Diahann Carroll - Fun Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:24
Size: 69.6 MB
Styles: Pop-jazz vocals
Year: 1961/2005
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[2:47] 2. Runnin' Wild
[2:49] 3. Once Is Enough For Me
[3:09] 4. Falling In Love Again
[2:15] 5. Don't Worry 'bout Me
[1:43] 6. I'm Not At All In Love
[3:02] 7. The Boys In The Backroom
[2:10] 8. Fun Life
[2:06] 9. Do What You Wanna Do
[3:04] 10. There'll Be Some Changes Made
[2:48] 11. Blah, Blah, Blah
[1:46] 12. I Don't Care

Still only in her mid-twenties, Diahann Carroll had a varied career leading up to her sole Atlantic Records album, including nightclub appearances, several albums on RCA Victor and United Artists, and appearances in such musical films as Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess (although her singing was dubbed in by others). But she remained best-known for her appearance in the 1954 Broadway musical House of Flowers, a succès d'estime that annotator Roger Whitaker brought up immediately in his liner notes to Fun Life. It was that credit which legitimized Carroll's credentials as an interpreter of show music, but she further made her case here, handling favorites by Irving Berlin and the Gershwins. The obvious antecedent for Carroll was Lena Horne, but her voice had a purer tone and much less archness. She was content to float where Horne might have pounced, and this was most noticeable in her versions of two songs associated with the quintessentially arch Marlene Dietrich, "Falling in Love Again, Can't Help It" and "The Boys in the Backroom." Where Dietrich sang the former with a bored sophistication and the latter with a raucous lustiness, Carroll remained playful and kittenish throughout. As usual, arranger/conductor Peter Matz contoured his charts to match his singer's style and energy; he even contributed a good tune, "Once Is Enough for Me." Carroll's lightness of tone made her an excellent choice for her next defining stage role, which was less than a year away, the black lover of a white writer in Richard Rodgers' No Strings. ~William Ruhlmann

Fun Life

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Lee Morgan - The Gigolo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:10
Size: 108.0 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1965/2006
Art: Front

[ 7:21] 1. Yes I Can, No You Can't
[ 5:57] 2. Trapped
[ 5:29] 3. Speedball
[11:00] 4. The Gigolo
[ 7:19] 5. You Go To My Head
[10:01] 6. The Gigolo

Lee Morgan was the leading trumpeter in hard bop during the 1960s and he recorded quite a few classic albums for Blue Note. This is one of them. The CD reissue (which adds an alternate take of the title cut to the original five-song program) features Morgan at his best, whether playing his memorable blues "Speed Ball," an explorative ballad version of "You Go to My Head," a lengthy "The Gigolo," or his other two originals ("Yes I Can, No You Can't" and "Trapped"). There are no weak selections on this set and the playing by the leader, Wayne Shorter on tenor, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins is beyond any serious criticism. ~Scott Yanow

The Gigolo

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David Basse & The City Light Orchestra - Kansas City Live

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:19
Size: 117.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[5:45] 1. St. James Infirmary
[3:43] 2. Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me
[2:31] 3. The Gypsy In My Soul
[4:29] 4. The Eyes Of A Desperado
[6:27] 5. Kansas City
[9:12] 6. Little Sunflower
[5:35] 7. St. Louis Bound/Mary Ann
[3:09] 8. She's No Lady, She's My Wife
[3:57] 9. Caldonia
[6:27] 10. Roberta

David Basse (vocals, drums, percussion), Gerald Dunn (saxophone), Pat Morrisey (trumpet, background vocals), Tim Perryman (trombone), Joe Cartwright (piano), Ricky Anderson (bass).

The City Light Orchestra has long been Kansas City's premier jazz and blues ensemble. Releasing their first recording Raised Spirits to a packed house at KC's Folly Theater, the group then hit the road and appeared at the Improv in Los Angeles, New York's Hanratty's, Santa Fe's Club West and Antoine's in Austin. Gary Giddins called David Basse and the City Light Orchestra 'one of the best swing bands to come out of Kansas City since Jay McShann's.' On Kansas City Live, trumpeter Pat Morrissey is a driving force in the band and coproduced this swinging CD.

Kansas City Live

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Karsu Dönmez - Live Aan't Ij

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:12
Size: 85.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. Mistress
[4:18] 2. Three Lives
[2:08] 3. Mona
[5:47] 4. Divane Asik Gibi (Rutger (Rutti) Kroese & Karsu Dönmez)
[3:50] 5. Our Memoirs
[5:31] 6. I'll Leave Alone
[4:34] 7. Suffer Too Long
[7:15] 8. Adio Kerida

Bass – Egemen Maden; Cello – Bence Huszar; Drums – Kağan Han; Guitar – Sebastiaan Lunsingh Scheurleer; Lead Vocals, Piano – Karsu Dönmez; Ney – Tamer Coşkun; Trumpet – Jan van Duikeren; Violin, Vocals – Müge Alpay.

Karsu is a multi-talent. The Dutch musician with Turkish roots is not only a gifted singer and pianist, but also a composer, musical arranger and lyricist. Karsu wrote almost all the compositions for her debut album CONFESSION (2012), as well as for her latest album COLORS (2015).

Since her early youth Karsu has been performing on local and international stages. She started playing for an audience as a young girl in her father’s restaurant, Kilim, in Amsterdam, Holland. From there she made it to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, she played the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Istanbul Jazz Festival and she performed – a few times already – at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York. Already from a very young age it became obvious that Karsu has music flowing through her veins. As a child she was fascinated by piano music. “I saw those pianists on television with their long, flowing hair, these Einstein-like types and I thought, “That’s really cool” I was instantly fascinated by the tunes they played,” is how Karsu describes her love for her favorite instrument.

When she was 7 years old Karsu got her own piano and started taking music classes immediately. She learned to play classical pieces by Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven, alongside traditional Turkish songs and contemporary jazz songs. Karsu started singing more or less by chance, following a school competition. “When I was in high school, I participated in an open music competition. I wanted to compete on piano, but to my surprise, I won in the vocal category. I had been practising the piano for years and here I was, winning with my voice.”

Karsu suspected the members of the jury of giving her false compliments. “At that time tv-formats like Idols just started to become popular. Sometimes less talented singers also competed and they would tell the jury: “You might think I’m a bad singer but people in my favourite cafe always tell me that I’m great.” I thought, maybe the jury gives me compliments just to be nice to me? I mean, you can not judge yourself, is it? But suddenly I was asked to perform as a singer.” Karsu’s voice appeared to be very distinctive for such a young girl: adult, deep and strong. Close your eyes and you under the impression that you are listening to a ‘big, old jazz mama’ from New Orleans.

Karsu has since toured at home and abroad. In her last theater tour 2014-2015, called ‘From New York to Istanbul’, she recollects her experiences during the many trips she made. If Karsu is not performing somewhere, she is working on new material.

Live Aan't Ij

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Frank Wess - Magic 201

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:24
Size: 117.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. It Could Happen To You
[6:28] 2. A Cottage For Sale
[3:56] 3. After Paris
[4:57] 4. The Summer Knows
[7:02] 5. Embraceable You
[8:43] 6. Blues For Ruby
[9:24] 7. If You Can't Call, Don't Come
[5:40] 8. If It's The Last Thing I Do

Frank Wellington Wess was born on January 4th 1922 in Kansas City, Missouri. 
 At the age of 10 he started to learn the alto saxophone. The great saxophonist and flute player, a pioneer of that instrument in jazz, died on October 30 at age 91. Wess spent over a decade with Count Basie beginning in 1953; Dan Morgenstern called him the band's "spark plug." He was active until the last weeks of his long life. After moving to Washington DC he started playing in local bands, first on alto and later on tenor saxophone as well. During World War II Frank played tenor saxophone and solo clarinet in the army band and later led a band accompanying Josephine Baker. 
Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan has said, `His playing was always heartfelt and soulful, and his way with ballads could make you cry and shake your head in disbelief wondering how a person could cajole that much spirit from a saxophone.'

And so this new recording serves as a mighty epitaph for the genius Frank Wess that is no longer with us. The ensemble gather for this recording is as follows: Frank Wess, tenor and flute, Kenny Barron, Piano, Rufus Reid, bass, Russell Malone, Guitar, Winard Harper, drums. ~Grady Harp

Magic 201

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