James Williams - Jazz Dialogues, Focus - Disc 2

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2001
Time: 71:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 164,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:39) 1. Focus
(6:06) 2. Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
(5:31) 3. Put On A Happy Face
(6:02) 4. I Know It's You
(4:19) 5. They Didn't Believe Me
(6:49) 6. Easy Living
(5:11) 7. Fourplay
(7:10) 8. For My Nephews
(4:33) 9. I've Got the World on A String
(4:13) 10. Groovin' High
(7:00) 11. These Foolish Things
(7:12) 12. DayDream

To celebrate his fiftieth birthday, James Williams gathered some of his favorites musicians to record an extensive four-volume series of CDs covering originals, timeless jazz compositions, originals, and more. It's hard to choose highlights from the second volume's 12 tracks, though the driving opener of the pianist's "Focus" with Peter Washington sets an immediately high standard.

But everyone else was also in a mood to celebrate with their host as well by playing at the top of their respective games. Houston Person shines on tenor sax in a loping, gospel-inflected setting of "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," vocalist Mary Stallings offers a powerful version of "Easy Living," while guitarist Dave Stryker negotiates the pianist's inventive blues "Fourplay" with skill and imagination. Trumpeter Jon Faddis was a perfect choice to salute Dizzy Gillespie playing his landmark work "Groovin' High" and nearly stealing the show. Russell Malone, Loren Schoenberg, Ray Drummond, John Clayton, plus vocalists Miles Griffith, Steve Heck, and Roger Holland also join in the fun. It is sad that the four volumes in this series were James Williams' final releases prior to his untimely death from cancer in the summer of 2004.By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-dialogues-vol-2-focus-mw0000305318#review

Jazz Dialogues, Disc 2

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Dara Tucker - Soul Said Yes

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Soul
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:50
Size: 125,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. All That You Have Is Your Soul
(4:05)  2. Save Their Souls - Soul Said Yes
(4:07)  3. Tangerine
(4:59)  4. Easy To Love
(3:37)  5. Partly Cloudy
(4:06)  6. The Space
(5:31)  7. Body and Soul
(4:48)  8. Stronger Than Pride
(5:53)  9. Poinciana
(3:41) 10. Pure Imagination
(3:57) 11. (Our) Love Is Here To Stay
(5:00) 12. I Will Move On Up A Little Higher
(1:23) 13. Soul Says Yes

Jazz vocalist and songwriter Dara Tucker's third studio project, ‘The Sun Season’ is a celebration of life, energy and the human experiencer. Tucker's new project differs from her previous releases, ‘Soul Said Yes’ (2011) and ‘All Right Now’ (2009), in that ten of the twelve tracks that comprise ‘The Sun Season' (2014) are original tunes with memorable melodies, rich harmonies and strong rhythms. These sensibilities are immediately felt on such tunes as "Sometimes Love," "Beautiful Sun," "The Sun Suite" and "See It Always." Her gift of balladry, as evidenced on "Naïve", and "The Nearness of You," one of the albums two covers, reveal a mature singer with the wisdom to communicate the tender essence of love with a flair that is distinct and enveloping. “When I fall in love with a song, I fall in love with the melody first; then the lyrics," Tucker said. "If I can communicate the essence of that melody to the listener without relying on attention-grabbing melisma, and instead, focus on creating subtle yet effective embellishments that will draw the listener in, then I feel I’ve done my job.” Recorded over two days at David Stoller's Samurai Hotel Studios in Queens, New York, the project features pianist Helen Sung, drummer Donald Edwards, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist/producer Greg Bryant and horn men John Ellis and Alan Ferber. The resultant material is a joyful presentation with memorable contributions from the entire cast.

"The singer-songwriters of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were hugely influential on me, as were gospel and the Great American Songbook. What I end up producing as a writer is essentially an amalgam of all these genres. Couple those influences with one of the baddest New York jazz ensembles around, and you have the ingredients that came together to make up “The Sun Season”. During her brief career, Dara Tucker has already managed to catch the ear of some of the most significant figures in jazz such as vocalist Cassandra Wilson, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Benny Golson. Within the last two years, Tucker has won audiences on such stages as The Blue Note (NYC), Smoke Jazz Club (NYC), Snug Harbor (New Orleans, LA), The San Jose Jazz Festival, Sculler’s in Boston, MA, Nighttown in Cleveland, OH and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Peeling away the layers of her diverse background sheds ample light on her unorthodox path to becoming a significant contemporary voice on the vocal jazz scene.

“I grew up singing gospel in church with my brothers and sisters. There were 7 of us, so my father (an accomplished music minister) and my mother (also a singer) had a built in choir. We traveled a lot, and we would back our parents up everywhere we went. I learned tons about harmony before I was even in the first grade. That provided me with amazing ear-training very early on. My father, a minister, didn’t allow secular music in the house. But eventually, when I began to come of age, I started to explore the sounds of big band music and the Great American Songbook. I spent many nights with my radio tucked under my pillow, surreptitiously soaking in artists like The Manhattan Transfer, The Hi-Lo’s, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn."

Tucker says writing the songs that make up “The Sun Season” was an organic process  mostly. After writing furiously for more than 7 years, she knew it was time to make her own statement. "The question in my manager’s mind was always, 'Where will your songs fit? You’re one of those in-between writers.' This was something I understood all too well. "I'm excited to share this project with everyone, and I look forward to performing the material in concert. It's my statement on what jazz is to me in the here and now. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to shine a light on the particular Space that I choose to occupy in my singular Sun Season. ~ Bio http://www.daratucker.com/

Soul Said Yes

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Harry James - Best Of the Big Bands

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1990
Time: 49:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 112,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:56) 1. Strictly Instrumental
(3:01) 2. I've Heard That Song Before
(3:22) 3. The Man With The Horn
(3:26) 4. I Had The Craziest Dream
(2:57) 5. Sleepy Lagoon
(3:00) 6. I Can't Begin To Tell You
(3:00) 7. Trumpet Blues & Cantabile
(3:15) 8. You Made Me Love You
(3:26) 9. It's Been A Long, Long Time
(2:31) 10. Ciribiribin
(2:43) 11. I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
(2:54) 12. I Don't Want To Walk Without You
(3:16) 13. Carnival
(2:45) 14. The Devil Sat Down And Cried
(3:18) 15. Music Makers
(3:15) 16. I'm Beginning To See The Light

This is very much a hodgepodge set that does not live up to its clichéd title. The recording dates and personnel listing are not included in the chatty liner notes and, although there is some excellent music here (including "Strictly Instrumental," "I Had the Craziest Dream," "You Made Me Love You," "It's Been a Long, Long Time," and "Ciribiribin"), the programming is not in chronological order and almost seems random.

Why hasn't Columbia ever released its many enjoyable and valuable Harry James recordings in complete and coherent fashion? By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-big-bands-mw0000308720#review

Personnel: Leader: Harry James (trumpet); Vocalists: Helen Forrest, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mercer, Betty Grable; Trumpets: Ziggy Elman, Chris Griffin, Neal Hefti, Everett McDonald; Saxophones: Willie Smith (alto), Corky Corcoran (tenor), Sam Sachelle (tenor/baritone); Trombones: Juan Tizol, Chuck Preble, Carl "Ziggy" Elmer; Drums: Buddy Rich, Sonny Payne; Bass: Thurman Teague, John Simmons; Guitar: Jack Marshall, Tiny Timbrell

Best Of the Big Bands

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