Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 57:53

Size: 132.5 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 2010

Art: Front

[6:27] 1. Besame Mucho

[4:47] 2. Dearly Beloved

[3:45] 3. Days Of Wine And Roses

[4:23] 4. The Trick Bag

[5:04] 5. Canadian Sunset

[6:42] 6. Fried Pies

[4:07] 7. The Breeze And I

[4:38] 8. For Heaven’s Sake

[6:22] 9. Besame Mucho (Take 2, Alternate) - Alternate Take

[5:01] 10. The Trick Bag (Take 6, Alternate) - Alternate Take

[6:32] 11. Fried Pies (Take 1) - Alternate Take

Before he moved away from straight-ahead jazz and starting playing what is now known as smooth jazz, Wes Montgomery was one of bop's finest guitarists. Montgomery's bop period ended much too soon, but thankfully, he recorded his share of rewarding bop albums when he was still bop-oriented -- and one of them is Boss Guitar, which Orrin Keepnews produced in 1963. It's a trio recording, employing Mel Rhyne on organ and Jimmy Cobb on performances that have held up well over time; Montgomery shows how expressive a ballad player he could be on the standards "For Heaven's Sake" and "Days of Wine and Roses," but the fast tempo exuberance of "The Trick Bag" (a Montgomery original) serves him equally well. Montgomery swings the blues with pleasing results on "Fried Pies" (another Montgomery original), while Consuelo Velázquez's "Besame Mucho" (which is usually played at a slow ballad tempo) is successfully transformed into medium-tempo Latin jazz. Boss Guitar is among the bop-oriented Montgomery albums that should continue to be savored after all these years. [In addition to the eight master takes that were heard on the original '60s LP, some reissues contain alternate takes of "Besame Mucho," "The Trick Bag," and "Fried Pies" all of which will interest collectors.] ~Alex Henderson

Boss Guitar      

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Marky Quayle - One December Day

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:45
Size: 113.9 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[4:30] 1. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
[2:28] 2. What A Difference A Day Made
[2:50] 3. When Sunny Gets Blue
[2:50] 4. I Hadn't Anyone 'til You
[3:35] 5. Moonlight In Vermont
[3:40] 6. My Buddy
[1:23] 7. Almost Like Being In Love
[3:35] 8. Cheek To Cheek
[2:43] 9. Embraceable You
[1:30] 10. Exactly Like You
[3:35] 11. The Very Thought Of You
[3:42] 12. For Sentimental Reasons (I Love You)
[4:37] 13. Like Someone In Love
[2:31] 14. When I Fall In Love
[2:21] 15. Long Ago & Far Away
[3:47] 16. Learnin' The Blues

Marky remembers, “The earliest live music that I recall hearing was the Mary Kay Trio singing in my father's living room when I was six years old. It was unforgettable the impression their beautiful voices made on me! I knew from then on that I wanted to be a singer.” Marky's father was a great music lover and counted among his close friends George Shearing and Les Brown, who were his regular houseguests, with Shearing often playing on the home piano. With her Dad playing vocal recordings around the house whenever he was home, Marky recounts that she learned three-quarters of her repertoire by the time she was nine. Although as a teenager she listened to the rock bands that were active in San Francisco during that era, when a neighbor gave her an LP titled The Divine One by Miss Sarah Vaughan, it turned her musical life around.

“[Quayle] lets the lyrics of each song speak for itself . . . and she is particularly skilled on ballads, so one enjoys hearing her bring out the warmth and timelessness of each song.” ~Scott Yanow

One December Day

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Cliff Richard - 40 Golden Greats (2-Disc Set)

Following on from four past single disc collections of hits collections, Cliff Richard's first ever U.K. double album offered a straightforward recounting of, not necessarily his 40 greatest hits, but certainly his 40 best known. No statistical ground rules set out its contents. Rather, the compilers went by instinct and, perhaps, a well-developed sense of the mystic point where musical immortality departs from commercial superiority. Of the artist's eight number ones to date, one, 1960s "I Love You," was absent. Of 12 Top Ten hits scored between 1966-79, three were replaced by lower ranking, but infinitely more memorable efforts. It seems incredible that such mid-1970s gems as "Miss You Nights" and "My Kinda Life" were outperformed by the likes of "Big Ship" and "It's All Over," but that's the mystery of the pop charts for you. The bulk of the album, of course, is concentrated on the years when Richard didn't simply dominate British rock, he epitomized it. The whole of the first album (the first disc on the CD reissue) is dedicated to the 1958-63 period; the remainder of the 1960s consume more than half the rest of the record -- 1970s "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha," famously celebrated at the time as the artist's 50th single, doesn't arrive until the 33rd track, while the five years which divided that from his "Devil Woman"-led rebirth are summed up in just three songs. And that is precisely how it should have been. 40 Golden Greats slammed to the top of the U.K. chart in November 1977, his first number one since 1963's Summer Holiday, and was it mere chance -- or wry fate -- which decreed that when it was dislodged from that lofty peak, it was the Sex Pistols who did it. Twenty years earlier, after all, Richard himself had been Public Enemy #1, with "Move It," a blast of brutal punk rock as potently shocking to listeners of the time as all of Johnny Rotten's patent outrage. The difference is, in 1977, "Move It" still bristled with all its original passion. One could not help but wonder whether the Pistols would prove so enduring. ~Dave Thompson

Album: 40 Golden Greats (Disc 1)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:32
Size: 113.4 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 1977/2003

[2:20] 1. Move It
[2:36] 2. Living Doll
[2:35] 3. Travellin' Light
[2:28] 4. Fall In Love With You
[2:57] 5. Please Don't Tease
[2:05] 6. Nine Times Out Of Ten
[2:03] 7. Theme For A Dream
[1:56] 8. Gee Whiz It's You
[2:22] 9. When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart
[2:28] 10. A Girl Like You
[3:08] 11. The Young Ones
[2:12] 12. Do You Wanna Dance
[2:44] 13. I'm Looking Out The Window
[1:52] 14. It'll Be Me
[1:59] 15. Bachelor Boy
[2:55] 16. The Next Time
[2:04] 17. Summer Holiday
[2:41] 18. Lucky Lips
[3:09] 19. It's All In The Game
[2:50] 20. Don't Talk To Him

40 Golden Greats (Disc 1)

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Album: 40 Golden Greats (Disc 2)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 56:45
Size: 129.9 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 1977/2003
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. Constantly
[2:25] 2. On The Beach
[2:51] 3. I Could Easily Fall (In Love With You)
[2:18] 4. The Minute You're Gone
[2:26] 5. Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)
[2:59] 6. Visions
[2:19] 7. Blue Turns To Grey
[2:39] 8. In The Country
[2:14] 9. The Day I Met Marie
[2:53] 10. All My Love (Solo Tu)
[2:30] 11. Congratulations
[2:46] 12. Throw Down A Line
[2:49] 13. Goodbye Sam Hello Samantha
[3:22] 14. Sing A Song Of Freedom
[3:00] 15. Power To All Our Friends
[2:55] 16. (You Keep Me) Hangin' On
[3:54] 17. Miss You Nights
[3:32] 18. Devil Woman
[2:47] 19. I Can't Ask For Anymore Than You
[3:23] 20. My Kinda Life

40 Golden Greats (Disc 2)

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Bob Haggart's Swing Three - Hag Leaps In

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 68:38
Size: 157.1 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:34] 1. Big Noise From Winnetka
[4:45] 2. If I Had You
[4:32] 3. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
[4:55] 4. All Too Soon
[4:20] 5. Hag Leaps In
[6:59] 6. Always
[4:51] 7. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[5:57] 8. Dot's Cheesecake
[3:51] 9. Shky Breaks The Ice
[4:51] 10. My Inspiration
[5:47] 11. Azurte
[4:10] 12. Passion Flower
[5:42] 13. Chelsea Bridge
[4:16] 14. Air Mail Special

Bassist Bob Haggart, 81 at the time of his Arbors trio set, is heard still in prime form, whether accompanying the 74-year-old pianist John Bunch or guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli (a mere 69). The most unusual aspect of Haggart's date is that his group performs "Big Noise From Winnetka" without a drummer, which actually makes the song a bit pointless. Otherwise, the repertoire (swing standards and a few basic originals, including the title cut, which is based on "Lester Leaps In") is conventional and enjoyable. The music consistently swings, the three veterans split the solo space fairly evenly, and everyone plays at their usual high level. ~ Scott Yanow

Hag Leaps In

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Marica Hiraga - Mona Lisa - Tribute to Nat King Cole

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:27
Size: 102,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Mona Lisa
(3:16)  2. Almost Like Being in Love
(4:04)  3. I Love You for Sentimental Re
(3:19)  4. It's Only a Paper Moon
(2:47)  5. Love
(5:27)  6. Stardust
(3:07)  7. Route 66
(3:13)  8. Candy
(3:14)  9. Smile
(4:09) 10. Fly Me to The Moon
(3:41) 11. Unforgettable
(4:13) 12. Far Call (English)

Marica Hiraga is Japan’s leading jazz vocalist with a rich talent both in expression and technique. Her professional career began in 1981 after she was awarded the Asia Music Award in Hong Kong. She has acquired her understanding and feeling of jazz by performing and traveling between Tokyo and New York. Her first Jazz standard album, My Shining Hour, was released in 2001, and won the Best Singing Techniques award at the 19th Japan Jazz Vocal Award hosted by Jazz World magazine in 2003. Her 2nd album, Faith, released in 2006, was recorded with Eric Alexander and Harold Mabern Trio. Faith was selected as “ Swing Journal Gold Disc” and became her breakthrough album. She then worked with the legendary jazz combo, the Manhattan Jazz Quintet, lead by David Matthews, on 3rd album, Close to Bacharach, which was highly praised as the new Bacharach standards. The album was again selected as “ Swing Journal Gold Disc” and she received the Best Vocal award at the 41st Jazz Disc Award, hosted by Swing Journal, one of the most prestigious awards for jazz music in Japan. 

In May 2008, she released a collection of mature love songs as 4th album, More Romance, and in November, she released 5th album, BATUCADA-Jazz‘ n’ Bossa, on which she worked with many prominent musicians including the genius Gil Goldstein, the leading AOR musician Michael Franks, Marcos Valle, Phil Woods, Kenny Garrett and Randy Brecker, as a celebration album for bossa nova’s 50th anniversary. BATUCADA was again selected as“ Swing Journal Gold Disc” and won her the Best Vocal award at the 42nd Jazz Disc Award. In 2009, she released 6th album, Sing Once More-Dear Carpenters, a tribute album to Carpenters, for which she received the grand prize at the 25th Japan Jazz Vocal Award and the Best Vocal award at the 43rd Jazz Disc Award, making her the first musician to receive this award for 3 consecutive years. In 2011, She released 7th album, Mona Lisa-Tribute to Nat King Cole, a tribute album to the legendary singer, Nat King Cole. Marica Hiraga’s latest album, Sings With The Duke Ellington Orchestra, released in April 2012, The full big band album which becomes the first in self is challenged, and costarring with a historical big band is achieved. She has been performing at numerous concert halls and jazz festivals, and her artistic talents extend to a wide range of activities, such as being a radio personality and contributing as a music magazine columnist. ~ Bio   http://www.last.fm/music/Marica+Hiraga/+wiki

Mona Lisa - Tribute to Nat King Cole

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Peggy Lee - I Like Men!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:44
Size: 68,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:35)  1. Charley, My Boy
(2:32)  2. Good-For-Nothin' Joe
(2:51)  3. I Love To Love
(2:46)  4. When A Woman Loves A Man
(2:06)  5. I Like Men
(2:09)  6. I'm Just Wild About Harry
(2:13)  7. My Man
(2:46)  8. Bill
(2:33)  9. So In Love
(2:59) 10. Jim
(2:23) 11. It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
(1:47) 12. Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!

Peggy Lee and arranger/conductor Jack Marshall's concept for the album I Like Men! is embodied in the title and in the title song that the two wrote together. The songs, from the annals of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, specify several particular men: "Charley, My Boy," "Good for Nothing Joe," "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "Bill," "Jim," and "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" But sometimes Lee objectifies the object of her affection as simply male: "When a Woman Loves a Man," "My Man," "It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House." And sometimes she generalizes even further by simply paying tribute to romance: "I Love to Love," "So in Love." The sentiments, if ever faithful, vary from friskiness to attachment and even outright slavery ("My Man," popularized in the U.S. by Fanny Brice, may be the ultimate torch song, though somehow it remains light in Lee's rendition). Sometimes, the man is not particularly accomplished ("Good-for-Nothin' Joe") or attractive ("Bill," "Oh Johnny! Oh Johnny! Oh!"). It doesn't seem to matter. Lee, as stated up-front, likes men. Marshall seems to like musicians, and he employs a lot of them, giving each song a different setting and instrumentation, from lush strings to small jazz ensembles. Lee is her usual buoyant self throughout, and even if the concept is really just another excuse to put together an album of standards, it gives her fans the opportunity to hear her sing them. ~ William Ruhlmann   http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-like-men!-mw0000849237

I Like Men!

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Rolf Kuhn & Friends - Affairs

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:49
Size: 131,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. Into The Pocket
(6:11)  2. Easy Living
(6:30)  3. Just Friends
(7:07)  4. Fractions
(5:26)  5. Off A Bird
(5:26)  6. Polkadots & Moonbeams - Like Someone in Love
(5:21)  7. There Is A Mingus Amonk Us
(4:50)  8. Three Bopeteers
(7:08)  9. Lover Man
(4:17) 10. The Vertical Circle

Rolf Kuhn's style has evolved through the years. The clarinetist started out playing in German dance bands in the late '40s. He worked with radio orchestras starting in 1952 and moved to the U.S. in 1956. Kuhn subbed for Benny Goodman on a few occasions during 1957-1958, played in the Tommy Dorsey ghost band (1958), and worked in a big band led by Urbie Green (1958-1960). In 1962, Kuhn returned to Germany, where he has explored more adventurous styles of jazz (including dates with his younger brother, keyboardist Joachim Kuhn) but still occasionally shows off his ties to swing. Kuhn recorded with an all-star group called Winner's Circle (1957), Toshiko Akiyoshi (1958), and as a leader starting in 1953, including a 1956 New York quartet date for Vanguard. ~ Bio   https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rolf-kuhn/id129557301#fullText

Affairs

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Harold Mabern - Fantasy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:21
Size: 138,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:13)  1. Almost Like Being In Love
(7:10)  2. Harlem Dawn
(5:25)  3. Lollipops And Roses
(6:38)  4. Sesame Street Theme
(7:03)  5. Fantasy
(5:03)  6. The Sidewinder
(6:12)  7. It Only Hurts When I Smile
(8:50)  8. Let's Face The Music And Dance
(4:16)  9. Jackson Park El Train
(4:30) 10. You Belong To Me

Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with MJT + 3 in the late 1950s and then moved to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet (1961-1962), Donald Byrd, Miles Davis (1963), J.J. Johnson (1963-1965), Lee Morgan (1965), Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams (1966-1967), and Sarah Vaughan. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mabern led four albums for Prestige Records, performed with Lee Morgan, and recorded with Stanley Cowell's Piano Choir. Harold Mabern has recorded as a leader for DIW/Columbia and Sackville and toured with the Contemporary Piano Ensemble (1993-1995).  A longtime faculty member at William Paterson College, Mabern is a frequent instructor at Stanford Jazz Workshop. Saxophonist Eric Alexander was one of Mabern's students at William Pattereson in the late 1980s. Mabern now frequently tours and records with Alexander as part of his quintet. To date, Mabern and Alexander have appeared on over twenty CDs together.   http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=8941#.U010YldSvro

Personnel:  Harold Mabern (piano); Dwayne Burno (bass); Joe Farnsworth (drums)   

Fantasy

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