Friday, September 14, 2018

Lew Soloff - With a Song in My Heart

Styles: Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 156,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:56)  1. Come Rain or Come Shine
(6:53)  2. Andantino from Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 (2nd Movement)
(4:52)  3. The Way You Look Tonight
(6:04)  4. I'm a Fool to Want You
(8:32)  5. Mea Culpa
(7:44)  6. Deguello
(9:05)  7. Istanbul
(7:18)  8. One for Emily
(9:47)  9. With a Song in My Heart

With a Song in My Heartis a mellow, straight-ahead jazz quartet date. Soloff is full of expressiveness and solo ideas, and his session mates provide understated, sensitive support. Mulgrew Miller turns in some excellent solos, particularly on "I'm a Fool to Want You." The program is a blend of four standards, a couple classical pieces, and a couple Soloff originals. The Tchaikovski piece is especially interesting; Rob Mounsey's expert arrangement distills the essence of the symphony down to the quartet format, remaining true to its classical roots, yet providing some solo opportunities in a jazz quartet setting. 

Soloff keeps his trumpet muted throughout the all-acoustic program, leaving the program sounding mellow and introverted throughout. A little sonic variety might have provided some additional interest. ~ Dave Hugles https://www.allaboutjazz.com/with-a-song-in-my-heart-lew-soloff-fantasy-jazz-review-by-dave-hughes.php

Personnel:  Lew Soloff, trumpet;  Mulgrew Miller, piano;  George Mraz, bass;  Victor Lewis, drums;  Emily Mitchell, harp;  Rob Mounsey, arrangements.

With a Song in My Heart

Scott Wendholt - Through the Shadows

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:10
Size: 125,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:04)  1. Through the Shadows
(7:57)  2. Hour of the Pearl
(5:05)  3. Kaleidoscope
(5:33)  4. You Know I Care
(7:36)  5. Totem
(6:23)  6. Beatrice
(7:26)  7. Awaiting Spring
(6:01)  8. Just In Time

On trumpeter Scott Wendholt's second recording as a leader he has gathered together a group of his better-known peers  tenor saxophonist Don Braden, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Ira Coleman, and drummer Billy Drummond  to perform five post-bop originals, two jazz classics, and one standard. In addition to proving himself an under-recognized talent on his chosen instrument, Wendholt displays promise as a composer, having written some challenging material for this recording. The title track begins as a ballad with the melody played by Braden on flute and Wendholt on muted trumpet that, after a brief drum interlude, begins a new melody played by trumpet and tenor sax over a driving Afro-Latin groove. 

"Hour of the Pearl" opens with a piano intro that segues into a relaxed swinger, while "Kaleidoscope" is a burning blues with a lightning-quick melody. Other favorites include a swinging version of Sam Rivers' "Beatrice" that features Wendholt's muted trumpet and a up-tempo, pianoless version of the standard "Just in Time." Drummond's drumset versatility stands out throughout this recording, showing why he is one of the busiest musicians on the jazz scene. Through the Shadows is a positive step in the development of this fine musician. ~ Greg Turner https://www.allmusic.com/album/through-the-shadows-mw0000613204

Personnel:  Trumpet – Scott Wendholt;  Bass – Ira Coleman;  Drums – Billy Drummond; Piano – Bruce Barth;  Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Don Braden

Through the Shadows

Ernie Watts, Pete Christlieb, Rickey Woodard - The Tenor Trio

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:06
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Blues Up and Down
(7:23)  2. Strollin'
(5:42)  3. Groovin' High
(6:28)  4. Love for Sale
(4:04)  5. St. Thomas
(5:41)  6. Fried Bananas
(5:47)  7. Here's to Alvy
(6:06)  8. Holy Land
(5:52)  9. Moten Swing
(5:16) 10. Eternal Triangle
(5:30) 11. Little Pony

In his book Jazz For Beginners, Ron David says that nobody really loves jazz. "People love Miles or Dixieland or Free Jazz or Fusion or two, three or four of the above but nobody loves jazz. It's too varied." Truer words were never written. I like to think of myself as a lover of all kinds of jazz, but when it really comes down to it, I prefer swing, bop, fusion, and anything that smacks of the blues. Sure I relate to Miles, Coltrane and Ornette, but they appeal more to my brain than my viscerals. Basie, Blakey and Metheny hit me right in the gut. Since The Tenor Trio bops and swings simultaneously, here's one CD that really presses my buttons. The Tenor Trio consists of saxmen Ernie Watts, Pete Christlieb and Ricky Woodard. Once his cushy gig on the Tonight Show ended, Watts quickly became a respected mainstream player with a succession of fine albums. Christlieb is a lesser known but no less capable Tonight Show alum. Woodard has blown his sax for Ray Charles and the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra. These three pros engage in some friendly but ferocious battles on this superbly arranged 10-track release. There are no originals here, but the saxmen put their collaborative stamp on some well-chosen chestnuts. The three saxophones blend beautifully, the solos are intensely competitive, and terrific backup is provided by pianist Gerry Wiggins, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Frank Capp. Tunes include Horace Silver's "Strollin'," Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas," Benny Moten's "Moten Swing," and Neil Hefti's "Little Pony." The Tenor Trio delivers graceful, joyous bop that's never dissonant. Mainstream jazz seldom sounds this catchy. ~ Ed Popp https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-tenor-trio-watts-christlieb-and-woodard-jvc-review-by-ed-kopp.php

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts, Pete Christlieb, Rickey Woodard;  Bass – Chuck Berghofer;  Drums – Frank Capp;  Piano – Gerry Wiggins

The Tenor Trio

Eddie Calvert - Tulips From Amsterdam

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:49
Size: 90,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. My Love
(2:08)  2. Zambesi
(3:26)  3. Rock Me On A Reinbow
(3:31)  4. Loneliness
(3:01)  5. Mistral
(2:56)  6. Oh,mein Paps
(3:25)  7. If You Wanna See Me Agein
(2:09)  8. Cherry Pink And Apple
(3:08)  9. Plesse Love
(2:39) 10. Nostalgia
(4:36) 11. Sauselito
(3:21) 12. Tulips From Amsterdam

Eddie Calvert, known as the man with the golden trumpet, was born in Preston, Lancashire on the 15th March 1922 as Albert Edward Calvert. As a child he was exposed to his family's love of brass band music and he learned to play many brass instruments but concentrated on the trumpet. He joined the Preston Town Silver Band at the age of 11 but the war interrupted his musical career and by the late 1940s he returned to play in various amateur brass bands, eventually moving to the professional circuit with the dance bands Geraldo and Billy Ternet. Going solo, he appeared on TV with the Stanley Black Orchestra. He signed to the Columbia label, part of the EMI group and released an instrumental trumpet version of the German song Oh Mein Papa which had most famously been covered in English as Oh My Papa by Eddie Fisher. Calvert's instrumental easily won the chart battle in the UK and it remained at no.1 for nine weeks at the beginning of 1954. Over a year later he was involved in another chart battle for supremacy with the song Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White and this time it was much closer with both his and a very similar trumpet version by Perez Prado reaching no.1 in the Spring of 1955. Several other hits followed including a version of Stranger In Paradise, John And Julie and Mandy, while Little Serenade was his final hit in June 1958. When the 1960s provided no change of fortune, Calvert moved away to settle in South Africa where he lived out the remainder of his life, dying on the 7th of August 1978. 
~ Sharon Mawer https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-calvert-mn0000793645

Personnel:  Eddie Calvert - Trumpet;  Francis Goya - guitar;  Yvan De Souter - bass guitar;  Guy Delo - keyboards;  Jean-Pierre Onredt - drums;  Patricia Mersen - vocals

Tulips From Amsterdam

Nicki Parrott - Stompin'At The Savoy

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 142,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:28)  1. It Ain't Necessarily So (feat. Byron Stripling)
(3:46) 2. Gee, Baby, An't I Good to You (feat. Byron Stripling)
(5:01)  3. They Can't Take That Away from Me (feat. Byron Stripling)
(3:24)  4. It don't Mean a Thing (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:53)  5. Cheek to Cheek (feat. Byron Stripling)
(3:19)  6. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(5:06)  7. Dream a Little Dream of Me (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:03)  8. Stompin' at the Savoy (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:15)  9. Mr Paganini
(5:59) 10. Summertime (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:15) 11. Tea for Two
(4:14) 12. Our Love Is Here to Stay (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:07) 13. Evil Gal Blues (feat. Byron Stripling)
(4:20) 14. This Time the Dream's on Me

Dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong!
Nicki Parrott, an internationally acclaimed bassist, arrived in New York in May of 1994, the recipient of a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts allowing her travel to the US and study with her mentor, one of the world’s premiere double bassists, Rufus Reid. In the same year she was also nominated for the “Australian Young Achievers Award”.Today, Nicki Parrott is a world-class double bassist and an emerging singer/songwriter. In her work with artists from around the globe she has brought a signature sound to every bass part she has played. She performs regularly at the world’s best Jazz Festivals and can be seen Monday’s at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. Since June of 2000, this union has been an ideal showcase for her musical abilities, flair for improv, and gift for entertaining a crowd. Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki Parrott began her musical training on the piano at the age of four. She also took up the flute and continued to play both instruments throughout her school years. At the age of 15, Nicki switched her focus to the double bass, formed a band with her older sister Lisa (alto sax) and began composing instrumental pieces that they would eventually record for their premier CD release, The Awabakal Suite (2001). After completing high school, Nicki moved to Sydney and attended the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, where she graduated with an Associates degree in Jazz Studies. When bassists such as the legendary Ray Brown (Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson) and John Clayton (Diana Krall, Whitney Houston) were playing in town, Nicki would find them, contact them and arrange lessons from them. She was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Pan Pacific Music Camp, and soon after, took first place in the 1992 Jazz Action Society's Annual Song Competition for her composition, Come and Get It. In 1990, Nicki began touring Australia with Russian musicians Daniel Kramer and Alexander Fischer playing sold out shows across the country. This was followed by successful tours with American trumpeters Bobby Shew and Chuck Findley. When she was off the road, Nicki was consistently playing bass with other world-renowned jazz musicians like New Zealand’s Mike Nock (piano), Australia's Dale Barlow (tenor sax), Paul Grabowsky (piano), Bernie McGann (alto sax) and the explosive Ten Part Invention.

In May of 2002, The Nicki and Lisa Parrott Quartet headlined the prestigious Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The show was broadcast on NPR and was well received by the press. She was also the resident bassist with the Kitchen House Blend, a house band that premiered and performed new music from local New York composers. They would blend jazz, hip-hop, classical and rock in one evening...“It was a very creative experience”. Nicki expanded her musical repertoire and appeared on the Broadway stage in such shows as: Imaginary Friends, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Summer of '42, and Jekyll and Hyde. She is still active on Broadway today and regularly performs in the comedic musical, Avenue Q. Since coming to the United States Nicki Parrott has performed and/or recorded with such notable musicians as Randy Brecker, Skitch Henderson, Jose Feliciano, Rebecca Paris, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache Jr., Clark Terry, Michel Legrand, Billy Taylor, Dick Hyman, Patti Labelle & the New York Pops Orchestra, Annie Ross, the Florida Pops Orchestra, Terri Thornton, Holly Hoffman, DIVA, Marlena Shaw, Monica Mancini, Patrice Rushen, Harry Allen, Red Holloway, Kenny Davern, Mike Stern, Bernard Purdie, John Tropea, David Krakauer, Howard Alden, Randy Sandke, Greg Osby, Jack Wilkins, Ken Peplowski, Johnny Frigo, Joe Wilder, Houston Person, Wycliffe Gordon, Rachel Z and Johnny Varro. Nicki has also performed at most of the world’s major jazz festivals. In the United States she’s appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival (2005), the Litchfield Jazz festival (2005), the Jazz in July concert series at the 92nd street Y (2003, 2004), the Detroit Jazz Festival (2005) and the Lionel Ha mpton Jazz Festival (2001). 

Outside the USA Nicki has appeared at the Cully Lavaux Festival (Switzerland - 1995), the Grimsby Jazz Festival (UK - 1996), Berlin Jazz Festival (Germany - 1998), the Ottawa Jazz Festival (2004), the Krakow Music Festival (Poland), JazzAscona (2005, 2006), Bern Jazz Festivals (Switzerland - 2005, 2006), Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (UK - 2006) and of course, she has played at numerous music festivals across Australia. Nicki Parrott is committed to the continuing musical education women receive in order to further their careers and ultimately remain active as musicians past their teen years. In keeping with her sense of community, Nicki’s desire is to teach underprivileged kids to play instruments and learn to enjoy music.

It is her belief t hat teaching music to children helps keep them interested in school and out of trouble. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/nickiparrott

Personnel:  Nicki Parrott, vocals, bass;  Byron Stripling, trumpet, vocals;  John Di Martino, piano;  Alvin Atkinson, drums

Stompin' at the Savoy