend” in Dortmund. Titi then to 21 years, and the group welcomes pianist Silvano Lagrène. That same year produced a 45-minute documentary for television, Saitenstrassen, which shows a portrait of musicians and their families during their summer travel. Titi Winterstein is also his first LP with the harpist Lee Reed invited. A second documentary was filmed in 1979 at the Festival in Darmstadt with the quintet. They also participate in a play in Stuttgart. I raise, the second album was recorded in 1980. 

After five years of nonstop touring, the band recorded its third album: Djinee To Kowa Ziro in 1985. The accordionist Klaus Bruder, bassist Peter Gropp and guitarist Reinhardt Geisel (the younger brother of Lulu) joined the group. We may also note the group members are very active in defending the rights of Gypsies and Roma, in particular by advocating a massive movement entitled “Grüne Raupe” defending human rights.

- In 1987, the quintet recorded the beautiful Live mit Vanessa & Sorba Merstein with Vanessa and Sorba Kwiatowski, two musicians from Poland who bring songs Roma in Eastern Europe.
- In 1988, the group appears in the TV series “Tatort” in an episode entitled Arming Nanosh!
- In 1989, they play “World Festival 89” in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- In 1993, Titi playing with Yehudi Menuhin in a festival in Brussels entitled “All the World’s Violins”. He was asked by Arte for a documentary on the culture of the Gypsy and Jewish communities.
- In 1994 the album seems Maro Djipen rehear which allows the pianist Silvano Lagrène.
A very good compilation was also released in 1999 (series Starportrait). ~ Bio  http://www.last.fm/music/Titi+Winterstein+Quintett/+wiki

Gipsy Feelings

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