Billy Stritch - Waters of March: The Brazilian Album

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz, Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:37
Size: 103,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:04)  1. Waters of March
(4:24)  2. How Insensitive
(4:10)  3. As Rosas Não Falam
(3:43)  4. Gently
(4:48)  5. Astrud
(4:33)  6. If Ever
(3:20)  7. Someone to Light up My Life
(3:25)  8. Samba De Verão
(3:54)  9. So Many Stars
(3:58) 10. Evolution
(4:13) 11. I Don't Want to Be Away from You

An award-winning composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist of extraordinary range and sophistication, Billy Stritch breathes new life into the Great American Songbook, all the while bringing an easy sense of humor and showmanship to his performances. Born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, Billy Stritch got his start at age 12, playing piano at his neighborhood First Presbyterian Church. Word spread about the child prodigy, and the local country club hired him for a four-year weekly gig in the piano bar. The dreaded requests came in droves, prompting Billy to rush home and learn all the requisite standards, which would subsequently fill his tip bowl! Inspiration came from jazz greats like Oscar Peterson and George Shearing, but his older sister’s love for Elton John and Billy Joel opened up a new world of pop music which informs his playing to this day. After being turned on to singers like Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Mark Murphy and Carmen McRae, Stritch started to find his own voice to use in conjunction with the piano mastery. While at the University of Houston, Billy teamed with two female vocalists and created Montgomery, Plant & Stritch. The jazz vocal trio appeared in local saloons, but soon they were playing the most important supper clubs in the country. Eventually, the JVC Jazz Festival paired the group with Mel Torme at Carnegie Hall, they became regulars at the Newport Jazz Festival, and they toured Italy with the North Sea Jazz Festival four years in a row. When the group broke up, Billy made the big move to New York City. He was playing a piano bar when Liza Minnelli stopped in, listened and immediately hired him to arrange for her “Steppin’ Out At Radio City” extravaganza. This led to international performances on stage at The Palais de Congres in Paris, The Municipale in Rio de Janeiro, The Russiya in Moscow, NHK Hall in Tokyo and The Royal Albert Hall in London. He acted as associate producer, pianist and arranger for Minnelli’s Gently CD, which earned two Grammy nominations, and was co-arranger with Marvin Hamlisch for Minnelli On Minnelli at the Palace Theater in New York City. His arrangements have also been performed in the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, most memorably in the "Multiplying Santa" fantasy.

As a composer, Stritch and Nashville writer Sandy Knox penned the 1994 Grammy Award-winning country song, "Does He Love You?," recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis, which has sold over four million copies nationwide. The song was named one of the Top Ten Country Songs of 1994 by the readers of Music City News and also appears on Patti LaBelle’s CD, Flame. Most recently, it was performed on "American Idol" by Reba McIntire and the show’s winner Kelly Clarkson. In 2001, a new door opened in the professional life of Billy Stritch. He was cast in the role of Oscar, the piano-playing crooner in the Broadway revival of “42nd Street” which starred Christine Ebersole Their show-stopping number together, "I Only Have Eyes For You", led to television spots on The Rosie O’Donnell Show and CBS This Morning. In February 2004, Billy and Christine collaborated on a nightclub act entitled “In Your Dreams” which they have performed at Feinstein’s in New York, The Cinegrill in Hollywood, and Manhattan’s famed jazz nightspot Birdland. In November 2004, the two released a CD also entitled “In Your Dreams” on the Ghostlight Records label and they have many concert appearances scheduled through 2005 and beyond. Billy’s other TV appearances include Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, The Today Show, The Charlie Rose Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He was also guest conductor for The Rosie O’Donnell Show when regular musical director John McDaniel was on the road in concert. His first solo recording, “Billy Stritch” (DRG Records), finds Stritch swinging standards with Chip Jackson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. His follow-up CD on the Touchwood Record label, “Waters Of March: The Brazilian Album”, features Dave Ratajczak on drums, David Finck on bass, along with a 40-piece string orchestra. “Jazz Live”, his third release (Fynsworth Alley), was recorded live at The Jazz Standard in New York City with John Arbo on bass and Dave Ratajczak on drums, and caused the London Times to rave, "Equally gifted as a player and a singer, and doing both with no-holds-power, Stritch is not afraid to dazzle!" http://www.billystritch.com/Billy-Stritch-Bio.html

Personnel: Billy Stritch (vocals, piano); Jukka Linkola (conductor); Emanuel Moriera, Romero Lubambo (guitar); Gerry Niewood (flute, tenor saxophone); Alex Norris (flugelhorn); Glen Ostrin (French horn); Andrew Williams (trombone); David Finck (bass); Dave Ratajczak (drums); Cafe (percussion); Cortes Alexander, Natalie Blalock, Alexandra Haas (background vocals).

Waters of March: The Brazilian Album

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Sandy Stewart - My Coloring Book

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:16
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. My Coloring Book
(4:27)  2. Little Girl Blue
(4:26)  3. Greensleeves
(3:02)  4. Tangerine
(2:43)  5. Where The Blue Of The Night
(3:25)  6. Over The Rainbow
(3:19)  7. Deep Purple
(3:27)  8. Scarlet Ribbons
(2:46)  9. Little White Lies
(2:43) 10. Beautiful Brown Eyes
(2:38) 11. Ivy Rose
(2:44) 12. Red Sails In The Sunset

Sandy Stewart first sang "My Coloring Book" on the Kraft Music Hall television program on October 31, 1962. It was an instant hit Stewart's only hit over her long career and became the impetus for this LP. Although Stewart owns a very pretty voice and uses it to good effect, there's nothing about it, or Stewart's approach to the songs on this album, distinguishing her from the many other pop female singers of that or any other day. On this disc, she sounds a lot like Dinah Shore. Moreover, the heavy string orchestrations contrived by Don Costa and O. B. Massingill tend to make the music murky. In fact, Stewart is sometimes overwhelmed by the arrangements and sweet-voiced choral backing that show up on some of these tracks. Stewart was much better served in a small group setting, especially when backed by occasional playing partner Dick Hyman. She first appeared on record with Hyman in 1958 and then again in 1985. Stewart also worked with Hyman on NBC radio at the tender age of 16. While Stewart didn't make much of a mark as a vocalist, she produced a son who was to become a foremost jazz pianist, Bill Charlap. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-coloring-book-mw0000743978

My Coloring Book

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David Grisman Quintet - Dawgwood

Styles: Mandolin
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:22
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:27)  1. Dawgwood
(6:41)  2. Dawgmatism
(5:35)  3. Jazzin' (with Joe-Bob)
(6:25)  4. Sea of Cortez
(6:44)  5. Steppin' with Stephane
(6:01)  6. Bolero de Django
(6:19)  7. Assanhado
(9:05)  8. New Dawg's Rag

David Grisman's self-named "Dawg" music defies traditional categories, as it is such a unique blend of many influences, including bluegrass, jazz, gypsy music, Latin, and so much more. He's joined by flutist Matt Eakle, percussionist and violinist Joe Craven, bassist Jim Kerwin, and guitarist Rick Montgomery. The veteran mandolinist wrote six of the eight songs, starting with the cheerful opener, which features everyone in turn. The intricate waltz "Dawgmatism" adds an exotic flavor with Craven's violin and Eakle's haunting flute. "Jazzin' (With Joe-Bob)" is a wild masterpiece (later appearing in slightly different form on his compilation DGQ-20 with jazz DJ Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins as "Jazzin' With Jazzbeaux"), with Craven providing percussion on bongos (and vocals with assorted hisses and comments) as well as overdubbing a slashing violin solo. "Steppin' With Stephane" was originally recorded by Grisman with its honoree, jazz violin great Stephane Grappelli. This version is lighter but every bit as swinging. "Bolero de Django," composed by Django Reinhardt, has a definite gypsy air, though Eakle's alto flute gives the piece a more modern flavor. "New Dawg's Rag" is an updated arrangement of an earlier Grisman chart; while the instrumentation has been changed, the impact of this brilliant performance is still pure magic. Throughout this release, Grisman's playing is nothing short of phenomenal. It should come as no surprise that fans of David Grisman should consider this CD an essential purchase. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/dawgwood-mw0000096725

Personnel:  David Grisman – mandolin;  Rick Montgomery – guitar;  Matt Eakle – flute;  Jim Kerwin – bass;  Joe Craven – percussion, violin

Dawgwood

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Yusuf / Cat Stevens - The Laughing Apple

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:30
Size: 79,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. Blackness of the Night
(3:44)  2. See What Love Did to Me
(3:04)  3. The Laughing Apple
(2:46)  4. Olive Hill
(3:03)  5. Grandsons
(2:21)  6. Mighty Peace
(3:35)  7. Mary and the Little Lamb
(3:10)  8. You Can Do (Whatever)!
(2:41)  9. Northern Wind (Death of Billy the Kid)
(3:38) 10. Don't Blame Them
(2:21) 11. I'm So Sleepy

There's something about career milestones that make many artists look fondly to the past, and Yusuf  the artist who rose to international fame in the '70s as Cat Stevens  is no different than anyone else in this respect. 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of his first success on the U.K. charts with the single "I Love My Dog," and on his album The Laughing Apple  the first for his own Cat-O-Log label  he explicitly looks back to his early days, albeit filtered through the eyes of experience. The Laughing Apple reunites Yusuf with Paul Samwell-Smith, who produced Cat Stevens' best-known work of the '70s, as well as guitarist Alun Davies, whose acoustic guitar work was an integral part of those sessions. And along with a handful of new songs, Yusuf has reworked a few of his earliest tunes for this album (including "Northern Wind," "I'm So Sleepy," and the title cut) as well as resurrecting some unfinished pieces ("You Can Do [Whatever]" dates back to the songs he penned for the movie Harold & Maude, but wasn't completed in time for the film). Not surprisingly, The Laughing Apple bears no small resemblance to vintage Cat Stevens favorites like Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat, though this is clearly the work of an older and more seasoned artist, especially in his new take on "Grandsons," where the lyrics reflect what was once a young man's imaginings and are now an older man's reality. Yusuf can't quite hit the high notes as well as he used to, but otherwise his instrument is in fine shape, and the languid arrangements suit the melodies quite well. And while Yusuf doesn't sing at length about his faith, there's a spiritual undertow to many of the lyrics; "See What Love Did Do Me" is clearly about both human and divine love, and "Don't Blame Them" and the title tune can easily be read as fables and not just pop songs. The Laughing Apple can in some ways be viewed as a compromise, as Yusuf makes an album that will resonate with old Cat Stevens fans, but there's never a moment where he seems less than sincere and committed, and this merging of past and present makes for Yusuf's most satisfying album since his return to popular music in 2006. ~ Mark Deming https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-laughing-apple-mw0003081408

The Laughing Apple

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Doug Webb - Fast Friends

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:37
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. Last Trane To Georgia
(4:57)  2. Friends Again
(4:35)  3. High Groove, Low Feedback
(5:15)  4. Surfing The Webb
(6:23)  5. Ah-Leu-Cha
(4:31)  6. Dease Things
(5:48)  7. Dream Stepper
(5:04)  8. A Night In Tunisia
(5:07)  9. Dig Doug
(4:35) 10. The Things We Did Last Summer
(4:53) 11. Nopolo

Doug Webb is a heck of a great tenorist here deft, tight, yet wonderfully soulful and open too really the completeness of an old school player on his instrument but without ever sounding old school at all! The tunes are a mix of Webb originals, standards, and bop classics and Doug handles them all with a freshness that's great quick-moving energy that's full of color and life, balanced by work from bandmates Michael Dease on trombone, Mitchel Forman on piano, Chris Colangelo on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. The combination of Dease's trombone and Webb's tenor is especially great  and titles include "Last Trane To Georgia", "Dease Things", "Dream Stepper", "Nopolo", "Dig Doug", "Surfing The Webb", and "High Groove Lo Feedback".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/896220/Doug-Webb:Fast-Friends

Personnel:  Doug Webb - sax;  Michael Dease - trombone;  Mitchel Forman - piano;  Chris Colangelo - bass;  Roy McCurdy - drums

Fast Friends

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