Alice Babs, Duke Ellington & Nils Lindberg - Far Away Star

Size: 82,0 MB
Time: 35:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1978/1997
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Far Away Star (3:08)
02. Serenade To Sweden (3:05)
03. Spaceman (3:04)
04. Jeep's Blues (4:10)
05. Day Dream (3:48)
06. Serenade To Sweden (2:34)
07. Is God A Three-Letter-Word For Love (2:08)
08. Jump For Joy (3:51)
09. Warm Valley (5:51)
10. Blues For The Maestro (3:57)

ALICE BABS & DUKE ELLINGTON Far Away Star (1978 Swedish LP featuring four tracks recorded with Duke Ellington & His Orchestra in New York on July 3rd 1973, a track recorded with Nils Lindberg on Piano for Swedish Radio in Stockholm onMay 15th 1976 & five tracks recorded with Nils Lindberg & His Orchestra, including Arne Domnérus, live at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. This was a memorial concert for Duke and was held in the presence of King Carl Gustaf & Princess Christina on November 25th 1974.

Far Away Star

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Mary Ann McCall - Melancholy Baby

Size: 82,8 MB
Time: 35:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1959/2010
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. My Melancholy Baby (3:20)
02. Melancholy Nights (3:07)
03. A Lover Is Blue (3:17)
04. Trouble Is A Man (2:32)
05. Blue (And Broken Hearted) (2:30)
06. The Thrill Is Gone (2:16)
07. Am I Blue (3:31)
08. My Old Flame (2:39)
09. Blue And Sentimental (3:11)
10. Sentimental And Melancholy (2:43)
11. Melancholy Mood (3:09)
12. Melancholy (Is A Friend Of Mine) (3:39)

Mary Ann McCall is best known for having sung with a few different versions of Woody Herman & His Orchestra. One of the best singers to emerge during the 1940s, McCall recorded several solo albums in the 1950s. On this unusual album, she performs a dozen songs with downbeat topics, five of which have "melancholy" in their song titles, including "My Melancholy Baby," "Sentimental and Melancholy," and "Melancholy Mood." McCall is heard throughout in prime voice, uplifting the lyrics so they don't sound so sad. She is accompanied by Johnny Richards' arrangements for three groups: a rhythm section; a group with eight cellos, flute, and trombone; and a big band that includes French horn, tuba, bass sax, and tympani. Virtually everything works, including fine versions of "Blue and Broken Hearted," "The Thrill Is Gone," and "Am I Blue." Well worth searching for. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Melancholy Baby

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Monty Alexander - Harlem-Kingston Express Vol. 2: The River Rolls On

Size: 149,4 MB
Time: 65:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Piano Jazz, Caribbean Traditions
Art: Front

01. Hurricane Come And Gone/Moonlight City (6:01)
02. People Make The World Go Round (4:10)
03. Concierto De Aranjuez (6:25)
04. Sleaky (4:09)
05. Trust (3:41)
06. The Harder They Come (5:43)
07. The River Rolls On (Feat. Caterina Zapponi) (4:31)
08. What's Going On (Wa'a Gwan) (5:03)
09. Love Notes (Feat. George Benson, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Sample)) (4:45)
10. Skamento (4:36)
11. Linstead Market (Live Bonus) (6:36)
12. Redemption Song (Feat. Wendel Ferraro) (Live Bonus) (4:54)
13. Regulator (Reggae-Later) (Live Bonus) (4:21)

Monty Alexander long ago combined together the influence of Oscar Peterson with the soul of Gene Harris and Nat "King" Cole to form his own appealing and personable style. Long a bit underrated (due to the shadow of Peterson), Alexander has recorded more than a score of excellent albums. Monty Alexander began piano lessons when he was six and he played professionally in Jamaican clubs while still a teenager; his band, Monty and the Cyclones, was quite popular locally during 1958-1960. He first played in the U.S. when he appeared in Las Vegas with Art Mooney's Orchestra. Soon he was accompanying a variety of top singers, formed a friendship with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and began gigging with bassist Ray Brown. With the recording of a pair of Pacific Jazz albums in 1965, an RCA date in 1967, and a Verve session in 1969, Alexander began to gain a strong reputation. His series of exciting albums for MPS during 1971-1977 found him in prime form, and his recordings in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s found him building on his original style. Alexander, who often pays tribute to his Jamaican heritage, performs regularly with his own trio and swings hard in his own voice. ~Biography by Scott Yanow

Harlem-Kingston Express Vol. 2

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Marty Grosz, Keith Ingham & His Paswonky Serenaders - Unsaturated Fats

Size: 161,8 MB

Time: 70:08

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 1990

Styles: Early Jazz, New Orleans Jazz

Art: Front

01. St. Louis Shuffle (4:13)

02. Prisoner Of Love (4:37)

03. Georgia Bo Bo (3:40)

04. Breezin' (2:57)

05. That Rhythm Man (4:49)

06. Dixie Cinderella (3:42)

07. Say It Whith Your Feet (3:09)

08. Asbestos (4:43)

09. Keep A Song In Your Soul (3:23)

10. If It Ain't Love (5:30)

11. Old Folks Shuffle (4:42)

12. Say Yes (3:35)

13. Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad (2:44)

14. My Heart's At Ease (2:31)

15. Midnight Stomp (5:05)

16. Charleston Hound (3:01)

17. Strange As It Seems (3:58)

18. Take It From Me (3:41)

This is a rather unusual CD, for few listeners (including early jazz fanatics) would be able to identify the 18 selections as Fats Waller compositions. Only "Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad" was actually recorded by Waller and, while "St. Louis Shuffle," "That Rhythm Man" and "If It Ain't Love" were slightly known at one time, it had been quite awhile since anyone recorded "Dixie Cinderella," "Absbestos," "Say Yes" and "Charleston Hound." Grosz (who takes some vocals) doubles on guitar and banjo and is joined by pianist Keith Ingham, cornetist Peter Ecklund, clarinetist Joe Muranyi, trombonist Dan Barrett, bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Arnie Kinsella for the spirited and often-surprising program. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Unsaturated Fats 

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Harry Allen - Eu Não Quero Dançar ~I Won't Dance~

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:14
Size: 133.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1999/2009
Art: Front

[5:19] 1. O Pato
[3:52] 2. Corcovado
[6:58] 3. Desafinado
[3:58] 4. Once I Loved
[3:59] 5. Time Is Standing Still
[6:04] 6. Meditation
[5:38] 7. No More Blues
[4:04] 8. Air
[5:19] 9. I Won't Dance
[3:07] 10. If You Never Come To Me (Inutil Paisagem)
[5:23] 11. Doralice
[4:28] 12. Retrato Em Branco E Preto

Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen shows his hand from the first measure, this is his Stan Getz tribute. He sounds exactly like the Brazilianized musician who found fame with "Girl from Ipanema." Although Allen refutes the title, his sound dances as if it were a paddleball. The lyrical quality is there a hundredfold, backed by a stellar cast of musicians including acoustic guitarist Dori Caymmi, electric guitarist Joe Cohn, pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Dennis Irwin, and drummer Duduka DaFonseca. Eight of the twelve selections are instrumentals, ranging from a typical slow "Once I Loved" and samba informed "No More Blues" to such lighter fare as the title track. The bossa "Doralice" and Allen's hard samba original "Time Is Standing Still" benefit from better arrangements and more aggressive playing. "Corcovado" is a switcheroo in that Goldings' piano states the melody while Allen's tenor fills in the cracks. There are also four vocals sung in Portuguese. Two are by Caymmi, his resonant tenor echoing poems of pining on "O Pato" and "Meditation," while a nine month pregnant Maucha Adnet pushes her vocal chords on the classic "Desafinado" and "If You Never Come to Me." In the liner notes, Allen gives thanks to the jazz fans in Japan, mavens of the carbon copy. When Harry meets his own true voice on his instrument, perhaps then the listener will be the one dancing. Until then this is for specialized tastes from the cool school. ~Michael G. Nastos

Eu Não Quero Dançar ~I Won't Dance~

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Nancy Wilson - If I Had My Way

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:12
Size: 117.2 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[4:59] 1. Hello Like Before
[4:30] 2. Sweet Love
[4:55] 3. If I Had My Way
[4:16] 4. Wish You Were Here
[4:38] 5. One More Try
[4:46] 6. Not A Day In Your Life
[4:42] 7. Anything For Your Love
[4:14] 8. Where Do I Go From You
[4:56] 9. A Fool In Love
[5:08] 10. Loving You, Loving Me
[4:04] 11. More Love

The 1990s found Nancy Wilson appealing to what was called the "new adult contemporary" market, as well as the black adult contemporary audience. The veteran singer wasn't embracing straight-ahead jazz (something she hadn't done a lot of anyway), although a few songs on If I Had My Way contain slightly jazzy touches. At 59, Wilson brings a relaxed confidence to "Loving You, Loving Me," "Hello Like Before" (a Bill Withers tune), "Anything for Your Love," and other pleasant pop and pop/R&B ballads that would work equally well on an Anita Baker album. In fact, one of the CD's producers, Michael Powell, has often worked with Baker. Wilson's appealing voice had held up well, and she demonstrated that she could still be charming on this collection of enjoyable mood music. ~Alex Henderson

If I Had My Way

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Red Garland - Red's Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 75:08

Size: 172.0 MB

Styles: Piano jazz, Hard bop

Year: 1998

Art: Front

[7:55] 1. See See Rider

[4:13] 2. Red Beans

[5:45] 3. Your Red Wagon

[7:33] 4. Birks' Works

[6:39] 5. Ralph J. Gleason Blues

[9:52] 6. The P.C. Blues

[5:20] 7. Black Velvet

[6:35] 8. St. James Infirmary

[8:06] 9. Skinny's Blues

[7:24] 10. Ahmad's Blues

[5:41] 11. Prelude Blues

With sights set firmly set upon the blues, this is bedrock Red Garland, aimed squarely down the middle of his most fertile period. Not everything here is a blues, but they might as well be, given the sameness of mood and approach in this selection of small-group blowing sessions. Wherever you go on Red's Blues, you can't miss Garland's distinctive block chords and light-handed right-handed bop patterns recorded in the soft-focused Van Gelder studio manner, all of which jazz fans would hear constantly down the road in the '60s. And not only that, almost all of the tunes are in the keys of B flat or C, which could make this disc useful for background if not extended listening. Nevertheless, the personnel is often stellar; John Coltrane and Donald Byrd turn up on "Birks' Works," and Arnett Cobb saunters through "Black Velvet" (better known as "Don'Cha Go Way Mad"), Coleman Hawkins is in fine funky form on "Red Beans," and Ray Barretto's congas light up one of the few jazz compositions ever named after a critic ("Ralph J. Gleason Blues"). The 75-minute disc, all of whose contents have been issued on CD before, opens with a long, majestic Garland meditation on "See See Rider" and that pretty much sets the tone. ~Richard S. Ginnell

Red's Blues

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Beata Pater - Black

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:41
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:43)  1. Summer Wind
(2:39)  2. Something Happens to Me
(4:07)  3. Moon River
(4:39)  4. Blue Skies
(2:24)  5. I Could Write a Book
(6:19)  6. September in the Rain
(2:52)  7. Nice & Easy
(4:54)  8. Beautiful Love
(3:02)  9. Time After Time
(4:14) 10. Fly Me to the Moon
(4:41) 11. Just Squeeze Me
(6:00) 12. The Very Thought of You
(5:01) 13. I'll Be Seeing You

Beata was originally educated as a classical violinist in Warsaws prestigious music academy. The first to note Beata's talent for singing was her violin professor's wife. Being an opera singer she sensed the eight year old's strong voice and presence and helped Beata get her start in Warsaw's world-reknown opera house. To the chagrin of her professor singing became Beata's passion. At the age of 16 Beata toured Europe for the first time soon headlining shows with over 5000 fans in attendance. At the age of 18 Beata signed with CBS/Sony Records and later moved to London to continue her education. London lead to Japan where Beata's unique style began to take shape. During this 10 year period the jazz community began to take notice of the beautiful Polish girl performing around Asia. Playing with the likes of Walter Bishop Jr and the drummer Jimmy Smith her voice another instrument in the mix. More than a vocalist she brought the soul of long-gone singers back to life. While in Japan besides performing nightly Beata taught violin at the the Yamaha School of Music and continued her recording work with CBS/Sony. 

She recorded and performed with many of Japan's musicians. It was perhaps highlighted by being chosen as the final act at Tokyo's Fireworks Festival in 1994 playing with Walter Bishop Jr and Oda Yuichiro in front of an audience estimated by the media as 6 million people. In 1995 Beata moved to the US. Landing in San Francisco with nothing more than her voice and soul she soon became part of the scene playing throughout the San Francisco bay area. During this time she was quite often accompanied by bassist Buca (Bootza) Necak having played together in Japan. The two recorded an album in 1992 in Yokohama with pianist Donny Schwekendiek entitiled "Session" and once again in 1997 with "Once in a Blue Moon". Beata and Oda Yuichiro reunited to record "Blackout" in his New Jersey studio during the east coast blackout of 2003. Most recently Beata has recorded a new work with Mark Little entitled "Black". On this album they produce a new set of arrangements on classic works with a talented group of musicians. Beata and Mark have just returned from a 10 day tour in Japan promoting the "Black" album.   http://www.jazzreview.com/jazz-spotlights/black-by-beata-pater.html

Personnel: Mark Little (piano), Jon Evans (bass), Mimi Fox (guitar), Alan Hall (drums), Celia Malheiros(percussion), Ken Cohea (sax), Buca Necak (bass), Beata Parker (Vocal).

Black

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Manhattan Jazz Quintet - Blue Bossa

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:54
Size: 123,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:18)  1. Samba de Orfeu
(5:22)  2. Route 66
(5:43)  3. Englishman in New York
(8:31)  4. Agua de Beber
(4:06)  5. No More Blues
(5:40)  6. Don't Know Much
(4:12)  7. Blue Bossa
(6:56)  8. Wave
(7:02)  9. Amblin'

The Manhattan Jazz Quintet are an unusual group in that they very rarely perform as a unit in the United States (much less Manhattan) but have been a major hit in Japan, both for their recordings and occasional tours. Originally comprised of leader/pianist David Matthews, trumpeter Lew Soloff, tenor saxophonist George Young, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd, the band (which emphasizes straight-ahead hard bop swinging) first came together in 1983 at the suggestion of the King label and the top Japanese jazz magazine Swing Journal. To everyone's surprise, its first recording (simply called Manhattan Jazz Quintet) became such a big seller that it was awarded Swing Journal's annual 1984 Gold Disk Award as the number one album in Japan. 

Several years later the group broke up when Gomez and Gadd needed more time to pursue their individual projects  and all of the quintet members later became quite successful in their own careers  but this edition of the MJQ recorded reunions in 1990 (which found John Scofield guesting on a few selections) and in 1993. Victor Lewis replaced Gadd that year, and subsequently Young was replaced by Andy Snitzer and Gomez by Charnett Moffett. The Manhattan Jazz Quintet recorded primarily for King in Japan (those dates were mostly made available in the U.S. by Projazz) during the 1980s, although they cut some later recordings  among the comparative very few that actually took place in Manhattan!  for the Sweet Basil label. During the new millennium the Manhattan Jazz Quintet have recorded regularly for Video Arts.~ Bio  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/manhattan-jazz-quintet/id79729527#fullText

Blue Bossa

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Gary Smulyan - More Treasures

Styles: Baritone, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:13
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:10)  1. Wham & They're Off
(5:43)  2. Stop
(6:07)  3. Chick's Tune
(6:17)  4. Beautiful You
(4:57)  5. San Souci
(4:53)  6. Quick Silver
(6:55)  7. For You
(6:18)  8. Surburban Eyes
(4:50)  9. Evans

Perhaps if you asked jazz fans to name a progenitorial baritone saxophonist, they might name Harry Carney or Gerry Mulligan. Yet Gary Smulyan's lineage comes more from musicians like Cecil Payne, Leo Parker, Pepper Adams, Serge Chaloff and Nick Brignola the few baritonists that dared to master the tricky, chromatic music known as bebop. Indeed, More Treasures is oozing bebop and Smulyan is fluent in the language. Some tracks are performed with sax, bass and drums only and though this is not stylistically coming from the same place as, say, the Sonny Rollins or Ornette Coleman trios, without a chordal instrument the sonic results are similar an increased focus on the tone of the saxophone and a highlighted awareness of the melodic/rhythmic counterpoint between the instruments. Smulyan's sound is rich with a broad spectrum of sonic colors, from low register pops and grunts, a lyrically singing mid-register and accurate, usually squeak-free altissimo. Tadd Dameron's "Stop" is a trio performance that starts with a kind of rumba groove but then settles into a medium swing progression. Here one can hear how awesome bebop chops can peacefully co-exist with an easy swinging rhythm. Following the leader's solo on "Stop" is like looking at an MC Escher drawing ascending and descending at the same time, an impossibility, yet there it is for all to see/hear, perfectly formed. 

Gigi Gryce's "Sans Souci" has a Latin tinge throughout; with only bass and baritone to spell out the interwoven harmonies, Smulyan and bassist Dennis Irwin prove once again that they speak the language of bebop with ease and enthusiasm. Horace Silver's "Quicksilver" features drummer Steve Johns, whose playing is uniquely exciting and accurate. Pianist Mike LeDonne plays an amazing solo here, as well as on "Wham & They're Off" and "Chick's Tune." LeDonne proves to be a great sparring partner for Smulyan, yet his gentle accompaniment on "Beautiful You" allows all the nuance of Smulyan's tone to shine through. "Suburban Eyes," Ike Quebec's line based on Bronislaw Kaper's "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" (here incorrectly attributed to Monk, though it's probably best known from the pianist's Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1), also receives a genuine and enthusiastic performance, perhaps one of Smulyan's most excited (and exciting) solos. This is one of the best CDs contemporary Mainstream has offered recently. ~ Francis Lo Kee   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/more-treasures-gary-smulyan-reservoir-music-review-by-francis-lo-kee.php#.U2wKqyiwVOk

Personnel: Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone; Mike LeDonne: piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 8); Dennis Irwin: bass; Steve Johns: drums.

More Treasures

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Gordon Webster - Happy When I'm With You

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:18
Size: 117,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Sometimes I'm Happy
(3:57)  2. Long Gone John
(4:04)  3. Summertime
(2:39)  4. Twenty Four Robbers
(3:40)  5. Sermonette
(4:47)  6. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
(3:46)  7. Sweet Lorraine
(5:44)  8. Uptown Sop
(4:18)  9. September In The Rain
(4:07) 10. All Of Me
(3:20) 11. Bill Bailey
(4:41) 12. All Right, Okay, You Win

For those of you who aren’t NYC regulars or who haven’t heard Gordon Webster since Blues Till Dawn (or his Philly Lindy Love marathon late nights), his second CD release "Happy When I’m With You" is going to knock your socks off. For those of you who are, it's the Gordon "and Friends" you know and love captured live in your very own CD player!  Sure Gordon’s still grooving the piano like the dickens on numbers like “Uptown Sop” and his supporting musicians, like Rob Adkins on bass and Adrian Cunningham on sax and clarinet, are first rate and swinging equally hard. Also, Brianna Thomas is here on vocals, capturing much of the playful energy she packs into live performances on numbers like “All Right, Okay, You Win”, “All of Me”, and particularly “Summertime”, where her vocals and Gordon’s piano work dance together nicely (also listen as Jesse turns in some great muted trumpet work on that track). “September in the Rain”, “Sweet Lorraine”, and “Sometimes I’m happy” are also solid tracks with Brianna on vocals and which have a comfortable, laid back feel. However, for me, the best work on the album are Gordon’s collaborations with trumpeter/vocalist Jesse Selengut. 

These 4 numbers brings out a whole new range of piano that those who aren’t familiar with Gordon’s recent work, won’t be aware of. The energetic version of “24 Robbers” packed the dance floor in Richmond with energy last weekend and “Long John” (now available free for a limited time at the link below) and “Bill Bailey” are equally packed with wonderful hard swinging performances by his all star side men. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of Jesse on vocals and Matt on trombone in “I'm Confessin That I Love You”. There’s truly not a weak cut on this release, which, given the wide range of material, is a testament to Gordon’s abilities as a top notch band leader, above and beyond his great piano work. "Happy When I’m With You" is an appropriate title for this release because it’ll leave you tapping your foot and feeling just that way yourself. ~ Bill Speidel   http://www.gordonwebsterswings.com/home.html

Happy When I'm With You

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