Friday, August 9, 2019

Eric Dolphy - Last Date

Styles: Flute, Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:42
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(11:16)  1. Epistrophy
( 7:14)  2. South Street Exit
( 4:46)  3. The Madrig Speaks, The Panther Walks
( 5:27)  4. Hypochristmutreefuzz
(11:21)  5. You Don't Know What Love Is
( 5:36)  6. Miss Ann

Apllegedly Eric Dolphy's final recorded performance a fact historians roundly dispute this session in Hilversum, Holland, teams the masterful bass clarinetist, flutist, and alto saxophonist with a Dutch trio of performers who understand the ways in which their hero and leader modified music in such a unique, passionate, and purposeful way far from convention. In pianist Misha Mengelberg, bassist Jacques Schols, and drummer Han Bennink, Dolphy was firmly entwined with a group who understood his off-kilter, pretzel logic concept in shaping melodies and harmonies that were prime extensions of Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor. These three Dolphy originals, one from Monk, one from Mengelberg, and a standard are played so convincingly and with the utmost courage that they created a final stand in the development of how the woodwindist conceived of jazz like no one else before, during, or after his life. Utterly masterful on his flute during "You Don't Know What Love Is," Dolphy's high-drama vibrato tones are simply out of this or any other world, perfectly emoting the bittersweet intent of this song. The ribald humor demonstrated during "Miss Ann" is a signature sound of Dolphy's alto sax, angular like Monk, jovial and more out of the box while he digs in. Where "Epistrophy" might seem standard fare to some, with Dolphy on bass clarinet it is based on voicings even more obtuse than the composer's concept, bouncing along the wings of Mengelberg's piano lines. The post-bop blues of "South Street Exit" is tuneful while also breaking off into tangents, with Bennink's crazy drumming acting like shooting, exploding stars. As the definitive track on this album, "The Madrig Speaks, the Panther Walks" demonstrates the inside-out concept, with mixed tempos changed at will and a 6/8 time insert with Dolphy's choppy alto merging into playful segments as the title suggests a most delightful track. The ridiculously titled "Hypochristmutreefuzz" might be the most understated fare in its more simple angularity, as Schols plays his bass in the upper register while the band dances around him. Last Date is one of those legendary albums whose reputation grows with every passing year, and deservedly so. While it reveals more about the genius rhythm section than Dolphy himself, it also marks the passing of one era and the beginning of what has become a most potent and enduring legacy of European creative improvised tradition, started by Mengelberg and Bennink at this mid-'60s juncture. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/last-date-mw0000191723

Personnel: Flute, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Eric Dolphy; Bass – Jacques Schols; Drums – Han Bennink; Piano – Misja Mengelberg

Last Date

Lucy Ann Polk - Forgotten Starlet

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 97:55
Size: 226,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:29)  1. Don'cha Go 'Way Mad
(2:39)  2. Easy Living
(1:47)  3. How About You
(3:55)  4. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
(2:39)  5. Looking At You
(2:54)  6. Makin' Whoopee
(2:44)  7. Memphis In June
(3:25)  8. Sittin' And Rockin'
(2:54)  9. Sitting In The Sun
(2:52) 10. Squeeze Me
(2:19) 11. Time After Time
(3:07) 12. When The Sun Comes Out
(1:56) 13. What's Happened To Joe?
(3:00) 14. Back In Your Own Backyard
(3:26) 15. I've Got The World On A String
(3:03) 16. Sometimes I'm Happy
(3:26) 17. Them There Eyes
(3:02) 18. Rock Me To Sleep
(1:36) 19. It's Too Soon To Know
(2:10) 20. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:01) 21. Where Are You
(2:18) 22. Crazy He Calls Me
(2:11) 23. Pretty Baby
(2:36) 24. You're Different
(2:53) 25. Waitin' At The Station
(1:58) 26. September Song
(2:41) 27. Black Coffee
(2:01) 28. Again
(3:21) 29. Squeeze Me (Alt. Version)
(2:46) 30. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(2:19) 31. But Beautiful
(2:36) 32. Swingin' On A Star
(2:31) 33. It's Always You
(2:12) 34. Aren't You Glad You're You
(2:20) 35. It Could Happen To You
(2:49) 36. Darn That Dream
(2:42) 37. Imagination

Lucy Ann Polk (May 16, 1927 – October 10, 2011) was an American jazz singer who performed with Les Brown's orchestra in the 1950s. She also sang and recorded with Bob Crosby, Kay Kyser, Tommy Dorsey, and Dave Pell. Polk began her music career with her sister and brothers in a quartet named the Four Polks, which was eventually changed to the Town Criers. They performed with big bands led by Les Brown, Lionel Hampton, and Kay Kyser until they disbanded in 1948. Polk became the lead vocalist with the Les Brown Orchestra. From 1952–1954, she was named Best Girl Singer with Band by Down Beat magazine. She began her solo career with the album Lucy Ann Polk with the Dave Pell Octet (Trend, 1954), followed by Lucky Lucy Ann (Mode, 1957; reissued by Interlude under the name Easy Livin in 1959). The latter album featured arrangements by Marty Paich. On both albums, she sang jazz and traditional pop songs by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, and Jimmy Van Heusen. She released no more albums and ended her career in 1960. In 1946, Polk married Dick Noel, who played trombone with Les Brown's orchestra. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Ann_Polk

Forgotten Starlet

Candy Dulfer - Big Girl

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:37
Size: 158,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Wake Me When It's Over (Album Version)
(4:39)  2. I.L.U.
(3:16)  3. Tommygun
(4:38)  4. Jazz It's Me
(6:16)  5. 2 Miles
(5:13)  6. Funkyness
(4:46)  7. Capone
(4:46)  8. Get Funky
(5:05)  9. Chains
(5:59) 10. September
(5:08) 11. Upstairs
(4:47) 12. I'll Still Be Looking
(4:04) 13. Big Girl
(5:39) 14. Wake Me When It's Over - Don Cher Processor-Mix/Long Version

Big Girl is the third album by Dutch alto saxophonist Candy Dulfer. Before its release, she had been working mainly with Ulco Bed. But she was impressed by keyboard player Thomas Bank. This album marks the transition between the two producers and has a funkier style that that tries to incorporate rap and hip hop into contemporary jazz. The album includes a collaboration with Trijntje Oosterhuis on "Funkyness" before Oosterhuis became widely known as a singer. The album is mainly instrumental. According to her official biography, the title of the album was an inside joke, referring to her father Hans Dulfer's album Big Boy and indicating that she had grown up and was in charge of her career.[2] The album peaked at No. 28 on the Dutch album chart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Girl_(album)

Big Girl

Bill Watrous Quartet - Coronary Trombossa!

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:59
Size: 112,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Here's That Rainy Day
(7:30)  2. Blue and Sentimental
(6:13)  3. Charmaine
(8:01)  4. No More Blues
(5:38)  5. Pig Farm
(7:59)  6. Goodbye
(6:48)  7. Diane - Bonus Track

William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939  July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known by casual fans of jazz music for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love" which he recorded on a 1993 album of the same name. A self-described "bop-oriented" player, he was well known among fellow trombonists as a master technician and for his mellifluous sound. Watrous' father, also a trombonist, introduced him to the instrument at an early age. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Watrous studied with jazz pianist and composer Herbie Nichols. His first professional performances were in Billy Butterfield's band. Watrous' career blossomed in the 1960s. He played and recorded with many jazz luminaries, including Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Johnny Richards, and trombonist Kai Winding. He also played in the house band on the Merv Griffin Show from 1965 to 1968. In 1971, he played with the jazz fusion group Ten Wheel Drive. Also in the 1970s, Watrous formed his own band, The Manhattan Wildlife Refuge Big Band, which recorded two albums for Columbia Records. The band was later renamed Refuge West when Watrous moved to southern California. He continued to work as a bandleader, studio musician, and performer at jazz clubs. In 1983, Watrous collaborated with Alan Raph to publish Trombonisms, an instructional manual covering performance techniques for trombone. He has recorded as a solo artist, bandleader, and in small ensembles. These recordings include a Japanese Import album in 2001 containing material recorded in 1984 with Carl Fontana, whom Watrous has cited as his favorite trombonist. He traveled periodically to San Diego to play with his good friend and former student, Dave Scott, a noted jazz musician himself and TV broadcast host. Watrous taught for two decades at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, before retiring in 2015. He died in Los Angeles on July 2, 2018. He was survived by his wife, Maryann; their son, Jason; and two daughters from a previous marriage Melody Watrous Ide and Cheryl Schoolcraft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Watrous

Personnel: Trombone – Bill Watrous; Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Jim Cox; Bass – Tom Child; Drums – Chad Wackerman; Percussion, Vibraphone – Dave Levine

Coronary Trombossa!

Marc Jordan - Both Sides

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:05
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:04)  1. Nearness Of You
(5:13)  2. Calling You
(5:08)  3. I Saw Your Smile
(5:50)  4. Walk On The Wild Side
(7:19)  5. Both Sides Now
(4:46)  6. What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life
(6:24)  7. Wild Horses
(4:14)  8. He's Going To Break Your Heart
(5:05)  9. People Get Ready

Listing all of Marc Jordan’s songwriting credits, awards and accolades would take up the whole word count of this review, so let me simply say that the man knows his way around a song. And since this album is mostly covers only two of the tracks are originals his mighty interpretative skills are a key component here. The other key component of Both Sides is Lou Pomanti, who produced, arranged and orchestrated all the tracks. These two men are at the top of their games and we are the beneficiaries. The album is rich with instrumentation courtesy of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and guest appearances by international heavies like Randy Brecker and Tommy Emmanuel, and local luminaries like Kevin Breit and Larnell Lewis. Although he covers a couple of standards from the Great American Songbook, it’s the reinterpretations of classic folk/rock songs that are standouts for me. In particular, Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side shines with its many layers and gorgeous woodwinds, courtesy of Toronto’s own, John Johnson. Although the soft, groovy treatment of the tune is antithetical to its subject matter, it works. Beautifully. Jordan’s thoughtful handling of the title tune also caused me to hear these familiar lyrics with fresh ears and I was struck by how mature Joni Mitchell’s writing was for one so young. (She was in her early 20s when she wrote Both Sides Now.) Overall, the album reflects a full-grown artist who has lived completely, and well. ~ Cathy Riches https://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/jazzaimprovised/29043-both-sides-marc-jordan

Both Sides