Clark Tracey Sextet - Full Speed Sideways

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 173,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:22) 1. Revenge Of Sam Tacet
( 8:21) 2. They're Lovely
(11:32) 3. Sherman At The Copthorne
( 9:17) 4. Sphere My Dear
( 6:26) 5. Mark Nightingale Sang
( 7:13) 6. Arnie's Barnie
(11:54) 7. Chased Out

Born 5 February 1961, London, England. Tracey began playing drums at an early age, often working with his father, Stan Tracey. At the start of his professional career, however, Tracey’s drumming was rock-orientated and sat uneasily with the jazz groups with which he often associated. By the early 80s, however, in his playing style it was clear that Tracey had absorbed much from the experience of playing with jazz artists such as Red Rodney, Charlie Rouse and James Moody. With visiting Americans, with bands led by contemporaries and by his father, and also as leader of his own quartet, quintet and sextet, Tracey grew with every appearance.

By the 90s Tracey was established as a major figure among the new and vital group of young British jazz stars. During the middle of the decade he set up the Tribute To Art Blakey band, and also shared an octet with David Newton, in addition to running his own sextet and quintet. A skilled arranger and composer, Tracey has written for the Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra and singers Claire Martin and Tina May. He has also released several acclaimed albums for the TenToTen label, including two instalments in the British Composers Series (2001’s British Standard Time and 2008’s Given Time). https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clark-tracey-mn0000112721

Personnel: Clark Tracey - drums; Nigel Hitchcock - alto saxophone; Dave O'Higgins - tenor saxophone; Mark Nightingale - trombone; John Donaldson - piano; Arnie Somogyi - bass

Full Speed Sideways

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Charlie Rouse Quintet - Takin' Care Of Business

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:54
Size: 87,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:26)  1. Blue Farouq
(7:27)  2. ''204''
(4:48)  3. Upptankt
(6:02)  4. Wierdo
(5:16)  5. Pretty Strange
(6:52)  6. They Didn't Believe Me

Charlie Rouse's debut as a leader (not counting his earlier work co-leading Les Jazz Modes with the great French horn player Julius Watkins) was made for Jazzland and is available as an OJC CD. The distinctive tenor saxophonist, who had just started a decade-long stint as a member of the Thelonious Monk Quartet, teams up with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Earl May, and drummer Art Taylor. Together they perform straight-ahead material including Rouse's own uptempo "Upptankt," the standard "They Didn't Believe Me," and songs by Mitchell, Kenny Drew, and Randy Weston. A fine modern mainstream jam session-flavored set. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/takin-care-of-business-mw0000312067

Personnel:  Charlie Rouse - tenor saxophone; Blue Mitchell - trumpet; Walter Bishop, Jr. - piano; Earl May - bass; Art Taylor - drums

Takin' Care Of Business

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Karrin Allyson Sextet - Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:57
Size: 117,8 MB
Art: Front

(1:58)  1. Preamble
(3:17)  2. The March of the Women
(4:40)  3. The Great Convention
(1:38)  4. Susan B. Anthony (1873)
(3:30)  5. I’ll Be No Submissive Wife
(1:34)  6. Frederick Douglass (1888)
(4:11)  7. Anti Suffrage Rose
(2:41)  8. She’s Good Enough To Be Your Baby’s Mother
(1:38)  9. Elihu Root (1894)
(3:48) 10. Columbia’s Daughters
(1:43) 11. Sojourner Truth (1851)
(3:49) 12. The Promised Land
(4:34) 13. Winning the Vote
(1:35) 14. Alice Paul (1921)
(4:18) 15. Way Down Below
(4:57) 16. Big Discount

The Karrin Allyson Sextet releases Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage, a very special and timely album, today to celebrate the centennial of women’s voting rights. In addition to five-time Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson, the sextet also features Ingrid Jensen (trumpet),Mindi Abair (alto saxophone) Helen Sung (piano),Endea Owens (bass), and Allison Miller (drums). Shoulder to Shoulder seeks to re-create the multi-decade debate  warts and all that culminated in the enactment of t he nineteenth amendment. “We want to highlight this significant movement in American history. One that we shouldn’t forget and that is relevant today. It’s also one in which music played an important role,” said Karrin Allyson.

A remarkable artist, Allyson is also an activist who feels equally comfortable on the bandstand, as she does at the podium making the case for women’s rights. In fact, she has a history of writing songs (“Big Discount,” “Way Down Below”) that challenge conventional political wisdom and call for societal change. Most of t hese songs are propaganda. They were composed in the nineteenth or early twentieth century to advance or abridge women’s voting rights. In fact, the “suffrage” repertoire is made up of hundreds of songs, and Allyson and the productio n team selected ones that typified the back -and-f or th debate of t he struggle. That these songs can be re-imagined speaks not only to their timeless quality but the power of music in advancing social movements. The “war” over women’s rights was waged, in part, through and by music. And here these songs are made relevant again through modern jazz. Because of t he theme’s inclusive import, Allyson and the production team invited several notable guests to “lend their voices” to the debate. Adding copious artists can risk turning any project from a cohesive musical statement to a “gathering place.” Alas,Allyson’s powerful and profound vocals provide the through line and beginning-to-end narrative arc of the entire production. This album is very much a story. 

And Allyson is its storyteller, with each guest thoughtfully featured to dramatize historical episodes in the women’s suffrage movement. Shoulder to Shoulder has an incredible array of featured artists. Guest appearances by Madeleine Peyroux (vocals),Kurt Elling (vocals),Regina Carter (violin),Denis e Donatelli (vocals), Veronica Swift (vocals), Rapsody (rap),Antonia Bennett (vocals),Emily Estefan (vocals),Pauline Jean (vocals),Olivia Culpo (cello) and a Choir of over forty Women's Rights Activists. There are several spoken word performances that re-create the debateover woman’s suffrage: Harry Belafonte performs a speech by Frederick Douglass, Rosanne Cash performs a speech by Susan B. Anthony, Julie Swidler performs a speech by Alice Paul,Lalah Hathaway performs a speech by Sojourner Truth, and Peter Eldridge performs a speech by Elihu Root. There is even a brief appearance by Roberta Flack on the album. Susan Morrison of The New Yorker serves as an Executive Producer of the project, which was produced by multi-Grammy winners Kabir Sehgal, John Daversa, and Doug Davis.more..... https://karrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/S2S-Press-Release.pdf

Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage

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The Gaddabouts - Look Out Now!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:35
Size: 154.7 MB
Styles: Alternative rock, Indie Folk
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[1:00] 1. Meat On Your Bones
[3:40] 2. Look Out Now!
[2:54] 3. Wicked William
[4:31] 4. House On Fire
[3:48] 5. I'm A Van
[5:50] 6. River Rises
[3:34] 7. The Horse's Mouth
[4:00] 8. Blessed Days
[5:47] 9. Devil's Story
[4:01] 10. Down
[4:22] 11. Free
[4:29] 12. The Mountain
[4:36] 13. Don't Take All Day
[2:59] 14. How I Love You
[3:13] 15. Can You Feel It
[4:06] 16. Younger Woman
[4:36] 17. Corruption

Andy Fairweather Low: guitar, bass harmonica, vocals; Pino Palladino: bass, tres, guitar, vocals; Edie Brickell: guitar, vocals; Ronnie Cuber: baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, vocals; Larry Goldings: piano, keyboards, organ, accordion; Pedro Martinez: bata, bongos congas, timbales, guiro, vocals; Axle Tosca: piano, vocals; Andrea Zahn: violin; Mike Mainieri: marimba, orchestra bells, vibraphone; Ingrid Ingrate: vocals (17); Greta Kline: vocals (17); Lulu: vocals (17).

Steve Gadd is the subject of much adoration and nerd-like obsession in drum circles. Several years ago, the drummer embarked on a clinic tour—dubbed Mission From Gadd—where he got up, spoke, and played a bit for his eager fans. At one of these appearances, at a Long Island high school, Gadd became the drum equivalent of William Shatner at a Star Trek convention. Audience members threw out absurdly specific questions about random fills from songs that Gadd had recorded decades before; this is the type of reaction that he can engender from his stick-wielding fans. That Steve Gadd is renowned for his killer drumming with sophisticated pop icons Steely Dan, pianist Chick Corea and countless others, but then there's the other Steve Gadd; the one who goes into the studios and lays down seemingly simple backbeats that groove harder than all the bells-and-whistle beats that so many others record. That's the Steve Gadd behind the Gaddabouts.

This group is fronted by vocalist Edie Brickell, who's far removed from her pop star days, and made up of veteran session men who have crossed paths with Gadd at various times in the past. The music is roots-based fare with an ultra-casual feel; it's the kind of stuff that sounds simple in these expert hands, but isn't so easy to create. Swampy grooves, jazz-inflected sounds, soulful corners, country roads and folksy pop are all explored in winning fashion. Some of the music was born of jamming ("Meat On Your Bones"), while other tunes speak of a fully formed songwriting process ("Blessed Days"), but all of it has a million dollar rhythmic feel to it. Singer/songwriter Paul Simon's influence looms large on "Wicked William," the band marries a jazz vibe with a reggae-derived section on "House On Fire," and a slow martial snare drum groove underscores the riveting "Down," which features some charming violin work from Andrea Zahn.

While the core group is a quartet, with bassist Pino Palladino and guitarist Andy Fairweather Low rounding out the lineup, plenty of high-profile guests gathered from Gadd's Rolodex help to flesh out the sound of the group. Multi-reedist Ronnie Cuber brings his saxophone work to bear on "House On Fire" and "Can You Feel It," expert colorist/keyboardist Larry Goldings puts all sorts of finishing touches on the music, and Gadd's Steps Ahead/L'Image band mate, mallet master Mike Mainieri, makes a few important contributions along the way. This album features a bunch of strong jazz personalities, but it isn't a jazz album. This is music made at a modern Americana crossroad, where a savvy singer-songwriter and never-miss studio icons meet. ~Dan Bilawski

Look Out Now!

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Morgana King - Body and Soul

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:41
Size: 89,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:04) 1. For You, for Me, Forevermore
(2:49) 2. Bill
(3:06) 3. Down in the Depths
(3:43) 4. Something to Remember You By
(3:17) 5. Ev'rything I Love
(3:54) 6. I See Two Lovers
(2:28) 7. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
(4:06) 8. Body and Soul
(3:21) 9. If You Could See Me Now
(2:47) 10. It's Only a Paper Moon
(2:34) 11. You're Not so Easy to Forget
(3:26) 12. Mad About the Boy

None of the more than 30 albums recorded by singer Morgana King beginning in the mid-'50s were embraced by the size of the audience that bought tickets to see the first two chapters of The Godfather film trilogy, in which King acted in the role of Mama Corleone. But it would be wrong to assume she had more impact as an actress than as a vocalist. Her acting roles, few and far between, were chosen with care, but did not have the resonance of some of her finest recordings. Millions saw her onscreen in the Godfather films, but her performance was certainly overshadowed by performers such as Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, not to mention the famous turn by Marlon Brando as her husband. Another role of King's was in the 1997 film A Brooklyn State of Mind; she also appeared in several television productions.

It is possible that there are actors and actresses who have named Morgana King as a great inspiration. Yet, the results of a simple Internet search under her name only yielded dozens of quotes from vocalists and other musicians about the great influence of her recordings and singing style, not her work before the camera. It might not be a surprise when a young female singer gushed about King's albums, but these fans also included deeper thinkers such as classical bass virtuoso Gary Karr. References to her music also show up regularly in fiction as a kind of mood-setting device, such as: "It was a beautiful day in Malibu. He got up, made a coffee and put on a Morgana King record." Some record collectors might be surprised to realize that a complete set of King sides might eliminate any elbow room for, say, the discography of one of the prolific blues guitarists with this regal surname. Morgana King sides can be divided into several periods. It took her almost eight years to peak at whatever commercial success she was going to have with the 1964 A Taste of Honey album, thus ending the early years. She was then absorbed into the Atlantic and Reprise corporation and an exemplary series of releases by singers such as Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, Lavern Baker, and Ray Charles. The label's greatest producers stared the oncoming rock & roll in the eye, never forgetting their basic R&B orientation. Within a few years, a subcategory developed, seen through paisley glasses. The material became more philosophical, the increasing intellectual depth not surprisingly accompanied by the audience stampeding in the opposite direction. This might make sense, though; while 1965's The Winter of My Discontent is a masterpiece, 1968's Gemini Changes is laughably pretentious.

By the early '70s she was eager to get into films, the music business pushing away any and all veteran talent. Later in the decade she launched the mature period of her career, though, once again recording as more of a jazz-flavored artist for Muse, a label which in itself indicates a disinterest in pop culture. The label was loyal to her, regularly recording her through the following decade. This material was reissued in the late '90s by the 32 Jazz label, whose honcho, Joel Dorn, also presided over the reissue of her Reprise sides. If a special sort of bittersweet feeling pervaded her later performances, perhaps it had something to do with this return to her jazz singing roots. Her father had been a performer of folk and popular music on voice and guitar, and she had begun singing in nightclubs such as Basin Street in New York City when she was in her mid-twenties.

Only a few years earlier, she had been immersed in classical studies at the Metropolitan School of Music. Basin Street may have been in the same city, but it must have seemed like a completely different musical world. The formal training undoubtedly filled in aspects of her musical walk where some of her peers might have had to limp. For this reason alone, some listeners find her efforts the most swinging of the '60s generation of pop singers. It meant much critical acclaim during her career, if not great commercial success. At many stages, King seemed to have been making other plans. For the 1960 Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather, she listed this ambition: "To become a dramatic actress."~ Eugene Chadbourne https://www.allmusic.com/artist/morgana-king-mn0000501436/biography

Body and Soul

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