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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Vinnie Colaiuta, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip - Jing Chi

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:10
Size: 153.8 MB
Styles: Fusion
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[8:04] 1. The Hong Kong Incident
[5:23] 2. Stan Key
[9:47] 3. Tengoku
[4:58] 4. Crazy House
[6:14] 5. Going Nowhere
[6:14] 6. Go Figure
[8:44] 7. Man In The Ring
[5:28] 8. In My Dream
[7:51] 9. Train Song
[4:22] 10. Aurora

Colaiuta: drums, programming; Robben Ford, guitars, vocals (5); Haslip: bass, keyboards, vocals (8); Brian Auger: organ (7); Dan Morris: tabla (5); Steve Tavaglione: EWI wind synthesizer, programming, keyboards.

Another Tone Center supergroup strikes gold. Ex-Zappa drummer Colaiuta joins Yellowjackets bassist Haslip and blues-jazz guitar god Ford for a pretty damned satisfactory fusion foray. The big ears and fleet fingers required to pull off music like this are present in spades, and Ford's pedigree revives the blues feeling that's been so often absent in jazz-rock outings.

This is actually a fairly relaxed set compared to some of the barn-burners Tone Center has released of late. The impression is that of three friends who decided to sit down and jam on a hot August night, aware of their chops but more interested in a tempered musical conversation. For the most part the strategy works well, keeping Jing Chi from falling into the usual trap of "sound and fury signifying nothing" that tends to plague fusion albums. Like many jazz combos, this bunch seems most at home with the blues, evidenced by Ford's rapturous wailing on tracks like "Crazy House."

There are some nice diversions here, particularly Ford's crystalline acoustic playing on a tense "Train Song" and his head-smashing metallicity on the opening of Colaiuta's "Aurora." Haslip takes a heavily synthesized vocal on the ethereal "In My Dream," a big change of pace. Colaiuta reminds us that he's a master of all kinds of grooves, his polyrhythms setting up obstacle courses for the strings to playfully navigate. Jazz-rock pioneer Brian Auger adds some hot organ to the cool drive of "Man in the Ring," and his interaction with Haslip at solo time is priceless. Steve Tavaglione's EWI synth and programming are present here and there for atmospheric support, buoyant but unobtrusive. This disc is yet another triumph for Tone Center and the great fusion revival. ~Todd S. Jenkins

Jing Chi mc
Jing Chi zippy

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Edgar Pagán - What A Feeling!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:04
Size: 158.1 MB
Styles: World beat
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. What A Feeling!
[3:51] 2. Tito
[4:27] 3. Won't Let It Go
[4:23] 4. Sazon
[5:04] 5. Show The World
[3:16] 6. Serenade Of The Cuckoo
[5:38] 7. Respect
[1:56] 8. Colors Of The Rainforest
[5:25] 9. Dance Of The Rainforest
[3:29] 10. Not So Sudden
[5:02] 11. Groovin'
[5:55] 12. Bésame Mucho
[3:25] 13. Sunny
[1:32] 14. Corazon
[4:51] 15. Before Its Too Late
[6:07] 16. Please Let Me

After many years of leading the Latin flavored band 'Grupo Pagán', Edgar has ventured out on a solo project. With the help of his encouraging musical friends and legendary producer/bassist Jimmy Haslip he presents some powerful originals and a unique take on a few covers. Some will move you physically and others emotionally. Guest appearances by Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip, Jeff Lorber, Luis Conte, Mark Doyle, Joe Driscoll, Bob Halligan Jr., Beledo, Melissa Gardiner, and Jeff Richman make for a special and unique musical journey. Thanks so much for the support! Peace and Love!

What A Feeling!

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Carol Duboc - Smile

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 42:32
Size: 97.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:48] 1. Elephant
[3:43] 2. Smile
[4:00] 3. Unpredictable
[3:47] 4. Telepathy
[4:28] 5. Atmosphere
[5:09] 6. Parachute
[4:59] 7. Behind A Kiss
[4:45] 8. Gliding
[4:04] 9. Nobody Knows
[3:43] 10. Mythological

So, what happens when a sultry vocalist meets up with a master genius keyboardist? To some it may be referred to as a meeting of the minds and to others, a collaboration. However one might choose to view it, it did go down right here at SoCal’s world famous Baked Potato; a place where genius and sultry often collide….in a good way.

Vocalist, Carol Duboc and Jeff Lorber have teamed up like two mighty super hero’s bringing to the people of Universal City all the musical goods they’d been longing for. Together they have ridden in under the cover of darkness to ignite the embers that rests inside the hearts of jazz goers here on the west coast.

A crew of five: Grammy Nominee, Jeff Lorber on keys while Grammy award winning Yellow Jackets bassist, Jimmy Haslip once again laid it down with his sixth sense or six string. And then there is drummer, Tony Moore socking it to us with more than just your average four beat rhythm. Tony knows how to work all four limbs while keeping it all in his corner pocket. And the very humble, Adam Hawley. God must have eaten his Wheaties the morning he created this monster guitarist. Standing quietly behind Carol and to the right of Moore, Hawley single handidly transformed his listening audience to true born again believers. I’m sure somewhere in the UK, the spirit of Jimi Hendrix is “smiling.” ~SJT

Contemporary jazz vocalist Carol Duboc presents her sixth Gold Note Music recording, featuring performances by Grammy nominated keyboardist Jeff Lorber (who also co-wrote and co-produced the CD), Grammy award winning electric bassist Jimmy Haslip, Grammy nominated upright bassist Brian Bromberg, guitarist Michael Thompson, world-renowned flutist Hubert Laws and Grammy award winning drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.

Recording information: JHL Studios, Pacific Palisades, CA; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA.

Carol Duboc (vocals); Hubert Laws (flute); Jeff Lorber (keyboards, Moog synthesizer); Brian Bromberg (upright bass); Jimmy Haslip (electric bass); Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Luis Conte (percussion).

Smile

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