Melissa Stylianou - No Regrets

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:34) 1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(3:29) 2. Remind Me
(7:10) 3. I Got It Bad (Feat. Billy Drewes)
(5:07) 4. Humming To Myself
(5:14) 5. I Wish I Knew
(3:40) 6. Somebody's On My Mind (Feat. Anat Cohen and Linda Oh)
(3:31) 7. Down by the Salley Gardens (Feat. Matt Wilson)
(5:31) 8. A Nightingale Can Sing The Blues (Feat. Billy Drewes)
(8:06) 9. I'll Never Be The Same (Feat. Anat Cohen)
(6:30) 10. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(3:26) 11. I Mean You (Feat. Bruce Barth)

Canadian by birth and training, the singer Melissa Stylianou has been living in New York for a decade now, where she has made herself known and appreciated for her valuable collaborations ( Ben Monder , Chris Lightcap , Matt Wilson , Rodney Green ) and concerts in prestigious clubs like Blue Note, Iridium, Jazz Standard or Birdland. If in the previous four discs he faced a varied repertoire, alternating well-known standards with themes by Tom Waits , Biörk or Johnny Cash, in this No Regrets he chooses to immerse himself in tradition accompanied by a first-rate trio, including pianist Bruce Barth , the double bass playerLinda May Han Oh and drummer Matt Wilson . In some pieces the clarinetist Anat Cohen and the saxophonist Billy Drewes participate as guests. The record was also recorded in the most traditional way: live in a single session, with a double track recorder.

Stylianou is a singer with a clear and sensual timbre, who manifests her jazz identity with a brilliant technique and an intense interpretative taste. His singing favors atmospheres of intimate colloquiality but knows how to soar in moments of whimsical rhythmic tension. The disc is a nice roundup of well-known standards and a few songs that are not very popular but with a valuable "historical curriculum." Among them we have "Somebody's on My Mind,"Billie Holiday is linked to her magical interpretation, the archaic "Humming to Myself" sung by Connee Boswell , or "A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues," linked to the languid versions of Peggy Lee and Julie London .

Melissa offers us successful versions of it, for elegance and sobriety, accompanied from time to time by Anat Cohen, Linda Oh and Billy Drewes. Another happy choice, which goes beyond the jazz tradition, is the traditional "Down by the Salley Gardens" sung with poetic intensity with only the accompaniment of the drums. Among the best known themes, we particularly appreciated the dynamic version of the Monkian "I Mean You," in duo with Bruce Barth. Translate By Google.... https://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-regrets-melissa-stylianou-anzic-records-review-by-angelo-leonardi.php

Personnel: Melissa Stylianou: vocals; Bruce Barth: piano; Linda Oh: double bass; Matt Wilson: drums. Guests: Anat Cohen: clarinet; Billy Drewes: alto sax.

No Regrets

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3D Jazz Trio - I Love to See You Smile

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:20) 1. I Love to See You Smile
(8:21) 2. Besame Mucho
(8:29) 3. Moonglow
(6:07) 4. Back at the Chicken Shack
(8:49) 5. Angel Eyes
(7:14) 6. Recado Bossa Nova
(8:12) 7. When You and I Were Young, Maggie
(3:57) 8. L.O.V.E.

The spirit of sisterhood isn't based on size, but, rather, built on the power of kinship. If anybody in the jazz world truly understands that fact, it's drummer Sherrie Maricle. Way ahead of the curve when it comes to spotlighting the need for female empowerment and equality in the music, she's helmed the Diva Jazz Orchestra for more than a quarter of a century. And while that ensemble remains her flagship, some smaller spin-off combos that have followed it also carry serious weight. A quintet Five Play was formed near the turn of the millennium; the Diva Jazz Trio, featuring the rhythm section from the larger ensemble, turned some heads with the release of Never Never Land (Arbors Records, 2009); and her latest triangular endeavor the 3D Jazz Trio has been drawing praise since its debut album dropped in 2016.

The origins of this band predate its first release by two years, when Maricle connected with pianist Jackie Warren and bassist Amy Shook while backing dancer Maurice Hines' Tappin' Thru Life production at the Cleveland Playhouse. Strong chemistry between these three was there from the beginning, so an easy partnership came to pass. And judging by the music presented on this sophomore release, the group's bonds have only grown stronger and deeper over time. Right from the start on the Randy Newman-penned title track this trio cooks. Warren's monstrous chops ride atop the infectiously swinging foundation, Shook steps to the fore in fine form, and Maricle's stick work shines between the hits. A wonderful scene-setter that's tight in all the right ways, it leaves no doubt about this band's capabilities.

As the album continues, 3D explores numerous musical angles. Following a flowing Warren introduction, the collective powers deliver a "Bésame Mucho" which burns with the heat of a thousand suns. With a "Moonglow" that features some Gene Harris-esque flights from Warren's fingers, this crew pushes the thermometer from cool to hot and back again. The group's dynamic take on Jimmy Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack" adds a welcome dose of blues and soul to the mix. And a haunting and happening trip through "Angel Eyes," with arco bass offering the melody while a menacing piano riff operates in the shadows, places this old chestnut in new light. Those first five numbers make clear that this trio can handle just about anything with aplomb, and the three that make up the balance of the program the Brazilian-t "Recado Bossa Nova," morphing 12/8 winner "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" and up-tempo "L.O.V.E." simply seal the deal. This three-dimensional band soars and roars through this set with power, precision and supreme taste. It's smiles all around here.~ DAN BILAWSKY https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-love-to-see-you-smile-3d-jazz-trio-diva-jazz

Personnel: Sherrie Maricle: drums; Jackie Warren: piano; Amy Shook: bass, acoustic.

I Love to See You Smile

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Curtis Fuller - Cabin In The Sky

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:30
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:49) 1. The Prayer / Taking A Chance On Love
(4:00) 2. Cabin In The Sky
(3:22) 3. Old Ship Of Zion
(4:15) 4. Do What You Wanna Do
(3:25) 5. Honey In The Honeycomb
(4:57) 6. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
(2:45) 7. Savannah
(3:46) 8. Love Turned The Light Out
(3:40) 9. In My Old Virginia Home (On The River Nile)
(5:27) 10. Love Me Tomorrow (But Leave Me Alone Today) / The Prayer

If you love Miles Davis' Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess both arranged by Gil Evans then you simply must consider Curtis Fuller's Cabin in the Sky. Recorded over two days in April 1962 for Impulse, the album's orchestrations are on par with both Davis albums and frame Fuller's trombone beautifully. [Pictured above, Curtis Fuller]. Arranged by Manny Albam [pictured above] one of the finest composer-arrangers of the '50s and '60s who remains woefully underappreciated Cabin in the Sky has the same sighing quality and provocative brassy bombast as the Evans works. They shift, turn, swing and ponder all the way through.

On the album, Fuller (like Davis) is cast as a wandering, vulnerable soloist who must spar with surging sections of the orchestra that hurl all sorts of heavenly bolts at him. From start to finish, Cabin in the Sky is a masterpiece that truly needs fresh critical consideration.At the time, however, the album was a considered a commercial flop through no fault of Fuller or Albam. Which is both tragic and baffling, considering its spectacular qualities and the musicians involved. Here's who were talking about... On the tracks with strings: Curtis Fuller (tb), Eddie Costa (vib,perc), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d) and Margaret Ross (harp) along with unknown strings. On the orchestral tracks: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Al DeRisi and Freddie Hubbard (tp); Curtis Fuller, Bob Brookmeyer, Kai Winding [pictured above] and Wayne Andre (tb); Alan Raph (b-tb) Harvey Phillips (tu) Jimmy Buffington, Ray Alonge, Tony Miranda and Morris Secon (fhr); Eddie Costa (vib); Hank Jones (p); Art Davis (b) and Osie Johnson (d).

As you can see, the date featured many of New York's finest. So what was the problem? To find out, I pulled Ashely Kahn's The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records off the shelf...

“The trombonist remembers that for a session requiring intricate coordination with large ensembles, all went surprisingly well until extra studio time was requested.

“ 'They allowed me three hours with the strings and three hours with the brass. The strings, obviously, went perfect; we got that done, boom, with time to spare. But we needed time to fuse the thing, to connect the strings with the brass... I said, No, [three hours is] kind of harsh, can we have another hour? They raised hell for about a week.'

“The album was completed, released with an evocative double male-female profile by photographer Pete Turner [pictured above], who received positive notice in the jazz press. Yet what ultimately transpired, from Fuller's perspective, was a bitter lesson in record company acccounting that can leave an unwary musician with little chance of recouping expenditures, some of which were hidden. “ '[Bob] Thiele said, If w'ere going to have strings, we're going to go all out. We went from a six-string ensemble to the New York Philharmonic. Well, now, whose budget is it anyway? Then I found out that they would charge me for the ashtrays and the music stands and everything else you know, this is a big business... [Photo above of Impulse producer Bob Thiele and John Coltrane by Joe Alper]

“ 'I think Creed [Taylor] would have run that over with me. But Bob Thiele was, Let's just do this and let's let it be done. But once the album came out, I just don't think that the company was prepared to put the kind of [marketing and promotional] money into it."

If you are unfamiliar with Fuller's Cabin in the Sky, you will be knocked out by the trombonist's conversational style and Manny Albam's extraordinary gift for turning an orchestra into a rip-tide of brassy energy. https://news.allaboutjazz.com/curtis-fuller-cabin-in-the-sky

Personnel: Curtis Fuller - trombone; Al DeRisi, Bernie Glow, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Royal - trumpet; Ray Alonge, Jim Buffington, Anthony Miranda, Morris Secon - French horn; Wayne Andre, Kai Winding - trombone; Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone; Alan Raph - trombone, bass trombone; Harvey Phillips - tuba; Eddie Costa - vibraphone, percussion; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Hank Jones - piano; Art Davis, Milt Hinton - bass; Osie Johnson - drums; Harry Lookofsky - violin, concertmaster; Margaret Ross - Harp; Unnamed string section; Manny Albam - arranger, conductor

Cabin In The Sky

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