Hank Jones - Bluesette

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:33
Size: 136.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1979/1998
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Bluesette
[3:10] 2. Blue And Sentimental
[5:22] 3. Milt's Mood
[7:52] 4. Blues In My Heart
[5:26] 5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[7:18] 6. Azure
[5:18] 7. Down
[3:20] 8. Saint-James Infirmary
[5:19] 9. Bluesette (Take 1)
[5:36] 10. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Take 1)
[5:00] 11. Down (Take 1)

Hank Jones is often taken for granted because of his seemingly effortless ability at the piano, but this 1979 trio session with bassist George Duvivier and drummer Alan Dawson (both of whom are also top-flight players) finds him at the top of his game. The hard-driving opener, Toots Theilemans' "Bluesette," has fine solos by the leader and Duvivier, supported by Dawson's crisp brushwork. Jones shows off his stride piano chops in a jaunty take of "Blue and Sentimental," offers a swaggering take of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and a lush treatment of Duke Ellington's "Azure." But the most stunning performance of the session may very well be Jones' moving solo rendition of "St. James Infirmary." Highly recommended. ~Ken Dryden

Bluesette

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Danny Adler - Jazzin' At RVG's

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 73:56

Size: 169.3 MB

Styles: Jazz guitar

Year: 2006

Art: Front

[12:00] 1. Lackawanna

[ 7:39] 2. Sidewalks of New York

[ 4:33] 3. Woody 'N You

[ 7:04] 4. Appleshack

[ 7:23] 5. Tenderly

[ 8:40] 6. Hot House

[ 8:18] 7. Electric Midnight

[ 7:02] 8. Sugar Hill

[11:13] 9. Diatomaceous

At Thanksgiving 1992, Danny was visiting his brother David in Washington DC, when he heard the news that Jazz Great Dizzy Gillespie was seriously ill. Danny immediately acting on impulse made a pilgrimage to the front door of this great architect of Be-Bop in Englewood NJ. Diz had once sat with Danny at a backstage piano patiently explaining the half/whole tone scale in the context of his classic tune, Night In Tunisia. After paying his respects to Diz and family, Danny decided to check out Rudy Van Gelders recording studio where so many great Jazz records were made for Bluenote Prestige and many other record labels.

Thus it transpired that in March of 1993, Danny returned to Rudy Van Gelders to record this LP, featuring Sam Yahel on Hammond B3 organ (the very same organ played by Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff, Groove Holmes and Larry Young). Also on board were Charles Ruggiero, drums (Chuck Mangione) and last but not least, tenor man Ari Ambrose (Stanley Turrentine, Steely Dan). Ari is the son of former Blues Doctor drummer Adam Ambrose (please see DA Legacy Vol 1).

This wonderful LP was cut absolutely live to digital 2 track on March 2nd and 3rd 1993. It was entirely engineered and mastered by the Late Great Legendary Rudy Van Gelder.

Jazzin' At RVG's   

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Nicky Holland - Nobody's Girl

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:13
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Art pop
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:48] 1. This Town
[4:19] 2. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
[1:49] 3. Prelude
[4:20] 4. Ladykiller
[4:50] 5. Hat Full Of Stars
[3:29] 6. Paperchase
[4:01] 7. Independence Days
[3:58] 8. Nobody's Girl
[3:34] 9. Face Of The Moon
[5:27] 10. Dear Ingrid
[4:13] 11. Tongue-Tied And Twisted
[3:04] 12. On The Stairs
[4:15] 13. New York Inside My Head

With 2016 having marked the 25th anniversary of Nicky Holland (her solo debut, released June 1991) and 2017 occasioning the 20th anniversary of Sense and Sensuality (released June 1997), singer/songwriter/pianist/composer/arranger Nicky Holland (whose resume includes Tears For Fears, Fun Boy Three and creating scores for John Hughes films) sensed that now was “an appropriate time to re-evaluate” those albums and assemble Nobody’s Girl, the definitive retrospective of her solo work as a recording artist for Epic Records.

Lovingly curated and newly remixed by the artist, Nobody’s Girl brings together 13 essential studio performances–seven from Nicky Holland (produced by Derek Nakamoto and Nicky Holland), five from Sense and Sensuality (produced by Michael Beinhorn) and her unforgettable version of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David classic “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” (produced by Jimmy Bralower and Jeff Bova). Originally recorded for the multi-million selling “My Best Friend’s Wedding” soundtrack album (also released in June 1997), the track “was actually the last thing I did as a singer,” Nicky remembers. A big fan of Dusty Springfield’s iconic recording of the song, Nicky “was thrilled when Sony asked me to sing it for the soundtrack record.”

Working again with producer Derek Nakamoto, who’d helmed her debut in 1991, Nicky “remixed quite a lot of the first album” for inclusion on Nobody’s Girl. “I’m an arranger and I love texture and density and listening back to it now, I just thought about how to give this a new spin, take it out of the ethereal world and back into the living room. I wanted the songs on this album to sound like they were when I originally wrote them.” Nicky took the original 2-inch tapes and painstakingly transferred them to digital. “On a couple of songs, I added a few bits and pieces,” Nicky says. “Basically, it’s what was there…just in a new perspective. I’m making the storyteller, myself, and the story more present.”

One of the highlights of Nobody’s Girl is “New York Inside My Head,” a song originally appearing on Sense and Sensuality for which Nicky has recently completed a breathtaking new video lensed by Karsten Staiger. Revisiting the music she’d made 20-25 years ago proved an intensely emotional experience for Nicky. “It was like no time had passed,” she says. “We were back there.”

Nobody's Girl

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Iiro Rantala - My Working Class Hero

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:54
Size: 139.4 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. Norwegian Wood
[4:42] 2. Working Class Hero
[5:56] 3. Just Like Starting Over
[4:36] 4. Because
[7:00] 5. Woman
[4:37] 6. Imagine
[4:38] 7. Help
[5:27] 8. Watching The Wheels
[3:34] 9. Oh My Love
[4:35] 10. In My Life
[5:53] 11. Happy Xmas, War Is Over
[4:38] 12. All You Need Is Love

John Lennon would have been seventy-five on October 9th 2015. On “My Working Class Hero,” the Finnish pianist Iiro Rantala pays tribute to this master of modern song. Rantala has demonstrated a particular gift for making this kind of homage once before. His 2011 album “Lost Heroes” recaptured the spirit of a different musical idol in each of its ten songs, and received the annual prize of the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik and an ECHO jazz award, whilst Germany's foremost broadsheet newspaper the FAZ proclaimed it as having “intelligence, humour, loads of feeling, unpredictable ideas and especially finely crafted piano playing.”

In this John Lennon tribute, Rantala turns to the musician who is perhaps greatest of all of his ‘lost heroes’. “I heard John Lennon before I knew anything about jazz” says Rantala, “’Happy Xmas, War Is Over’ was my first encounter with his music when I sang it in the school choir at a Christmas concert. Even then, it took my breath away. How is it, I wondered, that this guy can write something quite so simple and yet so powerful?” That same combination of simplicity and strength is perhaps also the greatest attribute of Rantala himself. The introduction to “Norwegian Wood” is remarkable for the way in which Rantala builds a chordal pulse which is precise, featherlight, and masterful. He subtly alters the colour and the dynamic with each separate attack of the keys. Even before the theme, with its 4/4 feel, has been fully and truly stated, a waltz has also magically stumbled into being.

My Working Class Hero

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Angela Bofill - The Essential Angela Bofill (2-Disc Set)

Bronx native Angela Bofill sang with Ricardo Morrero & the Group and the Dance Theater of Harlem chorus before her 1978 debut. With her strong, distinctive alto, she has carved a niche as an outstanding interpreter of soul ballads. Between 1978 and 1984, Bofill had consistent success on the R&B charts, with six albums making the Top 40 (five of which made the Top 100 on the pop charts as well), including two, Angel of the Night (1979) and Too Tough (1983), that made the Top Ten. During this period, she also placed seven singles in the R&B Top 40, with "Too Tough" making the Top Ten. ~Bil Carpenter

Album: The Essential Angela Bofill (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:14
Size: 181.4 MB
Styles: Soul/R&B/Pop
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:41] 1. Under The Moon And Over The Sky
[5:01] 2. Angel Of The Night
[3:27] 3. Tonight I Give In
[5:49] 4. Children Of The World United
[4:37] 5. Rough Times
[4:24] 6. The Only Thing I Could Wish For
[5:08] 7. The Feelin's Love
[3:43] 8. Rainbow Child (Little Pas)
[4:31] 9. People Make The World Go 'round
[4:29] 10. Stop Look Listen
[3:05] 11. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
[5:04] 12. I'm On Your Side
[4:18] 13. This Time I'll Be Sweeter
[4:11] 14. Baby, I Need Your Love
[4:37] 15. Tell Me Tomorrow
[3:22] 16. Let Me Be The One
[4:11] 17. You're A Special Part Of Me
[3:28] 18. What I Wouldn't Do (For The Love Of You)

The Essential Angela Bofill (Disc 1)

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Album: The Essential Angela Bofill (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:17
Size: 174.6 MB
Styles: Soul/R&B/Pop
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:59] 1. Can't Slow Down
[5:36] 2. Too Tough
[3:17] 3. Crazy For Him
[5:15] 4. Gotta Make It Up To You
[3:21] 5. Holdin' Out For Love
[4:31] 6. I Do Love You
[4:25] 7. Only Love
[3:28] 8. You Should Know By Now
[4:02] 9. Something About You
[5:20] 10. You're Always There
[5:36] 11. I Try
[3:36] 12. Rainbow Inside My Heart
[3:27] 13. I Can See It In Your Eyes
[3:37] 14. Song For A Rainy Day
[5:10] 15. Is This A Dream
[5:19] 16. Time To Say Goodbye
[5:10] 17. Amor Celestial (Heavenly Love, Spanish Version)

The Essential Angela Bofill (Disc 2)

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Buddy Rich - This One's For Basie

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:55
Size: 93.7 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 1957/1990
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Blue And Sentimental
[4:05] 2. Down For Double
[5:41] 3. Jump For Me
[7:16] 4. Blues For Basie
[6:22] 5. Jumpin' At The Woodside
[2:57] 6. Ain't It The Truth
[5:11] 7. Shorty George
[4:33] 8. 9:20 Special

Drummer Buddy Rich put together an interesting 11-piece group for this tribute to Count Basie. The only Basie alumnus present is trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison but the other soloists (trombonist Frank Rosolino and Bob Enevoldsen, Bob Cooper on tenor and pianist Jimmy Rowles) easily fit into the setting. Marty Paich contributed the arrangements, there are plenty of drum solos and the music, if not all that memorable, can easily be enjoyed by straightahead jazz fans. ~Scott Yanow

This One's For Basie

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Steve Kuhn - Promises Kept

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:25
Size: 134,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Lullaby
(5:03)  2. Life's Backward Glance
(8:12)  3. Trance
(5:34)  4. Morning Dew
(5:19)  5. Promises Kept
(7:31)  6. Adagio
(5:10)  7. Celtic Princess
(5:27)  8. Nostalgia
(5:40)  9. Oceans In The Sky
(5:40) 10. Pastorale

Combining jazz composition with orchestration is always a risky proposition; the outcome can often be bombastic, syrupy or melodramatic. But in the proper hands the combination can yield a result that is truly beautiful, allowing for a dramatic enhancement of the writing that, while allowing for some improvisational context, truly brings out its essence. "A life's dream," according to pianist Steve Kuhn, Promises Kept takes a life's work of material and, in the sensitive hands of conductor/orchestrator Carlos Franzetti, treats it with reverence and respect, heightening the emotional content without ever becoming grandiloquent or over-dramatized. Utilizing a string ensemble that is strong on violins, Franzetti's collaborative arrangements with Kuhn emphasize the light ; the orchestrations never become overbearing or weighty. From the opening notes of "Lullaby," it is clear that the they are meant as subtle refinements; while they do, on occasion, dominate, they never overwhelm. Kuhn is a lyrical and often romantic writer who manages to avoid the obvious trappings and create pieces that go to unexpected places; unpredictable though they may be, his melodies are so richly hued as to feel oddly familiar. And by revisiting older pieces including "Trance," "Oceans in the Sky," and the often-reconsidered "Life's Backward Glance," Kuhn creates a sense of history for those familiar with his work. Franzetti, in fact, was approached because he was so intimately familiar with Kuhn's work as to be able to sing lyrics to thirty-year old Kuhn pieces from memory. The result is a recording where strings, piano and long-time Kuhn collaborator David Finck's double-bass blend smoothly into a coherent whole.

Differentiating form from extemporization is difficult and, ultimately, pointless; what is the point is how the result manages to combine structure with a sense of surprise. "Life's Backward Glance" begins with deep cellos evoking a haunting theme that is gradually joined by the higher strings, moving from disquieting to beautiful; Kuhn's rubato theme brings a sense of romance as he shades the piece with subtle improvisations. The whole album is characterized by a multiplicity of layers that yield new experiences, new nuances, with every listen. While the album traverses a breadth of emotion, there is nothing jagged or confrontational. But what makes Promises Kept unique is its ability to wash over the senses without becoming merely beautiful background music. As smooth and sensuous as it is, it demands attention. From Kuhn's unpredictable writing and playing to the emotive yet subtle orchestration, Promises Kept succeeds where so many other albums fail, creating a sense of deep beauty that never accedes to excess. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/promises-kept-steve-kuhn-ecm-records-review-by-john-kelman.php?width=1920

Personnel: Steve Kuhn (piano), Carlos Franzetti (conductor), David Finck (double-bass)with: Violins: Christa Feeney, Liz Lim-Dutton, Richard Sortomme, Karl Kawahara, Barry Finclair, Helen Kim, Robert Shaw, Carol Pool, Anca Nicolan; Violas: Sue Pray, Karen Ritscher, Vince Lionti; Cellos: Stephanie Cummins, Richard Locker, Joshua Gordon

Promises Kept

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Ian Shaw - A Ghost In Every Bar

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:17
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:29)  1. Feet Do Your Stuff
(3:46)  2. Only Why No More
(3:46)  3. Small Day Tomorrow
(6:32)  4. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(2:48)  5. In a New York Minute
(3:00)  6. Love Go Round
(2:52)  7. In a Matter of Moments
(3:49)  8. Down
(2:48)  9. Nothing Is Mine Now
(1:54) 10. Scars
(3:45) 11. Stranger
(3:11) 12. Killing Time
(2:47) 13. Noir
(2:13) 14. Nothing Lasts Forever
(5:29) 15. Ballad of the Sad Young Men

Ian Shaw's warm and evocative voice, Fran Landesman's superb lyrics and music from some of her best collaborators: A Ghost In Every Bar has them all. Put it another way: on A Ghost In Every Bar one of the finest singers in contemporary music interprets some of the greatest songs of the last 50 years. If either or both of those descriptions sound like hype, that's OK; sometimes the hype hits the nail on the head. Landesman was born in New York in 1927, moved with her family to London in 1964 and died there on July 23, 2011. Around the mid-'80s a young Shaw was in a band called This Bed with Landesman's son. Miles. Shaw and Landesman met and became friends, while Shaw went on to develop his solo career and to record and perform many of Landesman's songs. While artists including Ella Fitzgerald and Barbra Streisand have recorded their own versions, Shaw's direct, emotionally honest, and very personal interpretations are the benchmark. On A Ghost In Every Bar Shaw performs songs which Landesman wrote with three of her many collaborators: Tommy Wolf, her first writing partner, who she met in '50s St Louis; singer and writer Bob Dorough; and British composer/pianist Simon Wallace, who accompanies Shaw on most of this album's songs. The singer has recorded some of these songs before most notably "Scars," on Somewhere Towards Love (Splash Point Records, 2009), and the title track of In A New York Minute (Milestone, 1999) (with Cedar Walton) but this album features new versions recorded in April, 2012.

Dorough co-wrote "Small Day Tomorrow," a joyous anticipation of the night before a day with nothing to do. Shaw sings his bluesy take on the song with obvious relish. Wallace was one of Landesman's final co-writers, collaborating between 1994 and 2011 on around 400 compositions. Twelve of his collaborations are on this album, including four ("Stranger," "Killing Time," "Nothing Lasts Forever" and "Noir") that have not previously been recorded. Shaw's performances of "Only Why No More" and "Scars" are heart-rending, while "Feet Do Your Stuff" and "Down" manage to be both cynical and funny at the same time. Wolf wrote the music for what are probably Landesman's two best known songs: "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" (apparently a jazz response to T. S. Elliot's assertion that "April is the cruelest month"). Shaw captures the sadness of both lyrics, heightening the emotion through a dignified approach which never asks for pity. The melancholy of "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" is emphasized by Sue Richardson's flugelhorn, which echoes Shaw's vocal. Landesman's stories have a universal emotional resonance. All human life is here, presented by a masterly vocalist with an empathic understanding of the lyrics. It's not always easy to listen to a Landesman song, but it's always worthwhile. Shaw ensures that the experience is a life-affirming one.
 

Personnel: Ian Shaw: vocals, piano (6, 7, 12); Simon Wallace: piano; Sue Richardson: flugelhorn (15).

A Ghost In Every Bar

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Jutta Hipp Quintet - Cool Dogs & Two Oranges

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:57
Size: 92,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Yogi
(3:54)  2. Cool Dogs
(3:00)  3. Frankfurt Bridges
(3:48)  4. Two Oranges
(3:37)  5. Mon Petit
(2:53)  6. Anything Goes
(2:28)  7. Simone
(3:44)  8. Ghost Of A Chance
(3:19)  9. Don´t Worry About Me
(3:18) 10. Laura
(3:33) 11. Chloe-Patra
(3:19) 12. Variations

Jutta Hipp had a strangely brief career, dropping out of music altogether shortly after emigrating to the United States. She studied painting in Germany and played jazz during World War II. When the Soviets took over East Germany, she moved with her family to Munich. Hipp played locally and in 1952, recorded with Hans Koller. She led her own quintet in Frankfurt in 1953-1955 and recorded for several labels, including a session that was later released by Blue Note. Moving to New York in November 1955, Hipp played at the Hickory House for much of the first half of 1956, recording two trio albums for Blue Note. Although originally inspired by Lennie Tristano, she was criticized at the time for being too influenced by Horace Silver; however, a studio album from July 1956 with Zoot Sims finds her showing a fairly original style. Unfortunately, that was her final recording, for Jutta Hipp soon dropped out of music, returned to painting, then worked as a seamstress. She lost contact with the music world to the extent that Blue Note didn't know where her royalties should be sent until 2000. Three years later, at the age of 78, Jutta Hipp passed away in the Queens apartment where she lived alone. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jutta-hipp-mn0000258387/biography               

Personnel:  Piano – Jutta Hipp;  Alto Saxophone – Emil Mangelsdorff;  Bass – Hans Kresse;  Drums – Karl Sanner;  Tenor Saxophone – Joki Freund

Cool Dogs & Two Oranges

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Vincent Herring - Hard Times

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:40
Size: 163,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:43)  1. Hard Work
(5:47)  2. Use Me
(4:36)  3. Summertime
(5:07)  4. Hard Times
(5:26)  5. Embraceable You
(7:54)  6. Eastern Joy Dance
(6:49)  7. The Sun Will Rise Again
(4:59)  8. Piccadilly Square
(7:27)  9. Good Morning HEartache
(7:32) 10. Amsterdam After Dark
(9:15) 11. Phineas

Vincent Herring doesn’t have the answers to those issues any more than the rest of us. What he can offer is a tonic to help calm the turbulence of modern life, at least for an hour. With Hard Times, the master saxophonist supplies the perfect musical response to our troubled existence – part escape, part defiance; part lament, part laughter. Over the course of these 11 songs, Herring and his stellar band both sing the blues and shake them off in ways both healing and infectious. http://www.jazzmessengers.com/fr/74564/vincent-herring/hard-times?

Personnel:  Vincent Herring, alto & soprano saxophones;  Cyrus Chestnut,  piano & Fender Rhodes;  Yasushi Nakamura, bass;  Carl Allen, drums.  With Special Guests: Nicolas Bearde, vocals;  Russell Malone, guitar;  Steve Turre, trombone;  Brad Mason, trumpet;  Sam Dillon, tenor saxophone

Hard Times

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