The Jonah Jones Quartet - Swingin' Round The World/Jumpin' With A Shuffle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 51:49

Size: 118.6 MB

Styles: Swing, Trumpet jazz

Year: 2014

Art: Front

[1:57] 1. Arrivederci Roma

[1:54] 2. Swingin' 'round The World

[2:28] 3. South Of The Border

[1:59] 4. A Foggy Day

[2:11] 5. April In Paris

[1:53] 6. Brazil

[2:00] 7. Madrid

[1:57] 8. Chicago

[2:23] 9. Manhattan

[2:09] 10. Song Of The Islands

[2:04] 11. Isle Of Capri

[1:47] 12. Shamghai

[2:12] 13. Dream

[2:07] 14. You're Driving Me Crazy

[2:06] 15. Lazy River

[2:19] 16. More Than You Know

[2:10] 17. Nine Twenty Special

[2:13] 18. Entratter's Blues

[2:14] 19. Misty

[1:53] 20. The Great Lie

[2:31] 21. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

[2:24] 22. One For My Baby

[2:10] 23. The Lonesome Road

[2:36] 24. My Monday Date

Jonah Jones, trumpet & vocal on #3,9,15 & 21; Teddy Brannon, piano; John Brown, bass; George 'Pops' Foster, drums. Recorded in New York City, 1958 (#1,4-7 & 9-10), 1959 (#2,3,8,11 & 12); and Las Vegas 1960 (#13-24).

"I'm going to find this album very difficult to remove from my CD player! From the moment Jonah's big buttery sound filled the room I was hooked."

Warm toned and with a lively vibrato Jonah's swinging playing would suit fans of Harry 'Sweets' Edison and Buck Clayton to a tee. Seemingly simple big swinging phrases and fiery dextrous soloing, both open and in a range of very enviable mutes, show just what a star of the trumpet Jonah Jones really is.

This CD features two albums, Swingin 'Round the World and Jumpin with a Shuffle, a total of 24 delicious well-known standard tracks recorded in 1958 and 1960. Although both CDs feature just a trio with Jonah on trumpet and occasional husky-toned vocal, the accompanying trio are toe-tappingly light, swinging and tasteful, with the feel veering more towards jump jive... dare I say 'rock and roll' on tracks 13-24. Each track is no more than two and a half minutes long but this provides ample time for Jonah's infectiously joyful trumpet playing to become something you want to listen to time and again. I'd like the other six CD's now please!" ~Georgina Jackson

Swingin' Round The World/Jumpin' With A Shuffle

---

Ruby Braff - As Time Goes By

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:15
Size: 167.7 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 1991/1997
Art: Front

[6:45] 1. Shoe Shine Boy
[7:13] 2. Lonely Moments
[4:51] 3. This Is All I Ask
[7:12] 4. Love Me Or Leave Me
[6:47] 5. Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)
[6:02] 6. As Long As I Live
[3:21] 7. Jeepers Creepers
[5:36] 8. My Shining Hour
[7:04] 9. Sugar
[4:25] 10. As Time Goes By
[4:46] 11. You're Sensational I Love You, Samantha True Love
[4:06] 12. Basin Street Blues
[5:03] 13. Linger Awhile

Ruby Braff has long been among the most consistent of jazz performers; every note he hits is purposeful. Although playing in an older idiom, the veteran cornetist's enthusiasm and passion makes such songs as "Liza," "Jeepers Creepers" and "Basin Street Blues" sound quite alive and fresh on this live CD from London. Braff is joined by guitarist Howard Alden and bassist Frank Tate. Highlights of the top-notch mainstream performance include "Shoe Shine Boy," Mary Lou Williams' haunting "Lonely Moments," "Linger Awhile," and a three-song medley from the film High Society. ~Scott Yanow

As Time Goes By

---

Helen O'Connell - I've Got The World On A String

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:30
Size: 72.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:19] 1. Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Savin' My Love for You)
[1:52] 2. Manhattan
[2:46] 3. I Cried for You
[2:33] 4. Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)
[1:33] 5. Ten Cents a Dance
[2:12] 6. I Hadn't Anyone Till' You
[1:50] 7. It's a Lonesome Old Town
[2:32] 8. He's Funny That Way
[2:06] 9. You Turned the Tables on Me
[2:42] 10. They Can't Take That Away from Me
[2:13] 11. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
[2:15] 12. I've Got the World on a String
[2:19] 13. Just One More Chance
[2:14] 14. Blue and Broken Hearted

Helen O'Connell, who had a fairly long career, will always be best remembered for her squeals on "Green Eyes" and her work with Jimmy Dorsey. She originally left her native Toledo with Jimmy Richards' nine-piece group, gigging and touring for a year and a half. O'Connell appeared on a regular radio show in St. Louis until she agreed to tour with Larry Funk's band (which was billed as "Band of a Thousand Melodies"). After the outfit started working in New York, she was discovered and quickly signed up by Jimmy Dorsey in 1938. O'Connell soon had a hit rendition of "All of Me," which was followed by popular recordings of "Embraceable You," "Brazil," "Jim." and "When the Sun Comes Out" (which she introduced). However, it was in December 1940, when she started sharing recordings with ballad singer Bob Eberly, that O'Connell for a time became a household name. Eberly generally took a slow chorus, Jimmy Dorsey would have a brief instrumental interlude, and then O'Connell would finish up the record with a swinging chorus. This combination worked very well on hit versions of "Amapola," "Yours," "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine." After appearing in the 1943 movie I Dood It with Dorsey (singing "Star Eyes"), O'Connell retired to get married; she would eventually have four daughters. In 1950 she began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. Although her voice was limited, she made her deficiencies into assets and carved out her own place in musical history. Helen O'Connell was active up until shortly before her death from cancer. ~ Scott Yanow

I've Got The World On A String

---

Various - Blue Funk

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 74:03

Size: 169.5 MB

Styles: Soul-Funk-Jazz

Year: 1992/2001

Art: Front

[2:12] 1. Blue Mitchell - Who Dun It

[7:39] 2. Lou Donaldson - Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)

[6:54] 3. Big John Patton - Cissy Strut

[5:44] 4. Grant Green - Ease Back

[6:00] 5. Delegation - Oh Honey

[4:00] 6. Candido - Tic Tac Toe

[4:09] 7. Richard Groove Holmes - Grooving With Mr. G

[5:31] 8. Grant Green - Cantaloupe Woman

[5:51] 9. Grant Green - I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing

[4:28] 10. Ronnie Foster - Don't Knock My Love

[9:02] 11. Lou Donaldson - If There's Hell Below (We're All Going To Go)

[8:02] 12. Reuben Wilson - Bambu

[4:27] 13. Bobby Hutcherson - Family Affair

This is a very attractively priced sampler by Blue Note, issued in the early '90s on CD highlighting their deep and funky soul-jazz titles for the beat heads and emergent hip-hop nation that was sampling in earnest at the time. (Little did the label know that collectors and DJs wanted wax, not shiny little plastic.) In any case, this attractively priced sampler of BN acts from the '60s and '70s is all killer, no filler; it's heavy on funk and soul. Sure it's got the big B sharp players from the era, like Groove Holmes ("Down Home Funk"), Jack McDuff (the amazing "Hunk O Funk"), Big John Patton (with a killer cover of the Meters' "Cissy Strut"), Reuben Wilson ("Bambu") and Ronnie Foster ("Don't Know My Love"), but there's way more. Lou Donaldson and Grant Green make up the royalty for this period (the producers still hadn't realized just how happening Donald Byrd was to the emerging hip-hop generation so he's not here) and they are well represented by a few cuts each -- Donaldson's read on James Brown's "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)," is a monster; and Green's take on "Cantaloupe Woman" is simply bad ass. But there is some added class to this mix with Candido's smoking drum funk in "Tic Tac Toe," and Blue Mitchell's set-opening "Who Dun It." But the big surprise comes at the very end when Bobby Hutcherson clocks it all out with his uber funky soulful read of Sly Stone's "Family Affair," setting the vibe just right as a cap. A couple of these Blue Note soul-jazz comps would fuel any bash, and would provide an awesome Friday night jump to Sunday afternoon cruise control and leave the listener without a care in the world. ~Thom Jurek

Blue Funk

---

Jim Tomlinson - Brazilian Sketches

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:56
Size: 116.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:01] 1. Dreamer
[4:10] 2. Caminhos Cruzados
[4:39] 3. Ligia
[4:32] 4. So Nice
[5:11] 5. Só Danço Samba
[4:27] 6. Once I Loved
[6:30] 7. I Concentrate On You
[3:35] 8. Portrait In Black And White
[3:38] 9. She's A Carioca
[4:21] 10. The Gentle Rain
[4:45] 11. No More Blues (Chega De Saudade)

Perhaps best known for his work as the compelling counter-voice to singer and wife Stacey Kent, saxophonist Jim Tomlinson is recognized as a distinctive saxophone voice in his own right. His new CD demonstrates a huge step forward in technique and interpretation, highlighted by the obvious empathy between the band members - Colin Oxley, John Pearce, Simon Thorpe and Chris Wells. But why Brazil? Jim says: 'I chose these tunes because I love them and I had gotten into the habit of only playing tunes that I love...though Joao and Astrud Gilberto were the definitive performers of the idiom, Antonio Carlos Jobim is the greatest composer of Bossa Novas and his tunes are unavoidable and utterly desirable when compiling such an album. Features Stacey Kent on vocals.

Brazilian Sketches

---

Jessica Molaskey - A Kiss to Build a Dream On

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:13
Size: 142,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. Happy Habit
(4:20)  2. Baby Medley
(3:28)  3. Hello Sunshine Hello
(4:12)  4. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
(3:17)  5. Louis
(4:09)  6. Tea for Two
(3:41)  7. Take Me to You
(4:13)  8. Breezin' Along With the Breeze
(3:48)  9. Isn't He Something
(3:46) 10. Hiding in Plain Sight
(3:07) 11. Four Leaf Clover
(5:51) 12. You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
(5:53) 13. Ain't Misbehavin'
(4:49) 14. Bye Bye Blues
(2:48) 15. Heart's Desire

When Broadway actress Jessica Molaskey met jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli, an engaging partnership (both musical and marital) was formed. Molaskey enjoyed the musical family she married into, including father and guitarist Bucky and brother-in-law/bassist Martin, all of whom join her on her first CD for a purely jazz label. Rounding out the band is the talented young violinist Aaron Weinstein, a swinging, sensitive player in the Stéphane Grappelli tradition whose maturity on his instrument belies his youth. One of Molaskey's greatest strengths is her effortless ability to convey the emotion of each song without overdoing it, while her vocals are always right on the money. She also chose quite a few pieces that have long fallen into obscurity, including the upbeat "Happy Habit," the brightly swinging "Hello Sunshine Hello" (which interpolates "You Are My Sunshine" and utilizes multi-tracked vocals), and "Breezin' Along with the Breeze." John joins her for an intimate vocal duet of "Tea for Two" that includes the oft-omitted verse, along with their warm original "Hiding in Plain Sight," the latter adding guest Larry Fuller on piano. She also chose a pair of Stephen Sondheim songs, offering a playful rendition of "Everybody Loves Louis" (from Sunday in the Park with George and the sentimental ballad "Isn't He Something" (from Bounce. Jessica Molaskey will warm an audience of any size with this superb release. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-kiss-to-build-a-dream-on-mw0000797982

Personnel:  Jessica Molaskey-vocals;  John Pizzarelli-guitar, vocal duets (6, 10);  Bucky Pizzarelli-guitar;  Martin Pizzarelli-bass;  Aaron Weinstein-violin;  Larry Fuller-piano (10)

A Kiss to Build a Dream On

---

Caribbean Jazz Project - Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1) And (Disc 2)

Mallet man Dave Samuels' career has ranged from the experimental, ECM-ish vibe of his '70s Double Image group to an artistically questionable association with the commercially viable smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. And while those who knew just how much Samuels was capable of were more than a little surprised to see him maintain a long-term relationship with such a lightweight group, he managed to remain credible, always being critically singled out, even as Spyro Gyra itself was often dismissed. But, while Samuels' years with Spyro Gyra might have confused his fans, as did a string of equally lightweight solo albums for MCA and GRP, he did succeed in attaining greater visibility than he would have, had he continued with his bolder work of the '70s and '80s. And so, when he formed the Caribbean Jazz Project in '01 with the debut release Paraiso, Samuels appeared to have, in embracing Afro-Cuban music, found the perfect middle ground: accessible enough to appeal to larger audiences, but adventurous enough, in its own way, to help re-establish some credibility with the cognoscenti. Fans of more oblique idioms may still find the Caribbean Jazz Project too lightweight, but the fact is that amongst the captivating rhythms and engaging melodies, there's more than meets the eye.

And while the three previous studio efforts have had charms to recommend, the new double live set, Here and Now - Live in Concert, may be the best of the bunch. Back from '02's The Gathering and '03's Birds of a Feather are pianist Dario Eskenazi and percussionist Roberto Quintero, who, along with Samuels, are beginning to forge a group identity that the more guest-laden studio releases lacked. Rounding out the sextet are percussionist Mark Walker, known for his work with the genre-busting Oregon, but proving to be a highly capable Latin drummer as well; bassist Oscar Stagnaro, who combines unerring groove with fleet-fingered virtuosity; and the outstanding Argentinean ex-pat trumpeter Diego Urcola. And while the playing is universally top notch, it's Urcola who stands out, no surprise to anyone who has heard his remarkable '03 release, Soundances, which blended newfound urban roots in New York City with his folkloric background. It is, in fact, the way that Samuels manages to blend his Afro-Cuban concerns with other styles that makes Caribbean Project so distinctive. While Samuels' own compositions range from the aptly titled 5/4 tribute "Five for Elvin to the more overt cha-cha of "Arthur's Dance, it's his clever arrangements of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments, Coltrane's "Naima, and Monk's "Bemsha Swing that really show the height of his invention, making them fit seamlessly within the overall groove-centricity. And with the excitement of live performance making every track sparkle, Here and Now perfectly combines adventure with accessibility. It's hard not to like. It looks as though Samuels has finally found the perfect middle ground between reaching a wider audience and maintaining greater artistic integrity. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/here-and-now-live-in-concert-dave-samuels-concord-picante-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Dave Samuels (vibes, marimba), Diego Urcola (trumpet, flugelhorn), Dari Eskenazi (piano), Oscar Stagnaro (bass), Mark Walker (drums), Roberto Quintero (congas, percussion).

Album: Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1)

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:51
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:55)  1. Rendevouz
( 9:45)  2. Stolen Moments
(10:16)  3. Turnabout
( 8:03)  4. Arthur's Dance
( 8:29)  5. The Gathering
( 9:13)  6. Picture Frame
(10:07)  7. Bemsha Swing

Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 1)
Album: Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 2)

Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:47
Size: 161,7 MB

(11:18)  1. One Step Ahead
( 7:35)  2. Mariella's Dream
(10:49)  3. On The Road
( 6:26)  4. Five For Elvin
( 9:51)  5. Naima
( 9:52)  6. Night In Tunisia
(13:53)  7. Caravan (bonus track)

Here And Now: Live In Concert (Disc 2)

---

Bobby Hutcherson - Cirrus

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:50
Size: 91,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Rosewood
(9:00)  2. Even Later
(7:26)  3. Wrong Or Right
(8:25)  4. Zuri Dance
(7:16)  5. Cirrus

While it doesn't quite match the heights of their early collaborations, Cirrus finds Bobby Hutcherson resuming his partnership with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, and the results are quite good. The pair work with pianist Bill Henderson, trumpeter Woody Shaw, bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Larry Hancock, saxophonist/flautist Emmanuel Boyd and percussionist Kenneth Nash on this set of originals. The music is a little smoother than their earlier collaborations, but there are enough captivating, provocative moments to make the reunion a success. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/cirrus-mw0000868341

Personnel:  Bobby Hutcherson - vibes, marimba;  Woody Shaw – trumpet;  Emanuel Boyd, Harold Land - tenor saxophone, flute;  William Henderson - piano, electric piano;  Ray Drummond – bass;  Larry Hancock – drums;  Kenneth Nash – percussion.

Cirrus

---

Sonny Fortune - Awakening

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:00
Size: 100,9 MB
Art: Front

(11:12)  1. Triple Threat
(10:21)  2. Nommo
( 5:43)  3. Sunshower
( 3:15)  4. For Duke and Cannon
(13:27)  5. Awakening

Sonny Fortune's second LP as a leader is an adequate set of mostly straight-ahead jazz, which sets it apart from many of his fusion-venturing peers of the '70s. With a slate of expert, professional sidemen (Billy Hart, John Hicks, Reggie Workman, Charles Sullivan, etc), Awakening never amazes, but it also never disappoints. Fortune, as usual, offers several spirited solos, while his cohorts incessantly swing. Straight-ahead jazz fans will appreciate this yeoman set. ~ Vicent Thomas http://www.allmusic.com/album/awakening-mw0001880928

Personnel:  Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone, flute, cowbell, chimes, claves, shaker, percussion;  Charles Sullivan - trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 1 & 5);  Kenny Barron - piano, electric piano (tracks 1-3 & 5);  John Hicks - piano (track 4);  Wayne Dockery (track 1 & 3-5), Reggie Workman (track 2) – bass;  Billy Hart (tracks 1-3 & 5), Chip Lyle (track 4) – drums;  Angel Allende - congas, percussion (tracks 2 & 5)

Awakening

---