Sunday, November 12, 2017

Marlene VerPlanck - I Like To Sing!

Styles: Vocal Jazz 
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:44
Size: 141,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. I Like To Sing!
(2:47)  2. Highly Emotional State
(3:57) 3. Medley  It Could Happen To You Love Walked In
(2:42)  4. Here I Go Again
(2:58)  5. Let Yourself Go
(4:32)  6. All The Things You Are
(2:52)  7. Here's That Sunny Day
(4:05)  8. (I Think Of You) With Every Breath I Take
(1:45)  9. All Or Nothing At All
(3:19) 10. Incurably Romantic
(2:47) 11. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
(2:37) 12. Instead Of Saying Goodbye
(4:02) 13. The Man That Got Away
(2:35) 14. Song On The Sand
(2:29) 15. Where Am I Going
(4:23) 16. Don't Worry 'bout Me
(3:57) 17. That's How I Love The Blues
(3:48) 18. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(2:27) 19. Just One Of Those Things

Marlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~ Robert HicksMarlene Ver Planck paid tribute to the great American songbook. Ver Planck, who grew up in Newark, NJ, listening to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on WNEW radio, collaborated throughout her long career with her husband, arranger, composer, and conductor Billy Ver Planck. Her 2000 CD, My Impetuous Heart (DRG), her 17th album, reunited her with some old friends, including jazz pianist Hank Jones and special guests jazz pianists George Shearing and Marian McPartland and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Ver Planck's career was a long string of success stories, which showcased her as a versatile singer with a gorgeous, pliable voice that knew how to tell a story.

She started singing at age 19. Her career stretched back to the '50s when she worked with Tex Beneke and Charlie Spivak. Her first big break came in 1955 when she teamed up with pianist Hank Jones, flutist Herbie Mann, trumpeter Joe Wilder, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke on I Think of You with Every Breath I Take on Savoy Records. She met her husband while performing with Charlie Spivak's band, then both moved over to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey died in 1956, so the Ver Plancks decided to stay in New York City to pursue studio work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Kiss. Millions of people outside the jazz world first heard Ver Planck's voice, though, doing jingles in the '60s : "Weekends were made for Michelob/Yeah!" and "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should!" and "Mmm good/mm-mm good/that's what Campbell's Soups are/mm mm good." After thousands of commercial jingles and hours and hours of studio session work in New York, the Ver Plancks decided to settle down in their house in Clifton, NJ, and began performing and recording together.

Their first recording together was A Breath of Fresh Air, arranged, produced, and conducted by Billy Ver Planck in 1968. In 1976, Marlene Ver Planck hooked up with North Carolina-based composer/pianist Loonis McGlohon, who hired her to do two installments of a radio show he co-hosted called Alec Wilder's American Popular Song. Afterwards, she recorded Marlene Ver Planck Sings Alec Wilder, and later, after Wilder's death, she appeared on the radio show The American Popular Singers, co-hosted by McGlohon and opera singer Eileen Farrell. Ver Planck performed at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Today Show, and CBS's Sunday Morning. In The Digital Mood, featuring Ver Planck, Mel Torme, and Julius La Rosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, became the first big band CD to go gold in the '90s. Ver Planck planned to record again in late 2001 in tribute to her love for the music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. ~ Robert Hicks  https://itunes.apple.com/tt/album/i-like-to-sing!/id826388231

Personnel:  Vocal - Marlene Ver Planck;  Bass – Jay Leonhart;  Drums – Luther Rix;  Piano – Ben Aronov

I Like To Sing!

Dexter Gordon - Our Man in Amsterdam

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:09
Size: 181,5 MB
Art: Front

(12:49)  1. Fried bananas
( 9:45)  2. What's new
(14:25)  3. Good Bait
( 8:57)  4. Rhythm-a-ning
(11:00)  5. Willow weep for me
(12:19)  6. Junior
( 9:50)  7. Scrapple from the apple

Our Man in Amsterdam

Joel Weiskopf - The Message

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:46
Size: 157,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Victory March
(6:01)  2. Song for Karla
(8:45)  3. The Original Search
(8:15)  4. Temporary Estrangement
(5:21)  5. Happy Time
(9:35)  6. It Might as Well Be Spring
(7:40)  7. Another Chance Today
(9:28)  8. Lml
(7:06)  9. The Message

Pianist Joel Weiskopf has been making records for a number of years but with each recent release, he seems to be honing his craft even more able to balance darkness and light with effortless ease, but often in a way that never calls too much attention to itself, or to its maker! There's a subtle sort of brilliance going on here a way of working things under the surface, which is offset by some of the bolder lines from tenorist Rob Scheps, who also plays a bit of soprano sax on the record and illuminates the sound nicely, often in contrasting ways with Weiskopf! Joel's not afraid to hit a few more sensitive, lyrical moments, but can shift gears easily too which he seems to do especially well when urged on by the bass of Joe Fitzgerald and bass of Marcello Pellitteri. Titles include "LML", "The Message", "Song For Karla", "The Original Search", "Temporary Estrangement", "Another Chance Today", and "Victory March".  © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/861589/Joel-Weiskopf:Message

Personnel:  Joel Weiskoff piano;  Rob Scheps tenor & soprano saxophone;  Joe Fitzgeraldd bass;  Marcello PellitteriI drums

The Message

Dick Oatts - Use Your Imagination

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:01
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:24)  1. Yesteryear
(8:39)  2. Do Da Day
(7:18)  3. Speaking Relative
(7:28)  4. Como Uno
(7:04)  5. Lossofyou
(7:07)  6. Use Your Imagination
(9:34)  7. Mideast Midwest
(5:23)  8. Game Show

Dick Oatts has a wonderful group here  a well-chosen quintet of musicians who really seem to open up the possibilities in each others' sound, especially when it comes to tone, texture, and color! Oatts is always great his raspy alto is deft, but always very personal too and it's offset here by the sparkling trumpet of Joe Magnarelli, who seems to be exploring a lot of fresh territory on the mostly-original tunes provided for the album by Dick. 

Pianist Anthony Wonsey blocks things out strongly with his work on the keys bringing in a soulful, stepping vibe that's mighty nice  before soaring out on his own solos too. And bassist Ugonna Okegwo rounds out the snapping rhythms provided by drummer Chris Smith making for a pair who's sense of timing really inspires the others. Titles include "Como Uno", "Speaking Relative", "Do Da Day", "Yesteryear", "Lossofyou", and "Midwest Mideast".  © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/861588

Personnel:  Dick Oatts - alto saxophone;  Joe Magnarelli - trumpet;  Anthony Wonsey - piano;  Ugonna Okegwo - bass;  Chris Smith - drums.

Use Your Imagination