The New York All-Stars - Burnin' in London

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:46
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:08)  1. Almost Like Being in Love
(10:04)  2. I Could Have Danced All Night
(11:58)  3. Nightlife in Tokyo
( 9:44)  4. It's Magic
(12:18)  5. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
(11:32)  6. Summertime

Who would have thought that in this day and age a contemporary hard-bop / post-bop live CD could sound so good? Recorded live at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club on 20th and 21st November 2017 this little gem qualifies as a winner for the sheer visceral excitement conjured-up by its four participants. Senior partner in the band is veteran pianist Harold Mabern, registering a sprightly 81 years at the time of recording, whose playing here is absolutely incandescent. His former pupil, tenorist Eric Alexander cooks-up smoking, full-bodied saxophone throughout. Bassist Darryl Hall (not to be confused with Daryl Hall the rock musician) and Austrian born Bernd Reiter on drums complete the line-up and provide truly excellent accompaniment. The set kicks-off with a rousing, memorable version of Frederick Loewe's "Almost Like Being In Love" and is immediately followed by Loewe's hit from My Fair Lady "I Could Have Danced All Night," taken at a satisfyingly frenetic pace. However, things take an even more exhilarating turn with Mabern's original composition "Nightlife In Tokyo," the minor chord structure providing a perfect backdrop for Alexander's biting tenor. The sixties pop tune "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" is given a fresh re-working and remains in the listener's memory far longer than would have been thought imaginable. Another highlight is an energised and cliché-eschewing version of George Gershwin's "Summertime" in which Alexander manages to insert some quotes from "A Love Supreme." This fast-paced interpretation may well be one of the most original versions of that standard ever recorded, with the All-Stars channelling the sound of the classic Coltrane quartet, at times . The New York All-Stars confound all expectations and clearly demonstrate that this kind of jazz, which is very much alive, can really burn through any barriers. Hence the wholly accurate title. ~ Roger Farbey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/burnin-in-london-new-york-all-stars-featuring-eric-alexander-and-harold-mabern-ubuntu-music-review-by-roger-farbey.php

Personnel: Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Harold Mabern: piano; Darryl Hall: bass; Bernd Reiter: drums.

Burnin'in London

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Kristen Lee Sergeant - Inside Out

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:38
Size: 77,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Never Will I Marry
(4:06)  2. Everybody Wants to Rule the World
(4:27)  3. Old Devil Moon
(3:37)  4. Lullaby of the Leaves
(5:43)  5. I Melt with You
(4:01)  6. So Many Stars
(3:16)  7. Every Breath You Take
(2:06)  8. I Wish I Were in Love Again
(2:45)  9. It Never Entered My Mind

With Inside/Out (Whaling City Sound), Kristen Lee Sergeant emerges onto the crowded scene of jazz vocalists with a fresh, distinctive voice full of soul, authenticity and the gift of great storytelling. The title reflects the duality of each songs lyrics and placement, creating a cycle of emotions ranging from rapture to introspection to reality, bringing what is inside, out. Fun and fearlessness pervade this debut release as Kristen also turns 80's pop classics into adventurous jazz romps with the promise of even more exciting things to come. The restless, creative spirit that inspires her is evident on this recording, and deeply impacts the music and her listeners. Radio host, Jay Edwards of WCLK-FM's ""Jazz Tones,"" calls her an effervescent spirit whose superb vocals and phrasing inject the lyrics with new life, illustrating how influences from early onstage work palpably serve this recording. Inspired by Carmen McRae, Shirley Horne and Rosemary Clooney, Sergeant finds the swing and intimacy of each tune in every context. This release is a portrait of an artist coalescing all her influences, and those of her musicians, to a nuanced reinvention of standards & pop classics under the jazz canopy of swing and contemporary music. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Kristen-Lee-Sergeant/dp/B01J6011OS

Inside Out

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Ernie Wilkins - The Everest Years

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:45
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:35)  1. Broadway
(2:49)  2. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(3:13)  3. Falling In Love With Love
(2:26)  4. The Continental
(2:35)  5. Makin' Whoopee!
(3:09)  6. Stompin' At The Savoy
(3:14)  7. You're Driving Me Crazy
(2:17)  8. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
(2:34)  9. Somebody Loves Me
(2:25) 10. All Of You
(2:38) 11. Gone With The Wind
(1:55) 12. It Don't Mean A Thing
(3:33) 13. Ernie's Blues
(3:28) 14. Satin Doll
(1:56) 15. Fascinating Rhythm
(2:28) 16. Canadian Sunset
(2:29) 17. Very Much In Love
(2:45) 18. Undecided
(3:30) 19. Fresh Flute
(3:07) 20. I'll Get By
(3:50) 21. A Swinging Serenade
(3:31) 22. Lover Man
(1:58) 23. Everything's Coming Up Roses
(3:10) 24. Speak Low

Arranger Ernie Wilkins' two Everest LPs, Here Comes the Swingin' Mr. Wilkins and The Big New Band of the '60s, are reissued in full on this single CD. Recording during 1959-1960, Wilkins used an overlapping personnel of Count Basie members (both past and of the time), some of the top jazz-oriented studio players, and various miscellaneous jazz musicians. There is no way that this could have been a full-time big band, not with such soloists as Duke Ellington's tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, trumpeters Clark Terry and Thad Jones, and the Basie players, but Wilkins' swinging arrangements gave his short-lived orchestra its own sound. The weak point to the program is that all of the selections clock in around three minutes apiece, which was unnecessary by the late '50s, resulting in all of the solos being very brief. However, the music is easily enjoyable, making this set recommended to fans of swinging big bands. 

~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-everest-years-mw0000704087

The Everest Years: Ernie Wilkins

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Ernesto Aurignac - Anunnakis

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:48
Size: 119,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:37)  1. Ufos Are Here!
(12:09)  2. Anunnakis
(10:36)  3. La Órbita De Venus
( 7:23)  4. El Giro Del Cíngulo
( 4:51)  5. Bienvenidos Al Inframundo
( 8:10)  6. Todos Somos Monguis

Aurignac is an assertive alto sax player, somewhat after the fashion of Frank Morgan and on this live set his quintet came to play. There are washes of synthesized strings on El Giro Del Cingulo and the sound is sometimes sweet rather than surprising, but all five musicians are evidently highly accomplished. ~ Nic Jones, Jazz Journal (February 2016) https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/ernesto-aurignac-albums/6349-anunnakis-digipack-edition.html

Personnel: Ernesto Aurignac (as), Jaume Llombart (g), Roger Mas (p, keyb), Deejay Foster (b), João Lopes Pereira (d)

Anunnakis

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Bill O'Connell, The Afro Caribbean Ensemble - Wind Off the Hudson

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 141,1 MB
Art:

(5:12)  1. Wind Off the Hudson
(7:57)  2. Gospel 6
(6:54)  3. Jerry's Blues
(5:38)  4. I Don't Have the Answer
(5:45)  5. Oye Como Va
(5:40)  6. Perdido
(5:34)  7. Got Cha
(5:40)  8. Transition
(5:47)  9. C Jam Blues
(6:58) 10. Discombobulation

Bill O'Connell has had plenty to say with his piano in recent times, basically knocking out a session a year for the Savant imprint. And with an exploration within the solo format, a trip with an augmented trio, and ventures promoting a medium-sized conglomerate of heavy-hitters, he's certainly traversed quite an expanse there. But, as Wind Off The Hudson clearly shows, he's still got room grow. The Afro Caribbean Ensemble his largest on-record gathering of late, and a group indicative of a broadened view point and reflective of his work as the director of a similar outfit at Rutgers University is something like his Latin Jazz All-Stars. It's just bigger and badder. A dectet with a massive sound, it can swell to the sonic proportions of a big band, as demonstrated on the lead-off title track; or it can slim down to the size of a combo, as heard periodically on the soulful follow-up, "Gospel 6."  These ranks contain enough firepower to overtake small countries the presence of saxophonists Craig Handy, Ralph Bowen and Gary Smulyan, plus trumpeter Alex Sipiagin and trombonist Conrad Herwig, should paint a clear enough picture of strength and each member of the band is put to good use. Need proof? Check out the hot-and-heavy rhythm section of O'Connell, bassist Lincoln Goines, drummer Robby Ameen and percussionist Roman Diaz backing a smoking Sipiagin (and other soloists) on "Jerry's Blues," a paean to the late Jerry Gonzalez. 

Or take note of the way Andrea Brachfeld's alto flute adds different weight and textural dimensions to the poignant "I Don't Have The Answers." It's one thing to have all of this serious talent in one place, but it's entirely something else to know how to deploy it all, as O'Connell most certainly does. Those first four numbers all originals point toward a fertile mind constructing ideas from a relatively clean slate. But O'Connell is just as likely to recontextualize or personalize classics as he is to build from scratch. Adding an artful rendering of "Oye Como Va," a "Perdido" with a vibrant new coat of paint, a "Transition" that underscores Eastern melodic allure with Latin jazz grounding, and a choppy, contrapuntal "C Jam Blues" operating far away from Ellington's vision, O'Connell stakes his claim as an arranger of note. On Wind Off The Hudson, it's hard to know whether to be most impressed with O'Connell's imaginative pen, fast-thinking fingers or smart contracting skills. 

But the album doesn't require a choice. Part of the beauty is being able to, at once, bask in the beauty of the writing, the heat provided by the man and the burn delivered by his esteemed band mates. ~ Dan Bilaswsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/wind-off-the-hudson-bill-oconnell-savant-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Bill O'Connell: piano; Andrea Brachfeld: flute (1, 3, 5, 7-10), alto flute (4); Craig Handy: alto saxophone (1-3, 6, 7, 9, 10), soprano saxophone (8); Ralph Bowen: tenor saxophone; Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet, flugelhorn (4); Conrad Herwig: trombone; Lincoln Goines: electric bass; Robby Ameen: drums; Romaz Diaz: congas (1-3, 5-10).

Wind Off the Hudson

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