Alissa Sanders - Beginning

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:01
Size: 106,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. Estrada do Sol
(4:59)  2. Tenderly
(5:20)  3. Dindi
(4:01)  4. Heaven Sound
(5:19)  5. Prelude to a Kiss
(4:21)  6. Rosa Morena
(4:12)  7. Dunas
(2:47)  8. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:13)  9. Lonesome Day
(5:54) 10. My Funny Valentine

Alluring songstress Alissa Sanders ties worlds together with her eclectic, multilingual mix of jazz, samba, and bossa nova, linking two countries with profound, prolific musical traditions: Brazil and the United States. Born in Hollywood, California, Alissa took some of that hometown glamour with her to Brazil, where she lived for 13 years, studying music under mentors such as Neto Costa (vocal coach to Gilberto Gil and Ivete Sangalo), honing her vocal skills and perfecting the fusion of Brazilian rhythms with their American cousins like jazz and roots blues. Through a soft, intimate, enchanting sound that traverses borders, Alissa embodies the magical, musical place where culture, art, tradition, and spirit come together.

Currently splitting her time between São Paulo and Los Angeles, Alissa considers Brazil to be her spiritual home, especially the country's musically-rich Northeast. It was also in Brazil where she recorded her first album, Beginning, in 2011, with jazz and Brazilian standards in English and Portuguese. SESC Theatre appearances, presentations at events in São Paulo and Santa Catarina compliment her live performances at Barreto, famed piano bar at São Paulo's luxurious Fasano Hotel, where she has sung for Coldplay's Chris Martin and socialite Paris Hilton.

With a voice reminiscent of a young Ella Fitzgerald and a cosmopolitan look and style all her own, Alissa has been featured on Brazil's Rede Globo television network the world's fourth-largest and has recorded in India with electro-ambient musicians Espiritualistas and in Los Angeles with pianist Ron Bishop. In 2012, she will be touring the tropical-jazz flavored "Beginning" in the United States with her band, an international group of top Brazilian jazz musicians: Michelangelo Pagnano (guitar), Marcos Romera (piano), Sidiel Viera (bass) and Rodrigo Digão Braz (drums/percussion). http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alissasanders

Beginning

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Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring - Friendly Fire

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:47
Size: 143,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:17)  1. Pat 'n' Chat
(9:50)  2. Sukiyaki
(8:46)  3. Inception
(8:41)  4. Dig Dis
(4:59)  5. You've Changed
(8:42)  6. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:14)  7. Mona Lisa
(9:14)  8. Timothy

There is a long tradition of "saxophone battles" in jazz with duos such as Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray or Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane performing together in a kind of sporting joust of abilities, a gentleman's contest for who is the better player. On the 2012 concert album Friendly Fire: Live at Smoke, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and alto saxophonist Vincent Herring join in this tradition with a swinging, passionate set of standards recorded live at the respected N.Y.C. venue. The album is actually a re-pairing of the duo, who first sparred on 2005's Battle: Live at Smoke. This time around they spar over such numbers as Hank Mobley's "Pat 'N' Chat," McCoy Tyner's "Inception," the standard "You've Changed," as well as Herring's own "Timothy," among others. Backing the saxophonists here are pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist John Webber, and drummer Carl Allen. This is a lively and exciting session of adventurous and old-school straight-ahead jazz. ~ Matt Collar  http://www.allmusic.com/album/friendly-fire-live-at-smoke-mw0002295152

Personnel: Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Vincent Herring (alto saxophone); Mike LeDonne (piano); Carl Allen (drums).

Friendly Fire

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Eric Marienthal - It's Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 123,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. Get Here
(5:18)  2. In A Sentimental Mood
(5:47)  3. Can't Buy Me Love
(5:50)  4. It's Love
(6:19)  5. Two In One
(5:18)  6. Costa Del Soul
(4:39)  7. Babycakes
(5:58)  8. Cafe Royale
(5:22)  9. St. Moritz
(4:21) 10. When I Found You

Saxophonist Eric Marienthal is among contemporary jazz's busiest talents. On the day that It's Love was released, Marienthal also played a starring role on the Jeff Lorber Fusion entry Galaxy. The two albums reflect Marienthal's varied talents, as both a creative improviser and a lover of groove-oriented popular music. It's Love was produced by guitarist Chuck Loeb, who also appears throughout the set. Also in this studio band are Yellowjackets' keyboardist Russell Ferrante, drummer Gary Novak, and bassist Tim Lefebvre. Marienthal's love of pop-soul is displayed on the album's opening number, a cover of Brenda Russell's iconic "Get Here." Introduced by Ferrante's piano and spare percussion and guitar, Marienthal's alto moves right into the melody and sticks close while digging deep into his horn's grain for emotion. When the key change happens, he syncopates the lyric flow and allows the melody to guide him. While this track has been covered by many singers, pulling it off in a contemporary jazz setting isn't easy. The temptation to show off one's chops at the expense of the tune is everywhere; Marienthal's discipline keeps him honest and he lets its original intent flow right through to the listener. 

He switches gears on a 21st century reading of Irving Mills' "In a Sentimental Mood," which doesn't resemble any instrumental version out there -- Loeb's solo guitar intro evokes Wes Montgomery before Ferrante and Marienthal enter and return what has long been a vehicle for jazz improvisation back into a lyric song. The title track is a haunting ballad co-written by Marienthal and Loeb, while the latter's "Two in One" is a midtempo groover with Marienthal soloing on soprano. "Babycakes" and "St. Moritz" were co-composed by the saxophonist with Lorber. The former evokes the Crusaders circa 1969 and 1970 as Marienthal uses Wilton Felder's soulful phrasing in a gospelized groove while Loeb plays tasty fills à la Larry Carlton. Lorber contributes keyboards and additional guitar, too. On "St. Moritz," Till Brönner's trumpet adds depth, density, and an added lyricism to the breezy Caribbean atmosphere until the midway point, where it gets nocturnal and funky. It's Love is a (mostly) laid-back offering, yet it's solid: beautifully arranged and executed, its silky production and emotive undertones, make it a perfect Valentine's Day soundtrack to boot. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/it

It's Love

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Joey DeFrancesco - Wonderful! Wonderful!

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:20
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:07)  1. Wonderful! Wonderful!
(6:01)  2. Five Spot After Dark
(8:47)  3. Wagon Wheels
(7:13)  4. Solitude
(8:49)  5. Joey D
(6:36)  6. Love Letters
(5:22)  7. Old Folks
(8:21)  8. JLJ Blues

The organ trio is one of the most time-tested aggregations in jazz, and the men who form said grouping on Wonderful! Wonderful! are three of the most treasured musicians to ever play their instruments. Organ giant Joey DeFrancesco, guitar hero Larry Coryell and swinging drum stalwart Jimmy Cobb all set the bar impossibly high on their respective axes and now, they're joining forces on the organist's tenth album for the HighNote label.This high profile threesome references everybody from saxophonist Sonny Rollins ("Wagon Wheels") and pop singer Johnny Mathis ("Wonderful! Wonderful!") to Duke Ellington ("Solitude"), putting its own stamp on this format in straightforward fashion. This date is essentially a blowing session with solos aplenty, but these guys never phone it in. They clearly delight in exploring the material, playing off one another and, in the case of DeFrancesco and Coryell, letting their envious chops off the leash.The title track kicks things off with DeFrancesco's rise-and-fall organ melody, accompanied by single cymbal utterances, but it turns into a cooker in an instant. 

Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark" is completely straight-ahead, yet differentiates itself by focusing more attention on Coryell, while the clacking, triplets-on-rims groove that underscores the melody on "Wagon Wheels" gives way to a swing foundation for some sizzling solos. Back-to-back organ cadenzas at the end of Ellington's lovely "Solitude" and the start of Coryell's waltzing "Joey D" give pause to admire DeFrancesco's flights of freedom as he paints complex pictures in inimitable fashion. He picks up his trumpet on a single occasion ("Old Folks") and conjures thoughts of his former employer Miles Davis as he delivers an expressive, mute-in-horn statement that's built around emotion rather than chops. The final swing salvo on the date comes in bluesy form ("JLJ Blues") and gives DeFrancesco and Coryell an opportunity to bat solos back and forth as Cobb lays down the law beneath them. These musicians all play up to their respective reputations on this date and don't really touch on anything unexpected, but that's beside the point. The real treat is having the opportunity to hear these three legends in action together. ~ Dan Bilawsky http://www.allaboutjazz.com/wonderful-wonderful-joey-defrancesco-highnote-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Joey DeFrancesco: organ; Larry Coryell: guitar; Jimmy Cobb: drums.

Wonderful! Wonderful!

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