Buck Clayton - The Golden Days Of Jazz (Swingin' Buck Clayton Jams Count Basie & Benny Goodman)

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:31
Size: 177,6 MB
Art: Front

(25:25)  1. Christopher Columbus
( 9:21)  2. Don't Be That Way
( 8:30)  3. Undecided
( 8:05)  4. Rock-A-Bye Basie
(10:28)  5. Jumpin' At The Woodside
( 6:26)  6. Blue & Sentimental
( 9:12)  7. Broadway

An excellent bandleader and accompanist for many vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton was a valued soloist with Count Basie Orchestra during the '30s and '40s, and later was a celebrated studio and jam session player, writer, and arranger. His tart, striking tone and melodic dexterity were his trademark, and Clayton provided several charts for Basie's orchestra and many other groups. Clayton began his career in California, where he organized a big band that had a residency in China in 1934. When he returned, Clayton led a group and played with other local bands. During a 1936 visit to Kansas City, he was invited to join Basie's orchestra as a replacement for Hot Lips Page. Clayton was also featured on sessions with Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, and Holiday in the late '30s. He remained in the Basie band until 1943, when he left for army service. After leaving the army, Clayton did arrangements for Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James before forming a sextet in the late '40s. He toured Europe with this group in 1949 and 1950. Clayton continued heading a combo during the '50s, and worked with Joe Bushkin, Tony Parenti, and Jimmy Rushing, among others. He organized a series of outstanding recordings for Columbia in the mid-'50s under the title Jam Session (compiled and reissued by Mosaic in 1993). There were sessions with Rushing, Ruby Braff, and Nat Pierce. Clayton led a combo with Coleman Hawkins and J.J. Johnson at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, then reunited with Goodman in 1957 at the Waldorf Astoria. There was another European tour, this time with Mezz Mezzrow. He appeared in the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story and played the 1958 Brussels World Fair with Sidney Bechet. Clayton later made another European visit with a Newport Jazz Festival tour. He joined Eddie Condon's band in 1959, a year after appearing in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. Clayton toured Japan and Australia with Condon's group in 1964, and continued to revisit Europe throughout the '60s, often with Humphrey Lyttelton's band, while playing festivals across the country. But lip and health problems virtually ended his playing career in the late '60s. After a period outside of music, Clayton once again became active in music, this time as a non-playing arranger, touring Africa as part of a State Department series in 1977. He provided arrangements and compositions for a 1974 Lyttleton and Buddy Tate album, and did more jam session albums for Chiaroscuro in 1974 and 1975. He also became an educator, teaching at Hunter College in the early '80s. Clayton led a group of Basie sidemen on a European tour in 1983, then headed his own big band in 1987 that played almost exclusively his compositions and arrangements. That same year Clayton's extensive autobiography Buck Clayton's Jazz World, with Nancy Miller-Elliot, was published.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buck-clayton-mn0000634674/biography

Personnel: Trumpet, Liner Notes – Buck Clayton;   Alto Saxophone – Lem Davis;  Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Fowlkes;  Bass – Milt Hinton, Walter Page;  Clarinet – Woody Herman, Drums – Jo Jones;  Guitar – Freddie Green, Steve Jordan;  Piano – Al Washlon, Billy Kyle, Jimmy Jones, Charles Thompson;  Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn, Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins, Julian Dash;  Trombone – Bennie Green, Dick Harris, Henderson Chambers, Trummy Young, Urbie Green;  Trumpet – Joe Newman, Joe Thomas, Ruby Braff 

The Golden Days Of Jazz (Swingin' Buck Clayton Jams Count Basie & Benny Goodman)

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Sandra Dudley And Lori Mechem - All Of My Life

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:32
Size: 155,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:51)  1. Love Like Ours
(5:54)  2. Kisses
(5:58)  3. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(4:46)  4. Summer Me, Winter Me
(5:04)  5. Moonlight
(5:05)  6. I Have The Feeling I've Been Here Before
(5:01)  7. Mozart In The Dark
(4:06)  8. What Matters Most
(4:12)  9. The Summer Knows
(4:26) 10. Like A Lover
(3:40) 11. Being Without You
(4:36) 12. How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
(4:45) 13. Alone In The World
(5:03) 14. You Must Believe In Spring

“Among the great pleasures and rewards of songwriting is hearing one’s songs performed with the respect and love that Sandra and Lori brought to this CD!  Some of these songs have never been recorded and some have many recordings, but all are sung and played here with such freshness and keen jazz sensibility.  Thank you both, Lori and Sandra”! ~ Love, Alan & Marilyn

“This is a lovely vocal album, with Dudley singing with pristine clarity and feeling, accompanied only by the tasteful piano of Mechem. Dudley has strong area ties a native of Buffalo, she studied at Fredonia then at the Eastman School of Music, where she cites her teachers, Jan DeGaetani (for vocal chops) and Bill Dobbins (for jazz history and understanding). All of My Life spotlights the songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, including “You Must Believe in Spring,” “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” and a dozen others. Dudley’s version of “What Are You Doing …” comes near to being definitive. Singer and pianist have a potent chemistry, bringing these classic pop standards to vivid and highly musical life.” ~  Jack Garner – Critics Playlist, Democrat and Chronicle 

“What happens when a remarkable singer and a fabulous pianist take on the catalog of a wonderful husband and wife team of lyricists, writing with a variety of top notch composers?  Just what you might imagine; a gorgeous recording, full of smiles, tears and some really breath-taking music.  Don’t miss this”! ~ Beegie Adair- Green Hill Music Artist, Composer and Educator

“Imagine you have before you a small box.  You open it and discover 14 exquisite little gems, each with its own sparkle and personality.  That is the sensation I experienced when listening to Sandra and Lori’s ” All Of My Life” collection.  It is certainly ranks among the finest renditions of the Bergman catalog ever recorded.  I’ll surely listen to this CD over, and over, and over again”. ~ Jeffery Steinberg- Arranger, Composer and Pianist

“These are the things you hope for when you hear a new CD. The music touches your heart and warms your soul. It has the power to make you smile, cry, think and feel. It reminds you that the power or music isn’t related to its volume or the number of musicians involved, rather the ability of those involved to bring the music to life”. ~ George Tidwell- Arranger, Composer and Trumpeter

“It’s long been said in Nashville that “it all begins with a song”.  That has not stopped thousands of records being produced each year with musical smoke and mirrors, technical sleight of hand, and layers of other creative veneer applied to hide the fact that the main ingredient could be missing.  Good songs sometimes need that additional TLC, but great songs need only to be played.  ALL OF MY LIFE, by Lori Mechem and Sandra Dudley is not just a tribute to the writing of Alan and Marilyn Bergman;  it’s a tribute to the way memorable records have always been made: Great performances of great songs.  It will take a lot longer to finish listening to these recordings than it took to make them.  And there’s nothing missing”~ Green Daniel  Nashville Producer and Arranger

“The Mechem and Dudley duo–the perfect wine for Bergman connoisseurs.  The magic sparks between these two musicians make every phrase alluring and unforgettable!  Lori and Sandra are simply world class jazz masters!  They are the perfect medium for the passionate, profound, and penetrating lyrics of the celebrated, award-winning songwriter couple, Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  This is a definitive collection” ~ Ron Browning- Nashville Vocal Coach to the Stars http://www.lorimechemmusic.com/downloads/all-of-my-life-album/

Personnel: Sandra Dudley - Vocal; Lori Mechem - piano

All Of My Life

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David Newman - Bigger & Better

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz 
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:50
Size: 75,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:04)  1. Yesterday
(5:46)  2. And I Love Her
(5:56)  3. The Thirteenth Floor
(3:46)  4. Ain't That Good News
(5:35)  5. A Change Is Gonna Come
(6:41)  6. For Sylvia

As a teenager, David Newman played professionally around Dallas and Fort Worth with Charlie Parker's mentor, Buster Smith, and also with Ornette Coleman in a band led by tenor saxophonist Red Connors. In the early '50s, Newman worked locally with such R&B musicians as Lowell Fulson and T-Bone Walker. In 1952, Newman formed his longest-lasting and most important musical association with Ray Charles, who had played piano in Fulson's group. Newman stayed with Charles' band from 1954-1964, while concurrently recording as a leader and a sideman with, among others, his hometown associate, tenor saxophonist James Clay. Upon leaving Charles, Newman stayed in Dallas for two years. He then moved to New York, where he recorded under King Curtis and Eddie Harris; he also played many commercial and soul dates. Newman returned to Charles for a brief time in 1970-1971; from 1972-1974 he played with Red Garland and Herbie Mann. Newman parlayed the renown he gained from his experience with Charles into a fairly successful recording career. In the '60s and '70s, he recorded a series of heavily orchestrated, pop-oriented sides for Atlantic and in the '80s he led the occasional hard bop session, but Newman's métier was as an ace accompanist. Throughout his career, he recorded with a variety of non-jazz artists; Newman's brawny, arrogant tenor sound graced the albums of Aretha Franklin, Dr. John, and many others. It is, in fact, Newman's terse, earthy improvisations with Charles that remain his most characteristic work. Newman began a productive relationship with HighNote Records at the close of the 1990s, releasing an impressive series of albums, including Chillin' (1999), Keep the Spirits Singing (2001), Davey Blue (2001), The Gift (2003), Song for the New Man (2004), I Remember Brother Ray (a moving tribute to Ray Charles released in 2005), Cityscape (2006), and Life (2007). Diamondhead followed in 2008. Newman passed on January 20, 2009, from pancreatic cancer. ~ Chris Kelsey https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bigger-better/70268480

Personnel:  David Newman - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute;  Melvin Lastie (tracks 1-5), Joe Newman (tracks 1 & 2), Jimmy Owens (tracks 3-5) - trumpet;  Benny Powell - trombone (tracks 1-5);  Seldon Powell - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-5);  Henry Haywood (tracks 1 & 2), Jerome Richardson (tracks 3-5) - baritone saxophone;  George Stubbs - piano (track 6);  Billy Butler (tracks 1, 2 & 6), Eric Gale (tracks 3-6) - guitar;  Richard Davis - bass (tracks 1-5);  Chuck Rainey - electric bass;  Bernard Purdie - drums;  Winston Collymore, Leo Cruczek, Richard Elias, Emanuel Green, Leo Kahn, Gene Orloff, Matthew Raimondi - violin (tracks 1-3, 5 7 6);  Alfred Brown, Selwart Clarke - viola (tracks 1-3, 5 & 6);  Kermit Moore - cello (tracks 1-3, 5 & 6).

Bigger & Better

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Ben Sidran - Live At The Celebrity Lounge

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:44
Size: 123,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. Sentimental Journey
(4:50)  2. Turn To The Music
(0:25)  3. Chat
(4:37)  4. I Wanna Be A Bebopper
(6:16)  5. House Of Blue Lights
(5:03)  6. Look Here
(5:35)  7. Avinu Malchenu
(1:27)  8. Chat 2
(3:31)  9. Gege's Mouth Drums
(4:55) 10. Gege's Groove
(6:29) 11. Old Folks
(4:57) 12. Blues For The Celebrity Lounge

Pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, author, and host Ben Sidran is a literate performer known for his engaging, jazz-influenced sound and laid-back, conversational style. Essentially a pianist/vocalist with a storytelling approach in the tradition of Mose Allison, Sidran grew from a supporting player with rocker Steve Miller to a solo performer, and to an award-winning radio and TV host. Along the way, he has produced albums for such luminaries as Allison, Van Morrison, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and others. He has also hosted shows for National Public Radio and VH1. Born in Chicago in 1943, Sidran grew up in Racine, Wisconsin. In the early '60s, he played with Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs in a band called the Ardells at the University of Wisconsin. After Miller moved to San Francisco and secured a recording contract, he called on old friend Sidran to join him in the Steve Miller Band following the departure of original keyboardist Jim Peterman. Sidran contributed on the keys and as songwriter on several Miller albums beginning with Brave New World in 1969, co-writing the classic "Space Cowboy" and three other tunes on that LP. 

He also authored "Steve Miller's Midnight Tango" on Number 5 and collaborated with Miller on several other tunes through the years. He also produced his friend's underappreciated Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden in 1972. Sidran received a Ph.D. in philosophy/musicology, writing his doctoral thesis on African-American culture and music in the United States. The thesis was published to positive critical response in 1971 as Black Talk. Since 1972, he has released a number of solo albums in a cool, easy swinging style similar to Allison, including 1976's Free in America, 1977's The Doctor Is In, and 1978's A Little Kiss in the Night. While his early albums relied on acoustic instruments and lyrical references to his musical heroes, his later releases used electronic instruments and tasty synthesizers for an interesting sound best presented on albums like 1985's On the Cool Side and 1988's Too Hot to Touch. Through the years, Sidran and Miller have remained close friends, popping up from time to time on one another's recordings or live performances. In 1988, Sidran co-produced one of Miller's most interesting latter-day recordings, Born 2B Blue, a collection of jazz standards dressed up in the same cool, low-key arrangements Sidran employs on his own albums. Also during the '80s, Sidran began expanding his profile by hosting shows for National Public Radio, including the Jazz Alive series, for which he earned a Peabody Award. During the '90s, Sidran released a number of albums on his own Go Jazz label, including 1994's Life's a Lesson, 1996's Mr. P's Shuffle, and 1999's The Concert for García Lorca. He also appeared on television, hosting the Ace Award-winning New Visions program on VH1. Also during this period, he collaborated with Van Morrison and Georgie Fame on the tribute album Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison. He then formed the Nardis label with his son, and delivered such efforts as 2004's Nick's Bump, 2006's Live à Fip, 2009's Dylan Different, and 2013's Don't Cry for No Hipster. In 2017 Sidran returned with Picture Him Happy, a philosophical production centered on the myth of Sisyphus and featuring backing from guitarist Will Bernard, bassist Will Lee, saxophonist John Ellis, and others. ~ Jim Newsom https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/live-at-the-celebrity-lounge/1047027456

Ben Sidran (Piano, Vocals); Phil Woods (Saxophone); Phil Upchurch (Guitar); Mike Mainieri (Vibraphone); Richard Davis (Bass); Leo Sidran (Drums); Gege Telesforo (Vocals); Lynette Margulies (Vocals).

Live At The Celebrity Lounge

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Jean-Luc Ponty - The Atlantic Years

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 83:32
Size: 196,9 MB
Art: Front

(0:47)  1. Overture
(3:59)  2. The Trans-Love Express
(2:22)  3. Imaginary Voyage, Pt. 1
(4:42)  4. Cosmic Messenger
(5:38)  5. Stay with Me
(7:18)  6. Modern Times Blues
(3:35)  7. The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, Part I
(3:34)  8. The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, Part II
(6:03)  9. The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, Part III
(4:06) 10. Once a Blue Planet
(4:04) 11. In the Kingdom of Peace
(4:54) 12. Mirage
(3:58) 13. Jig
(5:07) 14. The Gardens of Babylon
(5:23) 15. Elephants In Love
(2:23) 16. Enigmatic Ocean, Part l
(3:35) 17. Enigmatic Ocean, Part II
(3:45) 18. Enigmatic Ocean, Part III
(2:26) 19. Enigmatic Ocean, Part lV
(5:44) 20. Egocentric Molecules

One thing we learned Tuesday night: Enigmatic Ocean (Atlantic, 1977), violinist Jean Luc Ponty’s fourth album for Atlantic Records, is his favorite. And why not? It made it to number one on the jazz charts in 1977. Plus, it’s pretty good. The Jean Luc Ponty Band brought their Atlantic Years tour through Boulder last Tuesday, recreating the music from what is most likely Ponty’s most popular period. From 1975 through 1985, Ponty released a dozen albums on the Atlantic label and the current tour digs into over half of them to one degree or another. Enigmatic Ocean was by far the best represented with the band performing nearly the entire album during the course of the evening. In fact, only one cut, “Nostalgic Lady,” was omitted. The program also drew from Imaginary Voyage, (Atlantic, 1976), Fables (Atlantic, 1985), Mystical Adventures (Atlantic, 1982), Civilized Evil, (Atlantic, 1980), A Taste for Passion (Atlantic, 1979) and Cosmic Messenger (Atlantic, 1978). The beginning of Ponty’s Atlantic years saw him coming off a stint with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and his association with Frank Zappa, including a significant role on Zappa’s Overnite Sensation (Discreet, 1973). It was the hey-day of jazz fusion with the likes of Return to Forever and its constituent parts along with others such as Weather Report, Larry Coryell and Billy Cobham enjoying commercial and artistic success. All the jazz fusion elements came into play Tuesday night; the tight, fast playing, the impossible licks played in unison by two, three or even four band members, the quirky and ever morphing time signatures, the raging solos. That’s not to say the entire evening was a pyromaniac’s delight, Ponty definitely has a sensitive side and it showed with some acoustic numbers such as "Once a Blue Planet” from Civilized Evil and some electric ballads like “The Gardens of Babylon” from Imaginary Voyage.

Ponty has never been a purist, mixing, as he has, elements from many different musical styles over the years. That same attitude cropped up Tuesday night with a selection from one of his albums for Columbia records (which is where he went after the Atlantic years ended). The band played “Tender Memories” from Storytelling (Columbia, 1989). The main reason for the deviation from the Atlantic years was because Storytelling featured the exact same band Ponty is playing with on this tour. Most of the band members had played with Ponty before that album including on some of the later Atlantic albums, just not all at once. Drummer Rayford Griffin probably appeared on more albums from the era in question than the others. It’s no wonder Ponty likes to have him around. He easily lays down the kind of hyperactive percussion necessary to play this music right. Guitarist Jamie Glaser is another long-time Ponty associate appearing off and on during the Atlantic years and after. Ponty has always recruited one or more flame-throwing guitarists such as Daryl Stuermer and the late Allan Holdsworth and Glaser is a brother of the same flame. Bassist Baron Browne made his appearance later, but still contributed to several Ponty albums. Like Griffin, Browne is no mere time-keeper in the rhythm section, but instead provides continual counterpoint from the low end. The newest member of the group, keyboard player Wally Minto, didn’t show up until 1989. His playing, both as an accompanist and as a soloist was always tasteful, creative and virtuosic. Ponty, at 74, remains in fine form. After all these years, he still takes delight in performing this music. He smiled throughout the show, especially when he and one or two other band members nailed an intricate passage with more speed and grace than a cheetah on the hunt. His playing remains fluid and his solos endlessly imaginative. The last time Ponty was in Boulder (May 24, 2016), he was with the Anderson Ponty Band. The personnel of that band and the current one is identical except for the absence of vocalist Jon Anderson, veteran of the classic rock band Yes. The program for these shows was completely different except ABP performed “Infinite Mirage,” a reworking of “Mirage” with lyrics added by Anderson, and portions of “Enigmatic Ocean.” It’s plain the years haven’t slowed Ponty’s bow or dampened his enthusiasm for playing this highly technical, energetic and fun music. http://www.kuvo.org/post/review-jean-luc-ponty-band-atlantic-years-tour#stream/0

The Atlantic Years

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