Ruby Braff - Hi-Fi Salute To Bunny

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:49
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Keep Smiling At Trouble
(6:10)  2. I Can't Get Started
(7:23)  3. It's Been So Long
(6:05)  4. I'm Coming Virginia
(4:46)  5. Marie
(6:29)  6. Downhearted Blues
(4:21)  7. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(6:46)  8. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place
(5:16)  9. Did I Remember

Ruby Braff's 1957 tribute to trumpet great Bunny Berigan is only appropriate, as he has long since gone on to establish himself as one of the modern masters of swing. His band includes pianist Nat Pierce, guitarist Steve Jordan, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, trombonist Benny Morton, tenor saxophonist Dick Hafer, bassist Walter Page (in one of his last recordings prior to his death), and drummer Buzzy Drootin. Braff's passionate, always-melodic solos contrast with Russell's rather distinctive approach to the clarinet, while the rhythm section is dominated by Page's fat-toned bass. The leader's approach to "I Can't Get Started," a song forever associated with Berigan, remains fresh decades later. Most of the selections were reissued on the since-deleted Bluebird CD This Is My Lucky Day, so finding a copy of this valuable music remains somewhat challenging. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/hi-fi-salute-to-bunny-mw0000497315

Ruby Braff, trumpet; Benny Morton, trombone; Pee Wee Russell, clarinet; Dick Hafer, tenor sax; Nat Pierce, piano; Steve Jordan, guitar; Walter Page, bass; Buzzy Drootin, drums.

Hi-Fi Salute To Bunny

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Janet Seidel - Doris And Me

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:46
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Somebody Loves Me - Blue Skies
(2:54)  2. Sentimental Journey
(3:34)  3. Secret Love
(4:12)  4. I'll String Along With You
(3:24)  5. My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time - Let's Be Buddies-I May Be Wrong
(2:18)  6. I've Got the Sun In the Morning
(3:06)  7. Embraceable You
(4:11)  8. It's Magic
(2:59)  9. Canadian Capers
(2:29) 10. Too Marvelous For Words
(0:58) 11. I Know That You Know
(1:52) 12. Crazy Rhythm
(3:19) 13. Tea For Two | Do Do Do
(2:55) 14. The Very Thought of You
(1:33) 15. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:09) 16. Lullaby of Broadway
(3:16) 17. Love Me Or Leave Me
(3:21) 18. Ten Cents A Dance
(2:03) 19. Close Your Eyes
(2:40) 20. Perhaps
(1:36) 21. Windy City
(3:48) 22. Pillow Talk - Please Don't Eat the Daisies - Teacher's Pet
(2:08) 23. Que Sera Sera
(2:54) 24. Please Don't Talk About Me

Doris Day recorded more than 600 songs over a lengthy and successful career in the movies and recording studio. She was smart enough to quit while she was ahead. But neither she nor the special way she sang a song is forgotten. Tribute and commemoration albums abound. This latest from one of Australia's premiere singers, Janet Seidel, focuses on more sophisticated material Day sang in movies, like Young Man With a Horn and her film portrayal of vocalist Ruth Etting, as well as tunes she did with bands led by Les Brown and Bob Crosby and others. While not jazz, these performances certainly have a jazzy feel about them. Seidel wisely does only one track of vocal trivia that Day had to do in such movies as Pillow Talk. Seidel has long been an admirer, not an imitator, of Day, creating a cabaret show around Day's material. Like that singer, she has perfect pitch, clear diction, and a convincing feel for the beat. "Close Your Eyes," where she works with guitarist Chuck Morgan, is just one of the many tracks where she demonstrates her vocal skills. Unlike Day, Seidel backs herself on piano, a la Jeri Southern and Shirley Horn, with help from brother David Seidel on bass and Morgan. One of the real pleasures here is that there's no dubbing the voice on top of the instrumentation. What you hear is precisely how it was recorded in the studio very unusual in these days of high-tech wizardry where too often younger artists are less and less concerned with what they're playing and how they're playing it. This is Seidel's ninth album for La Brava, and it joins the ranks of her long line of excellent output. ~ Dave Nathan http://www.allmusic.com/album/doris-me-mw0001192154

Doris And Me

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Dick Hyman - Jelly & James: Music of Jelly Roll Morton and James P. Johnson

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:30
Size: 176,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Pep
(2:57)  2. Buddy Bolden's Blues
(2:41)  3. The Finger Breaker
(3:30)  4. The Pearls
(2:52)  5. Shreveport Stomp
(3:12)  6. King Porter Stomp
(2:35)  7. Grandpa's Spells
(2:50)  8. The Perfect Rag
(3:46)  9. The Crave
(3:26) 10. Black Bottom Stomp
(2:27) 11. Mr. Jelly-Lord
(2:13) 12. Charleston
(3:52) 13. If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight
(3:05) 14. Caprice Rag
(7:07) 15. Selections from 'Runnin' Wild'
(4:25) 16. Snowy Morning Blues
(2:35) 17. Steeplechase Rag
(3:47) 18. Eccentricity
(2:46) 19. Carolina Balmoral
(3:01) 20. Just Before Daybreak
(3:36) 21. Jingles
(3:23) 22. Carolina Shout
(3:23) 23. You've Got to Be Modernistic

With the exception of a version of "Fickle Fay Creep," this single CD has all of the music recorded by Dick Hyman for tribute LPs for Jelly Roll Morton and James P. Johnson. By varying the instrumentation (which ranges from a piano solo and duets to a big band) and by picking musicians who really understand vintage jazz, Hyman put together two classic sets. The Morton date features such musicians as clarinetist Kenny Davern (doubling on soprano), violinist Joe Venuti, trumpeter Pee Wee Erwin, and trombonist Vic Dickenson (among others), and the highlights include Hyman's showcase on "Fingerbuster," "King Porter Stomp," "The Crave," and an exuberant "Black Bottom Stomp." The James P. Johnson project is most notable for three duets by Hyman (one on pipe organ) with cornetist Ruby Braff and for excellent orchestrations for both a theater orchestra and a jazz band. Essential music for any serious pre-bop collection. ~
Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/jelly-and-james-music-of-jelly-roll-morton-and-james-p-johnson-mw0000088809

Personnel: Dick Hyman (piano); Kenny Davern (saxophone); Joe Venuti (violin); Milt Hinton (bass); Phil Bodner, Panama Francis.

Jelly & James: Music of Jelly Roll Morton and James P. Johnson

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Arturo Sandoval & Chucho Valdes - Straight Ahead

Styles: Trumpet And Piano Jazz 
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:57)  1. King Pete's Heart
(10:34)  2. My Funny Valentine
( 4:32)  3. Mambo Influenciado
( 7:20)  4. Claudia
( 6:52)  5. Blues 88
( 8:10)  6. Blue Monk

With his remarkable range and phenomenal technique, Arturo Sandoval is one of the world's great trumpeters; he can do virtually anything he wants on his instrument. Some detractors have claimed that he has too much technique (is such a thing possible?) and that his recordings for GRP are a bit erratic. 

The latter criticism cannot be applied to this 1988 release. Sandoval is heard with a standard quartet comprised of the great pianist Chucho Valdes (the leader of Irakere), bassist Ron Matthewson, and drummer Martin Drew. Recorded in England before Sandoval broke ties with Cuba, Sandoval is in near-miraculous form on some blues, a lyrical "My Funny Valentine," and a few basic originals. Just listen to him tear through "Blue Monk," playing in the low register with the speed of an Al Hirt before jumping into the stratosphere like Maynard Ferguson. This CD serves as an excellent introduction for the bop lover to the very talented Arturo Sandoval. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/straight-ahead-mw0000171274

Personnel:  Bass – Ron Matthewson;  Drums – Martin Drew;  Flugelhorn – Arturo Sandoval;  Piano – Chucho Valdes;  Trumpet – Arturo Sandoval

Straight Ahead

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Jelly Roll Morton - The Pearls

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:48
Size: 167,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Black Bottom Stomp
(3:26)  2. Smokehouse Blues
(3:11)  3. The Chant
(3:32)  4. Sidewalk Blues
(3:13)  5. Dead Man Blues
(3:07)  6. Steamboat Stomp
(2:53)  7. Grandpa's Spells
(3:08)  8. Original Jelly Roll Blues
(3:26)  9. Doctor Jazz
(2:51) 10. Cannon Ball Blues
(3:24) 11. The Pearls
(3:18) 12. Wolverine Blues
(2:50) 13. Mr. Jelly Lord
(2:30) 14. Georgia Swing
(2:53) 15. Kansas City Stomps
(3:14) 16. Shreveport Stomp
(3:25) 17. Mournful Serenade
(3:09) 18. Red Hot Pepper Stomp
(3:27) 19. Deep Creek
(2:55) 20. Freakish
(3:09) 21. Tanktown Bump
(3:13) 22. I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say
(3:11) 23. Winin' Boy Blues

This astounding 23-track compilation deserves a place in everybody's jazz collection it's that important, that listenable, and that essential. It takes the cream of Morton's sessions from his legendary 1926 Red Hot Peppers to his 1939 dates leading a small New Orleans band, with all the essential stops along the way, including a 1927 trio with the Dodds brothers in Chicago. This is hot jazz nearing the apex of sophistication, just before Duke Ellington took it even more uptown. ~ Cub Koda http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-pearls-mw0000651986

Personnel: Piano, Arranged By – Jelly Roll Morton; Banjo – Johnny St. Cyr;  Bass – John Lindsey;  Bass Clarinet – Omer Simeon;  Clarinet – Barney Bigard, Darnell Howard , Johnny Dodds , Omer Simeon;  Cornet – George Mitchell;  Drums – Andrew Hilaire , Baby Dodds , Tommy Benford;  Guitar – Johnny St. Cyr;  Trombone – Geechy Fields, Kid Ory 

The Pearls

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