Chet Baker - Embraceable You

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:17
Size: 91,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:24)  1. The Night We Called It A Day
(4:36)  2. Little Girl Blue
(2:09)  3. Embraceable You
(2:11)  4. They All Laughed
(2:55)  5. There's A Lull In My Life
(3:40)  6. What Is There To Say
(2:50)  7. While My Lady Sleeps
(2:36)  8. Forgetful
(2:48)  9. How Long Has This Been Going On
(2:09) 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:10) 11. On Green Dolphin Street
(4:32) 12. Little Girl Blue
(3:10) 13. Trav'lin' Light

A ballad collection that emphasizes Chet Baker's troubled-romantic vocal style, it's not too surprising that these 1957 recordings remained in the vaults for almost 40 years. For one thing, Baker's delicate tenor, having won the hearts of thousands of teenage fans, was considered somewhat of a novelty to most critics. For another, his guitar-and-bass accompaniment is incredibly sparse, and while that doesn't hurt his trumpeting at all, being so prominent in the mix occasionally betrays his vocal limitations. Baker's fans, though, need not worry about such petty analysis, for the wistful, tormented tone of this record is the very sound that helped create the legend, and in places he is firmly in his element, especially on "There's a Lull in My Life" and a sublime instrumental version of "Little Girl Blue," which features some of his finest soloing. While it isn't the place to start, Embraceable You is a fascinating example of why Chet Baker's tragic spirit remains as attractive today as it was in his lifetime. https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/embraceable-you-mr0000359119

Personnel: Chet Baker - trumpet, vocals; Dave Wheat - guitar; Russ Savakus  - bass

Embraceable You

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Konstantin Klashtorni - 7 X 7

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:44
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. 7 X 7
(4:10)  2. Charmed
(4:02)  3. Moments Like These
(4:22)  4. By the Bay
(4:03)  5. Hypnotize Me
(4:07)  6. Timeless
(4:23)  7. Sensitivities
(4:16)  8. Reflections over Water
(4:24)  9. Just for 2
(3:50) 10. Nothing Stands Between Us
(3:49) 11. Late Nights with U

Konstantin Klashtorni has done more than most in extending the global reach of smooth jazz.  Originally from the Ukraine and now domiciled in Germany this fine multi instrumentalist has been building an extensive discography for the last sixteen years and is all set to add to it with the February 14 release of the superb ‘7 x 7’.  The date is significant in that it coincides with Klashtorni’s 49thbirthday, a milestone that he has used to bestow the album with its title. ‘7 x 7’ isa sumptuous eleven track collection of gentle rhythms and compelling melodies that draws on all Klashtorni’s experiences as solo artist, master of chill and king of cool. In fact, if you want to know what ‘7 x 7’, or for that matter Konstantin Klashtorni, is all about then look no further than the vibe drenched title cut that glides along like light on water.  Klashtorni is well known for delivering his jazz with a major slice of cool and they don’t come much cooler that the superb ‘Moments Like These’.  Elsewhere, and with expansive production throughout, the chilled out ‘Timeless’ really gets the job done while the warmly inviting groove of ‘Sensitivities’ might just be the ultimate antidote to a stressful day. Sounding more like a request than a song title ‘Hypnotize Me’ hints at the sublimely addictive quality of Klashtorni’s music and although the easy grooving ‘Charmed’ provides a timely reminder of his artistry on sax it is with ‘Just For 2’ that Klashtorni takes an enticing walk on the romantically melodic side.

‘Nothing Stands Between Us’ proves to be a slice of textbook mid tempo smooth jazz of the kind that never gets old while the first single to be selected for radio is the sunshine filled ‘By The Bay’.  It will go for adds February 10 and talking of sunshine the dazzling ‘Reflections Over Water’ where Konstantin comes up big on flute might well get in your head and not go away.  ‘Late Night With U’ brings ‘7 x 7’ to a close and its ‘feel good’ aura that is all pervading could well be a fitting metaphor for the entire CD. Konstantin Klashtorni first came to prominence in 2004 with his debut CD ‘Downtown’.  Although three more smooth jazz albums followed, it was in 2010, when his project ‘Kool & Klean Volume l’ was released, that he began to move in a slightly different musical direction.  It proved to be the first in a series of nine accessible and commercially attractive collections that sat somewhere between smooth jazz, electronica and chill. What the CDs actually did was reclaim some of the ground that previously had been the sole domain of Paul Hardcastle.  Parallel to all of that he embarked upon the seven-album ‘Groove Jazz N Chill’ set and also found time to release music to make love by under the title of ‘Love Suggestions’. More about Konstantin Klashtorni  A versatile saxophonist and a composer, Klashtorni has toured and performed throughout Europe and South America.  He studied jazz saxophone at Kiev State Music College in the Ukraine and received his Masters Degree in Music from the Rotterdam Royal Conservatory in Holland. In 1995 Konstantin traveled to Venezuela and enriched his musical repertoire by exploring and incorporating Latin American rhythms and styles into his music. Here, between 1995 and 2000, he worked with a whole range of bands and it was while touring with the Biella Da Costa band that Konstantin played at the 1996 Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Fast forwarding to the year 2000 and Konstantin, by then living in Holland, was rapidly developing contacts with a whole range of musicians. Just as significant he was cultivating his association with Nightstage Records and it was this partnership that was responsible for the release of his first album. The rest is history but the future is very much ‘7 x 7’. https://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2020/01/konstantin-klashtorni-7-x-7.html

7 X 7

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