Cat Anderson and The Ellington All Stars - Ellingtonia

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:02
Size: 69,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Between Some Place, Goin' No Place
(4:34)  2. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
(2:43)  3. The Mexican Bandit
(4:17)  4. Lovelinessence
(3:03)  5. Accen'tuate
(4:20)  6. Chelsea Bridge
(3:43)  7. Summertime
(3:41)  8. Like, Dig

Cat Anderson was arguably the greatest high-note trumpeter of all time. His solo on "Satin Doll" from Duke Ellington's 70th Birthday Concert is a perfectly coherent chorus consisting of notes that are so high that it is doubtful if another trumpeter from all of jazz history could hit more than one or two. He first learned trumpet while at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston and toured with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, a group in which he made his recording debut. During 1935-1944, Anderson played with many groups including those of Claude Hopkins, Lucky Millinder, Erskine Hawkins, and Lionel Hampton. Hampton loved his high-note mastery, although Hawkins reportedly fired Anderson out of jealousy. In 1944, Cat Anderson was first hired by Duke Ellington and it ended up being the perfect setting for him. Ellington enjoyed writing impossible parts for Cat to play, and Anderson received publicity and a steady income. He was more than just a high-note player, being a master with mutes and having a fine tone in lower registers, but no one could really challenge him in the stratosphere (although Maynard Ferguson, Jon Faddis, and Arturo Sandoval have come close). 

Anderson was with Ellington during 1944-1947, 1950-1959, and off and on during 1961-1971. Occasionally he would go out to lead his own bands but he always came back. After Ellington's death, Cat Anderson settled on the West Coast where he often played with local big bands, including an exciting one led by Bill Berry. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ellingtonia/425573374

Personnel:  Cat Anderson - trumpet;   Butter Jackson - trombone;   Sam Woodyard - drums;   Ray Nance - violin;   Jimmy Woode - bass;   Bud Johnson - flute and tenor saxophone;   Rudy Powell - clarinet and alto saxophone;   Leroy Lovett - Piano

Ellingtonia

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Jenny Evans - At Lloyd's

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:40
Size: 120,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:04)  1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(3:30)  2. How High The Moon
(4:52)  3. Stormy Weather
(4:24)  4. Lullaby Of Birdland
(4:12)  5. The Lady Is A Tramp
(3:34)  6. I've Got You Under My Skin
(3:06)  7. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(5:50)  8. Take The A-Train
(4:03)  9. Night And Day
(3:29) 10. Sweet Georgia Brown
(5:46) 11. Summertime
(5:45) 12. Route 66

Born in London, England, in the outskirts of Beckenham, Jenny Evans is an accomplished entertainer in multiple fields. Most recognized as a jazz singer, she's also worked as an actress and lyricist, and at one time ran her own jazz club, Jenny's Place. She's appeared in films, commercials, German TV series, stage musicals, and plays. Born in 1954, Evans moved to Munich, Germany in 1976 to study music and teaching English as a second language. While working toward her degree, she became the lead singer of a band called Old Socks New Shoes. The ragtime numbers they were performing slowly shifted toward classic jazz. Though her recording repertoire spans original tunes and classics ranging from Gershwin to the Beatles, her sultry voice and supple delivery encourage jazz renditions. In 1988, Evans released her debut album, Whisper Not, with ESM Records and Bell Music. The same labels issued At Lloyd's, featuring the Rudi Martini Quartet, in 1993. Her 1997 LP Shiny Stockings arrived via Enja Records, which also released 1999's swing-era celebration Girl Talk, 2001's Gonna Go Fishin', and 2004's Nuages. Keeping busy between recordings with appearances at clubs, festivals, and on tours through Europe, Germany, Australia, Russia, and Japan, she released Christmas Songs in late 2005. With Evans still collaborating with drummer Rudi Martini, Lunar Tunes followed on Enja in 2008. Evans returned to ESM Records and, working with a backing band that included woodwinds specialist Felix Sapotnik and bassist Sven Faller, released Are You the Man? A New Peter Kreuder Song Book in 2010 and The Four Seasons of Love in 2011. She took on British pop/rock, including hits by the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and Sting, for 2016's Be What You Want to Be, released by Edition Collage. ~ Marcy Donelson & Charlotte Dillon https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/at-lloyds-live/264518219

Personnel:  Jenny Evans (vocal);  Gerry Friedrich (ts, cl);  Otto Weiss (p);  Branko Pejakovic (b);  Rudi Martini (dr)

At Lloyd's

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Richie Beirach & Gregor Huebner - Live At Birdland New York

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:44
Size: 179,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:18)  1. You Don't Know What Love Is
(11:18)  2. Around Bartok Bagatelle #4
(10:27)  3. Siciliana
(13:26)  4. African Heartbeat
(18:41)  5. Elm
(13:31)  6. Transition

With his lyrical, harmonically rich style and warm sense for group interplay, pianist Richie Beirach emerged in the 1970s as a highly respected jazz artist. Schooled in classical and jazz, Beirach spent several early years with Stan Getz before joining saxophonist David Liebman on albums like 1973's Lookout Farm and 1978's Omerta. From there, he also toured and recorded with such luminaries as Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, John Abercrombie, and others. He also issued his own highly regarded albums for ECM, including 1976's Eon and 1979's Elm. His ongoing creative partnership with Liebman also led to the formation of the forward-thinking Quest ensemble, as well as continued pairings on albums like 1991's Chant and 2016's Balladscapes. Born Richard Alan Beirach on May 23, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York, Beirach became interested in music at a young age and first started taking piano lessons at age five. Studying classical music with noted pianist and composer James Palmieri, he developed a strong technique and ear for harmony. However, it wasn't until his teens that he discovered jazz after hearing Red Garland's version of "Billy Boy." By the early '60s, he was splitting his time between classical lessons with Palmieri, working as a longshoreman, and playing in jazz jam sessions alongside artists like Lee Konitz and Freddie Hubbard. Hoping to expand his jazz studies, he enrolled at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he stayed for a year before transferring to the Manhattan School of Music to study composition with Ludmila Ulehla. After graduating in 1972 with his Master of Music degree, Beirach quickly found work playing with Stan Getz, alongside bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette. From there, he joined saxophonist David Liebman for his landmark 1973 septet fusion album Lookout Farm. Beirach and Liebman formed a creative bond, and went on to collaborate on albums like 1975's Night Scape, 1977's Forgotten Fantasies, and 1978's Omerta. It was also during this period that the pianist made his solo debut with the 1976 trio date Eon with drummer Eliot Zigmund and bassist Frank Tusa on ECM. 

More well-received sessions followed, including 1977's Hubris and 1979's Elm. There were also sessions and tours with Chet Baker, John Scofield, and John Abercrombie. During the '80s, Beirach found himself continuing to balance his own work as a leader with further work alongside Baker, trumpeter John McNeil, and others. In 1981, he paid homage to one of his major influences with Elegy for Bill Evans, with bassist George Mraz and drummer Al Foster. He also formed the stylistically expansive post-bop outfit Quest with Liebman, bringing on board at various times drummers Foster and Billy Hart and bassists Mraz and Ron McClure. Together they issued a series of adventurous albums including 1986's Quest II, 1988's Natural Selection, and 1990's Of One Mind. Away from the band, Beirach devoted increasing time to his solo piano work, releasing 1985's ambitious Antarctica, 1987's Common Heart, and 1989's Some Other Time: A Tribute to Chet Baker. He returned to more collaborative work in the '90s, including albums with saxophonist George Coleman, bassist McClure, and Liebman. In 1997, he delivered the trio album Trust with Holland and DeJohnette. Snow Leopard, also a trio date, followed a year later. There also were sessions with Conrad Herwig, Michel Graillier, Jamie Baum, Steve Davis, and more. He next issued the standards albums What Is This Thing Called Love? and Romantic Rhapsody in 2002 and 2003, followed by the 2003 classical-themed effort No Borders. Also around this time, Beirach relocated to Germany, where he accepted a position as professor of jazz piano at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig. Since then, Beirach has remained prolific, issuing a steady stream of solo and small-group sessions, including 2003's Round About Monteverdi, 2008's Piano Solo, and 2010's Quest for Freedom with Liebman and the Frankfurt Radio Bigband. Also in 2010, he and Liebman joined Lee Konitz for Knowinglee. The following year, he released Impressions of Tokyo: Ancient City of the Future, and paired again with Liebman for Unspoken. Varuna followed in 2015 and found the pianist collaborating with singer Laurie Antonioli. He then reunited once again with Liebman for 2016's Balladscapes. In 2018, both Beirach and Liebman joined vocalist Fred Farell for Fred Farell: Distant Song. ~ Matt Collar https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-at-birdland-new-york-randy-brecker-george-mraz/1224693909

Personnel:  Richie Beirach - piano;  Gregor Huebner - violin;  Randy Brecker - trumpet;  George Mraz - bass;  Billy Hart - drums

Live At Birdland New York

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Lee Morgan - Indeed!

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:12
Size: 87,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:18)  1. Roccus
(4:55)  2. Reggie of Chester
(6:47)  3. The Lady
(8:23)  4. Little T
(3:57)  5. Gaza Strip
(5:49)  6. Stand By

The first time Lee Morgan entered a recording studio, he was just 18 years old and he was leading his own band. More impressive, that band included soon to be legendary pianist Horace Silver and drummer Philly Joe Jones. This is the CD of that 1956 recording session. While the players were great, the music is merely ordinary which isn't too surprising given the tender age of the leader. Indeed! is standard Blue Note hard bop by the guys who would, in various combinations, become the label's mainstays.  That's not a knock. This is a good record, and if you're a fan of hard bop, as I am, you'll like it. Morgan is very much the product of Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. He sounds a bit like both, and he even played Dizzy's trademark horn with a bent bell. The other horn player is a virtual unknown saxman Clarence Sharpe, known to friends as C. Sharpe, or C#. In many numbers, he sounds like a Charlie Parker knockoff again, no big surprise for a young alto player in 1956, a year after Bird's death. In Sharpe's 1990 obituary, The New York Times called him "the missing link between Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman." But that was later in life. Here, he's all bebop. Same with Lee Morgan, who had a long and legendary career on Blue Note, recording something like 25 albums. This is the first, and it's no fault of the young 18-year-old that it's not yet as memorable as 1963's The Sidewinder. It's solid, enjoyable, if unoriginal, hard bop. A couple of side notes: First, though the album has only one ballad, "The Lady," it is sweet and tender and nearly all Morgan. A real standout. Second, the cut "Gaza Strip" has absolutely no hints of Middle Eastern or Arabic influences. Wonder where the title came from. Finally, though Horace Silver is a member of the band, he mostly stays in the background, taking a handful of perfunctory solos. ~ Marc Davis https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lee-morgan-indeed--blue-note-1538-lee-morgan-by-marc-davis.php

Personnel:  Lee Morgan - trumpet;  Horace Silver - piano;  Clarence Sharpe - alto saxophone;  Wilbur Ware - bass;  Philly Joe Jones - drums

Indeed!

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Cyrus Chestnut - Kaleidoscope

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:54
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:06)  1. Golliwog's Cakewalk
(5:09)  2. Darn That Dream
(6:19)  3. Gymnopédie No. 1
(5:48)  4. Entre cloches
(5:30)  5. Jimbo's Lullaby
(5:33)  6. Father Time
(4:31)  7. Lord I Want to Be a Christian
(4:09)  8. Son binocle
(4:38)  9. Smoke on the Water
(7:00) 10. Gnossienne No. 1
(4:11) 11. Gymnopédie No. 3
(3:41) 12. Turkish Rondo
(5:12) 13. Prayer for Claudine

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut is a virtuoso player with deep roots in both spiritual gospel music and harmonically sophisticated jazz. That said, he's also a classically trained artist with a wide-ranging and eclectic taste in music. He brings all of these influences to bear on his nuanced and enveloping 2018 trio date, Kaleidoscope. Joining him are bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Chris Beck, who offer empathetic support throughout. Here, Chestnut has chosen a handful of his favorite classical compositions, including tracks by Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel, which he reworks in his own inimitable jazz style, alongside other standards and his own originals. What's particularly compelling about his choices is just how well the classical songs fit into the jazz trio concept. The Satie selections in particular lend themselves to a jazz approach. Chestnut's languid reading of "Gymnopedie No. 1" has the feel of a hazy summer afternoon, and brings to mind Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts soundtracks. He also turns the composer's "Son Binocle" into a jauntily urbane bossa nova. 

Elsewhere, he transforms Debussy's "Jimbo's Lullaby" into a bluesy, far-eyed rumination, anchored by a soulful bass solo intro from Wheeler. Similarly engaging is the trio's dramatic, modal jazz take on Ravel's "Entre Cloches," in which Chestnut's spiraling solo swells into a sustained din of reverberating bass notes before returning to the main theme. Conversely, his own songs, like the meditative "Father Time" and the lyrical "Prayer for Claudine," evince a classical feel, displaying his knack for finely attenuated melodies and richly textured harmonics. He splits the difference on his swaggering version of Deep Purple's classic rock anthem "Smoke on the Water," diving into the iconic main theme with Rachmaninov-esque dynamism and then pulling back into a mutative, Eastern-influenced improvisation. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/kaleidoscope-mw0003201648

Personnel:  Cyrus Chestnut (p), Eric Wheeler (b) (except tracks 7 & 13), Chris Beck (ds) (except tracks 7 & 13)

Kaleidoscope

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