Thursday, February 1, 2018

Heath Brothers - Endurance

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:47
Size: 120.8 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[7:39] 1. Changes
[5:09] 2. Wall To Wall
[4:36] 3. You Or Me
[6:09] 4. Ballad From Leadership Suite
[6:14] 5. Dusk In The City
[4:21] 6. Two Tees
[7:42] 7. Autumn In New York
[3:22] 8. From A Lonely Bass
[7:31] 9. The Rio Dawn

Jimmy Heath: tenor, soprano sax; Jeb Patton: piano; David Wong: bass; Albert "Tootie" Heath: drums; Claudio Roditi: shaker (9).

The Heath family is illustrious in jazz. Percy and Jimmy got their starts in the late forties, a part of the emerging jazz scene in New York. The oldest, Percy on bass, became part of the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952 and stayed with the legendary group for over forty years. Jimmy on reeds, meanwhile, has led and performed with the greats over the years. He has a substantial reputation as composer, arranger and educator. Albert "Tootie," several years the youngest, has established a reputation as a peerless drummer and educator.

The three have worked together as a group for over twenty years, making seven recordings together, with pianist Jeb Patton the fourth cog in recent years. When Percy died in 2005, the brothers decided to carry on, bringing in bassist David Wong. Endurance is the first without Percy, and endurance is certainly the keyword in describing the Heath Brothers.

Seven of the nine numbers here are originals by Jimmy. Each player gets many opportunities to shine. Beginning with "Changes," Jimmy's straight-ahead assertive tenor takes charge. Next, on "Wall to Wall," Tootie's drums and Patton's piano combine for some funky rhythmic fun at the onset, followed by Jimmy's rocking tenor solo. Wong's bass stars on "You and Me," sharing the stage with Tootie's spiffy brush work. Jimmy gets serious with the spiritual "Ballad for Leadership Suite," an impressive segment from his commission for the inauguration of the president of Howard University. He dedicates "Two Tees" to Tootie, who gets plenty of room to stretch in his drum solo, with Patton coming in for a romping turn on piano. Jimmy composed "From a Lonely Bass" as a memoriam to the Late Percy. Wong's bowed bass provides emotional warmth, assisted by Jimmy's elegiac soprano sax. Perhaps most effective is the group's lush rendering of Vernon Duke's 1934 standard, "Autumn in New York." Here, Jimmy shows his debt to Coleman Hawkins with his breathy tenor probing all aspects of the tune. ~Larry Taylor

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Shannon Barnett Quartet - Hype

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 123.0 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[6:41] 1. Hype
[7:14] 2. Lembing
[4:44] 3. People Don't Listen To Music Anymore
[6:55] 4. Red-Bellied Stickleback
[5:42] 5. Speaking In Tongues
[5:26] 6. Pg3
[5:55] 7. Ok Compupid
[4:42] 8. Chasing The Second
[6:20] 9. The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Weak

Since moving to Germany, Shannon Barnett has become very active in the local scene. Her quartet, featuring Stefan Karl Schmid (tenor saxophone), David Helm (bass) and Fabian Arends (drums) was nominated as a seim-finalist in the 2017 Neuer Deutscher Jazzpreis. They have performed widely in Germany, including at the Acht Brücken and Winterjazz Festivals, the Peng Festival and IG Jazz in Mannheim. In 2016, they toured Australia, performing at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Sydney Women's Jazz Festival. This is the quartet's debut album!

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Duško Gojković - Ten To Two Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:51
Size: 95.8 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1971/2009
Art: Front

[7:00] 1. Ten To Two Blues
[5:14] 2. I Remember O.P
[8:33] 3. Old Fishernan's Daughter
[9:05] 4. I Love You
[3:37] 5. The Child Is Born
[8:19] 6. Blues To Line

Pianist Tete Montoliu recorded two fine albums under trumpeter Duško Gojković’s leadership in November 1971 in Barcelona, Spain. In quintet formation, with the Spanish pianist regular rhythm backing of German bassist Robert Langereis and drummer Joe Nay, they did It’s About Blues Time (Ensayo, reissued on CD by Fresh Sounds) and a day later in quartet they did Ten To Two Blues (Ensayo, reissued as After Hours on Enja). The rhythm section on both is the same and both albums are recommended. Gojković is in excellent form on the hard bop-oriented Ten To Two Blues (a.k.a. After Hours) which conjures up images of smoky nightclubs, reflections in rain puddles under dark skies, or perhaps just the quieter music... This album is a little too busy and blustery to live up to those preconceptions, but it is nevertheless an excellent example of that all-too-rare commodity, the trumpet quartet. With no saxophone to trade solos with, the trumpet must bear the burden of carrying the tune and sustaining interest while sharing the spotlight with the supporting trio. With influences extending from Serbia to Dixieland, from bebop to blues, Gojković contributes three songs and adds three standards to this mostly uptempo collection. With the pianist playing up to his usual level and fine support contributed by Langereis and Nay, Gojković takes stimulating solos with his poignant, soft tone on two standards (Thad Jones’ “A Child Is Born” and Cole Porter’s “I Love You”), Slide Hampton’s “Last Minute Blues,” and three basic originals. There is muted artistry of Gojković on “Old Fisherman’s Daughter” and a nostalgic opening solo on the title tune. Montoliu probably deserves a double-billing here: he is outstanding throughout, particularly on the ballad “Remember Those Days” and a boppish take of “I Love You.” Gojković never dominates the proceedings, and steps aside for long stretches on “Last Minute Blues.” One drawback here is the musty, prehistoric engineering: Langereis and Nay give great performances but are not heard to their best advantage, with Langereis especially sounding like he is in the next room. If the wide range of influences and the less-than-ideal (but typical for the time) recording are not a hindrance, listeners should enjoy this album. One mystery surrounding Ten To Two Blues regards its original release date. The recording date is given as November 1971, so one can assume it was first released not too long after. It has appeared on many labels in many different countries throughout the years, sometimes with different track listings. The LP/CD release on Enja After Hours has also two tracks re-titled: “I Remember O.P.” is re-titled to “Remember Those Days,” while “Blues To Line” is re-titled to “Last Minute Blues.” No matter the title, this album is recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans, while the Enja CD reissue seems to be the easiest to find. ~Slobodan Mihajlović

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Mel Carter - The Heart & Soul Of Mel Carter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:04
Size: 103.2 MB
Styles: R&B, Vocal jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:18] 1. Heart And Soul
[3:44] 2. It May Sound Silly
[3:12] 3. Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone, Who’s Sorry Now
[3:24] 4. Cry
[4:39] 5. Tomorrow Night
[2:58] 6. I Worry About You
[2:44] 7. Where Or When
[6:24] 8. The Glory Of Love, You’ll Never Know
[3:11] 9. Too Soon To Know
[2:55] 10. If It’s The Last Thing I Do
[3:43] 11. I Don’t Care Who Knows (Baby I’m Yours)
[3:47] 12. Heart And Soul (Reprise)

Piano/arr. - Randy Randolph; Bass - James Leary; Drums - Dean Koba; Guitar - Grant Geissman; Trumpet - Charlie Peterson; Trombone - Duane Benjamin; Alto Sax - Tim Messina.

Let me take you on a personal musical journey and feel the joy I had of remembering special moments in my life connected with the songs I’ve chosen for this CD. I was a big fan of Hoagy Carmichael in my teens, seeing and hearing him do his songs in films. One of these was “Heart And Soul” which was the second most played song at parties, next to the number one being “Chopsticks.” The Cleftones had a doo wop hit with this song in the fifties.

In 1957 I recorded an Ivory Joe Hunter song called “I Need You So” for Mercury Records. Among the other songs submitted to me was “It May Sound Silly.” This minor hit for Ivory Joe Hunter later became a mega-hit for the McGuire Sisters — and now this was my chance to keep the hit going. I’m lucky that as a teen I got to go to stage shows. They would have the regular movies playing at the theatres during the week, and on the weekends there would be live performances by popular artists of the day. I was at every one of those shows and saw lots of performers. Buddy Johnson and his sister Ella Johnson was one of the acts I saw. Ella was the first blues singer that sang so you understood all the words. “Baby, I’m Yours” was one of her songs that stayed with me through the years.

I hope you enjoy this musical journey as much as I have enjoyed recording these special songs for you. I give you, “The Heart and Soul of Mel Carter.” Thanks for listening... MC

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Vince Guaraldi - Essential Standards

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:13
Size: 124.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:31] 1. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
[5:16] 2. The Girl From Ipanema
[5:21] 3. Moon River
[3:09] 4. Cast Your Fate To The Wind
[5:17] 5. Willow Weep For Me
[2:48] 6. Fascinating Rhythm
[4:20] 7. Since I Fell For You
[5:25] 8. Days Of Wine And Roses
[5:53] 9. On Green Dolphin Street
[4:23] 10. Autumn Leaves
[3:20] 11. Corcovado
[5:25] 12. Greensleeves

As part of the Essential Standards series from OJC, pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi is spotlighted on 12 tracks recorded for Fantasy in the '50s and '60s. While this compilation contains great performances (several are from Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus and Cast Your Fate to the Wind), it may not be the best place for the casual fan to start. None of Guaraldi's songs associated with the Charlie Brown television cartoon are included, with the exception of the original master take of "Greensleeves." This set would, however, make a fine companion to Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits. ~Al Campbell

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Jessica Williams - Higher Standards

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:23
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Get Out of Town
(5:54)  2. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:05)  3. Mack the Knife
(7:47)  4. A Night in Tunisia
(9:18)  5. Don't Take Your Love from Me
(9:04)  6. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
(6:18)  7. Solitude
(8:43)  8. Midnight Sun
(6:26)  9. My Heart Belongs to Daddy

For this typically superb effort, the brilliant pianist Jessica Williams (with the assistance of bassist Dave Captein and drummer Mel Brown) digs into nine standards and come up with fresh variations and consistently inventive ideas. Although a few of the songs (most notably "Mack the Knife," "A Night In Tunisia" and "East of the Sun") have been recorded many times, Williams comes up with original musical thoughts, full of wit and chance-taking, that make each of the selections sound new. Well worth acquiring. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/higher-standards-mw0000038938

Personnel: Jessica Williams (piano); Dave Captein (bass); Mel Brown (drums).

Higher Standards

Dan Tepfer & Ben Wendel - Small Constructions

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:27
Size: 118,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Still Play
(4:02)  2. Pannonica
(5:39)  3. Jean and Renata
(4:21)  4. Line Up
(2:00)  5. Line
(6:23)  6. Nines
(6:04)  7. Gratitude
(5:54)  8. Ask Me Now
(2:02)  9. Rygabag
(3:04) 10. Darn That Dream
(3:59) 11. Variation 1 in D minor
(2:28) 12. Oblique Strategy

The occasion. Some days spent at the Yamaha artist-space in Manhattan with some precious tools close at hand. The raw material. Two Monk classics, one of the best known standards, Lennie Tristano, Handel, a pinch of Messiaen and some original ones. The protagonists. Dan Tepfer, a young, award-winning pianist with an open mind and excellent collaborations (Konitz on all) and Ben Wendel, co-founder of Kneebody, one of the most interesting bands of the new electro-acoustic wave coming from the big apple. The result. Small Constructions. Brick after brick Tepfer and Wendel build colorful musical houses, small houses with different profiles, moods and perfumes, each with its own story to tell, each with a world to explore and share. The use in different passages of overdubs, the instruments that multiply and are also combined boldly - the mixture of piano and Fender Rhodes adds to the Tristanian "Line Up" a vaguely naive and psychedelic - contributes to greatly expand the palette timbre available to musicians, good at preserving size, good taste, respect for shapes and, why not, elegance. The risk of slipping into mannerism or of transforming the widespread intimacy of dialogue into a cloying exercise of style is averted by the familiarity of both with the canons of classical music, their innate propensity for research, and the gifts of exquisite improvisers. Finally, curiosity. In the last song, Tepfer and Wendel exchange instruments, the first takes the alto sax, the second sits at the piano. A simple melody, an execution with few notes, almost childlike, just over two minutes of poignant beauty, directly from the heart to warm up the soul. ~ AAJ Italy Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/small-constructions-dan-tepfer-sunnyside-records-review-by-aaji-staff.php

Personnel: Dan Tepfer (piano, fender rhodes, alto sax in # 12); Ben Wendel (saxophones, bassoon, melodica, piano in # 12).

Small Constructions

Miles Tribut Big Band - Sketches of Catalonia

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:36
Size: 163,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:39)  1. Quasimodo
( 8:46)  2. Four
( 6:51)  3. Half Nelson
( 5:16)  4. Someday My Prince Will Come
( 6:09)  5. Seven Steps to Heaven
( 5:23)  6. My Funny Valentine
( 5:16)  7. All of You
(11:07)  8. Tutu
( 8:07)  9. So What

4 years ago, Joan Chamorro was commissioned to assemble and lead an orchestra as a tribute to Miles Davis, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of his death. Pere Pons, artistic director of the Jamboree Club and San Miguel Mas i Mas Festival was the one who made the assignment to Chamorro: he wanted it to accompany the publication of a special issue dedicated to the Missouri trumpeter’s imprint left in Catalonia. Thus, besides the memories, anecdotes and words, all would revive in its most natural form, music. The effort would result in a unique concert, on August 31, 2011 at the Apolo in Barcelona, that would be recorded and published together with the monograph. Taking advantage of the enormous work that he had been doing with the Sant Andreu Jazz Band and Andrea Motis, Joan Chamorro decided to incorporate some of the young ones to form the Miles Tribut Big Band. They would also count with great soloists as bassist Carles Benavent (the only one who had come to work with Miles Davis), guitarist Jordi Bonell, saxophonist Llibert Fortuny and trumpeter Matthew Simon. Selected themes reviewed the different stages of Miles Davis, and arrangements were ordered from Alfons Carrascosa and Sergi Verges, two masters of detail. The production received its name recalling the 1960's Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis and Gil Evans. The concert was a resounding success: musicians, critics and audience. Today, four years later, the tribute has been celebrated again, this time at the Palau de la Musica Catalana and as the opening concert of 13 San Miguel Mas i Mas Festival. And Joan Chamorro has decided to reissue this particular album and finally make it available to everyone.

Personnel:  Joan Chamorro (Conductor, baritone, tenor and alto sax, bass clarinet); Matthew Simon, Jaume Peña, Alba Armengou (Trumpet); Andrea Motis (Trumpet and vocals); Josep Tutusaus, Sergi Verges, Dani Tellez (Trombone); Eva Fernandez (Baritone, alto and soprano sax and clarinet); Joan Marti, Alba Esteban (Alto sax); Isce Datzira (Tenor sax and clarinet); Carles Vazquez (Tenor sax and flute); Joan Monne (Piano and keyboards); Curro Galvez (Double bass, electric bass); Carles Benavent (Bass); Esteve Pi (Drums).

Sketches of Catalonia