Kenny Davern - A Night With Eddie Condon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:39
Size: 166.3 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz, Swing
Year: 1971/2006
Art: Front

[7:31] 1. At The Jazz Band Ball
[4:07] 2. Rosetta
[6:51] 3. Royal Garden Blues
[5:55] 4. Ain't Misbehavin'
[7:28] 5. Jazz Me Blues
[3:34] 6. Rose Of Washington Square
[4:56] 7. Muskrat Ramble
[4:57] 8. I Can't Get Started
[6:45] 9. China Boy
[7:28] 10. Rose Room
[5:22] 11. That's A-Plenty
[7:38] 12. St. Louis Blues

Though never an influential guitarist (he rarely soloed and frequently went silent altogether), Eddie Condon exerted a significant influence on jazz by virtue of the bands he led and his imposing stage presence. An acerbic wit and talented raconteur, Condon was, at his peak, a very popular figure on the Chicago jazz scene. His style of playing is closely associated with that city, though it will sound an awful lot like vintage New Orleans jazz to neophyte listeners. This live recording was made in a high school gym in Syracuse, NY, in April of 1971; the original reel-to-reel tapes were discovered in a basement and remastered before they could deteriorate further than they had. The resulting sound is acceptable, but the playing is brilliant. On this night, Condon was leading a sextet that featured Kenny Davern on clarinet and soprano sax, Bernie Privin on trumpet, Lou McGarity on trombone, and a rhythm section consisting of the exceptional pianist Dill Jones, bassist Jack Lesberg, and drummer Cliff Leeman. The band's renditions of such traditional jazz classics as "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Muskrat Ramble," and "St. Louis Blues" are infused with light and heat, tremendously energetic and yet loosely swinging. Davern and Privin are both in especially fine form on "Royal Garden Blues." Highly recommended to fans of traditional jazz. ~Rick Anderson

A Night With Eddie Condon 

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Steely Dan - 2 albums: Gaucho / Everything Must Go

Album: Gaucho
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:48
Size: 86.6 MB
Styles: Album rock, Jazz-rock
Year: 1980/2000
Art: Front

[5:50] 1. Babylon Sisters
[5:05] 2. Hey Nineteen
[7:27] 3. Glamour Profession
[5:30] 4. Gaucho
[4:10] 5. Time Out Of Mind
[4:32] 6. My Rival
[5:12] 7. Third World Man

Aja was cool, relaxed, and controlled; it sounded deceptively easy. Its follow-up, Gaucho, while sonically similar, is its polar opposite: a precise and studied record, where all of the seams show. Gaucho essentially replicates the smooth jazz-pop of Aja, but with none of that record's dark, seductive romance or elegant aura. Instead, it's meticulous and exacting; each performance has been rehearsed so many times that it no longer has any emotional resonance. Furthermore, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's songs are generally labored, only occasionally reaching their past heights, like on the suave "Babylon Sisters," "Time Out of Mind," and "Hey Nineteen." Still, those three songs are barely enough to make the remainder of the album's glossy, meandering fusion worthwhile. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Gaucho

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Album: Everything Must Go
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:05
Size: 96.3 MB
Styles: Jazz-rock, Contemporary pop-rock
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:33] 1. The Last Mall
[3:57] 2. Things I Miss The Most
[4:25] 3. Blues Beach
[4:55] 4. Godwhacker
[4:12] 5. Slang Of Ages
[5:53] 6. Green Book
[3:58] 7. Pixeleen
[4:24] 8. Lunch With Gina
[6:43] 9. Everything Must Go

When Steely Dan released Two Against Nature in 2000, their first album in 20 years, it was an unexpected gift, since all odds seemed against Donald Fagen and Walter Becker reteaming for nothing more than the occasional project, let alone a full album. As it turned out, the duo was able to pick up where they left off, with Two Against Nature seamlessly fitting next to Gaucho and earning the band surprise success, including a Grammy for Album of the Year, but the bigger surprise is that the reunion wasn't a one-off -- they released another record, Everything Must Go, a mere three years later. Given the (relatively) short turnaround time between the two records, it comes as little surprise that Everything Must Go is a companion piece to Two Against Nature, and sounds very much like that album's laid-back, catchy jazz-funk, only with an elastic, loose feel -- loose enough to have Walter Becker take the first lead vocal in Steely Dan history, in fact, which sums up the Dan's attitude in a nutshell. This time, they're comfortable and confident enough to let anything happen, and while that doesn't really affect the sound of the record, it does affect the feel. Though it as expertly produced as always, there's less emphasis on production and a focus on the feel, often breathing as much as a live performance, another new wrinkle for Steely Dan. Sometimes, it also sounds as if Becker and Fagen have written the songs quickly; there's nothing that betrays their high standards of craft, but, on a whole, the songs are neither as hooky nor as resonant as the ones unveiled on its predecessor. While it might have been nice to have a song as immediate as, say, "Cousin Dupree," there are no bad songs here and many cuts grow as nicely as those on Two Against Nature. But the real selling point of Everything Must Go is that relaxed, comfortable, live feel. It signals that Steely Dan has indeed entered a new phase, one less fussy and a bit funkier (albeit lite funk). If they can keep turning out a record this solid every three years, we'd all be better off. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Everything Must Go

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Eddie Fisher - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:53
Size: 86.7 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Thinking Of You
[2:36] 2. Anytime
[2:32] 3. Tell Me Why
[2:48] 4. I'm Yours
[2:54] 5. Wish You Were Here
[2:48] 6. Maybe
[3:02] 7. Lady Of Spain
[2:21] 8. Downhearted
[3:04] 9. I'm Walking Behind You
[2:28] 10. Many Times
[3:04] 11. Oh! My Pa-Pa (O Mein Papa)
[2:29] 12. I Need You Now
[2:25] 13. Count Your Blessings (Instead Of Sheep)
[2:35] 14. Heart

During his heyday in the 1950's Eddie Fisher's popularity would rival such legendary performers as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and his labelmate at RCA records Perry Como. In that decade Eddie Fisher would place more than 50 singles on Billboard's "Best Selling Singles" chart. More impressively, he would amass a total of more than two dozen Top 20 hits. Yes, Eddie Fisher really was the #1 idol of the bobbysoxer generation in the pre-rock years of the early 1950's. Now RCA records pays tribute to one of their most popular artists of all-time with the 2001 release "Eddie Fisher: Greatest Hits". This extraordinary collection was issued as part of RCA's 100th Anniversary series. ~Paul Tognetti

Greatest Hits

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Jan Lundgren - Stockholm Get-Together!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:37
Size: 155,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Conception
(5:32)  2. Born To Be Blue
(5:40)  3. Jan's Idea
(6:08)  4. When You're Not Here
(5:43)  5. Bankin' On Bank
(4:42)  6. Emily
(5:41)  7. Triste
(5:53)  8. Easy To Love
(5:03)  9. Tickletoe
(5:38) 10. 'Round Midnight
(4:51) 11. Landscape
(5:27) 12. Blues For Jordi

Although veteran American altoist Herb Geller is the main star of this set (and is featured on every selection), Stockholm Get-Together! is most significant in introducing the playing of Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren to the greater jazz world. Lundgren has no difficulty on the faster pieces and he shows plenty of feeling on the ballads. Geller, who moved to Europe in the early '60s, became obscure in the U.S. but played very regularly in the decades since he left and has become a giant of the alto, even better than he was in the 1950s. With bassist Lars Lundstrom and drummer Anders Langerlöf providing fine backup, Geller and Lundgren make for a highly complementary team on seven jazz standards and five group originals. This set is easily recommended as proof that Herb Geller was very much in his prime in the 1990s, and that Jan Lundgren was an up-and-coming modern mainstream pianist. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stockholm-get-together!-mw0000416069

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Herb Geller (alto saxophone);  Lars Lundstrom (bass);  Anders Langerlöf  (drums).

Stockholm Get-Together!

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Aimée Allen - L'Inexplicable

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:56
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Qu'est-Çe Qu'on Est Bien Ici
(4:21)  2. Femme D'Ebène
(4:17)  3. Jardin D'Hiver
(3:09)  4. L'Inexplicable
(3:53)  5. Fin De Septembre
(5:27)  6. Les Nuages
(4:17)  7. Pulsé
(4:42)  8. What The Senses Know
(5:04)  9. Scènes De Ménage

Aimée Allen’s intimate connection with music began as a child. Her childhood was quite literally scored with classic jazz, because of her mother’s intense love of the music. The influence of the jazz tradition can be heard in Aimée’s musical style and interpretation choices. But Aimée’s listeners can also hear her individual voice, nuanced and sparkling with soul and sensuality. Singing came early for Aimée. But she first began to sing professionally as a college student. At Yale University Aimée was an active member and soloist with two a cappella singing groups performing a jazz repertoire. After graduation, Aimée lived in Paris and performed regularly in clubs and at music festivals. There, her understanding of the place of jazz in the world deepened and her interpretive style began to flourish.

The intense relationship between the francophone audience in Paris and Brazilian bossa nova, long one of Aimée’s musical loves, led Aimée to form a group dedicated to bossa and jazz: Les Bossa Novices. Aimée performed frequently in and outside of Paris with Les Bossa Novices. As part of New York’s jazz community for the past few years, Aimée has continued to navigate traditional and modern jazz, infusing her craft with a personal and intimate style. In addition to selections from the great American songbook, Aimée sings some not-so-standards, pays homage to Brazilian bossa, and frequently includes a French lyric. Her touch is always sincere and her sound authentic. Her singular voice and soul has garnered the love of many of the city’s best young musicians. Aimée's latest release, l'Inexplicable, is the fruit her trans-continental experiences in music and her talents as a writer. A jazz-pop fusion of Brazilian, African, and Latin rhythms, this solo album consists mostly of original songs written by Aimée, and sung in sexy, sonorous French.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/aimeeallen2

L'Inexplicable

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Tete Montoliu Trio - Catalonian Rhapsody

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:40
Size: 121,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:02)  1. The Lady From Aragon (La Dama d'Arago)
(7:44)  2. Catalonian National Anthem (Els Segadors)
(6:36)  3. Three Young Ladies (Hiru Damatxu)
(6:56)  4. The Singing of the Birds (El Cant dels Ocells)
(6:28)  5. Song of the Robber (La Canco del Lladre)
(4:51)  6. Words of Love (Paraules d'Amor)
(4:50)  7. Don't Smoke Anymore (Ja no Fumo)
(8:10)  8. My Street (El meu Carrer)

This wonderful studio date by the talented Catalonian blind pianist Tete Montoliu (1933-1997) was recorded in his native Barcelona in March of 1992, but until now it had been only available on a long out of print CD issued in Japan by the Alfa Jazz label shortly after being recorded. The renowned Venus label presents it back again for everyone to enjoy. Tete is backed by New Orleans drummer Idris Muhammad, and Netherlands born bassist Hein Van de Geyn, and the program features a selection of Catalan traditional songs, plus two versions of songs by the remarkable Joan Manuel Serrat (“Words of Love”, which Tete recorded on several other occasions, and the more seldom heard “My Street”), and one Montoliu original, "I Don't Smoke Anymore".

Personnel:  Tete Montoliu (piano);  Hein Van de Geyn (bass);  Idris Muhammad (drums)

Catalonian Rhapsody

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Dion - Rock n' Roll Christmas

Styles: Rock N'Roll, Christmas

Year: 1993
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 42:16
Size: 68,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. Rockin Around The Christmas Tree
(3:22)  2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(2:15)  3. Jingle Bell Rock
(5:00)  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
(3:54)  5. White Christmas
(3:56)  6. Silent Night / What Christmas Means
(3:49)  7. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
(3:44)  8. Winter Wonderland
(4:00)  9. Please Come Home For Christmas
(2:23) 10. Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer
(3:27) 11. Merry Christmas Baby
(3:47) 12. O Holy Night

A dozen seasonal standards rendered in a mid-tempo Springsteen mode. Competent, fun, but not exactly what you would call inspirational. ~ Roch Parisien  http://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-n-roll-christmas-mw0000626533

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although he was probably more aligned with pop/rock, at first as the lead singer of the Belmonts, and then as a solo star. Drug problems slowed him down in the mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly interesting progressions into blues-rock and folk-rock as the decade wore on, culminating in a successful comeback in the late '60s, although he was unable to sustain its commercial and artistic momentum for long. When Dion began recording in the late '50s, it was as the lead singer of a group of friends who sang on Bronx street corners.

 Billing themselves as Dion & the Belmonts (Dion had released a previous single with the Timberlanes), their first few records were prime Italian-American doo wop; "I Wonder Why" was their biggest hit in this style. His biggest single with the Belmonts was "A Teenager in Love," which pointed the way for the slightly self-pitying, pained odes to adolescence and early adulthood that would characterize much of his solo work. Dion went solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more doo wop recordings on their own), moving from doo wop to more R&B/pop-oriented tunes with great success. He handled himself with a suave, cocky ease on hits like "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby," and "Donna the Prima Donna," which cast him as either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho lover, capable of handling anything that came his way (on "The Wanderer" especially). In 1963, Dion moved from Laurie to the larger Columbia label, an association that started promisingly with a couple of big hits right off the bat, "Ruby Baby" and "Donna the Prima Donna." By the mid-'60s, his heroin habit (which he'd developed as a teenager) was getting the best of him, and he did little recording and performing for about five years. When he did make it into the studio, he was moving in some surprisingly bluesy directions; although much of it was overlooked or unissued at the time, it can be heard on the Bronx Blues reissue CD. In 1968, he kicked heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker with a number four hit single, "Abraham, Martin and John." 

Dion would focus upon mature, contemporary material on his late-'60s and early-'70s albums, which were released to positive critical feedback, if only moderate sales. The folk phase didn't last long; in 1972 he reunited with the Belmonts and in the mid-'70s cut a disappointing record with Phil Spector as producer. He recorded and performed fairly often in the years that followed (sometimes singing Christian music), to indifferent commercial results. But his critical rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence, such as Dave Edmunds (who produced one of his periodic comeback albums) and Lou Reed (who guested on that record). Dion continued to be active as the 21st century opened, releasing Déjà Nu in 2000, Under the Influence in 2005, and Bronx in Blue in 2006. His first major-label album since 1989's Yo Frankie, entitled Son of Skip James, was released by Verve in 2007, while 2008's Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock saw him tackling 15 songs from the classic rock & roll era. Influenced by a conversation with rock critic Dave Marsh about his long and still relevant career, and a dare from his wife Susan to prove it, Dion cut Tank Full of Blues, producing and playing the guitars on the recording himself and writing or co-writing all but one track on the set. Issued on Blue Horizon, it is the final recording in the trilogy that began with Bronx in Blue. ~ Richie Unterberger  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dion/id275360#fullText

Personnel: Dion MiMucci (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar); Johnny Sambataro (acoustic & electric guitar, background vocals); Jamie "King" Cotton (saxophone, synthesizer); Paul Harris (accordion, synthesizer, keyboards); Gabe Vales (bass, background vocals); Tony Lavender (drums, background vocals); Chuck Kirkpatrick (background vocals).

Rock n' Roll Christmas

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