Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Stella Bass - Smoke & Sound

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
Time: 57:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 132,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:10) 1. A Little Yearning (Live)
(4:08) 2. It's All A Swindle (Live)
(4:29) 3. The Smart Set (Live)
(2:03) 4. Maskulinum-Femininum (Live)
(2:53) 5. Chuck Out The Men (Live)
(5:47) 6. Munchhausen (Live)
(3:21) 7. Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer (Live)
(3:05) 8. Falling In Love Again (Live)
(4:04) 9. Lili Marlene (Live)
(5:40) 10. Surabaya Johnny (Live)
(4:06) 11. Alabama Song (Live)
(4:51) 12. The Saga Of Jenny (Live)
(4:25) 13. Speak Low (Live)
(4:05) 14. Mack The Knife (Live)

Stella studied music from a young age, starting piano accordion lessons at five, followed later by singing and piano, both through the Royal Irish Academy of Music. A degree in Computer Science from University College Dublin followed, and in 2017 she completed a Master’s Degree in Music in Dublin’s Conservatory of Music. She used the unexpected downtime of the pandemic to build on her undergrad IT skills to study Music Production with Berklee College, Boston, and Music Composition & Arranging with Studio Orchestrations, Belfast, which has led her into the fascinating world of writing, arranging and producing sync music for TV, film and gaming; she has already had several albums of her original instrumental music signed exclusively to Warner Chappell Production Music in Nashville.

That said, her heart will always be, first and foremost, as a singer, story-teller and concert performer. Alongside her studies, many years of singing in musicals, concerts and as bandleader at the bandstand helped Stella finely-tune her craft, and her versatile repertoire crosses over jazz, light classical and musical theatre.

Stella’s recent studio album, the 2025 Grammy longlisted “Look for the Silver Lining”, is a collaboration with the acclaimed Johnny Taylor Trio, featuring a mix of jazz standards and some new songs written by Stella. Since releasing her first album in 2014, she has performed at all the major jazz festivals in Ireland – including a headline performance at Cork Jazz Festival 2024, as well as performances in Pizza Express London Pheasantry and jazz venues in Germany, France and Australia. She has devised several concert programmes including, “Stella Sings Ella”, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, as well an exploration of jazz-inspired interpretations of the music Stephen Sondheim, alongside collaborator Cian Boylan. Both of these shows have toured the island of Ireland with the support of the both Arts Councils on the island, while the Ella show most recently (November 2024) returned to a sold-out lunchtime audience @ NCH.

No stranger to the art of the big band, Stella sings with the Hot House Big Band for their monthly residency in Dublin, has recorded with the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra, and she leads her own quartet with whom she tours and performs her own much-loved weekly jazz residency show.

She has also branched out into radio broadcasting, having presented and produced a music show on Dublin City FM for over 3 years, and has also been a presenter on Ireland’s beloved Christmas FM. She has also become an accomplished voiceover artist, recording radio and TV voiceovers for private and corporate clients. https://stellabass.com/about

Smoke & Sound: An Evening Of Berlin Cabaret

Juana Schaeffer - Blossom in Paris

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
Time: 48:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 111,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:31) 1. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(3:41) 2. Plus Je T'embrasse
(3:18) 3. April In Paris
(5:29) 4. Lush Life
(3:41) 5. Peel Me A Grape
(0:39) 6. Little Jazz Bird
(4:29) 7. Give Him The Ooh La La
(4:50) 8. Hey John
(4:02) 9. Lonely Town
(4:48) 10. The Gentleman Is A Dope
(4:08) 11. If I Were A Bell
(4:41) 12. Venez Donc Chez Moi

Juana Schaeffer presents her first album “Blossom in Paris” in homage to the illustrious Blossom Dearie. Accompanied by the great jazz pianist Olivier Hutman, she revisits the legendary “standards” and compositions of the American artist, which range from Gershwin to Bernstein via Rogers, Strayhorn, Porter, Misraki…Translate By Google
https://www.parisjazzclub.net/fr/85808/concert/2023/11/28/juana-schaeffer-sextet

Personnel: Juana Schaeffer - chant; Guillaume Naturel - sax, flûte; Yoann Loustalot - trompette, bugle; Olivier Hutman - piano; Samuel Hubert - c.basse; Stefano Lucchini - batterie

Blossom in Paris

Art Themen Organ Trio - Live in Soho

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 50:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:10) 1. Chili Peppers
(5:48) 2. Brahms… I Think
(6:06) 3. Country
(5:56) 4. Groovy Samba
(3:54) 5. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face
(5:41) 6. African Market Place
(7:03) 7. And What If I Don’t?
(3:01) 8. Sophisticated Lady
(8:11) 9. Cape Verdean Blues

I heard this band at Swanage (admittedly with trumpeter Martin Shaw added) and thought them a wow. Now comes the acid test of a live album to consider and the good news is that one’s original impression is largely confirmed. The veteran Themen’s open-mindedness comes across as ever, first on the stirring ‘Chilli Peppers’, his tenor often this side of wonky but always with melodic malice in mind, Double’s percussive expertise and Whittaker’s brilliance keeping him on the straight and (fairly) narrow.

It’s Art’s serpentine soprano on Zoot Sims’ ‘Brahms… I Think’, Whitaker resplendent. ‘Country’ is taken slow, Themen on tenor letting the melody breathe and have its way, the total performance a joy. ‘Groovy Samba’ follows, danceably direct, soprano leading, sinuous and slippery, Double keeping an eye on the beat. ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face’ is another beauty, Themen again proving his worth as a tenor balladeer, understated, Whitaker compelling on piano.

How about Abdullah Ibrahim’s ‘African Marketplace’ as a contrast? Double again sounding out its shape, Whitaker comping, Themen jubilant and yes, fervent. Hancock’s ‘And What If I Don’t?’ is a bluesy piece, and gets a righteous treatment ahead of ‘Sophisticated Lady’, this given a largely a cappella tenor workout, and the stompy closer, Silver’s ‘Cape Verdean Blues’.

So, an eclectic mix and a set of pleasingly varied performances: no wonder Themen calls his trio mates, ‘the best of musical compadres’. He should know, having enjoyed their company over some 70-plus gigs. Look out for them.https://www.jazzwise.com/review/art-themen-organ-trio-live-in-soho

Personnel: Art Themen (tenor and soprano sax); Pete Whittaker (organ and piano); George Double (drums)

Live in Soho

Tania Grubbs - Lost In The Stars

Size: 136,9 MB
Time: 58:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. This Heart Of Mine (4:23)
02. Cathedral Earth (4:24)
03. Lost In The Stars (4:00)
04. The Best Thing For You Would Be Me (4:26)
05. Matchmaker (2:50)
06. Get Out Of Town (3:03)
07. I've Got The Sun In The Morning (3:03)
08. Doce Presença (Sweet Presence) (4:22)
09. Charade (3:28)
10. Show Me (4:09)
11. Everything I Love (3:00)
12. Come Waltz With Me (3:00)
13. Let Us Be Always (3:53)
14. Detour Ahead (5:20)
15. Anyone Can Whistle (5:19)

Tania Grubbs is one of the busiest promoters in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, and one of the best singers, too. Organizing two jazz programs Downtown and one in Oakland has not kept her voice and style from steadily improving. “Lost in the Stars” shows that development as she presents 15 tunes from stage favorites such as “Show Me” and “Matchmaker” to the Henry Mancini classic “Charade” and “Come Waltz With Me,” an original by pianist Daniel May and lyricist Lou Tracey, two of the area's better secrets. Her voice is pure, and she has a wonderful sense of melody and lyric. Nowhere on the album does she falter, from the Latin lilt of “I Got the Sun in the Morning” to the ain't-romance-grand swing of “This Heart of Mine.” The album also is boosted by the work of pianist May, drummer Thomas Wendt, guitarist Eric Susoeff, trumpeter James Moore and bassist Jeff Grubbs, her husband. The album is a clear statement on what a great gift she is in the local music scene.By Bob Karlovits

Lost In The Stars