Sarah Vaughan - Live In Tokyo Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Live In Tokyo, Japan Disc 1
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:39
Size: 132,3 MB
Art: Front

(1:50) 1. A Foggy Day
(5:26) 2. Poor Butterfly
(1:46) 3. The Lamp Is Low
(5:40) 4. 'Round Midnight
(4:35) 5. Willow Weep For Me
(1:37) 6. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:23) 7. Misty
(7:20) 8. Wave
(2:38) 9. Like Someone In Love
(5:56) 10. My Funny Valentine
(2:21) 11. All Of Me
(5:12) 12. Love Story
(7:23) 13. Over The Rainbow
(2:26) 14. I Could Write A Book

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Album: Live In Tokyo, Japan Disc 2
Time: 56:22
Size: 129,3 MB

(6:59) 1. The Nearness Of You
(3:32) 2. I'll Remember April
(3:04) 3. Watch What Happens
(1:33) 4. I Cried For You
(4:01) 5. Summertime
(7:31) 6. The Blues
(5:09) 7. I Remember You
(4:03) 8. There Is No Greater Love
(6:10) 9. Rainy Days And Mondays
(3:08) 10. On A Clear Day
(6:34) 11. Bye Bye Blackbird
(1:05) 12. Tonight
(3:28) 13. Tenderly

Sarah Vaughan ( vocals ) Carl Schroeder ( pno ) John Gianelli ( bass ) Jimmy Cobb ( drs )

Unlike many singers Sarah Vaughan’s voice did not deteriorate with age but became more burnished and she never lost her vocal range. Throughout her career she worked and recorded with all types of ensembles from trios through medium sized bands to large orchestras with and without strings. Some of her best work was with piano trios where she had more flexibility to improvise but she appeared to be relaxed with any size of group. Some of the material she was given to record was not of the highest quality but she rose above the dross “and her skill and vocal abilities made the most of it. These two CDs contain a complete concert recorded whilst she was on tour in Japan during 1973. Like many singers she had a more or less set programme for her live performances which usually contained many of her popular recordings.

As this was Sarah’s regular backing trio at the time she sounds very much at ease which contributes to a stellar performance which is obviously adds to the delight of the Japanese audience. The album opens with a fast paced “A Foggy Day” which sets the pace for a programme of Sarah Vaughan most popular repertoire, the programme fluctuates between up tempo numbers and Sarah‘s caressing of ballads. After a longish introduction to “Willow Weep For Me” for not having sung it for some time she proceeds to scat and talk her way through the song adding her own alternative lyrics which is great fun. Jobim’s “Wave” is given a classic performance with Sarah wringing out the full emotion in the lyrics and given sympathetic backing by the trio.

Sarah’s interpretation of “Over The Rainbow” is a lesson for any budding singer of how to approach a song which has had so much exposure and give it new life, simply breath taking. For the opening track on CD Two Sarah takes over the piano chair to accompany herself on “The Nearness Of You” and shows she has lost none of skills at the instrument. “Watch What Happens” fits Sarah like a glove and sounds like it was written sceptically for her and it’s one of the finest tracks on the album. Sarah tries her hand at a more contemporary song with Paul Williams’ “Rainy Days and Mondays” which works a treat and does not feel like she is uncomfortable with the material. She chooses just the right approach to “Tenderly” by not giving it an over emotional treatment like many singers often do. The album closes on just the right note with Michel Legrand’s “The Summer Knows” with a heart felt rendition. Next to attending a live concert by Sarah this is the next best thing and is highly recommended.~Roy Booth https://www.jazzviews.net/sarah-vaughan---live-in-tokyo.html

Live In Tokyo,Japan Disc 1, Disc 2

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The George Masso Sextet - A Swinging Case Of Masso-Ism

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Swing
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:38
Size: 142,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:21) 1. So Danco Samba
(6:00) 2. I'm Glad There Is You
(6:41) 3. A Fine Romance
(6:03) 4. For You, For Me Forevermore
(5:45) 5. It All Depends On You
(4:29) 6. I See Your Face Before Me
(6:16) 7. A Swinging Case Of Masso-Ism
(5:19) 8. Them There Eyes
(4:15) 9. I've Gotta Be On My Way
(3:59) 10. Just Friends
(5:26) 11. Love Is Just Around The Corner

Trombonist George Masso's third recording as a leader and second for the now-defunct Famous Door label (none of the recordings have yet been reissued on CD) has him playing six swinging standards and his own title cut with what could have been called the Famous Door All-Stars: Glenn Zottola (who alternates between trumpet and alto), veteran tenor Al Klink, pianist John Bunch, bassist Linc Milliman, and drummer Butch Miles. Masso's warm sound is well featured on such numbers as "So Danco Samba," "For You, For Me, Forevermore" and "It All Depends On You."~Scott Yano https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-swinging-case-of-masso-ism-mw0000911126

Personnel: Trombone – George Masso; Bass – Linc Milliman; Drums – Butch Miles; Piano – John Bunch; Tenor Saxophone – Al Klink; Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Alto Saxophone – Glenn Zottola

A Swinging Case Of Masso-Ism

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Cyril Stapleton And His Orchestra - Shall We Dance

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:23
Size: 69,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:00) 1. Shall We Dance
(2:59) 2. Bewitched
(2:52) 3. They Say It's Wonderful
(2:38) 4. Hey There
(2:47) 5. Stranger In Paradise
(2:07) 6. You're Just In Love
(2:14) 7. C'est Magnifique
(2:33) 8. June Is Bustin' Out All Over
(2:34) 9. I Talk To The Trees
(2:41) 10. This Nearly Was Mine
(2:50) 11. Almost Like Being In Love
(2:02) 12. People Will Say We're In Love

Cyril Stapleton was a ubiquitous figure in English pop music across three decades, initially by way of the BBC and later as an independent bandleader. Born on the last day of the year 1914 in Mapperley, Nottingham, he took to music easily and early in life, taking up the violin at age seven, and he made his first local radio appearance at age 12. He made regular appearances on the BBC as a boy, from their Birmingham studios. In his early teens which coincided with the tail-end of the silent movie era he frequently played in movie theater orchestras, playing accompaniment to silent films. He later attended Trinity College of Music in London on a scholarship, and during this time he auditioned for and won a spot in a new dance band being formed by leader Henry Hall under the auspices of the BBC. In addition to broadcasts, Stapleton played on several of Hall's recordings for EMI's Columbia label. Stapleton eventually lost the spot, however, owing to his youth, and returned to Nottingham. He then had ambitions as a bandleader himself, however, and formed his own group, which got work locally in theaters.

He subsequently toured South Africa with Jack Payne's orchestra, and played on records by Payne's group. In the second half of the '30s, Stapleton's band moved to London, and by March of 1939 they'd made their BBC debut. He still occasionally worked in other bands, including the Jack Hylton Orchestra, however, and the outbreak of the Second World War late in 1939 forced Stapleton to abandon his career he served in the Royal Air Force for the duration. Although he was initially an air gunner, he was eventually able to put his musical abilities to work organizing entertainment, and by the end of the war he'd become a member of the RAF Symphony Orchestra. Stapleton continued working in his field after leaving the RAF, and in the period immediately after the war he played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the newly founded Philharmonia Orchestra. He soon wearied of the limited repertory in the classical field, and re-formed his own band in 1947. In short order he was also back on the BBC, and one of the singers he featured in those broadcasts was Dick James, the future music publisher, immortalized by his signing of members of the Beatles as songwriters in 1962.

In 1952, Stapleton was appointed leader the BBC Show Band, the radio service's most prestigious performing unit for popular music, with its biggest audience in addition to featuring top homegrown talent, only the biggest visiting American singers including Frank Sinatra appeared with this orchestra. Stapleton became a ubiquitous presence in English entertainment and popular culture across the mid-'50s his mere selection of a song could make or break it, and like Sinatra (and, later, Elvis Presley) among singers in America, Stapleton as a bandleader was given first refusal on new tunes by profit-minded publishers. He was also able to make the leap to the big-screen by way of the widescreen feature Just for You (1955). By that time, the orchestra had become so successful that several members, including Bill McGuffie and Tommy Whittle, had started their own separate careers as bandleaders in their own right, and the band had introduced one huge star, Matt Monro, to his first national exposure.~Bruce Ederhttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/cyril-stapleton-mn0000148919/biography

Shall We Dance

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Pat Martino - Nexus (Recorded Live at Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA)

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:15
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:36)  1. Recollection
(4:39)  2. Tenetree
(7:10)  3. Sun on My Hands
(7:55)  4. The Phineas Trane
(5:03)  5. Country Road
(8:27)  6. Interchange
(9:27)  7. Oleo
(4:54)  8. Naima

This CD is not only a fine addition to the Pat Martino catalogue, it is also of historical importance with respect to his personal and musical development. Recorded at the well-known eclectic nightclub the Tin Angel in Philadelphia in the mid-nineties (the exact date is not given and probably unknown), it is a duet set (or selections from multiple sets) featuring Martino with pianist Jim Ridl, a giant creative force in his own right, who for about ten years worked with Martino as a duet and in the latter's groups. Following drastic surgery for a brain aneurysm in 1980, Martino lost much of his memory, and after a long period of recovery, began performing again in the late eighties. Still struggling to regain his prior form, he heard Ridl at a local club, which re-kindled his enthusiasm and discipline. He brought Ridl into his inner circle of musicians, greatly facilitating his remarkable comeback. Thus, Ridl was more than a sideman for Martino. He was a soul mate and inspiration for restoring the guitarist's confidence and career. This recording documents their profound musical connection and shows two musicians in close interaction whose playing is constantly fueled by the similarities and differences between them. The album features compositions by Martino and Ridl, one by pianist Harold Mabern, who worked with and influenced Martino, and one by Sonny Rollins. In these tracks, we find Martino more relaxed than in other settings, and therefore we can strongly sense the introspective qualities he acquired from Les Paul and Wes Montgomery. At the same time, his driving force powers the music and is pushed up a notch by Ridl's relentless on-the-beat chord clusters, a country music inflection that is unusual for a Martino cohort yet works superbly for him. The heartfelt empathic exchanges between the two can be heard throughout, giving the album a special emotional effect. This is one of those unique recordings that is stamped with time, place, and situation. 

The first track, "Recollection," is a Martino classic imbued with soul and drive. Martino takes the lead but gives Ridl openings to infuse his own vocabulary, but Ridl's main intent is to give Martino a steady backdrop to weave around. Then, "Tenetree" is a Ridl song with a country lilt, and Martino adapts well to the genre. Like "Tenetree," "Sun on My Hands" would later appear on Ridl's CD Door in a Field (Dreambox Media, 2003), an autobiographical album in which Ridl developed musical themes from his family life growing up in North Dakota. The track is like a "door in a field" of musical expression and rapport. Ridl and Martino engage in a heartfelt musical conversation, with Martino relaxed and expressive, showing the Les Paul influence. Martino would later include the song in an entirely different arrangement and context, his groundbreaking CD, Think Tank (Blue Note, 2003). Mabern's tune, "The Phineas Trane" is a driving, pulsating Trane ride with staccato comping by Ridl that provides an unrelenting pulse. Mabern dedicated the tune to his piano hero, Phineas Newborn, Jr. and of course to John Coltrane. Again, it reappeared on the Think Tank recording. "Country Road" is a rarely heard Martino original ballad that evokes an afternoon stroll in the countryside. Martino's slurring technique is almost zither-like at times, perhaps a nod to Ridl's country and western influence. "Interchange" is a Martino tune that again shows the Montgomery influence. It was the title tune of a CD, Interchange (Muse, 1994) released around the same time as the performances at the Tin Angel, but with Marc Johnson on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums. Martino is one of the best interpreters of Sonny Rollins, whose music played a central role in his initiation into bebop and hard bop. In "Oleo," the duo engages in numerous variations that sustain the buttery rhythm and off-center bebop accents. It's fast food fun. The album concludes with Coltrane's song for his first wife, "Naima," done as it should be, instrospectively, with linear passages by Martino and Ridl's use of modernist chord changes that nuance the emotions of the piece. In sum, Nexus is a "collectors item" album recorded in an intimate setting where you can really hear the personalities of two musicians with unique styles in interaction. It pulls your heartstrings in ways that you feel with your best friends. In this day and age when so much around us is "marketable," shiny, and surface-y, it's a welcome gift. ~ Victor L. Schermer https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nexus-pat-martino-highnote-records-review-by-victor-l-schermer.php

Personnel: Pat Martino: guitar; Jim Ridl: keyboard.

Nexus (Recorded Live at Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA)

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