Betty Carter, Carmen McRae - Duets: Live at the Great American Music Hall

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:43
Size: 141.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[6:45] 1. Am I Blue
[7:56] 2. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:58] 3. Isn't It Romantic
[3:35] 4. Sophisticated Lady
[2:51] 5. I Hear Music
[8:08] 6. Love Dance
[4:21] 7. What's New
[3:38] 8. Stolen Moments
[5:54] 9. But Beautiful
[5:33] 10. Ballad Medley: Glad To Be Unhappy/Where Or When
[6:10] 11. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[3:48] 12. That Old Devil Moon

Betty Carter - vocals; Carmen McRae - vocals, piano; Eric Gunnison - piano; Jim Hughart - double bass; Winard Harper - drums.

This project is an unusual matchup between two very individual vocalists that generally works. Both Carmen McRae and Betty Carter show a lot of good humor during their duets, cracking occasional jokes and often jamming quite spontaneously. With suitable support from pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Winard Harper along with a very enthusiastic audience at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, Carter usually takes vocal honors while McRae comes up with the most humorous lines. Some of the ensembles are ragged but this encounter is overall quite successful. The CD reissue adds three previously unreleased selections that feature McRae without Carter. Now if only someone had teamed together Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan for a full album. ~Scott Yanow

Duets

---

Various - Blue Boat

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:42
Size: 141.3 MB
Styles: Swing, Jump blues
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[4:32] 1. Steen Vig - Blue Boat
[4:37] 2. Ole Fessor Lindgreen - Memphis Blues
[4:17] 3. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Soul Country
[4:02] 4. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - The Flea Is Jumping
[4:54] 5. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Blue Turning Grey Over You
[6:01] 6. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Taps Miller
[5:42] 7. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - We Sure Do Need Him Now
[5:57] 8. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Tee
[5:37] 9. Ole Fessor Lindgreen - Kansas City Man Blues
[5:31] 10. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Copenhagen Hip Hop
[7:24] 11. Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners - Foo Foo Blues
[3:02] 12. Steen Vig - Hotel Blækregning

This is a fun set. Steen Vig, a thick-toned tenor saxophonist who also is heard on soprano, displays a flexible style that ranges from swing and Dixieland to spirited jump tunes. He used up to seven pieces on these spirited performances, which sometimes include both Mighty Flea Conners and Fessor Lindgreen on trombones and guitarist Cornell Dupree. Highlights include the debut of Sidney Bechet's previously unrecorded "Blue Boat," Conners' "The Flea Is Jumping," "Taps Miller" and Clarence Williams' "Kansas City Man Blues." It is sad, listening to the joy of the music, to realize that Vig would pass away, on Jan. 1, 1994 when he was just 49. ~Scott Yanow

Blue Boat

---

Tadd Dameron, John Coltrane - Mating Call

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:02
Size: 80.2 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1957/2016
Art: Front

[5:32] 1. Mating Call
[5:07] 2. Gnid
[5:21] 3. Soultrane
[6:19] 4. On A Misty Night
[6:49] 5. Romas
[5:51] 6. Super Jet

These half-dozen tracks from November 30, 1956 -- containing what would be John Coltrane's final studio outing of the year -- find the tenor saxophonist in the company of Tadd Dameron (piano), John Simmons (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Recordings have been issued with Coltrane's name outranking or insinuating that he is the session leader. However Dameron not only offers up some exceptional interplay against Coltrane, the pianist actually supplied 10-percent of the top-shelf material. The unmistakable rat-a-tat-tat of Philly Joe Jones opens the exotic "Mating Call." Dameron almost immediately responds on the seductive verse that sets the pace. Coltrane bursts through with confident soul as Dameron occasionally interjects his own animated punctuation. By comparison, the pianist takes his turn with consideration and subdued introspection. Yet Dameron steers clear of a mini duet between himself and Jones prior to the final reprise of the chorus. As a sidebar: parties who revel in the production work of Rudy Van Gelder are encouraged to spin "Mating Call"'s echoplex-laden fade out for some old-school excitement.

It remains unknown whether Dameron titled the lovely and melodic "Gnid" after the acronym for the social-disease yielding "Gram-Negative Intracellular Diplococci." The name aside, "Gnid" features the ensemble at their collective best. The uniform guidance of Dameron and Coltrane is explored immediately as they unfurl the spry theme before taking the respective reigns. The pianist's solo reveals hints of Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train" as a build up to Coltrane's inventive and playful counterpoint. "Soultrane" may well be Dameron's greatest gift to Coltrane as the ballad is custom-built for the tenor player's tender yet empathetic sonic terminology. Nowhere is this more evident than when the rhythm hits double-time with a lack of competition from the bandstand, while Coltrane takes the combo around corners with acuity and fluidity to spare. Giving props to the pop songbook standard "September in the Rain," Dameron's "On a Misty Night" is a study in contrasts. Coltrane embraces the singsong quality of the chorus in broad, hearty strokes. On the other hand, Dameron's playing has a Thelonious Monk feel in places -- especially as the swinging backbeat vacillates in and out of a double-time pattern. The sturdy blues of "Romas" has Dameron calling the shots with a stealth-like vibe that Coltrane fleshes out in the ensuing instrumental banter.

As if building up to a high-energy conclusion, "Super Jet" is an outright bop-inspired vehicle into the pure improvisational nature of jazz. Coltrane is beginning to show signs of his mile-a-minute phrasing that would later become known as "sheets of sound." Dameron loses none of the momentum during his response and finally, Jones gets a chance to trade licks with Coltrane as the pair demonstrate their uncanny ability to complete -- or at the very least complement -- each other's performances. ~Lindsay Planer

Mating Call

---

Susannah McCorkle - Someone To Watch Over Me: The Songs Of George Gershwin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:35
Size: 141.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[5:23] 1. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[4:15] 2. Who Cares
[4:18] 3. Someone To Watch Over Me
[4:51] 4. It Ain't Necessarily So
[5:20] 5. How Long Has This Been Going On
[1:13] 6. I Got Rhythm Intro
[3:37] 7. I Got Rhythm
[3:37] 8. Love Walked In
[3:44] 9. I Loves You Porgy
[4:58] 10. They All Laughed
[3:07] 11. Summertime
[4:13] 12. 's Wonderful
[4:49] 13. I Was Doing All Right
[4:01] 14. I Got Plenty O' Nuthin'
[4:03] 15. Will You Remember Me Drifting Along With The Tide

Alto Saxophone [Alto Sax], Flute [Alto Flute] – Jerry Dodgion; Bass – Dick Sarpola, Steve Gilmore; Drums – Rich DeRosa; Guitar – Howard Alden; Tenor Saxophone, Flute [Alto Flute] – Chris Potter;Trombone – Conrad Herwig; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Randy Sandke; Vocals – Susannah McCorkle.

Throughout her career, singer Susannah McCorkle recorded many "songbook" sets dedicated to the music of a particular composer or lyricist. She followed up sets of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin in 1997 with a full program of George Gershwin's music. On this CD, McCorkle performs 15 Gershwin songs in settings ranging from an octet that includes tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Randy Sandke, trombonist Conrad Herwig, and altoist Jerry Dodgion to duets with guitarist Howard Alden ("I Loves You, Porgy"), bassist Dick Sarpola ("I Was Doing All Right" and "Love Walked In"), and her musical director, pianist Allen Farnham (a medley of "Will You Remember Me?" and "Drifting Along with the Tide"). Even when singing such well-known tunes as the title cut, "How Long Has This Been Going On," "I Got Rhythm" (to which she adds an introduction explaining Ira Gershwin's method of coming up with lyrics), and "'S Wonderful," McCorkle comes up with fresh variations and subtle creativity. Although one wishes that she had unearthed more Gershwin obscurities, listeners should be grateful that Susannah McCorkle recorded a long string of easily recommended vocal jazz albums during her lifetime. ~Scott Yanow

Someone To Watch Over Me

---

Bernard Berkhout - Doctor Bernard & His Swing Orchestra

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:37
Size: 118.2 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:48] 1. Roll 'em
[3:52] 2. Minnie The Moochers Wedding Day
[3:26] 3. Jersey Bounce
[4:10] 4. St. Louis Blues
[4:43] 5. He Ain’t Got Rhythm
[3:28] 6. I Would Do Most Anything For You
[3:44] 7. House Hop
[3:02] 8. Swingtime In The Rockies
[3:31] 9. Estrelita
[3:07] 10. Sing Me A Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)
[4:15] 11. Down South Camp Meeting
[3:56] 12. Happy As The Day Is Long
[3:00] 13. You Turned The Tables On Me
[3:29] 14. Let’s Dance

Clarinettist Bernard Berkhout formed the Swing Orchestra in 2008. The big band consists of 18 musicians and focuses entirely on 1930s jazz. The Swing Orchestra is in high demand both in the Netherlands and abroad. Lindy Hoppers love to dance to this style of music and the Swing Orchestra is followed by Lindy Hoppers from all over Europe.

The music of Bernard Berkhout’s Swing Orchestra is based entirely on the ideas and arrangements of Benny Goodman. The orchestra comprises only professional musicians and reproduces the ambience and style of the thirties with exactly the same line-up as the traditional Goodman big band: 4 saxes, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones and a rhythm section – but now led by the world’s best contemporary swing clarinettist, Bernard Berkhout. Benny Goodman’s music is brought out of the 1930s and into the 21st century in an incomparable manner!

Doctor Bernard & His Swing Orchestra

---

Kenny Burrell - Ellington Is Forever Vol 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:47
Size: 166.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1975/1995
Art: Front

[ 1:48] 1. Jump For Joy
[ 8:38] 2. Caravan
[ 4:38] 3. Chelsea Bridge
[ 4:30] 4. Mood Indigo
[ 3:13] 5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[15:31] 6. C-Jam Blues
[ 9:31] 7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[ 5:09] 8. I Didn't Know About You
[ 3:25] 9. My Little Brown Book
[10:26] 10. Blues Medley
[ 2:51] 11. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[ 2:59] 12. Take The A Train

For fans of jazz, it is deeply, satisfyingly appropriate that Kenny Burrell should be the one to organize this splendid homage to Duke Ellington. It is a well-known fact that Burrell was the Duke's favorite guitarist, and legend has it that on one occasion when Burrell couldn't make a date, Ellington chose to cut the guitar part from the score rather than have it performed by a lesser player. On Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 1, Burrell has put together a small big band, if you will, to perform 12 Ellington or Strayhorn compositions. It is a high-class affair, featuring such notables as Jimmy Smith, Thad Jones, and Joe Henderson, who turns in one of the most memorable solos on the record on "Caravan." The leader remains mostly inconspicuous throughout, comping tastefully and soloing with his typical funkiness when the music calls for it, but never drawing undue attention to himself. In fact, Burrell is so subservient to the music, so respectful of the contributions of his fellow musicians, that one would never guess that Ellington Is Forever is his own project. This is clearly an affectionate tribute, one born out of close association as well as great appreciation. Besides Burrell, another notable Ellington collaborator present on these dates is pianist Jimmy Jones, whose solo rendition of "Take the 'A' Train" puts the song "in requiem status" according to no less an authority than Jerome Richardson, who is also present on this record. What makes Ellington Is Forever really special, however, is the presence of vocalist Ernie Andrews on two tracks, who swings soulfully through terrific renditions of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "My Little Brown Book." A long time favorite of Burrell, Andrews simply owns this material. His contributions are too brief. As far as shortcomings are concerned, it ought to be mentioned that the recording is slightly lacking in lower frequency response. For example, Stanley Gilbert's bass, though masterfully played, lacks the resonance that the listener would like to hear. This, however, is a minor complaint. Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 1 is a fitting tribute to one of the giants of American music, and the second volume, which followed two years later, is just as good. ~Daniel Gioffre

Ellington Is Forever Vol 1

---

Irene Reid - The Uptown Lowdown

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:26
Size: 90,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:41)  1. I'm Walkin'
(5:47)  2. Candy
(4:43)  3. Mamma, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
(5:06)  4. I Believe I Can Fly
(5:20)  5. I'll Take You Back
(4:02)  6. If I Never Get To Heaven
(5:16)  7. Me and Mr. Jones
(4:28)  8. Long John Blues

Irene Reid is a survivor, a voice from a golden age of jazz and blues singers. In the 1960s, she toured with Count Basie and recorded for Verve, then disappeared for decades, only to sound better than ever on a trio of CDs with organist Charles Earland before his death in late 1999. Like its predecessors, The Uptown Lowdown is relaxed, soulful, elemental music roots with elegance. Reid sings in a style at the early intersection of jazz and R&B, with a sweet and gritty voice that recalls Dinah Washington and Ruth Brown. She covers some of their songs here, but she gives them her own spin, swinging mightily with a phrasing as natural as speech. She draws with ease on wellsprings of feeling, from a secure plaintiveness to bawdy humor, adding her own depths to "Me and Mr. Jones" and infusing a gospel spirit into the contemporary R&B of Robert Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Earland builds potent grooves with drummer Greg Rockingham and blends his organ keyboards with two tenors and trumpet, creating a lush carpet of sound for Reid's rich voice. Eric Alexander contributes some booting tenor solos, and guitarist Bill Boris adds cutting, soulful blues. ~ Stuart Broomer https://www.amazon.com/Uptown-Lowdown-Irene-Reid/dp/B00000DUC6

Personnel: Irene Reid (vocals); Eric Alexander,  Mike Karn (tenor saxophone); James Rotondi (trumpet); Charles Earland (Hammond B3 organ); Bill Boris (guitar); Greg Rockingham (drums).

The Uptown Lowdown

---

Arthur Blythe - Focus

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:13
Size: 142,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Opus 1
(3:18)  2. Children's Song aka That Old Man
(4:58)  3. C.C. Rider
(2:53)  4. Once Again
(8:09)  5. My Son Ra
(6:20)  6. Hip Toe
(6:50)  7. Night Song
(3:16)  8. Bubbles
(5:00)  9. Stuffy Turkey
(5:19) 10. Night Creeper
(7:58) 11. In A Sentimental Mood
(1:16) 12. Focus

After what many considered a dry period in the early 1990s, Arthur Blythe gently began his return to alto prominence through exotic collaborations with cellist David Eyges and mallets player Gust William Tsilis. Focus presents one of his most unusual ensembles since the early '80s tuba/cello/guitar quintet. The sparse, foreign sound of this new quartet takes a moment to adjust to, but after a short distance into “Opus 1” (a Blythe original, not the old Sy Oliver chestnut) we are completely sucked in. Tsilis’s tinkly marimba carries the air of the Brazilian rainforest or African veldt but, within the full context of the album, manages to sound comfortably at home. Two obscure Monk tunes, actually expansions of prior art, are assayed here. “Children’s Song,” a recasting of “This Old Man,” is taken slowly and decorated by Blythe’s signature wide vibrato. “Stuffy Turkey,” drawing heavily from Coleman Hawkins’ “Stuffy”, gets the Bourbon Street treatment; Stewart’s vigorous puffing sounds perfectly fitting, and Brooks is sufficiently flexible to negotiate all the different turns this multi-hued album takes. Two duo tracks offer Blythe and friends a chance for more introspective action. “Once Again” is a mysterious duet for Blythe and Tsilis, their lines woven together like a rich textile. As the altoist matches wits with Stewart on “Hip Toe,” they fill in the numerous spaces nicely with spontaneous phrases and thoughtful responses. Only Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood” flounders, and significantly so. Blythe’s intonation is quite unsteady at times, and Tsilis mostly noodles with a seeming lack of direction as if he were unfamiliar with the tune. However, Blythe quickly redeems things on the title piece, a too-short solo of impressive lyricism which brings a satisfying end to a most surprising experience. More evidence that Blythe still has plenty of good, creative notions within his expansive mind. ~ Todd S.Jenkins  https://www.allaboutjazz.com/focus-arthur-blythe-savant-records-review-by-todd-s-jenkins.php

Personnel: Arthur Blythe, alto sax; Gust William Tsilis, concert grand marimba; Bob Stewart, tuba; Cecil Brooks III, drums.

Focus

---

Lee Konitz - Frescalalto

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:32
Size: 117,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:35)  1. Stella By Starlight
(6:25)  2. Thingin
(5:17)  3. Darn That Dream
(4:58)  4. Kary's Trance
(7:26)  5. Out of Nowhere
(3:25)  6. Gundula
(9:19)  7. Invitation
(4:02)  8. Cherokee

The whim of the first disc of Impulse! if it is taken to the threshold of the nineties, yet another step in a career that would not be enough to tell two Treccani and their Appendices. A life in jazz as there have been few, and as ever (maybe) there will be, that of Lee Konitz. From the beginning the court of Lennie Tristano 's legendary Birth of the Cool Miles, by Claude Tornhill and Stan Kenton to fraternal association with Warne Marsh , the glittering wonders scattered among the fifties and sixties (put hands and ears least of Motion , in a trio with Elvin Jones and Sonny Dallas ) infinite series of collaborations between the seventies and eighties have made it the absolute giant status ( Satori and Duplicity , published by the Italian Horo, the essential). Until the present day, ECM Angel Song , with Kenny Wheeler , Bill Frisell and Dave Holland , to a brace Blue Note, Alone Together and Another Shade of Blue , the giant Live at Birdland , with Brad Mehldau , Charlie Haden and Paul Motian , and the very recent Costumes Are Mandatory , given to the press thanks to Ethan Iverson , Mr. Bad Plus. It lacked just a Impulse! to complete the priceless collection. Lacuna finally filled with drummer Kenny Washington , which producing Frescalalto has somehow settled a debt contract in 1977, when Konitz wanted him for his nonet spalancandogli for the first time the doors of a recording studio. Four decades later the two are back together with Peter Washington (no relation) and never less than excellent Kenny Barron to complete the quartet. Gregori luxury for a delicious condensate Konitz-thought. Structured around the usual standard punch ( "Stella By Starlight," "Darn That Dream," "Cherokee") and above all the warm tone and sinuous saxophone, in that unmistakable ruling that the weather made it more human, real bewitching. Okay, we are not the parts of the Live at Birdland , and the rhythm section sometimes thinks only keep going without realizing that we would need very different care, greater sensitivity. But heck! Konitz enough. When sounds (Please listen to the joyous reinterpretation of "Out of Nowhere") and even when sudden humming, with the affectionate and approximate pace of those who in life has seen pretty much all. Other percent of these discs Mr. Konitz! ~ Luca Canini https://www.allaboutjazz.com/frescalalto-lee-konitz-impulse-review-by-luca-canini.php

Personnel: Lee Konitz: saxophone (alto) voice; Kenny Barron: piano; Peter Washington: bass; Kenny Washington: drums.

Frescalalto

---