Asa Harris - All In Good Time

Size: 119,9 MB
Time: 51:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Song Is You (2:58)
02. Daydream (5:29)
03. A Time For Love (4:46)
04. The Late, Late Show (3:37)
05. Love For Sale (4:40)
06. It Never Was You (3:48)
07. The Jitterbug Waltz (4:07)
08. These Foolish Things (4:26)
09. Wave (4:23)
10. Someone To Watch Over Me (3:46)
11. Tuxedo Junction (4:00)
12. Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer (3:29)
13. Lullaby Of Birdland (2:11)

The Vocal Series. Borrowing the majority of Christine Hitt’s band from her recording You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To. Vocalist Asa Harris makes her MAXJAZZ debut with a collection of standards that is unique in itself. The fourth in a Vocal Series released by the new label, Harris is preceded by the aforementioned Hitt disc, LaVerne Butler’s Blues In The City and Carla Cook’s It’s All About Love. All of these recordings have an interesting and often surprising mix of standards and some originals. Ms. Harris’ offering is no different.

I believe that Chicago-born Ms Harris addresses all of the major eras of jazz. Chronologically, she begins in the Stride era with a lilting “Jitterbug Waltz”, hits the Swing era with Tuxedo Junction (composed by her Uncle, Erskine Hawkins), and proceeds through the height of Tin Pan Alley with an up-tempo “Love For Sale”, a pensive “Someone to Watch Over Me”. She rounds out the disc with the Bebop balladry of “Lullaby of Birdland” and a very cool “Mack the Knife”. The overall feeling of this disc is laid-back brilliance. All of the performances are self assured and creatively arranged. Kudos to bassist Tom Kennedy for his superb playing in general and his over-the-top introduction on “Tuxedo Junction”. ~by C. Michael Bailey

Personnel: Asa Harris: Vocals; Todd Strait: Drums; Tom Kennedy: Acoustic Bass;; Rick Haydon: Guitar; Ray Kennedy, Kim Portnoy: Piano

All In Good Time

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Allen Toussaint - American Tunes

Size: 119,6 MB
Time: 51:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: New Orleans Jazz Blues, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Delores' Boyfriend (3:32)
02. Viper's Drag (3:18)
03. Confessin' (That I Love You) (2:50)
04. Mardi Gras In New Orleans (3:13)
05. Lotus Blossom (4:17)
06. Waltz For Debby (3:14)
07. Big Chief (2:12)
08. Rocks In My Bed (4:37)
09. Danza Op. 33 (3:25)
10. Hey Little Girl (2:36)
11. Rosetta (4:07)
12. Come Sunday (5:09)
13. Southern Nights (3:30)
14. American Tune (5:00)

So busy was Allen Toussaint in the wake of his late-2000s revival, he didn't wind up entering a recording studio to begin work on a sequel to his 2009 jazz album, The Bright Mississippi, until 2013 (2013's Songbook consisted of live recordings from 2009). A few solo sessions happened that year, followed by a round with a band and guests in October 2015 and then he died a few weeks later, passing away in Madrid, Spain while on tour. Producer Joe Henry, who helmed The Bright Mississippi, pulled together American Tunes for a posthumous release in the summer of 2016. Tonally, American Tunes isn't much different from its predecessor, yet its elegiac elegance doesn't come from a place of despair: it's a wistful look back at his past and home. Where The Bright Mississippi focused firmly on jazz standards, American Tunes positions these prewar standards as just part of the fabric. Toussaint touches upon Big Easy standards, spinning "Mardis Gras in New Orleans" and "Big Chief" in a way that emphasizes their lyricism instead of rhythm, thereby drawing connections with the Bill Evans, classical, and Duke Ellington covers heard elsewhere on the record. Sometimes, the guests assert themselves -- Rhiannon Giddens commands attention when she sings Ellington -- but the presence of Charles Lloyd and Van Dyke Parks underscores the generous collaborative spirit within Toussaint's music; even when he's heard alone here, he's playing with and commenting upon tradition. American Tunes concludes with Toussaint singing two modern pop standards: "Southern Nights," an original of his popularized by Glen Campbell, and Paul Simon's "American Tune." Both function as revealing footnotes to the gorgeous instrumentals, underscoring his contribution to American popular song and how he found his own voice in the work of others. He was an American original, and American Tunes functions as a lovely coda to a legendary career. ~by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

American Tunes

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David Linx & Brussels Jazz Orchestra - Brel

Size: 182,9 MB
Time: 79:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Chanson
Art: Front

01. Quand On N'a Que L'amour (8:00)
02. La Chanson Des Vieux Amants (5:43)
03. Vesoul - Amsterdam (7:34)
04. Ces Gens-La (6:48)
05. Mathilde (6:25)
06. Ne Me Quitte Pas (4:24)
07. Le Plat Pays (8:02)
08. Bruxelles (8:51)
09. Isabelle (5:00)
10. La Valse A Mille Temps (5:12)
11. Bruxelles (Radio Edit) (Bonus Track) (4:12)
12. La Ville S'Endormait (Bonus Track) (8:55)

While David Linx's name may not be writ large here in the States, the fifty-one year-old singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist is a mega-star in his native Belgium, and in 2005 was named Best Jazz Musician in Europe, which covers a whole lot of territory. On Brel, Linx sings music composed by his Belgian forerunner, the late and legendary Jacques Brel, accompanied by the world-class Brussels Jazz Orchestra (whose personnel are not listed on the bare-bones promotional copy save for saxophonist / music director Frank Vaganee).

The music is for the most part cerebral and debonair, lending itself quite well to a jazz milieu (one of the few French words salvaged from high school). As for the lyrics, they are generally sung in the aforementioned Gallic tongue; in other words, incomprehensible. Linx employs the universal jazz "language"—scat—on the flag-waving "Mathilde" and sings in English on "Vesoul -Amsterdam" and "Isabelle," reminding the listener why he doesn't choose to do so often. Elsewhere, like most other French singers, he sounds exceedingly French (or Belgian). Those who've heard Brel, Maurice Chevalier, Georges Guetary, Charles Aznavour, Sacha Distel and other standard-bearers should grasp the allusion.

The session opens quietly with the melodious "Quand on n'a Que L'Amour" and ends on a dynamic note with "La Valse a Mille Temps," which must translate into "waltz, fast and loud." Even though the lyrics (in most cases) are foreign, there's no doubt that Linx sings them well, with excellent diction and phrasing. As for the BJO, it plays its ancillary role to perfection, giving Linx a hermetic framework from which to operate while weighing in with a number of brief yet persuasive solos along the way. In spite of his prominence, there haven't been a great number of tributes to Jacques Brel and his music, which makes this one by David Linx and the BJO that much more enticing. ~Jack Bowers

Personnel: David Linx: vocals. Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Frank Vaganee: artistic director.

Brel

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Jasmin Bayer - Summer Melodies

Size: 125,1 MB
Time: 53:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Very Thought Of You (2:37)
02. Summer Melodies (4:41)
03. You Sold Me Down The River (4:00)
04. There Is No Greater Love (4:03)
05. Nature Boy (7:54)
06. No Use Lying To A Liar (4:46)
07. Mona Lisa (3:42)
08. Her Passion Is Chemistry (4:09)
09. Goldfinger (4:13)
10. That's Clear (4:10)
11. Endeavour (5:15)
12. Come Share This Minute (4:21)

An exciting discovery: Jasmin commands a completely natural voice, perfect intonation and great stage presence. This is her first recording and it will be a surprise for many.

After a career in modelling and the movies in the US she now moved over to the jazz world with fine success, building up her fan base quickly. Her CD is different from the often heard US songbook, highly individual as Jasmin writes and composes a great part of her repertoire herself. Excellent trumpeter Peter Tuscher who holds the trumpet chair at the Linz conservatory celebrates a great comeback to the live scene with this album.

Summer Melodies

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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Upward Spiral (Feat. Kurt Elling)

Size: 161,3 MB
Time: 69:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Modern Jazz
Art: Front

01. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York (5:21)
02. Blue Gardenia (4:34)
03. From One Island To Another (6:00)
04. Practical Arrangement (9:44)
05. Doxy (3:51)
06. I'm A Fool To Want You (3:00)
07. West Virginia Rose (2:28)
08. So Tinha De Ser Com Voce (3:38)
09. Momma Said (2:43)
10. Cassandra Song (8:28)
11. Blue Velvet (3:44)
12. The Return (Upward Spiral) (7:15)
13. Long As You're Living (8:45)

To one extent or another, jazz has always maintained a discriminatory dividing line between vocalists and instrumentalists. Instead of being viewed as equals—artists on par with all the rest, possessing the same good sense, skill, and stake in an artistic outcome—vocalists have often been unfairly stigmatized and interned in a separate category. But all of that has slowly been changing, due in no small part to a large and continually growing crop of vocalists who are consistently raising the bar.

For the past two decades, the one and only Kurt Elling has been a central figure in that category. He's both world-wise and street smart in his moves, able to touch on highbrow topics and base emotions with equal success. There's been a hint of vanity in some of his fine art, but it's never there without just cause. The man acknowledges his influences but remains a school of one, a force of nature who's capable of covering more ground than almost anybody. There's simply nobody else who's better suited to enter into an artistic agreement with one of jazz's most outspoken personalities—saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

Whether on or off the bandstand, Marsalis doesn't mince words or ideas. Due to that fact, few vocalists are really up to the challenge of entering his orbit and thriving in such a climate. In Elling, however, Marsalis has found one who's every bit his match. The saxophonist and his quartet mates are able to telescope focus toward Elling's warm, strong, and pliant voice, and Elling is able to accentuate the inherently melodic and lyrical qualities in this group's work. The beauty in Marsalis' music isn't cited often enough, as many tend to focus exclusively on the edgier side of his sound. This project rectifies that problem.

This playlist is as eclectic as one might expect given the architects at the drawing board. Everybody from saxophonist Sonny Rollins to vocalist Elis Regina and pianist Fred Hersch to poet Calvin Forbes is referenced in one way or another, and the music is suffused with graciousness, beauty, and, on occasion, heartbreak. Elling dons the face of Mr. Charisma on "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York," maintains his status as the heir to Mark Murphy's throne of hip on "Doxy," delves into modern jazz Americana on Hersch's "West Virginia Rose," and plays it cool as the breeze on "Só Tinha De Ser Com Você." Through every one of those turns, Marsalis and company are right there with him, exploring every little and large event with the utmost respect for the music and the contributions of one another.

Understatement serves as a source of strength in much of this music, and fragility is as strong a lure as any of the aforementioned qualities. Case in point is Sting's "Practical Arrangement," a song that elicits an incredibly strong emotional response. That number alone is worth the price of admission, and it's not the only tearjerker. The Marsalis-Elling duo take on "I'm A Fool To Want You," while delivered with more poise and less vulnerability, belongs in the same category.

While there are far more ambitious outings in the respective discographies of both of these marquee names, there's nothing more arresting in either man's portfolio. Beauty becomes these musicians. They carry the torch of grace to the heavens in their own inimitable upward spiral.

Personnel: Branford Marsalis: saxophones; Joey Calderazzo: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Justin Faulkner: drums; Kurt Elling: vocals.

Upward Spiral

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Various - At Last: The Blues Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 68:25

Size: 156.6 MB

Styles: Blues/Jazz vocals

Year: 2014

Art: Front

[3:40] 1. Mighty Mo Rodgers - Have You Seen The American Dream

[2:57] 2. Marlena Shaw - Anyone Can Move A Mountain

[4:15] 3. Nina Simone - Don't Explain

[2:58] 4. Etta James - At Last

[7:40] 5. James Brown - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons

[4:43] 6. Susan Tedeschi - Lord Protect My Child

[4:36] 7. Labelle - Miss Otis Regrets

[6:01] 8. Larry Carlton - Cold Day In Hell

[3:04] 9. Peggy Lee - Black Coffee

[3:04] 10. Queen Latifah - I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl

[7:32] 11. Robben Ford - Life Song

[6:03] 12. Diane Schuur - Someone To Love

[4:52] 13. Lizz Wright - I Idolize You

[4:14] 14. Nina Hagen - What It Is

[2:36] 15. Dinah Washington - A Bad Case Of The Blues

The term blues ballad is used to refer to a specific form of popular music which fused Anglo-American and Afro-American styles from the late 19th century onwards. Early versions combined elements of the European influenced "native American ballad" with the forms of African American music. From the 20th century on it was also used to refer to a slow tempo, often sentimental song in a blues style.

At Last: The Blues Ballads

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Carole King - Pearls: Songs Of Goffin & King

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:06
Size: 75.8 MB
Styles: Soft rock
Year: 1980/2012
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Dancin' With Tears In My Eyes
[2:30] 2. The Loco-Motion
[2:29] 3. One Fine Day
[3:40] 4. Hey Girl
[4:25] 5. Snow Queen
[2:54] 6. Chains
[3:00] 7. Oh No, Not My Baby
[3:34] 8. Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)
[3:15] 9. Wasn't Born To Follow
[3:46] 10. Goin' Back

Make no doubt about it, this is possibly Carole King's most important work since Tapestry, and why a similar album didn't follow Tapestry or its follow-up, Music, was a marketing blunder and a mystery. Missing here is Lou Adler's production, though King and her co-producer Mark Hallman are hardly inefficient. It's just that some songs get more attention than others. "Dancin' With Tears in My Eyes" opens the collection, a pleasant new addition to their repertoire, but next to "Locomotion," "One Fine Day," "Chains," and "Snow Queen," its purpose is more to bring the album full circle than to try to compete with these classics. "One Fine Day," the song the Chiffons brought Top Five, was the hit, going Top 15 from this set 17 years later. The reworking of the Freddie Scott/Bobby Vee/Donny Osmond hit "Hey Girl" is breathtaking. Here King is backed by lush production and a bluesy vocal that surpasses anything else on this record, as well as much of what was on the charts at this time. Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King is the set the artist's longtime fans craved when Tapestry made her more than a household name. This album deserves its place right next to Tapestry. ~Joe Viglione

Pearls: Songs Of Goffin & King

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Leroy Vinnegar - Integrity

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:27
Size: 156.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[ 9:12] 1. Blue 'n' Boogie
[ 8:57] 2. Segment
[14:24] 3. Little Sunflower
[ 9:06] 4. We'll Be Together Again
[ 9:18] 5. Everywhere Calypso
[10:44] 6. Me Ho
[ 5:35] 7. Blues By Five
[ 1:06] 8. The Theme

Bassist Leroy Vinnegar, a fixture in Los Angeles from the 1950s on, has lived in Portland, OR, since the mid-'80s. Although he was mostly off records from 1977-92 and had a spell of bad health, he is in fine form throughout the 1995 concert documented on his fine release from Jazz Focus. Vinnegar and veteran drummer Mel Brown team up with a pair of excellent Portland-based players for a fine bop-oriented set. Tenorman Gary Harris (who switches to soprano on Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower") is sometimes reminiscent of Harold Land with touches of Red Holloway (although he does a good job of hinting at Sonny Rollins on "Everywhere Calypso") while guitarist Dan Faehule is most influenced by Wes Montgomery and Herb Ellis. Both of the younger musicians show potential for the future. The repertoire is strictly standards and blues (except for Hampton Hawes's obscure "Me Ho") and highlights include the swinging "Blue 'N Boogie," a tenor feature on "We'll Be Together Again" and the calypso. As usual Leroy Vinnegar is content to stick mostly to the background, holding the music together while inspiring the lead voices. Although few surprises occur, the music has plenty of spirit and will easily appeal to straightahead jazz fans. ~Scott Yanow

Integrity

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James Blood Ulmer - Free Lancing

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:39
Size: 116,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Timeless
(5:03)  2. Pleasure Control
(5:25)  3. Night Lover
(4:41)  4. Where Did All The Girls Come From ?
(4:03)  5. High Time
(4:43)  6. Hijack
(4:40)  7. Free Lancing
(3:46)  8. Stand Up To Yourself
(5:35)  9. Rush Hour
(5:14) 10. Happy Time

After cultivating a huge underground reputation both as a sideman in Ornette Coleman's Prime Time band and as an increasingly influential musician among the more experimental edges of the New York City punk and noise scenes, James Blood Ulmer was finally, in 1981, given a major-label contract by Columbia. Free Lancing was the first of three albums for the label before he, like many before and after, was unceremoniously dropped. It opens explosively with "Timeless," a ripping instrumental showcasing Ulmer at his best, all jagged angles, raw blues feeling, and chainsaw guitar shards. One of several cuts with only the trio of Ulmer, bassist Amin Ali, and drummer G. Calvin Weston, it's the guitarist at his most elemental, brutal, and real. Other tracks lean toward the funky side of things, with the leader's vocals (always at least a bit reminiscent of Hendrix) and a few female background vocals that impart a certain simmering sexiness even as they always serve to "slickify" the final product. But even here, on tracks like "Where Did All the Girls Come From?," Ulmer manages to raise the stakes far beyond the standard jazz-punk-funk of the period. Three other songs import the impressive horn trio of David Murray, Oliver Lake, and Olu Dara, used to provide a supremely strutting back line on "High Time" and giving the trumpeter a fine, fat solo on "Hijack" (a tune that recalls Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society). But it's Ulmer's stinging guitar lines rough-hewn, corrosive, and scrabbling throughout this recording that make it one of his finest.~Brian Olewnick http://www.allmusic.com/album/free-lancing-mw0000895852

Personnel: James Blood Ulmer (vocals, guitar); Irene Datcher, Diane Wilson, Zenobia Kankerite (vocals); Ronald Drayton (guitar); Oliver Lake (alto saxophone); David Murray (tenor saxophone); Olu Dara (trumpet); Amin Ali (bass guitar); Calvin Weston (drums).

Free Lancing

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