Kate Rusby - The Frost Is All Over

Styles: Vocal, Folk, Christmas
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:27
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Bradfield
(5:06)  2. Cornish Wassailing
(3:54)  3. Sunny Bank
(3:38)  4. Winter Wonderland
(4:44)  5. Little Bilberry
(5:14)  6. Dilly Carol
(5:31)  7. Cold Winter
(5:03)  8. The Christmas Goose
(4:12)  9. Yorkshire Merry Christmas
(3:49) 10. Mount Lyngham
(3:57) 11. The Frost Is All Over

Kate Rusby's third Christmas album featuring 11 tracks of UK traditional songs and carols. "Warm and inviting, spicy and sparkly she and her marvellous band  accompanied by a sublime brass quintet embody the sounds and joyous spirit of the best Christmases ever! "https://www.amazon.com/Frost-All-Over-Kate-Rusby/dp/B017T1Q6BE

Kate Rusby remains Britain’s most popular female folk singer in part because she has mastered the art of Christmas songs. She is currently on tour promoting this new Christmas album, which follows on from Sweet Bells and While Mortals Sleep by providing a cheerful reminder that Christmas is part of the folk tradition. Once again, she revives songs that are performed in seasonal sing-alongs in pubs in Yorkshire (with Cornish songs now added in), and treats them with her distinctively pure, intimate and understated vocals. She doesn’t stray far from her vocal comfort zone, but variety is provided by classy backing including a five-piece brass section, accordion, and the guitar and banjo work of her partner, Damien O’Kane. The songs include new versions of Christmas carols, a gently jazzy Winter Wonderland, and one Rusby composition, the cheerfully contented title track. A safe and tested format, maybe, but it still works. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/10/kate-rusby-the-frost-is-all-over-review-mastering-the-art-of-christmas-songs

The Frost Is All Over

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Andrew Rathbun - Where We Are Now

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:54
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:42)  1. Son Suite I
(7:12)  2. Son Suite II
(7:43)  3. Son Suite III
(4:08)  4. Son Suite IV
(7:57)  5. Film Under Glass
(7:22)  6. A Stern
(7:45)  7. Wheel
(8:30)  8. Lament
(7:32)  9. No Longer

It is quite insouciant to categorize jazz musicians as either composers or players. But jazz devotees sometimes typecast artists as writers or interpreters of music. With a mature talent such as composer/saxophonist Andrew Rathbun, categorizing him in one camp or the other is unwarranted. With Where We Are Now, his tenth disc as leader, he displays his growing maturity as a player and more of his acclaimed talents as composer/arranger. Like his last few discs, he sets aside his taste for poetry and vocalists to center the session on the music. That's not to say his writing isn't chock-full of versification. His "Son Suite" in four parts, written (of course) for his child, is a cohesive 26-minutes of music, showcasing both the writing and soloing. The mysterious opening gives way to a joyous music, Rathbun switching between the soprano and tenor saxophones to alter the mood. By the fourth section, bassist Johannes Weidenmuller's bowing is followed by a mallet solo from master percussionist Billy Hart's that reads like a fine verse. As for the remainder of the tracks, Rathbun sequences some passionate playing on "Lament," and a bit more introspective fair on "A Stern." The latter composition features Rathbun's considerate soprano saxophone driven (always driven) by Hart. 

The vigorous "Lament" allows the players to stretch out, signaling the opportunity for guitarist Nate Radley to lay down some simple clean lines in response to Rathbun's plush tenor. Pianist George Colligan, a regular companion of Rathbun's, supplies the steady accompaniment here. His solo on the closing "No Longer" follows a concise tenor statement from the leader, and begins with one hand before graduating to a two-handed speed solo. The music of Andrew Rathbun draws into the composition, but requires you to stay for the performance. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/where-are-we-now-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php
 

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Nate Radley: guitar; George Colligan: piano; Johannes Weidenmuller: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Where We Are Now

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Ed Hamilton - Hear In The Now

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:09
Size: 133,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Boogie woogie
(6:58)  2. Out from the urban sky
(5:51)  3. Iowa
(8:31)  4. Hear in the now
(1:25)  5. Awakenings part 1
(6:17)  6. Awakenings part 2
(5:26)  7. So high (clouds in my eyes)
(4:34)  8. Jazzman
(6:06)  9. Jj's blues
(2:38) 10. When we last spoke
(3:49) 11. We didn't say
(0:59) 12. Goodbye

Born Eduard Scott Hamilton, USA. Hamilton developed his guitar playing out of an eclectic mix of influences that included Charlie Christian and rock, Latin and funk. Although he built a following during the early 90s he experienced difficulty in persuading record companies to accommodate him. As he told jazz writer Deni Kasrel, ‘Since I didn’t fit into any category, they didn’t think they could sell it...’ Showing remarkable tenacity, Hamilton stuck with his wide-ranging preferences and in 1996 was able to make the record he wanted. On the album he played guitar, bass and synthesizers, and also used guests Lenny White and George Howard. The diversity of approach that confounded record company executives makes it difficult to summarize Hamilton’s style. The fact that the music featured on his debut album was all self-written provides the clue. It is this aspect of his work that most enables listeners to find the man inside the music. Further recordings have appeared on the Telarc, Shanachie, and Fahrenheit labels.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-hamilton-mn0000179705/biography

Personnel:  Ed Hamilton (piano, keyboards, acoustic & electric guitars, electric bass); Warren Hill (saxophone); Dave Falcianni (piano, synthesizer); Vince Fay (acoustic bass); Pat Petrillo (drums, percussion).

Hear In The Now

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Kenny Clarke - Meets the Detroit Jazzmen

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:09
Size: 89,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. You Turned the Tables on Me
(5:15)  2. Your Host
(5:32)  3. Cottontall
(5:24)  4. Apothegh
(5:47)  5. Tricrotism
(5:53)  6. Afternoon in Paris
(6:35)  7. Tom's Thumb

Drummer Kenny Clarke, who was the first to record with Cannonball Adderley, was an underrated talent scout. On this album, Clarke utilizes bassist Paul Chambers and three relative unknowns who had recently arrived in New York from Detroit: baritonist Pepper Adams, pianist Tommy Flanagan and guitarist Kenny Burrell. During what would be the drummer's last date as a leader before permanently moving to Europe, the quintet performs one original apiece by each of the Detroiters plus four jazz standards. 

This high-quality hard bop set in 1956 showed that the latest NY imports were already major leaguers. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/kenny-clarke-meets-the-detroit-jazzmen-mw0000120791

Personnel: Kenny Clarke (drums), Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass)

Meets the Detroit Jazzmen

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