Joe Williams - Every Day: The Best Of The Verve Years (2-Disc Set)

In effect, this double-disc set, released in anticipation of Joe Williams' 75th birthday, is two compilation albums in one. The first CD, containing material recorded between 1955 and 1957, presents the artist singing with Count Basie and His Orchestra at the start of Williams' national career, when he and Basie scored a major R&B hit with the title song and made albums like Count Basie Swings/Joe Williams Sings, One O'Clock Jump, and The Greatest! Count Basie Swings/Joe Williams Sings Standards. Along with The Count Basie Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Band at Newport, these provide most of the selections included, among them memorable Williams performances such as "Teach Me Tonight," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," and "The Comeback." The second CD chronicles Williams' return to Verve Records in the years 1987 to 1990, for such albums as Every Night and Ballad and Blues Master, both of which were recorded live May 7-8, 1987, at the Vine St. Bar and Grill in Hollywood. So, we have the (relatively) young Williams and a much older Williams towards the end of his career. In both cases, however, he displays considerable dexterity in his blues-tinged jazz singing, and he gets tremendous support from his instrumentalists. The 30-year gap from one disc to another prevents this from being a definitive look at his career, but for the periods covered the anthology is well-chosen. ~William Ruhlmann

Album: Every Day: The Best Of The Verve Years (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:11
Size: 135.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[5:26] 1. Every Day I Have The Blues
[3:02] 2. Teach Me Tonight
[3:33] 3. In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)
[2:48] 4. My Baby Upsets Me
[3:26] 5. Please Send Me Someone To Love
[2:56] 6. Too Close For Comfort
[3:00] 7. Don't Worry 'bout Me
[3:57] 8. Party Blues
[3:03] 9. Stop, Pretty Baby, Stop
[3:06] 10. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[2:28] 11. A Fine Romance
[2:38] 12. I Don't Like You No More
[2:49] 13. There Will Never Be Another You
[3:58] 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:48] 15. All Right, Ok, You Win
[4:10] 16. The Comeback
[2:40] 17. Roll 'em Pete
[3:15] 18. Smack Dab In The Middle

---

Album: Every Day: The Best Of The Verve Years (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:51
Size: 153.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[5:14] 1. Every Night
[5:17] 2. Sometimes I'm Happy
[5:19] 3. Don't You Know I Care
[4:50] 4. Who She Do
[6:10] 5. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
[4:20] 6. Winter Wonderland
[6:56] 7. Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues
[4:21] 8. Too Good To Be True
[5:28] 9. Too Marvelous For Words
[3:25] 10. Jimmy's Blues
[2:35] 11. I Want A Little Girl
[3:48] 12. Ev'ry Day (I Fall In Love)
[9:03] 13. Every Day I Have The Blues

Every Day: The Best Of The Verve Years (Disc 1) (Disc 2)

---

Chris Connor - Chris Craft

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:42
Size: 88,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Moonlight in Vermont
(2:15)  2. Blow, Gabriel, Blow
(3:40)  3. Here Lies Love
(3:05)  4. Be a Clown
(3:57)  5. Good for Nothin' (But Love)
(2:45)  6. On the First Warm Day
(2:11)  7. Chinatown My Chinatown
(2:44)  8. One Love Affair
(3:25)  9. The Night We Called It a Day
(2:02) 10. Johnny One Note
(3:54) 11. Lover Man
(4:20) 12. Be My All

Along with June Christy, Helen O'Connell, and Julie London, Chris Connor epitomized cool jazz singing in the 1950s. Influenced by Anita O'Day, the torchy, smoky singer wasn't one for aggression. Like Chet Baker on the trumpet or Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz on alto sax, she used subtlety and restraint to their maximum advantage. At the University of Missouri, Connor (who had studied clarinet at an early age) sang with a Stan Kentonish big band led by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer before leaving her native Kansas City for New York in 1947. Quite appropriately, she was featured in the lyrical pianist Claude Thornhill's orchestra in the early '50s. After leaving Thornhill, Connor was hired by Kenton at Christy's recommendation, and her ten-month association with him in 1952-1953 resulted in the hit "All About Ronnie." Connor debuted as a solo artist in 1953, recording three albums for Bethlehem before moving to Atlantic in 1955 and recording 12.

Connor reached the height of her popularity in the 1950s, when she delivered her celebrated versions of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" and George Shearing's "Lullaby of Broadway," and recorded such excellent albums as The Rich Sound of Chris Connor and Lullabies of Birdland for Bethlehem and Chris Craft and Ballads of the Sad Cafe for Atlantic. Connor made a poor career move in 1962, the year she left Atlantic and signed with a label her manager was starting, FM Records  Connor had recorded only two albums for FM when they folded. Connor's recording career was rejuvenated in the 1970s, and she went on to record for Progressive, Stash, and Contemporary in the '70s and '80s. Connor maintained a devoted following in the 1990s and continued to tour internationally.By Alex Henderson
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-connor-mn0000776337/biography

Personnel:  Chris Connor - vocals; Stan Free - piano, arranger;  Mundell Lowe - guitar;  Ed Shaughnessy - drums

Chris Craft

---

The 14 Jazz Orchestra - Islands

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:30
Size: 157,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:04) 1. Man from Tanganyika
(6:39) 2. Islands
(6:46) 3. Bud Powell
(4:59) 4. Part of Me
(5:47) 5. Carmencita
(5:52) 6. Missouri Uncompromised
(6:10) 7. Jitterbug Waltz
(6:20) 8. Jaco
(6:27) 9. Some Other Time
(6:19) 10. Loft Dance
(5:04) 11. When She Loved Me

"Islands" from Dan Bonsanti is a tour de force consisting of eleven unique selections, colorful textured arrangements, and outstanding ensemble and solo playing. The fare includes straight-ahead bop, to calypso, film and fusion, all presented by a highly-energized ensemble of Miami-affiliated greats and guest greats.

The opener, McCoy Tyner's "Man from Tanganyika" is an ultra-rhythmic grabber, offering fine solos and polyrhythmic burn. "Islands," from Mike Mainieri's pen, is a catchy, upbeat calypso with an extravagant middle section. "Bud Powell," is a certified bebop stroller from Chick Corea, featuring solos from Ed Maina, Jason Carder and Mike Levine. Levine's composed "Part of Me" is a slick "All of Me" clone contemporized with the ensemble contrapuntally stating.

The arrangements from Bonsanti, Mike Levine, and the late Tom Boras are colorful without being overly complicated. They are such that the group sounds larger than it really is. The writers have a wizard's touch in terms of pairings, orchestrated textures, and combinations. Woodwinds mingle and marry with other sections in colors galore.

The ensemble, while recorded remotely, is tight and buys into the session with obvious delight. Miami sax legend Ed Calle gets featured solo billing and, as expected of this master, delivers the goods. There are other great solo standouts here, including trumpeter Jason Carder, Mike Manieri, and Mark Levine. The various rhythm sections sparkle, with guests Peter Erskine and Will Lee chiming in.

Levine's "Carmencita" is a darker, faster Latin groove with blue fire and a fine piano solo. Pat Metheny's "Missouri Uncompromised" flitters speedily with vibes and flute handling melodic honors. "Jitterbug Waltz," from the Fats Waller canon, is a reed doublers' playground. Bass revolutionary Jaco Pastorius is saluted here eponymously with a ¾ blue-ish statement on "Jaco." The ballad "Some Other Time" is a trumpet feature tastefully played by Jason Carder. "Loft Dance" is a wild Afro-Cuban head-shaker from Dave Liebman who guests. Randy Newman's folksy "When She Loved Me" with Lindsay Blair's guitar spotlit, closes the session in elegant style.

"Islands" is a most satisfying album of highly diverse grooves and textures from leader Bonsanti and his cadre of superb musicians and arrangers.By Nicholas F. Mondello
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/islands-featuring-ed-calle-dan-bonsanti-and-the-14-jazz-orchestra-self-produced

Personnel: Dan Bonsanti: composer / conductor; Ed Calle: saxophone; Ed Maina: woodwinds; Peter Brewer: saxophone, tenor; Mike Brignola: saxophone, baritone; Brett Murphey: trumpet; Jason Carder: trumpet; John Lovell: trumpet; Dana Teboe: trombone; Major Bailey: trombone; Mike Levine: piano; Lindsey Blair: guitar.

Additional Instrumentation: Ed Calle: Soprano sax, flute; Peter Brewer: flute, clarinet; Mike Brignola: flutes, bass clarinet; Dave Liebman: soprano sax (10) Ed Maina: flute; Peter Erskine: drums (1,2,6); Lee Levin: drums (4,5,8,10,11); Mike Harvey: drums (3,7,9); Richard Bravo: percussion (2,4,5,10); Joe Davidian: piano (10); Randy Bernsen: acoustic guitar (8); Mark Egan: electric bass ((6,11); Will Lee: electric bass (8); Nicky Orta: e;ectric bass (5,10); Tim Smith: electric bass (2); Jamie Ousley: acoustic bass (3,4,7,9); Dennis Marks: acoustic bass (1); Mike Manieri: vibes (2,6);

Islands

---

Martina DaSilva - Living Room 3

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:35
Size: 105,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. Autumn Leaves
(4:43) 2. Cheek To Cheek
(3:59) 3. Falando de Amor
(3:51) 4. Complications of a Broken Heart
(5:09) 5. You're Everything
(4:43) 6. Midnight Sun
(4:31) 7. I'll Be Seeing You
(3:26) 8. Sem Você
(7:00) 9. End of the Road
(4:13) 10. Moody's Mood for Love

Martina DaSilva is a jazz vocalist, composer and arranger. In addition to being a leading member of the band The Ladybugs, DaSilva has worked with Jon Batiste, Postmodern Jukebox, Gunhild Carling and Bria Skonberg, among others.

Raised in New York City, DaSilva was born to a Brazilian father and American mother. She speaks fluent Portuguese. As a child, she performed in local musical theatre productions and eventually studied both classical music and jazz at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, graduating in 2009 (alongside Josh Holcomb, Zack O’Farrill, Adam O'Farrill, Joanna Sternberg, and others).

DaSilva initially attended McGill University in Montréal, but opted to return to New York City and complete her undergraduate degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2011. She studied formally with Andres Andrade, Peter Eldridge and Neal Miner. During this time, DaSilva also became heavily involved in New York City's reburgeoning early jazz scene and performed regularly throughout the city as both a bandleader and vocalist.

In 2013, DaSilva formed her band The Ladybugs through a chance encounter at the Hotel Chantelle in New York City's Lower East Side. While filling in for another vocalist at the hotel's rooftop restaurant, the venue's manager approached DaSilva and asked if she had a unique concept band that could perform regularly on Sundays. Although she had no such group at the time, she responded that she led an ‘’all-female 1920s band’’ named "The Ladybugs." She quickly assembled a group and initially performed as the band's sole vocalist before being joined by vocalist Kate Davis.

The duo augmented with ukulele and snare drum, eventually integrating trombonists Joe McDonough and Rob Edwards and additional members on guitar and bass. Davis eventually left the group to pursue her solo work and was replaced by current frontline vocalist Vanessa Perea. Repertoire has included music from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as well as songs drawn from DaSilva's and Perea's Latin-American heritage and Disney classics.

DaSilva was singled out as one of the most notable jazz vocalists of her generation in a 2015 article published by Vanity Fair.

In 2018, she was recruited by Scott Bradlee to join Postmodern Jukebox. She has since performed globally with the group and has been notably featured on the group's single Beautiful (adapted from its original performance by Christina Aguilera).

DaSilva collaborated with acoustic bassist Dan Chmielinski in 2019 to compose, record, produce and release the holiday-inspired album A Very ChimyTina Christmas. The recording primarily featured the pair in a duo format, but also included guest artists Lucas Pino, Ben Wolfe, Joel Ross and Gabe Schnider. The album featured DaSilva's original song "Diamonds and Pearls" and a music video cover of Wham’s "Last Christmas." A Very ChimyTina Christmas received critical acclaim in the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, among others.

DaSilva has been a frequent musical guest and contributor for Fireside Mystery Theatre, a podcast specializing in historical theatrical performances. She has also performed regularly with immersive-theatre troupe Little Cinema.

Early in 2020, DaSilva began inviting friends and collaborators over to her apartment to shoot live performances. After organizing and coordinating the band, music, and footage, she would release it on social media. These recordings quickly developed into full imaginative albums which encapsulated her next three LIVING ROOM releases (2021 & 2023).

DaSilva performed in Adam Neely's analysis of "The Girl From Ipanema" in 2020 which received over 4.2 million views on YouTube. She later contributed to Neely's analysis of "Castaways" from The Backyardigans in 2021, which amassed nearly 3 million views.

In 2022, DaSilva collaborated with Dan Chmielinski again, and they released their Constellations album. Constellations featured regular and new guest artists such as Marquis Hill, Ken Kubota, Andrew Renfroe, Grace Kelly, and Joel Ross. Containing two Martina DaSilva originals, "Twin Flame" and "My Universe," Bass Magazine praised DaSilva's "stunning acuity for composition." The pair has been able to consistently produce a unique and touching sound with their thoughtful arrangements. In 2023, Milky Way was released and featured Gabe Schnider, Chad LB, Joel Ross, Lucas Pino, Sasha Berliner, Dida Pelled, Michael Stephenson, and Grace Kelly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martina_DaSilva#Early_life

Living Room 3

---