Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Caterina Valente, Catherine Michel - Girltalk

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:03
Size: 121,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:05) 1. Chiquilin De Bachin
(3:01) 2. Martina (Les Enfants Qui Pleurent)
(3:35) 3. And So It Goes
(5:00) 4. Gigi
(3:20) 5. Prelude No. 3
(4:27) 6. With a Song in My Heart
(4:40) 7. Andantino (Sonata in C Minor) / The Most Beautiful Sea
(3:53) 8. The Way We Were
(3:47) 9. All of a Sudden My Heart Sings
(2:44) 10. Tout Ça (Count Every Star)
(3:34) 11. Eu Não Existe
(5:22) 12. Bolero
(2:42) 13. Papa N'as Pas Voulu
(2:46) 14. Quién Será

This isn't a jazz album and even though it was released by a top jazz label and Nagel-Heyer doesn't claim that it is. Remember Caterina Valente who more than 45 years ago swept America with such pop hits as "I Love Paris" and one of the most exciting vocal versions of "Maleguena" ever. In the year 2000, she joined a major classical harpist Catherine Michel for a program of Latin and European songs, American standards and classical music.

Fluent in 12 languages, she recites, rather than sings, in English, Italian and French a dramatic "Sonata in C Minor (The Most Beautiful Sea) " with some of the loveliest harp playing on the CD. But not is all serious and somber. Once more in French, there's the cute, perky "Papa N'as Pas Voulu" which seques into a swinging blues. To show that she has lost little of her power and none of her phrasing and still keeps the pitch, Valente does "With a Song in My Heart" A Capella, singing a duet with herself.

Each line of lyrics is followed by the same line done scat. Very effective. On some tracks, Valente's voice becomes another instrument complimenting Michel's harp with her wordless vocalizing, sometimes dubbed in as background vocals. This technique culminates in an exciting interpretation of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero", as the tension builds from the familiar soft beginning culminating at the end in a crescendo of voice and harp that become one at the end of this classical gem.

As stated at the outset, not jazz at all. But for those who appreciate performances by consummate artists, this album will be one of the best you purchase all year. Recommended. By Dave Nathan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/girltalk-caterina-valente-review-by-dave-nathan

Personnel: Caterina Valente - Vocals/Guitar/Percussion; Catherine Michel - Harp

Girltalk

Sergio Mendes - Pure Bossa Nova

Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:05
Size: 101,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:24) 1. Ela é Carioca
(3:10) 2. Só Tinha de Ser Com Você
(3:08) 3. Sò danço samba
(4:07) 4. Corcovado
(3:45) 5. Batida Diferente [Album Version]
(2:21) 6. Nanà
(3:24) 7. Inútil Paisagem
(2:53) 8. O Amor Em Paz
(2:10) 9. Tristeza De Nos Dois
(2:19) 10. Noa... Noa...
(3:17) 11. Consolaçao
(3:18) 12. Desafinado
(2:23) 13. Outra Vez
(5:19) 14. O Morro Não Tem Vez

Yet another compilation to add to the many that already exist, Pure Bossa Nova is a collection of some of pianist, arranger, and composer Sergio Mendes' greatest hits from the mid-'60s, when he was most popular.

Culled from work with his trio, his eponymous group, and full band Bossa Rio, label Planet Rhythm includes 14 songs from Mendes' extensive catalog on the album and manages to, thankfully, leave out what is practically an easy listening anthem, "The Girl from Ipanema." Some arrangements are more inspired by jazz ("Ela é Carioca," "O Amor Em Paz," "Batida Diferente") and others by samba ("Tristeza de Nós Dios," "Só Danço Samba"), but all are pure Mendes and, well, as the title of the album states, pure bossa nova.

And while Mendes is generally classified as light or easy jazz, the songs aren't campy or saccharine like many other things in those categories. It may not be difficult music, but that doesn't mean it's not complex. The drums are always moving, there's a lot of improvisation, and plenty of great musicianship. For already stalwart fans of Mendes, this record doesn't bring anything new to a collection, but for those who want to explore one of the great composers and performers of the genre, Pure Bossa Nova is a perfect place to start. By Marisa Brown
https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/pure-bossa-nova-mr0001437483

Pure Bossa Nova

Various Artists - Groove Jazz: Jazz Vibes That Make You Shake Your Hips and Dance

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 131:41
Size: 303,4 MB
Art: Front

1. Joki Freund Sextett - Killer Joe (5:30)
2. Klaus Göbel Group - Wrappin' It Up (5:53)
3. Reuben Hoch - The Guys Back Home (5:08)
4. United Colors Of Jazz - Get Up! (5:25)
5. Charlie Mariano - Gregor Josephs Quartet - Stachel (4:39)
6. Peter Linhart Group - Hip Hop Otamus (6:17)
7. Super Trio - Brotherhood of Man (4:26)
8. Charly Antolini - Soon (5:03)
9. Archie Shepp - Down Home In New York (7:49)
10. Christoph Spendel Group - Downtown (4:34)
11. Thea Florea Quartett - Colourful Noon (6:49)
12. Max Clouth Clan - Surrender to What Is (3:26)
13. Axel Fischbacher Quartett - Kalsoum (4:48)
14. Maurice Magnoni L'Etat des Sons - The Beat of a Different World (5:13)
15. Emil Mangelsdorff Quartet - Fried Bananas (4:37)
16. J-Sound - Odd Job (5:41)
17. Threeo - Tribal Dance (5:53)
18. West End Avenue 4 - City Jazz (5:31)
19. Klaus Göbel Group - We Need Peace, We Need Love (5:13)
20. Stötter's Nevertheless - Sommerloch (0:52)
21. Ivan Habernal Quartet - The View (6:02)
22. Jutta Hipp Quintet - Don't Worry About Me (3:19)
23. Archie Shepp - Groovin' High (8:09)
24. Karl Ratzer - Sageways (6:45)
25. The Danish-German Slide Combination - Liberty City (4:25)

Groove Jazz: Jazz Vibes That Make You Shake Your Hips and Dance

Terri Lyne Carrington - TLC & Friends

Styles: Straight-Ahead Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1981/2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:36
Size: 86,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:21) 1. What is This Thing Called Love
(5:31) 2. La Bonita
(5:49) 3. Seven Steps to Heaven
(7:17) 4. St. Thomas
(6:59) 5. Just the Way You Are
(5:37) 6. Sonnymoon For Two

Four-time Grammy-winner, NEA Jazz Master, composer, activist, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington’s remarkable debut album, recorded in October 1981 when she was just 16 years old, provides a rare glimpse into the early talents of this extraordinary multi-faceted artist.

Carrington’s very first session, TLC & Friends features an epic and enviable lineup of collaborators, including Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on saxophone, and Buster Williams on bass. Her father Sonny Carrington also contributes saxophone to the Sonny Rollins classic “Sonnymoon for Two.”

The album masterfully showcases Carrington's artistry as a drummer and composer, highlighted by the standout original track "La Bonita, a refreshing interpretation of Billy Joel's beloved composition, "Just The Way You Are,” alongside scorching renditions of standards like "Seven Steps To Heaven," and “What Is This Thing Called Love.

The Candid release features original liner notes by Terri Lyne and Sonny Carrington, and a new essay by Dianne Reeves. Though this album captures Carrington at the outset of an auspicious recording career, at the age of 16, she was nearly a veteran. Hailing from a family of musicians - in addition to her father, Carrington’s grandfather and fellow drummer Matt Carrington, performed with Chu Berry and Fats Waller Carrington first shared the stage with Rahsaan Roland Kirk at age five.

By ten she became the youngest musician in Boston ever to receive a union card, and was impressing audiences with Clark Terry and his All-Stars. At age eleven, Carrington was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, when the school’s founders Lawrence and Alma Berk, heard her sit in with the great Oscar Peterson at the suggestion of Ella Fitzgerald (today Carrington teaches at the school and is the founder of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice).

Carrington would go on to perform with dozens of other legends including B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Nat Adderley, Jon Hendricks, and many more before she was old enough to drive, and drum masters Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones invited her to sit in with their bands.https://candidrecords.com/products/copy-of-new-standards-vol-1

Personnel: Drums, Arranged By, Design [Cover] – Terri Lyne Carrington; Bass – Buster Williams; Piano – Kenny Barron; Tenor Saxophone – George Coleman

TLC & Friends