Budd Johnson His Septet & Quintet - Blues A La Mode

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:49
Size: 88.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Bop
Year: 1958/2013
Art: Front

[5:36] 1. Foggy Nights
[7:15] 2. Leave Room In Your Heart For Me
[5:15] 3. Destination Blues
[7:31] 4. À La Mode
[7:05] 5. Used Blues
[6:05] 6. Blues By Five

Originally released on the Felsted label and reissued by Master Jazz, this LP features underrated tenor and arranger Budd Johnson with two overlapping groups. Three selections feature Budd with the great trumpeter Charlie Shavers, trombonist Vic Dickenson, Al Sears on baritone, Bert Keyes doubling on piano and organ, bassist Joe Benjamin, and drummer Jo Jones, while three other pieces have Johnson, Shavers, Benjamin, Jones and pianist Ray Bryant. The leader contributed all six numbers and stars in prime form throughout; Shavers and Bryant also fare quite well. This album awaits reissue on CD and is an excellent example of 1950s mainstream jazz. ~Scott Yanow

Recording Date: February 11, 1958 - February 14, 1958

Blues A La Mode

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Mari Wilson - Cover Stories

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:11
Size: 117.2 MB
Styles: Contemporary vocals
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. Don't Get Me Wrong
[4:18] 2. Disney Girls
[4:08] 3. Be My Baby
[4:24] 4. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
[6:21] 5. I Only Want To Be With You
[4:01] 6. First Of May
[4:39] 7. Own Side
[4:30] 8. Right About Now
[4:14] 9. Dear Someone
[3:58] 10. They Don't Know
[5:31] 11. Everybody Needs A Holiday

Back in the 1980s, when she was renowned for her retro beehive hairstyle and her spectacular live shows, Mari Wilson had a string of chart-making hits that included "Just What I Always Wanted" and "Cry Me a River." These days, the only remaining vestige of that hairstyle is in the name of her record label. More recently, Wilson has appeared in musical theater (including playing Dusty Springfield in Dusty: The Musical), been a BBC radio presenter and, significantly, started the trio Girl Talk with Barb Jungr.

Compared to her albums Dolled Up (Beehive, 2005) and Emotional Glamour (Beehive, 2008), Cover Stories marks a new direction for Wilson, as it consists solely of cover versions without any of her own compositions. The album features eleven of Wilson's favorite songs, lending it a certain similarity to Jungr's album The Men I Love: The New American Songbook (Naim, 2010). However, unlike Jungr's choices, four of Wilson's selections are by female songwriters and six are by non-Americans.

Another similarity between Wilson and Jungr is that, rather than recording a straightforward cover version, they each often radically reinvent a song, sometimes making it unrecognizable in the process. One of the best examples of Wilson doing this is her stunning version of "Be My Baby," originally recorded by The Ronettes. Stripping away Phil Spector's wall-of-sound production, she is accompanied by atmospheric acoustic guitar alone, played by John Parricelli. She savors every word of the verses as well as the famous chorus, milking them all for emotion. Wilson achieves similarly miraculous transformations of "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (originally by Gerry and the Pacemakers) and Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to be with You"—the latter her first ever Springfield cover.

If those examples suggest that Wilson is stuck in some sixties time warp, nothing could be further from the truth. Her choice of songs demonstrates that she has an ear for a great song and its possible reinterpretation. While including some songs by well-known artists, The Beach Boys' "Disney Girls" and The Bee Gees' "First Of May" for example, the eclectic array of tunes also features the lesser-known Caitlin Rose, Gillian Welch, Ron Sexsmith and even Big Audio Dynamite. Most of all, Cover Stories lives up to its title. Every track is a cover version, but each is also a story in its own right. And Wilson is a story teller par excellence, extracting meaning and emotion from each one and communicating them impeccably to her audience, her voice as formidable an instrument as ever. ~John Eyles

Mari Wilson: vocals; Simon Hale: piano, keyboards; John Parricelli: guitar; Geoff Gasgoyne: electric bass, acoustic bass; Keith Fairbairn: percussion; Ben Hale: flugelhorn, trumpet.

Cover Stories

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Jay McShann - Confessin' The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:33

Size: 97.4 MB

Styles: Jump blues, Piano blues-jazz

Year: 1969/2007

Art: Front

[3:45] 1. Kansas City

[3:28] 2. Roll 'em

[3:39] 3. Our Kinda Blues

[4:13] 4. Rollin' With Roland

[5:20] 5. Stompin' In K.C

[4:24] 6. After Hours

[3:27] 7. Hootie Blues

[3:23] 8. Four Days Rider

[3:19] 9. Hands Off

[3:32] 10. Hootie Ignorant Oil

[3:57] 11. Confessin' The Blues

Pianist Jay McShann sticks to the blues on this enjoyable release, not only welcoming bassist Roland Lobligeois and drummer Paul Gunther but, in a rare (and purely instrumental role) as a sideman, guitarist T-Bone Walker. McShann takes vocals on several of the selections and contributes his accessible brand of blues piano. The results are enjoyable if not essential.A bit more imagination could have gone into picking out a more inventive repertoire. ~Scott Yanow

Confessin' The Blues

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The Ink Spots - The Best Of The Ink Spots

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:02
Size: 82.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Vocal Harmony group
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. If I Didn't Care
[3:12] 2. My Prayer
[3:02] 3. Java Jive
[3:03] 4. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
[2:59] 5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[2:49] 6. I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
[3:09] 7. I'm Making Believe
[3:09] 8. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
[2:43] 9. The Gypsy
[2:41] 10. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[2:58] 11. Prisoner Of Love
[3:09] 12. To Each His Own

MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection is a good, basic collection of the Ink Spots' biggest hits -- including "If I Didn't Care," "My Prayer," "Java Jive," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "I'm Making Believe," "The Gypsy," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," "Prisoner of Love,"and "To Each His Own" -- available at a budget price. Although there are a couple of hits and good songs missing, this has enough of the best-known tunes to make it worthwhile for casual listeners on a budget. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Recording Date: January 12, 1939 - July, 1946

The Best Of The Ink Spots

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Ray Marchica - In The Ring

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:15
Size: 115.1 MB
Styles: Pop/rock/jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Billy’s Bounce
[1:14] 2. Worm
[5:40] 3. Tequila
[6:17] 4. 9h5
[7:29] 5. Journey’s End
[7:14] 6. The Joneses
[5:09] 7. Minor Mishap
[5:27] 8. I Can’t Get Started
[5:55] 9. Summertime

Drummer Ray Marchica had a simple goal for the pianoless quartet date In the Ring. Marchica simply wanted to go in the studio as a leader and record some of his favorite songs (both standards and originals) with a few of his favorite players. The results range from straight-ahead to mildly funky. Tenor saxophonist Teodross Avery emerges as the most impressive soloist, but guitarist Rodney Jones and bassist Lonnie Plaxico make strong contributions too. While Marchica takes a fair amount of solo space, he does not dominate the music. Among the many highlights are “Billie’s Bounce,” the up-tempo blues “9H5,” Rodney Jones’ hard bop original “Minor Mishap,” and a surprisingly fast version of “Summertime.” Marchica more than achieves his goal, putting together a well-paced and highly enjoyable set of first-class jazz. ~ Scott Yanow

In The Ring

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Deep Blue Organ Trio - Wonderful!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:17
Size: 142.6 MB
Styles: Smooth jazz, Soul-jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[6:56] 1. Tell Me Something Good
[5:58] 2. If You Really Love Me
[5:56] 3. Jesus Children Of America
[8:45] 4. My Cheri Amour
[7:18] 5. Golden Lady
[7:30] 6. You Haven't Done Nothin'
[6:47] 7. It Ain't No Use
[5:26] 8. As
[7:37] 9. You've Got It Bad Girl

It's always amusing when a jazz snob claims that jazz and classical are the only legitimate forms of music and that popular culture, past and present, has no artistic value whatsoever. Typically, those who make such ludicrous statements will turn around and sing the praises of The Great American Songbook, meaning prolific Tin Pan Alley pop composers such as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Harry Warren and Cole Porter; in other words, they are endorsing pop songs while claiming to hate pop songs. It makes no sense. So let's set the record straight: popular culture has always been great for jazz. Popular songs have always been excellent vehicles for jazz expression, and there is no reason why jazz musicians should ignore an R&B/pop icon like Stevie Wonder, who the Deep Blue Organ Trio pay tribute to with splendid results on Wonderful. This soul-jazz/post-bop CD approaches nine Wonder songs not as vocal-oriented R&B, but as instrumental jazz. Wonderful is by no means an album of smooth jazz elevator music; organist Chris Foreman, guitarist Bobby Broom, and drummer Greg Rockingham aren't simply playing note-for-note covers of Wonder's songs and calling it jazz; improvising, stretching, and blowing prevail whether the song in question is "You've Got It Bad, Girl," "Golden Lady," "If You Really Love Me," or "Tell Me Something Good" (which was a major hit for Rufus & Chaka Khan in 1974, although Wonder was the composer). But as imaginative and improvisatory as these versions of Wonder songs are, they are also fairly accessible. Take their performance of "My Cheri Amour," for example. Foreman, Broom, and Rockingham approach that '60s gem as a slow ballad, which is a departure from Wonder's medium-tempo approach, and yet, they don't forget the song's romantic, sentimental nature. From a marketing standpoint, the Deep Blue Organ Trio probably made a mistake by not giving this release a slightly longer, more descriptive title. Instead of simply calling it Wonderful, they probably should have come up with something along the lines of Wonderful: The Stevie Wonder Songbook or Wonderful: A Jazz Perspective on Stevie Wonder. Also, the recording date is listed as December 18-20, 2011, which would be impossible because the album went out to the media in July 2011. But none of those things make the performances any less rewarding. Wonderful is an excellent jazz tribute to a soul-pop legend. ~Alex Henderson

Wonderful!

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Leslie Lewis With Gerard Hagen Trio - Midnight Sun

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:06
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Love Me Or Leave Me
(7:42)  2. Midnight Sun
(4:39)  3. It's Alright With Me
(5:56)  4. A House Is Not a Home
(4:35)  5. Lover Come Back to Me
(5:39)  6. My Love
(5:03)  7. I Believe in You
(5:38)  8. The Man I Love
(6:20)  9. Where Or When

The lesser-known songs on Midnight Sun Burt Bacharach / Hal David's "A House Is Not a Home," Paul and Linda McCartney's "My Love" are explicit highlights, but by no means the only ones, as Lewis fares equally well at a faster clip, as on "Lover Come Back to Me," "It's All Right with Me," "I Believe in You" and "Love Me or Leave Me" (which includes one of the most bizarre lyrics ever written: "I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else." Huh?) Hagen, who doubles as arranger, trebles (offstage) as Lewis' husband. Along with bassist Domenic Genova and drummer Jerry Kalaf, he does his best to keep her in an upbeat frame of mind, as do Foster, Manning and Sellers. When Lewis sings Frank Loesser's "I Believe in You," she may as well be applauding her supporting cast. A pair of first-rate albums by a vocalist who whose singular talents should be more widely heard and appreciated. 

~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/leslie-lewis-midnight-sun-keeper-of-the-flame-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Leslie Lewis: vocals; Gerard Hagen: piano; Domenic Genova: bass; Jerry Kalaf: drums, percussion; Chuck Manning: tenor sax; Joey Sellers: trombone.

Midnight Sun

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The Bill Evans Trio - The Very Best Of The Bill Evans Trio

Styles: Post-Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:30
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:56)  1. Autumn Leaves
(6:22)  2. My Man's Gone Now
(8:51)  3. Solar
(3:31)  4. How Deep Is The Ocean
(4:33)  5. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(5:22)  6. Blue In Green
(5:03)  7. Beautiful Love
(5:48)  8. Nardis
(4:54)  9. My Foolish Heart
(6:08) 10. Gloria's Step
(6:57) 11. Waltz for Debby

This compilation from Concord compiles 11 tracks from four Bill Evans Trio albums recorded between 1959 and 1961: Portrait in Jazz, Explorations, and the live Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Vanguard. The lineup, of course, is Evans' classic trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. While this may be merely another attempt by the label to milk Riverside's catalog, there is a very practical purpose for such a compilation, and that argument is put forth in Neil Tesser's liner notes: that this trio used Evans' "trialog" system to "prefigure a change in the very fabric of jazz." In Evans' estimation, the trialog was a way to look at new conceptions and possibilities for the piano trio. Instead of the pianist merely leading a supporting rhythm section, he would in fact be one of three equal players in an ongoing musical conversation; he would be informed by the other two members, and be free to follow them as well as lead. 

The members of this trio cover a wide patch of ground, not only in their ability to push the music further into an intimate creative conversation, but to free themselves, at least to a great degree, of the burden of history. The evidence is abundant in the originals such as LaFaro's "Gloria's Step," Evans' "Waltz for Debby," and even "Blue in Green," co-composed with Miles Davis. Speaking of Davis, both "Nardis" and "Solar" are here as well. Arguably, the evidence that the trialog can shift meaning and logic in jazz is best borne out by the interpretation of standards such as "Autumn Leaves," "My Foolish Heart," "What Is This Thing Called Love?," and George Gershwin's "My Man's Gone Now."

Here, the nature of song emerges not from the harmonic changes employed by the pianist, but from the collective interaction of the trio itself. While Evans scholars and hardcore fans don't need to be reminded of the trio's contribution, there are still many listeners, mostly younger, who are seeking an introduction to Evans' music outside of his contribution to Kind of Blue. The Very Best of the Bill Evans Trio provides an excellent entry point for a budget price. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-very-best-of-the-bill-evans-trio-mw0002363992

Personnel: Bill Evans (piano); Paul Motian (drums); Scott LaFaro (bass).

The Very Best Of The Bill Evans Trio

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Shirley Scott - Great Scott!

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:02
Size: 80,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:09)  1. The  Scott
(3:22)  2. All Of You
(5:01)  3. Goodbye
(3:54)  4. Four
(4:41)  5. Nothing Ever Changes My Love
(7:00)  6. Trees
(5:23)  7. Cherokee
(2:28)  8. Brazil

Great Scott! is the debut album by organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1958 for the Prestige label.  The Allmusic review stated "Great Scott! was her first out-front contribution to popularizing the organ in a jazz format that also drew on parts of blues and soul music. 

She displays admirable command of the instrument's swoops and funky glows here". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Scott!_%281958_Shirley_Scott_album%29

Personnel:  Shirley Scott – organ;  George Duvivier – bass;  Arthur Edgehill - drums

Great Scott!

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