Various Artists - The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3, Vol.4, Vol.5, Vol.6

Album: The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms-Vol.1

Styles: Bossa
Size: 147,2 MB
Time: 64:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Art: Front

1. Roberto Menescal - Inflüencia Do Jazz (2:28)
2. Odell Brown & The Organizers - Mas Que Nada (7:12)
3. Os Cincos-Pados - Berimbau (2:52)
4. Jongo Trio - Águas De Março (Waters of March) (4:07)
5. Quarteto Em Cy Com Tamba Trio - Água De Beber (Water to Drink) (2:40)
6. Pedrinho Mattar Trio - Samba Pro Pedrinho (2:40)
7. Charlie Byrd & Woody Herman - Bamba Samba (Bossa Nova) (3:07)
8. Breno Sauer Quinteto - A Felicidade (2:14)
9. Nelson Riddle & Orchestra - Lamento (3:03)
10. Zimbo Trio - To Live Happily (Pra Viver Feliz) (2:39)
11. Os Catedraticos - Os Grilos (Crickets Sing for Anamaria) (2:21)
12. Lalo Schifrin & Orchestra - Samba De Uma Nota Só (3:45)
13. Geraldo Trio - Chora Tua Tristeza (2:58)
14. Bossa Jazz Trio - Canto De Ossanha (2:36)
15. Os Cobras - Cheiro De Saudade (2:52)
16. The Continentals - String of Pearls (2:21)
17. João Meirelles & His Bossa Kings - Batucada (2:27)
18. Chris Montez - The Face I Love (2:02)
19. Martin Denny - Exotique Bossa Nova (4:16)
20. Quartette Tres Bien - Boss Tres Bien (5:30)

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Album: The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms, Volume 2

Styles: Bossa Nova
Size: 133,5 MB
Time: 57:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Art: Front

1. Tamba Trio - Mas que nada (Better Than Nothing) (2:33)
2. Edu Lobo - Upa, neguinho (Up, Little Black Child) (2:19)
3. Pery Ribeiro feat. Walter Wanderley & Seu Conjunto - O barquinho (Little Boat) (2:54)
4. Coral De Ouro Preto - Samba de uma nota só (2:06)
5. Bobby Mackay - Bossa Nova (I Say) (1:52)
6. Jorge Ben Jor - Tim Dom Dom (2:20)
7. Toots Thielemans & Elis Regina - Wave (3:08)
8. Elis Regina - O meninho das laranjas (The Orange Selling Boy) (2:16)
9. Ella Fitzgerald - So danço samba (5:49)
10. Sarah Vaughan - The Boy From Ipanema (2:28)
11. João Gilberto feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim & Orchestra - Desafinado (Off Key / Slightly Out of Tune) (1:57)
12. Os Farroupilhas - Samba International (1:56)
13. Marcos Valle - Os grilos (Crickets Sing for Anamaria) (2:06)
14. Walter Wanderley - Telefone (2:15)
15. Ed Lincoln - The Blues Walk (3:59)
16. Pedrinho Mattar Trio - Opato (1:52)
17. Joao Roberto Kelly & Luiz Reis - Leilao / Brotinho Bossa Nova (2:31)
18. Sambalanço Trio - Samblues (2:16)
19. Edison Machado - Menino travesso (2:45)
20. Paul Winter feat. Luiz Bonfá, Roberto Menescal & Luiz Eça - Reza (3:19)
21. Antonio Carlos Jobim & Eumir Deodato - Corteguay (2:24)
22. Sérgio Mendes - Oba - La - La (2:27)

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Album: The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms Vol.3

Styles: Bossa Nova
Size: 138,6 MB
Time: 60:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Art: Front

1. Sergio Mendes & Wanda De Sah feat. Bud Shank - Samba De Verao (So Nice) (2:11)
2. Edu Lobo feat. Tamba Trio - Boranda (2:30)
3. Elza Soares - Mas Que Nada (Better Than Nothing) (2:24)
4. Wilson Simonal - Mestico (1:57)
5. Quarteto 004 & A. C. Jobim - Vou Te Contar (2:44)
6. Silvio Cezar & Meirelles - Samba Do Carioca (1:56)
7. Astrud Gilberto - Take Me To Rwanda (2:27)
8. Wanda De Sah - So Danco Samba (Jazz 'N' Samba) (2:11)
9. Lennie Dale & O Sambalanco Trio - O Pato (1:54)
10. Baden Powell - Blues A Volonte (8:52)
11. Caterina Valente feat.Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra - Canto De Ossanha (2:54)
12. Jon Hendricks - Jive Samba (2:19)
13. Quarteto Em Cy & Frejat (Live) - Chega De Saudade (4:00)
14. Lalo Schifrin - The Man From T. H. R. U. S. H. (2:54)
15. Bill Perkins - Baia (3:33)
16. Os Cobras - E Bom Assim (2:46)
17. Jack Wilson feat. Roy Ayers - Days Of Wine And Roses (3:32)
18. Som Tres - Amazonas (2:25)
19. Zimbo Trio (Live) - Nana (6:52)

Various Artists - JAZZ IN RIGA, Vol.1

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 101:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 233,6 MB
Art: Front

(12:12) 1 Folk Song (Karlis Auzins Trio)
( 8:58) 2 The Concept Of Truth (Karlis Vanags Trio)
( 5:35) 3 The End Is The Beginning (Pauls Pokratnieks Quartet)
( 8:06) 4 Compromise (Liva Dumpe Sextet)
(11:18) 5 The Big Dripper (Alise Golovacka's Orbitrons)
( 6:26) 6 Prayer (M.A.S.A.)
( 6:33) 7 Elvis (Lupa)
( 8:31) 8 Variation 1 (Atis Andersons Organ Trio)
( 7:28) 9 Five Miles High (Mikelis Dzenuska/Uzvaras Bulvaris)
( 7:23) 10 Integration (Vadims Dmitrijevs Quintet)
( 5:48) 11 Medus Bauska (Matiss Cudars Trio)
( 3:46) 12 VI (Vestard Shimkus/Endless Roar)
( 9:31) 13 Hope (Double Yuriy Trio)

In 2017 a boom happened in Latvian and Baltic jazz history with the coming of Jersika Records, an independent jazz and improvised music record label. Since then, the Riga-based label has been delivering top-notch music records each year. Focusing mainly on Latvian musicians and bands with occasionally occurring exceptions such as Estonia-based American trumpeter Jason Hunter or Lithuanian saxophone virtuoso Liudas Mockūnas. Jersika Records has become a warm place for Baltic jazz.

In 2023, Jersika Records released its first various artists' compilation, Live at the M/Darbnīca vol.1: Jazz in Riga: Latvia 2022/2023. Kind of a lengthy title but informative. M/Darbnīca is Riga's famous jazz venue and cultural center where between August 2022 and January 2023 showcases of Latvian jazz musicians and bands took place. That is what this compilation is about. Thirteen acts were recorded for this compilation.

On the album, one catches vibes from post-bop and neo-bop, a blend of spiritual, smooth as well as fusion jazz along with experimental/avant-garde tunes, plus free improvisation and even rearranged folk material. It is all original stuff, played by top Latvian jazz musicians, some of whom team up with their buddies from across the globe, for instance Latvian vocalist and pianist Līva Dumpes' collaboration with Italian guitarist Massimo Imperatore and Amsterdam-based double-bassist Omer Govreen or trombonist Vadims Dmitrijevs' quintet.

The newest compilation opens Latvian jazz and improvised music doors for those who have never ventured into the Baltic region. Live at the M/Darbnīca vol.1 | Jazz in Riga | Latvia 2022/2023 is an eloquent chronicle of the Latvian jazz scene's renaissance. By Vitalijus Gailius
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-m-darbnca-vol1-jazz-in-riga-latvia-2022-2023-various-artists-jersika-records

JAZZ IN RIGA, Vol.1

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Various Artists - The Ultimate Diva Collection

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:06
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

1. Ella Fitzgerald - How High The Moon (7:03)
2. Sarah Vaughan - Lullaby Of Birdland (3:59)
3. Dinah Washington - Teach Me Tonight (2:46)
4. Billie Holliday - Body And Soul (6:20)
5. Carmen McRae - You Took Advantage Of Me (2:37)
6. Anita O'Day - Peel Me A Grape (3:04)
7. Blossom Dearie - Someone To Watch Over Me (5:58)
8. Nina Simone - Love Me Or Leave Me (4:05)
9. Shirley Horn - Come Dance With Me (2:51)
10. Gloria Lynne - I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life (2:56)
11. Astrud Gilberto - Fly Me To The Moon (2:20)
12. Peggy Lee - I Don't Know Enough About You (2:58)
13. Etta James - A Sunday Kind Of Love (3:17)
14. Natalie Cole - It's Crazy (2:11)
15. Helen Merrill - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (4:19)
16. Ernestine Anderson - It Don't Mean A Thing (If Ain't Got That Swing) (2:15)

Verve's Ultimate Diva Collection: The Diva Series rounds up tracks by 16 of the singers who have recorded for the label (or one of the labels the Verve Group now distributes) at some point in their career. The line-up reads like a who's who of vocal jazz: legends like Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee and Carmen McRae rub shoulders with less-acclaimed yet still diva- worthy singers like Ernestine Anderson, Blossom Dearie, and the always fabulous Shirley Horn.

Throw in a few wild cards like Etta James and Astrud Gilberto, and the results become nearly definitive. There are a plethora of classic songs from the '50s and '60s (and '90s in Shirley Horn's case) here too. Ella Fitzgerald's "How High the Moon," Sarah Vaughan's "Lullaby of Birdland," Helen Merrill's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," and Billie Holiday's "Body and Soul" are just a few of the best. Except for the questionable inclusion of Natalie Cole's 2001 recording of "It's Crazy," every song here is a vocal jazz classic.

Of course all this classicism wouldn't mean much if the artists and songs were just thrown together haphazardly, but Verve has done a fine job of constructing a collection that flows like a cool, clean stream, and can easily be recommended to anyone looking for a swinging introduction to jazz vocals. Fans of the genre will find it quite worthwhile as well. By Tim Sendra
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultimate-diva-collection-the-diva-series-mw0000030332

The Ultimate Diva Collection

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Various Artists - Colin Curtis Presents Jazz Dance Fusion

Styles: Fusion, Latin Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 117:29
Size: 270,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:52) 1. What's Going On
(4:50) 2. Harolds House of Jazz
(7:43) 3. Spirit of Truth
(4:01) 4. The Angels
(6:49) 5. Spirit's Samba
(2:55) 6. Someone to Light Up My Life
(4:12) 7. Zamba
(5:52) 8. To Let You Know I Care
(7:52) 9. The Samba Express
(6:30) 10. Murilley
(3:56) 11. New York Afternoon
(5:13) 12. Empty Faces
(6:06) 13. Ponteio
(6:00) 14. Flying Colors
(8:37) 15. Image
(5:22) 16. Vera Cruz
(6:35) 17. Morning Song
(4:35) 18. El Exi-Hente
(6:45) 19. Demon Upstairs
(7:35) 20. Samba Do Brilho

Well, you wait for a decent Jazz compilation to come along and then two come along at once. In a previous review we talked about Mike Peden and Tony Higgins’ J Jazz compilation on BBE and gave it top marks and now DJ and music collector supreme Colin Curtis has compiled another blinder out now on Joey Negro’s Z Records.

Before reviewing this selection it is important to put it into a context. The Jazz scene in the UK is so strong at present with DJ events such as Shiftless Shuffle, The Return of the Illicit Groove’s nights, Another Sunday At Dingwalls and Out To Lunch. Coupled with live acts such as Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd and their various collaborative incarnations and we are truly living in an era which bridges the Jazz dance and Rare Grooves scenes of the 80s to the New Jazz of today. The bands featured on the Brownswood compilation ‘We Out Here’ and who appear at the weekly Jazz Re:Freshed are testament to that link.

So where does Jazz Dance Fusion fit into this? Well, first off this is not an excuse to bury oneself in a retro pique of nostalgia. Indeed, what this compilation represents is an underpinning of what is new now. Always a leftfield sub-genre within the leftfield genre of Jazz, Jazz dance was, and is, the music which bridged the gap between soul, funk and latin grooves and which gave the dancers the chance to throw down moves or simply just lose themselves in rythyms which screamed out at them.

My personal journey into this came in the 80s when, as an extremely hung over soulboy, I went into the Saturday afternoon jazz room session at a weekender expecting to be able to get a hair of the dog and nurse my way into the night to come. I have no idea who was on the decks that moment I walked in but what was playing was Charles Earland’s brilliant track Murilley and what happened was I never made it across the dancefloor to the bar. Three hours of dancing later I was hooked. This album brings that day back to me in an almost visceral way.

However, as I said earlier, this album along with other recent compilations (J Jazz, Kev Beadle’s Private Collection etc) are so important for the thriving scene that exists right now with the new acts, DJs, bands, events already outlined. From Track 1, the sublime version of Marvin’s What’s Going On by Michele Hendricks to Track 20, Bill Hardman’s Samba Do Brihlo there is a massive hint to to the new Jazz of today with rythyms and drum breaks that are clear pre-cursors to Drum & Bass, Hip-Hop and House music. The vocal tracks, Richie Cole’s seminal New York Afternoon, the aforementioned Michele Hendricks and Mark Murphy’s Empty Faces, reach out in a way that vocalists of the calibre of Asheber, Saul Williams & Zara Macfarlane do now....More
https://illicitgroove.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/colin-curtis-presents-jazz-dance-fusion-a-review-by-bob-hill/

Colin Curtis Presents Jazz Dance Fusion

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Various Artists - Hallelujah: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Styles: Ecletic
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:24
Size: 171,0 MB
Art: Front

1. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (6:53)
2. k.d. lang - Bird On A Wire (4:29)
3. Rufus Wainwright - Chelsea Hotel No2 (3:47)
4. Marianne Faithfull - Tower Of Song (4:36)
5. Madeleine Peyroux - Dance Me To The End Of Love (3:56)
6. Dion - Sisters Of Mercy (3:34)
7. Judy Collins - Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye (3:34)
8. Barb Jungr - Everybody Knows (3:56)
9. Ron Sexsmith - Heart With No Companion (3:11)
10. Stina Nordenstam - I Came So Far For Beauty (4:03)
11. Marissa Nadler - Famous Blue Raincoat (4:21)
12. Tom Northcott - True Love Leaves No Traces (3:56)
13. Nina Simone - Suzanne (4:19)
14. Lee Hazlewood - Come Spend The Morning (2:56)
15. David Blue - Lover Lover Lover (2:59)
16. Buffy Sainte-Marie - God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot (4:53)
17. Joe Cocker - First We Take Manhattan (3:43)
18. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Avalanche (5:11)

Far from the simplistic view of Leonard Cohen as somewhat of a miserablist, his work is full to the brim with warmth, deep sensuality and wry humour. His songs sit with you like companions, so complete are his stories and rounded his subjects. You can smell their cigarettes, react to their pain and laugh at their stories; the sense of having spent time with Suzanne, or Marianne or any of his muses/characters so complete that you half expect to be washing their coffee cup after they leave.

Cohen’s storytelling is as diverse as it is fulsome, taking expansively from life, love, culture and religion, and most successfully when these elements combine. His intoxicating combination of poetry with melody casts spells, creates conversation, paints pictures; and the refrains and the moods he conjures stay with you like the waltz of ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ or ‘Dance Me To The End Of Love’, swirling round and round until you’re giddy. And somewhat more literally, they can stay with you like the 80-plus hymn-like verses he wrote for ‘Hallelujah’, which he crafted over a five-year period – always perfecting, always lingering.

This 18-track tribute to Cohen features versions of his songs from fans, family and friends alike, and it’s telling that many of these artists have not been content to cover Cohen on just one occasion, but frequently return to his work. In fact Nick Cave covered ‘Avalanche’ twice, 30 years apart, the first (our closing track) a prowling, growling punk beast of a version and the second a tender, string-accompanied rendition at the grand piano. Cohen’s fans it seems are also always perfecting, always lingering.

Initial champions of his work such as folk legend and activist Judy Collins sit alongside Cohen’s fellow Canadian and keepers of the flame k.d. lang, Tom Northcott, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Rufus Wainwright (Rufus is also father to Cohen’s granddaughter Viva). Also included are Jeff Buckley’s prettily embroidered take on ‘Hallelujah’ (the full album version), what can only be described as Nina Simone’s total possession of ‘Suzanne’, and Lee Hazlewood’s ownership of ‘Come Spend The Morning’, a song Cohen himself was never to record.

In Cohen’s final weeks, Marianne Ihlen, his one-time inspiration/lover and lifelong friend, was dying of cancer and he wrote back to her, “Our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think that you can reach mine.” His songs are so entirely real to his listeners that this note to the Marianne we know from his lyrics affected millions, who wept with them both. Cohen will never stop reaching others and this is both his talent and his legacy.
https://acerecords.co.uk/hallelujah-the-songs-of-leonard-cohen

Hallelujah: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen

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Various - Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 64:44

Size: 148.2 MB

Styles: Standards, Easy Listening

Year: 1991

Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Annie Ross - All Of You

[2:03] 2. Peggy Lee - Always True To You In My Fashion

[2:21] 3. Count Basie - Anything Goes

[3:26] 4. Gordon Macrae - Begin The Beguine

[2:44] 5. Martha Tilton - Blow, Gabriel, Blow

[3:47] 6. Stan Kenton - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

[1:50] 7. Peggy Lee - From Now On

[2:41] 8. Stan Kenton - I Get A Kick Out Of You

[2:53] 9. Judy Garland - I Happen To Like New York

[2:15] 10. Helen O'connell - In The Still Of The Night

[2:38] 11. Dinah Shore - It's All Right With Me

[2:35] 12. Louis Prima - I've Got You Under My Skin

[2:13] 13. Nat King Cole - Just One Of Those Things

[2:37] 14. Liza Minnelli - Looking At You

[2:08] 15. Frances Faye - Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today)

[2:25] 16. John Raitt - So In Love

[2:30] 17. Dean Martin - True Love

[1:51] 18. Keely Smith - What Is This Thing Called Love

[3:16] 19. Margaret Whiting - Why Shouldn't I

[2:48] 20. Jo Stafford - Wunderbar

[2:35] 21. Nancy Wilson - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

[2:35] 22. Jean Turner - You're The Top

[2:11] 23. Trudy Richards - Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)

[3:03] 24. Jeri Southern - Get Out Of Town

[2:50] 25. The Andrews Sisters - You Do Something To Me

As far as all-star Cole Porter compilations go, Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes is recommended as an entertaining sampler of 25 titles performed by some of the label's biggest stars. These include, on the hip end of the spectrum, Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Frances Faye, Jo Stafford, and Annie Ross, a disarming vocalist who collaborates warmly with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Peggy Lee is heard with George Shearing, Keely Smith with Louis Prima, Dinah Shore with Red Norvo, Tony Bennett with Count Basie and Chris Connor, and June Christy with Stan Kenton. Pop singers heard on this collection include Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Margaret Whiting, Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, and the Andrews Sisters. This mini-survey of great moments in mid-20th century pop culture is suitable for casual listening (and optional singalong) while cleaning house, preparing food, shampooing the cat, or operating heavy machinery during rush hour. ~arwulf arwulf

Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

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Various Artists - Quiet About It (A Tribute to Jesse Winchester)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:03
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

1. James Taylor - Payday (3:09)
2. Rosanne Cash - Biloxi (3:24)
3. Jimmy Buffett - Gentleman of Leisure (4:36)
4. Allen Toussaint - I Wave Bye Bye (3:33)
5. Vince Gill - Talk Memphis (4:28)
6. Mac McAnally - Defying Gravity (3:56)
7. Lyle Lovett - Brand New Tennessee Waltz (3:53)
8. Lucinda Williams - Mississippi You're on My Mind (4:25)
9. Emmylou Harris/Vince Gill/Rodney Crowell - Dangerous Fun (3:35)
10. Little Feat - Rhumba Man (5:52)
11. Elvis Costello - Quiet About It (3:10)

To many, Jesse Winchester is still best known for his ideals rather than his music in 1967, rather than join the military and fight in Vietnam, he emigrated to Canada, and spent most of the '70s as an exile of conscience. If Winchester had been a protest singer in the manner of Phil Ochs, this might have made him a hero, but his songs rarely reflected his political views, and instead were compact, painterly meditations on life in the South and the mysteries of life and love (though his physical and emotional distance from his birthplace in Memphis certainly provided a powerful subtext to his music of the '70s).

If Winchester's music never quite clicked with a mass audience due to his inability to tour the United States during the '70s or the shifting tides of popular taste, he's long been a favorite among his fellow songwriters, and 11 noted performers interpret some of Winchester's best songs on Quiet About It: A Tribute to Jesse Winchester. Quiet About It is that rare tribute album that gives each artist room to find their own musical personality in these songs, while the 11 tracks still cohere into a whole that reveals the depth and lyricism of Winchester's work.

This hardly represents every worthwhile tune in his songbook, but the 11 here are all winners, and the songs bring out the best in the artists. Lyle Lovett (who was clearly influenced by Winchester's vocal style) finds every bit of sad beauty in "Brand New Tennessee Waltz," Vince Gill brings just the right swagger to "Talk Memphis," Allen Toussaint's version of "I Wave Bye Bye" is lovely and heartfelt, Lucinda Williams is all rough-hewn grace on "Mississippi You're On My Mind," and Elvis Costello's lo-fi take on "Quiet About It" is stylistically bold but true to the song's nature. James Taylor gives one of his best and liveliest performances in ages with his cocksure version of "Payday," and Jimmy Buffett (who spearheaded the project) reminds us that he was a gifted singer before he discovered how well singing about aquatic alcoholism could pay with a sharp take on "Gentleman of Leisure."

Quiet About It came about when Winchester revealed he'd been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and the artists involved banded together as a show of support (and to generate some songwriting royalties); thankfully, by the time the album appeared, Winchester was in remission, and this splendid celebration of an underappreciated talent arrived while the man who inspired it is still around to take a bow. If you don't know Winchester's work, Quiet About It is a sure convincer of his talents as a songwriter, and if you're a fan, you'll revel in some top-notch interpretations of his songs. Either way, Quiet About It is a must, and one of the finest tribute albums of recent memory.~Mark Deming
https://www.allmusic.com/album/quiet-about-it-a-tribute-to-jesse-winchester-mw0002418862

Quiet About It (A Tribute to Jesse Winchester)

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V.A.- Ice on the Hudson: Songs by Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 51:12
Size: 48,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:11) 1. A Tiny Seed
(5:13) 2. I Used to Like to Draw
(3:13) 3. Trotsky in Mexico
(3:42) 4. All But You
(3:24) 5. To Meet My Brother
(6:17) 6. The Passage
(6:34) 7. Little Pearl
(3:01) 8. I Like Pie
(5:34) 9. Ice on the Hudson
(3:42) 10. I Still Feel the Same
(5:17) 11. Confound Me

Ice on the Hudson features vocalists René Marie, Janis Siegel, Darius de Haas and Karen Oberlin and an all-star ensemble interpreting diverse songs about the emotional complexities of adult life in today’s world. There’s a special chemistry that’s found only in the rarest of songwriting partnerships, forever linking the names of composer and lyricist in the minds of listeners. The names Renee Rosnes and David Hajdu are already well known to music lovers: Rosnes as one of her generation’s most acclaimed jazz composers and pianists, Hajdu as an award-winning author and critic. With Ice on the Hudson, their first collaborative album of songs, the pair reveals a breathtaking synergy, crafting a collection of deeply felt and genre-defying songs that join words and music with alchemical results.

Ice on the Hudson, due outOctober 12 via SMK Jazz (a newly launched imprint curated by Smoke Sessions Records), brings together four magnificent vocalists: revered, GRAMMY® Award-nominated jazz singer René Marie; Manhattan Transfer co-founder and nine-time GRAMMY® winner Janis Siegel, celebrated musical-theater actor and art-song interpreter Darius de Haas; and acclaimed jazz/pop performer Karen Oberlin. Their voices are matched by a stunning ensemble, featuring Rosnes at the piano along with cellist Erik Friedlander, saxophonists Steve Wilson and Seamus Blake, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, bassist Sean Smith, drummer Carl Allen, and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. While both Rosnes and Hajdu can boast considerable accomplishments in their respective fields, songwriting was a fairly new endeavor for both. Rosnes had had a handful of instrumental compositions set to lyrics, and Hajdu had collaborated on a few songs with Fred Hersch and others. When Rosnes and Hajdu decided to try writing together, five years ago, “Everything clicked,” in Hajdu’s words.

“Renee is one of the most gifted, most sophisticated and most creative composers alive,” Hajdu says. “I consider myself the luckiest boy in the music world for getting to write with this flat-out genius. We both enjoy the exhilarating thrill of doing something that we care about, that draws on our professional and life experiences, but that provides a whole new set of challenges for us.” For Rosnes, who has long drawn inspiration for her own music from sources as diverse as the natural world and the visual arts, the partnership has given her rich depths of emotion and narrative to plumb. “David is a powerful and compelling storyteller,” she says, “and each of his lyrics has many layers and great substance. It’s been a fulfilling experience to take his words and search for melodies that truly allow the story to shine through.” Given the tantalizing complexity of Hajdu’s words, Rosnes found herself exploring a wide range of sensibilities, never concerned with genre. Ultimately, while some pieces fit comfortably into the jazz songwriting tradition of Jon Hendricks or Bob Dorough, others evoke the world of musical theater or such respected singer-songwriters as Joni Mitchell or Randy Newman. “When I embarked on this project with David, I put the idea of genre out of my mind,” she explains. “I was most interested in allowing the lyrics to inspire and move me in whatever direction that musically translated to.”

“A Tiny Seed” opens the album with a parable both timeless and timely, about a wall-building king and the seemingly small detail that grows to topple his kingdom. Marie’s wry, soulful vocal offers inspiration to those hoping to turn such fairy tales into reality. Her serpentine lines bring an exotic mystery to “Little Pearl,” a reinterpretation of Rosnes’ instrumental “The Quiet Earth.” Siegel’s voice seems to float into a whimsical daydream on “I Used to Like to Draw,” a tender reminiscence of the childhood days when we all gave vent to our imaginations, before the supposed reality of adult life quashed such fancies. Siegel also sings “The Passage,” which takes the natural splendor that inspired Rosnes’ instrumental piece “Gabriola Passage” into the realm of transcendence. On the title track, “Ice on the Hudson,” she takes the bizarre fact that the Hudson River flows both upstream and downstream as a metaphor for the often contradictory aspects of grown-up reality one of several instances of complex ideas that stem from the collaboration between two artists with a wealth of life experience.

Oberlin offers a bit of culinary respite from the world’s divisiveness on the playful “I Like Pie” and a bit of romantic perspective on “I Still Feel the Same.” The moving “All But You” builds from scraps of both songwriters’ biographies to paint a picture of living with a missing someone. Rosnes suggested a song based on her experience as an adopted child wondering about her birth parents, which Hajdu countered with his own background. “Renee said it felt strange growing up not knowing who her biological parents were, but my father sat at the dinner table with me every night my whole life, and I don’t know who my father was either. We share that feeling of a hole in your life, that there are people who could have been there who were not.” Hajdu based “To Meet My Brother” on the tragic loss of his sister and the feeling of wanting to be reunited, whatever the cost. Darius de Haas brings tender yearning to that piece and an urgent sensuality to “Confound Me.” His knack for theatrical drama illuminates “Trotsky in Mexico,” a Sondheim-like musing on the Russian revolutionary’s fling with Frida Kahlo. https://reneerosnes.com/music/ice-on-the-hudson-the-songs-of-renee-rosnes-david-hajdu/

Vocalists: Janis Siegel; Karen Oberlin; René Marie; Darius de Haas

Musicians:Renee Rosnes, piano; Steve Wilson, alto & soprano sax; Seamus Blake, tenor sax; Ken Peplowski, clarinet; Erik Friedlander, cello; Sean Smith, bass; Carl Allen, drums; Rogerio Boccato, percussion

Ice on the Hudson: Songs by Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu

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Various Artists - João Gilberto Eterno

Styles: Bossanova
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:17
Size: 124,7 MB
Art: Front

1. Daniel Jobim - Garota de Ipanema (Dora Morelenbaum) (4:39)
2. Mônica Salmaso - Chega de Saudade (Guinga) (4:24)
3. Mario Adnet - Izaura (Antonia Adnet) (4:34)
4. Moreno Veloso - Bim Bom (2:37)
5. Jean Charnaux - Um Abraço no Bonfá (2:35)
6. ADNETs - Hô-Bá-Lá-Lá (3:09)
7. Joao Donato - Minha Saudade (Antonia Adnet) (2:47)
8. Rosa Passos - Doralice (2:32)
9. Goro Ito - João Marcelo (2:04)
10. Leila Pinheiro - Você e Eu (3:06)
11. ADNETs - Pra Que Discutir Com Madame (3:28)
12. Febian Reza Pane - Valsa (Bebel- Como São Lindos os Youguis) (3:20)
13. Joyce Moreno - Estate (5:46)
14. Mika Stoltzman - All of Me (Richard Stoltzman) (3:49)
15. Lisa Ono - Valsa da Despedida (Febian Reza Pane) (4:17)

Having had his arrangements and compositions recorded by an impressive list of artists ranging from Tom Jobim to Joyce to Leny Andrade, Mário Adnet has been more visible internationally since the '90s. In 1974, Adnet started to study music theory. Completing high school studies in the U.S., he moved to Austria and continued his musical studies at the Vienna School of Music. Adnet teamed up with Cláudio Nucci from 1977 to 1979. In the next year, he released his first album together with pianist and composer Alberto Rosenblit. In 1981, he was a finalist in TV Globo's MPB 81 and, until 1982, he was an arranger for Polygram. In 1983, he started to arrange for several artists like Joyce, Vinícius Cantuária, and Cláudio Nucci. His second album (and first solo one), the independent Planeta Azul (1984), was awarded by the Independent Producers Association. In 1990, Joyce, Lisa Ono, Clara Sandroni, Leny Andrade, and Trio da Paz launched his songs in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. In 1994, Tom Jobim recorded Adnet's arrangement of "Maracangalha" (by Dorival Caymmi) on his last CD, Antonio Brasileiro, which got a Grammy. Together with Djavan and Jorge Ben Jor, Adnet performed in 1994 in Miami. That same year, his CD Pedra Bonita (with special guests Tom Jobim, Joyce, Paulo Moura, Ivan Lins, Lisa Ono, and his sister Maúcha Adnet) was launched in Japan, where he performed the next year through several cities with Ono. In 1998, his soundtrack to the film Buena Sorte (Tânia Lamarca) won first prize in the II Brazilian Film Festival of Miami.~ Alvaro Neder https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mario-adnet-mn0000953716/biography

João Gilberto Eterno

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Various - Swingin' Talkin' Verve

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:54
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[ 2:34] 1. Quincy Jones - Air Mail Special
[ 2:32] 2. Louis Jordan - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
[ 3:15] 3. Lionel Hampton - Flying Home
[ 3:16] 4. Buddy Rich - Dateless Brown
[ 3:19] 5. Gene Krupa Big Band - Let Me Off Uptown
[ 3:24] 6. Harry James & His Orchestra - Crazy Rhythm
[ 2:53] 7. Lionel Hampton - The Blues Ain't News To Me
[10:03] 8. Buddy Rich - Jumpin' At The Woodside
[ 2:23] 9. Harry James & His Orchestra - Back Beat Boogie
[ 3:15] 10. Louis Jordan - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
[14:24] 11. Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing Pts. 1 & 2
[ 4:29] 12. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Caldonia

Verve was never much of a label for the kind of music that would sound familiar to those looking for a good swing revival compilation. Still, the label scoured its vaults and came up with Swingin' Talkin' Verve, a variant on their usual series of proto-acid jazz (read: soul-jazz, Afro-Cuban, jazz-funk, etc.). The results aren't bad at all, although several of the tracks don't date from the '40s golden age of swing. Included are Gene Krupa's "Let Me Off Uptown," Buddy Rich's "Jumpin' at the Woodside," Quincy Jones' "Air Mail Special," and Harry James' "Back Beat Boogie." ~Keith Farley

Swingin' Talkin' Verve

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Various Artists - The Kingdom Of Swing And The Republic Of Oop Bob Sh'Bam

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:31
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

(11:52) 1. Lester Leaps In
( 9:40) 2. On Green Dolphin Street
( 6:24) 3. Blue Creek
( 5:28) 4. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
( 6:50) 5. When Your Lover Has Gone
( 7:15) 6. Night in Tunisia
( 4:12) 7. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
( 7:46) 8. Moten Swing

This CD, which documents a live concert, has a silly title form. Actually out of the eight selections, only two ("On Green Dolphin Street" and "Night In Tunisia") have anything to do with bop. In reality this is a mainstream date featuring pianist Dick Hyman with some of his favorite players including fellow pianist Derek Smith, cornetist Warren Vache, trumpeter Joe Wilder, trombonist Urbie Green, Buddy Tate on tenor and clarinet, bassist Milt Hinton (featured on "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho") and drummer Butch Miles. Tate's clarinet outing on "Blue Creek" and Wilder's lyrical solo on "When Your Lover Has Gone" are excellent, but in general (considering the players involved) the results are average and fairly predictable. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-kingdom-of-swing-the-republic-of-oop-bop-shbam-mw0000654020

Personnel: Dick Hyman, piano; Derek Smith, piano; Urbie Green, trombone; Milt Hinton, bass; Butch Miles, drums; Buddy Tate, tenor sax; Warren Vache', Jr., cornet; Joe Wilder, trumpet

The Kingdom Of Swing And The Republic Of Oop Bob Sh'Bam

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Various Artists - Esquire Jazz Concert - Metropolitan Opera House

Styles: Swing,Dixieland
Year: 1944/2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:44
Size: 175,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:00)  1. Esquire Bounce
(4:12)  2. Basin Street Blues
(3:22)  3. Sweet Lorraine
(8:26)  4. I Got Rhythm
(2:52)  5. The Blues
(5:13)  6. Esquire Blues
(4:23)  7. Mop Mop
(3:39)  8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
(4:15)  9. Billie's Blues
(1:28) 10. I'll Get By
(3:43) 11. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
(3:25) 12. Tea For Two
(3:06) 13. My Ideal
(2:51) 14. Buck Jumpin'
(3:13) 15. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:01) 16. For Bass Only
(3:33) 17. Back O' Town Blues
(3:06) 18. I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling
(1:39) 19. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:43) 20. Squeeze Me
(2:23) 21. Muskrat Ramble

The first Esquire All-Star Concert, which took place in 1944, has been well documented on various discs, generally in bits and pieces, but this CD has more of the music than most issues. Originally recorded on transcription discs for distribution by various Armed Forces Radio programs, including One Night Stand, Jubilee, and Swing Session, the music is sometimes briefly intruded upon by an announcer who felt obligated to identify a soloist in the middle of a song. But this is a rare opportunity to hear many jazz masters of the 1940s in a jam session atmosphere, including Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, and Red Norvo, to name a few. But the true star of the evening is the phenomenal pianist Art Tatum, who proves himself as a more than competent pianist in a group setting, something he was always accused of not being able to do. The highlight of the 21 selections on this Italian CD is easily the intense eight-minute workout of "I Got Rhythm," with potent solos by Tatum, Eldridge, Hawkins, and clarinetist Barney Bigard. The sound quality isn't bad for a vintage 1940s broadcast, though the rhythm section isn't always clearly audible. Unfortunately, the spelling of names and song titles is a bit sloppy, the music is out of sequence (unlike most reissues), and the concert took place on January 18, 1944, not January 13 as listed. This memorable concert should be part of any serious jazz collection. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/esquire-jazz-concert-1944-mw0000927901

Esquire Jazz Concert - Metropolitan Opera House

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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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V.A.- The Big Band Legends: Go Harlem Swing! Vol.1

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:55
Size: 127,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. Comin' Home
(3:13)  2. Love Jumped Out
(3:06)  3. Playboy
(2:54)  4. Just You, Just Me
(3:03)  5. One O' Clock Jump
(3:11)  6. Flying Home
(2:47)  7. Main Stem
(3:06)  8. It's Sand Man
(2:38)  9. Forever Blue
(2:45) 10. Number 19
(3:01) 11. A-Tisket, a-Tasket
(2:44) 12. Slide, Hamp, Slide
(2:59) 13. Harlem Air Shaft
(2:36) 14. Daydreaming
(2:37) 15. Seventh Avenue Express
(3:04) 16. Father Steps In
(6:00) 17. Air Mail Special
(2:20) 18. Xyz

Go Harlem Swing, Vol. 1

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V.A.- The Big Band Legends: Go Harlem Swing! Vol.2

Styles: Jazz, Big Band 
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:27
Size: 122,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Lotta Sax Appeal
(2:34)  2. Facts and Figures
(3:19)  3. Trippin In
(2:54)  4. Jump for Joy
(2:58)  5. You Rascal, You
(3:14)  6. Minnie the Moocher
(2:46)  7. Liza
(2:58)  8. Leap Frog
(3:06)  9. Moten Swing
(3:07) 10. Stampede
(3:27) 11. Holiday for Swing
(2:23) 12. Squaty Roo
(2:50) 13. Hotter Than 'ell
(2:21) 14. Go Harlem
(3:01) 15. Good Dip
(2:44) 16. Moten Stomp
(3:05) 17. Spinnin' the Web
(2:40) 18. Pluckin' the Bass

Go Harlem Swing !, Vol.2

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Various - Legends & Lions: Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:17
Size: 133.4 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[6:09] 1. Terry Gibbs - St. Louis Blues
[5:37] 2. Sean Jones - Blues For Matt B
[6:48] 3. The Gerald Wilson Orchestra - Equinox
[6:20] 4. Cedar Walton - Willow Weep For Me
[2:58] 5. Oscar Brown, Jr. - But I Was Cool
[6:08] 6. Kenny Burrell - River's Invitation
[4:55] 7. Ilona Knopfler - Unchain My Heart
[4:51] 8. Terry Gibbs - Jumping With Symphony Sid
[5:39] 9. Eugene Maslov - Groove Merchant
[8:46] 10. The Gerald Wilson Orchestra - Blues For Manhattan

Legends & Lions: Blues is a series assembled by Detroit's Mack Avenue label that pairs its roster's veteran artists with its up-and-coming personas thematically. The first two volumes in the series -- Swingin' and Swoonin' -- were successful in their way. The Blues volume is another attempt at the formula and it meets with very mixed results. First off, one wonders how the label defines the word blues. The version of John Coltrane's "Equinox" here, by the brilliant Gerald Wilson Orchestra, brings out the blues in its soloist's parts, but the band underscores the changes and stretches them until the blues all but disappears. Far more successful is their second number "Blues for Manhattan (The Diminished Triangle)" where the blues are out, front and center, and it's a killer track to close with Too bad everything here isn't that good. Ilona Knopfler's reading of "Unchain My Heart," is, for this performer, typically daring and uses a polyrythmic approach to the blues. The cut feels more like Santana playing the blues with a female vocalist, until the strings kick in. It works beautifully. Terry Gibbs' version of "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid" is strident but stiff, as is the version of "St. Louis Blues" that's so laid-back it's almost unrecognizable. It should be mentioned that some of the sidemen on these sessions are very prominent names in jazz -- Eddie Gómez, Ralph Moore, Jon Faddis, Renee Rosnes, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Heath, and Oscar Brown, Jr. (whose "But I Was Cool," is one of the real high points here) just to name a few. Interesting but forgettable, Legends & Lions: Blues doesn't quite measure up to Mack Avenue's previous compilations. ~Thom Jurek

Legends & Lions= Blues mc
Legends & Lions= Blues zippy

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Various - Restoration: Reimagining The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:10
Size: 130.9 MB
Styles: Country-pop
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Little Big Town - Rocket Man
[5:00] 2. Maren Morris - Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
[5:23] 3. Don Henley - Sacrifice
[3:51] 4. Brothers Osborne - Take Me To The Pilot
[4:36] 5. Miranda Lambert - My Father's Gun
[4:28] 6. Chris Stapleton - I Want Love
[5:13] 7. Lee Ann Womack - Honky Cat
[3:31] 8. Kacey Musgraves - Roy Rogers
[4:13] 9. Rhonda Vincent - Please
[3:33] 10. Miley Cyrus - The Bitch Is Back
[4:10] 11. Dierks Bentley - Sad Songs (Say So Much)
[5:00] 12. Rosanne Cash - This Train Don't Stop There Anymore
[3:22] 13. Willie Nelson - Border Song

One of two albums released as a celebration of the 50+ years of collaboration between Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin is the brainchild of the lyricist, who wanted to pay tribute to the Americana that's informed his imagery ever since the beginning of his career. Taupin designed the artwork and recruited artists, leaning heavily on newer artists who are on the vanguard of the mainstream, but also finding plenty of space for veterans who have been around for as long as Elton, if not longer. There's a divide in aesthetics between the younger and older artists -- the former embrace the freedom of reinterpretation, the latter settle into their roots -- but they're largely complementary, revealing how enduring and malleable the John/Taupin catalog is. Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves grab attention with their blissed-out, soulful readings of "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Roy Rogers," but Brothers Osborne's funky "Take Me to the Pilot" and Miranda Lambert's mournful "My Father's Gun" are equally bracing. Dierks Bentley finds a sly Stonesy rhythm lurking in "Sad Songs (Say So Much), while Lee Ann Womack turns "Honky Cat" into a simmering soul workout and Little Big Town gives "Rocket Man" an arrangement worthy of Pentatonix. If Miley Cyrus leans too hard on Shania Twain-isms for "The Bitch Is Back," she's overshadowed by delicate work form Willie Nelson, Don Henley & Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash & Emmylou Harris, and Rhonda Vincent & Dolly Parton, who all show that hushed voices can be more compelling than bluster. But that also just points out how lean and sharp Restoration is: The artists take risks, and they -- and the songbook -- come out sounding the better for it. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Restoration: Reimagining The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin mc
Restoration: Reimagining The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin zippy

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VA - JazzInFado

Size: 100,5 MB
Time: 39:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Latin Jazz, Fado, Fusion
Art: Front

01 Carlos Do Carmo - Lisboa Menina E Moça (4:57)
02 Helder Moutinho - Estranha Forma De Vida (3:59)
03 Carminho - Escrevi Teu Nome No Vento (4:30)
04 Antonio Zambujo - Veio A Saudade (3:55)
05 Raquel Tavares - Limao (4:17)
06 Marco Rodrigues - Solidao (3:47)
07 Ana Bacalhau - Fado Portugues De Nos (3:13)
08 Cuca Roseta - Coimbra (3:23)
09 Maria Berasarte - A Nadie Se Lo Confieso (3:26)
10 Joana Almeida - Tudo Isto E Fado (4:16)

The best fado songs, their best performers and some of the most important musicians in Latin jazz today are joining an innovative album, "JazzInFado". This album seeks to widen the frontiers of fado, bringing together great fado singers, including Carlos do Carmo, Hélder Moutinho, Carminho, António Zambujo, Raquel Tavares, Marco Rodrigues, Ana Bacalhau, Cuca Rosetta, Maria Berasarte and Joana Almeida, who interpret emblematic themes of history of fado allied to the harmonies of Latin jazz.

"JazzInFado" celebrate the six years since the fado was raised to Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The idea of joining these fado greats to jazz harmonies came from Óscar Gomez, a Cuban musician and producer, currently living in Spain, a five-time Grammy winner, a member of the Board of the Latin Grammy Academy and whose productions have sold more than 20 million records worldwide.

"I always liked being a transgressor and a rebel," says the producer. "What we did was to bring fado to jazz and harmoniously enrich it [...] and enter rhythms of the Caribbean, Flemish, Brazilian, bossa nova and tango. Enter the rhythms worked in Latin jazz and enrich the harmonies a little, always respecting, obviously, the melodies and the lyrics ".

"JazzInFado" was recorded between Madrid and Lisbon and on the recordings the fadistas were accompanied by mostly Cuban musicians, as is the case of Pepe Rivero or Ivan "Melon" Lewis.

"JazzInFado" is a unique object that highlights the immense richness of fado, but showing how this music also dialogues in an innovative way with jazz.

JazzInFado

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VA - Sleepless In Seattle

Styles: Soundtrack
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:26
Size: 84,8 MB
Art: Front

 1. Jimmy Durante - As Time Goes By (2:27)
 2. Louis Armstrong - A Kiss To Build A Dream On (3:01)
 3. Nat King Cole - Stardust (3:14)
 4. Dr. John & Ricky Lee Jones - Makin' Whoopee (4:08)
 5. Carly Simon - In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (3:15)
 6. Gene Autry - Back In The Saddle Again (2:35)
 7. Joe Cocker - Bye Bye Blackbird (3:29)
 8. Harry Connick, Jr. - A Wink And A Smile (2:47)
 9. Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man (2:41)
10. Soundtrack - An Affair To Remember (2:31)
11. Jimmy Durante - Make Someone Happy (1:52)
12. Celine Dion & Clive Griffin - When I Fall In Love (4:21)

Sleepless in Seattle is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Nora Ephron, based on a story by Jeff Arch. It stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, alongside a supporting cast featuring Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rob Reiner, Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, and Rita Wilson. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $220 million worldwide.  After Chicago architect Sam Baldwin loses his wife Maggie to cancer, he and his eight-year-old son Jonah start a new life in Seattle, Washington, but Sam continues to grieve. A year and a half later, on Christmas Eve 1992, Jonah who wants his father to find a new wife calls in to a radio talk show. Jonah persuades a reluctant Sam to go on the air to talk about how much he misses Maggie. Hundreds of women from around the country who hear the program and are touched by the story write to Sam. One of the listeners is Annie Reed, a Baltimore Sun reporter who is engaged to amiable Walter but feels there is something missing from their cordial relationship. After watching the film An Affair to Remember, Annie impulsively writes a letter suggesting that Sam meet her on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day. She does not intend to mail it, but her friend and editor Becky does it for her and agrees to send Annie to Seattle.

Sam begins dating a co-worker Victoria, whom Jonah dislikes. Jonah, a baseball fan, reads Annie's letter and likes that it mentions the Baltimore Orioles, but he fails to convince his father to go to New York to meet Annie. On the advice of his playmate Jessica, Jonah replies to Annie, agreeing to the New York meeting. While dropping Victoria off at the airport for a flight, Sam sees Annie exiting from her plane and is mesmerized by her, although he has no idea who she is. Annie later secretly watches Sam and Jonah playing on the beach together but mistakes Sam's sister for his girlfriend. He recognizes her from the airport and says "Hello," but Annie only responds with another "Hello" before fleeing. She decides she is being foolish and goes to New York to meet Walter for Valentine's Day. With Jessica's help, Jonah flies to New York without his father's permission and goes to the Empire State Building searching for Annie. Distraught, Sam follows Jonah and finds him on the observation deck. Meanwhile, Annie sees the skyscraper from the Rainbow Room where she is dining with Walter and confesses her doubts to him, amicably ending their engagement. She rushes to the Empire State Building just moments after the doors to the down elevator close with Sam and Jonah inside. In spite of the observation deck being deserted, Annie discovers a backpack that Jonah left behind. As she pulls out Jonah's teddy bear from the backpack, Sam and Jonah emerge from the elevator, and the three meet for the first time. On the advice of the elevator operator, Sam indicates they should go and offers his hand to Annie. The three then enter the elevator together before the door closes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepless_in_Seattle

Sleepless In Seattle

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Various - Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hart

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:24
Size: 165.8 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[1:51] 1. Susan Barrett - Manhattan
[2:27] 2. June Christy - You Took Advantage Of Me
[2:32] 3. Vic Damone - I Could Write A Book
[2:37] 4. The Dinning Sisters - Where Or When
[2:49] 5. Nancy Wilson - Little Girl Blue
[3:09] 6. Mel Tormé - Blue Moon
[3:04] 7. Margaret Whiting - Lover
[2:18] 8. Sarah Vaughan - Have You Met Miss Jones
[3:30] 9. Gordon MacRae - My Funny Valentine
[2:38] 10. The Andrews Sisters - My Romance
[2:41] 11. Peggy Lee - My Heart Stood Still
[2:28] 12. Nat King Cole - This Can't Be Love
[4:56] 13. June Christy - Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[2:42] 14. Margaret Whiting - Thou Swell
[3:15] 15. Dean Martin - It's Easy To Remember
[2:49] 16. Nancy Wilson - It Never Entered My Mind
[2:34] 17. Dolores Gray - Isn't It Romantic
[2:08] 18. Vic Damone - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
[4:10] 19. Sarah Vaughan - Glad To Be Unhappy
[2:31] 20. Peggy Lee - The Lady Is A Tramp
[3:43] 21. The Four Freshmen - Spring Is Here
[2:58] 22. Dinah Shore - Falling In Love With Love
[2:26] 23. Jane Froman - With A Song In My Heart
[5:57] 24. Les Brown & His Band Of Renown - Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

The songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart ended with Hart's death on November 22, 1943. The earliest track on this album of Rodgers & Hart songs from the Capitol Records vaults, the Dinning Sisters' version of the 1937 copyright "Where or When" (from the Broadway musical Babes in Arms), was recorded less than a month later, on December 17, 1943, and the latest one, Nancy Wilson's reading of "It Never Entered My Mind" (from the 1940 show Higher and Higher), on November 3, 1967. So, the collection consists of recordings made in the quarter-century after the Rodgers & Hart era. That's appropriate, since Capitol was co-founded by singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer to showcase the rise of individual pop singers in the waning days of the big-band period, and they often sang old show tunes with new, post-swing arrangements like those here, written by the likes of Billy May and Nelson Riddle. The leader in this sort of thing, of course, was Frank Sinatra, who was a Capitol artist. But he must have had a contractual right of refusal to have his recordings used on compilations like this, since he appears only as the conductor of Peggy Lee's version of "My Heart Stood Still." Most of the rest of Capitol's roster of singers is included, however, such as June Christy, Margaret Whiting, Nat King Cole, and Dean Martin. Only four of the tracks date from the 1940s, so this is really the music of the ‘50s and early ‘60s primarily, with the swing charts varied occasionally by a Latin treatment (Lee's "The Lady Is a Tramp") or a bongos-and-flute accompaniment (Dinah Shore's "Falling in Love with Love"). Variety is also provided by vocal groups like the Andrews Sisters and the Four Freshmen. Most of these performers are not jazz singers, but Mel Tormé gets to apply his pipes to "Blue Moon," and Sarah Vaughan goes all-out on an individual treatment of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" (or "old Jones," as she alters it), scatting like crazy. Richard Rodgers was notoriously hostile to liberal rearrangements of his songs, but he and Hart were done many favors by the Capitol singers who helped keep their copyrights alive and flourishing decades after the tunes were written. ~William Ruhlmann

Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hart

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