Saturday, November 9, 2013

Bobby Darin - Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 35:57
Size: 82.3 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962/2004
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. What'd I Say
[6:31] 2. I Got A Woman
[1:51] 3. Tell All The World About You
[2:47] 4. Tell Me How Do You Feel
[2:34] 5. My Bonnie
[3:25] 6. The Right Time
[2:49] 7. Hallelujah I Lover Her So
[3:13] 8. Leave My Woman Alone
[2:55] 9. Ain't That Love
[3:20] 10. Drown In My Own Tears
[2:23] 11. That's Enough

`I'm proud to say that I was on the Ray Charles bandwagon when it was just a baby-carriage; even before the first album came out I was listening to his single releases. ~B. Darin

Released in March of 1962, Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles was his second-to-last for Atco. The tribute to one of the musicians who had most influenced him included 11 solid covers. The album peaked at number 96 and stayed on Billboard's charts for 11 weeks. The opening song, "What'd I Say," earned Darin a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. In addition to the rocking "What'd I Say," standouts include the swinging testament to love, "I Got a Woman," "Ain't That Love," and "Hallelujah I Love Her So." The original liner note to Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles declares that "from the first plangent phrases by Darin, you realize that this will be no Broadway blues pastiche, no Waldorf-Astoria silk blouse folk-music." This album highlights both the depths of Darin's talents and the depth of his love for rhythm and blues. In fact, Darin once said, "I'm proud to say that I was on the Ray Charles bandwagon when it was jut a baby carriage. In fact, two singers -- Fats Domino and Ray Charles -- opened up my ears to a whole new world, different from anything I'd heard until then. They both became major influences when I realized these are the roots." A listener can debate if these covers are as good as the originals (could they be?) but not the authenticity that jumps off the turntable. All of the small details are here: the simple beauty of Jimmy Haskell's arrangements, the sax solos by Plas Johnson and Nnino Tempo, and even the backup vocals of the Blossoms, who were the mid-1950s version of the Raylettes. Eight of the 11 songs are Charles originals, and all are from his early career, before he evolved from the blues to the Tin Pan Alley sounds. Darin, reflecting on Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles, said "Making this album was one of the biggest kicks of my life." With one listen to this you will feel the same. ~JT Griffith

Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles

Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:55
Size: 98,3 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:57)  1. Dance Me To The End Of Love
(3:11)  2. Don't Wait Too Long
(3:18)  3. Don't Cry Baby
(3:27)  4. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
(3:45)  5. Between The Bars
(3:33)  6. No More
(3:11)  7. Lonesome Road
(2:56)  8. J'ai Deux Amours
(3:40)  9. Weary Blues
(4:48) 10. I'll Look Around
(3:51) 11. Careless Love
(3:11) 12. This Is Heaven To Me

Why it took vocalist Madeleine Peyroux eight years to follow up her acclaimed Dreamland album is anybody's guess. The explanation from her website bio claims, "I could have kept running with it, but I took a breather." Really it hardly matters, since there have been plenty of capable singers to fill that void. Produced by Larry Klein, Careless Love is essentially Dreamland part deux. She lost Yves Beauvais and Atlantic Records, as well as a stellar cast of edgy jazz and rock session players, but she did gain Larry Klein. There are some fine players on this album, including Larry Goldings, Scott Amendola, David Piltch, and Dean Parks, and it's a much more focused set than Dreamland. That she's on Rounder is just an "oh well." Since Klein is not reined in by having to be a "jazz" producer, his sense of restrained and subtle adventure is a perfect foil for Peyroux's voice and phrasing, which is still too close to the Billie Holiday model for comfort. The material is a curious collection of modern pop songs, country tunes, and old nuggets. There's an original as well in "Don't Wait Too Long," co-written with Jesse Harris and Klein. Peyroux's reading of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" that opens the disc is radical, sung like a German cabaret song, and lacks the drama of the original, which is on purpose but it's questionable as to whether it works.

Her cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" works much better. It keeps the breeziness of the original but focuses on the object of the song still being very present to the protagonist delighting in the presence of the Beloved. Parks' guitars play sparely and pronouncedly in the mix, as Amendola's brushwork complements the spare cymbal and tom-tom work of Jay Bellerose as well as Goldings' in-the-groove organ and piano. The hinge track on this record is the empathic and moving version of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars." With tense sound effects whispering in the backdrop and Goldings' celeste setting the atmosphere, once again Amendola's brushes whisper and shimmer, giving the singer an anchor in the depth of the song's melancholy. It's simply awesome. The sparse haunted treatment of Hank Williams' "Weary Blues" is devoid of its country trappings and rooted firmly in the uptown blues tradition of Holiday's 1940s. Likewise, the title track, a classic standard by W.C. Handy, is turned inside out and made a gospel-flavored R&B tune, driven by Goldings on the organ and a Rhodes piano an instrument that makes a frequent appearance here. Parks' subtle yet dirty guitar gives the singer a platform and she swims inside the lyric, letting it fall from her mouth. The tune's swing quotient is formidable. In all, this is a stronger record than Dreamland, in part because Klein is obviously sympathetic to singers and because Peyroux is a more confident and commanding singer. It's a welcome addition to the shelf, but if she waits another eight years, that space reserved for her may disappear. 
~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/careless-love-mw0000686575 

Careless Love            

Sutton Foster - An Evening With Sutton Foster - Live At The Café Carlyle

Styles: Stage & Screen
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:23
Size: 147,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:10)  1. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(0:32)  2. Dialog #1 - Introductions
(3:25)  3. Not For The Life Of Me/NYC/Astonishing
(1:10)  4. Dialog #2 - Up On The Roof Intro
(2:39)  5. Up On The Roof
(2:13)  6. Air Conditioner
(3:30)  7. Warm All Over
(1:59)  8. Dialog #3 - Angel Cards
(3:26)  9. Show Off
(3:58) 10. More To The Story
(4:28) 11. My Heart Was Set On You
(2:20) 12. Down With Love
(2:56) 13. I Like The Sunrise
(2:37) 14. Dialog #4 - Ho Cup Surprise
(3:52) 15. Defying Gravity
(2:16) 16. Late Late Show
(0:39) 17. Dialog #5 - Jeopardy
(4:00) 18. Sunshine On My Shoulders
(4:05) 19. Anyone Can Whistle/Being Alive
(1:31) 20. Dialog #6 - Thank Yous
(3:22) 21. Come The Wild Wild Weather
(2:11) 22. Here, There, Everywhere
(0:53) 23. Dialog #7 - Encore
(3:58) 24. And I Am Telling You

If Broadway had a reigning diva as of 2010, it was probably Sutton Foster, who had worked more or less without letup in starring roles in musicals starting with Thoroughly Modern Millie and continuing with Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Shrek. After Shrek's closing, however, she was available for two weeks to try cabaret at New York's prestigious Café Carlyle in connection with her debut solo album, Wish, and this recording was made on the last night of her run. The café is not only tony, it's tiny, so that on live albums made there, it sometimes seems possible to identify every set of clapping hands. In this performance, Foster wisely plays to the little crowd, using the same comic charm she has brought to her stage roles. Naturally, she includes some of the songs associated with her musicals, notably "Show Off," her stand-out number from The Drowsy Chaperone, a humorous number in which the singer protests, "I don't want to show off" while doing exactly that. You can't help thinking a video would have done better justice to it than this mere audio experience, but it's still very funny. For Shrek, Foster includes the cut song "More to the Story," which is good enough to make it regrettable that she couldn't have sung it on Broadway. Elsewhere, the set is an expected combination of other show tunes and some mostly good pop songs (John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders" just doesn't measure up to the attention Foster gives it). At one point, she introduces a piece of audience participation by putting the names of five Broadway showstoppers in a cup and having someone pick the next song. It turns out to be "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, which Foster then renders as if channeling Idina Menzel. Their voices are similar, but when, at the end, she encores with another song from the cup, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, she again impersonates the woman who sang it originally, Jennifer Holliday, this time to audience laughter. Foster certainly has the pipes for such songs, but maybe she should find her own interpretations of them if she's going to sing them; here, they sound, inappropriately, like parodies. ~ William Ruhlmann   http://www.allmusic.com/album/an-evening-with-sutton-foster-live-at-the-caf%C3%A9-carlyle-mw0002110155

Danny Moss - Keeper Of The Flame

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:25
Size: 172,7 MB
Art: Front + Back

(5:18)  1. Three Little Words
(5:55)  2. When Your Lover Has Gone
(4:25)  3. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
(6:54)  4. Speak Low
(4:55)  5. Where Or When
(6:09)  6. Moten Swing
(4:53)  7. Cry Me A River
(5:46)  8. It Only Happens When I Dance With You
(7:39)  9. Taking A Chance Of Love
(4:47) 10. I Should Care
(6:21) 11. Perdido
(6:58) 12. I Thought About You
(5:20) 13. Small Fry

British tenor saxophonist Danny Moss is the real deal, an up-from-the-heels wailer whose swinging declamations remind me of such consummate titans as Sonny Rollins and Zoot Sims. From the opening "Three Little Words," a rollicking romp a la Rollins, to the curtain-closing "Small Fry," it's a magic carpet ride through a dozen-plus standards guaranteed to leave one smiling and happy to be taking nutrition.

Moss, in the manner of swing-bop masters like Dexter Gordon, paints with a bold brush. On the loping "When Your Lover Has Gone," while inside the groove, he's also an astute observer of his ongoing work able to comment on proceedings with wry asides and pungent quotes from the canon of bop. As a balladeer, his earthy sound and palpitating vibrato inform his commentaries with a wisdom at once worldly and yet also appreciative of the miraculousness of the moment. For samples, check the burnished vibrancy of his limnings of "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" and the smoldering "Where Or When" or "Cry Me a River."

Throughout, the amiable tenorist receives hand-in-glove support from the trio of pianist John Pearce, bassist Len Skeat and drummer Charly Antolini, whose in-the-pocket backings simmer and steam. As the music casts its spell, it soon becomes clear why Moss was a favorite of stalwarts Maynard Ferguson, Tony Bennett, Buddy Rich and Louis Armstrong. Now, in this heartfelt date, the spotlight shines on the venerable Moss who connects with both body and soul. ~ Chuck Berg   http://jazztimes.com/articles/12102-keeper-of-the-flame-danny-moss-quartet

Friday, November 8, 2013

Maud Hixson - Don't Let A Good Thing Get Away

Size: 112,0 MB
Time: 48:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz, Pop Jazz
Art: Front

01. Don't Let A Good Thing Get Away (3:29)
02. I'm All Smiles (3:23)
03. Growing Up Is Learning To Say Goodbye (3:15)
04. Old World Charm (4:14)
05. The Time Has Come (3:54)
06. The Kind Of Man A Woman Needs (6:00)
07. Just A Little Love Song (2:27)
08. The Spider And The Fly (4:05)
09. Where Do The Lonely Go? (4:01)
10. Not Exactly Paris (4:18)
11. Why Did I Choose You? (6:07)
12. Childhood's End (3:21)

Twelve tracks, featuring the standards "I'm All Smiles" and "Why DId I Choose You?", originally written for the 1965 Broadway musical version of The Yearling, plus a handful of unpublished material that has never been recorded before, along with lesser-known gems from this gifted composer's song catalog. Pianist Tex Arnold has written new arrangements and is joined by vocalist Maud Hixson, cornetist Warren Vaché, bassist Steve LaSpina, and guitarist Gene Bertoncini. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Nola Recording Studios in New York City, February 4-8, 2013.

Don't Let A Good Thing Get Away

Stef Scaggiari - Our Little Place

Size: 108,9 MB
Time: 46:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Here And After (5:07)
02. I Wish (3:41)
03. You Write Your Song (6:17)
04. It Ain't Necessarily So (5:29)
05. Why'd You Run From Me (4:17)
06. Our Little Place (5:31)
07. Let's Face The Music And Dance (5:26)
08. But Not For Me (3:27)
09. You Don't Know Me (3:44)
10. Hard Times (3:50)

"Our Little Place" is the latest in a series of strong releases by the talented singer/pianist Stef Scaggiari (pronounced ska-JAR-ee--think Italian). Stef presents four originals along with six beautifully arranged classic songs. The production is top notch-- a great sounding vocal album. If you like the work of Dianna Krall, Al Jarreau, and Keith Jarrett, you're gonna love this collection. Stef's music is heard every week on Week-end Edition Sunday on National Public Radio. His discography includes nine recordings on the Concord label, plus more recent Stefco Music releases including "Sing Your Song" and "Cross-over". "Our Little Place" showcases Stef's many talents as singer, musician, composer and producer.

Our Little Place

Kenny Davis - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:15
Size: 131.1 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[1:19] 1. 1st Arrival
[5:27] 2. Fearless
[5:48] 3. Deliverance
[3:59] 4. Too High
[0:29] 5. Journey (Interlude 1)
[6:28] 6. Elviry
[6:11] 7. Tenderly
[6:10] 8. Wrapped In Love
[0:46] 9. Journey (Interlude 2)
[4:51] 10. Attitude
[3:08] 11. Before Sunrise
[7:19] 12. What Lies Beyond
[1:26] 13. Journey (Interlude 3)
[3:47] 14. Gone Too Soon

Master jazz bassist Ron Carter who did the liner notes for the CD stated: "To all listeners of wonderful music, don't pass this CD by!!!

He's had an illustrious career since moving to New York in the mid-1980s and hitching a gig with drummer Ralph Peterson Jr. and contemporary mainstreamers Out of the Blue (OTB), but he's waited until now to release an album under his own name. An impressive résumé includes work with M-Base collective saxophonist Steve Coleman's Five Elements; performing—and, on one song, arranging—credits on singer Cassandra Wilson's Grammy Award-winning Blue Light 'Til Dawn (Blue Note, 1993); and subsequent work with artists ranging from Art Farmer and Robin Eubanks to Don Byron and Onaje Allan Gumbs. All this and more contributes to the unerring success of Kenny Davis.

At a time when many artists are distancing themselves from the American tradition, Kenny Davis remains reverential yet unmistakably modern. Davis—focusing on double-bass with a robust tone and deep, flexible sense of time rooted in bass icons like Paul Chambers and Ron Carter—contributes all but two of the album's 14 tracks, but his approach to the cover material is equally personal. Stevie Wonder's "Too High" opens with a thematically virtuosic yet effervescently swinging bass solo that, bolstered by drummer Billy Kilson's ever-empathic interaction, pushes the bar even higher than that set by the duo's fiery opening salvo, "1st Arrival." But Davis goes even further here, with an arrangement that manages to turn Wonder's already knotty tune into even greater intricacy, all the while swinging at a fast clip that challenges pianist Geri Allen and saxophonist Javon Jackson to keep up...which, of course, they do. Walter Gross' enduring "Tenderly" is taken at a more relaxed pace, but grooves no less viscerally, with a particularly potent solo from Davis' ex-OTB band mate, saxophonist Ralph Bowen.

Davis' own writing is equally compelling, and demonstrates a broad scope. "Fearless" begins with an 11/8 vamp and serpentine head yet, with Allen playing counterpoint to Bowen and guitarist David Gilmore
's winding theme, it's another cooker when it gets to the solos, with the saxophonist and guitarist finding their way through Davis' sophisticated changes, anchored by the muscular rhythm team of Davis and drummer Ralph Peterson.

It's hard to call Kenny Davis a debut when the bassist has appeared on so many significant recordings. Still, focusing as it does on his inimitable excellence as a performer and equally compelling compositional skills, Kenny Davis is the first release to make so crystal clear how this established but, in some ways, still emerging, deserves to be watched. ~John Kelman

Kenny Davis

Ben Sidran - I Lead A Life

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 43:36
Size: 99.8 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz
Year: 1972/2006
Art: Front

[3:20] 1. Chances Are
[3:40] 2. Lust
[3:28] 3. It Don't Pay To Worry Like That
[3:03] 4. Eliyahu
[8:04] 5. When A Woman Say She Ready
[2:37] 6. I Lead A Life
[5:41] 7. Devil Comes To Las Vegas
[3:33] 8. Talking About Money
[3:42] 9. Slippery Hip
[6:23] 10. Back Down On State Street

This was a handcrafted project -- the rehearsals were done in my living room, the recording was done around the corner, and the songs (like "Chances Are" and "Back Down on State Street") were written for friends of mine. ~Ben

Ben Sidran - Piano, Vocals; James "Curley" Cooke - Guitar; Clyde Stubblefield - Drums; Gavin Christopher - Vocals; John Almond - Flute; Cheeba Switzer - Vocals; Blue Mitchell - Trumpet; Dennis Oliver - Bass; George Brown - Drums; Tim Davis - Percussion; Charles Davis - Saxophone; Jim Gordon - Saxophone.

I Lead A Life

The Harry Allen-Joe Cohn Quartet - Plays Music From South Pacific

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:03
Size: 144.3 MB
Styles: Showtunes, Jazz vocals
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. A Cock-Eyed Optimist
[3:02] 2. Younger Than Springtime
[4:26] 3. Bloody Mary
[4:18] 4. Twin Solilioquies
[5:42] 5. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Outa My Hair
[3:33] 6. There Is Nothin' Like A Dame
[2:37] 7. Dities Moi
[5:27] 8. A Wonderful Guy
[1:46] 9. Happy Talk
[1:40] 10. Honeybun
[6:22] 11. Some Enchanted Evening
[5:44] 12. You've Got To Be Carefully Taught
[3:42] 13. My Girl Back Home
[5:24] 14. This Nearly Was Mine
[5:22] 15. Bali Ha'i

The multi-award-winning Rodgers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific had been languishing in obscurity until its Lincoln Center revival in 2009. Harry Allen and Joe Cohn decided to give these tunes their own jazz take, something that had been done before, but not to this extent of swinging and bopping them. With vocalists Rebecca Kilgore and Eddie Erickson, this island setting of a postcard love affair gone wrong via bigotry is rendered in heartfelt tones by the singers, and jammed on by the instrumentalists in a carefree manner that easily reflects the idea of a getaway-from-reality holiday. Though not done with Latin trim, the story lines expressed by Kilgore and Erickson do take the tropical setting into account, contrasting the ins and outs of love versus lust far from home. Kilgore is particularly miffed at her man during the more commercially known "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," but easily turns around with cute praise for "A Wonderful Guy." Erickson is much more under a swoon on several tracks like the corny, fluffy "Honeybun," sounding very much like

Jack Sheldon, but has to concede he has everything but the girl for "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame" and readily admits to cheating on "My Girl Back Home." Most of the songs are in easy swing mode, but "Twin Soliloquies" is a Brazilian lover's paradise song, "Some Enchanted Evening" is an eight-plus-minute discourse on the blues as they question the pairing, and "You've Got to Be Taught" represents a preachy cautionary tale on hormonal overflow. There are three strictly instrumental numbers: the good bopper for Allen "Bloody Mary," the ballad for the cool tenor man "Dite-Moi," and the exceptional feature for Cohn "Happy Talk" (where his co-leader follows along). John McDonough includes some detailed liner notes about the three-pronged history of South Pacific, including the Broadway stage show in the late '20s to early '30s, the film version in 1958, and current activities in reviving it. A credible effort by these reliable musicians gives the tunes further cachet, not updated by any means but given new life and accented with a skeptical, doubtful, and timeless warning about life and instant love affairs. ~Michael G. Nastos

Harry Allen - Sax (Tenor); Joe Cohn - Guitar; Eddie Erickson - Vocals; Joel Forbes - Bass, Bass Instrument; Rebecca Kilgore - Vocals; Chuck Riggs - Drums.

Plays Music From South Pacific

Laurie Krauz - Catch Me If You Can

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 138.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[4:37] 1. Day Dream
[4:05] 2. Daryl's Things All The Things You Are
[3:42] 3. When Will I Know
[5:37] 4. Ducksoup
[6:19] 5. Some Enchanted Evening
[2:35] 6. Please Don't Do It In Here
[5:28] 7. Sugar In My Bowl
[5:35] 8. My Foolish Heart
[2:41] 9. Birthday Blues
[7:41] 10. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:34] 11. So Many Stars
[3:52] 12. Catch Me If You Can
[3:42] 13. When You're Smiling

Laurie Krauz thrills audiences with her award-winning, blues-influenced jazz vocals and her powerful emotional range. Blazing new musical territory, Laurie Krauz combines improvisational elements with the passion and sensuality found in other forms of music to create a unique, soulful jazz -- “she creates a mood and weaves a musical story with every cell of her being.” Named one of the top 500 jazz vocalists of all time in a book by noted jazz critic, Scott Yanow, slated to be published in 2006 (tentatively entitled The Jazz Singers/Backbeat Books), Laurie released her first CD, Catch Me If You Can (LML Records) in 2001 to much critical acclaim.

Along with The Daryl Kojak Trio, Catch Me If You Can features jazz legend George Coleman on tenor sax and has been receiving accolades throughout the jazz world ("Jazz aficionados should welcome this impressive debut album from a singer who will certainly be making her mark on the jazz scene for years to come." – Michael Laprarie, JazzReview.com). Catch Me If You Can has enjoyed substantial national airplay (including featured airplay in New York on world-renowned WBGO) as well as forays into select international markets (including The Netherlands, Russia and Brazil).

Laurie has performed live with a number of jazz luminaries including George Coleman, Harold Mabern, Cameron Brown and Warren Vaché and has appeared at such legendary venues and events as JVC Jazz Festival, The Blue Note, Birdland and Iridium. Her work has received frequent rave reviews including The New York Daily News ("… the scat's meow." – W. Wong) and Time Out Magazine ("You won't believe your ears – this jazz singer's velvety voice is a wonder to behold." – H.S. Jolley). Live radio performances and interviews have included: Jim Lowe & Friends (syndicated nationally); David Kenney's Everything Old Is New Again (WBAI-FM, New York); and Jeff Duperon's Straight Ahead (WRTI, Philadelphia). Laurie has participated in a number of commercial projects including: a singing appearance on The Cosby Show; solo vocals on Good Night Blue, a CD released by the Nickelodeon TV program Blues Clues; and various television and radio jingles and videos. In June 2000, her life was chronicled as the cover story for Cabaret Scenes Magazine (Getting Off The Fast Track by Peter Leavy).

Catch Me If You Can

Laura Crema - Spring Is Here

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:38
Size: 134,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
(5:27)  2. Autumn Serenade
(3:05)  3. Blackbird
(5:19)  4. Estate
(4:59)  5. A Ghost Of A Chance
(3:04)  6. New Day
(5:57)  7. Lazy Afternoon
(6:07)  8. So In Love
(5:21)  9. Skylark
(5:37) 10. Spring Is Here
(4:14) 11. Summer Night
(4:17) 12. Tenderly

Maximum Jazz together with EMI Music Canada are proud to announce that Laura Crema's "Spring is Here" was named Vocal Jazz Recording of the Year in the 2007 Village Voice Jazz Poll Ballots by Jazz Journalist James Hale (Downbeat, Coda). The annual poll by the one and only Village Voice combines ballots from 577 critics' Top 10 lists to acknowledge the best albums of 2007.


"Vancouver jazz vocalist Laura Crema and trumpeter/producer Brad Turner make for a powerful combination. Hers is a wonderfully deep, expressive voice and Turner has surrounded her with some great players and sounds. This is quite the inspired treat!"-The Vancouver Province "All great jazz singers have at least three qualities in common. The first is that unique timbre that sets their voice apart. The second is the material they choose to sing. And the third is the fresh ideas and insights they bring to those songs. Laura Crema has all three in spades!-CBC Radio

"Vancouver's Laura Crema has an ageless quality to her dry, dark voice.." --Downbeat Magazine
"She has a knack for bringing out a tune's inherant emotional contours"-Coda Magazine
"An uplifting and atmospheric album, the most impressive offering yet from this accomplished West coast singer."-The Edmonton Journal

"Vocalist Laura Crema is poised to take center-stage on the international jazz scene."-Flutenotes
"Crema makes low notes glow like coals" -Mark Andrews, The Vancouver Sun

"Vocalist Laura Crema is poised to take center-stage on the international jazz scene. Possessed of a powerful voice with great depth and resonance, she bring a warm and strongly emotive approach to classic torch songs." - Tom Keenliside, flutenotes

"Laura Crema's sultry vocals pull you deep into the dark, smokey room of some 40's speakeasy where torch songs spoke volumes from the heart.......unadulterated musical silk, and not to be missed." -Sue Braiden, CBC radio

"...Crema's rich, vibrant voice held the audience spellbound with a set that ranged from Cole Porter to Elvis Costello".... -Paul Grant, Host of CBC Radio's Hotair

"Crema is a true artist,..she knows when to hold the note like a longing memory and when to let it go like a painful betrayal. " -Gregory J. Robb, All About Jazz

"...a lush, unique instrument, with an affinity for ballads, such as the CD's ("Almost Blue") stunning title track"-George Evans, Planet Jazz   http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7535825&style=classical&fulldesc=T

Spring Is Here

Cathi Ogden - Souvenirs from Stockholm

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:59
Size: 120,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. One of You
(3:56)  2. By the Sea
(3:46)  3. Birthday
(5:51)  4. Drinking Again
(3:31)  5. My Philosophy
(3:48)  6. Trouble Times Two
(4:02)  7. Like Young
(3:52)  8. It's Not Me
(3:19)  9. My Funny Valentine
(6:49) 10. State of You
(4:11) 11. Meaninglessnessism
(5:33) 12. Breathe

Jazz singer and song-writer Cathi Ogden is back in Sydney to launch her new Jazz album 'SOUVENIRS FROM STOCKHOLM'. The album is described by her producer Grant Windsor as being "Swing meets Beatnik; witty and soulful, inspired by Blossom Dearie".
Cathi lives in London where she is famous for being the face of the Aussie themed UK insurance brand Sheilas' Wheels. This is a far cry from her life's work as a jazz singer and songwriter, but it makes for a highly entertaining story."This Aussie stood out on Jazz Fm's INSPIRED compilations with her very delicious soulful offering I can't last a day...it deserves wider recognition..." http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/cathi-ogden-album-launch/67541


Souvenirs from Stockholm

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Kenny Rampton - Moon Over Babylon

Size: 130,3 MB
Time: 56:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Modern Creative Jazz
Art: Front

01. P.B. Funk (4:55)
02. Surrealsistic Cissy (6:14)
03. The Unknown Child Within (6:59)
04. Nature Boy (8:52)
05. Such Sweet Thunder (4:49)
06. Until Next Time (4:42)
07. Moon Over Babylon (6:41)
08. I'll Be Seeing You (3:35)
09. Full Gainer (5:13)
10. Lift Every Voice And Sing (4:42)

I recorded this CD several years ago, but didn't put it out until now, for personal reasons. It's filled with great music played by some of my very favorite musicians in NY and features six of my compositions as well as four "standards" (three arranged by myself and one arranged Earl McIntyre). The last two tracks feature the GREAT Jimmy McGriff on the organ, who I toured with for about 10 years, off and on. Also featured on "Moon Over Babylon" are Donny McCaslin (tenor), Clark Gayton (bone), Brad Leali (alto), Gene Jackson (drums), Ugonna Okegwo/Boris Kozlov/Andy Hess (bass), Ben Stivers/George Laks (keys), Bill Sims (vocal), Pat Cisarano (vocal), Papo Pepin/Joe Gonzales (percussion), Douglas Yates (bass clarinet), Bill Sims/Matt Chertkoff (guitar) as well as a choir comprised of Renee Manning, Pat Cisarano, Tricia Scotti, Carol Sims, Bill Sims, Tommy McDonnell and Irving Lous Lattin.

This CD is an honest, sincere expression of who I was and where I was at, when it was recorded. Although I've gone through many life changes and grown musically, spiritually and personally since then, I still feel that "Moon Over Babylon" is a terrific recording that deserves to be heard. I sincerely hope you agree!!!!

Trumpeter Kenny Rampton is a regular member of The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (under the direction of Wynton Marsalis), The Mingus Big Band (playing both lead and solo trumpet) and can be heard freelancing with many of the greatest musicians of our time at jazz clubs and festivals worldwide. As leader of the Kenny Rampton Sextet, he has performed internationally as well as in many of New York City’s finest jazz clubs. In August of 2010, Kenny performed the classic Miles Davis/Gil Evans rendition of “Porgy and Bess” as the guest soloist with The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (under the direction of Gunther Schuller).

Moon Over Babylon

Kristen J. Lloyd - My Favorite Song

Size: 89,0 MB
Time: 37:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Feel For You (2:03)
02. Summertime (2:16)
03. My Favorite Song (3:07)
04. I've Got You Under My Skin (3:51)
05. Dumb (4:06)
06. Slow Dance (4:13)
07. Distant As A Star (3:34)
08. Rescue Me (3:25)
09. Love And Dreams (2:56)
10. Pennies From Heaven (2:48)
11. Not Givin' Up (2:48)
12. What I'd Want To Say (2:40)

I have anxiously awaited the day I would finish my first jazz album, and here it is! It is definitely the most enjoyable CD I've ever recorded. Jazz has been my favorite style of music long before I could even play the guitar. Especially after growing up in a very musical, Jazz oriented family. I can recall countless hours I enjoyed listening to all the greats from Glenn Miller to Barney Kessel with my Grandpa, as well as watching him, my Dad and Uncles play "Pennies from Heaven" and " 'A' Train" 'til it was way past my bedtime. Playing and listening to Jazz music with my family is a tradition I hold dear to my heart, and the more time passes by changing my life and those loved ones around me, the more I appreciate the gift of Jazz and how playing it continues to bring me close to those treasured memories with my family.

The album "My Favorite Song" is a tribute to my family, to my husband (who is the reason "My Favorite Song" and "Rescue Me" exist), but most importantly to my Grandpa and for his significant role in my life. I don't think anyone else enjoyed listening to me play jazz as much as he did, and I only wish he was hear now to enjoy the music he inspired me to play. And thanks to all of you for your interest in my music! I hope listening to it brings you as much joy as creating it did to me.

My Favorite Song

Ruby Johnson - I'll Run Your Hurt Away

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:01
Size: 130.6 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. I'll Run Your Hurt Away
[2:36] 2. What More Can A Woman Do
[2:48] 3. Won't Be Long
[4:18] 4. The Love Of My Man
[2:31] 5. Why Not Give Me A Chance
[3:02] 6. It's Not That Easy
[2:29] 7. Don't Play That Song (You Lied)
[3:35] 8. Come To Me My Darling
[3:01] 9. It's Better To Give Than To Recieve
[2:18] 10. Keep On Keeping On
[2:56] 11. How Strong Is My Love
[3:11] 12. Need Your Love So Bad
[3:22] 13. Come To Me My Darling 2
[2:45] 14. Left Over Love
[2:40] 15. I'd Better Check On Myself
[2:17] 16. I'd Rather Fight Than Switch
[2:20] 17. No No No
[2:20] 18. If I Ever Needed Love (I Sure Do Need It Now)
[2:49] 19. When My Love Comes Down
[2:30] 20. Weak Spot

Between 1966 and 1967, singer Ruby Johnson cut more than two dozen R&B sides for Stax/Volt; for whatever reason, the label released only three singles before dropping Johnson from its roster. Twenty of those songs comprise I'll Run Your Hurt Away, a collection of should-have-been hits from this powerful voice. While Johnson recorded a few pop standards like Aretha Franklin's "Won't Be Long" and Ben E. King's "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)," the majority of her songs were composed by Stax in-house musicians and writers. All told, there's not a weak song here; Johnson is a great soul singer who deserved far better.

I'll Run Your Hurt Away

Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate - Blow The Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:51
Size: 178.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:24] 1. High Life
[5:33] 2. When A Woman Loves A Man
[5:14] 3. Thou Swell
[4:03] 4. Can't We Be Friends
[8:00] 5. Birdland Betty
[5:41] 6. Kansas City Nights
[6:27] 7. Rompin' At Red Bank
[6:31] 8. Blue Creek
[3:53] 9. A Swinging Doll
[4:34] 10. Dallas Delight
[8:06] 11. Don't Mind If I Do
[4:13] 12. Blue Breeze
[5:58] 13. Blue Ebony
[4:07] 14. Thou Swell 2

These two albums on one CD, featuring Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate, were originally released on the Swingville label, in 1960 : ‘Buck & Buddy’ and its sequel, ‘Buck & Buddy Blow the Blues’ are unique for being the only quintet studio albums the two made together. Clayton and Tate began playing together as far back as 1939. They met in the Count Basie orchestra, a band they’d both remain with for nearly a decade. Although they would continue playing and recording together extensively well into the mid-1970s.

On both works they are backed by the outstanding pianist Sir Charles Thompson and bassist Gene Ramey, while the drum chair is alternately filled by Mousey Alexander and Gus Johnson. A different version of “Thou Swell”, recorded in 1957 by both Clayton and Tate, has been added as a bonus.

Blow The Blues

Airto Moreira & Flora Purim - Live In Berkeley

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:30
Size: 166.0 MB
Styles: Fusion, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[11:23] 1. Free (Feat. Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[20:47] 2. La Fiesta (Feat. Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[ 6:12] 3. Esquinas (Feat. Widor Santiago, Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[14:16] 4. Light As A Feather (Feat. Widor Santiago, Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[ 5:19] 5. Maria, Tres Filhos (Feat. Widor Santiago, Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[ 7:29] 6. Anos Blue (Feat. Widor Santiago, Helio Alves, Gary Brown)
[ 7:00] 7. Airto's Pandeiro Solo - Improvisation 1

Live in Berkeley, recorded in 1990 in Berkeley, California is a robust and stimulating performance given by Airto Moreira on drums and percussion; Flora Purim on vocals; bassist, Gary Brown; pianist, keyboardist, Helio Alves and tenor and soprano saxophonist, Widor Santiago… [The performance was captured by] San Francisco radio personality, Bud Spangler – himself, a well known jazz musician, but was tucked away, not to be heard again for over twenty years. The recent rediscovery of this exquisite, majestic evening is now available for us to enjoy in these seven carefully selected tracks by Airto and Flora… Today, their music is still alive, fresh and filled with love.

For those who know Flora, an introduction is unnecessary. Her music has interwoven the life fabric of anyone with a passing interest in Latin and American jazz music for over 25 years. Her once-in-a-generation six-octave voice has earned her two Grammy nominations for Best Female Jazz Performance and Downbeat magazines Best Female Singer accolade on four occasions. Her musical partners have included Gil Evans, Stan Getz,

Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie and Airto Moreira, with whom she has collaborated on over 30 albums since moving with him from her native Rio to New York in 1967. Her musical genius was inbred thanks to a Russian émigré father who played violin and a mother who was a talented pianist in her own right. Before leaving Brazil to escape the repressive military regime of the time, she had mastered piano and guitar and liberated an exhilarating vocal talent. In New York, she and Airto became central to the period of musical expression and creativity, which produced the first commercially successful Electric Jazz groups of the 70s.

Live In Berkeley

Paul Kuhn - The L.A. Session

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:34
Size: 111.2 MB
Styles: Jazz piano
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:27] 1. Almost The Blues
[2:31] 2. Just In Time
[3:12] 3. Close Your Eyes
[3:04] 4. You've Changed
[6:24] 5. On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
[4:44] 6. Griff
[2:57] 7. Dinah
[3:10] 8. Speak Low
[4:21] 9. Emily
[2:57] 10. There Will Never Be Another You
[2:40] 11. My Heart Stood Still
[2:51] 12. Ornithology
[2:32] 13. People
[2:37] 14. As Time Goes By

'The L.A. Session' by the veteran German jazz pianist and vocalist Paul Kuhn was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Backed by an A-list rhythm section - drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton - he performs a set of classic jazz standards as well as two of his own compositions. With his unmistakable sense of rhythm and melody, Kuhn appears to absorb each individual note and transforms it into a very special art of timeless swing.

Recording information: Capitol Studios, Los Angeles (11/08/2011/11/09/2011).

Paul Kuhn (piano, vocals), John Clayton (bass), Jeff Hamilton (drums)

The L.A. Session

Sara Bareilles - Brave Enough: Live At The Variety Playhouse

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:38
Size: 145.7 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:54] 1. Love On The Rocks/Bennie & The Jets
[4:09] 2. Uncharted
[4:15] 3. Love Song
[5:04] 4. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
[4:49] 5. Manhattan
[3:47] 6. Let The Rain
[4:14] 7. I Just Want You
[6:40] 8. Come Round Soon
[6:22] 9. Once Upon Another Time
[3:41] 10. Brave
[4:54] 11. King Of Anything
[4:29] 12. Gravity
[5:13] 13. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Earlier this year, Sara Bareilles took on an entirely new challenge, touring the United States without the support of a band. Describing the tour as “the most terrifying thing” she could do, Sara began the month-long tour in Washington, DC and finished in her new home, New York.

The “Brave Enough” CD/DVD captures the intimacy and rawness of the entirely solo experience, filmed over the entirety of Sara’s show in Atlanta, Georgia at the Variety Playhouse. If you weren’t one of the lucky few to see the show live, this CD/DVD combo is surely the next best thing. Filmed live at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA during Sara’s "The Brave Enough Tour," which sold out nationally in three minutes, the DVD captures Sara’s entire May 20, 2013 performance. Celebrated by fans and media alike, the set features show highlight "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," Sara’s never-before-released breathtaking version of Elton John’s classic song!

Brave Enough: Live At The Variety Playhouse

Carlos Do Carmo - Fado E Amor

Size: 86,8 MB
Time: 37:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Fado, Folk, World
Label: Universal Music
Art: Front

01. Por Morrer Uma Andorinha (With Camane) (4:05)
02. Julia Florista (With Mariza) (3:21)
03. Lisboa Oxala (With Carminho) (4:15)
04. Novo Fado Alegre (With Ana Moura) (2:49)
05. Pontas Soltas (With Ricardo Ribeiro) (3:58)
06. O Que Sobrou De Um Queixume (With Raquel Tavares) (3:13)
07. Calçada A Portuguesa (With Cristina Branco) (2:38)
08. Fado Do 112 (With Marco Rodrigues) (3:12)
09. Vou Contigo Coraçao (With Aldina Duarte) (3:52)
10. Nasceu Assim, Cresceu Assim (With Mafalda Arnauth) (2:50)
11. Loucura (With Lucilia Do Carmo) (3:09)

Carlos Carmo is a Portuguese fado singer whose career spans several decades, beginning in the early '60s and peaking during the '70s. Born Carlos Alberto Ascenção de Almeida on December 21, 1939, in Lisbon, Portugal, he is the son of fado legend Lucilia do Carmo. He made his recording debut in 1963 with a pair of four-song releases on Alvorada: Mário Simões e Seu Quarteto Apresentando Carlos do Carmo and Carlos do Carmo e Orquestra de Joaquim Luiz Gomes. A couple years later in 1965 he made some recordings with Decca: the four-song releases Fado Razão da Minha Vida and Fados do Meu Coração. Carmo's popularity grew with each passing year, and by 1969 he was releasing full-length albums on Alvorada, Decca, and Philips. He peaked in popularity during the '70s, when he released at least one, if not multiple, album(s) each year. Though Carmo's productivity steadily slowed over the years, he remained highly popular and toured internationally as a concert performer. In later years, his album releases often coincided with career milestones: for example, Ao Vivo no CCB: Os Sucessos de 35 Anos de Carreira (1999), Do Tempo do Vinil: 40 Anos de Carreira (2003), Ao Vivo no Coliseu dos Recreios de Lisboa: 40 Anos de Carreira (2004), and Fado Maestro: 45 Anos de Carreira (2008), the latter of which was especially successful, reaching the Top Five of the Portuguese album charts. Studio album such as À Noite (2007), on the other hand, were few and far between, though generally well received.

Fado E Amor