Bill Evans - Loose Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:44
Size: 104.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1992/2006
Art: Front

[7:04] 1. Loose Bloose (Takes 2 & 4)
[5:31] 2. Loose Bloose (Take 3)
[6:00] 3. Time Remembered
[6:10] 4. Funkallero
[5:22] 5. My Bells
[5:50] 6. There Came You
[4:29] 7. Fudgesickle Built For Four
[5:14] 8. Fun Ride

This long-lost session, not released initially until 1982, features pianist Bill Evans, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Philly Joe Jones interpreting seven of the pianist's recent originals. Due to some difficulties during the recording process (none of the sidemen were familiar with the often complex numbers), the results were originally shelved and lost for a couple of decades. This CD reissue shows that the music was actually much better than originally thought. While "Time Remembered," "Funkallero," and "My Bells" would become Evans standards, it is quite interesting to hear such forgotten obscurities as "Loose Bloose" (heard in two versions), "There Came You," "Fun Ride," and "Fudgesickle Built for Four"; a couple of the songs could stand to be revived. It is a pity that Evans and Sims (a logical combination) never did record together again. ~Scott Yanow

Loose Blues

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Jimmy Bruno - Solo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 120.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. Have You Met Miss Jones
[4:42] 2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[2:42] 3. Joy Spring
[3:48] 4. Satin Doll
[5:08] 5. Darn That Dream
[2:36] 6. Just Friends
[6:43] 7. Misty
[4:44] 8. I'm In The Mood For Love
[4:21] 9. The Toffelmire Band
[4:25] 10. Benny's Tune
[3:52] 11. Stella By Starlight
[3:59] 12. Night And Day
[1:52] 13. Giant Steps

A lot of musicians first learn their craft through the various method books produced by Mel Bay Publications. And so it is within reason to expect outstanding technique on the recordings recorded by Mel Bay Records.

Solo , guitarist Jimmy Bruno's first album for the fledgling label, doesn't disappoint on that score. It's a fiercely swung set of standards and originals featuring walking bass lines, sweep-picked arpeggios, and whole tone scales imaginatively deployed on solo guitar. There's even a rendition of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." Bruno not only improvises melodically and soulfully over the tune's labyrinthine chord progression, he also does it while playing at light speed. ~Alex K. Fong

Solo

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Lynne Fiddmont - Lady

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:33
Size: 106.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, R&B
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:19] 1. All The Way
[4:51] 2. Fine And Mellow / He's So Fine
[5:28] 3. I Cover The Waterfront
[3:41] 4. Good Morning Heartache
[3:25] 5. God Bless The Child
[5:25] 6. Lady
[4:43] 7. Night And Day / I Think Of You
[4:31] 8. Lover Man
[3:39] 9. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
[5:28] 10. Do Nothing 'til You Hear Me / Wayman's Groove

So, I picked up a two Billie Holiday albums. The first was a compilation that included songs Holiday made famous. That compilation included the two above listed songs, as well as tunes like "God Bless The Child," "Them There Eyes" and "Ain't Nobody's Business." I went out and bought Lady in Satin about two weeks later. Holiday recorded that album, on which she performed with a full orchestra, in 1958. The record came out a year before Holiday died, and the ravages of decades of substance abuse and the mistreatment at the hands of the era's racism were apparent. While Holiday was diminished vocally (meaning she probably wouldn't have made it very far on American Idol), she still knew how to sing. That means Holiday used her instrument to make an emotional connection with her listener, she still had excellent phrasing and she could still tell a story. Don't believe me? Just listen to her angst-filled rendition of "You Don't Know What Love Is."

So it's not surprising that vocalists continue returning to the Billie Holiday catalog more than 50 years after her death. Dee Dee Bridgewater released a tribute album in which the songs are arranged in the straight ahead jazz style that is her forte. On Lady, Lynne Fiddmont's homage to Lady Day, the St. Louis native goes in a different direction. Lady has more of an R&B/jazz/world music fusion feel. That was a good idea. Look, no singer can ever take a song like "Good Morning Heartache" away from Holiday. However, Fiddmont's decision to give the tune a Latin feel that brings to mind some of Stevie Wonder's work in the early 1970s, moves this album away from the kind of rote, by-the-book translation that often makes Holiday covers sound stale. Fiddmont makes a conscious effort to give us something different. She employs an up-tempo calypso/jazz beat on "God Bless the Child," and infuses "Fine and Mellow," with a neo-soul groove. Meanwhile, "I Cover the Waterfront," combines that late 1960s Burt Bacharach sound with an ending that includes a "On the Dock of the Bay" style whistle.

If you know anything about Fiddmont's history, you know that she has a special connection to Holiday's music, having played Holiday in the musical Dark Legends in Blood. Fiddmont's love for the material is clear, yet, she manages to avoid making these tunes into museum pieces. Holiday was a free spirit who was often limited by the time in which she lived. However, nobody could fence in her music, and on Lady Fiddmont honors Holiday by loosing the fetters. That's a fitting tribute to jazz royalty. Recommended. ~Howard Dukes

Lady

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Matt Dennis, Ferdinand Von Plettenberg, Albert Reifert Trio - Do It Again

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:58
Size: 125.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:25] 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:06] 2. Am I Blue
[3:01] 3. Don't Say No To My Love
[4:48] 4. East Of The Sun
[4:23] 5. There Will Never Be Another You
[4:46] 6. The End Of A Love Affair
[2:23] 7. The Best Thing For You
[3:37] 8. Where Did Everyone Go
[5:17] 9. Angel Eyes
[4:12] 10. Do It Again
[3:08] 11. Once In A While
[2:55] 12. I Keep Going Back To Joe's
[2:05] 13. The Song Is Ended
[3:57] 14. No, I Don't Want Her
[3:48] 15. When I Look In Your Eyes

Do It Again

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Chris Daniels & The Kings - Stealin' The Covers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:52
Size: 143.9 MB
Styles: Funk, Blues, Jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Roll Over Beethoven
[2:21] 2. Choo Choo Ch'boogie
[4:48] 3. Just Kissed My Baby
[3:04] 4. 634-5789
[4:03] 5. The Heart Of Saturday Night
[4:19] 6. Congo Square
[4:35] 7. Crossfire
[4:34] 8. In The Night
[2:48] 9. In My Life
[4:40] 10. Who's Makin Love
[5:40] 11. Riding With The King
[5:00] 12. Soul Mine
[2:58] 13. Crosstown Traffic
[4:29] 14. Killing Floor
[3:09] 15. Sing, Sing, Sing
[2:47] 16. Cool Yule

Chris Daniels, rhythm guitar, vocals; Colin "Bones" Jones, lead guitar; Chris Stongle, drums, vocals; Kevin "Bro" Lege, bass, vocals; Dean LeDoux, keys, vocals; Darryl "Doody" Abrahamson, trumpet, vocals; Jim Waddell, alto, tenor sax, flute, vocals.

Chris Daniels & the Kings played their first show on March 14, 1984. Chris has toured Europe 16 times and played in the States from South Carolina to Seattle, New York City to LA. The seven piece rockin\' band, called "funky-blues" by the Europeans, is an all out "horn band" celebrating their 24th year making great R&B, funk, "jump blues" and rock n roll.

Starting in 1991 the band made a name for themselves touring Europe: playing for the Queen of Holland at the 50 Year VE Day Celebration and at Holland's famous Parkpop Rock Festival for 450,000. They have headlined festivals from Mediterranean to the North Sea. They have had number one records on Holland’s number one rock show, “Countdown Café” and had front page success with cover articles in De Telegraph and De Standard in Amsterdam and Brussels and amazing reviews in Billboard, LA Times and Downbeat.

There all new "party till you drop" record of hits "Stealin' The Covers features a remarkable list of "special guests" including Sonny Landreth, Sam Bush, Bill Payne, Mollie O\'Brien, Hazel Miler, Ritchie Furay, Tony Furtado, Steve Riley, Sam Broussard plus many many more.

Stealin' The Covers

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Alexia Gardner - A Little Closer: Live At the Birds Eye Jazz Club

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:31
Size: 125,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Everything Must Change
(2:48)  2. There'll Never Be Another You
(5:54)  3. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(4:15)  4. At Last
(3:25)  5. Jump In
(5:23)  6. Illusions
(5:48)  7. Turn Your Lights Down Low
(5:22)  8. Stormy Weather
(4:57)  9. My Favorite Things
(6:45) 10. Black Coffee
(5:39) 11. A Little Closer

'When listening to vocalist, Alexia Gardner, you are reminded of that era when a jazz singer was just that, someone in that tradition who would take a song and tell its story musically, respecting the integrity of its original melody, yet using nuanced phrasing that would be uniquely individual. For those 'jazz aficionados' or even those who are just lovers of good music. I would strongly suggest that you treat yourself to hearing one of the true practioners of this great artform, jazz! Truly a world citizen via Jamaica, England, Asia and Europe, and a world class jazz singer,Ms. Alexia Gardner!" Phil Morrison 20(Bassist/Composer/Songwriter)

With over a decade of tours and concerts in South East Asia Alexia Gardner has recently moved to New York City. She is ready to share her soft, mellow and distinctive voice with her audience here as well as continuing to perform globally. Her Live recordings in Hongkong, Shanghai and Switzerland showcase her rapport with the audience and her command of the stage.  This British Singer with Jamaican Roots began her career touring the British Cabaret Circuit in England and Wales. She toured with her gifted sister Paula Gardner as a sophisticated, accapella duo and got much acclaim for their wonderfully harmonic voices. Alexia soon began a solo career that took her across the Mediterranean on luxury Cruise Liners as well as the luxury hotel groups in Asia. Part of her addictiveness stems from her Jamaican parentage where she is able to incorporate everything from Standard Jazz Classics, Latin grooves, a touch of Reggae vibes, soft Bossa Nova styles to gentle, familiar ballads.

Alexia has three live albums and one studio recording available for your enjoyment. 'The Rest Of Your Life ' recorded in 2001 at the `Jazz Club` in Hongkong and the suitably entitled ` Jammin ' Alexia Gardner Live In Shanghai` This second album was released in January 2006 and one of the reviews were:  'This is one of the strongest jazz Vocal CDs I've heard in a long time. Alexia Gardner comes across in the tradition of Sarah, Ella and Nancy but with her own uniqueness. A wonderful singer with a wonderful rhythm section! (Phil Morrison, bassist, composer, lyricist August 2006)

Her third album is 'Chasing Hope, Alexia Gardner and the offbeat Trio'. This beautiful album recorded in Switzerland with the fabulous trio that she toured and performed with since her return to Europe after years in Asia. This was recorded in the summer of 2009. A wonderful album with special guests and striking original tunes. Finally, the fourth album is once again recorded in front of a Live Audience. It is called ' A Little Closer, Alexia Gardner Live At The Birds Eye Jazz Club'. This is a unique recording of guitar, double bass and voice. This was released late September 2011 and once again demonstrates Alexia's diverse and ever appealing artistry. https://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/AlexiaGardner

Personnel:  Vocals - Alexia Gardner;  Guitar - Beat Baumli;  Bass - Lorenz Beyeler;  Arrangements - Beat Baumli

A Little Closer: Live At the Birds Eye Jazz Club

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George Cables Trio - I Mean You

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:40
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:48)  1. Woofin And Tweetin
(9:02)  2. Who Can I Turn To?
(5:20)  3. I Mean You
(8:11)  4. For Heaven's Sake
(7:33)  5. Blackfoot
(6:54)  6. But He Knows
(8:19)  7. All Of Nothing At All
(4:58)  8. Lush Life
(7:29)  9. Double Or Nothing

For this straight-ahead set, pianist George Cables is joined by bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum. Cables is heard throughout in top form, reviving Gene Ammons' obscure but appealing "Woofin' and Tweetin'," digging into Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You," recalling Bill Evans on "Who Can I Turn To," and contributing three originals. Cables has long been underrated and he has been heard in a variety of settings through the years. This is one of his best boppish dates. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-mean-you-mw0000722746

Personnel:  George Cables (piano);  Jay Anderson (bass);  Adam Nussbaum (drums)

I Mean You

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Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk Returns

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:55
Size: 86,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:44)  1. Goin' Down Home
(3:07)  2. I'll Follow My Secret Heart
(3:12)  3. On My Way
(3:01)  4. I'll Tell You Later
(3:15)  5. What A Difference A Day Made
(2:56)  6. Last Stop
(3:11)  7. Should I
(2:57)  8. Flight Eleven
(3:01)  9. Modern Fantasy
(3:01) 10. Confessin'
(3:28) 11. September Song
(2:57) 12. You Can't Take That Away From Me

This CD features Hawkins on a dozen selections (all around three minutes long) performing with an odd group (organ, piano, bass, drums and sometimes a vocal group). Despite the potentially commercial backing, he really digs into the tunes and creates some magic. Pity that this CD only lasts around 36 minutes.~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hawk-returns-mw0000100215

Personnel : Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Boddy Smith (drums).

The Hawk Returns

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