Karen Egert - That Thing Called Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:00
Size: 116,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. All Or Nothing At All
(2:02)  2. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:58)  3. I Keep Going Back To Joe's
(3:49)  4. Dindi
(4:18)  5. I Can't Make You Love Me
(2:48)  6. I Love Being Here With You
(6:12)  7. That Ole' Devil Called Love
(3:49)  8. So Nice (Summer Samba)
(3:18)  9. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
(3:26) 10. All Of You
(2:52) 11. You Go To My Head
(2:07) 12. So Danco Samba
(3:36) 13. Could You Be Mine
(2:49) 14. I Remember You

With an all star band featuring John Pizzarelli , Bucky Pizzarelli and Harry Allen on sax Karen Egert's second CD , That Thing Called Love ,truly shows the depth that this singer is made of. Karen tells a story with her singing , and combined with the excitement of her voice, she creates a wonderful sound. She has her own personal and unique style, making her an up and coming voice on the jazz scene today.
Karen began her career first on Broadway, in cabaret shows and then segued into singing and playing the piano in the major NYC hotels.She currently is playing every weekend at the private New York Athletic Club on Central Park South in Manhattan, where she accompanies herself on piano. She also can be seen at Shanghai Jazz , Trumpets and other venues in the Metropolitan area. She had a steady singing gig at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for over 5 years and had the distinction of playing nightly on Cole Porter's piano. It was at the Waldorf  Astoria that Stevie Wonder was walking through the lobby and was so struck by her voice that he came into the lounge and listened to her for the rest of the evening. As he was about to leave , she then played one of her favorite Stevie Wonder tunes" Overjoyed" and he was so taken by her that he joined her at the piano for a private performance of some of his greatest songs. It was ofcourse a night to remember . Karen is also an accomplished songwriter and her latest CD contains one of her best original songs- "Could You Be Mine" .This Cd currently can be heard on jazz stations around the country . You can visit Karen's website for more information on this exciting singer.   http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/egertkaren

That Thing Called Love

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Amandah Jantzen - Devil May Care

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:16
Size: 120,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Cheek To Cheek
(6:04)  2. Early Autumn
(7:32)  3. Besame Mucho
(3:48)  4. Devil May Care
(8:44)  5. How Insensitive
(2:27)  6. It's All Right With Me
(3:43)  7. What'll I Do?
(4:12)  8. Summertime
(5:23)  9. I Was Telling Him About You
(3:08) 10. It's A Wonderful World
(3:02) 11. This Is Always

Before commenting on the music, a word of congratulations the eight photographs of Amandah Jantzen that adorn Devil May Care have equaled Maria Schneider’s record for “most pictures of a performing artist accompanying her own compact disc.” She needed both sides of the tray card to do it but managed to draw even with Schneider’s notable achievement on her latest album, Allégresse. In five of the eight photos Jantzen, a green eyed blonde, is posed on a beach in swimsuit or robe, which may or may not help sell a few copies of the album. It certainly can’t hurt, but may deflect one’s attention from Jantzen’s most important asset, which is of course her singing voice. It’s clear and pleasant, seductive when appropriate, with a slight sharpness around the edges that enhances her intonation, delivery and “devil may care” presence. Jantzen’s choice of material is exemplary, and she knows how to sell a lyric without undue embellishment. Whether she’s a “Jazz singer” is debatable (it almost always is) but she has surrounded herself with talented Oregon based pros who keep the music swinging. Al Wold is especially helpful, moving easily from clarinet to tenor or baritone sax, while drummer Craig Scott (wonderful with sticks or brushes) switches to vibes on Jobim’s “How Insensitive.” The closing number, Mack Gordon / Harry Warren’s “This Is Always,” is a sultry duet with pianist Chris Sigerson who teams with Scott, bassist Ken Lister and guitarist Ihor Kukurudza to comprise an impressive rhythm section. When all is said and sung, Jantzen is a pleasure to hear (and to see). ~ Jack Bowers   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=9017#.U08TwFdSvro

Personnel: Amandah Jantzen, vocals; Al Wold, tenor, baritone sax, clarinet; Chris Sigerson, piano; Ihor Kukurudza, guitar; Ken Lister, bass; Craig Scott, drums, vibes.

Devil May Care

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Lou Levy - Plays Baby Grand Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:50
Size: 70,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:15)  1. Little Girl
(2:39)  2. I'll Never Smile Again
(2:47)  3. Undecided
(2:49)  4. Lover Man
(2:30)  5. The Gypsy
(2:33)  6. A Sunday Kind Of Love
(2:00)  7. I've Found A New Baby
(2:12)  8. Sleepy Serenade
(2:37)  9. The End Of A Love Affair
(2:38) 10. Under Paris Skies
(2:47) 11. Comme Ci, Comme Ca
(2:57) 12. You Don't Know What Love Is

A superior bop-based pianist who has worked with a countless number of top jazz artists, Lou Levy started on piano when he was 12. He played with Georgie Auld (1947), Sarah Vaughan, Chubby Jackson (1947-1948), Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman's Second Herd (1949-1950), Tommy Dorsey (1950), Auld again, and Flip Phillips. Levy was outside of music for a few years (1952-1954) and then gained a strong reputation as a fine accompanist to singers, working with Peggy Lee (on and off during 1955-1973), Ella Fitzgerald (1957-1962), June Christy, Anita O'Day, and Pinky Winters. Levy also played with Shorty Rogers, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Supersax, and most of the major West Coast players. Lou Levy has recorded as a leader for Nocturne (1954), RCA, Jubilee, Philips, Interplay (1977), and Verve. He passed away in late January 2001. Bio ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-levy-mn0000213320/biography

Plays Baby Grand Jazz

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - At Cafe Bohemia Vol.1 And Vol.2

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:52
Size: 148,8 MB
Art: Front

Vol. 1

( 1:32)  1. Announcement By Art Blakey
(12:34)  2. Soft Winds
( 6:11)  3. The Theme
( 9:11)  4. Minor's Holiday
( 4:15)  5. Alone Together
( 8:51)  6. Prince Albert
( 7:30)  7. Lady Bird
( 4:31)  8. What's New
(10:14)  9. Deciphering The Message

This is Art Blakey's early period Jazz Messengers featuring trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Hank Mobley, bassist Doug Watkins, and pianist Horace Silver. This first volume of live performance from the Cafe Bohemia in New York City circa late 1955 is a rousing set of hard bop by the masters who signified its sound, and expanded on the language of modern jazz. There are three bonus CD tracks not on the original LP that further emphasize not only the inherent power of Blakey's band and drumming, but demarcate the simplicity of melodic statements that were a springboard for the fantastic soloing by these individuals who would follow those tuneful lines. Dorham is responsible for this edict, as he contributes three of the selections, including the staccato-accented melody of "Minor's Holiday" primed by a thumping intro via Blakey, "Prince Albert" with its by now classic and clever reharmonization of "All the Things You Are," and the perennial closer of every set "The Theme," with its brief repeat melody and powerhouse triple-time bop break. Mobley wrote the scattered melody of "Deciphering the Message," heard here at length for the first time, although it was later available in its original shortened studio form on the reissued Columbia CD Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. The tenor man gets his feature on the quarter-speed slowed ballad version of "Alone Together," which altogether sounds pining and blue to the nth degree. Standards like Fletcher Henderson's "Soft Winds" seemed merely a simple and lengthy warmup tune, but Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" is an absolute workout, with variations abounding on the intro, first and second run-throughs of the melody, and some harmonic twists. Watkins is featured on the lead line of "What's New?," which again combines melancholy with that slightest spark of hope. If this is indeed in chronological order as a first set from the November 13, 1955 performances, it wets the whistle and leaves the listener wanting more, knowing the best is yet to come. ~ Michael N.Nastos  http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-the-cafe-bohemia-vol-1-mw0000590277

At Cafe Bohemia Vol.1

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Vol. 2

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:17
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

( 0:37)  1. Announcement by Art Blakey
( 6:53)  2. Sportin' Crowd
( 9:15)  3. Like Someone in Love
( 4:18)  4. Yesterdays
(12:46)  5. Avila & Tequila
( 9:47)  6. I Waited For You
( 9:27)  7. Just One for Those Things
( 4:43)  8. Hank's Symphony
( 7:27)  9. Gone With The Wind

Volume deux of the 1955 Cafe Bohemia sessions from Art Blakey's second edition Jazz Messengers is better than the first. The music is more energetic, cohesive, and pushes the hard bop farther. Where the first volume featured compositions of newly recruited trumpeter Kenny Dorham, it is tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley asserting himself on the bandstand with his set pieces that formed the foundation of the first studio edition of the quintet that included Donald Byrd. Here, Mobley does not defer to Dorham, pushing his sound forward without compromising his vision. "Sportin' Crowd" is definitely an ear opener, a straight-ahead, hard bop gem based on the changes of the Sonny Rollins' classic "Tenor Madness." A live version of "Hank's Symphony" recapitulated from the studio version on the original Jazz Messengers' LP for the Columbia label  has an Asian and calypso flair with many accented notes and a secondary melody. The killer track is Mobley's "Avila & Tequila," drenched in Blakey's churning Afro-Cuban beats, filled with multiple modal devices especially from Horace Silver, and charges ahead as if there was no tomorrow a truly memorable and vital performance. The other tracks may seem to pale by comparison, but the easy, bluesy "Like Someone in Love," a short ballad version of "Yesterdays" finally featuring trumpeter Dorham, and Mobley's luscious tenor during the ultimate tearjerker "I Waited for You" offer stark contrast while losing no internal intensity. It is on "Just One of Those Things" where the band really straightens up and convenes in tandem, a solid cohesion where Dorham and Mobley work like an effortless, major league shortstop and second base double-play combination. "Gone with the Wind" finishes this set in soulful, legato, dispassionate refrains. This is a more consistent effort than the first volume, with a much anticipated, late-night set still on the horizon. ~ Michael N. Nastos   http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-the-cafe-bohemia-vol-2-mw0000011366

At Cafe Bohemia Vol.2

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