Grace Kelly - Mood Changes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:07
Size: 118,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Happy Theme Song
(5:57)  2. Comes Love
(4:28)  3. Tender Madness
(6:15)  4. 101
(4:03)  5. But Life Goes On
(6:15)  6. Ain't No Sunshine
(5:01)  7. Here, There, And Everywhere
(3:20)  8. I'll Remember April
(5:41)  9. It Might As Well Be Spring
(4:26) 10. I Want To Be Happy

Grace Kelly has surprised the jazz world with her immense talent, even though she is still only in her teens. She has already received high praise from Phil Woods and Lee Konitz (the latter of whom appeared on her last CD). Kelly's fifth CD under her own name features her on alto, tenor, and soprano saxophone plus vocals, while she composed four songs and wrote all of the arrangements. Her enticing approach to the standard "Comes Love" utilizes a catchy vamp with overdubbed alto and soprano, producing a fresh approach to a standard that is often played with little imagination. "I'll Remember April" is mandatory for every bopper's repertoire and Kelly doesn't disappoint with her inspired workout in her breezy chart. Her bossa nova scoring of "It Might as Well Be Spring" showcases her delightful vocals. Trombonist Hal Crook is added for Kelly's demanding chart of "I Want to Be Happy," which changes keys in unexpected places and showcases the three horns in engaging interplay. The teenager's chops as a songwriter are also considerable, especially given her age. Her cheerful opener, "Happy Theme Song," bursts with joy in an upbeat setting, while she wails over her rhythm section with confidence and a touch of humor by working in a lick from "If I Only Had a Brain." "Tender Madness" is a bittersweet, touching ballad with moving solos by the leader on tenor sax, trumpeter Jason Palmer, and pianist Doug Johnson. Guitarist Adam Rogers guests on two selections. Kelly's setting of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" reveals new facets to one of their lesser-known gems, though Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" remains a rather monotonous tune that Kelly manages to salvage with her surprisingly funky yet intricate alto lead. Grace Kelly is no mere flash in the pan, and her considerable gifts are blossoming with every new recording. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/mood-changes-mw0001930695

Personnel:  Grace Kelly - Alto/Soprano/Tenor Saxophones and vocals;  Jason Palmer- Trumpet;  Doug Johnson- Piano;  John Lockwood- Bass, Electric Bass;  Jordan Perlson- Drums;  Terri Lyne Carrington- Drums;  Adam Rogers- Guitar; Hal Crook- Trombone

Mood Changes

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Gloria Estefan - Soy Mujer

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:19
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. No Llores
(5:01)  2. Por un Beso
(5:00)  3. Me Voy
(3:46)  4. No Pretendo
(4:37)  5. Mi Tierra
(3:40)  6. Hablas de Mi
(4:35)  7. Con los Años Que Me Quedan
(3:18)  8. Renacer
(4:38)  9. No Será Fácil
(3:30) 10. No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar
(4:06) 11. Si Voy a Perderte
(4:09) 12. Desde la Oscuridad ((Coming Out of the Dark) [Spanish Version])
(5:07) 13. Heaven's What I Feel (Corazón Prohibido)
(4:52) 14. El Día Que Me Quieras
(3:41) 15. Sonríe (Gloria Solo Version)

As one of the biggest new stars to emerge during the mid'80s, singer Gloria Estefan predated the coming Latin pop explosion by a decade, scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare. Born Gloria Fajardo in Havana on September 1, 1957, she was raised primarily in Miami, Florida, after her father, a bodyguard in the employ of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. In the fall of 1975, Fajardo and her cousin Merci Murciano auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. With their addition, the group was rechristened Miami Sound Machine and four years later, Fajardo and Estefan were wed. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and in 1979 the group issued their first Spanish-language LP on CBS International. Despite a growing Hispanic fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until "Dr. Beat" topped European dance charts in 1984. With 1985's Primitive Love, Miami Sound Machine recorded their first English-language effort, scoring three Top Ten pop hits in the U.S. alone with the infectious "Conga," "Bad Boy," and "Words Get in the Way." For 1988's triple-platinum Let It Loose, the group was billed as Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, reeling off four Top Ten hits "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Can't Stay Away from You," the chart-topping "Anything for You," and "1-2-3." 1989's Cuts Both Ways was credited to Estefan alone and generated her second number one hit, "Don't Wanna Lose You"; however, while touring in support of the album, on March 20, 1990, her bus was struck by a tractor trailer. 

She suffered a broken vertebrae that required extensive surgery and kept her off the road for over a year. Emilio Estefan and the couple's son were injured in the crash as well, but all three recovered. Estefan resurfaced in 1991 with Into the Light, again topping the charts with "Coming Out of the Dark," a single inspired by her near-fatal accident; two more cuts from the album, "Can't Forget You" and "Live for Loving You," secured her foothold on the adult contemporary charts. With 1993's Mi Tierra, Estefan returned to her roots, recording her first Spanish-language record in close to a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album; on the follow-up, 1994's covers collection Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me, she also recalled her dance-pop origins with a rendition of the Vicki Sue Robinson disco classic "Turn the Beat Around." Another all-Spanish effort, Abriendo Puertas, earned the Grammy as well, while Destiny featured "Reach," named the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics. As Latin pop made new commercial headway thanks to the efforts of acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Estefan reigned as the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history, with international record sales close to the 50 million mark.

 In 1999, she also made her feature film debut alongside Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, recording the film's title song as a duet with *NSYNC and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination in the process. A new Spanish-language album, Alma Caribeña, followed in the spring of 2000. Several months later, Estefan was awarded a Grammy for Best Music Video for "No Me Dehes de Querer" at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her husband, Emilio, won for Producer of the Year. In 2003, she released Unwrapped, an English-language effort that met with a lukewarm reception from consumers and critics. She didn't return with another new album for several years, as stop-gap compilations such as Amor y Suerte: Exitos Romanticos (2004), The Essential Gloria Estefan (2006), and Oye Mi Canto: Los Éxitos (2006) were released from time to time. When she did return, with 90 Millas in 2007, it was with a splash. The Cuban-themed, Spanish-language effort hearkened back to Mi Tierra and was a big hit on the Latin music scene; its lead single, "No Llores," quickly scaled Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart, and the album itself was a chart-topper as well. Estefan returned to English-language pop with 2011's Miss Little Havana, a dance-pop album produced by Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes. Estefan went in the opposite direction for her next album, tackling the Great American Songbook on the aptly titled 2013 album The Standards. ~ Jason Ankeny https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/gloria-estefan/id485022#fullText

Soy Mujer

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Perfidia

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:08
Size: 140,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:36)  1. Russian Lullaby
(5:24)  2. Perfidia
(4:45)  3. Med Ogon Kansliga for Gront
(4:59)  4. Carnival
(5:28)  5. Dat Dare
(6:01)  6. Alfie
(3:28)  7. Don't Cha go 'Way Mad
(6:13)  8. Jordu
(5:31)  9. More than You Know
(5:23) 10. Star Eyes
(6:14) 11. Long Ago and Far Away

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist. While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö, he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren. Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003. The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with Act-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times. Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002. Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound”. In 2006 Lundgren becomes part of the ACT family: Initially he was featured as a sideman on the Ida Sand album Meet Me Around Midnight. In July 2007 he released his first ACT album Fresu – Galliano – Lundgren: Mare Nostrum followed by Magnum Mysterium (ACT 9457-2), which will be released in November of 2007. In 2008 Lundgren could reap the fruits of his labour, and his Mare Nostrum was performed in front of sold out houses on prestigious stages throughout Europe (Salle Gaveau – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Victoria Hall – Geneva, Teatro Dante Aligheri – Ravenna, S. Caecilia – Rome …) as well as at Jazz Baltica, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. There are many good reasons why the band has been called “the first European super group”.

In the same year Lundgren was honoured with the Swedish Django d’Or, and began a collaboration with the classical trumpet player H?kan Hardenberger and the Swedish writer Jacques Werup an exiting melange of modern classical and free music, of jazz and compositions of Jan Lundgren. Lundgren also brought the Jan Lundgren 3io back to life in 2008, albeit with a new drummer, Zoltan Csörsz Jr who proved to be a truly lucky catch for the trio. A new repertoire has resulted in the new ACT album European Standards  which will be released in Mai 2009 together with the re-release of Swedish Standards from the ACT Jazz Classics series. Lundgren is part of a remarkable and long tradition of innovative pianists from Sweden like Jan Johansson who passed away early, and in more recent times Bobo Stenson and Esbjörn Svensson. Lundgren has never made life easy for himself, and has always tried to utilize his phenomenal technique to enhance his musicality. His ability to integrate the most disparate musical influences into a fascinating whole is unique in itself. Whether its contemporary classical music, the inexhaustible northern folk tradition or the pulsating groove of jazz, deeply rooted in Afro-American music: Lundgren has a unique way of leading the listener on a voyage of discovery – sometimes relaxed, sometimes utterly invigorating - through his highly individual soundscapes. http://www.janlundgren.com/bio

Personnel:  Jan Lundgren (piano),  Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Alex Riel (drums).

Perfidia

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Ed Calle - Twilight

Styles: Flute, Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:58
Size: 131,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Joyful
(4:49)  2. Love After Dark
(4:03)  3. Smood Dude
(4:51)  4. Twilight
(4:13)  5. Bar Talk
(4:29)  6. Laughter in the Rain
(2:01)  7. Spanish Rose Prelude
(4:57)  8. Spanish Rose
(4:33)  9. Lovin' You
(4:08) 10. Lover's Lane
(5:54) 11. Sari's Song
(4:16) 12. Bud & Sandy
(4:17) 13. Strut

Even though this brilliant saxman and composer insists on once again using a generic romantic title for a disc of incomparable diversity and riches (much as he did with 1999's Sunset Harbor), there are at least six surefire smooth jazz airplay hits which will keep radio excited over the next year. If Steve Cole thought he had cornered the market on multi-track sax hooks the listener can't stop humming after the first spin, he better size up his competition with Calle. He combines soprano and tenor on both the funky, upbeat (and well-titled) "Joyful" and the silky, romantic "Love After Dark," then doubles up on tenor throughout the shuffling urban-flavored "Smood Dude" and the spirited "Bar Talk" (an ode to the Miami club Raffles where he got his start). Smooth jazz balladry doesn't get much better than the soulful, orchestrally enhanced "Sari's Song," a passionate tribute to Calle's wife. Those are the obvious hits, but there's still the deeper part of Calle's Latin heritage to consider on the brisk, rolling Gato Barbieri-like "Lover's Lane" (on which he plays alto, tenor, and baritone and floats his horns before the soaring drama of the Miami Symphonic Strings). 

With Arturo Sandoval featured on "Strut," one might expect another Latin extravaganza, but this one's a moody, retro soul blues-rock jam featuring Calle once again on all horns, teaming up note for note with the trumpet legend. Calle also has a sense of nostalgia, performing gorgeous readings of Neil Sedaka's "Laughter in the Rain" and Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You." And "Bud and Sandy" borrows more than a riff or two from the classic Doobie Brothers' sound. Sunset Harbor came out early in 1999 and stuck around to become one of the year's top discs, and Twilight with its 13 outstanding tracks is a shoo-in candidate for best genre album of 2001. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/twilight-mw0000586802

Personnel: Ed Calle (flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Dan Warner (guitar); Rene Toledo (acoustic guitar); Arturo Sandoval (trumpet, piano); Jim Gasior (piano); Lee Levin (drums, programming); Richard Bravo (percussion); Doug Emery (programming).

Twilight

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Dejan Terzic Quartet - Four For One

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:59
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:56)  1. Childish Things
(7:35)  2. Big Argument
(8:11)  3. Loose Ends
(6:13)  4. Night's Shadow
(5:59)  5. Spartacus Love Theme
(7:38)  6. Four For One
(8:45)  7. My Romance
(5:39)  8. Green Dolphin Street

28-year-old drummer, Dejan Terzic displays star qualities on "Four For One". Terzic, has been the recipient of numerous awards and here with his Quartet featuring the superb saxophonist George Garzone, also emerges as a mature bandleader. On the opener and Terzic original, "Childish Things" Terzic commences with some cool drum licks as he displays good textbook style discipline and a keen sense of swing. Terzic's composition titled, "Big Argument" is post bop modernism at its finest. George Garzone blows the walls down with blazing tenor work as Terzic and bassist Dietmar Fuhr keep this train a rolling'. Terzic is a well-schooled technician and has obviously paid much attention to the masters of years gone by. His drumming is characteristically crisp, multi-textured and dynamic while seldom overstating his cause or plight. Another Terzic original composition "Loose Ends" features Garzone's lyrical and melodic phrasing on soprano sax as the end results prove to be straightforward and succinct. Here, pianist Roberto Di Gioia provides tonal color and understated accents via a light touch and warm sonorous chord progressions as the potent rhythm section shift tempos. The mood thus far could be categorized as being positive and exuberant. On "Night's Shadow" The Quartet rekindles memories of Coltrane's early-mid 60's Quartet as Garzone renders a gutsy, soul searching and borderline free-jazz tenor solo. Terzic may have had Elvin Jones in mind on this up-tempo piece. The title track, "Four For One" commences with a relatively complex introduction as the band performs several bars in unison. Again, Garzone leads the attack with soaring, fluent and highly emotional tenor work. Pleasant renditions of Rodgers & Hart's "My Romance" and Washington & Kaper's "Green Dolphin Street" mesh well in the overall mix.Four For One is a no frills, extremely focused and to-the-point affair. Again, the talent scouts over at Naxos Jazz should be commended. Recommended! ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/four-for-one-dejan-terzic-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Dejan Terzic; Drums: George Garzone; Tenor & Soprano Saxes: Roberto Di Gioia; Piano: Dietmar Fuhr; Bass.

Four For One

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