Grady Nichols - Destinations

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:21
Size: 135,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. London Baby!
(4:48)  2. Only Dreamin'
(5:39)  3. You Know Me
(4:26)  4. Beachside
(4:17)  5. Faithfully
(4:49)  6. Nothin' Better
(5:01)  7. Only You Can Love Me This Way
(4:10)  8. Superman
(5:18)  9. Tulsa
(4:30) 10. Coming Home
(5:15) 11. You With Me
(5:16) 12. Walk Thru My Dreams

It was in 2008 and the advent of the excellent CD ‘Take Me With You’ that I first latched onto the artistry of sax-man Grady Nichols. In fact the discography of Nichols stretches all the way back to 1996 when his debut recording ‘Between You And Me’ first hit the streets. Since then he has released five more albums with the latest being the superb ‘Destinations’. Co-written and produced by Chris Rodriguez, this hugely accessible body of work checks every box imaginable and not for the first time marks out Nichols as one to watch. Make no mistake the richness of Nichols full-bodied saxophone sound really is something to savor and the energy he seems to routinely generate is exemplified by the opening track (and the first to go to radio) the big, powerful and ‘in your face’ ‘London Baby!’ However Nichols can mix it up too and does so to impressive effect with the romantically inclined ‘Only You Can Love Me This Way’. It’s a song that shows off the depth of the entire collection and in this respect much the same can be said of ‘Beachside’. With a lilting reggae beat and the sound of steel drums you might be forgiven for actually feeling the sand between your toes. Nichols is on record as accepting that many listeners are not locked into only one genre and he acknowledges this and then some with the pop orientated ‘Nothin Better’ which includes an attention grabbing vocal duet from Rodriguez and Krista Branch. Later Nichols returns to that same pop vibe for ‘Superman’ where Teel Merrick does a nice job on vocals and elsewhere he deftly turns the Journey hit ‘Faithfully’ into a big impressive instrumental ballad which might best be described as stadium smooth jazz. With a banjo pulsing in the background ‘Tulsa’ is where country meets contemporary jazz in the most delightful of ways. Despite all the odds the combination really works and totally captures the mood of this Oklahoma city while another tune to evoke vast open spaces is the melodically pleasing ‘Coming Home’. This, together wth ‘Walk Through My Dreams’, provide a tender counter-point to some of the horn driven pyrotechnics that have gone before whilst in terms of personal favorites the mid tempo ‘Only Dreamin’ (with edgy production and a strong hook) delivers a choice example of textbook smooth jazz. Also worth a mention is ‘You Know Me’ which not only benefits from vocals and Hammond B3 from former Chicago band member Bill Champlin but also from more of Nichols high octane playing. However, all things considered, my Smooth Jazz Therapy top track is the easy grooving ‘You With Me’. Co-written and featuring contemporary jazz heavyweight Jeff Lorber (who also contributed to Nichols last album) this one is right up there with the best that ‘Destinations’ has to offer. https://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/05/grady-nichols-destinations.html

Destinations

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Andrew Rathbun - Days Before and After

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:33
Size: 145,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:53)  1. Darkness Before Light
(4:49)  2. Missing the Sea
(8:12)  3. Forward Motian
(6:47)  4. Life as Crystals
(4:36)  5. The Whole Enchilada
(7:02)  6. There Will Come Soft Rains
(8:01)  7. Nomad
(6:32)  8. Hiccup
(7:38)  9. Hinge

How does a jazz musician go about adding some zest and shine, and maybe a touch of modernity, to the old tried and true saxophone-and-rhythm-section format? Sometimes they use a Fender Rhodes instead the accoustic piano, and sometimes they put an electric guitar in the keyboard's place; and sometimes they add a guitar to the piano, to give a denser weave to the harmonics. Rare is the use of two guitars in the jazz world that's more of a rock thing, it would seem. But that's the way saxophonist Andrew Rathbun and drummer Owen Howard do it on Days Before and After. And it works, and it sounds fresh and sharp-edged, and brings to mind the question of why the two guitar approach isn't heard more often in jazz. The sound that guitarists Ben Monder and Geoff Young bring to the set is mostly subtle, crisp understated single noting in front of delicate ringing chords, along with some seamless unison work with Rathbun's saxophone on the opener, "Darkness Before Light." The guitarists, in fact, sort of steal the show. Geoff Young I hadn't heard before, but Ben Monder played wonderfully on the recent Maria Schneider masterpiece, Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, '04); the two together create an original sound, adding a very interesting harmonic glow to the mainstream effort.Chico Hamilton, the great eighty-two year old drummer who is still going strong has always favored guitarists in his units, for the "sustain" that the instument brings to the ensemble sound. Monder and Young use their instruments' sustain properties fully here, painting metallic-hued washes to fill in all the spaces beneath the weave of the textures."The Whole Enchilada," an Owen Howard tune all the songs are either Rathbun- or Howard-penned gives the guitarists a chance to stretch out and wail on over into rock territory, while Rathbun gets a bit gritty on the tenor sax, with some of his most spirited playing on the set. Rounding out the successful components of the set is drummer Howard and bassist John Hebert, an assertive rhythm team that adds a vibrant organic bounce to the sound, a sort of sonic turgor. An outstanding set that should appeal especially to fans of jazz guitar. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/days-before-and-after-andrew-rathbun-fresh-sound-new-talent-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun - reeds; Owen Howard - drums; John Hebert - bass; Ben Monder - guitar; Geoff Young - guitar

Days Before and After

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Jelly Roll Morton - Classic Piano Solos

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:28
Size: 83,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:42)  1. Grandpa's Spells
(3:03)  2. Kansas City Stomps
(2:39)  3. King Porter
(2:47)  4. New Orleans Joys
(3:24)  5. Wolverine Blues
(3:10)  6. Jelly Rolls Blues
(2:54)  7. Shreveport Stomp
(2:52)  8. Stratford Hunch
(3:01)  9. Bucktown Blues
(2:59) 10. Big Foot Ham
(2:44) 11. Perfect Rag
(3:08) 12. Tom Cat Blues

One of the very first giants of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton did himself a lot of harm posthumously by exaggerating his worth, claiming to have invented jazz in 1902. Morton's accomplishments as an early innovator are so vast that he did not really need to stretch the truth.  Morton was jazz's first great composer, writing such songs as "King Porter Stomp," "Grandpa's Spells," "Wolverine Blues," "The Pearls," "Mr. Jelly Roll," "Shreveport Stomp," "Milenburg Joys," "Black Bottom Stomp," "The Chant," "Original Jelly Roll Blues," "Doctor Jazz," "Wild Man Blues," "Winin' Boy Blues," "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," "Don't You Leave Me Here," and "Sweet Substitute." He was a talented arranger (1926's "Black Bottom Stomp" is remarkable), getting the most out of the three-minute limitations of the 78 record by emphasizing changing instrumentation, concise solos and dynamics. He was a greatly underrated pianist who had his own individual style. Although he only took one vocal on records in the 1920s ("Doctor Jazz"), Morton in his late-'30s recordings proved to be an effective vocalist. And he was a true character.  Jelly Roll Morton's pre-1923 activities are shrouded in legend. He started playing piano when he was ten, worked in the bordellos of Storyville while a teenager (for which some of his relatives disowned him) and by 1904 was traveling throughout the South. He spent time in other professions (as a gambler, pool player, vaudeville comedian and even a pimp) but always returned to music. The chances are good that in 1915 Morton had few competitors among pianists and he was an important transition figure between ragtime and early jazz. He played in Los Angeles from 1917-1922 and then moved to Chicago where, for the next six years, he was at his peak. Morton's 1923-24 recordings of piano solos introduced his style, repertoire and brilliance. Although his earliest band sides were quite primitive, his 1926-27 recordings for Victor with his Red Hot Peppers are among the most exciting of his career. With such sidemen as cornetist George Mitchell, Kid Ory or Gerald Reeves on trombone, clarinetists Omer Simeon, Barney Bigard, Darnell Howard or Johnny Dodds, occasionally Stomp Evans on C-melody, Johnny St. Cyr or Bud Scott on banjo, bassist John Lindsay and either Andrew Hilaire or Baby Dodds on drums, Morton had the perfect ensembles for his ideas. He also recorded some exciting trios with Johnny and Baby Dodds. With the center of jazz shifting to New York by 1928, Morton relocated. His bragging ways unfortunately hurt his career and he was not able to always get the sidemen he wanted. His Victor recordings continued through 1930 and, although some of the performances are sloppy or erratic, there were also a few more classics. Among the musicians Morton was able to use on his New York records were trumpeters Ward Pinkett, Red Allen and Bubber Miley, trombonists Geechie Fields, Charles Irvis and J.C. Higginbotham, clarinetists Omer Simeon, Albert Nicholas and Barney Bigard, banjoist Lee Blair, guitarist Bernard Addison, Bill Benford on tuba, bassist Pops Foster and drummers Tommy Benford, Paul Barbarin and Zutty Singleton. 

But with the rise of the Depression, Jelly Roll Morton drifted into obscurity. He had made few friends in New York, his music was considered old-fashioned and he did not have the temperament to work as a sideman. During 1931-37 his only appearance on records was on a little-known Wingy Manone date. He ended up playing in a Washington D.C. dive for patrons who had little idea of his contributions. Ironically Morton's "King Porter Stomp" became one of the most popular songs of the swing era, but few knew that he wrote it. However in 1938 Alan Lomax recorded him in an extensive and fascinating series of musical interviews for the Library of Congress. Morton's storytelling was colorful and his piano playing in generally fine form as he reminisced about old New Orleans and demonstrated the other piano styles of the era. A decade later the results would finally be released on albums. Morton arrived in New York in 1939 determined to make a comeback. He did lead a few band sessions with such sidemen as Sidney Bechet, Red Allen and Albert Nicholas and recorded some wonderful solo sides but none of those were big sellers. In late 1940, an ailing Morton decided to head out to Los Angeles but, when he died at the age of 50, he seemed like an old man. Ironically his music soon became popular again as the New Orleans jazz revivalist movement caught fire and, if he had lived just a few more years, the chances are good that he would have been restored to his former prominence (as was Kid Ory). Jelly Roll Morton's early piano solos and classic Victor recordings (along with nearly every record he made) have been reissued on CD. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jelly-roll-morton-mn0000317290/biography

Personnel: Jelly Roll Morton - Piano.

Classic Piano Solos

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Oswego Jazz Project - And the Time is Now

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:35
Size: 132,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Four on Six
(8:16)  2. Watching and Waiting
(4:44)  3. Killing Time
(7:29)  4. Wave
(7:18)  5. Tug
(5:27)  6. Oswego Alma Mater
(8:52)  7. And the Time is Now
(4:37)  8. What Should I Say?
(5:50)  9. So Noted

For the Focus on Faculty Series concert, OJP welcomes renowned guest trumpeter Tom Manuel, with whom they previously collaborated at Stony Brook’s acclaimed Jazz Loft. Founded by music faculty members Robert Auler on piano, Eric Schmitz on drums and Trevor Jorgensen on saxophone, the group with newer faculty member Kyle Vock now on bass serves as musical ambassadors for SUNY Oswego by educating as well as entertaining. In addition to their musical mastery, the group is known for a commitment to spontaneity and innovative improvisation. "In jazz combos, many different groupings of musicians are possible," Auler explained. "While there is almost always a drummer and a bass player, other instrumentation can vary to play chords, a pianist is the most common, but a guitar player may be possible. Then, the melodic material (called the 'head') and a lot of the improvisation is done by lead instruments the saxophone and the trumpet are the most common." While Jorgensen is traditionally the Oswego Jazz Project lead player, "it's very appropriate, exciting and honestly a lot of fun to bring in a second lead instrument," Auler said. "It expands the creative possibilities of what we can do; it allows us to vary what instrument plays which head, bringing freshness to the sound during the concert; on some tunes, both will solo; on some tunes we'll choose one. Audiences also can expect OJP members to provide context and commentary about the tunes in concert while demonstrating an informal, immediate approach to the music, Auler noted. The group has released two albums: the self-titled "Oswego Jazz Project" in 2007, followed by "And the Time is Now" the following year.

Musical partnership
Manuel is the president and founder of the Jazz Loft, an extensive museum, performance venue and education space. "Last March, OJP performed there, and Tom joined us for a couple tunes," Auler recalled. "We had such a blast, we'll be teaming up with him in Oswego on April 8, then we'll follow him downstate to repeat the same program at the Jazz Loft April 10." OJP's trip to Long Island also will include meeting with high school students at Maspeth High School in Queens, Celia Cruz High School in the Bronx, the famed School of Rock in Port Jefferson and Harborfields High School on Long Island. Manuel is a faculty member at Stony Brook University, where he runs the pre-college Young Artist Program in jazz, and has taught at multiple Long Island colleges. Manuel's desire to give back has led to establishing music programs for underprivileged children in Haiti and Liberia. He has recorded several albums and been featured with his big band ensemble on radio and television. Manuel's accomplishments have been cited by The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Newsday, Jazz Inside Magazine and Jazz Ed Magazine. "If we play a tune written and made famous by, say, Miles Davis (trumpet), it would be historically appropriate to feature Tom Manuel's trumpet there rather than Trevor's saxophone," Auler noted. https://www.iheartoswego.com/oswego-jazz-project-to-host-sunday-afternoon-concert-april-8.html

And the Time is Now

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Emanuele Cisi, Francesca Tandoi - Sometimes We're Happy

Styles: Saxophone, Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:08
Size: 95,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. You've Changed
(4:58)  2. Foolin' Myself
(4:26)  3. Prezeology
(5:10)  4. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(2:55)  5. I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
(4:26)  6. Do You Remember Me?
(4:46)  7. The End of a Love Affair
(3:59)  8. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:37)  9. Rain Drain

“Leading musicians of the Italian jazz scene, each with their own handwriting and their own unique style of performance” Viktor Radzievsky. For the first time on the Russian jazz scene one of the most successful Italian singers and pianists of the last decade Francesca Tandoi (Rome), and the best saxophonist in Italy, according to JazzIt Emanuele Cisi (Turin), will perform ! Moscow will host the presentation of their new album “Sometimes We're Happy”, which was released on the new Russian music label VR Jazz Records! When Francesca Tandoi's gentle expressive voice, supported by the transparent iridescent sounds of the piano and the rich, rich timbre of the tenor saxophone by Emanuele Chizi, is joined together, the real magic of sound is created. The duet of two famous jazz masters was formed only in 2016 and today is actively touring in Europe and the United States, collecting rave reviews from music critics and journalists. They celebrate not only the brilliant mastery of performance, but also an excellent selection of repertoire, warm and romantic in spring. Francesca Tandoi graduated from the Hague Royal Conservatory with special honors in the directions of jazz piano and vocals, as well as the Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory, where she also attended seminars conducted by Barry Harris, Mulgrew Miller, Brad Mehldau. The singer collaborated and gave concerts with such musicians as Joe Cohn, Scott Hamilton, Madeline Bell, Leah Kline and others, performed in the USA, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, as well as throughout Europe - Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France , Belgium, Greece, Czech Republic. Permanent resident of the international festivals are the North Sea Jazz festival, the Mastricht jazz festival, the Breda jazz festival, the Bosendorfer and many others. With her own trio (Frits Landesbergen on drums and Frans van Geest on double bass) she recorded three CDs for Japanese label Atelier Sawano and sold more than 10,000 copies. Magazine JazzIt named Francesca Tandoi, the best young jazz musicians of Italy 2016

Emanuele Cisi - an outstanding Italian saxophonist with a world name, has repeatedly been recognized as the best saxophonist in Italy according to one of the oldest jazz publications in the world of JazzIt magazine, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. He is also an honorary professor at the Conservatory of Turin and several other universities, including Juliard in New York. There are twelve solo albums behind Senor Chizi, the last of which was released on Maxjazz New York label, as well as more than fifty records as a sideman. Over thirty years of musical career, Emmanuel Chizi collaborated and recorded with such outstanding musicians as Ron Carter, Clark Terry, Jack McDuff, Jimmy Cobb, Nat Adderley, Joe Chambers, George Cables, AlbertTootieHeat, Walter Booker, Kenny Wheleer, Sting and many others; He played in the most prestigious concert halls and at the biggest festivals of Europe, the USA, China, Oceania and South America. In the spring of 2016 and in the winter of 2018, maestro Emanule Chizi already visited Russia and gave more than 30 concerts in more than 20 cities of Russia, and also received the most enthusiastic reviews of journalists and jazz lovers. Musicians will be represented by jazz producer, director of VR Jazz Records Victor Radzievsky. Translate By Google https://www.jazzmap.ru/afisha/2019-03-06-klub-alekseya-kozlova-francesca-tandoi-emanuele-cisi-italy-prezentaciya-alboma-sometimes-were-happy.php

Sometimes We're Happy

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