King Curtis - Azure

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:00
Size: 87.0 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz, R&B
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:34] 1. Close Your Eyes
[2:27] 2. Unchained Melody
[3:03] 3. Off Shore
[2:58] 4. Nearness Of You
[2:46] 5. Misty
[2:43] 6. Stranger
[2:35] 7. When I Fall In Love
[2:55] 8. It Ain't Necessarily So
[2:54] 9. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[2:27] 10. My Love Is Your Love
[2:47] 11. Sweet And Lovely
[3:04] 12. Azure
[2:04] 13. The Lone Prarie
[2:36] 14. Jay Walk

King Curtis' lone LP for the tiny Everest label eschews his signature gutbucket R&B approach in favor of a late-night, bluesy atmosphere that brilliantly captures the unparalleled soulfulness of his tenor sax solos. Ballads and standards spanning from "Unchained Melody" to "The Nearness of You" are vividly realized by the lush arrangements of Sammy Lowe, complete with vocal contributions from the Malcolm Dodds Singers. Still, it's Curtis' melancholy leads that command the spotlight, boasting the cerebral intricacy of jazz and the emotional heft of soul. ~Jason Ankeny

Azure

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Melanie De Biasio - No Deal

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:05
Size: 75.8 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[1:41] 1. I Feel You
[5:15] 2. The Flow
[4:02] 3. No Deal
[2:48] 4. With Love
[6:33] 5. Sweet Darling Pain
[4:22] 6. I'm Gonna Leave You
[8:21] 7. With All My Love

Among the buzzing cyber hive and unrelenting pace of modern life, there is a special place for albums that suspend time. Melanie de Biasio's first album in six years is seven songs of dark, transcendent music. Although deeply entrenched in jazz (she is a classically trained flautist and singer), No Deal's atmosphere lurks in the same place as This Mortal Coil's Lynchian glow, Portishead's sinister authority and Mark Hollis of Talk Talk's smoky self-titled solo album. Revered by many in her native country as the Belgian Billie Holiday, she defies this comparison to iconic jazz singers on her cover of Nina Simone's I'm Gonna Leave You – a track Biasio reimagines brilliantly with the neat, clipped enunciation of her bruised yet burly vocals. As the final patters of the album's send-off, With All My Love, dissolve into the ether, the eerie silence that's left is dizzying. ~Harriet Gibsone

No Deal

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Pat Giraud & Patrick Saussois - Et Maintenant...

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:57
Size: 102.9 MB
Styles: Swing, Gypsy jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Et Maintenant
[5:06] 2. The Song Of Delilah
[3:39] 3. The Beginning Of June
[3:22] 4. Bluesette
[4:02] 5. Where
[3:47] 6. Miss X
[5:31] 7. Moonlight In Vermont
[3:23] 8. Amore Baciami
[5:14] 9. Canadian Sunset
[3:22] 10. Lady September
[4:04] 11. Blues For St Emilion

sorry. no album review found.

Et Maintenant...

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Maruja Muci - Dreaming In Caracas

Styles: Fusion, Bossanova, Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:08
Size: 113,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. I Keep On Dreaming
(3:23)  2. I Seek Your Heart
(2:36)  3. Caramba
(3:17)  4. Tanto
(2:38)  5. Fly Me To The Moon
(3:21)  6. Baubles Bangles And Beads
(2:43)  7. Venezuela
(4:02)  8. Mala Idea
(4:02)  9. Love Is In The Air
(3:26) 10. Velas Izadas
(4:16) 11. I'll Be Gone
(3:27) 12. Chovendo Na Roseira
(3:33) 13. Reprise
(4:58) 14. Adrian Holtz's Remix

Maruja Muci was born in Caracas, and it is this city which inspires the title of her first commercial release, "dreaming in caracas". An album that is full of beautiful songs in English, Spanish and Portuguese arranged in the best jazz-bossa-lounge style. The playing and production find the best of both the contemporary and the classic and create an eclectic and sultry style which is all her own.  Sony-Bmg is in charge of promoting and distributing this record in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. The General Production was managed by Maruja Muci, with collaboration from two exceptional Venezuelan musicians: José Manuel Pinto and Gonzalo Micó. Many other talented musicians also participated in this production such as Percussionist Joel "Pibo" Márquez, Theorbist Rubén Riera, Adrian Holtz who is winner of two ASCAP awards and also two Boston Music awards, Moby's "Hotel" musician Kurt Uenala and many others.  

"Hair", the musical, opened in Caracas in 1983, with Maruja starring as first ballerina and singer; from there she moved on to TV commercials where her voice and image were used for advertising campaigns such as "Pepsi" and "Alliance for a Drug free Venezuela", among others. In 1987 she obtained a Law Degree. It was not until 1993 that she returned to singing with the leading role of "Doña Virtudes" in the Spanish Zarzuela "La Gran Vía" After that she undertook classical singing lessons with her teacher, Florentina Adam, she has continued these studies ever since. In the summer of 2002, while in New York, she recorded the voice for José Luis Pardo's single "Mala Idea". José Luis is the guitarist and lyricist in the Grammy nominated Venezuelan band "Los Amigos Invisibles". This song would later become a hit in the United Kingdom as the re-mix version by the "Pound Boys" under the "Look At You Records" label.

Listening to Maruja's songs is listening to a clean, velvety and unaffected voice that wraps itself around the lyrics, it is a voice that tells stories while it sings and brings with it a sense of intimacy between the listener and the artist as if she is singing to you and you alone.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marujamuci

Dreaming In Caracas

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Charles McPherson - Manhattan Nocturne

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:50
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:10)  1. Evidence
( 8:14)  2. You're My Thrill
( 6:39)  3. Morning Dance
( 8:15)  4. Primal Urge
( 7:07)  5. Blue n' Boogie
(10:12)  6. How Deep Is the Ocean?
( 7:08)  7. Manhattan Nocturne
( 6:02)  8. Fire Dance

Alto saxophonist/composer McPherson has been playing masterful bop and its extensions for several decades. He shows no signs of slowing down with this extraordinary set of eight compositions, half that he wrote, split into two bop or bop-informed standards, two low-key numbers, two in the mid-rhythmic range, and two modal ostinato-based figures as vehicles for improvising. All are spiced by the bubbling conga playing of Bobby Sanabria and solidly reinforced by the battleship dense musings of pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Victor Lewis, an undeniably brilliant backing ensemble. Listen to the fluidity of McPherson's on any of these cuts, and you'll know why he remains the eminent extension of Charlie Parker. McPherson concisely digs into "Blue'n'Boogie," then stands back and lets Miller, Drummond, and Lewis fly at about 200 mph. 

The Afro-Cuban cooker "Fire Dance" lets Sanabria loose, and the whole band really catches fire. The slower tunes are quite a contrast. The ten-plus-minute ballad "How Deep Is the Ocean?" features a ruminating refrain played in ultra dramatic proportions by the saxophonist. The dusky, sensual, black-hued title track and similarly shadowed "You're My Thrill," with Sanabria's skulking congas and Lewis's jungle rhythms transcending the obvious romantic notions, are outstanding examples of music that doesn't have to be burning to be compelling and sensational in its own way. This CD by McPherson is his best of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and he's done some very good ones. The combination of seasoned, thinking musicians and excellent material, played to the hilt, is too good a combination for any jazz lover to resist. ~ Michael G.Nastos   http://www.allmusic.com/album/manhattan-nocturne-mw0000058419

Personnel:   Charles McPherson - alto saxophone; Mulgrew Miller – piano; Ray Drummond – bass; Victor Lewis – drums;  Bobby Sanabria - percussion

Manhattan Nocturne

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Eddie Allen - Summer Days

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:44
Size: 144,0 MB
Art: Front

( 3:56)  1. Eye of the Hurricane
( 7:27)  2. You Were Never Lovelier
( 6:13)  3. You Say
( 7:46)  4. Summer Days
(11:01)  5. Always
( 8:07)  6. Stablemates
( 5:58)  7. Inner Glimpse
( 1:09)  8. Mystic Dreams
( 8:17)  9. The Crusade
( 2:47) 10. Later

Trumpeter Eddie Allen (also known as E.J. Allen) performs music ranging from hard bop to post bop on this enjoyable quintet date. Joined by Dan Faulk on tenor and soprano, pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Richie Goods, and drummer Cindy Blackman, with trombonist Steve Turre being a major asset on four of the ten songs, Allen performs six of his originals plus two standards and a pair of obscurities. The results are modern mainstream jazz of a high caliber, featuring an attractive blend between Allen's mellow horn and Faulk's reeds, a tight rhythm section, and some fine individual moments. ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/album/summer-days-mw0000101472

Personnel: Eddie Allen (trumpet); Dan Faulk (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Steve Turre (trombone); Richie Goods (bass); Anthony Wonsey (piano); Cindy Blackman (drums).

Summer Days

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Dave Pike - Carnavals

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:10
Size: 188,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:43)  1. Sambolero
(5:37)  2. Sono
(5:16)  3. Serenidade
(4:32)  4. Carnival Samba
(5:20)  5. Philumba
(4:05)  6. Melvalita
(3:57)  7. Ginha
(6:08)  8. Sausalito
(7:46)  9. La Bamba
(3:39) 10. My Little Swede Shoes
(3:59) 11. Matilda, Matilda
(3:15) 12. Mambo Bounce
(2:26) 13. Limbo Rock
(3:49) 14. Calypso Blues
(4:47) 15. Cattin' Latin
(3:45) 16. St. Thomas
(4:57) 17. Jamaica Farewell

Dave Pike isn't one of jazz's more famous vibists he never became as well known as Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader, Bobby Hutcherson, or Roy Ayers. Nonetheless, Pike is a talented, flexible player who has provided some memorable albums here and there. Two of them are Bossa Nova Carnival and Limbo Carnival, both of which were recorded in 1962 for New Jazz. In 2000, Fantasy reissued the albums back to back on the Prestige CD Carnavals. The sessions are equally appealing but quite different while Bossa Nova Carnival is a caressing, sensuous collection of songs by Brazilian composer João Donato, the grittier Limbo Carnival has more of a Caribbean orientation. 

Afro-Cuban salsa is an influence on Limbo Carnival, but calypso is an even greater influence and Pike, taking a hint from Sonny Rollins, combines jazz with calypso on Rollins' "St. Thomas" and Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes," as well as two songs that were hits for Harry Belafonte: "Matilda" and "Jamaica Farewell." On both dates, the vibist (who plays the marimba as a second instrument) is joined by some heavyweights Bossa Nova Carnival features, among others, Clark Terry on flugelhorn and Kenny Burrell on guitar, while pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Jimmy Raney, and percussionist Ray Barretto are among the sidemen on Limbo Carnival. If you only have a few Pike CDs in your collection, Carnavals should definitely be among them. ~ Alex Henderson   http://www.allmusic.com/album/carnavals-mw0000104854

Personnel: Dave Pike (vibraphone, marimba); Clark Terry (flugelhorn); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Chris White (bass); Rudy Collins (drums); Jose Paulo (cabasa, bandero).

Carnavals

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