Scott Hamilton & Harry Allen - Heavy Juice

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 144,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:05)  1. Heavy Juice
(6:57)  2. Did You Call Her Today?
(7:02)  3. Groovin' High
(6:48)  4. If I Should Lose You
(6:28)  5. Blues Up and Down
(8:32)  6. If Dreams Come True
(5:47)  7. Warm Valley
(9:08)  8. Ow!
(6:20)  9. Strike Up The Band

This CD has been a recording waiting to happen for twenty years. Back then, highschooler Harry Allen joined Scott Hamilton on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival for a cameo performance with the George Wein-led Newport All-Stars. Allen grew up in Rhode Island, which also claims Hamilton as a native son. And Hamilton certainly was a role model as Allen blossomed then and fast became a welcome young player on the New York swing jazz scene.  They've had occasional chances to collaborate on the bandstand. And now, Heavy Juice enables them to join a line of great tenor summit session pairings that through the years have included Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins, Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon, Ammons and Sonny Stitt, and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. This is a splendid session in which two good musical friends mine common musical ground with very similar sounds. Both favor a breathy, growling Webster tone at times. These days, Allen comes more out of a Stan Getz melodic bag, which Hamilton explored in an earlier phase. 

At times, when they're playing in unison or locked into the same tone, it helps to know that Hamilton is on the left stereo channel, Allen on the right. The crack rhythm section provides a strong cushion, with John Bunch's dancing hands providing some elegant twists and turns at the piano. Nothing here disappoints, but their bop-meets-R&B take on "Blues Up and Down" by Ammons and Stitt ranks as my clear favorite. It's filled with an exuberant spirit of one-upmanship until they blend together for the final shout chorus. In contrast, the Duke Ellington ballad "Warm Valley" enables them to share a Websterish blend. From start to finish, through all eight tracks, this blend of Heavy Juice is very, very good.
By Ken Franckling https://www.allaboutjazz.com/heavy-juice-scott-hamilton-concord-music-group-review-by-ken-franckling.php

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone), Harry Allen (tenor saxophone), John Bunch (piano), Dennis Irwin (bass), Chuck Riggs (drums)

Heavy Juice

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Anne Ducros - Piano, Piano

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:03
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Four
(4:45)  2. God Bless the Child
(6:25)  3. You Go to My Head
(5:00)  4. Les Feuilles Mortes
(5:20)  5. Never Let Me Go
(6:56)  6. Gnossienne No. 1
(4:21)  7. I Thought About You
(5:35)  8. My Foolish Heart
(5:14)  9. Moon and Sand
(3:59) 10. Just in Time
(4:41) 11. Body and Soul
(5:15) 12. Naima

There is little information about European jazz singer Anne Ducros within the liner notes to Piano, Piano, but she clearly endeared herself to each of the four guest pianists with whom she worked on her CD. She soars in the lush setting of "Never Let Me Go," where she packs an emotional punch, though her tripping over a few words slightly handicaps her interpretation of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." One of Europe's greatest jazz pianists, Enrico Pieranunzi, joins her for the powerful rendition of "You Go to My Head" and a graceful take of "Moon and Sand." She came to the United States in order to work with Chick Corea, singing "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves) in its original language in a terrific duet and adding some humorous horn-like scatting reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald on-stage. Both her lyrical "My Foolish Heart" and explosive "Body and Soul" are just as effective. Another veteran European pianist, René Urtreger, is paired with Ducros for a gently loping duet of "I Thought About You" and anchoring the rhythm section for another Ella-like scat exhibition in the swinging "Just in Time." Benoît de Mesnay, who doubles on piano and Fender Rhodes in "Four" (where she once again scats up a storm) and joins her for the swinging interpretation of "Naima," is evidently her regular accompanist. All in all, this is a very enjoyable effort. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/piano-piano-mw0000404358

Piano, Piano

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Pharoah Sanders - Pharoah Sanders' Finest

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:23
Size: 163.4 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Bop
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 3:22] 1. Moniebah
[10:06] 2. You've Got To Have Freedom
[ 5:29] 3. Naima
[ 8:06] 4. Moon Child
[ 6:10] 5. Moon Rays
[ 6:51] 6. Origin
[ 8:23] 7. Africa
[ 4:34] 8. Duo
[ 6:18] 9. Lament
[ 4:57] 10. You Don't Know What Love Is
[ 7:00] 11. The Bird Song

Bass – Curtis Lundy, Stafford James; Drums – Eccleston W. Wainwright, Eddie Moore, Idris Muhammed; Percussion – Cheikh Tidiane Fale; Piano – John Hicks, William Henderson; Saxophone – Pharoah Sanders.

After Pharoah Sanders recorded as a leader for Impulse in 1973 (Love in Us All) he recorded a number of records for different labels; his self-titled album for India Navigation stands as a high point in his development as not only a saxophonist, but as a player who sought ways of moving to a more reflective approach. These included recordings for Arista/Novus, Theresa, Dr. Jazz, and the Netherlands-based Timeless imprints, as well as co-led and other sessions as a prominent sideman. Sanders spent increasing amounts of time in Europe and Japan because he could work regularly. The period he spent on Timeless is the subject of this wonderful compilation assembled by the excellent Dopeness Galore label in Amsterdam. For starters, Dopeness Galore is not strictly a jazz label; they are just as closely allied with hip-hop and dance music culture, and issue fine 12" singles as well as compilations, in addition to supporting a number of visual artists. Definitely a label to watch in the 21st century.

Sanders recorded three albums for Timeless, a label associated with fine jazz from the U.S., the European continent, and Asia: Africa, released in 1987, Moonchild issued in 1989, and Welcome to Love, a ballads collection. The tracks compiled on Finest are not arranged chronologically (thankfully); maximum attention was given to aesthetics and dynamics as well as showing the wide range of Sanders musicality and interests in world music as well as the jazz tradition, his own forward thinking, and his relentless pursuit of a spiritual muse in his music. ~Thom Jurek

Pharoah Sanders'Finest 

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Katie Melua - Love & Money

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:56
Size: 82,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:34) 1. Golden Record
(3:58) 2. Quiet Moves
(3:45) 3. 14 Windows
(2:48) 4. Lie In The Heat
(3:11) 5. Darling Star
(4:37) 6. Reefs
(3:35) 7. First Date
(3:39) 8. Pick Me Up
(3:26) 9. Those Sweet Days
(3:20) 10. Love & Money

In 2023, Katie Melua celebrates the 20th anniversary of her debut, having earned a legion of fans with her indie folk that fuses elements of blues and jazz. The Georgian-British singer returns with her ninth studio album and first release since 2020, Love and Money.

Opener Golden Record is a departure from what listeners might expect: built around a repetitive drum beat, it’s a long way from her early acoustic work, though still bringing her distinctive, haunting vocals. Quiet Moves continues the sonic shift, more upbeat in tempo and piano-driven – Melua is clearly at ease straying from her comfort zone. 14 Windows will feel more familiar to fans, a comparatively stripped-back listen.

The stunning Darling Star is a beautiful piano-based track that ranks as one of the best on the record, capturing the warmth and depth of the singer’s voice. Meanwhile, Reefs is an almost indie-sounding offering that doesn’t quite come off on the same level as some of its counterparts, but it is a pleasing risk.

The overarching sound here feels looser than in previous work, a deliberate move that feels befitting of the more introspective, reflective nature of the lyrics about her rise to fame over the past two decades and first moving to the UK. This is one of the artist’s most personal releases and spotlights her well-known songwriting ability.

It is a welcome development to see Melua stretching herself musically, employing instruments and genres that we haven’t heard from her before, and proving her vocals and composing style can diverge, often seamlessly. While her soothing delivery is as appealing as ever, the songs themselves tend to meander, resulting in a frustrating record that doesn’t quite hit the peaks it might, in spite of some beautiful moments.

Love and Money is an ambitious record from Katie Melua that is close to home. The stylistic shifts are intriguing, leaning into some unexpected directions, with piano ballads interspersed with drumbeat loops and indie guitars that don’t distract from the strength of the songwriting. The soft nature of some of the tracks can at times be a tad repetitive but, overall, this is another strong album. And, as her ninth, it proves Melua still has a lot to say and is willing to push herself, exploring new sounds something that should be applauded, even if it doesn’t always land perfectly.By Christopher Connor
https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2023/03/27/katie-melua-love-and-money-album-review/

Love & Money

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