Lils Mackintosh - About Crazy

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:08
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. The Way We Were
(4:08)  2. 5-10
(4:30)  3. I've Seen That Face Before
(2:58)  4. Pack Your Memories and Go
(3:11)  5. I Feel Good
(2:55)  6. Some of These Days
(3:39)  7. Stormy Weather
(2:42)  8. About Crazy
(3:29)  9. Ain't No Sunshine
(4:53) 10. You Know I Would
(4:56) 11. This Masquerade
(2:50) 12. Crazy
(4:00) 13. Too Darn Hot
(2:06) 14. Sway

Mackintosh is a Dutch singer, composer, actress and writer, born in Amsterdam, and the daughter of Surinamese singer Max Woiski, Jr. and granddaughter of musician Max Woiski, Sr. At seventeen she was talent scouted by the Dutch actor Jack Monkau and traded a formal education for a career in music. Being the daughter of two parents in the music industry, a career along that road seemed a natural step to take. Mackintosh became a professional singer with the acceptance of a role in the musical Hair. Next she played key roles in the Dutch rock opera Ik, Jan Cremer and the high-profile musical Barnum. Mackintosh then decided to become more experienced as a lead singer and played in different rock and hard rock bands. She also toured on a regular basis. One of the highlights was an extended tour in Sudan, Kuwait and Egypt. This was also the period in her career where she had the honor to perform with jazz legends like Oscar Peterson and B.B. King. In 1977, Mackintosh released her first jazz single, a cover version of the Rodgers and Hart classic "My Funny Valentine". Winning the 1990 'Vocalistenprijs' at the Dutch Jazzconcours in Breda led to a significant career change. Mackintosh then decided to specialize in jazz music. She started to perform extensively in Europe and the United States and was a regular performer at the legendary North Sea Jazz Festival.

In 1993 she released her debut album, It's not perfect to be easy. She received recognition for this album with the nomination for an Edison Jazz Award. Two more albums were released in this period: This is the strangest life I've ever known is released in 1994, followed by Seasons, in 1997. Being an artist with the desire to develop and transform, Mackintosh took a different take on her career when she formed the 'Lils Mackintosh & The Swing Cats' band in 1998. This period also marked the return to the theatre, with the Jazznight theatre tour, together with the Beets Brothers, the Stylus Horns and the Rosenberg Trio. Her fourth studio album, Black girl, produced by the renowned saxophone player Hans Dulfer, is a tribute to the American blues singer and guitar player Huddie Ledbetter. The album was released in 1999 and made a big impression in the jazz scene. This, in turn, led to Mackintosh's first Edison Jazz Award. Published on multi-channel SACD in 2002, Mackintosh's first live endeavor was a recording session at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, in front of a live audience. The album, named 'In the wee small hours of the morning' was well received by both critics and audiophiles. 

That same year the Beets Brothers released the first-ever Dutch jazz DVD, featuring Mackintosh and Hans Dulfer. A close collaboration with saxophone player Wouter Kiers led to the release of the concept album Comes love in 2005. All of the songs deal with different aspects of love and relationships. After a period of extensive touring in Europe, Mackintosh released the album About crazy. This 2008 album is an intimate portrait of an artist who has seen significant ups and downs in her personal life. Mackintosh also used the classic Hammond organ to create a distinctive moody and melancholic sound. The album coincidentally marked the start of her long term collaboration with the Dutch saxophone player Clous van Mechelen. The release of the 2010 album A fine romance is an audiophile's delight. This was actually a remastering of Mackintosh's debut album. In this version, extra care was taken in finding the right balance between voice and band, and achieving the highest possible sound quality. The album is a classic demo disc for the demonstration of high-end audio systems. Mackintosh learned most of her craft by doing many performances, and has always had the desire to share her knowledge, experience and mostly her passion for singing. 

In 1995 Mackintosh started giving masterclasses and workshops, at jazz festivals and in theatres. In these master classes Mackintosh used her experience to help aspiring singers further develop their voices, to use the stage to their advantage, and above all, to emote. Nowadays, Mackintosh does a monthly masterclass in Amsterdam...More..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lils_Mackintosh

Personnel:  Lils Mackintosh – vocals;  Rob Mostert- hammond organ;  Clous van Mechelen – tenor;  Chris Strik - drums

About Crazy

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Benny Golson - Groovin' With Golson

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1992

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 34:13

Size: 79,5 MB

Art: Front

(9:29)  1. My Blues House

(4:02)  2. Drum Boogie

(5:26)  3. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

(9:21)  4. The Stroller

(5:54)  5. Yesterdays

This is one of at least four recordings that matched up tenor saxophonist Benny Golson and trombonist Curtis Fuller prior to the formation of the Jazztet; ironically, Fuller only stuck around for one Jazztet record before departing. Reissued on CD, the LP-length program has two lesser-known Golson compositions along with "Drum Boogie," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and "Yesterdays." Three of the tunes are blues, and the two ballads are taken at a medium-tempo pace. With pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey forming a solid rhythm section, the hard bop music does indeed groove in its own fashion.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/groovin-with-golson-mw0000093023

Personnel: Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Ray Bryant (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Art Blakey (drums).

Groovin' With Golson

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Sonny Stitt - New York Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 2005

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 46:08

Size: 106,3 MB

Art: Front

(2:43)  1. Norman's Blues

(4:30)  2. I Know That You Know

(6:19)  3. If I Had You

(4:54)  4. Alone Together

(3:34)  5. Twelfth Street Rag

(5:13)  6. Down Home Blues

(5:32)  7. Sonny's Tune

(4:11)  8. Stars Fell On Alabama

(4:31)  9. Body And Soul

(4:37) 10. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

"Genius" is a misunderstood, overused term. In music there have been only a few geniuses visionaries who have tapped into the original, vital stream that we might consider musical consciousness and changed it Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Armstrong, Parker, Coltrane. Sonny Stitt was not one of the geniuses, nor one of the innovators. Rather, he took the complex language of Charlie Parker and created a syntax and rhetoric that the rest of us could understand and even employ. The 2003 reissue of New York Jazz (Verve, 1956), one of an estimated 150 sessions recorded under the saxophonist's name, appears to have passed beneath the radar screen of many who follow this music, but it's simply consummate saxophone playing by a musician driven by a need for completeness and perfection.

One of the big myths among even those players who respect Stitt's playing is that his so-called "commercial" recordings the early Roosts and Verves on which he turns in five or six flawless gems on each side of the record can be overlooked in favor of his earlier pairings with Gillespie and Rollins, or his later virtuosic work on Muse and Cobblestone. On the contrary, it's on these miniature performances where Sonny's brilliance is especially apparent. Allowing himself no more than a couple of choruses, he still manages to construct logically complete, emotionally satisfying solos with a beginning, middle and end, time and time again. Just listen to what he does with "Alone Together" first on tenor, then switching horns and taking the tune out with another textbook solo on alto. This studio reissue is also especially welcome because it finds Stitt in the company of an ideal rhythm section. Jo Jones was the prototypical straight-ahead swinging drummer during his Basie tenure; Jimmy Jones was always the self-effacing accompanist for Sarah Vaughan; and Ray Brown could be whatever the occasion demanded. All three merely lay down a harmonic/rhythmic track and stay out of Sonny's way as it should be.~Samuel Chell http://www.allaboutjazz.com/new-york-jazz-sonny-stitt-verve-music-group-review-by-samuel-chell.php

Personnel: Sonny Stitt: alto and tenor saxophones;  Jimmy Jones: piano;  Jo Jones: drums;  Ray Brown: bass.

New York Jazz                

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