Donald Harrison, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham - New York Cool

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:24
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

(10:51)  1. Body and Soul
(10:28)  2. Harrisburg Address
( 8:39)  3. Easy Living
( 9:31)  4. I'll Remember April
(10:34)  5. Star Eyes
( 8:32)  6. Third Plane
( 4:46)  7. Blues For Happy People

Altoist Donald Harrison gained his initial fame in the late '70s when he was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, following that up by co-leading a notable quintet with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Although he never quite became a poll winner or a major influential force, Harrison has always been a solid improviser. New York Cool moves his career up a notch and is one of his finest recordings to date. Reuniting in 2005 with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Cobham (the trio had recorded Heroes for the Nagel Heyer label in 2002), Harrison and his sidemen constantly challenge each other, with each of the musicians feeling free to set the direction of the performances. The repertoire is comprised of "Body and Soul," "Harrisburg Address" (based on "I Got Rhythm"), "Easy Living," "I'll Remember April," "Star Eyes," Ron Carter's "Third Plane" (which deserves to become a standard), and the medium-tempo "Blues for Happy People." The musicians feed off each other's ideas and their interplay is full of subtle surprises and unpredictable moments. New York Cool demonstrates that there is plenty of life still to be found in bebop standards when they are played in creative fashion. Highly recommended.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-cool-live-at-the-blue-note-mw0000349623

Personnel:  Donald Harrison - alto saxophone;  Ron Carter - bass;  Billy Cobham - drums.

New York Cool

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Della Reese - The Classic Della

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:38
Size: 84,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. The Story of a Starry Night
(3:35)  2. These Are the Things I Love
(3:07)  3. If You Are But a Dream
(3:39)  4. My Reverie
(2:42)  5. Take My Heart
(3:02)  6. Stranger in Paradise
(2:38)  7. Gone
(3:24)  8. Serenade
(2:58)  9. Moon Love
(2:42) 10. Softly My Love
(3:20) 11. Till The End of Time
(2:36) 12. Don't you know

The pun in the title of Della Reese's most popular album for RCA Victor refers to the musical basis for these 12 songs: classical pieces originally composed by Tchaikovsky ("Symphony No. 6," "Melodie Op. 42"), Debussy ("Reverie"), Schubert ("Serenade"), Chopin ("Etude in E, Op. 10 No. 3," "Polonaise No. 6 Op. 53"), and Puccini ("Musetta's Waltz Song" from La Boheme), among others. The idea is a full-length expansion of her 1959 single, "Don't You Know," one of the biggest hits of her career (and also included here). Fortunately, Della Reese's voice as strong, controlled, and pitch-perfect as it had proven in the past is up to the challenge of such heavy material. Meanwhile, Glenn Osser's arrangements are gauzy and string-heavy, quite suited for the material and Reese's vocals. Though it's not a definitive performance, Reese admirably stretches her grasp of popular song by assimilating pieces from the classical repertoire.~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-classic-della-mw0000469815

The Classic Della

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Clara Ponty - Mirror of Truth

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:37
Size: 100,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. Glimpses Of Paradise
(3:57)  2. In Quest Of New Horizons
(3:24)  3. Mirror Of Truth
(4:08)  4. Autumn Bells
(3:05)  5. The Last Romantics
(3:06)  6. Joyous Awakening
(3:30)  7. Atlantis
(3:02)  8. Time To Say Farewell
(4:51)  9. In The Shadow Of Stars
(3:41) 10. The Paths To Wisdom
(3:02) 11. Serenity
(3:09) 12. The Cry Of The Forest

Classical artists making crossover music are usually sabotaged by a surfeit of technique and an inability to restrain themselves for emotional and musical clarity. Witness any opera singer tackling pop songs. They bludgeon them with virtuosity. That has never been pianist Clara Ponty's problem. A concert-trained pianist, she shifted gears several years ago to create music that revealed her classical background but fell into a new instrumental music netherworld. Recorded after she left New York for her childhood home in France, Mirror of Truth is her first new CD in five years. She's joined on many tracks by her father, renowned fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, recording together for the first time. On tracks like the pensive "Autumn Bells," the violinist colors his daughter's moods like the sun shifting shadows. His solo on "In the Shadow of Stars" is refined elegance, full of reigned-in emotions. Compared to Embrace, Mirror of Truth is under-produced. The occasional percussion sounds like an afterthought and the ambience is more classical than the lush sheen of Embrace. But Clara Ponty's original compositions still linger with a haunted, if not always provocative, allure. ~ John Diliberto https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Truth-Clara-Ponty/dp/B00028HP26

Personnel:  Clara Ponty  piano;  Taffa Cissé  percus;  Jean-Luc Ponty  violon, synthés;  Laurent Cirade  violoncelle;  Jeremy Lewis  contrebasse;  Patrick Manouguian  guitare

Mirror of Truth

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Terry Gibbs - A Jazz Band Ball, Second Set

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:50
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. The Dipsy Doodle
(3:44)  2. Where Or When
(4:01)  3. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(4:58)  4. Hollywood Blues
(3:19)  5. Tangerine
(3:32)  6. Just Friends
(4:08)  7. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(3:35)  8. Memories Of You
(3:07)  9. Broadway
(6:47) 10. Allen's Alley

This reissue is unrelated to another V.S.O.P. set simply titled A Jazz Band Ball. Terry Gibbs on vibes and marimba matches wits and creativity with Victor Feldman and Larry Bunker, both of whom double on vibes and xylophone. Assisted by pianist Lou Levy, bassist Max Bennett and drummer Mel Lewis, the intriguing frontline essentially plays bop, but with a great deal of color. The interaction between the vibraphonists, who are all featured and occasionally trade off, is the main reason to acquire this very interesting set.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-band-ball-mw0000046596

Personnel: Terry Gibbs - vibraphone, marimba; Max Bennett - bass;  Lou Levy - piano; Larry Bunker, Vic Feldman - vibraphone, xylophone; Mel Lewis - drums.  

A Jazz Band Ball, Second Set

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McCoy Tyner - With Stanley Clarke and Al Foster

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:55
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(9:10)  1. Trane-Like
(5:28)  2. Once Upon A Time
(4:16)  3. Never Let Me Go
(5:15)  4. I Want To Tell You Bout That
(6:43)  5. Will You Still Be Mine
(6:28)  6. Goin' Way Blues
(7:35)  7. In The Tradition
(4:49)  8. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
(5:37)  9. Carriba
(3:31) 10. Memories
(5:56) 11. I Want To Tell You Bout That

The piano trio performs standards at one end of the small dining room while you and your companion sip champagne at a nearby table. It’s a cool jazz session from an acoustic trio. Certainly relaxed and enjoyable, this evening wears a graceful posture but refuses to serve you subtle fire or strong emotion. It’s a far cry from John Coltrane’s classic quartet of the early ‘60s. This cool acoustic trio carries over the percussive keyboard style of McCoy Tyner, but delivers without hammerin’ the message home and without including excessively improvised spates from any of the three veterans. Tyner prefers to stay with the melody for the most part and lets loose on occasion. Bassist Stanley Clarke opts for the acoustic stand-up instrument on this session, accompanying lyrically and issuing rapid-fire runs during solo spots. Drummer Al Foster offers a plain and simple (tasteful) accompaniment, and shows a variety of textures when trading fours. Standards "Never Let Me Go" and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" appear as pleasant as you’ve heard them a thousand times. Keeping good taste at the forefront, Tyner improvises only slightly as the chords change in familiar fashion, never losing sight of the melody. Clarke and Foster take their turns at the solo mic’ without ever breaking a sweat. Elsewhere, "Going ‘way Blues" sashays to a relaxed toe-tapping groove and two versions of "I Want to Tell You ‘bout That" compare Clarke’s acoustic bass principles to his electric bass virtuosity. While the timbre remains different, both takes use the common denominator found in the blues and jazz. The trio ensures that spontaneity, syncopation, and familiar rhythms make the blues tunes more exciting than middle-of-the-road standards. Since McCoy Tyner has chosen to present us with both aspects, we are welcome to sit back in our comfortable night club seats, enjoy a little more champagne, and appreciate both sides.~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mccoy-tyner-with-stanley-clarke-and-al-foster-mccoy-tyner-telarc-records-review-by-jim-santella.php?width=1920

Personnel:  McCoy Tyner- piano;  Stanley Clarke- bass;  Al Foster- drums.

With Stanley Clarke and Al Foster

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