Lani Hall - 2 albums: Sundown Lady / Sweet Bird

The original voice of Sergio Mendes' Brasil '66, singer Lani Hall was also the wife of trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert. Upon exiting Brasil '66, she made her solo debut in 1974 with the LP Sundown Lady; a series of releases including 1975's Hello It's Me, 1977's Sweet bird and 1979's Double or Nothing followed, but after appearing on the soundtrack to the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again, Hall largely disappeared from the recording scene, resurfacing only to make the occasional cameo appearance on her husband's recordings. However, the rise of Latin pop during the 1990s inspired Hall to return to the studio, and in 1998 she issued Brasil Nativo. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

Album: Sundown Lady

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:56

Size: 84.6 MB

Styles: Latin, Vocal

Year: 1972/2016

Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Love Song

[4:06] 2. Tiny Dancer

[2:57] 3. How Can I Tell You

[4:01] 4. You

[3:42] 5. Siren Song

[3:56] 6. Sundown Lady

[3:39] 7. Come Down In Time

[3:31] 8. Sun Down

[5:57] 9. Vincent

[1:53] 10. Wherever I May Find Him 

Sundown Lady

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Album: Sweet Bird

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 34:19

Size: 78.6 MB

Styles: Latin, Vocal

Year: 1976/2016

Art: Front

[2:21] 1. Send In The Clowns

[3:07] 2. That's When Miracles Occur

[3:40] 3. Early Mornin' Strangers

[3:28] 4. Misty Blue

[4:39] 5. Too Many Mornings

[6:27] 6. At The Ballet

[3:23] 7. Happy Woman

[4:17] 8. Dolphins Lullaby

[2:53] 9. Sweet Bird

Sweet Bird

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Jimmy Raney, Doug Raney - Duets

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:23

Size: 97.0 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 1986

Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Have You Met Miss Jones

[5:22] 2. My One And Only Love

[5:10] 3. Action

[6:28] 4. Invitation

[5:15] 5. It Might As Well Be Spring

[5:22] 6. Days Of Wine And Roses

[4:18] 7. Oleo

[6:22] 8. My Funny Valentine

Father and son guitarists Jimmy and Doug Raney first started working together in 1977, usually in a quartet. Fortunately, they had a couple opportunities to record together. The previous recording Stolen Moments matched their guitars with bass and drums; on this particular occasion, they perform an enjoyable set of duets on seven jazz standards and Jimmy Raney's "Action." Although Doug (then 22) was clearly influenced by his father, he had also listened closely to Tal Farlow and Jim Hall; with practice, listeners should be able to tell the Raneys apart. Highlights of the date include "Have You Met Miss Jones," "Invitation" and "Days of Wine and Roses." ~Scott Yanow

Duets  

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Dixie Chicks - Playlist: The Very Best Of The Dixie Chicks

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:31
Size: 108.8 MB
Styles: Progressive bluegrass, Country-pop
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:42] 1. Wide Open Spaces
[3:36] 2. You Were Mine
[3:36] 3. Sin Wagon
[4:45] 4. Cowboy Take Me Away
[3:07] 5. Let Him Fly
[4:06] 6. Long Time Gone
[3:47] 7. Landslide
[4:26] 8. Truth, No. 2
[4:32] 9. The Long Way Around
[4:01] 10. Easy Silence
[3:56] 11. Not Ready To Make Nice
[3:52] 12. Lubbock Or Leave It

It’s a sign of the times that the Dixie Chicks' first compilation isn’t a high-profile release but rather a budget-line entry in Sony’s Playlist series; greatest-hits albums aren’t necessarily big-ticket items, but rather a way to get all the big tunes in a quick download. Playlist doesn’t quite fit the bill for the Dixie Chicks: this series is designed to balance big hits with album tracks, intentionally bypassing some charting singles, so there are a few major ones missing here, including “I Can Love You Better,” “There’s Your Trouble,” “You Were Mine,” “Goodbye Earl,” “Ready to Run,” “Tonight the Heartache’s on Me,” “Cold Day in July,” and “Some Days You Gotta Dance.” That said, Playlist does have the biggest hits -- “Wide Open Spaces,” “Sin Wagon,” “Long Time Gone,” “Landslide,” “Not Ready to Make Nice” -- and the tracks are sharply selected, making for a good, representative compilation if not quite a definitive one. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Playlist: The Very Best Of The Dixie Chicks

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Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra - Live At The Bop Stop

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:51
Size: 141.6 MB
Styles: New Age, Contemporary jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[6:17] 1. Dobbins Chest
[9:02] 2. Be Thou My Vision
[5:07] 3. Somebody Loves Me
[7:32] 4. Mon Ami Jobim
[6:00] 5. Love Theme From Spartacus
[6:27] 6. Every Time We Say Goodbye
[7:15] 7. Village Trumpets
[6:29] 8. Stardust
[7:37] 9. Brazil

Paul Ferguson has been director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University since 1988. A graduate of the University of Akron and the Eastman School of Music, Paul has traveled with the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller bands as lead trombonist and arranger and currently fills those functions with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. Paul was principal trombonist of the Canton Symphony from 1989-98 and at various times has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Apollos’s Fire, the Cleveland Chamber Brass, the New Hampshire Festival Orchestra and various groups across Northeast Ohio. In 1995, Paul was the recipient of the Gil Evans Fellowship in Jazz Composition.He has two recordings–”Blue Highways”, recorded with the RIAS Big Band of Berlin, and “Friends”, recorded with his own orchestra. Last summer, Paul taught at an International Jazz Seminar in Zarautz, Spain, wrote three arrangements for the Glenn Miller Orchestra and wrote three arrangements for the Cleveland Pops for use on the Drew Carey show.

Live At The Bop Stop

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Avishai Cohen - After The Big Rain

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 135,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:15)  1. After the Big Rain
(11:48)  2. Parto Forte
( 4:38)  3. Gbede Temin
( 8:16)  4. Meditation on Two Chords
( 7:19)  5. Afterthoughts (Mozartine)
( 3:44)  6. Miryama
(11:04)  7. African Daisy (La Suite African)
( 6:00)  8. After the Big Rain (Epilogue)

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen has had a varied musical career. He toured with the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and then went into a wider spectrum playing jazz, pop and rock. However, it was when he was at Smalls jazz club in New York, that he had the opportunity to interact and expand his musical horizons with Jason Lindner, Claudia Acuna and Omer Avital. Cohen carries his wide-ranging vision with effect into After The Big Rain. The title tune sandwiches the selections, the last being an "Epilogue. The first has an underlying power brought to the front by singer Lionel Loueke, his voice a worthy minstrel. Although the words are in Fon, the language of Benin, West Africa; the listener is drawn into the emotional vortex that Loueke creates. Cohen brings in a seductive tensile quality, letting the lines of his trumpet inveigle their way into the melody before he sprays the mellowness with a welter of notes to break up the linear movement. The epilogue shines from the interaction that takes place. Cohen, Daniel Freedman (percussion), Loueke (guitar), and Yosavany Terry ( chekere) stimulate an effervescent air. Add Loueke's vocals, both sung and spoken, and the tune stamps its undeniable class.

The fermenting tide of "Parto Forte is a melting pot from which emerge African rhythm, jazz harmony, free movement, and a dollop of funk. The shift comes in gradually, the chekere and the vocals sashaying in before Cohen shapes it with a structured melody. His jazz instincts serve the tune well and bring it to the forefront. The rhythm bed stirs headily as Cohen continues to recharge the melody with intense phrases that jump and probe. Jason Lindner (keyboards and Fender Rhodes) uncoils light and slowly, his lope to the Rhodes unlocking a percolating swizzle of notes. Cohen then funks in as he filters his trumpet through electronic effects. This CD is the first in a trilogy. Before The Big Rain and The Big Rain: Birth of the World are set to follow. On the evidence here, the wait is salivating. ~ Jerry D’Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/after-the-big-rain-avishai-cohen-trumpet-anzic-records-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel:  Avishai Cohen: trumpet & FXs;  Lionel Loueke: guitar & vocals;  Jason Lindner: keyboards and Fender Rhodes;  Omer Avital: acoustic bass;  Daniel Freedman: drums and percussion;  Yosvany Terry: chekere (1, 2, 7, 8).

After The Big Rain

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Kate Ceberano - Kensal Road

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:08
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. Garden State
(3:14)  2. You and I
(3:35)  3. So Far From Home
(3:47)  4. Champion
(3:52)  5. Have It All
(3:48)  6. Magnet
(4:22)  7. Louis' Song
(3:21)  8. My Heavy Heart
(3:41)  9. Jez
(3:35) 10. How High
(4:17) 11. The Little Things

Kensal Road is an album by Australian recording artist Kate Ceberano that was released on 26 July 2013. Kensal Road was recorded in the United Kingdom with songwriter/producer James Bryan and marks Kate Ceberano's first recordings of original material since "The Girl Can Help It" in 2003. It contains elements of Ceberano's original pop sound and was announced Kensal Road as "a new chapter" in Ceberano's musical career. Ceberano said about the album: "I think it's one of my favourite albums because of the elements that went into making it, working with some amazing European musicians, having the creative control and the support of Sony Music Australia. Rather than me having to go to them and say I want to do this they said 'we're ready for you to do this now' and that is a beautiful reversal of flow if you know what I mean." Musically, Kensal Road incorporates Kate's early musical influences of Hawaiian folk music and Fleetwood Mac, but was also created to reflect the genres of nu-folk and nu-country, being influenced by such singer/songwriters as Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Ryan Adams. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensal_Road

Kensal Road

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Candy Dulfer - The Essential Candy Dulfer

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:50
Size: 167,7 MB
Art: Front

( 4:20)  1. Lily Was Here
( 5:10)  2. Dance'Till You Bop
( 3:58)  3. Sax-A-Go-Go
( 4:02)  4. Pick Up The Pieces
( 5:15)  5. Funkyness
( 5:09)  6. Girls Should Stick Together
( 4:55)  7. So What
( 4:55)  8. Bob's Jazz
( 4:49)  9. 2 Funky
( 3:40) 10. Wake Me Up When It's Over
( 3:26) 11. Girls Night Out
( 4:17) 12. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love For Me)
(10:11) 13. I Can't Make You Love Me (Live)
( 8:34) 14. For The Love Of You (Live)

2008 Dutch only compilation. Candy is the daughter of saxophonist Hans Dulfer. She started playing drums at the age of five. On her own initiative, she decided she wanted to play the saxophone. The rest is history. 

An acclaimed session player; she's recorded and performed with the likes of Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Dave Stewart, Prince, Angie Stone, Jonathan Butler, David Sanborn and many others. 14 tracks including her international hit 'Lily Was Here'. https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Candy-Dulfer/dp/B001BI0HS0

The Essential Candy Dulfer

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Bradley Leighton - Groove Yard

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:27
Size: 97,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:00)  1. Mojave
(7:38)  2. Groove Yard
(6:21)  3. Fotografia
(6:48)  4. Dona Maria
(6:11)  5. Bahia
(7:27)  6. Road Song

Brazilian jazz doesn't necessarily have to be soft, lyrical, caressing, or gently melodic. The innovative saxophonist Ivo Perelman, for example, has combined Brazilian rhythms with free jazz and has been greatly influenced by Albert Ayler and post-1965 John Coltrane; at times, Perelman can be downright blistering. But in many cases, Brazilian jazz is, in fact, lyrical and gently melodic and those words easily describe what Bradley Leighton does on Groove Yard, his first album as a leader. The West Coast flutist doesn't play Brazilian jazz exclusively on this 2003 release; his interpretation of Wes Montgomery's "Road Song," for example, is more Afro-Cuban than Brazilian. But Brazilian songs dominate the 42-minute CD, and they're songs that inspire Leighton to be especially lyrical  including Ary Barroso's "Bahia," Duduka Da Fonseca's "Doña Maria," and two Antonio Carlos Jobim compositions: "Fotografia" and "Mojave." Leighton, thankfully, isn't one of those jazz musicians who plays warhorses exclusively. When it comes to Brazilian music, some of the lazier jazz artists refuse to do their homework they insist on playing nothing but the most beaten-to-death warhorses and are too lazy to unearth the lesser-known gems of prolific composers like Jobim, Ivan Lins, Dori Caymmi, and Milton Nascimento. But Leighton isn't lazy; "Mojave" is one of Jobim's lesser-known songs and while "Fotografia" is better known than "Mojave," it hasn't been totally beaten to death the way that "Corcovado," "The Girl from Ipanema," and "One Note Samba" have been beaten to death. As lyrically as Leighton plays on Groove Yard, he still knows how to be funky; soul-jazz is a major inspiration, especially the soul-jazz of Herbie Mann and Hubert Laws (two of his main influences). Leighton isn't a groundbreaking or terribly original player, but he's talented, warm, and expressive and those qualities serve him well on this solid, if derivative, outing.~Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/groove-yard-mw0000222188

Personnel: Bradley Leighton (flute, alto flute); Bob Magnusson (double bass); Jaime Valle (guitar); Mike Wofford (piano); Duncan Moore (drums); Allan Phillips (percussion).

Groove Yard

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