Floyd Smith - Relaxin' With Floyd

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:32
Size: 92.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1996/2007
Art: Front

[2:29] 1. Petite Mademoiselle
[3:53] 2. Mama Talks Soft
[3:42] 3. Relaxin' With Floyd
[3:15] 4. Floyd's Guitar Blues
[4:01] 5. Satin Doll
[2:58] 6. Take It Easy Blues
[5:24] 7. Red Top
[4:01] 8. Without You (A Tribute To Wes Montgomery)
[3:17] 9. Merci
[2:58] 10. Something For Baby
[4:28] 11. Invitation

Wild Bill Davis - organ; Chris Columbus - drums; Floyd Smith - guitar. Recording information: Pathe Studio, Paris, France (05/09/1972-07/28/1972); Seed Studio, Vallauris, France (05/09/1972-07/28/1972).

Floyd Smith wasn't the first to play electric guitar on record, but his "Floyd's Guitar Blues" is usually recognized as the first hit electric guitar record. On that tune, recorded with the Andy Kirk band, Smith played Hawaiian (lap steel) guitar, but he was also an early adapter of electric Spanish guitar.

John Hammond thought FGB was "corny," but apparently Benny Goodman liked it enough that he tried to recruit Smith for his band, but Smith had signed a five-year contract with Kirk and, so, recommended Charlie Christian. FGB has been covered many times since. Smith did it several times including with his combo around 1946 on lap steel, with Bill Doggett on electric guitar, and on a 1972 album. Contemporary bluesman Bob Margolin has covered it and Chuck Berry copied it (without crediting Smith) for his "Blues for Hawiians."

After serving in WWII, Smith played with Bill Doggett, Wild Bill Davis, Hank Marr, and Johnny "Hammond" Smith. He recorded one album "Relaxin' with Floyd" in 1972 for the French Black and Blue label which has been reissued on CD.

Relaxin' With Floyd

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Zoe Francis - The Very Thought Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:51
Size: 153.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:16] 1. Social Call
[7:01] 2. The Very Thought Of You
[6:45] 3. There's A Lull In My Life
[7:47] 4. A Sleepin' Bee
[4:04] 5. My Man
[5:48] 6. Out Of This World
[7:42] 7. Prelude To A Kiss
[6:15] 8. The Things We Did Last Summer
[6:54] 9. I Was Doing All Right
[9:14] 10. Born To Be Blue

Zoe Francis ( vocals ) Jim Mullen ( gtr ) Stan Salzmann ( pno ) Gareth Williams ( pno ) Mick Hutton ( bass ) Enzo Zirilli ( drs ). Recorded live at the 606 Club, London 2014.

Although Zoe Francis was born in the U.K. she kick started her singing career in New York by sitting in with illustrious company including Harry Allen and Warren Vache at the Greenwich Village club “Arturo’s”. She also attended workshops run by pianist Barry Harris which inspied her to take up singing. She now resides in the U.K. with her partner guitarist Jim Mullen who is also featured on this release. This album was recorded at a live session from London’s 606 Club and is accompanied by an all-star group of jazz musicians. This is her second album her first “Looking for a Boy” was released on her own label on which she was accompanied by pianist David Newton with whom she had worked gigs in the Bristol area.

The Very Thought Of You 

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Duke Ellington - Piano In The Foreground

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:36
Size: 145.6 MB
Styles: Swing, Standards
Year: 1960/2014
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. Happy Go Lucky Local
[4:06] 2. What Am I Here For
[5:50] 3. Medley: Kinda Dukish Rockin' In Rhythm
[6:46] 4. Perdido
[2:03] 5. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[4:26] 6. Midriff
[4:31] 7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[4:13] 8. Main Stem
[5:31] 9. Satin Doll
[5:21] 10. Lullaby Of Birdland
[4:23] 11. The Wailer
[3:54] 12. Dreamy Sort Of Thing
[5:25] 13. Lullaby Of Birdland
[4:02] 14. Harlem Air Shaft

One of Ellington's rarer studio sessions and last out on this French CD, the main plot behind this runthrough of his standards is that the leader's piano is featured at some point in every song. His sidemen are also heard from and everyone is in fine form. Ellington's solo abilities were always a bit underrated due to his brilliance in other areas, but this set shows just how modern he remained through the years as a player. ~Scott Yanow

Piano In The Foreground

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Kenny Burrell - Blue Muse

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:49
Size: 155,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. Mark I
(5:30)  2. My Friend Ray
(4:58)  3. On Wings of the Spirit
(7:00)  4. Then I Met You
(6:03)  5. It's No Time to Be Blue
(5:33)  6. Blue in Green
(5:06)  7. Blue Muse
(4:29)  8. Solitude
(6:23)  9. 3/4 of the House
(7:36) 10. 'Round Midnight
(5:59) 11. Habiba
(3:21) 12. Blue Guitar Blues

Since the '50s, Kenny Burrell has contributed crucial titles to some of the most important jazz labels, including Blue Note, Verve, Columbia, and Muse. For his 96th album, Burrell sticks to what's worked well for him over the past fifty years: some blues, some Ellington, some swing, and several ballads, all played with beautiful tone and exquisite taste. To keep things fresh, Burrell adds some unusual flavors to the stew: acoustic guitar and voice. At the dawn of his lengthy career, Burrell sang solo on Detroit TV. He also sang on Weaver of Dreams (Columbia 1960) and the recent Lucky So and So (Concord 2001). While George Benson can continue to sleep undisturbed, Burrell generally acquits himself as a straightforward reader of lyrics on four of these tunes.
With drummer Sherman Ferguson and especially bassist Roberto Miranda lighting a fire under the swinging groove of "Mark I," the set begins with classic Burrell, his effortless technical prowess and often-imitated tone intact. The ballad "My Friend Ray" pays tribute to the late Ray Brown, pianist Gerald Wiggins treating Burrell's chords, octaves, and solos as another voice to showcase, sensitively dressing each measure to the sweet sounding guitar's advantage. Miranda deftly dances through the arrangement without adding clutter. "On the Wings of Spirit," finds Herman Riley joining the proceedings on flute and Burrell playing a steel string acoustic in a Brazilian mode. "Then I Met You" returns Riley to breathy flute as Burrell sings a self-penned ode to his wife. While it can be argued that the sentiment and the vocal (and the synth string section) were better left at home, Burrell's solo offers a glimpse of what could have been a more evocative instrumental.

"It's No Time to be Blue," a version of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" with lyrics, works better. The emphasis remains on Burrell's acoustic guitar, with the vocals basically stating the theme. "3/4 of the House" recalls Miles' "All Blues" and happily steers the program away from a sentimental rut. Riley slathers soulful tenor all over the tune, pushing Burrell into familiar blues territory. Monk's "'Round Midnight" brings the tempo back down, but features Burrell's best vocal of the collection, although the tune's angularity is all ironed out. Now celebrating his fruitful twenty-five year association with UCLA, his reputation untouchable, his place in jazz history assured (he was, afterall, Duke Ellington's favorite guitarist), and with over two hundred album appearances in addition to his nearly hundred as leader, Burrell will hardly live or die by Blue Muse. But this self-produced effort seems to argue in favor of an objective sympathetic hand to help steer number ninety-seven. ~ Rex Butters  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-muse-kenny-burrell-concord-music-group-review-by-rex-butters.php

Personnel: Kenny Burrell- acoustic and electric guitar, vocals; Tom Ranier- piano and keyboards; Gerald Wiggins- piano; Herman Riley- saxophone and flute; Roberto Miranda- bass; Sherman Ferguson- drums

Blue Muse

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Sarah Vaughan - Récital à Paris, 1985 Disc 1 And Disc 2

Disc 1
Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:40
Size: 125,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:25)  1. Instrumental. High Fly (R. Weston)
(2:17)  2. Summertime (G. & I. Gershwin)

(2:37)  3. Just Friends (J. Klenner - S. M. Lewis)
(8:34)  4. Waves (A. C. Jobim)
(1:51)  5. On a clear day (A. J. Lerner - B. Lane)
(6:18)  6. If you could see me now (C. Sigman - T. Dameron)
(3:27)  7. I've got the world on a string (H. Arlen - T. Koehler)
(3:31)  8. Fascinating rythm (G. & I. Gershwin)
(9:41)  9. Medley: But not for me/ Our love is here to stay/ Embraceable you/ Someone To Watch Over Me
(1:38) 10. There will never be another you (H. Warren - M. Gordon)
(6:17) 11. Misty (E. Garner - J. Burke)

Disc 2
Time: 36:38
Size: 84,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:16)  1. My funny valentine (R. Rodgers - L. Hart)
(3:52)  2. From this moment on (C. Porter)
(6:10)  3. Send in the clowns (S. Sondheim)
(4:18)  4. Sassy's blues (Q. Jones - S. Vaughan)
(3:33)  5. Tenderly (W. Gross - J. Lawrence)
(6:17)  6. Scat chase
(4:09)  7. Once in a while (B. Green - M. Edwards)

Possessor of one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century, Sarah Vaughan ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of female jazz singers. She often gave the impression that with her wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and wide expressive abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice. Although not all of her many recordings are essential (give Vaughan a weak song and she might strangle it to death), Sarah Vaughan's legacy as a performer and a recording artist will be very difficult to match in the future.

Vaughan sang in church as a child and had extensive piano lessons from 1931-39; she developed into a capable keyboardist. After she won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater, she was hired for the Earl Hines big band as a singer and second vocalist. Unfortunately, the musicians' recording strike kept her off record during this period (1943-44). When lifelong friend Billy Eckstine broke away to form his own orchestra, Vaughan joined him, making her recording debut. She loved being with Eckstine's orchestra, where she became influenced by a couple of his sidemen, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, both of whom had also been with Hines during her stint. Vaughan was one of the first singers to fully incorporate bop phrasing in her singing, and to have the vocal chops to pull it off on the level of a Parker and Gillespie.

Other than a few months with John Kirby from 1945-46, Sarah Vaughan spent the remainder of her career as a solo star. Although she looked a bit awkward in 1945 (her first husband George Treadwell would greatly assist her with her appearance), there was no denying her incredible voice. She made several early sessions for Continental: a December 31, 1944 date highlighted by her vocal version of "A Night in Tunisia," which was called "Interlude," and a May 25, 1945 session for that label that had Gillespie and Parker as sidemen. However, it was her 1946-48 selections for Musicraft (which included "If You Could See Me Now," "Tenderly" and "It's Magic") that found her rapidly gaining maturity and adding bop-oriented phrasing to popular songs. Signed to Columbia where she recorded during 1949-53, "Sassy" continued to build on her popularity. Although some of those sessions were quite commercial, eight classic selections cut with Jimmy Jones' band during May 18-19, 1950 (an octet including Miles Davis) showed that she could sing jazz with the best.

During the 1950s, Vaughan recorded middle-of-the-road pop material with orchestras for Mercury, and jazz dates (including Sarah Vaughan, a memorable collaboration with Clifford Brown) for the label's subsidiary, EmArcy. Later record label associations included Roulette (1960-64), back with Mercury (1963-67), and after a surprising four years off records, Mainstream (1971-74). Through the years, Vaughan's voice deepened a bit, but never lost its power, flexibility or range. She was a masterful scat singer and was able to out-swing nearly everyone (except for Ella). Vaughan was with Norman Granz's Pablo label from 1977-82, and only during her last few years did her recording career falter a bit, with only two forgettable efforts after 1982. However, up until near the end, Vaughan remained a world traveler, singing and partying into all hours of the night with her miraculous voice staying in prime form. The majority of her recordings are currently available, including complete sets of the Mercury/Emarcy years, and Sarah Vaughan is as famous today as she was during her most active years.~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sarah-vaughan-mn0000204901/biography

Récital à Paris, 1985 Disc 1
Récital à Paris, 1985 Disc 2

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Louisiana Jazz Band - 20 Years Anniversary

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:27
Size: 116,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Beginning the Blues
(3:40)  2. Why Don't You Go Down to New Orleans
(3:31)  3. Dream a Little Dream of Me
(3:07)  4. I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll
(4:01)  5. My Blue Heaven
(3:37)  6. I Surrender Dear
(3:52)  7. Rent Party Blues
(4:21)  8. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
(3:01)  9. Jeg Er Vistnok Lidt Gammeldags
(3:05) 10. Should I Reveal
(2:55) 11. Savoy Blues
(3:34) 12. Oh, Lady Be Good
(3:30) 13. Bill Bailey
(3:43) 14. Amapola

Louisiana Jazz Band (established in 1980) is a Norwegian dixieland group, known from numerous recordings and performances. It consists of the two initiators Tormod Isachsen trumpet and Søren Bøgelund vocal and saxophone. In addition you will find Jan Kristiansen / Paul Frank bass, Hans Christian Frank / Børre Frydenlund banjo and Jon Moslet drums.  They made ??records (1980 and 1992), and A la carte (single- CD, 1998) and 20- years anniversary (Hot Club Records, 2001). With Majken Christiansen and Elith Nykjær Jørgensen published Absolutely Louisiana Jazz Band (SME Records, 2005).  Moreover, it has been a good selling jazz band with the same name in Denmark.  https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Jazzband

20 Years Anniversary

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Milton Mezz Mezzrow And Frankie Newton - The Big Apple

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 106,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Old Fashioned Love
(3:24)  2. Apologies
(2:59)  3. Sendin' The Vipers
(2:52)  4. Thirty Fifth And Calumet
(3:14)  5. Blues In Disguise
(2:33)  6. That's How I Feel Today
(2:34)  7. Hot Club Stomp
(2:21)  8. The Swing Session's Called To Order
(2:55)  9. A Melody From The Sky
(2:27) 10. Lost
(3:00) 11. Mutiny In The Parlor
(2:39) 12. The Panic Is On
(3:30) 13. I've A Muggin'
(3:06) 14. The Minor Jive
(3:12) 15. The Blues My Baby Gave To Me
(2:35) 16. Rompin' At Victor

Mezz Mezzrow occupies an odd and unique place in jazz history. Although an enthusiastic clarinetist, he was never much of a player, sounding best on the blues. A passionate propagandist for Chicago and New Orleans jazz and the rights of blacks (he meant well, but tended to overstate his case), Mezzrow was actually most significant for writing his colorful and somewhat fanciful memoirs, Really the Blues, and for being a reliable supplier of marijuana in the 1930s and '40s. In the 1920s, he was part of the Chicago jazz scene, at first helping the young white players and then annoying them with his inflexible musical opinions. Mezzrow recorded with the Jungle Kings, the Chicago Rhythm Kings, and Eddie Condon during 1927-1928, often on tenor. In the 1930s, he led a few swing-oriented dates that featured all-star integrated bands in 1933-1934 and 1936-1937. The French critic Hugues Panassie was always a big supporter of Mezzrow's playing and Mezz was well-featured on sessions in 1938 with Tommy Ladnier and Sidney Bechet; "Really the Blues" is a near-classic. Mezzrow had his own King Jazz label during 1945-1947, mostly documenting ensemble-oriented blues jams with Bechet and occasionally Hot Lips Page. After appearing at the 1948 Nice Jazz Festival, Mezzrow eventually moved to France, where he recorded fairly regularly during 1951-1955 (including with Lee Collins and Buck Clayton), along with a final album in 1959. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mezz-mezzrow-mn0000383696/biography

The Big Apple

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