Natalie Jacob - Sooner or Later

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 45:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 104,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:43) 1. Exactly Like You
(4:57) 2. Wave
(4:47) 3. I Could Write A Book
(4:11) 4. Smile
(4:12) 5. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
(3:25) 6. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
(5:42) 7. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)
(5:14) 8. I've Got You Under My Skin
(4:01) 9. Sooner or Later
(4:53) 10. No More Blues (Chega De Saudade)

Sooner Or Later is jazz vocalist Natalie Jacob's debut release. It is a refreshing addition to the jazz landscape, blending classic Great American Songbook tunes and bossa nova standards. Produced by Grammy Award winner Scotty Barnhart, the album benefits from the contributions of an outstanding ensemble, including Barnhart on trumpet, pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Carlitos del Puerto, drummer Clayton Cameron and percussionist Kevin Winard. This all-star lineup created a rich backdrop for Jacob's compelling vocal interpretations.

Using songs from her live performances gave Jacob an easy familiarity with the material, and it shows from the opening number, "Exactly Like You." With an arrangement by the swinging and sensitive pianist Hendelman, Jacob delivers the lyrics in an attentive hand-in-glove fashion. Both Barnhart and Hendelman offer clear and definitive solos. The first of the Antonio Carlos Jobim numbers is "Wave," on which the percussionist Winard lays down the soothing boss nova rhythm on which Jacob covers the lyrics with a sunny and gently sailing delivery.

Brooks Bowman's classic "East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon) has an ingenious charm driven by the Del Puerto opening bass line that leads into the rhythm section's groove. Jacob uses her voice as an instrument of empathy and intimacy, delivering the lyrics with composure. Jacob, who has French-Canadian heritage and has spent time in Montreal, Canada, brings her bilingual skills to bear on Jobim's "Corcovado," singing in English and French with her nuanced phrasing shining through. The collaboration with percussionist Kevin Winard and guitarist Anthony Wilson is particularly noteworthy as their expressive playing complements Jacob's vocals perfectly.

The irrepressible Cole Porter wrote the swinging gem "I've Got You Under My Skin." The rhythm section of Hendelman, Del Puerto and Cameron lays a harmonic foundation and flexible groove which supports Jacob's vibrant vocal lines.

The title track, "Sooner Or Later," is a Stephen Sondheim creation done in a bluesy style. With Barnhart's muted trumpet in the background, Jacob shows she has an emotional connection to the lyrics, infusing them with a contemporary freshness. Jobim's "No More Blues" (Chega De Saudade) closes the session joyfully. Backed by the full ensemble's stellar contribution, Jacob's vocals have an unerring sense of swing and bustling with vital energy. By Pierre Giroux
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sooner-or-later-natalie-jacob-self-produced

Personnel: Natalie Jacob on vocal, Scotty Barnhart on Trumpet, pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, drummer Clayton Cameron, and percussionist Kevin Winard.

Sooner or Later

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Charles Lloyd - Trios: Ocean

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:23
Size: 95,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:19) 1. The Lonely One (Live)
( 8:53) 2. Hagar of the Inuits (Live)
(10:03) 3. Jaramillo Blues(Live)
(10:08) 4. Kuan Yin (Live)

Ocean is the second volume in saxophonist Charles Lloyd's 2022 Trios series, all recorded with different personnel. This one finds Anthony Wilson on guitar and Gerald Clayton on piano. Both men are members of his Kindred Spirits ensemble. The set was livestreamed during the pandemic on September 9, 2020 from the stage of the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California sans audience. Lloyd has spent his career integrating jazz, blues, and American styles with the music of other global traditions. One of his qualities is that no matter how far afield he travels, his clear, emotive tone keeps the music, no matter how exotic, readily and honestly accessible.

There are four long tunes here, all originals by Lloyd. Opener "The Lonely One" commences with spectral resonance as the tenor emits long breathy notes, Clayton builds sparse minor shapes as Wilson delivers soft, flamenco-esque arpeggios. After two minutes, Lloyd's horn introduces another theme that winds around the guitar as Clayton flows purposefully and distinctly around them with a deeply inquisitive solo. Moods and dynamics shift, shorter accents and solos emerge and retreat, and the band gels around Lloyd's mysterious, Latin-tinged modal assertions.

The saxophonist pulls out his mostly neglected alto in "Hagar of the Inuits." He improvises solo for a couple of minutes before a call-and-response exchange with Clayton whose knotty chords deliberately draw on Monk before Lloyd quotes briefly from John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and Wilson slips in spiky blues runs dictating the pianist's shift to a 21st century take on boogie woogie. "Jaramillo Blues (For Virginia Jaramillo and Danny Johnson)" was composed for two artists she's a painter,he's a sculptor. Lloyd leads this swinging 12-bar blues with the flute. Wilson's chordal vamps bridge Clayton's rhythmic keyboard. It's bright, with lots of subtle movement and tonal shading underneath. The sequential exchanges and turnarounds between pianist and guitarist are canny. Wilson's massive wall of shapes offers abundant textural support for Clayton's punchy, walking chordal solo. He seamlessly shifts to comping as the guitarist offers an elegantly articulated solo that touches on the jazz guitar's history from Charlie Christian to T-Bone Walker to Jim Hall.

Lloyd rejoins for the last few minutes as the conversation becomes sprightly and jovial. Closer "Kuan Yin" is titled for the Chinese goddess of mercy and compassion she is known as Tara in Tibetan Buddhism. Clayton introduces it by playing percussively, dampening the lower strings from inside the piano. He follows by establishing a minor-key rhumba rhythm with Wilson before Lloyd tentatively introduces the melody. Before long, he ratchets its intensity as the pianist cascades single-note runs and illustrative chords with colorful, gorgeously toned rhythmic articulation from the guitarist. Behind Lloyd they build to a dynamic group crescendo before whispering to a fade. Ocean offers a document of spontaneously created music-making of a very high order. A snapshot of a moment in time, the energy, creativity, and surprise offered here are a delight. By Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/trios-ocean-mw0003770629

Personnel: Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Flute – Charles Lloyd; Guitar – Anthony Wilson; Piano – Gerald Clayton

Trios: Ocean

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The Anthony Wilson Trio - Jack of Hearts

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 134,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:45)  1. Mezcal
(5:47)  2. Jack of Hearts
(5:44)  3. Hawkeyes
(7:43)  4. Carnegie Blues
(8:10)  5. Theme from Chinatown
(4:24)  6. Vida Perdida Acabou
(4:58)  7. Orange Crate Art
(4:09)  8. Harajuku
(7:36)  9. Zweet Zurzday
(5:49) 10. Homecoming

Jack of Hearts isn't the first Anthony Wilson album to feature an organist extensively; for example, he worked with the Los Angeles-based organist Joe Bagg on his 2005 release Savivity. But the guitarist has worked with acoustic pianists more often than organists (at least as of 2009), and Jack of Hearts is unusual in that it finds Wilson not using a pianist at all. On this early 2009 session, Wilson forms an intimate trio with Larry Goldings on organ and Jeff Hamilton or Jim Keltner on drums. 

In the '90s and 2000s, Goldings was one of the leading proponents of a post-Jimmy Smith aesthetic on the Hammond B-3. Goldings has been greatly influenced by the late Larry Young, who started out as a Smith disciple but evolved into an innovative, distinctive post-bop/modal player and went down in history as "The John Coltrane of the Organ." Of course, Goldings is not a clone of Young; he is most certainly his own person, but he shares Young's love of post-bop. So it isn't surprising that Goldings does a lot to shape the post-bop perspective that dominates Jack of Hearts. 

His presence is a major plus on material that was composed by Goldings and/or Wilson, and it is a major plus on memorable arrangements of Coleman Hawkins' "Hawkeyes" and two of Duke Ellington's lesser-known pieces ("Zweet Zursday" and "Carnegie Blues"). The fact that neither of those Ellington tunes is a standard speaks well of Wilson, who is smart enough to realize that one of the joys of the vast Ellington songbook is hearing all of the worthwhile Ellington compositions that didn't become standards. Jack of Hearts is a consistently engaging addition to Wilson's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/jack-of-hearts-mw0000821393

Personnel: Anthony Wilson (guitar); Larry Goldings (celesta); Jeff Hamilton , Jim Keltner (drums).

Jack of Hearts

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Diana Krall - Christmas Songs

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Christmas
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:50
Size: 103,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. Jingle Bells
(4:01)  2. Let It Snow
(4:23)  3. The Christmas Song
(3:14)  4. Winter Wonderland
(3:07)  5. I'll Be Home for Christmas
(3:34)  6. Christmas Time Is Here
(2:53)  7. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
(4:19)  8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
(4:32)  9. White Christmas
(4:10) 10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
(3:27) 11. Sleigh Ride
(3:40) 12. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

On her first full-length Christmas album, pianist/vocalist Diana Krall delivers a smoky, sophisticated, and slightly melancholy album perfectly suited to accompany egg nog cocktails and romantic afterglow holiday affairs. Although there isn't anything unexpected on Christmas Songs Irving Berlin's "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" is as close to obscure as it gets Krall coos life into such standards as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." It also doesn't hurt that she gains top-notch support from the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, whose urbane arrangements help bring to mind similar works by such iconic vocalists as Nat King Cole, June Christy, and Frank Sinatra. But it's not all deep sighs and bedroom eyes; on the contrary, Krall keeps things swinging with such uptempo numbers as the joyous "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland," and the Blossom Dearie-inflected "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." If you like your holiday albums cool and classy, Christmas Songs is a stocking stuffer that's sure to please. 

~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-songs-mw0000703424

Personnel:  Diana Krall - piano, vocals, arranger

The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra: Jeff Hamilton - drums; Robert Hurst - upright bass; Anthony Wilson - guitar; Gerald Clayton - piano on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"; Tamir Hendelman - piano on "Sleigh Ride", fender rhodes on "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve"; Jeff Clayton - alto saxophone, flute; Keith Fiddmont - alto saxophone, clarinet; Rickey Woodard - tenor saxophone solos, clarinet; Charles Owens - tenor saxophone, clarinet; Adam Schroeder - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Rick Baptist - trumpet

Christmas Songs

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Chris Botti - December

Styles: Trumpet, Christmas
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:14
Size: 105,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. The Christmas Song
(2:50)  2. First Noel
(4:03)  3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
(3:04)  4. Hallelujah
(2:43)  5. Perfect Day
(4:09)  6. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
(3:10)  7. O Little Town of Bethlehem
(3:08)  8. Winter Wonderland
(3:05)  9. Little Drummer Boy
(2:01) 10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
(3:16) 11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
(4:59) 12. Silent Night
(4:07) 13. I'll Be Home for Christmas

Season's Greetings from Chris Botti
There are two broad categories of Jazz seasonal discs. One, represented well by Wynton Marsalis' A Crescent City Christmas Card (Sony Special Products 28812, 2002), Oscar Peterson's An Oscar Peterson Christmas (Telarc Jazz 83372, 1995), and Harry Allen's Christmas In Swingtime (Koch Jazz 51409, 2001) are serious, straight-ahead jazz offerings. These recordings will certainly appeal to all jazz fans but perhaps not to the uninitiated. At the other end of the spectrum are Kenny Gorelick's Miracles: The Holiday Album (Arista 18767, 1994), David Benoit's Remembering Christmas (GRP 9852, 1996), and Dave Koz's A Smooth Jazz Christmas (Capitol 33837, 2001), each which sold a sleigh-full of copies and appealed to listeners across all genre lines. Framed like this one could surmise that this is a juxtaposition of mainstream, serious jazz against the backdrop of a more pop-oriented brand of jazz. One would be correct. Having listened to all with some measure of enjoyment and endorsement, this listener has been hoping for recordings that fall somewhere between the two. This type of holiday offering would be lush and attractive as the latter recordings are, yet challenging to the listener in places as the former recordings are. Trumpeter Chris Botti's holiday gift, December, pretty well fits this bill. There is a little something here for everyone. First, this recording could have been entitled, "With Strings," making it similar to Scott Hamilton's recent holiday recording Scott Hamilton with Strings Christmas Love song (Concord Jazz 4771, 1997). 

The strings are tastefully arranged and provide Botti's warm open-bell tone with a plush foundation. Botti also sings. Much has been made in comparing Botti with another trumpeter/vocalist, Chet Baker. Botti's trumpet tone is full, demonstrative, friendly, and sexy. Chet Baker's tone was not. While neither is what I would call an outstanding singer, Botti does infuse his vocals with sincerity and warmth as experienced on Richard Marx's (who also produced the recording) "Perfect Day" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. His horn does the rest of the talking on a Bossa "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," a Crescent City "Walking in a Winter Wonderland," and a James Brown funky "Little Drummer Boy." Botti is plaintive on "The first Noel" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem." He plays these with feeling and empathy. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a provocative duet with guitarist Heitor Pereira and recalls Messiah. The disc contains surprises also. In addition to the very appropriate "Perfect Day," Botti also covers Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" beautifully. Botti challenges us with "Drummer Boy" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." He soothes us with "the Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."Each year, I give Holiday Recordings as gifts. This year, it will be Chris Botti's December. ~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/december-chris-botti-columbia-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Chris Botti: trumpet, vocals; Billy Childs: keyboards; Anthony Wilson: guitars; Bob Sheppard: saxophones, flute; Jimmy Haslip: bass; Peter Erskine: drums; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums.

December

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Jay Lawrence - Sonic Paragon

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:13
Size: 200,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:38)  1. Full Moon in Havana
(5:07)  2. What'll I Do
(7:31)  3. Vamonos
(7:06)  4. Slide
(5:38)  5. Maria
(6:51)  6. Dayspring
(4:18)  7. From Nadir to Zenith
(6:26)  8. Sonic Paragon
(5:16)  9. Tchoupitoulas
(5:58) 10. Golden Ratio
(4:41) 11. Crosstown Traffic
(5:39) 12. My Winsome Consort

"Drummer Jay Lawrence gathered together an impressive all-star group to perform swinging originals (all but one are his with one being co-written) and inventive versions of two standards and Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic” (turned into a straight ahead uptempo romp). The colorful music covers a variety of moods and tempos ranging from the rhythmically catchy “Tchoupitoulas” and the cheerful “My Winsome Consort” to an infectious modernized version of “Maria.” Among the most memorable moments are Renee Rosnes’ sly Monkish solo on “My Winsome Consort,” Terrell Stafford’s riotous plunger mute chorus on “Slide,” Romero Lubambo pushing the rhythm on “Maria,” and the leader’s drum breaks on the Latinish “Vamonos.” Harry Allen’s tenor is a major part of the group’s sound throughout, the three guitarists each have spots to shine, and how can one beat John Patitucci on bass? Sonic Paragon is worthy of many listens; there is a lot to discover in this music."~ Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books

Jay Lawrence, (freelance musician, composer, educator) operates LIJA Music Inc., is the percussionist for the MT Pit Orchestra, co-owns the Jazz Hang record label with colleague Ray Smith, and is the drummer for the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. Lawrence graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor of Science degree - Summa Cum Laude. He has been a member of the adjunct faculties at Brigham Young University (1996 to present), University of Utah (24 years), Snow College (1998 to present), and other Universities. His vast professional experience began when Lawrence joined The Musicians Union (A. F. of M.) at the age of fifteen. In Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, Nevada hotel/casino show bands, Jay performed with many celebrities, including: The 5th Dimension, Paul Anka, Vikki Carr, Cher, Roy Clark, The Coasters, Natalie Cole, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr., Barbara Eden, Michael Feinstein, Andy Gibb, Englebert Humperdink, Tom Jones, Ben E. King, Gladys Knight, Rich Little, Loretta Lynn, Ann Margret, Maureen McGovern, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, The Moody Blues, Anthony Newley, Lou Rawls, Charlie Rich, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Jr. and Nancy Sinatra, Red Skelton, Dionne Warwick, Raquel Welch, Mary Wilson, and many others. Former President of the Salt Lake Jazz Society, Lawrence has also performed with many jazz artists, including: Shelly Berg, Brian Bromberg, Kenny Burrell, Cyrus Chestnut, Pete Christlieb, Dee Daniels, Eddie Daniels, Carl Fontana, Al Grey, Don Grolnick, Roy Hargrove, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Carol Kaye, Mark Levine, James Moody, Andy Narell, New York Voices, Nicholas Payton, John Pizzarelli, Tom Scott, Bobby Shew, Byron Stripling, Tierney Sutton, Clark Terry, Stanley Turrentine, and Phil Woods. Many award-winning recordings have been recorded by Jay, including albums with Bob Mintzer, Andy Martin, Joey DeFrancesco, Mike Stern, Eddie Daniels, Chuck Findley, Ellis Hall, Natalie Cole, Rodney Jones, Reggie Thomas, Ron Blake, Rodney Whitaker and others. The Jay Lawrence trio’s Thermal Strut on OA2 Records featured Tamir Hendelman and Lynn Seaton and received critical acclaim in Percussive Notes, Jazz Times, and other magazines. Jay’s 2012 recording, Sweet Lime, released on Jazz Hang Records, reached number 7 on the Jazz Week Radio Airplay charts. It features Bob Sheppard and John Clayton. Lawrence also soloed on Kaskade’s Grammy Nominated album Atmosphere. He has toured throughout the U.S.A., Canada, Europe, the South Pacific and the Caribbean with luminaries such as Chris LeDoux, James Moody, Liberace, Enoch Train, and The Osmonds. Lawrence has recorded film scores and trailers for the following motion pictures: The Sandlot, 101 Dalmatians, Army of Darkness, Double Impact, Eulogy, Flubber, Frank and Jesse, Gettysburg, Hercules, Huck Finn, Jumanji, Mighty Ducks 2, Nightmare on Elm Street- Part VII, Stargate, Surviving Picasso, The Swan Princess, The Three Ninjas Kick Back, U-57, and Saturday's Warrior. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/jaylawrence

Personnel:  Jay Lawrence, drums;  John Patitucci, bass;  Renee Rosnes, piano;  Harry Allen, tenor saxophone;  Terell Stafford, trumpet;  Anthony Wilson, Yotam Silberstein, Romero Lubambo, guitars

Sonic Paragon

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Pat Kelley - Overtones For 2 Guitars

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:46
Size: 139.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[7:05] 1. Stompin' At The Savoy (Feat. Bruce Forman)
[5:20] 2. Full House (Feat. Anthony Wilson)
[5:03] 3. Impulsive Blues (Feat. John Stowell)
[7:33] 4. Body And Soul (Feat. John Pisano)
[5:51] 5. If I Were A Bell (Feat. John Storie)
[7:22] 6. Corcovado (Feat. Frank Potenza)
[7:28] 7. Nobody Else But Me (Feat. Peter Bernstein)
[5:35] 8. How Deep Is The Ocean (Feat. Howard Alden)
[6:02] 9. Emily (Feat. Larry Koonse)
[3:21] 10. Minor Inconvenience

In his wide-ranging career, Pat Kelley has appeared on more than 2,000 sessions as a studio guitarist, he has often performed with his friend George Benson, and he has been on many smooth and pop sets. However one should never underrate his talents as a jazz soloist.

On Overtones 4 Two Guitars, Kelley performs one duet apiece with guitarists Bruce Forman, Anthony Wilson, John Stowell, John Pisano, John Storie, Frank Potenza, Peter Bernstein, Howard Alden and Larry Koonse. The music is comprised of straight ahead renditions of standards (plus an original blues) including such numbers as “Stompin’ At The Savoy,” “Body And Soul,” “Nobody Else But Me” and “How Deep Is The Ocean.” Even with all of the different guitarists involved, there is a strong unity and consistency to the set with each performance swinging, featuring some friendly competition and lots of good vibes and interplay.

Overtones For 2 Guitars mc
Overtones For 2 Guitars zippy

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Terry Gibbs - From Me To You: A Tribute To Lionel Hampton

Size: 153,2 MB
Time: 65:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Midnight Sun (4:08)
02. Blues For Hamp (5:53)
03. Ring Dem Bells (3:49)
04. Moonglow (3:47)
05. Gates Got Rhythm (3:23)
06. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (4:56)
07. From Me To You (7:00)
08. Red Top (5:51)
09. Evil Gal Blues (4:19)
10. Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop (3:57)
11. Two-Finger Boogie Shuffle (3:22)
12. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise (2:15)
13. Star Dust (7:12)
14. Flying Home (5:56)

“No one wants to see a short Jew singing love songs—unless you’re Al Jolson. But rhythm songs? So long as you have a good time it’s OK.” —Terry Gibbs

Trust me, it’s more than just OK and you will have a good time, as vibraphone master Terry Gibbs sings, swings, and generally carouses his way through this tribute to Lionel Hampton. Featuring many of the classic songs usually associated with the late great King of the Vibes, including “Midnight Sun,” “Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop,” and “Evil Gal Blues,” plus some new compositions by Gibbs himself – this record that will make any fan of classic swing smile.

“Ring Dem Bells,” a delicious Duke Ellington romp, takes a joyous trip into the past, with Gibbs’ vocals duetting with the band. Gibbs sings again on a gently nostalgic “Sunny Side of the Street,” and the infectious “Hey! Ba-Ba- Re-Bop,” making one wonder why it’s taken him over five decades years to be recorded as a vocalist again (his last vocal recording was on “Lemon Drop” with Woody Herman, 54 years ago).

Accompanying Gibbs is the quartet of Pete Christlieb on tenor sax, Anthony Wilson on guitar, Mike Melvoin on piano, Dave Carpenter on bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Their playing is solid, especially on their solos.

The album also features guest stars Joey DeFrancesco on organ and bluesy singer Barbara Morrison. DeFrancesco makes his mark on the seriously cool “Blues for Hamp.” (Christlieb and Melvoin are especially strong on this track as well.) It’s a swinging and entirely appropriate tribute, and Gibbs has some of his best moments here with a great solo punctuated by his singing (humming? talking?) along with the groove.

Barbara Morrison’s take on “Evil Gal Blues” (a song first recorded by Dinah Washington) is sultry, soulful, and serious. It’s low-down blues, with Gibbs’ vibes acting as a sympathetic chorus to the powerful vocals and DeFrancesco chiming in to punctuate the “I’m no good for you” message.

Gibbs puts the mallets down in fact if not in spirit for “Two-Finger Boogie Shuffle,” a struttin’ piano duet with Melvoin. Gibbs plays it as advertised, with two fingers, and the result is a cool, syncopated stride that’s pure pleasure.

Whether it’s fast and furious (“The World is Waiting for Sunrise”) or easy and romantic (“Star Dust”), Gibbs and band handle it with class and style— just like Hampton did. I think he’d approve of From Me to You. It truly does capture Hamp’s musicality, swing, and, above all, joy. Bravo, Mr. Gibbs, I think you’ve succeeded in ensuring that your audience has almost as much fun as I’m sure you had recording this. ~Lisa Dornell

Personnel: Terry Gibbs - Vibes, Dave Carpenter - Bass, Michael Melvoin - Piano, Joey DeFrancesco - Organ, Anthony Wilson - Guitar, Jeff Hamilton - Drums, Barbara Morrison, Terry Gibbs - Vocals.

From Me To You

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Willie Nelson - American Classic

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:16
Size: 103.6 MB
Styles: Pop/Country
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:42] 1. The Nearness Of You
[2:49] 2. Fly Me To The Moon
[3:56] 3. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[4:21] 4. If I Had You (Feat. Diana Krall)
[2:55] 5. Ain't Misbehavin'
[4:31] 6. I Miss You So
[3:23] 7. Because Of You
[3:58] 8. Baby It's Cold Outside (Feat. Norah Jones)
[4:33] 9. Angel Eyes
[2:55] 10. On The Street Where You Live
[3:40] 11. Since I Fell For You
[3:28] 12. Always On My Mind

Vocals – Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson; Bass – Christian McBride, Robert Hurst; Drums – Jeff Hamilton, Lewis Nash; Guitar – Anthony Wilson, Willie Nelson; Harmonica – Mickey Raphael; Piano – Diana Krall, Joe Sample, Norah Jones.

When Willie Nelson took the unexpected step of releasing Stardust in 1978, many predicted that the album of popular standards would severely derail the outlaw country singer's career. Confounding the critics, the disc became Nelson's best-selling effort, and spawned a whole subgenre of modern singers covering the classics. Nelson revisited the format with 1994's orchestral Healing Hands of Time and to varying degrees on several other records, but it wasn't until 2009's American Classic that the red-headed stranger delivered an album billed as the true follow-up to Stardust. Released on the venerable Blue Note label, the disc features guest appearances by superstar jazz singers Norah Jones and Diana Krall, but the focus is always placed squarely on Nelson's famously idiosyncratic vocals. American Classic does not feature Nelson's veteran band, but rather a core group of first-call studio jazz cats including Christian McBride on bass, Joe Sample on piano, and Lewis Nash on drums. The resultant sound is smooth, classy, and subtle -- a sonic horse of a different color from the exquisitely ramshackle earthiness that made Stardust so appealing and unusual. On tunes such as the jaunty, gently swinging "On the Street Where You Live" and "Since I Fell for You," which features longtime Nelson cohort Mickey Raphael on bluesy harmonica, Nelson sounds comfortable and in command, gliding effortlessly and soulfully over a great set of tunes played by top-notch pros. ~Pemberton Roach

American Classic

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Curtis Stigers - Secret Heart

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:55
Size: 128,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. How Could A Man Take Such A Fall
(4:53)  2. It's So Hard Living Without You
(4:45)  3. Days Of Wine And Roses
(3:20)  4. Hometown Blues
(6:57)  5. My Foolish Heart
(4:01)  6. You're Driving Me Crazy
(5:00)  7. Secret Heart
(3:29)  8. Down With Love
(5:53)  9. Swingin' Down At 10th & Main
(4:39) 10. Sweet Kentucky Ham
(3:12) 11. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:28) 12. Body And Soul

Some people mistake being jazzy for actually singing jazz. Van Morrison, Anita Baker, Sade, and Sting are all jazzy, but they aren't hardcore jazz singers (which isn't to say that they are not capable of singing straight-ahead jazz Baker, in fact, has done it on occasion). In the early '90s, Curtis Stigers embraced jazzy pop/rock. But when his first Concord Jazz release, Baby Plays Around, came out in 2001, it was clear that he was capable of being more than just jazzy Baby Plays Around was definitely an album of straight-ahead acoustic jazz. And the singer continues in that direction on Secret Heart, his second Concord release. Naturally, some elitist bop snobs will view this album with suspicion their attitude is "once a pop singer, always a pop singer." But such thinking is silly. Stigers once again proves that he is quite capable of singing straight-ahead jazz and he demonstrates that having a pop/rock background doesn't mean that you have to stick to pop/rock all your life. As a jazz singer, Stigers isn't mind-blowing. 

But he's enjoyably swinging on familiar standards like "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home" and "My Foolish Heart." These songs definitely fall into the warhorse category they've been beaten to death over the years. But to his credit, Stigers doesn't limit himself to warhorses. He pleasantly surprises listeners by picking Dave Frishberg's "Sweet Kentucky Ham" and he successfully finds the jazz potential in Steve Earle's "Hometown Blues" and Randy Newman's "It's So Hard Living Without You." Secret Heart won't go down in history as the best vocal jazz album of 2002, but it's a respectable effort that makes one glad to see Stigers traveling in a jazz-oriented direction. ~ Alex Henderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/secret-heart-mw0000217885

Personnel: Curtis Stigers (vocals, tenor saxophone); Anthony Wilson (guitar); Gilbert Castellanos (trumpet); Larry Goldings (piano); Jeff Hamilton (drums).

Secret Heart

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Anthony Wilson - Adult Themes

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 68:21

Size: 156.5 MB

Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz

Year: 1999

Art: Front

[ 4:18] 1. Barry's Tune

[ 3:54] 2. Maxine

[ 4:36] 3. Chorale

[11:15] 4. Idle Blues

[ 7:25] 5. Invention In Blue

[ 3:32] 6. Because

[ 7:02] 7. Danny Boy

[ 1:44] 8. Unfinished Situation

[10:06] 9. Impermanence

[ 2:32] 10. The Impasse

[ 7:42] 11. Lullaby

[ 4:11] 12. Integration

Anthony Wilson showed a fair amount of promise on his self-titled debut album of 1997, and he lives up to that promise on 1998's Goat Hill Junket, and on his third album Adult Themes. This CD is noteworthy not only because of Wilson's Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar playing, but also because of his arranging and composing. On Adult Themes, Wilson leads what Phil Woods might call a "little big band." No less than five horn players are employed (including trumpeter/flügelhornist Carl Saunders, trombonist Ira Nepus, alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz), and the hard-swinging rhythm section includes, among others, pianist Donald Vega, bassist Danton Boller, and drummer Mark Ferber. Wilson does much of the writing himself, but he also provides inventive arrangements of the Beatles' "Because," Donald Fagen's "Maxine," and the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy." None of these songs have been done to death by jazz musicians, and Wilson deserves credit for successfully bringing them into a jazz environment. Adult Themes isn't innovative, but this enjoyable date is certainly neither generic nor predictable. ~Alex Henderson

Adult Themes

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