Denise Donatelli - Find A Heart

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
Time: 57:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 134,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:16) 1. Big Noise, New York
(5:24) 2. Love And Paris Rain
(4:21) 3. Spaced Out
(3:55) 4. Practical Arrangement
(5:30) 5. Find A Heart
(4:08) 6. Not Like This
(5:08) 7. Eyes That Say I Love You
(5:36) 8. In This Moment
(5:29) 9. Troubled Child
(6:19) 10. Midnight Sun
(5:35) 11. Day Dream

Multi Grammy nominee vocalist Denise Donatelli, unveils another gem of an album with the much-anticipated Find A Heart, collaborating once again with producer/arranger, pianist Geoffrey Keezer documenting a surprisingly new direction for the singer as she ventures into the non-standards area. The Great American Songbook will always be with us, here to stay forever as new re-interpretations of classics emerge every day. This project finds the vocalist and pianist exploring new territory as they take the music of modern pop and jazz masters like Sting, David Crosby and Russell Ferrante among others, and ask the question, Isn't it time for new standards?

One thing clearly evident on this album is, the superb cast of players that make the instrumentation such a pleasure to hear which features an all-star personnel listing that includes Brazilian guitarist Leonardo Amuedo, Cuban bassist Carlitos del Puerto, drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith and Canadian saxophonist Christine Jensen among them. The evolution of The Great American Songbook begins with the Donald Fagen composition "Big Noise, New York" featuring an opening blast from saxophonist great Bob Sheppard before the sparkling vocals of the leader take over on what is a burning beginning to a heck of an album.

The singer finds her softer side on Ferrante's beautiful love ballad, "Love and Paris Rain" with a little help from guitarist Amuedo then jumps into a lively tempo on Keezer's own "Spaced Out (En Babia)" before returning to a gentler mood on the absolutely gorgeous "Practical Arrangement" accompanied by the magic horn of Chris Botti and the soft guitar work from Amuedo. Keezer's arrangement of the Crosby title track, turns this pop tune into a true jazz number with a touch of the Latin flavor.

Keezer and Donatelli draw on a small string section of cello and violas to convey the trials and tribulations of a "Troubled Child" and call on bassist del Puerto and percussionist Walter Rodriguez to weigh in with brisk haunting solos as the singer's crisp voice reaches and beckons the child with a little help of background vocalists Yutaka Yokokura, and Julia Dollison.

Interestingly enough, while the mission of this venture is still, to offer different songs from more recent times as possible new standards for the future, Donatelli closes the album with heartfelt emotion paying humble respect to current standards with superior renditions of "Midnight Sun," and Billy Strayhorn's "Day Dream." Find A Heart is simply put, an outstanding vocal recording that takes Denise Donatelli's performance to another level.By Edward Blanco
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/find-a-heart-denise-donatelli-savant-records-review-by-edward-blanco

Personnel: Denise Donatelli: vocals; Geoffrey Keezer: piano, arranger; Leonardo Amuedo: guitar; Carlito Del Puerto: bass; Marvin "Smitty" Smith: drums; Walter Rodriquez: percussion; Chris Botti: trumpet; Bob Sheppard: tenor saxophone; Christine Jensen: soprano saxophone; Michael Thompson; guitar; Giovanna Clayton; cello; Alma Fernandez: viola; Matt funes: viola; Darrin McCann: viola; Yutaka Yokokura: background vocals; Sy Smith: background vocals; Julia Dollison: background vocals.

Find A Heart

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The Four Freshmen - Four Freshmen and Friends

Styles: Jazz, Crossover Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:38
Size: 84,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:48) 1. Avalon
(5:19) 2. Moonglow
(2:06) 3. Central Park West
(7:17) 4. Don't Be That Way
(5:10) 5. Stompin' At the Savoy
(2:59) 6. Here's That Rainy Day
(5:12) 7. So Danco Samba
(2:44) 8. It's a Blue World

In 1948, four young men created a sound that forever changed the way vocal jazz harmony was heard and performed. Known as The Four Freshmen, the group started with two brothers, Don and Ross Barbour, their cousin Bob Flanigan, and friend Hal Kratzsch. With a soaring, true tenor in Bob Flanigan, the group created a sound that has endured for over 6 decades. Hal Kratzsch sang the bass part and played trumpet. He sang the bass part with a big sound, laying the foundation for the Barbour brothers to add their beautiful inner part stylings. Ross sang the 3rd part and played drums. Don sang the 2nd part and played guitar. Thus, the original Four Freshmen was born and began touring, playing bowling alleys and small clubs across the country.

Early on in their career, the Freshmen met Stan Kenton. He had heard the rumors of a vocal group that sounded like his band. The Freshmen were all fans of Kenton and in many ways, modeled their sound after the Kenton trombone section. Once Kenton heard them, he was hooked. He loved the group and believed in them so much that he approached Capitol and essentially got the Freshmen signed in 1950. This led to a fruitful partnership between Capitol Records and the Freshmen for over 10 years. During the Capitol years, the Freshmen had some of their biggest hits, including their first hit with Capitol called "It's A Blue World." https://fourfreshmen.com/history

Personel:Tommy Boynton - Lead voice; Stein Malvey - 2nd voice; Curtis Calderon - 3rd voice + Trumpet; Bob Ferreira - bass voice; Ken Peplowski - Clarinet; Chuck Redd - Vibes;Ron Eschete - Guitar; Katie Theroux - Bass; Butch Miles - Drums.

Four Freshmen and Friends

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Kenny Barron - Beyond This Place

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 52:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:34) 1. The Nearness of You
(5:35) 2. Scratch
(8:18) 3. Innocence
(6:40) 4. Blues on Stratford Road
(5:36) 5. Tragic Magic
(5:05) 6. Beyond This Place
(3:15) 7. Softly As in a Morning Sunrise
(7:10) 8. Sunset
(4:33) 9. We See

If, like me, you think you’ve known the name Kenny Barron since your earliest childhood, it’s perfectly normal, because the pianist and composer, 13-time Grammy nominee, member of the DownBeat Hall of Fame, is arguably the greatest jazz pianist currently active, with a continued link to the golden age of mid-century jazz, celebrating his 80th birthday… and having associated with other jazz greats (Dizzy, James Moody, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef), offering once again an album that is totally impeccable, if not grandiose. “Beyond This Place” presents a quintet featuring one of the most talented and synergistic groups Barron has ever led. An intergenerational ensemble, it includes his longtime rhythm section, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, as well as the unparalleled vibraphonist Steve Nelson, who received one of his first recording mentions with Barron on the pianist’s 1982 LP “Golden Lotus”. Also on board is 26-year-old alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, whose recordings as a leader for Blue Note, “The 7th Hand” and “Omega”, have earned him deep respect and renown among critics and dedicated jazz enthusiasts. The “quartet… has become a group against which members of the younger generation can compare their own ideas,” suggests The New York Times. Wilkins’ presence also serves as a reminder of Barron’s enduring commitment to mentoring in jazz, as an employer of young talent and celebrated music educator. Indeed, the list of Barron’s school alumni is impressive, including Terence Blanchard, Jon Batiste, Aaron Parks, and Gerald Clayton, among countless others.

Immanuel Wilkins, whom Bayou Blue Radio listeners know well through his personal albums as well as his performances on the albums of other great artists, is no stranger. And don’t for a moment imagine that Kenny Barron’s compositions are retro; the pianist offers us one of the most “trendy” albums of all time here. If you have his previous album “The Source” in mind, “Beyond This Place” will surprise you. The artists here present were not chosen at random, and one can feel the improvisational elements that have benefited this project. Kenny Barron’s musical vision is perpetually in search of renewal; his great quality is not to get lost in novelty but always to impress us with his rich and precise playing. “Beyond This Place” begins with a quartet rendition of the standard “The Nearness of You,” highlighting the timeless kinship between Barron and Wilkins two modernists both forward-thinking and respectful of jazz history, with impeccable technique. “Scratch” by Barron, which the composer presented as the title track of a trio recording in 1985 with Dave Holland and Daniel Humair, is a delightfully Monk-like theme attacked here with the energy of Parker/Roach. “Innocence,” a Barron composition that lent its title to his 1978 LP for Wolf Records, is an archetypal post-bop piece, with an elegant and dark theme and a slow burning tempo; later, Barron’s “Tragic Magic” is a livelier and bolder post-bop vehicle that pays homage to his piano hero Tommy Flanagan. Blake’s contribution, “Blues on Stratford Road,” is self-explanatory in the most satisfying way a durable hard bop from a corner bar in the vein of Blue Note. (Blake is actually a Blue Note recording artist as a leader, although his dates are more decidedly contemporary.)

What’s most impressive is the marriage between a form of jazz that has become relatively “classic” and this modernity and the language that ensues. This quintet is truly exciting, full of musical propositions that are evidently the result of collective work, each member listening to and reveling in the flourishes offered by the others. One can only hope that festivals will clamor for this quintet, which for us is as “essential and indispensable” as earth, wind, and fire (and there’s no allusion here to the funk group we adore).
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/kenny-barron-beyond-this-place-eng-review/

Personnel: Kenny Barron (Piano); Immanuel Wilkins (Saxophone); Jonathan Blake (Drums); Kiyoshi Kitagawa (Bass); Steve Nelson (Vibraphone).

Beyond This Place

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John Colianni Trio - Blues-O-Matic

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:03
Size: 124,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:48)  1. Blues-O-Matic (with Lew Tabackin)
(3:19)  2. Liza
(5:37)  3. My One and Only Love
(2:38)  4. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (with Lew Tabackin)
(5:42)  5. Exactly Like You (with Lew Tabackin)
(5:20)  6. Riding High - You Do Something to Me
(4:52)  7. After All (with Lew Tabackin)
(5:58)  8. Long Count
(5:06)  9. I Want You All the Time
(4:23) 10. Ding Ding
(5:16) 11. Slicer

Piano. Steady mainstream player, noteworthy for excellent rhythmic skills. His tastes are even further in past than most neoboppers, reaching to swing and big band era for inspiration, as well as early days of bop. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-colianni-mn0000216450/biography

John Colianni Trio: John Colianni (piano), Lew Tabackin (tenor saxophone, flute), Lynn Seaton (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).

Blues-O-Matic

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Art Pepper - The Art Of The Ballad

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:52
Size: 148.5 MB
Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 5:30] 1. Winter Moon
[ 5:16] 2. Body And Soul
[ 4:20] 3. Maybe Next Year
[ 7:00] 4. Blues In The Night
[ 3:31] 5. 'round Midnight
[ 5:50] 6. Imagination
[ 6:47] 7. Over The Rainbow
[ 3:35] 8. Why Are We Afraid
[ 6:32] 9. All The Things You Are
[ 4:45] 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[11:41] 11. You Go To My Head

Fantasy's The Art of the Ballad series continues with a chronologically wide-ranging look at Art Pepper's way with standard tunes, splitting time almost equally between the two divisions of his career and striking emotional gold frequently. As good as the Contemporary label recordings from 1956 to 1960 are, Pepper's passionate, heart-stopping playing on the 1977-1982 selections from Galaxy simply put them deep in the shade; heard side by side, the earlier dates sound almost lightweight. The disc indulges in two selections from Pepper's string album Winter Moon (the title track and "Blues in the Night," where Pepper muses on the clarinet), but the emotional rush that they produce is worth the extra emphasis. There is also a spectacularly nuanced "You Go to My Head" from this period, live at the Village Vanguard, and two duets with George Cables from a month and a half before Pepper's death. Everything here is already out on CD; there is nothing from the peak late-period album Straight Life, and the sequencing is catch-as-catch-can, but this sampler is potent enough to give newcomers to Art Pepper a depth charge. ~Richard S. Ginnell

The Art Of The Ballad

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