Oliver Nelson - Verve Jazz Masters 48

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:14
Size: 163,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Hoe Down
(6:13)  2. St. Louis Blues
(3:15)  3. Patterns For Orchestra
(6:29)  4. I Remember Bird
(4:47)  5. A Typical Day In New York
(3:10)  6. Penthouse Dawn
(5:28)  7. One For Duke
(8:10)  8. Complex City
(4:32)  9. You Love But One
(2:50) 10. Full Nelson
(2:35) 11. Ricardo's Dilemma
(2:57) 12. Paris Blues
(6:32) 13. The Sidewalks Of New York
(2:37) 14. Ballad For Benny
(2:30) 15. Greensleeves
(4:09) 16. Miss Fine

Considering that he was the equal of such heralded arrangers as Quincy Jones, Gil Evans, and Tadd Dameron, it's a shame Oliver Nelson has, for the most part, gone unsung. Maybe Nelson's eventual TV and film work tainted him in the eyes of critics and purists; but, then again, most jazz arrangers made that move, often out of sheer financial necessity and let's not scold them if it was simply a matter of wanting to expand their horizons. Before his Hollywood switch, though, Nelson used several '60s dates to not only display those pen skills, but to reveal his considerable saxophone chops (tenor, alto, and soprano!), as well. The fruits can be found on many dates for OJC, Impulse (the classic Blues and the Abstract Truth), and Verve. It's his work for the latter label that is nicely showcased on this collection. Covering the years 1962-1967 and culled to a large extent from his Full Nelson album and various Leonard Feather-sponsored releases, the 16 tracks here find Nelson at the helm of various big band lineups, plying his always swinging yet often complex and distinct sound. The mix contains a dazzling array of treats, including some of the most sophisticated jazz charts ("Patterns for Orchestra"), a taste of his later soundtrack work ("A Typical Day in New York"), beautiful ballads ("Penthouse Dawn"), and even some contemporary R&B-tinged fare ("Full Nelson"). Along with these and several other original pieces, Nelson also does fine by Ellington ("Paris Blues") and W.C. Handy ("St. Louis Blues"). And it's Joe Newman's fine solo on this last cut that ably demonstrates how Nelson, like Mingus, had a knack for bringing out the best in his players. With an all-star cast of players and plenty of fine sides to go, this Nelson roundup offers the perfect way to familiarize yourself with one of the great jazz architects of the '60s. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/verve-jazz-masters-48-mw0000176396

Verve Jazz Masters 48

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Diane Schuur - Diane Schuur Collection

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. Love Dance
(2:57)  2. Easy To Love
(3:54)  3. By Design
(4:46)  4. The Very Thought Of You
(3:16)  5. Caught A Touch Of Your Love
(4:23)  6. How Long Has This Been Going On?
(4:53)  7. Louisana Sunday Afternoon
(4:56)  8. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:17)  9. Sure Thing
(3:54) 10. Teach Me Tonight
(3:53) 11. Funny (But I Still Love You)
(4:21) 12. I'll Close My Eyes

Released in 1989, Collection sums up Diane Schuur's first five GRP albums, a period when she achieved a level of acclaim that tailed off somewhat in the '90s. What has been gathered together here is often very impressive, her rich, full voice keening over carefully wrought, beautifully recorded lush backdrops (with real or electronic strings), swinging over some fine big bands, or coming to terms with '80s jazz funksters. Strangely, there is only one selection from her live-in-the-studio collaboration Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra, which is the best overall album from this period (it features guitarist Freddie Green's last recorded performance) while the other albums (Deedles, Schuur Thing, Timeless, Talkin' 'Bout You) get multiple representation. It's quite possible that Schuur has never topped the leadoff track, Ivan Lins' beguiling "Love Dance" with her sponsor Stan Getz weaving a magic spell, this is a great example of the right material meeting the right singer and the right backing. Dave Grusin, Johnny Mandel, Billy May, Pat Williams, and Jeremy Lubbock are the arrangers whose tracks were chosen and everything has the brilliant sonic sheen that turned on the audiophile crowd early in the CD era. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/collection-mw0000200577

Personnel: Diane Schuur (vocals); Jose Feliciano (vocals); Howard Roberts , Steve Khan (electric guitar); Tom Scott (alto saxophone); Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Dave Grusin (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion); Mitchel Forman (piano, synthesizer); Richard Tee (Fender Rhodes piano); Larry Williams (synthesizer); Dan Dean (electric bass); Carlos Vega (drums, percussion); Moyes Lucas, Steve Gadd (drums).

Diane Schuur Collection

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Sofi Hellborg - Drumming Is Calling

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:36
Size: 114,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Government Lies
(5:10)  2. Mother Earth
(5:15)  3. Maybe I Was Dreaming
(5:00)  4. My Love
(6:33)  5. It's OK Now
(4:34)  6. All the Signs
(4:55)  7. Drumming Is Calling
(5:35)  8. Tell Your Mama
(5:07)  9. Cannot Stop to Play
(2:03) 10. Bottledance

When Sofi Hellborg is following To Give Is To Get , she does it without the help of Tony Allen . Jean-Francois Ludovicus who plays on all the songs this time has a smarter game style that is not very similar to Allen's loyal soft afrobeat. Now, this Drumming Is Calling Does not Stop Calling From Being Deeply Rotated In The Afrophunk's Mill. But a clear difference from the last is that Hellborg and her orchestra pull more on the afropop. It's a bit lighter and airy, at the same time in my ears a bit trickier. At best, I think it will be when the fun gets thick in the introductory Government Lies , Maybe I Was Dreaming and It's Ok Now . Then it's really good. But I can not help thinking that the peaks are a bit too few and that the lightjazzen got a little too much space ( Mother Earth , My Love and Can not Stop To Play are all examples of songs that make it crawl a little unpleasant in my body). Translate by Google http://dagensskiva.com/2008/03/26/sofi-hellborg-drumming-is-calling/

Personnel:  Sofi Hellborg - alto& sopr. sax, flute, vocals & thumb piano; Ola Åkerman - tromb, b.vox.;  Magnus Lindeberg - guitar.;  Ola Hedén - key,b.vox.;  Sal Dibba - perc.;  Mats Ingvarsson - bass,b.vox.;  Jean-francois Ludovicus - drums,;  Ed Epstein - bariton sax

Drumming Is Calling

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Yusef Lateef - The Gentle Giant

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:39)  1. Nubian Lady
(2:23)  2. Lowland Lullabye
(9:01)  3. Hey Jude
(4:33)  4. Jungle Plum
(3:41)  5. The Poor Fishermen
(3:50)  6. African Song
(2:13)  7. Queen of the Night
(5:10)  8. Below Yellow Bell

Yusef Lateef's music from the early '70s commands large doses of both appeal and skepticism. At a time when funk and fusion were merging with the intensely volatile and distrustful mood of the U.S., Lateef's brand of Detroit soul garnered new fans, and turned away those who preferred his earlier hard bop jazz or world music innovations. Thus The Gentle Giant is an appropriate title, as Lateef's levitational flute looms large over the rhythm & blues beats central to the equation. Kenny Barron's Fender Rhodes electric piano is also a sign of the times, an entry point introducing him to the contemporary jazz scene, and on that point alone is historically relevant. The post-Bitches Brew, pre-Weather Report/Headhunters time period is to be considered, and how this music put Lateef in many respects to the forefront of the movement. While inconsistent and at times uneven, there's more to praise than damn in the grooves and unique musicianship he offers with this small ensemble of focused and singular-minded players. At once funky and cool, Barron's "Nubian Lady" sets the tone out of the gate, the tune totally trumping Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground/Push Push style. The similar-sounding "Jungle Plum" is more danceable, simpler, and less attractive. While "Aftican Song" is also in this vein, it is less about the continent in the title as it is reflective of the era, and a slower number. Perhaps that actual title and the sleigh bell-driven "Below Yellow Bell" could have been reversed, for it is more Afrocentric, with Lateef's wordless vocal counterpoint closer to sounds of the savanna over a baroque rhythm & blues. "Hey Jude," under-produced to the point of inaudibility at the outset (the caveat given is "do not adjust the playback level on your audio equipment, readjust your mind"), busts out on the incessantly repeated "na na" chorus with the Sweet Inspirations doing the honors. The other tracks lay low, as Lateef and Al "Tootie" Heath's flutes and Kermit Moore's cello go into late-night mode for "Lowland Lullabye," "The Poor Fisherman" explores the leader's interest in Asian sounds with call and response, and "Queen of the Night" is a two-minute shortie with Eric Gale's modulated guitar mixing up meters of 4/4 and 3/4 in a slightly macabre way. This recording was produced in the middle of Lateef's commercial crossroads phase that started with the Atlantic label issue Yusef Lateef's Detroit in 1969 and ended in 1977 with the CTI release Autophysiopsychic. Though these tracks are potent reminders of how jazz was willfully being manipulated by the record companies Creed Taylor in particular this album is clear evidence of how great a musician Yusef Lateef was, but not in the context of his best music. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-gentle-giant-mw0000193408

Personnel:  Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute, bamboo flute, pneumatic bamboo flute, oboe, bells, tambourine;  Eric Gale - guitar (tracks 3 & 7);  Neal Boyar - vibraphone, chimes (track 3);  Chuck Rainey - electric bass (tracks 3 & 7);  Albert Heath - drums, flute (tracks 1, 2, 4-6 & 8);  Jimmy Johnson - drums (tracks 3 & 7);  The Sweet Inspirations - backing vocals (track 3);  Kermit Moore - cello (track 2);  Kenny Barron, Ray Bryant - piano, electric piano (tracks 1, 4, 6 & 8);  Bob Cunningham, Sam Jones - bass (tracks 1, 4, 6 & 8);  Bill Salter - electric bass (tracks 1, 4, 6 & 8);  Ladji Camara - African percussion (track 1, 4, 6 & 8)

The Gentle Giant

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Vincent Peirani - Living Being II (Night Walker)

Styles: Accordion Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:09
Size: 132,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Bang Bang
(4:29)  2. Enzo
(2:43)  3. Le clown sauveur de la fe^te foraine.mp3
(5:55)  4. What Power Art Thou
(3:52)  5. Kashmir To Heaven: Opening
(5:41)  6. Kashmir To Heaven: Kashmir
(3:26)  7. Kashmir To Heaven: Stairway To Heaven
(6:55)  8. Night Walker
(1:43)  9. K2000
(4:40) 10. Falling
(6:16) 11. Unknown Chemistry
(4:42) 12. Smoke & Mirrors

On Living Being II: Night Walker, French accordionist Vincent Peirani reassembles the lineup from 2015’s original Living Being, juxtaposing the reedy, intimate sound of his instrument and Emile Parisien’s soprano saxophone with the electric haze of Tony Paeleman’s Rhodes piano and keyboards. With Julien Herné on electric bass and guitar, and Yoann Serra on drums, the group assumes an identity somewhere between a rock band, a jazz combo, and a chamber ensemble. Peirani’s writing for this tight, unorthodox unit can be as delicate as “Falling” or as startlingly intricate as “Le clown sauveur de la fête foraine.” He also reinterprets music by Henry Purcell (“What Power Art Thou”), Sonny Bono (“Bang Bang”), and Led Zeppelin (the highly effective “Kashmir to Heaven” suite). Valentin Liechti’s electronics on “Smoke & Mirrors” provide an ideal surprise to close out the set. ~ Editors' Notes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/living-being-ii-night-walker/1405224136

Personnel:  Accordion, Voice – Vincent Peirani;  Drums – Yoann Serra;  Electric Bass, Electric Guitar – Julien Herné;  Electronics – Valentin Liechti;  Keyboards – Tony Paeleman;  Soprano Saxophone – Emile Parisien

Living Being II (Night Walker)

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