Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Kenny Clarke - Plays The Arrangements Of Andre Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:58
Size: 176.2 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Jeru
[3:23] 2. On A Riff
[2:45] 3. Swing Spring
[3:51] 4. Eronel
[2:54] 5. The Squirrel
[3:46] 6. Blue Serge
[3:02] 7. The Squirrel
[3:24] 8. Eronel
[2:53] 9. 'round About Midnight
[3:05] 10. When Lights Are Low
[3:55] 11. Cadenze
[4:26] 12. Tahiti
[3:36] 13. Love Me Or Leave Me
[2:32] 14. Fun For Four
[3:29] 15. Fantasy For Bass
[3:25] 16. Jackie My Little Cat
[3:33] 17. Dream Time
[2:47] 18. Gold Fish
[2:53] 19. Black Knight
[2:47] 20. Jean-Paul
[2:46] 21. Bell Hop
[2:30] 22. More Than You Know
[5:16] 23. Tampico

Kenny Clarke (d), with Roger Guérin, Bernard Hulin (tp), Billy Byers, Nat Peck (tb), Hubert Rostaing, Hubert Fol, Lucky Thompson, Armand Migiani (saxes), René Urtréger, Martial Solal, Maurice Vandair (p), Pierre Michelot, Jean Warland (b).

Recorded during 1956-1960, the initial years of drummer Kenny Clarkes permanently settling in Europe, these four sessions display his versatility and consistently commanding musicianship over richly varied settings, some graced, among others, by the stellar presence of US tenor giants Lucky Thompson and Don Byas. They show, too, the superior quality of some European players and composerarrangers who were to be outstanding names in continental jazz -primarily French and Belgian, but also including the great Algerian pianist, Martial Solal.

Solal and trombonist Billy Byers are featured on the opening session of André Hodeirs excellently conceived arrangements of originals by himself, Ellington, Monk, Mulligan, Dameron and others. On the Kenny Clarke Plays Pierre Michelot session, Michelot reveals his considerable gifts as composer and arranger, influenced by the Miles Davis Nonet, with Clarke and Thompson at their best. The Bill Holman-influenced composer-arranger Christian Chevalliers good writing animates the next session. Both sessions benefit from a rhythm section which includes the arrestingly brilliant piano of Maurice Vandair. The final session, from 1960, showcases Francy Bolands writing, presaging his long collaboration with Clarke. Apart from Clarke and Byas, the musicians are Belgian, with vibist Fats Sadi the most original soloist among them and Clarke, as always, an inspiring presence.

Plays The Arrangements Of Andre Hodeir, Pierre Michelot, Christian Chevallier & Francy Boland

Cristina Saraiva - Só Canção

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:25
Size: 110.8 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:22] 1. Rosa Cigana
[4:30] 2. Na Corda Bamba
[4:17] 3. Mestre Narciso
[5:10] 4. Meia Volta
[3:45] 5. Só Canção
[3:56] 6. Além Mar
[3:48] 7. Amor De Poeta
[3:55] 8. Feito Nascente
[3:40] 9. Pedra Por Pedra
[3:52] 10. Beijo
[3:47] 11. Eterna Canção
[4:17] 12. Pequena Cantiga De Amor

"Lindo, bonito, gostoso" - cute, beautiful and delicious - is Só Canção, the project produced by Rio de Janeiro lyrics writer Cristina Saraiva. Cristina is endorsed by Chico Buarque as 'her lyrics are excellent. I pass the baton to her'. Such an endorsement sets high expectations. Which are brilliantly met on this CD. Music and words are simply tasteful and beautiful, typically a CD that you want to sit down for to listen carefully, or else play it to create a warm and comfortable ambience -for whatever it is you need such an ambiance for.

The musical ambiance is created by the contemporary Brazilian composers Rafaél Altério, Felipe Radicetti, Simone Guimarães, Dante Ozetti, Théo de Barros, Edu Santana, and Clarisse Grova, a fine set of interpreters: Chico Buarque, Leila Pinheiro, Clarisse Grova, Dante Ozetti, Renato Braz, Ná Ozetti, Paula Santoro and Simone Guimarães - and we can even hear Cristina Saraiva herself on the last track, accompanied by a collection of very professional musicians. One of the gems on this CD is Amor de Poeta, sung by Leila Pinheiro, a wonderful composition of Théo Barros, that shows Cristina's lyrical capacities. With a minimum of words, she portrays unconditional love: Another diamond on this album is Pequena Cantiga de Amor, a delicious composition of Clarisse Grova. Clarisse is one of the few contemporary Brazilian singers who can take a song from an introvert beginning to the 'high sea'. The crown jewel is Só Canção, stunningly performed and composed by Dante Ozetti. It's perfect in every way, the singing, the original arrangements and instrumentation (guitar, cello, piano, bass, percussion). This CD surely is a Good Taste project, bringing together some of the best of Brazilian lyrics, interpreters, musicians and arrangements. ~Olaf Burgman

Só Canção

Dick Cary's Tuesday Night Friends - Got Swing?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:55
Size: 157.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Swing
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. My Inspiration
[3:54] 2. Warm For June
[4:24] 3. The Sleepwalkers
[4:39] 4. Halrem Speaks
[4:03] 5. Echoes Of Harlem
[3:09] 6. Clarinet Gumbo
[4:44] 7. Sweet And Lovely
[3:47] 8. Fifty Sax
[3:08] 9. Little Eddie's Song
[3:23] 10. Caravan
[3:02] 11. Tent Blues
[3:44] 12. It Don't Mean A Thing
[2:29] 13. I Didn't Know About You
[3:38] 14. Puttin' On The Ritz
[3:03] 15. Soft And Easy
[3:35] 16. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
[3:26] 17. A-La-Carney
[2:55] 18. Local Blues
[4:13] 19. Down South Camp Meeting

Dick Cary was a composer and arranger who gathered a rehearsal band in southern California, referred to as his Tuesday Night Friends. Although Cary died in 1994, this informal group lived on, continuing to explore gems from the huge stockpile of compositions and arrangements which the pianist and baritone horn player left behind. Trumpeter Dick Hamilton, who also doubles on piano and alto horn, has taken over as the leader of these sessions; the supporting cast isn't made up of recognizable stars, but musicians who have played important roles in various big bands and backing popular singers. The music covers a wide range of jazz, ranging from classic jazz and swing to cool and bop, all of which will be sure to put a smile on the listener's face. Kudos to Arbors for making a strong effort to share the music of Dick Cary with a wider audience. ~Ken Dryden

Got Swing?

Sheena Easton - No Strings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:17
Size: 106.0 MB
Styles: Pop/Jazz vocals
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. Someone To Watch Over Me
[4:14] 2. Medley:I'm In The Mood For Love/Moody's Mood For Love
[3:18] 3. The Nearness Of You
[3:41] 4. How Deep Is The Ocean
[5:53] 5. If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)
[5:51] 6. Body And Soul
[6:10] 7. Medley:Little Girl Blue/When Sunny Gets Blue
[3:24] 8. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
[4:24] 9. The Man That Got Away
[2:37] 10. I Will Say Goodbye
[3:22] 11. Never Will I Marry

Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Fred Jackson, Jr.; Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Bob Sheppard, Fred Jackson, Jr.; Bass – Ken Wild, Reggie Hamilton; Cornet – Ray Brown; Drums – John Guerin, Ndugu Chancler; Flugelhorn – Ray Brown; Flute – Valerie King; French Horn – Marni Johnson), Richard Todd; Guitar – Paul Jackson, Jr., Phil Upchurch; Piano – Patrice Rushen; Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Larry Williams; Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Bob Sheppard; Trombone – Lew McCreary, Reggie Young; Trombone [Bass] – Lew McCreary; Trumpet – Ray Brown; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Rick Baptist. Recorded and mixed at Group IV Recording, Los Angeles, CA. Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA.

"'NO STRINGS' has a Pop/Jazz feel that is the result of my pop vocals over the superb jazz musicians who deliver Patrice Rushen's arrangements so beautifully. It is a style that blends the past and the present, the era the songs were written in leaves its traces in a contemporary interpretation. The lyrics of yesterday still touch the heart so deeply today. I hope they will touch you, too. Listen and you will hear a story which charts the course of a relationship from hopeful beginnings to its bittersweet end - love found, love lost, but life must go on - with or without strings." ~Sheena from Liner Notes

No Strings

The Cookers - Warriors

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:17
Size: 124.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[ 6:53] 1. The Core
[ 4:57] 2. Spookarella
[ 6:14] 3. Close To You Alone
[ 7:29] 4. Priestess
[ 5:45] 5. Sweet Rita Suite
[10:58] 6. Capra Black
[ 7:01] 7. Ladybugg
[ 4:56] 8. U Phoria

Acoustic Bass – Cecil McBee; Alto Saxophone – Craig Handy; Drums – Billy Hart; Flugelhorn – Eddie Henderson; Flute – Craig Handy; Piano – George Cables; Tenor Saxophone – Billy Harper; Trumpet – David Weiss, Eddie Henderson.

The Cookers is an all-star ensemble made up primarily of veteran bandleaders and star soloists, including tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, alto saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart. The fireworks begin with their sizzling treatment of the late Freddie Hubbard's "The Core," though it is a shame that the liner notes don't specify the order of the trumpet solos. The veterans in the group contributed the remaining songs. Cables' off-center, loping "Spookarella" has a Monk-like humor and playful flute solo by Handy, while the pianist's pretty ballad "Sweet Rita Suite, Pt. 2: Her Soul" is a complex work that the band interprets with finesse, with Handy again a major voice on flute, and lush ensembles by the brass and tenor. Harper penned the funky, insistent "Priestess." His passionate "Carpa Black" is often dissonant, highlighted by his burning tenor sax. McBee's lush ballad "Close to You Alone" (showcasing Handy's heartfelt alto solo) and delicious hard bop vehicle "U Phoria" also merit strong praise. The solos and ensembles are enjoyable throughout this session, while the musicians obviously had a great time and are likely eager to schedule a follow-up meeting for Jazz Legacy. ~Ken Dryden

Warriors

Lester Young - Centennial Celebration

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:30
Size: 138.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[ 5:24] 1. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
[ 5:41] 2. Tea For Two
[ 3:32] 3. I Can't Get Started
[ 6:21] 4. Pennies From Heaven
[ 6:11] 5. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[ 7:21] 6. Oh, Lady Be Good
[ 7:00] 7. Just You, Just Me
[11:49] 8. Undecided
[ 2:50] 9. I Cover The Waterfront
[ 4:15] 10. Up 'n' Adam

Lester Young: tenor saxophone: Earl Swope: trombone; Bill Potts: piano; Norman Williams: bass; Jim Lucht: drums; Flip Phillips: tenor saxophone; Roy Eldridge: trumpet; Hank Jones: piano; Ray Brown: bass; Max Roach: drums; Oscar Peterson: piano; Herb Ellis: guitar; Ray Brown: bass; J.C. Heard: drums.

Although he'd lived a scant 50 hard years when he died in 1959, tenor sax giant Lester Willis Young was and remains one of the most vital and influential forces in jazz. He used words as singularly as he played, dubbing Billie Holiday "Lady Day"; theirs was an incomparable musical pairing and she returned the favor, calling him "Prez" for president. Prez proved to be the key link between the early jazz of Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins with the bop of the '40s. Among the legions of players influenced by his playing were Stan Getz, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims.

Sides 1-7 in this Centennial Celebration are from a 1956 Washington, DC gig in a relatively intimate setting as Young swings comfortably with musicians mostly a generation younger than himself. His playing is elegant, eloquent and subtle. Inventiveness and brisk pace on "Tea For Two" transform that chestnut while on "I Can't Get Started" he slows down and plays real pretty. For "Oh Lady, Be Good," a standard from his celebrated days with the '30s Count Basie band, he kicks the tempo up, swinging solidly in tandem with trombonist Earl Swope. Throughout he displays the surprising rhythmic and melodic style for which he was famous. On "Just You, Just Me," Prez ebulliently calls out "beautiful" after a particularly sizzling drum solo from Jim Lucht. The last three sides included are from Jazz at the Philharmonic performances and find Young in company with the likes ofOscar Peterson, Roy Eldridge, Herb Ellis and Max Roach, giants all. The closer is Young's own signature tune, "Lester Leaps In," with the blazing heat of his soloing eliciting cheers and whistles from the audience. ~Andrew Velez

Centennial Celebration

Dusko Goykovich - Celebration

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:51
Size: 143,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. Celebration
(6:48)  2. Inga
(7:49)  3. Nella
(3:58)  4. Blues In The Closet
(5:13)  5. New Bop Theme
(7:51)  6. Doboy
(7:41)  7. Recado Bossa Nova
(5:54)  8. Easy Living
(4:59)  9. Faros
(7:17) 10. The Touch Of Your Lips

Bosnian trumpeter, composer, and general jazz hero Dusko Goykovich is an anomaly among his Eastern European countrymen. Far from the madding crowd of avant-guardists, Goykovich has his roots deeply sunk into the post-bop, early modalism of early-'60s jazz, and the lyrical, melodic improvisational invention of Paul Desmond and Bill Evans. With a band that includes pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Jimmy Woode, and drummer Al Levitt, Goykovich penned six of the set's ten tunes, and they are easily the best stuff here. His gorgeous bossa ballad, "Inga," comes from an A minor motif and works horizontally, bringing the entire range of chromatic color into its off-key, metrically resilient structure. The Drew and Goykovich solos complement each other nicely, trailing from modal into bossa and samba patterns before weaving each other into a patchwork quilt of matching arpeggios. Of the covers, Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet" is in the pocket funky. As greasy as its name, Goykovich allows the melody line instigated by Woode to settle in before kicking in to a stomping hard bop blues reminiscent of a Hank Mobley or Art Blakey thematic feel. Drew shines here as his ostinato walks the bar all over the tune, punching deck at every sharp and turning the blues riff around on a dime. Goykovich trusses the piano and then ventures on his won into stuttering skein of clipped bop phrases, scattering eighth notes all over the scale. As the pair come together to approach the melody for the send off, they square off harmonically, teetering on the edge of disaster only to sweep it all under the rug at check out time. It's a breathless ride, full of stops, starts, and surprises, and is indicative of not only how well this band plays together, but how well their leader can hold court and remain a part of the ensemble. Celebration is a disc that lives up to its lofty title. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/celebration-mw0000202713

Personnel: Trumpet – Dusko Goykovich;   Bass – Jimmy Woode;  Drums – Al Levitt;  Flugelhorn – Dusko Goykovich;  Piano – Kenny Drew

Celebration

Bodil Niska - First Song

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 54:43
Size: 101,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Danny Boy
(6:57)  2. Rosetta
(3:44)  3. Merlin
(6:15)  4. Only Trust Your Heart
(6:02)  5. First Song
(5:44)  6. Up Jumped Spring
(3:26)  7. I Skovens Dype, Stille Ro
(4:31)  8. Funk In The Deep Freeze
(3:35)  9. Lotus Blossom
(4:39) 10. To Your Dear One
(2:24) 11. Vuggevise For Benedicte
(3:26) 12. Mood

Bodil Aileen Niska (born 21 August 1954 in Vadsø, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), well known for popular releases of jazz standards. Growing up in Hammerfest she was taught music by her father, the accordion player Aksel Niska, studied under guidance of Kjell Bartholdsen, and ran the jazz club "Montenegro" (1979–89). After moving southward in Norway in 1990, Niska collaborated within the trio "Girl Talk" from 1992, including Tine Asmundsen (double bass) and Elizabeth Walker. They released the album Talkin' Jazz (1996) which sold very well. She performed within Bodil Niska Quartet, including Per Husby (piano), Stig Hvalryg (bass) and Roger Johansen (drums), at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2005. She is also known for her collaboration with Pete Brown Trio, including Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen. Niska has established the "Bare Jazz" store in Oslo, and a record label by the same name. For her work she received "Sildajazzprisen" in 2005 and the Oslo Jazz Festival award "Ella-prisen" in 2009. http://www.wikivisually.com/wiki/Bodil_Niska

Personnel: Bodil Niska (tenor saxophone); Egil Kapstad (piano).

First Song

Rich Perry - Grace

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 63:45
Size: 122,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:55)  1. Falling Grace
(7:19)  2. Very Early
(5:51)  3. Funkalero
(6:55)  4. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
(7:04)  5. Eronel
(6:11)  6. Modinha
(7:33)  7. Thedia
(8:32)  8. Time Remembered
(6:20)  9. Israel

A fine young veteran tenor player, Rich Perry went on the road in 1975 with the Glenn Miller ghost band. In 1976, he moved to New York and joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra. He went on to play with a wide variety of top players including Chet Baker, Machito, Bob Moses, Jack McDuff, Billy Hart, Eddie Gomez, Tom Harrell, the Mel Lewis big band, and Harold Danko. Rich Perry first recorded as a leader in 1993 for SteepleChase. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rich-perry/id81007264#fullText

Personnel: Rich Perry, tenor sax;  Jay Anderson, bass; Jeff Hirshfield, drums.

Grace

Wolfgang Haffner - Urban Life

Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Fusion
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:54
Size: 137,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Urban Life
(5:07)  2. Keep Going
(5:04)  3. The Real Thing
(6:14)  4. Nightride
(6:37)  5. Rising Sun
(5:31)  6. Criss Cross
(5:47)  7. Time Out
(6:32)  8. Long Way Home
(5:28)  9. After Hours

Wolfgang Haffner was born in Wunsiedel/Germany in 1965. He started playing drums and piano at the age of six. He began his career as a professional musician in the German French Jazz Ensemble, conducted by German Jazz legend Albert Mangelsdorff. The Band played Festivals including the Paris Jazzfestival and the Jazzfest Berlin. Haffner later became the drummer in Klaus Doldingers "Passport", with whom he played for 11 years, touring Europe and Southafrica. From 1994 to 1995 he was the drummer in the Band of one of the greatest female singers of all times, Chaka Khan. 1994 he joined the US Fusion Superband METRO with Chuck Loeb, Mitch Forman and Anthony Jackson. In 1997 Haffner and his long-time colleague Roberto Di Gioia started their succesful Group "Zappelbude".
Haffner worked with many great Jazz Artists including Pat Metheny, Michael & Randy Brecker, Larry Carlton, Bill Evans, Earl Klugh,Woody Shaw, Roy Hargrove, Johnny Griffin, CassandraWilson, Joe Pass, Bob James, Joe Lovano, Clark Terry, Pat Martino, Eddie Daniels, Mc Coy Tyner, Art Farmer, Pee Wee Ellis, Esbjoern Svensson, Joe Sample, Fred Wesley, Roy Ayers, Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, Robben Ford… ), also with artists and Bands like Jan Garbarek, Michael Franks, "Die Fantastischen Vier", No Angels, Stefan Raab Helge Schneider, Xavier Naidoo, Sasha, Wolfgang Niedecken, Konstantin Wecker, DePhazz, Lalo Schifrin, NDR Big Band Hamburg and the WDR Big Band Cologne.

Haffner has played Festivals around the world, such as Montreux, Paris, Chicago, North Sea Jazzfestival, Los Angeles, Berlin, Vienna, San Diego, Geneva, Amsterdam, Nice, Stockholm, Madrid, Oslo, Zurich, London. He toured more than 50 countries (Argentinia, Brasil, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Chile, Uruquay, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia Columbia, Portugal Southafrica, USA, India, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Jordan, Poland, Hungary, Thailand, England, Spain, Japan, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Russia, China…)  In 2002 Haffner formed the Wolfgang Haffner Band which toured Europe. When not performing with his own Band he plays with the Nils Landgren Funk Unit of sweden. Haffner has played on about 350 Recordings, including 11 albums under his own name. In spring 2004 he produced the new album of the iclandic supergroup "Mezzoforte". http://www.last.fm/music/Wolfgang+Haffner/+wiki

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Ian Hendrickson-Smith;  Bass – Will Lee;  Bass, Synthesizer, Guitar, Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Roberto Di Gioia;  Drums, Producer, Arranged By – Wolfgang Haffner;  Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Till Brönner;  Guitar – Chuck Loeb, Martin Scales, Peter Tiehuis;  Guitar [Wah Wah] – Peter O'Mara;  Keyboards – Eythor Gunnarsson;  Percussion – David Charles (2), Marcio Doctor;  Piano – Bob James;  Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Michael Forman;  Rap – Tom Nicolas Jr.;  Soprano Saxophone – Jay Beckenstein;  Tenor Saxophone – Lothar Van Staa, Pee Wee Ellis, Tony Lakatos;  Trombone – Fred Wesley, Ludwig Götz, Nils Landgren;  Trumpet – Andy Haderer, Rüdiger Baldauf;  Vibraphone – Roy Ayers;  Vocals – Carmen Cuesta, Eddie Greene

Urban Life

Kelly Eisenhour - Invitation

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:01
Size: 142,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. A Beautiful Friendship
(6:09)  2. Invitation
(6:37)  3. Don't Blame Me
(7:30)  4. Moonglow (Moon Glow)
(5:03)  5. Dearly Beloved
(5:04)  6. Ernie's Tune
(5:51)  7. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
(7:21)  8. Midnight Sun
(4:56)  9. Legend of Victoria Regia
(4:00) 10. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:39) 11. Teach Me Tonight

Kelly Eisenhour is a jazz vocalist of exquisite style and technical accuracy. Her newest release, Invitation, features her regular working quartet. She has toured as guest soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart and also worked with Gladys Knight. Eisenhour is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and was the head of the vocal jazz program at Brigham Young University from 2005-2008. She currently teaches jazz and choirs at Green River Community College near Seattle. https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Kelly-Eisenhour/dp/B01LTI1FGO

''A superior jazz vocalists deserving of widespread popularity... a seductive voice that is at once cognac-smooth and espresso-rich...'' ~ Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes

Invitation

Monday, January 30, 2017

Karen Blixt - Mad Hope

Size: 151,7 MB
Time: 65:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Billie's Bounce (4:14)
02. Jazz Ants (3:33)
03. Antigua (5:03)
04. Shadow And Light (5:37)
05. Five & Five (Take Ten) (7:36)
06. Sundown In My Heart (5:52)
07. Time For Earth (Follow Your Heart) (5:40)
08. Faith Baby Faith (2:28)
09. My Blue Shadow (5:47)
10. Frida (4:58)
11. Desire Is Your Name (5:57)
12. 7th Heaven (5:00)
13. You Are There (3:07)

Spring 2008 welcomes the release of Mad Hope by San Francisco based jazz singer, Karen Blixt. Building on her successful 2006 jazz debut, this recording reveals the confidence of an artist in full voice – taking bold strides in odd meters, intricate rhythms and engaging lyrics. Performing for years in jazz clubs in Northern and Southern California, Karen arrived via her debut album “Spin This”, acclaimed for its inventive take on the masters and resoundingly refreshing original compositions, including the surprisingly politically charged anti-Bush title track. Suddenly the former “nice church girl” from upstate New York, who discovered soulful compatriots in the Bay area arts scene, had found her voice a relevant gift to jazz enthusiasts and pop music fans whose appreciation of the form was confined to coffeehouses and art galleries. Two years since her debut, she reflects further on the state of affairs and a deliberate choice to keep faith by returning with Mad Hope, an uplifting collection of 13 tracks, 7 of which are originals and 2 additional instrumentals with new lyrics by Blixt.

“On Mad Hope, we wanted to put out some really different material,” says Blixt. “Different in the sense of going beyond re-interpreting the great american songbook. That meant writing new material. And beyond that, writing it in a variety of ways, using several odd-meters and different feels, like jazz/funk, latin/world, ballad, and straight ahead jazz. With the dream band we had assembled for the project, we knew the sky was the limit – so we went for it.”

Working collaboratively once again with Arranger/ Producer Frank Martin (Stevie Wonder, Sting, Patti Austin, Angela Bofill, Al Jarreau, and Dori Caymmi), the pair enlisted the top notch rhythm section of Abraham Laboriel (Bass), Jose Neto (Guitar), Alex Acuña (Percussion), Will Kennedy (Drums), and Patrice Rushen (Piano), along with musicians Randy Brecker (trumpet) Sheldon Brown (Bass Clarinet),Paul Hanson (Bassoon), and Kenny Washington (vocals) the album was recorded over two days in November 2007, at Skywalker Studios in Northern California. To say the team had to make a mad dash to complete the record on schedule is an understatement. “Due to everyone’s hectic schedules, we had to be structured to fit in all the work at hand. But I also knew who I was working with and really trusted these musicians—and knew instinctively I was in great hands to pull it off in two days. I was able to focus on the music, rather than all the extraneous stuff.”

The band of musicians were the chosen ones, the top brass of a wish list Blixt and Martin had drawn up prior to the recording session. With over 100 years of musical experience between them, “great hands” may be the understatement. With Laboriel, the most recorded electric bassist in history driving the rhythm section, and Patrice Rushen, a legendary composer and singer in her own right, Will Kennedy (the Yellowjackets) and Alex Acuna (Weather Report) the Mad Hope session was a dream on fast forward. Approaching the tunes from their own expert angles, the musicians intersected in a magical place, where their individual talents flourished and propelled Karen’s vocals in unexpected directions.

Mad Hope

Leonieke Scheuble - In The Studio

Size: 141,4 MB
Time: 60:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Soul Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Please Send Me Someone To Love (5:56)
02. Work Song (5:46)
03. Mean To Me (3:08)
04. These Foolish Things (5:26)
05. Wade In The Water (4:16)
06. So In Love (5:40)
07. L's Blues (7:10)
08. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (6:14)
09. The Cat (6:03)
10. Goodnight, My Love (5:24)
11. Moanin' (5:39)

Leonieke started to play piano after being inspired by “Ray,” a movie based on the life of Ray Charles. Without any prior musical training, she began to spend great lengths of time at the piano
creating pieces that were rhythmically interesting and compositionally balanced. She was 5 or 6.

At age 7, Leonieke recorded a handful of pieces including two of her own compositions. This was brought to the attention of Steve Ash, a highly respected Jazz pianist, who then agreed to take her on as a student. She has been with him ever since.

As her love of Jazz, Blues, Soul and Gospel motivated her to develop her musical skills, Leonieke has received a great deal of attention and has been afforded some wonderful opportunities. Among them, would be winning the 2013 International Women in Jazz “Youth in Action” Award and giving performances at The DiMenna Center, Shanghai Jazz, The Kitano, Silvana’s, Symphony Space, Trumpets and several times at both the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe and The Watchung Arts Center with the Beacon Hill Jazz Band. In November of 2015, The New Brunswick Jazz Project presented Leonieke’s quartet which included two prominent jazz masters, Bill Easley and Bill Crow.

Besides nightclubs and jazz venues, Leonieke also has performed in many Jazz vespers along with musicians such as Steve Turre (Saturday Night Live Band), Tim Ries (saxophonist/keyboardist for the Rolling Stones), Sharel Cassity, Mark Gross and Steve Davis. She has also performed fundraisers for The Un-Domiciled Project (Brooklyn, NY), Love Notes for the Homeless (Union, N.J.), American Cancer Society (Rockaway, NJ) and The Victoria Soto Memorial Scholarship (Woodstock, CT).

Two of the world’s most respected organists have played pivotal roles in Leonieke’s development. The first is Joey DeFrancesco who introduced her to his Hammond B-3 at Dizzys Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center) in February of 2011. The second is Dr. Lonnie Smith, who after meeting and hearing a clip of Leonieke, arranged for a Hammond organ to be delivered to her as a gift. Another important influence is Bob Belden, (former A&R Blue Note records). Mr. Belden introduced Leonieke to Herbie Hancock and had become a mentor (Belden) until his untimely passing.

In October of 2013, Leonieke and trombonist, Coleman Hughes were the feature for an hour long special called “The Future of Jazz” over radio station WBGO (the foremost jazz radio station in America). Later that month, she entered the studio of Rudy Van Gelder, widely regarded as the greatest engineer in jazz history, and began recording her first professional album, “Debut”. Among the musicians contributing their talents to this recording is the legendary Jimmy Cobb.
Shortly after it’s release, the legendary jazz club, Birdland, added “Debut” to their house system.

Leonieke was recently named “Best Up & Coming Young Artist” (HotHouse NYC Fans Decision 2015 Awards).

In The Studio

Hank Jones - Hank Jones: His Hifi Hits EP aka Hank Jones Quartet

Size: 127 MB
Time: 35:27
File: FLAC
Released: 1956/2013
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Moonlight Becomes You ( 7:04)
02. Relaxin' At Camarillo (12:07)
03. Minor Contention ( 5:21)
04. Sunday In Savannah ( 4:29)
05. Spontaneous Combustion ( 6:24)

Hank Jones has made many memorable albums over his long career, but this 1956 session with Belgian flutist Bobby Jaspar is one that could easily get overlooked. Jaspar's melodious flute adds some magic to an already memorable arrangement of "Moonlight Becomes You." He also keeps up nicely with Jones in Charlie Parker's tricky blues line "Relaxin' at Camarillo." "Minor Conception" is a slightly exotic number by Jones, while Cannonball Adderley's "Spontaneous Combustion" wraps up the session with a flourish. Jones delivers his usual superb performance, while Paul Chambers has several fine solos, and drummer Kenny Clarke propels the date with his crisp brushwork. At just over 36 minutes, this music is well-worth acquiring. ~by Ken Dryden

His Hifi Hits EP FLAC
His Hifi Hits EP MP3

Eight O'Five Jive - Swing Set

Size: 99,3 MB
Time: 36:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues/Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Make Mine A Double (3:10)
02. Ragged (3:36)
03. Get Away (2:52)
04. Put It Back (2:44)
05. Never (3:19)
06. I Won't Wear Flats (To Your Funeral) (2:46)
07. One More Glass Of Wine (3:39)
08. My Mumblin' Baby (2:35)
09. Watch Out For Their Wives (3:48)
10. Back Of My Hand (3:56)
11. A Little Bit Of Bourbon (3:44)

Recorded at The Jive Hive in Nashville, TN and produced by Eight O'Five Jive, "Swing Set" features 10 band original songs plus a creative re-imagining of Rudy Green's "My Mumblin' Baby." The band - a tight, inventive ensemble - includes Lee Shropshire (vocals), Andy Scheinman (guitar), Bill Bois (bass), Duane Spencer (drums), and Patrick Mosser (sax).

The music, birthed in bars during an era where a favored theme is drinking, is timeless and universal. There may be no better time to draw the past into the present than now.

The groovin’ rhythm and witty, tongue-in-cheek lyrics of swing tunes and jump blues on "Swing Set" can be counted on to infect some controversy, humor and joy. Since 2013, Eight O’Five Jive has been delivering this feeling in spades, with tunes that not only launch audiences onto the dance floor, but also tickle the funny bone of those who stop and catch the words.

Live or in the studio, when Scheinman and Mosser step out front, their solos combine classy lines with electrifying raw tone and energy - and fun! This is a band that local Nashville and regional audiences, festival and event organizers, and dance organizations, have been raving about.

“The late 1940s to the late 1950s were hip,” Lee said, “blending the sounds of artists such as Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Nat King Cole, Big Jay McNeely, Esther Phillips, Rudy Green…. There was also bebop and scatting, and beat poetry, all before we got Buddy Holly.

“There were all these hot session players burning up the speakeasies with strong and dynamic vocalists. It didn’t take much convincing… I elbowed Andy to 'jump' on the guitar stylings of jump blues, he dug it, and we put a band together.”

In drummer Duane Spencer, bassist Bill Bois, and tenor saxophonist Patrick Mosser, the couple found their musical soulmates who complement, and exuberantly expand this unique style of music.

The band’s ability to deliver the goods has garnered them the Nashville Industry Music Award (NIMA) for "Best Live Blues Performers" two years in a row (2014, 2015), “Best Blues Band” (2016), a Blues Blast Magazine Award nomination, as well as the Nashville Blues Challenge top prize for both 2016 and 2017's International Blues Challenge.

Their debut album, "Too Many Men," showcased the band’s first take on some lively jump blues by legends including Little Esther Phillips, Big Jay McNeely, Memphis Minnie, Jimmy Liggins, Big Maybelle and more, as well as two hot originals, "Young Enough To Be My Son" and "Misery Loves Company."

“Our material covers a time in American history when blues, jazz, doo-wop, swing, big band and various other styles got mixed up into one big pot before it became rock ‘n’ roll,” said Scheinman.

Jump forward and you’ll see a resurgence of raucous swing, jump, blues, and jazz fusion in dance clubs, blues & whiskey bars, and massive flash-mobs on the city streets by talented national dance troupes.

Eight O’Five Jive’s gourmet combination of these classic ingredients proves their mix of sophistication and irreverent fun to be a tasty, irresistible recipe.

Swing Set

Greg Hatza Organization - Diggin Up My Roots

Size: 150,5 MB
Time: 64:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues, R&B, Jazz, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Baltimore Strut ( 3:43)
02. Big Big Back ( 3:42)
03. High Heel Sneakers ( 5:08)
04. Headin On Down South ( 5:52)
05. I Got A Woman ( 8:05)
06. Back At The Chicken Shack ( 7:53)
07. Night Train ( 5:05)
08. Please Send Me Someone To Love (10:19)
09. Hand Jive ( 3:33)
10. Something You Got ( 4:43)
11. Stagger Lee ( 6:10)

The music on this CD is a collection of R&B and Blues songs that I grew up with in Reading, Pa. Ever since I started piano lessons I was drawn to African American music. Improvising boogie woogies on the piano at 5 years old is probably why my mother decided get me to a piano teacher quick. My father owned a small restaurant that had a juke box which had all the current R&B, blues, and rock & roll songs. When the box was serviced for new records, they gave the old 45’s to my father who in turn gave them to me. I had a large collection of 45's that I listened to all the time. That is how I first heard Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk." That's when I really started to fall in love with the organ. Then along came Jimmy McGriff and Jimmy Smith and I was off to the races. When I was around 14, I bought my first Hammond organ, the compact M series. Around the same time I joined an African American R & B band that played current and older R&B and Blues songs. I must acknowledge that the African American community in Reading and later in Baltimore was very embracing of me and my music and was very instrumental in helping to form my career as a jazz organist. This is something I will never forget for the rest of my life and musical career.

Diggin Up My Roots

Georgia Gibbs - Call Me Georgia Gibbs

Size: 168 MB
Time: 29:32
File: FLAC
Released: 1966/1998
Styles: Pop
Art: Front

01. In Time (2:46)
02. Let Me Dream (2:28)
03. I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way (2:41)
04. Venice Blue (2:52)
05. Let Him Know (2:03)
06. Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder (2:23)
07. Big Wide World (2:47)
08. Call Me (2:09)
09. Don't Cry Joe (2:09)
10. You Can Never Get Away From Me (2:33)
11. Kiss Of Fire (2:33)
12. Blue Grass (2:01)

A constant visitor to the charts in the first half of the 1950s, Georgia Gibbs failed to leave as strong an imprint as many of her fellow stars, at least in part because of her versatility. She did ballads, straight pop, novelties, pop-jazz, cha-chas -- whatever the marketplace might take, she could adapt. In the mid-'50s she, like many other white pop singers, covered R&B hits for the pop audience. Today's she's most remembered for outselling Etta James (with a cover of "The Wallflower," renamed "Dance with Me Henry") and LaVern Baker (on "Tweedle Dee"), although this phase of her career was pretty brief. Gibbs began singing in Boston ballrooms as a teenager and made her recording debut in 1938 under her given name, Fredda Gibson. She made some recordings in the early '40s with Artie Shaw's band and by the early '50s had waxed some hits for the Coral label. She enjoyed her commercial prime, though, on Mercury, for whom she recorded hit after hit from 1951 to 1956. The tango-tinged "Kiss of Fire," which went all the way to number one in 1952, was the biggest and best of these. Her very white, pop-oriented takes on "Tweedle Dee" (late 1954) and "Dance with Me Henry" (early 1955) are what she remains most notorious for. And with some good reason: although it would be ridiculous to blame Gibbs for singing material that Mercury selected for her, these covers stole a lot of the thunder from the gutsier original performers, at a time when rock & roll was struggling to gain a foothold in the pop mainstream. In any case, Gibbs' days on the hit parade were numbered. She never entered the Top 20 again after 1955 and left shortly Mercury afterwards, partially because her A&R men (Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore) had left the label. After a brief and unsuccessful stint at RCA, she had her last Top 40 hit, "The Hula Hoop Song," for Roulette in 1958. She curtailed her professional activities considerably in the 1960s, though she remained active to some degree through the ensuing decades, finally succumbing to complications from leukemia on December 9, 2006, when she was 87 years old. ~ Richie Unterberger

Call Me Georgia Gibbs

Duke Jordan - Midnight Moonlight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:45
Size: 93.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1982/1996
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. Midnight Moonlight
[2:44] 2. Dance In Plaid
[4:33] 3. Wait And See
[3:05] 4. Mellow Mood
[2:25] 5. Yes I Will
[2:37] 6. Table Chess
[3:15] 7. Orange Mist
[3:06] 8. Gabrielle's Wish
[3:16] 9. Jordanish
[3:17] 10. Swedish Honey
[3:22] 11. Danish Pastry
[3:58] 12. St. Germain

The solo album here showcases Jordan as pianist/composer, all 12 pieces are his, a review of 30 years of writing, and it is a delight from first to last notes….this music is timeless . ~Terry Martin

Midnight Moonlight

The Fleetwoods - Come Softly To Me: The Very Best Of The Fleetwoods

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:08
Size: 153.7 MB
Styles: AM Pop, Easy Listening
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. Come Softly To Me
[2:09] 2. I Care So Much
[1:58] 3. Graduation's Here
[2:23] 4. Mr. Blue
[2:48] 5. Unchained Melody (A Capella Version)
[2:32] 6. You Mean Everything To Me
[2:07] 7. Outside My Window
[2:31] 8. Runaround
[2:35] 9. Skylark
[3:07] 10. The Last One To Know
[2:18] 11. Confidential
[2:44] 12. Tragedy
[2:54] 13. Little Miss Sad One
[2:12] 14. (He's) The Great Imposter
[2:01] 15. Lavender Blue
[2:35] 16. One Little Star
[2:11] 17. Lovers By Night, Strangers By Day
[2:27] 18. They Tell Me It's Summer
[2:21] 19. (Goodnight My Love) Pleasant Dreams
[2:03] 20. My Special Lover
[2:32] 21. Gone
[2:23] 22. What'll I Do
[2:54] 23. Ten Times Blue
[2:27] 24. Before And After (Losing You)
[2:43] 25. Lonely Is As Lonely Does
[0:35] 26. Radio Jingle
[2:36] 27. Come Softly To Me (A Capella Version)
[2:26] 28. Mr. Blue (A Capella Version)

The single-disc collection Come Softly to Me: The Very Best of the Fleetwoods is a treasure for devoted fans, featuring alternate takes, radio commercials, a comprehensive discography and unreleased tracks. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Come Softly To Me: The Very Best Of The Fleetwoods

Mark Cally - Cally Plays Standards

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:24
Size: 122.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:25] 1. Jewels For Jules
[5:47] 2. Fool On The Hill
[6:14] 3. Hummingbird
[5:16] 4. Again
[4:29] 5. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
[4:13] 6. 64 Bars On Wilshire
[6:18] 7. Watermark
[7:10] 8. Darn That Dream
[8:27] 9. Tread Softly With My Heart

Mark Cally: Guitar; Mando Dorame: Tenor; Matt Politano: Piano; David Miller: Bass; Josh Collazo: Drums; MB Gordy: Percussion; Kye Palmer: Trumpet; Nick Mancini: Vibraphone; Jennifer Keith: Vocals.

Mark Cally is a jazz guitarist working for many years with the famous American jazz and roots band "Royal Crown Revue." As such he has toured the world many times over performing across Europe, Asia and Australia. Mark's latest solo CD is an homage to the sophisticated jazz sounds of the 1950s, tipping his hat to such guitarists as Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow, and Wes Montgomery. A perfect compliment to a vodka martini, "Cally Plays Standards" is an eclectic mix of old standards and some new originals to enjoy.

Cally Plays Standards

Ruth Price, Shelly Manne - Ruth Price With Shelly Manne & His Men At The Manne Hole

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:05
Size: 98.6 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 1961/2009
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. I Love You
[3:35] 2. They Say It's Spring
[4:41] 3. Listen Little Girl
[2:38] 4. Dearly Beloved
[3:57] 5. I Know Why
[3:30] 6. Shadrack
[4:29] 7. Crazy He Calls Me
[2:55] 8. Nobody Else But Me
[4:33] 9. Nobody's Heart
[2:06] 10. All I Do Is Dream Of You
[4:19] 11. Who Am I
[3:31] 12. Till The Clouds Roll By

Bass – Chuck Berghofer; Drums – Shelly Manne; Piano – Russ Freeman; Tenor Saxophone – Richie Kamuca; Trumpet – Conte Candoli; Vocals – Ruth Price. Recorded in "live" performance at Shelly Manne's famous jazz club in Hollywood (The Manne Hole), March 3-5, 1961

Singer Ruth Price on this early set falls somewhere between swinging jazz, middle-of-the-road pop, and cabaret. She does not improvise much, but her strong and very appealing voice uplifts the diverse material that she interprets (including "Dearly Beloved," "Shadrack," "Crazy He Calls Me," and "Look for the Silver Lining"), and she brings great sincerity to Leonard Bernstein's "Who Am I." Backed by Shelly Manne's quintet (with plenty heard from pianist Russ Freeman, but just guest spots by Richie Kamuca on tenor and one lone appearance by trumpeter Conte Candoli), Price is in fine form for her debut recording as a leader, which has been reissued on CD in the OJC series. ~Scott Yanow

Ruth Price With Shelly Manne & His Men At The Manne Hole

Brussels Jazz Orchestra - Wild Beauty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:14
Size: 151.6 MB
Styles: Orchestral jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[10:07] 1. Wild Beauty
[ 5:10] 2. Powerhouse
[ 6:25] 3. Streets Of Naples
[ 6:49] 4. Our Daily Bread
[11:50] 5. Big Ben
[ 8:31] 6. Sanctuary Park
[ 8:37] 7. Miss Etna
[ 8:42] 8. Viva Caruso

None other than the American saxophone player Joe Lovano and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra present the project Wild Beauty featuring compositions by Lovano and arrangements by Gil Goldstein (US), another big name from the jazz and music world. This production is the icing on the BJO's birthday cake as it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2013.

Wild Beauty comprises 8 compositions by Lovano, brought together in one seamless music sequence that tells the story of composer and soloist Joe Lovano. All the compositions were previously released on various CDs by Lovano, but this is the first time they are performed by a big line-up. “Wild Beauty” is a showcase of his compositions, as it were, as it presents an overview of Lovano’s work, drawing inspiration from his Italian roots. Lovano has dedicated “Wild Beauty” to his Sicilian mother Josephine (Giuseppina) Verzi Lovano, who died in May last year. Gil Goldstein rearranged Lovano’s compositions for the BJO, having been given carte blanche by Joe.

The Brussels Jazz Orchestra (BJO) is not the kind of jazz orchestra that sticks to standards. It prefers to achieve the highest level by composing original music, creating unique arrangements and playing inventively as well as passionately. In fact, it really is jazz with a dynamic orchestral sound, with a classic strength in which each musician is also a brilliant soloist. Call it an ‘orchestrated passion for jazz’ that incites BJO to create world-class music.

Wild Beauty

Joe Bonner & Johnny Dyani - Two & One Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Two & One Disc 1

Styles:  Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 120,2 MB
Art: Front + Back

(8:33)  1. Suburban Fantasies
(6:52)  2. The Walk Street
(8:10)  3. Copenhagen Revisted
(5:07)  4. Blues For Nick
(8:24)  5. Soap Opera
(6:21)  6. We Will Be Together
(8:46)  7. The Year Of The Child


Album: Two & One Disc 2

Time: 46:10
Size: 106,3 MB

(3:57)  1. A Tale Of Two Cities
(4:37)  2. Devotion
(4:51)  3. Gone With The Wind
(4:13)  4. Flat-Top
(5:25)  5. Song For Cathy
(5:22)  6. Come Sunday
(5:38)  7. Epistrophy
(6:26)  8. Getting You Off My Mind
(5:37)  9. Wild Is The Wind

A fine pianist who was originally heavily influenced by McCoy Tyner, Joe Bonner is an excellent interpreter of modal-based music and advanced hard bop. He studied music at Virginia State College and early on played with Roy Haynes (1970-1971), Freddie Hubbard (1971-1972), Pharoah Sanders (1972-1974), and Billy Harper (late '70s). Bonner, who recorded as a leader for Muse, Theresa, and most prominently Steeplechase, has been based in Colorado since the 1980s and remains a talented improviser. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-bonner-mn0000785721/biography

Personnel:  Bass – Johnny Dyani (tracks: Disc 1);  Piano – Joe Bonner


Karen Blixt - Spin This

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:49
Size: 144,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Swingin' The Blues
(5:14)  2. Carefully Taught
(4:12)  3. My Favorite Things
(5:53)  4. You Don't Know Me
(8:24)  5. NIght and Day
(4:37)  6. Spin This
(3:46)  7. It's Over Now (Well, You Needn't)
(0:21)  8. Now It's Over
(6:59)  9. When You're Smiling
(4:04) 10. Kitchen Blue
(4:56) 11. Four
(5:22) 12. I Thought About You
(4:19) 13. Something So True

It started when she was a little church girl. Listening to her organist mother sing the harmony parts of hymns, Karen Blixt soon developed a knack for improvising. The New York-born West Coast transplant has spent her life exploring different ways to present a song. After years of live performances in nightclubs, weddings, receptions and fund-raisers, she took a friend's advice and recorded her own album, Spin This, on her label HiFli.  A fixture on the Bay Area jazz scene, Blixt has enlisted the aid of a variety of session musicians. They include keyboardist Russell Ferrante of the Yellowjackets, former Yellowjacket Will Kennedy on drums, and percussionist Alex Acuna. The album is mostly covers of songs by Count Basie, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, among others. It also includes three originals penned by Blixt and keyboardist Frank Martin, who appears on several tracks.

With a soothing alto voice comparable to Swing Out Sister's Corinne Drewery, Blixt delivers a jazz lover's treat, mixing message songs like "Carefully Taught and "Spin This with fun on "When You're Smiling, and standards, like "My Favorite Things, that have proven to be irresistible to many an upstart artist. The latter has been done so many times and so many ways, it's difficult to cover with anything worthy of notice. Blixt does an admirable job as vocalist, but what makes this arrangement work is the exceptional play of Kennedy, Acuna and bassist Troy Lampkins. Blixt is more dominant on such selections as the opening track, Basie's "Swingin' the Blues, which features Kennedy, Acuna and Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond B-3 organ. It's a delightful appetizer that prepares the listener for a jazz buffet. The title song, penned by Blixt and Martin, is a bouncy political statement, expressing the singer's displeasure for President George W. Bush. Backed by Martin on Fender Rhodes, Ferrante, Lampkins, Kennedy and Acuna, Blixt sings about political maneuvering: "Spinning, twisting, turning, stretching 'til the truth comes back around Spin this!  

Spin This should be appreciated for its purity if not for the excellent sounds created by Blixt and her cast. With a lot of modern music being heavy on production and light on artistry, it's always good to hear the opposite. Blixt expresses herself well from start to finish. And by surrounding herself with an array of dedicated professionals, she's created an album that's got some staying power. That is the beauty of music: when it's done right, it never gets old. ~ Woodrow Wilkins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/spin-this-karen-blixt-hifli-records-review-by-woodrow-wilkins.php
 
Personnel: Karen Blixt: vocals;  Joey DeFrancesco: Hammond B-3 organ (1, 4, 8, 10);  Bruce Forman: guitar (1);  Will Kennedy: drums (1-3, 9-10);  Alex Acuna: percussion (1-3, 5-7, 10, 12), drums (5, 7, 12);  Russell Ferrante: piano (2-3, 6, 9, 12);  Darek Oles: acoustic bass (2, 9);  Frank Martin: Fender Rhodes (3, 6), piano (4-5, 10);  Troy Lampkins: electric bass (3, 6);  Byron Landham: drums (4);  Paul McCandless: English horn (5), bass clarinet (7), oboe (12);  Sheldon Brown: bass clarinet (5, 7);  Joe Herbert: cello (5, 12);  Buddy Montgomery: vibes (8), piano (11);  Brian Bromberg: acoustic bass (12).

Spin This

Harold Danko - After the Rain

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 69:24
Size: 111,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:23)  1. Syeed's Song Flute
(5:28)  2. Lonnie's Lament
(5:35)  3. After The Rain
(4:44)  4. Like Sonny
(6:38)  5. Exotica
(4:57)  6. Spiral
(6:31)  7. Your Lady
(3:47)  8. Mr.Sims
(5:47)  9. Wise One
(3:40) 10. Mr.Day
(4:50) 11. Straight Street
(3:28) 12. Dahomey Dance
(4:04) 13. Resolution
(4:24) 14. Grand Central

Harold Danko's solo piano tribute to John Coltrane covers no less than 14 of the late saxophonist's compositions, sticking primarily to works that haven't been played that often by other musicians. The songs primarily come from Coltrane's Atlantic years, with a few exceptions, such as his richly textured reworking of "Lonnie's Lament," the lush "After the Rain," and a lively blues "Wise One." His arrangement of "Syeeda's Song Flute" is dreamy and lyrical, while the loping "Straight Street" shows traces of Bud Powell's influence, and "Grand Central" has a definite gospel flavor. Solo jazz piano just doesn't get much better than this. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/after-the-rain-mw0000665455

Personnel: Harold Danko (piano).

After the Rain

Don Grusin - No Borders

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 107,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. Remember Africa
(4:19)  2. Makossa Beat
(4:51)  3. Dakar Daughter
(5:40)  4. Reunion (Dog, Cat, Bird)
(4:31)  5. Colonial Empire
(5:01)  6. Rai Baby
(3:43)  7. Trinidad
(4:37)  8. 10 Degrees East
(5:29)  9. Frontier
(3:48) 10. San Carlos

Despite playing many songs with geographic titles and including a map of the world in the liners, keyboardist Don Grusin's release is not about world music. The performances are actually overly safe and uniformly easy-listening with upbeat melodies, highly competent but anonymous players and gentle background vocalists; only "Rai Baby" generates a little heat. There is little excuse for such bland music from such talented musicians as Grusin, altoist Eric Marienthal, guitarist Ricard Silveira and violinist Jerry Goodman, making this date a distinct disappointment. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/no-borders-mw0000612509

Personnel: Don Grusin (vocals, piano, synthesizer, hand claps); Clydene Jackson, Dori Caymmi , Arnold McCutler, Kate Markowitz, Arnold McCuller (vocals); Ricardo Silveira (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, hand claps); Abraham Laboriel, Sr.(electric guitar, hand claps); Jerry Goodman (violin); Eric Marienthal (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Joseph Davis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Alex Acuña (drums, congas, bongos, cymbals, hand claps, percussion).

No Borders

The H2 Big Band - You're It!

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:54
Size: 179,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:03)  1. Blue Brews
( 5:28)  2. You're It!
( 4:38)  3. Singing in the Rain
( 4:47)  4. BMG
( 5:15)  5. For Claus
( 8:06)  6. Big Spender
( 8:03)  7. Double Doubles
( 7:21)  8. Blue in Green
( 6:38)  9. Al's Well
( 5:59) 10. Romanza
(13:31) 11. Joy Spring

For those who can enjoy and fully appreciate the pulsating sounds of contemporary big bands, You're It! is a powerful musical encounter not to be missed. Led by two educators from the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music renowned trumpeter Alan Hood and co-leader, pianist Dave Hanson have assembled a seventeen-piece ensemble including some of Denver's finest, just for this recording. The H2 Big Band, named from the first letter of both co-leaders' surnames, can surely be considered a muscle-type orchestra, as the music clearly bears out. A special feature of the band is its out-of-towners, who contribute mightily and include baritone saxophonist Glenn Kostur, and trumpeters Bobby Shew, Jason Carder and Mike Rodriguez. Hanson whose specialty is composing and arranging for big bands contributes the majority of the charts. There's plenty of swing and electricity drawn from selected cover tunes like Cy Coleman's roaring "Big Spender." The arrangement of Arthur Freed's immortal "Singing In The Rain" is another example, and features a tight alto solo from Rich Chiaraluce. Opening the album with an immediate impression, Hanson chose "Blue Brews" a special, as he puts it, "super-articulated minor blues over a heavy shuffle groove," that kicks the music off in high gear. The title piece follows with co-leader Hood sharing the space with Shew, both blowing hard and heavy on another rousing burner. "BMG," short for "Be My Guide," is a fast blues piece that takes no prisoners, with energy provided by Shew and Texas tenor Bob Rebholz. Named after one of Hanson's arranging heroes, Claus Ogerman, "For Claus" is one of the more subdued tracks, with the band entering calmly.

The music takes a cushy turn on Miles Davis' "Blue In Green" as the band shows a glimpse of its softer side with tender moments provided by Brad Goode's Davis-like, muted horn solo, with tenor saxophonist Peter Sommer delivering the other highlight on this semi-ballad. The leaders collaborate on two of the last tunes with Hanson writing and Hood blowing on "Al's Well" and "Romanza." The big band heat and swing come to a dynamite conclusion, with Hanson's extended arrangement of Clifford Brown's's signature, "Joy Spring." The entire horn section takes turns delivering individual solos and has thirteen-and-a-half minutes to do so. A clever album of audacious music standing in quite contrast to those who have predicted the death of big band music, You're It! thunders through eleven fine charts performed by one of the best big band you've never heard. Hood and Hanson deliver a large ensemble set with power and awe just the kind of material lovers of big band music will devour. ~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/youre-it-jazzed-media-review-by-edward-blanco.php
 
Personnel: Al Hood: trumpet, flugelhorn; Jason Carder: trumpet, flugelhorn; Brad Goode: trumpet, flugelhorn; Mike Rodriguez: trumpet, flugelhorn; Bobby Shew: trumpet, flugelhorn; Nelson Hinds: trombone; Allen Hermann: trombone; Tom Ball: trombone; Gary Mayne: bass trombone; Rich Chiaraluce: alto saxophone, flute, clarinet; Wil Swindler: alto saxophone, flute, clarinet; Peter Sommer: tenor saxophone; Bob Rebholz: tenor saxophone, flute; Glenn Kostur: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Dave Hanson: piano; Ken Walker: bass; Todd Reid: drums; Malcolm Lynn Baker: conductor and musical director.

You're It!

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Frank Wess - Frank Wess Meets The Paris-Barcelona Swing Connection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:36
Size: 136.4 MB
Styles: Flute jazz
Year: 1992/2004
Art: Front

[4:34] 1. Hi, Mr. Wess
[4:36] 2. Bluesin' In Cadaques
[4:28] 3. Shiny Stockings
[6:05] 4. In A Sentimental Mood
[4:29] 5. Tickle Toe
[5:17] 6. Close Your Eyes
[4:31] 7. The Midgets
[4:26] 8. Natacha's Blues
[6:09] 9. Always
[9:48] 10. Ellington Ballad Medley-Prelude To A Kiss Star Crossed Lovers
[5:07] 11. Shufflin'

Frank Wess (ts, fl), Oriol Bordas (vib, as), Patrick Aertero, Gilles Berthenet (tp), Thierry Lhiver (tb), Philippe Chagne (ts, as, bs), Dominique Vernhes (cl, ts), Philippe Duchemin (p), Ramon Fossati (g), Jean-Pierre Rebillard (b), Stephane Roger (d).

One of the first major jazz flutists, Frank Wess was also a top Lester Young-influenced tenor man, an expert first altoist, and an occasional composer/arranger -- certainly a valuable man to have around. Early on he toured with Blanche Calloway, served in the military, and had stints with the Billy Eckstine Orchestra (1946), Eddie Heywood, Lucky Millinder, and R&B star Bull Moose Jackson. That was all just a prelude to Wess' important period with Count Basie's big band, from 1953-1964. His flute playing, so expertly utilized in Neal Hefti's arrangements, gave the Basie Orchestra a fresh new sound, and his cool-toned tenor contrasted well with the more passionate sound of fellow tenor Frank Foster; Wess also had opportunities to play alto with the classic big band. Wess subsequently freelanced in countless settings, playing with Clark Terry's big band, the New York Jazz Quartet (with Roland Hanna) during the second half of the 1970s, Dameronia (1981-1985), and Toshiko Akiyoshi's big band, and also had occasional reunions with Frank Foster. Frank Wess led sessions for Commodore (1954), Savoy, Prestige, Moodsville, Pablo (with Foster), Progressive, Uptown, Concord, and Town Crier. He died of a heart attack at the age of 91 in Manhattan on October 30, 2013. ~ bio by Scott Yanow

Frank Wess Meets The Paris-Barcelona Swing Connection

Nicole Henry - The Nearness Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:18
Size: 122.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Summertime
[3:42] 2. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine
[3:10] 3. Old Black Magic
[5:46] 4. The Nearness Of You
[3:27] 5. Fly Me To The Moon
[4:35] 6. Get Here
[2:23] 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[6:17] 8. You're Looking At Me
[4:50] 9. My Love
[4:59] 10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
[3:33] 11. Cheek To Cheek
[4:56] 12. Imagine

Nicole Henry: vocals; Mike Orta: piano; Paul Shewchuk: bass; Danny Burger: drums.

Had I seen her web site beforehand—promoting her as a "singer, actress, host, model"—I might actually have been less inclined to buy this album. Performers who make a living based on looks as well as vocal talent are often lacking in one or both categories, but Nicole Henry proves she's capable of both. The Nearness Of You, her first full-length jazz album, certainly qualifies as a swinging album of standards, but probably lacks the distinctiveness necessary to get the South Florida resident much notice beyond the regional scene. Henry possess a strong middle-range voice and a sensible lyrical sense that finds her adding a nice amount of spice to familiar tunes without venturing into extreme regions where anyone of less than absolute top-echelon talent usually gets unpleasantly exposed.

The Nearness Of You finds Henry in the company of many other performers in the early stages of their recording careers who show promise. The question is now whether she will continue developing similar to a performer like Dianne Reeves—whose wildly uneven jazz and pop albums from her early days have given way to a string of Grammy successes—or try achieving wider recognition by veering fully into the pop field. Either way, that's where the modeling and acting efforts may pay off—other attractive performers have certainly achieved widespread notoriety with lesser material than this. ~Mark Sabbatini

The Nearness Of You

Level 42 - Something About You: The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:35
Size: 182.2 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock/Jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:24] 1. Something About You
[4:01] 2. Lessons In Love
[3:57] 3. Running In The Family
[4:43] 4. Love Meeting Love
[5:31] 5. Turn It On
[4:35] 6. Good Man In A Storm
[4:14] 7. The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)
[4:02] 8. I Sleep On My Heart
[7:23] 9. The Chinese Way
[3:43] 10. Standing In The Light
[5:00] 11. Leaving Me Now
[4:21] 12. A Pharoah's Dream (Of Endless Time)
[4:30] 13. Last Chance
[3:48] 14. (Flying On The) Wings Of Love
[5:33] 15. Kansas City Milkman
[5:01] 16. Follow Me
[4:40] 17. Sandstorm

A few Level 42 anthologies of various sizes were released during the 2000s and early 2010s, including Ultimate Collection (2002), Lessons in Love: The Collection (2010), and Gold (2013). Released in 2015 by Spectrum (via Universal), Something About You: The Collection is a stuffed-to-capacity single-disc compilation that contains most of the group's biggest and most notable singles through 1987, including the Top Ten U.K. hits "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)," "Something About You," "Lessons in Love," and "Running in the Family." It includes some earlier highlights, such as "Love Meeting Love," but loses points for missing the essential 1981 A-side "Starchild." ~Andy Kellman

Something About You: The Collection

Roy Hamilton - You'll Never Walk Alone

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:05
Size: 73.5 MB
Styles: Soul/R&B/Pop
Year: 1955/1964/
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. You'll Never Walk Alone
[2:56] 2. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
[2:59] 3. If I Loved You
[2:40] 4. So Let There Be Love
[2:39] 5. Ebb Tide
[2:49] 6. Beware
[2:10] 7. I Believe
[2:43] 8. The House I Live In (That's America To Me)
[2:56] 9. Unchained Melody
[2:18] 10. Forgive This Fool
[2:23] 11. You Wanted To Change Me
[2:11] 12. Hurt

Jazz sax great Lester Young once gave this advice to some prospective musicians about to participate in a competitive "cutting session" [musicians who challenged one another for bragging rights and jobs!]. "Ya' gotta be original Man, play yourself." Roy Hamilton died young but he was a boxer, discovered by a disc jockey, and his range was incredible. He sang gospel, show tunes, and blistering rock n roll and rhytm and blues. He sang his own way, no traning, but soulful like you can not come to know until you hear him, and then you still can't believe it - his buttery voice and his passion are out of sight. Buy anything of his you can lay your hands on. ~B. London

You'll Never Walk Alone

The Buddy Collette Quintet - With Guest Vocalist Irene Kral

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:36
Size: 65.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Contemporary jazz
Year: 1962/1990
Art: Front

[1:52] 1. A Taste Of Fresh Air
[2:16] 2. Hunt And Peck
[2:00] 3. Emaline's Theme
[2:29] 4. The Meaning Of The Blues
[2:23] 5. Laura
[1:16] 6. Just Friends
[1:39] 7. There Will Never Be Another You
[3:01] 8. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[2:07] 9. Tenderly
[1:22] 10. Nobody Else But Me
[1:48] 11. Road Trip
[2:57] 12. Detour Ahead
[1:31] 13. Soft Touch
[1:49] 14. It's A Wonderful World

Buddy Collette, flute, clarinet, tenor, alto; Al Viola, guitar; Jack Wilson, piano; Jimmy Bond, bass; Bill Goodwin, drums; Irene Kral, vocalist. Recorded 1962, United Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.

The fourth of four CDs released by Studio West, a subsidiary of V.S.O.P. Records, that is taken from previously unissued transcriptions made for the radio show "The Navy Swings" features the Buddy Collette Quintet, which in 1962 was comprised of the leader on flute, clarinet, tenor and alto, guitarist Al Viola, pianist Jack Wilson, bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Bill Goodwin. As good as Collette (who contributed four melodic originals) plays on these very concise performances (all clocking in around three minutes or less), it is the six often-touching vocals of Irene Kral that particularly make this a recommended disc. Kral's versions of "The Meaning of the Blues," "Nobody Else but Me" and especially "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" are quite definitive and memorable. ~Scott Yanow

With Guest Vocalist Irene Kral

Bodil Niska - Night Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:57
Size: 123,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Over The Rainbow
(4:40)  2. Watch What Happens
(4:25)  3. Fiin Gammel
(5:07)  4. C'Est Si Bon
(5:58)  5. The Nearness Of You
(5:51)  6. Young At Heart
(6:10)  7. You Don'T Know What Love Is
(5:34)  8. The Best Things In Life Are Free
(6:09)  9. Come Sunday
(4:22) 10. My One And Only Love

Norwegian Bodil Niska is one of the few female tenor saxophone artists around to work in the tradition of jazz legends suchlike as Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims or Coleman Hawkins. Here tone is soft, yet powerful and soulfully expressive. Here musical approach takes the legacy from the golden years of jazz into the 21st. century. Bodil was born in the Arctic town of Hammerfest, located in northern Norway where she Grew up playing in the school marching band. Here first musical memory is sitting on her father's lap while he Played Misty for here. Aksel Niska, an accomplished engineer, painter and accordion player Also Introduced here to the saxophone sounds of Ben Webster and Stan Getz. When the school band managed two Aquire Their first saxophone, Bodil had two physically fight off the boys in the band two get here hands on the instrument. She won - and she never looked back. Bodil Quickly devloped here interest for jazz to the point That she Became something of a jazz icon in her small hometown. She Played in numerous at jazz band Configuration wrote jazz articles for the local newspaper, arranged concerts and festivals and managed the jazz club on her spare time.

After moving to the nation's capital Oslo in 1990 Bodil Niska effortlessly blended into the urban jazz scene, Mostly due two here mentor / jazz personality / journalist / photographer Randi Hultin. The fabulous Randi Introduced Bodil to a veritable who's-who in national and international jazz. She cent private recordings of Bodil regard of here legendary jazz friends, includingservers Sonny Rollins WHO promptly wrote back: "Damn! The woman can PLAY!"  Encouraged by friends here and colleagues, Bodil formed all-girl group, aptly named Girl Talk in 1992. In Addition two Bodil, this group consisted of Elizabeth Walker on piano and Tine Asmundsen on bass. The group recorded Their acclaimed album Talkin 'Jazz in 1996. In 1998 Bodil embarked on a solo career with the help and support of jazz legend / piano player / composer / arranger Egil Kapstad. With the incredible bass player Bjørn Alterhaug and Swedish drummer par excellence Pelle Hultén Their longtime musical friendship was instrumental in producing Bodil's first solo album First Song in 2000. First Song went on two Became the best selling jazz album in its genre in 2000. The cover for First Song was inspired by Dexter Gordon's famous cover on Ballads and is a tribute to him, his music and his inspiration.  Blue (2004) was a labor of love and took a long time to plan and put together. In her liner notes she says: "In jazz, the melody is often used only as a tool for Improvisation and Invention. Freeing yourself from the the confines of the melody is sometimes considered to be the very essence of jazz. Personally, I am always touched by a good melodic line, phrase or mood. So on this album I have tried to stay as true to the melody as I could, two clear away some of the musical dust - to find my way back. "

Nighttime (2008) puts Bodil in a different musical context. The introduction of the brilliant Claes Crona Trio from Sweden, and swedish born norwegian resident guitarist / composer / arranger Staffan William-Olsson as well as a horn section makes for a more playful swingier musical approach. In putting more emphasis on the melody, she Expect to the receive morethan here share of critizism from the "jazz police" who seeminterested two favor inprovisation and technique of musical sincerety. Between musical engagements Bodil Niska owns and runs the all-jazz music store and café Bare Jazz (norwegian for Only Jazz) in Oslo. She is often used by the media used as a spokesperson for the art of jazz. In 2000, she presented the Norwegian version of the jazz Grammy awards, and she has Appeared in numerous at national and international radio and TV shows. Translate by google http://www.niska.no option=com_content&view=article&id=67&itemid=53/

It is with horror mixed joy I release my last CD Nighttime. After two years in the studio, I have learned that explore unknown musical paths takes much longer than one would think. Nevertheless, I am proud to present this album along with fantastic Claes Crona Trio and the no less impressive guitarist and organizer Staffan William-Olsson.  And to all of you who have supported and pushed and lame and dragged me on a musical way in recent years: This is for you! ~ Bodil Niska

Personnel:  Bodil Niska Tenor Saxophone;  Claes Crona Piano;  Jörgen Smeby Bass;  Pétur Östlund Drums;  Staffan William-Olsson Guitar;  Roy Nikolaisen Flugelhorn;  Birgit Kjuus Flugelhorn;  Rune Brodahl Horn;  Helge Sunde Trombone;  Øyvind Brække Trombone.

Night Time