Pamela Rose - Wild Women Of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:38
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:10)  1. I Don't Know Enough About You
(5:09)  2. That Ole Devil Called Love
(5:55)  3. Down Hearted Blues
(5:02)  4. I'm Not Missing You
(4:46)  5. What A Difference A Day Makes
(4:09)  6. Wild Women (Don't Have The Blues)
(4:58)  7. Bruised Around the Heart
(4:25)  8. And Then Some
(3:31)  9. A Fine Romance
(4:30) 10. My Silent Love
(5:01) 11. I'm In the Mood For Love
(3:36) 12. Can't We Be Friends
(5:03) 13. Close Your Eyes
(4:17) 14. If You're So Special

Pamela Rose would make one helluva politician. She's already a firmly established jazz and blues vocalist bearing a slight physical and musical resemblance to Bette Midler. And like Midler, Rose infuses her live and recorded performances with non-stop energy. The political reference involves her fifth release, sub-titled "Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era." She is not only paying lip service to the likes of Peggy Lee and the lesser-known Dorothy Fields, but the seldom-heard-of Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter, and (thanks to Lee Hildebrand's encyclopedic notes) Bernice Petkere, once known as "the queen of Tin Pan Alley," who wrote "Close Your Eyes;" "The Girl Gershwin," Dana Suesse, who wrote "My Silent Love;" and one who actually worked with Gershwin, Kay Swift, who wrote "Can't We Be Friends." Pam has become a swinging lobbyist, and we're the beneficiaries. No attempt here to channel anyone; Pamela Rose simply honors them with her own approach to all 15 tracks. 

Pianist Tammy Hall provides a 1920s environment for Rose on "Down-Hearted Blues. Mat Catingub comes up with an R & B big band sound for the title track; and he is literally beside himself for "I Get The Blues When It Rains," playing keyboards, saxes, and dubbing a number of voices (himself and Gayle Wilhelm), for a hip vocal cushion behind, and with, Rose. Don't think the accent is on blues. Rose pulls out all the stops for this session: scatting with Hammond B-3 organist Wayne De La Cruz on "I'm In The Mood For Love;" alternating between Latin and straightahead jazz with De La Cruz on "Close Your Eyes;" tenorist Joe Cohen helps Pamela get down and dirty on "If You're So Special," one of three originals by Rose. As infectious as her raucous numbers are, her most memorable singing is devoted to ballads such as "What A Difference A Day Made," "Can't We Be Friends," "And Then Some," and particularly "My Silent Love." The latter is heightened by the sensitive backing of guitarist Mimi Fox. It all adds up to nearly 69 minutes of well-balanced entertainment mixed with heartfelt, female-centric jazz anthropology. ~ Harvey Siders   

http://jazztimes.com/articles/25543-wild-women-of-song-pamela-rose

Wild Women Of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era

---

Hal Galper Trio - Airegin Revisited

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:09
Size: 156,4 MB
Art: Front

(11:23)  1. Embraceable You
( 6:09)  2. Ascendant
( 7:28)  3. One Step Closer
( 9:27)  4. Ambleside
( 8:44)  5. Melancholia
(10:57)  6. Conception
(13:59)  7. Airegin

Hal Galper's Airegin Revisited is exhilarating. The pianist has been working at his artistry for more than a half century, and he is moving surely into the "elder statesman of jazz" category, riding the furious wave of several distinctive and idiosyncratic trio recordings. Galper, like alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and pianist Martial Solal, has gone deeper into the music than seems possible, taking a great many standards and unleashing them, reshaping the familiar tunes with his unwavering vision into a new art. Galper has, in recent years, found a new home at Origin Records, offering a discography Furious Rubato (2007), Art-Work (2009) E Pluribus Unum (2010) and Trip the Light Fantastic (2011) that gets better and more compelling, with each subsequent release. He has also found two likeminded musical brothers in bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, versatile and sophisticated players who can keep up with his rubato concept, one of playing loose and free with tempo and harmony even structure twisting the familiar forms like a rubber band, then pulling them back and letting them fly free. 

Opening with an eleven minute-plus take on George Gershwin's "Embraceable You," the trio shifts shapes and colors, playing with the melody in a joyous exploration that slips, near the end, into a brief straight reading. The floating "One Step Closer," a Galper original inspired by Brazilian harmony, finds Johnson and Bishop laying down a subtle and graceful rhythm, with the pianist going into a sparkling Erroll Garner groove in his solo. Galper did what he calls his "post-graduate work" in Sam Rivers' band in the mid-sixties, and played on the saxophonist's A New Conception (Blue Note, 1966). Homage is paid to the teacher on Rivers' "Melancholia." Rivers was a rule-breaker, and student Galper learned lasting lessons, with the trio's version paying homage by slowing things down to evoke a sense of loss at Rivers' passing near the end of 2011. In another homage, Galper closes the disc with saxophone legend Sonny Rollins' title track. A fourteen-minute tour de force with, Bishop's cymbals steaming, and Johnson, bowing, it adds a viscous underpinning to an exuberant finale to this stunning album.    ~ Dan McClenaghan  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=43489#.U0WjF1dSvro
 

Personnel: Hal Galper: piano; Jeff Johnson: bass; John Bishop: drums.

Airegin Revisited

---

Hugh Masekela - The Americanization Of Ooga Booga

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:33
Size: 97,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:05)  1. Bajabula Bonke (Healing Song)
(6:38)  2. Dzinorabiro (The Good Old Days)
(5:22)  3. Unhlanhla (Lucky Boy)
(5:29)  4. Cantelope Island
(5:25)  5. U-Dwi (Song To My Father)
(0:27)  6. Masquenada
(4:04)  7. Abangoma (Song Of Praise)
(7:00)  8. Mixolydia

Getting Americanization of Ooga Booga released was evidently akin to pulling teeth, because MGM Records' president was convinced it would be a bomb what Hugh Masekela and his band had played at this early-1965 gig at the Village Gate was jazz, but it was too African-based for American tastes, so the label chief maintained. What he missed was the infectious joy woven through every note of music here, which was enough to carry any kind of music from anyplace in the world over any unfamiliar patches, including the language, melodies, references to events, and places on the other side of the world; if this was to be New Yorkers' (and the recording world's) introduction to South African music, it was made incredibly genial and accessible, even from a jazz standpoint. The influence of Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard can be heard, along with McCoy Tyner in the playing of pianist Larry Willis, and he shows his debt to John Coltrane as an inspiration on "Mixolydia" as well as his affinity for Brazilian music on "Mas Que Nada." But the core sound was what Masekela called "township bop" his short trumpet bursts, sometimes seemingly approaching microtonal territory, are engrossing celebrations of the melodies of his repertory, which is mostly of South African origin (including a pair written by his then-wife, Miriam Makeba). 

Among the latter, the opening number, "Bajabula Bonke," aka "Healing Song," got its first airing on record here  it would later receive a bolder performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, comprising one of that event's numerous musical highlights, but where that later performance streaked and soared, this one starts out slowly and quietly, exquisitely harmonized and rising gradually and gently like a glider catching rising winds; it's impossible to fully appreciate the Monterey performance without hearing this one. With Herbie Hancock's "Cantelope Island" providing one firm reference point in the American jazz idiom, the set really wasn't that removed from 1965 listeners, as its stronger-than-expected sales proved. The later CD reissue (The Lasting Impressions of Ooga Booga), comprising this set and The Lasting Impressions of Hugh Masekela, is the best way to get this material, but the LPs make fascinating artifacts of an era when South Africa was just being discovered by the rest of the world. ~ Bruce Eder   http://www.allmusic.com/album/americanization-of-ooga-booga-mw0001304086

The Americanization Of Ooga Booga

---

Carolyn Leonhart & Wayne Escoffery - Tides Of Yesterday

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:14
Size: 156,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Better Next Time
(7:38)  2. The Sweetest Sounds
(5:47)  3. Sometimes I'm Happy
(5:24)  4. Never Never Land
(3:54)  5. You Must Believe In Spring
(6:38)  6. The Harbor
(6:37)  7. Eclipse
(9:18)  8. Big Noise New York
(5:08)  9. Where There Is Love
(5:24) 10. Straight To You
(6:53) 11. Infinity

Vocalist Carolyn Leonhart and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery are a young husband-and-wife team, and Tides of Yesterday is their second recorded partnership. And a partnership it is, because this CD (as the liner notes say) is not about a "vocalist with a band or a band with a guest vocalist." Leonhart's sultry and expressive voice acts, at times, as another instrument, contributing scatting and wordless vocals. Both have worked with the band members Toru Dodo (acoustic and electric piano), Hans Glawischnig (bass), Donald Edwards (drums), Jeff Haynes (percussion) and Adam Rogers (guitar) over the years, so the interplay between all of them is tight and intuitive. The material includes choices from the standard songbook, jazz classics and three originals with lyrics by Leonhart. 

The jazz classic standout is Charles Mingus' "Eclipse" (a piece Escoffery plays regularly with the Mingus Orchestra and Big Band), capturing the eerie, moody feeling of the solar phenomenon with the sensitivity of Leonhart's lyric reading and Rogers' playing. Notable also is a bluesy "Sometimes I'm Happy," where Leonhart and Escoffery feature a call-and-response section and some blistering saxophone work. But perhaps the real highlight is "Big Noise, New York," a good song by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan fame, Leonhart being part of that band's touring ensemble). The reading grabs the attention from the opening moments to the long fadeout, with Leonhart's richly textured voice and Escoffery's energetic fills. Whether it be for the individual talents of Leonhart, Escoffery and their band mates, their interactions, or the arrangements of the material, more than one listen is needed to appreciate the entire musical tapestry here. ~ Marcia Hillman   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=36476#.U0Ss5VdSvro 

Personnel: Carolyn Leonhart: vocals; Wayne Escoffery: tenor and soprano saxophones; Toru Dodo: piano and Fender Rhodes; Adam Rogers: guitar (2, 7); Hans Glawschnig: bass; Donald Edwards: drums; Jeff Haynes: percussion (2, 6, 7, 10).

Tides Of Yesterday

---

Helen Sung - Sungbird

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:38
Size: 98,7 MB
Art: Front

(1:50)  1. Prelude
(2:23)  2. Tango
(1:12)  3. Preamble
(6:29)  4. Shall We Tango
(2:10)  5. Malaguena Miniatura
(3:16)  6. Malaguena
(3:42)  7. Serenata
(6:10)  8. Sungbird
(3:35)  9. Capricho Catalan
(3:28) 10. Capricho American
(5:50) 11. Free Fusion
(2:27) 12. Encore - Zortzico

Pianist/composer Helen Sung could have played it safe. After offering up two fine straight ahead jazz outings  Push (Blue Moon, 2004) and Helenistique, (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006), the expectation was "more of the same." And that would not have been a disappointment. Though the New York based artist came to jazz late during her college years, after early studies in classical music she came out swinging sweet and lovely on those first two discs. With Sungbird (After Albeniz), the artist takes off on a different tangent, returning, to an extent, to her classical roots. Sung performs Spanish pianist/composer Isaac Albeniz' six piece work for solo piano, Espana, along with her own loose interpretations of the work in six original compositions employing a sax and rhythm section jazz quartet and added percussionist.

Sung describes Espana as: "...beautifully-written pieces that were distinctive, simple yet profound, concise and with room for adaptation." They are all of that; and so are her compositions. Her six pieces tint the jazz sound with a classical hue. The title tune has a light, airy swing Marcus Strickland, on soprano sax, is awesome here, with a sweet, delicate strength to his tone and "Capricho American," following Albeniz' "Capricho Catalan," is arranged with a string quartet steeped-in-the-blues feeling check out Reuben Roger's bass moving back and forth from bowed to plucked, with Strickland's tenor sax floating over the top.

"Shall We Tango" has a gentle momentum, a light bounce in its step, with Sung splashing gorgeously in front of drummer Nasheet Waits' soft, insistent rumble, while "Free Fusion" begins with Sung soloing in an abstract mode before the quartet joins her and finds a groove. The Albeniz/Sung, classical/jazz tunes are interwoven, highlighting the differences and similarities of the sounds. Sung says: "Jazz certainly uses elements of classical music, but it definitely is its own thang," (she's from Houston). And then she goes and marries the two forms into a beautiful union. ~ Dan McClenaghan   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26737#.U0Xw9ldSvro

Personnel: Helen Sung: piano; Marcus Strickland: tenor and soprano saxophones; Reuben Rogers: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums; Samuel Torres: percussion.

Sungbird

---

Chris Botti - To Love Again

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:44
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Chris Botti - Embraceable You
(5:05)  2. Chris Botti Feat. Sting - What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(5:41)  3. Chris Botti Feat. Paula Cole - My One And Only Love
(3:12)  4. Chris Botti Feat. Michael Bublé - Let There Be Love
(3:59)  5. Chris Botti - What's New
(6:13)  6. Chris Botti Feat. Jill Scott - Good Morning Heartache
(4:38)  7. Chris Botti - To Love Again
(4:01)  8. Chris Botti Feat. Paul Buchanan - Are You Lonesome Tonight
(4:50)  9. Chris Botti Feat. Gladys Knight - Lover Man
(4:18) 10. Chris Botti Feat. Billy Childs - I'll Be Seeing You
(3:46) 11. Chris Botti Feat. Renee Olstead - Pennies From Heaven
(5:07) 12. Chris Botti Feat. Rosa Passos - Here's That Rainy Day
(4:22) 13. Chris Botti Feat. Steven Tyler - Smile

Clearly a ballad album, To Love Again combines Chris Botti's warm trumpet tone and immaculate articulation with strings on a program designed to cure what ails ya. Guest vocalists make the session appeal to a broad audience, while the trumpeter's focus on his intimate ensemble interpretations remains its healthiest feature. His trumpet mastery has developed into a cornucopia of rich fascination. With familiar standards such as "I'll Be Seeing You," "What's New?" and "Embraceable You," Botti lets his open horn shower its melody as if from on high. Gracefully moving from phrase to phrase with a seamless fragrance, the trumpeter enjoys a vocal-like presence that speaks everybody's language. Throughout the history of civilization, ballads have defined communication in its purest form. From the earliest sacred works to opera, folk, pop and rock, the ballad has always held its own. Botti communicates in that universal language that we've been talking about for ages. 

His original "To Love Again" purrs quietly with a smooth, muted trumpet texture that glides stealthily in the night. If Romeo were to enlist the support of this quintet, he'd win Juliet's heart during the overture; before the curtain ever rises. Botti's guest vocalists prove convincing. Michael Bublé swings with a Sinatra swagger. Paula Cole adds heartfelt passion, while Sting questions with sincere honesty. Jill Scott turns in a hip interpretation of "Good Morning, Heartache" that recalls Billie Holiday (just a little). Paul Buchanan expresses with breathy over-emotion, while Gladys Knight turns in a beautiful interpretation of "Lover Man." She's matched with Botti's golden open horn in a teary-eyed adventure. Rosa Passos sings quietly with a hushed presence, while Steven Tyler closes the album with an aching "Smile." Young Renee Olstead sings an old song, "Pennies from Heaven," with a hearty big band arrangement backing her. She, Botti, and the band swing with a jovial mood that contrasts with the rest of the program. It's one of the best tracks, too, putting the trumpeter in the role of Harry James. Ballads make the world go 'round. Chris Botti can be welcomed into every living room, every automobile sound system, and every portable set of earphones, because he communicates freely in a language that we can all understand. ~ Jim Santella   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=19527#.U0SaB1dSvro

Personnel: Chris Botti: trumpet; Billy Childs: piano, Fender Rhodes; Anthony Wilson: guitar; Robert Hurst, Arnie Somogyi, Christian McBride: bass; Billy Kilson, Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Paulinho da Costa: percussion; Heitor Pereira: guitar (2); Dean Parks: guitar (13); Brian Bromberg: bass (14); Richard Cottle: Hammond organ (10); Greg Phillinganes: Fender Rhodes (6); Peter Erskine: drums (10); Paula Cole: vocal (3); Michael Bublé: vocal (4); Sting: vocal (2); Jill Scott: vocal (6); Steven Tyler: vocal (14); Gladys Knight: vocal (10); Renee Olstead: vocal (12); Rosa Passos: vocal (13); Paul Buchanan: vocal (8); London Session Orchestra 2005.

To Love Again

---

Dexter Gordon - Silver Blue

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:25
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:22)  1. On The Trail
(13:33)  2. Allen's Alley  (aka Wee, etc.)
(19:29)  3. Silver Blue

Recorded at the same session as True Blue, this Xanadu LP gets the edge due to a remarkable version of "On the Trail" that is a fascinating unaccompanied duet by tenors Al Cohn and Dexter Gordon. Cohn and Gordon are joined by pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes for a heated and competitive version of "Allen's Alley" and then the group becomes a septet with the addition of trumpeters Blue Mitchell and Sam Noto for a sidelong 19½-minute "Silver Blue," a slow blues. Highly recommended for bop fans. ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/album/silver-blue-mw0000920266

Personnel:  Dexter Gordon (saxophone) & Barry Harris (piano) & Louis Hayes (drums) & Sam Jones (bass) & Blue Mitchell (trumpet) & Sam Noto (trumpet)

Silver Blue

---

Keith Ingham - Rockin' In Rhythm

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 64:30
Size: 147.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:00] 1. Days Of Wine And Roses
[4:22] 2. Oh, Lady Be Good
[4:20] 3. Buttercup
[4:23] 4. Just A Mood
[3:14] 5. Delaunay's Dilemma
[5:35] 6. Lonely Town
[5:12] 7. Holy Land
[4:52] 8. I Surrender Dear
[4:50] 9. Devil's Island
[3:36] 10. Try A Little Tenderness
[4:56] 11. Rockin' In Rhythm
[3:41] 12. Little Man, You've Had A Busy Day
[6:07] 13. Canadian Sunset
[5:16] 14. Voce Abusou

The listener is struck by the high quality tunes Keith Ingham has chosen for his Arbors trio session, "Rockin' in Rhythm". From show tunes by the likes of Mercer, Gershwin and Bernstein, to out and out jazz tunes by Walton, Ellington, Shorter, Shearing and Lewis, to the melancholy closing theme by Jobim, Ingham has fashioned a varied and satisfying session.

The pianist himself embraces the world of both swing and bop, but nothing here sounds forced or rushed, or too slow for that matter. Keith Ingham matches his abundant technique with equally abundant taste, and sounds totally in control, expressing his musical thoughts with warmth, personality and swing. Ingham's trio is completed by Frank Tate on bass and Steve Little on drums, and they back up the pianist with finesse and groove at every tempo. For an idea of what this whole CD is like, sample "Days of Wine and Roses", "Delaunay's Dilemma", and "Try a Little Tenderness."

Keith Ingham's "Rockin' in Rhythm" reinforces the musical virtues and the listening pleasures of the piano trio format. Excellent and highly recommended. ~John Tapscott/amazon

Recording information: Nola Studios, NYC (10/08/2010).

Rockin' In Rhythm

---

Jodi Stevens - Girl Talk

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:59
Size: 114.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. Girl Talk
[6:26] 2. It Never Entered My Mind
[4:13] 3. Lover Come Back To Me
[4:35] 4. Blue Gardenia
[4:40] 5. Foolin’ Myself
[4:26] 6. Angel Eyes
[3:18] 7. I’m A Woman
[4:48] 8. He Was Too Good To Me
[3:14] 9. Come On-A My House
[4:37] 10. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
[3:26] 11. More Than You Know
[0:57] 12. Girl Talk

Jodi Stevens has a warm voice, a straightforward delivery, and a swinging style, although she does not improvise that much. For this set she is joined by an excellent jazz quintet that includes pianist Ted Rosenthal, the colorful trumpeter Lew Soloff, and Andy Parsons on tenor. Although the repertoire consists of standards, there are some offbeat choices, including "Blue Gardenia," "I'm a Woman," "He Was Too Good to Me," and the novelty "Come on a My House"; the latter did not really need to be revived! Throughout this well-paced program, Stevens sounds confident and does a fine job with the diverse material. Worth checking out. ~Scott Yanow

Girl Talk

---

Chris Montez - The Standards And More

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:23
Size: 113.1 MB
Styles: Pop, Easy Listening
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:38] 1. The More I See You
[2:33] 2. Call Me
[2:14] 3. Day By Day
[1:43] 4. Fly Me To The Moon
[2:06] 5. One Note Samba
[2:17] 6. Time After Time
[2:34] 7. Going Out Of My Head
[2:41] 8. Sunny
[2:29] 9. Yesterday
[2:46] 10. Our Day Will Come
[2:16] 11. Foolin Around
[2:23] 12. Because Of You
[2:40] 13. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[2:59] 14. Once I Loved (O Amor Em Paz)
[2:36] 15. Girl Talk
[2:50] 16. Where Are You Now
[2:06] 17. The Face I Love
[2:38] 18. Nothing To Hide
[2:18] 19. I Will Wait For You
[2:26] 20. Love Is Here To Stay

Chris Montez (born January 17, 1943) is a Mexican-American singer. Initially known as a rock n roll artist, Montez became one of the most important chicano rockers following the tragic passing of Ritchie Valens, his mentor. Montez had a #4 hit in the US with the 1962 single “Let’s Dance”. Later, he was reinvented as a middle of the road easy listening singer, boasting a slew of Hot 100/Adult Contemporary crossover hits, predominantly renditions of jazz standards such as “The More I See You”, “There Will Never Be Another You”, and “Time After Time”.

Born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez in Los Angeles, California, Montez was brought up in Hawthorne, California. His early musical influences included the latino music played and performed by residents of his neighborhood, as well as Ritchie Valens. After the release of the highly successful “Let’s Dance” on Monogram Records, Montez spent several years touring with artists such as Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, as well as The Beatles, then relatively unknown outside of Liverpool.

The Standards And More

---

Sue Tucker - May I Come In

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:21
Size: 89,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. The Best Thing for You
(4:12)  2. If You Don't See It Too
(5:12)  3. May I Come In
(3:54)  4. It Could Happen to You
(2:32)  5. Like Someone in Love
(2:50)  6. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life
(2:39)  7. You Turned the Tables on Me
(2:48)  8. Long Ago (And Far Away)
(2:46)  9. Any 'Ol Thing That You Like
(3:10) 10. I'll Remember April
(4:15) 11. The Gentleman Is A Dope

Good things come in small packages! With May I Come In, Minnesota jazz singer Sue Tucker provides nine standards and two original compositions with a first class group of musicians. She harkens back to an era when girl singers, like Chris Connor or June Christy, just sang without gimmicks or artifice, melisma or multi-tracking. Also, there are no show-stopping vocal techniques or three octave range'and if you're looking for improvisational vocalese or scatting techniques, they're not here. What makes this album work is that Sue Tucker knows how to swing these tunes. Tucker comes from a musical family. Her father, Jack Oatts, was one of Iowa's first jazz educators; her brothers are trumpeter Jim Oatts and the much recorded reedman Dick Oatts. The singer also has woodwind training and experience. 

The presence of such A-List personnel as Dick Oatts, Ted Rosenthal, Joe Magnarelli and John Mosca also enhance the album. The session begins smartly with Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing For You," with a tasty Mosca trombone solo, and continues with Tucker's own ballad "If You Don't See It Too," with Oatts taking a lyrical alto spot. The title tune, a rather obscure Fisher-Segal ballad, is followed by a number of brightly arranged visits with the Great American Songbook. The torch song "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life" is taken at an usually bright tempo but it seems to work. Her two compositions mesh perfectly with the other tunes. An earlier recording, Meant to Be , from 2000, was also self-produced and likely difficut to find. ~ Michael P.Gladstone   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=13830#.U0iSIVdSvro
 

Personnel: Sue Tucker,vocals; Dick Oatts, woodwinds; John Mosca, trombone; Joe Magnarelli, trumpet; Ted Rosenthal, piano; Kent Saunders,bass; Andy Watson, drums; Marc Anderson, percussion.

May I Come In

---

Anita Wardell - Straight Ahead

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:41
Size: 120,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:03)  1. It could happen to you
(5:53)  2. Young and Foolish
(4:48)  3. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(4:21)  4. Jackie
(4:18)  5. The thrill is gone
(5:46)  6. Humpty Dumpty Heart
(4:54)  7. I've got just about everythin
(5:12)  8. But not for me
(5:47)  9. We kiss in a shadow
(5:02) 10. Memories of you
(3:34) 11. East of the Sun

Great Britain has long been a fertile ground for singers and an awesome lot they are. Among the better known are Norma Winstone (the grande dame of English jazz singers), Carol Kidd, expatriate American Stacey Kent, Clair Martin and Jan Ponsford. Susannah McCorkle's career also blossomed there. Now we have Australian born Anita Wardell cutting her first album in England for the British record company, 33Jazz. I wish I could report that Ms Wardell belongs in this select group. But based on this recording, she is not quite there yet. The major problem is that she tends to get a bit shrill with the high notes as on "Young and Foolish". But this small problem should not be difficult to correct. Ms Wardell has a great sense of tempo and good diction which she employs with vigor to a play list of mostly standards along with some songs one doesn't hear too often these days. Ergo, we have "Humpty Dumpty Heart" made famous by Ray Eberle and the Glenn Miller Orchestra with their 1941 recording. Then there's the Frank Sinatra/Tommy Dorsey 1940 hit, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams". 

The wonderful Claude Thornhill Orchestra made a fine recording of this Jimmy Van Heusen/Jimmy Burke tune. "Jackie" by Hampton Hawes and to which Annie Ross added lyrics and like Ms Ross, Wardell does it vocalese style and quite well. Wardell also engages in some serious scatting on this tune. The remaining tunes are offered in a variety of styles mostly to a medium to up tempo beat. "The Thrill Is Gone" is the designated "let's do something with a Latin beat" tune. Ms Wardell's somewhat coy little girl voice goes nicely with such tunes as "We Kiss in a Shadow" and "It Could Happen to You". But it's her interpretation of "But Not for Me" where Ms Wardell's potential as a top flight vocalist becomes apparent. Kicking off with an interplay between Wardell, bass and drums with the piano coming in after the first chorus along with the introduction of some intelligent, well-placed scatting, this tune is the highlight of the album. While Ms Wardell possesses all the tools to become a good singer, she is still a work in progress. She's getting there, but has not reached the point where her performances are consistently at a high level. ~ Dave Nathan   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=6048#.U0dBoFdSvro

Personnel: Anita Wardell - Vocal; Jason Rebello - Piano; Arnie Somogyi - Bass; Marc Meader-Drums

Straight Ahead

---

Carlene Carter - Carter Girl

Styles: Country
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 106,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. Little Black Train
(3:28)  2. Give Me The Roses
(4:31)  3. Me And The Wildwood Rose
(4:23)  4. Blackie’s Gunman
(4:47)  5. I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight
(2:41)  6. Poor Old Heartsick Me
(5:18)  7. Troublesome Waters
(5:28)  8. Lonesome Valley 2003
(3:55)  9. Tall Lover Man
(3:17) 10. Gold Watch And Chain
(2:49) 11. Black Jack David
(2:44) 12. I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow

A great legacy can be a blessing and a curse, and when your mother is June Carter and your stepdad is Johnny Cash, you're going to have a lot to live up to in the minds of most folks. Carlene Carter has built a pretty remarkable career for herself as a vocalist, and after a dark period she made an impressive comeback with 2008's Stronger. But it's rare when a critic or biographer doesn't mention Carter's place in one of country music's founding families, and on 2014's Carter Girl, she embraces their vital role in country music's history while also putting her own stamp on their body of work. Ten of the 12 songs on Carter Girl were written by members of the Carter Family, the trio that wrote and recorded some of country's defining music in the '20s and '30s, while one of the remaining selections, touching on the death of Johnny and June, was adapted by Carlene Carter and Al Anderson from an old Carter Family classic ("Lonesome Valley"), and the other is a poignant tale of her grandparents' scuffling days before they rose to stardom ("Me and the Wildwood Rose"). When Carlene Carter sings about her family, one can hear the love and respect in her voice, as she seems to be in awe of them as much as any of us, and the two originals are deeply moving, but her interpretations of the Carter Family's songbook are also heartfelt and impressive. 

There's as much rock and blues as country in her takes on "Little Black Train," "Blackie's Gunman," and "Blackjack David," but Carter approaches these songs as something fresh and vital, and she fills them with her own fearless spirit, and when she takes a more traditional route on "Give Me the Roses" and "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight," she sounds strong yet compassionate, melding her strength with the sorrowful tone of the lyrics. And producer Don Was has brought out the best in Carter, matching her up with a top-notch band (including Greg Leisz on steel and electric guitar and Jim Keltner on drums) and bringing in Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, and Kris Kristofferson for memorable vocal cameos. On Carter Girl, Carlene Carter has confronted the mighty legacy of the Carter Family's songbook and allowed it to strengthen her music rather than buckling under its weight, and this ranks with her finest recorded work to date. ~ Mark Deming   

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=9135439&style=music&fulldesc=T

Carter Girl

---

Joscho Stephan - Swing News

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:12
Size: 122.3 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:25] 1. Swing News
[3:03] 2. I'll See You In My Dreams
[2:18] 3. I've Had My Moments
[4:20] 4. Caravan
[2:16] 5. Les Yeux Noirs
[2:25] 6. Crazy Valse
[2:38] 7. All Of Me
[4:25] 8. Sweet Georgia Brown
[2:45] 9. China Boy
[3:42] 10. Body And Soul
[4:04] 11. Mocca
[2:13] 12. Stompin' At Decca
[2:55] 13. Sweet Sue
[3:52] 14. November Night
[3:00] 15. Dinah
[4:43] 16. Black Orpheus

German Gypsy prodigy Joscho Stephan set the Gypsy jazz world alight with his debut album, 1999’s Swinging Strings. The CD was dazzling in its fresh playing, handful of original compositions, and the fact that the whole album was a collection of first takes. Stephan’s second CD was eagerly awaited. This new disc has its highlights as well as its letdowns. After proving that he can play guitar on his first album, Stephan now appears to want to see how fast he can play it. Some of the songs here are machine-gun melodies that lose any sense of musicality, like the breakneck version of Les Yeux Noirs that is largely a medley of every other Gypsy Jazz guitarist’s best solos and clichéd licks. Other cuts are downright bizarre in their choice of stylings. The version of Sweet Georgia Brown features a slapped electric bass solo that would be more at home on a George Clinton Funkadelic album. It’s downright strange. And then there is Stephan’s version of Caravan that is ethereal in its beauty—and worth the cost of the CD alone. Stephan can obviously play guitar with the best of them. He also has an original style when he works at being himself and not aping Django Reinhardt or the other masters. And ultimately the highlights here outshine the oddities. It will be interesting to see what Stephan chooses to do on his next album. —Michael Dregni

Swing News

---

Shirley Horn - I Remember Miles

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:05
Size: 121.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[ 5:34] 1. My Funny Valentine
[ 5:40] 2. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[ 4:59] 3. Summertime
[ 7:23] 4. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
[ 3:39] 5. This Hotel
[ 3:39] 6. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
[ 5:30] 7. Basin St. Blues
[10:39] 8. My Man's Gone Now
[ 5:59] 9. Blue In Green

No thanks to the paucity of musical genius in the latter half of the 1990s, tribute albums to the departed just kept pouring forth, although in Shirley Horn's case, she was repaying an old personal debt to her subject. After all, it was Miles Davis who originally got Horn out of D.C. in 1960 as his opening act at the Village Vanguard and contributed his trumpet to one of her comeback albums (1990's You Won't Forget Me). Not only that, Horn's understated, laconic, deceptively casual ballad manner is a natural fit for the brooding Miles persona, and she doesn't have to change a thing in this relaxed, wistfully sung, solidly played collection. She doesn't actually perform any Davis compositions; everything here consists of standards that Miles covered or transformed in the 1950s, including three numbers from Porgy and Bess. Roy Hargrove adds his effective muted Miles imitations on "I Fall In Love Too Fast" and open flurries on "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'"; and Toots Thielemans makes like a long, lonesome train whistle on "Summertime." Former Davis cohorts Ron Carter and Al Foster join the rhythm section in a remarkably searching, extended "My Man's Gone Now," the only track which takes note of the electric music that consumed so much of Miles' output (in this case, inspired by the We Want Miles version, not the more familiar Gil Evans interpretation). In a sad way, the very idea of a Miles tribute is an oxymoronic denial of the ever-restless spirit of this genius who didn't believe in looking backwards. But Shirley Horn certainly serves the man's sensitive side well. ~Richard S. Ginnell

I Remember Miles

---

Jimmy Raney - In Three Attitudes

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:14
Size: 167.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:35] 1. So In Love
[4:27] 2. Indian Summer
[3:59] 3. Fanfare
[5:17] 4. Last Night When We Were Young
[4:58] 5. On The Rocks
[4:12] 6. Passport To Pimlico
[4:51] 7. Strike Up The Band
[5:17] 8. Up In Quincy's Room
[4:05] 9. Isn't It Romantic
[4:30] 10. How Long Has This Been Going On
[4:19] 11. No Male For Me
[4:10] 12. The Flag Is Up
[4:10] 13. Get Off That Roof
[4:02] 14. Jim's Tune
[4:57] 15. No One But Me
[4:16] 16. Too Late Now

Two of Jimmy Raney's most remarkable albums make up this set. The performances on the first feature Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, and Red Mitchell, all felicitous choices, since, in addition to being compatible and inventive soloists, their presence adds to the tonal palette and avoids the similarity in tonal color of most guitar records. But Raney also shows that his superiority in the quick, alert swinging of the up tempo tunes is balanced by his lyric work on the ballads. For the second album he teamed up once again with Brookmeyer, adding Osie Johnson, Teddy Kotick, adding pianists Dick Katz and Hank Jones, who combine taste and imagination with swinging time, on four tunes each. Among the several virtues of this quality example of the art of improvisation on relatively challenging thematic-and-chordal structures is the lucidity and logic with which all here approach, develop, and round off their solos. And, as with all of Raney's work, the music is polished, coherent and formidably well conceived and performed.

In Three Attitudes

---

Holly Shelton - Errand Girl for Rhythm

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 87,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. I'm an Errand Girl for Rhythm
(5:18)  2. When October Goes
(3:09)  3. Why Don't You Do Right?
(4:48)  4. Sophisticated Lady
(3:46)  5. The Frim Fram Sauce
(3:06)  6. Beale Street Blues
(3:22)  7. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
(3:49)  8. Guess Who I Saw Today
(3:33)  9. The Rose Of Washington Square
(3:04) 10. Some Other Time

Rave reviews and repeat engagements are the norm for this six-foot tall beauty. Holly studied piano, guitar, violin, and ballet, earned a BFA in Theatre Performance, practices Pilates, and has totally mastered the art of Singer/Entertainer. She can turn on her southern charm, the ditsy humor displayed in “Jeopardy” TV commercials, the tasty touch of a Heinz Ketchup spot, the great body displayed in Clint Eastwood’s “Heartbreak Ridge”, the mellifluous voice on a nostalgic Bob Hope show, and the spell binding virtuosity that captivates everyone within earshot  all the while moving like satin from table to table, turning heads, and winning hearts. Based for several years at the 4-Diamond Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama, she is in demand at jazz festivals, cabaret venues, organizational gatherings, et al. Stunning shows and costume accessories pizzazz the act and punctuate her versatility. From Memphis to Morocco to the Mediterranean, whether accompanied by piano alone, or with her eclectic group of exciting musicians, every event becomes special indeed. Audiences tap their toes and enthusiastically clap their toes for Holly. ~ Bio  http://www.last.fm/music/Holly+Shelton/+wiki

Personnel: Holly Shelton (vocals); Tim Jackson (flugelhorn, trombone, tuba); John Wynn (drums).

Errand Girl for Rhythm

---

Al Cohn - Play It Now

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 39:47

Size: 92,5 MB

Art: Front

(6:08)  1. You're My Everything

(9:47)  2. Lover

(5:00)  3. Play It Now

(6:56)  4. Irresistable You

(6:16)  5. Georgia on My Mind

(5:39)  6. It's Sand, Man

Tenor saxophonist Al Cohn did some of his finest playing during his period (1975-80) with Xanadu. For this quartet set, Cohn is ably backed by the great bop pianist Barry Harris, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Alan Dawson. Cohn, who had spent much of his career as a successful arranger/composer, contributed only one of the six numbers ("Play It Now") on the album and was content to jam spiritedly on such tunes as "Lover," "Irresistible You" and "It's Sand, Man." ~ Scott Yanow   

http://www.allmusic.com/album/play-it-now-mw0000897852.

Personnel:  Al Cohn tenor sax, Barry Harris piano, Larry Ridley bass, Alan Dawson drums

Play It Now

---

Martina McBride - Everlasting

Styles: Country
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:25
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
(3:51)  2. Suspicious Minds
(3:32)  3. If You Don't Know Me By Now
(2:20)  4. Little Bit of Rain
(3:34)  5. Bring It on Home to Me (feat. Gavin DeGraw)
(2:58)  6. Come See About Me
(3:51)  7. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
(3:48)  8. I've Been Loving You Too Long
(3:06)  9. Wild Night
(2:39) 10. In the Basement (feat. Kelly Clarkson)
(3:09) 11. My Babe
(2:42) 12. To Know Him Is to Love Him
(4:48) 13. By Your Side (Bonus Track)
(4:28) 14. Perfect (Bonus Track)

Contemporary country singer Martina McBride rose to stardom in the late '90s, starting out with a more traditionalist approach and later moving into more pop-friendly territory. She was born Martina Mariea Schiff in 1966 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, and discovered country music through her father, who led a local band called the Schifters. By her teen years, she was singing and playing keyboards with the Schifters, and after high school she gigged around Kansas with several different bands. She married soundman John McBride, and in 1990 the couple moved to Nashville, where John worked for artists like Charlie Daniels and Ricky Van Shelton. Martina, meanwhile, worked as a demo singer and enlisted her husband to produce her demo tape, which got her signed to RCA in 1991. Around the same time, John was hired as Garth Brooks' production manager, which helped land Martina an opening slot on tour with Brooks.  Her debut album, The Time Has Come, was released in 1992, offering a set of songs indebted to traditional honky tonk and progressive-minded country-folk. The pop-inflected 1993 follow-up, The Way That I Am, was her commercial breakthrough, with the lead single "My Baby Loves Me" zooming up the country charts to the number two position. The affecting story-song "Independence Day" became something of a signature number, and another single, "Life #9," also reached the Top Ten. 

McBride's 1995 follow-up, Wild Angels, gave her a second Top Five hit in "Safe in the Arms of Love," and its title track became her first-ever number one single. Released in 1997, Evolution became her first Top Ten country album, and the Jim Brickman duet "Valentine" not only went Top Ten, but crossed over to become her first big hit on the adult contemporary charts. Evolution went on to spawn two number two hits ("Happy Girl" and "Whatever You Say") and two number one hits ("A Broken Wing" and "Wrong Again"), and sold over two million copies, launching McBride into the top rank of country stardom. She issued a Christmas album in late 1998 and returned with a proper follow-up, Emotion, in 1999. Its lead single, "I Love You," hit number one on the country charts and also crossed over to adult contemporary radio, and the follow-ups "Love's the Only House," "There You Are," and "It's My Time" were all successful as well (the first two also reached the Top Ten).  The Greatest Hits compilation released in 2001 was the first McBride album to top the country charts, and sold well enough to make the pop Top Five as well. It contained four new tracks, all of which were eventually released as singles; "Blessed" hit number one, and "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues" and "Where Would You Be" both reached the Top Ten. The self-titled Martina from 2003 celebrated womanhood, while 2005's Timeless was a collection of country classics; both became Top Ten album hits, the latter reaching number three. Waking Up Laughing appeared in 2007 from RCA Records. The CD/DVD set Live in Concert was issued in 2008, followed by Shine in 2009 from RCA. McBride next moved to the Republic Nashville label, which released her 11th studio album, the aptly named Eleven, in 2011. Returning to the studio at the end of 2013, McBride started recording her 12th album, 2014's Everlasting. Produced by Don Was, Everlasting was a departure that found McBride singing mainly soul and R&B covers, including Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and the Supremes' "Come See About Me," and featured a duet with Kelly Clarkson on Etta James' "In the Basement."~Bio https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/martina-mcbride/id215278#fullText

Everlasting

---

Marty Grosz & Orphan Newsboys - Rhythm For Sale

Styles: New Orleans Jazz Revival
Year: 1996
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 67:35
Size: 109,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. Rhythm For Sale
(4:17)  2. Satan Takes A Holiday
(3:20)  3. Miss Annabelle Lee
(5:39)  4. Del Mar Drag
(4:05)  5. In A Little Spanish Town
(4:35)  6. Up Jumped You With Love
(4:33)  7. Rose Fo The Rio Grande
(4:35)  8. Ready For The River
(4:14)  9. Twenty-Four Hours A Day
(3:42) 10. Happy Feet
(5:04) 11. I Found A Million-Dollar Baby
(4:10) 12. I Love You
(3:21) 13. Let Yourself Go
(4:30) 14. Popinjay
(3:18) 15. One, Two, Button Your Shoe
(3:59) 16. Make Believe

Guitarist/vocalist Marty Grosz made a long string of rewarding and very enjoyable recordings for Jazzology throughout the 1990s. This particular CD features him in six settings from three different occasions, playing in settings ranging from a quartet to an octet. Ranging from classic jazz to small-group swing, the music features such notable players as cornetist Peter Ecklund, Dan Block (on alto and clarinet), clarinetist Bobby Gordon, Scott Robinson on reeds and pianist Keith Ingham among others. Grosz, who takes vocals on five of the 16 numbers, sounds typically joyful as he leads the troops through such numbers as "Satan Takes a Holiday," "Miss Annabelle Lee," "Happy Feet," "Let Yourself Go" and "Make Believe." Easily recommended to pre-bop jazz collectors. ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rhythm-for-sale-mw0000727953.

Personnel: Marty Grosz (vocals, guitar); Peter Ecklund (whistling, cornet); Jack Stuckey (clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Daniel Block (clarinet, alto saxophone); Bobby Gordon (clarinet); Scott Robinson (alto clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Vince Giordano (bass saxophone); Pierre Calligaris (piano); Keith Ingham (celesta); Hal Smith , Arnie Kinsella (drums).

Rhythm For Sale

---