Sax Gordon & Vince Vallicelli Band - Live At La Casa Del Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141.5 MB
Styles: Blues/Jazz saxophone
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:14] 1. Rock On
[8:06] 2. Dd Rider
[5:28] 3. Melancholy Serenade
[4:04] 4. The Hold Up
[3:32] 5. Fla
[5:11] 6. Hot Cha
[7:31] 7. Talking Blues
[7:26] 8. Missy
[5:03] 9. Tino's Dream
[5:27] 10. I Got That Feeling
[4:40] 11. Soul Serenade

Practicing the honking, jump blues style of jazz, saxophonist Sax Gordon appeared alongside numerous well-known artists and even recorded albums of his own. Born Gordon Beadle, the Boston-based musician performed on albums by such artists as Champion Jack Dupree, Luther "Guitar Jr" Johnson, Duke Robillard, and many more during the 1990s. He began recording solo albums with Have Horn Will Travel, which Bullseye Blues released in 1998, followed by a second album, You Knock Me Out, in 2000. On his solo releases, Gordon leads his bandmates through a variety of styles that variably fall somewhere between jazz and blues. He writes many of his own songs and carefully selects a few covers as well for his albums. In 2001 and again in 2002, he received W.C. Handy Award nominations. ~bio by Jason Birchmeier

Live At La Casa Del Blues

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George Masso Sextet - Still Burning!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:51
Size: 139.3 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[9:43] 1. Get Out Of Town
[8:46] 2. Dream Dancing
[4:51] 3. Night And Day
[4:25] 4. Easy To Love
[8:25] 5. C'est Magnifique
[7:16] 6. Just One Of Those Thimgs
[4:28] 7. Ballad For A Friend
[7:05] 8. What Is This Thing Called Love
[5:47] 9. I Love You, Samantha

George Masso - trombone; Lou Colombo – trumpet, flugelhorn; Harry Allen – tenor sax; Johnny Varro - piano; Phil Flanigan - bass; Jake Hanna - drums. Recorded live on March 6, 1999 at the Hanse Merkur Auditorium, Hamburg.

An excellent trombonist who records for Arbors, George Masso has had a long if somewhat underrated career. Other than some early gigs (including a 1948 association with Jimmy Dorsey), Masso made his living from teaching in schools up until 1973. However, he always played trombone on the side and, soon after becoming a full-time musician, he toured with the Benny Goodman Sextet (1973). Masso worked with Bobby Hackett, Bobby Rosengarden, and the World's Greatest Jazz Band (the latter starting in 1975) and recorded with Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, and Woody Herman. He led sessions for Famous Door, World Jazz, and Dreamstreet during 1978-1983, frequently sharing the front line with tenor saxophonist Al Klink and trumpeter Glenn Zottola. Since then, George Masso has recorded for Sackville and Arbors and become a reliable fixture at jazz parties and classic jazz festivals. ~ bio by Scott Yanow

Still Burning!

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Ron Jackson, Nicki Parrott - Concrete Jungle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:34
Size: 150.1 MB
Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[4:58] 1. Feed The Fire
[6:20] 2. Old Country
[3:54] 3. People Make The World Go Round
[6:20] 4. Bondi
[6:41] 5. For Rachel
[6:45] 6. To Us
[7:25] 7. Concrete Jungle
[4:25] 8. Felicidade
[6:51] 9. Back In The Islands
[5:21] 10. C Minor Jam Blues
[6:30] 11. People Make The World Go Round (long vers.)

Taking on a play list of mostly their individual originals, guitarist Ron Jackson and bassist Nicki Parrott joined other seasoned jazz professionals to put together an album designed for long lasting listening. A bass and guitar duo might be dubbed the "Odd Couple". But the combination works because these two obviously want it to. Jackson's guitar is pitched high and he avoids for the most part smeary chordal attacks allowing Parrott's low pitched instrument to be heard. The Australian based bassist gets a tremendous amount of melody out of that sometimes unwieldy instrument. She's not here just to pluck in order to lay a foundation for everyone else as she demonstrates on a rhythmic "Bondi" which she composed. The album has a Carribean, Latin, Salsa mien to it. Tunes like "Bondi" and "People Make the World Go Round" all have that jaunty Latin beat. "Back in the Islands" is where this song will bring you, down to Jamaica or somewhere like it. This is one of the three tracks where Sam Newsome shows up with his soprano saxophone. The whining instrument seems out of place on this jaunty tune. A flute might have been more appropriate. But there's some dazzling fingering by Jackson here to compensate for the soprano's out of place intrusion. Moreover, there are other delights on this session which will engage the listener. Lafayette Harris' piano joins the fray on the bop blues with "C Minor Jam Blues". Parrott is masterful as she stays right in there on this fast paced tune, making a strong walking bass statement to boot. This track is special and one of the album's high spots. Nat Adderley's jazz classic "Old Country" is another vehicle for Parrott to display her virtuosity on the bass as the first chorus belongs to her with Jackson playing rhythm and Dion Parson's tapping sticks, punctuating at the right spots.

A well conceived, well played outing is captured on this recommended CD.

Concrete Jungle

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Bruce Katz Band - Transformation

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:03
Size: 126.0 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues/R&B
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[5:44] 1. Chicago Tranformation
[6:07] 2. Boppin' Out Of The Abyss
[5:55] 3. The Sweeper
[6:15] 4. What Might Have Been
[4:17] 5. Larry The Spinning Poodle
[4:42] 6. Circular Notion
[5:54] 7. Deep Pockets
[4:11] 8. Crime Novel
[5:04] 9. Window Of Soul
[6:49] 10. But Now I See

Recorded two years after the Bruce Katz Band debut CD Crescent Crawl, Transformation is more of the same great instrumental blues/jazz, although a bit harder to get your arms around. Consisting of all originals, Katz plays piano on seven of the tracks and Hammond B-3 organ on the other three. It has more of an avant-garde approach than its predecessor, Crescent Crawl, and its successor, Mississippi Moan. It has everything from a stride shuffle ("Larry the Spinning Poodle") to New Orleans grooves ("But Now I See") to deep jazzy blues ("The Sweeper" and "Deep Pockets"). "Deep Pockets" was later recorded by Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, of which Katz was a member. ~Ann Wickstrom

Transformation

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Cedar Walton Trio - Midnight Waltz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:26
Size: 154.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[ 5:16] 1. Bremond's Blues
[ 6:08] 2. Turquoise
[ 4:52] 3. Cedar's Blues
[ 9:37] 4. Midnight Waltz
[ 6:53] 5. Holy Land
[ 4:30] 6. Theme For Jobim
[10:20] 7. Dear Ruth
[ 5:54] 8. The Vision
[ 7:50] 9. Bolivia
[ 6:04] 10. Ugetsu

During his long career, Cedar Walton has been one of hard bop's most lyrical pianists, as demonstrated on this 2005 trio session for the Japanese label Venus. No matter the tempo or approach, it is very easy to find oneself singing along with Walton's infectious melodies, whether it is the driving "Cedar's Blues," the lighthearted "Midnight Waltz," or his bossa nova salute to a great Brazilian composer "Theme for Jobim." That hardly means the remaining tracks are filler, as there isn't a weak selection present. "Dear Ruth" is a coy piece that must be named for someone special in Walton's life, as this work has a playful, yet reserved aura. Walton saves two of his best-known works for last, a intricate take of "Bolivia," followed by the showstopping finale "Ugetsu." Bassist David Williams and drummer Jimmy Cobb provide great support throughout this enjoyable session. ~Ken Dryden

Midnight Waltz

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Eric Dolphy Quintet feat. Freddie Hubbard - Outward Bound

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:27
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:58)  1. G.W.
( 5:45)  2. On Green Dolphin Street
( 5:14)  3. Les
( 6:51)  4. 245
( 5:28)  5. Glad To Be Unhappy
( 5:41)  6. Miss Toni
( 4:10)  7. April Fool
(12:09)  8. G.W. (alternate take 1)
( 8:07)  9. 245 (alternate take 1)

Unlike Ornette Coleman who wanted to blow orthodox jazz form out of the water John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy initially worked to change the system from within, making music that fit the jazz standards of the time while injecting their own unique spin. This is why Outward Bound, Dolphy's first recording as a leader, is a not-so-distant relative of Coltrane's My Favorite Things (Atlantic, 1960). On balance, both discs have a conventional base. While Coltrane stuck to the Great American Songbook, Dolphy penned over half the tunes on Outward Bound; even so, those originals mesh perfectly with classics like "On Green Dolphin Street and Charles Greenlea's "Miss Toni. It's the respective opening tracks that separate both discs from the norm. As Coltrane used an innocuous song from The Sound of Music to launch us into space, so does Dolphy use "G.W. to prove Coleman's theory that "you could play sharp or flat in tune. 

A fast 4/4 beat drives borderline-dissonant opening salvos from the front line. While the rest of the band lays down beats and fills that would not be out of place on any bop date, Dolphy steps out of the head to blister us with a mind-boggling, lightning-fingered alto solo that threatens to go over a cliff at any moment. Dolphy and his partners maintain this unorthodox balancing act throughout the 1960 session. At the time, the bass clarinet was nearly unheard of as a lead instrument, but Dolphy uses it to great atonal effect on the zippy "Miss Toni. It also applies a noir-like patina to the opening of "Green Dolphin Street. Dolphy's flute on Rodgers and Hart's "Glad To Be Unhappy is flat and mournful one second, jumping and dancing (and sometimes screaming) the next, but rarely following a predictable path. Jaki Byard is Dolphy's faithful wingman, contributing Monk-laced lines that stay within "acceptable guidelines while tipping the reality a little bit further out.George Tucker's foundation on bass is key, rooting the music so the other players can create in space. Roy Haynes displays a range as big as all outdoors, playing drums like a machine gun on the blasting "Les one minute, using brushes like an artist on "Green Dolphin Street the next. Freddie Hubbard's trumpet is as empirical as Dolphy's reedwork is existential; the 21-year old Hubbard's solos (particularly on "Les and the bluesy "245 ) show power and control beyond his years. One wonders what would have happened if he'd stayed with Dolphy and not gone off with Art Blakey. It makes sad sense we lost Coltrane and Dolphy too soon Trane from cancer, Dolphy of complications from diabetes. Stars burn out, meteors crash... but while they live, they burn oh so bright. Outward Bound is Dolphy's first burst of light, a beautiful and frightening glow that must be experienced. ~ J Hunter https://www.allaboutjazz.com/outward-bound-eric-dolphy-prestige-records-review-by-j-hunter.php

Personnel: Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute;  Freddie Hubbard: trumpet;  Jaki Byard: piano;  George Tucker: bass;  Roy Haynes: drums.

Outward Bound

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Barbara Morrison - I Wanna Be Loved

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:04
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:57)  1. Perdido
(4:15)  2. I Wanna Be Loved
(3:10)  3. This Time The Dream's On Me
(5:08)  4. I'll Close My Eyes
(4:10)  5. Shiny Stockings
(5:04)  6. Skylark
(5:19)  7. Work Song
(5:04)  8. When Sunny Gets Blue
(6:14)  9. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(3:28) 10. September In The Rain
(4:10) 11. Make Me A Present Of You

Barbara Morrison, one of the world’s most delightful and endearing jazz personalities returns to the recording studio and brings her good friend, tenor saxophonist Houston Person with her for her third recording on Savant Records. Her patented Music in the Morrison Manner, featuring blues, standards and even an occasional pop tune, has endeared her to audiences on both coasts and earned her a place among the most talented and skilled jazz vocalists working today. Morrison’s delivery and vivaciousness has the ability to charm listeners while her timing and intonation are virtually flawless and the subtle perfection of her phrasing evokes the great vocalists of the past. The spirit of Dinah Washington hovers over this recording with many of the Great Lady’s tunes receiving a Morrison Makeover while Houston Person weaves his husky-toned arabesques around the timeless melodies. 

~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Wanna-Be-Loved-Barbara-Morrison/dp/B071D41P91

I Wanna Be Loved

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Woody Herman - Road Band!

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:41
Size: 84,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Opus De-Funk
(2:57)  2. Gina
(3:32)  3. I Remember Duke
(6:13)  4. Sentimental Journey
(3:30)  5. Cool Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
(3:21)  6. Where Or When
(5:13)  7. Captain Ahab
(2:49)  8. I'll Never Be The Same
(3:30)  9. Pimlico

This out-of-print LP finds Herman's Third Herd in its prime. Rather than just revisiting his celebrated past, he and his orchestra primarily perform then-recent material, much of it arranged by Ralph Burns. Highlights include a big-band version of Horace Silver's "Opus De Funk," Burns's "Cool Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "I Remember Duke" and Bill Holman's reworking of "Where or When." With tenors Richie Kamuca and Dick Hafer, trumpeter Dick Collins and bass trumpeter Cy Touff as the main soloists, The Third Herd had developed into a particularly strong unit by the mid-'50s. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/road-band-mw0000874164

Personnel:  Woody Herman (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone);  Richie Kamuca (tenor saxophone).

Road Band!

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