George Masso Allstars - The Wonderful World Of George Gershwin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:26
Size: 175.0 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 1992/1999
Art: Front

[ 7:27] 1. Strike Up The Band
[11:51] 2. But Not For Me
[ 6:47] 3. Summertime
[ 7:26] 4. Soon
[ 4:44] 5. Lady Be Good
[ 9:06] 6. Porgy And Bess
[11:36] 7. Somebody Loves Me
[ 5:49] 8. I've Got A Crush On You
[11:35] 9. 's Wonderful

Bass – Len Skeat; Clarinet – Kenny Davern; Drums – Jake Hanna; Piano – Eddie Higgins; Tenor Saxophone – Danny Moss; Trombone – George Masso; Trumpet – Randy Sandke.

For the initial release on the German Nagel-Heyer label, trombonist George Masso heads an all-star mainstream septet that also includes clarinetist Kenny Davern, trumpeter Randy Sandke, the fine Engligh tenor Danny Moss, pianist Eddie Higgins, bassist Len Skeat and drummer Jake Hanna. Together they jam on eight George Gershwin songs plus Higgins plays a "Porgy and Bess Medley." Although the liner notes (unlike later releases) are in German, the music easily comunicates; highlights include a blazing "Strike Up the Band," "Soon," and 11-1/2-minute versions of "Somebody Loves Me" and "S'Wonderful." ~Scott Yanow

The Wondeful Of George Gershwin

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Karen Lane - Once In A Lifetime

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:58
Size: 144.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[7:28] 1. On Green Dolphin Street
[3:36] 2. Devil May Care
[6:03] 3. The Good Life
[4:06] 4. Lullaby Of Birdland
[3:30] 5. Sometimes I'm Happy
[4:49] 6. Love Is In Bloom
[3:38] 7. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[5:06] 8. Memory Serves
[4:50] 9. Here's To Life
[3:31] 10. This Is It
[5:27] 11. Till Death Do Us Part
[5:36] 12. Love Me Or Leave Me
[5:11] 13. Once In A Lifetime

Arriving in London through Perth in western Australia, song stylist and singer/songwriter Karen Lane serenades her listeners with a light, expressive, but highly personal voice that delivers each tune with coquettish emotion. She's like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar and getting away with it coyly with a wry smile. She possesses a built-in sense not only of melody and lyricism, but for the rhythmic feel of the music. Listen to a rather misnamed "Till Death Do Us Part," a catchy tune with a calypso beat where her second voice fades in and out with Robin Aspland's Fender Rhodes. Dave Colton's guitar makes "Lullaby of Birdland" one of the swingier cuts on the CD. On the other side, there is a good deal of pain and heavy breathing leading into her version of the classic "On Green Dolphin Street." This is a prime example of the images a singer with an expressive voice can create. Here in one's minds eye, there's a picture of Lane not only swaying vocally, but bodily as well. On this cut, the vibes of Milo Fell carry the main instrumental load. For her first album, she has wisely hooked up with some of London's young modern creative jazz, blues, and rock musicians. Aspland has worked with Claire Martin and Van Morrison, and sax player Derek Nash with the Peter Green Splinter Group. Lane and her cohorts have succeeded where many have tried and failed, bringing together elements of jazz and contemporary pop in a way that is mature and well constructed rather than shallow and contrived. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Once In A Lifetime

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The Bucky Pizzarelli Trio - Three For All

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:55
Size: 148.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:21] 1. All The Things You Are
[7:50] 2. Body And Soul
[5:00] 3. Avalon
[5:41] 4. Snowfall
[5:17] 5. Stompin' At The Savoy
[7:12] 6. If I Had You
[3:01] 7. Stage Fright
[3:08] 8. It's Been A Long, Long Time/Don't Take Your Love From Me
[5:28] 9. Undecided
[3:10] 10. In The Dark
[5:38] 11. I'm Confessin'
[5:31] 12. Three For All
[2:38] 13. I Got Rhythm

Whose line is it anyway? No matter. Whether it’s jazz patriarch Bucky Pizzarelli or his son, fellow seven-string guitar master John, fashioning melodic embellishments and spinning single-note improvisations on Three for All, the level of musicianship is consistently high. What’s more, the same can be said for guitarist Ed Laub’s knowing support, scarcely a surprise given his long association with père Pizzarelli.

Not surprising, too, are the songs chosen for this date. “Body and Soul,” “I Got Rhythm,” “All the Things You Are” and “Avalon” are among the vintage pop classics, while lesser-known tunes, including the Dick McDonough-Carl Kress treat “Stage Fright,” round out the collection. Even the most weathered selections, however, have a fresh allure after Bucky and John get their fingers on them. Strings of choruses dart along, then dovetail, then dart again. Blue notes tweak the melodies, harmonic substitutions add texture and color, tricky contrapuntal passages abound, and frequent surges of rhythmic propulsion make for some exhilarating moments. Offsetting the most vibrant trio performances are some soulful interludes, a dash of melancholy lyricism and the occasional, deftly executed duet, including a Bucky and Ed pairing. ~Mike Joyce

Three For All

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Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - L.A. Treasures Project

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:48
Size: 146.1 MB
Styles: Standards, Big band
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:22] 1. I Love Being Here With You
[3:57] 2. Exactly Like You
[5:04] 3. The Jug And I
[6:42] 4. Hat's Dance
[5:21] 5. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[3:47] 6. Got To Get Back To L.A
[6:20] 7. Goodbye Portpie Hat
[4:26] 8. River's Invitation
[3:19] 9. Beautiful Friendship
[7:17] 10. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
[4:54] 11. Time After Time
[4:38] 12. Fever
[4:35] 13. Jazz Party

John Clayton: arco bass, Jeff Clayton: alto saxophone; Jeff Hamilton: drums; Bijon Watson: trumpet; Gilbert Castellanos: trumpet; James Ford: trumpet; Brian Swartz: trumpet; Jamie Hovorka: trumpet; Ira Nepus: trombone; George Bohanon: trombone; Ryan Porter: trombone; Maurice Spears: trombone; Keith Fiddmont: alto saxophone; Ricky Woodard: tenor saxophone; Charles Owens: tenor saxophone; Lee Callet: baritone saxophone; Tamir Hendelman: piano; Christopher Luty: bass; Graham Dechter: electric guitar; Ernie Andrews: vocals; Barbara Morrison: vocals.

For nearly thirty-years now the Grammy-nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO) has been easily recognizable as one of the best big bands in the business. Led by bassist John Clayton, saxophonist and brother Jeff Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, the group embarked on a mission to document their various rehearsals with West Coast vocal legends Ernie Andrews and Barbara Morrison, and do so with The L.A. Treasures Project recorded live in the famous Showroom of Alva's Dance Studio and Music Store in San Pedro, California.

Presenting a mixture of instrumentals and vocal numbers, the opening "I Love Being Here With You" seemed an appropriate start and message for the intimate crowd in the Showroom and features excellent solos from each member of the trombone section. Having 20 recordings to her credit, Morrison steps up to lay down a soulful rendition of the Dorothy Fields classic "Exactly Like You" with a little solo help from Lee Callet on the baritone saxophone. The crisp vocals of local legend Andrews takes over the music with a bluesy and sprite interpretation of the Percy Mayfield standard "The Jug and I," superbly aided by the big band orchestrations of the CHJO.

Co-leader Hamilton and pianist Tamir Hendelman take center stage on their composition "Hat's Dance" with the duo playing the lead as the band grooves gently behind them in fine support for one of the tender moments of the disc. The Clayton brothers take their turn in the spot light on the Charles Mingus piece "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" as Jeff Clayton's bluesy alto flute begins the journey that eventually leads to brother John's bowed bass play in unison with Christoph Luty's own bass performance. The two singers get back to form with Andrews getting sentimental on the standard "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," while the swinging Gospel vocalist Morrison belts the lyrics to "Got To Get Back To L.A.," one of her own compositions telling the world how she feels about the City.

Morrison delivers the lyrics on "River's Invitation" and the classic "Fever" as the veteran Andrews does the same on "Beautiful Friendship" and the Sammy Cahn favorite "Time After Time" completing their vocal contribution to this historic night but, the CHJO was not finished. The ensemble plays a powerful opening statement on "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues" only to turn it over to the electric guitar of Graham Dechter as he picks his way all through this terrific blues. In fitting form the CHJO ends the evening with "Jazz Party" elevating the excitement level with salvos fired by saxophonists Rickey Woodard and Charles Owens accompanied by one final pounding drum solo by Hamilton.

It's obvious that The L.A. Treasures Project refers to singers Andrews and Morrison but, not to be overlooked, is the CHJO, an unquestioned treasure that this time delivers a meaty program of standards and mainstream jazz with a vocal twist perfect as a precursor to the group's thirtieth anniversary in 2015. ~Edward Blanco

L.A. Treasures Project

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Lara Luppi, Gypsy Soul Trio - We're Crazy, We're In Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:36
Size: 109.0 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz, Retro Swing
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. We're Crazy, We're In Love!
[2:55] 2. Everybody Loves My Baby
[2:43] 3. Dinah
[3:41] 4. Makin' Whoopee
[3:03] 5. Bye Bye Blues
[4:11] 6. The Way You Look Tonight
[2:35] 7. Alexander's Ragtime Band
[3:31] 8. I've Found A New Baby
[4:09] 9. Someday Sweetheart
[2:50] 10. You're Drivin' Me Crazy
[3:55] 11. St. James Infirmary
[4:33] 12. This Little Light Of Mine/Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho
[2:58] 13. Ain't She Sweet
[3:06] 14. J'attendrai

Lara Luppi voice with Gypsy Soul Trio: Luciano Poli (solo guitar), Hillary Katch (rhytmic guitar +voice on track 12), Mauro Sereno (bass).

Lara Luppi is an italian singer. She is mostly known and appreciated for her charisma as well as for her touching and creative performances. She sings jazz, blues, swing and gospel and she has released eleven CDs featuring american and italian musicians. Plus she directed two theatre shows and actually many of her concerts are built up as shows including readings, visual aids, stage sets. She founded a Cultural Association, “Mu.S.E.” which promotes cultural events and music workshops. Finally, she presented some “vintage” festivals: after being the official presenter of the Summer Jamboree Festival, the most important festival in Italy about culture and music of the 40s and 50s, she presented the Parma Swing Festival in 2014 and Policoro in Swing in 2015. Among all her projects the strong passion for traditional jazz and swing has made her famous and so she sings in several bands concerning this music style (Laralù & The Vintage Kings, Jumpin’ Shoes, Blue Midnight Orchestra, Lino Patruno’s Blue Four, Gipsy Soul Trio and Paolo Alderighi Ensamble). With The Vintage Kings she’s in the theatre shows: “Swingin’Mirror” with Burlesque Diva Miss LouLou Leroy, and “Crazy about Swing! ” with the dancers “The Snatchers”. In 2014 she releases the cd “We’re crazy, we’re in love!” with Gypsy Soul Trio that becomes the soundtrack of the Parma Swing Festival.

We're Crazy, We're In Love

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Clifford Jordan - Glass Bead Games

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:56
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Powerful Paul Robeson
(4:36)  2. Glass Bead Games
(4:15)  3. Prayer to the People
(2:43)  4. Cal Massey
(6:48)  5. John Coltrane
(4:19)  6. Eddie Harris
(5:34)  7. Biskit
(5:19)  8. Shoulders
(3:48)  9. Bridgework
(5:40) 10. Maimoun
(8:16) 11. Alias Buster Henry
(6:47) 12. One for Amos

Perennially underrated saxophonist Clifford Jordan recorded two of his best albums for the Strata East label and Glass Bead Games is arguably his greatest recording and one of the great albums of the 1970s. Everything is right about this date; Jordan never sounded so good, his tone rich and full, his improvisatory ideas taking the models of Coltrane and Rollins and giving them his own twist. Recorded on a "stormy Monday, October 29, 1973," it was originally issued as a double LP. On the album, Jordan works with two different rhythm sections: Stanley Cowell or Cedar Walton on piano and Bill Lee or Sam Jones on bass, with Billy Higgins manning the drum stool for both. The difference between the two rhythm sections is minimal (the Cowell/Lee group leans a little more toward the Trane model), probably due to Higgins' commanding presence in each.

Jordan spread the compositional chores around and everyone except Jones contributed. The first three tracks (which comprised side one of the original album) are the leader's and they are pitched somewhere between the Trane-derived spiritual mood that was prevalent at the time and the hard-driving bop with which Jordan is most commonly associated. Walton contributes two characteristic tricky melodic themes ("Shoulders" and "Bridgework") that give Jordan plenty to sink his chops into while Lee's funky "Biskit" and "Eddie Harris" (which has a kinship to Harris' "Listen Here") keep things invigorated. 

This disc also shines as one of the finest examples of the art of Higgins' drumming, the variety of moods and tempi inspiring some of his best playing. Glass Bead Games is a record that seems to have gotten better with age. In his liner notes, Stanley Crouch (a writer with whom I rarely agree) cites the fact that this album is a classic revered by many. Mention of this record to most any tenor player is guaranteed a favorable reaction. About the only complaint about this album would be the ordinary cover art for such extraordinary music. ~ Robert Iannapollo https://www.allaboutjazz.com/glass-bead-games-clifford-jordan-harvest-song-records-review-by-robert-iannapollo.php
 

Personnel: Clifford Jordan: tenor saxophone; Stanley Cowell: piano; Cedar Walton: piano; Bill Lee: bass; Sam Jones: bass; Billy Higgins: drums.

Glass Bead Games

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Ruth Etting - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:08
Size: 144,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Love Me Or Leave Me
(2:50)  2. What We Do On A Dew-Dew-Dewy Day
(3:32)  3. The Song Is Ended, But The Melody Lingers On
(3:03)  4. Ramona
(3:14)  5. Happy Days And Lonely Nights
(3:03)  6. Beloved
(3:32)  7. Sonny Boy
(3:09)  8. You're The Cream In My Coffee
(3:17)  9. Ten Cents A Dance
(3:30) 10. Love Is Like That, What Can You Do?
(2:45) 11. Nevertheless I'm In Love With You
(2:52) 12. Shine On, Harvest Moon
(3:19) 13. A Faded Summer Love
(2:58) 14. Cuban Love Song
(3:17) 15. I'll Never Be The Same
(2:51) 16. Close Your Eyes
(2:40) 17. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(2:54) 18. Riptide
(2:49) 19. Easy Come, Easy Go
(3:01) 20. Goodnight, Sweetheart

From her contemporary, Annette Hanshaw) but a superior middle-of-the-road pop singer who was often accompanied by top jazz musicians. She recorded over 200 songs between 1926-1937, appeared on-stage, was in 35 film shorts and three full-length movies, and was a fixture on radio before her bad marriage cut short her career. She made a minor comeback in the late '40s and was still singing on an occasional basis in the mid-'50s when a semi-fictional Hollywood movie on her life (Love Me or Leave Me) was released. A superb torch singer with a cry in her voice even when she smiled, Etting recorded the definitive versions of "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Love Me or Leave Me." ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ruth-etting/id1364797#fullText

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

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Alice Coltrane - A Monastic Trio

Styles: Harp And Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:15
Size: 131,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:34)  1. Lord, Help Me to Be (bonus track)
(4:04)  2. The Sun (bonus track)
(7:53)  3. Ohnedaruth
(6:48)  4. Gospel Trane
(6:46)  5. I Want To See You
(6:55)  6. Lovely Sky Boat
(4:21)  7. Oceanic Beloved
(5:56)  8. Atomic Peace
(6:55)  9. Altruvista (previously unreleased bonus track)

Alice Coltrane's 1968 solo debut on Impulse still stands tall in the artist's excellent discography. Coltrane had already gained a considerable education playing in the band of her late husband John during one of his boldest and most exploratory periods. The searching quality underpinning the saxophonist's last albums is also present on A Monastic Trio, as are the Eastern modalities and the balance between density and expansiveness often associated with Trane.  But to consider Coltrane's debut a mere offshoot of her late husband's inventions is to do her a great disservice. Coltrane distinguishes herself as a composer (all the tunes on the album are hers), and as an instrumentalist (her harp playing, in particular, is noteworthy). A Monastic Trio also benefits from a superb personnel list, including Rashied Ali on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the irrepressible Pharoah Sanders on saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet. This recording remains one of the landmark debuts in avant-garde jazz. ~ Rovi Staff http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-monastic-trio-mw0000601109

Personnel: Alice Coltrane (harp, piano); John Coltrane (spoken vocals); Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Ben Riley, Rashied Ali (drums).

A Monastic Trio

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David Hazeltine Quartet - 4 Flights Up

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 60:35
Size: 98,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:11)  1. I Should Care
(8:37)  2. Betcha By Golly Wow
(5:53)  3. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(5:37)  4. Ann's Mood
(6:27)  5. Pentimento
(6:51)  6. Four Flights Up
(9:30)  7. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(5:44)  8. Air Conditioning
(6:43)  9. Confluence

David Hazeltine is a veteran jazz pianist who seems to be one of the best kept secrets in jazz. This 1995 studio session for Sharp Nine adds seasoned trombonist Slide Hampton to complement a tight trio rounded out by the heavily in-demand bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Killer Ray Appleton. This post-bop date kicks off with an angular approach to the timeless ballad "I Should Care," in which Hampton slips in several licks from "Four" (which was allegedly written by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and stolen by Miles Davis). Many listeners' eyes and ears would glaze over at the prospect of sitting through a jazz arrangement of the lightweight pop tune "Betcha By Golly Wow," but the creative scoring by Hazeltine and Gerald Cannon make this brisk treatment work beautifully. Appleton's hot drumming propels the hot version of "You Stepped Out of a Dream." The quartet doesn't neglect ballads, delivering a mellow interpretation of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Neither is Hazeltine a slouch as a composer. His lovely waltz, "Ann's Mood," (which the trombonist sits out), the infectious Latin-flavored "Pentimento," and the catchy "Four Flights Up" are all excellent vehicles for improvisation. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/four-flights-up-mw0000610878

Personnel:  David Hazeltine (piano); Slide Hampton (trombone); Peter Washington (bass); Killer Ray Appleton (drums).

4 Flights Up

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Nigel Price Organ Trio - Heads & Tales, Volume 2 Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Heads & Tales, Volume 2  Disc 1

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:45
Size: 143,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:55)  1. Blue Genes
(6:08)  2. Wet & Dry
(6:24)  3. Up and Out
(7:30)  4. Parker 51
(6:20)  5. War
(6:07)  6. R&R
(6:43)  7. Majority
(5:49)  8. Junk
(8:44)  9. Smokescape

Nigel Price's second volume of Heads & Tales is, quite literally, a game of two halves. As with the first volume, released in 2011, it incorporates two CDs each containing different versions of standards. The first disc, where Price is accompanied by Matt Home on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ, plus guest saxophonists Alex Garnett and Vasilis Xenopoulos, utilises the same device as on the first volume. The standards are given new heads and titles but follow the same or similar underlying structures as the originals. The second disc comprises more faithful interpretations of the standards but here Price plays solo guitar, mostly accompanied by double tracked guitar ("Come Rain Or Come Shine" is a single guitar solo exception).

This straight ahead, hard bop influenced set belies Price's history as a member of both the acid jazz James Taylor Quartet and the funky jazz band known collectively as The Filthy Six. But Price, influenced by the likes of Wes Montgomery and George Benson is unquestionably a terrific jazz guitarist as this album attests. The main point of the album and its predecessor is the way in which a standard can be played with a different melody and then separately given a more conventional treatment too, so it really does become a two-for-one album. Price also rechristens titles with typical dry humour so Gigi Gryce's "Minority" becomes "Majority," Harold Arlen's "Come Rain Or Come Shine" becomes "Wet & Dry" and Frank Loesser's "Slow Boat to China" is transmuted into "Junk" (a Chinese boat!).  On the first disc (Heads) the unrestrained ebullience of the opener "Blue Genes" (a version of Duke Pearson's "Jeannine") is immediately apparent and fixes in the memory like glue. But Price's talent also extends to consummate blues playing too as evidenced on the sultry "Smokescape" (a version of Kenny Burrell's "Midnight Blue") and the breezier "Fragment Of Blues." The only anomaly on the album is Jimmy Raney's "Parker 51" which remains in its original arrangement.

On the solo disc (Tales), the numbers are performed with crystalline precision and sensitivity. Take for example, Horace Silver's "Peace," where Price comes close to emulating such great jazz guitarists as Joe Pass and Tal Farlow, or Ray Noble's "Cherokee," on which Raney's "Parker 51" was based.  One interesting aspect of Price's playing is his unadulterated guitar tone (for guitarists, he's playing a D'Angelico NYL-5) which utilises no effects pedals, (in an excellent 2012 interview for the Huffington Post, Price referred to these as "talent boosters"). Indeed the tone and to some extent the style Price obtains on "Up And Out" is not unlike that found on John McLaughlin's 1969 debut album Extrapolation, but Price still retains his own characteristically pure and punchy style. In truth it's fair to say that Nigel Price is probably the most dynamic and gifted guitarist on the British jazz scene today and this is the proof. ~ Roger Farbey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/heads-and-tales-volume-2-nigel-price-whirlwind-recordings-ltd-review-by-roger-farbey.php

Personnel: Nigel Price: guitar; Matt Home: drums; Ross Stanley: Hammond organ; Plus: Alex Garnett: alto & tenor saxophone; Vasilis Xenopoulos: tenor saxophone.

Heads & Tales, Volume 2 Disc 1

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Album: Heads & Tales, Volume 2  Disc 2

Year: 2016

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 49:16

Size: 114,4 MB

(6:18)  1. Cherokee

(5:05)  2. Have You Met Miss Jones

(5:43)  3. Jeannine

(4:20)  4. Peace

(5:52)  5. Come Rain or Come Shine

(4:53)  6. Minority

(5:00)  7. Fragment of Blues

(5:24)  8. Slow Boat to China

(6:37)  9. Midnight Blue

Heads & Tales, Volume 2 Disc 2

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