Roz Corral - Telling Tales

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:49
Size: 125.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:17] 1. Too Close For Comfort
[5:04] 2. Wheelers And Dealers
[4:35] 3. Little Girl Blue
[4:38] 4. I'll Never Be The Same
[5:10] 5. Anyone Can Whistle
[5:13] 6. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:20] 7. I've Got No Strings
[6:11] 8. Change Partners
[5:58] 9. Out Of This World
[5:33] 10. Say It Ain't So
[3:46] 11. Something's Gotta Give

Roz Corral, vocals; Bruce Barth, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Jeff Ballard, drums; John Hart, guitar; Steve Wilson, alto saxophone and clarinet; Steve Davis, trombone.

Post-bop and vocal fans both have a reason to check out Roz Corral's debut album, Telling Tales, an impeccable presentation of a seasoned, confident voice singing well-written, enjoyable tunes with a swingin', modernist combo.

Arranger, singer, and musicians alike rarely give such attention to lyrics. This is the beauty of Telling Tales. The album tells a sort of musical story that is richly illustrated and comes full-circle emotionally—up, down, around, and finishing upbeat again. The icing on the cake is Roz Corral's voice; with distinctive timbre that isn't too much, and a delivery that's right-on with each and every note. ~Paul Lewis

Telling Tales

---

Joey DeFrancesco - All Or Nothing At All

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:33
Size: 120.3 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul jazz
Year: 1998/2006
Art: Front

[6:48] 1. All Or Nothing At All
[5:46] 2. I Concentrate On You
[6:28] 3. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
[5:12] 4. Yes Or No
[8:36] 5. Young Love
[7:54] 6. On The Street Where You Live
[5:29] 7. I'm Confessin'
[6:17] 8. Cobalt Blue

Recorded Jan. 7th 1996 at Big Mo Recording Studios, Kensington MD Personnel: Producers: Ed Eastridge/ Joey DeFrancesco Joey DeFrancesco Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer Electric Piano Paul Bollenback Guitar Byron Landham Drums Engineers: Ed Eastridge/ Kevin Wait Mastered by Bill Wolf at Wolf Productions.

Joey DeFrancesco’s emergence in the 1980s marked the onset of a musical renaissance. Organ jazz had been a form of music that literally went into hibernation from the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties largely because of the introduction of high-tech, light-weight keyboards. It was Joey, however, that ignited the flame once again with the sound of his vintage Hammond organ and Leslie tone cabinet. He not only illuminated this once dormant music form but brought back the many proponents of jazz organ who had been shuffled by record producers and club owners to lesser roles within the music industry. Befriending and supporting those who preceded him, Joey became the new-age proponent of an instrument that had been pushed aside in favor of the growing technology.

Considered a child prodigy, Joey remembers as far back as age four, playing jazz tunes modeled by his father, Papa John DeFrancesco and memorizing music from the many jazz albums in their home. Papa John, a jazz organist himself, took young Joey under his wing and nurtured his rapidly developing skills, bringing Joey along with him to gigs, Joey would sit-in with as many seasoned Philadelphia musicians who were around. Legendary players like tenor saxophonist, Hank Mobley, or drummer, Philly Joe Jones, would soon become aware of young Joey DeFrancesco and acknowledge his enthusiasm. Joey’s grandfather and namesake, Joseph DeFrancesco, was the patriarch and, himself, a musician’s musician; able to pick up a new instrument and teach himself to play. This gift was passed down to young Joey and now manifests itself in Joey’s extraordinary keyboard skills; piano playing; and organ wizardry.

All Or Nothing At All

---

Alex Sipiagin - Generations: Dedicated To Woody Shaw

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:14
Size: 154,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:41)  1. Greenwood I
(5:48)  2. Obsequious
(5:49)  3. Cassandranite
(7:33)  4. Beyond All Limits
(8:35)  5. Windy Bahn
(7:11)  6. Katrina Ballerina
(7:12)  7. Chance
(8:13)  8. Blues For Wood
(8:07)  9. Greenwood II

Alex Sipiagin pays it forward with his eighth Criss Cross release, Generations, dedicated to the late Woody Shaw, a lesser celebrated but brilliant trumpeter who performed with artists including Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea, Eric Dolphy, Andrew Hill. A fiery stylist with perfect pitch and lyricism, Shaw was admired by peers and emulated by up-and-comers as Sipiagin confirms, "Even now, many years later, every time I listen to Woody, I always find something new and inspiring." Sipiagin is also a stylist himself; an exceptional player and leader whose clarion horn has been called upon by bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Michael Brecker. The trumpeter's band members are also leaders who have appeared on many of his releases, and were all members of various Brecker groups over the years, including the rhythmic underpinning of bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Antonio Sanchez. 

Adam Rogers, another leader in his own right, is the perfect complement to Sipiagin's warm tonality; a guitarist who continues to unveil his superlative skills on the similarly themed Due Reverence (Posi-Tone, 2010), saxophonist Ralph Bowen's tribute to other lesser-known but influential musicians. The trumpeter's group is convincing, with a persuasive mix of fresh Sipiagin originals and Shaw reworks that are pristine reflections and contrasts of both musicians. Rogers cooks up a funky riff throughout Sipiagin's "Greenwood I" and "Greenwood II" (an alternate take and a nod to older recordings), as the trumpeter throws down melodic notes with cool precision, shifting between multiple changes of swing. "Windy Bahn" is another original, initially sketched on the trumpeter's computer, a composition that features jagged tempo changes. The spirit of the great B3 organist Larry Young, with whom Shaw frequently performed, looms on three tracks Young's "Obsequious," as well as Shaw's "Cassandranite" and "Beyond All Limits." 

They're perfect examples of the elders' progressive ideas in structure and harmony, along with the keen arrangements with which Sipiagin highlights each musician the trumpeter's lucidity, Sanchez's detailed traps, Kozlov's meaty yet lithesome fingerings, and Rogers' liquid maneuvers. Referencing Shaw's biography and Sipiagin's liner notes, some historical points concerning these jazz musicians is noteworthy: First, Shaw felt an immediate connection to another forerunner, trumpeter Clifford Brown, who died in June 1956, the same month and year he started playing. Second, the first time Sipiagin heard Shaw was around 1985, while studying in Russia; four years before Shaw's untimely passing in 1989. From one impactful connection to the next; the music continues its vitality. ~ Mark F.Turner  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/generations-alex-sipiagin-criss-cross-review-by-mark-f-turner.php
 

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin: trumpet, flugelhorn; Adam Rogers: guitar; Boris Kozlov: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums.

Generations: Dedicated To Woody Shaw

---

Art Farmer - Silk Road

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:19
Size: 126,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:36)  1. Tonk
(8:22)  2. Ancient Evening
(5:34)  3. Stardust
(7:30)  4. Dance Of The One
(5:48)  5. Silk Road (Dedicated to D. Brown)
(6:57)  6. Flashback
(7:48)  7. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(6:41)  8. Coming Home

Art Farmer has long been one of the most consistent of all brassmen. Playing the flumpet (which is a cross between a trumpet and a flugelhorn), Farmer is heard throughout this 1996 set in top form. He utilizes two complementary young tenor saxophonists (Ron Blake and Don Braden), a skilled pianist-arranger (Geoff Keezer), bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Carl Allen. The repertoire consists of an original apiece by Farmer, Braden, and Davis, two by Keezer, Ray Bryant's memorable "Tonk," Duke Ellington's "I Let a Song Go out of My Heart," and a slightly altered rendition of "Stardust." 

While his sidemen play quite well, the warm-toned and swinging Farmer is consistently the main star, and at age 68 he proves to still be in his prime. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/silk-road-mw0000058233

Personnel:  Art Farmer – trumpet/flugelhorn;  Ron Blake – soprano tenor saxes;  Don Braden – soprano tenor saxes;  Geoff Keezer – piano;  Kenny Davis – bass;  Carl Allen - drums

Silk Road

---

Auction Project - Slink

Styles: Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:40
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:28)  1. Bear Island Reel
(8:28)  2. Cleveland
(8:35)  3. Slink
(8:43)  4. Richie Dwyer's Reel
(8:20)  5. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
(8:37)  6. Heron's Egg
(7:00)  7. Marquis Of Huntley
(9:01)  8. Angry White Man
(5:23)  9. Workmanship (Air)

It’s jazz, but then it’s something else. Slink (David Bixler, 2014) is a collection of nine songs, many with Irish or Celtic roots. The group is headed by David Bixler, alto saxophone; and Heather Martin Bixler, violin. The rest of the band are Arturo O’Farrill, piano; Carlo De Rosa, acoustic and electric bass; and Vince Cherico, drums and cymbals. “Bear Island Reel” opens the set. It’s a moderate groove with the sax and violin stating overlapping phrases during the melody. In the notes, the song is described as an early Irish version of the Funky Chicken. Bear Island is a location off the south of Ireland, where composer Finbar Dwyer grew up. A reel, explained in the text, is a folk dance. The Bixlers carry the lead during the main theme, making use of overlapping phrases. The violin is out front for a good bit of the first third of the song, before stepping aside for sax and piano solos. When the song reverts to the main theme, sax has the melody all by itself, with the violin ad-libbing and the piano putting in extra emphasis here and there.

Guitarist Mike Stern sits in on the title track. His unique style is evident from the first note. The title is named for one of the Bixler children, Seth, who is known to slink about and add stress to his parents’ lives. The music reflects that concept well as it changes moods and intensity. One can easily imagine this being the soundtrack to a motion picture sequence wherein some small person gets into things that fall just short of disaster. Cleaning bills will increase, if not medical expenses. Three of the nine songs on Slink were composed by David Bixler. Heather Martin Bixler wrote the closer, “Workmanship.” The other songs were arranged by David. The music is part tribute to Irish and Scottish heritage, and part reflection of the lives of the Bixlers and their children. http://www.smooth-jazz.de/Woodrow/Auction/Slink.htm

Personnel: David Bixler (alto saxophone); Heather Martin Bixler (violin); Arturo O'Farrill (piano); Carlo DeRosa (acoustic bass, electric bass); Vince Cherico (drums, cymbals).

Slink

---