Stephanie Nakasian With Harris Simon Trio - Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:57
Size: 160,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Lonesome Road
(4:37)  2. So In Love
(4:23)  3. Lucky So And So
(3:49)  4. Easy Street
(5:16)  5. Nica's Dream
(3:56)  6. I Concentrate On you
(4:33)  7. The End Of A Love Affair
(6:15)  8. Don't Blame Me
(5:31)  9. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(3:07) 10. Times Are Gettin' Tougher Than Tough
(6:49) 11. I'll Wind
(3:07) 12. Control Yourself
(5:44) 13. You And The Night And The Music
(4:24) 14. Zanzibar
(3:01) 15. Show Me The Way

I have to admit that normally the more traditional standard singer simply is not my cup of tea. I don't like tea. I do like Stephanie Nakasian! Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World is her new release which hits the street on June 19th 2012 on the Capri Records label and this release embraces everything good about vocal jazz while she is certainly well grounded in the past, Nakasian embraces the current as well as the future with a fearless virtuosity that you will not being hearing in your local hotel lounge anytime soon!  Joined by the Harris Simon Trio there is an intimacy to the recording as though you were the only one in the room. Opening with the stunning "Lonesome Road" there is an organic quality that seems to transcend genre and time itself. I first heard this tune on the old Andy Griffith show but not like this. Suddenly Nakasian breaks into a swing allowing pianist Harris Simon to stretch out and the release transforms itself from the wistful melancholy to a tune of joyous abandon with Nakasian's exemplary ability to scat and create a delightful texture of feel and allow the listener to become emotionally engaged. 

As a critic or jazz advocate as I prefer to be called, one knows age is beginning to catch up when standard singers are doing Van Morrison. The blues infused swing of Morrison's "Times Are Gettin' Tougher Than Tough" swings are and is an ebullient take on a tune that one remembers long after the last note has faded. "You And The Night And The Music" is a tender somewhat melancholy ballad that shows off Nakasian's pristine vocals and immaculate phrasing. Far from the more standard release we are treated to more traditional swing, bebop roots, vibrant poly rhythms and textured harmonic movement that takes what could be considered the more typical and elevates Nakasian to the level of special!  As vocal release go, Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World is easily one of the better eclectic releases of the year and certainly a new release to mark on your calendar! ~ http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/05/stephanie-nakasian-show-me-way-to-get.html

Personnel: Stephanie Nakasian: vocals; Harris Simon: piano; Chris Brydge: bass; Billy Williams: drums.

Show Me The Way To Get Out Of This World

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Greg Poppleton & The Bakelite Broadcasters - Sweet Sue

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:12
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:15)  1. Sweet Sue
(2:15)  2. Sweet Sue - Take 2
(3:04)  3. Blue Skies
(3:40)  4. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(5:30)  5. St Louis Blues
(2:37)  6. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
(3:53)  7. These Foolish Things
(3:37)  8. Walking My Baby Back Home
(3:41)  9. Carolina In The Morning
(4:22) 10. The Way You Look Tonight
(4:02) 11. As Time Goes By
(3:24) 12. I've Got The world On a String
(5:04) 13. Am I Blue
(4:51) 14. Am I Blue - Take 2
(3:48) 15. Blue Moon

Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters have released their latest album, titled, "Sweet Sue." The record is comprised of 15 tracks for an approximate total listening time of one hour. A return to the popular, early jazz era of the '10s, Roaring '20s and 1930s, "Sweet Sue" is great music performed the way it hasn't been done in a hundred years, and it's creating exclamation points among critics and music fans alike everywhere it goes. Australia's Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters (who take their name from a plastic created in 1907 used largely in radios) are not another latter-day swing-revival big band. This sound is earlier than Glenn Miller's. This is music F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby might have listened to, and it is entirely legitimate. Poppleton and his Bakelite Broadcasters are a genuine crew of "old souls," if any performer could ever be called such. Poppleton himself cites as main artistic influences a top-shelf roster: Louis Armstrong, Al Bowlly, Rudy Vallee, Annette Hanshaw, Bing Crosby, Rudi Schuericke, Alberto Rabiagliati, Skinnay Ennis, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Cab Calloway, Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, and Jim Davidson and his ABC Dance Orchestra. 

To those who don't know, the above list should at least prove that Poppleton isn't coming from the usual crowd of fanboys familiar with names like Krupa, James, Dorsey, and Goodman, all of whom are exceptionally popular titans of jazz by any account. But to those who do know, it's positively clear that Poppleton is a man of exceptionally good taste who really knows his records. When asked what possible message their new album may have in store for listeners, Poppleton states proudly, "'Sweet Sue' is a shared acknowledgement between listeners and Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters as to how we choose to fit in the contemporary music scene: 'Vive la différence!'" Ironically, the Broadcasters aren't finding such differences to be anything but a boon. Their 2012 album, "Doin' the Charleston," has become one of a very elite clutch of independent jazz records to be played on modern commercial radio. It has been listed as CD of the Week and Jazz CD of the Week on flagship metropolitan radio stations. They were Jazz Finalists at the 2013 MusicOz Awards. Also very much of note is the live essence of their "Sweet Sue" recording. Every take is entirely recorded live as a band, all at once as it was done in the 1920s and for decades afterward. 

The studio was cramped, forcing Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters to play barefooted, as their tapping feet were being picked up by microphones. Alternative takes have been included on the record as an added treat for their fans, many of whom may not have ever heard how the performance of a jazz number will shift from show to show. "[The alternative takes] show that Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters never play the same song the same way twice," writes a Poppleton representative. "It's real improvised jazz and swing - keeping this collection of classics from the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s energetic, exciting and fresh. We sincerely trust you'll enjoy, 'Sweet Sue.'"  http://www.bakelitejazz.com/reviews.html

Personnel:  Greg Poppleton: vocals; Paul Furniss: reeds; Al Davey: trumpet; Grahame Conlon: guitar; Darcy Wright: double bass; Lawrie Thompson: drums.

Sweet Sue

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Sigurdur Flosason & Kjeld Lauritsen - Nightfall

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:35
Size: 134,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. These Foolish Things
(5:40)  2. For You, For Me, Evermore
(6:52)  3. Angel Eyes
(5:42)  4. The Touch Of Your Lips
(5:31)  5. Skylark
(6:04)  6. Tea For Two
(6:27)  7. Too Late Now
(4:25)  8. Why Try To Change Me Now?
(6:28)  9. I Only Have Eyes For You
(4:39) 10. Young At Heart

A long time in a galaxy far, far away…There was a jazz label called Blue Note that truly put out “The Finest in Jazz Since 1939.” Every release was a 40 minute treat of some of the most heavenly music God ever allowed on the planet. Casual and yet exciting , the music was simple, sincere and swinging. Unfortunately, through the years, the Dark Forces took it over, causing it to surrender until the Princess Norah came and brought it back to life. It still exists, but under a different Prince with the Empire having returned to make it release material that includes hip hop and ….Country!!       

Once in awhile, members of the True Force return to remind people of the halcyon days of jazz, and knights Sigurdur Flosason/as and Kjeld Lauritsen/B3 are emissaries of the world of light through the healing powers of Storyville Records. Here, they team up with Jacob Fischer/g and Kristian Leth/dr to run through a deliciously intimate, swinging, bluesy and personal collection of standards. No frills, no gimmicks, no angst, no “edginess”…just straight music that you can listen to at any stage of your life and have it make you a better person for it. Flossason’s alto has that Paul Desmond airy lilt to it, Lauritsen is John Patton silky smooth, Fischer’s strings are tasty and succinct, and Leth is subtle and supportive. Smoky treatments of “These Foolish Things” and “Angel Eyes” create sonic moods of oozing clouds hovering through the hills, with Flosason’s alto glistening through like a morning sun. A duet with alto and guitar on “Skylark” have you not wanting it to end, and the only let-down is when the band gently joins in Flosason’s solo intro to “Young at Heart” at just the point where you hope that it’s totally him and him alone the entire journey.  If you want to know how far jazz has strayed from its zenith, listen to this and hope for the return of the Jedi. ~ George W.Harris   http://www.jazzweekly.com/2013/05/ringer-of-the-weeksigurdur-flosason-kjeld-lauritsen-night-fall/

Personnel:  Sigurdur Flosason (alto saxophone), Kjeld Lauritsen (hammond b3), Kristian Leth (drums), Jacob Fischer (guitar)

Nightfall

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Nicholas Payton - Into The Blue

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:11
Size: 149,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:21)  1. Drucilla
( 7:26)  2. Let It Ride
(11:47)  3. Triptych
( 3:59)  4. Chinatown
( 6:13)  5. The Crimson Touch
( 6:01)  6. The Backwards
( 4:36)  7. Nida
( 4:36)  8. Blue
( 7:46)  9. Fleur de Lis
( 6:21) 10. The Charleston Hop

This is a strange mixture of an album. It includes passages of extraordinary and singular beauty and others of noodling anonymity. Practically all of the interest lies in trumpeter Nicholas Payton's performances; most of the blandness comes from his band. The two best tracks, "Drucilla" and "Chinatown," are so exquisitely gorgeous that they almost make up for the grey stuff. But they're outnumbered and it's a tough battle. The approximate dividing line is keyboard player Kevin Hays. Along with bassist Vicente Archer and percussionist Daniel Sadownick, Hays was a member of the larger group featured on Payton's previous album, the retro-fusion Sonic Trance (Warners, 2003). When Hays is on acoustic piano here, he brings something compelling to the party; when he's on Fender Rhodes, as he mostly is, he sticks to funk-lite vamps and ostinatos, and drifts his way through an overabundance of solo time as though on autopilot. He does this so unvaryingly that one can only imagine Payton approved. The slow, lonesome "Drucilla," the opening track, raises expectations heavenwards. It's in four distinct sub-sections. The first, Payton's theme statement and embellishment, is of almost unbearable poignancy; the second, where the bass and drums get busier behind Hays' muscular solo, is more assertive; the final two sections, accompanying Payton's extended solo, each raise the temperature further. Payton's improvisation, which begins in reflective, sorrowful mode, concludes with passion, fire and optimism. 

The mourner transforms into a celebrant, and your spirits rise alongside him. "Chinatown" and "The Crimson Touch," the first a bittersweet ballad, the second a skittish, off-center, mid tempo swinger, are the other two acoustic tracks, and almost as memorable. On the other tracks, Hays and the band only really get out of their comfort zone on "Nida." An Eastern-tinged, upbeat jam revisiting trumpeter Donald Byrd's and pianist Herbie Hancock's jazz-funk templates of the 1970s, it features Hays' most engaging electric solo, and an expansive, solid improvisation from Payton over a conventionally swinging middle section. Too often, on the remaining tracks, Payton's solo flights seem entirely independent of the musicians behind him. If Payton was to focus on the qualities which make "Drucilla," "Chinatown" and "The Crimson Touch" the creative triumphs that they are, we would have an album of truly majestic stature. He's demonstrably got it in him. Maybe next time. ~ Chris May   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/into-the-blue-nicholas-payton-nonesuch-records-review-by-chris-may.php#.U4Jm9Cioqdk 
 

Personnel: Nicholas Payton: trumpet; Kevin Hays: piano and Fender Rhodes; Vicente Archer: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums; Daniel Sadownick: percussion.

Into The Blue

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Chris Connor - A Jazz Date With Chris Connor / Chris Craft

Size: 176,9 MB
Time: 76:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Moon Ray (3:14)
02. Poor Little Rich Girl - Live At The Village Vanguard (2:46)
03. Just Squeeze Me (4:16)
04. Fancy Free (2:15)
05. It's A Most Unusual Day (2:54)
06. All I Need Is You (3:28)
07. It Only Happens When I Dance With You (3:49)
08. Lonely Town (4:18)
09. Everything I've Got (3:21)
10. Driftwood (2:24)
11. I'm Shooting High (2:33)
12. My Shining Hour (3:12)
13. Moonlight In Vermont (3:14)
14. Blow, Gabriel, Blow (2:12)
15. Here Lies Love (3:37)
16. Be A Clown (3:01)
17. Good For Nothin' (But Love) (3:54)
18. On The First Warm Day (2:42)
19. Chinatown My Chinatown - Live At The Village Vanguard (2:33)
20. One Love Affair (2:41)
21. The Night We Called It A Day (3:21)
22. Johnny One Note (1:58)
23. Lover Man (3:50)
24. Be My All (4:20)

Two of singer Chris Connor's finest Atlantic albums are reissued in full on this single CD. The laid-back yet coolly emotional jazz singer is heard backed by top-notch rhythm sections (with either Ralph Sharon or Stan Free being the pianist/arranger) and occasional horns (trumpeter Joe Wilder, flutist Sam Most, tenors Al Cohn and Lucky Thompson, flutist Bobby Jaspar and Al Epstein on English horn and bass clarinet) adding some short solos. Connor (then around 30) was in her prime, and her renditions of such songs as "Poor Little Rich Girl," "Lonely Town," "I'm Shooting High," "Moonlight in Vermont," and even "Johnny One Note" are memorable and sometimes haunting. ~Review by Scott Yanow

A Jazz Date With Chris Connor / Chris Craft

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Nick Ziobro - A Lot Of Livin' To Do

Size: 99,6 MB
Time: 42:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Lot Of Livin' To Do (2:41)
02. This Guy's In Love With You (3:44)
03. It All Depends On You (3:29)
04. Nobody Else But Me (2:02)
05. Here's That Rainy Day (4:09)
06. The Rainbow Connection (3:23)
07. I Won't Dance (2:53)
08. Summer, Highland Falls (3:02)
09. Too Close For Comfort (2:32)
10. How Long Has This Been Going On (4:11)
11. Anyone Can Whistle (2:58)
12. All Of Me (2:49)
13. Blame It On My Youth (4:35)

Debut CD from 17 Year-old Vocal Sensation, Produced by Michael Feinstein featuring Jazz Greats Bucky Pizzarelli, Jay Leonhart, Ray Marchica and more!

"An easy swinging confidence that suggests he could evolve into another Michael Bublé." - The New York Times

Nick Ziobro, the 17 year-old pop/jazz vocal sensation, will release his debut album "A Lot of Livin' to Do" on Tuesday, May 20. The new disc, produced by Michael Feinstein -the two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated vocalist, pianist and musicologist - and available through Titanium Entertainment, will be available in stores and digital outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.com. The album's debut single "This Guy's In Love with You" is now available on iTunes.

The dynamic new collection of classic standards from the Great American Songbook and beyond features Nick's sensitive interpretations and invigorating arrangements by Tedd Firth. Nick, who has been hailed as "a budding young talent" by LA Weekly and praised for his "dreamy phrasing and perfect pitch" by Rex Reed in the New York Observer.

A Lot Of Livin' To Do

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VA - Kickin' The 3: The Best Of Organ Trio Jazz

Size: 153,3 MB
Time: 65:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front & Back

01 Jimmy McGriff - Red Top (4:16)
02 Charles Earland - Kickin' The 3 (5:14)
03 Joey DeFrancesco - Evidence (4:56)
04 Jimmy Smith - Blues For J (5:07)
05 Dr. Lonnie Smith - Slouchin' (6:57)
06 Larry Goldings - Little Green Men (7:02)
07 Richard 'Groove' Holmes - Misty (1:55)
08 Johnny Smith - Lid Flippin' (5:16)
09 Jack McDuff - After Hours (4:32)
10 John Medeski - Beeah (6:59)
11 Larry Young - Monk's Dream (5:49)
12 Don Patterson - Dem New York Dues (0:38)
13 Will Bouleware - Back At The Chicken Shack (6:41)

The 13 performances on this 1997 CD sampler features a variety of the top jazz organists of the previous 40 years on selections (all easily available elsewhere) leased from Telarc, Fantasy, Sony, Polygram, Blue Note and Minor Music. However, although the music is reasonably enjoyable, the poor documentation (no personnel listing or dates) is inexcusable. If one wonders who a particular guitar or saxophone soloist might be, they can keep on wondering or do their own research. Obviously, this release is primarily for the casual listener who simply desires some grooving background music. Heard from are Jimmy McGriff (teaming up with altoist Hank Crawford), Charles Earland, Joey DeFrancesco, Jimmy Smith, Lonnie Smith, Larry Goldings, Richard "Groove" Holmes (his hit version of "Misty"), Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Brother Jack McDuff, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Larry Young, Don Patterson and Will Bouleware. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Kickin' The 3

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Awa Ly - Awa Ly

Size: 127,6 MB
Time: 55:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Doum Doum Doum (5:11)
02. Jungle (3:57)
03. Start To Walk (3:55)
04. Great Blue Sky (6:04)
05. Doum Doum Doum (Acoustic) (4:47)
06. Start To Walk (Acoustic) (3:54)
07. Great Blue Sky (Acoustic) (3:28)
08. A Toi (Acoustic) (Bonus Track) (4:31)
09. Doum Doum Doum (Instrumental) (5:11)
10. Jungle (Instrumental) (3:57)
11. Start To Walk (Instrumental) (3:54)
12. Great Blue Sky (Instrumental) (6:04)

Singer and songwriter, Awa Ly was born and raised in Paris. Both her parents are from Senegal, while most of her family lives in Dakar. She currently lives in Rome and works mainly in Italy as an actress and a singer.

Awa Ly

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The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra - Traditions

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:22
Size: 140.5 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. Our Delight
[6:19] 2. Days Of Wine And Roses
[4:09] 3. Sometimes I'm Happy/There'll Be Some Changes Made
[6:40] 4. Meeting With You
[9:37] 5. Darn That Dream
[2:21] 6. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[8:18] 7. 'Round Midnight
[8:57] 8. Thad Type Tune
[5:26] 9. So Many Stars
[6:10] 10. Conversations

Traditions, recorded in June 1999, refers to a nearly century-long tradition of world-class Jazz in that bustling city on the shores of Lake Erie, admirably summarized by Jazz historian and author Joe Mosbrook in an informative booklet that accompanies the CD, as well as to the fact that eight of its ten selections were written and / or arranged by musicians from Cleveland or northeastern Ohio (the exceptions are Slovenian Joze Privsek's breezy "Meeting with You" and Bill Holman's perceptive arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight").

Traditions includes compositions by Clevelanders Tadd Dameron ("Our Delight"), Henry Mancini ("Days of Wine and Roses"), CJO bassist Dave Morgan ("Thad Type Tune") and trombonist Paul Ferguson ("Conversations," with its explicit reference to Bill Russo's "Frank Speaking"). Ferguson arranged "Getting Sentimental" (on which he's the featured soloist) and former Ellington vocalist Dolores Parker Morgan's medley, "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "There'll Be Some Changes Made" with other charts by Ohioans Willie Smith ("Our Delight"), Rich Shanklin ("Days of Wine and Roses"), Bill Dobbins ("Darn That Dream") and Chas Baker (Antonio Carlos Jobim's "So Many Stars"). The not-for-profit CJO is comprised of nineteen full-time musicians, several of whom are Jazz educators at area colleges, and their combined experience enlivens every aspect of the ensemble's makeup from snappy section work to clear-eyed soloists, none of whom is less than impressive. Besides Ferguson ("Getting Sentimental," "Conversations"), Morgan ("Darn That Dream") and trombonist Baker ("Days of Wine and Roses"), they include music director / trumpeter Jack Schantz ("Wine and Roses," "Conversations," flugel on "'Round Midnight"), tenors John Klayman ("Our Delight," "So Many Stars"), altos Rich Shanklin ("Our Delight") and Kent Engelhardt ("Meeting with You"), pianist Dan Wall ("Our Delight," "Darn That Dream," "Thad Type Tune"), drummer Mark Gonder ("Meeting with You"), trumpeter Sean Jones and tenor Peter Mills ("Thad Type Tune"). Traditions is a first-class endeavor from start to finish.

Traditions

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Howard Alden - I Remember Django

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:09
Size: 135.4 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz, Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Who Cares
[5:10] 2. Up Jumped You With Love
[5:03] 3. I Remember Django
[4:26] 4. Jubilee Stomp
[5:21] 5. Insensiblement
[4:10] 6. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
[6:14] 7. Nuages
[3:49] 8. Bernardo
[4:59] 9. For Django
[3:16] 10. Nagasaki
[3:24] 11. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
[4:33] 12. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles /I'll See You In My Dreams
[5:10] 13. Tears

I Remember Django scarcely qualifies as a hard sell. Guitarist Django Reinhardt’s legacy, after all, has long been a sweet spot for Howard Alden, the renowned seven-string disciple with a track record that speaks eloquently for itself. If Woody Allen hadn’t entrusted Alden with the responsibility of hitting all the right notes during the melancholic, Django-indebted charmer Sweet and Lowdown, would Sean Penn, the film’s star, have seemed so convincing in the role? Fat chance.

As it happens, Sweet and Lowdown inspires a highlight performance on this 13-track homage, a medley of “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” that is soulfully enhanced by cornetist Warren Vaché. The well-matched musicians get off to a splendid start with “Who Cares?,” and spend much of their time shading and trading lines with the kind of precision and effortlessness a Reinhardt celebration demands. Alden is in fine company throughout, with bassist Jon Burr and rhythm guitarist Matt Munisteri providing expert support. The guitarist goes it alone on “Nagasaki,” however, a crackling tour de force.

Elsewhere, the five collaborations with clarinetist Anat Cohen are as welcome as they are evocative. They include an appropriately buoyant rendering of “Up Jumped You With Love,” a lushly textured interpretation of Barney Kessel’s “I Remember Django,” and, best of all, a now sensuous, now spirited take on “Nuages.” No doubt Reinhardt—and occasional clarinetist Allen—would approve. ~Mike Joyce

I Remember Django

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Miranda Sage - Timeless Places

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:40
Size: 131,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Twilight World
(7:28)  2. A Timeless Place (The Peacocks)
(5:18)  3. Nature Boy
(5:04)  4. Solitary Moon (Moon Song)
(5:08)  5. Easy Living
(4:28)  6. Born To Be Blue
(4:07)  7. Sugar
(3:45)  8. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(4:54)  9. Never Let Me Go
(5:00) 10. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours
(2:50) 11. Thank You
(3:53) 12. I'll Be Seeing You

"A sultry silky style with wonderful light and shade, quite stunning" PBS FM, Melbourne Australia.

Miranda Sage and her band are three musicians united by Norma Winstone. Not literally, but each shares a notable connection to the highly-regarded English jazz vocalist. The British born, Victoria-based Sage studied with Winstone in the late 90s in Belfast, and cites her as her most influential voice teacher. Bassist Rick Kilburn produced Winstone's 1993 recording "Well Kept Secret", and pianist, Don Thompson has performed with Winstone on numerous occasions. It makes sense then that Sage's new CD is titled Timeless Places, a nod to " A Timeless Place," the song Winstone co-wrote with Jimmy Rowles. Sage's own version of the song is something of a centerpiece for the mostly-standards album, which has its own subtle, "winstonesque" quality about it. The moody, tastefully spare piano-bass-vocal arrangements showcase Sage's voice, which has been described by Monday Magazine as being "of thrilling flexibility and range, making jazz singing sound like it's the easiest thing in the world." 

The repertoire includes sultry covers of "You'd be so Nice to Come Home to" and "I'll be Seeing You" and one Sage original: "Thank you." Sage has done extensive vocal training, both at the University of Victoria and the Royal Conservatory of Music and at numerous jazz workshops in North America and Europe. In addition to Winstone, she has studied with Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton and Louise Rose. The Times Colonist once wrote that her "horn-like phrasing is a delight." Sage began her musical studies at four and, along the way, picked up piano, guitar, lute, harp, sax and clarinet - though she now concentrates on voice and guitar. In the 90s, Sage was championed by Hugh Fraser and released two CDs on his Boathouse label. She's performed with his Hugh Fraser Big Band and with the Port Townsend Jazz Festival Big Band. Other performance highlights include the Ile of Wight Jazz Divas Festival and Scotland's Mid Argyle Annual Gala. Sage performs regularly around Victoria with the Swiftsure Big Band and smaller ensembles. She's also performed several times at the Victoria International Jazz Fest. Timeless Places is Sage's third CD.

It's also the third release from Vancouver's own Chelsea Bridge Records, the imprint belonging to veteran bassist, Rick Kilburn, who spent the 70s playing with Chet Baker, the Brubecks and Mose Allison. Back in Vancouver since the mid 80s, Kilburn devotes much of his time to teaching and mentoring emerging artists. He still performs regularly and produces albums for other artists. Kilburn plays bass on Timeless Places, while piano is provided by Don Thompson, whose own CD, Ask Me Later , won this year's Juno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the year. Thompson also picked up three National Jazz Awards this past April: Musician of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year and SOCAN Composer of the Year.  Sage launches Timeless Places August 11th at the Cellar in Vancouver and August 12th at Hermann's in Victoria, featuring Thompson on piano, Kilburn on bass and Craig Scott on drums.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sagemiranda.

Personnel:  Miranda Sage – vocals;  Rick Kilburn – bass;  Don Thompson – piano

Timeless Places

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Renato Sellani Trio Introducting Camilla Battaglia - Joy Spring

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:49
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Doodlin'
(4:59)  2. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(4:14)  3. Four
(5:08)  4. Everything Happens To Me
(4:34)  5. Satin Doll
(4:21)  6. But Beautiful
(3:31)  7. Joy Spring
(4:56)  8. Prelude To A Kiss
(3:31)  9. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(4:32) 10. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:15) 11. Four - Alternate
(4:48) 12. Satin Doll - Alternate
(5:02) 13. Doodlin' - Alternate

Camilla Battle born in 1990, in 2010 recorded his first album 'Joyspring' with the trio of Renato Sellani and ranks second alPremio Massimo Urbani the same year. Here are several collaborations including Maurizio Urbani; Dado Moroni, Alvin Queen eRiccardo Fioravanti (with whom he performed at the awards ceremony for the best interpretation of the song 'Miss Bo' Gianni Basso at the festival of Asti in 2012); Dino Rubino which performs at the Sicilian Festival Sergio Amato in 2011; the jazz orchestra of Sardinia; Civic Orchestra of jazz courses in Milan directed by Enrico Intra Mo with which he performs in 2013 for Italian Jazz Graffiti at the Little Theatre; Luca Calabrese with whom he worked in the group that in 2011 Piero Umiliani Experience performs alBlue Note in Milan; Carlo Morena with which he performs all'Iseo jazz festival in 2013 and many others. 

It has also performed regularly with some formations in his name at renowned festivals and Italian clubs, including the Umbria Jazz Festival in 2012 and 2013. Also won the award for best singer in the Tuscia in Jazz festival in 2012, gets the second place in the competition Chicco Bettinardi for young jazz talents in 2012, the Best Band award in the contest Bucharest Jazz Competition in 2011 and has just won a scholarship at the New School.University in NYC. ~ Translate by google   http://www.strill.it/citta/reggio/reggio-ancora/2014/02/reggio-camilla-battaglia-project-per-la-rassegna-internazionale-jazzmin/

Personnel: Camilla Battaglia (vocals); Renato Sellani (piano); Luciano Milanese (double bass); Stefano Bagnoli (drums).

Joy Spring

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Rob Jacobs & Tjalf Sparnaay - Out Of The Blue

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:22
Size: 87,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Out Of The Blue
(1:54)  2. Expectations
(2:54)  3. Mixing Colors
(1:34)  4. Work In Progress
(3:46)  5. Time Out
(1:39)  6. No Pictures!
(2:29)  7. Yellow
(1:24)  8. Green
(2:41)  9. Red
(2:41) 10. Barefoot Blues
(2:32) 11. Don't Disturb
(2:14) 12. Blue Notes
(2:33) 13. Glazing Layers
(2:41) 14. Vermeer's Light
(1:52) 15. When She's Gone

Two artists with a passion for art and music. So they decided to once again make music together, just tape recorder and play the result is wonderful CD Out of the blue, painted music. Tjalf Sparnaay on piano and Rob Jacobs on Sax, with one exception, they have the entire CD composed together, often while playing. Listen and enjoy!

Out Of The Blue

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Manhattan Jazz Quintet - Teen Town

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:53
Size: 116,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. Flash Point
(6:43)  2. Blues Intro/The Chicken
(4:31)  3. Teen Town
(7:20)  4. Road Song
(6:26)  5. I Wish
(4:08)  6. To M.O. Emm
(4:08)  7. Sparkle
(6:14)  8. Pastime Paradise
(5:12)  9. Rumblin'

The Manhattan Jazz Quintet are an unusual group in that they very rarely perform as a unit in the United States (much less Manhattan) but have been a major hit in Japan, both for their recordings and occasional tours. Originally comprised of leader/pianist David Matthews, trumpeter Lew Soloff, tenor saxophonist George Young, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd, the band (which emphasizes straight-ahead hard bop swinging) first came together in 1983 at the suggestion of the King label and the top Japanese jazz magazine Swing Journal. To everyone's surprise, its first recording (simply called Manhattan Jazz Quintet) became such a big seller that it was awarded Swing Journal's annual 1984 Gold Disk Award as the number one album in Japan. 

Several years later the group broke up when Gomez and Gadd needed more time to pursue their individual projects  and all of the quintet members later became quite successful in their own careers  but this edition of the MJQ recorded reunions in 1990 (which found John Scofield guesting on a few selections) and in 1993. Victor Lewis replaced Gadd that year, and subsequently Young was replaced by Andy Snitzer and Gomez by Charnett Moffett. The Manhattan Jazz Quintet recorded primarily for King in Japan (those dates were mostly made available in the U.S. by Projazz) during the 1980s, although they cut some later recordings  among the comparative very few that actually took place in Manhattan!  for the Sweet Basil label. During the new millennium the Manhattan Jazz Quintet have recorded regularly for Video Arts.  https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/manhattan-jazz-quintet/id79729527#fullText

Teen Town

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Chris Connor - Try A Little Tenderness

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:07
Size: 101.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Try A Little Tenderness
[2:56] 2. All About Ronnie
[2:30] 3. How Long Has This Been Going On
[4:12] 4. Ridin' High
[2:14] 5. Everything I Love
[2:17] 6. I Hear Music
[2:52] 7. Spring Is Here
[2:24] 8. Stella By Starlight
[1:48] 9. All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart
[2:21] 10. Lullaby Of Birdland
[2:17] 11. Gone With The Wind
[2:26] 12. It's All Right With Me
[3:40] 13. Angel Eyes
[3:09] 14. Suddenly It's Spring
[3:04] 15. In Other Words
[2:48] 16. You Make Me Feel So Young

Along with June Christy, Helen O'Connell, and Julie London, Chris Connor epitomized cool jazz singing in the 1950s. Influenced by Anita O'Day, the torchy, smoky singer wasn't one for aggression. Like Chet Baker on the trumpet or Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz on alto sax, she used subtlety and restraint to their maximum advantage. At the University of Missouri, Connor (who had studied clarinet at an early age) sang with a Stan Kentonish big band led by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer before leaving her native Kansas City for New York in 1947. Quite appropriately, she was featured in the lyrical pianist Claude Thornhill's orchestra in the early '50s. After leaving Thornhill, Connor was hired by Kenton at Christy's recommendation, and her ten-month association with him in 1952-1953 resulted in the hit "All About Ronnie." Connor debuted as a solo artist in 1953, recording three albums for Bethlehem before moving to Atlantic in 1955 and recording 12. Connor reached the height of her popularity in the 1950s, when she delivered her celebrated versions of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" and George Shearing's "Lullaby of Broadway," and recorded such excellent albums as The Rich Sound of Chris Connor and Lullabies of Birdland for Bethlehem and Chris Craft and Ballads of the Sad Cafe for Atlantic. Connor made a poor career move in 1962, the year she left Atlantic and signed with a label her manager was starting, FM Records -- Connor had recorded only two albums for FM when they folded. Connor's recording career was rejuvenated in the 1970s, and she went on to record for Progressive, Stash, and Contemporary in the '70s and '80s. Connor maintained a devoted following in the 1990s and continued to tour internationally. ~bio by Alex Henderson

Try A Little Tenderness

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Pepper Adams - The Complete Regent Sessions

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:53
Size: 137.1 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[ 9:32] 1. Watkins Production
[ 8:18] 2. Stop
[ 9:09] 3. Redd's Head
[10:13] 4. Bloos, Bloos, Blues
[ 7:21] 5. Seein' Red
[ 7:33] 6. Like... What Is This
[ 7:45] 7. Skippy

A companion release to Hollywood Quintet Sessions, The Complete Regent Sessions (including tracks from the LPs Art Pepper/Sonny Redd, Jazz Is Busting Out All Over, and The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams), also from 1957, features emerging baritone saxophone star Pepper Adams in a series of lengthy jazz jams, unlike the shorter and compact studio recordings he did with West Coast musicians. These two East Coast dates done during the early winter in Hackensack, NJ, at Rudy Van Gelder's house studio feature Adams' running mates who matriculated from Detroit to New York City with him, including Doug Watkins (who was also on the Hollywood tracks), Elvin Jones on all selections, Hank Jones, and Bernard McKinney. These long-winded originals loaded with extraordinary solos mark yet another progression for Adams -- that of a keen improviser the likes of which jazz had rarely heard on his instrument short of Harry Carney, Serge Chaloff, and peer Gerry Mulligan. The first three tracks team Adams with the tart sweet and sour alto saxophonist Sonny Red, offering an interesting contrast to the warmer, dulcet low-end sounds of the bari. Two calypso or Latin swing tunes kick things off -- "Watkins Production," where you clearly hear the impressive solo chops of the principals, and the obscure Fats Navarro number "Stop," sped up and rushed by an atypically anxious Elvin Jones. "Redd's Head" is bop at its best, a hard-driving swinger with a distinctive melody and choppy lead-in to solos that hint at rhythm & blues. Of the remaining five selections, Adams and McKinney emphasize exclusively underground timbres on the opposite ends of the audio spectrum. Stealthy, sneaky, low-down detective music is extracted on "Bloos, Blooze, Blues," and McKinney's variation of "What Is This Thing Called Love?," retitled "Like...What Is This?," reharmonizes the famous standard in a cunning, circular, and hot adaptation. A Barry Harris composition, "Seein' Red," might be a reference to Sonny Red in its ribald and hard bop construct, but cools to a slow simmer, while "Skippy," from the pen of Adams, seems easy as pie and simple for these masters. Bassist George Duvivier contributes a fabulous bouncy and solid solo on "Skippy," and credit must given to the brilliant pianists -- Wynton Kelly on the cuts with Sonny Red, and Hank Jones with homeboys Adams, McKinney, and Elvin Jones. These definitive dates, as well as the Bethlehem label document Motor City Scene with Donald Byrd and Jazzmen Detroit, the earlier Savoy recording led by Kenny Burrell, all belong in the collection of any fan and admirer of Park Pepper Adams III. ~Michael G. Nastos

The Complete Regent Sessions

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Vinícius De Moraes - Pure Bossa Nova

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:16
Size: 108.2 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz vocals
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Minha Namorada
[1:48] 2. Chega De Saudade (With Caetano Veloso)
[3:26] 3. Canto De Ossanha (With Elis Regina)
[2:48] 4. Agua De Beber (With Antonio Carlos Jobim)
[3:57] 5. Insensatez (With Sylvia Telles)
[3:19] 6. Sabe Você (With Os Cariocas)
[2:52] 7. Samba Da Volta
[3:31] 8. Samba Em Preludio (With Odette Lara)
[2:36] 9. Samba De Orly (Samba De Fiumicino) (With Toquinho)
[3:10] 10. Pra Que Chorar (With Alcione)
[2:33] 11. Ela É Carioca (With Os Cariocas)
[3:38] 12. Se Todos Fossem Iguais Á Você (With Agostinho Dos Santos)
[6:48] 13. Samba Da Benção
[2:38] 14. Carta Ao Tom 74 (With Toquinto)

Verve Records has been releasing their reasonably-priced Pure Bossa Nova series through the years, but the 50th anniversary of the bossa nova style in 2008 saw the reissue of many of the compilations, as well as some new entries. This excellent collection is based around the lyrical talents of Vinicius De Moraes, one of the main co-writers of the bossa movement, and features recordings of slinky sambas by the best singers of the era. Jazz and pop fans will enjoy the fiery emoting of Elis Regina, the smooth stylings of Toquinho, the uber-cool of Caetano Veloso, and others.

Pure Bossa Nova

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Kevin Mahogany - Big Band

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:34] 1. Moonlight In Vermont
[4:26] 2. It Don't Mean A Thing
[7:04] 3. Centerpiece
[4:42] 4. In The Evening
[6:53] 5. One For My Baby
[7:14] 6. Three Little Words
[4:36] 7. Dear Ruby
[3:22] 8. There Will Never Be Another You
[4:31] 9. It's Alright With Me
[3:37] 10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Kevin Mahogany, the Kansas City cyclone, would sound terrific singing in the shower or standing on his head. The presence of a big band (actually four) on nine of the ten selections on his newest album is merely icing on the cake. No, this isn't actually "the Kevin Mahogany Big Band, but the four bands represented here will do quite nicely, thank you..

Mahogany is blessed with a voice that is instantly seductive—smooth as butter, sweet as honey and deep as a freshly dug well. When he sings "There Will Never Be Another You, the "you to whom the avowal is aimed is quite likely swooning with rapture. There's an occasional nod to the great Joe Williams, as on "In the Evening, but for the most part Mahogany sounds like no one but himself, which is, to borrow Cole Porter's phrase from track nine, "All Right with Me.

The ensemble on the first six numbers is led by Mahogany's good friend, the late composer/pianist Frank Mantooth, who arranged everything save Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (scored by Matt Harris). Track seven features a band led by drummer T.S. Monk (in an arrangement by Don Sickler), track eight the Kansas City Boulevard Big Band, track nine the Big City Swing Jazz Band, on which Mahogany shares the Porter lyric with Veronica Martell. The finale, Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore, the only non-big band track, is a charming duet with the late pianist James Williams.

A couple of minor points—"Three Little Words isn't the Harry Ruby/Bert Kalmar standard but an original composition by Mahogany and Paul Hofmann, while "Dear Ruby is of course Monk's "Ruby, My Dear (lyric by Sally Swisher). Roy Hargrove delivers a tasteful flugel solo on that showpiece, and there are a number of meaty statements elsewhere, notably by tenors Scott Robinson, Pete Christlieb and Pat LaBarbera; trumpeters Bobby Shew and Danny Barber, pianist Ramsey Lewis, alto Kim Park and trombonist Paul McKee (Mantooth Orchestra), alto Craig Treinen (KC Boulevard Band), alto Jon Gordon and tenor Bob Sheppard (Big City Swing Band).

But it is Mahogany whose persuasive magnetism overshadows the enterprise and makes every aspect rewarding. Talent like his doesn't arrive often, and if it weren't for his love of jazz (I hesitate to say this, as I wouldn't want to give him any ideas), Mahogany could probably make it big as a pop singer. From what I've heard, there aren't many who could hang with him. For now, let's be happy he has chosen jazz, and chosen to sing with big bands, where his rich voice and easygoing manner seem perfectly at home.

Kevin Mahogany: vocals. With the Frank Mantooth Jazz Orchestra (1-6); T.S. Monk (7); the Kansas City Boulevard Big Band (track 8); the Big City Swing Jazz Band (9); James Williams: piano (10).

Big Band

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Malene Mortensen - You Go to My Head

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:33
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:09)  1. Your Love Is Digital
(4:29)  2. My Shining Hour
(5:10)  3. Ambiguous Blues
(5:00) 4. 209 Words to Bridge the Gap Between Perception and Reality
(5:29)  5. Tell Him You Got a Hidden Tattoo
(7:04)  6. The Constant Companion
(5:50)  7. Misty
(5:13)  8. Thinner Than a Shell
(5:30)  9. You Go to My Head
(6:35) 10. No Halo

Malene Mortensen is ready to release her sixth album, “You Go To My Head”, at the age of only 29 years – an impressive activity for the young talent. With considerable studio and live experience, she has decided to take matters into her own hands on the recording sessions for the new album. Without help from any outside producers, guest musicians or such the album has been made as a continuation of the inspiring collaboration with her live band throughout many concerts. Malene’s new album “You Go To My Head” contains a wonderful mixture of jazz standards, which are close to her heart, such as “Misty” by Erroll Garner, “My Shining Hour” by Harold Arlen and the title track “You Go To My Head” by J. Fred Coots. In addition to these, Malene has written seven original compositions in collaboration with Carl Mörner Ringström, who is the guitarist in the band and also Malene’s co-producer on the production. 

“I’m so happy with the dream band I’ve recorded with. The process of practicing leading up to the days in the studio has been the best experience in making an album so far; intense, creative and with lots of involvement from the musicians”. Over the recent years Malene Mortensen and her band have been playing more than 150 concerts in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, England, France, Poland and not least in Asia. It’s been a passionate and growing cooperation that has been the inspiration for this second self-produced release. You’ll notice how Malene and her band come together in perfect harmony as a result of the close relationship that has developed during touring. Malene’s expression has taken a turn from standard acoustic jazz, known from her first four releases, towards a more electric sound, which you’ll hear on “Agony & Ecstasy”. “You Go To My Head” contains a perfect blend of standards in surprising new arrangements mixed with Malene’s original tracks and it shows a fresh and updated sound of 2012!   http://calibrated.org/portfolio/malene-mortensen-2/

You Go to My Head

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Maggie Herron - Listen

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:50
Size: 82,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. I'll Be There for You Baby
(3:40)  2. There Is Love
(2:48)  3. Give It What You Can
(4:23)  4. If I Had You Beside Me
(3:43)  5. Thinking Of You
(3:37)  6. Listen
(4:09)  7. Who Becomes The Stranger?
(3:53)  8. When It's Dark And Light?
(3:18)  9. Why Did You Leave Me?
(2:55) 10. Where Does It Go?

Maggie is the 9th of 12 children. Her parents, Martha and Ed Herron raised their children in Muskegon, Mi. where they owned and operated a grocery store. All of the kids worked shifts at the store stocking shelves, cleaning and running the cash register. Home was filled with siblings practicing on musical instruments, listening to Sinatra, pop and rock of the 50's and 60's while Maggie immersed herself in classical music. Her mother and oldest sister Mary mentored her in study that started with private lessons when she was 6 years old. By the age of 10 she was the church organist and vocalist. As a teenager she won first place honors to perform Beethoven's 2nd piano concerto with the Muskegon symphony orchestra and soon after won a scholarship to the summer music program at Interlochen. Maggie was in the top five finalists there for the piano concerto competition. Throughout High shcool she acted in school dramas and musicals and performed semi annual recitals from a classical piano and voice repertoire. 

She performed in Seattle from 72‘-76‘ at the Camlin hotel, The Sorrento Hotel, University Towers and other local venues. She was a soloist during that time playing the piano and singing a wide repertoire of music. While there, she met and became the featured guest in concerts by George Winston and Scot Cossu of the Windham Hill label. In 1976 she moved to the Big Island from Seattle and was offered a steady performing engagement. Over the next decade she won the Hawaii Homegrown contest for best song and performance out of 300 entries. She opened concerts for Dave Brubeck, Richie Havens, Taj Mahal, Olomana, and The Jazz Crusaders, and produced 2 albums of her music and countless demos while performing locally several nights a week. As a keyboardist and vocalist with both Cecelio and Kapono in club and concert venues she worked with 4 and 5 piece groups as lead singer for 3 years in Honolulu at Shelby’s and Nick’s Fishmarket. 

Maggie left for California in 1987 where she was active as a song writer and recording artist for 3 years, opening concerts for Phoebe Snow and Michael Franks, she was also the president of the Santa Barbara Song Writer’s Guild for 2 years. She performed in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Westlake, as well as a long engagement in L.A. at the Hyatt on Sunset Blvd. with special engagements at At My Place and was hired by MGM to write and perform songs for the film, Spellbinder. Being a lover of nature and quiet surroundings she returned home to Hawaii in 1990, chosing to live on Lanai where she was the principle musician for 12 years at Manele Bay Hotel. For 3 years she hosted a jazz show as "Radio Maggie" for a local Hawaii station which featured jazz of all eras with commentary from Maggie. Maggie now lives in Honolulu and performs in the Lewers Lounge every Tues.-Sat. nights. ~ Bio   http://www.maggieherron.com/new/index.html

Listen

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