Tim Laughlin's New Orleans All-stars - New Orleans Classics

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:11
Size: 179,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:15) 1. Wolverine
(9:25) 2. Fidgety Feet
(6:27) 3. Tin Roof Blues
(7:06) 4. Dr. Jazz
(4:39) 5. Royal Garden Blues
(5:36) 6. Blue Orleans
(5:42) 7. Buddy Bolden's Blues
(6:38) 8. Dumaine Street Breakdown
(5:58) 9. March of the Uncle Bubbys
(5:03) 10. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
(5:25) 11. Milneburg Joys
(4:22) 12. Someday, You'll Be Sorry
(5:31) 13. Quincy Street Stomp

A native of New Orleans, Tim Laughlin fell in love with the sound of the clarinet before he ever held one after hearing a childhood friend practicing his clarinet. He was nine when he received his first horn and shortly after became hooked on jazz after hearing it on the radio.His first job was on a Mardi Gras float when he was only fifteen. After finishing high school he began working around town and eventually joined the musicians union where he would meet and perform with some of his most influential mentors.He has recorded a dozen solo CDs among which “The Isle of Orleans” (2003) is an award-winning collection of Laughlin originals. With this, he was the first and only New Orleans clarinetist to ever write and record an entire album of originals. The success of this CD caught the attention of "Music Minus One" and prompted Laughlin to license the master for the 2004 issue, along with “New Orleans Classics.” The CDs in the two publications include hand-picked musicians with whom students of all ages can play along.As Hurricane Katrina brought her devastation on the Gulf Coast, Laughlin and his band drove overnight to catch their flight and perform at a festival in South America.

From there, they watched the aftermath of what was to become the worst natural disaster in US history. Just a week after, the US State Department asked Tim to perform a one month goodwill “thank you” tour in Peru, Mexico and Canada. All had given aid to Katrina evacuees. The October 2005 tour included public concerts, benefits and master classes to elementary, middle and high school student as well as college students. With the students, the band performed and discussed the relevance and importance of their instruments and New Orleans Jazz, Benefits included one in Merida, Mexico, raising over $30,000 to help replace instrument and equipment for the New Orleans Center For the Creative Arts. Recently in 2009, Laughlin along with his good friend Pete Fountain opened the legendary Blue Room at the newly renovated Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, quickly selling out both nights. Today, you can catch Tim at some of his favorite clubs in New Orleans such as The Bombay Club, The Palm Court, Snug Harbor and The Windsor Court Hotel, where he performs every Saturday. Tim and his wife Juliet live on Royal Street in the French Quarter. They enjoy hosting small parties and jam sessions or salons for friends and visitors, keeping the old New Orleans tradition of “open house.” http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/tim-laughlin

New Orleans Classics

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Plas Johnson, Red Holloway - Keep That Groove Going!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:11
Size: 127,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:05) 1. Keep That Groove Going!
(4:11) 2. Stuffy
(6:47) 3. Serenade In Blue
(4:12) 4. Go Red Go
(7:22) 5. Bretheren!
(8:40) 6. Pass The Gravy
(6:33) 7. Jammin' For Mr. Lee
(5:02) 8. Cry Me A River
(6:15) 9. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

A number of shopworn lines might be used to characterize Keep That Groove Going!, a session co-led by Plas Johnson and Red Holloway. Bromides such as “A battle between two veteran tenor saxophonists,” and “A heady combination of blues and bebop” contain more than a grain of truth, yet ultimately obscure the larger picture. Beneath the emotionally charged surface of both Johnson and Holloway’s playing lies a wellspring of intelligence and good taste. Guided by an exceptionally tight rhythm section consisting of Hammond B-3 organist Gene Ludwig, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Kenny Washington, the septuagenarians tackle a diverse program that refutes the notion that there are artistic limitations in sustaining a groove.

It only takes a few bars of Johnson and Holloway’s jubilant unison statement on Coleman Hawkins’ “Stuffy” to realize something special is happening. Holloway starts the solos by digging right into the medium tempo and builds an edifice consisting of short phrases that wallow in his rich tone, leaving plenty of space for the rhythm section to fill. All the while Washington nips at his heels with prickly accents on the snare drum. Inspired by Ludwig’s comping, Johnson fashions a droll statement out of long bent notes and brief passages that flash on and off like an irregular neon sign. Using the metallic click of Washington’s hi-hat as a rhythmic guidepost, Ludwig’s all-too-brief turn swings intensely without ever breaking into a sweat.

Some of Holloway and Johnson’s most memorable playing occurs during their respective ballad features. Holloway doesn’t so much play the melody of “Serenade in Blue” as he caresses it, resembling something out of a heavenly dream. With a pointed note here and jagged phrase there, his solo moves in a virile swagger; eventually culminating in a succession of blues based declarations. Breaking out from his usual pensive manner, Ludwig follows, sounding uncharacteristically frisky by playing brisk lines that threaten to lose control before coming back into the fold. His ominous chords provide a fitting introduction to Johnson’s stunning performance of “Cry Me a River.” The first time around, the tenor saxophonist poignantly plays the initial part of the melody, hitting the first note hard and bending it before continuing as if exhausted from the effort. Johnson’s repeat of the same section is startling in its use of the bebop lexicon, sounding like a brief outpouring of anguish.~ AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/keep-that-groove-going-plas-johnson-fantasy-jazz-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: Red Holloway--tenor saxophone; Plas Johnson--tenor saxophone; Gene Ludwig--organ; Melvin Sparks--guitar; Kenny Washington--drums.

Keep That Groove Going!

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Mike Mainieri Quartet - Insight

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:15
Size: 100,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:49)  1. Autumn Leaves
(7:53)  2. Skating In Central Park
(6:01)  3. Rain Child
(6:51)  4. On The Trail
(6:39)  5. Instant Garlic
(2:51)  6. Minnesota Thins
(5:08)  7. La Plus Que Lente

Mike Mainieri, a talented and distinctive vibraphonist, has had a productive and diverse career. He first played vibes professionally when he was 14, touring with Paul Whiteman in a jazz trio called Two Kings & a Queen. He played with Buddy Rich's bands for a long period (1956-1963) and then became a busy studio musician, appearing on many pop records. Mainieri had opportunities to work with Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, and Wes Montgomery (1967-1968), among many others, and played in the early fusion band Jeremy & the Satyrs. During 1969-1972, he led a 20-piece rehearsal group called White Elephant that included the Brecker Brothers and other studio players. In 1979, he formed Steps (which later became Steps Ahead), an all-star jazz-oriented R&B/fusion band that included such players as Mike Brecker, Don Grolnick, Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd in its original lineup. Mainieri has revived the group several times since, with such musicians as saxophonist Bendik, Warren Bernhardt, Eliane Elias, Rachel Z, Mike Stern, Tony Levin, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine, and Steve Smith making strong contributions. In 1992, Mainieri founded the NYC label and recorded the adventurous An American Diary. Prior to NYC, Mike Mainieri had recorded as a leader for such labels as Argo (1962), Solid State, Arista, Artists House, Warner Bros., and Elektra. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-mainieri-mn0000490562/biography                

Personnel:  Mike Mainieri - vibraphone, arranger;  Joe Beck - guitar;  Lyn Christie - bass;  Donald McDonald - drums;  Sonny Lester - producer.

Insight

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Della Reese - Deep in a Dream

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:39
Size: 102,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:56) 1. Moon Love
(2:40) 2. Softly My Love
(3:00) 3. Stranger in Paradise
(3:37) 4. My Reverie
(3:16) 5. The Touch of Your Lips
(3:33) 6. These Are the Things I Love
(2:33) 7. Don't You Know
(3:23) 8. I Wish I Knew
(3:43) 9. Two Sleepy People
(3:29) 10. That Old Feeling
(3:41) 11. Deep in a Dream
(4:20) 12. How Did He Look?
(4:22) 13. These Foolish Things

Renowned as both a television star and a top-flight interpreter of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and straight-ahead pop music, Della Reese's many talents ensured a long, varied, and legendary show biz career. In addition to being nominated for both an Emmy and a Grammy and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Reese was also an ordained minister in the Universal Foundation for Better Living, an association of churches she helped found in the early '80s.

Born Deloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, the young Reese began singing in the Baptist church choir in her hometown of Detroit at age six. In 1945, having developed quite rapidly, she caught the ear of legendary gospel queen Mahalia Jackson, who invited Reese to join her touring choir; Reese did so for the next five summers. Upon entering Wayne State University to study psychology, Reese formed a women's gospel group, the Meditation Singers, but her college career was cut short by the death of her mother and her father's serious illness. Reese worked odd jobs to help support the rest of her family; she also continued to perform with the Meditation Singers and various other gospel groups. Encouraged by her pastor, Reese began singing in nightclubs in hopes of getting a singing career off the ground; recently married to a factory worker named Vermont Adolphus Bon Taliaferro, her name was too long to fit on marquees, and she eventually arrived at her performing alias by splitting up her first name. After impressing a New York agent, who promptly signed her, Reese moved to New York and joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1953. A year later, she had a recording contract with Jubilee, for whom she scored hits like "And That Reminds Me," a 1957 million-seller.

Switching to RCA Victor, Reese landed her biggest hit in 1959 with "Don't You Know?," a song adapted from Puccini's La Bohème; this cemented her career, leading not only to plentiful appearances on variety shows, but successful nightclub tours of the country and eventually nine years of performances in Las Vegas, as well as recording contracts with a variety of labels over the next few decades.

Building on her previous variety show experience, Reese made a small bit of television history in 1969 when she became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Later that year, she became the first Black woman to host her own variety show, the syndicated Della, which ran until 1970. Following its cancellation, Reese returned to her nightclub tours, often putting in guest appearances on television shows like The Mod Squad, Sanford and Son, and Chico and the Man; after three prior failed marriages, Reese also found a lasting relationship with producer Franklin Lett, whom she married in 1978.

On October 3, 1980, while taping a song for The Tonight Show, Reese suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly proved fatal; however, thanks to a successful operation, she was able to make a full recovery. She kept up her singing career and appeared on television shows like Designing Women, L.A. Law, and Picket Fences, as well as the Eddie Murphy films Harlem Nights and The Distinguished Gentleman. Reese also starred in the Redd Foxx sitcom The Royal Family from 1991-1992, and garnered what was undoubtedly her highest level of recognition in the inspirational drama series Touched by an Angel, a quite popular program that ran for nine years, between 1994 and 2003, on the CBS network. After Touched by an Angel finished its run, Reese continued to act intermittently on television through to 2014. She died at her home in Encino, California in November 2017 at the age of 86.~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/della-reese-mn0000196544/biography

Deep in a Dream

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George Cables - Too Close for Comfort

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:50
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:15) 1. Too Close for Comfort
(6:01) 2. Circle of Love
(5:56) 3. This Is My Song
(5:51) 4. Klimo
(8:30) 5. For All We Know
(5:34) 6. Crazy Love
(7:13) 7. Roses Poses
(5:38) 8. I've Never Been in Love Before
(4:05) 9. Teddy
(1:43) 10. A Valentine for You

The great George Cables is in wonderful form here balancing things perfectly between the boldness of his left hand on the rhythms, and the more lyrical modes that he opens up with the right serving up these effortless and beautiful tunes that make us fall in love with his music all over again! The trio's every bit as well-balanced and fluid as Cables on the keys Essiet Essiet on bass and Victor Lewis on drums although both of those artists step out for one solo track, and each handle a duo on their own with George.

And although the standard status of the title tune might make you think you're in for something pretty basic, the first note of the record argues strongly against that and keeps on making the case through tunes that include "Teddy", "Crazy Love", "Klimo", "This Is My Song", and "Circle Of Love". © 1996-2021, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/983957/George-Cables:Too-Close-For-Comfort

Personnel: George Cables (piano), Essiet Essiet (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)

Too Close for Comfort

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