Charles McPherson Group - Follow the Bouncing Ball

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
Time: 67:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 153,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:24) 1. Passport
(4:59) 2. Where Are You
(4:33) 3. Follow the Bouncing Ball
(6:33) 4. Blues for Mac
(4:18) 5. Starburst
(5:59) 6. The Prophet
(8:00) 7. Dearly Beloved
(4:21) 8. Fun and Games
(8:52) 9. Mantra
(7:23) 10. Prelude to a Kiss
(5:47) 11. An Oscar for Treadwell

A musical descendant of Charlie Parker, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson leads two separate groups in this compilation. The first few selections, from an evidently otherwise unissued session in 1989, feature a quartet with pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist Jeffrey Littleton, and drummer Charles McPherson, Jr. The leader and Broadbent both inject fiery solos into the brisk interpretation of Parker's infrequently played blues "Passport." The easygoing bossa nova treatment of the standard "Where Are You" proves no less dazzling, followed by two potent McPherson originals, the spirited bop vehicle "Follow the Bouncing Ball" (based on the changes to "Lover") and the late-night-themed "Blues for Mac."

The final seven tracks made up the contents of the Discovery LP The Prophet, but this 1983 session features pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Andy Simpkins, drummer Donald Bailey, Sr., and trombonist Kevin Quail, with conga player Hayward Brown, Jr. added on some tracks. McPherson is clearly enthusiastic about his rhythm section and gives it plenty of space, while the somewhat obscure Quail holds his own. The interplay in the leader's uptempo cooker "Starburst" is an obvious highlight, though the lush interpretation of Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss" also proves masterful. Sadly, this CD disappeared from print when the label folded after producer Albert Marx's death, and hopes of a reissue remain slim.By Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/follow-the-bouncing-ball-mw0000078357

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Charles McPherson; Bass – Andy Simpkins, Jeffery Littleton; Congas – Hayward Brown, Jr.; Drums – Charles McPherson, Jr., Donald Bailey, Sr.; Piano – Alan Broadbent, Mike Wofford; Trombone – Kevin Quail

Follow the Bouncing Ball

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The Keynoters With Nat King Cole: The Essential Keynote Collection 9

Styles: Swing, Jazz
Year: 1986
Time: 47:29
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 47,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. You're Driving Me Crazy (Alternate Take)
(4:15) 2. You're Driving Me Crazy
(4:38) 3. I'm In The Market For You
(4:31) 4. Blue Lou (Unissued Master 1)
(4:22) 5. Blue Lou (Unissued Master 2)
(4:20) 6. I Found A New Baby (Unissued Master)
(3:18) 7. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (Alternate Take)
(3:06) 8. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
(3:11) 9. The Way You Look Tonight (Alternate Take)
(3:10) 10. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:38) 11. Airiness A La Nat (Alternate Take)
(2:39) 12. Airiness A La Nat
(3:00) 13. My Old Flame

Valuable anthology in the huge Complete Keynote Sessions anthology line. This set featured Cole playing with group assembled for recording sessions organized by Harry Lim for his Keynote label. They are solidly in swing mode and present Cole at his peak as soloist and accompanist. Unfortunately, both this and the total 21-disc package are difficult to find and expensive.By Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-keynoters-with-nat-king-cole-mw0000651253#review

Personnel: Trumpet – Charlie Shavers (tracks: 1 to 6), Jonah Jones (tracks: 1 to 6); Tenor Saxophone – Budd Johnson (tracks: 1 to 6); Alto Saxophone – Willie Smith (2) (tracks: 7 to 13); Bass – Milt Hinton (tracks: 1 to 6), Red Callender (tracks: 7 to 13); Drums – J. C. Heard (tracks: 1 to 6), Jackie Mills (tracks: 7 to 13); Piano – Johnny Guarnieri (tracks: 1 to 6), Nat King Cole (tracks: 7 to 13)

The Keynoters With Nat King Cole: The Essential Keynote Collection 9

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Angela Verbrugge - Somewhere

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 29:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 68,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:58) 1. I Had the Craziest Dream
(3:52) 2. Somewhere
(3:56) 3. Born to Be Blue
(3:09) 4. Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)
(5:00) 5. For You, For Me, Forevermore
(4:13) 6. Je Ne Veux Pas Te Dire Bonsoir (Remix)
(4:19) 7. If the Moon Turns Green

The proper response to Beauty is an awed admiring silence. So these liner notes should be one word in a large font: LISTEN. But Angela asked me to add a few hundred keystrokes to the project, so here we are. Incidentally, I have chosen to focus on Angela in the midst of the most superb musicians and arrangements. I hope they will forgive me!

Angela Verbrugge is a great subversive. Her work is so quietly insinuating that listeners might easily underestimate it in favor of singers who make their work look arduous. But in every song, she creates singular landscapes of feeling that run parallel with melody and lyrics, as if the songs were sheets of colored tissue paper through which she shines light to make magic shadows on the wall.

In her casual-sounding way, she offers us truths of the heart, urgent and genuine. A gentle authenticity without pretense. Rather than a throbbing vibrato, long-held notes in forests of violins, she offers us a light-hearted tenderness, a speaking naturalness. And she is an elegant improviser, a risk-taker, a great horn-player who doesn't bring a case to the gig.

Her musical range is anything but narrow: on one track, she suggests the Basie band without all those suits and music stands; on another, she serves us a croissant in an imaginary cafe on Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris.

I am so impressed by her light touch with songs that ordinarily lead singers to melodrama. Forgive the domestic metaphor, but it is as if Angela had gone to the laundry room with these songs, put them in the spin-dryer on high heat for a few seconds to remove decades of damp sentimentality, and brought them out, resuscitated.

Her "Craziest Dream" is nearly whimsical ("let me tell you about the weird thing that happened last night!") an interlude of love-making at the breakfast table. "Somewhere" is sweetly sustaining: in her production of West Side Story, Tony and Maria live on and leave the city to sell their own goat cheese, far from skyscrapers. "Born to Be Blue," a self-pitying lament in others' hands, is now a playful duet for voice and piano. "For You, For Me, Forevermore" is a series of airy footsteps through the never-heard verse and chorus.

The one exception is her "If the Moon Turns Green," a 1935 song by Bernie Hanighen, Billie Holiday's friend and advocate. Billie didn't record it when it was new, but Angela's version makes up for that. It is a masterpiece of delicate ardor, and I do not overstate. By Michael Steinman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/angela-verbrugge-somewhere

Personnel: Angela Verbrugge - vocals; Erik Kalaidzis - vocals (2); Ray Gallon - piano (3,4,5,7); Cameron Brown - bass (4,7); Anthony Pinciotti - drums (4,7); Dave Say - saxophones (2,6); Miles Black - piano (1,2,6); Jodi Proznick - bass (1,2,6); Joel Fountain - drums (1,2,6)

Somewhere

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David Benoit - Timeless

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 48:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 114,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:45) 1. Fuzzy Logic (feat. Spice Fusion)
(4:52) 2. Cafe Rio (feat. Spice Fusion)
(4:23) 3. The Surest Things Can Change (feat. Brian McKnight)
(4:35) 4. Restless (feat. Spice Fusion)
(4:56) 5. Drive Time (feat. Spice Fusion)
(4:08) 6. Savannah Dream (Sophie's Song)
(4:35) 7. 6 PM (feat. Spice Fusion)
(5:42) 8. Beat Street (feat. Spice Fusion)
(6:54) 9. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (feat. Spice Fusion)
(3:59) 10. Savannah Dream (Sophie's Song) (Radio Edit)

Grammy Nominated Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Film & TV Scorer.

Everyone knows David Benoit’s soundtracks for the “Peanuts” telefilms, which have amassed over 20 radio chart-toppers, as well as his music for films produced by Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, and many others. His collaborations with artists as diverse as The Rippingtons, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, Marc Antoine, and CeCe Winans have earned him praise from both press and fans alike. His orchestral work with the Pacific Vision Youth Symphony (which he founded in 2001), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Philippine Philharmonic, but what truly sets this pianist and composer’s success apart is his ability to reinvent himself and be appreciated on both the jazz and smooth jazz scenes. “Timeless” presents about ten original compositions that reflect his passion for orchestral music, similar to what he could conceive for cinema, but this time in service of his vision of jazz, inviting Brian McKnight on the track “The Surest Things Can Change” perhaps to add a smooth touch to the whole.

Throughout this album, despite knowing David Benoit’s entire body of work, I remain fascinated by his way of writing music and managing arrangements, as David Benoit has a style all his own, born from a broad culture. “Timeless” also includes two more intimate recordings made in Los Angeles with a 10-piece brass section consisting of trumpets, trombones, bass trombone, flutes, and clarinets. These musicians, along with David’s touring rhythm section, Dan Schnelle on drums, and Roberto Vally on bass, have created a completely unique and distinctive sonic journey. On one of these two selections, “The Surest Things Can Change,” composed by Gino Vannelli and arranged by Benoit. The other of these two pieces, “Savannah Dream,” composed by SRG Jazz president Claude Villani, and arranged by Benoit, is the album’s first single. David Benoit has come a long way since his formative years in the South Bay of Los Angeles.

A grand album where the brass bursts here and there to make way for more poetic moments, in each track of this album, there’s always so much happening, so that when you listen to this CD several times, you spend your time discovering things you hadn’t noticed before. Listening to this album by David, others come to mind, like the fabulous album “So Nice” with Marc Antoine, “Heroes,” and the timeless “Here’s to you Charlie Brown…. And all the others,” all these fabulous albums that David Benoit has been releasing over the decades. As a discreet artist, I realize that his work is part of the composers who have been part of my universe for a very long time, like Bob James, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, and I’ll stop there, otherwise, I’ll need to create a 5.000-page volume to tell you all this. Just know that “Timeless,” like every album by David Benoit, is a little wonder, soft and sometimes unclassifiable, very jazzy, very… full of other things too, sublime, admirable… “Indispensable!” By Thierry De Clemensat
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/david-benoit-timeless-eng-review/

Timeless

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