Deborah Cox - Destination Moon

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:08
Size: 99,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:41)  1. Destination Moon
(4:07)  2. What A Difference A Day Made
(3:42)  3. Misery
(3:36)  4. Baby, You're Got What It Takes
(4:06)  5. This Bitter Earth
(2:23)  6. Squeeze Me
(3:00)  7. New Blowtop Blues
(4:08)  8. Blue Skies
(3:27)  9. I Don't Hurt Anymore
(4:33) 10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(3:23) 11. September In The Rain
(3:55) 12. Look To The Rainbow

Artist tributes are tricky pieces of work. Most of the time, they aren't recorded by the biggest names of the moment, and they're usually sub-par. Instead of putting out an album of new music after a five-year hiatus, and twelve years into her career, Canadian R&B diva Deborah Cox released Destination Moon, a tribute to jazz legend Dinah Washington. Cox refers to this album as a personal tribute to her legend growing up. Frankly, she does justice to the works, which make for a strong representation of Washington's hits over her far too brief career. Cox's voice, in all its purity, has never sounded better, with the honey tones in her raspy instrument flourishing throughout the album's big moments. Unfortunately, the album is full of awkward missteps that steer this work off course: Cox doesn't always connect with the songs. Many of the tracks seem robotic; Cox sings them well, but doesn't emote to the best of her ability, something that has always been a flaw of hers in the past. Therefore, Moon appears to be more of a lifetime biopic of Dinah Washington's musical career than a genuine blockbuster. For an artist like Washington, who has garnered much respect even to this day for her creativeness and emotional capacity, Cox suffers in both attributes. Considering Moon is supposed to be a tribute, as such it seems flat. 

In addition, the timing of the album seems like an odd choice for Cox; there is a five-year gap between this album and The Morning After (excluding Remixed, a collection of dance re-recordings), but this may be because of her label shift from J-Records to Decca. And because she has stayed out of the limelight for some time, jumping back into the music scene with a tribute doesn't seem like the smartest move on her part. In addition, Cox is an R&B diva who is known for her dance tracks and smooth grooves. Jazz seems awkward for the Canadian superstar, who handles the shift well vocally, but seems to have missed the mark in most other places. Ultimately, the album is too indulgent on Cox's part, and in order for the whole piece to be credible, especially for Cox, whose popularity has slowly faded since her newest album, she needed to nail every part of the album, not just the vocals. ~ Matthew Chisling  http://www.allmusic.com/album/destination-moon-mw0000778238

Personnel: Deborah Cox - vocals, background vocais; Rob Mounsey – piano; David Spinozza – guitar; David Finck – bass; Victor Lewis – drums; Andy Snitzer - tenor saxophone; Lew Soloff - trumpet

Destination Moon

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Maurice Vander, Kenny Clarke, Pierre Michelot - Jazz At The Blue Note

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:59
Size: 101,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Take The A Train
(5:40) 2. Willow Weep For Me
(7:25) 3. Walkin'
(5:24) 4. Autumn Leaves
(6:24) 5. I'll Remember April
(4:30) 6. The Nearness Of You
(5:45) 7. Django
(3:58) 8. Blue Lester

After opening in June 1958, the “Blue Note” became the most cosmopolitan jazz club in all of Paris. Located on 27 rue d’Artois, in the 8th arrondissement, fans were usually crammed on the leather benches that dotted its large central hall, and if they couldn’t find a spot, there was always the bar. The acoustics of the room were excellent, and the house band included some of the best French jazzmen led by guitarist Jimmy Gourley. They, in turn, accompanied many of the top American soloists who visited the “Blue Note” during the splendor years of the club (1958-1965). The long list of names includes Sarah Vaughan, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Ray Nance, Lester Young, Alice McCloud, Lucky Thompson, Johnny Griffin and Booker Ervin.

The “Blue Note” was also the club where the legendary bebop pianist Bud Powell established the base of operations for his trio, with Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Their stay had really successful moments, and ran from 1959 until 1962, with daily performances where they alternated with the featured American guest of the week. In November 1960, Maurice Vander one of the most prominent jazz pianists in Europe at the time joined forces with the talents of Michelot and Clarke. The trio was warmly acclaimed by the audience at the “Blue Note”, and that good response led to the recording of these excellent live performances. There is no doubt that Vander, Michelot and Clarke were truly “three of a kind.” https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/maurice-vander-albums/6659-jazz-at-the-blue-note.html

Personnel: Maurice Vander (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d)

Jazz At The Blue Note

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James Emery, Joe Lovano, Judi Silvano, Drew Gress - Fourth World

Styles: Free Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:47
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:18) 1. Bellflower
( 8:59) 2. Golden Horn
(11:52) 3. Fourth World
( 8:57) 4. Worship
( 8:07) 5. Splendido
( 5:32) 6. La Scala
( 8:46) 7. The Next Level
( 5:12) 8. In A Secret Place
( 4:00) 9. Hannah's Song

The title of this newly issued recording might ordinarily imply notions of poverty and human rights, but in the liners, guitarist James Emery iterates that the Fourth World “is the world, or dimension, of vibration.” We are presented with four world-class musicians pursuing good vibes on this astutely constructed 2002 release. Joe Lovano performs on a variety of woodwind instruments here, yet on certain tracks he also mans the drum kit, also evidenced on his recent Flights Of Fancy outing. A minor beef is in order for the decision of not utilizing a seasoned drummer, as Lovano is prone to sound tentative amid choppy and uninteresting fills.

However, his activities behind the kit do not detract from the recording when viewed upon as a whole, as the musicians surreptitiously translate polytonal pastiches of sound through often-compelling exchanges. On many of these works, the band is apt to break off into briefly actualized sub-groups. Alternatively, on pieces such as “Fourth World,” Judi Silvano renders whispery vocalise in unison with her associates’ complex themes. The quartet pronounces an airy backdrop via loosely formulated dialogue or when Lovano and acoustic guitarist James Emery partake in blistering cat-and-mouse like episodes.

Emery executes razor sharp single note lines and sweeping chord progressions during “La Scala,” while also counterbalancing Lovano with emphatically placed accents on their duet encounter titled “The Next Level.” Throughout this affair, bassist Drew Gress serves as the traffic director, while Ms. Silvano picks up the flute on the Caribbean tinged closer, “Hannah’s Song.” The musicians bring a mélange of experience to the table as they elicit notions of wide open terrain or expansive horizons, while touching upon the preternatural minutiae of the Fourth Dimension. Recommended.~Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/fourth-world-joe-lovano-between-the-lines-review-by-glenn-astarita

Personnel: James Emery: acoustic guitar - Joe Lovano: tenor, soprano, C melody, straight alto saxophones, alto clarinet, bells, shakers, gongs, log drums & drums - Judi Silvano: flute & voice - Drew Gress: acoustic bass

Fourth World

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Enrico Granafei - Alone Together

Size: 158,3 MB
Time: 68:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz: Bebop
Art: Front

01. Christina (9:16)
02. Destiny (4:11)
03. I Love You (4:29)
04. Body and Soul (5:16)
05. Yardbird Suite (6:13)
06. Lana (6:31)
07. Estate (4:29)
08. Round Midnight (4:55)
09. Gentle Rain (5:30)
10. Alone Together (5:59)
11. The Peacocks (4:15)
12. Medley: Stablemates/Giant Steps/Cherokee (4:11)
13. I Wish You Love (2:56)

Harmonica virtuoso, classical guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, composerEnrico Granafei has a long history of musical experience which encompasses both Classical Music and Jazz. Enrico received a degree in classical guitar from the Conservatory of l'Aquila in Italy in 1976. His artistic career started in Rome where he soon became known in the musical community. In 1978 Enrico moved to Germany where he began to perform and to teach in two different "Musikschulen". In the early 80's, after returning to Italy, Enrico started to broaden his horizons by discovering Jazz through the harmonica. Following in the tradition of the legendary Toots Thielemans, he began to explore new possibilities for the harmonica, an instrument too often associated solely with Rock and Blues. Besides playing in the best jazz clubs in Italy during that period, Enrico performed regularly on national television where he was a member of the Pippo Caruso orchestra. His love for Jazz led him to New York City, the world capital of Jazz, where he soon started to perform in local jazz clubs, including The Blue Note, Birdland, Visiones, Angry Squire, and the Bottom Line.

In 1992 Enrico earned a masters' degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where he was the only student of Toots Thielemans . During the time that he has resided in the New York area, he has performed extensively on the Chromatic Harmonica in the United States and continued to be a featured musician in major European Festivals, including Pori Jazz Festival (Finland), Euromeet Jazz Festival (Italy), Django Festival in Samois sur Seine (France) , Budapest Music Festival (Hungary) and major clubs throughout Europe. He has recorded with Eddie Gomez, Eliot Zigmund. Marc Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Ted Curson, Nnena Freelon (Concord records) and many others. Enrico's latest accomplishment is his work on Hands-Free-Chromatic Harmonica. The revolutionary instrument invented by Vern Smith allows him to play Chromatic Harmonica and Guitar at the same time, something that nobody has ever done before in Jazz. Close your eyes and you will hear two or three musicians but in fact it's only one! Enrico is one of the most respected players of the Chromatic Harmonica in the world today and continues to cultivate an audience for the instrument through his international performances.

Alone Together

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