Harold Land - Choma (Burn)

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:39
Size: 90,8 MB
Art: Front

( 9:56)  1. Choma (Burn)
( 5:52)  2. Our Home
(10:03)  3. Black Caucus
(10:47)  4. Up and Down

Solid early '70s date with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, his then-musical partner Bobby Hutcherson (vibes) and a cast that includes Land's son Harold C.. on keyboards. Land is a bluesy, steady soloist whose rich sound makes a fine contrast to the fluid, energetic solos by Hutcherson.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/choma-burn-mw0000867097

Personnel:  Harold Land - tenor saxophone, flute;  Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone, marimba;  Bill Henderson - piano, electric piano;  Harold Land, Jr. - piano;  Reggie Johnson - bass;  Ndugu Chancler, Woodrow 'Sonship' Theus - drums

Choma (Burn)

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Dodo Greene - In My Hour Of Need

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:12
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. My Hour of Need
(4:46)  2. Trouble In Mind
(3:03)  3. You Are My Sunshine
(4:03)  4. I'll Never Stop Loving You
(3:47)  5. I Won't Cry Anymore
(4:15)  6. Lonesome Road
(3:29)  7. Let There Be Love
(3:32)  8. There Must Be A Way
(4:07)  9. Down By The Riverside
(4:08) 10. Little Things Mean a Lot
(2:47) 11. You Don't Know Me
(3:06) 12. Not One Tear
(3:40) 13. I Hear
(3:35) 14. Time After Time
(3:13) 15. Everybody's Happy But Me
(2:38) 16. Jazz In My Soul

Greene's mixture of R&B and soulful blues in a voice very reminiscent of late-period Dinah Washington is much more pop and blues-oriented than the music on any other Blue Note release from the period. What other Blue Note album has a full program of soul ballads clocking in between three to five minutes apiece? 

Although Dodo Greene (who had recorded one slightly earlier record for Time) was apparently signed to an exclusive contract, her only other Blue Note session (six of its nine numbers conclude this CD) had never been previously released. In reality, the main reason to acquire the relaxed set is for the warm tenor of Ike Quebec (who is perfect in this setting) and the occasional guitar of Grant Green. A true obscurity.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-hour-of-need-mw0000077692

In My Hour Of Need

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Lorraine Klaasen - Africa Calling

Styles: Vocal, World
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:20
Size: 134,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:35)  1. Jabulani
(4:19)  2. Ziyaduma
(5:54)  3. La Reine
(4:15)  4. Spring In Every Season
(4:59)  5. Imbizo
(3:52)  6. Malayisha
(5:47)  7. Africa Calling
(5:07)  8. Ngiyabonga
(4:42)  9. Mina Nawe
(5:00) 10. Ntyilo Ntyilo
(4:45) 11. In My Dream

Lorraine Klaasen is certainly one of the best, if not deepest-rooted South African song stylists to come down the pike since the legendary Miriam Makeba. With the passing of Makeba, Klaasen carries the torch for both the aforementioned icon, and also for her famous mother, Thandie Klaasen. Helping is guitarist Mongezi Chris Ntaka (formerly with Lucky Dube) and bassist Bakithi Kumalo (with Dube and on Paul Simon's Graceland album) adding pure authenticity to the proceedings. While the music is in the Afro-pop realm, it touches on sotho funk, kwela, zulu, and xhosa aspects of village life while adding dance beats and feelings of triumph, with Klaasen singing in either African or English lyrics. There's the electricity of "Ziyaduma," with a pure beat reflecting the duality of representing thunder and the fact that it's all happening in the moment, while the modern modal popping rhythms infused in "Imbizo" bridge the gap between modern and traditional. Klaasen herself is effervescent, a driven vocalist who minces very few lyric lines with sentimentality, although she does offer occasional tender moments. She's driven to deliver the message for the most part, chanting with the group vocalists during the mixed and separate polyrhythms of "La Reine/The Queen," dancing in retro-disco fashion on "Spring in Every Season," or offering the celebratory wedding song "Jabulani" not Abdullah Ibrahim's composition of the same name. Africa Calling is a joy to hear from start to finish, a fully realized project, universally understandable, good for any party, ready to steal your heart and soul with a running start. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/africa-calling-mw0001961864

Africa Calling

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Cory Weeds Little Big Band - Explosion

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:24
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:04)  1. Minor Mishap
(6:01)  2. Soon
(8:05)  3. East Of The Village
(6:08)  4. Park Avenue Petit
(6:55)  5. My Girl Is Just Enough Woman F
(7:23)  6. Canadian Sunset
(6:03)  7. K.D.'s Motion
(7:03)  8. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(6:38)  9. Ready & Able

Renaissance Man Cory Weeds has the Midas Touch. Since attaining Vancouver-local escape velocity with his Cellar Jazz Club and then his record label with the same imprint, the musical entrepreneur has parlayed his notice worldwide with excellent recordings of himself and other noted artists. Weeds' Cellar Jazz focus is what would be defined as an "Arbors Jazz for Hard Bop." He is very much the keeper of the flame of the last great jazz genre-period to grab the "mainstream" designation. Weeds' previous recording, Let's Groove: The Music of Earth Wind & Fire (Cellar Live, 2017) was a well-received small combo consideration of the music of the fabled R&B band, featuring inventive arrangements and spirited, potent playing by all. On Explosion, Weeds follows the muse that created Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' Trane Whistle (Prestige, 1960) and Gene Ammons' Late Hour Special (Prestige, 1962) to put together his "little big band" that sports eleven plays as opposed to the customary 15-18 that constitute a proper big band. Exploration of little big bands is nothing new if one considers Miles Davis' nonet recordings that resulted in The Birth of the Cool (Capitol Records, 1998). Another example is Art Pepper's Art Pepper + Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics (Contemporary, 1959). In all of these cases, the little big bands were made to sound larger through informed arrangements. Weeds employs the talents of conductor Jill Townsend and Bill Coon on Explosion and the results are more than acceptable. The nine selections contained herein are divided almost equally between the two arrangers, with Coon having the advantage. Coons' arrangements give his contributions a light-as-a-feather swing, one that smacks of perpetuum mobile in a global sound and rhythm with sound facile as a constant breeze. His treatment of Tommy Flanagan's "Minor Mishap" allows the soloists much room and a comfortable place to walk through. Coon's arrangement of Hank Mobley's "East of the Village" provides the piece with an urban, slightly Latin flavor that softens the hard bop edges. Weeds solos with ease, ideas coming easily. 

Coon addresses another hard bop gem in Kenny Dorham's "K.D.S Motion" highlighting the under-recognized talent of the trumpeter as a composer. Coon makes this blues a bright swing tune that is wide awake in the daylight. Townsend, for her part, provides a sepia-toned "Canadian Sunset" allowing Weeds to give a nod to his inspiration. "Gene Ammons." Time shifts are seamless as baritone saxophonist "Gary Smulyan" spins his deep web of chocolate tone. Townsend gives Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love" a lush '40s foundation providing Weeds the environment to present perhaps his best solo on the recording. All of the playing on this recording is top notch, hopefully making it impossible for the leader to not make a follow-up to this fine recital.~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/explosion-cory-weeds-cellar-live-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Cory Weeds: tenor saxophone; PJ Perry: alto saxophone; Steve Kaldestad: tenor saxophone; Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone; Rod Murray: trombone; Steve Davis: trombone; Joe Magnarelli: Trumpet; Chris Davis: trumpet; Chris Gestrin: piano; Paul Rushka: bass; Jessie Cahill: drums; Jill Townsend: conductor.

Explosion

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