Lori Mechem - Return To Ipanema

Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:29
Size: 126,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:07) 1. Wave
(4:17) 2. The Girl From Ipanema - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:59) 3. Corcovado - Instrumental Version
(4:02) 4. Agua De Beber - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(3:59) 5. How Insensitive
(4:58) 6. Zingaro
(4:21) 7. One Note Samba - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:29) 8. Meditation
(4:50) 9. Desafinado - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:11) 10. So Danco Samba - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(5:14) 11. Once I Loved
(4:57) 12. Dindi

Lori Mechem is one of the active leaders of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, which is a jazz education program consisting of live performances and classes featuring local musicians and, occasionally, nationally known musicians. Return to Ipanema is the pianist's salute to the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, with contributions by Denis Solee (tenor and soprano saxes plus flute), guitarist Pete Huttlinger, bassist Roger Spencer, drummer Chris Brown, and percussionist Dann Sherrill, playing the arrangements of Jeff Steinberg. The performances are enjoyable background music, though they are a little too conservative as Solee is the only musician who is improvising most of the time, while the strings provide more of a background feel. An example is "The Girl from Ipanema," where Solee's tenor takes a few chances (though not nearly enough), while Mechem sticks very close to the melody during her single chorus. Mechem does loosen up in "One Note Samba" and Solee's adventurous soprano seems to stimulate the leader a bit in the breezy "So Danco Samba." But because these compositions have been recorded so frequently in a jazz setting, they deserve to be played a little looser than many of them are on this session.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/return-to-ipanema-mw0000820786

Return To Ipanema

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The Lori Mechem Quartet - Shiny Stockings

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:13
Size: 124,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. Splanky
(4:16) 2. The Late, Late Show
(4:33) 3. Pleasingly Plump
(3:41) 4. Meet B.B.
(5:28) 5. In A Mellotone
(4:03) 6. Flight Of The Foo Birds
(4:55) 7. Moten Swing
(5:53) 8. Lil Darlin'
(5:54) 9. Shiny Stockings
(4:47) 10. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
(4:25) 11. Plymouth Rock
(1:35) 12. One O'Clock Jump

A respected jazz pianist, composer and educator, Lori, along with her husband Roger Spencer, has lived in the Nashville area since 1988. In addition to directing production shows and conducting musical theatre, she has performed with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Red Holloway, Jimmy Smith, Cal Collins, Roy McCurdy, Terry Gibbs, Pete Christlieb, Edie Gorme, Bobby Militello, Kirk Whalum and Donna McElroy. A native of Anderson Indiana, Lori received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Lori’s first CD, “Welcome to Brazil” was nominated for “Best Jazz Album of the Year” by the Nashville Music Awards in 1997. In 2003, Lori’s second CD, “Shiny Stockings, rose to #26 on the jazz charts. In 2005 she released a Brazilian Christmas album on Village Square Music. Since then she has released three more CD’s: “April in Paris” (a second Count Basie album), “The Dream of Life” (original meditation music), and “Return to Ipanema.” Lori and Roger founded and direct the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Lori is responsible for curriculum, student advisement, and special events, and teaches vocal, instrumental, and keyboard classes.https://nashvillejazz.org/people/lori-mechem-

Shiny Stockings

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Sandra Dudley And Lori Mechem - All Of My Life

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:32
Size: 155,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:51)  1. Love Like Ours
(5:54)  2. Kisses
(5:58)  3. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(4:46)  4. Summer Me, Winter Me
(5:04)  5. Moonlight
(5:05)  6. I Have The Feeling I've Been Here Before
(5:01)  7. Mozart In The Dark
(4:06)  8. What Matters Most
(4:12)  9. The Summer Knows
(4:26) 10. Like A Lover
(3:40) 11. Being Without You
(4:36) 12. How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
(4:45) 13. Alone In The World
(5:03) 14. You Must Believe In Spring

“Among the great pleasures and rewards of songwriting is hearing one’s songs performed with the respect and love that Sandra and Lori brought to this CD!  Some of these songs have never been recorded and some have many recordings, but all are sung and played here with such freshness and keen jazz sensibility.  Thank you both, Lori and Sandra”! ~ Love, Alan & Marilyn

“This is a lovely vocal album, with Dudley singing with pristine clarity and feeling, accompanied only by the tasteful piano of Mechem. Dudley has strong area ties a native of Buffalo, she studied at Fredonia then at the Eastman School of Music, where she cites her teachers, Jan DeGaetani (for vocal chops) and Bill Dobbins (for jazz history and understanding). All of My Life spotlights the songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, including “You Must Believe in Spring,” “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” and a dozen others. Dudley’s version of “What Are You Doing …” comes near to being definitive. Singer and pianist have a potent chemistry, bringing these classic pop standards to vivid and highly musical life.” ~  Jack Garner – Critics Playlist, Democrat and Chronicle 

“What happens when a remarkable singer and a fabulous pianist take on the catalog of a wonderful husband and wife team of lyricists, writing with a variety of top notch composers?  Just what you might imagine; a gorgeous recording, full of smiles, tears and some really breath-taking music.  Don’t miss this”! ~ Beegie Adair- Green Hill Music Artist, Composer and Educator

“Imagine you have before you a small box.  You open it and discover 14 exquisite little gems, each with its own sparkle and personality.  That is the sensation I experienced when listening to Sandra and Lori’s ” All Of My Life” collection.  It is certainly ranks among the finest renditions of the Bergman catalog ever recorded.  I’ll surely listen to this CD over, and over, and over again”. ~ Jeffery Steinberg- Arranger, Composer and Pianist

“These are the things you hope for when you hear a new CD. The music touches your heart and warms your soul. It has the power to make you smile, cry, think and feel. It reminds you that the power or music isn’t related to its volume or the number of musicians involved, rather the ability of those involved to bring the music to life”. ~ George Tidwell- Arranger, Composer and Trumpeter

“It’s long been said in Nashville that “it all begins with a song”.  That has not stopped thousands of records being produced each year with musical smoke and mirrors, technical sleight of hand, and layers of other creative veneer applied to hide the fact that the main ingredient could be missing.  Good songs sometimes need that additional TLC, but great songs need only to be played.  ALL OF MY LIFE, by Lori Mechem and Sandra Dudley is not just a tribute to the writing of Alan and Marilyn Bergman;  it’s a tribute to the way memorable records have always been made: Great performances of great songs.  It will take a lot longer to finish listening to these recordings than it took to make them.  And there’s nothing missing”~ Green Daniel  Nashville Producer and Arranger

“The Mechem and Dudley duo–the perfect wine for Bergman connoisseurs.  The magic sparks between these two musicians make every phrase alluring and unforgettable!  Lori and Sandra are simply world class jazz masters!  They are the perfect medium for the passionate, profound, and penetrating lyrics of the celebrated, award-winning songwriter couple, Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  This is a definitive collection” ~ Ron Browning- Nashville Vocal Coach to the Stars http://www.lorimechemmusic.com/downloads/all-of-my-life-album/

Personnel: Sandra Dudley - Vocal; Lori Mechem - piano

All Of My Life

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Pete Christlieb with the Lori Mechem Quartet - Live At The Jazz Cave

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:04
Size: 158.1 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:29] 1. Yours Is My Heart Alone
[9:08] 2. Limehouse Blues
[8:51] 3. You've Changed
[8:27] 4. When Lights Are Low
[5:52] 5. Turn Out The Stars
[5:54] 6. Only Trust Your Heart
[9:19] 7. We'll Be Together Again
[7:23] 8. The Song Is You
[8:36] 9. Day Dream

Pete Christlieb: tenor sax; Lori Mechem: piano; Andy Reiss: guitar; Roger Spencer: bass; Chris Brown: drums.

I fell head-over-heels in love with the tenor saxophone the first time I heard Zoot Sims play one, and my heart (thank goodness) has never quite recovered from the impact. These days I have two tenors of choice, one on each coast—Eric Alexander in the east, Pete Christlieb way out west. And the strange part is, about the only thing they have in common is that they both play the same horn. Alexander is a hard-line, straight-ahead, no-nonsense swinger from the Dexter Gordon/George Coleman (and Zoot Sims) school, whereas Christlieb dances nimbly and impulsively "on the edge, much like altoist Lee Konitz or the late Warne Marsh, and one seldom knows what avenue he may choose to explore or where the next phrase may lead him. Truth be told, Christlieb could play the phone book and make it sound intriguing.

Christlieb doesn't play the phone book at the Nashville Jazz Workshop's Jazz Cave, but he's all over the tenor, as usual, in an electrifying live performance with the remarkably adept and supportive Lori Mechem Quartet. While there's no doubt that Christlieb is the headliner, Mechem and her colleagues are there when he needs them, conveying the impression that this was a well-rehearsed gig instead of a hastily planned session, occasioned by Christlieb's brief stopover in Nashville in April 2006. Mechem, in particular, is a real eye-opener. What a pianist with her singular talent is doing in Nashville is anyone's guess, but they're lucky to have her. She's not only an impressive soloist (who numbers among her influences Wynton Kelly, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander, Erroll Garner and Bill Evans), but a vigilant and perceptive accompanist who always finds the proper notes to underscore precisely Christlieb's impromptu acrobatics. Bassist Roger Spencer, drummer Chris Brown and rhythm guitarist Andy Reiss round out a splendid group that is by no means eclipsed or overawed by its celebrated guest star.

The music chosen for the concert is for the most part well-known, consisting of half a dozen standards plus jazz evergreens by Evans ("Turn Out the Stars ) and Benny Carter ("When Lights Are Low, "Only Trust Your Heart"). Luckily, Christlieb is a peerless balladeer, as there are four on the menu, including the requisite encore, Ellington/Strayhorn's "Day Dream. The snappy flag-wavers are Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein's "The Song Is You and Franz Lehar's sunny opener, "Yours Is My Heart Alone. Speaking of alone, Christlieb devises a breathtaking unaccompanied cadenza on "We'll Be Together Again. In sum, this is a marvelous live performance, splendidly recorded with generous sixty-nine minute playing time. Don't be put off by the fact that Christlieb's companions are unknown; this is as sharp and stalwart a quintet as you are likely to encounter in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago or anywhere else. ~Jack Bowers

Live At The Jazz Cave

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Pete Christlieb - Live At The Jazz Cave (with The Lori Mechem Quartet)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 68:59
Size: 157.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:30] 1. Yours Is My Heart Alone
[9:08] 2. Limehouse Blues
[8:51] 3. You've Changed
[8:27] 4. When Lights Are Low
[5:53] 5. Turn Out The Stars
[5:54] 6. Only Trust Your Heart
[9:19] 7. We'll Be Together Again
[7:19] 8. The Song Is You
[8:36] 9. Day Dream

I fell head-over-heels in love with the tenor saxophone the first time I heard Zoot Sims play one, and my heart (thank goodness) has never quite recovered from the impact. These days I have two tenors of choice, one on each coast—Eric Alexander in the east, Pete Christlieb way out west. And the strange part is, about the only thing they have in common is that they both play the same horn. Alexander is a hard-line, straight-ahead, no-nonsense swinger from the Dexter Gordon/George Coleman (and Zoot Sims) school, whereas Christlieb dances nimbly and impulsively "on the edge, much like altoist Lee Konitz or the late Warne Marsh, and one seldom knows what avenue he may choose to explore or where the next phrase may lead him. Truth be told, Christlieb could play the phone book and make it sound intriguing.Christlieb doesn't play the phone book at the Nashville Jazz Workshop's Jazz Cave, but he's all over the tenor, as usual, in an electrifying live performance with the remarkably adept and supportive Lori Mechem Quartet. While there's no doubt that Christlieb is the headliner, Mechem and her colleagues are there when he needs them, conveying the impression that this was a well-rehearsed gig instead of a hastily planned session, occasioned by Christlieb's brief stopover in Nashville in April 2006.

Mechem, in particular, is a real eye-opener. What a pianist with her singular talent is doing in Nashville is anyone's guess, but they're lucky to have her. She's not only an impressive soloist (who numbers among her influences Wynton Kelly, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander, Erroll Garner and Bill Evans), but a vigilant and perceptive accompanist who always finds the proper notes to underscore precisely Christlieb's impromptu acrobatics. Bassist Roger Spencer, drummer Chris Brown and rhythm guitarist Andy Reiss round out a splendid group that is by no means eclipsed or overawed by its celebrated guest star.

The music chosen for the concert is for the most part well-known, consisting of half a dozen standards plus jazz evergreens by Evans ("Turn Out the Stars ) and Benny Carter ("When Lights Are Low, "Only Trust Your Heart"). Luckily, Christlieb is a peerless balladeer, as there are four on the menu, including the requisite encore, Ellington/Strayhorn's "Day Dream. The snappy flag-wavers are Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein's "The Song Is You and Franz Lehar's sunny opener, "Yours Is My Heart Alone. Speaking of alone, Christlieb devises a breathtaking unaccompanied cadenza on "We'll Be Together Again.

In sum, this is a marvelous live performance, splendidly recorded with generous sixty-nine minute playing time. Don't be put off by the fact that Christlieb's companions are unknown; this is as sharp and stalwart a quintet as you are likely to encounter in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago or anywhere else. ~Jack Bowers

Pete Christlieb: tenor sax; Lori Mechem: piano; Andy Reiss: guitar; Roger Spencer: bass; Chris Brown: drums.

Live At The Jazz Club

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