Bill O'Connell, The Latin Jazz All-Stars - Zócalo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:49
Size: 137,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Big Sur
(6:47)  2. Joshua
(6:58)  3. Zócalo
(6:50)  4. For All We Know
(8:24)  5. Nothing but the Truth
(7:45)  6. 21st Century Blues
(5:42)  7. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
(5:16)  8. Eric's Song
(6:21)  9. One Note Mambo

Latin jazz piano dynamo Bill O'Connell found a parallel between this gathering and Zócalo, the main plaza situated in the center of Mexico City; that square has long been a place where people meet to connect, celebrate and join together as one, and the same sense of togetherness and unity associated with that spot surrounds this recording. O'Connell and his simpatico sextet mates sizzle, swoon and soar as they explore the art of creation through communication. Sometimes connections manifest themselves in simple and common ways, as when bassist Luques Curtis bolsters an O'Connell solo while drummer Adam Cruz pushes and prods, but sometimes the connections are more intense, though in a less obvious way. When trombonist Conrad Herwig colors behind saxophonist Steve Slagle during "For All We Know," for example, the respect and love that these artists have for one another and for the music itself is clear as can be. When this band pushes the envelope and steps on the gas, as on the spirited re-write of "Joshua" and the fiesty "Nothing But The Truth," they create a powerful rhythmic undertow that can't help but suck in everything within earshot; the music is simply that powerful. Elsewhere, the material is poignant ("For All We Know), lighthearted ("The Surrey With The Fringe On Top") and luminescent ("Erik's Song"). O'Connell, Curtis, Cruz and conga player Richie Flores have a lot of chemistry and the horns really complement one another; Herwig's earthy trombone set against Slagle's focused alto or his piquant-to-pure soprano make for a winning combination. If the goal here was truly to let these folks share their musical thoughts and become one in the process, then mission accomplished for this fine group of musicians. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/zocalo-bill-oconnell-savant-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Bill O'Connell: piano; Steve Slagle: alto saxophone (1, 3-5, 9), soprano saxophone (2, 6-8); Conrad Herwig: trombone; Richie Flores: congas; Luques Curtis: bass; Adam Cruz: drums; Roman Diaz: bata (2), vocals (2); Jadele MacPherson: vocals (2).

Zócalo

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Dinah Washington - The Good Old Days

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:25
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Record Ban Blues
(2:43)  2. What's The Matter With Baby
(2:42)  3. I'm Crying
(2:23)  4. Shuckin' And Jivin'
(2:19)  5. When The Sun Goes Down
(2:30)  6. Set Me Free
(3:09)  7. My Devotion
(3:10)  8. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(2:25)  9. Go Pretty Daddy
(2:39) 10. I Ain't Goin' To Cry No More
(2:36) 11. Old Man's Darlin'
(2:29) 12. One Arabian Night

Dinah Washington was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time. Hers was a gritty, salty, high-pitched voice, marked by absolute clarity of diction and clipped, bluesy phrasing. Washington's personal life was turbulent, with seven marriages behind her, and her interpretations showed it, for she displayed a tough, totally unsentimental, yet still gripping hold on the universal subject of lost love. She has had a huge influence on R&B and jazz singers who have followed in her wake, notably Nancy Wilson, Esther Phillips, and Diane Schuur, and her music is abundantly available nowadays via the huge seven-volume series The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury. Born Ruth Lee Jones, she moved to Chicago at age three and was raised in a world of gospel, playing the piano and directing her church choir. At 15, after winning an amateur contest at the Regal Theatre, she began performing in nightclubs as a pianist and singer, opening at the Garrick Bar in 1942. Talent manager Joe Glaser heard her there and recommended her to Lionel Hampton, who asked her to join his band. 

Hampton says that it was he who gave Ruth Jones the name Dinah Washington, although other sources claim it was Glaser or the manager of the Garrick Bar. In any case, she stayed with Hampton from 1943 to 1946 and made her recording debut for Keynote at the end of 1943 in a blues session organized by Leonard Feather with a sextet drawn from the Hampton band. With Feather's "Evil Gal Blues" as her first hit, the records took off, and by the time she left Hampton to go solo, Washington was already an R&B headliner. Signing with the young Mercury label, Washington produced an enviable string of Top Ten hits on the R&B charts from 1948 to 1955, singing blues, standards, novelties, pop covers, even Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." She also recorded many straight jazz sessions with big bands and small combos, most memorably with Clifford Brown on Dinah Jams but also with Cannonball Adderley, Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Wynton Kelly, and the young Joe Zawinul (who was her regular accompanist for a couple of years). In 1959, Washington made a sudden breakthrough into the mainstream pop market with "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," a revival of a Dorsey Brothers hit set to a Latin American bolero tune. For the rest of her career, she would concentrate on singing ballads backed by lush orchestrations for Mercury and Roulette, a formula similar to that of another R&B-based singer at that time, Ray Charles, and one that drew plenty of fire from critics even though her basic vocal approach had not changed one iota. Although her later records could be as banal as any easy listening dross of the period, there are gems to be found, like Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," which has a beautiful, bluesy Ernie Wilkins chart conducted by Quincy Jones. Struggling with a weight problem, Washington died of an accidental overdose of diet pills mixed with alcohol at the tragically early age of 39, still in peak voice, still singing the blues in an L.A. club only two weeks before the end. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dinah-washington-mn0000260038/biography

The Good Old Days

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Junior Mance - That Lovin' Feelin'

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:43
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin
(3:58)  2. Mean Old Frisco Blues
(2:42)  3. Out South
(4:12)  4. The Good Life
(2:39)  5. Cubano Chant
(3:51)  6. Boss Blues
(2:39)  7. Blowin' In The Wind
(5:05)  8. When Sunny Gets Blue
(4:32)  9. Lee's Lament

That Lovin' Feelin' is an album by jazz pianist Junior Mance which was released on the Milestone label in 1972. The Allmusic site awarded the album 3 stars stating "That Lovin' Feelin' is essentially an album of acoustic-oriented jazz, but it is acoustic-oriented soul-jazz/hard bop that grooves in a funky, churchy, down-home fashion. Thankfully, That Lovin' Feelin' is not the sort of album that finds the artist playing note-for-note covers of rock and R&B hits and calling it "jazz" ...Although not quite essential, That Lovin' Feelin' is an enjoyable, swinging effort that deserves credit for having an interesting variety of material" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Lovin%27_Feelin%27

Personnel:  Junior Mance - piano; Bob Cranshaw - electric bass; Harold Wing - drums; Ralph MacDonald - percussion

That Lovin' Feelin'

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Donald Brown - Fast Forward to the Past

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:19
Size: 164,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:25)  1. Eminence
(6:39)  2. Skatterbrain
(7:09)  3. Carter Country
(7:13)  4. The Thing About George Coleman
(5:22)  5. Skain's Domain
(8:04)  6. Gazelle
(4:58)  7. Vera Cruz
(6:35)  8. Never In My Wildest Dream
(8:50)  9. Where Pelicans Fly
(6:59) 10. Don't Forget to Tell Her You Love Her

A fine pianist and educator, Donald Brown has also been a prolific composer. He grew up in Memphis and actually started out on drums and trumpet. By the time he attended Memphis State University (1972-1975), he was playing jazz piano. After years of local work, Brown replaced James Williams with the Jazz Messengers (1981-1982). He went on to teach at Berklee (1983-1985) and the University of Tennessee (starting in 1988), recorded albums as a leader for Sunnyside and Muse, and had his compositions performed and recorded by a wide variety of top modern jazz players. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-brown-mn0000180014/biography

Personnel:  Piano – Donald Brown; Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Mark Bolling; Bass – Essiet Essiet, Robert Hurst; Drums – Eric Harland; Electric Guitar – Lionel Loueke; Flute, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Danny Walsh ; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Jean Toussaint; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bill Mobley; Vibraphone – Steve Nelson

Fast Forward to the Past

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Angelo DeBarre - Angelo Debarre: Live in Paris

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 138,6 MB
Art: Front

( 3:48)  1. Le vieux tsigane
( 4:02)  2. Swing chez Toto
( 3:41)  3. Stand by
( 3:25)  4. Manège
( 3:25)  5. Entre amis
( 2:40)  6. La Manouche
( 5:08)  7. Troublant boléro
( 3:38)  8. Hungaria
( 3:18)  9. Stompin’ At Decca
( 4:20) 10. R-Vingt-Six
( 3:02) 11. Django’s Tiger
( 3:34) 12. My Serenade
( 4:36) 13. Micro
(11:13) 14. Vamp

Debarre was born in Saint-Denis, Paris, and began playing at age eight. In 1984, he formed his first group, the Angelo Debarre Quintet. In 1985, the group was hired by Serge Camps to play at his Parisian café, La Roue Fleurie, where Debarre was discovered by producer and guitarist Jon Larsen. Debarre has performed in several Romani and jazz festivals, including Birdland's annual Django Reinhardt Festival. He recorded Mémoires: Memories of Django with Tchavolo Schmitt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Debarre

Personnel: Guitar – Angelo Debarre; Contrabass – Antonio Licusati; Rhythm Guitar – Tchavolo Hassan; Violin – Marius Apostol

Angelo Debarre: Live in Paris

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