Nicole Zuraitis & Brandon Coleman - Live At The Two-Headed Calf

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:31
Size: 113,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:58) 1. Jolene
(6:17) 2. The Nearness Of You
(3:51) 3. Hallelujah, I Just Love Him So
(4:13) 4. Failing
(4:29) 5. Kansas City
(5:17) 6. Tennessee Whiskey
(4:36) 7. Take A Walk On The Wild Side
(5:24) 8. Angel Eyes
(4:58) 9. Sunny Side
(5:26) 10. How Blue Can You Get

Grammy® Nominated New York based musician Nicole Zuraitis blends clever songwriting skills, an effervescent presence and dazzling vocals in a consummate package that has thrilled audiences across Manhattan and across the world. If recently you happened upon Greenwich Village’s 55 Bar or Birdland Jazz Club and were enchanted by the seismic versatile talent of inspired vocalist, keyboard player and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis, you’re officially part of the lady-powerhouse burgeoning fan club.

Nicole was nominated dually with her husband Dan Pugach in the arrangement category the 61st annual Grammy® Awards for their version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. Connecticut Magazine listed her in their “40 under 40 Class of 2020” and the WOW Forum hosted her as a guest of honor in the fall of 2019. She is the vocalist for the world famous Birdland Big Band in New York City and her album Hive Mind won Best Jazz Album in the 2018 International Music and Entertainment Awards.

In 2016 she won the New York City Songwriting Competition Coffee Music Project, in 2015 was the second runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and in 2014 won the Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer Award. She's also the People’s Choice and Johnny Mercer Award winner in the National American Traditions Vocal Competition. Her brand new project, Generations of Her: Women Songwriters and Lyricists of the last 100 years has sold out both the Birdland Theater and the Cell Theater in New York within months of its conception. Nicole has headlined Birdland, the Blue Note (NYC) and maintains residencies at the 55 Bar (every second Thursday of the month), Rockwood Music Hall (with the Dan Pugach Nonet), and Redeye Grill. Audiences love Nicole’s limitless enthusiasm, but that’s only part of her story; only part of her talent.

While pursuing a career that has spanned jazz, pop and classical, Nicole has collaborated with Cyrille Aimee, Thana Alexa, Dave Stryker, Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Omar Hakim, Melanie Safka, Helen Sung and Bernard Purdie. She’s performed at festivals nationwide, and has recorded two albums: 2013’s Pariah Anthem and 2009’s Spread The Word, both releases featuring the cream of New York’s jazz hierarchy. Her newest album ALL WANDERING HEARTS will realese in May 2020 with Dot Time Records.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/nicole-zuraitis

Awards: Grammy Nominee 2019. Best Instrumental and Vocal Arrangement, "Jolene" Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition runner up NYC Coffee Music Project Songwriting Winnner 2020 Connecticut Magazine Top 40 under 40 Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award winner

Live At The Two-Headed Calf

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Cyndi Lauper - A Night To Remember

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:04
Size: 111,1 MB
Art: Front

(0:28) 1. Intro
(4:11) 2. I Drove All Night
(3:48) 3. Primitive
(3:01) 4. My First Night Without You
(3:24) 5. Like A Cat
(3:55) 6. Heading West
(3:43) 7. A Night To Remember
(3:56) 8. Unconditional Love
(3:30) 9. Insecurious
(4:12) 10. Dancing With A Stranger
(4:22) 11. I Don't Want To Be Your Friend
(1:15) 12. Kindred Spirit
(4:03) 13. Hole In My Heart
(4:09) 14. I Drove All Night (Summer Sonic 07)

On True Colors, Cyndi Lauper began to edge her way into adult contemporary territory, but it was on her third album, A Night to Remember, that she concentrated all of her attention on becoming a self-consciously "mature" singer/songwriter.

A Night to Remember doesn't always work, but not because she's incapable of performing polished, well-crafted middle-of-the-road material "Time After Time" and "True Colors" prove that she could convincingly deliver ballads. Instead, the album bogs down because it assumes that labored arrangements and precisely detailed production are tantamount to musical sophistication.

That said,there are some moments such as the seductive "I Drove All Night" that make a lasting impression, illustrating what Lauper was attempting to achieve with the record. By Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-to-remember-mw0000201047

A Night To Remember

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Doug Ferony With Dena DeRose - Time After Time

Size: 123,0 MB
Time: 52:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Time After Time (3:39)
02. In The Wee Small Hours (2:53)
03. I Fall In Love Too Easily (3:11)
04. You Go To My Head (4:15)
05. That's All (3:47)
06. Good Morning Heartache (4:27)
07. But Beautiful (4:06)
08. When Your Lover Has Gone (3:23)
09. Here's That Rainy Day (3:43)
10. All My Tomorrows (3:23)
11. Moonlight Becomes You (2:55)
12. Angel Eyes (3:39)
13. I Love You So (4:24)
14. I'm A Fool To Want You (4:39)

The occasion for vocalist Doug Ferony's second album is a bittersweet one indeed. A tribute to his wife who recently passed away, the play list leans toward songs which tell stories of love and romance, despair and disappointment. Unlike his first album, where there was a big band with him on some cuts, here he works with just a piano. But like the first album, the pianist is the exceedingly accomplished Dena DeRose. Not only does DeRose sit in as a very sympathetic, aware accompanist, she also sings with Ferony on "I Fall in Love Too Easily," which turns out to be the album's choice track. This latest endeavor is an improvement over the first one in another important respect: Ferony doesn't try as hard. The result is a far more relaxed performance revealing a softer, more pleasant side of the singer's vocal technique. The musicianship is more solid, more assured, and more rewarding for the listener. Such tunes as "Good Morning Heartache," "Time After Time," and the Bing Crosby favorite "Moonlight Becomes You" are pulpits which allow Ferony to demonstrate his uncommon awareness of the lyrics. This, coupled with a good sense of timing and use of the thoughtful pause, makes the album a gem of vocal art. Judging from his work to date, Ferony is determined to do his part to keep alive the tradition of the performing entries in the Great American Popular Songbook established by those male vocalists who have gone before him. Time After Time is recommended. ~by Dave Nathan

Time After Time

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Sir Roland Hanna - Roland Hanna Quartet Plays Gershwin

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:24
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:14)  1. Summertime
(5:23)  2. Lady Be Good
(6:01)  3. Variations In Concerto In "F"
(7:08)  4. Foggy Dau
(5:28)  5. Isn't It A Pity
(7:00)  6. But Not For Me
(7:49)  7. Somebody Loves Me
(5:16)  8. Embrace You
(4:37)  9. Bess You Is My Woman Now
(6:23) 10. Strike Up The Band

Most of the ten compositions written by George Gershwin have been covered numerous times on jazz recordings, so finding fresh approaches to them is a great challenge. Fortunately, Sir Roland Hanna is up to the task. This 1993 studio session kicks off with a funky "Summertime" that includes Bill Easley's hot soprano sax, though Hanna's lively choruses make up its focal point. "Lady Be Good" has a delightful, disguised introductory vamp as Hanna toys with the listener. Easley's full-bodied tenor is present in the snappy rendition of "Embraceable You," which drastically reworks the original piece so much that the label carelessly labeled it "Embrace You." Hanna's mastery of the ballad form is most evident in his luxurious take of "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," with Easley adding a haunting flute solo in a touching duet. Bassist Jon Burr and drummer Ronnie Burrage provide strong support for this very reasonably priced CD from Laserlight. ~ Ken Dryden

Personnel: Sir Roland Hanna (piano); Bill Easley (soprano & tenor saxophones); Jon Burr (bass); Ronnie Burrage (drums).

Roland Hanna Quartet plays Gershwin

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Eric Marienthal - Just Around The Corner

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:15
Size: 101,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Blue Water
(4:27)  2. Times Square
(4:52)  3. Flower Child
(4:13)  4. Open Road
(4:19)  5. 21 Ocean Front
(4:24)  6. Just Around The Corner
(4:13)  7. I Believe In You
(3:38)  8. Dance With Me
(4:36)  9. Your Move
(5:16) 10. Lost Without You

When heard with Chick Corea's Elektric Band or as a sideman in more straight-ahead settings, Eric Marienthal consistently proves that he is a technically skilled and creative jazz altoist. Unfortunately, on his own recordings Marienthal is content to sound as if he is on automatic pilot, caressing insipid melodies, sticking close to the theme in a somewhat generic tone, and playing music that is clearly geared toward smooth radio and romantic backgrounds. Just Around the Corner has the altoist in the forefront throughout while backed by a purposely anonymous rhythm section. 

Whether showing a bit of pseudo-soulful heat or playing a ballad very straight, Marienthal sounds as if every note were planned in advance, with no room for errors, innovations, or spontaneity. The results are predictable instrumental pop performances by musicians capable of so much better. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/just-around-the-corner-mw0000498405

Personnel: Eric Marienthal (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Jeff Lorber (guitar, piano, keyboards); Ray Parker, Jr. (guitar); Paul Rayner-Brown (acoustic guitar, keyboards, percussion); Michael Stever (trumpet); Brian Culbertson (trombone, piano, keyboards, percussion, drum programming); Stephen Lu (keyboards, programming); Dave Weckl (drums).

Just Around The Corner

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