Laura Nyro - Angel in the Dark

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:25
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Angel in the Dark
(4:01)  2. Triple Goddess Twilight
(6:01)  3. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(2:38)  4. He Was Too Good to Me
(4:28)  5. Sweet Dream Fade
(4:18)  6. Serious Playground
(3:03)  7. Be Aware
(2:15)  8. Let It Be Me
(2:46)  9. Gardenia Talk
(3:26) 10. Ooh Baby, Baby
(2:09) 11. Embraceable You
(4:20) 12. La La Means I Love You
(2:18) 13. Walk On By
(1:29) 14. Animal Grace
(3:24) 15. Don't Hurt Child
(5:32) 16. Coda

Angel in the Dark is a lovely recording featuring the graceful vocals and finely crafted songs that everyone expects from Laura Nyro. These sessions were completed in the summer of 1995 and represent the last music Nyro recorded. The title cut and "Sweet Dream Fade" mine the same soul terrain as her late '60s recordings, featuring horns and underlined by heavy guitar riffs. These upbeat pieces perfectly integrate voice, arrangements, and lyrics to create an organic whole, and are two of the best cuts on the album. Slower, piano-based songs like "Triple Goddess Twilight," "He Was Too Good to Me," and "Serious Playground" are mixed in-between these songs. These pieces are quieter and introspective, with Nyro's voice more intimate. 

It is almost as though she was sitting at the piano, late at night, and singing to herself. There are also several covers including "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Let It Be Me." The first of these is over five minutes and has been slowed down so much that it drags. In fact, she slows down all of the covers as if to convert them into heartfelt ballads. This works best on "Ooh Baby, Baby," partly because the arrangement is fuller and more dynamic. One other standout is the upbeat "Gardenia Talk," filled with lively percussion and a sensual vocal. Angel in the Dark is a fine coda, perfect for late-night listening, and a perfect companion to Nyro's other recordings. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford, Jr. https://www.allmusic.com/album/angel-in-the-dark-mw0000116833

Personnel: Vocals – Laura Nyro;  Piano [Acoustic] – Laura Nyro (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6 to 8, 10, 11, 14, 15);   Piano [Electric] – Laura Nyro (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 12, 13, 16);   Acoustic Guitar – John Tropea (tracks: 15);  Bass – Freddie Washington (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15), Will Lee (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Drums – Bernard Purdie (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15, 16), Chris Parker (2) (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Electric Guitar – John Tropea (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15);  Guitar – Jeff Pevar (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Harmony Vocals – Laura Nyro (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 14 to 16);  Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker (tracks: 1, 5) Trumpet – Randy Brecker (tracks: 1, 5)

Angel in the Dark

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Chris Parker - Moving Forward Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:37
Size: 170.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Contemporary jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[7:32] 1. Battle Hymn Of The Republic
[7:16] 2. Adagio Sostenuto
[4:53] 3. Moving Forward Now
[5:47] 4. Beatrice
[7:20] 5. Trippin-A-Let
[5:35] 6. Don't Think Twice It's All Right
[8:11] 7. Positive Energy
[6:29] 8. Autumn Leaves
[8:26] 9. It's No Secret
[2:22] 10. Discovery
[4:03] 11. The Process
[3:33] 12. Arrival
[3:05] 13. Enjoy The Process

“Battle Hymn of the Republic” might not seem like an obvious choice for the opening track on a jazz musician’s first album as a leader, but for drummer Chris Parker, a percussive call-to-arms translated into a swinging groove is highly appropriate. Parker’s indomitable spirit, his omnivorous capacity to play numerous instruments and to operate in a wide variety of jazz contexts, is represented here by his eclectic choice of repertoire and a turn on tenor sax for his lovely, Coltranesque ballad “Positive Energy” (a fitting title from this exuberant young artist). He also shows off his arranging chops on tunes ranging from Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (featuring singer Rachel Caswell) and Sam Rivers’ jazz standard “Beatrice” to the aforementioned “Battle Hymn” and Rachmaninoff’s “Adagio Sostenuto.” In addition, there’s an ambitious four-part suite, “Then and Now,” the punchy funk of the title track, and the hip, laid back, infectiously-catchy “It’s No Secret,” that give evidence of a compelling compositional gift. This debut outing is no one-man band, however; Parker has enlisted some of the best jazz musicians in the Midwest, including bassist Jeremy Allen, saxophonists Jamey Aebersold (showcased on “It’s No Secret”) and Rob Dixon (who powers the evolutionary surge of “Then And Now Suite”), pianist Luke Gillespie, clarinetist Frank Glover, trumpeter Pat Harbison, and guitarist Dave Stryker (check out his tour de force solo on “Trippin-A-Let")—testament to the respect that he’s already earned from his older colleagues. Moving Forward Now leaves me excited to hear where Chris Parker will be going next; wherever it is, he’s well on his way. ~David Brent Johnson

Moving Forward Now mc
Moving Forward Now zippy

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