Rob McConnell Tentet - Music of the Twenties

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:44
Size: 165,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:53)  1. Thou Swell
(6:26)  2. Remember
(8:49)  3. Lover, Come Back to Me
(5:19)  4. Can't We Be Friends
(5:43)  5. Always
(6:12)  6. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
(7:54)  7. Indian Summer/Summertime
(6:54)  8. How Long Has This Been Going On
(4:13)  9. You Do Something to Me
(7:33) 10. With a Song in My Heart
(3:44) 11. What I'll Do

To anyone who may be wondering why Rob McConnell would devote an entire album to music that is almost eight decades old, all I can say is, “listen.” Not only don’t they write ‘em like that anymore, they almost never play ‘em this way either. Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, Jimmy McHugh and other legendary Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths have seldom sounded fresher or more fashionable than in this dazzling tour de force by McConnell’s spectacular Tentet, thanks on the one hand to Rob’s bright and imaginative arrangements (and one by Rick Wilkins) and on the other to the ensemble’s scintillating performance. Almost everyone in the all-star Tentet is showcased on at least one number, and everyone gets into the solo act on the hot-blooded opener, Rodgers and Hart’s “Thou Swell” (from A Connecticut Yankee, 1927). “I’ve often wondered how I could feature everyone in this band on one number,” Rob writes. “This is the answer.” And what an answer it is, with McConnell’s nimble valve trombone pointing the way toward shimmering solos by all hands. R&H are also represented by “With a Song in My Heart” (1929; solos by tenor Mike Murley, pianist Dave Restivo), Berlin by “Remember” (1925; chart by Wilkins, solos by Restivo and bassist Steve Wallace), “Always” (1925; featuring Guido Basso, flugelhorn) and “What’ll I Do” (1924; Steve McDade, trumpet). Alto P.J. 

Perry is the headliner on Romberg’s mercurial “Lover Come Back to Me” (1928). Trombonist Terry Promane softly caresses the melody and Murley solos on the Gershwins’ “How Long Has This Been Going On” (1927), while McConnell and Restivo are the main men on McHugh’s “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love with Me” (1926), tenor Alex Dean and drummer Terry Clarke on Porter’s “You Do Something to Me” (1929). Romberg’s carefree “Indian Summer” (1929) is briefly paired with the only song that doesn’t date from the ‘20s, “Summertime,” written in 1935 by George and Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Fields for the folk opera Porgy and Bess. The soloists are Dean and Wallace (“Indian Summer”) and Basso (muted on “Summertime”). “I decided,” says Rob, “that a small tribute to Miles Davis and Gil Evans with a bit of ‘Summertime’ at the end [of ‘Indian Summer’] would be OK.” And indeed it is. That covers everything except the loosely swinging Kay Swift / Paul James standard from 1929, “Can’t We Be Friends,” on which McConnell states the melody and Wallace is the featured soloist. About the only decision one has to make when listening to McConnell’s Tentet (as was true of the late and grievously lamented Boss Brass) is, which is more impressive, Rob’s arrangements or the ensemble itself? And as is always the case, the “competition” has to be ruled a draw. When all is said and done, it’s simply impossible to choose between perfect and flawless. One thing is sure, and that is that whenever McConnell and his ensemble come together to record, there is more musical talent in that one studio than in all the rock bands in the universe. No matter what the era, the Rob McConnell Tentet makes every song truly irresistible. Another clear-cut winner. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/music-of-the-twenties-rob-mcconnell-tentet-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Rob McConnell, Terry Promane, trombone; Guido Basso, Steve McDade, trumpet, flugelhorn; P.J. Perry, alto sax; Mike Murley, Alex Dean, tenor sax; Dave Restivo, piano; Steve Wallace, bass; Terry Clarke, drums.

Music of the Twenties

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Joani Taylor - In A Sentimental Mood

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:20
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. This Can't Be Love
(4:58)  2. In A Sentimental Mood
(4:19)  3. Embraceable You
(5:24)  4. Alfie
(3:46)  5. Undecided
(3:14)  6. Sentimental Journey
(7:01)  7. Lover Man
(5:23)  8. Love Walked In
(3:57)  9. A Ghost Of A Chance / I Can't Get Started
(6:43) 10. More Than You Know
(6:41) 11. Be My Love
(5:19) 12. I Just Had To Hear Her Voice

About three years ago at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, I was standing in the back of a concert in studio B at CBC. Joani was singing a ballad to an audience of approximately three hundred people. She had the room in the palm of her hand and I was starting to get all choked up. I looked around the room and saw that I wasn't alone. There were a lot of people trying to pretend they weren't wiping away tears. Over the years, I've seen Joani do this many times. The first time was decades ago at the El Mocambo nightclub in Burnaby and I think she was only sixteen then. I've had the honour and privilege of witnessing and playing with some wonderful artists who can do this, who can connect to something deep inside themselves and touch something deep inside us. But still and all, they are relatively rare. To be able to do this an artist has to, as well as have the skill of their craft and of their art, go deep inside themselves to go beyond style, tradition, politics and personality, plus find a connection to their own essence. Then they need the willingness to be vulnerable enough to open up and connect with the people they are playing with and for. For me, Joani has always been a benchmark of this kind of intimacy. Every time I play with her she completely connects and any move I make moves her. When she performs for an audience, she takes them to someplace new and magical. Working on this project has been a great joy for me, especially the writing sessions with Joani and Miles. Things just seemed to fall into place naturally and the results are open and sincere. The beautiful original music by Sharon Minemoto, Ross Taggart and Jimm Taylor was a delight to play and I think show many different sides to Joani's “Own Voice”. Her original lyrics show the same intimacy as her performances. The three non-originals take us in different soul-stirring directions again. The recording sessions with all these beautiful players were so inspiring. Every cut is first or second take. For this reason, I think the music has a fresh, raw, and honest quality that I love. Every time I listen to these takes of Joani, Miles, Ross, Brad, Buff, Bernie and Doug, it makes me laugh and cry. I think this is a generous offering from a beautiful and continually developing, but maturing artist of great depth and breadth. I hope there is much more to come from Joani, my longtime friend, because I know she certainly has a lot more to say. ~ Bob Murphy http://www.joanitaylor.com/index2.html

Personnel:  Joani Taylor - Voice - Vocal;  P.J. Perry - Alto & Tenor Saxophones;  Miles Black - Piano;  Neil Swainson - Bass

In A Sentimental Mood

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P.J. Perry & Tommy Banks - Old Friends

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:57
Size: 160.1 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. First Song For Ruth
[4:48] 2. For All We Know
[3:17] 3. Joy Spring
[5:23] 4. My Old Flame
[3:05] 5. The Best Things In Life Are Free
[4:36] 6. Darn That Dream
[4:21] 7. Ceora
[4:34] 8. Laura
[4:15] 9. My Foolish Heart
[4:05] 10. If You Could See Me Now
[4:41] 11. Blue And Sentimental
[4:41] 12. September Song
[4:23] 13. Delilah
[4:15] 14. My Ideal
[4:40] 15. Old Folks
[4:08] 16. You Can't Go Home Again

For their first duo record, saxophonist P.J. Perry and pianist Tommy Banks play with the unforced enthusiasm you might expect but with an added ear for nuance and detail given their spare setting. While they stick with ballads through most of this 70-minute set of standards there are still a few sprightly tempos among 16 carefully engineered tracks. Perry’s glowing alto sax remains his most revealing instrument though it’s closely matched in the big, breathy feel of his tenor outings as he conjures up romance (My Old Flame, Laura), melancholy (If You Could See Me Now, My Ideal), and fleeting joy (Joy Spring, The Best Things In Life Are Free). Banks’ solo breaks take off with elegance, cheerful lyricism (Ceora, September Song) and understated bluesiness (Blue And Sentimental) when he’s not playing the perfect foil to Perry’s fluid melodies. This is an intimate collaboration every classic jazz fan should hear for the decades of shared experience it reflects and the intangible magic of two familiar musical minds meeting up for the simple satisfaction of it all. ~Roger Levesque

Old Friends  

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P.J. Perry - Worth Waiting For

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:20
Size: 154.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[4:50] 1. I Cried For You
[3:44] 2. Stardust
[5:03] 3. You'd Be So Easy To Love
[4:27] 4. Blue And Sentimental
[5:20] 5. Poor Butterfly
[3:28] 6. Blue Daniel
[4:15] 7. The Star-Crossed Lovers
[4:33] 8. Namely You
[6:19] 9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[7:13] 10. My Old Flame
[3:20] 11. Dig
[5:36] 12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
[4:35] 13. My Ideal
[4:30] 14. Never Let Me Go

A top Canadian altoist who is still relatively unknown in the United States, P.J. Perry is a bop-oriented veteran who occasionally resembles Sonny Stitt. However Perry's sounds on both alto and tenor are fairly original and he has the bop vocabularly down pat, with few hints of later developments. Joined by a top-notch rhythm trio for this set of swing and bop standards (pianist Kenny Barron who takes "Star Crossed Lovers" as an unaccompanied feature, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Victor Lewis), P.J. Perry is an underrated but major player who deserves to be discovered by straightahead jazz fans. ~Scott Yanow

Worth Waiting For

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P.J. Perry - Worth Waiting For

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:02
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. I Cried for You
(3:44)  2. Stardust
(5:07)  3. You'd Be So Easy to Love
(4:31)  4. Blue and Sentimental
(5:24)  5. Poor Butterfly
(3:32)  6. Blue Daniel
(4:18)  7. The Star-Crossed Lovers
(4:36)  8. Namely You
(6:22)  9. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(7:17) 10. My Old Flame
(3:23) 11. Dig
(5:40) 12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(4:38) 13. My Ideal
(4:31) 14. Never Let Me Go

A top Canadian altoist who is still relatively unknown in the United States, P.J. Perry is a bop-oriented veteran who occasionally resembles Sonny Stitt. However Perry's sounds on both alto and tenor are fairly original and he has the bop vocabularly down pat, with few hints of later developments. Joined by a top-notch rhythm trio for this set of swing and bop standards (pianist Kenny Barron who takes "Star Crossed Lovers" as an unaccompanied feature, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Victor Lewis), P.J. Perry is an underrated but major player who deserves to be discovered by straightahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/worth-waiting-for-mw0000678276

Personnel: P.J. Perry (alto & tenor saxophones); Kenny Barron (piano); Chuck Deardorf (bass); Victor Lewis (drums).

Worth Waiting For

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