Jessica Williams - Blue Fire

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:57
Size: 164,8 MB
Art: Front

( 8:48)  1. Blue Fire
( 9:16)  2. The Vision
(11:34)  3. Soul Sister
( 5:56)  4. Somebody's Waltz
(11:42)  5. Blues 2k
( 6:07)  6. Kenny Kirkland
(10:08)  7. Elbow Room
( 8:24)  8. Everything Happens to Me

Jessica Williams is a no-nonsense person. You can hear this in conversation with her, you can feel this from her liner notes and you can sense it from her music. The attitude stems not only from confidence but also with being comfortable with her craft, something that leaps out each time you listen to her music. In writing the notes to this record, Williams makes several pertinent points. One is that the tradition in her music will not go away while it grows and changes all the time. Who could argue when the results are as electrifying as they are here?  Williams builds several sonic layers enveloping each in reverberating passion. She has able mates in Dave Captein and Mel Brown who are pivotal in adding to the dialogue. Together they move like one well-oiled machine. The title tune unfurls slow and sensual with Scott Hall getting his tenor into the thick of the melody before Williams traces the evolution with lines that dance lithely through a becoming tempo shift. Hall is also featured on "Everything Happens To Me" which flows like a gentle stream. It is at once peaceful and meditative. "Blues 2K" comes out swinging. Williams shapes the progression aggressively on a hot bed of melody all the while propelled by Brown and Captein taking this one right into the metier of excitement. The tempo slows down for "Kenny Kirkland". The tribute to the late pianist is a lyrical and heartfelt testimony. At the end of it all, there is one definite manifestation: this album says a lot and says it eloquently. ~ Jerry D'Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-fire-jessica-williams-jazz-focus-records-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel: Jessica Williams: Piano; Dave Captein: Acoustic bass; Mel Brown: Drums; Scott Hall: Tenor saxophone

Blue Fire

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Jessica Williams Trio - Freedom Trane

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:20
Size: 131,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:50)  1. The Seeker
(6:19)  2. Lonnie's Lament
(6:11)  3. Freedom Trane
(5:20)  4. Paul's Pal
(6:42)  5. Prayer And Meditation
(8:56)  6. Just Words
(8:11)  7. Naima
(6:47)  8. Welcome

It is no coincidence that pianist Jessica Williams draws inspiration and energy from saxophonist John Coltrane, another iconoclast whose dogged pursuit of his individalistic muse stood in defiance of trends, customs, critics, and marketplace concerns. Like Coltrane, Williams prides herself in being relentlessly faithful to her own standards of how to play and how to market her music. While that enables her to be a fiercely independent talent, it has also made her an underrated one. On her solo piano outings, such as The Art of the Piano (Origin Records, 2009), Williams' playing is engaging while remaining serious and cerebral. Augmented on Freedom Trane by bassist Dave Captein and drummer Mel Brown, Williams shows off her ability to swing. Never loosing her impeccable sense of taste, Williams is downright frisky and playful on Coltrane and Sonny Rollins' "Paul's Pal" and, on the title track, she's bopping and grooving hard with Brown's timekeeping, which is right in the pocket. It's the sort of tune that demands another listen just as soon as it's over.

As a soloist in the trio format, Williams is simply incandescent and the musicians synchronize like a well-tuned machine. Freedom Trane is a homage to Coltrane's seminal A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965), but Williams' goal is not to emulate what Trane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones did in 1964, but to expand upon it. "Prayer and Meditation," one of four Williams originals, fits comfortably with a lovingly rendered interpretation of Coltrane's "Naima," where the Steinway 'B' gently caresses like a warm touch. The lush and verdant "Welcome" closes out this super session.

Williams reveals in the liner notes how Coltrane speaks to her as she writes:  John speaks through his horn: "no road is an easy one, but they all go back to God." God, for me, is us, all of us and everything; it's the sea and the sky and the stars. We are star-stuff, we are one vibration in a standing wave, and it doesn't matter if it's called God or Allah or Aum or Chi or Orgone. It's gravity and light-years and galaxies colliding and little kittens kittening and bodily love and that chill you get when you listen to great music or see a great painting or hear the sounds of the forest.

Maybe not everything Williams says scans completely, but it's possible to hear her making her way on a spiritual journey, and Freedom Trane provides that special sort of chill that comes from hearing great music—and this is most definitely great music, made by a great (and sadly underrated artist). This is a high quality and highly recommended performance by Williams, a consummate musician of astonishing grace, passion and skill. ~ Jeff Winbush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/freedom-trane-jessica-williams-origin-records-review-by-jeff-winbush.php
 

Personnel: Jessica Williams: piano; Dave Captein: bass; Mel Brown: drums

Freedom Trane

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Billy Larkin & The Delegates - Blue Lights

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:00
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. Little Jr. Detroit
(5:06)  2. Charade
(3:11)  3. Quintessence
(4:18)  4. Sticky Wicket
(3:47)  5. Transfusion
(2:41)  6. The Cooker
(2:50)  7. Dallas Blues
(5:50)  8. Blues For Dinner
(3:37)  9. Killer Joe
(5:57) 10. Blue Lights

An excellent early album by organ player Billy Larkin, and his first version of the Delegates, which included drummer Mel Brown. As an added bonus, the great tenor player Clifford Scott joins them on most of the tracks here, and the recording is one of his best sessions away from Bill Dogget. 

The tracks are short, hard, and very in-the-pocket – like the tracks on the group's Pigmy album, which is also from the same time. This is the kind of stuff that was played to death over and over on south side jukeboxes in the 60's. Check out cuts like "Sticky Wicket", "Transfusion", and "The Cooker", and it's easy to see why! (Black label pressing. Cover has a split top seam.)  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/8872/Billy-Larkin-The-Delegates:Blue-Lights

Personnel:   Billy Larkin - organ;   Clifford Scott - saxophone, flute;  Hank Swarn - guitar;  Mel Brown - drums.

Blue Lights

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Billy Larkin & The Delegates - Pigmy

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:41
Size: 88,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. The Peeper
(3:01)  2. Foxy Little Ghoul
(4:38)  3. There Is No Greater Love
(4:32)  4. Cristo Redentor
(3:15)  5. Hainty
(2:23)  6. Pigmy
(3:43)  7. Ice Water
(5:18)  8. Grooveyard
(3:12)  9. Old Country
(4:51) 10. Watch Your Motives

Organist Billy Larkin and The Delegates immediately came to the attention of the Los Angeles jazz audience when their first record was released, but they also picked up a larger audience when the teenagers discovered they could dance to it. Just as Ramsey Lewis, they had an appeal that far exceeded just the jazz listener. Basically a jazz trio with heavy emphasis on the blues, Billy Larkin and The Delegates was a versatile and dynamic group that reached into all corners of music to come up with a style and an approach that is both fresh and distinctive.

Personnel:  Billy Larkin (org), Hank Swarn (g), Mel Brown (d), Clifford Scott (sax, fl)

Pigmy

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Billy Larkin & The Delegates - Hole In The Wall

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:45
Size: 73,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. Hole In The Wall
(2:32)  2. Little Mama
(2:09)  3. Soul Beat
(2:07)  4. And I Love Her
(2:32)  5. A Taste Of Honey
(2:45)  6. The "In" Crowd
(2:25)  7. Hot Sauce
(2:19)  8. In The Midnight Hour
(3:39)  9. Blue Satin
(2:45) 10. Close Your Eyes
(2:26) 11. Hot Toddy
(2:20) 12. Agent Double-O-Soul

One of Billy Larkin's early tight little records, with his excellent organ combo The Delegates, and their trademark hard guitar and keyboard sound. Lots of nice groovers, including "Hot Sauce", "Hot Toddy", "Soul Beat", "Little Mama", and their version of the title cut, which was one of those minor 60s hits which were hotly disputed as to who had the original recording! (White label stereo pressing. 

Cover has some wear with moisture stains & a split top seam.)  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/8971/Billy-Larkin-The-Delegates:Hole-In-The-Wall

Personnel:  Billy Larkin, organ;  James Daniels or Hank Swarn, guitar;  Jessie Kilpatrick or Mel Brown, drums;  Ernest Nabetoo, conga

Hole In The Wall

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Jessica Williams - Higher Standards

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:23
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Get Out of Town
(5:54)  2. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:05)  3. Mack the Knife
(7:47)  4. A Night in Tunisia
(9:18)  5. Don't Take Your Love from Me
(9:04)  6. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
(6:18)  7. Solitude
(8:43)  8. Midnight Sun
(6:26)  9. My Heart Belongs to Daddy

For this typically superb effort, the brilliant pianist Jessica Williams (with the assistance of bassist Dave Captein and drummer Mel Brown) digs into nine standards and come up with fresh variations and consistently inventive ideas. Although a few of the songs (most notably "Mack the Knife," "A Night In Tunisia" and "East of the Sun") have been recorded many times, Williams comes up with original musical thoughts, full of wit and chance-taking, that make each of the selections sound new. Well worth acquiring. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/higher-standards-mw0000038938

Personnel: Jessica Williams (piano); Dave Captein (bass); Mel Brown (drums).

Higher Standards

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Richie Cole - Signature

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:54
Size: 103,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:27)  1. Sunday In New York
(6:02)  2. Trade Winds
(3:23)  3. Doing The Jungle Walk
(6:01)  4. An Occasional Man
(5:32)  5. Rainbow Lady
(3:08)  6. Take The Cole Train
(4:55)  7. If Ever I Would Leave You
(5:46)  8. Peggy's Blue Sky Light
(2:36)  9. America The Beautiful

There is a lot of variety on this Richie Cole set with such musicians as pianists Tee Carson, Ben Sidran and Dick Hindman, guitarist Vic Juris and steel drum wizard Andy Narell getting plenty of solo space. With the exception of a duet version of "America the Beautiful" with Hindman, the altoist/leader's repertoire is less off-the-wall than usual but he is in good form on such tunes as "Sunday in New York," Charles Mingus's "Peggy's Blue Skylight" and his own "Take the Cole Train." On two songs Cole overdubbed himself on six additional saxes, calling it the "Mega-Universal Saxophone Orchestra." 

~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/signature-mw0000198518

Personnel: Richie Cole (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Vic Juris (guitar); Tee Carson (piano, maracas); Ben Sidran, Dick Hindman (piano); Keith Jones (electric bass); Mel Brown (drums); Andy Narell (steel drum); Babatunde (percussion).

Signature

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The Mel Brown Quartet - Live: An Evening With The Mel Brown Quartet

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:13
Size: 149.3 MB
Styles: Trad jazz combo
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[6:47] 1. Dandyish
[6:02] 2. Prelude To A Kiss
[7:35] 3. Yardbird Suite
[7:21] 4. First Light
[6:32] 5. One For Jimmy Mak
[6:11] 6. May Song
[5:35] 7. The Message
[7:29] 8. Smile
[6:34] 9. Ticondeep
[5:01] 10. Gone With The Wind

The Mel Brown Quartet came together in the fall of 2002 at Jimmy Mak's, a popular jazz club in Portland, Oregon. All seasoned jazzmen, the group has become a mainstay in the Portland jazz scene playing to enthusiastic, full capacity crowds at every appearance. This Cd was recorded in-studio with a live audience. That sense of anticipation as the houselights dim and the audience quiets. The charge that fills the air before the first notes are heard. The current of energy that flows back to the bandstand, reshaped by the listener’s responce. A feeling that something exciting is about to happen, and it does.

Guitarist-Dan Balmer: Considered the finest jazz guitarist in Oregon, Dan was the first guitarist and youngest individual to be inducted into the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Hall of Fame. Dan has performed or recorded with jazz legends Joey DeFrancesco, Airto, Red Mitchell, Bill Mays, Steve Smith, Pat Martino, Bud Shank and Joe LaBarbara. As a popular bandleader and sideman Dan’s unique guitar sound graces over 70 recordings.

Bassist-Ed Bennett: Long considered one of the West Coast’s premiere string bass players Ed has worked, toured and recorded with numerous legendary jazz figures including Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Ritchie Cole, Frank Morgan, Joe Henderson, Charles McPherson and Pete Cristlieb. Ed has been featured on two Grammy nominated recordings; Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band “Tanuki’s Night Out” and Carmen McRae “At The Great American Music Hall”.

Pianist-Tony Pacini: The jazz piano artistry of Tony Pacini has been enthusiastically enjoyed by nightclub and festival audiences throughout the West Coast as well as in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. In addition to his own trio, Tony has performed with Harry Allen, Dan Faehnle, Ritchie Cole, Dick Berk, Chuck Israels, Hadley Caliman, and Nancy King. An arranger and composer Tony is the musical director of the Mel Brown Quartet.

Drummer-Mel Brown: Mel performed with Motown legends Diana Ross and The Temptations before applying his distinctive style and consummate skill to the jazz idiom. In addition to leading several high profile combos, Mel’s rock-solid time and high-energy solos have made him the drummer of choice for jazz superstars Leroy Vinnegar, Monty Alexander, Teddy Edwards, Lou Donaldson and Joey DeFrancesco.

Live: An Evening With The Mel Brown Quartet

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Various - Bad Ass Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:09
Size: 158.3 MB
Styles: Assorted jazz styles
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Herbie Hancock - Rockit
[3:58] 2. Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Stranded In The Jungle
[4:28] 3. Woody Herman - Aquarius
[5:06] 4. Sarah Vaughan - Peter Gunn
[4:26] 5. Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf
[2:34] 6. Louis Jordan - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens [dj Premier Remix]
[2:33] 7. Benny Golson - Cool Whip
[7:20] 8. Don Byron - There It Is
[5:33] 9. George Howard - Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa
[6:14] 10. Gary Bartz - Funked Up
[5:50] 11. Mel Brown - Greasy Spoon
[2:48] 12. Oliver Nelson - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
[3:28] 13. Ronnie Laws - Fever
[3:52] 14. Chick Corea's Elektric Band - Light Years
[3:25] 15. Return To Forever - Dayride
[3:24] 16. Fred Wesley - Watermelon Man

Bad Ass Jazz

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Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group - 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1: Ticket To Ride
Size: 113,0 MB
Time: 49:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ticket To Ride (Live) ( 5:31)
02. Lilly Bean (Live) ( 6:13)
03. Let It Be (Live) ( 5:45)
04. Breezin' (Live) ( 5:47)
05. Moondance (Live) ( 5:05)
06. Shotgun - Billie Jean (Live) ( 4:49)
07. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (Live) ( 5:36)
08. Five Dollah Blues (Live) (Feat. Thara Memory) (10:13)

“If this band played in New York City, they’d be a sensation!” These are words from legendary jazz guitarist George Benson, describing Portland’s long running soul-jazz outfit, the Mel Brown B3 Organ Group.

In 1997, the group began their long-running weekly perfor- mance at Jimmy Mak’s, Portland’s premier jazz club. When Jimmy Mak’s moved locations in 2006, the band followed and have now been performing as the house band for more than 16 years.

The band plays fiery soul-jazz, but the fire lies less in the style of music they choose to play, and more in the hearts of the talent who play it. Drummer Mel Brown heard Louis Pain’s scorching Hammond B3, and during a meeting with Jimmy Mak, they hand-picked the rest of the original members: long-time trumpeter and educator, Thara Memory; guitarist Dan Faehlne; and the saxophonist Renato Caranto.

Since the early days, Curtis Craft has come on board as percussionist and Dan Balmer replaced Faehnle on guitar. This torching new jazz band took the up-and-coming Pearl district by storm, and they became a sensation!

The double-disc anniversary collection presents Thara Mem- ory as a special guest on these live Jimmy Mak’s performances. On “Ticket to Ride,” Memory gives a hilarious vocal performance, capturing his sass on “Five Dollah Blues,” a song about his trouble with women. Poor Thara, it’s a little over ten full minutes of trouble.

The rest of the album is mostly fiery soul-jazz covers of rock songs from the ‘60s through the ‘80s. They nail Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” (Google the original if you don’t remember, you definitely know it). They also cover Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” and two John Lennon/Paul McCartney songs, “Let it Be,” and a fiery version of “Ticket to Ride,” which opens the record. It’s fun and lighthearted, with tight playing.

The second volume focuses less on rock songs, and, al- though it still burns, it’s a little more like a constant simmer than a raging fire. The track that you’ll probably put on repeat is “Spooky,” a funky tune with Craft adding another layer on his percussion and Caranto’s saxophone up front and center. “Blues for J” is so straight-ahead it sounds like it’s on an out-of-print Prestige vinyl from the 60s.

These two records were both recorded during two Jimmy Mak’s performances at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. Both records burn, but “Ticket to Ride” is more focused on remakes of pop songs. Clearly in these last 16 years, these guys have mastered their crafts and hopefully will continue to be the house band at Jimmy Mak’s for another sixteen.

16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1

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Album: 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 2: More Today Than Yesterday
Size: 125,6 MB
Time: 54:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Hip Shaker (Live) (8:27)
02. Spooky (Live) (5:08)
03. House Of The Rising Sun (Live) (7:48)
04. More Today Than Yesterday (Live) (6:59)
05. Dan's Slow Jam (Live) (4:22)
06. Mac Tough (Live) (5:48)
07. Love Won't Let Me Wait (Live) (6:25)
08. Blues For J (Live) (Feat. Thara Memory) (9:35)

16th Anniversary Show Vol. 2

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Mel Brown B-3 Organ Quartet - Live At The Britt Festival

Size: 101,4 MB
Time: 43:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2004
Styles: Jazz: Soul Jazz, Blues Jazz
Art: Front

01. Intro (Live) (0:31)
02. Church (Live) (0:54)
03. Jd's Groove (Live) (7:17)
04. Sunshine Alley (Live) (5:23)
05. Soulful Drums (Live) (5:32)
06. Mighty Burner (Live) (4:38)
07. Blues For Gb (Live) (4:32)
08. I Wish/Kiko (Live) (5:56)
09. What's Going On (Live) (4:09)
10. The Peeper (Live) (2:42)
11. Mak Attack (Live) (1:42)

Personnel:
Mel Brown: Drums
Louis Pain: Hammond Organ
Dan Balmer: Guitar
Renato Caranto: Sax

Sometimes the best moments are unplanned; a spontaneous flick of the switch, and magic takes place. That's exactly what happened to the Mel Brown B-3 Organ Quartet at last September's Britt Festival, and the result was a captivating recording of the group playing live.
On the second night of the quartet's gig, opening for R&B great George Benson, sound engineer George Relles turned on the soundboard's two-track recorder, unbeknownst to the band. Since nobody except Relles knew the recording was occurring, the band let loose with a sizzling, uninterrupted 45-minute set of soul-jazz originals and covers.
Now, the B-3 Quartet-Brown on drums, Louis Pain on Hammond B-3 organ, Dan Balmer on guitar, and Renato Caranto on tenor sax-is releasing the resulting disc, "Live at the Britt Festival," this week with a party at Jimmy Mak's, the club that gave the group its start.
Pain said "it's kind of a plus" that they didn't know the recorder was on. "Musicians tend to play differently when they know they're being recorded," he said. "If we went into the studio, it wouldn't capture the essence of what kind of band we really are."
What kind of band they are is completely spontaneous. "I love the spontaneity," Pain said. "We don't rehearse."
The group gets onstage and then plows straight through a set of whatever tunes they fancy at that moment, with no breaks in between tunes, just segues.
"During a tune, one of us will call out a suggestion of what tune to do next-it's kind of tune to tune."
As Brown tells the crowd on the introduction of the disc, "Once we start, we don't stop until we're finished."
The quartet, which was known as the Mel Brown Quintet until last year ("we're musically leaner and meaner as a quartet, " Pain said) has been playing at Jimmy Mak's for six years, pumping out a soulful blend of blues, jazz, & R&B to a growing and fervent crowd, many of them younger jazz fans who had never heard the music of the original greats of jazz organ, such as Jimmy Smith and Dr. Lonnie Smith (with whom Brown played in the 1970s). They were one of the first groups in the region to bring the organ-based sound back to prominence, and with the top-flight musicianship of the members, they quickly captured a huge following for their accessible, on-the-fly, blues-based sets.
Brown anchors the quartet with his understated, melodic drumming. The Motown and Portland jazz veteran is equally at home with a fast swing of a funky groove, as on the quartet's take on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." Pain adds the soul with his expressive organ playing, holding down the bass lines and adding color. Balmer has a dual role of chunky guitar strummer and searing soloist, and Caranto blisters with his note-laced flurries.
The group is happy with the Britt Festival recording.
"We had a feeling that it was a really good set. The tunes were totally different that the previous night," Pain said.
The crowd response was intense, and Benson's bass player, Stanley Banks, can be heard shouting his approval throughout the set. Benson even remarked, "If this band appeared in New York City, they'd be a sensation."
They are most certainly a Portland sensation.

Live At The Britt Festival

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