The Western Swing Authority - Big Deal

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:30
Size: 79,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:26) 1. Mississippi (feat. Jane Monheit)
(3:32) 2. Dance With Who Brung Ya (feat. Ray Benson)
(2:59) 3. Extraordinary (feat. Jason McCoy)
(2:49) 4. In the Middle of the Song (feat. Carolyn Martin)
(3:47) 5. Big Ball's in Cowtown
(3:44) 6. Big Deal (feat. Bruce Bouton & Buddy Spicher)
(4:06) 7. After the Leavin'
(3:14) 8. Swingin' from the Rafters
(2:45) 9. My Window Faces the South (feat. Jason Blaine)
(4:02) 10. This Old Bar

The Western Swing Authority is Canada's most recognized and awarded authentic Western Swing group. Made up of a collection of some of the country's finest touring and studio musicians, they came together to play the timeless style of music they love. Seamlessly combining stellar musicianship and vocals with traditional country and jazz standards and their own “new vintage” originals, they have created a sound that is truly their own.

WSA have been recognized with awards and nominations in both Canada and the United States and are reintroducing the Western Swing sound to an entire new generation of music lovers with every performance.

Recently, they caught the attention of a few of the music industry's most legendary icons, receiving an invitation to play a private party in Nashville in March of 2018 for none other than Garth Brooks and his manager Bob Doyle. In October 2019 the WSA released their 4th studio album, “BIG DEAL”, that includes guest appearances by 9x Grammy winner Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Grammy nominated Jazz sensation Jane Monheit, Canadian Country Stars George Canyon and Jason McCoy, along with many more amazing artists who have added their support and talent. https://grandmusiclive.com/wsa/

The Western Swing Authority is led by husband-and-wife duo Shane Guse (fiddle, vocals) and Stacey Lee Guse (vocals). The others are Ed "Pee Wee Charles" Ringwald (steel guitar), Dan Howlett (fiddle, vocals), Paul "Chappy" Chapman (guitar and vocals), Matthew Lima (standup bass) and Jimmy Boudreau (drums). https://www.therecord.com/entertainment/2018/12/20/western-swing-authority-s-big-deal.html

Big Deal

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Jazz Messengers '70

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:19
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:49) 1. Moanin'
( 4:57) 2. Blues March
( 6:34) 3. Whisper Not
(10:14) 4. It's Only A Paper Moon
( 6:51) 5. What The World Needs Now Is Peace And Love
( 5:25) 6. Politely
( 9:26) 7. A Night In Tunisia

One of only two albums recorded by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers during 1967-71, this LP is quite unusual, for not only does it feature veteran trumpeter Bill Hardman, but the avant-garde tenor of Carlos Garnett and pianist Joanne Brackeen (the first female member of The Jazz Messengers). Mostly performing durable standards such as "Moanin'," "Whisper Not" and "A Night in Tunisia," the quintet casts new light on these tunes, making them sound fresh and flexible. This unusual set is recommended to longtime followers of Art Blakey; it deserves to be reissued on CD.

Personnel: Bass – Jan Arnet; Drums – Art Blakey; Piano – Joanne Brackeen; Tenor Saxophone – Carlos Garnett; Trumpet – Bill Hardman

Jazz Messengers'70

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Miho Sasaki Trio - From My Heart

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:46
Size: 137,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:17) 1. There Will Never Be Another You
(6:27) 2. How Deep Is the Ocean?
(7:09) 3. Room 81
(7:44) 4. Under the Water
(5:33) 5. I Wish I Were with You
(9:57) 6. But It's Alright
(5:53) 7. Lush Life
(5:48) 8. Struttin' with Some Barbecue
(4:53) 9. From My Heart

Japanese-born pianist Miho Sasaki put down some productive roots in the United States, studying piano with Donald Vega at SUNY Purchase College, where she earned a James Moody Scholarship. The challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic sent her back home to Tokyo, where she live streams her music and teaches online. But the challenges of Covid did not prevent her from recording and releasing her debut CD, From My Heart.

The first impression coming from the album's first spin is that even though Japan is a long way, geographically and culturally, from the birthplace of jazz Sasaki's music sounds American, as if the DNA of the Great American Songbook, jazz standards and the blues are embedded deep down in her bones. She and her trio open with the familiar "There Will Never Be Another You," starting out in a somewhat hushed and languid manner, laying down a loose groove while searching for a tighter one, certain it will coalesce. It does, after an initial improvisation on the theme which shifts gears in an eye blink, incited by a sharp snare drum hit, with bassist Yoshimisa Otsuka and drummer Yoshifumi Nihonmatsu gelling into a more assertive forward momentum which enlivens Sasaki and the entire trio dynamic.

Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is The Ocean" rolls the same way, a relaxed opening which moves into a relentless up-tempo romp, followed by the first of five Sasaki originals, starting with "Room 81," a buoyant sound that brings Ahmad Jamal to mind, in Sasaki's playing and composing. Asked about her influences, Sasaki said, "I basically like bebop pianists like Wynton Kelly, Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan and Red Garland." The Garland mention seems especially appropriate as"Room 81" even includes to go along with Sasaki's Garland-esque light touch and keyboard sparkle a particularly deft arco bass solo by Otsuka, reminiscent of Paul Chambers approach, in his work in the Red Garland Trio.

Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" get a beautifully reverent treatment, with Sasaki sounding especially pensive, leading into "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," which was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1927, and sounding here, in 2021, like a rollicking good time down on Bourbon Street. Sasaki closes with her original, the disc's title tune, music fittingly titled to describe the pianist's purity of purpose and focused artistic vision on a fine debut. Sasaki closes with her original, the disc's title tune, music fittingly titled to describe the pianist's purity of purpose and focused artistic vision on a fine debut.~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-my-heart-miho-sasaki-self-produced

Miho Sasaki is a jazz pianist originally from Japan. Born in Tokyo, she began to play piano at the age of 5 and continued studying music through high school. After her exposure to jazz and enrolling in a jazz program for two years, she began her musical career. She has performed in many venues and has taught in Tokyo. In 2016, she received a scholarship from the Rotary Foundation to study abroad, which led her to the jazz program of SUNY Purchase. Approaching her third year in the program, she was selected as the prestigious James Moody Scholarship recipient. She has performed at many jazz venues in New York City, such as Tomi Jazz, Cleopatra's Needle, and Knickerbocker Bar and Grill. In 2018, she led her trio on a tour in Japan. And she also attended a historical jazz competition in Tokyo, called the “38th Asakusa Jazz Contest,” and her trio won third place. In 2021, she released her album “From My Heart”. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/mihosasaki

Personnel: Miho Sasaki: piano; Yoshimasa Otsuka: drums; Yoshifumi Nihonmatsu: bass, acoustic.

From My Heart

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Jeff Denson & Joshua White - I'll Fly Away

Styles: Hymns and Spirituals
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:11
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:34) 1. I'll Fly Away (Version One)
(5:19) 2. Lord, I Want to be a Christian
(5:22) 3. Down at the Cross
(5:47) 4. Amazing Grace
(3:52) 5. I'll Fly Away (Version Two)
(6:10) 6. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
(4:11) 7. When the Saints Go Marching In
(3:57) 8. Just As I Am
(3:09) 9. Crying in the Chapel
(5:03) 10. In the Garden
(2:41) 11. I'll Fly Away (Version Three)

Jeff Denson has been alto saxophone legend Lee Konitz's bassist of choice for the past several years, and it's easy to see why on this superlative duet album of gospel music with the explosive pianist Joshua White, who, at age 28 appears ready to take the world by storm. White has almost twenty years of experience playing gospel music obvious by the great liberties he uses to transform this music while retaining a visceral authenticity. There are three radically different versions of the title track here, but the opening take on I'll Fly Away, is a stunner. Over the dark and wood-grain pulse of Denson, White expounds like a player-piano infused with the holy spirit, as well as a liberal dash of Cecil Taylor to keep it real.

Indeed, much of what makes this disc so satisfying is the open embrace of dissonant textures and audacious harmonic choices which add depth to a program imbued with joyous consonance. Denson's pizzicato intro to "Down at the Cross," is deep, dark and soulful and White's sparkling lyricism compares very favorably to similar work by Keith Jarrett. The bassist begins his solo tour-de-force on "Amazing Grace," with throaty bowed harmonics that cut into the ether and it only gets deeper from there.

The tender exchange on "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," might have lapsed into the maudlin, but the pensive dialog sails clear with White's melodic cascades and Denson's resonant, Charlie Haden like tone. "When the Saints Go Marching In," emerges drastically retooled, and the two improvisers exploit the altered form as a vehicle to dart in and around oncoming traffic with spontaneous ideas. White's unbridled virtuosity is loosed on "Just As I Am," as waves of impressions pile atop each other in dense, violent layers.

Beautifully recorded by Adam Munoz at the iconic Fantasy Studios, in Berkeley, California, this recording captures Denson's huge sound in great detail, especially in the solo bass reading of "Crying in the Chapel," where it moans like a wounded leviathan. The delicate waltz of the penultimate tune, "In the Garden," begins with almost classical gestures, but by the time the body of the tune emerges—a more modern exchange of singing voices dominates. One of the finest bass and piano discs to surface in a long time, I'll Fly Away, is worth seeking out.~ Robert Bush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ill-fly-away-jeff-densen-and-joshua-white-pfmentum-review-by-robert-bush.php

Personnel: Jeff Denson: double-bass; Joshua White: piano

I'll Fly Away

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