Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra - Not So Dukish

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:13
Size: 85.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:56] 1. M. H. R.
[2:44] 2. Broadway Babe
[2:22] 3. Three And Six
[7:50] 4. Not So Dukish
[3:23] 5. Central Park Swing
[8:25] 6. Preacher Blues
[3:36] 7. Jeep Bounced Back
[2:55] 8. The Last Time I Saw Paris

Roy Eldridge, Ray Nance (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Johnny Hodges (as), Ben Webster (ts), Billy Strayhorn (p), Jimmy Woode (b) and Sam Woodyard (d). Recorded in New York City, on September 10, 1958.

As Duke Ellington's altoist during 1928-51 and 1955-70, Johnny Hodges became world famous and beloved by jazz fans. His luscious tone and melodic style on ballads, blues and swing tunes was highly influential, making him the top altoist (along with Benny Carter) before the rise of Charlie Parker. Hodges led quite a few sessions of his own along the way,. During 1951-55 broke away from Ellington to lead his own combo, before returning for another 15 years.

Not So Dukish is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances recorded in 1958 and released on the Verve label.

Not So Dukish

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Julien Lourau - Saigon Quartet

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:33
Size: 161.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:56] 1. Diaspora
[7:13] 2. Walking On Water
[1:34] 3. Saigon (Intro)
[8:22] 4. Saigon
[7:55] 5. Angels
[6:34] 6. Baron Samedi
[7:58] 7. Nico
[8:40] 8. Around The Corner
[6:16] 9. Workship
[5:06] 10. Cinquecento
[5:54] 11. A House Is Not A Home

Saxophonist Julian Lourau was born and bred in Marseilles where he still lives. He grew up listening to a wide range of influential saxophone players among them Sonny Rollins, Sidney Bechet, Steve Lacy, Julius Hemphill and Stanley Turrentine. Stylistically they’re a diverse bunch that perhaps come together in Wayne Shorter, still Lourau’s primary influence. Certainly elements of Shorter’s style can be heard in Lourau’s own playing and the Frenchman cites Shorter’s classic “Speak No Evil” as the model for his own work.

Since coming to prominence in the early 90’s Lourau has worked with the groups Trash Corporation and Groove gang and has toured with Marc Ducret, Henri Texier, Abbey Lincoln, Vincent Courtois, Magic Malik, Jeff Sharrell and Ari Hoenig. He is a regular collaborator with Paris based pianist Bojan Z whose album with his own Tetraband “Humus” is reviewed elsewhere on this site.

“Quartet Saigon” features another of Lourau’s keyboard partners the pianist Laurent Coq. The two have worked together for twenty years and divide the compositional credits equally on “Quartet Saigon” with five tunes each. The closing track is a version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “A House Is Not A Home” that slots in perfectly with the mood of the rest of the album. The quartet take their name from the city in which they first played in 2007. The New York based Thomas Bramerie (double bass) and Otis Brown III (drums) complete the line up and the group has toured extensively since it’s beginnings. The album was recorded in December 2008 and is a good summation of the group’s abilities. Much of the music features Lourau’s probing but frequently lyrical soprano as on his own “Diaspora” which opens the record. There are plenty of interesting musical ideas on this album with Coq making a particularly strong contribution. This is exciting, convincing contemporary quartet jazz. ~Ian Mann

Saigon Quartet

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The Ventures - 2 albums: The Ventures / The Ventures Play The Country Classics

Album: The Ventures
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:57
Size: 59.4 MB
Styles: Instrumental rock
Year: 1961/2016
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. The Shuck
[1:21] 2. Detour
[1:41] 3. Ram-Bunk-Shush
[2:03] 4. Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai)
[2:02] 5. Perfidia
[3:11] 6. Harlem Nocturne
[2:37] 7. Blue Tango
[2:03] 8. Ups 'n' Downs
[1:48] 9. Lonesome Town
[2:03] 10. Torquay
[1:40] 11. Wailin'
[3:08] 12. The Moon Of Manakoora

The Ventures' 1961 self-titled sophomore LP is a twangy, country-influenced album that builds upon the band's superb 1960 debut, Walk Don't Run. Most the songs here are midtempo numbers with a few uptempo rockers that stand out. As one of the few albums in the Ventures' discography that is not thematically titled, it showcases the band's knack for tackling stylistically diverse music in a way that makes it all sound like Ventures music. ~AMG

The Ventures

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Album: The Ventures Play The Country Classics
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:19
Size: 64.8 MB
Styles: Instrumental rock
Year: 1963/2016
Art: Front

[2:10] 1. Panhandle Rag
[2:45] 2. Wabash Cannonball
[2:23] 3. San Antonio Rose
[2:25] 4. I Walk The Line
[2:03] 5. Wildwood Flower
[2:50] 6. I Can't Stop Loving You
[2:17] 7. Lovesick Blues
[2:08] 8. Steel Guitar Rag
[2:26] 9. You Are My Sunshine
[2:34] 10. Oh, Lonesome Me
[1:48] 11. Sugarfoot Rag
[2:24] 12. Born To Lose

Freed from the constraints inherent in Top 40 music or perhaps invigorated by the strong country vocal melodies, Ventures guitarist Nokie Edwards tears through The Ventures Play the Country Classics, sounding like Jimmy Bryant, albeit one slightly less speed conscious. Following Ray Charles' success with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, it's no surprise that the Ventures tackle "Born to Lose" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," though the other Don Gibson cover, "Oh, Lonesome Me," is more inspired. Lest anyone be worried, they also rip through standard country & western instrumentals, including "Sugarfoot Rag" and "Steel Guitar Rag." The Ventures Play the Country Classics is a bit of an oddity in the Ventures' catalog, but one worth searching out. ~Kurt Edwards

The Ventures Play The Country Classics

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Diane Daly - I Ain't Blue

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:50
Size: 93.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. This Can't Be Love
[3:02] 2. Four Seasons In One Day
[5:11] 3. My Foolish Heart
[4:17] 4. Don't Touch Me
[4:13] 5. Poetry Man
[4:50] 6. Some Other Spring
[4:08] 7. Them There Eyes
[4:14] 8. I Ain't Blue
[4:01] 9. Close Your Eyes
[4:03] 10. This Nearly Was Mine

I Ain’t Blue is a collection of jazz standards and contemporary compositions, encompassing a variety of musical influences from Billy Holiday to Phoebe Snow. As her producer, Wayne Wilentz, writes in the liner notes – The eclecticism of this CD is a paean to Diane’s versatility. It isn’t easy to cover Rogers and Hammerstein and Crowded House in the same recording and make it sound seamless – but that is exactly what she has done. Having lived an adventuresome life, dappled with wild and wonderful encounters - musical or otherwise, Diane knew she wanted to create an album that would capture all she’s learned about life and music.

After some time on her own in the Bahamas, Diane returned to the DC area in 1984 and began music studies at Montgomery College. Shortly after finishing, she followed her heart to Australia where she explored another world of music that wasn’t apparent from her pervious setting. A dozen years later, Diane returned to the Washington DC area and re-initiated vocal studies, this time with renowned jazz artists Ronnie Wells and Ron Elliston. From there, the door to the jazz world was graciously opened, with finest music (and musicians) beckoning her to come in and play along. Diane has now embarked on a course of graduate study in music education to help perpetuate the music that opened her soul.

Having had the opportunity to play and work with many notable musicians has left an indelible impression on Diane’s music. Apart from the players on her record, others include: the Eric Byrd Trio, Collector’s Edition, Mark Cook, Bill Potts, St Matthew’s Cathedral Choir, Rebecca Parris, Tony Backhouse, Coco’s Lunch, Jean Paul Wabotai, the Acapella group - Woyaya, the Kabaret Kamikazi ensemble, Project Natale, the Chris Grasso Trio, Ricky Loza, John Jensen, David Jernigan and Bob Price…… to name but a few. Diane knows how blessed she is to have had the opportunity to record an album with hand-picked musicians, the songs of her choice and a genuine support for her artistic sense. The deep emotional connection to the music is apparent from the first notes. The sentiments that unfold from there come at the listener, straight from the heart.

I Ain't Blue

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Jeff 'Tain' Watts - Detained At The Blue Note

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:53
Size: 164,3 MB
Art: Front

(13:47)  1. 107 Steps
(10:56)  2. JC Is The Man
(11:54)  3. Mr. JJ
(19:03)  4. Sigmund Groid
(15:10)  5. ...Like The Rose

On Detained at the Blue Note , Jeff "Tain" Watts' first live outing as a leader, the effusive drummer lets loose with one of the most unrestrained performances he's ever released. Watts' uninhibited style of drumming is best heard in the intimate club setting in which this disc was recorded. The outgoing Tain is inspired by the interaction with a live audience and the listeners respond in kind as the music escalates in intensity, delivering climax after climax to their roaring approval. Opening with Bjork's "107 Steps," the quintet featuring saxophonist Marcus Strickland, pianist Dave Kikoski, guitarist David Gilmour and bassist Eric Revis engage in a liberated dance on the Latinish line, driven relentlessly by the leader's inexorable rhythms. The date's other four tracks reinvent Watts' compositions from his earlier studio dates. "JC Is The Man" from Bar Talk is appropriately a dedication to a former Zinc Bar mixologist (Jean Claude) and not John Coltrane, although the music is most certainly, like most of Watts' compositions, Trane influenced. The group bookends the song with a good-humored vocal chorus; in between they settle into a groove with Gilmore's guitar and Kikoski's keyboards setting a more Milesian mode. 

Watts introduces the "powerful and soulful" Kenny Garrett, who joins the band for "Mr. JJ," raising the excitement level another point with a passionate Coltrane-Sanders inspired solo that culminates in an electrifying duet with the explosive Watts. Strickland holds his own on tenor, once again proving that he is the leading up-and-coming saxophonist on the scene today. Citizen Tain's "Sigmund Groid" receives a thorough treatment on a nineteen-minute examination of Watts' thoughtful melody, featuring a searing extended solo by Garrett. The closing "Like The Rose," a moving ballad by Watts, begins with a beautiful bluesy piano prelude from Kikoski that introduces the leader's vocal recitation of his lyrics, which are almost Shakespearean in their romanticism. Garrett and Gilmore get downright funky on the body of the tune, gamboling joyously over a Tain backbeat that spirals into a whirlwind that drives Gilmore's guitar and Kikoski's keyboards into a frolicking frenzy before returning to the tune's tender words. Few live dates succeed on the level of this one. Watts' ability to capture the hearts and souls of listeners with music that remains uncompromising in its creativity is a shining example to all who aspire to reach a wider audience without sacrificing their integrity. ~ Russ Moto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/detained-at-the-blue-note-jeff-tain-watts-half-note-records-review-by-russ-musto.php

Personnel: Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums, vocal), Kenny Garrett (alto saxophone), Dave Kikoski (piano, synthesizer), Eric Revis (bass), David Gilmore (guitar), Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone)

Detained At The Blue Note

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Irene Reid - I Ain't Doing Too Bad

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:07
Size: 105,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. What Now My Love
(5:09)  2. I Ain't Doing Too Bad
(5:23)  3. All My Tomorrows
(4:43)  4. Sweet Lotus Blossom
(4:10)  5. Your Mind Is On Vacation
(6:20)  6. Once There Lived A Fool
(6:33)  7. Walking On A Tightrope
(8:36)  8. More Today Than Yesterday

At age 65, Irene Reid sounds quite good on I Ain't Doing Too Bad, her second comeback CD. Organist Charles Earland joins in with his group, trumpeter James Rotundi and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander solo with their usual marvelous aplomb, and guitarist Bob DeVos and drummer Greg Rockingham fill in the rhythmic cracks nicely. Reid's voice is an even mix of the cute sassiness of Helen Humes and the soulful fullness of Etta Jones. Her predilection, or even forte, leans toward groove-oriented versions of pop tunes, which Earland is also known for interpreting; the hard charging "What Now My Love?" and the eight-plus minute "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" are perfect examples, Earland stretching the latter's bridge with his always burning or staggered phrase B-3 solo. Better choices include the Mose Allison warhorse "Your Mind Is on Vacation" and a clever blues waltz treatment of the Stevie Ray Vaughan-Doyle Bramhall tune that Johnny Adams did to death: "Walkin' on a Tightrope." Where Adams was smouldering, Reid is simply cool. "Sweet Lotus Blossom" features Alexander's ripe tenor, while Rotundi's shades background silhouettes during the ballad "All My Tomorrows." DeVos varies from steely lines for his solo on the title track, or goes Wes Montgomery for the regret filled, seemingly autobiographical "Once There Lived a Fool." Able to turn on a dime from hopeful to sorrowful, Reid is as convincing a singer as she is talented. Hopefully a few more chestnuts like this one will spring forth before she's done. Biggest regret: the CD is just short of 46-minutes in length. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-aint-doing-too-bad-mw0000602940 

Personnel: Irene Reid (vocals); Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); James Rotondi (trumpet); Charles Earland (Hammond B-3 organ); Bob DeVos (guitar); Greg Rockingham (drums).             

I Ain't Doing Too Bad

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Frank Morgan - Listen To The Dawn

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:37
Size: 121,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:57)  1. Listen To The Dawn
(4:48)  2. Grooveyard
(9:04)  3. Remembering
(5:05)  4. Little Waltz
(5:00)  5. It Might As Well Be Spring
(9:07)  6. When Joanna Loved Me
(6:48)  7. I Didn't Know About You
(4:45)  8. Goodbye

Listen to the Dawn is a rare example of Frank Morgan recording an entire album without a pianist. The veteran alto saxophonist, who was only two weeks away from his 60th birthday when this post-bop/be bop CD was recorded, evidently wanted to try something a bit different and it was a move that paid off creatively. Whether he's forming an intimate duo with guitarist Kenny Burrell or forming a quartet with Burrell, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate, Morgan fares quite well without a pianist. This isn't an album of fast tempos and high-speed aggression from Burrell offerings like "Listen to the Dawn" and "Remembering" to highly personal interpretations of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye," Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You" (which becomes a sexy bossa nova), and the standard "It Might as Well Be Spring," Morgan is especially introspective and really takes time to reflect. This compelling CD should not be missed. 

~ Alex Hendersn https://www.allmusic.com/album/listen-to-the-dawn-mw0000113303

Personnel: Frank Morgan (alto saxophone); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Ron Carter (acoustic bass); Grady Tate (drums).

Listen To The Dawn

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Tom Harrell - Sail Away

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 58:49
Size: 108,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:54)  1. Yesterdays
(9:37)  2. Sail Away
(8:56)  3. Gratitude
(6:01)  4. Glass Mystery
(7:30)  5. Coral Sea
(9:36)  6. Buffalo Wings
(8:13)  7. Sticky Wicket

A highly gifted jazz soloist, Tom Harrell is generally considered one of the top trumpeters of his generation, known for his sophisticated harmonic approach that combines the the power of Clifford Brown with the lyricism of Chet Baker and Art Farmer. Born in Urbana, Illinois in 1946, Harrell grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he first started playing trumpet around age eight. By his teens, he was gigging locally and eventually graduated from Stanford University with a music composition degree. After college, he joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra, touring with the ensemble until 1969. He then spent time in Woody Herman's big band before joining pianist Horace Silver's quintet. He made his recorded debut with Silver, appearing on a handful of albums throughout the mid- to late '70s. Also during this period, he moved to New York, where he found work playing and/or recording with such luminaries as Cecil Payne, Bill Evans, Lee Konitz, and many others. He also made his debut as a leader, releasing Aurora in 1976, followed by Mind's Ear in 1978. During the '80s, Harrell's profile rose even further as he joined the Phil Woods Quintet, with whom he toured and recorded for much of the decade. He also continued to grow as a solo artist, releasing a steady flow of increasingly well-regarded albums, including 1984's Play of Light, 1985's Moon Alley, 1987's Open Air, and 1989's Lonely Eyes.  The '90s were also a fruitful period for the trumpeter, as he appeared on albums with Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow, Charlie Haden, and others. He also delivered several more well-received albums for smaller labels, including 1990's Form on Contemporary and 1991's Passages on Chesky, before landing at RCA for 1996's Labyrinth, the latter of which found him joined by tenor saxophonist Don Braden, pianist Kenny Werner, and others in quintet, nonet, and tentet settings.

Subsequent RCA outings showcased more experimentation, as Harrell explored Brazilian sounds on 1998's Art of Rhythm, displayed his knack for big-band arranging on 1999's Time's Mirror (for which he received a Grammy nomination), and framed himself with strings on 2001's Paradise.  A concert album, Live at the Village Vanguard, followed on Bluebird in 2002, and featured Harrell's quintet with saxophonist Jimmy Greene, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, pianist Xavier Davis, and drummer Quincy Davis. He then delivered a studio effort for Bluebird, 2003's Wise Children, which found him working with a well-curated cadre of vocalists including Dianne Reeves, Jane Monheit, Claudia Acuña, and Cassandra Wilson.  In 2007, Harrell moved to HighNote and released Light On, which featured his quintet with tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Johnathan Blake. Since then, he has largely stuck with the same ensemble, delivering a highly regarded run of albums for HighNote including the atmospheric 2009 release Prana Dance, 2010's Roman Nights, and the similarly expansive The Time of the Sun. The aptly titled Number Five followed in 2012. In 2013, Harrell assembled a piano-less ensemble featuring bassist Esperanza Spalding for Colors of a Dream. He then shifted this group again, forming a quartet with saxophonist Mark Turner for 2014's Trip. A year later, he explored reworkings of classical compositions by Debussy, Ravel, and others on the orchestral-tinged First Impressions, followed by Something Gold, Something Blue with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire in 2016. In 2017, Harrell delivered the quartet date Moving Picture, featuring pianist Grissett, bassist Okegwo, and drummer Adam Cruz. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-harrell-mn0000605535/biography

?Personnel:  Tom Harrell (trumpet); Kenny Werner (piano); Paul Imm (bass); Andre Ceccarelli (drums).                                                                                             

Sail Away

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Avishai Cohen - Cross My Palm with Silver

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:40
Size: 88,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:20)  1. Will I Die, Miss Will I Die
( 5:24)  2. Theme for Jimmy Greene
( 3:51)  3. 340 Down
(12:09)  4. Shoot Me in the Leg
( 6:55)  5. 50 Years and Counting

If trumpeter Avishai Cohen's ECM debut, Into The Silence was a work of deeply personal content, Cross My Palm With Silver plays out with the same emotional impact, but on a global stage. Cohen composed the five pieces on this album in his native Israel, while contemplating the impact of political division on the human psyche. His hope is that the music contributes to a healing process.

Returning from Into The Silence quintet is drummer Nasheet Waits, a member of Cohen's Triveni group and whose close ties to the leader make for a seamless synergy. A long-time collaborator, pianist Yonathan Avishai, had also played with Cohen and his two siblings (multi-reedist Anat Cohen and saxophonist brother, Yuval) in their namesake trio. Replacing Eric Revis on bass is Barak Mori, a friend dating back to high school. Bori has most recently appeared on Madeleine Peyroux's Secular Hymns (Verve, 2016). The sound if not the sentiment on Cross My Palm With Silver is quite a bit different in comparison to the previous album which included tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry. "Will I Die, Miss? Will I Die?" opens with Cohen's mournful muted trumpet, Avishai quietly adding background color while Waits brushes the cymbals. At more than ten minutes, Avishai and Cohen have the space to trade leads taking the piece to its forlorn conclusion. In a halting manner, Waits and Avishai usher in "Theme for Jimmy Greene" setting up for Cohen's evocative response. The piece builds up to a dramatic swell then ends reflectively.

"340 Down" opens minimally with haunting trumpet, augmented by Waits light touch before Bori and Cohen layer in a more complex textures. Avishai's extended solo with an off-kilter classicism begins "Shoot Me in The Leg," the most abstract of the compositions on the album. Another long piece, it closes with a haunting solo from Cohen. "50 Years and Counting" closes the album with an upbeat theme and Cohen playing at his freest. Cross My Palm with Silver has a political point to make, reflecting the turmoil of the Middle East and global conflicts elsewhere. Titles like "Will I Die, Miss? Will I Die?" and "Shoot Me In The Leg" are testimonials to that effect. There remains an otherworldliness in much of Cohen's music whether elevating or affecting and he importantly, avoids saccharine effects in conveying powerful emotions. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cross-my-palm-with-silver-avishai-cohen-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
 

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Yonathan Avishai: piano; Barak Mori: double bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Cross My Palm with Silver

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