Blue Rodeo - A Merrie Christmas To You

Size: 84,1 MB
Time: 35:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Country Rock, Holiday
Art: Front

01. Jesus Christ (2:39)
02. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (3:54)
03. If We Make It Through December (2:35)
04. River (4:43)
05. O Come All Ye Faithful (3:40)
06. Getting Ready For Christmas Day (4:20)
07. Glad To Be Alive (3:55)
08. Home To You This Christmas (3:20)
09. Song For A Winter's Night (3:04)
10. Christmas Must Be Tonight (3:29)

While we may all have ghouls and ghosts on our minds right now thanks to the rapidly approaching Halloween, Blue Rodeo are looking further ahead with their newly announced holiday album A Merrie Christmas to You. The upcoming festival offering will arrive both physically and digitally on Tuesday (November 4) through Warner.

Although the album includes a couple of well-known Christmas tunes — "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" — the rest are a slightly more modern. There are covers of Joni Mitchell, Big Star, Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, the Band and more. There are also two Blue Rodeo originals: Jim Cuddy's brand-new "Home to You This Christmas" and a re-recording of Greg Keelor's "Glad to Be Alive."

The album was recorded in a week at their very own Woodshed Studio in Toronto. Each song was captured live.

"The songs are as much about the season as they are about the actual day," Cuddy said in a statement about the selection of material. "The criteria for choosing material were to find songs that we could actually sing and make our own." ~By Alex Hudson

A Merrie Christmas To You

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Erroll Garner - Penthouse Serenade

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 44:27

Size: 101.8 MB

Styles: Easy Listening, Piano jazz

Year: 2005

Art: Front

[2:17] 1. This Can't Be Love

[2:45] 2. I Want A Little Girl

[2:40] 3. Undecided

[2:56] 4. Love Walked In

[2:58] 5. Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)

[2:56] 6. All The Things You Are

[2:56] 7. Body And Soul

[2:43] 8. More Than You Know

[2:33] 9. (Back Home Again In) Indiana

[2:41] 10. Laura

[2:43] 11. Somebody Loves Me

[2:47] 12. All Of Me

[3:06] 13. Stormy Weather

[2:58] 14. I'm Confessin'

[2:35] 15. Moonglow

[2:46] 16. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Taken from four separate sessions between 1945-1949, Penthouse Serenade showcases Erroll Garner's early recordings for Savoy. Garner's playful, melodic, and whimsical piano runs on this set of standards never cease to amaze. While the melodies of these tunes are immediately recognizable, Garner managed to exert artistic license while still connecting on a commercial level. On the majority of these tracks, Garner is supported by John Simmons on bass and Alvin Stoller on drums, with the exception of "(Back Home Again In) Indiana," "Laura," and "Somebody Loves Me," on which they are replaced by John Levy on bass and drummer George DeHart. This is a decent set for those who want to investigate Garner's pre-Columbia recordings. ~Al Campbell

Penthouse Serenade 

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The Harry Allen-Joe Cohn Quartet - Music From Guys & Dolls

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 70:32

Size: 161.5 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz, Guitar jazz, Vocal jazz

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[6:14] 1. Guys And Dolls

[4:13] 2. If I Were A Bell

[3:00] 3. A Woman In Love

[5:03] 4. Luck Be A Lady

[7:52] 5. Pet Me, Poppa

[4:20] 6. Sue Me

[5:08] 7. Marry The Man Today

[5:09] 8. Take Back Your Mink

[3:49] 9. Adelaide

[4:06] 10. I've Never Been In Love Before

[3:25] 11. Fugue For Tinhorns

[4:44] 12. Adelaide's Lament

[3:41] 13. Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat

[5:44] 14. I'll Know

[3:58] 15. Guys And Dolls

In spite of a long successful jazz career, many of tenor saxophonist Harry Allen's recordings have been for European and Japanese labels. So it is good to see him on a mainstream American label like Arbors, where he'll get greater exposure in his homeland. Joining him for this Frank Loesser songbook consisting of 14 songs from the Broadway musical and movie Guys and Dolls are guitarist Joe Cohn, bassist Joel Forbes, and drummer Chuck Riggs, with vocalists Rebecca Kilgore and Eddie Erickson added on most tracks. Allen is a consistent swinger with a pleasing tone that sometimes makes it sound like an alto, while Cohn is a guitarist of the Jim Hall school; he can play with the best of them but he knows how to leave plenty of space and not overplay his hand. Instead of using three vocalists singing rounds in "Fugue for Tinhorns," Allen, Cohn, and Forbes take their place in an intricate arrangement. While "If I Were a Bell," "'Luck Be a Lady," and "I've Never Been in Love Before" have long been standards for jazz musicians, it is the less frequently performed numbers that merit special attention. Kilgore's subtle interpretation of "Marry the Man Today" is complemented by Allen's robust tenor. Erickson's warm take of "Adelaide" shows what an underrated vocalist he is. Kilgore and Erickson, whether singing duets or individual features, are engaging singers who can't help but warm the listener's heart, but their mastery of comic songs like "Sue Me" is also a treat. Because the vocalists have worked together frequently over the years, both at jazz parties and on a number of CDs (including their group BED, which also features Forbes and trombonist Dan Barrett), they have a built-in rapport with each other. Warmly recommended! ~Ken Dryden

Music From Guys & Dolls

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Sonny Rollins - Tenor Titan

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:51
Size: 137.0 MB
Styles: Mainstream, Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:54] 1. St. Thomas
[5:49] 2. Four - Take A
[2:46] 3. Long Ago And Far Away
[9:30] 4. All The Things You Are
[5:55] 5. The Bridge
[7:24] 6. God Bless The Child
[8:17] 7. Dearly Beloved
[5:27] 8. Blue 'n' Boogie
[4:38] 9. Bluesongo
[6:05] 10. Don't Stop The Carnival

Despite his popularity as a performer, an unsatisfied Sonny Rollins took a three year hiatus from performing and recording to hone his technique. The image of him practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge during this period is one of jazz's enduring reference points. Once he returned in 1962, Rollins signed with RCA and released a series of albums that document uneven years of growth where he experimented with lineups and adopted the techniques of Ornette Coleman to his own style.

The recording of "All The Things You Are" with Coleman Hawkins points to the trouble with Rollins during this time; Hawk solos beautifully, but is crowded out by Rollins' obtrusive noodling. What we really want to hear is Rollins sounding more like Hawk, not deliberately trying to overwhelm him in abstraction. Rollins also picked up guitarist Jim Hall instead of a pianist, but Hall is simply too delicate to deal with the bullish tenor, and Rollins comes off sounding undermanned. The set also features a few tunes recorded with Don Cherry, again with no piano, in a very Coleman-like setting— which will make most people reach for The Shape Of Jazz to Come instead—and some mediocre dabblings with a choir.

Despite the growing pains of these recordings, there are a few highlights; a trio recording of "St. Thomas" and a lovely version of "God Bless The Child" with Hall hearken back to the classic Prestige years and are perfect examples of why Rollins is hailed as one of the greatest improvisers in jazz. Rollins eventually found a happy medium between his avant-garde leanings and his post- bop past, but much of Rollins' RCA material is inferior to his substantial body of work. Pick up any of the Prestige records instead. ~David Rickert

Tenor Titan

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Hot Club Of 52nd Street - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:23
Size: 103.9 MB
Styles: Gypsy swing
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[4:41] 1. Rosetta
[5:19] 2. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[4:45] 3. Tangerine
[5:24] 4. Nuages
[4:51] 5. Strike Up The Band
[4:07] 6. Some Of These Days
[5:02] 7. Avalon
[5:30] 8. Melancholy Baby
[5:39] 9. I've Got Rhythm

It is hard to imagine two more appropriate guitarists to bring together for a tribute to the great Django Reinhardt than Bucky Pizzarelli and Howard Alden. They're joined by two other veterans, violinist Johnny Frigo and bassist Michael Moore, for this exciting set recorded at the A. C. Pianocraft Recital Hall in New York City, though it has the intimate sound of a recording made in a small nightclub. Although this is obviously a salute to the partnership of Reinhardt with violinist Stephane Grappelli, the approach is fresh due to interaction between the musicians and their frequently humorous solos. Frigo inserts a bit of pizzicato violin as the two guitar masters set the pace with Moore for a rapid fire take of "Tangerine." Reinhardt's "Nuages" has long been a favorite of guitarists, so Alden and Pizzarelli open this standard by themselves before they switch to the chugging rhythm made famous by the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The interplay between Alden and Pizzarelli is incredible in the old chestnut "Avalon." The quartet finishes with a blazing interpretation of "I Got Rhythm." The only caveat about this terrific live session is the audience's insistence on regular enthusiastic applause as one solo gives way to the next, which results in drowning out the music itself. While the musicians likely appreciated the crowd's approval, it's a shame that they couldn't hold themselves in check until the conclusion of each performance. ~Ken Dryden

Hot Club Of 52nd Street

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Benny Carter - Big Band Bounce

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:37
Size: 89,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:35)  1. Forever Blues
(2:58)  2. Echoes Of Harlem
(2:49)  3. Salt Lake City Bounce
(2:59)  4. Stingy Blues
(3:13)  5. That's The Lick
(2:48)  6. I Can't Get Started
(2:58)  7. Love For Sale
(3:12)  8. Prelude To a Kiss
(3:17)  9. I Can't Escape From Here
(3:00) 10. I Surrender Dear
(2:51) 11. Just You, Just Me
(3:10) 12. House Of Joy
(2:43) 13. Everything But You

To say that Benny Carter had a remarkable and productive career would be an extreme understatement. As an altoist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and occasional trumpeter, Carter was at the top of his field since at least 1928, and in the late '90s, Carter was as strong an altoist at the age of 90 as he was in 1936 (when he was merely 28). His gradually evolving style did not change much through the decades, but neither did it become at all stale or predictable except in its excellence. Benny Carter was a major figure in every decade of the 20th century since the 1920s, and his consistency and longevity were unprecedented. Essentially self-taught, Benny Carter started on the trumpet and, after a period on C-melody sax, switched to alto. In 1927, he made his recording debut with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten. The following year, he had his first big band (working at New York's Arcadia Ballroom) and was contributing arrangements to Fletcher Henderson and even Duke Ellington. Carter was with Henderson during 1930-1931, briefly took over McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and then went back to leading his own big band (1932-1934). 

Already at this stage he was considered one of the two top altoists in jazz (along with Johnny Hodges), a skilled arranger and composer ("Blues in My Heart" was an early hit and would be followed by "When Lights Are Low"), and his trumpet playing was excellent; Carter would also record on tenor, clarinet (an instrument he should have played more), and piano, although his rare vocals show that even he was human. In 1935, Benny Carter moved to Europe, where in London he was a staff arranger for the BBC dance orchestra (1936-1938); he also recorded in several European countries. Carter's "Waltzing the Blues" was one of the very first jazz waltzes. He returned to the U.S. in 1938, led a classy but commercially unsuccessful big band (1939-1941), and then headed a sextet. In 1943, he relocated permanently to Los Angeles, appearing in the film Stormy Weather (as a trumpeter with Fats Waller) and getting lucrative work writing for the movie studios. 

He would lead a big band off and on during the next three years (among his sidemen were J.J. Johnson, Miles Davis, and Max Roach) before giving up on that effort. Carter wrote for the studios for over 50 years, but he continued recording as an altoist (and all-too-rare trumpeter) during the 1940s and '50s, making a few tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic and participating on some of Norman Granz's jam-session albums. By the mid-'60s, his writing chores led him to hardly playing alto at all, but he made a full "comeback" by the mid-'70s, and maintained a very busy playing and writing schedule even at his advanced age. Even after the rise of such stylists as Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and David Sanborn (in addition to their many followers), Benny Carter still ranks near the top of alto players. His concert and recording schedule remained active through the '90s, slowing only at the end of the millenium. After eight amazing decades of writing and playing, Benny Carter passed away quietly on July 13, 2003 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 95.  Bio ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/benny-carter-mn0000790083/biography

Big Band Bounce

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Sheila Cooper & Fritz Pauer - Tales Of Love And Longing

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:35
Size: 116,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Winter Moon
(4:06)  2. He's Funny That Way
(7:54)  3. I'm A Fool To Want You
(6:38)  4. I Didn't Know About You
(4:52)  5. How Deep Is The Ocean
(4:56)  6. Lonely Woman
(4:00)  7. I Gravitate To You
(3:18)  8. Body And Soul
(7:06)  9. So In Love
(2:48) 10. A Kiss To Build A Dream On

This is a most impressive album from Sheila Cooper, accompanied by pianist Fritz Pauer. The identity issue here is further complicated by the fact that alto saxophonist Cooper/vocalist Cooper makes this recording a veritable trio album by virtue of her musicianship. Cooper, originally from Canada, is now based in Vienna, Austria, pairing with Pauer for her third album. These ten tracks are mostly vocals with one unaccompanied instrumental beauty upon which Cooper plays an impressive version of Green and Hyman's "Body and Soul." On other tunes, Cooper switches between alto sax or vocals in the melody lines and solos. The album begins with Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson's haunting "Winter Moon," which carries a jazz-associated reference to Art Pepper's The Art of the Ballad (Prestige, 1956), with Cooper playing very much in the same style as the late altoist. Following her alto solo, the unhurried vocal portion of the track complements the instrumental perfectly. On Cole Porter's "So In Love" the song begins a capella, with Pauer joining in after the first chorus on piano sans sax. Cooper has a gifted vocal style, delivering these ten ballads with a great deal of intimacy and jazz phrasing. 

Her alto similarities to Lee Konitz are noticeable, while her vocal presentation could be compared to a number of jazz singers emeritus. It's hard not to draw a comparison to the June Christy and Stan Kenton's Duet (Capitol, 1955), in which a surprisingly restrained Kenton provided a soft piano cushion for vocalist Christy's cool delivery. The album's singular purpose of presenting an aptly titled collection of love songs works consistently, although the piano solo on Berlin's "How Deep Is The Ocean" is taken up-tempo. The song selection includes one Cooper original "I Gravitate to You," in addition to the rarely heard vocal version of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman," concluding on an optimistic note with the Kalmar/Ruby standard, "A Kiss to Build A Dream On." Just what Sheila Cooper has planned for her next project is breathlessly awaited. ~ Michael P.Gladstone  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/tales-of-love-and-longing-sheila-cooper-candid-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Sheila Cooper: vocals, alto saxophone; Fritz Pauer: piano.

Tales Of Love And Longing

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Hilary Gardner - The Great City

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:49
Size: 92,1 MB
Scans:

(3:17)  1. No One After You
(3:34)  2. Brooklyn Bridge
(3:35)  3. The Great City
(4:52)  4. Autumn In New York
(4:06)  5. Drunk On The Moon
(2:29)  6. Sweetheart (Waitress In A Donut Shop)
(4:18)  7. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
(3:28)  8. This Little Town Is Paris
(3:23)  9. Chelsea Morning
(3:24) 10. (Ah, The Apple Trees) When The World Was Young
(3:18) 11. Manhattan Avenue

New York City has its fair share of sobriquets "The City That Never Sleeps," "The Big Apple," and "Gotham" are just a few that spring to mind. It's a place of joy and frustration, triumph and tragedy, hope and despair, and all that exists between the extremes. It's a microcosm of the world we know, existing not as a great city, but as the great city. Just ask vocalist Hilary Gardner, an Alaskan- turned-New Yorker who's been soaking up New York City's aura and contributing to its cultural landscape since 2003. Plenty of musicians, in New York or any other locale across the globe, try to build careers around or atop recordings, but Gardner went the other way. She spent her first New York decade carving her place into the city's artistic fabric, working her way into the heart of live audiences at clubs, performing/collaborating with symphony orchestras, and taking Broadway by storm via her singing in Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra extravaganza Come Fly Away. Now, after firmly planting her flag in "The City So Nice, They Named Twice," Gardner delivers her leader debut a better-than-great offering called The Great City. 

To many, this record may seem like a throwback date. It's a classy collection of songs that speak, saunter, and/or swing with old world charm, but it's not a look into the distant past or an overly romanticized vision of New York life. It's a collection of stories that form a big(ger) picture about the city. There's an after after hours perspective ("Drunk On The Moon"), a touch of sadness mixed into a season of beauty ("Autumn In New York"), references to "Ol' Blue Eyes" ("Brooklyn Bridge"), and more. Through it all, Gardner proves to be poised, world-wise, and witty in her experience-shaded delivery. Crafting a program of music that successfully puts Leonard Cohen next to Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, Tom Waits beside Vernon Duke, and Nellie McKay after Johnny Mercer is no easy feat, but Gardner makes it seem like a breeze. She ties all of the music together beautifully and she works with a simpatico crew that's able to bring her vision(s) to life. Pianist Ehud Asherie upholds and extends his reputation as an old soul living in modern times, guitarist Randy Napoleon serves as Gardner's most trusted guide, saxophonist Jason W. Marshall and trumpeter Tatum Greenblatt capture the essence of the past without coming off as affected, and the rest of the crew provides superb backing. The Great City may be a paean to New York on the surface, but it's something more: it's recorded evidence indicating that Hilary Garder is a superb singer deserving greater recognition. ~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-great-city-hilary-gardner-anzic-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php#.VFjetMmHmtg
 

Personnel: Hilary Gardner: vocals; Tatum Greenblatt: trumpet; Jason Marshall: tenor saxophone; Ehud Asherie: piano; Jon Cowherd: Hammond C-3 organ; Randy Napoleon: guitar; Elias Bailey: acoustic bass; Jerome Jennings: drums.

The Great City

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Bob Brookmeyer - Cool Mix

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 98:05
Size: 224,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:29)  1. Love And The Weather
( 5:52)  2. Give Me The Simple Life
( 7:34)  3. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
( 3:46)  4. Rustic Hop
( 6:05)  5. Spring Is Here
( 3:39)  6. The Nearness Of You
(10:56)  7. I'll Remember April
( 7:59)  8. Fascinating Rhythm
( 3:05)  9. Cool Mix
( 3:53) 10. Pot Luck
( 7:00) 11. Tangerine
( 6:59) 12. Minor Blues
( 3:11) 13. Erudition
( 5:48) 14. Crazy Rythm
( 6:06) 15. Oh Jane Suavely
( 6:18) 16. It Don't Mean A Thing
( 3:15) 17. Have You Met Miss Jones

Bob Brookmeyer was long considered one of the top valve trombonists in jazz and a very advanced arranger whose writing was influenced by modern classical music. He started out as a pianist in dance bands but played valve trombone with Stan Getz (1953). He gained fame as a member of the Gerry Mulligan quartet (1954-1957), was part of the unusual Jimmy Giuffre Three of 1957-1958 (which consisted of Giuffre's reeds, Brookmeyer's valve trombone, and Jim Hall's guitar), and then re-joined Mulligan as arranger and occasional player with his Concert Jazz Band. Brookmeyer, who was a strong enough pianist to hold his own on a two-piano date with Bill Evans, occasionally switched to piano with Mulligan. He co-led a part-time quintet with Clark Terry (1961-1966), was an original member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra (1965-1967), and became a busy studio musician. Brookmeyer was fairly inactive during much of the '70s, but made a comeback in the late '70s with some very advanced arrangements for the Mel Lewis band (of which he became musical director for a time). Brookmeyer moved to Europe, where he continually wrote and occasionally recorded on his distinctive valve trombone, issuing Old Friends in 1998. New Works Celebration appeared a year later, and in 2000 he issued Together. 

Brookmeyer continued to perform and release albums through the next decade, often working with his European big band The New Art Orchestra including 2002's Waltzing with Zoe, 2004's Get Well Soon, and 2007's Spirit Music. In 2008, he explored his deep interest in classical music with Music for String Quartet and Orchestra. He wrote innovative big-band compositions and was highly regarded as a teacher: his classes at the New England Conservatory of Music are the stuff of legend. On December 15, 2011, Brookmeyer died in his sleep at a hospital near his home in Grantham, New Hampshire; the cause was congestive heart failure. He passed just a month after releasing the album Standards via the ArtistShare website, and only three days shy of his 82nd birthday. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/br/artist/bob-brookmeyer/id407856#fullText

Cool Mix

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Ramsey Lewis - Latin Soul Man: Manha De Carnaval

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 56:40
Size: 129.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Soul jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. Manha De Carnival
[2:45] 2. The Breeze And I
[3:26] 3. Samba De Orpheus
[3:33] 4. Thanks For The Memory
[2:32] 5. Dark Eyes
[2:39] 6. Billy Boy
[2:33] 7. Cielito Lindo
[2:09] 8. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
[2:30] 9. John Henry
[2:07] 10. Decisions
[3:12] 11. Come Back To Sorrento
[3:10] 12. Roda Moinha
[3:02] 13. Soul Mist
[3:19] 14. Suzanne
[4:51] 15. Generique
[3:38] 16. I Got Plenty Of Nothing
[4:28] 17. Greensleeves
[2:08] 18. Never On Sunday

Ramsey has been an iconic leader in the contemporary jazz movement for over 50 years, with an unforgettable sound and outgoing personality that has allowed him to cross over to the pop and R&B charts. The Ramsey Lewis Trio, with bassist Eldee Young and percussionist Redd Holt, became a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene, releasing their debut album, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Jazz, back in 1956. Lewis earned his first gold record, as well as a Grammy award for Best Jazz Performance, for their swinging version of Dobie Gray’s hit “The In Crowd.” He returned to the pop charts in 1966 with versions of “Hang On Sloopy” and “Wade In The Water.” Throughout the years, Lewis’ trio has undergone membership changes, all the while staying true to Lewis’ high musical standards.

Latin Soul Man: Manha De Carnaval

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Candi Staton - The Album

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 56:58

Size: 130.4 MB

Styles: R&B, Soul

Year: 2008

Art: Front

[3:40] 1. Young Hearts Run Free

[3:31] 2. Nights On Broadway

[3:01] 3. Stand By Your Man

[5:15] 4. Victim

[4:59] 5. Honest I Do

[4:23] 6. You Got To Love

[2:12] 7. I'd Rather Be An Old Man

[3:10] 8. I'm Just A Prisoner

[2:44] 9. Sweet Feeling

[2:45] 10. In The Ghetto

[3:58] 11. Run To Me

[5:03] 12. When You Wake Up Tomorrow

[3:52] 13. Suspicious Minds

[1:58] 14. Now You Got The Upper Hand

[2:49] 15. He Called Me Baby

[3:30] 16. Just When You Think It's Safe

She was once known as the First Lady of Southern Soul for a string of gritty southern fried Top Ten R&B hits (I'm Just A Prisoner, Stand By Your Man, In The Ghetto) she cut at the hallowed FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL during the early '70s and by the end of the decade she was hailed as a disco diva for her danceable chansons such as 1976's #1 R&B smash "Young Hearts Run Free." Then, for twenty years, Candi Staton exclusively sang gospel music before launching an Americana career with 2006's critically acclaimed CD "His Hands" (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy wrote the harrowing title track about domestic abuse).

The Album

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Rosemary Clooney - Rosemary Clooney 1951-52

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 35:42
Size: 81.8 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1986/1994
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. You Make Me Feel So Young
[2:53] 2. Don't Worry 'bout Me
[3:08] 3. My Old Flame
[2:14] 4. As Long As I Live
[2:57] 5. Too Much Conversation
[1:30] 6. If This Isn't Love
[2:07] 7. Our Love Affair
[1:24] 8. This Can't Be Love
[3:38] 9. I'll Never Forget You
[1:27] 10. Shine
[2:59] 11. I'm Only Ambitious For You
[3:19] 12. All The Pretty Little Horses
[3:00] 13. Thrill Me
[2:08] 14. Love And Nuts And Noodles

Rosie sings standards backed by a huge Hollywood orchestra on these for-radio-only recordings, made at a time when she was one of Columbia's hottest acts!

Rosemary Clooney 1951-52

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Dayna Stephens - Today Is Tomorrow

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 68:11
Size: 156.1 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[6:43] 1. Skylark
[6:36] 2. Kwooked Stweet
[5:53] 3. Radio-Active Earworm
[8:14] 4. De Pois Do Amor, O Vazio
[4:45] 5. Loosy Goosy
[7:33] 6. Black Narcissus
[6:26] 7. Haden's Largo
[6:00] 8. Hard-Boiled Wonderland
[8:27] 9. The Elite
[7:31] 10. Cartoon Element

A Bay Area native, tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens makes his auspicious debut on the Criss Cross label with Today Is Tomorrow --- a soaring, lyrical, deeply swinging collection of originals and jazz classics (Hoagy Carmichael's Skylark, Joe Henderson's Black Narcissus).

As a 2003 graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute, Stephens had the opportunity to work with the likes of Dave Holland, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, who helped strengthen his complex sensibility as a composer and improviser. In recent years Dayna has appeared with the likes of Carlos Santana, Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Gretchen Parlato and many others.

Joining Stephens on Today Is Tomorrow is a stellar cast, featuring Aaron Parks on piano and the sturdy rhythm section of Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Donald Edwards on drums. Supplementing the lineup are Julian Lage, one of the jazz scene's most exciting newcomers on guitar, and Michael Rodriguez, a fiery trumpeter with credits including Charlie Haden and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Stephens pilots them through the set with finesse and heart, proving himself a player quickly on the rise.

Dayna Stephens (Ts); Michael Rodriguez (Tp / Flh) [2,6]; Julian Lage (G) [4,6,7]; Raffi Garabedian (Ts) [3]; Aaron Parks (P); Kiyoshi Kitagawa (B); Donald Edwards (D).

Today Is Tomorrow

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Roy Eldridge & Dizzy Gillespie - Roy And Diz

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:28
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Sometimes I'm Happy
(6:09)  2. Algo Bueno
(7:53)  3. Trumpet Blues
(7:13)  4. Ballad Medley: I'm Thru With Love / Can't We Be Friends / Don't You Think / I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) / If I Had You
(6:55)  5. Blue Moon
(6:18)  6. I've Found A New Baby
(5:31)  7. Pretty-Eyed Baby
(7:51)  8. I Can't Get Started
(7:12)  9. Limehouse Blues

This set features two sizzling horns mingling in a decidedly frenetic dance contest. These songs hop and bounce with enduring vitality. A definite coolness exists within the searing solos of the two trumpet kings as they empty their lungs, executing mind-spinning, scale-like passages and high notes, and there's a palpable sense of competition as they take turns performing their acrobatic brass-work. They can both propel notes from their horns like nobody's business, yet their tonal and stylistic differences create two distinct elements within the music. Bassist Ray Brown's tempos provide a cool structure for the flurries of notes the trumpets cast forth. Some of the most poetic moments from these 1954 recordings are when their collaboration intertwines them within the passages, but their supercharged blowing naturally finds a subtler ground and tact when they come together in a musical braid work that's no less affecting than their solos. http://www.allmusic.com/album/roy-and-diz-mw0000114909

Personnel: Roy Eldridge (vocals, trumpet); Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); Herb Ellis (guitar); Oscar Peterson (piano); Louie Bellson (drums).

Roy And Diz

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Anne Burnell - Sunny Days And Dreamy Nights

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(5:11)  2. Moment to Moment
(5:06)  3. Something I Can Feel
(6:04)  4. A Time for Love
(5:07)  5. Goin' Out of My Head
(4:20)  6. Too Late Now
(2:47)  7. San Juan
(5:48)  8. (They Long to Be) Close to You
(4:58)  9. Dreamsville
(5:12) 10. Right By You
(4:28) 11. I Got Lost in His Arms
(2:16) 12. The Best Things in Life Are Free
(4:09) 13. Don't Ever Leave Me

Anne Burnell’s new release "Summer Days & Dreamy Nights" celebrates the friendship between the Chicago singer/songwriter and renowned guitarist Henry Johnson who plays acoustic and electric on this 13 track set. Her last release “Blues in the Night", which featured arrangements by Count Basie Band veteran Bob Ojeda and paid tribute to the composer Harold Arlen, garnered airplay nationwide on numerous NPR and jazz radio stations charted top ten status on CMJ charts.  Anne performs at festivals and clubs throughout the midwest including 5 years at the Taste of Chicago, and Andy's Jazz Club. 

An accomplished pianist/vocalist/arranger, Mark is one of Chicago’s most sought after musicians, working with a wide array of talent, including Bobby McFerrin, Dave Frishberg, Connie Francis, Laurel Masse, Sharon McNight, Laura San Giocomo, Richie Cole, Mark Murphy, Howie Mandel, and Seth Myers. The Chicago Sun-Times hailed Mark’s work as “silky smooth and highly polished”, and Cabaret Hotline praised him as “one of the most talented pianists and arrangers I’ve seen”. In 2009 and 2010 Mark was a Master Instructor at the International Cabaret Conference at Yale University. He taught at Carnegie Mellon University for 10 years. Mark and his wife Anne were named in“Chicago’s Top Ten” for 2002 & 2003 by New York’s Cabaret Hotline. From Paris, Amsterdam to New York, they have delighted audiences the world over with their unique jazz/pop and a cappella stylings. They have performed at some of the Windy City’s top spots including Davenport’s, Park West and Drury Lane Water Tower Theatre with Chicago Cabaret Professionals. They sang the national anthem for the Chicago Cubs, White Sox, Chicago Fire, and the Special Olympics. Their acclaimed CD of duets “Little Things We Do Together” has been featured on Chicago radio stations WGN, WXRT, WDCB and nationally on Radio One Network. Bio ~ http://www.burnellmusic.com/bio.html

Sunny Days And Dreamy Nights

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Joe Venuti & George Barnes - Live At The Concord Summer Festival

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:53
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. Sweet Georgia Brown
(8:30)  2. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
(4:23)  3. Too Close For Comfort
(3:13)  4. I Can't Get Started
(5:05)  5. Satin Doll
(2:51)  6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(5:40)  7. Take The A Train
(2:33)  8. Sophisticated Lady
(5:38)  9. C Jam Blues

Violinist Joe Venuti and guitarist George Barnes (joined by pianist Ross Tompkins, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna) make for a very complementary team on this live session. Tompkins is featured on "Too Close for Comfort," Barnes is showcased on "I Can't Get Started," the ensemble romps on "Sweet Georgia Brown" and the full group plays a lengthy five-song Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn medley. Few surprises occur but there are enough fireworks to justify this album's acquisition, even by those who already own 20 Joe Venuti albums. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/venuti-barnes-live-at-the-concord-summer-festival-mw0000877180

Personnel:  Joe Venuti – violin; George Barnes – guitar; Ross Tompkins – piano; Ray Brown – bass; Jake Hanna - drums

Live At The Concord Summer Festival

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Barry Harris - Lonesome Lover

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:58
Size: 182,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Morning Coffee
(7:23)  2. If I Love Again
(5:01)  3. It's the Talk of the Town
(4:03)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:38)  5. One Down
(5:47)  6. If Someone Had Told Me
(3:47)  7. Curtain Call
(4:05)  8. There's No One but You
(7:35)  9. I've Got a Crush On You
(6:31) 10. My Heart Stood Still
(3:35) 11. I Should Care
(4:48) 12. Woodyn' You
(7:25) 13. Billie-Doo
(4:13) 14. Play Carol Play
(5:09) 15. Don't Blame Me

One of the major bop pianists of the last half of the 20th century, Barry Harris has long had the ability to sound very close to Bud Powell, yet he can also do convincing impressions of Thelonious Monk and has his own style within the bop idiom. He was an important part of the Detroit jazz scene of the 1950s, and has been a jazz educator since that era. Harris recorded his first set as a leader while in 1958, and moved to New York in 1960, where he spent a short period with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet. He also recorded with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef, and Hank Mobley, and was with Coleman Hawkins off and on throughout the decade (including Hawk's declining years). In the 1970s, Harris was on two of Sonny Stitt's finest records (Tune Up and Constellation), and made many recordings in a variety of settings for Xanadu. Barry Harris has mostly worked with his trio since the mid-'70s, and he has recorded as a leader for Argo (1958), Riverside, Prestige, MPS, Xanadu, and Red. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/barry-harris/id278042#fullText

Lonesome Lover

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Mike Fageros - Mars In October

Size: 87,6 MB
Time: 37:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ, Bebop
Art: Front

01. Mars In October (3:15)
02. Footprints (6:36)
03. Tribute To Paul Yeargers (4:50)
04. These Are Soulful Days (2:43)
05. Dear Luis (3:35)
06. In A Mellow Mood (4:50)
07. Little Sunflower (7:39)
08. Mr. Jimmy Smith (4:09)

Texas guitarist Mike Fageros is a relative unknown in the larger spectrum of the "music business". This release "Mars in October", is a melange of originals and classic jazz standards like Shorter's "Footprints" and Hubbard's "Little Sunflower", not to mention "These are Soulful Days" as well. If you are a jazz lover or a guitarist, you will definately find something appealing on this CD.

Wes Montgomery fans will love the rendition of "In a Mellow Mood" and as well, fans of the late Hammond B3 Organist Jimmy Smith will love the treatment of the tune re-arranged by Mike entitled simply, "Mr. Jimmy Smith". The track is a medium tempo swing based on alternate blues changes with a few organ riffs thrown in for good measure as "Jimmy" would have liked.

This CD will be his second release and more effort has been put into this creation than any previous project. His teaming up with the "Young Lion", Houston drummer Jovol Bell has given his career new direction. That and with the addition of sidemen DeLover Axel and Kato Mc Kay (Al McKay's son) utilizes the guitar trio to its utmost. With few overdubs, and many live cuts, the real music comes through, similar to many of the Blue Note Albums in the 60's. The result is self evident in the final product, jazz guitar playing at its best.

Mars In October

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Interstatic - Arise

Size: 105,4 MB
Time: 45:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Modern Jazz, Jazz Rock
Art: Front

01. Doozy Mugwump Blues (5:39)
02. Caerbannog (5:17)
03. Alpha Dog (4:07)
04. Iwato (4:45)
05. Frank'll Fix It (5:51)
06. In The Beginning (4:53)
07. Alexa (4:43)
08. Wonderfall (4:24)
09. Doozy (Reprise) (5:30)

Its beginnings may have been a little closer to the jazz side of the jazz-rock equation with Anthem (PVY Records, 2011), but British expat keyboardist Roy Powell's and trio with Norwegian guitarist Jacob Young and drummer Jarle Vespestad has, since changing its moniker to InterStatic with the release of its first album on UK's RareNoiseRecords label, InterStatic (2012), ratcheted up the energy, the volume and the rock quotient. If InterStatic was the trio's first shot across the bow, then Arise is InterStatic's true statement of intent.

The trio continues to explore the space first innovated by drummer Tony Williams in his late '60s/early '70s Lifetime band with organist Larry Young and newly emigrated guitar legend-in-the-making, John McLaughlin, but just like fellow Nords Elephant9, InterStatic has far more up its sleeve. While Lifetime's Emergency! (Polydor, 1969) is a clear precedent and inspiration for InterStatic and Arise, it's far from the only one; if Lifetime's record was a dense, jagged and jumbled affair that never got off the ground as it deserved, InterStatic uses far cleaner lines and crisper delineations to make music that sometimes swings and sometimes rocks but is always delivered with 120% energy and commitment.

Arise is bookended by two versions of the rocking, anthemic "Doozy Mugwump Blues," two of three tracks contributed by Young to Powell's six along with the more aggro-toned "In the Beginning." From the gritty opening guitar chords, and Vespestad's four-on-the-floor bass drum and near-military march snare drum support, "Doozy" is so diametrically opposed to the music Young has been making for ECM—from 2004's Evening Falls through to Forever Young, released earlier this year—as to almost suggest a completely different guitarist, though Young's recent ECM date did demonstrate a simmering hint of the more searing capabilities that define his work with InterStatic.

Powell's episodic "Frank'll Fix It"—at times a two-chord wonder that rocks righteously but elsewhere something altogether knottier and more idiosyncratic—may be eminently less hummable than "Doozy," but is nevertheless an even more captivating listen. Its harsher extremes, with Vespestad's thundering kit and a breathtaking central line—played in unison by Powell and the positively grunge-toned Young—demonstrates, in a just a single bar, InterStatic's staggering virtuosity. It's a rare, explicit example of an undercurrent that is rarely used as anything more than a means to a more decidedly collective end.

Vespestad is always the perfect accompanist for any context—from his early groundbreaking days with noise improv unit Supersilent and more muscular work with Farmers Market, heard most recently on the stellar Slav to the Rhythm (Division, 2012), to the paradoxically whisper-quiet quality of his work with pianist Tord Gustavsen, seen just a month ago at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal—and he's no less ideal here. Whether effortlessly shifting meters on Powell's jagged "Caerbannong," the keyboardist soloing on an uncredited synth with bubbling and burbling electro-sonics, or swinging with fierce intensity on "Alpha Dog," where Young delivers an incendiary solo, making crystal clear that his undeniably fine ECM recordings are but one aspect of a much broader purview, Vespestad is InterStatic's foundation and the glue that keeps it all together He even references the influential Jon Christensen's delicate cymbal work on Powell's "Iwato," were Young's soaring guitar and Powell's dark chords suggest another InterStatic touchstone in Terje Rypdal's classic Descendre (ECM, 1980).

But reference points only serve to contextualize the music of a trio that has, increasingly, asserted its own voice in the three years since Anthem, honing it even further with regular gigs at Oslo's small but wonderfully funky Sound of Mu. As InterStatic continues to evolve a jazz of the most progressive kind, Arise is, perhaps, a call-to-arms for those who've not yet acquainted themselves with this freewheeling, high octane trio. A group that seems to gain strength and resolve with each recording, if Arise is any indication, the future for InterStatic is filled with even greater promise and possibilities. ~John Kelman

Personnel: Roy Powell: Hammond organ; Jacob Young: electric guitar; Jarle Vespestad: drums.

Arise

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Freddy Cole - Singing The Blues

Size: 105,3 MB
Time: 44:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Label: High Note
Art: Front

01. Muddy Water Blues (3:24)
02. This Time I'm Gone For Good (4:59)
03. Another Way To Feel (4:05)
04. Goin' Down Slow (2:53)
05. Meet Me At No Special Place (4:55)
06. All We Need Is A Place (4:10)
07. My Mother Told Me (3:46)
08. Singing The Blues (3:51)
09. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men (5:15)
10. Pretending (3:37)
11. An Old Piano Plays The Blues (3:57)

Journeyman jazz vocalist/pianist Freddy Cole digs deep into a burnished, bluesy vibe on 2014's Singing the Blues. The album follows up his similarly engaging 2013 effort This and That, and also brings to mind the 2010 Grammy-nominated Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B. Backing Cole this time out is a superb ensemble of musicians including pianist John di Martino, drummer Curtis Boyd, bassist Elias Bailey, and guitarist Randy Napoleon. This is urbane yet earthy vocal jazz performed by a true master of the genre. ~Review by Matt Collar

Singing The Blues

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