Saturday, December 10, 2022

Tete Montoliu - That's All

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:07
Size: 85,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:11) 1. You Go to My Head
(2:34) 2. When I Fall in Love
(5:35) 3. Round About Midnight
(5:13) 4. A Child Is Born
(4:12) 5. Giant Steps
(5:22) 6. Imagination
(4:50) 7. That's All
(4:07) 8. Solar

The virtuosic Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu is usually heard from in trio settings, making this rare solo outing particularly special. Montoliu digs into eight familiar standards (including "You Go to My Head," "'Round Midnight," "A Child Is Born" and "Giant Steps") and to his credit comes up with fresh new variations. Montoliu's style has Bud Powell's bop approach as its foundation but also incorporates the more modern chord voicings of McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans. This album is a fine example of his talents. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/thats-all-mw0000768958

Personnel: Tete Montoliu - Piano

That's All

Ronnell Bright - The Ronnell Bright Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:11
Size: 79,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:47)  1. Sail 'Em
(4:18)  2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(4:30)  3. Johnny Pate's Blues
(4:49)  4. R & R Groove
(2:33)  5. The Champ
(4:27)  6. Easy Listening
(3:45)  7. Chasing Sarah
(5:59)  8. Doxology

A talented pianist who made an impact at a young age, Ronnel Bright has had compositions recorded by Sarah Vaughan, Cal Tjader, Horace Silver and Blue Mitchell, and collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer. He won a piano competition at nine and played with The Chicago Youth Piano Symphony Orchestra in 1944. Bright attended Juilliard and graduated in the early '50s, playing his first jazz dates with a navy band. He later worked in Chicago with bassist Johnny Tate and was Carmen McRae's accompanist in the mid-'50s. Bright moved to New York in 1955, then performed and recorded with Rolf Kuhn and formed his own trio in 1957. He played in Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1957 and 1958, and was accompanist and conductor for Vaughan, Lena Horne and Gloria Lynne at various times during the late '50s and early '60s. He became Nancy Wilson's arranger, conductor, pianist and music director in 1964, moving to Los Angeles. There Bright became involved in studio work and joined Supersax in 1972. After leaving them in 1974, Bright taught high school for a year. ~ Ron Wynn https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/the-ronnell-bright-trio/451895580

Personnel:  Piano – Ronnell Bright;  Bass – Richard Davis ;  Drums – Art Morgan

The Ronnell Bright Trio

Peter White - Day to Day

Styles: Guitar
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:55
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:46) 1. Day To Day
(4:07) 2. I Need A Song
(4:41) 3. Where I Belong
(3:36) 4. Honay
(3:41) 5. 24/7
(5:01) 6. That's The Way
(4:03) 7. Where Do You Wanna Go?
(4:53) 8. Driving To The Grocery Store
(4:01) 9. You Can
(4:01) 10. Lullaby

A popular British electric and nylon-string guitarist, Peter White is known for his lyrical and inventive approach to contemporary smooth jazz and fusion. White initially gained fame in the 1970s as a collaborator with singer/songwriter Al Stewart before earning more widespread acclaim as a leader and soloist in his own right. Alongside collaborations with Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, and Everette Harp, he has released a number of Top Ten Billboard Jazz Albums, including 1998's Perfect Moment, 2001's Glow, 2009's Good Day, and 2016's Groovin'.

Born September 20, 1954, to an English father and a French mother in Luton, a town north of London, England, White and his family moved soon after his birth to nearby Letchworth. His brother Danny was born a few years later. As a child, White loved sports, hiking, and tree climbing, but music was most special to him. His father encouraged him to learn many musical instruments recorder, clarinet, cornet, trombone, violin, harmonica, piano but the one instrument his dad couldn't help him with was the guitar; White was on his own. He learned to play simple chords by experimenting and listening with one ear glued to the radio. Like a lot of musicians, White was heavily influenced by the Beatles and the guitar-driven sound of the beat groups of the '60s. Around age 12, White would go over to schoolmate David Visick's house and listen to his large record collection. His favorites were Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. In his early teens, he acquired his first electric guitar and amplifier, which survived just long enough to be burned in a fire. Forced to go acoustic, White developed a love of acoustic music. After leaving school at 18, White worked for a few months in a soup-canning factory before getting his first musical break, a summer engagement at a South of England holiday resort.

When summer ended, he went back to Letchworth, having whet his appetite for more musical adventures. Traveling to London, the guitarist ended up joining a group that was managed by Miles Copeland (Sting, R.E.M., IRS Records). Copeland also managed Al Stewart, so when Stewart's backup band disbanded, White got an audition call to back Stewart on keyboards. Brushing up on his finger dexterity, White learned a few of Stewart's songs, and soon the 20-year-old musician was touring England and the U.S. In the summer of 1975, Stewart asked White to play keyboards and acoustic guitar on his Year of the Cat album (Arista, 1976). Their collaboration lasted almost 20 years, with White co-writing "Time Passages" (number seven pop, number one adult contemporary, fall 1978) and co-producing Famous Last Words (Mesa/Rhino, 1993).

Around 1979, White moved to Los Angeles, where Stewart had relocated, formed a band called Shot in the Dark with other musicians who had played with Stewart, and established a music publishing company called Lobster Music. Meanwhile his brother Danny formed the group Matt Bianco, which included singer Basia Trzetrzelewska. Danny White and Basia eventually left the group to launch the singer's solo career. Danny asked Peter to tour with him and Basia in 1990, just as the guitarist released his first solo album, Reveillez-Vous (Chase). Made up mostly of unused songs that White had written for Al Stewart, the album became a DJ favorite at jazz and emerging smooth jazz radio stations. Epic exec Cliff Gorov was the man who first brought White's music to the attention of contemporary jazz radio. Former Al Stewart drummer Steve Chapman put down his sticks and became the guitarist's manager. White followed his debut with three albums for the Sin-Drome label, including 1993's Promenade and 1994's Reflections; the latter-of-which cracked the top twenty of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Around the same time, he contributed to albums by Richard Elliot, Warren Hill, Craig Chaquico, Rick Braun, Marc Antoine, Kirk Whalum, and Everette Harp.

In 1995, White signed with Columbia/Sony and returned the following year with Caravan of Dreams (which hit number four on the Billboard Jazz chart). A string of successful albums followed for the label with 1997's Songs of the Season and 1998's Perfect Moment (which peaked at number three on the jazz charts). In 2001, White again landed near the top of the jazz charts with Glow. The equally well-received Confidential followed in 2004. White then decided to revisit some of his favorite songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s in his 2006 release Playin' Favourites. The low-key Good Day followed in 2009.

Here We Go arrived in 2012 and featured guest appearances by such artists as David Sanborn, Andrew Neu, and Kirk Whalum. In 2014, White released his 14th studio album, the all-original Smile. 2016's Groovin', his 15th album as a bandleader, featuring reworkings of a number of classic songs from the '60s and '70s. Music for Starlux Airlines arrived in 2019 and featured songs White initially recorded for use by the luxury airline based in Taiwan. Included on the album was the song "Homeward Bound," which featured his daughter Charlotte White on violin. By Ed Hogan https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-white-mn0000844255/biography

Day to Day

Carmen Mcrae - Let There Be Love

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:23
Size: 82,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:13) 1. If You Never Fell In Love With Me
(2:28) 2. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
(2:33) 3. Let There Be Love
(2:28) 4. It Could Happen To You
(3:08) 5. I've Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(2:28) 6. Make Someone Happy
(2:15) 7. The Right To Love (Reflections)
(2:36) 8. Watch What Happens
(2:45) 9. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(2:57) 10. Alfie
(2:02) 11. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key)
(1:31) 12. Miss Brown To You
(3:10) 13. Stardust
(2:43) 14. Too Close For Comfort

NASHVILLE, TN - (December 2, 2022) - Hindsight Recordshas announced the release of a new album, Carmen McRae Let There Be Love. The new record is part of the Hindsight Records Reimagined Series, a collection of timeless recordings tastefully enhanced for today’s listeners. This new project was produced by John F. Forbes and executive produced by Thomas Gramuglia. Re-recording was done by John F. Forbes with the Sentimental Pops Orchestra. Stream and download Carmen McRae Let There Be Love on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Pandora and your favorite digital music platform at https://CarmenMcRae.lnk.to/LetThereLove.

“From the start, I loved the tonality of her voice, which really resonated in my heart. She touched me on an emotional level and gave me an immediate connection, more than most singers. Carmen McRae is like an instrumentalist who can play one note and really have a strong effect on listeners,” shared producer John F. Forbes. He continued by saying, “In this music with her trio, there are not as many leading lines as there are with most singers; instead there are moving chords. That gave her a lot more freedom to phrase and reshape the melodies in her own style. It also meant that I had a bit more freedom in writing the orchestrations, following her ideas rather than sticking overly close to the original themes. Since the music was originally recorded in stereo, unlike the earlier ones in this series, they lent themselves to a wider range of orchestration.”

“Carmen McRae comes up with fresh variations on these songs while digging deep into the lyrics, altering the melodies at times, while not losing the essence of these songs,” expressed executive producer Thomas Gramuglia. “The Carmen McRae Trio’s original recordings were enhanced with a few strings, flute, oboe, vibes, occasionally a French horn and bass clarinet, adding a touch of class by The Sentimental Pops Orchestra.”

Studio musicians included Norman Simmons (piano), Frank Severino (drums), Victor Sproles (bass on 1963 session) and Chuck Domanico (bass on 1969 session). The Reimagined Series also included additional production, recording, mixing and mastering by John Forbes at Forjam Studios. https://www.musiccitymelodies.com/post/hindsight-records-releases-carmen-mcrae-let-there-be-love-album

Let There Be Love