Various - American Graffiti (Highlights)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:43
Size: 109.3 MB
Styles: Oldies
Year: 1973/1998
Art: Front

[2:09] 1. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around The Clock
[2:16] 2. Del Shannon - Runaway
[2:17] 3. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
[2:14] 4. Buddy Holly - That'll Be The Day
[2:18] 5. Chuck Berry - Almost Grown
[2:37] 6. The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:06] 7. The Diamonds - Little Darlin'
[2:07] 8. The Regents - Barbara Ann
[2:00] 9. The Crickets - Maybe Baby
[2:24] 10. Fats Domino - Ain't That A Shame
[2:38] 11. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
[3:20] 12. The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:42] 13. The Five Satins - To The Aisle
[2:39] 14. The Del Vikings - Come Go With Me
[1:55] 15. Johnny Burnette - You're Sixteen
[1:50] 16. The Clovers - Love Potion No. 9
[2:35] 17. The Skyliners - Since I Don't Have You
[2:39] 18. The Platters - Only You (And You Alone)
[2:42] 19. The Spaniels - Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight
[2:05] 20. The Beach Boys - All Summer Long

In 1998, the original two-album set gets reduced to a single compact-disc selection to coincide with the 25th anniversary re-release of the original motion picture American Graffiti -- hence this best-of compilation, a curious release in and of itself. Still utilizing voice-overs from the late disc jockey Wolfman Jack, who had a memorable cameo in the movie, American Graffiti Highlights: 25th Anniversary Edition pares the original two-disc set down to highlights from Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode," "Almost Grown"), Buddy Holly ("That'll Be the Day," "Maybe Baby"), the Platters ("Only You," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), great rocking one-shots from Fats Domino, Del Shannon, Johnny Burnette, Bill Haley, and the Beach Boys, and plenty of great doo wop from the Spaniels, the Skyliners, the Clovers, Dell Vikings, the Five Satins, the Flamingos, the Regents, and the Diamonds. Even in this truncated 20-track form, this is still one great little oldies compilation to add to the collection. ~Cub Koda

American Graffiti (Highlights)

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Wynton Marsalis - Standards And Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 71:12

Size: 163.0 MB

Styles: Trumpet jazz

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[5:08] 1. When It's Sleepy Time Down South

[4:07] 2. Stardust

[7:13] 3. Embraceable You

[6:16] 4. Reflections

[5:42] 5. After You've Gone

[2:53] 6. The Seductress

[6:16] 7. My Ideal

[5:59] 8. Spring Yaoundé

[5:08] 9. Melancholia

[2:48] 10. Where Or When

[5:54] 11. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry

[5:04] 12. April In Paris

[5:20] 13. I Can't Get Started

[3:19] 14. Flamingo

Drawing from previous Columbia albums that were originally released between 1983 and 1999, this compilation serves as a best of collection when it comes to jazz’s traditional partnership with the romantic song. It’s a love-fest. What’s more, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis shares his passion for these fourteen chestnuts with his audience fluently, readily and sincerely.

Whether it’s the open horn on “Embraceable You” with piano trio or the muted Louis Armstrong tribute on “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” Marsalis lays it down accurately. He gets his point across. With strings, as on “Stardust,” he’s in ecstasy, just sitting back comfortably and letting the emotion flow.

The trumpeter has been criticized for several decades. That kind of discussion seems to follow fame like a lost dog on a country road. Just when you think it’s gone, you see it again over your left shoulder. Marsalis never deserved most of the criticism that was shoveled his way. Not for his trumpet playing, that is. He remains one of the best there is. Technically brilliant, rich in tone, fluid in seamless transition and conservative in his approach to improvisation, he marks the center of what jazz is.

Standards And Ballads   

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Linda Ronstadt - Hummin' To Myself

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:58

Size: 84.6 MB

Styles: Vocal, Standards

Year: 2004

Art: Front

[4:31] 1. Tell Him I Said Hello

[2:21] 2. Never Will I Marry

[4:23] 3. Cry Me A River

[2:42] 4. Hummin' To Myself

[3:09] 5. Miss Otis Regrets

[3:33] 6. I Fall In Love Too Easily

[2:59] 7. Blue Prelude

[4:26] 8. Day Dream

[3:24] 9. I've Never Been In Love Before

[2:48] 10. Get Out Of Town

[2:36] 11. I'll Be Seeing You

Beginning with her 1983 album What's New, Linda Ronstadt broke away from the pop/rock world and collaborated with Nelson Riddle on a trilogy of traditional pop standards that were confidently performed and well-received. Riddle's satiny arrangements swirled around Ronstadt's rich voice as she played the kind of demure chanteuse who might have been headlining at a fashionable nightclub back in the day. The albums were lush and beautifully crafted but by the third album the formula had become tired and the novelty had worn thin. Twenty years later another fading rocker, Rod Stewart, recorded his own highly successful standards trilogy and perhaps it was his success that spurred Ronstadt to revisit the traditional pop catalog once again. Hummin' to Myself is basically a throwback to her albums that were throwbacks when first recorded. This time around Ronstadt and arranger Alan Broadbent dispense with the full orchestra in favor of a smaller big band-style combo and this setting actually works in her favor. As a rock vocalist, Ronstadt could growl with the best and there was a certain spark in songs like "Get Closer" that let a listener know that this pretty woman had a slightly naughty side. That spark was appropriately missing from the Riddle albums and with Hummin' she has a chance to incorporate a little of her rock bawdiness into her selection of standards. She does this to perfection on "Never Will I Marry," as Frank Loesser's jazzy tune showcases a performance that is sassy and one of Ronstadt's best covers. To a lesser extent, the title track and "Get Out of Town" have some zest to them, but even with the lighter arrangements, her reliance on ballads like "Cry Me a River" and "I'll Be Seeing You" take up the majority of space and bog down the disc. Even her down-tempo version of "Miss Otis Regrets" completely stifles the song's comedic, yet tragic, story line. Ronstadt was on to something when she dispensed with Riddle's orchestrations in favor of Broadbent's big-band arrangements, but the spunk shown in a few tunes isn't enough to fully carry the disc. However, with its different approach Hummin' to Myself is quite possibly Linda Ronstadt's most successful standards outing. ~Aaron Latham

Hummin' To Myself

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The Tom Kubis Big Band - Keep Swingin': The Tom Kubis Big Band Plays Steve Allen

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 69:04

Size: 158.1 MB

Styles: Swing, Big band

Year: 1997/2008

Art: Front

[3:41] 1. Jumpy Blues

[4:45] 2. Tango Blues

[4:30] 3. Hoagy's Indiana

[3:37] 4. Le Jazz Hot

[3:12] 5. Oh, That Face

[3:44] 6. Sultry Samba

[4:44] 7. Cold September Morning

[2:54] 8. Jump, John

[3:35] 9. In The Winter, In The Summer

[3:00] 10. Mama Used To Do The Cha Cha

[5:12] 11. Something Mysterious

[6:56] 12. You Got To Have The Blues Sometimes

[3:29] 13. Keep Swingin'

[4:22] 14. Happy Tuesday

[2:05] 15. Chittlins

[4:41] 16. Payin' Your Dues

[4:29] 17. Livin' In L.A.

Steve Allen wrote a countless number of songs in his career, most of which have been long forgotten. On two CDs (of which this is the second), bandleader Tom Kubis and his orchestra perform Kubis' arrangements of some of Allen's tunes. Although the melodies are generally not memorable, the band's performances are impeccable, reasonably inventive, and swinging. Many soloists are heard from along the way, including Kubis himself (on tenor and soprano), trumpeters George Graham, Jeff Bunnell, and Stan Martin, all three trombonists, guitarist Grant Geissman, altoist Sal Lozano, and Rusty Higgins on tenor. Jack Sheldon guests on "Tango Blues" (which he sings) and "Chittlins," while Steve Allen himself sings the humorous if downbeat "Livin' in L.A." ~Scott Yanow

Keep Swingin': The Tom Kubis Big Band Plays Steve Allen

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Cyrus Chestnut - Earth Stories

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:52
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Decisions, Decisions
(6:12)  2. Grandmama's Blues
(4:05)  3. My Song in the Night
(3:34)  4. Nutman's Invention #1
(4:20)  5. Blues from the East
(6:06)  6. Cooldaddy's Perspective
(4:30)  7. Maria's Folly
(6:28)  8. East of the Sun (And West of t
(2:28)  9. Gomez
(4:34) 10. Whoopi
(2:47) 11. In the Garden

Cyrus Chestnut's third Atlantic CD continues to showcase his tremendous growth as a thought-provoking pianist and composer. "In the Garden" is an inspirational solo indicating his gospel roots. "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" proves his ability to create a novel trio arrangement of a standard tune covered by numerous musicians. The remaining tracks include a number of outstanding originals, especially the reflective "My Song in the Night" and the playful "Maria's Folly." ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/earth-stories-mw0000181948

Personnel: Cyrus Chestnut (piano); Antonio Hart (alto saxophone); Steven Carrington (tenor saxophone); Eddie Allen (trumpet); Steve Kirby (bass); Alvester Garnett (drums).

Earth Stories

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Kenny Werner - Coalition

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:57
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:38)  1. Phonetics #2 (Folk Dance)
( 7:09)  2. April Blue
(10:29)  3. Flying
(12:06)  4. Swan Song
( 8:41)  5. Tune 4
(10:52)  6. Wishful Dreaming

Kenny Werner suggests that Coalition be the name of this bass-less quintet as well as the title of their debut, and the often-roiling alliance of cultures at play here fortifies the moniker on both counts. In the liner notes, he says he built the group around Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke and Puerto Rican alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón the musicians “I most wanted to learn from.” Ample leeway is given to both. Zenón’s antic, funky “Phonetics #2 (Folk Dance)” leads off, with handclaps surging into one of the saxophonist’s patented slippery-quick rhythmic excursions. Loueke’s “Flying” is more than twice the length of his duet rendition with Esperanza Spalding on his 2010 record Mwaliko, largely due to the guitarist making like Ladysmith Black Mambazo with his multitracked vocals before a succession of audacious jazz-rock solos, highlighted by Zenón and then Werner on electric piano.

Werner’s leadership is subtly exerted. The other four compositions are his and, as fans might expect, include a ballad to swoon for (“Swan Song”) and a sophisticated but zesty Afro-Latin vehicle (“Tune 4”). Werner anchors the former with a lengthy, barely accompanied rumination on acoustic piano. On the latter, he fills the seams while Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel quotes “St. Thomas” during his mezzo-soprano solo and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth roams his kit with glee. Coalition provides the latest evidence that there is no typical Kenny Werner project. The pianist-composer-improviser keeps veering forward in directions that challenge his listeners and himself. The consistent quality of his outings rewards remaining hot on his trail. ~ Britt Robson  http://jazztimes.com/articles/147623-coalition-kenny-werner

Personnel: Lionel Loueke (vocals, guitar); Benjamin Koppel (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Miguel Zenón (alto saxophone); Kenny Werner (piano, electric piano); Ferenc Nemeth (drums, percussion).

Coalition

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