Dave Douglas - Sanctuary Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Sanctuary Disc 1
Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:25
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:07) 1. Apparition
( 6:27) 2. Three Beasts
( 6:57) 3. Swoon
( 3:48) 4. The Lethe
( 5:20) 5. Dark Wood
( 6:35) 6. The Dome
(11:44) 7. Heavenly Messenger
( 4:23) 8. Among Frogs

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Album: Sanctuary Disc 2
Time: 58:14
Size: 133,6 MB

( 6:36) 1. Limbo
( 4:43) 2. The Great Cliff
(11:52) 3. The Lantern
( 7:39) 4. Mad Dog
( 9:13) 5. The Flower
(5:50) 6. Contemplation
( 9:34) 7. Coins
( 2:44) 8. Among Stars

Although Dave Douglas is credited as leader, Sanctuary is not just an album of him supported by a backing band. Instead, Douglas plays as equal member in a project of standout musicians. Team work is the theme; live performance is the key. Each CD is a nonstop recording of a different August 1996 show at N.Y.C.'s Knitting Factory. Heard is the great interplay between Douglas, Cuong Vu, and Chris Speed as their horn conversations intermittently get animated and peak, then settle back within the band.

The sampling provided by Anthony Coleman and Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda playfully interacts with the rest of the music on disc one. Throughout "The Lethe" and "Dark Wood," for example, the sampling provide humor and thrills, interjecting into the music like zoo animals spontaneously joining in visitors' conversations! During "Dome" and "Heavenly Messenger," the basses of Mark Dresser and Hillard Greene sound simultaneously like a creaking ship, a mournful violin, and a dress slowly zipped by another.

They then follow a stair-tumbling drum solo by teaming with the samplers. At other times, the drums and basses form a simply steady rhythm section. Disc one's concert closes with sampled electronic beats running beneath slow swells and statements made by the group, sounding like a dance track played at too slow of a speed. The concert heard on disc two opens cacophonous and splurty, and stays relatively crazy until "Lantern"'s spookhouse quiet suspense.

"Mad Dog" includes a terrific drum solo from Dougie Bowne. Again, the horns play tight and exciting throughout, and the samplers provide more ambience, with backwards voices and organ sounds, later adding groove-oriented beat tracks. Never guilty of carrying any style or approach for too long, the musicians keep mixing it up, yielding two excellent, well-rounded shows' worth of recordings.

Part abstract space shooting, part late-night dance party, all mixed with the scratching and balladry of outside jazz, Sanctuary is a definite strong addition to any collection that values these musicians, and a good introduction to them for all adventurous listeners ready to jump right in.By Joslyn Layne
https://www.allmusic.com/album/sanctuary-mw0000032272

Personnel: Dave Douglas: trumpet; Cuong Vu: trumpet; Yuka Honda: sampler; Anthony Coleman: sampler; Mark Dresser: bass; Hilliard Greene: bass; Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Dougie Bowne: drums

Sanctuary Disc 1,Disc 2

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Various Artists - Colin Curtis Presents Jazz Dance Fusion Volume 2

Styles: Fusion, Latin Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:42
Size: 176,7 MB
Art: Front

1. Paoli Mejias - Revelation (5:16)
2. Leslie Lewis And Gerard Hagen Trio - Keeper Of The Flame (5:24)
3. Curtis Lundy - Never Gonna Let You Go (4:21)
4. 8VB - Gengis (6:37)
5. Marita Albán Juárez Quartet - Upa Neguinho (4:37)
6. JD Walter - Golden Lady (5:51)
7. Steven Kroon - Tombo 7/4 (5:52)
8. Hajime Yoshizawa Feat. Navasha Daya - Celebration (5:14)
9. Raffaela Renzulli Ensemble - Brasilia (6:31)
10. Carmen Lundy - So This Is Love (3:36)
11. Tino Gonzales - Latin Gypsy (7:23)
12. Grady Tate - Little Black Samba (9:14)
13. Jam Session Goes Latino - Manteca (6:39)

“Welcome to the second instalment of my ‘Jazz Dance Fusion’ compilation series for Dave Lee’s Z Records. I continue to look back into the story & history of the UK jazz dance and jazz music scene; a movement that started for me back in the 70’s. The sounds of funk & soul mixed with jazz, influences from Brazil, Africa, Europe and all over the globe, textures of instrumental sounds & voices, fuse to create the much-loved ‘jazz fusion’ sound that we love.

Here we are in 2020 when interest in all forms of Jazz is growing fast as DJ pioneers such as Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, Perry Louis, Snowboy, Nick Hosier, Alan Mckinnon, Jim Bernardi, Kev Beadle, Harv Nagi, Shuya Okino and David Patterson continue to push all aspects of Jazz to converted and new audiences. So, to this compilation where I am showcasing unreleased material and offering tracks up for the first time ever on vinyl and CD. The track listing covers my addiction to dance-floor jazz, coupled with my passion for vocal and percussive jazz, with my usual trademark latin touches.
https://www.zrecords.ltd.uk/product/colin-curtis-presents-jazz-dance-fusion-volume-2/

Jazz Dance Fusion Volume 2

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Steve Davis & Larry Willis - Alone Together

Styles: Trombone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:42
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:32) 1. Milestones
(4:13) 2. My Foolish Heart
(9:50) 3. Surrey with the Fringe on Top
(8:54) 4. Alone Together
(5:24) 5. The Day You Said Goodbye
(8:22) 6. United
(8:30) 7. We'll Be Together Again
(7:44) 8. UMMG
(9:10) 9. Short Cake

Trombonist Steve Davis has been a veteran of the New York scene for many years. Hailing from Binghamton, New York, he quickly established a presence as one of the best trombonists in the area as a teenager. Upon his arrival in New York City in the mid-1980s, Davis' talents were noticed by such luminaries as drummer Art Blakey and saxophonist Jackie McLean. Davis' quartet release on Mapleshade, Alone Together , is a tip of the hat to his former boss a wonderful quartet featuring pianist Larry Willis, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Eric McPherson, all McLean alumni.

The fact that all these men are veterans of McLean's combo gives this session the feeling of a working band, and everyone plays at a high level. Davis and Willis have a great rapport together, with Willis' voicings adding depth to Davis' lines. Larry Willis may perhaps be best known as the pianist in trumpeter Woody Shaw's classic group, and as one of the most sensitive and nuanced disciples of Herbie Hancock.

Willis begins the quartet's take on "Milestones with a lovely introduction before Davis enters with the familiar Miles Davis (by way of John Lewis) melody. The rhythmic feel throughout the piece is refreshingly buoyant as McPherson molds and shapes the time at the bridge, a la a young Tony Williams, allowing for strong statements from Willis and Davis. Willis also creates rhythmic interest behind the trombone solo by often going against the time for tension and release.

The next cut, the classic standard "My Foolish Heart, is taken as a duet. Willis' warm chords frame Davis' dark, burnished tone as he stays close to the melody. The title track is taken with a quasi-Latin/boogaloo eighth note feel. Davis bleeds soul out of his horn with Curtis Fuller-like intensity, while McPherson provides strong commentary on the skins throughout. Fuller's influence is further felt on "United, taken from Art Blakey's book. Davis provides slashing phrasing reminiscent of the elder trombonist on classic Blakey albums such as Free For All (Blue Note, 1964), as McPherson keeps a strong swinging pulse on this fairly straightforward Wayne Shorter composition.

As fine as the music is, the recording quality of this release, which is superb, deserves to be mentioned. The sound is dynamic and very much like a session at Rudy Van Gelder's original Hackensack living room studio combined with the intimacy of the many studio dates on Pablo. The recording is direct to two-track analog tape and minimally miked, capturing the nuances of Willis' piano, the woodiness of the bass, and all of the air control flowing through the trombone. Free of compression and other tweaks, this is how every new acoustic jazz album should sound. Overall, Steve Davis and his quartet have made an excellent album that is creative and soulful, sure to delight fans of the hard bop tradition. By CJ Shearn
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/alone-together-steve-davis-mapleshade-recordings-review-by-cj-shearn

Personnel: Steve Davis: trombone; Larry Willis: piano; Nat Reeves: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.

Alone Together

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Marion Montgomery & Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz - Makin' Whoopee

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:19
Size: 171,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
(4:35) 2. You Took Advantage Of Me
(4:50) 3. Mean to Me
(3:51) 4. Shake It & Break It
(3:37) 5. Kansas City Man Blues
(2:48) 6. If I Ever Cease To Love
(4:26) 7. I Get the Blues When It Rains
(5:50) 8. Sobbin' Blues
(3:54) 9. Dinah
(3:11) 10. After You've Gone
(4:10) 11. Then It Changed
(3:16) 12. Canal Street Blues
(4:52) 13. My Meloncholy Baby
(4:25) 14. I'm Crazy About My Baby
(4:42) 15. Makin' Whoopee
(3:53) 16. Froggie Moorev
(3:48) 17. Love Me Or Leave Me
(4:31) 18. Riverboat Shuffle

Marion Montgomery (November 17, 1934 – July 22, 2002) was an American jazz singer, who lived for the majority of her life in the United Kingdom.

Born Marian Maud Runnells (she later changed the spelling of Marian to Marion) in Natchez, Mississippi, she began her career in Atlanta working clubs, and then in Chicago, where singer Peggy Lee heard her on an audition tape and suggested she should be signed up by Capitol Records, releasing three albums for them in the early and mid-1960s. During this early part of her career, she became Marian Montgomery, having previously gone by the nickname of Pepe. In 1963, she released the original version of the song "That's Life", made famous after its 1966 release by Frank Sinatra.

In 1965, she came to Britain to play a season with John Dankworth, and met and married English pianist and musical director Laurie Holloway, thus beginning a long and productive association in which they both became well known to British jazz, cabaret and television audiences. She numbered amongst her admirers Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and British chat show host Michael Parkinson, on whose show she became resident singer in the 1970s. In 1976, she sang in a comedy musical sketch with Morecambe & Wise. She also famously collaborated with composer and conductor Richard Rodney Bennett for a series of concerts and albums in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, her recording of the song "Maybe the Morning" (contained on her 1972 album Marion in the Morning) was used by Radio Luxembourg each evening to close the station, and again as the final song to be heard on the station when it closed in 1992.[citation needed] Her final studio recording was That Lady from Natchez, released in 1999. She continued to perform until just before her death, including a sell-out three week season at London's "Pizza on the Park" in April 2002.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Marion_Montgomery

Personnel: Marion Montgomery - Vocals; Mart Roger - Clarinet; Allan Dent - Trumpet; Terry Brunt - Trombone; Alec Collins - Piano; Tim Roberts - Banjo; Colin Smith - Bass; Pete Staples - Drums

Makin' Whoopee

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Maria Schneider Orchestra - Sky Blue

Styles: Big Band
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 144,8 MB
Art: Front

(13:28) 1. The 'Pretty' Road
(10:00) 2. Aires de Lando
( 9:34) 3. Rich's Place
(21:57) 4. Cerulean Skies
( 8:08) 5. Sky Blue

There's a reason that composer/bandleader Maria Schneider calls her large ensemble an orchestra. The term "big band suggests a number of inherent expectations relating to historical tradition. Schneider's group may be configured like a big band five reeds, four trumpets, four trombones with an expanded rhythm section but the music she writes delves into territories considerably farther afield. Sky Blue is a logical follow-up to her Grammy Award-winning Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, 2004), but there's been significant evolution as well.

Even more ambitious than its predecessor, Sky Blue doesn't completely leave behind the South American influences heard on Concert. The Peruvian-informed "Aires de Landro manages to mask its rhythmic complexity beneath a lush lyricism that's explored fully by clarinetist Scott Robinson. Robinson may be the primary soloist, but here as on the rest of Sky Blue the ensemble players manage to interpret Schneider's detailed arrangements while bringing their own personalities to every chart.

That's an important differentiator for Schneider's orchestra, made all the more significant considering that only seven members of an ensemble ranging from seventeen to twenty-one pieces are afforded delineated solos. Guitarist Ben Monder's subtle presence is often something more felt than heard, but it adds unmistakably to the ambience of pieces like the Americana-rich "The 'Pretty' Road, the closest thing to a conventional song form that Schneider's written, yet possessed of an orchestral depth made all the more vivid by Ingrid Jensen's remarkable trumpet and flugelhorn solo.

"Rich's Piece is, not surprisingly, a solo vehicle for tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, but this nine-minute tone poem is bolstered by pianist Frank Kimbrough's intuitive colors and Jay Anderson's fluid and sensitive bass work. Schneider's voicings and her choice of instruments to layer them seamlessly ebb and flow alongside Perry, sometimes becoming dramatically dominant, elsewhere underpinning Perry with sublime understatement.

But it's the episodic, 22-minute centerpiece "Cerulean Skies that elevates Blue Sky to masterpiece. Awash with complex colors and shifting ambiences, it begins in rich abstraction with a variety of bird sounds almost all created by members of the orchestrabefore settling into a sumptuous mix of counterpoint, polyrhythm and evocative melodism, setting the stage for a lengthy tenor solo from Donny McCaslin, who builds to near fever-pitch. Dissolving again into the ethereal, Gary Versace's accordion solo is as much texture as it is melody, with Kimbrough gradually shifting towards another folkloric Americana section initially rubato but finally propulsive for altoist Charles Pillow's vivid closing solo.

Like Vince Mendoza quite possibly the only other artist writing for large ensembles today with as distinctive a voice Schneider's not without precedent. But while past innovators like Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer figure in who Schneider is, she's long since transcended those and other influences. Sky Blue is an album of remarkable depth and beauty an expansive, imagery laden experience, from an artist who's ready to be considered in the same breath as those who've been so important to her own development. By John Kelman
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sky-blue-maria-schneider-artistshare-review-by-john-kelman

Personnel: Steve Wilson, Charles Pillow, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Scott Robinson (sax, flauti e clarinetti); Tony Kadleck, Jason Carder, Laurie Frink, Ingrid Jensen (trombe e flicorni); Keith O'Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes (trombone); George Flynn (trombone basso); Ben Monder (chitarra); Frank Kimbrough (piano); Jay Anderson (basso); Clarence Penn (batteria); Gonzalo Grau, Jon Wikan (cajon e percussioni); Gary Versace (fisarmonica); Luciana Sousa (voce).

Sky Blue

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Stanley Clarke - Time Exposure (Expanded Edition)

Size: 136,6 MB
Time: 59:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1984/2014
Styles: Jazz: Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Play The Bass 10 (0:45)
02. Are You Ready (For The Future) (3:15)
03. Speedball (3:09)
04. Heaven Sent You (5:56)
05. Time Exposure (4:45)
06. Future Shock (4:31)
07. Future (4:03)
08. Spacerunner (3:14)
09. I Know Just How You Feel (5:55)
10. Heaven Sent You (12'' Mix) (5:59)
11. Heaven Sent You (7'' Mix) (3:28)
12. Are You Ready (For The Future) (12'' Mix) (4:28)
13. Speedball (12'' Mix) (3:13)
14. Future (12'' Mix) (6:14)

While still deeply into the R&B/funk thing, Clarke's Time Exposure is a cut or two above its immediate neighbors in quality, thanks mostly to some superior tunesmithing on Clarke's part. The title track is the prize of the set and one of the best funk numbers of Clarke's career, an ingratiating fusion of a riff and a tune that won't quit the memory, set to a vigorous groove and hammered out by rock guitarist Jeff Beck. Even the obviously radio-minded ballad "Heaven Sent You" (a number 21 R&B hit) is a better-than-average bit of R&B writing -- and here and elsewhere, Clarke wisely leaves the lead vocals mostly to others. The sheer speed and power of Clarke's electric and piccolo bass work is astonishing throughout the album, and the CD as a whole has a techno sound and edge reflecting a period of time just before analog synthesizers were swept away by digital instruments. Ernie Watts and perennial co-conspirator George Duke make cameo appearances on one track apiece. ~Review by Richard S. Ginell

Time Exposure

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