Thursday, March 10, 2022

Polly Gibbons - What's the Real Reason?

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:53
Size: 93,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:11) 1. Toy Shop
(4:34) 2. Are You Okay?
(4:20) 3. Pray
(3:39) 4. Your Faith
(3:52) 5. Colourfield
(4:03) 6. Give & Take
(3:40) 7. So Unreasonable
(4:40) 8. Thought It Was About You
(3:50) 9. The Game
(3:59) 10. I'll Be Here

Polly Gibbons is a growing presence in the UK Jazz scene. She has already been nominated twice as “Best Jazz Vocalist” by JAZZ FM and the BBC. Fully embracing the inspiring expansiveness of American Jazz, Blues, Soul and R&B, her career as a vocalist, composer and live performer is influenced by these genres. But Polly is hesitant to define her music as strictly Jazz; her eclectic repertoire and the ease and style with which she performs it, have led her to appear at a variety of music festivals and venues: from the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London opening for George Benson and Gladys Knight, or for Bozz Scaggs at the famous Montreal Jazz Festival. Equally, her fans might find her performing a weekly residency with her band at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in NYC, Ronnie Scott’s in London or at the funky new venue Rudy's down in Nashville. Her music and her voice have a broad appeal to music lovers - and her ongoing touring over the last few years in the USA has garnered her many new fans.

One might ask how a farmer's daughter (one of seven siblings), who grew up in a small market town in Suffolk, England, came to sing in some of the greatest venues in the world? Polly grew up in a family that loved various types of music and although acting was her first love, she first began to experiment with vocals at 13; and the well-known British vocalist, Ian Shaw, helped her secure her first gig in London at 17. Then she was off! She released her first album, My Own Company in 2014, and soon afterward she was contacted by the American producer, George Klabin, President of the established USA label, Resonance Records, a division of the non-profit RISING JAZZ STARS, INC.

It was at Resonance Records Beverly Hills studio where Polly recorded Many Faces of Love, released in 2015. Touring the country from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis to New York City in support of that CD began a new career phase for Polly. She soon returned to the States in the Autumn of 2016 to begin work on her second album for Resonance: Is It Me…? The album was released in April of 2017 and several new touring periods (in the USA, EUROPE and ASIA) began, attracting critical acclaim from many music critics and periodicals; for example, the American music magazine, DOWNBEAT, compared Polly to a female version of the highly acclaimed vocalist, Gregory Porter.

In the Summer of 2018 the dynamic young vocalist spent three months in NYC exploring both the eclectic music scene in the city and some of its best musicians, as well as taking on the challenge of her first live recording - her third for Resonance. It took place over two days in June at the famed Powerstation/Berklee NYC, and was staged in front of a live audience. It was an exciting event, made even more special by the presence of several All-Star Band members who have worked with Polly on both the East Coast and West Coast, as well as in London: the keyboards were represented by the remarkable musicians Tamir Hendelman and James Pearson on the acoustic piano, and Shedrick Mitchell held court on the Hammond B3. The rhythm section featured Polly’s long time guitarist, Paul Bollenback, along with the versatile drummer Mark McClean and Richie Goods who performed on both electric and acoustic basses. The repertoire chosen for the new 12-track CD represents the vocalist as both a singer and a songwriter, and features her original title track, “All I Can Do”, as well as another track co-written with the pianist and Polly’s long-time collaborator, James Pearson, entitled “If You Had The Chance”. The remainder of the album features tunes as diverse as Prince’s “Nothing Compares to You”; a very unusual and delightful version of the great Cole Porter standard, ”Anything Goes”; and the Duke Ellington classic, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So”.

All I Can Do will be released in February of 2019, and will be supported initially by a tour of the West Coast, followed in the early Spring by performances in both the Midwest, the East Coast and the UK. As Polly reflects on her career so far, she says, “it's a fascinating journey that's constantly in flux, there are always exciting new goals to work towards.” The vocalist and songwriter is definitely on that road, and with All I Can Do out soon, she is on the way to new and extraordinary musical destinations. Stay tuned!! https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/polly-gibbons

What's the Real Reason?

Kenny G - New Standards

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:30
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:40) 1. Emeline
(5:50) 2. Only You
(5:30) 3. Paris By Night
(6:19) 4. Rendezvous
(3:56) 5. Legacy (feat. The Sound)
(4:32) 6. Anthem
(4:48) 7. Blue Skies
(4:42) 8. Milestones
(5:49) 9. Two Of A Kind
(6:00) 10. Moonlight
(5:18) 11. Waltz In Blue

With 2021's elegant New Standards, saxophonist Kenny G wryly inserts himself into the pantheon of American Popular Songbook composers performing and writing songs that feel as if they were written during the heyday of traditional pop in the '50s and '60s. The album is G's first studio production since 2015's Brazilian Nights and while it certainly hews to his distinctive crossover style it's steeped in a lush orchestral atmosphere that evokes the classic traditional pop of artists like Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, and Ella Fitzgerald. Of course, these aren't swinging big-band numbers, but hushed and intimate ballads with just enough R&B keyboard, bass, and guitar textures to keep things contemporary.

What's particularly notable about New Standards is just how effectively G has managed to capture the sound of traditional pop. While solely instrumentals, tracks like "Emeline," "Blue Skies," and "Paris by Night" are nonetheless harmonically sophisticated songs that have the cozy, martini-soaked vibe of Tin Pan Alley and Brill Building standards. One could easily imagine a companion album with lyrics and guest vocalists added to the mix. That they are all G's own newly penned original compositions makes them all the more impressive. Even the one guest appearance here, a somewhat dubious, digitally crafted duet between G and his late idol, saxophonist Stan Getz (or more specifically "the sound" of Stan Getz), does little to distract from the overriding aura of relaxed,old-school romanticism. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-standards-mw0003604846

New Standards

Eight To The Bar - Hey, Sailor!

Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:39
Size: 106,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. She's The Most
(3:34)  2. Hey, Sailor!
(2:51)  3. The Existential Boogie
(4:37)  4. I'm Here To Tell You
(2:30)  5. Why Can't You Dance (With Me Like That)?
(3:52)  6. Mean Old Frisco
(2:54)  7. So Rare
(3:17)  8. Well All Right
(4:14)  9. All Of These Things
(4:23) 10. He Ain't Got Rhythm
(3:20) 11. Mean Streets
(3:27) 12. I'm Obsessed
(4:31) 13. Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar

New England's premiere 6-piece swing and jump blues band of 27 years. Their longevity, huge fan base and jam-packed performance schedule are a testament to their ability to keep it swinging at no less than eight beats to the bar. Listening to Eight to the Bar is a lot like driving along a time-warped highway precisely halfway between Count Basie's Kansas City and Fat's Waller's Harlem, where the car radio picks up everything from "Take the A Train" to "Boogie Woogie Boy of Company B". Their material, like their outlandish wardrobes and onstage choreo, is a colorful mix of forties jive and swing, fifties jump blues, and their own swing influenced tunes. With their 4 part female and male vocals, saxophone, guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, this unique sextet pack a musical and visual wallop not seen in New England since the group's inception in 1975. Since that time they have released 7 records, have appeared national on HBO and VH-1 and have excited audiences from London to L.A. At this time the band has just released its seventh album, "Hey, Sailor!" and is going on its second European tour in April, 2002. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ettb

Personnel: Cynthia Lyon (vocals, piano, organ); Michael Corsini (vocals, upright bass); Tommy Whalen (guitar); Collin Tilton (flute, tenor saxophone); David Keith (drums, percussion).

Hey, Sailor!

Lee Ritenour - The Captain's Journey

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:37
Size: 89,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:02)  1. The Captain's Journey
(5:53)  2. Morning Glory
(5:05)  3. Sugarloaf Express
(4:53)  4. Matchmakers
(5:27)  5. What Do You Want
(5:24)  6. That's Enough For Me
(3:49)  7. Etude

Guitarist Lee Ritenour had just switched from Epic to Elektra when he cut Captain's Journey in 1978. It was a followup to the successful crossover work Captain Fingers and used a similar strategy: tight, hook-laden arrangements, polished production, and minimal solo space. What individual things it has are dominated by Ritenour, a supremely talented guitarist who doesn't display that much of it with these arrangements. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-captains-journey-mw0000120708

Personnel: Lee Ritenour – guitar, guitar synthesizer, rhythm arrangement; Dave Grusin – synthesizer , Minimoog, Rhodes piano , electric grand piano, piano; Ernie Watts – tenor and soprano saxophone; Ray Beckstein – flute, Eddie Daniels – flute Dave Valentin – flute David Foster – Rhodes piano, piano; Don Grusin – piano; Patrice Rushen – Rhodes piano , electric grand piano; Ian Underwood – synthesizer; Jay Graydon – guitar; Mitch Holder – guitar; Anthony Jackson – bass guitar Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar; Steve Gadd – drums; Alex Acuña – drums, percussion; Paulinho da Costa – percussion; Sue Evans – percussion; Steve Forman – percussion; Larry Rosen – percussion; Steve Thornton – percussion Patti Austin – vocals; Bill Champlin – vocals, vocal arrangement; Venette Gloud – backing vocal; Carmen Twillie – backing vocals; David Nadien – strings; Ed Walsh – programming

The Captain's Journey