Gordon Lightfoot - Gord's Gold

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:41
Size: 171.0 MB
Styles: Folk rock
Year: 1975/2015
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. I'm Not Sayin' Ribbon Of Darkness
[2:59] 2. Song For A Winter's Night
[7:01] 3. Canadian Railroad Trilogy
[2:36] 4. Softly
[3:26] 5. For Lovin' Me Did She Mention My Name
[3:48] 6. Affair On 8th Avenue
[2:46] 7. Steel Rail Blues
[2:43] 8. Wherefore And Why
[2:42] 9. Bitter Green
[3:13] 10. Early Morning Rain
[3:25] 11. Minstrel Of The Dawn
[3:32] 12. Sundown
[3:20] 13. Beautiful
[4:01] 14. Summer Side Of Life
[2:46] 15. Rainy Day People (Album Verision)
[3:22] 16. Cotton Jenny
[3:37] 17. Don Quixote
[2:45] 18. Circle Of Steel
[3:02] 19. Old Dan's Records
[3:47] 20. If You Could Read My Mind
[2:58] 21. Cold On The Shoulder (Album Verision)
[3:39] 22. Carefree Highway

A national treasure in his native Canada and a timeless star Stateside and worldwide, legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot first rose to fame in the mid-'60s when his compositions became hits for Peter, Paul and Mary ("Early Morning Rain") and Marty Robbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"). Both songs are featured on Rhino's newly remastered CD version of the artist's hits compilation Gord's Gold-a Top 40 Album-originally released in 1975 as a 2-LP set currently out of print. This in-depth overview of troubadour Lightfoot's famed Warner Bros. years provides an insightful portrait of an exemplary talent.

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Al Sears - Goin' Uptown (Parts 1 & 2)

It is ironic that tenor saxophonist Al Sears' one hit, "Castle Rock," was recorded under Johnny Hodges' name (the altoist is virtually absent on the record), denying Sears his one chance at fame. Sears had actually had his first important job in 1928 replacing Hodges with the Chick Webb band. However, despite associations with Elmer Snowden (1931-1932), Andy Kirk (1941-1942), Lionel Hampton (1943-1944), and with his own groups (most of 1933-1941), it was not until Sears joined Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1944 that he began to get much attention. His distinctive tone, R&B-ish phrasing, and ability to build up exciting solos made him one of Ellington's most colorful soloists during the next five years, although his period was overshadowed by both his predecessor (Ben Webster) and his successor (Paul Gonsalves). Among Sears' many recordings with Ellington are notable versions of "I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues" and a 1945 remake of "It Don't Mean a Thing." Sears worked with Johnny Hodges' group during 1951-1952, recorded a variety of R&B-oriented material in the 1950s, and cut two excellent albums for Swingville in 1960 before going into semi-retirement. ~bio by Scott Yanow

Album: Goin' Uptown (Part 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:31
Size: 122.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2018

[2:45] 1. Love Call
[5:04] 2. Already Alright
[2:21] 3. Come And Dance With Me
[4:26] 4. Moving Out
[4:01] 5. The Thrill Is Gone
[2:22] 6. Here's The Beat
[2:45] 7. In The Good Old Summertime
[5:28] 8. In A Mellow Tone
[2:44] 9. Easy Ernie
[3:38] 10. Take Off Road
[3:01] 11. Out Of Nowhere
[2:46] 12. 125th Street, New York
[2:53] 13. Tina's Canteen
[6:30] 14. Ain't No Use
[2:40] 15. Huffin' And Puffin'

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Album: Goin' Uptown (Part 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:42
Size: 93.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Tan Skin Lad
[2:18] 2. Rock And Roll Ball
[4:30] 3. Record Hop
[2:22] 4. Great Googa Mooga
[2:59] 5. Brown Boy
[2:43] 6. Tom, Dick 'n' Harry
[2:30] 7. Mag's Alley
[2:26] 8. Shake Hands
[2:04] 9. Midnight Wail
[2:47] 10. Ivory Cliffs
[2:53] 11. Fo-Yah
[2:24] 12. Come A-Runnin'
[2:16] 13. Sear-Iously
[2:42] 14. Goin' Uptown
[2:35] 15. Vo-Sa

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Finn Ziegler - Fiddlin' In Rhythm

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 143.2 MB
Styles: Violin Pop/Jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:04] 1. S'posin'
[4:47] 2. La Mer
[3:31] 3. Look For The Silver Lining
[6:43] 4. Just One Of Those Things
[7:04] 5. The Nearness Of You
[5:36] 6. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:29] 7. April In Paris
[3:48] 8. Waltz For You
[4:36] 9. Just In Time
[4:14] 10. Samba Patricia
[6:27] 11. My Secret Love
[6:11] 12. Caveau De La Huchette Blues

Ziegler received a classical-academic education in violin at the Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium. Inspired by Svend Asmussen, he quickly found jazz.

Ziegler joined Ben Webster, Buddy Tate, Milt Jackson and Svend Asmussen / Stuff Smith as well as Karin Krog, Kenny Barron and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. He led his own groups; his music was also performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Michala Petri. In addition, he has appeared in numerous other groups since the mid-1950s, first with Finn Savery, Erik Moseholm and Ib Glindemann. In the 1960s he also worked with the radio jazz groups, in the following decade with the Kansas City Stompers. In the 1990s he played with Jan Kaspersen, the Jazzkapelmesterens Kapel and Klüvers Big Band and continued to appear frequently on radio and television. As a studio musician he has contributed to numerous recordings; Tom Lord lists 57 recordings in the field of jazz between 1955 and 2004.

Ziegler received the 1993 Ben Webster Prize. In 2003 he was awarded the Django d'Or as the "Master of Jazz". He died after undergoing surgery for cancer of the jaw. (Translated from German.)

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Nina Simone - Wild Is The Wind

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:38
Size: 88.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1966/2006
Art: Front

[2:34] 1. I Love Your Lovin' Ways
[4:25] 2. Four Women
[2:48] 3. What More Can I Say
[4:13] 4. Lilac Wine
[2:27] 5. That's All I Ask
[2:36] 6. Break Down And Let It All Out
[2:33] 7. Why Keep On Breaking My Heart
[6:56] 8. Wild Is The Wind
[3:24] 9. Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
[3:56] 10. If I Should Lose You
[2:42] 11. Either Way I Lose

This album was apparently a bit of a pastiche of leftovers from sessions for Nina Simone's four previous albums on Philips. But you'd never guess from listening; the material is certainly as strong and consistent as it is on her other mid-'60s LPs. As is the case with most of her albums of the time, the selections are almost unnervingly diverse, ranging from jazz ballads to traditional folk tunes ("Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair") to the near calypso of "Why Keep on Breaking My Heart" to the somber, almost chilling title track. Highlights are two outstanding pop-soul numbers written by the pre-disco Van McCoy ("Either Way I Lose," "Break Down and Let It All Out") and "Four Women," a string of searing vignettes about the hardships of four African-American women that ranks as one of Simone's finest compositions. ~Richie Unterberger

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Joe Coughlin - Third Accession

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:23
Size: 138.2 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 1997/2012
Art: Front

[4:48] 1. Summertime
[3:50] 2. I Concentrate On You
[3:56] 3. Folks That Live On The Hill
[3:30] 4. Waltz For Debby
[3:26] 5. Route 66
[5:04] 6. Skylark
[4:26] 7. Invitation
[3:39] 8. I've Got A Crush On You
[3:12] 9. You Do Something To Me
[5:14] 10. New York State Of Mind
[4:43] 11. South To A Warmer Place
[4:57] 12. But Not For Me
[5:17] 13. My Funny Valentine
[4:15] 14. One For My Baby

Joe Couglin is an excellent jazz-oriented singer who swings and uplifts a variety of songs from the great American songbook. On this, his third recording, Couglin mostly sticks with well-known warhorses with the exception of Billy Joel's "New York State Of Mind" and Alec Wilder's "South To A Warmer Place." His appealing voice and straightforward delivery mostly stick to the melodies and lyrics, but his phrasing makes most of the songs seem a bit fresh. Coughlin is joined by such fellow Canadians as saxophonist Alex Dean, trumpeter Mike Malone, guitarist Lorne Lofsky and pianist Mark Eisenman on this pleasing middle-of-the-road set. ~Scott Yanow

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David Sanborn - Closer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 120.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Smooth jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[6:17] 1. Tin Tin Deo
[5:07] 2. Senor Blues
[6:06] 3. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (With Lizz Wright)
[3:50] 4. Smile
[4:26] 5. Enchantment
[3:58] 6. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men
[6:03] 7. Another Time, Another Place
[3:22] 8. Capetown Fringe
[6:01] 9. Poinciana
[3:49] 10. You Must Believe In Spring
[3:44] 11. Sofia

David Sanborn has never sounded better - once again he redefines the sound of the saxophone in contemporary music as he did in the pop world in the 70's and contemporary jazz in the 80's. Closer is the brilliant follow-up to the legendary saxophonist's Verve debut timeagain which scanned over 100,000 units and had the #1 smooth jazz track of the year with 'Comin' Home Baby'. The eclectic selection of songs runs the gamut of modern jazz and popular music, from Horace Silver's 'Senor Blues' to Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile', the first smooth jazz radio focus track 'Tin Tin Deo', James Taylor's 'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight' featuring Verve artist Lizz Wright, plus Sanborn's own 'Sofia' and 'Another Time, Another Place'.

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Ida Cox - The Uncrowned Queen Of The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:25
Size: 136.0 MB
Styles: Classic Female blues
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[3:39] 1. Any Women's Blues
[2:55] 2. Graveyard Dream Blues
[2:46] 3. Weary Way Blues
[2:50] 4. Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues
[2:42] 5. Moanin' Groanin' Blues
[2:48] 6. Come Right In
[2:52] 7. I've Got The Blues For Rampart Street
[2:52] 8. Graveyard Dream Blues
[3:04] 9. Mama Doo Shee Blues
[3:16] 10. Worried Mama Blues
[2:59] 11. So Soon This Morning Blues
[3:01] 12. Mailman Blues
[2:58] 13. Confidential Blues
[2:50] 14. Bear-Mash Blues
[2:54] 15. Last Time Blues
[2:59] 16. Worried Any How Blues
[2:51] 17. Chicago Monkey Man Blues
[2:58] 18. Mean Papa Turn Your Key
[3:09] 19. Blues Ain't Nothin' Else But!
[2:53] 20. Worried In Mind Blues

Ida Cox was one of the most talented of the classic blues singers of the 1920s. This Black Swan CD has 20 of her first 32 recordings and, although one regrets that it is not a "complete" series (hopefully the dozen other titles will be reissued by Black Swan eventually), the music is consistently enjoyable and timeless. In fact, quite a few of the lyrics (many of which were written by Cox) were later permanently "borrowed" by Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams; the first stanza of "Goin' to Chicago" was taken from "Chicago Monkey Man Blues" and "Bear-Mash Blues" has a couple of Williams' best lines. When one considers that the music on this CD is taken from 1923-24, it can certainly be considered ahead of its time! Most of the musicians backing Ida Cox are excellent, particularly pianist Lovie Austin and (on five numbers) cornetist Tommy Ladnier and clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant. The recording quality (even with some surface noise) has been greatly cleaned up for this reissue and Cox's singing is very easy to understand. Although uncrowned, Ida Cox (who after retiring in 1945 came back for a final recording in 1961) can still communicate to today's listeners, something than can be said about very few other singers from 1923. ~Scott Yanow

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Lenny Breau, Richard Cotten - Pickin' Cotten

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:21
Size: 151.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 2001/2014
Art: Front

[ 7:59] 1. On Green Dolphin St
[ 8:14] 2. I Love You
[ 5:41] 3. Emily
[ 6:41] 4. Scrapple From The Apple
[ 8:24] 5. Autumn Leaves
[ 7:01] 6. La Funkallero
[ 3:06] 7. Stella By Starlight
[12:18] 8. Lenny Tuning His Guitar The Two Lonely People Nardis
[ 6:53] 9. Lenny And Richard Remembered

Lenny Breau is a jazz enigma. He never really caught on with the public, yet was recognized by his peers as a major guitar innovator. Add to this a mysterious and still unsolved death in a Los Angeles swimming pool at the too-young age of 43. This is the way a cult figure is born. Former student Randy Bachman has been meticulously and methodically issuing Breau material through his Guitarchives label. This one is a 1977 live session at a Nashville, TN, club where Breau teams up with Richard Cotten, with whom he played frequently when visiting the capital of country music. Country music and Nashville notwithstanding, the album play list is a mix of classic and jazz standards. One of the classic standards is a moving, flowing, highly lyrical "Stella By Starlight." "On Green Dolphin Street" has Breau starting off quiet and unassuming before he leaps off into a series of scintillating improvisational runs, during which you never hear anything played the same way twice. He pays tribute to one of his influences, Bill Evans, with the Evans pieces "The Two Lonely People" and "La Funkallero." Breau made no bones about it that his unique single-string voicings were due in no little part to his transformation of Evans' piano technique to the guitar. Cotten is a fine guitarist, although here he pretty much plays rhythm to Breau's melody. One of the more engaging moments comes with the coda, where for almost seven minutes Cotten's daughter Darci Cotten shares personal recollections, peeling away some more of the mystery surrounding this fine guitar innovator. Indications are that this CD is the first of Breau's Nashville performances that Bachman intends to get to market. One hopes that this is more than a rumor. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

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Bill Medley - Blue Eyed Singer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:20
Size: 87.8 MB
Styles: Blue eyed soul
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Red Dress
[2:50] 2. Don't
[3:18] 3. Heart Don't Fail Me Now
[3:10] 4. Don't Let Go
[2:59] 5. (Since You've) Gone
[3:21] 6. Blue Eyed Singer
[2:57] 7. Hero Turned And Ran
[4:07] 8. I'll Dry Your Eyes
[3:35] 9. Endlessly
[4:06] 10. Don't You Love Me Anymore
[4:44] 11. Bridge Over Troubled Water

William Thomas "Bill" Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Medley produced a number of the duo's songs, including "Unchained Melody" and "Soul and Inspiration". Medley has also enjoyed a career as a solo artist, and his million-selling #1 duet with Jennifer Warnes "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" won a number of awards.

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Joel Levine - The Whistleblower

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:49
Size: 132.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:48] 1. The Black Angel
[3:36] 2. Trouble In Mind
[4:22] 3. All I Do Is Think About You
[8:43] 4. Big Broski
[7:10] 5. Love
[3:45] 6. Here And Gone
[5:40] 7. Peace Go With You Brother
[4:44] 8. Joel's Lament
[2:52] 9. Stay With Me
[3:31] 10. Kopernikusgasse Viii
[1:03] 11. Kopernikusgasse V
[4:23] 12. Come Unto Him
[3:07] 13. Rust

Joel Levine: recorder; Chevy Chevis: vocals; Evelyn Simpson: vocals; Chris Williams: vocals; Diane Monroe: violin; Tom Guarna: guitar; Anthony Wonsey: keyboards; Michael Wooten: keyboards; Daniel Winshall: bass; Lenny White: drums & synthesizer.

Composer Joel Levine speaks a unique voice with the recorder with his debut release The Whistleblower on the Iyouwe label. The 13 song disc, Levine's first as a solo artist, finds the Toronto based recordist joined by singers and instrumentalists including legendary drummer and multi-Grammy award winner Lenny White.

Levine says, “I grew up in Philly where I began to play the recorder in the early '60s but when the time came to move on to another instrument, as most students do, I stayed with the recorder. Everything changed when I heard Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, especially Coltrane. I wanted to play that music on the recorder— which, as far as I could tell, nobody ever had. I wanted to speak using the voice of the recorder."

The Whistleblower's soulful and swinging collection includes four original compositions by Levine, two originals by Lenny White and seven songs by an eclectic mix of artists including “The Black Angel" by Kenny Barron, George Duke's “Love", Gil Scott Heron's “Peace Go With You Brother","Come Unto Him" from Handel's Messiah and “Trouble In Mind", a classic blues, by Richard M. Jones, just to name a few. Produced by Lenny White, the project assembled New York and Philadelphia's session artists like Chris Williams, Chevy Chevis and Evelyn Simpson on vocals as well as some burning solos by guitar virtuoso Tom Guarna and pianists Anthony Wonsey and Michael Wooten. White provides some swinging drums including behind Levine's solo on “Love" by George Duke.

As Levine states, “The vibe is eclectic and the sound is new. Lenny's role as a producer on the CD enabled me to present the recorder in a way it's never been heard before, the listener is going to hear more of this instrument than they ever thought was possible."

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Count Basie - On My Way And Shoutin' Again

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:04
Size: 78.0 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1962/2009
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. I'm Shouting Again
[3:33] 2. Ducky Bumps
[3:43] 3. The Long Night
[3:15] 4. Jump For Johnny
[2:48] 5. Ain't That Right
[2:45] 6. Together Again
[3:30] 7. Shanghaied
[3:59] 8. Skippin' With Skitch
[3:01] 9. Eee Dee
[3:39] 10. Rose Bud

When Count Basie returned to Verve Records in 1962, Neal Hefti was contracted to write the tunes and arrangements, a revival of their partnership from the 1958 Roulette LP Basie Plays Hefti. While none of these selections is as famous as his songs like "Cute," "Little Pony," "Splanky," "Li'l Darlin'," and "Repetition," the substantial originality of this music is hard to deny, not to mention that the expert musicians playing his music bring these tracks fully to life in a livelier fashion than most laid-back Basie studio sessions. In fact, it has the feeling of a concert date that trumps the more clean, controlled environment of a session that was recorded on a three-track reel-to-reel. There's also plenty of room for exceptional solos from most of the participants, as Hefti is mindful of who is in the band and how each musician might sound when given his head. This is tried and true swing-oriented modern big-band music that actually sounds advanced for its time frame, and is solid as anything Basie has done post-"April in Paris." The band is atypically bold and brazen on the opener, "I'm Shoutin' Again," with Frank Wess on alto (not tenor) sax for his spirited solo. The great chart of "Jump for Johnny" is a hard bopper for Johnny Carson, basic Basie with tenor saxophonist Frank Foster and trumpeter Sonny Cohn trading licks. Hefti's best work is showcased during "Together Again," as the hopping brass and singing horns take tuneful twists and turns. This set also includes the classic track "The Long Night," a famous blues featuring the sly flute of Wess in front of the horn section and a masterful muted solo by trumpeter Thad Jones. There are other tunes that are derivative, as you can clearly hear the borrowed phrases of "C Jam Blues"/"Duke's Place" in the low-key then blasted-out "Eee Dee," "Shiny Stockings" sprinkled about during the more typical laid-back "Rose Bud," and "Groove Merchant" or "Hallelujah, I Just Love Him So" in the easy-swinging soul groove of "Ain't That Right." Hefti's movie soundtrack experience comes to the fore on "Shanghaied," definite spy music with Cohn's muted trumpet masking phobias and paranoia. There are two cute tunes: "Skippin' with Skitch," led by three flutes (Wess, Eric Dixon, and Charlie Fowlkes); and the lightly strutting "Ducky Bumps," featuring Henry Coker's trombone, with brief solos from Basie's piano and bassist Buddy Catlett. A solid and worthwhile album that has been out of print for far too long, this will be a welcome addition to any Basie lover's collection, and comes highly recommended to anyone even mildly interested in excellent large-ensemble mainstream jazz. ~Michael G. Nastos

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