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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