Anthony Geraci - Serendipity

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:07
Size: 107.9 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:51] 1. Alyakim
[3:11] 2. Flakey Foont
[5:03] 3. You Don't Know What Love Is
[6:19] 4. Jason's Lament
[5:24] 5. I Can't Go Back To You
[5:29] 6. Provence
[4:49] 7. Wake Me Up When September Ends
[5:59] 8. Toddacus Rex
[4:59] 9. Neda

Pianist and composer Anthony Geraci has backed up a virtual who’s who of American blues artists. B.B.King, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thorton, Chuck Berry, Big Walter Horton (and the list could go on) have had Anthony’s fiery piano accompany them on stages across North America and Europe. Anthony has spent the better part of thirty five years with Sugar Ray and the Bluetones and Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for his work on Super Harps 1 (Telarc International Records) and has been featured on over fifty recordings. His new recording Serendipity (HugaDog Records) showcases Anthony’s affinity with the Jazz idiom while maintaining his love and respect for the Blues. Seven out of the nine tracks were composed by Anthony, and all were arranged by him. From the liner notes by Michael “Mudcat” Ward: “This latest collection of tracks illustrates the multiple ways Anthony has created and performed beautiful melodies set forth entirely in harmonic and emotional balance. Whether serious or lighthearted, this is high-spirited, meaningful music.” Musicians on Serendipity include: Sugar Ray Norcia and Taryn Noelle- vocals; Paul Ahlstrand-saxophones; Gabe Jarrett-drums (son of legendary pianist Keith Jarrett,) Barry Reis-trumpet (Horace Silver, Joe Lavano.) Anthony has toured extensively in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South America, Lebanon, and the United States.

Serendipity

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Stew Cutler - After Hours

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:40
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:43] 1. No Greater Love
[7:11] 2. Just My Imagination
[5:23] 3. Bambou
[4:34] 4. Au Privave
[6:39] 5. Recluse
[4:00] 6. Lukewarm
[5:10] 7. C.C
[2:57] 8. Them That Got

The centerpiece of New York City based Jazz and Blues guitarist and songwriter Stew Cutler’s new album After Hours is his instrumental interpretation of The Temptations’ classic song “Just My Imagination.” In addition to Stew Cutler’s beautifully played guitar, the cast of musicians on this recording are better than good, with organist Chip Crawford shining on this tune, drummer Skoota Warner masterfully and elegantly keeping the beat and acoustic bassist Booker King laying down a strong, but subtle foundation. This song is so beautifully performed and so expertly mixed that one forgets that normally you hear a singer too.

The album After Hours, has a “live” feel to the music and much of that credit can go to the fact that most of the music was recorded with minimal takes on one day, yet the production quality is excellent.

After Hours

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Gino Paoli, Danilo Rea - 3

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:13
Size: 103.5 MB
Styles: Chanson, Pop/Jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. La Complainte De La Butte
[3:31] 2. La Mer
[2:27] 3. Quand Tu Dors Pres De Moi
[3:14] 4. Ne Me Quitte Pas
[4:06] 5. Les Feuilles Mortes
[3:21] 6. Le Déserteur
[3:46] 7. Marie Marie
[3:21] 8. Avec Le Temps
[2:59] 9. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours
[1:50] 10. Ballade à Sylvie
[3:02] 11. La Chansons De Prévert
[3:49] 12. Une Belle Histoire
[3:01] 13. Non Andare Via
[3:23] 14. Col Tempo

Born in Monfalcone, in early childhood Gino Paoli moved to Genoa, the Italian city with which he became associated and that he called home. Singing in local bands, Paoli was discovered by Dischi Ricordi, which began releasing his singles. Beginning in 1960 the songs that would come to define him -- including "Sassi," of which 300 versions were eventually recorded -- were issued. Despite his success, the '60s were tumultuous years for Paoli, and he took a break from music. He returned in 1971 with Le Due Facce Dell'Amore, and one of his most beloved albums, I Semafori Rossi Non Sono Dio (a tribute to Spanish singer Joan Manuel Serrat), arrived in 1974. Paoli continued releasing nearly an album a year over the ensuing decades. ~ Marisa Brown

Born in Vicenza almost by accident, Danilo Rea is Roman but not of adoption. It is Roman because its music story is born in Rome, among the walls of its home, where the enchantment for the old vinyls of Modugno is stronger, even from the smallest of any fun: the real game is to play piano, true charm is music, the real dream is the melody, the true abandonment is in harmony. And the passion becomes a study at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia, where he graduates in piano with the highest marks and where he currently teaches in jazz.

Classical, rock and pop studios influence its formation and converge through jazz, its true passion, in an unmistakable and unique style composed of two fundamental ingredients: melody and improvisation.

As soon as he was older he started with the historical Trio of Rome with Enzo Pietropaoli and Roberto Gatto; Parallelly accompanies as pianist the most important Italian songwriters: Mina wants it before Gino Paoli, and both remain faithful in the years to this day. Meanwhile he collaborated with Claudio Baglioni, Pino Daniele, Domenico Modugno, Fiorella Mannoia, Riccardo Cocciante, Renato Zero, Gianni Morandi and Adriano Celentano. (Translated from Italian.)

3

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Tom Scott, Paulette McWilliams - Telling Stories

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:12
Size: 131.0 MB
Styles: Crossover jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:13] 1. New York on Sunday
[4:14] 2. Trav'lin' Light
[4:34] 3. Tangled in Beethoven
[5:22] 4. You Go to My Head
[4:23] 5. Live the Life I Love
[3:41] 6. Life Is the Fountain
[3:53] 7. Stuck on You
[4:45] 8. Too Hot
[5:30] 9. Don't Be on the Outside
[4:37] 10. Don't Go to Strangers
[4:59] 11. You Facinate Me So
[6:56] 12. Ode to Billy Joe

Vocalist Paulette McWilliams (you've heard her before whether you know it or not) and veteran session pro Tom Scott swing hard on this collection of mostly standards. McWilliams has a killer range and Scott provides the tasteful and unpredictable arrangements while soloing on saxes for most of the tunes. One tune, "Too Hot" seems geared for airplay. A slick production with a sparseness that refreshing. Recommended for fans of serious jazz vocals and Scott's always distinctive playing! ~Mormovies/Amazon

Telling Stories

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The Dave Liebman Big Band - Tomorrow's Expectations

Size: 100,3 MB
Time: 37:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013/2017
Styles: Jazz: Big Band
Art: Front

01. Well, Baby, Too Close To The Savoy (4:38)
02. Tomorrow's Expectations (6:22)
03. G.I.G (5:27)
04. Loudly (6:00)
05. Standoff I (2:03)
06. Standoff II (2:36)
07. Human Laughter (6:55)
08. Moroccan Medley (3:32)

Dave Liebman has been one of the most respected jazz musicians for over 40 years. His early albums with Elvin Jones and Miles Davis in the 70’s set the standard for what modern jazz was to become: intense harmonic, melodic and rhythmic explorations challenging the mind and sweeping with emotion. In his own groups, “Lookout Farm”, “Quest” and various duos, trios and quartets, Liebman explored novel compositional vehicles and near-telepathic group interaction. Always looking for new sonic avenues to explore, Liebman formed his all-star ‘Dave Liebman Big Band’ (DLBB) in 2002 , under the direction of the brilliant saxophonist and composer Gunnar Mossblad. Over the past decade, the DLBB has performed and recorded mostly arrangements of Liebman’s own compositions in this classic jazz genre. It was his openness to new and challenging big band interpretations of his compositions that brought about his encounter with Arnon Palty’s awesome arranging skills, which led to this wonderful album.

Dr. Arnon R. Palty is an award winning composer, arranger, bass player and renowned educator from Haifa, Israel. His distinctive electric bass sound and upright jazz bass playing has been featured on hundreds of stage and recording productions in Israel and the USA, including live performances with Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Didier Lockwood, Airto Moreira, Zakir Hussain, and others. Arnon also leads his own Big Band and a 10-piece Funk/Fusion group called "Plutonium", and has recorded several projects with them.

As an educator, Arnon’s sharp ear and keen intellect have made him the Harmony, Theory, Arranging and Ear-Training Professor of choice at the Jerusalem Academy of Music as well as Rimon school of Music, Tel Aviv University, and the Hed music school at the Ono Academic College. His acclaimed Ph.D. thesis, “Connecting Points in Jazz Dialects - The Harmonic Metamorphosis” is scheduled to be published soon by Academic Press.

In September 2011, Dave Liebman celebrated his Birthday with a weeklong engagement of the Big Band at the “Birdland” jazz club in New York, and it was there that the band first performed Arnon’s arrangements of two of Liebman's compositions: "Standoff" and “Tomorrow’s Expectations”.

In 2012, Arnon was finally able to secure a generous grant from "EOJM" (European Foundation for Outstanding Jazz Musicians) to arrange, record and produce the DLBB performing the eight fine tunes that make up this extraordinary album.

The album opens with "Well, Baby, Too Close to the Savoy”, a wittily titled original by Arnon Palty, conceptually combining two well-known Jazz standards: "Too Close for Comfort", "Stompin’' at the Savoy", along with citations from Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” and from the famous 1926 song "Baby Face".

It’s Arnon’s tribute to the old ballroom spirit and energy of the swing era bands, and it even includes a short homage to the Grammy award-winning chart of "Sing, Sing, Sing" that Jim McNeely wrote for the DLBB. Fantastic solo by Dave Liebman on soprano saxophone, followed by beautiful solos by Vic Juris on guitar, Gunnar Mossblad on alto saxophone, and Dave Riekenberg on tenor saxophone.

The combination of Liebman’s unique voice on the soprano sax with Arnon’s inspiring arrangements, which showcase the top-notch musicianship of the DLBB players, will surely make this album a classic. ~Dan Adler

Tomorrow's Expectations

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Rondi Charleston - Resilience

Size: 104,8 MB
Time: 44:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Resilience (4:21)
02. Around The Corner (5:26)
03. Joy Spring (4:28)
04. Scrapbook (4:02)
05. Sunny Side Of The Street (3:17)
06. Just A Heartbeat (4:31)
07. Evidence (5:25)
08. I've Got The World On A String (3:48)
09. Refugee (3:58)
10. A Healing Song (5:16)

Rondi Charleston knows the importance of a story well told. This talent, which served her well as an Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer at ABC News, has continued to blossom over the years. Charleston is a jazz vocalist who matches superior musicianship with a unique ability to craft resonant narratives. “I feel that the artist’s job is not only to capture what’s going on in the world around her, but to reflect on what’s going on; to try to make sense out of chaos, so to speak. Hopefully, I can also entertain, inspire, and leave audiences with a feeling of hope for the future,” she insists. “My challenge is to write music and lyrics that do all three.” She has been meeting the challenge since 2009 in a series of impressive releases on the Motema Music label, and reveals new depths as a vocalist, composer and bandleader on Resilience, her newest release.

Along the way, she has collaborated with some of the jazz world’s most highly respected musicians. With pianist Fred Hersch, she co-wrote the song, “The Cave Knows” for the film No Place On Earth, which had worldwide theatrical release with Magnolia Pictures. With pianist Lynne Arriale, she co-wrote “A Song For The Ages” for the 2008 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama which was featured on Entertainment Tonight. She has been featured at the Women In Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, and Lyrics and Lyricists in New York, and around the country at Yoshi’s, Dakota Jazz, Catalina’s, and Mayne Stage in Chicago.

Resilience

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Roby Lakatos & Bireli Lagrene - Tribute To Stephane And Django

Size: 167,4 MB
Time: 72:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Gipsy Jazz
Art: Front

01. Djangology ( 5:30)
02. Tears ( 6:14)
03. Nuages ( 8:12)
04. Troublant Bolero ( 6:12)
05. Mr Grappelli ( 6:21)
06. Minor Swing ( 5:33)
07. Mimosa ( 6:30)
08. Nuits De Saint Germain-Des-Pres ( 8:17)
09. Stella By Starlight (10:08)
10. Cherokee ( 9:10)

Personnel: Roby Lakatos: violin; Biréli Lagrène: guitar; Vilmos Csikos: double bass; Renaud Crols: piano; Niek De Bruijn: drums.

The exciting meeting of two living legends of Jazz!

For the first time "The fastest-fingered fiddler in the world" Roby Lakatos is joined by "speed demon" guitar hero Biréli Lagrène for a unique tribute to Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.

Both musicians performed in their youth with Stephane Grappelli. For this album they surrounded themselves with the superlative big band of the Modern Art Orchestra and by two first rate Jazzmen of the younger generation: thrilling drummer Niek de Bruijn and guitar sensation Andreas Varady.

This is an explosive tribute to Manouche Jazz with standards such as "Djangology", "Nuages", "Stella by Starlight" and "Nuits de Saint-Germain-Des-Près".
Roby Lakatos (1965) was born into the legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, “King of Gypsy Violinists”. At age nine he made his public debut as first violin in a gypsy band. His musicianship evolved not only within his own family but also at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, where he won the first prize for classical violin in 1984. He has collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and his playing was greatly admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Roby Lakatos is not only a scorching virtuoso, but a musician of extraordinary stylistic versatility. Equally comfortable performing classical music as he is playing jazz and his own Hungarian folk idiom, Lakatos is the rare musician who defies definition. He is referred to as a gypsy violinist or ‘devil’s fiddler’, a classical virtuoso, a jazz improviser, a composer and arranger, and a 19th-century throwback.

Biréli Lagrène (1966) was born in a traditional Manouche-Romani family and community and started playing the guitar at the age of four. When, at the age of eight, he covered Django Reinhardt’s repertoire, his relatives were already calling him a child prodigy. After having mastered the late great Django Reinhardt's Gypsy swing repertoire, the guitarist tried his hand at fusion jazz and rock. This exceptional and precocious talent took the jazz world by storm with his dazzling speed and phenomenal bursts of improvisation. Lagrène met some of the most distinguished jazz musicians on the international scene, such as Stéphane Grappelli, Benny Goodman, Benny Carter, Larry Coryell, Jaco Pastorius and Al Di Meola. Guitarists like Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Jimi Hendrix were his models. At once dynamic and lyrical, this sparkling musician is without a doubt one of the most prominent musicians of his generation.

Tribute To Stephane And Django  

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Kent Sidvall - Victory For The Cool Jazz

Size: 104,0 MB
Time: 44:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Blues/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Victory For The Cool Jazz (1:10)
02. Autumn Leaves (3:14)
03. Coffee And Cigarette (2:52)
04. My Funny Valentine (4:34)
05. When The Saints Go Marching In (4:35)
06. Our Land (1:55)
07. Little Wing (3:33)
08. My Hat (3:20)
09. Summertime (3:30)
10. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman (2:43)
11. The Blues Took Care Of Me (5:35)
12. When The Saints (Sweet Reprise) (4:43)
13. Kaffe Och En Cigarett (2:50)

People first became familiar with the tragic life story of Kent Sidvall in a documentary series on Swedish national television called "Det är inte så dumt att bli gammal". The documentary has been viewed by the millions in all of the Scandinavian countries so far and is slated for showing International film festivals in the coming months. The film tells the tale of Kents life journey from complete desolation to the rise to stardom. In Kents own words "I lived each day as if it was my last, thinking I would drink myself to death. Through music, I'm back on my feet again with life ambitions." Besides the film, Kent has also written an autobiography which talks about his childhood, his time in religious cults, running errands for the underground, having been dead for 15 minutes etc. Kent has a fascination with jazz and the history that surrounds the whole WWII era.

The album consists largely of songs from this era, carefully adapted to fit Kents deep, haunting voice. The intro, "Victory for the cool jazz" includes a Winston Churchill speech, "My hat" is an original composition with a homage to all the soldiers who came back from the war and were given Stetson hats. "Our Land" is actually the Finnish national anthem, but in a recited version with a "Russian mans choir" in the background, including amongst others familiar faces Nicolai Dunger, Peter Morén (of Peter Bjorn and John) and a few more of the local "indie elite".

Victory For The Cool Jazz

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Sugarpie & The Candymen - Cotton Candy Club

Size: 140,2 MB
Time: 60:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals, Swing
Art: Front

01. Navigalonda (3:10)
02. Baby No More (3:17)
03. Fire (3:09)
04. Tu Fagli Credere (3:12)
05. Cosi Splendida (3:23)
06. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (3:41)
07. Ovunque Lei Sia (3:27)
08. Inconsapevole (3:34)
09. Lithium (3:16)
10. Red (3:16)
11. Vedi Di Saper Cantar (3:06)
12. Break On Trough (3:03)
13. Rock'n'roll All Nite (3:03)
14. You Give Love A Bad Name (3:00)
15. Attimo (3:43)
16. The Final Countdown (4:10)
17. Naviga L'onda (3:10)
18. A Modo Mio (3:17)

Sugarpie & the Candymen began in 2008, when five musicians from Piacenza and Cremona – small towns in Northern Italy – decided to share their passion for swing, manouche jazz, blues, soul, pop, and vocal close harmonies.

A band was born, with the challenge to marry all these musical styles.

The band is made up of singer Miss Sugarpie, aka Lara Ferrari, and her Candymen: Jacopo Delfini (gipsy guitar and harmonies), Renato Podestà (electric guitar, banjo and harmonies), Roberto Lupo (drums) and Claudio Ottaviano (double bass). From 2008 to early 2016, the lead vocal chair was held by Georgia Ciavatta.

Very soon the band became a full-time commitment, starting an intense tour in hundreds of jazz clubs around Italy and Europe.

This first period allowed Sugarpie and the Candymen to work out both their sound and their repertoire: their musical caleidoscope has the most diverse artists one close to the other, such as Led Zeppelin and Django Reinhardt, The Beatles and Bessie Smith, Van Halen and Benny Goodman, Guns 'n' Roses and Ray Charles, Queen and Peggy Lee and so on.The challenge has been won!

In 2010 the band kept evolving and started writing and performing their original songs, both in Italian and English.They started playing the bigger stages of prestigious festivals all around Europe, and they even did a brief US tour.

In the summer of 2011 Sp&TC played at the Ascona Jazz Festival winning the Audience Award.

Sugarpie and the Candymen have released three albums under the IRMA Records label: the first, eponymous, Sugarpie And The Candymen in 2009, the second one Swing'n'Roll in 2011 and the third Waiting For The One in 2014.

Some of their songs had radio airplay on the major national radio stations in Italy (RadioRai1 and RadioRai2) and Switzerland (RSI1, 2, 3). In December 2011 they performed live at the historic radio program Caterpillar, on RadioRai2.

To further enhance their sound, the band had the opportunity to collaborate both live and in the studio with some brilliant Italian and American musicians, such as Michael Supnick, Dean Zucchero, Paolo Tomelleri, Rudy Migliardi, Gregory Agid, Davide Ghidoni, Gianni Di Benedetto and Mattia Cigalini.

In summer 2014 the band met Renzo Arbore, a very famous Italian TV and radio personality and jazz musician himself, and started a collaboration that gave the band the opportunity to play at the Christmas Concert in the Vatican (aired on the national TV in December 2014), the opening night of the Cremona Jazz Festival (April 2015) and the web/radio program Webnotte during the Umbria Jazz festival in July 2015.

In 2015 tha band played also at the EXPO in Milan for Nutella and other famous italian brands.

In the fall the band played live at two prestigious radio shows, such as Webnotte and Radio2 Social Club, introducing their 4th album Let it swing, a tribute to the great Beatlles in a progressive-swing way.

Cotton Candy Club

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Cory Weeds - Let's Groove: The Music Of Earth Wind & Fire

Size: 149,6 MB
Time: 64:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Let's Groove ( 6:58)
02. Getaway ( 6:44)
03. Devotion ( 7:36)
04. You And I ( 6:08)
05. The Way Of The World ( 6:11)
06. Imagination ( 5:29)
07. Shining Star ( 8:21)
08. Kalimba (10:30)
09. After The Love Has Gone ( 6:39)

Exploring the upbeat, soulful melodies of Earth Wind and Fire, Let's Groove is a sizzling fresh take on this classic music for lovers of jazz, soul, and R&B music alike. NYC organist Mike Ledonne returns to the Cellar Live fold for his third collaboration with saxophonist Cory Weeds, with a stellar BC/New York band including Steve Kaldestad (BC), Dave Sikula (BC), and Jason Tieman (NYC).

Let's Groove

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Jeremy Steig - Firefly

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:33
Size: 81,6 MB
Art: Front

(11:55)  1. Firefly
( 5:48)  2. Living Inside Your Love
( 2:59)  3. Everything Is Coming to the Light
( 7:26)  4. Hop Scotch
( 2:04)  5. Sweet Hour of Prayer
( 5:17)  6. Grasshopper

Produced by Creed Taylor himself, Jeremy Steig's jazz-funk throwdown, Firefly, is one of the great forgotten masterpieces of the genre. Steig is a monster flutist who may lack some of Herbie Mann's subtlety, but more than makes up for it with his chops. Taylor surrounded Steig with a band that was testosterone-fueled yet knew how to get the sexy grooves. Firefly was designed for the purpose of being a hit in the dance clubs, and it should have been, because it kicks ass on that level as well as on the jazz-funk beam. Arranged and conducted by pianist Dave Matthews, the band included guitarists Eric Gale, Hiram Bullock, and John Scofield, Richard Tee on keys, drummers Steve Gadd and Allen Schwarzberg, conguera Ray Mantilla, percussionist Sue Evans, and vocalist Googie Coppola. As for the commercial edge, tracks like Dave Grusin and Earl Klugh's sublime groover "Livin Inside Your Love," features beautiful double-tracked flute solos going into the red on the funky soul edge; then there's the title track opener where Steig plays inside and out in shimmering interplay with Gary King's popping bassline. But it's on "Grasshopper," a Steig original, that this disc really soars. Overdriven chunky guitars, cutting across one another, electric Rhodes, and acoustic piano in counterpoint on two different melodies, bass bubbling like Sly Dunbar's, and orchestral horns giving Steig a punch lead line he can really mess with in his fills and solo. This is burning. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/firefly-mw0000460410

Personnel:  Jeremy Steig – flute;  Burt Collins, Jon Faddis, Joe Shepley, Lew Soloff – trumpet;  Sam Burtis, Jerry Chamberlain, Tom Malone – trombone;  Dave Taylor - bass trombone;  Richard Tee – keyboards;  Richie Beirach – piano;  Cliff Carter – synthesizer;  Hiram Bullock, Eric Gale, John Scofield - electric guitar;  Gary King – bass;  Steve Gadd, Allan Schwartzberg – drums;  Ray Mantilla – congas;  Googie Coppolla – vocals;  Sue Evans – percussion;  David Matthews - electric piano, arranger

Firefly

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Randy Crawford - Miss Randy Crawford/Raw Silk

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:18
Size: 177,3 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:47)  1. Halleluijah, Glory Halleluijah
(3:15)  2. I Can't Get You Out Off My Mind
(3:19)  3. I'm Under The Influence Of You
(3:07)  4. Over My Head
(3:28)  5. Desperado
(2:24)  6. Take It Away From Her (Put It On Me)
(3:06)  7. Single Woman, Married Man
(3:39)  8. Half Steppin'
(3:06)  9. This Man
(2:26) 10. At Last
(4:52) 11. I Stand Accused
(4:28) 12. Declaration Of Love
(3:52) 13. Someone To Believe In
(4:42) 14. Endlessley
(4:09) 15. Love Is Like A Newborn Child
(4:01) 16. Where There Was Darkness
(3:43) 17. Nobody
(4:25) 18. I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me
(3:04) 19. I Got Myself A Happy Song
(4:58) 20. Just To Keep You Satisfied
(3:16) 21. Blue Mood

In 2005, the Wounded Bird label reissued six of Randy Crawford's seven earliest albums 1981's Secret Combination remained in print on its own at the time via two-for-one discs. 1977's Miss Randy Crawford and 1979's Raw Silk are combined here with no-frills packaging. The former, produced by Bob Montgomery, carries a pronounced Southern touch throughout (even when compared to her 1976 debut) and, save for its disco-era string arrangements and some studio flourishes, could pass as an early '70s release. Raw Silk, one of Crawford's best albums, is relatively contemporary, graced with electric piano lines shared by Don Grusin and Leon Pendarvis. The up-tempo numbers are just as strong as the quiet storms an oft-neglected notion, given that many R&B fans instantly associate Crawford's solo work with her smooth ballads. ~ Andy Kelman https://www.allmusic.com/album/miss-randy-crawford-raw-silk-mw0000260841

Personnel: Greg Poree, John Tropea, Ken Bell, Larry Byrom (guitar); Sheldon Kurland, Lennie Haight, Martin Katahn, Samuel Terranova, John Catchings, George Binkley III, Roy Christensen, Virginia Christensen, Wilfred Lehmann, Carl Gorodetzky, Marvin Chantry, Gary VanOsdale (strings); Billy Peutt (flute); Dennis Good, Harrison Calloway, Jr., Harvey Thompson, Ronnie Eades (horns); Don Grusin, Leon Pendarvis (piano, electric piano); Pat Henderson, Julia Tillman, Maxine Willard Waters (Fender Rhodes piano); William D. "Smitty" Smith (Clavinet, organ, Wurlitzer organ); Randy McCormick (keyboards); Rick Marotta, Roger Clark (drums, percussion); James Gadson (drums); Phyllis Saint James (percussion, background vocals); Joe Porcaro (percussion).

Miss Randy Crawford/Raw Silk

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Tim Miller - Trio Volume 2

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:20
Size: 100,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:19)  1. Electric
(4:26)  2. By The Sea
(2:54)  3. Elements
(4:28)  4. Flying
(2:21)  5. Night Sky
(5:13)  6. Arc
(3:52)  7. Thread
(3:43)  8. Grey Blue
(3:24)  9. Trace
(2:40) 10. Drop Of Ink
(2:30) 11. Recall
(1:25) 12. Open

Very few guitarists have digested, head-on, the daunting influence of Alan Holdsworth, and then assimilated it into their own playing. Fewer still have combined Holdsworth's no-longer-futuristic linearity with the science of melodic chord permutation, as promulgated by the likes of George Van Eps, Ted Green and Mick Goodrick. Even fewer are in their thirties, like Tim Miller. These qualities alone would make Miller's current release the second with his trio including acoustic bassist Dr. Joshua Davis and drummer Take Toriyama auspicious, but there is much more to consider here. Miller has taken his game up way up in terms of the sound he's achieving on record, to the point where his work advancing the breadth of the tone palette alone can now be compared to those at guitardom's highest levels. Miller's approach is deceptively simple. Driven by his belief that the electric guitar is too midrange-heavy to "work" with acoustic instruments, he chased down the high end by isolating himself in a room with a guitar and a microphone and placing his amplifier in another room. Both acoustic and electric outputs were recorded, and are capable of being blended at will throughout. From a technical recording standpoint, then, the degree of innovation here appears relatively modest. Aesthetically, though, there is a level of shimmering discernment and detail at play here that pushes the elusive annals of tone. A dazzling bounty of tonal delights from vintage dreadnought to fat bop, steely Strat to Texas Tele emerge, played at breakneck speed and sometimes changing from measure to measure. Miller's blistering legato technique is more percussive than Holdsworth's his chord work even more modern and complex, yet always musical, never guitaristic. Steve Hunt recorded and engineered this outing, making it special by bringing all his previous experience with Holdsworth to bear.

The opening track, "Electric," features an airy acoustic head, pulsed by a chord ostinato and propulsed by a beaten snare that sounds copped from rag-tag street kit by Toriyama. Miller begins his solo with a gorgeously sustained single tone. From there he builds, in seconds, two complex, rhapsodic figures that collapse on themselves, all the while adding echo, subtracting sustain, metering metal and pumping air into the tone. He then combines the discerning changes in tonal detail with improvisational detail, repeating a 32nd note motif that subtly changes from measure to measure, developing into its own intervallic song. Toriyama does not keep pulse, challenging Miller at every turn, the clatter abetting what up to that moment, is Miller's (and band's) finest hour. That five minutes alone anoints Miller as the jazz world's guitar Superboy. The next 40 minutes only get more momentous, with Miller out-playing and out-tone-meistering himself from one tune to the next. He takes respite only to issue a definitive solo spot that sounds like his personal revel to the "Night Sky." Miller also gives composition a twist by intermingling motifs, statements and devices from each of the tunes, to the degree that the recording becomes one labyrinthine compositional whole. Yet many, like "Trace," can stand on their own, as catchy gems chock full of hummable melodies, with flashes of energetic soloing. Joshua Davis' sense of time is solid at times locking with the bass portions of Miller's chord voicings and (thanks to some crafty recording) sounds electrifying yet woody, as on "Trace." Toriyama logs one of his greatest recorded performances ever, benefited by the best recording of it, as evidenced in the turn-on-a dime ride swing melded to crushing jazz-rock stylings slammed against each other in "Thread." Miller dedicated the recording to Toriyama but it's the drummer himself who provides the only tribute needed. Whoever hears this recording will know that during his all-too-short stint here, Toriyama thoroughly mastered the drum kit, fearlessly incorporating some sounds that, previous to his work, seemed not to belong. And whoever hears some of his other work will know he did the same over the complete range of musical idioms. Miller believes that this is his most personal recording to date, on which the sound he has imagined for so long has finally made it onto record. That's just one reason why Mr. Miller was recently cited by no less than Alan Holdsworth, in the most recent issue of Guitar Player Magazine, as one of two current guitar players to watch. ~ Phil Dipietro https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tim-miller-trio-vol-2-by-phil-dipietro.php

Personnel: Tim Miller: guitar; Joshua Davis: bass; Take Toriyama: drums.

Trio Volume 2

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Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano - Compassion (The Music of John Coltrane)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:27
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:11)  1. Locomotion
( 8:09)  2. Central Park West / Dear Lord
( 8:46)  3. Ole
( 5:20)  4. Reverend King
( 6:39)  5. Equinox
(17:18)  6. Compassion

In 2007 BBC Radio commissioned saxophonist Dave Liebman to record an all Coltrane program to mark the 40th anniversary of legendary saxophonist/composer John Coltrane's passing. Asked to bring in Saxophone Summit the band Liebman co-led with fellow saxophonists Joe Lovano and Ravi Coltrane Liebman managed to assemble regular members Lovano, pianist Phil Markowitz, and drummer Billy Hart, along with bassist Ron McClure as a substitute for the unavailable Cecil McBee. Ten years later, the session is being released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Coltrane's passing on July 17, 1967. Billy Hart says that "we're all just unbelievable Coltrane fans." If the playing alone wasn't enough to show that, there's also the evidence of Liebman's album Homage To John Coltrane (Owl Records), going back to 1987. This set opens with "Locomotion," a distinctive take on the blues from Blue Train (Blue Note, 1958). The tune contains the germs of many later Coltrane works, and makes a great launching point, the classic two tenor lineup dueling with each other and egging each other on. A ballad medley showcases the two horns individually Lovano on tenor for "Central Park West" from Coltrane's Sound (Atlantic, 1964; but recorded in 1960); Liebman on soprano for "Dear Lord" from Transition (Impulse!, 1970, but recorded in 1965). This spiritual ballad has long had a special place for Liebman, and is the only composition repeated from his early tribute album.  

"Olé" from Olé Coltrane (Atlantic, 1961) represents Coltrane's long term interest in world music, which later came out in tunes like "India" and "Brazilia." After an introduction featuring wood flute and flute, the Spanish-tinged melody is introduced by tenor and soprano saxophones. "Reverend King" from Cosmic Music (Impulse!, 1968, but recorded in 1966) features Liebman on flute, accompanied by Lovano's alto clarinet: a lovely combination unique to this track. "Equinox" (also from Coltrane's Sound) is another blues, returning to the tenor/soprano combination. The album closes with "Compassion" from Meditations (Impulse!, 1966), dipping into Trane's late period. It gives Hart a solo showcase before launching into the free group improvisation with little steady pulse or set harmonic progressions that typifies late Coltrane. The band is so comfortable with this approach that they play it much like the earlier material: a bit more outside, but there is no sharp dividing line. John Coltrane's career was so compressed that the compositions here recorded between 1958 and 1966 represent six distinct stylistic phases. The more-or-less chronological presentation demonstrates how far he progressed in such a brief period, as well as how he maintained his own voice all the way. Coltrane's music needs no defense, but these players make an excellent case for it all the same. ~ Mark Sullivan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/compassion-the-music-of-john-coltrane-dave-liebman-resonance-records-review-by-mark-sullivan.php

Personnel: Dave Liebman: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, wooden recorder, C flute; Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; aulochrome, alto clarinet, Scottish flute; Phil Markowitz: piano; Ron McClure: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Compassion (The Music of John Coltrane)

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