Kirk Whalum - Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:04
Size: 135.2 MB
Styles: Crossover jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Giving Up
[6:00] 2. Someday We'll All Be Free
[5:07] 3. We're Still Friends
[3:52] 4. Love, Love, Love
[6:11] 5. A Song For You
[3:56] 6. Valdez In The Country
[4:39] 7. Je Vous Aime (I Love You)
[5:08] 8. You Had To Know
[7:28] 9. Tryin' Times
[5:51] 10. We Need You Right Now
[5:35] 11. Voices Inside

Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway is Kirk Whalum's second album in 2010. In March, he released The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III, his first recording in two years, with a star-studded lineup. Everything Is Everything, produced by veteran Matt Pierson, features 11 tunes closely associated with the late singer, songwriter, and pianist. Hathaway recorded ten of these himself; the other he wrote for Blood Stone. Whalum is joined by a stellar cast which includes John Stoddart on Fender Rhodes, Shedrick Mitchell on organ, guitarists Jef Lee Johnson and Larry Campbell, bassist Christian McBride, percussionist Bashiri Johnson, and drummer John Roberts. (Guest appearances by Rick Braun, Jeff Golub, and Robert Randolph round it out.) This is primarily an instrumental set, recorded in a polished but old-school, funky '70s soul-jazz style -- nearly CTI-like in its production approach, with some fine vocal performances sweetening the deal. Musiq Soulchild lends his mellifluous tenor to the slow-burning "We're Still Friends," and Hathaway's daughter Lalah graces the silky babymaker "You Had to Know." Whalum evokes his best Grover Washington, Jr. on the kick-off track "Giving Up," and the lyric influence of fellow Memphian David Fathead Newman is heard on "Someday We'll All Be Free," featuring a lovely, tastefully articulated string arrangement by Gil Goldstein. The recording of Leon Russell's "Song for You" is a real highlight here, as Whalum references Hathaway's vocal phrasing on his tenor. Goldstein's strings are up in the mix but aren't intrusive. "Valdez in the Country" digs deeper into Hathaway's original to bring the Latin polyrhythms to the fore, and Golub's guitar solo is a monster, adding grit to the interplay between the rhythm section and percussionists. "Je Vous Aime (I Love You)," one of two cuts here written by Hathaway with Leroy Hutson, features a female gospel chorus. Randolph's pedal steel on "Tryin' Times" adds some nasty to this funky number. "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)" closes it with Stoddart taking an incidental lead vocal backed by a chorus as Braun and Randolph round out the core band. Andy Snitzer's programming (this is the only cut it appears on) is minimal, making it suitable for the dancefloor and remixing. McBride's electric bass is the driving force, and the chorus is chilling in its emotional reach. Whether intended or not, Whalum's range of musical creativity on Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway, while keeping it grounded in the singer's oeuvre, makes this the album by which the saxophonist will be judged from here on out. Thom Jurek

Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway

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Hot Club De Norvège - Hot Shots

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:00
Size: 142.0 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz, Swing
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. Swing For Ninine
[4:26] 2. Dans Le Regard De Laura
[3:39] 3. Les Yeux Noirs
[7:07] 4. Den Ensomme Ulv
[4:01] 5. Ombre
[9:51] 6. Manoir De Mes Rêves
[5:02] 7. Nuits De Saint Germain Des Prés
[3:15] 8. Valse De Lacheben Mintch Valse
[3:40] 9. Salla
[3:41] 10. Moppin' The Bride
[5:12] 11. Cool Trane
[3:23] 12. In Memory Of Danny Gatton
[4:22] 13. Swing '42

Per Frydenlund, Jimmy Rosenberg, Jon Larsen (guitar, acoustic guitar); Romane, Babik Reinhardt (guitar); Finn Hauge (violin, harmonica).

Hot Club de Norvège is a string Jazz quartet from Norway, established in 1979, by guitar player Jon Larsen with childhood friends Per Frydenlund and Svein Aarbostad (b/poetry). They are influenced by the music of Hot Club de France, and the French gypsy guitar player Django Reinhardt they formed a quartet with violinist Ivar Brodahl (1928-2003), later replaced by Finn Hauge, that became part of the international renaissance of the gypsy jazz music in the 1980s.

Hot Shots

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Cannonball Adderley - Timeless

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:25

Size: 122.3 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz

Year: 2002

Art: Front

[ 6:03] 1. Bohemia After Dark

[ 6:19] 2. Willow Weep For Me

[ 5:40] 3. With Apologies To Oscar

[ 5:07] 4. A Little Taste

[ 4:19] 5. Chasm

[10:03] 6. Spontaneous Combustion

[ 7:00] 7. Caribbean Cutie

[ 8:50] 8. Still Talkin' To Ya

A CD release of Cannonball's earliest NYC studio work, it is a winner for every one of its 53 minutes. Fun, swinging bop from the summer of 1955 in good quality sound, this is Adderley fresh from Florida, making a big splash in Manhattan jazz clubs. A few years later he would contribute mightily to two collaborations with Miles Davis, the immortal "Kind of Blue" record for Columbia and the almost as good "Somethin' Else" under his own leadership for Blue Note with pretty much the same crew. These eight selections make it pretty clear how skilled this high school band instructor was on the saxophone. Seven of the eight numbers are Adderley originals. Accompaniment comes from some great people, including his brother Nat on cornet, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Horace Silver and Hank Jones on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. ~William E. Adams

Timeless

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Micha Schellhaas - Double Take

Size: 99,7 MB
Time: 42:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Blues, Jazz Rock
Art: Front

01. Velocity (5:10)
02. Ford F-150 (3:57)
03. Double Take (4:27)
04. Your Turn (4:19)
05. False Fork (5:54)
06. 5&6 (4:52)
07. Travel Song (3:45)
08. Texaleans (4:07)
09. Slow Blues For B.B (6:05)

Micha Schellhaas is a virtuoso guitarist from Germany, who is located in LA now. In 2013 Micha released his debut EP “Wings of Fire”, which was produced by famed guitarist Carl Verheyen (Supertramp).

This album was also produced (as the EP) by Carl Verheyen (Supertramp). It was mixed by Jorge Costa at RedCello Studios and mastered by Robert Hadley in LA. Micha has the well-known musicians Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa) on drums, Dave Marotta (Manhattan Transfer) on bass and Jim Cox (Mark Knopfler) on keys by his side. I guess none can complain about the performances, right? The musicianship is amazing indeed.

“Double Take” is an instrumental, jazz-rock, soft-jazz album with various blues-rock & experimental elements. The improvisations are part of the music too. On such albums the musicians have the freedom to “improvise” at will in order to achieve the desired result… and they did it here. Chad provides two guest solos on “Your Turn” & “Texaleans” and additional guitars/mandolin on “Travel Song” & “Texaleans”. Surely, “Double Take” will be appreciated by the fans of the genre and the musicians who are into this kind of music much more. Micha presents a very solid album in general.

Double Take

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René Marie - Sound Of Red

Size: 151,6 MB
Time: 65:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Sound Of Red ( 5:57)
02. If You Were Mine ( 6:28)
03. Go Home ( 5:45)
04. Lost (10:33)
05. Stronger Than You Think ( 4:30)
06. Certaldo ( 7:03)
07. Colorado River Song ( 4:45)
08. This Is (Not) A Protest Song ( 5:36)
09. Many Years Ago ( 4:46)
10. Joy Of Jazz ( 4:06)
11. Blessings ( 5:53)

René Marie, the “outrageous” (Wall Street Journal) vocalist has taken the recording process one giant step further with the release of her most personal album on May 13. As the follow-up to 2013’s Grammy award-nominated album I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt), ‘Sound of Red’ is her first album of all-original songs written and co-produced by the contemporary jazz chanteuse herself.

It’s been a “remarkable path to jazz” (NPR) for René. As a fearless force in the contemporary jazz world, René has never been afraid to look into the more challenging places of human experience where love and contentment give way to discord and struggle. ‘Sound of Red’ is a musical statement that according to René, “attempts to cover the spectrum of human emotion.” The album’s 11 songs – most of them autobiographical – provide glimpses of the many small but profound turning points that are a part of an individual’s life.

She explains, “I wanted to make a record that people could go back to again and again to excavate their emotions,” says René. “We cover things over every day. We have to in order to move through the day and move through our lives. We can’t always afford to be vulnerable to things like pain, loss, confusion, hurt and frustration. I want this record to provide some kind of architecture to provide support in those moments when our emotions are not necessarily happy ones.”

The album features two-thirds of her longstanding trio – bassist Elias Bailey and co-producer, drummer Quentin Baxter, both of whom have been a part of her backup crew for fifteen years, with newcomer pianist John Chin. René summoned special guests for final polishing, like saxophonist Sherman Irby who delivers a bold solo on its title track. Trumpeter Etienne Charles is another guest of honor who performed on and arranged the horn sections – Michael Dease on trombone and Diego Rivera on tenor saxophone – for “If You Were Mine,” and the endorphin-lifting tune “Joy of Jazz.” The rich and sensual “Certaldo,” dedicated to the Italian town of the same name, gets its sensibility from guest guitarist Romero Lubambo.

Compassion and despair fuel “This Is (Not) a Protest Song,” a song tackling the plight of homelessness that affected her family as a young girl. “We were homeless for a few months. It was an experience that you don’t forget after you’re through it,” said René. Her tumultuous past coupled with a wealth of perspective on life’s highs and lows inform these songs that dig deep into the hearts of a broad audience. “I wrote these songs to create a safe place for people to tune in to their emotions and perhaps deal with them in a way that they might not be able to do otherwise.”

Sound Of Red

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Jennifer Scott - Le Temps De L'Amour

Size: 117,9 MB
Time: 50:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Latin Jazz
Art: Front

01. La Vie En Rose '16 (2:57)
02. Oblivion (5:02)
03. Brindo (3:43)
04. Le Temps De L'amour (2:55)
05. Perfidia - La Mer (5:54)
06. Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour (4:17)
07. Besame Mucho (4:26)
08. Vuelvo Al Sur (4:22)
09. Corcovado (4:06)
10. La Nuit Est Sur La Ville (4:11)
11. Chega De Saudade (4:12)
12. Preparense (4:16)

Genre-defying, dulcet vocals spin and dip through French and Latin classics, producing gems that are elegant, playful, and passionate.

Jennifer Scott's debut album, Le temps de l'amour, reflects a musical archeology that began in years of classical piano, expanded into French and Spanish vocals, and culminated in a kaleidoscope of French and Latin music that evokes the unpretentious glamour of the 60’s. The soft, haunting melodies of Françoise Hardy and Astrud Gilberto receive new life in an album that shifts effortlessly from Paris and bossa nova to neo-tango and Cuban classics. Yet the cosmopolitan feel of the tracks sound just as wonderful in the park, at the beach or at home with friends. A jolt of champagne to kick off spring!

Le Temps De L'Amour

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Jane Ira Bloom - Early Americans

Size: 120,9 MB
Time: 51:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Modern Jazz
Art: Front

01. Song Patrol (2:54)
02. Dangerous Times (4:19)
03. Nearly (1:45)
04. Hips & Sticks (5:32)
05. Singing The Triangle (5:20)
06. Other Eyes (3:05)
07. Rhyme Or Rhythm (3:21)
08. Mind Gray River (5:24)
09. Cornets Of Paradise (3:29)
10. Say More (4:02)
11. Gateway To Progress (5:45)
12. Big Bill (4:16)
13. Somewhere (2:30)

Saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom is one of the few jazz players to concentrate solely on the soprano saxophone. In 35 years she has recorded sixteen albums as a leader, most often in a quartet with piano. This is her first trio album, in the company of longtime playing partners bassist Mark Helias and drummer Bobby Previte. Their high level of communication is evident on a tune like "Singing the Triangle," which features a recurring theme that is clearly stated by all three instruments in unison (with Previte using his toms melodically). Both the head and the band's approach recall the late Steve Lacy, another soprano saxophone specialist and experimentalist. The start-and-stop "Gateway to Progress" has a similar feel (it also demonstrates how hard this band can swing). Bloom definitely has her own sound, but Lacy is the closest comparison that comes to mind.

The aptly-named opener "Song Patrol" demonstrates just how tuneful Bloom's composing can be, a fact that may be obscured by the avant-garde tag she is sometimes saddled with. She has long had an interest in live electronics and sound design, which first appears here in the panning between the left and right stereo channels on "Dangerous Times." I believe this particular effect was achieved the old fashioned way, by simply moving the horn between the pair of stereo microphones—there is a photo in the CD liners showing her playing in the studio with tape on the floor to mark the mic placement. Bloom also employs some discreet electronic processing on her saxophone. It's especially noticeable on "Rhyme or Rhythm," which also features overdubbed hand drums and agogô bell from Previte, creating a denser group sound with a latin flavor.

"Other Eyes" goes the other way, paring things down to a gentle saxophone/bass duet. Bloom closes the album with a beautiful solo rendition of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere." The whole program is full of variety, beautiful and exploratory at the same time. The trio format works so well that it is surprising that Bloom hasn't used it before. I'd love to hear more from these three. ~Mark Sullivan

Personnel: Jane Ira Bloom: soprano saxophone; Mark Helias: bass; Bobby Previte: drums.

Early Americans

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Lauren White - Out Of The Past Jazz & Noir

Size: 99,9 MB
Time: 37:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. When All The Lights In The Sign Worked (4:20)
02. He's Funny That Way (4:17)
03. Again (3:39)
04. I'd Rather Have The Blues (4:15)
05. I'm Gonna Go Fishin' (3:29)
06. Amado Mio (4:28)
07. Laura - The Night We Called It A Day (5:05)
08. You Kill Me (3:22)
09. Haunted Heart (4:42)

Lauren White (vcl); Mitchel Forman (pno); Trey Henry (bs); Abe Lagrimas Jr. (dms); Andrew Carney (tpt); Andrew Synowiec (gtr); Hitomi (ten) + Lisa Liu String Quartet & Eclectic Plus One Brass Band.

Jazz vocalist Lauren White brings to life tunes featured in some of the most popular movies of the Film Noir era. With hip, contemporary arrangements, the CD is a sexy, fun, swinging, edgy project that will appeal to Film Noir buffs and to anyone who enjoys great songs sung with style and authority.

White is backed by an all-star band of top L.A. based musicians. With arrangements by Kathryn Bostic and produced by Mark Winkler, Out of the Past: Jazz & Noir is a superb undertaking that highlights the talents of a singer who has been flying under the radar for far too long.

Out Of The Past Jazz & Noir

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Jimmy Gourley - Our Delight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:52
Size: 141.6 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues guitar
Year: 1995/2006
Art: Front

[4:37] 1. Our Delight
[4:46] 2. Maybe You'll Be There
[6:01] 3. Here's To Alvy
[5:18] 4. I Wish I Had The Blues Again
[5:29] 5. North American Samba
[5:54] 6. I Never Told You
[6:12] 7. That Tired Routine Called Love
[4:52] 8. That Old Devil Called Love
[4:02] 9. Pepee's Dance
[5:43] 10. Pass It On
[5:14] 11. This Is New
[3:39] 12. By Myself

A bebopping guitarist with a solid enough rhythmic edge for R&B, Jimmy Gourley came from a family background that more than just leaned toward conservatory training. Gourley's father actually founded the Monarch Conservatory of Music itself, located in Hammond, IN. Gourley was still popping pimples when he began bumping up against would-be boppers: one of the guitarist's high-school mates was none other than Lee Konitz, a wizard on the alto saxophone but at that point toting a tenor to high-school band class.

Heading south, Gourley went on his first tours in commercial outfits combing the territory of Louisiana and Arkansas. From 1944 through 1946 he shipped out with the Navy. When he returned he picked up a job in Chicago replacing the equally fine guitarist Jimmy Raney in a combo led by the somewhat obscure Jay Burkhart. In the late '40s Gourley was still keeping Windy City company but the names became more prominent, including singers Anita O'Day and the duo of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral.

The '50s would be best described as the guitarist's French period. Basing himself out of Paris, Gourley was associated mostly with Henri Renaud as well as his own house band stints at various clubs. Excellent recording sessions during this period present the guitarist in the company of tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, trumpeter Clifford Brown, drummer Roy Haynes, and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, not to mention homeboy Konitz. There was a dash back to Chicago during this decade but Gourley primarily spent his time in Paris, a long run as one of the local accompanists at the Blue Note allowing him the opportunity to continue associating with the cream of the jazz crop.

Gourley shows up on in one classic film on jazz, the noted 'Round Midnight, his featured number perhaps asking a question directly about his career, "How Long Has This Been Goin' On?" About a decade later, his own liner notes described him as "still searching, still stumbling" in a session involving his regular trio with drummer Philippe Combelle and bassist Dominique Lemerle. The guitarist is considered one of the most accomplished members of the jazz expatriate community. ~bio by Eugene Chadbourne

Our Delight

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Various - Timeless: Savoy 60th Anniversary (2-Disc Set)

Savoy Jazz marks its 60th anniversary with this double-disc compilation of the early pioneers of bebop. This classic collection features some of the first recordings by such bebop masters as Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz, among others, playing their classic repertoire of the '40s and '50s. These 32 compositions are also among those that helped to establish and solidify this newly introduced style of jazz in the hearts and souls of many swing and big-band followers around the globe, despite the early thumbs-down given by jazz purists of that decade. Titled Savoy 60th Anniversary: Timeless, the CDs feature state-of-the-art transfers from the actual acetate and tape masters created by these legendary artists at the original historic recording sessions. Listeners can now fully realize such great songs as "Parker's Mood," "Bohemia After Dark," and Little Jimmy Scott's first big record, "When Did You Leave Heaven?," in their finest quality available to date. A best buy for jazz history buffs. ~Paula Edelstein

Album: Timeless: Savoy 60th Anniversary (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:38

Size: 138.8 MB

Styles: Jazz/ZBlues/R&B/Vocal

Year: 2002/2010

[3:01] 1. Charlie Parker - Parker's Mood [original Take 3]

[3:04] 2. Dexter Gordon - Long Tall Dexter

[2:20] 3. Charlie Parker - Sipping At Bells [original Take 2]

[5:38] 4. Dizzy Gillespie - The Champ

[2:35] 5. Stan Getz - Don't Worry 'bout Me

[2:51] 6. The Be Bop Boys - Bebop In Pastel [take 3]

[2:17] 7. Stan Getz - Fat Girl

[3:16] 8. 8. Lennie Tristano - Master

[2:37] 9. Art Pepper - These Foolish Things

[3:53] 10. Kai Winding - Bernie's Tune

[6:17] 11. Charles Mingus - Tea For Two

[6:03] 12. Adderley Brothers - Bohemia After Dark

[7:46] 13. Donald Byrd - Star Eyes

[4:24] 14. Lee Morgan - P.S. I Love You

[4:30] 15. John Coltrane - B.J

Timeless: Savoy 60th Anniversary (Disc 1)

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Album: Timeless: Savoy 60th Anniversary (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 50:18

Size: 115.2 MB

Styles: Jazz/Blues/R&B/Vocal

Year: 2010

Art: Front

[3:14] 1. Lester Young - Jump Lester Jump

[3:14] 2. Charlie Parker - Now's The Time

[3:05] 3. Billy Eckstine - Oop Bop Sh'bam

[3:02] 4. Ben Webster - I Surrender, Dear

[2:58] 5. Illinois Jacquet - Illinois Goes To Chicago

[2:47] 6. Big Jay Mcneely - Deacon's Hop

[3:07] 7. Paul Hucklebuck Williams - The Hucklebuck

[2:57] 8. Hal Singer - Cornbread

[3:10] 9. George Shearing - Moon Over Miami

[2:29] 10. Erroll Garner - The Goodbye

[2:50] 11. Marian Mcpartland - Love Is Here To Stay

[2:54] 12. Milt Jackson - 'round Midnight

[3:15] 13. Eddie Jefferson - Body And Soul

[2:36] 14. Joe Williams - Every Day I Have The Blues

[2:54] 15. Gene Ammons - Trav'lin' Light

[3:15] 16. Little Jimmy Scott - When Did You Leave Heaven

[2:25] 17. Big Maybelle - Say It Isn't So

Timeless: Savoy 60th Anniversary (Disc 2)

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The Jazz Crusaders - Old Socks, New Shoes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 38:59

Size: 89.3 MB

Styles: Soul/Jazz/Funk

Year: 1970/2015

Art: Front

[5:32] 1. Thank You

[4:02] 2. Funny Shuffle

[2:35] 3. Why Do You Laugh At Me

[2:43] 4. Jackson!

[4:08] 5. Rainy Night In Georgia

[4:07] 6. Golden Slumbers

[4:16] 7. Jazz!

[4:27] 8. Time Has No Ending

[3:02] 9. Hard Times

[4:03] 10. Way Back Home

Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes was the final album by the Jazz Crusaders. Immediately thereafter they dropped the word "jazz" from their name, leaving them the Crusaders and most of the rest is history. This killer set was released on the Chisa label in 1970 and distributed by Motown. While the Jazz Crusaders had long made then-current popular songs part of their repertoire, and had moved from their hard bop origins into the soul-jazz groove years before, this disc was a shock, and sounded like a different band -- almost. For starters, pianist Joe Sample moved over the Rhodes for the majority for this date (he is still one of the greatest voices on this strange, imprecise instrument), and along with drummer Stix Hooper, saxophonist Wilton Felder, and trombonist Wayne Henderson, guitarists Arthur Adams and Freddie Robinson helped out on bass and guitar, respectively. The Jazz Crusaders soul-jazz sound slid on over to an early version of jazz-funk, without sacrificing any of its emotionally engaged interplay or melodic foundation. Still, hearing the two electric guitars, a fat, nasty electric bassline, and Sample's big chunky funk chords signaling the beginning of Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" as the album's kick off must have made fans do a double take -- until the horns kick in. It's trademark Jazz Crusaders there. The front line of Felder and Henderson with those near patented breaks of Hooper's would assure all that despite the electricity, the group was onto something new, different, and as greasy and soulful as they had been in the past. This is one of those forgotten Crusaders albums, being on the seam of their transition. Even Pass the Plate, which followed on Chisa, was better known than Old Socks and has been served by history a little better.

Henderson composed four tunes here and Sample one, and Felder's "Way Back Home," a live staple for the group, closed this set out. Henderson's tunes are the real stand-outs of the originals. "Funky Shuffle," with its slippery backbeat and alternating guitars before the rolling horns and Sample's all-over-the-keyboard chord voicings give the wide base for the melody. It's a subtle but addictive track with lots of compelling tonal colors -- and fine breakbeats by Hooper. Two other selections are gorgeous and very innovative readings of pop tunes: the version the Crusaders did of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" is rumored to have brought tears to the songwriter's eyes when he heard it. Sample plays both Rhodes and electric harpsichord on the tune, and Freddy Robinson's whispering blues fills turn a Southern soul number into a textbook exercise in arrangement and melodic improvisation. "Golden Slumbers" by Lennon and McCartney functions with the melody side in the chart from the very beginning, but the harmonic engagement of Henderson and Felder brings the mournful, sleepy intro some real melancholy as Sample, Adams, and Robinson color the entire center with quiet movement and shading before Hooper's drums kick it into gear and still it remains a ballad of stirring soul. Just before the recording ends, there's a wildly different and uptempo arrangement of "Hard Times," which became the group's soul theme on subsequent studio records and on the wonderful live LP Scratch. This one feels more defiant, more resilient, where the latter versions are all longer and dig deeper into the slow soul and blues bags. It's easy to love them all, but this is such a contrast to the others that it's worth noting. The set closes with another group standard: Felder's beautiful, midtempo shuffle "Way Back Home," that offers the same punch that its subsequent studio and live recordings does. It's pure soul-jazz and the evidence of the great experience this already seasoned unit has in allowing everyone to shine simultaneously in the most minimal of arrangements. Despite the fact that many serious jazzheads see this as the beginning of the creative end for the Crusaders, they are just plain wrong. This is the start of a new beginning, one that would roll on through most of the '70s and bring the group its greatest commercial and radio successes and makes them such an excellent source of inspiration and samples for hip-hop and dance music producers for another couple of generations. This is an absolute classic. [ The Crusaders '70s music brought such joy to so many people, it's a wonder this album was not available on CD in America until the 21st century. Verve reissued it as part of their excellent Originals series.] ~Thom Jurek

Old Socks, New Shoes

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Christian McBride & Inside Straight - People Music

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:23
Size: 126.8 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[7:35] 1. Listen To The Heroes Cry
[6:46] 2. Fair Hope Theme
[7:01] 3. Gang Gang
[6:39] 4. Ms. Angelou
[8:27] 5. The Movement, Revisited
[7:26] 6. Unusual Supsects
[6:01] 7. Dream Train
[5:26] 8. New Hope's Angel

Christian McBride: bass; Steve Wilson: alto sax; Warren Wolf: vibes; Christian Sands: piano (1,7); Peter Martin: piano (2-6,8); Ulysses Owens, Jr: drums (1,7); Carl Allen: drums (2-6,8).

Musicians create bands for many things: To gather like-minded artists together, or to achieve some grand artistic vision; Christian McBride created Inside Straight to get a gig. It seems Village Vanguard owner Lorraine Gordon loved McBride but wouldn't book him with his regular, fusion-heavy outfit—or, as Gordon put it, "that rock 'n' roll band." Necessity is the mother, as they say, so McBride built Inside Straight. The thing is, he might have overreacted a tad, because the group's first release Kind of Brown was pure vanilla from end to end. Thankfully, McBride found the right mix of spices in time for Inside Straight's follow-up People Music.

Big piano chords and bigger drums announce the arrival of the opener "Listen to the Heroes Cry," and it's only milliseconds before altoist Steve Wilson and vibes master Warren Wolf yank us into a world that recalls Horace Silver at his mammoth height. Wolf flies formation with Wilson on the first chorus, providing a keyboard harmonic that lets pianist Christian Sands roam free, but Wolf doesn't hang with the pack long. His opening solo shows assertiveness and possession, and he ramps these qualities up even as the band gives him room to flex his muscles. Wilson keeps the Blue Note vibe going with Wayne Shorter range and an attitude that screams, "Bring it!" This piece simply struts, and so do these players, even when they get quiet for McBride's own scrumptious spotlight moment.

Sands isn't the regular keyboardist for Inside Straight, just like Ulysses Owens, Jr. isn't the regular drummer, but they fit in seamlessly on "Listen" and the bopping fun that is "Dream Train." Mind you, the people they were subbing for are no slouches. Drum icon Carl Allen is the polar opposite of Christian McBride Band trapper Terreon Gully, in that Allen is as trad as they come. He keeps the urban cruiser "Gang Green" bubbling as Peter Martin's rolling piano figure gives Wilson and Wolf's work extra buoyancy. Martin comps and counters on "Ms. Angelou" adds depth and color to McBride's love letter to another artist, while Allen's rolling and tumbling kicks up the fun on "The Unusual Suspects."

That Wilson burns like napalm on the rousing "The Movement, Revisited" and the uber-slick "Fair Hope Theme" is no surprise. For an Old School alto sound, Wilson's one of the best in the game, but the real revelation here is the young Wolf who is clearly in his element. While he evokes the West Coast coolness of the Modern Jazz Quartet on Aaron Diehl's Mack Avenue debut The Bespoke Man's Narrative, Wolf lets his inner wolverine out on People Music, swinging for the fences on "Gang" and attacking "Dream Train" like a charging bull.

McBride could always play trad, but he's been such a renaissance man that trad was never a priority. Still, a job opportunity focuses everyone's mind in this economy. By expanding its sound for People Music, McBride has Inside Straight perfectly focused. ~J. Hunter

People Music

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