Milt Jackson Orchestra - Big Bags

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 50:47

Size: 116.3 MB

Styles: Hard bop, Vibraphone jazz

Year: 1962/1989

Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Old Devil Moon

[6:46] 2. 'Round Midnight (Take 2)

[6:47] 3. 'Round Midnight (Take 1)

[3:08] 4. The Dream Is You

[2:58] 5. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

[4:31] 6. Echoes

[5:14] 7. If You Could See Me Now

[3:21] 8. Star Eyes (Take 5)

[3:21] 9. Star Eyes (Track 4)

[3:18] 10. Namesake

[3:32] 11. If I Should Lose You

[4:43] 12. Later Than You Think

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson is backed by a big band for this change-of-pace release, reissued on CD along with two alternate takes. The Ernie Wilkins and Tadd Dameron arrangements fit the high-quality standards well and Jackson (who contributed two originals) is in top form. There are short solos for cornetist Nat Adderley, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, and the tenors of James Moody and Jimmy Heath but Milt Jackson is the main voice throughout this melodic and always-swinging set. [Originally issued in 1962, Big Bags was reissued on CD in 1989 and includes bonus tracks not included on the LP.] ~Scott Yanow

Alto Saxophone – Earl Warren, George Dorsey, Jerome Richardson; Alto Saxophone, Flute – James Moody; Baritone Saxophone – Arthur Clarke, Tate Houston; Bass – Ron Carter; Drums – "Philly" Joe Jones, Connie Kay; Flute – George Dorsey ; French Horn – Willie Ruff; Piano – Hank Jones; Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – James Moody, Jerome Richardson; Trombone – Snooky Young, Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston, Paul Faulise, Tom McIntosh; Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Clark Terry, Dave Burns, Doc Severinson, Ernie Royal, Nat Adderley; Vibraphone – Milt Jackson.

Rec at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, June 19, 20 and July 5 1962

Big Bags

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Jon Gordon - The Things You Are

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 132.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[7:06] 1. I Should Care
[5:39] 2. Alone Together
[6:08] 3. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[3:38] 4. Arco
[6:35] 5. All The Things You Are
[8:43] 6. Something To Live For
[2:18] 7. On This Day
[5:43] 8. Invitation
[3:04] 9. Embraceable You
[9:01] 10. Artistshare (Bonus Track)

Jon Gordon studied with Phil Woods and also won first place in the 1996 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, while also recording an impressive series of CDs for several different labels. But Gordon takes a new direction with The Things You Are, omitting a pianist, choosing to play with an outstanding rhythm section consisting of guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Joe Martin, and either Billy Drummond or Bill Campbell on drums. The spacy treatment of the standard "I Should Care" increases the melancholy air of the song, while the hard-charging approach to "Alone Together" is a wild roller coaster ride. He switches to soprano sax for his originals "Arco" and "On This Day," both of which are haunting abstract works. The saxophonist is consistently at the top of his game throughout these sessions. Don't miss out on this masterpiece! ~Ken Dryden

The Things You Are 

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Caroline Nin - Hymne A Edith Piaf

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:07
Size: 112.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:38] 1. Les Mots D'amour
[6:30] 2. Les Amants D'un Jour
[5:20] 3. Milord
[3:14] 4. La Foule
[5:18] 5. Mon Dieu
[5:12] 6. L'accordéoniste
[3:59] 7. Mon Manège à Moi
[4:54] 8. La Vie En Rose
[5:26] 9. If You Love Me
[2:48] 10. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
[3:42] 11. Les Mots D'amour Remix

Born in France, the Parisian-based Nin’s debut in the late 80s at The Hollywood Savoy in Paris’ glamorous Opera district, quickly garners her a loyal following. Influential music songwriter and producer Marc Almond invites Caroline to perform at his new creative venture The Freedom Theatre, a club in London’s Soho where she appears alongside Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Holly Johnson, Dead or Alive’s Pete Burns and Taboo’s Leigh Bowery.

Nin is selected as The French Institute’s ambassador, chosen to promote French culture through a series of concert tours from 1994 to 1996 across Britain and The United States. The international spotlight has been firmly turned on to the French chanteuse, who decides to create a show based on her own unique interpretation of France’s greatest musical icon, Edith Piaf. “HYMNE A PIAF” is born and quickly is requested and so begins a global tour from New York’s Don’t Tell Mama off Broadway on 46st St. Delving deep into Piaf’s unfortunate, joyous but ultimately memorable life, Nin’s smoky, jazzy and sensitive interpretation – rather than impersonation – of The Little Sparrow’s works, includes showstoppers such as Milord, Non, je ne regrette rien and Padam.

Fans of Edith Piaf know there is more to “the little sparrow” than “Non, je ne regrette rien” ! Parisian cabaret performer Caroline Nin gives you a chance to hear more of Piaf ’s much loved oeuvre. This frank, tender and bi-lingual tribute to France’s most famous chanteuse is a spine- tingling and moving revelation as she uses her eloquent, chiseled features, attentive diction and spirited singing to breathe new life into familiar anthems.

Hymne A Edith Piaf

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Billy Higgins - Once More

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:30
Size: 95.0 MB
Styles: Free jazz
Year: 1995/2010
Art: Front

[7:30] 1. Plexis
[7:35] 2. Lover Man
[4:31] 3. Sabia
[6:22] 4. Amazon
[7:12] 5. Estate
[8:18] 6. Horizons

Although released on CD in 1995, this is one of drummer Billy Higgins' earliest sessions as a leader, recorded in 1980. Leading a quartet including Cedar Walton, Bob Berg, and bassist Tony Dumas, he steps to the forefront with an explosive solo in the midst of Walton's hard bop vehicle "Plexus," while he sticks to brushes (until Berg returns) in the rendition of "Lover Man," which showcases the rest of the band. The quartet takes Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Sabiá" away from its bossa nova roots, offering a driving post-bop arrangement. Berg contributed "Amazon," an infectious tune built upon a simple riff that opens with Higgins alone. The tense introduction to the bittersweet Brazilian ballad "Estate" sets up Berg's heartfelt solo, backed by Walton's thoughtful piano and Higgins' whispering brushes. Recommended. ~Ken Dryden

Once More

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Maria Jacobs - Free as a Dove

Styles: Vocal Jazz, R&B
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:39
Size: 91,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:48)  1. Love You with the Lights On
(5:02)  2. Free as a Dove
(3:54)  3. Not Another Love Gone Wrong
(4:29)  4. Loneliness
(3:31)  5. Love Me Like the First Time
(4:22)  6. I Got Nothin' But the Blues
(3:55)  7. Pour Me a Cup of Yesterday
(3:17)  8. I Wish You Belonged to Me
(6:17)  9. Since I Fell for You [Live]

This album, Free As A Dove, is a couple of years in the making. I wrote eight out of the nine songs. They were tracked and recorded in Los Angeles. seven out of eight originals were tracked, co-produced and arranged and recorded/mixed at Moonlight Studios with Dave Vasquez and Jeff Lewis. J Curtis played guitar on the first three. He also co-arranged. J is the writer of the song Where Is The Love by the Blackeyed Peas. Track two was done in Los Angeles by Tadashi Namba. Finally, track nine is one of my favorite standards, Since I Fell For You. It was recorded live at the Torrance Civic Center in LA with the Richard Sherman Trio.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/MariaJacobs1

Free as a Dove

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The Manhattan Transfer - Live

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:21
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. That Cat Is High
(3:26)  2. Snootie Little Cutie
(4:03)  3. Four Brothers
(3:43)  4. On A Little Street In Singapore
(3:02)  5. Java Jive
(3:25)  6. Walk In Love
(2:39)  7. Chanson D'Amour
(3:27)  8. Speak Up Mambo (Cuentame)
(1:40)  9. 15 Minute Intermission
(4:18) 10. In The Dark
(4:55) 11. Je Voulais (Te Dire Que Je T'Attends)
(0:42) 12. Sunday
(3:39) 13. Candy
(1:56) 14. Well, Well, Well
(4:10) 15. Freddy Morris Monologue / Bacon Fat
(3:38) 16. Turn Me Loose
(3:55) 17. Operator
(3:17) 18. Tuxedo Junction

The Manhattan Transfer was recorded at Manchester (23rd April 1978), Bristol (28th April 1978), and Hammersmith Odeon, London (2nd May 1978). The album was produced by Tim Hauser and Janis Siegel. For many years, this album had the distinction of being the only Manhattan Transfer album not to be released on CD… but finally Wounded Bird Records (WOU-540) released it in the spring of 2005. Interestingly, when asked for the group’s comments on this album, Janis and Alan had something very similar to say about it. Janis: “Worst album cover in history (with possible exceptions of ‘Coming Out’ and ‘Mecca’)” Alan: “Wins the award for worst album cover.” There are actually two covers to the album, one being an actual photo of the group that is a silhouette, and the other one is a “cartoonish” rendition of a similar pose. Alan says that the album “was never released in the United States. The first printing is a collector’s item.” 

The version with the “photo” cover was released by Mobile Fidelity Sounds Labs as an “Original Master Recording”. It’s a great album that captures the essence of The Manhattan Transfer during that time: The group was riding a wave of success and had become very popular in Europe, and the enthusiasm is evident in their performance. “The album was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon,” recalls Alan. The performance captures numbers by L Dorado Caddy and Guido Panzini. It’s also the last album made with Laurel Massé. Produced by Tim and Janis, it was recorded in late April/early May of 1978. Janis was truly dedicated to her producing duties, as she recalls “I co-produced and was in the hospital for emergency surgery remember listening to mixes and taking notes up until the time they wheeled me in the O.R.” http://manhattantransfer.net/discography/the-manhattan-transfer-live/

The Manhattan Transfer: Cheryl Bentyne , Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Tim Hauser (vocals).

Personnel:  Bass – Michael Schnoebelen; Contractor – David Katz; Drums – Peter Johnson; Guitar – Wayne Johnson; Keyboards – Dave Wallace; Saxophone – Derek Grossmith, Eddie Mordue, Keith Bird, Stan Sultzman; Trombone – Cliff Hardie, David Horler; Trombone [Bass] – Geoff Perkins;  Trumpet – Bobby Haughey, Derek Watkins, Ronnie Hughes, Tony Fisher

Live

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Ernie Watts Quartet - A Simple Truth

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:52
Size: 127,6 MB
Art: Front

( 2:49)  1. The Sound: Morning
( 8:04)  2. No Lonely Nights
( 7:25)  3. The Road We’re On
(10:31)  4. Acceptance
( 6:27)  5. Bebop
( 9:41)  6. Hope in the Face of Despair
( 5:52)  7. 7. A Simple Truth
( 4:00)  8. The Sound: Evening

The title of Ernie Watt's seventh release on his Flying Dolphin label reflects the tenor great's guiding philosophy, as he explained in a recent interview for dublinjazz.ie: "We are creating our reality all day every day by the thoughts that we think and by the things that we say and by our belief systems. It's a very clear and simple path." For Watts, this path has translated, on average, into two hours practice virtually every day for the past fifty three years. Such dedication to his art is clear every time Watts plays and prompted journalist Nat Hentoff to speak of Watts' "total command of his instrument." Now approaching seventy, Watts is arguably at the peak of his powers as he amply demonstrates on another fine addition to a discography as leader that stretches back to <="">(World Pacific, 1969). Backed by his working quartet of fifteen years standing, Watts serves up five striking originals and three stellar interpretations of tunes by pianist Keith Jarrett, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and pianist/arranger Billy Childs. Bookending the set are two lush orchestral pieces, co-written with and arranged by Ron Feuer: "The Sound: Morning" and "The Sound: Evening" are haunting, gently rhapsodic pieces; layered synthesizer parts and sparkling piano glissandi buoy Watts and Feuer's mellifluous odes to nature. 

Like the day slowly warming, the music gains gradually in intensity from the meditative incantation of "The Sound: Morning" through lyrical terrain to an all-out bebop climax, before relenting and easing into softer, end of day colors. In a sense, this is a conceptual recording but Watts' spirituality translates in very visceral musical terms. Swing, bebop and the blues are the wells Watts drinks from. On Jarrett's "No Lonely Nights" Watts' demonstrates that he's a master of slow seduction to boot, his warm tone radiating throughout. Pianist Christof Saenger, bassist Rudi Engel, and drummer Heinrich Koebberling on brushes, add perfectly weighted support. Watts has imbibed much of Jarrett's art of melodic improvisation over the years, regardless of tempo, as his soaring solo on Koebberling's mid-tempo "The Road We're On" testifies. Saenger and Engel make their own elegant statements before returning to the head. Watts turns up the heat a little on "Acceptance" a satisfyingly meaty straight-ahead tune with a bouncing walking bass line and strutting room aplenty for all; Saenger's bluesy solo sets a high bar for Watts who responds with impassioned energy. 

The quartet burns on Gillespie's "Bebop," with water-tight unison playing and breathless individual virtuosity the order of the day. The relay between the musicians during Koebberling's feature is an overly familiar device but the drummer's locking of horns with Watts provides a genuinely exciting passage and remains a highlight of any of Watt's shows. The mellow contours of Childs' "Hope in the Face of Despair" and Watts' caressing ballad "A Simple Truth" steer the quartet past the sunset, while the dusky warmth of the orchestral "The Sound: Evening" calls time on an impressive collective statement that only strengthens Watts' legend. ~ Ian Patterson  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-simple-truth-ernie-watts-flying-dolphin-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php#.U95bNWNryKI
 

Personnel: Ernie Watts: tenor saxophone; Christof Saenger: piano; Rudi Engel: acoustic bass; Heinrich Koebberling: drums; Ron Feuer: synthesized orchestration (1, 8).

A Simple Truth

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Kai Winding & Carl Fontana's Cleveland Express - The Complete Ohio Sessions

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:41
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:12)  1. Blue Lou
(4:25)  2. The Party's Over
(6:47)  3. The Preacher
(3:33)  4. The Surrey With the Fringe on Top
(4:34)  5. Jive at Five
(7:19)  6. The Blues
(3:07)  7. Whistle While You Work
(5:10)  8. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:51)  9. Mole Hill
(6:43) 10. There'll Never Be Another You
(8:04) 11. Jim and Andy's
(5:14) 12. In a Sentimental Mood
(7:36) 13. I Want to Be Happy

Of all the legendary trombone innovators, no one deserves more recognition for the development of the instrument than the great Kai Winding and Carl Fontana. Peerless soloists, band leaders, section players, arrangers and composers, the two trombonists' legendary collaboration began in August 1956, when Winding decided to form a septet consisting of four trombones and a rhythm section. The band's most impressive recording consists of an excellent June, 1957 live performance in Cleveland, Ohio. The minimal amount of background noise and ample applause is a testament to the high musical quality and audience chemistry. 

Winding expertly weaves moods, tempos, and textures on an array of show tunes, movie songs, classic jazz and several originals that showcase his superb arrangements and virtuoso group of musicians. all the legendary trombone innovators, no one deserves more recognition for the development of the instrument than the great Kai Winding and Carl Fontana. Peerless soloists, band leaders, section players, arrangers and composers, the two trombonists' legendary collaboration began in August 1956, when Winding decided to form a septet consisting of four trombones and a rhythm section. The band's most impressive recording consists of an excellent June, 1957 live performance in Cleveland, Ohio. The minimal amount of background noise and ample applause is a testament to the high musical quality and audience chemistry. Winding expertly weaves moods, tempos, and textures on an array of show tunes, movie songs, classic jazz and several originals that showcase his superb arrangements and virtuoso group of musicians.

"This 1957 concert in Cleveland seems to be Winding's earliest date with four trombones in a generally well-recorded nightclub date that has a bare minimum of clinking dishes and audience conversations. The rich harmonies are a delight as Winding blends with trombonists Carl Fontana, Wayne André and Dick Lieb." ~ Ken Dryden http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/the_complete_ohio_sessions-cd-3519.html

The Complete Ohio Sessions

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