Cheryl Bentyne - Rearrangements of Shadows

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:27
Size: 102,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. I Remember
(4:47)  2. Sand
(5:13)  3. The Ladies Who Lunch
(2:55)  4. Everybody Says Don't
(3:15)  5. Comedy Tonight
(3:00)  6. Wish I Could Forget You
(5:40)  7. Not a Day Goes By
(4:56)  8. Move On
(4:37)  9. Send in the Clowns
(5:13) 10. The Ladies Who Lunch (solo CB) [Bonus Track]

Though such early career collaborations as West Side Story and Gypsy yielded significant fodder for jazz artists, the show tunes that Stephen Sondheim later shaped by himself remain seldom covered (save the ubiquitous “Send in the Clowns”). Many of his intricately crafted songs just don’t lend themselves easily to reinterpretation. Yet, with support from several gifted arrangers, the Manhattan Transfer’s Cheryl Bentyne proves effective at the art of reimagining Sondheim’s densely shadowed work. “Clowns” is here, saved ’til last; it’s a dreamy, Transfer-worthy treatment propelled by cajón and shaker and shaped by Take 6’s Mark Kibble, who unites with Naturally 7’s Armand Hutton on backing vocals. Among other familiar selections: a bubbly “The Ladies Who Lunch,” featuring special guests Tierney Sutton and the Transfer’s Janis Siegel, with a curiously effective nod to “Killer Joe” from arranger Jamieson Trotter; a lithe, tender “Not a Day Goes By”; a spirited, asymmetric “Everybody Says Don’t,” on which arranger and bassist Kevin Axt is paired with drummer Dave Tull; and a kaleidoscopic, edge-of-sanity “Comedy Tonight” that, courtesy of arranger Bevan Manson, blends Baroque courtliness with Big Top buffoonery. 

Digging deeper into the Sondheim songbook, Bentyne adds the obscure “Sand,” featuring a cleverly shifting arrangement by Eli Brueggemann; a strings-drenched “Move On” (from Sunday in the Park With George); and, alone with pianist Tom Zink, Passions’ haunting “I Wish I Could Forget You.” ~Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/reviews/vox/cheryl-bentyne-rearrangements-sondheim/

Rearrangements of Shadows

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The Manhattan Transfer - The Very Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:40
Size: 145,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:42) 1. Boy From New York City
(2:22) 2. Trickle Trickle
(3:01) 3. Gloria
(3:13) 4. Operator
(3:06) 5. Tuxedo Junction
(3:50) 6. Four Brothers
(5:10) 7. Ray's Rockhouse
(5:15) 8. Soul Food To Go (Sina)
(3:43) 9. Spice Of Life
(2:56) 10. Baby Come Back To Me (The Morse Code Of Love)
(3:29) 11. Candy
(3:51) 12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
(6:02) 13. Birdland
(2:48) 14. Java Jive
(2:58) 15. Route 66
(6:06) 16. Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone

This eclectic collection of songs encompasses jazz, bebop, swing, doo wop, rock & roll, and gospel; all are trimmed in an attractive pop texture. These 16 compositions are taken from the vocal quartet's albums, which span 12 years (1975-1987). Each selection is inviting, as all four song stylists display their individual vocal skills and admirable harmonies. Laurel Masse appears on recordings up until 1979, when Cheryl Bentyne replaced her. Other members include Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, and Alan Paul. ~Craig Lytlehttps://www.allmusic.com/album/the-very-best-of-the-manhattan-transfer-mw0000107854

The Very Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

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Joe Lovano Quartet feat. Hank Jones - JazzBaltica 2005

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 93:47
Size: 216,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:50) 1. Bird's Eye View
(12:37) 2. Don't Ever Leave Me
(10:10) 3. I Waited For You
( 9:59) 4. Consummation
(14:10) 5. Kids Are Pretty People
(11:15) 6. Stella by Starlight
( 8:25) 7. I'm All for You
( 9:04) 8. Six and Four
( 7:14) 9. Crescent

Joseph Salvatore Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1952 and grew up in a very musical household. His dad, Tony, aka Big T, was a barber by day and a big-toned tenor player at night. “Big T,” along with his brothers Nick and Joe, other tenor players, and Carl, a bebop trumpeter, made sure Joe’s exposure to Jazz and the saxophone were early and constant. Joe’s mom, Josephine, and her sister Rose were serious listeners, as well, His Mom remembers hearing Big T play opposite Stan Getz and Flip Phillips when they were engaged. And Aunt Rose went to hear Jazz at the Philharmonic with Ella Fitzgerald when they came through Cleveland.

Not surprisingly, Joe began playing the alto at five, switching to the tenor a few years later. By the time he got his driver’s license at sixteen, Joe Lovano was a member of the Musician’s Union, Local 4, and working professionally. He started playing club dates (sometimes subbing for his dad), and Motown cover bands, eventually saving enough money from these gigs to put himself through college. “My dad was a fantastic saxophone player with a really deep passion for the music. I grew up with his record collection and when I was a teenager, he’d bring me around to rehearsals and jam sessions” http://www.joelovano.com/biography/

Personnel: Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone; Hank Jones – piano; George Mraz – bass; Lewis Nash – drums

JazzBaltica 2005

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Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:07
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:44) 1. Wuthering Heights
(7:23) 2. Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying
(3:22) 3. Ghost Song
(1:32) 4. Obligation
(6:31) 5. Until
(3:40) 6. I Lost My Mind
(3:04) 7. Moon Song
(2:23) 8. Trail Mix
(4:48) 9. The World Is Mean
(2:36) 10. Dead Poplar
(3:36) 11. Thunderclouds
(4:21) 12. Unquiet Grave

In the 12 years since Cécile McLorin Salvant arrived on the jazz scene by winning the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, she has diligently redefined the popular concept of a jazz singer. In addition to being a vehicle toward a romantic vision of emotional bliss as told in the words of the classic American songbook, Salvant has added numerous other identity tropes. She’s the cultural-studies professor examining, even interrogating the lyrics of classics. She’s the crate digger, finding nuggets from forgotten musicals and films, and obscure songs by great songwriters and singers. And she’s a storyteller, bringing an actress’ arsenal of nuanced theatricality, wit, and intelligence to her stage persona. Her accomplishments extend beyond her five albums as a leader or co-leader, several noteworthy collaborations, and three Grammy Awards. In 2020, she won a MacArthur “genius grant.”

On Ghost Song, her debut recording for Nonesuch Records, she expands her ambitions. The recording opens with a stunning cover of the Kate Bush classic “Wuthering Heights.” Salvant begins singing a cappella, bringing full operatic splendor to the verses about longing and yearning, so that when the band kicks in and she sings straightforwardly, “Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy/I’ve come home, I’m so cold,” the vulnerability and ache strike like a power chord. The other 11 tracks contain similar juxtapositions of elegance and force. The title track, for instance, starts with Salvant referencing the might of field hollers and finishes with the gentle croons of the Brooklyn Youth Choir. “Trail Mix” is a solo piece that features Salvant on piano, and on “Dead Poplar,” she sings a letter written from the great photographer Alfred Stieglitz to his wife, the legendary artist Georgia O’Keeffe. The album closes with “Unquiet Grave,” on which she sings a cappella again, bringing a symmetrical finish to a powerful recording about pain and loss.~ Martin Johnson https://jazztimes.com/author/martin-johnson/

Ghost Song

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