Bud Shank - I Told You So!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:48
Size: 130.0 MB
Styles: Bop, West Coast jazz
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[ 6:52] 1. I Told You So
[ 8:32] 2. My Funny Valentine
[ 7:36] 3. The Continental
[10:09] 4. Emily
[ 7:55] 5. Dance Of The Little Ones
[ 9:01] 6. My Old Flame
[ 6:40] 7. Limehouse Blues

Alto Saxophone – Bud Shank; Bass – Lonnie Plaxico; Drums – Victor Lewis; Piano – Kenny Barron. Recorded live at Birdland, NYC, 26-27 June 1992.

While often associated with the cool school of 1950s and ‘60s West Coast jazz, alto saxophonist Bud Shank is also one of the many worthy adherents to the le jazz hot bebop of alto icon Charlie Parker. Simply put, Shank can be both coolly smooth and yet burn with the best. On TOLD YOU SO (originally issued in 1992), Shank communes with some hard bop aces--the great, underrated pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, and drummer Victor Lewis--and goes to town on some familiar and not-so-familiar standards. ~Mark Keresman

I Told You So!

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Saskia Bruin - Step Inside Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 115.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:56] 1. The Look Of Love
[3:58] 2. And We Will Fly
[3:00] 3. Feel Like Making Love
[4:24] 4. Once I Loved
[3:16] 5. Step Inside Love
[3:49] 6. Wondering
[4:08] 7. You're My Thrill
[3:41] 8. Virginia Moon
[3:33] 9. I Got Lost In His Arms
[4:32] 10. Comes Love
[4:27] 11. Estate
[3:27] 12. Close Your Eyes
[4:16] 13. Caminhos Cruzados (Bonus Track)

Beautiful jazz standards, Bossa Novas and popballads made into a smooth, stylish and sexy chill-out album with substance. Recommended if you like Diana Krall, Eliana Elias, Astrud/Bebel Gilberto and Norah Jones.

Saskia's music received a warm reception including BBC Radio 2 airplay and London's newest radio station 102.2 Smooth FM. ''Although memories of Astrud Gilberto come to mind, Saskia is somehow more alluring''. Desmond Carrington, BBC Radio 2. ''I couldn't be more delighted that we played a record last week by a new comer to the collection, a lady called Saskia. I'm delighted because the reaction was so great that I decided to play another track this week''. David Jacobs, BBC Radio 2.

Step Inside Love

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Arthur Prysock - The Best Of Arthur Prysock: The Milestone Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:47
Size: 146.0 MB
Styles: Soul-blues-jazz vocals
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. All My Lovin' Was In Vain
[6:03] 2. Got To Get You Off My Mind
[5:55] 3. Everything Must Change
[4:09] 4. Good Rockin' Tonight
[5:26] 5. I Want To Thank You, Girl
[5:37] 6. Next Time You See Me
[4:00] 7. At This Moment
[4:59] 8. Rainy Night In Georgia
[3:52] 9. Teach Me Tonight
[3:54] 10. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
[3:57] 11. Bring It On Home To Me
[3:59] 12. It's All In The Game
[3:55] 13. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
[3:41] 14. After The Lovin'

Alto Saxophone – Hank Crawford (tracks: 2, 7, 12); Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson (3) (tracks: 2, 7, 12); Bass – Jimmy Lewis (2) (tracks: 1, 3 to 6, 8 to 11, 13, 14), Ralph Hamperian (tracks: 5, 6, 9, 13), Wilbur Bascomb (tracks: 2, 7, 12); Bass, Electric Bass – Leon Lee Dorsey (tracks: 1, 14); Drums – Bernard Purdie (tracks: 2, 7, 12), Don Williams (7); Guitar – Melvin Sparks (tracks: 2, 7, 12), Ralph Caldwell (tracks: 1, 3 to 6, 8 to 11, 13, 14); Keyboards – Lloyd Wilson (tracks: 1, 3 to 6, 8 to 11, 13, 14); Tenor Saxophone – Red Prysock; Trumpet – Alan Rubin (tracks: 2, 7, 12), Lew Soloff (tracks: 2, 7, 12); Vocals – Arthur Prysock, Betty Joplin (tracks: 3, 9, 11, 13). Recorded between 1985 and 1987.

Fourteen digitally remastered diamonds cropped from Prysock's previous albums: Today's Love Songs Tomorrow's, This Guy's in Love With You, and Rockin' Good Way. Prysock's big, deliberate baritone/bass voice is a heart stopper. The only miscue, but nothing major, is his rendition of Solomon Burke's "Got to Get You off My Mind," where he seems uncomfortable with the blues arrangement and the simplistic lyrics. But "All My Lovin' Was in Vain," "Everything Must Change" (he wows you with the first note), "Good Rockin' Tonight," "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone," all deserve encores. His incredible renditions of "It's All in the Game" and "Rainy Night in Georgia" proves beyond a doubt that Arthur Prysock was the man! ~Andrew Hamilton

The Best Of Arthur Prysock: The Milestone Years

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Greg Abate - Horace Is Here: A Tribute To Horace Silver

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:28
Size: 168.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2005/2011
Art: Front

[7:08] 1. Mayreh
[8:08] 2. Horace Is Here
[6:21] 3. Nica's Dream
[7:15] 4. Song For My Father
[6:07] 5. Nutville
[7:21] 6. Silver's Serenade
[7:18] 7. On The Road
[9:56] 8. Peace
[7:45] 9. Filthy Mcnasty
[6:04] 10. Quicksilver

Bass – Marshall Wood; Drums – Artie Cabral; Piano – Hilton Ruis; Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Arranged By – Greg Abate; Trumpet, Arranged By – Claudio Roditi. Recorded Sept. 24-25, 2004.

Many artists have covered pianist Horace Silver's compositions, but few have approached them with a freshness like multi-reed player Greg Abate. Accompanied by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, pianist Hilton Ruiz (on one of his last recording sessions prior to his mysterious death in 2006), bassist Marshall Wood, and drummer Artie Cabral, Abate reharmonized each of the pieces and gave them a new sound while retaining the essence of the original works. "Song for My Father" is a perfect example, with the leader's rich tenor blending with Roditi's mellow trumpet and a less pronounced rhythm. Abate is on alto for "Nica's Dream," which has a more breezy air, almost seeming to float over its hard bop inner soul. Wood's brooding bass introduces "Peace," with Abate's mournful soprano sax beautifully backed by Ruiz's almost reverent piano. Abate also penned two solid tribute to Silver, the hip "Horace Is Here" and the turbulent "On the Road." Greg Abate's salute to Horace Silver will please fans of the hard bop giant's music. ~Ken Dryden

Horace Is Here: A Tribute To Horace Silver

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Archie Shepp Quartet - Deja Vu

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:58
Size: 116.7 MB
Styles: Avant-garde jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:50] 1. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
[9:15] 2. Petite Fleur
[7:25] 3. Les Feuilles Mortes
[7:54] 4. L' Ame Des Poetes
[4:03] 5. Gigi
[6:30] 6. April In Paris
[7:46] 7. Sous Le Ciel De Paris
[3:12] 8. Deja Vu

Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Billy Drummond; Piano – Harold Mabern; Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp. Recorded at "The Studio" in New York on June 11 and 12, 2001.

Archie Shepp has long established a reputation as a fiery avant-garde jazz stylist, though he is remarkably restrained in this collection of ballads recorded in 2001. The rhapsodic songs help restrain him somewhat, along with the presence of the terrific rhythm section, consisting of pianist Harold Mabern, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Billy Drummond. "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" has a few rough edges to retain Shepp's personal flavor, while the rhumba setting of Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur" works well, too. Mabern's lush introduction to "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves) sets up a touching, spacious arrangement. Shepp opens Lerner & Loewe's infrequently performed "Gigi" unaccompanied, producing a majestic performance. The snappy treatment of "April in Paris" swings like the famous tune should, while he also retains the well-known "Pop Goes the Weasel" quote inserted in Basie's version. All in all, this is an enjoyable date. ~Ken Dryden

Deja Vu

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Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - Shout Me Out

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:30
Size: 152,7 MB
Art: Front

(9:27)  1. Shout Me Out
(6:36)  2. Max
(4:47)  3. Plunger Mute Syndrome
(7:03)  4. Yellow Flowers After
(4:46)  5. Grizzly
(3:35)  6. Day by Day
(5:28)  7. Nice to Meet You
(4:58)  8. One for Horace Tapscott
(2:04)  9. Barbara's Rose
(5:39) 10. I Want a Little Girl
(9:04) 11. How Insensitive

If there were an award for “most improved big band,” the opinion here is that the C–HJO would win going away, as its two most recent albums ( Explosive!, with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and now Shout Me Out! ) have moved well beyond its earlier endeavors to prove beyond any doubt that this is one of the most talented and exciting ensembles performing anywhere in the lower forty eight. Clearly, the primary role model is Basie, and the C–HJO is emphatically adhering to the swinging blueprint laid bare by the Count and refined during his many years in the big band trenches. Coleader John Clayton’s deeply grooved “Nice to Meet You” is dedicated to Basie, and there are innumerable splashes of the Count’s peerless style elsewhere on the album, from wailing shout–choruses and assertive rhythms (punctuated by co–leader Jeff Hamilton’s assiduous drum work) to pianist Bill Cunliffe’s spare, Basie esque phrasings, crisp unison passages by brass and reeds and boppish narratives by the band’s squadron of accomplished soloists. There are three other dedications, Hamilton’s “Max” (for longtime friend and Jazz supporter Max Ketteman), co–leader Jeff Clayton’s “Barbara’s Rose” (for St. Louis Jazz promoter Barbara Rose) and Charles Owens’ “One for Horace Tapscott,” honoring the pianist who was a leading player on the Los Angeles Jazz scene. Bassist John Clayton, the band’s principal composer / arranger, also wrote “Shout Me Out!,” “Plunger Mute Sydrome” (for 22–year–old phenom Isaac Smith) and “Grizzly,” while trumpeter Clay Jenkins contributed “Yellow Flowers After.” Completing the program are the standards “I Want a Little Girl” (charmingly sung and played by veteran trumpeter Snooky Young) and “Day by Day” (featuring Rickey Woodard’s thundering tenor sax) and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive” (performed not by the band but as a “conversation” between John Clayton’s arco bass and Hamilton’s drums). The other soloists are baritone Lee Callet, guitarist Jim Hershman and both Clayton brothers (John on bowed bass, Jeff on alto) on "Shout Me Out!"; Woodard, Hamilton, Cunliffe and trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez on "Max"; trumpeter Jenkins on "Yellow Flowers"; trumpeter Oscar Brashear, trombonist George Bohanon and bassist Christoph Luty on "Grizzly"; Woodard, Smith and Brashear on "Nice to Meet You"; Cunliffe, Hamilton and alto Owens on "Horace Tapscott"; Jeff Clayton and trombonist Ira Nepus on "Barbaras Rose." If you want to hear a band that has found its niche and speaks in a clear and confident voice, check this one out. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/shout-me-out-clayton-hamilton-jazz-orchestra-review-by-jack-bowers.php 

Personnel: Jim Hershman (guitar); Jeff Clayton (flute, piccolo, oboe, alto saxophone); Charles Owens (clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Keith Fiddmont (clarinet, alto saxophone); Rickey Woodard (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Lee Callet (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Clay Jenkins, Oscar Brashear, Bobby Rodriguez (trumpet); Isaac Smith , George Bohannon, Ira Nepus (trombone); Maurice Spears (bass trombone); Bill Cunliffe (piano); Jeff Hamilton (drums).

Shout Me Out

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Ruth Etting - Ten Cents a Dance

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:56
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. Ten Cents a Dance
(2:49)  2. Button Up Your Overcoat
(3:05)  3. Funny, Dear, What Love Can Do
(2:40)  4. But I Do, You Know I Do!
(3:27)  5. Mean to Me
(3:23)  6. I'm Yours
(2:59)  7. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight
(3:21)  8. Don't Tell Him What Happened to Me
(3:23)  9. Body and Soul
(3:12) 10. Sam, the Old Accordion Man
(2:43) 11. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
(2:54) 12. Hello, Baby!
(3:18) 13. What Wouldn't I Do for That Man!
(2:40) 14. Could I? I Certainly Could
(2:56) 15. The Kiss Waltz
(3:10) 16. Shakin' the Blues Away
(3:07) 17. You're the Cream In My Coffee
(3:12) 18. Lonesome and Sorry
(2:52) 19. Laughing At Life
(3:22) 20. Love Me Or Leave Me

One of the most popular singers of the late-'20s/early-'30s period, Ruth Etting was not really a jazz singer (unlike 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 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ruth-etting-mn0000806980/biography

Ten Cents a Dance

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Peter Zak - Peter Zak Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 61:45
Size: 113,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Better Late Than Never
(7:18)  2. Laughin With RZ
(4:58)  3. Ugly Beauty
(7:41)  4. Namely You
(2:25)  5. Blue Gardenia
(5:31)  6. Grandpa George
(6:55)  7. Mamacita
(6:06)  8. The Worrier
(5:18)  9. Maiden Lane
(4:37) 10. Tyner's Corner
(6:14) 11. Below the Rim

Pianist Peter Zak is something of an unknown quantity to New Yorkers, but on his SteepleChase debut, he makes a considerable first impression. On this disc, which is comprised mostly of originals, he displays a style, which, although clearly touched by his major influences, remains vibrant and singular. During a great gig last month at Smoke, Zak showcased several of the tunes (and one that isn't on the disc, a burner with the hilarious title "The Cream and the Clear, which hopefully will be on a future release).  Zak's mastery is evident from the first tune, "Better Late Than Never, an original in which he he dances along the keys with deftness and facility, accompanied ably by bassist Paul Gill and the estimable Al Foster on drums. The tender "Laughing With RZ, clearly influenced by Wynton Kelly, is both understated and elegant.

Zak's arrangement of "Ugly Beauty follows Monk's original recipe but adds his warm highlights to the coloring. "Namely You is played with maximum economy. Gill's plucked bass solo tells a story in itself, with Foster bouncing on brushes behind the pianist's bright opening statement. Zak follows his warm, thoughtful solo turn on "Blue Gardenia with the supple, Oscar Peterson-flavored blues of "Grandpa George. "Maiden Lane is a somber but lovely ballad that was composed in memory of the 9/11 tragedy. "Tyner's Corner is a perfect rendering of the great pianist's style, with Zak laying down Tyner-like chords in homage, not imitation. The disc closes with "Below the Rim, where the pianist's deft left hand sets a roadrunner tempo for Foster and Gill to follow. Zak sets off no pyrotechnics here; he and his trio simply opt for conciseness and clarity, hallmarks of all fine composing and playing. ~ Terrell Kent Holmes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/peter-zak-trio-peter-zak-steeplechase-records-review-by-terrell-kent-holmes.php

Personnel: Peter Zak: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Al Foster: drums.

Peter Zak Trio

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Sonny Rollins - Falling In Love With Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 108,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:42)  1. For All We Know
(6:18)  2. Tennessee Waltz
(7:41)  3. Little Girl Blue
(4:49)  4. Falling In Love With Love
(7:33)  5. I Should Care
(7:03)  6. Sister
(5:47)  7. Amanda

This average effort from Sonny Rollins and his regular sextet is most notable for two numbers ("For All We Know" and "I Should Care") that find Branford Marsalis joining Rollins in a quintet with pianist Tommy Flanagan. Unfortunately Marsalis makes the fatal error of trying to imitate Rollins (instead of playing in his own musical personality) and he gets slaughtered. Much better are Rollins's romps on "Tennessee Waltz" and "Falling in Love with Love."~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/falling-in-love-with-jazz-mw0000653871

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Jerome Harris (electric guitar, electric bass); Branford Marsalis (tenor saxophone); Clifton Anderson (trombone); Mark Siskin, Mark Soskin, Tommy Flanagan (piano); Bob Cranshaw (electric bass); Jack DeJohnette, Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Falling In Love With Jazz

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Alice Coltrane - Lord of Lords

Styles: Harp And Piano Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:18
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:04)  1. Andromeda's Suffering
( 6:11)  2. Sri Rama Ohnedaruth
( 5:45)  3. Excerpts from the Firebird
(11:17)  4. Lord of Lords
( 9:59)  5. Going Home

Lord of Lords, released in 1973, was Alice Coltrane's final album for Impulse! It was the final part of a trilogy that began with Universal Consciousness and continued with the expansive World Galaxy. Like its immediate predecessors, the album features a 16-piece string orchestra that Coltrane arranged and conducted, fronted by a trio in which she plays piano, Wurlitzer organ, harp, and timpani with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ben Riley. Riley was familiar with the setting because he had been part of the sessions for World Galaxy. The first two pieces, "Andromeda's Suffering" and "Sri Rama Ohnedaruth" (titled after the spiritual name for her late husband, John Coltrane), are, in essence, classical works. There is little improvisation except on the piano underneath the wall of strings. They are scored for large tone clusters and minor-key drone effects, but also engage in creating timbral overtones. They are quite beautiful, yet have little or nothing to do with jazz except for the seemingly free passages toward the end of the latter track, but even these feel scored, because of the control of tension and dynamic. "Excerpts from The Firebird," which uses the organ to open the piece, features the strings playing almost (because with Alice Coltrane, she interpreted in her own way) directly from Igor Stravinsky's score. The droning organ is so gorgeous underneath those reaching strings that it's breathtaking. As to why she chose this piece as the centerpiece for her own album, she claimed that Stravinsky came to her in a vision and passed something on to her in a glass vial, a liquid that she drank!

Riley and Haden appear in earnest on the title track, a long modal piece where drones, rhythms, and time signatures are registered through the direction of Coltrane's piano and harp, creating a blissful kind of tension and dynamic. It cracks open at about six minutes, and Coltrane (on the organ), Haden, and Riley engage in some lively improvisation, with the strings offering trilling high-end swooping in the background. The set ends with Coltrane's transformation of a gospel hymn called "Going Home." Her harp introduces Riley's brushes and the strings, which in turn offer a root chord for her to play the melody and improvise upon it on the organ. Here the blues make their presence known. It offers a kind of understanding for the listener that Coltrane, no matter where this musical direction was headed (even as it went further toward the Cosmic Music she and her late husband envisioned together), continued to understand perfectly where her musical root was. The interplay between the three principals is lively and engaging, based on droning blues chords, and her soloing even amid flurries of notes comes right back to the root, and she quotes quite directly from Delta blues riffs and other gospel songs. Haden's bass is a beautiful anchor here (although mixed a bit low), and the strings offer a lovely response to her organ and harp. Riley's cymbals are shimmering shards of light throughout, ending Lord of Lords on a very high note. While it's true that Alice Coltrane's later Impulse! music may not be for everyone, even those who followed her earlier, more jazz-oriented recordings on Impulse!, it was obvious from the beginning that she was seeking to incorporate Indian classical music's drone center into her work, and was literally obsessed with the timbral, chromatic, and harmonic possibilities of strings. She succeeds here, in ending her Impulse! period with elegance, grace, and soul. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/lord-of-lords-mw0000470434

Personnel:  Alice Coltrane : harp, piano, organ, tympani, percussion;  Charlie Haden : bass;  Ben Riley : drums, percussion

String Orchestra - Murray Adler (concertmaster), Nathan Kaproff, Lou Klass, William Henderson, Ronald Folsom, Leonard Malarsky, Gordon Marron, Janice Gower, Gerald Vinci, Sidney Sharp, James Getzoff and Bernard Kundell : violins; Myra Kestenbaum, Rollice Dale, Leonard Selic, David Schwartz, Samuel Boghosian and Marilyn Baker : violas; Jesse Ehrlich, Jerry Kessler, Jan Kelly, Anne Goodman, Edgar Lustgarten, Ray Kelley and Raphael Kramer : cellos

Lord of Lords

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