Ruby Braff, Scott Hamilton - For The Last Time

Album: For The Last Time Disc 1

Styles: Cornet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:32
Size: 137,1 MB
Art: Front

(12:15)  1. Sometimes I'm Happy
( 4:57)  2. Why Shouldn't I'
(12:24)  3. Just You, Just Me
(15:58)  4. I Want a Little Girl
(13:56)  5. Rockin' Chair

Ruby Braff's discographer Thomas P. Hustad addresses the concern posed by this album in his liner notes when he speaks of the "trepidation" with which "we tend to approach any musician's final recording." Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, whose contribution approaches Braff's own, had his own hesitations, based on his unhappy memories of the gig, at the Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland, as Braff, suffering from the emphysema that would kill him six months later, required a fan on-stage to help his breathing. But Hamilton withdrew his objections when he actually heard the recording, which shows little evidence of the leader's infirmity. It gives plenty of evidence of a group of sympathetic musicians accustomed to playing together, taking their orders from Braff, who seems to call for the solos and also decide when they're finished.

Everybody in the six-piece band takes those solos, as the tunes extend out to ten or even 15 minutes each. Probably, that allows time for Braff to gather himself for his own playing, but when he steps in, he is his usual self, coming up with interesting variations on the melodies of familiar standards. The best moments, though, are when Braff and Hamilton, his longtime protégé, play together at the openings of such songs as "Dinah," "Yesterdays," and "The Man I Love," with Hamilton coming up with counter-melodies. At such times, this doesn't come off as Braff's last night on-stage; it seems like just another great show in a storied career. By William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-the-last-time-mw0000801881

Musicians: Ruby Braff-cornet, Scott Hamilton-tenor saxophone, Jon Wheatley-guitar, John Bunch-piano, Dave Green-bass, Steve Brown-drums

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Album: For The Last Time Disc 2

Time: 55:41

Size: 128,3 MB

(10:29)  1. Dinah

(13:08)  2. Yesterdays

(15:42)  3. The Man I Love

( 6:31)  4. The Man With a Horn

( 9:49)  5. Indiana

For The Last Time Disc 1, Disc 2

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Ruby Braff - Braff Plays Wimbledon (Second Set)

Album: Braff Plays Wimbledon (Second Set)

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Size: 146,8 MB
Time: 63:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Year: 2007
Art: Front

1. Rockin' Chair ( 4:29)
2. When A Woman Loves A Man ( 5:09)
3. I Cried For You ( 9:26)
4. Pennies From Heaven ( 6:03)
5. Jive At Five (13:30)
6. I'm Pullin' Through ( 5:54)
7. Miss Brown To You ( 5:59)
8. I Know That You Know ( 8:44)
9. Save It, Pretty Mama ( 4:35)

Although cornetist Ruby Braff is joined on this set by flügelhornist Warren Vaché, trombonist Roy Williams, guitarist Howard Alden, pianist Brian Lemon, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Allan Ganley, Vaché's role is, in reality, minor (mostly just ensemble parts with a few short solos), and Williams is only on a few numbers, although he plays very well.

Fortunately, Braff is in prime form throughout, even better here than on The First Set; the phrase "adoration of the melody" (which he coined a few decades ago) perfectly fits his lyrical improvisations. The repertoire consists of veteran standards and the highlights include "I Cried for You," "Pennies from Heaven," and "I Know That You Know," although all nine selections are quite enjoyable.

Braff, a master at utilizing his lower register, sometimes has a musical conversation with himself, jumping between registers. Swing pianist Lemon sounds inspired throughout, while guitarist Alden has a few good spots. A typically rewarding Ruby Braff session. By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/braff-plays-wimbledon-the-second-set-mw0000441662

Personnel: Ruby Braff - cornet; Brian Lemon - piano; Warren Vaché - flugelhorn; Roy Williams - trombone; Howard Alden - guitar; Dave Green - bass; Allan Ganley - drums

Braff Plays Wimbledon (Second Set)

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Ruby Braff - Braff Plays Wimbledon (First Set)

Album: Braff Plays Wimbledon (First Set)

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Size: 132,2 MB
Time: 57:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Year: 2007
Art: Front

1. Someday Sweetheart ( 4:20)
2. The Very Thought Of You ( 7:42)
3. Wouldn't It Be Loverly ( 5:10)
4. I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling ( 5:14)
5. Take The A Train (14:45)
6. This Is All I Ask ( 5:30)
7. It's The Same Old South ( 3:30)
8. When I Fall In Love ( 5:37)
9. China Boy ( 5:40)

Cornetist Ruby Braff sound fine on this set for the British label Zephyr. Most of the selections find him taking passionate and typically lyrical solos on swing standards in a quintet with pianist Brian Lemon, guitarist Howard Alden, bassist Dave Green and drummer Allan Ganley.

A few numbers add Warren Vache on flugelhorn and trombonist Roy Williams, but perhaps due to too much mutual respect, few fireworks fly. One would hope that Braff and Vache would match wits against each other, but this is largely Braff's show.

Still, the music overall (which is highlighted by "Someday Sweetheart," "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" and "China Boy") should please trad jazz and mainstream collectors. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/braff-plays-wimbledon-the-first-set-mw0000434487#review

Personnel: Ruby Braff - cornet; Brian Lemon - piano; Warren Vaché - flugelhorn; Roy Williams - trombone; Howard Alden - guitar; Dave Green - bass; Allan Ganley - drums

Braff Plays Wimbledon (First Set)

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Stan Tracey Quartet - Under Milk Wood

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
Time: 40:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 93,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:52) 1. Cockle Row
(3:51) 2. Starless And Bible Black
(3:19) 3. I Lost My Step In Nantucket
(5:03) 4. No Good Boyo
(3:51) 5. Penpals
(4:55) 6. Llareggub
(6:03) 7. Under Milk Wood
(6:50) 8. A.M.Mayhem

The Sunday Times: January 2, 1966: “Three of the top 1965 LP’s which have given me most pleasure are home-produced with Stan Tracey’s Under Milk Wood likely to become a classic in anyone’s musical language”.

The Sunday Times: February 29, 1976: “I have unsurprisingly, always considered Dylan Thomas’ “Under Milk Wood” a minor masterpiece. The jazz suite which Stan Tracey wrote eleven years ago, inspired by Thomas’s work, has been likewise hailed. Put the two together, though, and you have a transcending experience of triumphant delight, both moving and joyous…… A superb production which deserves an album of its own”.

These extracts reflect the enthusiasm which I have always felt both for Stan Tracey’s music and Dylan Thomas’s words. The only surprise is that it took the best part of a decade to effect the marriage between music and words. Although BBC2 TV had first presented Donald Houston and the Tracey quartet in Under Milk Wood, it wasn’t until February 1976, when the show took to the road, that I enjoyed the “transcending experience” of hearing it at the New London Theatre and writing about it in The Sunday Times.

That experience is what’s now captured on this album, and to have played a part in ensuring that works of art one has believed in for so long should thereby be available to the widest possible audience is the most satisfying possible outcome for any music writer.

What’s so marvellous about it all? Well. the words of Dylan Thomas came first, of course. Under Milk Wood was written for radio, and although it reads beautifully on paper, only when the words are spoken can its full splendour be appreciated. As a portrait of characters, places and events, in a small Welsh seaside town, it is quite marvellous.

The rich language and imagery which were Dylan’s great gift are abundantly deployed. The quick vignettes of character are masterly. Pomposity is slyly debunked; goodness is gently appreciated; the follies, hopes, loves, desires, failings of the people he deals with are treated with warmest understanding. Dylan can be very funny and very witty indeed about Llareggub (this made-up town name, with its irreverant inversion, was typical of his impish nature) bur he can be so kind and moving too. he loved this place, and the love shines through.

Stan Tracey was in the midst of his long and distinguished sojourn (1960-1968) as the resident pianist at Ronnie Scott’s Club, undoubtedly the most famous jazz mecca in the world, when in 1963 he composed his Under Milk Wood suite to reflect his own feelings about Dylan’s splendid work. Suites of this kind are always suspect: can music ever fully convey the moods and nuances of words? Well Tracey’s certainly did. I Lost My Step In Nantucket, for instance, perfectly brought to life Dancing Williams, crew mate of the erratic old sea captain, Cat. Pen Pals mirrored the warmly comic romance of Miss Jones and Mog Edwards, the two middle aged shopkeepers. The title song, a jazz ballad, was as affectionate and beautiful as Thomas’s own overall vision of his Welsh landscape.

Dylan Thomas, I suppose, needs no advocacy from me to underline his honoured place in modern literature. He has, after all, been an examination subject for years. But Stan Tracey’s position is less acknowledged. It’s worth reminding ourselves that his career in music is now well into its fourth decade. Since he began at 16 as a piano accordionist, has has done so much in and for British music. The highlights have included his stay with the Ted Heath band (1957-1959); his eight years at Scott’s where he accompanied virtually every great jazz artist (and style) under the sun – Ben Webster, Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Anita O’Day, Jimmy Witherspoon etc, etc: his big band, Ellington-influenced, of the late 1960’s.

But this is only part of it. He’s never stopped composing, and literature has often been the inspiration of his suites (Alice In Wonderland, for example, sparked off another). Above all, as he nears 50, Stan has never grown old in his attitudes to music. He continues to experiment, to progress, to attack new barriers, often at cost to himself, since some of his more advanced work has not appealed to those who enjoyed him in a more conventional jazz-trio, suite-composer context. He is one of the finest and most underrated musicians in the world.

This album should establish (or re-establish) his place once and for all in the mainstream of music which is of the highest quality and, at the same time, enjoyable and accessible to a very wide audience of diverse tastes. And his partnership with Donald Houston is a most happy one. Houston it was who originated the role of narrator in the first stage presentation of Under Milk Wood at the Edinburgh Festival, and later in the West End, on Broadway and on television. He is a marvellous actor, and I can think of no one in the world who could match his performance of Dylan’s work.

In this presentation of Under Milk Wood, words and music are perfectly complementary. Sometimes the emphasis is musical, with the playing of Art Themen and Tracey incredibly sympathetic. On other occasions music which is perfect in tone and volume enhances both the words and Houston’s musical voice. From time to time there are, rightly, only the words. And I guess that the finest moments of all are those when Houston’s sensitive readings explain, as it were, the shapes and colours of the music, and vice-versa. An example of this … “Eastern music undoes him in a Japanese minute” declares Houston, leading into the spiky melody of No Good Boyo.

As Tracey’s music and Dylan’s words are, separately, now acknowledged to be outstanding works of their separate kinds, so I believe this marriage of the two, performed with love and inspiration, will achieve that status in the future. It’s a whole world of enjoyment, revelation and entertainment.

© Derek Jewell, Jazz and Popular Music Critic, The Sunday Times of London Recorded in London at the Wigmore Hall May 22, 1976.
https://www.resteamed-records.com/product/under-milk-wood-re-issue-with-donald-houston-download/

Personnel: Stan Tracey (piano); Art Themen (tenor saxophone); Dave Green (double bass); Bryan Spring (drums)

Under Milk Wood

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Alex Clarke Quartet - Only A Year

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 53:26
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 49,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:34) 1. Brazilian Affair
(5:03) 2. Shake It But Don't Break It
(5:36) 3. Bye Bye Baby
(6:02) 4. Ballad For Very Tired And Very Sad Lotus Eaters
(4:23) 5. Beetroots Burn
(7:17) 6. It’s You Or No One
(7:54) 7. Only A Year
(6:48) 8. Where Or When
(4:44) 9. Who's Smoking?

Since releasing her debut album, Mirage, in 2018 and her performance in the final of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, Alex Clarke has continued to build on her early achievements and in doing so has made remarkable progress.

With this her second album, she has continued to up her game and delivered a fully realised set of standards that is difficult to fault. It certainly doesn’t hurt to recruit a top flight rhythm section of David Newton, Dave Green and Clark Tracey, but you still have to deliver the goods and this the saxophonist does with splendid results.

Playing both alto and tenor saxophones there is little to choose between either horn, and while she is happy to name Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley and Scott Hamilton among her influences she sounds like none of them, instead bringing her own sound and feel for the material.

After a lovely piano introduction from Newton, Alex romps through ‘Bye Bye Baby’ with a strong and full alto sound, and a solo that is swinging, melodic and refreshingly cliche free.

This is immediately followed by Billy Strayhorn’s lovely ‘Ballad For Very Tired And Sad Lotus Eaters’ on tenor. Played with a big round sound, her tone on the larger horn grabs the attention and leaves the listener captivated by every phrase and nuance as she states the melody. There is a majestic quality to her phrasing on the ballad that is quite arresting, and one that Alex is able to transfer to quicker tempos too, as can be heard with her confident swagger on Erroll Garner’s ‘Shake It But Don’t Break It’.

Her phrasing positively sings on ‘Where Or When’ which also features an ebullient solo from Newton, and Alex pays a fitting acknowledgement to Phil Woods on ‘Brazilian Affair’ with some top draw alto playing.

In a set of predominantly standards, Alex has the confidence to sneak in a couple of her own compositions that don’t sound out of place at all in such esteemed company.

Sitting comfortably in there is a swinging ‘Beetroots Burn’ that have the rhythm section digging right in, and the lovely title track, ‘Only A Year’. A beautiful melody, simply played with a lovely full tone on alto by Alex and a gently swinging and lyrical solo from David Newton. Taking up the baton from the pianist, Alex spins out her own delightful and assured solo on what is rapidly becoming one of my favourite pieces on the album.

All in all, this is superb outing from a young musician who has absorbed enough of the tradition to have paid her dues, and yet feels confident about being able to stand up and bring her own personality to the music.

The rhythm section keeps things tight, yet have enough combined experience to allow the saxophonist plenty of space, and as such the music comes across as being more than simply the sum of its parts.

Special mention should also go to the fifth member, engineer Andrew Cleyndert who does an excellent job of capturing the sound and assisting in making this the quality album it is. By Nick Lea

Personnel: Alex Clarke (alto & tenor saxophone); David Newton (piano); Dave Green (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums)

Only A Year

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Scott Hamilton Quartet & Harry Allen - Burghausen Jazz Festival 2007

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 88:47
Size: 205,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:45) 1. Just You, Just Me
( 8:06) 2. Lonesome Road
( 9:18) 3. Cotton Tail
( 5:52) 4. Chelsea Bridge
( 8:43) 5. Sweet Georgia Brown
(10:06) 6. Did You Call Her Today
( 9:48) 7. Tickle Toe
( 7:02) 8. This Is All I Ask
(12:26) 9. Blues Up & Down
( 8:36) 10. Blue Caper

Scott Hamilton is the premier 'mainstream' saxophonist of today. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954, he came along at the time when the kind of jazz he loved-the small-group swing of such great stylists as Illinois Jacquet and Eddie Lockjaw Davis-was out of fashion, and largely out of the public ear. Scott's handsome sound and impeccable phrasing were a rare commodity among young jazzmen. So when he signed to Concord Records, and began making albums for label boss and mainstream advocate Carl Jefferson, it caused surprise and excitement among both devotees of the style, and in the wider musical world.

His first Concord set, [Scott Hamilton is A Good Wind Who IS Blowing Us No Ill] was made in 1977 and took it’s title from an admiring remark from veteran jazz critic Leonard Feather. But it became only the first in a long and memorable series of albums for the label, which now stretches to nearly 30 releases They feature Scoff's playing in all kinds of settings-with small groups, string orchestras, in partnership with such distinguished players as Ruby Braff and Dave McKenna, and in many other situations. The constant is Scoff's creative imagination and the beautiful, honeyed sound he gets out of the tenor saxophone.

While he acknowledges the sidelong influence of players such as John Coltrane, he continues to perform the music he loves, which first brought him into jazz - great ballads and blues, played from the heart, with the timeless virtues of swinging playing underscoring every phrase. A worldwide following of admirers wouldn't have it any other way. Long regarded a consummate interpreter of standards, Scoff Hamilton's big, warm tenor saxophone tone and unerring sense of swing have a way of making every tune he plays uniquely his own. For his latest Concord Jazz outing, Hamilton-with the help of his simpatico group featuring John Bunch (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Steve Brown (drums)-presents some of his very favorite tunes. Tunes which happen to have been penned by other great jazz players, including such legendary jazz musicians/composers as Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, Illinois Jacquet, Benny Carter, and many others.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/scott-hamilton

Gene Lees writes, "Stan Getz was once asked his idea of the perfect tenor saxophone soloist. His answer was, 'My technique, Al Cohn's ideas, and Zoot's time.' The fulfillment of that ideal may well be embodied in thirty-year-old Harry Allen."

BMG recording artist Harry Allen has over twenty recordings to his name. Three of Harry's CDs have won Gold Disc Awards from Japan's Swing Journal Magazine, and his CD Tenors Anyone? won both the Gold Disc Award and the New Star Award. His recordings have made the top ten list for favorite new releases in Swing Journal Magazine's reader's poll and Jazz Journal International's critic's poll for 1997, and Eu Nao Quero Dancar (I Won't Dance), the third Gold Disc Award winner, was voted second for album of the year for 1998 by Swing Journal Magazine‚s reader‚s poll.

Harry has performed at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide, frequently touring the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Flip Phillips, Scott Hamilton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus Johnson, Jeff Hamilton, Terry Gibbs, Warren Vache, and has recorded with Tony Bennett, Johnny Mandel, Ray Brown, Tommy Flanagan, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Barron, Dave McKenna, Dori Caymmi, Larry Goldings, George Mraz, Jake Hanna, and Al Foster, among others.

Harry is featured on many of John Pizzarelli's recordings including the soundtrack and an on-screen cameo in the feature film The Out of Towners starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has also done a series of commercials for ESPN starring Robert Goulet.

Harry was born in Washington D.C. in 1966, and was raised in Los Angeles, CA and Burrillville, RI. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1988 from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and currently resides in New York City.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/harry-allen

Personnel: Scott Hamilton - tenor sax; Harry Allen - tenor sax; Olaf Polziehn - piano; Dave Green - bass; Steve Brown - drums

Burghausen Jazz Festival 2007

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Scott Hamilton - At PizzaExpress Live - In London 2023

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 91:24
Size: 216,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:52) 1. The Breeze & I
( 9:22) 2. Black Velvet
(12:47) 3. Poinciana
(12:19) 4. Blue 'n' Boogie
(11:30) 5. The Girl From Ipanema
( 5:14) 6. Pure Imagination
( 7:29) 7. The Summer Wind
(10:19) 8. The More I See You
(13:28) 9. Tin Tin Deo

Marking 40 years since his first appearance at PizzaExpress Live in London, the revered US saxophonist Scott Hamilton is to release a new live album, the first release on the newly formed PizzaExpress label PX Records.

Having appeared at the club in Dean Street, Soho, across six different decades, Hamilton is very much part of the fabric of PizzaExpress Live and this new live album, which features Scott's UK-based quartet of John Pearce (piano), Dave Green (bass) and Steve Brown (drums), captures a 7-track set featuring an array of classic standards including The Girl From Ipanema and Pure Imagination.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PizzaExpress-Live-Scott-Hamilton-Quartet/dp/B0BXHKTQFV

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (saxophone), John Pearce (piano), Dave Green (bass) and n Steve Brow(drums)

At PizzaExpress Live - In London

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Scott Hamilton Quartet - Dean Street Nights

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
Time: 62:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 143,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:41) 1. I Just Found Out About Love
( 8:52) 2. Sweet And Lovely
(13:12) 3. Jitterbug Waltz
( 5:20) 4. If I Had You
( 9:40) 5. Zoot's Blues
( 6:23) 6. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(11:29) 7. Cherokee

Tenor sax player Scott Hamilton performed his first gigs in the UK in 1978, following a much-heralded breakthrough in the States alongside Roy Eldridge and Benny Goodman. He was described as the saviour of mainstream jazz, a young fogey and a Ben Webster sound-alike. It soon became apparent that, while each of these statements had an element of truth, Hamilton was intent on forging his own way through the international jazz scene with an individual voice grounded in quality, consistency and swing.

Hamilton’s latest release, recorded at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, celebrates the 35th anniversary of his début appearance at the venue. The quartet has been touring in the UK and elsewhere since the turn of the millennium. Some of the relationships go back much further: John Pearce (whom I first saw with Hamilton beside Dick Morrissey in 1989) is a hugely experienced and enterprising pianist; bass legend Dave Green has worked with Hamilton on and off for at least 20 years, and the talented, brio-fuelled Steve Brown replaced the much-loved drummer Allan Ganley in 2000.

The opener, I Just Found out about Love, is relatively benign and gives little indication of what comes later. Sweet and Lovely arranged as a slowish samba includes a magnificent piano solo followed by a quietly arresting creation by the leader. You think you know what you’re going to get from Hamilton, but his work is full of surprises and rarely derivative. He prefers to improvise on the music at hand rather than throw in quotations at random and it’s easy to overlook the power that he generates.

Zoot’s Blues is a bright, jaunty tribute to one of Hamilton’s early influences, John Haley “Zoot” Sims. Its swagger is ideal for him and Pearce, whose skilful runs and beautiful chording maintain the momentum. Most revered for his ballad interpretations, Hamilton displays a fluffy and expressive vibrato on If I Had You and Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most. They both contain well-executed work and beautiful flourishes, although they are arguably the least impressive selections in a varied and classy concert. Follow the link to read full review:

https://londonjazznews.com/2014/02/22/cd-review-scott-hamilton-quartet-dean-street-nights/

Personnel: Scott Hamilton - tenor sax; John Pearce - piano; Dave Green - bass; Steve Brown - drums

Dean Street Nights

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Martin Speake - Generations

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:36
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

( 3:56)  1. My Melancholy Baby
(10:12)  2. I'm a Fool to Want You
( 7:54)  3. In Love In Vain
( 7:20)  4. I Wish I Knew
( 8:37)  5. Jitterbug Waltz
( 6:07)  6. All The Way
( 6:17)  7. Donna Lee
( 4:10)  8. Just A Gigolo

British altoist Martin Speake isn't as well-known as he ought to be, but he may well be the clearest successor to the unadorned, warm-toned approach of the legendary Lee Konitz. But while Konitz has undeniably led a career defined by diversity, Speake has stretched considerably farther, with albums ranging from the Indo centric The Journey (Black Box, 2004) and uniquely modern, guitar-centric take on Charlie Parker (Jazzizit, 2005), to accessible free improvisation with percussionist Mark Sanders on Spark (Pumpkin, 2007) and original composition with an all-star band on Change of Heart (ECM, 2006). Generations harkens back to his intriguingly minimalist take on standards, Exploring Standards (33 Jazz, 2003), but instead of a saxophone trio turning a variety of well-heeled tunes into concise miniatures, Generations features a quartet that lets the music stretch out further. Generations refers to a quartet of players ranging from youthful pianist Barry Green to middle- aged Speake bassist Dave Green and American drummer Jeff Williams, who still has plenty of years left in him but is now heading into senior citizen territory. It also references Speake's choice of material largely well-known tunes that date as far back as "My Melancholy Baby" (1912) and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1930) to Generation's most recent song, the 1957 Van Heusen/Cahn chestnut, "All the Way."

Speake's relationship with Williams dates back four years to a chance meeting at one of Speake's gigs in the UK. Since then they've worked together occasionally in different contexts, and while this quartet is new there's a comfort level and relaxed ambience that feels as though they've been playing together for years. The group kicks things up on the bebop classic "Donna Lee," but takes its good time getting there, with Speake beginning on his own and implicitly defining the tune's changes through improvised melody alone. He's joined by Barry Green for some in tandem interplay before Dave Green enters, with Williams not completing the picture until well into the tune, signalling the quartet to play the familiar, serpentine melody...then bringing things to a full stop, only to begin the same process again but at a brighter tempo. It's a strong example of how Speake has always managed to find fresh ways to cover familiar terrain. 

But even when the group is playing with great energy as it does on an unexpectedly up-tempo opener, "My Melancholy Baby," which starts with a fiery exchange between Speake and Williams it never seems to break a sweat. A lengthy look at the appropriately triste ballad, "I'm a Fool to Want You," features Speake at his most lyrical, even as he scopes out new corners on an extended solo that's supported with increasing verve by Barry Green, who takes an equally strong solo defined by broad dynamics and nuanced variation. Generations is a decidedly mainstream effort for Speake, but as ever he's still finding subtle ways to push the envelope. The material may be familiar, but the approaches are new, making Generations an appealing disc that's never short on substance.By John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/generations-martin-speake-pumpkin-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Martin Speake: alto saxophone; Barry Green: piano; Dave Green: double-bass; Jeff Williams: drums.

Generations

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Scott Hamilton Quartet - Our Delight!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:29
Size: 150,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:56)  1. Get Happy
(7:04)  2. Four
(5:27)  3. Lonely Moments
(6:59)  4. Serenade To Sweden
(6:12)  5. Our Delight
(6:53)  6. Change Partners
(7:05)  7. Tee Pee Time
(4:49)  8. Isfahan
(8:27)  9. Taking A Chance On Love
(6:33) 10. In Walked Bud

Scott Hamilton was born in 1954, in Providence, Rhode Island. During his early childhood he heard a lot of jazz through his father’s extensive record collection, and became acquainted with the jazz greats. He tried out several instruments, including drums at about the age of five, piano at six and mouth-organ. He had some clarinet lessons when he was about eight years of age, but that was the only formal music tuition he has ever had. Even at that age he was attracted to the sound of Johnny Hodges, but it was not until he was about sixteen that he started playing the saxophone seriously. From his playing mainly blues on mouth organ, his little band gradually became more of a jazz band. He moved to New York in 1976 at the age of twenty-two, and through Roy Eldridge, with whom he had played a year previously in Boston, got a six-week gig at Michael’s Pub. Roy also paved the way for him to work with Anita O’Day and Hank Jones. Although it was the tail-end of the of old New York scene, a lot of the greats were still playing and he got to work and learn from people like Eldridge, Illinois Jacquet, Vic Dickenson and Jo Jones. 

Eldridge was Scott’s champion, but pulled no punches, and could be extremely critical, something for which Scott has always been grateful. In December of the same year John Bunch got Scott his first recording date, for Famous Door, and was also responsible for him joining Benny Goodman. He continued to work with Goodman at different times until the early 1980s. In 1977 he formed his own quartet, which later became a quintet, with Bunch added to the group. The same year Carl Jefferson heard him, and began recording him for his Concord record label. More than forty albums later he is still recording for them, having made many under his own leadership, several with his regular British quartet of John Pearce, Dave Green and Steve Brown, including his latest, Nocturnes & Serenades. The Quartet plus two guests, Dave Cliff and Mark Nightingale recorded Our Delight! for Alan Barnes’ Woodville label. A new release, Across the Tracks on Concorde is due this May. Along the way he has made albums with Dave McKenna, Jake Hanna, Woody Herman, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Flip Phillips, Maxine Sullivan, Buddy Tate, Warren Vache, many with Rosemary Clooney and a number with another of his mentors, Ruby Braff, with whom he played residencies at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, London in the mid-1980s. Over the years Scott has also performed and recorded with such touring bands as the Concord Jazz All Stars, the Concord Super Band and George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival All Stars. For some years he was based in London, where he first played in 1978, but now travels the world from Italy. Each year, in addition to two or three residencies with the quartet at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, British jazz club dates and festival work including Brecon, where he is one of the patrons, he regularly tours Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Japan, Spain and Italy. He returns to America three or four times a year to play at festivals, including in 2007, the New York JVC festival in June and Irvine, California in September, and in February 2008 for three nights at the Lincoln Centre New York. His playing has best been described by fellow tenor saxophonist and writer, Dave Gelly: “Following a Scott Hamilton solo is like listening to a great conversationalist in full flow. First comes the voice, the inimitable, assured sound of his tenor saxophone, then the informal style and finally the amazing fluency and eloquent command of the jazz language.” Scott was awarded the ‘Ronnie’ for International Jazz Saxophonist of the Year in the 2007 inaugural Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Awards.  It is no wonder that Scott Hamilton is in demand the world over. (Brian Peerless) http://www.scotthamiltonsax.com/

Personnel:  Scott Hamilton (Tenor sax); Mark Nightingale (Trombone); John Pearce (Piano); Dave Cliff (Guitar); Dave Green (Bass); Steve Brown (Drums).

Our Delight!

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Spike Robinson - London Reprise

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:56
Size: 101,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. A Foggy Day In London Town
(3:32)  2. When Day Is Done
(8:14)  3. Embraceable You
(5:37)  4. There Is No Greater Love
(6:56)  5. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
(5:31)  6. As Time Goes By
(4:44)  7. Laura
(5:45)  8. Opus D 'Funk

Spike Robinson's return to the jazz scene in the early '80s late in his 34-year period as an engineer (during which he only worked part-time as a musician) was a welcome event. His cool tone (very much in the "Four Brothers" tradition of Stan Getz and Zoot Sims) was fully formed, and he could swing as hard as any of the younger players. For this Capri set, Robinson is teamed in London with guitarist Martin Taylor, bassist Dave Green and drummer Spike Wells for mostly concise renditions of eight veteran standards; only Horace Silver's "Opus De Funk" was written after the swing era. Pleasing music that has not yet been reissued on CD.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/london-reprise-mw0000785250

Personnel: Spike Robinson (tenor saxophone); Martin Taylor (guitar); Dave Green (bass instrument).

London Reprise

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Scott Hamilton - East of the Sun

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:12
Size: 145,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Autumn Leaves
(4:03)  2. Stardust
(6:08)  3. It Could Happen to You
(5:36)  4. It Never Entered My Mind
(5:44)  5. Bernie's Tune
(5:38)  6. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
(4:32)  7. Time After Time
(6:12)  8. Setagaya Serenade
(4:59)  9. That's All
(8:50) 10. All the Things You Are
(6:04) 11. (Back Home Again In) Indiana

For this Concord CD, tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton gave the readers of Japan's Swing Journal the opportunity to vote on which songs they would like him to record. With the exception of his original "Setagaya Serenade" (a stomping blues that Hamilton took the liberty of performing) and "Autumn Leaves," he had recorded all of these veteran songs previously, but Hamilton's melodic improvisations do not copy the earlier versions. With the assistance of an English rhythm section (pianist Brian Lemon, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Allan Ganley), Hamilton is in typically swinging form on this fine set of standards and ballads. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/east-of-the-sun-mw0000622252

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); Brian Lemon (piano); Dave Green (bass); Allan Ganley (drums).

East of the Sun

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Dave Green & Barry Green - Turn Left At Monday

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:14
Size: 110.4 MB
Styles: Chamber jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:20] 1. I'll Be Around
[3:00] 2. Where Do You Go
[3:27] 3. The Sounds Around The House
[5:54] 4. Turn Left At Monday
[4:41] 5. Johnny Come Lately
[4:13] 6. Ideally
[4:30] 7. Dreamsville
[3:52] 8. Unbelievable
[4:11] 9. I Wish I Knew
[2:07] 10. All My Life
[6:55] 11. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men

No, they're not related, although pianist Barry and bassist Dave Green play together as though they were. You really need to be sitting down quietly to savour this set of 11 delicate improvisations on under-the-radar songs. Five of them, including the title piece, which is recorded here for the first time, are by the late Alec Wilder, the archetypal composer's composer. This kind of chamber jazz depends for its effect on sketching in elusive harmonies and keeping you hanging on as they unfold. It also keeps your ears busy while the rest of you relaxes. ~Dave Gelly

Turn Left At Monday

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