Maria Muldaur - Jazzabelle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:36
Size: 120.4 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues vocals
Year: 1993/2006
Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Your Molecular Structure
[4:32] 2. Weeping Willow Blues
[4:48] 3. Everybody Cryin' Mercy
[3:43] 4. Rio De Janeiro Blue
[3:22] 5. You're My Thrill
[2:57] 6. Long As You're Living
[5:45] 7. Elona
[3:32] 8. Do Your Duty
[4:18] 9. Don't You Feel My Leg (Don't You Get Me High)
[6:30] 10. September Rain
[4:57] 11. Southern Music
[5:12] 12. Where

Bass – Al Obudinsky (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 10), Chris Severin (tracks: 4, 5, 9), Roly Salley* (tracks: 2, 6, 8); Drums – Billy Kilson (tracks: 4, 5, 9), Mike Hyman (tracks: 1 to 3, 6 to 8, 10 to 12); Piano – David Matthews (tracks: 1, 6, 10), David Torkanowsky (tracks: 4, 5, 9), John R. Burr (tracks: 2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12); Producer, Vocals – Maria Muldaur; Saxophone – Jim Rothermel.

Maria Muldaur's Jazzabelle is a set of jazz and blues material recorded with piano trios, which are fronted by David Torkanowsky, Dave Matthews, and John R. Burr. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jazzabelle

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Dave Newman - Fathead Comes On

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 70:29

Size: 161.4 MB

Styles: Soul jazz, Saxophone jazz

Year: 1962/2013

Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Unchain My Heart

[5:37] 2. Cellar Groove

[3:39] 3. Alto Sauce (Feat. Hank Crawford)

[4:27] 4. Hello There

[5:13] 5. Scufflin' (Feat. Hank Crawford)

[4:01] 6. Esther's Melody (Feat. Hank Crawford)

[6:35] 7. Lady Day

[7:22] 8. Batista's Groove

[4:36] 9. Skylark

[7:55] 10. Night Of Nisan

[7:04] 11. Cousin Slim

[6:31] 12. Summertime

[4:19] 13. Congo Chant

Alto Saxophone – Dave "Fathead" Newman (tracks: A3, B2); Bass – Edgar Willis (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2), Jimmy Jefferson (tracks: A2, A4, B3); Drums – Bruno Carr (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2), Charlie Persip (tracks: A2, A4, B3); Flute – Dave "Fathead" Newman* (tracks: A1); Piano – Hank Crawford (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2), Norris Austin (tracks: A2, A4, B3); Tenor Saxophone – Dave "Fathead" Newman (tracks: A2, A4, B1, B3); Trumpet – Marcus Belgrave (tracks: A2, A4, B3).

This 1962 David "Fathead" Newman album picks up where 1961's STRAIGHT AHEAD left off. However, this release is slightly less bebop-oriented. Instead, Newman blends together hard bop with his own R&B roots. (He was a key member of Ray Charles's band for many years.)

FATHEAD COMES ON is a very bluesy album, but also contains its share of tricky melodies and ambitious arrangements. Highlights include "Unchain My Heart," which is the funkiest tune on the disc, and "Cellar-Groove," which begins with a clever train rhythm; here the locomotive sound is simulated by the repetitive hi-hat work of Charlie Persip and the boogie-woogie playing of pianist Norris Austin. The disc ends with "Lady Day," a tribute to Billie Holiday, which is, not surprisingly, a somber ballad. Hard-bop records from this era typically lean on the influence of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, but FATHEAD COMES ON is a statement unto itself, and therefore, a very compelling listen. ~AllMusic

Fathead Comes On

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Jimmy McGriff - The Best Of The Sue Years 1962-1965

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:26
Size: 170.4 MB
Styles: B3 Organ blues/jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:32] 1. I've Got a Woman
[3:54] 2. All About My Girl
[4:55] 3. M.G. Blues
[4:15] 4. The Last Minute
[4:35] 5. One of Mine
[4:56] 6. Spindletop
[6:52] 7. The Deacon
[5:47] 8. Frame for the Blues
[5:36] 9. A Thing for Jug
[3:25] 10. Kiko
[3:51] 11. All Day Long
[4:55] 12. Helly Betty
[3:21] 13. Discotheque U.S.A
[4:55] 14. Blues for Mr. Jimmy
[3:53] 15. Sho' Nuff
[3:00] 16. Blues for Joe
[3:37] 17. Cash Box

One of the all-time giants of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy McGriff sometimes gets lost amid all the great soul-jazz organists from his hometown of Philadelphia. He was almost certainly the bluesiest of the major soul-jazz pioneers, and indeed, he often insisted that he was more of a blues musician than a jazz artist; nonetheless, he remained eclectic enough to blur the lines of classification. His sound- deep, down-to-earth grooves drenched in blues and gospel feeling made him quite popular with R&B audiences, even more so than some of his peers; what was more, he was able to condense those charms into concise, funky, jukebox-ready singles that often did surprisingly well on the R&B charts. His rearrangement of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" was a Top Five R&B hit in 1962, and further hits like "All About My Girl," "Kiko," and "The Worm" followed over the course of the '60s. McGriff spent much of the '70s trying to keep pace with the fusion movement, switching to various electric keyboards and adopting an increasingly smooth, polished style. As the '80s dawned, McGriff gave up trying to sound contemporary and returned to his classic organ-trio sound; as luck would have it, vintage soul-jazz soon came back into vogue with a devoted cult of fans and critics, and McGriff was able to recover his creative vitality and take his place as one of the genre's elder statesmen. ~bio by Steve Huey

The Best Of The Sue Years 1962-1965 

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Jeremy Pelt - Identity

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:46
Size: 169,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:42)  1. Re-Invention
( 8:54)  2. Eddie's Story
( 5:11)  3. Seek
( 7:38)  4. Suspicion
( 7:40)  5. Eye of the Beholder
( 5:29)  6. Celestial
( 4:42)  7. Angular
( 6:31)  8. Haiku
(11:41)  9. Scorpio
( 9:14) 10. Dusk

Most of the best composers, like Ellington and Shorter, have also been great players. The two processes are mutually reinforcing. Jeremy Pelt's Identity shows him to be on this two-fold path. It's all original material performed with Frank LoCrasto on keyboards, Vicente Archer on bass, and Eric McPherson on drums all on a par of excellence with Pelt in their playing. This particular group formed just recently, yet it already has sharp rapport. If it stays together, it'll likely become one of the better groups out there. Pelt pulls off the difficult trick of being simultaneously cerebral and inviting. His tone strikes a warm balance between brightness and suffusion. The more aggressive tunes comprise the stronger material on Identity, and Pelt doesn't bury the lead, opening with his strongest track, "Re-Invention." The tune is bothcontrapuntal and harmonic, yet without traditional comping from LoCrasto. The introspective, darkly enigmatic melody is made of simple gestures taking on cumulative meanings throughout the sixteen-bar form. The writing recalls '60s-period Wayne Shorter. Yet, as with Shorter, the music follows its own internal logic. It also strikes a balance between a "free" feeling and closed form, which may be the highest level of craft for the modern improviser. LoCrasto's counterpoint acts like an oblique, reluctant shadow with a mind of its own. Both Pelt and LoCrasto use ideas from the melody, and each other, to inform their solos with mindfully small gestures and build larger concepts.

"Seek," "Suspicion," and "Angular" are the other relatively aggressive tunes. While they don't push boundaries, they share a spirit with many current artists exploring rhythmic complexity and form while maintaining swing and drive. The musicians incorporate occasional odd structures and rhythmic displacements into the blowing sections instead of discarding them as compositional quirks.Despite the appearance of some special guests on Identity, the quartet is central. Archer's turn on "Celestial" is a highlight, as is McPherson's blowing over the vamp at the end of "Suspicion." As for the relaxed, slower material on Identity, it's often beautiful but occasionally so introspective as to implode under its own weight. An exception is the engaging "Haiku," where Pelt and LoCrasto both make deeply personal statements while recalling two of the greatest ballad interpreters on their instruments.

The media affair regarding Pelt is well underway. Identity may lead some critics to celebrate the arrival of the "future of jazz," or cause others to feel compelled to refute such claims. But the reality is not so black and white. Those who are preoccupied with finding an artist to label the "future of jazz" can't see the trees for the forest. Innovation is sometimes incremental and often not easy to detect. It's all a continuum. We need faith that the pursuit of excellence supplies the energy to keep jazz moving forward. Innovation need not always be a "change of the century." It often hides in the shadows, tucked into a brilliant corner like a precocious child smiling to himself with a secret. There may well be such a child tucked into Identity. ~ John Dworkin http://www.allaboutjazz.com/identity-jeremy-pelt-maxjazz-review-by-john-dworkin.php

Personnel: Jeremy Pelt: trumpet and flugelhorn; Frank LoCrasto: keyboards; Vicente Archer: bass; Eric McPherson: drums. Special guests: Myron Walden: saxophone and bass clarinet; Warren Wolf: vibes; Mike Moreno: guitar.

Identity

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Lisa Kirchner - Something To Sing About

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:02
Size: 163,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. In Autumn
(4:20)  2. Prince Of The City
(1:48)  3. Fort Tryon Park
(2:30)  4. Sigh No More Ladies
(5:11)  5. Suicide In C Monor
(3:47)  6. Early In The Morning
(4:15)  7. Leila's Song
(5:26)  8. Crazy Love, Crazy Heart
(2:35)  9. The Little Horses
(4:26) 10. Acrostic Song
(3:50) 11. Barefoot
(3:05) 12. Lily
(6:35) 13. Strange
(3:45) 14. Photograph Song
(3:21) 15. Night Make My Day
(4:07) 16. Sophie Rose-Rosalee
(2:56) 17. Under The Willow Tree
(4:45) 18. Long Time Ago

Lisa Kirchner's album Something to Sing About on first (and even second) glance has all the look of a straightforward collection of songs by American composers, including Ives, Corigliano, Adams, Rorem, Del Tredici, Harbison, Bolcom, Barber, and Leon Kirchner (the singer's father, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, but in fact, all the composers in that list also won the prize), as well as some from more of a pop tradition like Robert Telson and Wynton Marsalis. Closer inspection of the credits, though, offers a clue that something is up; the accompanying instruments include piano, alto sax, accordion, bass, guitar, and drums. But you really have to hear the songs to get a handle on the album's uniqueness. Kirchner is a jazz singer whose voice has the character of a cabaret chanteuse, so her style is not at all like that of the kind of bel canto-trained singer for whom most of these songs were written. Although her vocal quality is jazz-inflected, she sings the songs basically straight-on (except for some improvised riffs thrown in during transitions and sometimes adding repeats), just as they were originally written. 

Her accompanying ensemble, however, may or may not reflect composers' original version, so the overall effect is definitively more jazz than classical. In these performances, the songs sound not like crossover  classical music dressed up as jazz but like they were written as jazzy pop tunes, even though, paradoxically the tunes are presented essentially unaltered, just as the composers wrote them. It's initially disconcerting, particularly in familiar songs like Barber's "Under the Willow Tree," where Barber has one truly weird modulation in the transition but this version has a dizzying string of truly weird modulations before settling down. But, it works. As odd as the premise sounds and as surprising as the initial impressions are, these performances sound like persuasive, frequently beguiling, renditions of jazz standards. Kirchner's dusky voice is seductive and wears well, and she sings with easy spontaneity and intuitive musicality. Much credit goes to the band for the inventiveness of its accompaniment. The sound is clear, immediate, and very clean. The voice is foregrounded in a style more characteristic of pop than classical. The album should interest fans of cabaret singing and crossover, as well as adventurous fans of classical vocal music. ~ Stephen Eddins  http://www.allmusic.com/album/something-to-sing-about-mw0002143047

Personnel: Lisa Kirchner: vocals; William Schimmel: accordion; Xavier Davis: piano; Vicente Archer: bass; Ron Jackson: guitar; Willie Jones,III: drums; Sherman Irby: alto saxophone.

Something To Sing About

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Scott Colley - This Place

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 58:11
Size: 106,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:02)  1. Mr. Day
(7:16)  2. Long Lake
(5:42)  3. Aurora
(8:38)  4. This Place
(4:58)  5. Ugly Beauty
(3:52)  6. Airegin
(9:00)  7. The Peacocks
(5:11)  8. The Blessing
(5:28)  9. Simultaneity

The subliminal empathy shared by bassist Scott Colley, saxophonist Chris Potter, and drummer Bill Stewart is masterfully illustrated on Colley's latest album, This Place. Colley's tutelage with Charlie Haden clearly informs his knack for developing warm, simpatico lines that are nearly always melodically astute yet never showy. On originals like his hypnotic title track, Colley can create a simple bass figure that grounds and propels the gorgeous melodies of Potter and the textural and rhythmic splendor of Stewart. Colley's most sensual performance on this date, however, is his haunting "Long Lake," where he delivers a heartfelt counter melody beneath Potter's raspy tenor and Stewart's shimmering brushes.

Much of This Place gently nudges toward the avant-garde without giving way to the noisy antics associated with it. The stark arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Ugly Beauty" features Potter's bass clarinet and Colley's ghostly improvising on the melody, which he does with an obliqueness that suggests '70s loft jazz. Colley's rambling original "Simultaneity" provides the record's most suspenseful moments, as Potter's twisting tenor zigzags against Colley's prowling bass lines. Devoid of any grandiose ambition or ego-driven solos, This Place succeeds at illustrating Colley's remarkable talents as a bassist and composer. ~ John Murph  http://jazztimes.com/articles/11559-this-place-scott-colley-trio

Personnel:  Chris Potter - Tenor Saxophone & Bass Clarinet;  Scott Colley - Acoustic Bass;  Bill Stewart - Drums

This Place

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