Various - Alanna Records Greatest 46th Anniversary Edition

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:54
Size: 137.1 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. The Spitfire Band - New York, New York
[4:08] 2. The Spitfire Band - Laura
[3:02] 3. The Spitfire Band - It Happened In Monterey
[1:56] 4. Al Caiola - Be True To Me (Sabor A Mi)
[3:41] 5. Al Caiola - You Are Always In My Heart (Siempre En Mi Corazon)
[2:42] 6. Al Caiola - Magic Is The Moonlight
[3:05] 7. Main Stream Power Band - Road To Swing
[2:57] 8. Main Stream Power Band - Main Stream Power Boogie
[3:03] 9. Main Stream Power Band - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
[3:14] 10. Charlie Shaffer - Here's That Rainy Day
[2:55] 11. Charlie Shaffer - Our Day Will Come
[3:42] 12. Charlie Shaffer - South Of The Border
[3:59] 13. Laurie Bower - Don't Blame Me
[3:20] 14. Laurie Bower - I Go To Rio
[3:00] 15. Laurie Bower - You Needed Me
[4:17] 16. Tony Corbiscello - Don't Worry About Me
[4:16] 17. Tony Corbiscello - Dream
[2:59] 18. Tony Corbiscello - Lover

Greatest hits from the Spitfire Band, Al Caiola, Main Stream Power Band, Charlie Shaffer, Laurie Bower Singers and Tony Corbiscello Big Band! "The good days never sounded this good." Alanna Records Greatest: 46th Anniversary Edition songs ~ MEL TORME

Alanna Records Greatest 46th Anniversary Edition

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Nellie Lutcher - The Best Of Nellie Lutcher

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:50
Size: 132.4 MB
Styles: R&B, Jazz vocals
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:24] 1. Hurry On Down
[2:41] 2. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
[2:57] 3. You Better Watch Yourself, Bub
[3:13] 4. My Mother's Eyes
[2:59] 5. He's A Real Gone Guy
[3:05] 6. Let Me Love You Tonight
[2:58] 7. Chi-Chi-Chi-Chicago
[3:11] 8. Fine And Mellow
[2:42] 9. I Thought About You
[2:31] 10. Kinda Blue And Low
[2:24] 11. The Song Is Ended
[2:33] 12. Lake Charles Boogie
[2:53] 13. Fine Brown Frame
[3:07] 14. My Man (Mon Homme)
[2:06] 15. A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird
[2:55] 16. He Sends Me
[3:00] 17. My New Papa's Got To Have Everything
[2:48] 18. Come And Get It, Honey
[2:27] 19. That Will Just About Knock Me Out
[2:27] 20. Baby, What's Your Alibi
[2:21] 21. Pa's Not Home

Nellie Lutcher was at the peak of her fame during her period with Capitol (1947-1951). A fine swing-based pianist, Lutcher was best known for her unique vocal style, which included witty asides that often sounded spontaneous. This well-conceived CD has 18 of her recordings from 1947 and one apiece from 1949-1951. Highlights include "Hurry on Down," "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," "He's a Real Gone Guy," "Chi-Chi-Chi Chicago," "The Song Is Ended," "Fine Brown Frame," and two previously unissued numbers. With sympathetic and swinging backing from various guitarists (including Ulysses Livingstone and Irving Ashby), bassists, and drummers, the spotlight is on Nellie Lutcher throughout. This highly recommended disc is easily her definitive CD. ~Scott Yanow

The Best Of Nellie Lutcher

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Sonny Fortune - Last Night At Sweet Rhythm

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:25
Size: 140.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[ 6:19] 1. It Ain't What It Was
[10:07] 2. The Blues Are Green
[ 6:45] 3. Never Again In Such A Long Time
[ 9:53] 4. In Waves Of Dreams
[ 7:29] 5. A Tribute To Holiday
[14:08] 6. The Joneses
[ 6:41] 7. Laying It Down

Sonny Fortune: alto and soprano saxophone, flute; Michael Cochrane: piano; David Williams: bass; Steve Johns: drums.

In January, 2010, Fortune released Last Night At Sweet Rhythm. Sadly, the title also signifies the end of this venerable Greenwich Village jazz club, originally incarnated as Sweet Basil back in the '80s. Fortune chose this final opportunity to record eight original compositions at one of his favorite performance venues.

On the opening "It Ain't What It Was," Fortune explodes on alto sax like a sprinter at the firing of the starter's pistol. But unlike sprinters, Fortune has both the juice and a rhythm section to push him into going the distance on this up-tempo burner. Fortune displays his compositional versatility on "Never Again Is Such A Long Time," an introspective, medium tempo ballad. Fortune, long recognized as a master of the flute, explores sensitive and vulnerable emotional territory, his compelling sound seemingly imploring his lover, "Don't leave!"

The band stretches out on "The Blues Are Green," as Fortune opens with a restrained statement of the melody on alto, before ascending on a relentless exploration of manic intensity. In support, pianist Michael Cochrane employs a McCoy Tyner-esque touch on the ivories, while David Williams' embraceable bass supplies the aural warmth that only flesh on string can yield. On "The Joneses," Fortune's unaccompanied flute establishes a Zen-like tranquility. Drummer Steve Johns' somber yet determined playing enhances Fortune's Eastern mood before a solo of his own takes the song—and the rest of the band—into a torrid blues. Fortune, again on alto, gets off a gritty, emotionally wrenching solo, before the song seamlessly concludes with Zen simplicity, just gentle flute and potent bass drum.

The Sonny Fortune Quartet's inspired performance not only reveals a multi-talented artist still at the top of his game more than four decades after his recording debut, but also bids an appropriate adieu to a night club that will be sorely missed on the New York jazz scene. ~Chuck Koton

Last Night At Sweet Rhythm

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Bill Charlap Trio - Written In The Stars

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:48
Size: 160,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:25)  1. In The Still Of The Night
(6:44)  2. Dream
(5:26)  3. The Man That Got Away
(6:23)  4. Blue Skies
(8:19)  5. Where Have You Been?
(6:33)  6. Where Or When
(3:59)  7. On A Slow Boat To China
(9:38)  8. One For My Baby
(3:11)  9. I'll Never Go There Anymore
(5:29) 10. Lorelei
(6:36) 11. It Was Written In The Stars

Able to paint with a rich and melodic pallet, while possessing a natural and bell-like tone, pianist Bill Charlap is a musician who is actively looking for new ways to express himself and compliment any musical situation. His sophisticated harmonic knowledge and sense of drama make him one of the most stimulating pianists around. It should come as no surprise that Charlap would pursue a career in music; his parents are the late Broadway composer Moose Charlap and vocalist Sandy Stewart. At the age of three, Bill began his piano studies, his formal musical education including graduation from New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Over the past several years, Charlap has gained valuable experience through work with Gerry Mulligan, Benny Carter, Louis Bellson, Shelia Jordan, and Tony Bennett, among many others. He has been a key member of the Phil Woods Quintet since 1995, the year he also began to record as a leader for the Criss Cross label. 

Over the course of Charlap’s three Criss Cross dates one could sense the development of a truly exceptional artist and to say that these records, especially the inspirational Distant Star, are among the state-of-the-art when it comes to piano trio jazz is simply indulging in understatement. His first major label set, Written In the Stars, doesn’t quite scale the heights of Charlap’s Criss Cross sides but it comes pretty darn close. Musically there’s much to get excited about. Tin Pan Alley standards make up the program as usual, but it’s the interpretations that put things over the top. For example, “Blue Skies” is voiced by the bass and piano, its melody displaced and reshaped in angular phrases. 

“Where Or When” becomes a very attractive waltz and “One For My Baby” takes on a reflective calm like no other previous version ever has. Don’t expect moments of technical flash from Charlap. He has nothing to prove and he’s more interested in milking everything he can from the melody and timbre of the moment. Of course, he can hard bop as intensely as the rest of them (a point he has proven via his sideman appearances on Criss Cross), but chooses to be more thoughtful in his own trio work. If there were one bone to pick with this album it would have to be concerning the engineering. The bass is simply too high up in the mix and the drums come across as sterile, with no room ambiance or reverberation to add to the overall sound (just listen to Kenny Washington on just about anything else he’s ever recorded to get a truer picture of his sound). It’s a small point of contention, however, with what is overall a very winning release. ~ C.Andrew Hovan http://www.allaboutjazz.com/written-in-the-stars-bill-charlap-blue-note-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Bill Charlap (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)

Written In The Stars

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Teddy Wilson - Gentleman Of Keyboard (1934-1957)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:07
Size: 170,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Somebody Loves Me
(2:57)  2. I'm Painting The Town Red
(3:11)  3. All My Life
(3:02)  4. Why Do I Lie To Myself About You?
(3:05)  5. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:51)  6. Sailin'
(2:39)  7. I'Ve Found A New Baby
(6:48)  8. Just A Mood
(3:07)  9. If Dreams Come True
(5:09) 10. I Got Rhythm
(3:06) 11. Jumpin' For Joy
(2:53) 12. Wham (Re-Bop-Boom-Bam)
(2:24) 13. Liza
(3:02) 14. 71
(2:39) 15. China Boy
(3:02) 16. Indiana
(3:15) 17. I Want To Be Happy
(2:20) 18. Rose Room
(2:49) 19. Just Like A Butterfly
(1:40) 20. Fine And Dandy
(2:57) 21. Under A Blanket Of Blue
(3:19) 22. Sweet Lorraine
(3:46) 23. Airmail Special

Gentleman of Keyboard, a Giants of Jazz compilation released in 1998, is a jumbled assemblage of great jazz recordings made between May 1934 and July 1957 by pianist and bandleader Teddy Wilson (1912-1986). The list of collective personnel on this one disc is staggering, as Wilson consistently worked with innovators and individualists who decisively shaped the evolution of jazz over the years. Among literally dozens of noteworthy participants are vocalists Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald as well as tenor saxophonists Ben Webster and Lester Young. Wilson is also heard in his famous role as a member of the Benny Goodman Quartet and Sextet. Though it would take quite a number of Wilson collections to accurately demonstrate the magnitude of his contribution to the history of jazz, Gentleman of Keyboard is a good place to begin. 

~ arwul arwulf  http://www.allmusic.com/album/gentleman-of-keyboard-1934-1957-mw0000935485

Gentleman Of Keyboard (1934-1957)

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Bette Midler - A Gift Of Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:28
Size: 173,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. Favorite Waste Of Time
(4:12)  2. In This Life
(4:07)  3. The Gift Of Love
(4:13)  4. Bed Of Roses
(4:38)  5. From A Distance
(4:54)  6. Wind Beneath My Wings
(3:15)  7. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:34)  8. The Rose
(5:11)  9. As Dreams Go By
(4:42) 10. It's Too Late
(4:09) 11. All I Need To Know
(3:49) 12. Every Road Leads Back To You
(4:48) 13. Shining Star
(5:15) 14. To Deserve You
(5:31) 15. Night And Day
(3:01) 16. (Talk To Me Of) Mendocino
(3:36) 17. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game
(3:40) 18. Let Me Just Follow Behind

2008's Rhino-issued Jackpot: The Best Bette was the Grammy-winning vocalist and Emmy-winning actress' first career-spanning compilation since 1993, and it served as an excellent window into her often eclectic career, touching on nearly all of her stylistic forays. 2015's Gift of Love is a more myopic take on the greatest-hits package, offering up an amorous 18-track set devoted entirely to Midler's love for balladry. As the humble love song has served as the legendary diva's bread and butter since the '70s, it should hardly come as a surprise that Gift of Love is well stocked with hits. Any proper Midler collection would be incomplete without the holy trinity of last-call karaoke balladry that is "The Rose," "Wind Beneath My Wings," and "From a Distance," and Gift of Love doesn't disappoint, delivering those modern standards early on in the proceedings. 

It also serves up some less ubiquitous gems, like her spirited 1983 cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "My Favorite Waste of Time" and her sultry, jazzy rendering of the Marvelettes' Smoky Robinson-penned "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." For the most part, Gift of Love sticks with the benchmarks, with the aforementioned triple threat, "Every Road Leads Back to You" (from For the Boys), and 1995's "It's Too Late" and "As Dreams Go By," the latter two of which appeared on the platinum-selling Bette of Roses leading the charge. Fans looking for a more diversified retrospective should probably check out Jackpot (also a Rhino release), but as the perfect soundtrack for a campy romantic evening or a boozy post-breakup meltdown, one would be hard-pressed to find anything better. ~ James Christopher Monger  http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-gift-of-love-mw0002896730

A Gift Of Love 

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