Carol Welsman - What'cha Got Cookin'?

Styles: Vocal, And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:44
Size: 141,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Hey Good Lookin'
(3:52)  2. Stand by Your Man
(3:57)  3. Everybody's Talkin'
(5:22)  4. It's My Party
(3:37)  5. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
(4:47)  6. Your Cheatin' Heart
(3:33)  7. Just a Little Lovin'
(4:54)  8. Always on My Mind
(6:09)  9. Walkin' After Midnight
(3:43) 10. I Feel Lucky
(3:37) 11. Baby Come Easy
(4:26) 12. Daddy's Little Girl
(5:17) 13. I Can't Stop Lovin' You
(4:59) 14. I'm Walkin' the Floor over You

Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand. She started the Welcar Music label in Toronto, recording her debut CD, Lucky to Be Me, in 1995. She performed throughout Canada and also worked as a jazz vocal professor at the University of Toronto. 

During 2004-2005 she toured in Japan, Italy, and Brazil in addition to Canada and worked a bit in Los Angeles as a singer/pianist, but Carol Welsman has yet to become well known in the U.S. despite being a household name in Canada. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/carol-welsman/id7239327#fullText

Personnel:  Carol Welsman - piano, Fender Rhodes, vocal;  Kevin Axt - bass (acoustic & electric);  Ray Brinker – drums;  Grant Geissman – guitars;  Randy Waldman – keyboards;  Brad Dutz - percussion

What'cha Got Cookin'?

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Toots Thielemans - Sophisticated Lady

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:24) 1. I Just Called to Say I Love You
(3:27) 2. Serenade to Astrid
(4:52) 3. Pela Luz Dos Olhos Teus
(4:47) 4. Sophisticated Lady
(4:59) 5. Out of Nowhere
(3:53) 6. Who Can Sail Without
(3:29) 7. Imagine
(3:56) 8. Denise
(4:08) 9. Old Time Waltz
(4:55) 10. Luz Do Sol
(3:33) 11. Bibbi
(3:05) 12. Nocturne

Toots Thielemans virtually introduced the chromatic harmonica as a jazz instrument. In fact, beginning in the mid-'50s, he never had a close competitor. Thielemans simply played the harmonica with the dexterity of a saxophonist and even successfully traded off with the likes of Oscar Peterson.

Thielemans' first instrument was the accordion, which he started when he was three. Although he started playing the harmonica when he was 17, Thielemans' original reputation was made as a guitarist who was influenced by Django Reinhardt. Very much open to bop, Thielemans played in American GI clubs in Europe, visited the U.S. for the first time in 1947, and shared the bandstand with Charlie Parker at the Paris Jazz Festival of 1949. He toured Europe as a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1950, and the following year moved to the U.S. During 1953-1959, Toots was a member of the George Shearing Quintet (mostly as a guitarist) and freelanced for the remainder of his lengthy career in music.

He first recorded his big hit, "Bluesette" (which featured his expert whistling and guitar) in 1961, and was subsequently in great demand (particularly for his harmonica and his whistling) on pop records (including many dates with Quincy Jones) and as a jazz soloist. Toots' two-volume Brasil Project was popular in the 1990s and found him smoothly interacting on harmonica with top Brazilian musicians. Heard on numerous movie soundtracks (including Breakfast at Tiffany's and Midnight Cowboy) and also on the opening theme of television's Sesame Street, Thielemans received Jazz Master honors from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. He died in Belgium in August 2016 at the age of 94.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/toots-thielemans-mn0000159791/

Sophisticated Lady

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Chris Byars - Two Fives

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:01
Size: 152,4 MB
Art: Front

( 5:15)  1. Little India
( 5:02)  2. Taxi Bird
( 4:45)  3. Express
( 8:03)  4. Hello Pork Pie Hat
( 5:47)  5. Berk-Bop
( 8:07)  6. Danny Boy
(10:30)  7. Seabreeze
( 5:20)  8. Soultrane
( 6:15)  9. Lady Linda
( 6:52) 10. Crazeology

A lyrically swinging set from alto saxophonist Chris Byars one that often has his own instrument balanced alongside colorful tones from the guitar of Pasquale Grasso in a way that's angular, but always easygoing! 

The blend is very nice and augmented with additional bass clarinet from Stefano Doglioni and trombone from John Mosca both of whom can come together with ensemble performances that, with a nice bottom sound, often make the album feel richer than the number of players on the date and at other times, they step out singly, but with a tonal range that separates them a bit from the union of Byars and Grasso. The rest of the group features Ari Roland on bass and Stefan Schatz on drums and titles include "Little India", "Taxi Bird", "Seabreeze", "Berk Bop", "Hello Pork Pie Hat", and "Lady Linda". © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/770016

Personnel:  Chris Byars (alto saxophone) , Stefano Doglioni (bass clarinet) , John Mosca (trombone) , Pasquale Grasso (guitar) , Ari Roland (bass) , Stefan Schatz (drums)

Two Fives

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