Paul McCandless, John Taylor, Pierluigi Balducci, Michele Rabbia - Evansiana

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:46
Size: 109,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Very Early
(5:18) 2. Re: Person I Knew
(5:33) 3. Time Remembered
(4:52) 4. Turn out the Stars
(3:28) 5. B Minor Waltz - For Elaine
(4:43) 6. Children Play Song
(7:20) 7. Some Other Time
(6:26) 8. Sweet Dulcinea Blue
(2:47) 9. Blue in Green
(2:58) 10. Epilogue

Evansiana is a jazz album by a quartet with Paul McCandless, John Taylor, Pierluigi Balducci and Michele Rabbia. The album is an anthology of compositions by the pianist Bill Evans. It was released in February 2017 by the Italian label Dodicilune. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evansiana

Personnel: Paul McCandless, Soprano Sax, Oboe (track 2), Bass Clarinet (7); John Taylor, Piano; Pierluigi Balducci, Electric Bass; Michele Rabbia, Drums, Percussion

Evansiana

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Tony Bennett - Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:05

Size: 130.7 MB

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2001

Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Alright, Okay, You Win (With Diana Krall)

[3:35] 2. Everyday (I Have The Blues) (With Stevie Wonder)

[2:41] 3. Don't Cry Baby

[4:53] 4. Good Morning Heartache (With Sheryl Crow)

[3:14] 5. Let The Good Times Roll (With B.B. King)

[4:12] 6. Evenin' (With Ray Charles)

[3:52] 7. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (With Bonnie Raitt)

[3:49] 8. Keep The Faith, Baby (With K.D. Lang)

[3:23] 9. Old Count Basie Is Gone (Old Piney Brown Is Gone)

[3:19] 10. Blue And Sentimental (With Kay Starr)

[4:29] 11. New York State Of Mind (With Billy Joel)

[3:15] 12. Undecided Blues

[3:32] 13. Blues In The Night

[4:32] 14. Stormy Weather (With Natalie Cole)

[4:45] 15. Playin' With My Friends (With Others)

Tony Bennett's latter-day albums tend to have themes, and this one has two, as indicated by its double-barreled title: It is both a duets album and a blues album. The duet partners include ten singers who range from his recent touring partners Diana Krall and k.d. lang to fellow veterans Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Kay Starr, and younger, but still mature pop stars Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and Billy Joel. All sound happy to be sharing a mic with Bennett. Not surprisingly, the singer's conception of the blues does not extend to the Mississippi Delta or the South Side of Chicago; rather, he is interested in the blues as filtered through the sound of the Swing Era, particularly from around Kansas City, and as interpreted by Tin Pan Alley and show tunes. For the former, his true mentor is Count Basie, whose overt influence is heard on six of the 15 tracks. Bennett makes no attempt to hide this, leading off the album with two songs, "Alright, Okay, You Win" (a duet with Krall) and "Everyday (I Have the Blues)" (a duet with Wonder), closely associated with Basie singer Joe Williams. The Broadway and Hollywood blues style is introduced in three selections written by Harold Arlen. On about half the tracks, the Ralph Sharon Quartet is augmented by Harry Allen's saxophone and Mike Melvoin's Hammond organ, but this remains a small, intimate affair that emphasizes the singers. There are missteps -- Sheryl Crow's Billie Holiday impersonation on "Good Morning, Heartache" is unfortunate, and Natalie Cole, as usual, sounds out of her depth on "Stormy Weather." But the trade-offs Bennett enjoys with King and Charles are priceless, and the Joel duet is surprisingly effective. On the whole, this is yet another entry in Bennett's lengthening series of autumnal recorded triumphs. ~William Ruhlmann

Playin' with My Friends"

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Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Seven Days Of Falling

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:23
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:29)  1. Ballad For The Unborn
( 6:26)  2. Seven Days Of Falling
( 6:49)  3. Mingle In The Mincing-Machine
( 0:50)  4. Evening In Atlantis
( 6:02)  5. Did They Ever Tell Cousteau?
( 4:48)  6. Believe Beleft Below
( 6:43)  7. Elevation Of Love
( 4:16)  8. In My Garage
( 6:30)  9. Why She Couldn't Come
(14:25) 10. O.D.R.I.P

Now in their tenth year, the Swedish piano trio e.s.t. has gradually evolved into a significant force on the European scene, playing to packed houses and releasing records that figure on jazz and pop charts. Why they've never managed to achieve the same level of success in North America is a mystery. The more elegant alternative to the Bad Plus, they share a similar penchant for song-like structure, but with a more delicate approach, clearly rooted in Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, as opposed to the Bad Plus' roots in Thelonious Monk. They even shared labels, with Columbia releasing the '01 compilation Somewhere Else Before as well as their compelling '02 effort, Strange Place for Snow. Sadly, they mustn't have moved enough copies to satisfy Columbia's powers that be, because their most recent disk, Seven Days of Falling , has remained noticeably absent from the shelves in North America for nearly a year. Finally 215 Music has stepped up to the plate to release the disk along with a bonus DVD containing four songs from their European live concert video, Live in Stockholm , and that makes the package as good an introduction to the group as any, as well as satisfying existing fans who have been waiting for this album for many months. With Seven Days of Falling e.s.t., consisting of pianist Esbjörn Svensson, bassist Dan Berglund and percussionist Magnus Öström, moves even further towards song form, and ups the ante in terms of what has traditionally been more subtle electronic processing. "Mingle in the Mincing- Machine" starts with a fuzz bass and clangy industrial-sounding percussion that drives a bouncy melody before moving into a rhythmical ostinato over which Berglund delivers a raucous solo. Svensson's solo is more subtly treated, with light washes in the background. Still, while the electronics are more overt than before, e.s.t. manages to use them in a refreshing way that adds to the music without completely defining it.

Contrasting up-tempo tunes like the bass-driven "Did They Ever Tell Cousteau" and the weighty "O.D.R.I.P.," the album also has its share of tender moments, including the sparse opener, "Ballad for the Unborn," and the poignant "Believe, Beleft, Below," which reappears as a bonus hidden track, with vocals from an unknown singer. Regardless of the context, the constant throughout is Svensson's innate lyricism and ability to weave a convincing story with his improvisations, as on "Elevation of Love," which leans towards a Metheny/Mays writing style. The fifty-minute concert footage on the DVD, which also features a music video and thirteen- minute interview, are all tunes taken from Somewhere Else Before , but in concert e.s.t. takes these simple pieces, including "Dodge the Dodo," the closest thing they've had to a "hit," and develop them into lengthier excursions that demonstrate just how strong they are, individually and collectively. An excellent package that highlights where they've been and where they're going, the North American release of Seven Days of Falling is an event that has been all too long in coming. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/seven-days-of-falling-esbjorn-svensson-215-music-munich-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Esbjörn Svensson: piano, keyboards; Dan Berglund: double-bass; Magnus Öström: drums, percussion.

Seven Days Of Falling

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Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio - Live In Studio (Feat. Ron Carter & Kenny Barron)

Size: 177,1 MB
Time: 77:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Wives And Lovers (6:07)
02. Summer Of '42 The Summer Knows (6:01)
03. Casino Royale/The Look Of Love (Feat. Cassandra Wilson) (4:33)
04. Spartacus Love Theme (3:36)
05. On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Feat. Roy Hargrove) (6:44)
06. Oklahoma! The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (3:53)
07. Alfie (Feat. Cassandra Wilson) (6:27)
08. Watch What Happens (Instrumental) (5:22)
09. Un Homme Et Une Femme (A Man And A Woman) (3:22)
10. Cast Your Fate To The Wind (Live) (3:35)
11. Summer Of '42 What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (5:45)
12. Mondo Cane More (4:22)
13. Watch What Happens (Feat. Cassandra Wilson) (4:06)
14. Music To Watch Girls By (4:14)
15. Girl Talk (4:43)
16. Charade (Feat. Roy Hargrove) (4:25)

Drummer Gerry Gibbs has been living a recurring dream with slight variations for the past few years. In December of 2012, he laid down tracks with two of his idols—the legendary Ron Carter and the estimable Kenny Barron—and dubbed their group the Thrasher Dream Trio. The eponymous debut from that band, featuring fifteen tracks recorded at those sessions, was, not surprisingly, a strong and classy affair filled with standards, some originals, and other jazz-friendly fare, such as Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" and Burt Bacharach's "Promises, Promises."

At the time of that album's release, those last-mentioned tracks could simply be viewed as part of the well-rounded program. But looking back now, it actually seems like they were dropped as hints of what was to come. About a year-and-a-half after that first Thrasher Dream Trio album was recorded, Gibbs brought the band together again to lay things down for We're Back (Whaling City Sound, 2014), a jazz-does-R&B project with A-list guests—vibraphonist Warren Wolf, saxophonist Steve Wilson, and organist Larry Goldings. That album offered multiple helpings of Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire along with single servings of Bacharach, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, and the Average White Band. As on the trio's first album, the sparks were flying. The playing field, however, had changed a bit.

For this, the third go-around for this group, Gibbs does it again, tweaking the formula without altering the essence of the trio. This time he turned the focus toward pop-ish material from the '50s and '60s—the work of Bacharach, Henry Mancini, Michel Legrand, and others of that ilk—and put an audience in front of the band, recording live at Systems Two Recording Studio. Guests are part of the package again—now it's trumpeter Roy Hargrove and vocalist Cassandra Wilson, each appearing on a few tracks—and they help to add another wrinkle or two to the project without drawing focus away from the trio.

The album opens on a fluid "Wives And Lovers" that allows Barron's lyricism to shine through, gives Carter a chance to step into the spotlight, and puts Gibbs' brushwork at center stage. From there, the trio moves on with an unusually upbeat take on "The Summer Knows," a Wilson-enhanced version of "The Look Of Love" that moves from bossa nova to swing, and a variety of other familiar hits of yesteryear. Hargrove joins in for "On A Clear Day," quoting Ellington at one point and playfully trading solos with Gibbs; Vince Guaraldi's cheerfulness shines through on a perky trio performance of his "Cast Your Fate To The Wind"; "More" is transformed from a stale confection into an enjoyable swinger; and "Watch What Happens" happens twice—first as a cheerful, Brazilian-based instrumental, then as a swing-centered feature for Wilson.

Along the way there are plenty of other bright spots—an appropriately noir-ish "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" with Hargrove on flugelhorn, a leisurely stroll through "Girl Talk"—and plenty of moments that serve as simple reminders as to why Barron and Carter are loved, respected, and emulated the world over. Their time and taste are impeccable, and when married to Gibbs' in-the-tradition drumming, you know the music is going to go in the right direction every time. ~Dan Bilawsky

Personnel: Kenny Barron: piano; Ron Carter: acoustic bass; Gerry Gibbs: drums; Roy Hargrove: trumpet, flugelhorn (5, 7, 11, 16); Cassandra Wilson: vocals (3, 7, 13).

Live In Studio

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Reinhardt Winkler - Let's Face the Music

Styles: Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:07
Size: 112,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:21) 1. Don't Be That Way
(4:22) 2. Let's Face the Music and Dance
(1:58) 3. Let the Drums Speak I
(4:32) 4. Mr. Bojangles
(4:17) 5. Beatrice
(3:44) 6. Lucky Mojo
(5:19) 7. Emily
(1:42) 8. Let the Music Speak II
(4:35) 9. Idaho
(4:50) 10. Poinciana
(4:35) 11. Flamingo
(3:47) 12. Why Should I Care?

Famous standards played by a remarkable ensemble lead by drummer Reinhardt Winkler.

Reinhardt Winkler: I've known most of the songs of my new album for a long time. As a child, I got my first jazz records and all the songs were on it. I fell in love with this music, the sound, the instruments, the vibe, I just liked everything. Over the years I've always stayed tuned to these particular songs and some of them have become my absolute favourites. So I decided to record these songs with musicians I appreciate so much. https://www.propermusic.com/cr73526-let-s-face-the-music.html

Personnel: Reinhardt Winkler - Drums; Harry Allen - Tenor Saxophone; Simone Kopmajer - Vocals; John Di Martino - Piano; Boris Kozlov - Bass; Wolfgang Puschnig - Alto Saxophone

Let's Face the Music

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