Terry Gibbs - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 46:28
Size: 106.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Latin jazz, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1955/2006
Art: Front

[7:18] 1. Seven Come Eleven
[4:01] 2. Lonely Dreams
[7:02] 3. Dickie's Dream
[4:27] 4. Imagination
[4:30] 5. King City Stomp
[4:06] 6. Pretty Face
[5:16] 7. The Continental
[3:52] 8. Bless My Soles
[5:52] 9. Nutty Notes

Terry Gibbs’s career as a vibraphonist and bandleader spans a full 50 years, nearly 50 albums, and hundreds of concert, club, and TV appearances. The Brooklyn-born child prodigy, who went on his first national tour at age 12, became a professional musician in 1946, following a three-year Army stint. He joined Woody Herman’s herd in ’48, and a year or so later formed his own band.

Gibbs was voted the top vibes player by Down Beat and Metronome magazines from 1950 to 1956. He also has the distinction of being the only person nominated in four categories of the Playboy Jazz Poll since its inception: Best Vibraphonist, Best Quartet, Best Big Band, and Best Bandleader.

Bass – Herman Wright; Drums – Nils-Bertil Dahlander; Piano – Terry Pollard; Vibraphone – Terry Gibbs.

Terry Gibbs

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George Wallington Quintet - Jazz For The Carriage Trade

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 35:46
Size: 81.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1991/2012
Art: Front

[5:32] 1. Our Delight
[5:27] 2. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[5:03] 3. Foster Dulles
[6:47] 4. Together We Wail
[7:07] 5. What's New
[5:48] 6. But George

During 1956-57 trumpeter Donald Byrd and altoist Phil Woods (both important up-and-coming players) were regular members of pianist George Wallington's quintet. For this CD reissue, bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Art Taylor complete the group on a program that includes three standards ("Our Delight," "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "What's New"), a pair of Woods originals ("Together We Wail" and "But George") and Frank Foster's "Foster Dulles." The music falls between bebop and hard bop with Woods sounding quite strong while Byrd comes across as a promising (but not yet mature) youngster. A fine example of this somewhat forgotten but talented group, easily recommended to bop collectors. ~Scott Yanow

Jazz For The Carriage Trade

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Nora York - What I Want

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:07
Size: 121.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:25] 1. What I Want
[4:50] 2. Turns On A Dime
[4:36] 3. Artificial Paradise
[4:31] 4. Donna
[3:59] 5. Rock And Hard
[4:49] 6. Stand By Your Man
[4:02] 7. Another Day
[4:20] 8. Heal Me
[4:27] 9. Ruby Tuesday
[4:58] 10. Indigo River
[1:42] 11. Hymn
[3:44] 12. Everytime I Fall In Love
[3:39] 13. Hard Times Come Again No More

Musician, conceptual artist, singer, and educator Nora York makes deeply emotional, intelligent, and socially engaged music. From her earliest genre busting musical adventures to collaborations with contemporary composer Maria Schneider in Alchemy (released on ArtistShare) or past giants such as G.F. Handel in Water Water Everywhere, and Puccini in Jump -- York defines herself outside of musical category. Her work has been commissioned by the Public Theater in NYC and The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and earned her a two New York State Council for the Arts Composer's awards. She often writes for television and film with her long time collaborator and co-composer (five time Emmy Award winner) Jamie Lawrence.

York has been teaching at New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1997. Nora York is a singular voice contemporary American music. Listen to her music here, or try to catch one of her live performances that have audiences on their feet!

What I Want

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Joe Venuti & Zoot Sims - Joe & Zoot & More

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 61:48

Size: 141.5 MB

Styles: Swing, Standards

Year: 1974/2002

Art: Front

[4:15] 1. I Found A New Baby

[3:20] 2. There's A Small Hotel

[4:52] 3. Indiana

[2:28] 4. My One And Only Love

[3:27] 5. The Wild Cat

[3:42] 6. It's The Girl

[4:33] 7. Oh, Lady Be Good

[6:01] 8. Someday Sweetheart

[4:07] 9. C Jam Blues

[3:44] 10. Blue Too

[3:04] 11. Oh, Lady Be Good

[3:07] 12. Dinah

[1:53] 13. Tea For Three

[3:20] 14. Diga Diga Do

[3:38] 15. I'll Never Be The Same

[3:23] 16. String The Blues

[2:46] 17. The Blue Room

At first glance, Philadelphia violinist Joe Venuti and Los Angeles tenor/soprano saxophonist Zoot Sims might seem an unlikely combination. Venuti was known for swing, classic jazz, and Dixieland, whereas Sims (who was young enough to be Venuti's son) was primarily a cool/bop musician along the lines of Stan Getz, Al Cohn, and Paul Quinichette. But when you think about it, the combination makes perfect sense. Before Sims made bop changes his main focus in the mid-'40s, he played in swing bands -- and Sims (like Getz, Cohn, and Quinichette) was heavily influenced by the seminal Lester Young. So all things considered, it makes perfect sense for Venuti and Sims to join forces on Joe and Zoot and More (which was recorded in 1973 and 1974). Stepping outside of cool jazz and bop, Sims enthusiastically joins Venuti in a classic jazz/swing setting. The performances generally recall the early '30s, and Venuti and Sims enjoy an undeniably strong rapport on inspired versions of "I Found a New Baby," "Indiana," and other familiar standards. As gutsy and hard-swinging as the up-tempo performances are, Venuti and Sims are unapologetically sentimental on ballads like "There's a Small Hotel" and "My One and Only Love." Some bop snobs might think the ballads are too sentimental -- in bop, ballad playing has often tended to be less sentimental and more intellectual than the swing and classic jazz ballad playing of the '30s. (Lyrical, romantic, and pretty don't necessarily mean ultra-sentimental.) But truth be told, there is nothing wrong with jazz instrumentalists being sentimental -- it certainly worked well for Bunny Berigan, Chu Berry, Artie Shaw, and countless others who emerged in jazz's pre-bop era. Joe and Zoot and More is an excellent CD that Venuti fans and Sims admirers should both make a point of obtaining. ~Alex Henderson

Joe & Zoot & More

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Django Manouche - Gypsy Swing & Hot House Jazz

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front

(1:36)  1. Blue Paris Stomp
(1:41)  2. Swing Fiasco
(1:40)  3. Schwingin'
(1:29)  4. Trois Soevrs
(1:52)  5. Lucky In Love
(1:41)  6. Movin' On
(2:50)  7. Alcohol
(1:30)  8. Hot House Blues
(1:55)  9. Hey Minor
(1:50) 10. Mosquito
(1:31) 11. Sweet Swing
(1:30) 12. Le Jazz
(1:40) 13. No One But You
(1:46) 14. A Gypsy Waltz
(2:21) 15. Where Do We Go?
(2:10) 16. Naked As A Jaybird
(1:39) 17. Skipping
(1:35) 18. Make It Snappy
(2:20) 19. Holland
(1:46) 20. Bleu
(1:32) 21. Fishing Hole
(1:55) 22. Fred's Stomp
(2:08) 23. Gypsy Fire

Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing or hot club jazz) is a style of jazz music often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because it's origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "jazz manouche", or alternatively, "manouche jazz", even in English language sources. Some modern dictionaries recommend avoiding using the word "gypsy" because it is felt to have been tainted by its frequent use as a pejorative, however dictionaries do not caution against use of the term "gypsy jazz."Django was foremost among a group of Romani guitarists working in and around Paris in the 1930s through the 1950s, a group which also included the brothers Baro, Sarane, and Matelo Ferret and Reinhardt's brother Joseph "Nin-Nin" Reinhardt.

Many of the musicians in this style worked in Paris in various popular Musette ensembles. The Musette style waltz remains an important component in the Gypsy jazz repertoire. Reinhardt was noted for combining a dark, chromatic Gypsy flavor with the swing articulation of the period. This combination is critical to this style of jazz. In addition to this his approach continues to form the basis for contemporary Gypsy jazz guitar. Reinhardt's most famous group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, also brought fame to jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.

Gypsy Swing & Hot House Jazz

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Jennifer Lee - Quiet Joy

Styles: Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:22
Size: 167,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. I Hear Music
(5:43)  2. Quiet Joy
(5:16)  3. Menina Da Lua
(5:18)  4. O Barquinho
(5:01)  5. Music Of Your Soul
(4:01)  6. You Knew
(5:31)  7. O Pato
(4:22)  8. Menininha Do Portao
(6:23)  9. Baby Mine
(5:29) 10. I Don't Want To Fall
(5:51) 11. Amor Certinho / S'wonderful
(6:02) 12. Pennies From Heaven
(8:20) 13. On A Clear Day / Never Never Land

You cannot judge a jazz CD by its cover, particularly in this age of frankly shoddy-looking self-produced sleeves that may well detract attention from good music inside. The cover of Jennifer Lee's Quiet Joy is not amateurish on the contrary, it is very tastefully assembled. Nevertheless, it could be misleading. The cover depicts the San Francisco Bay Area-based singer and instrumentalist seated in a leafy flower garden, the details spelled out in a sunny font. The packaging promises the musical equivalent of the herbal tea Lee appears to be savoring earnestly in the photograph: watery, bland, maybe superfluously seasoned with cinnamon or nutmeg. Probably healthy for you.  Not to worry. The inner armature of Quiet Joy is Brazilian music, including samba and bossa nova, musical forms whose liquid equivalent...well, it wouldn't be herbal tea. Lee and her bandmates play this music quite idiomatically, bearing witness to Lee's years leading the Doce Brasil group. The wordless title track (a Lee composition in a decidedly carioca vein) delights with marvelous accents provided by Raul Ramirez's percussion details. 

The Brazilian numbers are exquisitely chosen; on several, Lee accompanies her own vocals on acoustic guitar. These performances compare quite favorably with the celebrated Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto Casa (Sony, 2002), a Jobim tribute. The bossa nova elements share sonic space with straight-ahead jazz, which the Lee group does equally well on a handful of tracks. The medley of Roberto Guimarães's fine "Amor Certinho" paired with Gershwin's "'S Wonderful" is one that embodies the disc's musical philosophy. The best among the jazz tunes is "You Knew," sounding vaguely like a bona fide standard ("I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart" or "Love For Sale"?), but it is in fact another fine Lee original. Lee's piano playing is bright and propulsive, and Bay Area coffee lovers might just swoon when she mentions Peet's Coffee and Tea on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Better still than the successful marriage of jazz and Brazilian standards is Lee's singing. The number of pitch-perfect vocalists who come down the pike these days is astonishing, but quite rare are those whose voices have genuine personality. Lee is among the latter. In fact, she sings the way critic Robert Christgau once described Dewey Redman's tenor saxophone playing: technically perfect and full of heart. Quiet Joy is bound to disappoint those looking for the aural version of a tepid chamomile tea, but certain to delight the rest of us. ~ Jeff  Dayton-Johnson  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/quiet-joy-tomeka-reid-review-by-jeff-dayton-johnson.php#.U8NpJbFryM0
 

Personnel: Jennifer Lee: vocals, guitar (2-4, 7-11), piano (6, 12, 13); Peter Sprague: guitar (1-6, 10-13); Bob Magnusson: bass (2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 13); Buca Necak: bass (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12); Raul Ramirez: percussion (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11); Duncan Moore: drums (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13); Tripp Sprague: harmonica (4, 9), saxophone (6, 11); Carter Dewberry: cello (3).

Quiet Joy

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The Larry Eanet Quartet - Sunset Stomp

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:43
Size: 155,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Rhythm King
(4:55)  2. Across The Blues
(4:11)  3. Susie
(6:01)  4. Sultry Sunset
(4:45)  5. Rain
(3:54)  6. Sunset Stomp
(4:42)  7. Ten Paciencia
(5:22)  8. Miss Brown To You
(6:54)  9. Lady Of The Lavender Mist
(4:07) 10. Clementine
(5:19) 11. It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream
(3:27) 12. Hi Ya, Sophia
(8:18) 13. Frederic's Tune

This quartet is based in the Washington, D.C. area, where pianist Larry Eanet has been playing swing and traditional jazz for most of his life. He began recording in earnest as a bandleader in 1997, upon retiring from his medical practice. The quartet includes bassist Tommy Cecil, drummer Harold Sumney, Jr., and the very fine clarinet and saxophone player Ron Hockett. On this delightful program there are some unusual song choices-obscure Duke Ellington tunes ("Across the Track Blues," "Lady of the Lavender Mist," "Sultry Sunset"), a seldom-recorded Billy Strayhorn tune ("Clementine") and, most interesting of all, two adaptations of classical material: "Sunset Stomp," which is based on the "Sunset" movement of Groffe's "Grand Canyon Suite," and "Frederic's Tune," which was adapted by Eanet from Chopin's "Etude #6." 

Everything swings joyfully and dreamily; when Hockett is on clarinet, you can hear echoes of Benny Goodman's small-group recordings. Eanet himself is both a strong leader and a creative, quick-witted pianist. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sunset-stomp-mw0000242209

Personnel: Larry Eanet (piano); Ron Hockett (soprano & tenor saxophones, clarinet); Tommy Cecil (bass); Harold Summey Jr. (drums). 

Sunset Stomp

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The Phil Markowitz Trio - Sno' Peas

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:53
Size: 107,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Sno' Peas
(4:31)  2. Sweet Sisters
(6:16)  3. Infant Eyes
(6:42)  4. Yesterdays
(4:55)  5. Circular Motion
(6:17)  6. Tristesse
(6:47)  7. Hope
(4:29)  8. Toko Blues

Phil Markowitz (born 1952) is a jazz pianist and educator. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and in 1979 had his "first big break" working with Chet Baker's band. He is most known as a sideman. He made a 1980 recording entitled Sno' Peas with Eddie Gomez and Al Foster. He recorded two live duo albums with Dave Liebman as a member of Liebman's group;  Markowitz calls this work the "biggest break of all" and they have worked together on and off for fifteen years. He has also served as a pianist in Bob Mintzer's Big Band. In 1979, Markowitz started a four-year association with Chet Baker's band that took him around the world, and yielded such recordings as Broken Wing, Live at Nick's Place, Two A Day, Live at Chateauvallon, and Live at The Rising Sun. Markowitz has performed and/or recorded with such notables as Mel Lewis, Marian McPartland, Phil Woods, Lionel Hampton, Nick Brignola, Joe Chambers, Miroslav Vitous and Joe Williams. His recordings as leader include Taxi Ride (which features a reunion with his lifelong friend Toots Thielemans), 

In the Woods, Sno' Peas (1980), Restless Dreams (with vibraphonist Joe Locke) and 7 plus 8, with Italian saxophonist Maurizio Giammarco. Markowitz has recently been heard with the all-star group Saxophone Summit (with Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and David Liebman), but his credentials span a cornucopia of jazz; from the traditional to the avant-garde. Markowitz's notoriety as a composer came in the late 1970s when he was playing in a New York club with Toots Thielemans. As they were playing Markowitz's composition "Sno' Peas", pianist Bill Evans walked in, loved the song, and asked Thielemans to bring it to their upcoming recording session. Evans' and Thielemans' subsequent recording of "Sno' Peas" on the Grammy-nominated album Affinity put Markowitz on the map as a jazz composer. As well as performing around the globe, Markowitz has served as guest artist and clinician in major conservatories and universities throughout the world. Academically speaking, however, his home base is the Manhattan School of Music, where he is a professor in the graduate and doctoral divisions. Markowitz has received endowments and grants from The Howard Foundation, Chamber Music America, The Doris Duke Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is married to singer/actress Davia Sacks.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Markowitz

Sno' Peas

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