Brother Jack McDuff - Bringin' It Home

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:15
Size: 131.1 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[5:16] 1. Cold Duck Time
[7:10] 2. The Scratch
[6:02] 3. Girl Talk
[6:43] 4. After Hours
[8:12] 5. This Masquerade
[5:52] 6. A Time For Love
[3:07] 7. Moohah! Joe Dukes
[8:09] 8. Summertime
[6:40] 9. Pettin' The Cat

1999's Bringin' It Home is a welcome surprise from the killer organist Jack McDuff, whose '90s work was largely devoid of the energy and wit of the classic albums that had made his name. McDuff invites two members of his old crew to the session, saxophonist Red Holloway and guitarist George Benson, who had first made his name playing with McDuff in the '60s. Benson, in particular, sounds revitalized by the association, playing with more spunk than he's managed in years. A couple of decades' worth of crossover jazz will take the fire out of anyone's playing, but Benson's solo on Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time" is a marvel of funky economy that sounds like Steve Cropper with hot jazz chops. The other key member of McDuff's classic lineup, the late drummer Joe Dukes, is remembered with McDuff's sweet and playful tribute "Moohah! Joe Dukes." Simply recorded, sounding like it was cut live in the studio, Bringin' It Home sounds bracingly direct, and though it doesn't rank with McDuff's best work, it's a sight better than anyone could have expected at such a late date. ~Stewart Mason

Bringin' It Home

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Chris Connor - Lush Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:16
Size: 76.2 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1959/2010
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. All About Ronnie
[2:48] 2. Miser's Serenade
[2:16] 3. Everything I Love
[2:59] 4. Indian Summer
[2:17] 5. I Hear Music
[2:42] 6. Come Back To Sorrento
[2:52] 7. Out Of This World
[2:51] 8. Lush Life
[2:27] 9. From This Moment On
[3:24] 10. A Good Man Is A Seldom Thing
[2:30] 11. Don't Wait Up For Me
[3:00] 12. Fly Me To The Moon

One of the classy, cool jazz vocalists from the 1950s, Chris Connor was in the midst of a comeback at age 48 when she appeared at the Great American Music Hall on October 22, 1976. A one-time singer for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, she had a successful run as a solo artist with Atlantic Records, beginning with 1956's self-titled debut and concluding with 1962's Free Spirits. There followed a lull in her recording career until 1972's Sketches on the obscure Stanyan label, which included her jazzy renditions of pop hits of the day. For this GAMH performance, the husky-voiced singer with the perfect intonation, fluid phrasing and assured sense of swing alternated between jazz standards and interpretations of current pop tunes. Her sublime take on Billy Strayhorn's melancholy, harmonically rich "Lush Life" is imbued with deep understanding of the lyrics and a stirring delivery. The full range of Connors' haunting voice is on display here. She is clearly in command of her emotive powers at this stage in her career.

Lush Life

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Grant Stewart - + 4

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 137.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[7:29] 1. You 'n' Me
[8:39] 2. Yesterdays
[6:42] 3. Cohn On The Cob
[5:57] 4. Limehouse Blues
[8:59] 5. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
[8:27] 6. Sabia
[7:22] 7. Lonely Town
[6:20] 8. You Leave Me Breathless

Grant Stewart: tenor saxophone; Joe Cohn: guitar; Bill Charlap: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Willie Jones III: drums.

Grant Stewart is a young Canadian tenor saxophonist with a big, burly sound and plenty of drive. On Grant Stewart + 4, he demonstrates his command of both his instrument and the hard bop idiom. He swings without pretense and his top-shelf sidemen move things along with considerable brio. Stewart's improvisations are marked by long, rolling lines and heated swing. He displays a cohesive sense of invention even at the fastest tempos, as on "Limehouse Blues," for example. And while Stewart is deeply indebted to Sonny Rollins, he's clearly looking for his own approach, making interesting and original note choices throughout. His flaring solo on "Lonely Town" is especially good.

Guitarist Joe Cohn is also a big part of the success of this album, through sleek, clean solos and clever arrangements, which serve to lift these proceedings well above the usual blowing date. Cohn is highlighted on "Yesterdays," on which he interacts sensitively with Stewart, and where his arrangement adds a fresh dimension to the oft-played chestnut. Pianist Bill Charlap nearly steals the album. His improvising is absolutely fresh and distinctive, using space to advantage, varying phrase lengths, and overall providing a classic reminder that jazz is, after all, supposed to be the sound of surprise.

In keeping with the sound of surprise, Grant Stewart + 4 successfully mines the tricky terrain of repertoire with rarely played songs, clever originals, and less conventional song treatments. "You Leave Me Breathless," for example, is played as an up-tempo romp, rather than a ballad. In fact, most of the program is played at fast and even faster tempos, and Stewart's cooking rhythm section nails it every time. Even at the fearsome speeds of "Limehouse Blues" and "You Leave Me Breathless," bassist Paul Gill and drummer Willie Jones III maintain solid, vibrant swing. Grant Stewart + 4 may not be innovative, but it is very, very good.

+ 4

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Mose Vinson - Piano Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:52
Size: 89.0 MB
Styles: Piano blues, Boogie woogie
Year: 1997/2015
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
[2:02] 2. Same Thing On My Mind
[3:44] 3. I've Been Playing Ever Since I Was Five Years Old-Dishrag, He's Dead Now
[3:05] 4. 4 O'clock In The Morning
[1:29] 5. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
[1:30] 6. Precious Lord Take My Hand
[1:33] 7. Darktown Strutter's Ball
[1:33] 8. Just Because
[3:12] 9. My Mule
[2:09] 10. What Is Your Life
[1:59] 11. Three Hand Boogie
[1:19] 12. Boogie Woogie
[2:58] 13. Tell It Like It Is, My Girlfriend Won't Be Still
[1:59] 14. My Father Was A Gambler
[2:09] 15. 44 Blues
[1:36] 16. Me And Booker T
[2:21] 17. That's All Right Little Girl
[1:51] 18. Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

One of Memphis' last practitioners of barrel house blues and boogie woogie piano, Mose Vinson was family and a regular fixture at Center programs and festivals for over twenty year before his death in 2002. His music sessions transformed the Center's Beale Street locations into something special. You never knew who might show up and learn from Mose. One week it might be Rufus Thomas. Another, it might be Marcia Ball or Cybill Shepherd. But audiences, especially children, were drawn to Vinson who would light up at the presence of youngsters. He loved to call them up on stage to playfully give them piano lessons.

Mose Vinson began tinkling the ivories as a child. Though young people often had to work in the fields around his native Holly Springs, Mississippi, he knew his hands were not made to pick cotton! By his teens, he had begun playing jazz and blues and joined a touring show, establishing himself as a musician. "I just play my own style," he says. "I never did practice anyone else's style." He played local juke house and parties throughout the '30s and '40s in rural communities and neighborhoods in Mississippi and Tennessee. In the early 1950s, Sam Phillips asked Mose Vinson to accompany a number of Sun Records blues artists, most notably James Cotton in 1954. During that time, Phillips also had Vinson cut some tracks, but they remained unreleased until the 1980s.

In 1997, Mose had his day in the sun when "Mose Vinson: Piano Man", an album of his favorite blues, boogie woogie, and religious tunes, was produced by Jim Dickinson, Knox Phillips and Center for Southern Folklore Executive Producer, Judy Peiser. The 2007 Memphis Music & Heritage Festival was dedicated to his memory and re-released "Mose Vinson: Piano Man" with a Poster showing Mose playing at a country juke house. ~Patricia Hennessy

Piano Man

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Deanna Witkowski - From This Place

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:17
Size: 138,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:44)  1. Let My Prayer Rise (Psalm 141)
(5:34)  2. I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say
(4:49)  3. From This Place
(2:37)  4. Evening Mass: Kyrie
(3:07)  5. Evening Mass: Gloria
(2:53)  6. Evening Mass: Sanctus
(2:43)  7. Evening Mass: Agnus Dei
(6:53)  8. O, The Deep, Deep Love
(2:52)  9. Christ The Light
(3:19) 10. Never Before
(1:39) 11. Make Your Wonders Known
(5:45) 12. Pass Me Not
(3:51) 13. Keep In Mind
(2:48) 14. Take My Life And Let It Be
(3:36) 15. Song Of Simeon

Deanna Witkowski takes the spiritual road on From This Place through gospel, Catholic liturgy, blues and jazz, and 19th century text to which she has written music. Sacred music and jazz have come together through Mary Lou Williamsand Duke Ellington, to name two, while John Coltrane brought in his own ardent beliefs to several of his compositions. Witkowski's sacerdotal calling is strongl manifested, particularly in the sincerity of her singing.

"Let My Prayer Rise (Psalm 141)" is a gospel tune with Donny McCaslin laying the groove on the tenor saxophone. His warmth embraces the innate fervor with Witkowski adding to the impact with her pure, soaring voice. McCaslin is comfortable in several situations and this is one more for him; he makes it a memorable experience. Laila Biali and Kate McGarry join Witkowski on the a capella "Never Before," the purity of their harmonies circling and descending in a cloak of velvet. The words, written by Witkowski, are a testament to her faith and sound unabashedly naked in their sensibility; they harken back to the time when the human soul sought the spirit of the Lord and found communion with it. The mood is relaxed when Peter Eldridge turns up for a quartet to take on the joyous "Keep in Mind" accompanied by the piano and a melodic turn of phrase on the electric bass by John Patitucci. The juxtaposition of the two works well with the intensity of the first being calmed by the relaxing timbre of the second.

The modern does not escape her and Witkowski gives "Take My Life and Let it Be" and "Song of Simeon" straightforward contemporary turns. They are intensely personal evocations, but "Take My Life and Let It Be" may be in better form because of the harmonies. Witkowski comes up solidly on the side of faith and those who lean towards religious music will be rewarded. ~ Jerry D’Souza  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-this-place-deanna-witkowski-tilapia-records-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel: Deanna Witkowski: piano, vocals; Donny McCaslin: soprano and tenor saxophones; John Patitucci: acoustic and electric basses; Scott Latzky: drums; Laila Biali: vocals (5, 7, 10, 13); Peter Eldridge: vocals (5, 7, 13); Kate McGarry: vocals (5, 7, 10, 13).

From This Place

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Phil Traynor - Autumn Breeze

Styles: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:58
Size: 119,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. Brownstone
(6:23)  2. Autumn Breeze
(5:33)  3. Abby
(4:53)  4. Thoroughly Lorber
(3:24)  5. Alone
(6:31)  6. Across Gibraltar
(3:52)  7. Faeries in the Glen
(5:39)  8. Songabout
(2:47)  9. Thoughts to Myself
(4:23) 10. In Flight
(2:30) 11. Brownstone (reprise)

Autumn Breeze is the culmination of 25 years of songwriting, arranging, and playing experiences. It is a passionate collection of jazz with influences ranging from Jeff Lorber to Chuck Mangione to Bob James to Pat Metheny, and other greats in the jazz and folk world. Phil has put together a distinguished group of outstanding musicians on this CD; including Emmy® winner and two-time Grammy® winner Chris Vadala (The Chuck Mangione Quartet); Emmy® nominee, and national fingerstyle guitar champion Pete Huttlinger (John Denver, LeAnn Rimes, many others); Tampa Bay smooth jazz saxophone and vocal legend Stacey Knights; guitarists John Kelly, Douglas Lichterman, and Jimmy Dacey; keyboardist Dan O'Hara; and the incredible brass work of Bayside Horns. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PhilTraynor1

Autumn Breeze

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Roger Kellaway - Ain't Misbehavin'

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:18
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:36)  1. A Time For Love
(8:33)  2. Here's That Rainy Day
(5:49)  3. Ain't Misbehavin'
(7:17)  4. How Deep Is The Ocean
(7:25)  5. Blue and Green
(8:43)  6. Skylark
(7:10)  7. Emily
(6:43)  8. Alice Blue Gown

Roger Kellaway is a brilliant two-handed pianist whose versatile style and strong sense of humor keep him open to idioms ranging from swing to free jazz, pop to classical. On this date, he digs into six standards. "A Time for Love" and "Here's That Rainy Day" drag a bit, but things improve after that, particularly during a mid-tempo "How Deep Is the Ocean" and an adventurous exploration of "Skylark." Ain't Misbehavin' is one of Kellaway's better jazz dates. [A Japanese edition of the CD was also released.] ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/aint-misbehavin-mw0000528037

Personnel: Roger Kellaway (piano).

Ain't Misbehavin'

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Rick Fay & Friends - Hello Horn!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:35
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Shine
(4:15)  2. Limehouse Blues
(4:31)  3. Squeeze Me
(4:58)  4. Someday Sweetheart
(4:38)  5. Japanese sandman
(3:11)  6. Rose of Washington Square
(4:16)  7. Two Buck Tim
(3:58)  8. Hello Horn!
(4:48)  9. Spain
(4:12) 10. Lone Pine
(5:15) 11. Do What Your Mother Did
(5:14) 12. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
(5:21) 13. Cake Walking Babies from Home
(4:36) 14. Take-a-Bow Blues

The second release from the Arbors label once again features multi-reedist Rick Fay on clarinet, tenor and soprano. The most notable aspect of this CD is that the colorful cornetist Ernie Carson is well showcased, featured with the septet that also includes trombonist Charlie Bornemann and a four-piece rhythm section. 

All three of the horn players sing in spots as best they can, but it is the instrumentals (most notably "Shine," "Japanese Sandman," "Spain" and "Cake Walkin' Babies From Home") that make this a recommended set for Dixieland fans. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hello-horn!/id207961553

Personnel: Rick Fay (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone).

Hello Horn!

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