Francesca Tandoi - Bop Web

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 37:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 87,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:07) 1. Bop Web
(5:59) 2. You and the Lake and the Moon
(3:23) 3. Agua De Beber
(4:39) 4. Overjoyed
(4:57) 5. Ninaom
(5:00) 6. Lethargy
(4:09) 7. Right On
(5:32) 8. Pink Walker

Italian pianist and vocalist Francesca Tandoi shines brightly on the international jazz scene, hailed by critics and audiences alike as a musician of rare note. Energetic, agile and elegant at the same time, with her warm jazz vocals and terrific swing lines à la Oscar Peterson - virtuoso almost takes on a new meaning when Tandoi sits behind the piano.

She has already toured the USA, Asia and all over Europe, and recorded seven albums with her own trio - and now she is finally coming to Trondheim for the first time!

This is jazz that is guaranteed to swing you off your chair.
https://www.jazzfest.no/en/arrangement/2024/francesca-tandoi-bop-web

Personnel: Francesca Tandoi - piano; Stefano Senni - bass; Giovanni Campanella - drums

Bop Web

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Art Pepper/Chet Baker - Playboys

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 40:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:04) 1. For Minors Only
(6:46) 2. Minor Yours
(5:45) 3. Resonant Emotions
(5:35) 4. Tynan Tyme
(6:48) 5. Picture of Heath
(6:29) 6. For Miles and Miles
(5:12) 7. C.t.a.

These 1956 Pacific Jazz sides appeared in 1961 under the title Playboys. Myth and rumor persist that, under legal advice from the publisher of a similarly named magazine, the collection would have to be retitled. It was renamed Picture of Heath, as more than half of the tracks are Jimmy Heath compositions. Regardless, the music is the absolute same. These are the third sessions to feature the dynamic duo of Art Pepper (alto sax) and Chet Baker (trumpet).

Their other two meetings had produced unequivocal successes. The first was during a brief July 1956 session at the Forum Theater in L.A. Baker joined forces with Pepper's sextet, ultimately netting material for the Route LP. Exactly three months to the day later, Pepper and Baker reconvened to record tracks for the Chet Baker Big Band album. The quartet supporting Baker and Pepper on Playboys includes Curtis Counce (bass), Phil Urso (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), and Larance Marable (drums).

Baker and Pepper have an instinctual rapport that yields outstanding interplay. The harmony constant throughout the practically inseparable lines that Baker weaves with Pepper drives the bop throughout the slinky "For Minors Only." The soloists take subtle cues directly from each other, with considerable contributions from Perkins, Counce, and Marable.

With the notorious track record both Baker and Pepper had regarding other decidedly less successful duets, it is unfortunate that more recordings do not exist that captured their special bond. These thoroughly enjoyable and often high-energy sides are perfect for bop connoisseurs as well as mainstream jazz listeners.By Lindsay Planer https://www.allmusic.com/album/playboys-mw0000196883#review

Playboys

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Harry Allen, Randy Sandke - Turnstile: Music of the Trumpet Kings with the RIAS Big Band

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:14
Size: 136,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:13)  1. I Love Louis
(5:21)  2. Cloudy
(4:22)  3. Echoes of Harlem
(3:28)  4. Little Jazz Boogie
(4:31)  5. I Can't Get Started
(3:43)  6. Melancholy Rhapsody
(2:31)  7. Randy's Rolls Royce
(5:28)  8. Shaw'Nuff
(6:12)  9. All Blues
(3:08) 10. Turnstile
(6:17) 11. Relaxin' At Clifford's
(4:07) 12. The Moontrane
(4:47) 13. Birdlike

Most of the recordings put out by the German Nagel Heyer label are pre-bop, ranging from Dixieland to mainstream. This outing stretches the boundaries a little, for trumpeter Randy Sandke (who is joined by tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and a big band led by Jiggs Whigham) pays tribute to a variety of great trumpeters ranging from Louis Armstrong to Woody Shaw ("The Moontrane") and Freddie Hubbard ("Bird Like"). Sandke contributed a pair of originals, arranged all 13 pieces, and helped bring a forgotten (and only partly composed) Bix Beiderbecke composition ("Cloudy") to life. In addition to those mentioned, Sandke pays tribute to Cootie Williams, Roy Eldridge, Bunny Berigan, Harry James, Buck Clayton, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Clifford Brown. He hints at their styles without actually copying them, and has a flexible enough approach to sound comfortable in all of the idioms. Recommended. By Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-music-of-the-trumpet-kings-mw0000732284

Personnel: Randy Sandke - (trumpet), Harry Allen - (tenor sax) with the RIAS Big Band Berlin led by Jiggs Whigham

Turnstile: Music of the Trumpet Kings with the RIAS Big Band

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Betty Accorsi Quartet - The Cutty Sark Suite

Styles: Saxophone and Vocal
Year: 2020
Time: 31:18
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 29,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:55) 1. The Golden Wave
(8:08) 2. In Between
(6:35) 3. At The Edge of The Wave
(7:39) 4. All Things Are Quite Silent

Saxophonist and talented composer Betty Accorsi has released her debut album, The Cutty Sark Suite, inspired by the ship's journey travelling from China to London. The four tracks, averaging seven-and-a-half-minutes, were all recorded at Goldsmiths Music Studios, in affiliation with the university which Accorsi attended, studying for a master's degree in music. Prior to this, the Italian-born musician enrolled at the Conservatoire G. Verdi in Milan where she primarily focused on performing classical repertoire. She then moved to England to pursue her dream of studying jazz saxophone at Trinity Laban, and then subsequently arriving at Goldsmiths, University of London.

This suite is brought together and aims to navigate the listener on the Cutty Sark's return trip to London from China. The ship is now based in Greenwich where Accorsi spent a year studying, hence the inspiration for this album. In her liner notes, she says, "to me, it represented the sense of belonging to the greater, more diverse community that I found in London." Each movement represents a single country that the vessel encountered on her journey including China, Indonesia, South Africa and England. The compositions intend to portray a half real, half imaginary perception of the route.

The voyage begins in Shanghai and is titled "The Golden Wave." It draws inspiration from a Chinese instrument called an Erhu which is replicated at the beginning by Andy Hamill's double bass. The second half of the track turns into a hard-driven blues-esque melting pot of organised madness which eventually leads back to the original melody. The second stop, "In Between," pays homage to Indonesian Gamelan which later develops into a loose jazz ballad, in tribute to Jaco Pastorius. This piece also features an impressive drum solo by Scott MacDonald towards the end. Now halfway, we arrive in South Africa to the music of Zulu warrior dances and the sounds of local saxophonist Basil Coetzee with "At the Edge of the Wave." It draws influences from the country's rich Township jazz tradition. The album concludes with her mooring in England and is celebrated with an arrangement of "All Things Are Quite Silent." This traditional English folk song describes a woman whose man is forced to join the English Navy.

Although the album only lasts for a brief thirty-three minutes, its energy and enthusiasm seems to occur for far longer. With an excellent narrative and concise pathway, The Cutty Sark Suite demonstrates a dynamic display of chemistry between four exceptional musicians.By Thomas Fletcher https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-cutty-sark-suite-betty-accorsi-quartet-self-released

Personnel: Betty Accorsi (saxophone, vocals, composer); Finn Carter (piano), Andy Hamill (double and electric bass), Scott Macdonald (drums).

The Cutty Sark Suite

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Jan Lundgren & Miriam Aida & Fredrik Kronkvist - Jan Lundgren Trio Presents Miriam Aida & Fredrik Kronkvist

Styles: Piano And Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
Time: 57:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 132,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:18) 1. Ain't No Excuse
(3:51) 2. September In The Rain
(5:20) 3. The Good Life
(5:05) 4. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
(5:13) 5. Sunny
(5:08) 6. Time On My Hands
(5:32) 7. Feeling Good
(4:38) 8. Melba's Tune
(4:36) 9. Right Here, Right Now
(4:25) 10. 'tis Autumn
(5:35) 11. Close Your Eyes
(4:10) 12. From This Moment On

A fine bop-based pianist, Jan Lundgren has visited the United States several times since the mid-'90s and been gradually gaining a very strong reputation. Even while undergoing extensive classical piano training, Lundgren was playing jazz locally and by the time he was 20, he had begun working with Arne Domnérus and Putte Wickman. Lundgren has picked up valuable experience accompanying many visiting Americans (including Herb Geller, Johnny Griffin, and Mark Murphy).

In 1994, he recorded his debut as a leader for the Four Leaf Clover label. Since then, Lundgren has recorded separate sets with Herb Geller and Bill Perkins for Fresh Sound and led further albums for Alfa and Four Leaf Clover.https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Saxophone, Flute – Fredrik Kronkvist; Bass – Mattias Svensson; Drums – Morten Lund (2); Piano – Jan Lundgren; Vocals – Miriam Aïda

Jan Lundgren Trio Presents Miriam Aida & Fredrik Kronkvist

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Gladys Knight - Before Me

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
Time: 52:53
File: MP3 @ 192K/s
Size: 73,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
(4:22) 2. The Man I Love
(4:25) 3. Good Morning Heartache
(3:51) 4. Since I Fell For You
(4:54) 5. God Bless The Child
(4:06) 6. This Bitter Earth
(4:24) 7. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(4:54) 8. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:00) 9. But Not For Me
(3:56) 10. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:26) 11. Stormy Weather
(5:34) 12. Come Sunday

At a time when most of her contemporaries are satisfied reliving their glory years to appreciative audiences in casinos and theaters, Gladys Knight continues her refusal to be pigeonholed as a soul singer. With 2000's At Last, she returned to the mainstream R&B circuit with a session of adult contemporary R&B that was equally accessible and refreshing, and with 2005's One Voice she collaborated with the Saints Unified Voices for a fiery gospel and praise record.

So this time around, Knight recruited legendary producer Phil Ramone and an impressive lineup of jazz musicians to record an album of jazz ballads and standards that influenced her during the formative years of her singing career. At first, the prospect of Knight's soulful, gritty vocal styles taking on some of jazz's greatest moments may be a questionable proposal for jazz purists, but all hesitation can be safely swept aside during the album's opening moments, a fantastic rendition of the Ellington classic "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me." Gone are the grit and raspy nature of Knight's voice, and in their place is a smooth, sultry set of vocal cords safely in control of the delivery of the material.

Every single song here is already a bona fide hit, and Knight does them all justice in a way few soul singers could. Wonderfully relaxing, classy, and pleasantly void of vocal histrionics, Before Me is another important chapter and highlight in a career that is chock-full of them.By Rob Theakston https://www.allmusic.com/album/before-me-mw0000408605#review

Before Me

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Jo Harrop - The Heart Wants

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 52:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 121,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:42) 1. The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants
(3:23) 2. All too soon
(3:24) 3. Everything's changing
(3:36) 4. I think you'd better go
(4:31) 5. Wise words
(3:38) 6. Red mary janes & a brand new hat
(4:04) 7. Hold on
(3:55) 8. Life inside
(3:01) 9. What if
(3:40) 10. If I knew
(2:59) 11. Rainbow sleeves
(7:41) 12. If I ever would leave you
(4:04) 13. Weather the storm

How many musicians vowed to use the sudden, blank silence of lockdown to plan and prepare the album they had long dreamed of making? And how many actually got round to doing it? Well, Jo Harrop certainly did, and the result is impressive and moving. It’s her second album, the first being last year’s Weathering the Storm, an exquisite miniature for her warm, intimate voice and Jamie McCredie’s guitar. This time, Harrop has 21 musicians (not all playing at once), including such notables as Christian McBride, Tony Kofi and Jason Rebello, and, for the first time, most of the songs are originals with her own lyrics.

Their themes do tend towards uncertainty, regret and making the best of things, although there’s also a wonderfully life-affirming number called Red Mary Janes and a Brand New Hat. Anyway, it’s how the words and music come together to tell a story that matters. Here, they combine with a rare mixture of delicacy and boldness, the arrangements understated but always ear-catching. As for musicianship, listen to the voice and double bass duet by Harrop and McBride in All Too Soon. Sheer perfection.https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/16/jo-harrop-the-heart-wants-review-christian-mcbride-tony-kofi-jason-rebello

The Heart Wants

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Sarah King & The Smoke Rings - ST

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
Time: 34:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:08) 1. It Don't Mean A Thing (Is It Ain't Got That Swing)
(3:07) 2. Tea For Two
(3:01) 3. Jersey Bounce
(2:19) 4. I Won't Dance
(3:38) 5. Smoke Rings
(5:30) 6. Caravan
(3:52) 7. Some Other Spring
(3:32) 8. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(2:46) 9. I Don't Know Why
(2:38) 10. Lazy River

What a fun and charming jump back to the Swing Era! Sarah King and the Smoke Rings have released a self-titled debut album with some of my absolute favorite songs from that glorious time and I enjoyed every second of the experience.

The Smoke Rings are Alex Levin on piano, Scott Ritchie on bass and Ben Cliness on drums and these cats swing hard. Fronting this exemplary group is Sarah King on vocals on ukulele. The guys play straight-up swing and Ms. King delivers an adorable approach to the lyrics. The song choices and track order are just what makes a swingster swoon.

The first song is the old Duke Ellington/Irving Mills chestnut It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). The prelude is a deep-voiced groove before Sarah King joins in with her soprano sass. The vocalization is light-hearted, as it should be, and the musicians roll with her. Alex Levin plays the cool cat piano as Scott Ritchie bumps along with the bass. Ben Cliness gets a brief drum interlude and the whole groups carries the song to completion.

Vincent Youmans’ Tea for Two is a great representation of what the band presents in their weekly residence at the Boom Boom Room atop the Standard Hotel in New York City. The first half represents the trio as they were before Alex Levin decided to add a vocalist. The second half of the piece shows just how smart he was to ask her to come aboard.

The story must be told of how she joined The Smoke Rings. Levin was wanting to add a female vocalist to the trio. One day, he was in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and saw a young woman walking by with a ukulele in hand. Levin asked her to play a number for him and, instead of hammering him over the head with the cherished instrument, she obliged him. He said that her voice sounded like an old record. And so it does…in a good way.

That quality is nowhere more evident that on the Tiny Bradshaw/Eddie Johnson/Bobby Plater number Jersey Bounce. She has a brilliantly charming enunciation that over-emphasizes her Rs and rounds the OU diphthong as it disappears into the N. Listen to the album and you’ll see what I mean. Cute as can be.

I Won’t Dance is the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II standard is given a new swing by Sarah King and Smoke Rings. Despite the title, the music compels exactly that. Scott Ritchie gets a smoking bass solo which he delivers with great swagger.

Gifford and Washington’s Smoke Rings follows. The piece is wistful and sweet and delivered wonderfully. I realized, as I listened to this track, that I had been smiling from the start of the album. It has not gone away.

What comes next is one of my favorite Jazz standards of all time. Duke Ellington’s famed Caravan co-written by Ellington, Juan Tizol and Irving Mills is perfect. Cliness opens the track with the throaty toms and brings the whole kit to bear as Ritchie swing s the bass alongside. Sarah King nails the vocal performance splendidly with a near-Ella Fitzgerald delivery. I was still thrilling to her over-hardened Rs.

Ritchie’s bass solo runs brightly and warmly andLevin’s piano is spot-on. Beautiful.

Some Other Spring by Arthur Herzog, Jr. is lovely and innocent and compelling. An andante swing casts the image of cool stroll as Levin’s piano creates the oh-so-right atmosphere Ms. King’s gorgeous vocals
.
Our Love is Here to Stay (George & Ira Gershwin) is introduced by Ms. King’s encouraging a cappella before kicking in gear with the trio. The Smoke Kings’ version pulls off a bigger swing and Cliness’ well-seated rim shots and snare rolls add a punch that is welcome indeed.

I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) by Roy Turk and Fred Ahlert is a sweet lament that King presents with anguish and languish but without losing that delightful charm.

The album concludes with Hoagy Carmichael’s Up a Lazy River. The piece opens with vocals, ukulele and piano. A warm and lucid image of just what the title suggests. Then the listener hears the countback and a whole ‘nother thing breaks loose a ripping yarn of fun and merriment. The instrumental passage is catchy and gives all the artists a spin in the spotlight. The smile has remained undimmed.

Some have suggested that Sarah King’s voice is the center of attention and the “star of the show.” While there can be little doubt that she has enhanced what went before, the trio delivers with integrity and aplomb and creates the foundation upon which Ms. King builds. All four artists are integral to the finished sound.

Sarah King and The Smoke Rings are a treasure. Here's to the lucky New Yorkers who get to enjoy them weekly.https://travisrogersjr.weebly.com/music-reviews/sarah-king-and-the-smoke-rings-bring-back-the-swingand-the-fun

Sarah King & The Smoke Rings

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Chris Ingham Quartet / Mark Crooks - Stan

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
Time: 59:20
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 56,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. Ballad for Leo
(3:59) 2. Split Kick
(3:57) 3. When the World Was Young
(4:15) 4. Signal
(5:16) 5. Vivo Sonhando
(5:27) 6. Windows
(4:19) 7. Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most
(5:08) 8. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(6:32) 9. The Dolphin
(7:41) 10. Detour Ahead
(4:19) 11. Voyage
(3:54) 12. The Peacocks

Enterprising pianist Chris Ingham’s latest project takes a look at the work of tenor sax legend Stan Getz through this excellent collection featuring the superb saxophone sound of Mark Crooks.

Chris Ingham clearly likes to grasp an idea and run with it. His previous sets have examined the work of Hoagy Carmichael and, less predictably, Dudley Moore. (If you have yet to hear it, listen to Ingham’s Dudley CD as a reminder of Dagenham Dud’s skill as a jazz composer, arranger and performer before his transformation into Hollywood hearththrob.) Unlike Ingham’s two previous subjects, Getz was not a composer and so this disc has a vast range of tunes recorded by the saxophonist over his 45 year career from which to choose.

Any mention of Stan Getz will immediately bring out words from aficionados about ‘rich tone’ and ‘Lester Young’, so the choice of horn player is critical. Mark Crooks proves an excellent choice for the role here. From roots at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and the Guildhall, Crooks has established himself as one of the go-to instrumentalists for the likes of the John Wilson Orchestra. His luscious sound and apparently effortless phrasing suit this repertoire very well, and the recording puts the saxophone front and centre in a most attractive way.

The opening Ballad For Leo opens the door to the set very nicely – starting out of tempo with piano flourishes, finding a mid-tempo groove which then doubles into a scurrying shuffle with Crooks riding along, always interesting but never rushed, dropping in the odd double density note in the manner of a footballer nutmegging his opponent to show how much he has in reserve. Horace Silver’s Split Kick shows the band in fine classic swinging form with Arnie Somogyi, surely one our finest bass players, holding down the beat in great form.

Getz was a particularly fine ballad player, and slower tunes are well represented here. When The World Was Young is a masterclass in the art of ultra-slow jazz with the band finding myriad ways to keep up the accompaniment without getting in the way of Crooks’ solo. Later in the album Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most is presented as a sax/piano duet which brought me up short, a startling and finely wrought display of emotional yet reserved music making, economical yet extremely expressive.

Many people first heard Stan Getz in his bossa nova collaborations with Astrid Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It’s only natural that this album should feature some bossa, and Ingham has chosen well. We don’t get the most well-known pieces, no Desafinado or Girl From Ipanema. Instead the featured tunes include Vivo Sonhando, a Jobim composition from 1962 first recorded by Os Cariocas and picked up for the classic Getz/Gilberto album of 1964. Luiz Eça’s The Dolphin also gets a welcome outing, with George Double’s fine and delicate drumwork offering a shimmering background. Double finally gets to step forward on Kenny Barron’s Voyage for some solo breaks, and Somogyi is similarly rewarded with solo space on Detour Ahead
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Chris Ingham and his cohort are touring their Stan show this year, so look out for them at a jazz club near you (particularly if you live in Suffolk!). If you can’t see the performance, then this CD is both a fine reminder of the distinguished work of Stan Getz and yet another quality indicator of our fine home-grown talent.By Mark McKergow https://londonjazznews.com/2019/01/28/cd-review-chris-ingham-quartet-featuring-mark-crooks-stan/

Personnel: Chris Ingham: (piano); Mark Crooks: (saxofone tenor); Arnie Somogyi: (baixo); George Double: (bateria)

Stan

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George Evans - Bewitched

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2006
Time: 59:13
File: MP3 @320
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. You're Gonna Hear From Me
(4:59) 2. Don't Be That Way
(5:35) 3. Bewitched
(4:05) 4. To The Ends Of The Earth
(2:38) 5. Believe It, Beloved
(4:52) 6. Watch What Happens
(5:23) 7. Lazy Afternoon
(3:44) 8. You Leave Me Breathless
(4:09) 9. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:19) 10. La Belle Vie - The Good Life
(5:03) 11. In Love In Vain
(5:54) 12. All Too Soon
(5:08) 13. Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life

Singer George Evans has made a strong impression first in Canada and then in the US through his CDs and his live performances. Evans, who was born in the US, relocated to Montreal from New York in 1991. The pasture was greener in Canada and Evans made a mark in radio before he hit the live circuit. His growing reputation as a fine interpreter of songs was cemented with the release of his first album, Moodswing (M-Swing, 1997).Evans sits in a comfortable niche between jazz and cabaret. His vocal technique is carved to bring out the best of both, and he makes sure his CDs have a generous helping of the styles. Bewitched is no exception.The CD grew from three sessions. The main, comprising six of the tracks, was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for their radio program Jazz Beat, in 2004. Two of the songs come from 2002. They were to appear on a CD which was aborted following the death of drummer Jerry Fuller.

The remaining tunes were recorded while touring Canada. Evans opens appropriately with "You're Gonna hear From Me", swinging in briskly. His inflections and the way he shapes the words weave a spell that is extended by the band, particularly Michael Stuart. He brings an undeniable character to his playing, flowing freely as he does here, or hewing close to Evans as he scats on "Don't Be That Way.Another bright spark is lit on the lilting "You Leave Me Breathless". Evans dips into the marrow of the lyrics, swinging deliciously while Reg Schwager adds the depth. He is a loquacious guitarist who constantly weaves fascinating tapestries, on this track as on many others. Evans closes with a warm ballad, "Tonight May Have to Last me All My Life". He is at the top of his calling, his singing deeply impassioned, his voice wistful and awash with hurt.Evans and his outstanding band work in close harmony to bring songs from that Great American Songbook to life. And to leave the listener bewitched.

Personnel: George Evans: vocals; Nancy Walker: piano; Mark Eisenman: piano; Steve Wallace: bass; Neil Swainson: bass; Archie Alleyne: drums; Jerry Fuller: drums; Reg Schwager: guitar; Michael Stuart: tenor sax.

Bewitched

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Randy Sandke and the Buck Clayton Legacy - All The Cats Join In

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:36
Size: 179.9 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 1994/2007
Art: Front

[6:46] 1. All The Cats Join In
[4:54] 2. Come Again
[6:07] 3. Buckin' The Blues
[7:14] 4. Lester Leaps In
[3:22] 5. Fiesta In Blue
[5:17] 6. Toot Sweet
[7:47] 7. Christopher Columbus
[4:34] 8. Blue And Sentimental
[6:22] 9. Professor Jazz
[7:02] 10. Jumpin' At The Woodside
[6:15] 11. Robbins Nest
[4:53] 12. Top Brass
[7:59] 13. Lean Baby

Randy Sandke - trumpet; Harry Allen - tenor sax; Danny Moss - tenor sax; Antti Sarpila - clarinet, saxes; Jerry Tilitz - trombone; Brian Dee - piano; Len Skeat - bass; Oliver Jackson - drums. Recorded on November 17 and 18, 1993 at Birdland Studio, Hamburg.

Since his emergence in the mid-'80s, Randy Sandke has been one of the top swing-oriented trumpeters in jazz. His older brother Jordan (himself a fine trumpeter) introduced Randy to the many styles of jazz. In 1968 he formed a rock band with Michael Brecker that featured a horn section and they played at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. However, Sandke had to turn down the opportunity to join Janis Joplin's band due to a hernia in his throat. Although an operation corrected the problem, Sandke's loss of confidence resulted in him deciding to take up the guitar and he worked in New York as a guitarist for the next decade. Finally, he was persuaded to take up the trumpet again and Sandke spent five years with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, worked regularly with Bob Wilber, and he was a part of Benny Goodman's last band during 1985-1986. Since that time Sandke has worked and recorded with Buck Clayton, Michael Brecker, the Newport All-Stars, Jon Hendricks, Ralph Sutton, Kenny Davern, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, the World's Greatest Jazz Band, Mel Tormé, and Joe Williams among many others, touring Europe over 20 times. In addition, he has recorded several impressive albums as a leader for Jazzology and Concord. ~bio by Scott Yanow

All The Cats Join In

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Reg Schwager - Senza Resa

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 72:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:26) 1. Another Happening
( 6:08) 2. Rushbrooke
( 5:18) 3. 4jt
( 6:24) 4. The Orient
( 5:36) 5. Tender Love
( 8:44) 6. Blues For Josie
( 7:31) 7. Black Horse
( 6:05) 8. Squagels
( 8:53) 9. Cat From Katmandu
(12:12) 10. Blues For Josie Rose (Live)

Even though Canada's admirable Schwager/Oliver Quintet carefully dots every "I" and crosses every "T" on Senza Resa, something else seems to be missing, and that something could be a clear sense of purpose. This is an album on which everyone plays well, the songs are by and large respectable, and yet the whole somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

That defect could be ascribed in part to the choice of material, nine original compositions (one of which is repeated) that are pleasant enough when uncoupled but leave the overall impression of a group of first-rate musicians who decided for reasons of their own and with no special purpose in mind to come together in a studio and record an album. That is not to say there is not a lot to like here; how could it be otherwise with musicians as savvy and talented as guitarist Reg Schwager and woodwind specialist Ryan Oliver presiding over a rhythm section comprised of keyboardist Nick Peck, bassist Rene Worst and drummer Ernesto Cervini.

Among the songs, Cervini's groovy, bop-flavored "Squagels" (on which Schwager offers one of his best solos) is perhaps the pick of the litter, with Peck's sunny "4JT" and Oliver's "Blues for Josie Rose" vying for runner-up honors. "Josie Rose" was recorded twice, in the studio and (two days before) for a live audience. Oliver (on tenor sax) is especially impressive on "Squagels," as is Peck on acoustic piano. Oliver plays flute on "Another Happening" and the ballad "Tender Love," soprano sax on "The Cat from Katmandu," tenor the rest of the way, while Peck plays organ on "Happening" and "Katmandu," electric piano on "Black Horse" and Schwager's attractive "Rushbrooke."

While Worst and Cervini don't solo often, they make the most of their few chances, with Cervini notably effective (with brushes and sticks) on "Squagels" and "Josie Rose." Meanwhile, Schwager and Oliver do their thing, which means soloing with alacrity and perception. As touched on earlier, there is a lot to admire and appreciate on Senza Resa an Italian phrase that translates as "no surrender"even though the finished product may seem to some ears a step or so removed from special.By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/senza-reza-reg-schwager-celler-live

Personnel: Reg Schwager - Guitars; Ryan Oliver - Tenor, Soprano saxophones & flute.; Nick Peck - Keyboards; Rene Worst - Upright and electric bass; Ernesto Cervini - Drums

Senza Resa

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Konstantin Klashtorni - Smoothing

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Year: 2008
Time: 52:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 120,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:44) 1. Stylish Walk
(5:12) 2. Smoothing
(4:34) 3. Autum's Edge
(4:20) 4. Walking Away
(4:37) 5. Chica Timida
(5:05) 6. Spinning Along
(4:58) 7. Silky Way
(4:57) 8. Words Of Love
(3:48) 9. Fresh Feeling
(4:49) 10. Drive Me Home
(5:29) 11. Let's Chill

The name of Konstantin Klashtorni has already received excellent reviews from critics in the smooth jazz genre. Both hisbut and his second album were a critically acclaimed by radio programmers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Kostantin is maturing very quickly as a producer and writer, while his already strong skills as a saxophone player are continuing to improve and diversify. "Smoothing" is an attractive collection of commercial smooth jazz, where all sides of this type of music are presented in the best possible way.

Keep an eye on Konstantin's music in the near future as well, since it is quickly becoming a standard to write and play by the smooth jazz format. Musicians: Konstantin - saxophones,flute,keys,programming Adir Kochavi - trumpet-flugel Yerman Aponte - bass guitar 'Gibi' Hubert Lourens - drums Alex Yarosh - guitars Arienne Groenewoud - expect backing vocals Ivo Stuivenberg - vocals - very previous reviews: I've been shot. You need to go no further than Konstantin's website to find out about the man and his music and buy this CD.

I've run out of superlatives to use about this album. I don't believe it - you won't believe it - you have to hear it. -Chris Mann - Smooth-Jazz.de- Listening to this CD (Downtown) still gives me goose bumps. I get such an awesome feeling listening to all the tracks. He's bound for greatness on this side of the Atlantic. By Mike James - Smoothjazzandmore.com

Smoothing

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Lara Louise - Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 39:58
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 40,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:53) 1. Speak Low
(3:43) 2. Fever
(3:51) 3. Blue Velvet
(3:08) 4. Mon amant de St. Jean
(2:37) 5. It Could Happen To You
(2:50) 6. You Better Go Now
(2:14) 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(2:50) 8. My Romance
(3:40) 9. The Very Thought Of You
(2:43) 10. J'ai le coeur aussi grand
(2:42) 11. But Beautiful
(2:44) 12. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)
(2:57) 13. Moonlight Becomes You

Lara Louise’s sultry voice has been heard all over the world, her recordings having been streamed over twenty-five million times on Spotify and Youtube. Growing up in the Netherlands, Lara started out as a folk musician before making the transition to jazz and bossa nova. She sings mostly in English and French, with an emphasis on the classic American songbook from the 30s to the 60s.

Together with producer and multi-instrumentalist Gawain Mathews, she is working on her next album of jazz standards. Lara plays regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and is available for private events. https://lara-louise.com/bio

Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

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Cannonball Adderley Quartet - Cannonball Takes Charge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:53
Size: 122,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. If This Isn't Love
(5:34)  2. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(4:16)  3. Serenata
(3:39)  4. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
(7:03)  5. Barefoot Sunday Blues
(5:10)  6. Poor Butterfly
(6:55)  7. I Remember You
(7:48)  8. Barefoot Sunday Blues - Alternate Take
(6:52)  9. I Remember You - Alternate Take

The recording of Cannonball Takes Charge was sandwiched in between two events that would help earn Cannonball Adderley a permanent place in jazz lore. Just the day before the album’s first session, he participated in the completion of Miles Davis’s seminal Kind of Blue. Five months after Cannonball Takes Charge was finished, he had Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews record his newly formed quintet at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco which helped launch his career as one of the leading proponents of “soul jazz.” But what about the album made in between these two momentous occasions? Cannonball Takes Charge ’s concept was a common one: the altoist is the lone horn in a quartet performing a program made up primarily of standards. The results are anything but routine though, and show that 1959 was a very good year for Cannonball Adderley.  The opening tune, “If This Isn’t Love,” kicks off the proceedings on an ebullient note with Adderley playing an infectious solo that can brighten even the gloomiest day.

Things reach a more melancholic note only on “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry” which features a fine ballad performance by the alto saxophonist. “Barefoot Sunday Blues,” the lone original composition, points to the gospel and soul-inflected jazz that would become Adderley’s calling card. The final selection, “I Remember You,” produces his finest performance on the album. Adderley is able to coax a five-chorus improvisation out of the standard’s changes that is always interesting and full of romantic lyricism. On the piano bench is Wynton Kelly who plays with the utmost of taste throughout. He makes his best impression when he dips in to a more earthy vibe on his last solo chorus of “Barefoot Sunday Blues” and in his work on “Poor Butterfly.” Joining Adderley and Kelly are Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb on four tracks, and Percy and Albert Heath on the rest. As an added bonus, this 2002 CD reissue adds alternate takes of “Barefoot Sunday Blues” and “I Remember You” that are well worth listening to. Adderley would rarely revisit the territory he covered in Cannonball Takes Charge in the years to come. His subsequent work on Riverside increasingly began to follow a formula: albums recorded live with the altoist’s working band. In 1961 though, Adderley would record another quartet album, Know What I Mean? , in which he managed to surpass the lofty heights achieved on Cannonball Takes Charge. ~ Robert Gilbert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cannonball-takes-charge-julian-cannonball-adderley-capitol-records-review-by-robert-gilbert.php

Personnel: Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone; Wynton Kelly - piano; Paul Chambers, Percy Heath - bass; Jimmy Cobb, Albert Heath - drums

Cannonball Takes Charge

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Steve Miller - Born 2B Blue

Styles: Jazz Rock
Year: 1988
Time: 42:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:11) 1. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
(3:35) 2. Ya Ya
(4:58) 3. God Bless The Child
(2:48) 4. Filthy McNasty
(5:23) 5. Born To Be Blue
(4:48) 6. Mary Ann
(4:02) 7. Just A Little Bit
(4:35) 8. When Sunny Gets Blue
(5:11) 9. Willow Weep For Me
(2:31) 10. Red Top

Born 2B Blue

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Babbba - Groovy Things

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2024
Time: 39:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:14) 1. Show me your skills
(5:05) 2. Soft groove
(7:50) 3. Do it for me
(4:02) 4. Simple thoughts
(3:39) 5. Summer rain
(5:34) 6. This train won't stop
(3:15) 7. Timiditate
(3:15) 8. Bar is closing
(4:00) 9. Unstoppable

Groovy Things

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Joe Williams, Count Basie - Greatest! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:46
Size: 80,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:18)  1. Thou Swell
(2:49)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:37)  3. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(2:35)  4. 'S Wonderful
(2:24)  5. My Baby Just Cares for Me
(3:54)  6. Nevertheless
(2:25)  7. Singin' in the Rain
(3:05)  8. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(2:27)  9. A Fine Romance
(3:58) 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(2:37) 11. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
(2:32) 12. This Can't Be Love

When it comes to accompanying a singer, there is probably no better jazz orchestra than the Count Basie Band. They swing so hard, that no matter who is singing with them, they seem to find a way to prop up even the best of jazz stylists. Such is the case with Joe Williams, a singer who should need no formal introduction to jazz fans. Williams' deep and rich tone is immediately recognizable and is, indeed, one of the great voices the idiom has produced. On THE GREATEST!!, Buddy Bregman's arrangements can often be angular and edgy. Other times, especially on the ballads, his arrangements are soft, mellow and lush. For example, on "My Baby Just Cares For Me," the brass shoots razor-sharp notes against a canvas of swingin' reeds. 

In contrast, on "Nevertheless," the music is serene and romantic, wistful and sentimental. Highlights on this album include the diverse and familiar "Singin' In the Rain," "A Fine Romance," and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me."
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1177317&style=music&fulldesc=T

Personnel: Count Basie (piano, organ); Joe Williams (vocals); Buddy Bregman (arranger); Marshall Royal (alto saxophone, clarinet); Bill Graham (alto saxophone); Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Thad Jones, Reunald Jones, Wendell Culley (trumpet); Henry Coker, Bill Hughes, Ben Powell (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums).

Greatest! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards

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Yoichi Murata, Ivan Lins - Janeiro

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 128.7 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Setembro
[6:25] 2. Closer
[3:56] 3. Desesperar Jamais
[5:12] 4. Cross The Rubicon
[6:25] 5. Rei Do Carnaval
[4:16] 6. Rio De Maio
[5:42] 7. Janeiro
[3:12] 8. Sentimental Friends
[6:12] 9. Decisão Serena
[6:12] 10. Pontos Cardeais
[5:10] 11. Cadeira No Parque

Renowned as a carioca songwriter, vocalist, and pianist, Ivan Lins recorded several albums for EMI Brasil and Reprise, as well as writing Brazilian standards. Born in 1945, Lins came to fame in Brazil in 1970 when Elis Regina recorded his song "Magdalena" for a hit. His worldwide debut, A Noite, appeared in 1979. Lins' most famous composition, "Love Dance" ("Lembrança"), has been recorded by dozens of jazz artists, including Kenny Burrell, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, Mark Murphy, George Benson, Diane Schuur, and James Blood Ulmer. Other noted songs by Lins ("The Island," "Comecar de Novo," "Dona Palmeira," "Nocturna") have been recorded by artists including Airto Moreira, Herbie Mann, and Terence Blanchard. ~ John Bush

Janeiro

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Gene Bertoncini & Jack Wilkins - Just The Two Of Us

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2000
Time: 72:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 164,8 MB
Art: Front

(9:16) 1. Lover Man
(9:37) 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
(8:39) 3. Cry Me A River
(6:40) 4. Gone With The Wind
(3:35) 5. Spring Is Here
(8:11) 6. Manha De Carnival
(7:24) 7. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(5:51) 8. Here's That Rainy Day
(6:33) 9. Embraceable You
(6:10) 10. The Shadow Of Your Smile

Chiaroscuro Records continues please jazz fans by recording and releasing live performances from the annual Floating Jazz Festival. This session brings together two of the more accomplished contemporary jazz guitar players. Gene Bertoncini is comfortable in the duo setting having made several well-known recordings with long time associate bassist Michael Moore. Jack Wilkins who may not be as well known, is no stranger to the duo guitar arrangement, having worked with Jimmy Bruno in a twosome guitar setting.

The program is made up of familiar, romantic standards. But the major role these tunes have is to provide the harmonic, chordal structure for these two pros to do some very imaginative improvisation. It could have been any set of musical pieces and the results and they are excellent would not have been all that different. These artists feed off each other's ideas and those ideas never get stale. They return to the melody line from time to time just to remind the listener what they're playing. Hear them on the old war-horse "Cry Me a River" where they offer mutual challenges to better than what went on before.

The playing is, as one would expect, intimate. But the word "intimate" is used more in the sense of comradely rather than soft and personal. While some cuts are delicate, others are boldly performed, such as the up tempo version of "Gone with the Wind." There's a bit of cleverness here as "A Night in Tunisia" in worked in to "The Shadow of Your Smile.".strange musical bed fellows indeed, but pulled off with aplomb. On the aforementioned gentle side, "Here's That Rainy Day" starts as a lovely baroque like sonata before it seques into a flowing conversation between the two.

Chiaroscuro shows its usual generosity by extending the playing time beyond 70 minutes. Kudos must also go to the audience who were obviously quietly attentive throughout the set making no extraneous noises. This is a good album by two of the best in the business and is recommended. By Dave Nathan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/just-the-two-of-us-gene-bertoncini-chiaroscuro-records-review-by-dave-nathan

Personnel: Gene Bertoncini: guitar; Jack Wilkins: guitar.

Just The Two Of Us

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