SWR Big Band - Live At Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Feat. Fola Dada)

Size: 135,2 MB
Time: 57:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Big Band, Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Sing, Sing, Sing (5:32)
02. A-Tisket, A-Tasket (2:50)
03. (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini) (4:31)
04. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (3:43)
05. Almost Like Being In Love (2:04)
06. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (3:58)
07. Opus No. 1 (2:44)
08. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (4:33)
09. Stardust (2:57)
10. Somebody Loves Me (2:33)
11. Why Don't You Do Right (3:31)
12. Poinciana (4:45)
13. Honeysuckle Rose (3:00)
14. One O'clock Jump (4:38)
15. What A Wonderful World (6:20)

Seventeen musicians- one sound. And a very convincing sound, at that. The SWR Big Band has so far been nominated four times for a Grammy. Also it received in 2015 a Jazz Award in Gold from the German music industry. They also enjoyed a great honor in 2011, when they were the first German band ever suggested for the “Premio da Musica Brasileira,” Brazil’s most important music award. In the face of so much fame, it seems almost modest to say that the SWR Big Band is one of the best big bands in the world. Jazz, fusion or world music, the repertoire is large. As is the list of recent guests and collaborators. On this release, the ensemble presents a live recording of a compilation of big band standards, recorded at the famous Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Live At Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

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SWR Big Band - A Fresh Taste Of Thad Jones & Frank Foster

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:19
Size: 151.8 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. Counter Block
[5:10] 2. Mean What You Say
[5:14] 3. Ode To Joe Newman
[5:11] 4. Winners
[4:57] 5. Love Handles
[6:03] 6. Basic-Ally Yours
[6:35] 7. Victorious Blues
[6:00] 8. Now That She's Away
[5:08] 9. The Biddle-De-Bop Samba
[7:57] 10. Lady In Lace
[8:46] 11. A Fresh Taste Of The Blues

None of the music on Fresh Taste is actually fresh, having been recorded in 1994-96 when the SWR Big Band was still the SDR, and previously issued on CD—but that doesn't mean it need be any less rewarding to anyone who hasn't yet heard it. To the contrary, those whose antennae are attuned to the straight-ahead grooves espoused by Thad Jones, Frank Foster and the Count Basie Orchestra should find almost everything here immensely invigorating and agreeable.

While he commands top billing, Jones wrote only four of the album's eleven selections, "Counter Block, "Mean What You Say," "Basic-Ally Yours and "The Biddle-De-Bop-Samba. The others are by Foster, and six of them were included on the album A Fresh Taste of the Blues (IRS, 1996), released a decade ago. Jones, who died in 1986, was a member of the Basie trumpet section from 1954-63 and co-led the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra (now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra) from 1966-78. He is remembered as a remarkable composer who penned such memorable Jazz standards as "A Child Is Born, "Don't Git Sassy, "Fingers, "Tip Toe, "Little Pixie, "Groove Merchant, "Big Dipper, "Greetings and Salutations, "Kids Are Pretty People and "Mean What You Say, the last included on this album.

Foster's credentials are comparably impressive. The tenor saxophonist joined Basie's orchestra in 1953, remained until 1964, and led the orchestra from 1986-95 (the Count having passed away in 1984). Like Jones a first-rate composer, Foster wrote a number of Basie's most crowd-pleasing charts including "Blues Backstage, "Down for the Count, "Blues in Hoss' Flat and, most notably, "Shiny Stockings. Though sidelined by a stroke in recent years, Foster was still playing when A Fresh Taste was recorded, and he solos strongly on "Counter Block, "Mean What You Say, "Winners (on soprano sax), "Love Handles, "Lady in Lace and (again on soprano) "A Fresh Taste of the Blues.

It always helps, of course, to have a world-class band in one's corner, and that is precisely what the SWR is. The ensemble handles Jones and Foster's Basie-esque charts with ease, while the soloists are consistently persuasive, from trumpeters Karl Farrent and (American expat) Don Rader to soprano Klaus Graf, alto Bernd Rabe, tenors Andi Maile and Peter Weniger, trombonists Ian Cumming and Ludwig Nuss, pianist Klaus Wagenleiter, guitarist Klaus-Peter Schöpfer, bassist Henning Sieverts and drummers Jörg Gebhardt and Keith Copeland. Not exactly a Fresh Taste, but by no means a stale one either. Indeed, a splendid album that is warmly recommended to the many fans of Jones/Foster/Basie. ~Jack Bowers

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The SWR Big Band - Kings Of Swing, Op. 1 & Opus 2

Album: Kings Of Swing, Op. 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:25
Size: 104.0 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Opus No. 1
[3:03] 2. Why Don't You Do Right
[2:50] 3. Marie
[3:22] 4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes/Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend
[2:48] 5. At Last
[3:36] 6. Stealin' Apples
[2:48] 7. A-Tisket, A-Tasket
[3:24] 8. And The Angels Sing
[4:24] 9. Isfahan
[3:31] 10. Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57 Flight Of The Bumble-Bee (Arr. M. Nightingale)
[2:18] 11. Trumpet Blues And Cantabile
[2:13] 12. Almost Like Being In Love
[2:58] 13. Swing That Music
[4:59] 14. What A Wonderful World

This collaboration with the SWR Big Band hänssler CLASSIC / SWRmusic proves once again the highest professional level of this Stuttgart ensemble. Featuring skillful arrangements of popular evergreens from the “Kings of Swing,” this release includes “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” and “What A Wonderful World.”

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Album: Kings Of Swing, Op. 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:39
Size: 113.7 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:29] 1. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[2:22] 2. Bugle Call Rag
[3:42] 3. Satin Doll
[2:46] 4. Witchcraft
[3:05] 5. Honeysuckle Rose
[2:40] 6. Stardust
[3:02] 7. Love Me Or Leave Me
[2:39] 8. Down For Double
[4:42] 9. Poinciana
[2:52] 10. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
[3:32] 11. Cute
[4:04] 12. One O'clock Jump
[2:59] 13. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
[3:49] 14. Star Spangled Rhythm That Old Black Magic
[2:49] 15. Blues In The Night

More than just a collection of delightful tunes, the track list of Kings of Swing Opus 2 takes us on a journey through the golden age of swing. After the positive reception of Kings of Swing Opus 1, the SWR Big Band presents a new list of classics, including Satin Doll, Love Me or Leave Me, One O’Clock Jump, and many more. Under the direction of Pierre Paquette, the SWR Big Band is one of the most acclaimed big bands in Germany. Vocalist Fola Dada is featured on this album, and is widely recognized as one of the most versatile vocalists of our time.

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Larry Carlton, SWR Big Band - Lights On

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 156.3 MB
Styles: Big band, Guitar jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. Mellow Out
[5:24] 2. Milestones
[8:03] 3. Kid Charlemagne
[8:04] 4. Fnnn
[6:53] 5. Too Young To Go Steady
[7:31] 6. My Favorite Things
[7:01] 7. Room 335
[6:38] 8. Friday Nights Shuffle
[8:41] 9. The Wells Gone Dry
[4:49] 10. Black Friday

Legendary guitarist Larry Carlton & the SWR Big Band team up for a new production! Combining his roots in blues and jazz with a crossover pop rock sensibility, Carlton's unmistakable sound is marked by his signature warm tone, bright melodies and soulful guitar solos. Four time Grammy winner, Titan of Tone award recipient and legendary guitar great, Larry Carlton is one of the most influential, prolific and original guitarists in the industry. Carlton established himself from his first recording, A Little Help From My Friends. His studio credits include musicians and groups like Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr., Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Bobby Bland, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and literally dozens of others. He went on to perform with the Crusaders and then with the multi platinum jazz super group Fourplay. With 30 albums to his credit and having performed on over 100 albums that have gone Gold or Platinum, Larry Carlton has set a standard for artistry that spans three decades.

For the past 60 years the 17 members of the SWR Big Band have thrilled audiences throughout Europe with a hugely varied repertoire and consistently excellent quality of music. It is indisputable that they are one of the best big bands in the world. Since 2002, they have received four Grammy nominations, which is credited to the outstanding soloists of the band, the extraordinary interplay of the musicians and great arrangements of new and classic songs alike. Their success that is also supported by the collaborations with international jazz and world music greats like Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove, Roberta Gambarini, Sammy Nestico, and Paula Morelenbaum.

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Sam Nestico & The SWR Big Band - Fun Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:11
Size: 174.4 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[6:49] 1. Blues Samuel
[4:11] 2. A New Day
[6:12] 3. A Pair Of Aces
[5:32] 4. Out Of The Night
[5:48] 5. D'ann
[4:50] 6. Fun Time
[4:11] 7. Celebración
[4:41] 8. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
[5:22] 9. Orchids And Butterflies
[3:36] 10. Not Really The Blues
[4:44] 11. The Four Of Us (You 'n Me)
[7:39] 12. Rare Moment
[4:46] 13. Bye Bye Blues
[4:04] 14. A Song For Sarah
[3:39] 15. King Porter Stomp

Sammy Nestico: conductor, arranger; Klaus Graf: alto and soprano saxophones, flute; Joerg Kaufmann: alto saxophone, flute; Steffen Webber: tenor saxophone, flute; Andreas Maile: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Pierre Paquette: baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Felice Civitareale: trumpet, flugelhorn; Martijn de Laat: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ralf Hesse: trumpet, flugelhorn; Karl Farrent: trumpet, flugelhorn; Rudolf Reindl: trumpet, flugelhorn; Marc Godfroid: trombone; Ernst Hutter: trombone; Ian Cumming: trombone; Georg Maus: bass trombone; Klaus Wegenleiter: piano; Klaus-Peter Schoepfer: guitar; Decebal Badila: bass: Guido Joeris: drums.

Big band jazz has evolved into its own avant-garde art form, where the arrangements have become progressively more complex and cerebral. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it does make for a different type of big band listening experience. Modern big band jazz, in some quarters, has veered off into a non-swinging, Stan Kenton direction and, while it remains interesting, it is not as enjoyable as a sweet Count Basie blues romp.

Speaking of Basie, the fabled bandleader retained many of the more celebrated arrangers and composers for his big band. Neal Hefti, Billy Byers, Frank Foster and Benny Carter are just a few of the musicians to arranged for Basie. Sammy Nestico enjoyed an extended relationship with the band from 1967 to 1984, where his arrangements showed up on Basie Big Band (Pablo, 1975), Fun Time (Pablo, 1975), Prime Time (Pablo, 1977) and Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977). He also claims many recordings in his own right, several with the SRW Big Band: No Time Like the Present (Hanssler, 2005), Basie Cally Sammy (Hanssler, 2005) and Fun Time (Hanssler, 2009).

Nestico is back with the SWR (Südwestdeutschen Rundfunks) Big Band on this live Outing, Fun Time and More Live, recorded before an engaged audience at the Jazz Lights Oberkochen, Carl-Zeiss-Saal, March 19, 2010. Nestico guides this fine ensemble through 14 of his better-known arrangements, in a traditional big band recital that's more Basie than Glenn Miller or Benny Goodman. Nestico favors big brass and big sounds, conjuring forth such from this crack orchestra. ~C. Michael Bailey

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SWR Big Band & Sammy Nestico - A Cool Breeze

Size: 149,7 MB
Time: 64:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Big Band
Art: Front & Back

01. Cell Talk (3:59)
02. Along Came Betty (5:00)
03. A Cool Breeze (5:29)
04. I'll Follow My Secret Heart (4:46)
05. Shirley (4:09)
06. Close Enough For Love (4:31)
07. Moonlight On The Ganges (3:49)
08. Frankie & Johnny (5:20)
09. Poor Butterfly (5:19)
10. 'Round Midnight (3:37)
11. Tippin' In (3:59)
12. Toni (5:25)
13. Softly From My Window (3:37)
14. The Jazz Music Box (5:09)

Seventeen musicians-one sound. And a very convincing sound, at that. The SWR Big Band has so far been nominated four times for a Grammy - the most important music award in the world. Also it received in 2015 a Jazz Award in Cold ffom German music industry. Enjoyed a great honor in 2011, when it was the first German band ever suggested for the "Premio da Musica Brasileira", Brazil's most important music award. In the face of so much fame, it seems almost modest to say that the SWR Big Band is one of the best big bands in the world.

Sammy Nestico is a composer-arranger whose accomplishments and credits have earned him legendary status in the music business.

Today’s word that best describes him is “iconic.”

He has done it all: a host of big band arrangements including those for the Count Basie Band, The Airmen of Note and Germany’s SWR Orchestra, movie and television scores, and a variety of commercials.

Along the way, he has won a bunch of Grammy Awards and, judging by the smile that appears to never leave his face, he has had a great deal of fun doing what he loves to do.

He’s a perfect example of the adage: “Do what you love and the rest will follow.”

On June 9, 2017, SWR Music released A Cool Breeze: Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band which documents more of the ongoing love affair between this brilliant, Stuttgart-based big band and one of the most accomplished composer-arrangers in the history of big band Jazz.

Everything about this recording is simply splendid from the SWR’s technical execution of the arrangements, to the joyful and magical way Sammy’s charts play out on the listener’s ear to the audio quality which imbues the music with a rich texture and a warm sound. Listening to the music on this recording makes you realize why Big Band Jazz is a category apart and that when it’s done right, no other aspect of Jazz matches its majestic sonority.

A Cool Breeze

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Clark Terry, SWR Big Band - Jazz Matinee

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:15
Size: 165.4 MB
Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[8:16] 1. The Zinger
[5:33] 2. Easy Does It
[4:15] 3. Come Sunday
[5:44] 4. A Penny For Your Thoughts
[4:42] 5. Jenny
[4:48] 6. C.T.'s Express
[5:39] 7. Big Bad Blues
[5:54] 8. Dues Blues
[5:53] 9. Tee Pee Time
[4:50] 10. Sheba
[7:41] 11. Cold Tater Stomp
[4:36] 12. Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)
[4:17] 13. Mumbles Returns

Clark Terry, conductor, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals; Thomas Vogel, Claus Reichstaller, Karl Farrent, Rudi Reindl, trumpet; Ernst Hutter, Marc Godfroid, Ian Cumming, Georg Maus, trombone; Bernd Rabe, Klaus Graf, alto sax; Peter Weninger, tenor, soprano sax; Andreas Maile, tenor sax; Rainer Heute, baritone sax; Klaus Wagenleiter, piano; Decebal Badila, bass.

The irrepressible Clark Terry was a spry seventy–seven years old when this “Jazz Matinee” was recorded three years ago in Stuttgart, Germany. To hear him — on trumpet, flugelhorn or singing — is to summon forth images of a much younger man, so infectious is his boundless energy and unfailing good humor. About the latter, drummer Louie Bellson once said: “There has to be something wrong with anybody who can’t get along with Clark Terry.” As to his playing, Miles Davis called him “one of the best trumpeters in the world, if not the very best,” an assessment seconded by Dizzy Gillespie, who observed that “[Terry’s] flexibility and versatility make him one of the greatest. He can swing, he knows how to bop, he can do whatever he wants with his horn.” What he wants to do on this colorful session with the world–class SWR Big Band is entertain the rapt audience with a series of typically resourceful solos, which he does with relative ease, and with his engaging vocals on “Just Squeeze Me” and the amusing “Mumbles Returns” (on which one would almost swear he’s speaking an actual “language” that hasn’t yet been codified). Never comfortable on the sidelines, Terry solos on every number and shoulders the entire load on “Squeeze Me,” Ellington’s “Come Sunday” and Dave Slonaker’s “C.T.’s Express.” Elsewhere, he’s aided and abetted by a number of the ensemble’s top–drawer improvisers — saxophonists Rainer Heute, Andy Maile, Peter Weniger, Klaus Graf and Bernd Rabe; trumpeters Claus Reichstaller and Karl Farrent; trombonists Ian Cumming and Marc Godfroid, pianist Klaus Wagenleiter and bassist Decebal Badila. To show the versatility alluded to by Gillespie, Terry places his flugel in one hand, muted trumpet in the other and plays “against” himself on the scampering “Tee Pee Time,” then goes into the trenches to engage in hand–to–horn combat with Graf, Farrent and Reichstaller on Alan Foust’s funky “Cold Tater Stomp.” The SWR Big Band, powered by its superb rhythm section (Wagenleiter, Badila and drummer Jörg Gebhardt), swings audaciously from first note to last on this generously timed (72:06) concert date. With so many of Jazz’s acknowledged giants having left us, we are indeed fortunate that Clark Terry is still here. Now 80, he was diagnosed recently with colon cancer, which is no laughing matter. We are certain that we echo the sentiments of everyone in the Jazz community in wishing one of the great masters of trumpet and humor a swift and complete recovery. ~Jack Bowers

Jazz Matinee

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Sammy Nestico, SWR Big Band - No Time Like The Present

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:54
Size: 176.1 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[5:41] 1. Ya Gotta Try ... Harder
[6:00] 2. Freckle Face
[4:31] 3. Tangerine
[5:54] 4. No Time Like The Present
[5:30] 5. Charlie The Whale
[4:31] 6. Satin 'n' Glass
[9:41] 7. The Blues Machine
[5:20] 8. Night Flight
[6:33] 9. Crosswinds
[7:11] 10. A Warm Breeze
[7:19] 11. Smack Dab In The Middle
[5:03] 12. After You've Gone
[3:34] 13. Strike Up The Band

Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Decebal Badila; Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Klaus Graf; Alto Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Axel Kühn; Baritone Saxophone – Pierre Paquette; Drums – Holger Neil; French Horn – Gregor Fas, Heinrich Lohr, Raymond Warnier; Guitar – Klaus-Peter Schöpfer; Percussion – Jörg Gebhardt; Piano, Electric Piano [Fender- Rhodes] – Klaus Wagenleiter; Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Andreas Maile, Jörg Kaufmann; Trombone – Ernst Hutter, Georg Maus, Ian Cummings, Marc Godfroid; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Claus Reichstaller, Felice Civitareale, Karl Farrent, Rudolf Reindl; Vibraphone – Matthias Haus. Recording Dates: Track 1 to 15 on Nocv. 09 - 11,2005 at SWR Sendesaal, Villa Berg, Stuttgart; Track 16 on May 05,2005 at KKL,Hegelsaal, Stuttgart.

Famous for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra, Sammy Nestico -- a cousin of tenor saxophonist Sal Nistico -- has always had a productive, if lesser-known, solo career. Self-taught on the trombone, at age 17 Nestico was skilled enough to be a studio musician in Pittsburgh. He served in the military, gained a music degree at Duquesne University in 1950 and was staff arranger for the U.S. Air Force Band for many years. Nestico was also a busy freelance arranger: he worked with the U.S. Marine Band starting in 1963 and led the orchestra that performed at functions at the White House. Nestico started contributing arrangements to Basie in 1967 and during the next 15 years would occasionally write for an entire Basie album (including Have a Nice Day, ) Prime Time, Warm Breeze and the big band tracks on 88 Basie Street). Nestico has also written extensively for films and television, has been a significant jazz educator and recorded one album as a leader: Dark Orchid (a 1982 Palo Alto release). ~bio by Scott Yanow

No Time Like The Present

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SWR Big Band, Ralf Schmid, Paula Morelenbaum - Bossarenova

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:56
Size: 178.4 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Big band
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[ 5:23] 1. Águas De Março
[ 4:40] 2. Chovendo Na Roseira
[ 4:18] 3. Blackbird
[ 4:04] 4. Mas, Que Nada
[ 3:33] 5. Modinha (Seresta No.6)
[ 3:37] 6. Perfume De Cebolla
[ 4:34] 7. Tarde Em Itapoã
[ 4:27] 8. Tempo De Amor
[ 3:54] 9. Vem Morena
[ 5:01] 10. Pra Que Chorar [ich Grolle Nicht]
[ 4:10] 11. O Morro Não Tem Vez [favela]
[22:26] 12. Setembro
[ 3:52] 13. L'habitant Du Ciel
[ 3:52] 14. Soul Bossa Nova

It is nearly impossible to speak about Paula Morelenbaum without mentioning Antonio Carlos Jobim. To those unfamiliar with her work, it is worth noting that Paula worked for ten years (1984 to 1994) singing alongside the Brazilian maestro. She participated in the recording of the albums Passarim (1986-Universal), Antonio Brasileiro (1993-Som Livre), Tom Jobim Inédito (1995-BMG) and Tom canta Vinicius (2000-Jobim Music/Universal), while performing with his group Banda Nova in Brazil, Japan, Europe, Canada and the United States, including shows at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Jobim, himself, once described the band as "a group of five handsome girls, five handsome guys and a dirty old man!" Paula Morelenbaum's solo career began during the latter years of that collaboration. In 1992, she released her first solo album. The self-titled effort was produced by her husband and acclaimed cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, who also participated as an instrumentalist and arranger on a handful of tracks. The disc included songs from Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee, Arrigo Barnabé, Paulo Jobim, Jose Miguel Wisnik, George Gershwin, Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim (who also performed on the recording). It was this album with which Paula was awarded the Sharp Music Award 1993 in Brazil for the category "Revelation Female Pop-Rock." In 1995, Morelenbaum formed the Quarteto Jobim Morelenbaum with Paulo Jobim, Daniel Jobim and Jaques Morelenbaum, a quartet of vocal and instrumental chamber music whose repertoire was based on perpetuating the style of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Four years later the quartet released the album Quarteto Jobim Morelenbaum (Candles/Sony Music) and presented the music with a world tour that stretched around the globe. 
That same year Paula served as vocalist on the recording Smoochy by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The seed of a new and fruitful collaboration had been been planted. With Ryuichi Sakamoto and husband Jaques Morelenbaum, Paula launched the trio Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto in 2001 and soon released the album Casa (Kab/Universal Music), a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim, recorded at the maestro's home. This was followed by yet another world tour, which further extended her burgeoning international fan base and resulted in the live album Live in Tokyo 2001 (Warner Music Japan) and its subsequent 2003 follow up, A Day in New York (Kab/Sony Classical/Universal Music/Warner Music Japan), which as the title suggests was recorded in NYC all in one day. The CD earned them the 2004 Tim Brazilian Music Award in the category "Best Brazilian Music Group."

Now at the peak of her musical maturity, Paula Morelenbaum's latest work is a collaboration with the stellar Germany-based SWR Big Band and arranger/conductor Ralf Schmid. Together they created the album Bossarenova (ObliqSound/Skip Records). As the title describes, the work is a "restoration" of the classic Bossa Nova repertoire, yet distinctively re-imagined through the inspired pairing of Paula and Ralf. On the collection, she interprets timeless pieces such as "Agua De Março (Waters of March)" and "Chovendo na Roseira" by Antonio Carlos Jobim, "Mas Que Nada" and "Vem Morena" by Jorge Ben, "Tarde em Itapuã" by Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes and rescues the beautiful "Tempo de amor" by Baden Powell and Vinicius.

In addition to these Bossa Nova's masterpieces, there are a number of reinterpretations that had a great influence on the Bossa Nova masters, such as compositions by Robert Schumann, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Lennon & McCartney. On the album, Paula Morelenbaum is deftly supported by the 16 musicians in the SWR Big Band, as well the renowned German trumpeter and co-founder of the 90's European acid jazz duet Tap Two Joo Kraus, pianist and arranger Ralf Schmid and Brazilian special guests Lula Galvão and Portinho. The US version of the release features two exclusive mixes of the songs "Aguas de Março" and "Modinha" reworked by producer Michele Locatelli and an exclusive Michael Olatuja remix of the classic Quincy Jones hit "Soul Bossa Nova," which appears on the album as an instrumental bonus track.

Bossarenova

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Slide Hampton, SWR Big Band - Jazz Matinee

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:55
Size: 160.0 MB
Styles: Big Band
Year: 1997/2007
Art: Front

[ 9:41] 1. Peanut Butter And Honey
[ 9:43] 2. A Frame For The Blues
[ 7:46] 3. Lament For Booker
[ 8:32] 4. Do You Believe
[ 8:05] 5. Babes In Arms
[ 9:07] 6. Blues For My Father
[10:00] 7. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
[ 6:58] 8. Cotton Tail

Drums – Jörg Gebhardt; Piano – Klaus Wagenleiter; Alto Saxophone – Bernd Rabe, Klaus Graf; Trombone – Ernst Hutter, Georg Maus, Ian Cumming, Marc Godfroid; Baritone Saxophone – Rainer Heute; Bass – Henning Sieverts; Tenor Saxophone – Andreas Maile, Peter Weniger; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Felice Civitareale, Karl Farrent, Lubomir Rezanina*, Rudolf Reindl*, Thomas Vogel. Recorded May 17, 1997 at Villa Berg, Stuttgart.

Barbra Streisand sang that “people who need people” are the luckiest people in the world. To that list should be added big–band enthusiasts in and around Stuttgart, Germany, as the SWR Big Band’s Jazz Matinees there just keep getting better and better. The latest in the ensemble’s series of live recordings, showcasing the prodigious talents of American trombonist / composer / arranger Slide Hampton, is an unalloyed pleasure from end to end with Slide and the SWR in peak form in a concert that canvasses four of his superb compositions, the standards “My Funny Valentine” and “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” (paired with Burt Bacharach’s “A House Is Not a Home”), Duke Ellington’s “Cottontail” and Bobby Lavell’s “Do You Believe” (all arranged by Slide). Hampton, who turns seventy this month, made his mark as a player and writer with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson’s explosive orchestra in the late ’50s, contributing a number of memorable charts including “Frame for the Blues,” wonderfully reprised by the SWR band with fabulous solos by Slide, trombonist George Maus, baritone Reiner Heute and bassist Henning Sieverts. The curtain–raiser is Hampton’s crisply swinging “Peanut Butter and Honey” (a.k.a. “All the Things You Are”) with solos to match by drummer Jörg Gebhardt, tenor saxophonist Peter Weniger, trombonists Hampton and Marc Godfroid, flugel Karl Farrent and pianist Klaus Wagenleiter. “Frame for the Blues” is next, followed by Hampton’s poignant “Lament for Booker” (solos by Slide and Wagenleiter), written for trumpeter Booker Little who was a member of Hampton’s octet until his death in October 1965. Farrent (trumpet) and Weniger (soprano) are the headliners on the gently swaying “Do You Believe,” Hampton, Wagenleiter and Sieverts (arco) on the richly orchestrated “Valentine,” while every member of the trombone section has his moments on Slide’s deeply–grooved “Blues for My Father.” Hampton’s creamy–smooth trombone is chaperoned only by Wagenleiter on “Berkeley Square” with the band re–emerging on “Home” as a prelude to the bouncy finale, “Cottontail,” at whose core is a high–spirited saxophone “chase” featuring altos Bernd Rabe and Klaus Graf, baritone Heute, and tenors Weniger and Andreas Maile. Hampton is emphatically brilliant, the SWR Big Band typically outstanding, and the fruit of their collaboration a solid front–runner for inclusion on anyone’s list of the most impressive big–band recordings of 2001.

Jazz Matinee

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Sammy Nestico & The SWR Big Band - Basie Cally Sammy

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 74:09
Size: 169.7 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Dimensions in Blue
[3:23] 2. Sweet Georgia Brown
[6:30] 3. 88 Basie Street
[4:15] 4. Fancy Pants
[4:58] 5. Time Stream
[4:19] 6. No More
[5:00] 7. Li'l Ol' Blue Note
[6:47] 8. High Five
[4:57] 9. Ja-da
[2:24] 10. The Heat's On
[3:33] 11. Samantha
[5:22] 12. Ain't Nobody Gettin' Younger
[3:51] 13. Satin Doll
[5:33] 14. It's a Wonderful World
[6:47] 15. How Sweet It Is
[4:06] 16. Wind Machine

Some people are born to rule, others to serve. Sammy Nestico, it seems, was born to swing. From his early years as chief arranger for the US Air Force Airmen of Note and later for the irrepressible Count Basie Orchestra, Nestico prized swinging above all else, and that's no less true on Basie-cally Sammy, his warmhearted homage to the Count with Germany's superlative SWR Big Band, which marks their second collaboration in as many years. The album swings buoyantly from start to finish, thanks to Nestico's intrepid charts and the SWR's casual mastery of them.

There are a number of old favorites here—classic charts like "Sweet Georgia Brown, "88 Basie Street, "Fancy Pants, "Ja-Da, "The Heat's On, "Satin Doll, "It's a Wonderful World, "How Sweet It Is and "Wind Machine (the last a "bonus track recorded in concert)—and several charming newcomers as well, most notably "Time Stream, "No More, "Li'l Ol' Blue Note, "High Five and "Ain't Nobody Gettin' Younger (even though, at age 81, Nestico doesn't appear to be gettin' any older either). The band gives each one an exhilarating ride, swinging like Basie while sounding like SWR.

The ensemble comes out smokin' on Nestico's "Dimensions in Blue, which I believe was written for the Airmen of Note (if memory serves, it may still be their theme song), and unleashes more of its awesome firepower on the voluptuous "Georgia Brown. After introducing "Georgia," pianist Klaus Wagenleiter, one of a bevy of impressive soloists, is featured on the ambling "88 Basie Street, alto Klaus Graf on "Samantha, tenor Axel Kühn on "No More and "The Heat's On. Trumpeter Don Rader, who has either relocated from Australia or was imported especially for this date, is the flugel soloist on "Satin Doll and is heard again, on trumpet, with Wagenleiter, bassist Decebal Badila, alto Steffen Weber and Kühn (flute) on "How Sweet. Others who step up to the plate and swing for the fences are trombonists Marc Godfroid, Ian Cumming and Ernst Hutter; trumpeters Karl Farrent and Claus Reichstaller; tenor Andi Maile; baritone Pierre Paquette; guitarist Klaus-Peter Schöpfer, and drummer Holger Nell. Schöpfer fills rhythm guitarist Freddie Green's shoes nicely, while Nell has no problem sitting in for Sonny Payne, Butch Miles and Basie's other renowned timekeepers.

This is a dynamic blowing session, one you don't have to love Basie to appreciate. And when Sammy says he hasn't "had this much fun in years, it's a clear indication of his happiness with SWR's respect for his music, not to mention the ensemble's remarkable ability to transcribe it. This is "basie-cally big band jazz with an unequivocal kick, precisely the kind that the irrepressible Kid from Red Bank gave free rein to and ardently endorsed.

Sammy Nestico: music director; Felice Civitreale, Claus Reichstaller, Karl Farrent, Rudolf Reindl, Don Rader: trumpet; Klaus Graf: alto sax, clarinet, flute; Steffen Weber: alto sax, flute, alto flute; Axel Kohn, Andreas Maile: tenor sax, flute, alto flute; Pierre Paquette: baritone sax; Marc Godfroid, Ernst Hutter, Ian Cumming, Georg Maus: trombone; Klaus- Peter Schopfer: guitar; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Decebal Badila: bass; Holger Nell: drums.

Basie Cally Sammy

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