Friday, February 12, 2016

Meta Roos - Soft Winds

Size: 132,1 MB
Time: 56:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Without A Song (3:16)
02. Soft Winds (3:23)
03. Answer Me (3:25)
04. I'll Bet You Thought I'd Never Find You (3:48)
05. Oh, Darling (4:00)
06. Evergreen (4:14)
07. September In The Rain (2:56)
08. All The Things You Are (4:15)
09. Light Out Of Darkness (3:40)
10. My Favourite Things (3:47)
11. Rio De Janeiro Blue (4:03)
12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (5:28)
13. What A Difference A Day Makes (4:08)
14. Where Or When (2:56)
15. A Kiss To Build A Dream On (3:31)

Wiveca Margaret "Meta" Roos, born February 23, 1954 in Boda in Dalarna, is a Swedish jazz singer and revue artist.

Meta Roos was born and raised in Boda Kyrkby in Boda parish, Dalarna, but lives since 2002 in Bålsta Uppsala County. She debuted at the age of sixteen when she began singing with various dance bands in Dalarna, the greatest success she achieved with Nippe Sylwéns Band. Since 1984, she earned a living as an artist full time. In the 1980s, she sang in a dance orchestra Rosary that became popular throughout Europe.

Roos played a New Year show in Borlänge and came a few years later Peter Flack in Örebro, where she starred in four revues.

Meta Roos has performed as a singer in several films, his debut was in 1994. She sang the theme song A world full of life in the Walt Disney film The Lion King, and made mother Vesslas voice in The Animals of Farthing Wood. She has sung with several famous big bands in Sweden and toured with his own show My life as a singer. Meta Roos is also well known from the popular radio show Tele Chip Arna. ~Automatic translation

Soft Winds

The Sam Gambarini Hammond Trio - Blue Groove

Size: 100,7 MB
Time: 39:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. T-Bone Steak (5:08)
02. Mambo Inn (3:55)
03. Darn That Dream (4:27)
04. Invitation (6:47)
05. Billie's Bounce (4:56)
06. West Coast Blues (5:18)
07. Duffin' Around (4:53)
08. Mambo Inn (Alt. Take) (3:53)

Personnel:
Sam Gambarini: Hammond Organ
Colin Oxley: Guitar
Gideon Marcus: Drums

Sam had regular violin lessons since the age of 12 and at 14 became interested in keyboard instruments, the Hammond organ in particular. After a period of private jazz piano tuition with local teachers within the area of his native Rimini in Italy he joined the CPM (Centro Professione Musica) in Milan. Here he obtained a jazz piano diploma receiving tuition from the renowned pianist Franco D’andrea. During the same years he completed a university degree in music (DAMS) and he also attended the summer jazz clinics of Siena Jazz.

From the year 2000 Sam has lived in London. Here he studied with the British organ legend Mike Carr and obtained a First Class Honours Degree in jazz music from Middlesex University. He also had hammond organ lessons with Doctor Lonnie Smith in New York.

Very soon Sam became established in the London jazz scene. At the moment he is in regular demand as a jazz organist by many different musicians and has been performing in some of the most renowned jazz venues and international Jazz Festivals in London and UK: Jazz Cafe, The Crypt St Martin in Fields, Royal Festival Hall Foyer, National Theatre, London Jazz In The Streets, Coventry Jazz Festival, Southport Jazz Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival.

During this period in the UK has played, amongst others, with Andy Sheppard, Dave O’Higgins, Clark Tracey, Jim Mullen (who played guitar with Brian Auger and Jimmy Smith), Dave Cliff, Colin Oxley, Butch Thomas (saxophonist with Jaco Pastorius and Sting), Tina May, Alan Barnes, Gareth Lokraine, Nigel Price ( James Taylor Quartet’s guitarist), Phill Lee (Jimmy Smith's regular guitarist for UK gigs) and recently with Cameron Pierre (Courtney Pine's guitarist).

The principal source of inspiration comes from Jimmy Smith, Melvine Rhine, Larry Young, Winton Kelly, Wes Montgomery ,Grant Green, Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and Lou Donaldson. Sam has recently recorded with multi - awarded guitarist Colin Oxley and drummer Gideon Marcus in a newly formed Hammond trio called “Blue Groove”.

Blue Groove

Ian Shaw - The Theory Of Joy (Deluxe Edition)

Size: 140,3 MB
Time: 61:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Small Day Tomorrow (3:13)
02. You Fascinate Me So (4:48)
03. In France They Kiss On Main Street (3:55)
04. Where Are We Now (5:29)
05. Everything (3:03)
06. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (5:03)
07. You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two (3:24)
08. My Brother (4:31)
09. All This And Betty Too (2:41)
10. Somewhere Towards Love (4:21)
11. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (5:27)
12. If You Go Away/Ne Me Quitte Pas (3:14)
13. The Shadow (Bonus Track) (4:22)
14. Born To Be Blue (Bonus Track) (2:41)
15. Last Man Alive (Bonus Track) (4:46)

This CD finds Ian Shaw not sitting in his apparently natural habitat at a piano, but having replaced his own accompaniment with an excellent trio. There is no doubt that Shaw is a good pianist, but this format seems to free him upto really focus on his vocal performance - which he does with accuracy and aplomb.

The 12 tracks on the CD version show an excellent mix of material from Bart to Bowie, plus three Shaw originals. The opening Small Day Tomorrow (a useful concept for the jazz enthusiast, staying up late as you only have a small day tomorrow) quickly opens up to allow Barry Green to sparkle on piano. Shaw's voice seems to have something of the light touch and agility of Joni Mitchell about it, and this becomes even more clear on the Canadian artist's own In France They Kiss On Main Street. The section in which Shaw sings over Mick Hutton's round-sounding bass and Dave Ohm's tight-yet-dynamic brushes is a particular delight.

The Bowie song is Where Are We Now, from 2013's The Next Day album. This is a wistful song, looking back with a little regret, and Shaw turns in an impassioned performance. The album was recorded in summer 2015 before the shock recent news of Bowie's death, and the number makes a very fitting tribute. Mick Hutton must surely produce the most sonorous double bass tone in London, and he uses it to great effect here and throughout the album. This reflective mood carries on into Legrand/Bergman/Bergman's How Do You Keep The Music Playing, a song of love an uncertainty looking into a long-term relationship which Shaw renders beautifully -tears in this listener's eyes at any rate.

The three original songs come grouped together towards the end of the album. My Brother, about Shaw's brother Gareth who died before Ian was born, is catchy and meaningful. It's been rightly receiving radio plays, which ties it in to Ian's work with refugees in Calais. All This And Betty Too is a jazz-filled romp with Shaw remembering listening to Betty Carter in Ronnie Scott's with Claire Martin, a long-term friend who also produced this album. A trio reworking of Somewhere Towards Love (chosen in its solo version as a Desert Island Disc by both Molly Parkin and Julian Clary) sees the song moving with a little more urgency, and it's great to get another way to hear it. As if to stress Shaw's versatility, we move from a pointed You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two (sung with social comment in mind, surely) to a closing If You Go Away/Ne Me Quitte Pas, in Brel-ish style over Green's solo accompaniment.

This collection has great variety, yet is defined at its core by four top-class musicians on their own terms. If, like me, you have enjoyed Ian Shaw's live performances but never yet taken the plunge with an album, this is a wonderful place to start. ~by Brian Blain

The Theory Of Joy

Doc Watson, Clint Howard & Fred Price - Old Timey Concert

Size: 166,8 MB
Time: 71:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967/1991
Styles: Folk, Country, Bluegrass, Old-Timey
Art: Front

01. Introduction (0:59)
02. New River Train (3:01)
03. What Does The Deep Sea Say (3:41)
04. Sunny Tennessee (3:43)
05. Walkin' In Jerusalem (2:09)
06. Sittin' On Top Of The World (3:33)
07. Pretty Little Pink (1:58)
08. My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains (3:21)
09. Slewfoot (2:36)
10. Little Orphan Girl (3:14)
11. Long Journey Home (2:37)
12. Rank Stranger (2:56)
13. Crawdad (3:55)
14. Fire On The Mountain (2:45)
15. Eastbound Train (3:34)
16. On The Banks Of The Old Tennessee (3:30)
17. Mountain Dew (3:58)
18. Corrina Corrina (2:31)
19. Footprints In The Snow (4:03)
20. I Saw A Man At The Close Of The Day (3:11)
21. Cackling Hen (1:41)
22. Wanted Man (2:17)
23. Way Downtown (2:27)
24. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (4:12)

Personnel:
Vocals, Fiddle – Fred Price
Vocals, Guitar – Clint Howard
Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin, Harmonica, Banjo – Doc Watson

Although Doc Watson, Clint Howard, and Fred Price were giving similar concerts at the beginning of the '60s, this performance for the Seattle Folklore Society wasn't recorded until 1967. Nonetheless, it gives a good sense of the state of Watson's art before he went solo, finding him in cahoots with neighbors and friends and singing old-time material in an intimate setting. This album features a few solo performances by Watson and terrific, cheerful interplay among all three men. "Sunny Tennessee," "Walking in Jerusalem," "Crawdad," and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" are highlights, but this is a highly entertaining concert throughout, with a few songs like "Mountain Dew" containing guitar breaks that are fast even by Watson's standards. As a side note, this album's track data are off slightly -- track one is given to Howard's spoken introduction, while "I Saw a Man at the Close of the Day/Cackling Hen," supposedly track 19, takes up tracks 20 and 21, bringing the total count to 24, not 22 as listed on the cover. ~by Jim Smith

Old Timey Concert

Andy Brown - Direct Call

Size: 126,4 MB
Time: 54:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Jeep Is Jumpin' (4:40)
02. Prisoner Of Love (5:58)
03. El Cajon (4:37)
04. Funk In Deep Freeze (7:06)
05. Appel Direct (Direct Call) (4:47)
06. Relaxing (6:20)
07. One Morning In May (4:47)
08. Catch Me (5:14)
09. Ela E Carioca (6:44)
10. Freak Of The Week (4:38)

Andy Brown's previous album, Soloist, received outstanding reviews in JazzTimes, Jazziz, Vintage Guitar and in Down Beat where Scott Yanow described Andy as "a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene since 2003 ... a superior mainstream guitarist". Direct Call features a rarity in jazz today - a working band. Several years of performing weekly at Andy's Jazz Club has given this quartet a cohesive and tight-knit sound that can only be gained through countless gigs together. With Jeremy Kahn, piano, Joe Policastro, bass and Phil Gratteau, drums, the album features an eclectic mix of standards, Brazilian music and jazz compositions.

Andy Brown is a guitarist based in Chicago. Born in New York City in 1975, he has played professionally for over twenty years. He has had a varied performing career that has included stints in Cincinnati and New York.

Since coming to Chicago in 2003, Andy has been fortunate to work at many of the area's finest jazz venues with his own bands, as well as playing his unique brand of solo jazz guitar. He has led his own groups at clubs like The Green Mill and Andy's Jazz Club, and has backed visiting jazz names at places including The Jazz Showcase and the Harris Theater.

As a sideman he has performed with internationally know jazz musicians including Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Hod O’Brien, Anat Cohen, Kurt Elling, and Joe Cohn as well as many others. He has also worked with many names on the Chicago jazz scene at nearly every spot that features live jazz music including Russ Phillips, Don Stiernberg, Kim Cusack, Chris Foreman, Bobby Lewis, Chuck Hedges, Judy Roberts, and Howard Levy.

Direct Call

Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance

Styles: Post-Bop, Jazz Fusion
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:01
Size: 82,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:45)  1. Space Lady
(6:10)  2. Mardi Gras (Carnival)
(5:24)  3. Starlight and You
(5:52)  4. Mongotee
(4:12)  5. A Song of Love
(2:38)  6. Between Here and There
(4:59)  7. Renaissance

With a jacket adorned by mystical symbols of every faith and tribe Smith could think of, Renaissance is a pleasant paean to Peace, Love and Understanding that goes down easily and almost tracelessly. Smith doubles on acoustic piano and Rhodes electric piano, the latter often tarted up by gentle period Echoplex effects, and brother Donald Smith provides ethereal flute and occasional vocals. The Smiths are at their most ingratiating when sailing along in a semi-Brazilian groove on "Mardi Gras" and "A Song of Love" that pre-echoes a similar direction that Pat Metheny would take. Otherwise, the mildly spacy funk patterns and lightweight age of Aquarius atmosphere rise not too far above the level of hip '70s makeout music. Still, you could do a lot, lot worse in that genre. ~ Richard S. Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/album/renaissance-mw0000464626

Personnel: Lonnie Liston Smith (vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, electronics); Donald Smith (vocals, flute); Gene Bertoncini (guitar, acoustic guitar); Dave Hubbard (flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Leon Pendarvis (Clarinet); Kenneth Bichel (synthesizer, Moog synthesizer); Wilby Fletcher (drums); Lawrence Killian (congas); Guilherme Franco (percussion).

Renaissance

Steve Kaldestad (Feat. Renee Rosnes, Peter Washington & Lewis Nash) - New York Afternoon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:42
Size: 135,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:40)  1. Punjab
(5:54)  2. O bebado e a equilibrista
(8:26)  3. Put on a Happy Face
(5:53)  4. Wishful Thinking
(4:27)  5. Beatriz
(4:36)  6. Yeah!
(7:15)  7. I've Just Seen Her
(7:17)  8. Icelight
(6:10)  9. Blues for David

Since moving to Vancouver in 2008, Steve Kaldestad has become one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the scene, performing as a sideman with Jesse Cahill’s Nightcrawlers, Jodi Proznick’s quartet, and many other groups. Steve has released 3 CDs on the Cellar Live label to great acclaim including Straight Up featuring the Mike LeDonne Trio and the brand new release, New York Afternoon with the Renee Rosnes Trio. Originally from the prairies, Steve spent the ’90s in Montreal, obtaining his Bachelors and Masters degrees from McGill University. During this time Steve was awarded a grant to study with Lee Konitz in New York for a year. In 2000, he began an eight year stint in London, England and joined the Kate Williams Quartet, the Matt Wates Sextet, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, the Gareth Lockrane Septet, and played regular gigs in the BBC big band, the Humphrey Lyttelton Group and others. He has also played and/or recorded with Denzal Sinclaire, Mike LeDonne, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, the Karl Jannuska Group, Kevin Dean and many others. Steve now resides in Port Moody, BC and teaches at Capilano University, and directs the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music Big Band. Steve is a D’addario artist. http://stevekaldestad.com/about/

Personnel: Steve Kaldestad (tenor saxophone); Renee Rosnes (piano); Peter Washington (acoustic bass); Lewis Nash (drums).

New York Afternoon

Lorez Alexandria - More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 78,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. But Beautiful
(2:17)  2. Little Boat (O Barquinho)
(1:32)  3. Dancing on the Ceiling
(6:58)  4. It Might as Well Be Spring
(2:20)  5. Once (It S'Aim Aient)
(2:54)  6. The Wildest Gal in Town
(4:53)  7. Angel Eyes
(2:20)  8. This Could Be the Start of Something Big
(3:09)  9. No More
(2:25) 10. That Far Away Look

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lorez-alexandria/id2897975#fullText

More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

Earl Coleman - Love Songs

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:34
Size: 80,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. People
(3:58)  2. There's No You
(2:52)  3. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(2:57)  4. I've Got You Under My Skin
(4:44)  5. I Wish I Knew
(5:11)  6. I Won't Tell A Soul
(2:40)  7. The Work Song
(2:57)  8. Manhattan Serenade
(2:58)  9. Charade
(2:42) 10. When Did You Leave Heaven

Despite his warm voice and the optimistic liner notes, this album was Earl Coleman's only recording as a leader from 1957-76. Coleman, whose baritone voice was originally influenced by Billy Eckstine, is long overdue for rediscovery, as was Johnny Hartman who gained some posthumous fame in the 1990s. Coleman is joined by either a big band led by pianist Billy Taylor and featuring flutist Jerome Richardson, or by Taylor's combo with trumpeter Eddie Williams, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Bobby Thomas. A few of the tunes, such as "People" and "Charade," are throwaways, but even those are uplifted by Coleman's warmth. Highlights include "There's No You," "I Wish I Knew" and "When Did You Leave Heaven." This underrated LP will hopefully be reissued on CD someday and makes one regret that Coleman recorded so little during his prime. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-songs-mw0000879193

Personnel:  Earl Coleman – vocals;  Frank Foster - tenor sax;  Jerome Richardson – flute;  Billy Taylor – piano;  Eddie Williams – trumpet;  Gene Bertoncini – guitar;  Billy Taylor – piano;  Reggie Workman – bass;  Bobby Thomas - drums

Love Songs