Thursday, June 28, 2018

Woody Herman - Crazy Rhythm

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:48
Size: 82.0 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:14] 1. It's Coolin' Time
[3:13] 2. Fire Island
[3:14] 3. Bamba Samba
[3:59] 4. Prelude Cha Cha
[3:16] 5. Wildroot
[2:30] 6. Black Orchid
[3:21] 7. Bijou
[3:54] 8. Sinbad The Sailor
[3:33] 9. Crazy Rhythm
[4:29] 10. Woodchopper's Ball

A fine swing clarinetist, an altoist whose sound was influenced by Johnny Hodges, a good soprano saxophonist, and a spirited blues vocalist, Woody Herman's greatest significance to jazz was as the leader of a long line of big bands. He always encouraged young talent and, more than practically any bandleader from the swing era, kept his repertoire quite modern. Although Herman was always stuck performing a few of his older hits (he played "Four Brothers" and "Early Autumn" nightly for nearly 40 years), he much preferred to play and create new music.

Woody Herman began performing as a child, singing in vaudeville. He started playing saxophone when he was 11, and four years later he was a professional musician. He picked up early experience playing with the big bands of Tom Gerun, Harry Sosnik, and Gus Arnheim, and then in 1934, he joined the Isham Jones orchestra. He recorded often with Jones, and when the veteran bandleader decided to break up his orchestra in 1936, Herman formed one of his own out of the remaining nucleus. The great majority of the early Herman recordings feature the bandleader as a ballad vocalist, but it was the instrumentals that caught on, leading to his group being known as "the Band That Plays the Blues." Woody Herman's theme "At the Woodchopper's Ball" became his first hit (1939). ~ (partial) bio by Scott Yanow

Crazy Rhythm mc
Crazy Rhythm zippy

Reuben Wilson - Set Us Free

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:31
Size: 72.2 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz
Year: 1971/2008
Art: Front

[5:09] 1. Set Us Free
[3:30] 2. We're In Love
[4:33] 3. Sho-Nuff Mellow
[4:35] 4. Mr. Big Stuff
[4:31] 5. Right On With This Mess
[3:40] 6. Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)
[5:32] 7. Tom's Thumb

Bass – Richard Davis; Congas – Ray Armando; Drums – Jimmy Johnson; Guitar, Sitar – David Spinozza; Harp – Gene Bianco; Organ – Reuben Wilson; Percussion – Gordon (Spec) Powell; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Jerome Richardson; Vocals – Mildred Brown, Naomi Thomas, Rosalyn Brown. Recorded July 23, 1971, The Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Set Us Free, Reuben Wilson's final album for Blue Note, was issued in 1971. Since that time it has become an immortal and much sought classic by beatheads for a single track: "We're in Love." DJ Premier sampled it liberally -- for its Hammond B-3 vamps, backing vocals, and decorative percussion -- for use on rapper Nas' smash "Memory Lane." Hip-hop fans suddenly had to hear more, and as a result not only is Wilson active again on the circuit, but there has also been terrific interest in his catalog. Not only did Blue Note's Michael Cuscuna reissue this all but forgotten nugget for the label's killer Rare Groove series (before August 2008 it had never been available on CD in America), but Chicago's Dusty Groove re-released 1975's funky Cadet burner Got to Get Your Own during the same month. Set Us Free stands almost completely outside the space inhabited by the rest of Wilson's Blue Note titles. Produced by the late George Butler, it's a wildly textured and seamless aural meld of gritty B-3 jams, smooth yet psychedelic soul, rock, pop, and funk. Wilson and Butler employed a killer band for this date that included reedman Jerome Richardson, bassist Richard Davis, guitarist David Spinozza (who also plays some electric sitar on the date), drummer Jimmy Johnson, conguero Ray Armando, percussionist Specs Powell, and Gene Bianco on harp; the entire proceeding was arranged by the great Wade Marcus.

Vocal arranger Jimmy Briggs was brought in to write charts for a female backing chorus on a funky Latinized blues version of "Mr. Big Stuff," the lush psych-soul babymaker "We're in Love," and Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (The Ecology)." This isn't to say that there aren't slamming organ jams on the set; Marcus' "Right on with This Mess" makes that abundantly clear. That said, even on these back-to-basics numbers, Wilson's B-3 may be up front and slamming, but Richardson's sweet soprano saxophone (which, to be fair, wails in its solo), the warm guitar lines, and the congas add depth and dimension -- even while Johnson's drums are breaking all over the place. The title track, written by Eddie Harris, is smooth instrumental soul at its best -- Richardson's soprano and the hand drums are up front with Davis' slowly rolling bassline and the hand drums. But it cuts loose in places, with Wilson adding textural flourishes in his solo rather than soaring above the mix. The closest thing to the hard bopping blues Wilson's other recording showcased are sections of the closer, "Tom's Thumb," but even here, with its harp adornment, augmented major sevenths by Spinozza, and the shuffling one-two one-two of Johnson, this comes off as exotic -- especially with the wonderful percussion section laying in the cut as he breaks often and true. Wilson is the only one letting it rip. Yet somehow, this ambitious, lushly orchestrated album not only sounds current, but still ahead of its time. Highly recommended. ~Thom Jurek

Set Us Free mc
Set Us Free zippy

Various - A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (2 parts)

The litany of names that drummer Roy Haynes has worked with in his half-century long career reads like a history of modern jazz, and includes such undeniable luminaries as Lester Young, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, Stan Getz, Jackie McLean, Chick Corea, Alice Coltrane, and John Coltrane, all of whom are represented on this three-disc (there is a fourth DVD disc that adds interviews and videos of live shows) survey of Haynes' musical life and times. Spanning 1949 through 2006, at 37 tracks this set only begins to scratch the surface of what Haynes has contributed to jazz, of course, but it is both an ideal starting point and a capsule survey of those contributions. A must for fans and those in the know, but even the most casual listener will be impressed.

Album: A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 86:28
Size: 197.9 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2007

[2:26] 1. Lester Young - Ding Dong
[3:00] 2. Bud Powell - Bouncin' With Bud
[3:02] 3. Charlie Parker - My Little Suede Shoes
[2:21] 4. Miles Davis - Morpheus
[2:50] 5. Miles Davis - Down
[2:30] 6. Sonny Rollins - I Know
[4:54] 7. Charlie Parker - I'll Walk Alone
[2:38] 8. Sarah Vaughan - Shulie A Bop
[3:32] 9. Nat Adderley - Two Brothers
[2:38] 10. Sarah Vaughan - How High The Moon
[4:20] 11. Roy Haynes - Reflection
[9:27] 12. Thelonious Monk Quartet - Rhythm A Ning
[3:49] 13. Etta Jones - Don't Go To Strangers
[5:41] 14. Eric Dolphy Quintet - On Green Dolphin Street
[2:28] 15. Stan Getz - I'm Late, I'm Late
[8:44] 16. Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments
[4:40] 17. Roy Haynes Quartet - Long Wharf
[4:07] 18. Roy Haynes Quartet - Snap Crackle
[9:03] 19. Jackie Mclean - Esoteric
[4:09] 20. John Coltrane Quartet - After The Rain

A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 1 mc
A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 1 zippy

Album: A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 127:03
Size: 290.8 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[ 6:53] 1. Andrew Hill - Black Fire
[ 7:53] 2. Jack Dejohnette - Poppa Daddy And Me
[ 6:27] 3. Chick Corea - Matrix
[11:41] 4. Alice Coltrane - Transfiguration
[ 3:02] 5. Michel Petrucciani - Little Peace In C For U
[ 6:22] 6. Gary Burton - Question And Answer
[17:20] 7. John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
[ 4:35] 8. Roy Haynes - James
[ 4:24] 9. Roy Haynes - Equipoise
[ 7:15] 10. Roy Haynes - After Sunrise
[ 7:01] 11. Roy Haynes - My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[ 5:55] 12. Roy Haynes - Vistalite
[ 6:43] 13. Roy Haynes - Water Children
[ 7:36] 14. Roy Haynes - Brown Skin Girl
[ 8:19] 15. Roy Haynes - Greensleeves
[ 6:53] 16. Roy Haynes & The Fountain Of Youth Band - Hippidy Hop
[ 8:37] 17. Roy Haynes & The Fountain Of Youth Band - Segment

A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 2 mc
A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story Part 2 zippy

Kenny Werner Trio - With A Song In My Heart

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:46
Size: 162.0 MB
Styles: Piamo jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 7:30] 1. With A Song In My Heart
[ 8:43] 2. Nardis
[ 6:47] 3. Autumn Leaves
[ 7:15] 4. If I Should Lose You
[12:19] 5. Beauty Secrets
[ 3:33] 6. All The Things You Are
[ 9:18] 7. Balloons
[ 7:52] 8. 26-2
[ 7:25] 9. Blue In Green

Kenny Werner: piano; Johannes Weidenmueller: bass; Ari Hoenig: drums.

Kenny Werner has long been active as a jazz pianist/bandleader, composer and jazz educator, having recorded around two dozen albums as a leader and many more as a sideman. He has performed with quite a few jazz greats, including Charles Mingus, Bob Brookmeyer, Lee Konitz and Toots Thielemans. He's also a sought after pianist by vocalists, having long worked with Broadway star Betty Buckley and jointly leading the Delirium Blue Project with Roseanna Vitro. This trio date pairs the pianist with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Ari Hoenig, two top musicians of their generation. Werner incorporates the lyricism of Bill Evans while blending in his own inventive arrangements and intensity. ~Ken Dryden

With A Song In My Heart mc
With A Song In My Heart zippy

Lamont Dozier - Reimagination

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:08
Size: 119.4 MB
Styles: Soul
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[6:04] 1. Supremes Medley: Where Did Our Love Go, Stop In The Name Of Love, Come See About Me, Baby Love
[3:45] 2. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
[4:33] 3. Reach Out, I'll Be There
[3:44] 4. Baby I Need Your Loving
[3:18] 5. Bernadette
[4:04] 6. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You), My World Is Empty Without You
[5:06] 7. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave, Nowhere To Run
[3:45] 8. In My Lonely Room
[3:23] 9. Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)
[4:12] 10. You Keep Me Hanging On
[3:14] 11. Reflections
[2:52] 12. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
[4:02] 13. Reach Out I'll Be There

Legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier reclaims his most iconic hits with a host of all-star guests! Features performances by Grammy-award winning singer Gregory Porter, rock icon Todd Rundgren, CSN's Graham Nash, British pop idol Sir Cliff Richard, Jo Harman, Marc Cohn, Le Ann Womack and more! Experience these megahits as you never have before with acoustic guitar, piano and sparse arrangements that transform these masterpieces into timeless treasures!

Reimagination mc
Reimagination zippy