Zoot Sims, Lambert Hendricks & Ross - Zoot Sims Meets Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (2-Disc Set)

Zoot Sims, Bill Perkins (ts), Russ Freeman (p), Freddie Green, Jim Hall, Billy Bean (g), Eddie Jones, Monty Budwig (b), Sonny Payne, Mel Lewis, Frank Capp (d), Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross (vcl).

Although Zoot Sims was born in Inglewood, in southwest downtown Los Angeles, he is always regarded as one of the great talents of the New York scene, to which he had moved in 1955, tired of the jazz they played on the West Coast and looking for fresh excitement. A follower of Lester Young, he became one of the most innovative tenor saxophonists of his generation. In March 1959 he went back to Los Angeles for a month. The first night, he was offered a spot in the Terry Gibbs band.

Highly regarded by the musicians, he was much in demand in clubs around the L.A. area. And, significantly, he also joined as a featured tenor soloist in two remarkable albums for the World Pacific Jazz Records label. The first was The Swingers!, by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, who added vocals to famous instrumentals and had become the hottest singing group in the country. The second, A Gasser! featured the talented voice of Annie Ross, with Zoot booting her along, and swinging superbly in his own solos. During these sessions, Zoot and the rhythm sections which included Russ Freeman on piano, and guitarists Freddie Green, Jim Hall, and Billy Bean also recorded some instrumental sides that were issued on several LP compilations later on.

All the recordings from these two albums are gathered here for the first time in chronological order, including two tracks recorded after Zoot had returned to New York, on which he would be replaced by Bill Perkins. It had been a memorable visit, as these recordings amply prove.

Album: Zoot Sims Meets Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:23
Size: 94.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Contemporary jazz vocals
Year: 2011

[3:27] 1. Little Niles
[2:01] 2. Jackie
[4:11] 3. Four
[5:05] 4. Swingin' Till The Girls Come Home
[2:54] 5. Where
[3:14] 6. Babe's Blues
[3:29] 7. Airegin
[2:56] 8. Now's The Time
[3:30] 9. Dark Cloud
[3:43] 10. Love Makes The World Go 'round
[6:48] 11. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie

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Album: Zoot Sims Meets Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:06
Size: 135.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Contemporary jazz vocals
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. Everything I've Got
[5:29] 2. I Didn't Know About You
[2:34] 3. I Was Doin' All Right
[3:51] 4. You Took Advantage Of Me
[5:59] 5. I Don't Want To Cry Any More
[5:38] 6. Brushes
[4:21] 7. Bones For Zoot
[2:12] 8. Lucky Day
[4:09] 9. Invitation To The Blues
[4:49] 10. You're Driving Me Crazy
[2:52] 11. Nobody's Baby
[4:24] 12. Choice Blues
[5:02] 13. You're Nearer
[4:46] 14. Lucky So And So


Zoot Sims Meets Lambert, Hendricks & Ross(Disc 1),(Disc 2)

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Frances Faye - Swingin' All The Way

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:59
Size: 87.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1962/2013
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[3:40] 2. It's All Right With Me
[3:15] 3. Love For Sale
[3:13] 4. So In Love
[2:27] 5. Should I
[2:39] 6. Them Who Has Gets
[2:20] 7. There Will Never Be Another You
[2:27] 8. Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today)
[3:53] 9. Everything Hapens To Me
[3:53] 10. More Than You Know
[3:53] 11. That's All
[3:03] 12. Don't Worry 'bout Me

Alto Saxophone – Bud Shank; Arranged By – Marty Paich; Guitar – Al Hendrickson; Trumpet – Stu Williamson.

Fans of female vocalists of the '50s inevitably bemoan the lack of respect given to one of the true greats. Frances Faye, like Peggy Lee, was a dishy, somewhat off-kilter blonde who could scribble out a mean tune when the mood hit her. She was actually a recording presence in the decades prior, writing and co-writing songs that were recorded by herself and other artists such as the Andrews Sisters all through the late '30s and '40s. Faye started her professional career at 16, filling in for a local pianist on an amateur show when some misfortune befell him. She made her first stage appearance in Brooklyn two years later, and spent the next few years on the vaudeville and nightclub circuit, as an accompanist for singers. When one of these singers was canned by a nightclub owner right before the downbeat, Faye took over. An extensive career as a nightclub performer followed and, by 1934, her schedule had her working 11 months a year, much of that out on the road. In 1936, she had her first hit record, the thoughtful "No Regrets," in 1936. "Well, All Right" primed the jukeboxes across the nation after the Andrews Sisters cut the song. She made her last major recordings in 1964, but continued club gigs all the way into the '80s. Well into the 1970s, she was still headlining in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, as well as England and Australia. In 1977, Frances Faye played a wise-cracking madam in the French film director Louis Malle's controversial film Pretty Baby, which, in the words, of Faye, "opens with me in bed smoking an opium pipe with a wig half off my head." After a series of strokes, perhaps brought on by so much excitement, she died in the early '90s. It was only near the end of that decade that any of her previously out of print material began to see the light of day in reissue form. Bethlehem led the charge with Frances Faye Sings Folk Songs, which manages to be simultaneously marvelous and a completely misleading example of her style. Fans surely sang their own chorus of "Well, All Right" when the artist's two volumes of live recordings were repackaged on a single CD, entitled Frances Faye: Caught in the Act. Her career was one of the subjects of the interesting documentary film Chop Suey, directed by Bruce Weber. ~Excerpts from bio by Eugene Chadbourne

Swingin' All The Way

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Art Farmer - Central Avenue Reunion

Styles: Trumpet, Hard Bop
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:49
Size: 141,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:50)  1. Star Eyes
(7:17)  2. Farmer's Market
(7:04)  3. Embraceable You
(7:18)  4. Blue Minor
(9:15)  5. I Remember You
(5:59)  6. Don't Blame Me
(9:33)  7. Cool Struttin'
(6:30)  8. Donna Lee

Three of the five musicians on this quintet date (flügelhornist Art Farmer, altoist Frank Morgan, and pianist Lou Levy) had played on Central Avenue in Los Angeles of the late '40s. Not all of the eight songs that they perform with bassist Eric Von Essen and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath are from the era ("Blue Minor" and "Cool Struttin'" were written by Sonny Clark several years later), but the outing is very much in the bop style of the period. Their live set is highlighted by spirited versions of "Star Eyes," "Farmer's Market," "I Remember You," and "Donna Lee." This CD is filled with high-quality bebop that is easily recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/central-avenue-reunion-mw0000207356

Personnel: Art Farmer (trumpet, flugelhorn); Frank Morgan (alto saxophone); Lou Levy (piano); Eric Von Essen (acoustic bass); Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums).

Central Avenue Reunion

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Bobby Timmons - From The Bottom

Styles: Piano Jazz, Soul Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:08
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. From The Bottom
(4:17)  2. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
(3:37)  3. Medley: You're Blase/Bewitched
(4:51)  4. If I Should Lose You
(3:20)  5. Samba Triste
(6:31)  6. Someone To Watch Over Me
(5:31)  7. Moanin'

The cover offers a hint: a silhouette of Bobby Timmons in all colors, but just a pinch of blue. No one can explain it, but the music Timmons wrote has always been more famous than the music he played. A father of soul-jazz, he was a sparkplug with Blakey and Cannonball, his times there magic. But here could do more, as he shows here. He turns wistful on ballads, highlights his partners (Sam Jones gets a lot of space) and even gives the vibes a charming go-round. There are many styles here, many flavors. And blues; there’s some of that too. We begin "From the Bottom". It’s nearly a duet; Jones is submerged in the fury of piano and drums. Jimmy Cobb is pure insistence; Timmons blisters it good, a line simply dripping with soul. (The note says the song’s here "to keep his soul franchise" it does that and more.) The keys go pouncing, and the cymbals float upward like smoke. The real deal, you bet.

The night grows calmer: Jones plucks high, while Cobb sets the samba with wonderful echo. Bobby starts "Corcovado" with ease, some notes more thought than played. He leaves, and Jones has another go at that riff. Now come the stars: Timmons, on vibes, has light touch and heavy vibrato. He makes it sound like a celeste, which is a wonderful choice: it sounds like pixie dust, scattered on an open field. Quiet, yet how it speaks! The piano medley goes solo, with two sides: the lush sophisticate on "You’re Blase", brittle rhythm on "Bewitched". It’s a deconstruction, with unexpected turns, tempo shifts then back to the lush "Blase". No one can hear this and say he can’t do ballads. And yet they did I am bothered (bewildered, too.)

"If I Should Lose You" scampers wild: hear Bobby rush and Jimmy match him blow for blow. There’s big voicing, bits of blues, frantic little patterns what doesn’t it have? "Samba Triste" takes gentle steps, then punctuated by loud chords – reminds me a bit of Wynton Kelly. A light effort, simple and charming. And "Someone" has another surprise: starting as a Big Ballad, the vibes come out. Brushes march on, the sustain rings forever; with less vibrato, Bobby sounds cool, his notes made of glass. The chords at the end do the trick, as does his note-rolling; this is no novelty. Timmons’ vibe skills are real, and I’m glad he had the opportunity to show them. This "Someone" is certainly worth watching.

This is the third time Bobby taped "Moanin’"; he premiered it with the Messengers, and a piano version appeared on This Here is Bobby Timmons. He returns to the organ, which he played in his uncle’s church; this sounds like a big model, with pipes. The sound is reedy, perhaps too thick on the theme but wonderfully spooky on the solo. Notes snake around, twist around corners, all before a big beat  thrilling. Jones gets practically his only solo (he has a short turn on "Bottom"), and swoops low as the organ goes spectral. A different sound, and your ears should get acquainted. Same with this album; if you need proof Timmons is more than soul, here ‘tis. ~ AAJ Staff  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-the-bottom-bobby-timmons-fantasy-jazz-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel:  Bobby Timmons (piano, organ, vibes); Sam Jones (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).

From The Bottom

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Jeff Lorber And Chuck Loeb - BOP

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:23
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Straight No Chaser
(7:38)  2. A Night In Tunisia
(4:32)  3. Donna Lee
(6:22)  4. Round Midnight
(6:09)  5. St. Thomas
(6:11)  6. Confirmation
(5:28)  7. Now's the Time
(5:48)  8. All the Things You Are
(3:39)  9. Giant Steps

It’s an all-star cast, although it falls under the heading of two leaders: Jeff Lorber and Chuck Loeb. Bop (2015) is the junction of vintage jazz, a popular festival and charity. The core group consists of Lorber, Rhodes; Loeb, guitar; Everette Harp, tenor saxophone; Harvey Mason, drums; Brian Bromberg, bass; Rick Braun, trumpet and flugelhorn; and Till Broenner, trumpet. Special guests appear on selected tracks.

The ensemble goes for the jugular on the opening track, a thrilling arrangement of Thelonius Monk’s “Straight No Chaser.” After the horns bring us into the mood of the piece, Loeb takes off on a jaunt worthy of Wes Montgomery. Braun and Bronner take their turns and engage in a brief call-and-response sequence, followed by Lorber. The track ends with Braun’s signature throaty wail.  Monk’s “’Round Midnight” is also on the playlist. Eric Marienthal steps in for “Confirmation,” playing the alto saxophone. It’s one of two Charlie Parker compositions to make the session.

The other is “Now’s the Time,” a sassy, swinging tune. The horns and guitar blend beautiful on the opening. After that sequence, Loeb stretches out, his fingers deftly hopping among the strings. Harp goes old school on the tenor, Lorber puts his mark on the track as well. The finale, “Giant Steps,” brings in John Patitucci, bass; Brian Dunne, drums; and Randy Brecker, trumpet. Most of the musicians on Bop are normally associated with smooth jazz or some variant: R&B, pop instrumental, etc. To hear them play straight jazz is a treat. Lorber says it grew out of a tradition over the last six years to dedicate one night of the Berks Jazz Festival to bop, music that was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s. Over the years, Lorber and Loeb discussed using this music to raise awareness and funds for polycystic kidney disease, or PKD. It’s an ailment that has affected Lorber and his family. The musicians donated their time and resources to the project.  http://www.smooth-jazz.de/Woodrow/Lorber/Bop.htm

BOP

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