Thursday, March 6, 2014

Majken Christiansen - Comes Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:20
Size: 114,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:13)  1. Girl Talk
(3:57)  2. Teach Me Tonight
(3:03)  3. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
(4:00)  4. 'S Wonderful
(3:54)  5. Over The Rainbow
(3:46)  6. Comes Love
(3:06)  7. Sing, Sing, Sing
(3:54)  8. Moonlight In Vermont
(5:19)  9. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:05) 10. It Ain't Necessarily So
(5:37) 11. Take The "A" Train
(3:22) 12. Almost Like Being In Love

Majken sings revitalized jazz in the tradition of the great jazz divas, where Ella Fitzgerald always will be one of the biggest inspirations. But Majken doing their thing with an open and updated expression, and no matter what she sings, so interprets and conveys her classic lyrics and melodies from The American Songbook with warmth, honesty and conviction.

Since the mid-1990s, Majken been Denmark's most popular swing jazz singer. She has done numerous concerts in Denmark, has recorded several CDs and has got her own Danish fankkubb! From 2001 to 2010 stayed Majken stuck in Oslo, where she ia was a soloist with a number of bands. Today Majken residing in Copenhagen. published in 2011 Majken CD Speak Love . It contains nine handpicked standard melodies, both famous and less famous, plus a new song by guitarist Frode Kjekstad. In the beautiful ballad "Throw It Away" shows Majken and guest Bodil Niska extensive experience in interpreting profession. Like the rest of the CD, it seeks to address even beyond jazz church. 

- Unlike their predecessors in the history of jazz, these musicians feel at home in any genre or style (...) With such a versatile quartet from Norway, is Majken Christiansen perfect Danish counterpart. Elegant, funny and sensitive, but also powerful as a "big fat mama" a surprising contrast to the events sleek look. Trained as an actor and singer in Denmark, Norway and the United States, Majken all it takes to grab an audience, be it in a theater, a concert hall, or in a small club ... ( Erling Wicklund, producer NRK 2003) Bodil Niska Majken Christiansen on Sildajazz 2004 Crew Majken Christiansen - vocals Frode Kjekstad - Guitar Ove Billington - piano Stig Hvalryg - bass Torstein Ellingsen - drumsBooking torstein@jazzprovider.com + 47 91713877 See Majkens has sung much live in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, but also in Germany, Holland, Poland and Ukraine. She has been a lot of touring for Concerts, with the two productions Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady Of Song and weird animals .... Translate by google  http://www.jazzprovider.com/majken.html

Comes Love

Lauren Shub - Dream Dancing

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:15
Size: 114,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:27)  1. Too Darn Hot
(3:57)  2. Caravan
(3:03)  3. Can't Take My Eyes Off of You
(4:22)  4. The Very Thought of You
(2:51)  5. Can't Buy Me Love
(3:19)  6. Dream Dancing
(3:08)  7. So in Love
(3:14)  8. Teach Me Tonight
(2:31)  9. Just One of Those Things
(3:23) 10. It Might as Well Be Spring
(3:52) 11. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(3:59) 12. My Funny Valentine
(3:10) 13. I've Got the World On a String
(4:49) 14. Moondance

Lauren  Shub is a professional singer and actor who has performed on Broadway, regional theater and clubs. She has appeared with a range of jazz musicians in NY and NJ she frequently performs with jazz guitarist Hal Hirsch and pianist Ilya Maslov and their respective ensembles. Most recently she has also performed with noted saxophonist Karel Ruzicka, Jr. She has also sung with guitarist Joseph Frame and the Framework Acoustic Jazz Quartet. Among Lauren's local appearances have been performances at the Watchung Arts Center, Crossroads, Verve, Perkins Art Center's DeCafe Series, the Hunt Club at the Grand Summit Hotel, North Maple Inn, Giamano's, Johnny K's and annual appearances at Westfield's Sweet Sounds Downtown.

"Lauren has a handle on the 1940s sound, yet she brings her own sensibility to the well-known standards from the American Songbook. She grabs you with a smooth, precise, and controlled approach to singing, and tops that off with a sweet tone and a lilt to her vibrato, that is reminiscent of the legendary Sarah Vaughan" . "A voice that sails on breathless notes" Star Ledger   http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/laurenshub2

Joe Sample - Old Places Old Faces

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,5 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:27)  1. Free Yourself
(5:30)  2. Black And White
(7:40)  3. Clifton's Gold
(5:16)  4. Old Places Old Faces
(3:03)  5. Tones For Ben
(5:57)  6. Hippies On A Corner
(6:35)  7. Souly Creole
(4:41)  8. First Love
(6:05)  9. Miles Of Blues
(5:36) 10. Angels On My Mind

As many of his smooth jazz contemporaries have done later in their careers, Sample approached this set of 10 originals in a way more attuned to bop than pop. With just a bass player (Jay Anderson), drummer (Ralph Penland) and an occasional cameo by Coltrane acolyte Charles Lloyd, this is a more intimate record than most of its predecessors, more like Bill Evans than Michael Franks. "Miles of Blue" swings nicely, the pensive "Angels of My Mind" beautifully highlights Sample's affinity for chordal melodies and "Hippies On A Corner" is a sly samba groove."As many of his smooth jazz contemporaries have done later in their careers, Sample approached this set of 10 originals in a way more attuned to bop than pop. With just a bass player (Jay Anderson), drummer (Ralph Penland) and an occasional cameo by Coltrane acolyte Charles Lloyd, this is a more intimate record than most of its predecessors, more like Bill Evans than Michael Franks. "Miles of Blue" swings nicely, the pensive "Angels of My Mind" beautifully highlights Sample's affinity for chordal melodies and "Hippies On A Corner" is a sly samba groove." ~ Michael Verity   
http://jazz.about.com/od/albumreview1/ss/Jazz-Buyers-Guide-Fusion-Pianist-Joe-Sample_6.htm

Personnel: Joe Sample (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Dean Parks (guitar); Charles Lloyd (tenor saxophone); Jay Anderson (bass guitar); Lenny Castro (drums, percussion); Ralph Penland (drums).

Old Places Old Faces

Tim Armacost - Live At Smalls

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:41
Size: 155,2 MB
Art: Front

( 0:59)  1. Tim Introduces The Band
(10:58)  2. Libra
(11:29)  3. Tenor Vibe
(11:29)  4. Invisible
( 9:57)  5. Whistling Away the Dark
(13:11)  6. Hank's Other Bag
( 9:35)  7. You Don't Know What Love Is

This is a burning set recorded live at one of New York's hottest jazz clubs, Smalls. The presence of the great Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn ratchets up the intensity, but the lesser-known quintet members Gerald Cannon on bass, Shingo Okudaira on drums, and the delightful Jonny King on piano turn in excellent performances as well. Tim Armacost's tenor sound is rich and his solos are steeped in classic post-bop vocabulary. He shines on the ballads "Whistling Away the Dark" and "You Don't Know What Love Is," ably handles the faster tempos of Gary Bartz's "Libra" and Ornette Coleman's "Invisible," and plays a mean soprano sax on Hank Mobley's "Hank's Other Bag," a 14-bar blues. ~ David R. Adler   
http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-smalls-mw0000670899

Personnel: Tim Armacost (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jonny King (piano); Gerald Cannon (upright bass); Shingo Okudaira (drums).

Live At Smalls

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Karin Mast - Incurably Romantic

Size: 162,8 MB
Time: 70:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. A Foggy Day In London Town (4:10)
02. Incurably Romantic (2:33)
03. Black Orpheus (6:24)
04. I Can't Get Started (5:33)
05. Never Said (Chan's Song) (7:07)
06. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (6:17)
07. This Masquerade (9:44)
08. She Acts Like A Woman Should (5:37)
09. I'm Thru With Love (8:12)
10. Days Of Wine And Roses (4:05)
11. But Not For Me (4:22)
12. Isn't It A Pity (6:31)

At the age of 16 Karin Mast had her first Jazz Band, and - besides all the other important things - she's been singing since then. But after having fulfilled her bit with regard to job, family and honorary posts as far as possible – and this by no means without fun – some years ago she decided to concentrate more and more on the pleasure side of life, so music became the centre of her attention.

For this CD she has chosen 12 songs out of her repertoire which cause feelings of happiness hearing or singing them. Although it was not intended, but what a coincidence: She selected some songs out of her concert programs “To Marilyn with love” and “Tribute to George Gershwin”.

Meanwhile she has created more concert programs as "Tribute to Cole Porter", "Ringelnatz und Jazz" - and began to read talking books - adventures, horror, phantasy and some for kids.

She loves to combine poetry with music, her audience loves that too, as for example the "songs of a poor girl" from Friedrich Hollaender.

Incurably Romantic

Ingrid Lucia - Living The Life

Size: 86,1 MB
Time: 36:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: New Orleans Jazz/Blues, Jazz Rock
Art: Front

01. Do You Remember Walter (3:42)
02. Put The Radio On (2:01)
03. Going Dancing (2:40)
04. You're In For A Wild Ride (3:04)
05. Mexican Love Song (2:31)
06. Dawn Of A New Day (3:48)
07. Dreams Aren't Just For The Young (3:10)
08. Living The Life (2:33)
09. Yes Yes Girl (4:22)
10. Anchors Aweigh (2:52)
11. I Wave Bye Bye (3:24)
12. Taking A Vacation From Myself (2:23)

Living the Life’s been a long time coming: Ingrid Lucia already discussed the album in an OffBeat cover story and promised a Voodoo-timed release a full 13 months ago. But you can tell how important it was to get this one right. Lucia’s a gifted musical actress who’s slipped into different roles over the years, first appearing as a retro-styled siren and gradually turning hipper and edgier. Along the way, she managed to personalize songs as diverse as Lou Reed’s “After Hours” and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.” But Living the Life is about dropping the masks and telling her own story—which, as it turns out, is the most compelling one she’s told to date.

Because Lucia conceived the album soon after her father’s death, there’s a certain amount of growing up and taking stock in the lyrics. (Lucia wrote all but two songs, collaborating with guitarist John Fohl and bassist/producer Roland Guerin on those). But if that suggests a sobering album about mortality, guess again. Rather, it’s about living—not just well, but coolly and romantically—as things get more complicated. She turns to Jesse Winchester for the one flat-out tearjerker, “I Wave Bye Bye,” which is effectively understated. But there’s a different statement of purpose in “You’re in for a Wild Ride”—a tune she’s done live in recent months and dedicated to the straight-laced guys who’ve gotten involved with edgy women. “I’ve got ideas that will blow your mind,” she promises, before shifting to come-hither mode for the chorus. Women can take this song as an anthem; guys are more likely to ask where they can sign up.

Musically, Living the Life is her most diverse album. While Lucia has flirted with rock in the past, it’s always been from a safe distance. But rock is fully in the mix here, along with torch ballads, jazz and bachelor-pad exotica. Opener “Do You Remember Walter” hails from the Kinks’ fan-favorite album, Village Green Preservation Society, and her casting Walter as an ex-flame instead of a school friend only makes it more poignant. Even the retro-styled tunes feel more personal this time, whether she’s being tender on the title song or playfully neurotic on “Taking a Vacation from Myself.” While one ballad here notes that “Dreams Aren’t Just for the Young,” this album as a whole says that love and adventure aren’t, either.

Living The Life

Christine Ebersole - Strings Attached

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:28
Size: 116,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. Shall We Dance
(4:28)  2. The Things We Did Last Summer
(3:48)  3. This Time The Dream's On Me
(5:14)  4. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(3:35)  5. Am I Blue
(5:35)  6. Moon Dreams
(2:46)  7. I Wish I Were In Love Again
(5:10)  8. After You've Gone/Too Gone Too Long
(3:47)  9. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(3:43) 10. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:37) 11. Jitterbug Waltz
(3:08) 12. Something There
(1:29) 13. La La Lu

Two-time Tony Award®-winning actress Christine Ebersole teams with virtuoso violinist/arranger Aaron Weinstein for a program of classic songs imbued with originality, musicality, and swing. Known for her brilliance as an actress and cabaret artist, Ebersole proves that shes equally talented in the jazz arena on a selection of beautifully arranged versions of gems from the Great American Songbook. Tony Award® winner for her roles in 42nd Street and Grey Gardens, Ebersole is currently starring in the hit TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son, is featured in the 2013 blockbuster The Big Wedding (which ends with a song she wrote and performs), and appears in the Fall 2013 Scorsese drama The Wolf of Wall Street. Named a Rising Star Violinist by DownBeat, Aaron Weinstein is quickly earning a reputation as one of the finest jazz violinists of his generation. As a featured soloist he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wolftrap Center, Birdland, Blue Note, Iridium, and more. ~ Editorial Reviews  
http://www.amazon.com/Strings-Attached-Christine-Ebersole/dp/B00FMSGYLE

Personnel: Christine Ebersole (vocals); Aaron Weinstein (violin); Tedd Firth (piano).

Jozée Devoua - Low Key

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:19
Size: 70,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:04)  1. You Make Me Feel So Young
(5:33)  2. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(4:22)  3. Chega de Saudades
(4:06)  4. Formi-Formidable
(3:38)  5. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(4:22)  6. Love Me Like a Man
(5:11)  7. All the Way

A vocalist, a musician, but mostly an avid jazz fan herself, Jozée Devoua's buttery-rich smooth tone coupled with her unsettling sensitivity as a performer has allowed her to develop a unique and refined sound that has multi-audience appeal. Jozée recorded and produced "Low Key" in 2007. Breathing new life into jazz standards, it is an eclectic mix of traditional swing, blues, and latin. Fluent in French and English, she also sings in Spanish and Portuguese to answer to the versatility of her repertoire that includes both the established standards of yesteryear as well as today’s modern classics. (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/devoua)

Ehud Asherie - Lockout

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:10
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:57)  1. Mixed Emotions
(5:17)  2. Chonky
(6:01)  3. Shaw 'Nuff
(7:20)  4. Isn't This a Lovely Day
(7:31)  5. Lockout
(7:05)  6. Special
(9:04)  7. Un Poco Loco
(7:51)  8. I Had the Craziest Dream
(6:59)  9. Bringing Up Father

Bebop is almost seen now as the default form of jazz. Back in the day though, most jazz musicians still swung and swayed like Sammy Kaye, so the "new sound Dizzy Gillespie and his cohorts invented was as jarring as anything coming out of today's New York jazz underground. With Lockout, pianist Ehud Asherie takes that uptown sound and runs with it, spurred on by a monster quartet that features two major players at Smalls, the downtown club where Asherie cooked up his chops. Four of the nine cuts on Lockout are Asherie originals, though they are almost indistinguishable from the bebop standards with which they share space here. "Mixed Emotions shoots out of the gate with Asherie and tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart flying in tight formation, each shaping the head while injecting enough harmony to create their own individual spaces.

Stewart's phrases are sharp and clipped as he plumbs the depths of his tenor sax, while Asherie comps like a fiend behind him. The Israeli-born pianist takes the spotlight with a quick right hand that dances and bangs, snapping off a fast "Yellow Rose of Texas sub-reference in the middle of a blinding solo. That snap never wanes, not even on the Irving Berlin ballad "Isn't This a Lovely Day or during his in-the-clear intro to Harry Warren's "I Had the Craziest Dream. Asherie's music has the same feel as the picture on the back of the CD booklet: New York at night, all neon and shadows and glowing mist, as urban as it gets. "Chonky is a rolling blues that reeks of "Noo Yawk," and has Stewart' smoking tenor in the Coleman Hawkins tradition; "The Special walks those same mean streets, with slightly flat lines that hint of impending danger. 

The title track could have come straight out of the bells of Dizzy and Bird, with Asherie playing Bud Powell chords to complete the illusion.  Drummer Phil Stewart hooks up with bassist Joel Forbes to provide the classic bebop bass and drum foundation. Both players get room to stretch here and there Stewart most notably on Powell's "Un Poco Loco but their primary mission is to lay the floor for the three players who do the bulk of the heavy lifting. The third soloist is Ryan Kisor, whose searing trumpet appears on four cuts, including the Gillespie composition "Shaw 'Nuff. Kisor and Stewart's solos are stunningly chaotic crazed buglers calling the charge as the track careens downhill, almost at the edge of the cliff. Asherie is firmly in control though, and shows wisdom beyond his years by giving his players the space they deserve. Asherie doesn't always take the first solo, but he doesn't have to: Lockout is clearly his vision, and it injects verve and electricity into a sub-genre that began as innovation, but nowadays can lend itself to stagnation. ~ J Hunter   
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27857#.UxVRDIVZhhk
 
Personnel: Ehud Asherie: piano; Grant Stewart: tenor sax; Joel Forbes: bass; Phil Stewart: drums; Ryan Kisor: trumpet (3, 5, 8, 9).

Kenny Werner Trio - With A Song In My Heart

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:16
Size: 165,0 MB
Art: Front + Back

( 7:31)  1. With A Song In My Heart
( 8:48)  2. Nardis
( 6:46)  3. Autumn Leaves
( 7:20)  4. If I Should Lose You
(12:18)  5. Beauty Secrets
( 3:38)  6. All The Things You Are
( 9:24)  7. Balloons
( 7:57)  8. 26-2
( 7:29)  9. Blue In Green

Kenny Werner has long been active as a jazz pianist/bandleader, composer and jazz educator, having recorded around two dozen albums as a leader and many more as a sideman. He has performed with quite a few jazz greats, including Charles Mingus, Bob Brookmeyer, Lee Konitz and Toots Thielemans. He's also a sought after pianist by vocalists, having long worked with Broadway star Betty Buckley and jointly leading the Delirium Blue Project with Roseanna Vitro. This trio date pairs the pianist with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Ari Hoenig, two top musicians of their generation. Werner incorporates the lyricism of Bill Evans while blending in his own inventive arrangements and intensity. He starts Miles Davis' "Nardis" with a playful hip introduction that even adds the air of a hoedown, though the arrangement only uses Evans' ideas as a launching pad, Werner taking a more spacious route, a tough challenge given the many recordings available by Evans. 

Regardless of who you credit with writing "Blue in Green" (Evans is more likely its composer), Werner's impressionist introduction sets up a haunting arrangement of this modal masterpiece. The off-center take of John Coltrane's "26-2" is a lively affair as well. Werner's "Beauty Secrets" is a gem that unveils itself slowly with many shimmering facets, eventually evolving into the centuries-old "Greensleeves". 

The pianist is a gifted interpreter of standards, delivering a whispering "With a Song in My Heart," a subtly swinging "Autumn Leaves" and a buoyant, waltzing "All the Things You Are" where he seems at times independent of the rhythm section.~ Ken Dryden http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=31119#.UxYOQ4VZhhk
 
Personnel: Kenny Werner: piano; Johannes Weidenmueller: bass; Ari Hoenig: drums.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Banu Gibson - Sings More Johnny Mercer

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:03
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:41)  1. Blues in the Night
(2:59)  2. Goody Goody
(3:58)  3. While We Danced at the Mardi Gras
(3:29)  4. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby
(3:53)  5. Day In, Day Out
(3:12)  6. I'm An Old Cowhand
(3:20)  7. Too Marvelous For Words
(3:54)  8. Skylark
(3:49)  9. On The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
(2:16) 10. Strip Polka
(3:33) 11. I Wanna Be Around
(5:21) 12. Autumn Leaves
(2:44) 13. Moon River
(4:17) 14. Something's Gotta Give
(3:37) 15. When October Goes
(5:50) 16. Dream

Johnny Mercer’s songs are American treasures clever, lively and relentlessly well constructed. Banu Gibson treats them as such on her new album, giving them the care and loving treatment they deserve. She and her trio (John Sheridan, Bill Huntington and Jeff Hamilton) embrace the romance of “Moon River” and wring the full measure of loss out of “Autumn Leaves.” Treating them as classics is a mixed blessing, though. At times, Gibson seems more engaged with her love of the material than the sentiments they express, which makes the more lighthearted songs frustrating. “Goody Goody,” for example, celebrates a jilting lover getting his comeuppance, but she sings it as it’s often sung theatrical and unavoidably cutesy because of the title phrase. And Gibson clearly has affection for those songs, including “I’m an Old Cowhand,” “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” and “Strip Polka” on the set. Those songs suffer from a lack of imagination, though not a lack of execution or passion for Mercer, and they’re not indicative of the whole album. The autumnal closing suite of songs are heartfelt and beautiful, and the band swings throughout, most impressively when it switches from waltz time to swing on “While We Danced at the Mardi Gras.”~ Alex Rawls  http://www.offbeat.com/2009/03/01/banu-gibson-banu-gibson-sings-more-johnny-mercer-swing-out/

Personnel: Banu Gibson (vocals); John Sheridan (piano); Bill Huntington (upright bass); Jeff Hamilton (drums).

Gina Roché - Thankfully

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:51
Size: 103,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:48)  1. Thankfully
(5:09)  2. As I Am
(3:57)  3. Choose Love
(4:02)  4. Be the Change
(4:03)  5. Breakfast in Bed
(5:08)  6. Song for Mom
(4:18)  7. Love will Arrive
(4:26)  8. I Belong
(4:11)  9. My Fathers Love
(4:45) 10. Flying

Gina Roche, composer, jazz vocalist and guitarist, is happy to celebrate the release of her second CD, "Thankfully," a personal CD of original compositions. These compositions were inspired by experiences in my life over the past few years. Starting with the title track "Thankfully", a composition inspired by my husband John and his loving kindness with our daughters, to the song "Flying" a song written during a family intervention with my brother, about what my family went through, how it affected my mom, my brother. I am happy to report he is doing well and working to help others in recovery. There is a sweet, funny song "Breakfast in Bed" about the challenges of romance while having children (who like to get up too early in the morning!), to the song "Be The Change" this one touches on how even though life can become hectic, busy & frustrating at times, I am finding out that letting go of my past grievances & forgiving (myself & others) helps me make a difference of kindness in the world. Inspired by the Gandhi quote to "be the change you wish to see in the world" and the book The Law of Forgiveness by Connie Domino. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ginaroche2

Personnel: Gina Roché (vocals, guitar, shaker); L'Oreal Crisp Seels (spoken vocals); Ricardo Vogt (guitar); George Mesterhazy (accordion); Owen Sczerba (baritone saxophone); Randy Porter (piano); Barry Miles (Fender Rhodes piano); Tony Miceli (vibraphone); Tim Lekan, Nilson Matta (acoustic bass); Keith Hollis, Allison Miller (drums).

David Hazeltine - The Inspiration Suite

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:39
Size: 137,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. I Should Care
(7:23)  2. Don't Walk Away
(5:21)  3. The Inspiration Suite 1: Motivation
(7:59)  4. The Inspiration Suite 2: Reverence
(6:45)  5. The Inspiration Suite 3: Insight
(7:19)  6. The Inspiration Suite 4: Gratitude
(6:33)  7. My Ideal
(5:49)  8. Shoulders
(6:14)  9. Personage Of Wes

Jazz pianist David Hazeltine, like many baby-boomer musicians, is influenced by Wes, Buddy, and Monk Montgomery and Cedar Walton. For what he calls his most personally driven recording date, he pays tribute to them by composing a four-part suite inspired by their sounds. Hazeltine and his quintet which includes the formidable vibraphonist Joe Locke and longtime collaborator tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander give alms with some well-conceived and executed modern mainstream jazz. The suite begins as a neo-bop cadence buoys a splattering of several Cedar-flavored motifs, two-note accents, and piano-bass unison lines for "Motivation." "Reverence" has Locke's vibes shimmering on a low and slow Latin-shaded piece, followed by another bright neo-bop melody, "Insight," and the finale is a 6/8 composition, "Gratitude," that could have easily fit into the repertoire of Walton and Bobby Hutcherson's Timeless All Stars book. 

Of the five stand-alone tracks, two are covers left until the end of the CD Walton's much lesser-known "Shoulders" is as straight-ahead as jazz gets, while Buddy Montgomery's "Personage of Wes" is a kinetic, uppity sizzler. A newly arranged complex and arresting intro is tacked onto the standard "I Should Care," and Hazeltine's original "Don't Walk Away" is treated in a Latin fashion, occasional percussionist Daniel Sadownick adding the spice, but again settles in the modern mainstream. Hazeltine has not put out the full-force blockbuster breakthrough recording his clear talent indicates, but this one ranks with his many best efforts. ~ Michael G.Nastos   http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-inspiration-suite-mw0000491879

Personnel: David Hazeltine (piano); Joe Locke (vibraphone, unknown instrument); John Webber (bass instrument); Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Joe Farnsworth (drums); Daniel Sadownick (percussion).

Craig Bailey, Tim Armacost & Brooklyn Big Band - Live at Sweet Rhythm

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:06
Size: 156,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:10)  1. Long Haired Girl
( 9:59)  2. Brazilian Bop
(14:44)  3. Take the Coltrane
( 4:52)  4. East of Enid
( 8:27)  5. Animated
( 7:52)  6. Quiet Time
(10:14)  7. My Blues
( 2:46)  8. Announcement Funk

The 17-piece Brooklyn Big Band, formed in 2000, is heavy on saxophone players, starting with its leaders, Craig Bailey (alto and flute) and Tim Armacost (tenor and clarinet). As displayed on this debut recording, Bailey and Armacost’s conception is to explore contemporary possibilities for the big band, in part by reviewing the past. The unsigned liner notes say of the disc’s longest track, “Take the Coltrane,” “This performance encapsulates a lot of what the group is trying to achieve,” which might be summarized as trying to answer the musical question, “What would Duke Ellington and His Orchestra have sounded like if John Coltrane had been their saxophonist in the 1960s?” “Take the Coltrane” is generously credited to Ellington as composer (notwithstanding that “Take the ‘A’ Train” was written by Billy Strayhorn), and while there isn’t much Ellington in it, it does attempt to reinterpret mature Coltrane in a big-band context. 

But that’s really only one track in a quite varied set. Trombonist Jason Jackson’s “Brazilian Bop” brings in the inevitable Latin tinge prior to “Take the Coltrane,” in what is basically a history lesson that makes up the first section of the disc, following the bravura opener, “Long Haired Girl.” Bailey’s palate-cleansing “East of Enid” inaugurates a mellow midsection for the album, giving David Berkman a chance to make like a New Age pianist before he joins in with a delicate flute line. Armacost’s big moment is his unaccompanied solo late in the melodic “Animated,” after which Bailey makes the argument that his old boss Ray Charles represented a valid strain of big-band jazz in “Quiet Time” and “My Blues.” Whether or not that’s true, the Brooklyn Big Band fully delivers on its claim to be an evolution of the big-band sound here. ~ William Ruhlmann   http://jazztimes.com/articles/25812-live-at-sweet-rhythm-craig-bailey-tim-armacost-brooklyn-big-band

Monday, March 3, 2014

Julie Capili - Passing Fancies

Size: 100,3 MB
Time: 42:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. At Last (4:22)
02. Bewitched (5:08)
03. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (2:37)
04. I Thought About You (3:09)
05. I'm Old Fashioned (3:11)
06. Spiral Arms (4:08)
07. Sugar (2:44)
08. Yesterdays (4:00)
09. The Nearness Of You (6:32)
10. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (3:26)
11. Nature Boy (3:30)

Julie Capili is a singer/songwriter from Honolulu who moved to Monterey in order to pursue her passion for Jazz.

A vocalist in the classical tradition, she tends to shy away from more avant-garde approaches in favor of a style firmly rooted in the spirit of the originals.

An anachronism of sorts, Julie embodies the values of days long gone. She is an artist with a rare gift to evoke the spirit of an era. When she sings, you get the sense that you are stepping back in time, hearing things as they once were, experiencing what it must have felt like if you had actually been there when they were new.

Her voice displays a delicate control of the light, airy high-tones combined with a full bodied warmth in the lower registers. The creativity and playfulness in her music is evident, bringing a sense of joy and wonder to her performances. But her subtlety and exquisite control display a maturity beyond her years.

Julie’s influences are eclectic, including artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Cassidy, and Tori Amos. And although her voice has drawn comparisons to many great singers, she possesses a style all her own.

Julie is excited to be living in Monterey. She recently completed her first full length jazz album, Passing Fancies.

Passing Fancies

Daryl Lowery - Instant!Groove

Size: 148,5 MB
Time: 64:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2004
Styles: Acid Jazz, Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Yodel (8:18)
02. Bust A Groove (7:17)
03. Like Cissy (9:08)
04. We Can Move The World (6:48)
05. Hot Shot (7:18)
06. The Full Moon On Its Fourteenth Night (7:41)
07. Home Cookin' (5:04)
08. Hot Dog (7:05)
09. I'll Drown In My Own Tears (5:42)

Daryl Lowery saxophonist was born and raised in the Metropolitan New York area were he was exposed to Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B and fell in love with these and other African American art forms. Daryl came to Boston to study at New England Conservatory and has since recorded and or performed with such notables as imortals Dizzy Gilespie and Jackie Byard, the eclectic Ran Blake and Boston’s funk legend Ellis Hall. In addition to occasional tours during the past five years with Sony Music artist Al Kooper he performs regularly with the Boston based Soul/R&B Urban Renewal Band, the Greg Hopkins 16 Piece Jazz Orchestra and Blues After Dark. Daryl has been a Berklee College of Music faculty member since 1987.

Drummer Yoron Israel also performs with the Frank Morgan Quartet, James Williams and ICU, Chico Freeman's Latin jazz group, Guataca, and vocalist Vanessa Rubin. His recordings include Chicago (Double-Time), released in 2000 featuring saxophonist Joe Lovano, organist Larry Goldings and guitarist Marvin Sewell. Live at the Blue Note (Half Note), and A Gift for You (Double-Time). Previous performances and recording credits include Ahmad Jamal, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, Sonny Rollins, Abbey Lincoln, Kenny Burrell, Horace Silver, Art Farmer, Larry Coryell, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Shirley Caesar and the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and numerous others. Yoron Israel is currently the Assistant Chair of Percussion at Berklee College of Music.

Rick Peckham is an internationally known jazz guitarist, composer, writer and clinician. He has performed with George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Gibbs and Tim Berne, and recorded the album Stray Dog as a member of the highly original jazz ensemble Um, led by trombonist Hal Crook and featuring organist John Medeski. Assistant chair of the guitar department, Peckham has been a Berklee faculty member since 1986. He is also a prolific and accomplished writer, and a frequent contributor to DownBeat and other music magazines.

GrooveMaster of the Hammond B3, Minister of Music at Concord Baptist Church, in Boston's South End Dennis Montgomery III grew up singing and playing organ in Baptist churches in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. As Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music he is director of the Reverence Gospel Choir and other gospel ensembles. Among those who have passed through his groups are Paula Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and Susan Tedeschi, and guitarist Mark Whitfield. Dennis frequently performs with the Boston based group Blues After Dark and has been a featured guest on National Public Radio's The Connection.

Acoustic bassist Ron Mahdi is has performed with Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Milt Jackson, Donald Brown, Kevin Eubanks, Jeff Watts, and Bill Pierce. He has toured nationally and internationally with Roy Haynes, Dr. Donald Byrd, Nnenna Freelon, and Teodross Avery. Ron lives in Boston where he teaches at Berklee College of Music.
Product Description
The Hammond B3 is at the core of the funky soul-jazz grooves that provide a vehicle for stylistically uncompromised improvisation. While saxophonist Daryl Lowery’s playing is noticeably rooted in the music of John Coltrane and the "post-Coltrane influenced" school the highly original sound of Instant!Groove featuring Yoron Israel (drums), Rick Peckham (guitar), Ron Mahdi (acoustic bass), and Dennis Montgomery, III (B3), is reminiscent of the organ based groups of John Scofield and draws much of its repertoire from the likes of "Big" John Patton, Ruben Wilson, Don Patterson and Leon Spencer.

Daryl Lowery and Instant!Groove is Acid Jazz++ Sometimes makes you want to move. Always it's Funky.

Instant!Groove

Yana Bibb - Not A Minute Too Late

Size: 94,4 MB
Time: 40:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Save Your Love For Me (2:44)
02. Not A Minute Too Late (4:04)
03. Bare It All (3:03)
04. You Don't Know What Love Is (6:03)
05. Need You (4:28)
06. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (2:56)
07. Deceitfully Sunny (3:03)
08. Oceans (4:40)
09. Send Love (4:01)
10. Huldrans Sang (5:31)

Yana Bibb is a singer and song-writer. Born in Manhattan, she grew up in Sweden. She is currently based in New York City. The music she writes draws from American Folk and Blues and incorporates elements of Scandinavian folk melody.

Yana’s interest in music was cultivated early by her father, Blues artist Eric Bibb, through whom she learned what it means to be a musician. She did her formal training in Jazz Vocal Performance at the City College of New york.

With her band she performs her original music along with selections from the American Songbook and the occasional Swedish lullaby.

She has performed with her own band at the Bitter End, Something Jazz Club and the Living Room in New York City. She has also toured as a member Eric Bibb’s ensemble, performing at the Edmonton and Calgary Folk Festivals, the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver and Cadogan Hall in London. She has also sung at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village.

In 2007 she released a three-track EP entitled “Heartzone”. Her new album, “Not a Minute Too Late” is due for release at the end of February 2014 by Dixiefrog Records.

Not A Minute Too Late

Brent Canter Trio - Soundscape

Size: 94,4 MB
Time: 40:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. Soundscape ( 7:30)
02. It Is Written ( 6:29)
03. Sketches ( 8:02)
04. Like A Star ( 8:29)
05. While You Were Sleeping (10:21)

The Brent Canter Trio is one of the most exciting groups to emerge on the jazz scene in recent years. Formed in Los Angeles in late 2006, the Brent Canter Trio has quickly established a fan base which ranges from college students to jazz club regulars, all attracted to the unique mix of modern jazz and more mainstream genres. The trio is led by twenty one year old composer/guitarist Brent Canter. Canter has crafted a unique approach to the guitar through his studies with some of the finest guitarists in the world including the legendary Kenny Burrell, Anthony Wilson (Diana Krall), Ted Greene and saxophonist Bruce Eskovitz. Canter's compositions are accesible and modern, drawing upon the influences of modern rock and R&B and incorporating the cutting edge improvisation which the modern jazz listener demands. The group's organist, Eli Sundelson, brings to the group an eclectic background from his close studies with organist Wil Blades and one time teacher Sam Yahel (Joshua Redman Elastic Band). As proficient in the school of Jimmy Smith as he is in the realm of modern players such as Larry Goldings and Lonnie Smith, Sundelson anchors the group with his tasteful bass lines and creative comping. Drummer Mark Banner completes the group with his powerful rhythmic playing and acts as a driving force by incorporating grooves rarely seen in jazz music. His musical interactions with Canter and Sundelson create dynamic improvisations while sustaining listener interest.

Soundscape

Wendee Glick ( Feat. Ken Peplowski and Eddie Higgins) - True Colors

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:11
Size: 145,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:14)  1. Blue Skies
(4:41)  2. Rainbow Connection
(4:51)  3. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(4:08)  4. Orange Colored Sky
(4:52)  5. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:37)  6. My Foolish Heart/The Second Time Around
(3:22)  7. Look For The Silver Lining
(4:55)  8. Blue Moon
(5:10)  9. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
(4:18) 10. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(4:21) 11. Deep Purple
(3:57) 12. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(2:41) 13. Secret Love (My)
(4:57) 14. True Colors

Wendee's second recording this CD features Ken Peplowski and Eddie Higgins. The CD contains songs from the Great American Songbook and some soft pop. Familiar standards that swing gently and leave you wanting to hear more. An experienced jazz vocalist, Wendee Glick is a singer with a strong stage presence, sense of humor, and ability to belt out a tune, even over a full big band orchestra. She can also sing a ballad with a “bell-like” quality that could make a person cry. She has graced the stages of many a New England jazz club, and large venues such as Boston’s Fleet Center and Hatch Shell, performing with top-notch musicians. 

Legally named Wendy Dee, Wendee’s interest in music began at a young age, because her own mother was a singer. Wendee toured Europe with America’s Youth in Concert and went on to study music at the University of Lowell. Classically trained, she started performing musical theater and opera but soon came to love jazz, influenced by jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Anita O’Day, and June Christy. Wendee has developed a substantial following in the New England area. She is equally at home singing with a small jazz group, or swinging with the Compaq Big Band. Annually, on The Jazz Cruise, she has jammed with and received praise from esteemed musicians such as Red Holloway, Eddie Higgins, Shelly Berg, Keter Betts, Nat Reeves, Chris Foreman, Duffy Jackson, Meredith d’Ambrosio and Wycliffe Gordon. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/glick2


Thank You Mai Neime
True Colors

Peggy Lee - Black Coffee

Styles: Vocal, Jazz
Year: 1953
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:21
Size: 79,1 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:06)  1. Black Coffee
(2:28)  2. I've Got You Under My Skin
(2:43)  3. Easy Living
(2:07)  4. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(3:23)  5. It Ain't Necessarily So
(3:22)  6. Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You
(3:13)  7. A Woman Alone With The Blues
(2:17)  8. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(3:19)  9. When the World Was Young
(2:08) 10. Love Me or Leave Me
(3:23) 11. You're My Thrill
(2:47) 12. There's A Small Hotel

"A Woman Alone With the Blues" features sparse piano, whispering drums, and a mournful trumpet lurking in the background. But it's the vocals that really push it over the edge. Peggy Lee doesn't sing this song; she crawls into it and huddles in the dark spaces, as she does on virtually all of the songs on 1956's Black Coffee. Lee got her start with Benny Goodman churning out hits like "Why Don't You Do Right." She used her superior vocal ability to strike out on her own like many of the big band singers of the time, who quickly emerged as the real attraction. But nobody was really prepared for Black Coffee, a statement that easily stands up next to the best work of Ella, Sarah, and Billie. The title song is the typical blue flame ballad that one always associates with smoky jazz clubs and perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the album. The original ten-inch release had Lee backed by a quartet on a handful of torch songs and blues. 

Lee jumps into the river that goes all the way back to Ethel Waters, showing an ability to live through the lyrics normally associated with Billie Holiday. Through the tales of love lost, only "I've Got You Under My Skin" breaks through the clouds, but whoever this fellow may be she's singing about, he didn't last for long. Four tracks pad out the original release to plump it up to a full length LP. A harp, guitar, and vibes provide a gossamer texture, used to good effect on the virtually tempoless "You're My Thrill" and the music box introduction to "There's A Small Hotel." Like any good album, the strength is in the details, and the group has fashioned clever twists to familiar songs that are strung together as an album that deserves to be heard as a complete statement. "I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else," Lee sings. The melancholy ballads here may make one believe otherwise. Black Coffee proves that thoughtful song selection, intelligent accompaniment, and brilliant singing can combine to create a work of art. Although known more for her pop efforts, Lee has created one of the best examples of jazz singing ever recorded. ~ David Rickert   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15508#.UxKw54VZhhk
Personnel: Peggy Lee - vocals; with (on 1-4 and 7-10) Pete Condoli - trumpet; Jimmy Rowles - piano; Max Wayne - bass; Ed Shaugnessy - drums; (on 5, 6, 11, and 12) Stella Castellucci - harp; Lou Levy - piano; Bill Pittman - guitar; Buddy Clark - bass; Larry Bunker - drums, vibraphone, percussion.

Black Coffee