Ida Sand - Meet Me Around Midnight

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:44
Size: 121,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Mr Pianoman
(2:46)  2. Bang Bang
(3:59)  3. Brutal Truth
(4:04)  4. Every Little Bit Hurts
(4:03)  5. Here Comes The Rain Again
(3:49)  6. One For My Baby
(5:15)  7. Feeding Off The Love Of The Land
(4:32)  8. Higher Ground
(5:04)  9. At Last
(2:53) 10. Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes
(4:12) 11. Maybe You'll Be There
(3:17) 12. Use Me
(4:08) 13. Home

29-year-old singer and pianist Ida Sand didn't feel rushed to start a solo career: Born into a musical family her father was an opera singer, her mother a church musician she studied music in Stockholm and then worked with a large number of Swedish musicians, honing her skills. One of these musicians was Nils Landgren, who gave Sand ample opportunity to show her talent on the latest release of his Funk Unit, Licence to Funk, and now that she has finally recorded an album under her own name, Landgren is on board as a producer and also guests on a number of songs. 

Meet Me Around Midnight is a vocal jazz album deeply influenced by blues and soul, and Sand's experience as a musician shows: she has an earthy, expressive voice, but she never feels the need to push it into the spotlight where other young singers make every song a showcase for their undeniably impressive technique, Sand is refreshingly relaxed and focuses on the songs, not on herself. Most of the tracks are covers, and they have been selected from a wide range of sources: Sand performs two Stevie Wonder songs ("Feeding Off the Love of the Land" and "Higher Ground"), the Eurythmics composition "Here Comes the Rain Again," Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang," a Lightnin' Hopkins song ("Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes") and the old Arlen-Mercer song "One for My Baby" (made famous in versions by Frank Sinatra and Etta James). She finds a fresh arrangement for most of these, some more acoustic-based, with piano, bass, drums, and vocals as the main ingredients, and others more electric, giving them a bluesy touch with guitar and electric piano. 

Sand's own composition "Brutal Truth" is one of the album's highlights, a funky R&B song with a soulful groove, and her beautiful piano ballad "Home" quietly ends the album. Not every song on Meet Me Around Midnight is a standout, but even the less exciting arrangements ("At Last") are performed skillfully enough to make the album work as a whole. Sand is a promising new talent on the music scene, and with her subtle feel for dynamics, Meet Me Around Midnight shows more sophistication than you'd expect from a debut album. It's simply a good listen all the way through.~ Christian Genzel http://www.allmusic.com/album/meet-me-around-midnight-mw0001507074

Meet Me Around Midnight

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Michael Weiss - Persistence

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:33
Size: 111,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:19) 1. Persistence
(5:09) 2. Second Thoughts
(5:54) 3. Apres Vous
(4:53) 4. Only The Lonely
(6:47) 5. Jitterbug Waltz
(6:38) 6. Epistrophy
(6:50) 7. Once I Loved
(6:59) 8. Birthday Blues

It’s entirely appropriate that one of Michael Weiss’ signature compositions is titled “Apres Vous,” as the pianist has mostly made a name for himself as a sideman with many jazz luminaries. He’s backed Art Farmer, George Coleman, Benny Golson, Junior Cook, and Slide Hampton; most notably, he spent more than a decade backing the great saxophonist Johnny Griffin. In addition, he used to play with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

These tenures have given Weiss a sophisticated approach to the millennial-era hard-bop piano. He’s neither a revivalist nor a classicist, but rather a virtuoso who continues to dive into harmonic textures and melodic structures in search of beauty and surprise. On Persistence, a concise, eight-track program of originals and standards, he finds plenty. His stellar band includes saxophonist Eric Alexander, another player more often heard as a sideman than a leader, plus bassist Paul Gill and drummer Pete Van Nostrand.

The band’s rapport highlights the title track, a convivial, up-tempo piece that never feels rushed. It’s especially evident in Alexander’s solo as Weiss alternately pushes and lays back in his accompaniment and Van Nostrand adds catchy rhythmic flourishes. It sounds like an insightful roundtable discussion with instruments doing the talking. During their sprightly and nimble take on “Apres Vous,” the solos stand out, especially Weiss’ richly textured improvisations and Alexander’s fervent, blustery licks. The quartet turns Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” into a jaunty, gleeful mid-tempo romp. They also scale the mountain that is Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy,” putting their own assertive stamp on it with Alexander’s pithy lines and the leader’s elegant flourishes headlining the accomplishment. Weiss and his bandmates demonstrate that although he doesn’t record as a leader often, he makes these outings count. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/michael-weiss-persistence-cellar-live/

Persistence

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Conrad Herwig, Richie Beirach, Jack DeJohnette - The Tip Of The Sword

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:35
Size: 114,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:49) 1. Where The Tip Of The Sword Settles
(7:11) 2. Mastery Of The Mind
(6:28) 3. Thought Precedes Action
(7:30) 4. The Void
(6:50) 5. Inner Sincerity
(7:06) 6. Moonlight On The Water,Rebirth
(6:37) 7. Being, Non-Being

Much of trombonist Conrad Herwig’s activity in recent years has been focused on exploring the so-called Latin side of jazz giants like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Though not without their charms, those albums’ central concept, by its very nature, tends to limit inventiveness; they exist in a box enforced by a demanding gimmick. Whether or not Herwig has begun to chafe at those restrictions, The Tip of the Sword takes off in a wholly opposite direction, driven largely by freedom and openness. Though all seven compositions are credited to Herwig, the material is defined by the interactions between the trombonist and his heavyweight counterparts, pianist Richie Beirach and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

All three play with a predictably impressive vigor, and a certain hectic momentum propels most of the tracks. That’s certainly true of the tense, antic opener, “Where the Tip of the Sword Settles,” during which Herwig’s bluster is met by Beirach’s caffeinated urgency and DeJohnette’s all-over-the-kit hyperactivity. “Mastery of the Mind” builds at a much more patient pace, Herwig wailing with breathiness and the occasional stuttering catch while DeJohnette dances around his cymbals and Beirach muses. But it’s “The Void,” the album’s literal centerpiece, that finds the trio reining itself in to its starkest point, beginning with a lengthy solo piano turn that basks in the instrument’s resonance. “Inner Sincerity” restores the brisk pace with DeJohnette’s ebullient rhythms, which bear traces of his globetrotting influences without suggesting any particular culture or style. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/conrad-herwig-richie-beirach-jack-dejohnette-the-tip-of-the-sword/

Personnel: Conrad Herwig - trombone; Richie Beirach - piano; Jack DeJohnette - drums

The Tip Of The Sword

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Melissa Aldana - Second Cycle

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:59
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:54)  1. Ellemeno
( 6:23)  2. Meeting Them
( 9:11)  3. Liquiescence
( 6:21)  4. First Cycle
( 4:56)  5. Second Cycle
( 7:10)  6. Free Fall
( 5:25)  7. My Own World
( 7:15)  8. Polyphemus
( 7:24)  9. I'll Be Seeing You
(11:54) 10. L Line

Melissa Aldana may still be in her early twenties, but the tenor saxophonist already knows what it is like to play with big jazz names like saxophonists George Coleman, Benny Golson and George Garzone. In a short time, Aldana has found her own place in the difficult New York jazz scene because she has developed a new voice that has commanded the attention of both the public and her peers. An obvious talent, one which made Greg Osby stand up and take notice when he first heard her at Boston's Berklee College of Music, combined with a marked perseverance and meticulous study routine is the formula that has brought her to the front line of jazz. She says that Don Byas, Mark Turner, Joe Lovano and Walter Smith III are the four saxophonists who really made her change how she approaches her career, but she continues to keep a close eye on the primary jazz legends. 

Aldana recorded her second album, Second Cycle (2012), for Osby's Inner Circle Music imprint (as she did her first), and she travelled to Spain to perform it, along with drummer Francisco Mela and bassist Dee Jay Foster. She started this short tour with the closing concert of Valencia's Jimmy Glass International Jazz Festival, clearly happy return after after two years. And despite being absorbed in the promotion of her new CD, this enterprising saxophonist is also working with a new trio featuring Mela and bassist Pablo Menares. This project will be debuted in January, 2013 at the New York Jazz Gallery. ~ Marta Ramon   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/melissa-aldana-living-a-second-cycle-melissa-aldana-by-marta-ramon.php#.U5oGTiioqdk

Second Cycle

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The Manhattan Transfer, Take 6 - The Summit: Live on Soundstage

Styles: Vocal, Swing 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:45
Size: 165,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Mean Joe (Killer Joe) (Live)
(3:53)  2. Straighten Up and Fly Right (Live)
(2:56)  3. Tuxedo Junction (Live)
(3:18)  4. Candy (Live)
(4:24)  5. It's Good Enough To Keep (Airmail Special) (Live)
(3:59)  6. Just In Time (Live)
(4:30)  7. I've Got Life (Live)
(1:27)  8. Spread Love (Live)
(2:50)  9. Happy (Live)
(3:37) 10. Like Someone In Love (Live)
(0:51) 11. Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone (Live)
(0:58) 12. Gold Mine (Live)
(0:49) 13. Route 66 (Live)
(0:53) 14. Mary (Live)
(1:58) 15. Operator (Live)
(4:08) 16. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Live)
(5:03) 17. Overjoyed (Live)
(3:41) 18. Stand By Me (Live)
(2:00) 19. Trickle Trickle (Live)
(1:30) 20. Boy From New York City (Live)
(6:12) 21. Birdland (Live)
(5:46) 22. What'd I Say (Live)

Riding a wave of nostalgia in the '70s, the Manhattan Transfer resurrected jazz trends from boogie-woogie to bop to vocalese in a slick, slightly commercial setting that balanced the group's close harmonies. Originally formed in 1969, the quartet recorded several albums of jazz standards as well as much material closer to R&B/pop. Still, they were easily the most popular jazz vocal group of their era, and the most talented of any since the heyday of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross during the early '60s. When the group was formed in the late '60s, however, the Manhattan Transfer was a hippie novelty act similar to the Lovin' Spoonful or Spanky & Our Gang. The lone LP that appeared from the original lineup leader Gene Pistilli plus Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia was Jukin', assembled by Capitol. Somewhat of a satire record, it was the last appearance on a Manhattan Transfer album for all of the above except Hauser. After Hauser met vocalists Laurel Masse and Janis Siegel in 1972, the trio re-formed the Manhattan Transfer later that year with the addition of Alan Paul. The group became popular after appearances at a few New York hot spots and recorded their own debut, an eponymous LP recorded with help from the jazz world (including Zoot Sims, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, and Mel Davis). Featuring vocalese covers of "Java Jive" and "Tuxedo Junction" as well as a Top 40 hit in the aggressive gospel tune "Operator," the album rejuvenated the field of vocalese (dormant since the mid-'60s) and made the quartet stars in the jazz community across Europe as well as America.

The Manhattan Transfer's next two albums, Coming Out and Pastiche, minimized the jazz content in favor of covers from around the music community, from Nashville to Los Angeles to Motown. A single from Coming Out, the ballad "Chanson d'Amour," hit number one in Britain. Though Masse left in 1979 for a solo career, Cheryl Bentyne proved a capable replacement, and that same year, Extensions introduced their best-known song, "Birdland," the ode to bop written by Weather Report several years earlier. Throughout the '80s, the group balanced retreads from all aspects of American song. The 1981 LP Mecca for Moderns gained the Manhattan Transfer their first American Top Ten hit, with a cover of the Ad Libs' 1965 girl group classic "The Boy from New York City," but also included a version of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and a surreal, wordless tribute named "Kafka." (The album also earned the Manhattan Transfer honors as the first artist to receive Grammys in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year.) The production on virtually all these was susceptible to '80s slickness, and though the group harmonies were wonderful, all but the most open of listeners had trouble digesting the sheer variety of material. 

The group's 1985 tribute to vocal pioneer Jon Hendricks, titled Vocalese, marked a shift in the Manhattan Transfer's focus. Subsequent works managed to keep the concepts down to one per album, and the results were more consistent. Such records as 1987's Brasil, 1994's Tubby the Tuba (a children's record), 1995's Tonin' ('60s R&B), and 1997's Swing (pre-war swing) may not have found the group at their performance peak, but were much more easily understandable for what they were. The group stayed very active and concept-heavy during the 2000s, beginning with a tribute to Louis Armstrong for 2000's The Spirit of St. Louis. They included a pair of Rufus Wainwright songs among the jazz material on 2004's Vibrate, and released An Acapella Christmas the following year. The Symphony Sessions followed in 2006, offering re-recordings of some of their best-known songs with orchestral arrangements. In 2009, the Transfer saluted one of the biggest names in jazz with The Chick Corea Songbook, and featured contributions from Corea, Airto Moreira, Christian McBride, and Ronnie Cuber, among others. During the early 2010s, the group focused more on performing, although both Bentyne and Hauser were forced to find temporary replacements during medical procedures. After spinal surgery in 2013, Hauser returned to the group, but then died suddenly from cardiac arrest in October 2014. Following his death, vocalist Trist Curless of the a cappella group m-pact joined the group full-time. In 2018, the group returned with the eclectic studio album Junction, which they dedicated to Hauser. ~ John Bush https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-summit-live-on-soundstage/1444195701

The Summit: Live on Soundstage

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Jeff Palmer, John Abercrombie, David Liebman, Adam Nussbaum - Abracadabra

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:59)  1. Hip Slick
( 3:05)  2. Mr. Adam
( 8:05)  3. Tango Dream
( 4:44)  4. Mr. John
( 5:13)  5. Abracadabra
( 6:36)  6. The Unkown Known
( 2:49)  7. Mr. Dave
( 8:44)  8. Girl Swirl
(12:47)  9. On Fire

Sound explorations are emphasized throughout this release with Jeff Palmer's atmospheric organ, the varied tones of John Abercrombie's guitar synthesizer, David Liebman's very passionate soprano and Adam Nussbaum's drums interacting over a variety of patterns. All of the compositions are group originals with five by Palmer and one apiece from the other three musicians. 

Whether it be the funky beat of "Hip Slick," the free jamming of "Mr. Adam," the spacey title cut or the almost New Age feel of "Mr. John," the themes are less important than the setting of moods and the advanced improvising. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/abracadabra-mw0000272005

Personnel: David Liebman (soprano saxophone); Jeff Palmer (organ); John Abercrombie (guitar synthesizer); Adam Nussbaum (drums).

Abracadabra

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Janet Seidel & William Galison - Love Letters

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:23
Size: 131,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Love Letters
(4:10)  2. Small Fry
(4:10)  3. Lazybones
(4:23)  4. Baltimore Oriole
(3:24)  5. True Love
(5:11)  6. Nature Boy
(4:15)  7. Rockin' Chair
(4:16)  8. Stardust
(4:53)  9. The Nearness Of You
(4:36) 10. In A Sentimental Mood
(4:27) 11. It Ain't Necessarily So
(5:07) 12. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(4:18) 13. Moon River

With her clear, cool voice, Janet Seidel successfully combines the fluencies of such singers as Chris Connor, Blossom Dearie, Peggy Lee, and Doris Day into a style that focuses on delivering the story of the lyrics rather than making her vocal faculties the message. This is the Australian's eighth album for the La Brava label, and reflects her ability to make each new release as fresh and as captivating as the one that preceded it. Each new release has something novel. Here it is William Galison's harmonica, with the haunting, sensuous tone only that instrument can produce. The musical agenda is made up of songs that bring out the best in the combination of voice and harmonica, recalling Toots Thielemans' work with the likes of Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, and Elaine Elias, to name just a few. Songs like "Baltimore Oriole," "In a Sentimental Mood," and "Stardust," classic standards all, fit perfectly within the feeling of soul created by Seidel and Galison. Add a generous helping of Chuck Morgan's guitar and the delicate drumming of Adam Pache, and out comes a different approach to these oft-saddled warhorses. 

On a lighter side, Seidel takes on a girlish tone (which she does very well) with another Hoagy Carmichael gem, "Rockin' Chair." One of the album's many good tracks is "Nature Boy," where Galison creates images of exotic places and landscapes. Galison shows a light but pleasant voice as he joins Seidel on a tender duet of "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Seidel has earned admission into that select cadre of singers who accompany themselves at piano, like Sarah Vaughan, Jeri Southern, Shirley Horn, and Nina Simone. One thing that stays the same is Seidel's affection for strings, which have shown up on earlier albums. But, on this session, she limits their participation to just two tracks. Love Letters is another fine production by Janet Seidel  with lots of help from her friends and is highly recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Personnel: Janet Seidel - Vocals/Piano/Conductor; William Galison -Harmonica/Vocals; Chuck Morgan - Guitar; David Seidel - Bass; Adam Pache - Drums; Michelle Kelly, Kate Morgan, Fiona Ziegler, Leon Ziegler, Phillip Peipman - Strings; Kevin Hunt - Piano; Len Barnard - Drums

Love Letters

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Brandon Allen - The Stanley Turrentine Project

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 62:56
Size: 58,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:47) 1. Can't Buy Me Love
(5:29) 2. You're Gonna Hear from Me
(5:46) 3. Love for Sale
(4:45) 4. Little Green Apples
(6:42) 5. What Could I Do Without You
(6:20) 6. And Satisfy
(8:28) 7. The Island
(4:57) 8. Let It Go
(4:41) 9. The Fool on The Hill
(5:50) 10. Evil
(5:07) 11. Mississippi City Strut

Brandon has established himself as one of the UK’s most in-demand saxophonists and bandleaders. He has performed extensively throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, both as a leader and sideman. Throughout his career he has worked with top international artists including Eric Clapton, Paloma Faith, Kyle Eastwood, Tony Lakatos, Adam Nussbaum, Gary Husband, Stefano Di Battista, US3, The Blockheads and many others. The Stanley Turrentine Project came about because of a deep admiration and respect for the late, great saxophonist’s musical approach and output. Brandon’s highly acclaimed Gene Ammons Project came into existence for the same reasons. Selections from Ammons’ entire catalogue were reinterpreted, seeking to capture the spirit of the music as well as exploring the stylistic changes that occurred throughout the tenor saxophonist’s 30-year career.

The repertoire of The Stanley Turrentine Project is slightly more specific, drawing from Turrentine’s releases on the Blue Note and CTI labels. In addition, some of Turrentine’s renditions of rock & pop hits of the 60s and 70s have been reimagined by Brandon and the quartet. Brandon explains: “When putting this project together I deliberated over the choice of tunes for some time. Listening to as many albums as I could, discovering some gems along the way, I slowly began to pick out some selections that resonated with me and that would work well with this line-up. I then began to arrange them for the quartet. “Some of the original versions were orchestral in nature and so I tried to capture the essence of that large ensemble feeling. With the other tracks I have taken all the main elements of the song but have made some small alterations, textural changes here and there and opened up certain sections for solos.”

Brandon shares his thoughts on the project, “This is very much a labour of love. My deep respect for Stanley Turrentine’s music has guided me in putting together these arrangements and in my selection of what I believe is my strongest band to date. I believe that we’ve captured some of the ‘spirit’ of the music and I can’t wait to share this album with the world.” For his band, Brandon carefully selected some of London’s finest to join him on the project, including Will Barry (piano & keys), Conor Chaplin (acoustic & electric bases) And Dave Ingamells (drums). https://www.prestomusic.com/jazz/products/9314468--the-stanley-turrentine-project

Personnel: Brandon Allen (Tenor Sax), Will Barry (Piano & Keys), Conor Chaplin (Basses), Dave Ingamells (Drums)

The Stanley Turrentine Project

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