Nina Simone - Broadway, Blues, Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:42
Size: 84.0 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 1964/2006
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
[3:03] 2. Night Song
[2:15] 3. The Laziest Gal In Town
[2:41] 4. Something Wonderful
[2:50] 5. Don't Take All Night
[4:16] 6. Nobody
[2:55] 7. I Am Blessed
[2:32] 8. Of This I'm Sure
[2:34] 9. See-Line Woman
[2:58] 10. Our Love (Will See Us Through)
[2:01] 11. How Can I
[3:04] 12. The Last Rose Of Summer
[2:43] 13. A Monster

There's a lot more Broadway and a lot more ballads than blues on this, which ranks as one of Simone's weaker mid-'60s albums. Almost half the record features Broadway tunes on the order of Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hammerstein; most of the rest was composed by Bennie Benjamin, author of her first-rate "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which the Animals covered for a hit shortly afterwards (and which leads off this record). The other Benjamin tunes are modified uptown soul with string arrangements and backup vocals in the vein of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but aren't in the same league, although "How Can I?" is an engaging cha-cha. Besides "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," the album is most notable for the great "SeeLine Woman," a percolating call-and-response number that ranks as one of her best tracks. ~Richie Unterberger

Broadway, Blues, Ballads mc
Broadway, Blues, Ballads zippy

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Larry Carlton, SWR Big Band - Lights On

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 156.3 MB
Styles: Big band, Guitar jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. Mellow Out
[5:24] 2. Milestones
[8:03] 3. Kid Charlemagne
[8:04] 4. Fnnn
[6:53] 5. Too Young To Go Steady
[7:31] 6. My Favorite Things
[7:01] 7. Room 335
[6:38] 8. Friday Nights Shuffle
[8:41] 9. The Wells Gone Dry
[4:49] 10. Black Friday

Legendary guitarist Larry Carlton & the SWR Big Band team up for a new production! Combining his roots in blues and jazz with a crossover pop rock sensibility, Carlton's unmistakable sound is marked by his signature warm tone, bright melodies and soulful guitar solos. Four time Grammy winner, Titan of Tone award recipient and legendary guitar great, Larry Carlton is one of the most influential, prolific and original guitarists in the industry. Carlton established himself from his first recording, A Little Help From My Friends. His studio credits include musicians and groups like Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr., Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Bobby Bland, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and literally dozens of others. He went on to perform with the Crusaders and then with the multi platinum jazz super group Fourplay. With 30 albums to his credit and having performed on over 100 albums that have gone Gold or Platinum, Larry Carlton has set a standard for artistry that spans three decades.

For the past 60 years the 17 members of the SWR Big Band have thrilled audiences throughout Europe with a hugely varied repertoire and consistently excellent quality of music. It is indisputable that they are one of the best big bands in the world. Since 2002, they have received four Grammy nominations, which is credited to the outstanding soloists of the band, the extraordinary interplay of the musicians and great arrangements of new and classic songs alike. Their success that is also supported by the collaborations with international jazz and world music greats like Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove, Roberta Gambarini, Sammy Nestico, and Paula Morelenbaum.

Lights On mc
Lights On zippy

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Brassens Le Cubain - Brassens Le Cubain Vol. 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:17
Size: 167.8 MB
Styles: Cuban rhythms
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. Brave Margot
[4:30] 2. Le Petit Cheval Blanc
[4:36] 3. Saturne
[4:01] 4. Dans L'eau De La Claire Fontaine
[4:45] 5. Les Amoureux Des Bancs Publics
[4:46] 6. La Chasse Aux ¨papillons
[4:45] 7. Sauf Le Respect Que Je Vous Dois
[4:58] 8. Les Copains D'abort
[4:39] 9. La Princesse Et Le Croque-Note
[6:51] 10. Les Passantes
[4:30] 11. Auprès De Mon Arbre
[3:55] 12. Le Fossoyeur
[2:36] 13. Pauvre Martin
[5:07] 14. Chanson Pour L'auvergnat
[3:13] 15. Le Temps Ne Fait Rien à L'affaire
[5:43] 16. Grand Père

BRASSENS LE CUBAIN, A Collective Of Musicians From The "TEMPO FORTE" Group, Has One Day Asked This Simple Question: "... And If Georges Brassens Was Born In Cuba ...? Imagine An Instant Instead Of Contemplating The Mediterranean From His Dear City Of Sete, Georges Brassens Has Written His Songs Facing The Ocean, Sitting On The Wall Of "Malecon" In Havana ... Under The Caribbean Sun ... If he had rocked his texts to the sounds of the countless rhythms of Cuban music, what would have become "the buddies first," "the princess and the croque-notes", "the passer-bys" ... certainly some boleros, Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambos ... Through Original Arrangements, Always In Respect Of The Text And Wealth Of Cuban Music, BRASSENS THE CUBAN Proposes An Answer To This Enigmatic Question And Invites You To Discover This Alchemy. (Translated from French.)

Brassens Le Cubain Vol. 1 mc
Brassens Le Cubain Vol. 1 zippy

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Oliver Nelson - Taking Care Of Business

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:37
Size: 97.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1960/2013
Art: Front

[9:54] 1. Trane Whistle
[6:57] 2. Doxy
[5:30] 3. In Time
[6:16] 4. Lou's Good Dues
[7:32] 5. All The Way
[6:26] 6. Groove

Bass – George Tucker; Drums – Roy Haynes; Organ – Johnny "Hammond" Smith; Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Oliver Nelson; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

Oliver Nelson would gain his greatest fame later in his short life as an arranger/ composer, but this superior session puts the emphasis on his distinctive tenor and alto playing. In a slightly unusual group (with vibraphonist Lem Winchester, organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Roy Haynes), Nelson improvises a variety of well-constructed but spontaneous solos; his unaccompanied spots on "All the Way" and his hard-charging playing on the medium-tempo blues "Groove" are two of the many highpoints. Nelson remains a vastly underrated saxophonist and all six performances (four of them his originals) are excellent. ~Scott Yanow

Taking Care Of Business mc
Taking Care Of Business zippy

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Josefine Cronholm & Ibis - Hotel Paradise

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:47
Size: 102.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2003/2012
Art: Front

[4:10] 1. I Hold My Breath
[5:51] 2. Do You Remember
[5:34] 3. Shadow
[4:36] 4. Aeroplane
[4:16] 5. True Colors
[5:58] 6. Wings
[4:28] 7. Silent Moon
[3:55] 8. Memory Of A Lover
[5:55] 9. Another Day In Paradise

Some singers become famous overnight with a hit song. Others have to fight a long and hard battle for recognition - that may never come. And then there are singers who, without being pushy, work on music that interests them or which they are invited to join, and they are instantly noticed, they are talked about on the grapevine, one musician tells another, and audiences spread the word about the indisputable talent. Long before their record debuts, such singers as Cæcilie Norby and Randi Laubek were known among musicians, and the same goes for singer Josefine Cronholm.

Josefine was born on 13 May 1971 in Domsten, Sweden, and in 1995 she was admitted to the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. And soon this versatile super talent was in great demand. She has since been heard with Fredrik Lundin, Frans Bak, Django Bates, the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, Marilyn Mazur, New Jungle Orchestra, and numerous others. Josefine Cronholm’s voice has a large range, she has brilliant technique and a wonderful audacity in terms of music. She has a rare gift for capturing an audience the very moment she enters the scene, and with her intense, unaffected stage presence she is the quintessence of a “natural” woman.

But for long Josefine Cronholm was a secret - to her fellow-countrymen in Sweden. Actually she was not hiding, she had just chosen to live in Denmark, where she is probably the most sought-after singer at the moment. Through her remarkable recordings with Frans Bak (“Natsange”), with String Swing (“Red Shoes” - the one with the marvellous cover by Arnoldi), and her first recording with her own band, Ibis (“Wild Garden”), her cd sales have been steadily increasing, and she has had lots of outstanding reviews in Denmark and in such countries as Germany and France, where e.g. the leading French jazz magazine Jazzman gave both “Red Shoes” and “Wild Garden” its highest praise, the term “Choc”.

In Denmark String Swing won a Danish Grammy Award, and Josefine herself has been awarded the prestigious Palæ Bar Prize, and now they have also spotted her in Sweden. And to such a degree that she has been given one of the highest distinctions available to a Swedish jazz artist: She was chosen as “Jazz in Sweden Artist” 2003, which inter alia led to a long tour in Sweden and to this cd recording.

Josefine Cronholm and Ibis say thank you with this beautiful and evocative cd, “Hotel Paradise”. Not a jazz recording as such - rather a record with a lot of jazz feeling in Josefine’s poetic and astonishing musical universe. When asked about her music, Josefine says that she “creates simple music; songs that are not built on a lot of complicated chords, but which grow from a core of equal parts of air and tones”. That’s how Josefine Cronholm and Ibis conjure up seductive moods and lovely melodies on “Hotel Paradise” and create room for reflection and a broad spectrum of feelings, contemplation, warmth and humour. A beautiful record.

Hotel Paradise mc
Hotel Paradise zippy

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Red Norvo - Jivin' The Jeep

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:06
Size: 144.5 MB
Styles: Swing, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1994/2009
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. It All Begins And Ends With You
[3:14] 2. A Porter's Love Song To A Chambermaid
[2:52] 3. I Know That You Know
[3:16] 4. Picture Me Without You
[3:06] 5. It Can Happen To You
[2:53] 6. Now That Summer Has Gone
[2:58] 7. It's Love I'm After
[3:05] 8. Peter Piper
[3:18] 9. When Is A Kiss Not A Kiss
[2:59] 10. A Thousand Dreams Of You
[3:05] 11. Smoke Dreams
[2:44] 12. Slumming On Park Avenue
[2:55] 13. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
[3:15] 14. Remember
[2:44] 15. Liza
[2:56] 16. I Would Do Anything For You
[3:05] 17. Jivin' The Jeep
[2:56] 18. Everyone's Wrong But Me
[2:26] 19. Posin'
[3:15] 20. The Morning After
[2:51] 21. Do You Ever Thing Of Me

All of the music on this Hep LP (except for the final two of the 16 performances) has since been reissued in the Hep CD Dance of the Octopus which also includes the xylophonist's earlier recordings. However, this LP is perfectly done, tracing Norvo's career in complete fashion during a seven-month period in 1936. He leads an octet that also includes trumpeter Stew Pletcher, Herbie Haymer on tenor and the mellophone of Eddie Sauter (who provided all of the arrangements). The final two numbers were Norvo's first recordings at the head of a big band. Not every selection is essential (particularly not the two vocals by the voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questal) but in general, these chamber swing performances are quite unique and memorable. ~Scott Yanow

Jivin' The Jeep mc
Jivin' The Jeep zippy

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Conrad Herwig - Unseen Universe

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 159,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:34)  1. The Tesseract
(8:30)  2. From Another Dimension
(8:38)  3. Unseen Universe
(9:17)  4. Triangle
(8:12)  5. All Is One
(5:19)  6. Rebirth
(6:18)  7. Circumstantially Evident
(7:39)  8. The Magic Door
(7:46)  9. Three Degrees Of Freedom

Conrad Herwig's dazzling trombone chops and intelligent compositions make Unseen Universe, his third Criss Cross release, a stirring success. His sextet can maneuver around tight corners and yet attack with the force of a band twice its size. With Alex Sipiagin on trumpet, Seamus Blake on tenor and soprano sax, David Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, Herwig can be sure of the group's ability to bring lushly orchestrated charts to life and improvise with sterling clarity and brilliance. Conceptually, with the title track and also with pieces called "The Tesseract," "From Another Dimension," "Triangle," and "The Magic Door," Herwig seems preoccupied with geometry and some of its metaphysical implications. Even as he draws heavily on the '60s Blue Note sound as established by figures like Joe Henderson and Herbie Hancock, Herwig stretches the limits of modern mainstream jazz with this all-original set. ~ David R.Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/unseen-universe-mw0000105512

Conrad Herwig Sextet: Conrad Herwig (trombone); Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone); Alexander Sipiagin (trumpet); David Kikoski (piano); James Genus (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Unseen Universe

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Chris McNulty - Dance Delicioso

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:25
Size: 158,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:57)  1. Primitive
(5:53)  2. Next Day
(4:51)  3. He Moved Through The Fair
(6:06)  4. All Of You
(8:44)  5. Meaning Of the Blues
(5:47)  6. Dance Delicioso
(3:27)  7. Last Farewell
(5:58)  8. Roamin'
(6:47)  9. Star Eyes
(7:35) 10. Only The Silence
(3:15) 11. Last Farewell - Reprise

On her fifth CD release, Dance Delicioso, Australian-born vocalist Chris McNulty sings a couple of classics, Cole Porter's "All of You" and the tried and true "Star Eyes", givng each tune a distinctive turn. The familiar melodies are surrounded here by McNulty's well-crafted original tunes, Annie Lennox's "Primitive," Bobby Troup's "Meaning of the Blues," and the haunting traditional Irish song "He Moved Through the Fair." You often hear the words "sultry" and "sensuous" used to describe the voices of lady singers, but McNulty doesn't strike me that way. Hers is a richly feminine sound, with a dash of sauce on "All of You," a jaunty, melody-stretching romp that has an innovative feel to it. McNulty sounds sad in a recovery mode from love lost, perhaps on Bobby Troup's "Meaning of the Blues," a take on the tune that contains a bunch of exquisite moments, like Sonny Barbato's sweet accordion work, with a gorgeous little solo in front of the whisper of Paul Bollenback's accoustic guitar. On "Star Eyes," McNulty goes with a more horn-like delivery, reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald as she pushes melody around inside a bouncy arrangement. The set, produced by McNulty and guitarist Paul Bollenback, has a high polish. Those exquisite moments I mentioned in "Meaning of the Blues" applies to every song here, with some surprises. The traditonal Irish tune "He Moved Through the Fair" is done with a dark yet airy style that features Erik Friedlander's deep-toned cello sound. The McNulty-penned title tune tells a handful of life-affirming stories, with some lush background harmonies, and listen to her voice as it rises from womanly to girlish as she when she tells a young girl's tale. A beautiful, original, polished effort. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dance-delicioso-chris-mcnulty-elefant-dreams-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Chris McNulty: voice; Paul Bolenback: guitars; Gary Bartz: alto saxophone; Mulgrew Miller, John DiMartino: piano; Sonny Barbato: accordion; Erik Friedlander: cello; Ugommo Okegwo: bass; Billy hart-drums; Cafe da Silva: percussion; Joel Frahm: saxophones; Dave DiPietro: soprano saxophone; Gary Thomas: tenor saxophone.

Dance Delicioso

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Houston Person - Rain or Shine

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:43
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:25)  1. Come Rain or Come Shine
(7:07)  2. 132nd and Madison
(7:02)  3. Everything Must Change
(6:20)  4. Learnin' the Blues
(5:31)  5. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
(7:16)  6. Soupbone
(5:12)  7. Never Let Me Go
(5:45)  8. Our Day Will Come
(6:01)  9. Danny Boy

Tenor saxophonist Houston Person, now in his eightieth decade, has made no concessions to Father Time, choosing instead to use his many years in the jazz trenches to forge a style all his own, bathed in blues and soul but never turning a deaf ear to the allure of a seductive and tasteful melody. Each of these components is clear as the midday sun on Rain or Shine, a well designed studio session on which Person shares the front line with the like-minded cornetist Warren Vache. There can be no doubting a leader's self-confidence when he not only opens his own gig with an even-tempered ballad ("Come Rain or Come Shine") but entrusts the tune's lone solo to his fellow horn man. That is exactly what Person does, unlimbering his keen improvisational chops on the next track, "132nd and Madison," and pretty much taking the reins from there on. That's not meant to imply that Vache doesn't have his moments he fashions engaging solos whenever called upon, as do guitarist Rodney Jones and pianist Lafayette Harris who with bassist Matthew Parrish and drummer Vincent Ector comprise the ensemble's deft and responsive rhythm section.

Besides the songs already mentioned, the bill of fare embodies a mixture of soul, funk, R&B and ballads, with the blues never more than a glance away, before closing with an eloquent reading of the Irish folk classic, "Danny Boy" (by Person and Harris). Jones wrote the funky "Soupbone," which precedes the ballad "Never Let Me Go" and "Our Day Will Come" (set to a bossa beat) and follows "Everything Must Change," "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone" and the Frank Sinatra favorite, "Learnin' the Blues" (which swings as hard and as freely as Ol' Blue Eyes' original to amplify snappy solos by Person, Vache, Jones, Harris and Parrish). Rain or Shine was recorded in June 2017, one month before the passing of producer Joe Fields who founded the Muse and Xanadu labels, among others, before co-founding HighNote and Savant Records with his son Barney in 1996. If this was the last recording that Fields produced, he did indeed end his lengthy career on a decisive HighNote. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rain-or-shine-houston-person-highnote-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Houston Person: tenor saxophone; Warren Vache: cornet (1, 2, 4, 6, 8); Lafayette Harris: piano; Rodney Jones: guitar (1-6, 8, 9); Matthew Parrish: bass; Vincent Ector: drums.

Rain or Shine

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Dave Liebman & Phil Markowitz - Manhattan Dialogues

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:15
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Teacher of Our Child
( 1:53)  2. 7 Intro
( 6:02)  3. 7
( 7:36)  4. Philippe Under the Green Bridge
( 6:58)  5. Sno' Peas
( 8:50)  6. Jung
( 4:34)  7. Off By One
(10:25)  8. Mahoning
( 8:56)  9. The Night Has 1000 Eyes
( 6:55) 10. 'Round Midnight

Most musicians are fortunate enough to find one musical partner where such shared simpatico exists that they can evolve in perfect tandem exploring a variety of contexts with the kind of comfort level that ensures complete trust and an unfettered imagination that makes no pursuit beyond reach. To find more than one is rare indeed. Saxophonist Dave Liebman and pianist Richie Beirach's 20-year-plus relationship, well-documented on last year's Mosaic Select 12 box of archival live recordings, saw them approach everything from the early fusion-meets-world music of Lookout Farm to the open-ended freedom of Quest and more intimate duets. But when the two parted companies in the early '90s, it became Liebman's good fortune to cement a host of vital new partnerships, including guitarist Vic Juris, percussionist Jamey Haddad, bassist Tony Marino and pianist/keyboardist Phil Markowitz. Liebman's post-Beirach quintet became the core of projects ranging from detailed exploration of the music of John Coltrane inarguably Liebman's biggest influence to its own diverse range of original composition.

Markowitz may have left the quintet in the late '90s, but he continues to be pianist of choice for Liebman, heard most recently on last year's Saxophone Summit featuring Joe Lovano and Michael Brecker, and now on Manhattan Dialogues, a series of duets recorded at the Manhattan School of Music, where both teach on a regular basis. With a personal and deeply-shared musical language, this set of eight originals and two radically-reharmonized standards is arguably the most vivid document of Liebman and Markowitz's remarkable chemistry to date.For the most part pensive and darkly-hued, the common ground that Liebman and Markowitz share may be on the cerebral side, but Liebman's ever-present expressionist tendencies give even the most heady chromaticism of his own "Teacher of Our Child," "Philippe Under the Green Bridge" and "Jung" a visceral edge. And while neither Liebman's or Markowitz's material swings in any kind of traditional way, leaning more towards a kind of abstract rhythmic pulse, there is an inherently insistent groove on Markowitz's more up-tempo "Off By One" and "Sno' Peas" the latter a tune that was first recorded by Bill Evans and harmonica legend Toots Thielemans, although in a far more conventional context than this significantly outré reading.

Throughout, Liebman and Markowitz are so in each others' pockets as to consistently blur the line between form and freedom. In fact, by the time the duo reaches the standards "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" and "'Round Midnight" at the end of the program, the overall complexion has been so well-established as to largely obfuscate the more recognizable characteristics of these well-known tunes. And yet, while many of the set's compositions are born from intellectual premises with challenging foundations, the 70-minute program remains completely compelling. More provocative than evocative, Manhattan Dialogues demonstrates the power and subtlety of improvisation in the hands of two artists who combine common musical goals with an uncommon ability to find the most direct if not necessarily the easiest paths to get to them. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/manhattan-dialogues-dave-liebman-zoho-music-review-by-john-kelman.php?width=1536

Personnel: Dave Liebman, soprano and tenor saxophone; Phil Markowitz, piano

Manhattan Dialogues

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Joscho Stephan Trio Meets Matthias Strucken - Gypsy Vibes

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:22
Size: 108,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. It Don't Mean A Thing
(4:11)  2. Things Are Getting Better
(3:44)  3. Linea Blanca
(5:30)  4. Seul Ce Soir
(4:01)  5. Four Brothers
(3:31)  6. Swingende Liebeserklärung
(5:25)  7. Night And Day
(3:10)  8. Brazen Waltz
(3:39)  9. Bags Groove
(4:26) 10. September Song
(3:21) 11. Three Little Words
(2:18) 12. Django

The Collaboration between Joscho Stephan (guitar) and Matthias Strucken (vibes) is influenced by the Master of "Gypsy Swing", Django Reinhardt, and the legendary Member of the Modern Jazz Quartett, the Vibraphone Icon Milt Jackson. Is it possible to combine their styles? The answer is John Lewis Composition “Django”, a Hommage to Django by the Modern Jazz Quartet in the late 50s. “Gypsy Vibes” contains Reinhardt´s and Jackson´s favourites, but also original material by Joscho and Matthias. http://www.joschoshop.com/Joscho-Stephan-Matthias-Strucken-Gypsy-Vibes-2016/en

Personnel:  Joscho Stephan - solo guitar;  Matthias Strucken - vibes;  Günter Stephan - rhythm guitar;  Volker Kamp - double bass

Gypsy Vibes

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Otis Redding - Stax Classics

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:27
Size: 74.3 MB
Styles: Soul
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
[2:30] 2. These Arms Of Mine
[3:18] 3. Try A Little Tenderness
[2:53] 4. I've Been Loving You Too Long
[2:45] 5. Mr. Pitiful
[2:07] 6. Respect
[2:40] 7. Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)
[2:22] 8. Pain In My Heart
[3:27] 9. Just One More Day
[2:21] 10. That's How Strong My Love Is
[2:34] 11. Security
[2:42] 12. Satisfaction

Presenting the music of Otis Redding, who arrived anonymously at 926 E. McLemore Avenue in Memphis– as a chauffeur for another artist – in 1962, and would go on to become an R&B supernova, with a body of work that helped transform Stax from a small record label to a musical institution. Starting with “These Arms of Mine,” which floored Stax owner Jim Stewart when Redding humbly asked to audition on that fateful day, through a host of bona fide soul classics from “Mr Pitiful,” “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” “Security, “Try A Little Tenderness,” and of course the self-penned “Respect,” later immortalized by Aretha Franklin, all included on this collection. The life and career of The Big O tragically ended with a 1967 plane crash, but his legacy was cemented with the posthumous single release, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay,” a chart topper on both the R&B and pop listings, and a lasting reminder of the true genius of The King Of Soul .

Stax Classics mc
Stax Classics zippy

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Dan Gailey Jazz Orchestra - What Did You Dream?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:20
Size: 117.5 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[ 7:38] 1. Audacity
[ 9:26] 2. Point No Point
[ 6:06] 3. Early Light
[ 6:47] 4. In A Big Way
[11:58] 5. What Did You Dream
[ 9:23] 6. 11th Hour (For Michael Brecker)

Best known to the jazz world as the composer/arranger of challenging charts played by top ensembles around the globe and the 20-year director of the award-winning jazz program at the University of Kansas, Gailey's writing has been formally recognized by awards such as the IAJE's 1996 Gil Evans Fellowship. In this, his long overdue debut album, the Dan Gailey Jazz Orchestra gives body and soul to an inspired program of originals whose art and craft call to mind the exotic colors of Ellington, the throbbing pulse of Basie, the open-ended modernism of Gil Evans and the adventurous reframing of the big band tradition by Maria Schneider.

What Did You Dream? mc
What Did You Dream? zippy

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Louise Isackson - Feels Right

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:09
Size: 75.9 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. Exactly Like You
[4:50] 2. Ooh Child
[6:26] 3. Something So Right
[3:56] 4. Street Life
[4:03] 5. Summertime
[3:37] 6. Who Can I Turn To
[3:27] 7. Who's Crying Now
[3:23] 8. Wind Cries Mary

Louise Isackson is an Australian Jazz vocalist, musician and fine artist based in Queensland. On her debut recording she presents a selection of timeless compositions. Produced by Raymond Silva, a highly acclaimed former Atlantic Records producer who has worked with Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke, Roy Buchanan and Peter Gabriel. This album is a selection of timeless compositions, with a sound that is clearly Jazz influenced.

Feels Right mc
Feels Right zippy

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Al Di Meola - Opus

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:51
Size: 132.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[ 7:54] 1. Milonga Noctiva
[ 5:20] 2. Broken Heart
[10:00] 3. Ava's Dream Sequence Lullaby
[ 5:39] 4. Cerreto Sannita
[ 5:02] 5. Notorious
[ 3:19] 6. Frozen In Time
[ 3:59] 7. Escapado
[ 1:38] 8. Pomp
[ 4:17] 9. Left Unsaid
[ 5:41] 10. Insieme
[ 4:57] 11. Rebels

Al Di Meola is unquestionably one of the great guitar innovators of his generation. His formidable technique and fluency in a number of styles has placed his name indelibly in the history of jazz and improvised music. However capable he may be at the guitar, it would be a mistake to place his music in the category of garish guitar based exoticism. Di Meola has a compositional maturity that combines his advanced knowledge with a traditional harmonic palette.

The album begins with cascading acoustic guitar arpeggios. Textures swell underneath as string lines flow in and out, accentuating melodic lines. A conversation takes place between the guitars which is a reflection of the performers humanity. Mainly peaceful, the guitarists occasionally raise their voices as things get heated. Di Meola demonstrates his dexterity during the composition but the emphasis remains on the sharing of dialogue rather than any vulgar displays of virtuosic shouting. Built upon an infectious 6/8 groove, Di Meola contrasts the movement in the main riff of Broken Heart with long notes on the electric guitar. The music is like an ocean... seemingly calm while an abundance of activity is taking place below the surface. The beauty within Ava's Dream Sequence Lullaby comes from its connection to traditional harmony, the spaciousness of the instrumentation and the melodic improvised lines. When the music resolves unexpectedly to a major chord, it is a heartwarming experience. The music climaxes with a change of rhythmic feel where gentle percussion work, along with the lack of a bass instrument, produces a delicate lightness. You could almost consume the music with one deep breath.

Di Meola talks about a Led Zeppelin influence creeping in to Notorious. There are no thundering Bonham beats or deliciously chaotic pentatonic guitar runs. The inspiration comes in the form of Led Zep’s combination of funk grooves, blues tinged harmony and Eastern scalic investigations. It becomes complicated, and unnecessary, to separate Di Meola’s improvisations from the composed melodies. Lines are constructed, which you think are spontaneous, then suddenly they sync up with another instrument. All credit to the compositional detail on the album.

Escapado has a danceable rhythm which is a strong contrast with much of the music heard thus far. The descending chromatic line that underpins the harmony brings a sense of explosive expectation which releases as the drums switch to a half time feel. A cut of the wires before the strain becomes too much to bear. Rhani Krija duets with Di Meola on Pomp. The string sounds are in such subtle synchronicity with the guitar that it must be assumed they are being trigged by the instrument. It is compositional detail like this that gives the album its depth. Sophisticated and complex lines weave and dance like two intellectuals trying to outwit one another on Insieme. When chords appear they are played with flamenco-like gusto. The introduction of bass brings a textural change and gives weight to aspects of the discussion.

The album closes with the fluid electric guitar lines which Di Meola was so celebrated for while playing with Return To Forever. Beginning as a hard driving jazz rock powerhouse, an unexpected turn is taken into a Cuban piano montuno. This links in with a bass riff which wouldn’t sound out of place on a heavy metal album.

Di Meola presents us with one final, understated music lesson. The point of which is that music from across the world is inextricably linked. Of course each genre has its intricacies and its unique elements but perhaps a blind dedication to these traditions prevents a great deal of exciting and innovative music from being created. Di Meola is in no danger of falling in to that trap. ~John Marley

Opus 

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Billy Eckstine - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:08
Size: 110.2 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. I Apologise
[2:59] 2. Love Me Or Leave Me
[6:19] 3. St. Louis Blues, Pt. 1 & 2
[3:08] 4. Here Comes The Blues
[2:43] 5. Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
[3:42] 6. Tenderly
[2:37] 7. Taking A Chance On Love
[3:14] 8. Everything I Have Is Yours
[5:22] 9. How High The Moon
[3:17] 10. Laura
[3:07] 11. You're Driving Me Crazy
[3:09] 12. No One But You
[2:41] 13. I Left My Hat In Haiti
[2:47] 14. As Long As I Live

Billy Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big band, then as the first romantic black male in popular music. An influence looming large in the cultural development of soul and R&B singers from Sam Cooke to Prince, Eckstine was able to play it straight on his pop hits "Prisoner of Love," "My Foolish Heart" and "I Apologize." Born in Pittsburgh but raised in Washington, D.C., Eckstine began singing at the age of seven and entered many amateur talent shows. He had also planned on a football career, though after breaking his collar bone, he made music his focus. After working his way west to Chicago during the late '30s, Eckstine was hired by Earl Hines to join his Grand Terrace Orchestra in 1939. Though white bands of the era featured males singing straight-ahead romantic ballads, black bands were forced to stick to novelty or blues vocal numbers until the advent of Eckstine and Herb Jeffries (from Duke Ellington's Orchestra). ~John Bush

Greatest Hits mc
Greatest Hits zippy

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The MJQ Celebration - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:26
Size: 152.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Cool
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. The Golden Striker
[6:25] 2. Bluesology
[4:11] 3. Milano
[5:24] 4. The Stopper (Feat. Dave O'Higgins)
[7:11] 5. Aurian Wood
[3:49] 6. Concorde
[4:53] 7. No Moe (Feat. Dave O'Higgins)
[6:50] 8. Django
[3:52] 9. Angel Eyes
[2:01] 10. La Ronde
[4:36] 11. Scoops (Feat. Dave O'Higgins)
[6:12] 12. Promises (Feat. Dave O'Higgins)
[7:08] 13. Bag's Groove

Jim Hart, vibraphone; Barry Green, piano; Steve Brown, drums; Matt Ridley, bass. With special guest Dave O’Higgins, tenor saxophone.

The ‘MJQ Celebration’ was a well known and celebrated ensemble of UK musicians, active from 2009-2016. Formed by pianist and composer Michael Garrick MBE, the band celebrated one of the most famous and influential jazz ensembles of all time, the ‘Modern Jazz Quartet’.

After enjoying a number of exceptionally well received concerts with Garrick at the helm, the group survived Garrick’s untimely death in 2011 by recruiting the fine young pianist Barry Green. In this format, the group toured the UK and played sell out shows at prestigious venues such as the Purcell Room and Ronnie Scott’s.

In 2013, the band cut their eponymous album. Stellar favourites such as ‘Django’, ‘The Golden Striker’, ‘Bag’s Groove’ and ‘Concorde’ were given enthralling new renditions, whilst staying true to the original intentions of their composers John Lewis and Milt Jackson.

The group also paid homage to their founder Michael Garrick, by including two of his original compositions, hand-picked by his bass player of choice, Matt Ridley. Teaming up for the session with stalwart UK saxophonist Dave O’Higgins, the ensemble also doff their cap to the collaboration between Sonny Rollins and the MJQ, featuring a rip-roaring version of ‘The Stopper’, as well as the more moderate (but no less compelling) ‘No Moe’ and ‘Scoops’.

Released in April 2014, the album gained universal praise from critics and audiences alike. Cut entirely live in one day, with no fixes or overdubs, the album bears a freshness and excitement that not only champions the original MJQ, but also serves as an example of world-class jazz coming from the UK.

The MJQ Celebration mc
The MJQ Celebration zippy

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Tom Harrell - Colors of a Dream

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:57
Size: 149,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:26)  1. Tango
(7:01)  2. Velejar (Sail Away)
(6:19)  3. Phantasy in Latin
(5:06)  4. State
(3:18)  5. Seventy
(9:01)  6. Blues 2013
(5:16)  7. Nite Life
(4:58)  8. Even If
(6:43)  9. Walkway
(4:18) 10. Family
(6:25) 11. Goin' Out

After a full career which has spanned decades without a lull Tom Harrell is as busy as ever. Here is a project which supplements his working quintet with two additions saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding. Esperanza can be heard lending her voice to a number of Tom's impressive compositions, sometimes using it in a such way that it takes on the role of a instrument and also delivering a wonderfully unique version of his popular "Sail Away" in Portuguese ("Velejar"). Colors of a Dream is perhaps Harrell's most imaginative recording to-date. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Colors-Dream-Tom-Harrell/dp/B00F5O1YME 

Personnel:  Tom Harrell – composer, producer, primary artist, trumpet, flugelhorn;  Esperanza Spalding – bass, vocals;  Wayne Escoffery – sax (tenor);  Jaleel Shaw – sax (alto);  Ugonna Okegwo – bass;  Johnathan Blake – drums;  Fleurine Elizabeth Verloop – composer, lyricist

Colors of a Dream

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Jan Garbarek - In Praise of Dreams

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:31
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. As Seen from Above
(5:25)  2. In Praise of Dreams
(5:09)  3. One Goes There Alone
(6:27)  4. Knot of Place and Time
(0:44)  5. If You Go Far Enough
(5:19)  6. Scene from Afar
(5:26)  7. Cloud of Unknowing
(5:04)  8. Without Visible Sign
(5:03)  9. Iceburn
(4:25) 10. Conversation with a Stone
(4:39) 11. A Tale Begun

Following a six-year break from recording, with only a guest appearance on bassist Miroslav Vitous' Universal Syncopations ('03) and a :Rarum compilation ('02), Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek returns with his first album of new material since Rites ('98). In Praise of Dreams continues along the path established by such recordings as Legend of the Seven Dreams , I Took Up The Runes , and Visible World. But while Garbarek demonstrates the same penchant for deceptively simple pieces with almost anthem-like themes, his collaboration with violist Kim Kashkashian and drummer Manu Katche results in something richer, something deeper than what has come before. Garbarek, who has long since gone beyond the need for overt demonstrations of instrumental capabilities, has for many years been more interested in searching for a purity of sound, a truth in the essence of the song that has caused some to accuse him of taking the easy path. But the reality is much more significant. Garbarek has clearly lost none of his vitality, as evidenced by his soloing on pieces including "As Seen from Above" and the lilting pan-Celtic feel of the title track. But on a recording where he has, once again, created layers of sound over which Kashkashian and Katche have added key elements, Garbarek has aimed for an even broader cinematic landscape than ever before. And while there are some relatively straightforward compositions, Garbarek has managed to blend folk elements with a classical richness and an improvisational sensibility to create a work that not only fits comfortably as an evolution of his long-term oeuvre, but also goes to some new places as well.

Much of the success of In Praise of Dreams is attributable to Kashkashian, who, with a warm and haunting tone, is the perfect foil for Garbarek's more frigid timbre. Like Garbarek, she seems dedicated to finding the right phrase, the perfect inflection, to give the material substance. And like Garbarek, she places the intent of the material before her own ego and, consequently, aims instead for a simple purity that makes for an engaging listen while still managing to reveal many layers on subsequent plays. Garbarek's pieces have a compelling truth to them, from ensemble pieces like "Scene from Afar" to "A Tale Begun," which finds Garbarek using simple synthesizer textures and long saxophone tones to act as a fitting coda, retelling the title track without the percussion and lead voices. It demonstrates that Garbarek's quest for the spiritual essence of a song may be at its most compelling when stripped to its rawest elements. There has been much conjecture surrounding this release, and the reality is that this is no radical digression from the path that Garbarek has travelled for many years. Still, with an evolutionary approach that finds him moving into ever more vivid and moving audioscapes, Garbarek may be the closest to finding the meaning he has been searching for all along. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-praise-of-dreams-jan-garbarek-ecm-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Jan Garbarek (tenor and soprano saxophones, synthesizers, samplers, percussion, Kim Kashkashian (viola on all but "As Seen from Above," "If You Go Far Enough," "A Tale Begun"), Manu Katché (drums on "As Seen from Above," "One Goes There Alone," "Knot of Place and Time," "Scene from Afar," "Iceburn," "Conversation with a Stone")

In Praise of Dreams

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Echoes of Swing - Travelin'

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:39
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. Orient Express
(3:24)  2. Volare
(4:40)  3. The Old Country
(3:03)  4. On a Slow Goat Through China
(3:17)  5. Das Wrack Der Guten Hoffnung
(3:58)  6. The Fiji Hula Bula
(4:07)  7. Where or When
(3:48)  8. On a Turquoise Cloud
(3:22)  9. Cabin in the Sky
(2:48) 10. Gan Hyem
(4:05) 11. Southern Sunset
(2:37) 12. En Auto
(4:25) 13. Trav'lin Light
(3:06) 14. Disorder at the Border
(4:20) 15. Wohin?

The album of Echoes of Swing " Travelin ', celebrates the 20 years of the famous quartet. Most jazz musicians are travelers: their place of work? Clubs, festivals ... Echoes of Swing , however, has another dimension: this quartet is in itself a journey through time , since they go back to the classical jazz of the 20s to 50s, while updating it. And this for 20 years! We make a real tour of the musical world from the Orient Express of Chris Hopkins, the opening of the album. From the beginning, we have a clue of what will happen next: a pirate ship in the storm on a 12/8 measure with Bernd Lhotzky's Das Wrack Der Guten Hoffnung , then the calm of the South Seas, with Fiji Hula Bula from Hopkins to Southern Sunset by Sidney Bechet with a version that transports us to a peaceful, sensual night ... And what better way to illustrate the flight than with the Italian Volare tube he takes to a Harlem Stride, doing think of John Kirby's sextet. Several original compositions and complex arrangements with pieces originally for piano or orchestra are adapted to the quartet, testifying to a deep knowledge of the history of music . Sophisticated, thoughtful, but the imperative of old school jazz, that of entertainment, is still there: a lot of humor, whether through fun musical quotes, the subtle irony of Colin Dawson's voice, or wacky titles like On A Slow Goat Through China - the Chris Hopkins allusion to Frank Loesser's standard. For "Travelin '", the words of the great Dick Hyman - the last living legend of classical jazz piano he said about Echoes of Swing are particularly relevant: " Each of their pieces is a pearl! Together they have a unique approach to jazz and each member is a master ".

Personnel:  Colin T. Dawson (trumpet, horn, bugle, voice), Chris Hopkins (alto saxophone), Bernd Lhotzky (piano, celesta), Oliver Mewes (drums)

Travelin'

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Veronneau - Love & Surrender

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:52
Size: 89,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. Song of Love
(3:14)  2. Love and Surrender
(4:12)  3. The Road
(4:05)  4. La Javanaise
(2:45)  5. September Moon (Instrumental)
(3:41)  6. Perfidia
(4:46)  7. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(3:49)  8. Moon's a Harsh Mistress
(3:41)  9. Voce Abusou/Fais Comme L'Oiseau
(5:05) 10. Waltz for Youssef

Reflective of an island getaway in a musical form, Love and Surrender from vocalist Lynn Véronneau sweeps listeners away cerebrally along a jaunt through tranquilizing soundscapes and ambient atmospherics. The silky, smooth fibers of the sonic glides are comprised of soft crackling embers in the guitar strums and slow feathery beats, radiating a Latin flare. Véronneau’s vocals resound a sultry lilt along “Perfidia,” as the violin strings spiral seductively around the melodic phrases formed by the springy accordion and palpitating percussive beats. The music evokes pleasure in the listener. Mellow and sparsely tiered, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” is a vocals and guitar tune whose rhapsody blues streaks emote a hypnotic rocking. At times, the music has a Henry Mancini-like carousal ride teeter cruising along “La Javanaise.” Other times, the songs resonate a Claudine Longet-esque winsome nature such as “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress” with beach-front textured interludes. The samba rhythm lancing “The Road” has an island glint, switching to a R&B/salsa fusion in the melodic swells of “Songs of Love.” Véronneau’s repertoire as a jazz vocalist/performer is ample in world music formats. She taps into Latin swing, American R&B/blues, and a cool rhapsody style reminiscent of French artists like Claudine Longet. Converging these individual facets into a sweet-sounding amalgam, the recording shows influences from multiple cultures of the western hemisphere and puts them into a compact package.

Personnel:  Lynn Véronneau – vocals and whistling, Ken Avis – guitar, harmonica and backup vocals, and David Rosenblatt – guitar. Special Guests: Etu Dieng – electric bass, Tom King – accordion, Dave Kline – violin, Amadou Kouyate – kora, Bruno Lucini – drums and percussion, John Previti – upright bass, and JP Silva – 7-string acoustic guitar and backup vocals

Love & Surrender

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George Cables Trio - Skylark

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:52
Size: 153.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[6:25] 1. Fungii Mama
[9:32] 2. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum
[7:35] 3. Manha De Carnival
[8:16] 4. Skylark
[7:02] 5. Samba De Orfeu
[8:39] 6. Someday My Prince Will Come
[5:49] 7. A Felicidade
[6:50] 8. Pannonica
[6:38] 9. Dolahin

George Cables made a series of excellent CDs for Steeplechase during the 1990s, one of which is Skylark, a fun trio studio session with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Tootie Heath. Starting with a brisk take of Blue Mitchell's enticing calypso "Fungii Mama," the pianist offers a well-conceived set. A trio of tunes by great Brazilian composers include a snappy take of "Manha De Carnaval," a driving "Samba De Orfeu," and an usually upbeat take of the normally relaxed "A Felicidade." Cables also offers fresh approaches to the standards "Skylark" and "Someday My Prince Will Come." His easygoing stroll through Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica" is followed by his sole original of the date, "Dolahin," a spirited blend of calypso and Latin rhythms. ~Ken Dryden

Skylark mc
Skylark zippy

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The Jazz Passengers - Broken Night Red Light

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:26
Size: 92.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1987
Art: Front

[4:07] 1. Broken Night Red Light
[3:13] 2. Honer G. Krebbs
[2:33] 3. Rascal You
[4:31] 4. Indian Club Bombardment
[3:18] 5. My Spanish Cookies
[2:02] 6. Speedo
[7:19] 7. Spirits Of Flatbush Angel Eyes
[5:19] 8. Fathouse
[4:03] 9. Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me
[3:55] 10. Badubuda

Bass – Brad Jones, Tony Garnier;Guitar, Trumpet – Marc Ribot; Percussion, Drums – E.J. Rodriguez; Saxophone [Tenor, Alto, Soprano], Clarinet – Roy Nathanson; Vibraphone [Vibes] – Bill Ware; Violin – Jim Nolet; Vocals, Trombone – Curtis Fowlkes.

The JAZZ PASSENGERS are a fantastical fusion of post-bop and musical comedy, once called a “perverse mainstream … hard-bop group as imagined by Frank Zappa.” (Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe, 1989). Their name, a take-off on Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, reveals the musicians’ wild ride along the eccentric currents in modern American music. Saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, who found strong affinity in their Brooklyn roots while together in the band of the Big Apple Circus and John Lurie’s seminal band, The Lounge Lizards, founded the band in 1987. They first broke out on the New York City avant-garde scene centering around the Knitting Factory with a hybrid of Mingus-influenced dance rhythms and original tunes complete with lyrics and/or entertaining stories. Besides Nathanson and Fowlkes the original band members included Bill Ware on vibraphone, E.J. Rodriguez on percussion, Brad Jones on bass, Jim Nolet on violin and Marc Ribot on guitar. They are now a six-piece band without guitar and with Sam Bardfeld on violin.

The Jazz Passengers have toured and continue to tour extensively since the 1990s, traversing the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia and having played at major festivals and in clubs and concerts across the globe.

Broken Night Red Light mc
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Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - The Best

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 87.6 MB
Styles: Big band, Early jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Get Low-Down Blues
[3:03] 2. Ill Natured Blues
[2:55] 3. Kansas City Breakdown
[2:50] 4. Kansas City Shuffle 1
[2:48] 5. Kansas City Shuffle 2
[2:31] 6. Kater Street Rag
[3:20] 7. Moten Swing
[2:59] 8. Moten's Stomp
[3:21] 9. Muscle Shoals Blues
[2:52] 10. Rumba Negro Spanish Stomp
[3:16] 11. Small Black
[2:43] 12. South 1
[2:31] 13. South 2

In the late 1920s, Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra was the most sucessful Jazz band of the Midwest. The band toured all over the country and had a top selling recording in 1927 for Victor named "South". In 1929, the young Count Basie of The Blue Devils joined the band, and several other members of that band soon followed. Among them were bass player Walter Page, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, vocalist Jimmy Rushing and guitarist Eddie Durham (the first guitarist to experiment with proto-amplifiers, in the solo of Band Box Shuffle in October 1929). The acquisition of all these members of the Blue Devils caused the exodus of long-time Moten Band members Thamon Hayes and Harlan Leonard, who founded their own ensemble.

When Moten hired Ben Webster and Eddie Barefield in 1932, the modernization of the band was complete. Later that same year, Moten recorded Moten's Swing, one of the first recordings to use a riff, the foundation of Kansas City jazz. Count Basie took over the band after Moten's death in 1935.

The Best mc
The Best zippy

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Airto Moreira - Homeless

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:23
Size: 115.3 MB
Styles: Latin, Brazilian rhythms
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:45] 1. Vira Poeira (Burning To Dust)
[4:44] 2. Come As You Are
[4:37] 3. 700 Years
[3:02] 4. After These Messages
[5:02] 5. Street Vendors (D'jmbo)
[4:14] 6. Wake Up Now
[6:17] 7. Homeless (Around The Fire)
[6:58] 8. Samba 4 Sale
[5:57] 9. Ginga Sem Fronteira
[4:41] 10. The Last One

Although Airto Moreira was never a jazz purist, most of his work has been jazz-oriented. From his years with Chick Corea's first Return to Forever lineup to his classic CTI dates of the 1970s to his work on wife Flora Purim's albums, the Brazilian drummer/vocalist has been known for combining jazz with Brazilian music, rock, and funk. No one could ever accuse Purim's husband of being someone who is only interested in showing the world how fast he can play John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," but it is safe to say that most of Moreira's work has been jazz-oriented even though it isn't straight-ahead bop. Homeless, however, is a Moreira project that has very little to do with jazz. This diverse, highly rhythmic CD draws on everything from pop, funk, hip-hop, and Afro-Brazilian tribal chanting to club and rave music, but jazz considerations aren't a priority. Although Homeless isn't the least bit predictable, there is something that ties all the material together: rhythm. Whether Moreira is embracing melodic Brazilian pop on the introspective "Wake Up Now" (which features his daughter, singer Diana Moreira Booker), getting into Afro-Brazilian tribal sounds on "The Last One" and "Come As You Are" (which are all rhythm and no melody), or getting into a moody yet funky rave/trance groove on "Vira Poeira (Burning to Dust)," the common denominator is Moreira's distinctively Brazilian sense of rhythm. The lead vocals are shared by Moreira and Booker; while Moreira sings in Portuguese, his daughter handles the English lyrics. Not surprisingly, Booker sounds somewhat like Purim, although she does have an appealing delivery of her own. This likable, if a bit uneven, CD isn't among Moreira's essential releases, but it's an intriguing addition to his catalog -- and he deserves credit for trying something a bit different. ~Alex Henderson

Homeless mc
Homeless zippy

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Richie Cole - The Alto Sax Of Richie Cole

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:05
Size: 119.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:37] 1. There Will Never Be Another You
[4:35] 2. On Misty Mornings
[6:45] 3. House Of Jazz
[4:18] 4. Sister Sadie
[2:09] 5. Emily
[4:26] 6. I Love Lucy
[6:00] 7. Night In Tunisia
[7:06] 8. Satin Doll
[4:26] 9. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
[5:58] 10. Waterhouse Blues
[0:40] 11. Stardust

Richie started playing alto saxophone when he was 10 years old in his home town of Trenton, New Jersey. Influenced by Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker, Cole’s talent and dedication won him a full scholarship from Downbeat Magazine to the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

His professional career began in 1969 when he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band. And after stints with the Lionel Hampton Big Band and the Doc Severinsen Big Band, Cole formed his own quintet and toured worldwide, doing a great deal to popularize bebop and his own “Alto Madness” style in the 70’s and early 80’s.

Cole has performed and recorded with the great vocalese artist Eddie Jefferson, the Manhattan Transfer, Bobby Enriquez, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Tom Waits, Boots Randolph, and Nancy Wilson, to name just a few of his musical collaborations. Notably, Cole has performed at the Village Vanguard and Carnegie Hall as well as gave a command performance for the Queen of England.

Cole has recorded over 50 albums and CDs, including his top hit album “Hollywood Madness” (1979 Muse Records) and his tribute album to Leonard Bernstein, “Richie Cole Plays West Side Story” (1997 Music Masters Jazz). A prolific composer, Cole also finds time to arrange for full big bands, symphony orchestras and frequent performances at jazz festivals worldwide. Moreover, he enjoys sharing his love of music with younger generations and is active recording, touring and presenting university master classes.

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The Alto Sax Of Richie Cole zippy

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Donald Byrd - Places And Spaces

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:48
Size: 83,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Change (Makes You Want To Hustle)
(6:10)  2. Wind Parade
(4:30)  3. (Fallin' Like) Dominoes
(6:17)  4. Places And Spaces
(5:22)  5. You And The Music
(3:43)  6. Night Whistler
(4:35)  7. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

Reuniting with Larry Mizell, the man behind his last three LPs, Donald Byrd continues to explore contemporary soul, funk, and R&B with Places and Spaces. In fact, the record sounds more urban than its predecessor, which often played like a Hollywood version of the inner city. Keeping the Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, and Sly Stone influences of Street Lady, Places and Spaces adds elements of Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder, which immediately makes the album funkier and more soulful. Boasting sweeping string arrangements, sultry rhythm guitars, rubbery bass, murmuring flügelhorns, and punchy horn charts, the music falls halfway between the cinematic neo-funk of Street Lady and the proto-disco soul of Earth, Wind & Fire. Also, the title Places and Spaces does mean something there are more open spaces within the music, which automatically makes it funkier. Of course, it also means that there isn't much of interest on Places and Spaces for jazz purists, but the album would appeal to most fans of Philly soul, lite funk, and proto-disco. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/places-and-spaces-mw0000616571

Personnel: Donald Byrd (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Fonce Mizell (vocals, trumpet, Clavinet, clavichord); Larry Mizell (vocals, piano); Kay Haith (vocals); James Carter (whistling); Craig McMullen, John Rowin (guitar); Tyree Glenn (tenor saxophone); Ray Brown (trumpet); George Bohannon (trombone); Skip Scarborough (electric piano); Chuck Rainey (electric bass); Harvey Mason, Sr. (drums); Mayuto Correa (congas, percussion); King Errisson (congas).

Places And Spaces

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Denise King - Fever

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:35
Size: 148,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:30)  1. The Nearness of You
(5:41)  2. Fever
(5:22)  3. Jim
(6:23)  4. It Never Entered My Mind
(6:38)  5. Song for My Father
(6:28)  6. Summertime
(5:31)  7. In a Sentimental Mood
(3:05)  8. Autumn Leaves
(3:50)  9. Violets for My Fur
(4:38) 10. When I Fall in Love
(5:47) 11. I Wish You Love
(4:37) 12. Green Dolphin Street

Influenced by Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw and Sarah Vaughan, Denise King is an expressive, big-voiced singer who combines jazz with elements of R&B, blues and gospel. King was born and raised in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to R&B as a child and discovered jazz at 12 thanks to an uncle who was an avid record collector. After graduating from high school, the Philadelphian entered the medical field and earned her living as a technician and a family-planning counselor. King was in her early 30s when she started doing club gigs around Philly, and eventually, she became a full-time singer. Though she's no stranger to standards, one of King's strong points has been her ability to provide jazz interpretations of rock and soul hits in fact, she has turned everything from Santana's "Evil Ways" to Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come" into swinging acoustic jazz. King started recording in the 1990s, offering Live In Japan: I Remember You in 1993, Now Ain't That Love in 1996 and Simply Mellow in 1997. ~ Alex Henderson https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fever/136807140

Fever

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Anna Webber - Percussive Mechanics

Styles: Flute And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:03
Size: 135,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Dan:Ce
(4:46)  2. Certain Transcendence
(5:34)  3. Terrarosa
(9:24)  4. Percussive Mechanics
(8:53)  5. Vigilance
(7:19)  6. Sleeping Is Giving In
(6:27)  7. Histrionics
(6:35)  8. Let It Cut More Deep
(3:12)  9. Eins!

First she was a flutist, then a saxophonist, now an outstanding jazz and new music composer. Canada's Anna Webber follows up her debut, Third Floor People (Nowt Records, 2010), with Percussive Mechanics, a skirmish between contemporary composed music and jazz improvisation. As a player, she has recorded with Stephon Harris's Blackout Urbanus (Concord, 2009) and has also performed with Jason Moran, Tony Malaby, and John Hollenbeck. It is Hollenbeck that is the touchstone for her compositions here. Webber plays with the conflicts between thoroughly composed music and jazz improvisation. Her pieces, like the title track, come across as automated, almost precise machine-driven compositions. Performed by skilled musicians, Percussive Mechanics is a tightly scored system of music. The beauty here is that her structures leak improvisation between the gears. The recording builds from its marimba/vibraphone and flute opening, adding clarinet, piano, and eventually the entire septet. Brief solos emerge as it gains momentum. Tension builds within the structure, eventually the orchestration giving way to the hoots and hollers of the players.

Webber's stratagem, to compose using layer upon precise layer to elicit both a disciplined sound and a new expression of controlled chaos, is the heart of jazz improvisation. Pianist Elias Stemeseder's simple and exact lines open "Sleeping Is Giving In" drums, percussion and meticulous horns then enter, following Webber's system. As the piece unfolds, the lines diverge and the music blossoms, with soloists spiraling above and escalating the music. Album highlights include "Terrarose," with its whistled passage, and "Histronics," which opens with Webber and one (then two) drummers, harmonizing with her tenor saxophone. The stripped-down piece sums up her methodology from the detailed discipline of writing, the human element and expression bloom. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/percussive-mechanics-anna-webber-pirouet-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel: Anna Webber: flute, tenor saxophone; James Wylie: clarinet, alto saxophone; Elias Stemeseder: piano, wurlitzer; Julius Heise: vibraphone, marimba, whistling; Igor Spallati: double bass; Max Andrzejewski: drum set, glockenspiel, miscellaneous percussion, whistling; Martin Kruemmling: drum set, miscellaneous percussion.

Percussive Mechanics

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Dan Siegel - Inside Out

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Just Like That
(5:31)  2. Inside Out
(4:07)  3. In Your Eyes
(4:47)  4. When The Time Comes
(5:18)  5. Between The Lines
(4:53)  6. To The Point
(5:00)  7. This Time Around
(4:05)  8. Crossroads
(3:23)  9. The Long Goodbye
(4:07) 10. Gone But Not Forgotten

Almost a quarter century after his debut, Dan Siegel remains one of the kings of smooth-as-silk piano smooth jazz. No computer blips or hip-hop samples here. Siegel is such a mellow mood on his first new studio CD in six years that if you're not completely relaxed after his latest, you should probably get your money back. Saxophonists Boney James and Jeff Kashiwa spice things up in solos and as part of a horn section, but their playing enhances the mellowness instead of taking it outside a comfort zone. None of this is bad, of course. On "Just Like That" and the cover track, Siegel's chirpy playing and smooth backbeat are just what my doc might prescribe during the nadir of a hectic work week. Siegel steps outside his comfort zone a little with "Between the Lines," laying down some tasty organ grooves, but soon slips back into his mellow groove with "To the Point." He ventures into Yanni territory on the final cut, "Gone, But Not Forgotten," a spiritual and uplifting four minutes of music cinema. Siegel is from the old school, a defining member of the smooth jazz movement who still believes in music's healing and calming attributes. In today's loud world, there's still plenty of room for that. ~ Brian Soergel https://www.allaboutjazz.com/inside-out-dan-siegel-native-language-review-by-brian-soergel.php

Personnel: Dan Siegel (piano and synthesizer); Brian Bromberg (fretless bass); Alex Al (bass); Robert Bacon (guitar); Lenny Castro (percussion); Boney James (saxophone); Jeff Kashiwa (saxophone); Dave Hooper (drums)

Inside Out

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Ignasi Terraza - Live at the Living Room, Bangkok

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:16
Size: 168,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:29)  1. An Emotional Dance
(4:49)  2. Les dotze van tocant
(4:59)  3. Georgia on My Mind
(6:49)  4. Give Me Another
(7:58)  5. Motherland
(4:21)  6. Waltz for Auro
(4:58)  7. Corcovado
(3:38)  8. Under the Sun
(4:50)  9. Oscar's Will
(7:03) 10. Canco num.6
(4:44) 11. Chega de saudade
(5:49) 12. Blues for Stephanie
(5:42) 13. Liner Notes (by Claudio Cifuentes, Albert Mallofre, Joe Zender)

Pianist Ignasi Terraza has led trios and quartets for twenty years, collaborating with Spain's finest jazz musicians along the way. He's also played with saxophone legends Teddy Edwards, Lou Donaldson and Frank Wess, singer Stacey Kent, and trumpeter Jon Faddis. ...Live at the Living Room, Bangkok documents his trio, over two nights in the Thai capital, and shows just why Terraza has been first-call pianist for top jazz musicians visiting Barcelona. This nicely varied set includes standards, calypso, bossa nova, blues, five Terraza originals and the pianist's arrangements of two Catalan folk songs. Terraza is unashamedly old-school in his conception, influenced by pianist Oscar Peterson's graceful virtuosity, Wynton Kelly's blues, and arguably most of all by Ahmad Jamal's sense of space and dynamics. However, as this wonderful set demonstrates, Terraza is never imitative, personalizing a well-worn standard like Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado," whose intro he and bassist Pierre Boussaguet imbue with a classical air, the pianist's two-handed dialogue captivating. Jobim and Vinicius De Moraes's "Chega de Saudade" is also dressed in new robes, with a classical lining and swinging four-four time makeover. Terraza balances brilliant technique with a deft touch and an unerringly strong, melodic center.

"An Emotional Dance" is an invigorating example of Terraza's compositional flair, and his ability to solo at breathtaking speed without abandoning the song's melody. Boussaguet and drummer Esteve Pi are seasoned players and provide great support throughout. Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell's "Georgia on My Mind" begins with a delicate piano intro and Pi's brushes. Boussaguet provides leisurely counterpoint to Terraza's soulful playing until the half-way point, when Terraza takes the tune onto another plane by unleashing dizzyingly fast and swirling runs over strong left-hand jangling. The fast-paced workout of "Oscar's Will" draws from stride and ragtime as much as bop. The tuneful "Give Me Another" underlines that Terraza doesn't have to go at a gallop to impress. Terraza makes a very Jamal-influenced trio arrangement of "Les dotze van tocant," a Catalan Christmas carol. Terraza has borrowed from Catalan folk before, with guitarist Miguel Llobet}}'s "El Noi de la Mar" given a jazzy yuletide treatment on Christmas Swings in Barcelona (K Industria, 2003), and he's clearly at home in this terrain. Catalan composer Federico Mompou's lovely "Canco num. 6" veers between softly voiced lyricism and vibrant trio interplay. 

The other Terraza originals include the dancing "Waltz for Auro," with a walking bass and ride cymbal at full tilt, and a calypso of irresistible rhythm and melodic charm, "Under the Sun." Boussaguet's impressive "Motherland," however, carries more dramatic ebb and flow, with Terraza's breathtaking virtuosity once again on show. Former Count Basie bassist John Clayton Jr.'s "Blues for Stephanie" puts a bouncing seal on an excellent set. Five minutes of audio liner notes bear the visually impaired in mind, and run in Spanish, Catalan, English and Thai. It's a nice touch, and symbolic of the inclusive, all-encompassing outlook that Terraza brings to his music. His jazz may be firmly rooted in the tradition, but it contains a whole world of vibrant colors. ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-living-room-bangkok-swit-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php

Personnel: Ignasi Terraza (piano), Pierre Boussaguet (bass), Esteve Pi (drums).

Live at the Living Room, Bangkok

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Kenny Burrell - Ellington Is Forever Vol. 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:07
Size: 172.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1977/1994
Art: Front

[1:50] 1. Azure
[7:34] 2. Take The A Train
[5:28] 3. In A Sentimental Mood
[4:14] 4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[3:32] 5. Satin Doll
[5:37] 6. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[5:48] 7. In A Mellow Tone
[3:17] 8. Solitude
[4:55] 9. Jeep Is Jumpin'
[6:55] 10. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[2:56] 11. Prelude To A Kiss
[0:26] 12. Satin Doll-Segue
[3:08] 13. Come Sunday
[8:01] 14. Just Squeeze Me
[7:43] 15. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
[3:36] 16. Orson

The modus operandi of Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 2 is essentially the same as the first; Kenny Burrell gathered a great bunch of musicians together in a studio for a relaxed yet masterful tour through some of Ellington's best-known material. The sole exception to the Ellingtonia is the Strayhorn-penned "Take the 'A' Train," a song that will forever be associated with the Duke. Jimmy Jones provided a stunning solo reading of this composition on the first volume, but it gets a full band treatment on Vol. 2, and features a fantastic solo from Burrell, a bluesy romp through the changes. In fact, the leader seems to be a bit more present on this album compared to Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 1. This is not to say, however, that the excellent contributions of the many musicians on this record go without benefit of the spotlight. One only has to listen to Roland Hanna's solo piano introduction to "In a Sentimental Mood" or Philly Joe Jones' masterful brushwork on "I'm Beginning to See the Light" to realize the immense quality of the musicianship on display on this record. As on the first album, Ernie Andrews appears here on two tracks. His contributions, so essential to the overall quality of the first volume, are somewhat mixed here. His rendition of "I'm Just a Lucky So and So" is controlled and soulful, but his interpretation of "Satin Doll" seems a bit forced. However, this may seem this case only because the listener cannot help but compare it to the near-perfection of his performances on Vol. 1. Of historical note is the fact that this is the last recording to feature trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson, who passed away after the sessions were recorded but before the album could be released. Although he plays his horn with the confidence and expertise of a man who had been involved with some of the greatest bandleaders of all time (including Ellington), the most exquisite moment on this record is his singing on "Prelude to a Kiss." His soft, tremulous voice is frail and heart wrenching, and the fact of its inclusion alone is worth the price of admission. Burrell's initial plan was to release a volume in tribute to Ellington once a year, but this record and the one that preceded it were the only two albums in this proposed series that were ever made. One can only imagine what could have been if Burrell had continued. Alternately, and more positively, one can be glad that the only records that were released were as beautiful and as close to perfection as these two. ~Daniel Gioffre

Ellington Is Forever Vol. 2 mc
Ellington Is Forever Vol. 2 zippy

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