Bill Meyers - All Things In Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:59
Size: 112.1 MB
Styles: Jazz/Funk/Pop
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[5:10] 1. High Tide (Feat. Larry Carlton, Lenny Castro & Vinnie Colaiuta)
[4:07] 2. Valdez In The Country (Feat. Sonny Emory & Munyungo Jackson)
[5:28] 3. All Things In Time (Feat. Paul Jackson Jr. & Munyungo Jackson)
[5:12] 4. Lite 'em Up (Feat. Curt Bisquera, Chris Severin, Luis Conte & Tom Scott)
[4:36] 5. Sky (Feat. Earth, Wind & Fire, Sonny Emory & Munyungo Jackson)
[5:44] 6. Changing Times (Feat. Barbara Weathers & Lenny Castro)
[6:04] 7. Marrakesh
[3:18] 8. I've Got The Feelin' (Feat. Chris Severin & Brandon Fields)
[6:45] 9. Across The Water (Feat. Dianne Reeves, Will Wheaton & Brandon Fields)
[2:30] 10. The Heart Remembers

This CD, hard as it is to obtain, is an INCREDIBLE MIX of Jazz. R&B, Pop and Fusion. It features several of the members of Earth, Wind & Fire (Meyers took over the arranging chores from legend Charles Stepney in the late '80's). He infuses World Beat and Brazillian melodies and writes in a very unique but only semi-commercial vein. This is very accessable music, much of it very rhythm/groove oriented. His vocals are pleasant and conveys the mood of the title track (with a tasty groove rhythm). "Valdez In The Country", Donny hathaway's killer hit, is redone here in a uptempo slamming way with finely tuned synth horns and George Duke-style keyboards. "All Across The Water" features Dianne reeves on vocals and has an Afro-centric rhythm feel. It just BREAKS DOWN midway into a SMOKIN Funk romp that you cannot help be pump th evolume on! There is even an update on James Brown's "I Got The Feelin'". But it's the WAY Bill Meyers arranges these tracks that makes this a standout Jazz/Funk/Pop blend that I, for one, certainly enjoyed and cannot stop playing. Thjis album IS a bit hard to categorize, I suppose. I agree that "IMAGES" is Meyer's orchestral tour de force, and is closer to an Alan Silvestri movie soundtrack album (which is STILL good). It IS beautifully done-also impossible to find. But ALL THINGS IN TIME is a fantastic update to Meyer's sound and style. Contemporary Jazz lovers (like me) will find it simply astonishing and beautifully executed. For the curious, to get an idea of Meyer's song style, listen to "RUNNIN" (from E,W&F's "All In All" album). THAT track, is essential Meyers at his Contempo best! ~Contemporary Media Intrispectives

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Judy Collins - Forever Green

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:04
Size: 121.5 MB
Styles: Folk, Pop, Jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:08] 1. Send In The Clowns
[5:03] 2. Don't Cry For Me Argentina
[4:45] 3. Plaisir D'amour
[3:38] 4. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[3:18] 5. My Heart Stood Still
[3:08] 6. Embraceable You
[3:41] 7. How Are Things In Glocca Morra
[2:59] 8. Younger Than Springtime
[3:42] 9. They Say It's Wonderful
[4:37] 10. I Can't Get Started
[2:51] 11. Till There Was You
[2:25] 12. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
[4:28] 13. My Funny Valentine
[4:16] 14. Let It Be

Singer Judy Collins was, along with Joan Baez, one of the two major interpretive singers to emerge from the folk revival of the late '50s and early '60s. Like Baez, she began singing traditional folk songs, then moved on to popularize the work of contemporary singer/songwriters, even writing her own songs occasionally. Unlike Baez, she used her classical music training to evolve into being a singer of art songs and show tunes, sometimes employing semi-classical arrangements. In a career that began at the end of the 1950s and was still going strong more than 50 years later, she consistently performed 50-80 concerts a year, and she recorded extensively, her commercial success reaching its apex from the late '60s to the mid-'70s, as six of her albums from the period achieved gold or platinum sales. Although she was primarily an albums artist, she also enjoyed a few hit singles, notably her Top Ten, Grammy-winning cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," which helped establish Mitchell as a songwriter; an a cappella version of the hymn "Amazing Grace"; and the show tune "Send in the Clowns," which led to a Song of the Year Grammy for its composer, Stephen Sondheim.

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Jack Miller - Fire Dancer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:09
Size: 130.8 MB
Styles: World fusion
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[3:43] 1. Fire Dancer
[4:43] 2. Freeman
[5:39] 3. Passion
[4:39] 4. Erotic Wav
[4:28] 5. Awakening
[6:02] 6. Hipville
[4:28] 7. Jungle Jazz)
[5:46] 8. Mandangoes
[4:27] 9. Napali Run
[4:55] 10. Cubana Rolana
[4:12] 11. Sao Paulo Dreamin'
[4:03] 12. Marimba Serenade

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Ken Stubbs - Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:12
Size: 147.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[7:07] 1. You Are Too Beautiful
[6:21] 2. You Don't Know What Love Is
[4:24] 3. Over The Rainbow
[7:30] 4. But Beautiful
[3:28] 5. Prelude
[5:16] 6. Skylark
[7:30] 7. That's All
[7:40] 8. Someone To Watch Over Me
[7:37] 9. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[7:13] 10. I Thought About You

Alto saxophonist Ken Stubbs combines his light, dry alto saxophone timbre with minimal accompaniment on a session for romantics. Working with guitar trio on two tracks, piano on two and the piano trio elsewhere, Stubbs weaves slowly in and around familiar standards. They’re lovely songs that recall lyrics and stories. Appropriately, Stubbs adapts his vocal-like phrasing to interpret each melody comfortably. It’s an album for sitting back, pouring yourself something useful and listening; while daydreaming about better days.

Representing an entire century of jazz, Ballads celebrates the warmth contained in song. Stubbs’ view of “swing” is conservative and subdued. His arrangements allow for adventurous improvising without any overt hint of passion. Rather, the session pulls from a world where cooler heads prevail. The warmth in Stubbs’ style is intended to be appreciated on a personal level. Rather than shout I LOVE YOU from the rooftops, the saxophonist prefers to whisper it in your ear. While his accompaniment appears musically uneven, Stubbs says it beautifully through his horn. ~Jim Santella

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Jeremy Davenport - Maybe In A Dream

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:57
Size: 133,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. A Beautiful Friendship
(5:29)  2. I Thought About You
(4:51)  3. Maybe In A Dream
(5:41)  4. Let's Leave
(4:29)  5. Moonglow
(5:50)  6. What Ever Happened?
(5:37)  7. P.S. I Love You
(5:02)  8. Spirit Of St. Louis
(3:49)  9. You Are The One For Me
(6:14) 10. A Second Chance
(4:43) 11. They Didn't Believe Me

Jeremy Davenport has good credentials. Like Harry Connick, Jr., with whom he has been compared, he studied with Ellis Marsalis in New Orleans after receiving classical training in St. Louis, and also studied with Wynton Marsalis. Maybe in a Dream is made up of standards and his own compositions; there's also a short visit by Diana Krall as she joins Davenport on his "Let's Leave." Davenport has a pleasant enough voice which is much more effective on the standards, since his compositions do not compare well with the more familiar material on this disc. His originals can best be described as cute, without much substance and not likely destined to be covered by many other performers. Given the lightness of Davenport's voice, it is hard to discern any real feeling in his phrasing and interpretations. Everything is done with the same boyish charm, but there seems to be little effort to put his own imprimatur on the standards that is, to make the song his own for the four or five minutes he controls the music. Of the five pieces written by Davenport, "What Ever Happened" is the most entertaining. The lyrics are clever and the tune offers an opportunity for the members of the group to stretch out. Davenport's trumpet, on which he uses a mute most of the time, is understated and reticent, much like Chet Baker's. The one song where Davenport shines is "Moonglow," linking jazz trumpet with a vocal. He gets excellent support here, and throughout, from Glenn Patscha on piano, who has worked with Davenport on previous recording sessions. "P.S. I Love You" is notable for the fine solo by eminent bassman Peter Washington. Gregory Hutchinson provides solid tempo support for the sessions with some good cymbal work. When the mood calls for it, this album can be turned to for some pleasant, low-density listening. A nice added attraction is that the lyrics to all the tunes are reprinted in the liner notes. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/maybe-in-a-dream-mw0000600204

Personnel: Jeremy Davenport (vocals, trumpet); Diana Krall (vocals); Glenn Patscha (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Gregory Hutchinson (drums).

Maybe In A Dream

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Marlene VerPlanck - What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlight

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:32
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Nobody Else But Me
(3:53)  2. The Real Thing
(4:44)  3. Close Enough For Love
(4:36)  4. Beautiful Friendship
(3:38)  5. Star Eyes
(5:23)  6. Detour Ahead
(2:47)  7. Embraceable You
(3:30)  8. Sing Me To Sleep
(4:56)  9. Wonder Why
(5:21) 10. Sweet And Slow
(3:13) 11. My Future Just Began
(2:47) 12. When In Rome
(3:29) 13. I Never Had A Chance
(3:30) 14. Nobody, But Nobody
(2:29) 15. I've Got Your Number
(4:45) 16. I'm Sticking With You, Baby
(4:13) 17. What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlig

Recorded at two separate sessions in Paris, this album reveals why Marlene Ver Planck continues to occupy a place in the upper echelon of contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Many of the tunes are from the movies and Broadway musicals. The subtitle for the album, "Saxomania-Reeds and Rhythm," recognizes the contribution made by the excellent group of French reedmen and the rhythm section, which affords consistently first-rate accompaniment for Ver Planck throughout the session. For a pleasant diversion from the usual, the album features not just standards, but songs that are not heard all that frequently. Despite Ver Planck's valiant efforts, it becomes clear very quickly why one doesn't hear some of these ditties very often: They simply are not very good. On the other hand, there are some real gems that Ver Planck has brought to light. The Harry Warren/Al Dubin track "Sweet and Slow," from the 1935 film Broadway Gondolier, is done in a syncopated style which makes the music interesting, even though the lyrics are a bit simplistic. There's some great ensemble work on this tune and it accommodates to Ver Planck's scatting style quite nicely. The Gerry Mulligan Mel Torme-penned "The Real Thing," a truly beautiful tune, gets a gorgeous rendering from Ver Planck, with plenty of help from the sax section and Stanley Laferrier's piano. "This Is the End of a Beautiful Friendship" is a vehicle for each member of the band to solo. Claude Tissendier's clarinet and Claude Braud's tenor especially stand out. Marlene's talented husband, J. "Billy" Ver Planck composed several tunes for this session; "Nobody, But Nobody" is the best of these, with a nice fox trot arrangement that may well encourage listeners to get up and dance. Braud's tenor gets some solo space on this tune. "Star Eyes" is kicked off with a fast-paced sax ensemble, slowing down to a manageable beat for Ver Planck's vocal. This is one of the highlights of the set. All in all, whether familiar standards or not, all of the 17 tunes on the play list are done with style and grace, and mostly in a sprightly, uptempo beat. Even "Embraceable You," usually played slowly and soulfully, gets a rare uptempo reading from Ver Planck and the group. As expected, Ver Planck's diction, phrasing, and handling of the lyrics are impeccable. What Are We Going to Do With All This Moonlight is another in a long run of Ver Planck classic vocal albums and is a fun-filled, toe-tapping collection. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-are-we-going-to-do-with-all-this-moonlight-mw0000725400

R.I.P.

Born: November 11, 1933, Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: January 14, 2018

What Are We Going To Do With All This Moonlight

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Mike Di Lorenzo - Urbanized

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:17
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:51)  1. City Vibe
(5:38)  2. Loosey Goose
(4:39)  3. Urbanized
(6:36)  4. Severance
(4:40)  5. Too High
(3:51)  6. West 47th
(3:40)  7. My Time
(6:02)  8. Groovemaster
(4:04)  9. Motified
(6:15) 10. Northern Samba
(4:23) 11. After Midnight
(3:33) 12. Curb Appeal

NY-based keyboard player, composer and production specialist Mike Di Lorenzo provides his own brand of New York chill featuring a fresh blend of contemporary jazz with Hip-Hop, Latin and R&B elements. "Joe Sample, George Duke, Down To The Bone, and Michael Brecker aficionados will be well-served with this assortment of urban instrumental arrangements which highlight Mikes various influences and versatile writing, playing and production style."

11 original fresh, funky, instrumental compositions and an outstanding remake of Stevie Wonders "Too High" make up this very musically hip and groove-oriented CD. By incorporating contemporary rhythms and textures with the musicianship of some of New Yorks finest, Mike is able to incorporate his varied experiences and wide range of musical influences into an impressive and tasteful debut. "The idea behind the CD is to connect with the rhythms and grooves that are happening today and hopefully provide an interesting blend where melody and harmonic creativity can be incorporated with popular rhythm formats."

~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Urbanized-Mike-Lorenzo/dp/B0007UZLZM    

The Players: Mike Di Lorenzo ~ piano, keyboards, Rhodes and programming, Vinnie Cutro ~ trumpet, Bob Malach ~ tenor saxophone, Frank Valdes ~ percussion, Willy Dalton ~ nylon string guitar, Karl Latham ~ drums 

Urbanized

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Bruce Forman - River Journey

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:23
Size: 110,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. River Journey
(7:58)  2. A Simple Waltz
(6:16)  3. Two Bits
(4:04)  4. St. Thomas
(3:31)  5. Chances
(4:58)  6. I Just Got Back In Town
(7:17)  7. Nature Boy

An upbeat album from the early '80s by guitarist Bruce Forman, playing with a group that includes torrid alto saxophonist Richie Cole. His fluid, bluesy solos on fast, mid-tempo, and slow numbers injects some spark into the date, and also makes Forman extend himself. 

~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/river-journey-mw0000865857

Personnel:  Guitar, Leader – Bruce Forman;  Alto Saxophone – Richie Cole;  Bass – Bob Magnusson, Rich Girard;  Drums – Scott Morris;  Keyboards – Frank Martin; Piano – Russell Ferrante

River Journey

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O.V. Wright - We're Still Together

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:29
Size: 86,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. We're Still Together
(4:12)  2. I Found Peace
(3:41)  3. It's Cold Without Your Love
(3:28)  4. Baby Baby Baby
(3:22)  5. I'm Gonna Stay
(5:12)  6. The Hurt Is On
(4:45)  7. Today I Sing The Blues
(4:30)  8. Mirror Of My Soul
(4:28)  9. Sacrifice

Released at the peak of disco fever in 1979, We're Still Together is a product of its era. Willie Mitchell's production is slick and overpowering, with dense string arrangements and vocal choruses that flatten everything around them. Although the material, including a cover of Aretha Franklin's "Baby Baby Baby," is strong and Wright is in fine voice throughout, it's tough to consider We're Still Together anything more than an ambitious failure. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/were-still-together-mw0001059778

We're Still Together

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