Sammy Rimington - Visits New Orleans

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:36
Size: 138.8 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. Smile, Darn You, Smile
[4:41] 2. In The Upper Garden
[3:51] 3. You Always Hurt The One You Love
[5:55] 4. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
[5:16] 5. Mazie
[4:13] 6. Burgundy Street Blues
[6:26] 7. Bugle Boy March
[4:29] 8. Far Away Blues
[4:30] 9. Red Wing
[4:28] 10. Over The Waves
[3:20] 11. Mobile Stomp
[7:43] 12. Sweet Georgia Brown

Title aside, British clarinetist Sammy Rimington has done much more than just visit New Orleans over the years: He has based his entire career on playing traditional New Orleans jazz, both with fellow Britons like Chris Barber and Ken Colyer, and with actual New Orleans musicians, including his major influences. The person who was visiting New Orleans in connection with this recording was Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz, who went there in April 2005 with filmmakers Maureen Gosling and Chris Simon for a documentary they were making about Arhoolie. Gosling and Simon wanted to see Strachwitz do what he had spent his career doing, recording his favorite musicians.

Movies can take a long time to edit and find distributors, however, and Strachwitz has opted not to wait for the eventual soundtrack album, instead releasing the results of his trip here and on A New Orleans Visit-Before Katrina. Rimington is heard in three contexts, with a group Strachwitz has dubbed his Hot Six at the Palm Court, a restaurant; with Michael and David Doucet, Lionel Batiste and Lars Edegran, in a private home; and with the Tremè Brass Band during a street parade. The sound has the quality of a field recording, but that only makes the performances more impressive. The Hot Six is especially lively on such selections as the opener, “Smile, Darn You, Smile,” but the Tremè Brass Band also devotes nearly eight raucous minutes to “Sweet Georgia Brown.” The album is a testament to the importance of New Orleans, before and after Katrina. ~William Ruhlmann

Visits New Orleans mc
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Bob Reynolds - Guitar Band

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:56
Size: 162.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[ 6:39] 1. Unlucky
[10:24] 2. Blues For Charlie
[15:52] 3. Crush
[12:13] 4. Mulholland
[12:39] 5. Down South
[13:06] 6. Can't Wait For Perfect

Bob Reynolds — tenor saxophone; Nir Felder — electric guitar; Mark Lettieri — electric guitar; Kaveh Rastegar — electric bass guitar; Robert “Sput” Searight — drums. Recorded live at The Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA, on January 21, 2016.

This record happened by accident.

I had a night booked at The Blue Whale—a killer jazz club in Los Angeles—but hadn’t yet selected a band. While touring with Snarky Puppy, I got talking with Mark and Sput about NAMM (a music convention held each January, south of Los Angeles). They were both going to be in town for it so I asked them to join me at the Whale. Then I asked Kaveh (bassist in Kneebody, among other bands). We'd performed together recently and I was looking for an excuse to play again. Then I found out Nir (who I'd been playing with for awhile) was going to be in town from New York. Perfect! This was my chance to experiment with a two-guitar band.

Ever since playing in John Mayer’s band, I’d wanted to lead a guitar-based group. John had three guitarists (including himself) in his touring band. This meant a lush cushion of guitar-y goodness enveloped every solo I played. Imagine the best mattress and pillow combination you’ve ever experienced. It feels like that. But of course, it’s not just the guitar. It’s the player.

Excited by the idea of this group, I decided to borrow a page from the Snarky Puppy playbook and film it. There was one catch: we had no time to rehearse, and barely a sound check. I’d played with each of these guys in different scenarios, but never as a unit. So we set up in a circle, surrounded by an audience and five cameras, and played these tunes together for the first time. No pressure! I thought we might get two or three good videos out of it. We got more. Alex Chaloff and his team captured not only gorgeous video but stunning audio. When I heard the result I realized this needed to be its own album. So here it is. Live. Raw. Filled with an energy that comes only from tight-rope walking in front of an audience. My younger self would hear only the “mistakes.” My current-age-self hears the magic. I hope you hear it, too. ~Bob Reynolds

Guitar Band mc
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Justin Hayward - Classic Blue

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:29
Size: 131.6 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. The Tracks Of My Tears
[7:11] 2. Macarthur Park
[2:26] 3. Blackbird
[4:48] 4. Vincent
[3:28] 5. God Only Knows
[3:49] 6. Bright Eyes
[4:23] 7. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
[4:14] 8. Scarborough Fair
[3:18] 9. Railway Hotel
[3:24] 10. Man Of The World
[5:10] 11. Forever Autumn
[4:16] 12. As Long As The Moon Can Shine
[7:39] 13. Stairway To Heaven

Here is where Justin's vocal talents are on showcase. No strong guitar or exceptional tune crafting present. He nails Simon & Garfunkel, Beatles, and Led Zep tunes adroitly and with ease. These renditions with MacArthur Park and other lesser known tunes shine through the talent and ability Justin has. A great, great piece of work for anyone looking to see someone who easily stands toe-to-toe with Sinatra, Bennett and others! ~Bill Chaffin

Classic Blue mc
Classic Blue zippy

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Cool Jazz Trio - Take 8

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:58
Size: 91.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[6:09] 1. Beautiful Love
[3:24] 2. Emily
[4:59] 3. I Should Care
[5:20] 4. For Heaven's Sake
[6:06] 5. I'm Old Fashioned
[3:14] 6. Here's That Rainy Day
[4:45] 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:58] 8. Prelude To A Kiss

Claudio Chiara (sax alto); Moreno D'Onofrio (chitarra); Luciano Milanese (contrabbasso).

COOL JAZZ TRIO A band named after one the most important and fertile period of jazz, with an appropriate repertorie, marks a specific aesthetic direction. It means above all belief, since the beginning, in a world maybe forgotten but rich in truth and beauty, emotions and poetry. “Cool” here means intimate, fresh and colloquial, rather than an aseptic recall to typical atmospheres such as Lennie Tristano’s o Gil Evan’s and Miles Davis’ ones. Unfortunately, these are qualities musicians shows less and less, not only in Italy.

Well, these three musicians gcing each other their han turn all this features into their own artistic belief all along. certainly not for revival cultural acquiescence but to obey to an intrinsic philosophy, an urgency which can be expressed just this way.

Take 8 mc
Take 8 zippy

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Bill Meyers - The Color Of Truth

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:32
Size: 94,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Style
(4:26)  2. Color of the Truth
(5:23)  3. I'm Still Standing
(2:33)  4. Sounds of Rhythm
(4:28)  5. Perfect Crime
(3:23)  6. Fanfare
(4:29)  7. Just Say the Word
(4:12)  8. Say What You Mean
(4:34)  9. Halfway There
(2:50) 10. From a Distance

For a label purporting to be a contemporary jazz outfit, it's curious that Agenda's first two releases were pop/vocal albums (the first was David Lasley's fine Soldiers on the Moon). Perhaps keyboardist/arranger Meyers, who can sing but not exceptionally well (à la David Foster), should've focused on instrumentals since the perky "Fanfare" and the pretty, new age closing piece "From a Distance" are the most likable tunes here. As a pop tunesmith, Meyers is on the average side, much more provocative lyrically than memorable musically, and his voice is no match for his keyboard expertise. Still, the album does have its moments. "Just Say the Word" is a potential soft rock hit and "The Sounds of Rhythm" shows some imagination. Meyers also has some good backing players on hand, most notably Brandon Fields, Mike Landau, Jeff Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta, and onetime Styx guitarist Glen Burtnik. Meyers, who has played with and arranged for Earth, Wind & Fire and Madonna, seems to fancy himself a pop artist, but this platter makes it clear that he should be satisfied being a great musician. ~ Jonatham Widran https://www.allmusic.com/album/color-of-the-truth-mw0000316081

Personnel: Bill Meyers (piano, keyboards, synthesizer).

The Color Of Truth

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Ben Wendel - What We Bring

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:29
Size: 120,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Amian
(4:31)  2. Fall
(5:17)  3. Spring
(4:55)  4. Doubt
(6:23)  5. Song Song
(6:43)  6. Soli
(5:50)  7. Austin
(6:39)  8. Solar

Ben Wendel can be considered the kind face of the Kneebody -band high-voltage adrenaline which is a founding member-feature that highlights mainly in his work as a leader. This is also the case of thisWhat We Bringalbum in which he makes use of the talent of Gerald Clayton , pianist who embodies the large group of musicians anchored to the straight ahead tradition and committed to refreshing it with the ferments of contemporaneity. What We Bring says Wendel in the cover notes is a work dedicated to teachers of the past and current musicians who have influenced not only musically. But we do not find in it any trace of nostalgia or commemorative rhetoric only a good dose of affection and a strong personality. As it happens in the initial "Amian." The references to the coltraniana "Naima" suggest nothing of the incipit, then the song stands out for other shores, on the wings of one of the leader full of pathos and essential, sweet without fuss, the original mood recreated to perfection but pulsating own life. And so, song after song, Wendel offers his personal perspective of jazz that has been and of jazz that will be, without clamor or revolutions, with the brilliance and good taste that distinguish it, as highlighted by the "Solar," perfect davisiana conclusion for a class album.~ Vicenzo Roggero https://www.allaboutjazz.com/what-we-bring-ben-wendel-motema-music-review-by-vincenzo-roggero.php

Personnel: Ben Wendel: sax (tenor), bassoon; Gerald Clayton: piano; Joe Sanders: double bass; Henry Cole: battery; Nate Wood: percussion.

What We Bring

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Dion - Kickin Child: The Lost Album 1965

Styles: Vocal, R&B

Year: 2017

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:00

Size: 103,0 MB

Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Kickin' Child

(2:42)  2. Now

(2:10)  3. My Love

(2:54)  4. I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound

(3:15)  5. Wake Up Baby

(2:46)  6. Time in My Heart for You

(2:48)  7. Tomorrow Won't Bring the Rain

(2:40)  8. Baby, I'm in the Mood for You

(2:54)  9. Two Ton Feather

(2:57) 10. Knowing I Won't Go Back There

(3:29) 11. Farewell

(3:33) 12. All I Want to Do Is Live Life

(2:25) 13. You Move Me Babe

(3:34) 14. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

(2:43) 15. So Much Younger

As much of a pleasure it is to hear Dion DiMucci's voice throughout Kickin' Child and it is a great pleasure indeed even if you never traversed the path from "Runaround Sue" to "Abraham Martin & John" there's no denying the all too obvious sources of the music. Even the cover photo hearkens to Bob Dylan's Freewheelin' (Columbia, 1963) career phase, wherein he first experimented with the accompaniment of an electric band. And the transparently imitative nature of the recordings should hardly come as a surprise, since this record, subtitled The Lost Album 1965 , is part of a continuum including previous archive releases Bronx in Blue (SPV, 2006) and Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings 1962-1965 (Legacy, 1991). The overseer of all but three cuts here, Tom Wilson is the same producer who, without the knowledge of the artist, overdubbed electric guitars and a rhythm section on the otherwise acoustic arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence," thus turning it into a hit comparable to other folk-rock pinnacles of the times, including The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man," followups to which "Now" resembles more than a little too readily. There are even more obvious precedents outside DiMucci's early oeuvre. For instance, his self-conscious vocal phrasing on "Kickin' Child," is an overt emulation of Bob Dylan in his transition from the socially-conscious folk troubadour to the freewheeling visionary that wrote "Mr Tambourine Man." "My Love" sounds like DiMucci was trying a re-write of "Love Minus Zero No Limit" and if he wasn't trying to telegraph his sources on the final track, "So Much Younger," he wouldn't have preceded that tune with Dylan's own "It's All Over Now Baby Blue," and thus drawn so direct a line to the latter's "My Back Pages." Dion cannot conjure the same gleeful abandon as the author on "Baby I'm In the Mood For You" and he strains for the off-kilter, humorous of "Subterranean Homesick Blues:" with "Two Ton Feather:" abstraction is not DiMucci's strong point. Nor is he inspiring the musicians accompanying him here. This ever-so-careful reading of Tom Paxton's "I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" suits the by-the-numbers compositional style: it's played in as rote a fashion as it's written. Meanwhile, the DiMucci original "Knowing I Won't Go Back There" is somewhat spirited in the accompaniment from the Wanderers-guitarist Johnny Fabio, bassist Pete Fasciglia and drummer Carlo Mastrangelo-but studio savant Al Kooper appears with this complement of players to further replicate the sound of The Byrds of the time with "Now" (and the absence of twelve-string guitar doesn't camouflage the intent or the end result).

It should be noted too that Wilson is the man who shepherded Bob Dylan through many of his studio sessions during this era, so it should come as even less surprise-Dion reportedly having been introduced to the blues by The Bard's other mentor, Columbia Records' John Hammond-that so much of the work here is purely derivative of Dylan, even apart from the direct covers of "Farewell," among others. The imitative transparency that permeates Kickin' Child is that of a musician, usually a fledgling artist in the process of cutting his/her teeth on roots as a means to discover a distinctive personal voice. Dion DiMucci's had already established such a singular voice by this time, based on his tremendous commercial success in the late fifties and early Sixties and it is to his credit that, apparently introduced to the blues by Columbia Records executive John Hammond, he was earnestly moved to pursue a different artistic direction. In his thorough liner notes Scott Kempner suggests, perhaps unintentionally, that the intent of this collaboration wasn't purely artistic, but an equally mercenary means to revive a career. And yet, apart from those cuts, if it were not for preconceptions based on DiMucci's previously established image, this work might well have been better received at the time, even if it sounds ever so calculated now: therein, no doubt, lies the reason that it was never released under the Columbia Records aegis and now comes out on the niche/specialty label Norton. All that said, any musiclover who dotes on this particular style from the mid-Sixties is bound to relish Kickin' Child -The Lost Album 1965 , simultaneously savoring Dion's fulsome, effortless singing as a major component of that pleasurable sensation. ~ Doug Collette https://www.allaboutjazz.com/kickin-child-the-lost-album-1965-dion-dimucci-norton-records-review-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Dion DiMucci: guitar, vocals; Johnny Falbo: guitar; Pete Fasciglia: bass; Al Kooper: keyboards; Carlo Mastrangelo: drums.

Kickin Child: Lost Columbia Album 1965

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The Nashville All-Stars - After The Riot At Newport

Styles:Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:35
Size: 99,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:10)  1. Relaxin'
( 3:18)  2. Nashville To Newport
( 6:14)  3. Opus De Funk
( 4:36)  4. 's Wonderful
( 4:39)  5. 'round Midnight
( 3:37)  6. Frankie And Johnny
( 8:57)  7. Riot-Chorus

The Nashville All-Stars is a group of Nashville sessionmen, including pianist Floyd Cramer, saxophonist Boots Randolph, Gary Burton, Hank Garland, and Chet Atkins. Their debut, After the Riot in Newport, is a surprisingly jazzy effort, highllighted by some excellent leads by Atkins, yet it is a bit too down-home for jazzbos, and a bit too polished for country fans. Nevertheless, fans of pure musicianship will find plenty to treasure on the album. ~ Thom Owens https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-the-riot-at-newport-mw0000654918

Personnel: Chet Atkins, Hank Garland (guitar); Brenton Banks (violin, piano); Boots Randolph (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Floyd Cramer (piano); Gary Burton (vibraphone); Buddy Harman (drums).

After The Riot At Newport

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Laila Biali - Laila Biali

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:08
Size: 129,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:14)  1. Got to Love
(5:17)  2. We Go
(5:06)  3. Satellite
(4:42)  4. Yellow
(5:25)  5. Refugee
(4:35)  6. Dolores Angel
(4:54)  7. Queen of Hearts
(4:22)  8. Serenbe
(4:45)  9. Code Breaking
(3:37) 10. I Think It's Going to Rain Today
(5:21) 11. Wind
(4:45) 12. Let's Dance

The raven-haired musician has won awards (SOCAN Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year at Canada’s National Jazz Awards) and played the world’s most prestigious venues (North Sea Jazz Festival, Tokyo’s Cotton Club, Carnegie Hall). She’s toured with GRAMMY award winners (Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega) and recorded with an international icon (Sting). In short: She’s established herself as one of Canadian jazz’s brightest young stars. And now, almost two decades into a successful career, she’s ready for a change. “It’s been a long time coming,” Laila says of her upcoming self-titled album. “I’ve been playing music professionally for years but this album feels, in a way, like a new beginning.” Led by the funky single, “Got to Love,” LAILA BIALI is the culmination of everything the acclaimed singer-songwriter has achieved thus far. “Writing this album, I felt like a kid in a candy store, wanting to try everything,” Laila explains. “It took some time for me to find my voice as a songwriter, and I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself into any one particular genre.”

The end result is an eclectic-but-focused album that Laila describes as “fully representative.” “There are elements of improvisation, so the jazz is there,” she says. “There’s also an edgier songwriting persona that I think has always been there but took some time to hone in on.” Catchy, sophisticated, and unlike anything currently on the radio, it’s pop music, but not the kind that can be neatly tagged by an algorithm. Melodies take thrilling left turns and pre-choruses give way to instrumental interludes. One minute Biali is soaring over a bluesy storm of handclaps and hard-charging keyboard riffs (“Got to Love”), the next she is pouring out her soul on an impassioned, slow-burning plea for empathy (“Refugee.”) It’s pop music, but the experimental, distinctly human variety popularized by Regina Spektor, Rachael Yamagata, and Sara Bareilles. Balancing the competing impulses was a challenge, but the final outcome was worth it. “I’m more excited about this record than any other project of mine to date,” Laila declares. Fans should be too. http://lailabiali.com/bio/

Laila Biali

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Zoot Sims, Henri Renaud - Zoot Sims Avec Henri Renaud Et Son Orchestre

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:56
Size: 77.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Swing
Year: 1956/2002
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. Captain Jetter
[7:22] 2. Nuzzolese Blues
[4:18] 3. Everything I Love
[3:21] 4. Evening In Paris
[5:35] 5. On The Alamo
[3:23] 6. My Old Flame
[4:53] 7. Little Jon Special

Bass – Benoit Quersin; Drums – Charles Saudrais; Piano – Henri Renaud; Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims; Trumpet – Jon Eardley. Recorded in Paris, 15th & 16th March 1956.

Splendid japanese reissue of ultra rare french only jazz 10" LP from 1956 featuring Jon Eardley.

Zoot Sims Avec Henri Renaud Et Son Orchestre mc
Zoot Sims Avec Henri Renaud Et Son Orchestre zippy

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Bruce Barth Quartet - Where Eagles Fly

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:16
Size: 133.4 MB
Styles: Post bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 5:59] 1. Identity Crisis
[ 6:33] 2. San Francisco Holiday
[ 5:13] 3. Secret Name
[ 5:23] 4. Autum Leaves
[12:00] 5. Where Eagles Fly
[ 3:59] 6. For Mercedes
[ 7:19] 7. Transparency
[ 7:25] 8. 3 More Minors
[ 4:21] 9. You've Changed

Bass – Pat O'Leary; Drums – Adam Cruz; Piano – Bruce Barth; Soprano Saxophone – Sam Newsome. Recorded November 9,1998 At Moraleda Studios,Barcelona.

Bruce Barth, born September 7, 1958 in Pasadena, California, is a jazz pianist. He has played the piano since the age of five. Barth's career had included major work with ensembles, as well as solo work. He has recorded on the Enja, Fresh Sound, and MAXJAZZ labels.

Where Eagles Fly mc
Where Eagles Fly zippy

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Tom Harrell - Upswing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 71:02

Size: 162.6 MB

Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[ 8:57] 1. Upswing

[ 7:02] 2. Angela

[10:26] 3. Train Shuffle

[10:23] 4. Emergence

[ 7:34] 5. Time's Mirror

[ 6:36] 6. Blues Connotation

[10:55] 7. Procession

[ 9:04] 8. Tune-A-Tune

Alto Saxophone – Phil Woods; Bass – Peter Washington; Drums – Bill Goodwin; Piano – Danilo Perez; Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano; Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Composed By – Tom Harrell. Recorded June 11-12, 1993, in Queens NY.

An all-star frontline of Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, and Phil Woods head this impressive sextet record on the Chesky label. The writing on Upswing is inspired throughout, as is generally the case on Harrell's albums. The addition of a third horn allows Harrell to create colors in his arrangements that weren't possible with the two-horn format of many of his previous recordings. The playing on the Upswing is uniformly exceptional. Harrell sticks to flugelhorn for most of the date, often favoring it in situations that would instinctively call for trumpet, and sounds marvelously lyrical throughout. Tenorist Joe Lovano also plays strongly, contributing a wonderfully aggressive and energetic solo on Harrell's "Train Shuffle." Fans of altoist Phil Woods will be delighted by his performance here, as he sounds in fine voice, bringing his idiosyncratic pitch bends and witty in-jokes to the session. Pianist Danilo Perez accompanies enthusiastically, raising the intensity of all those involved. Upswing should be considered an essential purchase for those interested in exploring the Harrell discography. ~Dan Cross

Upswing 

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Helen O'Connell - The Uncollected

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:28
Size: 62.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Standards
Year: 1992/2014
Art: Front

[1:47] 1. Stay As Sweet As You Are
[2:02] 2. The Nearness Of You
[1:57] 3. Pocketful Of Dreams
[1:57] 4. Deep In A Dream
[2:04] 5. Imagination
[1:35] 6. I Could Have Danced All Night
[2:13] 7. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[2:02] 8. Can't We Talk It Over
[1:38] 9. My Future Just Passed
[1:52] 10. Tennessee Fish Fry
[2:30] 11. Once In A While
[2:45] 12. I See Your Face Before Me
[1:24] 13. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
[1:36] 14. Thanks For The Memory

Helen O'Connell, who had a fairly long career, will always be best remembered for her squeals on "Green Eyes" and her work with Jimmy Dorsey. She originally left her native Toledo with Jimmy Richards' nine-piece group, gigging and touring for a year and a half. O'Connell appeared on a regular radio show in St. Louis until she agreed to tour with Larry Funk's band (which was billed as "Band of a Thousand Melodies"). After the outfit started working in New York, she was discovered and quickly signed up by Jimmy Dorsey in 1938. O'Connell soon had a hit rendition of "All of Me," which was followed by popular recordings of "Embraceable You," "Brazil," "Jim." and "When the Sun Comes Out" (which she introduced). However, it was in December 1940, when she started sharing recordings with ballad singer Bob Eberly, that O'Connell for a time became a household name. Eberly generally took a slow chorus, Jimmy Dorsey would have a brief instrumental interlude, and then O'Connell would finish up the record with a swinging chorus. This combination worked very well on hit versions of "Amapola," "Yours," "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine." After appearing in the 1943 movie I Dood It with Dorsey (singing "Star Eyes"), O'Connell retired to get married; she would eventually have four daughters. In 1950 she began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. Although her voice was limited, she made her deficiencies into assets and carved out her own place in musical history. Helen O'Connell was active up until shortly before her death from cancer. ~bio by Scott Yanow

The Uncollected mc
The Uncollected zippy

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Chris Soto - Guitar Expressions Vol. 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:36
Size: 143.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[6:22] 1. On The Boardwalk
[6:22] 2. Highway 1
[5:02] 3. Urban Express
[5:26] 4. Dreaming Of U
[6:28] 5. City Lights
[6:32] 6. Moonlight
[6:32] 7. Metropolitan
[6:43] 8. Night Moods
[6:06] 9. Night Lounge
[6:59] 10. On The Town

Chris Soto has created a diverse collection of original tunes that are rich with great emotion and amazing tone. His compositions are relaxed and inviting, true reflections of Chris' songwriting and well honed performance career. The full extent of his gift is that Chris composed all tunes, playing all instruments, and mixing the album project himself. Recorded at 128kHz, three times the normal sampling rate, the net result is a lush and warm sonic collection of incredibly fresh, deep emotion. Ultimately, the real reward is just listening to the musical tapestry that Chris deftly weaves, which includes a piano based track on the final cut. If you have enjoyed great fusion artists like Al DiMeola, George Benson, and Wes Montgomery then you will feel right at home with Chris Soto's Guitar Expressions. ~Mark Nemier

Guitar Expressions Vol. 1 mc
Guitar Expressions Vol. 1 zippy

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Mark Lewis - Of Hip Do I Sing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:44
Size: 166.5 MB
Styles: Modern creative jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:13] 1. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
[9:25] 2. Nature Boy
[3:50] 3. Sunlight Shines In
[5:37] 4. Going Away
[4:20] 5. Of Hip Do I Sing
[8:57] 6. Reverence
[3:51] 7. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[2:50] 8. Love Doesn't Lie
[5:10] 9. Common Denominator
[5:22] 10. I Remember You
[6:19] 11. Song For Mom
[5:20] 12. The Ermitage
[2:01] 13. Haiku
[4:21] 14. What James Said

Mark Lewis is master of the alto sax, baritone sax, flute and piano; author of approximately 1,700 compositions; and has recorded and produced more than twenty albums on various labels. A well-traveled saxophonist and flutist, he’s been a part of jazz scenes from Seattle and San Francisco to Rotterdam and Paris. Rotterdam, the Netherlands was Mark's home base for many years. He toured and played in the better clubs throughout Europe, and taught jazz theory and improvised music classes in several music conservatories. Mark lived and performed for several years in San Francisco and Victoria, BC as well. Jazz musicians Mark has performed and recorded with include pianists George Cables, Willem Kühne, Mark Levine, Overton Berry and Ted Gioia; drummers Victor Lewis, Candy Finch, Frans van Grinsven and Eddie Moore; bassists James Long, Hein van de Geyn, David Friesen, Larry Grenadier and Chuck Metcalf; saxophonists Noah Howard and Art Foxall; trumpet player Randy Brecker; and vibraphonists Bobby Hutcherson and Lodewijk Bouwens. Mark often subbed for Stan Getz and John Handy during his time in San Francisco.

Of Hip Do I Sing mc
Of Hip Do I Sing zippy

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Ray Parker Jr. - After Dark

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:07
Size: 99,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone
(4:40)  2. Over You (feat. Natalie Cole)
(4:10)  3. Lovin' You
(4:48)  4. You Shoulda Kept A Spare
(3:30)  5. The Past
(4:31)  6. You Make My Nature Dance
(4:52)  7. Perfect Lovers
(4:03)  8. After Midnite
(3:45)  9. I Love Your Daughter
(4:29) 10. After Dark

This was the closest Ray Parker Jr. ever came to doing adult soul. His debut for Geffen included the song "I Don't Think That Man Should Sleep Alone." This was his last big hit, and despite the title, said some serious things about male/female intimacy and relationships. Parker's voice sounded more somber, introspective, and varied than on anything before or since. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-dark-mw0000197005               

Personnel:  Ray Parker, Jr. – all instruments, arrangements (1, 3, 4, 6-10);  Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar;  Cornelius Mims, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus – bass;  Jeff Porcaro, Ollie E. Brown, Carlos Vega – drums;  J. Wayne Lindsey, Robbie Buchanan, Eric Daniels, Sylvester Rivers, Greg Phillinganes, Burt Bacharach – keyboards;  Larry Williams – synthesizer;  Kevin Toney – acoustic piano;  Gerald Albright – saxophone solo (2);  Dave Boroff – saxophone solo (4).
 

Background Vocalists:  Ray Parker, Jr., Kamaya Koepke, Karyn White, Arnell Carmichael, Keith Harrison, Candice Ghant, Kashif (also BGV arrangement on track 5), Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Yogi Horton, Cornelius Mims, Monty Seward, Lynne Fiddmont, Philip Bailey, Greg Phillinganes, Anita Sherman.

After Dark

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Caterina Valente - A Briglio Sciolta

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:39
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. E la chiamano estate
(3:13)  2. Corcovado
(2:25)  3. Forse
(4:59)  4. Maybe This Summer
(4:47)  5. Sempre, Sempre, Sempre
(6:00)  6. Une guitare au clair de lune
(4:06)  7. Meditacao
(5:43)  8. Amerovole
(2:38)  9. Samba de Uma Nota Só
(6:13) 10. Il Tuo Amore
(3:42) 11. Baciami per domani
(3:21) 12. Melancolia
(4:32) 13. Se Tu Sapessi
(2:44) 14. Arrivederci

Caterina Valente (b. January 14, 1931, Paris, France) was born into an Italian circus family. Her mother was a clown and her father was an accordion player; as a child she worked in the circus as well. She performed in Europe as a singer for several years, but her career as an internationally known vocalist began in 1953 when she joined Kurt Edelhagen's band in Germany. She was soon signed to Polydor and made her recording debut for the label the same year. Her first big hits came soon after that. Two songs written by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona charted in Europe and eventually England and the U.S. "Malagueña" was her first big hit, followed by "Andalucia," which, when re-released in an English version as "The Breeze and I," became a Top Ten hit in both the U.K. and the U.S. By this time, Valente had become a truly multilingual artist, performing her cabaret act and issuing recordings in six languages: French, German, Italian, English, Spanish, and Swedish. During the '50s and '60s she notched hits in the charts of many countries, including Italy ("Till," "Personalita," "Nessuno al Mondo"), Germany ("Ganza Paris Träumt von der Liebe," "Wo Meine Sonne Scheint," "Steig in das Traumboot der Liebe"), and France ("Bimbombey," "39 Fievere," "Saitôn-Jamais"). Her version of "La Golondrina" appeared on one of the first charity albums, 1963's All Star Festival. The proceeds from that album went to aid refugees. In the mid-'70s, Valente married her musical director, British jazz pianist Roy Budd, although the marriage was short-lived. She continued recording into the mid-'80s, issuing Caterina 86, a recording made with the Count Basie Orchestra. ~ Stacia Proefrock https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/valente-caterina-briglio-sciolta/id392675601

A Briglio Sciolta

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Dan Siegel - Indigo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:31
Size: 109,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. To Be Continued
(5:29)  2. By Chance
(4:16)  3. Indigo
(3:51)  4. Beyond
(4:44)  5. Far And Away
(5:00)  6. If Ever
(4:30)  7. Spur Of The Moment
(4:33)  8. First Light
(4:48)  9. Consider This
(5:04) 10. Endless

Pianist and composer Dan Siegel is an adventurer. After his breakout smooth jazz hits in the 1980s he successfully experimented with genres ranging from new age to film and TV scores and back. Indigo, his 20th album and first in half a decade features ten new compositions which have been painstakingly arranged and performed by a crack cast of players that includes bassist and co-producer Brian Bromberg, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, guitarist Allen Hinds (and Mike Miller on two tracks), Yellowjackets' drummer Will Kennedy, vibist Craig Fundyga, and percussionist Lenny Castro on percussion. Two different brass sections alternate on five cuts. Immediately striking is Indigo's sound. Tracked live in Bromberg's home studio, it is warm, immediate, and full. These are some of Siegel's most imaginative tunes to date: contemporary jazz played in straight-ahead fashion. They are boundary-less, ecompassing elements from several popular genres in a jazz context. Opener "To Be Continued" contains elements of contemporary classical crossover, pop, and even Siegel's film music the brass section utilizes euphonium, French horn, and flügelhorns. But there is a palpable, syncopated groove in the pianist's harmonically inventive solo. The title cut begins with resonator and electric guitars in a blues groove, as Siegel's piano evokes a Ray Charles-like R&B, but as it unfolds with bright brass and a country-funk backbeat, the tune moves in several directions simultaneously and could only be encompassed by jazz. The guitar in "Beyond" actually evokes a pedal steel, but the interplay between piano, upright bass, and acoustic guitars is elegant, graceful, and emotionally deep. 

"If Ever" contains a lithe Latin tinge and a rich, expansive brass chart; its melody is impeccably crafted and contains excellent solos by Siegel and Sheppard on soprano. The R&B flavor in "Spur of the Moment" is offset by intricate counterpoint and lyric exchanges, the soloists atop the brassy, funky groove. "Consider This" is smoother and sweeter; it's soulful and cosmopolitan with Siegel adding a B-3 in support of his piano; Castro's percussion adds a Caribbean flavor. Closer "Endless" is positively euphoric, it's one of the finest moments here, due in no small part to Bromberg's knockout, fleet-fingered, woody pizzicato solo. Indigo is holistic and seamless in its articulation of contemporary jazz an extension in popular music and jazz's Big Tent tradition. More than this, though, it is a glorious, personal, panoramic statement from an artist who, after 35 years, is at the height of his creative powers. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/indigo-mw0002820191

Personnel:  Piano, Keyboards, Composed By, Arranged By, Executive Producer – Dan Siegel;  Bass – Brian Bromberg;  Drums – Will Kennedy;  Flugelhorn – Stan Martin;  Guitar – Allen Hinds, Mike Miller;  Horn – Stephanie O'Keefe;  Percussion – Lenny Castro;  Saxophone – Bob Sheppard;  Tenor Saxophone – Steve Torok ; Trumpet, Valve Trombone – Lee Thornburg;  Vibraphone – Craig Fundyga

Indigo

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Ben Wendel - Frame

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:21
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Chorale
(7:25)  2. Clayland
(7:06)  3. Con Alma
(5:05)  4. Backbou
(5:56)  5. Jean and Renata
(8:09)  6. Blocks
(8:20)  7. Frame
(8:08)  8. Leaving
(5:29)  9. Julia

There is a beautiful and mysterious quality to multi-instrumentalist Ben Wendel's Frame. It is as if the hot breath from one of his horns has blown some ancient film away to reveal an iridescent object that begins to oscillate and spin, changing colors and hues, mesmerizing as it spins and swings with uncharacteristic swagger. All this seems both real and unreal as Wendel's singular, hypnotic voice unfurls. The saxophonist inhabits a sound as close to singing through the reed as is humanly possible. In so doing, he has perfected vocalizing in the manner of Nat "King" Cole combined with Ben Webster. Such is the velvet and whispering nature of Wendel's tone and texture. Of course, the colors that emerge from the bell of his horn are another matter. These come from a soulful palette that includes such a myriad of hues that they are difficult to count. His musical canvas is so filled with a riot of colors that a musical carnival ensues. Wendel is also a composer of considerable invention and ingenuity. This album is not called Frame for nothing. For here, the idiom of jazz forms the outer perimeter of the music. The material in the frame is an ever changing painting a moveable feast for the ear, heart and soul. Wendel paints with fey colors; his music has the effect of fluttering gently like a diaphanous water color work that is wet and dripping as it morphs from one legato passage to another. Thus the work here appears to form a suite of songs all with beginnings and middles and ends that are tantalizing and drive into the center of the heart. The music of "Chorale," for instance, is like a shimmering dart aimed at that sweet spot in the soul where every ache is unforgettable. 

Nothing describes that feeling better than Wendel's extraordinarily touching re-imagining of Dizzy Gillespie's classic missive, "Con Alma." The saxophonist/bassoonist is a fine writer of passionate portraits. Two of his finest are "Jean and Renata" and "Julia." The former paints a playful picture of two characters. Their differences are highlighted by Wendel's inner counterpoint, the two musical lines entwined like a DNA molecule that pirouettes magically to describe the two ladies in question. "Julia" is much more circumspect, as if the composer is portraying someone whom he has a deepening respect for. His melodic line here is more somber and upward-looking. The musicians on Frame have a marvelous sympathy for, and understanding of, the overall concept of the album. Thus, they play well within themselves while supporting the thesis that the music must swirl and swoop within the framework of an idiom that is constantly changing. In so doing, they create music that is as elastic as jazz will ever be. ~ Raul D'Gama Rose https://www.allaboutjazz.com/frame-ben-wendel-sunnyside-records-review-by-raul-dgama-rose.php

Personnel: Ben Wendel: saxophones, bassoon, melodica; Gerald Clayton: piano (1-3); Tigran Hamasyan: piano (4,6,7); Nir Felder: guitar; Adam Benjamin: piano (1,4,6,7), Fender Rhodes (8,9); Ben Street: bass; Nate Wood: drums.

Frame

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Wayne Escoffery - Vortex

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:03
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Vortex
(2:06)  2. Judgement
(8:04)  3. Acceptance
(8:29)  4. February
(9:16)  5. The Devil's Den
(8:17)  6. Tears for Carolyn
(7:12)  7. To the Ends of the Earth
(5:53)  8. In His Eyes
(5:44)  9. Baku

On this recording, jazz saxophonist Wayne Escoffery presents this great quartet on a number of original pieces, a standard and an original piece by the ensemble's brilliant drummer, Ralph Peterson, who Escoffery has worked alongside since Escoffery's arrival in New York in 2000. The rest of the band is equally pedigreed. Pianist David Kikoski has been a regular collaborator in the Mingus Big Band and with Eddie Henderson, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo has been driving the rhythm section of Tom Harrell's ensemble for the entirety of Escoffery's tenure. Escoffery's quartet is augmented by the percussion of Jaquelene Acevedo on a number of pieces.

Personnel:  Wayne Escoffery - tenor saxophone;  David Kikoski - piano;  Ugonna Okegwo - bass;  Ralph Peterson, Jr. - drums;  Jeremy Pelt - trumpet;  Kush Abadey - drums;  Jacquelene Acevedo - percussion

Vortex

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Duke Jordan - As Time Goes By

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:34
Size: 134.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1989/1994
Art: Front

[6:47] 1. In A Mellotone
[3:07] 2. Lady Dingbat
[6:34] 3. A Foggy Day In London Town
[3:35] 4. Answer Me
[4:41] 5. Layout Blues
[3:37] 6. Glad I Met Pat
[2:58] 7. W'utless
[5:06] 8. As Time Goes By
[2:41] 9. Jordanish
[6:47] 10. Drawers
[5:32] 11. Lush Life Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[3:56] 12. When You're Smiling
[3:07] 13. Mellow Mood

Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Billy Hart; Piano – Duke Jordan. Recorded July 29, 1985.

A most agreeable set that is both eminently listenable and very enterprising. …Jordan was always a fleetly swinging but subtle pianist whose all-round musicianship has never got the recognition it merits. This fine trio deserves to sell well and spared his name further afield . ~Richard Palmer

As Time Goes By mc
As Time Goes By zippy

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Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra - The Hours Between Night + Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:52
Size: 164.5 MB
Styles: New Age, Flamenco
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. Bombay (Night Of Dreams)
[3:51] 2. Snakecharmer
[4:07] 3. Ten Piedad De Mi Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
[4:10] 4. Havana Club
[4:18] 5. Morning Arrival In Goa (Lighthouse Flash Over The Sea)
[5:16] 6. Lone Rider (4 Slick)
[3:08] 7. Buddha's Flower (4 My Sister)
[0:30] 8. Blink Slipping (Intro)
[5:20] 9. Summantra
[4:07] 10. Danza De Los Sentidos
[4:06] 11. Neon Ghost Sensei (Overflowing)
[3:04] 12. Like Fire To Straw
[2:46] 13. Lush Sea Of Sound (Intro)
[3:39] 14. Albatross
[3:02] 15. Sleepless (Distortion System Crash)
[3:39] 16. Adrift In Tangier
[4:29] 17. Fullmoonbeachwalk (4 Jon)
[3:19] 18. Temple Dawn Ultravivid Clouds (Intro)
[4:36] 19. Dream I Just Want 2 Drown In U

Bass, Keyboards, Arranged By [Strings], Mixed By – Jon Gagan; Grand Piano, Keyboards, Arranged By [Horns], Co-producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Domenico Camardella; Guitar – Calvin "El Guerro" Hazen; Guitar, Lute, Producer, Mixed By, Written-By – Ottmar Liebert; Handclaps [Palmas] – David Bryant; Keyboards, Percussion, Arranged By [Horns], Mixed By – Stefan Liebert; Koto – Osamu Kitajima; Percussion – Mark Clark; Vocals – Jose "Grillo" Blanco. Recorded at Sound Design in Santa Barbara.

Breaking new stylistic ground, the 1993 CD The Hours Between Night & Day finds nouveau flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert combining the intimacy of the nylon-string acoustic guitar with electric musicianship. Spanish flamenco, the signature sound so strongly associated with Liebert and Luna Negra, is still featured prominantly on The Hours Between Night & Day, perhaps best illuminated on the Spanish language Marvin Gaye rework "Ten Piedad De Mi". This fine CD also includes two bonus tracks and a cover of the Peter Green classic "Albatross". Nominated for a 1993 Grammy.

The Hours Between Night + Day mc
The Hours Between Night + Day zippy

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Joanna MacGregor, Andy Sheppard - Deep River

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:56
Size: 116.6 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2006/2015
Art: Front

[7:38] 1. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
[4:40] 2. Everybody Help The Boys Come Home
[4:51] 3. Spiritual
[5:54] 4. Georgia Lee
[2:10] 5. Everybody Help The Boys Come Home (Remix)
[3:24] 6. Up Above My Head
[7:05] 7. Deep River
[2:33] 8. Up Above My Head (Remix)
[3:36] 9. Ring Them Bells
[5:25] 10. The Mercy Seat
[3:37] 11. Picture In A Frame

Joanna MacGregor, the pianist who injects free-jazz into Bach, applies the same intensity to Django Bates as Pierre Boulez, and has almost made John Cage's nuts and bolts standard piano currency, has gone back to her childhood for her latest venture, with jazz saxist Andy Sheppard. MacGregor was an evangelical church pianist before she emerged in the 1980s as one of the world's foremost modern-music recitalists, and for the project Deep River she has returned to the gospel songs and blues she first learned on the piano, more or less.

Goldfrapp's Will Gregory and the avant-jazz drummer Seb Rochford contribute to the Deep River CD this gig launched, but they only appeared in the background sounds in this single-set dialogue for MacGregor and Sheppard as a duo. Sheppard didn't know the songs before MacGregor initiated the project, and over the years the pianist has added a wealth of technical and expressive resources to the fundamentals she needed to play them as a child. So neither musician was disposed to play them as covers or museum pieces. That was evident from the opener, the classic Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.

MacGregor ushered it in with caressing piano chords, and Sheppard began with a high, fluting sound on the tenor sax, descending into dark whispers and noteless puffs of air. Then the pianist began rippling fast treble lines and a steadily boogieing left hand, so eventually the piece turned into a looping, Steve Reichian trance. A delicate soprano-sax line then unfurled over a banging bass-note, and a spinechilling multiphonic tenor wail erupted against a stomping gospel piano-walk on Josh Haden's haunting Spiritual, a song recorded by Johnny Cash. The two then explored a favourite MacGregor piece of Japanese minimalism and an ecstatic, fraught-with-danger Astor Piazzolla tango.

Tom Waits's Georgia Lee was a highlight, a tender soprano saxophone reverie over soft chords that relieved the repeating ostinato-hook feel that slightly overpowered the gig and occasionally cornered Sheppard. The saxophonist's bugged soprano, issuing a Joe Zawinul-like keyboard sound, was also a triumph, and Nick Cave's Mercy Seat (reflections on the electric chair) a terrifying free-blast. This freewheeling partnership, now over a decade old, shows no signs of repeating itself.

Deep River mc
Deep River zippy

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Brazilian Tropical Orchestra - The Beatles In Bossa Nova

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:29
Size: 131.6 MB
Styles: Brazilian jazz
Year: 1990/1999
Art: Front

[2:48] 1. Something
[2:38] 2. Here, There And Everywhere
[2:38] 3. Yesterday
[3:26] 4. The Fool On The Hill
[1:50] 5. For No One
[2:40] 6. I Should Have Known Better
[3:23] 7. Till There Was You
[2:51] 8. Eleanor Rigby
[2:27] 9. Help!
[3:52] 10. Don´t Let Me Down
[2:19] 11. And I Love Her
[2:07] 12. With A Little Help From My Friends
[3:39] 13. Hey Jude
[3:44] 14. Long And Winding Road
[2:52] 15. She´s Leaving Home
[3:16] 16. A Day In The Life
[2:44] 17. Ticket To Ride
[2:40] 18. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
[2:21] 19. Let It Be
[3:04] 20. Here Comes The Sun

This cd is really interesting. The bossa nova tones give to the beatles songs a unique elegancy and pleasant softness. Some outstanding tracks are "The fool on the Hill", "And I love her", and "The long and winding road". Buy this cd, it is really a must for everyone who likes listening beatles songs from a different perspective. ~Mauro Zanuz

The Beatles In Bossa Nova mc
The Beatles In Bossa Nova zippy

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James Porter - The James Porter Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:13
Size: 80.7 MB
Styles: Smooth jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:18] 1. Cold
[3:48] 2. No Body
[3:32] 3. Avant-Après
[2:55] 4. À Montréal
[3:53] 5. Lucy Ditty
[2:38] 6. Don't Look Away
[3:34] 7. Grace
[3:28] 8. Grooveland
[4:13] 9. Until
[2:51] 10. Mr B-One

James Porter writes songs for song lovers to love and jazz improvisers to get a kick out of. The result is jazz neophytes finding themselves taken in by the CD as well as the shows when they had no idea they could ever find an interest in jazz.

The CD was recorded and released in Montreal at the end of a six-year episode of Porter’s life there. Now back in his home country, he is performing again regularly with a new “All Stars” band of brilliant local jazz musicians, songs from the CD as well as dozens of new tunes, in French as well as in English.

The James Porter Songbook mc
The James Porter Songbook zippy

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Andy LaVerne Trio - Intelligent Design

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:06)  1. Short Story
(6:59)  2. Ultra Sound
(6:05)  3. Note Worthy
(6:21)  4. Upside
(7:57)  5. Remembrance
(6:52)  6. Ambrosia
(6:20)  7. Tsunami
(6:25)  8. Can You Glue Do This
(5:58)  9. Intelligent Design

Certainly not your household name by any stretch of the imagination, pianist Andy LaVerne is nonetheless a particularly adept pianist who has worked with many jazz legends over the years including Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Michael Brecker and Lionel Hampton. He's also a respected educator and has been largely documented on almost forty dates as a leader for the Danish SteepleChase imprint, including Intelligent Design. It is an out-of-the-ordinary ensemble that LaVerne assembles for the date at hand, although this particular trio has one previous album under its belt, recorded for another label. In hindsight, it's surprising that the piano and organ format has been so rarely utilized in jazz because it makes so much sense. The B3 is able to provide a bass line and a unique textural counterpoint that can complement as well as step forward. Seeing that Gary Versace is an accomplished pianist as well as a B3 practitioner, he makes the perfect foil for LaVerne because he knows how not to get in the way when Andy's up front and his own improvisations are highly musical statements that transcend the instrument itself. A unique group make-up or concept itself does not alone make for a great album and, had LaVerne decided to go for standards or a "grits and gravy approach, it might have actually been the downfall for this set. Instead, it's Andy's superb originals that supply the fodder for this most rewarding collection. The lively bop of "Note Worthy possesses a melody that vaguely sounds familiar, but speaks in its own distinct manner. By contrast, a piece like "Tsunami has more of a through-composed flavor to it, floating and brooding with a darker sense of drama. Somewhere in between is the chipper "Upside, a good primer on how important drummer Danny Gottlieb's musical contributions are to the overall success of this venture. Really one of the most welcomed surprises of the season, Intelligent Design lives up to its name as one of LaVerne's best efforts thus far and one of the finest jazz releases of the year. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/intelligent-design-andy-laverne-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Andy LaVerne: piano; Gary Versace: B3 organ; Danny Gottlieb: drums.

Intelligent Design

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Malene Mortensen - Desperado

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:50
Size: 125,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Another Day
(4:16)  2. Desperado
(3:24)  3. Laughin' At Life
(3:45)  4. Morning Sun & Velvet Moon
(3:55)  5. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody
(4:57)  6. Sea Of Lies
(4:11)  7. City Love
(3:51)  8. Temptation
(3:46)  9. November Came
(4:01) 10. Empty Sky
(3:36) 11. Where Would I Be Without You
(2:33) 12. Aarestrup I Marts
(4:27) 13. I've Got A Date With A Dream
(3:57) 14. All I Want

Malene Winter Mortensen (born May 23, 1982) is a Danish singer. She entered the Danish music scene in 2001, during the first season of Stjerne for en aften, the Danish edition of Star for a Night. She made it to the finals, with her rendition of Moloko's "Sing It Back". The following year, she entered the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2003 she released her debut album called Paradise. This album, revolving around modern jazz, was supported by three of Denmark's best known jazz musicians: Niels Lan Doky (piano), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (double bass) and Alex Riel (drums). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malene_Mortensen

Desperado

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Walt Weiskopf - Mindwalking

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:36
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:13)  1. Is That All There Is
(3:44)  2. Antidote
(4:51)  3. Mystery Guest
(5:11)  4. Non-Fiction
(4:29)  5. Mindwalking
(2:45)  6. Blackberry Winter
(4:49)  7. Cousin Of Mine
(3:55)  8. Ghostwriting
(6:23)  9. Salvador
(7:09) 10. Above And Beyond
(5:03) 11. Fundamentally

A potent tenor saxophonist and composer firmly in the tradition of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, Walt Weiskopf was born in Augusta, GA, and grew up in Syracuse, NY. Upon moving to New York City, he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band in 1981 at the age of 21; two years later, Weiskopf signed on with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, concurrently forming his own quartet with brother Joel on trumpet, Jay Anderson on bass, and Jeff Hirshfeld on drums. His debut, Exact Science, appeared in 1989, followed a year later by Mindwalking; Simplicity, released in 1992, topped the European jazz charts for four weeks. After 1993's A World Away, Weiskopf for the first time departed from original compositions to record 1995's Night Lights, a collection of standards; 1997's Song for My Mother, however, returned his own material to the forefront. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Weiskopf and fellow Eastman alum Ramon Ricker teamed in 1990 to write the books Coltrane: A Player's Guide to His Harmony and The Augmented Scale in Jazz; in 1994, Weiskopf also published Intervalic Improvisation, a player's guide for broadening the scope of modern jazz improvisation. In 1996, he joined drummer Rick Hollander's quartet, and as a headliner returned in 1999 with Anytown. Siren was issued a year later. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/walt-weiskopf-mn0000237531/biography

Mindwalking

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Michael Dease - Reaching Out

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:56
Size: 126,2 MB
Art:

(5:03)  1. Something In Common
(3:55)  2. Live And Let Die
(5:56)  3. Morning Shade
(4:57)  4. Tipping Point
(4:17)  5. More Than Words
(4:18)  6. Double Luminosity
(4:43)  7. The Takeover
(5:48)  8. Ballad
(6:11)  9. The Chameleon Eye
(4:15) 10. Blackfoot
(5:28) 11. Water Runs Dry

Somebody has to be the keeper of the flame, right? In jazz, an art form that has only recently passed the century mark, that responsibility has seemed to diminish in importance. It's not that music schools aren't churning out graduates versed in the traditional repertory, and post-modern players aren't constantly pushing the envelope of possibilities. It's just that we need more musicians like Michael Dease who, to quote Art Blakey, play jazz that "washes away the dust of everyday life." With Reaching Out, his fifth for Posi-Tone Records (a label whose mission is to throw accelerant on that flame) he doubles down on the joy of music making. He seems to always find kindred souls who share in his vision, as shown in previous recordings with the veterans Renee Rosnes, Lewis Nash, Steve Wilson, Christian McBride, and Rodney Whitaker. Here, he recruits two giants of the saxophone Ralph Bowen and Walt Weiskopf to interact with some younger talent players that have the makings of true believers.

What we mean by that is Dease prioritizes the happiness in his jazz. Take the opener, Cedar Walton's "Something In Common," or Steve Turre's "Blackfoot." Both are pieces that are overflowing with a joyful swing. The latter composition, modeled after "Cherokee," is delivered at an auctioneer's hyperspeed with Bowen and Dease chasing drummer Zach Adleman's turbocharged tempo. There is a return to the hipness factor in this music. Dease's original, "The Chameleon Eye," grabs memories of Lee Morgan's funkiness and injects some Herbie Hancock-like rhythm-intensive lines. The composition features the young and talented vibraphonist Behn Gillece (check out his Walk Of Fire (2017)). What makes Dease stand out is his love of melody and ability to craft arrangements to accentuate such. Perfect examples are the three cover tunes, Babyface's "Water Runs Dry," Paul and Linda McCartney's "Live And Let Die," and the 1990s hair metal band Extreme's "More Than Words." McCartney's title track to the James Bond movie of the same name is given all of the dramatic effect of the original, from it's most gentle beginnings to the soulful dramatics and swinging interludes. All of the covers here could, with lesser arrangements, become schmaltzy or sentimental. But like the masters, Coltrane's take on "My Favorite Things" or Miles' "Surrey With the Fringe On Top," Dease champions familiar music and makes it new again. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/reaching-out-michael-dease-posi-tone-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel: Michael Dease: trombone; Ralph Bowen: tenor saxophone; Walt Weiskopf; tenor saxophone, alto saxophone; Behn Gillece: vibraphone; Luther Allison: piano; Peter Brendler: bass; Zach Adleman: drums.

Reaching Out

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Ray Parker Jr. - The Heritage Collection

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:20
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Jack And Jill
(3:24)  2. You Can't Change That
(4:07)  3. A Woman Needs Love
(4:00)  4. Ghostbusters
(4:06)  5. I Still Can't Get Over Loving
(4:17)  6. Jamie
(4:31)  7. For Those Who Like To Groove
(4:05)  8. The Other Woman
(3:55)  9. Two Places At The Same Time
(4:13) 10. Bad Boy

A brief collection of Ray Parker's bubblegum soul hits including the "Ghostbusters" monster from the movie of the same name. Every selection sounds as if it was tailored for 12- year-olds. His only attempts at being hard "Jamie," "For Those Who Like to Groove," and "Bad Boy"never quite get there. Still, the charm in lightweights like "You Can't Change That," "Jack and Jill," and "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" is contagious. Someone should compile a CD of Ray's pre-Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio recordings; he expressed himself more soulfully as a teenager fronting local Detroit groups like the Vows who waxed "When a Boy Loves a Girl."~ Andrew Hamilton https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-heritage-collection-mw0000052908

The Heritage Collection

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The New Wolverine Jazz Orchestra - Roll On Mississippi, Roll On

Size: 150,1 MB
Time: 64:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Jazz, Swing, Ragtime
Art: Front

01. Jazz Battle (2:35)
02. Keepin' Myself For You (3:25)
03. Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On (3:28)
04. Waste No Tears (2:19)
05. The Chant (2:06)
06. Blue River (4:06)
07. I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now (2:51)
08. The Mooche (4:05)
09. There Ain't No Sweet Man Worth The Salt Of My Tears (3:37)
10. Sensation (2:22)
11. Japanese Sandman (3:11)
12. In A Mist (3:52)
13. Ol' Man River (3:08)
14. Candlelights (4:48)
15. Bessie Couldn't Help It (4:01)
16. Deep Harlem (3:27)
17. Susie (Of The Islands) (2:22)
18. Sweet Patootie (4:27)
19. Miss Annabelle Lee (3:42)

Inspired and influenced by jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke, this Sydney, Australia-based group has built a loyal U.S. following in recent years with well-received appearances at the Davenport, Iowa (birthplace of Bix) festival and other Midwestern gatherings. They tackle a number of songs associated with Bix, either because he recorded them or because he certainly would have played them given his extensive dance band career in the 1920s.

Roll On Mississippi, Roll On

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Peggy Lee - World Broadcast Recordings 1955

Size: 131,6+138,1 MB
Time: 55:31+58:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. That Old Black Magic (2:08)
02. My Romance (2:25)
03. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (2:13)
04. Love Me Or Leave Me (2:06)
05. 'deed I Do (2:03)
06. Autumn In New York (2:26)
07. Just One Of Those Things (2:14)
08. Let's Call It A Day (2:32)
09. Let There Be Love (2:06)
10. Come Rain Or Come Shine (2:25)
11. I May Be Wrong But I Think You're Wonderful (1:48)
12. I Feel A Song Comin' On (1:31)
13. You're Mine, You (2:30)
14. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (2:14)
15. Try A Little Tenderness (2:23)
16. Too Marvelous For Words (1:28)
17. I Get A Kick Out Of You (2:25)
18. What Is This Thing Called Love (2:16)
19. It's A Good Day (2:09)
20. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (2:53)
21. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive (2:15)
22. Sans Souci (2:44)
23. Them There Eyes (1:46)
24. From This Moment On (2:14)
25. You (2:06)

CD 2:
01. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (2:12)
02. My Ideal (2:20)
03. Oh What A Beautiful Morning (2:52)
04. You Do Something To Me (1:36)
05. I Never Knew (3:01)
06. What Can I Say After I Say Im Sorry (2:00)
07. What's New (2:07)
08. Almost Like Being In Love (1:55)
09. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread) (2:19)
10. Mean To Me (3:13)
11. My Future Just Passed (3:28)
12. People Will Say We're In Love (1:30)
13. It Ain't Necessarily So (3:19)
14. We Kiss In A Shadow (2:57)
15. Me (2:04)
16. Don't Worry 'bout Me (2:14)
17. Button Up Your Overcoat (1:58)
18. Somebody Loves Me (3:15)
19. Mountain Greenery (1:59)
20. Speak Low (3:23)
21. The Best Things In Life Are Free (1:37)
22. Hard Hearted Hannah (1:49)
23. Bye Bye Blackbird (3:01)
24. Taking A Chance On Love (2:03)

This 2-CD set is the first complete set of Peggy Lee's World transcription recordings. Peggy Lee's alluring tone, distinctive delivery, breadth of material, and ability to write many of her own songs made her one of the most captivating artists of the vocal era on this opportinity with Pete Candoli on the trumpet, Stella Castellucci with harp, Gene DiNovi on piano, Bill Pitman with his guitar, Jack Costanzo on the bongos, Bob Whitlock with his bass, Larry Bunker on drums.

World Broadcast Recordings 1955 CD 1
World Broadcast Recordings 1955 CD 2

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Lilly - Tenderly (Feat. Gilad Hekselman)

Size: 99,7 MB
Time: 38:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Tenderly (4:15)
02. You Go To My Head (5:45)
03. Skylark (5:28)
04. First Song (3:43)
05. Voice From The Mountain (3:48)
06. Hvem Kan Sejle - Whistling Away The Dark (6:09)
07. You’re Everything (4:09)
08. Day Dream (4:48)

It all starts with a song. Two people and song. Gilad and Lilly. Guitarist and singer. One visiting Denmark as an artist in residence and the other living there. One among the foremost exponents of modern jazz guitar and the other an acclaimed vocalist and singer/songwriter, but still a secret outside her country.

Here they are on the album Tenderly. The result of a day's work in the studio with songs that are the work of a lifetime. Timeless songs. Duke Ellington's "Day Dream" and standards like "You Go to My Head" and "Skylark," but also more recent classics like the folk-icon Nick Drake's poetic "Voice from the Mountain."

Lilly, whose full name is Lilly-Ann Hertzman, and Gilad Hekselman sing these songs tenderly. Hekselman creates a lush tapestry of tones, a gentle architecture that supports the songs without holding them down to the ground. Along with Lilly, they fly into the sky and sunset. Tender songs. Songs of loving and living. A setup so simple and yet so complex. Phrasings filled with an understanding of space and pause. Guitar lines and vocal chords. Guitar chords and vocal lines. A symbiosis, a deep conversation, not chitter-chatter. Poetry sung tenderly. ~by Jakob Baekgaard

Personnel: Lilly: vocal; Gilad Hekselman: guitar.

Tenderly

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Hank Jones, Shelly Manne & Mads Vinding - In Copenhagen: Live At Jazzhus Slukefter 1983

Size: 142,1 MB
Time: 61:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Just Friends (6:58)
02. Au Privave (7:40)
03. Alone Together (9:47)
04. Stablemates (4:43)
05. It Could Happen To You (5:34)
06. Scrapple From The Apple (4:56)
07. Budo (7:01)
08. Tangerine (6:08)
09. What's New (8:24)

Born in 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Jones moved with his family to the Detroit area while still a child, and studied piano early, listening carefully to Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, and Fats Waller. He began playing in the midwest at age 13, and worked in territory bands. Jones met Lucky Thompson in one of these groups, and Thompson invited him to New York in 1944 to work with Hot Lips Page at the Onyx Club. Jones worked for a while with John Kirby, Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Andy Kirk, and Billy Eckstine, then began touring in 1947. He worked with Jazz at the Philharmonic, then accompanied Ella Fitzgerald from 1948 to 1953. Jones also cut many sessions for Norman Granz's labels in the late '40s and early '50s, many with Charlie Parker. He worked and recorded in the '50s with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, and Cannonball Adderley before joining CBS' staff in 1959. He worked on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show and stayed with CBS until they disbanded the staff in 1976. He recorded several sessions with Savoy in the mid- and late '50s, playing with Donald Byrd, Herbie Mann, Wendell Marshall, and Kenny Clarke, among others. He also recorded solo and quartet dates for Epic. His quartet with Osie Johnson, Barry Galbraith, and Milt Hinton became one of New York's busiest during the early '60s, sometimes doing three dates a day. They cut albums for Capitol and ABC in 1958, though Galbraith missed the ABC sessions. Jones continued recording at Capitol, Argo, and Impulse in the early '60s, at times working with his brother Elvin. He made a host of recordings in the '70s. There were solo dates for Trio and Galaxy, and trio sessions for Interface and Concord, among others in the '70s. There were duo dates with Flanagan for Verve and Galaxy in the late '70s. Jones served as pianist and conductor for the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin in the late '70s. He also played in the Great Jazz Trio, originally with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. (Buster Williams replaced Carter on the trio's first recording date.) Jones continued with the trio into the '80s, though Eddie Gomez and Al Foster later became his mates, and Jimmy Cobb replaced Foster in 1982. The trio also backed Art Farmer, Benny Golson, and Nancy Wilson. Jones was the resident pianist at the Cafe Ziegfeld in the early '80s, and toured Japan with George Duvivier and Sonny Stitt. He kept his recording blitz going into the digital era. In 1989, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. In 2004, he was awarded as an ASCAP Jazz Living Legend; five years later, he received a National Medal of Arts; and in 2009, Jones earned a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammys. One year later, he died in the Bronx while in hospice, just a few weeks after returning from performance dates in Japan. ~ Ron Wynn

In Copenhagen

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