Kenny Werner - Peace

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:49
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(12:52)  1. Pinocchio/Fall
( 6:35)  2. All Things Are You
( 8:53)  3. Jabali
( 9:44)  4. Peace
( 6:03)  5. Stella By Starlight
( 8:56)  6. Evidence
( 5:42)  7. Chach

Kenny Werner has long seemed to be one of the best-kept secrets in jazz, recording a number of fine dates for various labels but never achieving the wide acclaim he clearly deserves. This live set, recorded in early 2003 at the Blue Note, features the veteran pianist with bassist Johannes Weidenmüller and drummer Ari Hoenig, kicking off with a breathtaking medley of two Wayne Shorter compositions, "Pinocchio" and "Fall." His playful reworking of the standard "All the Things You Are," called "All Things Are You," refuses to be pigeonholed, at times suggesting the influence of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, though eventually moving into post-bop. Werner's lush ballad "Jabali" is accented by Hoenig's crisp brushwork and Weidenmüller's spacious bassline. The leader begins Horace Silver's "Peace" with an extended solo before his bandmates join him. The old warhorse "Stella By Starlight" sounds like a brand new work with Werner's abstract arrangement, which slowly unfolds in a tense setting before eventually revealing itself. Weidenmüller's skipping bass introduces Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," which mixes bop with Latin jazz percussion. The elegant "Chach" almost suggests a hymn; in any case, this lovely ballad deserves to have lyrics. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden   http://www.allmusic.com/album/peace-mw0000337091

Peace

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Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:41
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:43)  1. April In Paris
( 7:30)  2. Billie-Doo
( 7:27)  3. If I Love Again
( 5:51)  4. If Someone Had Told Me
(10:35)  5. Thedia
( 7:38)  6. I've Got A Crush On You
( 3:54)  7. Something To Remember You By

Trumpeter Thad Jones' greatest notoriety was as a member and leader of large ensembles, including the Count Basie Orchestra and later the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. But as great as his big band work was, it's a shame he didn't dedicate more time to small combos. He recorded a handful of really first-rate dates for Blue Note in the mid-1950s chief among them, perhaps, 1956's The Magnificent Thad Jones. It's timeless music that reveals a musician with great chops, fine composing and arranging skills, and a serious understanding of the blues. "April In Paris" sets the mood for the date, the standard swinging softly with Jones' graceful delivery. His improvisation has an almost vocal quality to it, with vibrato and melodic truth. Moving into the first original, "Billie-Doo," Jones wears his blues on his sleeve, using tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell as a second comp alongside the great pianist Barry Harris. Mitchell adds to the improvisational canon, drawing on elements of Ben Webster and Charlie Parker to create a smoky soundscape. 

This is a band that has clearly absorbed the structures of bebop, but with Jones' guidance the music is slowed, becomes deeper, and delivers greater expressive content. Perhaps the greatest moment of the date combines all these elements, as Jones savors the melody of "If Someone Had Told Me." It's taken as a trio, with just Harris and the light swish of Max Roach's brushes. There may be more beautiful, more emotionally packed trumpet recordings out there, but not many. In the continuing vinyl resurgence, The Magnificent Thad Jones has now been reissued on two 45 RPM LPs by the wizards at Music Matters, whose entire raison d'être is to meticulously reissue classic Blue Note sessions. Only the original master tapes are used as sources to press what are likely the finest editions of these records ever cut. In this case, the album is a true monaural recording. 

Perhaps not quite so revealing as the series' mono champ, Gil Melle's Patterns in Jazz (also released in 1956), The Magnificent Thad Jones nonetheless delivers truly outstanding sound with an impressive level of detail. This is a truly exceptional pressing, befitting a premium priced package. The full-sized original album cover is an added bonus: a black and white photograph of Jones smoking a cigarette in a New York streetscape, surrounded by pigeons. It's one of the better Blue Note covers, and the full 12" x 12" cover really does it justice.  A member of one of jazz's royal families, among Thad Jones' ten brothers were Elvin Jones (saxophonist John Coltrane's explosive drummer during the 1960s) and Hank Jones, the elegant and versatile pianist who's longevity may be unsurpassed, remaining active until his death in 2011, at the respectable age of 92. Thad Jones held his own in this esteemed company, and left his own remarkable recording legacy. The opportunity to hear some of his best work, remastered with exceptional attention to detail should be welcome to his fans. ~ Greg Simmons   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=41154#.UxnmDYVZhhk
 

Personnel: Thad Jones: trumpet; Billy Mitchell: tenor sax; Barry Harris: piano; Percy Heath: bass; Max Roach: drums; Kenny Burrell: guitar (7).

The Magnificent Thad Jones

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Anna Lundqvist Quartet - Borderline Fiesta (Feat. Kristian Harborg)

Size: 139,8 MB
Time: 60:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Not Meant To Be (5:35)
02. Are You Insane (3:42)
03. Happy Time (5:28)
04. Restless Feet (4:19)
05. Paint Me A Picture (6:13)
06. Changing (6:16)
07. Surprising Refrain (6:26)
08. How To Walk Away (4:44)
09. Tango (8:25)
10. What Do I Know (4:43)
11. Getting Over You (4:20)

“As a whole, BORDERLINE FIESTA is a successful debut, probably one of the best Swedish debuts this year.” Bertil Sundin, OJ Orkesterjournalen (4/5)

I’m born in 1977 in Stockholm but I’m raised in a small town called Mellerud in Dalsland, together with my little sister and little brother. My parents are musicians from Värmland ( Hagfors and Karlstad). Before my life became all about jazz I played the cello and sang only classical music. In music high school at SundstaÄlvkullegymnasiet in Karlstad I found jazz. I dedicated my time traning my voice into the technique of afro and learning about the world of jazz. After that I studied jazz at Skurup Folkhögskola and I have been working profesionally since 2000. I live in Gothenburg where I fill my days with work as a freelancing singer, composer and vocal coach. Anna Lundqvist Quintet is my head project and 2009 we released our first album, Borderline fiesta. In 2010 my second, City and October 2012 we released a third cd, Before you I was almost fine.

Borderline Fiesta

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Alexandra Lehmler - Jazz, Baby!

Size: 125,4 MB
Time: 53:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Mainstream Jazz
Art: Front & Back

01. Autoroute Du Soleil (7:27)
02. Superheld (7:46)
03. Snow In Summer (4:39)
04. Thermoskop (5:36)
05. What's Next (3:25)
06. Unterirdisch (7:09)
07. Klassentreff (4:01)
08. Traenenmeer (5:21)
09. Weltuntergang (4:21)
10. Hangover (4:01)

Alexandra Lehmler loves the straight and clear words. She has called her previous CD not just like this “No Blah Blah”. Now her new album is released with the concise title „Jazz, Baby!“. And also this time, the saxophonist from Mannheim lets actions follow her words. For her, Jazz is not only a bloodless concept, but music which is alive in the highest measure. And at the latest, while hearing her compositions everybody knows what is meant. For the 34-year-old musician from the southwest of Germany the charm of the jazz lies in the almost endless tonal possibilities. Lehmlers music is the sounding counter evidence that jazz fits in any drawers. Jazz is just what one makes out of it … Jazz is an energy that drives forward. Jazz is music for audience which can feel this magic at Alexandra Lehmler’s concerts already after a few moments. This ensures beside the band leader who plays all saxophones, also her very well-functioning band: with Oliver Maa (piano), Matthias Debu (bass), Max Mahlert (percussion) and Rodrigo Villalon (Percussion) she has not only gotten high-carat improvisation musicians, but also team players. And the unmistakable variable, modern sound of the band lets assume that the five musicians do not only play together since yesterday.

However, Alexandra Lehmler also is at the (jazz) pulse of time because she does not play the classics of the jazz literature to the best, but best plays her own compositions. So again, Alexandra and bassist Matthias Debus have tailored on the body of the quintet their home-made pieces which are as coloured as her musical influence. Sometimes coloured tones of the world music shimmer through, sometimes classical elements sparkle; sometimes it also becomes sounding like rock, filthy and crude. And in the end it is just „Jazz, Baby!“: 100% up-to-date and without compromises.

Jazz, Baby!

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Nadine Axisa - Velvet

Size: 129,7 MB
Time: 55:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Easy Listening
Art: Front

01. Velvet (3:00)
02. Tempted (4:22)
03. Stormy Night (6:15)
04. Light Me Up (4:09)
05. 52Nd Street (3:50)
06. Silver Seas (5:52)
07. Sanaa (5:35)
08. Heavenly (6:25)
09. Birds (8:16)
10. My Night (4:51)
11. Free (3:16)

Nadine Axisa this week released ‘Velvet’, an album of 12 original songs in the ‘easy listening jazz’ style penned by various composers and authors.

The album features a total of 38 top musicians renowned in the local jazz scene such as Dominic Galea, Sandro Zerafa, Charles ‘City’ Gatt, Paul Abela, Vinny Vella and Paul Giordimaina amongst others. Nadine is also collaborating with foreign musicians in this album, where two tracks feature bass player Roberto Badoglio and saxophonist Gabriele Comeglio respectively.

Although all tracks fall under the jazz idiom, there is a variation in the style of songs which include Latin, swing, blues, ballads and funky tunes. Eleven tracks have lyrics in English while one song entitled ‘G?anja’ is in Maltese. This was in fact the tune which Nadine launched as a single a couple of weeks ago.

The album was named ‘Velvet’ after one of the tracks which talks about the passion for music, which in turn is compared to velvet.

The album is a very special project for Nadine since it reflects her passion for the style of music. It encompasses the experiences she lived for the past ten years with some of the musicians she collaborated with in events such as the recording of other albums, gigs in Malta and outside Malta, and the Malta Jazz Festival. The album shows her versatility and brings together the talent of local composers and authors together with the ability of all these musicians. Nadine admits that this project is a dream that became a reality and thanks the Malta Arts Fund and other contributors for their support.

Nadine enjoys an interesting track record both in Malta and abroad, however she considers this project to be the most satisfactory accomplishment she has experienced until now.

The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by David Vella at Temple Studios.

Velvet

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The Pace Brothers Organ Trio - Shazam

Size: 112,8 MB
Time: 49:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Hammond Organ, Funky Jazz, Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Shazam (5:04)
02. Coming Home Baby (5:01)
03. Two Lines (4:12)
04. In A Hurting Way (7:40)
05. Interlude 1 (1:21)
06. Norwegian Wood (4:10)
07. You Are My Sunshine (4:09)
08. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (3:59)
09. Have A Blast (4:19)
10. Interlude 2 (1:06)
11. On The Spot (8:08)

Modern but connected soul Hammond B3 organ jazz. Funky and fun with great grooves and great spirit.

Shazam

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Diane Schuur - Live in London

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:31
Size: 173,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:09)  1. Deedles' blues
(4:37)  2. I'll close my eyes
(4:17)  3. Close enough for love
(6:47)  4. As
(5:34)  5. Poinciana
(4:07)  6. Don't let me be lonely tonight
(4:14)  7. You'd be so nice to Come home to
(5:37)  8. When october goes
(6:56)  9. Besame mucho
(6:39) 10. The very thought of you
(7:04) 11. So in love
(6:50) 12. It don't mean a thing
(4:03) 13. Send me someone to love
(3:30) 14. Over the rainbow

Does Diane Schuur still matter? Though the vocalist has been performing actively on the national jazz scene since her 1984 GRP debut, Deedles, came out, and she has won two Grammies, critical interest in her work has waned since the early 1990s. Many critics have lauded her powerful voice and stylistic versatility but lamented her tendency toward histrionics and emotional blandness. Live in London, recorded at Ronnie Scott's, might reassert her potential in the vocal pantheon. The disc is a fine example of Schuur the vocalist and pianist, collaborating with a fine band bassist Scott Steed, guitarist Rod Fleeman and drummer Reggie Jackson before an adoring (if subdued) audience. In many ways she represents exactly what is missing from a lot of "contemporary jazz she knows how to balance jazz technique and feeling with emotional accessibility. Schuur is galvanizing on her two elaborate scat solos on the samba-flavored "So in Love and a galloping "It Don't Mean a Thing. 

Fleeman soars on both tunes and Jackson adds a hot, polyrhythmic solo to the latter. Though Schuur has recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band and the Caribbean Jazz Project, she sounds most radiant in a streamlined setting. On these wide-ranging pieces by Duke Ellington, Percy Mayfield, Cole Porter, Steve Wonder and others, Schuur's clear tone, superb diction and pitch-perfect piano scats illuminate the material with aplomb. The quartet is also quite resourceful in establishing a variety of moods and maintaining momentum over the course of the album's 75 minutes. The set features two anthems: a punchy version of the Morgan Ames-penned "Deedle's Blues, followed by a hushed performance of "I'll Close My Eyes, which typifies her ballad style. Schuur's underrated piano playing proves a fine percussive foil for Jackson on the Latin-tinged arrangements of "As, "Poinciana and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, bundled together on the album. Schuur's stirring version of "Besame Mucho re-creates the scintillating arrangement from her Ferguson collaboration, Swingin' for Schuur, with seamless harmonizing in the final bars. 

Schuur's melodic imagination and harmonic eloquence complements her sleek voice-piano unison combinations and energetic trades with Fleeman, though her scats do get repetitive. Strings and woodwinds often crowd Schuur's recordings, but one of the more striking elements of this live set is its spaciousness. The spare bass and voice opening of "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To establishes a framework for Steed to stretch out and fosters a warm, intimate vocal from Schuur. A piano rendition of the ageless "Please Send Me Someone to Love and her signature a capella "Over the Rainbow delicately conclude the album. Amidst the "nu crooners and singer-songwriter/folk-oriented types currently prevalent in vocal jazz, Schuur probably seems old-fashioned. Regardless of trends, the beautiful vocals, impressive range and tight musicianship on Live confirm that Schuur matters. Ronnie Scott's has welcomed some of world's finest vocal talents check out Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone's classic sets and Live in London places Schuur amongst them. ~ Vicent Stephens   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=22287#.UxYenIVZhhk 
 

Personnel: Diane Schuur: piano, vocals; Scott Steed: bass; Rod Fleeman: guitar; Reggie Jackson: drums.

Live in London

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Sarah Silverman - Sarah

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:55
Size: 108,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Nature Boy
(3:26)  2. Take Love Easy
(5:46)  3. I'm Glad There Is You
(5:14)  4. Samba Em Preludio
(3:34)  5. Two Sleepy People
(3:27)  6. Waiting On the Weather
(5:23)  7. Once I Loved
(6:44)  8. Medley Smoke Gets in Your Eyes  I Get Along Without You Very Well
(5:14)  9. Love Me or Leave Me
(3:01) 10. Arietta

Inspired and mentored by two great contemporary jazz performers, singer Luciana Souza and pianist Bruce Barth, Sarah has emerged as an exciting new jazz vocalist. Drawn to intimate performances, Sarah often sings duo with Bruce, and their inspired collaborations naturally developed into the recording of ‘SARAH’. The album marks a dramatic shift away from her background as a classical pianist, but it is also a natural evolution for a performer drawn to different musical styles, improvisation and the spirit of distinctive collaboration.

“Sarah is a beautiful and curious singer and musician…  I am very excited to see where she is going with her music and her abundant talent”. ~ Luciana Souza   

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sarahsilverman1

Sarah

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Robin Nolan Trio - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Guitar Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:34
Size: 136,4 MB
Front:

(3:41)  1. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
(5:35)  2. Route 66
(3:38)  3. The Lonely One
(2:39)  4. That's A Natural Fact
(3:03)  5. Oh, Lady Be Good
(4:14)  6. Out Of Nowhere
(3:26)  7. Caravan
(2:13)  8. Take The  A  Train
(3:58)  9. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:16) 10. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(3:57) 11. September Song
(3:17) 12. Shoo Shoo Baby
(2:59) 13. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(4:39) 14. All Of Me
(6:51) 15. Once In A While

If the Los Angeles-based Nat King Cole Trio of the '30s and '40s had employed Django Reinhardt on guitar instead of Oscar Moore and didn't use any piano or if Cole had been a featured vocalist for Reinhardt's European groups -- the results might have resembled what acoustic guitarist Robin Nolan does on Boulevard of Broken Dreams. This swing-oriented effort, which was recorded in Amsterdam, Holland, in 2000, finds Nolan featuring a very Cole-minded vocalist on all of the tracks: Randy Greer, the grand nephew of drummer Sonny Greer (who was with the Duke Ellington Orchestra from 1924-1951). Greer certainly isn't the only singer with a Cole obsession; the others have included Freddy Cole (Nat King Cole's younger brother), Allan Harris, and the late Sonny Brown (a Philadelphia resident who was little-known outside of that city). And even though Greer is hardly the most original singer in the world, he is good at what he does and isn't an exact replica of his main influence like Freddy Cole, Greer has a huskier voice than Nat King Cole. Together, Nolan and Greer (who are joined by Paul Meader on upright bass and Kevin Nolan on acoustic rhythm guitar) give listeners a CD that has one foot in the L.A. of the '30s and '40s and the other in the Europe of that era. Unfortunately, their choice of material is way too obvious; most of the tunes are warhorses that have long since been beaten to death. But the CD's concept Reinhardt's gypsy jazz meets Nat King Cole is certainly intriguing. And when all is said and done, Nolan and Greer provide a likable, if imperfect, disc that both Reinhardt and Cole fans will be glad to have in their collections. ~ Alex Henderson   http://www.allmusic.com/album/boulevard-of-broken-dreams-mw0000021258

Personnel: Robin Nolan (guitar); Randy Greer (vocals); Kevin Nolan (guitar); Paul Meader (acoustic bass).

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

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Joe Williams & Harry 'Sweets' Edison - Together

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:53
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(1:52)  1. Winter Weather
(2:30)  2. I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
(2:19)  3. There's a Small Hotel
(2:14)  4. Out of Nowhere
(2:27)  5. Aren't You Glad You're You
(1:52)  6. Remember
(2:32)  7. Together
(2:51)  8. Deep Purple
(2:40)  9. Always
(4:08) 10. Lover, Come Back to Me
(1:59) 11. By the River Sainte Marie
(2:35) 12. Alone Together
(2:52) 13. Have a Good Time
(2:45) 14. Sometimes I'm Happy
(2:55) 15. Old Folks
(2:50) 16. Until I Met You
(3:18) 17. I Won't Cry Anymore
(2:22) 18. S'sposin'
(2:59) 19. A Blues Serenade
(2:12) 20. September in the Rain
(2:37) 21. Summertime
(2:17) 22. Moonlight in Vermont
(2:34) 23. Falling in Love With Love

When singer Joe Williams left Count Basie's orchestra to go out on his own in early 1961, at first he co-led a group with veteran trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison. Their two joint recordings for Roulette have been reissued in full on this single CD. The Together set matches Williams and Edison with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Foster and a four-piece rhythm section that includes pianist Sir Charles Thompson. Among the highlights of the dozen standards are "I Don't Know Why," "Aren't You Glad You're You," and "Lover Come Back to Me." Have a Good Time has 11 songs performed by a mostly unidentified larger group arranged by Ernie Wilkins, including fine versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Old Folks," "September in the Rain," and "Moonlight in Vermont." Throughout the sets, Joe Williams did his best to de-emphasize the blues (he wanted to be known as a well-rounded singer), instead choosing to uplift and personalize standards. Excellent music. ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/album/together-have-a-good-time-mw0000591021

Personnel:  Harry "Sweets" Edison – trumpet; Jimmy Jones – piano; Joe Williams – vocals; Charlie Persip – drums; Tommy Potter; Ernie Wilkins – arranger; Joe Benjamin – bass;

Together

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Gail Marten - In Love Again

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:57
Size: 170,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Never Let Me Go
(4:25)  2. I Fall In Love Too Easily
(3:27)  3. Reinventing Me
(8:47)  4. If He Walked Into My Life
(3:12)  5. Alice In Wonderland
(5:53)  6. Alfie
(7:02)  7. You Must Believe In Spring
(4:08)  8. I'm Old Fashioned
(5:02)  9. Skylark
(6:29) 10. Like A Lover
(5:49) 11. Cry Me A River
(2:48) 12. An Occasional Man
(6:52) 13. Where Do You Start
(3:54) 14. Hello Young Lovers

Not every singer can easily achieve intimacy; Gail Marten has thoroughly mastered the art. Ms Marten is still endeavoring to attain a similar level of perfection with intonation, yet her latest album is a joy to behold. That is mainly due to her knowing approach to ballads. I don't mean that corny old line about being able to tell a story. Gail's strength lies in her deep understanding of the emotions that well-crafted lyrics convey, and above all, her impeccable taste. Her choice of material agreed to by her accompanist, pianist/arranger Larry Willis reveals her knowledge of, and appreciation for, the Great American Songbook. Prime examples are her interpretations of "Skylark," "Alfie," "Never Let Me Go" and "Cry Me A River." What they all have in common is they tend to separate the women from the girls, the professionals from the ingénues, the cabaret hip from the jazz pretenders. Each of those tracks is given a heart-wrenching reading. 

When Willis alone backs her, Ms Marten is able to plumb the depths and soul of the lyrics in the ideal dramatic atmosphere: rubato, as they do in "If He Walked Into My Life" to this pair of ears, the high point of the CD. That in no way infers that Willis' rhythm mates bassist Herman Burney and drummer Eric Kennedy fail to carry their weight. Au contraire, Burney's pedal points on the fifth add just the right touch to "Alice In Wonderland," a 3/4 bouyancy that Kennedy's subtle brush work enchances. Both "Where Do You Start?" and "You Must Believe in Spring" reveal Gail's ability to stretch her high range as well as cope with sudden modulations They also show her preference for the literate eloquence of the Bergmans, whether it be lavished over the changes of Johnny Mandel or Michel Legrand. "Hello Young Lovers" (one of Willis' cleverest charts) a juxtapostion of bright bossa and uplifting jazz pulse in the release proves that Gail can swing, when she wishes to. 

Another talent she can call on whenever the Muse allows, is her lyric writing. Her witty "Reinventing Me," a collaboration with Clem Ehoff, includes her plan to "reconstruct my derriere," among many other revisions. Her self-improvement project breaks me up every time I hear it. The album is dedicated to Shirley Horn, who put Marten hip to Larry Willis around six years ago. ~ Harvey Siders   http://jazztimes.com/articles/25867-in-love-again-gail-marten

Personnel: Eric Kennedy (drums); Gail Marten (vocals); Larry Willis (piano).

In Love Again

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Robin Stine - Daydream

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:57
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Don't I Know
(4:22)  2. Nature Boy
(4:11)  3. Half My Heart
(3:06)  4. Sweet Blossom
(3:37)  5. Never Say Goodbye
(3:40)  6. Daydream
(3:32)  7. I've Got a Secret
(2:21)  8. Shy Boy
(5:01)  9. I Could Have Loved You
(2:36) 10. Made for Two
(2:01) 11. For Me
(3:40) 12. Get Over Her
(3:31) 13. Singing to Me

Seduction comes in many forms. Those who can seduce with style make it seem effortless, unintentional, irresistible. Robin Stine's music seduces with a whiff of subtle perfume and a casual graze of her hand as she walks past, leaving the listener powerless to do anything but follow. As a singer, her voice floats on the stylish edge of contemporary cool-light, but never lightweight. As a songwriter, her enchanting originals set her in the upper echelon of today's songwriters.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Robin began her musical journey as a child singing in school groups and church choirs. When she left for college she had no idea that music would take her around the world. For three of her collegiate years she performed with gospel groups, traveling across the U.S. as well as in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Hong Kong and China. She then moved to Miami in 1996 to begin her graduate studies. During this time she performed with “Mike Suman’s Swing City” and her own band “Simply Stellar” at festivals, hotels and clubs throughout South Florida. In 2003 she moved to Pensacola to focus on the next phase of her musical career-writing and recording her original music.

Her debut album Daydream is a sleek collection of a dozen original jazzy, bluesy numbers that immediately sound like comfortable standards. The melancholy title track “Daydream”, the only co-write on the album, was written with Chris Whiteman at the University of Miami. The album's other originals were written over a six-month period while Robin rebuilt her home in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. “These songs are very personal. They were gifts from ‘the muses’ of genuine emotion, faith and hope-and they’re my gift to the world.”

Her opening track “Don't I Know” is a playful tune about finding happiness within, which according to Robin is “Something that most people struggle with in life, but the only way to enjoy it.” The album also features the bittersweet tune “Half My Heart”, a song she wrote about being separated from the one you love, while the flirty “Sweet Blossom” is about love’s anticipation. “Never Say Goodbye” is a sultry tune where Robin conveys by her own admission, “Life can be more fun if you let yourself be naughty sometimes.” As one of Robin’s favorite jazz songs and the only cover on the album, she includes the haunting “Nature Boy”, by Eden Ahbez.

Under the guidance of producer Mark Bingham, who's worked with everyone from Dr. John to the Blind Boys of Alabama to the Black Eyed Peas, she's assembled an enviably experienced crew including pianist Warren Bernhardt (Steps Ahead, Jack DeJohnette, Gerry Mulligan), drummer Gary Burke (Joe Jackson, Bob Dylan), trumpeter Steven Bernstein (Roswell Rudd, Medeski Martin & Wood, Don Byron), and her fellow Kansas City native, guitarist Steve Cardenas (Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Paul Motian, Mark Isham).

A lifelong love of performing inspired by family and further fueled by the completion of her album, have culminated in a desire to return to the touring stage after a rebuilding period in the post-Hurricane Ivan year. Now based in Pensacola, Florida, Robin is ready to follow the upcoming release of Daydream with a festival and club scene tour in a way that will also leave the world powerless to do anything but follow. (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/robinstine)

Daydream

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Bobbi Humphrey - Freestyle

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:31
Size: 86,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. Home-Made Jam
(4:37)  2. My Destiny
(5:00)  3. I Could Love You More
(4:16)  4. Sunset Burgundy
(4:42)  5. Freestyle
(4:28)  6. If You Want It
(4:30)  7. If You Let Me
(4:53)  8. Good Times

The second release In the new series of classic jazz/funk reissues from SoulMusic.com Records is an expanded edition of the original 1978 Epic album Freestyle by famed flautist and musician Bobbi Humphrey.
Texas-born Bobbi was initially encouraged by jazz great Dizzy Gillespie to pursue a musical career: after winning the famous Apollo Theater Amateur Talent contest in New York, she became a popular performer in the city. In 1971, Bobbi signed with Blue Note Records and made six albums for the label. In 1977, Bobbi signed with Epic Records who released her label debut “Tailor Made” the same year.

Bobbi’s sophomore Epic album Freestyle was the most successful of her LPs for the label. Produced by renowned percussionist Ralph MacDonald, Freestyle’s stellar cast of musicians includes Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Anthony Jackson, David Spinozza and Marcus Miller with background vocals from Gwen Guthrie among others. No less a luminary than Stevie Wonder provides a solo on the funky track, “Home-Made Jam.”~ David Nathan   

http://www.soulmusic.com/index.asp?S=1&T=38&ART=280

Freestyle

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Ken Peplowski - In Search of...

Styles: Clarinet, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:54
Size: 158,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. The Thespian
(8:02)  2. Love's Disguise
(5:18)  3. When Joanna Loved me
(7:05)  4. Falsa Baiana
(5:55)  5. A Ship Without a Sail
(4:57)  6. With Every Breath i Take
(5:34)  7. In Flower
(5:31)  8. Peps
(4:40)  9. This Nearly was Mine
(6:22) 10. No Regrets
(4:51) 11. Within you and Without you
(5:20) 12. Rum and Coca Cola

Ken Peplowski is a clarinet virtuoso, with a tone of such warmth and beauty that it takes only a few bars to create a feel-good atmosphere, either in performance or, as he ably demonstrates on In Search Of ..., in the studio. Although Peplowski has over 20 albums to his name as leader, he's still experimenting, still trying out new ideas still, presumably, in search of something. The first nine tunes are recordings from a February 2010 quartet session. Peplowski makes some terrific choices for this set, from Robert Wells and Jack Segal's beautiful ballad "When Joanna Loved Me" to pianist Shelly Berg's lovely "In Flower" and his infectiously swinging tribute to the clarinetist, "Peps." Peplowski is a veteran of the Tommy Dorsey band and Benny Goodman's post-retirement ensemble. He's also been influenced strongly by bop saxophonist Sonny Stitt. 

With such diverse influences Peplowski can move effortlessly between styles. He's an especially effective ballad player, something he does with aplomb on Rodgers and Hart's "A Ship Without A Sail" and Cy Coleman's "With Every Breath I Take." The final three numbers find Peplowski in a slightly more adventurous mood, at a 2007 session originally intended to record material for a self-produced album. On "No Regrets" Peplowski duets on tenor sax with bassist Greg Cohen: both musicians swing and glide through the tune, Cohen's fluid bass playing creating a rock steady rhythm that allows Peplowski freedom to weave some snaking lead lines. "Within You And Without You" is a reworking, and slight re-titling, of George Harrison's "Within You, Without You" from The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Parlophone, 1967). 

Peplowski and Cohen are joined by percussionist Joe Ascione and vibraphonist Chuck Redd, for a fascinating treatment of this pop classic. Percussion, vibes and bass create a floating wash of sound over which Peplowski's clarinet swoops in seductive, almost free-form, patterns. Lionel Belasco and Lord Invader's calypso, "Rum and Coca Cola," is another duet, this time with Ascione joining Peplowski. The clarinetist is, again, in terrific form, but he's matched by Ascione's amazingly vibrant drumming on a tune that is a delight from the first beat. Peplowski's sleeve notes give some insight into the making of this album, but no clue as to what he might be In Search Of .... Bill Griffith's lovely artwork just adds to the enigma. But little mysteries make life that bit more enjoyable. So, too, does this music. ~ Bruce Lindsay   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=39186#.UxYaB4VZhhk
 

Personnel: Ken Peplowski: clarinet, tenor saxophone; Shelly Berg: piano (1-9); Tom Kennedy: bass (1-9); Jeff Hamilton: drums (1-9); Greg Cohen: bass (10, 11); Chuck Redd: vibraphone (11); Joe Ascione: percussion (11), drums (12).

In Search of...

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Renee Yoxon & Mark Ferguson - Here We Go Again

Size: 123,2 MB
Time: 53:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. So Far (4:38)
02. Drinking Coffee (4:28)
03. Here We Go Again (4:30)
04. Watching (5:52)
05. Just Say The Word (4:10)
06. Just As We Are (3:32)
07. Sao Paulo (5:05)
08. Canary (4:24)
09. 1-2-3 (3:58)
10. Have We Been In Love Before? (5:17)
11. Don't Go (3:43)
12. There's Only You (3:21)

Here We Go Again is Canadian singer/songwriter Renee Yoxon's follow-up to 2010's Let's Call It A Day (Self Produced). She teams with pianist/trombonist Mark Ferguson for a dozen original compositions that are refreshingly familiar, meaning they all have a traditional form and mainstream sensibility that softens the blow to even the most stalwart traditionalist deaf to any material composed after 1960.

But new material, this is. From afar, this is a collection of slow- and medium-tempo ballads that have a faint familiarity that is difficult to pin down. "Drinking Coffee" has a whiff of Jackson Browne in its structure (or is it Warren Zevon) and sounds as if Linda Ronstadt would have sung this 30 years previous. Craig Pedersen's pinched trumpet adds just enough jazz to keep things unbalanced, not a bad thing here as it curtails this music's predictability making it at once fresh but not out of reach. The title piece is a lyrically complex waltz that modulates through times and tempi providing the listener something continually new. "Watching" is a delicate pastoral, opened with Joel Kerr's arco bass delicately balanced upon Ferguson's piano. Yoxon's voice is confident and knowing, comfortable and intimate.

Intimate may best describe this recording. Yoxon's writing and voice are clearly out there with no net. Even on the more up-tempo "Just As We Are," Yoxon sings as if telling a humorous secret:

"We make such a pair; we match like a new pair of shoes
Why go spoil it all with a pair of "I dos."
And We stay just as we are, our love still shiny and new
No fuss no fight , stayin up all night, whispering dreamily
We should stay just as we are, just you and me..."

"Sao Paulo" is proto-Bossa Nova so fresh and humid, Yoxon's wordless singing equally fresh. the piece, "1-2-3" opens with a jaunty walking bass, Ferguson's trombone doubling with Yoxon's be bop voice that leads into a bit of impressive scat singing. Ferguson's solo is understated and bluesy, contrasting well with Yoxon's voice. Here We Go Again echos the method on Thisbe Vos' Under Your Spell (Self Produced, 2013), one where the mainstream is not forsaken but is tilled into itself making a richer foundation for the newly composed. The music will only grow deeper from such. ~Review by C. Michael Bailey

Personnel: Renee Yoxon: vocals; Mark Ferguson: piano, trombone; ; Joel Kerr: bass; Jeff Asselin: drums; Rene Gely: guitar; Craig Pedersen: trumpet; Frank Lozano: saxophone.

Here We Go Again

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Renee Yoxon & Rene Gely - Let's Call It A Day

Size: 105,8 MB
Time: 41:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Look Of Love (4:08)
02. Willow Weep For Me (4:37)
03. Never Let Me Go (3:42)
04. Let's Call It A Day (3:01)
05. Candy (2:54)
06. Lovers' Lullaby (3:25)
07. Centerpiece (3:50)
08. The Masquerade Is Over (3:58)
09. Par Ce Beau Jour De Printemps (3:06)
10. Don't Explain (5:14)
11. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (3:47)

About Let's Call it a Day:
As Yoxon’s debut album, this work showcases her clear and unembellished lyrical delivery, poignant song choice, and emotionally charged performance. Using a wide variety of guitars, Yoxon & Gely create atmospheric, folk-influenced interpretations of jazz standards.

Artists' Bios:
Young vocalist Renée Yoxon is quickly becoming one of the most in demand jazz singers in the Ottawa region thanks to her grace, captivating presence and beautiful voice. Introduced to jazz music in high school, her tastes and vocal repertoire range from bebop to contemporary favourites. After graduating from high school Renée studied voice with Tena Palmer while completing a degree in physics with minors in math and music from Carleton University. Recently, Renée has participated in the National Arts Centre’s Manhattan on the Rideau masterclasses led by Theo Bleckmann and Peter Eldridge.
Distinguished by more poise and assurance than most young women her age, Renée delivers unique interpretations of jazz standards. Hear her every Monday night at Bar 56 in Ottawa’s Byward Market.

René Gely has pursued his musical passions in San Francisco, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Paris. A Parisian for 12 years, he studied with the French world music guitarist Pierre Bensusan and the acclaimed American expatriate, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. René has recorded with Toronto jazz musicians such as Perry White and George Koller, as well as with the Irish singer Mary Reidy. While in San Francisco in 2003, René started his world beat trio Pulse Mondiale. He later relocated to the Ottawa area where he is originally from. Here he has formed a new edition of Pulse Mondiale, as well as new collaborations with the city's best musicians.

Let's Call It A Day

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Chris Standring - Main Course / Don't Talk, Dance!

Album: Main Course (The Early Tapes)
Size: 113,1 MB
Time: 48:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz Funk, Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Tabbouleh (6:49)
02. Look No Strings (5:11)
03. Baklava And Cream (4:47)
04. Touchdown (5:14)
05. Pastourelle (3:45)
06. City Shuffle (5:40)
07. Prelude (1:09)
08. Who Knows (5:01)
09. What Was That (5:49)
10. Sticky Fingers (5:22)

The success of Chris Standring’s groundbreaking 2010 CD Blue Bolero, which topped several year-end lists and produced a No. 1 single, made it a tough act for the guitarist to follow. But Standring has managed quite nicely with Electric Wonderland (March 20, 2012, Ultimate Vibe Recordings), a 10-song CD of original songs that fuses elements of Blue Bolero’s orchestral touches with a deft jazz-pop touch that’s been a hall mark of Standring’s stellar career.

Chris Standring grew up in the small town of Aylesbury in England, later studying at London College of Music and writing music for the BBC and for several theatrical orchestrations before moving to Los Angeles in February of 1991. That’s where Standring first hooked up with Rodney Lee, as they both were playing with Lauren Christy, a U.K. singer who had also moved to Southern California. In 1996, Standring and Lee released an acid-jazz CD by their group Solar System. The CD, featuring vocal covers of “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Me & Mrs. Jones,” introduced Standring’s vibey instrumental tunes to the world.

Main Course

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Album: Don't Talk, Dance!
Size: 137,3 MB
Time: 58:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Funk, Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sky High (5:16)
02. Inside Outside (3:54)
03. Sneakin' Out The Front Door (3:54)
04. Voices In My Head (4:16)
05. Soul Symphony (4:20)
06. Another Fine Mess (4:49)
07. Crazy Bom Baizy (5:33)
08. Ride (Feat. Lauren Christy) (4:14)
09. Absolute Madness (4:18)
10. Yesterday's Heaven (4:33)
11. Imagine That (3:56)
12. Scatterfunk (5:05)
13. Nothing Lasts Forever (4:35)

Chris Standring returns in 2014 with another musical left turn with Don't Talk, Dance!, a deep European progressive soul-jazz-dance influenced project featuring the best funk and soul studio musicians in Los Angeles. This 13-track set features Chris as arranger, orchestrator and producer, along with his signature solo jazz and fusion guitar sounds.

Drawing on 70's style funk and soul inspiration, Chris raises the bar once again with an album that is impossible to sit still to. The first radio single "Sneakin' Out The Front Door," features Chris on guitar talkbox, and harks back to a time reminiscent of early Jeff Beck or Herbie Hancock, with a hook that is clearly all Chris Standring.

Don't Talk, Dance!

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Mariana Martin - Bossa Nova

Size: 85,7 MB
Time: 36:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz
Art: Front

01. A Felicidade (4:32)
02. Summer Samba (So Nice) (3:37)
03. Girl From Ipanema (3:46)
04. Flor De Lis (4:27)
05. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars) (3:37)
06. Madalena (3:11)
07. Triste (4:14)
08. Pra Dizer Adeus (4:43)
09. Wave (4:39)

Born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Mariana is a consequence of the Bossa Nova movement. American mother and Brazilian father she lived most of her life between the USA and Brazil. She started her singing career at age 18 in Rio singing Brazilian Jazz at the popular local clubs of Rio. She studied music at the Brazilian conservatory of music in Rio de Janeiro and Dick Grove School of Music in LA. By the age of 19 she was a recording artist for the label Som Livre in Brazil where she had two albums produced by Guto Graca Mello. At Age 21 Mariana was invited by Chicago Musician Brazilian percussionist Laudir de Oliveira to join a Brazilian Jazz band called The Brazilian Secrets in Los Angeles. Together they performed for four consecutive years the Brazilian Carnival at the Hollywood Palladium in LA and opened a live concert for Duran Duran in Anaheim, California. Together with musicians: Don Grusin (keyboards), Lee Ritnower (guitar), Tom Scott (Winds), Jimmy Haslip (bass/Yellow Jackets), Kay Akagi (keyboards), and many others the Brazilian Secrets played live in several night clubs in LA.
Mariana is now based in Miami where she performed for 3 consecutives years at the Van Dyke Café Jazz Club in Miami Beach and together with musicians Don Wilner / Bass (Music Director of the Van Dyke Café) and Mike Orta / Piano (Head Director of the Music Dept. FIU) and Claudio Spiewak (Acoustic guitar) she recorded a Brazilian jazz CD called "BOSSA NOVA BLUES". She is now playing in local night clubs and is in the process of releasing her new album “Forbidden Fruit Lounge” better described as a fusion of her American and Brazilian heritage.

Bossa Nova

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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

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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

Dream Dancing

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