Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Wes Montgomery & The Wynton Kelly Trio - The Unissued 1965 Half Note Broadcasts

Styles: Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:25
Size: 145,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:11) 1. Impressions
(3:34) 2. Mi Cosa [unaccompanied guitar]
(5:45) 3. Blues #1
(5:41) 4. Birks' Works
(6:46) 5. Laura
(8:42) 6. Cariba
(3:04) 7. Blues #2
(8:07) 8. Four On Six
(1:26) 9. Blues #3 / Closing Announcements
(6:43) 10. All The Things You Are
(7:21) 11. I Remember You

It never ceases to amaze what previously unheard recordings suddenly pop up. Take this pair of Station WABC Portraits In Jazz broadcasts which predate this lineup's must-have Smokin' At The Half Note taped by the same personnel (except for Carter and Ridley subbing for Paul Chambers). These half-hour broadcasts are presented replete with announcements thereby giving the proceedings a sense of immediacy.

The CD opens with Coltrane's ‘Impressions’ during which Wes runs through his entire bag of tricks with the kind of ease that one has come to expect. An unaccompanied ‘Mi Cosa’ follows before a further nine selections that take in three variations of the blues, a couple more originals (‘Cariba’ and ‘Four On Six’) a look at Dizzy's ‘Birk's Works’ and a trio of standards of which ‘Laura’ is the highlight, are done and dusted.

While Wes is in command of a truly remarkable technique he never grandstands or allows things to get out of control, even when during ‘Four On Six’ he offers up complex runs that other guitarists can only aspire to but seldom manage to replicate. The only drawback is that on some performances Wynton Kelly's is under-recorded, apart from that it's Wes close to his best.
https://www.jazzwise.com/review/wes-montgomery-and-the-wynton-kelly-trio-the-unissued-1965-half-note-broadcasts

The Unissued Half Note Broadcasts

Melody Gardot Feat. Philippe Powell - Entre Eux Deux (The Paris Sessions)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 20:47
Size: 47,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:52) 1. This Foolish Heart Could Love You
(4:57) 2. Perhaps You'll Wonder Why
(7:13) 3. Samba Em Prelúdio (Un Jour Sans Toi)
(4:43) 4. Darling Fare Thee Well


Melody Gardot And Philippe Powell Add Strings For ‘Entre Eux Deux’ EP. It features hand-picked selections from their successful 2022 collaboration, in new versions with string arrangements.

Vocal jazz stylist Melody Gardot reunites with French composer and pianist Philippe Powell for the EP Entre eux deux: The Paris Sessions, out now via Decca Records. It features hand-picked selections from their successful 2022 collaboration Entre eux deux, in new versions with string arrangements.

The songs on the new EP chosen by Gardot and Powell are “This Foolish Heart Could Love You,” which Jazzwise hailed as a “standard-in-the-making”; “Perhaps You’ll Wonder Why”; “Darling Fare Thee Well”; and “Samba Em Prelúdio.” which pays tribute to, and revisits the legacy of, Powell’s father, the Brazilian composer, and guitarist Baden Powell.

The arrangements have been overseen by the celebrated pianist, composer, and arranger Alan Broadbent, whose credits include such major figures in jazz as Charlie Haden, Diana Krall, and Natalie Cole. The songs also feature the violinists Astghik Vardanyan and Gohar Papoyan and violist Astghik Gazhoyan, all members of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, and Armenian-born musician-producer Artyom Manukyan on cello. This distinguished ensemble also went on the road with Gardot for the 2022 tour that was named after the album.

“We’re thrilled to be working with such an incredible team of musicians and collaborators,” says Gardot. “We wanted to create something special for our fans to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Entre eux deux, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Press releases are boring. Just listen to it…”

Adds Powell: “In Paris, during the rehearsals, the stunning musical encounter with these four incredible artists took place. They came from Yerevan, during a time when the Armenians were suffering the effects of a war that continues to this day. Yet, from the first notes played together, the songs we had written were suddenly reinvented with their hope, love, and strength. At each concert, this expression became deeper, and the music was renewed. Through this recording, we had the chance to capture this musical communion. We hope it will touch your hearts.”

In a banner year that saw the release of Entre eux deux as her sixth studio album and first duo collaboration, 2022 also saw Gardot receive the prestigious Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest cultural accolade in France. Her extensive tour included five sellout shows in Paris, and she is now preparing for a new global tour to run from June into early 2024, with multiple runs in North America and Europe. Full tour dates and ticket information are at her website. (Published on June 11, 2023 By Paul Sexton)
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/melody-gardot-philippe-powell-entre-eux-deux-ep/

Entre eux deux (The Paris Sessions)

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox - The Fourth Tuning

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:42
Size: 149,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:21) 1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
(4:41) 2. Man! I Feel Like A Woman!
(4:14) 3. The Power Of Love
(4:24) 4. I Was Made For Lovin' You
(3:10) 5. Basket Case
(5:17) 6. Nothing Else Matters
(3:55) 7. Flowers
(3:45) 8. Late Night Talking
(3:50) 9. American Boy
(4:01) 10. Lucky
(4:10) 11. Bad Habits
(3:51) 12. Love Story
(3:17) 13. Stayin’ Alive
(4:16) 14. Angel
(3:47) 15. A World Without Love
(3:34) 16. Ddu-du Ddu-du

Ever since I was in middle school, I knew I was something of an old soul. While my friends listened to ’90s pop hits, I listened to old jazz and Motown records and spent hours upon hours attempting to figure out their inner workings on the piano. Listening to these records truly transported me I appreciated the creativity, skill, and above all natural talent that went into their creation. Years later, as a musician living in New York City, I formed Postmodern Jukebox as way to bring the classic sounds I loved back into the mainstream, and to build a platform to celebrate real, unadulterated, deserving talent.

Today, it’s been five years since Postmodern Jukebox performed its first show, and our family has grown to include nearly fifty singers and another fifty instrumentalists, all of whom now have the opportunity to perform the classic genres they love for the audiences who appreciate them. The vocalists sing every note live, without any tuning help. The musicians make every sound you hear on stage and in my living room with the instruments you see them playing. That doesn’t matter to everyone, but it matters to us and I believe it matters to our fans. We do it the old fashioned way and we love every second of it.

Thanks to our millions of fans around the world, Postmodern Jukebox has become the rotating collective of musical outcasts that have somehow found a home and there are still many incredible, undiscovered talents out there that I really am excited to share with you. And its my promise to continue to share with you, the best natural performers from around the world, and give them a platform they deserve in this wonderful, musical universe we call Postmodern Jukebox.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/scott-bradlees-postmodern-jukebox

The Fourth Tuning