Ella Fitzgerald - The War Years (1941-1947) [2-Disc Set]

Covering an important six-year period in Ella Fitzgerald's career, this two-CD set contains some of the highlights of the period as she develops from a top big-band singer into a masterful jazz improviser. Although one wishes that this survey were "complete," the 43 selections do feature Fitzgerald in a wide variety of settings, including with small groups, collaborating with The Ink Spots, the Delta Rhythm Boys Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong and fronting various studio groups. Most of her hits from the period are here along with previously unissued alternate takes of "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Flying Home" and two of "How High the Moon," making this a strong introduction to her early years.

Album: The War Years (1941-1947) [Disc 1]
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:48
Size: 146.1 MB
Label: GRP
Styles: Vocal Jazz, Swing, Easy Listening
Year: 1994

[2:58] 1. Jim
[2:51] 2. This Love Of Mine
[3:11] 3. Somebody Nobody Loves
[3:24] 4. You Don't Know What Love Is
[2:50] 5. Make Love To Me
[2:42] 6. Mama, Come Home
[3:00] 7. My Heart And I Decided
[3:19] 8. He's My Guy
[2:51] 9. Cow Cow Boogie
[3:04] 10. Time Alone Will Tell
[2:54] 11. Once Too Often
[3:06] 12. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
[3:09] 13. I'm Making Believe
[3:12] 14. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
[3:21] 15. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[2:41] 16. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[3:14] 17. That's The Way It Is
[2:39] 18. It's Only A Paper Moon
[2:44] 19. Cry You Out Of My Heart
[3:04] 20. A Kiss Goodnight
[3:22] 21. Benny's Coming Home On Saturday

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Album: The War Years (1941-1947) [Disc 2]
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:46
Size: 146.0 MB
Label: GRP
Styles: Vocal jazz, Easy Listening, Swing
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. Flying Home
[2:37] 2. Stone Cold Dead In The Market (He Had It Coming)
[2:34] 3. Petootie Pie
[2:51] 4. You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)
[3:10] 5. The Frim Fram Sauce
[2:52] 6. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[3:15] 7. I Didn't Mean A Word I Said
[3:07] 8. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
[2:36] 9. It's A Pity To Say Goodnight
[3:09] 10. Guilty
[3:14] 11. Sentimental Journey
[3:12] 12. A Sunday Kind Of Love
[2:58] 13. That's My Desire
[3:13] 14. Oh, Lady Be Good
[3:05] 15. Don't You Think I Ought To Know
[2:25] 16. You're Breakin' In A New Heart
[2:22] 17. I Want To Learn About Love
[2:25] 18. That Old Feeling
[2:38] 19. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop
[2:55] 20. No Sense
[3:18] 21. How High The Moon
[3:12] 22. How High The Moon 2

The War Years (1941-1947)(Disc 1) (Disc 2)

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Bob Crosby - His Orchestra & The Bob Cats 1937-1939

Styles: Swing
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:10
Size: 159,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:25) 1. Gin Mill Blues
(3:15) 2. Squeeze Me
(2:32) 3. Little Rock Getaway
(2:40) 4. Fidgety Feet
(2:52) 5. You're Drving Me Crazy
(3:04) 6. Coquette
(2:56) 7. Who's Sorry Now
(4:13) 8. Dogtown Blues
(3:35) 9. South Rampart Street Parade
(2:56) 10. Wolverine Blues
(3:18) 11. Yancey Special
(2:34) 12. March Of The Bob Cats
(2:44) 13. The Big Crash From China
(2:38) 14. Big Foot Jump
(3:03) 15. Five Point Blues
(2:28) 16. I Hear You Talking
(2:37) 17. The Big Noise From Winnetka
(3:14) 18. Honky Tonk Train Blues
(3:09) 19. Swingin' At The Sugar Bowl
(5:38) 20. Diga Diga Doo
(2:57) 21. Skaters' Waltz in Swingtime
(3:11) 22. Stomp Off And Let's Go

Released in 1996, this is a superb collection of vintage swing played by the Bob Crosby Orchestra and his scaled-down Dixieland group, the Bobcats. Crosby's players were well versed in both traditional jazz and pop music suitable for jitterbugging; the recordings assembled here paint a vivid group portrait of a swinging sodality of musicians who bent over backwards to please their listeners.

The stars of this group as featured here include pianists Joe Sullivan ("Gin Mill Blues" and "Little Rock Getaway") and Bob Zurke ("Big Foot Jump"), string bassist and famously adept whistler Bob Haggart ("Dogtown Blues" and "Big Noise from Winnetka"), saxophonist Eddie Miller ("I Hear You Talking"), trumpeter Yank Lawson ("Five Point Blues"), and drummer Ray Bauduc ("The Big Crash from China"). This music was designed for partying, relaxing, and fooling around. By Arwulf Arwulf
https://www.allmusic.com/album/his-orchestra-bob-cats-1937-1939-mw0000050739

His Orchestra & The Bob Cats 1937-1939

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Mark Colby Quartet - All or Nothing at All

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:00
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(9:15) 1. All or Nothing at All
(5:58) 2. Angelica
(7:07) 3. Somewhere
(7:24) 4. Monk's Dream
(6:55) 5. Daydream
(6:00) 6. Double Rainbow
(8:28) 7. Get out of Town
(7:56) 8. Cinema Paradiso
(6:53) 9. It Was a Very Good Year

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1949, Mark comes from a musical background, as his father was a professional musician (drummer) who played with Benny Goodman for a time in the ‘40’s. At the age of eight, Mark was given a clarinet and lessons with a wonderful teacher by the name of Bill Schlagel, who emphasized the importance of proper technique and sound. At age eleven, Mark took the next step in his evolution, saxophone, and thus began his life-long love affair. Immersed in the sounds of the big bands enjoyed by his father, intrigued by the more modern sounds of bebop, cool and hard-bop records his sister played around the house, his dedication to pursuing a life in music was cemented.

In 1962, his family moved to Miami, Florida, where he began playing professionally at age 14. On Miami Beach, he had the opportunity to play shows with popular acts, including Tony Bennett, Sonny and Cher, Bill Cosby, Ann-Margret and Sammy Davis, Jr., with seasoned musicians. He was for many years the youngest guy on the bandstand, all the while pursuing his desire to play all styles of jazz. As a high school student, he studied with James Casale (co-author of Patterns for Jazz with Jerry Coker.) After high school, Mark attended the University of Miami, enrolling in Jerry Coker’s Jazz Studies program. Studying with Jerry and pianist Vince Maggio had a profound effect on him, as did sitting in with Ira Sullivan since the age of 16. These master musicians provided him inspiration and encouragement, as well as invaluable education in the jazz idiom.

Mark was fortunate to have had the incredible experience of working with legendary baritone sax player Gerry Mulligan while he was artist in residence. While in college, he recorded with the likes of Dr. John, Wilson Pickett, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, and the Bee Gees. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies, he received a call from Maynard Ferguson inviting him to join his band in New York. After three albums and three years touring as featured soloist and musical director with Maynard, Bob James beckoned, and he became of member of the “James gang.” Bob signed Mark to Columbia Records, beginning his solo recording career. “Serpentine Fire” and “One Good Turn” both sold very well, while he toured for the next six years as a featured member of Bob James’ band. Mark’s tours with Maynard and Bob found him playing jazz festivals and concert halls around the world.

In 1980, Mark moved to Chicago, with its very active music scene. Mark was immediately participating in a recording market that was exploding. Jingles, record dates, and jazz gigs were plentiful. In 1983, he was approached by DePaul University to assume a teaching position as jazz saxophone instructor. He’s still there, and in 1998 joined the faculty at Elmhurst College.

In the ensuing years, he has played and in some cases toured with such varied luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Jaco Pastorius, Mose Allison, Joe Williams and Charlie Haden. Currently he is performing as a guest soloist and clinician/adjudicator at middle schools, high schools and colleges throughout the United States and Europe, representing Selmer Paris Saxophones and Vandoren reeds. In 2001, he performed Duke Ellington’s version of “The Nutcracker Suite” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and in 2008 performed Leonard Bernstein’s “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs.” In 1999, Hallway Records released “Reunion” (with Vince Maggio) followed by “Tenor Reference” in 2002, to glowing reviews and appreciative audiences.

His last release on Hallway Records was a tribute to Stan Getz entitled Speaking of Stan, which was released in 2006 and went to #3 on the jazz radio charts. During 2007-2010, he appeared at the Chicago, Paradise Valley Arizona Jazz Festival, Evanston, Naperville and Glen Ellyn Jazz Festivals. In 2010 Mark was the artist in residence at the Three Rivers Saxaphone Symposium in PA. Mark appeared in a cameo with Diana Krall in the Johnny Depp movie “Public Enemies,” released in July 2009. His CD on Origin Records, “Reflections” was released in November 2008. In 2010 Mark was one of the people interviewed with his own chapter in Cicily Janus’s new book entitled “The New Faces of Jazz” published by Billboard Press. Currently he has completed a new recording, All or Nothing at All, to be released on his own RCI label in 2016.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/mark-colby/

All or Nothing at All

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The Peggy Lee Band - A Giving Way

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:03
Size: 108,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:29) 1. It's Simple
(7:11) 2. Internal Structures
(4:38) 3. Promise
(4:50) 4. Boat Ride Into Go Home Bay
(7:16) 5. Justice / Honour
(3:52) 6. A Giving Way
(6:28) 7. Whispering Pines
(3:38) 8. To the Point
(3:58) 9. Walk Over Walk
(2:43) 10. Pirates

The Peggy Lee Band releases its sixth album A Giving Way this Friday, June 9, 2023 on the local independent record label Songlines. The ensemble led by esteemed improvising cellist and composer Peggy Lee will celebrate at the Fox Cabaret on Saturday, June 10th, presented by the Vancouver Independent Music Centre Society.

Listening to the new title track, Peggy's cello delicately earns your attention at the beginning before Jon Bentley enters on tenor saxophone. Cello and brass play backgrounds behind Jon for the rest of the relatively brief track, while drums and bass paint away unobtrusively behind them. Guitar plays a subtle role here.

The lineup of musicians on A Giving Way and at the show this Saturday has been together for almost 20 years. The three previous Peggy Lee Band albums 2012's Invitation, 2008's New Code, and 2004's Worlds Apart all feature the eight-piece ensemble.

On Invitation, the opening track welcomes you in with a hearty greeting. Among many enjoyable moments, hearing an André Lachance electric bass solo on "Path of a Smile" and Jon Bentley's opening followed by the guitar playing on "Little Pieces" were highlights for me. "Warming", at the end, is a party.

For New Code, I like the experimental "Offshoot 1" and "Scribble Town": two tracks which show another side of the band beyond the cuts I mentioned above. For Worlds Apart, check out the 12-string acoustic guitar strumming on "Spells" and enjoy Brad Turner's trumpet playing featured throughout the record.

And more than two decades ago, the band released two albums 2002's Sounds From The Big House and 1999's self-titled debut as a six-piece, with Chris Tarry in on bass and neither Ron Samworth nor Jon Bentley in the picture yet. (Though on Sounds From The Big House, Robin Reid on marimba and François Houle on clarinet are also featured guests.)

Peggy's previous release on Songlines is Echo Painting, released in 2018 and featuring an even bigger ensemble. It has all the Peggy Lee Band instruments and more, and those instruments are played by some different people to boot.

VIM's concert at the Fox this weekend is a worthy release event for a band that has made a home in the creative scene for a whole generation. They've left a bounty of recordings for us along the way and now another.
https://www.rhythmchanges.ca/peggy-lee-band-a-giving-way/

Personnel: Peggy Lee on cello; Brad Turner on trumpet & flugelhorn; Jon Bentley on tenor saxophone; Jeremy Berkman on trombone; Ron Samworth on electric & acoustic guitars; Tony Wilson on electric guitar; André Lachance on electric bass; Dylan van der Schyff on drums & percussion.

A Giving Way

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