Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd - Guitar Guitar

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:24
Size: 78.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1964/2009
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Se Todos Fossem Iquais A Voce
[3:01] 2. Chung King
[3:14] 3. Carolina In The Morning
[2:43] 4. Three Quarter Blues
[3:13] 5. Take Care Of Yourself
[3:06] 6. St. Louis Blues
[2:01] 7. Jazz 'n' Samba
[2:45] 8. Oh, Lady Be Good
[4:39] 9. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[3:34] 10. A Hundred Years From Today
[3:22] 11. Bluesette

Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd -- two peas in a jazz guitarist's pod if there ever was one -- recorded this date in 1963 and proved how compatible their styles were. Though Ellis emphasized the amplified electric model and Byrd stuck to nylon-string acoustic, the balance of their instruments and their occasional role reversals are heard during this program of standards, blues, Brazilian tunes, and a small handful of originals. This is not a duet album, as a rhythm section with bassist Keter Betts and drummer Buddy Deppenschmidt is present, but not accounted for in the credits of the reissued CD version. Stereo separation segregates the two players, and considering the recording technology of the time, it does sound somewhat dated in a quaint, bachelor pad sort of way. None of the selections are long-winded, with Duke Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" the most stretched in a beautiful unison swing. The two brilliantly swap overlapping lines on the waltz "Three Quarter Blues," load up on languid chords for the nostalgic ballad "A Hundred Years from Today," and lope along the backwoods trail of "Carolina in the Morning." Blues is a big factor in their playing, most prevalent during the Texas-styled swinger "Take Care of Yourself," the slowed "Lady Be Good," and the toothy "Bluesette," due to their staccato riffs digging into a deft reharmonization. The Brazilian numbers are standard fare, refined in later years by their continued association, but here they take "St. Louis Blues" to Rio in bossa nova trim, while "Jazz 'n' Samba" is fairly straitlaced. The guitarists also do a funky, contemporary number, "Chung King," which is slightly off-color for them considering the primordial soul-jazz time period. This recording is more important for what these two would do as follow-ups rather than the basic music presented here. It's not essential as a standalone CD, but good to hear for what it foreshadowed down the line. ~Michael G. Nastos

Guitar Guitar

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Roy Haynes Quartet - Out Of The Afternoon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:20
Size: 85.5 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1962/2016
Art: Front

[6:38] 1. Moon Ray
[6:38] 2. Fly Me To The Moon
[5:58] 3. Raoul
[4:09] 4. Snap Crackle
[5:47] 5. If I Should Lose You
[4:40] 6. Long Wharf
[3:28] 7. Some Other Spring

Out of the Afternoon is a splendid sounding 1962 set from the Roy Haynes Quartet -- which, at the time, consisted of Haynes, Henry Grimes on bass, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Roland Kirk on saxes, manzello, stritch, and flutes. The album is a delightful mix of techniques in arrangement and performance, with all of the musicians delivering terrific work. Haynes' drumming is absolutely wonderful here, lightly dancing around the other instruments; Flanagan's piano playing is equally light and delicate; Grimes' bass work is outstanding (during "Raoul" you have a chance to hear one of the few bowed bass solos on records of that era); and there's no more to be said about Kirk's sax and flute work that hasn't been said a hundred times, apart from the fact that the flute solos on "Snap Crackle" help this cut emerge as particularly outstanding. ~Steven McDonald

Out Of The Afternoon

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Dexter Gordon Quartet - Something Different

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:57
Size: 154,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:33)  1. Freddie Freeloader
(6:09)  2. When Sunny Gets Blue
(9:13)  3. Invitation
(7:48)  4. Freddie Freeloader (Take 3)
(8:03)  5. Yesterday's Mood (Take 4)
(9:55)  6. Winther's Calling
(9:03)  7. Polkadots And Moonbeams
(8:08)  8. Yesterday's Mood

What is different about this set (recorded in a particularly busy year for Dexter Gordon) is that the veteran tenor is joined by a trio (guitarist Philip Catherine, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Billy Higgins) that does not include a pianist. Otherwise, the music is at the same high quality level and in the same modern bop genre as one would expect. In addition to one of his originals and Slide Hampton's "Yesterday's Mood," Gordon stretches out on some standards, making a classic statement on the ballad "When Sunny Gets Blue." All of his SteepleChase albums (particularly those from the 1975-76 period) are well worth acquiring. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/something-different-mw0000689990

Personnel:  Dexter Gordon - tenor saxophone;  Philip Catherine – guitar;  Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen – bass;  Billy Higgins - drums

Something Different

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Stacey Kent - The Boy Next Door

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:29
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. The Best Is Yet to Come
(3:43)  2. The Boy Next Door
(4:06)  3. The Trolley Song
(4:43)  4. Say It Isn't So
(3:28)  5. Too Darn Hot
(3:11)  6. Makin' Whoopee
(4:12)  7. What The World Needs Now Is Love
(4:21)  8. You've Got a Friend
(4:59)  9. I Got It Bad
(3:07) 10. Ooh-Shoo-Be-Doo-Bee
(3:48) 11. People Will Say We're in Love
(4:32) 12. 'Tis Autumn
(3:28) 13. All I Do Is Dream of You
(3:28) 14. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(2:31) 15. You're the Top
(1:16) 16. Bookends

Wrapping her sweet voice around songs by male singers she admires, Stacey Kent delivers another pleasant and low-key album with The Boy Next Door. Kent's tribute choices range from traditional pop (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett) to mainstream jazz instrumentalists (Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie) to the softer side of rock (James Taylor, Simon and unmentioned in the liner notes Garfunkel). With a gentle conviction akin to early Blossom Dearie without the cheeky flair, the album makes for breezy listening. The 16 tracks don't differ enough in tone, making the album a bit too long, but individual moments of warm openhearted excellence make it worthwhile. The sentimentality of "Bookends" or "'Tis Autumn" suit her precious delivery well, while the sly moments of "Makin' Whoopee" feel out of the singer's reach. 

The bandmembers stay out of the way for the most part, waiting for their solos rather than interacting much with Kent. Drummer Matt Home's light but lively style is especially accommodating and guitarist Colin Oxley's percussive take on "Too Darn Hot" ends up being the album's greatest moment. ~ Jeff Jeffries http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-boy-next-door-mw0000314615

Personnel:  Stacey Kent – vocals;  Jim Tomlinson – saxophones, backing vocals;  Curtis Schwartz - backing vocals;  Colin Oxley – guitar;  David Newton – piano, keyboards, backing vocals;  Dave Chamberlain – double bass;  Matt Home - drums

The Boy Next Door

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Peter Brendler - Outside The Line

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:53
Size: 151,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Freeway
(4:12)  2. Blackout Reunion
(3:16)  3. Pharmacology
(5:51)  4. Lawn Darts
(4:40)  5. Walk On The Wild Side
(5:15)  6. Blanket Statement
(7:09)  7. Una Muy Bonita
(3:36)  8. Openhanded
(8:53)  9. Drop The Mittens
(6:17) 10. Indelible Mark
(6:51) 11. The Darkness
(5:55) 12. The Golden Ring

Thirteen years after graduating from Berklee and over a decade into his career as a professional bassist, Peter Brendler has taken the plunge and released his first album as leader, Outside The Line. Look before you leap, as they say. Wise advice, if the quality of this debut is anything to go by. Brendler has already shown himself to be a bassist with a wide stylistic and dynamic range powerful and hard-driving on Jon Irabagon's wild and wacky Foxy (Hot Cup Records, 2010), in company with veteran drummer Barry Altschul; gentle and mellow alongside guitarist John Abercrombie on The Angle Below (Steeplechase Records, 2013). His playing on Outside The Line provides further evidence for his adaptability. His sound is characteristically bouncy and fat, but capable of subtle changes, twists and turns drummer Vinnie Sperrazza's lighter touch contrasts well with Brendler's tone. Three disparate cover versions adorn Outside The Line. The band kicks things off with a punchy take on Chet Baker's "Freeway," Peter Evans' muted trumpet flying over Brendler and Sperrazza's driving rhythm. Ornette Coleman's "Una Muy Bonita" is altogether gentler than the composer's version from Change Of The Century (Atlantic, 1959) thanks especially to Rich Perry's tenor sax. Perry starts out by sharing bass duties with Brendler on Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side," helping out with Herbie Flowers' iconic lines while Evans takes on the melody, then takes off with a solo of his own. Sperrazza shares credit with Brendler for building the song's laid-back groove.

Brendler's own compositions cover stylistic ground from bebop to free jazz to pre-bop romance. "The Golden Ring" shares something of the rhythmic slinkiness of "Walk On The Wild Side"; "Blanket Statement" mixes Coleman-ish sections with hints of Latin grooves; "Openhanded" moves more completely into free territory. "Drop The Mittens" mixes things up a rock-solid rhythm underpins Evans and Perry's extended solos, Brendler's own fluid solo stands alone. "The Darkness" could have come straight from a '40s crime caper soundtrack bass, drums, tenor and trumpet all hinting at the heist or the hit to come. "Blackout Reunion" also harks back to the '40s, a soundtrack to a film noir affair but before things get too down, "Pharmacology" kicks in and feet are a-tappin.' Exactly what line Brendler and his chums are outside isn't totally clear. A quote from legendary American Football coach Bill Parcells adorns the album sleeve about men with odd-shaped balls and may suggest a sporting metaphor, who knows. What's clear is that Outside The Line confirms Brendler's reputation as a commanding bassist. It also establishes his credentials as a band leader hopefully this is a quartet with staying power and as a composer with a sense of stylistic adventure and an ear for a decent tune. The world really can't get enough of those. ~ Bruce Lindsay https://www.allaboutjazz.com/outside-the-line-peter-brendler-posi-tone-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php
 

Personnel: Peter Brendler: double bass; Peter Evans: trumpet, piccolo trumpet; Rich Perry: tenor saxophone; Vinnie Sperrazza: drums.

Outside The Line

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Steve Nelson Quartet - New Beginnings

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 64:18
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. New Beginnings
(6:42)  2. Danielle's Waltz
(4:58)  3. Shape Shifting
(7:53)  4. Someone To Light Up My Life
(8:00)  5. The Song Is Ended
(8:42)  6. Down Fuzz
(9:36)  7. It's Talk Of The Town
(7:44)  8. How Little We Know
(4:31)  9. Wild Is The Wind

From the ebullient first track, a Nelson original, this release is consistently elegant and swinging. Nelson can cook like Milt Jackson and harmonize like Bobby Hutcherson, but imitates neither. His composing and performing talent both sparkle in this setting, where he's joined by three other top players, each of whom gets to shine in all the seamless, generous handing-offs. Highlights include Nelson's churning "Shape Shifting," with its whiff of mystery; the funky, bluesy "Down Fuzz"; and a languid, tropical reading of "Someone to Light Up My Life," where Nelson pedals his tone like a watercolorist, and each player's solo emerges as another lovely shade. It's a fine foursome: Miller's solos are thoughtful and impeccable, his comping melodic; his unaccompanied opener and solos on the dreamy "It's the Talk of the Town" are additional high points. Unrelated by blood, the Washingtons share a talent for subtle, yet essential contributions, and Kenny really kicks on this one. The closer is an unusual up-tempo version of the haunting "Wild As the Wind," capping a set of warm, relaxed, inviting jazz. ~ Judith Schlesinger http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-beginnings-mw0000254680

Personnel:  Steve Nelson (vibraphone); Mulgrew Miller (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums).

New Beginnings

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Norman Brown - Let It Go

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:32
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

(0:41)  1. Lessons of the Spirit
(4:09)  2. It Keeps Coming Back
(6:18)  3. Let It Go
(5:16)  4. Ooh Child (feat. TrayCar)
(5:51) 5. Conversations (feat. Sisters of Unbreakable love S.O.U.L)
(4:36)  6. Living Out Your Destiny (feat. Sisters of Unbreakable love S.O.U.L)
(4:00)  7. Holding You (feat. Chanté Moore)
(4:52)  8. The North Star (feat. Marion Meadows)
(4:42)  9. Very Woman
(4:39) 10. Liberated (feat. BWB)
(5:13) 11. Remember Who You Are (feat. Kirk Whalum)
(5:10) 12. Man In the Mirror (feat. Sounds of Blackness)

Let It Go, Norman Brown's inspired 2017 debut album for Shanachie Records, has something for everyone, whether an R&B fan or a jazz aficionado. From "Holding You," his sensuous collaboration with R&B great Chanté Moore and Norman's re-imagining of the Five Stairsteps classic "Ooh Child" to the smoothly grooving "Remember Who You Are" and the serenely inspired "Let It Go," Let It Go is Norman Brown at his best. https://www.amazon.com/Let-Go-NORMAN-BROWN/dp/B01LZS6RWZ

Let It Go

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