Scott Robinson & Emil Viklicky Trio - Summertime

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz

Year: 2005

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:25

Size: 149,9 MB

Art: Front

(7:07)  1. Summertime

(5:41)  2. Not Yet

(7:00)  3. Blues Refraction

(3:58)  4. Pod Nasima Okny

(6:32)  5. Out of Nowhere

(6:01)  6. East of the Sun

(5:44)  7. Just for Us

(3:59)  8. In a Sentimental Mood

(5:03)  9. Scott's Blues

(5:58) 10. Never Been in Love

(4:08) 11. Dark Composition

(4:06) 12. Under Our Windows

Scott Robinson has been affected a bit by the Roland Kirk syndrome. His interest in and ability to play just about every saxophone ever invented and some that haven't has obscured his talent to listeners more comfortable with musicians that can be identified by a single instrument, in spite of being very active recently both as a leader and member of Joe Lovano's Nonet. Pianist Emil Viklicky is the best known jazz musician working in the Czech Republic today but virtually unknown outside Central Europe, despite having developed a delightfully original style by combining elements of modern jazz with the melodies of Moravian folk songs and having been commissioned to compose a piece for "Let Freedom Swing," part of the festival that marked the opening of the new building that houses Jazz at Lincoln Center. Fortunately Summertime , recorded for Radio Prague, is available to shed light on these two unjustly under-recognized artists.

The title track leads off with Robinson blowing softly and intimately on cornet before switching to tenor to play the familiar melody. He alternates so seamlessly between the two horns that even though the trumpet and saxophone are never heard together it's hard to believe there aren't two musicians at work. Bassist Frantisek Uhlir takes the lead on "East of the Sun," plinking out the lyrics pizzicato-style before Robinson comes in on the bossa nova beat. On "Just for Us," Uhlir's sharp solo offsets Robinson's trad soprano. "In a Sentimental Mood" pops out of the speakers when Robinson's full-force tenor takes over from his wispy preamble and Viklicky's opening light-touch accompaniment. "Never Been in Love" is taken from the dependable Tadd Dameron songbook, and Robinson can't resist manipulating a wind machine he found in the studio on his own "Dark Composition." By the time Robinson and Viklicky pair up for the reflective coda, "Under Our Window," tastefulness and professionalism have been stamped on every cut. ~ Jeff Stockton http://www.allaboutjazz.com/summertime-scott-robinson-review-by-jeff-stockton.php

Personnel: Scott Robinson: saxophones, cornet; Emil Viklicky: piano, celeste; Frantisek Uhlir: bass; Laco Tropp: drums.

 

Summertime

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Peter Martin - Something Unexpected

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:18
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

(9:29)  1. Unusual Suspects
(8:28)  2. La Pregunta
(9:17)  3. The Queen
(5:52)  4. Attestation
(6:25)  5. Triste
(4:09)  6. Corcovado
(7:28)  7. Dr. Jackle
(7:42)  8. Lovely One
(7:39)  9. Lotus Blossom
(5:44) 10. I Wish

Thirty-year-old New Orleans native Peter Martin is showcased on Something Unexpected, the second release in Max Jazz's Piano Series. To date, there have been three releases in this series. The first was Bruce Barth's superb East and West (Max Jazz 201) and following Peter Martin's contribution was Jessica Williams' outstanding This Side Up (Max Jazz 203). Like the label's vocal series, the piano series highlights a wide range of jazz styles with an emphasis on innovation and originality. This is certainly true for the piano series.

Peter Martin provides his addition to the piano series library with a live recording from St. Louis' Jazz Bistro. Fellow Now Orleanian Nicholas Payton and Marsalis alum Reginald Veal join Martin in a collection of originals and standards. Martin deftly covers the gambit from Kenny Dorham's "Lotus Blossom" to Jackie McLean's "Dr. Jackle." The show closer, Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" is a swinging little groove piece cast against the backdrop of an acoustic quintet. Martin's own "Unusual Suspects" and "Lovely One" betray a talent well beyond his three decades. Something Unexpected is a snappily crafted collection of songs performed very much in a subdued post bop mode. It will appeal to all middle-of-the-road mainstreamers. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/something-unexpected-peter-martin-maxjazz-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Peter Martin - piano; Reginald Veal - bass; Adonis Rose - drums; Nicholas Payton - trumpet; Brice Winston - tenor saxophone.

Something Unexpected

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Massimo Farao' Trio - Autumn Leaves

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:13
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:14)  1. Corcovado
(6:58)  2. Estate
(5:36)  3. To Each His Own
(6:33)  4. Chanson De Maxence
(5:02)  5. Someday My Prince Will Come
(5:15)  6. No Problem
(7:02)  7. Cheek to Cheek
(5:33)  8. Alone Together
(7:32)  9. Autumn Leaves
(5:24) 10. I Thought About You

Massimo Farao is a wonderful Italian pianist who has played and recorded with Red Holloway, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Tony Scott, Franco Ambrosetti, Nat Adderley, Jeff Tain Watts, Jack DeJohnette and Chris Potter, among others. Venus Records' producer Tetsuo Hara must have really fallen in love with Farao's music because in less than a year he has released no less than five of the Italian pianist's albums. The debut CD by his trio Luiza was followed by Bohemia After Dark which featured his bassist Aldo Zunino in a duo setting. Now we have three new albums (Autumn Leaves, My Funny Valentine and I Left My Heart In San Francisco) that were all recorded in a three-day session in February, 2014. 

It seems quite a feat for a piano trio to produce three albums worth music in three days, but the quality of the performance is consistently high. Farao's passionate style and romanticism are very attractive along with the rich harmonies he creates. 

He doesn't play too many notes and his arrangements are relatively straight forward, but his choice of notes is exquisite. With his unfailing sense of swing, all his music including ballads radiates an aura of happiness.Recommended to fans of piano trios!http://www.eastwindimport.com/product-info.asp?ProductID=13338

Personnel:  Massimo Farao (piano);  Aldo Zunino (bass);  Marco Tolotti (drums)

Autumn Leaves

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Mike LeDonne - Awwlright!

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post bop
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:52
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. AwwlRight!
(7:50)  2. Love Don't Love Nobody
(6:09)  3. Never Can Say Goodbye
(6:32)  4. The Boss
(6:42)  5. Let It Go
(8:11)  6. Mary Lou's Blues
(7:09)  7. You Are So Beautiful
(7:17)  8. Hadley Joe

Pianist and composer Mike LeDonne was born in Bridgeport, CT, in 1956. LeDonne was practically raised at his parents' music store and by the age of ten, his father, a jazz guitarist, was hiring him out on gigs. After graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, LeDonne moved to New York, where he started working at Jimmy Ryan's (at the time, one of New York's oldest jazz clubs). Here LeDonne met and played with some of the great historical figures of jazz, including Roy Eldridge, Papa Jo Jones, and Vic Dickenson, among others. In 1988, LeDonne joined the Milt Jackson Quartet, frequently writing compositions for the group. Jackson eventually recorded several of these compositions and LeDonne became the band's musical director after Jackson's death in 1999.

LeDonne began recording in 1988, debuting with the post-bop album Bout Time, which was released on the Criss Cross label. LeDonne recorded several more albums for Criss Cross throughout the early and mid-'90s, peaking with the sextet album Soulmates, a straight-ahead recording which featured soloists such as alto saxophonist Jon Gordon, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, and trumpeter Ryan Kysor. LeDonne switched to the Double Time label in 1998, recording Waltz for an Urbanite and, most recently, the quintet album Then and Now, which features the exceptional playing of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. LeDonne remains among the best (if at times underrated) pianists on the New York jazz scene today and has been praised by such jazz luminaries as Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, and Benny Golson. Bio ~ Alex Arcone  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-ledonne-mn0000489069/biography

Personnel: Mike LeDonne (Hammond b-3 organ); Peter Bernstein (guitar); Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Jeremy Pelt (trumpet); Joe Farnsworth (drums).

Awwlright!

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Lisa Ono - My Favorite Songs

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:22
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. And I Love You So
(4:37)  2. Whatever Will Be Will Be
(3:54)  3. Blue Canary
(4:14)  4. Una Lacrima sul Viso
(3:38)  5. G.I. Blues
(5:03)  6. Summertime
(6:06)  7. You’ve Changed
(2:29)  8. There Will Never Be Another You
(4:48)  9. Take Five
(3:56) 10. Jailhouse Rock
(4:06) 11. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
(5:01) 12. Plaisir D’Amour

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Lisa Ono spent her childhood in Brazil until she became 10 years old. She started singing and playing the guitar when she was 15 years old, and her debut as a professional Bossa Nova singer was in 1989. Her natural voice, rhythmic guitar playing, and her charming smile led her to a huge success and helped Bossa Nova to be popular in Japan. She has performed with many top musicians such as the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim, the Jazz Samba giant Joao Donato, and has been performing enthusiastically in New York, Brazil and Asian countries. The album “Dream”, which was released in 1999, sold more than 2 hundred thousand copies in Japan, and since than she has established a determined position in the Japanese Bossa Nova community. http://onolisa.com/eng/biography-3/

My Favorite Songs

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