Greg Manning - The Calling

Styles: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:09
Size: 133,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:00)  1. Groovin'
(4:16)  2. Nick of Time
(4:39)  3. The Calling
(4:34)  4. Yeke Yeke Yo
(3:31)  5. After the Rain
(4:01)  6. It's Me
(3:53)  7. Shine a Light
(4:22)  8. Mountain View
(4:10)  9. Wayman
(5:13) 10. Tribal Sphere
(2:32) 11. Coming & Going
(3:43) 12. The Prayer
(4:16) 13. Sunday Morning
(4:53) 14. Home

The convergence of jazz, funk, and soul combined with musical inspiration from artists such as, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock; and features the talents of acclaimed artist Keb'Mo', and smooth jazz artists Kirk Whalum and Mindi Abair. He is the internationality in person. Born in Nigeria Greg Manning grew up in Switzerland. In 2002 he moved to Los Angeles but still keep contact to the land of his youth. So he is a three-time certified platinum producer for Universal Music Switzerland, and has had several Swiss Chart toppers since 1996. Greg worked as musical director with Jonathan Butler and also performed with Brian McKnight, Kirk Whalum, Will Downing, Richard Elliot, Gerald Albright, Chante Moore, Mindi Abair and Keb' Mo' just to mention a few. His debut album Soulciety was released in 1999 and is unfortunately unavailable anymore. By chance I became aware of his new album The Calling, which was released in April 2010. Greg's new album features Mindi Abair, André Berry, Patrick Bettison, Tom Evans, Keb' Mo', Jimmy Reid, Kirk Whalum and Terry Wollman among others. Greg wrote, arranged, mixed and produced all songs except Nick Of Time. The Calling starts with the fulminate Groovin' featuring attractive Mindi Abair in her prominent role as raising sax star. Mindi recently entered the charts with her new album In Hi-Fi Stereo (2010). Also on the party Columbia University graduated jazz vocalist Dawn Norfleet, who we'll certainly see again. Bonnie Raitt wrote Nick Of Time in 1989 for her same-titled album, her personal break-through. With great taste for fine music art Greg chooses this song for featured saxophonist Jimmy Reid. Greg's arrangement has thanks to Jimmy's emotional interpretation and the choir background a real Gospel flavor. The Calling presents Patrick Bettison on chromatic harmonica. If it is the harmonica, the bass or African percussion Patrick always impresses with his personal musical intensity. Yeke Yeke Yo is Greg's orchestral approach with influences of African percussion. Colorful and picturesque. 

On After The Rain guitarist Keb’ Mo', a living blues legend, showcases his bluesy finger style. Greg always tailors a perfect song for each presented musician. On It's Me Greg Manning displays his pleasant-sounding personality. Jimmy Reid, Tom Evans and Greg blend into a fine arrangement. The dynamic Shine A Light reveals another aspect of the musician Greg Manning. He is a supreme vocalist beside his excellent skills as keyboardist and programmer. With the cordial Mountain View Greg walks on the path of Dan Siegel, Jim Brickman and Richard Clayderman. Wayman is Greg's tribute to the late Wayman Tisdale featuring André Berry on lead bass. André plays Wayman's signature slap bass reminding at this great musician. “The guy was always so happy, so positive, always had a smile, always made you feel great,” recently commented Peter White. On Tribal Sphere Greg shows a jazzy excursion into world music and jazz fusion in the style of Joe Zawinul. Excellent sax and keyboard work! With the interlude Coming & Going Greg mirrors his thoughts on solo piano. The romantic ballade The Prayer unites Terry Wollman on acoustic guitar with Greg's piano performance. An awesome melody seamlessly played. The lazy moment of a sunny Sunday, Greg catch this mood in Sunday Morning. Final tune of this brilliant album is Home featuring sax legend Kirk Whalum, who will release a tribute album to Donny Hathaway next month. Greg Manning's The Calling shines brightly. Give this album a listen, it's without no doubt worth to spend some of your precious time. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/gregmanning1

Personnel:  Greg Manning (Keyboards, Piano, Programming, Shakers, Cymbals, Vocals); Mindi Abair (Alto & Soprano Saxophones); Jimmi Reid (Alto Saxophone); Tom Evans (Tenor Saxophone); Kirk Whalum (Tenor Saxophone); Terry Wollman (Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Hand Claps); Keb' Mo' (Acoustic Guitar); Fred Clark (Electric Guitar); Andre Berry (Bass); Hussain Jiffry (Electric Bass); Jamey Tate (Drums); Kevin Moore II (Drums, Percussion Programming); Munyungo Jackson (Percussion); Jan Stevens (Bongos, Hand Claps); Patrick Bettison (Chromatic Harmonica); Dawn Norfleet, Tiffany Smith (Vocals).

The Calling

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Rita Coolidge - Safe In The Arms Of Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:09
Size: 117.1 MB
Styles: Pop-rock vocals
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:19] 1. Satisfied
[4:12] 2. Doing Fine Without You
[3:45] 3. Walking On Water
[4:26] 4. Spirit World
[4:26] 5. The Things We Carry
[5:23] 6. Naked All Night
[4:27] 7. Van Gogh
[3:37] 8. Rainbow
[4:23] 9. Over You
[4:02] 10. We Are Blood
[4:33] 11. You Can Fall In Love
[3:30] 12. Please Grow Old With Me

In many ways, Safe in the Arms of Time is both a reflection and a continuation of Coolidge’s remarkable history, one that took flight during the heyday of the ‘70s L.A. music scene when she sang backup on Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” and Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight.” (And astute music fans are well aware of how she contributed the classic – and uncredited – piano coda to Derek & the Dominoes’ “Layla.”) “The idea was making an album that had the same appeal of my early records – to make a roots record about my own roots,” Coolidge says.

And so it was only fitting that Coolidge and producer Ross Hogarth, along with an all-star lineup of top musicians – guitarist Dave Grissom, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist John “J.T.” Thomas, and drummer Brian MacLeod – assembled at L.A.’s Sunset Sound, the famed recording studio where she recorded her first solo albums on A&M Records 30 years ago. “Going back to Sunset Sound was taking a journey into the past – there was a memory down every hallway,” Coolidge says. Along with nostalgia, there was a hopeful eye toward the future, beautifully rendered on “You Can Fall in Love,” which Coolidge wrote with former Tom Petty drummer Stan Lynch and Joe Hutto. The track explores reconnecting with an old flame, and it embodies one of the album’s paramount themes: It’s never too late. “People need to have an awakening that you can fall in love at any age and it will feel right, like you’re 15,” Coolidge says. “I really wanted to have that message come across on the record.”

Coolidge wrote two of the album’s standout cuts – the sparky blues number “Naked All Night” and the smooth-soul gem “Walking on Water” – with Grammy-winning blues star Keb’ Mo’ and singer-songwriter Jill Colucci in Nashville. Trading vocals with Keb’ Mo’ on “Walking on Water” was a thrill for Coolidge, who enthuses, “I literally have every Keb’ Mo’ CD. I’ve been a fan for decades.”

Safe in the Arms of Time also gave Coolidge the chance to reunite with one of her real-life past flames, one who has remained a cherished friend, Graham Nash. Nash and drumming legend Russ Kunkel had offered Coolidge their smoky blues rocker “Doing Fine Without You” two years before she began recording. “I said to them, ‘I don’t know when I’m doing a record. Can I put this on hold?” When she and Hogarth started the project, it would be one of the first songs they picked. The “Delta Lady” (as she was named by her fellow Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour member Leon Russell) has captivated fans during her astonishing 50-year career, selling millions of copies of signature hits such as “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “All Time High”, and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.” Her eight-year relationship with former husband Kris Kristofferson yielded three top-selling albums (including the No. 1 hit Full Moon) and multiple Grammy Awards.

Safe in the Arms of Time marks the first new music Coolidge has recorded since the tragic death in 2015 of her beloved sister, Priscilla, a recording artist and member of Walela, the Native American trio she and Coolidge founded with Priscilla’s daughter, Laura Satterfield. The recording of the album also coincided with Coolidge’s relocation from Southern California to a new life in Tallahassee, where in the 1960s, as an art major at Florida State University, she discovered her true calling as a musician – and never looked back.

Safe In The Arms Of Time mc
Safe In The Arms Of Time zippy

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Marcus Miller - Marcus

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:32
Size: 161.5 MB
Styles: Funk-jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:43] 1. Blast
[5:10] 2. Funk Joint
[5:00] 3. Free
[5:10] 4. Higher Ground
[5:36] 5. Milky Way
[3:17] 6. Pluck
[4:40] 7. Lost Without U
[3:11] 8. 'cause I Want You
[3:57] 9. Ooh
[5:23] 10. When I Fall In Love
[5:39] 11. Strum
[6:13] 12. Jean Pierre
[5:57] 13. What Is Hip
[5:31] 14. Lost Without U (Spoken Word)

Concord Jazz presents Marcus, the album from critically-acclaimed and Grammy-winning artist Marcus Miller. The album, which is Marcus' seventh solo release, features guest appearances by Corinne Bailey Rae, Lalah Hathaway, Keb' Mo' and more, including Taraji P. Henson, the actress who leant her vocals to the Oscar winning song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" from the film Hustle and Flow. The 13-track album finds Marcus serving up his own signature Funk-Jazz music and sees him cover some classics including Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", Miles Davis' "Jean Pierre" and Tower of Power's "What is Hip?". Marcus also features two covers of the Robin Thicke 2007 hit "Lost Without You". The first sees Lalah Hathaway shining on vocals with Marcus' bass upfront and the second version, which is the album's bonus track.

Marcus is the Concord debut for this Grammy winning artist. Features guest vocalists Corinne Bailey Rae, Keb' Mo', Shihan the Poet, Taraji Henson [bonus track], & Lalah Hathaway. Marcus has scored over 20 movies including Boomerang and This Christmas. He was also responsible for writing the party song "Da Butt" for Spike Lee's film School Daze and has scored music for Chris Rock's hit TV show Everybody Hates Chris

Marcus mc
Marcus zippy

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Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:48
Size: 155.2 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:54] 1. Lay It Down (Feat. John Scofield)
[4:08] 2. Am I Wrong (Feat. Keb Mo, Taj Mahal)
[4:51] 3. L.P. (For Les Paul) (Feat. Pat Martino, Joey Defrancesco)
[5:14] 4. Give Me One Reason (Feat Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa)
[4:58] 5. 68 (Feat. Slash, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather)
[5:56] 6. In Your Dreams (Feat. Neal Schon, Steve Lukather)
[1:45] 7. My One And Only Love (Feat. George Benson)
[4:58] 8. Moon River (Feat. George Benson)
[6:34] 9. Why I Sing The Blues (Feat. BB King, Jonny Lang, Keb Mo, Vince Gill)
[1:54] 10. Daddy Longlicks (Feat. Joe Robinson)
[4:48] 11. Shape Of My Heart (Feat. Andy Mckee, Steve Lukather)
[3:40] 12. Drifting (Feat. Andy Mckee)
[4:56] 13. Freeway Jam (Feat. Mike Stern, Tomoyasu Hotei)
[4:33] 14. Lee Fives (Feat. Guthrie, Govan, Tal Wilkenfield)
[3:31] 15. Caprices, Op. 20, No. 2 And 7 (Feat. Shon Bublil)

On his release 6 String Theory, Ritenour is among twenty legendary world class guitarists who guest on the recording, produced with John Burk of Concord Records. Joining him in this tribute to the guitar, the all-star line-up includes: George Benson, BB King, Slash, Steve Lukather, John Scofield, Robert Cray and Vince Gill among many other superstars. Blending rock, blues, jazz, acoustic, country and classical, they come together for a seamless project that promises to take the listener on a musical journey and exploration of the guitar.

Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory  

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Robben Ford - Into The Sun

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:12
Size: 96.6 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues guitar
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Rose Of Sharon
[3:27] 2. Day Of The Planets
[3:46] 3. Howlin' At The Moon
[3:10] 4. Rainbow Cover
[4:04] 5. Justified (With Keb Mo & Robert Randolph)
[4:50] 6. Breath Of Me
[3:20] 7. High Heels And Throwing Things
[3:33] 8. Cause Of War
[5:09] 9. So Long 4 U (With Sonny Landreth)
[3:55] 10. Same Train
[3:44] 11. Stone Cold Heaven

Guitar virtuoso Robben Ford’s new album Into The Sun (Mascot Label Group) shines a bright light on his artful, contemporary songwriting and the stunning playing that’s made him a favorite foil of Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison and other legends. The five-time Grammy nominee describes the 11-song set as “one of the top recordings I’ve ever done” — a staggering observation considering his extensive discography, which embraces more than 35 albums under his own name and with his various bands. There’s also Ford’s session and sideman work, which includes hundreds of concert appearances and albums by Bonnie Raitt, Barbara Streisand, Charlie Musselwhite, KISS, Ruthie Foster, Jimmy Witherspoon and Rickie Lee Jones.

Into The Sun, which follows last year’s critically acclaimed A Day In Nashville and 2013’s Bringing It Back Home, explores the breadth of Ford’s sophisticated, visionary writing and playing, creating a new chapter in his brilliant musical history. The album features a coterie of guests: Allman Brothers guitarist and Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes on “High Heels And Throwing Things,” slide guitar guru Sonny Landreth on “So Long 4 U,” Americana and blues icon Keb’ Mo’ and pedal steel wizard Robert Randolph on “Justified,” vocal sensation ZZ Ward on “Breath Of Me,” and gritty Southern rock newcomer Tyler Bryant on “Stone Cold Heaven.” Niko Bolas, whose credits include Neil Young, John Mayer and Keith Richards, engineered.

“The album is really upbeat,” Ford relates. “It has a positive vibe to it — a good time feel. There are a lot of different rhythms and colors and the way the instruments are used is really different on this. It makes me very happy to have something so diverse.”

Into The Sun

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