Dana Bauer - In My Own Voice

Size: 81,1 MB
Time: 34:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. This Couldn't Be The Real Thing (5:19)
02. Begin The Beguine (3:41)
03. If I Only Had A Heart (2:48)
04. Bill (3:54)
05. Down With Love (2:15)
06. I'll Be Seeing You (3:25)
07. Smile (3:15)
08. Ten Minutes Ago (3:23)
09. The Waters Of March (3:36)
10. I Walk A Little Faster (3:12)

Dana Bauer grew up in Vallejo California as part of a music-loving family. A singer from the get-go, she took up the flute at age ten, later adding oboe, saxophone and clarinet to her woodwind arsenal. An oboe major at San Francisco State University, she worked her way through college singing with her own band. The band's repetoire included swing, country and pop, but then and always, Dana's heart belonged to the Great American Songbook. "Those songs spoke to me in a way nothing else did," she confides.

All of that woodwind practice must have paid off, as Dana was tapped as a last minute replacement in the band for a tour of "A Chorus Line", a ten week job that turned into three years of touring Europe and Asia. That tour led to a six year stint with 'Les Miserables". "I left college in the middle of a semester to go on the road, so I traded a Bachelor's in Music for a PhD in Showbusiness," she quips.

Her singing career had to take a backseat during those years on tour, but all that's changed. The demise of big record lables and the rise of self-produced projects have allowed artists like Dana to come into their own. Her first CD" In My Own Voice" is a collection of jazz standards, some chestnuts and some hidden treasures. With America's renewed appreciation for jazz and cabaret, Dana feels the timing of this CD couldn't be more perfect. "It's always been my dream to sing what I want, the way I want, with the musicians I want. This CD is that dream realized." Enjoy.

In My Own Voice

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Vinnie Zummo - The Coyote

Size: 130,8 MB
Time: 56:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Bebop
Art: Front

01. The Thing Is This (4:24)
02. The Coyote (4:43)
03. Afternoon Hang (6:06)
04. Candy (6:54)
05. On The Groove (6:10)
06. Retro Fuso (5:53)
07. Sophistry (3:29)
08. Giant Steps (2:58)
09. About 116 (6:52)
10. Fonk 4 Da Monk (2:29)
11. Afternoon Hang (No Sax Mix) (6:06)

This is a unique album. It features the unique guitar playing of former Joe Jackson Band guitarist Vinnie Zummo with the amazing saxophone arrangements of Gary Anderson. With an all star guest list that includes: Vinnie Zummo, Gary Anderson, Joe Jackson, Will Lee, Mike Mainieri,Graham Maby, Mark Egan, Todd Sucherman, Charles McNeal, Gerald Cannon, Ray Marchica, Gary Deinstadt, Cameron Brown, Matty Amendola, Bill Stuart, and Bashiri Johnson.
The album is mostly bop oriented featuring Vinnie's silky playing but there is a power zydeco track called "Retro Fuso" which features Vinnie's old boss Joe Jackson, Graham Maby and Matty Amendola and a burning fusion song called "Funk 4 Da Monk" featuring drumming super star Todd Sucherman.
This is a totally unique album that manages to be completely unique and modern but has a retro 50's cool bop touch to it as well.

The Coyote

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Jill Saward - Just For You (Deluxe Version)

Size: 134,6 MB
Time: 57:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Just For You (4:43)
02. Jazz In The Night (4:03)
03. Breathing Space (6:10)
04. Your Love, My Love (4:33)
05. Someday (4:07)
06. When The Trust Has Gone (4:37)
07. What Goes Around (4:31)
08. Show Me The Way (4:14)
09. Where Is The Love (4:43)
10. Out Of The Dark Days (3:51)
11. Indian Summer (4:12)
12. Highly Sensitive (4:46)
13. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (3:09)

Shakatak frontwoman Jill Saward surprised once again with her Jazzy Sound on her New Album “Just For You”.

Just For You (Deluxe Version)

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Jim Rotondi - Dark Blue

Size: 148,8 MB
Time: 64:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. In Graz (6:11)
02. BC (5:13)
03. Biru Kirusai (5:25)
04. Dark Blue (8:00)
05. Highline (5:42)
06. Pure Imagination (7:03)
07. Monk's Mood (7:28)
08. Le Crest (5:34)
09. Our Day Will Come (6:42)
10. Going To The Sun (6:48)

For 20+ years, Jim Rotondi was one of the trumpet heroes of the New York City jazz scene and a musician whose fiery playing and daring solos firmly established him as a torchbearer of the Lee Morgan-Freddie Hubbard-Woody Shaw trumpet tradition. Like so many jazz greats before him, he’s based in Europe now, but he’s still blowing with the same intensity, if not more.

His new recording, Dark Blue, uses the importance of place as a central theme and features music inspired by pivotal locations in his career from Europe to New York and beyond. While the title itself doesn’t reference any particular place, it’s a vivid description of this breathtaking music and this spectacular quintet that brings together hard-bop stalwarts David Hazeltine (piano), Joe Locke (vibes), David Wong (bass) and Carl Allen (drums).

Dark Blue

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Conrad Herwig - Sketches Of Spain Y Mas: The Latin Side Of Miles Davis

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:20
Size: 116,3 MB
Art: Front

(13:04)  1. Solar
( 7:51)  2. Seven Steps To Heaven
(24:58)  3. Sketches Of Spain
( 4:25)  4. Petits Machins

Conrad Herwig's nonet explores the Latin side of jazz, and his band mines the fun (party) side as well. The Afro-Cuban/Afro-Caribbean component that makes up the art we call jazz has always been the party side. Following up on the trombonist's recordings Another Kind Of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis (2005), The Latin Side Of John Coltrane (1996) and Que Viva Coltrane (2004) is this live session recorded at the Blue Note jazz club in New York 2003. The centerpiece is the nearly 25-minute title track, the infamous collaboration between Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The trombonist Herwig and his co-leader, trumpeter Brian Lynch, welcome guests Paquito D'Rivera and Dave Valentine to this furious and entertaining date. The session opens with two spirited tracks, "Solar and "Seven Steps To Heaven. These tracks are nearly perfect vehicles for a Latin touch. Herwig 's playing was inspired with this sound after stints in the bands of Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauza and Dizzy Gillespie. Application of the clave to Miles might not be your first thought, but the overtly danceable "Solar honors not only Davis' composition, but also the nightclubs where it was originally played. The nonet stretches out a bit more on "Sketches Of Spain. D'Rivera's clarinet opens the account here, signaling the others to follow with some extraordinary playing. 

Then it's Herwig's turn to solo. He plays his trombone with all the control you would expect from a trumpeter, ending his solo with nifty multiphonic playing. Then, boom, we are off again with Richie Flores' percussion and congas. The piece stretches into Lynch's muted trumpet solo, which bridges into a bit of a Albert Ayler-like march! And back again with the luscious work of D'Rivera, this time on alto saxophone. The disc ends with "Petits Machins, from Filles de Kilimanjaro, a percussion-filled eruption of joy and energy. If you have to choose sides, there is no better one the the Latin side. ~ Mark Corroto  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/sketches-of-spain-y-mas-conrad-herwig-half-note-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel: Conrad Herwig: trombone;  Brian Lynch: trumpet;  Paquito D’Rivera; alto saxophone, clarinet;  Dave Valentin: Flute;  Mario Rivera: baritone saxophone;  Edsel Gomez: Piano;  John Benitez:: bass;  Robby Ameen: drums;  Richie Flores: congas, percussion.

Sketches Of Spain Y Mas 

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Chris Barber - Stardust

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:18
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:59)  1. The Man I Love
(4:37)  2. Stardust
(4:35)  3. All Of Me
(6:06)  4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(5:40)  5. Bei mir bist du schoen
(4:35)  6. St. Louis Blues
(3:39)  7. Georgia On My Mind
(4:22)  8. After You've Gone
(6:36)  9. Over The Rainbow
(7:06) 10. Lover Come Back To Me

Barber/Ball/Bilk are a British traditional jazz trio comprised of trombonist Chris Barber, trumpeter Kenny Ball, and clarinetist Acker Bilk, whose individual recordings were compiled from time to time on joint best-of collections such as At the Jazz Band Ball (1994) and Boaters Bowlers & Bowties (2009). The recordings of Barber (born on April 17, 1930, in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England), Ball (born on May 22, 1930, in Ilford, Essex, England), and Bilk (born on January 28, 1929, in Pensford, Somerset, England) were first compiled jointly in 1962 on The Best of Ball, Barber & Bilk, which was released in the wake of "Stranger on the Shore." Performed by Mr. Acker Bilk & the Leon Young String Chorale and originally released in October 1961, "Stranger on the Shore" was one of the biggest hits of 1962 in not only the U.K., where it was the best-selling single of the year, but also the U.S., where it topped the Billboard singles chart for a week in May. Even though "Stranger on the Shore" isn't featured on The Best of Ball, Barber & Bilk, which includes songs by Mr. Acker Bilk & His Paramount Jazz Band, Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, and Chris Barber & His Jazz Band, the song's popularity, along with that of the British traditional jazz movement, propelled the compilation to the top of the U.K. albums chart in September 1962. 

From time to time over the years, the recordings of Barber, Ball, and Bilk were likewise compiled jointly. At the Jazz Band Ball (1994) is a particularly notable compilation of 1962 recordings drawn from the BBC Archives. In addition, Boaters Bowlers & Bowties (2009) is notable for its double-disc length as well as for its inclusion of "Stranger on the Shore." ~ Jason Birchmeier  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-barber-mn0000105761/biography

Personnel:  banjo, guitar - Johnny McCallum;  bass – Vic Pitt;  drums – Norman Emberson;  guitar – John Slaughter;  alto saxophone, clarinet, harmonica – Ian Wheeler;  alto & tenor saxophone, clarinet, clarinet – John Crocker;  trombone – Chris Barber;  trumpet – Pat Halcox

Stardust

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Cæcilie Norby - Arabesque

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:24
Size: 142,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. The Dead Princess
(4:28)  2. Wholly Earth
(3:58)  3. No Air
(4:17)  4. No Phrase
(3:35)  5. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
(5:29)  6. The Tears Of Billie Blue
(3:40)  7. Women Of Santiago
(4:40)  8. Pavane Opus 50
(3:59)  9. Schenerazade
(3:46) 10. I Will Say Goodbye
(4:22) 11. Simple Theme
(3:33) 12. Hvirvelvinden
(4:36) 13. Forever You
(3:50) 14. Nocturne
(2:59) 15. How Oft

Arabesque is an edgy, moody collection of songs to thrill the musical iconoclast. Classical purists might run for the hills but Danish jazz singer Cæcilie Norby has come up with some extraordinary settings that shed new light on familiar melodies by Rimsky Korsakov, Satie and Debussy, boldly applying her own astringent lyrical interpretations of the stories behind them.The result is an impressionistic aural feast, punctuated by a burst of funky swing (“Bei mir bist du schoen”), a couple of Michel Legrand tracks and an inspirational take on Abbey Lincoln’s “Wholly Earth”. In short, Norby, who has been a pioneer of modern Nordic music, straddling the choppy territory between jazz and pop with her refusal to be categorised, has sharpened her maverick credentials and come up with an audacious concept. Just when you think you’ve pinned it down, the musical influence on each track shifts into new territory.“The Dead Princess” takes Ravel’s haunting theme and turns it into an exploration of the character of the composer’s benefactress, Princess Winnaretta de Polignac. His “Pavane”, so evocative in any setting, is transformed into a brooding meditation on the power of music to arouse memories and sensations.

Norby isn’t the first musician tempted to take liberties with Rimsky Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” prog rock band Renaissance built an entire album around it in the 1970s but she treats it with great respect, her Arabian Nights-inspired lyrics swirling among the excellent accompaniment of musicians including pianist Katrine Gislinge, co-producer Lars Danielsson (on bass, cello and organ).The percussion of Anders Engen and Xavier Devandre-Navarre is a crucial ingredient of Arabesque, fluid and driven, providing a great counterpoint to the fascinating texture of Norby’s voice. There is more than a hint of Berlin cabaret in her timbre at times, comparisons with Ute Lemper are valid but her phrasing is always contemplative and modern. 

Norby is more about the inner monologue than playing to the gallery. Other highlights include “The Tears of Billie Blue”, a shimmering interpretation of Debussy’s “Claire de Lune”, and “No Air”, which turns Satie’s Gymnopédie into sultry, delicate soliloquy. There is also a Danish version of Legrand’s “Windmills of Your Mind” (“Hvirvelvinden”) and a bonus track, “How Oft”, a tribute to the singer’s father, Erik, who composed it. An absorbing landscape of an album. https://cry-me-a-torch-song.com/2011/05/10/album-review-caecilie-norby-arabesque/

Arabesque

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