Friday, May 28, 2021

BED (Dan Barrett/Rebecca Kilgore/Eddie Erickson) - Four + 1

Styles: Trombone, Vocal And Guitar Jazz, Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 139,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:45) 1. I've heard that song before
(3:47) 2. This can't be love
(7:41) 3. East of the sun
(3:33) 4. Jubilee
(3:39) 5. Cheek to cheek
(4:38) 6. Say it over and over again
(3:41) 7. The hucklebuck
(4:03) 8. You can't lose a broken heart
(5:12) 9. Midnight in Moscow
(4:30) 10. You're a lucky guy
(4:31) 11. Cross your heart
(3:31) 12. The best things in life are free
(3:04) 13. Seven lonely days
(2:44) 14. Drum booguie
(3:08) 15. I'll see you in my dreams

This fun and interesting set of swinging American songs brings together five close friends who share a fondness for good tunes played with heart, and a swinging beat. BED is an acronym formed by Becky, Eddie, and Dan, three of the four members of that special quartet. (Bassist Joel Forbes is the fourth member of the troupe). BED eventually changed its funny name to honor their default leader, vocalist Rebecca “Becky” Kilgore. The group now performs as the Rebecca Kilgore Quartet. For this session, Becky, Eddie Erickson, Dan Barrett, and Joel Forbes invited their good friend Jeff Hamilton to join them on drums.

Please note there are at least two terrific drummers who share that name. This particular Jeff grew up in New Orleans, and absorbed that city’s special regard for rhythm from the musicians he heard and with whom he performed around town. Additionally, Jeff studied with the great Cie Frazier, who for many years was the drummer with the original Preservation Hall Jazz Band! Over the years, Jeff’s approach has evolved into a very personal mix of New Orleans and later swing styles. He’s a perfect fit for his like-minded colleagues in the Rebecca Kilgore Quartet. In addition to Becky’s beautiful singing and Jeff’s tasty time-keeping, Four + 1 also features vocals by Eddie Erickson. Eddie also shines here in masterful guitar work, and several hip, swinging plectrum banjo solos.

In the competitive jazz scene of New York City, Joel Forbes was at the top of the list of great jazz bassists. A long-time friend of Dan Barrett’s Joel contributes consistently propulsive bass lines, and several horn-like solos. Finally, Dan Barrett displays his usual élan in his trombone solos, and in his thoughtful backgrounds behind each of the singers. For the old favorite Midnight In Moscow, Dan puts down the trombone, and plays cornet. If that isn’t enough, he moves over to the piano to back Becky and Eddie on a rollicking version of The Hucklebuck! Don’t miss this great set of swinging vocal and instrumental jazz! https://danbarrett.bandcamp.com/album/four-1

Personnel: Rebecca Kilgore Vocals; Dan Barrett Trombone; Eddie Erickson Guitar, Banjo; Joel Forbes Bass

Four + 1

Melissa Errico - Legrand Affair (Deluxe Edition)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 122:37
Size: 283,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:37) 1. I Was Born in Love with You
(5:39) 2. The Summer Knows
(6:08) 3. His Eyes, Her Eyes
(5:11) 4. The Windmills of Your Mind
(4:09) 5. I Will Wait for You
(3:45) 6. In Another Life
(2:39) 7. Martina
(2:44) 8. Dis moi
(4:52) 9. You Must Believe in Spring
(5:37) 10. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
(4:14) 11. How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
(4:45) 12. Something New in My Life
(4:14) 13. Maybe Someone Dreamed Us
(4:58) 14. Once Upon a Summertime
(2:55) 15. Celui-la
(5:03) 16. I Haven't Thought of This in Quite A While
(3:35) 17. Little Boy Lost
(3:47) 18. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? - Guitar Duo
(4:17) 19. The Way He Makes Me Feel
(4:47) 20. Hurry Home
(4:23) 21. Something New in My Life - Demo
(4:37) 22. Maybe Someone Dreamed Us - Demo
(4:50) 23. The Summer Knows - Demo
(6:29) 24. Once Upon a Summertime - Demo
(5:59) 25. The Windmills of Your Mind - Demo
(3:09) 26. Dis moi - Demo
(5:04) 27. Michel & Melissa at Work

A re-release of Melissa Errico’s album Legrand Affair further deepens her exceptional relationship to Michel Legrand’s songbook

“The time will come when all the waiting’s done”

I can’t pretend to be anywhere near objective about the music of Michel Legrand, it just touches my soul in the most intimate, indescribable way, so naturally the news of his death at the beginning of the year was devastating. And it is apparent that he inspires such devotion from many others too, most notably US Tony nominee Melissa Errico. Her 2011 album Legrand Affair was a real labour of love, recorded over a number of years with Legrand and the Brussels Philharmonic. And it deservedly established her as such a first-rate interpreter of his material that she has been called upon to participate many of the memorials that have celebrated his legacy this year. So the choice to release a deluxe edition of the album with 12 new tracks – demos and sketches, new recordings and incredibly, the last song Legrand ever composed feels entirely justified. It proves an unexpected but much-welcome addition to an already superb collection. With music of this quality, there’s something beautiful about the luxury of being able to bathe in the lushness of these orchestrations, and it isn’t often that you long for instrumental breaks in a vocal album but here, they are just dreamy to a fault. The interlude in ‘His Eyes, Her Eyes’ stands out, along with that new track ‘I Haven’t Thought of This in Quite a While’. The additional demos are fun, if not quite essential, given the masterly originals earlier in the album but as the last crumbs available from this superlative collaboration, they’re well worth the investment. https://oughttobeclowns.com/2019/12/album-review-melissa-errico-legrand-affair-deluxe-edition.html/

Legrand Affair (Deluxe Edition)

Kristin Korb - What's Your Story?

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:20
Size: 120,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Will You Still Be Mine
(5:14)  2. Flamingo
(4:42)  3. Traveling Groove Merchant
(3:27)  4. Doralice
(4:27)  5. What's Your Story Morning Glory
(4:07)  6. Don't Fence Me In
(3:16)  7. Them There Eyes
(3:13)  8. Moments Like This
(5:09)  9. Red Wagon
(3:54) 10. Green Dolphin Street
(4:59) 11. Always Searching for My Baby
(5:16) 12. I Wanna Be Loved

Though many a fine bassist Jay Leonhart, John Miller and Clipper Anderson among them occasionally sings, Kristin Korb numbers among the rare few who excel at both. When Korb launched her recording career in 1996, she ceded bass duties to her mentor and hero, Ray Brown. Since then, across five albums including What’s Your Story?, she has accompanied herself, maintaining a distinctly Brown-tinged bass style. As a singer, the Montana-born Korb seems of the same school as Tierney Sutton (who hails from Nebraska), her sunny wide-openness enticingly shaded by a faraway hint of dark clouds. And though Korb tends to be vocally looser than Sutton, they also share an ability to sidle up to a song, size it up and, with vaguely cynical cautiousness, nail its emotional heart. Working in the sparest settings since 2004’s Get Happy, Korb fronts a piano-less trio featuring drummer Jeff Hamilton and guitarist Bruce Forman for a wide-ranging dozen tracks. 

As always, the focus is on standards, including a saucy “Red Wagon,” a loping “Don’t Fence Me In,” a sultry “Flamingo” and a tender “Moments Like This” worthy of Peggy Lee. Korb’s fog-bound “On Green Dolphin Street” best showcases the solidity of her bass skills. And songwriter Amber Navran’s sly, slightly stalker-ish “Always Searching for My Baby,” which finds Korb in freewheeling Annie Ross-meets-Joni Mitchell territory, demonstrates how superbly she can navigate more contemporary material. ~ Christopher Loudon  http://jazztimes.com/articles/96916-what-s-your-story-kristin-korb

Personnel:  Kristin Korb - Bass / Vocals; Bruce Forman – Guitar; Jeff Hamilton - Drums

What's Your Story?