Keith Jarrett - My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux   Disc 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:32
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

( 9:10)  1. Four
(12:25)  2. My Foolish Heart
( 6:37)  3. Oleo
( 7:54)  4. What's New
( 7:43)  5. The Song Is You
( 6:41)  6. Ain't Misbehavin'

Pianist Keith Jarrett's career practically invites criticism or, at the very least, intense comment. His outspokenness, his utter seriousness of intent and the resulting love-hate relationship with the audience, even his vocalisms, evoke strong responses, both pro and con, from listeners. As the years have gone by, expectations have continued to rise, almost to the point that no matter what he does, Jarrett will fail in someone's eyes, and My Foolish Heart is no exception. However, the only issue that really matters is this: does he and, by extension, the trio, communicate with and connect to the listener?  ECM has released this double-CD live recording from the 2001 Montreux Jazz Festival as a sort of now-to-then comparison to the upcoming release Setting The Standards: New York Sessions 1983, which will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of this trio in 2008. Any Jarrett release is an event and, when combined with Jarrett's liner notes which talk about how special this performance was, practically promises a revelatory listening experience. Revelation is, however, a very personal thing. Since this music consists of well-known standards the magic, if it is to be found, will not be in new sounds, but in the details of the performance for those who can, or desire to, hear them.

The best jazz is the music of spontaneous, unexpected creation. It requires dynamic energy and concentration plus the seeming contradictory ability to let go, forgetting all the technique and theory and just playing. In this case, what is to be played starts with the tunes themselves, with melody. A standard is labeled as such because its construction has achieved the delicate balance between the melodic phrasing and harmony that creates something unique, and being immediately identifiable and memorable. To treat such a creation as mere changes is to violate its sanctity, and true improvisation will maintain contact, however tenuous, with the source of the inspiration. In this respect, Jarrett is masterful and there is nary a moment on any track when it is not obvious which tune is being played. The changes are respected, but so are the melody and emotional essence of the tune, with Jarrett using the musical language of conventional bebop jazz. 

Bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, acknowledged masters in their own right, obviously know Jarrett and each other extremely well. Any given performance can vary, but this one does seem to find this rhythm section in top form. DeJohnette's famous energy is controlled but white hot while Peacock, whose solos are short but meaningful, adds a delightful bounce and verve. The trio is playing as one and this is the joy of the performance. The surprise comes with the three stride tunes, "Ain't Misbehavin,'" "Honeysuckle Rose" and "You Took Advantage Of Me," and if anyone was waiting for a reason to gush about this performance, it is here. Place it where you will in Jarrett's discography, My Foolish Heart is true jazz artistry. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/my-foolish-heart-keith-jarrett-ecm-records-review-by-budd-kopman.php

Personnel: Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double-bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 1

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Album: My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux    Disc 2

Year: 2007

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:08

Size: 133,2 MB

( 6:45)  1. Honeysuckle Rose

( 8:54)  2. You Took Advantage of Me

(10:04)  3. Straight, No Chaser

( 6:36)  4. Five Brothers

(11:09)  5. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry

( 8:18)  6. On Green Dolphin Street

( 6:19)  7. Only the Lonely

My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 2

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Joanie Sommers - Let's Talk About Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:41
Size: 80,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:29)  1. Let's Talk About Love
(4:13)  2. Spring Is Here
(2:26)  3. I'm Nobody's Baby
(2:19)  4. Something's Coming
(3:47)  5. Make the Man Love Me
(2:24)  6. I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
(2:28)  7. Til There Was You
(3:19)  8. After the Lights Go Down Low
(2:11)  9. There's No Such Thing
(3:13) 10. Namely You
(2:32) 11. Kiss and Run
(3:13) 12. I'll Never Stop Loving You

At the time of the release of this little-known LP (singer Joanie Sommers' fifth for Warner Bros), she was being packaged as the "voice of youth." Backed by a big band arranged and conducted by Tommy Oliver, Sommers interprets a dozen songs having something to do with love, programmed so as to tell a story. Sommers' voice at this point in time was quite musical but can be a bit of an acquired taste. She swings the pieces (a couple newer songs and such standards as "I'm Nobody's Baby," "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me," "Till There Was You" and "Kiss and Run") with sincerity and understanding of the lyrics. Some of the arrangements are a bit dated (using early-'60s pop rhythms), but in general the album works well. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/lets-talk-about-love-mw0000591608

Let's Talk About Love

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The Manhattan Transfer - Brasil

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:48
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Soul Food To Go (Sina)
(4:06)  2. The Zoo Blues (Asa)
(4:58)  3. So You Say (Esquinas)
(5:11)  4. Capim (Capim)
(4:36)  5. Metropolis (Arlequim Desconhecido)
(4:08)  6. Hear The Voices (Bahia De Todas As Contas)
(5:10)  7. Água (Água)
(3:32)  8. The Jungle Pioneer (Viola Violar)
(5:47)  9. Notes From The Underground (Antes Que Seja Tarde)

Riding a wave of nostalgia in the '70s, the Manhattan Transfer resurrected jazz trends from boogie-woogie to bop to vocalese in a slick, slightly commercial setting that balanced the group's close harmonies. Originally formed in 1969, the quartet recorded several albums of jazz standards as well as much material closer to R&B/pop. Still, they were easily the most popular jazz vocal group of their era, and the most talented of any since the heyday of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross during the early '60s. When the group was formed in the late '60s, however, the Manhattan Transfer was a hippie cornball act similar to the Lovin' Spoonful or Spanky & Our Gang. The lone LP that appeared from the original lineup leader Gene Pistilli plus Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia was Jukin', assembled by Capitol. An odd and hardly successful satire record, it was the last appearance on a Manhattan Transfer album for all of the above except Hauser. After Hauser met vocalists Laurel Masse and Janis Siegel in 1972, the trio re-formed the Manhattan Transfer later that year with the addition of Alan Paul. The group became popular after appearances at a few New York hotspots and recorded their own debut, an eponymous LP recorded with help from the jazz world (including Zoot Sims, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, and Mel Davis).

 Featuring vocalese covers of "Java Jive" and "Tuxedo Junction" as well as a Top 40 hit in the aggressive gospel tune "Operator," the album rejuvenated the field of vocalese (dormant since the mid-'60s) and made the quartet stars in the jazz community across Europe as well as America. The Manhattan Transfer's next two albums, Coming Out and Pastiche, minimized the jazz content in favor of covers from around the music community, from Nashville to Los Angeles to Motown. A single from Coming Out, the ballad "Chanson d'Amour," hit number one in Britain. Though Masse left in 1979 for a solo career, Cheryl Bentyne proved a capable replacement, and that same year, Extensions introduced their best-known song, "Birdland," the ode to bop written by Weather Report several years earlier. Throughout the 1980s, the group balanced retreads from all aspects of American song. The 1981 LP Mecca for Moderns gained the Manhattan Transfer their first American Top Ten hit, with a cover of the Ad Libs' 1965 girl group classic "The Boy from New York City," but also included a version of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and a surreal, wordless tribute named "Kafka." (The album also earned the Manhattan Transfer honors as the first artist to receive Grammys in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year.) The production on virtually all was susceptible to '80s slickness, and though the group harmonies were wonderful, all but the most open of listeners had trouble digesting the sheer variety of material. The group's 1985 tribute to vocal pioneer Jon Hendricks, titled Vocalese, marked a shift in the Manhattan Transfer's focus. Subsequent works managed to keep the concepts down to one per album, and the results were more consistent. Such records as 1987's Brasil, 1994's Tubby the Tuba (a children's record), 1995's Tonin' ('60s R&B), and 1997's Swing (pre-war swing) may not have found the group at their performance peak, but were much more easily understandable for what they were. 

The group stayed very active and concept-heavy during the 2000s, beginning with a tribute to Louis Armstrong for 2000's The Spirit of St. Louis. They included a pair of Rufus Wainwright songs among the jazz material on 2004's Vibrate, and released An Acapella Christmas the following year. The Symphony Sessions followed in 2006, offering re-recordings of some of their best-known songs with orchestral arrangements. In 2009, the Transfer saluted one of the biggest names in jazz with The Chick Corea Songbook, and featured contributions from Corea, Airto Moreira, Christian McBride, and Ronnie Cuber, among others. During the early 2010s, the group focused more on performing, although both Bentyne and Hauser were forced to find temporary replacements during medical procedures. After spinal surgery in 2013, Hauser returned to the group, but then died suddenly from cardiac arrest in October 2014. 

~ John Bush https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/manhattan-transfer/id150513#fullText

The Manhattan Transfer: Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Cheryl Bentyne (vocals).

Additional personnel: Uakti, Marco Antonio Guimaraes, Paulo Sergio Dos Santos, Artur Andres Ribeiro, Decio De Souza Ramos (various instruments); Victor Biglione, Toninho Horta, Oscar Castro-Neves, Dann Huff, Wayne Johnson (guitar); Stan Getz, David Sanborn (saxophone); Yaron Gershovsky (piano); Jamal Joanes Dos Santos, Nathan East, Abraham Laboriel (bass); John Robinson, Buddy Williams (drums); Frank Colon, Paulinho Da Costa, Djalma Correa (percussion); Wagner Tiso, Larry Williams, Jeff Lorber (programming); Milton Nascimento, Djavan (background vocals).

Brasil

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Chico Hamilton - Chic Chic Chico

Styles: Hard Bop, Post Bop, Cool Jazz 
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:07
Size: 83,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. Chic Chic Chico
(5:36)  2. Corrida de Toros
(3:08)  3. Tarantula
(6:05)  4. What's New
(3:07)  5. St Paddy's Day Parade
(6:40)  6. Carol's Walk
(2:47)  7. Swampy
(5:51)  8. Fire Works

Very very cool set of weird grooves from Chico Hamilton. Some tracks are Latiny, others have lots of weird guitar, and they're all kind of spacey, but not exactly free. This period of Chico's is one of his weirdest, and it's kind of hard to figure out where he was heading, but the trip to that place is always a joy, and these tracks are all marked by a very fresh approach to jazz. Players include Willie Bobo, Jimmy Woods, Harold Land, Lou Blackburn, and other obscure jazz players from the LA underground. Gabor Szabo, of course, plays guitar on most tracks as well. With "Tarantula", "Swampy", "Fire Works", and "Carol's Walk". (Rainbow label pressing. Cover has a small cutout hole.) © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/15105

Personnel:  Bass – Albert Stinson;  Drums – Chico Hamilton;  Flute, Flute [Piccolo] – Bill Green;  French Horn – Henry Sigismonti;  Guitar – Gabor Szabo;  Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land;  Trombone – Lou Blackburn;  Trumpet – John Anderson

Chic Chic Chico

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Wolfgang Muthspiel - Rising Grace

Styles:  Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:37
Size: 157,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:56)  1. Rising Grace
(10:17)  2. Intensive Care
( 8:04)  3. Triad Song
( 8:14)  4. Father and Sun
( 8:02)  5. Wolfgang's Waltz
( 6:44)  6. Superonny
( 7:30)  7. Boogaloo
( 7:50)  8. Den Wheeler, Den Kenny
( 1:23)  9. Ending Music
( 4:34) 10. Oak

Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel made a big splash early in his career, playing with vibraphonist Gary Burton and recording for PolyGram Records (including 1990's The Promise, produced by Burton). Since founding his own label Material Records in 2000 he has had a somewhat lower profile, although in addition to a number of his projects the label released From A Dream (2009), the stunning debut of the cooperative trio MGT (with fellow guitarists Slava Grigoryan and Ralph Towner). Muthspiel made his ECM debut with that trio on 2013's Travel Guide, followed by his leader debut in 2014 with the trio album Driftwood (with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Brian Blade).  Rising Grace adds to that winning combination with now-veteran pianist Brad Mehldau and young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. That's a lot of potential virtuosic firepower, but the group is characterized by lyricism and a conversational style. The approach can be heard in different ways throughout the program. "Intensive Care" begins with an unaccompanied nylon-string guitar introduction (he uses nylon-string on about half of the album), which suggests how an acoustic solo recital might sound. A group dialog ensues, with various instruments alternately taking the lead.

"Father And Sun" has a bass solo from Grenadier, but Mehldau's accompaniment is so active it is almost a duet: then Muthspiel takes over on nylon string guitar while the piano commentary continues. Akinmusire is especially lyrical here. "Wolfgang's Waltz" was written by Mehldau, the only selection not composed by the leader. It features electric guitar on the head; then after trumpet and guitar solos the piece ends in a collective exchange. So while there certainly are clear solos, "head followed by a round of solos" is not the default mode. The title tune opens the set, featuring a long melody over an ostinato pattern in a style that suggests label-mate (and trio partner) Ralph Towner. "Boogaloo" finds Muthspiel using overdrive on his electric guitar the only time on the album giving it a more assertive edge. With "Den Wheeler, Den Kenny" (which translates to "this Wheeler I know") he pays tribute to another ECM artist, the great trumpeter Kenny Wheeler specifically to the album Gnu High (ECM, 1976) which was a big influence while Muthspiel was growing up, as well as a model for this group's interaction. The trumpet playing is worthy of the dedication, and Mehldau contributes a beautiful, rhapsodic unaccompanied section. Good as Muthspiel's previous recorded work has been, he really takes things to a new level here. His playing and composing have grown in richness and subtlety, and these excellent musicians are all at the top of their game, individually and collectively. They sound like they were always meant to play together. ~ Mark Sullivan 

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rising-grace-wolfgang-muthspiel-ecm-records-review-by-mark-sullivan.php
 

Personnel: Wolfgang Muthspiel: guitar; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Brad Mehldau: piano; Larry Grenadier: double-bass; Brian Blade: drums.

Rising Grace

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