Rebecca Kilgore & Hal Smith's Rhythm Makers - Sings The Music Of Fats Waller

Size: 151,8 MB
Time: 64:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999/2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. How Jazz Was Born (3:53)
02. If It Ain't Love (4:46)
03. What's Your Name (2:48)
04. I Hate To Leave You Now (4:43)
05. Concentratin' (On You) (2:39)
06. Gone (3:35)
07. Old Yazoo (2:48)
08. How Can I (With You In My Heart) (3:04)
09. I'm More Than Satisfied (3:31)
10. My Heart's At Ease (2:21)
11. It's You (3:19)
12. Honey Hush (4:29)
13. What Will I Do In The Morning (3:29)
14. When Gabriel Blows His Horn (3:44)
15. Sittin' Up, Waitin' For You (3:37)
16. Gotta Be, Gotta Be Mine (3:17)
17. Dixie Cinderella (3:48)
18. That Rhythm Man (4:36)

Out of the West Coast traditional jazz (often erroneously referred to as Dixieland) mold of Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, and the Firehouse Five Plus Two comes the Hal Smith Rhythmakers with guest, the undervalued but very talented singer Rebecca Kilgore. She also works a little on guitar. The regular Rhythmakers have also been expanded with the addition of three young musicians, to wit, trumpet player Marc Caparone, bass player Clint Baker, and pianist Chris Dawson. Together they have fashioned an album of Fats Waller melodies ranging from the infectious swinging material he was famous for as well as some very pretty melodies, most, but not all, penned with Andy Razaf. The album is by no means limited to oft-played Waller tunes. To their credit, Smith and Kilgore saw fit not to include "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Honeysuckle Rose" on the program. Instead, there is more than a smattering of Waller tunes that get a lot less play than these two warhorses. The very pretty "Gone" and the slow drag "How Can I, With You in My Heart" are just a few of the many gems that have been unearthed. There's plenty of hot jazz, too, to get the toe tapping. "I'm More Than Satisfied" features Caparone's burning muted trumpet and "It's You" once more with Caparone's trumpet on top along with stride piano by Dawson and strong bass by Baker. The New Orleans-like clarinet of Bobby Gordon, rarely stirring from the middle register, adds to the authenticity of this session's traditional style, especially with his solo on "I Hate to Leave You Now." There's a risk with issuing an album of traditional jazz in that it can get humdrum after a while. That trap is avoided with the presence of Rebecca Kilgore who has shown time and time again that no matter what she sings, she brings it to life. Moreover, Kilgore is quite familiar with this style of playing having recorded music in a similar vein with Dan Barrett and Dave Frishberg. A balanced play list performed by enthusiastic and talented musicians at home with Waller tunes pushes this album into the recommended category. ~by Dave Nathan

Sings The Music Of Fats Waller  

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Francisco Mela - Fe

Size: 120,7 MB
Time: 51:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ancestros (4:12)
02. Mr. Alden (5:47)
03. Don Mccoy (6:23)
04. Fe (3:57)
05. Romeo Y Julieta (5:04)
06. Reflections (4:43)
07. Curcuros (3:24)
08. Lovano's Mood (4:02)
09. Just Now (6:43)
10. Open Dance (7:38)

Cuban drummer, percussionist, and bandleader, Francisco Mela (Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner), is releasing his upcoming album entitled, FE.

The album is the fourth release for Francisco Mela, and features The Crash Trio, comprising Mela (drums), Gerald Cannon (bass) and Leo Genovese (piano) with special guest, renowned guitarist John Scofield. Mela assembled the trio to celebrate the life’s work of one of his mentors, legendary pianist, and composer, McCoy Tyner. The members of the group share an enduring friendship and have frequently collaborated over the years through a variety of different creative endeavors. The group has a signature sound, and international influences can be heard throughout their playing as the musicians’ nationalities include the United States, Argentina, and Cuba.

Mela states: “While recording this project, I was able to express some of my emotions with very special musicians who have played a major part in my development and musical growth. With them, I share a musical and spiritual friendship. We have a commitment based on trust and good faith; we simply want the best for one another. For this I am thankful.” This album is of particular significance to Mela, as he is releasing it shortly after the passing of his mother last year. He writes: “This album is dedicated to the memory of my parents, and I have faith that someday I will see them again.”

Fe

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Nicki Parrott, Rossano Sportiello, Eddie Metz - Strictly Confidential

Size: 165,6 MB
Time: 71:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Piano Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Strictly Confidential (5:55)
02. Sunset And The Mockingbird (5:25)
03. John Hardy's Wife (4:23)
04. What A Difference A Day Made (4:12)
05. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (4:13)
06. Misty (5:29)
07. A Brush With Bunji (3:49)
08. She (5:32)
09. Shoe Shine Boy (5:33)
10. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (6:01)
11. Pure Imagination (5:10)
12. Sunny Morning (2:33)
13. Close To You (3:19)
14. Shiny Stockings (4:52)
15. How Beautiful Is Night (5:26)

Personnel:
Rossano Sportiello - Piano
Nicki Parrott - Bass and vocals
Eddie Metz - Drums

Here's a piano trio of vet jazzbos that can play the kind of mannered cocktail jazz hotels demand in their sleep, but they wink at each other and slip in loads of swing when nobody is looking. Tasty stuff from a crew of unmistakable pros that love their work and have proven their mettle over and over again behind A listers than enlisted them, the set card has a few familiar tent poles in it but for the most part, they've done their homework to make sure the program is interesting and populated with goodies that shouldn't be forgotten from several different eras. State of the art piano trio work throughout. Reviewed by Chris Spector --Midwest Record

Strictly Confidential

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Andrea Carlson - Love Can Be So Nice

Size: 129,9 MB
Time: 56:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Nice Work If You Can Get It (3:09)
02. No Moon At All (3:35)
03. Cryin' (3:17)
04. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amour (4:19)
05. Love Can Be So Nice (4:19)
06. Lullaby Of The Leaves (5:23)
07. J'attendrai (3:35)
08. La Vie En Rose (3:52)
09. I'm Confessin' (3:57)
10. So Nice - Samba De Verao (3:50)
11. I Won't Dance (4:05)
12. How Long Has This Been Going On (4:04)
13. Avant Que L'amour Nous Prenne (4:42)
14. Let Me Cook For You (4:00)

How does a girl from Tennessee (in red saddle shoes!) grow up to create captivating songs in French and English, with fresh elements of 1920s jazz, gypsy swing, and bossa nova? Andrea Carlson's new CD "Love Can Be So Nice" is all of that, perfectly prepared with the help of an array of leading musicians from Philadelphia, Buenos Aires, Chicago, and Paris.
Andrea is a classically-trained guitarist and versatile jazz vocalist. Her new album glows with passion and sizzles with free spirited joy, echoing her personal adventures in Europe and the USA, and her musical explorations of American standards, French chanson, and Brazilian samba.
As with her previous all-original release "Drivin' Myself Wild For You", the sessions were recorded and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Glenn Barratt, and the CD is wrapped in Andrea's own delightfully expressive artwork.

Love Can Be So Nice

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John Klopotowski - Project 59

Size: 135,0 MB
Time: 58:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Bebop
Art: Front

01. Subconscious Lee (4:42)
02. The Scale Song (4:24)
03. Breaking the Ice (5:19)
04. Wes' Tune (5:02)
05. Child's Play (7:02)
06. Street of Dreams (6:15)
07. Loco 47 (5:00)
08. You'd Be so Nice to Come Home To (5:33)
09. Passata On Guitar You're Welcome To A Prayer (8:59)
10. Defragment Now (5:45)

"Project 59" is my first recording as a leader and was done in August 2015 at Tedesco Studio in Paramus, NJ. I reunited with my old friend pianist Rave Tesar for the project, and the CD features Rave’s Trio with Kermit Driscoll on bass and Bill Tesar on drums as the rhythm section. We are also joined by another longtime close friend, Bob Keller on tenor saxophone.

The music consists of a typical jazz guitar recital or concert that I would perform if the opportunity were present. As this is my first recording as a leader, I drew on material related to key influences over my time as a student and player of jazz.

Project 59 has meant a great deal to me and has represented the opportunity to celebrate friendship, family, love, great art, excellence, hard work, and acceptance of ‘what is’! We offer our music to listeners with best wishes. Please enjoy!

Project 59

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Ilse Huizinga - Here's To Maya Angelou

Size: 104,3 MB
Time: 44:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. A Caged Bird Sings (4:33)
02. Equality And I Will Be Free (3:01)
03. Turned To Blue (2:54)
04. The Old Ones (3:49)
05. Song For Willie (3:34)
06. Gamut (3:14)
07. Call Letters (3:58)
08. Work (4:46)
09. Poor Girl, Just Like Me (4:50)
10. Adhering (3:37)
11. The Human Family (3:20)
12. A Phenomenal Woman (2:45)

The Amsterdam jazz singer Ilse Huizinga has made six albums up to now. Here's to You Maya Angelou is her latest pitch, an album with new compositions for which composer and pianist Erik van der Luijt wrote the music, while the artist browsed through the oeuvre of the American author and poet Maya Angelou (deceased in 2014). In The Jazz Singer, the Ultimate Guide by Scott Yanow, Ilse Huizinga is rated among the 500 best international jazz vocalists, and that is reason enough to listen to her latest album.

The songs on Here's to You are performed on piano, double bass and drums. Consequently, the material sounds very different than what we can expect in a smoky jazz cafe, where blaring trumpets and saxophones often deter interested listeners. Ilse Huizinga opts for simplicity, and as a result her warm and sexy voice gets a lot of space. She studied Public Administration at the University of Amsterdam and later at the Amsterdam Conservatory, which has guaranteed her a wide range of vocal possibilities, amply illustrated on this album.

The lyrics that Ilse Huizinga has selected from the work of Maya Angelou deal with racism, identity, travel and love. The atmosphere, tone and strength of the poems struck me deeply, the singer says in the liner notes, Maya Angelou found the words that we often seek to express love, loss, hope and confidence. Erik van der Luijt is the perfect translator of those feelings, resulting in a versatile and often cheerful piano sound, sometimes dreamy and subdued, other times explicit and pronounced, with quiet and then rumbling drums in the background and a silky double bass as in the beautiful and understated peace ballad A Caged Bird Sings. Equality and I Will be Free refers to Angelou’s political commitment that inspired many people. Huizinga hops at a reasonable rate through the lyrics, backed by a sparkling piano and panting percussion: a testimony and an indictment at the same time. Turned to Blue gets a dreamy and peaceful pace with Ilse Huizinga's understated vocals against a backdrop of warm double bass sounds. A deep and throbbing bass introduces the first notes of The Old Ones, a fragile composition in which Huizinga can steam ahead, supported by versatile percussion and an appealing piano.

The drums take the lead in Song of Willie. The piano rises and falls, and Ilse Huizinga spreads beautiful vocals over it, while Gamut is quieter again, with a relaxed jazz voice, a gentle rippling piano and minimal percussion: an attractive love song that grows into a beautiful ballad. Call Letters is again more upbeat with a singing piano, pretty much spoken vocals, but also beautiful inflections in the melody. Halfway through, Work gets a strong melody. It's an up-tempo ballad that settles in your ear during the first listen. In Poor Girl, Just Like Me, Ilse Huizinga pulls out all the stops to color the melody, subdued and dreamy, backed by gorgeous and versatile piano music by Erik van der Luijten. Adhering would fit on a Billy Holliday album, a melancholy jazz ballad with varied piano, rumbling percussion and gentle vocals. The Human Family attracts our attention with a nice rhythm, and closing song A Phenomenal Woman is an attractive and sunny ballad with the quality of a singer-songwriter’s composition.

If you do not like jazz and jazz-related music, then we may not be able to convince you with this album, but fans and interested music lovers will surely be interested in these 12 compositions. ~William Lienard

Here's To Maya Angelou

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Jimmy Smith - Fourmost

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Hard bop
Year: 1991/2006
Art: Front

[ 6:43] 1. Midnight Special
[ 6:41] 2. Main Stem
[ 8:12] 3. Summertime
[ 6:19] 4. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[10:10] 5. Soulful Brothers
[ 5:46] 6. My Funny Valentine
[10:50] 7. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Recorded Live at Fat Tuesday's, New York City, November 16-17, 1990.

FOURMOST captures the collaborative efforts of drummer Grady Tate, tenor saxman Stanley Turrentine, long-time Smith guitarist Kenny Burrell and the master organist himself, as they groove through a sizzling live set. Recorded in 1990 at Fat Tuesday's in New York City, the show overflows with the kind of evocative, free-flowing yet tightly disciplined artistry one has come to expect from Smith. The soul that drips off tracks like "Midnight Special" and Burrell's own "Soulful Brothers," as filtered through Smith's mind-bending hand/foot work at the Hammond, Turrentine's pure, personal tone, and Burrell's swinging melodic lines, is enough to make a convert of just about anyone.

Even tired standards such as "Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine," as well as the two Ellington treatments ("Main Stem" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be"), are resuscitated with new tempos, moods, and above all, blazing leads all around. The record's highlight may be "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars," a textured bossa nova jam that has Smith shouting "Oh, my God!" by the tune's end. With playing like this, there's a good chance listeners will be echoing Smith's sentiments.

Fourmost

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Tara O'Grady - A Celt In The Cotton Club

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:49
Size: 111.8 MB
Styles: Swing, Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. On Feeling Blue
[2:41] 2. You Won't Get Me There Tonight
[4:12] 3. Black Is The Color
[3:21] 4. In Belfast Tonight
[3:22] 5. Go Lassie Go
[4:12] 6. To Be Missing The Sun
[2:53] 7. Love Me Lovely Lashes
[4:17] 8. That's What The Miners Would Say
[3:31] 9. Where's My Valentine
[4:31] 10. La Dee Da
[4:56] 11. Gardenia Girl
[5:33] 12. Too Ra Loo Ra
[0:39] 13. (Hidden Track)

Awarded Irish Voice’s Most Influential Woman 2010 presented by Ireland's Prime Minister, the singer-songwriter has four CD releases, Black Irish (2010), Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (2011), A Celt in the Cotton Club (2013), and Irish Bayou (2015) and has performed at festivals from Butte, Montana to Austin, Texas's famous South By Southwest-SXSW.

"This torchy chanteuse leads one of the most badass old-time swing bands you'll ever hear. One thing that distinguishes her from the legions of come-hither, moldy fig front women is that O'Grady writes her own songs - when she's at the top of her game, which she generally seems to be, they sound like classics from the 1930s. She brings Bessie Smith into this century with lickety-split swing." ~ New York Music Daily

A Celt In The Cotton Club

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Booker Little & Booker Ervin - Sounds Of The Inner City

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:52
Size: 66,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:20)  1. Scoochie
(4:46)  2. Cycles
(3:41)  3. Stardust
(6:52)  4. The Confined Few
(3:39)  5. Blues De Tambour
(4:32)  6. Witch Fire

Two masters of hard bop, trumpeter Booker Little and tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, square off on this 1960 session reissued by Collectables as Sounds of the Inner City. This date has been released under various titles over the years since its original inception as Teddy Charles' New Directions Quartet Featuring Booker Little and Booker Ervin. Most of the material is straight-ahead bop under the leadership of vibraphonist Teddy Charles with Mal Waldron on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Ed Shaunesssy on drums. This is a noteworthy reissue considering that there are so few instances of Little's lyrical trumpet style and Ervin's passionate tenor recorded together. Original compositions include Ervin's "Scoochie," Little's "The Confined Few" and "Witch Fire," Shaunessy's "Blues de Tambour," pianist Ahmad Jamal's "Cycles," plus the standard "Stardust" (receiving an especially melancholy treatment.) The only complaint is the lack of liner notes, which excludes information on personnel and session history.~Al Campbell http://www.allmusic.com/album/sounds-of-the-inner-city-mw0000052199

Personnel: Booker Little (trumpet); Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone).

Sounds Of The Inner City

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Toots Thielemans - The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:24
Size: 98,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. You Are My Sunshine
(5:24)  2. Nuages
(4:37)  3. Five O'Clock Whistle
(4:59)  4. Soul
(4:23)  5. Lonesome Road
(2:59)  6. Misty
(6:34)  7. Confirmation
(4:55)  8. Les Enfants S'ennuient Le Dimanche
(2:12)  9. Brother John

This somewhat obscure date by the great jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans also features the leader playing some fine guitar (most notably on "Lonesome Road") and taking one of his first whistling solos on "Brother John." With pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tom Bryant and drummer Oliver Jackson completing the quartet, Thielemans is in excellent form introducing two of his originals and jamming such tunes as "You Are My Sunshine," "Nuages" and "Confirmation." 

The music on this enjoyable 1986 Doctor Jazz reissue LP of a Signature session is currently out of print.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-soul-of-toots-thielemans-mw0000197284

Personnel: Toots Thielemans (harmonica, electric guitar & whistling); Ray Bryant (piano);  Tom Bryant (bass);  Oliver Jackson (drums).

The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

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Tubby Hayes - Tubby's Groove

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1960

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 40:05

Size: 91,8 MB

Art: Front

(9:29)  1. Tin Tin Deo

(5:11)  2. Embers

(5:48)  3. Like Some One In Love

(6:06)  4. Surrey With The Fringe On Top

(7:41)  5. Sunny Monday

(5:47)  6. Blue Hayes

One of England's top jazz musicians of the 1950s and '60s, Tubby Hayes was a fine hard bop stylist on tenor and occasionally vibes and flute. A professional at 15, Hayes played with Kenny Baker and in the big bands of Ambrose, Vic Lewis, and Jack Parnell during 1951-1955. He led his own group after that, and started doubling on vibes in 1956. Hayes co-led the Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott (1957-1959), and appeared in the U.S. a few times during 1961-1965. He headed his own big band in London, sat in with Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1964, and was featured at many European festivals. Heart trouble forced him out of action during 1969-1971, and caused his premature death. Tubby Hayes led sessions for Tempo (1955-1959), London, Jazzland (1959), Fontana, Epic (a 1961 date with Clark Terry and Horace Parlan), Smash (a 1962 album which matched him with James Moody and Roland Kirk), 77, Spotlite, and Mole.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tubby-hayes-mn0000842398/biography

Personnel :  Tubby Hayes (tenor sax);  Terry Shannon (piano);  Jeff Clyne (bass);  Phil Seamen (drums)

Tubby's Groove

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