Bill Charlap - Stardust: The Music Of Hoagy Carmichael

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:56
Size: 156,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. Jubilee
(6:38)  2. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(7:19)  3. Rockin' Chair
(5:00)  4. I Walk With Music
(6:35)  5. Two Sleepy People
(7:27)  6. The Nearness Of You
(6:46)  7. One Morning In May
(5:54)  8. Blue Orchids
(5:41)  9. Georgia On My Mind
(9:24) 10. Stardust
(3:56) 11. Skylark

Although he had made a few records previously, by the time that pianist Bill Charlap cut All Through the Night in 1997, it was obvious that the connection established with trio mates Peter and Kenny Washington was a special one, capable of great finesse and intuitiveness. People in the upstairs offices at Blue Note also must have known a good thing when they heard it because it wasn’t long before Charlap was inking his first major label deal. Written in the Stars would be his initial Blue Note offering, and there was much to recommend, however Stardust strikes a sophisticated pose that ups the ante even further. The American Popular Song has always been Charlap’s fodder (no surprise there considering that his father composed for the Broadway stage), however there’s a new concept at play with Stardust in that the entire program consists of Hoagy Carmichael originals. “The Nearness of You,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Skylark,” and the title track are the most widely known items, balanced very astutely by some equally beguiling, if lesser known, chestnuts. ”I Get Along Without You Very Well” is a masterpiece of invention and surely one of the greatest lines that Carmichael ever penned and guest Tony Bennett’s rendition is fine enough, even if the vocalist’s pipes are not quite what they used to be. 

Shirley Horn’s husky whisper envelops “Stardust” and again nothing much all that revelatory occurs. It’s with the instrumental numbers that things really begin to coalesce. Frank Wess gets that breathy swagger going and things start to swing as “Rockin’ Chair” reaches for that ‘adult tempo’ (as Kenny Washington calls it) that puts a smile on one’s face. Jim Hall’s appearance on “Two Sleepy People” helps to paint additional hues on an already panchromatic view of another obscure gem. Really only “Jubilee” and “I Walk With Music” get above a slow ballad tempo, but it’s that opportunity to luxuriate in the wide open spaces that helps Charlap get his point across in a way that’s deeply satisfying. Classy and accessible, Stardust is piano trio jazz that’s right up there with as good as it gets. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/stardust-bill-charlap-blue-note-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan__10339.php

Personnel: Bill Charlap (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)

Stardust: The Music Of Hoagy Carmichael

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Diana Trask - Memories Are Made of This

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:48
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:24)  1. Memories Are Made of This
(2:50)  2. Unforgettable
(2:15)  3. Alley Cat
(2:16)  4. Que Sera Sera
(3:00)  5. Heather on the Hill
(2:11)  6. Half as Much
(2:16)  7. All or Nothing at All
(2:43)  8. Auf Wiedersehen
(1:44)  9. Green Eyes
(3:08) 10. Blues in the Night
(3:06) 11. Hello Young Lovers
(2:21) 12. To the End of the Earth
(2:36) 13. Days of Wine and Roses
(2:29) 14. Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer
(3:23) 15. Goodnight Irene
(1:59) 16. Comes Love

Australian singer Diana Trask was a popular performer in the U.S. during the '60s and '70s. She was born in Warburton, a small logging town near Melbourne, to a musically talented family. She first gained attention in Australia at age 16 after winning a nationwide talent contest, and began playing on television. Later, she was a part of a pop group which opened for such American stars as Sammy Davis, Jr., who liked her music and suggested she come to the U.S. In 1959, Trask did, but didn't find much success until she spent a week guesting on Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, which led to a contract with Columbia and a regular spot on the TV show Sing Along with Mitch. Both of her initial albums were pop-oriented. After marrying in the early '60s, Trask returned to Australia, but by 1966, she and her family were living in New York, where she continued trying to further her pop career. After visiting the CMA DJ Convention in Nashville, she decided to focus on country music instead. She debuted on the country charts in 1968 with the low-ranked "Lock, Stock and Teardrops," but later that year she reached the Top 60 with "Hold What You've Got." In 1969, Trask released her debut album, Miss Country Soul, and toured with Hank Williams, Jr. Although she continued to have modest hits, her popularity didn't soar until 1972, when she had a Top 30 hit with "We've Got to Work It Out Between Us." In 1973, she made the Top 20 twice with "Say When" and "It's a Man's World (If You Had a Man Like Mine)." The following year, she had a Top 15 crossover hit with "Lean on Me." She returned to Australia during the mid-'70s and earned a few gold records there. Trask returned to the U.S. in 1981 to record a pair of singles, but then retired for the remainder of the decade. During the '90s she again resumed performing. ~ Sandra Brennan https://www.allmusic.com/artist/diana-trask-mn0000820857

Memories Are Made of This

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Rick Margitza - Work It

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:04
Size: 135,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:09)  1. Steppin' out
(7:53)  2. Work it
(9:47)  3. My foolish heart
(7:07)  4. Your lady
(8:02)  5. It could happen to you
(9:08)  6. Last season/Widows walk
(7:55)  7. A sour mystery of bird

One of the "young lions," Rick Margitza is an excellent tenor saxophonist most inspired by Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and John Coltrane. He started on the violin when he was four (his grandfather was a cellist and his father a violinist with the Detroit Symphony), studied classical piano for a bit, and also played oboe before switching to tenor in high school. 

He attended Wayne State University, Berklee, the University of Miami, and finally Loyola University in New Orleans, where he lived and played for four years. Margitza toured with Maynard Ferguson and also Flora Purim and Airto before moving to New York in 1988. He spent part of 1988 in Miles Davis' group and then cut three sets as a leader for Blue Note during 1989-1991. His 1994 outing for Challenge found Margitza showing increasing individuality. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rick-margitza-mn0000855174/biography

Personnel:  Rick Margitza (Tenor sax); George Mraz (Bass); James Williams (Piano); Billy Hart (Drums).

Work It

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Hank Mobley - A Caddy For Daddy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:53
Size: 91,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:24)  1. A Caddy For Daddy
(9:45)  2. The Morning After
(7:13)  3. Venus Di Mildew
(7:15)  4. Ace Deuce Trey
(6:14)  5. Third Time Around

Hank Mobley was a perfect artist for Blue Note in the 1960s. A distinctive but not dominant soloist, Mobley was also a very talented writer whose compositions avoided the predictable yet could often be quite melodic and soulful; his tricky originals consistently inspired the young all-stars in Blue Note's stable. For this CD, which is a straight reissue of a 1965 session, Mobley is joined by trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins (a typically remarkable Blue Note lineup) for the infectious title cut, three other lesser-known but superior originals, plus Wayne Shorter's "Venus Di Mildew." Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-caddy-for-daddy-mw0000690250

Personnel:  Hank Mobley — tenor saxophone; Curtis Fuller — trombone; Lee Morgan — trumpet; McCoy Tyner — piano; Bob Cranshaw — bass; Billy Higgins — drums

A Caddy For Daddy

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Big John Patton - Understanding

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:13
Size: 90,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Ding Dong
(9:12)  2. Congo Chant
(4:40)  3. Alfie's Theme
(6:12)  4. Soul Man
(6:56)  5. Understanding
(6:34)  6. Chitlins Con Carne

Organist John Patton is featured on this set in a stripped-down trio with Harold Alexander (on tenor and flute) and drummer Hugh Walker. 

Patton's one-chord funky vamps are fine in small doses, but the endless repetitions on these rather simplistic originals may drive alert listeners batty after awhile. ~ Scott Yanow  https://www.allmusic.com/album/understanding-mw0000627978

Personnel:  Organ – John Patton; Drums – Hugh Walker; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Harold Alexander

Understanding

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