Judi Silvano - Let Yourself Go

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:55
Size: 158,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Let Yourself Go
(6:05)  2. Let's Fall In Love
(7:36)  3. Why Do I Love You
(3:14)  4. I'm In The Mood For Love
(7:26)  5. I Only Have Eyes For You
(6:27)  6. When I Fall In Love
(6:38)  7. I Could Write A Book
(7:13)  8. I Love Paris
(7:03)  9. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(4:55) 10. Goodbye
(6:12) 11. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Vocalist Judi Silvano's Let Yourself Go makes me long for the day when jazz was America's popular music. If that were the case today, this disc would sell a million copies and score three or four top ten radio hits. But it's a new pop song millennium, and the jazz recordings are pushed into the back racks the general listening public's loss; the discerning and resolute jazz fan's gain. Silvano is probably best known for her adventurous vocalise on recordings like the Joe Lovano/Gunther Schuller record Rush Hour (Blue Note, '95), Lovano's Celebrating Sinatra (Blue Note, '97), or the more obscure but excellent Fourth World (Between the Lines, '02) by guitarist James Emery. In the past few years she's also released two first rate sets of her own, Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did (JSL Records, '00) and a duet set with the late pianist Mal Waldron, Riding a Zephyr (Soul Note, '02). The vocalist truly let's herself go here, within the ever-malleable constraints (or are there constraints?) of some familiar time-tested standards; and she's never sounded better, freer and more ebullient in her music-making. 

The set opens with the title tune, an Irving Berlin song featuring clever lyrics ("Come on get together, Let the dance floor feel your leather, Step as lightly as a feather...") and a swinging arrangement (Michael Abene) sliced through with angular piano jabs (Abene, again) and Silvano's soaring vocals, sometimes freewheeling, sometimes gorgeously controlled. Throughout here, I'm reminded of Ella Fitzgerald's Cole Porter Songbook discs; the attitude's the same, and Judi scats all over the place, with a different, smoother flow but a sound no less compelling than Ella's. Throw in the contemporary arrangements and more truly stellar solo slots than you can count on two hands Ingrid Jensen's muted trumpet on Jerome Kern's "Why Do I Love You," Akua Dixon's cello slot and Roger Rosenberg's bass clarinet on Cole Porter's "I Love Paris," Dick Oatts' alto solo on Rodgers and Hart's "I Could Write a Book," or Dan Silverman's trombone work on "When I Fall in Love"; or Jamie Baum's alto flute turn on "Every Time We Say Goodbye." I mentioned Ella's Cole Porter Songbook discs, but there seems a parallel between Let Youself Go and some of those marvelous Frank Sinatra albums from the fifties, too. Songs for Young Lovers , Songs for Swingin' Lovers , Come Fly With Me. As a vocal effort, it's that good; in terms of the level of artistic craftmanship all around, it's that good too. 

I hesitate to single one out of such a classic set, but Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" keeps getting the repeat button treatment, with Akua Dixon's cello, a sweet and slightly frictional drag across the strings contrasting the perfect smooth flow of Silvano's voice; then cello giving way to the rich deeper tones of the bass clarinet that slinks its way in and out of Judi's cool scatting. Wonderful! Let Yourself Go was conceived and produced as a gift from Judi Silvano for her 80-year-old mother, Miriam, so it seems fitting to use a high compliment in usage in Miriam's youth here. Judi Silvano's Let Yourself Go : It's just the cat's pajamas! ~ Dan McClenaghan  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/judi-silvano-let-yourself-go-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Judi Silvano - vocals; Michael Abene - piano, arrnager, conductor; Rufus reid - bass; Newman Taylor-Baker - drums; Dick Oatts - alto and soprano saxophones; Ingrid Jensen -  trumpet and flugelhorn; Mayra Casales - percussion; Roger Rosenberg - bass clarinet and baritone saxophone; Akua Dixon - cello; Jamie Baum - alto flute; Nita Goodgal - background vocals.

Let Yourself Go

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Joe Sullivan - If You Can't Be Good, Be Careful

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:44
Size: 155,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Breezin'
(2:53)  2. My Silent Love #1
(2:51)  3. What's Your Name
(3:22)  4. The Moon Is Low
(3:14)  5. Heavy Laden
(2:37)  6. Reflections
(3:04)  7. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(3:11)  8. High Dudgeon
(2:23)  9. There'll Come a Time When You'll Need Me
(2:51) 10. Squeeze Me
(2:17) 11. Never Heard of Such Stuff
(2:03) 12. Can't We Get Together
(2:54) 13. The Bass Romps Away
(2:58) 14. Brushin' Off the Boogie
(3:03) 15. 24 Hours At Booth's
(3:03) 16. My Silent Love #2
(2:51) 17. Memories of You
(3:27) 18. If You Can't Be Good, Be Careful
(2:59) 19. Solid Eclipse
(3:01) 20. It's the Talk of the Town
(2:54) 21. Night and Day
(3:05) 22. Deep Purple
(2:59) 23. An Armful of You

One of the great Earl Hines' disciples (along with Jess Stacy), Joe Sullivan's style was perfect for the freewheeling jazz of Eddie Condon's bands. Sullivan graduated from the Chicago Conservatory and was an important contributor to the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s. He was in New York during the next decade and his solo recordings include an original ("Little Rock Getaway") that would become a standard. In 1936, Sullivan joined Bob Crosby's band, but tuberculosis put him in the hospital for ten months and Bob Zurke replaced him (having a hit with "Little Rock Getaway!"). However, Sullivan recovered, led his own record dates, and was involved in a lot of jam sessions with the Condon gang in the 1940s. By the 1950s he was largely forgotten, playing solo in San Francisco and drinking much more than he should. Despite an occasional recording and a successful appearance at the Teagarden family reunion at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival, Sullivan's prime years were long gone by the time he passed away. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/joe-sullivan/id1579698#fullText

If You Can't Be Good, Be Careful

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Kevin Mahogany - Songs & Moments

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:52
Size: 148,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:20)  1. The Coaster
(3:46)  2. Jim's Ballad
(3:33)  3. Take the A Train
(6:03)  4. One Minute to Zero/ When I Fall in Love
(5:26)  5. West Coast Blues
(5:08)  6. City Lights
(6:11)  7. Night Flight
(4:54)  8. Next Time You See Me
(5:34)  9. Songs and Moments
(9:41) 10. Caravan
(5:30) 11. My Foolish Heart
(4:42) 12. Red Top

In the 1990s there has been a serious shortage of male jazz singers under the age of 60, making Kevin Mahogany's "arrival" in his second Enja release quite noteworthy. A strong improviser who cannot only scat creatively but uplift lyrics, Mahogany may very well end up as a future pollwinner. He is joined on this CD by a six-piece horn section and a strong rhythm section (pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith), plus there are guest appearances by altoist Arthur Blythe and guitarist Kevin Eubanks. The material (which includes Cedar Walton's "Night Flight," "Caravan," "When I Fall in Love," and the title cut by Milton Nascimento) is challenging and diverse. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/songs-and-moments-mw0000122709

Personnel: Kevin Mahogany (vocals); Kevin Eubanks (guitar); Phil Brenner (flute, soprano saxophone); Willie Williams (clarinet, saxophone, tenor saxophone); Steve Wilson (clarinet, alto saxophone); Gary Smulyan (clarinet, baritone saxophone); Phil Breener (saxophone); Arthur Blythe (alto saxophone); Michael Philip Mossman (trumpet); Robin Eubanks (trombone); John Hicks (piano); Ray Drummond (bass instrument); Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums).

Songs & Moments

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