Grant Green - The Latin Bit

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:18
Size: 135.8 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1962/2007
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Mambo Inn
[7:08] 2. Besame Mucho
[6:37] 3. Mama Inez
[4:57] 4. Brazil
[7:42] 5. Tico Tico
[6:20] 6. My Little Suede Shoes
[7:01] 7. Blues For Juanita
[6:22] 8. Grenada
[7:20] 9. Hey There

Grant Green, being known mainly as a soul jazz guitarist, eventually gravitated into the popular boogaloo sound. The Latin Bit is the natural bridge to that next phase, though a bit premature for most in 1961-1963, even relative to the subsequent bossa nova craze. Pianist Johnny Acea, long an underrated jazzman, is the nucleus of this session, grounding it with witty chops, chordal comping, and rhythmic meat. The Latino rhythm section of drummer Willie Bobo and conga player Carlos "Patato" Valdes personify authentic, seasoned spice, while at times the chekere sound of Garvin Masseaux makes the soup too thick. At its collective best, the group presents a steady, serene, and steamy "Besame Mucho" and the patient, slow, slinky, sultry "Tico Tico." Just a small step below is a classy take on Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes," a premier jazz bebop (emphasis) tune with a Latin undertow and Green's tiniest staccato phrases, slightly marred by the overbearing constant chekere, but still classic. "Mama Inez" ranks high for its calypso-infused happy feeling and wry stop-start lines. The straight-ahead hard bopper "Brazil" and lone soul-jazz tune, "Blues for Juanita," display the single-note acumen that made Green's style instantly recognizable. This date always yielded mixed results for staunch fans of Green, but it remains a credible effort, even if slightly flawed in part. [Some reissues add two selections with pianist Sonny Clark and tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec, the latter of whom plays hip secondary harmonies on the bossa nova-flavored "Granada," but is in the complete background and a non-factor on the pop tune "Hey There."] ~Scott Yanow

The Latin Bit

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Sheila Cooper - Since You Were Mine

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 46:35
Size: 106.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Vocal jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:01] 2. Meet Me At No Special Place
[5:57] 3. You Turned The Tables On Me
[3:58] 4. Shall We Dance
[4:57] 5. The Thrill Is Gone
[6:58] 6. Lonely House
[3:45] 7. I Wake Up In The Morning Feeling Fine
[5:00] 8. I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise
[4:26] 9. If I Only Had A Brain
[4:06] 10. The Gentleman Is A Dope

The Canadian-born, New York-based singer, alto saxophonist, composer and arranger is -- as saxophone star Lee Konitz notes -- "a singer on her horn and with her voice, and that's the best playing for me."

Sheila Cooper has created imaginative and elegant renderings of popular standards that showcase her fresh, sexy voice and crisp, swinging alto sax playing. Also featured is the world-class rhythm section of Renee Rosnes on piano, Scott Colley on acoustic bass, and Billy Drummond on drums.

Since You Were Mine

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Johnny Cash - Cash Sings Hank Williams

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 36:34
Size: 83.8 MB
Styles: Country
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[1:43] 1. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
[2:16] 2. You Win Again
[1:39] 3. Hey, Good Lookin'
[2:11] 4. I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You
[2:45] 5. Next In Line
[2:14] 6. Straight 'a's In Love
[2:48] 7. Folsom Prison Blues
[2:43] 8. Give My Love To Rose
[2:43] 9. I Walk The Line
[2:24] 10. I Love You Because
[1:39] 11. Come In Stranger
[2:28] 12. Mean Eyed Cat
[2:18] 13. Cold, Cold Heart
[2:22] 14. (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle
[2:00] 15. Come Stranger
[2:16] 16. Wide Open Road

Part of producer and Sun Records label owner Sam Phillips' post-Johnny Cash output after the singer had departed for Columbia Records, the original release of this collection of Hank Williams covers laced with Cash's own songs was burdened with choir-like backing vocals intended to sweeten the performer's stripped-down rockabilly sound. The tracks are here restored to their former stark beauty, with the addition of rarities like Cash's own "Mean-Eyed Cat," and one of his first recordings, a solo version of "Wide Open Road," where Williams' influence can be clearly heard. And, for those who actually prefer their Johnny Cash assisted by a heavenly choir, there's "I Love You Because," with the bonus of some distinctly Jerry Lee Lewis-sounding piano accompaniment. Originally released on Sun Records (1245).

Recording information: ??/??/1954-05/15/1958.

Cash Sings Hank Williams

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Paul Carr - Standard Domain

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 60:17
Size: 138.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:14] 1. Standard Domain
[7:40] 2. Dream Dancing
[6:42] 3. Bye George
[7:45] 4. Cheek To Cheek
[6:43] 5. Warm Valley
[5:53] 6. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[6:39] 7. Sixteen
[6:20] 8. Till There Was You
[7:16] 9. Tetragon

Standard Domain is Paul Carr's fifth recording as a leader. The session was done just before Christmas, 2011. Nine tracks in one day? The Houston native and mainstay on the Washington, D.C. Jazz scene was quick to acknowledge the challenge of recording this way: "You've got to be a little crazy, especially not rehearsing first. However, I have recorded all of my CD's that way and the trick is to have the right guys." Paul has done a lot of playing with bassist Michael Bowie and trumpeter Terrell Stafford. He's also played and recorded with Lewis Nash. The newest member of the ensemble is pianist Joey Calderazzo, best known for his work with Branford Marsalis and Michael Brecker. Standard Domain includes an engaging mix of the classic American songbook, Jazz standards, and one of Paul's own compositions, focusing on songs with memorable melodies because "they usually produce great development sections and great improvisions."

Standard Domain

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Lulee Fisher - In Love Again

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:26
Size: 130,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:18)  1. Fallin in Love Again/I Wish I Were In Love Again
(3:56)  2. East Of The Sun
(3:21)  3. Loving You
(3:47)  4. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(5:08)  5. The Nearness Of You
(3:13)  6. A Foggy Day
(4:55)  7. Wave
(5:15)  8. I Thought About You
(2:51)  9. Lullaby Of Birdland
(3:04) 10. Let's Eat Home
(4:44) 11. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:49) 12. Honeysuckle Rose
(4:34) 13. Corcovado
(4:25) 14. Mood Indigo

In the daunting world of girl singers, San Francisco Bay Area-born, tall, blonde and beautiful Lulee Fisher is something special. From her earliest childhood days when she put on "shows" to amuse her family and friends, her fascination with the world of entertainment, and her love of entertaining, was clear. As a young girl, she was trained in the music of classical opera. She also performed as a soloist with church and school choirs and in stage musicals, when opportunities arose. Her passion for jazz began through the influence of her aunt, Ramona Crowell, who was a friend of the great Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and she gave Lulee, at an early age, the opportunity to attend performances of many of the jazz legends. Later on, as a young woman with a yen for traveling, she stopped in Honolulu on her way to join a friend in Afghanistan, fell in love with Hawaii and remained to enroll at the University of Honolulu, where she studied for a degree in architecture. In time, however, she realized that her greatest interest was in the field of entertainment, and she switched her major to music and drama. Eventually, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, where she became involved in the film business, first as an actress and singer and, finally, in producing. Still, her devotion to jazz and her role in it remained strong and dominated in her goal setting. Whether on location in Europe, or Australia, or Canada, she would seek out jazz clubs, sit in with the musicians and take available gigs. 

Today, she continues to be, as she says, "seriously and totally committed to jazz music." Her smooth and pleasing contralto voice has a good range (nearly four octaves) and intonation, and has been honed under the tutelage of singing great, Sue Raney. Her earlier days as an actress have given her the background to effectively interpret lyrics, dramatic and otherwise, and her good sense of rhythm bodes her well in her handling of upbeat songs. In regard to her singing, she states, "It has something to do with what I want to share with my audience. I want to share more intimate feelings. I want to take people into my arms with my voice and hold them close. My singing is about my personal relationship to life, music, philosophy and people. I think the most important thing about jazz, besides the music itself, is the feeling. It is out of feeling that music comes. So, for me, jazz rings true when it is connected to feeling, and my wanting to share what I feel, or another person feels. There's such a deep, emotional impact to so many jazz songs, and that's what I really want to go for." So now please share with Ms. Lulee Fisher her interpretations of the songs which she has selected for this, her first CD, "In Love Again." It is an excellent presentation of standard and current hits, ranging from ballads and blues to bossa nova and humor, all splendidly sung with the backing of some of the West Coast's finest musicians. ~ Bob Agnew (L.A. Jazz Scene)  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lulee

In Love Again

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Connie Evingson And The John Jorgenson Quintet - All the Cats Join In

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:38
Size: 133,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Love Me or Leave Me
(3:13)  2. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
(4:43)  3. Dream a Little Dream of Me
(4:59)  4. Jardin D'hiver
(4:40)  5. All the Cats Join In / Tickle Toe
(3:09)  6. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
(4:10)  7. Black Orpheus
(3:12)  8. I'll Follow the Sun
(3:57)  9. Solitude
(4:03) 10. Jersey Bounce
(3:17) 11. You're Driving Me Crazy
(3:11) 12. Moonlight
(3:57) 13. World Without Love
(4:27) 14. The Lamp Is Low

Connie Evingson's tenth release on Minnehaha Music and her third hot club album was recorded with John Jorgenson's Quintet in Minneapolis at Creation Audio, save the one special title track that Connie and Jorgenson's group put together in New York with NEA Jazz Master Jon Hendricks. The fourteen tunes cover a wide range of standards and some interesting choices two from Paul McCartney, one from French singer/songwriter Karen Ann, and of course the title medley of Eddie Sauter's "All the Cats Join In" paired with Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" sporting Hendrick's vocalese lyrics. Regardless of origin, these arrangements tend to vary more in mood than tempo or rhythm, as is typically the case with hot club repertoire. And as such, this music requires deft presentation and interpretation to maintain interest over fourteen tracks a feat that presents no problem for Connie or the ensemble. The program itself is one reason Connie has not recorded any of these tunes on her other nine albums, and when you cover everything from Harold Arlen to Jimmy NcHugh, from Luis Bonfa to John Williams, from Ellington to McCartney, you have a wide range of material to work with!  And then there's the crazy quilt of moods shaped so well by Connie's phrasing and timing, and here also supported particularly by the virtuosity of John Jorgenson (guitar, clarinet and vocals) and Jason Anick (violin). 

The album opens with that trademark up-and-down, slowly paced rhythm guitar (Doug Martin) on Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn's "Love Me or Leave Me," introducing the pairing of Jorgenson (guitar and clarinet) and Anick (violin), a tandem arrangement that distinguishes much of the recording. Anick leads the instrumental charge on the bright, seldom-heard Jimmy McHugh tune, "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me," with Jorgenson's clarinet and Rick Reed's drums adding special touches. Karen Ann's "Jardin D'hiver" is a meditative song with French lyrics buoyed by Anick's beautifully yearning violin. The McCartney tunes work surprisingly well as gypsy jazz swing. "I'll Follow the Sun" features Jorgenson's "background" vocal which seems much more, with lovely harmonizing among Connie and John. They give "World Without Love" similar, but more adventurous treatment. The guitar-only support on John Williams' "Moonlight" (lyrics by the Bergmans) throws the moonlight onto Connie's stunning vocal arrangement, while tunes such as Walter Donaldson's "You're Driving Me Crazy" highlight her impeccable timing and vocal dexterity. With violin and clarinet adding "midnight glow," the ensemble makes the closing "The Lamp Is Low" an instrumental highlight. But nothing can surpass the all-out fun of the title track. 

And what could be better than Connie dueling with Jon Hendricks? Melding "All the Cats Join In" (Eddie Sauter with lyrics from Alec Wilder, Ray Gilbert and Jessica Molaskey) with Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" infused with Hendrick's vocalese, this track is one delight after another. Connie takes the first verse solo then turns it over to Hendricks, take back the lead on the first verse of "Tickle Toe" displaying her own vocal gymnastics. The two go back and forth, vocalese, duo harmonies, Hendricks scatting as only he can. My only very mild criticism of this album is that this track might have better ended the set it's such a high point. http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/11386/53/

All the Cats Join In

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Michael Dease - Relentless

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:37
Size: 146,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:19)  1. Is That So
(7:07)  2. Autumn Leaves
(6:37)  3. Force
(5:55)  4. Relentless
(5:46)  5. I'm Glad There Is You
(6:06)  6. The Takeover
(7:11)  7. Little Lucas
(5:49)  8. Roppongi
(6:53)  9. Two Bass Hit
(5:51) 10. Webster Grooves

While rising star trombonist Michael Dease's previous albums have all been small group affairs, much of his sideman work has marked him as something of a large ensemble specialist. He's put his slide to good use in numerous big bands and jazz orchestras, including those led by Christian McBride, Charles Tolliver, Roy Hargrove, Rufus Reid, and Nicholas Payton. Given that information, it should come as no great surprise that Dease decided to make a go of fronting his own big band. Relentless the rising star trombonist's sixth album, and his first on the Posi-Tone imprint finds Dease in charge of a group that's populated with other big band mainstays (trumpeters Seneca Black and Greg Gisbert), young jazz heavies (bassist Linda Oh, drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., saxophonist Sharel Cassity), and a few welcome guests (trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and guitarist Andrew Swift). 

The program reads like a history of Dease's commissions and musical upbringing. He reclaims arrangements originally penned for Hargrove's group (Duke Pearson's "Is That So"), the WDR Big Band (Eric Alexander's "Little Lucas"), and the Webster Groves High School Big Band ("Webster Grooves"); he expands music previously recorded in a small group setting ("Relentless") and looks back on his early attempts at writing for big band ("The Takeover"); and he reshapes classics that he's learned to love over the years ("Two Bass Hit," I'm Glad There Is You," and "Autumn Leaves"). Dease's charts kick, swing, leave lots of room for soloists, and occasionally put each section to the test with fiery, finger-busting passages. It's not all high energy, adrenaline-fueled music, but the most memorable performances "The Takeover," "Roppongi," and "Two Bass Hit" tend to get the pulse racing in some way. Groups like this tend to be studio-made bands, not working units, so it'll be interesting to see if Dease can get this group on the bandstand and develop what he's started. It's a unit with plenty of muscle, driven by a leader with boundless talent, so here's to hoping that Dease can keep it afloat and help it evolve. ~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/relentless-michael-dease-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php#.VDsc0hawTP8

Personnel: Michael Dease: trombone, musical director; Todd Bashore: alto saxophone, flute; Tim Green: alto saxophone, flute; Diego Rivera: tenor saxophone; Sharel Cassity: tenor saxophone; Tony Lustig: baritone saxophone; Adam Rongo: tenor saxophone (7); Seneca Black: trumpet; Greg Gisbert: trumpet; Alphonso Horne: trumpet; Etienne Charles: trumpet; Alex Norris: trumpet; Benny Benack III: trumpet; Anthony Stanco: trumpet; Tom "Bones" Malone: trombone; Jerrick Matthews: trombone; Coleman Hughes: trombone; Jeff Nelson: bass trombone; Ron Wilkins: trombone; Peter Nelson: trombone (7, 10); Wycliffe Gordon: trombone (10), vocals (8), slide trumpet (8); Miki Hayama: piano; Linda Oh: bass; Ulysses Owens Jr.: drums; Andrew Swift: guitar (7); Gwendolyn Burgett: percussion.

Relentless

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