Matt Dusk - Sinatra, Vol. 2

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:44
Size: 75,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. Pennies From Heaven
(3:44) 2. All Or Nothing At All
(2:15) 3. The Nearness Of You
(2:38) 4. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(2:05) 5. I've Got The World On A String
(2:31) 6. Where Or When
(2:47) 7. My Kind Of Town
(2:47) 8. More
(3:17) 9. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(3:26) 10. New York, New York
(3:39) 11. Moonlight In Vermont

Multi-award-winning, Platinum-selling artist Matt Dusk has been enthralling audiences around the world for years, leaving in his wake a series of radio hits, acclaimed albums, and a loyal fan base that continues to grow with every passing year.

He has had three number one radio hits: All About Me, Back in Town and Good News, is an alumnus of the St. Michael’s Choir School and studied under jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson at York University.

Dusk has been awarded four GOLD albums: Two Shots, Good News, JetSetJazz, Sinatra Vol. 2 and four PLATINUM albums: My Funny Valentine, Just The Two of Us, Old School Yule!, and Sinatra Vol. 1

Notable award nominations include, five JUNO awards, one ADISQ, one Róze Gali: Muzyka and a Dimond from Trójka PR3 in Poland.https://www.mattdusk.com/#Bio

– LA Times: Crooners like Toronto’s Matt Dusk has taken what he has learned from the greats and molded it for a modern audience.

– Jazz Times: Blending distinctly Sinatra-esque swagger, Dusk is waist deep in grandiose arrangements that are dripping with Sin City excess and turns the clock back some four decades with excellence

– Billboard: Matt Dusk impressively brings Las Vegas back to the glory days as the standards singer sounds remarkably like Rat Packer Frank Sinatra.

Sinatra, Vol. 2

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Bobby Watson - Back Home in Kansas City

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:49
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Back Home In Kansas City
(7:32) 2. Red Bank Heist
(5:26) 3. Our Love Remains
(6:25) 4. Bon Voyage
(6:33) 5. The Star In The East
(4:38) 6. Mind Wine
(5:41) 7. Celestial
(6:02) 8. Dear Lord
(4:57) 9. Side Steps
(7:15) 10. I'm Glad There Is You
(6:42) 11. Blues For Alto

Saxophonist/composer Bobby Watson draws inspiration from the rich jazz heritage of his Kansas City hometown on his spirited album BACK HOME IN KANSAS CITY, which features an all-star quintet with Watson’s longtime rhythm section of bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones along with pianist Cyrus Chestnut, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, as well as a special guest appearance by vocalist Carmen Lundy.

“Great melodies are immortal, like a sculpture or a painting,” Watson insists. “This album is more about the singing quality of my instrument.”

As the title suggests, Back Home in Kansas City also pays homage to Watson’s hometown and its own rich musical heritage. The saxophonist grew up in KC, leaving to study at the University of Miami and then spending a quarter century making his name in New York City. He returned home in 2000 to serve as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music & Dance, retiring 20 years later.

His retirement coinciding with the pandemic, Watson found himself with plenty of time to reflect on Kansas City’s importance to his distinctive sound and, gradually, to play for local audiences who helped attune his approach to the blend of soul and balladry that makes up the new album.

“Being out here in Kansas City has given me a chance to slow down and go deeper into what I want to play,” he explains. “The Kansas City audience is a sophisticated audience because of the history of this town. We've got people out here who have heard a lot of music. So I'm not playing down to the audience, and I'm not trying to simplify anything. I'm simply coming out of what I feel in my heart and my soul.”

The title tune is a contrafact (a new melody written over existing chord changes) on “Back Home Again in Indiana,” also famously the basis for Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee.” The spirited swinger opens the album on a high note, Jones’ crisp percussion nailing every sudden stop before propelling the band forward again. It’s one of three similar Watson tunes on the album; the yearning “Bon Voyage” is based on Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” while the brisk “Side Steps” is Watson’s reimagining of John Coltrane’s classic (and notoriously challenging) “Giant Steps.”

Watson also drew the haunting ballad “Dear Lord” from the Coltrane songbook, one of several spotlights on the album for his burnished tone and silken melodicism. Chestnut’s achingly delicate touch sets the tone for a gorgeous version of the standard “I’m Glad There Is You,” featuring one of Watson’s most beautiful and moving solo turns. The album closes with the gritty, self-explanatory “Blues for Alto.”

Watson encouraged his bandmates to bring their own material to the session as well. Jones contributes the stealthy “Red Bank Heist,” which feels like Henry Mancini by way of Art Blakey. Chestnut’s sparkling “A Star in the East” is an easygoing waltz that thrives on the rich melody shared by Watson and Pelt. The trumpeter’s offering is the tender “Celestial,” highlighted by his own muted eloquence.

John Hicks’ “Mind Wine” pays tribute to the late pianist, with whom Watson, Lundy, and Jones all worked extensively. Hicks appears on Watson’s 1988 Blue Note debut, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, as well as LOVE REMAINS; while Watson and Lundy are part of the quartet for Hicks’ 1988 release NAIMA'S LOVE SONG. “John Hicks was a mighty huge influence on me, Curtis and Victor,” Watson says. “When he passed away, that was one of the saddest moments in our lives. He was extremely near and dear to us.”

The saxophonist has long garnered inspiration from vocalists as well as his sax-playing peers and idols. He invited the acclaimed singer Carmen Lundy to join the band for “Our Love Remains,” co-written by Watson and his wife Pamela. In instrumental form, the song was the title track for his 1986 album LOVE REMAINS and was recorded again for 1992’s PRESENT TENSE. The vocal version has previously been recorded by Kevin Mahogany and Melissa Walker, and Lou Rawls was planning his own rendition prior to his death.

“I love hearing singers tell stories,” Watson says. “Joe Williams, Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Ella, Gregory Porter, Andy Bey and Carmen does that. She's not just singing the melody, she's putting it out there as a story.”

Throughout Back Home in Kansas City, Watson’s gift for telling stories with his saxophone is on vibrant display. “Johnny Griffin told me that when you solo you want to introduce yourself, talk about how your day went, tell how you feel right now and where you want to take the listener – all through music,” he details. “I know that I have enough technique to last me the rest of my life. But what do I want to say with it? We’re all trying to play one grand solo our whole life in different contexts." https://bobbywatsonjazz.bandcamp.com/

Bobby Watson - alto saxophone; Jeremy Pelt - trumpet;Cyrus Chestnut - piano; Curtis Lundy - bass; Victor Jones - drums

Back Home in Kansas City

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Stéphane Grappelli - Stéphane Grappelli Au Piano - Passage Gioffredo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:58
Size: 83,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:15) 1. Tea For Two
(4:16) 2. Satin Doll
(3:18) 3. Time After Time
(3:18) 4. You Took Advantage Of Me
(3:41) 5. I Only Have Eyes For You
(3:36) 6. Passage Gioffredo
(3:13) 7. Makin' Whoopee
(3:34) 8. You Better Go Now
(3:44) 9. Looking At You
(2:57) 10. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

Unpublished recordings by Stéphane Grappelli on the piano, for the first time accessible to music lovers. Improvisations around great jazz standards: Tea for Tow, Satin Doll, Time after Time, Looking at you...Stéphane Grappelli will be remembered as a legend of the violin, but we must not forget that the piano was his first instrument. According to him, it was the essential instrument for mastering chords and harmonies.

Although the talented violinist was also an excellent pianist, recorded testimonies of Stéphane Grappelli at the piano are very rare.These unreleased recordings reveal an artist in a playful mood, who, from standards to paraphrases, deploys the full extent of his inspiration, served by an exceptional talent.A magnificent discovery on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the musician!
By Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/St%C3%A9phane-Grappelli-piano-Enregistrements-in%C3%A9dits/dp/B09Q68YQ2G

Stéphane Grappelli Au Piano - Passage Gioffredo

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Nathan Davis - London by Night

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:12
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:56)  1. Noite Em Leblon
(5:18)  2. I Thought About You
(6:20)  3. Rio De Janeiro
(4:23)  4. London by Night
(2:48)  5. Dr. Bu
(9:06)  6. But Beautiful
(6:33)  7. You've Changed
(5:37)  8. Shades
(5:53)  9. Lament
(7:14) 10. If I Fell

Nathan Davis split his career between being a fine tenor saxophonist and a jazz educator. He played briefly with Jay McShann in 1955, attended the University of Kansas, spent time in the Army in Berlin (1960-1963), and stayed in Paris where he worked with Kenny Clarke (1963-1969), Eric Dolphy (1964), and Art Taylor. He also toured Europe with Art Blakey (1965) and Ray Charles. Starting in 1969, Davis was a professor of jazz at the University of Pittsburgh and Moorhead State University. His two most important musical associations involved leadership of the Paris Reunion Band (1985-1989) and Roots (which he formed in 1991). After 44 years, Davis retired from the University of Pittsburgh in June 2013. He died of congestive heart failure in Florida in April 2018 at the age of 81. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nathan-davis-mn0000377691/biography

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Nathan Davis; Trumpet – Dusko Goykovich;  Bass – Jimmy Woode; Drums – Al Levitt; Flugelhorn – Dusko Goykovich; Flute – Nathan Davis; Piano – Kenny Drew

London by Night

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