Herbie Mann - The Man

Time: 42:34
Size: 97.5 MB
Styles: Flute jazz
Year: 1995/2013
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Perdido
[4:12] 2. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
[4:00] 3. Herbie's Buddy
[3:28] 4. Yesterdays
[2:33] 5. Here's Pete
[3:45] 6. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
[2:28] 7. Morning After
[2:54] 8. African Flute
[4:28] 9. Bacao
[3:38] 10. Carabunta
[4:17] 11. Afro-Jazziac
[2:40] 12. Ring-A-Levio

This single budget CD reissues most of two early sessions by flutist Herbie Mann. Mann is teamed up with fellow flutist Buddy Collette on a cool-toned bop date that also includes pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis. Both of the horns get to play a bit of tenor and clarinet, giving variety to the session. The second date matches Mann with the orchestra of Machito; tenor-saxophonist Johnny Griffin and trombonist Curtis Fuller also have a few solos. Nothing all that essential occurs and these dates are not quite complete but the music is reasonably enjoyable. ~Scott Yanow

The Man

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Monica Lewis - Sing It To The Marines

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:05
Size: 75.8 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1957/1998/2010
Art: Front

[3:07] 1. Blues In The Night
[2:48] 2. Miss You
[2:35] 3. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[3:28] 4. I Cover The Waterfront
[2:19] 5. Undecided
[2:22] 6. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[2:32] 7. Rough Ridin'
[2:24] 8. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[3:01] 9. All Alone
[3:08] 10. The Song Is You
[2:36] 11. All Or Nothing At All
[2:40] 12. I'll Be Seeing You

The cover of this one might make the album one of the campiest records on Verve – but the session's a surprisingly great one, with a straighter vocal approach than you'd guess! Monica's got a really sweet vocal style – a bit sexy, and certainly adult – arranged here with some nice jazzy touches from Frank DeVol, working in backings that are a lot hipper than those we remember him using with other singers from the time. Monica handles herself like a big girl in front of all those Marines – all-woman, but clearly not giving it away to the first man in blue who walks down the street.

Sing It To The Marines

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Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Rev Up: The Best Of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:12
Size: 147.0 MB
Styles: AM pop, Blue eyed soul
Year: 1990/2005
Art: Front

[3:25] 1. Jenny Take A Ride
[3:06] 2. Little Latin Lupe Lu
[3:15] 3. Shakin' With Linda
[2:43] 4. I Like It Like That
[2:41] 5. I Had It Made
[3:17] 6. Break-Out
[2:27] 7. Shake A Tail Feather
[2:42] 8. Just A Little Bit
[3:22] 9. Takin' All I Can Get
[3:09] 10. You Get Your Kicks
[2:41] 11. Sticks And Stones
[3:57] 12. Baby Jane (Mo-Mo Jane)
[3:10] 13. Joy
[3:31] 14. Devil With A Blue Dress On Good Golly Miss Molly
[3:12] 15. Sock It To Me-Baby!
[3:02] 16. Too Many Fish In The Sea Three Little Fishes
[3:11] 17. I'd Rather Go To Jail
[3:29] 18. Liberty
[3:27] 19. Long Neck Goose
[4:14] 20. Rock & Roll

There really isn't a whole lot to say here except this: "All Killer, No Filler." This is as fine a collection of Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels as is likely to be assembled. It captures the man, the myth, and the magic of a young band firing on all burners, who, despite being exploited in virtually every way possible by their handlers, still managed to turn on the gas when it came to the recording studio. This 20-cut comp provides a definitive view of the very time when soul, classic rhythm & blues, early rock & roll, the emerging psychedelic scene, and the Detroit aesthetic all met, got tangled up, and then took over the world for a minute. ~Thom Jurek

Rev Up: The Best Of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels

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Randy Weston - Capitol Vaults Jazz Series (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:45
Size: 157.4 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:10] 1. Earth Birth
[3:14] 2. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[4:18] 3. Saucer Eye
[5:21] 4. I Got Rhythm
[2:53] 5. Gingerbread
[3:34] 6. Cocktails For Two
[6:27] 7. Honey Suckle Rose
[5:34] 8. Fe-Double-U Blues
[4:07] 9. Portrait Of Patsy J
[4:58] 10. Uncle Nemo
[5:16] 11. Cry Me Not
[2:00] 12. Honk Honk
[4:22] 13. Saucer Eyes
[6:31] 14. 204
[4:53] 15. C.B. Blues

Capitol Vaults Jazz Series (Disc 2)

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Various Artists - When Love Goes Wrong: Songs for the Broken-Hearted

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:26
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. Billie Holiday - Good Morning Heartache
(2:26)  2. Chet Baker - Born to Be Blue
(3:36)  3. Johnny Hartman - It Never Entered My Mind
(3:11) 4. Little Jimmy Scott - Everybody's Somebody's Fool
(3:15)  5. Peggy Lee - Woman Alone With the Blues
(3:30)  6. Beverly Kenney - A Woman's Intuition
(3:42)  7. Frank D'Rone - Everything Happens to Me
(5:38)  8. Shirley Horn - I Fall in Love Too Easily
(2:40)  9. Helen Merrill - Here's That Rainy Day
(3:40) 10. Arthur Prysock - I'm Through with Love
(2:40) 11. Dinah Washington - I'm a Fool to Want You
(2:41) 12. Billy Eckstine - What Will I Tell My Heart?
(3:25) 13. Sarah Vaughan - But Not for Me
(2:14) 14. Ella Fitzgerald - Reaching for the Moon
(5:13) 15. Mel Tormé - Gloomy Sunday

Bill Maher (as in Politically Incorrect) once stated that marriage is a lot like communism--it sounds great on paper, but in reality, it doesn't work. That's a very cynical view of romance; some marriages do work, and they work well. But at the same, one can certainly understand where Maher is coming from half of American marriages, after all, end in divorce, and many couples never even make it to the alter. Those unsuccessful relationships are the focus of When Love Goes Wrong: Songs for the Broken-Hearted, a thoughtfully assembled collection of vocal jazz and torch singing that spans 1950-1997. 

The front cover boasts an illustration that recalls the classic film noir and pulp fiction of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s an attractive blonde who just blew away her lover is led away in handcuffs, while a hat-wearing hard-boiled detective (à la Dana Andrews' character in Laura) nonchalantly puffs away on a cigarette. It's the perfect cover for a compilation that paints a dark, troubled picture of romance thanks to melancholy performances by heavyweights like Dinah Washington on "I'm a Fool to Want You," Chet Baker on "Born to Be Blue" and Jimmy Scott on "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". Shirley Horn's soulful version of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" is from 1997, although the rest of the selections are from the ‘50s and ‘60s. If one wanted to nit-pick, it would be easy to complain about the fact that Verve doesn't include any versions of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" (one of the darkest jazz pearls ever written). 

Also, Verve should have provided Billie Holiday's original 1946 recording of "Good Morning Heartache" instead of the 1956 version that opens this CD Lady Day sounded a lot better in 1946. Nonetheless, this generally rewarding, if imperfect, compilation is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who craves expressive, heartfelt torch singing. ~ Alex Henderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/when-love-goes-wrong-songs-for-the-broken-hearted-mw0000663806

When Love Goes Wrong: Songs for the Broken-Hearted

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Sarah Partridge - Blame It On My Youth

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:04
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. You Turned The Tables On Me
(4:00)  2. Almost Like Being In Love
(4:26)  3. Every Day I Have The Blues
(3:53)  4. Haunted Heart
(4:28)  5. How Long Has This Been Going On
(2:22)  6. I've Got The World On A String
(5:07)  7. Blame It On My Youth
(2:30)  8. No More Blues
(1:55)  9. Just One Of Those Things
(5:52) 10. Detour Ahead
(3:01) 11. All The Things You Are
(1:50) 12. This Can't Be Love
(2:45) 13. Cheek to Cheek
(5:26) 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine

Sarah Partridge's second recording as a leader is the equal of her first. She explores and uplifts 14 standards. Most of her interpretations are fairly conventional, although "Almost Like Being in Love" is surprisingly spacy and modernized, "You Turned the Tables on Me" is almost over the top, "This Can't Be Love" is slowed down and made soulful, and a Latin feel is given to "How Long Has This Been Going On." Frank Wess takes a fine tenor solo on "Every Day I Have the Blues," Benjamin May's bowed bass is a major asset to "Detour Ahead," and pianist Daniel May does a fine job of leading the accompanying trio on seven of the numbers. Sarah Partridge is very good at choosing notes, her phrasing is attractive, and her tone is appealing. This set is easily recommended to fans of lightly swinging jazz vocalists. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/blame-it-on-my-youth-mw0000694102

Blame It On My Youth

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Tommy Flanagan - Master Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:32
Size: 81,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:30)  1. It Don't Mean A Thing
(5:33)  2. St. Thomas
(5:46)  3. Angel Eyes
(4:07)  4. New Song # 3
(4:39)  5. Minor Mishap
(4:16)  6. Misterioso
(4:38)  7. Milestones

Tommy Flanagan is joined by bassist Ron Carter and Tony Williams for this enjoyable pair of studio sessions from 1983, originally recorded for the Japanese label Baybridge. The music is predominately familiar jazz compositions, all played with gusto. Flanagan romps in a mid-tempo setting of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." Carter gets a bit carried away with quotes in his solo during Sonny Rollins' well-known calypso "St. Thomas." 

The leader revoices the venerable standard "Angel Eyes" to a stunning effect, making it more dramatic than usual. Carter's driving hard bop vehicle "New Song" and Flanagan's playful "Minor Mishap" are equally enjoyable. Two other classic jazz compositions, "Misterioso" and "Milestones," are performed well, though without any surprises. Last reissued as a budget CD by Four Star, this release is well worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/master-trio-mw0000075675

Personnel: Piano – Tommy Flanagan;  Bass – Ron Carter;  Drums – Tony Williams

Master Trio

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Willie Jones III - The Next Phase

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:37
Size: 124,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:38)  1. The Thorn
(6:59)  2. Changing the Game
(6:21)  3. Melancholy Mind
(6:33)  4. Family
(6:43)  5. Kosen Rufu
(5:26)  6. Another Time
(4:43)  7. Until It's Time For You To Go
(9:11)  8. Up the Middle

On his fourth album, Jones leads a group that features the modern jazz scene's most innovative musicians: Steve Davis on trombone, Greg Tardy on saxophone, Eric Reed on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, Warren Wolf on vibes and vocalists Claudia Acuna and Renee Neufville. The Next Phase consists of an original tune by Jones as well as new and unreleased songs by Reed, Douglas and Davis. Until It's Time for You To Go, originally recorded by Roberta Flack, has been translated to the jazz medium by vocalist Renee Neufville. Claudia Acuna is featured on Melancholy Mind, written by pianist Anthony Wonsey. Jones continues to work consistently with venerable artists Cedar Walton, Hank Jones, Ernestine Anderson, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars and others but the album's title reflects the changes in the drummer's life, both personally and professionally. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/The-Next-Phase-Willie-Jones/dp/B003K7TMNG

Personnel: Willie Jones III (drums); Eric Reed, piano; Dezron Douglas, Bass; Warren Wolf, vibes; Greg Tardy, sax; Steve Davis, trombone; Claudia Acuna, vocals; Renee Neufville, vocals

The Next Phase

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Antonio Faraò - Black Inside

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:30
Size: 125,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:09)  1. Memories
(6:03)  2. Black Inside
(9:36)  3. Latin Dance
(6:09)  4. Just In Time
(5:42)  5. Basel
(6:14)  6. Sweet
(4:42)  7. Brother Kenny
(4:20)  8. Chaotic Romance
(5:45)  9. Dumb Show
(3:45) 10. My One And Only Love

Italian-born pianist Antonio Faraò's debut as a leader, 1999's Black Inside, is a fine post-bop piano trio record in the manner of Bill Evans' classic sides with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. Bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts are solid accompanists whose occasional solos never overstay their welcome (Coleman's solo interlude in the lengthy "Latin Dance" is marvelously restrained, and a wonderful counterpoint to Faraò's impressive extended solo, which echoes the cerebral coolness of Paul Bley as well as the melodic invention of Dave Brubeck), but this is Faraò's record all the way. Opening with the unfortunately brief solo piano miniature "Memories," the ten original tunes are impressively varied, from the fusion-ish melodicism of "Basel" to the atmospheric languor of "Dumb Show." Faraò is doing little that's genuinely new or inventive, but neither is he content to merely ape his influences or, even worse, shoot for crossover blandness, making Black Inside (what's up with that title?) one of the more satisfying mainstream jazz debuts of its era. ~ Stewart Mason  http://www.allmusic.com/album/black-inside-mw0000242507

Personnel: Antonio Farao (piano); Ira Coleman (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Black Inside

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Ingrid Michaelson - Lights Out

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:35
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Home
(3:41)  2. Girls Chase Boys
(5:01)  3. Wonderful Unknown (feat. Greg Laswell)
(3:13)  4. You Got Me (feat. Storyman)
(2:27)  5. Warpath
(3:36)  6. Handsome Hands
(3:32)  7. Time Machine
(3:14)  8. One Night Town (feat. Mat Kearney)
(4:06)  9. Open Hands (feat. Trent Dabbs)
(3:33) 10. Ready to Love (feat. Trent Dabbs)
(3:35) 11. Stick
(4:04) 12. Afterlife
(4:43) 13. Over You (feat. A Great Big World)
(5:17) 14. Everyone Is Gonna Love Me Now

Ingrid Michaelson's sixth studio album, 2014's Lights Out, is a polished, well-produced effort that magnifies all of the sounds and lyrical themes she's been working with since breaking through with 2007's Girls and Boys. Michaelson even seems to reference that album with her Lights Out lead single, the infectious "Girls Chase Boys." However, where Girls and Boys centered around Michaelson's intimate ukulele and acoustic guitar-driven dorm room pop, Lights Out features a broadened sonic palette and a much more robust vocal performance; it's a transformation she's been perfecting since 2009's Everybody and 2012's Human Again. This time out, Michaelson has enlisted a handful of producers who include, among others, her bandmate bassist Chris Kuffner, Jacquire King (Modest Mouse, Norah Jones), and singer/songwriter Katie Herzig. Michaelson even reunites with longtime collaborator Dan Romer for the epic ballad "Over You," featuring A Great Big World. 

While there are a few of Michaelson's trademark intimate breakup songs here, including the tear-inducing "Open Hands," overall the album reveals Michaelson to be in a bright, upbeat state of mind. Cuts like the bluesy, handclap-heavy "Warpath" and the similarly fiery "Time Machine," with its '90s-esque sax samples, are more emblematic of the album's ambitious, empowered tone. Elsewhere, we get the catchy dance-pop duet "One Night Town" with Mat Kearney and the uplifting anthem "Afterlife." There's also a very in-the-moment feeling of both poignancy and happiness to Lights Out, which is perhaps best expressed in the midtempo Beatlesque ballad "Wonderful Unknown," featuring Michaelson's husband, singer/songwriter Greg Laswell. In it, Michaelson ruminates on the small details of her everyday life, singing "We make bread on Sundays and the little ones are climbing the walls/Up the walls/Nothing lasts forever but the sound of love astounds me every time that it calls." Ultimately, on Lights Out, Michaelson has captured that sound of love. ~ Matt Collar  http://www.allmusic.com/album/lights-out-mw0002620816

Lights Out

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