Trelawny Rose - Shed A Little Light

Size: 105,4 MB
Time: 45:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Alone Together (3:54)
02. One Shot (3:58)
03. Skylark (3:55)
04. California (5:47)
05. Like A River (4:55)
06. Sometimes I Feel (4:59)
07. Those Clouds Are Heavy, You Dig (3:28)
08. Wish You Were Here (4:31)
09. Shed A Little Light (4:37)
10. Let It Be So (5:08)

Los Angeles based vocalist and recording artist, Trelawny Rose, is a Master Associate of celebrity vocal coach Roger Love (Maroon 5, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer), and is also a vocal coach for NBC's smash hit The Voice. Trelawny is known for her strong ability to help Artists overcome technical and emotional barriers to create breakthrough vocal performances. Whether it's creating on-the-fly vocal arrangements, helping artists express themselves confidently, or correcting vocal technique, Trelawny excels at bringing out each Artist's best vocal performance on stage and in the studio.

Trelawny Rose is the kind of pure talent that's instantly accessible, classic and timeless. Her smooth delivery across a wide range of styles makes her one of the standout voices of a generation. --Josh Haygood, MTV

Shed A Little Light

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Charlie Dennard - 5 O'Clock Charlie

Size: 133,7 MB
Time: 57:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Funky Jazz, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Grant's Pants (6:06)
02. Booby Trap (5:09)
03. Back In The Day (5:50)
04. Let's Go (6:14)
05. 5 O'clock Blues (4:47)
06. French Lick (6:05)
07. Hunch (7:00)
08. Blues By Five (5:46)
09. Carrot Cake (6:47)
10. Suicide Is Painless (Theme From Mash) (3:38)

Personnel:
Charlie Dennard – Hammond Organ, Rhodes
Todd Duke – Guitar
Doug Belote – Drums
Geoff Clapp – Drums


On this recording, Dennard showcases seven original compositions and three cover tunes that capture the simple, organic quality of musicians playing together in the moment. In the late 1990’s, Charlie had a standing gig at New Orleans’ famous Funky Butt with his band, then called 5 O’Clock Charlie. This recording marks a return to those roots, just as Charlie has returned to New Orleans after touring the world. This recording is groove-based, funky and fun.

Charlie Dennard (aka 5 O’Clock Charlie) : keyboards,vocoder,programming :
A protegé of Ellis Marsalis, Charlie has performed with a virtual Who’s Who in New Orleans, including being a founding member of New World Funk Ensemble, Quintology, Moore and More (with Stanton Moore of Galactic) and band-member/sideman for Michael Ray (from the Sun Ra Arkestra and Kool and the Gang), G Love and Special Sauce, Charlie Hunter, and Theresa Andersson to name a few. Charlie has also had the honor of accompanying former Beatle Paul McCartney. In 1996 Charlie produced his first CD of all original music featuring his own band, 5 O’Clock Charlie, entitled “The Lookout”.This record was followed by his solo ambient electronica release "Atmospheric Images", which served as a springboard for reviving the idea of a live electronica band. As a sideman, Charlie has also recorded alongside many greats such as Charles Neville, the Birmingham Metropolitan Orchestra, Steve Masakowski, and Robert Moore.

5 O'Clock Charlie

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Tash Lorayne - Light That Lives

Size: 123,5 MB
Time: 53:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Blues/Soul/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. Love At 2AM (4:42)
02. Serendipity (5:37)
03. My Pain For You (4:56)
04. Lover's Cry (4:46)
05. Love Me (4:34)
06. Kurlina (4:31)
07. Long Way Down To The Bottom (5:20)
08. Stop Runnin' (4:41)
09. Next To Me (4:16)
10. Tell Me Father (4:32)
11. Light That Lives (5:19)

In 2001 Tash began her career singing background vocals for then up and coming reggae artist Ammoye. They've opened for Beenie Man, Gyptian, Beres Hammond, Etana, Morgan Heritage, Maxi Priest and countless others.

In 2005 Tash went on the road as one of Divine Brown's backing Vocalists. They opened a 10 city tour for Bryan Adams in addition to singing live on Canada AM, CTV Playlist and the 2006 broadcast of the Juno Awards. When Jacksoul was added to the summer tour, Tash had the opportunity to lend vocals to their show as well.

She is currently collaborating with Stephen Weiman, an accomplished Singer/Songwriter, on her debut album which effortlessly blends Blues, Jazz, Soul and Folk.

Light That Lives

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Wycliffe Gordon - Somebody New

Size: 170,3 MB
Time: 73:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Big Band, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Herkie Jerkie ( 5:57)
02. I Got Rhythm ( 3:32)
03. What You Dealin' With ( 5:58)
04. Somebody New ( 4:11)
05. That Old Feeling ( 5:05)
06. If ( 3:29)
07. Wishing Well (10:02)
08. Pops For President ( 3:13)
09. Mood Indigo ( 5:18)
10. This Rhythm On My Mind ( 6:34)
11. Basin Street Blues ( 7:27)
12. Hello Pops ( 6:02)
13. Grease Bucket ( 6:29)

Recorded last fall with the DiMartino-Osland Jazz Orchestra (DOJO) in Lexington, KY, this CD features original compositions and arrangements by Wycliffe. The CD highlights Wycliffe on trombone, trumpet, tuba and vocals and features trumpeter Vince DiMartino and saxophonist Miles Osland.

Wycliffe Gordon, Renowned Musician, Composer, Conductor, Arranger

Awards:
Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Choice Award Best Trombone 2014, 2013 and 2012
Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Choice “Rising Star Award” Tuba 2014
Jazz Journalists Association Award/Trombonist of the Year – 2013, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2002, 2001
Jazz Journalists Association Critics’ Choice Award for Best Trombone – 2000
Former member of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
Featured guest artist on Billy Taylor’s “Jazz at the Kennedy Center” Series
Performance experience includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tommy Flanagan, Shirley Horn, Joe Henderson, Eric Reed, Randy Sandke and Branford Marsalis, plus many top players from the swing and traditional jazz world
Compositions performed by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon and Friends, the Brass Band of Battle Creek and numerous other ensembles, and performed in programs throughout the U.S. and abroad

Somebody New

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Jazmin Ghent - Boss

Size: 101,4 MB
Time: 37:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Compared To What (4:12)
02. Maybe Someday (4:41)
03. Ghentle (4:00)
04. Boss (3:26)
05. Memories Of You (4:42)
06. Sriracha (4:24)
07. Trust In You (4:29)
08. Eyo (3:10)
09. Jazzy Jazz (3:55)

When I first experienced this young lady’s considerable prowess on tenor sax, I was aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise 2014 (which I covered here on the Jazmine Ghentsite, leaving the review posted for about a year). I predicted then that we’d hear more from this saxtress who won the SJC 2014 amateur artist contest. I believe she then went by the pseudonym Jazmin J, offering a most convincing and stirring arrangement of the classic “Summertime.” After just a little over a year later, she has reemerged, this time as Jazmin Ghent, with her debut release Boss.

The album is a tasteful, well-produced one where she has penned all but two tracks and easily convinces listeners that her freshness and clean, solid style are just what we jazzers are looking for in the effort to regularly breath happy, new life into this genre we so love.

Introducing herself with robust confidence, Ghent offers a sassy interpretation on the classic “Compared to What” followed by “Maybe Someday,” a tender, rather romantic, light dance of melody that only a true jazz artist can deliver. She then proceeds to make certain that she marks some of C-jazz’s smoothly soulful turf as Ghent turf by sauntering in with the very expressive “Ghentle.”

The title track is as “phat” and funky as you could ever want, delivered with boldness, a touch of rawness, and plenty of oomph, and tracks like “Eyo” and “Jazzy Jazz” should signal that we are in for a long, satisfying run with Ghent.

I am so pleased that this new saxtress struts onto the C-jazz scene even faster than I’d imagined and comes fully prepared and equipped with classy artistry, great skill, and a full feel for what Ghent jazz will offer. Wonderful inaugural journey. – Ronald Jackson

Boss

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JoAnn Funk & Jeff Brueske - Jazz In The Lobby Bar

Size: 129,5 MB
Time: 55:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Very Thought Of You (4:00)
02. Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing (3:08)
03. Tea For Two (5:28)
04. You Asked Me To (3:53)
05. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (4:46)
06. I Get A Kick Out Of You (3:37)
07. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (4:15)
08. Joy Spring (3:13)
09. Someone To Watch Over Me (Feat. Pete Whitman) (6:19)
10. I'm Glad There Is You (Feat. Nathan Norman) (4:30)
11. Our Love Is Here To Stay (4:32)
12. You Fascinate Me So (Feat. Nathan Norman) (4:26)
13. Moon River (3:05)

Bassist Jeff and I have been performing Jazz in The Lobby Bar at The Saint Paul Hotel, in St Paul, Minnesota, for seven years. The gig feels to me like playing at the Algonquin in New York. Our audience is very astute and we are always challenged to learn and play at a high level. It's a rare and incredible opportunity to perform all the music I love to do, which ranges from Dave Frishberg, Gershwin and Nat King Cole to Waylon Jennings and Madeline Peyroux. Jeff Brueske is an amazing bassist - creative and always swinging. I love these tunes and I love arranging them so the spirit of them comes through.

The Cd is beautifully recorded. I have gotten great feedback on it ("I LOVE the CD!!!"), in addition to the great reviews below. I'm a Blossom Dearie, Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, anyone who sings well … fan. As a pianist I love Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Mose Allison, Dr John, Glenn Gould, … there is so much to listen to it's hard to list. One gets to be a compilation of all the styles you have heard and the life you have lived. I have my own style - people do tell me that.

Reviews:
She’s an accomplished pianist and a chameleonic vocalist. She can offer several different voices on the same song. She’s partial to a girlish coquette (the Marilyn Monroe evoking “Someone to Watch Over Me”) and a breathy balladeer (the country tinged “Anything You Ask”). .. she’s at her best with her more sophisticated vocals on “You Fascinate Me So”. ... Minneapolis Star Tribune Jon Bream 5/15/2015

Jazz in the Lobby Bar should engage audiences for years to come-- whether listening on personal audio equipment or in the comfy live setting of the Saint Paul Hotel, which just might be the best-kept jazz secret in the country. Although surely a recording, and talent, at this level can't hide for long. Nor should it. JazzPolice, Andrea Cantar 5/13/2015

.... Just when you think you never want to hear another version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” along comes jazz singer and pianist JoAnn Funk with one so idiomatic and enchanting that it seems like a brand-new song. Her voice, her arrangements, and her timing are sui generis, and she has the ideal musical partner in bassist Jeff Brueske. The CD is named for the place they have performed most Fridays and Saturdays for the past seven years, the elegant lobby of the Saint Paul Hotel ... MinnPost Pamela Espeland 5/15/2015

JoAnn Funk is perhaps our answer to Diana Krall-- a first class pianist who happens to also have a first-class voice which she uses to cover a wide range of material, from the classics of the Great American Songbook to Brazilian, contemporary blues, pop and even country writers -- George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Blossom Dearie, Peggy Lee, Waylon Jennings, Leonard Cohen. JoAnn defies comparison-- she has hints of many but the sum is uniquely JoAnn. Bassist Jeff Brueske is an ideal foil ... Twin Cities Jazz Festival Highlights 5/15/2015

Jazz In The Lobby Bar

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The Beach Boys - Summer Love Songs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:10
Size: 119.4 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Don't Worry Baby
[2:32] 2. Why Do Fools Fall In Love
[2:30] 3. Wouldn't It Be Nice
[2:51] 4. God Only Knows
[2:25] 5. Surfer Girl
[2:43] 6. California Girls
[2:48] 7. Please Let Me Wonder
[2:00] 8. In The Parkin' Lot
[2:25] 9. Your Summer Dream
[2:41] 10. Kiss Me, Baby
[2:40] 11. Hushabye
[2:32] 12. I'm So Young
[2:17] 13. Good To My Baby
[2:59] 14. Fallin' In Love
[2:53] 15. Time To Get Alone
[2:36] 16. Our Sweet Love
[2:44] 17. Help Me, Rhonda
[2:19] 18. Keep An Eye On Summer
[2:55] 19. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
[2:22] 20. Girls On The Beach

2009 collection from the harmony-laden California music legends. Summer Love Songs is a collection of 20 timeless Beach Boys love songs featuring six new stereo mixes and a rare Dennis Wilson track: 'Fallin' In Love', written and recorded by Dennis Wilson during the Beach Boys' Sunflower album sessions in 1970. There is minimal track cross-over with the two latest Beach Boys compilations, Sounds of Summer and The Warmth of the Sun. Features 'Don't Worry Baby' (new stereo mix), 'God Only Knows', 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love' (new stereo mix) and many more.

Summer Love Songs

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Mel Martin - Mel Martin Plays Benny Carter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 137.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[4:22] 1. A Kiss From You
[9:32] 2. Hello
[6:06] 3. Zanzibar
[6:59] 4. When Lights Are Low
[6:48] 5. Summer Serenade
[5:34] 6. Souvenir
[7:18] 7. Another Time, Another Place
[5:34] 8. Wonderland
[7:39] 9. Only Trust Your Heart

Mel Martin - tenor & soprano saxophones; Benny Carter - alto saxophone; Kenny Barron - piano; Roger Kellaway - piano; Rufus Reid - bass; Victor Lewis - drums; Jeff Chambers - bass; and Harold Jones - drums.

A mellow recording of Benny Carter's great compositions featuring two all star rhythm sections and an appearance by Benny Carter himself on three tracks recorded live at Yoshi's Nitespot. The remaining tracks were done in Rudy Van Gelder's famous studio featuring the great Kenny Barron on piano. This was Mel Martin's first solo recording project.

Mel Martin Plays Benny Carter

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Anna Sise - Detour Ahead

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:54
Size: 116.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[6:28] 1. Detour Ahead
[3:30] 2. I Think It's Gonna Rain Today
[5:20] 3. A Certain Sadness
[4:15] 4. St. James Infirmary
[4:00] 5. This Room Is Missing You
[3:36] 6. Closer To You
[5:30] 7. Don't Explain
[3:37] 8. Falling In Love Again
[3:45] 9. Fine And Mellow
[5:13] 10. Good Morning Heartache
[5:35] 11. Why Don't You Lie

Today I would like to talk about Anna Sise! She is a Swedish jazz singer and actress. Me and Anna produced her new album ”Detour Ahead” between 2014-2015. For me, it was a new experience working with jazz. But I like a lot! We sort of, had in the family, since my brother-in-law was Putte Wickman, the world leading jazz clarinet player. And good music will always be good music!

When I mixed Anna´s album I wanted to gain some modern qualities along side with the old traditions of jazz. Anna is elegant in every aspect. So for this reason I wanted the sound to be somewhat expensive! I may have exaggerated the depth of the acoustic bass, still I like it. ~Tomas Bodin

Detour Ahead

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John Scofield - That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays The Music Of Ray Charles

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:50
Size: 148.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz, Post bop
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[6:28] 1. Busted
[6:17] 2. What'd I Say
[3:44] 3. Sticks And Stones
[4:27] 4. I Don't Need No Doctor
[1:32] 5. Cryin' Time
[4:46] 6. I Can't Stop Loving You
[5:27] 7. Hit The Road Jack
[5:49] 8. Talkin' 'bout You I Got A Woman
[5:04] 9. Unchain My Heart (Part 1)
[3:28] 10. Let's Go Get Stoned
[4:55] 11. Night Time Is The Right Time
[4:57] 12. You Don't Know Me
[2:34] 13. Georgia On My Mind
[5:15] 14. Unchain My Heart (Part 2)

With John Scofield, a big part of the fun is never knowing what the guitarist will do from one album to the next. He might provide an album that is abstract and cerebral, or he might come up with something funky and groove-oriented; That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles is a perfect example of the latter. Featuring well-known guest vocalists who include Dr. John, Mavis Staples (as in the Staple Sisters), Aaron Neville and John Mayer, this tribute to the late Ray Charles is definitely one of Scofield's more commercial projects -- which isn't to say that he shouldn't be proud of the album. Commercialism isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as it is tastefully done, and That's What I Say is a tasteful effort that finds Scofield fluctuating between instrumental soul-jazz and vocal-oriented soul. Produced by drummer Steve Jordan, this 65-minute CD isn't for jazz snobs, but rather, those who hold jazz and R&B in equally high regard -- and people who fit that description will appreciate Scofield's instrumental soul-jazz workouts on "Hit the Road, Jack," "Busted" and "Unchain My Heart," but will be equally receptive to the straight-up R&B singing of Neville on "You Don't Know Me" and Staples on Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You" (one of the many country songs that received an R&B makeover from Charles). The disc's only disappointing track is an instrumental version of Buck Owens' "Cryin' Time." Scofield uses the Bakersfield sound honky tonk classic as a brief interlude to "I Can't Stop Loving You," but "Cryin' Time" deserved more of his time than a minute and a half -- and it's regrettable that Scofield doesn't stretch out on the Owens gem. But overall, That's What I Say is a creative success for Scofield and the R&B and jazz artists who join him. ~Alex Henderson

That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays The Music Of Ray Charles

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Hank Mobley - Soul Station

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:05
Size: 84.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1960/1999
Art: Front

[5:37] 1. Remember
[6:21] 2. This I Dig Of You
[6:05] 3. Dig Dis
[4:51] 4. Split Feelin's
[9:03] 5. Soul Station
[5:06] 6. If I Should Lose You

Often overlooked, perhaps because he wasn't a great innovator in jazz but merely a stellar performer, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was at the peak of his powers on Soul Station. Recorded with a superstar quartet including Art Blakey on drums, Paul Chambers on bass, and Wynton Kelly on piano, it was the first album since Mobley's 1955 debut to feature him as a leader without any other accompanying horns. The clean, uncomplicated sound that resulted from that grouping helps make it the best among his albums and a peak moment during a particularly strong period in his career. Mobley has no problem running the show here, and he does it without being flashy or burying the strong work of his sidemen. The solidness of his technique means that he can handle material that is occasionally rhythmically intricate, while still maintaining the kind of easy roundness and warmth displayed by the best players of the swing era. Two carefully chosen standards, "Remember" and "If I Should Lose You," help to reinforce that impression by casting an eye back to the classic jazz era. They bookend four Mobley originals that, in contrast, reflect the best of small-group composition with their lightness and tight dynamics. Overall, this is a stellar set from one of the more underrated musicians of the bop era. ~Stacia Proefrock

Soul Station

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Elisabeth Kontomanou - Waitin' For Spring

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:09
Size: 132,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Sunny
(6:07)  2. Waitin' for Spring
(5:20)  3. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
(5:42)  4. The Good Life
(4:03)  5. Fever
(5:23)  6. Duke Ellington Sound of Love
(7:18)  7. Ayanna Left New Orleans and Went to Mexico
(4:03)  8. The Bird in Me
(3:34)  9. I'll Never Be the Same
(4:14) 10. Will Love Stay in My Heart
(4:39) 11. We'll Be Together Again

Of Greek and African origin and born in France, Elisabeth Kontomanou has worked with musicians on both the European and American scenes Leon Parker, Michel Legrand, Mike Stern, Alain Jean-Marie and Toots Thielemans to name a few. She first gained recognition at the "Concours de La Defense," which enabled her to play at jazz festivals, then was nominated for a Django D'Or following her album Embrace. Kontomanou played at world-renowned venues the Blue Note, the Knitting Factory and the Supper Club. She does not limit herself to purely musical endeavours, branching out to both musical cinema (Masque de Lune by Michel Legrand, 1988) and musical comedy (Rag Time, 2003). ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Waitin-Spring-Elisabeth-Kontomanou/dp/B000BU9ABE

It is not too late to go on the album of Elisabeth Kontomanou , released in late 2005, to say all the good we think. Still any haloed rightly, of its 2006 Jazz Victory "for Waiting For Spring , the singer is first offered a nice cast. But not just any! Because it succeeds in catalyzing around it a real band at the service of music where jazz and blues mix. The album is very well balanced between the themes sometimes "popular", the singer reappropriates sumptuously ("Sunny", "Fever" and "The Good Life") or somewhat forgotten standards ("Duke Ellington Sounds Of Love "of Mingus or "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" by Arlen and Koehler ). But it also contains original compositions such as "The Bird In Me" masterfully interpreted in duet with Laurent Coq (who wrote the music) or "Waiting For Spring" and "New Orleans Ayanna Left And Went To Mexico", which give to hear dazzling chorus Sam Newsome soprano.

A rhythmic, Donald Kontomanou especially Daryl Hall are, from beginning to end, spotlessly accuracy and depth. John Scofield , meanwhile, does not the numbers: it invests falls, moved, recovery always the group (of "Sunny" especially). But of course, last but not least , Elisabeth Kontomanou is the real star of this disc. She offers her voice sometimes sweet and sensual, sometimes brilliant, but always with a depth and a rare intimacy. How not to be moved to tears listening to "The Good Life" (but yes, but yes ...) and especially "The Bird In Me"? Waiting For Spring is an album by any exceptional item, a sincerity and a Master that demands admiration and we can listen to the envi. Translate by google  http://www.citizenjazz.com/Elisabeth-Kontomanou.html

Personnel:  Elisabeth Kontomanou (voc), Laurent Coq (p), Daryl Hall (b), Donald Kontomanou (d), Sam Newsome (ss), John Scofield (g)

Waitin' For Spring

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Soren Moller Trio - Let There Be Love

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:49
Size: 144,0 MB
Art: Front

(9:32)  1. Let There Be Love
(6:52)  2. All Good Things Comes to He Who Waits
(6:47)  3. Everything Happens to Me
(7:15)  4. Drumistic
(8:24)  5. The Nearness of You
(8:40)  6. The Awakening
(7:16)  7. Easy to Love
(7:59)  8. Søren's Hit Tune

33-year old pianist/composer Soren Moller was raised in a small town in Denmark. He began playing piano at the age of 8, learning both classical and jazz piano from local public school teachers in the community. At the age of 16 Soren Moller was making a living as a piano teacher as well as an accompanist and had started taking lessons in jazz piano from some of Denmark most well known pianists. At 19 he was admitted to the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark. After graduation Soren Moller continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Here he studied with piano great Kenny Barron as well as Garry Dial and Fred Hersch as a Fulbright Scholarship recipient.After moving to New York in 2002 Soren Moller quickly earned a reputation as a formidable piano talent. As a leader he was accepted to host an ensemble of the most distinguished musicians from the Manhattan School of Music to a performance at the Carnegie Hall as part of the Carnegie Hall Workshop for Jazz Ensembles.Together with trombone player Chris Washburne and saxophonist Ole Mathisen, Soren Moller has founded the NYNDK Jazz Collective. An ensemble consisting of established musicians from the Scandinavian and the New York jazz scene. The NYNDK Jazz Collective has toured extensively in Scandinavia and performed at Jazz At Lincoln Center.

New York Times Nate Chinen has recognized the NYNDK Jazz Collective as a “pointedly cosmopolitan post-bop collective”. As a composer Soren Moller has contributed with compositions for his own ensembles including the Soren Moller Trio and the Soren Moller & Dick Oatts Duo as well as the newly released CD A Tribute To Trane, featuring famous drummer Antonio Sanchez. In 2007 Soren Moller premiered his big band suite Three Speeches at The Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Copenhagen and has since worked as a big band composer and soloist with various big bands.Soren Moller has also performed and/or recorded with a number of today’s most re-known musicians, including Antonio Sanchez, Dick Oatts, Mark Turner, Jason Marsalis, Cameron Brown, Ari Honig, John Benitez, Tony Moreno, Scott Neumann, Anders Bergcrantz, Barak Mori, Obed Calvaire, and Francois Moutin among others. Soren Moller has toured in Countries such as: England, Germany, Norway, Italy, Holland, South Africa, USA and Denmark.

~ Bio  https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11862388/Website%20Pressroom/bio.pdf

Let There Be Love

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Pete Candoli - From The Top

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:40
Size: 70,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. Frankie & Johnny
(4:06)  2. Nature Boy
(3:43)  3. Drumette
(3:31)  4. Fascinating Rhythm (From Lady Be Good)
(3:57)  5. Sometimes I'm Happy From Hit the Deck
(6:51)  6. Summertime (From Porgy And Bess)
(4:04)  7. Moped

The elder of the trumpet-playing Candoli brothers, Pete initially made the greater impact of the two in Woody Herman's First Herd at the tail end of the swing era. A powerful, flamboyant soloist, his big moment came toward the end of "Apple Honey," where he would appear in a Superman costume and cut loose scorching, dissonant flurries of high notes. Pete started with the Sonny Dunham band in his 17th year (1940-1941) and passed through the bands of Will Bradley, Benny Goodman, Ray McKinley, Tommy Dorsey, Freddie Slack, and Charlie Barnet before settling into the Herman band from 1944 to 1946. He worked for Tex Beneke (1947-1949) and Jerry Gray (1950-1951) before moving to Los Angeles, where he became immersed in studio work with side trips into the Les Brown (1952) and Stan Kenton (1954-1956) bands. From 1957 to 1962, he co-led a group with Conte and later fronted his own band, while recording on his own for Columbia, Warner Bros., Kapp, and Somerset. He has been married to singers Betty Hutton and Edie Adams; with the latter, he formed a nightclub act in 1972 in which he sang, danced, led the orchestra, and played. He would continue to perform with Conte off and on into the 1990s. Although Pete's profile had been low and his trumpet technique slipped in later years, he could still burn in a swing-grounded manner in the '90s. Bio ~ Richard S.Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pete-candoli-mn0000263395/biography

From The Top

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Nikki Yanofsky - Little Secret

Styles: Pop, Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:05
Size: 90,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. Something New
(3:24)  2. Blessed With Your Curse
(3:55)  3. Waiting On The Sun
(3:45)  4. Necessary Evil
(3:19)  5. Little Secret
(3:00)  6. Jeepers Creepers 2.0
(3:36)  7. Out Of Nowhere
(2:28)  8. You Mean The World To Me
(3:00)  9. Knock Knock
(3:12) 10. Enough Of You
(3:10) 11. Bang
(3:20) 12. Kaboom Pow

Yanofsky is trying to find herself on Little Secret, but she’s doing it with the help of none other than Quincy Jones, so maybe the search is, uh, less personal than professional. Yanofsky has the pipes and maybe the look of a pop star. But what is undeniably strange about this recording is the way in which it nominally tries to be a “jazz” record as well as a pop record. Q and his young ward are trying to retain (somewhat) the things that make Yanofsky unique while, simultaneously, putting her over as a soul singer, a pop star, a raucous hit-maker. It’s a tricky needle to thread. The temptation is to spread your bets around the table a bit, try a few different things. And that is the case here. The dominant sound on Little Secret is an enjoyable neo-soul sound that was copped, maybe more than just a little bit, from Amy Winehouse’s fun and joyous Back to Black. The opening track, “Something New”,...isn’t. There’s nothing new about the quick pick-ups to certain bars of the verse played by a honking R&B baritone sax, the horn blasts, and even the tune’s structure/melody/chords, which sound a whole lot like Herbie Hancock’s classic “Watermelon Man”. But that’s cool  novelty is not the most important thing in pop music. And, even though Yanofsky claims in her booklet notes that Quincy thinks she “can give jazz new life”, this is pop music, purely as anything can be.

Yanofsky’s last record, Nikki, came out in 2010, and it packaged her as a different kind of pop star. She was collaborating with Jesse Harris on songwriting Harris being the composer of Norah Jones’s mega-hit “Don’t Know Why”, a guy with a genuine feel for smart, easy-to-love-but-still-hip, jazz-inflected singer-songwriter pop. Little Secret not only abandons those kinds of arrangments, but it finds our young singer using a vocal approach that is infused with the embellishments, vocal tics, and even lyric pronunciations of a standard-issue 2014 soul diva. It’s a vocal style both calculated to sell and probably one that makes lots of sense to a 20 year-old in the year 2014. Still, Little Secret makes this game but often awkward attempt to still be a jazz record. To my ears the feints toward jazz are superficial and odd.  Most plainly, there is the positively peculiar “Jeepers Creepers 2.0”, a funked-out version of the old-timey tune associated with Ella, adorned with both period-styled piano and booming synth bass, both ‘30s-sounding horn bits and electronic precussion. Maybe there’s an audience that wants to hear a corny old novelty song given a dancehall interpretation…maybe? Unlikely.

“You Mean the World to Me”, as written, is an old-fashioned 32-par Tin Pan Alley type song, and for the first 12 bars of the arrangement, the production is that of a jazz record. On the next bar, however, Panofsky’s vocals are suddenly drenched in pop effects and the drums go into a funk backbeat. It’s kind of a big band arrangement and kind of a dance track. And, thus, neither, really. Elsewhere, amidst songs otherwise straight down the middle of the soul/R&B road, Yanofsky is asked to do a whole bunch of scat singing. “Blessed with Your Curse” actually opens with a bit of this, setting it up as the tune’s hook, doubled by horns. For the most part, the tune is drenched in reverb, electronic/groove percussion, and a big, hooky chorus, but it starts with scatting. (Panofsky’s booklet notes refer to this song as being written from a scat line.) Scat singing appears again in the closing seconds of “Waiting on the Sun”, which is a more middle-of-the-road soul ballad, and doo-doot-be-bwee-doooop there it is again in the last 30 seconds of “Necessary Evil”. On “Knock Knock”, a slow funk thing with a punchy horn-based arrangement also laced with some string parts, there it is again.

Then there is the album’s title track, which starts with a bass line and brushes-on-snare groove that clearly sets out to remind listeners of the Peggy Lee classic “Fever”, even stealing a bit of that old song’s melody on the verse. The song quickly revs into a shoutable chorus, with Yanofsky’s soul cry rising up above things. But through to the end, it uses little bits and pieces of nostalgia to evoke the past: quick bits of overdubbed vocal harmony that sound slightly Andrews Sisters-esque, for example. Mostly, though, you can read this recording’s intent even just in the song titles alone: “Knock Knock”, “Kaboom Pow” and “Bang” are pretty clear in this regard. Yanofsky and Mr. Quincy Jones are trying to get your attention. (One irresistible bit from the recording’s booklet: Yanofsky recalls the first time she met “Q”—as he met her in his living room wearing a bathrobe and slippers…and carrying a smoothie. Yes, this is exactly how I want to see Quincy Jones in my mind!) “Enough of You” is a great pop song, pretty much the standard kiss-off of a misbehaving boyfriend, but grooving like mad in that retro way, some vibes clanging amidest the funky beat, a hip horn break right before Yanofsky gives her version of a James Brown cry, then back to the chorus. Tasty, zesty, danceable! “Kaboom” is even better, uptempo groove music you’d want to hear at a party, a wall of sound coming at you rich in pop syncopation, mechanical I suppose but as 2014 pop music goes pretty sincere in just wanting to be fun. (Is there some scat singing in there too? Yes. But the stacked soul vocals on the breakdown chorus toward the end sounds nothing like Ella, and happily so.) “Tonight we’re going 24 hours / So turn it up a little bit louder” a good lyric for a 20 year-old.

If you’re looking for modern jazz singers who happen to be from Canada, there’s always Diana Krall, though she’s currently mired in a David Foster-produced mess on Verve that is also a bid for pop stardom of a much more boring kind. Better, you can check out Elizabeth Shepherd, a jazz-trained pianist and singer whose new The Signal funky and insinuating but smart and sophisticated too an original voice who is organically fusing jazz and pop, not trying to graft them together with gimmicks or Crazy Glue. Nikki, you are released from having to “somehow fuse jazz and pop” or from Quincy’s hope that you will “give jazz new life”. Just make some more grooving pop music a surface pleasure perhaps, but no sin. It’ll sound better with the scat singing and the odd jabs at bigbandiness. Get your young groove on with the retro-guilt. But do have a smoothie with Q for the rest of us. ~ Will Layman  http://www.popmatters.com/review/188285-nikki-yanofsky-little-secret/

Little Secret

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Claude Williams - Swing Time In New York

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:56
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Limehouse Blues
(6:01)  2. Laura
(3:29)  3. You've Got To See Your Mama Ev'ry Night Or You Can't See Mama At All
(4:23)  4. I've Got The World On A String
(5:40)  5. Mood Indigo
(5:20)  6. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
(3:59)  7. Just You, Just Me
(5:58)  8. Mean To Me
(5:38)  9. Lester Leaps In
(6:12) 10. My Buddy
(3:44) 11. I Can't Give You Anything
(4:30) 12. Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)
(4:18) 13. Straight, No Chaser
(3:22) 14. I Want You, I Need You

Violinist Claude Williams, at the age of 86, shows that he is still in his musical prime during this quintet date with Bill Easley (who switches between tenor, clarinet and flute), pianist Sir Roland Hanna, bassist Earl May and drummer Joe Ascione. Williams was with both Andy Kirk and Count Basie shortly before they made it big but has spent most of his long career in Kansas City in obscurity. Fortunately he has made several worthy recordings in his later years and this is one of his best, a well-rounded set ranging in repertoire from one of the first songs he ever learned ("You've Got to See Your Mama Ev'ry Night or You Can't See Mama at All") to Ellington, Monk ("Straight No Chaser") and even Stevie Wonder ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life"). The emphasis is on swing and Claude Williams is heard near the peak of his powers. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/swingtime-in-new-york-mw0000648389

Personnel: Claude Williams (violin, vocals); Sir Roland Hanna, Bill Easley, Earl May, Joe Asione.

Swing Time In New York

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Bob Ragona - That Old Feeling

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:59
Size: 119,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. That Old Feeling
(7:07)  2. Beautiful Love
(5:54)  3. I Wish I Knew
(5:34)  4. Blue Bossa
(5:05)  5. Darn That Dream
(6:30)  6. Full Moon in Philly
(4:39)  7. The Night We Called It A Day
(4:54)  8. My Foolish Heart
(3:11)  9. I'll Close My Eyes
(6:13) 10. Sonny's Place

Bob Ragona, one of the fine performers of jazz, singing and playing saxophone in local venues in his native n.y.c. and touring the country and europe, has finally produced his own concept of the music he loves ".the great american songbook"....bob is one of those singer's, singers with the ability to interpet a lyric that makes you feel it's just for you. his sense of ballad and swing is superb"jerry weinberger" " sheepshead bay news""that old feeling" represents just that, some warm sensitive ballads some easy swing and some fine saxophone playing by bob, with the help of three of the finest performers in jazz. bobby forrester-piano&hammond b3. dave jackson-bass clarence "tootsie" bean-drums...listen as they celebrate the great american songbook....http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ragona

That Old Feeling

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