Various - Blue Bossa

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:40
Size: 157.2 MB
Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[4:18] 1. Horace Parlan - Congalegre
[3:53] 2. Charlie Rouse - Back To The Tropics
[7:20] 3. Big John Patton - Latona
[3:28] 4. Duke Pearson - Sandalia Dela
[3:09] 5. Ike Quebec - Loie
[3:31] 6. Cannonball Adderley - Sambop
[5:02] 7. Kenny Dorham - Afrodisia
[5:47] 8. Grant Green - Mambo Inn
[4:56] 9. Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues
[6:17] 10. Andrew Hill - Mira
[8:09] 11. Hank Mobley - Recado Bossa Nova
[5:30] 12. Lou Donaldson - South Of The Border
[7:14] 13. Donald Byrd - Ghana

This compilation should be titled Blue Latin because it's more of a sampler of various Latin jazz styles than just a bossa nova-jazz mix. In an age of overzealous marketing and grab-bag reissues, though, the oversight is understandable. Thankfully, the misguided approach doesn't dim the quality of this very enjoyable Blue Note release. The six actual bossa nova tracks in the collection -- out of 14 -- range from effervescent, hard bop treatments by Hank Mobley ("Recado Bossa Nova") and Cannonball Adderly ("Sambop") to languid ballad renditions by Ike Quebec ("Loie") and Eliane Elias ("Waters of March/Agua de Beber"). The most authentic and best of the bunch is Duke Pearson's "Sandalia Dela," which spotlights Brazilian stars Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Another standout is John Patton's B-3 organ bossa "Latona," which features inspired solos by guitarist Grant Green and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. Throughout this collection, in fact, excellent solos and support abound by the likes of Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson, Willie Bobo, Dom Um Romao, Nana Vasconcelos, Horace Silver, and J.J. Johnson, among others. The remaining numbers on Blue Bossa showcase everything from mambos to calypso. The highlights here include Horace Parlan's piano trio number "Congalegre," Kenny Dorham's superbly arranged, large ensemble original "Afrodesia," and Donald Byrd's cool cooker "Ghana." If you fancy more authentic Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, or otherwise, then check out Blue Note's excellent Blue Brazil series, which features Brazilian musicians exclusively. If you are a jazz fan with a yen for Stan Getz and the whole stateside bossa nova craze of the '60s, then Blue Bossa is a great buy. ~Stephen Cook

Blue Bossa

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Howard McGhee - Dusty Blue Remembered

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:13
Size: 80.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1960/2012
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Dusty Blue
[3:29] 2. Park Avenue Petite
[5:49] 3. Flyin' Colors
[4:17] 4. Groovin' High
[3:20] 5. The Sound Of Music
[4:05] 6. I Concentrate On You
[2:52] 7. Sleep Talk
[3:59] 8. With Malice Towards None
[4:27] 9. Cottage For Sale

Howard McGhee (tp) Bennie Green (tb) Roland Alexander (ts) Pepper Adams (bars) Tommy Flanagan (p) Ron Carter (b) Walter Bolden (d) recorded NYC, June 13, 1960.

McGhee had been one of bop’s premier league of trumpet-players since the Forties, alongside Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham and notable for his collaborations with Fats Navarro, a fellow addict. Few had his mastery of the instrument, however his musical career in the Fifties was dogged by spells in prison as a consequence of his addiction, as was the case with Art Pepper and many other jazz musicians. Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock” had more truth to it than people at the time imagined – Jailhouse Bop.

Dusty Blue, released in 1960 by Bethlehem, is one of the highlights of his Sixties comeback, and sees him teamed with some of long-standing bop collaborators like Bennie Green Tommy Flanagan and Pepper Adams, as they all slide seamlessly into the groove.

Dusty Blue Remembered

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Helen O'Connell - Green Eyes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:55
Size: 73.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1950/2011
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Star Eyes
[2:44] 2. Not Mine
[2:36] 3. Tangerine
[3:51] 4. Amapola
[4:51] 5. When The Sun Comes Out
[2:57] 6. All Of Me
[2:47] 7. Green Eyes
[3:32] 8. Jim
[2:47] 9. Time Was
[2:36] 10. Yours

Helen O'Connell, who had a fairly long career, will always be best remembered for her squeals on "Green Eyes" and her work with Jimmy Dorsey. She originally left her native Toledo with Jimmy Richards' nine-piece group, gigging and touring for a year and a half. O'Connell appeared on a regular radio show in St. Louis until she agreed to tour with Larry Funk's band (which was billed as "Band of a Thousand Melodies"). After the outfit started working in New York, she was discovered and quickly signed up by Jimmy Dorsey in 1938. O'Connell soon had a hit rendition of "All of Me," which was followed by popular recordings of "Embraceable You," "Brazil," "Jim." and "When the Sun Comes Out" (which she introduced). However, it was in December 1940, when she started sharing recordings with ballad singer Bob Eberly, that O'Connell for a time became a household name. Eberly generally took a slow chorus, Jimmy Dorsey would have a brief instrumental interlude, and then O'Connell would finish up the record with a swinging chorus. This combination worked very well on hit versions of "Amapola," "Yours," "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine." After appearing in the 1943 movie I Dood It with Dorsey (singing "Star Eyes"), O'Connell retired to get married; she would eventually have four daughters. In 1950 she began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. Although her voice was limited, she made her deficiencies into assets and carved out her own place in musical history. Helen O'Connell was active up until shortly before her death from cancer.

Green Eyes

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Trombone Shorty - Backatown

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:42
Size: 97.8 MB
Styles: Jazz/Funk/Rock/Soul
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Hurricane Season
[3:34] 2. On Your Way Down
[3:02] 3. Quiet As Kept
[3:40] 4. Something Beautiful
[2:45] 5. Backatown
[2:53] 6. Right To Complain
[2:59] 7. Neph
[3:18] 8. Suburbia
[3:14] 9. In The 6th
[2:47] 10. One Night Only (The March)
[2:57] 11. Where Y' At
[3:42] 12. Fallin'
[3:37] 13. The Cure
[0:50] 14. 928 Horn Jam

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews' new album, Backatown (Verve Forecast April 20), is the work of a rare artist who can draw both the unqualified respect of jazz legends and deliver a high-energy rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars and audiences alike. With such an unprecedented mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul, he had to create his own name to describe his signature sound: Supafunkrock! Andrews is the kind of player who comes along maybe once in a generation, and Backatown is the latest, clearest proof that his artistry is as singular as his raw talent.

The album title comes from the locals' term for the area of New Orleans that includes the Tremé [pronounced Tre-MAY] neighborhood in the city's 6th Ward, where Troy was born and raised-getting his nickname at four years old when he was observed by his older brother James marching in a street parade wielding a trombone twice as long as the kid was high. The cultural backdrop of the Tremé-the oldest black neighborhood in the U.S.-is at the very root of Troy's music, on top of which he's built his own sound. The streetwise, gritty feel of the term underscores the difference between the stereotype of the New Orleans jazz musician and what this audacious young artist and his cohorts are going for, and pulling off.

Equally adept on trombone and trumpet, Andrews plays a variety of other instruments as well. He's applied the same skill sets and fierce discipline to his vocal instrument, to soulful effect, as the album demonstrates. Surrounding Andrews is his band, Orleans Avenue-Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dwayne Williams on percussion and Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax-virtuosos every one.

Backatown

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Ron Kaplan - New York

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:12
Size: 126.4 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Tin Pan Alley
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[5:38] 1. New York State Of Mind
[3:53] 2. Jumpin With Symphony Sid
[4:15] 3. New York New York
[4:21] 4. Lullaby Of Broadway
[5:05] 5. Take The 'A' Train
[4:09] 6. Drop Me Off In Harlem
[6:30] 7. Harlem Nocturne
[3:39] 8. Forty Second Street
[4:30] 9. Sunday In New York
[3:47] 10. On Broadway
[3:25] 11. Give It Back To The Indians
[5:55] 12. Manhattan

One of our finest contemporary singers of jazz standards, Ron Kaplan has spent his entire career championing the Great American Songbook, with much of that classic material written in or about New York City. So it makes perfect sense that this tradition-oriented vocalist dedicates his latest album, New York, to that remarkable metropolis.

“Although I am from California,” explains Kaplan, “every time I go to New York City I am always struck by the energy, excitement and exuberance of the place. Everything about it is exciting – the history, the architecture, the people, the culture, the arts. It’s the jazz capitol of the world. It’s the home of Broadway theatre, Tin Pan Alley, the Brill Building and countless legendary songwriters over the past century. There is so much to do and the atmosphere is so intense. It’s the city that never sleeps. It is one of the few cities in the world that has had many, many songs written about it. The difficulty wasn’t finding New York-themed songs for this recording, but deciding which ones to sing.”

New York

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Kenny Poole - Heritage

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:56
Size: 153.2 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. Mas Que Nada
[7:44] 2. Django
[4:31] 3. If You Never Come To Me
[5:58] 4. Voce E Eu
[6:24] 5. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[3:39] 6. Little White Lies
[6:27] 7. Jive At Five
[5:33] 8. The Song Is You
[4:03] 9. A Pele Do Martin Skin Of Ivory
[6:06] 10. Where Are You
[4:19] 11. Brazil
[6:33] 12. I Can't Get Started
[1:38] 13. Calcutta

Kenny Poole was a guitarist's guitarist. He never sought the limelight that others with his talents achieved, but his much admired jazz chops attracted musicians in the know. He performed with such luminaries as Jack McDuff, Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Howard Alden and Jack Wilkins. Sadly, Poole lost his fight with cancer in 2006. But with the release of Heritage, a collection of his live solo performances at Cincinnati's Heritage Restaurant, Poole's soulful and sophisticated finger-style arrangements are available for the everyone to admire. The tracks included on Heritage are a marvelous cross-section of Poole's interest in American Songbook and bossa nova styles.

Heritage

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Grant Stewart - Plays The Music Of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:24
Size: 136,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:26)  1. Raincheck
(7:46)  2. Tonight A Shall Sleep
(8:18)  3. Angelica
(7:22)  4. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(5:53)  5. It Don't Mean A Thing
(7:07)  6. Something To Live For
(7:18)  7. The Star Crossed Lovers
(9:10)  8. The Feeling Of Jazz

Here's a refreshing take on Ellingtonia, one that doesn't rely on the overdone ("Take the A Train," "Perdido") or easy ("C-Jam Blues"). Canadian native Grant Stewart brings a post-Swing, combo approach to his Ellingtonia, even going so far as to reference Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane collaboration. The tenor saxophonist, whose own distinctive style has echoes of Clifford Jordan and later Al Cohn in tone and conception, leads a pos tbop/hard bop-leaning quartet with pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Joe Farnsworth.

All of the material here should be familiar to fans of Ellingtonia with one exception: "Tonight I Shall Sleep," a ballad the Ellington Orchestra first recorded in 1945 with guest soloist Tommy Dorsey limning the melody on trombone. Stewart brings a rich warm tone and Dorsey-like legato approach to both the melody and his lyrical solo. Hammer's delicate, mostly single-note solo lines are reminiscent of the late John Lewis. And the ending tenor coda, with its unresolved chord echoing the conclusion of "Lush Life," suggests Strayhorn may have had a hand in the tune, although it's credited solely to Ellington. Stewart ups the tempo, via Bob Mover's chart, of "Something to Live For," revs up "It Don't Mean a Thing" to bebop speed and excavates a bluesy groove on "The Feeling of Jazz." "Raincheck" and "I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" demonstrate the charms of melodic substance to swing, while "Star-Crossed Lovers" from The Shakespearean Suite, is a tribute to alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges' sumptuous style. ~ George Kanzler  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-the-music-of-duke-ellington-and-billy-strayhorn-grant-stewart-sharp-nine-records-review-by-george-kanzler.php

Personnel: Grant Stewart: saxophone; Tardo Hammer: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums.

Plays The Music Of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn

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Nat Adderley Sextet - Much Brass

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:11
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Blue Concept
(4:31)  2. Little Miss
(3:55)  3. Israel
(3:22)  4. What Next?
(5:05)  5. Moving
(5:43)  6. Blue Brass Groove
(5:43)  7. Accents
(4:07)  8. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

Nat Adderley's cornet (which in its early days was strongly influenced by Miles Davis) was always a complementary voice to his brother Cannonball in their popular quintet. His career ran parallel to his older brother for quite some time. Nat took up trumpet in 1946, switched to cornet in 1950, and spent time in the military, playing in an Army band during 1951-1953. After a period with Lionel Hampton (1954-1955), Nat made his recording debut in 1955, joined Cannonball's unsuccessful quintet of 1956-1957, and then spent periods with the groups of J.J. Johnson and Woody Herman before hooking up with Cannonball again in October 1959. This time the group became a major success and Nat remained in the quintet until Cannonball's death in 1975, contributing such originals as "Work Song," "Jive Samba," and "The Old Country" along with many exciting hard bop solos. 

Nat Adderley, who was at the peak of his powers in the early to mid-'60s and became adept at playing solos that dipped into the subtone register of his horn, led his own quintets after Cannonball's death; his most notable sidemen were altoists Sonny Fortune (in the early '80s) and Vincent Herring. Although his own playing declined somewhat Adderley's chops no longer had the endurance of his earlier days Nat continued recording worthwhile sessions in the years prior to his death on January 2, 2000. Many but not all of his recordings through the years are currently available (for such labels as Savoy, EmArcy, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic, Milestone, A&M, Capitol, Prestige, SteepleChase, Galaxy, Theresa, In & Out, Landmark, Evidence, Enja, Timeless, Jazz Challenge, and Chiaroscuro). https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nat-adderley-sextet/id2801407#fullText

Personnel:  Nat Adderley – cornet;  Slide Hampton - tuba (track 1), trombone (tracks 2-7);  Wynton Kelly – piano;  Sam Jones - bass (tracks 2-8), cello (track 1);  Laymon Jackson - bass (track 1), tuba (tracks 2-8);  Albert Heath - drums

Much Brass

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Scott Colley - The Magic Line

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:52
Size: 151,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Take It And Like It
(6:34)  2. The Magic Line
(6:16)  3. Convergence
(4:34)  4. Monroe Street
(4:18)  5. Metropolis
(8:01)  6. Trip To Williamsburg
(6:44)  7. Dualessence
(6:29)  8. Soul Gravity
(5:13)  9. Mayberry
(7:12) 10. Dog Logic
(1:58) 11. Epilogue

One of the premier session bassist's in jazz steps out of the pocket with his first solo outing for the Arabesque label titled, The Magic Line. And along with the laudable support of saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Bill Stewart, Scott Colley exhibits multifarious attributes as a leader and composer. The Trio serves up an interesting mix on pieces such as the title track where the bassist commences with an extended solo passage followed by Potter's entry on tenor. Here, the duo performs fluid unison lines amid Stewart's backwashes of tonal shading and altogether colorful utilization of his cymbals while Colley and Potter also display a resourceful and noticeably inventive harmonic relationship throughout the entire affair.

The band performs an affable groove oriented spin on the theme from the old Andy Griffith TV series, aptly titled, "Mayberry" while they also turn in a peppery swing vamp on "Dog Logic" as Stewart and Potter trade sprightly fours atop Colley's fervent walking bass lines and broad bottom. Overall, there's quite a bit to get revved up about here as the band emits a quiet fire amid thoughtful improvising and intriguing ensemble work. A noteworthy endeavor it is! ~ Glenn Astarita  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-magic-line-scott-colley-arabesque-jazz-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Scott Colley: bass; Chris Potter: tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet; Bill Stewart: drums.

The Magic Line

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Cyrille Aimée - Let's Get Lost

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:38
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:36)  1. Live Alone and Like It
(3:47)  2. There's a Lull in My Life
(3:20)  3. Estrellitas y Duendes
(4:52)  4. Lazy Afternoon
(2:32)  5. Three Little Words
(3:19)  6. T'es Beau tu Sais
(2:35)  7. Let's Get Lost
(4:20)  8. Samois a Moi
(2:52)  9. Nine More Minutes
(2:20) 10. Laverne Walk
(2:38) 11. That Old Feeling
(3:26) 12. Each Day
(3:41) 13. Words
(3:14) 14. Well You Needn't (Bonus Track)

'Let's Get Lost', Cyrille Aimée's second album for Mack Avenue Records brings to light a different side of the radiant singer. After two years of dazzling audiences around the world with the joyful repertoire of 'It's a Good Day', Aimée reflects on her musical and personal growth, telling us the story of a nascent love coming to full bloom. Accompanied by two guitar wunderkinds, Adrien Moignard and Michael Valeanu, as well as an Australian rhythm section (consisting of bassist Sam Anning and drummer Raj Jayaweera) so tight-knit that they are almost the same person, she adds pensive touches to her usual zest and reveals a bittersweet depth that will have listeners daydreaming for a while. 'Let's Get Lost' speaks of love in three different languages, wide ranging references, oldies and odd metered originals, yet it retains a distinct identity, like summer grass freckled with late afternoon sun. Aimée and her band weave confidently from one musical region to the next, and Valeanu's guitar arrangements always underscore the meaning of every word in uncontrived and subtle fashion.   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Get-Lost-Cyrille-Aim%C3%A9e/dp/B0188EOGU4

Let's Get Lost

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