Shirley Scott - The Soul Is Willing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:12
Size: 85.2 MB
Styles: Soul Jazz, Hard bop
Year: 1963/2013
Art: Front

[6:20] 1. The Soul Is Willing
[8:12] 2. Secret Love
[5:55] 3. Yes Indeed
[6:19] 4. Stolen Sweets
[6:14] 5. I Feel All Right
[4:09] 6. Remember

This is a good album that shows the husband and wife team of Shirley Scott and Stanley Turrentine in their usual, excellent form -- a fine example of organ combo soul jazz. Now part of the Prestige two-fer called Soul Shoutin'. ~Michael Erlewine

The Soul Is Willing

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The Carl Saunders Exploration - The Lost Bill Holman Charts

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:44

Size: 123.0 MB

Styles: Straight ahead jazz, Big band

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[3:27] 1. Three Little Words

[5:51] 2. Ow

[4:01] 3. Mahogany Run

[5:41] 4. Primrose

[5:17] 5. Dearly Beloved

[7:04] 6. The Hook

[4:05] 7. We'll Be Together Again

[4:37] 8. All Too Soon

[4:07] 9. Doctor Deep

[3:43] 10. Hannibal

[5:45] 11. Scratch

The Bill Holman charts unearthed here by the Carl Saunders Exploration weren't so much "lost as overlooked hidden away for some two decades in a closet at the home of geologist/saxophonist Ted Richardson in Houston, Texas. On the other hand, as none of them had ever been recorded, they may accurately be described as "found.

The charts were written for Richardson's septet, which was disbanded in the mid-1980s before plans to record them could be carried out. Richardson took them home, where they stayed until he mentioned their existence to trumpeter Saunders, a member of Holman's big band since 1984. Saunders and Richardson soon agreed that the time had come to make them more widely known and set about ensuring that it was done. Looking for musicians who could apprehend Holman's music and make it sparkle, Saunders turned to the Holman band to enlist trombonist Andy Martin, baritone Bob Efford, pianist Christian Jacob and bassist Kevin Axt, added world-class tenor Pete Christlieb, versatile drummer Santo Savino from Las Vegas, and guest soloist Sam Most on flute and baritone.

What they have produced is a generous slice of contemporary small-group jazz that is so fresh, so invigorating, and swings so hard that it all but defies description. And to think we almost never heard these charts! Thank you, Carl; thank you, Ted; thank you, everyone else who took part in this stylish and thoroughly rewarding endeavor. Most of all, thank you, Bill Holman, for reaffirming your status as one of the preeminent composer/arrangers in the jazz idiom.

After neatly renovating the standard "Three Little Words, Holman places his purposeful stamp on Dizzy Gillespie's "Ow, Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon, the standards "Dearly Beloved and "We'll Be Together Again, Saunders' "The Hook (written especially for the occasion) and five of his inspired compositions. Each one is a textbook example of how such arrangements should be realized. As for the musicians, they are beyond reproach. Saunders solos brilliantly—no surprise there—as do Martin, Christlieb, Jacob, Most and Axt. Christlieb wails tenaciously on his feature, "Dearly Beloved, while Martin does the same on "We'll Be Together Again. In every instance, the front-liners are unerringly supported by the group's superlative rhythm section—Jacob, Axt and Savino.

A word of advice to big-band enthusiasts (and everyone else)—if there is one small-group recording to install on your radar screen this year, this is the one. If there were any justice (there isn't), The Lost Bill Holman Charts would earn every award to be had (including a Grammy) without breaking a sweat. ~Jack Bowers

Carl Saunders: trumpet, flugelhorn; Pete Christlieb: tenor sax; Bob Efford: baritone sax; Andy Martin: trombone; Christian Jacob: piano; Kevin Axt: bass; Santo Savino: drums. Guest soloist: Sam Most: flute, baritone sax.

The Lost Bill Holman Charts

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Julie London - The Very Best Of Julie London (2-Disc Set)

Julie London did not possess a big voice, but it sure was expressive, husky, intimate, and most of all, sexy. This 50 track, two-disc set is the most extensive Julie London collection available domestically. It spans her entire 30-plus album recording career at Liberty Records, from her biggest hit "Cry Me A River" from 1955's debut Julie Is Her Name to a scintillating take on the Doors' "Light My Fire" from her final effort, 1968's Yummy Yummy Yummy.

Aside from "Cry Me A River" (written by high school classmate Arthur Hamilton) and the also enclosed "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast (co-penned by hubby Bobby Troup), nearly all of London's recordings were previously popularized by others. But when remade by Julie, these songs sound fresh and distinctly different from the originals. "Wives And Lovers," for instance, becomes a very serious cautionary tale, warning the listener that sexy Julie will steal her man - probably with little effort - if she doesn't shape up and spruce up her appearance. And when, on "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," she seductively invites a guy over to "to dine on my fine finnan haddie," I don't think it is fish that she's actually offering him a nibble of!

For those looking for a more concise Julie London collection or perhaps some additional London recordings, check out Rhino's Time For Love from 1991. It includes 13 wonderful tracks (out of 18) not found on this set. ~Jim Bagley

Album: The Very Best Of Julie London (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:54
Size: 160.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2006

[2:30] 1. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
[2:53] 2. Cry Me A River
[2:28] 3. Blue Moon
[2:33] 4. Sway
[2:39] 5. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[3:18] 6. When I Fall In Love
[3:08] 7. Can't Help Lovin' That Man
[3:08] 8. Misty
[2:31] 9. Lover Man
[2:02] 10. Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune)
[2:38] 11. Girl Talk
[2:01] 12. Let There Be Love
[2:36] 13. Wives And Lovers
[2:46] 14. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
[2:41] 15. Makin' Whoopee
[2:52] 16. The Good Life
[2:58] 17. The More I See You
[3:20] 18. A Taste Of Honey
[2:12] 19. Go Slow
[2:37] 20. You And The Night And The Music
[3:02] 21. Black Coffee
[3:02] 22. Basin Street Blues
[3:48] 23. Blues In The Night
[2:51] 24. 'round Midnight
[3:09] 25. As Time Goes By

The Very Best Of Julie London (Disc 1)

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Album: The Very Best Of Julie London (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:21
Size: 154.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:18] 1. Can't Get Used To Losing You
[1:38] 2. September In The Rain
[2:10] 3. Mad About The Boy
[2:49] 4. Love Letters
[2:45] 5. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
[1:57] 6. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend
[2:16] 7. Goody Goody
[2:50] 8. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[2:11] 9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[3:16] 10. Light My Fire
[3:12] 11. Here's That Rainy Day
[2:23] 12. Body And Soul
[3:13] 13. God Bless The Child
[3:05] 14. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[2:17] 15. Our Day Will Come
[3:02] 16. I've Got You Under My Skin (Born To Dance)
[2:44] 17. The End Of The World
[4:05] 18. One For My Baby
[2:35] 19. Love For Sale
[2:23] 20. Sentimental Journey
[2:09] 21. I've Got A Crush On You
[2:45] 22. Call Me Irresponsible
[2:14] 23. You Made Me Love You
[2:28] 24. Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast
[4:22] 25. Every Time We Say Goodbye

The Very Best Of Julie London (Disc 2)

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Diane Hubka - I Like It Here: Live In Tokyo

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:34
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. I Like It Here
(3:46)  2. Agua De Beber
(5:32)  3. Angel Eyes
(6:13)  4. Faces
(4:45)  5. Get Out Of Town
(4:10)  6. It's Always 4 AM
(5:31)  7. Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues
(7:11)  8. You Go To My Head
(4:53)  9. Dindi
(3:31) 10. Moonlight In Vermont
(6:26) 11. All My Tomorrows
(5:51) 12. One Note Samba

Cool-toned vocalist Diane Hubka first caught the attention of jazz journalists with her 1999 debut CD Haven't We Met?(Challenge-A) and she has continued to prove herself as an inventive, gifted interpreter of a wide range of material on her subsequent releases. Since leaving New York City for Southern California in 2004, she has played and recorded with a variety of top West Coast musicians.  Hubka faced two challenges for I Like It Here/Live in Tokyo. After being invited to tour Japan by the Sinatra Society of Japan, which asked her to perform songs associated with the legendary singer (which make up most, though not all, of this set), it was arranged to record her in concert, with Japanese musicians (pianist Kiyoshi Morita, bassist Masahiko Taniguchi and drummer Nobuhiko Yamashita) who were new to her and spoke very little English. 

But the language of jazz is universal and everything fell into place during this concert at JZ Brat in Shibuya.  Hubka handles the standards associated with Sinatra very well, as she has likely had most of them in her repertoire for some time. Her subtle take on the bittersweet "Angel Eyes" and slowly savored rendition of "You Go to My Head" (with a beautifully understated solo by Morita) are among the highlights of that portion of the set. Hubka adds her guitar on several sections, including a breezy "Agua de Beber" and the easygoing "Dindi" (both masterpieces by Antonio Carlos Jobim), while scatting up a storm in Ron Anthony's joyful "Faces" and excusing the rhythm section to accompany herself in Anthony's melancholy "It's Always 4 AM." ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-like-it-here-live-in-tokyo-diane-hubka-ssj-records-review-by-ken-dryden.php
 

Personnel: Diane Hubka: vocals, guitar (2, 4, 6, 10); Kiyoshi Morita: piano; Masahiko Taniguchi: bass; Nobuhiko Yamashita: drums.

I Like It Here / Live In Tokyo

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Bobbi Humphrey - Fancy Dancer

Styles: Crossover Jazz, Flute Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:56
Size: 91,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:45)  1. Uno Esta
(5:41)  2. The Trip
(6:16)  3. You Make Me Feel So Good
(5:46)  4. Fancy Dancer
(4:52)  5. Mestizo Eyes
(4:24)  6. Sweeter Than Suger
(6:09)  7. Please Set Me At Ease

The third and final collaboration between flutist Bobbi Humphrey and Larry Mizell also marked the end of Humphrey's five-album run with Blue Note Records. Humphrey began recording with Larry and his brother Fonce (who provides arrangements and plays clavinet and trumpet here) in the aftermath of Donald Byrd's Black Byrd, the collaborative jazz-funk effort that resulted in a massively successful (and influential) commercial breakthrough for the trumpeter and the label. While not as well known as her Blacks and Blues album, her stellar debut with the pair from 1973, Fancy Dancer is every bit its aesthetic equal. The Mizells lined up a serious crew of studio aces for the date, including trumpeter Oscar Brashear; trombonist Julian Priester; Tyree and Roger Glenn on saxophone and piano, respectively; pianists Skip Scarborough and Jerry Peters (who were part of an army of them on this date); drummer Harvey Mason; bassist Chuck Rainey; and even the great Dorothy Ashby on harp. 

Recorded at their Sound Factory studio in Los Angeles, Fancy Dancer is a seamless collection of seven tracks that cruise the distance across soulful fusions of funk, Latin grooves, electric jazz, and gauzy vocal choruses that offer a hint as to what the underground dancefloor scenes of Los Angeles and New York were offering in at the predawn of the disco era. Humphrey's flute playing feels effortless as she hovers around and plays through the layers of spacy keyboards, shimmering rhythmic pulses, and seductive textures provided by lilting voices, hand percussion, and breaks. The set comes popping out of the gate with the glorious "Uno Esta," featuring bank upon bank of warm bubbling keyboards, roiling basslines, and hand drums courtesy of Mayuto Correa's congas. Craig McMullen and John Rowin contribute some bright chunky guitars, and Larry lays a fine horn chart in the cut as Humphrey begins the first of three solo breaks. When the chorus comes in, the rhythm shifts; the vibe get funkier but never loses the sheen and polish in the mix.

Following this is the stunning Chuck Davis number "The Trip." Commencing with a cut-time funk break, wah-wah guitars, and three different synth harmonic lines all painting a nocturnal spaced-out groove, Humphrey begins to play fills around and through them. A Rhodes enters and the drums become more pronounced in the mix, just as a guitar begins to play contrapuntal fills under her flute. This is one of the greatest tracks in her catalog because it is simultaneously dreamy and sensual and offers enough head-nodding funk to seduce an army. The title track feels more laid-back at first with its gentle chorus. But some flipped-out psychedelic soul finds its way through in waves of Latin percussion that build a shelf under Roger Glenn's vibes break, which in turn sets up Humphrey's burning flute solo prefiguring a salsa piano line and furious hand drumming in syncopated grooves.

"Mestizo Eyes" is a steamy, lusty babymaker with simmering, ratcheted intensity as Rainey's fat-bottom electric Fender bassline belies the chunky wah-wah guitars and synth strings and Dorothy Ashby's harp floats through the center. A chorus of male voices softly chants the title and Humphrey goes to town, rhythmically undulating her solo through the entire mix. There isn't anything approaching a middling moment here -- this is all killer, no filler. Jazz critics may have had their troubles with this set, but no one cared; Humphrey and The Mizells were creating a new kind of largely instrumental funk that was inclusive of everything they could weave in from world music to soul-jazz to club music to pop and the public responded. [In 2008, Fancy Dancer was released domestically on compact disc as part of the Michael Cuscuna-produced Blue Note Rare Grooves series.] ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/fancy-dancer-mw0000548028

Personnel:  Bobbi Humphrey - flute & vocal; Oscar Brashear – trumpet; Julian Priester – trombone; Fonce Mizell - trumpet, clavinet, solina, vocal; Tyree Glenn Jr. - tenor saxophone; Larry Mizell - synthesizer, electric piano, piano, solina, vocal; Skip Scarborough - synthesizer, electric piano, clavinet; Chuck Davis - piano, electric piano; Roger Glenn - vibraphone & marimba; Dorothy Ashby - harp; Craig McMullen – guitar; John Rowin – guitar; Chuck Rainey - electric bass; Harvey Mason – drums; Mayuto Correa – conga; Jesse Acuna, Rosario Davila – vocal; Katherine Lyra,Augie Rey, Sonia Tavares - backing vocals; James Carter - whistler

Fancy Dancer

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Ben Webster - Ben Webster & Associates

Styles: Saxophne Jazz
Year: 1959/2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:39
Size: 102,9 MB
Art: Front

(20:18)  1. In A Mellow Tone
( 4:39)  2. De Dar
( 6:02)  3. Young Bean
( 4:35)  4. Budd Johnson
( 9:02)  5. Time After Time

Ben Webster and Associates is a 1959 session that took full advantage of the long-playing LP format. Highlighted by the 20-minute version of Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone" in which tenor titans Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, and Budd Johnson plus trumpeter Roy Eldridge stretch out, not so much in a cutting contest as a laid-back jam session amongst friends. This summit meeting turned out to be a tribute to another tenor master of the same generation, Lester Young, who had died less than four weeks before this session. 

The chosen rhythm section of Jimmy Jones on piano, Les Spann on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Jo Jones on drums equally matches the performance of the featured horns. Also tackled for this session were three Webster originals: "De-Dar," "Young Bean," and "Budd Johnson" and the standard "Time After Time." Unfortunately no bonus tracks are included (if they even exist) but the excellent sound restoration more than makes up for it. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ben-webster-and-associates/id264390

Personnel: Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Jimmy Jones (piano); Les Spann (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Jo Jones (drums).

Ben Webster & Associates

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Avishai Cohen Trio - From Darkness

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:38
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. Beyond
(3:47)  2. Abie
(5:53)  3. Halelyah
(5:13)  4. C#-
(7:40)  5. Ballad for an Unborn
(3:04)  6. From Darkness
(2:59)  7. Lost Tribe
(2:54)  8. Almah Sleeping
(1:11)  9. Signature
(3:22) 10. Amethyst
(3:26) 11. Smile

Bassist Avishai Cohen is both prolific and eclectic. His latest album, a trio recording his regular band, pianist Nitai Hershkovits and young drummer Daniel Dor, is jazz infused with rock, classical and Latin influences. Though led by a bassist, it is very much a piano trio. All the tunes are written by Cohen, bar the rendition of Charlie Chaplin's Smile which closes the CD, it is Hershkovits' piano which is to the fore.

The opener Beyond features Dor, starting gently enough with Cohen and Hershkovits vamping behind him. One of the shorter pieces, they move swiftly on to the Latin-tinged Abie, in which Dor keeps several different rhythms going whilst Hershkovits plays the theme, the chords getting heavier and darker. The mixture of jazz, Latin and classical tones has an almost klezmer feel at times, but the rhythmic complexities hint at greater depth (and no dancing). Calling a tune Ballad for an Unborn can't help but recall another piano trio - est, who recorded their Ballad for the Unborn on 2003's Seven Days of Falling. Cohen is in very different territory: his piano trio is more wistful and lyrical. This Ballad is a vehicle for Cohen's bass, with a long solo over some very gentle, subtle brush work from Dor and some quiet, understated piano from Hershkovits. The title track, From Darkness, also features Cohen, on what sounds like an electric bass. Dor's drumming is more into Rick territory, with thunderous fills on tom toms as Cohen executes some very fast fretwork in the upper register. 

The lovely, almost lullaby-like Almah Sleeping has Cohen bowing his bass over Hershkovits gentle, repetitive piano and Dor's soft-again brushed drums. There are lots of standout moments on the record, but this tune I think is my favorite. At just over forty minutes for eleven tracks, it isn't a long CD, and one that of us who grew up in a vinyl world may appreciate. Several of the tunes are quite short, too, ending before the band have really been able to stretch out; it would interesting to hear whether the trio extend these pieces in a live setting. I'd certainly have been happy for some of the tracks to be longer, to see where they'd have got to. ~ Patrick Hadfield  http://www.londonjazznews.com/2015/02/cd-review-avishai-cohen-trio-from.html

From Darkness

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The New Morty Show - Straight Ahead

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:19

Size: 94.6 MB

Styles: West Coast jazz

Year: 2000

Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Tico Tico

[5:10] 2. Stella By Starlight

[4:31] 3. Maiden Voyage

[5:46] 4. Long Long Summer

[2:02] 5. Destination Moon

[4:58] 6. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

[3:07] 7. No Moon At All

[3:48] 8. Pork Pie

[4:32] 9. Samba Du Morpheus

[3:31] 10. All The Things You Are

Trumpeter Morty Okin isn't shy about his influences. He's all-Vegas, baby. We're talking 1950s glitzy Frank-Sammy-Dino Vegas. The booze, the broads, the all-night burners. Who cares if the bandleader and his backup group-most notably girl-among-wolves chanteuse Cynthia Lewis-are from San Francisco? No matter where the group gets together for a gig, the New Morty Show heads for Sin City anyway. This is the kind of big and brassy cocktail music-all arranged by Sandy Megas of Los Angeles jazz ensemble Hip Pocket-where setting the proper drinking mood is just as important as making them get up and dance.

On their second full-length album, Straight Ahead, produced by Jeffrey Wood, the band pays homage to the pioneers of West Coast jazz (a subtle cover of Bill Holman's "Pork Pie" features the band at its tightest). Things really get hot when Lewis steps front and center, and leads the boys by the balls on Alfred Fisher's dreamy "Destination Moon." And then there's the reason why the band is named the New Morty Show: Okin doesn't rule the roost simply because he knows every line in Ocean's Eleven. When the vibe gets too mellow and the T&T's start working the crowd into somnambulant fogs, the big man with the even bigger trumpet lets loose on Zequinha de Abreu's "Tico Tico" and Redd Evans' "No Moon at All." Now that, my friends, is a little hey-hey. ~Sean Daly

Straight Ahead

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The Rosenberg Trio - Djangologists

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:27
Size: 140.7 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Vendredi 13
[4:30] 2. Dream Of You
[3:19] 3. Peche A La Mouche
[3:19] 4. Clair De Lune
[2:23] 5. Choti
[5:14] 6. Double Jeu
[3:23] 7. What Kind Of Friend
[2:33] 8. For Sentimental Reasons
[2:35] 9. Gipsy Groovin'
[2:41] 10. Coquette
[4:15] 11. In A Sentimental Mood
[2:19] 12. I'll Never Smile Again
[3:40] 13. Sweet Chorus
[3:43] 14. Webster
[2:46] 15. Indifference
[2:52] 16. Moonglow
[2:36] 17. Yours And Mine
[6:31] 18. Tears

Biréli Lagrène (guitar); Stochelo Rosenberg (guitar); Nonnie Rosenberg (double bass). Recording information: Audioworkx Studios, The Netherlands (10/23/2009-10/29/2009).

The Rosenberg Trio's first studio collaboration with the one and only Biréli, for a surprising new album dedicated to the master: Django Reinhardt.

Djangologists

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Diane Hoffman - My Little French Dancer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:49
Size: 109.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. Gone With The Wind
[3:05] 2. Well You Needn't
[3:52] 3. Close Enough For Love
[5:31] 4. When Love Was All We Had
[4:02] 5. Blackberry Winter
[4:24] 6. You're My Thrill
[3:30] 7. Sunday In New York
[5:01] 8. Two Years Of Torture
[4:35] 9. Yellow Days
[4:50] 10. Farewell, Noelle
[4:43] 11. When Did You Leave Heaven

Vocalist Diane Hoffman constructs a second independently produced disc of standards, interpretations, and one original, a hip, reflective homage dedicated to a deceased French dancer friend named Noelle. Hoffman's voice is seasoned and admittedly similar in phrasing to that of Carmen McRae. She honed her artistry over many years, coast hopping from Cambridge, MA, to California and then New York City. During this period she played folk guitar, became an accomplished mural painter, and a choral singer. Along the way she recruited the excellent pianist and arranger Oliver Von Essen, tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon, and on four cuts for this effort, guitarist John Hart. Hoffman sounds better as the program moves along, especially on the ballads. Perhaps taking her time to enunciate properly is more to her advantage, as interpretations of "When Love Was All We Had" or the superior take of "Blackberry Winter," featuring Hart, readily displays. Another slow song "When Did You Leave Heaven?" showcases a melodic Weldon, Von Essen on organ and Don Militello on Fender Rhodes, making for interesting sonic contrasts. Her best swinger is the organ-driven take of "Sunday in New York," with Weldon at his swinging best. The singer is also fond of Brazilian rhythms, as heard on the upbeat version of "Gone with the Wind," at a similar pace as the samba-flavored, book-of -Billie Holiday (inexcusably spelled Billy in the notes) evergreen "You're My Thrill," and the light bossa "Yellow Days" with an inspired Hart. On the low end, Hoffman's perceptive imprecision shows up during McRae's famous lyrics on Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't," and there are intonation problems during "Close Enough for Love." This is not a groundbreaking or ultimate recording for Hoffman, but her talent and compatibility with excellent sidemen is easy to enjoy. The third time should be the charm. ~Michael G. Nastos

My Little French Dancer

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Leon Redbone - Branch To Branch

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:17
Size: 78.5 MB
Styles: Pop-rock-jazz, Ragtime
Year: 1981/1989
Art: Front

[3:00] 1. Tee-Na-Na
[2:25] 2. In The Old Town Tonight
[2:42] 3. Papa's Getting Mad
[3:40] 4. Step It Up And Go
[3:04] 5. Your Cheatin' Heart
[2:39] 6. Seduced
[4:42] 7. Why
[2:23] 8. My Blue Heaven
[4:04] 9. Extra Blues
[2:00] 10. When You Wish Upon A Star
[3:33] 11. Prairie Lullaby

This is as extravagant and complicated a studio production as any of Leon Redbone's releases. Complete details about the musicians involved in each session are printed in miniscule yellow type of the eyestrain-inducing variety, perhaps a gesture at making younger listeners feel more sympathetic to the elderly music fans who would have been old enough to remember some of this material first-hand even back in the early '80s. Other songs are so familiar that recognition is not an issue; the question would be more appropriately, why bother? But questions of taste are not really a subject for this performer, who once having established his shtick and the prerequisite of technical talent required to pull it off, created albums that inevitably mix the sublime with the totally boring. Disastrous moves here include a weak Hank Williams cover, since expressing sincere emotion is not really in Redbone's bones. "Prairie Lullaby" is pretty sappy as well, and not really the sort of thing someone as immersed in vintage music as Redbone should have wanted to create. The tracks featuring Dr. John come off much better, examples of rollicking interplay that producer Beryl Handler, whose name even implies a hands-on touch, is wise to leave in a fairly spontaneous mode. While Redbone's performance of "My Blue Heaven" is fairly hack, a good rhythm section with bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Grady Tate certainly does a good job on the backup. ~Eugene Chadbourne

Branch To Branch

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Trudy Kerr - Déjà Vu

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 133,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Out Of This World
(4:21)  2. Déjà Vu
(3:24)  3. The Nearness Of You
(5:06)  4. Two Kites
(4:43)  5. They Say It's Wonderful
(6:00)  6. Dream Of The Elders
(4:50)  7. Up Jumped A Bird
(4:50)  8. Destination Moon
(3:47)  9. The Summer Knows
(4:49) 10. You're Gonna Hear From Me
(4:04) 11. Witchcraft / You Fascinate Me So
(6:51) 12. You Go To My Head

“A typically classy offering from Kerr. A lovingly crafted selection of songs beautifully sung and flawlessly played”. This is a typically classy set from the Australian born Kerr, now established as one of the UK’‘s most accomplished jazz vocalists. An otherwise diverse twelve song collection is united by a common theme; each tune has a strong link with Kerr’s past-hence the title. Kerr’s husband Geoff Gascoyne handles bass and arranging duties and is joined in a quality rhythm section by swinging drummer Steve Brown. Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren (recently heard in a totally different setting on the ACT album “Mare Nostrum”) is the album’s chief instrumental soloist and his resourceful, colourful playing is a big factor in the album’s success. Some titles feature the Juno String Quartet playing Gascoyne’s arrangements. The strings are judiciously and tastefully utilised and add appropriate shade and colour to the instrumental palette. Kerr opens with Arlen and Mercer’s “Out Of This World” which showcases her clear, well articulated vocals.

But she also exhibits a real talent for genuine jazz phrasing, something the swinging accompaniment positively encourages. Lundgren solos at length here and his sparkling playing is a delight. The title track is a soul ballad co-written by the great Isaac Hayes that Kerr used to sing in her first band at the age of seventeen. It benefits from Gascoyne’s low key string arrangement and articulate bass playing. Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness Of You” is tackled in a playful up-tempo style. Lundgren shines again, Brown’s nimble drumming is full of delightful details and everyone sounds as if they’re having a ball. Jobim’s mildly salacious “Two Kites” was introduced to Kerr by Norma Winstone and throws a Brazilian flavour into an already diverse mix. The strings feature on Irving Berlin’s “They Say It’s Wonderful” but the real highlight is the pairing of Lundgren’s lyrical piano and Kerr’s warm, conversational vocal. Kerr added her own lyrics to Dave Holland’s “Dream Of the Elders”. 

Appropriately Gascoyne’s resonant bass is at the heart of the instrumental arrangement. The words were inspired by a period Kerr spent living in Vanuatu and complement Holland’s beautiful melody perfectly. The playful mood returns as Kerr duets with Bob Dorough on Dorough’s tune “Up Jumped A Bird”. Kerr’s honeyed tones and Dorough’s fragile voice dovetail on tongue twisting hipster lyrics.Gascoyne appropriates the bass line from the old Police hit “Walkin’ On The Moon” and grafts it on to the standard Destination Moon”. It’s an inspired piece of thievery and the whole track is great fun with Kerr supplying topical additional lyrics. Michel Legrand’s “The Summer Knows” features Kerr’s sensuous vocal alongside the string quartet in an effective piece of chamber jazz.The string quartet provide the introduction to Andre Previn’s “You’re Gonna Hear From Me” before the orthodox jazz instrumental takes over for a relaxed and swinging take on the tune. Gascoyne’s dexterous bass solo is a particular highlight. Witchcraft/You Fascinate Me So” continues the mood before Kerr concludes the album duetting with Lundgren on a beautiful version of “You Go To My Head”. There is nothing earth shattering about “Deja Vu” but it is a lovingly crafted selection of songs beautifully sung and flawlessly played. An above average offering in an often overcrowded field. 

~ Ian Mann  http://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/trudy-kerr-deja-vu-songs-from-my-past/

Déjà Vu

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Randy Brecker With The DePaul University Jazz Ensemble - Dearborn Station

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:37
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:18)  1. Squids
(7:05)  2. Well, You Needn't
(6:42)  3. On Green Dolphin Street
(6:53)  4. You're in My Heart
(5:35)  5. Infant Eyes
(5:07)  6. It's You or No One
(4:52)  7. Cathy's Song
(7:17)  8. Tina's Glass Nickel
(5:43)  9. Blues in Hoss' Flat

The renowned DePaul University Jazz Ensemble continues a tradition begun more than twenty years ago by performing and recording at the oldest historic jazz club in Chicago, the Jazz Showcase located in the historic 'Printer's Row' district of the Dearborn Station area. The Dearborn Station live recording also maintains another on-going tradition and that is documenting sensational sessions of big band music with an icon of jazz this time, with the phenomenal trumpeter Randy Brecker. Musical Director and renowned trumpeter Bob Lark and his university ensemble have in the past recorded with such greats as Phil Woods, Jeff Hamilton, Jim McNeely and Clark Terry among others. Now, it's Brecker's turn to lead this marvelous band and does so in rousing style taking the legendary Jazz Showcase by storm blowing the house down on a couple of his originals and four well-known standards.

Brecker's hot trumpet begins the session on an eight-minute blistering Andrew Janak arrangement of "Squids," the first of Brecker's two compositions that brings a forceful brass and reed sections to the fore and compliment power performances from the trumpeter and saxophonist Janak. Thelonious Monk's standard "Well, You Needn't" is another hard-driving piece this time featuring strong solos from alto saxophonist Brent Griffin, trombonist Brian Scarborough and more high-pitched solos from Brecker. There is a terrific fresh new arrangement from tenor saxophonist Corbin Andrick that makes the age old standard "On Green Dolphin Street" sound almost like new. The other original contribution from the guest trumpeter is "You're In My Heart" featuring beautiful moments from saxophonist J.T. Teichert and Brecker in one of the more tasteful classy tunes of the album. Wayne Shorter's signature and sublime "Infant Eyes" occupies one of the warm spots of the project where Brecker displays his reach and the softer side of his playing as well as featuring a solid reed section on a truly inspiring rendition of the classic. The power and muscle of the ensemble and Brecker's hot trumpet are best evident on the sizzling version of time-honored standard "It's You or No One" where the swing is so pronounced and fitting for Brecker's last appearance of the set.

The Thomas Matta arrangement of the original Lark composition "Cathy's Song," a favorite of the band leader and one which was previously documented on one of the Phil Woods recordings with the band, is the perfect vehicle in showcasing the ensemble's tender side highlighted by Bobby Lark's (Bob Lark's son) soft flugelhorn voice and Lee Rothenberg's sweet guitar. The big band sounds wind down on Richie Palys' "Tina's Glass Nickel" and Frank Foster's familiar "Blues in Hoss' Flat" completing another incredibly powerful and rich-sounding large orchestration album sending a message that big band music is alive and well. Dearborn Station not only provides a platform for the great Randy Brecker clearly, one of the all-time masters of the horn, but also reaffirms the notion that the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, continues to be one of the premier college bands in the country, professional in every way. ~ Edward Blanco  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/dearborn-station-randy-brecker-jazzed-media-review-by-edward-blanco.php
 

Personnel: Bob Lark: director, trumpet solo (6); Marques Carroll: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kyle Granville: trumpet, flugelhorn; Bobby Lark: trumpet, flugelhorn; Gibron Lockhart: trumpet, flugelhorn; Brent Griffin: alto, soprano sax, flute; J. T. Teichert: alto sax, flute; Corbin Andrick: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Andrew Janak: tenor sax, clarinet; Michael Brawley: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Brian Scarborough: trombone; Chris Shuttleworth: trombone; Brett Balika: trombone; Bryan Tipps: bass trombone; Scott Williams: piano, keyboard; Lee Rothenberg: guitar; Jackson Kidder: bass; Rob Dicke: drums. Special guest artist – Randy Brecker: trumpet (1-6).

Dearborn Station

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Kenny Werner - Democracy: Live at the Blue Note

Styles: Post-Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:53
Size: 114,4 MB
Art: Front

(13:04)  1. Democracy Now
( 7:28)  2. Fish Gotta Fly
( 9:17)  3. Untitled Lament
( 8:36)  4. One for Joni
( 1:32)  5. Intro to Hedwig's Theme
( 9:53)  6. Hedwig's Theme

It's hard to believe that a jazz musician would be fired for trying to create something new every night, but it's happened to pianist Kenny Werner. "I'm a lousy sideman, he says in the liner notes to Democracy: Live at the Blue Note. Fortunately, this is his gig, and its loose exploratory nature proves it's not necessary to abandon symmetrical time or change-based structure to keep things sounding fresh, night after night. This may be Werner's gig, but the title says it all. He surrounds himself with a group of like-minded players, including bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade, who feel like two halves of the same organism. Matt Shulman is a sharply focused trumpeter who bears some comparison to Kenny Wheeler who, coincidentally, makes a guest appearance on the album's closing two tracks. Saxophonist David Sanchez has, in recent years, transcended his Latin roots, evolving into a significant player in any context. 

Earmarks of Werner's desire to "create new stuff on the bandstand every night begin with his gentle solo intro to "Democracy Now. Gradually building towards a two-chord vamp that signals the band in, its theme is a brief but complex statement. Sanchez and Shulman are the primary voices, but Colley and Werner provide occasional counterpoint and Blade creates a turbulent undertow that pulls everyone forward into the solo section. Blade's intuitive strength on the lithely swinging, Wayne Shorter-inspired "Fish Gotta Fly elevates Werner's already imaginative solo to even higher ground. And when the band drops out in the middle of the balladic "Untitled Lament, Werner proves himself on the same plane as Keith Jarrett when it comes to spontaneous invention. Jazz artists have been inspired by singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell's innovative guitar voicings for years, but Werner's buoyant "One for Joni captures her distinctive language and phrasing better than most. 

Blade and Colley give it an ever-so-slight gospel-cum-funk underpinning, and Werner delivers his most resonant solo of the set. Wheeler joins the group for the set's finale. "Intro to Hedwig's Theme is a freely lyrical duet with Colley that leads into the minor-key main body of the tune. Sounding at first like something out of the soundtrack to The Elephant Man, it morphs into a Coltrane-like modal workout where Sanchez starts simply, but builds into referential cascading flurries and high pitched screams. Wheeler's brief solo is a fiery counterpoint to the gentle lyricism of his own recent It Takes Two! (Cam Jazz, 2006), while Werner's solo is, once again, uncannily supported by Colley and Blade.

The multifaceted Democracy might make you wish you'd been there, but it's even better news that it's been documented, allowing you to discover something new with each and every listen. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/democracy-live-at-the-blue-note-kenny-werner-half-note-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Kenny Werner: piano; Brian Blade: drums; Scott Colley: bass; David Sanchez: saxophone; Matt Shulman: trumpet; Kenny Wheeler: trumpet (5,6).

Democracy: Live at the Blue Note

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Artie Wayne - You're My Thrill

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:27
Size: 74.3 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1958/1999/2012
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Take Me In Your Arms
[2:24] 2. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
[3:39] 3. Out Of This World
[2:36] 4. I Can't Love You Anymore
[2:31] 5. Look Out For Me Baby
[2:54] 6. You're My Thrill
[2:26] 7. I Love You, Baby
[2:36] 8. Anita
[2:27] 9. Time After Time
[3:13] 10. Golden Earrings
[2:17] 11. You Really Do Get Around
[2:38] 12. Temptation

This could possibly be the ultimate lounge album - it's the original 1958 RKO/Unique recording issued for the first time on CD, feat. film & music star Artie Wayne's tribute to 1950s sex goddess Anita Ekberg, w. orchestra directed by Jerry Fielding.

Personnel includes: Artie Wayne (vocals); Jerry Fielding, Pete King (arranger); George Russell (guitar); Maurie Harris (trumpet). All tracks have been digitally remastered.

You're My Thrill

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Christian McBride - Gettin' To It

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:22
Size: 126.7 MB
Styles: Neo bop
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[4:33] 1. In A Hurry
[7:38] 2. The Shade Of The Cedar Tree
[5:49] 3. Too Close For Comfort
[5:44] 4. Sitting On A Cloud
[4:12] 5. Splanky
[5:28] 6. Gettin' To It
[5:22] 7. Stars Fell On Alabama
[5:17] 8. Black Moon
[7:38] 9. King Freddie Of Hubbard
[3:36] 10. Night Train

McBride had already made his name as an astounding bass sideman when he recorded his first album as a leader, which nailed him as another in the long line of mainstream-minded Young Lions. McBride would shed that tag within a few years when he brought forth his other interests, but for now he headed a series of three- to six-piece bands compromised mostly of somewhat older Young Lions similarly attached to tradition. They're in pretty good form, too -- the tasty Cyrus Chestnut on piano, the growing trumpeter Roy Hargrove, big-toned tenorman Joshua Redman -- and the more experienced trombonist Steve Turre and drummer Lewis Nash complete the personnel. McBride's big, rock-solid tone and melodic agility give his playing the properties of a horn -- at 22, he was a mature master -- yet his ideas as a leader were not yet as imaginative as his bass playing. One exception -- and easily the most entertaining and musical track on the CD -- is the birth on record of McBride's bass trio with mentor Ray Brown and veteran Milt Hinton in "Splanky"; you'd never guess that three unaccompanied bassists could make such sublimely enjoyable music. Another is the title track, whose funky tune and rhythm are audibly inspired by James Brown. Mostly, though, this is a promising but cautious debut. ~Richard S. Ginnell

Gettin' To It

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Urban Knights - The Best Of Urban Knights

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:26
Size: 90.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Crossover jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Sweet Home Chicago
[4:59] 2. The Message
[3:49] 3. Got To Give It Up
[4:20] 4. Hi-Heel Sneakers
[3:55] 5. The Gypsy
[4:06] 6. My Boo
[4:59] 7. Clubland
[4:27] 8. Church
[4:58] 9. Close Your Eyes And Remember

The smooth jazz all-star collective Urban Knights features pianist Ramsey Lewis as its constant member. Sometime Urban Knights include Grover Washington Jr., Maurice White, the Emotions, Najee, Dave Koz, Fareed Haque, and Earl Klugh. Lewis united the various Knights for outings like 1995's self-titled debut, 1997's Urban Knights II, and 2000's Urban Knights III, which was the supergroup's first album for the Narada label. ~bio by Heather Phares

The Best Of Urban Knights

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Sarah Vaughan - The Rodgers & Hart Songbook

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:40
Size: 86,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. My Funny Valentine
(3:53)  2. Little Girl Blue
(2:42)  3. A Tree In The Park
(2:27)  4. It's Got To Be Love
(3:27)  5. A Ship Without A Sail
(3:33)  6. Bewitched
(2:49)  7. Thou Swell
(3:42)  8. It Never Entered My Mind
(2:47)  9. It's Easy To Remember
(2:58) 10. Why Can't I
(3:16) 11. My Romance
(3:00) 12. My Heart Stood Still

Possessor of one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century, Sarah Vaughan ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of female jazz singers. She often gave the impression that with her wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and wide expressive abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice. Although not all of her many recordings are essential (give Vaughan a weak song and she might strangle it to death), Sarah Vaughan's legacy as a performer and a recording artist will be very difficult to match in the future.

Vaughan sang in church as a child and had extensive piano lessons from 1931-39; she developed into a capable keyboardist. After she won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater, she was hired for the Earl Hines big band as a singer and second vocalist. Unfortunately, the musicians' recording strike kept her off record during this period (1943-44). When lifelong friend Billy Eckstine broke away to form his own orchestra, Vaughan joined him, making her recording debut. She loved being with Eckstine's orchestra, where she became influenced by a couple of his sidemen, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, both of whom had also been with Hines during her stint. Vaughan was one of the first singers to fully incorporate bop phrasing in her singing, and to have the vocal chops to pull it off on the level of a Parker and Gillespie.

Other than a few months with John Kirby from 1945-46, Sarah Vaughan spent the remainder of her career as a solo star. Although she looked a bit awkward in 1945 (her first husband George Treadwell would greatly assist her with her appearance), there was no denying her incredible voice. She made several early sessions for Continental: a December 31, 1944 date highlighted by her vocal version of "A Night in Tunisia," which was called "Interlude," and a May 25, 1945 session for that label that had Gillespie and Parker as sidemen. However, it was her 1946-48 selections for Musicraft (which included "If You Could See Me Now," "Tenderly" and "It's Magic") that found her rapidly gaining maturity and adding bop-oriented phrasing to popular songs. Signed to Columbia where she recorded during 1949-53, "Sassy" continued to build on her popularity. Although some of those sessions were quite commercial, eight classic selections cut with Jimmy Jones' band during May 18-19, 1950 (an octet including Miles Davis) showed that she could sing jazz with the best.

During the 1950s, Vaughan recorded middle-of-the-road pop material with orchestras for Mercury, and jazz dates (including Sarah Vaughan, a memorable collaboration with Clifford Brown) for the label's subsidiary, EmArcy. Later record label associations included Roulette (1960-64), back with Mercury (1963-67), and after a surprising four years off records, Mainstream (1971-74). Through the years, Vaughan's voice deepened a bit, but never lost its power, flexibility or range. She was a masterful scat singer and was able to out-swing nearly everyone (except for Ella). Vaughan was with Norman Granz's Pablo label from 1977-82, and only during her last few years did her recording career falter a bit, with only two forgettable efforts after 1982. However, up until near the end, Vaughan remained a world traveler, singing and partying into all hours of the night with her miraculous voice staying in prime form. The majority of her recordings are currently available, including complete sets of the Mercury/Emarcy years, and Sarah Vaughan is as famous today as she was during her most active years. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sarah-vaughan/id79995#fullText

1954-1958. This is the reissued version to get. ~ Ron Wynn  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rodgers-hart-songbook-mw0000314416

Personnel: Sarah Vaughan (vocals); Turk VanLake (guitar); Jerome Richardson (reeds); Sam Marowitz, Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow (trumpet); J.J. Johnson , Kai Winding (trombone); Jimmy Jones , Ronnell Bright (piano); Roy Haynes (drums).

The Rodgers & Hart Songbook

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Monty Alexander - The Duke Ellington Songbook

Styles: Hard Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 85:15
Size: 201,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:26)  1. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
( 5:52)  2. Sophisticated Lady
( 6:00)  3. Things Ain't What They Used To be
( 6:07)  4. Love You Madly
( 7:30)  5. Eastside, Westside
(13:19)  6. In A Mellow Tone
( 6:00)  7. Caravan
( 6:07)  8. Just Squeeze Me
( 7:30)  9. In A Sentimental Mood
(17:20) 10. C Jam Blues

Monty Alexander long ago combined together the influence of Oscar Peterson with the soul of Gene Harris and Nat "King" Cole to form his own appealing and personable style. Long a bit underrated (due to the shadow of Peterson), Alexander has recorded more than a score of excellent albums. Monty Alexander began piano lessons when he was six and he played professionally in Jamaican clubs while still a teenager; his band, Monty and the Cyclones, was quite popular locally during 1958-1960. He first played in the U.S. when he appeared in Las Vegas with Art Mooney's Orchestra. Soon he was accompanying a variety of top singers, formed a friendship with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and began gigging with bassist Ray Brown. 

With the recording of a pair of Pacific Jazz albums in 1965, an RCA date in 1967, and a Verve session in 1969, Alexander began to gain a strong reputation. His series of exciting albums for MPS during 1971-1977 found him in prime form, and his recordings in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s found him building on his original style. Alexander, who often pays tribute to his Jamaican heritage, performs regularly with his own trio and swings hard in his own voice. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/monty-alexander/id2987018#fullText

Personnel:  Monty Alexander (Piano), John Clayton (Bass)

The Duke Ellington Songbook

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Kenny Wheeler - Songs for Quintet

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:14
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Seventy-Six
(8:43)  2. Jigsaw
(5:10)  3. The Long Waiting
(6:40)  4. Canter No.1
(6:07)  5. Sly Eyes
(2:39)  6. 1076
(6:11)  7. Old Time
(6:49)  8. Pretty Liddle Waltz
(4:54)  9. Nonetheless

With the passing of Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler Kenny Wheeler to his legion of friends and fans the world lost yet another significant figure in the history of jazz from the mid-'60s through to the second decade of the new millennium, the artist that Norma Winstone (more often than not his singer of choice) called "the Duke Ellington of our times." While Wheeler had, since 2004, been releasing his music on the Italian Cam Jazz label, but it seems wholly appropriate that his final album- -recorded in December, 2013, just nine months prior to his passing at the age of 84 has been issued on Munich's award-winning ECM Records. 

Wheeler had released a number of fine albums prior to coming to the label in the mid-'70s (including his first, the recently reissued 1969 Fontana classic Windmill Tilter), but it was with ECM that he truly honed his skills as a composer and bandleader (his unparalleled acumen on both trumpet and flugelhorn already finely developed), first as a member of the groundbreaking Azimuth trio, with Winstone and keyboardist John Taylor, but subsequently as a leader in his own right with a stellar run of albums ranging from 1976's Gnu High, 1977's Deer Wan and 1980's Around Six to 1984's Double, Double You, 1990's Music for Large & Small Ensembles and 1997's Angel Song.

With Songs for Quintet, plenty has changed...but plenty has also remained the same. The quintet Wheeler has chosen for the December, 2013 date recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London the infirmed Wheeler likely unable to travel much further to record in any of the studios usually chosen by ECM founder/producer Manfred Eicher and Steve Lake (who, uncharacteristically, are credited as co-producers) is a set of friends, all of whom he's been recording with for decades with the exception of drummer Martin France. Still, France is no stranger to Wheeler and the trumpeter's circles, having been a member of John Taylor's trio since 2005 and appearing on the trumpeter's last two Cam Jazz recordings (2012's large ensemble The Long Waiting (2012) and 2013's appropriately titled sextet date Six For Six). France will also be no stranger to longtime label followers for his work in the unfairly overlooked group First House on 1985's Eréndira and 1989's Cantilena. Saxophonist Stan Sulzmann goes back much further, playing on Wheeler albums ranging from the lower-profile Kayak (Ah Um, 1992) to the more internationally acclaimed Music for Large & Small Ensemble. 

John Parricelli a busy session guitarist who shows up in the jazz world all- too-infrequently, and whose own Alba (Provocateur, 2000) is an album begging for a follow-up (and on which France appears as another example of theUK's close-knit jazz community) first appeared on record with Wheeler on 1999's A Long Time Ago (the trumpeter's final recording for the label until now) but proved even more impressive on the expat Canadian trumpeter's Dream Sequence (Psi, 2003). Bassist Chris Laurence has been one of Wheeler's primary go-to bassists since Kayak, and whose own New View (Basho, 2007) not only featured Parricelli and France, but included a Wheeler tune, "Sly Eyes," which is reprised to great effect on Songs for Quintet.

And so, with a collection of musicians who have engaged and interacted both with the trumpeter (who sticks to the warmer, mellower flugelhorn here) and in other contexts, Wheeler had about as simpatico a quintet as he was likely to find, across a 52- minute set that features a number of previously performed compositions. The ambling ballad "The Long Waiting" was both the title track to the 2012 big band recording and featured on the more intimate Six for Six. The more eminently propulsive "Canter No. 1," representing some of Songs for Quintet's fiercest moments while still remaining somehow gentle and restrained, was heard previously in multiple contexts: on Wheeler's Cam Jazz duo debut with John Taylor, Where Do We Go From Here? (2004); in a medley with "Old Ballad" on Kayak; on the atypical trio date with Taylor and electric bassist Steve Swallow, One of Many (Cam Jazz, 2011); and, finally, on The Long Waiting. The closing, particularly drum driven "Nonetheless" debuted on 1995's All the More (Soul Note, 1997) before being reprised on one of Wheeler's particular career milestones, the chamber-like Angel Song, before ultimately reappearing just a few years later on Dream Sequence.

But even well-known, well-covered music assumes a life of its own on Songs for Quintet. Sulzmann covered "Jigsaw," the title track to his own transatlantic 2004 Basho album, but here it simmers with a different kind of heat, as Parricelli's chordal accompaniment creates even more ethereal atmospherics than the delicate support of The Jigsaw's pianist, Marc Copland. "Sly Eyes," on the other hand, begins with a militaristic solo from France before assuming a tango-informed complexion, as Wheeler delivers a solo of careful consideration and inimitably focused construction. A characteristic, in fact, that has defined Wheeler's playing throughout his sixty-year career. He may no longer be capable of hitting the signature stratospheric highs he once did so effortlessly, but his tone remains pure, his melancholic lyricism wholly intact. Wheeler has played with many a fine drummer in his career, but France ranks amongst his best, capable of the delicate colors required on the opening "Seventy Six" while driving the more energetic "Jigsaw" with a frenetic pulse punctuated with plenty of explosive punctuations while providing a tumultuous underpinning to the "changes, no time" of the relatively brief "1076."

"Old Time" reworks the title track to Azimuth's How It Was Then....Never Again (ECM, 1994), but morphs its bluesy origin into a more potent opportunity for both Wheeler and Sulzmann, with Laurence and France effortlessly flowing from feather-light support to more intense accompaniment in particular during a solo that proves to be amongst the saxophonist's best of the set.

Parricelli is as capable of fiery energy as anyone in the group, but his best moment comes on the appropriately titled "Pretty Liddle Waltz," the album's penultimate track and a feature for both the guitarist's impeccable tone and harmonic sophistication in his accompaniment, but also for his attention to detail and dynamics during a thematically focused solo that may demonstrate the guitarist's early roots in label mate John Abercrombie but, having long since transcended such reductionist characterizations, is now pure Parricelli and yet another reason why it's such a shame he's heard from so infrequently.

Not unlike the swan song of another great loss (and, at one time, Wheeler collaborator), saxophonist Michael Brecker's Pilgrimage (Heads Up, 2007), it's quite remarkable that, as with Brecker just a scant six months before his passing, the already weakening Wheeler still had an album like Songs for Quintet in him just nine months before his death. Still, sometimes the old saying that someone plays as if his life depended on it is more than just an adage. It's impossible to know if Wheeler knew his days on earth were truly numbered, but with Songs for Quintet another legend may now have passed, but not before delivering an album that's not just as good a swan song as anyone could hope for, but a recording that stands amongst the rest of his discography as one of his absolute finest. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/kenny-wheeler-songs-for-quintet-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: flugelhorn; Stan Sulzman: tenor saxophone; John Parricelli: guitar; Chris Laurence: double bass; Martin France: drums.

Songs for Quintet

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