Cecil Payne - Cecil Payne-Duke Jordan 1956-1962 Sessions

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 64:18
Size: 147.2 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. This Time The Dream's On Me
[7:47] 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
[5:27] 3. Chessman's Delight
[3:37] 4. Arnetta
[6:38] 5. Saucer Eyes
[5:32] 6. Man Of Moods
[6:19] 7. Bringing Up Father
[4:21] 8. Groovin' High
[3:48] 9. Yes, He's Gone
[3:58] 10. Dexterity
[4:45] 11. I'm Gonna Learn Your Style
[4:58] 12. Like Church
[3:17] 13. Tall Grass

In his early days as a great jazz baritone saxophonist, quintessential sideman Cecil Payne played much more sweet and refined music than the rough and tumble bopper Pepper Adams or the more sophisticated Gerry Mulligan. These sessions as a leader, in tandem with the underrated pianist Duke Jordan, show a more sweet and innocent player on a horn known for brusque and burly tones. It might be misleading in modern times to call Payne a smooth player, but all potential coarse edges in his sound were filed away, and he displayed fluency and an even-keeled discipline one has to admire. The bulk of these recordings are from 1956, originally on the Signal label LP Cecil Payne and the Savoy release Patterns of Jazz, in a quartet or quintet setting, the latter complemented by trumpeter Kenny Dorham. A lilting -- yes lilting -- baritone sax sound for "This Time the Dream's on Me" sets the tone from the outset, but Payne goes right to the heart with the ballad "How Deep Is the Ocean?" A member of fellow Brooklynite Randy Weston's band, Payne pays homage with the lyrical midtempo swinger "Chessman's Delight," and with the perfectly paired Dorham on classic dotted eighth-note phrasings during "Saucer Eyes." At heart a bopper, Payne and Jordan, with the trumpeter, hit up their original "Man of Moods," Payne's fleet Charlie Parker-ish "Bringing Up Father," and the Dizzy Gillespie classic "Groovin' High." Five tracks from 1962, which include trumpeter Johnny Coles, sound different, and display the developing irregular fringes of Payne's bari. Coles uses a muted trumpet on the ballad "Yes, He's Gone" playing the second chorus of the melody after Payne's deeper inflections, and Payne lays out for the muffled horn of Coles to take center stage on Jordan's slow, wispy "Tall Grass." The quintet again adopts Parker's fervor on the perfectly played "Dexterity," while the leader's composition "Like Church" echoes the era's signature sound à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Miles Davis group with John Coltrane, or Coles/Dorham peer Donald Byrd. Too few Cecil Payne recordings are available in this world, and though this is a transitional period for him, it is essential listening if you are a student of the big-bad horn. ~Michael G. Nastos

Cecil Payne-Duke Jordan 1956-1962 Sessions

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Sunday Wilde - He Digs Me

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:46
Size: 118.5 MB
Styles: Roots, Blues vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. He Digs Me
[5:08] 2. Sunday's Midnight Blues
[3:49] 3. Handle Me
[6:02] 4. Show Me Mercy
[2:38] 5. Nobody's Fault
[3:25] 6. Destitution Blues
[4:12] 7. Fall To Pieces
[2:50] 8. I Can't Believe
[3:26] 9. Gimmie One More
[4:39] 10. Black Mountain Blues
[5:40] 11. Sit Around Waiting
[5:17] 12. Crying Shame
[2:10] 13. Walk With Me

Sunday Wilde acclaimed for her powerful primal and intense vocals and unique self taught piano style brings you her fifth recording with subjects that range from loneliness, love, anger, blame and more.

This selection of 13 songs range from dirty blues, blues country, blues ballad, a bit of electric, a bit of acoustic and even some pop. The album is Sunday’s first recording with drums throughout. But no matter which genre you prefer, it is Sunday’s unique vocals and lyrical delivery that make it come together as an emotional story from start to finish.

She is a powerful and intense vocalist, a rare voice that speaks from the primal soul. Sunday is a songwriter who explores the subjects of grief, addiction, love and the torment of family dysfunction. Her lyrics and delivery make it abundantly clear that she speaks from experience and authority. She is a vocalist and piano player and is often joined at shows by upright bass, to make her live performances raw and intense.

He Digs Me

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Kevin Mahogany - Pussy Cat Dues: The Music of Charles Mingus

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:56
Size: 128.1 MB
Styles: Straight ahead jazz, Mainstream
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 5:05] 1. Eclipse
[ 8:04] 2. Pussy Cat Dues
[ 5:09] 3. Portrait
[ 8:35] 4. Reincarnation Of A Love Bird
[20:26] 5. Jelly Roll - Good-Bye Pork Pie Hat - Better Git Hit In Your Soul
[ 8:35] 6. Tonight At Noon

Not since the 1979 effort of Joni Mitchell has a top vocalist taken on the daunting task of recording the music of Charles Mingus. In 1995, Kevin Mahogany was invited by the Cologne-based Bill Dobbins-directed WDR big band (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) to participate in live concert of Mingus music. For this important musical event, Mahogany is joined by ex-Mingus compatriots, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson and trombonist Jimmy Knepper, as well as the big band. Although the concert took place in 1995, it wasn't until July of 2000 that the album was released. After a listen, it's a shame the moguls of the record industry took their time in releasing it.

Listening to Mingus allows one to sample just about everything on the jazz menu. Mingus looked everywhere for his inspiration as he composed some of the most multifaceted music in jazz. It incorporates the blues, free jazz, swing, bop and, of course, reflects the influence of his idol Duke Ellington. Mahogany's command of vocal techniques combined with his visceral feel for the music makes this album the vocalist's best effort to date The task is eased considerably by the way Dobbin crafted his orchestrations to complement Mahogany's approach this music. Despite the presence of this high powered, well-oiled big band, at no time is Mahogany drowned out - quite an achievement. Knepper's smoothed and sometimes clipped toned trombone is heard to excellent advantage on Eclipse as he and McPherson trade choruses on Reincarnation of a Love Bird. Knepper worked with Mingus from 1957 to 1962 and McPherson played for him in 1965. So they are no strangers to the idiosyncracies of Mingus music.

For me the highlight of the session is the four song medley which shows off the distinct flavor of the bassist's compositions. Boogie Stop Shuffle, featuring McPherson's alto, is a swinging tribute to bop. Jelly Roll honors the genius of Jelly Roll Morton while perhaps his most famous piece of music, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, remains a fervent musical eulogy to Lester Young. While Kevin Mahogany does a couple of choruses on that tune along with some wordless vocalizing on Better Git Hit in Your Soul, the medley is pretty much the property of MacPherson, Knepper and the big band. WDR bassist and American expatriate John Goldsby puts on the mantle of Charles Mingus as he plays a lengthy, intricate and compelling bass solo. ~Dave Nathan

Kevin Mahogany - Vocals; Charles McPherson - Alto Saxophone; Jimmy Knepper - Trombone; Dennis Mackrel - Drums; WDR Big Band: Bill Dobbins - Director; Andy Haderer, Rob Bruynen, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer, John Marshall - Trumpet; Dave Horfer, George Maus, Bernt Laukamp, Peter Feil - Trombone; Heiner Wiberny, Harald Rosenstein - Alto Saxophone; Olivier Peters, Rolf R

Pussy Cat Dues

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Julia Rich - Moonshine in Nashville

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:12
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:45)  1. I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket
(2:39)  2. No Love, No Nothin'
(4:09)  3. Moonshine in Nashville
(3:49)  4. The End of the World
(3:07)  5. Wave
(2:02)  6. I Hear Music
(5:10)  7. These Foolish Things
(2:15)  8. Halloween Birthday
(2:56)  9. I'm Happy Just to Dance with You
(4:01) 10. Faraway Places
(2:25) 11. Good Things to Eat
(4:14) 12. At Last
(3:10) 13. You Turned the Tables on Me
(3:08) 14. Til There Was You
(1:40) 15. When My Sugar Walks Down the Street
(3:33) 16. Over the Rainbow

Moonshine in Nasville is Julia Rich's fifth full-length album for Cardinal Records, released March 14, 2009. Longtime girl singer for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Rich included Miller's 1941 hit At Last on the recording, along with its seldom-heard verse. The album contains several standards from the '20s, '30s, and '40s; a couple from the '60s; and three Rich originals: Moonshine in Nashville, Halloween Birthday, and Good Things to Eat. Tony Migliore's ever-fresh arrangements come off the page in the creative hands of Tony on piano, Jim Ferguson on bass, Bob Mater on drums and percussion, Denis Solee on clarinet, George Tidwell on trumpet and flugelhorn, Pat Bergeson on guitar and harmonica, and Rickey Woodard on saxophone. The closing track, Over the Rainbow, was recorded in 2002 by Julia with Gary Weaver on piano and was rediscovered especially for this collection. Moonshine in Nasville is a straight ahead recording featuring ace musicians and Julia doing what she does best...old-style! ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Moonshine-Nashville-Julia-Rich/dp/B001Z0SW0E

Moonshine in Nashville

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Jim Hurst - A Box Of Chocolates

Styles: Country
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:40
Size: 132,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. Chocolate Chaise Loungue
(4:17)  2. Little Baby Child
(4:12)  3. Unlucky Seven
(5:43)  4. Mary Of The Wild Moor
(3:39)  5. Susie Q
(2:49)  6. 'Til There Was You
(3:38)  7. Young At Heart
(4:04)  8. Look Down Hannah
(4:31)  9. Mando Bounce
(2:36) 10. I Ain't Gonna Cry For You
(3:03) 11. Wildcatter
(4:48) 12. Nine Pound Hammer
(3:39) 13. Kentucky Sunrise Waltz
(3:55) 14. Darlin' Tell Me Why
(3:28) 15. C5 A La Mode

A multiple-IBMA award winner and long time member of Claire Lynch's touring band, Jim Hurst is one of the most versatile acoustic guitar players on the contemporary bluegrass circuit. Hurst augments his flatpicking with hints of Merle Travis, and Jerry Reed, bending and sliding until his notes take on an almost vocal quality. As the title implies, A Box Of Chocolates is a sampler, the perfect showcase for Hurst's versatility. There's newgrass Chocolate Chaise Lounge, gypsy swing Mando Bounce, and swampy funk C5 A La Mode. In addition to those solid originals, Hurst scats his way through Nine Pound Hammer and shows delicate restraint on the traditional Mary Of The Wild Moor. Hurst's list of guests is long and impressive Sam Bush, Mark Schatz, Scott Vestal, Michael Cleveland, Viktor Krauss and that barely scratches the surface. Still, the most powerful moments on this album simply involve Hurst alone with his guitar. ~ D. Baxter / No Depression

Jim Hurst is a great bluegrass guitar player, as attested by his multiple wins at IBMA, but he s also very gifted in other styles of music. On his latest CD, A Box Of Chocolates, you get a little taste of the various style s Jim likes to sample from time to time. The songs range from solo guitar instrumentals, to full band pieces with harmony vocals. Some are bluegrass in nature, while others have more of a blues feel, swing approach, or finger-picking style. There are uptempo instrumentals, and slow ballads. A lot of variety, just as you'd expect from A Box Of Chocolates. A Box Of Chocolates contains a lot of different musical tastes, but they are all good. Jim is aware of the difficulty of selling such a product though, as reflected in this comment from the liner notes: Well I ain t ever been a commercially viable produt anyway, so why not record a CD that makes at least one person happy? ME! So, this is it...A Box Of Chocolates. That may be stating it a little strongly, as I m sure Jim will find that many people will find a smile on their face while listening to this latest recording of his. (edited from full review) ~ B. Gillihan / The Bluegrass Blog

Jim Hurst's new CD entitled A Box of Chocolates is, at the risk of using an overused and bombastic cliché, a must-listen for fans of acoustic guitar mastery. As the title of the CD indicates, listening to the CD is like opening an assortment of chocolates, each piece of which has a unique texture and flavor. Hurst's song selection cuts a wide swath and includes everything from standard flat-picking classics such as Nine Pound Hammer, bluesy funk trips like Chocolate Chaise Lounge, remorseful ballads such as Look Down Hannah and Mary of the Wild Moor, and even rock classics re-cast Jim Hurst style like Til There Was You and Suzie Q. The liner notes included with A Box of Chocolates detail some of Hurst's musical influences and include Merle Travis, Django Reinhart, Glenn Miller, Bob Wills, Pete Fountain, and even Jimmy Durante. Yes, Jimmy Durante! 

Hurst handles the guitar duties, of course, and also plays mandolin on several tracks. He carries the lead vocals as well, except on Young at Heart on which he gives up the microphone to Claire Lynch with whom he's previously recorded and toured as a member of the Claire Lynch Band. Special guests on the CD include Lexington's string-master Daniel Carwile who has this to say about Hurst and the CD: Jim Hurst is one of the most versatile guitarists I have ever worked with. If you love the guitar you'll love this CD. Way to go Jim! Best of luck Jim! For me I'll be playing A Box of Chocolates for friends tonight and taking delight in watching feet tap, eyebrows raise, and listeners scramble for the liner notes. (edited from full review) ~ B. Scrivener / MySpace blog 

~ Editorial Reviews  

http://www.amazon.com/Box-Of-Chocolates-Jim-Hurst/dp/B000WW1W1M

A Box Of Chocolates

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Count Basie - The Complete Atomic Basie

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:47
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:41)  1. The Kid From Red Bank
(4:12)  2. Duet
(3:26)  3. After Supper
(3:23)  4. Flight Of The Foo Birds
(2:46)  5. Double-O
(3:19)  6. Teddy The Toad
(3:51)  7. Whirly-Bird
(4:28)  8. Midnite Blue
(3:36)  9. Splanky
(2:56) 10. Fantail
(4:50) 11. Li'l Darlin'
(4:05) 12. Silks And Satins
(3:36) 13. Sleepwalker's Serenade
(3:38) 14. Sleepwalker's Serenade (Bonustrack)
(2:51) 15. The Late Late Show (Bonustrack)
(3:02) 16. The Late Late Show (Vocal Version) Bonustrack

One of the reasons that some major labels love to license big chunks of their catalogs to smaller independent outfits for box set reissues is that they never know that those licensees will turn up in putting those sets together, and it all becomes fair game for the parent company. Thus, in 1994, a year after Mosaic unearthed five previously unissued tracks from the October 1957 sessions that yielded The Atomic Mr. Basie on Roulette, Capitol Records (which had acquired the Roulette library) issued this expanded version of the original album. The original 11 songs are here, remastered into proper mono (there was an impossible to listen to duophonic stereo master made at the time of release that was in circulation on LP for a time), along with five outtakes consisting of material written and arranged by Jimmy Mundy: the instrumentals "Silks and Satins," "Sleepwalker's Serenade" (two different takes), and "The Late Late Show" and a vocal version of the latter featuring Joe Williams. 

These were apparently part of a proposed Jimmy Mundy album that never got completed, and were forgotten; they fit in surprisingly well with the Neal Hefti arrangements comprised the original recording, and Joe Williams turns in some of the best work of his career on the vocal version of "The Late Late Show," a sultry, richly intoned performance that positively seduces the listener, with the band blowing beautifully behind him. ~ Bruce Eder  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-complete-atomic-basie-mw0000187806

Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Joe Williams (vocals); Wendell Culley, Snooky Young, Thad Jones, Joe Newman (trumpet); Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (trombone); Marshall Royal, Frank Wess, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Frank Foster, Charles Fowlkes (reeds); Freddie Green (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums).

The Complete Atomic Basie

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Kenny Garrett - Seeds From The Underground

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:04
Size: 190,0 MB
Art: Front

(9:03)  1. Boogety Boogety
(6:26)  2. J. Mac
(7:37)  3. Wiggins
(7:27)  4. Haynes Here
(4:21)  5. Detroit
(8:08)  6. Seeds From The Underground
(8:16)  7. Du-Wo-Mo
(8:43)  8. Welcome Earth Song
(6:22)  9. Ballad Jarrett
(3:38) 10. Laviso, I Bon?

Kenny Garrett is one of the most respected and frequently imitated saxophonists in the jazz world, but he might not have reached his full potential if not for those who guided him and showed him the way. While some musicians try to rewrite history when they make it big, turning their backs on the nurturing forces and influential individuals that kept them on the righteous path, Garrett doesn't fall into that category. He gives credit where credit is due, and Seeds From The Underground is the proof. Garrett wrote ten musical "thank you" notes for this project, which honors his family, friends, mentors and musical influences. While the songs run the gamut from subdued to explosive, the most impressive material is the edgy, late '60s-influenced fare. Garrett's pianist the underexposed Benito Gonzalez puts a Latin-inflected, postmodern slant on the McCoy Tyner sound, and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. is relentless, driving the music with punchy fills and on-top-of-the-beat cymbal work. This pairing proves to be potent, and both men can be seen as the combinatorial impetus behind Garrett's most aggressive and outspoken playing. 

Two prime examples come in the form of a hard hitting nod to saxophone maverick Jackie McLean ("J. Mac") and a waltzing tribute to drummer Roy Haynes ("Haynes Here"), but others are scattered throughout. While these men, along with the balancing force, bassist Nat Reeves, paint vivid pictures, two other individuals add extra splashes of color. Nedelka Prescod's wordless vocals help to magnify the emotional intensity in the music ("Detroit"), and percussionist Rudy Bird adds some spice to the Latin-inflected numbers and pan-global performances. While all of these diverse personalities come together in fine fashion, it's Garrett's saxophone that garners the most attention. He can be sunny and playful ("Boogety Boogety"), brash and bold ("J. Mac") or wistful and pensive ("Ballad Jarrett"), but he always displays a melodic bent in his playing, regardless of the mood. That, more than anything else, will likely draw attention toward this record. ~ Dan Bilaswsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/seeds-from-the-underground-kenny-garrett-mack-avenue-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php#.U_iy82MfLP8
 

Personnel: Kenny Garrett: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, piano; Nat Reeves: bass; Ronald Bruner: drums; Rudy Bird: bata, percussion; Nedelka Prescod: vocals.

Seeds From The Underground

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