Milt Jackson, The Monty Alexander Trio - Soul Fusion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:24
Size: 108.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1978/1991
Art: Front

[5:26] 1. Parking Lot Blues
[7:55] 2. 3000 Miles Ago
[4:57] 3. Isn't She Lovely
[5:42] 4. Soul Fusion
[4:07] 5. Compassion
[7:23] 6. O Amor En Paz
[4:42] 7. Yano
[7:09] 8. Bossa Nova Do Marilla

Bass – John Clayton; Drums – Jeff Hamilton; Piano – Monty Alexander; Vibraphone – Milt Jackson. Recorded June 1-2, 1977 at Group IV Recording Studios, L.A.

Pianist Monty Alexander had first appeared on a Milt Jackson record in 1969. Eight years later the great vibraphonist used Alexander's trio (which included bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, future big-band co-leaders) for this spirited Pablo session that was subsequently reissued on CD through Original Jazz Classics. Much of the material is obscure (including Jackson's three originals), with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" being the only standard. The music, however, is as straight-ahead as one would expect from these fine musicians, and can easily be recommended to their fans. ~Scott Yanow

Soul Fusion

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Michel Donato, Pierre Leduc, Richard Provençal - Déjà Jaz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:15
Size: 128.8 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Like Someone In Love
[5:01] 2. Summer In Central Park
[3:09] 3. Line For Lyons
[4:31] 4. Blue In Green
[3:48] 5. Alice In Wonderland
[3:22] 6. N.H.O.P. Blue
[3:36] 7. Five
[4:39] 8. Up Jumped Spring
[3:43] 9. Good Morning
[2:29] 10. Peri's Scope
[5:28] 11. The Two Lonely People
[4:47] 12. Pensativa
[4:26] 13. Interplay
[4:02] 14. Mood Indigo

Years have passed since the release of Déjà Jazz on the label Justin Time. However, the trio of renowned musicians, Michel Donato (double bass), Pierre Leduc (piano) and Richard Provençal (drums), continues to defend this album, which was nominated at the ADISQ in 2007, In the Jazz interpretation category. Does this mean that with the tour that is inspired by this engraved, it has pierced the secret of longevity? "Well, how to say ... We've never really been on tour," Provençal admits, joined on the phone on a beautiful sunny afternoon. In fact, Déjà Jazz is mainly a pretext for the concert of the trio in Gentilly. "Let's just say that we're not going to do just CD plays, there will be others," says the drummer, "because we've been a long-standing association, we've known each other since the 1960s. , We took different tangents in terms of our careers, but in the 1990s we all found ourselves teaching at the Université de Montréal and we said, "Why would not we give back The trio on the track? "(Laughs) So that's why we're together, we know each other very well, we've become good friends, but we know each other mostly musically. Our game, we feel a great deal of connivance. " A pause, then he goes on: "The magic, if we can say it, happens between the three of us, it's instinctive, spontaneous, there's not one night we're going to play the same piece." (Translated from French.)

Déjà Jaz

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Ben Sidran - Picture Him Happy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:13
Size: 103.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. College
[3:32] 2. Discount Records
[4:57] 3. Picture Him Happy (Sisyphus Goes To Work)
[4:01] 4. I Might Be Wrong
[4:41] 5. Too Much Too Late (What Mose Said)
[3:24] 6. Shaboogie
[2:50] 7. Faking It
[2:56] 8. Thank God For The F Train
[4:43] 9. Another Old Bull
[3:53] 10. Big Brother
[3:58] 11. Who Are You
[3:14] 12. Was

"With the title track, Ben Sidran delivers one of the most insightful songs in a career full of them; in it, he rearranges the paradigm to suggest how we might buck up against situations that seem hopeless. His timing couldn't be better. His stylistic mentor, the late Mose Allison, would be proud." ~Neil Tesser

PICTURE HIM HAPPY is a response to the saying that our music is made by and for people who have chosen to feel good in spite of conditions: you often can’t affect what happens but you can determine how you respond to it. It’s a record that’s right on time. The central image is that of Sisyphus, the mythical man doomed to push the same rock up the same hill for eternity. French philosopher Albert Camus suggested that given the similarity between the life of Sisyphus and our lives today, the only reasonable response is to try to imagine him happy – hence the title of this project. We live in hard, frustrating times – perhaps we always have – and now more than ever, we need to turn to the music to make this hill we climb bearable.

Picture Him Happy

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Marquis Hill - Sounds Of The City

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 61:03

Size: 139.8 MB

Styles: Trumpet jazz

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[4:50] 1. Abracadabra

[3:00] 2. Clearfields's

[4:59] 3. The Wrath Of Lark

[0:25] 4. Spoken Word (Interlude #1)

[5:15] 5. Inner City Blues

[1:32] 6. Bass Solo

[5:25] 7. The Token

[2:29] 8. Like Lee

[0:18] 9. Spoken Word (Interlude #2)

[5:55] 10. To Be Free

[5:51] 11. Rose

[5:37] 12. Sounds Of The City

[0:23] 13. Spoken Word (Interlude #3)

[2:06] 14. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

[4:42] 15. North Star

[2:11] 16. Kiss And Tell

[5:55] 17. Stablemates

On his second album, 25-year-old Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill is still looking for a sound and sensibility to call his own. But with his confidence and youthful charm, he makes the search itself yield ample rewards. Leading his fine working band, including pianist Joshua Moshier and alto saxophonist Christopher McBride, Hill ranges from catchy hard-bop originals to soulful and Brazilian-style ballads. A stylist in motion, he serves up fat melodic lines, purring plunger tones and snappy unison exchanges. With spoken interludes by singer Milton Suggs (who also turns in a brief vocal), the album aspires to be a unified celebration of life in the Windy City, not just a collection of songs. Hill’s guests include guitarist Bobby Broom, alto saxophonist Greg Ward and vibraphonist Justin Thomas, all of whom make themselves perfectly at home. ~Lloyd

Sounds Of The City   

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Cynthia Crane, Mike Renzi - Smoky Bar Songs For The No-Smoking Section

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:12
Size: 149.3 MB
Styles: Vocal, Standards
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[3:41] 1. Out Of Fashion
[5:33] 2. Drinkin' Again
[4:33] 3. I Keep Going Back To Joe's
[4:49] 4. Something Cool
[5:09] 5. No One Ever Tells You
[5:15] 6. Scotch And Soda
[3:51] 7. Smoke Dreams Deep In A Dream
[3:02] 8. Who Took Me Home Last Night
[5:19] 9. I Never Know When I Fall In Love Too Easily
[3:28] 10. Here's Lookin' At You
[3:47] 11. A Wet Night And A Dry Martini
[5:48] 12. Angel Eyes
[3:40] 13. I Wonder What Became Of Me
[3:42] 14. Baby, Baby All The Time
[3:29] 15. Fumée Aux Yeux (Smoke Gets In Your Eyes)

Salon chanteuse Cynthia Crane follows her debut album with an agenda of songs befitting an off the beaten track drinking hideout at two in the morning. Most numbers on the musical agenda are guaranteed to make those drowning their woes in booze at a late-night bar feel somebody cares. Tunes such as "Angel Eyes," "I Never Know When to Say When," and one of the classic bar tunes of all times, "Something Cool," are given a dramatic reading by the inestimable Crane, who is simply a genius with this kind of material. With a set of vocal chords that evokes the full range of emotions without affectation, Crane fits right into this boozy atmosphere. Bill Easley's presence on "Drinkin' Again" helps make her husky-voiced rendition a strong competitor of those by Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, and Gloria Lynne, soul queens all. This track is one of Crane's very fine efforts on this CD. But it's not all consolation comforting stuff. There's some tongue in cheek along the way, as on "Out of Fashion," which features the vibes of Warren Chiasson. Despite the gloomy collection of tunes, nonetheless appropriate for the occasion, Crane's voice comes through like a beacon. She has all the credentials of a fine cabaret singer, a good story teller, clear, uncluttered diction, and she stays on key. There's a touch of Sophie Tucker, Edith Piaf, and any number of earthy blues singers in the way she delivers these melodies. Mike Renzi deserves his shared top billing, setting the stage perfectly for Crane as he has for the many other vocalists he has accompanied over the years. This is late-night music at its best. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Smoky Bar Songs For The No-Smoking Section

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Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Coney Island

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:42
Size: 96,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:14)  1. Coney Island
(2:36)  2. I Have Dreamed
(4:29)  3. Senor Mouse
(4:04)  4. Mickey
(2:30)  5. Sweet Georgia Brown
(3:07)  6. Ratatouille (Rata Too Ee)
(2:37)  7. Catfish
(2:39)  8. This Masquerade
(5:34)  9. Carmine
(1:54) 10. The Crave
(3:49) 11. Vento Bravo
(5:02) 12. I Belong

Encouraged by his comeback album, Herb Alpert assembled a new version of the TJB including a hotshot second trumpeter, Bob Findley, and jazz piano whiz Dave Frishberg and hit the studio and road in 1975. Yet Coney Island was a brave, nearly complete departure from the old Tijuana Brass, where the jazzers were given carte blanche and the rhythm section encouraged to do more complex things. As a signal of independence, the new Brass tackle Chick Corea's "Senor Mouse" head-on, where Frishberg runs wild and even longtime marimbist Julius Wechter is affected by the adventurous spirit. Alpert's own playing on trumpet (and now flugelhorn and piano) is a bit freer as well, and he goes out on a limb as a composer with the experimental, not-quite-coherent "Carmine." TJB tradition is also served by a loose, swinging version of "I Have Dreamed," and an older legacy pops up in the Alpert/Frishberg duet on Jelly Roll Morton's "The Crave." But this edition of the Brass was short-lived; the public didn't get it and Alpert soon moved on to solo projects, leaving this sole LP as its legacy. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/coney-island-mw0000857103

Personnel: Peter Woodford (guitar); Herb Alpert, Bob Findley (trumpet); Bob Edmondson (trombone); Dave Fishberg (piano); Julius Wechter (marimba, percussion); Steven Schaeffer (drums); Vince Charles (steel drum, percussion).

Coney Island

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Martirio - Primavera En Nueva York

Styles: Vocal, Latin Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:30
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Ese sentimiento que se llama amor
(5:29)  2. No puedo callar
(5:11)  3. Primera Lluvia
(5:45)  4. Que Me Importa
(4:03)  5. No Pidas Imposibles
(4:19)  6. Si Te Contara
(4:58)  7. Tengo
(5:26)  8. Son Cosas Que Pasan
(5:45)  9. Y Entonces
(4:54) 10. Alma Libre
(5:39) 11. Mi Ayer
(4:34) 12. Me Faltabas Tu

Spanish singer Martirio presents a musical story of being madly in love, losing that love, being dumped, experiencing sorrow and regret, and discovering love again. The tracks in order chronicle that roller coaster ride of emotions -- if you understand Spanish. If not, the tracks can be appreciated for their individual beauty and passion. Martirio's expressionism is dramatic but not overt, subtle but not lame, sentimental but not sappy. Her voice is crystal clear and clean. Stylistically this recording leans more on jazz than bolero or tango, due to the rhapsodic piano playing of Kenny Drew, Jr., the deft bass playing of George Mraz, and rising star drummer Dafnis Prieto, heard throughout. There are two cameos apiece from guitarist Edgardo Miranda, clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera or tenor saxophonist Houston Person, and a lone flugelhorn solo from Claudio Roditi. The bulk of the compositions are ballads, save the hopeful mid-tempo waltz "Alma Libre" with Person and the spirited waltz "Mi Ayer." It's difficult to choose superior quality between any of the beautiful songs included, each piece stands alone yet works together one after another to tell the complete tale. There's an atypical light bossa feel for "No Puedo Callar," slow and sweet surrendering blues on "Primera Lluvia," a "what do I care" repeated refrain during "Que Me Importa?," the awaiting bittersweet vocal/bass duet "Si Te Contara," and the victorious finale "Me Faltabas Tu," the lone vocal/piano duo. A variety of Spanish songwriters contribute the material, selected immaculately by the singer and producers Nat Chediak and Fernando Trueba. This is Martirio's best effort so far, and comes highly recommended, both as great listening and an important lesson in life. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/primavera-en-nueva-york-mw0000562288

Personnel: Martirio (vocals); Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet); Houston Person (saxophone); Kenny Drew, Jr. (piano); George Mraz (bass instrument).

Primavera En Nueva York

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Horace Parlan - No Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 47:32
Size: 76,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:13)  1. No Blues
(4:57)  2. My Foolish Heart
(5:07)  3. Have You Met Miss Jones
(5:30)  4. A Theme For Ahmad
(8:03)  5. Hi-Fly
(6:12)  6. West Of Eden
(6:42)  7. Holy Land
(4:43)  8. Darn That Dream

Horace Parlan overcame physical disability and thrived as a pianist despite it. His right hand was partially disabled by polio in his childhood, but Parlan made frenetic, highly rhythmic right-hand phrases part of his characteristic style, contrasting them with striking left-hand chords. He also infused blues and R&B influences into his style, playing in a stark, sometimes somber fashion. Parlan always cited Ahmad Jamal and Bud Powell as prime influences. He began playing in R&B bands during the '50s, joining Charles Mingus' group from 1957 to 1959 following a move from Pittsburgh to New York. Mingus aided his career enormously, both through his recordings and his influence. Parlan played with Booker Ervin in 1960 and 1961, then in the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis-Johnny Griffin quintet in 1962. Parlan played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk from 1963 to 1966, and had a strong series of Blue Note recordings in the '60s. 

He left America for Copenhagen in 1973, and gained international recognition for some stunning albums on SteepleChase, including a pair of superb duet sessions with Archie Shepp. He also recorded with Dexter Gordon, Red Mitchell, Frank Foster, and Michal Urbaniak, and recorded extensively for Enja and Timeless. He died in Denmark in February 2017 at the age of 86. ~ Ron Wynn  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/horace-parlan/id4833960#fullText

Personnel: Horace Parlan (piano); Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass); Tony Inzalaco (drums).

No Blues

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Charles Mingus - The Clown

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop 
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:52
Size: 93,9 MB
Art: Front

(12:03)  1. Haitian Fight Song
( 7:58)  2. Blue Cee
( 8:34)  3. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
(12:15)  4. The Clown

The Clown was Charles Mingus' second masterpiece in a row, upping the already intense emotional commitment of Pithecanthropus Erectus and burning with righteous anger and frustration. With Pithecanthropus, Mingus displayed a gift for airtight, focused arrangements that nonetheless allowed his players great freedom to add to the established mood of each piece. The Clown refines and heightens that gift; instead of just writing heads that provide launch points for solos, Mingus tries to evoke something specific with every piece, and even his most impressionistic forays have a strong storytelling quality. In fact, The Clown's title cut makes that explicit with a story verbally improvised by Jean Shepherd (yes, the same Jean Shepherd responsible for A Christmas Story) from a predetermined narrative. There are obvious jazz parallels in the clown's descent into bitterness with every unresponsive, mean-spirited audience, but the track is even more interesting for the free improvisations led by trombonist Jimmy Knepper, as the group responds to Shepherd's story and paints an aural backdrop. It's evidence that Mingus' compositional palette was growing more determinedly modern, much like his increasing use of dissonance, sudden tempo changes, and multiple sections. The Clown introduced two of Mingus' finest compositions in the driving, determined "Haitian Fight Song" and the '40s-flavored "Reincarnation of a Lovebird," a peaceful but melancholy tribute to Charlie Parker; Mingus would return to both throughout his career. And, more than just composing and arranging, Mingus also begins to take more of the spotlight as a soloist; in particular, his unaccompanied sections on "Haitian Fight Song" make it one of his fieriest moments ever. Mingus may have matched the urgency of The Clown on later albums, but he never quite exceeded it. ~ Steve Huey http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-clown-mw0000199104

Personnel: Charles Mingus (bass); Jean Shepherd (spoken vocals); Shafi Hadi (alto & tenor saxophones); Jimmy Knepper (trombone); Wade Legge (piano); Dannie Richmond (drums).

The Clown

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