Barbara Brussell - Patterns

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1998
Time: 54:56
Size: 76,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:39)  1. Patterns / Try to Remember
(2:07)  2. Everybody Says Don't
(3:04)  3. Mira
(3:25)  4. Nothing Really Happens
(4:12)  5. This Nearly Was Mine / Once Upon a Time
(3:11)  6. I Wish
(3:18)  7. First of May
(3:56)  8. This Dream / If I Ruled the World
(0:38)  9. Narration - Narration 1
(3:35) 10. Patterns
(3:35) 11. Mister Snow
(3:30) 12. Marry Me a Little
(3:47) 13. Buddy's Blues
(3:13) 14. Alfie
(4:41) 15. Move On
(1:42) 16. Narration - Narration 2
(3:14) 17. If I Could

West Coast cabaret singer Barbara Brussell could have played safe for her first album by selecting a play list from the Great American Song Book and from well-known shows from the Great White Way. Instead, she displays a bit of the daring by including a good number of lesser-known material. But their lack of familiarity does not make them any less intriguing or entertaining, at least the way this fine singer presents them. Among the songs that some may have a hard time recognizing is the wistful "Mira" from Carnival along with the intense yearning and regrets of the title tune, "Patterns," from Baby. Even some songs from hit Broadway shows are not the ones usually remembered from those productions. "Mister Snow" is not generally the first piece of music that comes to mind from the big hit Carousel. But with the rousing attention Brussell gives it, this tune may be seen in a different light. A certain indicator that the lesser-performed material deserves the vocal exposure given it by Brussell is that it in no way suffers by comparison with more heady stuff on the program. The poignant "This Nearly Was Mine," one of the biggies from South Pacific, is coupled in a medley with a charming "Once Upon a Time," resulting in one of the premier performances on the CD. Brussell has just the right vocal equipment for this material. She has a strong voice but keeps full command over it. But more important, it is filled with an expressive ability that catches the hard-to-find nuances of the melodies she takes on. She goes from sad to happy, from lost to sophisticated, from reserved to daring, and from sassy to coy with an effort that's barely noticeable. Patterns is an excellent first outing. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/patterns-mw0000602218

Patterns

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The Modern Jazz Quartet - Blues At Carnegie Hall

Styles: Jazz, Bop, Cool 
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:23
Size: 95,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:47)  1. Pyramid [Blues For Junior]
(4:56)  2. The Cylinder
(4:28)  3. Really True Blues
(5:39)  4. Ralph's New Blues
(4:09)  5. Monterey Mist
(3:56)  6. Home
(6:12)  7. Blues Milanese l
(4:13)  8. Bag's Groove

Blues at Carnegie Hall is a live Atlantic set from 1966, with the Modern Jazz Quartet performing eight blues-based compositions. In addition to such familiar pieces as the inevitable "Bags' Groove," "Ralph's New Blues" (dedicated to jazz critic Ralph Gleason), and "The Cylinder," there are a few newer pieces (including "Home," which is similar to Lee Morgan's hit "The Sidewinder") included for variety. This predictable but consistently swinging set is particularly recommended to fans of vibraphonist Milt Jackson. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/blues-at-carnegie-hall-mw0000318716

Personnel: Milt Jackson - vibraphone; John Lewis - piano; Percy Heath - bass; Connie Kay - drums

Blues At Carnegie Hall

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Grant Green - Ain't It Funky Now! The Original Jam Master (Vol. 1)

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:48
Size: 119,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:56)  1. Ain't It Funky Now
(5:46)  2. Ease Back
(9:18)  3. It's Your Thing
(4:45)  4. Love On A Two Way Street
(8:25)  5. Let The Music Take Your Mind
(5:55)  6. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself)/Cold Sweat - Medley
(7:39)  7. Betcha By Golly Wow

Ain't It Funky Now! is the third of three thematically organized Grant Green compilations in the Blue Note Original Jam Master Series all of which focus on his final period recording for the label, between 1969 and 1972. Green was deeply interested in popular Black music in his late period and that is reflected in these seven cuts taken from six different albums. The title track, of course, is the a read of the James Brown classic and also features Blue Mitchell on trumpet and Idris Muhammad on drums, among others. At nearly ten minutes, it's a deep-stretch groove piece with Green's guitar playing gritty and dirty center-stage. Other highlights include "Ease Back," a Meters cover from Green's Carryin' On outing, and a nasty version of the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," with Chuck Rainey and Muhammad in the rhythm section. The set closes with a decidedly non-funky yet very soulful cover of the Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly Wow" with Wilton Felder on bass, Hall Bobby Porter on congas, and fine soprano and tenor work from Claude Bartee, Jr.. Most Green-o-philes will have all this stuff, but these comps are cheap and sequenced wonderfully. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-original-jam-master-vol-1-aint-it-funky-now%21-mw0000205590

Ain't It Funky Now! The Original Jam Master (Vol. 1)

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Bob Wilber - Where Are You Now

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 90:07
Size: 208,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Petite Fleur
(6:25)  2. Promenade Aux Champs-Élysées
(4:01)  3. Egyptian Fantasy
(3:54)  4. Billie's Bounce
(3:36)  5. Oh Daddy Blues
(4:35)  6. Down in Honky Tonk Town
(4:37)  7. Smiles
(4:31)  8. Georgia Cabin
(6:02)  9. Dans Les Rues D'Antibes
(3:30) 10. This Is New
(3:44) 11. Chloé
(5:49) 12. Si Tu Vois Ma Mère
(6:09) 13. Someday You'll Be Sorry
(2:30) 14. Miss Jennie's Ball
(4:06) 15. Reverie
(7:30) 16. Premier Bal
(3:58) 17. Love Comes Along Once in a Lifetime
(3:11) 18. I Had It but It's All Gone Now
(3:11) 19. Feeling I'm Falling
(4:54) 20. Maryland, My Maryland

Throughout his long career, saxophonist Bob Wilber has done a lot to keep classic jazz alive. A bit misplaced (most jazz players of his generation were much more interested in bop and hard bop), Wilber (along with Kenny Davern, Ralph Sutton, and Dick Wellstood) was one of the few in his age group to stick to pre-bop music. Influenced on soprano, clarinet, and alto by Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman, and Johnny Hodges, respectively, Wilber has long had his own sound on each of his instruments. In high school he formed a band that included Wellstood, and as a teenager he sat in at Jimmy Ryan's club in New York. Early on he became Sidney Bechet's protégé and led his own young group, the Wildcats, with whom he released several early albums, including 1949's Bob Wilbur and His Jazz Band and 1951's Young Men with Horns. The close association with the dominant Bechet led to a bit of a personality crisis in the 1950s as Wilber sought to find his own voice. He studied with Lennie Tristano and formed the Six, a group that tried to modernize early jazz, a sound heard on 1955's The Six. When that ended, he played Dixieland with Eddie Condon, and in 1957 joined Bobby Hackett's band for a year. Wilber freelanced throughout the 1960s, working with Ralph Sutton and releasing such albums as Blowin' the Blues Away (with trumpeter Clark Terry) and New Clarinet in Town. In 1968 he became a founding member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band alongside Bob Haggart and Yank Lawson. A year later he paid tribute to one of his idols with The Music of Hoagy Carmichael. Along with his continued work with the World's Greatest Jazz Band, in 1973 he formed Soprano Summit with clarinetist Kenny Davern. 

One of the top swing-oriented groups of the decade, Soprano Summit released a handful of well-regarded efforts, including 1974's Soprano Summit I, and played numerous live concerts. Also during the '70s, Wilber teamed up with his wife, singer Pug Horton, in Bechet Legacy (which also featured either Glenn Zottola or Randy Sandke on trumpet). The '80s were a fruitful decade for Wilber, who performed often with a bevy of traditional and repertory ensembles, releasing such albums as 1981's Music of King Oliver, 1982's Ode to Bechet, and 1983's Reflections. He also suppled the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's 1920s Harlem-based drama The Cotton Club, and in 1987 authored his frank memoirs, Music Was Not Enough. The following year, he led a band at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Benny Goodman's famous concert. In 1990, Wilber paired again with Davern for Summit Reunion, and subsequently followed up with several of his own efforts, including 1994's Dancing on a Rainbow, 1995's Bean: Bob Wilber's Tribute to Coleman Hawkins, and 1996's Nostalgia on the Arbors label. He then honored legendary arranger Fletcher Henderson with 2000's Fletcher Henderson's Unrecorded Arrangements for Benny Goodman, and joined vibraphonist Dany Doritz for 2002's Memories of You: Lionel and Benny. He continued to tour and record over the next several years, appearing with Soprano Summit and releasing 2010's Bob Wilber Is Here! with Bucky Pizzarelli, Antti Sarpila, Nikki Parrott, and others. He then joined fellow reed players Sarpila and Pieter Meijers for 2012's The Three Amigos, and the following year joined pianist Bill Charlap's trio and clarinetist Anat Cohen at the Newport Jazz Festival. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-wilber-mn0000074476/biography

R.I.P.
Born: March 15, 1928, New York, New York, United States
Died: August 4, 2019, Chipping Campden, England

Where Are You Now

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