Silky Denims

Monday, December 2, 2013

Sam Broverman - Leftover Dreams

Size: 136,0 MB
Time: 58:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Until The Real Thing Comes Along (4:50)
02. Please Be Kind (3:05)
03. Oh, You Crazy Moon (2:48)
04. Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week (3:22)
05. A Month Ago - Like Someone In Love (3:34)
06. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (5:34)
07. It Could Happen To You (3:25)
08. Here's That Rainy Day (3:48)
09. Teach Me Tonight (4:01)
10. All The Way (5:18)
11. Come Dance With Me (3:29)
12. All My Tomorrows (5:28)
13. Call Me Irresponsible (4:13)
14. Empty Tables (2:28)
15. A Sammy Cahn Song (2:41)

Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen were both born in 1913, which marks 100 years since their birth at the time that this album was recorded. The contributions of these two exceptional songwriters make up two essential chapters in the American Songbook. This album presents some of their greatest songs, while also representing the range of their careers. After learning a bit about the lives of Cahn and Van Heusen, I felt that a natural way to present these songs would be in the order they were written, creating something of a musical biography.
Cahn had 27 and Van Heusen had 14 Oscar nominated songs, 11 of which they wrote together, and 3 of which won Oscars; 2 are on this album, All The Way, 1957, and Call Me Irresponsible, 1963. Cahn's first hit Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, was with Saul Chaplin in 1937, adapted from the Yiddish theatre. The first two songs on the album are Cahn/Chaplin songs. The next several songs are from the 1940s, during which Cahn's main collaborator was Jule Styne, and Van Heusen's was Johnny Burke. Cahn and Van Heusen teamed up in the mid 1950s and wrote together into the 60s. The later part of the album includes several of their songs from that period.
Empty Tables is a sad, poignant, beautiful song by Van Heusen and one my very favorite song writers Johnny Mercer. The song was written in 1974, not long before Mercer died, and a few years after the death of Judy Garland. Mercer and Garland were romatically involved over a period of years after they met on the set of The Wizard of Oz. It is believed that Mercer wrote a number of his greatest songs with Garland in mind, and it is my belief that he wrote Empty Tables as an epilogue to their relationship.
I wrote the final song on the album as a thank you from me to Sammy Cahn in particular and to all the great songwriters of the American Songbook. Their musical and cultural influence are immeasurable and their songs will endure forever and will enlighten and entertain us time after time. ~Sam Broverman

Leftover Dreams

Wilson Phillips - Christmas In Harmony

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:18
Size: 87.7 MB
Styles: Holiday, Rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
[3:09] 2. Little Drummer Boy
[3:23] 3. Warm Lovin' Christmastime
[2:49] 4. When A Child Is Born
[2:38] 5. Christmastime
[3:01] 6. Silent Night
[2:45] 7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
[3:12] 8. Silver Bells
[2:56] 9. Sleigh Ride
[3:36] 10. Joy
[2:54] 11. Winter Wonderland
[3:21] 12. The Christmas Song
[1:20] 13. Our Prayer

Reuniting for a Christmas album six years after their 2004 comeback California, Wilson Phillips are in fine 1990 form on Christmas in Harmony. Much of that may be due to the presence of producer Glen Ballard, who produced their eponymous '90s smash (and co-wrote much of it too, including "Hold On" and "You're in Love" ), and he gives Christmas in Harmony the same bright, cheerful sheen as Wilson Phillips. He's so successful at re-creating the early-`90s vibe that the album could be mistaken as a relic from 1992, but that's a plus: anybody looking for a Wilson Phillips holiday album will want something that sounds like their classic hits, and so this does, turning everything from "Silver Bells" and Roy Wood's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" into crisp, clean, adult contemporary pop. Perhaps it's not a Christmas album for everyone, but for those who want Wilson Phillips sunnily harmonizing for the holidays, Christmas in Harmony will satisfy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Recording information: Carnie And Rob's Studio; The High Window; The Manor, Los Angeles, CA; Westlake Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Wilson Phillips (vocals); David Levita (guitar); Kim Hutchkroft (saxophone); Zac Rae (keyboards); Glen Ballard (synthesizer); Blair Sinta (drums).

Christmas In Harmony

The Buddy DeFranco & Tommy Gumina Quartet - Pacific Standard (Swingin') Time!

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 74:45
Size: 171.1 MB
Styles: Swing, Easy Listening
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. All The Things You Are
[3:31] 2. How High The Moon
[3:50] 3. Yesterdays
[4:38] 4. Gone With The Wind
[2:55] 5. Ill Wind
[2:39] 6. A Foggy Day
[3:25] 7. On Green Dolphin Street
[3:22] 8. Satin Doll
[4:18] 9. Darn That Dream
[4:13] 10. The Song Is You
[3:14] 11. Misty
[3:05] 12. In A Mellow Tone
[2:34] 13. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[2:16] 14. Autumn In Rome
[4:07] 15. When Lights Are Low
[4:00] 16. Streets Of Dreams
[2:44] 17. Never On Friday
[1:51] 18. 's Wonderful
[4:48] 19. Scrapple From The Apple
[3:21] 20. Playin' It Cool
[3:47] 21. You Are Too Beautiful
[2:53] 22. Runaway

The Buddy De Franco-Tommy Gumina Quartet made a sensational debut at Hollywood’s “Pick-a-Rib” night club in March 1960, playing assertive, driving modern jazz. In this new setting, Buddy’s fleet, fluid clarinet gained an exciting, fresh context with jazz accordion virtuoso Tommy Gumina. Besides the mutually enhanced over-all sound of clarinet and accordion, the appealing arrangements De Franco and Gumina devised reveal a shared outlook. It firmly placed the emphasis on melody and rhythm, lyricism and stimulation, as much as on their dazzling technical accomplishments.

The quartet’s first two albums, “Pacific Standard (Swingin’!) Time,” and “Presenting...” reflect this. Not only is De Franco warmed by Gumina’s strongly swinging attack, but both he and Gumina are also pushed hard by the sturdy rhythm support of bassists Bob Stone and Bill Plummer, and drummers Frank De Vito and John Guerin. Together they delivered straightforward, thoughtfully conceived and beautifully played unpretentious small-group jazz, with a character all its own.

Buddy De Franco (clarinet), Tommy Gumina (accordion), Bob Stone, Bill Plummer (bass), Frank De Vito, John Guerin (drums).

Pacific Standard (Swingin'!) Time

Carole King - The Legendary Demos

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 39:06
Size: 89.5 MB
Styles: Soft rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:24] 1. Pleasant Valley Sunday
[2:51] 2. So Goes Love
[2:17] 3. Take Good Care of My Baby
[2:51] 4. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
[3:12] 5. Like Little Children
[2:21] 6. Beautiful
[1:48] 7. Crying in the Rain
[3:23] 8. Way Over Yonder
[3:15] 9. Yours Until Tomorrow
[3:28] 10. It's Too Late
[2:59] 11. Tapestry
[4:01] 12. Just Once in My Life
[4:09] 13. You've Got a Friend

Carole King's influence as a songwriter and as a monolithic force in the history of American pop music is far-reaching and inarguable. In the minds of many, King's story begins with Tapestry, her 1971 solo breakthrough album that went on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide and spawned a stream of FM radio classics for generations to come. What some people don't know about is her tireless work as a songwriter leading up to her own incredible solo work, penning songs that would become huge hits for everyone from the Monkees to James Taylor to the Turtles. The Legendary Demos gathers together for the first time ever the working demonstrational tapes King made of her compositions, the same tapes that these bands would reference when learning and recording their versions of the songs, as well as personal rough drafts of songs that would later appear on Tapestry. Recorded hastily and stored for decades on tiny plastic reels, there's a rawness and urgency to these recordings. Often put to tape in the course of an afternoon, directly after conception with the help of various session musicians, these demos are crackling with a triumphant sense of carefree spontaneity. The intimacy of these tracks is what makes them truly special. Tracks from the Tapestry era like "It's Too Late," "Beautiful," and "You've Got a Friend" capture all the breezy lushness of their studio versions with more Spartan arrangements of piano and vocals way up front. Their softly powerful delivery gives the feeling of an incredibly gifted friend casually practicing in the next room. Earlier demos cut when King was in her teens working as a staff songwriter at Brill Building contemporary Aldon Music give up a haunting rendition of "Crying in the Rain," a spare and focused "Take Good Care of My Baby," and a downright majestic piano and vocal version of "Just Once in My Life," all huge hits for the Everly Brothers, Bobby Vee, and the Righteous Brothers, respectively. The songs are already familiar staples, but King's lilting, almost instinctively brilliant performances shed light on the true spirit of her songs. Her soulful vocals on "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" resound with more verve and yearning than her later Tapestry version and arguably more immediacy and reaching than even Aretha Franklin's legendary version. The Legendary Demos is a fantastic example of a collection of unreleased material that really works rather than some lackluster hodgepodge of archived filler. Even the occasionally marred or crunchy fidelity of some of these songs doesn't detract from their potency. If anything, it adds to the fly-on-the-wall feeling of listening in on a true genius at different phases of her genre-shaping development. ~ Fred Thomas

The Legendary Demos

Grant Geissman - Bop! Bang! Boom!

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:24
Size: 149.7 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:43] 1. Boom!
[5:36] 2. The Singularity
[5:27] 3. Q Tip
[6:00] 4. Un Poco Espanol
[6:18] 5. Go To The Window
[5:59] 6. Good Morning, Mr. Phelps
[3:37] 7. $25 Stella
[5:29] 8. Texas Shuffle
[6:09] 9. Samba En Menor
[4:29] 10. Guitarism
[6:15] 11. Take Yer Time
[5:16] 12. Off The Grid

Grant Geissman's lengthy career as a guitarist and composer started in the early '70s. His résumé includes the guitar solo on flugelhornist Chuck Mangione's 1978 hit single "Feels So Good," a discography of around 15 albums as leader and compositions for TV such as the theme for the CBS comedy Two And A Half Men. Bop! Bang! Boom! is the final installment of a trilogy that also includes Say That! (Futurism, 2006) and Cool Man Cool (Futurism, 2009). As before, it features a strong core band plus guest appearances from Geismann's friends and colleagues including saxophonist Tom Scott, guitarists Larry Carlton and Albert Lee, and Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks, on accordion.

The single defining characteristic of the music on this album, all written by Geissman, is its lack of a single defining characteristic—except, perhaps, its immediate likeability. There are a couple of smooth Latin tunes, "Samba En Menor" and "Un Poco Español," while there's a slow, swampy, blues, "Take Yer Time," which features Geissman's TV music writing partner Dennis C Brown and TV producer Chuck Lorre in a three-guitar lineup.

"Boom!" provides some funk, with lovely unison lines from Geismann and Brian Scanlon on tenor saxophone, "The Singularity" is rooted in bebop, "Q Tip" mixes funk and boogie into an irrepressibly danceable tune, and there's even a spot of electric sitar on the Indian-influenced "Go To The Window." The lyrical "Guitarism," on which Geissman overdubs two guitars and palmas (flamenco-style handclaps), is the album's gentlest and prettiest number, though it's in a close run with the sweet "Good Morning, Mr Phelps," which features Scanlon on soprano sax. "$25 Stella" is a slinky, accordion-led Cajun number, on which Geissman adds a spiky solo played on the 1966 Stella acoustic guitar which has been in his family for three generations (and which may or may not have originally cost the titular sum). The tune is additionally distinguished by the accordion duo of Parks and Doug Lacey, and underpinned by the warm bass notes of Trey Henry's tuba. Cheekily, Geissman follows up with "Texas Shuffle," pretty much the same tune but reworked as an up-tempo guitar shuffle featuring Lee, Carlton and Geissman, all delivering fine solos.

Bop! Bang! Boom! might well be subtitled How To Have Fun With A Guitar, Some Friends And A Cool Bunch Of Tunes. To remain in keeping with the retro-style of artist Miles Thompson's wonderful sleeve design, it seems only fair to award Bop! Bang! Boom! the prestigious epithet of "Groovy!" Which is, of course, very high praise. ~Bruce Lindsay

Grant Geissman: guitars, electric sitar, palmas; Brian Scanlon: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute; Emilio Palame: piano, Fender Rhodes; Trey Henry: acoustic bass, tuba; Ray Brinker: drums; Alex Acuna: congas, bongos, percussion; Brian Kilgore: percussion; Tom Scott: tenor saxophone(3), alto saxophone (12); Tom Rainier: piano (2, 9); Corey Allen: piano (11); Jim Cox: Hammond organ (3, 12); Greg Mathieson: Hammond organ (8); Michael Finnigan: Hammond organ (11); Russell Ferrante: Fender Rhodes (4, 6); Doug Lacey: accordion (7); Van Dyke Parks; accordion (7); Albert Lee: guitar (8); Larry Carlton: guitar (8); Dennis C Brown: guitar, harmonica (11); Chuck Lorre: guitar (11); Leland Sklar: electric bass (11); Kevin Axt: acoustic bass (2, 4, 6, 8, 9).

Recording information: General Confusion Music, Sherman Oaks, CA (07/12/2011-11/19/2011); Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA (07/12/2011-11/19/2011); Johnny Lee Schell's Ultra Tone Studios, Studio City, CA

(07/12/2011-11/19/2011); Lafx, North Hollywood, CA (07/12/2011-11/19/2011); Larry's Log Cabin, Franklin, TN (07/12/2011-11/19/2011).

Bop! Bang! Boom!

Cecil Brooks III - Hot D.O.G.

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:32
Size: 128,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:32) 1. Penn Relays
( 7:57) 2. Sunny
( 4:43) 3. Hey Joe
( 6:23) 4. Don't Know Why
( 5:52) 5. Tu Tu
( 5:05) 6. Heaven
( 7:54) 7. Theme from "Mannix"
(10:43) 8. They Long to Be Close to You
( 0:20) 9. Cecil Brooks III Introducing the Band

Cecil Brooks III frequently performs with this unit at his Cecil's Jazz Club & Restaurant in West Orange, New Jersey. The trio abides by a free-spirited, good-timey jazz gait, and is not concerned with reinventing the proverbial wheel. It's a good bet that the patrons got their monies' worth via these perky and tightly-woven spins on jazz and pop standards. The musicians also dish out a sprightly jazz-waltz rendering of "Theme from, Mannix," from the popular 1960s and '70s TV detective series starring Mike Connors.

Brooks holds the fort down with crisp and powerful drumming during these straightforward and unpretentiously executed works. With Bobby Hebbs' pop classic "Sunny," the trio does indeed parallel the song title with a radiant and at times, spunky workout, enamored by guitarist Matt Chertkoff's weeping chord progressions. Then Brooks lays it all out towards the finale with a vividly poetic solo.

The band works within a breezy methodology amid some hot and nasty riffing by organist Kyle Koehler, who also delves into some heated call-and-response mechanisms with his band mates. On the Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit "They Long To Be Close To You," the artists get knee-deep into the classic jazz-organ combo format, spiced with the soloists bluesy phrasings. They inject a prominent groove quotient into the parts of the whole as memorable hooks are equalized by the soloists' buoyant exchanges, nicely exploiting Brooks' nifty arrangements.

~ Glenn Astarita http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=34439#.UptDjeJc_vs

Personnel: Cecil Brooks III: drums; Kyle Koehler: organ; Matt Chertkoff: guitar.

Hot D.O.G.

Amanda Wood - My Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:10
Size: 118,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:47) 1. Unchain My Heart
(3:32) 2. Do It Again
(4:06) 3. Autumn Leaves
(3:38) 4. Minute By Minute
(4:54) 5. Still Standing
(4:36) 6. Fly Me to the Moon
(3:29) 7. I'm Yours
(3:37) 8. This Magic Moment
(4:00) 9. Don't Explain
(3:13) 10. Teach Me Tonight
(4:29) 11. Spanish Lullaby
(3:29) 12. On My Way to You
(5:14) 13. My Love

Amanda is one of Western Canada's most celebrated vocalists because of her talent for delivering unforgettable performances; combining the dazzle of the voice with the entertainment value of old Hollywood.

2013 has been a year of excitement especially since Amanda just recently realized a dream by winning a major competition with the Vancouver Canucks and singing in front of 19,000 fans at Rogers Arena. The performance was such a success that she has been asked to come back and has enjoyed a very warm reception from the media and fans! 2012 found Amanda touring and performing all over China with resident gigs in both Beijing and Hong Kong.

November 12th, 2013 will see the release of Amanda Wood's highly anticipated new album, "My Love." Having worked with multi-Grammy award winners on her dream project she often reflects on what got her to this exciting stage of her career. Amanda has worked hard for years developing her voice, stage presence and songwriting. Amanda was thrilled to receive personal advice from Michael Buble, encouraging her to be brave and take an independent route to accomplish her goals. http://www.ticketstonight.ca/includes/events/index.cfm?action=displayDetail&eventid=8699

My Love

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Buhaina's Delight

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:19
Size: 145,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:58) 1. Backstage Sally
(6:16) 2. Contemplation
(9:21) 3. Bu's Delight
(6:35) 4. Reincarnation Blues
(6:38) 5. Shaky Jake
(5:11) 6. Moon River
(6:04) 7. Backstage Sally (Alternate Take)
(6:56) 8. Bu's Delight (Alternate Take)
(5:03) 9. Reincarnation Blues (Alternate Take)
(5:13) 10. Moon River (Alternate Take)

Arguably the finest lineup of the Jazz Messengers (with the possible exception of the Lee Morgan edition), this incarnation of the band Blakey, saxophonist Wayne Shorter (here playing tenor), young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Cedar Walton, and bassist Jymie Merritt set the tone for the hard bop movement of the '60s. This release features six classic modern-jazz icons and four alternate takes. Starting with Shorter's "Backstage Sally," the band jump into a happy, staccato horn chart and the groove-style shuffle that was their signature sound. Shorter's tenor-led ballad "Contemplation" finds the brassmen solidly behind him as he unleashes a breathtaking solo, while the Fuller-penned "Bu's Delight" is a supersonic hard bopper featuring Blakey's cage-rattling drum breaks and a formidable Walton solo. Written and led by Shorter, "Reincarnation Blues" is another good swinger, with counterpoint and unison lines sprinkled in together. The stunner of the set is Walton's "Shaky Jake," a low, moaning melody with deep-blue harmony soaring over a groove shuffle.

On "Moon River," a frisky bopper featuring substantial solos from Hubbard and Fuller and a joyous arrangement modified from the original blue waltz, the song's staggered phrases are introduced and interrupted by drum breaks. The second takes of "Moon River" and "Backstage Sally" are fairly close to the first takes, while the alternate versions of "Reincarnation Blues" and "Bu's Delight" run one to two minutes shorter than the originals. Overall, you won't find a better representation of what modern mainstream jazz sounds like. Blakey and his band are on it from start to finish. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/buhainas-delight-mw0000082899

Buhaina's Delight

Richard 'Groove' Holmes - Somethin' Special

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:08
Size: 109,6 MB
Art: Front

(9:12) 1. Something Special
(5:46) 2. Black Groove
(3:11) 3. Me & Groove
(5:17) 4. Comin' Through The Apple
(6:30) 5. I Though I Knew You
(5:27) 6. Carma
(5:41) 7. Blow The Man Down
(6:01) 8. Satin Doll

Somethin' Special is a laidback, funky classic which features Richard "Groove" Holmes trading licks with pianist Les McCann, saxophonist Clifford Scott and guitarist Joe Pass, who makes one of his first recorded appearances on this album. It's a fine, infectious album, highlighed by Holmes and McCann's stylish solo. Blue Note's 1997 CD reissue features two bonus cuts, including one that features saxophonist Ben Webster. ~ Leo Stanley http://www.allmusic.com/album/somethin-special-mw0000098677

Personnel: Richard Groove Holmes (organ); Clifford Scott (alto & tenor saxophones); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Les McCann (piano); Joe Pass, Gene Edwards (guitar); Ron Jefferson, Leroy Henderson (drums).

Somethin' Special

Romano Mussolini Trio - Mirage

Styles: Hard Bope
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 92,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:27) 1. The Twitch
(5:29) 2. Omaggio A Oscar Peterson
(3:50) 3. Sweet Elisabeth
(4:19) 4. Hong Kong
(8:44) 5. Mirage
(5:20) 6. Blues For Alexandra
(6:06) 7. Rachel's Lullaby

b. 26 September 1927, Carpena, Forlì, Italy, d. 3 February 2006, Rome, Italy. The third and youngest son of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who was executed by partisans at the end of World War II, he played piano under a pseudonym (Romano Full) in his early years. By the early 50s he was becoming known outside Italy thanks to festival appearances and his work as an accompanist to visiting jazzmen. Among the visitors were Lars Gullin and Chet Baker (reportedly, Baker, worried over how to handle his first meeting with Mussolini, stuck out his hand and blurted out, ‘Sorry to hear about your Dad!’). Mussolini regularly led his own small groups, usually playing in a boppish mode; he also developed a technically accomplished solo style. The most famous of these was the Romano Mussolini All Stars, which toured internationally with artists including Baker, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. At the time of his death in February 2006, he was the last surviving child of Benito Mussolini. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/romano-mussolini-mn0000282890/biography

Mirage

Ben Cassara - Sister Moon

Size: 136,5 MB
Time: 58:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sister Moon (6:02)
02. Nobody's Heart (5:42)
03. Pretty Women (4:37)
04. I Concentrate On You (3:44)
05. Save Your Love For Me (5:27)
06. Walkin' After Midnight (3:24)
07. When October Goes (6:03)
08. Devil May Care (3:37)
09. I Wished On the Moon (5:36)
10. I'll Wind (5:33)
11. Close Your Eyes (3:49)
12. And We Were Lovers: Two for the Road (5:05)

"Cassara...gives a song a unique distinctive flavor all it's own...incredibly intimate..." Will Friedwald music critic for The Wall Street Journal and author of numerous books on music including "A Biographical Guide To The Great Jazz and Pop Singers."

Ben's debut CD features New York based musicians Tedd Firth on piano, David Finck on bass and Bob Malach on sax, with arrangements done by Firth and Cassara. The CD shows a passion and dedication in molding contemporary and classic songs from The Great American Songbook with jazz sensibilities. All the musicians set the mood for the perfect light night album that you can listen to over and over again.

Songs include: Sting's "Sister Moon", Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You," Buddy Johnson's "Save Your Love For Me" and the poignant Manilow/Mercer tune, "When October Goes."

Sister Moon

Kyoko Saegusa - We Are Love (Feat. Bobby Porcelli)

Size: 119,5 MB
Time: 51:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. Days of Wine and Roses (3:46)
02. The Gentle Rain (4:02)
03. You Are Too Beautiful (4:40)
04. What a Diff'rence a Day Made (3:59)
05. Narayama (4:18)
06. Moonlight (5:06)
07. Yesterdays (4:19)
08. Something to Live For (5:00)
09. Return to Paradise (4:08)
10. Detour Ahead! (4:58)
11. Easy to Love (3:35)
12. You Must Believe in Spring (3:21)

Kyoko Saegusa's latest CD,'Trust Your Heart" offers the listener a quality that is refreshingly different from the typical Jazz recording: low-keyed but deeply-felt singing, imbued with a haunting melancholy yet offering at the same time a kind of visionary
peace and happiness, all within the context, mostly, of beautiful, somewhat over-looked old standards, a swinging beat, and some finger-poping piano playing by the masterful Keith Ingham. A truly enjoyable, interesting musical journey! ~Tom B (Jazz singer)

We Are Love

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Lady Antebellum - On This Winter's Night

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 40:52
Size: 93.6 MB
Styles: Holiday, Country
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:01] 1. A Holly Jolly Christmas
[3:07] 2. Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)
[3:33] 3. All I Want For Christmas Is You
[3:19] 4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
[3:17] 5. This Christmas
[3:21] 6. The First Noel
[4:00] 7. On This Winter's Night
[2:30] 8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
[4:07] 9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
[3:09] 10. Silent Night (Lord Of My Life)
[3:25] 11. Blue Christmas
[4:57] 12. Silver Bells

Lady Antebellum have previously released a holiday EP, but 2012 brings On This Winter's Night, a full-length Christmas album recorded with deliberation and care by the country-pop trio. Working once again with their longtime producer Paul Worley, Lady Antebellum have written a new song in the record's title track but otherwise devote themselves to Christmas classics and carols, including "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," "All I Want for Christmas," "The First Noel," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "Blue Christmas."

Recording information: Warner Studios, Nashville, TN.

On This Winter's Night

Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey, Lenny White - Electric

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:33
Size: 131.7 MB
Styles: Jazz-rock, Jazz guitar
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[6:05] 1. Wolfbane
[5:01] 2. Bb Blues
[6:17] 3. So What
[7:17] 4. Sex Machine
[6:15] 5. Black Dog
[7:24] 6. Footprints
[7:49] 7. Born Under A Bad Sign
[7:11] 8. Low Blow
[4:12] 9. Rhapsody And Blues

This trio set featuring guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Lenny White, and bassist Victor Bailey is issued by Chesky, purveyor of uncompressed audiophile recordings. And while the sound is wondrous, it's the performances here that take front and center. The mix of jazz, funk, and rock tunes on Electric is infectious, especially when played with such incendiary inspiration. Members of this trio wrote four of the nine tunes here. White's furied funk freak-out "Wolfsbane" opens the proceeding on a hot note, and Coryell's "BB Blues" takes the jazz-inflected blues to a new intensity. But it is the covers here that really resonate, from a skeletal and edgy reading of Miles Davis' "So What," to Wayne Shorter's signature tune "Footprints," the jazz chops and expansive improvisation are present everywhere. On Sly and the Family Stone's "Sex Machine" and the Page & Plant nugget "Black Dog," the pedal to the metal aesthetic really works. Elsewhere, "Born Under a Bad Sign" is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century without losing its blues fire. This is not a recording for those looking for Coryell's jazz technique and subtle artistry in interpreting music from the days of yore. Listeners looking for a balls-out charge of electric jazz-rock will be more than delighted by this outing. ~ Thom Jurek

Larry Coryell (electric guitar); Larry Coryell (guitar); Victor Bailey (electric bass, bass guitar); Lenny White (drums).

Electric

Nancy Wilson - But Beautiful

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 39:01
Size: 89.4 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal jazz
Year: 1969/2013
Art: Front

[2:41] 1. Prelude To A Kiss
[2:47] 2. For Heaven's Sake
[2:51] 3. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
[3:31] 4. I'll Walk Alone
[3:50] 5. Supper Time
[4:10] 6. But Beautiful
[2:19] 7. Oh! Look At Me Now
[3:14] 8. Glad To Be Unhappy
[2:55] 9. In A Sentimental Mood
[2:01] 10. I Thought About You
[3:03] 11. Easy Living
[2:44] 12. Do It Again
[2:49] 13. Darn That Dream

Nancy Wilson has been on the fringes of jazz throughout her career, mostly performing middle-of-the-road pop and R&B. Most of her albums were major productions, but this CD reissue of But Beautiful is quite different.

On a relaxed and tasteful program of ballads (including three previously unreleased numbers), Wilson sounds properly expressive and a bit influenced by Dinah Washington while backed by a flawless rhythm section comprised of pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate. Her performances are straightforwrd, a little soulful, and very mindful of the melody and the lyrics. There is little of jazz interest, but this is superior ballad singing and one of Nancy Wilson's finest recordings to date. ~ Scott Yanow

Recorded in New York City on November 4-6, 1969.

Nancy Wilson (vocals); Hank Jones (piano); Gene Bertoncini (guitar); Ron Carter (bass); Grady Tate (drums).

But Beautiful

Jerry Weldon & Bobby Forrester - The Second Time Around

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:27
Size: 102.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Organ jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[5:35] 1. There Goes My Heart
[5:29] 2. Mr. Lucky
[5:21] 3. One Mint Julep
[6:13] 4. The Things We Did Last Summer
[8:20] 5. Con Alma
[6:47] 6. Bloomdido
[6:39] 7. The Second Time Around

"The little track, 'The Second Time Around' seems to bring everything full circle. The playing is fresh and lively with no one ever stepping further out than needed. John's guitar is fresh and both Jerry and Bobby say what's necessary with confidence and poise. This one fades to a calm finish but certainly not to an ending as I"m sure you'll be pressing the 'play' button soon enough for that 'Second Time Around'." ~Pete Fallico/Jazz Now

"...a fine display of their wares....Forrester plays with rhythmic intensity and lush shadings that mine the full possibilities of the B-3 and make this session a real burner of standard blues and ballads with a nod to bop." ~Jazz Times

Jerry Weldon (tenor saxophone); Bobby Forrester (organ); John Hart (guitar); Tootsie Bean (drums).

The Second Time Around

Jean Frye Sidwell - Tenderly : The Great American Songbook

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:19
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:25) 1. As Time Goes By
(4:08) 2. Pure Imagination
(6:09) 3. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(5:18) 4. Nature Boy
(4:41) 5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(5:08) 6. Sophisticated Lady
(5:42) 7. How Long Has This Been Going On
(5:53) 8. That's All
(3:24) 9. There Will Never Be Another You
(5:26) 10. Tenderly

With her rich contralto voice and smooth, soulful phrasing, Jean is truly a jazz singer's, jazz singer. The consummate performer, she beams with honesty and passion, delivering silky nuances and vocal shadings that captivate even the most sophisticated music lovers. Her dramatic vocal expression renders new shape and meaning to some of our most beloved classic jazz treasures, be it Gershwin, Ellington or Jobim. A native of Southern California, Jean received music, voice and dance training in Los Angeles. Her professional singing career has spanned 30 years and culminated in the recording of six self-produced CDs. Partnered with husband, bassist/composer Chris Sidwell, she is co-creator and co-owner of Pacific Coast Music, an independent record label. Due to the overwhelming success of her CD’s Jean is recognized today as an international recording artist. http://www.pacificcoastmusic.com/about2.html

Tenderly

Liane Carroll - Slow Down

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:42
Size: 148,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:10) 1. Memphis In June
(4:38) 2. All The Way
(3:22) 3. Lazy Susan
(3:51) 4. You Can't Slow My Heart Down
(4:50) 5. Let Me Be What You Be To Me
(5:34) 6. Catch The Wind
(4:28) 7. In My Solitude
(5:28) 8. Willow Weep For Me
(3:54) 9. The World Stopped Turning
(4:21) 10. All Of Me
(5:31) 11. One Fine Day
(5:02) 12. If I Loved You
(3:18) 13. Lazy Afternoon
(4:08) 14. Take It With Me

Liane Carroll's third CD for Splash Point Records is an album of exquisite ballads, returning to the "stripped down" format of solo piano and voice. It is an album of intimate and personal songs - all of which have great meaning to her. The performances are heartfelt and truthful; she is wearing her heart on her sleeve here. Already being hailed as her most perfect album yet, the performances defy anyone to listen without being overwhelmed by the beauty, honesty and emotion of the music. Recorded "live" in the studio, it is Liane at her most powerful, giving her own intense treatment to a range of composers' tunes.

Following hot on the heels of her Best UK Female Singer accolade from Ronnie Scott's, Slow Down was recorded in just a few studio hours, and it confirms that Liane Carroll is all things to all ballads.
With just her piano and her voice (and a little help from fellow singer Ian Shaw on one track) Liane conjures up an amazing range of expression to match her huge vocal range. The standards "Memphis In June" and "All Of Me" are given a bluesy makeover and sound astonishingly fresh and celebratory, while Donovan's "Catch The Wind" is in turn heart-rending and life-loving.

On Slow Down Liane sings her way through the whole spectrum from jazz diva to fragile victim. Van Heusen and Cahn's "All The Way" and Duke Ellington's "In My Solitude" are remade as torch songs, with vulnerability oozing out of every verse, while "Lazy Afternoon" perfectly captures her molasses low tones and silken high ones -her sparse electric piano accompaniment creating a brooding, hypnotic tension.

Liane dedicates the tender "If I Loved You", from the film Carousel, to her grandmother who sang it with her when Liane was a child. Ian Shaw helps out on piano here, and Liane's almost-whispered, lump-in-throat intro develops into a thumping soul ballad. A natural storyteller, Liane gives Tom Waits' ''Take It With Me'' a dose of Kirsty MacColl-like understated passion, personality and dry humour.

Slow Down doesnt just tug at your heart strings, it rips them out by the roots (then apologises with a sheepish grin).~Kathryn Shackleton – Editorial Reviews

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Down-Liane-Carroll/dp/B000VEA2QC

Slow Down

Harry Allen - Cole Porter Songbook

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:54
Size: 153,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:47) 1. You Do Something to Me
(4:04) 2. I Get a Kick Out of You
(5:28) 3. In the Still of the Night
(3:28) 4. Goodbye Little Dream Goodbye
(4:10) 5. Use Your Imagination
(5:48) 6. It's All Right With Me
(3:36) 7. Dream Dancing
(3:22) 8. I Concentrate On You
(3:26) 9. You're the Top
(3:27) 10. Do I Love You
(3:17) 11. Night and Day
(4:39) 12. I Love You Samantha
(3:06) 13. Why Shouldn't I
(3:36) 14. Silk Stockings
(3:41) 15. Begin the Beguine
(2:56) 16. Everything I Love
(4:55) 17. All of You

Harry Allen's Tenaman like most of the (... or not be said to be young again) the current young. Because it is born in 1966, 41-year-old wonder. Take up actively jazz number old to young, young sensation because it contains also in its performance, it is possible to listen fresh. Tone is great and ad lib sing well.Moreover, it is easy to understand. Feel the impact of Stan Getz apparently listening to play. Himself has said was influenced from Zoot Sims to another. I feel the influence of Ben Webster. It's here where I think, young players to return to the jazz style as orthodox as he has increased Come to think of it is I wonder just me? Scott Hamilton of the same tenor as well Yeah, and it's an outstanding performance (which also participated in this album) Benny Green piano. I said that after the death Ray Brown, Christian McBride on bass and most good heir. Influence of Coltrane was so big too jazz world, there is a feeling that mode playing and Coltrane style has become mainstream, the flow that respects traditional jazz as they came out healthy and I think it's. Also be good, no matter how (once but it was a crazy Coltrane ...) flow was too biased is not good. This album's a collection of works of Cole Porter is a great composer. 17 tracks in all, 13 songs's duo with Benny Green on piano.Guitar and bass are participating in the remaining four songs. Piano of green to support Harry great. Drive full of feeling really, dynamic.. Translate by google http://stg.seesaa.net/article/81914286.html

Harry Allen (Ts), Benny Green (P), Russel Malone (Gt), Peter Washington (B)

Cole Porter Songbook

Thelonious Monk - Jazz After Midnight

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 149:27
Size: 343,4 MB
Art: Front

(10:35) 1. Friday the Thirteenth
( 3:06) 2. Little Rootie-tootie
( 5:15) 3. The Way You Look Tonight
( 5:18) 4. Nutty
( 2:58) 5. Just a Gigolo
( 2:50) 6. Trinkle Tinkle
( 4:42) 7. I Don't Mean a Thing If Ain't
( 7:43) 8. Bemsha Swing
(13:08) 9. Bar-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are
( 7:45) 10. I Wan't to Be Happy
( 3:27) 11. Black and Tan Fantasy
( 5:43) 12. I Let a Song Go Out of My Hear
( 2:47) 13. These Foolish Things
( 5:55) 14. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Go
( 2:46) 15. Bye-ya
( 3:45) 16. Solitude
( 7:46) 17. Brilliant Corners
( 4:30) 18. Sophisticated Lady
( 3:36) 19. Sweet and Lovely
( 3:08) 20. Monk's Dream
( 5:28) 21. I Surrender, Dear
( 3:11) 22. Bemsha Swing
( 5:20) 23. Work
( 2:48) 24. Reflections
( 3:15) 25. Mood Indigo
( 8:51) 26. Pannonica
( 7:38) 27. Blue Monk
( 5:58) 28. Caravan

The most important jazz musicians are the ones who are successful in creating their own original world of music with its own rules, logic, and surprises. Thelonious Monk, who was criticized by observers who failed to listen to his music on its own terms, suffered through a decade of neglect before he was suddenly acclaimed as a genius; his music had not changed one bit in the interim. In fact, one of the more remarkable aspects of Monk's music was that it was fully formed by 1947 and he saw no need to alter his playing or compositional style in the slightest during the next 25 years.

Thelonious Monk grew up in New York, started playing piano when he was around five, and had his first job touring as an accompanist to an evangelist. He was inspired by the Harlem stride pianists (James P. Johnson was a neighbor) and vestiges of that idiom can be heard in his later unaccompanied solos. However, when he was playing in the house band of Minton's Playhouse during 1940-1943, Monk was searching for his own individual style. Private recordings from the period find him sometimes resembling Teddy Wilson but starting to use more advanced rhythms and harmonies. He worked with Lucky Millinder a bit in 1942 and was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra briefly in 1944 (Williams recorded Monk's "Epistrophy" in 1942 and in 1944 was the first to record "'Round Midnight"), but it was when he became Coleman Hawkins' regular pianist that Monk was initially noticed. He cut a few titles with Hawkins (his recording debut) and, although some of Hawkins' fans complained about the eccentric pianist, the veteran tenor could sense the pianist's greatness.

The 1945-1954 period was very difficult for Thelonious Monk. Because he left a lot of space in his rhythmic solos and had an unusual technique, many people thought that he was an inferior pianist. His compositions were so advanced that the lazier bebop players (although not Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker) assumed that he was crazy. And Thelonious Monk's name, appearance (he liked funny hats), and personality (an occasionally uncommunicative introvert) helped to brand him as some kind of nut. Fortunately, Alfred Lion of Blue Note believed in him and recorded Monk extensively during 1947-1948 and 1951-1952. He also recorded for Prestige during 1952-1954, had a solo set for Vogue in 1954 during a visit to Paris, and appeared on a Verve date with Bird and Diz. But work was very sporadic during this era and Monk had to struggle to make ends meet.... More Bio https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/thelonious-monk/id45058#fullText

Jazz After Midnight