Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 46:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:05) 1. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
(2:26) 2. Hello, Dolly!
(3:08) 3. Dream a Little Dream of Me (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(3:27) 4. La Vie en Rose
(5:51) 5. On the Sunny Side of the Street
(4:05) 6. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)
(5:54) 7. Cheek to Cheek (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(2:45) 8. Cabaret
(2:22) 9. It's Been a Long, Long Time
(4:40) 10. They Can't Take That Away from Me (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
(2:59) 11. Moon River
(3:19) 12. Blueberry Hill
(2:16) 13. What a Wonderful World

Today, with the advent of streaming and the resurgence of popularity in vinyl, there is more music available to the public to listen to than at any previous time in history. Yet, year after year, people from around the world still choose to listen to Louis Armstrong more than any other artist born at the turn of the 20th century.

The question remains: Why? This new collection, the first authorized Louis Armstrong hits collection to be released in decades, helps to provide answers. Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong contains 13 of his biggest hits, including "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," "La Vie En Rose," "Hello, Dolly!" and "What A Wonderful World," plus timeless duets with Ella Fitzgerald like, "Cheek To Cheek" and "Dream A Little Dream of Me."By Editorial Reviews
https://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-World-Best-Louis-Armstrong/dp/B0DB9HM55B

Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong

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The Emily Masser Quintet - Songs With My Father

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 44:39
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 41,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. Old Devil Moon
(5:48) 2. Dat Dere
(4:52) 3. The Boy Next Door
(4:46) 4. Room 608
(5:26) 5. Song For My Mother
(4:10) 6. Take A Little Time To Smile
(5:09) 7. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:58) 8. Double Rainbow
(5:26) 9. Hackensack

Rising vocal talent Emily Masser has already attracted positive attention from British jazz luminaries Claire Martin, Liane Carroll and Clark Tracey. This is no small feat for an artist who has recorded an album while still studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is also helped by having on-tap mentorship and artistic guidance from her father, the highly regarded saxophonist Dean Masser, who joins her on Songs With My Father to add another dimension to her rapidly ascending career.

She first came to attention on the Clark Tracey Quintet's album Introducing Emily Masser (StrayHorn Records, 2024). This shone the spotlight on her vocal abilities, receiving positive reactions and comparisons to Annie Ross. She now returns under the guise of The Emily Masser Quintet with an album dedicated to her late mother. She is joined by her father on saxophone and a top-notch rhythm section of pianist Matyas Gayer (Eddie Henderson, Scott Hamilton), bassist James Owston (Gwilym Simcock, Greg Abate) and drummer Steve Brown (UK) (Alan Barnes, Barry Harris).

The album mainly features her take on standards, many of them favourites of her mother. It is always a risk offering modern twists on some of the jewels of the jazz world, but Masser has the ambition, voice and maturity to inject new vigour and vitality into these classics. Masser opens the album with a playful rendition of "Old Devil Moon," displaying her original phrasing alongside impressive solos from Masser (the elder) and Gayer. She also puts her spin on Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics to Bobby Timmons "Dat Dere," a song that perfectly complements the father-daughter aspects of the album. Her rapid phrasing emphasises the clarity of her diction as the rest of the quintet locks into just the right level of swing.

Her warm-toned nostalgic vocals bring charm to the opening of "The Boy Next Door." The gentle swing is elevated when her father dials up the swing with a top-notch saxophone solo, followed by Gayer's piano and clever interplay from Owston and Brown. Two tracks take on a more personal and reflective tone: "Song For My Mother," composed by father and daughter, together with a beautiful version of "I'll Be Seeing You," a song Masser sang at her mother's funeral.

On "Room 608" and "Hackensack," the band unleashes their power, creating a fine backdrop for Masser's adventurous vocal improvisations. Her playful scatting, riffing against the band's energy, and her joy in performance are evident throughout. The album stands as both a tribute and a showcase of the empathy and connection between father and daughter. Masser's classy and mature vocal performance focuses on getting the most from the lyrics and adding a sparkle of freshness to classic songs. She is content to find her own path through the material, is totally assured of her range and suggests an artist whose creative journey carries much promise and potential for the future. By Neil Duggan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-with-my-father-the-emily-masser-quintet-self-produced

Personnel: Emily Masser (vocals), Dean Masser (tenor saxophone), Matyas Gayer (piano), James Owston (bass), and Steve Brown (drums)

Songs With My Father

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Dave Holland Quintet - Points Of View

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:01
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:18)  1. The Balance
(10:54)  2. Mr. B.
( 8:48)  3. Bedouin Trail
( 8:23)  4. Metamorphos
(10:12)  5. Ario
( 9:40)  6. Herbaceous
( 6:53)  7. The Benevolent One
( 6:49)  8. Serenade

The eight compositions which make up Points of View are so varied that this in itself becomes a hallmark of Dave Holland's style here. Consistency instead comes from the interaction of the players, whom Holland's arrangements give ensemble roles during each other's solos; from the unusual instrumentation, used both for frank exoticism ("Bedouin Trail", "Serenade") and to leaven more traditional compositions with surprise. The soloists are imaginative, and swinging on those tunes where swing is part of the picture. Holland and Kilson power the ensemble, Holland with his rich tone, Kilson with clarity and a fine percussionist's melodic sense, both with impeccable time."The balance" seemingly begins with the sound of a bass tuning, as if for a live date, with the other players joining in with an improvised ensemble worthy of Mingus. The tune turns into a characteristic opener, but with a difference: swift and exciting, to be sure, but with a tricky time signature and a restlessness about settling on a major or minor mode."Mr. B" is like one of those great 1950's hard bop tunes seen through a post-modern prism, Holland playing a walking bass line throughout."Bedouin trail," beginning with Eubanks high on the trombone, almost a French horn sound, moves into a medium tempo clave groove. The virtues of Holland's group stand out in this sensous tune, which seems almost to suspend time.

"Metamorphosis" alternates rapidly between swing and funk, terms that don't do justice either to the edgy composition or the impassioned improvisations.The rhythm section opens "Ario" with an ostinato feel, moving eventually into a Latin groove. As usual on this recording, the horn parts belie the small group size. Likewise the vibes' fills provide a bigger than usual sound in the percussive/chordal instrument's role: richer than a piano, fuller than a guitar. The track shifts between the mellowness of a medium-tempo ballad and a series of climaxes."Herbaceous" has a samba-then-swing feel, opened up by spontaneity and virtuosity of the ensemble, making for a tumultuous ride. "The benevolent one" begins out of tempo as a duet between Nelson's ringing vibes and Holland's bowed bass, before turning into a ballad, with Kilson's brushes shimmering like aspen leaves. The rhythm section is nearly equal in the foreground during the solos, giving the tune a chamber-music intimacy "Serenade" concludes the recording with a taste of Latin folk-music, the marimba trilling a simple melody over the initially unchanging harmony implied by Holland's repetitive bass figure. This track's optimistic serenity, played only by the rhythm section, creates yet another musical world among the several in this unusual and brilliantly realized production.By Larry Koenigsberg https://www.allaboutjazz.com/points-of-view-dave-holland-ecm-records-review-by-larry-koenigsberg.php

Personnel: Dave Holland, bass; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Steve Wilson, soprano and alto saxophone; Steve Nelson, vibraphone and marimba; Billy Kilson, drums

Points Of View

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Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett - Vocal Encounters

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:02
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. That Old Black Magic
(3:14)  2. Summer Song
(3:58)  3. My Melancholy Baby (with Jimmy Rushing)
(1:56)  4. It's a Raggy Waltz
(3:06)  5. The Real Ambassador
(2:37)  6. My One Bad Habit
(3:17)  7. Because All Men Are Brothers
(2:06)  8. There'll Be Some Changes Made
(2:48)  9. Weep No More
(4:38) 10. Cultural Exchange
(2:54) 11. Travelin' Blues - Live
(3:21) 12. Ain't Misbehavin' (with Jimmy Rushing)
(5:27) 13. They Say I Look Like God
(2:29) 14. In The Lurch
(2:21) 15. Autumn In Our Town
(2:31) 16. Since Love Had Its Way
(4:37) 17. Blues in the Dark (with Jimmy Rushing)
(2:15) 18. Take Five (with The Dave Brubeck Quartet) - Single Version

Dave and Iola Brubeck wrote most of the songs on this vocal compilation, including excerpts from their show The Real Ambassadors. Culled from several early 1960s releases, each selection features a singer or singers. Two previously unreleased tracks are included: a take of “It’s A Raggy Waltz” with Carmen McRae and an arrangement of “Autumn In Our Town” with whispery singer Ranny Sinclair. The refreshing “Raggy Waltz” works well as a vocal number, while “Autumn In Our Town” proves to be much less effective. The combination of Sinclair’s pure, young and innocent voice alongside harsher pickups of guitar and piano creates problems. Precious moments include Paul Desmond’s few appearances, Tony Bennett’s “That Old Black Magic” thrill, the firm confidence of both Rushing and McRae, Louis Armstrong’s storytellin’ and LHR’s dazzling scat display. Brubeck and Desmond both provide examples of their best solo work on “Ain’t Misbehavin’” with Rushing. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross work hand in hand with Armstrong on The Real Ambassadors selections to remind the world that jazz is indeed a universal language. Featuring its own cast of expressive singers, the Vocal Encounters compilation offers the reader an interesting program  on CD.By Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vocal-encounters-dave-brubeck-columbia-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Dave Brubeck- piano; Paul Desmond- alto saxophone; Eugene Wright- bass; Joe Morello- drums; Danny Barcelona- drums; Trummy Young- trombone; Joe Darensbourg- clarinet; Louis Armstrong- trumpet, vocal; Tony Bennett, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Jimmy Rushing, Carmen McRae, Peter, Paul & Mary, Ranny Sinclair- vocals; other instrumentalists.

Vocal Encounters

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