Don Friedman Trio - The Days Of Wine And Roses

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:50
Size: 154,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:16)  1. Days Of Wine And Roses
(6:23)  2. Hi Low Fast Low Hi
(9:26)  3. Body And Soul
(7:09)  4. I Don't Know Yet
(6:29)  5. You Got To My Head
(7:40)  6. Free At Last
(6:33)  7. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(9:48)  8. New Dawn
(7:02)  9. It Could Happen To You

One of the most difficult things about being a jazz musician is learning to accept the the sheer arbitrariness of fame (there is no fortune in jazz). Why is one player enormously famous and another obscure, when to the naked ear they sound equally as compelling? That's a subject for another day, but it's the first thing one may think of when picking up an album by a lesser-known yet enormously talented musician like Don Friedman. Friedman is a tremendously versatile and creative jazz pianist. Few jazz musicians of any stripe are as conversant with both the bop vocabulary and free music techniques. Friedman is utterly convincing in both genres. On this, Friedman and his rhythm section play standards and free improvisations on alternate tracks. The styles are markedly different: The standards swing gently if insistently within the framework of the tunes; the free improvs surge and subside, going in and out of time and touching on tonalities at random. The high degree of invention and sophistication of the players ties the tracks together. Friedman is a powerful pianist with the creamiest of touches; although he's as percussive as he needs to be, at times it seems as if there's a pillow underneath each key. And while he plays it straight on the standards, Friedman possesses a rhythmic elasticity on these tunes that could remind a younger jazz listener of Keith Jarrett. Friedman's free playing is considerably more elegant and polished than that of many full-time avant-garde pianists, but no less creative. The rhythm section and Friedman had never played together before this date; it says something about the nature of improvised music that the music suffers not a whit. In the hands of players as sensitive and gifted as these, a first encounter is just another opportunity for discovery. ~ Chris Kelsey https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-days-of-wine-and-roses-mw0000022303

Personnel:  Don Friedman ( Piano ); Giampiero Prina ( Drums ); Marco Ricci (Bass).

The Days Of Wine And Roses

---

DeDe Wedekind - Dream of You

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:37
Size: 78,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. Dream of You
(3:33)  2. Leaning on Heaven
(3:55)  3. Prime of Life
(3:41)  4. Sell Me Out
(3:56)  5. Stronger
(3:47)  6. Love Lives On
(3:19)  7. Recipe of Love
(3:15)  8. Today I'll Marry My Friend
(3:42)  9. My Unsung Hero

Houston-based singer/songwriter, DeDe Wedekind, with over 110,000 fans worldwide, was just named the 2016 Best New Female ARTIST of the YEAR, at the 5th Annual Indie Music Channel (IMC) Awards, held at the Clive Davis Theater at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in April.  The Indie Music Channel was founded by Emmy-winning actor, writer, musician & producer, Christopher Ewing, as a one-of-a-kind platform to help talented Independent Artists get much needed recognition, while playing their music on the IMC’s internationally acclaimed internet radio stations & website.  Artists also receive unique worldwide exposure via The Indie Music Channel’s Website, FM & Internet Syndicated Radio Shows, the Indie CAFÉ TV Show, LIVE TV Show, & other IMC Shows & Tours. At the IMC Awards, DeDe was also honored with Best Americana Song, Best Americana Artist & Best Americana Recording for her original, “Dream of You”!  These awards were based on the release of DeDe’s much-anticipated 4th album, Dream of You, in Feb. 2016.  Also from this album, new Single “Stronger” already garnered Best Adult Contemporary Song of the Year-2015, at the 3rd Annual International Music and Entertainment (IMEA) Awards in Atlanta.  In 2014, DeDe also won TWO separate IMEA ALBUM of the YEAR Awards, for Album #2: Love & Fairy Tales, and for Album #3: World of Christmas! DeDe’s new album features her original single: “Love Lives On”, recorded with Multi-Platinum mega hit Songwriter and Producer, Andrew Fromm. Andrew Fromm’s the songwriter for ‘NSync’s “Millenium” album, the Backstreet Boys, Marc Anthony & many others. Andrew is featured playing the piano on this inspiring single from DeDe’s New album. https://dedewedekind.blogspot.com/2016/05/dede-wedekind-wins-best-new-female.html

Dream of You

---

Giovanni Hidalgo - Hands Of Rhythm

Styles: Latin Jazz, World Fusion 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:12
Size: 119,0 MB
Art:

(5:53)  1. And Sammy Walked In
(5:08)  2. Footprints
(4:22)  3. Amo Esta Isla
(4:16)  4. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
(4:11)  5. My Soul Beat
(4:50)  6. Papa Boco
(3:47)  7. Blue Monk
(5:15)  8. If You Knew...
(4:05)  9. En Mi Viejo San Juan
(6:18) 10. Hello And Goodbye
(3:02) 11. Hands In Motion

Could a collaborative effort between Dominican piano virtuoso Michel Camilio and Giovanni Hidalgo, who is commonly known as the finest living conguero, possibly live up to the expectations? The answer Hands of Rhythm offers is nothing short of "All that and them some, baby." The beautiful thing about hearing both Camilo and Hidalgo in a rare duo format is that unlike larger band contexts, their genius does not compete for sonic space with anyone. Every note, every stroke is clearly audible, and crystal clear. Almost as fantastic as the instrumental performance was the repertoire chosen. In fact, the overall flavor is not what one might expect from two players known well for blistering speed. A haunting, sensitive rendition of "Footprints" and the reminiscent "En Mi Viejo San Juan" are welcome surprises from a percussion lead duo. "Softly as in the Morning" and "Blue Monk" are swinging from start to finish. With these jazzy selections, the bossa nova-at-its-best "If You Knew," and the merengue "Papa Boco," Hands of Rhythm shies away from the clave-driven music that made these two men famous. 

And yet, they prove themselves as adept in any one idiom as the other. Hidalgo and Camilo make up for their small numbers with both taste and sheer brilliance. Hands of Rhythm is required listening for both these musician's loyal fan bases, and the Latin jazz listening public alike. ~ Evam C. Guttierrez https://www.allmusic.com/album/hands-of-rhythm-mw0000081472

Personnel: Giovanni Hidalgo: Bongos, Chimes, Composer, Congas; Michel Camilo: Piano

Hands Of Rhythm

---

Norm Kubrin - I Thought About You

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:52
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. I Thought About You
(5:45)  2. Isn't It A Pity'
(3:20)  3. It's A Wonderful World
(6:26)  4. My Ship
(4:54)  5. You Make Me Feel So Young
(5:01)  6. Summer Me, Winter Me
(4:18)  7. Let's Get Away From It All
(5:53)  8. Love Walked In
(3:51)  9. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(4:50) 10. The Shining Sea
(5:31) 11. It Could Happen To You
(5:24) 12. Where Do You Start

Vocalist-pianist Norm Kubrin fronts a trio on Thought About You with guitarist Bob Hanni and bassist Don Coffman. The piano-guitar-bass arrangement probably seems less familiar today than piano-bass-drum, and places the style and approach of Thought About You in the '50s. The songs by names like Gershwin & Gershwin, Kurt Weill, and Johnny Mercer reinforce this connection to mainstream jazz. The set sways between mellow ballads like "Isn't It a Pity" to happier, medium-tempo songs like "It's a Wonderful World." Kubrin's vocal approach and choices of material partly recall Mel Tormé, though his straightforward style lacks Tormé's flair and flourishes. Kubrin really enjoys slowing ballads down to a snail's pace, turning them into intimate late-night conversations between himself and one or two barflies. He's equally contented with easy rolling songs like "Nice Work if You Can Get It," though overall, Thought About You is a relaxed set. Kubrin, Hanni, and Coffman are quite comfortable together, which seems like a prerequisite for trio work, and all three know when to jump in and when to stay out of one another's way. The solo piano and guitar work are solid, though the sparks never really fly thanks to the mellow material and the trio's mellow approach. Kubrin and company have turned in a respectable effort, sure to please mainstream jazz fans. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford Jr. https://www.allmusic.com/album/thought-about-you-mw0000461969

Personnel:  Norm Kubrin, piano & vocals; Bob Hanni, guitar; Don Coffman, bass

I Thought About You

---

Vincent Houdijk - 15

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:54
Size: 114,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Intimate Moments
(5:14)  2. Shanti
(6:01)  3. Mapa (Solo Version)
(8:48)  4. 40 Degrees
(5:52)  5. The Sfinx
(6:22)  6. Art of Living
(9:53)  7. 15

The debut album entitled '15' was released in 2013 and is is a musical monument of Vincent Houdijk (1981) for his three year older brother Ashley who was also a percussionist and sadly enough did not survive the impact of the traumatic Hercules disaster in Eindhoven on July 15, 1996. At that time Vincent was 15 years old and was driven to become a professional percussionist after this tragic accident. This album 15 is an inspiring 'audio biography' of the 15 crucial years of his life - from the first moment of the accident up until the studio recordings of this first CD - which is the sign of the musical journey of Vincent Houdijk, which began in fact on the day he decided to become a professional musician. Vincent Houdijk has been awarded as 'Most promising Jazz Talent of the Netherlands' (by the jazz programmers of the major venues; VIP Association). He composed his second album Vortex and released this live-recording during a nationwide tour starting in the famous Bimhuis, Amsterdam. The title composition 15 - the last and most intense work on the album - is obviously a tribute to his brother, Vincent sees him as the main inspiration for his musical career. 15 symbolizes energy, vitality and total passion for music. Furthermore the debut album 15 consists of seven compositions with musical contributions from renowned jazz musicians Eric Vloeimans (trumpet), Bert Boeren (trombone) and Tabla player Walid Nowrouzi. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/vincenthoudijk

Band line up: Vincent Houdijk - vibraphone and all compositions; Christof May - saxophones and bass clarinet; Aron Raams - guitar; Ludo van der Winkel - double bass; Mark Schilders - drums

Featuring: Eric Vloeimans (on Art of Living); Bert Boeren (on Intimate Moments)

" VinnieVibes is a clear example of how young musicians experience and especially perform jazz in this era. The concert of Vincent Houdijks' VinnieVibes was an energetic event, expertly put down, with fresh ideas, great craftsmanship, attention to detail and as far as the bandleader itself is concerned, a tremendous sense of harmony, melody and swing." Rinus van der Heijden, Jazzenzo Magazine  4 star review by Jazzism Magazine

"The compositions of Houdijk emenate power and are vigorously brought to life. Each piece of music stimulates the imagination." Hessel Fluitman, JazzFlits Magazine

"Vincent Houdijk showed himself the disciple of his teacher" He exceeded his tutor "Not only as a vibraphonist, but especially as a creative artist: since all the compositions of his hand, which the band played this evening, had a quality that you do not often encounter in contemporary music. Strong in terms of melodic character, exciting in the construction and embedded into fine grooves." Gerard Hoekmeijer, Jazz New and Deep Foundation

15

---