Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Jan Lundgren - In New York

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. Negotiations
(5:26) 2. East Of The Sun
(7:02) 3. Autumn In New York
(7:36) 4. Stablemates
(4:52) 5. The Gypsy
(7:29) 6. Straight Street
(5:12) 7. M.Z.
(5:51) 8. Cherokee
(4:35) 9. I Can't Get Started
(6:14) 10. This Is For Albert

In sports, coaches like to talk about “putting yourself in position to win.” Jan Lundgren has done exactly that with In New York. He borrowed Bill Charlap’s rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, one of the finest active piano-trio support systems. He recorded at Nola Studios with engineers Jim Czak and Bill Moss and got superb full-bandwidth sound. He assembled a stimulating program of originals, songbook classics (“East of the Sun,” “Autumn in New York,” “I Can’t Get Started”), and jazz standards by saxophonists (Golson’s “Stablemates,” Coltrane’s “Straight Street,” Shorter’s “This Is for Albert”).

Win he does. My only previous exposure to Lundgren’s work was a rather bland album of Swedish folksongs called Landscapes. But on In New York, with the Washingtons smoothing paths for him like two sweepers on the world champion Swedish curling team, Lundgren effortlessly glides and streaks over these songs. His versions of the three songbook pieces are rich, comprehensive and elegantly detailed. The positive energy is powerful and exhilarating. Even Lundgren’s “M.Z.,” for Monica Zetterlund, a wheelchair-bound Swedish singer who died tragically in an apartment fire in 2005, is much more about celebrating her life than mourning her death.
By Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/archives/jan-lundgren-in-new-york/

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums)

In New York

Dave McKenna - Dave McKenna In Madison

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:37
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:18)  1. Too Marvelous For Words
(15:25)  2. Vernon Duke Medley
( 3:50)  3. Craziology
( 9:14)  4. Soon Medley
( 5:39)  5. Medley
( 8:19)  6. Exactly Like You
( 5:10)  7. Detour Ahead
(10:39)  8. Time Medley

Too many things have a way of getting forgotten. If you are unfortunate enough not to have experienced pianist McKenna, here's something to think about. I had been hired to start a jazz label. One of my first calls was to McKenna at a hotel in Boston. He was recording on a handshake with Concord at the time and expressed too much loyalty to Carl Jefferson to leave the stable. In coming hedge fund owners changed that dynamic around. The change led him to jazz fan Mat Domber while I was off in other directions. 

The sum total of all that is this live date recorded well away from his stomping grounds. It was never intended to be a record and it's nice to have it escape on a label that'll know what to do with it. Maybe the greatest saloon piano player of our times, this is him simply kicking it out, keeping the audience in the palm of his hand. Whether it was ever supposed to be a record or not, this is a master class of a master at work, doing it solo and swinging like he invented it. A winner throughout. ~ Chris Spector (Midwest Records).
Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Dave-McKenna-Madison/dp/B07HGBDNXD

Personnel:  Piano – Dave McKenna 

Dave McKenna In Madison

Chris Hodgkins And His Band - A Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 68:23
Size: 63,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:16) 1. Cross a Busy Street
(3:09) 2. Cecil Beaten Strikes Again
(4:30) 3. Tribal Dance
(3:03) 4. Fat Tuesday
(3:34) 5. Susan
(4:09) 6. Holy Main
(3:26) 7. In Swinger
(3:55) 8. Late Night Final
(4:48) 9. Mezz's Tune/Mezzrow
(4:36) 10. We Fell Out Of Love
(3:23) 11. One For Buck
(5:58) 12. Wrestler's Tricks
(4:17) 13. Bad Penny Blues
(4:46) 14. Kath Meets Humph
(8:26) 15. Let's Get Out

This album is dedicated to Kathryn Shackleton and Iain Sutcliffe of Watermill Jazz for their perseverance and hard work in supporting the UK jazz scene. The “Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton” is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Humphrey Lyttelton’s birth and to showcase his wonderful life, times and music. As a life-long fan of Humphrey Lyttelton, I wanted to highlight how Humph led the way for the jazz revival of the late ’40s and ’50s by bringing jazz to the UK mainstream with ‘Bad Penny Blues’, the first UK jazz record to reach the Top20.

This album and the tour that preceded it is my dedication to Humph to thank him for his huge contribution to and advocacy of the UK jazz scene. What started off as a simple idea ended up with a substantial cast of helpers and supporters to coordinate a consecutive 17 date tour of the UK along with an accompanying album.

I would like to thank: Ina Dittke and Associates for generating the dates; Digby Fairweather and Mark Cass of the Jazz Centre UK for giving me unfettered access to the Humphrey Lyttelton Collection held at the Centre; Steve Voce for patiently answering my questions; Paul Kauffman, Chair of the National Jazz Archive for providing advice on the travelling exhibition and Gina Treadwell who designed the panels; Issie Barratt of the National Youth Jazz Collective who rode to the rescue on “Create Your Tune”, a scheme I devised to highlight how creativity abounds in schools to retirement homes everyday life from raw beginners to aficionados;

Arts Council England and Lottery Funding for generously financing the tour; The 17 promoters, many of whom are volunteer promoters who worked hard to market the tour; Joe Paice of the PizzaExpress Live kicked off the proceedings by booking the first two gigs; Phil Rose at Birmingham Jazz and Elaine Crouch whose knowledge and advice played a large part in securing funding for the project; Jazz London Radio who broadcast my ten-part series “Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton”; Rupert Burley who did a splendid job on the press and PR; Eric Gilchrist and Jane Reid who lent a hand on the leaflets and design; Roger Wilson who road-managed the tour and gave logistical support including driving one of the tour vans ensuring a smooth transition from one hotel to the next;

Selorm Anku for driving the other tour van and being a patient roadie. Susan da Costa, Humph’s manager since 1959 who gave her blessing to create the ‘A Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton”project.

Personnel: Chris Hodgkins | trumpet; Henry Lowther | trumpet/flugheal horn; Charlotte Glasson | baritone sax/clarinet/penny whistle; Diane McLoughlin | alto sax/soprano sax; Alex Clarke | tenor sax/clarinet; Mark Bassey | trombone; Alison Rayner | double bass; Buster Birch | drums; Wayne Wilkinson | guitar; Jinjoo Yoo | piano

A Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton

Louise Bøttern - Listen Here

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:00
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:58) 1. Cloudy Treasures
(2:52) 2. I Want To Be A Sideman
(5:38) 3. Listen Here
(4:18) 4. Shine
(3:28) 5. Bye Bye Country Boy
(5:45) 6. A Timeless Place (The Peacocks)
(3:16) 7. Tight
(5:41) 8. Sweet Kentucky Ham
(3:27) 9. Experiment
(4:25) 10. This Could Be The Start Of Something
(2:09) 11. I Like You, You're Nice

Jazz singer Louise Bøttern has always been drawn to the lesser known jazz tunes and particularly to the cool jazz from the 60’s. The american popular songs of the time with a smart and clever wit are still rooted strongly in the jazz tradition. Among the 11 tracks are instrumental originals by Thelonious Monk with added lyrics.

Louise Bøttern was born in Denmark near Randers into a musical family. As a teenager she was singing Chicago blues in the band ”Louis’ Blues Machine”. The blues led her to discover jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae and later Irene Kral, Deborah Brown and Nancy King. In fact; Deborah Brown did on two separate occasions compare Louise’s voice to the one of Nancy King.

She studied at the jazz department of The Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands and with dedication, hard work and training changed both her speaking and singing voice completely. Studying jazz singing with Rachel Gould and Anette von Eichel she graduated in 2004.

She has been taught by jazz greats as Barry Harris, Mark Murphy, Meredith d’Ambrosio, Sanna van Vliet, Fay Claassen, Deborah Brown and Bob Stoloff.

Now back in Copenhagen she is sharing her passion for singing in her private teaching practice ‘Vokalrummet’. She has played concerts in The Netherlands and around Denmark and while planning upcoming events and doing concerts she is currently working on new material.
https://louiseboettern.com/about/

Listen Here