Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Ray Brown - The Poll Winners: Exploring The Scene

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:09
Size: 94.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Cool jazz
Year: 1960/1999
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Little Susie
[4:51] 2. The Duke
[5:25] 3. So What
[3:25] 4. Misty
[3:29] 5. Doodlin'
[3:17] 6. The Golden Striker
[5:26] 7. Li'l Darlin'
[4:46] 8. The Blessing
[6:34] 9. This Here

For one of their better outings, the Poll Winners (guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne) perform nine fairly recent jazz standards. It is ironic that this is their only release not yet reissued on CD, since it may very well be their strongest program. The trio performs creative versions of such songs as "Little Susie," "So What," "Doodlin'," "This Here," and Ornette Coleman's "The Blessing." Worth searching for. ~Scott Yanow

The Poll Winners: Exploring The Scene

---

Anne Weerapass - Out Of Nowhere

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:23
Size: 110.8 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms, Jazz vocals
Year: 2004/2011
Art: Front

[5:20] 1. Out Of Nowhere
[4:32] 2. The Way You Look Tonight
[5:30] 3. So Many Stars
[5:41] 4. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
[4:09] 5. Night & Day
[6:14] 6. He's Funny That Way
[4:01] 7. Close Your Eyes
[3:51] 8. What A Difference A Day Made
[3:53] 9. So Nice (Summer Samba)
[5:08] 10. Embraceable You

Anne Weerapass has been singing professionally since she was 19, as a solo artiste, as well as lead vocalist for various bands. Her jazz repertoire covers the greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Dinah Washington. She has worked with top international stars such as Ronan Keating and Regine Velasquez, and performed in Japan with Dick Lee during the promotional tour of his 'Mad Chinaman' album.

Anne performs regularly at various jazz bars and clubs internationally including the following ones in Singapore, The Fullerton, The Raffles Hotel, Equinox, and most recently at the Bamboo Bar in Oriental Bangkok. She has a wide repertoire that covers R&B, hip-hop, jazz-fusion, contemporary jazz, Top 40s, pop, retro and classics. Her versatility allows her to form a lively rapport with the audience, be it a lounge full of jazz enthusiasts, a crowded dance floor of teens or a bar of retro music fans.

Out Of Nowhere

---

Bryan Shaw - Night Owl

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:31
Size: 138.5 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. I Wish I Were Twins
[5:20] 2. Snafu
[5:24] 3. Body And Soul
[3:58] 4. Panhandle Roag
[5:19] 5. Ol' Pappy
[6:26] 6. Bean And The Boys
[8:16] 7. Night Owl
[4:18] 8. They Say It's Spring
[3:59] 9. I'm Comin' Virginia
[5:30] 10. Accent On Youth
[4:54] 11. Aunt Hagar's Blues
[3:09] 12. It's Been So Long

Trumpeter Bryan Shaw delivers a confident sound filled with melodic low-register work. His imaginative ballad work is reminiscent of Bunny Berigan and Bix Beiderbecke, while his fiery individualism reflects Roy Eldridge and Ruby Braff. Shaw's core band has the lustrous Dan Barrett on trombone plus some arrangements, innovative Brian Ogilvie on clarinet and tenor sax, inventive Dave Frishberg on piano and dynamic Jeff Hamilton on drums. Barrett and Ogilvie consistently deliver splendid solos. The ensemble is showcased best on "Accent on Youth," and on "Bean and the Boys," Coleman Hawkins' take-off on "Lover, Come Back to Me." Many of the album's 12 tracks reach back into the '30s and '40s, which may be "new" material for some listeners. A Kansas City-style rhythm section prevails throughout, providing a strong base for now-rare renditions of "Aunt Hagar's Blues," "Panhandle Rag," "Ol' Pappy" and "I'm Comin' Virginia." Recorded during two sessions in New York and California, the tracks alternately add Bucky Pizzarelli or Eddie Erickson on guitar, Scott Robinson or Chuck Wilson on reeds, Joel Forbes or David Stone on bass, with Rebecca Kilgore on two vocals. ~Patricia Myers

Night Owl

---

Aled Jones - Reason To Believe

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:45
Size: 113.9 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:33] 1. No Frontiers
[3:33] 2. Reason To Believe
[3:34] 3. Some Kind Of Wonderful
[2:40] 4. If, Song
[3:41] 5. Father & Son
[3:19] 6. Hallelujah, Song
[3:47] 7. Angel, Song
[4:13] 8. All My Trials Lord
[4:12] 9. Always There
[3:21] 10. The Rose, Song
[4:48] 11. You've Got A Friend
[4:36] 12. Be Still My Soul
[3:22] 13. Whenever God Shines His Light

One would never guess that Reason to Believe was an Aled Jones album, after all, wasn't he the choir boy with the angelic soprano voice singing the sorts of songs one would hear regularly on Songs of Praise or other religious television programs? Well, yes he was, but even choir boys grow up, and Jones shows a maturity in his voice on Reason to Believe that is both surprising and pleasant. There were still the religious overtones on tracks such as "Hallelujah," "All My Trails Lord," "Be Still My Soul," and "Whenever God Shines His Light," which was the only up-tempo track among of a sea of ballads, but the rest of the album was a mix of non-religious originals and cover versions. He duets with Cerys Matthews on "Some Kind of Wonderful," and Gretchen Peters joined him on the opening track "No Frontiers." Unlike both the original Cat Stevens and the Boyzone cover version of "Father and Son," he doesn't bother differentiating his voice between the two viewpoints. When he sings a beautiful original ballad like "Angel" or "Always There," one is left wondering why he felt the need to record inferior cover versions of David Gates' "If," Bette Midler's "The Rose," and James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend." His version of the title track is closer to the Glen Campbell version than the more famous Rod Stewart recording, but then it really would be too much to ask Aled Jones to sound like the biggest gravel-voiced crooner of all. ~Sharon Mawer

Reason To Believe

---

Briar Ross - Fly Me To The Moon

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:49
Size: 165,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. It's The Mood That I'm In
(4:21)  2. Fly Me To The Moon
(7:04)  3. Maybe You'll Be There
(4:21)  4. Wild Is Love
(3:57)  5. Weaver Of Dreams
(5:35)  6. Where Are You
(4:08)  7. Sunday Kind Of Love
(5:58)  8. How Deep Is The Ocean
(5:14)  9. This Heart Of Mine
(5:12) 10. I'm Through With Love
(5:21) 11. All The Way
(5:13) 12. All By Myself
(5:03) 13. If You Were Mine
(6:00) 14. Talk To Me Baby Tell Me Lies

Briar Ross came to singing through (ironically) a fear of public performing, enrolling in a performance course that involved singing jazz music. This is her fourth album, with well-known local jazz musicians Julie Mason on piano, Frank Gibson Jr and saxophonist Roger Manins. Produced by Phil Broadhurst and recorded at York St studios with engineering by Simon Gooding, 'Fly Me to the Moon' is an album of smoothly performed jazz standards that suit a relaxed setting. The performances are consistent, and songs chosen are not always the more famous jazz numbers, with exception of the title track. The songs are clearly favourites of Ross, and the album benefits from this. Covering well-known popular jazz is an unenviable task, the original versions are usually synonymous with particular singers and anyone else attempting to make the song their own usually falls short of the mark. Briar Ross has done a good job with this album of standards - they may not be definitive, but they are approached with obvious affection, and the result is a pleasing album of well sung light jazz. ~ Amanda Mills  http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/album/pi_albumid/1177

Fly Me To The Moon is jazz vocalist Briar Ross' fourth album. The title track aside (ultra famous Jazz standard Fly Me To The Moon) the album consists of little known works that are favourites of Ross; a mixture of beautiful ballads and medium swing numbers. The album features some very well known New Zealand jazz artists including Frank Gibson Jnr on drums, Julie Mason on piano, Andy Brown on Bass, and Roger Manins on sax. The album is also partially dedicated to Andy Brown who sadly passed away. http://www.amplifier.co.nz/release/40492/fly-me-to-the-moon-in-other-words-i-love-you.html

Fly Me To The Moon

---

Ben Paterson Trio - Essential Elements

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:02
Size: 135,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Golden Lady
(4:43)  2. Here, There And Everywhere
(6:18)  3. Back On Track
(3:31)  4. Around The Block
(4:14)  5. I Can't Help It
(3:43)  6. Lucky Southern
(4:19)  7. I Should Care
(4:09)  8. The Good Stuff
(5:03)  9. St. Marks Place
(3:41) 10. Mor
(5:31) 11. I've Never Been In Love Before
(3:37) 12. Hard Times
(4:33) 13. You're My Everything

An effervescent old school swing with a blues infused soul makes Ben Paterson a name to remember!  Piano trios are a tightly grouped pack of virtuoso talent where it is indeed feast or famine. While the pianist walks the harmonic tightrope of lyrical invention the often predictable release can lead to the all too common implosion of self absorbed pretentious ego gone wild, seen it a hundred times. Ben Paterson turns in a master class of swing with Essential Elements and quietly establishes himself as one of the new young lions of improvisational music. Cole Porter, Bill Evans, and maybe George and Ira Gershwin are usually found on most trio releases but Essential Elements is a well thought out exploratory on swing with a deceptively subtle blues infusion that includes tunes from Stevie Wonder, Keith Jarrett and Ray Charles. Artistic comparisons are inherently unfair while Paterson's influences on Essential Elements may run along the melodic lines of an Oscar Peterson the presentation is uniquely Ben Paterson.There is a buoyant lift to Paterson's playing that is complimented by the rhythm section of Joshua Ramos on bass and Jon Deitemyer on drums whose motto would seem to be swing hard or go home!

The trio has that uncanny ability of being able to shift dynamics on the fly while never losing that melodic sense of purpose or groove that permeates this release.  Covering pop tunes is both incredibly cliché and potentially lethal if the arrangements are not tight. "Here, There And Everywhere" is given new life while the Ray Charles classic "Hard Times" is pulled from the rich sonic color palate would seem to be the Paterson wheelhouse. Covering Keith Jarrett is a daunting task for the most seasoned of performers yet Paterson rolls through "Lucky Southern" with an understated flair that reinforces the old adage simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication. Two Paterson originals that highlight his prolific ability as a composer are "The Good Stuff" and "St. Marks Place." Ben Paterson is that new breed of pianist that is transcending some of the more traditional approaches to a classic format with a melodic swing and a blues based improvisational footing that pushes this trio right to the top of that crowded field working the New York scene. This is a throwback release, old school made into an inventive new cool presentation and hopefully just a taste of what is to come from one of improvisational music's rising stars. ~ Brent Black  http://www.criticaljazz.com/2013/12/ben-patterson-essential-elements.html

Personnel: Ben Paterson: Piano; Joshua Ramos: Bass; Jon Deitemyer: Drums

Essential Elements

---

Bob Dorough - Right On My Way Home

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 122,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Moon River
(6:06)  2. Whatever Happened To Love Songs?
(3:22)  3. Right on My Way Home
(6:32)  4. Walk On
(4:32)  5. I Get the Neck of the Chicken
(4:54)  6. Zacherly
(4:43)  7. Something For Sidney
(5:58)  8. Hodges
(5:36)  9. Up Jumped A Bird
(6:00) 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most

As one of the key voices of Schoolhouse Rock, Bob Dorough acquired many fans, but no one ever knew his name. Even after the series ended, he was reluctant to pursue a full-fledged recording career, which made 1997's Right on My Way Home an album he recorded when he was 73 something of an event. It was one of the rare occasions that Dorough was able to demonstrate the depth and range of his talent. Like Mose Allison, he has a friendly, idiosyncratic variation on bluesy scat and bop that sounds equally at home on standards ("Moon River," "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most") or originals ("I Get the Neck of the Chicken," "Something for Sidney," "Up Jumped a Bird"). Some tastes might Dorough find a bit too cutesy, yet there's no denying that he can make a song his own, and Right on My Way Home is one of the best proofs of that statement. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine  http://www.allmusic.com/album/right-on-my-way-home-mw0000028948

Personnel: Bob Dorough (vocals, piano); Joe Lovano (soprano & tenor saxophones); Bill Takas, Christian McBride (bass); Grady Tate, Billy Hart (drums).

Right On My Way Home

---

Herbie Nichols - The Art of Herbie Nichols

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 1992

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:05

Size: 149,6 MB

Art: Front

(4:12)  1. The Third World

(5:13)  2. Step Tempest

(4:23)  3. Blue Chopsticks

(4:43)  4. Cro-Magnon Nights

(4:44)  5. 2300 Skiddoo

(4:12)  6. Shuffle Montgomery

(4:23)  7. The Gig

(4:00)  8. Hangover Triangle

(4:24)  9. Lady Sings the Blues

(5:38) 10. House Party Starting

(6:04) 11. Sunday Stroll

(3:59) 12. Terpsichore

(4:11) 13. Riff Primitif

(4:53) 14. The Spinning Song

Herbie Nichols spent most of his career toiling away in dixieland bands, rarely allowed the privilege of performing his own unique compositions, except on a 1953 10" for Savoy and a 1957 session for Bethlehem. In between, though, in 1955-1956, he got to do five sessions for Alfred Lion's Blue Note label, producing some of the greatest piano trios in the history of jazz from which The Art Of Herbie Nichols is assembled. Nichols' tunes are rich in rhythmic variety and percussive breaks, and the performances he elicits from drum legends Art Blakey and Max Roach are among their greatest, rivalling their work with Thelonious Monk the pianist Nichols is most often compared to. But where Monk's playing has a bluesy, guitar-like texture and attack, Nichols has a more loping pianistic gait, and a harmonic pallete that can suggest Bartok, Jelly Roll Morton and Art Tatum in a single chorus.

Nichols's tunes range from slow bluesy strolls like "Spinning Song" and "Lady Sings The Blues" (written for Billie Holiday, his most famous tune), to galloping harmonic romps like "The Gig." Nichols' playing is completely original and devoid of pianistic cliches, and while his use of chords often suggests polytonal ambivalence, his harmonic juxtapositions and resolutions are triumphantly tuneful. The manner in which he continually extends his melodic lines and precipitates polyhryhmic exchanges with his drummers keeps tensions at a constant boiling point, and makes for some of most swinging music in the history of jazz. In many ways, his work anticipates the explorations of modernists like Herbie Hancock, Cecil Taylor, Andrew Hill and Gerri Allen, and once you've heard his playing, it's hard to imagine how his joyous original slipped between the cracks, barely making a blip on the radar screen of history before passing away from leukemia in the early '60s at the age of 42. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=4766790&style=music&fulldesc=T

Personnel: Herbie Nichols (piano), Al McKibbon, Teddy Kotick (bass), Art Blakey, Max Roach (drums).

The Art of Herbie Nichols

---

Archie Shepp - Attica Blues

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:24
Size: 86,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. Attica Blues
(0:19)  2. Invocation: Attica Blues
(5:07)  3. Steam (Part 1)
(3:16)  4. Invocation to Mr. Parker
(5:10)  5. Steam (Part 2)
(4:00)  6. Blues for Brother George Jackson
(0:29)  7. Invocation: Ballad for a Child
(3:36)  8. Ballad for a Child
(4:22)  9. Good Bye Sweet Pops
(6:12) 10. Quiet Dawn

Refining his large-ensemble experiments of 1971, Attica Blues is one of Archie Shepp's most significant post-'60s statements, recorded just several months after authorities ended the Attica prison uprising by massacring 43 inmates and hostages. Perhaps because Shepp's musical interests were changing, Attica Blues isn't the all-out blast of rage one might expect; instead, it's a richly arranged album of mournful, quietly agonized blues and Ellingtonian swing, mixed with a couple of storming funk burners. Of course, Shepp doesn't quite play it straight, bringing his avant-garde sensibilities to both vintage big band and contemporary funk, with little regard for the boundaries separating them all. 

His soloing on tenor and soprano is typically sharp-edged and modal, and his nasal, slicing tone on soprano is featured quite heavily. The stylishness of the slow numbers is undercut with quivering, faintly unsettling dissonances, and the up-tempo funk cuts recall the way Sly Stone's arrangements ping-ponged many different elements off each other in a gleeful organized chaos. That's especially true on the gospel-inflected title song, a monster of a groove that later became a hit on the acid jazz revival circuit (and stands up to anything recorded by straight-up funk bands of the era). In the same vein, "Blues for Brother George Jackson" sounds like an edgier Isaac Hayes-style blaxploitation soundtrack cut. Vocal ballads are plentiful, and Joe Lee Wilson ("Steam," a song Shepp would return to often) and Carl Hall (aka Henry Hull) both acquit themselves well; more debatable are the poetic recitations and the choice of flügelhornist/composer Cal Massey's young daughter Waheeda to sing "Quiet Dawn" (although Waheeda's almost-there intonation is effectively creepy). Still, in the end, Attica Blues is one of Shepp's most successful large-group projects, because his skillful handling of so many different styles of black music produces such tremendously groovy results. ~ Steve Huey  http://www.allmusic.com/album/attica-blues-mw0000648984

Personnel : Archie Shepp (soprano & tenor saxophones); Marion Brown (alto saxophone, flute, bamboo flute, percussion); Walter Davis Jr. (piano, electric piano); Joe Lee Wilson (vocals), William Kunstler (spoken vocals); John Blake, Leroy Jenkins (violin); Cal Massey (flugelhorn); Charles Greene (trombone); Cornell Dupree (guitar); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Beaver Harris, Billy Higgins (drums); Juma Sultan (percussion).

Attica Blues

---