Rossano Sportiello, Harry Allen, Joel Forbes - I Walk With The Music: The Hoagy Carmichael Songbook

Size: 163,9 MB
Time: 70:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Mainstream Jazz
Art: Front

01. Moon Country (6:37)
02. In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (5:17)
03. I Get Along Without You Very Well (3:21)
04. New Orleans (7:17)
05. The Nearness Of You (5:49)
06. I Walk With Music (5:22)
07. Two Sleepy People (3:55)
08. Rockin' Chair (6:36)
09. One Morning In May (5:53)
10. Georgia On My Mind (6:37)
11. April In My Heart (6:32)
12. Jubilee (4:24)
13. Skylark (2:47)

What does Hoagy Carmichael’s music sound like in your mind? I think of leaves rustling and water flowing over small stones; I think of a musical playfulness allied with deep feelings, sadness and joy. His music has been given life on a million pianos and by tens of millions of singers and instrumentalists — but it is sublimely expressed on a new CD by the trio of Harry Allen, tenor saxophone; Rossano Sportiello, piano; Joel Forbes, string bass.

I WALK WITH MUSIC: THE HOAGY CARMICHAEL SONGBOOK is both familiar and fresh, both embracing and sweetly surprising. Harry, Rossano, and Joel are masters of small-group playing: each of them is a superb soloist, able to entrance us all by himself. But they excel at swing synergy, so that this trio is much more than the three soloists assembled in a room. Their deep empathy for Hoagy’s melodies comes through: they do not use the chord changes as a reason to convert the composer’s deep melodic lines into a series of ninths and thirteenths. Indeed, this CD is a master class in singing through instruments.

I Walk With The Music

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Ike Moriz - At Last

Size: 118,6 MB
Time: 50:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Blues/Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Devil Is Real In Your Mind (3:11)
02. To Cape Town (2:38)
03. Smooth And Nice (4:31)
04. At Last (3:49)
05. Forevermore (2:56)
06. Senorita Blues (3:16)
07. This Could Be Love (3:21)
08. It Ain't Necessarily So (4:12)
09. Think I'm A Millionaire (3:49)
10. Until Their Lights Are Out (Alien Blues) (2:58)
11. Hound Dog (2:46)
12. Disillusion Blues (4:26)
13. Georgia On My Mind (3:30)
14. These Eyes Are Not Yours (2:55)
15. You Are My Sunshine (2:26)

Ike Moriz takes the Blues to South Africa & brings it back to the world with a fresh new face! Since releasing his latest album in 2012, South Africa's international singing sensation Ike Moriz has written exciting new material in the blues rock genre for his 14th studio album to date - the title: 'AT LAST'. Moriz has taken the blues 'To Cape Town' - his home of choice (and the title of one of his new songs) at the southernmost tip of Africa where he rounded up some of the best musical talent the country has to offer to create his version of classic blues. Inspired by his recent marriage, the birth of his daughter and his tour through Southern Europe & Northern Africa, he has crafted an array of songs reflecting these experiences of the past 2 years.

The album opens with a song that already sounds like it could be a classic blues standard: 'The Devil Is Real In Your Mind'. Minimalist, clear & strong lyrics with a highly dynamic arrangement to get Ike's message across. The song is followed by the aforementioned 'To Cape Town', an upbeat blues folk/rock song about arriving in Ike's hometown - one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you are looking for Ike's typical tongue-in-cheek stories, then look out for 'Think I'm A Millionaire', 'Disillusion Blues' and 'Until Their Lights Are Out (Alien Blues)'.

Besides his original songs we can also find a couple of covers in fresh new arrangements like Horace Silver's classic jazzy 'Señor Blues' with slightly altered lyrics to fit ike's message, as well as Gershwin's Porgy & Bess rebel 'It Ain't Necessarily So'. Moriz also breathes new life into the 1952 Elvis hit 'Hound Dog' and Hoagy Carmichael's standard 'Georgia On My Mind' with the incredibly gifted navy big band leader Willie van Zyl on saxophone and clarinet. The CD ends on a high note with a song that most parents have sung to their children: 'You Are My Sunshine' by Oliver Hood.

The general theme of the album can be summarised with the words 'At Last'. Have a listen to find out why!

At Last

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Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart - Ramshackle Serenade

Size: 146,0 MB
Time: 62:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Roach (5:46)
02. Luiza (8:37)
03. Simple As That (7:02)
04. Ramshackle Serenade (4:30)
05. Mr. Meagles (8:18)
06. Sweet And Lovely (7:43)
07. Blue Sway (8:18)
08. Useless Metaphor (6:12)
09. Peace (5:51)

Personnel:
Larry Goldings: hammond organ
Peter Bernstein: guitar
Bill Stewart: drums

This trio is an unusual camaraderie of world-class players. From the moment you first hear the trio you can sense the deep respect the musicians have for one another. Three musicians who never make a big deal about what they are up to, thereby generating an infectious strength through their extraordinarily subtle control of all the musical parts. Their intensely sensual music grooves and glistens. With the trio's extensive use of the music's dynamic possibilities, the passion and joy of this amazingly versatile instrumental lineup is there for all to hear. Sophisticated music - just let yourself go, and enjoy.

Ramshackle Serenade

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Sammy Nestico & The SWR Big Band - Basie Cally Sammy

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 74:09
Size: 169.7 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Dimensions in Blue
[3:23] 2. Sweet Georgia Brown
[6:30] 3. 88 Basie Street
[4:15] 4. Fancy Pants
[4:58] 5. Time Stream
[4:19] 6. No More
[5:00] 7. Li'l Ol' Blue Note
[6:47] 8. High Five
[4:57] 9. Ja-da
[2:24] 10. The Heat's On
[3:33] 11. Samantha
[5:22] 12. Ain't Nobody Gettin' Younger
[3:51] 13. Satin Doll
[5:33] 14. It's a Wonderful World
[6:47] 15. How Sweet It Is
[4:06] 16. Wind Machine

Some people are born to rule, others to serve. Sammy Nestico, it seems, was born to swing. From his early years as chief arranger for the US Air Force Airmen of Note and later for the irrepressible Count Basie Orchestra, Nestico prized swinging above all else, and that's no less true on Basie-cally Sammy, his warmhearted homage to the Count with Germany's superlative SWR Big Band, which marks their second collaboration in as many years. The album swings buoyantly from start to finish, thanks to Nestico's intrepid charts and the SWR's casual mastery of them.

There are a number of old favorites here—classic charts like "Sweet Georgia Brown, "88 Basie Street, "Fancy Pants, "Ja-Da, "The Heat's On, "Satin Doll, "It's a Wonderful World, "How Sweet It Is and "Wind Machine (the last a "bonus track recorded in concert)—and several charming newcomers as well, most notably "Time Stream, "No More, "Li'l Ol' Blue Note, "High Five and "Ain't Nobody Gettin' Younger (even though, at age 81, Nestico doesn't appear to be gettin' any older either). The band gives each one an exhilarating ride, swinging like Basie while sounding like SWR.

The ensemble comes out smokin' on Nestico's "Dimensions in Blue, which I believe was written for the Airmen of Note (if memory serves, it may still be their theme song), and unleashes more of its awesome firepower on the voluptuous "Georgia Brown. After introducing "Georgia," pianist Klaus Wagenleiter, one of a bevy of impressive soloists, is featured on the ambling "88 Basie Street, alto Klaus Graf on "Samantha, tenor Axel Kühn on "No More and "The Heat's On. Trumpeter Don Rader, who has either relocated from Australia or was imported especially for this date, is the flugel soloist on "Satin Doll and is heard again, on trumpet, with Wagenleiter, bassist Decebal Badila, alto Steffen Weber and Kühn (flute) on "How Sweet. Others who step up to the plate and swing for the fences are trombonists Marc Godfroid, Ian Cumming and Ernst Hutter; trumpeters Karl Farrent and Claus Reichstaller; tenor Andi Maile; baritone Pierre Paquette; guitarist Klaus-Peter Schöpfer, and drummer Holger Nell. Schöpfer fills rhythm guitarist Freddie Green's shoes nicely, while Nell has no problem sitting in for Sonny Payne, Butch Miles and Basie's other renowned timekeepers.

This is a dynamic blowing session, one you don't have to love Basie to appreciate. And when Sammy says he hasn't "had this much fun in years, it's a clear indication of his happiness with SWR's respect for his music, not to mention the ensemble's remarkable ability to transcribe it. This is "basie-cally big band jazz with an unequivocal kick, precisely the kind that the irrepressible Kid from Red Bank gave free rein to and ardently endorsed.

Sammy Nestico: music director; Felice Civitreale, Claus Reichstaller, Karl Farrent, Rudolf Reindl, Don Rader: trumpet; Klaus Graf: alto sax, clarinet, flute; Steffen Weber: alto sax, flute, alto flute; Axel Kohn, Andreas Maile: tenor sax, flute, alto flute; Pierre Paquette: baritone sax; Marc Godfroid, Ernst Hutter, Ian Cumming, Georg Maus: trombone; Klaus- Peter Schopfer: guitar; Klaus Wagenleiter: piano; Decebal Badila: bass; Holger Nell: drums.

Basie Cally Sammy

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Tammy McCann - Classic

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:55
Size: 114.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Happy Talk
[4:22] 2. Candy
[3:37] 3. Boy From Ipanema
[6:03] 4. Nearness of You
[4:17] 5. Autumn Leaves
[4:08] 6. Ese Domani
[3:35] 7. Black is the Color
[4:05] 8. Cherokee
[6:01] 9. Lush Life
[5:18] 10. When I Fall in Love
[5:33] 11. The Masquerade is Over

When asked to describe Tammy McCann’s voice, Chicago saxophonist Von Freeman declared, “Everyone who hears her loves her. She’s a natural talent”. A bold proclamation from a renowned musician, but McCann fulfills, even surpasses, claims of her vocal prowess. Following her performance at a recent Mahalia Jackson tribute, McCann obliged new found admirers with autographs and copies of her latest CD, aptly entitled “Classic”. Packed with moving renditions of jazz masterpieces, “Classic” effectively reaffirms the admirable sentiment of Von Freeman and others. According to Chicago pianist Ramsey Lewis, listeners are not left aching for traditional versions of the selections on “Classic.” Instead, Mr. Lewis depicts McCann as a “performer who knows how to get the most out of” a chart, by breathing “new life into [the] evergreens” of the vocal jazz tradition. The album commences with a Latin tinged version of the Rogers and Hammerstein favorite “Happy Talk”, allowing Tammy to demonstrate clarity and precision at a challenging tempo. While the tempo may relax on subsequent ballads like Nina Simone’s “Black is the Color” or Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life”, the emotional intensity remains.

Classic

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Teddy Wilson - Live At The King Of France Tavern, September 1978

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:21
Size: 177.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:25] 1. Don't Be That Way
[3:57] 2. Sweet Georgia Brown
[3:52] 3. Birth Of The Blues
[3:21] 4. Memories Of You/Poor Butterfly
[2:44] 5. I Got Rhythm
[3:31] 6. Sophisticated Lady/Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[5:19] 7. In A Sentimental Mood/Perdido
[6:29] 8. Lush Life/Take The 'a' Train
[4:43] 9. Whispering
[3:05] 10. Shiny Stockings
[5:56] 11. One O' Clock Jump
[1:25] 12. Moonglow
[2:33] 13. Moonglow
[3:43] 14. Avalon
[4:37] 15. Basin Street Blues
[3:44] 16. It Don't Mean A Thing
[4:30] 17. The Man I Love/Our Love Is Here To Stay
[3:46] 18. Who Cares
[5:31] 19. St. Louis Blues

This album contains an exciting new find, a previously unreleased and unknown live performance by the immortal Teddy Wilson. It was recorded in September 1978 in the historic King of France Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland in a trio with bassist Bill Nelson and drummer Bill Reichenbach. It features Wilson at the peak of his powers.

Live At The King Of France Tavern

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Joel Paterson - Handful Of Strings

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:07
Size: 87.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[1:57] 1. speedin' north
[2:16] 2. Twin Guitar Shuffle
[2:32] 3. Pensacola Rhythm
[2:50] 4. After You've Gone
[2:53] 5. Swingin' Easy
[2:28] 6. Northern Gentlemen
[2:48] 7. Callin' The Cat
[2:42] 8. La Paloma
[3:07] 9. Flyin' Low
[2:59] 10. Seven String Ride
[3:12] 11. Blue Steel Serenade
[2:48] 12. Mabie's Rock
[2:49] 13. Fender Freeze
[2:41] 14. King Freddie's Blues

There once was a time when the “multiple guitar” style of recording flourished, pioneered by Les Paul and carried on by such luminaries as Buddy Merrill and Jorgen Ingmann. With the invention of multi-track recording, the adventuresome guitarist could create lush, swirling guitar orchestras, all overdubbed through a labor-intensive studio process.

Somewhere along the way, the multiple guitar recording went out of vogue. Joel Paterson seeks to change all that with this phenomenal release, reviving the lost art of multiple guitar recording with “Handful of Strings,” the best album of its kind since Buddy Merrill left the Lawrence Welk Show.

Paterson is a monster player from Chicago who seems to soak up all the great American music styles like a sponge, and you’ll hear them all here, from jazz to blues to country and rock—and even funk.

“Handful of Strings” is essential listening for any guitar geek and a must for anybody who digs guitars and guitar music. All hail Joel Paterson, Chicago’s guitar geek extraordinaire!

Handful Of Strings

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George Shearing, Dakota Staton - In The Night

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:00
Size: 77,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:14)  1. From Rags To Richards
(2:57)  2. I'm Left With The Blues In My Heart
(2:20)  3. Pawn Ticket
(2:02)  4. In The Night
(2:42)  5. Easy
(2:28)  6. I Hear Music
(3:47)  7. Senor Blues
(2:44)  8. Confessin' The Blues
(2:18)  9. Later
(3:06) 10. The Thrill Is Gone
(2:33) 11. The Late, Late Show
(2:42) 12. I'd Love To Make Love To You

With its progressive-leaning jazz and modernist blues vocals, In the Night was the prototype for the piano-vocals collaboration record that George Shearing would remake with Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson while at Capitol (and many others afterwards). In July 1957, just after Dakota Staton's immense success with "The Late, Late Show," Capitol recorded two of its biggest jazz stars together for what would turn out to be one of the finest teamings in either's career. Staton appears on every other song, lending her blend of post-bop vocal prowess and late-night melodrama to a set of well-chosen songs including "In the Night" and "I Hear Music." (Ironically, the version of "The Late, Late Show" heard here is an instrumental.) 

Shearing and Staton are joined by the pianist's group at the time, including Emil Richards on vibes, the splendid Toots Thielemans on guitar, and a few features for Latin percussionist Armando Peraza. The group's finest features are the opener, "From Rags to Richards," a fine Shearing original with excellent solos from Richards and Shearing, and Ray Bryant's "Pawn Ticket," with fine work from Thielemans and Richards. ~ John Bush   http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-night-mw0000030492.

Personnel: George Shearing (piano); Dakota Staton (vocals); Emil Richards (vibraphone); Toots Thielemans (guitar); Al McKibbon (bass); Perry Brice (drums).

In The Night

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Baby Face Willette - Stop and Listen

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:29
Size: 99,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:14)  1. Willow Weep for Me
(7:43)  2. Chances Are Few
(5:13)  3. Jumpin' Jupiter
(4:40)  4. Stop and Listen
(7:19)  5. At Last
(5:25)  6. Soul Walk
(4:51)  7. Work Song

Probably the greatest set in Baby Face Willette's all-too-slim discography, Stop and Listen matches the organist with the hugely sympathetic team of guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon (the same trio lineup who recorded Green's debut LP, Grant's First Stand). With no saxophonist this second time around, it's just Willette and Green in the solo spotlight, and they play marvelously off of one another. As a soloist, Willette has a nimble, airy touch, and though he owes no debt to the modal style of Larry Young, he has a greater melodic imagination than many of his instrument's straight blues players. What's more, his playing is far less in-the-pocket than his inspiration, Jimmy Smith's; Willette can really make a groove percolate, whether he's soloing or adding keen rhythmic interest with his left hand (witness the throbbing slow blues of "Chances Are Few" or the marching beat of "Soul Walk"). 

Green is in prime form as well, in particular contributing some unbearably lovely solos to the standard "At Last." Nearly every selection is memorable, with other highlights coming from Willette's manic original "Jumpin' Jupiter," a breezy treatment of "Willow Weep for Me," and Nat Adderley's jauntily swinging "Worksong." There's nary a bit of sleepy meandering on this set of grooves; each musician is plugged in and ready to wail. With Blue Note's extraordinary stable of talent, it's a shame that Willette never led another session for the label, which makes Stop and Listen that much more essential for soul-jazz fans. ~ Steve Huey   http://www.allmusic.com/album/stop-and-listen-mw0000118136.

Personnel: Baby Face Willette (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Ben Dixon (drums).

Stop and Listen

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The Bonzo Dog Band - Pour l'Amour des Chiens

Styles: Pop/Rock
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:29
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:01)  1. Pour L'Amour Des Chiens
(2:41)  2. Let's All Go To Mary's House
(3:16)  3. Hawkeye The Gnu
(2:20)  4. Making Faces At The Man In The Moon
(0:20)  5. Fiasco
(3:11)  6. Purple Sprouting Broccoli
(4:19)  7. Old Tige
(1:58)  8. Wire People
(0:46)  9. Salmon Proust
(3:26) 10. Democracy
(4:41) 11. I Predict A Riot
(4:29) 12. Scarlet Ribbons
(0:28) 13. Paws
(0:06) 14. And We're Back
(3:24) 15. Stadium Love
(2:41) 16. Mornington Crescent
(0:26) 17. L'Essence d'Hooligan
(3:08) 18. Early Morning Train
(4:36) 19. My Friends Outside
(2:30) 20. For The Benefit Of Mankind
(2:43) 21. Beautiful People
(3:55) 22. Ego Warriors
(0:14) 23. Cockadoodle Tato
(3:53) 24. Tiptoe Through The Tulips
(3:36) 25. Sweet Memories
(0:18) 26. Sudoku Forecast
(4:58) 27. Now You're Asleep
(0:51) 28. Jean Baudrillard

Just when you thought every Sixties band had reformed, the old anarchists pop up to reprise their distinctive mix of jazz and silliness - with Stephen Fry replacing the late Vivian Stanshall. The end product is predictable - think BBC2's Grumpy Old Men set to music and only half amusing. There are some gems, however: a nutcase version of 'I Predict a Riot' - 'Once I Get My Homework Done'; a cover of the Jim Reeves homage to a ghost dog, 'Old Tige'; and the mournful 'Early Morning Train', sung over dimwits shouting down mobile phones. ~ Robin McKie    http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/nov/11/popandrock.shopping4

Pour l'Amour des Chiens

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Call for help!

Dear friends,

I want to inform you, if you don't know already, about this horrible situation that is happening in my little country Serbia. There is a link where you can read something more about it. I want to ask you to help by sharing this story with anyone who can help. Situation is really serious and we need any help we can get. Read more

You can donate at http://www.floodrelief.gov.rs/eng/

Thank you in advance,
muddy

Man Overboard - All Hands On Deck (Bonus Tracks)

Size: 191,3 MB
Time: 82:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Gipsy Swing
Art: Front

01. Honeysuckle Rose (3:11)
02. That Old Feeling (4:50)
03. It Ain't Right (3:46)
04. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (4:03)
05. I Found A New Baby (4:13)
06. All Of Me (3:41)
07. Avalon (3:26)
08. Lullaby Of The Leaves (4:18)
09. Me Myself And I (3:38)
10. St James' Infirmary (6:11)
11. Hummin' To Myself (4:09)
12. Jubilee (2:30)
13. Topsy (4:17)
14. I'll See You In My Dreams (4:06)
15. The Old Man Of The Mountain (3:40)
16. How High The Moon (4:12)
17. You're A Heavenly Thing (3:15)
18. Premier Bal (2:49)
19. Tu Djaial (4:28)
20. Palm Springs Jump (2:51)
21. Puttin' On The Ritz (4:19)

Swing. But which swing? According to London-based quintet Man Overboard, debut album All Hands On Deck is full of "Hot Vintage Swing." According to Duke Ellington, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Which begs the crucial question, does Man Overboard have that swing?

Man Overboard (not to be confused with the American pop punk band of the same name) formed in January 2011. It's the brainchild of guitarist Jean Marie Fagon, who moved from Paris to the UK in 1980. Violinist Thomas Gould is classically trained—a heritage that's readily apparent on his intro to "I Found A New Baby." Clarinetist Ewan Bleach and singer Louisa Jones have worked together in a range of outfits from the folkier end of the spectrum including Whiskey Moon Face.

Jones' voice is a wonderous thing. At once plaintive and hard-edged it's a distinctive and engaging sound—Billie Holiday meets Betty Boop? Fagon is happy with the role of rhythm guitarist, for which thanks should be given long and loud. His swinging, bright, chords are at the heart of Man Overboard, keeping the beat and driving the tempos. Bassist Dave O'Brien grabs the chance to create some fluid, melodic lines, secure in the knowledge that Fagon has things covered.

Bob Rothberg and Joseph Mayer's "It Ain't Right," made famous by Stuff Smith, is perhaps the finest example of the Man Overboard sound. It gets its groove from Fagon and O'Brien, Bleach and Gould add two fiercely swinging solos and trade four bar phrases with relish (apparently the clarinetist and violinist were getting extremely competitive during the recording of this track). Jones delivers the lyric with a breathless fervour: so eager to pour out her feelings that she seems to nstart one word before finishing the previous one—Sebastian Scotney of LondonJazz describes it in his sleeve notes as "Northumberland glottal stop." Whatever it is that's being done may not be right but it seems to be doing the trick.

Things calm down for instrumental versions of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and "How High The Moon," the band's relaxed approach to both of these classics suggestive of lazy, gin-soaked afternoon parties.

"Lullaby Of The Leaves" and "I'll See You In My Dreams" showcase the band's more romantic side. "St James Infirmary"—let's face it, not the world's greatest party tune—is as downbeat and gloomy as it should be, Bleach's clarinet and the instrumentalists' backing vocals adding to the despair Jones so readily transmits. Even in the midst of this despair the sheer quality of the performances is uplifting.

All Hands On Deck is 18 tracks of pure joy. Hopefully Ellington is sitting somewhere with his own copy, tapping his foot, smiling and thinking "Ah, yes. It's got that swing." ~Bruce Lindsay,

Personnel: Louisa Jones: vocals; Thomas Gould: violin, whistling (6), backing vocals; Ewan Bleach: clarinet, vocals (7), backing vocals; Jean-Marie Fagon: guitar, backing vocals; Dave O'Brien: double bass, backing vocals.

All Hands On Deck

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Jeff Cascaro & Hr-Bigband - Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home

Size: 108,9 MB
Time: 46:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Soul
Art: Front

01. That Old Black Magic (3:14)
02. A Sleepin' Bee (4:35)
03. My Shining Hour (5:30)
04. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (3:24)
05. Let's Fall In Love (4:24)
06. Stormy Weather (4:38)
07. I've Got The World On A String (3:51)
08. Over The Rainbow (5:38)
09. Come Rain Or Come Shine (3:32)
10. One For My Baby (4:14)
11. Two Ladies In De Shade Of De Banana Tree (3:53)

Jeff Cascaro, born in 1968, started his career at the young age of 18 as the winner of a youth jazz contest. He gained experience as a background singer and guest musician with the NDR and Rias Big Bands, as well as with German stars like Ute Lemper, die Fantastischen Vier, Sasha, Joe Sample of the Crusaders, Götz Alsmann, Klaus Doldinger's band Passport, the Guano Apes, and Paul Kuhn – just to name a few, as they stand for Cascaro's wide spectrum in music of different genres. One thing that has never changed about him is that he unmistakebly wears his heart right next to his soul. Since 2000 the versatile practicioner also works academically: he is a professor of jazz singing at the "Franz List" Conservatory in Weimar. His CD debut in his own name was carefully prepared by Cascaro – here he showed at last what it means to him to have the Soul of a Singer. His 2nd album "Mother and Brother" was released in 2008. This album dealt with the fateful ups and downs in life. His 3rd LP "The Other Man" will be released in February 2012.

Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home

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Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte - The New Standard

Size: 134,4 MB
Time: 57:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Clarissa (4:06)
02. Minor Soul (6:18)
03. Step Lively (6:45)
04. Clearing (4:50)
05. Trek (4:09)
06. The New Standard (6:34)
07. I See No Leader (5:38)
08. Blue Shuffle (6:40)
09. All Things To All People (6:08)
10. Surrender The Chaise (6:26)

From a record label that’s decidedly askance from the mainstream, RareNoise dispenses with the noisy (Mumpbeak) and the experimental (Chat Noir) to release a record that’s, well, pretty darn jazzy. Entitled The New Standard, it features young New York Downtown pianist Jamie Saft as bandleader and chief composer, working out a handful of straight-ahead jazz charts with the venerable rhythm section of bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte.

Recorded and mixed on the fly, direct to ½-inch analog tape, The New Standard feels like a late night eavesdropping session from behind the living room drapes, as if the listener were a 12-year old kid, sneaking down the midnight stairs to hear the grownups kicked back with a little food, maybe a little wine and a whole lot of inspiration.

From Previte’s point of view, that’s very much how the session felt in the studio. "It was the simplest, chillest record I have ever done. We set up, went out and had a nice lunch, went back to the studio and three hours later it was all done in one take. It's kind of incredible it actually worked out as it did. And my 1965 Rogers Holiday model tubs, which I got when I was 14 years old, have never, and probably will never sound better. The sound is so full, so creamy I feel like licking it!"

For Saft, whose Plymouth collaboration with Joe Morris we reviewed back in April, the relaxed atmosphere of the recording session started with Previte’s idea they’d work off of simple strong structures. "Bobby suggested that I put together simple structures for us to use as starting points," he explains. "I tried to put together pieces that were super soulful and honest. I wanted compositions that would highlight Steve's absolute mastery of melody and Bobby's incredibly soulful approach to groove. They took my simple pieces and made them into grand structures on which to improvise. Beginnings and endings were all improvised and this gives the album a special type of magic."

The New Standard begins with “Clarissa,” the first of seven Saft compositions included in this 10-song set. As with all the tunes on the record, it’s a compact no-nonsense, sparsely appointed jazz tune, this one built on Previte’s shuffling brushes and Swallow’s easy going electric bass in support of Saft cuddling up to all the notes he could find behind the back beat. “Minor Shuffle” is a head-bobbing, body-weaving waltz that’s not really a waltz, anchored by the booming bass drum of Previte’s Rogers Holidays, a comfortably melodic tune with no overtly showy improvisational choices from Saft’s corner of the room.

“Step Lively,” one of three trio-penned tunes of The New Standard, boasts Previte’s heavy right foot and Swallow’s subtle yet gritty bass playing in a modified Latin blues configuration…until they kick into a straight swing groove about midway through the tune. "Clearing," another band co-write, is a straight-ahead slow blues hallelujah, a time to get religion, with Saft wheeling out the B3 and the swirling Leslie cabinet. “Trek” sounds like a tall walk up a slow hill, around the corner from that restaurant in Chinatown, Saft’s flittery piano playing the part of the noodles and Previte’s bass drum going “kung pow.” The title cut’s not the most interesting tune on the record but its successor, “I See No Leader” is a fun, double-time swing set that may well be an homage to that white plastic tape that spins around the recording hub before the session rolls in earnest.

Though it was the first musical meeting of these three players – and their stellar engineer Joe Ferla – it sounds as if they’ve been playing together for years. So it goes with the legacy of jazz music, where like minds are usually meeting in spirit before they meet in person.

The New Standard is a classy record of cool compositions, played with style and fun and spirit. ~By Michael Verity

The New Standard

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Mindi Abair - Wild Heart

Size: 114,4 MB
Time: 49:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz, Pop/Rock, Soul
Art: Front

01. Amazing Game (With Tronbone Shorty) (4:20)
02. I Can't Lose (3:34)
03. Wild Heart (4:06)
04. Haute Sauce (3:16)
05. Train (3:26)
06. Kick Ass (5:36)
07. I'll Be Your Home (With Keb' Mo') (4:17)
08. The Shakedown (With Max Weinberg & Waddy Watchel) (3:48)
09. Kiddo's Revenge (4:25)
10. Addicted To You (With Booker T. Jones) (6:45)
11. Just Say When (With Gregg Allman) (5:32)

Mindi Abair is one of the most recognizable saxophonists on the music scene today. In addition to great solo albums over the years, she has been seen on American Idol as well as joining Aerosmith on their US tour over the past 2 years. Her new solo album will feature guests; Booker T, Greg Allman, Joe Perry, Keb Mo and Waddy Wachtel to name a few. As the guest list would suggest, this album plays on her jazz roots while expanding into a horn based pop/soul sound.

Wild Heart

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Kendra Shank & John Stowell - New York Conversations

Size: 135,6 MB
Time: 57:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Blue Skyes (6:15)
02. Throop (3:56)
03. Hard Travelin'/Motherless Child (5:25)
04. Rush Hour (1:24)
05. New York Conversations (4:28)
06. Ghost (3:35)
07. Silent Photographer (4:25)
08. My Romance (4:03)
09. Za-Zoh (3:55)
10. Songs & Lullabies (5:44)
11. Like Someone In Love (3:37)
12. Simple Pleasures (4:21)
13. Walk Talk (3:32)
14. I'll Be Seeing You (1:51)
15. Glad Mango (1:10)

At a time when it is often difficult to tell the difference between a supposed jazz vocalist and a run-of-the-mill Las Vegas lounge singer, when it comes to an artist like Kendra Shank there is never any question. Listen to her latest album, New York Conversations, a collaboration with guitarist John Stowell, due for an April 8 release. This is a jazz singer who plays her voice the way a Miles plays his trumpet, a Monk his piano, and Stowell is a musical match. They have put together an inventive hour of music that shows what a creative team can do when they have the confidence in each other to let themselves work freely outside the lines.

New York Conversations is not an album for those looking for the ordinary, the safe. This is music pushing the edge, and when you work near the edge, there is always the danger of falling off. Not to worry when it comes to Shank and Stowell. They push; they don’t jump. Of course when your set list includes completely improvised sink-or-swim pieces, you had better be on your game. With the exotic vocal phrasing and rhythmic strains of tracks like “Za-Zoh” and “Glad Mango,” the duo is clearly on the very top of its. As Shank describes the duo’s process in the liner notes, they find themselves “just sitting in silence until one of us hears a sonic idea that leads us down an unfolding, shape-shifting path,” in what she calls “the alchemy of collaboration.”shank and stowell

Still, the joy of inventive collaboration is not limited to the completely improvised pieces. Their original compositions and their work on standards is equally imaginative. Whether the skat opening to Rodgers and Hart’s “My Romance” or the haunting introduction to Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” which opens the album, Stowell and Shank take no prisoners. They work their magic from the songs’ openings to their conclusions.

Shank, an adept looper, uses her skills to add a variety of textures and colors to the performance even in the moment. Stowell, points to her skill “in using a loop station to create multiple voices and harmonies in real time.” Again, the emphasis is on spontaneity.

Original compositions range from the title song, which is simply a playful list of New York City neighborhoods leading to some vocal gyrations which some may find a bit affected, to the sensitive “Ghost,” a haunting lesson from beyond the grave. There is a lot of fine vocalese in Stowell pieces like “Throop” and “Simple Pleasures” with its hints of “Manhattan.”

If you’re looking for a musical experience that is out of the ordinary, New York Conversations is an album you need to hear.

New York Conversations

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Pat Martino - El Hombre

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:20
Size: 108.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1990/2007
Art: Front

[6:20] 1. Waltz For Geri
[5:41] 2. Once I Loved
[5:55] 3. El Hombre
[4:27] 4. Cisco
[4:54] 5. One For Rose
[8:00] 6. A Blues For Mickey-O
[5:47] 7. Just Friends
[6:13] 8. Song For My Mother

Guitarist Pat Martino's debut as a leader finds the 22-year-old showing off his roots in soul-jazz organ groups while looking ahead at the same time. Joined by organist Trudy Pitts, flutist Danny Turner, drummer Mitch Fine, and both Abdu Johnson and Vance Anderson on percussion, Martino primarily plays a straight-ahead set (five of his originals, "Just Friends," and "Once I Loved"), but already displays a fairly distinctive sound. This CD reissue brings back Martino's impressive start to what would be a productive solo career. ~Scott Yanow

El Hombre

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Helen Welch - Forever For Now

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:50
Size: 123.2 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:24] 1. Things We Said Today
[2:57] 2. Forever For Now
[4:29] 3. Fields Of Gold
[3:04] 4. You Can't Do That
[3:09] 5. It's Gonna Rain Today
[4:29] 6. Time After Time
[3:28] 7. She's Not There
[4:34] 8. Two For The Road
[3:22] 9. Waters Of March
[4:26] 10. That's How I Know I'm In Love
[3:40] 11. Downtown
[5:28] 12. Love Dance
[3:07] 13. Hallelujah I Just Love Him So
[3:09] 14. Hushabye Mountain

Helen Welch is a critically-acclaimed vocalist whose live stage performances explore a diverse range of musical compositions, starting with the 1930s up through present-day. Whether she’s singing Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan, or Elton John, Sting and Randy Newman, Helen’s sophisticated vocals and humor leave audiences breezily enchanted. The “Helen Welch experience” is perhaps best described by a fan who wrote on her Amazon page, “If you have a chance to see Helen perform, do it! You are in for a special treat.”

A native of England, Helen is well-known throughout the United Kingdom for her musical theatre roles and 1-woman shows. Upon moving to the U.S. in 2003, she began appearing in venues throughout the Northeast. Her unique talents for choosing songs that stand the test of time and making them her own, and her ability to intimately engage her audience, quickly earned her a large and devoted following.

"Forever For Now" is the follow up to Helen's CD "One Dream" which was a Huge Success! "Forever For Now" is a completely different listening experience and Helen describes it as an eclectic, melodic fusion of popular song and jazz. Helen has the knack for choosing songs that stand the test of time and then making them her own.

Forever For Now

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The Guess Who - Platinum & Gold Collection

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:59
Size: 96.1 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:42] 1. These Eyes
[3:44] 2. No Time
[3:25] 3. Undun
[3:52] 4. American Woman
[3:24] 5. Hand Me Down World
[3:06] 6. Broken
[2:24] 7. Albert Flasher
[4:03] 8. Sour Suite
[3:30] 9. Runnin' Back To Saskatoon
[4:42] 10. Glamour Boy
[2:37] 11. Star Baby
[3:24] 12. Dancin' Fool

The Guess Who's Platinum & Gold Collection boasts a tight 12-track sequencing and good notes from John Einarson ("the author of American Woman: The Story of the Guess Who"). While this does not really contain all the big hits -- "Laughing," "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature," and "Share the Land" are the most egregious omissions, but "Rain Dance" and "Clap for the Wolfman" are also missing -- there are plenty here, including "These Eyes," "No Time," "Undun," "American Woman," "Hand Me Down World," and "Albert Flasher."

Platinum & Gold Collection

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Charlie Hunter - Steady Groovin'

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:42
Size: 168.7 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[7:54] 1. Run For It
[5:58] 2. Rhythm Music Rides Again
[4:53] 3. Greasy Granny
[4:50] 4. Mean Streak
[6:30] 5. Nothin' But Trouble
[5:37] 6. Lively Up Yourself
[7:46] 7. The Shango Pt. III
[6:08] 8. Enter The Dragon
[5:35] 9. Two For Bleu
[6:28] 10. The Spin Seekers
[5:15] 11. Ashby Man
[6:42] 12. Fistful Of Haggis

Charlie Hunter turned in his last album for Blue Note, Songs From the Analog Playground in 2001 before moving over to Ropeadope. Several years down the line, the time seemed right for Blue Note to reinvigorate sales with Steady Groovin', a collection taken from Hunter's seven albums recorded for the label. With no real "hits" to speak of, the task simply became one of highlighting Hunter's phenomenal playing in the variety of settings he's recorded in, from a duo setting to a seven-piece band. While the choices may be arbitrary, compilation producer Eliott Wolf has done a fine job of selecting tunes that fit the title bill. He also wisely stayed away from the collaborative elements of Songs From the Analog Playground, where a number of vocalists joined the band, thereby keeping the focus squarely on Hunter. The non-chronological sequencing was a good choice, too: Steady Groovin' plays like an album, not just a collection of tunes, despite the changing lineups on nearly every track. Charlie Hunter is the undisputed king of the eight-string guitar, maintaining funky basslines while simultaneously playing leads or comping, and his technique is mind-boggling. But Hunter is about much more than technique: he's an agile improviser with an ear for great tone, and always has excellent players alongside him in order to make great music, not to show off. Steady Groovin' makes for an excellent introduction to the music of Charlie Hunter, but will probably just whet the appetite for more. ~Sean Westergaard

Steady Groovin'                 

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