Sonny Rollins - Rollins in Holland - The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 129:51
Size: 298,1 MB
Art: Front

( 4:49) 1. Blue Room
( 5:13) 2. Four
( 6:03) 3. Love Walked In
( 6:57) 4. Tune Up
( 8:13) 5. Sonnymoon for Two
( 9:30) 6. Love Walked In
(22:25) 7. Three Little Words
( 9:33) 8. They Can't Take That Away from Me/Sonnymoon for Two
(14:59) 9. On Green Dolphin St.
(19:45) 10. Love Walked In
(22:19) 11. Four

From the very first decibel of this unrealistically good, previously unreleased recording, Sonny Rollins bears no bones to inform listeners he is suffering no fools. It is a big, Buescher, bellwether sound, the one that gave Rollins the sound and spirit he needed to tell of a man taking it all on without apology. It is also meant to say that, without argument, unrealistically good here is totally understood as a decisively human characteristic and not necessarily one Rollins aspired to. So Resonance dug this one up from some archive somewhere up north where it is way colder and the society is a lot nicer, (to pique your interest, there is a fun, fact-filled one-hundred-page booklet with contemporaneous action photos included) and it makes for a great package Rollins In Holland. It is what Resonance always does and why they are, and should be, lauded.

Then there is the music they find, and there is no alternative fiction going to convince us this is not Rollins, along with drummer Han Bennink and late bassist Ruud Jacobs riding one of those unexplainable peaks of clarity which stir great artists from time to glorious time. One of those updraft moments, as when a young hawk begins its ascent sunward, which awards us the ringingly eloquent "Blue Room." As "Four," "Love Walked In," and "Tuned Up" in real-time attest, both then and now, these guys who, just as a brief historical aside and coincidence, had never met or played before, early on slip into a mindset which serves them unfailingly throughout.

Be it the sheer, free artistry or the moxie of the admen, you won't be able to turn your ears away from Rollins In Holland, because then it goes live and all hell breaks loose and that's not idle, hoary punditry either. All hell breaks does break loose and we are transported back to a time when the music did, and was entrusted by the audience to, distract from the worries of the day. And so "Sonnymoon For Two" finds Rollins' soul urging Bennick on during the drummer's hell-raising solos and conclusively, with no-holds-barred, sets the whole riotous tone for the entire disc-and-a-half to follow. This one is as close to five stars as we're going to get. Have a treat. It's been a hell of a year. ~ Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rollins-in-holland-sonny-rollins-resonance-records

Personnel: Sonny Rollins: saxophone; Ruud Jacobs: bass; Han Bennink: drums.

Rollins in Holland - The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings

---

Michael Feinstein - With a Song in My Heart

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:48
Size: 82,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:21) 1. The Summer Knows
(2:34) 2. You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
(4:15) 3. With a Song in My Heart
(2:52) 4. Real Live Girl
(3:13) 5. Moon River
(2:31) 6. Dance a Little Closer
(4:50) 7. Thanks for the Memory
(2:49) 8. More I Cannot Wish You
(3:32) 9. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(3:57) 10. I'll Never Fall in Love Again
(4:14) 11. Two for the Road
(3:28) 12. Here's That Rainy Day
(3:40) 13. My Blue Heaven
(2:11) 14. Hallelujah
(3:20) 15. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

Singer/pianist Michael Feinstein was both a prime motivator and a beneficiary of arenewed interest in pre-rock popular music that started in the 1980s, a trend that also found Linda Ronstadt selling millions of copies of albums of traditional pop made with conductor Nelson Riddle and that fueled the success of Harry Connick Jr. In Feinstein's case, it allowed him to establish a career as a nightclub entertainer and then move up to theaters while releasing major-label albums; his background as a musical archivist also enabled him to bring a scholar's knowledge to his performances of classic pop music.

He was born Michael Jay Feinstein on September 7, 1956, in Columbus, Ohio. His father, Edward Feinstein, was an executive in the meat business, but had been a band singer, while his mother, Mazie Feinstein, was an amateur tap dancer. Beginning to play the piano by ear at age five, Feinstein grew up fascinated by the pop music of generations preceding him and amassed a large record collection. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1976, and there began to come in contact with the people who created the music he adored. He was hired by Ira Gershwin to catalog the veteran lyricist's archives, a job he performed until Gershwin's death in 1983. (He also worked for Harry Warren in 1981-1982.) At that point, he turned to performing as a cabaret artist full-time, beginning in Los Angeles. In 1985, he released his debut album, Pure Gershwin, on Parnassus Records. A 1986 engagement at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in New York was extended for four months and resulted in the LP Live at the Algonquin (Elektra, 1987). After releasing Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin (1987), he was able to take his act to Broadway, opening Michael Feinstein in Concert: Isn't It Romantic at the Lyceum Theatre on April 19, 1988. The same year, he released his third album, also called Isn't It Romantic. During 1989, he released two thematic albums, Over There (Angel), devoted to the music of World War I, and The M.G.M. Album (Elektra).

For Elektra's Nonesuch imprint, Feinstein launched a series of "songbook" albums recorded with the participation of the veteran songwriters themselves, the first of them devoted to Burton Lane (August 1990, with a second volume in November 1992), followed by Jule Styne (October 1991), Jerry Herman (October 1993), and Hugh Martin (September 1995). Back at Elektra, Feinstein devoted an album to children, Pure Imagination (April 1992). Forever (March 1993) found him balancing contemporary material with the usual standards. He then switched labels, landing at Atlantic Records for Such Sweet Sorrow (March 1995) and Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins (February 1996) before moving to Concord Records, beginning with an album to mark the centenary of George Gershwin, Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin (September 1998).

In 1999, Feinstein lent his name to a new nightclub in New York located in the Regency Hotel, as Feinstein's at the Regency became a venue for sophisticated cabaret entertainers including its namesake. (A second Feinstein's later opened in Hollywood.) The same year, he released Big City Rhythms, fronting the Maynard Ferguson Big Band. Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway (October 2000) was a two-CD set, the first disc recorded live. It was followed by Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2002. In the fall of 2002, Concord announced the formation of Feinstein's own custom subsidiary label, Feinery, intended to "present hidden gems from the American Popular Songbook." It was launched with a new album, Michael Feinstein Sings the Livingston & Evans Songbook, on October 8, 2002. Feinstein's 2003 album, Only One Life, was devoted to the songs of Jimmy Webb. In 2005, he and George Shearing teamed up for Hopeless Romantics. The Sinatra Project appeared in 2008. In 2009, Feinstein and Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson made The Power of Two for Harbinger Records. Fly Me to the Moon (September 2010) on the Duckhole label found him accompanied by jazz guitarist Joe Negri. In 2011, Feinstein followed up his 2008 homage to Sinatra with The Sinatra Project, Vol. 2: The Good Life. ~ William Ruhlmann https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-feinstein/269030

With a Song in My Heart

---

Marianne Faithfull - The Montreux Years

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:54
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:30) 1. Madame George
(8:06) 2. Broken English
(3:33) 3. Times Square
(5:00) 4. Guilt
(4:37) 5. Song for Nico
(3:00) 6. Come and Stay with Me
(8:11) 7. Sister Morphine
(3:39) 8. She
(2:53) 9. Hold On Hold On
(4:58) 10. Solitude
(5:49) 11. Working Class Hero
(4:36) 12. Tower of Song
(5:21) 13. Strange Weather
(6:35) 14. Why D'ya Do It?

Instantly recognizable with her raw, varied vocal talents and tangible charisma, Marianne Faithfull has been a long-time friend of the Montreux Jazz Festival, appearing five times over a nearly 15-year period: 1995, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2009. The first live album of Faithfull in over 10 years, Marianne Faithfull: The Montreux Years opens with an enchanting rendition of Van Morrison’s “Madame George,” recorded live at Auditorium Stravinski on July 10, 1995, where Faithfull’s powerful range and unfaltering dynamism was instantly apparent.

The singer’s fans can immerse themselves in these unique recordings, which include several songs from her celebrated album Broken English, such as an electrifying, guitar-heavy performance of the titular track “Broken English,” the soaring “Guilt,” and John Lennon’s rousing anthem “Working Class Hero.” Meanwhile, the haunting sensitivity of “Strange Weather,” recorded live at Casino Barrière on July 6, 2005, captures the bottomless depths of Faithfull’s brutal and ragged beauty.

Marianne Faithfull: The Montreux Years and Muddy Waters: The Montreux Years are the second installment of The Montreux Years series, which started with two true titans, Nina Simone and Etta James. Both have received critical acclaim, and Nina Simone: The Montreux Years debuted at #1 on the U.K. Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart. Mathieu Jaton, CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival, adds: “Muddy Waters and Marianne Faithfull have both made indelible marks on the Montreux Jazz Festival and these releases will immortalize their iconic performances for fans both new and old in stunning quality.” http://www.basementdiscs.com.au/shop/marianne-faithfull-the-montreux-years/

The Montreux Years

---