Hank Mobley - Reach Out!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:40
Size: 86.2 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1968/2005
Art: Front

[6:44] 1. Reach Out (I'll Be There)
[5:49] 2. Up, Over, And Out
[5:15] 3. Lookin' East
[7:23] 4. Goin' Out Of My Head
[5:28] 5. Good Pickin's
[6:59] 6. Beverly

Reach Out was one of the few times Hank Mobley left behind driving, aggressive hard bop, choosing to concentrate on lightly grooving bop and soul-jazz instead. Essentially, the session resulted in the most commercially oriented record he made, complete with two pop covers ("Reach Out (I'll Be There)," "Goin' Out of My Head") and a laidback, swinging vibe. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but the band -- an impressive lineup of Woody Shaw (trumpet, flugelhorn), George Benson (guitar), Lamont Johnson (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums) -- sounds constrained by the material and their desire to make the music appeal to a wide audience. Things rarely are worse than on "Reach Out," where the group not only fails to lay down a groove, but they often sound on the verge of falling apart, especially during Higgins' poorly timed breaks. They recover shortly afterward, but no one sounds particularly enthusiastic, including Mobley. In fact, Mobley's presence on the record feels strangely minimal. Only during "Good Pickin's" -- a laidback bop original that's easily the best thing here -- does he come alive, weaving a spell with long, liquid lines, but its subtle grace just illustrates the problems with this curiously bland record. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Reach Out!

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Bill Bell - Just Swing Baby

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:31
Size: 163.7 MB
Styles: Traditional jazz combo, Piano jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[6:05] 1. Cotton Tail
[5:25] 2. Strollin'
[7:42] 3. Charisma
[4:37] 4. What Is This Thing Called Love
[5:04] 5. If You Could See Me Now
[4:06] 6. Wierd Blues
[7:43] 7. Laura
[5:12] 8. Theme From Black Orpheus
[9:33] 9. Isfahan
[4:55] 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:12] 11. Tribute To Fallen Comrades
[7:52] 12. Why Wait

Bill Bell, jazz pianist, composer, arranger has earned the title "Jazz Professor" for completing over 30 years of successful University and College jazz teaching. Recently retired from teaching, Mr. Bell still holds adjunct professor positions in jazz at both Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. He was also the chairman of the music department at the College of Alameda from 1991 to 2001. Hundreds of his students occupy prominent positions in both the jazz and pop industries. Most notable are trumpeter, Jon Faddis; pianist, Benny Green; drummer, Will Kennedy; and pianist, Michael Wolfe.

Bill Bell's performance career as a pianist is equally distinguished. He has toured as musical director and piano accompanist for legendary jazz singer Carmen McRae. He has also worked with Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Anita Oday, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls and the Supremes. His credits also include work with instrumentalists Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, Louie Bellson, Benny Carter, and Clark Terry. Bill Bell is also the featured pianist on the Art Farmer CD "Live at Stanford".

Just Swing Baby

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John Pizzarelli - Our Love Is Here To Stay

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 45:53

Size: 105.1 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals, Guitar jazz

Year: 1997

Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Dream

[5:07] 2. Love Is Here To Stay

[4:49] 3. Avalon

[4:28] 4. Honey Pie

[2:57] 5. Day I Found You (The Pollywog Song)

[3:30] 6. (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo

[4:03] 7. Have Another One, Not Me

[4:32] 8. Little Girl

[3:00] 9. Nina Never Knew

[3:21] 10. Rhythm Is Our Business

[2:59] 11. It's Sunday

[4:14] 12. Say Hey Kid

John Pizzarelli's singing has improved through the years, he has become a particularly strong guitarist (very adept at fast tempos), and his likable personality has remained as constant as his love for swing-era tunes. Joined by a swinging big band arranged by Don Sebesky in the style of Count Basie, Pizzarelli and his trio (with pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist Martin Pizzarelli) play enthusiastically on a set of swingers and ballads. Although the slower material is fine, it is the romps (particularly "Avalon," "Little Girl," "Rhythm Is Our Business" and the instrumental "Say Hey Kid") that are most memorable. An enjoyable outing. ~Scott Yanow

Our Love Is Here To Stay

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Ella Mae Morse & Freddie Slack - The Hits Of

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:59
Size: 91,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Cow-Cow Boogie
(2:52)  2. The House of Blue Lights
(3:02)  3. Riffette
(2:22)  4. Get Off It and Go
(2:39)  5. I Love You, Yes I Do
(3:03)  6. Mr Five By Five
(1:57)  7. Oakie Boogie
(3:02)  8. The Blacksmith Blues
(2:53)  9. Big Foot Pete
(3:01) 10. Strange Cargo
(2:51) 11. 40 Cups of Coffee
(2:30) 12. Down the Road a Piece
(2:59) 13. Buzz Me
(2:31) 14. Rock 'N' Roll Wedding

One of the most talented and overlooked vocalists of the '40s, Ella Mae Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B; at times she came remarkably close to what would be known as rock & roll. When she wasn't yet 14, Morse had her first taste of the big time, when Jimmy Dorsey's band came to Dallas for a stay at the Adolphus Hotel and she called for an audition. Unbeknownst to her, the band needed a new female vocalist. Believing that Morse was indeed 19, as she and her mother claimed, Dorsey hired her. When he received a letter from the school board declaring that he was responsible for The Morse's care, Dorsey fired her. Morse joined former Dorsey pianist Freddie Slack's band in 1942; she was only 17 when they cut "Cow Cow Boogie," which became Capitol Records' first gold single. 

The following year, Morse began recording solo. Although her recordings were consistently solid and sold fairly well (frequently charting better on the Black charts than on the pop charts), Morse never obtained a huge following. She retired from recording in 1957, and died of respiratory failure on October 16, 1999. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ella-mae-morse/id73169047#fullText

The Hits Of

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Bobby Hutcherson - Enjoy The View

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:36
Size: 100,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:51)  1. Delia
(5:04)  2. Don Is
(7:02)  3. Hey Harold
(6:44)  4. Little Flower
(5:41)  5. Montara
(5:09)  6. Teddy
(8:02)  7. You

Bobby Hutcherson's 2014 album, Enjoy the View, finds the vibraphonist joining forces with saxophonist David Sanborn, organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco, and drummer Billy Hart on a set of swinging, funky, and adventurous songs. This is Hutcherson's first album of studio material since 2009's Coltrane-inspired Wise One, and follows his 2012 live album, Somewhere in the Night, which also featured DeFrancesco. In a similar vein to Sanborn's more straight-ahead acoustic collaboration with keyboardist Bob James, 2013's Quartette Humaine, Enjoy the View eschews Hutcherson's more contemporary leanings for a visceral hard bop- and soul-jazz-influenced sound. 

Here we get a bevy of inspired original compositions, including the moody opening cut, "Delia," the impressionistic and driving modal soul of "Hey Harold," and the swinging, funky "Teddy." Ultimately, Enjoy the View is an album of expansive, highly engaging music that harks back to the best of Hutcherson's '60s and '70s work. ~ Matt Collar  http://www.allmusic.com/album/enjoy-the-view-mw0002605950

Personnel: David Sanborn (saxophone); Joey DeFrancesco (trumpet, organ); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone).

Enjoy The View

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James Morrison & Marian Petrescu - A Fine Bromance

Styles: Trumpet And Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:59
Size: 183,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. My Romance
(9:54)  2. On The Trail
(6:55)  3. The Man I Love
(7:22)  4. Gentle Rain
(9:59)  5. In A Mellow Tone
(4:57)  6. A Fine Romance
(8:11)  7. If You Never Come To Me
(9:32)  8. Body And Soul
(5:30)  9. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(6:06) 10. What Is This Thing Called Love

A natural musician able to play many instruments in numerous styles, James Morrison has made a strong impression every time he has played in the United States. Born into a musical family, Morrison began on the cornet when he was seven and was soon also playing trombone, tuba, and euphonium. Within a few years, he was also playing alto sax and leading a Dixieland band. He worked steadily as a teenager and at the age of 18 joined Don Burrows' quintet, touring Australia and the Far East. In 1987, he visited the U.S. as a member of Red Rodney's group and was soon a popular fixture on the European jazz festival circuit. Two years later, a pair of his albums (Postcards From Down Under and Swiss Encounter) were released on Atlantic at the same time in the U.S., and he toured with Gene Harris' Philip Morris Superband as a trombonist. 

To show off his versatility, on his 1991 album Snappy Doo (which also includes a rhythm section), Morrison overdubbed himself on four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, and piano. In addition to playing music (he has the ability to trade fours with himself on trumpet and trombone), James Morrison does stunt flying, climbs mountains, and drives a racing car. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/nz/artist/james-morrison/id263793377#fullText

A Fine Bromance

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Harry Connick Jr. - That Would Be Me

Styles: Vocal, Pop&Rock
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:51
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. (I Like It When You) Smile
(3:47)  2. (I Do) Like We Do
(4:24)  3. Tryin' to Matter
(3:34)  4. Songwriter
(3:06)  5. Do You Really Need Her
(3:57)  6. You Don't Need a Man
(3:37)  7. You Have No Idea
(3:30)  8. Where Prisoners Drown
(3:08)  9. (I Think I) Love You a Little Bit
(3:55) 10. Every Time I Fall In Love
(3:16) 11. Right Where It Hurts

That Would Be Me is something of an ironic title for this 2015 album, considering how it's a relatively radical overhaul of Harry Connick, Jr.'s sound. Squalls of New Orleans horns can be felt (if not always heard); there are hints of R&B and gospel; his piano is seductive enough to flirt with the louche and, as always, Connick has a way with a ballad, easing into the slower tempos without ever seeming lazy. In this respect, That Would Be Me is recognizably a Harry Connick, Jr. record. Thing is, there's the production an unapologetically brash pop blast, orchestrated separately by Butch Walker and Eg White. Both producers have recorded with P!nk, and Walker, like Connick, has a background in music reality TV Walker got there before Connick, working on the legendary 2006 series Rock Star: Supernova but White's modern pop is a better touchstone for Connick's album than Walker's rock. 

Connick largely skirts the tastefulness of Adele and Will Young, however, allowing himself to indulge in both cheerfully robust rockers ("[I Like It When You] Smile") and cornball soft rock ("Songwriter"). Sometimes the slick textures and electric pianos evoke the golden age of Yacht Rock, but Connick is up to something clever, letting the rhythms hit with the force (if not the precise style) of hip-hop-infused R&B, and glossing the whole proceedings in a crisp, reflective sheen so it winds up reinforcing either his sly pop classicism or modern wit, depending on the listener's point of view. This savvy swing is the key to the success of That Would Be Me, because Connick winds up expanding his horizons without selling out his musical aesthetic. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine  http://www.allmusic.com/album/that-would-be-me-mw0002882706

That Would Be Me

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