Johanne Blouin - Everything Must Change

Size: 138,0 MB
Time: 59:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Angel Eyes (5:31)
02. Desperately (4:29)
03. Agua De Beber (5:30)
04. Everything Must Change (5:24)
05. The Dry Cleaners From Des Moines (3:49)
06. The Island (3:54)
07. When I Look In Your Eyes (4:16)
08. Lullaby Of Birdland (4:19)
09. My Funny Valentine (5:41)
10. Airmail Special (A Tribute To Ella) (3:34)
11. You Don't Know What Love Is (6:39)
12. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (5:59)

Johanne Blouin has seen the light and shifted from pop to the more challenging and artistically rewarding jazz music. The French-Canadian singer has chosen a program of familiar material including classics, obligatory tunes by Joni Mitchell, and a Shirley Eikhard original. Her inaugural is made more auspicious by the company she keeps. Each sideman is a top of the list jazz craftsman and takes a turn sharing the spotlight. The interplay between Bobby Watson and Blouin on "You Don't Know What Love Is" stimulates performers and listeners. Watson's ending tremolos are a striking coda to an exceptional interpretation. The muted horn of Terell Stafford works behind Blouin on "My Funny Valentine" much the way Harry Sweets Edison worked his magic with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Blouin uses some tracks to show off her considerable scat technique. Her wordless vocalizing opening for "Air Mail Special" recalls not only Ella Fitzgerald, but Les Brown's opening to his big-band hit " "Lemon Drop." She has some fun interpolating "And the Angels Sing," "The Music Goes Round and Round," and "That's Amore"! Making them fit is one of the risks she takes during this session, pulling it off with aplomb. The rhythm section contributions to the album are immeasurable. John Hicks forsakes the usual route of the accompanist, not satisfied with mere comping, but adds subtle statements of his own during the vocals. This may fly against conventional wisdom, but once more it works. Curtis Lundy shares billing with Hicks as a major backer, letting Blouin ride his bassline on the opening of several tracks. Straight singing or scatting, ballad or up-tempo, this exemplary modern singer's first out-of-the-gate album is a winner. ~by Dave Nathan

Everything Must Change

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Luke Hendon - Silk And Steel

Size: 102,3 MB
Time: 34:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Gipsy Jazz
Art: Front

01. Dinner With Paulus (2:30)
02. Nothin' But A Groove (5:30)
03. Old Friend (3:56)
04. Lola (4:54)
05. Cupcake (3:48)
06. Too Much Tequila (2:47)
07. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (3:24)
08. Paquito (4:06)
09. Joni (3:48)

It is the easiest thing in the world to laud guitarist Luke Hendon's album Silk & Steel as something to be treasured by anyone who is remotely interested in the style of Django Reinhardt.

It is important to note, however, that Hendon has done much more than play arpeggios as fast as humanly possible, zip the one string chromatic scale and use a tight vibrato in front of a freight train rhythm guitar —all on an large- body acoustic guitar with steel top strings and wound lower strings over silk.

Yes, Django was a virtuoso, but he always put his technique in the service of his music where every note he played was full of meaning, diving deep and bringing out his gypsy background. Of course, all great musicians project their very being through their music, which is what makes listening to them such an experience.

In this interview, Hendon relates how he was introduced to the music of Django by the movie Sweet And Lowdown, with the guitar playing masterfully done by Howard Alden and Bucky Pizzarelli. Despite not being a gypsy, he has managed to get inside the entirety of Django's style, merging his own musical self with the spirit (figuratively) of Django, which emerges from the inside and not merely layered on top.

Surely, the musical mannerisms of the Quintette of the Hot Club of France are all there (three hours of Django can be found here), including Hendon's outstanding playing, and that is why it sounds "authentic." The rhythm guitarists and bassist are solid, as is the violin playing (who is not trying to copy Stephane Grappelli). But there is something more going on here —most of tunes are Hendon originals (with the exception of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" by Romberg/Hammerstein II and Paquito by Paquito Lorier), and the added saxophone and clarinet enlarges the sonic palette.

Django's music always brings a smile to the lips and transports one back 1930s France, and the best compliment here is that Hendon's music does the same, but also with a foot planted firmly in the here and now in this too short, extremely well done recording. ~Budd Kopman

Personnel: Luke Hendon: lead guitar; Josh Kaye: rhythm guitar; Ted Gottsegen: rhythm guitar; Hendi Looxe: rhythm guitar; Pooquette: violin; Adrian Cunningham: saxophone, clarinet; Ben Rubens: bass.

Silk And Steel

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Eileen Rodgers - Miracle Of Love: The Complete Singles

Size: 154,0+175,6 MB
Time: 65:07+71:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Pop, Showtunes
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Just A Little Bit More (2:35)
02. Now Is The Time (2:41)
03. The Desperate Hours (2:23)
04. I Had To Lose You To Love You (2:50)
05. Some Of These Days (2:51)
06. You're Wrong, All Wrong (2:20)
07. Miracle Of Love (2:25)
08. Unwanted Heart (2:28)
09. Give Me (2:28)
10. I Wish I Didn't Have To Dream So Far (2:40)
11. The Wall (2:12)
12. This Day (2:45)
13. Everything But Love (2:30)
14. Don't Call Me Sweetie (Cause I'm Bitter) (2:21)
15. Third Finger, Left Hand (1:54)
16. Crazy Dream (2:10)
17. Happy Love (1:47)
18. That Ain't Right (1:40)
19. Just In Case You Change Your Mind (2:36)
20. I'm Not Afraid Anymore (2:20)
21. Careful, Careful (Handle Me With Care) (2:18)
22. I'm Alone Because I Love You (2:27)
23. Treasure Of Your Love (2:53)
24. A Little Bit Bluer (2:11)
25. I Never Know When To Say When (2:00)
26. King Of My Heart (3:04)
27. Brand New Heartache (2:03)

CD 2:
01. The Best Of Friends (2:11)
02. 'til Tomorrow (2:32)
03. I'll Always Be In Love With You (2:52)
04. You Were Meant For Me (2:01)
05. I Wish I Was The Moon (2:16)
06. Older And Wiser (2:38)
07. I Cry By Night (2:25)
08. You Better Decide (2:16)
09. The Phone Call (2:33)
10. Wait Till Tomorrow (2:25)
11. The Nightingale Who Sang Off Key (2:05)
12. Sailor (2:48)
13. Love Has Finally Come My Way (2:30)
14. Femininity (2:40)
15. Keep It Simple (1:56)
16. You Don't Know Him (4:39)
17. Gentleman Jimmy (2:19)
18. Little Old New York (2:49)
19. How The Money Changes Hands (3:33)
20. My Gentle Young Johnny (2:40)
21. You're The Top (3:30)
22. Friendship (1:59)
23. I Get A Kick Out Of You (3:10)
24. Anything Goes (3:54)
25. Let's Misbehave (2:29)
26. Blow, Gabriel, Blow (4:03)
27. Take Me Back To Manhattan (3:04)

Eileen Rodgers might be called "The Star Who Never Was". She burst on the national scene in 1955 with a long string of singles and acclaimed musical comedy performances on the stage, but in seven quick years her recording career was over. She nevertheless made such an impact, the she is still remembered today as one of the great vocalists of all time. Includes the hits "Give Me", "The Wall", "Treasure Of Your Love" and of course her biggest hit "Miracle Of Love". This excellent issue by Jasmine is a complete collection of her singles, many of which have not been heard since their original release plus highlights from her acclaimed cast recordings in Fiorello, Tenderloin and Anything Goes. Eileen Rodgers never became the superstar she should have been, but her distinctive sound continues to attract new listeners, and her fans have steadily increased through the years and hopefully she will never be forgotten.

Miracle Of Love CD 1
Miracle Of Love CD 2

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Jackie Coon & Friends - Back In His Own Backyard

Size: 134,0 MB
Time: 57:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1996
Styles: Jazz, Dixieland
Art: Front

01. Black And Blue (6:48)
02. Back In Your Own Backyard (4:56)
03. There Will Never Be Another You (5:45)
04. Lulu's Back In Town (5:24)
05. Down By The Riverside (6:26)
06. Louisiana (5:32)
07. Sugar (5:46)
08. Bryan's Blues (4:38)
09. Maryland My Maryland (4:11)
10. If I Had You (4:06)
11. Stumbling (3:52)

Although a part of the Dixieland/mainstream scene since the 1950s, Jackie Coon did not get a chance to record regularly as a leader until hooking up with Arbors in the early '90s. Teamed up with his old friend Rick Fay (who switches between tenor, clarinet and soprano), Eddie Erickson on banjo and guitar, pianist Johnny Varro, bassist David Stone and drummer Gene Estes, Coon plays cool-toned but upbeat solos on ten standards and an ad-lib blues. This is a particularly enjoyable CD for fans of straight-ahead jazz, Dixieland and swinging music. Included are fine versions of "Back In Your Own Backyard," "Down By the Riverside" (which features both Coon and Erickson singing), "Louisiana," and "Stumbling." ~by Scott Yanow

Back In His Own Backyard

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Don Cox & The Princess - Ain't That Loving You

Size: 106,8 MB
Time: 45:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. Thou Swell (1:50)
02. You'll See (5:11)
03. Wave (3:07)
04. Ain't That Loving You (2:22)
05. Almost Like Being In Love (1:59)
06. Darling Please Save Your Love For Me (3:44)
07. Next Time You See Me (3:45)
08. Georgia On My Mind (5:15)
09. Fine And Mello (4:46)
10. People (3:30)
11. On Green Dolphin Street (2:49)
12. Alfie (3:14)
13. You Better Love Me (4:00)

This CD is dedicated with appreciation and love to the first teacher who encouraged my talent as a singer: my husband Don Cox (Big Don) - R.I.H. I love you and I miss you. Not only was Don a great husband and dad, he was a consummate professional entertainer who has been displaying his diverse musical skill since the tender age of 13 when he made his professional debut. Don’s first recording in 1963 resulted in the release of “Just Can’t Win” and “What Can You Do For Me” on Chess Records with his group, The Carpets. Big Don performed with such luminaries as Jay McShann, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Jimmy Witherspoon, Stanley Turrentine, and Eartha Kitt, just to name a few. Don studied arranging and orchestration under Willie Rice and wrote vocal arrangements for The Sincerest who later became Motown recording artist Blood Stone. His arranging skills are evident on this new CD release, Don Cox & The Princess: Touching You With Class, Ain’t That Loving You.

Personnel:
Patricia Lyons Cox - vocal
Don Cox - piano, keyboard, synthesizer, guitar
Joseph Straws Jr. - bass
Ram Swaminathan - drums
Horace Washington - tenor saxophone, flute
Don Hatfield - alto, tenor and bari saxophones
Lee Watkins - trumpet, flugelhorn

Ain't That Loving You

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Dakota Staton - Moonglow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 106.5 MB
Styles: Standards/Vocal jazz
Year: 1972/1985
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. Between 18th & 19th On Chestnut Street
[3:35] 2. Why Don't You Think Things Over
[3:02] 3. A Nightengale Sang In Berkeley Square
[4:27] 4. He Will Call Again
[5:28] 5. Save This Love Affair
[4:17] 6. I'd Go Back Home
[3:17] 7. Porgy
[2:39] 8. Hurry Home
[3:15] 9. Little Man, You've Had A Busy Day
[2:34] 10. Cherokee
[3:30] 11. Losin' Battle
[3:25] 12. Moonglow
[3:33] 13. Play Your Hands Girls

Dakota Staton (vocals), Norman Simmons (piano), Peter Loeb (tenor & soprano saxophones), Horace Ott (electric piano), Richard "Groove" Holmes (organ), Cornell Dupree, Lloyd Davis (guitar), Bob Cunningham, Paul Martinez (bass), Bobby Hamilton, Bernard Pudrie (drums), Kwasi Jayourba (conga, bongos).

Described by influential critic Leonard Feather as "a dynamic song stylist recalling at times elements of Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan," Dakota Staton never enjoyed the widespread acclaim or commercial success of her reference points, but remains one of the soulful and commanding jazz singers of the postwar era. Born outside of Pittsburgh on June 3, 1930, Staton began singing and dancing as a child, later attending the Filion School of Music. At 16, she starred in the stage show Fantastic Rhythm and two years later joined local bandleader Joe Wespray. From there, Staton headlined a lengthy residency at Detroit's landmark Flame Show Bar, followed by years traveling the Midwest club circuit. Eventually she settled in New York City, and while performing at Harlem's Baby Grand she captured the attention of Capitol Records producer Dave Cavanaugh, who extended a contract offer. Staton's debut single, "What Do You Know About Love?," appeared in 1954, and a year later she claimed jazz magazine Down Beat's Most Promising Newcomer award. By no means strictly a jazz act, however, she was also a bold, brassy R&B singer and performed alongside Big Joe Turner and Fats Domino at legendary disc jockey Alan Freed's first Rock 'n' Roll Party showcases. Freed regularly played Staton's "My Heart's Delight" on his daily WINS show, and when long-awaited full-length debut The Late, Late Show finally hit retail in 1957, it proved an enormous crossover hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard pop charts. Its 1958 follow-up, The Dynamic Dakota Staton!, reached the number 22 spot and more importantly heralded the beginning of her long collaboration with arranger and conductor Sid Feller. After marrying trumpeter Talib Ahmad Dawud in 1958, Staton converted to Islam and for a time performed under the name Aliyah Rabia. She was also an active member of Dawud's advocacy group the Muslim Brotherhood, which existed in large part to combat the radical politics of black supremacist Elijah Muhammad. The Muslim Brotherhood found itself the center of controversy when Muhammad claimed "they should be ashamed of trying to make fun of me and my followers while serving the devil in the theatrical world." The resulting media attention undermined Staton's commercial momentum, and while 1959's Crazy He Calls Me still charted, she never again enjoyed the crossover success that greeted her previous records. After ten Capitol dates, culminating in 1961's live Dakota at Storyville, she jumped to United Artists for 1963's From Dakota with Love. After two more UA sessions, Live and Swinging and Dakota Staton with Strings, she exited the label and did not cut another record for eight years. Upon relocating to Britain in 1965, Staton worked hotels and cruise ships, and was largely forgotten by the time she returned to the U.S. in the early '70s, signing to Groove Merchant and cutting the 1972 comeback attempt Madame Foo Foo with soul-jazz great Richard "Groove" Holmes. Sessions for Muse and Simitar followed, and in 1999 she signed with High Note for her final studio date, A Packet of Love Letters. Staton's health declined slowly but steadily in the years to follow, and she died April 10, 2007, at the age of 76. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

Moonglow

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Jim Hall - By Arrangement

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:20

Size: 138.1 MB

Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz

Year: 1998

Art: Front

[8:32] 1. Django

[5:00] 2. Waltz For Debby

[5:22] 3. Ruby My Dear

[8:23] 4. Goodbye

[6:14] 5. Art Song

[6:38] 6. October Song

[7:33] 7. Wendy

[6:55] 8. The Wind

[5:40] 9. Whisper Not

Arranged By – Jim Hall; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Terry Clarke. Recorded in Clinton Recording, Studio A, New York City, January 12-14, and March 13, 1998.

Long acclaimed for his understated lyrical approach to the guitar, Jim Hall's diverse arrangements on this CD are also first-class. His dazzling arrangement of John Lewis' "Django" features Hall with Pat Metheny, with both men on acoustic instruments for a change, accompanied only by drummer Terry Clarke and the occasional pizzicato accents of a 12-piece string section (violas and cellos!). Rarely has Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" been given such a fresh treatment; the brisk bossa nova rhythm, Joe Lovano's switch from clarinet to soprano sax midway in the piece, and Hall's interplay with Lovano and the strings, plus the dramatic sudden slowdown in tempo at the conclusion, make it stand out from the many recordings of this standard. The New York Voices provide a nice backdrop for Hall's solo on "Waltz for Debby," while Paul Desmond's rarely heard "Wendy" features the leader with the brilliant flugelhornist Tom Harrell, backed by a brass section. Hall's originals also merit praise: his lovely "October Song" has just a touch of melancholy with a fine viola solo backed by the strings following his solo introduction, while his challenging "Art Song" is a playful waltz. ~Ken Dryden

By Arrangement

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Stephen Stills - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:57
Size: 89.2 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock, Album rock
Year: 1970/2005
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Love The One You're With
[2:52] 2. Do For The Others
[4:05] 3. Church (Part Of Someone)
[3:39] 4. Old Times Good Times
[5:53] 5. Go Back Home
[3:05] 6. Sit Yourself Down
[3:08] 7. To A Flame
[5:26] 8. Black Queen
[3:23] 9. Cherokee
[4:18] 10. We Are Not Helpless

Talk about understatement -- there's Stephen Stills on the cover, acoustic guitar in hand, promising a personal singer/songwriter-type statement. And there is some of that -- even a lot of that personal music-making -- on Stephen Stills, but it's all couched in astonishingly bold musical terms. Stephen Stills is top-heavy with 1970 sensibilities, to be sure, from the dedication to the memory of Jimi Hendrix to the now piggish-seeming message of "Love the One You're With." Yet, listening to this album three decades on, it's still a jaw-dropping experience, the musical equal to Crosby, Stills & Nash or Déjà Vu, and only a shade less important than either of them. The mix of folk, blues (acoustic and electric), hard rock, and gospel is seamless, and the musicianship and the singing are all so there, in your face, that it just burns your brain (in the nicest, most benevolent possible way) even decades later. Recorded amid the breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Stills' first solo album was his effort to put together his own sound and, not surprisingly, it's similar to a lot of stuff on the group's two albums. But it's also infinitely more personal, as well as harder and bluesier in many key spots; yet, it's every bit as soft and as lyrical as the group in other spots, and all laced with a degree of yearning and urgency that far outstrips virtually anything he did with the group. "Love the One You're With," which started life as a phrase that Stills borrowed from Billy Preston at a party, is the song from this album that everybody knows, but it's actually one of the lesser cuts here -- not much more than a riff and an upbeat lyric and mood, albeit all of it infectious. "Do for the Others," by contrast, is one of the prettiest and most moving pieces of music that Stills has ever been associated with, and "Church (Part of Someone)" showed him moving toward gospel and R&B (and good at it, too); and then there's "Old Times Good Times," musically as good a rock song as Stills has ever recorded (even if it borrows a bit from "Pre-Road Downs"), and featuring Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar. "Go Back Home" (which has Eric Clapton on guitar) is fine a piece of bluesy hard rock, while "Sit Yourself Down" features superb singing by Stills and a six-person backing chorus (that includes Cass Elliot, Graham Nash, and David Crosby) around a great tune. "To a Flame" is downright ethereal, while the live "Black Queen" is a superb piece of acoustic blues. All of this is presented by Stills in the best singing voice of his career up to that point, bolder, more outgoing, and more powerful (a result of his contact with Doris Troy) than anything in his previous output. He also plays lots of instruments (à la Crosby, Stills & Nash, which is another reason it sounds so similar to the group in certain ways), though a bit more organ than guitar, thanks to the presence of Hendrix and Clapton on two cuts. If the album has a flaw, it's the finale, "We Are Not Helpless," which slightly overstays its welcome. But hey, this was still the late '60s, and excess was the rule, not the exception, and it's such modest excess. ~Bruce Eder

Stephen Stills

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The Nat Pierce Orchestra - Big Band At The Savoy Ballroom

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:40
Size: 109.1 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1962/2009
Art: Front

[11:40] 1. Stompin' At The Savoy
[ 3:21] 2. 7th Avenue Express
[ 3:12] 3. Love Letters
[ 4:26] 4. Pepper Green
[ 6:17] 5. Whaddaya Know
[ 6:47] 6. Moody Chant
[ 4:42] 7. After Glow
[ 7:11] 8. Middle Man

Nat Pierce had a long, distinguished, somewhat low-profile career as a champion of latter-day big-band swing, serving as the co-leader of Los Angeles' crack Frank Capp-Nat Pierce Juggernaut and an arranger for several well-known big bands and solo artists. His scores created an irresistible force when allied with a swinging, pushing drummer like Capp, often hewing tightly to the loping drive and tight ensemble of the post-'50s Count Basie orchestra. Likewise, Pierce's spare, tasty piano style not only has been compared to that of Basie, he also subbed very capably -- indeed, almost indistinguishably -- for the great man off and on from the late '50s until Basie's death in 1984.

Pierce studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music back home in Massachusetts, worked with local Boston bands, and ran his own part-time big band featuring Charlie Mariano from 1949 to 1951. Having already started shopping arrangements to Basie and Woody Herman, he joined Herman's Third Herd in 1951 as pianist/arranger, remaining until 1955. Afterward, Pierce settled in New York City, where he became a busy freelance arranger, recording pianist, and occasional leader of bands, working with Ruby Braff, Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell, and Lester Young. Two of his most famous projects took place in 1957 -- writing the arrangements for The Sound of Jazz television show, and playing piano with the Basie rhythm section on the first ear-opening Lambert, Hendricks & Ross album Sing a Song of Basie. In 1961, Pierce rejoined Herman and played a major role in lifting the band into one of its peak periods, serving as chief arranger, road manager, and talent scout until 1966. Afterward, he resumed his freelancing ways, arranging for Anita O'Day, Carmen McRae, Earl Hines, and others, working with the bands of Louie Bellson and Bill Berry, reuniting with Herman, and substituting for Basie and Stan Kenton on occasion. In 1975, four years after a move to Los Angeles, Pierce joined forces with Capp to form the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut, which drew its personnel from the best Los Angeles session players out to decompress from their studio gigs. The band recorded a number of swinging albums for the Concord Jazz label, sometimes with guest vocalists like Joe Williams and Ernestine Anderson. Pierce continued to co-lead the Juggernaut off and on until his death, while also making a brief appearance in the 1977 film New York, New York, touring Europe in 1980 and 1984 as a member of the Countsmen, and recording frequently for Concord as a sideman for Scott Hamilton, Jake Hanna, and others. ~bio by Richard S. Ginnell

Big Band At The Savoy Ballroom

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Johanne Blouin & Vic Vogel - Until I Met You

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:29
Size: 142,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. Until I Met You
(3:59)  2. Since I Fell For You
(3:13)  3. Deedles Blues
(4:34)  4. You've Changed
(4:40)  5. Besame Mucho
(3:06)  6. At Last
(3:19)  7. Cry Me A River
(3:54)  8. Some Other Time
(3:50)  9. Blues In The Night
(2:14) 10. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(4:06) 11. Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered
(3:51) 12. I Can't Make You Love Me
(4:01) 13. Same As You
(4:31) 14. Here's To Life
(3:14) 15. Smile

Canadian vocalist Johanne Blouin is a gifted and multi-dimensional performer who has found herself moving back and forth from jazz and pop to musical theater. Born to musician parents in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, in 1955, Blouin was interested in performing from a young age. Subsequently, she studied dance at the Royal Academy of Dance in Montreal, earned a B.A. in music from the Université de Montréal, and studied musical theater at the Banff School of Fine Arts. She first gained performance experience in the '70s singing cabaret in various clubs around Quebec as well as with the fusion ensemble Tasman. Later she joined the cast of the musical Starmania, which led to solo and commercial session work for television. In 1988, she released her debut album, Merci Félix, a tribute to French-Canadian folksinger and political activist Félix Leclerc, and a year later she released her sophomore self-titled album. Both albums garnered various ADISQ awards essentially Quebec's Grammy Awards and helped further her public persona. Since that time Blouin has released numerous recordings, including Everything Must Change in 2000 and Elle le Dira in 2007. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/johanne-blouin/id28416267#fullText

Until I Met You

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Joyce Cooling - Keeping Cool

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:14
Size: 83,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Callie
(0:27)  2. Want to Coast?
(3:38)  3. Coasting
(4:29)  4. Ain't Life Grand?
(2:35)  5. Out of a Movie
(4:40)  6. Before Dawn
(4:03)  7. China Basin
(3:33)  8. Simple Kind of Love
(5:05)  9. Little Five Points
(4:04) 10. Gliding By

This slick electric guitarist seemed to come out of nowhere in 1997, becoming The Gavin Report's artist of the year based on the enormous reception of her radio smash "South of Market" and her Heads Up debut Playing It Cool (pun intended). In reality, she had been (and still is) one of the Bay Area's premier club and festival performers, trading off between straight-ahead jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and the funky, lighthearted kind of perfection we find on her even better follow-up (pun still intended and not quite yet wearing thin). Her precise, crisp, and relaxed style serves melodies that are instantly catchy throughout; she and her keyboardist/partner have emerged from years of playing more free-form music in clubs and have the smooth jazz hook thing down pat. What makes this so much more fun than the average genre guitar release are the varied trappings that reflect a myriad of influences. "Callie" bounces in with a retro-bluesy disco groove, Cooling blending her delightful wordless vocalizing and easy punch before giving way to Wagner's piano frolic. The title "Coasting" might imply "laid-back, bland, " but in this case, it finds her being spunky with a hypnotic lead riff over an artsy jazz piano groove. The irrepressible blues pieces "Ain't Life Grand" and "China Basin" give her a chance to show off her Stevie Ray Vaughn influence. When she's not being the queen of perky, Cooling simmers down on the meditative moods of "Out of a Movie" and "Little Five Points," which features her understated but still smart improvisation over Wagner's Rhodes harmony. While more a guitarist who sings than vice versa, the Brazilian-flavored vocal track "Gliding By" with just her voice and an acoustic guitar gives a fuller view of one of the genre's premier new talents. Kudos for also finally realizing that she can use her knockout looks and sex appeal in the packaging design. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/keeping-cool-mw0000671216

Personnel:  Joyce Cooling (vocals, guitar);  Jay Wagner (vocals, keyboards, programming);  Gary Calvin (bass);  Billy Johnson (drums);  Peter Michael Escovedo III (percussion).

Keeping Cool

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Peter Zak - For Tomorrow

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:20
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. The Cream Or The Clear
(6:58)  2. Plaza De Toros
(5:04)  3. Day By day
(5:40)  4. You Know I Care
(6:29)  5. Strictly Confidential
(5:11)  6. Actual Proof
(6:52)  7. I See Your Face Before Me
(7:15)  8. For Tomorrow
(3:48)  9. Bran Flake
(5:42) 10. This Is For Albert
(5:18) 11. Wee See

Consider the minor thrills in life. Six minutes into For Tomorrow, on a romantically titled track, "Plaza de Toros, Peter Zak's robust piano notes rise like smoke and embroider delicate but bold audio patterns into the rhythmic backdrop. Willie Jones III lends his dexterous, almost rocky command of drums to create a mood of urgency and alarm that manages to remain consistent throughout, from Zak's own "The Cream or the Clear to "Wee See, a Thelonious Monk cover. Paul Gill's bass drone adds a heightened sense of coolness that the album boasts of holistically. "You Know I Care is a beautifully nuanced musical sonnet, with rigid schemes and symmetrical notes. Gill and Jones lead their respective instruments' every fluid note to follow the piano's rabid clinkering across an enormous manifold.

Zak also successfully manages to take on a genuine classic, the oft-covered "I See Your Face Before Me. It's a daring undertaking, especially since it has been done before, bigger, better and by the likes of Coltrane and Sinatra. A musician of Zak's caliber is expected to deliver, however, and deliver he does. Sinatra enthusiasts needn't be disappointed because in the trio's cover, words seem superfluous. The marvelous ubiquity of the piano's quiet lyricism is immensely satisfying and merits numerous listens.  For Tomorrow is chameleonic to the point of being startling. It is organic and tight, with no loose chords and no loose strings. It's the sort of satisfaction for pure spontaneity that setting your iPod on shuffle would never justly accomplish. You find yourself tapping your foot long after the last note is played, and the resonance is as striking as the music. ~ Karla Cornejo Villavicencio https://www.allaboutjazz.com/for-tomorrow-peter-zak-steeplechase-records-review-by-karla-cornejo-villavicencio.php

Personnel: Peter Zak: piano; Paul Gill: bass; Willie Jones III: drums.

For Tomorrow

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Salim Washington & RBA Feat. Joe Bonner - Love in Exile

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:44
Size: 169,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:17)  1. Love in Exile
( 8:04)  2. Blossom
( 6:05)  3. To Know Yahweh
( 9:08)  4. A Time for Living
( 7:39)  5. Ask Me Now
( 6:27)  6. Blessing from Oshun
( 3:15)  7. Whispered Fade
( 5:44)  8. Sound Pronounced
(10:29)  9. Where Did You Go?
( 7:30) 10. Chaos in America

If a person had to choose only one adjective to describe Love In Exile, it would be "lush." "Exuberant," "inspired" and "optimistic" also apply, but the lush nature of Salim Washington's melodies and arrangements is the thing that stands out the most about Love In Exile, the tenor saxman/flutist's first album as a leader. Calling this CD lush isn't to say that it doesn't have a lot of bite; in fact, Washington's nine-piece band, the Roxbury Blues Aestethic (so named because it was based in Boston's Roxbury section) swings quite hard on originals by the leader and pianist Joe Bonner. Like Duke Ellington's bands, Washington and the RBA prove that one can be lush and gritty at the same time. The thoughtful material, however, isn't Ellingtonian, but rather favors a 1960s-like post-bop outlook that recalls John Coltrane as well as Pharoah Sanders, George Adams and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. When Love In Exile was recorded in 1997, the RBA's main gig was at Connolly's Stardust Lounge, a small neighborhood bar in Roxbury, and not many jazz fans outside of Boston had heard of the band. This fine CD demonstrated that Washington's nonet was quite deserving of national exposure. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-in-exile-mw0000034965

Personnel:  Salim Washington - tenor sax, flute;  Kuumba Frank Lacy - trumpet, trombone;  Kurtis Rivers - alto sax;  Waldron Ricks - trumpet;  Melanie Dyer - viola;  Henry Cook - baritone sax, flute, alto flute;  Joe Bonner - piano;  Artie Moore - bass;  Bobby Ward - drums;  Guests:  Brian McCree - bass (#6);  John Kordaleski - piano (#8);  Fred Woodard - guitar (#2).

Love in Exile

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