Major Holley - Mule

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:36
Size: 122.7 MB
Styles: Bebop, Swing
Year: 1974/1995
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Mack The Knife
[4:37] 2. There Will Never Be Another You
[6:18] 3. Realm Of Love
[4:55] 4. Wig, Thig, Bad An Major Too
[3:45] 5. Miss Mule
[5:36] 6. Angel Eyes
[5:53] 7. Recado Bossa Nova
[3:22] 8. Elum
[4:42] 9. No Place Like Home
[2:48] 10. Just A Closer Walk With Thee
[4:34] 11. There Will Never Be Another You (Alt.Take)
[2:55] 12. Elum (Alt.Take)

Holley got his nickname from Navy service with Clark Terry's band, whose instruments he used to carry. Terry said he looked like a pack mule and the name stuck.

Holley began playing the violin at age 7 and then studied tuba, cello and piano. His first professional date was in 1946 in San Diego, where he performed in an ensemble led by saxophonists Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon. He moved to New York after getting out of the service. He went on to perform with a long list of music figures, including Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, the Kenny Burrell Trio, Oscar Peterson, Rose Murphy, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. He was considered a protege of Leroy (Slam) Stewart and, like Stewart, used to sing as he played bass solos.

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Chuck Leavell, The Frankfurt Radio Big Band - Chuck Gets Big

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:54
Size: 166.9 MB
Styles: Rock, Big band, R&B
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Route 66
[6:14] 2. King Grand
[4:48] 3. Losing Hand
[4:25] 4. Honky Tonk Woman
[6:37] 5. Living In A Dream
[8:18] 6. Blue Rose
[5:05] 7. Southbound
[3:45] 8. Tumbling Dice
[5:48] 9. Ashley
[5:39] 10. Statesboro Blues
[5:11] 11. Georgia On My Mind
[8:20] 12. Compared To What
[3:53] 13. Tomato Jam

Chuck Leavell, keyboardist and musical director for the Rolling Stones, has released a new album, “Chuck Gets Big“. “In 2011, I had the pleasure of doing a concert with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, a 17-piece brass orchestra of some of the finest musicians in Germany. Three talented arrangers created charts for some twelve songs I had chosen from my works with the Allman Brothers Band; Sea Level and the Rolling Stones, as well as my own compositions. “Chuck Gets Big” is the result of this experience, and is my latest release on BMG records.”

Backed by the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Chuck takes us on a musical journey through his 40+ year career as one of rock’s top keyboard players. He covers his lifelong idol Ray Charles with “Losing Hand” and “Georgia on My Mind”. Chuck also reaches back into his beginnings with the Allman Brothers Band playing “Southbound” and “Statesboro Blues” and then moves on to his jazz/rock fusion band “Sea Level” with “King Grand” and “Living in a Dream”. Of course Chuck couldn’t leave Mick, Keith, Ron, and Charlie behind and includes Rolling Stones’ rockers ‘Tumbling Dice” and “Honky Tonk Woman”. He rounds out the album with a few originals of his own and throws in two rhythm and blues classics “Route 66” and “Compared to What”. There aren’t many artists who can perform rock, rhythm, and blues backed by a big band and retain the song’s spirit. But true to Chuck’s rock legacy he does exactly that. This is not a big band album. It’s a rock, rhythm, and blues album. Keep rockin!

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Julian Vaughn - Bona Fide

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:05
Size: 107.8 MB
Styles: Smooth jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:03] 1. Bona Fide
[4:03] 2. Going Out
[3:55] 3. If I Could
[4:44] 4. 18th & Vine
[4:11] 5. Joy
[3:48] 6. All I Do Is Think Of You
[4:14] 7. Breeze
[3:59] 8. Remember The Time
[4:13] 9. You're The One
[4:55] 10. Reflection
[4:56] 11. I Wanna Love You

A dynamic lead bass player from Kansas City, bassist Julian Vaughn is rapidly becoming a major player in the contemporary jazz genre. Vaughn has made a name for himself as bassist in the smooth jazz genre which is dominated by saxophone players. Although the bass is often associated with funk, Vaughn likes to play with more of a finesse style as well as some funk.

Vaughn grew up in the church where his grandfather pastored until turning over the reins to Vaughn’s father. Like other kids at the church, he began his music career playing the drums, but says, “Trying to play the drums at church was like ten football players going after a fumble. Everyone wanted to play.” Years went by and the fight over the drums got old. At 15 Vaughn decided to try a different instrument. He picked up a bass guitar that another man in his church was playing and immediately fell in love. This was truly love at first sight. Vaughn taught himself how to play and soon realized he had the ability to play by ear. He soon discovered how to play songs and special techniques. When Vaughn was 19 his grandfather bought him a 6-string bass guitar. It was black with gold trim. He discovered the art of bass soloing and knew at that point it was more than just a hobby but was his life’s passion. “My friends use to get on me because I would stop playing the bass line and start soloing,” he remembers.

“Bona Fide” will be Vaughn’s 4th album and is expected to be some of his best work to date. Vaughn takes pride in being able to write and produce most of his music. “I want to be known as a great writer and producer just as much as I am an artist”. Vaughn wants to continue to redefine the lead bassist role in the smooth jazz genre.

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Lilananda Jazz Quintet, Le Quatour Varese - Bossa 2.0

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:11
Size: 130.9 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:56] 1. Flor De Lis
[8:17] 2. Dindi
[3:08] 3. Por Toda Minha Vida
[6:50] 4. Canção Do Sal
[7:40] 5. The Island
[6:57] 6. Incompatibilidade De Gênios
[6:12] 7. Eu Te Amo
[5:17] 8. Ao Mestre
[7:49] 9. Corcovado

Chant: Claire Vaillant; Trompette: Pierre Drevet; Guitare: Francis Larue; Basse: Etienne Kermarc; Batterie: Fabien Rodriguez.

Lilananda Jazz quintet continues its journey, after the release of its album and some beautiful concerts during the year 2016 and presents its new project Bossa2.0, an innovative reinterpretation of the Bossa Nova with modern arrangements for jazz Quintet and a string Quartet. The Lilananda Jazz Quintet under the leadership of the brilliant arranger Pierre Drevet reboost the software of this magnificent repertoire with an essential plugin, the magic presence of a string quartet. Jobim, Joao Bosco, Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque all icons of a unique music served by a new setting that keeps the heart warm and pure bossa but offers a new listening session sublimated, modern and original.

From this incredible poetry hidden both in the richness and the quality of the texts written by great authors as much as in the subtlety of the melodies and the harmonies, entangled together like a whole is born bossa Nova always served by great vocalists. here by Claire Vaillant's soft and deep voice, fluid and easy, fresh and spontaneous. New extensions, the timbres mingle, the voice is used there like a second copper, there to double the guitar. The trumpet, the bugle, the mutes add and develop the sound palette. The use of drums with percussion, brings a wilder sound and the guitar with its saturated or glittering effects allows in a global sound to give a strong personality to each piece of the repertoire. (Translated from French.)

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Mark O'Connor - On The Rampage

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:05
Size: 110.1 MB
Styles: Progressive bluegrass
Year: 1980/2016
Art: Front

[5:53] 1. Opus 1 Come Ride With Me
[4:55] 2. Opus 2 Mark's Ark
[4:18] 3. Opus 3 Midnight Interlude
[3:04] 4. Opus 4 On The Rampage
[5:07] 5. Opus 8 Ease With The Breeze
[5:42] 6. Opus 10 Rampology
[4:15] 7. Opus 7 The Dark Rain
[4:02] 8. Opus 5 Soft Gyrations
[3:45] 9. Opus 9 Tubular Explosions
[7:00] 10. Opus 6 Disco Fiddle Rampsody

Mark O'Connor was all of 17 years of age when he made On the Rampage in 1979 for Rounder, yet he was already a seasoned player attracting a lot of attention in the world of bluegrass. Overdubbing himself on violins and guitars, O'Connor shares no fewer that ten originals, which not only show a surprising maturity but demonstrate that he's a major player in stretching the supposed boundaries of bluegrass. Mark is unaccompanied for the haunting "Midnight Interlude," which consists solely of his multiply overdubbed instruments. It doesn't hurt to have veterans like mandolinist Sam Bush on hand, while both David Grisman and Tony Rice are added for the mellow "Ease With the Breeze." ~Ken Dryden

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Gene Bertoncini, Frank Vignola - Meeting Of The Grooves

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:04
Size: 121.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[5:01] 1. It Had To Be You
[5:21] 2. If I Had You
[7:00] 3. Jitterbug Waltz
[5:24] 4. Moonlight In Vermont
[4:02] 5. Darn That Dream
[6:47] 6. Jobim Medley
[4:40] 7. These Foolish Things
[4:59] 8. Out Of Nowhere
[5:56] 9. Flying Colors Alone Together
[3:49] 10. But Not For Me/Girl Crazy/Embraceable You

This duo meeting of guitarists Gene Bertoncini and Frank Vignola pairs musicians separated by a generation in age, but that's all. Both men have proven themselves as strong soloists in group settings and each of them has made rewarding solo CDs, but they are also very much up to the task of the necessary give and take of guitar duets. They make the most of timeless melodies from the Great American Songbook, including "If I Had You," "Moonlight in Vermont," and "Out of Nowhere." Their vigorous workout of Fats Waller's "The Jitterbug Waltz" and an enticing medley of bossa nova favorites by Antonio Carlos Jobim also prove to be stimulating. It's a shame there isn't also a video of this studio session, which would be of considerable interest to jazz guitarists and fans. Highly recommended. ~Ken Dryden

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Adrian Cunningham - Jazz Speak

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet And Flute Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:14
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. The Source
(5:44)  2. Let«s Fall In Love
(6:24)  3. Mood Indigo
(5:57)  4. Getting Down Uptown
(5:48)  5. Rachel's Dance
(3:31)  6. Appalachia
(6:34)  7. Petite Fleur
(5:23)  8. Jazz Speak
(6:10)  9. Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake
(4:15) 10. Tempus Fugit
(5:52) 11. Janelle

Australian jazz musician Adrian Cunningham fronts a prestigious quartet that includes pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. Cunningham is now based in New York City when not touring internationally. Patrons who attended the New Year’s Eve concert by Pensacola Symphony got to hear him when he played with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon’s group. This CD is a mix of familiar tunes plus some lesser known ones as well as some by Cunningham himself. The artist is equally facile with clarinet, tenor saxophone and flute. As stated, familiar tunes include Arlen and Koehler’s Let’s Fall in Love; Ellington and Bigard’s Mood Indigo, Sidney Bechet’s Petite Fleur along with Bud Powell’s Tempus Fugit. There are five Cunningham originals which are also exciting. One unusual tune, unfamiliar to me, was Lu Wencheng’s Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake. This is Chinese composer, Wencheng’s most famous tune. Purists would not put it in the jazz category, but most would agree it is a relaxed, typical Chinese melody and quite lovely. 

Thanks to Arbors records for their help in presenting Mr. Cunningham to the wider jazz audience. As readers of The Syncopated Times jazz monthly already know, Adrian has a monthly column about jazz and his peripatetic activity. ~ Norman Vickers  https://jazzpensacola.com/cd-review-jazz-speak-adrian-cunningham/

Personnel:  Adrian Cunningham - tenor sax, clarinet, flute; Ted Rosenthal - piano; John Clayton - bass; Jeff Hamilton - drums

Jazz Speak

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Karin Krog - Folkways

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:42
Size: 112,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. Waly Waly (The Water Is Wide)
(1:32)  2. Ola Ola Min Eigen Unge
(2:59)  3. Nissespill Og Fans Polka
(4:27)  4. Malfrid Min Frue
(1:51)  5. Arve Brakars halling (versjon 2)
(3:28)  6. Lokk
(1:05)  7. Pathway
(2:46)  8. Fingubben
(2:13)  9. Melodi
(2:07) 10. Brudedans
(2:18) 11. Purka
(1:49) 12. Gjestebudet
(2:45) 13. Vakker er du
(2:36) 14. Soldaten og jenta
(1:52) 15. Huldrevise
(2:48) 16. Halling medley / Arve Brakar
(1:45) 17. Bansull
(5:33) 18. Raga Variations
(1:03) 19. Pathway

Jazz singer Karin Krog may have made stormy improv recordings with a young Jan Garbarek in the late 60s, but this is almost entirely a folk album, devoted to the traditional Norwegian music collected by her violinist great-grandfather, Anders Heyerdahl. As such, it perhaps refines the notion of a niche-market venture more tightly than usual, but folk devotees and jazz admirers of Krog's graceful handling of the malleability of tone will warm to this highly personal set  which features her partner and collaborator John Surman as a second voice on various reed instruments. 

Krog's deceptive simplicity guides an expressive account of The Water Is Wide as an opener, but almost all the rest of the material is sung in Norwegian some of it jiggily fiddle-driven and Celtic-sounding, some of it like stately lullabies or gospel songs, such as Krog's solo exposition Arve Brakar. Norwegian contemporary composer Arne Nordheim contributed Raga Variations, a tapestry of wordless vocal sighs, Surman's wraith-like soprano sax and subtle electronics a set of sonic surprises the album could perhaps have used a little more of, but it's beautifully executed. ~ John Fordham https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/03/karin-krog-folkways-review

Folkways

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Andrew Hill - Grass Roots

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:07
Size: 160,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Grass Roots
(4:45)  2. Venture Inward
(6:19)  3. Mira
(8:22)  4. Soul Special
(7:45)  5. Bayou Red
(9:12)  6. MC (bonus track)
(4:36)  7. Venture Inward (first version) (bonus track)
(8:52)  8. Soul Special (first version) (bonus track)
(5:58)  9. Bayou Red (first version) (bonus track)
(7:33) 10. Love Nocturne (bonus track)

This reissue contains not only Hill’s original LP, but also a previously unreleased session from four months prior. On this earlier session, an entirely different lineup plays three of the tunes from Grass Roots, along with two numbers from deep within the vault  "MC," a tribal 12/8 blues, and "Love Nocturne," an angular quasi-ballad. Thanks to the juxtaposition of the two sessions, we are afforded a rare treat: a chance to listen closely to the stylistic contrasts between Lee Morgan and Woody Shaw, Booker Ervin and Frank Mitchell, Ron Carter and Reggie Workman, and Freddie Waits and Idris Muhammad. (Guitarist Jimmy Ponder also appears on three of the five new tracks.) We also get to hear what these different lineups bring out in Hill, both as a pianist and a composer. On the whole, Grass Roots is "inside" compared to Hill’s more representative Blue Note masterpiece, Point of Departure. "Venture Inward" and "Bayou Red" are the most advanced pieces, while the calypso "Mira" and the boogaloo "Soul Special" traverse more familiar Blue Note terrain. The title track, with its deliberately square melody, is an excellent sample of Hill’s fractured, fragmented style. The alternate takes and new tracks are less energetic, although Woody Shaw sounds more in his element than does Lee Morgan. And whereas Booker Ervin cooks a variegated stew containing traces of Trane, Dexter, and Johnny Griffin, Frank Mitchell sounds almost like a carbon copy of Wayne Shorter. Ponder’s tasty licks are in the style of early Pat Martino. ~ David Adler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/grass-roots-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-david-adler.php?width=1920

Personnel, 1-5: Lee Morgan, trumpet; Booker Ervin, tenor saxophone; Andrew Hill, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Freddie Waits, drums

Personnel, 6-10: Woody Shaw, trumpet; Frank Mitchell, tenor saxophone; Andrew Hill, piano; Jimmy Ponder, guitar; Reggie Workman, bass; Idris Muhammad, drums

Grass Roots

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The Lou Levy Trio - Jazz in Hollywood

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 23:58
Size: 55,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:18)  1. The Gentleman is a Dope
(2:40)  2. Serenade in Blue
(3:03)  3. Woody'n You
(3:33)  4. Without You
(3:36)  5. All the Things You Are
(2:26)  6. Tiny's Other Blues
(2:54)  7. Like Someone in Love
(3:24)  8. Bloo Denim

A superior bop-based pianist who has worked with a countless number of top jazz artists, Lou Levy started on piano when he was 12. He played with Georgie Auld (1947), Sarah Vaughan, Chubby Jackson (1947-1948), Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman's Second Herd (1949-1950), Tommy Dorsey (1950), Auld again, and Flip Phillips. Levy was outside of music for a few years (1952-1954) and then gained a strong reputation as a fine accompanist to singers, working with Peggy Lee (on and off during 1955-1973), Ella Fitzgerald (1957-1962), June Christy, Anita O'Day, and Pinky Winters. Levy also played with Shorty Rogers, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Supersax, and most of the major West Coast players. Lou Levy has recorded as a leader for Nocturne (1954), RCA, Jubilee, Philips, Interplay (1977), and Verve. He passed away in late January 2001.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-levy-mn0000213320/biography

Personnel:  Lou Levy Piano;  Harry Babasin Bass;  Larry Bunker Drums

Jazz in Hollywood

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Chuck Berry - Berry Is On Top

Styles: Vocal And Guitar 
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:00
Size: 69,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:19)  1. Almost Grown
(2:46)  2. Carol
(2:19)  3. Maybelline
(2:19)  4. Sweet Little Rock & Roller
(1:49)  5. Anthony Boy
(2:39)  6. Johnny B. Goode
(2:40)  7. Little Queenie
(2:45)  8. Jo Jo Gun
(2:22)  9. Roll Over Beethoven
(2:39) 10. Around And Around
(1:55) 11. Hey Pedro
(3:23) 12. Blues For Hawaiians

If you had to sweat all of Chuck Berry's early albums on Chess (and some, but not all, of his subsequent greatest-hits packages), this would be the one to own. The song lineup is exemplary, cobbling together classics like "Maybellene," "Carol," "Sweet Little Rock & Roller," "Little Queenie," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Around and Around," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Almost Grown." With the addition of the Latin-flavored "Hey Pedro," the steel guitar workout "Blues for Hawaiians," "Anthony Boy," and "Jo Jo Gunne," this serves as almost a mini-greatest-hits package in and of itself. While this may be merely a collection of singles and album ballast (as were most rock & roll LPs of the 1950s and early '60s), it ends up being the most perfectly realized of Chuck Berry's career. ~ Cub Koda https://www.allmusic.com/album/chuck-berry-is-on-top-mw0000198378

Personnel:  Chuck Berry – vocals, guitars;  Bo Diddley – electric guitar;  Johnnie Johnson, Lafayette Leake – piano;  Willie Dixon – double bass;  George Smith – bass;  Fred Below, Ebbie Hardy, Jaspar Thomas – drums;  Jerome Green – maracas;  The Moonglows – backing vocals

Berry Is On Top

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