Wynton Marsalis - He And She

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:17
Size: 175,0 MB
Art: Front

( 0:12)  1. Poem
( 6:48)  2. School Boy
( 0:27)  3. Poem
( 6:31)  4. The Sun And The Moon
( 0:10)  5. Poem
( 5:17)  6. Sassy
( 0:16)  7. Poem
( 3:31)  8. Fears
( 0:16)  9. Poem
(12:05) 10. The Razor Rim
( 1:01) 11. Poem
( 2:17) 12. Zero
( 0:36) 13. Poem
( 1:52) 14. First Crush
( 4:37) 15. First Slow Dance
( 3:21) 16. First Kiss
( 4:47) 17. First Time
( 1:06) 18. Poem
( 5:46) 19. Girls!
( 0:59) 20. Poem
( 8:12) 21. A Train, A Banjo, And A Chicken Wing
( 5:00) 22. He And She

The expansive discography of Wynton Marsalis has covered a wealth of material including the fierce modern mainstream of Black Codes: From the Underground (Columbia, 1985), the three CD-set Blood On the Fields (Columbia, 1995) which won a Pulitzer award in 1997, and some bar-room fun in Two Men With the Blues (Blue Note, 2008) with singer Willie Nelson. Now the iconic jazz trumpeter/composer explores the subtle dynamics of relationship between a man and a woman in He and She, a recording that combines jazz and poetry in a familiar and entertaining package. Familiar in the fact that Marsalis, an ardent purveyor of jazz's history, delivers once again, music that has been heard throughout his repertoire. The jubilant "School Boy" with its ragtime / New Orleans rhythms, the luxuriant waltz of "The Sun and the Moon," playful swing in "Sassy," and a blues in "A Train, A Banjo, and A Chicken Wing," have all been witnessed in memorable recordings such as The Marciac Suite (1999) and Big Train (1999), both on Columbia Records. Regardless, this project is vintage Marsalis, and that equates to exquisitely crafted jazz, now delivered by a top-notch quintet of young musicians including Walter Blanding (saxophones), Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Hendriquez (bass), and Ali Jackson (drums), each showing their dazzling abilities throughout the recording. The master trumpeter also shows some deft skills as a poet which was first witnessed on the controversial but outstanding From The Plantation to the Penitentiary (Blue Note, 2007). Here, he reads verses from his eponymous titled poem "He and She" which alternately sets up each instrumental track. 

These brief preludes are filled with humor, emotion and attitude, creating anecdotal stories of adolescence, maturity, romance, love, and loss.  One section of the poem speaks of a dangerous conquest in one of the recording's most complex tracks, "The Razor Rim," a bopping tale of desire, moving from "Swinging 3/4" to "Elvin Jones 5/4" to "Modern 4/4 Swing" (as noted in the track notes). Another section covers the simple mathematics of lost love as Marsalis reads "1 + 0 = 0, remembering me without you," a fitting introduction to the blue balladry in "Zero." Other ideas include a "suite of firsts" in "First Crush," "First Slow Dance," etc., which may conjure up long forgotten memories. The recording culminates with the poem read in its entirety; a fitting ending to the program. While there's nothing ultimately new here, from start to finish He and She is performed to the hilt and swings gloriously with plenty of panache. Fans will not be disappointed and newcomers who are just getting introduced to Wynton Marsalis can let the courtship begin. ~ Mark F.Turner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/he-and-she-wynton-marsalis-blue-note-records-review-by-mark-f-turner.php

Personnel: Wynton Marsalis: trumpet; Walter Blanding: saxophones; Dan Nimmer: piano; Carlos Hendriquez: bass; Ali Jackson: drums.

He And She

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Margaret Whiting - Great Ladies Of Song: Spotlight On Margaret Whiting

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 124,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. Day In - Day Out
(3:03)  2. If I Had You
(3:01)  3. But Not For Me
(3:05)  4. Gypsy In My Soul
(2:47)  5. Like Someone In Love
(3:11)  6. He's Funny That Way
(2:57)  7. Time After Time
(2:43)  8. My Heart Stood Still
(2:59)  9. Nobody But You
(3:03) 10. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(2:32) 11. I've Never Been In Love Before
(3:07) 12. But Beautiful
(3:07) 13. My Foolish Heart
(3:04) 14. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(3:10) 15. Let's Fall In Love
(2:52) 16. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:08) 17. I Could Write A Book
(2:10) 18. Back In Your Own Back Yard

This album is another in the Capitol Records Great Ladies of Song series, which so far has produced compilations by such artists as Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, Keely Smith and Kay Starr, among others. Maggie Whiting was one of the label's brightest pop stars of the 1940s and '50s, when Capitol had more top-flight singers, male and female, in its stable than any other company. It is these years from which this material comes. Most of the tunes are slow ballads on which Whiting is accompanied by large, string-laden orchestras, almost all conducted by Frank DeVol. Strings notwithstanding, there are many memorable, enjoyable performances here. "He's Funny That Way" is a 1947 recording honoring her father, Richard Whiting, who penned the tune with Neil Moret. On "If I Had You," recorded in 1946, Whiting is backed by Paul Weston. "But Beautiful" reached #21 on the pop chart in 1948, and "My Foolish Heart" #17 in 1950. Although not a jazz singer, she often worked with jazz musicians; two of the cuts, "But Not for Me" and "Someone to Watch Over Me," feature the trumpet of Billy Butterfield. On "I Could Write a Book," Whiting is backed by her then-husband Lou Busch, who was better known as Joe "Fingers" Carr. The languorous mood is interrupted from time to time by a swinger. One of the most notable is "Nobody But You," where Whiting is joined by the Crew Chiefs, remembered for their work with Glenn Miller. 

As a bonus, Capitol has included two previously unreleased items, "I Get a Kick out of You" and a swinging 1955 rendition of "Back in Your Own Backyard." This album is an agreeable return of those halcyon days of the 1950s when good singers like Whiting filled the landscape before the rock invasion. Like many of her contemporaries, she was often required to sing some rather awful stuff. Fortunately, this album sticks with classic standards from the Great American Songbook, which Whiting delivers with her clear, very pleasant voice. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/spotlight-on-margaret-whiting-great-ladies-of-song-mw0000178269

Great Ladies Of Song / Spotlight On Margaret Whiting

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Nicholas Payton - #BAM: Live At Bohemian Caverns

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:35
Size: 182,3 MB
Art: Front

(17:57)  1. The Backward Step
(11:19)  2. Drad Dog
(13:58)  3. Catlett Out Of The Bag
( 3:54)  4. Pannonica
(13:59)  5. The African Tinge
( 2:31)  6. Return Of The African Tinge
(15:54)  7. Frankie And Johnny

Nicholas Payton, now 40, has been on the short list of major trumpet players for half his life. In 2011, he achieved an incremental 15 minutes of fame when he publicly renounced the word “jazz,” proclaimed it “an oppressive colonialist slave term” and embraced “Black American Music” (“BAM”) as his preferred alternative. Even those who did not find Payton’s self-imposed semantic crisis particularly interesting or relevant or well argued will not be able to approach his new album outside the context of the “‘BAM’ controversy.” Yet what is most remarkable about this live trio recording is how conventional and even bland it is. Payton has spoken of “launching a movement,” but there is nothing very ambitious here, let alone revolutionary. He often plays trumpet and Fender Rhodes simultaneously, one hand for each. On the opener, “The Backward Step,” the Rhodes is mere sweetening, a pleasant but static overlay. On “Catlett Out of the Bag,” a feature for drummer Lenny White and bassist Vicente Archer, the Rhodes grooves are so predictable they wouldn’t challenge a small-town bar band. Perhaps this is Payton’s point. His “BAM” concept attempts to erase distinctions between categories like R&B, soul, hip-hop and jazz. On trumpet, he is often given to melodramatic, flamboyant fusillades of notes disembodied from the whole (“The African Tinge”), or spare, repetitive lines, presumably intended as suspenseful and haunting, but not. His solos consist of ideas that sound like gestures for effect rather than manifestations of inner necessity. The ideas usually sound familiar, and their technical execution is sometimes more casual than precise. It is possible that no respected improvising musician has ever ended an album with 16 minutes as inconsequential, as full of stock licks and devices in the public domain, as “Frankie and Johnny.” Dumbed-down jazz by any name does not a revolution make. ~ Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/bam-live-at-bohemian-caverns-nicholas-payton/

Personnel:  Trumpet – Nicholas Payton; Bass – Vicente Archer; Drums – Lenny White

#BAM: Live At Bohemian Caverns

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Hugh Laurie - Didn't It Rain

Styles: Vocal, Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:54
Size: 122,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. The St. Louis Blues
(2:55)  2. Junkers Blues
(3:27)  3. Kiss Of Fire
(4:28)  4. Vicksburg Blues
(4:17)  5. The Weed Smoker's Dream
(4:20)  6. Wild Honey
(5:26)  7. Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair
(3:03)  8. Evenin'
(2:52)  9. Didn't It Rain
(5:21) 10. Careless Love
(4:00) 11. One For My Baby
(4:17) 12. I Hate A Man Like You
(3:58) 13. Changes

After the huge success of his debut album, Let Them Talk, on which he celebrated and revived classic material from the world of NOLA blues, Hugh Laurie presents his second album, Didn't It Rain. Didn't It Rain sees Hugh Laurie depart the sounds of New Orleans as he follows the trajectory of the blues upstream and into the American heartland. It includes songs dating back to early pioneers W.C. Handy ("St Louis. Blues") and Jelly Roll Morton ("I Hate A Man Like You") to more recent artists such as Dr. John ("Wild Honey") and Alan Price of The Animals ("Changes"). Again produced by Joe Henry, Didn't It Rain was recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Los Angeles in January of 2013. Complemented with the heart and accomplishment of his supporting musicians the Copper Bottom Band - Jay Bellerose, Kevin Breit, Vincent Henry, Greg Leisz, Robby Marshall, David Piltch and Patrick Warren with Elizabeth Lea and Larry Goldings - the album also features several lead vocal performances from Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno and soul singer Jean McClain who has previously worked with artists as varied as Jimmy Cliff and Sheryl Crow. The album also highlights a very special guest in the shape of the Grammy-winning blues artist Taj Mahal who contributes vocals to a new take on Little Brother Montgomery's "Vicksburg Blues."~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Rain-Hugh-Laurie/dp/B00DBRT4Z6

Personnel: Hugh Laurie – vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle, piano, Wurlitzer organ; Greg Leisz – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, mandola, mandolin; Patrick Warren – accordion, Hammond b-3 organ, pump organ, keyboards; Vincent Henry – vocals, harmonica, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Jay Bellerose – drums, percussion; Larry Goldings – Hammond b-3 organ; Kevin Breit – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, tenor banjo, mandocello, mandola, mandolin, background vocals; Jean McClain – background vocals; Elizabeth Lea – trombone; David Plitch – upright bass, electric bass; Robby Marshall – clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Didn't It Rain

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Neville Dickie,Micky Ashman,John Petters - The Piano Has It

Styles: Piano
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:34
Size: 178,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Modernistic
(4:21)  2. Low Down Papa
(3:21)  3. Wildcat Blues
(3:30)  4. Mabel's Dream
(3:36)  5. A New Kind of Man (with a New Kind of Love for Me)
(3:06)  6. Frog Legs Rag
(3:44)  7. Blame It on the Blues
(4:28)  8. Papa, Better Watch Your Step
(3:51)  9. Arkansas Blues
(4:14) 10. The Clearing House Blues
(2:53) 11. 18th Street Strut
(3:19) 12. American Beauty Rag
(3:09) 13. Just Before Daybreak
(3:43) 14. A Bag of Rags
(3:16) 15. Birmingham Blues
(3:27) 16. South Side Strut
(4:28) 17. Snake Hips
(3:00) 18. Muscle Shoals Blues
(4:24) 19. Your Time Now ('twill Be Mine After a While)
(4:35) 20. Got to Cool My Doggies Now
(2:55) 21. Jim Jams

One of the finest stride pianists of the past 30 years, Neville Dickie has not gained much fame in the mainstream jazz world but many in trad circles are quite aware of his talent. This set of 21 vintage songs features Dickie as a solo pianist on seven numbers, performing nine duets with drummer John Petters, and in a trio with Petters and bassist Micky Ashman on the remaining four tunes. Most of the songs are superior obscurities, and among the tunes that are revived are James P. Johnson's "You've Got to Be Modernistic," "Arkansas Blues," Joseph Lamb's "American Beauty Rag," "Muscle Shoals Blues," and "Got to Cool My Doggies Now." A real treat for fans of 1920s-type stride piano. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-piano-has-it-mw0000235457

The Piano Has It

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Thank You!

Condolences are not just an expression of sympathy, they are not just words. They are expression of true feelings.  Please accept my infinite gratitude for showing me that I'm not alone in my grief. Your condolences were like a beam of comfort to me. Your words warmed my heart on this period of grief and sorrow.

My dear beloved son lived for 28 years depending on synthetic hormones due to malfunctioning of the pituitary gland. Physically, he was considered an object of study for scientists, but for me - besides being my angel - he was my right arm and I'm feeling totally lost. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

But I need to move on. I need to get involved with something that will not only keep me busy but keep me close to dear friends - you.  So, for this reason I'll be back . You can count on me.

Thank you, once again, for finding time to write to me. Much obliged to you for your sympathies!

With all my love, Giullia.