Judy Niemack - Jazz Singers' Practice Session

Styles: Jazz, Brazilian Jazz
Label: Gam
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:09
Size: 116,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(4:47)  2. Misty
(4:10)  3. Lullaby at Birdland
(3:10)  4. How High the Moon
(5:10)  5. Wave
(3:17)  6. You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to
(5:11)  7. All of Me
(3:38)  8. My Funny Valentine
(3:15)  9. Teach me Tonight
(2:59) 10. One Note Samba
(3:28) 11. Summertime
(3:44) 12. Lover Man
(3:03) 13. I Got Rhythm

A talented and adventurous jazz singer, Judy Niemack has long had an underground reputation in jazz, although she finally began to receive more recognition for her abilities. She sang regularly in school, starting at age seven in a church choir, and at 17 decided to become a professional singer. After meeting Warne Marsh the following year, Niemack became dedicated to jazz. She attended Pasadena City College, had several years of classical study, and also attended the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Cleveland Institute of Music, in addition to private lessons with Marsh. In 1977, she moved to New York and the following year made her recording debut for Sea Breeze. Since that time, Niemack has freelanced with many top advanced musicians, including Toots Thielemans, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Clark Terry, Kenny Barron, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, and Eddie Gomez, among others, written lyrics to other musicians' compositions (in addition to writing songs of her own), and has toured Europe regularly. In addition, she has been a top jazz educator, teaching throughout Europe. Judy Niemack, a colorful improviser, has recorded as a leader for Sea Breeze, Stash, and Freelance. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi  http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/judy-niemack/473472 .

Jazz Singers' Practice Session

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Lennie Tristano - Live In New York

Styles: Jazz
Label: Jazz Door
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:48
Size: 114,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Wow
(2:50)  2. Crosscurrent
(2:47)  3. Yesterdays
(3:06)  4. Marionette
(3:01)  5. Sax Of A Kind
(2:29)  6. Intuition
(3:04)  7. Digression
(3:01)  8. Glad Am I
(2:44)  9. This Is Called Love
(2:45) 10. Blame Me
(2:42) 11. I Found My Baby
(7:43) 12. Remember
(5:44) 13. Indiana
(4:23) 14. I'm No Good Without You

The history of jazz is written as a recounting of the lives of its most famous (and presumably, most influential) artists. Reality is not so simple, however. Certainly the most important of the music's innovators are those whose names are known by all  Armstrong, Parker, Young, Coltrane. Unfortunately, the jazz critic's tendency to inflate the major figures' status often comes at the expense of other musicians' reputations men and women who have made significant, even essential, contributions of their own, who are, for whatever reason, overlooked in the mad rush to canonize a select few. Lennie Tristano is one of those who have not yet received their critical due. In the mid-'40s, the Chicago-born pianist arrived on the scene with a concept that genuinely expanded the prevailing bop aesthetic. Tristano brought to the music of Charlie Parker and Bud Powell a harmonic language that adapted the practices of contemporary classical music; his use of polytonal effects in tunes like "Out on a Limb" was almost Stravinsky-esque, and his extensive use of counterpoint was (whether or not he was conscious of it at the time) in keeping with the trends being set in mid-century art music. Until relatively recently, it had seldom been acknowledged that Tristano had been the first to perform and record a type of music that came to be called "free jazz." In 1949 almost a decade before the making of Ornette Coleman's first records Tristano's group (which included Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, and Billy Bauer) cut the first recorded example of freely improvised music in the history of jazz. The two cuts, "Intuition" and "Digression," were created spontaneously, without any pre-ordained reference to time, tonality, or melody. The resultant work was an outgrowth of Tristano's preoccupation with feeling and spontaneity in the creation of music. It influenced, among others, Charles Mingus, whose earliest records sound eerily similar to those of Tristano in terms of style and compositional technique. Mingus came by the influence honestly; he studied with the pianist for a period in the early '50s, as did many other well-known jazz musicians, such as Sal Mosca, Phil Woods, and the aforementioned Konitz and Marsh....More Bio https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/lennie-tristano/id47528618#fullText

Live In New York

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Jackie Wilson - Original Brunswick Hit Recordings

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 25:56
Size: 59.4 MB
Styles: Soul, R&B
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)
[2:41] 2. Lonely Teardrops
[2:02] 3. That's Why (I Love You So)
[2:01] 4. I'll Be Satisfied
[2:27] 5. To Be Loved
[2:49] 6. Doggin' Around
[2:59] 7. Baby Workout
[2:23] 8. Whispers (Gettin' Louder)
[2:58] 9. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
[2:53] 10. I Get The Sweetest Feeling

Jackie Wilson was the very definition of soul–a sound and style that he helped create. Along with his pals Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, Ray Charles, and Little Willie John, he changed the direction of rhythm and blues during the late 1950s and persisted as a trendsetter for more than a decade. Tragically felled in 1975 by a massive coronary (he never recovered, dying January 21, 1984), Jackie packed a lot of living into his first 41 years on the planet and scored a lot of hits for Brunswick Records.

"Jackie was just such a beautiful person to work with. He was such a professional," said Carl Davis, his Chicago-based producer from 1966 on. "All my memories of him are great."

Original Brunswick Hit Recordings

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Anna Wilson - Time Changes Everything

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:11
Size: 149.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:50] 1. That's What Lovers Do
[3:05] 2. Back In The Day
[4:41] 3. Time Changes Everything
[5:03] 4. Fedora
[3:19] 5. Sad Matters
[3:41] 6. One Little Reason
[4:06] 7. Minestrone Soup
[4:39] 8. For Just A Day
[4:35] 9. Sentimental Sundays
[4:10] 10. Savin' My Love
[4:14] 11. In Disguise
[4:15] 12. Gonna Dance
[3:33] 13. Wedding Bell Blues
[3:57] 14. When I Do
[3:43] 15. Drink It Up
[4:14] 16. A House, A Home

Time Changes Everything brings Wilson’s contemporary voice and message to a timeless jazz project. This critically-acclaimed studio album, with two new bonus tracks, brings classic melodies, lyrics and arrangements, reminiscent of the golden age of the Great American Songbook into the modern era with original jazz and big band music that sets standards all their own. It features 14 original songs, including the bossa nova wine inspired single “Drink It Up,” that showcase her dexterity as both a singer and songwriter. She delivers a sonically masterful collection of modern-day life and love-lessons that pull from diverse influences, ranging from Cole
orter to Laura Nyro.

Time Changes Everything

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Gary Burton, Jay Leonhart, Terry Clarke & Joe Beck - Play The Music Of Duke Ellington

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:46
Size: 109.4 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. In A Mellow Tone
[5:45] 2. C Jam Blues
[5:21] 3. Love You Madly
[4:50] 4. Azure
[5:10] 5. Creole Love Song
[4:52] 6. Take The A Train
[5:18] 7. Squeeze Me
[6:26] 8. Caravan
[5:44] 9. Ishfahan

This swinging session focuses on a dozen standards from the vast Duke Ellington songbook. Bassist Jay Leonhart sings along with his bass a la Slam Stewart to open "In a Mellotone" and "C Jam Blues." A loping "Azure" features Joe Beck's brash guitar contrasting with Gary Burton's bluesy vibes. Burton and Leonhart's smoking duo version of "Take the 'A' Train" and a soft pretty take of "Isfahan" (omitting Beck) are the top tracks of the date. A pleasant, if not essential CD. ~ Ken Dryden Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York on November 8, 1994. Includes liner notes by Duke Ellington.

Jay Leonhart (bass); Joe Beck (guitar); Gary Burton (vibraphone); Terry Clark (drums).

Play The Music Of Duke Ellington

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Lorraine Feather - Attachments

Styles: Vocal
Label: Jazzed Media
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:16
Size: 147,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. A Little Like This
(6:58)  2. Attachments
(3:35)  3. I Thought You Did
(6:17)  4. Anna Lee
(3:46)  5. 159
(5:07)  6. We Have the Stars
(3:28)  7. I Love You Guys
(4:53)  8. I Hope I Never Leave This Place
(5:55)  9. Hearing Things
(8:25) 10. The Veil
(4:02) 11. Smitten with You
(5:38) 12. True

As expertly-crafted and enjoyable as all of her other recordings, Lorraine Feather's Attachments is her most raw and intimate CD to date. Here, she applies her famously incisive perception, sweet voice, and stunning lyrical gifts to a frank exploration of life's major emotional ties, describing how they can soothe, stretch, and break as they wind through our days on earth. Naturally these include romantic connections whether missed, fulfilled, or simply imagined but as usual, Feather vaults over the tired moon/June/spoon territory to offer her unique and thought-provoking view of ordinary things. For instance, in the sinuous title track, Feather evokes the "silver string of your attachments," a cord which wanders through a familiar series of crushes and lovers, but also embraces the weird guy in the building that everyone looks after. There are songs about love's mysterious glories ("A Little Like This," "We Have the Stars") as well as its gleeful discovery "I Thought You Did" rocks on Dave Grusin's exuberant "Memphis Stomp," first heard in the 1993 movie, The Firm. A lesser talent and one content to splash around in shallower waters would probably restrict the attachment consideration to romance. But Feather ranges much wider, providing a splendid appreciation of jazz musicians in general ("I Love You Guys") with sympathy for such indignities as "being made to wear matching vests/being told, 'the nuts are for the guests.'" There's a haunting song about a dear old friend who ended badly ("Anna Lee"), a gorgeous ode to Feather's home ("I Hope I Never Leave This Place"), and a tribute to a tempo ("159") as well as a rascally dog ("Smitten with You"). The most poignant and personal songs come at the end, where Feather shares the lasting heartbreak around the parent you love but can't reach ("The Veil"), and the endless,"ragged" pain over the one you most adored ("True"), which is fittingly set to one of the most soulful and beloved melodies of Bach. All of Feather's projects are witty. But humor is less central here than it was on songs like "Traffic and Weather," "Where Are My Keys?" and "I Forgot to Have Children," or in her lyrics to the songs of Fats Waller and other famous stridemeisters. For delightful examples of the latter, see New York City Drag (Rhombus Records, 2000) and Fourteen (Relarion, Ink., 2012), where Feather is half of Nouveau Stride with the astonishing young pianist Stephanie Trick. What links all of Feather's disparate projects is her signature honesty, insight, grace, and intelligence. This is all found in abundance on "Attachments," where the booklet adds to the enjoyment by providing every lyric. But this is more to appreciate Feather's poetry than to decipher her words as others have noted, her diction is perfect,as is her pitch. And, as always, her brilliant lyrics are delivered on wonderful melodies, with superb playing all around.~Dr Judith Schlesinger http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45043#.UipF_D-wVw8

Personnel: Lorraine Feather: vocals; Russell Ferrante: piano (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11); Shelly Berg: piano (6, 7, 10); Dave Grusin: piano (3, 12); Michael Valerio: bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 7-9, 11), vocals: (5); Grant Geissman: guitar (1, 5, 9); Eddie Arkin: guitar (2, 5); Michael Shapiro: drums and percussion (1, 2, 5, 9, 11); Tony Morales: percussion (1) Gregg Field: drums (7); Charles Bisharat: violin (1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12); Bob Mintzer: bass clarinet (11).

Attachments

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Mishka Adams - Willow Weep For Me

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Candid
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:56
Size: 109,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:11)  1. Willow Weep For Me
(5:14)  2. Body And Soul
(5:06)  3. Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)
(2:56)  4. On Green Dolphin Street
(4:54)  5. Love Came On Stealthy Fingers
(5:23)  6. God Bless The Child
(4:04)  7. Change Partners
(4:03)  8. The Peacocks (A Timeless Place)
(4:29)  9. I've Never Been In Love Before
(4:32) 10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Refreshingly unpretentious and just plain talented, Filipino-English songwriter Mishka Adams makes light work of creating listenable, jazz influenced originals and tasteful standards. ~Time Out, London

'Mint for the mind - balmy and calming...' said the Manila Times on reviewing Mishka's first album. Indeed! This captivating young Anglo-Filipina blessed with that kind of delicate husky voice so pleasing to the ear. As she sings, she blends this roundness and pureness with her impeccable clarity of enunciation and innate ability to interpret songs to wonderful effect. These qualities are abundant in this album which has Miss Adams singing with top musicians both from both continents. Mishka puts her 'gentle subversion' to terrific use in this collection of standards all delivered with a style and panache for which she is becoming more and more renowned.~Editorial Reviews http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Weep-For-Mishka-Adams/dp/B0037FFAWI .

Willow Weep For Me

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Keith Urban - Get Closer

Styles: Country
Label:  Liberty
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:40
Size: 163,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:40)  1. Put You In a Song
(3:36)  2. You Gonna Fly
(3:38)  3. All for You
(4:33)  4. Long Hot Summer
(3:56)  5. Without You
(5:17)  6. Georgia Woods
(4:48)  7. Right On Back to You
(4:18)  8. Shut Out the Lights
(3:47)  9. Big Promises
(4:15) 10. The Luxury of Knowing
(3:40) 11. Winning
(7:10) 12. Once In a Lifetime (Live In Gwinnett, Ga)
(5:18) 13. You Look Good In My Shirt (Live In Gwinnett, Ga)
(5:42) 14. Better Life (Live In Gwinnett, Ga)
(6:55) 15. Everybody (Live In Gwinnett, Ga)

Pop and country have become increasingly interchangeable in the 21st century, and few artists have benefited more than Keith Urban. On paper, he’s a wealth of contradictions a country boy with an exotic accent, a balladeer with rock & roll chops, a stubbled face framed by flat-ironed hair. On his albums, though, Urban molds those would-be incompatibilities into some of the slickest country songs this side of Taylor Swift, appealing to his longtime Nashville supporters while still targeting fans who wouldn’t be caught dead inside a honky tonk. Released one year after 2009’s Defying Gravity, Get Closer is another country-pop hybrid, executed with swagger and professionalism by the man who helped bring drum machines to Music City. The bad news is that the album is short. Super short. Unless fans want to drive to Target, which has exclusive rights to the full version of Get Closer, they’ll have to settle for a shorter album that clocks in at eight tracks. This so-called “standard” edition feels more like an EP, and the fact that Target’s version only adds two more originals coupled with a remake of Santana’s “Winning” and four live tracks from the Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing tour provides little relief. The good news is that Get Closer, in all its abridged glory, contains some of Urban’s best work to date. He co-writes most of the material and chooses his songwriting partners wisely, working with Sarah Buxton (who wrote the Grammy-winning “Stupid Boy”) on “Put You in a Song” and collaborating with longtime partner Darrell Brown on the country-rocker “Georgia Woods,” which may be the best tune here. Those two songs along with “You Gonna Fly,” “Long Hot Summer,” and “Shut Out the Lights”  round out the rock section, and Urban decorates them with an arsenal of stringed instruments, from bazouki to banjo to E-bow guitar. 

A former session player who performed on Garth Brooks' Double Live, he sometimes lets his own professionalism get the best of him, downplaying his guitar skills on record to make each song as commercial as possible. The rockers on Get Closer are an exception to the rule, though, filled with the sort of two-minute guitar workouts that are only rivaled by contemporaries like Brad Paisley and John Mayer. If the fast songs are an excuse for Urban to flex his chops, then the slower numbers give him a chance to sing directly to his wife, Nicole Kidman, whose influence helps replace the weepy ballads of past albums with measured, midtempo highlights like “Without You.” Get Closer may be 34 minutes long, but it uses its time wisely, featuring a virtually filler-free track list that contains some of Urban’s sharpest open-highway tunes and bedroom ballads.~Andrew Leahey http://www.allmusic.com/album/get-closer-mw0002057219 .

Get Closer (Deluxe Version)

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Chuck Loeb - Silhouette

Styles: Jazz

Label: Shanachie

Year: 2013

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 59:23

Size: 136,2 MB

Art: Front

(6:33)  1. Silhouette

(5:11)  2. Silver Lining (feat. David Mann)

(5:58)  3. Present Sense

(7:47)  4. Appreciation (feat. Mitchel Forman)

(7:19)  5. JT (feat. Eric Marienthal)

(5:22)  6. Lockdown

(8:11)  7. Stompin' (feat. Andy Snitzer)

(4:18)  8. Esta Tarde Vi Llover (feat. Carmen Cuesta)

(5:22)  9. My One and Only Love (feat. Lizzy Loeb)

(3:19) 10. Las Eras (feat. Christina Loeb)

Throughout what seems like the entire evolution of contemporary jazz, guitarist Chuck Loeb has provided a soothing presence that continues to resonate with true connoisseurs of the genre.  In fact, for Loeb, 2013 has been a very good year. In addition to building his growing reputation as an integral part of super group Fourplay he has not only contributed to a wonderful new album from Keiko Matsui but also has released his twentieth solo recording.  Titled ‘Silhouette’ it finds him orchestrating four unique ensembles that allow Loeb to give listeners an insight into some of the music and musicians to have touched him throughout his career. The first of these collectives is called The Appreciation Band and comprises three artists from three different bands with which Chuck has collaborated in the past, former Steps Ahead band member Peter Erskine, Loeb’s Fouplay colleague Nathan East and Metro band-mate, keyboard player Mitch Forman.  In addition this dream team are added to by guest performances from saxophonists David Mann and Eric Marienthal. The collective kicks off ‘Silhouette’ in suitably sophisticated style with the Fourplay like title cut where Mann’s understated horn arrangements are really something and The Appreciation Band’s next offering is the highly rhythmic ‘Silver Lining’.  Two tracks in and both total gems yet the beautifully deconstructed ‘Present Sense’ quickly makes it three for three.  

Continuing in the same magical vein ‘Appreciation’ is a delightfully jazzy piece for which Mitch Forman on keys really gets the job done.  The final contribution from this fabulous four-some is Loeb’s homage to one of his all-time favorite musical heroes, James Taylor.  Shimmering with a mellifluous melody, ‘JT’ is also notable for fine playing from Marienthal and is, in every respect, an absolute joy. ?The second ensemble to grace ‘Silhouette’ has been inspired by a project that Will Lee (bass player on the Late Show With David Letterman for 30 years) assembled last year, The Will Lee Family Band.  It features legendary drummer Steve Gadd, newest addition to Pat Metheny’s Group, trumpeter Giulio Carmassi and pianist and melodica player Oli Rockberger. 

They stay around for only one tune, the gritty, R & B flavored ‘Lockdown’, a number that proves to be as pleasing as it is different. Next up comes The December 7th Trio that is a group based on Loeb’s Organ Trio CD ‘Plain 'n' Simple’ and who have extensively toured together.  The synergy of a lineup that is anchored by Hammond B3 player Pat Bianchi and drummer Wolfgang Haffner clearly shows and completing the band is sax-man Andy Snitzer.  Together they deliver the swinging ‘Stompin’ that courtesy of Bianchi and Snitzer ultimately takes on a decidedly straight ahead disposition. From that point on ‘Silhouette’ becomes something of a family affair as the Madrid based ensemble The Musigrama All-Stars are joined by Chuck’s wife, Carmen Cuesta and their two daughters Lizzy and Christina.  The result is the wistful ballad ‘Esta Tarde Vi Llover’, the haunting ‘Las Eras’ and, most notably, ‘My One And Only Love’ that is played out as a duo between Chuck and Lizzy.  Quite simply it’s beauty personified. http://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/08/chuck-loeb-silhouette.html

Silhouette

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Celso Fonseca & Ronaldo Bastos - Polaroides

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:00
Size: 121.4 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Samba, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:01] 1. Satellite Bar
[2:55] 2. Denise Bandeira
[3:16] 3. Ela Vai Pro Mar
[4:09] 4. Meu Tudo Pra Mim
[4:35] 5. La Piu Pella Del Mondo A Voz Do Morro
[3:30] 6. Polaroides
[4:52] 7. Samba E Tudo
[4:40] 8. Valeu
[3:52] 9. Out Of The Blues
[3:45] 10. A Noite E Meu Opio
[4:35] 11. Ledusha Com Diamantes
[4:46] 12. Slow Motion Bossa Nova
[3:58] 13. Sorte

Popular guitarist, singer, songwriter Celso Fonseca teams up with noted lyricist Ronaldo Bastos, who contributed to Milton Nascimento's many recordings, to provide a wonderful, as well as irritating, series of exceedingly mellow tunes. Fonseca has lately moved into hip and modern music, including rap and electronic elements, but here he is in traditional mode of bossa nova and samba. Varied from sparse to lush arrangements with the inclusion of sax, trumpet, trombone, flute, and strings, and of consistant moderate tempo, this CD will alternately lower your blood pressure and smooth your jangled nerves, taking you to a tropical beach, a warm sun, and a cool breeze; and then being dragged along the sand. Beautiful and romantic songs flip/flop with trite, awkward, and imitative pieces. Please note that this album is a "Best of...", being selections from three earlier recordings: Paradiso, Sorte, and Juventude. An especially interesting track is a Brazilian blues, "Out of Blues"; my favorite, because of its percussion, is "La Piu Bella del Monde". Why do I still give 5 stars? Because the music is so varied that it keeps our interest, and because the changing effects on our emotions supports the sonic fun. You may hear the complete songs on Fonseca's web site. While an import, I still do not know why it, and so many Brazilian CDs, are so expensive, here for an anthology. ~By Dr. Debra Jan Bibel/Amazon

Polaroides

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Chris Barber Jazz & Blues Band - Down On The Bayou

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:29
Size: 165.9 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[0:18] 1. Dedication
[3:52] 2. Down On The Bayou
[5:19] 3. They Took My Money
[3:41] 4. Music From The Land Of Dreams
[6:20] 5. Going Up The River
[3:13] 6. Baby O'mine
[2:29] 7. Waiting For A Train
[5:24] 8. Corrine Across The Sea
[3:08] 9. Beg, Steal Or Borrow
[6:07] 10. Whose Blues
[3:00] 11. Battersea Raindance Crocker's Eleven
[3:23] 12. Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out
[5:01] 13. Black Widow
[4:56] 14. New York Town
[4:02] 15. Big Bass Drum (On A Mardi Gras Day)
[4:15] 16. Skippin' And Jumpin'
[2:43] 17. Pick And Shovel
[5:09] 18. Oh! Didn't He Ramble

Chris Barber Jazz & Blues Band: Chris Barber (vocals, trombone); John Crocker (alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet, background vocals); Ian Wheeler (alto saxophone, clarinet, harmonica, background vocals); Pat Halcox (trumpet, background vocals); Vic Pitt (tuba, acoustic bass); Nick Coler (piano); Tony Atkins (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Johnny McCallum (guitar, banjo, snare drums, cabbassa); John Slaughter (guitar); Ian Richardson (drums, drum programming); Noran Emberson (drums, background vocals); Alan "Sticky" Wicket (drums). Recorded betweem October 1985 and March 1989. Includes liner notes by Chris Barber. Trombonist Chris Barber's British trad band has long been open to the influence of blues and R&B. On this CD, they are joined on more than half of the selections by singer/pianist Dr. John, who plays New Orleans funk/R&B rather than New Orleans jazz. The music, therefore, is quite a mixed bag, with most of the songs being originals by either Dr. John or Barber, plus Woody Guthrie's "New York Town," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," and "Oh, Didn't He Ramble." Barber and trumpeter Pat Halcox play well as usual, but the band is very much in a subsidiary role on may of the selections and Dr. John has had more significant sessions on record. A historical curiosity. ~ Scott Yanow

Down On The Bayou

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Susie Arioli Band - Learn To Smile Again

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:31
Size: 95.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
[4:37] 2. Less And Less
[3:46] 3. Husbands And Wives
[3:09] 4. By Myself
[6:21] 5. Night Flight
[3:53] 6. Half A Mind
[2:50] 7. A Million Years Or So
[3:22] 8. A World I Can't Live In
[3:19] 9. Ruler Of My Heart
[2:16] 10. Don't We All Have The Right
[4:16] 11. Leo's Blues

While singer Susie Arioli and guitarist Jordan Officer usually team up for renditions of Django Reinhardt-flavored swing classics, Learn to Smile Again is a change of pace. Most of the repertoire is taken from the book of Roger Miller (although "King of the Road" is bypassed), and this is a surprisingly natural fit since both Arioli (who has a quietly beautiful voice) and Officer have a real feel for vintage country/pop/folk music. Assisted by rhythm guitar, bass, quiet percussion, and the background vocals of Jason and Sheldon Valleau, this lyrical and heartfelt effort (which also includes two originals and the vintage "By Myself") is an offbeat success, logical in hindsight if not inevitable. ~ Scott Yanow

Susie Arioli (vocals, snare drum); Jordan Officer (vocals, guitar); Jason Valleau, Sheldon Valleau (vocals); John McColgan (percussion).

Recording information: Studio Victor, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (02/2005-03/2005).

Learn To Smile Again

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Ron Carter - Stardust

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Label: Blue Note Records
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:16
Size: 120,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:32)  1. Tamalpais
( 7:50)  2. The Man I Love
(10:26)  3. Nearly
( 6:38)  4. Bohemia After Dark
( 5:57)  5. Tail Feathers
( 4:52)  6. Blues in the Closet
( 5:57)  7. That's Deep
( 3:59)  8. Stardust

The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet, a 1953 Leonard Feather production, featured Pettiford’s “Tamalpais Love Song.” Ron Carter his own man when incorporating varying nuances of equal multiplicity of origins to his work  proves a manly man at the outset of Stardust. In “Tamalpais,” we find the first of three reinterpretations of Pettiford’s compositions. This interpretation is relaxed and mature with loads of class, elegance, insinuated exotic appeal and assurance. Benny Golson’s midrange prowess delivers bopish ideas with flourish and cleverness resembling a dirty Martini sound that gels fantastically well with the sonic identity of the album. Joe Locke’s vibraphone playing adds a collegial touch reminiscing Terry Gibbs’ role in the original Pettiford date that saw the light of this excellent piece of writing by the late bassist honored herein. Sir Roland Hanna does his number too, while an air of exotica permeates the swing and rhythmic drive of the tune.  

The transition from “Tamalpais” to Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” a mid-tempo-solidly-melodically-aural-drink that goes down with punchy ease is right on the money, setting a deciding tone throughout the remaining flow of the recording. Carter has a more prominent role here than in the opener, although Golson wins you over oozing satisfying flurries with great comping in the piano and the unobtrusive march provided by Lenny White in the drums. Carter’s solo takes over the tune at mid passage and you are immediately reminded that there is clear evidence of a good sense of humor in his virtuosi playing, as well as Golson’s.  As the most extensive tune, Carter’s bluesy “Nearly” sets Locke loose over the steady deliciously sweet support of his peer’s in the rhythm section opening up for Golson’s takeover. Both are in great shape as the first half of the tune belongs to them. Hanna then walks the beat over the keys with aplomb and swiftness, allowing his right hand to do some serious talking, while quite a bit of meaning is issued on the left. The tune’s amicable head is restated during its closing to a caressing vanishing effect. Another one of the three Pettiford cuts comes fore in “Bohemia After Dark” and a cheerful note is struck. Carter takes a cascading descending solo of solid import on this retake of this '50s tune incorporating multiple fingered passages of special interest. Golson drives up the tempo afterwards saying much with apparent ease. White makes his strong contribution redirecting the tune into other corners, as Golson beckons back to the top. “Tail Feathers” is a Carter dusted-off tune with steady swing and some playful melodic riffs. Golson initiates the ruffling with Locke following in step and the author’s composer comes through with yet another solo with quite a particular sense of strength and melodic reasoning. 

The last Pettiford composition is “Blues in the Closet.” Little is needed to raise Hanna up with his energetic and swinging issuing that brings Carter’s jamming playing to the fore with cost-cutting measures that bankroll punchy musical wealth. Near the coda, White and Carter share a brief time together that hinted at unexplored fascinating opportunities. “That’s Deep” sticks to swing structures favoring Locke’s superb stick vibe rolling explorations. The piano follows through with equal vibe and fervor pushing the bass’ envelope further into a percussive transition at the hands of White and Carter that proves deep enough to ford with caution, although eliciting curiosity and expectation. The title cut, also recorded by Pettiford, closes the date with just Carter and Hanna. The melodic charge given by Carter renders this classic in yet another light worth looking at.~Javier Ortiz  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11296#.UiUcQj-wVw8 .

Personnel: Bass: Ron Carter. Drums: Lenny White. Piano: Sir Roland Hanna. Tenor Saxophone: Benny Golson. Vibraphone: Joe Locke.

Stardust

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The Swallow Quintet - Into the Woodwork

Styles: Jazz
Label:  Ecm Records
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:20
Size: 129,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. Sad Old Candle
(5:03)  2. Into the Woodwork
(5:35)  3. From Whom It May Concern
(5:02)  4. Back in Action
(4:43)  5. Grisly Business
(2:49)  6. Unnatural Causes
(2:53)  7. The Butler Did It
(4:26)  8. Suitable for Framing
(5:29)  9. Small Comfort
(5:33) 10. Still There
(5:35) 11. Never Know
(3:47) 12. Exit Stage Left

In the press sheet for Steve Swallow's Into the Woodwork, the award-winning electric bassist is quoted, saying: "Good humor before and after the red light goes on is very important. Music-making should be fun, after all." Those fortunate enough to see Swallow with Steve Kuhn and Joey Baron this past summer including a memorable stop at the 2013 TD Ottawa Jazz Festival experienced this ethos first-hand, as smiles and outright laughter defined a performance that was, indeed, great fun, but just as deep musically the ultimate consequence of musicians so relaxed with each other that nothing can get in the way. Into the Woodwork may lack the visuals, but it's clear that this quintet is having just as much fun, and is comfortable enough together to allow anything to happen albeit within the structures of Swallow's writing. 

Other than life/music partner Carla Bley focusing solely on organ and begging the question why she doesn't do so more often this is a new constellation under the Swallow marquee, but guitarist Steve Cardenas and saxophonist Chris Cheek have intersected before, both with each other and with Swallow and Bley, in Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band and Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, respectively. Drummer Jorge Rossy best-known for his decade-long tenure with Brad Mehldau was a late addition, writing Swallow after hearing of the nascent quartet to ask if he might join in, and his melodic approach makes him the perfect choice to drive this book of 12 new Swallow compositions. Swallow's has already achieved a place in the history books for memorable compositions like "Falling Grace," "Olhos del Gato" and "Como en Vietnam," but it's too early to tell if any of Into the Woodwork will join that rarefied group. Still, the through-composed, dark-hued "Sad Old Candle," vivacious title track, balladic "From Who It May Concern" and drum-heavy "Back in Action" Rossy's call-and-response with the rest of the group occupying a full half of its five-minutes before a quirky, dissonant theme resolves into Cheek's fiery solo, driven by Swallow and Rossy's effortless, unrelenting swing are individually memorable while, segued together as a 21-minute suite, contribute to Into the Woodwork greater continuity. 

The same approach links the blues-drenched "Grisly Business," brighter "Unnatural Causes" and ambling "The Butler Did It," before a brief pause leads into the album's closing tracks, joined together for 25 episodic minutes. In the midst of these five tunes, following Cardenas' warm-toned, melody-centric solo, "Still There" features Bley liberally and mischievously quoting the American folk song "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and the military "Taps."That's just one example of Into the Woodwork's relentless spontaneity ... and good humor. The writing may be deep and the playing even deeper Swallow's bass rarely feeling this rich or filled with ideas but at its heart is a group that more than likely shares the same onstage smiles and laughter that Swallow did with Kuhn. It's been 13 years since Swallow last recorded with a full-sized quintet, but Into the Woodwork represents a new group and repertoire that easily stands amongst his best work in a career now entering its sixth decade.~John Kelman 

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45165#.UikneT-wVw8

Personnel: Chris Cheek: tenor saxophone; Steve Cardenas: guitar; Carla Bley: organ; Steve Swallow: bass; Jorge Rossy: drums.

Into the Woodwork

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Annie & The Hot Club - Play The Songs Of Tom Sturdevant

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:47
Size: 109.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Sugar
[3:28] 2. I Love You
[3:26] 3. Mystery Of Love
[4:08] 4. He Loves Me I Can Tell
[4:08] 5. Pussycats And Moonbeams
[3:48] 6. Wish I
[3:15] 7. Chickadee 'n Cockadoodledoo
[4:08] 8. Full Moon Saturday Night
[3:05] 9. Henry McIntyre
[4:23] 10. Lonely
[3:22] 11. What My Eyes Might Say
[3:51] 12. Last Night I Cried My Eyes Out
[3:55] 13. Simply Beautiful

Annie and the Hot Club in homage to the Hot Club genre (Django-Reinhardt gypsy-swing) bring fiery guitar and violin soloing on repertoire from the 1930's and 40's such as Honeysuckle Rose and Sweet Georgia Brown…and to top it off, the perky storyteller and hard-swinging singer, Annie. Nashville native vocalist Annie Sellick was voted Best Jazz Artist by readers of the Nashville Scene five years in a row, and has since toured all over the world and performed and/or recorded with many of her musical heroes including Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing, Tommy Emmanuel and jazz organ royalty Joey DeFrancesco.

The Hot Club of Nashville is lead by Brittian-born Richard Smith who owns a guitar signed "To my hero, Richard", Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins. Rhythm guitarist Pat Bergeson (expect Howard Levy-like harmonica solos too) moved to Nashville at the request of Chet Atkins to record and join his band, where he remained several years. Fiddle player Aaron Till has performed with Jerry Reed, Tanya Tucker, Pam Tillis and Tommy Emmanuel, among other musical royalty. Bassist Charlie Chadwick who created the Chadwick Folding Bass (that's right folks, an acoustic bass that folds un half) joins the group and Josh Hunt on snare drum.

The group has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival as well as abroad including the Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Festival in Reitberg, Germany and Poland. They are a mainstay at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention as well as The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

Expect original material as well - songs so reminiscent of an old swing standard that you would think they've been loved for decades, and pop crossovers you might hear on a future album by the likes of Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux.

"She hooks up with the Nashville-based Hot Club Band to create a magically fun musical experience. Annie and the Hot Club… is the real deal. It is a fun loving, story telling, toe tapping, tear jerking, sit back and enjoy experience for the listener. A certified "less of the same" endeavor. ~Bruce Pulver

Pat Bergeson (guitar, harmonica); Richard Smith (guitar); Aaron Till (violin); Charlie Chadwick (cello, bass guitar); Tom Giampietro (drums). Personnel: Tom Sturdevant (vocals); Jeff Taylor (accordion).

Play The Songs Of Tom Sturdevant

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Matt Belsante - Blame It On My Youth

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:39
Size: 109.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:14] 1. Beyond The Sea
[4:01] 2. Brazil
[4:54] 3. At Last
[4:47] 4. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
[3:26] 5. I Saw Her Standing There
[3:56] 6. Blame It On My Youth
[3:12] 7. Witchcraft
[4:06] 8. I Get Along Without You Very Well
[3:09] 9. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[4:24] 10. Haven't Got Much
[4:03] 11. All In Love Is Fair
[4:23] 12. Never My Love

Every once in awhile there comes along a singer who reminds you of something familiar yet something so new that it leaves you smiling; a young crooner's voice that wraps around you like a warm coat on a cold winters day. Matt Belsante is that rare kind of artist who has something new to offer. The Naperville, Illinois native Matt began playing tenor sax in 6th grade and continued to perform in middle and high school jazz bands. "I used to listen to Sinatra with my grandfather when I was little and my dad always had it in the car as well. At home I listened mostly to instrumental stuff and mostly sax players but big band as well and the major vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald," says Belsante. He started to sing in the jazz choir in high school during his junior year while continuing to play sax in the band. In his senior year he won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for both vocal jazz and instrumental jazz (the first student at his school to win both). After high school, Matt attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN to study engineering and economics. He contacted Billy Adair, husband of legendary piano player Beegie Adair, about singing for the Blair Music School Big Band. His mindset was to continue to sing jazz with the big band because he loved it, but never really thought about it as a career. During his four years in college, Matt also sang and arranged music for an acapella group called the Dodecaphonics. In his senior year, Matt got the opportunity to sing the songs of Frank Sinatra with the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, a group of Nashville's top jazz musicians. Billy Adair has always been a great teacher and supporter and helped Matt get the gig in the first place. After graduation, Matt was at a crossroads. Should he focus on a budding music career or find a job in his field? "At this point, I really started to think about the possibility of singing jazz in terms of a career. I am going to continue to work on my craft and listen to artists I neglected to realize before this point (Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Julie London, and current artists, Jamie Cullum, Michael Buble). I really started to believe in my ability and felt like I could make a contribution in this genre if I focused on it and continued to study it." Maturing in a city filled with passion for music, Matt has been able to turn his sensitively realistic thoughts into art.

Recording information: My Space Recording, Nashville, TN.

Tom Hemby (acoustic guitar); Pat Begeson (electric guitar); Connie Ellisor, Pamela Sixfin, David Davidson (violin); Jim Grosjean (viola); Anthony LaMarchina (cello); Denis Solee (flute, tenor saxophone); Doug Moffet (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Mark Douthit (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Cole Burgess (alto saxophone); George Tidwell (trumpet, flugelhorn); Mike Haynes , Jeff Bailey , Steve Patrick (trumpet); Beth Beeson, Jennifer Kummer (French horn); Prentiss Hobbs, Chris McDonald, Barry Green (trombone); Pat Coil (piano, organ); Craig Nelson (bass instrument); Scott Williamson, Bob Mater (drums, drum); Eric Darken (percussion); Eliza Quinn, Penelope Vandersnift (background vocals).

Blame It On My Youth

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Billy May - Cha-cha

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 25:39
Size: 58.7 MB
Styles: Latin
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:41] 1. In The Mood
[2:23] 2. Twelfth Street-Rag-Cha-Cha
[1:51] 3. The Poor People Of Paris
[2:29] 4. Flyin' Home
[1:55] 5. Bijou-Cha-Cha
[2:20] 6. In A Mellow Tone
[2:40] 7. Tuxedo Junction
[1:56] 8. Leap Frog-Cha-Cha
[2:20] 9. Snowfall Cha Cha
[1:44] 10. Artistry In Rhythm
[1:48] 11. I Remember
[1:27] 12. Goodbye-Cha-Cha

If you are among the millions who have been captivated by that exciting Latin rhythm called the cha-cha-cha, then music-master Billy May has designed this album especially for you. Here, in the tantalizing tempo of this South of the Border dance sensation, is a collection of all-time instrumental favorites, brought up-to-date with delicate cha-cha-rrangements that offer a refreshing contrast to the spectacular big-band orchestrations so often associated with Latin dance music.

Well known swing standards like Flyin’ Home, Tuxedo Junction, and In The Mood are magically transformed into light and nimble cha-chas by "El Gran Maestro," who features here a wondrous assortment of flutes, employing them with great imagination and a good deal of subtle humor to duplicate familiar ensemble and solo passages. The brilliant trumpet and rhythm sections are manned by a fine group of Latin musicians, whose distinctive phrasing and enthusiasm give this album an excitingly genuine Afro-Cuban sound, while the mellow tones of an agile marimba provide additional authentic effects.

Senor May also brings out the cha-cha-characteristics of such unlikely selections as Twelfth Street Rag, Snowfall, The Poor People of Paris, and several other wonderfully outrageous cha-cha-daptations of famous hits in which the flavor of the original arrangements has been retained. Only the beat has been changed to protect the innocent.

Cha-cha

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Janis Siegel - Night Songs - A Late Night Interlude

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Palmetto Records
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:26
Size: 145,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:23)  1. Love Saves (Salva Pantallas)
(4:40)  2. Slow
(5:08)  3. Love and Paris Rain
(6:12)  4. If You Never Come to Me (Inutil Paisgem)
(5:30)  5. Marie
(5:39)  6. You're Mine, You
(5:19)  7. Sweet September Rain
(4:21)  8. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
(7:32)  9. Midnight Sun
(6:12) 10. Lover
(4:28) 11. Say You'll Go
(0:56) 12. Clair De Lune

The Manhattan Transfer (1972 - Present)
Founding member of the world's pre-eminent vocal group, interpreting American music from Swing to Rock and Pop to vocalese and Rhythm and Blues. Over the years, Janis has sung lead on many of the Manhattan Transfer's biggest hits, including 'Operator,' 'Twilight Zone,' 'The Boy from New York City,' 'Mystery,' 'Spice of Life,' 'Shaker Song,' 'Birdland,' 'Ray's Rockhouse,' and the 5-million selling 'Chanson D'Amour.' Janis co-produced the group's Pastiche album, and has arranged many of the vocals on the Transfer's 18 albums, yielding her aGrammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for 'Birdland.' In 1991, Janis co-wrote and sang lead on the Grammy-winning performance for 'Sassy.'

Solo Work
Janis has mounted regular solo singing projects and tours throughout the years when not recording or touring with The Manhattan Transfer. She has toured all throughout the United States, is eagerly anticipating her first solo European tour in Spring 2005, and has recently performed in Panama. Her first solo album, Experiment in White, was released in 1981. At Home, her second solo effort, garnered Janis a Grammy nomination for Best Female Jazz Vocal. In 1985, Janis joined Jon Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves in a group called 'Sing, Sing, Sing' and performed to raves at The Playboy Jazz Festival and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Other solo performances include the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Tri-C Jazz Festival, The North Beach Jazz Festival and stints at Birdland in NYC and the Blue Note in NYC and Tokyo. Janis has an ongoing duo collaboration with pianist Fred Hersch. Their first album, Short Stories, earned another Grammy nomination in 1989. The second album with Fred Hersch, Slow Hot Wind, was released in 1995 on Varese/Sarabande Records. Janis and Fred have toured extensively in the U.S. and Japan, and have also done radio concerts, T.V. and private dates. Her fifth solo album entitled The Tender Trap was released by Monarch Records in 1999, was produced and arranged by Fred Hersch, and featured Russell Malone, Matt Wilson, Victor Lewis, Michael Brecker and Hank Crawford. I Wish You Love, released in 2002, marked her first CD for the Telarc label and a return to working with longtime collaborator and friend Joel Dorn. Friday Night Special followed in 2003 featuring soul jazz and bluesy grooves with a first-rate organ/tenor ensemble consisting of Joey DeFrancesco and Houston Person. Her most recent Telarc release, 2004's Sketches of Broadway, was produced and arranged by longtime friend Gil Goldstein. Janis will be touring on Night Songs in 2013.~Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Night-Songs-Janis-Siegel/dp/B00DX88GFC .

Night Songs

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Beegie Adair & Jaimee Paul - After the Ball

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz

Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 139,7 MB
Scans: Front

(4:17)  1. Let Me Call You Sweetheart
(4:20)  2. I Love a Piano
(5:50)  3. You Are My Sunshine
(5:51)  4. After the Ball
(4:00)  5. A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody
(5:02)  6. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
(2:48)  7. They Didn't Believe Me
(4:19)  8. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?
(3:03)  9. 3 O'Clock in the Morning
(4:37) 10. Poor Butterfly
(3:38) 11. Shine On Harvest Moon
(4:56) 12. You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)
(4:12) 13. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life
(3:58) 14. Sweet and Low

This unique collection of piano and vocal duets by jazz's reigning queen of the keys, Beegie Adair, and the exciting young chanteuse, Jaimee Paul, highlights songs from the turn of the 20th century. With compositions originating from the 1860s to the 1930s, this sentimental treasure trove includes such favorites as Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Sweet & Low, A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, Shine On Harvest Moon and many more. Adair's light melodic touch combined with Paul's charming and emotive interpretation of the lyrics of these classic compositions creates a historical, yet endearing piece of musical work from beginning to end. After the Ball album by Beegie Adair / Jamie Paul was released Jun 05, 2012 on the Green Hill Music label.

Personnel: Jaimee Paul (vocals); Beegie Adair (piano)

After the Ball

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Larry Carlton - Take Your Pick

Styles: Jazz
Label: 335 Records
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:08
Size: 141,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Jazzy Bullets
(6:08)  2. Nite Crawler 2010
(4:57)  3. The Way We Were
(4:38)  4. Islands Of Japan
(6:16)  5. Neon Blue
(4:33)  6. Tokyo Night
(4:53)  7. Hotalu
(5:31)  8. East West Stroll
(5:11)  9. Easy Mystery
(4:08) 10. Ao
(4:49) 11. Take Your Pick
(5:36) 12. A Girl From China

It's a shame that artists' careers are reduced to oversimplifications of who they are and what they're capable of. Guitarist Larry Carlton, for example despite releasing kick-ass blues-centric records like Sapphire Blue (Bluebird, 2004) and, more recently, the exciting yet unfailingly tasty Live in Tokyo (335 Records, 2007), not to mention delivering iconic solos on Steely Dan albums like The Royal Scam (MCA, 1976) and Gaucho (MCA, 1980) is, more often than not, associated with the smooth jazz of albums like Alone/But Never Alone (MCA, 1986). Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, especially when it's real players playing music that's easy on the ears but has its own set of challenges, but it's too easy to forget that Carlton can play through changes with the best of them, as his still-stunning bop-centric solo on "Mulberry Street," from Strikes Twice (MCA, 1981), amply proved nearly thirty years ago. If Carlton can be criticized of anything, it's his emphatic lyricism and unfailing taste, though it seems incredulous that the words "too" and "melodic" could ever be used together in the same sentence. Take Your Pick teams the veteran session man and, yes, smooth jazz hit maker with Japan's Tak Matsumoto guitarist for B'z and, with over 80 million albums sold in his country alone, no less an icon, at least in some parts of the world. Carlton's name may come first, but this is a truly collaborative effort, with the two guitarists splitting the writing and arranging duties right down the middle; Matsumoto even arranges two of his tunes for a Japanese horn section, while Carlton brings in some American ringers to spice up three of his tunes. But regardless of where the music was recorded from Franklin and Nashville to Los Angeles and Tokyo the core rhythm section of drummer Billy Kilson (Dave Holland, Chris Botti), bassist Michael Rhodes ((J.J. Cale, Aaron Neville, and keyboardist Jeff Babko (Sheryl Crowe}}, James Taylor Quartet) keeps things honest on a set that leans towards a lighter complexion, though between Carlton and Matsumoto, there's plenty of grit to give the music some edge and energy. Carlton's sweeter tone, recognizable vibrato and slightly broader language makes him easily distinguishable from the largely fuzzier-toned and rockier Matsumoto, especially on tracks like the Japanese guitarist's opening "JAZZY BULLETS," a finger-snapping tune with some tasty twin-guitar melodies and ass-kicking solos. But Matsumoto proves capable of a cleaner tone and twangier disposition on "Nite Crawler 2010" an update on Carlton's self-titled 1978 MCA debut and the similarly light funk of the Japanese axe-slinger's "THE WAY WE WERE." Surprisingly, the more oriental-sounding references come on Carlton tracks like "Islands of Japan," with its koto samples. The lighter disposition at the start of the disc kicks into higher gear on Carlton's rocking, horn-driven "Easy Mystery," and the greasy funk of Matsumoto's closing "A girl from China." Throughout, Carlton may navigate the changes with a little more finesse, but he's well-matched, in tone and feel, with Matsumoto, making the easygoing but undeniably satisfying Take Your Pick less a matter of "either/or" and more a case of "and." ~John Kelman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=37409#.UiTRsD-wVw8.

Personnel: Larry Carlton: guitar, arrangements (2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11); Tak Matsumoto: guitar (1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12); Billy Kilson: drums; Michael Rhodes: bass; Jeff Babko: keyboards; Mark Douthit: saxophone (2, 9, 11); Watanabe Fire: saxophone (1, 12); Kazuhiro Takesa: saxophone (1, 12); Mike Haynes: trumpet (2, 9, 11); Osamu Ueishi: trumpet (1, 12); Barry Green: trombone (2, 9, 11); Azusa Tojo: trombone (1, 12).

Take Your Pick

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