Arturo Sandoval - A Time for Love

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:13
Size: 158,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:09)  1. Apres un Reve (After the Dream)
(4:26)  2. Emily
(4:37)  3. Speak Low
(4:01)  4. Estate
(5:06)  5. A Time for Love
(5:14) 6. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)
(5:15)  7. I Loves You Porgy
(5:26)  8. Oblivion (How to Say Goodbye)
(4:52)  9. Pavane
(4:02) 10. Smile
(4:05) 11. All the Way
(4:24) 12. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(5:35) 13. Windmills of Your Mind
(5:54) 14. Every Time We Say Goodbye

Years ago, on The Tonight Show, host Johnny Carson asked guest Frank Sinatra what music he enjoyed listening to when "in those romantic moments." Sinatra, to the host's surprise, said he particularly enjoyed the hearing works of Debussy, Ravel and other Impressionists and Romantics. With A Time for Love, trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval steps away from the fast, hard-swinging Afro-Cuban and bebop con fuego jazz for which he is known and delivers a 14-cut romantic love letter con alma. This is fine listening, no matter what the moment might be or what Sinatra who certainly knew his trumpeters might have enjoyed.  With A Time for Love, Sandoval once again grabs the crown as a king of the trumpet. Leveraging luscious, intelligently refined orchestral arrangements by string wizard Jorge Calandrelli and the always terrific Shelly Berg, Sandoval uses his mile-wide sound, engaging tone and utter mastery of dynamic and melodic nuance to envelop these Great American Songbook, popular and classical selections in warmth and soul. Since Charlie Parker did it decades ago with Charlie Parker with Strings (Mercury, 1950), jazz musicians have placed themselves in more sedate environments, emulating concert artists by being accompanied by string orchestras. Clifford Brown was one of the first pure jazz trumpeters to do so. Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove followed decades later. More commercially, the Jackie Gleason albums which featured Bobby Hackett's sound did same.

For a jazz player working in this type of environment, one of the displays of maturity is restraint: the ability to take things down tempo-wise, play with the lyric and through the melody to weave wonder with sound. Sandoval does all of this brilliantly. And, as Louis Armstrong, Bunny Berigan, Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon also did, Sandoval also sings ("Estate"). Chris Botti, another trumpet star who has played the ballad and romance game well, appears as a guest artist. Monica Mancini, a marvelous vocal talent who doesn't play on her pedigree, offers a very nice rendition of "Oblivion." There could be a tendency to schmaltz it up in the orchestral scenario, falling prey to saccharine sliding strings and unnecessary overplay. Not here. Sandoval commands the horn and the date, emitting nothing but soul through his buttery flugelhorn, open horn and Harmon-muted trumpet. The arrangements frame him marvelously throughout. The rhythm section is beautifully understated, yet musically supportive, with Berg's piano a golden touch. The only minor critique is the CD's enormity twelve selections plus two bonus selections (which feature pianists Berg and Kenny Barron, respectively). While the music is terrific, it's a bit too much of a very good thing.  A Time for Love is an elegant, beautiful work of musical artistry by a true master. While now might be Sandoval's time for love, his work here is a wonderful labor of same. So, lower the lights, drink up and savor and, for tonight, leave Frank on the shelf. ~ Nicholas F.Mondello https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-time-for-love-arturo-sandoval-concord-music-group-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello.php

Personnel: Arturo Sandoval: trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals; Shelly Berg: piano; Chuck Berghofer: bass; Gregg Field: drums, percussion; Chris Botti: trumpet (6); Monica Mancini: vocals (8); Kenny Barron: piano (14).Jorge Calandrelli: conductor; Bruce Dukov: concertmaster; Natalie Legget: violin; Phillip Levy: violin; Charlie Bisharat: violin; Darius Campo: violin; Liane Mautner: violin; David Ewart: violin; Tamara Hatwan: violin; Razdan Kuyumijian: violin; Searmi Park: violin; Songa Lee: violin; Kevin Connolly: violin; Tiffany Yi Hu: violin; Robin Olson: violin; Darren McCann: viola; Harry Shirinian: viola; Keith Greene: viola; Alma Fernandez: viola; Dennis Karmazin: cello; Vanessa Freebairn-Smith: cello; Trevor Handy: cello; Christine Ermacoff: cello.

A Time for Love

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Monica Mancini - I've Loved These Days

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:14
Size: 99,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. These Days
(3:17)  2. God Only Knows
(4:30)  3. American Tune
(5:02)  4. Blame It On The Sun
(2:47)  5. Without Him
(3:41)  6. How Can I Be Sure
(3:06)  7. I'll Follow The Sun
(5:55)  8. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
(3:48)  9. Something So Right
(3:06) 10. I've Loved These Days
(3:27) 11. Joy

Just a hum of the “Moon River” (1961) tune, and you’d get set a group of Grandmas rollicking, the moment they hear a classical Henry Mancini’s concerto. It’s striking to see how much such good music impact even the Senior citizens. But more importantly is how far Monica Mancini too has warmed to her father’s legacy when it comes to making concert and orchestral piece. She quintessentially etches her own stamp and connects the past with the now, in her music.

Monica is noted to have said “Much of my favorite music comes from the movies,” she explains. “Theme songs are so evocative when you listen to the lyrics, they really tell a story. I’ve always thought these kind of songs had more meaning because they conjure up both images and emotions.”

I’ve Loved These Days, is the fourth album from vocalist and double-Grammy nominee, Monica Mancini. This beautifully crafted 11-track album is a compilation of vintage 60s songs. They’ve been composed and sang by artistes who’ve had profound impact on Monica’s formative years. In honour of this, she’s had to have a few of these legends feature on the album. An array of music legends, including Lennon & McCartney, Fran Landesman, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Harry Nilsson, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel and Janis Ian.

Joining Monica on “I’ve Loved These Days” are original composers Jackson Browne, offering guitar and vocal accompaniment on “These Days”, Brian Wilson and the multi- Grammy winning vocal group Take 6 contributing vocals and arranging on “God Only Knows,” Stevie Wonder’s delectable harmonica duets on “Blame It On the Sun,” and the Young Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere provides B-3 organ accompaniment on his classic “How Can I Be Sure.” More.. http://blogcritics.org/music-review-monica-mancini-ive-loved/

I've Loved These Days

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Monica Mancini - Cinema Paradiso

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:00
Size: 113,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Cinema Paradiso
(4:02) 2. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(4:49) 3. The Summer Knows
(3:42) 4. A Love Before Time
(3:31) 5. Soldier In The Rain
(3:59) 6. Alfie
(5:00) 7. Too Late Now
(5:12) 8. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(4:26) 9. Baby Mine
(2:43) 10. Senza Fine
(3:46) 11. I'll Never Say Goodbye
(3:11) 12. Over The Rainbow

Monica Mancini has been careful in her recording projects to reflect her heritage and promote it without exploiting it. Her first album, Monica Mancini, was, naturally enough, a collection of songs written by her father, Henry Mancini. Her second, The Dreams of Johnny Mercer, was a tribute to one of her father's main collaborators. Cinema Paradiso features songs by many different songwriters, but its source is the kind of movie theme music in which her father worked successfully for his entire career. Mancini deliberately mixes things up in her choices of material, going back in time as far as the late '30s for "Over the Rainbow" and as far forward as "Senza Fine" from Ghost Ship, a film that opened 11 days before her album was released. And she mixes well-known songs like "Alfie" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" with worthy but lesser-known efforts such as Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's "Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding and her father's "Soldier in the Rain" from the movie of the same name with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. She has also considered the arrangements carefully, using eight different arrangers to create settings for the songs. Some of the charts are lush, while three songs employ a single instrument as accompaniment. Yet they all work together well. And the material and arrangements prove to be good choices for Mancini's voice, which is fully showcased. It is a rich voice, and if her interpretations have their precious moments and are at times too deliberate, she also exudes warmth and feeling for the songs, making this another successful collection.~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/cinema-paradiso-mw0000227963

Cinema Paradiso

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Monica Mancini - The Dreams Of Johnny Mercer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:20
Size: 101.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Standards
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
[3:21] 2. Something Tells Me
[2:26] 3. Skylark
[3:24] 4. The Weekend Of A Private Secretary
[3:55] 5. With My Lover Beside Me
[5:32] 6. When October Goes
[4:39] 7. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe
[4:27] 8. When The Meadow Was Bloomin'
[3:18] 9. It Had Better Be Tonight
[2:27] 10. Love Is Where You Find It
[2:55] 11. At Last
[4:14] 12. Just Remember

Vocalist Monica Mancini follows up her chart-topping self-titled debut with an outstanding collection of 12 songs written by one of America's greatest songwriters, Johnny Mercer. The Dreams of Johnny Mercer features the stunning vocalist performing seven songs with previously unpublished lyrics written by Mercer with great new music by Barry Manilow. Great American Songbook standards like an Italian version of "It Had Better Be Tonight," one of many Mercer and Henry Mancini collaborations, and the guest appearance of Alvin Chea, the bass singer of Take 6, on an excellent a cappella arrangement of "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" adds to the beauty of this insightful and intimate collection of songs. The lush orchestral arrangements by Patrick Williams, Randy Waldman, and David Torres on "Just Remember," "At Last," and "Love Is Where You Find It" unfold to provide a layer of musical precision that expand the lovely, warm, and supple vocals of Mancini. Her voice is irresistible and her mastery of these melodies is a sure sign that she feels what she is singing. The Dreams of Johnny Mercer are sung with tender passion in a voice that tells their innermost stories. ~Paula Edelstein

The Dreams Of Johnny Mercer

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Monica Mancini - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 105.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Moment To Moment
[4:48] 2. Two For The Road
[3:42] 3. Dreamsville
[2:59] 4. Crazy World
[2:17] 5. Anywhere The Heart Goes (Meggie's Theme)
[3:10] 6. Loss Of Love
[4:30] 7. Whistling Away The Dark
[2:57] 8. Charade
[4:25] 9. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:40] 10. Slow Hot Wind
[2:45] 11. Dear Heart
[3:32] 12. Moon River
[3:07] 13. Music On The Way

Henry Mancini's daughter takes a daring debut step as a vocalist right into her father's shadow. On an album covering her father's songs, she makes her mark with a sweet, smooth voice and a nice sense of phrasing. Her gamble pays off with lushly orchestrated versions of "Two for the Road," "Moon River," "Moment to Moment," and others. ~Tim Sheridan

Monica Mancini

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Various Artists - Ella 100 - Live at the Apollo!

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:43
Size: 172,6 MB
Art: Front

 1. David Alan Grier/Ayo - Vintage 1934 “Apollo Amateur Night” Radio Broadcast / Judy (3:58)
 2. David Alan Grier - Ella 100 Co-Host David Alan Grier Opening (1:50)
 3. Patti Austin/Count Basie Orchestra - A-Tisket, A-Tasket (3:13)
 4. Patti Austin/Count Basie Orchestra - When I Get Low I Get High (3:33)
 5. David Alan Grier/Count Basie Orchestra - Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me (4:16)
 6. Lizz Wright/The Ella 100 All-Star Quartet - Love You Madly (4:37)
 7. Lizz Wright/The Ella 100 All-Star Quartet - The Nearness Of You (6:40)
 8. Ayo/Afro Blue - Oh, Lady Be Good (4:26)
 9. Patti Austin/Afro Blue/Count Basie Orchestra - How High The Moon (4:54)
10. Count Basie Orchestra - Back To The Apollo! (Apple) (5:45)
11. Patti Austin/David Alan Grier/Count Basie Orchestra - I Loves You, Porgy / There’s a Boat Dat’s Leavin’ Soon for New York - Medley (6:31)
12. Cassandra Wilson/Count Basie Orchestra - Cry Me A River (5:35)
13. Ledisi/Count Basie Orchestra - Honeysuckle Rose (3:38)
14. Monica Mancini/Brian Nova - Once In A While (5:51)
15. Patti Austin/David Alan Grier/Count Basie Orchestra - You’ll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini) / Paganini Bows Reprise (6:12)
16. Ella Fitzgerald - People (3:36)

To be taken back in time within the scope of a period piece movie has long been a staple. Some journeys feel much more real than others, but the concept is commonplace. Venturing into the past with only the audio of a CD or record is, as they might have said back in 1934, "a whole different kettle of fish." A live audience first laid eyes and ears on this 100th birthday celebration honoring the sensational Ella Fitzgerald (born on April 25th, 1917), live at the Apollo in 2017. It took a host of talent to do justice to one seventeen-year old singer in this project recreating the night of November 21, 1934, when the teenage Fitzgerald made her debut at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. With only voice and musical instruments to channel us back to 1934, emcee David Alan Grier accurately took us there. The feel of an old-time radio show was present. Fittingly, seventeen-year old Ayodele Owalabe started the show with "Judy," the same tune another seventeen-year old had sung performing on that same stage in 1934, launching her prolific career.

It just wouldn't have been right to not have The Count Basie Orchestra perform with the many singers who proceeded to hit the stage one after another. The orchestra was in full swing and later tore the house down with an all instrumental take on "Back to the Apollo." Prior to that, Patti Austin stole the show early, finding her inner child Ella and playfully scatting through the classic "A Tisket-A Tasket." Impressively changing gears on a dime, Austin then took "When I Get Low I Get High" on a sultry road which had the crowd buzzing. Keeping your mind in 1934 may be a challenge sometimes due to some rough editing which keeps pulling you back to reality. However, the show itself didn't skip a beat with Andra Day's feisty take on "Ain't Misbehavin.'" David Alan Grier proved to be well more than an emcee with a riveting version of "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me." Moving right along, the incomparable Lizz Wright took her "wrightful" place center stage, along with the Ella 100 All Star Quartet featuring guitarist Brian Nova, bassist Nathan East, pianist Shelly Berg and, far from last and least, drummer Gregg Field. The quartet leader, Field, most notably played with Fitzgerald "back in the day." While the quartet changed the mood from the big sound of the orchestra and played superbly, it was Wright who smoldered into "Love You Madly" and, like butter, slid into a heartfelt "The Nearness of You." Wright seemed to take the audience's breath away.

A fun spin on "Oh, Lady Be Good" by Afro Blue had elements of The The Modernaires. The Count Basie Orchestra and Austin returned to the stage to join Afro Blue in a kicked-up look at "How High is the Moon." After a brief repartee which clarified that Grier was as unfunny in 1934 as he is in the present, he again stunned in a magnificent duet with Austin of "I Loves You Porgy." Cassandra Wilson's delightful bend on "Cry Me A River" followed. Next up, Ledisi took a run on "Honeysuckle Rose." With due respect, the show lost a little steam at this point. Neither Ledisi's voice nor scatting sensibilities were on a par with her predecessors. Not that she isn't a fine singer, perhaps just not the best choice to be singing Ella Fitzgerald tunes. Monica Mancini yes Henry Mancini's daughter then sang "Once in A While" joined by Brian Nova's fine Joe Pass interpretation on guitar. Grier and Austin returned for a finale that was Broadwayesque, as opposed to the big band power push one might expect in honoring a jazz singer. Not to mention the fact that The Count Basie Orchestra was in the house. There are certainly way more hits than misses and a couple of the hits were home runs or triples. An enjoyable listening experience was enhanced when the record closed with a live recording of "People" sung in all its glory by the legend herself. With just one song you clearly hear and understand why Ella Fitzgerald is heralded as the "The First Lady of Song."~ Jim Worsley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ella-100-live-at-the-apollo-various-artists-concord-jazz

Personnel:  The Count Basie Orchestra: band/orchestra; David Alan Grier: voice / vocals; Patti Austin: voice / vocals; Monica Mancini: voice / vocals; Cassandra Wilson: voice / vocals; Ledisi: voice / vocals; Ella Fitzgerald: voice / vocals; Afro Blue : voice / vocals; Lizz Wright: voice / vocals; Andra Day: voice / vocals; Brian Nova: guitar; Gregg Field: drums; Nathan East: bass; Shelly Berg: piano.

Ella 100: Live at the Apollo!

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