Saturday, September 24, 2016

Malou Beauvoir & Jean Chaudron Trio - An Evening At The Swan

Size: 105,1 MB
Time: 45:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. It Don't Mean A Thing (5:30)
02. Corcovado The Man I Love (5:09)
03. Les Feuilles Mortes (5:08)
04. Honeysuckle Rose (4:56)
05. Cry Me A River (6:30)
06. You Made A Fool Out Of Me (3:58)
07. Misty (4:41)
08. Lullaby Of Birdland (3:48)
09. Good Morning Heartache (5:22)

Born in Chicago of Haitian parents, raised in New York, Malou is a unique combination of her multi-cultural influences and experiences. Raised among musicians; her brother, Jean Beauvoir, is the renowned hard rock phenomenon - performer/singer/songwriter/producer (The Ramones, Kiss, The Plasmatics), her other brother is a proficient bass player.
At 15 she moved to Paris to attend the American University while pursuing her artistic passions; acting and singing. Her debut single “Waste my Time” was released a few years later.
After her BA she obtained an MBA in the US, and worked her way up the corporate ladder, ultimately becoming Director of Business Development for Southern Europe and Africa for a US-based high-tech company. At the same time, Malou kept her passions going by recording and acting from time to time.
By the end of the 90’s Malou had decided to give up the world of business to concentrate wholly on her singing and acting. She quickly secured engagements in leading venues around the world, including in Dubai, Rio, Beirut, London, and in Paris where she performed for two years as the lead singer at the renowned Paradis Latin. Then, more recording; a featured artist for Universal (Datafolk); M-Tracks; co-writing and recording with artists in diverse styles -- Hip Hop, Dance, House -- co-signing many of her tracks with DJ’s and lending her versatile voice to different productions while continuing to compose on her own.
A chance encounter in a London venue with a jazz drummer led her to sign up for a Jazz course being held in a chateau near Paris in 2006. It was there that she discovered the beauty and freedom of singing jazz. One evening, after one of several dates at the Petit Journal Montparnasse, performing with her R&B band, she wandered into The Swan, a small club to see a friend perform. Fate struck in the person of Jean Chaudron, who immediately upon hearing her sing, proposed to produce a jazz album built around her vocal style.
AN EVENING AT THE SWAN with the Jean Chaudron Trio is the fruit of that collaboration. A subtle cocktail of diverse styles, cultures and musical influences tempered by the warm sensuality of Malou’s voice, the unique musical phrasing of Jean Chaudron on the bass aided by Bernard Désormières’ proficiency on the piano and Alain Bouchaux’s subtle and pervasive style on drums … applied to the great jazz classics.
LIVE at The LIONEL HAMPTON with the Jean Chaudron Quintet is the vibrant memento of a week’s residence at the famed Lionel Hampton Jazz club in Paris. Jeff Hoffman (guitar) and Bobby Rangell (Sax and flute) are added to the explosive cocktail and the result is a soulful, eclectic mix of recordings which retrace the evening’s events.
After a year in New York where Malou concentrates on acting (The Pan Man (theatre) and television, Malou resurfaces in Brussels in 2011 with the Yvan Paduart (piano) who introduces her to the Music Village. She will perform there twice in the following months with the Jean Chaudron trio, with whom she is working on a new album of original tunes. Enamoured of Brussels, the Music Village and the inspiration the offer her, she and Jean Chaudron decide to produce a LIVE at the MUSIC VILLAGE in March 2012.

An Evening At The Swan

Steve Gadd Band - Way Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY

Size: 155,6 MB
Time: 67:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Green Foam (8:38)
02. Cavaliero (8:49)
03. Africa (9:42)
04. Way Back Home (9:40)
05. Bye Bye Blackbird (6:32)
06. Desu (7:27)
07. Oh, Yeah! (9:26)
08. Them Changes (6:51)

Steve Gadd is one of the most sought-after studio musicians, in the world. Regarded as the most influential drummer in contemporary music, Gadd can play anything, easily bridging different musical styles. His feel, technique, and musicality on such tunes as Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways", Steely Dan's "Aja", and Chick Corea's "Nite Sprite" were so awe-inspiring and his concepts so innovative that they instantly assured his special position in the history of the percussive arts.

Gadd attended the Manhattan School of Music for two years, then finished at Eastman School of Music. Before that, he studied privately with Bill and Stanley Street and John Beck. He established himself with Chuck Mangione, then spent three years in the Army prior to coming to New York and doing studio work in 1971.

He rapidly rose to prominence on the studio scene and has since played with a wide variety of artists, including Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Aretha Franklin, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Scott, Frank Sinatra, and Stuff. After a period of touring and recording with his own band, the Gadd Gang, he provided the spark that ignited Paul Simon's South African inspired, Grammy Award-winning recordings and dynamic live touring band.

Over the last two decades, Steve Gadd has emerged as a brilliant producer in his own right. In addition to embarking on massive, world-wide tours, clinics (Yamaha/Zildjian/Hudson: Mission From Gadd), and recordings with superstars such as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Kate Bush, and James Taylor, he has also produced groundbreaking albums with The Gaddabouts (Edie Brickell, Pino Pallidino, Andy Fairweather Low), Mika Stoltzman (w/Eddie Gomez & Richard Stoltzman), Pedro Martinez Band, Steve Gadd and Friends, L'Image (Mike Mainieri, Warren Bernhardt, and Tony Levin), David Sanborn & Bob James, and...Steve Gadd Band! Gadd is on tour with James Taylor & Eric Clapton.

Way Back Home

Flora Martinez - Flora

Size: 99,4 MB
Time: 35:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Happy (3:27)
02. The Captain Of Her Heart (4:08)
03. Make You Feel My Love (4:04)
04. The Scientist (4:26)
05. Los Aretes De La Luna (3:20)
06. Let's Stay Together (3:36)
07. Safe And Sound (3:28)
08. De Musica Ligera (3:12)
09. True Colors (3:10)
10. Gimme Shelter (2:51)

Born in Montreal and raised by a Canadian mother and a Colombian father, Flora Martinez made her professional debut in 1994 on a Colombian television show called Mambo. She spent the next several years appearing on a host of Spanish-language TV programs, including Maria Bonita, La Otra mitad del sol, and Divorciada. In 1999, Flora broke through into the world of features with a pivotal role in the thriller Soplo de vida. This movie, which played at film festivals around the world, finally brought Flora to the attention of viewers far outside of her homeland.

The very next year, Flora made her North American debut in Proof of Life and found herself acting opposite Hollywood heavyweights like Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan and David Morse. 2002 was even busier for Flora, as the up-and-coming actress appeared in two films: the romantic comedy I’m with Lucy (alongside Monica Potter, Gael Garcia Bernal and David Boreanaz) and the Campbell Scott/Hope Davis indie drama The Secret Lives of Dentists.

Following those appearances, Flora returned her attention to films in her native language. She won critical and audience acclaim for her starring roles in 2005’s Rosario Tijeras and 2007’s Tuya siempre, which established her as one of the most promising South American actresses since Penelope Cruz.

Flora

Carol Bach-Y-Rita - Minha Casa / My House

Size: 102,9 MB
Time: 43:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Latin Jazz
Label: Carol Bach-Y-Rita
Art: Front

01. Morning Coffee (4:02)
02. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (3:54)
03. A Night In Tunisia (3:53)
04. 'Tis Autumn (4:49)
05. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (3:07)
06. Nature Boy (3:54)
07. Trust (4:43)
08. Pra Quem Quiser Me Visitar (4:20)
09. Gardening With No Pants (3:26)
10. Love Look Away (5:08)
11. While My Lady Sleeps (2:37)

In addition to beautifully interpreting the best of the American Songbook, Carol sings the gorgeous music of Brazil and the Americas in Spanish and Portuguese. Her sound is lush and swinging from the intimacy of a duo setting to a full big band.

She has been a featured performer at Jazz venues and festivals throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, with noted repeat engagements with MTT and The San Francisco Symphony, The Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Newport Jazz Party.

Carol has worked with many top artists in Jazz and Brazilian music in the United States and abroad, including: Harry Allen, Claudio Roditi, John Clayton, Chuck Redd, Jacky Terrason, Bill Cunliffe, Chico Pinheiro, Joshua Redman, Mark Levine, Ricardo Silveira, , Bruce Forman, Dado Moroni, Michael Spiro, Rique Pantoja, Kleber Jorge....

Her current band JAZZ BLISS features Bill Cantos, Mike Shapiro, Larry Koonse and John Leftwich. Treasured collaborations abound with LA favorites Hussain Jiffry, Bill Cunliffe, Capital, Aaron Serfaty, Mitchell Long, Larry Steen, Trey Henry....

Music took a back seat for a number of years while she explored a successful career in radio and then voice over. Fluent in 5 languages, she is represented by WME, Stars and IBE. Her credits include hundreds of TV and radio commercials, games, animation, narration, movies, web, print and on-camera work. Her state of the art home studio is fully equipped with ISDN lines, phone patch and skype access.

Music and movement are inseparable in Carol's life! Her background in Feldenkrais has made her truly unique in her approach to dance instruction and performance. She has toured Europe performing Brazilian and Afro-Cuban dance and currently owns and runs a small dance studio in Hollywood.

Born to Americans living abroad (a neurophysiologist father and an artist mother,) she grew up primarily in Northern California, with numerous childhood years in Italy, Mexico and Spain. After graduation from UC Berkeley, she spent three years singing in Paris, with extensive touring throughout Europe. Her last name (Bach-y-Rita) is Catalan, and she possesses both American and European/Spanish citizenship.

Jazz Bliss - ranges in size from duos to quintets. More improvisational in nature, this group draws from the best musicians LA has to offer in straight ahead, bebop, brazilian, and cuban music. Currently band members consist of: Bill Cantos on piano, Larry Koonse on guitar, John Leftwich on bass, Mike Shapiro on drums.

Minha Casa / My House

John Scofield - Country For Old Men

Size: 144,1 MB
Time: 62:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Country
Art: Front

01. Mr Fool (5:02)
02. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (6:59)
03. Bartender's Blues (5:15)
04. Wildwood Flower (3:51)
05. Wayfaring Stranger (6:28)
06. Mama Tried (5:14)
07. Jolene (7:32)
08. Faded Love (6:28)
09. Just A Girl I Used To Know (4:07)
10. Red River Valley (6:13)
11. You're Still The One (4:16)
12. I'm An Old Cowhand (0:29)

The clue is in the title: Country For Old Men is John Scofield's take on country music. He may have tackled pieces of the genre before, but this is his first album dedicated to country.

Whilst he may be paying homage to some of his influences, he is by no means in thrall to them. Some of the tunes he takes pretty straight - such as the opener, George Jones' Mr Fool - others are country through a jazz prism, and the jazz wins through.

The result can be slightly disconcerting, though not unpleasantly. With Steve Swallow on bass, Larry Goldings (organ and piano) and his regular drummer Bill Stewart, Sco makes the tunes his own. So whilst the opening chorus of Dolly Parton's Jolene might make one hesitate, the quartet settle down into an upbeat waltz, Goldings taking a fine piano solo which grows and grows before its resolution.

Goldings' atmospheric organ on Bartenders' Blues emphasises the tune's gospel roots. His piano playing helps bring out the blues on the traditional Wayfaring Stranger. On both these Scofield plays the theme with a typical country "twang", reverting to his more usual sound for the solos.

Elsewhere, the tunes sound pure jazz. Hank Williams' I'm So Lonely I Could Cry is barely recognisable: taken at a cracking pace, Swallow's walking bass and Stewart's energetic, swinging drumming pushing the tune along.

Jazz has long appropriated other genres' material and made them its own. Most jazz standards were old show tunes; Coltrane took My Favourite Things and recast it to his needs. Hearing Scofield do the same for country is both enjoyable and illuminating. ~by Patrick Hadfield

Country For Old Men

Bria Skonberg - Bria

Size: 153,4 MB
Time: 65:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Don't Be That Way (4:07)
02. Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) (4:12)
03. From This Moment On (5:53)
04. Curious Game (3:24)
05. Trust In Me (4:25)
06. Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) (3:53)
07. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me (3:37)
08. How Can It Be (4:18)
09. Egyptian Fantasy (5:44)
10. My Shadow (3:24)
11. Wear And Tear (4:17)
12. Malaguena (6:43)
13. Midnight Sun (5:07)
14. Down In The Deep (6:47)

Okeh Records announces its first release from singer, trumpeter, and songwriter Bria Skonberg. With a unique fusion of modern-day pop sensibility, combined with sizzling musicianship, Skonberg makes a firm claim on fresh territory in the sophisticated pop landscape pioneered by Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, and Michael Bublé. Titled Bria, the album features standards plus five original songs and is available September 23.

Skonberg aimed for “a sense of allure” on her new album, “music that is both curious and exotic, playing with tension and storytelling.” She credits producer Matt Pierson with helping her tie together the best aspects of the music she’s been exploring, in a quest “to fuse my love of classic jazz with worldly rhythm, percussion, contemporary songwriting, and more.

Bria is supported by some of the top musicians on the New York scene: Evan Arntzen on sax and clarinet, drummer Ali Jackson, bassist Reginald Veal, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and pianist Aaron Diehl. They provide Bria with an unfailing blend of organically imagined eclecticism.

Noted as a Millennial “Shaking Up the Jazz World,” according to Vanity Fair, Bria Skonberg is a self-described “small town girl” from Chilliwack, British Columbia, who hightailed it to Vancouver straight out of high school and earned a degree in Jazz Trumpet Performance. She developed her songwriting chops while working with TV/jingle producer Paul Airey, known for his work with the likes of Warner Bros. studios and the National Hockey League.

Skonberg is an established touring artist with numerous club and festival performances scheduled throughout 2016. In addition, in an upcoming issue of Down Beat magazine, she’s recognized as one of “25 for the Future.” All in all, it’s an impressive present and even more promising future for this welcome new voice.

Bria

Paul Cosentino & The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Linger Awhile

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Whispering
[3:31] 2. Georgia Camp Meeting
[5:06] 3. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me)
[3:15] 4. North Side Boogie
[5:18] 5. Indian Love Call
[4:44] 6. April Showers
[3:58] 7. Old Fashioned Love
[3:14] 8. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
[3:04] 9. Them There Eyes
[3:12] 10. My Old Kentucky Home
[4:48] 11. If I Didn't Care
[3:30] 12. Linger Awhile
[5:00] 13. Hey, Good Lookin'
[3:26] 14. Moonlight Bay

Listen to "Linger Awhile" and allow yourself to be transported to a less complicated era when pianos graced almost every living room and sing-alongs served as after dinner entertainment. This project brings Paul Cosentino's clarinet to the forefront. The delicate, rich and sweet tones of the clarinet adapt especially well to small group settings.

"It's about what I do on regular gigs: Putting together different combinations of instruments, tempos and moods." -Paul Cosentino.

Linger Awhile

Hilario Durán - Francisco's Song

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:22
Size: 154.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[6:29] 1. Francisco's Song
[3:39] 2. Medley Matamoros
[6:06] 3. Lush Life
[9:23] 4. For Emiliano
[5:14] 5. Esto Si Tiene Que Ver
[1:59] 6. Giant Steps
[5:13] 7. Confession
[5:37] 8. Tiembla Tierra
[5:45] 9. Suavecito
[4:28] 10. Conqueta Conquín
[5:20] 11. Days Dreams
[4:34] 12. Esperando La Carroza
[3:27] 13. Hot House

Hilario Durán - piano; Jane Bunnett - flute (tracks 1 and 5) and soprano saxophone (tracks 4, 12 and 13); Alain Caron - bass (tracks 1, 6, 8, 11 and 13); Sonny Greenwich - guitar (tracks 1, 7, 11 and 13).

After studying music at The Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana in 1981, Hilario joined Arturo Sandoval's group where he stayed until 1990. During this time he performed as a jazz pianist at major jazz festivals around the world, sharing stages with such outstanding musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Michel Legrand, Wynton Marsalis and many others. Hilario has worked as musical arranger, producer and pianist on many recordings with a variety of artists in Cuba and abroad. When Arturo Sandoval left Cuba, Hilario began his own group and truely came into his own. In 1991 he joined Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Frank Emilio on Jane Bunnett's Juno Award winning CD "Spirits of Havana".

"I would like to thank Jane Bunnett and Larry Cramer for the great support that they gave me and their entire help in making my record possible. My thanks to Jim West for trusting me to perform in this project. Thanks to Sarah Bunnett-Gibson for her patience and dedication, to Thompson Highway for letting me use his own piano generously, to Chucho Valdés for the support and help throughout all my professional career. Also thanks to Alain Caron for offering all his talent on this record, to Sonny Greenwich for the possibility of working together, and to Denis Cadieux and Ian Terry for their great ears. I dedicate this album to the memory of Emiliano Salvador and all the pianists in Cuba, and to all the Cuban musicians to keep maintaining their roots all over the world."

Francisco's Song

Mulgrew Miller & Kluver's Big Band - Grew's Tune

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:58
Size: 130.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[ 6:45] 1. Thinking Out Loud
[ 8:53] 2. Return Trip
[ 6:38] 3. Samba D'blue
[ 9:38] 4. Grew's Tune
[13:07] 5. Hand In Hand
[11:55] 6. When You Get There

The Klüvers Big Band was founded in Denmark in 1977 as a government-supported orchestra for concerts and education, conducted by Jens Klüver. Numerous well-known jazz artists have performed with the orchestra; pianist Mulgrew Miller was recruited for a series of concerts with the band in 2012, though he was not known for working with large ensembles. Several of his compositions were selected and big-band arrangements by two Americans (Dennis Mackrel and Matt Harris) and one Dane (trumpeter Jesper Riis) were commissioned for these performances. Miller thrives in this modern big-band setting, while both the solos and ensemble work by the band are first-rate, as are the imaginative arrangements. The driving "Thinking Out Loud" makes a powerful opener, with Miller's potent chops and Morten Lund's pulsating drumming. Trumpeter Jakob Buchanan and tenor saxophonist Claus Waidtlow are showcased along with the pianist in the brisk post-bop vehicle "Return Trip," followed by the engaging "Samba d'Blue." "Hand in Hand" mixes funk, blues, and gospel in an infectious soul-jazz setting. Perhaps this recording will make the Klüvers Big Band better known outside of Europe, along with encouraging others to recruit Mulgrew Miller for record and concert dates with a big band. ~Ken Dryden

Grew's Tune

Marian McPartland - An Evening At The Club

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:06
Size: 68.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. All My Life
[3:12] 2. A Foggy Day
[2:37] 3. Four Brothers
[2:56] 4. A Fine Romance
[2:56] 5. Moonlight In Vermont
[3:05] 6. There Will Never Be Another You
[2:44] 7. Strike Up The Band
[2:47] 8. Love Is Here To Stay
[3:26] 9. Laura
[3:18] 10. It Might As Well Be Spring

Marian McPartland became famous for hosting her Piano Jazz radio program beginning in 1978, but she was a well-respected pianist decades before. She played in a four-piano vaudeville act in England and performed on the European continent for the troops during World War II. In Belgium in 1944, she met cornetist Jimmy McPartland and they soon married. Marian moved with her husband to the United States in 1946, where she sometimes played with him even though her style was more modern than his Dixieland-oriented groups. McPartland eventually had her own trio at the Embers (1950) and the Hickory House (1952-1960), which until 1957 included drummer Joe Morello. She recorded regularly for Savoy and Capitol during the 1950s and also made sessions for Argo (1958), Time (1960 and 1963), Sesac, and Dot. Although eventually divorced from Jimmy, they remained close friends, sometimes played together, and even remarried just weeks before his death. She formed her own Halcyon label and recorded several fine albums between 1969-1977. McPartland also made three albums for Tony Bennett's Improv label during 1976-1977 before signing with Concord, where she remained after 1978. The Jazz Alliance label has made available over 30 CDs' worth of material from Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz show, some of which are quite fascinating and significant. McPartland died in August 2013 at her home in Port Washington, New York; she was 95 years old. ~bio by Scott Yanow

An Evening At The Club

Junior Mance - Holy Mama

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:02
Size: 100.8 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 1976/2015
Art: Front

[7:33] 1. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
[8:18] 2. God Bless The Child
[7:13] 3. That Mellow Feeling
[5:19] 4. Holy Mama
[2:56] 5. Miss Otis Regrets
[5:57] 6. The Good Old Days
[6:43] 7. Blues For The Schnug

The reissue label Test of Time has specialized in restoring a number of long unavailable LPs to print, most of which were originally recorded for the Japanese label East Wind and briefly available in the U.S. on the long defunct Inner City label. These 1976 sessions by pianist Junior Mance are typical for the era, mixing originals, standards, and a modern pop tune. Fortunately, the normally bland "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" benefits from Mance's soulful, upbeat treatment, featuring bassist Martin Rivera prominently as well as the leader. Mance's rambunctious introduction to "God Bless the Child" immediately signals that he plans to take it into a different direction, though there is a gospel air to part of his arrangement. Mance's upbeat "Holy Mama" also has strong gospel roots, while he closes with two more originals, the uptempo blues "The Good Old Days" and the soulful "Blues for the Schnug," though the liner notes don't explain the latter title's significance. This is an excellent date that is well worth seeking out. ~Ken Dryden

Holy Mama

Joe Locke - Lay Down My Heart: Blues & Ballads, Vol.1

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Ain't No Sunshine
(6:03)  2. Broken Toy
(5:03)  3. Bittersweet
(6:26)  4. I Can't Make You Love Me
(5:47)  5. The Meaning of the Blues
(6:34)  6. Simone
(8:12)  7. This New October
(6:22)  8. Makin' Whoopee
(5:31)  9. Dedicated to You

In a rarefied space, Joe Locke continues to evolve, engage and impress. There simply isn't another vibraphonist of his generation with Locke's stellar chops, thorough understanding of history/tradition not just of jazz, but of music, period and ability to build programs based on thematic concepts that not only stand out in his gradually growing discography, but fit contextually within it to create an actual oeuvre, an ever- expanding body of work that represents an artist whose number one priority is always the music always the song. In the last year, since signing with Motéma Music, Locke has released Signing (2012), the forward-looking studio follow-up to his incendiary Live in Seattle (Origin, 2006), with the energetic and electric Joe Locke / Goeffrey Keezer Group, and Wish Upon a Star (2013), his ambitious, largely balladic orchestral record with Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra that presented yet another side to this unerringly inventive vibraphonist's artistry. Lay Down My Heart: Blues & Ballads Vol 1 may not be as groundbreaking as Signing, nor as overtly ambitious as Wish Upon a Star, but as the third part of this one-year musical triptych, it's equally important, because it's an album that demonstrates Locke's unfailing love of melody, whether it comes from the Great American Songbook, rock, R&B...or from Locke's own pen. Pianist Ryan Cohan returns from Wish Upon a Star, in a quartet rounded out by bassist David Finck not a household name, perhaps, but, with a résumé that ranges from pianists Steve Kuhn and John Medeski to singers Tony Bennett, Paul Simon and Sting, clearly a popular choice amongst musicians and up-and-coming drummer Jaimeo Brown, whose Transcendence (Motéma, 2013) has already garnered substantial acclaim in the two months since it was released.

Lay Down My Heart may be more about playing, and with the visceral combination of Finck's deep-in-the-gut bass and Brown's loose backbeat that kicks off the album-opening "Ain't No Sunshine," it's also clear that this is also an album that's going to groove, whether it's Locke's look at this Bill Withers' R&B classic, a version of bassist Sam Jones' "Bittersweet" that moves into a brisk double-time swing for brief but impressive solos from Locke, Cohan and Finck, or a gently funky reading of the Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn's classic, "Makin' Whoopee," where Locke's added intro to each verse reshapes the tune for the 21st century. As much as these tunes fit the "Blues" half of Lay Down My Heart's subtitle, it's the other half that may even be closer to Locke's heart. His own compositional contributions to the record are, in fact, both ballads, though they couldn't be more different. "Broken Toy," first heard on his duo recording with pianist Frank Kimbrough, The Willow (Omnitone, 2002), unfolds with gradually increasing drama, his solo building to a peak of melodic invention and effortless virtuosity, while "This New October," written for this date, is more ethereal, his opening a cappella solo a beautiful exploration of his instrument's textural possibilities before the band enters and, again, builds to more vibrant climaxes during its solo sections.

But it may be the vibraphonist's version of Bonnie Raitt's hit, "I Can't Make You Love Me," that reveals both Locke and Lay Down My Heart's most honest vulnerablility and passion for melody. Eschewing modern reharmonization and, instead, just playing the tune with the exception of an intro whose changes hearken back to Locke's interpretation of James Taylor's "Native Son" on Live in Seattle and the quartet's intrinsic sense of dynamics make this a definitive reading rather than resorting to superfluous solos that would, in fact, spoil what is already a near-perfect song. Cohan does take the lead on the outro, but never loses site of the song's essence, the song's heart. Given the broad range of Locke's output in the past year, it's hard to anticipate what's coming next after the triple punch of Signing, Wish Upon a Star, and now, the utterly engaging Lay Down My Heart. With its perfect combination of song choice and performance from a vibraphonist and quartet that really know how to find and mine the core of every song, it's a sure bet that wherever Locke goes next, it'll be a trip well-worth following. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/joe-locke-lay-down-my-heart-blues-and-ballads-vol-1-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Joe Locke: vibes; Jaimeo Brown: drums; Ryan Cohan: piano; David Finck: bass.

Lay Down My Heart: Blues & Ballads, Vol.1

Nancy Wilson - R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)

Styles: Vocal, Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 122,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. An Older Man Is Like An Elegant Wine
(3:21)  2. Day In, Day Out
(5:11)  3. Why Did I Choose You
(4:59)  4. I Wish I'd Met You
(3:20)  5. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(4:18)  6. Goodbye
(5:16)  7. How About Me
(4:13)  8. Minds Of Their Own (Dois Corregos)
(4:39)  9. Little Green Apples
(5:08) 10. You'll See
(3:32) 11. That's All
(4:31) 12. Blame It On My Youth

Nancy Wilson's R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) is her duets album, but unlike other recent releases by singers in this format, which feature two vocalists (and often oddly matched ones, at that), most of the pairings here are with instrumentalists like George Shearing, Toots Thielemans, Phil Woods, and Gary Burton, which means this remains very much Wilson's baby, dominated by her hushed and elegant vocals. Only two tracks feature other vocalists, one of which, a saccharine cover of Marvin Gaye's "Why Did I Choose You" sung with Kenny Lattimore, is worth a plea to the gods to let Gaye return to this veil of tears and give Wilson a worthy singing partner. Less pop than her recent outings, R.S.V.P. is mostly made up of ballads, highlighted by a wonderful version of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" and the elegant, late-night regret of "Blame It on My Youth" which closes out the set, although Wilson steps up and swings on at least one track, the vibrant "Day In, Day Out." This might not be the greatest album of her half-century-long career, but it isn't an embarrassment, either (which can't always be said about some of the other duet projects major vocalists have released in recent years), and it shows that Wilson can still wring every last emotion on earth out of a ballad then return to sing the second verse. ~ Steve Leggett http://www.allmusic.com/album/rsvp-rare-songs-very-personal-mw0000151323

Personnel: Nancy Wilson (vocals); Ivan Lins (vocals, keyboards); Kenny Lattimore (vocals); Marty Ashby (guitar); Andres Cardenez (violin); Tatjana Mead Chamis (viola); David Premo (cello); Mike Tomaro (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone); Andres Boiarsky (flute, alto saxophone); Eric DeFade (flute, tenor saxophone); Jim Germann (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Dennis Reynolds, Bob Millikan, Jim Hynes, Steve Hawk (trumpet); Jay Ashby (trombone, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Michael Davis (trombone); Gary Piecka, Max Seigel (bass trombone); Rufus Reid (bass guitar); Jamey Haddad, Lewis Nash (drums); Kim Nazarian (background vocals); Joe Negri (guitar); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Andy Snitzer (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Bill Watrous (trombone); George Shearing (piano); Gary Burton (vibraphone).

R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)

Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone & London Vocal Project - Mirrors

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:40
Size: 160,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Humpty Dumpty
(3:58)  2. The Broken Heart
(5:36)  3. The Lover Mourns
(7:48)  4. Black March
(8:59)  5. Through the Looking Glass
(3:59)  6. The Hat
(5:57)  7. Breughel
(8:37)  8. Tweedledum
(6:16)  9. The Bereaved Swan
(8:42) 10. The Deathly Child
(4:22) 11. My Soul

That trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Kenny Wheeler is challenging himself at 80 is surely inspirational. Mirrors represents his first recording where poems provide the music's source, though he composed the music over 20 years ago. The project was then commissioned for five solo voices in 1998, but the combination of Wheeler, singer Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, led by Pete Churchill, brings a fluid, suite-like permanency and epic scale to the original concept. Poets Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll and W.B. Yeats provide strikingly diverse imagery surreal, visceral and profound and Wheeler weaves it all together in a sumptuous melodic tapestry where the music of language is meaning enough. The inimitable Winstone's strength and nuanced delivery belie her 70 years. Hers is a remarkable performance, though the balance struck between all the voices makes Mirrors a truly collaborative success. Bassist Steve Watts, drummer James Maddren and pianist Nikki Iles engender a swinging undercurrent, breezy and understated, that's irrevocably felt throughout. These musicians enjoy tremendous understanding; Winstone and Wheeler first recorded together in Azimuth in the 1970s and Iles, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, Watts and Maddren all play with Winstone in the group Printmakers. Little wonder, then, that the evident chemistry seems so effortless and joyfully intuitive.

The LVP's seven sopranos, eight altos, five tenors and five basses are the protagonists on three numbers. "Humpty Dumpty" is a playful take on Carroll's poem, with delightful passing around of the vocals between the choir sections. A deceptive intensity inhabits the mantra-like vocal rhythm of Smith's "The Broken Heart," a particularly hypnotic number punctuated by Wheeler's fine bluesy solo. Wheeler and Iles shine on a swinging arrangement of Smith's "Black March," though its buoyancy derives primarily from the snappy choral cadences. Winstone's performance sets the jewel in the crown. Her dreamy, almost ethereal reading of Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" is wonderfully sympathetic. A rootsy and mellifluous instrumental passage, driven by Wheeler and Lockheart, serves as an interlude before the choir restores the contemplative mood. Carroll's "Tweedledum" is similarly episodic; jaunty in the choral passages, intimate and spare when Winstone holds court, and swinging when the quintet steps up. The singer, Iles and Lockheart confer a gentle majesty on Smith's seemingly throwaway, four-line poem, "My Hat."

Winstone and Iles treat the ghostly subject matter of "The Deathly Child" with a palpable sense of wonder, though when Winstone sits out the ensemble refashions this harbinger-of-death tale into joyous celebration. The fatalistic view of humankind's condition in Smith's "Breughel" is similarly dressed in more soothing robes by a lovely Burt Bacharach-esque melody. "The Bereaved Swan" captures the contrasting elements of melancholy and lyricism in Smith's words, whereby the choir's graceful waves form a canvas for Wheeler and Lockheart's more emotionally urgent colors. The subdued rhythm of "My Soul" highlights the powerful lyric content, lent suitable poignancy by Winstone's pitch-perfect delivery. How to categorize this glorious music, the ingenuity of Wheeler, Winstone and the LVP? To quote Smith: "Whatever names you give me, I am a breath of fresh air, a change for you." And what price Vol. 2 from James Joyce, via Robert Frost to John Cooper Clarke? ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mirrors-kenny-wheeler-edition-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php
 
Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: flugelhorn; Norma Winstone: vocals; Nikki Iles: piano; Mark Lockheart: saxophones; Steve Watts: double bass; James Maddren: drums; London Vocal Project: Pete Churchill: Director; sopranos: Fini Bearman; Hannah Berry; Jessica Berry; Helen Burnett; Katie Butler; Joanna Richards; Janni Thompson; tenors: Tommy Antonio; Sam Chaplin; Brendan Dowse; Richard Lake; Adam Saunders; altos: Mishka Adams; Paolo Bottomley; Nikki Franklin; Clara Green; Andi Hopgood; Chloe Potter; Emma Smith; Emmy Urquhart; basses: Kwabena Adjepong; Pat Bamber; Ben Barritt; Pete Churchill; Andrew Woolf.

Mirrors

Marcus Printup - UNveiled

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:13
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. Eclipse
(6:15)  2. When Forever Is Over
(5:56)  3. Dig
(7:09)  4. Say It Again
(4:23)  5. Leave Your Name And Number
(6:42)  6. Unveiled
(5:44)  7. Stablemates
(7:39)  8. Soulful
(3:57)  9. M & M
(7:04) 10. Yes Or No
(2:38) 11. Amazing Grace

Marcus Printup gained his initial recognition for his playing with pianist Marcus Roberts' group. His second Blue Note recording as a leader features his attractive trumpet in a quintet with Roberts, the Paul Gonsalves-inspired tenor of Stephen Riley, bassist Reuben Rogers and the young drummer Jason Marsalis. Printup at this point already had a fairly orignal sound of his own which was slightly influenced by Wynton Marsalis. His technique is impressive on the date as is his warmth and consistently creative ideas. Printup contributed seven mostly straightahead originals to the well-rounded and continually interesting modern mainstream set (including the brooding ballad "When Forever Is Over," athe catchy "Leave Your Name And Number" and the funky title cut). "M & M," a major/minor blues duet with pianist Roberts which looks back to the 1920's, is a definite highlight. Printup also performs jazz standards by Miles Davis (a swinging "Dig"), Benny Golson and Wayne Shorter along with an emotional version of the traditional "Amazing Grace." This CD gives one an excellent sampling of Marcus Printup's hard bop-oriented playing. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/unveiled-mw0000185728

Personnel:  Bass – Ruben Rogers;  Drums – Jason Marsalis;  Piano – Marcus Roberts;  Tenor Saxophone – Stephen Riley;  Trumpet – Marcus Printup

UNveiled

Ken Navarro - Bonfire

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 142,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. My Best Friend
(4:53)  2. Refuge
(5:30)  3. 4 Yawkey Way
(6:04)  4. Bar Lines
(3:58)  5. One Summer Day
(4:23)  6. Hammocks & Swings
(3:58)  7. You Have to Go Away to Come Back
(3:38)  8. Larriland
(7:53)  9. A Dozen Roses
(2:24) 10. Glen Echo
(4:12) 11. Soft Stuff
(4:28) 12. Machu Picchu
(4:44) 13. Bonfire

You know, there is no point in simply referring to Ken Navarro as a renowned guitarist any longer. This guy, who constantly proves his musical prowess on so many different instruments, again dazzles us with his multi-instrumentalism. Here on his new release Bonfire he composes on every traditional instrument imaginable from acoustic and electric guitars to drums to electric and acoustic bass, keys, and just on and on... including saxes and trumpets. Who needs a band when you are the band...and who better to know what you want than you? Bonfire is a potpourri of Navarro compositions, complete with what we have generally accepted as smooth jazz (Ken Navarro style) and more than a few nods to other styles and genres like fusion and world. For example, check out the moods and movements in A Dozen Roses. It s living art with so many moving pieces and parts... he s outdone himself here. There s also Bar Lines with its cool and intricate time signature and fusion feel. A classical approach using a woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon) for Glen Echo lends more diversity and insight into Navarro the innovator. These three alone let you know that Navarro just keeps evolving. Other tracks are more familiar looks at Navarro and are among my favorites here. They include the lead track My Best Friend, 4 Yawkey Way, the soothing One Summer Day, Soft Stuff, Machu Picchu, and the interesting combined Latin jazz flair and funk of Refuge. You will never ever be able to challenge Navarro s musicianship, his meticulous approach to music demanding perfection one amazing artist in that regard. Truly A+ work for such a bold, intricate, and sophisticated way of thinking and performing. ~ Ronald Jackson, The Smooth Jazz Ride - The Smooth Jazz Ride  - https://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Ken-Navarro/dp/B01HN1A7NI

Bonfire