Magnolia Jazzband, Lillian Boutté - Molde Revisited

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:33
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:47) 1. Royal Telephone
(7:45) 2. He Touched Me
(5:21) 3. Strange Things Are Happening
(7:26) 4. His Eyes Is on the Sparrow
(6:16) 5. Shake the Devil Off
(5:20) 6. Do You Know My Jesus
(7:22) 7. Just a Little While to Stay Here
(5:38) 8. Louisiana 1927
(7:21) 9. Lead Me Guide Me
(5:11) 10. This Little Light of Mine

A versatile singer based in New Orleans, Lillian Boutte is capable of singing both New Orleans Dixieland standards and New Orleans R&B, swing-era tunes, and contemporary originals. She sang as a child (winning a vocal contest when she was 11), performed with her college's gospel choir, and then in 1973, was hired by Allen Toussaint as a backup singer for the many projects recorded in his studio. Boutte appeared as an actress and singer in the musical One Mo' Time during 1979-1984, recorded a gospel album with the Olympia Brass Band in 1980, and in 1982, made her first jazz album. Boutte has spent time alternating between living and performing in Europe and New Orleans, and she has been closely associated with reed player Thomas L'Etienne who usually leads her backup groups. Through the years, Lillian Boutte has recorded for many labels (mostly in Europe) including Herman, Feel the Jazz, High Society, Turning Point, Timeless, Southland, Storyville, GHB, Calligraph (with Humphrey Lyttelton), Blues Beacon, and Dinosaur Entertainment.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lillian-boutt%C3%A9-mn0000291690/biography

Magnolia Jazzband (established 1972 in Oslo) plays New Orleans-based traditional jazz mixed with gospel and rhythm and blues. The band was started by trombonist Gunnar Gotaas and is today one of Norway's oldest bands in continuous operation. Whether it is at a concert, at a party or at church, Magnolia always has her very special "beat" and her warm "sound" with her. Magnolia Jazzband has toured i.a. in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Dubai and Colombia. In 2012, the band was invited to play at the largest jazz festival in the United States - the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The musicians in the Magnolia Jazz Band have made several pilgrimages to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and some of the total of 14 records the band has released have been recorded right there. The band sometimes has singing soloists, among others. Topsy Chapman, Lillian Boutté, Majken Christiansen, Karin Krog, Anne Marte Slinning, Marith Endresen, Tracee Meyn and Harriet Müller-Tyl, and have also collaborated with the artist Adam Douglas. One record that left a mark was New Orleans Gospel in Molde with Lillian Boutté (1981). The band's latest album is called Old Fashioned Love (2016). New album, Blessed Moment - Hymns from Scandinavia, was released in December 2020. Translate By Google https://www.magnoliajazzband.com/om-oss

Personnel: Lillian Boutté Vocal; Anders Bjørnstad - trumpet; Georg Reiss - clarinet - sax; Gunnar Gotaas - trombone; Morten Gunnar Larsen - piano; Børre Frydenlund - banjo/guitar/vocal Sebastian Haugen - contrabass; Torstein Ellingsen - drums

Molde Revisited>

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Topsy Chapman & Magnolia Jazzband - Fine and Mellow

Styles: New Orleans Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:36
Size: 159,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:57)  1. Fine And Mellow
(6:44)  2. You Can't Tell The Difference After Dark
(7:52)  3. My Man
(6:33)  4. Let The Great Big World Keep On Turning
(5:47)  5. When I come to the end of my journey
(5:48)  6. Yesterdays
(9:37)  7. Close to you
(7:06)  8. My sin was lovin' you
(6:50)  9. The same old love
(5:17) 10. Please, don't talk about me when I'm gone

The delightful musical One Mo'Time introduced singer Topsy Chapman to admiring audiences around the world. The production, which is set in 1920s New Orleans, reached cult status in its run at the old Toulouse Theater in the French Quarter in the 1980s before being exported to New York and then to Europe. Much of the local cast traveled with the play and thus Chapman, long-considered a living treasure in New Orleans, received some well-deserved exposure before a larger audience. Chapman, who grew up not far from New Orleans in Kentwood, LA, was raised in the gospel music tradition. That gospel-tinged fervor is evident in her voice today, as she sings with some of the top musicians in the city of New Orleans. She still makes appearances at some of the popular gospel brunch venues around the city, but she mostly lends her elegant style to groups such as the Magnolia Brass Band, the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, and the Lars Edegran Orchestra.

She gigs with the best of the best at venues in the Crescent City at popular clubs such as Donna's, Snug Harbor, and the Palm Court, as well as at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Satchmo Summerfest. Chapman's affinity for the music of Armstrong is captured on her 2001 CD My One and Only Love. Recorded as Topsy Chapman and the Pros, the record does feature some real pros, such as Lucien Barbarin, Don Suhor, and Duke Heitger. The singer is joined on vocals by her two daughters, Yolanda "Peb" Windsay and Jolynda "Kike" Phillips. Among the selections are Armstrong's "Someday You'll Be Sorry" and "I Still Get Jealous." Another excellent release is Jazz in New Orleans: The Nineties. Working with Brian Carrick and his New Orleans Heritage Band, Chapman has made an uplifting record of gospel tunes such as "In the Sweet By and By" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." Her work with the Magnolia Jazz Band can be heard on their 1994 eponymous release, featuring jazz standards and popular tunes. The vocalist also appears on Cubanismo!'s 2000 CD Mardi Gras Mambo-Cubanismo! in New Orleans. Chapman really fits in the groove, especially on her danzon-style duet with John Boutté, "It Do Me Good." In 2002, Chapman was nominated for Best Female Jazz Vocalist in the prestigious Best of New Orleans Awards given by Gambit magazine. With several records out there, personal appearances, and glowing reviews in journals from Ebony to the New York Times, her star is shining brighter than ever. Bio ~ Rose of Sharon Witmer  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/topsy-chapman-mn0000792037/biography

Fine and Mellow

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Magnolia Jazzband - A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

Styles: New Orleans Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:55
Size: 127,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:39)  1. When My Dreamboat Comes Home
(4:31)  2. Canal Street Blues
(4:10)  3. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening
(4:26)  4. Float Me Down The River
(5:05)  5. Roses Of Picardy
(4:58)  6. Yellow Dog Blues
(4:19)  7. I'm Through With Love
(3:25)  8. C'est Magnifique
(3:19)  9. Without You For An Inspiration
(4:56) 10. I Love You
(4:11) 11. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
(5:51) 12. Move The Body Over

The Magnolia Jazz Band has been one of the top New Orleans-style groups in Norway since its birth in 1972. The reason for the combo's success is obvious when listening to this CD, for the septet excels at a variety of tempos, grooves, and idioms within the New Orleans style. The opening "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" sounds like a New Orleans marching band, while some of the other songs swing more conventionally. Among the high points are "Roses of Picardy," "C'est Magnifique," "I Love You," and "Move the Body Over." The excellent musicianship, strong solos, and particularly the joyous group spirit make this a trad band well worth hearing. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-lovely-way-to-spend-an-evening-mw0000222851

This highly respected Norwegian jazz band presents a new studio session, playing their authentic New Orleans-style jazz. Here they play songs by Cole Porter ("I Love You"), W.C. Handy ("Yellow Dog Blues"), Rogers & Hart ("Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered Features New Orleans style jazz by this Norwegian artist.

Personnel: Arild Holm (banjo); Georg Reiss (clarinet, saxophone); Anders Bjornstad (trumpet); Gunnar Gotaas (trombone); Hakon Gjesvik (piano); Torstein Ellingsen (drums).

Recording information: Quilles Recording Studio (05/28/2001-05/30/2001).

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

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Magnolia Jazzband & Topsy Chapman - Live At Oslo Concert Hall

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:42
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:48)  1. Lonesome And Sorry
(5:37)  2. Shout, Sister, Shout
(6:12)  3. I'm Through With Love
(7:39)  4. St. Louis Blues
(5:36)  5. Muddy Waters
(7:21)  6. Blue Bells Goodbye
(8:17)  7. Fine And Mellow
(5:30)  8. I Cried For You
(8:06)  9. My Man
(5:30) 10. Down In Honky Tonk Town

The 35th anniversary concert was a great success. The audience also had the benefit of hearing Magnolia's former pianist, the one and only Morten Gunnar Larsen, accompanying Topsy on "Muddy Waters". We took the liberty of sending a test copy of the resulting CD to Butch Thompson, asking him what he thought. Butch wrote:

"The partnership of Topsy Chapman with the Magnolia Jazzband is magic. Ms. Chapman brings that to all her performances, but with these guys you know there is something very special going on the moment she walks onstage. New Orleans music is all about connections between people, and the easy way the music comes together on this CD is born of longtime friendship and respect. Everybody is happy to be there, and it shows.

The Magnolia is simply one of the very best old-style New Orleans groups on the scene today. These tracks taken from their ambitious 35th anniversary performance at the Oslo Concert Hall in late 2007, are testimony to their remarkable cohesion. It's all about teamwork. Yes, they are fine soloists, but it all works so very well because they have mastered the art of the ensemble, the true basic of the music they have immersed themselves in for so long.

A Bonus here is the magical duet by Topsy and the superb Norwegian pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen, who made a cameo appearance that evening. The tune is Muddy Water,  well-remembered both for Bessie Smith's classic 1927 recording and for its dramatic performance by Thais Clark in Vernel Bagneris' hit off-Broadway show One Mo' Time. Like Ms. Clark, Topsy Chapman was a member of that show's original cast, but her performance here is entirely different from that of Ms. Clark, whose intense performance regularly stopped the show. For Topsy, it's something else: Intense, yes, but in her own very different, more relaxed style, finely and sensitively phrased and perfectly accompanied by the versatile Mr. Larsen, whose perfectly chosen tempo and sensitive playing are, as always, a marvel."  http://www.magnoliajazzband.com/eng/news.html

Magnolia Jazzband : Anders Bjørnstad - trumpet, Georg Michael Reiss - clarinet and alto sax, Gunnar Gotaas - trombone, Håkon Gjesvik - grand piano, Arild Holm - banjo, Per Hobbel - string bass and Torstein Ellingsen - drums; Topsy Chapman - vocal; Morten Gunnar Larsen accompanies on "Muddy Waters".

Live At Oslo Concert Hall

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