George Benson - Guitar Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:39
Size: 97.7 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[1:58] 1. Tenderly
[5:08] 2. I Want To Hold Your Hand
[4:06] 3. My Cherie Amour
[3:40] 4. Naima
[4:28] 5. Tequila
[2:43] 6. Don't Know Why
[4:27] 7. The Lady In My Life
[3:22] 8. My One And Only Love
[2:42] 9. Paper Moon
[3:23] 10. Danny Boy
[2:58] 11. Since I Fell For You
[3:39] 12. Fingerlero

2011 release from the Grammy-winning Jazz legend. The album includes a mix of Jazz and Pop standards - some in a combo setting and some solo, but all of them tied together seamlessly by Benson's soulful and exploratory signature sound. Lending a hand on this recording is a solid team made up of veterans and newcomers alike - pianist Joe Sample, keyboardist and musical director David Garfield, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Harvey Mason.

Guitar Man

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Tim Kliphuis Trio - The Grappelli Album

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:35
Size: 131.8 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:59] 1. Honeysuckle Rose
[4:40] 2. I Surrender Dear
[3:32] 3. Valse Du Passe
[4:39] 4. How High The Moon
[5:10] 5. La Chanson De Rue
[3:15] 6. Piccadilly
[3:03] 7. J’attendrai
[3:53] 8. Ou Es-Tu Mon Amour
[4:15] 9. Swing 39
[3:40] 10. Souvenir De Villingen
[4:37] 11. Hesitation
[4:23] 12. Shine
[4:33] 13. The Neamess Of You
[2:50] 14. Stompin’ At Decca

Award-winning violinist Tim Kliphuis (NL) is a legend in the Gypsy Jazz world through his work with The Rosenberg Trio, Fapy Lafertin and Angelo Debarre. He has performed at all the major Django festivals worldwide and is seen by many as the inheritor of Stéphane Grappelli’s crown. Tim and his Trio have toured from Canada to Russia, from Scotland to South Africa and their recent CD “The Grappelli Album” has received rave reviews.

Formed in 2007, the Trio celebrate 10 years on the road! Their electrifying performances and remarkable audience rapport have made Tim Kliphuis, Nigel Clark (guitar) and Roy Percy (double bass) firm favourites on the festival scene. The all-jazz programme “Celebrating Stéphane Grappelli” includes music from the Django Reinhardt days, Grappelli's years as a world-famous jazz star and five of his beautiful compositions, never played before on the international stage!

The Grappelli Album

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Clifford Brown - The Emarcy Master Takes (4-Disc Boxset)

Clifford Brown, the jazz trumpeter affectionately known as Brownie, partnered with drummer Max Roach in a memorable quintet in the mid-1950s. Over a few short years he quickly rose from astonishing prodigy to pioneering master -- a stunning trajectory cut short when Brownie died tragically at age 25 in 1956. His amazing story and the amazing music the quintet made takes front and center on Clifford Brown: The EmArcy Master Takes, a new limited edition four-CD set.

The EmArcy Master Takes includes the 49 master takes the Brown-Roach Quintet recorded for the EmArcy label, an 18-month collaboration that resulted in some of the most enduring jazz of all time. The tracks, which eventually made up the classic albums Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clifford Brown With Strings, Brown and Roach Incorporated, Study In Brown, Best Coast Jazz, and At Basin Street, as well as tracks featured on several posthumous releases, from Caravan to More Study In Brown and others, are presented in chronological order of recording. All tracks are newly remastered from original sources, many of them for the first time since their original CD reissue in the late 1980s.

Playing with Brown and Roach are regular members of their quintet -- Harold Land (tenor saxophone), Richie Powell (piano), George Morrow (bass), and Sonny Rollins, who replaced Land -- plus a slew of other star players, as well as a Los Angeles string section beautifully arranged and conducted by Neal Hefti. EmArcy's Bob Shad produced the sessions.

Album: The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:15
Size: 179.1 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2009

[8:03] 1. Delilah
[4:01] 2. Darn That Dream
[7:16] 3. Parisian Thoroughfare
[7:42] 4. Jordu
[6:39] 5. Sweet Clifford
[7:18] 6. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You
[6:23] 7. Stompin' At The Savoy
[7:36] 8. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[4:09] 9. I'll String Along With You
[6:49] 10. Joy Spring
[4:31] 11. Mildama
[3:39] 12. These Foolish Things
[4:01] 13. Daahoud

The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 1)

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Album: The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:40
Size: 168.6 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2009

[19:43] 1. Coronado
[17:12] 2. You Go To My Head
[15:09] 3. Caravan
[21:34] 4. Autumn In New York

The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 2)

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Album: The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 3)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:53
Size: 162.3 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2009

[3:24] 1. Portrait Of Jenny
[3:25] 2. What's New
[2:58] 3. Yesterdays
[3:27] 4. Where Or When
[3:43] 5. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
[3:14] 6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[3:26] 7. Laura
[3:32] 8. Memories Of You
[3:01] 9. Embraceable You
[3:14] 10. Blue Moon
[3:25] 11. Willow Weep For Me
[3:23] 12. Stardust
[2:54] 13. Gerkin For Perkin
[4:16] 14. Take The A Train
[4:54] 15. Lands End
[2:50] 16. Swingin'
[5:33] 17. George's Dilemma
[3:22] 18. Clifford Brown - If I Love Again
[6:44] 19. The Blues Walk

The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 3)

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Album: The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 4)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:25
Size: 152.1 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:07] 1. What Am I Here For
[5:41] 2. Cherokee
[5:09] 3. Jacqui
[4:53] 4. Sandu
[4:11] 5. Gertrude's Bounce
[3:33] 6. Step Lightly (Junior's Arrival)
[3:28] 7. Powell's Prances
[9:17] 8. I'll Remember April
[5:06] 9. Time
[6:06] 10. The Scene Is Clean
[3:56] 11. Flossie Lou
[7:36] 12. What Is This Thing Called Love
[4:15] 13. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

The Emarcy Master Takes (Disc 4)

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Jools Holland, Jose Feliciano - As You See Me Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:28
Size: 113.3 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock/Jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:27] 1. As You See Me Now
[4:36] 2. Treat Myself
[3:08] 3. Just To Be Home With You
[4:52] 4. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:06] 5. One More Drink
[3:15] 6. Midnight Special
[2:59] 7. Hit The Road Jack (Feat. Ruby Turner)
[3:37] 8. In My Life
[3:31] 9. Let's Find Each Other Tonight
[3:27] 10. You're So Cold (Feat. Rita Wilson)
[3:37] 11. Baby Can I Hold You
[3:58] 12. Believe Me When I Tell You
[2:58] 13. Feliz Navidad
[2:51] 14. Happy New Year

At first glance, Jools Holland and José Feliciano don't seem like an ideal match. Jools kept the boogie-woogie torch burning in the U.K., while Feliciano crossed over in the U.S. thanks to his blend of folk, flamenco, and easy listening. Look a little closer, and it's easy to see that the two share common ground in the middle of the road. Feliciano specialized in smooth, vaguely soulful MOR pop, Holland carved out a niche as an amiable TV host, so they both know how to please a crowd, and As You See Me Now is indeed a crowd-pleaser. Containing a bit of soul, a bit of folk, some jump blues and Beatles, plus a new ska version of "Feliz Navidad," As You See Me Now covers a lot of musical territory, but it feels cohesive because both Holland and Feliciano know not to push any particular sound too hard. Consequently, the record feels loose but measured, an album designed to do nothing more than entertain, and it does a good job at that. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

As You See Me Now

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René Marie - Vertigo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:55
Size: 153.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:18] 1. Them There Eyes
[6:25] 2. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
[4:54] 3. I'd Rather Talk About You
[5:15] 4. Don't Look At Me Like That
[6:38] 5. I Only Have Eyes For You
[4:01] 6. It's All Right With Me
[7:55] 7. Vertigo
[5:32] 8. Detour Ahead
[7:34] 9. Moonray
[6:22] 10. Blackbird
[6:58] 11. Dixie Strange Fruit

Bass – Robert Hurst (tracks: 1-7, 9-11); Bass Clarinet – Chris Potter (2) (tracks: 6); Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts (tracks: 1-4, 7, 9-11); Guitar – John Hart (tracks: 4,5); Percussion – Jeffrey Haynes (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 11); Piano – Mulgrew Miller (tracks: 2-14, 7-10); Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter (2) (tracks: 7, 9); Trumpet – Jeremy Pelt (tracks: 4, 10); Vocals – René Marie. Recorded on February 22 & 23, 2001 at Avatar Studios, New York

Rene Marie's second CD for MaxJazz is, for the most part, a very enjoyable CD. This extremely gifted singer has a very appealing voice and is a talented arranger as well. Her playful arrangement of "Them There Eyes," with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, is very refreshing, with some fine scat singing, too. Her unusually deliberate and rather sexy take of "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" adds pianist Mulgrew Miller and also has some fine scat singing, too. Her Latin chart for "I Only Have Eyes for You" proves catchy, with some tasty guitar playing from John Hart. "It's All Right With Me" is slowed to a snail's pace with Chris Potter's noodling bass clarinet and Hurst's brooding bass backing her powerful vocal. "Vertigo," another Marie original, is easily the most exciting piece on the session. The only occasion when she follows anything resembling an expected path is her lush treatment of the ballad "Detour Ahead" in a memorable duet with Miller. There are some weak spots. The original "Don't Look at Me Like That" is monotonous filler; while the Beatles' "Blackbird" is drastically rewritten with a tedious vamp that gives the song a somewhat ominous sound, but it grows tiresome quickly. The medley of "Dixie" (a song reviled by most African-Americans) and "Strange Fruit" (with its dramatic description of lynching) invites controversy. She sings "Dixie" a cappella with a possible touch of sarcasm, then the band is added for the shift into the piece that was first put on the map by Billie Holiday, introduced with almost a funeral march-like cadence. Somehow Rene Marie's lovely voice seems inappropriate for this song, as she doesn't reflect the anguish of its lyrics very consistently. Even with these reservations, this is a highly recommended CD. ~Ken Dryden

Vertigo

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Xavier Davis Trio - Innocence Of Youth

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:45
Size: 146.0 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[2:11] 1. The Message (Intro)
[3:39] 2. The Message
[6:48] 3. Milk With A Koolaid Chaser
[8:43] 4. Bell
[7:28] 5. Untamed Land
[6:58] 6. Tall Struttin'
[5:52] 7. Milestones
[9:19] 8. Amy's Presence
[6:56] 9. The Day Will Come
[5:49] 10. Innocence Of Youth

Xavier Davis (p), Brandon Owens (b), E.J. Strickland (d).

"Innocence of Youth" is a deeply personal statement. The album, a dynamic, engaging trio recording that teams him with bassist Brandon Owens and drummer E.J. Strickland, fully demonstrates his remarkable artistry. Comprising seven originals along with a tune each by Harrell, Miles Davis and Xavier's younger brother, drummer-composer Quincy Davis, this album spans the range of modern jazz from post-bop to open playing and reveals how much Davis has developed since his last studio recording.

Innocence Of Youth

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Donald Byrd - A New Perspective

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:59
Size: 94,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:22)  1. Elijah
(10:08)  2. Beast of Burden
( 5:43)  3. Cristo Redentor
( 8:14)  4. The Black Disciple
( 7:30)  5. Chant

With his flair for innovation, Donald Byrd, in late 1963, put together a septet that was recorded with the Coleridge Perkinson Choir providing a capella Gospel support. Duke Pearson provided arrangements which carefully weave eight wordless voices in and out of the septet's blues-derived compositions. Byrd's father was a Methodist minister, so the trumpeter worked with Pearson at, as Byrd states in the liner notes, "approaching this tradition with respect and great pleasure." The recording, which was reissued on CD in 1988, is one of the first to be acknowledged in this manner. Besides Byrd and a 23-year-old Herbie Hancock, this session includes saxophonist Hank Mobley, vibraphonist Donald Best, guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Lex Humphries. Frequently making use of a trumpet, tenor sax and vibes unison doubling, "Elijah" is an up-tempo number that features, among other things, some interesting and exciting piano work from Hancock. The slow, bluesy "Beast Of Burden" uses an interesting piano fill for the deliberate and soulful wordless vocals; alternately, the voices and vibes fill behind Byrd's trumpet solo in like manner. "The Black Disciple" features both Burrell and Hancock stretching out with stellar performances, and Mobley's tenor solo offers a fine example of his full tone and fluid technique. Pearson's compositions "Chant" and "Cristo Redentor" are perhaps the best remembered of the session, featuring Byrd's bold, clear, and deliberate trumpet melodies with the voices and piano adding a touch that showed the jazz world one more possibility among the many in improvised music. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-new-perspective-donald-byrd-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php?width=1920

Personnel:  Donald Byrd – trumpet;  Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone;  Herbie Hancock – piano;  Kenny Burrell – guitar;  Donald Best – vibraphone, vocals;  Butch Warren – bass;  Lex Humphries – drums;  Duke Pearson – arranger

A New Perspective

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Katie Melua - In Winter

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:27
Size: 82,3 MB
Art: Front

(1:46)  1. The Little Swallow
(3:25)  2. River
(4:24)  3. Perfect World
(1:43)  4. Cradle Song
(3:31)  5. A Time To Buy
(4:07)  6. Plane Song
(3:43)  7. If You Are So Beautiful
(4:05)  8. Dreams On Fire
(4:15)  9. All-Night Vigil - Nunc Dimittis
(4:23) 10. O Holy Night

A gorgeously rendered holiday-themed effort, In Winter finds singer/songwriter Katie Melua backed by the 25-member Gori Women's Choir. The album is Melua's seventh studio production and first since parting ways with longtime collaborator Mike Batt. Recorded in her native country of Georgia (Melua left with her parents at age nine), In Winter is a lushly produced, thoughtfully conceived album featuring arrangements by esteemed choral composer Bob Chilcott. An acclaimed institution, the Gori Women's Choir are famous for their haunting classical harmonies. They prove a superb match for Melua, who both sings along with the choir and frames herself against its angelic, delicately layered harmonies. Although the album is technically a holiday-themed work, it's not a cheery collection of yuletide favorites. Instead, Melua delivers a handful of ruminative and lyrical originals, many inspired by her memories of growing up in what was then the Soviet Union, as well as the complex and often heartbreaking history of Georgia's civil war. She also weaves in several well-curated covers, including poignant renditions of Joni Mitchell's "River," Sergey Rachmaninov's "All-Night Vigil-Nunc Dimittis," and the hymn "O Holy Night." Melua even finds room to sing in Ukrainian, opening the album with a magical rendition of the traditional song "The Little Swallow," whose melody is better recognized to Western audiences as "The Carol of the Bells." These are warmly arranged, beautifully executed recordings that capture the stark, introspective beauty of a rural Eastern Europe in winter. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-winter-mw0002979418               

In Winter

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Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - The Offense of the Drum

Styles: Latin Jazz, Big Band, Afro-Cuban Jazz 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:23
Size: 168,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:13)  1. Cuarto de Colores
( 7:27)  2. They Came
( 9:46)  3. On the Corner of Malecon and B
( 6:56)  4. Mercado en Domingo
( 6:28)  5. Gnossienne 3 (Tientos)
( 8:26)  6. The Mad Hatter
(11:40)  7. The Offense of the Drum
( 6:22)  8. Alma Vacia
( 7:02)  9. Iko Iko

The Offense Of The Drum may be the least cohesive record in Arturo O'Farrill's discography, but that's largely by design. Here, O'Farrill firmly adheres to his stated "artistic vision" "to bend what the world knows as Afro Latin jazz over the acoustic horizon" better than anywhere else in his discography. Guests galore and a belief in Afro Latin camaraderie help him realize that goal, resulting in the most intriguing and expansive offering that he's ever released. In some ways this album is simply a documentation of O'Farrill's work at New York's Symphony Space. It was there that he broke new ground with pianist Vijay Iyer, DJ Logic, Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda, spoken word artist Christopher "Chilo" Cajigas, saxophonist Donald Harrison, and percussionist Samuel Torres. The relationship between each of those artists and O'Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra is spotlighted on this album. "Cuarto De Colores" the title track of Castaneda's debut album is fleshed out to good effect, thanks in large part to the pen of Torres; DJ Logic and the band lay the groundwork for Cajigas' Puerto Rican pride preaching on "They Came"; Iyer simultaneously toys with the concepts of stasis and development on his ode to O'Farrill "The Mad Hatter"; and a straight line is drawn from NOLA to Cuba when Harrison shows up for "Iko Iko." Each of those pieces stand apart from the others in many respects, yet they stand in solidarity as firm examples of the evolving definition of Afro Latin jazz.

Some of the other numbers walk a relatively straight path from start to finish; "Alma Vacia," a sizzling salsa number from Miguel Blanco, and "Mercado En Domingo," a modern twist on Colombian porro music, both fall into this category. The most eye-opening works, however, are more collage-like in nature. "On The Corner Of Malecon And Bourbon," with its start-and-stop look at soloists and follow-the-lines-of-history stylistic transformation(s), and the title track, with a mushrooming fugue-ish introduction, shifting tides and percussion breaks, prove to be the most ambitious offerings. O'Farrill has never been content to simply accept any stylistic definition in a neat little box. He understands that history and imagination, working hand in hand, can have a limitless partnership. This album goes a long way in proving that point. It's a work of visionary brilliance.~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-offense-of-the-drum-arturo-ofarrill-and-the-afro-latin-jazz-orchestra-motema-music-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Arturo O'Farrill: piano; Ivan Renta: tenor saxophone; Peter Brainin: tenor saxophone; Bobby Porcelli: alto saxophone; David DeJesus:alto saxophone; Jason Marshall: baritone saxophone; Seneca Black: trumpet; Jim Seeley: trumpet; John Bailey: trumpet; Jonathan Powell: trumpet; Tokunori Kajiwara: trombone; Rafi Malkiel: trombone, euphonium; Frank Cohen: trombone; Earl McIntyre: bass trombone, tuba; Gregg August: bass; Vince Cherico: drums; Roland Guerrero: congas; Joe Gonzalez: bongos, bell; Pablo O Bilbraut: percussion (8); Miguel Blanco: conductor (5, 8); Christopher "Chilo" Cajigas: spoken word (2); Edmar Castaneda: harp (1); Ayanda Clarke: djembe (7); DJ Logic: turntables (2); Jonathan Gomez: percussion (4); Nestor Gomez: percussion (4); Donald Harrison: vocals (9), alto saxophone (9); Vijay Iyer: piano (6); Hiro Kurashima: taiko drum (7); Chad Lefkowitz-Brown: tenor saxophone (7); Jason Lindner: conductor (2); Antonio Lizana: vocals (5), alto saxophone (5); Pablo Mayor: conductor (4), maracas: (4); Uri Sharlin: accordion (5); Samuel Torres: conductor (1), cajon (1).

The Offense of the Drum

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Randy Porter (feat. Nancy King) - Porter Plays Porter

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Piano
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:01
Size: 96,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. I Concentrate On You
(3:55)  2. I Love You
(4:48)  3. Just One of Those Things
(4:30)  4. Inside Your Mind
(4:43)  5. All Of You
(5:04)  6. Why Can't You Behave
(3:52)  7. Night and Day
(4:07)  8. Get Out of Town
(5:36)  9. Every Time We Say Goodbye

Randy Porter's “Porter Plays Porter” wasn't merely a title of convenience. The quality of Cole Porter's wit, harmony, and mix of dark and light has been part of Randy Porter's vernacular since his early musically formative years when at age 20, Randy was the pianist and musical director of “Cole!” The music, its beauty, irony, intelligence and poignancy has remained with him ever since. There is a resemblance of musical features that puts Randy and Cole on the same page, taking the same major to minor, pain and beauty that gives these musicians more than just a vehicle for improvisation. It's their muse and inspiration. Nancy King has been long considered the top of the elite jazz singers on the planet by followers and lovers of the vocal jazz tradition. Her immense innate musical abilities including phrasing, musical awareness, flexibility and depth of experience through the music of Cole Porter, in the company of Randy Porter, John Wiitala and Todd Strait on a cold Portland day came together in a surreptitious way that just one of those things meant to happen can. - Steve Christofferson https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/randyporter22

Porter Plays Porter

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