Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Charles Aznavour - Charles Aznavour And The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:31
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. Viens Fais-Moi Rêver
(4:27)  2. Fier De Nous
(3:47)  3. Comme Ils Disent
(3:42)  4. Des Amis Des Deux Côtés
(4:51)  5. A Ma Fille
(3:28)  6. Le Jazz Est Revenu
(4:10)  7. I've Discovered That I Love You
(3:27)  8. Il Faut Savoir
(3:44)  9. The Jam
(4:35) 10. Je N'oublierai Jamais
(5:22) 11. La Bohème
(4:39) 12. De Moins En Moins
(2:57) 13. Voilà Que Ça Recommence
(2:57) 14. The Times We've Known

Released a year after his successful duets double album, French icon Charles Aznavour's 2009 follow-up is another collaborative effort, this time with Los Angeles-based Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Featuring duets with jazz vocalists Rachelle Ferrell and Dianne Reeves, it includes 14 big-band interpretations of both his classic standards ("La Boheme," "Comme Ils Disent"), and several less familiar tracks ("Je N'ouiblerai Jamais," "Des Amis Des Deux Cotes"). ~ Jon O'Brien https://www.allmusic.com/album/charles-aznavour-the-clayton-hamilton-jazz-orchestra-mw0001345699

R.I.P.
Born: May 22, 1924
Died:  Out 01, 2018

Charles Aznavour And The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Ron Carter - Cocktails at the Cotton Club

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:10
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:24)  1. Satin Doll
( 9:37)  2. Mr. Bow-Tie
(11:22)  3. My Funny Valentine
( 9:39)  4. Wave
( 0:39)  5. Announcement by Ron Carter
(10:58)  6. Soft Winds
( 8:28)  7. Samba de Orfeu

The epitome of class and elegance without the stuffiness, Ron Carter has been a world-class bassist and cellist since the '60s. He's among the greatest accompanists of all time, and has made many albums exhibiting his prodigious technique. He's a brilliant rhythmic and melodic player, who uses everything in the bass and cello arsenal; walking lines, thick, full, prominent notes and tones, drones and strumming effects, and melody snippets. His bowed solos are almost as impressive as those done with his fingers. Carter has been featured in clothing, instrument, and pipe advertisements; he's close to being the bass equivalent of a Duke Ellington in his mix of musical and extra-musical interests. Carter's nearly as accomplished in classical music as jazz, and has performed with symphony orchestras all over the world. He's almost exclusively an acoustic player; he did play electric for a short time in the late '60s and early '70s, but he didn't used it for many, many years. Carter began playing cello at ten. But when his family moved from Ferndale, Michigan to Detroit, Carter ran into problems with racial stereotypes regarding the cello and switched to bass. He played in the Eastman School's Philharmonic Orchestra, and gained his degree in 1959. He moved to New York and played in Chico Hamilton's quintet with Eric Dolphy, while also enrolling at the Manhattan School of Music. Carter earned his Master's degree in 1961. After Hamilton returned to the West Coast in 1960, Carter stayed in New York and played with Dolphy and Don Ellis, cutting his first records with them. He worked with Randy Weston and Thelonious Monk, while playing and recording with Jaki Byard in the early '60s. Carter also toured and recorded with Bobby Timmons' trio, and played with Cannonball Adderley. 

He joined Art Farmer's group for a short time in 1963 before he was tapped to become a member of Miles Davis' band. Carter remained with Davis until 1968, appearing on every crucial mid-'60s recording and teaming with Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to craft a new, freer rhythm section sound. The high-profile job led to the reputation that's seen Carter become possibly the most recorded bassist in jazz history. He's been heard on an unprecedented number of recordings; some sources claim 500, others have estimated it to be as many as 1,000. The list of people he's played with is simply too great to be accurately and completely cited. Carter's been a member of New York Jazz Sextet and New York Jazz Quartet, V.S.O.P. Tour, and Milestone Jazzstars, and was in one of the groups featured in the film Round Midnight in 1986. He's led his own bands at various intervals since 1972, using a second bassist to keep time and establish harmony so he's free to provide solos. Carter even invented his own instrument, a piccolo bass. He's contributed many arrangements and compositions to both his groups and other bands, and made duo recordings with either Cedar Walton or Jim Hall. He's recorded for Embryo/Atlantic, CTI, Milestone, Timeless, EmArcy, Galaxy, Elektra, and Concord, and eventually landed at Blue Note for LPs including 1997's The Bass and I, 1998's So What, and 1999's Orfeu. At the dawn of the new millennium, Carter remained an active, in-demand artist, releasing a steady stream of albums and keeping a busy live schedule. When Skies Are Grey surfaced in early 2001, followed in 2002 by Stardust, Carter's tribute to the late bassist Oscar Pettiford. That same year, he joined saxophonist Houston Person for the duo's third album of standards, Dialogues. In 2006, another tribute album was released, Dear Miles, dedicated to Miles Davis, also on Blue Note. Several more small group solo albums followed including 2007's Japan-only It's the Time and 2008's Jazz and Bossa. In 2011, Carter delivered his first effort with big-band music, Ron Carter's Great Big Band featuring arrangements by conductor Robert M. Freedman and a bevy of name players including pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Lewis Nash. He then joined drummer Gerry Gibbs for two albums with 2013's Thrasher Dream Trio and 2014's We're Back. Also in 2014, Carter was backed by the WDR Big Band on My Personal Songbook. In 2016, the bassist once again paired with saxophonist Person for the duo album Chemistry. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ron-carter-mn0000275832/biography

Personnel:  Ron Carter - bass;  Donald Vega - piano;  Russell Malone - guitar

Cocktails at the Cotton Club

Joey DeFrancesco - All Of Me

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:36
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:20)  1. Blues For J.
(4:31)  2. Close To You
(6:00)  3. Carbon Copy
(7:03)  4. All Of Me
(4:06)  5. 30th Street Station
(6:16)  6. One For C.C.
(5:59)  7. L.G. Blues
(6:17)  8. Petala

Organist Joey DeFrancesco's debut as a leader would be impressive even if he had not been 17 at the time! DeFrancesco, whose sound has always been strongly influenced by Jimmy Smith (sounding like an exact duplicate on "All of Me"), is backed by an eight-piece horn section on two songs and a 16-piece string section on three others but more important to the music is the playing of guitarist Lou Volpe, drummer Buddy Williams and the electric bass of Alex Blake. Houston Person's tenor is also a strong asset on two of the eight numbers in a program that ranges from swing to more modern funk. A strong start to a colorful career. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-of-me-mw0000204330

All Of Me

Peter Ecklund - Strings Attached

Styles: Cornet Jazz 
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:43
Size: 150,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Try A Little Tenderness
(4:03)  2. Waltz For Another Time
(2:56)  3. I'll Be A Friend With Pleasure
(3:50)  4. Excessively Happy Time
(6:20)  5. Twelve Country Miles
(3:27)  6. All-Purpose Cowboy Melody
(3:01)  7. Lucky Day (This Is My)
(4:11)  8. Waltz Of The Secret Agents
(3:26)  9. Wedding Of The Painted Doll
(3:21) 10. Jubilee
(5:06) 11. Get Out Of My Way
(3:41) 12. Triumphal March Of The Society Bandleaders
(4:30) 13. Too Marvelous For Words
(5:23) 14. Untitled
(4:05) 15. Puttin' On The Ritz
(3:44) 16. Carnevale

Although this is technically a set featuring cornetist Peter Ecklund with strings, there is actually no real string section. The "strings" include (on various tracks) guitarists Frank Vignola, Chris Flory, Molly Mason, and Marty Grosz, bassists Greg Cohen and Murray Wall, violinist Jay Ungar, banjoist Cynthia Sayer, and Kenny Kosek on mandolin, plus Scott Robinson on various reeds, Lenny Pickett on clarinet and tenor sarrusophone (!), and drummer Richard Crooks. Ecklund contributed nine originals to the 16-song set, which also includes "Try a Little Tenderness," "I'll Be a Friend With Pleasure," and "Jubilee." The fresh material, constantly changing instrumentation, and Ecklund's consistently excellent playing make this CD easily recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/strings-attached-mw0000083775

Personnel:  Peter Ecklund - cornet;  Scott Robinson - reeds;  Lenny Pickett - clarinet, tenor sarrusophone;  Frank Vignola, Chris Flory, Molly Mason, Marty Grosz-guitar;  Cynthia Sayer - banjo;  Kenny Kosek - mandolin;  Jay Ungar - violin;  Greg Cohen, Murray Wall - bass;  Richard Crooks - drums

Strings Attached

Carme Canela & Joan Monné - Ballads

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:32
Size: 111,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. You've Changed
(4:31)  2. Embraceable You
(4:42)  3. You Wan't Forget Me
(4:53)  4. I Loves You Porgy
(5:01)  5. Left Alone
(3:15)  6. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(4:01)  7. The Thrill is Gone
(4:32)  8. The Man I Love
(3:34)  9. Get out of Town
(5:18) 10. Still We Dream (Ugly Beauty)
(4:23) 11. Goodbye

"It has been awhile that we have wanted to record in this minimalistic format, a duet; simple but complex at the same time. We wanted to do it by interpreting ballads, which is one of the things we most enjoy. We have chosen compositions that move us, both because of their musical beauty as well as, in most cases, their profound lyrics. And we have prepared them for you, in our own way, without much arrangement, almost raw. This is how we like to express ourselves, using melodies and harmonies that are true jewels. It’s like preparing a dish with good ingredients in an essential way, without sauces or sophisticated cookeries, so as to appreciate the true taste of the organic material. We hope you enjoy listening to this music as much as we did cooking it."~ Carme Canela https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/carme-canela-joan-monne/6717-ballads-digipack.html

Personnel: Carme Canela (vocals), Joan Monné (piano).