Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie - After Hours (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:38
Size: 115.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1964/2000
Art: Front

[8:51] 1. Swing To Bop
[8:11] 2. Stompin' At The Savoy
[6:07] 3. Up On Teddy's Hill
[3:03] 4. Down On Teddy's Hill
[2:24] 5. Guy's Got To Go
[4:54] 6. Lips Flips
[6:12] 7. Stardust (Vers 1)
[7:29] 8. Kerouac
[3:22] 9. Stardust (Vers 2)

AFTER HOURS is an excellent live document of the early roots of bebop, capturing this exciting music in the process of being built by its pioneering architects. Recorded live in New York City at jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House in 1941, these tapes feature young modernists Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke, and Don Byas as they pushed the structural materials of swing toward something new and intense.

Beyond the historical significance of these sessions, however, the music is simply fabulous. There are revisions of "Stardust" and "Stompin' at the Savoy, " but the tunes are mainly blues-based improvisations, with plenty of syncopated play and stretched-out soloing from all involved. Christian's guitar takes center stage--his fluid, fleet-fingered style and mellow amplified tone have become such a stock part of jazz guitar, it is hard to remember that he almost single-handedly wrote the book. Though Gillespie gets double-billing on this set, he only appears on four of the nine tunes, but one can hear early hints of the advanced technical style that would explode in his work with Charlie Parker in the later '40s. This music is truly classic. ~AllMusic

After Hours (Remastered)

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Lena Seikaly - Lovely Changes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:01
Size: 96.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Amateur
[4:33] 2. Memento
[3:37] 3. Triste
[3:41] 4. What Was I Supposed To Do
[4:03] 5. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:47] 6. Here Again
[4:07] 7. God Only Knows
[4:09] 8. Can't Get Out Of This Mood
[4:11] 9. Everytime We Say Goodbye
[4:42] 10. Waltz #1

Given Lena Seikaly’s firm grounding in harmony and composition, it’s no surprise that a musician sharing the bandstand with her once remarked on a harmonic progression she’d written: “Man, those are some lovely changes!” The phrase struck a chord and emerged as the title of her second recording.

On Seikaly’s new album, her second, there are Lovely Changes in more ways than one. The album presents a constantly shifting harmonic and rhythmic landscape in which familiar jazz classics by Cole Porter, Frank Loesser and Jerome Kern co-exist alongside Seikaly originals and unexpected arrangements of more contemporary songs by Elliot Smith, Brian Wilson and Amie Mann; a touch of 1967 Antonio Carlos Jobim bridges the gap. Seikaly’s cool, classic jazz voice breathes a cohesive beauty into the recording, the release of which she celebrates with a show this Sunday at Blues Alley. Her vocals are complemented by the savvy arrangements and sensitive musicianship that she and her band mates put forward; the group is comprised of Dan Roberts on piano, Tom Baldwin on bass and Dominic Smith on
drums. ~Ken Avis

Lovely Changes

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Various - Wall Of Sound: The Very Best Of Phil Spector 1961-1966

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:00
Size: 121.4 MB
Styles: R&B, Pop-Rock
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:30] 1. The Crystals - He's A Rebel
[2:19] 2. The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron
[2:40] 3. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
[2:37] 4. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
[2:45] 5. Darlene Love - (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry
[2:52] 6. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
[2:42] 7. The Crystals - He's Sure The Boy I Love
[2:50] 8. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans - Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
[2:24] 9. Darlene Love - Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home
[3:15] 10. The Ronettes - Walking In The Rain
[2:20] 11. The Crystals - Uptown
[2:49] 12. Darlene Love - Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts
[2:55] 13. The Ronettes - Do I Love You
[2:45] 14. Darlene Love - A Fine, Fine Boy
[2:29] 15. The Crystals - There's No Other Like My Baby
[3:44] 16. The Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
[3:03] 17. The Ronettes - (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up
[2:29] 18. Darlene Love - Not Too Young To Get Married
[3:25] 19. Ike Turner - River Deep, Mountain High

Phil Spector was really more of a back-tier session musician, songwriter, and occasional producer when he started his own Philles Records imprint in 1961. He had some success, having written, played guitar, and sung backup vocals on 1958’s “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (which hit the top of the pop charts that year) as part of the Teddy Bears and he worked for a time as part of the production team for Leiber & Stoller, co-writing “Spanish Harlem” for Ben E. King and playing guitar on the Drifters' “On Broadway,” and he produced minor sides for LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown, among others, but there was really little to distinguish him from any number of other hopefuls clustered around the pop music scene as the 1960s dawned. But Spector was driven, single-minded, and stubborn, and he had a sound in his head. Now with his own label, he set out to record a series of singles he termed “little symphonies for the kids” that are among the most distinctive and influential recordings in the history of pop music. Combining massed pianos, guitars, string arrangements by Jack Nitzsche, tons of layered percussion, and huge washes of echo, working with the West Coast’s best session players (including Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Larry Knechtel, Leon Russell, and Harold Battiste -- the so-called Wrecking Crew), and leaning heavily on his engineer Larry Levine to catch all of this in the small confines of Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, Spector developed his “Wall of Sound” production approach, controlling every aspect of the recordings until, even though he wasn’t singing or even playing any instrument, they became -- in essence -- Phil Spector records. This is not to diminish the singers he used -- Ronnie Bennett, Darlene Love, Tina Turner, and the Righteous Brothers, among others -- but a Spector recording in the 1960s was just that, a Spector recording. This 19-track set collects the best of his Philles releases, including the classics “He’s a Rebel,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “There’s No Other Like My Baby” by the Crystals, “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,” “Walking in the Rain,” and “(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up” by the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers' “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and Ike & Tina Turner's “River Deep, Mountain High.” Spector amassed a singular catalog at Philles between 1961 and 1966 and his legacy will always be linked to it -- for those five years, there was no one on earth making better-sounding pop records. The proof of that is collected here. ~Steve Leggett

Wall Of Sound: The Very Best Of Phil Spector 1961-1966

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Charlie Mariano - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:41
Size: 86.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[5:29] 1. Where Or When/Johnny One Note
[3:58] 2. The Very Thought Of You
[3:08] 3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[5:21] 4. King For A Day
[4:19] 5. Darn That Dream
[4:32] 6. Floormat
[6:42] 7. Blues (Traditional)
[4:09] 8. I Heard That You Cried Last Night

Charlie Mariano is an American jazz alto saxophonist. He played with one of the Stan Kenton big bands, Toshiko Akiyoshi (his then wife), Charles Mingus, Eberhard Weber, the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble and numerous other notable musicians.

His career can easliy be divided into two. Early on he was a fixture in Boston, playing with Shorty Sherock (1948), Nat Pierce (1949-50) and his own groups. After gigging with a band co-led by Chubby Jackson and Bill Harris, Mariano toured with Stan Kenton's Orchestra (1953-55) which gave him a strong reputation. He moved to Los Angeles in 1956 (working with Shelly Manne and other West Coast jazz stars), returned to Boston to teach in 1958 at Berklee and the following year had a return stint with Kenton. After marrying Toshiko Akiyoshi, Mariano co-led a group with the pianist on and off up to 1967, living in Japan during part of the time and also working with Charles Mingus (1962-63).

The second career began with the formation of his early fusion group Osmosis in 1967. Known at the time as a strong bop altoist with a sound of his own developed out of the Charlie Parker style, Mariano began to open his music up to the influences of folk music from other cultures, pop and rock. He taught again at Berklee, traveled to India and the Far East and in the early '70s settled in Europe. Among the groups Mariano has worked with have been Pork Pie (which also featured Philip Catherine), the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble and Eberhard Weber's Colours. Charlie Mariano's airy tones on soprano and the nagaswaram (an Indian instrument a little like an oboe) fit right in on some new agey ECM sessions and he also recorded as a leader through the years for Imperial, Prestige, Bethlehem, World Pacific, Candid (with Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1960), Regina, Atlantic, Catalyst, MPS, CMP, Leo and Calig among others.

Charlie Mariano

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Sheila Cooper - Phoenix Rising

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:22
Size: 129.1 MB
Styles: Saxophone & vocal jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Man Overboard
[5:00] 2. Learnin' The Blues
[5:00] 3. Phoenix Rising
[4:12] 4. Devil May Care
[3:12] 5. Kiss And Tell
[5:19] 6. The Home Inside My Heart
[3:09] 7. Ridin' High
[6:25] 8. Blues In The Night
[4:44] 9. If I Had You
[2:58] 10. Just Be Livin' In It
[4:13] 11. Don't Look Down
[3:31] 12. Embraceable You
[3:48] 13. Man Overboard (Radio Edit)

Sheila Cooper: vocals, alto saxophone; Gary Versace: piano, Hammond B-3 organ, accordion; Ed Howard: acoustic bass; Billy Drummond: drums; John Hart: guitar (6, 9); Luis Ribeiro: percussion (3, 4).

On “Phoenix Rising”, her fourth CD as a leader, Sheila Cooper brings her songwriting skills to the fore, with six inspired new compositions that match her emotional breadth as a performer, from humorous (“Man Overboard”, “Just Be Livin’ In It”), to romantic (“Kiss and Tell”) to searching (“Phoenix Rising”, “The Home Inside My Heart”). Sheila is backed by master New York musicians Gary Versace on piano, organ, and accordian, Ed Howard on acoustic bass, and Billy Drummond on drums, with guest appearances by guitarist John Hart and Vienna-based Brazilian percussionist Luis Ribeiro, Sheila and her band create grooving, soulful and impassioned moods on these originals and the her signature witty reworkings of standards that complete the set.

"Canadian-born, NYC-based singer and saxophonist Cooper has developed her own self-assured sound as both a vocalist and altoist - her refreshingly simple, unfussy delivery befits her Konitz-esque sax tone while her unpretentious singing draws on her narrative abilities over excessive reliance on technique. RECOMMENDED. ~ TIMEOUT LONDON, UK

Phoenix Rising

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Kenny Wheeler & John Taylor - On The Way To Two

Styles: Trumpet And Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:43
Size: 108,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Canter#2
(5:54)  2. Fedora
(1:42)  3. Sketch No. 1
(5:47)  4. Quiso
(4:33)  5. Who Knows?
(2:57)  6. Sketch No. 2
(5:05)  7. Clore To Mars
(3:22)  8. Fortune's Child
(2:45)  9. Sketch No. 3
(8:22) 10. Flower Is A Lovesome Thing

Trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler's death in September, 2014 led to the posthumous release on ECM of the beautiful and moving Songs For Quintet. However, since 2004, Wheeler recorded on CAM Jazz label, many times with the pianist who seems to be everywhere, John Taylor, starting with the duo-recording Where Do We Go From Here?.  2005 found Wheeler recording two albums with Taylor, a quartet record, What Now? and a second duo record 2005 Other People.  It turns out that there was a third recording in 2005, the understated, beautiful and moving duo recording with Taylor, On The Way To Two. Making this release especially poignant is the fact that during the album's production Taylor wrote these words to Wheeler in the liner notes:

To my friend Kenny,

I want to tell you what a joyful and exhilarating time I have had listening to this music that we made a decade ago. You sound so alive and brilliantly creative inspiring me all the way. The new pieces are beautiful and your playing of them breathtaking. I should have asked how you did it and also how you managed to cope with some of my rather oblique comping throughout the session! I remember we were not so convinced of our efforts at the time  which was often the case of course but the passage of time has allowed me a more objective view.  It was a privilege and joy to play with you for most of my life and I wish you were here now to listen to this music again with me. All thanks and love, John.

Unfortunately, Taylor himself passed before the album's production was finished. On the short side, with just under forty-five minutes of music, the core individual musical attributes of Wheeler and Taylor, as well as their remarkable communication is on display for all to hear. Of the ten tracks, five are Wheeler compositions, with three improvisatory "Sketches," one Taylor composition, and ending with the longest track, Billy Strayhorn's "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing." Recorded spaciously, the music is quite intense in the sense of there being absolutely nothing extra, requiring concentration; this is not background music. In juxtaposition and in contradiction to this intensity is the music's low heat that works delightfully with the composed/improvised lines that manage to be unpredictable while feeling inexorably logical. The one Taylor composition, "Close To Mars," has the mournfulness of a Wheeler composition, but with a clearer construction, making this track feel a bit more grounded, while the three "Sketches," which include some inside-the-piano sounds, provide some aural palate cleansing and a bit of relaxation. Everything comes together with the magnificent rendition of the Strayhorn tune. Wheeler's sound, pitch choices and the way he plays each note differently are completely apropos for this tune, as is Taylor's lush accompaniment and close reactions to Wheeler. On The Way To Two is just about perfect and is a fine musical document to the memories of Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/on-the-way-to-two-kenny-wheeler-john-taylor-cam-jazz-review-by-budd-kopman.php
 

Personnel:  Kenny Wheeler: trumpet, flugelhorn;  John Taylor: piano.

On The Way To Two

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Holly Cole - Don't Smoke in Bed

Styles: Vocal Jazz

Year: 1993

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:51

Size: 103,5 MB

Art: Front

(4:12)  1. I Can See Clearly Now

(4:19)  2. Don't Let The Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart

(4:43)  3. Get Out Of Town

(3:27)  4. So And So

(3:40)  5. The Tennessee Waltz

(4:49)  6. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday

(3:00)  7. Blame It On My Youth

(2:55)  8. Ev'rything I've Got

(3:57)  9. Je Ne T'Aime Pas

(2:36) 10. Cry (If You Want To)

(4:43) 11. Que Será Será

(2:26) 12. Don't Smoke In Bed

Holly Cole explores a number of styles on her second album, Don't Smoke in Bed, without overreaching her grasp. Adding pop, blues, country, and a French ballad to her standard, low-key jazz, Cole demonstrates that not only does she have impeccable taste, but she has the talent to make all of the material sound convincing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-smoke-in-bed-mw0000103241

Personnel: Holly Cole (vocals); David Lindley (steel guitar); Bryan Epperson, Mihai Tetel, Martin Loomer, Young Dae Park, Christopher Redfield, Mark Skazinetsky, Simon Fryer, Charles Elliot , Mary Carol Nugent, Nicole Zarry, Katherine Palyga, Joel Quarrington, Atis Bankas, Carol Fujino, Paul Meyer, Susan Lipchak, Mark Sabat (strings); Howard Levy (harmonica); Art Avalos (saxophone, percussion); Joe Henderson (saxophone); Aaron Davis (piano); David Piltch (percussion).

 

Don't Smoke in Bed

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Charles Mingus - Mingus at the Bohemia

Styles: Bop, Post-Bop

Year: 1955

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 64:48

Size: 148,7 MB

Art: Front

( 6:53)  1. Jump Monk

( 6:02)  2. Serenade in Blue

( 8:38)  3. Percussion Discussion

( 6:29)  4. Work Song

( 7:06)  5. Septemberly

( 6:57)  6. All the Things You Are

(11:55)  7. Jump Monk

(10:44)  8. All The Things You Are

A live performance at the Club Bohemia in New York, this is the first Mingus recording to feature mostly his own compositions. Some are his future standards. Here are his first attempts at future techniques such as combining two songs into one. His bass playing really stands out. ~ Michael Katz http://www.allmusic.com/album/mingus-at-the-bohemia-mw0000320165

Personnel: Charles Mingus (bass); George Barrow (tenor saxophone); Eddie Bert (trombone); Mal Waldron (piano); Willie Jones, Max Roach (drums).

Mingus at the Bohemia

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Michael Weiss - Milestones

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 63:12
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Milestones
(8:16)  2. Wave
(6:24)  3. Walter Davis Ascending
(5:18)  4. Just One of Those Things
(7:33)  5. Little Melonae
(7:37)  6. Buffalo
(6:58)  7. Like Someone in Love
(8:34)  8. Love for Sale
(7:29)  9. Stella by Starlight

One of many yeoman New York musicians who goes about his work without much fanfare, pianist Michael Weiss is certainly one of the city's finest despite his low profile. Since 1981, he has been an active jazz educator and musician who has spent time with such masters as Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin, and Junior Cook. With only two previous albums under his own name available (one for Criss Cross and another for DIW/Disc Union), the release of this new SteepleChase disc is a valuable addition to Weiss' catalog. A modest trio affair with bassist Paul Gill and drummer Joe Farnsworth (both currently backing singer Diana Krall), Milestones easily qualifies as an excellent example of the art of piano trio jazz. 

A set of standards provides the fodder for Weiss and crew, with the debut of Jackie McLean's "Walter Davis Ascending" thrown in for good measure. Jobim's "Wave" receives a most venerable and engaging makeover, with Farnsworth's supple Latin groove providing a charged impetus for Weiss' string of incendiary choruses. Kenny Dorham's "Buffalo" also proves to be an astute choice for investigation with Weiss laying down the blues with aplomb. Both McLean's "Little Melonae" and "Just One of Those Things" provide high octane bebop and further proof that Weiss is a multi-talented player capable of undertaking any style or genre. Contributing to the overall success of this affair are the efforts of Gill and Farnsworth. The former is surely one of the brightest of up-and-coming bassists, while the latter has already caught the ears of anyone in touch with the current scene due to his highly musical and complimentary drumming. If there's one disappointment, it might be that the other standards are not quite as creatively altered as the aforementioned highlights, allowing a touch of sameness to creep in towards the end of the disc. That aside, however, there's enough engaging material here to more than push this one over the top and send it off with a solid recommendation. ~ C. Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/milestones-michael-weiss-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Michael Weiss- piano, Paul Gill- bass, Joe Farnsworth- drums

Milestones

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Eric Alexander - Second Impression

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:49
Size: 127,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:20)  1. Second Impression
(5:43)  2. So Many Stars
(5:17)  3. Blues for Mo
(5:54)  4. Jennie's Dance
(7:31)  5. Secret Love
(6:06)  6. T-Bone Steak
(6:00)  7. Frenzy
(6:34)  8. Everything Happens to Me
(5:21)  9. Full House

It can be argued with some validity that one's overall movement through life is reflected in his creative endeavor, and Eric Alexander's strength and versatility on the saxophone can be viewed from this perspective. At this point in his career, Eric has certainly covered a lot of territory, both literally and figuratively. He himself has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; our guess is 100 or more. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition which is exactly what he does on his latest HighNote release. The close-knit ensemble of a band of regular buddies, coupled with the bass-clef contributions of the extraordinary Bob Cranshaw, make for a listening experience not soon forgotten. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Second-Impression-Eric-Alexander/dp/B01J3SJZFA

Personnel:  Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone;  Bob Cranshaw, bass;  Harold Mabern, piano, Fender Rhodes;  Joe Farnsworth, drums

Second Impression

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