George Cables Trio - Bluesology

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:45
Size: 157.4 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[6:45] 1. In Your Own Sweet Way
[6:37] 2. Easy Living
[5:37] 3. There Is No Greater Love
[5:08] 4. Voodoo Lady
[8:06] 5. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[7:56] 6. A Night In Tunisia
[7:19] 7. Hi-Fly
[7:30] 8. Bluesology
[8:58] 9. Ebony Moonbeams
[4:46] 10. How Deep Is The Ocean

George Cables- piano, Jay Anderson- bass, Billy Drummond- drums.

We don't get enough of George Cables these days. You know how it is; record for those little independent labels and somehow you just get lost in the major league shuffle. Look a little deeper and you'll find that Cables has made some great trio music in recent days, with two dates coming to my mind in particular, Night and Day on the Japanese DIW label and Cables' Fables from the pianist's SteepleChase oeuvre. Apparently the alliance with the latter concern has proven productive because there's been a great stream of trio discs to come as the product of that relationship, with Bluesology the most recent to get a Stateside release.

Taking nothing away from its predecessors, Bluesology is a distinguished Cables affair while also being just one damn good piano trio record. The focus is mainly on standards, but what this ensemble does with them is anything but standard fare. Just take the opening Brubeck classic, "In Your Own Sweet Way," which sports a catchy introductory vamp that also provides a launching pad for the solos. Cables' voicings are rich and robust (captured with great finesse by engineer Josiah Gluck), while his improvisational style gains much from a forward momentum, aided further by Billy Drummond's quicksilver drumming. The two Cables originals contained herein are both winners, leaving one with a desire to have had more of his blithe lines thrown into the mix. "Voodoo Lady," as the title might suggest, gets its energy from a rumba beat and thick two-handed block chords from Cables. The lengthier "Ebony Moonbeams" is built upon an eighth-note feel and has an extended form complete with creative periods of tension and release. Then, all of a sudden Drummond kicks into a sprightly samba beat for a spell, only to later find Cables' haunting refrain at the forefront. And yet these are just two highlights among many. Can you say "highly recommended?" ~C. Andrew Hovan

Bluesology

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Alicia Varcoe - Since I Fell For You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:40
Size: 106.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:11] 1. The Nearness Of You
[3:54] 2. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[4:01] 3. Good Morning Heartache
[3:45] 4. Deed I Do
[4:51] 5. Since I Fell For You
[4:24] 6. He Loves And She Loves
[4:08] 7. I Could Write A Book
[4:51] 8. I Believe In You
[5:41] 9. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[6:49] 10. Mad As Hell Blues

With a voice described by pianist Gene D’Andrea as “heartfelt” and “full of possibilities,” twenty-two-year old vocalist Alicia Varcoe is breaking into the jazz scene. Already, Alicia has performed for international audiences at such venues as the U.S. Consulate General in Hamburg, Germany, Roskilde Jazz Days in Denmark, and for an audience of over five thousand in The Hague, the Netherlands. She has shared the stage with jazz luminaries such as Ed Neumeister, Steve Abshire, John Brown, Bobby Muncy, Kevin Pace, and Jon Metzger, with whom she studies. Currently, she is the vocalist for the Elon University Jazz Ensemble in North Carolina. Alicia is also a talented pianist, and works as a freelance accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists. Her debut album, Since I Fell For You premiered March 2013, and features new arrangements of jazz standards, as well as her own original compositions.

Since I Fell For You

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Eddie Calvert - The Best Of Eddie Calvert: The EMI Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:34
Size: 124.9 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. O Mein Papa
[1:38] 2. The Poor People Of Paris
[2:36] 3. Stranger In Paradise
[2:10] 4. April In Portugal
[2:35] 5. On A Slow Boat To China
[2:55] 6. Love Is A Many-Splendoured Thing
[3:42] 7. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[2:09] 8. Sucu Sucu
[2:40] 9. My Son, My Son
[3:13] 10. Il Silenzio
[2:21] 11. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
[2:28] 12. Mandy
[2:45] 13. Around The World
[2:41] 14. Forgotten Dreams
[3:26] 15. My Yiddische Momme
[2:31] 16. Summertime
[3:00] 17. John And Julie
[3:01] 18. Little Serenade [piccolissima Serenata]
[3:10] 19. I Love Paris (Can Can)
[2:40] 20. Zambesi

Eddie Calvert, known as the man with the golden trumpet, was born in Preston, Lancashire on the 15th March 1922 as Albert Edward Calvert. As a child he was exposed to his family's love of brass band music and he learned to play many brass instruments but concentrated on the trumpet. He joined the Preston Town Silver Band at the age of 11 but the war interrupted his musical career and by the late 1940s he returned to play in various amateur brass bands, eventually moving to the professional circuit with the dance bands Geraldo and Billy Ternet. Going solo, he appeared on TV with the Stanley Black Orchestra. He signed to the Columbia label, part of the EMI group and released an instrumental trumpet version of the German song Oh Mein Papa which had most famously been covered in English as Oh My Papa by Eddie Fisher. Calvert's instrumental easily won the chart battle in the UK and it remained at no.1 for nine weeks at the beginning of 1954. Over a year later he was involved in another chart battle for supremacy with the song Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White and this time it was much closer with both his and a very similar trumpet version by Perez Prado reaching no.1 in the Spring of 1955. Several other hits followed including a version of Stranger In Paradise, John And Julie and Mandy, while Little Serenade was his final hit in June 1958. When the 1960s provided no change of fortune, Calvert moved away to settle in South Africa where he lived out the remainder of his life, dying on the 7th of August 1978. ~bio by Sharon Mawer

The Best Of Eddie Calvert: The EMI Years

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Clyde McPhatter - All Time Favorites

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 21:41
Size: 49.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:05] 1. Little Bitty Pretty One
[2:35] 2. Rockin' Robin
[2:27] 3. Don't Let Go
[1:50] 4. I'm Movin' On
[2:43] 5. Money Honey
[2:27] 6. Oh Lonesome Me
[2:52] 7. Pretty Girls Everywhere
[2:08] 8. Sixty Minute Man
[2:31] 9. Such A Night

Clyde McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an influential African-American R&B singer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised in a religious Baptist family, and formed a gospel group in 1945 after his family moved to New Jersey. They soon relocated to New York City, and McPhatter joined the Mount Lebanon Singers, a popular gospel group. In 1950, McPhatter joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes, and was present for the recording of "Sixty Minute Man", which was a huge hit in 1951, and was one of the earliest rock and roll records. After several more hits, McPhatter quit the group in 1953 because he made little money and gained virtually no fame, in spite of his voice being the lead on most of the group's songs. McPhatter then signed to Atlantic Records after forming a group, The Drifters. "Money Honey", "Such a Night", "Honey Love", "White Christmas" and "Whatcha Gonna Do" became huge hits.

In 1954, McPhatter was drafted but was assigned in the U.S., allowing him to continue recording. He soon left The Drifters and launched a solo career. His first solo hit occurred just after being discharged - "Love Has Joined Us Together" (with Ruth Brown). He released several R&B hits in the next few years, but only made one serious dent in the pop charts with the Brook Benton penned song "A Lovers Question", which made it to #6 in 1958. White groups usually covered his best compositions and achieved more widespread mainstream success. In spite of this, McPhatter became one of the most popular black musicians among white listeners. His 1956 recording of "Treasure of Love" saw him enjoy just one week in the UK singles chart. The lack of any subsequent entry gave him the unenviable tag there of being a one hit wonder McPhatter soon signed to MGM Records, and released several more hits. "I Told Myself a Lie" and "Think Me a Kiss" (1960) became minor pop hits, as was "Ta Ta", his first single for Mercury Records. "I Never Knew" and "Lover Please" (1962) became even bigger pop hits, but his career started suffering due to his alcoholism. Other black artists were following McPhatter's blueprint into pop audiences, including Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, Sam Cooke and an all new line-up of The Drifters. McPhatter's unreliability kept him from maintaining his career in the face of this competition. As the 1960s wore on, McPhatter's career kept falling in spite of a few minor hits.

In the early 1970s, McPhatter spent some time living in England, where he still had a significant audience, but this was short-lived. Back again in America, Clyde McPhatter died of a heart attack in 1972, at the age of 39. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

All Time Favorites

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Art Tatum - In Private

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:57
Size: 77.8 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2004/2010
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
[2:44] 2. Sittin' And A-Rockin'
[2:22] 3. You're Driving Me Crazy
[3:00] 4. Tenderly
[3:26] 5. Over The Rainbow
[3:18] 6. In A Sentimental Mood
[2:57] 7. You Took Advantage Of Me
[3:25] 8. It's The Talk Of The Town
[2:55] 9. She's Funny That Way
[3:21] 10. I'll Never Be The Same
[3:27] 11. Night And Day

According to legend, Art Tatum recorded a series of piano solos in the home of pianist Buddy Cole on state-of-the-art equipment for Cole's enjoyment, though the location of these dates has never been conclusively verified. Left to his own devices, with a superb, well-tuned piano and minus the noisy distractions he found in nightclubs, Tatum rolls out one gem after another. Fans will delight in his playful romp through "Sittin' and Rockin'," while the pianist can be heard humming quietly along during his inventive take of "You're Driving Me Crazy." Chime-like chords introduce Tatum's showstopping rendition of "Over the Rainbow," while "Night and Day" is filled with lots of the breathtaking runs that dazzled audiences (and other pianists) throughout his career. The sound quality exceeds Tatum's commercial recordings of the period (though he wasn't recording very much at the time). True Art Tatum fanatics will want to acquire this music, but the Storyville CD Complete Jazz Chronicle: Solo Sessions + is a better investment, as it adds eight alternate takes from these sessions, plus a previously unissued 1955 recording made in New York for Radio Sweden. ~Ken Dryden

In Private

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Eric Alexander - Straight Up

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:34
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front + Back

(8:28)  1. Straight Up
(8:29)  2. What are you doing the rest of your life?
(7:54)  3. Be My Love
(8:00)  4. Blues Waltz
(8:06)  5. Laura
(7:25)  6. An Oscar For Treadwell
(8:12)  7. The End Of A Love Affair
(7:57)  8. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing

Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander finished second in the 1991 Thelonious Monk sax competition, and shows why throughout these eight tracks. He has a full, bright, impressive tone, excellent facility and command of the instrument and is steadily developing a personal sound. While the tracks vary in quality, most are at worst competent and at best outstanding. Alexander is more interesting on uptempo tunes than ballads, where he concentrates more on melodic presentation than thematic exposition.~Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/straight-up-mw0000621138

Personnel: Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Jim Rotondi (trumpet); Harold Mabern (piano); John Webber (bass); George Fludas (drums).

Straight Up

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Silje Nergaard - Be Still My Heart - The Essential

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:13
Size: 157,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Be Still My Heart
(4:40)  2. We should be happier by now
(4:46)  3. Shame On You
(4:58)  4. Dance Me Love
(4:40)  5. I don`t wanna see you cry
(4:21)  6. If You Leave Me Now
(5:24)  7. On and on
(3:06)  8. Me Oh My
(4:12)  9. The Waltz
(5:00) 10. Tell Me Where You're Going
(5:35) 11. How am I supposed to see the stars
(3:46) 12. Keep On Backing Losers
(4:24) 13. Japanese Blue
(3:39) 14. Lullaby To Erle
(4:33) 15. Ga en annen vei

Silje Nergaard is an award-winning Norwegian jazz-pop singer/songwriter who peaked in popularity after the turn of the century with the chart-topping albums At First Light (2001) and Nightwatch (2003). Born on June 19, 1966, in Steinkjer, Norway, she cites influences that include Al Jarreau and Joni Mitchell. As a teenager she became something of a national sensation when she joined an impromptu jam session at the 1983 Molde Internasjonal Jazz Festival. In 1984 she made her solo recording debut with a 7" single, "One of These Mornings"/"My Funny Valentine," released on PolyGram. Several years later she signed a recording deal with Lifetime Records and made her full-length album debut with Tell Me Where You're Going (1990), the first of three English-language jazz-pop albums produced and co-written by Richard Niles. The highlights of these early albums, the others being Silje (1991) and Cow on the Highway (1995), were later compiled on the best-of collection The Lifetime Years (2005). After parting ways with Lifetime Records, Nergaard released a couple Norwegian-language albums on the label Kirkelig Kulturverksted: Brevet (1995) and Hjemmefra (1996). Upon signing a major-label recording deal with Universal Music, Nergaard broke through to mainstream success in 2000 with Port of Call, a full-length English-language effort comprised largely of cover material. Port of Call was a Top Ten hit on the Norwegian albums chart and set the stage for her chart-topping follow-up albums, At First Light (2001) and Nightwatch (2003). Like Port of Call, these two albums feature a quartet comprised of Tord Gustavsen (piano, Rhodes), Harald Johnsen (acoustic bass), and Jarle Vespestad (drums), in addition to Nergaard (vocals). Almost entirely self-composed, Nightwatch was especially successful, earning Nergaard a Spellemannprisen award for Musician of the Year. In the wake of this success, Be Still My Heart: The Essential (2005), a best-of collection also featuring some new material, was released, along with the aforementioned Lifetime compilation. Subsequent albums Darkness out of Blue (2007) and A Thousand True Stories (2009), both Top Five hits, feature an expanded band and arrangements by Vince Mendoza. ~ Jason Birchmeier https://itunes.apple.com/no/artist/silje-nergaard/id13493860#fullText

Be Still My Heart - The Essential

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Lee Ritenour - This is Love

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:09
Size: 136,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. This is Love
(4:41)  2. Mr. Papa
(5:21)  3. Can You Feel It?
(4:28)  4. Dream Away
(6:01)  5. Alfie's Theme
(5:18)  6. And You Know What ... I Love You
(4:53)  7. Baltimore
(3:50)  8. Ooh-Yeah
(7:35)  9. Street Runner
(5:26) 10. Dreamwalk
(6:45) 11. Pavane

Lee Ritenour's first solo album for his new i.e. music label is a good one, one of his best actually, whether staying in the strict jazz-lite format that marks a lot of his previous work or straying into the other idioms that pop up here. Whether emulating Wes Montgomery's octaves or curling around in single-string fashion, Ritenour's playing is irresistibly tasty and swinging, perhaps more so than ever, and the material has real melodic interest more so than anything his former group Fourplay was performing around this time. Among the most interesting swerves off the track are the title tune, which mixes reggae with Montgomery in a very appealing way, and a surprisingly effective closing take on Fauré's "Pavanne." There are extended samples from Sonny Rollins' Alfie score, with "Alfie's Theme" grooving away in a cool, soulful, organ-jazz seam and "Street Runner" tracking Rollins' recording, its quicksilver post-bop clip juxtaposed with repose. On both tracks, Ronnie Foster supplies authentic Hammond B-3 perhaps fulfilling a Jimmy Smith-meets-Wes Montgomery fantasy. Bill Evans and Ernie Watts take guest turns on tenor on a few cuts; Bob James chips on agreeably on Rhodes electric piano on "Can You Feel It?"; and Ritenour often takes matters into his own hands, programming electronic drums and performing on synthesizers. Hardcore jazzers who wrote Ritenour off as a lightweight ought to hear how he has grown as a mature jazz guitarist on this album. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-love-mw0000039079

Personnel: Lee Ritenour (acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer, bass, drum programming); Phil Perry, Lisa Fischer (vocals); Larry Williams (saxophone, flute, synthesizer, keyboards); Bill Evans (soprano & tenor saxophones); Ernie Watts (tenor saxophone); Jerry Hey (trumpet, flugelhorn); Gary Grant (trumpet); Bill Reichenbach (trombone); Ralph Morrison (violin); Alan Pasqua (piano, Fender Rhodes); Bob James (Fender Rhodes); Ronnie Foster (Hammond B-3 organ); Frank Becker (synthesizer, programming); James Genus (acoustic & electric basses); Melvin Davis (bass); Dave Weckl, Sonny Emory (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (timbales, percussion).

This is Love

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