Saturday, October 14, 2017

Stan Getz - Live in Paris

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:10
Size: 131,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:04)  1. Un Grand Amor
( 5:02)  2. Blood Count
( 8:23)  3. Airegin
( 7:28)  4. Blue Skies
( 9:46)  5. On The Up And Up
(10:16)  6. I Wanted To Say
(10:07)  7. Tempus Fugit

One of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself, and to his credit he never stopped evolving. Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16, followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946); he soloed on a few records with Goodman. Getz, who had his recording debut as a leader in July 1946 with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman's Second Herd (1947-1949), soloing (along with Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff) on the original version of "Four Brothers" and having his sound well-featured on the ballad "Early Autumn." After leaving Herman, Getz was (with the exception of some tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic) a leader for the rest of his life. During the early '50s, Getz broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity, and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in 1951, he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney; their interplay on uptempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads were quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont"; during 1953-1954, Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending 1958-1960 in Europe, the tenor man returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra. Then, in February 1962, Getz helped usher in the bossa nova era by recording Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd; their rendition of "Desafinado" was a big hit. During the next year, Getz made bossa nova-flavored albums with Gary McFarland's big band, Luiz Bonfá, and Laurindo Almeida, but it was Getz/Gilberto (a collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto) that was his biggest seller, thanks in large part to "The Girl from Ipanema" (featuring the vocals of Astrud and João Gilberto).

Getz could have spent the next decade sticking to bossa nova, but instead he de-emphasized the music and chose to play more challenging jazz. His regular group during this era was a piano-less quartet with vibraphonist Gary Burton, he recorded with Bill Evans (1964), played throughout the 1965 Eddie Sauter soundtrack for Mickey One, and made the classic album Sweet Rain (1967) with Chick Corea. Although not all of Getz's recordings from the 1966-1980 period are essential, he proved that he was not afraid to take chances. Dynasty with organist Eddie Louiss (1971), Captain Marvel with Chick Corea (1972), and The Peacocks with Jimmy Rowles (1975) are high points. After utilizing pianist Joanne Brackeen in his 1977 quartet, Getz explored some aspects of fusion with his next unit, which featured keyboardist Andy Laverne. Getz even used an Echoplex on a couple of songs but, despite some misfires, most of his dates with this unit are worthwhile. However, purists were relieved when he signed with Concord in 1981 and started using a purely acoustic backup trio on most dates. In 1987, Getz had a large tumor removed from behind his heart. Subsequent tests revealed that he had liver cancer and cirrhosis, most likely due to years of substance abuse. Undeterred, Getz embarked on a strict, herbal-based diet hoping to treat the lymphoma. By fall 1988, MRI scans revealed that the tumor had dramatically shrunken in size. Buoyed by the good news, Getz remained active, touring with pianist Kenny Barron and recording the albums Apasionado (1990) with Herb Alpert and You Gotta Pay the Band (1990) with vocalist Abbey Lincoln. Sadly, Getz's cancer never fully abated and he died on June 6, 1991 at age 64. His final recording, 1991's People Time, is (despite some shortness in the saxophonist's breath) a brilliant duet set with Barron. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stan-getz-mn0000742899/biography

Personnel:  Stan Getz - tenor saxophone;  Jim McNeely – piano;  Marc Johnson – bass;  Victor Lewis - drums

Live in Paris

Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:23
Size: 91,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. I'll Drink Ta Dat
(4:06)  2. The Big Butter And Egg Man
(4:07)  3. Besame Mucho
(4:46)  4. Out Of Left Field
(3:59)  5. The Undertaker Man
(3:08)  6. Leshianne
(4:17)  7. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(3:10)  8. If You're A Viper
(3:53)  9. Li'l Liza Jan
(3:57) 10. West Indies Jazz Dance

With his outgoing personality, New Orleans-style trumpet playing, and likable singing style, Kermit Ruffins has the potential to develop into a new Louis Prima. This CD from Justice hints at his potential, but it is quite erratic. Some of the songs (particularly those featuring the tenor of Roderick Paulin) are too modern; Ruffins's solos are streaky, and the varied material does not all succeed. Best are such good-time numbers as "I'll Drink Ta Dat," "The Undertaker Man" and "Li'l Liza Jane," although one wishes that this rendition of "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" were a lot stronger. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-big-butter-egg-man-mw0000628068

Personnel:  Trumpet, Vocals – Kermit Ruffins;  Drums – Jerry Anderson;  Piano – Dwight Fitch;  Saxophone – Roderick Paulin;  Trombone – Corey Henry;  Tuba – Philip Fraizer

The Big Butter & Egg Man

Pepper Adams - Critics' Choice

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:47
Size: 105,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. Minor Mishap
(4:58)  2. Blackout Blues
(8:44)  3. High Step
(6:35)  4. Zec
(5:51)  5. Alone Together
(8:12)  6. 50-21
(4:56)  7. Four Funky People

Pepper Adams was one of the greatest jazz baritone saxophonists of all time. During a time when Gerry Mulligan's cool-toned baritone was very influential, Adams rose to prominence with a harder and bigger sound, much more hard bop than cool. This relatively obscure release, originally an LP for the World Pacific label, finds the baritonist in Los Angeles matching his hard-driving style with several players identified with West Coast cool jazz. Trumpeter Lee Katzman, who is on every selection but "Blackout Blues" and "Four Funky People," has a tone closer to Chet Baker than to Donald Byrd, but fits in well with Adams. The rhythm section is mostly laid-back and quiet but swinging. A joy of this CD reissue is the repertoire, which contains catchy originals by Adams, Barry Harris (the memorable "High Step"), Tommy Flanagan, and Thad Jones in addition to a lone standard in "Alone Together." Adams was one of the most consistent of all jazzmen; he never seemed to make an unworthy record, so he is in typically fine form throughout this freewheeling hard bop set. "Four Funky People," not originally on the LP but from the same sessions, is included as a bonus cut. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/critics-choice-mw0000261653

Personnel: Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone); Doug Watkins (bass instrument); Lee Katzman (trumpet); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Mel Lewis (drums).

Critics' Choice

David Murray Black Saint Quartet - Live in Berlin

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jaz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:Size: 163,9 MB
Art: Front

(14:57)  1. Dirty Laundry
( 6:10)  2. Banished
(17:21)  3. Sacred Ground
(15:52)  4. Murray’s Steps
(17:11)  5. Waltz Agai


This new recording features the Black Saint Quartet in Murray's current dream line-up: Murray (born1955), bassist Jaribu Shahid and drummer Hamid Drake (who both belong to his own generation), and pianist Lafayette Gilchrist (13 years younger). Gilchrist replaced Murray's long-time friend John Hicks. When Hicks died in 2006, he left a book with several hundred pages of sheet music that rested on Gilchrist's grand piano during the concert. 'The David Murray Power Quartet Book' is written on the cover in black felt-tip pen. Hicks gave it to Gilchrist as his legacy before he died. The cooperation with Shahid and Drake documented on this CD was a whole new experience for Murray. They all know each other very well and have walked many a mile together in music. However, this is the first time that Murray is the leader of a band where he isn't a junior, let alone the youngest member. David Murray has changed, particularly from his own perspective. He goes into raptures about the chord sequences in Tranish 'Murray Steps' and 'Waltz Again', a composition dedicated to his father. Today, he is able to weave even the most unbending cries of his tenor the Murray moments of yore - smoothly into the frame of his classic quartet sound. ~ Christian Broecking  Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Live-Berlin-David-Murray/dp/B0019LL6HU

David Murray Black Saint Quartet:  David Murray (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet),  Hamid Drake (drums),  Jaribu Shahid (bass),  Lafayette Gilchrist (piano)

Live in B

Dee Dee Bridgewater - Memphis ...Yes, I'm Ready

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:09
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:57)  1. Yes, I'm Ready
(4:55)  2. Giving Up
(5:16)  3. I Can't Get Next To You
(4:45)  4. Going Down Slow
(4:36)  5. Why (Am I Treated So Bad)
(4:04)  6. B.A.B.Y.
(5:38)  7. The Thrill Is Gone
(6:45)  8. The Sweeter He Is
(3:06)  9. I Can't Stand The Rain
(4:40) 10. Don't Be Cruel
(3:38) 11. Hound Dog
(5:25) 12. Try A Little Tenderness
(4:18) 13. (Take My Hand) Precious Lord

There's no question that Dee Dee Bridgewater is one of America's great jazz vocalists, but that's hardly the only thing she can do. Bridgewater was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and while her family pulled up stakes for Flint, Michigan when she was only three, she still feels a spiritual connection with the city and its music, and on 2017's Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready, she puts her love of vintage soul and blues front and center. Bridgewater recorded Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready at Royal Recorders, the Bluff City studio where producer Willie Mitchell cut a string of hits with Al Green in the '70s, and Willie's son Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell co-produced the sessions along with Dee Dee and her daughter Tulani Bridgewater. Mitchell pulled together a splendid studio band for this album, including a few members of the old Hi Rhythm Section, and they deliver a superb set of soulful grooves, at once swampy and emphatic, with John Stoddart's electric piano, Jackie Clark's bass, and James "Bishop" Sexton's drums generating just the right amount of funk. With a top-shelf soul band cooking behind her, Dee Dee Bridgewater steps up as a top-shelf soul singer, smooth when she should be, good and gritty when she wants to be, and sounding tough, passionate, and firmly in command at all times. That Bridgewater delivers on soul classics such as "Yes, I'm Ready," "Try a Little Tenderness," and "B.A.B.Y." is not a great surprise, but her transformation of B.B. King's blues perennial "The Thrill Is Gone" into a smoky late-night groove is both unexpected and welcome, and she works an impressive transformation on two numbers associated with Elvis Presley, "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog," finding a tough R&B center inside them. "The Sweeter He Is" gives Dee Dee a chance to open up her soul and tell us some home truths about cheating men, and the closing performance of the gospel standard "(Take My Hand) Precious Lord" is glorious. Dee Dee Bridgewater strips off some of the polish from her style on Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready without betraying her talent or best musical instincts, and this detour into Soul City is a treat that should please her fans, as well as anyone who digs Southern soul. ~ Mark Deming https://www.allmusic.com/album/memphisyes-im-ready-mw0003087574

Personnel: Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals); Garry Goin (guitar); Kirk Whalum (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Lannie McMillan, Kirk Smothers (tenor saxophone); Marc Franklin (trumpet); Kameron Whalum (trombone); John Stoddart (keyboards); James Sexton (drums); Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell (cymbals, tambourine); Sharisse Norman, Kevin Whalum, Stax Music Academy, Candise Rayborn-Marshall (background vocals).

Memphis ...Yes, I'm Ready