Bill O'Connell - Triple Play

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:39
Size: 133,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Triple Play
(6:29)  2. Flying By
(5:54)  3. Machu Picchu
(6:02)  4. A Call for Sanity
(4:31)  5. Just in Time
(5:48)  6. Second Son
(6:32)  7. Cravo E Canela
(5:35)  8. You've Changed
(6:15)  9. Afro Blue
(6:10) 10. Dansette

Pianist/Composer Bill O'Connell has long been a vital part of the New York Jazz scene. It is refreshing to see that he is given a rare opportunity to lead an ensemble on Triple Play, an unusual trio setting for O'Connell along with flutist Dave Valentin and Latin percussionist Richie Flores. O'Connell has only been given this opportunity sporadically and his efforts are preserved on indie labels, Inner City, CTI and two sessions for Random Chance. The pianist has worked with a wide variety of musicians but has expressed a preference for a Latin jazz ambiance and was with Mongo Santamaria for more than two years beginning in 1977. O'Connell has been the musical director for Dave Valentin for more than two decades. The enjoyment of listening to Triple Play is to hear the cohesiveness of these three musicians as they convene on an inspired Latin jazz session. In his liner notes Felipe Luciano suggests the difference between Latin jazz and jazz Latino. In jazz Latino, the music is a result of the harmonies of big band jazz and bebop while Latin Jazz is a music form that plays for the dancer and requires that the listener must pay attention to hear the music without forgetting the "The tradition of the clave in one's inner ear." Not a bad suggestion at all for this album inasmuch as there is a lot of musical room and space in this ensemble that only employs piano/flute/congas. The music on this album is provided by five originals from O'Connell, one from Valentin, two standards, a Milton Nascimento tune and a jazz standard from Mongo Santamaria. It is indeed difficult to say which instrument contributes the most to this session which is probably the most positive sign of any finished album. Flores, an accomplished but little publicized Latin percussionist, shows his versatility throughout the album and plays the cajón on "Machu Picchu," enlivens on timbales on two tracks and on congas elsewhere. Flores appears in a duet with O'Connell on Santamaria's "Afro Blue" and lays out on "Dansette" which is an O'Connell/Valentin duet. Dave Valentin is probably one of the most popular jazz flutists today although many may categorize much of his music as stemming from a smooth jazz preference. Be that as it may, Valentin has done for Latin jazz what Herbie Mann accomplished for the genre during the 1950s and '60s and on his most recent efforts, Come Fly With Me (HighNote, 2006) and World on a String (HighNote, 2005) the vibe is strictly mainstream Latin jazz. Ultimately the above observations can be shelved while listening to Triple Play as O'Connell and company let the music speak for itself. ~ Michael P.Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/triple-play-bill-oconnell-highnote-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Bill O'Connell: piano; Dave Valentin: flute, alto flute; Richie Flores: congas, cajón (3), timbales (6, 10).

Triple Play

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Zee Avi - Zee Avi

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:24
Size: 86,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:36)  1. Bitter Heart
(3:07)  2. Poppy
(3:06)  3. Honey Bee
(2:56)  4. Just You And Me
(3:48)  5. Is This The End
(3:32)  6. Monte
(1:44)  7. Kantoi
(2:35)  8. I Am Me Once More
(3:56)  9. First Of The Gang
(2:42) 10. Darling
(2:52) 11. The Story
(4:24) 12. Let Me In

The story behind the release of Zee Avi's self-titled debut album is very much a 21st century tale. The Borneo-born, Kuala Lumpur-raised singer/songwriter began posting songs on YouTube at a friend's behest. Soon after she began to accumulate a fan base, eventually including the head of Monotone Records, who, in tandem with the people at Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records, signed her to a deal. The resulting record is very much in tune with the Brushfire aesthetic, with a warm and cozy sound, intimate vocals, and a general feeling of calm. While her songwriting is strong and she dishes out many fine melodies and perfectly fine lyrics, the real draw is Avi's vocals. Breathy, quiet, and sweet as spring, yet never wandering into cutesy territory, she hooks the listener in right away and never lets go. Songs like "Honey Bee," "Monte," and "First of the Gang to Die" are probably the most beguiling on the album, as they feature only Avi with guitar backing her vocals, but the instrumentation on the remainder never gets in the way (as you might expect from a Brushfire release). It's a very promising debut by an artist who already seems in total control of her gift; the trick now is to maintain the momentum and keep making records this good. ~ Tim Sendra https://www.allmusic.com/album/zee-avi-mw0000814914

Zee Avi

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Kevin Hays Quintet - Sweet Ear

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:16
Size: 128,7 MB
Art: Front

(9:26)  1. Neptune
(6:39)  2. Sweetear
(4:09)  3. Fun
(6:06)  4. Almost Always
(6:23)  5. You And The Nigth And The Music
(7:09)  6. Beatrice
(6:57)  7. Lonely Woman
(8:23)  8. Judgement

A talented pianist, Kevin Hays grew up in Connecticut and started lessons when he was seven. He made his recording debut with Nick Brignola; toured with the Harper Brothers (1989-1990); and worked with Joshua Redman, Benny Golson, Donald Harrison, Roy Haynes, and Joe Henderson, among others. Kevin Hays recorded three albums with Bob Belden, and in 1994 cut his first record as a leader, Seventh Sense (Blue Note). ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kevin-hays-mn0000082897/biography

Personnel: Piano – Kevin Hays; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Vincent Herring; Bass – James Genus; Drums – Joe Chambers; Trumpet – Eddie Henderson

Sweet Ear

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Shelly Manne - Li'l Abner

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:24
Size: 93,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Jubilation T Cornpone
(4:35)  2. The Country's In The Very Best of Hands
(2:48)  3. If I Had My Druthers
(5:01)  4. Unnecessary Town
(4:35)  5. Matrimonial Stomp
(3:30)  6. Progress Is the Root of All Evil
(4:25)  7. Oh Happy Day
(5:43)  8. Namely You
(6:29)  9. Past My Prime

Breaking stride with many of his jazz contemporaries, Shelly Manne always had an ear attuned toward popular entertainment. In the 1950s, Broadway musicals, film scores and television shows were the fodder of the day and the drummer regularly mined these sources for material. The Contemporary label was ready and willing to release the results of these jazz commercial music hybrids. Just reference the clutch of Manne-led dates that yielded albums such as My Fair Lady, Peter Gunn and the recently reissued Checkmate. The former session marked the first meeting of trio dubbed The Friends with Previn, an in-demand Hollywood composer, and Vinnegar, a first-string walking bassist, rounding out the ranks. For their sophomore musical effort The Friends chose the Mercer and Paul musical Li’l Abner, based loosely on the Al Capp comic strip of the same name. The album’s cover revels in the classic kitsch of the period, picturing Manne in Abneresque overalls and ill-fitting Izod shirt, awkwardly lugging his drums and being chased by an especially buxom Daisy Mae. The musical itself updated the simple story of bumpkin Abner and the other residents of Dogpatch, USA with ominous Atomic Age overtones. Manne affects a similar modernistic touch on the trite at times songbook. 

Funky syncopations infuse the opener “Jubilation T. Cornpone,” as Previn builds with near gospel-like block chords. Manne’s whispering brushes are a blur and Vinnegar speed walks right down the center creating a solid harmonic anchor. Forwarding the rustic feel further, “The Country’s in the Very Best of Hands” builds from a ballad tempo on the sparse cymbal play from of the leader. Conversely, the trio tackles “If I Had My Druthers” at a sprinter’s pace, lighting a fire from crackling rhythmic tinder. Manne’s brushes are again a wonder, but it’s really Vinnegar’s chance to show how fast his fingers can race across the strings. The bassist’s throbbing, sparsely voiced notes on the mellow “Unnecessary Town” contrast beautifully with his earlier enthusiasm. Previn turns to delicate celeste after a stately piano prelude, and it’s a move that adds music box color to the trio sound. Rolling funk returns for the robust “Matrimonial Stomp” with Previn leaping from the dark to light poles of his keyboard and in the process summoning a startling range of emotional hues. “Oh, Happy Day” offers the biggest surprise of the date as Manne and the pianist suddenly shift gears from chordal to free improvisation. Jockeying through the brisk theme advanced by the drummer’s Latin beat, the trio suddenly disperses and its sticks and ivories in a darkly-tinged matching of wits that sounds far more like modern-day Jarrett and DeJohnette than something from an obscure '50s musical soundtrack. Beat and theme return abruptly, and it’s as if the fleeting leap forward into the future was only a figment of the imagination. Tipping their hats in a farewell to Dogpatch, the Friends hit the trail out of town on the laidback lope of “Past My Prime.” Manne had an uncanny knack for wedding the modern to the popular and making it pleasing to the palate, in a manner akin to Sonny Rollins. His Contemporary albums are littered with these kinds of experiments and this one is no exception. Li’l Abner the musical may not have performed well at the box office, but in Manne’s capable hands its credentials as a vehicle for jazz improvisation are convincingly proven. ~ Derek Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lil-abner-shelly-manne-contemporary-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel:  Shelly Manne - drums; André Previn - piano; Leroy Vinnegar - bass

Li'l Abner

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Tim Kliphuis - Counterpoint Swing

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:45
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:45)  1. Sheba's Tiger
(3:32)  2. Sugar Plum Blues
(3:26)  3. Counterpoint Swing
(3:56)  4. Django
(5:05)  5. The Moldau
(3:55)  6. Solveig's Song
(4:01)  7. Red Rose Calypso
(3:02)  8. Pent Up House
(2:41)  9. Waltzin' Mathilda
(3:14) 10. Erbarme Dich
(2:48) 11. Canon in D
(4:49) 12. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
(2:30) 13. Caprice No. 24

Dutchman Tim Kliphuis ranks among the world's finest jazz violinists. He takes Stéphane Grappelli's legacy into the 21st Century by infusing Gypsy Swing with Folk and Classical music.

"Stephane Grappelli's style is alive and well in the hands of Tim Kliphuis" ~  Nigel Kennedy

Think Stephane Grappelli, Frankie Gavin, Yehudi Menuhin, Slam Stewart, Django Reinhardt and Oscar Peterson all thrown together and you get an idea of Tim’s musical style. It's Jazz, Folk and Classical tunes in one"swingy, zingy mix" (Glasgow Herald) that is fresh and new but appeals to everyone.

"Ear-caressing" ~ Sir John Dankworth

After touring and recording with gypsy jazz guitarists Fapy Lafertin, Angelo Debarre and Stochelo Rosenberg, Tim moved on to create his own unique style which got him concerts all over the world in venues ranging from jazz clubs and concert halls to Swing and Classical festivals. He worked with Les Paul, Frankie Gavin, Martin Taylor, Bucky Pizzarelli, Martin Hayes and Jay Ungar.

"This was a charming, uplifting performance from a future great. Kliphuis’s music will take you back to a simpler point in time. He has the world at his feet ... check him out." ~ Scotsman

As a continental swing jazz educator, Kliphuis hosts Jazz Violin Workshops around the globe and was featured in several editions of Fiddler Magazine. His Tuition Book about Grappelli's style is scheduled to appear with Mel Bay Publications in 2008 and a first DVD is in the making.

“Kliphuis plays with an astonishingly fluid versatility, incorporating funky slurs, whooping hoedown flourishes" Time O. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/timkliphuis3

Personnel:  Tim Kliphuis: violin; Nigel Clark: premier Scots guitarist; Roy Percy: virtuoso bassist

Counterpoint Swing

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