Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Jay McShann - The Band That Jumps The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:33
Size: 76.8 MB
Styles: Bllues-Jazz, Swing
Year: 1973/2011
Art: Front

[2:31] 1. Hot Biscuits
[3:03] 2. Slow Drag Blues
[2:27] 3. M. R. Boogie
[2:37] 4. Buttermilk
[3:44] 5. Skidrow Blues
[2:35] 6. Soft Winds
[2:59] 7. No Name Boogie
[2:41] 8. Thinking About My Baby
[2:24] 9. Geronimo
[2:54] 10. Twelve O'Clock Whistle
[2:31] 11. Mellodrag
[3:01] 12. Eatin' Watermelon

This collector's LP from the British Black Lion label features pianist Jay McShann during his post-war period, when he was often based in Los Angeles and recording for Swingtime. McShann backs singer Jimmy Witherspoon on "Skid Row Blues" (the alternate take is the one included), and vocalist Crown Prince Waterford is on one number. Otherwise, McShann heads medium-size bands from 1948-49 that mostly lack any big names, although the young trumpeter Art Farmer and tenor saxophonist Maxwell Davis make appearances. There are a few vocals by Lois Booker and Maxine Reed, but the emphasis is on ensemble work and concise solos that fall between swing and early R&B. Spirited music, most of which has not been fully reissued on CD yet. ~Scott Yanow

The Band That Jumps The Blues

Kay Starr - Movin'!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:49
Size: 68.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1959/2011
Art: Front

[1:52] 1. On A Slow Boat To China
[3:09] 2. I Cover The Waterfront
[1:53] 3. Around The World
[2:38] 4. Sentimental Journey
[2:46] 5. Night Train
[2:09] 6. Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
[3:39] 7. Goin' To Chicago Blues
[2:14] 8. Indiana (Back Home Again...)
[2:23] 9. Song Of The Wanderer
[2:16] 10. Swingin' Down The Lane
[2:21] 11. Lazy River
[2:24] 12. Movin'

Movin' marked Kay Starr's return to Capitol after a four-year spell with RCA. RCA had Starr cut "Rock & Roll Waltz" and the Rockin' with Kay album, but Capitol sought to "reaffirm her status as a great jazz vocalist," as the Movin' liner notes say. The dozen songs are mostly jazz and pop standards arranged by Dave Cavanaugh with Van Alexander for a big band on most selections. A few others feature arrangements for five trombones and a rhythm section, reminiscent of the Four Freshmen's 1956 album Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones, another Capitol product. The album's emphasis on rhythm may have hinted at rock & roll, but Movin' delivers pure big band and traditional pop music with a swingin beat and Starr's soulful phrasing. Only the cowboy tale "Riders in the Sky" strays from the album's pure pop and jazz trajectory, although even that enjoyed wide currency in pop circles. Movin' yielded no hits, and one suspects that Capitol may have wooed Starr back by letting her record more of the music she liked. ~Greg Adams

Movin'

Deodato - Somewhere Out There

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:57
Size: 91.5 MB
Styles: Jazz, R&B, Pop
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[4:19] 1. Everybody Wants My Girl
[4:28] 2. The Best Lovers (Are The Best Friends)
[4:35] 3. In This World
[3:54] 4. I Believe In This Love
[3:22] 5. Where Can You Run
[4:32] 6. When A Lover Says Goodbye
[5:30] 7. Forever For You
[4:31] 8. Stay With Me
[4:42] 9. Somewhere Out There

In between all those arranging gigs for everyone from Jobim and Astrud Gilberto to Sinatra, Wes Montgomery and Earth, Wind & Fire, Deodato made many of his own albums for lots of labels from the '60s to the '80s. He does dance-pop with style on this 1989 Atlantic LP: Everybody Wants My Girl; Somewhere out There; In This World , and more!

Somewhere Out There

Anne Chris - Tomorrow Is Today

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:33
Size: 129.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:17] 1. Tomorrow Is Today
[5:53] 2. Long Years
[4:29] 3. New Worlds
[3:51] 4. Let's Stay Together
[4:16] 5. Wandering
[4:18] 6. Empty Road
[5:23] 7. Visions
[5:09] 8. This Is Always
[3:53] 9. You're Everything
[6:09] 10. The Thrill Is Gone
[3:41] 11. Sabia
[6:08] 12. This Is For Me

Singer & composer Anne Chris graduated from the Conservatory of Amsterdam in 2001. She then went on to take postgraduate studies at the same conservatory, during which she specialised in writing her own compositions. In 2003 she concluded her training at the conservatory with a performance in het Bimhuis in Amsterdam during the Graduation Jazz Festival. In July of the same year she performed with her band at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

In March 2004 Anne Chris recorded her debut CD, entitled 'Tomorrow is today', which was released by the Jazz Impuls Foundation. On this cd she sang different styles; in addition to jazz standards, she also recorded a Brazilian song and her own compositions.

Tomorrow Is Today

Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers - HBC

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:28
Size: 136,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:16)  1. Actual Proof
( 6:58)  2. Mysterious Traveller
( 8:45)  3. Footprints
(11:57)  4. D Flat Waltz
( 3:25)  5. The Orphan
( 5:18)  6. Sightseeing
( 4:21)  7. Wayward Son Of Devil Boy
( 3:09)  8. Threedom
( 5:15)  9. Stratus

Not simply a super-group, but more like a jazz-fusion superpower as this formidable trio melds classic fusion works amid a few originals on its debut release, although the artists have crossed paths over the years. Bios and resumes would transcend the limitations of a review or analysis. So, it's the in-your-face attitude, creative impetus, and the respective musicians' gargantuan chops that account for a passionate exposition. Guitarist Scott Henderson's enviable technique as a monumental blues-rock soloist shines on his "Wayward Son of Devil Boy," inflicting pain on his axe via some serious shedding and molding a blues-with-a-vengeance stance with blazing fills, detuned extended notes and wailing choruses. But the preponderance of the album offers an abundance of cunning insights and spins on pieces such as drummer Billy Cobham's jazz-fusion anthem "Stratus." Then again it would be a sacrilege to ignore this trend-setting classic. Here, all-universe session drummer Dennis Chambers slams the backbeat into overdrive in concert with bass great Jeff Berlin's sinuous fretless bass lines. Owing to the original recording, Henderson abides by late guitarist Tommy Bolin's tension and release buildup, and then goes off the radar with stratospheric licks, leading to the heavy metal-like finale.

Henderson morphs polytonal chord voicings to execute a translation of pianist Herbie Hancock's funkified "Actual Proof," where Berlin unleashes a mindboggling solo, awash with twirling notes and breakneck linear runs. Henderson injects some spacey electronic treatments and spatial attributes into saxophonist Wayne Shorter's title track from Weather Report's Mysterious Traveler (Columbia, 1974), raising the bar with edgy and distorted crunch chords while reshaping and reconfiguring the primary theme, tinted with a rather ominous rite of passage.  HBC also integrates a pure jazz element into Shorter's "Sightseeing," offset by the artists' expressive solo spots and streaming background effects, all the while prepping for the kill towards the coda as Berlin thumps and plucks his bass strings into submission. Sure, he's all over the place, but lessons learned will dictate that he makes every note count, marked by his lyrical thematic statements and a technique to die for. Other than the instrumentalists' technical mastery, these works' construction lend to a refreshing glimpse of the proverbial roads previously traveled. From a holistic perspective of the jazz-fusion genre, it doesn't get a whole lot better.~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hbc-scott-henderson-tone-center-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Scott Henderson: guitar; Jeff Berlin: bass; Dennis Chambers: drums.

HBC

Awa Ly - Five and a feather

Styles: Vocal, Soul, R&B
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:52
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Storyteller
(3:30)  2. Let you down
(3:41)  3. Let me love you
(3:44)  4. Help you out
(3:33)  5. Here
(4:30)  6. Friendship
(3:37)  7. Sunflowers
(3:29)  8. You will be mine
(4:22)  9. Stranger
(3:56) 10. Wide open
(3:51) 11. I'll be gone (bonus track)

One night, Awa had a dream ... The atmosphere was enchanted, as mystic, nimbed in a scenography summoning the moon, the Earth and the elements. An ancestral mixture between the Indians of America and Africa, the shaman was there, expressing himself in an unknown tongue, telling real or fantasized stories. These accounts, she received others, appropriated them, impregnated them, shared their joy, relieved pain or contained sadness. Upon awakening, the shamanic narrator had fainted but her presence was still palpable, Awa made the storyteller of this new album: Five and a Feather. This album was directed by Jean Lamoot and Pascal Danaé (Victory of the Music 2015, category music of the world with their group Rivière Noire Collaborations with Black Désir, Bashung, Salif Keita, Gainsbourg, Giberto Gil, Peter Gabriel, Ayo, Mayra Andrade ) with the participation of Faada Freddy, Paco Sery, Ballake Sissoko, Greg Cohen and Slow Joe. https://www.amazon.fr/Five-Feather-Awa-Ly/dp/B01BESGO1A

Five and a feather

Magnus Lindgren - Batucada Jazz

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:28
Size: 148,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:51)  1. Alligator
(5:45)  2. Elbow Style
(4:18)  3. Rio Shadow
(4:08)  4. Copaflat
(6:25)  5. Soofa
(3:29)  6. Farofa
(6:19)  7. Flutish
(4:38)  8. Dalodrum
(3:37)  9. Djungeldance
(6:32) 10. Batacuda Jazz
(3:27) 11. Never Let Go
(6:55) 12. No More Words

Magnus Lindgren is a young Swedish jazz sax and flute player, arranger, composer and bandleader who is rapidly becoming a top name in Europe working with many of the most famous jazz artists. This album which features all original songs composed and arranged by Magnus was recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and features several outstanding Brazilian and European musicians. The result is a remarkable album with very strong influences of Brazilian music and rhythms but also with a definite jazz quality throughout. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Batucada-Jazz-Magnus-Lindgren/dp/B00280NYN0

Personnel: Magnus Lindgren (vocals, guitar, flute, clarinet, reeds, tenor saxophone, percussion); Pirulito, Armando Marçal (vocals, percussion); Leonardo Amuedo (guitar); Kiko Continentino (piano); Magnus Persson (drums); Sebastian Notini, Robert Ikiz (percussion)

Batucada Jazz

Ron Carter - Live At Theaterstübchen Kassel

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:03
Size: 177,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:16)  1. Laverne Walk
( 6:47)  2. Candle Light
( 7:46)  3. Golden Striker
( 7:20)  4. Samba de Orfeu
( 9:14)  5. Eddie's Theme
( 7:26)  6. A Nice Song
(10:44)  7. My Funny Valentine
( 6:26)  8. Cedar Tree (Bonus Track)

The epitome of class and elegance without the stuffiness, Ron Carter has been a world-class bassist and cellist since the '60s. He's among the greatest accompanists of all time, and has made many albums exhibiting his prodigious technique. He's a brilliant rhythmic and melodic player, who uses everything in the bass and cello arsenal; walking lines, thick, full, prominent notes and tones, drones and strumming effects, and melody snippets. His bowed solos are almost as impressive as those done with his fingers. Carter has been featured in clothing, instrument, and pipe advertisements; he's close to being the bass equivalent of a Duke Ellington in his mix of musical and extra-musical interests. Carter's nearly as accomplished in classical music as jazz, and has performed with symphony orchestras all over the world. He's almost exclusively an acoustic player; he did play electric for a short time in the late '60s and early '70s, but he didn't used it for many, many years. Carter began playing cello at ten. But when his family moved from Ferndale, Michigan to Detroit, Carter ran into problems with racial stereotypes regarding the cello and switched to bass. He played in the Eastman School's Philharmonic Orchestra, and gained his degree in 1959. He moved to New York and played in Chico Hamilton's quintet with Eric Dolphy, while also enrolling at the Manhattan School of Music. Carter earned his Master's degree in 1961. After Hamilton returned to the West Coast in 1960, Carter stayed in New York and played with Dolphy and Don Ellis, cutting his first records with them. He worked with Randy Weston and Thelonious Monk, while playing and recording with Jaki Byard in the early '60s. Carter also toured and recorded with Bobby Timmons' trio, and played with Cannonball Adderley. He joined Art Farmer's group for a short time in 1963 before he was tapped to become a member of Miles Davis' band.

Carter remained with Davis until 1968, appearing on every crucial mid-'60s recording and teaming with Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to craft a new, freer rhythm section sound. The high-profile job led to the reputation that's seen Carter become possibly the most recorded bassist in jazz history. He's been heard on an unprecedented number of recordings; some sources claim 500, others have estimated it to be as many as 1,000. The list of people he's played with is simply too great to be accurately and completely cited. Carter's been a member of New York Jazz Sextet and New York Jazz Quartet, V.S.O.P. Tour, and Milestone Jazzstars, and was in one of the groups featured in the film Round Midnight in 1986. He's led his own bands at various intervals since 1972, using a second bassist to keep time and establish harmony so he's free to provide solos. Carter even invented his own instrument, a piccolo bass. He's contributed many arrangements and compositions to both his groups and other bands, and made duo recordings with either Cedar Walton or Jim Hall. He's recorded for Embryo/Atlantic, CTI, Milestone, Timeless, EmArcy, Galaxy, Elektra, and Concord, and eventually landed at Blue Note for LPs including 1997's The Bass and I, 1998's So What, and 1999's Orfeu. At the dawn of the new millennium, Carter remained an active, in-demand artist, releasing a steady stream of albums and keeping a busy live schedule. 

When Skies Are Grey surfaced in early 2001, followed in 2002 by Stardust, Carter's tribute to the late bassist Oscar Pettiford. That same year, he joined saxophonist Houston Person for the duo's third album of standards, Dialogues. In 2006, another tribute album was released, Dear Miles, dedicated to Miles Davis, also on Blue Note. Several more small group solo albums followed including 2007's Japan-only It's the Time and 2008's Jazz and Bossa. In 2011, Carter delivered his first effort with big-band music, Ron Carter's Great Big Band featuring arrangements by conductor Robert M. Freedman and a bevy of name players including pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Lewis Nash. He then joined drummer Gerry Gibbs for two albums with 2013's Thrasher Dream Trio and 2014's We're Back. Also in 2014, Carter was backed by the WDR Big Band on My Personal Songbook. In 2016, the bassist once again paired with saxophonist Person for the duo album Chemistry. ~ Ron Wynn  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/golden-striker-live-at-theaterst%C3%BCbchen-kassel-donald/id1226020388

Personnel:  Ron Carter – bass;  Donald Vega – piano; Russell Malone – guitar.

Live At Theaterstübchen Kassel