Carole King, James Taylor - Live At The Troubadour

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:53
Size: 146.2 MB
Styles: Soft rock, Adult Contemporary
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Blossom
[4:42] 2. So Far Away
[2:59] 3. Machine Gun Kelly
[4:17] 4. Carolina In My Mind
[4:59] 5. It's Too Late
[5:25] 6. Smackwater Jack
[4:04] 7. Something In The Way She Moves
[4:13] 8. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
[3:49] 9. Country Road
[5:45] 10. Fire And Rain
[3:35] 11. Sweet Baby James
[4:05] 12. I Feel The Earth Move
[5:52] 13. You've Got A Friend
[4:09] 14. Up On The Roof
[2:44] 15. You Can Close Your Eyes

Carole King and James Taylor reuniting isn’t quite a monumental reunion -- they never were an official performing entity, so they never had a falling out, appearing on-stage and on record from time to time since their ‘70s heyday -- but it is a notable one, particularly when they choose to perform at the Troubadour, the L.A. venue so crucial at the start of their stardom, backed by such fellow veterans of the SoCal singer/songwriter scene as guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russell Kunkel, musicians who supported them the last time they co-headlined the club back in 1971. All this made their series of shared shows in November 2007 an event, albeit a low-key one. King and Taylor embrace their classics -- it seems that there’s not a hit missed between the two of them -- and there’s genuine warmth to the whole show that’s quite appealing. Perhaps there are no surprises here, but any shock would have run counter to the whole spirit of the evening: this is about basking in both nostalgia and friendship, and if you’re on the same wave as the musicians, Live at the Troubadour is enjoyable. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Live At The Troubadour

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Ruby Braff - Ruby Braff Swings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 22:13
Size: 50.9 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 1954/2013
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Struttin’ With Some Barbecue
[2:59] 2. Mean To Me
[2:25] 3. Ellie
[2:55] 4. You're A Sweetheart
[2:36] 5. Blue And Sentimental
[2:46] 6. Blue Room
[3:11] 7. I Can't Get Started
[2:35] 8. This Can't Be Love

They're not kidding about the title – because the album's one of Ruby Braff's most swingin from the time – a sharp-edged quartet session that's filled with well-blown notes! Ruby's in the lead on all numbers on trumpet – getting support from Johnny Guarnieri on piano, Walter Page on bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums – and the sound is a bit more rough than some of Braff's other albums of the time – not so sweetly-trilling, and we mean that in a good way! The vibe is still slightly traddish, but with a really nice edge – and titles include "Ellie", "Mean To Me", "This Can't Be Love", and "Blue & Sentimental"

Ruby Braff Swings

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June Bisantz-Evans - Let's Fall In Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:23
Size: 92.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:23] 1. For Heaven's Sake
[3:11] 2. There's A Lull In My Life
[3:14] 3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[4:27] 4. Little Girl Blue
[2:19] 5. My Funny Valentine
[2:35] 6. Like Someone In Love
[4:16] 7. I've Never Benn In Love Before
[4:49] 8. Everything Happens To Me
[3:54] 9. Imagination
[2:22] 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:22] 11. There's A Lull In My Life (Reprise)
[1:26] 12. Blue Room

June Bisantz Evans is a visual artist and musician, who has co-written and produced several albums of original jazz, all of which received national attention. She has recorded with distinguished jazz and pop musicians such as Steve Swallow, Bob Moses, Lou Soloff and Will Lee. Reviews and articles about her work include People Magazine, USA Today, Downbeat Magazine, Jazziz Magazine, Sound Choice, High Performance Review, New York Newsday, the Boston Globe, the Hartford Courant, the Hartford Advocate and the New York Native.

Her new release "Let's Fall in Love" is a collection of jazz ballads based on the vocal music of legendary trumpet player Chet Baker. The CD features Alex Nakhimsovsky on piano, Norman Johnson on guitar, Genevieve Rose on bass, Greg Caputo on drums and Gabor Viragh on trumpet and flugelhorn.

Let's Fall In Love

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Flip Phillips - Flip Wails: The Best Of The Verve Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:51

Size: 166.8 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz, Swing

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[3:03] 1. Znarg Blues

[3:32] 2. Milano

[3:15] 3. Lover, Come Back To Me

[3:30] 4. Don't Take Your Love From Me

[2:37] 5. The Blue Room

[3:49] 6. Flippin' The Blues (A.K.A. Feeling The Blues)

[3:25] 7. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

[3:05] 8. Funky Blues

[3:21] 9. Cheek To Cheek

[2:53] 10. Salute To Pres

[2:58] 11. Singin' In The Rain

[3:03] 12. If I Had You

[3:15] 13. Blues For The Midgets

[3:16] 14. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

[2:42] 15. Three Little Words

[3:15] 16. Singin' The Blues (Till My Daddy Comes Home)

[5:50] 17. The Lady's In Love With You

[3:41] 18. I'll Never Be The Same

[3:59] 19. Music Of A Stripteaser

[8:11] 20. Topsy

Although Flip Phillips was a mainstay of Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic tours and recordings, Granz seldom put sessions around him, preferring to use him as a core group mainstay. This single-disc collection puts together a variety of performances beginning with a Howard McGhee session from 1947, and traveling throughout the 1950s showing Phillips at his romping best. Highlights include "Three Little Words," "Singing the Blues," a be-bopping "Znarg's Blues" and a stately "If I Had You." Great playing from everyone aboard but Phillips sounds best in the company of Bill Harris on several tracks, and on a Buddy Rich Quartet session that closes out the disc. ~Cub Koda

Flip Wails  

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Clarence Penn & Penn Station - Monk: The Lost Files

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:57
Size: 121,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Well You Needn't
(5:04)  2. Green Chimney
(3:48)  3. Evidence
(3:43)  4. Friday the 13th
(6:09)  5. I Mean You
(4:12)  6. In Walked Bud
(6:16)  7. Hackensack
(5:13)  8. Bemsha Swing
(6:18)  9. Think of One
(5:34) 10. Rhythm-a-Ning
(3:21) 11. Solato's Blues

A well-established creative paradigm exists to justify Clarence Penn & Penn Station's recording Monk: The Lost Files. "Classical" music is often considered that music, composed long ago, that has stood the test of time, remaining viable to the public in recordings and live performance. These composers of this music tend to be Europeans from the last Millennium. It is the only logical jump to include American jazz composers like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and our focus here, Thelonious Monk as composers of "Classical" music.

In traditional Classical music, it is common for the performer (at least since Franz Liszt and Niccolo Paganini) to provide their personal spin on the music. Jazz, of course, takes this practice a step further in improvisation. Monk's music remains a rich loam of material from which new ideas spring from the minds of thoughtful and intelligent interpreters. Drummer Clarence Penn is such an interpreter. His approach is bold, yet respectful, not unlike Monk's himself.

Penn's approach to Monk is to challenge the composer and his compositions rhythmically, almost mathematically. Penn does not so much reharmonize Monk's material as he does re-accenting it. Penn moves the stresses in the music around. When listening to the opening "Well You Needn't" the listen will recognize Monk's craggy head, but it has been polished and made more regimented by Penn's arrangement. The remainder of the song is a dramatic updating. The bridge and soloing sections incorporate the spoken word and a Stanton Moore-like percussion environment, catalyzing a funky momentum.

"In Walked Bud" is transformed using the Fender Rhodes. Slowed down and performed with a deliberate attention to the piece's harmonic skeleton, pianist Donald Vega exposes the spirit of Monk's homage to his friend Bud Powell. An ethereal trio performance that shines like newly pressed steel. It is played as lightly as a ballad with Penn carefully outlining the rhythmic direction. Fractured are "I Mean You" and "Bemsha Swing" both featuring Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's tenor saxophone. The former is as regimented as a Jacksonian seizure while the latter takes on a relaxed post bop feel in portions. It is all Monk and all Penn. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/monk-the-lost-files-clarence-penn-origin-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Chad Lefkowitz-Brown: saxophones; Donald Vega: piano; Gerald Clayton: Fender Rhodes (5); Yasushi Nakamura: basses; Clarence Penn: drums.

Monk: The Lost Files

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Tine Bruhn - Entranced

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Soul
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:14
Size: 92,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Miles Away (Birthday Song)
(4:29)  2. Tears
(6:25)  3. Search For Peace
(4:15)  4. Baby, Let Me Love You
(4:24)  5. If Loneliness (After)
(4:42)  6. Close to Nothing
(4:38)  7. Upside Down (Flor De Lis)
(5:30)  8. Har Du Visor Min Vän

Tine Bruhn moved to New York City in 2001 after having graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston. She quickly became part of New York’s jazz scene performing at some of the city’s best music venues including Smalls and Bar Next Door. She consistently plays with some of the top musicians in NYC and she has become a regular on the program at the well-known jazz club Zinc Bar. Ms. Bruhn performs weekly in duo setting with pianist Johnny O’Neal (Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Milt Jackson) at Robert on Columbus Circle.

The Danish-born singer grew up in Flensburg, Germany where she started her career at an early age. At 15 she founded the the vocal group "Kvart I Fire" which gained high recognition in the region, especially after the release of their CD "Go 4 it". Additionally Tine sang in the semi-professional classical choirs “Landes Jugend Chor Schleswig Holstein” and “Jugend Kammer Chor Flensburg/Kiel”. Around that time she discovered her passion for jazz and went to many of the live jazz concerts by visiting Danish musicians such as NHØP and Danish Radio Big Band. After performing with a jazz trio she decided to make the big move to the United States. In Boston she studied with Sheryl Bentyne (Manhattan Transfer), recording artist Walter Beasley, Grammy award winner Richard Evans and distinguished scat educator Bob Stoloff.

Her debut solo CD "Entranced" was released in 2009 and featured Greg Hutchinson on drums and Maurice Brown on trumpet. It received stellar reviews in both the US and Europe and is getting played on radio stations around the world. In April 2009 the Tine Bruhn Quartet was on tour in Europe where they played at sold out venues including “B-Flat” in Berlin. In the spring of 2010, Ms Bruhn and her group performed in Philadelphia at the the city’s number one jazz club, Chris’ Jazz Cafe. In November 2011, she brought her quintet on another tour to Germany and Denmark. The third tour was scheduled for November 2012 but was unfortunately canceled as the quintet was scheduled to fly out of NYC the day “Sandy” hit and re-booking flights was impossible.

Tine Bruhn’s new release "Nearness" is a duo recording of standards with pianist Johnny O'Neal. Tine Bruhn and Johnny O’Neal started working together in the summer of 2011 when her regular pianist had to cancel on short notice and sent Johnny O’Neal as a sub! Since then they have been appearing almost weekly at Robert Restaurant in NYC. Mr. O'Neal has played with Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton to name just a few. He has opened for Oscar Peterson at Carnegie Hall and he played the role of Art Tatum in the Oscar winning movie "Ray" based on Mr. Peterson’s recommendation. In a recent JazzTimes article, O’Neal is named as “one of jazz’s best-kept secrets”.

This recording is a natural ‘documentation’ of the musical relationship between these two very different musicians. Different in the sense of background, age, ethnicity, gender. But musicially they complement each other highly and the listener will hear a relaxedness and comfortness shining through. The music was recorded in only one day with just two takes per song. Johnny O’Neal states “We just went in there and laid it down! It just felt right!” Tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard is feautured on four tracks. Ben Ratliff (NY Times) calls Dillard “a young saxophonist of serious promise,” and he has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed and Roy Hargrove amongst many others.

Spike Wilner (Smalls Jazz Club, NYC) writes in his liner notes: "Tine Bruhn for me is an interesting throw back to another age - one of cool elegance and poise.  Her demeanor and look are distinctly "jazz age", as if she could step out of a Fitzgerald novel.  Her voice has a throaty comfortableness and her feel is an easy, swinging and true jazz feeling.  Her repertoire, similarly, classic in its choices.  Real Tin-Pan Alley.  Joined here on this recording by a true master, Johnny O'Neal and a young master Stacy Dillard, this blend has an authentic feel.  I'm sure you'll enjoy this selection of tunes and be glad to get to know Tine Bruhn.” http://jazztimes.com/guides/artists/13784-tine-bruhn

Entranced

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Tim Hagans - Beautiful Lily

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:48
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:55)  1. Prologue
(7:33)  2. Space Dozen
(8:10)  3. Beautiful Lily
(5:51)  4. Doyle's Foil
(2:11)  5. Interlude I
(8:43)  6. The Sun At The Zenith
(5:38)  7. Buck Eyes
(2:06)  8. Interlude II
(8:54)  9. Footprints
(7:56) 10. Emazing
(1:45) 11. Epilogue

While he's been by no means inactive, it's been six years since trumpeter Tim Hagans released his last album, Re-Animation: Live in Montreal, which found him exploring his own version of electronica/fusion. Beautiful Lily returns him to a mainstream acoustic setting, but with his stellar quartet featuring pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Bill Stewart it's anything but conventional. Hagans and Copland have crossed paths before, most notably on Copland's Softly (Savoy, 1997) also featuring Stewart and on their duet disc Between the Lines (Steeplechase, 2001), which put their clear chemistry front and center. Clearly they share much in common, but under Hagans' leadership Copland is a considerably more outgoing player than he has been on his own recent releases, including the trio recording Some Love Songs (Pirouet, 2005) and his profoundly moving solo album Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005). 

Still, there's no question that Hagans' more extroverted approach and Copland's more introverted abstraction do cross-pollinate. The four duet tracks that bookend and break up the quartet tracks "Prologue," "Interlude I," "Interlude II," and "Epilogue" are all relatively dark-hued and oblique. Copland's 5/4 tone poem "The Sun at the Zenith" is equally somber, revolving around a haunting bass pattern but retaining Copland's obscure melodic sense and sparsely played but nevertheless dense harmonics. Hagans' "Space Dozen" is also based on an elliptical bass line and more obscure harmonies, but Gress and Stewart give it a little more swing. Both Hagan's title track and "Emazing" are closer to the center, and offer gentle Latin references, but in the hands of Copland, Gress, and Stewart the allusion is less obvious and more suggestive, with Hagans' solos economical and lyrical. In contrast, Copland's "Doyle's Foil" is a spirited swinger that gives Hagans the chance to demonstrate a greater range, especially after Copland's solo, where Hagans and Stewart go it alone during one of the disc's most energetic moments.

Hagans favours a warm, vibrato-less sound, but he's more Woody Shaw than Miles. On the boppish "Buck Eyes" he proves, like Kenny Wheeler, that it's possible to aim for the high notes without being brash, although he avoids the huge intervallic jumps that so strongly define Wheeler's approach. Beautiful Lily marks the third time that Copland has been heard covering Wayne Shorter's classic "Footprints" this year. But while his own solo and trio versions were as enigmatic as Shorter himself, Hagans' quartet arrangement straddles the fence between mystery and clarity. Beautiful Lily's mainstream approach is nevertheless considerably left of center. In part it's the material both Hagans and Copland are more modernistic in their harmonic and rhythmic ideas. 

But equally it's the interpretation of the quartet, especially Gress' and Stewart's open-minded approach which maintains a pulse without beating you over the head with it. Proof positive that the mainstream can retain a sense of adventure and contemporary edge, Beautiful Lily is also a welcome return for Hagans as a leader. Let's hope we don't have to wait another six years for the followup. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/beautiful-lily-tim-hagans-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Tim Hagans: trumpet; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

Beautiful Lily

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Eight To The Bar - Bring It & Swing It!

Styles: Swing, R&B
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:22
Size: 96,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. That's Neat, That's Nice
(3:34)  2. That Man
(3:18)  3. Baby, Why Can't You Come On Home?
(2:58)  4. Nothin' but a Love That's True
(3:50)  5. Rock Me
(3:24)  6. Never Let You Go
(4:05)  7. The Law of Attraction
(3:03)  8. Hip Hop Swing Dancer
(7:35)  9. Play It On Your Saxophone (Live At Infinity Hall)
(4:46) 10. Party in Providence (Live At Infinity Hall)
(1:33) 11. Bring It & Swing It!

Eleven great mostly original songs that encompass elements of swing, jazz, blues, doo-wop, country swing, and even rock! One of the highlights of the Cd is two live cuts that are our biggest fan fave songs- Play It On Your Saxophone and Party in Providence, both recorded Live a few months ago at our 40th Anniversary blowout at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT. This is our best Cd yet! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/eighttothebar

Bring It & Swing It!

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