Thursday, May 26, 2016

Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:19
Size: 79,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Night Lights [1963 Version]
(5:33)  2. Morning Of The Carnival (From Black Orpheus)
(5:39)  3. Wee Small Hours
(4:16)  4. Prelude In E Minor (Chopin)
(6:51)  5. Festive Minor
(4:09)  6. Tell Me When
(2:53)  7. Night Lights [1965 Version]

This is a rather relaxed recording featuring baritonist Gerry Mulligan and some of his top alumni (trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Dave Bailey) exploring three of his own songs (including "Festive Minor"), Chopin's Prelude in E minor, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and "Morning of the Carnival" (from Black Orpheus). The emphasis is on ballads and nothing too innovative occurs, but the results are pleasing and laid-back.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/night-lights-mw0000188483

Personnel: Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone, piano;  Art Farmer – flugelhorn;  Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone;  Jim Hall – guitar;  Bill Crow – bass;  Dave Bailey - drums

Night Lights

Isabelle Antena - Tous Mes Caprices

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:24
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Tous Mes Caprices
(3:36)  2. 7 A.M.
(3:17)  3. Romancia Del Amor
(3:07)  4. Ecrat De Nuit
(2:40)  5. Une Journee Banale A New York City
(3:33)  6. Je Respire
(4:22)  7. From Day To Day
(4:02)  8. Memories
(4:45)  9. Young Captive
(4:59) 10. Village Of The Sun
(3:26) 11. Time To Work

Isabelle Antena (born May 28, 1960) is a French singer and songwriter, notable both as a founder of electro-samba pioneers Antena and also as a prolific and successful solo artist. Isabelle Antena is a pioneer of bossa nova and samba-inflected nu jazz and electropop. She was a founding member of 1980s French-Belgian synthpop trio Antena, and in the 1990s led another group, the Powaga Sisters, for three albums between 1993-2004. Alongside these projects she maintained a solo music career, selling over a million albums and earning musical acclaim across the globe. As a solo artist Isabelle Antena has found particular success in Japan and the Far East. Originally Antena were a trio, discovering a sound all of their own on Camino del Sol, combining minimal electro, pop and samba styles. Thanks to producer Martin Hayles, in the summer of 1984 Antena signed a deal with Phonogram, who took a shot at the UK singles chart with "Be Pop". At the same time Isabelle moved to London. The second single, "Life Is Too Short", appeared in November, but did not bring mainstream success and so Isabelle returned to Les Disques du Crepuscule and a solo career. A new single, "Seaside Week End", appeared at the beginning of 1986, closely followed by the album En Cavale. Released early the following year, Hoping for Love saw Isabelle step left of the dance-floor, and expand her Latin, funk and samba palette to include jazz and acoustic stylings.

Hoping For Love took Isabelle to Japan for the first time, where in 1987 she was voted best international female singer at the prestigious Tokyo Music Festival. Her subsequent performance at the Tokyo Dome between spots by Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang remains a career highlight. Isabelle quickly consolidated this success with her third solo album On a Warm Summer Night. In Europe this was released as Tous Mes Caprices, and promoted with a Belgian tour supporting Vaya Con Dios, whose bass player Dirk Schoufs would go on to collaborate with Isabelle as a writer and musician, and become her second husband. Always a prolific writer, Isabelle went on to write and record De l'Amour et des Hommes (1988) and Jouez le Cinq (1989)  the latter being re-issued only months later as Intemporelle (1990) - performing live across Europe as well as North America and Japan. Dirk Schoufs left Vaya Con Dios to join Isabelle, bringing with him Vaya drummer Marco De Meersman and Fritz Sundermann, jazz guitarist and son of Freddy Sunder. This quartet formed the new creative core for the next album, Les Derniers Guerriers Romantique, a conceptual work released in April 1991. However tragedy struck on 24 May when Dirk Schoufs died, leaving Isabelle devastated. Following a year of reflection, she returned to the studio in 1992 to record one of the best albums of her career, Carpe Diem, released in Japan and France in November. Recorded by Gilles Martin with colleagues including De Meersman and Sundermann in the comfort of Studio Caraibes in Brussels, Isabelle produced the album herself.

Since Carpe Diem, Isabelle has released a further ten albums, spanning jazz, funk, Latin and house styles, as well as writing for and producing for other artists. These have included Fragile on the Rocks, The Powaga Sisters and the jazz project Pause Cafe. Although as a solo artist Isabelle Antena has often found greater commercial success in Japan and the Far East than in Europe, she remains critically acclaimed in Europe and the United States. In 1996 the track "Antena" opened the first ESL compilation by Thievery Corporation, and since then Isabelle has worked with many current DJs and producers including Buscemi, Nicola Conte, Ursula 1000 and Yukihiro Fukutomi. Along with Thievery Corporation, all contributed to her popular 2005 bossa mix double album, Easy Does It / Issy Does It (Remixes), and Thievery guested again on the 2006 Antena project Toujours du Soleil. Completing the Antena trilogy, Bossa Super Nova was issued in April 2010. Isabelle remains an artist of genuine integrity, proudly independent, and faithful to the philosophy she espoused to the New Musical Express in 1984: « The fact that we have had to struggle quite a lot to get to even where we are now is not important. I think there is always a value in people whose music is not mainstream. What is hard to listen to today might be easier to listen to tomorrow. The good thing about music is that anything is possible ».https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelle_Antena

Tous Mes Caprices

Al Cohn - Rifftide

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:40)  1. Speak Low
(7:53)  2. Blue Monk
(5:07)  3. Hot House
(7:21)  4. The Thing
(6:29)  5. We'll Be Together Again
(5:59)  6. Rifftide
(7:17)  7. Do Nothing Till You're True
(7:03)  8. Secret Love

Although this recording of standards was made late in his career, tenor saxophonist Al Cohn was in peak form and clearly inspired by an excellent Dutch rhythm section. Cohn's very broad tone is much in evidence, as he runs through changes on tunes that he played innumerable times in his career. A distinct stylist, Cohn was never an innovator, but his lush, relaxed, carefully honed sound was perfect for the late nightclub atmosphere. Every solo was deliberately constructed, mixing just the right amounts of emotion and technique. You can hear Coleman Hawkins in his playing, but Cohn incorporated broad influences from the early history of bop. Pianist Rein de Graff is stunning throughout, and drummer Eric Ineke and bassist Koos Serierse add solid support.~Steve Loewy http://www.allmusic.com/album/rifftide-mw0000310851

Personnel: Al Cohn (tenor saxophone); Rein de Graaff (piano); Eric Ineke (drums).

Rifftide

Al Grey - Snap Your Fingers

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:43
Size: 96,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. Nothing But The Truth
(5:23)  2. Three-Fourth Blues
(2:57)  3. Just Waiting
(4:58)  4. R. B. Q.
(4:19)  5. Green Dolphin Street
(6:50)  6. Minor On Top
(4:29)  7. African Lady
(9:22)  8. Hi Fly

Trombonist Al Grey is joined by emerging young tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell on this pair of 1962 sessions, which were originally issued as an Argo LP and finally reissued on a limited-edition CD by Verve in 2003. The first five tracks also feature trumpeter Dave Burns and obscure pianist Floyd Morris. "Nothing But the Truth" is smoldering up-tempo blues with a bit of a gospel flavor, while Morris gets into the groove of the mid-tempo "Three-Fourth Blues." Mitchell especially shines on Melba Liston's soulful ballad "Just Waiting." The three tracks from the earlier session feature Donald Byrd on trumpet and Herbie Hancock on piano. Also here is the slashing hard bop composition "Minor on Top." Another Liston piece, "African Lady," is complex and showcases Grey's sensitive solo. There's not a bad track on this recommended CD.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/snap-your-fingers-mw0000600174

Personnel: Al Grey (trombone); Billy Mitchell (tenor saxophone); Dave Burns (trumpet); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Floyd Morris, Herbie Hancock (piano); Herman Wright (bass); Eddie Williams (drums).

Snap Your Fingers