Paul Bley Trio - Closer

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:04
Size: 65,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Ida Lupino
(2:19)  2. Start
(3:26)  3. Closer
(2:53)  4. Sideways In Mexico
(3:15)  5. Batterie
(2:14)  6. And Now the Queen
(3:21)  7. Figfoot
(2:28)  8. Crossroads
(2:55)  9. Violin
(2:16) 10. Cartoon

Pianist Paul Bley is an innovator whose imagination eclipses the norm. He never wavers from a challenge and there is always an air of expectancy each time Bley sits at the piano. He is comfortable in any setting and his music has been shaped by several peers. Among them were Sonny Rollins, Carla Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, Charles Mingus, Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman. In the final analysis, however, it is his vision that propels the music forward. He fills it with vigor and dynamism, with space and lyricism; nothing is out of focus, every challenge is within his grasp. His eloquence is shaped by his ability to balance silence with sound, as well as his penchant for, and skill with, unusual phrasing. Bley recorded Closer in 1965. He took a different direction from the previous album Barrage (ESP Disk, 1964) which he had recorded with saxophonist Marshall Allen, trumpeter Dewey Johnson, bassist Eddie Gomez and percussionist Milford Graves. 

On Closer, with bassist Steve Swallow and Barry Altschul on percussion, Bley concentrated on compositions by Carla Bley, with a tune each from Ornette Coleman and Annette Peacock, as well as an original. Bley caresses melody. He gives it an organic soul with an illumining beauty as he does on "Violin." He goes off on a slight tangent, adding space, giving Swallow the room to ruminate on the bass with delicate phrases. The mood is reflective and quietly effective. "Sideways in Mexico" is a more collaborative effort. Bley acknowledges the melody and then punctuates chords and phrases with a two-handed attack. There is a change of emphasis and direction as his lines dart and scamper and then open the door for Swallow and Altschul to hold an interweaving rhythm convention. Another song of remarkable beauty and feeling comes in "Ida Lupino." The melody has an immediacy that nestles in the mind and Bley lingers over it, his phrases rippling like a gently flowing brook. He unleashes a couple of thunderous chords that startle—this only adds to his stature as one who stamps his credentials with extraordinary signposts. Bley makes a welcome return with one of his best. ~ Jerry D'Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/closer-paul-bley-esp-disk-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Steve Swallow: bass; Barry Altschul: drums.

Closer

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Emanuele Cisi Feat. Roberta Gambarini - No Eyes: Looking at Lester Young

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:22
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:36)  1. No Eyes (feat. Roberta Gambarini)
(6:52)  2. Lester Left Town (feat. Roberta Gambarini)
(4:13)  3. Jumpin' at the Woodside
(5:58)  4. Presidential Dream (feat. Roberta Gambarini)
(3:42)  5. Tickle Toe
(6:37) 6. Goodbye Porkpie Hat (feat. Roberta Gambarini)
(4:23)  7. Prezeology
(6:29)  8. Easy Living (feat. Roberta Gambarini)
(7:11)  9. These Foolish Things
(4:48) 10. That's All
(1:29) 11. Jumpin' with Symphony Sid/Lester Said

This sought-after tribute by Emanuele Cisi to Lester Young is so rich in historical references and literary references that a review risks neglecting the main and characterizing element: No Eyes is primarily a wonderful musical journey, which fascinates by emotional participation, melodic essentiality and lyricism. The project was able to get in tune with the artistic identity of the great saxophonist, without getting lost in didactic imitations and enhancing the specifics of the leader, singer Roberta Gambarini and the rhythm section formed by Dino Rubino , Rosario Bonaccorso and Gregory Hutchinson. Only a heartfelt participation with the spirit of Lester's music-in the sense of expressive modernity and artistic autonomy rather than stylistic traits-could produce a disc with such an intense feeling. The project, long cherished by Cisi, is inspired by a poem by David Meltzer-precisely "No Eyes" -dedicated to Lester Young. 

The title takes up an expression of the particular vocabulary of the saxophonist (meant "I do not care") and poetry opens the record, incorporated in the performance of "These Foolish Things." The piece begins with the evocative exposition of the theme by the saxophonist who leaves Roberta Gambarini to repropose on that text the famous improvisation by Young in December 1945. The singer from Turin, who has long been at the top of international jazz, gives an exemplary demonstration of eloquence. technique and color variety, expressed with relaxed appeal and rare grace. His presence is fundamental and illuminates other tracks on the record. In particular the masterly version of "Roland Kirk , the bewitching "Easy Living" or the unison in scat with the tenor saxophone of Cisi in "Lester Left Town." The virtuosity and inventiveness of the leader shine in the exciting reinterpretation in duo sax / drums, of "Jumpin 'at the Woodside," where his Coltranian ancestries shine and in other pieces in quartet: some are classics of Lester Young reformulated with respect ("Tickle Toe") or with fanciful grafts of Prez's voice ("Jumpin 'with Symphony Sid"); others are original songs of the leader. It could not miss a classic ballad ("That's All") exposed without unnecessary attempts to echo the historical versions of the saxophonist. ~ Angelo Leonardi https://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-eyes-looking-at-lester-young-emanuele-cisi-warner-jazz-review-by-angelo-leonardi.php

Personnel: Emanuele Cisi: tenor saxophone; Roberta Gambarini: voice; Dino Rubino: piano, flugelhorn (5, 11); Rosario Bonaccorso (bass); Greg Hutchinson: drums.

No Eyes: Looking at Lester Young

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Midnight Serenaders - Sweet Nothin's

Styles: Retro Swing 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:23
Size: 138,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby
(2:39)  2. Swing Brother Swing
(2:29)  3. He's A Curbstone Cutie
(5:27)  4. Pettin' In The Rain
(3:23)  5. I Can't Dance I Got Ants In My Pants
(3:28)  6. Sweet Nothin’s
(4:39)  7. How'd Ya Do
(4:01)  8. Diga Diga Do
(3:32)  9. Daddy Won't You Please Come Home
(3:37) 10. Who Walks In When I Walk Out
(3:29) 11. Some Of These Days
(5:18) 12. Comes Love
(4:51) 13. There'll Be Some Changes Made
(5:27) 14. Down In Shangri-la
(3:29) 15. Baby (Darlin') Baby

The Midnight Serenaders are back with a follow-up to their very popular debut 2007 release "Magnolia" with this new collection of 1920's and 30's influenced jazz and pop songs. This recording features four original songs penned by singer/ukulele player Dee Settlemier. Riding the crest of the neo-traditional jazz craze presently occurring on the West Coast, the MIDNIGHT SERENADERS are a six-piece swing band playing regularly to enthusiastic audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest. Performing vintage pop, Hot Jazz, and Hawaiian instrumentals, as well as an expanding collection of Jazz Age-sounding original songs, these six veteran musicians strive to share their love for the music of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. With an exciting stage show, tight musical arrangements, and outstanding solo and harmony vocals, MIDNIGHT SERENADERS fans include nostalgists, swing dancers, melody junkies, retro-clothing hounds, and folks who simply appreciate good quality, jubilant music...More.. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/mserenaders2

Sweet Nothin's

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Abdullah Ibrahim - The Enja Heritage Collection: Banyana

Styles: Piano, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:15
Size: 92,8 MB
Art: Front

( 2:04)  1. Banyana - The Children Of Africa
( 6:17)  2. Ishmael
( 8:17)  3. Asr
( 6:25)  4. The Honey Bird
( 6:45)  5. The Dream
(10:24)  6. Yukio-Khalifa

Abdullah Ibrahim sings and plays soprano on "Ishmael" but otherwise sticks to piano on this trio set with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Roy Brooks. As usual Ibrahim's folkish melodies (this CD has six of his originals plus a previously alternate take of "Ishmael") pay tribute to his South African heritage and Islam religion without becoming esoteric or inaccessible. Some of the unpredictable music gets a bit intense (Ibrahim is in consistently adventurous form) but his flights always return back to earth and have an air of optimism. An above average effort from a true individualist. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-banyana-children-of-africa-mw0000204709

Personnel: Piano, Soprano Saxophone, Composed By – Abdullah Ibrahim;  Bass – Cecil McBee; Drums – Roy Brooks.

The Enja Heritage Collection: Banyana

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Peter Skellern - Cheek To Cheek

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:59
Size: 106,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. Cheek To Cheek
(4:32)  2. The Continental (You Kiss While You Dance)
(2:41)  3. Puttin' On The Ritz
(2:24)  4. Top Hat, White Tie And Tails
(3:49)  5. Stormy Weather
(2:30)  6. All Or Nothing At All
(3:07)  7. Busy Line
(3:23)  8. Love Is The Sweetest Thing
(2:35)  9. Two Sleepy People
(3:08) 10. Deep Purple
(3:31) 11. Raining In My Heart
(3:55) 12. Where Do We Go From Here
(2:46) 13. They All Laughed
(3:53) 14. The Way You Look Tonight

A composer, singer, and musician, Peter Skellern played trombone in a school band and served as organist and choirmaster in a local church before attending the Guildhall School of Music, from which he graduated with honors in 1968. Because "I didn’t want to spend the next 50 years playing Chopin," he joined the vocal harmony band March Hare which, after changing their name to Harlan County, recorded a country-pop album before disbanding in 1971. Married with two children, Skellern worked as a hotel porter in Shaftesbury, Dorset, before striking lucky at the end of 1972 with a self-composed U.K. number three hit, "You're a Lady." The album Not Without a Friend consisted entirely of original material (aside from a rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair"), and another U.K. hit single with the title track to 1975's Hold on to Love established Skellern as a purveyor of wittily observed if homely love songs of similar stamp to Gilbert O'Sullivan. He earned the respect of Beatles fans (already manifested following Derek Taylor's production of Not Without a Friend) when George Harrison assisted on Hard Times and the title number was later recorded by Ringo Starr. 

A minor hit in 1978, "Love Is the Sweetest Thing" (featuring Grimethorpe Colliery Band) was part of a tribute to Fred Astaire that won a Music Trades Association Award for Best MOR Album of 1979. Skellern subsequently wrote and performed six autobiographical programs for BBC television, followed by a series of musical plays (Happy Endings), and also hosted the chat show Private Lives in 1983. A year later he formed Oasis with Julian Lloyd Webber, Mary Hopkin, and guitarist Billy Lovelady in an attempt to fuse mutual classical and pop interests, but the band's recordings failed to make a major impact. In 1985, Skellern joined Richard Stilgoe for Stilgoe and Skellern Stompin' at the Savoy, a show in aid of the Lords Taverners charity organization. This led to the two entertainers working together on several successful tours and in their two-man revue, Who Plays Wins, which was presented in London's West End and New York City. After becoming disenchanted with the record business for a time, in 1995 Skellern issued his first album in nearly eight years. Originally conceived as a tribute to the Ink Spots, it eventually consisted of a number of songs associated with that legendary group, and a few Hoagy Carmichael compositions "just to break it up." He later wrote sacred choral music and was ordained as a deacon and priest in the Church of England. After developing an inoperable brain tumor, he died in February 2017 at 69 years of age. 

~ Rovi Staff https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-skellern-mn0000687269/biography

Cheek To Cheek

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