Kenny Davern - I'll See You In My Dreams

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:22
Size: 124.5 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz, Clarinet jazz
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Blue Lou
[3:46] 2. Sweet And Lovely
[5:53] 3. Liza
[7:02] 4. Pee Wee's Blues
[5:32] 5. Riverboat Shuffle
[4:12] 6. Oh, Miss Hannah
[4:19] 7. My Melancholy Baby
[8:20] 8. Royal Garden Blues
[4:53] 9. In My Solitude
[5:11] 10. I'll See You In My Dreams

Recorded at the same two sessions as One Hour Tonight, this CD gets the edge due to more tempo variation. Clarinetist Kenny Davern, guitarist Howard Alden, bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Giampaolo Biagi are all heard in excellent form, coming up with fresh ideas on "Blue Lou," "Riverboat Shuffle," "My Melancholy Baby," "Royal Garden Blues" and six other veteran standards. Easily recommended to mainstream and Dixieland collectors. ~Scott Yanow

I'll See You In My Dreams

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Tony Bennett & k.d. lang - A Wonderful World

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:22
Size: 99.3 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Exactly Like You
[3:22] 2. La Vie En Rose
[4:42] 3. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[2:56] 4. You Can Depend On Me
[3:19] 5. What A Wonderful World
[3:03] 6. That's My Home
[3:23] 7. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
[3:47] 8. I Wonder
[3:53] 9. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
[3:11] 10. You Can't Lose A Broken Heart
[4:36] 11. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
[3:50] 12. If We Never Meet Again

Tony Bennett has sung with k.d. lang previously, notably on his MTV Unplugged album, and the two have meshed well together, largely because of lang's willingness to sublimate herself to Bennett's approach. The same thing can be said of the two on this full-length duet album (which also contains solos -- Bennett is heard alone on "That's My Dream," lang on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "That Lucky Old Sun [Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day]"). It isn't just that lang joins in on material more suitable to Bennett's style than to hers. This is an album on which the musicians are the members of Bennett's backup group (plus strings), recorded in Bennett's studio. But one never gets the sense that lang is restricted by the approach. She is sufficiently versatile, or chameleon-like, to sound like she's enjoying herself, just as she did earlier in her career when she was working with producer Owen Bradley in Nashville and singing traditional country. At 76, Bennett sings with an easy, casual style, never seeming to work very hard for his effects, and lang, in her vocal prime, deliberately complements him, though she never seems quite as comfortable. Although there is no indication other than an uncredited painting (by Bennett, of course) inside the CD booklet, this is a tribute album to Louis Armstrong, who recorded these songs over the course of his long career. That doesn't mean that there's a trumpet to be heard anywhere on the disc or that either of the singers tries to re-create any aspect of Armstrong's vocal style. It simply provides an organizing principle that the listener can notice or not. (Well, it's hard not to notice during the title song, with Bennett's references to "Satchmo" and "Pops.") Like Armstrong, Bennett and lang are trying to make the music sound effortless and unstudied, and to a large extent they succeed. ~William Ruhlmann

A Wonderful World

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Hugo Montenegro - Magnificent

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 23:29
Size: 53.8 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1968/2011
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. String Of Pearls
[2:29] 2. Heartaches
[2:35] 3. Chanson D'amour
[1:56] 4. Slow Poke
[2:17] 5. Peg O' My Heart
[2:51] 6. And The Angels Sing
[2:45] 7. I'll Know My Love
[2:54] 8. Dardanella
[3:16] 9. Song Of India

Despite the groovy groupie on the cover, this is a repackaging of an earlier '60s LP from Montenegro, skimping on the time (a paltry nine tracks), but featuring the kookier side of Montenegro, from the very silly, bouncing kettle drums on "Dardanella" to the old standard "Peg O' My Heart" turned into a waltz-cha cha. There are also some very solid trumpet solos featured in these essentially big band arrangements, but the lack of credits or liner notes doesn't help matters. ~Ted Mills

Magnificent

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Pat Martino - Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:39

Size: 150.3 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 2006

Art: Front

[5:59] 1. Four On Six

[5:51] 2. Groove Yard

[7:00] 3. Full House

[6:49] 4. Heart Strings

[5:11] 5. Twisted Blues

[7:04] 6. Road Song

[7:15] 7. West Coast Blues

[7:06] 8. S.K.J

[7:40] 9. If I Should Lose You

[5:40] 10. Unit Seven

Pat Martino: guitar; David Kikoski: piano; John Patitucci: bass; Scott Allan Robinson: drums; Daniel Sadownick: percussion.

Guitarist Pat Martino has overcome far more than his share of obstacles. Emerging in the mid-1960s, he released a string of acclaimed albums starting with the classic El Hombre (Prestige, 1967) and ending with the overlooked fusion classic Joyous Lake (Warner Bros., 1977). Then a brain aneurysm literally stole his identity and for the next decade he struggled to regain who he was, both as a person and as a musician.

Since then Martino's dark-toned and rapid-fire but always swinging approach has not just returned, but surpassed itself on recent albums like the energetic fusion disc Stone Blue (Blue Note, 1998) and the outstanding organ trio Live at Yoshi's (Blue Note, 2001). Regardless of context, Martino's reverence for a jazz guitar history that he's now an integral part of has never swayed, making Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery an especially compelling album, given Montgomery's clear influence during Martino's formative years. Or at least it should be.

The playing is never less than stellar. Martino has surrounded himself with a sympathetic group of younger players: pianist David Kikoski, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Scott Allan Robinson and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. Martino's understanding of Montgomery's style runs deep, but this is no mere imitative homage. Martino pays the greatest tribute possible by managing to get right inside Montgomery's appealing style comfortably incorporating his trademark octaves, imaginative chord voicings and lithe linear phrasing without losing sight of the advanced chromatic approach that has defined Martino's style since nearly the beginning.

Martino culled the music from Montgomery's superior pre-A&M discography, avoiding the more commercial music that, sadly, became a less-than-fitting end to the icon's career when he died suddenly in 1968. From up-tempo burners like Montgomery's "Four on Six and aptly-titled "Twisted Blues to the more soulful "Road Song and mid-tempo "West Coast Blues, Martino filters his own distinctive voice through Montgomery's. There are also some thrilling moments from Kikoski, who's a mainstream player to be sure, but unafraid to push the limits. The ubiquitous Patitucci works hand-in-glove with Robinson, making the challengingly slow tempos of "Heartstrings and "If I Should Lose You swing in their own gentle way.

But what makes Remember a good album instead of a great one is the sound quality. Martino has always favored a dark tone, but the entire recording is muddy and distant. The guitarist sometimes gets lost in the mix; Patitucci's normally well-defined tone is thumpy, Robinson's kit muffled and Kikoski's piano far away. The recording sounds like a bad seat in a club with poor acoustics. The sound just sits there amorphously, neither drawing you in nor jumping out at you.

And that's a shame, because the playing is so clearly full of life. Musically speaking, Remember is highly recommended it's one of Martino's strongest efforts since his 1987 comeback, in fact, a modern master paying respect to a past legend and acknowledging an unequivocal debt. But it's a challenge to get past the substandard sound in order to appreciate just how fine this record is. ~John Kelman

Remember Tribute To Wes Montgomery                

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Jeremy Pelt - Close To My Heart

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:37
Size: 120,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Weird Nightmare
(6:24)  2. Excerent
(4:35)  3. Take Me In Your Arms
(7:27)  4. 502 Blues (Drinkin' & Drivin')
(3:53)  5. All My Life
(2:54)  6. Don't Y Know I Care 

(5:05)  7. Pioggia Di Perugia
(4:45)  8. It's A Beautiful Evening
(5:35)  9. This Is The Moment
(3:42) 10. Why Try To Change Me Now?
(2:48) 11. In Your Eyes

Jeremy Pelt has the most beautiful trumpet tone exercised today. One needs to listen no further than his cover of Mingus' "Weird Nightmare," where one cannot distinguish his trumpet from his flugelhorn, save for a period in the middle section. On this piece, Mr. Pelt's tone is round and buttery warm in the first and third sections and simmering in the middle. Backed by a string quartet on several pieces, a "with strings" connotation would not have been off base. In fact, this disc would be comparable to Chet Baker with Strings had Baker had a modicum of Pelt's creative sense. 

Pelt modulates between these two provocative personalities for the remainder of the disc. Pepper Adams' "Excerent" is a low key quartet stroll, with Mulgrew Miller providing impeccable hard bop accompaniment. Peter Washington and Lewis Nash provide the bass and drum parts of this fine rhythm section. Pelt's trumpet is fluid and soft, but by the time he takes on "Take Me in Your Arms" he has acquired a Freddie Hubbard edge to his tone that is at once demanding and authoritative."502 Blues" frames Pelt's perfectly round flugelhorn, as does his solo treatment of Ellington's "Don't You Know I Care." This formula continues to entertain throughout the remainder of this year-end-list disc.~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/close-to-my-heart-jeremy-pelt-maxjazz-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Jeremy Pelt: Trumpet, Flugelhorn; Mulgrew Miller: piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Lewis Nash: Drums; Meg Oruka: Violin; Joyce Hammann: Violin; Ron Lawrence: Viola; Dave Eggar: Cello; David O'Rourke: Guitar.

Close To My Heart

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James Moody - Moody 4B

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Take the A Train
(9:11)  2. Hot House
(6:27)  3. Speak Low
(9:50)  4. Polka Dots & Moonbeams
(6:45)  5. I Love You
(5:18)  6. O.P. Update
(6:06)  7. Nikara's Song
(6:16)  8. Along Came Betty
(6:41)  9. But Not For Me

Each year since 1950, James Moody has played a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2010, the annual visit will be a little sweeter as Moody celebrates his 85th birthday, with a slice of cake on Seventh Avenue and a concert of greats. No doubt, the sprightly sax (and flute) master behind such classic tunes as "Moody's Mood for Love" is still playing strong. Moody 4A (IPO, 2009) featured a killer quartet with longtime partner in crime, pianist Kenny Barron, as well as the excellent pairing of drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Todd Coolman. The follow-up, Moody 4B, was recorded a day later and maintains the same mix of well-chosen standards, one or two originals, and a healthy dose of good swing by the best in the business. The album opens with a touch of solo ragtime from Barron, before the band launches into a cooking tempo with Moody at the helm of "Take the 'A' Train." His solo alludes to bebop past, before giving way to Barron's inspired piano solo. The equally inspired choice of "Polka Dots & Moonbeams" provides the requisite ballad to pluck at heartstrings, with lush tenor and piano playing a duo chorus before bass and drums enter and pull the tempo up. Nash's brushwork here is particularly excellent, and the tasteful chemistry generated by the rhythm section make the Latin-infused grooves on "Speak Low" and "I Love You" dig deep.

Moody sounds as good as ever. His tenor is husky and lilting in the low register, giving way to the occasional bluesy exultation up high. It often has the tender smoothness of an organ, a warm hum with very little vibrato, and the quartet wraps tight around this sound and style. Standards are again the bread and butter, with the notable exceptions of Barron's "Nikara's Song" and Coolman's "O.P. Update," both of which are sweet and catchy enough to fit seamlessly into the program. Familiar bop melodies, like Tadd Dameron's "Hot House" and Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty" serve as highlights. The former is eased down from the high haste of Charlie Parker's days, into a slow-churned swingfest, with each member of the quartet trotting out his best stuff. Nevertheless, Barron's solo would be worth most piano students' while to transcribe for its splendid melodic development.

To top it all off, the package comes with a full-length sampler disc culled from other recent IPO label releases. With selections from Sir Roland Hanna, Eddie Daniels, Benny Golson, Roger Kellaway, Stefon Harris, and the great Hank Jones, these tracks alone might be worth the price of admission. Yet there's much more. As on 4A, the quartet digs into the stuffing of cool, with an easy chemistry happening between the band as they tackle nine beautiful, classic melodies. This music simply sounds like good jazz should. 

~ Warren Allen  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/moody-4b-james-moody-ipo-recordings-review-by-warren-allen.php
 

Personnel: James Moody: tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron: piano; Todd Coolman: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Moody 4B

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The Skyliners - Greatest Hits

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Doo Wop
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:23
Size: 109,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:38)  1. Since I Don't Have You
(2:33)  2. This I Swear
(2:07)  3. I'll Be Seeing You
(2:23)  4. Stardust
(2:25)  5. If I Loved You
(2:37)  6. Warm
(2:14)  7. Blossoms In The Snow
(2:54)  8. Believe Me
(2:18)  9. Lonely Way
(2:24) 10. How Much
(1:48) 11. It Happened Today
(2:10) 12. Pennies From Heaven
(2:33) 13. Zing Went The Strings
(2:04) 14. Happy Time
(1:56) 15. One Night, One Night
(2:22) 16. Tomorrow
(2:29) 17. Lorraine From Spain
(2:19) 18. I Can Dream, Can't I
(2:24) 19. Tired Of Me
(2:35) 20. When I Fall In Love

The Skyliners were best known for their 1959 hit "Since I Don't Have You". Covers by the Four Seasons, Trini Lopez, Chuck Jackson, Don McLean, Guns N' Roses, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Ronnie Milsap, Art Garfunkel and Buckaroo Banzai kept the song in the public consciousness. They also hit the Top 40 with "This I Swear" and "Pennies from Heaven". Other classics include "It Happened Today" (1959), "Close Your Eyes" (1961) and "Comes Love" (1962). The original group dissolved in 1963, but re-united eleven years later (without Jack Taylor), for what would become their last charted record, "Where Have They Gone?"

In 1965, Jimmy Beaumont recorded two notable singles for the Bang label: the first, "Tell Me"/"I Feel Like I'm Falling in Love", were medium-tempo soul-styled tracks. For his second Bang 45, "I Never Loved Her Anyway"/"You Got Too Much Going for You", Jimmy transformed into an impressive soul singer, sounding nothing like his previous more pop-styled efforts, leading some to question in later years, if it actually was his singing. These two tracks are now considered Northern Soul collectibles. The second 45 was also issued on UK London HLZ 10059 in 1966. Jack Taylor was drafted in 1965. In 1975 Wally Lester and Joe Versharen left the group; they were replaced by new members, Jimmie Ross and Bob Sholes.

In 1978, the Detroit based record producer Don Davis who produced Marilynn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Johnny Taylor, the Dramatics, and the Dells picked up one of his favorite groups (the Skyliners) to record in his United Sound Studios. They recorded the group's "comeback" album for the RCA subsidiary, Tortoise International Records. The songs "Oh, How Happy" and "The Love Bug" were included, as was a hefty re-make of Dan Schafer's original RCA Victor single, "A Day Without You, Dear".Janet Vogel committed suicide in 1980; Cathy Cooper joined the group as a replacement. She and Ross left two years later to form a duo; they were replaced by Rick Morris and Donna Groom.

Morris retired in 1993; Also in 1993, David Proch was singing with another group. At first listen the Skyliners' original lead singer, Jimmy Beaumont, invited Proch to join the group; Proch joined as a replacement. Also performing with the group at this time was Tom Sholes, brother of Bob Sholes. The two were local to the group; they attended St George High School in the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The group became Beaumont, Groom, Proch, and Nick Pociask. David Proch (at age 44) the third person to sing first tenor for the Skyliners, died on October 19, 1998, in a car accident. His car collided with a truck hauling asphalt on U.S. Route 30 near Ligonier, PA, about 45 miles east of Pittsburgh. Proch's place was taken by Dick Muse, a former member of The Laurels. Rick Morris replaced Muse in 2011. Frank Czuri replaced Morris in 2013. Their longtime manager and producer Joe Rock, who also co-wrote "Since I Don't Have You", died on April 4, 2000, at age 63, after complications from quadruple bypass heart surgery. Three of the original members have died: Janet Vogel committed suicide on February 21, 1980, she was 37, Joe Verscharen died of cancer on November 2, 2007, he was 67,Wally Lester (b. Walter Paul Lester, Jr. on October 5, 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) died of pancreatic cancer in Southport, North Carolina on April 21, 2015, he was 73.

Today, Jimmy Beaumont performs with The Skyliners in their current line-up of Nick Pociask, Frank Czuri, and Donna Groom (whose husband, Mark Groom, has been the group's drummer/conductor for more than 25 years). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skyliners

Greatest Hits

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Lisa Bassenge - Canyon Songs

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2015

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 45:51

Size: 105,5 MB

Art: Front

(5:07)  1. Riders on the Storm

(4:25)  2. Angeles

(3:56)  3. Aht Uh Mi Hed

(2:43)  4. All Stripped Down

(3:49)  5. For What It's Worth

(4:38)  6. The Last Chance Texaco

(3:41)  7. The Same Situation

(4:25)  8. Searching for a Heart

(5:39)  9. Her Town Too

(4:35) 10. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

(2:49) 11. Blue Skies

Canyon songs, the new album, is a new step for the artist. It is the first publication of the Berlin singer for precious / MPS. Lisa Bassenge took eleven songs in Los Angeles, at the mixing desk sat Grammy winner Larry Klein, who stands out above all by its excellent productions for Till Brönner, Melody Gardot (My One And Only Thrill), or Madeleine Peyroux. Lisa interpreted classics such as Riders On The Storm by The Doors and For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield, I Just Was not Made For These Times of the Beach Boys, The Same situation of Joni Mitchell or Blue Skies by Tom Waits. In addition to pieces from the 60s and 70s, the golden era of Laurel Canyon artist, Lisa Bassenge has with Angeles Elliott Smith also a song from 1997's repertoire. In addition, Lisa is accompanied on your album is equal to 3 times of the sympathetic and successful trumpeter Till Bronner music. Translate by google ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.de/Canyon-Songs-Lisa-Bassenge/dp/B00WYA9U1E

Canyon Songs

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