Suss Von Ahn - Walk Between The Raindrops

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:38
Size: 132.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Walk Between The Raindrops
[3:14] 2. Waltz For Debby
[3:40] 3. It's Alright With Me
[2:24] 4. Night And Day
[4:06] 5. The Trolley Song
[5:22] 6. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[3:33] 7. My Baby Just Cares For Me
[4:58] 8. Both Sides Now
[2:44] 9. Night In Tunisia
[2:34] 10. It's Only A Paper Moon
[5:12] 11. A Nightinggale Sang In Berkeley Square
[3:24] 12. For Once In My Life
[3:25] 13. Too Darn Hot
[2:45] 14. What A Difference A Day Made
[3:00] 15. Don't Cry For Louie
[4:21] 16. Imagine

Suss von Ahn´s fourth album is a Jazz cover album with many of the songs that Suss sings live. From Donald Fagen, John Lennon to Cole Porter and Bill Evans. Including Johan Löfcrantz on drums, Martin Sjöstedt – Bass, Mathias Algotsson – Piano, Robert Nordmark – Tenor sax.

Walk Between The Raindrops

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Matt Ray - We Got It!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:29
Size: 122.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Soul-jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. We Got It
[5:29] 2. Fish Night
[5:26] 3. El Gaucho
[6:01] 4. Think Of One
[5:22] 5. The Great Paper Chase
[4:12] 6. The Star-Crossed Lovers
[5:13] 7. Happier Than The Morning Sun
[5:27] 8. Sippin' At Bell's
[6:11] 9. Not Long Now
[6:39] 10. Vista

Recording Date: March 27, 2000

Pianist Matt Ray was only 28 years old when he recorded We Got It!, a promising debut album that unveils a wonderfully understated piano player searching for his voice. The songs here are actually quite diverse, including everything from a laid-back cover of Stevie Wonder's "Happier Than the Morning Sun" to the spaced-out slow jazz of "Think of One" to the winding horns and stuttered beats of "Great Paper Chase." His excellent piano playing takes front and center as he flows from track to track effortlessly. Unfortunately, the album still does not seem as though it has a distinct direction, despite all of the quality music found here. This may be because the album is his first, but it does detract from the overall feel of the album. This is still a good debut album, and would be of interest to any fan of piano-based modern jazz. ~Bradley Torreano

We Got It!

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Spanky & Our Gang - The Best Of Spanky & Our Gang

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:27
Size: 72.0 MB
Styles: Folk rock, AM pop
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Sunday Will Never Be The Same
[2:35] 2. Making Every Minute Count
[3:06] 3. Lazy Day
[3:51] 4. Sunday Mornin'
[3:18] 5. Like To Get To Know You
[3:34] 6. Give A Damn
[3:19] 7. Yesterday's Rain
[2:54] 8. Anything You Choose
[2:30] 9. And She's Mine
[3:13] 10. Echoes (Everybody's Talkin')

Spanky & Our Gang is one of the great overlooked bands of the '60s. As in the case of other groups like the Monkees or Paul Revere & the Raiders, their chart success seemingly blinded people as to just how good they were. Like a more baroque Mamas & Papas, their strength was their amazingly constructed harmonies. They also boasted impressive songwriting from sources as diverse as Bob Dorough, Margo Guryan and Terry Cashman, wonderfully brassy lead vocals by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane and charming blend of hippie sensibilities and old time show biz attitudes. This collection boils their short career (three albums in three years between 1966 and 1969) down to ten tracks and includes all their best songs, like "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Lazy Day," "Sunday Mornin'," "Like to Get to Know You," "And She's Mine" and "Give a Damn." It delivers quite a knockout punch, but the short format of the series doesn't allow for much exploration of the different aspects of the group. For a more expanded view of Spanky & Our Gang's talents, you might pick up their 1999 collection Greatest Hits as it has five more tracks, including their wild cover of "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" and a moving rendition of "Stardust." It also has all the tracks this disc does and is roughly the same price, leading one to wonder why the label felt the need to release this collection at all. ~Tim Sendra

The Best Of Spanky & Our Gang

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Coleman Hawkins Quartet - The Complete Jazz Sessions 1962 (2-Disc Set)

The sound of Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969) remains, after all these years, as immediately recognizable as his direct and compelling ability to swing. No jazzman played with more fire the uptempo tunes and no one could be more persuasive on ballads. With the fluent support of his then-regular rhythm section, he made these four excellent albums. Three "Good Old Broadway," "No Strings," "Make Someone Happy" which include jazz versions of Broadway show tunes, are from Prestige's Moodsville series. The fourth, "Today and Now," made for Impulse, explores everything from gentle, moody ballads and bluesy, mid-tempo pieces to some Hawk originals.

Overall, this 2-CD set is an interesting mixture of classics and undeservedly lesser-known compositions. Hawk gives each of these richly melodic songs a broadly warm and moving reading. Tommy Flanagan is his usual imperturbable, tastefully swinging self, intuitively grasping the feeling of the tunes and showing he was among the best pianists, technically and creatively, excellent as a soloist and a superb accompanist. On drums, Eddie Locke is typically capable, and bassist Major Holley contributes some delightfully humorous solos in a quartet that shows how to play firstrate, uncomplicated music.

Album: The Complete Jazz Sessions 1962 (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 79:48

Size: 182.7 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz

Year: 2013

[4:31] 1. Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree

[5:31] 2. Swingin' Scotch

[9:52] 3. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet

[4:20] 4. The Sweetest Sounds

[3:15] 5. Maine

[4:48] 6. A Fellow Needs A Girl

[4:08] 7. Here I'll Stay

[4:14] 8. Love Song From Apache

[4:41] 9. Don't Love Me

[4:12] 10. Get Out Of Town

[6:16] 11. Strange Music

[4:47] 12. Quintessence

[6:26] 13. Go Li'l Liza

[4:32] 14. Look No Further

[4:44] 15. I Believe In You

[3:25] 16. Have I Told You Lately

The Complete Jazz Sessions (Disc 1) 

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Album: The Complete Jazz Sessions 1962 (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:09

Size: 149.2 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz

Year: 2013

Art: Front

[4:51] 1. Out Of My Dreams

[4:12] 2. Loads Of Love

[3:05] 3. Make Someone Happy

[2:25] 4. Wanting You

[4:06] 5. The Man That Got Away

[3:06] 6. Be My Host

[4:32] 7. Climb Ev'ry Mountain

[3:22] 8. Nobody Told Me

[5:58] 9. The Man Who Has Everything

[3:20] 10. La La La

[4:21] 11. I Talk To The Trees

[4:31] 12. Cry Like The Wind

[4:46] 13. No Strings

[7:48] 14. Wouldn't It Be Loverly

[4:38] 15. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

The Complete Jazz Sessions (Disc 2)

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The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jass Band - Donkey Business

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:56
Size: 66.3 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:22] 1. I Can't Stop Logging On Facebook
[3:40] 2. If You Are A Swamp Donkey
[4:55] 3. A Long Time Ago
[3:09] 4. Kick In The Head
[2:12] 5. The Butcher
[3:45] 6. Loose Booty Judy
[3:45] 7. If You Ain't Payin' We Ain't Playin', Baby
[3:05] 8. Dreamer

The Swamp Donkeys are an extremely versatile group of young musicians who play traditional jass, blues, vaudeville, original music, modern jazz adaptations, and many other jazz and New Orleans-derived styles. They have beginnings and educations in the authentic, New Orleans, grassroots music scene, playing local festivals and second lines, then transitions into world-class music education programs, playing in concerts all over the globe. Their sound is enormously accessible with their frontmen, the Louis Armstrong-sounding, soulful and sweet James Williams, and the audience-wooing, banjo-strumming, song-writing extraordinaire Sam Friend. (Though James does plenty of audience-wooing himself!)

The Swamp Donkeys can play large and small venues, intimate crowds and boisterous audiences just the same. Formed recently in the fall of 2012, the band is coming off of an extremely successful year. After selling out the Blue Note NYC in February of 2014, the Donkeys released two brand new albums "Swamp Donkey" (all pre-1930s covers) and "Donkey Business" (all original material). They closed out the first weekend of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The group then gained international internet fame when their version of the Game of Thrones theme - performed at NYC's B.B. King's Blues Club - went viral, garnering close to a million views!

They followed up this success with a European tour featuring performances at JazzAscona in Switzerland, Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Netherlands, along with special appearances in France, Spain, and Monaco.

The Swamp Donkeys bring a remarkable, diverse appearance and sound to the stage; hailing from the south, north-east and -west, this melting-pot of American musical culture brings people together from all walks of life. Welcome to the most exciting, soulful, foot-tapping, New Orleans-style band to storm the planet in years. Welcome to Original Jass.

Donkey Business

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Clark Terry & Chico O'Farrill - Spanish Rice

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:12
Size: 76.0 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, Mainstream jazz
Year: 1966/2004
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Peanut Vendor
[2:37] 2. Angelitos Negros
[2:10] 3. El Cumbanchero
[3:34] 4. Joonji
[2:43] 5. Que Sera
[2:40] 6. Mexican Hat Dance
[2:43] 7. Spanish Rice
[2:27] 8. Say Si Si
[2:58] 9. Macarena
[2:44] 10. Tin Tin Deo
[2:58] 11. Contigo En La Distancia
[3:20] 12. Happiness Is

Recording Date: July 18 - 20, 1966

Clark Terry joined forces with Cuban bandleader Chico O'Farrill for these 1966 studio session, which consist almost exclusively of Latin tunes. Although there are a number of all-stars present in addition to Terry, including trumpeters Joe Newman, Ernie Royal, and Snooky Young, along with guitarists Everett Barksdale and Barry Galbraith, the solos are all by Terry, so there is little interaction in these brief charts. Terry is in top form, as always, with his rich flügelhorn in "Angelitos Negros" and his fat-toned trumpet in an original blues called "Joonji." Terry and O'Farrill collaborated on the narrative comic original "Spanish Rice," though it isn't particularly memorable. Terry's modification of the lyrics to "Happiness Is" salutes a number of fellow jazz greats (particularly his impression of Louis Armstrong's singing), though the anonymous vocal group that accompanies him is quite forgettable. This is a fun recording that had the potential to be a memorable one, but it falls a bit short. ~Ken Dryden

Spanish Rice

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Maria Anadon - Why Jazz?

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 121,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:13)  1. Going to Chicag Blues
(5:21)  2. Angel Eyes
(3:26)  3. Up and Fly Right
(7:20)  4. Caravan
(3:48)  5. My Foolish Heart
(3:43)  6. Someone Else Steppin'in
(4:18)  7. 'Round Midnight
(6:37)  8. Ask Me Now
(4:39)  9. Dindi
(6:03) 10. But Beautiful
(3:23) 11. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Maria Anadon's musical passion, intellect, and creativity are perfectly matched with her intuitive understanding and interpretation of lyric and melody, as well as her superior gift of "scat." She easily transitions between the world of traditional jazz, Fado, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, fusion and the like. As one critic stated:  Maria sings with the confidence and sophistication of one who feels and convincingly expresses the true meaning of every word she says and every note she sings. For years the press questioned Maria Anadon, "Why jazz?" In 1995 she finally responded with her first CD, supported by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, and named it Why Jazz? Backed by the all-woman American jazz quartet Unpredictable Nature and sung completely in English, Maria included her answer in the CD's liner notes… "That's why!" 

In 1998 Maria released her second CD Cem Anos (Movieplay/Groove Records), which is a compilation of beautiful themes taken from the soundtracks of notable Portuguese films. Contemporary Portuguese composers, such as Antonio Pinho Vargas, Carlos Paredes, Manuel Jorge Veloso and Tomas Pimentel contributed works to this CD, as did several of Portugal's most modern poets. With music spanning almost a century, Maria's extraordinary voice is used not only as an interpreter of stunning lyrics, but also as a literal instrument, sometimes enhancing the instrumental sections. This CD encompasses styles ranging from Lisbon Fado to Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and New Orleans Jazz.  Following Cem Anos Maria collaborated with Maestro Antonio Saiote and the Orquestra Invicta de Clarinets to record another soundtrack CD, featuring movie themes from North America. In 2000 Maria began working with the Italian pianist Arrigo Cappelletie on a project combining Fado, Jazz and original lyrics composed by contemporary Portuguese poets such as Fernando Pessoa, Alvaro de Campos, Sofia de Melo Breyner and others. Simultaneously she premiered her new group Terra d' Agua (Forest Hill Records) and their CD Viagem de um Som.

Shortly after Terra d'Agua, Maria formed the Maria Anadon Ensemble, fusing world music with traditional jazz. In addition to innovative arrangements, this group's unique instrumentation features Davide Zaccaria on cello, Arnaldo Fonseca on accordion and Jose Soares on guitar.In addition to Maria's busy and eclectic performance and recording schedule she also teaches at Musicland in Mafra, maintains a private voice studio and activity presents vocal workshops and master classes throughout Europe. Maria's newest project was recorded in the United States with the critically acclaimed ensemble FIVE PLAY. Supported by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, her new CD is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2006.  http://www.divajazz.com/personnel/personnel/maria.html

Personnel:  Maria Anadon (vocals);  Carol Chaikin (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone);  Roberta Piket (piano);  Sherrie Maricle (drums).

Why Jazz?

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Jared Gold - Intuition

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:40
Size: 109,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?
(5:02)  2. The Crusher
(5:27)  3. Pro Zeca
(5:21)  4. Hoopin' On Sundays
(5:20)  5. You've Got A Friend
(5:05)  6. Shadowboxing
(4:30)  7. Right Nowish
(5:41)  8. As It Were
(6:29)  9. Bedo's Blues

Intuition is organist Jared Gold's sixth outing for the Posi-Tone label in as many years. He walks a similar path on all of his prior dates for this imprint, extending the organ group tradition(s) while fronting trios and quartets and working his way through catchy originals and diverse covers, but no two albums are really the same. Part of the reason for this has to do with his personal growth as an artist, but the more significant factor surrounds the shuffling of personnel; Gold has never used the same combination of musicians on more than one album, so he's never had to worry about falling into a same-old-sound rut.

Some people have popped up on more than one of his records, like guitarist Ed Cherry and drummer Mark Ferber, but never as part of the same unit. Both musicians who join Gold on Intuition guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer McClenty Hunter have also appeared with him on different albums in the past, but 2013 seems to be the year they were all destined to join together; Gold and Hunter also appear on Stryker's Blue To The Bone IV (SteepleChase, 2013), which hit shelves shortly before this album.

Four Gold pieces, two Stryker songs, a pair of classics from Carole King's landmark, Tapestry (Epic, 1971), and a fusion-y take on Victor Assis Brasil's "Pro Zeca" make up the program, which starts off on mundane ground but gets better with each number. The first two pieces on the album King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" and Gold's "The Crusher" begin with some promising ideas but take turns toward the pedestrian during swing-backed solo sections. The third song Brasil's "Pro Zeca" comes off like a '70s Chick Corea tune performed at Carnaval; this performance turns everything around. The music that follows is full of energy and enthusiasm of the funky ("Hoopin' On Sundays"), soulful ("You've Got A Friend") and feisty ("Shadowboxing") varieties. Things do take a mellow turn on the penultimate performance ("As It Were"), but it's a welcome respite from the heat at that point in the album. It's not clear whether musician's intuition or other factors led Gold to select these men for this project, but they were the right choice. Together, Gold, Stryker and Hunter have a blast, and their enthusiasm is contagious. ~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/intuition-jared-gold-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php
 

Personnel: Jared Gold: organ; Dave Stryker: guitar; McClenty Hunter: drums.

Intuition

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Earl Hines - '65 Piano Solo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:37
Size: 82,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:18)  1. Hines '65
(4:11)  2. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
(4:08)  3. My Blue Heaven
(4:08)  4. I Know a Little Bit About a Lot of Things
(4:16)  5. Serenade in Blue
(2:33)  6. I Know That You Know
(3:17)  7. Huntin'
(4:43)  8. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set

Earl Hines was in the midst of a major comeback at the time of this studio session, recorded in London in 1965. After years on the sidelines, primarily playing Dixieland, he firmly established himself as an in-demand solo pianist. The opening track, "Hines '65," is an elaborate, inventive blues that showcases his formidable technique. The pianist's version of "I Know That You Know" may not reach the heights of Art Tatum's dazzling recordings, but his chops are never in doubt throughout this romping arrangement. Most of the rest of the session is devoted to low-key ballads. His stride roots come out in a playful rendition of James P. Johnson's "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)," while "My Blue Heaven" is every bit as lyrical. "I Know a Little Bit About a Lot of Things" is a somewhat obscure tune written by Peggy Lee and her then-husband, Dave Barbour; Hines adds his friendly vocals to his fairly straightforward interpretation. This is easily one of Earl Hines' best solo albums, finally reissued on CD in 2002. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/65-piano-solo-mw0000614741

'65 Piano Solo

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David Basse - Strike When Your Iron Is Hot

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2000

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:19

Size: 97,4 MB

Art: Front

(2:28)  1. Strike When Your Iron Is Hot

(2:50)  2. The Best Thing

(2:53)  3. I'm Just a Lucky So and So

(6:10)  4. Invitation To The Blues

(3:09)  5. The Eagle Flies On Friday

(4:05)  6. House Of Should'a. Could'a, Would'a A Been

(3:39)  7. New York State Of Mind

(3:10)  8. Sugar

(3:03)  9. The Light of Our Love

(4:12) 10. Gauloise Blue (Smokin' the Night Away)

(2:57) 11. Soft And Furry

(3:38) 12. The Big Comeback

Singer David Basse has a gruff voice a little reminiscent of Dr. John. He sings in a similar jazz-influenced style, performing five of Mike Melvoin's originals, a couple standards ("I'm Just a Lucky So and So" and "Sugar"), and a few offbeat choices including Tom Waits' "Invitation to the Blues," Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," and Eddie Jefferson's "Soft and Furry." Basse is joined by a rhythm section led by pianist Mike Melvoin with three guest appearances apiece by vibraphonist Larry Bunker and tenor-saxophonist Herman Riley. However, the main focus is on Basse's voice and his interpretations of the lyrics. Fans of Dr. John and Waits in particular should be interested in this well-done project. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/strike-when-your-iron-is-hot-mw0000109817

Personnel: David Basse (vocals); Herman Riley (tenor saxophone); Larry Bunker (vibraphone); Mike Melvoin (piano); John Heard (bass); John Guerin (drums).

Strike When Your Iron Is Hot

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