Woody Herman - The Philips Recordings (3-Disc Set)

There are great bands and then there are phenomenal bands. The "Swinging Herd" that Woody Herman led during the mid 1960s is one of those bands. Collectively it possessed remarkable power. Individually, the soloists were imaginatively progressive. In total, it seemed like there was never another band like it. Herman's soloists capture us like a deer in the headlights. The sheer energy of trumpeter Bill Chase, the tremendous drive of Phil Wilson's trombone and the unbelievable Sal Nistico (especially on a live version of "Apple Honey") is nothing short of breathtaking.

The albums included are "Woody Herman - 1963", Woody Herman: 1964", "Encore", "The Swinging Herman Herd Recorded Live" and the classic "Woody's Big Band Goodies". The liner notes to the original albums by Ralph J. Gleason, Willis Connover, and Leonard Feather convey the raw excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime band.

Album: The Philips Recordings (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 76:06

Size: 174.2 MB

Styles: Big band

Year: 2011

[6:40] 1. Mo-Lasses

[3:32] 2. Blues For J.P

[4:17] 3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

[4:15] 4. Tunin' In

[3:26] 5. Sister Sadie

[3:48] 6. Sig Ep

[3:01] 7. It's A Lonesome Old Town (When You're Not Around)

[8:14] 8. Camel Walk

[2:52] 9. Moon River

[3:22] 10. Hallelujah Time

[3:48] 11. Deep Purple

[4:37] 12. Jazz Hoot

[3:17] 13. A Taste Of Honey

[3:17] 14. Satin Doll

[5:11] 15. After You've Gone

[3:05] 16. The Strut

[3:26] 17. My Wish

[5:48] 18. Cousins

The Philips Recordings (Disc 1)

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Album: The Philips Recordings (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:09

Size: 137.7 MB

Styles: Big band

Year: 2011

[3:59] 1. That's Where It Is

[5:41] 2. Watermelon Man

[4:55] 3. Body And Soul

[5:29] 4. Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul

[2:56] 5. Jazz Me Blues

[4:49] 6. El Toro Grande

[3:22] 7. Days Of Wine And Roses

[7:45] 8. Caldonia

[3:19] 9. Wailin' In The Woodshed

[2:29] 10. The Good Earth

[2:47] 11. Sidewalks Of Cuba

[3:48] 12. I Can't Get Started

[3:37] 13. Bijou

[5:05] 14. Apple Honey

The Philips Recordings (Disc 2)

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Album: The Philips Recordings (Disc 3)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 52:51

Size: 121.0 MB

Styles: Big band

Year: 2011

Art: Front

[3:42] 1. The Good Life

[4:57] 2. Bedroom Eyes

[3:30] 3. The Things We Said Today

[5:00] 4. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)

[1:31] 5. What Kind Of Fool Am I

[6:41] 6. Dr. Wong's Bag

[3:10] 7. Everybody Loves Somebody

[3:35] 8. Wa-Wa Blues

[5:54] 9. Dear John C

[4:24] 10. Blue Monk

[4:37] 11. You Dirty Dog

[5:45] 12. Pour House Blues

The Philips Recordings (Disc 3)

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Valerie Joyce - The Look Of Love: The Music of Burt Bacharch

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:44
Size: 113.9 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:54] 1. Walk On By
[5:44] 2. What The World Needs Now
[4:08] 3. Alfie
[4:28] 4. (They Long To Be) Close To You
[5:31] 5. A House Is Not A Home
[6:47] 6. The Look Of Love
[5:12] 7. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
[4:50] 8. That's What Friends Are For
[3:49] 9. I Say A Little Prayer For You
[4:19] 10. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)

When, as the saying goes, there is more than meets the eye, why shouldn't the same apply to the ear? The sweet smile and the romantic design of Valerie Joyce's latest album, as well as the outwardly smooth arrangements contained on the CD suggest yet another stab at the commercially viable intersection between Pop and Jazz. And yet, this lady certainly knows how to spice up a tune.

Joyce, after all, has been a recognisable voice on the American Vocal-Jazz scene for over a decade. She has never rested on the laurels bestowed on her bronzen timbre and silky huskiness, but rather dared to contrast them with World Music, tablas and flutes. She founded her own label and played the piano in a bigband for years before making her breakthrough and signing with Chesky. Listen to her spaced-out version of "Fever" on her previous album "New York Blue" to find out why Valerie Joyce has deserved her share of tenderness on "The Look of Love-The Music of Burt Bacharch".

Besides, judging Bacharach's music by the cover is an obvious, but dangerous mistake, which risks missing the point completely. Of course, songs like "I say a little prayer for you" and "Arthur's Theme" are hummable tunes in perfection. But underneath their catchy shell hide eccentric chord modulations and lyrics full of bitterness, dark allusions, sadness and unfulfillable longing. "Bacharach has made it his trademark to populate his pieces with subtle twists and turns that burnish his inimitable footprints", Ted Panken writes in the liner notes, explaining why Valerie Joyce has decided to make changes, but to essentially remain faithful to the original. ~Music Lover

The Look Of Love

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Carmen Cuesta-Loeb - You Still Don't Know Me

Styles: Vocal, Bossa Nova
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:02
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Aclarate
(4:10)  2. Llevame
(3:30)  3. In The Rain
(4:26)  4. La Paz
(3:31)  5. Todo Para Ti
(4:56)  6. You Still Don't Know Me
(4:45)  7. I Am Thou
(4:44)  8. A Matter Of Time
(4:19)  9. Tarde
(3:31) 10. Me Voy
(4:51) 11. Religions
(4:39) 12. Suddenly Love

A singer/songwriter with an easy & sophisticated mix of pop, jazz and bossa nova sound. Since I can remember, music has been the centerpiece of my life. In Spain, as a teenager, I was always involved in some kind of musical project and the performing arts - regardless of the great efforts my parents exerted to keep me away from them. Coming to America to live with Chuck, meant an even greater involvement with music, especially with the jazz world. It gave a new dimension to my life; not only I was away from home and newly wed, which was a challenge right there, I was also living with a musician, and everything we did was related somehow with music. I no longer had to worry about my parents opposition to a music career. I have been blessed with the musicians that I surrounded myself with, both in Spain and America. Music brought Chuck and I together, and is still the magic glue that keeps us going.

Chuck has been a great help to my music. At this point he can read my mind in musical terms. He takes my rudimental piano or guitar and voice demos and ideas, and arranges them according to my wishes. It’s amazingly fun when we actually work together, which is surprisingly not as often as we wish. Even though it is harder, these days we record by ourselves at home and without an engineer. He comes later to help with the mixing and mastering. Being alone the two of us gives us more freedom to have differences of opinions, more time, more intimacy, better fights and leeway to express our emotions. Sometimes we cry together over lyrics or the way they are being sung. I am a very direct person, because I believe that only the truth can take you to places, some times I might seem heartless, but when I like something he knows I mean it...More http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ccuestaloeb1

You Still Don't Know Me

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Charles Earland - Funk Fantastique

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Jazz Soul

Year: 2004

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:11

Size: 138,2 MB

Art: Front

(10:50)  1. Funk Fantastique

( 5:05)  2. Don't Let Me Lose This Dream

( 6:09)  3. Never Can Say Goodbye

( 6:10)  4. Charles III

( 4:58)  5. Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind

( 8:39)  6. Auburn Delight

( 5:58)  7. My Favorite Things

( 7:45)  8. Grab Hole A Dish

( 4:33)  9. Speedball Alternate

Although Funk Fantastique is a somewhat thrown-together affair, the music presented on the album represents solid work by organist/keyboardist Charles Earland and company. The material at the center of the album (tracks four through seven) was originally released as Charles III in 1972, and the surrounding tracks are previously unreleased. Since the unreleased material comes from two different sessions, three different ensembles grace Funk Fantastique. The presence of singer Joe Lee Wilson on the dated "Auburn Delight" (think cheesy '70s jazz) offers even more variety. Through it all, though, Earland's funky organ and keyboard brings all the material together under the banner of soul-jazz. Even on an unsuccessful and sexist piece like "Auburn Delight," Earland's organ work has a brisk, spunky quality that makes the instrumental portion of the song sparkle. Much better, however, are "Charles III" and "Girl, You Need a Change of Mind," both supported by large, energetic horn sections. There's also some solid guitar work from Jack Turner on the latter piece. Among the unreleased tracks, there's a fun version of "Never Can Say Goodbye," the old Jackson 5 hit, with nice soprano work by Jimmy Vass. Funk Fantastique never ties up all of its loose ends, but it nonetheless lives up to its title. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford Jr http://www.allmusic.com/album/funk-fantastique-mw0000636648

Personnel: Charles Earland (soprano saxophone, electric piano, organ, percussion); Billy Harper (tenor, alto flute, tenor saxophone); William Thorpe (baritone); William Thorpe (baritone saxophone); Richard Gene Williams , Richard Williams (trumpet, flugelhorn); Lee Morgan Quintet (trumpet); Larry Killian, Lawrence Killian (congas); Joe Lee Wilson (vocals); Jack Turner (guitar, percussion); Maynard Parker (guitar); Stuart Scharf (acoustic guitar); Hubert Laws (flute, piccolo); Seldon Powell (alto flute, baritone saxophone); Jimmy Vass (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Houston Person (tenor saxophone); Jon Faddis, Victor Paz, Joe Shepley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Gary Chandler, Virgil Jones (trumpet); Jack Jeffers (trombone, tuba); Dick Griffin, Garnett Brown (trombone); Darryl Washington (drums, percussion); Jesse Kilpatrick, Billy Cobham (drums); Buddy Caldwell, Sonny Morgan (congas).

Funk Fantastique

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Chico Hamilton - The Three Faces of Chico

Styles: Post-Bop, West Coast Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:58
Size: 82,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:16)  1. Miss Movement
(2:49)  2. She's Funny That Way
(4:27)  3. Trinkets
(5:53)  4. More Than You Know
(2:37)  5. The Best Things in Life Are Fr
(2:25)  6. Where or When
(2:14)  7. Happy Little Dance
(4:37)  8. Newport News
(2:56)  9. I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
(5:38) 10. No Speak No English, Man

Released in 1959, The Three Faces of Chico features percussionist Chico Hamilton as a drummer, composer and singer. Joining Hamilton is, most notably, legendary saxophonist/flutist Eric Dolphy, as well as bassist Wyatt Ruther, guitarist Dennis Budimer, and cellist Nathan Gerschman. This is a highly recommended set of progressive late-'50s modern jazz. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/three-faces-of-chico-mw0000878749

Personnel: Chico Hamilton - drums, vocals (#2,5,6,9); Paul Horn - alto saxophone (#2,5,6,9); Buddy Collette - tenor saxophone (#2,5,6,9); Bill Green - baritone saxophone (#2,5,6,9); Eric Dolphy (#1,2,4-6,8,9) - flute, bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Nathan Gershman - cello (#1,2,4-6,8,9); Dennis Budimir - guitar (#1,2,4-6,8,9); Wyatt Ruther - bass (#1,2,4-6,8,9)

The Three Faces of Chico

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