Friday, April 20, 2018

Ray Bryant Trio - Play The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:50
Size: 153.0 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2000/2013
Art: Front

[4:58] 1. Gotta Travel On
[7:54] 2. I'm A Just Lucky So & So
[7:56] 3. Slow Freight
[5:00] 4. C Jam Blues
[6:48] 5. Stick With It
[6:06] 6. St. Louis Blues
[8:27] 7. C. C. Rider
[6:49] 8. Please Send Me Someone To Love
[6:29] 9. After Hours
[6:17] 10. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Bass – Ray Drummond; Drums – Kenny Washington; Harmonica, Guest – Hugh McCracken; Piano – Ray Bryant. Recorded on September 13th and 14th 1999.

Ray Bryant came from a musical family and became known to fellow musicians as the house pianist at the Philadelphia Blue Note Club, he later worked and recorded with many of the giants in the jazz world including Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis and Coleman Hawkins. He is also an accomplished accompanist working with singers like Carmen McRae. He is at his best working in a trio or even as a solo pianist where he excels with his blues and gospel laden playing.

Play The Blues mc
Play The Blues zippy

Jerry Granelli - A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:47
Size: 132.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 1992/2015
Art: Front

[7:39] 1. Wanderlust
[0:38] 2. Smoky Row
[5:02] 3. The Oyster Dance
[6:20] 4. Billie's Bounce
[9:26] 5. Coming Through Slaughter
[6:01] 6. In That Number
[5:06] 7. Prelude To Silence Shell Beach-Lincoln Park
[7:23] 8. I Put A Spell On You
[6:02] 9. Blues Connotation
[4:06] 10. Blues Connotation (Reprise)

Alto Saxophone – Kenny Garrett; Bass – Anthony Cox; Drums – Jerry Granelli; Electric Bass – J. Granelli; Guitar – Robben Ford; Guitar, Banjo – Bill Frisell; Soprano Saxophone – Denny Goodhew; Trombone – Julian Priester. Recorded at London Bridge Studio, Seattle, January – February, 1992.

Drummer Jerry Granelli offers a wide-ranging amalgam of styles and sounds on this 1993 date. The life of legendary (but unrecorded) jazz trumpeter Buddy Bolden is aurally covered through a ten-track, four-part set that sequences songs according to movements; Bolden's world, journey, memories, and an epilogue are the settings, with an interesting lineup that includes torrid alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, Bill Frisell playing banjo as well as guitar, trombonist Julian Priester, guitarist Robben Ford, and bassist Anthony Cox. It is not strictly traditional New Orleans jazz nor merely reflective or commemorative fare, but an aggressive musical commentary on the Bolden legend. ~Ron Wynn

A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing mc
A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing zippy

Carla Bley, Steve Swallow - Are We There Yet?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:27
Size: 108.6 MB
Styles: Avant garde jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 3:34] 1. Major
[ 7:13] 2. A Dog's Life
[ 8:41] 3. Satie For Two
[ 5:14] 4. Lost In The Stars
[ 4:37] 5. King Korn
[ 4:41] 6. Playing With Water
[13:24] 7. Musique Mecanique Part I, Part II, Part III

Carla Bley and Steve Swallow's third outing as a duo captures them live on their 1998 European tour sounding fabulous. Three of the seven tunes are by Bley: "Major," an infectious triadic shell game; "King Korn," a whimsical run through rhythm changes in the keys of E flat and C; and "Musique Mecanique," an ambitious three-part suite adapted from Bley's 1978 album of the same name. Three other compositions are by Swallow: "A Dog's Life," a Ray Charles-style tune in a slow 6/8; "Satie for Two," an affecting tribute to the minimalist composer; and "Playing With Water," a bossa nova previously performed by Swallow's 1991 sextet. The only non-original of the set is Kurt Weill's ballad "Lost in the Stars," which Bley and Swallow play beautifully.

Bley's piano is remarkably versatile and passionate, and Swallow's signature electric bass sound tickles the senses, especially during the Weill song where one moment he makes the room vibrate with low notes, and the next reaches the stratosphere of his range with singing melodies. ~David R. Adler

Are We There Yet? mc
Are We There Yet? zippy

Nils Lofgren - Old School

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:23
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Heartland rock
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Old School
[3:01] 2. 60 Is The New 18
[2:38] 3. Miss You Ray
[3:51] 4. Love Stumbles On
[2:44] 5. Amy Joan Blues
[5:10] 6. Irish Angel
[4:40] 7. Ain't Too Many Of Us Left
[4:32] 8. When You Were Mine
[2:31] 9. Just Because You Love Me
[4:30] 10. Dream Big
[3:09] 11. Let Her Get Away
[4:22] 12. Why Me

As its title implies, getting older is on Nils Lofgren's mind for his first album of new material since 2006. Besides the title track, "60 Is the New 18," "Miss You Ray" (dedicated to Ray Charles), and "Ain't Too Many of Us Left" speak to the frustrations facing an aging rocker in a young man's game. To his credit, Lofgren doesn't modernize his style to endear himself for a younger audience, but has written 11 out of these dozen selections in the same melodic rock format that he's adhered to since his days in Grin. He's never been a great singer, but his voice has lost much of its high end, which makes him sound more grizzled than usual. Still, that generally works to his advantage since his veteran status allows him to comment on everything from the maturing of love to teens and their annoying habits. The distinctive electric guitar sound that made Lofgren so invaluable as a backing soloist to Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen is tamped down for the most part, although it weaves throughout songs that rely more on melody, lyrics, and singing than hotshot six-string work. Guest vocals from Paul Rodgers and Lou Gramm minimally enhance a few tracks, but Sam & Dave's Sam Moore shines on his duet for the chorus for "Ain't Too Many of Us Left," a song that also gives Lofgren a chance to unwind on guitar. Heartfelt ballads such as the lovely "When You Were Mine," the haunted memories of the closing "Why Me," the acoustic "Let Her Get Away," "Love Stumbles On"'s wistful recollection, and especially "Irish Angel" (the disc's only cover) work particularly well with Lofgren's grainy, somewhat compromised voice. Perhaps his advancing years have shifted Lofgren's focus from the rockers that used to dominate his albums to the slower, more reflective compositions here. Regardless, he's in good form; spirited on the rockers and appropriately melancholy on the softer material. He knows his shot at solo stardom is behind him but that doesn't stop him from writing solid, at times exemplary, songs and performing them with the verve and panache he has always exhibited in his work. This isn't his best hour but it's far from his worst. It's a workmanlike effort from a veteran rocker who is too driven, vital, and talented to seriously consider retiring. That should sit just fine with fans who have stuck with him this long, and they especially will be rewarded with a solid, credible, and honest project that plays to Lofgren's still considerable strengths. ~Hal Horowitz

Old School mc
Old School zippy

Stefan Michalke Trio - Little Stories

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:54
Size: 130.3 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Osterlied
[3:47] 2. Tschamin
[5:42] 3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[5:36] 4. M & M
[4:15] 5. Valse Triste
[3:46] 6. Giselle
[4:51] 7. Danzelot
[6:00] 8. Desaja
[4:27] 9. 45
[3:53] 10. Choral
[4:40] 11. Kleine Reise
[4:40] 12. Sufi Dance

This classic piano trio led by Stefan Michalke has been making shapes in the world of modern jazz since 2004. While upholding the traditions of jazz, they also push the genre’s boundaries with their tremendous enthusiasm and spontaneity - this is what distinguishes the trio’s unique style. Light-heartedly referring to themselves as the "The Stefan-et", Stefan Michalke (piano, composition), Stefan Werni (bass) and Stefan Kremer (drums) playfully span the divide between composition and improvisation. Three very relaxed, and in the best sense of the word, adult musicians, who don’t need to test their long-standing musical relationship with outbursts and egotism, but rather they confidently and nonchalantly lead each other to "musical departures".

With "Little Stories", the musician and composer Stefan Michalke has succeeded in creating a very personal work (with two of the compositions written by Stefan Kremer). The name says it all - composed of moods, inspired by people and experiences, the pieces highlight a variety of life’s situations like scenes from an anthology film. Sometimes energetic, sometimes lyrical, but always with a keen sense of melodic beauty and a penetrating groove that they reflect through different worlds of sound. "Easter Song" represents the overwhelming joy that arrives as nature reawakes, and viewed metaphorically, the piece also signifies a fresh start in life. "45" was created on a birthday, but you can hear that for yourself! And who could "Giselle" be?

Little Stories mc
Little Stories zippy

Gary Burton, Stephane Grappelli - Paris Encounter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:17
Size: 80.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1972/2005
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Daphné
[3:36] 2. Blue In Green
[3:12] 3. Falling Grace
[5:26] 4. Here's That Rainy Day
[3:57] 5. Coquette
[3:39] 6. Sweet Rain
[3:43] 7. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
[3:23] 8. Arpege
[4:12] 9. Eiderdown

Drums – Bill Goodwin; Electric Bass – Steve Swallow; Vibraphone [Vibraharp] – Gary Burton; Violin – Stéphane Grappelli. Recorded at Studios Europe Sonor, Paris, France.

Atlantic has thus far been very slow to reissue its six valuable Gary Burton records. This particular set is the most accessible of the group, for it matches the advanced vibraphonist with the classic violinist Stephane Grappelli in a quartet also including electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Goodwin. The music alternates between standards and originals (including Swallow's famous "Eiderdown"), and both Grappelli and Burton prove to be flexible enough to have much common ground despite a 35-year difference in age. A frequently delightful set. ~Scott Yanow

Paris Encounter mc
Paris Encounter zippy

Bill Hardman - What's Up

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:33
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:25)  1. Fuller Up
( 9:22)  2. I Should Care
( 8:20)  3. Whisper Not
(10:31)  4. Straight Ahead
( 7:10)  5. P.B.
( 8:57)  6. Like Someone In Love
( 7:42)  7. Yo What's Up
(10:03)  8. Rooms Blues

A reliable hard bop-oriented trumpeter, Bill Hardman never became famous, but he helped out on many sessions. While a teenager, Hardman gigged with Tadd Dameron, and after graduating high school he was with Tiny Bradshaw (1953-1955). He debuted on record with Jackie McLean (1955), played with Charles Mingus (1956), and gained recognition for his work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1956-1958). 

Hardman worked with Horace Silver (1958), Lou Donaldson (on and off during 1959-1966), re-joined Blakey twice (1966-1969 and in the late '70s), was with Mingus again during parts of 1969-1972, and led a group with Junior Cook (1979-1981). Bill Hardman had an appealing style in the Clifford Brown tradition and recorded as a leader for Savoy (1961) and Muse. 
~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whats-up/159915066

Personnel:  Bill Hardman - trumpet;  Junior Cook - tenor saxophone;  Robin Eubanks - trombone;  Mickey Tucker - piano;  Paul Brown - bass;  Leroy Williams - drums

What's Up 

Leslie Uggams - Try To See It My Way

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:01
Size: 63,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. Love Is A Good Foundation
(3:01)  2. Try To See It My Way
(2:31)  3. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
(3:03)  4. I Love You (Je Vous Aime Oui Fais)
(2:24)  5. Brighten Hill
(3:31)  6. Oh Lord What Are You Doing To Me
(2:26)  7. I Just Can't Help Believin'
(2:44)  8. The Love Of My Man
(1:56)  9. Rescue Me
(2:48) 10. The Weight

A singer and actress perhaps best known for her work in the landmark television miniseries Roots, Leslie Uggams was born May 25, 1943, in New York City. The product of a showbiz family her father sang with the Hall Johnson Choir and her mother was a chorus dancer  she began her own career while still a child, making her TV debut at the age of six on the series Beulah. A year later, Uggams began performing regularly at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, opening for such legends as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington; she subsequently attended the Professional Children's School of New York, and frequently guested on television variety programs including The Milton Berle Show, The Arthur Godfrey Show, and Your Show of Shows. At the age of 12, Uggams retired from performing; her absence from the spotlight was relatively brief, however, and three years later she appeared as a vocalist on the TV quiz show Name That Tune.While a student at Juilliard, Uggams was tapped to join the cast of Sing Along with Mitch, becoming the first female singer and the first African-American talent to join the Mitch Miller-hosted variety program; in 1962, she also made her on-screen film debut with a cameo in Two Weeks in Another Town, and after signing to Columbia scored a hit single with "Morgan." She spent the next several years alternating nightclub dates with stage performances, also appearing in the theatrical production The Boyfriend. In 1968, Uggams was chosen to replace Lena Horne in the lead role in the Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby!; the performance earned her a Tony Award and culminated her rise to stardom. In 1970, she was named the host of her own CBS variety series, the first black female since Hazel Scott a decade earlier to be given such an opportunity; however, The Leslie Uggams Show proved short-lived, one in a long list of sacrifices to the ratings juggernaut known as Bonanza. 

The early '70s marked a decline in Uggams' fortunes; outside of an appearance in the all-star 1972 film Skyjacked, she enjoyed little of the same success of recent years, and a move from Columbia to Atlantic did little to resuscitate her singing career. In 1977, however, she returned to television in the slavery saga Roots, with her superb performance as Kizzy earning an Emmy nomination; two years later, Uggams earned more kudos for her work in another miniseries, Backstairs at the White House, and in 1983 won an Emmy as co-host of the short-lived NBC series Fantasy. Later in the decade, Uggams returned to Broadway, starring in the musicals Blues in the Night and Jerry's Girls. In 1987, she toured with Peter Nero and Mel Tormé in The Great Gershwin Concert, and in 1988 starred in the Lincoln Center production of Anything Goes. After touring during the early '90s in Stringbean, a musical based on the career of Ethel Waters, in 1996 Uggams joined the cast of the hit daytime soap opera All My Children. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leslie-uggams-mn0000820567              

Try To See It My Way

Harold Ashby Quartet - What Am I Here For?

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:17
Size: 159,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. I Can't Get Started
(7:35)  2. What Am I Here For?
(5:08)  3. Mood Indigo
(7:41)  4. Frankie And Johnny
(4:54)  5. Once In A While
(9:00)  6. Poinciana
(7:47)  7. C Jam Blues
(6:55)  8. Prelude To A Kiss
(8:27)  9. September In The Rain
(6:15) 10. Perdido

It shouldn't be surprising that Harold Ashby has a decidedly Ellington slant to this CD. A tenor saxophonist in the mold of Ben Webster (who first introduced him to the maestro) Ashby was a frequent substitute on call until he replaced the departed Jimmy Hamilton in 1968, where he remained until the year after Ellington's death. On this relatively rare date as a leader, the veteran devotes half of his program to music from the vast Ellington repertoire, including a strutting take of "What Am I Here For?" and a lush treatment of "Mood Indigo" that initially features Mulgrew Miller's old-fashioned stride piano and Rufus Reid's arco bass in unison with Ashby. An up-tempo "C Jam Blues" is kicked off by drummer Ben Riley, while the leader's rich vibrato reins supreme in their interpretation of the lovely "Prelude to a Kiss." The final track from the Ellington book is Juan Tizol's "Perdido," which wraps the CD with a flourish. 

Most of the non-Ellington tracks that make up the rest of this release are favorites of the swing era, with the exception of the easygoing and somewhat romantic bossa nova "Poinciana." Although this session was recorded in New York City, the erratic distribution of the Criss Cross label makes this CD somewhat more difficult to find than it should be for many swing fans. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-am-i-here-for-mw0000083425

Personnel: Harold Ashby (tenor saxophone), Mulgrew Miller, Rufus Reid, Ben Riley.

What Am I Here For?

Geoff Keezer - Here And Now

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:08
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:26)  1. There But For The Grace Of...
(7:52)  2. Headed Off At The Pass
(9:49)  3. Leilanis Mirror
(5:39)  4. Agra
(4:05)  5. (It Was) Just One Of Those Things
(4:59)  6. Its The Thought That Counts
(7:50)  7. The Feeling Of Jazz
(4:22)  8. Turning Point
(4:22)  9. It Never Entered My Mind
(4:38) 10. Scandal In Shinjuku

Pianist Geoff Keezer, two months shy of his 21st birthday at the time of this session, sometimes recalls McCoy Tyner in his playing with touches of Herbie Hancock, although on a romping version of "Just One of Those Things," his interpretation is pure Bud Powell. Steve Nelson's vibes are most heavily influenced by Bobby Hutcherson and Milt Jackson, while the somewhat dry originals take quirky twists in the best tradition of Wayne Shorter. With bassist Peter Washington and drummer Billy Higgins completing the quartet (altoist Donald Harrison guests on three numbers), this is an excellent (if not innovative) modern mainstream set, a strong showcase for both Keezer and Nelson. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/here-and-now-mw0000264840

Personnel:  Geoff Keezer piano;  Steve Nelson vibraphone;  Peter Washington bass;  Billy Higgins drums;  Donald Harrison alto saxophone.

Here And Now

Jane McDonald - Live At The London Palladium

Size: 175,6 MB
Time: 75:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Pop Rock
Art: Front

01. The Hand That Leads Me (2:58)
02. It's Getting Better (3:16)
03. Give Me Time (3:18)
04. Burt Bacharach Medley (Walk On By - Do You Know The Way To San Jose - Say A Little Prayer - There's Always Something There To Remind Me) (9:15)
05. Even Now (4:24)
06. You Don't Know Me (4:31)
07. Help Me Make It Through The Night (4:16)
08. One Night Only (4:14)
09. And I Am Telling You (4:04)
10. Doctor's Orders (2:57)
11. O Mio Babbino Caro (2:37)
12. There's Not A Day Goes By (5:07)
13. Maybe This Time (3:29)
14. Motown Northern Soul Medley (Out On The Floor - Love Machine - Love Is Like A Heatwave) (6:30)
15. You're My World (3:39)
16. One Voice (3:21)
17. Disco Medley (Disco Inferno Burn Baby Burn - Giving Up Giving In - Voulez Vous - Dance Yourself Dizzy) (7:35)

Recorded live at the world famous London Palladium during her sell-out national concert tour, this sensational release (both on DVD and CD/DVD) proves once again why Jane McDonald is regarded as one of Britain's most popular and best loved entertainers. With her powerhouse vocals, amusing anecdotes and infectious, self-deprecating humour Jane, together with her fabulous 15 piece orchestra and backing singers, takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotion, bringing laughter and tears from an adoring and packed London Palladium audience, including Jane's specially invited celebrity friends.
A combination of her own compositions and covers of some of the most popular songs over the last few decades, from Burt Bacharach to ABBA, Ray Charles to Motown, huge ballads to funky disco, Live At the London Palladium provides first class entertainment. An inspired choice of songs and wonderful musical arrangements gives Jane the perfect platform to show just how talented and versatile she is.

Live At The London Palladium

Martial Solal - My One And Only Love (Live At Theater Gutersloh)

Size: 181,1 MB
Time: 77:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. Have You Met Miss Jones (4:55)
02. Medley Caravan - Prelude To A Kiss - Sophisticated Lady - Satin Doll - Take The A Train (7:45)
03. Sir Jack (3:38)
04. Coming Yesterday (4:44)
05. Köln Duet (4:45)
06. My One And Only Love (5:44)
07. Body And Soul (8:03)
08. Night And Day (5:28)
09. Marche Turque (2:44)
10. All The Things You Are (6:00)
11. Night In Tunisia (4:35)
12. Tea For Two (5:47)
13. Sir Jack II (5:44)
14. Interview With Martial Solal (Goetz Buehler) (7:57)

"Martial Solal has, in abundance, those indispensables of the musicians’ craft: sensitivity, creativity, and a prodigious technique. Most of all, he sparkles with refreshment." These words of praise were written by his "soul brother" Duke Ellington for Solal’s US debut album, recorded mostly at Newport in 1963 with Bill Evans’ rhythm section Paul Motian on drums and Teddy Kotick on bass. More than half an exciting century later the legendary French pianist and composer, who excelled with works for soundtracks, orchestras, big bands and his own groups, as well as in the meantime duo settings with jazz masters from Lee Konitz to Dave Liebman, once again proved why the Duke loved him madly.

As soon as Martial Solal sat down at the piano in the Theater Gütersloh for soundcheck, all the months of preparation and practice for this solo-concert, and the strain of the travel here from his home in Chatou near Paris seemed to disappear. "At home I don’t even make music, I just practice scales and things", he said, after explaining why he looks forward to play on a great grand piano on stage. "I have two pianos at home: I practiced for years on an old upright piano with a light keyboard touch, and I was frequently suffering when meeting on stage instruments with a heavier touch. Then I bought in 1977 a grand piano Kawai, and asked the piano maker to adjust it with a heavy touch response, to be perfectly at ease on all kind of pianos I am invited to play. I always have the music in my head, but it only comes out on the right instrument."

Solal obviously enjoyed playing the Steinway on offer here, and almost forcibly had to restrain himself from letting out even more amazing music already at soundcheck. He was wondering which song even the kids attending the concert that evening would recognize, some tune so well known that he could weave it into his improvisations to get their attention. After several suggestions, this 90 year old European Jazz Legend was finally reminded of "Frère Jacques", a nursery rhyme Solal knows well, but had never played before – at least the way he did that night!
The two "Sir Jack" improvisations on the theme of this canon included in this live recording alone attest the pianist’s sensitivity, creativity, and prodigious technique. And yes, they, and all the other melodies you thought you knew so well, sparkle with refreshment, too. ~Gotz Buhler

My One and Only Love                 

Mette Olsen Kvartet - Still Alive

Size: 118,1 MB
Time: 50:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. L'll Be Seeing You (3:49)
02. The More I See You (3:10)
03. All Or Nothing At All (4:02)
04. Lucky To Be Me (3:36)
05. Autumn Leaves (4:50)
06. It Could Happen To You (3:07)
07. Let There Be Love (3:25)
08. August Moon (4:14)
09. Only Trust Your Heart (4:00)
10. Old Folks (4:01)
11. Shiny Stockings (3:38)
12. Speak Low (4:17)
13. Memories (In Life) (4:32)

Standard jazz mixed with newer Danish, Swedish and own compositions.

Personnel:
Mette Olsen - Vocals
Stig Andreasen - Bass
Michael Vogelius Larsen - Piano
Chano Olskær - Drums

Still Alive

Charles Turner - Single & In Love

Size: 101,6 MB
Time: 38:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Single (2:31)
02. The Double Take (2:17)
03. Ooh La La (1:52)
04. Wise Man's Lament (6:23)
05. When Will I Find You (4:45)
06. Manhattan (0:52)
07. City Life (3:30)
08. Manhattan II (0:46)
09. Millennial's Blues (4:15)
10. Realign (3:57)
11. Let Me In (3:49)
12. November (3:31)

Recently the 1st place winner of the 1st Annual Duke Ellington Vocal Competition here in New York City Hosted by Mercedes Ellington, 26 year old Turner has taken the jazz scene by storm. Charles relocated to New York in 2011, and has performed in venues such as Smoke Jazz and Super Club, Birdland, Ginny's Supper Club, Smalls, and Mintons were has a residency every Wednesday with the JC Hopkins Biggish Band and every Thursday with Marc Cary and Focus Trio at Gin Fizz in Harlem.

The Charles Turner Quartet has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center for the Generations in Jazz festival for 2 consecutive years. He also Released his Debut Album " Dreamers" Produced by Grammy Award winning Drummer Ulysses Owens at Jazz at Lincoln Center March 2014. Appearing next at Jazz at Lincoln Center, he will be a part of the 2015-16 Season at is Debut concert in the Appel Room in May 2016. Turner graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma on a full scholarship. During his time there Charles had the wonderful opportunity to study and perform with Grammy Award–winning drummer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Samuels, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Joanne Brackeen.

In 2013 Charles was invited to participate in the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, where he worked with Jason Moran, Craig Handy, Marc Cary, and performed at the Kennedy Center. He also won Best Jazz Vocalist awards at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and was a finalist at the esteemed Shure Montruex jazz festival Vocal Competition. Charles also performed with Bobby Mcferrin along with other young talents in a Improvisation Workshop Concert at Carnegie Hall. Featured on Ulysses Owens latest album which is receiving rave reviews from the New York Times and other publication. Charles has collaborated with many young up and coming artist as well as veterans in out music today. He has performed in Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain and Russia. Charles will continue to spread his love for music for years and years to come.

Single & In Love 

Mike Clark & Delbert Bump - Retro Report

Size: 146,8 MB
Time: 62:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Topsy (6:49)
02. Chicken (4:25)
03. Deep In The Inner City (6:09)
04. Hi Heel Sneakers (6:13)
05. Alice In Wonderland (6:08)
06. You Don't Know What Love Is (7:03)
07. No Blues (5:25)
08. More Chicken (5:25)
09. Peri's Scope (4:43)
10. Honky Tonk (6:25)
11. Well, You Needn't (4:08)

His father was a railroad man and Mike picked up a great understanding of different musical styles around the country while riding the rails. From Herbie Hancock's Headhunters to a long list of the greats, Mike Clark shows how it's done both on the drums and as a Jazzman. Hip, positive, and adventurous at 70, Mike met up with his longtime friend Delbert Bump and together they tracked an album of Hammond based grooves - Retro Report, bringing in young Elias Lucero to rip it up on guitar with some horn touches from Vince Denham and Rob Dixon. This is your Father's Jazz, your Sister's Jazz, your long lost Uncle Benny's Jazz, and your Grandson's Jazz. That is to say it crosses the span of time with a master's flick of the wrist.

About Mike Clark & Delbert Bump:
While often referred to as the “Tony Williams of funk,” Mike Clark considers jazz his first love. He gained worldwide recognition as one of America’s foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early seventies. His incisive playing on Hancock’s “Actual Proof” garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers.

Mike has performed with such well-known jazz greats as Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Donald Harrison, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Mike Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his Orchestra.

Born in Sacramento, CA, Mike traveled around the country with his father, a former drummer himself and a union man for the railroad. His dad had a great appreciation for jazz and blues music, and Mike absorbed the music of America while riding the rails. He credits this exposure as forming the foundation for his ability to synthesize many different regional styles. From age 4, he was a prodigy, sitting in-- and getting “house” -- - with bands in Texas and New Orleans. And by the time he reached his early twenties he was known as one of the founders of the distinctive East Bay Sound coming out of Oakland, California.

During the late sixties, he led his own jazz organ trio, until he met Hancock in 1973. With Hancock, Mike set the rhythms for the acclaimed group, The Headhunters. Afterwards, he did a two-year stint with Brand X, the British jazz/rock fusion band founded by Phil Collins. With them he recorded ”Do They Hurt?” and “Product.”

By 2000 Mike made a foray into the popular jam band scene. His group Prescription Renewal pulled together cross-generational talents, such as Charlie Hunter, Fred Wesley, Skerik, Robert Walter, and DJ Logic, and featured special guests such as Donald Harrison, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Les Claypool, Larry Goldings and fellow Headhunters alumni Bill Summers. He also toured with The Roots Funk All Stars.

Along with James Brown's drummer Clyde Stubblefield, Mike's beats with The Headhunters (most notably "God Make Me Funky") include some of the most sampled in hip hop. Featured in Downbeat, Musician, International Musician & Recording World, Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Guitar Player, Jazz Is and numerous jazz history and method books, Mike is a popular and busy clinician. His book Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves & Advanced Concepts was published in 2012 by Hal Leonard.]

2015 is shaping up to be another musically exciting year. His second Wolff & Clark Expedition CD releases in February, and his hard bop band “Indigo Blue Live at the Iridium” arrives six months later, both on Random Act Records. Both CDs feature Christian McBride on bass, Donald Harrison on alto, Rob Dixon on tenor, Antonio Farao on Piano and Randy Brecker on trumpet.

As a bandleader, his release “Give The Drummer Some” earned a rare four and a half stars in Downbeat. “The Funk Stops Here,” a joint effort with Hancock alumni Paul Jackson got five stars, as did 2011’s “Carnival of Soul.” In 2001, his solo CD “Actual Proof” met with critical acclaim, as did the 2003 acoustic jazz release, “Summertime,” featuring Chris Potter and Billy Childs, which spent weeks in the top ten jazz charts. 2009’s “Blueprints of Jazz” was considered one of the top jazz releases of the last ten years by Downbeat magazine.

Recently Mike has been co-leading The Headhunters,’ with original founding member Bill Summers. 2012 saw a new Headhunters release, “Platinum.” which featured guest turns by Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, and Killah Priest.

Mike has produced three releases for the spoken word prophet Tony Adamo, indulging ”Miles of Blu" with Tower of Power Doc Krupka, bass legend Paul Jackson, Michael Wolff. Along with drum legend Lenny White (Return to Forever), Mike is co-leading Nu Brew, a double drummer experience in new music. He also appears on Tower of Power's organist Chester Thompson's new "Mixology."

Retro Report

Sara Serpa - Close Up

Size: 100,4 MB
Time: 41:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Object (4:01)
02. Passaros (4:16)
03. Sol Enganador (5:59)
04. The Future (5:37)
05. Listening (2:55)
06. Storm Coming (5:18)
07. Woman (4:03)
08. Quiet Riot (3:55)
09. Cantar Ao Fim (4:57)

Personnel - Sara Serpa: vocals; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; Erik Friedlander: cello.

The incomparable Portuguese vocalist/composer Sara Serpa remains faithful to her own musical signature, receiving universal acclaim with recent projects such as Sara Serpa’s Recognition (with harpist Zeena Parkins and saxophonist Mark Turner), Serpa/Matos duo, and now this fantastic new trio, whose first album, Close Up, is the subject of this review. Whether creating textural consonance or embarking on precise contrapuntal effects, the work of German-born saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and American cellist Erik Friedlander coexists beautifully and pacifically with Serpa’s flawless phrasing and multi-sensitive tone.

Like in some past works, this album includes many references to literature, a deep-rooted passion now extended to film, with Abbas Kiarostami’s 1990 masterpiece Close-Up surfacing as an extra inspiration.

“Object” shows the threesome dancing in different ways, using distinct cadences yet perfectly integrated as a group. Brief cello slashes provide a thin tapestry for both Serpa’s lyrical buoyancy and Laubrock’s world music-inspired inflections on the soprano. The vocalist perambulates since the moment that sax and cello agree on standing side-by-side, anticipating a grand finale delivered in unison.

“Quiet Riot” is clearly hooked on Serpa’s style. Elegant parallel motions and counterpoints, phrase complementations, and Laubrock’s soprano knottiness over the groovy bends and swift drives imposed by Friedlander. These bright moments make you want to go back and re-listen to them again.

Exhibiting multiple ostinatos and the words of the Portuguese poet Ruy Bello, “Pássaros”, is a furtive chamber-jazz effort with a well-defined identity. Still, it couldn't match the irresistible enunciation of “The Future”, a poignant, unswerving song awaken by a continuously reiterated sax-vox pointillism and cello wails. Inspired by Virginia Woolf, the song merges light and darkness in genial moments of metrical defiance. This is naked music where the words mean highly focused sounds.

Friedlander’s seductive fingerstyle drives “Sol Enganador”, a meditative cinematic odyssey where Godard’s philosophical freedom gets in touch with a Fellini-esque flamboyance. Laubrock’s air blows, percussive and invasive at the same time, end up falling into short, feverish phrases that contrast with Serpa’s syllabic patterns, sparsely laid down with an infallible precision.

Floating like a breezy folk song, “Woman” was devised with a sort of angelic flair and erudite expressiveness, meaning that the spirit of Luce Irigaray, who inspired the composition, was properly captured and relocated into the music.

The album closes with “Cantar Ao Fim”, a spellbinding piece with a strong connection to nature, whose freedom erupts from all the pores of its smooth skin. The natural, impromptu vocal chant that inaugurates this piece is followed by a blossoming groove that pushes us into a rapturous sonic orb.

Composition-wise, Serpa is ahead of the curve, establishing her ideas with one foot on the avant-garde and the other on the new music. Categorization can be a difficult task, but what’s really relevant here is that Close Up guarantees an arresting affirmation of her artistic maturity. ~JazzTrail

Close Up