Ruby Braff - Born To Play

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:43
Size: 158,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:59)  1. Avalon
( 9:07)  2. The Doodle King
( 3:56)  3. Medley:Smile/La Violettera
( 9:37)  4. Think
(12:08)  5. Jive At Five
( 9:14)  6. I Want A Litle Girl
( 8:36)  7. I'm Shooting High
( 6:03)  8. Born To Lose

At 71, cornetist Ruby Braff was still in prime form at the time of this interesting project. Braff decided to try something different so he utilized clarinetist Kenny Davern, three guitarists (Howard Alden, Bucky Pizzarelli and Jon Wheatley), two bassists (Michael Moore and Marshall Wood) and drummer Jim Gwin. The unusual six-piece rhythm section is well featured with each of the players somehow staying out of each other's way and the three guitars often emulating a piano. 

Braff sounds fine on such numbers as "Avalon," an emotional medley of two Charlie Chaplin-associated melodies ("Smile" and "La Violettera"), "Jive at Five" and a pair of the cornetist's originals. The closing "Born To Lose" is a frivolity with a so-so Braff vocal (why do older trumpeters feel compelled to sing?) but otherwise this is a successful mainstream effort. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-play-mw0000048581

Personnel: Cornet, Lead Vocals – Ruby Braff;  Bass – Marshall Woods, Michael Moore; Clarinet – Kenny Davern; Drums – Jim Gwin; Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Jon Wheatley

Born To Play

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Tadd Dameron - A Summer Sky Shines

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:12
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. Our Delight
(6:01)  2. Eb-Pob
(4:59)  3. Good Bait, Pt. 2
(4:10)  4. Symphonette
(2:55)  5. Sid's Delight - Tadd's Delight
(5:50)  6. Good Bait, Pt. 1
(5:25)  7. Anthropology, Pt. 2
(3:00)  8. Casbah
(3:42)  9. Anthropology, Pt. 1
(3:31) 10. Tiny's Blues
(5:17) 11. Dameronia
(4:04) 12. The Squirrel
(4:32) 13. The Tadd Walk
(6:27) 14. Wahoo
(3:09) 15. Lady Be Good

The definitive arranger/composer of the bop era, Tadd Dameron wrote such standards as "Good Bait," "Our Delight," "Hot House," "Lady Bird," and "If You Could See Me Now." Not only did he write melody lines, but full arrangements, and he was an influential force from the mid-'40s on even though he never financially prospered. Dameron started out in the swing era touring with the Zack Whyte and Blanche Calloway bands, he wrote for Vido Musso in New York and most importantly, contributed arrangements for Harlan Leonard's Kansas City Orchestra, some of which were recorded. Soon Dameron was writing charts for such bands as Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Billy Eckstine, and Dizzy Gillespie (1945-1947) in addition to Sarah Vaughan. Dameron was always very modest about his own piano playing but he did gig with Babs Gonzales' Three Bips & a Bop in 1947 and led a sextet featuring Fats Navarro (and later Miles Davis) at the Royal Roost during 1948-1949. Dameron co-led a group with Davis at the 1949 Paris Jazz Festival, stayed in Europe for a few months (writing for Ted Heath), and then returned to New York. He wrote for Artie Shaw's last orchestra that year, played and arranged R&B for Bull Moose Jackson (1951-1952) and in 1953 led a nonet featuring Clifford Brown and Philly Joe Jones. Drug problems, however, started to get in the way of his music. After recording a couple of albums (including 1958's Mating Call with John Coltrane) he spent much of 1959-1961 in jail. After he was released, Dameron wrote for Sonny Stitt, Blue Mitchell, Milt Jackson, Benny Goodman and his last record but was less active in the years before his death from cancer. Tadd Dameron's classic Blue Note recordings of 1947-48, his 1949 Capitol sides and Prestige/Riverside sets of 1953, 1956, 1958, and 1962 are all currently in print on CD. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tadd-dameron-mn0000016759/biography

A Summer Sky Shines

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Maceo Parker - Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert   Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:41
Size: 162,2 MB
Art: Front

(14:34)  1. Mcgriff's Blues
(13:03)  2. For the Elders
( 9:00)  3. Up & Down East Street
(10:07)  4. Shake Everything You've Got
( 7:25)  5. Peace Fugue
(16:29)  6. Everywhere Is out of Town

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Album: Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert   Disc 2

Time: 76:40

Size: 175,9 MB

(10:34)  1. Inarticulate Speech of the Heart

(13:31)  2. House Party

(13:18)  3. People Get Ready - Them That Got

(10:58)  4. Chicken

( 7:20)  5. Doing It to Death

(20:57)  6. Soul Power 1990 / Let Him out / Shake Everything You've Got

Live recordings are, by definition, a snapshot in time, a back beat of memory, a droplet of adrenaline forever suspended in amber. But as part of a tour, the most enduring live recordings deliver an additional, broader context, summoning up the overall spirit, the predominant mood, the zeitgeist, of that group of musicians in the process of evolving a chemistry between themselves, as well as with their audiences. The Bremen Concert does precisely that. It celebrates 25 years since the release of Maceo Parker's breakthrough album ''Roots Revisited'', which propelled him forwards from a career as a James Brown and George Clinton sideman to influential leader in his own right and back towards the music that he listened to growing up. This Bremen show is a definitive distillation of the band Maceo took out on tour after the album's release, a tour which connected him to a younger audience, encountering for the first time his music, his showmanship and his authenticity. The taproot of that band was the coming together of two generations of musicians. The elder (though absolutely not elderly, just older) were the three horns who had worked so often together in the James Brown bands Maceo himself on alto sax, tenor player Pee Wee Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley. Their younger rhythm section came out of the New York jazz scene: Larry Goldings on organ, with Rodney Jones on guitar and Bill Stewart on drums. This recording, from November 1990, comes from the latter half of that tour, which mixed dates at smaller jazz clubs with a handful of festival appearances. Bremen fell somewhere in between, a larger venue holding around 800. The audience there was predominantly in their 20s and 30s, not a typical jazz audience, producer Stephan Meyner says. Shortly after the release of ''Roots Revisited'', which had performed as well in Germany as in the States (where it had topped the Billboard jazz charts), they wanted to hear that mix of jazz and RnB, and funk. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Revisited-Concert-Maceo-Parker/dp/B009F4CCYY

Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert Disc 1, Disc 2

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Sadao Watanabe - I'm With You

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:00
Size: 168,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:30)  1. Tokyo Dating
(4:17)  2. Hip Walk
(6:17)  3. Tree Tops
(6:11)  4. Episode
(7:32)  5. I'm With You
(5:29)  6. Early Spring
(6:05)  7. Eye Touch
(4:29)  8. Warm Days Ahead
(6:14)  9. Airy
(4:14) 10. Tembea
(8:00) 11. Not Quite A Samba
(6:36) 12. My Dear Life

One of the most well-known Japanese jazz musicians of his generation, Sadao Watanabe is an adept, bop-influenced saxophonist with a deep love of Brazilian bossa nova. Blessed with a warm tone and lithe, swinging sound, Watanabe's recordings have found him traversing such varied styles as straight-ahead jazz, fusion, and crossover pop. Born in 1933 in Utsunomiya, Japan, he grew up in a musical family and initially played clarinet in high school, a choice purportedly inspired by seeing Bing Crosby play the instrument in 1941's Birth of the Blues. However, he soon picked up the alto saxophone after discovering the bebop recordings of Charlie Parker. Upon graduating high school, he relocated to Tokyo, where he gained his first professional experience playing with dance bands. In 1953, he joined pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi's group, ultimately taking over the ensemble after Akiyoshi moved to the United States. Watanabe eventually followed suit, attending Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1962-1965. While at Berklee, he broadened his stylistic scope, investigating Brazilian music and performing with luminaries like Chico Hamilton, Gary McFarland, and others. It was also during this period that he made his recorded debut, appearing on a handful of albums including a 1961 self-titled album and 1965 follow-up, Sadao Watanabe Plays. Moving back to Japan in 1965, Watanabe split his time between teaching and performing, appearing on 1966's Going Home: A Modern Jazz Album and joining fellow saxophonist Charlie Mariano on 1967's Iberian Waltz. He also displayed his love of Brazilian traditions on a steady stream of bossa nova-steeped albums, including 1967's Bossa Nova Concert and 1968's Sadao Meets Brazilian Friends. He also began appearing more regularly around the world, including a high-profile appearance at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival, and developed into a highly regarded, world-renowned jazz performer. His albums during these years reflected his eclectic musical taste and found him moving from straight-ahead dates like 1976's I'm Old Fashioned to expansive Brazilian fusion sessions such as 1977's Autumn Blow, and even breezy crossover pop affairs like 1979's Morning Island.

The '80s were also a fruitful time for Watanabe, who toured heavily, making numerous festival appearances. As a recording artist, he continued to embrace a crossover, funk, and R&B-influenced sound on albums like 1981's Orange Express, 1984's Rendezvous, and 1985's Maisha. That said, he never gave up his love of Brazilian music, as evidenced by his 1990 collaboration with singer/songwriter Toquinho, Made in Coracao. More successful pop-influenced albums followed with 1991's Sweet Deal and 1994's Earth Step. While the saxophonist certainly enjoyed mainstream appeal, he always remained indebted to his bebop roots, and peppered his discography with acoustic jazz dates like 1997's Go Straight Ahead 'n Make a Left and 1999's Remembrance, both on Verve. As Watanabe entered his fifth decade as a recording artist, he continued to balance his time between exploring his love of bossa nova and his longstanding dedication to acoustic bop-influenced jazz on such albums as 2003's Wheel of Life. In 2006, he reunited with saxophonist Charlie Mariano for Sadao & Charlie, followed by 2007's Basie's at Night. Two years later, he joined pianist Gerald Clayton for Into Tomorrow and once again returned to gorgeously rendered Brazilian jazz for both 2011's Come Today and 2013's Outra Vez. The intimate and urbane Naturally appeared in 2015. In 2017 he delivered the orchestral-tinged live album Encore! Recorded at Tokyo's Bunkamura Orchard Hall, the album also featured appearances by Dave Grusin, Robben Ford, and others. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sadao-watanabe-mn0000282544/biography

I'm With You

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Norah Jones - Begin Again

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:00
Size: 66,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:06)  1. My Heart Is Full
(3:49)  2. Begin Again
(5:30)  3. It Was You
(4:03)  4. A Song With No Name
(3:37)  5. Uh Oh
(3:48)  6. Wintertime
(5:02)  7. Just A Little Bit

On April 12, nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones is releasing Begin Again, a collection of singles that gathers seven eclectic songs that Jones has recorded over the past year with collaborators including Jeff Tweedy and Thomas Bartlett. 

Begin Again will be released on 12" vinyl, CD, and as a digital album and features the new song "Just a Little Bit," which was produced by Jones and features her on vocals, piano, and organ along with Brian Blade on drums. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Begin-Again-Norah-Jones/dp/B07NN68JLL

Begin Again

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