James Moody - Cookin' The Blues And Another Bag

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:19
Size: 174.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[6:40] 1. The Jazz Twist
[5:55] 2. One For Nat
[5:39] 3. Bunny Boo
[4:19] 4. Moody Flooty
[5:51] 5. It Might As Well Be Spring
[2:15] 6. Disappointed
[2:51] 7. Sister Sadie
[2:12] 8. Little Buck
[6:19] 9. Home Fries
[4:45] 10. Sassy Lady
[7:46] 11. Ally Parts 1, 2, 3
[3:09] 12. Spastic
[3:16] 13. Minuet In G
[6:52] 14. Cup Bearers
[5:29] 15. The Day After
[2:53] 16. Pleyel D'jamie

Twofer: Tracks #1-9, from the album “Cookin' the Blues” (Argo LPS 756); Tracks #10-16, from the album “Another Bag” (Argo LPS 695). James Moody (as), Howard McGhee (tp), Bernard McKinney (tb), Musa Kaleem (bs), Sonny Donaldson (p), Steve Davis (b), Arnold Enlow (d), Eddie Jefferson (vcl) / Paul Serrano (tp), John Avant (tb), Kenny Barron (p), Ernest Oulaw (b), Marshall Thompson (d). James Moody’s full-bodied sound on tenor was always original and hard swinging, but as he demonstrated leading these fine small bands, he felt equally at home playing alto sax or flute.

“Cookin’ the Blues”, the first album here, features his septet recorded live at the Jazz Workshop in June 1961, during his tour on the West Coast. Moody, wonderfully relaxed and in good form, fronts a band (with trumpeter Howard McGhee in his come back to the coast) offering inspired performances and more musical content than groups with a bigger name. Eddie Jefferson was also was one of the moving forces behind the whole show, with his humorous, and happily frantic singing.

All seven songs in “Another Bag”—the second album of this compilation—are excellent originals. Tom McIntosh, arranger on the date, contributed five, with his craftsmanship throughout distinguished by skillful voicings, interesting harmonic structures and beautiful melodies, somewhat reminiscent of the writing of Tadd Dameron and Gigi Gryce. Besides a forceful and driving Moody, the group features the consistently effective Paul Serrano on trumpet and the excellent solo and comping of pianist Kenny Barron.

Cookin' The Blues And Another Bag

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Louisiana Rhythm Kings - It's All About Swing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:39
Size: 65.6 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Futuristic Rhythm
[2:58] 2. Out Where The Blues Begin
[2:45] 3. That's A-Plenty
[3:10] 4. Ballin' The Jack
[2:49] 5. I'm Walking Through Clover (I'm Happy In Love)
[3:10] 6. That Da Da Strain
[2:59] 7. Last Cent
[2:40] 8. Swanee
[2:22] 9. Meanest Kind O' Blues
[2:45] 10. I Have To Have You

It's All About Swing

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Benny Golson - Just As Much

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:24
Size: 179.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:42] 1. Namely You
[5:23] 2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[3:35] 3. Little Karin
[7:30] 4. Alone Together
[5:55] 5. Whisper Not
[4:46] 6. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[4:17] 7. You're Mine, You
[6:14] 8. Another Git Together
[5:05] 9. April In Paris
[8:34] 10. Blues After Dark
[5:19] 11. Cry A Blue Tear
[5:15] 12. The Touch
[7:34] 13. Thursday's Theme
[4:10] 14. My Heart Belongs To Daddy

Benny Golson is a talented composer/arranger whose tenor playing has continued to evolve with time. After attending Howard University (1947-1950) he worked in Philadelphia with Bull Moose Jackson's R&B band (1951) at a time when it included one of his writing influences, Tadd Dameron on piano. Golson played with Dameron for a period in 1953, followed by stints with Lionel Hampton (1953-1954), and Johnny Hodges and Earl Bostic (1954-1956). He came to prominence while with Dizzy Gillespie's globetrotting big band (1956-1958), as much for his writing as for his tenor playing (the latter was most influenced by Don Byas and Lucky Thompson). Golson wrote such standards as "I Remember Clifford" (for the late Clifford Brown), "Killer Joe," "Stablemates," "Whisper Not," "Along Came Betty," and "Blues March" during 1956-1960. His stay with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1958-1959) was significant, and during 1959-1962 he co-led the Jazztet with Art Farmer. From that point on Golson gradually drifted away from jazz and concentrated more on working in the studios and with orchestras including spending a couple of years in Europe (1964-1966). When Golson returned to active playing in 1977, his tone had hardened and sounded much closer to Archie Shepp than to Don Byas. Other than an unfortunate commercial effort for Columbia in 1977, Golson has recorded consistently rewarding albums (many for Japanese labels) since that time including a reunion with Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller in a new Jazztet. Through the years he has recorded as a leader for Contemporary, Riverside, United Artists, New Jazz, Argo, Mercury, and Dreyfus among others. Returning once again to the spirit of the original Jazztet, Golson released New Time, New 'Tet on Concord Records in 2009. ~ bio by Scott Yanow

Just As Much

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Elizabeth Shepherd Trio - Start To Move

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. Start To Move
[3:43] 2. George's Dilemma
[6:29] 3. Roots
[2:57] 4. Four
[4:01] 5. Circles
[3:23] 6. Reversed
[6:35] 7. Melon
[5:42] 8. Ton Visage
[7:26] 9. Along The Way
[4:42] 10. Just Getting By
[1:09] 11. Price Is Right

Imagine a cold winter night in Toronto, walking past a small jazz club, when you catch through the folds of your scarf the warm deep grooves of a jazz trio playing to an intimate crowd. Welcome to the scene a fresh new sound from Elizabeth Shepherd Trio.

There are times when something new comes along at once familiar and yet completely original. The album ‘Start to Move’ from the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio is just that. But what’s more she has added her own unique blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues, and samba to the fundamentals of Jazz – improvising a deep driving bass from Scott Kemp, the swinging beat of the drum from Colin Kingsmore, and Elizabeth’s playful piano and captivating voice to tie it all together. Recorded over the winter of 2005/2006, you can feel yourself with them, locked away in a small studio, protected from the cold winter night, pushing through track after track for that deep warm sound.

Elizabeth’s lyrics sing to us her struggle to find a place in a dynamic yet crowded jazz scene, as well as drawing on stories of love and life. From the jazz funk of ‘Reversed’ to the samba beats of ‘Melon’, the hip hop influenced ‘George’s Dilemma’ and the swinging modal of ‘Roots’, the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio has given us music that seems effortless in its perfection, displaying her talents and the remarkable chemistry she shares with her band to never compromise her style for those seeking tradition.

Start To Move 

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Roy Haynes - Roy-Alty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:42
Size: 150.4 MB
Styles: Post bop, Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:54] 1. Grand Street
[3:37] 2. They Call The Wind Mariah
[8:40] 3. Off Minor
[8:20] 4. These Foolish Things
[5:25] 5. Milestones
[8:40] 6. Tin Tin Deo
[7:40] 7. All The Bars Are Open
[3:49] 8. Pinky
[6:44] 9. Equipoise
[6:50] 10. Passion Dance

Roy Haynes celebrated his 86th birthday on March 13, 2011. Had the veteran drummer retired from music 30 or 40 years earlier, he still would have gone down in history as someone with a long list of accomplishments. But thankfully, Haynes continued to perform well into his eighties. Recorded in early 2011 (when Haynes was still 85), Roy-Alty is a solid hard bop/post-bop outing that boasts well-known guests like Chick Corea (who is heard on acoustic piano) and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Corea is featured on two selections: the dusky "All the Bars Are Open" and Thelonious Monk's "Off Minor," while Hargrove is heard on six of the ten tracks (including the insistent "Passion Dance," the standard "These Foolish Things," the Afro-Cuban favorite "Tin Tin Deo," and Miles Davis' "Milestones"). It should be noted that the "Milestones" that Haynes performs on Roy-Alty is the bop standard that Davis played with Charlie "Bird" Parker in 1947, not the modal standard he unveiled in 1958, and playing something with a Bird connection is quite appropriate, given that Haynes was a member of his quintet from 1949-1952 (when the drummer was in his twenties). Most of the songs on Roy-Alty find Haynes employing a group that he bills as the Fountain of Youth (alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist Martin Bejerano, and bassist David Wong), and while the personnel can vary from track to track on this 66-minute CD, the constant is Haynes' skillful drumming. After all these years, Haynes hasn't lost his touch as either a drummer or a group leader, and his skills in both of those areas is evident on Roy-Alty, which falls short of essential but is nonetheless a pleasing addition to his catalog. ~Alex Henderson

Roy-Alty

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Oscar Peterson - Perfect Peterson: Best of the Pablo & Telarc Recordings (Disc 1)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:21
Size: 168,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:52)  1. Tenderly
( 3:20)  2. How High the Moon
( 8:01)  3. Nuages
( 5:21)  4. Blues Etude
( 6:57)  5. Caravan
( 7:17)  6. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
( 4:26)  7. Summertime
(10:47)  8. If I Were a Bell
( 3:18)  9. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
( 4:47) 10. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
( 7:11) 11. Nigerian Marketplace
( 6:57) 12. On the Trail

While it's true that Oscar Peterson compilations appeared with regularity form the early '60s on, only a few of them as with most recording artists have any real merit. This two-disc collection from the Concord Music Group's Telarc label, is one of them. Appearing less than a year before his death, this compilation concentrates on recordings issued from the '50s through the middle of the '80s on Dizzy Gillespie's Pablo label, and those made for Telarc between 1990 and 2000. Many live dates are included here from both labels, including "Tenderly" with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown at the J.A.T.P. concerts in Japan; the trio dates at Zardi's in 1955 ("How High the Moon"), in Copenhagen with Joe Pass, Stéphane Grappelli, and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen in 1979, and Mickey Roker in 1979 ("Nuages"). There's the beautiful duet reading of Juan Tizol's "Caravan" with Gillespie in the studio in 1974, as well as the title track form the Nigerian Marketplace album but recorded live in Japan in 1982.

The biggest complaint is that there isn't anything here actually from that classic album on this set. Disc two begins with the great reunion of the trio at the Blue Note in 1990, from which the historic set was taken with Bobby Durham on drums: "Honeysuckle Rose," "Kelly's Blues," and "Wheatland" all come from those sets. Other live cuts include "Reunion Blues," with Benny Green, Ellis, Brown, and drummer Lewis Nash from the Tribute to Oscar Peterson concert in New York, and "Night Time" from Oscar in Paris. There are a few studio numbers here as well including "In a Mellow Tone," with Brown, Nash, Benny Carter, Clark Terry, and Lorne Lofsky, and the stellar version of "Tin Tin Deo," with Roy Hargrove, Ørsted-Pedersen, and Ralph Moore was recorded in Canada for release on mid-'90s albums like The More I See You and Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite. With the exception of the aforementioned minor complaint, this is a fine overview of some of Peterson's most productive years. Included is an excellent liner essay by writer James Isaacs. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/perfect-peterson-best-of-the-pablo-telarc-recordings-mw0000727150

Personnel: Oscar Peterson, Benny Green, Count Basie: piano;   Herb Ellis, Lorne Lafsky, Ulf Wakenius, Joe Pass: guitar;   Ray Brown, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, John Heard, David Young: bass; Bobby Durham, Lewis Nash, Martin Drew, Karriem Riggins, Mickey Roker, Louis Bellson: drums; Benny Carter: alto sax; Clark Terry: flugelhorn; Roy Hargrove, Dizzy Gillespie: trumpet; Ralph Moore, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: tenor sax; Milt Jackson: vibes; Michel Legrand: strings; Stephane Grappelli: violin.

Perfect Peterson: Best of the Pablo & Telarc Recordings (Disc 1)

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Marcus Printup - The New Boogaloo

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:12
Size: 131,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:49)  1. The Bullet Train
(5:29)  2. Sardinian Princess
(6:49)  3. The Weeping Prince
(6:57)  4. The New Boogaloo
(5:51)  5. Soul Waltz
(7:18)  6. In A Sentimental Mood
(5:38)  7. Printupian Prance
(6:37)  8. The Inception
(6:39)  9. Speak Low

Sweet, Intelligent tone in the new Lou Donaldson... The work "Boogaloo" makes me think of the Lou Donaldson soul jazz of the 1960s on Blue Note. Marcus Printup resurrects this term for his debut recording for the Nagel Heyer label and gives it a bit of a dusting off and updating. The New Boogaloo is not a blues blowing session in 4/4 meter. It is an intelligently conceived and deftly executed collection of originals with two standards thrown in, performed by the stars of the new generation of jazz. Mr. Printup, a 35-year-old converse, Georgia native was discovered in 1991 by then Wynton Marsalis pianist, Marcus Roberts. Roberts invited Printup to perform on his Blues for a New Millennium recording. Printup also did time with Marsalis as part of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, appearing on the Pulitzer Prizing winning Blood On The Fields and jazz ballet, Jump Start and Jazz. He has previously recorded for Capitol and Blue Note, through which he released the very fine Nocturnal Traces.  Here, Printup has upped the ante with some smart composing and choices in sidemen. Wycliffe Gordon is always a safe bet as a sideman as there is nothing he cannot do on the trombone in any idiom. Walter Blanding sits in the tenor chair, while the piano chair is shared between Eric Lewis and George Colligan.

Do you detect a trend here? All sidemen are associated with Wynton Marsalis. And, as always, once they leave the nest, all former Marsalians are free to swing as hard as they wish, however they wish. Case in point, "Bullet Train" is a complex funky tome with a bit of a rock back beat that would not be found on a Marsalis recording. It rocks as does Printup on his opening solo. The title piece is much in the same vein, while the ballads like "Sardinian Princess" and "The Weeping Prince" are angular and dissonant in character. "Soul Waltz" is a beautiful dance with a melody that recalls the Swing era. "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Speak Low" are thoroughly investigated standards not smothered in the reverence that many of this generation are subject to. The New Boogaloo is a very fine release by the talented Marcus Printup, leaving this writer anticipating his next release. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-new-boogaloo-marcus-printup-nagel-heyer-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Marcus Printup-- trumpet; George Colligan, Eric Lewis-- Piano; Vicente Archer-- bass; Donald Edwards-- drums; Walter Blanding-- tenor saxophone; Wycliffe Gordon-- trombone.

The New Boogaloo

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Mel Tormé - It's A Blue World

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1955
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 42:31
Size: 68,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:23)  1. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(2:55)  2. Till the Clouds Roll By
(3:41)  3. Isn't It Romantic
(3:50)  4. I Know Why (And So Do You)
(3:39)  5. All This and Heaven Too
(3:33)  6. How Long Has This Been Going On
(3:56)  7. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(3:24)  8. You Leave Me Breathless
(3:43)  9. I Found a Million Dollar Baby
(3:17) 10. Wonderful One
(3:45) 11. It's a Blue World
(3:20) 12. Stay as Sweet as You Are

Mel Tormé had spent the first decade of his solo career being treated by record companies as a pop singer when Bethlehem offered to treat him as a jazz artist in 1955. The label requested that his first album be a collection of ballads, probably noting the recent success of Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours. But Tormé picked the songs, ranging from Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse's "Till the Clouds Roll By" from 1917 to Duke Ellington and Paul Webster's "I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" from 1941. The 15-piece orchestra assembled by his accompanist Al Pellegrini backed the singer, and Pellegrini, Sandy Courage, Andre Previn, Marty Paich, and Russ Garcia wrote the arrangements Tormé sang with delicate precision, caressing the lyrics. Despite the album title, his interpretations had none of the darkness of Sinatra. 

Rather, Tormé invested the songs with warmth and confidence. Recorded and released around the time he turned 30, It's a Blue World marked a turning point in Mel Tormé's recording career. ~ William Ruhlmann  http://www.allmusic.com/album/its-a-blue-world-mw0000196852

It's A Blue World

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