Black Coffee & Martine Thomas - Yo Yo

Size: 118,2 MB
Time: 50:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough (4:48)
02. If I Ain't Got You (5:15)
03. Fragile (3:56)
04. Killing Me Softly With His Song (4:59)
05. Sunny (3:19)
06. Yo Yo (5:15)
07. Caruso (4:22)
08. Higher Ground (4:52)
09. E Se Domani (5:05)
10. You Are So Beautiful (5:31)
11. New York State Of Mind (3:24)

Established in 1993 in the city of Split, this famous jazz group are regarded as one of the best jazz fusion bands in Croatia. The group has an enviable discography of 11 albums, are winners of three Porin Awards, and have performed at many renowned jazz festivals in Croatia, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. They have collaborated with a number of renown Croatian and foreign artists including Bosko Petrovic, Matija Dedic, Zdenka Kovaèièek, Gabi Novak, Arsen Dedic, Tedi, Tammy McCann, Robin Brown, Carlos Werneck, Georgie Fame, Marcelo Godoy and Daniele di Bonaventura.

Merging for the first time in Croatian music history two musical idioms – the traditional Dalmatian music (Dalmatia is a Mediterranean part of Croatia ) with traditional Jazz – they have created their own specific musical idiom which makes them unique on the Croatian scene and abroad.

Structured around the bassist Renato, drummer Jadran, pianist Ivan, in recent years the band have been performing with Martine Thomas - a Haitian singer with a beautiful voice that for many years sang in the clubs of Paris and New York.

Yo Yo

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Lela & Joe Kaplowitz - With Every Breath

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:20
Size: 165,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:36)  1. Blues In Red Hook
(8:18)  2. Keep On Going
(7:31)  3. With Every Breath
(6:35)  4. I Love Myself
(6:06)  5. Home
(8:21)  6. Please Say
(7:27)  7. I Celebrate The Life
(6:02)  8. Sisters
(6:32)  9. Sand Story
(7:48) 10. Bolero

Croatian singer Lela Kaplowitz sings con brio and gleeful abandon. Eastern Europe has always been a hotbed terrain for big band music, with creativity exploding after the end of the Cold War. Kaplowitz and her husband/pianist/arranger Joe Kaplowitz emerge fully formed and swinging on With Every Breath. The pair employ the wares of the Croatian Radio-Television Jazz Orchestra (think an Eastern WDR) and spin out ten finely crafted big band pieces. Joe Kaplowitz proves more than capable as arranger for a large ensemble. "Blues in Red Hook" bristles with swinging invention and a complex and sprawling solo by the pianist. "Keep on Going," the disc's first vocal raps a Latin vibe blistering voice and trumpet. Singer Kaplowitz's voice is resonant and robust, whether at full gale or sotto voce. These are the two aspects of the recording that stand out: the arrangements and singing. The arrangements are tight and the composing laces intricate with complex heads and solos woven together in an almost tactile manner. 

Kaplowitz's singing is simply superb. She draws forth all of the blues and church from "Sisters," a languid stroll that allows for torch singing of the flame-throwing variety. Kaplowitz scats a bluestreak with trumpets and guitar in a New Orleans orgy of broken counterpoint. "Sand Story" begins in a hail of free jazz, before a vocal refrain defines a direction that flows into a Caribbean groove tempered with a steady rimshot. Breezy, but intense, the piece possesses a provocative symmetry reflecting that of the entire recording. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/lela-and-joe-kaplowitz-with-every-breath-lela-kaplowitz-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php
 

Personnel: Lela Kaplowitz: vocals; Joe Kaplowitz: piano, arranger; Croatian Radio- Television Jazz Orchestra, Saša Nestorovic: director.

With Every Breath

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Oridano Gypsy Jazz Band - Swing 14

Size: 108,6 MB
Time: 46:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Gipsy Jazz
Art: Front

01. Beautiful Love (2:39)
02. Lullaby Of Birdland (5:06)
03. Caravan (4:25)
04. I Wanna Be Like You (2:55)
05. Fly Me To The Moon (3:49)
06. All Of Me (2:37)
07. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (2:24)
08. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (2:03)
09. Nature Boy (4:28)
10. I Wish You Love (2:45)
11. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (2:08)
12. It's All Right With Me (3:32)
13. Undecided (3:57)
14. Dream A Little Dream Of Me (3:53)

Members: Orjen Ridanovic (lead guitar), Aldo Fosko (clarinet/piano), Tomi Novak (ac.bass/double bass/ac.guitar), Marko First (violin), Juraj Birin (rhythm guitar)

The band was set up in the spring of 2010, after meeting at jazz workshop in Groznjan, Croatia.

Fascination with Django Reinhardt's opus as well as love for jazz manouche brought them together which resulted in forming a quintette.

Ever since, they have been playing Django Reinhardt's music, performing in jazz clubs and festivals in Croatia.

In July 2011, Oridano Gypsy Jazz Band won the first prize of First International Jazz Band contest at Liburnia Jazz Festival in Opatija (CRO).

They performed at the Springtime Jazz Session 2011 in Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb where they were presented as new faces of Croatian Jazz.

The band participated in live recording for the 500th episode of the "Time for Jazz" show broadcasted on Croatian National Television in 2011.

Their performance was also noticed at the „PSSST! Silent Film Festival“ 2012/2013 in Zagreb, where they were playing background music for silent movies.

In June 2013 the band released their debut album in association with Hot Club Records (NOR).

Swing 14

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Matija Dedic - Sentiana

Size: 124,2 MB
Time: 53:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Piano
Art: Front & Back

01. Sentiana ( 4:01)
02. Plan B ( 4:20)
03. Coutlett ( 4:02)
04. Green Dolphin Street ( 5:21)
05. Deep (10:09)
06. Stella By Skylark ( 2:43)
07. Freerony ( 3:18)
08. Uncle M ( 5:06)
09. 6 Umbrellas ( 2:24)
10. Bremen ( 8:47)
11. Helia ( 3:20)

The classically trained, Croatian born pianist Matija Dedic’ certainly wears his Euro-classical heritage on his sleeve, and why not? Putting that heritage together with a potent American rhythm section can be an exciting collision of Old World jazz with New World jazz.

And so it is with Sentiana, Dedic’s third and latest album, featuring Yankee bassist Scott Colley and Pat Metheny’s prime drummer from Mexico City, Antonio Sanchez. The other distinction of Sentiana is that this is one that showcases Dedic’s aptitude for composing; ten of these eleven songs are his. Some people might expect a certain stuffiness from an Old World guy, but that doesn’t describe Dedic’. His playfulness often goes hand-in-hand with his pursuit of some choral notion or a good swift, knotted riff.

The touch he applies on “Sentiana” gives it superb flow with dramatic moments that bracket lithe progressions. Sometimes it feels like a classic ECM piano trio recording and other times Chick Corea. Regardless of what it evokes, it’s clear that Dedic’ has chops. Making good use of the immense talent, Colley’s taut, bouncy bass lines match the pianist’s own virtuosity and Sanchez solos underneath to power the trio right up to the conclusion.

“Coutlett” begins with quick-paced, stop/start action that can test the togetherness of any group, but these guys got this. Colley launches a solo early on, cooling down the hot start, and Dedic’s rapid right-hand runs are followed by Sanchez’s controlled rumbling. “Uncle M” is bop updated with plenty of modernity, Dedic swings with effusiveness, after which Colley solos with a few Sanchez asides tossed in. Still, the piano improvising on “Bremen” is the most tireless and stimulating of all.

Dedic & Co. stretch out the most on “Deep” a tune that’s classically inclined, dramatic, and floating without tempo, save for a couple of brief, rhumba type moments. It even slides into a brief free jazz excursion at one point.

A full half dozen of these performances are done by Dedic alone. “Green Dolphin Street” is treated well with a stately, European interpretation. Other solo pieces, like “Plan B” and “Helia” lay Dedic’s pretty, twisting melodies to bare, rendered with the flair and dexterity of a master concert pianist.

With heavy hitters like Antonio Sanchez and Scott Colley prominently headlined on the CD cover, perhaps a few more trio tracks and a couple less piano-only tracks could have made Sentiana live up to the billing a little better. Then again, it’s hard to against Dedic’s prowess as a solo performer, too. In either setting, he delivers the goods. ~S. Victor Aaron

Sentiana

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