Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:52
Size: 159.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1959/2004
Art: Front

[6:32] 1. See See Rider
[5:17] 2. Sugar Hill
[3:54] 3. I Got A Woman
[5:54] 4. Messin' Around
[5:51] 5. Gracie
[6:51] 6. Come On Baby
[5:07] 7. Motorin' Along
[4:16] 8. Since I Fell For You
[6:32] 9. Apostrophe
[8:07] 10. Groanin'
[5:00] 11. Motorin' Along
[6:26] 12. Since I Fell For You

Drums – Donald Bailey; Guitar – Kenny Burrell; Organ – Jimmy Smith; Tenor Saxophone – Percy France. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

The Hammond organ mastery of Jimmy Smith is arguably nowhere as profound as on 1959's Home Cookin'. Support is provided by the formidable trio of drummer Donald Bailey, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and tenor Percy France. Here they couple a few understated cool R&B classics with their own originals. The almost dirge-like cadence of "See See Rider" is given a bluesy and low-key workout, featuring tasty interaction between Smith and Burrell. The languid pace churns steadily as they trade off impressive solos with almost palpable empathy. Burrell's "Sugar Hill" swings with a refined post-bop attack. His call-and-response with Smith conjures the pair's trademark give and take, which is assuredly one of the reasons the two maintained a five-plus-decade association. Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" is nothing short of definitive as the upbeat rhythm immediately propels Smith and Burrell into an otherwise unassuming and practically infectious bounce. Also duly noted is the sturdy backing of Bailey, whose discerning and compact snare is impeccably suited to the arrangement. (Sadly, the track fades just as the band begin to really get loose.) "Messin' Around" and "Gracie" bring France on board, adding a subtle reedy texture to Smith's intricate and advanced melodies. "Come on Baby" is another Burrell composition that slinks with a soulful mid-tempo groove, allowing for some inspired soloing. The title perfectly captures the travelogue nature, proving that getting there is indeed half the fun. Jimmy Smith's voluminous catalog is remarkably solid throughout and Home Cookin' is a recommended starting place for burgeoning enthusiasts as well as a substantial entry for the initiated. [Some reissues add five additional cuts, including an alternate take of "Motorin' Along," two readings of the pop standard "Since I Fell for You" and an impressive cover of Jack McDuff's "Groanin'."] ~Lindsay Planer

Home Cookin'

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Hope Clayton - Introducing Hope Clayton

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:21
Size: 145.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1986
Art: Front

[4:32] 1. That Old Devil Moon
[4:37] 2. Body And Soul
[4:44] 3. I Won't Dance
[5:40] 4. Little Girl Blue
[5:25] 5. New York State Of Mind
[3:00] 6. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:21] 7. 'round Midnight
[2:31] 8. Bye Bye Blackbird
[2:50] 9. My Funny Valentine
[4:53] 10. How Long Has This Been Going On'
[2:35] 11. Somewhere
[1:55] 12. Them There Eyes
[2:16] 13. A Foggy Day
[2:23] 14. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
[2:23] 15. All The Things You Are
[5:04] 16. How Insensitive
[3:04] 17. Secret Love

An irresistible invitation to the fresh and vibrant sounds and interpretations of a masterful vocalist. Genres are mixed, artfully displaying Hope Clayton's singular spark of creativity and complimented by equally astute bass and piano. Her voice is like a clear stream while full of subtlety and depth. I love the moments of exquisitely exposed bass-only accompaniment in "That Old Devil Moon". Her flirtatious and flouncy "I Won't Dance". The originality of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind", then her gut-wrenching delivery of" 'Round Midnight", which plummets us darkly down to the place where despair and loss reside. Full of nuance, range, and love of the craft, this CD satisfies in every way.

Introducing Hope Clayton

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Andre Persiani - The Real Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:18
Size: 142.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. If Dreams Come True
[4:06] 2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[8:49] 3. Gwendolyn
[4:23] 4. Straight Life
[4:26] 5. King Porter Stomp
[6:06] 6. Don't Worry About Me
[4:32] 7. The Real Me
[6:04] 8. What I Am Here For
[4:29] 9. Straight Life (Take 1)
[3:35] 10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[4:04] 11. King Porter Stomp (Take 1)
[7:48] 12. Gwendolyn (Take 1)

André Persiani, also known as Persiany, was a French jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader who, "with his block-chord technique as the stylistic successor of Milt Buckner.

Persiany, from 1946 onwards, directed his own formations, a. with Joseph Reinhardt and Michel de Villers, played with the Be Bop Minstrels (1947/48) with Robert Mavounzy and Emmanuel Soudieux, as well as duo with the pianist Eddie Bernard. He was best known for his collaboration with American musicians such as Sidney Bechet, Don Byas and Bobby Jaspar (1953), Buck Clayton (1949), Lionel Hampton, Bill Coleman, Kenny Clarke (1948), Big Bill Broonzy, Albert Nicholas and Mezz Mezzrow, also under the pseudonym Jules Dupont in 1954 in the orchestras of Bernard Zacharias and Charlie Singleton, the latter also as a Celesta player. In January 1953 he accompanied Django Reinhardt with four numbers; he also wrote arrangements for Henri Salvador. In 1956, he moved to the United States for the first time, performing in the Metropole with Zutty Singleton, Charlie Shavers and Roy Eldridge, and Birdland. In 1956 he had the opportunity to record a big-band album for Columbia (Impressions in New York); he led the Big Band formation International Jazz Group, a. Seldon Powell, Taft Jordan, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn and Eddie Barefield. In 1958 he accompanied Hildegard Knef (alias "Hildegarde Neff") with some of his songs by Boris Vian and Harry Warren / Al Dubin (Das Mädchen von Hamburg).

In the 1960s he worked in the quartet of trumpeter Jonah Jones; In 1970 he returned to France. There he continued his collaboration with Americans such as Charlie Shavers, Milt Buckner, Cat Anderson, Arnett Cobb / Eddie Chamblee and Budd Johnson as well as the French Christian Garros, Guy Lafitte, Gérard Pochonet and Bernard Vitet Le Furstemberg. He worked as an arranger, a. for Al Gray (Trombone by five, 1977). Among his recordings are Swinging Here and There (1958 for Pathé), The Real Me (1970, Black & Blue) and Every Night at Furstemburg (1977).

The Real Me

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Marian McPartland's The Hickory House Trio - Reprise

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:14
Size: 144.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[6:15] 1. I Hear Music
[4:12] 2. Street Of Dreams
[4:45] 3. I Thought About You
[3:34] 4. Stella By Starlight
[5:41] 5. Falling In Love With Love
[3:04] 6. Last Night When We Were Young
[4:19] 7. In Your Own Sweet Way
[4:06] 8. New Orleans
[5:11] 9. Tickle Toe
[4:33] 10. Two For The Road
[4:29] 11. Symphony
[5:36] 12. Cymbalism
[7:25] 13. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

They were fixtures on New York's fabled 52nd Street in the mid-'50s, a crack piano trio consisting of McPartland on piano, bassist-turned-author Bill Crow, and then-little-known ace drummer Joe Morello. But in 1957, Dave Brubeck made Morello famous by astutely hiring him away from McPartland, then Crow joined Gerry Mulligan's sextet, and the engagement at the Hickory House ended in 1960. Much later, after two brief one-off reunions in the '90s, McPartland put together a couple of nights with the trio at the new Birdland, and they turned out a lovely, relaxed set of standards and one quirky McPartland original, "Cymbalism." It is a special pleasure to hear Morello who has appeared on only a handful of recordings in the previous quarter-century. Morello plays in a more laconic yet still ineffably swinging way than he once did, and Crow gets in lively, dancing solos on "Falling in Love With Love" and "Tickle Toe." Appropriately enough, one of the tunes is Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" where McPartland incorporates a few shadings in Brubeck's manner and Morello's brushes sound right at home. It's a nice souvenir that recalls a treasured time, one that doesn't sound at all quaint today. ~Richard S. Ginnell

Reprise

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Chuck Mangione - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:43
Size: 145.9 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Crossover jazz
Year: 1996/2010
Art: Front

[9:35] 1. Feels So Good
[6:26] 2. Hill Where The Lord Hides
[6:28] 3. Bellavia
[7:13] 4. Fun And Games
[3:16] 5. Children Of Sanchez
[8:57] 6. Land Of Make Believe
[6:09] 7. Give It All You Got
[4:53] 8. Chase The Clouds Away
[3:56] 9. Cannonball Run Theme
[6:47] 10. Doin' Everything With You

This Chuck Mangione compilation Greatest Hits collects many of the famed flügelhorn player's crossover jazz hits. Included are such tracks as his classic 1977 cut "Feels so Good," as well as his theme for the 1979 film Children of Sanchez, and the title track from his 1973 album "Land of Make Believe." ~Matt Collar

Greatest Hits

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Richie Beirach Trio - No Borders

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:47
Size: 127.7 MB
Styles: Classical jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[5:44] 1. Scenes From Childhood Op. 15 No. 1
[6:56] 2. Pathetique In C Minor Slow Movement
[5:08] 3. Gnossienne No. 1 In F Minor
[5:40] 4. Pavane In G Minor
[7:37] 5. Footprints In The Snow
[4:15] 6. Siciliano In G Minor
[8:10] 7. Impressions Intimas No. 1 In A Minor
[7:47] 8. Prelude For Piano No. 4 In E Minor
[4:25] 9. Steel Prayers Ballad For 9 11 Wtc

Double Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Billy Hart; Piano – Richie Beirach; Violin – Gregor Huebner (tracks: 5, 9). Recorded at "The Studio" in New York on May 7 and 8, 2002.

No Borders focuses on classical pieces as a basis for improvisation, and, on the other hand, also contains a completely composed original composition by Beirach: "Steel Prayers", a piece for the victims of 9/11. To take classical pieces and open them for improvisation, without depriving them of their character, is also the basic principle in the cooperation with violinist Gregor Hübner.

"Although somewhat underrated, Richie Beirach is a consistently inventive pianist whose ability to play both free and with lyricism makes him an original." ~Scott Yanow

No Borders

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Kenny Drew & Niels-H.O.Pedersen - Duo Live in Concert

Styles: Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:24
Size: 161,5 MB
Art: Front

(9:44)  1. In Your Own Sweet Way
(5:26)  2. My Little Suede Shoes
(6:15)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(8:45)  4. My Shining Hour
(5:50)  5. Viking's Blues
(0:36)  6. Oleo
(6:36)  7. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
(4:27)  8. Serenity
(6:04)  9. All Blues
(5:00) 10. Trubbel
(9:21) 11. There's No Greater Love
(2:14) 12. Oleo

“.. .the best in European jazz of 1975” (Record Collectors Journal)

“… (Drew) is now at the peak of his career. Duo Live In Concert is his third collaboration with bassist Niels Pedersen, and to hear those two solo voices together is a thrill…this album improves upon its excellent predecessors .” (Transition, N.Y.)

“… Duo Live abounds with an exuberance …” (Jazz Magazine, USA)

Personnel:  Kenny Drew – piano;  Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - bass

Duo Live in Concert

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Joe Chambers - Mirrors

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream 
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:24
Size: 126,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Tu-Way-Pock-E-Way
(6:05)  2. Mirrors
(7:24)  3. Caravanserai
(7:09)  4. Ruth
(5:52)  5. Mariposa
(5:43)  6. Lady In My Life
(3:43)  7. Circles
(5:17)  8. Come Back To Me
(7:24)  9. Ruthless

Drummer Joe Chambers, 56, recorded his first Blue Note sessions as a youthful twenty year old, deeply immersed in the New York City jazz scene. While the 1960s were healthy years for the drummer’s professional development, the decade included many distractions for the jazz world. Fusion with rock music and the electronic revolution in equipment introduced many changes and several rifts. The music survived to witness its ‘90s comeback and usher in a generation of young lions. Leaders with whom Chambers worked and recorded in his early years include Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea. They’ve survived the changes as well, and each of them has remained true to his original ideas. Fred Jung’s interview with Joe Chambers contains a revealing look at the drummer’s spirit and professional goals. Seven of the nine pieces are the leader’s compositions. The two exceptions are pop favorites "Lady in My Life" and "Come Back to Me." "Mirrors" takes modern mainstream to its core with ride cymbal, walking bass, and solos from tenor saxophone, trumpet, piano & bass. "Caravanserai" issues a Middle Eastern mood, while "Mariposa" clears the air with a fast-moving arrangement led by Vincent Herring’s soprano sax. The quintet moves lightly but quickly, and in all directions at once - like a butterfly. As the ending nears, Chambers steps up to solo and the piece appears to have attracted a whole swarm of tiny butterflies. For "Circles" and "Lady in My Life" the leader adds vibraphone to the mix. His lyrical two-mallet approach is a little too percussive for the ballad. It’s more appropriate on "Circles," however, as Chambers gives the ensemble a rest and multi-tracks two vibraphones and drum set to provide a syncopated percussion adventure that’s similar to the work he’s done with Max Roach and M’Boom. There’s no hidden connection between "Ruth" and "Ruthless." One is a soft modal ballad featuring Herring’s alto and tempered by brushes and a bass interlude. The other is at the core of straight-ahead jazz, driven hard and culminating in fours with the drummer. Highly Recommended. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mirrors-joe-chambers-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Joe Chambers- drums, vibraphone; Mulgrew Miller- piano; Ira Coleman- bass; Vincent Herring- tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Eddie Henderson- trumpet.

Mirrors

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Joe Henderson - Tetragon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:01
Size: 94,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:18)  1. Invitation
(5:38)  2. R.J.
(8:39)  3. The Bead Game
(5:40)  4. Tetragon
(4:29)  5. Waltz for Zweetie
(5:15)  6. First Trip
(4:59)  7. I've Got You Under My Skin

Joe Henderson's second Milestone recording (which, as with all the others, is currently available on his massive "complete" eight-CD box set) features the great tenor with two separate rhythm sections: Kenny Barron or Don Friedman on piano, bassist Ron Carter and either Louis Hayes or Jack DeJohnette on drums. Highlights of this album include the title track, "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Invitation."~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/tetragon-mw0000177166

Personnel:  Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone;  Kenny Barron – piano;  Ron Carter – bass;  Louis Hayes – drums;  Don Friedman: piano;  Jack DeJohnette: drums

Tetragon

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Vijay Iyer Sextet - Far From Over

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 137,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:48)  1. Poles
(6:15)  2. Far From Over
(5:41)  3. Nope
(2:17)  4. End Of The Tunnel
(7:43)  5. Down To The Wire
(3:22)  6. For Amiri Baraka
(5:00)  7. Into Action
(4:46)  8. Wake
(6:32)  9. Good On The Ground
(8:24) 10. Threnody

There are any number of valid ways to describe Vijay Iyer's music over the course of his twenty-three albums. Analytical, angular, intricate, dissonant, and oddly lyrical; his two previous ECM releases, Break Stuff (2015) and the duo outing, A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke, with Wadada Leo Smith (2016), have been more widely accessible without forsaking complexity. Not merely an academic, Iyer is a perpetual student, absorbing information and disseminating his aggregate knowledge in new and inventive ways. On Far From Over, there is an overall level of energetic enthusiasm played out in funk, swing, hard bop, and the avant-garde, all with Iyer's idiosyncratic approach and often surprising in pure elation. Bassist Stephan Crump and the ubiquitous Tyshawn Sorey are a regular rhythm section for Iyer; Sorey occasionally trading off with Iyer's other drummer of choice, Marcus Gilmore. The sextet fills out with a stellar horn section; Graham Haynes on cornet, flugelhorn and electronics, the eclectic alto saxophonist Steve Lehman and Mark Shim on tenor saxophone add much of the punch on this album.

"Poles" opens with Iyer's delicately cascading notes before the horns explode and take over. The piece rises to a fevered pitch and then descends on Haynes beautifully rounded flugelhorn. Iyer takes a more active role on the title track where the horns again engage in thorny interplay, setting up a boisterous solo for piano. When Haynes, Lehman and Shim rejoin, the effect is dramatic. "Nope" is more abstract with short bursts of soloing in close proximity, making for an attention-grabbing interlocking of sounds that would be very much at home on a Lehman recording. The brief "End of the Tunnel" is electric, mysterious and a fine lead-in to "Down To The Wire" with Iyer's bewilderingly fast playing stitching together the late arriving horns and pulling up just short of a free-for-all. Far From Over has its more reflective moments as well, "Wake" being other-worldly and "For Amiri Baraka" and "Threnody" affecting lamentations driven by Iyer's piano. Despite the caliber of musicians on Far From Over, this very much a group album, steeped in spontaneous improvisation. Iyer explains his methodology as looking to ..."build from the rhythm first, from the identity of the groove...." In doing so, there are often textural designs taking shape and dissolving at close intervals, making the listening experience something like watching an abstract painter work on canvas. The complexity of it all can make subsequent listening experiences seem to shift their emphasis. As always in Iyer's work, there is a lot going on and it's all intensely engaging. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/far-from-over-vijay-iyer-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
 

Personnel: Vijay Iyer: piano, Fender Rhodes; Graham Haynes: cornet, flugelhorn, electronics; Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Stephan Crump: double-bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

Far From Over

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