Sam 'The Man' Taylor - Jazz For Commuters / Salute To The Saxes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:49
Size: 153.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:03] 1. Bucks County Bounce
[8:29] 2. Long Island Railroad Blues
[3:03] 3. Westchester Waltz
[3:40] 4. Rockland County Round Trip
[3:11] 5. Westport Wail
[4:10] 6. Lester Leaps In
[3:51] 7. Body And Soul
[6:30] 8. Air Mail Special
[4:19] 9. All Too Soon
[3:31] 10. Flyin' Home
[2:32] 11. Taylor Made
[2:29] 12. Sam's Blues
[2:34] 13. Ride, Sammy, Ride
[2:51] 14. Do-A-Lu
[2:27] 15. Road Runner
[2:38] 16. Lock Out
[2:46] 17. The Big Beat
[2:32] 18. Cloudburst

Charlie Shavers, Thad Jones (tp), Frank Rehak, Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Sam Taylor, Georgie Auld (ts), Budd Johnson (ts, bs), Haywood Henry (bs), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith, Billy Bauer (g), Milt Hinton (b), Panama Francis (d). All sessions recorded in New York. Album tracks were recorded on October 15 & 22, 1958. The Bonus tracks (11-17) came from different sessions cut between March, 1955 and June, 1956

Sam The Man Taylor is a saxophonist as adept at swinging jazz as he is at the blues and R&B for which he is most famous. With his unending drive and energy, he stood out in the bands he was in, including those of Cootie Williams, Cab Calloway and others. During the 50s he spent much of his time playing R&B sessions, but he also performed and recorded often with his own combo and, ten years later, he achieved wide recognition in Japan thanks to his ballads.

This CD, however, presents an exultant Taylor, deeply rooted in the most genuine jazz, during a swinging 1958 session with great jazzmen like Charlie Shavers, Georgie Auld, Budd Johnson and Hank Jones. As a bonus, there is an example of his more rocking side, fronting a group that exudes Taylors typically soulful essence.

Jazz For Commuters/Salute To The Saxes

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Frances Faye - Relaxin' With Frances Faye

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:07
Size: 69.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1957/2014
Art: Front

[2:21] 1. Love Is Just Around The Corner
[2:12] 2. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
[2:36] 3. Don't Blame Me
[3:07] 4. Ain't Misbehavin'
[2:17] 5. All The Things You Are
[2:30] 6. Darktown Strutters' Ball
[2:23] 7. Just You, Just Me
[2:02] 8. You're My Thrill
[2:32] 9. My Baby Just Cares For Me
[3:18] 10. Well All Right
[2:10] 11. The Thrill Is Gone
[2:35] 12. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans

Frances's recording career took off when Phil Kahl, founder of Roulette Records, brought her to Capitol in 1952. She released several singles starting with "Night and Day": "This is the first time I've come out sounding like myself on a record. The other times they would hear me in a club, but when they would ask me to record they would make me close the piano, ask me to sing softly, tell me not to bang, and they didn't let me keep my shoes on. The Capitol date was different."

In 1953, the album No Reservations was compiled from her singles and new material, including two Faye compositions, and Dave Cavanaugh's arrangements showcased Faye's musicianship perfectly. However, Capitol also insisted Faye record novelty tunes of their choosing, such as "Tweet Tweet Tweetheart." These musical impositions are one of the reasons Frances left the label. Approached by Red Clyde, Frances moved to Bethlehem Records, a major jazz label founded by Gus Wildi, where her recording work blossomed. Her first Bethlehem LPs, I'm Wild Again and Relaxin' with Frances Faye, as well as her entire Capitol outpout, were included in the 2006 Jasmine release. She worked with terrific musicians (some working without credit due to contractual problems) such as Maynard Ferguson, Herbie Mann and conductor/arranger Russ Garcia.

Relaxin' With Frances Faye

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Ted Howe - Love Song

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:52
Size: 141.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. Let's Do It
[4:42] 2. True Love
[6:09] 3. I'll Remember Your Smile
[7:09] 4. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[4:38] 5. If I Had Known
[7:34] 6. Let's Fall In Love
[6:23] 7. Moonlight Becomes You
[5:58] 8. Midnight On The Beach
[9:10] 9. All The Way
[4:58] 10. Love Song

In this third release for Summit, TED HOWE invites the listener into a jazz time capsule of love songs, showcasing his eclectic arrangements in the sassy, sophisticated style for which he is noted. HOWE pays tribute to three of our most beloved composers: HAROLD ARLEN, COLE PORTER and JAMES VAN HEUSEN. In addition, HOWE premieres four of his own compositions with lyrics by REBEKAH MILLER. The featured vocalists on HOWE’S tunes are star of stage, screen and television, LAINIE KAZAN, along with the great, popular jazz baritone, GIACOMO GATES–thus creating a continuum of love songs from then and now. So, buckle your seat belts for a high flight over memory lane and back again–where the golden age of standards is respectfully reinvented as HOWE zooms and caresses the eighty-eights and makes everything old new again. Whether it’s an old song or a new song, this Love Song’s for you. Because as always, the heart of a simple love song still beats strong.

Love Song

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Vine Street Divas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:06
Size: 172.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. Jo Stafford - Long Ago (And Far Away)
[3:15] 2. Ella Mae Morse - Shoo-Shoo Baby
[2:49] 3. Benny Carter - Hurry, Hurry
[3:09] 4. Betty Hutton - It Had To Be You
[3:15] 5. Martha Tilton - I'll Walk Alone
[3:06] 6. Stan Kenton - And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
[3:10] 7. Margaret Whiting - Moonlight In Vermont
[2:57] 8. Martha Tilton - I Should Care
[3:10] 9. Paul Weston And His Orchestra - It Might As Well Be Spring
[3:07] 10. Martha Tilton - A Stranger In Town
[2:42] 11. June Christy - It's Been A Long, Long Time
[3:02] 12. Betty Hutton - Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief
[3:19] 13. Peggy Lee - I Don't Know Enough About You
[2:57] 14. Jo Stafford - Day By Day
[2:50] 15. Peggy Lee - It's A Good Day
[2:24] 16. Nellie Lutcher - Hurry On Down
[3:11] 17. Benny Goodman - I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)
[2:58] 18. Peggy Lee - Golden Earrings
[2:54] 19. Jo Stafford - Serenade Of The Bells
[3:04] 20. Margaret Whiting - But Beautiful
[3:12] 21. Peggy Lee - Everybody Loves Somebody
[3:05] 22. Kay Starr - You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)
[2:12] 23. Blue Lu Barker - A Little Bird Told Me
[3:05] 24. Helen O'Connell - Teardrops From My Eyes
[3:11] 25. Jo Stafford - Some Enchanted Evening

This volume of From the Vault highlights early Capitol Records hits by the ladies of the tower, so to speak. Individual talents such as Jo Stafford, Anita O'Day, and Peggy Lee began to emerge from many top orchestras and soon became Vine Street divas in their own right. The timing for this incipient wave of girl power couldn't have been better -- since WW II was preoccupying many of the country's top male vocalists. The extensive selection of musical genres on the label didn't hurt either. Among the most popular of these were show tunes. Jo Stafford led her fellow female artists scoring Top Ten hits with songs from both stage and screen. Vine Street Divas includes two Stafford classics -- "Long Ago (And Far Away)" from the film Cover Girl, as well as "Some Enchanted Evening" from the stage adaptation of South Pacific. Among the other soundtrack or cast recordings featured on this compilation are Ella Mae Morse's "Shoo-Shoo Baby" from the motion picture Three Cheers for the Boys," and Betty Hutton's classic "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" as featured in The Stork Club. This volume has cleverly gathered rare and hard to find early recordings by ladies who quickly gained international acclaim -- such as Anita O'Day ("And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine,") June Christy ("It's Been a Long, Long Time"), and Margaret Whiting -- who is featured with no less than three different orchestras on this collection. Vine Street Divas is accompanied by a ten-page liner notes booklet containing vintage memorabilia, photos, and other previously unpublished eye candy. Plus, to fill in the details is an essay by musician and music historian, Billy Vera. Initial pressings -- limited to 10,000 -- are cleverly packaged in a digipack designed to replicate the 78 rpm records and sleeves of the era. ~LindsayPlaner

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Vine Street Divas

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Horace Parlan - Relaxin' With Horace

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:42
Size: 155.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[6:56] 1. Like Someone In Love
[6:20] 2. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[6:02] 3. Thinking Of You
[7:09] 4. Theme For Ernie
[6:47] 5. For Heaven's Sake
[8:12] 6. Everything Happens To Me
[7:09] 7. Love And Peace
[7:59] 8. Everytime We Say Goodbye
[4:42] 9. Blues For Hp
[6:21] 10. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Double Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Ed Thigpen; Piano – Horace Parlan.

Pianist Horace Parlan has long dealt with the damage done to his right hand, which came from a childhood bout with polio, by developing a potent left hand. As a result, Parlan has never had the opportunity to play completely to the potential he would have had if spared his serious illness, though his recordings have been consistently rewarding. He was 73 years old at the time of this 2004 studio session, which features old friends Jesper Lundgaard on bass and drummer (and fellow expatriate) Ed Thigpen, yet one doesn't sense that age is cramping his style in the least. The focus is primarily on standards that aren't played much in the 21st century, generally low-key ballads, with Lundgaard's strong bassline and Thigpen's crisp brushwork in support of the leader. It is refreshing to hear a relaxed, choppy interpretation of a ballad such as "Like Someone in Love," which many artists have the tendency to rush through and destroy the melody. Parlan slows "Don't Take Your Love from Me" to a crawl in order to pack an emotional punch, without having a vocalist sing its maudlin lyrics. The pianist's "Love and Peace" has a bit of a wistful air, while Thigpen's "Blues for HP" is a good bit more intense than the remainder of the session, with the drummer returning to sticks and Parlan sounding a bit more playful. All in all, this is a remarkable effort by the trio. ~Ken Dryden

Relaxin' With Horace

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Cecil Payne - Patterns of Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:04
Size: 101,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. This Time the Dreams on Me
(7:52)  2. How Deep Is the Ocean
(5:31)  3. Chessman's Delight
(3:41)  4. Arnetta
(6:43)  5. Saucer Eyes
(5:37)  6. Man of Moods
(6:23)  7. Bringing Up Father
(4:23)  8. Groovin' High

This 1956 set partners baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne with the superb rhythm section of pianist Duke Jordan, drummer Art Taylor, and bassist Tommy Potter. Their performances of originals, standards, and a pair of Randy Weston compositions are unpretentious bop artistry of a high caliber. Jordan and Potter played together in Charlie Parker's quintet of the late '40s and are well-equipped to meet the demands of bebop. The pianist's economical, swinging style falls somewhere between Count Basie's and Thelonious Monk's. Like them, Jordan is supremely skilled at saying a lot with a little. His open approach leaves plenty of space for the unassuming virtuosity of Potter and Taylor. Potter, in particular, merits close attention. He is a master of the walking bass, spilling out a relentless four to the bar with the precision of a Swiss timepiece and the obsession of one whose calling is, above all, to swing and to swing righteously. Payne's conception is the opposite of the big-throated, baritone sax roar of his Savoy labelmate Pepper Adams. Rather, his light tone calls to mind Lester Young's tenor sax, a parallel that is most apparent on Payne's extended solo on his ballad treatment of "How Deep Is the Ocean." On four of the eight tracks on this 1991 CD reissue the quartet is joined by trumpeter Kenny Dorham, who is in excellent form, adding a high-energy second voice to the frontline and a fearless chorus on the quintet's version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High." For listeners who have yet to become acquainted with Cecil Payne, this classic mid-'50s Savoy recording would make a good introduction.~ Jim Todd http://www.allmusic.com/album/patterns-of-jazz-mw0000098304

Personnel: Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone), Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Duke Jordan (piano), Tommy Potter (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Patterns of Jazz

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Susan Wong - Just A Little Bossa Nova

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:19)  1. The Look Of Love
(3:54)  2. Girl From Ipanema
(4:25)  3. Emotion
(2:50)  4. And I Love Her
(3:37)  5. Somewhere Beyond The Sea
(3:30)  6. All The Way
(3:41)  7. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(5:15)  8. Just The Way You Are
(3:27)  9. Imagine
(4:23) 10. Desafinado
(4:12) 11. Get Here
(3:07) 12. If
(4:22) 13. Kissing Of Fool

Susan Wong maintains a low-profile in her home town of Hong Kong yet is one of the best selling Hong Kong artists throughout South East Asia, and has a global following with releases in Japan, Germany, USA and Korea and a strong following in Brazil, Mexico and Spain. If you talk to many serious music fans in South East Asia they’ll give rave recommendations of Susan, who has been labeled as the ‘Queen of audiophile’, for her soft and sultry vocal style and laid-back music that has won the hearts of her wide and diverse legion of loyal fans. From those audiophile enthusiasts who enjoy listening to fine recordings to young listeners who adore the heart touching love songs the one thing that unites all her fans is their knowledge that they’ve discovered Asia’s best kept secret. Susan Wong was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Sydney, Australia with her family at the age of seven. Musically inclined from a young age, she learned to play the piano at age five and later she also learned the violin. Her first break in the music world was at the age of sixteen when her parents entered her for a singing contest in Sydney organized by the TVB. Susan won the competition and was offered a contract with music label. After much deliberation she decided that the time wasn’t right and instead returned to Australia to study at University. She pretty much just settled back into life at University and put aside any dreams of a music career. http://susanwong.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=28

Just A Little Bossa Nova

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Chris Byars Octet - Music Forever

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:37
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:25)  1. Somewhere/Music Forever
(7:59)  2. Minor Interlude
(8:04)  3. Time to Smile
(4:45)  4. Just A Ballad For My Baby
(8:11)  5. Emily Reno
(9:01)  6. Old Spice
(8:09)  7. The Thespian

Chris Byars has enjoyed exploring great jazz compositions that have been overlooked by other bandleaders. He found a mother lode by undertaking a CD of material by pianist Freddie Redd, who had a flurry of activity as a recording artist from the mid-'50s to the mid-'60s, before leaving for Europe and only sporadically recording since then. The tenor saxophonist arranged eight of Redd's compositions for his octet, a strong group including trumpeter Scott Wendholt, trombonist John Mosca, alto saxophonist Zaid Nasser and baritone saxophonist Mark Lopeman, with pianist Sacha Perry, bassist Ari Roland, and drummer Stefan Schatz making up the rhythm section. Byars fleshes out Redd's music with thoughtful, lively arrangements, while the solos are short and passed quickly from one player to the next and the ensembles are tight. The snappy "Minor Interlude" moves at a brisk clip, with potent solos by the brass and reed players, along with Ari Roland's Paul Chambers-like arco bass. The jaunty "Time to Smile" deserved to become a hard bop staple, and Byars' harmonically rich arrangement adds to its luster. "Emily Reno" is a lesser-known Redd piece from the 1970s, showcasing Perry's potent bop chops and Mosca's robust trombone. With so many players striving to make a splash with CDs full of originals, it is refreshing to see musicians like Chris Byars who enjoy delving for buried treasures from throughout the history of jazz. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/music-forever-mw0002399341

Personnel: Zaid Nasser (alto saxophone); Chris Byars (tenor saxophone); Mark Lopeman (baritone saxophone); Scott Wendholt (trumpet); John Mosca (trombone); Sacha Perry (piano); Stefan Schatz (drums).

Music Forever

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Marion Brown - Vista

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:23
Size: 95,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. Maimoun
(5:40)  2. Visions
(7:44)  3. Vista
(4:37)  4. Moment Of Truth
(6:02)  5. Bismillahi 'Rrahmani' Rrahim
(9:45)  6. Djinji

Altoist Marion Brown, one of the potentially great high-energy saxophonists to emerge in the mid-'60s (he was on John Coltrane's famous Ascension record), has had somewhat of a directionless career. This disc certainly boasts an impressive backup crew (including both Anthony Davis and Stanley Cowell on keyboards along with bassist Reggie Workman and some appearances by drummer Ed Blackwell) but does not seem to know what it wants to be. The solos are relatively short, there is a poppish vocal by Allen Murphy on a Stevie Wonder tune and little that is all that memorable actually occurs. Better to acquire Marion Brown's earlier recordings. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/vista-mw0000452724

Personnel:  Marion Brown — alto saxophone, wind chimes;  Stanley Cowell (tracks 1-4), Anthony Davis — piano, electric piano;  Bill Braynon — celeste, electric piano (tracks 1-4);  Reggie Workman — bass (tracks 1 & 3-6);  Jimmy Hopps — drums (tracks 1 & 3-5);  Ed Blackwell — drums, slit drums, (tracks 3 & 6);  Jose Goico — congas, tambourine (tracks 1 & 3-6);  Allen Murphy — vocals (track 2), bells (track 5);  Harold Budd - celeste, gong (track 5)

Vista

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