Andy Reiss, Ranger Doug & Bobby Durham - The Art Of The Archtop

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 105.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Blue Lou
[4:33] 2. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
[2:27] 3. Love Me Or Leave Me
[5:06] 4. Besame Mucho
[5:01] 5. The Nearness Of You
[3:38] 6. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[2:39] 7. Usted
[3:31] 8. You Took Advantage Of Me
[4:00] 9. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
[4:21] 10. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:50] 11. Skylark
[3:54] 12. Exactly Like You

If you’re a fan of classic archtop guitar, you’ll be delighted with this beautifully recorded and relentlessly swinging set of tunes celebrating the f-hole sound. Backed by Bobby Durham on upright bass (and sousaphone on one track), Andy Reiss and Ranger Doug perform timeless music on a collection of vintage D’Angelico and Stromberg 6-strings. Here’s the kicker: There are no amps involved. This is strictly an acoustic outing, so the sonic quality of these priceless carved-top instruments comes through loud and clear, colored only by the room and a few high-end mics.

These gifted musicians tracked their parts live, with Reiss handling all the lead work and Doug strumming the changes in a two-chord-per-bar style à la Freddie Green. Both guitarists play in the Time Jumpers—a Grammy-nominated, Nashville-based Western swing band— which means they’ve spent thousands of hours exploring this repertoire together. And it shows. As Reiss snakes up and down the fretboard, juggling chromatic approach tones, sly bends, slurs, and double- stops, Doug holds steady, chonking out crisp three- and four-note voicings that define the harmony and drive the beat. The guitarists’ musical empathy is palpable and they play as if joined at the hip.

The primarily instrumental The Art of the Archtop consists of standards—including Duke Ellington’s “Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me,” Benny Goodman’s “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You”—augmented by the occasional vocal from Doug, Durham, or a guest singer. We’re so conditioned to think of the archtop jazzbox as a dark-sounding instrument— after all, that’s the way we typically hear it when it’s amplified—it’s a revelation to experience the crisp, woody snap of these carved-top guitars au naturel. What a treat. ~Andy Ellis

The Art Of The Archtop

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Sonny Stitt - Sits In With The Oscar Peterson Trio

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:47
Size: 88.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1991/2008
Art: Front

[4:01] 1. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[3:56] 2. Au Privave
[3:22] 3. The Gypsy
[4:39] 4. I'll Remember April
[4:17] 5. Scrapple From The Apple
[7:06] 6. Moten Swing
[6:02] 7. Blues For Pres, Sweets, Ben & All The Other Funky Ones
[5:21] 8. Easy Does It

This CD combines a complete session that Sonny Stitt (doubling on alto and tenor) did with the 1959 Oscar Peterson Trio (which includes the pianist/leader, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen) and three titles from 1957 with Peterson, Brown, guitarist Herb Ellis, and drummer Stan Levey. The music very much has the feel of a jam session and, other than a themeless blues, all of the songs are veteran standards. Highlights of this fine effort include "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "The Gypsy," "Scrapple from the Apple," "Easy Does It," and "I Remember You." Lots of cooking music. ~Scott Yanow

Sits In With The Oscar Peterson Trio

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Marla Gibbs - Never Too Late

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:00
Size: 119.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006/2014
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Never Too Late
[2:17] 2. Counting The Days
[3:34] 3. Game
[4:02] 4. Beautiful Friendship
[3:53] 5. The Island
[3:45] 6. Alone Together
[3:24] 7. Where Have You Gone
[5:30] 8. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
[4:18] 9. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
[3:21] 10. Easy Living
[5:15] 11. Don't Tell Me Not To Dream
[3:56] 12. I Knew
[5:34] 13. Bonus Commentary

What do you have when a legendary music Producer and TV icon come together? A classic project. Her timeless voice and jazzy style will serenade your soul. Big band blended with jazz fusion & a bonus commentary digitally remastered.

Darrell Crooks (guitar); John Wittenberg, Sharon Jackson , Gina Kronstadt, Pamela Gates, Karen Briggs , Peter Kent, Lesa Terry, Mark Cargill (violin); Robin Ross, Cameron Patrick (viola); Ray Herrmann (woodwinds, saxophone); Ernie Fields Jr. (woodwinds); Ernie Fields (saxophone); Charlie Peterson, Harry Kim, Nolan Andrew Smith (trumpet); George Bohannon, Duane Benjamin (trombone); Onaje Murray (vibraphone); Daniel Doom Bejarano, Kenny Elliott (drums); Vanessa Brown (percussion).

Recording information: Private Island Tracks, Hollywood, CA.

Never Too Late

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Various - Friends & Lovers: Songs Of Bread

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 43:31
Size: 99.6 MB
Styles: Soft rock
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Josh Rouse - It Don't Matter To Me
[3:16] 2. Call And Response - Baby I'm A Want You
[4:47] 3. Jon Auer - Games Of Magic
[3:27] 4. Erlend Oye - Friends And Lovers
[4:32] 5. Paula Frazer - Everything I Own
[2:48] 6. Ken Stringfellow - Down On My Knees
[3:19] 7. Oranger - Make It With You
[2:23] 8. Dave Derby - I Use The Soap
[3:16] 9. Holy Sons - Last Time
[3:24] 10. Emily Sparks - Too Much Love
[2:58] 11. The Moore Brothers - Look At Me
[3:09] 12. Rachel Goswell - If
[3:22] 13. Eric Shea & Bart Davenport - The Goodbye Girl

The soft rock revival reaches its possible peak with the release of Friends and Lovers: Songs of Bread. Badman has gathered some of the main practitioners of the revival and a few other less obvious choices here, giving a shout-out to the songs of David Gates, James Griffin and Robb Royer. A well-deserved nod for sure as Bread were definitely at the top of the soft rock mountain; the bands involved here certainly treat them with respect, turning in mostly reverent versions of some of their biggest songs. Josh Rouse turns in a breathtakingly beautiful and relaxed "It Don't Matter to Me," Erlend Øye's "Friends and Lovers" has a sweetly lilting quality, Ken Stringfellow power pops "Down on My Knees," making it sound like a Badfinger song, Oranger juice up "Make It With You" with some sitar and fuzz bass, and Eric Shea and Bart Davenport drop some absolutely beautiful harmonies on "Goodbye Girl" (which is a David Gates solo track but it is so nicely done you have to give it a pass). A few bands do take liberties with the source material with varying results. Two bands who make it work are Call & Response, whose vocalist Carrie Clough is a dead ringer for Karen Carpenter on "Baby I'm a Want You," the first 30 seconds of which is pure soft rock heaven before heading into a pleasantly bubbling Stereolab-like direction, and Paula Frazer, who imbues "Everything I Own" with a broken grandeur the original didn't have. Those who fail include Rachel Goswell, whose overly somber take on "If" sounds like a failed audition for a This Mortal Coil album; the Holy Sons noodly and vocally overcooked guitar-meets-electronic beats version of "The Last Time," and Emily Sparks' overly earnest and gray "Too Much Love." The rest is pretty decent, especially Dave Derby's sweet "I Use the Soap" and Cake's dorky yet enjoyable "The Guitar Man." Overall the disc is a fitting tribute to a fine band whose time to be rediscovered had come. Coming next -- American Hero: Songs of Joey Scarbury. ~Tim Sendra

Friends & Lovers: Songs Of Bread

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Yvonne Smeets - Under A Cloud

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:47
Size: 147,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Under A Cloud
(3:30)  2. Camouflage
(4:21)  3. Child Of Tomorrow (Nicolette)
(5:32)  4. Looking Up
(3:57)  5. Iris
(4:18)  6. On The Line
(4:30)  7. Of Smiles Remembered (Kind Folk)
(5:37)  8. Houdini
(4:08)  9. Black Nile
(3:24) 10. Black And White Portrayal
(4:19) 11. Adams Apple
(3:43) 12. Circle
(3:58) 13. In The Warm Room
(4:06) 14. Madeira De Sangue
(3:25) 15. Retrato Em Branco E Preto

Jazz-singer, composer and lyricist. All these qualifications are true for versatile and multi-talented Yvonne Smeets in her debut CD ‘Under a cloud’. This rich scope of talents results in four compositions of her own in quite varied musical colours: from the grooving title song to the philosophical ‘Circle’. That she aims high is clear from her choice of six compositions by jazzmasters Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler and Wayne Shorter  from the latter his ‘Black Nile’, ‘Adam’s apple’ and ‘Iris’ all sung with her own, striking lyrics. Moreover she presents two songs by Kate Bush and three Brazilian songs (a.o. Jobim).  Yvonne Smeets’ music is always pure, warm en never obvious. It can be the wit and finesse of the musical story she tells, the spirited improvisations she scats along, or the relaxed grooves. 

The singer is supported by the subtly swinging and open sounding trio of guitarist Jens Larsen, bassplayer Maciej Domaradzki and drummer Emanuel Donadelli. For three songs she chose as sole accompaniment the piano of Tilmar Junius. With a beautiful outcome that is both delicate and intriguing. The remarkable debut of a singer who makes choices both attractive and daring and already deserves her very own place in jazz.   http://www.oaprecords.com/index.php?id=29&tx_ttproducts_pi1[product]=24

Personnel:   Yvonne Smeets – Vocals;  Jens Larsen – Guitar;  Maciej Domaradzki - Double Bass;  Emanuel Donadelli - Drums & Percussion

Under A Cloud

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Rosalba Lazzarotto - My Funny Valentine

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:14
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

( 3:46)  1. My Funny Valentine
( 5:10)  2. What Are You Doing The Rest Or Your Life?
( 7:07)  3. Blue Monk
( 5:21)  4. Estate
( 6:53)  5. Vanishing
( 4:09)  6. Tenderly
( 3:39)  7. Song For My Father
(10:08)  8. Body And Soul
( 7:00)  9. Everybody's Song But My Own
( 6:02) 10. My Favorite Things
( 4:54) 11. My Funny Valentine

The standard is the birthplace of Jazz. It takes care of him, the rhythems swaying with the roll, the challenge to leave him to grow, while protecting the memory of her... Sometimes I like to start over as a child....?  With these words the author defines the works on this disc. ?... All the music contained in them is so popular, it's emotion felt. You are the strength of this recording, not only do you make me feel what you sing but you also involve the band in a remarkable musical unification.   http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Album/410296/rosalba_lazzarotto/rosalba_lazzarotto_-_my_funny_valentine_mp3_album/

Jazz vocalist, composer, voice only. For many years, is present in the Italian jazz scene with many musical projects, in collaboration with musicians of national and international caliber. Original teacher in his Academy of Modern Singing and jazz, combines his being a musician and, at the same time, a psychologist. In 2006 she was given an episode of the radio program Argentine "La guagua". He has released two CDs under his own name, published by the label "Wide sound": "Double Rainbow" and "My Funny Valentine" ~ Translate by google  http://1mytalent.tv/site/rosalba-lazzarotto/

Personnel:  Rosalba Lazzarotto - Voce, Massimo Manzi - Batteria, Luciano Troja - Piano, Giancarlo Mazzù - Chitarra, Gabriele Pesaresi - Contrabbasso.

My Funny Valentine

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Louis Jordan - One Sided Love then Sakatumi

Styles: R&B
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:01
Size: 78,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:06)  1. One Sided Love
(2:48)  2. Bullitt
(2:40)  3. New Orleans And Rusty Old Horn
(2:32)  4. You Gotta Go
(3:38)  5. I'll Get Along Some-how
(2:32)  6. Wild Is The Night
(3:14)  7. Sakatumi
(2:48)  8. What's On Your Mind
(2:32)  9. Monkey See, Monkey Do
(2:55) 10. Watch The World
(2:46) 11. The A-Men Corner
(3:23) 12. Santa Claus, Santa Claus

These 1968 Recordings Represent One of his Last Visits to a Studio in the United States. Originally Released on the Pzazz Label this was a Rare Collectors Item for Over 30 Years. All the Titles Are Making their Worldwide Debut on CD! ~ Editorial Reviews   http://www.amazon.com/Sided-Love-Sakatumi-Louis-Jordan/dp/B00004Y2HN

One Sided Love then Sakatumi

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Stan Getz - Bossas And Ballads: The Lost Sessions

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 68:30

Size: 156.8 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz, Bossa Nova

Year: 2003

Art: Front

[7:21] 1. Sunshower

[7:59] 2. Yours And Mine

[7:49] 3. Joanne And Julia

[7:22] 4. Soul Eyes

[7:53] 5. Spiral

[8:13] 6. Beatrice

[8:54] 7. The Wind

[6:34] 8. El Sueno

[6:22] 9. Feijoada

First off, these "Lost Sessions" were never actually lost. The music here was supposed to be released as the Stan Getz Quartet's first issue on A&M, and for the usual record company reasons, it was shelved instead. The tapes were in the vault and catalogs, so it's not like they were found in someone's closet. The bottom line is that Getz, already ill at this point, still had the goods. Produced by Herb Alpert (a genius in his own right even if his records don't always hold up), the bossas here are tough, innovative jazz tunes mainly written by Getz's pianist, Kenny Barron. Don't look for the gentle side of Getz that was so beautifully displayed on his early bossa records with Charlie Byrd and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Instead, this is the man who had reinvented his playing technique. With a strong foil in Barron, Getz was free to explore his form of melodic improvisation to a fuller and wider extent, which is evident if you simply check out his solos on Barron's "Sunshower" and "El Sueno," and Mal Waldron's classic ballad "Soul Eyes." Interestingly, this was Barron's date as much as it was Getz's. His compositions and musical direction are key here, and he was trying to get deeper into and stretch the samba groove in his writing. Finding Getz in such an adventurous space in his playing allowed for this. With a rhythm section that includes bassist George Mraz and drummer Victor Lewis, this disc is essential not only for fans of Getz and Barron, but for real jazzheads. ~Thom Jurek

Bossas and Ballads: The Lost Sessions

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Cindy Scott - Let The Devil Take Tomorrow

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:28
Size: 140.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:17] 1. You've Really Got A Hold On Me
[5:12] 2. If
[3:57] 3. Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
[6:04] 4. You Don't Know What Love Is
[4:49] 5. The Boy Can Play
[5:52] 6. I Can't Help It
[4:43] 7. Let This Love Last
[4:52] 8. Obsession
[5:28] 9. Kiss Of Fire
[5:16] 10. Start Again
[4:30] 11. Beatriz
[6:23] 12. I'll Be Seeing You

Vocalist Cindy Scott is a rare breed of artist—comfortably covering a variety of music, undaunted by genre barriers and walls that scare lesser singers into pursuing a singular line of musical thought. The dozen songs that Scott presents on Let The Devil Take Tomorrow make up a rich smorgasbord of sounds, moving from Brazil to the Bayou and covering everybody from Smokey Robinson to Hank Williams. ~Dan Bilawsky

Cindy Scott: vocals; Brian Seeger: guitars, pedal steel; Vadim Neselovskyi: piano, melodica; Tommy Sciple: bass; Geoff Clapp: drums; Ed Petersen: saxophone; Brian Coogan: organ; James Shipp: percussion.

Let The Devil Take Tomorrow

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John Patton - Along Came John

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 34:19
Size: 78.6 MB
Styles: Organ jazz, Soul jazz
Year: 1963/2009
Art: Front

[5:38] 1. The Silver Meter
[5:00] 2. I'll Never Be Free
[5:58] 3. Spiffy Diffy
[6:00] 4. Along Came John
[5:59] 5. Gee Gee
[5:42] 6. Pig Foots

By the time John Patton recorded Along Came John, his debut as a leader, he had already become a familiar name around the Blue Note studios. He, guitarist Grant Green, and drummer Ben Dixon had become the label's regular soul-jazz rhythm section, playing on sessions by Lou Donaldson, Don Wilkerson, and Harold Vick, among others. They had developed an intuitive, empathetic interplay that elevated many of their sessions to near-greatness, at least in the realm of soul-jazz. That's one of the reasons why Along Came John is so successful -- the three know each other so well that their grooves are totally natural, which makes them quite appealing. These original compositions may not all be memorable, but the band's interaction, improvisation, and solos are. Tenor saxophonists Fred Jackson and Harold Vick provide good support, as well, but the show belongs to Patton, Green, and Dixon, who once again prove they are one of the finest soul-jazz combos of their era. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Along Came John

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Ricky May & Bob Barnard - Just Foolin' Around: A Tribute To Louis Armstrong

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:25
Size: 163.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1987
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas
[4:03] 2. Shadrach
[3:41] 3. Public Melody Number One
[3:23] 4. Swing That Music
[4:06] 5. Just Foolin' Around
[5:20] 6. Old Rockin' Chair
[4:05] 7. I'm Confessing That I Love You
[3:23] 8. That's My Desire
[3:30] 9. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
[3:20] 10. I Get Ideas
[3:42] 11. La Vie En Rose
[5:10] 12. What A Wonderful World
[4:20] 13. Mack The Knife
[5:29] 14. Now You Has Jazz
[4:29] 15. Blueberry Hill
[5:26] 16. Hello Dolly
[4:41] 17. Cabaret

Ricky May was a Maori jazz / pop vocalist from Onehunga, Auckland. In 1961 jazz pianist Ronnie Smith set up a group to play at the "Sorrento" in Wellington. The group included Tommy Tamati on bass and a young Ricky May on drums and vocals. Bruno Lawrence was always watching in the audience and was given a chance to play the drums when Ricky got up to sing. He impressed Ronnie enough to become a regular with the group. That group stayed together for about a year, even touring around the lower North Island area.

Robert Graeme Barnard, 24 November 1933, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Born into a musical family, Barnard began playing trumpet partly because the family band, led by his father, needed a trumpeter, but also because he had heard and was deeply impressed by a record of Muggsy Spanier. Barnard gained experience playing dance music but listened eagerly to records, notably those by his major influence, Louis Armstrong, and also to popular Australian jazz bands of the 40s, including that led by Graeme Bell. During this period and on into the 50s, Barnard had a day job, in a bank, but played extensively, touring with bands including the one led by his brother, Len Barnard. In 1957, he played in Sydney with a small group led by guitarist Ray Price. Back in Melbourne, he continued to play as a semi-pro, making occasional records, such as The Naked Dance with a band led by his brother. Bell called him with a job offer in Sydney and, although the gig failed to materialize, Barnard later joined Bell’s band. This led to a tour of his home country, and a visit to New Zealand and New Guinea alongside pop singer Frank Ifield. In 1963, Armstrong came to Australia, and Bell’s band greeted the visitor at the airport where Barnard played briefly with his idol.

Just Foolin' Around: A Tribute To Louis Rmstrong

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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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