Sunday, June 12, 2016

Kinga - Kinga / Guess Who I Saw Today

Album: Kinga
Size: 115,5 MB
Time: 49:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Rock Me To Sleep (2:58)
02. Only Trust Your Heart (3:23)
03. Let There Be Love (3:38)
04. Happy Madness (3:34)
05. September In The Rain (3:28)
06. Crazy He Calls Me (5:07)
07. I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) (2:57)
08. You'll Never Know (3:27)
09. Desafinado (2:21)
10. Dream A Little Dream Of Me (4:55)
11. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (4:14)
12. I Wish You Love (5:18)
13. Two For The Road (3:43)

Jazz and pop chanteuse Kinga was born in Poland, then moved with her family to Amsterdam before settling in Ottawa, Ontario. While being baptized at four months of age, she screamed out, and the attending priest predicted that Kinga would become a singer. Her parents gifted Kinga with appreciation for music, including and especially jazz, at an early age: Her father played in a jazz cabaret while her mother constantly played vocal pop and jazz records by The Platters, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and the like.

By age thirteen, Kinga had studied classical piano and voice theory, and began immersing herself classical and contemporary music, both jazz and pop. She soon began performing at recitals and competitions, and helped assemble and lead a jazz quartet (called West Berlin) that played in and around Ottawa until all its members graduated from high school. She also discovered and began learning the repertoires of many great jazz vocalists, including Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Sarah Vaughan, Natalie Cole, and especially Ella Fitzgerald.

Kinga moved on to Humber College, studying voice and theory under Trish Colter, Lisa Martinelli, and Lisa Sullivan; she also served as instructor for voice, piano, theory, ear training and improvisation to child and adult students. “The most important experiences during my time at Humber College were working alongside very talented and reputable musicians, learning different aspects of the jazz world, and lastly, winning the Duke Ellington Honoree award in my final year there,” Kinga recalls.

Kinga has subsequently spread her vocal talents – as smooth, heady and sophisticated as a well-matured brandy – throughout Canada: She has sung the American and Canadian national anthems for the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs (in partial French, for a sold-out contest against the Montreal Canadians), the Toronto Raptors, and internationally-broadcast Hockey Night in Canada. Kinga has performed with pianist Renee Rosnes, flugelhornist Guido Basso, and Don Thompson’s jazz ensemble, and appeared at the National Jazz Awards, the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and on CTV and CBC Radio.

MC
Ziddu

Album: Guess Who I Saw Today
Size: 124,8 MB
Time: 53:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. It's Magic (4:45)
02. Ain't No Sunshine (6:09)
03. What A Difference A Day Made (4:27)
04. This Bitter Earth (6:04)
05. Mood Indigo (3:55)
06. I Think It's Gonna Rain Today (4:15)
07. Love Me Or Leave Me (3:19)
08. Guess Who I Saw Today (5:22)
09. Swingin' Machine (2:35)
10. I Must Have Left My Heart (5:07)
11. What's With You (4:14)
12. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (3:11)

Guess Who I Saw Today brings all Kinga’s influences and experiences full circle. Knowing that a great singer’s best friend is a great song, her debut release features new interpretations of Ellington’s classic “Mood Indigo” and such familiar tunes as “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “This Bitter Earth.” Its title track was first recorded by Nancy Wilson. Songs by such talented singer-songwriters as Randy Newman (“I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”), Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine”) and Mose Allison (“What’s With You” and “Swingin’ Machine”) round out the set.

Guess Who I Saw Today was arranged and produced by pianist Bill King. “I could tell during our first practice sessions, the voice fit comfortably around the rich melodies and could deliver a heartfelt interpretation of the lyrics,” producer King recalls.

For Kinga, the most important thing about this debut is her emotional connection to each track. Each song reflects a time or point in her life where she experienced an emotional roller coaster – whether it was love, happiness, heartache, anger or frustration – and these experiences speak to and through each song on Guess Who I Saw Today.

MC
Ziddu

Doc Bagby - Smooth Organ Groove Organ

Size: 169,2+137,0 MB
Time: 70:26+56:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Rock
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (2:43)
02. I Surrender Dear (3:01)
03. For You (3:08)
04. Diane (3:06)
05. Little Red Riding Hood (3:07)
06. Jo-Jo (2:56)
07. I Want A Little Girl (2:23)
08. Hay Ride (2:14)
09. Soft One (2:50)
10. Grinding (2:23)
11. Joy Ride (3:02)
12. The House Rocker (3:08)
13. Cherry (2:26)
14. Harmonica Boogie (3:24)
15. You're So Delightful (2:24)
16. Misty Morning (3:21)
17. Honky Tonk In Silk (2:46)
18. Love Mood (3:55)
19. Ebb Tide (4:19)
20. Sweet Confusion (3:24)
21. Dumplins (Early, Hit Version) (2:35)
22. Sylvia's Callin' (2:57)
23. Happy Feet (2:31)
24. Crazy Chemistry (2:13)

CD 2:
01. Shim Shimmy (Baby) (2:21)
02. Drifting (1:59)
03. Dumplins (Later Version) (2:28)
04. Mix It Up (Pot Luck) (2:22)
05. Rubberneck (2:35)
06. Cornbread (1:59)
07. Little Geech (2:18)
08. Billy's Bounce (2:36)
09. Pancake Hop (2:36)
10. The Spider (2:07)
11. Pony Walk (2:23)
12. Phoenix (2:09)
13. Doctor Rock (2:13)
14. Cornbread (Later Version) (1:59)
15. Home Run (2:00)
16. Cloud Eight (2:38)
17. Rusty (2:37)
18. Rock And Roll Cha Cha (2:33)
19. Muscle Tough (2:23)
20. Anything (2:32)
21. Joyride No 2 (2:35)
22. Hoppie (2:15)
23. Organ Grinder Rock (2:35)
24. Grits (2:34)

On this 2CD set we are exploring the career of a pioneering jazz and rock & roll organist, Harry 'Doc' Bagby.

At the time of release this is the first ever compilation of Doc Bagby's work available on CD and it includes many excellent tracks such as: 'Joy Ride'; 'You're So Delightful'; 'Crazy Chemistry' and of course 'Dumplins' which is now pretty much a rock & roll standard.

Featured players include the great Billy Butler (Honky Tonk) on guitar and Doc's brother Billy on drums. Despite Butler's amazingly jazzy guitar these early tracks are very much pop orientated.

So you have the 'Dumplins' and now we hope you enjoy the meat and gravy of the rest of Doc Bagby's career.

MC CD 1 | MC CD 2
Ziddu CD 1 | Ziddu CD 2

Kat Parra - Songbook Of The Americas

Size: 122,9 MB
Time: 52:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Latin Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. (Four)Ever More (5:01)
02. Please Do Something (4:42)
03. Wouldn't It Be Sweet (Au Privave) (4:16)
04. Dare To Dream (4:38)
05. Maria Lando (5:50)
06. Veinte Anos (5:19)
07. Como La Cigarra (3:39)
08. Besame Mucho (6:39)
09. Till There Was You (5:16)
10. Dame La Mano (3:38)
11. Mambo Italiano (3:34)

Kat Parra is a jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and arranger with an international perspective. Her style is strongly influenced by world music, especially from Latin America, Spain and the Middle East. Her latest project, SONGBOOK OF THE AMÉRICAS, is her fifth CD as a leader. The CD pays tribute to women composers from both North, Central and South America as well as original music and lyrics penned by Parra.
Accompanying Parra are some of the finest musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, including her long-time collaborators, Grammy-nominated trombonist Wayne Wallace and pianist Murray Low, both stalwarts of the Latin jazz scene. She is also joined by special guests that include María Márquez, a popular singer from Venezuela, Nate Pruitt, a SF Bay Area living legend, and Tuck & Patti, who join Parra on her original tune “Dare to Dream.” Parra studied voice with Patti at San José State University and considers the singer to be her musical and spiritual mentor.
Although Parra began studying classical piano at the age of 5, it was her time spent in Chile as a teenager that sparked her passion for Latin music and opened her ears to the rhythms and textures of music of other cultures from around the world. Besides singing in English, Parra also performs in Spanish (which she speaks fluently), Portuguese, French, and Ladino (a romance language spoken by Sephardic Jews).
Parra’s voice is fluid and flexible as she imbues each of these songs with her own personality and style. Take, for example, Meredith Willson’s “Till There Was You.” Arranged by Low, the tune opens with a rumba section and a Canto de Ochún, which she sings with María Márquez. Parra says, “I chose to open with this chant to invoke Ochún – goddess of beauty and love – to help open our hearts to unconditional love.” Nate Pruitt adds his soulful voice to the tune in a lovely duet with Parra. Their voices intertwine and play off each other, creating a sweet and joyful version of the song that sets it apart.
Or listen to her version of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “Four.” She truly makes the song her own. Wallace created a swinging mambo arrangement that pairs beautifully with Parra’s original lyrics and vocalese section inspired by Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet. Parra then turns up the heat with a traditional call and response section sung in Spanish.
On Charlie Parker’s “Au Privave,” which Parra renamed “Wouldn’t It be Sweet?” she wrote original lyrics and a vocalese section over Parker’s solo. The only tune on this CD that isn’t in the Latin vein, Parra clearly shows her ability to swing and have fun with more traditional material.
Parra also re-works Betty Carter’s “Please Do Something,” adding a cha-cha groove and soli that highlight the song’s fun and sexy lyrics. “Mambo Italiano,” the closing tune, has a lively mambo groove that pays tribute to Israel "Cachao" Lopez.
Five of the songs on this CD originate from Latin America, including “Bésame Mucho,” “Como La Cigarra,” “María Landó,” “Veinte Años and “Dame La Mano.”
“Bésame Mucho” is probably one of the most performed and recorded songs in the world. The arrangement by Parra and Low takes the song to new and unexpected places with the addition of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, played beautifully by Koga.
“Veinte Años” was written by Maria Teresa Vera, a Cuban singer, guitarist, and composer. Vera was a trovador, a kind of troubadour that toured around Cuba, singing and playing original compositions on guitar. The trova movement, which began in the 19th century, has had a great influence on Cuban music, and this song is one of the most popular examples from that era. Low gives this piece a more ethno-jazz feel rather than the traditional bolero, using odd meters to create tension and excitement.
“María Landó” was written by Chabuca Granda, a Peruvian singer and composer who was well known for writing and interpreting Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Parra and Low took a very different approach to this song by using piano instead of the traditional guitar and adding cymbals along with the cajón.
“Como La Cigarra” was written by María Elena Walsh, an Argentine poet, novelist, musician, playwright, and composer. Walsh was a political activist, and the song became a symbol of the resistance to the military junta that came to power in the 1970s. Parra’s and Márquez’s voice blend to create just the right feel for this piece. According to Parra, “Having María Márquez join me on this song gave the music even more depth and beauty.”
Parra has always loved the literature of Chile as well as the music, especially the poetry of Gabriela Mistral, a diplomat, feminist, and Nobel Prize winner. Parra was inspired to compose music to Mistral’s “Dame La Mano,” a beautiful love song originally written as a poem for children.
SONGBOOK OF THE AMÉRCIAS is a richly textured musical journey that reflects Parra’s adventurous spirit. Drawing on a wide range of cultural influences, she creates music that is both familiar yet strikingly original.

MC
Ziddu

Larry Coryell & The Eleventh House - The Funky Waltz: Jazz Workshop, Boston 1973

Size: 128,9 MB
Time: 55:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Rock, Fusion
Art: Front

01. Introduction ( 0:25)
02. Yin ( 7:47)
03. Low-Lee-Tah ( 6:39)
04. The Funky Waltz ( 6:20)
05. Ism-Ejercicio ( 4:40)
06. Gratitude 'A So Low' ( 6:05)
07. Band Introductions ( 2:13)
08. Joy Ride (12:03)
09. Drum Solo - Birdfingers ( 9:09)

SUPERB 1973 BROADCAST RECORDING FROM JAZZ LEGEND LARRY CORYELL & 11th HOUSE In the world of virtuoso guitar, few can parallel the sheer skill and versatility of Larry Coryell. Born in Galveston, Texas, on 2nd April 1943, Coryell grew up in Seattle where he first took up the piano and later guitar. Heavily influenced by both jazz musicians - such as John Contrane and Wes Montgomery - and more contemporary rock artists - including Bob Dylan, The Byrds and The Beatles - Coryell endeavoured to blend the two styles into his own technique. This can be heard on his very earliest recordings, which he made with jazz drummer Chico Hamilton on The Dealer, an LP released on Impulse! Records in 1966. Around the same time he formed his first band, The Free Spirits, arguably the first ever jazz rock group. Larry then spent the next few years recording with other jazz musicians, such as flautist Herbie Mann and vibraphonist Gary Burton, while simultaneously performing live shows with a post-Cream Jack Bruce. Coryell s debut, Lady Coryell, was released on Vanguard Records in 1969, with perhaps his most famous album, Spaces, released in 1970. The latter was something of a who s who of future jazz fusion legends, boasting appearances from John McLaughlin on guitar, Chick Corea on electric piano, Billy Cobham on drums and Miroslav Vitous on bass. This groundbreaking work would lay the foundations for all the great fusion albums recorded throughout the 1970s and beyond. Three years and five solo albums after his most celebrated LP, Larry Coryell was ready for a new challenge. In 1973, he formed The Eleventh House who, alongside The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever, were considered among the most important bands of the 1970s jazz-rock explosion. With an initial line up of trumpeter Randy Brecker, Mike Mandel on piano and synthesisers, bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, the group toured extensively and released four albums before disbanding in 1976. The recording featured on this CD, broadcast live by WBCN-FM across the greater-Boston area on 4th December 1973, took place just a few months before the release of Introducing Eleventh House with Larry Coryell. With an unprecedented audio quality, surpassed only by the sheer talent and technical ability displayed, this recording quite simply has to be heard to be believed.

MC
Ziddu

Johnny Britt - Marvin Meets Miles

Size: 112,2 MB
Time: 48:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz, R&B, Soul
Art: Front

01. Marvin Meets Miles (5:39)
02. Inner City Blues (4:46)
03. Trouble Man (4:33)
04. You Sure Love To Ball (3:25)
05. Let's Get It On (3:26)
06. What's Goin' On (5:04)
07. After The Dance (4:27)
08. I Want You (4:58)
09. Got To Give It Up (4:08)
10. You Sure Love To Ball (Feat. Boney James) (Miles Mix) (3:31)
11. Marvin Meets Mile (Miles Mix) (3:57)

Johnny Britt is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer, trumpeter, arranger and composer in the entertainment industry. Johnny has three #1 Billboard Singles as a songwriter. Johnny has worked behind the scenes in the recording studio or live on stage with some of the biggest artists and projects in the industry. They are Quincy Jones, Josh Groban, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, The Temptations, Luther Vandross Maxwell, David Foster,., Boney James, Water For Elephants, Ides Of March, The Lion King, Forest Gump, Spiderman 3, American Idol, The Temptations Story, The Little Richard Story and recently the music producer for the TV Show America Sings.

Johnny studied music just outside of Paris, France at the The Versailles Conservatory Of Music where he studied trumpet with the first trumpet player from the Paris Opera Roger Delmette … Johnny studied there for three years and is fluent in French. After his studies abroad Johnny moved back to the US and earned a music scholarship from Governors State University where Johnny obtained a BA in Music and won the Gerald Myrow Award for Outstanding Composer.

MC
Ziddu

Joan Steele - 'Round Midnight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:52
Size: 114.2 MB
Styles: Standards, Jazz vocals
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[6:08] 1. St. Louis Blues
[2:36] 2. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[2:57] 3. I Wish I Could Walk Away
[5:15] 4. Lazy Afternoon
[1:55] 5. Like Someone In Love
[3:05] 6. Send In The Clowns
[3:26] 7. Being Green
[4:17] 8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[4:06] 9. A Sleeping Bee
[4:14] 10. Something
[3:22] 11. I've Got A Crush On You
[3:53] 12. You've Changed
[4:30] 13. 'round Midnight

Joan Steel, p & v; LeRoy Vinnegar, sb; Tom ALbering,d.

This is the first album by the somewhat unknown vocalist Joan Steele. Strongly influenced by Howard Hanson as well as her favorite composers Delius and Vaughan Williams, she sings and plays piano on this album joined by bassist Leroy Vinegar and drummer Tom Alberino. The CD also features Steele performing a few solo pieces.

'Round Midnight

The Mel Brown Quartet - Live: An Evening With The Mel Brown Quartet

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:13
Size: 149.3 MB
Styles: Trad jazz combo
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[6:47] 1. Dandyish
[6:02] 2. Prelude To A Kiss
[7:35] 3. Yardbird Suite
[7:21] 4. First Light
[6:32] 5. One For Jimmy Mak
[6:11] 6. May Song
[5:35] 7. The Message
[7:29] 8. Smile
[6:34] 9. Ticondeep
[5:01] 10. Gone With The Wind

The Mel Brown Quartet came together in the fall of 2002 at Jimmy Mak's, a popular jazz club in Portland, Oregon. All seasoned jazzmen, the group has become a mainstay in the Portland jazz scene playing to enthusiastic, full capacity crowds at every appearance. This Cd was recorded in-studio with a live audience. That sense of anticipation as the houselights dim and the audience quiets. The charge that fills the air before the first notes are heard. The current of energy that flows back to the bandstand, reshaped by the listener’s responce. A feeling that something exciting is about to happen, and it does.

Guitarist-Dan Balmer: Considered the finest jazz guitarist in Oregon, Dan was the first guitarist and youngest individual to be inducted into the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Hall of Fame. Dan has performed or recorded with jazz legends Joey DeFrancesco, Airto, Red Mitchell, Bill Mays, Steve Smith, Pat Martino, Bud Shank and Joe LaBarbara. As a popular bandleader and sideman Dan’s unique guitar sound graces over 70 recordings.

Bassist-Ed Bennett: Long considered one of the West Coast’s premiere string bass players Ed has worked, toured and recorded with numerous legendary jazz figures including Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Ritchie Cole, Frank Morgan, Joe Henderson, Charles McPherson and Pete Cristlieb. Ed has been featured on two Grammy nominated recordings; Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band “Tanuki’s Night Out” and Carmen McRae “At The Great American Music Hall”.

Pianist-Tony Pacini: The jazz piano artistry of Tony Pacini has been enthusiastically enjoyed by nightclub and festival audiences throughout the West Coast as well as in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. In addition to his own trio, Tony has performed with Harry Allen, Dan Faehnle, Ritchie Cole, Dick Berk, Chuck Israels, Hadley Caliman, and Nancy King. An arranger and composer Tony is the musical director of the Mel Brown Quartet.

Drummer-Mel Brown: Mel performed with Motown legends Diana Ross and The Temptations before applying his distinctive style and consummate skill to the jazz idiom. In addition to leading several high profile combos, Mel’s rock-solid time and high-energy solos have made him the drummer of choice for jazz superstars Leroy Vinnegar, Monty Alexander, Teddy Edwards, Lou Donaldson and Joey DeFrancesco.

Live: An Evening With The Mel Brown Quartet

Buddy Morrow - Buddy Morrow On RCA

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:16
Size: 160.9 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Strangers
[3:00] 2. Autumn Leaves
[2:21] 3. Rio Rita
[2:19] 4. Shadow Waltz
[3:07] 5. The Happiest Day Of My Life
[2:56] 6. Silver Moon
[2:19] 7. Rose, Rose, I Love You
[3:31] 8. (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry
[2:35] 9. Everything I Have Is Yours
[2:20] 10. Shanghai
[2:54] 11. Good Morning Mister Echo
[3:14] 12. That Old Black Magic
[2:31] 13. Lassus Trombone
[3:05] 14. Night Train
[2:57] 15. One Mint Julep
[2:43] 16. Stairway To The Stars
[2:41] 17. Greyhound
[3:03] 18. I Don't Know
[3:01] 19. I Can't Get Started
[2:57] 20. Train, Train, Train
[2:42] 21. Corrine, Corrina
[2:44] 22. Dragnet
[2:42] 23. Re-Enlistment Blues
[3:12] 24. A Hundred Years From Today
[2:27] 25. Tara's Theme

Throughout his career, Buddy Morrow loved playing with big bands and doing what he could to keep nostalgic swing alive. He began playing trombone when he was 12 and within two years was working locally. Morrow developed quickly and moved to New York, where he studied at the Institute of Musical Art. He made his recording debut in 1936 with singer Amanda Randolph and trumpeter Sharkey Bonano. Morrow -- known as Moe Zudekoff until he changed his name in the early 1940s -- kept busy during the swing era, working with Artie Shaw (1936-37 and 1940), Bunny Berigan, Frank Froeba, Eddie Duchin, Tommy Dorsey (1938), Paul Whiteman (1939-40) and Bob Crosby. After serving in the Navy (1941-44) he was with Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra (1945). In 1945, at age 26, Morrow formed his own big band but it quickly failed. He became a studio musician for the remainder of the decade. In 1950 he formed a new orchestra that had strong success, giving an R&Bish sound to older standards and having a hit with "Night Train." Morrow spent most of the 1960s and '70s as a studio musician but he worked a bit with the World's Greatest Jazz Band in 1970; in the late 1970s he took over Tommy Dorsey's ghost band. Since then Morrow has been one of the few full-time big band leaders, performing melodic dance music based in the swing era. ~bio by Scott Yanow

Buddy Morrow On RCA

Jeff Lashway - Reunion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:53
Size: 153.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[7:25] 1. Get To The Gate
[5:16] 2. Doxy
[5:20] 3. Down Here On The Ground
[4:54] 4. The Touch Of Your Lips
[6:27] 5. The Quintessence
[9:32] 6. Sweetbop
[7:22] 7. For NOLA Medley
[6:05] 8. One By One
[8:32] 9. Gingerbread Boy
[5:56] 10. Airegin

Jeff Lashway: piano; Jim Rotondi: trumpet; John Allred: trombone; Frank Basile: bari sax; Jeff Rupert: tenor sax; Richard Drexler: bass; Todd Coolman: bass; John Jenkins: drums; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Jimmy Hall: vocals.

Throughout the decades, the bands of trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson were, by very nature, heavily brass and ensemble section oriented. Occasionally, Ferguson's pianists were given the opportunity to shine, launching into extended solo tune introductions or brief solos. Some of those pianists were (or would become) stars or leaders in their own right. They included Mike Abene, Allan Zavod, Pete Jackson, Jaki Byard, Bob James, Christian Jacob and others. Even Chick Corea did a short stint before returning to forever. With Reunion, his first CD as leader, ex-Ferguson pianist Jeff Lashway steps out—and up—to brilliantly demonstrate that he is an outstanding jazz pianist, composer and leader deserving of wider recognition. Accompanied by an all-star line-up, Lashway and friends deliver ten marvelously entertaining selections. This reunion is an intelligent, involving jazz swingfest.

Jeff Lashway's playing gives the impression that he draws sounds and wonderfully improvised lines right out from the keyboard. He has that kind of touch and awesome Oscar Peterson-worthy technical chops. With his swing ("One by One"), comping sensitivity ("Quintessence," showcasing the deep sound of Ferguson cohort Jeff Rupert), and soul ("Gingerbread Boy" and the slickly reworked "Airegin"), Lashway rises to this recording occasion and delivers. "Reunion" is a terrifically entertaining, swinging, and most enjoyable CD, the music and its players shining throughout. Hopefully Lashway and his team will reunite again soon. ~Nicholas F. Mondello

Reunion

Oscar Peterson - Tenderly

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:23
Size: 142.8 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[ 6:25] 1. Alone Together
[ 5:08] 2. How About You
[ 4:36] 3. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
[11:50] 4. The Music Box Suite (Aka Daisy's Dream)
[ 7:49] 5. A Foggy Day
[ 6:20] 6. Gypsy In My Soul
[ 5:14] 7. My Funny Valentine
[ 5:00] 8. Patricia
[ 5:39] 9. Pogo
[ 4:18] 10. Tenderly

Now that the great bassist Ray Brown has passed on, this live recording by the Oscar Peterson trio stands as tribute to him in his prime. Captured live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Brown's Jimmy Blanton inspired, rock-steady bass tones anchor the then 33-year-old, Montreal-born Peterson's Nat King Cole and Art Tatum-textured pianisms, and are graced by the lean lines of guitarist Herb Ellis in this pleasing straight-ahead date. The trio's takes on standards is solid, soulful, and swinging, from the silken syncopations of "Alone Together," and the finger-busting force of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," to the cool counterpoint on "The Music Box Suite" and the big-city bebop of "Pogo." This CD shows off the group's three-way telepathy back in the day, and it highlights the pioneering bass player, who was so central to Oscar Peterson's long career. ~Eugene Holley Jr.

Tenderly

Joshua Redman - Back East

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:23
Size: 146,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:13)  1. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(5:36)  2. East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)
(7:58)  3. Zarafah
(6:12)  4. Indian Song
(6:06)  5. I'm an Old Cowhand
(5:58)  6. Wagon Wheels
(6:43)  7. Back East
(6:12)  8. Mantra #5
(4:43)  9. Indonesia
(4:57) 10. India
(3:40) 11. GJ

For Back East, his first all-acoustic album in six years, saxophonist Joshua Redman returns from the west coast to the Big Apple, collaborating with a group of largely New York-based musicians. But the album's title refers to more than geographic relocation. A series of songs original and otherwise reflect an interest in Eastern harmonies and rhythms, with a fresh look at two tunes from seminal influence Sonny Rollins' Way Out West (Contemporary/OJC, 1957) and a couple of standards are thrown in for good measure. The result is an album that could be polarized especially considering Redman employs three different rhythm sections for this largely trio-based outing but surprisingly, is not. Instead, Redman creates a kind of aural travelogue that comfortably travels between two worlds. Opening with the often-covered "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" and a fiery "East of the Sun (West of the Moon)," both featuring bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Ali Jackson, Redman treads the line between reverence and experimentation.

Redman switches to soprano, bringing in bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade for the original "Zarafah" and Wayne Shorter's "Indian Song." The eastern references are subtle on the former, with Blade's nuanced drumming and McBride's strummed bass providing a gentle pulse. Saxophonist Joe Lovano fleshes things out to a quartet for the latter, the two tenors constantly intersecting and interacting over McBride and Blade's dramatic flourishes. Redman updates "I'm an Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels," from Way Out West, demonstrating just how far he's come from his early-1990s emergence. Confident, modernistic and capable of implying so much with so little, he's spurred on by bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland one of the hottest young rhythm sections around. Redman goes head-to-head with guest Chris Cheek on his own "Mantra #5," an Eastern-tinged piece where the two sopranos trade-off the melody over a simple set of changes made all the more ethnic by Jackson's playing the kit with his hands.

But the album's greatest and most bittersweet moments are saved for last, when Redman's father Dewey who passed away in September, 2006 guests on what would be one of his last sessions. The younger Redman never seemed to come much out of his father's approach, but the solo trade-offs at the beginning of a brief but simmering take on John Coltrane's "India" tell another story. The elder Redman then goes it alone for his rubato "GJ." It becomes increasingly abstract, until Grenadier and Jackson leave him to close the album a capella. It may be Joshua Redman's album, but by leaving his father with the final word, Back East becomes more than just a fine trio outing that shows a side to the young saxophonist that's only been heard in performance until now. It becomes a spiritual tribute to an artist whose influence will continue to be felt for years to come.~John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/back-east-joshua-redman-nonesuch-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Joshua Redman: tenor saxophone (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10); soprano saxophone (3, 6, 8); Larry Grenadier: bass (1, 2, 8-11); Ali Jackson: drums (1, 2, 8-11); Christian McBride: bass (3, 4); Brian Blade: drums (3, 4); Reuben Rogers: bass (5-7); Eric Harland: drums (5-7); Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone (4); Chris Cheek: soprano saxophone (8); Dewey Redman: tenor saxophone (10), alto saxophone (11).

Back East

Diana Krall - Candlelit Evening

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:34
Size: 180,5 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:18)  1. 'S Wonderful
(5:49)  2. Dancing In The Dark
(6:41)  3. Besame Mucho
(4:29)  4. Temptation
(4:58)  5. Just The Way You Are
(3:57)  6. I Remember You
(6:10)  7. I've Got You Under My Skin
(5:53)  8. Peel Me A Grape
(4:28)  9. I'm Thru With Love
(5:18) 10. Lets Face The Music And Dance
(4:44) 11. The Look Of Love
(4:43) 12. I Miss You So
(7:07) 13. And I Love Her
(4:57) 14. East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon
(4:56) 15. Love Letters

With her pre-bop piano style, cool but sensual singing, and fortuitously photogenic looks, Diana Krall took the jazz world by storm in the late '90s. By the turn of the century she was firmly established as one of the biggest sellers in jazz. Her 1996 album, All for You, was a Nat King Cole tribute that showed the singer/pianist's roots, and since then she has stayed fairly close to that tradition-minded mode, with wildly successful results. Krall got her musical education when she was growing up in Nanaimo, British Columbia, from the classical piano lessons she began at age four and in her high school jazz band, but mostly from her father, a stride piano player with an extensive record collection. "I think Dad has every recording Fats Waller ever made," she said, "and I tried to learn them all." Krall attended the Berklee College of Music on a music scholarship in the early '80s and then moved to Los Angeles, where she lived for three years before moving to Toronto. By 1990, she was based in New York, performing with a trio and singing. After releasing her first album on Justin Time Records, Krall was signed to GRP for her second, Only Trust Your Heart, and transferred to its Impulse! division for her third, the Nat King Cole Trio tribute album called All for You. Love Scenes followed in 1997, and in late 1998, she issued the seasonal Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

When I Look in Your Eyes followed in 1999. Whatever renown Krall had earned over the years for her work exploded with this album, which became an international best-seller and earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. It was also the first jazz album to be nominated for Album of the Year in 25 years. Krall's crossover success followed her as she performed in Lilith Fair the following year, and her songs cropped up everywhere from episodes of Sex in the City to films like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In 2001 she released The Look of Love, featuring charts by legendary arranger Claus Ogerman, best known for working with bossa nova innovator Antonio Carlos Jobim in the '60s. The album topped the Billboard charts and went quintuple platinum in Canada, the first by a Canadian jazz artist to do so. The Look of Love also helped Krall win three Junos in 2002, taking home awards for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. In 2003, Krall married iconic British rock musician Elvis Costello. A year later, she issued The Girl in the Other Room. Covering a few standards, this album also included original material  some co-written by Costello for the first time in her career. Returning to the large ensemble standards approach of her previous album, Krall released From This Moment On in 2006. She gave birth to twin sons in December of that year. In 2009, she teamed once again with The Look of Love arranger Ogerman for the bossa nova-themed Quiet Nights; the album performed well, debuting at number three on the Billboard Top 200. Krall returned three years later with Glad Rag Doll, a collection of early jazz and ragtime tunes from the '20s and '30s produced by T-Bone Burnett. 2014 saw her once again attempting something new with the album Wallflower, as she covered a selection of pop songs from the '60s onward by the likes of Bob Dylan, Elton John, Gilbert O'Sullivan, and the Eagles, all of whom had inspired her in her childhood. Wallflower saw release in February 2015.~William Ruhlmann http://www.allmusic.com/artist/diana-krall-mn0000255210/biography

Candlelit Evening

Eric Le Lann - Life on Mars

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:38
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:43)  1. Rouge
(5:03)  2. Nostalgeek Du Futur
(4:22)  3. Bleu Avion
(5:41)  4. Al.Got The Blues
(5:12)  5. Danse Profane
(5:46)  6. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(4:16)  7. Rouge ( Alternate)
(4:53)  8. Twins Valse
(2:39)  9. Life On Mars

An exceptional phrasing, an art of the unique composition and talent to discover exceptional musicians at the dawn of their international career, (Sylvain Luc, Richard Bona, Eric Legnini, Jean-Michel Pilc ..), the French trumpeter transcends styles on each project. Trumpeter went through all styles without ever denying his identity jazzman. From fusion to the song through bossa nova and Breton music, Eric Le Lann shares his passionate universe with a powerful and delicate at once. After his tribute to Chet Baker in 2012, Eric Le Lann released the album "Life on Mars", a title of David Bowie released in 1971 on the album " Hunky Dory ". Translate by Google http://www.fipradio.fr/decouvrir/album-jazz/life-mars-20597

Personnel: Eric Le Lann (trompette), Paul Lay (piano), Sylvain Romano (contrebasse), Donald Kontomanou (batterie).

Life on Mars

Nathan Davis - Rules of Freedom

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:16
Size: 92,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:40)  1. Blues for Trane
( 8:32)  2. A 5
( 3:52)  3. Ahali the Painter
( 5:35)  4. Mandingo's Pad
(11:07)  5. Love is Freedom
( 3:26)  6. Rules of Freedom

Nathan Davis has split his career between being a fine tenor saxophonist and a jazz educator. He played briefly with Jay McShann in 1955, attended the University of Kansas, spent time in the Army in Berlin (1960-1963), and stayed in Paris where he worked with Kenny Clarke (1963-1969), Eric Dolphy (1964), and Art Taylor. He also toured Europe with Art Blakey (1965) and Ray Charles. Since 1969, Davis has been a professor of jazz at the University of Pittsburgh and Moorhead State University. His two most important musical associations have been heading the Paris Reunion Band (1985-1989) and leading Roots (which he formed in 1991).~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nathan-davis-mn0000377691/biography

Personnel:  Bass – Jimmy Garrison;  Drums – Art Taylor;  Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Nathan Davis;  Piano – Hampton Hawes

Rules of Freedom