Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine - Prayer Meetin'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:04
Size: 126.1 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, B3 Organ jazz
Year: 1963/2004
Art: Front

[5:43] 1. Prayer Meetin'
[9:23] 2. I Almost Lost My Mind
[3:42] 3. Stone Cold Dead In The Market
[6:09] 4. When The Saints Go Marching In
[7:37] 5. Red Top
[6:27] 6. Picnickin'
[8:50] 7. Lonesome Road (Aka Lonesome Road Blues)
[7:11] 8. Smith Walk

Drums – Donald Bailey; Guitar – Quentin Warren; Organ [Hammond] – Jimmy Smith; Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine. Recorded on February 8, 1963 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Playing piano-style single-note lines on his Hammond B-3 organ, Jimmy Smith revolutionized the use of the instrument in a jazz combo setting in the mid-'50s and early '60s, and arguably his best albums for Blue Note during this period were the ones he did with tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine. Recorded on February 8, 1963, at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, and featuring Quentin Warren on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums in addition to Smith and Turrentine, Prayer Meetin' is a delight from start to finish. Forming a perfect closure to Smith's trio of albums with Turrentine (Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack were both released in 1960), Prayer Meetin' was the last of four albums Smith recorded in a week to finish off his Blue Note contract before leaving for Verve. The blues roots are obvious here, and the Smith-penned title track might even be called jazz-gospel, but the single most striking cut is a version of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind," with both Smith and Turrentine building wonderful solos, suggesting new pathways for organ and sax as complementary instruments. ~Steve Leggett

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Lurlean Hunter - The Velvet Voice Of Lurlean Hunter (2-Disc Set)

Lurlean Hunter (vcl), Al Nevins, Manny Albam, Phil Moore, Jimmy Giuffre (dir), Ernie Royal, Joe Newman, Harry Edison (tp), Urbie Green (tb), Hal McKusick, Frank Wess, Al Cohn, Bud Freeman (saxes), Herbie Mann (fl), Hank Jones (p), Jim Hall (g), Milt Hinton, Trigger Alpert (b), Osie Johnson (d). Original sources: CD 1, tracks #1-12 from the RCA Victor 12" LP "Lonesome Gal" (LPM 1151), CD 1, tracks #13-24 from the VIK 12" LP "Night Life" (LX 1061), CD 2, tracks #1-12 from the VIK 12" LP "Stepping Out" (LX 1116), CD 2, tracks #13-23 from the Atlantic 12" LP "Blue And Sentimental" (SD 1344). 24-Bit Digitally Remastered.

Lurlean Hunter (1928-1983) was, with all her skills, one of the most underappreciated singers in America. Other singers, who held her in universal high regard, were in no doubt as to her quality. A singers singer, she was revered for her near perfection in vocal styling, technique, and delivery, gifts she blended into a captivating combination. This distinction is self-evident in the four albums she recorded during her career: Lonesome Gal (1955), Night Life (1956), Stepping Out (1957), and Blue and Sentimental (1960). On them she is accompanied by orchestras filled by some of the best New York jazz musicians. The skillful writing was provided by a handful of top arrangers, including Quincy Jones, Marion Evans, Manny Albam, Al Cohn, Ernie Wilkins, Phil Moore, and Jimmy Giuffre. All of them with the exception of Cohn and Wilkins also conducted their own scores. Throughout she is refreshingly unselfconscious, her voice strong and firm, her conception mature and intelligent and her phrasing meaningful. Blessed with fantastic intonation, effortless ease and innate musicianship, she also had an innately lyrical approach to the songs she sang, and they flowed out of her like something made of rich velvet, done in exquisite taste.

Album: The Velvet Voice Of Lurlean Hunter (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:32
Size: 179.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2012

[3:59] 1. Lonesome Gal
[4:56] 2. Alone Together
[3:13] 3. It's You Or No One
[3:40] 4. You Don't Know What Love Is
[2:37] 5. You Make Me Feel So Young
[2:57] 6. My Heart And I Decided
[5:05] 7. It Never Entered My Mind
[3:11] 8. Brief Encounter
[2:19] 9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[4:40] 10. A Stranger In Town
[3:01] 11. But Not For Me
[4:10] 12. On Green Dolphin Street
[3:59] 13. Georgia On My Mind
[2:25] 14. What A Difference A Day Made
[3:06] 15. That Old Feeling
[2:38] 16. Gentlemen Friend
[2:05] 17. Have You Met Miss Jones
[3:52] 18. It's The Talk Of The Town
[3:25] 19. Night Life
[2:39] 20. It Could Happen To You
[2:00] 21. Sunday
[2:58] 22. Like Someone In Love
[3:01] 23. Moondrift
[2:27] 24. This Time The Dream's On Me

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Album: The Velvet Voice Of Lurlean Hunter (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:50
Size: 157.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:12] 1. Steppin' Out With My Baby
[2:39] 2. Easy To Love
[2:18] 3. I Feel So Smoochie
[2:37] 4. Kiss Me Again
[2:17] 5. Old Devil Moon
[2:34] 6. If I Could Be With You
[3:25] 7. Blues In The Night
[2:58] 8. Nobody's Heart
[2:41] 9. You Do Something To Me
[2:48] 10. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[2:13] 11. Oh! Look At Me Now
[2:49] 12. Some Other Time
[3:04] 13. Blue Turning Grey Over You
[2:46] 14. If You Could Love Me Now
[3:15] 15. My Kinda Love
[3:25] 16. Crazy He Calls Me
[3:31] 17. Just Imagine
[3:43] 18. Blue And Sentimental
[1:49] 19. The Song Is You
[5:31] 20. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
[3:47] 21. Fool That I Am
[4:06] 22. We'll Be Together Again
[2:09] 23. As Long As I Live

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Paquito D'Rivera, Christopher Dell, WDR Big Band - Benny Goodman Revisited

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:23
Size: 174.8 MB
Styles: Latin jazz, Big band
Year: 2009/2016
Art: Front

[ 8:39] 1. Slipped Disc
[ 6:45] 2. Let's Dance
[ 7:49] 3. Memories Of You
[ 7:23] 4. Stompin At The Savoy
[ 5:39] 5. Benny @ 100
[ 8:19] 6. Don't Be That Way
[15:28] 7. Soft Winds
[11:27] 8. Sing Sing Sing
[ 4:48] 9. Goodbye

This 2009 recording Benny Goodman Revisited is one of several fine tributes to Benny Goodman that have been made over the years. Eddie Daniels also recorded a terrific homage, Benny Rides Again but what sets this apart is the superb nature of the arrangements and the WDR Big Band at whom you can throw almost anything and they will throw it right back at you with just as much force. Remember also this record was made during the Michael Abene years (as arranger and conductor) at one of the most prominent Big Bands in Europe and, indeed, the world as well. This is actually more than a mere musical tribute; it is a tableau featuring two extraordinary musicians (clarinettist Paquito D’Rivera and the vibraphonist Christopher Dell) playing the parts of two extraordinary characters vibraphonist Lionel Hampton and clarinettist Benny Goodman, who led several of the greatest Big Bands in the history of music.

Paquito-D'Rivera-Benny-Goodman-RevisitedIt is a tall order not only to play that music well, but also to recreate the aura of the Benny Goodman Big Band with flair and panache. But that’s exactly what you get when the forces of the WDR Big Band under the baton of Michael Abene combine with Paquito D’Rivera as well as Christopher Dell. These musicians play with unbridled skill that melds together with the Goodman songbook of endlessly evolving compositional virtuosity and what a grand celebration in music it is. Voluptuous melodic lines rub slinkily against clawed and harmonically arresting performances by the Big Band. Woodwind and reeds soli soar breathlessly and Paquito D’Rivera needs but a gentle prod with a note or a phrase to unleash his fluttering solos.

True Memories of You, Stompin at the Savoy and Sing Sing Sing are exceptional in their expressive intensity but if brightness only occasionally falls from the air the majority of Mr Goodman’s works, with their volte-face humour and open-hearted delight in the unexpected and in their swing, reflect a joy in compositional wizardry. Such qualities are dazzlingly articulated by Paquito D’Rivera and Christopher Dell (when called upon to solo), and, of course, the great WDR Big Band, with one performance after another of crystalline brilliance and musicianship. Hear the gloriously perky and resilient opening to Sing Sing Sing or the way Paquito D’Rivera conveys the mock grandeur of Stompin at the Savoy almost as if the dancers of the Savoy were relishing it all over again.

The musicians capture all of the music’s grandeur (its simultaneously elegiac and assuaging use of sixths and thirds) and is warm conciliatory in the slower, more statuesque movements before firing off the finales’ testy and explosive whimsy. These performances are clearly a prime love for Paquito D’Rivera and Christopher Dell, as well as the WDR Big Band. They will also surely be a prime love for all connoisseurs of Benny Goodman’s music as well, which is why this is an essential recording on many fronts. ~Raul de Gama

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The Ames Brothers - Amor

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:29
Size: 88.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Group harmony vocals
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:31] 1. Amor
[2:22] 2. Frenesi
[2:49] 3. Ella
[2:09] 4. Quizas, Quizas
[2:57] 5. Besame Mucho
[2:20] 6. Maria Elena
[2:38] 7. Tres Palabras
[2:15] 8. Adios Mariquita
[2:13] 9. Mi Lo Dijo Adel
[2:52] 10. Tu Solo Tu
[1:55] 11. Brazil
[2:31] 12. La Ultima Noche
[2:43] 13. Cancion Mixteca
[2:10] 14. Amapola
[2:07] 15. Lisboa Antiqua
[1:49] 16. Perfidia

A close-harmony vocal quartet with few equals during the '50s, the Ames Brothers hit number one in 1950 with "Sentimental Me," and found their biggest hit three years later with "You, You, You." Though they were indeed a family group, the Ames Brothers' surname was actually Urick. Joe, Gene, Vic and Ed were all born within four short years of each other in Malden, Massachusetts. After winning a few talent contests in their hometown, the group moved to Boston and began performing in nightclubs. They soon made the leap to New York and even Los Angeles, and signed to the Coral label in late 1958. After a few moderate hits, the Ames Brothers hit big in early 1950 with a double-sided number one hit, "Rag Mop"/"Sentimental Me." The B-side eventually triumphed over its flip, and the group hit again later in 1951 with "Undecided." The biggest hit of the Ames Brothers' career was 1953's "You You You," and their continued success during 1954 with "The Naughty Lady of Shady Land" bore fruit in the form of their own television program.

Though the quartet continued to record throughout the '50s, the dawn of the rock era definitely damaged their career; the group managed two Top Ten hits in 1957 ("Tammy," "Melodie d'Amour"), but then folded in 1959. Ed, the youngest Ames brother, continued a performing career and appeared as an Indian named Mingo on the Daniel Boone TV series before hitting the Top Ten as a solo act with 1967's "My Cup Runneth Over." He also appeared on Broadway.

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Charlie Parker - Bird After Dark

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:58
Size: 128.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. All The Things You Are
[3:23] 2. Lover Man
[3:10] 3. This Is Always
[3:21] 4. Embraceable You
[3:07] 5. My Old Flame
[3:46] 6. Out Of Nowhere
[2:46] 7. Don't Blame Me
[3:28] 8. How Deep Is The Ocean
[8:57] 9. Slow Boat To China
[3:17] 10. Out Of Nowhere
[2:56] 11. How High The Moon
[5:00] 12. White Christmas
[4:36] 13. East Of The Sun
[2:07] 14. These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
[3:10] 15. Goodbye

Bird After Dark combines tracks off several of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker's various Savoy label sessions, including Newly Discovered Sides and Bird at the Roost: The Savoy Years, Vol. 1. Given that these albums go in and out of print, this budget compilation seems like an acceptable addition to Parker's catalog -- though diehards will still want to seek out the original albums. ~Matt Collar

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Lou Donaldson - Everything I Play Is Funky

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:43
Size: 88.6 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1970/1995
Art: Front

[5:26] 1. Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)
[6:37] 2. Hamp's Hump
[7:12] 3. Over The Rainbow
[6:44] 4. Donkey Walk
[6:27] 5. West Indian Daddy
[6:15] 6. Minor Bash

Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson; Bass Guitar [Fender Bass] – Jimmy Lewis; Drums – Idris Muhammad; Guitar – Melvin Sparks; Organ – Charles Earland, Lonnie Smith; Trumpet – Blue Mitchell, Eddie Williams. Recorded on August 22, 1969 & January 9, 1970.

Although purists might not find it as much to their taste as Midnight Creeper, Everything I Play Is Funky is easily one of the best examples of Lou Donaldson's commercially accessible period of the late '60s and early '70s. Donaldson's forays into funk and R&B-driven soul-jazz could sometimes sound stiff, but the grooves here -- which feature many of the same players -- are consistently limber and unforced. And, typical of the style, the grooves (not adventurous improvisation) are what make the album tick. For once, Donaldson's attempt at an R&B cover -- in this case, the Lee Dorsey-sung, Allen Toussaint-penned "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" -- is pulled off well enough to make for an entirely convincing statement of purpose. That number kicks off an entertaining program also highlighted by three Donaldson originals -- the cooking funk number "Donkey Walk," which seems to inspire the fieriest solos on the record, the cheery calypso "West Indian Daddy," and the hard bop-flavored "Minor Bash." There's also a version of "Over the Rainbow" done in Donaldson's caressing, melodic ballad style, and the simple funk vamp "Hamp's Hump." It's a nicely varied assortment, all anchored by the percolating rhythm section of guitarist Melvin Sparks, bassist Jimmy Lewis, and drummer Idris Muhammad (Charles Earland and Dr. Lonnie Smith switch off on organ, and Blue Mitchell and Eddie Williams do the same on trumpet). This is the sort of record that modern-day Donaldson disciples like the Sugarman Three cherish, and one of his few truly consistent efforts in this style. Recommended wholeheartedly to funk and rare-groove fans. ~Steve Huey

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Pierre Swärd & The Hammond Jazz'n Soul Group - Jazz'n Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:17
Size: 163.2 MB
Styles: B3 Organ jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[4:55] 1. Get On Down To The B3 Sound
[5:24] 2. Griff's Groove
[6:25] 3. Freedom
[4:46] 4. Mr. Clean
[4:51] 5. September Times
[3:19] 6. Groovin'
[5:45] 7. Lady's Blues
[6:12] 8. Can't Get Satisfied
[6:06] 9. Ps Blues
[7:58] 10. Mc Scott
[8:21] 11. Jazz'n Blue
[7:09] 12. Watermelon Man

Pierre Swärd (B3-org); Jan Ottesen (g); Hans Rolin (dr); Per Grebacken (ts-bs) (1.4.8); Per Johansson (as) (5.6). Recorded 1991-1995 in Stockholm (1.2.3.4.5.6.7.9.10.11.12), Recorded in Rättvik (8).

Pierre has been playing Hammond organ since 1969, and in recent years he has been a dedicated Nord C2D player. Pierre's organ playing has been in huge demand and featured in numerous live, TV and radio performances as well as album recordings.

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Chano Dominguez - Over The Rainbow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:31
Size: 156.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[6:53] 1. Django
[5:17] 2. Drume Negrita
[5:15] 3. Evidence
[9:37] 4. Gracias A La Vida
[7:11] 5. Hacia Dónde
[5:11] 6. Los Ejes De Mi Carreta
[6:18] 7. Mantreria
[9:03] 8. Marcel
[6:02] 9. Monk's Dream
[7:39] 10. Over The Rainbow

Over the Rainbow is a genius effort from a historic musician who continues his storied narrative here in America. We are honored and grateful he is here. It is a giant leap forward on a musical pilgrimage with no end. His offerings along the way have a unique organic presence that reminds us that we all emanate from a colorful palate of cultures worldwide, but exist as a single canvas of humanity. As we express each color as unique and beautiful, we search for ways to have them blend together, to add and subtract them, to create an interaction of unity going forward. Dominguez continues to draw from the cultures and people that inspire his creative genius, and apply them to a tangible form we can all understand, and aspire to emulate. There is a maturity in his playing on this record, a thoughtfulness that pays homage to the multiplicity of musical currents that rise to the top during solo performance. To a listener unfamiliar with the work of Mr. Dominguez, it serves as a sampler of his stunning virtuosity, and joyous fusion of flamenco and jazz. To those already engaged in his musical voyage, it represents a snapshot along the way to new horizons, behind the moon, beyond the rain. ~Paul Rauch

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Big Band Swing Express - The Big Band Hits (You've Never Heard Before)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:50
Size: 125.6 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:28] 1. Silk Socks
[4:59] 2. Shoo In
[4:35] 3. A Few Notes On The Blues
[4:23] 4. No Rain
[4:50] 5. Chuck's Wagon
[5:48] 6. Sweet Water
[4:41] 7. Ken's Special
[5:33] 8. From 1 To 12
[5:39] 9. Like Blues
[4:49] 10. Li'l Dipper
[4:01] 11. Mighty Max

The Big Band Swing Express invites you to Get Aboard and experience "The Big Band HITS you've never heard before. All of the tracks are original compositions from the late Ken Farrar that were never released until now. Everything you like about Big Band music is represented here from the soft intimate melody of Sweetwater to the finger-snapping toe-tapping hot swinging sounds of the Big Bands best.

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