Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Jay McShann & His Orchestra - Hootie's KC Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:38
Size: 106.8 MB
Styles: Big band, Jump blues
Year: 1983/2010
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. Hootie Blues
[2:55] 2. Red River Blues
[2:56] 3. Confessin' The Blues
[2:36] 4. Vine Street Boogie
[2:53] 5. 'fore Day Rider
[3:13] 6. Sepian Bounce
[2:39] 7. Hold 'em Hootie
[2:42] 8. Swingmatism
[3:05] 9. Broken Heart Blues
[3:04] 10. One Woman's Man
[3:07] 11. Get Me On Your Mind
[2:59] 12. Dexter Blues
[2:43] 13. Hootie's Ignorant Oil
[3:06] 14. New Confessin' The Blues
[3:00] 15. Lonely Boy Blues
[2:36] 16. So You Won't Jump

Bluesman Jay McShann--"Hootie" to his friends-- has been a living legacy of Kansas City jazz for over 60 years. As pianist, bandleader, singer, and composer McShann has been an unsung but important figure in jazz history. McShann's big band of the 1930s and '40s delivered the hard swinging music of Kansas City imbued with foot pattin' rhythms, boogie woogie beats, and the cryin' and shoutin' blues. It was a launching pad for many talented soloists including a young Charlie Parker, whom the band introduced to the world via early radio broadcasts, recordings, and national concert appearances. A wide-eyed McShann first rolled into a very different Kansas City in the late 1930s, during the era of "Mob Boss" Tom Pendergast. He then met pianist Pete Johnson and singer Joe Turner, who would have a profound effect on his career. McShann later started his own group that in just a few years grew into a full fledged big band. In 1941, with Walter Brown on vocals, the Jay McShann Orchestra recorded its biggest selling hits, including "Confessin' the Blues," "Hootie Blues," and "Vine Street Boogie," for Decca Records.

Hootie's KC Blues

Melora Hardin - Purr

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:18
Size: 103.7 MB
Styles: Adult contemporary
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Heaven And Earth
[3:18] 2. Dance
[3:31] 3. Cloud 9
[4:19] 4. All Messed Up
[3:21] 5. I've Got My Eye On You
[3:03] 6. Sight To Be Seen
[3:16] 7. Zoom Zoom
[3:13] 8. Dope Me Up
[3:02] 9. Naive
[4:31] 10. Teenager
[5:02] 11. Dial O (On The Little Pink Telephone)
[4:12] 12. A Boy And His Cat
[0:21] 13. Sandcastle By The Sea

MELORA has been singing and writing songs all her life. Music flows through her and she loves to write, record and perform. Her mother says she wrote her first song when she was two years old, and sang it over and over and over again. Melora says she is still on her musical journey, and is always finding ways to get closer to who she is musically. You can follow her recording career thus far with her three cds, "The Meloradrama", "PURR" and "All The Way To Mars". Or you can catch Melora singing live around the country with her act, as well as local gigs in Los Angeles. Melora has been lucky enough to be able to express herself musically in many other venues too. She had the time of her life performing live on Broadway as 'Roxie Hart' in Chicago, and as 'Fantine' in Les Miserables at the Hollywood Bowl with Lea Michelle. In movies like Disney's "The Rocketeer" singing "Begin the Beguine" and "When Your Lover Has Gone" (both songs are on the original motion picture soundtrack) and made for TV movie "Tower Of Terror". On television singing The National Anthem for NASCAR, The Ducks, The Dodgers and numerous others, as well as TV shows like the "The Office" ("Babyshower" episode) and in her new TBS series "Wedding Band" she can be seen singing one of her original songs "As Boy and His Cat" as well as many other songs as 'Roxy Rutherford'.

Purr

Various - Mambo De Cuba

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 83:21
Size: 190.8 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz, Latin rhythms
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[6:46] 1. Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers - El Niño Mambo
[4:57] 2. Snowboy - Mambo For Max
[4:19] 3. Johnny Blas - Oaklands Mambo
[3:51] 4. John Santos - Mambo Moña Mix X
[6:13] 5. Snowboy - El Campeon Del Mambo
[5:31] 6. Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers - Happy Feet Mambo
[6:35] 7. Johnny Blas - Mambo 2000
[4:00] 8. Snowboy - Mambo Rage
[7:48] 9. Robert Incelli - Mambo Niles
[5:23] 10. Blues Mambe For 'trane And Sphere
[4:38] 11. Johnny Blas - Mambone
[4:57] 12. Francisco Aguabella - Mambo For Puente
[4:24] 13. Johnny Blas - Mambo To The Max
[5:49] 14. Johnny Blas - M.J.'s Mambo
[8:04] 15. Johnny Blas - Debbie's Mambo

Mambo is a musical form and dance style that developed originally in Cuba, with further significant developments by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians in Mexico and the USA. The word "mambo" means "conversation with the gods" in Kikongo, the language spoken by Central African slaves taken to Cuba.

Modern mambo began with a song called "Mambo" written in 1938 by brothers Orestes and Cachao López. The song was a danzón, a dance form descended from European social dances like the English country dance, French contredanse, and Spanish contradanza. It was backed by rhythms derived from African folk music.

Mambo De Cuba

Eddie Chamblee - Chamblee Special

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:42
Size: 152.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Chamblee Special
[4:26] 2. Without A Song
[2:39] 3. At Your Beck And Call
[3:57] 4. And The Angels Sing
[4:38] 5. Whisper Not
[3:13] 6. Flat Beer
[4:10] 7. Sometimes I'm Happy
[3:57] 8. Stella By Starlight
[4:34] 9. Tea For Two
[2:22] 10. Strollin' Sax
[4:34] 11. Stardust
[2:37] 12. Swing A Little Taste
[4:00] 13. Robbin's Nest
[4:22] 14. Doodlin'
[4:16] 15. Village Square
[2:14] 16. Long Gone
[3:23] 17. Lester Leaps Again
[2:11] 18. Solitude
[1:52] 19. Back Street

Tracks #1-5: Johnny Coles (tp), Julian Priester (tb), Eddie Chamblee (ts), Charlie Davis (bs), Jack Wilson (p), Richard Evans (b), Charlie Persip (d). #6-9: Joe Newman (tp) and Osie Johnson (d) replaxe Coles and Persip. #10-19: Flip Ricard (tp), Julian Priester (tb), Eddie Chamblee (ts, vcl #11), Charlie Davis (bs), Jack Wilson (p), Robert Wilson (b), Charlie james Slaughter (d). Recorded in Chicago, 1957 (1-9) and 1958 (10-19).

This CD brings together two excellent sessions that Chamblee made in Chicago in 1957 and 1958, fronting a septet of outstanding category that had previously served as a very efficient backing group on some of the recordings made by his wife Dinah Washington. They were most certainly not just mere blowing sessions in the studio but effective and exciting arrangements executed with enormous precision and swing. Throughout these sessions we can hear Chamble in his triple facet of impressive honker, excellent composer and quality arranger. Apart from the splendid labours of the leader, on many of the themes that appear on this CD we can hear other experienced jazzmen such as Joe Newman, Johnny Coles, Charlie Davis or Jack Wilson. A very suitable example of the extraordinary quality of a musician who made some of his best performances fronting small combos, the type of formation that allowed him to demonstrate his great musical qualities and his enormous capacity for swinging.

Chamblee Special

Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra Feat. Sylvia Bennett - Sentimental Journey

Styles: Vocal And Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:09
Size: 86,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Sentimental Journey
(3:12)  2. Don't Get Around Much Any More
(2:32)  3. The Lady Is A Tramp
(3:34)  4. Undecided
(6:12)  5. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(6:53)  6. It's All Right With Me
(4:28)  7. Lullabye of Birdland
(3:03)  8. Almost Like Being In Love
(3:40)  9. Avalon (Instrumental)

A rather forgettable album, this set mostly features the okay vocals of Sylvia Bennett on a variety of overplayed swing standards. Lionel Hampton's big band is mostly restricted to background work with occasional short individual spots while Hampton himself is the only soloist on five of the nine selections, including the lone instrumental, "Avalon." The lack of liner notes on the Atlantic LP is surprising since its purpose seemed to be to introduce a new singer. This set can be safely passed by. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/sentimental-journey-mw0000193276

Personnel:  Bass – Pat O'Leary; Drums – Rick Visone;  Piano – Alan Simon (2) ;  Saxophone – Adam Brenner, Dave Schumacher, Doug Miller, Jerry Weldon, Tom Chapin;  Synthesizer [Yamaha Dx-7], Vibraphone – Lionel Hampton;  Trombone – Charles Stephens, Chris Gulhaugen, John Gordon, Robert Trowers;  Trumpet – Al Bryant, John Pendenza, Lee Romano, Vince Cutro;  Vocals [Featuring] – Sylvia Bennett

Sentimental Journey

Jackie Ryan - Best of Love songs

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:55
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. When I grow too old
(4:53)  2. You'd be so nice to come home to
(3:56)  3. While we're young
(5:47)  4. Make it last
(4:36)  5. Let there be love
(2:50)  6. Luiza
(3:54)  7. This heart of mine
(3:11)  8. Once in everyone's life
(5:35)  9. Besame mucho
(4:36) 10. Seasons of the heart
(5:28) 11. Serenade in blue
(4:15) 12. Now or never
(4:34) 13. Historia de un amor
(5:17) 14. The very thought of you
(5:15) 15. You are there

An effective best-of CD isn't necessarily going to be the last word on an artist's contributions, but it should at least offer an appealing synopsis that makes one want to dig deeper. Best of Love Songs, which is Jackie Ryan's first best-of collection, accomplishes that; when this 67-minute CD is finished playing, the listener definitely wants to hear more from her. Best of Love Songs' greatest flaw is its lack of liner notes. Although Ryan has a lot going for her, she isn't a major name in the jazz world (at least as of early 2010), and that is precisely why a Ryan best-of should have had comprehensive, informative liner notes. Sometimes, the jazz releases that lack liner notes are the ones that need them the most. But the absence of liner notes doesn't make these previously released recordings any less enjoyable. Listening to "Serenade in Blue" from Passion Flower, "Make It Last" from This Heart of Mine, or "The Very Thought of You" from You and the Night and the Music, it is obvious that Ryan is a skillful, expressive torch singer who has learned a lot from influences like Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday, and Betty Carter (although Ryan isn't nearly as abstract as Carter). One of Ryan's major assets is her ability to express herself in languages other than English; Best of Love Songs underscores that point by giving listeners a chance to hear her performing in Spanish on Consuelo Velazquez's "Bésame Mucho" and Carlos Almaran's "Historia de un Amor," and in Portuguese on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Luiza." Best of Love Songs paints an attractive picture of Ryan, and it can be a pleasing, if imperfect, place to start exploring her work. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/best-of-love-songs-mw0001961317

Personnel:  Vocals: Jackie Ryan;  Sax: Ernie Watts, Red Holloway, Noel Jewkes;  Piano: Jon Mayer, Tamir Hendelman, Larry Vuckovich, Leonard Thompson;  Drums: Jeff Hamilton, Roy McCurdy, Omar Clay, Eddie Marshall;  Percussion: Luis Romero;  Trumpet: Allen Smith ;  Bass: Christoph Luty, Jeff Chambers, Darek Oles, John Wiitala;  Guitar: Barry Zweig, Larry Koonse;  Harp: Carol Robbins

Best of love songs

Oli Silk - Where I Left Off

Styles: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:08
Size: 131,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Ooh Baby!
(4:05)  2. Where I Left Off
(5:00)  3. Take Me Away
(4:09)  4. Burning up the Carnival
(4:01)  5. Seasons Change
(5:51)  6. Su Casa, Mi Casa
(4:03)  7. Catch My Breath
(5:24)  8. Cluster Funk
(5:07)  9. Rest Assured
(6:07) 10. Music Without Sound
(3:54) 11. Take Some Time Out
(4:47) 12. Suits You, Sir!

You can always count on one of our groovemasters from across the big pond to deliver the musical goods when the time is right  and the time is always right. This time, British keyboardist/composer/producer Oli Silk is the deliverer of some fine grooves as he releases Where I Left Off  which is so apropos since he does pick up the party where he left off with the tight Razor Sharp Brit album back in 2013.Silk brings in a lot of familiar mega-talent on this one, including fellow Englishman and smooth jazz guitar icon Peter White, the always dapper and super-cool guitarist Nick Colionne, songstress Katie Leone, trumpet giant Rick Braun, the lovely flutist Althea Rene, and sax virtuosos Steve Cole and Phil Denny. Here with an array of moods and feels, Silk offers the hot, funky lead track “Ohh Baby” then settles back on the tempo a tad as he delivers the mid-tempo title track before ushering in White on the hook-rich, clean, and bouncy “Take Me Away.” He then allows Katie Leone to take us to where they’re “Burning Up the Carnival.” Pick your scenario on this one: Rio, Mardi Gras, on one of our coastal beaches, or in your own backyard party with other beloved revelers. It’s all happening on this spirited charmer.

As usual, Silk dazzles with his trademark fluid style of blowing up either piano or keys. His love of this music simply dances from his fingertips and into one’s heart, which is why he remains so well regarded among jazzers. If you know Silk’s music, you know that you have much from which to choose as a favorite. Mine just happen, in addition to the lead track and “Burning Up the Carnival,” “Cluster Funk” (which, naturally, is rife with phat funk), the tender and soulful “Rest Assured” featuring the caressing flute of Althea Rene about midway through. Such a nice touch to a softly swaying tune. Then, there’s the dance-friendly funkster “Music Without the Sound” again featuring the Leone vocals. You’ll notice that, often, the album is cleverly arranged to alternately switch you from an upbeat and lively place to a sweet and reflective one. Well-produced, arranged, and performed. Signature Silk. In fact, I’d say to the keyboardist: As your finale states: “Suits You, Sir!” ~ Ronald Jackson  http://www.thesmoothjazzride.com/oli-silk-where-i-left-off/

Where I Left Off