Friday, May 17, 2024

Cæcilie Norby - I Had a Ball - Greatest & More

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
Time: 62:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:23) 1. Girl talk
(3:50) 2. Spinning wheel
(3:53) 3. Comes love
(3:02) 4. I had a ball
(4:43) 5. Life on mars
(6:03) 6. Cuban cigars
(5:05) 7. First conversation
(4:24) 8. Just one of those things
(4:53) 9. Big time
(5:26) 10. My man
(3:55) 11. Set them free
(3:35) 12. What do you see in her
(4:03) 13. Man's got soul
(6:18) 14. A poem & a prayer

She can do it all: fusion, rock and jazz. At the tender age of 32 she already has a stupendous carrier, and she has contributed to breaking down the rigid division into genres; in addition she has attracted notice by awakening an interest in jazz in the young, traditionally rock-oriented audience. Cæcilie Norby was born on 9 September 1964 in Fredriksberg, Denmark, into a musical family: her father, Erik Norby, is a renowned score composer, and her mother, Solveig Lumholt, an opera singer. The family's only record with rhythmic music was one with the singer Nancy Wilson, and together with the Beatles tapes it became well worn.

She went to the singing school of Sankt Annæ Gymnasium, and then followed a year at a folk high school with theatre as her main subject. In the summer of 1982, when she participated at a jazz festival at Brandbjerg, she was one of the founders of Street Beat, and she was the vocalist in this group for the next 18 months. From 1983 she was part of the jazz/funk group Frontline, which was awarded the Ben Webster Prize in 1985 and in the same year recorded the album Frontline. In the former Danish music magazine MM, a readers' poll bestowed prizes on the orchestra for "Jazz Act of the Year", "Live Act of the Year", "Most Promising Act", "Album of the Year" and Cæcilie elected "Soloist of the Year".

She has also toured with various groups and has performed several times with the Danish Radio Big Band. In 1985, she launched on a long co-operation with the singer Nina Forsberg in the highly popular rock group One-Two. The group existed right up to 1993 and recorded three albums. 1986 saw Cæcilie representing Denmark in an international jazz orchestra at the Knokke Festival in Belgium. Moreover, Cæcilie Norby has performed as vocal soloist with numerous Danish jazz musicians and orchestras: pianist Jørgen Emborg, Klüvers Big Band, drummer Niels Ratzer, pianist Thomas Clausen and many more. In 1990, Cæcilie's father wrote the work "Concerto for Two Sopranos" for Zealand Symphonic Orchestra. The two sopranos were Cæcilie herself and her mother, and the work contains both classical, rhythmic and improvising elements.

Cæcilie has also performed with her mother and Thomas Clausen with a mixture of opera, musical and jazz titled "Ballads, Blues & Lieder". During the 1990s, Cæcilie Norby has really cultivated her popular version of the standard repertoire of jazz music. She has been on frequent tours with her own quartet comprising pianist Ben Besiakov, bassist Lennart Ginman and Søren Christensen or Alex Riel playing the drums, and she has toured Europe with local quartets and big bands. In addition, she has been external examiner at the Academy of Rhythmic Music in Copenhagen, and moreover she has arranged and sung at various studio productions. In the spring of 1995 her album Cæcilie Norby was released on Blue Note, the legendary jazz label, with contributions by a number of trend-setting international composers and soloists, including saxophonists Randy Brecker and Rick Margitza, drummer Billy Hart, pianist Lars Jansson, and composers Chick Corea, Don Grolnick and Randy Brecker.

The CD was mixed and partly recorded in the USA. The Jazz Special magazine elected Cæcilie Norby one of the year's five best records featuring a Danish jazz musician, and the five-digit sales figures achieved so far both in Denmark and Japan are exceptional for a jazz album. Cæcilie certainly never expected to do that well. Her initial target was a mere 5,000 records sold, which would be something for a jazz album. But then Cæcilie calls her music jazz pop; it is by no means hard-core jazz. Following the release of Cæcilie first CD on Blue Note she has been on tour most of the time, with some of the musicians on the CD Cæcilie Norby as well as others. This success is now being followed up by another Blue Note release: My Corner of the Sky, and the contributors include drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist Lars Danielsson and the Brecker brothers on tenor sax and flugelhorn. As on her first album, Niels Lan Doky is co-producer and co-arranger.

Cæcilie Norby has scored a tremendous success with her numerous projects, and she has been through the entire rock circus without becoming capricious. Although she is a popular favourite at festivals, she is drawn to smaller, more intimate venues, to the standard repertoire of jazz and to the talent of jazz musicians for improvising and going on stage without having spent six months in training camp and without the backing of a huge machinery. What has been referred to as a flirt with jazz must now be called a firm commitment. Cæcilie Norby's voice is lyrical and supple. She colours her vowels to taste. Improvisations and scats are done with elegance. Her phrasing can be both down-to-earth and romantic. She can radiate anything from the sweet and vulnerable to the crude and powerful. Some critics have compared Cæcilie Norby to Swedish Monica Zetterlund and to the American singers Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin.
https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/caecilie-norby

Personnel: Vocals – Cæcilie Norby; Alto Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Flute, Alto Flute, Clarinet – Morten Øberg; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Niels Løkkegaard; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Finn Henriksen; Bass, Electric Bass – Morten Ramsbøl; Drums – Espen Laub von Lillienskjold; Guitar – Søren Bo Addemos; Orchestra – Klüvers Big Band; Piano, Keyboards – Mads Bærentzen; Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Claus Waidtløw, Michael Bladt; Trombone – Jacob Ringsmose, Nikolai Bøgelund Pedersen, Stefan Ringive; Trumpet – Henrik Hou Peddersen, Jan Lynggaard Sørensen*, Jesper Riis, Rasmus Bøgelund; Valve Trombone – Niels Jacob Nørgaard

I Had a Ball - Greatest & More

Joe Lovano - Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
Time: 67:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 155,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. Flights of Fancy
(3:31) 2. On April (I'll Remember April)
(4:36) 3. Amsterdam
(4:26) 4. Blue Mist
(4:01) 5. Off and Runnin'
(6:26) 6. Infant Eyes
(6:35) 7. 206
(8:00) 8. Bougainvillea
(4:52) 9. Windom Street
(4:42) 10. Hot Shot
(3:56) 11. Aisha
(3:09) 12. Amber
(5:46) 13. On Giant Steps
(1:26) 14. Flights of Fancy (Reprise)

The first edition of Joe Lovano's Trio Fascination featured Dave Holland on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Following the album's release in 1998, however, Lovano's live shows featured the less famous but equally muscular bass/drum team of Cameron Brown and Idris Muhammad. On Trio Fascination, Vol. 2, the Lovano/Brown/Muhammad unit is only one of four trio configurations that the saxophonist employs. Taking the trio concept beyond the traditional confines of horn, bass, and drums, Lovano takes a left turn and colors this album with continually changing instrumentation.

Trio one is Lovano, Brown, and Muhammad. Trio two features the leader with Billy Drewes on soprano saxophone and alto flute and Joey Baron on drums; trio three with Toots Thielemans on harmonica and Kenny Werner on piano; and trio four with Dave Douglas on trumpet and Mark Dresser on bass. (The trios change unpredictably from track to track, sort of like a CD player in shuffle mode.) Varying the instrumentation even further, Lovano, like on volume one, switches from among his arsenal of horns: tenor, straight alto, soprano, and C-melody saxes, as well alto and bass clarinets.

On "206," he modifies trio four by playing drums behind Douglas and Dresser, and on "Blue Mist" he begins with gongs to supplement Muhammad's percussion textures. In two instances, the trios change during the very course of the tune. "Bougainvillea" (by Lovano's wife, vocalist Judi Silvano) starts with trio one and in the last two or so minutes segues to an impressionistic ending featuring trio three. "On Giant Steps," based on the groundbreaking Coltrane chord changes, proceeds in the opposite direction: Trio three solos freely and simultaneously, then passes the baton to trio one, which launches into a swing tempo far slower than is usual for the tune, but no less burning.

One of Lovano's first high-profile projects was an unorthodox trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian. The saxophonist's association with Drewes and Baron dates back to the early '70s. So Lovano's "trio fascination" has deep roots, and the music on this record is a cumulative and probably near-exhaustive survey of his abilities within the form. One only need contrast "Hot Shot" or "Flights of Fancy" or the obscure McCoy Tyner ballad "Aisha" (all trio one) with modernist, offbeat abstractions like "Amber" and "Amsterdam" by trio four, or "Off and Runnin'" by trio two, to get an idea of Lovano's artistic range. Fans looking for more of the hard-driving, free-spirited swing of the first Trio Fascination record will find it here in smaller doses. And those who got their first taste of Lovano with 2000's neo-bop nonet record 52nd Street Themes ought to be prepared for something very different. By David R.Adler
https://www.allmusic.com/album/flights-of-fancy-trio-fascination-edition-2-mw0000105325

Personnel: Joe Lovano- tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, alto clarinet, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, C-melody saxophone, gongs, drums, percussion; Billy Drewes- soprano saxophone, alto flute, percussion; Dave Douglas- trumpet; Toots Thielemans- harmonica; Kenny Werner- piano; Mark Dresser, Cameron Brown- bass; Idris Muhammad, Joey Baron- drums.

Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two

Charles McPherson Quartet Feat. Steve Kuhn - But Beautiful

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:25
Size: 164,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:25)  1. Be My Love
( 8:43)  2. I Should Care
(10:22)  3. We'll Be Together Again
( 9:00)  4. My Ideal
( 7:28)  5. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
( 7:14)  6. I'll Never Stop Loving You
( 3:29)  7. Love Letters
( 9:33)  8. But Beautiful
( 7:11)  9. Gone With The Wind

Charles McPherson delves into a number of standards in this collection of timeless ballads, well accompanied by pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist David Williams, and drummer Leroy Williams. The alto saxophonist's tone has a bit of a bluesy edge throughout the sessions, as if he is reminiscing about a past love. His heartfelt rendition of "My Ideal" stands out, as do his two interpretations of songs by Nicholas Brodszky, "Be My Love" and "Love Letters." McPherson picks up the tempo with "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," though his tone doesn't shift to a lighter mood. The relaxed mood makes this release perfect for late-night listening. The only drawback with this CD is the ugly cover photo, which McPherson denounced as very tasteless during a 2007 interview. ~ Ken Dryden   http://www.allmusic.com/album/but-beautiful-mw0000351771

Personnel: Charles McPherson alto sax; Steve Kuhn piano; David Williams bass; Leroy Williams drums

But Beautiful

The Four Freshmen - Love Songs

Released: 2012
Size: 80,0 MB
Time: 34:43
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Styles: Vocal Jazz Quartet,Easy Listening
Art: Big front

01. Stardust [3:36]
02. Body And Soul [4:11]
03. Only Trust Your Heart [3:08]
04. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me [2:41]
05. As Long As I'm Dreaming [3:29]
06. Plenty Of Money And You [2:39]
07. These Foolish Things [3:59]
08. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square [3:25]
09. On The Street Where You Live [4:29]
10. I Love You [3:03]

The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal band quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires (Glenn Miller), The Pied Pipers (Tommy Dorsey), and The Mel-Tones (Artie Shaw), founded in the barbershop tradition. The Four Freshmen is considered a vocal band because the singers accompany themselves on guitar, horns, bass, and drums, among other instrumental configurations.The last original member retired in 1993, but the group still tours internationally to sold-out audiences and has recorded jazz harmonies since its late '40s founding in the halls of the Jordan School of Music at Butler University (Indianapolis).

In early 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour, then at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, Indiana, formed a barbershop quartet called Hal's Harmonizers. The Harmonizers also included Marvin Pruitt — soon replaced by Ross and Don's cousin Bob Flanigan — and Hal Kratzsch (1925–70), replaced in 1953 by Ken Errair. The quartet soon adopted a more jazz-oriented repertoire and renamed itself the Toppers. At first, they were influenced by Glenn Miller's The Modernaires and Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, but soon developed their own style of improvised vocal harmony. In September 1948, the quartet went on the road as The Four Freshmen, and soon drew the admiration of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman.In 1950, The Four Freshmen got a break when band leader Stan Kenton heard the quartet in Dayton, Ohio, and arranged for an audition with his label, Capitol Records, which signed The Four later that year. In 1952, they released their first hit single "It's a Blue World". Further hits included "Mood Indigo" in 1954, "Day by Day" in 1955, and "Graduation Day" in 1956.The Four Freshmen won Best Vocal Group of the Year in Down Beat magazine's Readers' Polls in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 2000, and 2001.

The Four Freshmen were nominated in the Grammy Vocal Group Performance category in 1958 for "The Four Freshmen in Person" (Capitol), 1961 for "Voices in Fun" (Capitol), 1962 for "The Swingers" (Capitol), 1964 for "More Four Freshmen and Five Trombones" (Capitol), and in 1986 for "Fresh!" (Pausa).Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, The Four Freshmen released a number of recordings, made film and television appearances, and performed in concert. The group eventually lost their mainstream following with the advent of the British pop bands of the 1960s. The group did not disband, however, even after the last original member, Bob Flanigan, retired in 1993. After his retirement Flanigan managed the group and owned the rights to The Four Freshmen name. He died on May 15, 2011 at the age of 84 from congestive heart failure. Ross Barbour died on August 20, 2011 from cancer at the age of 82.During its 65-year history, The Four Freshmen had twenty-three different line-ups and twenty-four different members !! The 2013 Four Freshmen lineup of Brian Eichenberger (lead, bass, arranger), Stein Malvey (second voice, guitar), Curtis Calderon (third voice, trumpet, flugelhorn), and Bob Ferreira (fourth voice, drummer, soloist) was first established in 2013. They perform at upwards of 100 bookings a year.The Four Freshmen have been honored with the following designations: JazzTimes magazine's Readers Poll Best Vocal Group (multiple wins), Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll Best Vocal Group (multiple wins), and Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll Hall of Fame finals (multiple years).

Line-Up:
Brian Eichenberger: Guitar,Lead Vocals,Arranger
Vince Johnson: Upright Bass,2nd Voice
Curtis Calderon: Trumpet,Flugelhorn,3rd voice
Bob Ferreira: Drums,4th voice

Love Songs