Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Della Reese - Della Della Cha Cha Cha

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:19
Size: 75,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
(2:50)  2. Come-On-A-My House
(2:46)  3. Why Don't You Do Right
(2:41)  4. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(2:28)  5. Let's Do It
(3:14)  6. Whatever Lola Wants
(2:41)  7. Daddy
(2:09)  8. Tea For Two
(3:17)  9. Always True To You In My Fashion
(2:38) 10. It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
(2:15) 11. There's A Small Hotel
(2:22) 12. Love For Sale

Della Reese was an American singer, actress, as well as an ordained minister. She is remembered for her memorable jazz and gospel singing. Della started her career at an early age as a singer, and during the late 1960s, she started acting as well and became one of the most popular television personalities in the ensuing years. Reese was known for her gospel and jazz music and she released 18 studio albums during her extensive career. Some of her top hit singles like ‘And That Reminds Me’ and ‘Don't You Know?’ featured in the US Top 100 and US Cashbox charts. She was nominated for the Grammy Award thrice in her career. As an actress, she was much acclaimed for her role of ‘Tess’ in the American supernatural drama television series ‘Touched by an Angel’ that ran on CBS between 1994 and 2003. She also appeared in several other television films and shows in her illustrious career, including the likes of ‘Harlem Nights’, ‘A Thin Line Between Love and Hate’, ‘Nightmare in Badham County ‘, ‘Chico and the Man’, and ‘If I Had Known I Was a Genius.’..More... https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/della-reese-30272.php

Della Della Cha Cha Cha

John Dimartino - Passion Flower

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:47
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Johnny Come Lately
(4:20)  2. Lush Life
(4:19)  3. Rain Check
(4:38)  4. Star-Crossed Lovers (Pretty Girl)
(6:56)  5. Isfahan (Elf)
(5:59)  6. Chelsea Bridge
(6:33)  7. Daydream
(4:50)  8. Passion Flower
(3:33)  9. U.M.M.G.
(3:36) 10. Blood Count
(4:15) 11. Take The A Train
(4:44) 12. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
(4:09) 13. Absinthe (Lament For An Orchid)
(2:33) 14. Lotus Blossom

When esophageal cancer took Billy Strayhorn's life in 1967, his work and legacy rested squarely in the shadow of Duke Ellington's world. More than half a century later, though the two figures remain inextricably linked, Strayhorn's genius has moved past the penumbra of his legendary collaborator and employer, occupying its own clear place in the jazz firmament. Through biography and documentary film, his own lush life has been illuminated. And of equal importance, Strayhorn's compositions continue to bloom in others' hands, like perennials returning time and again to add welcome color and fragrance to the world.

For pianist John Di Martino, Strayhorn's music has always been part of the picture. Initially hooked in his teens, when he encountered "Lush Life" through the lens of Chet Baker and Russ Freeman, he's been a fan ever since. In the ensuing decades, Di Martino has had plenty of opportunities to explore Strayhorn's work in myriad settings, including, in recent times, concerts with multi-reedist Paquito D'Rivera. One such performance, at Flushing Town Hall in New York, inspired this album's executive producer, Neville Grusd, to drive the idea of this tribute forward.

Leading an all-star quartet with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Lewis Nash, Di Martino takes clear pleasure in working through fourteen classics. The quartet swings with verve on "U.M.M.G.," reconfigures "Day Dream" in waltz time, explores the ideals of wafting beauty on the title track, and gives "Take The 'A' Train" a twist through delayed melodic gratification. There's nary a weak spot to be found on the program, and the list of high points runs long. Alexander's absorbing cadenza on "Chelsea Bridge" elevates the ending, guest vocalist Raul Midon's solid work on "Lush Life" adds to the draw of that performance, a gorgeous solo piano take on "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" finds Di Martino in wonderfully reflective form, and a toned-down sax-and-piano look at Strayhorn's self-penned epitaph, "Blood Count," gets the proper message across. 

In short, everything is as creatively classy as could be expected with this A-list gathering. A testament to both the durability of Strayhorn's writing and the strengths of Di Martino's art, Passion Flower is pure beauty packaged in sound.~ Dan Bilaswsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/passion-flower-the-music-of-billy-strayhorn-john-di-martino-sunnyside-records

Personnel: John di Martino: piano; Eric Alexander: saxophone, tenor; Boris Kozlov: bass; Lewis Nash: drums; Raul Midon: voice / vocals.

Passion Flower