Rosemary Clooney, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Blue Rose

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:14
Size: 101.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Big band
Year: 1956/2008
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Hey Baby
[2:57] 2. Sophisticated Lady
[2:28] 3. Me And You
[4:33] 4. Passion Flower
[2:37] 5. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[2:48] 6. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[4:10] 7. Grievin'
[2:21] 8. Blue Rose
[3:09] 9. I'm Checkin' Out, Goombye
[3:07] 10. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[6:28] 11. Mood Indigo
[3:01] 12. If You Were In My Place (What Would You Do )
[2:39] 13. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'

Billy Strayhorn conceived of this 1956 album while watching Duke perform in New York; it's all Strayhorn compositions arranged by the master himself, with Ro Clooney the perfect vocalist for the job.

Blue Rose

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Jimmy Gourley, Barney Wilen - Double Action

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:20
Size: 131.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Jazz-blues
Year: 1999/2006
Art: Front

[8:45] 1. Goodbye
[3:26] 2. Blues For Gene
[3:23] 3. Four And Six
[3:13] 4. Summertime
[4:39] 5. C.T.A
[4:59] 6. Denzil's Best
[8:29] 7. Embraceable You
[7:27] 8. Body And Soul
[4:03] 9. Tafira Alta
[4:05] 10. Autumn Leaves
[4:45] 11. Blue Lester

Bass – Dominique Lemerle; Drums – Philippe Combelle; Guitar – Jimmy Gourley; Tenor Saxophone – Barney Wilen. Recorded the 23 December 1987 at "Théâtre Jean-Marie Serraut" Paris.

Gourley was born in St. Louis in 1926. He met saxophonist Lee Konitz in Chicago when both were members of the same high school band. He credits Konitz with encouraging him to become a serious musician. Gourley's father started the Monarch Conservatory of Music in Hammond, Indiana, though he didn't teach, and he bought Gourley his first guitar. Gourley took his first guitar classes at the school. He became interested in jazz while listening to the radio, enjoying in particular Nat King Cole. For his first professional experience as a performer, he dropped out of high school to play with a jazz band in Oklahoma City.

From 1944–1946, Gourley served in the U.S. Navy. After he returned to Chicago, he met guitarist Jimmy Raney and wanted to play like him. He worked in bars and clubs with Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, Anita O'Day, Sonny Stitt, and Gene Ammons. Through the G.I. Bill, he received tuition for three years to any college in the world.

Beginning in 1951, Gourley spent the rest of his life in France, working with Henri Renaud, Lou Bennett, Kenny Clarke, Richard Galliano, Stéphane Grappelli, Bobby Jaspar, Eddy Louiss, Martial Solal, and Barney Wilen. He played with American musicians who were passing through, including Bob Brookmeyer, Clifford Brown, Stan Getz, Gigi Gryce, Roy Haynes, Lee Konitz, Bud Powell, Zoot Sims, Lucky Thompson, and Lester Young.

Double Action   

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LeeAnn Ledgerwood - Compassion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:51
Size: 141.6 MB
Styles: Bop, piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 7:34] 1. After The Rain
[ 5:42] 2. 5th House
[ 6:21] 3. Love
[ 6:40] 4. Venus
[11:15] 5. Naima
[ 3:42] 6. Resolution
[ 5:17] 7. Wise One
[10:50] 8. Compassion
[ 4:25] 9. I Wanna Talk About You

For this solo piano album, LeeAnn Ledgerwood performs eight John Coltrane compositions plus the ballad "I Want to Talk About You." To her credit, she does not just play some of 'Trane's better-known tunes but explores some of his obscurities, including those from his last period. It is not too common to hear solo piano versions of "5th House," "Venus," "Resolution," and "Compassion." Ledgerwood puts plenty of feeling into her interpretations and, without copying McCoy Tyner or Alice Coltrane, she is able to bring back the spirit of this often-forgotten music while not de-emphasizing her own musical personality. This is a well-conceived release that rewards repeated listenings. ~Scott Yanow

Compassion

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Joey McIntyre - Talk To Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:30
Size: 88.1 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:04] 2. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[3:43] 3. My Funny Valentine
[3:43] 4. Bewitched
[3:04] 5. Come Dance With Me
[2:55] 6. Talk To Me
[3:01] 7. Makin' Whoopee
[3:31] 8. Moon River
[4:26] 9. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:10] 10. I've Got The World On A String
[2:52] 11. All The Way

In this latest album McIntyre pays homage to his boyhood idol Frank Sinatra. By finally recording an album of standards he also does his father proud! Long ago, in another life, Joey McIntyre was the baby faced member of THE original boy band, "New Kids on the Block". When that group parted ways after a decade of mega stardom Joey took time to return to his acting roots before returning to the record business. In 1999 he sealed his fate as a pop artist with a solo release that got air play across the country, sold well and put him back on the map and on our TV sets climbing the TRL charts. Subsequent albums did not get as much attention but "Talk to Me" puts him back on the map. McIntyre covers classics like "All the Way" and "My Funny Valentine" with ease. His respect for the music is tangible. Joey also takes a light hearted approach to tunes such as "Makin' Whoopee" and "Come Dance With Me" which are stamped with his unique sense of style. With this release, a whole new generation of listeners has a chance to embrace this sound! Long time fans will not be disappointed and new listeners will no doubt be pleasantly surprised. In my opinion this album is McIntyre at his best! ~L.A. Malone

Talk To Me

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Buddy Tate - Buddy Tate & His Buddies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:25
Size: 99.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1973/1994
Art: Front

[ 8:16] 1. Rockaway
[ 6:15] 2. Medi 2
[ 7:39] 3. Paris Nights
[10:04] 4. When I'm Blue
[11:10] 5. Sunday

Bass – Milt Hinton; Drums – Gus Johnson; Guitar – Steve Jordan; Piano – Mary Lou Williams; Tenor Saxophone – Buddy Tate, Illinois Jacquet; Trumpet – Roy Eldridge.

Jam sessions featuring swing veterans were not that common an occurence on record during the early '70s, making Hank O'Neal's Chiaroscuro label both ahead of and behind the times. This CD reissue is most notable for having pianist Mary Lou Williams (who rarely was invited to this type of freewheeling session) as one of the key soloists. Also heard from are the tenors of Buddy Tate and Illinois Jacquet and the aging but still exciting trumpeter Roy Eldridge; the backup players are rhythm guitarist Steve Jordan, bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Gus Johnson. Together they jam three group originals, Buck Clayton's "Rockaway" and the standard "Sunday" and, although falling short of being a classic, this infectious and consistently swinging music is worth picking up. ~ Scott Yanow

Buddy Tate & His Buddies

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Louis Smith Sextet - Strike Up The Band

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:44
Size: 159,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:31)  1. I Hear A Rhapsody (Frejus-Baker-Gasparre)
( 6:33)  2. It's All Right (Edwards)
( 8:15)  3. Don't Misunderstand (Parks)
( 7:38)  4. Edwaa (L. Smith)
(10:45)  5. Stablemates (B. Golson)
( 9:06)  6. Lover (Rodgers)
( 9:10)  7. Night and Day (C. Porter)
( 7:43)  8. Strike Up The Band (Gershwin)

This session, under the leadership of trumpeter Louis Smith, brings hard bop veterans together with a couple newcomers who were at the time helping to revive the style. This is the kind of recording session where one gets a taste of the fireworks that would result from a live jam session featuring the participants. Each soloist launches into the heart of the tune, cutting out the preliminaries and never reaching the heights more extended blowing would allow. Each song gives the frontline and pianist Kevin Hays a chance to have their say. The hornmen have complementary yet distinctive approaches. Tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, like Smith a former member of Horace Silver's combo, is a study in soulful reserve, whittling statements from the grain of the tunes. Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, in contrast, plays with barely restrained passion. He can't seem to wait to burst into doubletime. On &"Stablemates" he picks up Cook's last phrase and rips ahead like the anchor runner on a relay team. The leader's style has Cook's restraint matched with Herring's penchant for rapid fire runs. No matter how fast he plays, though, he never loses his knack for plucking the plumpest notes off the chords. That harmonic structure is well rooted by the rhythm section, especially bassist Steve LaSpina. On the ballad &"Don't Misunderstand", LaSpina burrows deep to create a melodic as well as harmonic counterline to Smith's tender theme and variations. 

~ David Dupont https://www.allmusic.com/album/strike-up-the-band-mw0000978277  

Personnel:  Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Louis Smith ;  Alto Saxophone – Vincent Herring;  Bass – Steve LaSpina;  Drums – Leroy Williams;  Piano – Kevin Hays;  Tenor Saxophone – Junior Cook

Strike Up The Band

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Kristin Chenoweth - Some Lessons Learned

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:10
Size: 103,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. I Was Here
(3:11)  2. I Want Somebody (Bitch About)
(3:13)  3. Fathers And Daughters
(2:48)  4. What Would Dolly Do
(2:58)  5. God And Me
(3:16)  6. Change
(3:23)  7. What More Do You Want
(3:48)  8. Wreck You
(2:43)  9. I Didn't
(4:03) 10. Borrowed Angels
(3:37) 11. What If We Never
(4:11) 12. Mine To Love
(4:16) 13. Lessons Learned

Having already won an Emmy for her stints in Pushing Daises and Glee, and a Tony Award for her leading roles in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Wicked, Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth could well have to make room on her mantelpiece for a Grammy with her fourth studio album, Some Lessons Learned. Eschewing the musical standards of her 2001 debut, Let Yourself Go and the Christian AOR of 2005's As I Am (although the latter's "Borrowed Angels" does appear here in a slightly altered version), the follow-up to her holiday-themed A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, sees the versatile singer/actress instead go back to her roots on 13 tracks inspired by the country songs she used to sing while growing up in Oklahoma. It's a change in direction which perfectly suits her distinctive nasal twang, especially on the more uptempo numbers, such as the tongue-in-cheek search for unconditional love of "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)," the radio-friendly Shania Twain-esque "What More Do You Want," and the jaunty, old-fashioned honky tonk of "I Didn't." But unsurprisingly, she's just as adept on the slower numbers, as she emotively croons her way through the gentle, steel guitar-laden "God and Me," the fingerpicking acoustics of "Fathers and Daughters," and the faithful cover of Carrie Underwood's "Lessons Learned." Recorded in Nashville with producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel), in between her performances in the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises, Chenoweth, perhaps understandably, occasionally fails to leave her show tune background behind, particularly on the soft rock power ballads "I Was Here" and "What If We Never," which sound like the kind of show stoppers Kurt and Rachel would belt out at the end of a Glee episode. But the spirit of childhood hero Dolly Parton is never far behind, as evident on an affectionate, lilting rendition of "Change" (from her 1996 album Something Special) and "What Would Dolly Do?," a self-penned tribute to the country icon packed with toe-tapping rhythms, doo wop vocals, and rockabilly riffs. Her most high-profile release to date, Some Lessons Learned is a convincing first attempt to embrace the mainstream, which suggests that Chenoweth can now add authentic country-pop singer to the list of her many talents. ~ Jon O'Brien https://www.allmusic.com/album/some-lessons-learned-mw0002190092

Some Lessons Learned

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Jerry Bergonzi - Wiggy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:06
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:53)  1. Just In Time
(5:04)  2. Wiggy
(5:16)  3. Inside Out
(7:25)  4. A Different Look
(9:45)  5. Channeling
(6:23)  6. Comitted
(6:07)  7. New In The Neighborhood
(5:10)  8. Doing The Tron

Jerry Bergonzi's third Double-Time release again features the potent backing of organist Dan Wall and drummer Adam Nussbaum (both members of John Abercrombie's mid-'90s trio). After kicking off with a 7/4 rendition of "Just in Time," the trio tackles seven crafty originals. Bergonzi slams like a hurricane, particularly on "A Different Look" and "Channeling." (The latter, based on "Alone Together," fades after nine minutes or so, suggesting that the take went on for quite a while.) This fiery and advanced post-Coltrane tenor can do more than just burn, however, as "Wiggy," a marvelous mid-tempo piece, and "Committed," an inspired ballad, make clear. Highly recommended. 

~ David R.Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/wiggy-mw0000098554

Personnel: Jerry Bergonzi (tenor saxophone); Dan Wall (Hammond B-3 organ); Adam Nussbaum (drums).                

Wiggy

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Mose Allison - Down Home Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:09
Size: 89,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. Dinner On The Ground
(3:47)  2. Crepuscular Air
(3:57)  3. Mule
(4:39)  4. Creek Bank
(3:27)  5. Town
(4:08)  6. Devil In The Cane Field
(3:33)  7. The Minstrels
(4:06)  8. Moon And Cypress
(3:04)  9. Carnival
(4:05) 10. Mojo Woman

Although Mose Allison is perhaps best known for his enjoyably idiosyncratic vocal style, he is first and foremost a marvelous piano player with a unique style pitched somewhere between a New Orleans bordello and the rhythmic and harmonic experimentation of Thelonious Monk or Sun Ra. This well-chosen 1966 compilation (released after Allison had split for Atlantic Records) pulls together ten of his best instrumentals from four of his six Prestige albums, and it makes a strong case for Allison as one of the most inventive piano players and composers of his generation. 

The selection runs from the definitive performance of Allison's signature ballad "Crepuscular Air" (which foreshadows nearly the entire career of West Coast cool pianist Vince Guaraldi) to the witty, technically impressive and musically joyous post-bop workouts "Devil in the Cane Field" and "The Minstrels." Throughout, Allison's interplay with his longtime bassist Addison Farmer is fantastic; Allison's left-hand walking bass runs are usually in counterpoint to Farmer's inspired comping, adding greatly to the songs' rhythmic complexity. Mostly, however, Down Home Piano is just enormous fun to listen to. ~  Stewart Mason  https://www.allmusic.com/album/down-home-piano-mw0000593830

Personal : Piano – Mose Allison;  Bass – Addison Farme;  Drums – Nick Stabulas, Ronnie Free

Down Home Piano

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Bob Baldwin - Music With a Message

Styles: Jazz, Jazz Funk 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:09
Size: 88,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:41)  1. Where's That Smile
(3:56)  2. Be Blessed (No Stress)
(4:19)  3. Global Warming
(4:44)  4. Make Love, Not War
(4:04)  5. Stand Tall 3000
(7:09)  6. Ukuphila (The Healing Song)
(4:15)  7. Be Blessed (No Stress)
(4:58)  8. Stand Tall 3000

Pianist, composer, arranger, and producer Bob Baldwin is an adept performer known for his many contemporary jazz albums. Born in 1960 in Mount Vernon, New York, Baldwin was first introduced to the piano around age four by his father, bassist and pianist Robert Baldwin, Sr. By his teens, Baldwin was listening heavily to jazz and R&B. After high school he attended Geneva College, where he earned a business degree, and later even worked as an accountant. However, all the while, he continued developing his music skills and by the '80s had transferred to a full-time performer and recording career. As a solo artist, he debuted in 1990 with A Long Way to Go, an album that also garnered him the Sony Innovator in Music Award. Buoyed by this early accolade, Baldwin embarked on a successful run of albums including 1992's Reflections of Love and 1997's Cool Breeze. An in-demand sideman, Baldwin also found work with a bevy of name artists including Marion Meadows, Regina Carter, Will Downing, Pieces of a Dream, and many more.

During the early 2000's Baldwin stayed active, releasing a steady stream of albums, many of which reached the Top 20 on Billboard's Jazz charts, including 2000's BobBaldwin.com, 2002's Standing Tall, 2005's All in a Day's Work, 2008's NewUrbanJazz.com, and 2009's Lookin' Back. In 2010, he put his smooth jazz twist on the King of Pop's sound with Never Can Say Goodbye: A Tribute to Michael Jackson. NewUrbanJazz.com2: Re-Vibe appeared a year later. Baldwin then delivered another soul-themed homage with Betcha by Golly Wow: The Songs of Thom Bell in 2012. In 2013, he celebrated his 20th anniversary as a recording artist with Twenty. The Stevie Wonder tribute album, MelloWonder: Songs in the Key of Stevie, appeared in 2015. In 2016, Baldwin explored his love of bossa nova and the compositions of Brazilian artists like Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, and Sergio Mendes with The Brazilian-American Soundtrack. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/music-with-a-message/id1305503937

Music With a Message

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