Aretha Franklin - The Great American Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:02

Size: 130.6 MB

Styles: R&B, Soul, Traditional pop

Year: 2011

Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Little Brown Book

[2:54] 2. Trouble In Mind

[3:13] 3. Try A Little Tenderness

[2:50] 4. It Ain't Necessarily So

[2:46] 5. How Deep Is The Ocean

[4:34] 6. Cold, Cold Heart

[2:29] 7. Love For Sale

[2:30] 8. How Glad I Am

[2:50] 9. Skylark

[4:33] 10. This Bitter Earth

[2:14] 11. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

[3:29] 12. What A Difference A Day Made

[4:51] 13. Only The Lonely

[2:21] 14. Rock A Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody

[3:01] 15. God Bless The Child

[3:06] 16. Say It Isn't So

[2:39] 17. Are You Sure

[3:17] 18. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)

Legacy released this 18-track disc less than two months prior to the 11-CD/one-DVD Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia. In a sense, The Great American Songbook is nothing more than a box-set sampler, but it shall remain an excellent overview of Franklin’s overlooked (or willfully ignored) early-‘60s releases, which were heavy on interpretations of songs written by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer, George and Ira Gershwin, Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, and Irving Berlin. While she had not fully blossomed and was years away from the gutsier material of her commercial peak -- only “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” scratched the Top 40 -- her voice was nonetheless supremely expressive, rooted in her gospel upbringing and drenched in soul. She was no mere stylist; when she sings “Ooh, honey, I’d like to really melt your cold, cold heart,” there is as much fire as there is in any given line of “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.” Even the earliest cuts here, taken from late 1960 and early 1961 sessions with the Ray Bryant Combo, are soul through and through. (Note for fanatics: the mixes of "Trouble in Mind" and "Love for Sale" eliminate the fabricated crowd noise heard on Yeah!!!.) ~Andy Kellman

The Great American Songbook

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Dick Sisto - Soul Searching

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:29] 1. Boppy
[5:10] 2. Like A Mist
[6:22] 3. Earth Lament
[4:21] 4. 12 Steps
[1:53] 5. The Path
[6:57] 6. La Mesha
[4:48] 7. Love Grows Deep
[3:19] 8. Summer Of Love
[6:38] 9. Work
[3:40] 10. Protest Four Freedom
[2:45] 11. Chance
[4:18] 12. New Water

Dick Sisto - Vibraphone; Bobby Broom - Guitar on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,9; Barry Ries - Trumpet on Trks. 5,8,10,12; Dennis Irwin - Bass on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,9,11; Jim Anderson - Bass on Trks. 8,10,12; Mike Hyman - Drums on Trks. 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,12.

"Soul Searching" is an extremely well conceived and performed CD, marked by an interesting set of compositions that merit close attention. It is an excellent showcase for Sisto's sensitivity and harmonic awareness. Solos are flawlessly paced, and delivered without a hint of waste. A spirited and remarkably inventive unit." ~Dick La Palm (The Jazz Lobbyist)

Soul Searching     

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Various - Relaxing Bossa Lounge Vol 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 121.2 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Easy Listening
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Marcela Mangabeira - You're Beautiful
[2:09] 2. Monique Kessous - With A Little Help From My Friends
[2:38] 3. Maria Augusta - All Of Me
[2:50] 4. Maria Creuza - Insensatez (Senseless)
[4:21] 5. Luís Carlos Vinhas - Samba Da Benção
[4:00] 6. Maria Augusta - Speak Low
[3:45] 7. Marcos Valle - Summer Samba (Samba De Verão)
[2:36] 8. Monique Kessous - A Hard Day's Night
[3:18] 9. Cris Delanno - Isn't She Lovely
[3:21] 10. Maria Augusta - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[4:01] 11. Bob Tostes - I've Got You Under My Skin
[3:32] 12. Dudu Braga - You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
[4:04] 13. Marcela Mangabeira - September
[3:09] 14. Taryn Szpilman - I Say A Little Prayer For You
[2:17] 15. Monique Kessous - If I Fell
[3:45] 16. Wanda Sá - Love Is In The Air

Relaxing Bossa Lounge                

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Jimmy Giuffre - The Music Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:06
Size: 91.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. Iowa Stubborn
[3:02] 2. Goodnight My Someone
[3:24] 3. Seventy-Six Trombones
[2:55] 4. Marian The Librarian
[3:54] 5. My White Knight
[4:29] 6. The Wells Fargo Wagon
[3:54] 7. It's You
[3:07] 8. Shipoopi
[3:53] 9. Lida Rose (Will I Ever Tell You)
[3:13] 10. Gary, Indiana
[3:49] 11. Til There Was You

Controversial, misunderstood, and underappreciated, Jimmy Giuffre was an unlikely candidate to break as much ground as he did in the art of free improvisation. A swing orchestra veteran, Giuffre made his name as part of the West Coast school of cool jazz, but his restless creative spirit drove him to push the boundaries of texture, dynamic shading, counterpoint, and improvisational freedom in surprisingly avant-garde ways, despite maintaining a cool, cerebral exterior. Born in Dallas in 1921, Giuffre studied music at North Texas College and subsequently played tenor sax in an Army band; upon his discharge, he took jobs with orchestra leaders like Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, and Buddy Rich. In 1949, he joined up with Woody Herman, for whom he'd penned the classic composition "Four Brothers" two years earlier. He then moved to the West Coast, where he learned clarinet and baritone sax, and played with groups like Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and Shorty Rogers' Giants. Giuffre began leading his own sessions in 1954, with groundbreaking albums like Four Brothers and Tangents in Jazz exploring bluesy folk-jazz and third stream fusions. In 1956, he formed the first version of the Jimmy Giuffre 3, which featured guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena; in 1958, the bassist was replaced by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, resulting in the highly unorthodox-sounding albums Trav'lin' Light, Four Brothers Sound, and Western Suite, as well as a classic version of Giuffre's hit "The Train and the River" in the Newport film Jazz on a Summer's Day. In 1961, Giuffre formed a new trio featuring pianist Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow; it was with this group, on the albums Fusion, Thesis, and the 1962 landmark Free Fall, that Giuffre really began to explore the subtler, more spacious side of free improvisation (mostly on clarinet). Unfortunately, the trio's music was too advanced to gain much of a reception, and they disbanded in 1962. Giuffre became an educator, and recorded off and on during the '70s; he experimented with electric instruments in the '80s, reunited his 1961-1962 trio in 1992, and continued to record for several avant-garde-oriented labels, most frequently Soul Note. In his later years Giuffre suffered from Parkinson's disease and no longer performed or recorded; he died of pneumonia in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 2008 at the age of 86. ~ bio by Steve Huey

The Music Man

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Melody Gardot - Currency Of Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:43
Size: 111.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Retro Soul, Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[5:23] 1. It Gonna Come
[4:29] 2. Preacherman
[5:03] 3. Morning Sun
[4:59] 4. Same To You
[4:14] 5. Don't Misunderstand
[4:17] 6. Don't Talk
[6:50] 7. If Ever I Recall Your Face
[4:38] 8. Bad News
[3:56] 9. She Don't Know
[4:48] 10. Once I Was Loved

On 2012's The Absence, Melody Gardot made her first shift away from the jazz-tinged ballads that drew such heavy comparisons to Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux. Lushly orchestrated, it was chock-full of songs inspired by Brazilian, Latin, and French forms. On Currency of Man, Gardot takes on a rootsier sound, embracing West Coast soul, funk, gospel, and pop from the early '70s as the backdrop for these songs. It is not only different musically, but lyrically. This is a less "personal" record; its songs were deeply influenced by the people she encountered in L.A., many of them street denizens. She tells their stories and reflects on themes of social justice. It's wide angle. Produced by Larry Klein, the cast includes members of her band, crack session players -- guitarist Dean Parks, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Larry Goldings, the Waters Sisters, et al. -- and strings and horns. The title track is a funky blues with a rumbling bassline, dramatic strings (à la Motown) and fat horns. Gardot uses the lens of Sam Cooke to testify to the inevitability of change: "We all hopin’ for the day that the powers see abdication and run/Said it gonna come…." First single "Preacherman" is similar, employing a wrangling, smoldering blues that indicts racism in the 20st century by referring to the violent death of Emmett Till, a catalyst in the then-emergent Civil Rights movement. A driving B-3, saxophone, and menacing lead guitar ratchet up the tension to explosive. A gospel chorus mournfully affirms Gardot's vocal as a harmonica moans in the background. "Morning Sun" and closer "Once I Was Loved" are tender ballads that emerge from simple, hymn-like themes and quietly resonant with conviction. "Same to You" evokes the spirit of Dusty Springfield atop the punchy horns from her Memphis period, albeit with a West Coast sheen. The nylon-string guitar in "Don't Misunderstand" recalls Bill Withers' earthy funkiness. The song's a groover, but it's also a warning to a possessive lover. "Don't Talk" uses spooky polyrhythms (à la Tom Waits) as brooding, spacy slide guitars, B-3, and backing singers slice through forbidding blues under Gardot's voice. "If Ever I Recall Your Face" is jazzier, a 21st century take on the film noir ballad with glorious strings arranged by Clément Ducol that rise above a ghostly piano. "Bad News" simultaneously looks back at L.A.'s Central Avenue and burlesque scenes. It's a jazz-blues with a sauntering horn section, snaky electric guitar, and squawking saxophone solo. Vocally, Gardot is stronger than ever here, her instrument is bigger and fuller yet it retains that spectral smokiness that is her trademark. Currency of Man is a further step away from the lithe, winsome pop-jazz that garnered her notice initially, and it's a welcome one. ~Thom Jurek

Currency Of Man

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Red Holloway - Coast to Coast

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:05
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. Still Groovin'
(8:04)  2. Avalon
(5:10)  3. 3 steps up clark
(4:07)  4. Indian summer
(6:43)  5. Struttin' with Julie
(8:13)  6. Water jug
(4:53)  7. Million Dollar Secret
(9:48)  8. Good to Go

With all the accolades and attention paid to acts like Soulive and Medeski, Martin and Wood, the true progenitors of their music often get lost in the shuffle. Milestone has been righting such wrongs for years by signing evergreen Soul Jazz talent to its ranks. This new entry by Red Holloway serves as the latest notice that the venerable voices of the idiom are still alive and kicking. Holloway, who first gained acclaim as a member of Jack McDuff’s outfit in the early 1960s and waxed a string of popular Prestige sides on his own, has a horn sound custom-suited to the groove. Basie alum Frank Wess adds a compatible hard swing element to the band sound palpable from the opening legato riffing of “Still Groovin’.” Plectrist Melvin Sparks and Dr. Lonnie Smith, also known under his whirling dervish moniker The Turbanator, bring decades of soul and funk experience to the session alongside the two lead horns. Paul Humphrey mans the drum kit and stokes a driving beat that never oversteps his partner’s fluid movements. These chaps might be older, grayer and in Holloway’s case, balder, but they still no how to conjure up and contain a propulsive groove.

Holloway projects no illusions as to the purpose of the music or the session. This is first and foremost an opportunity for the principals to have a good time and celebrate a shared lineage that is now over four decades strong. He keeps running time down to a modest fifty-three minutes over the span of eight cuts. There’s enough space for everyone to stretch, but not too much room to meander or falter. The succinct nature of the set results in substantial replay dividends, just as the uncluttered arrangements set feet to tapping and the fingers to popping. Holloway’s alto even shows up on the ballad “Indian Summer” synching gracefully with the fulsome flutter of Wess’ tenor. The two saxophonists dance a slow waltz atop the molasses throb of Smith’s thick tonal sustains. Just about the only stumble is Holloway’s decision for a vocal turn on the Helen Humes vehicle “Million Dollar Secret.” His pipes have neither the bite of a leathery voiced bluesman nor the convincing swagger of cocktail crooner and come off as desultory despite the fine backing by the band. The slow sizzling closer, “Good to Go,” regains lost ground with some greasy interplay between Sparks and Smith. The tenors slip and slide across the lubricious chordal terrain and Holloway wisely prolongs the tune past the nine-minute mark. As the icing on the sonic cupcake, the entire session was recorded in the warm acoustics of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, the site of countless earlier groove conclaves. ~ Derek Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/coast-to-coast-red-holloway-fantasy-jazz-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Red Holloway- tenor & alto saxophones, flute; Frank Wess- tenor saxophone; Dr. Lonnie Smith- organ; Melvin Sparks- guitar; Paul Humphrey- drums.

Coast to Coast

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Karen Gallinger - Remembering Bill Evans

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:43
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. Turn Out The Stars
(4:00)  2. In April ( For Nenette)
(4:20)  3. Catch The Wind
(5:22)  4. Waltz For Debbie
(4:52)  5. Five
(3:36)  6. My Bells
(3:58)  7. Funkallero
(3:49)  8. We Will Meet Again
(5:32)  9. Only Child
(4:40) 10. Remembering The Rain
(7:06) 11. Dawn Preludes ( Time Remembered)
(7:39) 12. Interplay
(2:05) 13. I Remember Bill

For her fourth album, Karen Gallinger has taken on the not insignificant undertaking of devoting a program virtually entirely to the compositions of a singularly inventive jazz pianist, Bill Evans. Evans' musical structures can be difficult to deal with just as instrumentals, never mind when lyrics have been added. His music can be jagged and quirky and was usually composed without any idea of accommodating the needs of a lyricist. In addition to being technically intimidating, his music can be brooding, pensive, and introspective reflecting the personal difficulties he faced throughout his far too short life. The obstacles notwithstanding, vocalist Karen Gallinger and her talented cohorts pull off this undertaking with facility and aplomb making Remembering Bill Evans a notable event. 

Their success was aided and abetted by Evans' widow, Nenette Evans, who provided material giving the performers unique insights on the music. This results in not only excellent interpretations of some of Evans' better-known compositions like "Turn out the Stars" and the jazz classic "Waltz for Debbie" tour de force performances, but lesser-known works like "My Bells" and "Only Child" are made memorable occasions as well. With her dark, deep voice, restrained scatting, and her unusual ability to transform her voice into a stringed instrument like a bass or cello, this becomes Gallinger's finest album to date. Her supporting cast is excellent. Tom Zink's piano, which shows the influence of Evans, along with Larry Steen's lyrical bass and Chris Wabich's restrained drums provide the foundation upon which this session is built. Larry Koonse is on just four tracks, but on those his guitar work is sterling. In addition to her singing, Gallinger also wrote the lyrics to some of the songs. This is a fine tribute album and is recommended. ~ Dave Nathan http://www.allmusic.com/album/remembering-bill-evans-mw0000112556

Personnel: Karen Gallinger (vocals); Larry Koonse, Gannin Arnold (guitar); Tom Zink (piano); Chris Wabich (drums).

Remembering Bill Evans

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Joshua Douglas Smith - Major Incident

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 67:03
Size: 127,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:48)  1. Orphan
( 7:45)  2. Thursday Thoughts
( 6:09)  3. The Awakener
( 3:46)  4. Poohbear
( 8:20)  5. Right Coast
( 8:41)  6. My Offering
(11:32)  7. Major Incident
( 7:51)  8. Turn The Page
( 6:06)  9. Napoleon Complex

Introducing a new talent has always been a major and satisfying incident for SteepleChase. The list of artists whose debut albums it produced includes Doug Raney, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Andy LaVerne, Hilton Ruiz, Joe Locke, Kevin Hays, Larry Willis, Rick Margitza, Rich Perry just to mention a few. The latest addition, saxophonist Joshua Douglas Smith is just turning 21 and studying jazz and economics at New York University. Joshua and his fellow NYC students formed this group and within a short time they began to display extraordinary levels of creativity.

“ Joshua Douglas Smith and his three contemporaries…make an impressive debut here and in doing so indicate a bright and optimistic future for jazz .” (Mark Gardner)

Personnel: Joshua Douglas Smith (soprano & tenor saxophones); Adam Fernandez (piano); Justin Marx (bass); David Christian (drums).

Major Incident

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Gregory Tardy - Jam Session, Vol. 21

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:17
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

( 8:57)  1. I Remember April
( 9:53)  2. Impressions
( 4:43)  3. Misty Thursday
( 3:23)  4. Self Portrait In Three Colors
( 5:20)  5. Crazy Love
(10:59)  6. What Is This Thing Called Love
(11:10)  7. On Green Dolphin Street
( 8:47)  8. Au Privave

Born. c. 1964, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Tardy studied classical clarinet as a child, encouraged by his parents, both of whom were opera singers. His mother, Jo Anne Tardy, after singing classical music became a gospel-influenced jazz singer. After switching to tenor saxophone, Tardy played with funk bands in Milwaukee before his brother urged him to listen to jazz, after which he was especially influenced by John Coltrane’s recordings. He studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and at the University of New Orleans, along the way encountering Ellis Marsalis who became tutor and mentor. Resident in New York City from 1992, Tardy became deeply involved in the contemporary jazz and improvised music scenes. Among musicians with whom he has played are Rashied Ali, Omer Avitel, Jonathan Blake, Betty Carter, Steve Coleman, George Colligan, Ravi Coltrane, Sean Conly, Xavier Davis, Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Aaron Goldberg, Russell Gunn, Eric Harland, Tom Harrell, Antonio Hart, Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, Joe Lovano, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Mulgrew Miller, James Moody, John Patitucci, Nicholas Payton, Chris Potter, Dewy Redman, David Schumacher, Mark Turner and Bobby Watson, the latter being cited as an especially important influence.

Tardy customarily leads his own quintet but is also a regular member of other bands, including a cooperative quartet, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, recording 2007’s Blues Man From Memphis released by Blue Canoe Records. Others in this quartet are John Clayton, Stefon Harris and Donald Brown. Although primarily playing tenor saxophone, Tardy has also latterly returned to the clarinet for some sessions. He has regularly returned to New Orleans, playing usually with contemporary bands, including the Young Olympians. On his 2007 recording Steps Of Faith, Tardy’s mother sings on one track, ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’. A distinctive and forceful player, Tardy has rapidly built a reputation not only for his playing but also for his interesting compositions, which form the core of his repertoire. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gregory-tardy-mn0000162540
 

Personnel: Christian Winther, Gregory Tardy, Wayne Escoffery (tenor saxophone); Billy Drummond (drums).

Jam Session, Vol. 21

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