Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Carol Sloane - Midnight Sun

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:22
Size: 132,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:06) 1. I'm Glad There Is You
(3:41) 2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(4:32) 3. 'S Wonderful
(4:12) 4. But Not For Me
(3:51) 5. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:46) 6. Spring Is Here
(4:24) 7. Our Love Is Here To Say
(3:06) 8. Just In Time
(6:20) 9. Midnight Sun
(3:01) 10. It's All Right With Me
(4:39) 11. Lover Man
(3:54) 12. Teach Me Tonight
(2:19) 13. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(4:26) 14. When I Fall In Love / Body And Soul

A fine, underrated jazz vocalist who got her start with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Carol Sloane started singing professionally when she was 14, and at 18, she toured Germany in a musical comedy. She was with the Les and Larry Elgart orchestra from 1958 to 1960, and, after appearing at a jazz festival in 1960, she was heard by Jon Hendricks, who later sent for her to sub for Annie Ross with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Sloane made a big impression at the 1961 Newport Jazz Festival and soon cut two records for Columbia. Unfortunately, her career never got going, and, except for a live set from 1964 released on Honey Dew, Sloane would not record again until 1977, instead working as a secretary in North Carolina and singing just now and then locally.

However,in the mid-'70s, she became more active again, caught on in Japan (where she began to record frequently), and her career finally got on more solid footing. Sloane's releases for Audiophile, Choice, Progressive, Contemporary, and, later, Concord feature a mature, bop-based singer with a sound of her own. Carol Sloane died on January 23, 2023 at a senior care facility in Stoneham, MA due to complications from a stoke she'd suffered two years earlier. She was 85 years of age.
https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/carol-sloane

Personnel: Carol Sloane / vocals; Roland Hanna / piano; Ken'ichi Yoshida / piano; George Mraz / bass

Midnight Sun

Dave Scott & Rich Perry - Nice Treatment

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:47
Size: 151,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:40) 1. Lotus Blossom
(9:11) 2. 50-21
(9:02) 3. Hangover Triangle
(6:23) 4. My Funny Valentine
(6:36) 5. Grooveyard
(9:25) 6. The Interloper
(8:35) 7. Never Let Me Go
(8:51) 8. Step Tempest

Brooklyn-based trumpeter/composer Dave Scott, has been one of the most consistently creative bandleaders recording on the SteepleChase jazz label in recent years. Here he teams up with pianist Jacob Sacks’ working trio with bassist Dave Ambrosio and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Rounding out the quintet is saxophonist Rich Perry, who will be a familiar name to anyone who has followed Dave Scott’s previous releases, or anyone who is very familiar with the New York jazz scene of the last 30 years.

Somewhat unusually for this team of heavyweight jazz composer/players, they chose to focus this release on jazz standards (some fairly obscure) rather than their original compositions. Some, like “My Funny Valentine,” or “Never Let Me Go” will be familiar even to those who don’t know many standards. Somewhat more obscure are tunes like Kenny Dorham’s “Lotus Blossom” or two Thad Jones tunes “50-21” and “The Interloper,” while two seldom-covered Herbie Nichols tunes are even more obscure.

The tunes are read fairly straight ahead with little in the way of arrangement and mostly serve as a jumping off point for the soloists who stick generally to the form of the tunes and the medium swing tempi of the tunes. Dave Scott’s signature jagged style of crosshatch playing gives interesting harmonic shading to the tunes, though he proves he can also be exceptionally lyrical on “Never Let Me Go” with an intensely intimate reading of the melody and a surprisingly straightforward melodic solo.

Rich Perry contrasts Dave Scott’s angular playing with a highly melodic style that is never too concerned with sticking closely to the harmony. Rather, he develops his ideas in interesting ways that manage to stick to the form of the tunes while giving the rhythm section plenty of fun melodic material to chew on.

Probably the most interesting soloist is Jacob Sacks. He seems to have absorbed the best aspects of Perry’s and Scott’s styles as he manages to both create strong, simple melodic ideas but expand on them with furious flurries of notes and rich, close harmony. “Crafty” is probably the best word to describe his playing as he manages to derive his playing from the jazz tradition, yet constantly surprise you with the directions he takes in his solos. His signature “clustered” harmonic concept also carries through in his excellent comping for the solos.

Ambrosio and Sperrazza are left largely to keep the form and the time, but they do so in an energetic and creative manner, responding to the soloists here and there. It’s certainly interesting to hear what these five exceptionally creative musicians can do within the confines of changes and mid-tempo swing, but as one might expect, the result is not as rewarding as hearing these musicians play their own music. A bit of time spent giving these tunes thoughtful or original arrangements would probably have yielded better results as well. Still, it’s worthwhile to hear what these sometimes “out” players can do when they stick to mostly “in.”
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/triotrio/nice-treatment/

Personnel: Dave Scott - trumpet; Rich Perry - tenor saxophone; Jacob Sacks - piano; David Ambrosio - bass; Vinnie Sperrazza - drums

Nice Treatment

Rosario Giuliani - Miserere

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:58
Size: 135,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:26) 1. Ut Queant Laxis
(6:09) 2. Magdalena degna da laudare
(5:11) 3. Canzon seconda a quattro
(4:16) 4. Agnus Dei
(5:11) 5. Miserere
(8:01) 6. Toccata e Prologo da Orfeo
(5:46) 7. Adagio
(6:18) 8. Inverno
(5:49) 9. Una furtiva lagrima
(6:45) 10. Il barbiere di Siviglia

"Miserere" is a sophisticated crossover project that has its roots in the most noble Italian musical heritage, in which the art of improvisation typical of the jazz language marries with the stylistic features of the past. A millennium of masterpieces drawn from the ancient Gregorian antiphonaries and medieval laudari, from the Renaissance counterpoint of the Roman and Venetian schools to the melodrama; a journey through time and in the Italian sound entirely interpreted by artists who have distinguished themselves for their ability to renew tradition.

The songs all have unpublished arrangements, specially prepared by Maestro Mario Corvini to enhance both the refined phrasing of Rosario Giuliani and the enveloping research timbres of the MAC Saxophone Quartet, one of the most appreciated quartets for their work of protection and innovation of the Italian school.Translate by Google https://www-ibs-it.translate.goog/miserere-cd-rosario-giuliani .

Miserere

Gene Ammons - Makes It Happen

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:34
Size: 65.4 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 1950/1967/2005
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. My Foolish Heart
[2:57] 2. Prelude To A Kiss
[2:41] 3. Goodbye
[2:50] 4. Can Anyone Explain
[3:06] 5. It's You Or No One
[2:33] 6. Pennies From Heaven
[2:45] 7. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
[2:56] 8. You Go To My Head
[3:08] 9. Once In A While
[2:48] 10. It's The Talk Of The Town

This 1967 Cadet release repackages the 1958 Chess date Soulful Saxophone, itself a session originally recorded in 1950 in the months prior to Gene Ammons' landmark stint with the Prestige label--and while the provocative cover suggests a collection of lush romantic ballads, Gene Ammons Makes It Happen is instead deep and dark, underscored by the tenorist's potently soulful sound. A melancholy reading of "My Foolish Heart" was Ammons' first hit and sets the tone for the remainder of the material, which boasts an affecting, late-night atmosphere--the music absolutely marinates in echo, transcending the waking world into the dreamscape. ~Jason Ankeny

Makes It Happen