Frank Morgan - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 74:33
Size: 170.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1988/2006
Art: Front

[5:37] 1. Bernie's Tune
[4:47] 2. My Old Flame
[4:29] 3. I'll Remember April
[5:11] 4. Neil's Blues
[5:01] 5. Champ, The
[3:37] 6. Chooch
[5:21] 7. The Nearness Of You
[4:41] 8. Whippet
[4:44] 9. Milt's Tune
[4:08] 10. Get Happy
[6:08] 11. Crescendo Blues
[6:36] 12. Huh!
[3:43] 13. Autumn Leaves
[6:23] 14. Well, You Needn't
[4:00] 15. B.T

When altoist Frank Morgan recorded his debut as a leader in 1955, he was being hyped as "the new Bird." Unfortunately, he followed in Charlie Parker's footsteps mostly by becoming an irresponsible drug addict. After 30 years passed, he cut his second album and seriously began his successful comeback. This GNP album features Morgan back at the beginning, performing four numbers with Machito's rhythm section and six other songs with a septet that also includes tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray (heard on his final recordings). Trumpeter Conte Candoli is a major asset on both of these boppish dates, while Morgan shows why he was rated so highly at this point in his career. ~Scott Yanow

Frank Morgan                

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Dakota Staton - Time To Swing

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 39:44

Size: 91.0 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 1959/2009

Art: Front

[1:53] 1. When Lights Are Low

[2:27] 2. Willow Weep For Me

[1:52] 3. But Not For Me

[2:25] 4. You Don't Know What Love Is

[1:41] 5. The Best Thing For You

[2:10] 6. The Song Is You

[2:00] 7. Avalon

[2:32] 8. Baby, Don't You Cry

[2:32] 9. Let Me Know

[2:34] 10. (It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along

[2:47] 11. If I Should Lose You

[1:40] 12. Gone With The Wind

[2:48] 13. You've Changed

[2:23] 14. All In My Mind

[3:01] 15. Detour Ahead

[2:25] 16. Once There Lived A Fool

[2:27] 17. You'd Better Go Now

Dakota Staton was a classy Sarah-influenced vocalist who easily straddled the worlds of jazz and supper club pop. Her biggest success, 1957's "The Late, Late Show," had a sort of novelty-value sing-song quality, almost a pre-requisite for a jazz side to hit the pop charts in the '50s. TIME TO SWING is a short and breezy Capitol LP from 1959, the mood uptempo though there are some ballad treatments here, like "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along." The clean, lightly- scored arrangments are by Sid Feller, a Capitol house-arranger at the time. As stated, the album is a short one; all the tracks clock in under 2:50 and a few are under 2:00! The reissue label DRG (which has been licensing neglected Capitol LPs as of late) includes five bonus cuts to make up the shortfall, including a fine version of "You've Changed," which Billie Holiday memorably introduced on her 1958 LADY IN SATIN. ~Richard Mortifoglio

Bass – George Duvivier; Drums – Don Lamond; Guitar – Ken Burrell; Oboe, Flute – Romeo Penique; Piano – Hank Jones; Saxophone – Al Johnson, Bill Woods, Don Hammond, George Berg, Jerome Richardson, Ray Beckenstein; Trumpet – Joe Wilder, Taft Jordan.

Time To Swing

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Jim Hall - Subsequently

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:43
Size: 123.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. Subsequently
[5:29] 2. Mister Blues
[8:18] 3. Pancho
[6:45] 4. The Answer Is Yes
[5:22] 5. Waiting To Dance
[6:10] 6. I'm In The Mood For Love
[5:01] 7. What's It Like To Love
[3:43] 8. Waltz For Sonny
[7:11] 9. More Than You Know

Jim Hall's third CD for Musicmasters is the usual excellent mix of well-crafted originals and thoughtfully-arranged standards that one has come to expect from the veteran guitarist. It also marks the addition of young keyboardist Larry Goldings and the recording debut of a promising young Danish tenor saxophonist Rasmus Lee. The leader's "Subsequently" is an immediately infectious song that kicks off the release, while "Pancho" is a captivating bossa nova with a few twists thrown in, and "Waiting to Dance" is a brisk waltz that has a few detours into post-bop. Hall's also covers his wife's tasty composition "The Answer Is Yes" once again. Standard fare includes a gracefully swinging "I'm in the Mood for Love" and a foot-tapping "More Than You Know"; harmonica player Toots Thielemans is a special guest on his own upbeat "Waltz for Sonny." With the demise of Musicmasters, this highly recommended CD could soon turn into a hard to find collectable, so it merits immediate an immediate search. ~Ken Dryden

Subsequently

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Charlie Palmieri - El Fantastico

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 28:11

Size: 64.5 MB

Styles: Latin jazz

Year: 2010

Art: Front

[2:50] 1. A Veces Soy Feliz

[2:49] 2. El Continental

[2:48] 3. Lullaby of Broadway

[2:55] 4. Ravel's Bolero

[2:31] 5. Sweet Sue, Just You

[3:04] 6. Noche y Día

[2:49] 7. Cielito Lindo

[3:03] 8. I've Got You Under My Skin

[2:20] 9. Lover's Mambo

[2:59] 10. Softly As In The Morning Sunshine

The older brother of Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri was every bit as gifted a pianist as his sibling, very percussive and responsive to rhythm while also flashing florid passages that were clearly the product of a classical education. His piano studies began at seven and he attended the Juilliard School of Music, turning pro at 16. He started the group El Conjunto Pin Pin in 1948, and then played in a series of ensembles -- including those of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Pupi Campo -- before forming his own Charanga Duboney group in 1958. As music director of the Alegre All Stars while recording for the Alegre label in the 1960s, Palmieri stimulated competition among Latin labels like Tico and Fania, which formed their own all-star bands in response. Like many Latin jazz artists of the time, Palmieri flirted with the popular Latin boogaloo style in the 1960s and made some records for major labels like RCA Victor and Atlantic. He endured a near mental breakdown in 1969, but rebounded to work again for Puente on his El Mambo de Tito Puente television program, and he also found a second career as a historian and teacher of Latin music and history at various New York colleges in the 1970s. Palmieri moved briefly to Puerto Rico from 1980 to 1983, and after suffering a severe heart attack and stroke upon his return to New York, he recovered to lead various Latin combos, including Combo Gigante. ~Richard S. Ginnell

El Fantastico

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Maria Williams - Rhythmic Remedy

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:13
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. The Island
(2:51)  2. More
(4:59)  3. Nature Boy
(4:04)  4. And All That Jazz
(4:05)  5. A Taste Of Me - Sabor A Mi
(4:28)  6. Sleepwalk
(3:11)  7. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
(3:45)  8. Sabor A Mi
(1:50)  9. Give Me The Simple Life
(5:23) 10. Garden Of Imagining
(4:20) 11. Besame Mucho
(5:48) 12. Rays Of Dawn
(5:15) 13. All Very Clear

Sultry Houston Singer/Songwriter Maria Williams is also known as Texas' only female to front and lead her OWN 15 Piece Swingin' Big Band. This CD (her 2nd) has garnered radio airplay from Alaska to Brazil, and from California to Boston. Rhythmic Remedy is a compilation and integration of her own original compositions infused with Jazz & Latin Rhythms, English translations of Latin classics, and, of course, Broadway Musicals and Big Band Jazz Standards. With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston, she has been entertaining and performing as a professional singer for more than twenty years. Her dance band is in high demand along the Texas Gulf Coast. The fourth of five children, she was born in Mexico to a Spanish Mother, yet her Father, a retired U.S. Colonel in the Air Force, gave her dual citizenship, along with a love of both cultures' food, dance, and music...http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mariawilliams

Rhythmic Remedy

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Rodney Whitaker - When We Find Ourselves Alone

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:50
Size: 146,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:28)  1. The World Falls Away
(5:14)  2. When We Find Ourselves Alone
(4:57)  3. Lost Alone in You Again
(6:00)  4. When You Played with Roy
(4:34)  5. Autumn Leaves
(6:48)  6. You Go To My Head
(7:01)  7. Jamerson's Lullaby
(6:38)  8. Invitation
(5:45)  9. Freedom Day
(4:54) 10. A Mother's Cry
(6:25) 11. Mr. Magic

Bassist Rodney Whitaker is often cited for his affiliations rather than his own work. That's a shame, as it takes attention away from some wonderful music that he's put out under his own name, but it's easy to understand why that's the case. He anchored trumpeter Roy Hargrove's band for a while, ballasted and buoyed Wynton Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra during his stint with that acclaimed organization, and connected with drummer Carl Allen for a pair of exciting dates on the Mack Avenue imprint. He also directs that label's "Superband" and contributes to the future of the music through his educational work as a Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass at Michigan State University. Add to that a list of recording credits that finds him supporting everybody from vocal breakout star Cecile McLorin Salvant to under-recognized pianist Junko Onishi and you start to realize why Whitaker's name is often spoken in the same breath as those he works with and supports. Here, all of that known-by-association nonsense falls away.  

When We Find Ourselves Alone presents Rodney Whitaker in all his glory, playing exactly what he wants to play. He doesn't share billing or serve somebody else's vision. Instead, he pulls from various places and interests to create a straightforward yet diverse program with some help from some old friends. Whitaker's joined by pianist Bruce Barth, an associate from his days with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and two of his comrades-in-arms from his time with Hargrove saxophonist Antonio Hart and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. All four men gel beautifully and seem to have a ball walking down different musical avenues together.  The album starts off with "The World Falls Away," a swinging number that gives everybody a chance to solo, but the band immediately switches gears on the follow-up song the Brazilian-tinged, Hargrove-referencing "When You Played With Roy." 

As things progress, lots of other approaches are utilized. Pure beauty comes to the fore as Hart's poignant soprano steers the proceedings during "Jamerson's Lullaby"; drive and intensity are at the heart of "Freedom Day"; soul jazz makes an appearance via "Mr. Magic"; and "You Go To My Head" is reconfigured as a funk-inflected, backbeat-driven number. Whitaker's daughter vocalist Rockelle Fortin also brings some different things to the table. Her first appearance finds her working with her father's arco support at the dawn of "Autumn Leaves"; the piece later moves into a swinging environment with Fortin scatting away. She also enlivens "Freedom Day" and "You Go To My Head," brings a dash of sly sophistication to "Mr. Magic," and merges with Hart's uplifting saxophone on the hopeful, album-ending "Lost In You Again."  When We Find Ourselves Alone projects solitude through its name, but the music contained herein does the exact opposite. A sense of togetherness and camaraderie shines through here. ~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-we-find-ourselves-alone-rodney-whitaker-mack-avenue-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php#.VCXB3RawTP8
 

Personnel: Rodney Whitaker: bass; Bruce Barth: piano; Antonio Hart: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Greg Hutchinson: drums; Rockelle Fortin: vocals.

When We Find Ourselves Alone

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Mick Hucknall - American Soul

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:35
Size: 86,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. That's How Strong My Love Is
(2:37)  2. Turn Back The Hands Of Time
(4:25)  3. I'd Rather Go Blind
(2:49)  4. Lonely Avenue
(3:08)  5. I Only Have Eyes For You
(3:09)  6. Tell It Like It Is
(2:02)  7. Baby What You Want Me To Do
(3:00)  8. The Girl That Radiates That Charm
(2:57)  9. Let Me Down Easy
(3:21) 10. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
(3:04) 11. It's Impossible
(3:38) 12. Hope There's Someone

Continuing with his journey through the past, Mick Hucknall doesn't focus on a specific singer, the way he did on 2008's Tribute to Bobby, where he saluted his idol Bobby Bland. Here, on the 2012 American Soul, Hucknall pays tribute to, well, American soul, selecting 12 soul standards, most of them from the '60s. Hucknall bends the rules a bit, allowing the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" into the mix to flirt with Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do," but he generally sticks to well-loved standards such as "I'd Rather Go Blind," "Lonely Avenue," "I Only Have Eyes for You," and "Tell It Like It Is." Compared to Tribute to Bobby, this adds a bit of grit to its production in its attempt to sound like old-fashioned soul, and that's why it's a better record: it gets closer to the spirit and sound of what Hucknall loves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine  http://www.allmusic.com/album/american-soul-mw0002417228

Personnel: Mick Hucknall (vocals, background vocals).

American Soul

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Billy Eckstine - Momento Brasileiro

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 34:22
Size: 55,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. Cidade Maravilhosa
(3:11)  2. I Apologize
(3:19)  3. Corcovado
(3:05)  4. Where Or When
(3:42)  5. Dindi
(4:25)  6. Dora
(4:41)  7. Vivo Sonhando
(4:50)  8. Você e  Eu
(2:58)  9. Insensatez

One of the most distinctive of all ballad singers, Eckstine was both a pivotal figure in the history of jazz (because of his commitment to bebop) and the first black singer to achieve lasting success in the pop mainstream. After winning a talent contest in 1930 by imitating Cab Calloway, Eckstine sang briefly with Tommy Myles’ band, before returning to college.  On the recommendation of composer and tenor saxophonist Buddy Johnson he joined Earl Hines’ band in 1939 as singer and  occasionally  playing  trumpet  and in turn  encouraged  Hines to sign up Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughan. Eckstine’s recordings with the band include ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ and his own ‘Jelly Jelly’. In 1943, he quit to go solo but in 1944 formed his own big band, a modern swing band committed almost exclusively to bebop, to the point where Eckstine’s stylized vocals regularly took second place to the playing of Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Gene Ammons and Kenny Dorham, among others. 

The band was badly recorded and badly managed and in 1947 Eckstine folded it to go solo. However, the support Eckstine gave bop musicians at that time was crucial. Even before folding his band, Eckstine had recorded solo to support it, scoring two million-sellers in 1945 with ‘Cottage for Sale’ and a revival of ‘Prisoner of Love’. Far more successful than his band recordings, though more mannered and pompously sung, these prefigured Eckstine’s future career. Where before black bands had played ballads, jazz and dance music, in the immediate post-war years they had to choose. Lacking an interest in the blues and frustrated by the failure of his big band, Eckstine, at first reluctantly, turned to ballads. Henceforth his successes would be in the pop charts. 

In 1947, he was one of the first signings to the newly established MGM Records and had immediate hits with revivals of ‘Everything I Have Is Yours’ (1947), Richard Rodgers’ and Lorenz Hart’s ‘Blue Moon’ (1948), and Duke Ellington’s, Irving Mills and Juan Tizol’s ‘Caravan’ (1949). He had further success in 1950 with Victor Young’s theme song to ‘My Foolish Heart’ and a revival of the 1931 Bing Crosby hit, ‘I Apologize’. However, unlike Nat ‘King’ Cole who followed him into the pop charts, Eckstine’s singing, especially his exaggerated vibrato, sounded increasingly mannered and he was unable to sustain his recording success throughout the decade. His best record of the fifties was the thrilling duet with Sarah Vaughan, ‘Passing Strangers’, a minor hit in 1957. Eckstine later concentrated on live appearances, regularly crossing the world, and recorded only intermittently. In 1967, he briefly joined Motown and in 1981 recorded the impressive ‘Something More’. ~ Bio  http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/billyeckstine

Momento Brasileiro

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