Dan Levinson's Palomar Quartet & Molly Ryan - Four On The Floor

Styles: Clarinet, Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:42
Size: 82,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town
(3:27) 2. Silhouetted In The Moonlight
(4:47) 3. Joseph, Joseph
(4:13) 4. Otolaryngology
(3:53) 5. My Ideal
(5:15) 6. Just One Of Those Things
(4:11) 7. Only Another Boy And Girl
(4:22) 8. Fine And Dandy

The 2017 winner of Hot House Magazine’s “NYC Jazz Fans Decision” award for Best Clarinetist, Dan Levinson is equally at home as both leader and sideman, fronting his own groups as well as performing with those led by others. During a 30-year career specializing in traditional jazz and swing music, he has appeared alongside such prominent artists as Mel Tormé, Wynton Marsalis, Dick Hyman, Bria Skonberg, Ed Polcer, Howard Alden, Joe Ascione, Dan Barrett, Jon-Erik Kellso, Randy Reinhart, Mark Shane, Dick Sudhalter, Frank Vignola, Rossano Sportiello, Nicki Parrott, and Randy Sandke.

Though based in New York City, Dan’s busy schedule often takes him across the continent and around the world. He has performed in Brazil with the Bunk Project, a band organized by Woody Allen and banjoist Eddy Davis, in Italy with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, in Scotland with David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Band, in Germany with the Barrelhouse Jazz Band, in Japan with the New York Ragtime Orchestra, in Los Angeles at the Playboy Mansion, and at numerous jazz clubs in Paris, including Le Petit Journal, Caveau de la Huchette, Autour de Midi, Duc des Lombards, and Le Bilboquet.

His numerous music festival appearances include the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Sweet and Hot Music Festival in Los Angeles, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport, the Central Illinois Jazz Festival, the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the Orange County Classic Jazz Festival, the Sedalia Ragtime Festival, the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Essex, Connecticut, the Edinburgh Festival and Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland, and the Brecon Festival in Wales. From 1992-2004 Dan was a regular guest at Dick Hyman’s annual Jazz in July Festival in New York. In 2004 Dan organized and was featured in the JVC Jazz Festival’s centennial tribute to Jimmy Dorsey at NYC’s famed Birdland jazz club.

An ardent Benny Goodman devotee, Dan’s tributes to the clarinet legend have brought him many accolades over the years. In 1996 he gave a televised concert in Reykjavík for the president of Iceland and the prime minister of Italy. Since 1998, his re-creations of Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall jazz concert have delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, spawning countless command performances in the ensuing years with various big bands. Dan is the clarinet soloist with – and co-founder of – James Langton’s New York All-Star Big Band, NYC’s preeminent swing orchestra, with whom he has appeared at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Midsummer Night Swing series, and with whom he continues to perform regularly at the world-famous Rainbow Room in Manhattan. Since 2003, Dan has toured frequently with Andrej Hermlin’s Swing Dance Orchestra from Berlin, performing tributes to Goodman, Artie Shaw and others in sold-out concert halls throughout Germany and Europe.

Dan’s tremendous respect for songs and lyrics has made him a popular accompanist with vocalists over the years. As reedman with Ingrid Lucia and the Flying Neutrinos, Dan has performed in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, as well as at clubs throughout New York City. From 1990-2002 Dan toured extensively with singer/guitarist Leon Redbone, with whom he appeared on national television and at the celebrated jazz club Pizza Express in London. Dan has also accompanied vocalists Banu Gibson, Daryl Sherman, Janet Klein, Cynthia Sayer, and, most notably, his wife, the charming and talented Molly Ryan.

Since 1993 Dan has been a member of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, with whom he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio program, in addition to the band’s bi-weekly appearances at Iguana Restaurant in Manhattan.

Dan’s own ensembles vary considerably in style and repertoire, running the gamut from ragtime-era dance music to early jazz to swing: his Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra specializes in early twentieth century (pre-jazz) popular music; his Roof Garden Jass Band is devoted exclusively to re-creating the earliest jazz recordings, made between 1917 and 1923; his Palomar Quartet is modeled after the renowned Benny Goodman Quartet and features the same lineup of clarinet, piano, vibes, and drums; his gypsy jazz group Fête Manouche honors the rich legacy of guitarist Django Reinhardt; and his New Millennium All Stars brings together a new generation of young and vibrant “torch bearers” who are currently breathing new life into century-old jazz traditions.

Originally from the Los Angeles area, Dan moved to New York in 1983. The following year he met 82-year-old reedman James “Rosy” McHargue, who became Dan’s friend and mentor, and over the next fifteen years taught him most of what he now knows about music and life. During that period Dan also studied with world-class clarinet instructor Leon Russianoff and saxophone virtuoso Al Gallodoro.

In 1990 Dan moved to Paris to join a band formed by American cornetist Dick Miller that featured the up-and-coming vocalist Madeleine Peyroux, then 16 years old. Dan’s wanderlust soon took him across the continent, through 17 European countries, where he earned a living for a year playing on the streets. Shortly after returning to the U.S., Dan temporarily relocated to New Orleans to perform a five-night-a-week engagement at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street.

Dan has performed on over 150 CDs, including nine under his own name. He can also be heard on the soundtracks to the films The Cat’s Meow, Ghost World, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, and Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, as well as on all five seasons of the Grammy Award-winning HBO television series Boardwalk Empire and all three seasons of the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Dan’s complete discography, along with his engagement calendar, photos, more information on his ensembles, and samples of his music, are available at www.danlevinson.com

Personnel: Dan Levinson, clarinet; Mark Shane, piano; Matt Hoffmann, vibes; Kevin Dorn, drums; Molly Ryan, vocals

Four On The Floor

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Lakis Tzimkas - Blue Train-SKY Paths

Styles: Avant-garde Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:32
Size: 74,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:12) 1. Blue for You (feat Wayne Brasel)
(5:06) 2. Langsam
(8:26) 3. Rainy Wednesday
(5:37) 4. Next Time
(7:09) 5. Nicolas

Lakis Tzimkas was born in Thessaloniki and grew up in Kozani, Greece. His first band was Social Squash, punk band formed in 1984. His first study on electric bass was at Jazz Conservatory in Thessaloniki with Manolis Sideridis. In 1994 further studies at American Institute of Music in Vienna, with Angus Thomas, Jonas Hellborg, Wayne Brasel, lead to achieving a Professional diploma. In 1995 studies on jazz contrabass at Art University of Graz, Austria, with Wayne Darling, Ewald Oberleitner and Mark Dresser. In 1996 he had his first solo-bass concert. In June 2000 he finishes the studies and achieves a Master degree. In June 2008 he finishes his classical studies in Contrabass at University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki with Eugenios Politis.

During his staying in Austria he played and toured with the Big Band and the Symphony Orchestra of Graz University, in Austria, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia. He worked with musicians such as Wayne Brasel, Mark Murphy, Fritz Pauer, Angus Thomas, Henry Robinett, Alan Jones, Sheila Jordan, James Carter, Karl Ratzer and others. Since July 2000, he lives in Thessaloniki, Greece, and he plays in many different bands with numerous styles varying from be-bop to funk, contemporary music. Namely, he played with Sakis Papadimitriou and Georgia Syllaiou, with Sheila Jordan - at Half Note Jazz Club, in Athens, January 2003, and on tour in Greece, March 2004 - Andy Sheppard, Rex Richardson, Milcho Leviev, Danny Hayes, Chicko Freeman, Mordy Ferber, Christos Rafalides, Jeff Boudreaux, Sanni Orasmaa, Ed Neumeister, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, James Carter, Uli Rennert, Clyde Stubblefield, Joris Dudli, Jon Hendricks, Rick Margitza, Adam Nussbaum, Richie Morales, Airto Moreira, Glen Ferris, Chuck Manning, Ron Petrides, Venchi Blagoev, Dimitrios Vassilakis, Takis Farazis, Takis Barberis, Vaso Dimitriou, Savina Giannatou, Nikos Touliatos, Nikos Anadolis, Sami Amiri, Faton Macula, Antonis Ladopoulos quartet, Tilemachos Moussas band, Giotis Kiourtsoglou, Dimitris Gouberitsis, Charis Kapetanakis, Giannis Oikonomidis, Kostas Kouvidis, Nikos Vargiamidis, Plan 3 trio and formed or co initiated the Lakis Tzimkas & Oleg Chaly quartet,Trio Balkano, with Pantelis Stoikos(trumpet) and Alekos Papadopoulos(drums).

Apopsis trio, Bass to Bass, a contrabass duo with Nektarios Karantzis, Categoria X, a funk project, and Free Call, an electronic free jazz project. In addition, he conducted and played with the "Magic Road Big Band", in October 2002, with Milcho Leviev and Vicky Almasidou as special guest performers. He played in jazz clubs and festivals like Porgy and Bess, in Vienna, Orpheum, in Graz, B Flat in Berlin, Rabbat jazz festival, in Morocco, Warsaw summer jazz days, in Poland, Santorini jazz festival and Sani jazz festival, Thessaloniki Olympic city jazz festival and Athens Olympic city jazz festival, in Greece, Euro jazz festival in Mexico, Plovdiv Jazz Festival, and many others in Greece and Europe. He taught at Philippos Nakas Conservatory, Ionian University and Music School of Serres He teaches electric bass, contrabass, jazz ensemble and jazz harmony at Modern Music Conservatory and Music School in Thessaloniki. https://jazzonline.gr/en/musicians/item/2500-tzimkas-lakis.html

Personnel: Lakis Tzimkas – Bass; George Tzoukas – Piano; Manolis Koutsounanos – Drums; Wayne Brasel – Guitar

Blue Train-SKY Paths

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Benny Goodman - Alone Together

Styles: Clarinet Jazz, Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:27
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:50) 1. Runnin' Wild
(9:38) 2. Sing, Sing, Sing
(5:11) 3. Here's That Rainy Day
(8:59) 4. Don't Be That Way / Stompin' At The Savoy
(3:24) 5. Alone Together
(4:07) 6. You've Changed
(3:46) 7. Tangerine
(3:29) 8. How Long Has This Been Going On
(6:37) 9. That's A Plenty
(2:53) 10. Sunday
(2:28) 11. Taking A Chance On Love
(2:41) 12. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(2:39) 13. Send In The Clowns
(2:38) 14. Goodbye

Benjamin David Goodman was born on May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the ninth child of immigrants David Goodman and Dora Grisinsky Goodman, who left Russia to escape anti-Semitism. Benny’s mother never learned to speak English. His father worked for a tailor to support his large family, which eventually grew to include a total of 12 children and had trouble making ends meet.

When Benny was 10 years old, his father sent him to study music at Kehelah Jacob Synagogue in Chicago. There, Benny learned the clarinet under the tutelage of Chicago Symphony member Franz Schoepp, while two of his brothers learned tuba and trumpet. He also played in the band at Jane Addams’ famous social settlement, Hull-House.

Benny’s aptitude on the clarinet was immediately apparent. While he was still very young, he became a professional musician and played in several bands in Chicago. He played with his first pit band at the age of 11, and became a member of the American Federation of Musicians when he was 14, when he quit school to pursue his career in music. When his father died, 15-year-old Benny used the money he made to help support his family. During these early years in Chicago, he played with many musicians who would later become nationally renowned, such as Frank Teschemacher and Dave Tough.

When Benny was 16, he was hired by the Ben Pollack Band and moved to Los Angeles. He remained with the band for four years and became a featured soloist. In 1929, the year that marked the onset of the Great Depression and a time of distress for America, Benny left the Ben Pollack Band to participate in recording sessions and radio shows in New York City.

Then, in 1933, Benny began to work with John Hammond, a jazz promoter who would later help to launch the recording careers of Billie Holiday and Count Basie, among many others. Hammond wanted Benny to record with drummer Gene Krupa and trombonist Jack Teagarden, and the result of this recording session was the onset of Benny’s national popularity. Later, in 1942, Benny would marry Alice Hammond Duckworth, John Hammond’s sister, and have two daughters: Rachel, who became a concert pianist, and Benji, who became a cellist.

Benny led his first band in 1934 and began a few-month stint at Billy Rose’s Music Hall, playing Fletcher Henderson’s arrangements along with band members Bunny Berigan, Gene Krupa, and Jess Stacy. The music they played had its roots in the southern jazz forms of ragtime and Dixieland, while its structure adhered more to arranged music than its more improvisational jazz counterparts. This gave it an accessibility that appealed to American audiences on a wide scale. America began to hear Benny‘s band when he secured a weekly engagement for his band on NBC’s radio show Let’s Dance, which was taped with a live studio audience.
br /> The new swing music had the kids dancing when, on August 21, 1935, Benny’s band played the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The gig was sensational and marked the beginning of the years that Benny would reign as King: the Swing Era. Teenagers and college students invented new dance steps to accompany the new music sensation. Benny’s band, along with many others, became hugely successful among listeners from many different backgrounds all over the country.

During this period, Benny also became famous for being colorblind when it came to racial segregation and prejudice. Pianist Teddy Wilson, an African American, first appeared in the Benny Goodman Trio at the Congress Hotel in 1935. Benny added Lionel Hampton, who would later form his own band, to his Benny Goodman Quartet the next year. While these groups were not the first bands to feature both white and black musicians, Benny’s national popularity helped to make racially mixed groups more accepted in the mainstream. Benny once said, “If a guy’s got it, let him give it. I’m selling music, not prejudice.”

Benny’s success as an icon of the Swing Era prompted Time magazine in 1937 to call him the “King of Swing.” The next year, at the pinnacle of the Swing Era, the Benny Goodman band, along with musicians from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands, made history as the first jazz band ever to play in New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.

Following the concert at Carnegie Hall, the Benny Goodman Band had many different lineup changes. Gene Krupa left the band, among others, and subsequent versions of the band included Cootie Williams and Charlie Christian, as well as Jimmy Maxwell and Mel Powell, among others.

The Swing Era began to come to a close as America got more involved in World War II. Several factors contributed to its waning success, including the loss of musicians to the draft and the limits that gas rationing put on touring bands. However, though the big band days were drawing to a close and new forms of music were emerging, Benny continued to play music in the swing style. He dabbled in the “bop” movement of the 1940s, but never succumbed, as the rest of the world did, to the allure of rock and roll influences in the 1950s and 1960s. Instead, Benny tried his hand at classical music, doing solos with major orchestras, and studying with internationally acclaimed classical clarinetist Reginald Kell.

These appearances further demonstrated Benny’s range as a musician. His talent was unquestionable from the time he was 10 years old, and in recording sessions throughout his career, he very rarely made mistakes. Krell had helped him to improve some of his techniques, making Benny’s playing even stronger.

In 1953, Benny’s band planned to join Louis Armstrong and his All Stars in a tour together, but the two band leaders argued and the tour never opened at Carnegie Hall, as had been planned. It is not certain whether the tour was canceled due to Benny’s illness or the conflict between the band leaders. The rest of the decade marked the spread of Benny’s music to new audiences around the world. The Benny Goodman Story, a film chronicling his life, was released in 1955, exposing new and younger audiences to his music. Benny also toured the world, bringing his music to Asia and Europe. When he traveled to the USSR, one writer observed that “the swing music that had once set the jitterbugs dancing in the Paramount aisles almost blew down the Iron Curtain.”

During the late 1960s and 1970s, Benny appeared in reunions with the other members of his quartet: Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, and Lionel Hampton. In 1978, the Benny Goodman band also appeared at Carnegie Hall again to mark the 30th Anniversary of when they appeared in the venue’s first jazz concert.

In 1982, Benny was honored by the Kennedy Center for his lifetime achievements in swing music. In 1986, he received both an honorary doctorate degree in music from Columbia University and the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. He continued to play the music that defined his lifetime in occasional concert dates until his death in June 1986 of cardiac arrest. He was laid to rest after a short nonsectarian service with around 40 family members and friends in attendance on June 15, 1986 at Long Ridge Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut. Through his amazing career, Benny Goodman did not change his style to conform to the latest trends, but retained the original sound that defined the Swing Era and made him the world renowned King of Swing. https://bennygoodman.com/biography/

Alone Together

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Candy Dulfer - We Never Stop

Styles: Jazz Funk
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:30
Size: 183,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:17) 1. Yeahyeahyeah
(6:24) 2. Mo' Seats At The Table
(4:08) 3. Jammin' Tonight
(6:01) 4. Deeper
(4:59) 5. Say Something
(6:31) 6. Raindrops
(5:41) 7. We Never Stop
(5:59) 8. The Walls (Feat. Marcus Miller)
(3:59) 9. Perspective (Feat. Durand Bernarr, Aron Hodek & Philip Lassiter)
(5:57) 10. Since I Found U
(5:30) 11. Afraid For More
(7:08) 12. No Time For This
(6:57) 13. The Climb
(4:54) 14. Convergency

Dutch superstar saxophonist, singer, songwriter Candy Dulfer, carves out a funky party with infectious grooves and superb sax on We Never Stop. Featuring multi Grammy-winning guitarist Niles Rodgers and famed bass player Marcus Miller, the album is set to release October 28 via The Funk Garage/Mascot Label Group.

Candy Dulfer and her talented band emerged from the world-wide pandemic with fierce determination to uplift and stand strong against the pain and strife of the world. Her weapon is We Never Stop, a non-stop blast of contemporary funk, jazz, R&B and pop with some of the best sax playing you’ll hear all year.

We Never Stop feels like more of a collective rather than a showcase for Candy Dulfer. Which points directly to one of the main themes of her new album joining together to welcome all who bring something to the table.

As a solo artist and songwriter, in-demand instrumentalist and collaborator, Candy Dulfer has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music including Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Maceo Parker, Lionel Richie, Pink Floyd, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin and last but not least Prince.

Any musician who toured and recorded with Prince had to be of the highest caliber. Candy Dulfer is one of them. She performed with Prince on TV shows, at The Grammy Awards, in studio sessions, and became a permanent member of his Musicology tour and album.

Prince influences can be heard on We Never Stop. From the funky rhythms to a few of the lead vocals from Dutch vocalist Ivan Peroti on a few tracks. They are a welcomed and refreshing nod to The Purple One.

We Never Stop is a feel-good, romp-stomp with Candy’s superb sax playing lighting up the 14 tracks of stanky jams, smooth R&B, jazz and contemporary funk. The lyrics reflect the toll the pandemic took on music communities and the racial divide all with a positive, inspiring vibe.

Candy shares, “The main spirit of this music is to elevate. It feels like it’s never been more important to not wallow in the hurt and the pain in the world, and let that defeat us. That’s why I called this album, We Never Stop.”

With slick production, We Never Stop kicks off with the funky party jam, “YeahYeahYeah.” This is vintage funk with a modern spin. With hints of P-Funk and Prince, it’s Dulfer’s staccato alto sax that cuts through the mix with rich tones and fabulous rhythm. Right from the start, you can hear her love of this music.

Candy Dulfer is a lifelong musician with an impressive career as a solo artist. She’s released 12 studio albums and toured the world for over 35 years and her debut album Saxuality earned a Grammy nomination. Her father, Hans Dulfer, is a well-known saxophonist.

A mid-tempo slow jam, “Mo’ Seats At The Table” speaks to the notion of welcoming everyone. Smooth lead vocals are shared by Dulfer and Dutch vocalist Ivan Peroti, until Dulfer’s sax solo flows in, her tone beautiful with the kind of phrasing only a pro could create with such ease. The track moves into an ultra-funky groove mid song and Peroti allows his Prince influence to surface in his vocals.

“Jammin’ Tonight” blasts off with the help of the legendary Niles Rodgers on guitar. It’s not unlike an 80s pop hit but fun all the same. It’s a high energy groove and you can just hear it on rotation for New Year’s Eve. The horn section of Dulfer (alto sax), Philip Lassiter (trumpet), Sam Greenfield (tenor and baritone sax), Efe Erdem (trombone), is tremendous. Top shelf.

More modern funky songs to follow such as “Say Something,” a great song if I ever heard one. Featuring a lovely melody with Peroti working his magic on vocals and Dulfer adding her powerful, punchy sax runs. Backing vocals from all involved add richness to this winner.

Don’t miss the up-tempo title track “We Never Stop” and “The Walls,” featuring bass master Marcus Miller, a contemporary R&B number. “Perspective” featuring Durand Bernarr, Aron Hodek and Philip Lassiter, is a grand funk number that will hurl you onto the dance floor.

Candy Dulfer has a magical ability on saxophone. Versatile is not just a word here. From warm, soulful tones to full throttle jams, she has mastered her instrument as one of the most memorable voices on the planet. Her playing shines on the slower jams as well as the high-energy tracks. As top-tier pros go, Dulfer integrates her talents to make everyone involved sound the best they can be. That’s the fabulous Candy Dulfer.By Martine Ehrenclou https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2022/10/27/review-candy-dulfer-we-never-stop/

We Never Stop

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