Kate Hammett-Vaughan - So Lucky To Be Me

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:02
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:42)  1. Lucky To Be Me
(10:09)  2. The Fiddle And The Drum/ Woodstock
( 4:35)  3. Cold Cold Heart
( 6:00)  4. Everybody's Song But My Own
( 3:50)  5. Remind Me
( 4:41)  6. Wait 'Til You See Him
( 5:54)  7. Love For Sale
( 5:22)  8. Sweet Sucker Dance
( 5:46)  9. Please Be Kind

“She can improvise with the best… Kate Hammett-Vaughan has a highly expressive and lovely voice, one that is heard at its best throughout this accessible and tasteful set.” Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene

“ The finest vocal jazz artist of her generation… Hammett-Vaughan’s subtle inflections of tone, timing, make her a standout.” Stephen Pedersen, Chronicle Herald

Since moving to Vancouver, BC from her home province of Nova Scotia in 1979, Kate Hammett-Vaughan has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most individual and creative jazz vocalists, and one of the West Coast’s most respected teachers of the art of jazz singing. Hammett-Vaughan’s ease with all manner of material and her improvisational instincts set her apart from many of her contemporaries. Her highly personal and expressive vocal style incorporates the breadth of her musical interests, from straight-ahead soulful ballads to hard-swinging grooves and improvisational adventures. Her approach is fresh and invigorating, paying tribute to the jazz tradition while interacting and exploring, always seeking to express herself in the moment. 

Equally at home as a front-line performer or as a member of an ensemble, singing straight-ahead swing or participating in free-improv adventures, Hammett-Vaughan makes sure that what she is performing remains accessible to her audience. Kate Hammett-Vaughan has received multiple JUNO nominations for her recordings, as well as several nods from the Canadian Independent Music Awards and the West Coast Music Awards. She has worked in a number of ensembles over the last two decades, the most notable being her own Quintet and Trio, her long-time bass/voice duo with André Lachance, the improvising jazz trio Garbo’s Hat, and the acclaimed large ensemble, the Now Orchestra. Hammett-Vaughan's artistic sensibilities and musical interests have led her to a variety of related projects, including film scores, guest hosting of CBC television and radio shows, collaborations with modern dance artists and performance artists, and a fulfilling career as a teacher.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hammettvaughan5

So Lucky To Be Me

---

Willis Jackson - At Large

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:29
Size: 178,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Shuckin'
(3:47)  2. Cachita
(3:21)  3. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(5:09)  4. What Kind Of Fool Am I?
(4:54)  5. Mama Inez
(6:06)  6. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
(7:10)  7. Florence Of Arabia
(5:43)  8. Arrivederci Roma
(7:00)  9. Neapolitan Nights
(4:13) 10. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
(3:44) 11. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
(5:40) 12. A Twist Of Blues
(6:51) 13. Sweet Peter Charleston
(4:25) 14. Cat Meal
(3:52) 15. He Said, She Said, I Said

The 1960s were a very productive time for Willis "Gator" Jackson, whose Prestige output of 1959-1971 was impressively consistent. At the label the big-toned tenor saxman didn't try to be something he wasn't  Gator liked his soul-jazz/hard bop accessible, hard-swinging, and straight-forward, and he excelled by being honest with himself and his audience. Spanning 1962-1968, At Large paints an attractive picture of Jackson's Prestige years. The CD, which Fantasy assembled in 2000, draws on five of Gator's Prestige albums (Shuckin', Swivel Hips, Neapolitan Nights, In My Solitude and Really Groovin') and finds him turning his attention to a variety of material. On this album, one hears Jackson successfully interpreting everything from Italian songs ("Arrivederci Roma") to spirituals ("Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen") to funky boogaloos ("Florence of Arabia"). The saxman also puts his spin on pop ballads that include "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (the tune that became Tony Bennett's signature song) and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (which was a major hit for both country-pop singer Glen Campbell and soul innovator Isaac Hayes). At Large isn't the last word on Jackson's Prestige period, although it's easily recommended to anyone who is interested in 1960s soul-jazz. ~ Alex Hendersen  http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-large-mw0000104853

Personnel: Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson (tenor saxophone); Tommy Flanagan, Gildo Mahones, Richard Wyands, Jimmy Neeley (piano); Jack Ivory (organ); Kenny Burrell, Bill Jennings, Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Ben Tucker (acoustic & electric basses); Eddie Calhoun, George Tucker, Peck Morrison, Wendell Marshall (bass); Roy Haynes (drums, cabasa); Jerry Potter, Bobby Donaldson, Mickey Roker, Gus Johnson (drums); Juan Amalbert (congas, timbales); Montego Joe, Ralph Dorsey (congas); Jose Paulo (percussion).

At Large

---

Beegie Adair - Cocktail Party Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:20
Size: 125,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. I've Got You Under My Skin
(4:15)  2. Cheek To Cheek
(3:01)  3. L-O-V-E
(3:18)  4. Here's That Rainy Day
(3:19)  5. The Way You Look Tonight
(4:33)  6. Unforgettable
(3:48)  7. Satin Doll
(4:08)  8. Summer Wind
(3:19)  9. 'S Wonderful
(3:49) 10. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(3:16) 11. Blue Skies
(3:33) 12. Night And Day
(3:10) 13. Dancing On The Ceiling
(3:47) 14. Let's Fall In Love
(3:37) 15. You're The Top

Jazz great, Helen Merrill, salutes her “inventive jazz sense, her wonderful sense of time and improvised melody.”

Christopher Louden of Jazz Times magazine says Adair is “an accomplished artist with a delicate touch.”

Singer and pianist, Michael Feinstein says, "...jazz pianist Beegie Adair, a marvelously understated player whose interpretations of the standards are just brilliant."

The Los Angeles Times calls her music “Elegant.”

Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.”

So are thousands of jazz fans, who agree with critics about Adair’s sophisticated and listenable jazz performances, and who have made her recordings among the biggest sellers in the jazz world. Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Great American Songbook Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002 Kentucky born and raised, Adair lives and records in Nashville something of a surprise to people who associate the city solely with country music. In fact Nashville lives up to its “Music City” nickname by hosting a vibrant jazz scene, in which she has been a leading light for decades. 

A sought-after studio musician in her early days there, Adair accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee. Adair has guested on McPartland’s NPR radio show, Piano Jazz twice and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson, among many others. She was also the featured musical guest on NPR's comedy/quiz show Says You!  http://www.amazon.com/Beegie-Adair/e/B000APF4CE/ref=ac_dtp_sa_bio

Cocktail Party Jazz

---

Cedar Walton - Latin Tinge

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:40
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:04)  1. Brazil
(6:14)  2. Latin America
(4:53)  3. Triste
(5:55)  4. Tres Palabras
(5:39)  5. Perfidia
(6:31)  6. The Vision
(7:56)  7. Besame Mucho
(5:31)  8. Serenata
(3:53)  9. Latino Blue

Cedar Walton's latest release, Latin Tinge, is a middle-of-the-road assemblage of tunes in a trio setting. Walton, an accomplished and masterful pianist, is joined by bassist Cucho Martinez and percussionist Ray Mantilla, both experienced and talented veterans. The songs, however, follow the same structure and scheme, and it's this lack of variation that disappoints.  Latin Tinge ’s lineup includes timeless standards and three Walton originals. Each piece has basically the same set-up: intro, theme, solo by Walton, repeat of intro, restatement of theme, a second Walton solo, then out. The leader has the only true solos on the disc, fluid excursions that show a formidable dexterity, but not a whole lot of adventure. Though Martinez and Mantilla don’t take any solos per se, they do shine in particular on a couple of tunes when given the space. 

The Walton originals - "Latin America", "The Vision", and "Latino Blue" all have a more confident feeling, and there's a little more inventiveness in the playing and the arrangements, almost as if the pianist felt more confident taking the trio through songs he wrote. It’s almost as if being the composer gave him the license to bleed the borders in a way that he wouldn't otherwise have done with the other songs. The two standards "Besame Mucho" and "Brazil" show Walton actually leading his trio through surprisingly standard runs. With a pair of songs like this, which have been interpreted ad nauseum, one would expect a different angle, some new approach that would reveal new possibilities. The trio takes a careful route, and the music consequently remains faithful to the canonical texts. Walton's playing is sure and thoughtful, and Martinez and Mantilla provide ample support (the former is especially memorable on "Triste" in which his bass seems to sing a song all its own). It's jazz by the numbers, played with metronomic regularity, simmering but never boiling over, smoldering but never burning. ~ Terrell Kent Holmes  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/latin-tinge-cedar-walton-review-by-terrell-kent-holmes.php
 

Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); Cucho Martinez (bass); Ray Mantilla (percussion).

Latin Tinge

---

The Ballroom Kings - Angela

Styles: Rock
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:22
Size: 70,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:25)  1. Angela
(2:37)  2. Hot Banana
(2:57)  3. Boogie Woogie Chicks
(3:15)  4. Loving Advice
(2:38)  5. Pretty One
(2:36)  6. Moon of Love
(2:20)  7. Ding Dong Bing Bang
(2:13)  8. For You My Love
(2:43)  9. Pal from Kokomo
(3:09) 10. I'll Even Turn Square for You
(3:24) 11. Nite Life Boogie

The Ballroom Kings, the popular Sicilian combo that since 2009 is constantly busy throughout the continent performing (spreading out) that unmistakable Ballroom sound: a perfect blend of rock’n’roll, rhythm’n’blues, boogie, …in other words pure dance music. THE BALLROOM KINGS were born on January the 1st of 2009, when Vincenzo Puleo, an active piano/harmonica player from Palermo, Sicily, met up with a rockabilly band that played down the road the night before, and a trio of sax players led by the baritone virtuoso Al Vella. 

It was not too long before Ylenia Mannisi joined the Kings to complete the line up. Coming from all different corners of the island of Sicily, the common passion for the Big Beat music shortened the distance in between them, and it’s no surprise if their first show on a rainy Monday night at the Metropolitan theatre in Palermo was a sold out event and a real blast! Since then, each and every show of The Ballroom Kings has gained positive feedbacks, not only for the music itself, but for the energy and appeal of the show which is sure to ignite the crowd, no matter if they perform in a small basement club or in an outdoor arena in front of thousands of people! With a growing popularity, thanks to their successful live performances, a record by the Ballroom Kings was highly expected, therefore the first CD “Angela” was released on BK Records on 2011. Enthusiastic reviews appeared on specialized music magazines, and the Ballroom Kings are even busier now with live performances both at home and abroad, from Spain to Poland, from Greece to UK, so check the gig list to make sure you won’t miss The Ballroom Kings live on stage the next time they come in your area! Bio ~ http://www.ballroomkings.it/en/biography

Angela

---