Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Quincy Jones & Band - I Dig Dancers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:58
Size: 75.5 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Contemporary jazz
Year: 1960/2010
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. Pleasingly Plump
[6:20] 2. G'wan Train
[2:47] 3. Moonglow
[3:39] 4. Tone Poem
[2:29] 5. You Turned The Tables On Me
[2:40] 6. Chinese Checkers
[3:10] 7. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:31] 8. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
[2:30] 9. Trouble On My Mind
[2:32] 10. A Sunday Kind Of Love

Original issue of this 1960 album from composer, arranger, producer and Jazz icon Quincy Jones. On I Dig Dancers, Jones doesn't abandon his Jazz direction: her merely steps up the beat and offers a platter of danceable grooves that are infectious and instantly identifiable as delicious Quincy classics. His band on the album includes Benny Bailey, Freddie Hubbard, Melba Liston, Curtis Fuller, Jerome Richardson, Oliver Nelson, Sahib Shihab, Patti Brown and Les Spann.

I Dig Dancers mc
I Dig Dancers zippy

Jan Harbeck Quartet - In The Still Of The Night

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:14
Size: 160.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 8:06] 1. If I Should Lose You
[10:03] 2. La Rosita
[ 4:51] 3. Someday You'll Be Sorry
[ 9:41] 4. In The Still Of The Night
[ 8:18] 5. Come Sunday
[ 6:08] 6. Petite Fleur
[ 5:06] 7. After You've Gone
[ 5:13] 8. Poinciana/Song Of The Tree
[ 5:44] 9. Django
[ 7:01] 10. Bye Bye Blues

Not every European jazz saxophonist is immersed in trying to be the latest cutting-edge innovator. Jan Harbeck has played a wide range of material on the Danish jazz scene, but his debut as a leader is a striking, old-fashioned quartet session -- dominated by songs from the Great American Songbook and top American jazz composers -- with the support of an excellent rhythm section, including pianist Henrik Gunde, bassist Eske Nørrelykke, and drummer Kresten Osgood. One can hear elements of several greats in the tenor saxophonist's playing, though he never results to pure copying of any one man's style. "If I Should Lose You" is a suitably lush opener, with a brief rapid-fire run suggestive of Duke Ellington's explosive soloist Paul Gonsalves, while his reverent treatment of Ellington's "Come Sunday" would have likely impressed its composer. Harbeck also delights in early, now infrequently performed songs like "Someday You'll Be Sorry," "Petite Fleur," and "Bye-Bye Blues," finding plenty of life left in these old chestnuts. While there is no new ground broken on this warm debut disc, Jan Harbeck has done a fine job interpreting these familiar standards. ~Ken Dryden

In The Still Of The Night mc
In The Still Of The Night zippy

Gladys Knight - At Last

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:39
Size: 129.7 MB
Styles: Soul, Urban
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:27] 1. Do You Really Want To Know (What Makes Me Fall In Love)
[3:56] 2. If I Were Your Woman Ii
[5:03] 3. I Said You Lied
[5:14] 4. Grandma's Hands
[4:31] 5. Love Hurts
[4:17] 6. I Wanna Be Loved
[4:26] 7. Greatest Love Of All
[3:47] 8. Better Love Next Time
[3:38] 9. Please Help Me I'm Falling (In Love With You)
[5:00] 10. Something Blue
[3:40] 11. Just Take Me
[4:44] 12. Rose Bouquet
[4:51] 13. That's Why They Call It Love

At Last, Gladys Knight's first studio album since 1995, offers a much-welcomed return by the gifted vocalist who easily adapts to contemporary music without compromising her signature sweet tones. The 13 tracks featured on At Last are a blend of mid-tempo R&B fare and ballads. Because Knight seamlessly incorporates a 2001 music sensibility to this recording, At Last can comfortably sit alongside works by Destiny's Child, Toni Braxton, Faith Evans, and other younger musical counterparts. Single releases from this album will be right at home on R&B and urban radio stations. Being out of the studio for six years has had no effect on Knight, as she is in top form. Her voice is rich, soulful, and silky as she grooves on such tracks as "If I Were Your Woman II" and "Greatest Love of All." "Grandma's Hands" takes a more soulful, gospel-like turn, with words reminiscent of Southern ragtime blues. References to fried bacon, Sunday morning, and church imagine a Southern lifestyle deeply rooted in family and religion. "Love Hurts" sees Knight's voice full of emotion as she offers a nurturing and sage perspective on matters of the heart. Actor Jamie Foxx takes a turn on the mic with Knight on "I Wanna Be Loved." It's the album's one mildly uncomfortable moment because Foxx lacks the power and presence to hold his own alongside Knight. His voice just disappears on this duet. At Last marks a refreshing return by Gladys Knight, who doesn't miss a beat. ~Liana Jonas

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Stella Starlight Trio - The Best So Far...

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:31
Size: 81.3 MB
Styles: Pop, Lounge
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:37] 1. Don't You Want Me
[3:13] 2. Tainted Love
[2:44] 3. Can't Buy Me Love
[3:12] 4. Don't You (Forget About Me)
[2:43] 5. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
[4:42] 6. Time
[4:44] 7. New Year's Day
[3:22] 8. My Sweet Lord
[3:37] 9. Black Hole Sun
[3:33] 10. Tainted Love

Stella by Starlight is an American electropop band, formed in 2006 in Durham, North Carolina. As of 2012, the band is composed of Nathan Fowler (songwriting, production, synths, and vocals) Stella by Starlight has collaborated with Mike Posner and Eric Holljes (guitar, songwriting, and additional vocals). The band won mtvU's 2007 Woodie Award for Best Music on Campus.[1] Fowler is a 2008 graduate of Duke University. Past performers include Katie Peterson, Chris Prolowski, Steve Wilson, Sonny Byrd, Greg Laird, and Shuhei Yamamoto.

Stella by Starlight is currently based out of Los Angeles, California, and has played with OK Go, Mutemath, Paper Route, 3OH!3, Innerpartysystem, Jason Mraz, Common, Ke$ha and The Anix.

The Best So Far... mc
The Best So Far... zippy

Mel Carter - The Other Standards

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:54
Size: 93.7 MB
Styles: Jazz/Pop vocals
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Goody Goody
[3:23] 2. I'm Just Your Fool
[2:54] 3. Everything I Have Is Yours
[2:50] 4. A Tear Fell
[4:13] 5. Cry Me A River
[3:23] 6. Honeysuckle Rose Everybody Loves My Baby
[3:07] 7. I Wonder Where My Love Has Gone
[2:35] 8. Crying In The Chapel
[3:59] 9. I Only Know
[3:17] 10. My Lips Can't Find The Lyrics
[5:32] 11. Haunted Heart I Never Had A Chance
[2:49] 12. Sometimes I'm Happy

Anyone who enjoyed those great singers in the amazing musical sixties, Mel Carter stands out as one of the greatest from this tremendous musical era filled with uniquely talented singers, thrilling memorable hits like "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", "The Richest Man Alive" and many others stood out with engrossing beautifully shaded & richly soaring vocals from the great singer whose success would have continued had radio continued building on talent instead of flavor of the day, but such is life and current sad state of Music Industy show the result. "The Other Standards" is a brilliant set of great songs arranged to perfection showing Mel Carter has retained that sublime magical voice, holding his own as a singer with a timeless quality, putting him high on the list of great singers over the past fifty years and counting. Big-band treatment of opener "Goody, Goody" is off the chart great, throughout Mel is magnificent doing a mix of blues, ballads and standards in peak passionate form making this collection a must-have for every "great singer" collection! Surprise of the collection is wondrous self-penned jam "My Lips Can't Find The Lyrics" taking listener on an extraordinary rhythmic ride with a great singer...Bravo Mel, this one should become a New Standard! ~Bradly briggs

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Willie Mitchell - The Best Of Willie Mitchell

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 105.0 MB
Styles: Memphis soul
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:18] 1. Soul Serenade
[2:12] 2. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
[2:17] 3. Mercy Mercy Mercy
[2:22] 4. Bum Daddy
[2:25] 5. Barefootin'
[2:09] 6. Have You Ever Had The Blues
[2:23] 7. Grazing In The Grass
[2:18] 8. Strawberry Soul
[2:50] 9. Misty
[2:08] 10. Buster Browne
[2:10] 11. 20-75
[2:15] 12. Sunrise Serenade
[2:20] 13. Searching For My Love
[2:27] 14. The Horse
[2:09] 15. Woodchopper's Ball
[1:56] 16. Slippin' & Slidin
[2:27] 17. Bad Eye
[2:24] 18. Everything Is Gonna Be Alright
[2:07] 19. That Driving Beat
[2:04] 20. The Crawl

Before Willie Mitchell became the architect of Al Green's classic '70s sound, he was a Memphis trumpeter and bandleader purveying instrumental dance-party soul that sounded like what Booker T. and the MGs might have been doing had they possessed a horn section. This CD collects 20 tracks that posit Mitchell as a more than worthy peer of those Stax Records titans and a direct link to the even leaner funk of the Meters. If those outfits make your rump shake, you'll have trouble resisting the likes of "20-75," "Bum Daddy." Not that there's any reason you should. --Rickey Wright

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Slim Gaillard - Sabros! Here's Smorgasbord!

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:50
Size: 177,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)1.Opera in Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)Part 1-2
(3:09) 2. Opera in Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)Part 3
(3:48) 3. Opera in Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)Part 4
(2:40) 4. Momma's in the Kitchen But We've Get 'Pop' on Ice
(2:21)  5. Down by the Station
(2:31)  6. Communications
(2:19)  7. Serenade to a Poodle
(2:55)  8. Laughin' in Rhythm
(2:08)  9. Soony-Rroony
(2:28) 10. Oh, Lady Be Good
(2:29) 11. Sabroso
(3:33) 12. Babalu
(2:33) 13. Yo Yo Yo
(2:54) 14. For You
(2:32) 15. Vip Roc Heresy
(2:44) 16. The Hip Cowboy
(2:29) 17. Chicken Rhythm
(2:20) 18. St. Louis Blues
(2:34) 19. I Know What to Do
(2:28) 20. Taxpayers Blues
(2:30) 21. Eatin' with Boogie
(2:35) 22. I Only Have Eyes for You
(2:29) 23. As You Are
(2:39) 24. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(3:06) 25. Potato Chips
(2:38) 26. I'm in the Mood for Love
(2:22) 27. Mishugana Mambo
(2:31) 28. Gomen-Nasai (Forgive Me)

One of the most eccentric vocalists ever to hit the jazz scene, Slim Gaillard became a legendary cult figure thanks to his own privately invented jive dialect "vout," a variation on hipster slang composed of imaginary nonsense words ("oreenie" and "oroonie" being two other examples). Gaillard's comic performances, laid-back cool, and supremely silly songs made him a popular entertainer from the late '30s to the early '50s, especially on the West Coast, and several of his compositions became genuine hits, including "Flat Foot Floogie" and "Cement Mixer." Versatility was not Gaillard's stock-in-trade, but he was highly effective at what he did, and his musical ability as a singer, Charlie Christian-style guitarist, and boogie-woogie pianist was perhaps a bit overlooked in comparison to the novelty value of his music. Slim was born Bulee Gaillard, most likely on January 4, 1916 in Detroit, MI; some sources list his birth date as January 1, and Gaillard sometimes claimed to have been born in Santa Clara, Cuba, instead of Detroit. His father worked as a steward on a cruise liner, and sometimes brought young Slim along, once accidentally leaving him behind on the island of Crete. 

Gaillard was mostly raised in Detroit, though, where he tried his hand at professional boxing, worked as a mortician, and ran bootleg rum for the Purple Gang during the '30s. He also developed an act in which he played guitar and tap danced simultaneously, and eventually moved to New York to work the vaudeville circuit. In 1936, he teamed up with bassist Slam Stewart as Slim & Slam, and two years later they scored a substantial hit with "Flat Foot Floogie," which was quickly covered by the likes of Benny Goodman and Fats Waller in the wake of the original recording's success. Gaillard and Stewart kept cutting songs in a similar vein, including "Tutti Frutti" and "Laughin' in Rhythm," and eventually took their act to Hollywood, where they appeared in the 1941 film Hellzapoppin. Their partnership continued on through 1942, when World War II interrupted; both served in the military, Gaillard in the Air Force.  Upon exiting the service in 1944, Gaillard settled in Los Angeles and took up residency at Billy Berg's Hollywood Boulevard club, a hot spot for stars of the era. Now in tandem with bassist Bam Brown, Gaillard became a top draw and a hip name to drop; his 1945 hit "Cement Mixer" returned him to national prominence, and he recorded frequently that year, often with a quartet featuring Brown, pianist Dodo Marmarosa, and drummer Zutty Singleton. He also cut a session with bop greats Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in late 1945, the most notable result of which was "Slim's Jam." The latter half of the '40s saw Gaillard's popularity at its peak; he appeared in several films and recorded for Verve up through 1951. He had further hits with 1948's "Down by the Station," which became a popular children's nursery rhyme, and 1951's "Yep Roc Heresay," a recitation of the menu from a Middle Eastern restaurant that one radio station banned for its "suggestiveness." 

He performed in New York frequently from 1951-1953, and also participated in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic in 1953; a few years later, he was name-checked in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. By the mid-'50s, Gaillard's popularity was on the wane. He spent much of the latter part of the decade on the road with Stan Kenton, and recorded for Dot in 1958. He took a hiatus from music in the '60s; he managed a motel in San Diego for a time, and bought an orchard near Tacoma, WA. He also played clubs and spent time in Los Angeles, where he drifted into acting toward the end of the decade, appearing on TV shows like Marcus Welby, M.D., Charlie's Angels, Mission Impossible, Medical Center, and Along Came Bronson. He reunited with Slam Stewart at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival, and in 1979 he appeared in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generation. In 1982, Dizzy Gillespie talked Gaillard into returning to music. He traveled to the U.K. and made his first recordings since 1958 for Hep, which issued them as the album Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere; he also hit the festival circuit and toured Europe extensively, making London his new home base in 1983. He appeared in the cult film Absolute Beginners in 1986, and was the subject of a multipart BBC special called The World of Slim Gaillard in 1989. Gaillard passed away on February 26, 1991, after a bout with cancer. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/slim-gaillard-mn0000750203/biography

Sabros! Here's Smorgasbord!

Helen Abbey - Second Time Around

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:56
Size: 103,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. The Lady Is A Tramp
(5:41)  2. I've Got You Under My Skin
(2:50)  3. The Second Time Around
(4:29)  4. Just The Two Us
(3:43)  5. Free Spirit
(4:05)  6. Come Fly With Me
(3:21)  7. Ain't Misbehavin'
(3:39)  8. Always Something There To Remind Me
(5:14)  9. That Old Devil Called Love
(2:42) 10. Twisted
(6:24) 11. Bewitched

Helen Abbey debut album Simply Me was well received and took her to the finals of the Sony Search For A New Jazz Star competition. Helen Abbey graduated from the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama with a Diploma in Performing Arts. She started her singing career with The Swing Sisters, an acapella group performing on the alternative cabaret scene, and The Seafood Mamas, a close harmony group with a regular slot at The Ritz Hotel. Motherhood beckoned and her musical career went on hold while she took time out to raise her three children. She cites jazz vocal masterclasses with Claire Martin, Sheila Jordan and Ian Shaw as being the catalysts for finding her voice again. And her recent success at Pizza on the Park, Knightsbridge confirms that she is now firmly back on the scene. After winning an award from the Arts Council England she teamed up with a group of fine British jazz musicians and brought in her songwriting partner Luigi Ferrara (who is also Italy's top jazz harmonica player). The result is her long awaited debut album. It delivers the best in a wide range of jazz styles mainstream standards, swing, ballads, and a sprinkling of original songs. The album is a true reflection of Helen's inimitable smooth style and is called, appropriately, “Simply Me”. United Kingdom  https://news.allaboutjazz.com/helen-abbey-long-awaited-follow-up-album-second-time-around.php

Second Time Around

LeeAnn Ledgerwood - Simple Truth

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 73:05
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:20)  1. Ryan's Gifts
( 4:56)  2. Pinnochio
( 7:02)  3. Chelsea Bridge
( 5:11)  4. Ballade For Bill Evans
( 4:03)  5. Mumma's Beautiful Heart
( 6:10)  6. Simple Truth
( 8:34)  7. Nardis
( 5:00)  8. Betrayal Of Daylight
( 6:57)  9. All Blues
(10:04) 10. Invitation
( 8:44) 11. Dolphin Dance

Catalyzed by her recovery from breast cancer, LeeAnn Ledgerwood revitalizes the piano-trio format on Simple Truth, her first SteepleChase disc since 2003’s Walkin’ Up. It interweaves originals such as the respectful homage “Ballade for Bill Evans” and the calm, commanding title cut with inspired takes on such modernist classics as Miles Davis’ “Nardis,” Wayne Shorter’s puckish, driving “Pinocchio” (use spell check, SteepleChase; you mangled this title) and Bronislau Kaper’s “Invitation,” served up sultry, leisurely and Latin. (Bassist Ron McClure lays down a lovely, darkling solo on that last number.) The tracks shift between the structured-a recasting of Davis’ “All Blues” is strikingly purposeful and architectural-and the more organic, like the stormy, lambent original “Betrayal of Daylight.” Ledgerwood’s approach is romantic and warm; leavening and animating it are the stately McClure and impressionistic drummer Nasheet Waits, a master of brush stroke and cymbal splash. Ledgerwood is not interested in impressing with technique and daring; hers is an artistry of nuance and emotional layering. Fittingly, the detail in these cleanly produced tracks, as she illustrates in building “Nardis” geometrically, solo, before bass and drums kick in, is the surprise and reward. The trio’s empathy is startling but expected: Ledgerwood has played with McClure since the early ’80s, and Waits (son of the late drummer Freddie Waits) fits in as if born to the group. Ledgerwood doesn’t set out to blaze trails. Her intent is to craft thoughtful, personal originals that build on and dovetail with a rich archival repertoire. To the pianist’s credit, she succeeds. Simple Truth is an appropriate and understated title for this modest, inviting album. ~ Carlo Wolff https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/leeann-ledgerwood-simple-truth/

Personnel:  LeeAnn Ledgerwood - piano;  Ron McClure - bass;  Nasheet Waits

Simple Truth

Si Zentner - Rhythm Plus Blues

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:38
Size: 80,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. Doggin' Around
(3:06)  2. Walkin'
(2:26)  3. What Am I Living For
(2:15)  4. Caldonia
(1:48)  5. Dad-Dad-Dup-Bup-Bup
(3:13)  6. Going To The River
(3:44)  7. Sweetie
(2:08)  8. Puddle Jumpin'
(2:44)  9. Trouble In Mind
(2:31) 10. Honeydripper
(2:56) 11. Blue Prelude
(2:49) 12. Simon Sez

While big bands seemed to be fading fast during the late '50s and early '60s, bandleader Si Zentner was one of the few to front a successful big band enjoying both critical and commercial acclaim. Born Simon H. Zentner on June 13, 1917 in New York City, the future bandleader picked up a violin at the age of four before switching over to trombone, and earned a music college scholarship. Originally studying to be a classical musician, Zentner became interested in more commercial styles of music after lending his skills to a recording session with composer/bandleader Andre Kostelanetz. Throughout the '40s, Zentner learned the tricks of the trade by playing in bands led by such notables as Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey. Zentner then relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked regularly as a studio musician and from 1949 through 1955, was on the MGM staff (working on such hit movies as Singing in the Rain and A Star Is Born). But Zentner's desire to front his own big band peaked at this time. Signing a recording contract with Liberty Records in 1959, Zentner assembled a large swing outfit, and toured steadily (he once claimed that his band played 178 consecutive one-night stands). While several popular releases came out around this time (1959's Thinking Man's Band, 1960s Suddenly It's Swing, 1963's Waltz in Jazz Time), Zentner's band won a staggering 13 straight Downbeat polls for 'Best Big Band,' as Zentner himself was recognized as 'Best Trombonist' in Playboy's Jazz Reader's Poll. Zentner's band scored their biggest hit in 1961, with a Bob Florence-arranged twist version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River," which managed to cross over into the Top 40 of the pop charts. Eventually however, the public's interest in big bands had dwindled to the point that even Zentner's fine band found it increasingly hard to attract a substantial audience on tour. Zentner landed back on his feet in 1965, when he moved to Las Vegas and opened the Tropicana Hotel's lounge, the Blue Room, accompanying Mel Tormé. Three years later, Zentner was named musical director for one of Las Vegas' longest-running floor shows, Folies Bergere. But once more, Zentner couldn't turn his back completely on taking a big band on the road, as he assembled another touring group. The '90s saw such new releases as Road Band, Country Blues, and Blue Eyes Plays Ol' Blue Eyes, but later in the decade, Zentner was diagnosed with leukemia. Admirably, Zentner kept performing up until six months prior to his passing, on January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas. ~ Greg Prato https://www.allmusic.com/artist/si-zentner-mn0000754514/biography

Rhythm Plus Blues