Jo Jones & His Orchestra - Vamp Til Ready (Digitally remastered)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 36:06
Size: 82.6 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1960/2009
Art: Front

[3:13] 1. Vamp 'til Ready
[2:26] 2. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
[2:43] 3. Should I
[2:51] 4. Thou Swell
[3:32] 5. Show Time
[3:28] 6. Sandy's Body
[2:37] 7. Liza
[3:02] 8. But Not For Me
[3:12] 9. Royal Garden Blues
[2:58] 10. Mozelle's Alley
[3:23] 11. Sox Trot
[2:36] 12. In The Forrest

Personnel are identified in the Amazon listing for the vinyl version, and they're the upside. Jo Jones, best known for his work with the Old Testament (1930s-40s) Basie orchestra and one of the great figures in the history of jazz drumming, generally runs the rhythm, emerging on "Mozelle's Alley," "Royal Garden Blues," and "In the Forrest" to demonstrate his unsurpassed (and Basie-like) ability to create maximal drive with minimal fuss. Jones was vastly admired by musicians in this swing-mainstream idiom and beyond, and could pick his associates. Bennie Green (trombone) was a younger Basieite, also featured on Jones' celebrated and somewhat similar Vanguard date. Harry "Sweets" Edison was a teammate from the old Basie band, a master sometimes downgraded because of his tendency to anthologize his favorite licks, he's at his best here, open-horn and muted, and not into recycling. Jimmy Forrest (tenor sax), Basie veteran and popularizer of "Night Train," is powerful. The pianist, Tommy Flanagan, was younger and associated with more newer styles, but fit in brilliantly with his elders (as on the great Prestige date with Pee Wee Russell and Buck Clayton). The uncredited bassist is Tommy Potter, well recorded and agile.

This is great stuff by great, wonderfully compatible musicians, making it all sound easy. For these guys, it was. ~Martin Berger/amazon

Vamp Til Ready

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Kermit Ruffins - Swing This!

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 53:41
Size: 122.9 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, New Orleans jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. Bogalusa Strut
[5:35] 2. Things Are Getting Better
[2:05] 3. He's Making Eyes At Me Ma
[4:34] 4. Ain't Misbehavin'
[5:23] 5. But Not For Me
[2:19] 6. This Little Light
[5:47] 7. Treme Second Line-Blow Da Whistle
[3:50] 8. Can't Take My Baby Nowhere
[3:23] 9. Hide The Reefer
[4:45] 10. Fruit Punch
[4:38] 11. Swing This!
[6:47] 12. Bucket's Got A Hole In It

New Orleans trumpeter/vocalist Ruffins concentrates on good time jive and swing, with a big band taste and second-line influence on this CD with his group, the Barbeque Kings. His bright trumpet sound and slightly Louis Armstrong-inflected vocal style is complemented by his band of fellow young jazzmen, the most distinctive being trombonist Corey Henry. Ruffins wrote four of the 12 selections: "Treme Second Line" (Blow Da Whistle)," "Can't Take My Baby Nowhere," and "Hide the Reefer" are silly goof numbers, the latter with a Gene Krupa rhythm. The title track is a bopping instrumental where Ruffins, Henry, and tenor saxophonist Roderick Paulin get to blow a little. Ed Frank's "Fruit Punch" is also a swinging instrumental with promising solos. Ruffins cops Eddie Jefferson's lyric on "Things Are Getting Better," adding a peanut vendor line. He sings "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Bucket's Got a Hole in It" with that self-effaced Satchmo charm. Additional horns turn the ensemble into a big band sound for "Ma, He's Makin' Eyes at Me" and "But Not for Me." Six-year-old Neshia Ruffins and seven-year-old Christina Ruffins join four-year-old Milan Arriola on a truly kiddish "This Little Light of Mine," and the CD kicks with a true New Orleans trad classic, "Bogalusa Strut." As he matures, Ruffins should grow out of camp into pure musical value. This is a quite an entertaining recording. ~Michael G. Nastos

Swing This!

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Tony Airoldi - South Austin Gypsy Jazz

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:35
Size: 115.2 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[5:16] 1. Adios Muchachos
[2:06] 2. Minor Swing
[4:34] 3. La Yunta
[6:22] 4. Tarantas
[3:24] 5. J'attendrai
[4:22] 6. For Sephora
[3:10] 7. Moreno Waltz
[2:52] 8. Django's Moustache
[5:30] 9. Latcho Drom
[3:27] 10. Nuages
[4:07] 11. Bossa Dorado
[4:19] 12. Mediterranean Blues

Tony Airoldi's South Austin Gypsy Jazz is inspired by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli's "Swing Manouche". His musical Style is a unique blend of authentic gypsy jazz with modern, contemporary Latin influence. Tony Airoldi's South Austin Gypsy Jazz can transport you to the heart of Paris and the Mediterranian shores of Barcelona with its passionate, ambient rhythms; providing an energetic and engaging entertainment experience to remember.

South Austin Gypsy Jazz

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Martha Lorin - Don't Slam That Door! The Many Moods Of Martha Lorin

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:18
Size: 138,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:16)  1. The Best Is Yet To come
(3:57)  2. Rain Song
(4:29)  3. New York State Of Mind
(5:43)  4. Close Your Eyes
(2:49)  5. Coney Island
(3:03)  6. Last Night When We Were Young
(3:39)  7. You're Changed
(1:59)  8. Don't Slam That Door
(3:00)  9. Ill Wind
(5:11) 10. Low Down Blues
(4:33) 11. We Two
(3:40) 12. Let's Begin Again
(3:19) 13. Nerves
(3:17) 14. Remember (For Shelly Mann)
(4:21) 15. Close Enough For Love
(4:51) 16. Come Walk With Me

"Martha Lorin has developed into one of the most emotive singers to hit the jazz scene." Growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, Martha Lorin found herself at a crossroads of diverse cultures. Martha's early vocal development was nourished by two generations, her Welsh grandmother, Sarah Dalton, a highly touted popular singer of the 1920's, and her jazz pianist/singer/songwriter mother, Margaret Dalton.

Martha had her first club gig at age 19 at Enrico Banucci's "Hungry Eye" in San Francisco, where she met long-term mentor, pianist Shelly Robin.  After the tragic loss of her husband, Capt. Bruce Walker (shot down in Viet Nam and still MIA) Martha moved to Germany with their one year old baby girl for two years. Upon returning to the U.S. she completed her B.A. in American Literature at the University of Maryland, after which she moved to San Francisco to resume her singing career. 

Martha's first solo album, "The Best Is Yet To Come," was co-produced by Joni Mitchell's producer and sound engineer, Henry Lewy. After its release Martha toured Japan and the Philippines, and then spent a year in Los Angeles where she met and collaborated with pianist/songwriter Frank Collett. Several of those compositions are included on Martha's new collection, "Don't Slam That Door." New York Times music critic John Wilson says of these collaborations that Martha's "lyrics, with music by Frank Collett, stand up well in the company of such established gems as Strayhorn's "Day Dream" and "Easy Living" by Ranger/Robbins. More....http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marthalorin3

Don't Slam That Door ! The Many Moods Of Martha Lorin

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Dick Sudhalter & His London Friends - After Awhile

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:20
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
(4:34)  2. Emaline
(4:07)  3. How Could We Be Wrong?
(3:32)  4. Rose Of Washington Square
(4:41)  5. P.S. I Love You
(4:26)  6. After Awhile
(6:09)  7. People Will Say We're In Love
(3:38)  8. Isn't This A Lovely Day?
(5:00)  9. Tea For Two
(4:17) 10. Concentratin'
(4:03) 11. The Blue Room
(3:50) 12. Chasing Shadows
(5:15) 13. My Heart Stood Still
(3:44) 14. The Love Nest

Dick Sudhalter, best known as one of the three writers responsible for one of the great jazz biographies (Bix - Man and Legend), is also a fine trumpeter who has the influence of Bix Beiderbecke fairly well-buried in his own lyrical style. Sudhalter had lived in England during the 1965-75 period, making this get-together (subtitled "& His London Friends") a musical reunion. Sudhalter and 13 other musicians are heard together in different combinations caressing a set of high-quality swing standards. With Keith Nichols (doubling on piano and trombone), altoist John R.T. Davies and trombonists Roy Williams and Jim Shepherd emerging as the top soloists in the supporting cast, Sudhlater sounds quite inspired. Whether it be "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "Tea for Two," "The Blue Room" or "Rose of Washington Square," this is a delightful and very melodic set. ~ Scott Yanow  

http://www.allmusic.com/album/after-awhile-mw0000124909

Personnel: Dick Sudhalter (trumpet, flugelhorn); Chris Ellis (vocals); John R.T. Davies (alto saxophone); Al Gay (tenor saxophone); Jim Shepherd (bass saxophone, trombone); Keith Nichols (trombone, piano); Roy Williams (trombone); Mick Pyne (piano); Nevil Skrimshire (acoustic guitar); Paul Sealey (electric guitar); Dave Green, Jack Fallon (bass); Allan Ganley, Jack Parnell (drums).

After Awhile

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Dick Hyman & Ralph Sutton - Just You Just Me

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:30
Size: 152,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:43)  1. Just You Just Me
(6:13)  2. Out Of Nowhere
(5:05)  3. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby
(5:53)  4. Lover Come Back To Me
(6:07)  5. 'Deed I Do
(5:12)  6. Viper's Drag
(5:20)  7. Truckin'
(5:55)  8. Echoes Of Spring/Passionate
(3:46)  9. Changes
(9:46) 10. St Louis Blues
(7:26) 11. After You've Gone

The two living stride pianists, Dick Hyman and Ralph Sutton, had only recorded one earlier album together, a set for the Concord label. This encore performance is on the same high level. Among the tunes that Hyman and Sutton romp through are "Just You, Just Me," "'Deed I Do," "Truckin'" and "After You've Gone." The complex but hard-swinging "Changes" is another one of the highlights. Sutton takes a pair of Willie "The Lion" Smith tunes as his feature while Hyman stretches out solo on "Out Of Nowhere." Classic music from a pair of keyboard masters. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/just-you-just-me-mw0000588598

Personnel: Dick Hyman (piano); Ralph Sutton (piano).

Just You Just Me

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Don Braden, Dave Liebman, Dan Moretti - Latin Genesis

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:38
Size: 130,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Vail Jumpers
(5:08)  2. Calling Miss Khadija
(6:07)  3. Have You Met Miss Jone?
(4:43)  4. PP Phoenix
(5:33)  5. For All The Other Times
(6:12)  6. Three Card Molly
(5:11)  7. Tiara
(7:14)  8. Cecilia Is Love
(7:13)  9. Brite Piece
(5:02) 10. Trippin'

Latin Genesis, Dave Liebman writes in the liner notes, marks the thirtieth anniversary of a groundbreaking session in which he took part with drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Gene Perla and saxophonists Joe Farrell and Frank Foster. This time around, the front line consists of Liebman, Don Braden and Dan Moretti, all doubling on soprano and tenor sax, with bassist Oscar Stagnaro replacing Perla and three others (drummer Mark Walker, percussionists Pernell Saturnino and Jorge Najaro) supplying the group’s rhythmic backbone in lieu of Jones. Rhythmic it is, with an abundance of energy to boot, but as a consistently pleasing musical experience the session is less than wholly successful. Blame it on personal preference, perhaps, but to me a number of the solos, while undeniably full of sound and fury, seem to embody more flash than substance. Aside from that, everything nestles tidily into place, with an admirable choice of material and splendid charts on which to blow. Braden’s saucy “Vail Jumpers,” a charming opener, is followed by another excellent “Latin” number, Rodgers and Hart’s “Have You Met Miss Jones.” Liebman (on soprano) takes his first extended solo on Perla’s sensuous “PP Phoenix,” and it’s good to hear him playing in a more straight–ahead manner than is usually the case. 

Perla also wrote “For All the Other Times,” on which each of the front liners solos, while Jones composed “Three Card Molly,” a drum–driven vehicle with impassioned commentary by Walker. Moretti’s full–throated flute is featured on his sparkling “Tiara,” and he shares the stage with Liebman on Foster’s brash “Cecilia Is Love.” Liebman wrote the gladsome “Brite Piece” (on which his soprano solo follows Braden’s), Moretti the rhythmically powerful “Trippin’” (taking his turn on soprano with Liebman moving to tenor). The group wraps things up with Lee Morgan’s bop Latin hybrid “Calling Miss Khadija.” Here, as throughout, Walker and the percussionists, Saturnino and Najaro, are an awesome force, hammering the session into shape while driving the horns relentlessly forward. Everything is sunny and sharply drawn, and if the solos were a touch less strident and more coherent (our opinion, of course) the album would earn near perfect marks. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/latin-genesis-dave-liebman-whaling-city-sound-review-by-jack-bowers.php#.VBtiNBawTP8
 

Personnel: Dave Liebman, Don Braden, tenor, soprano sax; Dan Moretti, tenor, soprano sax, flute, alto flute, bass clarinet; Oscar Stagnaro, bass; Mark Walker, drums; Pernell Saturnino, Jorge Najaro, percussion; Rick Andrade (2), talking drum.

Latin Genesis

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Anthony Wilson - Adult Themes

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 68:21

Size: 156.5 MB

Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz

Year: 1999

Art: Front

[ 4:18] 1. Barry's Tune

[ 3:54] 2. Maxine

[ 4:36] 3. Chorale

[11:15] 4. Idle Blues

[ 7:25] 5. Invention In Blue

[ 3:32] 6. Because

[ 7:02] 7. Danny Boy

[ 1:44] 8. Unfinished Situation

[10:06] 9. Impermanence

[ 2:32] 10. The Impasse

[ 7:42] 11. Lullaby

[ 4:11] 12. Integration

Anthony Wilson showed a fair amount of promise on his self-titled debut album of 1997, and he lives up to that promise on 1998's Goat Hill Junket, and on his third album Adult Themes. This CD is noteworthy not only because of Wilson's Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar playing, but also because of his arranging and composing. On Adult Themes, Wilson leads what Phil Woods might call a "little big band." No less than five horn players are employed (including trumpeter/flügelhornist Carl Saunders, trombonist Ira Nepus, alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz), and the hard-swinging rhythm section includes, among others, pianist Donald Vega, bassist Danton Boller, and drummer Mark Ferber. Wilson does much of the writing himself, but he also provides inventive arrangements of the Beatles' "Because," Donald Fagen's "Maxine," and the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy." None of these songs have been done to death by jazz musicians, and Wilson deserves credit for successfully bringing them into a jazz environment. Adult Themes isn't innovative, but this enjoyable date is certainly neither generic nor predictable. ~Alex Henderson

Adult Themes

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Wilford Brimley & The Jeff Hamilton Trio - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:54
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Straight ahead, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. I Wish You Love
[4:45] 2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[3:49] 3. Pick Yourself Up
[4:04] 4. I Have Dreamed
[3:32] 5. Waltz For Debby
[3:28] 6. Ain't She Sweet
[4:10] 7. That Sunday, That Summer
[3:10] 8. When I Take My Sugar To Tea
[3:32] 9. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
[3:51] 10. This Love Of Mine
[3:32] 11. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[3:52] 12. Love Letters
[3:53] 13. A Sleepin' Bee
[3:23] 14. Yours Is My Heart Alone
[3:34] 15. I'm Bidin' My Time

Acting and singing aren't mutually exclusive talents. The best singers, in fact, are natural born actors, inhabiting the stories set out for them in the songs that they sing. The opposite, however, doesn't always ring true; the best actors are not always natural born singers. In this day and age, the fame of the thespian has become a license to sing, with everybody from Hugh Laurie to Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe to Russell Brand brandishing a microphone, but the results are mixed. Some can pull it off; others simply can't. The four actors listed above have taken vocal detours into various locales, from Broadway to bluesville, but others have been tempted to visit jazzier territory instead. Joe Pesci (a.k.a. Joe Doggs), for example, put his Jimmy Scott-esque vocals to good use on organist Joey DeFrancesco's Falling In Love With Love (Concord Records, 2003), and now, Wilford Brimley is taking a run at the classics with drummer Jeff Hamilton's classy trio backing him up. Brimley and Hamilton are an odd match on the surface, but they share a love for this music, and that's all that's really required to make a go of things.

Brimley-as-vocalist comes with some drawbacks and strengths, as many musicians do. He tends to favor a form of speak singing with a vibrato chaser, which isn't likely to win over the vocal jazz set, but he also has a few important things going for him. First and foremost is his storyteller's delivery. It's clear that he gets the ins-and-outs of what the songs are saying. One of his other strengths is his ability to give the material a quaint, lived-in feel.

Hamilton and company play their part(s) to perfection. Hamilton's break away brush work and impeccable sense of swing are a joy to experience, pianist Tamir Hendelman is ever-charming, and bassist Christoph Luty is the connective tissue. Sometimes he bridges the gap between Hendelman and Hamilton, but he's just as likely to fill the spaces Brimley leaves ("A Sleepin' Bee") or simply serve as a harmonic guidepost. The arrangements that surround and support Brimley are clever and concise, with twelve of the fifteen numbers clocking in under the four minute mark; the idea seems to be to say what needs to be said, let a quick solo or two sneak in, and then move on. It's not likely that vocal aficionados will be ditching their Nat "King" Cole in favor of Brimley's "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" or choosing his "A Sleepin' Bee" over Mel Torme's take on the song, but Brimley's work shouldn't be discounted. He's always possessed an ability to win over an audience, regardless of the setting, and he does his best to do it again here. ~Dan Bilawsky

Wilford Brimley: vocals; Jeff Hamilton: drums; Tamir Hendelman: piano; Christoph Luty: bass.

Wilford Brimley & The Pete Hamilton Trio

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Sarah Moule - Songs From The Floating World

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:25
Size: 120.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Lord I Wanna Be Good
[3:20] 2. Men Who Love Mermaids
[3:16] 3. Lots Of People Do
[3:58] 4. Scars
[3:20] 5. Cri Du Coeur
[3:42] 6. I've Got You Under My Skin
[3:09] 7. My Babe
[2:23] 8. Hell's Angel
[3:14] 9. Don't Fall In Love With Me
[2:30] 10. Love's Eyes
[3:19] 11. Looking For A Boy (Girl)
[4:23] 12. Stranger
[3:28] 13. I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
[2:57] 14. Noir
[3:01] 15. If You Believe That
[2:24] 16. Did I Break Your Heart

On her latest album, acclaimed jazz singer Sarah Moule has recorded six new songs by Simon Wallace and Fran Landesman, alongside a new lyric by Julie Burchill, two blues numbers and imaginative reworkings of classic songs. Songs from the Floating World reminds us that Sarah is a brilliant interpreter of both melody and lyrics.

‘The Floating World’ was the name given to the red light districts in 17th-19th Century Japan where geishas, Kabuki actors and Sumo wrestlers rubbed shoulders with artists and musicians against a backdrop of hedonism. Sarah discovered her own ‘Floating World’ where America’s Beat Generation crossed with London’s jazz nightlife when she met her husband Simon Wallace and Fran Landesman. Fran, who died in 2011, was a friend and peer of Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce and Ken Kesey. She was one of the finest lyricists of the last fifty years and her work with Wallace has been admired by critics and appreciated by the many singers who have recorded their songs. Sarah has championed their work since her 2002 Linn Records debut, ‘It’s A Nice Thought’, when journalists were quick to celebrate the artistic symbiosis of Sarah’s voice with Simon and Fran’s songs.

Songs From The Floating World

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David Hazeltine - The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:37)  1. On The Boulevard
(7:50)  2. O Grande Amor
(6:12)  3. Jessica's Night
(7:59)  4. Hayes' Phase
(5:46)  5. Knocks Me Off My Feet
(7:38)  6. East Of The Sun
(6:54)  7. Didn't We
(6:43)  8. Our Delight

One has to admit that it is a bit presumptive to name a jazz combo the "Classic Trio." There have been many "Classic" piano trios. The ones that quickly spring to mind are Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamel, Ray Brown, Gene Harris, and the list continues. Pianist David Hazeltine has slapped this leaden moniker on himself and his rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Louis Hayes. The moniker may not be too far from completely accurate. The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander marks the third outing of the Classic Trio and the first to include a plus-one musician, in this case tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. Alexander almost sounds like the session leader, a tribute to both him and Hazeltine. Honor Alexander for a fiery brand of assertive tenor playing and Hazeltine for allowing him space. 

The results are seamless and exact, like a finely-drafted drawing. The arrangements and performances on this collection are crisply precise. There are no "blowing session" excesses here, only finely crafted music played confidently on the head of a pin. The disc opener is the jaunty Hazeltine original "On the Boulevard." Alexander contributes the swingingly complex "Hayes' Phase." These originals are mixed with Jobim Bossa ("O Grande Amor"), Stevie wonder contemporary ("Knocks Me Off My Feet") and the Be Bop ("East of the Sun" and "Our Delight"). There is no way to fault craftsmanship this fine. In the pregnant field of straight-ahead mainstream, The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander stands out as a crystalline example of how jazz is supposed to sound in the main. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-classic-trio-meets-eric-alexander-david-hazeltine-sharp-nine-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php#.VBsiHxawTP8

Personnel: David Hazeltine - piano; Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone; Peter Washington - bass; Louis Hayes - drums.

The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander

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Buck Clayton All Stars (Feat. Jimmy Rushing) - Jive At Five

Styles: Straight-Ahead, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:44
Size: 178,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:46)  1. I Want A Little Girl
( 7:23)  2. Exactly Like You
( 7:24)  3. Outer Drive
( 7:56)  4. Sent For You Yesterday
( 8:06)  5. Moonglow
( 6:55)  6. Every Day I Have The Blues
( 6:27)  7. Deed I Do
(13:15)  8. Night Train
( 5:06)  9. Goin' to Chicago Blues
( 9:21) 10. Swingin' Along On Broadway

An excellent bandleader and accompanist for many vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton was a valued soloist with Count Basie Orchestra during the '30s and '40s, and later was a celebrated studio and jam session player, writer, and arranger. His tart, striking tone and melodic dexterity were his trademark, and Clayton provided several charts for Basie's orchestra and many other groups. Clayton began his career in California, where he organized a big band that had a residency in China in 1934. When he returned, Clayton led a group and played with other local bands. During a 1936 visit to Kansas City, he was invited to join Basie's orchestra as a replacement for Hot Lips Page. Clayton was also featured on sessions with Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, and Holiday in the late '30s. He remained in the Basie band until 1943, when he left for army service. After leaving the army, Clayton did arrangements for Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James before forming a sextet in the late '40s. He toured Europe with this group in 1949 and 1950.

Clayton continued heading a combo during the '50s, and worked with Joe Bushkin, Tony Parenti, and Jimmy Rushing, among others. He organized a series of outstanding recordings for Columbia in the mid-'50s under the title Jam Session (compiled and reissued by Mosaic in 1993). There were sessions with Rushing, Ruby Braff, and Nat Pierce. Clayton led a combo with Coleman Hawkins and J.J. Johnson at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, then reunited with Goodman in 1957 at the Waldorf Astoria. There was another European tour, this time with Mezz Mezzrow. He appeared in the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story and played the 1958 Brussels World Fair with Sidney Bechet. Clayton later made another European visit with a Newport Jazz Festival tour. He joined Eddie Condon's band in 1959, a year after appearing in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. Clayton toured Japan and Australia with Condon's group in 1964, and continued to revisit Europe throughout the '60s, often with Humphrey Lyttelton's band, while playing festivals across the country. 

But lip and health problems virtually ended his playing career in the late '60s. After a period outside of music, Clayton once again became active in music, this time as a non-playing arranger, touring Africa as part of a State Department series in 1977. He provided arrangements and compositions for a 1974 Lyttleton and Buddy Tate album, and did more jam session albums for Chiaroscuro in 1974 and 1975. He also became an educator, teaching at Hunter College in the early '80s. Clayton led a group of Basie sidemen on a European tour in 1983, then headed his own big band in 1987 that played almost exclusively his compositions and arrangements. That same year Clayton's extensive autobiography Buck Clayton's Jazz World, with Nancy Miller-Elliot, was published. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jive-at-five-live-feat.-emmett/id894093387?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Jive At Five

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Derrick Gardner And The Jazz Prophets - A Ride To The Other Side

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 92:42
Size: 212,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Funky Straight
(7:20)  2. Don't Blink
(8:58)  3. Bugabug - Extended Play
(6:41)  4. The Crux Of The Matter
(8:12)  5. A Ride To The Other Side
(9:32)  6. Mac Daddy Grip
(8:04)  7. Be One
(6:07)  8. Bugabug
(7:33)  9. God's Gift
(6:42) 10. Lazara
(6:49) 11. Just A Touch
(8:56) 12. Of Infinity

Trumpeter Derrick Gardner, former sideman to the orchestras of Count Basie and Harry Connick Jr., founded The Jazz Prophets upon arriving in New York City in 1991. With swinging arrangements and soulful soloing, the hard-bopping sextet takes its lead from the classic sounds of 1950s and ‘60s ensembles led by Art Blakey and Horace Silver. For A Ride to the Other Side, Gardner is joined by trombonist and brother Vincent Gardner, tenor saxophonist Rob Dixon, pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Donald Edwards. Following the soulful, feel-good opener, “Funky Straight,” the high-octane title track brings out inspired front-line solos with modern edginess. 

The Blakey-inspired “Mac Daddy Grip” has an insatiable, toe-tapping effect courtesy of Whitaker’s larger-than-life walking pulse and Edwards’ driving shuffle groove. Gardner’s thorough understanding of the jazz trumpet lineage is showcased throughout the disc. The trumpeter evokes the spirit of Lee Morgan on “Bugabug” and Woody Shaw on “Of Infinity.” Bill Lee’s captivating ballad “Be One” demonstrates a serene, assured tone from the big band veteran.  Aside from moments of predictability, A Ride to the Other Side is a solid outing for Gardner and his torch-bearing collaborators. The playing is of the highest order and the vibe is downright infectious. ~ John Barron  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-ride-to-the-other-side-derrick-gardner-review-by-john-barron.php#.VBsyoRawTP8 
 

Personnel: Derrick Gardner: trumpet, flugelhorn; Vincent Gardner: trombone; Rob Dixon: tenor saxophone; Anthony Wonsey: piano; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Donald Edwards: drums; Kevin Kaiser: percussion.

A Ride To The Other Side

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Danny Caron - Good Hands

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues guitar
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[4:22] 1. Shaggin'
[7:04] 2. In A Sentimental Mood
[5:09] 3. The Promise
[7:12] 4. Shine On
[5:00] 5. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
[2:48] 6. The Guitar Speaks
[3:11] 7. Gate Walks The Board
[6:17] 8. A Rainy Night In Georgia
[4:28] 9. Hey Jimmy
[5:26] 10. Soul Street
[4:41] 11. With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair

Danny Caron is a soulful and passionate guitarist who has played with some of the best musicians in America. His just released CD entitled "Good Hands" features some of the most soulful musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area including Jim Pugh from the Robert Cray Band on Hammond organ, Ron E. Beck from Tower of Power on drums, and two exquisite previously unreleased Charles Brown trio cuts with the legendary Charles Brown singing and playing piano, and Ruth Davies on bass.In addition you'll find some beautiful acoustic jazz cuts with John Wiitala (bass), Deszon Claiborne (drums), and John R Burr (piano) A couple of those are augmented by a burning horn section, with a few searing sax solos from Jeff Ervin and Charles McNeal. "The tunes on this record are really homages to some of my favorite guitarists", says Caron. "Grant Green, Billy Butler, Johnny and Oscar Moore, Gatemouth Brown, T Bone Walker, and BB King - just to name a few of the obvious ones...I'm not trying to play like them-I never could-I'm just trying to thank them!" Originally out of Silver Spring, Maryland, Danny moved to Austin, Texas and cut his teeth on the Crawfish circuit playing with singer-pianist Marcia Ball. He then worked with Zydeco king Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band with whom he recorded the Grammy Award winning Album I'm Here in 1980. Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1981 he continued to freelance and eventually teamed up with the legendary singer and pianist Charles Brown. Danny served as guitarist and musical director for Charles Brown from 1987 until Brown's death in 1999. He has played on numerous CD's and sessions with Charles Brown, Clifton Chenier, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Ruth Brown, Etta Jones, John Clayton, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson, Donald Fagen, Dr. John, Little Milton Campbell, John Hammond Jr. and many others. *Danny is the featured guitarist on the Van Morrison produced John Lee Hooker album, "Don't Look Back" which won two Grammy Awards - one for Best Traditional Blues Recording, and the other for Best Collaboration, Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker. He keeps up a busy schedule touring and performing most recently with Robben Ford, Barbara Morrison, Maria Muldaur and others. He continues working with Just Say Jazz, a group of Bay Area musicians dedicated to preserving and promoting jazz and blues awareness in primary schools. He is presently teaching courses at The Jazzschool in Berkeley California.

Good Hands

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James Taylor Quartet - James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown: Don't Mess With Mr. T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:52
Size: 102.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Funk
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Money That's What I Want
[3:18] 2. Got To Give It Up
[3:19] 3. Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)
[5:12] 4. Function At The Junction
[4:07] 5. After The Dance
[3:20] 6. Jimmy Mack
[3:15] 7. Machine Gun
[2:49] 8. Come See About Me
[3:08] 9. Cleo's Mood
[3:12] 10. You Beat Me To The Punch
[4:14] 11. You're All I Need To Get By
[4:47] 12. Don't Mess With Mr T

James Taylor's vintage Hammond-led outfit has consistently delighted lovers of jazz, funk and R&B in equal measure over the last twenty years. The group is most famous for its signature tune, the "Theme From Starsky and Hutch, but this album shows greater variety than the standard jam workout. Don't Mess With Mr. T: James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown is a series of 12 cover tracks from Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder.

The quartet itself, which comprises Taylor (Hammond organ), Nigel Price (guitar), Andy McKinney (bass) and Adam Betts (drums), is augmented for this record by four more musicians: a full horn section and an extra percussionist. As well as the expected fiery instrumentals, the band is joined by leading soul vocalists Omar, Hil St Soul and Donna Gardier who each add their own notable contributions to the proceedings. ~Frederick Bernas

Bass – Andrew McKinney; Drums – Adam Betts; Guitar – Nigel Price; Organ [Hammond] – James Taylor; Percussion – Oreste-Noda Fernandez; Saxophone – Jamie Anderson; Trombone – Dave Williamson;Trumpet – Nick Smart; Vocals – Donna Gardier (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10), Joy Rose (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10), Tyrone Henry (tracks: 3, 5, 12)

James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown: Don't Mess With Mr. T

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Billie Poole - Sermonette

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 29:37
Size: 67.8 MB
Styles: Blues Soul Jazz vocals
Year: 1961/2013
Art: Front

[2:20] 1. This Can't Be Love
[2:16] 2. Sermonette
[2:16] 3. When You're Smilin'
[2:46] 4. Time After Time
[3:17] 5. Drown In My Own Tears
[1:48] 6. I Could Have Danced All Night
[2:25] 7. Lazy Afternoon
[2:19] 8. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:24] 9. Rocks In My Bed
[2:37] 10. Young Woman's Blues
[2:31] 11. He's My Guy
[2:31] 12. A Sunday Kind Of Love

Billie Poole was a young Californian blues singer with a style derivative of Bessie Smith who first made her name in Paris. In 1962 she was offered a recording contract back in the USA. On Sermonette she is backed by an orchestra and extends her range beyond the blues idiom to include standards and romantic ballads.

Sermonette

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Oksana Ferenchuk - Little Bird

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:08
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Lover Man (feat. Jim Ridl, Steve Varner & Vince Ector)
(4:16)  2. Social Call (feat. Jim Ridl, Steve Varner & Vince Ector)
(5:58)  3. Never Said (Chan's Song) [feat. Jim Ridl]
(7:05)  4. How Long Has This Been Gonig On (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(7:11)  5. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(6:40)  6. The Peacocks (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(5:08)  7. Little Bird (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(5:25)  8. Tenderly
(5:45)  9. A Felicidade

Young and talented jazz singer and musician, that recently recorded her first album in NYC. Original arrangements on the favorite jazz standards and one beautiful original song Little Bird.This album is a little story of mine. The story that have brought me to the jazz world. I've met an incredible person, amazing musician that became my teacher and producer of this CD. JD Walter. All the songs I have chosen are the reflection of my environment, my music thoughts, and persons that I've met through recent years who influenced on me. And the main person who has inspired me to improvise every minute and every single day - is my daughter Michelle. My Little Bird. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oksanaferenchuk

Little Bird

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The Harry Allen & Joe Cohn Quartet - Stompin' The Blues

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:17
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. You're Driving Me Crazy
(7:17)  2. I'll Get By
(5:10)  3. Stompin' the Blues
(5:01)  4. My Old Flame
(4:52)  5. Don't Want to Have To
(5:21)  6. But I Will
(9:20)  7. I Only Have Eyes for You
(8:18)  8. (I Would Do) Anything for You
(6:28)  9. Medley It Might As Well Be Spring, Spring Is Here
(5:54) 10. So There

Despite his still young age, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen has released nearly 40 CDs. Even more impressive is that he plays mostly standards, and while that well is deep, there's no easy chore in making American popular songs fresh and vibrant within the mainstream. Allen accomplishes this by changing up his bands, working hard on his personalized post-Stan Getz voicings, and occasionally inviting veteran hero/musicians to his recording sessions. In this case, fellow tenor man Scott Hamilton joins the band Allen co-leads with the excellent primarily rhythm guitarist Joe Cohn, and there's a story behind the recording date. Hamilton, living in London, England, flew to the U.S. shortly after the terrorist threat there in February of 2007 and was forced to check his saxophone instead of carrying it with him on the flight, and it was badly damaged in transit. But somehow Hamilton was able to piece the hurt horn together, and he sounds as good on it as he ever has. Trombonist John Allred is another modern miracle on this effort, as his playing in accord with, opposite to, and in conversational mode with Allen is sheer genius. 

Why is Allred not hailed as one of the top five jazz trombonists going today? Some good swingin' music is created as Allen and Allred trade alternating choruses for the obscure "I'll Get By" and go back and forth in chat-chat mode during "I Only Have Eyes for You," while each adopts solo lines on the medley melodies of "It Might as Well Be Spring" (Allred) and "Spring Is Here" (Allen). Of the three selections with the twin tenors plus 'bone, "You're Driving Me Crazy" is as interactive as any Dixieland tune, the deep saxes take eight-bar turns for "My Old Flame," and all three horns hit a singsong groove as the cool bass of Joel Forbes and Cohn's guitar prep "(I Would Do) Anything for You." Of the originals penned by Allen, "Don't Want to Have To" evokes a Gerry Mulligan or Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond classical jazz stance moving forward, wryly followed by the just fine swing of "But I Will." The title track is a basic romping, bopping 12-bar blues, while the end game piece, "So There," has Allen and his band syncopatin' as hard as he ever has. This is yet another complete, effervescent, solid session for Allen. It's also a treat to read the liner notes by Herb Wong. Any jazz fan can receive special insight reading what Dr. Wong has to say. ~ Michael G.Nastos  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stompin-the-blues-mw0000786043

Personnel : Joe Cohn (guitar); Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); John Allred (trombone); Joel Forbes (bass instrument); Chuck Riggs (drums).

Stompin' The Blues

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Echoes Of Swing - Message From Mars

Styles: Swing
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:41
Size: 132,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Shake It and Break It
(3:08)  2. Liebesleid
(3:56)  3. Twiligthnin' Hopkins
(3:30)  4. Don't Save Your Love For A Rainy Day
(2:54)  5. Odeon
(2:46)  6. Bughouse
(3:48)  7. Spring Is Here
(3:34)  8. Gavotte
(3:17)  9. Message From Mars
(4:05) 10. The Ghost Of Marsden Grotto
(4:33) 11. Don't Explain
(2:42) 12. Butterfly Chase
(5:19) 13. Goon Drag
(3:03) 14. Delirium
(3:54) 15. His Honour And The Vermin
(3:33) 16. Moonlight Fiesta

Free from any museum nostalgia, the four musicians take their inspiration from the gigantic treasury of swinging jazz, from Bix to Bop, from Getz to Gershwin, while constantly searching for the hidden, the unexpected, the exquisite. The Great American Song book and the immeasurable recordings of great Jazz pioneers form the humus for the creativity of the combo, with astonishing arrangements, virtuoso solos and expressive compositions of their own. Two horns, drums and piano. This unique, compact formation permits the greatest in harmony and flexibility and allows freedom for an agile, exact ensemble.  The group thrives on a mixture of clever arrangements and interaction of improvised dialogue, performing for, and with one another. 

The contemporary interpretation of an enormously varied repertoire and not last the humorous moderation and spontaneous stage presence, has helped gain ECHOES OF SWING great popularity and made the ensemble a much renowned and celebrated attraction on the international jazz scene. Sixteen years of touring have led the ECHOES all across Europe and the USA, to Japan, New Zealand and even the Fiji Islands. The exceedingly diverse musical development of the band is in the meantime impressively documented on five CDs.  The last ECHOES OF SWING album ‘Message from Mars’ received the ‘Prix de l’Académie du Jazz’ in Paris, and in Germany was awarded the ‘German Record Critics' Award’. Bio ~ https://www.actmusic.com/en/Artists/Echoes-Of-Swing/Biografie

Personnel: Colin T. Dawson - trumpet & voc, Chris Hopkins - alto sax, Bernd Lhotzky - piano, Oliver Mewes - drums

Message From Mars

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Steve Kuhn - Live At Birdland

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:33
Size: 156,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:31)  1. If I Were A Bell
(10:47)  2. Jitterbug Waltz
( 6:13)  3. Two By Two
( 7:03)  4. La Plus Que Lente/Passion Flower
( 7:16)  5. Little Waltz
( 6:12)  6. Lotus Blossom
( 7:16)  7. Slow Hot Wind
( 6:16)  8. Clotilde
( 6:54)  9. Confirmation

You have to crank the volume hard to hear Bill Evans' whisper-soft intro to Miles' "So What" on Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959). When you hear it, though, you know something special this way comes. Steve Kuhn comes from the same school of subtlety as Evans, and Kuhn's one-finger opening to his trio's Blue Note debut, Live at Birdland, achieves the same effect as Evans' hushed chords: a simple beginning to a tremendous set.This disc would have been special, in any case. Aside from their respective resumes, the trio pianist Kuhn, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster did a legendary one-week stand two decades ago at the Village Vanguard that produced two stunning live albums: The Vanguard Date (Owl, 1986) and Life's Magic (Blackhawk, 1986). Material from both records has been re-imagined for Live at Birdland, and the result is both fresh and exciting. Kuhn plays four single notes, like a faraway church clock, on the opener, "If I Were A Bell." He takes the head while Carter goes off on his own, each monologue moving toward the same intersection. 

By the time they link, the tune is in high gear, and Kuhn's solo has gone from spare to soaring. It's like easing off the parking brake at the top of a steep, steep hill. One moment you're barely creeping forward; the next, you're flying almost straight down, and loving every second of the freefall. (If this ride isn't enough for you, you get one more trip on the breakneck Bird closer, "Confirmation.") Live at Birdland dances as much as it dives. "If I Were A Bell" gives way to Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz," mixing classical-music reverence with bursts of humor typical of the wild-eyed NOLA legend who told us all, "One never knows, do one?" Foster gets us all dirty (salsa) dancing with his Latin backbeat on Billy Strayhorn's "Passion Flower," and "Stella by Starlight" hangs in the air like a leaf on the wind, darting to and fro on Kuhn's buoyant playing. By contrast, Carter's "Little Waltz" is stark and mournful, with Carter referencing Michel LeGrand's theme from Summer of '42, another tale of love and innocence lost. Kuhn, like Evans, does so much with so little. 

He is a remarkable two-handed pianist, launching dueling solos throughout the disc, but he's at his best when he gets sparse, as he does on the solo snippet of Debussy's "La Plus Que Lente" which he uses to preface "Passion Flower." Carter should play in trios the rest of his life, because the format is optimal for the stained-glass beauty of his playing. Rock-solid one moment, butter-soft the next, Carter's bass is still the best, bar none. Campaigns start way too early nowadays. But like the presidential race, the competition for best disc of 2007 has begun, and Live at Birdland is the frontrunner. Let the debates begin! ~ J Hunter  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-birdland-steve-kuhn-blue-note-records-review-by-j-hunter.php#.VBcoQhawTP8
 

Personnel: Steve Kuhn: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Al Foster: drums.

Live At Birdland

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