Keith Jarrett Trio - Bye Bye Blackbird

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:55
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(11:14)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(10:46)  2. You Won't Forget Me
( 6:37)  3. Butch And Butch
( 6:42)  4. Summer Night
(18:43)  5. For Miles
( 6:47)  6. Straight No Chaser
( 4:02)  7. I Thought About You
( 3:00)  8. Blackbird, Bye Bye

This is the Keith Jarrett Trio's  featuring bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette elegy for their former employer Miles Davis, recorded only 13 days after the maestro's death. The lonely figure in shadow with a horn on the cover contrasts with the joyous spirit of many of the tracks on this CD, yet there is still a ghostly presence to deal with and in keeping with Miles' credo, Jarrett's choice of notes is often more purposefully spare than usual. There is symmetry in the organization of the album, with "Bye Bye Blackbird" opening and the trio's equally jaunty "Blackbird, Bye Bye" closing the album, and the interior tracks immediately following the former and preceding the latter are "You Won't Forget Me" and "I Thought About You." 

The centerpiece of the CD is an 18-and-a-half-minute group improvisation, "For Miles," which after some DeJohnette tumbling around becomes a dirge sometimes reminiscent of Miles' own elegy for Duke Ellington, "He Loved Him Madly." As an immediate response to a traumatic event, Jarrett and his colleagues strike the right emotional balance to create one of their more meaningful albums. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/bye-bye-blackbird-mw0000096952

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett (piano); Gary Peacock (bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums).

Bye Bye Blackbird

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Bette Midler - The Divine Miss M Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: The Divine Miss M   Disc 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:00
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:44)  1. Do You Want To Dance?
(2:53)  2. Chapel Of Love
(5:10)  3. Superstar
(3:32)  4. Daytime Hustler
(5:25)  5. Am I Blue
(2:50)  6. Friends (Session 1)
(4:16)  7. Hello In There
(3:29)  8. Leader Of The Pack
(5:17)  9. Delta Dawn
(2:25) 10. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
(2:56) 11. Friends (Session 2)

Album: The Divine Miss M   Disc 2

Time: 27:38
Size: 63,8 MB

(2:44)  1. Chapel of Love (The Single Mix)
(2:17)  2. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (The Single Version)
(2:55)  3. Do You Want To Dance? (The Single Mix)
(2:58)  4. Friends (The Single Mix)
(2:52)  5. Old Cape Cod (Early Version)
(2:31)  6. Marahuana (Early Version)
(5:08)  7. Superstar (Alternate Version)
(3:09)  8. Saturday Night (Demo)
(3:01)  9. Mr. Freedom and I (Demo)

Bette Midler was one of the last major artists who emerged from the traditions of nightclub performing, after rock & roll changed the rules of the music business, though she was a singer capable of working both sides of the fence. Midler's approach bore more than a passing resemblance to the traditions of supper-club performers wearing their hearts on their sleeves for the audience, but she could balance sincerity and a deep respect for songcraft with a large dose of camp and broad humor, coupled with a love of R&B and girl group sounds that put her within a stone's throw of rock. (And if the nightspot where Midler first found her audience was a gay bathhouse in New York, that was just one more wrinkle that separated her from the major nightclub acts of the '50s and '60s.) Midler's 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M, gave her an ideal introduction to the listening audience, a set that honored her brassy and introspective sides with equal care and skill. While Midler was and is best known for her outgoing stage persona, numbers like "Am I Blue" and "Do You Want to Dance?" demonstrate how much emotional heat she can bring to a torch song, and her interpretations of "Delta Dawn" and "Hello in There" are powerful, moving stuff, portraying their characters with a palpable compassion and nuance. Midler's loving renditions of "Chapel of Love" and "Leader of the Pack" show how much she learned from Brill Building pop, and "Friends," which opened and closed side two, made clear Midler could wrap some very complicated emotions in a catchy (but smart) pop tune. 

And the production (half by Joel Dorn, half by Geoffrey Haslam, Ahmet Ertegun, and Midler's then musical director, Barry Manilow) knows when to move in close to catch the sweet grain of her voice and when to step back and take in the whole show. If Midler matured as a performer with time, The Divine Miss M remains her best album, one that captured the many facets of her musical personality beautifully and showed her quirks were a rich part of what made her music so powerful. ~ Mark Deming http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-divine-miss-m-mw0000650495

Personnel: Bette Midler (vocals); David Spinozza (guitar); Gene Orloff, Emmanuel Green (violin); Selwart Clarke (viola); Kermit Moore (cello); Barry Manilow, Pat Rebillot, Dick Hyman (piano); Ron Carter, Milt Hinton (bass); Ralph MacDonald (drums, percussion); Cissy Houston, Melissa Manchester, Gail Kantor (background vocals).

The Divine Miss M Disc 1 And Disc 2

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Paul Bley Trio - Reality Check

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:46
Size: 126,3 MB
Art: Front

( 4:43)  1. Reality Check
( 8:14)  2. For George
( 8:21)  3. It Isn't
( 7:59)  4. Above You
( 7:24)  5. I Surrender Dear
(11:11)  6. Do Something
( 6:50)  7. Swan Song

Pianist Paul Bley, whose earliest recordings sound like Al Haig or Bud Powell, took the styles and techniques associated with Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans to new levels of creative experimentation, becoming an indispensable force in modern music by combining the best elements in bop and early modern jazz with extended free improvisation and procedural dynamics often found in 20th century chamber music. This approach places him in league with artists as diverse as Red Garland, Elmo Hope, Mal Waldron, Jaki Byard, Stanley Cowell, Keith Jarrett, Andrew Hill, Lennie Tristano, Cecil Taylor, Ran Blake, Sun Ra, and Marilyn Crispell. Even a cursory overview of Bley's life and work can be pleasantly overwhelming, for he is among the most heavily recorded of all jazz pianists and his story is inextricably intertwined with the evolution of modern jazz during the second half of the 20th century.

Hyman Paul Bley was born in Montreal, Canada on November 10, 1932. A violin prodigy at five, he began playing piano at eight and studied at the McGill Conservatorium, earning his diploma at age eleven. Before long, Hy "Buzzy" Bley was sitting in with jazz bands and had formed his own group. Already a skilled pianist, he landed a steady gig at the Alberta Lounge soon after Oscar Peterson left to begin working for Norman Granz in 1949. The following year Bley continued his musical education at the Juilliard School in New York while gigging in the clubs with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, trombonist Bill Harris, and saxophonists Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, and Charlie Parker. While enrolled at Juilliard he played in a group with trumpeter Donald Byrd, saxophonist Jackie McLean, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. He also hung out at Lennie Tristano's residential studio, absorbing ideas.

Paul Bley's earliest known recordings survive as soundtracks from Canadian television; the first in 1950 with tenor saxophonist Brew Moore and the second in February 1953 with Charlie Parker, special invited guest of the Montreal Jazz Workshop, an artist-run organization Bley helped to establish. His first studio recording date took place in November 1953 with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Art Blakey. The young pianist's constant interaction with archetypal and influential musicians was phenomenal; he also sat in with trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Lester Young. In 1954 he led three different recording sessions with bassists Peter Ind and Percy Heath, and drummer Alan Levitt. At this stage of his career Paul Bley was an inspired, extremely adept bop pianist whose first decisively innovative period was just about to commence. More... arwulf arwulf  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-bley-mn0000745617/biography

Personnel:  Paul Bley (piano);  Jay Anderson (bass);  Victor Lewis (drums).

Reality Check

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Stanley Cowell - Prayer For Peace

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:46
Size: 134,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. When Lights Are Low
(6:04)  2. Blues For Rama
(5:18)  3. Time Can Only Tell
(4:13)  4. Japanese Tea House
(6:46)  5. Today, What A Beautiful Day
(4:49)  6. I'll Never Be The Same
(5:02)  7. For James Williams
(8:06)  8. Stealing Gold
(4:24)  9. Chirality
(7:12) 10. Prayer For Peace

For a good part of his career, pianist Stanley Cowell has had greater exposure recording for labels in Europe and Japan than in his native United States. Prayer for Peace marks his first recording in over a decade, though it is immediately apparent that Cowell has not been playing in a vacuum but continuing to evolve. In addition to the seasoned rhythm section, consisting of bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Victor Lewis, the pianist features his daughter Sunny, who sings or plays viola on several tracks. Cowell has long been an underrated composer, and his "Japanese Tea House" conveys a memorable aural portrait of the Far East, with Sunny's viola adding an essential element to this driving post-bop tune. The solo piano composition "For James Williams" was written in memory of the beloved pianist/composer/educator; it's a soulful, intricate blues which captures his spirit perfectly. The leader's demanding "Chirality" is full of sudden shifts in direction, also giving Sunny a chance to show off her improvisational skills on her viola, and her expressive vocals are featured in the swinging opener, Benny Carter's "When Lights Are Low," along with the standard "I'll Never Be the Same," with her father playing Art Tatum-like riffs in spots behind her. Sunny contributed the pop-flavored "Time Can Only Tell," though her adept use of her voice belies her extensive vocal studies. Perhaps Stanley Cowell won't wait a decade before returning to the studio after this outstanding effort. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/prayer-for-peace-mw0002079681

Personnel:  Bass – Mike Richmond;  Drums – Victor Lewis;  Piano – Stanley Cowell;  Viola – Sunny Cowell

Prayer For Peace

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Joe Roccisano - Nonet

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:12)  1. Moment's Notice
(6:17)  2. Mr. Day
(5:34)  3. Days of Wine and Roses
(6:26)  4. Springsvill
(8:48)  5. Charade
(6:56)  6. Some Other Time
(4:51)  7. So In Love
(7:54)  8. No More Blues
(5:20)  9. America

Joe Roccisano had only a month to live when Nonet was recorded on October 9, 1997 on November 9, the Charlie Parker-influenced alto saxman died of a massive heart attack at the age of 58. For Nonet, his final studio date as a leader, Roccisano led what his friend Phil Woods would term a "little big band" a nine-piece unit that includes, among others, trombonist Conrad Herwig, tenor saxophonist Tim Ries, baritone saxophonist Jack Stuckey, trumpeter Greg Gisbert, pianist Bill Charlap and drummer Terry Clarke. Enjoyable, if conventional, Nonet finds Roccisano sticking with what he did best straight-ahead hard bop and familiar jazz and pop standards such as John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)." This swan song reminds us that while Roccisano was never an innovator, he was a warm, likable improviser who always swung. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/nonet-mw0000046092

Personnel: Joe Roccisano (alto saxophone); Tim Ries (tenor saxophone); Jack Stuckey (baritone saxophone); Bob Millikan, Greg Gisbert (trumpet); Conrad Herwig (trombone); Bill Charlap (piano); Doug Weiss (bass); Terry Clarke (drums).

Nonet

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