Thursday, September 24, 2020

Marilyn Monroe - Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:29
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:31) 1. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend - From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
(3:03) 2. A Little Girl from Little Rock (with Jane Russell) - From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
(2:36) 3. I'm Gonna File My Claim - From "River of No Return"
(3:25) 4. When Love Goes Wrong, Nothing Goes Right (with Jane Russell) - From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
(3:02) 5. You'd Be Surprised
(4:21) 6. Heat Wave - From "There's No Business Like Show Business"
(5:00) 7. My Heart Belongs to Daddy - From "Let's Make Love"
(2:19) 8. A Fine Romance - From "Swing Time"
(2:46) 9. She Acts Like a Woman Should
(2:04) 10. One Silver Dollar - From "River of No Return"
(3:12) 11. Do It Again - From "The French Doll"
(2:59) 12. Kiss - From "Niagara"
(3:33) 13. Lazy - From "There's No Business Like Show Business"
(3:38) 14. After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It - From "There's No Business Like Show Business"
(3:29) 15. Specialization (with Frankie Vaughan) - From "Let's Make Love"
(3:25) 16. Bye Bye Baby - From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Baker. As the identity of her father is undetermined, she was later baptized Norma Jeane Baker. Gladys had been a film cutter at RKO studios, but psychological problems prevented her from keeping the job and she was eventually committed to a mental institution. Norma Jeane spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when she moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Unfortunately, when Grace’s husband was transferred to the East Coast in 1942, the couple couldn’t afford to take 16-year-old Norma Jeane with them. Norma Jeane had two options: return to the orphanage or get married. On June 19, 1942 she wed her 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty, whom she had been dating for six months. “She was a sweet, generous and religious girl,” Jimmy said. “She liked to be cuddled.” By all accounts Norma Jeane loved Jimmy, and they were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944.

After Jimmy left, Norma Jeane took a job on the assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, California. Several months later, photographer David Conover saw her while taking pictures of women contributing to the war effort for Yank magazine. He couldn’t believe his luck. She was a “photographer’s dream.” Conover used her for the shoot and then began sending modeling jobs her way. The camera loved Norma Jeane, and within two years she was a reputable model with many popular magazine covers to her credit. She began studying the work of legendary actresses Jean Harlow and Lana Turner, and enrolled in drama classes with dreams of stardom. However, Jimmy’s return in 1946 meant Norma Jeane had to make another choice- this time between her marriage and her career.

Norma Jeane divorced Jimmy in June of 1946, and signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. She earned $125 a week. Soon after, Norma Jeane dyed her hair blonde and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe (borrowing her grandmother’s last name). The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Marilyn played a series of inconsequential characters in her first films, until 1950, when John Huston’s thriller The Asphalt Jungle provided her with a small but influential role. Later that year, Marilyn’s performance as Claudia Caswell in All About Eve (starring Bette Davis) earned her further praise. From then on Marilyn worked steadily in movies such as: Let’s Make It Legal, As Young As You Feel, Monkey Business and Don’t Bother to Knock. It was her performance in 1953’s Niagara, however, that delivered her to stardom. Marilyn played Rose Loomis, a beautiful young wife who plots to kill her older, jealous husband (Joseph Cotten).

Marilyn’s success in Niagara was followed with lead roles in the wildly popular Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (co-starring Jane Russell) and How to Marry a Millionaire (co-starring Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable). Photoplay magazine voted Marilyn the Best New Actress of 1953, and at 27 years old she was undeniably the best-loved blonde bombshell in Hollywood. On January 14, 1954, Marilyn married baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio at San Francisco’s City Hall. They had been a couple for two years, after Joe asked his agent to arrange a dinner date. “I don’t know if I’m in love with him yet,” Marilyn said when the press got word of their relationship, “but I know I like him more than any man I’ve ever met.” During their Tokyo honeymoon, Marilyn took time to perform for the service men stationed in Korea. Her presence caused a near-riot among the troops, and Joe was clearly uncomfortable with thousands of men ogling his new bride.

Unfortunately, Marilyn’s fame and sexual image became a theme that haunted their marriage. Nine months later on October 27, 1954, Marilyn and Joe divorced. They attributed the split to a “conflict of careers,” and remained close friends. Marilyn was ready to shed her “shallow blonde” image by 1955. It had gotten her into the spotlight, but now that she had the opportunity and experience, Marilyn wanted to pursue serious acting. She took a hiatus from Hollywood and moved to New York City to study under Lee Strasberg at his Actors’ Studio.In 1956, Marilyn started her own motion picture company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. The company produced Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl (co-starring Sir Laurence Olivier). These two films allowed her to demonstrate her talent and versatility as an actress. Marilyn received further recognition for 1959’s Some Like It Hot, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy. On June 29, 1956, Marilyn wed playwright Arthur Miller. Friends reported she made him “giddy.” While they were married, Arthur wrote the part of Roslyn Taber in 1961’s The Misfits especially for Marilyn. The movie co-starred Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. Sadly, the marriage between Marilyn and Arthur ended on January 20, 1961, and The Misfits was to be Marilyn’s (and Gable’s) last completed film.

At the 1962 Golden Globes, Marilyn was named female World Film Favorite, once again demonstrating her widespread appeal. Sadly, in a shocking turn of events on the early morning of August 5, 1962, 36-year-old Marilyn died at her Brentwood, California home. The world was stunned. Marilyn’s vibrant spirit and beauty made it impossible to believe she was gone. On August 8, 1962, Marilyn’s body was laid to rest in the Corridor of Memories, #24, at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. https://themarilynmonroecollection.com/marilyn-monroe-biography/

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Roberto Ottaviano QuarkTet - Sideralis


Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:45
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:41) 1. Vulpecula
(5:09) 2. Berenice's Code
(4:47) 3. Planet Nichols
(3:43) 4. Planet John Lee Hooker
(1:50) 5. Ellingtonia
(2:02) 6. Afro Asteroids Game
(4:20) 7. On the Harmonica Wake
(3:26) 8. Holy Gravity
(4:34) 9. Centaurus
(8:10) 10. Sideralis

For his most recent work, just published, Roberto Ottaviano intended to make a tribute to John Coltrane on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. In reality, the disc is much more than a simple tribute to the great artist, who has always been one of the main points of reference for Ottaviano; the ten original compositions that compose it, all signed by the saxophonist from Bari, represent the ideal synthesis of the musical exploration work carried out over the years by its author. Hence the connection with the Coltrane of the last period, that of the sound research aimed at a cosmic absolute that we also find in this work.

Accompanied by very valid and renowned musicians such as the pianist Alexander Hawkins, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Gerry Hemingway , Octavian takes us on a journey through the galaxy of contemporary jazz, also recalling some of his roots such as John Lee Hooker , Herbie Nichols and Duke Ellingtoncited directly in the titles of as many pieces, in a continuous exploration based on written forms that leave much room for free improvisation. The long opening piece, "Vulpecula," is already an example of this approach, with its thematic fragments that alternate with freely improvised phases with a broken rhythm; but the culmination of abstraction is reached in the final "Sideralis," eight minutes of indescribable sound immersion in cosmic space. Between the two extremes of the CD we find shorter and more structured pieces that highlight the perfect cohesion of the performers called to a constant work together, in which even the rare individual solos are part of a larger collective moment. The CD certainly represents a challenging and courageous listening, but it pays off with a sound journey that leads us through a very intense and stimulating musical experience.~ Mario Calvitti https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sideralis-roberto-ottaviano-dodicilune-records-review-by-mario-calvitti.php

Personnel: Roberto Ottaviano: saxophones; Alexander Hawkins: plan; Michael Formanek: upright bass; Gerry Hemingway: drums.

Sideralis

Evan Christopher - The Art of the New Orleans Trio



Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:57
Size: 122,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:43) 1. CIty Park Swing
(4:34) 2. Hello, Goodbye Blues
(3:21) 3. The Cascades
(5:03) 4. Trois Danses Des Jeunes
(3:50) 5. Meet Me At The Eagle Saloon
(4:42) 6. Let Me Call You Sweetheart
(4:08) 7. Alone At The Ball
(3:15) 8. Old Sober March
(4:07) 9. You'll Be Cryin' The Blues,Not Me
(4:37) 10. Where A True Heart Waits For You
(4:21) 11. Follow The Second Line
(5:11) 12. Lonesome Me

Evan Christopher combines virtuosity, immaculate taste, and enthusiasm with a commitment to exploring the full range of possibilities in the New Orleans clarinet tradition. His highly personal brand of “contemporary, early jazz” strives to extend the legacies of early Creole clarinet heroes such as Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard and Omer Simeon. Critics remarking on Christopher’s dynamic expressiveness have coined his style “close-encounter music” (NEW YORK TIMES) and have called his respect for the music traditions of New Orleans, “a triumph, joining the present seamlessly to a glorious past.” (THE OBSERVER, UK).

His journey on Clarinet Road began in 1994, when he left his native California to join the New Orleans music community. Diverse freelance work included gigs with musicians such as Al Hirt and veterans of Preservation Hall to funk and brass bands including the Nightcrawlers and Galactic.But in 1996, he left for San Antonio, Texas to appear nightly for nearly three years with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and record several of their public radio programs, Riverwalk: Live from the Landing. When Christopher returned to New Orleans in 2001, his published research on the New Orleans clarinet style initiated pursuit of a Master’s degree in Musicology at Tulane University. He began touring internationally and producing his “Clarinet Road” series of CDs (STR Digital).

In August 2005, when Federal levees failed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina decimating the city, Christopher left again for Paris at the invitation of the French Embassy’s Cultural Services division, where he formed his group, Django à la Créole. This Europe-based quartet fused Gypsy Swing with Latin-tinged grooves of New Orleans and beyond and was distinguished for an acoustic intimacy paired with driving swing.
Critics charmed by the group queried, “Is there a more graceful band at work at the moment?” (THE SUNDAY TIMES UK).

Three CDs for Lejazzetal (London), in partnership with Frémeaux & Associés (Paris) Django à la Créole (2007), Finesse (2010), and LIVE! (2014) earned the group critical attention worldwide for its elegant character.As a composer, Christopher’s original songs are the high point of acclaimed recordings including Delta Bound (Arbors, 2007) featuring pianist Dick Hyman, The Remembering Song (Arbors, 2010) featuring guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, his clarinet feature on the Grammy-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s Book One (2012) and his latest Clarinet Road CD, Bayou Chant & Other Textures (STR Digital, 2016).

In July 2010, he had the honor to debut his Treat It Gentle Suite with the Minnesota Orchestra, which was the first concerto written for clarinet with band in the New Orleans style. Evan Christopher began his musical training on clarinet at age 11. In high school, he received the Louis Armstrong National Jazz Award and was one of the first graduates of the prestigious Idyllwild Arts Academy. He continued studies at the University of Southern California and graduated with honors from California State University, Long Beach. A brief teaching stint at the University of New Orleans saw the creation of a New Orleans music ensemble that performed with guest mentors such as Lucien Barbarin and Marcus Roberts. Since 2008, having returned once again to New Orleans, Christopher actively advocates for the cultural workforce and music education.He frequently tours with and records as a guest with forward-looking artists, while performances under his own name are often complemented by workshops and educational and community outreach. Occasional columns about the music scene and New Orleans culture written for NolaVie.com, evidence Evan's passion for the city’s indigenous traditions. https://www.clarinetroad.com/about/

The Art of the New Orleans Trio