Saturday, July 19, 2014

The Phil Markowitz Trio - Sno' Peas

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:53
Size: 107,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Sno' Peas
(4:31)  2. Sweet Sisters
(6:16)  3. Infant Eyes
(6:42)  4. Yesterdays
(4:55)  5. Circular Motion
(6:17)  6. Tristesse
(6:47)  7. Hope
(4:29)  8. Toko Blues

Phil Markowitz (born 1952) is a jazz pianist and educator. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and in 1979 had his "first big break" working with Chet Baker's band. He is most known as a sideman. He made a 1980 recording entitled Sno' Peas with Eddie Gomez and Al Foster. He recorded two live duo albums with Dave Liebman as a member of Liebman's group;  Markowitz calls this work the "biggest break of all" and they have worked together on and off for fifteen years. He has also served as a pianist in Bob Mintzer's Big Band. In 1979, Markowitz started a four-year association with Chet Baker's band that took him around the world, and yielded such recordings as Broken Wing, Live at Nick's Place, Two A Day, Live at Chateauvallon, and Live at The Rising Sun. Markowitz has performed and/or recorded with such notables as Mel Lewis, Marian McPartland, Phil Woods, Lionel Hampton, Nick Brignola, Joe Chambers, Miroslav Vitous and Joe Williams. His recordings as leader include Taxi Ride (which features a reunion with his lifelong friend Toots Thielemans), 

In the Woods, Sno' Peas (1980), Restless Dreams (with vibraphonist Joe Locke) and 7 plus 8, with Italian saxophonist Maurizio Giammarco. Markowitz has recently been heard with the all-star group Saxophone Summit (with Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and David Liebman), but his credentials span a cornucopia of jazz; from the traditional to the avant-garde. Markowitz's notoriety as a composer came in the late 1970s when he was playing in a New York club with Toots Thielemans. As they were playing Markowitz's composition "Sno' Peas", pianist Bill Evans walked in, loved the song, and asked Thielemans to bring it to their upcoming recording session. Evans' and Thielemans' subsequent recording of "Sno' Peas" on the Grammy-nominated album Affinity put Markowitz on the map as a jazz composer. As well as performing around the globe, Markowitz has served as guest artist and clinician in major conservatories and universities throughout the world. Academically speaking, however, his home base is the Manhattan School of Music, where he is a professor in the graduate and doctoral divisions. Markowitz has received endowments and grants from The Howard Foundation, Chamber Music America, The Doris Duke Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is married to singer/actress Davia Sacks.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Markowitz

Friday, July 18, 2014

Kathy Sanborn - Blues For Breakfast

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:24
Size: 89.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. Secret Paradise
[3:43] 2. Butterfly
[3:26] 3. Blues For Breakfast
[3:58] 4. Waterfall
[3:33] 5. Waited So Long
[3:30] 6. Blame It On A Kiss
[4:24] 7. Painted Blue
[4:16] 8. Love's Delight
[4:01] 9. Tell Me Goodbye
[3:30] 10. The Ba Ba Song

Satisfy your jazz appetite and feast on some tasty Blues for Breakfast, the latest album from sultry vocalist, pianist, and composer Kathy Sanborn. Your Blues for Breakfast menu features romantic melodies, jazzy grooves, and Sanborn's remarkable vocal versatility. From the first energetic track to the last, Blues for Breakfast will fill you up with delicious love ballads and upbeat, soul-satisfying rhythms, complete with Kathy's expert touch on piano and keyboards. Sanborn's skills as producer, composer, and arranger are evident here, and Blues for Breakfast will be sure to satisfy any listener's hunger for soulful, emotionally expressive music. Blues for Breakfast promises to be a delightful meal the listener will want to savor over and over again.

Recording information: NRS Recording Studio, NY.

Kathy Sanborn (vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, keyboards); Wayne Ricci (trumpet); Chris Carey (drums, percussion).

Blues For Breakfast

Budd Johnson Quintet - Let's Swing

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 42:34
Size: 97.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1992/2009
Art: Front

[3:37] 1. Serenade In Blue
[4:26] 2. I Only Have Eyes For You
[7:47] 3. Downtown Manhattan
[4:44] 4. Someone To Watch Over Me
[5:43] 5. Falling In Love With Love
[9:58] 6. Blues By Budd
[6:17] 7. Uptown Manhattan

One of tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson's best showcases, Let's Swing! finds him featured in a quintet with his brother Keg Johnson on trombone, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Charlie Persip. Budd starts off with the ballad feature "Serenade in Blue," then performs three originals, including "Downtown Manhattan" and "Uptown Manhattan," as well as three other veteran standards. Throughout, Johnson sounds both modern, as if he had come of age as one of the "cool school," and timeless, since he was a major player by the mid-'30s. A fine set. ~Scott Yanow

Let's Swing

Gerry Wiggins - Wig Is Here

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:17
Size: 167.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2001/2008
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. This Can't Be Love
[3:49] 2. Sysmo Blues
[4:21] 3. Watch What Happens
[2:51] 4. The Lady Is A Tramp
[6:47] 5. Stolen Sweets
[4:09] 6. What Is There To Say
[3:52] 7. On A Clear Day
[6:43] 8. A Beautiful Frienship (This Is The End Of)
[6:20] 9. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
[5:28] 10. Edith Is The Sweetest
[6:08] 11. Lover
[8:17] 12. F B O T
[5:17] 13. Oh ! Give Me Something To Remember You By
[5:48] 14. There Is No Greater Love

This Black & Blue set (which has been reissued on CD with additional selections) was pianist Gerald Wiggins' first recording session as a leader in 13 years even though he was quite active in the Los Angeles area during that time. Recorded in Paris with bassist Major Holley (who has a few solos on which he sings along with his bass) and drummer Ed Thigpen, Wig performs some standards (including "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Lover" and "There Is No Greater Love"), obscurities and a couple of originals. The music always swings and has plenty of subtle surprises; worth searching for. ~Scott Yanow

Wig Is Here

Andy Fusco - Out Of The Dark

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:09
Size: 150.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[6:09] 1. Out Of The Dark
[7:10] 2. Song For Andy
[5:27] 3. It's You Or No One
[8:17] 4. Epithaph For Sal Amico
[6:22] 5. Lament
[6:01] 6. Pritzin'
[8:36] 7. You've Changed
[8:39] 8. 2286 Seventh Avenue
[8:24] 9. You Don't Know What Love Is

This is a fun and often heated blowing date featuring a strong quintet of New York-based musicians. Altoist Andy Fusco and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli make for a mutually inspiring front line, while pianist Joel Weiskopf leads a strong rhythm section. They stretch out on four standards, Walt Weiskopf's "Out of the Dark," and four group originals. The musicians invigorate straight-ahead jazz, playing with spirit and creativity. It may not be overly innovative, but it is also never dull, with Fusco's Jackie McLean-inspired alto really pushing the group to play at its most passionate. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow

Full-bodied alto saxophonist has a piercing cry in his tone, not unlike Jackie McLean - he also has a melodic take on Bird-to-Coltrane harmonic vocabulary, a slippery conception of line that makes you think of Lee Konitz at bullet train velocity.

Recorded in Brooklyn, New York on December 10, 1998.

Andy Fusco (alto saxophone); Joe Magnarell (trumpet); Joel Weiskopf (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Billy Drummond (drums).

Out Of The Dark

Nicki Allan - You're Gonna Hear From Me

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:45
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. Almost Like Being In Love
(5:22)  2. Working It Out
(3:43)  3. You're Gonna Hear From Me
(6:13)  4. Round Midnight
(5:11)  5. Get Out Of Town
(5:40)  6. I'll Be Around
(4:52)  7. Better Days
(4:51)  8. Secret Love
(4:23)  9. You Go To My Head
(7:25) 10. Soon It's Gonna Run
(3:44) 11. Where Do You Start
(4:30) 12. Devil May Care
(1:34) 13. Both Sides Now

Nicki’s ability to interpret Jazz Classics effortlessly and stylishly has made her a well-respected Jazz singer over recent years.  She was awarded Jazz Yorkshire Vocalist of the year 2011 and later Website of the year 2012. She works regularly with her Jazz Sextet, who perform gigs & Festivals throughout the year and currently have 2 Albums available available to buy on iTunes.  She is a regular Big Band Vocalist with The Manhattan Sound Big Band and the Ronnie Bottomley Jazz Orchestra, A solo Piano Vocalist with a weekly residency at the Harrogate Brasserie, a Recording Artist and Session Singer, a Jazz and Pop Singing Tutor and Voice Coach at the Royal Northern College of Music, Choir Director for Seven Jazz and has toured around the world on a Cruise Ship. Please have a look around the website and sign up for the monthly newsletter for up to date gigs in and around the North.  Once in a while along comes the 'complete vocalist, that rare and talented individual who can take any style and turn it effortlessly into their own. 

Nicki Allan is that vocalist - Whether it be Jazz, Soul, Gospel or Blues, Nicki's rich timbre and superb vocal range enable her to move the hearts of the most hardened sceptic and draw in the listener to connect in a way rarely experienced nowadays. Nicki's musical ability was apparent from an early age. Initially learning the piano as a child she then went on to study as a classical pianist at the Leeds College of music gaining a First Class Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music. It was whilst on the Jazz course that Nicki discovered her vocal talents, an ability that was immediately obvious and was to pave the way for her later success. As a second study Double Bass player, constantly changing roles between the Double bass section in the College Symphony orchestra and an up-right Jazz bass player in an all-girl Dixieland band, the opportunity to sing and play presented itself, introducing Nicki to the world of professional gigs and live audiences.  

After graduating, Nicki went on to combine teaching music with an ever-growing performing schedule, which explored a variety of avenues. From touring with bands in the 90’s, working the Cabaret circuits and touring Germany and Ireland with her then band. Infatuation. Television work, excessively enjoyable large amounts of session work for indie music projects, Sega, Sony, Alton Towers and P & O show backings, song writing, the lovely Celtic song trio, featuring ‘Love’s A Lonely Traveller” and working with many Jazz ensembles and Big Bands Summer Season work, Cruise ships in more recent years, on the M.V Aegean Odyssey as a Jazz Piano vocalist and Cabaret Singer. Combined with her hectic performing schedule, Nicki is a well-known music Educator, teaching Pop and Jazz voice, Ensembles, the LCM Gospel choir for many years at Leeds College of Music and now Principle Study Voice Tutor for BA Pop at The Royal Northern College of Music.

She also runs the Seven Jazz Voices Choir in Chapel Allerton who also regularly makes special guest appearances performing throughout the year. Nicki has always been an ambassador for young talent and encourages others to believe in themselves in the pursuit of their own personal musical journey. If you would like to join the choir then please send an email via the contact page or come along to one of our rehearsals at Inkwell. ~ Bio  http://www.nickiallan.com/index.php/about-nicki
 
The sextet are: Nicki Allan – Vocals; Joel Purnell – Tenor Sax; Mark Chandler – Trumpet; Graham Hearn – Piano and arranger; Adrian Knowles – Bass; Ronnie Bottomley – Drums and arranger

Rob Parton Big Band - We'll Be Together Again

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:03
Size: 147,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Serenade To A Bus Seat
(6:04)  2. Tetragon
(4:58)  3. Ugly Beauty
(7:00)  4. I Love You
(4:30)  5. Movt I. Gold: Fantasy For Trumpet And Jazz Orchestra
(3:51)  6. Movt II. Cooper: Fantasy For Trumpet And Jazz Orchestra
(6:22)  7. Movt III.  Silver: Fantasy For Trumpet And Jazz Orchestra
(8:37)  8. Coda
(7:46)  9. We'll Be Together Again
(6:55) 10. Blue In Green
(4:02) 11. I Remember You

I am very proud that each and every one of these fantastic musicians are on this CD. I wish I had more space to acknowledge and thank them but that would give them more ammunition to harass me! They are my Chicago family and some of the very best musicians anywhere. Thank you for being a part of this recording. A very special thanks to my family Kristy, Mitchell, Louis, and Sarah. Their support has been the strength and inspiration of my musical life and career. Thank you Andy Baker and Ken Partyka for your proofreading abilities. Kristy’s devotion to the band has been wonderful over the years. You will see a long overdue solo CD featuring the talents of Kristy Parton very soon!  Thank you to Dave Schumacher for being a regular in the band for two years. I’m really sorry you weren’t in town to do these recordings. Thanks to Marques Carroll, BJ Levy, Chuck Parrish, Scott Burns, Bob Lark, Luke Malewicz, Bryant Scott, Jeremy Kahn, Peter Saxe, and Paul Martin, for subbing on the band numerous times over the past two years and beyond. 

Thanks to the fantastic musicians in Chicago, too many to mention here, who helped out in rehearsals at the start of this band. Another special thanks to the Arito family for always giving me an awesome place to crash when in Chicago! After disbanding the JAZZTECH Big Band for a couple of months, I quickly realized that I could not be the creative musician/leader I am, without running a professional jazz orchestra. Initially I thought, If I were to create another band, I would want to perform music that was more cutting edge and original. This music would need to offer the musicians a musical challenge like no other band in Chicago. At first we were playing the music of Chuck Owens, Maria Schneider, and Bob Mintzer. Once the band got rolling, music started coming in from Kendall Moore, Chris Madsen, Eric Richards and others. I think we have settled somewhere in the middle from where we started the new RPBB in 2009 and the swing of the JAZZTECH Big Band of the 90’s. 

This recording project was completed in two recording sessions which featured all live solos with the exception of my solos on Fantasy for Trumpet. It simply was too much to conduct and play at the same time! The musicians did a great job in spite of these six-hour recording sessions. Thanks again guys! I truly hope you enjoy this collection of music as it represents a new beginning for me and the Rob Parton Big Band in Chicago and someday possibly in Columbus Ohio. Thank you to all of the very special people who support my band. You know who you are!  Peace and Love, Rob Parton  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/robpartonbigband

We'll Be Together Again

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Jazz At The College Of The Pacific Vol 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:06
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(9:12)  1. All the Things You Are
(3:12)  2. Laura
(7:25)  3. Lullaby in Rhythm
(5:11)  4. I'll Never Smile Again
(9:12)  5. I Remember You
(5:52)  6. For All We Know

This set is a near-classic, one of many from this period, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Drummer Joe Dodge had just joined the group, and he works with bassist Ron Crotty in laying down a solid and subtle foundation. The real action, however, takes place up front with pianist Dave Brubeck and altoist Paul Desmond. Their individual solos are full of creative ideas on six standards most memorable are "All the Things You Are," "Laura," and "I'll Never Smile Again" and their interaction and tradeoffs are timeless. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-at-the-college-of-the-pacific-mw0000187776.

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Dave Brubeck (piano); Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Ron Crotty (bass); Joe Dodge (drums).

Jazz At The College Of The Pacific Vol 1, Vol 2

Terence Blanchard - Magnetic

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:03
Size: 158,1 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Magnetic
( 7:59)  2. Jacob's Ladder
( 7:30)  3. Don't Run
(10:31)  4. Pet Step Sitter's Theme Song
( 8:42)  5. Hallucinations
( 7:21)  6. No Borders Just Horizons
( 4:53)  7. Comet
( 4:31)  8. Central Focus
( 2:34)  9. Another Step
( 6:56) 10. Time To Spare

One of today's foremost jazz musicians and composers Terence Blanchard's achievements have soared since his formative days in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers to a trajectory of successful bands, recordings and award winning film scores such as 2007's A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) (Blue Note). He's still pursuing new challenges with the upcoming June 2013 premiere of his first opera entitled Champion, "An Opera In Jazz" based on the life of world champion boxer Emile Alphonse Griffith. Blanchard's ideas are still thriving in his twentieth release and return to Blue Note with Magnetica vibrant recording colored with the usual consummate performances, and a modernist bent that's replete with compelling themes. The ten compositions are written by various band members consisting of drummer Kendrick Scott, pianist Fabian Almazan, the unfaltering tenor saxophonist Brice Winston and the addition of 21-year-old bass prodigy Joshua Crumbly.  

This indicates another clue to Blanchard's vibrancy: his unselfishness mentoring and willingness to learn from younger musicians one time acolytes and now leaders like drummer Eric Harland, pianist Edward Simon, and West African guitarist Lionel Loueke who guests here on two tracks and also performed on Blanchard's previous Blue Note dates: Bounce (2003) and Flow (2007). Blanchard gives his band members plenty of opportunities to shine. Almazan's "Pet Step Sitter's Theme Song" features a larger-than-life theme with Blanchard's electronically processed trumpet, virtuosic piano work, and Loueke's usual finesse touches on guitar and vocalizations. Crumbly's elegant and stirring ballad "Jacob's Ladder" and Winston's tightly wound swinger "Time To Spare" are memorable and revealing of the artist's multiple talents.  Magnetic's theme rolls out like some galactic metropolis vast, complex and colored with futuristic techno embellishments. 

Yet the music is always filled with Blanchard's elongated lines and emotional urgency as found in the opening title track and the moody dreamscape in "Hallucinations." Swing is also a constant element, proven in "Don't Run" as Ravi Coltrane's soprano burns and Ron Carter's muscular bass walks true with bopping precision. Other vivid moments are found in Scott's brilliant "No Borders Just Horizons" where the music moves with feverish intensity and Almazan's superb acoustic/electronic-enhanced solo track "Comet."  These individual threads are intricately woven together by Blanchard's masterful leadership, musicianship, and openness. It's a fine return to Blue Note and another exceptional release in Blanchard's extensive and continuing discography. ~ Mark F.Turner  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/magnetic-terence-blanchard-blue-note-records-review-by-mark-f-turner.php#.U8NiMbFryM0

Personnel: Terence Blanchard: trumpet; Fabian Almazan: piano; Kendrick Scott: drums; Brice Winston: tenor saxophone (1, 2, 5, 6, 10); Joshua Crumbly: bass (2, 4-6, 8-10) Ron Carter: bass (1, 3); Ravi Coltrane: soprano saxophone (3), tenor saxophone (4); Lionel Loueke: guitar (4, 5, 9).

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Lise Vachon - Vocalise

Size: 111,3 MB
Time: 48:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Jazz, World Fusion
Art: Front

01. Yama Nekh ( 4:12)
02. Deep Felt Song (10:15)
03. No Fits Please ( 5:45)
04. Table In The Corner ( 7:57)
05. Moi ( 4:52)
06. Octobre ( 6:09)
07. Vocalise ( 7:20)
08. Marie-Madeleine ( 1:29)

Born in Montreal, grew up singing with her family. After music school, Lise undertakes a career as a singer/songwriter focusing on the voice as an instrument. Very early she signs with Capitol and Polygram and records as a duet: Luc and Lise Cousineau "Les Alexandrins". She has a radio show, is seen regularly on television, appears in such shows as Le Sel de la Semaine with the writer Jack Kerouac, a little before his death.

She tours in Canada, in France, Belgium, French Switzerland and sings at the Rio de Janeiro Festival da Cançao Popular. She joins eighteen musicians to form the Ville Emard Blues Band. In that same period, she forms a smaller band with fellow percussionist Michel Seguin: Toubabou. She travels and studies the music of West Africa, the Caribbean Islands and the South of United States. She continues recording original music and writes more and more lyrics and music. As she spends several years in New Orleans, she researches, studies music therapy, collaborates with new music composers, teaches at Loyola University as well as in private. In New York since 1990 where she teaches music, Lise walks the line between electronic, traditional, new music and jazz.

Vocalise

Oh-Ja - Oh-Ja

Size: 103,6 MB
Time: 44:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Above The Cloud (6:19)
02. Seven Steps To Heaven (5:33)
03. Bossa Lucca (5:38)
04. Will You Still Be Mine (5:42)
05. Peace In Pieces (5:18)
06. Con Alma (5:12)
07. For The Rest Of Us (6:05)
08. Moose (4:52)

Personnel:
Alex Smith - Hammond B3 Organ
Steve Kortyka - Tenor Sax
Paul Francis - Drums
Daisuke Abe - Guitar

This jazz organ group, based in New York City, is a collection of like-minded musicians focused on exploring original compositions and arrangements of standards, played with heart and dedicated to the groove.

Oh-Ja

Philipp Weiss & Walter Lang - PWL

Size: 124,6 MB
Time: 53:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Waltz For Debby (3:25)
02. Close Enough For Love (3:24)
03. Young And Foolish (5:14)
04. Through The Ages (4:26)
05. Someone To Watch Over (6:21)
06. Smile (2:39)
07. Blame It On My Youth (5:20)
08. The Days Of Wine And Roses (3:04)
09. A Child Is Born (4:54)
10. The Way You Look Tonight (4:32)
11. Some Other Time (3:42)
12. Because Of You (3:24)
13. Stargate (3:15)

Personnel:
Philipp Weiss - Vocals
Walter Lang - Piano

Deeply rooted into jazz and matured over the years Philipp Weiss and Walter Lang present renditions of selected jazz standards in such a vibrant and passionate manner that will take us to a place of beauty and poetry. Their intimate interaction is both lustrous and easy as well as powerful and orchestral. The audience will experience an evening of chamber music as if Schubert stripped his 'Winterreise' of its classical appearance and made it into a jazz extravaganza.

Philipp Weiss:
Philipp Weiss is the first internationally acclaimed ‘German crooner’.He won the special award of the ‘Deutsche Verband der Konzertdirektionen’ (German Association f Concert Management) in 2005 followed by the “Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis” (Bavarian Award for Outstanding Performance in the Arts) in 2008.
His debut album titled 'You Must Believe In Spring' was released for Universal Music. He recorded it with the Steve Kuhn Trio in New York in 2004. His work got high praise from the critics.He collaborated with stars such as Didier Lockwood, Till Brönner, Kim Sanders, Nicola Conte, Fabrizio Bosso, Lew Soloff, Billy Drummond and Konstantin Wecker.

Walter Lang:
Walter Lang is a mainstay of the European Jazz scene and a celebrated star in Japan. Countless concerts with his own groups or in collaboration with artists such as Lee Konitz, James Moody, Chico Freeman or Dusko Goykovich bear witness to his immense versatility and creative force.
His reputation as composer and arranger is outstanding. The renowned Fono Forum writes: “Lang’s appealing compositions have that distinct quality inherent in most truly great music: Entertaining from the first second, they reveal a deeper sense with every listen.”
“Jazz at its best! A sound that burns itself into your memory.“

PWL

Depart - Refire

Size: 126,9 MB
Time: 54:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Instrument
Art: Front

01. Talking 58 (4:08)
02. Chambers' Room (4:22)
03. Choral (4:52)
04. Barrock (5:33)
05. Funky Straight (4:31)
06. Bass Folk Song (2:31)
07. Erzherzog-Johann-Jodler (6:11)
08. Happy Happy (4:42)
09. Peace On My Mind (3:24)
10. Juggle In (2:29)
11. Guggisberglied (4:47)
12. Seven In Heaven (4:58)
13. Alpine Mood (2:17)

Personnel:
Harry Sokal - Tenor & Soprano Sax, Effects
Heiri Kanzig - Bass
Martin Valihora - Drums

The new album by the trio DEPART contains highly explosive, groove based music. Three very talented musicians form the new line-up: saxophonist Harry Sokal from Vienna, bass player Heiri Känzig from Zurich and the young drummer Martin Valihora from Slovakia who commutes between Bratislava and New York. Together they break new ground. This is DEPART's step into a new era.

DEPART is a crucial part of the European innovation in jazz. After 30 years of existence the band now releases their album REFIRE on Intakt Records. Sokal says: "But above all our music has become unpredictable and surprising again. Within a precisely delineated framework we have all three become more capricious; that ensures the tension and spontaneity which keeps our music alive."

Recorded in the 'Hard Studios' in the city of Winterthur, Switzerland the album contains 13 pieces most of them composed by Heiri Känzig. The music boils, pulsates and grooves in rousing perfection. "Their way of providing entertainment involves musical sophistication, intelligence and craft, along with good taste, witty playing and inventiveness," writes jazz critic Christian Rentsch in the liner notes.

Refire

Polly Gibbons - My Own Company

Size: 110,3 MB
Time: 47:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. My Own Company (2:28)
02. Miss Celie's Blues (3:52)
03. Almost Like Being In Love (5:04)
04. Don't Explain (6:01)
05. Tenderly (4:36)
06. Midnight Prayer (3:30)
07. All I Want (5:01)
08. I Never Loved A Man (4:09)
09. For All We Know (5:39)
10. Muddy Waters (2:45)
11. What Would I Do Without You (4:05)

Framlingham’s Polly Gibbons is one of the most respected and talked about young singer/songwriters of her generation. Nominated for a BBC Jazz Award back in 2006 with no album release to her name, was an early and clear indication of just how special a singer and performer Polly’s talents. Much esteemed by her contemporaries, Polly has built a reputation as being an original and gifted voice. With warm, rich, soulful vocals and an innate blues sensibility, Polly has been likened to many of the jazz and soul greats bringing her own storytelling and earnest depth alongside unique humour and fun to performances. Having developed her craft over the past decade, Polly has performed at all the leading UK jazz clubs, international festivals and is a regular at Ronnie Scott’s performing with the All Stars. This is first UK jazz album with James Pearson, Musical Director of Ronnie Scott’s and pianist with the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars – long overdue, yet not before time, with Polly sounding more beautiful and rarer than ever. With an innate vocal versatility, Polly is much sought-after as a session, backing and featured singer and has been invited to record on various projects including a track with hip hop group Vinyl Dialect, on Wall of Sound’s Bad Magic label, also co-writing and performing a song on British Soul compilation album, ‘Diggz Presents Random Soul on Random Records. Polly featured alongside such jazz luminaries as Ian Shaw, Jacqui Dankworth and Gwyneth Herbert on an album entitled The Music of BB Cooper and has spent many occasions recording and performing with renowned artist and producer Ian Shaw.

Musicians: Polly Gibbons, James Pearson, Arnie Somogyi, Sam Burgess, Chris Higginbotham and Sam ‘Jeeps’ Roan

My Own Company

Leslie Lewis - Of Two Minds

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:07
Size: 94.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz-pop
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. In Walked Bud
[5:20] 2. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[4:09] 3. Nature Boy
[4:12] 4. Honeysuckle Rose
[5:51] 5. 'round Midnight
[4:08] 6. Well You Needn't
[4:47] 7. How Deep Is The Ocean
[4:30] 8. Hello Young Lovers
[4:51] 9. But Beautiful

Usually a featured vocalist with an orchestra, a side vocalist with instrumental stars, or a dancer amongst a troupe, Leslie Lewis here presents her take on a number of classic pieces. In the choice of compositions, there's an almost even split between the straightforward, relaxed romances of the Great American Songbook (composers include Irving Berlin, Van Heusen, Rodgers & Hammerstein, etc.) and the off-kilter, exploratory pieces of Thelonious Monk. There's also a stray piece between the two extremes with Eden Ahbez's outstanding "Nature Boy." To her credit, Lewis is able to take on both ends of the spectrum. On the Monk pieces (and incidentally on Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," a favorite of Monk), she reverts to something of a Lambert, Hendricks & Ross sound, with a scat-like delivery masking a surprisingly smooth voice. "In Walked Bud," the opening track here, stands out as an excellent piece and one that won't often be done by vocalists. Her approach to the songbook pieces is a little more of a nightclub croon, bringing out a little bit of force to put behind the lyrics. Not a bad outing for Lewis, breaking the standard lounge singer aesthetic in favor of some more intimate artistry. ~Adam Greenberg

Of Two Minds

Herbie Mann - Brazil Bossa Nova & Blues / Right Now

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 70:17
Size: 160.9 MB
Styles: Flute jazz, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:14] 1. Cool Heat
[4:31] 2. One Note Samba
[4:24] 3. Desafinado
[6:55] 4. Copacabana
[4:37] 5. Brazil
[5:14] 6. Minha De Saudade
[2:54] 7. B.N. Blues
[8:00] 8. Me Faz Recordar
[2:58] 9. Carnival
[2:20] 10. Free For All
[2:38] 11. La La La
[5:54] 12. Meditation
[3:41] 13. O Barquinho
[4:41] 14. Challil
[3:14] 15. Right Now
[2:54] 16. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid

Tracks #1-6, from the album “Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues”, Recorded in New York City, early 1962. Tracks #7-16, from the album “Right Now”, Recorded in New York City, March 12 (#7-9), 28 (#10) and April 19 (#11-16), 1962. Tracks #7-16

This gentle and warm blend of jazz and bossa nova was inspired by flautist Herbie Mann’s 1961 Brazilian tour. A well-chosen, simpatico group invests these attractive compositions with warmth while slipping deftly into the blend of relaxation and lyricism the idiom calls for.

As leader, Mann generally takes on the theme statements, but his unpretentious – yet always melodic – playing works well in this context. A major benefit to the sessions is Billy Bean, a superb guitarist with a great gift for improvisation, whose versatility adds considerably more orchestral colour and texture to Mann’s group. Vibist Haygood Hardy’s rhythmically sinuous and serpentine solos are also consistently well constructed, while the rhythm section, which carries the soloists along irresistibly, yet always with restraint, is one of the best Mann ever had.

Herbie Mann (fl), Haygood Hardy (vb), Dave Pike (marimba), Billy Bean (g), Bill Salter, Don Payne (b), Willie Bobo (d), Carlos 'Patato' Valdés (conga), Jose De Paula (tambourine), Carmen Costa (maracas), Johnny Pacheco, Willie Rodriguez (perc)

Brazil Bossa Nova & Blues / Right Now

Judi Silvano - Womens Work : Live at Sweet Rhythm NYC

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 130,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Bougainvillea
(4:42)  2. Pretty Eyed Baby
(6:02)  3. Inside A Silent Tear
(6:44)  4. Not To Worry
(5:39)  5. Why Do Still Dream Of You?
(3:49)  6. New Dance
(4:34)  7. Easy To Love
(6:08)  8. What's Your Story Morning Glory
(3:47)  9. Ballad For Miles
(4:25) 10. Can't Get My Motor To Start
(5:49) 11. Backwater Blues

Jazz singer Judi Silvano is the wife of tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and she has appeared on some of his Blue Note albums, including Viva Caruso (2002), Celebrating Sinatra (1996) and Universal Language (1992), with a rather operatic vocalese style. Silvano began recording under her own name on Blue Note with Vocalese (1996) and then with her own JSL Label which has released several albums including Songs I Wrote or Wish I Wrote (2000), Sound Garden: Spirit Music (2004) and Sound Garden: Celestial Voices (2005). Somewhere along the way Silvano switched to a straight vocal style without either vocalese or perhaps only a dab of scat.. Women's Work: Live at Sweet Rhythm is based on a concept to present songs written by women and presented by an all femme group. This album has been carefully planned, and represents a concept of femininity in jazz writing and performing, and is well-realized in both planning and execution. 

The songs are composed by writers including Mary Lou Williams, Abbey Lincoln, Sheila Jordan and Carla Bley, plus two Silvano originals and one from pianist Janice Friedman. Of the players, and they are all good, it's Friedman who provides the cement that really holds this group together with her solos, comping and altogether solid playing. Allison Miller, who plays in many different genres, is a creative drummer. Recorded live at Sweet Rhythm (formerly known as Sweet Basil), the opening tune, Silvano's "Bougainvillea" has appeared elsewhere in her discography. Williams' "Pretty Eyed Baby" is reminiscent of a tune that Nat King Cole might have recorded with his trio and is a fine jump composition. Blossom Dearie's "Inside A Silent Tear" was heavily recorded during the 1970s, and Meredith D'Ambrosio's "Why Do I Still Dream of You" is a touching ballad, and let's face it when have you ever heard any jazz vocalist cover D'Ambrosio's work? Likewise, Silvano covers Lincoln's "Not to Worry," Jordan's autobiographical "Ballad for Miles" and Bley's humorous "Can't Get My Motor to Start." She concludes with Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," a song that defined Dinah Washington's 1950s output. Did Silvano take too much of a chance here? 

Well, it doesn't beat out either Smith or Washington's version but it elongates the song into a pleasing six minutes of pleasure. Women's Work: Live at Sweet Rhythm is the best of Silvano's post-millennium albums. It presents a hardworking quartet making fine music so that whether in tribute or not, these eleven tracks present a well-developed and fun approach to a conceptual overlay. ~ Michael P.Gladstone  
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/womens-work-live-at-sweet-rhythm-judi-silvano-jsl-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php#.U78ntrFryM0
 
Personnel: Judi Silvano: voice; Janice Friedman: piano; Jennifer Vincent: bass; Allison Miller: drums.

Hillary Capps - A Perfect Dozen

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:43
Size: 98,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:10)  2. Lullaby Of Birdland
(4:30)  3. East Of The Sun
(4:54)  4. You Don't Know Me
(3:44)  5. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(2:24)  6. One Note Samba
(3:08)  7. Unchain My Heart
(2:54)  8. Time After Time
(3:08)  9. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(2:18) 10. Twisted
(2:30) 11. At Last
(5:27) 12. The Nearness Of You

Hillary has always had a passion for music. Her Mother, being an artist, and her Father a musician, have greatly influenced her life as a performing artist. Hillary has been singing for as long as she can remember. There are even recordings of Hillary at four years old singing her own compositions such as “Puppies Are So Nice”. At a young age Hillary began writing songs and forming bands with friends. Throughout High School Hillary continued to pursue her career in music. As a freshman she began taking voice lessons, as a sophomore she released her debut self-titled CD, and as a senior she was named “class musician”. 

Her love for jazz also developed early in Hillary’s high school career. After her Father, both a jazz guitarist and recording artist, taught her the standard “Skylark”, she fell in love and began to develop her jazz repertoire. Since then, Hillary has performed across New England at weddings and various performance spaces. She has continued to write her own music and has collaborated with many talented musicians in both Vermont and New York City. Hillary currently attends Wagner College in New York City with a Voice Scholarship. She is very excited for the release of her first full-length Jazz CD! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hillarycapps

Sant Andreu Jazz Band - Jazzing Vol 2

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:50
Size: 145,1 MB
Art: Front + Back

(2:54)  1. Harlem Air Shaft
(5:12)  2. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
(3:40)  3. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
(2:14)  4. Tea For Two
(3:04)  5. L.O.V.E.
(3:05)  6. Symphony In Riffs
(3:55)  7. Smile
(4:32)  8. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(2:20)  9. Fight Of The Foo Bird
(3:12) 10. When You're Smiling
(3:11) 11. Koko
(4:22) 12. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(2:26) 13. Ruint
(3:13) 14. Blip-Blip
(4:34) 15. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
(4:28) 16. I Found A New Baby
(5:22) 17. I'm Confession' That I Love You

“I have traveled over the whole world and I’ve never seen anything like this before. The only thing I can do now is to come back to New York and talk about it.”~ Ken Peplowski

“It has been impressing: the youth, the skills, the swing, the enthusiasm. You must bring your music all over the world!”~ Dick Oatts

"Oh, what a joy of boys and girls!” 
~ Perico Sambeat  http://santandreujazzband.bandcamp.com/album/jazzing-vol-2

Jazzing Vol 2

Slim Gaillard - Laughing In Rhythm - The Best of Slim Gaillard

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:00
Size: 147,9 MB
Art: Front

(12:03)  1. Medley: Opera In Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)
( 2:49)  2. Tip Light
( 2:45)  3. Arabian Boogie
( 2:47)  4. Boip Boip
( 2:47)  5. The Bartender's Just Like A Mother
( 2:15)  6. Serenade To A Poodle
( 2:02)  7. Soony Roony (Song Of Yxabat)
( 2:52)  8. Laughing In Rhythm
( 2:49)  9. Genius (Aka Ride Slim Ride)
( 3:31) 10. Babalu (Orooney)
( 2:26) 11. Oh Lady Be Good
( 2:41) 12. Yo Yo Yo
( 3:42) 13. Federation Blues
( 2:32) 14. Chicken Rhythm
( 2:28) 15. Yip Roc Heresy
( 2:49) 16. Make It Do
( 2:42) 17. You Goofed
( 2:28) 18. Gomen Nasai
( 3:03) 19. Potato Chips
( 2:19) 20. Mishugana Mambo


This CD has highlights from Slim Gaillard's 1946-1947 and 1951-1954 recordings for the Verve label. A fine Charlie Christian-inspired guitarist, an adequate pianist, and a unique jive singer, Gaillard was always in his own category. Some of the selections on this CD are hilarious, and highlights include the four-part "Opera in Vout," "Serenade to a Poodle" (which of course has plenty of barking), "Laughing in Rhythm," "Chicken Rhythm," "Potato Chips," and the previously unreleased (and modestly titled) "Genius," which features Gaillard overdubbing himself on trumpet, trombone, tenor, vibes, piano, organ, bass, drums, and tap dancing. Although Gaillard's heyday was really the mid-'40s, this CD is quite memorable. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-slim-gaillard-laughin-in-rhythm-mw0000113010

Personnel: Slim Gaillard (vocals, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, vibraphone, piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums); Tiny "Bam" Brown (vocals, piano, bass); Ernie Sheppard (vocals, bass); Buddy Tate, Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Taft Jordan (trumpet); Bennie Green (trombone); Dick Hyman, Maceo Williams, Cyril Haynes, Dodo Marmarosa (piano); Pepe Benque (banjo); Clyde Lombardi, Ray Brown (bass); Herbie Lovelle, Charlie Smith, Milt Jackson (drums).

Laughing In Rhythm - The Best of Slim Gaillard