Cootie Williams - They'll Never Take The Good Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:13
Size: 176.8 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:27] 1. On The Street Where You Live
[3:28] 2. Just In Time
[3:30] 3. Always
[3:42] 4. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[3:17] 5. Summit Ridge Drive
[3:40] 6. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[3:40] 7. Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)
[4:17] 8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[3:07] 9. Mack The Knife
[3:15] 10. When The Saints Go Marching In
[3:18] 11. I'll See You In My Dreams
[2:54] 12. Contrasts
[3:39] 13. Caravan
[3:56] 14. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[2:37] 15. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
[3:12] 16. Air Mail Special
[3:21] 17. There's No You
[3:40] 18. My Old Flame
[2:36] 19. I Found A New Baby
[3:22] 20. Swingin' Down The Lane
[3:01] 21. New Concerto For Cootie
[3:15] 22. Drop Me Off In Harlem
[2:49] 23. Blue Skies

Cootie Williams was a jazz trumpeter best known for his longtime work and recorded legacy with composer and bandleader Duke Ellington.

"Cootie" Williams was born in July 24, 1908(?) in Mobile, Alabama. He was a self-taught trumpeter, and toured with several bands, including Lester Young's family band, before moving to New York in 1928. The next year he joined Duke Ellington's band and over the years participated in numerous classic jazz recordings. He died in 1985 in New York City.

They'll Never Take The Good Years

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Anna Wilson & Friends - Countrypolitan Duets

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:12
Size: 96.6 MB
Styles: Contemporary country, Vocal jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:49] 1. You Don't Know Me (With Matt Giraud)
[2:28] 2. Walkin' After Midnight (With Lady Antebellum)
[3:39] 3. Just For What I Am (With Connie Smith)
[5:33] 4. You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me (With Rascal Flatts, Ray Price)
[3:34] 5. Night Life (With Larry Carlton)
[3:47] 6. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues (With Keith Urban)
[2:48] 7. You Can Depend On Me (With Rick Braun)
[3:45] 8. Cherokee Maiden (With Billy Dean)
[4:28] 9. Welcome To My World (With Matt Dusk)
[3:20] 10. I Will Never Know (With Lloyd Green)
[3:57] 11. For The Good Times (With Kenny Rogers)

As top country songwriters, Anna Wilson and her husband, Monty Powell, carry considerable water in Nashville, and that allows them to indulge as a side project Wilson's career as a jazz singer, with Powell as her producer, on their own Transfer Records label. It also gives them access to some of the country artists they've written for, such as Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban, who are among her duet partners on this album, devoted to jazz arrangements of country standards. Others, such as veterans Connie Smith, Ray Price, Billy Dean, and Kenny Rogers, doubtless were only too happy to join in, along with noted jazz and country instrumentalists Larry Carlton, Rick Braun, and Lloyd Green. Wilson has a warm, bouncy voice well suited to these swing arrangements of, for instance, Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" (with the members of Lady Antebellum providing jazzy backgrounds). With Smith and Price, Wilson joins in on remakes of their old hits "Just for What I Am" and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" (the latter with Rascal Flatts joining in on background vocals). It would be easy to envision the duet with Urban on Danny O'Keefe's "Goodtime Charlie's Got the Blues" actually becoming a country hit, which the song never quite has done previously, despite several minor country chart placings. On the whole, however, the album is a pleasant throwback to earlier styles of pop, country, and jazz. ~William Ruhlmann

Countrypolitan Duets

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Bobby Caldwell - Baby It's Cold Outside

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 81:24
Size: 186.4 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Stuck On You
[3:37] 2. Fools Rush In
[5:03] 3. Even Now
[3:54] 4. In The Name Of Love
[4:49] 5. Baby, It's Cold Outside
[4:09] 6. Good To Me
[3:43] 7. First Time
[4:03] 8. At Last
[4:10] 9. My Flame
[4:23] 10. Your Precious Love
[4:05] 11. Where Is Love
[3:21] 12. Angel Eyes
[3:39] 13. All The Way
[4:44] 14. Lovelite
[4:26] 15. Stay With Me
[3:37] 16. Next Time (I Fall In Love)
[3:46] 17. All Or Nothing At All
[4:29] 18. Extra Mile
[3:20] 19. Young At Heart
[3:52] 20. Let It Be Me

Contemporary jazz singer/guitarist Bobby Caldwell was born August 15, 1951, in Manhattan, NY; his parents, Bob and Carolyn, were the hosts of the television variety show Suppertime and exposed the child to a wide variety of musical influences. Caldwell began studying piano and guitar at age 12; he initially pursued a career in rock & roll but was equally adept at playing jazz and R&B and at 17 took his band on the road to play the Las Vegas circuit. From there the group moved on to Los Angeles, but despite recording an album titled Kathmandu, Caldwell enjoyed little success and eventually returned to his parents home in Miami. There he began work on his 1978 breakthrough album What You Won't Do for Love, scoring a hit single with the title cut. Efforts including a 1979 self-titled LP, The Cat in the Hat, and Carry On followed, and although Caldwell enjoyed a strong following at home, he became a superstar in Japan. He shifted creative gears with 1996's Blue Condition, a collection of big band-era standards; the similarly themed Come Rain or Come Shine followed three years later. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

Baby It's Cold Outside

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Al Cohn, Jimmy Rowles - Heavy Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:58
Size: 109.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1977/2006
Art: Front

[6:35] 1. Them There Eyes
[6:56] 2. Sweet And Lovely
[6:55] 3. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[7:09] 4. Taking A Chance On Love
[8:08] 5. These Foolish Things
[5:53] 6. Bar Talk
[6:18] 7. For All W Know

This duet set by tenor saxophonist Al Cohn and pianist Jimmy Rowles is a classic and has fortunately been reissued on CD. From the start (with Cohn ripping through an unaccompanied chorus on "Them There Eyes") through the six standards (including a previously unissued version of "For All We Know") and the ad-lib blues "Bar Talk," the momentum and excitement of this encounter never slows down. Cohn and Rowles' swing-oriented styles, wit and ability to come up with fresh ideas on older songs are quite complementary; they continually bring out the best in each other. This highly recommended set is a real gem, a highpoint in both of the musicians' long careers. ~Scott Yanow

Heavy Love

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Danilo Rea And Matrux_m - Reminiscence

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 138,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Rothko
(7:20)  2. Falling Flowers
(7:13)  3. Silence
(4:40)  4. Where The Shadow Sings
(5:53)  5. Aurora
(4:15)  6. Terra E Acqua
(5:26)  7. The Land By The Sea
(4:00)  8. South Passage
(1:39)  9. Aurora (reprise 1)
(4:36) 10. Back To The North
(3:28) 11. Tramonto
(5:34) 12. Aurora (reprise 2)

"Reminiscence" is the result of the meeting of two extraordinary musicians, the pianist Danilo Rea and performer Maurice Martusciello, coming from different musical genres: jazz and electronics. Starting from free interpretations of some of the most famous songs of the composer Gustav Mahler and making use of the extraordinary voices of the soprano Silvia Colombini and baritone Gian Paolo Flakes, jazz pianist Danilo Rea and electronic artist Maurizio Martusciello aka Martux have created a disk unique, almost a concept - album where they can, starting from contamination between jazz, lyrical, and electronics, to create a music governed only by the lyricism and inspiration, an indefinable music, which transcends all boundaries between genres , over the ambient - jazz and contemporary classical.  Translate by Google  http://www.ibs.it/disco/8015948301166/%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd-align=-left--val/reminiscence.html

Personnel:  Danilo Rea – piano;  Martux_m - electronics, Virus Sinth, drums 6 objects;  Silvia Colombini - vocals (2, 4, 6, 10);  Gian Paolo Fiocchi - vocals (4, 7)

Reminiscence

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Brigitte Zarie - Make Room For Me

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:26
Size: 93,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. See You Again (feat.RandyBrecker)
(3:40)  2. What's Wrong With Me
(3:21)  3. Make Room For Me
(3:44)  4. Take It Easy (Featuring Jeff Golub)
(3:41)  5. Happiest Day Of My Life
(4:19)  6. The Story Of Love
(3:21)  7. Call On Love
(4:17)  8. Money,Money,Money,Money
(3:21)  9. Make Room For Me (French Vers.)
(3:37) 10. Dance With You
(3:21) 11. I Love Las Vegas

From the beginning, Brigitte Zarie has been as unforgettable as her music. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, she had the benefit of being raised in a home that thrummed with the rhythms and melodies that shaped her into the artist she would become. With parents originally from Casablanca, Morocco her father was a multi-instrumentalist while her mother was a singer she was exposed to the world of jazz at an early age, and developed a love for classic artists like Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz. “I used to go to sleep listening to ‘Strangers In The Night’ or break up with a boyfriend and cry myself to sleep with the music of Stan Getz in the background,” she says. And as one of ten children, there was no shortage of other people to play and sing with. “My brother Joe used to play guitar and make me sing and make up words to everything he would play,” says Brigitte. “So I was writing songs since day one.” 

A defining moment for Brigitte occurred when her family traveled to Buffalo, NY when she was a child. “My parents had a big van so we slept in it one night, and across the street was a jazz club. I remember hearing this be bop music, and loving it while my folks were asleep. I was really stunned by what I heard. I tried to stay up and listen to every note that was played. I can still hear and see that night as clear as day. I know I was supposed to be in that exact spot, listening to that music for a reason.” From that moment on, Brigitte answered her calling, knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life: devote it to creating the music that she was so struck by as a young girl. She kept singing and crafting songs, many of which were recorded by other artists. 

She played in bands and was a featured vocalist in films and commercials. She even explored other musical genres. But throughout it all, jazz remained her utmost passion, and soon she chose to focus exclusively on her own material. “Douglas Cross wrote ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” she states, unabashedly, “but it was his heart that he left, not mine.” Seeking to express the experiences of her own life, she penned the songs that would become her debut CD “Make Room For Me,” a searingly emotional collection that offers a freshness and originality uncommon in the world of jazz. Brigitte Zarie carries forth the classic jazz musical tradition in her own unique and distincive way. She brings bold determination, sassiness, originality, and unwavering insight to every song she writes. The result is a listening experience that is warm and uplifting. And a work of art that is timeless. Brigitte Zarie. A songwriter who moves the heart, stirs the soul, and is the voice of whole new generation of jazz. http://brigittezarie.com/bio/

Make Room For Me

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Don Lanphere Quintet - Don Loves Midge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:14
Size: 142,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:11)  1. And The Angels Sing
(4:22)  2. Easy Living
(4:52)  3. I Remember Clifford
(2:51)  4. Try A Little Tenderness
(4:10)  5. Poor Butterfly
(3:00)  6. I'll Never Be The Same Again
(5:11)  7. Once In A While
(5:05)  8. Old Cape Cod
(3:02)  9. God Bless The Child
(3:37) 10. Gone With The Wind
(4:05) 11. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(5:16) 12. Everything I Have Is Yours
(2:16) 13. Put Your Dreams Away
(5:34) 14. Soon
(3:08) 15. My Foolish Heart
(2:26) 16. There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place

A native son of the Pacific Northwest, saxophonist Don Lanphere was one of the region's jazz icons. He learned to play at home on his father's alto sax. As a teenager he idolized Coleman Hawkins and gigged with name touring bands whenever they came to Washington. Lanphere began his music studies at Northwestern University in Illinois and played with local bandleader Johnny Bothwell. At the age of nineteen Lanphere and the band answered the Big Apple's beckon-call and headed for New York. 

After a short time in the city, Lanphere was fired for stealing Bothwell's girl, Chan Richardson. He secured a job with Fats Navarro and recorded some excellent sides, then explored the big-band and swing scene. He played Carnegie Hall with Woody Herman's Second Herd, moved on to Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, and gigged with the bands of Claude Thornhill, Charlie Barnet and Billy May. Lanphere also made friends with Charlie Parker and recorded the altoist at home with some friends. Those legendary tapes became known as "The Basement Sessions"... and Lanphere's girl, Chan, later became Mrs. Charlie Parker.

Like so many of his contemporaries, Lanphere soon got hooked on narcotics and alcohol. Much of the 1950s was a haze of confusion and he eventually quit the business, returned to Wenatchee and worked in his father's store. In 1969, after he and his second wife, Midge, became born-again Christians, Lanphere dusted off his horn and began playing again. He slowly worked his way back into gigging, and in 1982 he landed a contract with the Scottish label Hep Records which resulted in some fine recordings (Don Loves Midge, 1984). In 1996 he moved to Origin Records, which issued five recordings up through 2003's Where Do You Start? He encouraged young Washingtonians like trumpeter Jon Pugh and pianist Marc Seales, and collaborated with singer Jay Clayton and guitarists Larry Coryell and Mimi Fox.

In his later years Lanphere became an educator, took up the soprano sax as a double, frequently guested at Bud Shank's Port Townsend Jazz Seminar, and held down a regular gig at Tula's in Seattle. He performed with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO Live, 2002, Origin), and co-hosted a radio show with his friend, Bud Young, until Lanphere fell ill with hepatitis C earlier this year. Lanphere's website and cadre of friends proclaimed him as "Seattle's Jazz Grandpop", a title he wore proudly and had more than earned over two decades of serving the Northwest jazz community. On October 9, 2003, Don Lanphere passed away at Group Health Eastside Hospital in Redmond, Washington at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Midge. ~ Todd S. Jenkins  http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1066843510

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Camille Peterson (harp); Jonathan Pugh (trumpet); Marc Seales (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Chuck Deardorf (upright bass, electric bass); Dean Hodges (drums).

Don Still Loves Midge

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George Cables - My Muse

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:16
Size: 133,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:04)  1. Lullaby
(5:10)  2. You're My Everything
(7:12)  3. You Taught My Heart to Sing
(8:28)  4. Helen's Song
(5:38)  5. My Muse
(7:03)  6. My One and Only Love
(5:40)  7. But He Knows
(5:47)  8. The Way We Were
(6:03)  9. My Old Flame
(5:07) 10. Hey It's Me You're Talkin' to

Pianist George Cables' relationship with the late Helen Wray must have been one joyous romance. Contrary to the expectations of an album dedicated to a departed loved one, My Muse is a collection of uplifting and, frankly, happy-sounding originals and standards. Take away the personal context and you'd swear Cables and company were just enjoying the gig.Cables is an elegant pianist. He has the rare capability to play with great drama, but without ever becoming hard or abrasive. And of course he can swing with impeccable pace and timing, employing his deft sophistication that makes even simple passages sound structured and perfect. When he's playing hard, as on "You're My Everything," the melody is at the forefront, never giving way to percussive, McCoy Tyner-like thunder. Cables is grace on eighty-eight keys.

But if their deliveries differ, Tyner is clearly on Cables' list of favored composers. "You Taught My Heart to Sing" is a perfect vehicle to showcase Cables' skill with a romantic ballad. His performance is finely wrought, sensitive and densely layered without ever becoming baroque. Cables packs a lot of playing into every song, but never overdoes it. The real meat of My Muse is Cables' originals. There are four, and they're all first-rate. "Lullaby" is just that: a short, softly stated and beautiful melody to open the record. "Helen's Song" opens with Cables playing a nuanced solo variation on the melody, but it quickly solidifies as bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Victor Lewis join in. The tune unfurls with a mid-tempo bounce quietly, at first, and then, following the first bridge and solo chorus, building into a happy (there's that word again) venture through collaborative musical charm. Then, when it seems as if the band couldn't get any happier, it dives right into the title track, with its vampy syncopated rhythm and Cabels' fat and lush ten-finger bridge chords. 

It's simply a fun tune. It might have been the long lost Vince Guaraldi masterpiece that never made it into a Charlie Brown special. The final original, "But He Knows," features a broken waltz brushed out by Lewis under the descending scale of the statement. Cables makes great use of the lower register, often overlaying Essiet's bass lines. The result is a full, opulent sound of fully realized music. The balance of the date covers a top-notch selection of jazz and popular music's finest composers, including Tyner, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, and Marvin Hamlisch. Don't confuse "happy" with "light." There is a lot of great playing and terrific music on My Muse. Cables, Essiet and Lewis weave all of these sources into a seamless, well thought-out and, yes, happy-sounding album. ~ Greg Simmons  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/my-muse-george-cables-highnote-records-review-by-greg-simmons.php

Personnel: George Cables: piano; Essiet Essiet: bass; Victor Lewis: drums.

My Muse

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Bud Shank - California Dreamin'

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:03
Size: 75,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:31)  1. California Dreamin'
(2:58)  2. Imprevu
(2:28)  3. Listen People
(2:52)  4. What The World Needs Now Is Love
(3:03)  5. In Times Like These
(2:37)  6. Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)
(2:23)  7. Woman
(2:28)  8. Monday, Monday
(3:03)  9. Daydream
(2:41) 10. Gotta Go
(2:42) 11. The End Of The World
(2:12) 12. Husbands & Wives

Bud Shank has been an integral member of the international jazz scene for 60 years. A respected saxophonist, composer, and arranger, his soaring dynamic performances have enlivened countless concerts, festivals, nightclubs, and recording sessions. Shank first came to prominence in the big bands of Charlie Barnet and Stan Kenton during the late 1940s. In the 1950s the saxophonist began a long tenure with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars, as well as work with his own quartet. A charter member of the "West Coast" jazz movement, Shank's cool but always strongly swinging sound has made him one of a handful of sax players with an instantly recognizable and always exciting sound. In addition to club and concert dates this period found the musician producing some 50 diverse albums.

During the next two decades Shank augmented his club, university, and festival appearances with a healthy amount of studio work. A first call alto sax and flute player, he was a four-time winner of the coveted Most Valuable Player award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). In the 1970s and 80s Shank joined with Ray Brown, Jeff Hamilton, and Laurindo Almeida to form the world-renowned LA Four, who recorded and toured extensively through the decade. Shank helped to popularize both Latin-flavored and chamber jazz music, and as a musician's musician also performed with orchestras as diverse as the Royal Philharmonic, the New American Orchestra, the Gerald Wilson Big Band, Stan Kenton's Neophonic Orchestra, and the legendary Duke Ellington.

In the 1990s Shank continued to grow and explore, creating the multi-media jazz performance, "The Lost Cathedral," expanding the Bud Shank Jazz Workshop and Jazz Southwest Festival in Albuquerque, and touring with his quartet and sextet. Both bands feature exemplary writing, tight and fiery playing, and a joyous sense of collaboration. Today, Bud Shank juggles a packed schedule of touring, festivals, and teaching combined with select major club performances and time set aside for composing and arranging. He is in demand as a clinician, and is available in a duo, as leader of his own quartet and sextet, and as a feature soloist with orchestra or big band, or with all star groups. With over 60 years as a professional jazz musician, Bud Shank has more than earned his status as a legend.  http://www.budshankalto.com/Bio.html

Personnel:  Bud Shank - Flute, Alto Saxophone Chet Baker - Trumpet.

California Dreamin'

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Don Lanphere Quintet - Stop

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1986

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 55:13

Size: 127,3 MB

Art: Front

(4:24)  1. New U.S. Moon

(3:59)  2. Stop

(6:14)  3. Body And Soul

(8:16)  4. A.L.C.

(5:19)  5. I Heard You Cry Last Night

(5:01)  6. Avalon

(5:08)  7. There's No You

(4:18)  8. The Preacher

(4:38)  9. Laura

(7:52) 10. Still Will

An excellent all-around set by Don Lanphere (who doubles on tenor and soprano), this release from the Scottish Hep label features Lanphere in several settings. He performs four numbers, including "There's No You" and "The Preacher," in a quintet with trumpeter Jon Pugh, pianist Marc Seales, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Dean Hodges; he explores "Body and Soul" with the same group (without Pugh); he takes "Laura" as a spontaneous duet with bassist Deardorf, and teams up with Pugh on two other straight-ahead originals in a different quintet with pianist Don Friedman. No matter what the setting, the underrated Don Lanphere is heard throughout in top form. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stop-mw0000246725

Personnel: Don Lanphere (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Marc Seales (piano); Chuck Deardorf (acoustic bass, electric bass); Dean Hodges (drums); Jonathan Pugh (trumpet).

Stop

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Trisha O'Brien - They Say It's Wonderful

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:13
Size: 170,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:27)  1. Where Or When
(3:50)  2. Crazy He Calls Me
(3:53)  3. On The Street Where You Live
(4:16)  4. They Say It's Wonderful
(6:11)  5. Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)
(2:44)  6. Let's Fall In Love
(5:04)  7. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(5:24)  8. Am I Blue
(5:02)  9. Like A Lover
(3:19) 10. Loverman (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
(4:46) 11. Dindi
(4:58) 12. I Wish You Love
(4:25) 13. Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered
(6:22) 14. But Beautiful
(3:22) 15. Guess Who I Saw Today
(3:18) 16. Falling In Love Again
(3:41) 17. Smile

Trisha O'Brien is a vocalist and interpreter of classic jazz standards from the Great American Songbook. Her passion for music comes through in her heartfelt interpreations of love songs. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/They-Say-Wonderful-Trisha-OBrien/dp/B0009AD3TG

They Say It's Wonderful

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Clarence Penn - Play-Penn

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:28
Size: 154,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:59)  1. Teo
( 5:05)  2. Grace-Ann
( 9:42)  3. You Must Believe in Spring
( 6:37)  4. Blues for Paris
( 6:13)  5. The Charm
( 5:09)  6. Consistent-Seay
( 8:28)  7. Red Alert
( 8:45)  8. Essence
(10:26)  9. Preston's Theme

Change is a necessary factor in the musical development of jazz musicians and listeners. It's the fuel for the creative process that expands the boundaries for this thing we call jazz music. Clarence Penn's 1997 debut recording Penn's Landing, won him critical acclaim in many jazz circles. The essence of that recording highlighted an immensely talented drummer who displayed deep skills in musical composition,arrangement, and musicianship. Penn's group for that session featured a piano-less quartet that was in many cases more creative and tight than most typical jazz ensemble with keys. The piano was not missed at all. In fact, it was a refreshing change that in many aspects allowed more freedom. The extremely talented musicians for that session were trumpeter John Swana, Ron Blake on sax, and Rodney Whitaker on bass. The recording featured a heavy swing and post bop orientation with tight arrangements that transcended the typical jazz quartet. Mr. Penn has been changing in one form or another throughout his musical career, whether playing with the Detroit Civic Symphony, to touring and recording with jazz statesmen such as Makoto Ozone, Michael Brecker, or Dave Douglas.

For the new recording, Penn expresses himself even further with the same musicians on his debut, but with a lighter feel. This is jazz that can't be easily classified into a particular category. There are various traces of many influences e.g. Monk, Coltrane, Elvin Jones, and Mingus, but Penn propels his own voice cloud and clear. Penn also added new flavor with the addition of notable European guitarist Jesse Van Ruller whose hollow body expertise sparked new texture to the already talented group. Selections such as Monk's timeless "Teo" are given Penn's personal stamp as well as more mellow selections like the dreamy cut, "The Charm". The musicians are all up to the challenge of change. Swana on trumpet is as smooth and free as ever and contributes one of the session's most aggressive selections, "Red Alert". Rodney Whitaker is one of today's top bassists and shines thought out the recording giving choice solos as well. Ron Blake is a killer saxophonist who displays great depth and soul throughout the recording. Jesse Van Ruller, a Thelonious Monk Competition guitar winner; swings, grooves, and flows throughout the session with skill and talent which shows why he won the prestigious award. Clarence Penn shows exceptional skills that are still evolving. The evidence of Penn's talent is displayed throughout the recording with great aplomb. Intricate solos, exquisite rhythms, percussive exploits, and tender brush strokes showcase the multifaceted Penn. The listener is treated to a musician who adapts to change in a creative way. It will be interesting to see what changes are in store from the ever changing skills of Clarence Penn. Recommended. ~ Mark F.Turner  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/play-penn-clarence-penn-criss-cross-review-by-mark-f-turner.php

Personnel: Clarence Penn (drums); Ron Blake (tenor saxophone); John Swana (trumpet); Jesse Van Ruller (guitar); Rodney Whitaker (bass).

Play-Penn

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Carole King, James Taylor - Live At The Troubadour

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:53
Size: 146.2 MB
Styles: Soft rock, Adult Contemporary
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Blossom
[4:42] 2. So Far Away
[2:59] 3. Machine Gun Kelly
[4:17] 4. Carolina In My Mind
[4:59] 5. It's Too Late
[5:25] 6. Smackwater Jack
[4:04] 7. Something In The Way She Moves
[4:13] 8. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
[3:49] 9. Country Road
[5:45] 10. Fire And Rain
[3:35] 11. Sweet Baby James
[4:05] 12. I Feel The Earth Move
[5:52] 13. You've Got A Friend
[4:09] 14. Up On The Roof
[2:44] 15. You Can Close Your Eyes

Carole King and James Taylor reuniting isn’t quite a monumental reunion -- they never were an official performing entity, so they never had a falling out, appearing on-stage and on record from time to time since their ‘70s heyday -- but it is a notable one, particularly when they choose to perform at the Troubadour, the L.A. venue so crucial at the start of their stardom, backed by such fellow veterans of the SoCal singer/songwriter scene as guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russell Kunkel, musicians who supported them the last time they co-headlined the club back in 1971. All this made their series of shared shows in November 2007 an event, albeit a low-key one. King and Taylor embrace their classics -- it seems that there’s not a hit missed between the two of them -- and there’s genuine warmth to the whole show that’s quite appealing. Perhaps there are no surprises here, but any shock would have run counter to the whole spirit of the evening: this is about basking in both nostalgia and friendship, and if you’re on the same wave as the musicians, Live at the Troubadour is enjoyable. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Live At The Troubadour

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Ruby Braff - Ruby Braff Swings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 22:13
Size: 50.9 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 1954/2013
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Struttin’ With Some Barbecue
[2:59] 2. Mean To Me
[2:25] 3. Ellie
[2:55] 4. You're A Sweetheart
[2:36] 5. Blue And Sentimental
[2:46] 6. Blue Room
[3:11] 7. I Can't Get Started
[2:35] 8. This Can't Be Love

They're not kidding about the title – because the album's one of Ruby Braff's most swingin from the time – a sharp-edged quartet session that's filled with well-blown notes! Ruby's in the lead on all numbers on trumpet – getting support from Johnny Guarnieri on piano, Walter Page on bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums – and the sound is a bit more rough than some of Braff's other albums of the time – not so sweetly-trilling, and we mean that in a good way! The vibe is still slightly traddish, but with a really nice edge – and titles include "Ellie", "Mean To Me", "This Can't Be Love", and "Blue & Sentimental"

Ruby Braff Swings

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June Bisantz-Evans - Let's Fall In Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:23
Size: 92.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:23] 1. For Heaven's Sake
[3:11] 2. There's A Lull In My Life
[3:14] 3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[4:27] 4. Little Girl Blue
[2:19] 5. My Funny Valentine
[2:35] 6. Like Someone In Love
[4:16] 7. I've Never Benn In Love Before
[4:49] 8. Everything Happens To Me
[3:54] 9. Imagination
[2:22] 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:22] 11. There's A Lull In My Life (Reprise)
[1:26] 12. Blue Room

June Bisantz Evans is a visual artist and musician, who has co-written and produced several albums of original jazz, all of which received national attention. She has recorded with distinguished jazz and pop musicians such as Steve Swallow, Bob Moses, Lou Soloff and Will Lee. Reviews and articles about her work include People Magazine, USA Today, Downbeat Magazine, Jazziz Magazine, Sound Choice, High Performance Review, New York Newsday, the Boston Globe, the Hartford Courant, the Hartford Advocate and the New York Native.

Her new release "Let's Fall in Love" is a collection of jazz ballads based on the vocal music of legendary trumpet player Chet Baker. The CD features Alex Nakhimsovsky on piano, Norman Johnson on guitar, Genevieve Rose on bass, Greg Caputo on drums and Gabor Viragh on trumpet and flugelhorn.

Let's Fall In Love

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Flip Phillips - Flip Wails: The Best Of The Verve Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:51

Size: 166.8 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz, Swing

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[3:03] 1. Znarg Blues

[3:32] 2. Milano

[3:15] 3. Lover, Come Back To Me

[3:30] 4. Don't Take Your Love From Me

[2:37] 5. The Blue Room

[3:49] 6. Flippin' The Blues (A.K.A. Feeling The Blues)

[3:25] 7. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

[3:05] 8. Funky Blues

[3:21] 9. Cheek To Cheek

[2:53] 10. Salute To Pres

[2:58] 11. Singin' In The Rain

[3:03] 12. If I Had You

[3:15] 13. Blues For The Midgets

[3:16] 14. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

[2:42] 15. Three Little Words

[3:15] 16. Singin' The Blues (Till My Daddy Comes Home)

[5:50] 17. The Lady's In Love With You

[3:41] 18. I'll Never Be The Same

[3:59] 19. Music Of A Stripteaser

[8:11] 20. Topsy

Although Flip Phillips was a mainstay of Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic tours and recordings, Granz seldom put sessions around him, preferring to use him as a core group mainstay. This single-disc collection puts together a variety of performances beginning with a Howard McGhee session from 1947, and traveling throughout the 1950s showing Phillips at his romping best. Highlights include "Three Little Words," "Singing the Blues," a be-bopping "Znarg's Blues" and a stately "If I Had You." Great playing from everyone aboard but Phillips sounds best in the company of Bill Harris on several tracks, and on a Buddy Rich Quartet session that closes out the disc. ~Cub Koda

Flip Wails  

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Clarence Penn & Penn Station - Monk: The Lost Files

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:57
Size: 121,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Well You Needn't
(5:04)  2. Green Chimney
(3:48)  3. Evidence
(3:43)  4. Friday the 13th
(6:09)  5. I Mean You
(4:12)  6. In Walked Bud
(6:16)  7. Hackensack
(5:13)  8. Bemsha Swing
(6:18)  9. Think of One
(5:34) 10. Rhythm-a-Ning
(3:21) 11. Solato's Blues

A well-established creative paradigm exists to justify Clarence Penn & Penn Station's recording Monk: The Lost Files. "Classical" music is often considered that music, composed long ago, that has stood the test of time, remaining viable to the public in recordings and live performance. These composers of this music tend to be Europeans from the last Millennium. It is the only logical jump to include American jazz composers like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and our focus here, Thelonious Monk as composers of "Classical" music.

In traditional Classical music, it is common for the performer (at least since Franz Liszt and Niccolo Paganini) to provide their personal spin on the music. Jazz, of course, takes this practice a step further in improvisation. Monk's music remains a rich loam of material from which new ideas spring from the minds of thoughtful and intelligent interpreters. Drummer Clarence Penn is such an interpreter. His approach is bold, yet respectful, not unlike Monk's himself.

Penn's approach to Monk is to challenge the composer and his compositions rhythmically, almost mathematically. Penn does not so much reharmonize Monk's material as he does re-accenting it. Penn moves the stresses in the music around. When listening to the opening "Well You Needn't" the listen will recognize Monk's craggy head, but it has been polished and made more regimented by Penn's arrangement. The remainder of the song is a dramatic updating. The bridge and soloing sections incorporate the spoken word and a Stanton Moore-like percussion environment, catalyzing a funky momentum.

"In Walked Bud" is transformed using the Fender Rhodes. Slowed down and performed with a deliberate attention to the piece's harmonic skeleton, pianist Donald Vega exposes the spirit of Monk's homage to his friend Bud Powell. An ethereal trio performance that shines like newly pressed steel. It is played as lightly as a ballad with Penn carefully outlining the rhythmic direction. Fractured are "I Mean You" and "Bemsha Swing" both featuring Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's tenor saxophone. The former is as regimented as a Jacksonian seizure while the latter takes on a relaxed post bop feel in portions. It is all Monk and all Penn. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/monk-the-lost-files-clarence-penn-origin-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Chad Lefkowitz-Brown: saxophones; Donald Vega: piano; Gerald Clayton: Fender Rhodes (5); Yasushi Nakamura: basses; Clarence Penn: drums.

Monk: The Lost Files

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Tine Bruhn - Entranced

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Soul
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:14
Size: 92,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Miles Away (Birthday Song)
(4:29)  2. Tears
(6:25)  3. Search For Peace
(4:15)  4. Baby, Let Me Love You
(4:24)  5. If Loneliness (After)
(4:42)  6. Close to Nothing
(4:38)  7. Upside Down (Flor De Lis)
(5:30)  8. Har Du Visor Min Vän

Tine Bruhn moved to New York City in 2001 after having graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston. She quickly became part of New York’s jazz scene performing at some of the city’s best music venues including Smalls and Bar Next Door. She consistently plays with some of the top musicians in NYC and she has become a regular on the program at the well-known jazz club Zinc Bar. Ms. Bruhn performs weekly in duo setting with pianist Johnny O’Neal (Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Milt Jackson) at Robert on Columbus Circle.

The Danish-born singer grew up in Flensburg, Germany where she started her career at an early age. At 15 she founded the the vocal group "Kvart I Fire" which gained high recognition in the region, especially after the release of their CD "Go 4 it". Additionally Tine sang in the semi-professional classical choirs “Landes Jugend Chor Schleswig Holstein” and “Jugend Kammer Chor Flensburg/Kiel”. Around that time she discovered her passion for jazz and went to many of the live jazz concerts by visiting Danish musicians such as NHØP and Danish Radio Big Band. After performing with a jazz trio she decided to make the big move to the United States. In Boston she studied with Sheryl Bentyne (Manhattan Transfer), recording artist Walter Beasley, Grammy award winner Richard Evans and distinguished scat educator Bob Stoloff.

Her debut solo CD "Entranced" was released in 2009 and featured Greg Hutchinson on drums and Maurice Brown on trumpet. It received stellar reviews in both the US and Europe and is getting played on radio stations around the world. In April 2009 the Tine Bruhn Quartet was on tour in Europe where they played at sold out venues including “B-Flat” in Berlin. In the spring of 2010, Ms Bruhn and her group performed in Philadelphia at the the city’s number one jazz club, Chris’ Jazz Cafe. In November 2011, she brought her quintet on another tour to Germany and Denmark. The third tour was scheduled for November 2012 but was unfortunately canceled as the quintet was scheduled to fly out of NYC the day “Sandy” hit and re-booking flights was impossible.

Tine Bruhn’s new release "Nearness" is a duo recording of standards with pianist Johnny O'Neal. Tine Bruhn and Johnny O’Neal started working together in the summer of 2011 when her regular pianist had to cancel on short notice and sent Johnny O’Neal as a sub! Since then they have been appearing almost weekly at Robert Restaurant in NYC. Mr. O'Neal has played with Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton to name just a few. He has opened for Oscar Peterson at Carnegie Hall and he played the role of Art Tatum in the Oscar winning movie "Ray" based on Mr. Peterson’s recommendation. In a recent JazzTimes article, O’Neal is named as “one of jazz’s best-kept secrets”.

This recording is a natural ‘documentation’ of the musical relationship between these two very different musicians. Different in the sense of background, age, ethnicity, gender. But musicially they complement each other highly and the listener will hear a relaxedness and comfortness shining through. The music was recorded in only one day with just two takes per song. Johnny O’Neal states “We just went in there and laid it down! It just felt right!” Tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard is feautured on four tracks. Ben Ratliff (NY Times) calls Dillard “a young saxophonist of serious promise,” and he has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed and Roy Hargrove amongst many others.

Spike Wilner (Smalls Jazz Club, NYC) writes in his liner notes: "Tine Bruhn for me is an interesting throw back to another age - one of cool elegance and poise.  Her demeanor and look are distinctly "jazz age", as if she could step out of a Fitzgerald novel.  Her voice has a throaty comfortableness and her feel is an easy, swinging and true jazz feeling.  Her repertoire, similarly, classic in its choices.  Real Tin-Pan Alley.  Joined here on this recording by a true master, Johnny O'Neal and a young master Stacy Dillard, this blend has an authentic feel.  I'm sure you'll enjoy this selection of tunes and be glad to get to know Tine Bruhn.” http://jazztimes.com/guides/artists/13784-tine-bruhn

Entranced

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Tim Hagans - Beautiful Lily

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:48
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:55)  1. Prologue
(7:33)  2. Space Dozen
(8:10)  3. Beautiful Lily
(5:51)  4. Doyle's Foil
(2:11)  5. Interlude I
(8:43)  6. The Sun At The Zenith
(5:38)  7. Buck Eyes
(2:06)  8. Interlude II
(8:54)  9. Footprints
(7:56) 10. Emazing
(1:45) 11. Epilogue

While he's been by no means inactive, it's been six years since trumpeter Tim Hagans released his last album, Re-Animation: Live in Montreal, which found him exploring his own version of electronica/fusion. Beautiful Lily returns him to a mainstream acoustic setting, but with his stellar quartet featuring pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Bill Stewart it's anything but conventional. Hagans and Copland have crossed paths before, most notably on Copland's Softly (Savoy, 1997) also featuring Stewart and on their duet disc Between the Lines (Steeplechase, 2001), which put their clear chemistry front and center. Clearly they share much in common, but under Hagans' leadership Copland is a considerably more outgoing player than he has been on his own recent releases, including the trio recording Some Love Songs (Pirouet, 2005) and his profoundly moving solo album Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005). 

Still, there's no question that Hagans' more extroverted approach and Copland's more introverted abstraction do cross-pollinate. The four duet tracks that bookend and break up the quartet tracks "Prologue," "Interlude I," "Interlude II," and "Epilogue" are all relatively dark-hued and oblique. Copland's 5/4 tone poem "The Sun at the Zenith" is equally somber, revolving around a haunting bass pattern but retaining Copland's obscure melodic sense and sparsely played but nevertheless dense harmonics. Hagans' "Space Dozen" is also based on an elliptical bass line and more obscure harmonies, but Gress and Stewart give it a little more swing. Both Hagan's title track and "Emazing" are closer to the center, and offer gentle Latin references, but in the hands of Copland, Gress, and Stewart the allusion is less obvious and more suggestive, with Hagans' solos economical and lyrical. In contrast, Copland's "Doyle's Foil" is a spirited swinger that gives Hagans the chance to demonstrate a greater range, especially after Copland's solo, where Hagans and Stewart go it alone during one of the disc's most energetic moments.

Hagans favours a warm, vibrato-less sound, but he's more Woody Shaw than Miles. On the boppish "Buck Eyes" he proves, like Kenny Wheeler, that it's possible to aim for the high notes without being brash, although he avoids the huge intervallic jumps that so strongly define Wheeler's approach. Beautiful Lily marks the third time that Copland has been heard covering Wayne Shorter's classic "Footprints" this year. But while his own solo and trio versions were as enigmatic as Shorter himself, Hagans' quartet arrangement straddles the fence between mystery and clarity. Beautiful Lily's mainstream approach is nevertheless considerably left of center. In part it's the material both Hagans and Copland are more modernistic in their harmonic and rhythmic ideas. 

But equally it's the interpretation of the quartet, especially Gress' and Stewart's open-minded approach which maintains a pulse without beating you over the head with it. Proof positive that the mainstream can retain a sense of adventure and contemporary edge, Beautiful Lily is also a welcome return for Hagans as a leader. Let's hope we don't have to wait another six years for the followup. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/beautiful-lily-tim-hagans-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Tim Hagans: trumpet; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

Beautiful Lily

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Eight To The Bar - Bring It & Swing It!

Styles: Swing, R&B
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:22
Size: 96,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. That's Neat, That's Nice
(3:34)  2. That Man
(3:18)  3. Baby, Why Can't You Come On Home?
(2:58)  4. Nothin' but a Love That's True
(3:50)  5. Rock Me
(3:24)  6. Never Let You Go
(4:05)  7. The Law of Attraction
(3:03)  8. Hip Hop Swing Dancer
(7:35)  9. Play It On Your Saxophone (Live At Infinity Hall)
(4:46) 10. Party in Providence (Live At Infinity Hall)
(1:33) 11. Bring It & Swing It!

Eleven great mostly original songs that encompass elements of swing, jazz, blues, doo-wop, country swing, and even rock! One of the highlights of the Cd is two live cuts that are our biggest fan fave songs- Play It On Your Saxophone and Party in Providence, both recorded Live a few months ago at our 40th Anniversary blowout at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT. This is our best Cd yet! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/eighttothebar

Bring It & Swing It!

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Leny Andrade & Cesar Camargo Mariano - Ao Vivo

Size: 152,7 MB

Time: 65:36

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 2015

Styles: Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova, Samba

Art: Front

01. Sambambaia (Instrumental) (Live) (9:10)

02. Tristeza De Nos Dois (Live) (5:03)

03. Redentor (Live) (3:14)

04. Vai De Vez (Live) (3:14)

05. A Ilha (Live) (6:22)

06. Ceu E Mar (Live) (3:36)

07. Fim De Sonho (Live) (4:57)

08. Voce Vai Ver (Live) (4:37)

09. Da Cor Do Pecado (Live) (7:19)

10. Carinhoso (Instrumental) (Live) (5:12)

11. Choro Do Minuto (Live) (2:10)

12. Quem Diz Que Sabe (Live) (6:41)

13. Alvoroço (Live) (3:57)

Making the virtuosic and vigorous style of samba-jazz her main field of expression, Leny Andrade acquired a solid reputation as a singer and improviser, acknowledged by the many top musicians who have performed with her, such as Paquito D'Rivera (who considers Andrade his favorite singer), Luiz Eça, Dick Farney, João Donato, Eumir Deodato, and Francis Hime. Leny Andrade's eclectic style became better defined with the advent of bossa nova, through which she introduced jazz elements into her singing. Finally, she opted for a synthesis of samba-jazz that refutes much of the delicacy and attention to the lyrics as proposed by bossa nova, in favor of a more energetic interpretation. The LP Registro (1979) is a good sample of her dedication to that genre. She also has albums dedicated to rootsy samba-canção/samba composers like Cartola, Leny Andrade Interpreta Cartola (1987), and Nelson Cavaquinho (Luz Negra, 1994). Throughout her career, Andrade had many hits and some of her biggest include "Estamos Aí" (Durval Ferreira/Maurício Einhorn), "A Resposta" (Marcos Valle/Paulo Sérgio Valle), and "Samba de Rei" (Marcos Vasconcellos/Pingarilho). At six, Andrade was already taking classical piano classes. At nine, she started to sing on radio shows like the Clube do Guri (Rádio Tupi, Rio de Janeiro). Six years later, she became the crooner for the Permínio Gonçalves Orchestra. In 1961, she performed at the historic nightclubs of the Beco das Garrafas, Bacará (accompanied by the Sérgio Mendes Trio), and Bottle's Bar. Her first album, A Sensação, was released that same year. In the next year, she became the crooner of Dick Farney's orchestra in São Paulo. In 1965, she had success with the show Gemini V, together with Pery Ribeiro and the Bossa Três at the Porão 73 nightclub, which was recorded live and released as an LP.

 In that same year, she recorded "Estamos Aí" (Durval Ferreira/Maurício Einhorn), one of the most important songs of her repertory, for an eponymous LP. Andrade departed then for a season in Argentina, at the end of which she settled in Mexico, where she lived from 1966 to 1970. In 1972, she and Ribeiro starred in the Gemini V show again, yielding the live recorded LP Gemini Cinco Anos Depois/Pery Ribeiro & Leny Andrade. In 1973, she participated on the live recording Expo-Som '73, together with Márcia, Simone, and Ari Vilela. Her international activities gained momentum in the decades of 1980 and 1990, a period in which she shared her time between the U.S. and Brazil. In 1993, she moved to New York, NY. In the U.S., she performed intensively in jazz festivals, 40 just in the first year. In August 1994, she participated in the Hollywood Bowl Festival (Los Angeles, CA), performing for 15,000 people. In the same year, she performed at the Lincoln Center and released her praised acoustic album in duet with guitarist Romero Lubambo (Coisa Fina). In 1995, she was nominated for the Sharp prize as Best MPB Female Singer, released Letra e Música in duet with Cristóvão Bastos (an album dedicated to Tom Jobim's originals with song and lyrics written without collaborators), and participated in the Umbria Jazz Festival (Umbria, Italy) and in the fourth Blu Jazz Festival (Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil). In 1998, she also participated in the JVC Jazz Festival (New York, NY) and on the TV special Tim Maia Tribute (Multishow, Brazil). ~Alvaro Neder

Ao Vivo 

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Marc Broussard - Magnolias & Mistletoe

Size: 98,9 MB
Time: 37:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Soul, R&B, Xmas
Art: Front

01. The First Noel (4:03)
02. Auld Lang Syne (3:14)
03. O Come, All Ye Faithful (3:54)
04. O Holy Night (4:20)
05. The Christmas Song (3:06)
06. Angels We Have Heard On High (3:46)
07. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (3:22)
08. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (3:46)
09. When Christmas Comes Along (4:08)
10. Almost Christmas (4:12)

Magnolias & Mistletoe is a compilation of Holiday themed songs featuring two originals by Marc Broussard.

The son of Boogie Kings guitarist (and Louisiana Hall of Fame member) Ted Broussard, singer/songwriter Marc Broussard was seemingly destined for a life as a music man. His upbringing in Lafayette, Louisiana, instilled in him an affinity for R&B alongside the Cajun trappings of southern Louisiana. Drawing vocal and stylistic influence from Otis Redding and Brian McKnight while bearing the preternaturally gruff vocals of John Hiatt and Dr. John, Broussard was barely 20 at the time of his first album's release. Momentary Setback appeared to encouraging reviews on the independent Ripley Records label in September 2002. Soon afterwards, the young musician inked a deal with Island Def Jam. With Island's support, doors began to open for Broussard. "Just Like That," a track from the Momentary Setback album, was culled for inclusion in the 2003 Lost and Found, Vol. 1 compilation alongside such Americana artists as Ryan Adams and the Jayhawks; that same year, Broussard also appeared on a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, Light of Day, with the track "Back in Your Arms." He spent the autumn of 2003 on the road, where he served as opening act for Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, and fellow singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw. Carencro, a sophomore album named after Broussard's hometown, was issued by Island Records in 2004, and he made the jump from Island to Atlantic Records four years later for the release of Keep Coming Back. He became a road dog after the album's release, opening for and sharing stages with everyone from Maroon 5 and the Dave Matthews Band to Willie Nelson, O.A.R., and Bonnie Raitt. In March of 2011, two songs -- "Lucky" and "Only Everything" -- were issued for digital download as a precursor to his self-titled, Jamie Kenney-produced album that appeared in July that also signaled his return to Vanguard. ~Joseph McCombs

Magnolias & Mistletoe

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Rita Reys - Jazz Pictures at an Exhibitio/Marriage In Modern Jazz

Size: 185,1 MB
Time: 78:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (2:39)
02. Autumn Leaves (3:50)
03. Cherokee (3:27)
04. Poor Butterfly (3:47)
05. Can't We Be Friends (3:32)
06. I Get A Kick Out Of You (3:34)
07. I Remember Clifford (2:58)
08. Tangerine (2:46)
09. Speak Low (3:59)
10. What's New (3:09)
11. Summertime (3:22)
12. Broadway (3:04)
13. I've Got The World On A String (3:20)
14. No Moon At All (3:11)
15. How Deep Is The Ocean (3:09)
16. Have You Met Miss Jones (1:37)
17. Too Close For Comfort (2:24)
18. Like Someone In Love (2:46)
19. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (2:33)
20. Thou Swell (2:54)
21. Willow Weep For Me (4:41)
22. But Not For Me (2:19)
23. Thou Swell (3:14)
24. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (2:09)
25. Willow Weep For Me (3:36)

Rita Reys was long ago billed as "Europe's First Lady of Jazz." A legend overseas, Reys was one of the top jazz singers in Europe from the mid-'50s to the turn of the millennium. Born Maria Everdina Reys in Rotterdam, she began singing as a teenager. Reys won several song contests and in 1941, when she was 16, joined the Hawaiian Minstrels. In 1943 she became a member of her father's theater orchestra. Other early experiences included touring with Lex Van Spall, Ted Powder, and the Piet Van Dijk Orchestra. In 1945 she married drummer Wessel Ilcken, who introduced her to the postwar jazz scene. She worked with her husband's sextet for most of a decade. They were based in Stockholm for a time, where she recorded with the great baritonist Lars Gullin in 1953. In 1956 Reys recorded probably her most famous album, The Cool Voice of Rita Reys. Her backup band was Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. Reys and Ilcken spent a few months in the United States during 1956-1957. She had opportunities to sing not only with Blakey but Jimmy Smith, Chico Hamilton, Clark Terry, and Mat Mathews.

Back in Europe, tragedy struck in 1957 when a car accident resulted in the death of Wessel Ilcken. After some time, Reys continued her career. In 1960 she married pianist Pim Jacobs, working regularly with his combo up until his death in 1996. Along the way she performed with Zoot Sims, Oliver Nelson, the Dutch Swing College Band, and other notables. Reys, despite being influenced by Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé, had her own approach to caressing ballads and swinging uptempo tunes. She celebrated her 80th birthday during 2004-2005, writing her memoirs (Rita Reys -- Lady Jazz) and having many special performances, including television specials and concerts all around the Netherlands. An excellent four-CD box set, The Rita Reys Story -- Songs of a Lifetime, sums up her musical legacy, dating from 1953-2000. ~by Scott Yanow

Jazz Pictures at an Exhibitio/Marriage In Modern Jazz

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Marc Thomas - Shining Hours / Quai West

Album: Shining Hours
Size: 131,1 MB
Time: 56:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. My Shining Hour (3:41)
02. I'm Through With Love (5:12)
03. Our Love Is Here To Stay (6:20)
04. Maybe September (4:49)
05. A House Is Not A Home (4:58)
06. Oh Me Oh My Oh Gosh (2:11)
07. Triste (4:08)
08. People Moon River (4:04)
09. Just One Of Those Things (4:21)
10. I'll Be Seeing You (4:18)
11. Sugar (4:05)
12. I'm Through With Love (Bonus Track) (5:00)
13. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Bonus Track) (3:06)

Chanteur " crooner " et saxophoniste, le timide Marc Thomas caché derrière ses lunettes noires se révèle impressionnant sur scène.

Envolées de scats, chaleur du timbre, justesse de l'expression font partie de sa science vocale au service de la musique, louée par la critique depuis de nombreuses années. Accompagné d'une section rythmique qui ne s'en laisse pas conter, tantôt dans un swing puissant, tantôt dans la confidence, Marc Thomas offre toujours des lignes mélodiques d'une rare sensibilité.

Marc Thomas: voix, saxophone, Vincent Bourgeyx: piano, Gildas Boclé: contrebasse, Andrea Michelutti: batterie

Shining Hours

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Album: Quai West
Size: 119,9 MB
Time: 51:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Dindi (5:10)
02. Sometimes I'm Happy (4:32)
03. Tenderly (6:32)
04. All Of You (3:53)
05. Our Love Is Here To Stay (4:24)
06. I Wish You Love, Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours (7:14)
07. Cheek To Cheek (4:13)
08. Have You Met Miss Jones (5:11)
09. The Shadow Of Your Smile (5:00)
10. Just Friends (5:28)

Marc Thomas: vocals
Guillaume Naud: piano (tracks 1-4)
Cédric Caillaud: bass
Vincent Frade: drums
Carl Schlosser: saxophone, flute
Pierre Christophe: piano (tracks 5-10)

Tracks 1-4 recorded at the Jazz Club Le Quai des Fleurs, with no public, at St. Savinien-sur-Charente, Charente Maritime, France, 2003
Tracks 5-10 recorded the same night at the Jazz Club Le Quai des Fleurs, with no public, at St. Savinien-sur-Charente, Charente Maritime, France, 2003

Quai West

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The Bud Powell Trio - Blues In The Closet

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:36
Size: 86.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1956/2015
Art: Front

[1:38] 1. When I Fall In Love
[3:30] 2. My Heart Stood Still
[2:59] 3. Blues In The Closet
[3:20] 4. Swingin' Till The Girls Come Home
[2:22] 5. I Know That You Know
[2:56] 6. Elegy
[3:53] 7. Woody 'n' You
[3:38] 8. I Should Care
[4:31] 9. Now's The Time
[3:58] 10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[2:23] 11. Bebop
[2:22] 12. 52nd Street Theme

In the bebop revolution of the 1940’s, as Charlie Parker was the leading voice of the alto saxophone, so was Bud Powell the leading voice of the piano. Recorded in 1956 (before his Paris sojourn), the long-unavailable BLUES IN THE CLOSET features Powell’s lightning-fast runs and nimble keyboard navigations on a set of originals and well-chosen standards. He is accompanied by Osie Johnson, a solid mainstream drummer, and the dean of jazz bassists, Ray Brown. A must for Powell fans and bop devotees. ~Mark Keresman

Blues In The Closet

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June Christy - The Ballad Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:02
Size: 126.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:40] 1. Interlude
[2:43] 2. My One And Only Love
[4:03] 3. Lonely House
[2:10] 4. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
[3:04] 5. The Little Star
[2:35] 6. Cry Like The Wind
[3:23] 7. The Magic Gift
[2:36] 8. Don't Explain
[2:40] 9. Kissing Bug
[4:06] 10. Nobody's Heart
[3:19] 11. Night People
[4:53] 12. The Night We Called It A Day
[4:57] 13. Something Cool
[3:41] 14. The Wind
[3:30] 15. This Time Of Year
[2:35] 16. Winter's Got Spring Up Its Sleeve

June Christy was one of the best singers to follow in the wake of Anita O'Day, and while her career wasn't always the smoothest, she maintained a very special poise and exhibited a consistent creative and artistic integrity throughout. This set collects some of her greatest ballads, including "Nobody's Heart" and "Interlude," plus the first stereo versions of songs from her classic Something Cool album, cuts from her holiday album This Time of Year, plus material that she did with her husband, Bob Cooper. It's not the whole story, of course, but at 16 well-chosen tracks on a single disc, it's the best brief survey of Christy's career currently out there. ~Steve Leggett

The Ballad Collection

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Sounds Orchestral - Cast Your Fate To The Wind

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 34:30

Size: 79.0 MB

Styles: Piano jazz

Year: 1965/1994

Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Something's Coming

[3:11] 2. Cast Your Fate To The Wind

[2:26] 3. Scarlatti Potion No. 9

[2:33] 4. While We Danced At The Mardi Gras

[3:29] 5. When Love Has Gone

[2:33] 6. To Wendy With Love

[3:39] 7. Sounds Anonymous

[2:30] 8. Carnival (Manha De Carnival)

[2:38] 9. Downtown

[2:28] 10. Scarlatti Potion No. 9

[2:52] 11. Love Letters

[3:01] 12. Like The Lonely

Johnny Pearson - Piano; Peter McGurk - Bass; Kenny Clare & Ronnie Verrell - Drums; Tony Gilbert - Violin; John Schroeder Orchestra.

British pianist Johnny Pearson and producer John Schroeder teamed up initially to cover Vince Guaraldi's US hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" - and went on to make 20 best-selling albums of jazz-influenced pop instrumentals together. Always accessible but with a cool middle-eight, and touches of classical.

Cast Your Fate To The Wind

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Bill Wyman - Back To Basics

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:42
Size: 106.9 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues/Rock
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. What & How & If & When & Why
[3:35] 2. I Lost My Ring
[3:39] 3. Love, Love, Love
[4:03] 4. Stuff (Can't Get Enough)
[3:59] 5. Running Back To You
[3:54] 6. She's Wonderful
[3:46] 7. Seventeen
[3:04] 8. I'll Pull You Through
[3:41] 9. November
[3:39] 10. Just A Friend Of Mine
[2:02] 11. It's A Lovely Day
[3:48] 12. I Got Time
[3:52] 13. Exciting

Back To Basics does exactly what it says on the tin. It is unashamedly stripped back. The snappy lyrics are refreshingly audible and the instrumentation is clean, subtle and accomplished.

Back To Basics wears its influences on its sleeve – Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, JJ Cale – and there’s more than a passing nod to Bill’s own English background. It is that rare thing, a meld of styles and genres that actually work together – uplifting in a jaunty, dancey way and pensive in a bluesy, narrative way.

Bill Wyman’s last solo UK album, ‘Bill Wyman’, was released in 1982. Back To Basics comprises only his fourth ever UK solo release. But Bill has not been idle of course. 31 years in the Rolling Stones, author of seven learned books, globally exhibited photographer, metal detecting expert with his own brand of metal detector, producer, composer for film and TV and founder of the very successful Rhythm Kings’, who still release CD’s and tour regularly – he has had a pretty full calendar. It was only when archiving old demos last year he realised he had around 60 songs he’d never released.

He chose three songs that needed reworking and did just that. He put them together with a bunch of brand new songs and went into his studio to record them. The CD comprises 13 tracks in total, eight of which are brand new songs. Musicians joining Bill in the studio include long time collaborator/guitarist Terry Taylor, Guy Fletcher (Mark Knopfler), Graham Broad and Robbie McIntosh, while co-production credit goes to Andy Wright (Jeff Beck, Eurythmics, Simply Red). On Bill Wyman’s Back To Basics you get music that’s the real deal… and you’re all the better for it.

Back To Basics

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Phil Woods Quintet - Ballads & Blues

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:42
Size: 145,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Blood Count
(5:01)  2. Flower is a Lovesome Thing
(4:04)  3. Balcony Serenade
(4:13)  4. Isfahan
(7:56) 5. Ballad Medley: I Didn't Know About You/Lotus Blossom/Don't You Know I Care
(8:33)  6. How Little We Know
(5:00)  7. Ballad for Very Tired and Very Sad Lotus Eaters
(3:54)  8. Lush Life
(4:12)  9. My Little Brown Book
(5:00) 10. Rain Check
(5:09) 11. Johnny Come Lately
(5:24) 12. Take the A Train

Ballads & Blues celebrates compositions by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington (as well as one by Hoagy Carmichael). Trumpeter Brian Lynch, a member of Woods' quintet since 1992, is a good foil for the alto legend, as on Carmichael's "How Little We Know". Lynch's solo is a model of tasteful note selection and his unison lines with Woods blend perfectly. 

Bill Charlap's solo rendition of "Lush Life" has a tender, precise quality, which epitomizes his attitude in Woods' ensemble for 14 years. The band sways with a tinge of sadness on "Blood Count" and swings "Johnny Come Lately" with optimism. ~ Greg Thomas  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/phil-woods-ballads-and-blues-live-at-the-jazz-showcase-the-childrens-suite-by-greg-thomas.php

Personnel:  Phil Woods – Alto Sax;  Brian Lynch – Trumpet;  Bill Charlap – Piano;  Steve Gilmore – Bass;  Bill Goodwin – Drums

Ballads & Blues

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Ray Charles & Cleo Laine - Porgy & Bess

Styles: Jazz, Vocal

Year: 1976

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 62:41

Size: 144,1 MB

Art: Front

(6:16)  1. Summertime

(4:43)  2. My Man's Gone Now

(2:45)  3. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing

(3:04)  4. They Pass By Singin'

(2:25)  5. What You Want Wid Bess?

(3:52)  6. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'

(3:24)  7. Buzzard Song

(5:29)  8. Bess, You Is My Woman

(2:13)  9. Oh, Doctor Jesus

(1:44) 10. Crab Man

(1:23) 11. Her Come De Honey Man

(0:55) 12. Strawberry Woman (instrumental)

(1:19) 13. Strawberry Woman

(4:17) 14. It Ain't Necessarily So

(3:24) 15. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York

(5:03) 16. I Loves You, Porgy

(3:23) 17. Oh, Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (instumental)

(3:36) 18. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess

(3:19) 19. Oh Lord, I'm On My Way

Charles and Cleo Laine duet on the songs from George Gershwin's opera, in a version arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol (who provides extra instrumentals) and produced by Norman Granz. The material is perfect for the performers, and they give it an effective, if unstudied, treatment. ~ William Ruhlmann  http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1519969/a/porgy+%26+bess.htm

Personnel: John Morell, Joe Pass, Lee Ritenour (guitar); Denizel Gail Laughton, Catherine Gotthoffer, Dorothy Remsen (harp); Ronald Folsom, Thelma Beach, Marvin Limonick, Anatol Kaminsky, Paul Lowenkron, Karen Jones , George Kaufman, Charles Veal, Ambrose Russo, Marcia Van Dyke, Daniel Shindaryov, Spiro Stamos, Bernard Kundell, Jacob Krachmalnick, Marshall Sosson, Israel Baker, Nathan Ross, Ralph Schaeffer, Harry Bluestone (violin); Dan Neufeld, Meyer Bello, Rollice Dale, Norman Forrest, Pamela Goldsmith, Allan Harshman (viola); Ron Leonard, David H. Speltz, Ronald Cooper, Anne Goodman, Harry Shlutz, Douglas Davis (cello); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Ernie Watts, Gary Herbig, William Hood, Jerome Richardson, Sam Most, Bill Perkins, Wilbur Schwartz, Bud Shank (clarinet); Plas Johnson , William Green (saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison , Oscar Brashear, Ray Triscari, Bill Berry , Al Aarons, Buddy Childers (trumpet); George Roberts , J.J. Johnson , Jimmy Cleveland, Benny Powell, Britt Woodman (trombone); Joe Sample (piano, organ); Victor Feldman, Paul Smith , Ralph Grierson (piano); Washington Rucker (drums); Alan Estes, Emil Radocchia, Jerry Williams , Larry Bunker (percussion).

Porgy & Bess

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Anke Helfrich feat. Tim Hagans - Dedication

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:49
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:52)  1. Invictus
( 7:30)  2. Chan's Song
( 1:11)  3. Interlude - Lost & Found
( 7:11)  4. Rise and Shine
( 1:04)  5. Interlude - Wehklage
( 7:03)  6. Sagrada Familia
( 6:07)  7. Think of One
( 6:31)  8. Aspettami (Wait for Me)
(11:58)  9. The Prize
( 3:17) 10. A Simple Act of Kindness

Anke Helfrich belongs to the exclusive elite of European pianists who has been able to contribute a new kind of energy and spirit to jazz music. She is a fantastic pianist, known for captivating her audiences. Now, with Dedication, she reveals new facets of her musicianship. This release is a personal project where she successfully maintains jazz’ American roots while offering her own interpretation of jazz as it sounds today. We will always need artists who take chances, and Anke Helfrich does this masterfully.~ Christian Brorsen, Music Director  Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen.

Anke Helfrich in her liner notes: "Dedication means commitment and devotion. Being a jazz musician and playing improvised music requires total commitment, in every way. It is a constant challenge. It offers the possibility to express yourself through music and to transform emotions into your playing and compositions. Each track of this CD is dedicated to inspirational figures, influential people in my life and themes, that have inspired me."

"During my childhood in Namibia my parents were committed to an anti-apartheid organization. I accompanied my mother regularly to the kindergarten of the black town ships to distribute donations, clothes and toys. It was a ritual to hold each other’s hands and to sing together "We shall overcome". Nelson Mandela was, also during the time of his incarceration, the venerated man. His determination and perseverance to believe in something and to not have his will power broken even in decades of captivity is inspiring and gives courage. The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henry gave strength to Mandela during this period. I created a dialogue between words and melody which culminates and than leaves space for the important message: I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul!

I have read and researched a great deal about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. As with Nelson Mandela I am touched and inspired, by his courage and incredible commitment, his fight for equal rights, improvement of living conditions, and change in thelaw. He is an icon for many jazz musicians and his attachment to blues and jazz is documented in the preface "On the Importance of Jazz", introducing the first Berlin Jazz Festival 1964. Here he describes how important this music was for the American Peace Movement. I harmonized his most significant speech and accompanied it on the the piano, giving it an almost gospel-like melody and sound." Excerpts from the liner notes. http://www.anke-helfrich.de/music/cd4/nucd4.htm

Personnel:  Anke Helfrich, piano, fender rhodes, harmonium;  Tim Hagans, trumpet, flugelhorn;  Ardie Walser: voice;  Martin Wind, bass;  Jonas Burgwinkel, drums

Dedication

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