Bobby Hackett - Halfway To Everywhere

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:36
Size: 175,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:41)  1. I Found A New Baby
(2:19)  2. But Not For Me
(3:30)  3. Wild Man Blues
(2:27)  4. Oh Baby
(2:29)  5. Sweet Georgia Brown
(2:35)  6. When A Woman Loves A Man
(2:37)  7. Butter And Egg Bossa Nova (I Want A Big Butter And Egg Man)
(3:26)  8. Embraceable You
(2:25)  9. Everybody Loves My Baby
(2:47) 10. The Good Life
(2:22) 11. Exactly Like You
(2:42) 12. Moma's Gone, Goodbye
(3:54) 13. Sentimental Blues
(2:39) 14. S' Wonderful
(3:40) 15. When The Saints Go Marching In
(2:35) 16. Rags To Riches
(2:20) 17. Someday You'll Be Sorry
(2:30) 18. 'Deed I Do
(3:36) 19. I'll Never Be The Same
(2:55) 20. Oh Baby
(2:58) 21. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(2:30) 22. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(3:43) 23. Swing That Music
(2:53) 24. New Orleans
(3:20) 25. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
(3:29) 26. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans

Bobby Hackett's mellow tone and melodic style offered a contrast to the brasher Dixieland-oriented trumpeters. Emphasizing his middle-register and lyricism, Hackett was a flexible soloist who actually sounded little like his main inspiration, Louis Armstrong. When Hackett first came up he was briefly known as "the new Bix" because of the similarity in his approach to that of Bix Beiderbecke, but very soon he developed his own distinctive sound. Originally a guitarist (which he doubled on until the mid-'40s), Hackett performed in local bands, and by 1936 was leading his own group. He moved to New York in 1937, played with Joe Marsala, appeared at Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert (recreating Beiderbecke's solo on "I'm Coming Virginia"), recorded with Eddie Condon, and by 1939 had a short-lived big band. 

Hackett played briefly with Horace Heidt, and during 1941-1942 was with Glenn Miller's Orchestra, taking a famous solo on "String of Pearls." Next up was a stint with the Casa Loma Orchestra, and then he became a studio musician while still appearing with jazz groups. Hackett was a major asset at Louis Armstrong's 1947 Town Hall Concert, in the 1950s he was a star on Jackie Gleason's commercial but jazz-flavored mood music albums, and he recorded several times with Eddie Condon and Jack Teagarden. During 1956-1957, Hackett led an unusual group that sought to modernize Dixieland (using Dick Cary's arrangements and an unusual instrumentation), but that band did not catch on. Hackett recorded some commercial dates during 1959-1960 (including one set of Hawaiian songs and another in which he was backed by pipe organ), he worked with Benny Goodman (1962-1963); backed Tony Bennett in the mid-'60s; co-led a well-recorded quintet with Vic Dickenson (1968-1970); and made sessions with Jim Cullum, the World's Greatest Jazz Band, and even Dizzy Gillespie and Mary Lou Williams, remaining active up until his death. Among the many labels Bobby Hackett recorded for as a leader were Okeh (reissued by Epic), Commodore, Columbia, Epic, Capitol, Sesac, Verve, Project 3, Chiaroscuro, Flying Dutchman, and Honey Dew. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi  http://www.shazam.com/discover/artist/9601/album/65461040

Halfway To Everywhere

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Henry Mancini & His Orchestra - Uniquely Mancini

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:03
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Green Onions
(3:37)  2. Stairway to the Stars
(3:01)  3. Night Train
(3:53)  4. Lullaby Of Birdland
(3:24)  5. Chelsea Bridge
(3:52)  6. C Jam Blues
(2:32)  7. Banzai Pipeline
(3:39)  8. Rhapsody in Blue
(3:16)  9. Cherrs!
(3:30) 10. Lonsome
(2:43) 11. Hot Canary
(3:41) 12. Moonlight Serenade

Henry Mancini was not the first composer to introduce jazz elements into film and television scoring, but he was the first to become wildly successful with the public, particularly with the slinky, playful theme for the Pink Panther movies and the brassy, big band sound of the TV series Peter Gunn. Mancini was equally adept at broader, lyrical pop styles, especially in the song "Moon River," the achingly beautiful theme for the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. He won 20 Grammy awards out of 73 nominations and became a familiar public figure as a gentle, avuncular presence on his own syndicated musical TV series and as a frequent guest conductor of orchestral pops concerts.

Young Enrico Nicola Mancini played piccolo and flute with his father in a local Sons of Italy band. In his early teens, he determined to become a film composer and was sent to Pittsburgh to study piano and arranging. Mancini entered Juilliard to study piano in 1942, but within a year was drafted; Glenn Miller arranged for him to play with a service band until he was assigned to combat duty in Europe. Discharged in 1946, Mancini joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra as pianist and arranger. The following year, he followed his wife-to-be to Los Angeles, where he wrote music for bands and radio shows, while bolstering his composition skills through studies with Ernst Krenek and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Mancini landed a job with Universal Pictures in 1952; over the next six years, he worked on 100 films, most of them forgettable low-budget affairs. He made his reputation in 1954, though, with his score for The Glenn Miller Story, which garnered his first Academy Award nomination.

Universal laid Mancini off in 1958, but the composer quickly developed an association with producer Blake Edwards, scoring his TV show Peter Gunn, the theme from which won him a recording contract with RCA. Mancini began issuing extremely popular and award-winning LPs of arrangements of pop and jazz hits, ultimately working on crossover albums with such classical artists as James Galway and Luciano Pavarotti.

Meanwhile, Mancini and Edwards would collaborate on 26 movies between 1960 and 1993. Three of Mancini's most enduring hits came from 1961: "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's, the similarly lush theme from Days of Wine and Roses, and the playful "Baby Elephant Walk" from Hatari! Despite averaging three film scores a year through the 1980s, Mancini would always be best-remembered for these earliest efforts, along with the theme from 1964's The Pink Panther and perhaps his score for the 1983 TV miniseries The Thorn Birds. He was a more versatile composer than his mainstream fans may think; for example, he adopted an avant-garde style for the 1985 science fiction movie Lifeforce. Mancini's final work was on a stage adaptation of Edwards' Julie Andrews vehicle Victor/Victoria, which originated as a 1982 film and opened on Broadway in 1995, shortly after the composer's death, running more than 700 performances. Bio ~ James Reel  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/henry-mancini-mn0000678009/biography

Uniquely Mancini

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Billy Valentine - Travelin' Light

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 43:26

Size: 99.4 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz, Easy Listening

Year: 2006

Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Everbody Needs Somebody

[4:47] 2. I Cover The Waterfront

[4:19] 3. Embraceable You

[2:33] 4. Jitterbug Waltz

[3:54] 5. It's Magic

[5:07] 6. She's Funny That Way

[3:44] 7. On The Street Where You Live

[4:41] 8. Darn That Dream

[4:31] 9. My Foolish Heart

[4:17] 10. How Deep Is The Ocean

[2:42] 11. I'm Travelin' Light

Multitalented vocalist Billy Valentine's varied career has taken him across the United States, throughout the many countries of Europe and even to Oman, a small country in the Middle East. Lately, he's been frequenting local Los Angeles clubs, such as Café Cordiale in Sherman Oaks, and both The Vic and The Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica. Since its premiere in 2004, His glorious singing voice can be heard every week on the television series, Boston Legal, from the theme song right through to the end of each and every episode.

Billy began his professional career as a solo artist opening for such luminaries as Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack in the 1970s. He also was the lead singer for the group Young Holt Unltd. Billy and his brother John went on to form the duo The Valentine Brothers, touring and producing four albums from 1975-1989. The duo co-wrote the memorable hit single "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," which appeared on their album First Take. "Money's Too Tight" gained widespread popularity in 1986 when it was released as a single, and on video, performed by Simply Red. Billy's singing career quickly expanded into theatre and film. In 1977, he toured with the first national touring company of The Wiz as one of its main orchestra voices, staying with the show for over 3 years. In the mid 1980s, he sang lead vocals for the documentary, Champions Forever, a film about Ali, Frazier and Foreman. In the early 1990s, Billy was the singing voice for the lead vocalist character in Robert Townsend's feature film, The Five Heartbeats. He joined the show It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, performing at the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles and the San Diego Rep in the late '90s.

Billy's singing talents have also been in demand as a demo recording artist for such high-profile producers and writers as Gerry Goffin, Mark Isham, Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Keeping pace with his expanding singing career, Billy has written numerous songs, collaborating with such greats as Will Jennings and co-writing three songs on the Neville Bros. Family Groove album. He also co-wrote the title track "My World" for the incomparable Ray Charles. During the '70s and '80s, Billy tried his hand at producing with several projects, including "Crazy For You," by Sly Stone and Jesse Johnson, two songs on the feature film soundtrack, Soul Man, and the album Vesta from Vesta Williams for A&M Records. As a musical artist, Billy feels he has been most profoundly influenced by the soulful talents of Otis Redding, Nat King Cole and Carmen MacRae.

Travelin' Light

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Rita Wilson - AM/FM

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:03
Size: 123.8 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Country-pop
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. All I Have To Do Is Dream
[3:25] 2. Never My Love
[3:12] 3. Come See About Me
[3:54] 4. Angel Of The Morning
[3:28] 5. Walking In The Rain
[3:46] 6. Wichita Lineman
[3:56] 7. Cherish
[2:40] 8. You Were On My Mind
[3:31] 9. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues
[4:14] 10. Love Has No Pride
[4:14] 11. Please Come To Boston
[5:34] 12. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
[4:03] 13. Faithless Love
[4:07] 14. River

"AM/FM" features Wilson's takes on a variety of songs by the Everly Brothers ("All I Have to Do is Dream"), the Association ("Cherish"), Glen Campbell ("Wichita Lineman"), Joni Mitchell ("The River"), the Supremes ("Come See About Me" and more. Conceptually, she says the 11-song set hearkens back to her youth. "The songs I selected reminded me of what I heard on the radio, AM or FM," Wilson explains. "The AM stuff are things I remember my parents playing, either in the car or on the HiFi at home. Then FM radio came into existence...and I had my own car and full control of the dial. The AM section represents all this hope, giddiness, romance, joy, then the singer-songwriters came around for the FM side and were like, 'Yeah, that didn't quite work out, and let me tell you this little story about it...' "

Patti Scialfa and Sheryl Crow guest on a pair of songs each on "AM/FM," along with Jackson Browne ("Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues"), Chris Cornell ("All I Have to Do is Dream") and Vince Gill ("Faithless Love"). But the real coupe, she says, was having Jimmy Webb play piano on his "Wichita Lineman." "My producer (Fred Mollin) had coincidentally produced some of Jimmy's albums, and after we knew I wanted to cut 'Wichita Lineman' he said, 'Maybe I should get Jimmy to come in and play piano on this,' " Wilson recalls. "I said, 'Are you joking?' 'No, I'll ask him,' and Jimmy said sure. He happened to be in L.A., so we got together and it was the first song we cut. He was so gracious and amazing, I still can't believe it."

AM/FM

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Herb Geller - All Right With Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:09
Size: 178.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:57] 1. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:05] 2. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:25] 3. Crazy He Calls Me
[3:13] 4. I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling
[3:40] 5. Gin For Flugelhorns
[4:56] 6. Rockin' Chair
[5:15] 7. The Heather On The Hill
[3:01] 8. If I Were A Bell
[4:21] 9. Owl Eyes
[5:13] 10. Blues In The Night
[4:32] 11. Tardi At Zardi's
[4:21] 12. Outpost Incident
[4:52] 13. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[2:50] 14. Two Of A Kind
[3:58] 15. Arapahoe
[5:05] 16. Suppertime
[5:29] 17. Vone Mae
[3:46] 18. The Answer Man

After he heard a performance by Benny Carter when Geller was 14, he decided to become a professional musician. Carter and Hodges were his early models, their influences soon leavened by the impact of Charlie Parker. Geller worked with a cross section of the major players in Los Angeles, recording copiously with, among others, Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, Andre Previn, Quincy Jones and Chet Baker. He recorded three albums as a leader for Emarcy Records at a time when the label was riding high in the jazz world and was on hundreds of albums in the fifties. Among them, he recorded with Dinah Washington, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Bill Holman, Clark Terry, Maynard Ferguson and Kenny Drew. Geller said in a recent conversation that of the thirty or so albums he recorded under his own name his favorite was You’re Looking At Me. That 1997 Fresh Sound CD had a rhythm section of the young Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren and two Los Angeles stalwarts, the late bassist Dave Carpenter and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Lundgren became one of Geller’s favorite collaborators.

All Right With Me

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The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody: The Very Best Of The Righteous Brothers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:12
Size: 85.2 MB
Styles: Blue eyed soul, AM pop
Year: 1990
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
[3:35] 2. Unchained Melody
[3:22] 3. (You're My) Soul And Inspiration
[2:47] 4. Ebb Tide
[3:47] 5. Just Once In My Life
[2:16] 6. The White Cliffs Of Dover
[3:02] 7. He
[3:22] 8. Hung On You
[2:18] 9. Little Latin Lupe Lu
[2:36] 10. Go Ahead And Cry
[3:09] 11. See That Girl
[3:09] 12. On This Side Of Goodbye

At 12 tracks, Very Best of the Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody is considerably lighter than the ambitious double-disc Rhino Anthology, and it doesn't cover nearly as much ground; in other words, no "Rock & Roll Heaven" or any other '70s material is here. However, for those listeners who want a straight-up dose of the biggest Righteous Brothers' hits, this offers the peaks of their peak, highlighted, naturally, by "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Unchained Melody," "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," and "Little Latin Lupe Lu." ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Unchained Melody: The Very Best Of The Righteous Brothers

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George Shearing, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Stewart - The MPS Trio Sessions (4-Disc Set)

George Shearing: George Shearing (piano); Louis Stewart (guitar); Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass instrument). Recording information: MPS-Studio, Villingen, Germany (06/??/1977-11/06/1980); Music Center Sound Studio, Wembley, England (06/??/1977-11/06/1980).

For those fortunate enough to hear and own the immaculately produced Germany/Black Forest based MPS recordings, distributed as imported pristine virgin vinyl LPs that were pressed in the '70s, you already know the quality of this four-CD set of George Shearing's trio. With the peerless Dane Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Ireland's genius guitarist Louis Stewart, they can hardly do anything wrong musically. The first three CDs have Shearing playing standards, occasionally contemporizing his repertoire on Chick Corea's "Windows" and "500 Miles High," doing NHOP's "Cowboy Santa" and "My Little Anna," and offering two of his own originals, "The Fourth Deuce" and "G & G." The final CD has the threesome accompanied by strings, arranged and conducted by the brilliant Robert Farnon, and while a bit syrupy, lend pleasant late-night contrast at the end of a long day to the proceedings. This is a welcome addition to Shearing's collections discography, and a reminder of how good, in a short time period, MPS and producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer were. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Album: The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:48
Size: 136.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Tricotism
[4:20] 2. Windows
[5:18] 3. No Moon At All
[2:45] 4. Some Other Spring
[4:08] 5. Wait Till You See Her
[3:33] 6. Tune Up
[5:18] 7. The Party's Over
[3:39] 8. The Lamp Is Low
[5:28] 9. Lazy Afternoon
[4:49] 10. Cowboy Samba
[2:48] 11. Cheryl
[4:46] 12. Miles High
[5:28] 13. I Wished On The Moon
[4:31] 14. Old Folks

The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 1)

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Album: The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:56
Size: 128.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2014

[5:12] 1. Jordu
[7:32] 2. P.S. I Love You
[3:53] 3. Everything Happens to Me
[5:39] 4. Here's That Rainy Day
[3:02] 5. Invitation
[6:10] 6. In Your Own Sweet Way
[6:13] 7. Alice in Wonderland
[7:02] 8. All This and Heaven Too
[5:14] 9. No Greater Love
[5:55] 10. Con Alma

The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 2)

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Album: The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 3)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:52
Size: 125.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2014

[5:31] 1. The Fourth Deuce
[4:35] 2. The Wine of May
[6:16] 3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[5:11] 4. Consternation
[7:05] 5. sweet and lovely
[3:46] 6. My Little Anna
[3:58] 7. Sweet Lorraine
[2:56] 8. Louis Ann
[5:49] 9. G & G
[3:17] 10. Poinciana
[6:24] 11. This Can't Be Love

The MPS Trio Sessions (Disc 3)

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Album: The MPS Trio Sessiions (Disc 4)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:17
Size: 101.4 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:59] 1. Fjarlins Vingor
[4:51] 2. Last Night When We Were Young
[3:47] 3. Amaryllis
[5:08] 4. Strange Enchantment
[4:11] 5. Look at That Face
[5:14] 6. Portrait of Jennie
[5:29] 7. Song Bird
[5:41] 8. This Is All I Ask
[4:55] 9. A Nightingale Sang in Berklee Square

The MPS Trio Sessiions (Disc 4)

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Allan Holdsworth - None Too Soon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:46
Size: 116.2 MB
Styles: Fusion
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[3:07] 1. Countdown
[5:38] 2. Nuages
[5:27] 3. How Deep Is The Ocean
[5:40] 4. Isotope
[7:42] 5. None Too Soon, Pts. 1 & 2
[5:53] 6. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
[7:40] 7. Very Early
[3:21] 8. San Marcos
[6:14] 9. Inner Urge

For his ninth album, guitar wizard Allan Holdsworth takes on jazz classics by saxophonists John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, pianist Bill Evans and more, plus pop classics just as famous for their jazz interpretations, in a set put together by Holdsworth's longtime musical associate and pianist, Gordon Beck. "Gordon chose most of the tunes, which I hadn't grown up playing and so wasn't that familiar with," Holdsworth recalls. "When he taught me one, it would be just like I was learning a piece of original music."

Holdsworth pops the top off of None Too Soon (recorded in 1996 but remastered to take advantage of 2012's digital technology) with a frantic electric guitar introduction to Coltrane's "Countdown" that screams out "Mahavishnu Orchestra"! After he settles into a more measured approach, the sound of Holdsworth's synthesizer-guitar flows between jazz-rock, jazz and progressive rock in a single voice, like different aspects of the same musical continuum. Holdsworth and Beck modernize Django Reinhardt's emotive classic "Nuages" with harmonized synth-axe and keyboards which shift and rock upon subtle pulses from the rhythm section of bassist Gary Willis bass and drummer Kirk Covington, cohorts in the jazz-rock fusion institution Tribal Tech. "How Deep Is the Ocean" sounds nothing like the Irving Berlin ballad: Beck uses it as a framework for him and Holdsworth to rock out and jam while bass and drums toss its powerful rhythms back and forth like waves rocking the ocean. Beck's original title suite ("None Too Soon Part One / Interlude / None Too Soon Part Two") is well-considered and articulate in design and execution.

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" paints an impressionistic watercolor of The Beatles' brooding, timeless classic in soft but bright guitar chords that more than once suggest Pat Metheny in sound and structure; after Beck brilliantly plays the acoustic piano role of Lyle Mays, Holdsworth's electric guitar roars back in and shreds this "Wood" to splinters. Holdsworth's meandering but profoundly emotional sound that opens "Very Early," written by Bill Evans, also suggests Metheny in a ruminative mood, while Beck spreads out a bright, dynamic acoustic piano solo like a blanket through the rest of the tune. Holdsworth takes a bop-oriented approach to Joe Henderson's "Isotope," twisting and elongating melodic phrases like a sharp John Scofield, and, after another sparkling Beck solo, returns for a closing solo that explodes with the bright yet brittle metallic edge of harder rock guitar.

Allan Holdsworth: guitar and synthaxe; Gordon Beck: digital piano, keyboards; Gary Willis: bass guitar; Kirk Covington: drums.

None Too Soon

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John Mcdermot - Stories Of Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:48
Size: 107,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Dindi
(4:35)  2. I Concentrate On You
(3:14)  3. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
(3:15)  4. Quiet Nights (Of Quiet Stars)
(3:37)  5. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)
(2:59)  6. If You Never Come To Me
(4:10)  7. Meditation
(4:42)  8. This Is All I Ask
(3:28)  9. How Insensitive (Insensatez)
(3:09) 10. Girl from Ipanema
(4:03) 11. Change Partners
(4:26) 12. Once I Loved

Celtic balladeer John McDermott was born in Scotland, but following his family's relocation to Canada in the mid-'60s, he went on to hone his crystalline tenor at Toronto's St. Michael's Choir School. After graduating he accepted the position of circulation manager with a Toronto newspaper; discovered while singing at a private party, McDermott was befriended by publishing magnate Conrad Black, who funded the sessions that led to the release of the singer's smash 1992 debut, Danny Boy, a record originally intended as a gift for his parents' golden wedding anniversary. Old Friends followed in 1994, and a year later McDermott issued Christmas Memories; with 1996's Love Is a Voyage, he even earned a Canadian Juno Award nomination as Male Vocalist of the Year. 

When I Grow Too Old to Dream appeared in 1997, and a year later he resurfaced with If Ye Break Faith,We Shall Not Sleep (retitled Remembrance for American consumption). Between 1998 and 2006 he released Old Friends, Time to Remember, Celtic Tenor, and Love Is a Voyage, as well as a collection of some of his most beloved material called Timeless Memories: Greatest Hits. He reunited with Irish Tenors Finbar Wright and Anthony Kearns during this period, recording a new album with the Tenors (2005's Deus Meus) and embarking on a U.S. tour in 2004. In 2007, McDermott found himself with three new albums and an EP under his belt: O Canada, When I Grow Too Old to Dream, On a Whim: Songs of Ron Sexsmith, and Daughter of Mine. ~ Bio  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-mcdermott/id15982836

Stories Of Love

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Sonny Stitt - Endgame Brilliance: Tune-Up! & Constellation

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:01
Size: 178,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Constellation
(4:47)  2. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You
(3:31)  3. Webb City
(6:39)  4. By Accident
(3:55)  5. Ray's Idea
(5:02)  6. Casbah
(5:13)  7. It's Magic
(5:35)  8. Topsy
(4:55)  9. Tune Up
(5:35) 10. I Can't Get Started
(4:31) 11. Idaho
(4:29) 12. Just Friends
(4:33) 13. Blues For Prez And Bird
(4:26) 14. Groovin' High
(9:42) 15. I Got Rhythm

Although the "endgame" part of this CD's title is not quite accurate (the sets from 1972 were made a decade before Sonny Stitt's passing), the "brilliance" definitely fits. Two of the prolific saxophonist's most exciting sessions ever were his Muse albums, Constellation and Tune-Up. This essential single CD reissues the complete contents of both dates. Strangely enough, Constellation is listed in this set as having been recorded June 27, 1971 (it is actually from 1972), and thus cut earlier, so it takes up the first (rather than the second) half of this CD. On both dates, Stitt (doubling on tenor and alto) is joined by the superb bop pianist Barry Harris and bassist Sam Jones with either Roy Brooks or Alan Dawson on drums. Stitt, who recorded many quartet sets through the years, was very inspired on both of these occasions. His renditions of "Constellation," "Webb City," "Just Friends," and "Groovin' High" in particular are quite memorable. 

The high point is a nine-and-a-half-minute version of "I Got Rhythm" that features the classic saxophonist first taking a long solo on tenor and then following it up with an equally stunning flight on alto. A master of the bebop vocabulary, the competitive Sonny Stitt would have deserved fame if he had only recorded these two sessions and not bothered with the other 150 albums he led. This CD is essential for all bebop collections. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/endgame-brilliance-constellation-tune-up-mw0000020869

Personnel: Sonny Stitt (alto & tenor saxophone); Barry Harris (piano); Sam Jones (bass); Roy Brooks, Alan Dawson (drums).

Endgame Brilliance: Tune-Up! & Constellation

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Carol Saboya, Antonio Adolfo, Hendrik Meurkens - Copa Village

Styles: Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:26
Size: 116,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. The Girl From Ipanema
(4:22)  2. Copa Village
(4:07)  3. Show de Bola
(5:03)  4. O Bôto
(4:09)  5. Como Se Fosse
(4:34)  6. Água de Beber
(5:02)  7. Pois É
(3:26)  8. Pretty World
(4:54)  9. Two Kites
(4:17) 10. Nosso Mundo
(5:33) 11. Visão

Back in 1969, pianist Antonio Adolfo was working with vocalist Elis Regina. While touring through Sweden, Regina and her band had the opportunity to connect with Toots Thielemans, leading to the recording of Elis & Toots (Philips, 1969). Now, more than forty-five years later, Adolfo finds himself in a similar situation, working alongside another sunny Brazilian singer and European harmonica player—vocalist Carol Saboya, who happens to be his daughter, and vibraphonist/harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens. Copa Village finds these three delivering a program of cheery originals and Antonio Carlos Jobim numbers. The album ostensibly draws a parallel between Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana sector and New York's Greenwich Village in the '50s and '60s; the music, however, does not. The cast may include New York-based Brazilians, and Copa Village may have been recorded in The Big Apple, but these sun-dappled songs don't speak to the intense and gritty attitude of that city. This beautiful music flows in the Brazilian breeze, inducing smiles and soothing ears as it flies along.

The album opens with "The Girl From Ipanema/Garota De Ipanema," giving Saboya a chance to work through both the English and Portuguese lyrics connected to this oft-covered song. From there, it's off to the chipper, choro-ish title track, Meurkens' "Show De Bola," and Jobim's lesser-known "O Boto." Each one is different and distinct, yet all are winsome in nature. There are reflective moments to be found further down the line, as everybody slowly glides along on "Pois é" and gently coasts through "Visão," but gaiety and effervescence often win out on this outing. Saboya, Adolfo, and Meurkens prove to be a well-matched set of charmers, delivering seductive and stylish songs in seemingly effortless fashion. ~ Dan Bilawsky  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/copa-village-carol-saboya-aam-music-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Carol Saboya: vocals; Hendrik Meurkens: harmonica, vibraphone; Antonio Adolfo: piano; Claudio Spiewak: acoustic guitars, electric guitars; Itaiguara Brandao: bass; Adriano Santos: drums; Andre Siquera: percussion.

Copa Village

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José James - Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:57
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:48)  1. Good Morning Heartache
(5:55)  2. Body And Soul
(5:09)  3. Fine And Mellow
(5:23)  4. I Thought About You
(5:36)  5. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
(3:22)  6. Tenderly
(6:39)  7. Lover Man
(6:12)  8. God Bless The Child
(4:48)  9. Strange Fruit

José James has a reputation as a 21st century musical renaissance man. He's issued a remarkably consistent series of records that blur the lines between soul, funk, dance music, jazz, and rock. In addition, in 2010, he released For All We Know, a fine collection of jazz standards in duet with Belgian pianist Jef Neve. It is from this place that James releases Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday. In his liner essay he cites Holiday as the artist who made him aspire to be a jazz singer. Accompanied by pianist Jason Moran, drummer Eric Harland, and bassist John Patitucci, James delivers a program of beauty and restraint for the centennial of her birth. James, who has the ability to accomplish startling vocalese and scat techniques, brings none it. He offers these songs with nuance, subtlety, and grace, allowing his considerable discipline to inform his readings. He doesn't imitate Holiday because no one could, though many have tried but instead showcases how she opened herself to the songs themselves, and imbued them not only with sophistication but the cavernous honesty of emotional experience. 

"Good Morning Heartache" is elegantly paced and sparsely articulated. It emerges from the shadows just enough to reveal how deep these blues go and James responds to them with his own inimitable phrasing. In "Body and Soul," passion simmers with longing and disconsolate heartache as Moran layers his chords with gentle fills. They anchor James, keeping him from slipping beneath the weight of the emotional waves. In return, he allows the material to speak through him with slight skillful improvisational touches. In "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," this fine band flexes its muscles. Moran sprints through harmonically inventive runs atop Patitucci's frenetic comping as Harland adds elastic syncopation to bop. James doesn't enter until halfway through and glides through the lyric, creating contrast without limiting the swing. The slow, simmering "Lover Man" builds and dissipates tension several times in coming from the blues' deep well. On "God Bless the Child," the pianist opts for a Fender Rhodes. James uses this change to the song's advantage. He finds the seam in the lyric just as Holiday did and allows it to carry him inside the gorgeous melody, and everything gels.

"Strange Fruit" is a song covered and badly interpreted so many times it's nearly painful to hear any version but Holiday's. Until now. Accompanied only by trancelike handclaps and a chorale of (his own) hummed backing vocals in four-part gospel harmony, James imbues his haunted reading with moral authority and harrowing impact. James' phrasing is chilling. His accusation, like Holiday's before him, comes through the painful bewilderment of delivering the lyric, not overdramatization of it. On Yesterday I Had the Blues, James stays exceptionally close to the spirit of Holiday's work. 

He does so without embalming her music as a museum piece or smothering his own voice, thereby adding a real contribution to her legacy. This is his most intimate, powerful, and masterful date. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/yesterday-i-had-the-blues-the-music-of-billie-holiday-mw0002805344

Personnel: José James, vocals;  Jason Moran, piano, Fender Rhodes, piano; Eric Harland, drums.

Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday

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Ray Brown - The Man: Complete Recordings 1946-1959 (2-Disc Set)

Ray Brown had not reached his 19th birthday when he arrived in New York in 1945 and made an immediate impact as a member of the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. The following year he was part of the memorable Gillespie big band that included James Moody, John Lewis, and Kenny Clarke. More or less simultaneously, Brown and the late Oscar Pettiford became the first significant representatives of the bass in the bebop revolution’s first generation. The second stage of his career as a nationally known artist lasted from 1948 to 1951, when his own trio accompanied Ella Fitzgerald (then Mrs. Brown). The third, of course, began in 1951, when his alliance with Oscar Peterson turned out to be one of the happiest and most durable in modern jazz. This set contains all the recordings he did as a leader, from his early be-bop days in the Forties, to the late Fifties, when every jazz poll considered him the top bass player in the field.

Album: The Man: Complete Recordings 1946-1959 (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:53
Size: 134.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2011

[2:56] 1. For Hecklers Only
[3:03] 2. Smokey Hollow Jump
[3:07] 3. Boppin' The Blues
[2:33] 4. Moody Speaks
[1:54] 5. Slow Down
[2:18] 6. Blue Lou
[3:34] 7. Song Of The Volga Boatmen
[4:51] 8. Little Toe
[3:59] 9. All Of You
[4:27] 10. Everything I Have Is Yours
[4:45] 11. Alone Together
[2:40] 12. After You've Gone
[3:42] 13. Will You Still Be Mine
[4:07] 14. My Foolish Heart
[0:19] 15. Bass Introduction
[4:41] 16. Blues For Sylvia
[2:59] 17. Blues For Lorraine
[0:21] 18. Bass Conclusion
[2:29] 19. Cat Without A Playmate

CD 1 Sources: Tracks #1-4 were originally issued on different Savoy 78 rpm discs: Savoy 976, MG 9012, MG 12110 & SJL 2225; Track #5 is a previously unreleased Clef recording; Tracks #6-7 from the 78 rpm Clef 8936; Tracks #8-11 & #13-19 from the 12" LP "Bass Hit!" (Verve MGV-8022); Track #12 not included on the previous album.

Personnel in CD 1: Tracks #1-4: Ray Brown Octet: Ray Brown (b), Izzie Goldberg (alias Dizzy Gillespie), Dave Burns (tp), John Brown (as), James Moody (ts), Milt Jackson (vib), Hank Jones (p) and Joe Harris (d). Recorded in New York, on September 25, 1946. Tracks #5-7: Ray Brown Trio: Ray Brown (b), Hank Jones (p) and Buddy Rich (d). Recorded in New York, April & July 1950. Tracks #8-12: Ray Brown Big Band: Ray Brown (b), Pete Candoli, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Ray Linn, Conrad Gozzo (tp), Herbie Harper (tb), Herb Geller, Jack Dulong (as), Bill Holman (ts), Jimmy Giuffre (cl, ts & bs), Jimmy Rowles (p), Herb Ellis (g) and Alvin Stoller (d). Marty Paich (arranger & conductor). Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, on November 21, 1956. Tracks #13-18: Same personnel, but Conrad Gozzo (tp) and Mel Lewis (d), replaced Candoli and Stoller. Recorded at Radio Recorders, on November 3, 1956. Track #19: Ray Brown unaccompanied bass solo.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, on November 23, 1956.

The Man: Complete Recordings 1946-1959 (Disc 1)

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Album: The Man: Complete Recordings 1946-1959 (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:40
Size: 152.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[12:06] 1. Body And Soul
[ 2:48] 2. Bass Ball
[ 5:30] 3. Bric-A-Brac
[ 6:37] 4. Upstairs Blues
[ 4:35] 5. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
[ 6:13] 6. The Nearness Of You
[ 8:03] 7. Take The A Train
[ 6:28] 8. Cool Walk
[ 8:58] 9. Jim
[ 5:18] 10. Mighty Cool Penthouse

CD 2 Sources: Track #1 originally issued on the 12" LP "Historic Jazz Concert At Music Inn" (Atlantic 1298); .Track #2 originally issued on the double 12" LP "The Playboy Jazz All Stars" (Playboy PB-1957): Tracks #3-9 from the 12" LP "This Is Ray Brown" (Verve MGV-8290): Track #10 originally issued on the 12" LP "The Playboy Jazz All Stars, Vol.3" (Playboy PB-1959).

Personnel in CD 2: Track #1: Ray Brown (b), Oscar Pettiford (cello), Herbie Mann (fl), Dick Katz (p) and Connie Kay (d). Recorded live at "Music Inn", Lenox, Massachussetts, on August 30, 1956. Track #2: Ray Brown Trio: Ray Brown (b), Herb Ellis (g) and Stan Levey (d). Recorded at Radio Recorders, on July 31, 1957; Tracks #3-9: Ray Brown Quintet: Ray Brown (b), Jerome Richardson (fl), Oscar Peterson (org, p on #5 & 7), Herb Ellis (g) and Osie Johnson (d). Recorded in New York, on February 27 & 28, 1958; Track #10: Ray Brown Trio: Ray Brown (b), Hank Jones (p) and Ed Thigpen (d). Recorded in New York, on July 10, 1959.

The Man: Complete Recordings 1946-1959 (Disc 2)

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Mike LeDonne Trio - Common Ground

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 132.8 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[6:02] 1. Jingles
[6:25] 2. Tonight I Shall Sleep (With A Smile On My Face)
[4:26] 3. Doujie
[5:16] 4. Sir Rah
[5:05] 5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
[6:49] 6. Machado
[7:38] 7. The Rev
[8:23] 8. A Change Of Heart
[7:52] 9. Told You So

On this excellent piano trio date, Mike LeDonne explores four of his swinging originals (including "Sir Rah," named backwards for Barry Harris) plus songs by Wes Montgomery, Duke Ellington ("Tonight I Shall Sleep"), Don Redman, and Milt Jackson ("The Rev"). Pianist LeDonne works well with bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Kenny Washington, and their interplay is one of the main reasons to acquire this fine hard bop outing. Their playing on "The Rev" is particularly soulful. Mike LeDonne, an unsung hero of the New York modern straight-ahead jazz scene, is always worth checking out. ~Scott Yanow

Common Ground

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Monica Borrfors - Second Time Around

Time: 49:56
Size: 114.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1990/2010
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. Happy Again
[4:59] 2. 'round Midnight
[3:43] 3. How Deep Is The Ocean
[5:19] 4. When Sunny Gets Blue
[4:56] 5. Flying Colors-Alone Together
[4:11] 6. Little Man You've Had A Busy Day
[6:55] 7. Old Folks
[3:23] 8. Star Spangled Rhythm/That Old Black Magic
[4:12] 9. Since Love
[5:00] 10. Twisted
[4:49] 11. High Time/Second Time Around

Double Bass – Per Nilsson; Drums – Magnus Öström; Piano – Gösta Nilsson; Tenor Saxophone – Stefan Isaksson; Vocals – Monica Borrfors.

In 1986 Monica Borrfors was chosen to do the Jazz in Sweden recording, and with that much acclaimed CD she received a Swedish Grammy Award. Second Time Around is her second CD with the Quintet, this time reinforced on some of the tracks with brass. Some of the arrangements are made by Bernt Rosengren. This CD was also nominated for The Swedish Grammy Award (Grammis).

Second Time Around

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The Bobby Hackett Quintet - A String Of Pearls

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:32
Size: 88.2 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 1965/2002
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Perfidia
[2:36] 2. Adios
[3:09] 3. Blue Moon
[3:38] 4. Georgia On My Mind
[2:58] 5. Tuxedo Junction
[3:10] 6. Jersey Bounce
[3:39] 7. Poor Butterfly
[3:52] 8. Rhapsody In Blue
[3:05] 9. A String Of Pearls
[3:15] 10. Moonlight Serenade
[2:58] 11. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:22] 12. In The Mood

Bobby Hackett was in Glenn Miller's band for a little over a year in 1941-1942, and he had a memorable solo on "A String of Pearls." This collection, recorded more than 20 years later, recalls Hackett's tenure with Miller, but in a noticeably different style. "And Other Great Songs Made Famous by the Glenn Miller Orchestra" is the subtitle, but the contents do not live up to that claim. "Blue Moon," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Rhapsody in Blue" were famous long before Miller ever organized a band, and "Jersey Bounce," "Poor Butterfly," and "Stompin' at the Savoy" were not hits for him, but for others. That's half the tracks that don't conform to the album's concept. Hackett is accompanied by what the liner notes call "Wall-to-Wall Strings and Brass," a large ensemble, in new arrangements by Miller alumnus George Williams. This is really an attempt to update Miller in a style more reminiscent of Lawrence Welk or Jackie Gleason. As he did with Gleason, Hackett gives the music some jazz credibility, playing distinctively when he gets in front of the microphone. But the result is still closer to easy listening music than swing. ~William Ruhlmann

A String Of Pearls

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Nashville Jazz - Jazz Instrumentals Of Country Classics

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:56
Size: 89.2 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Country-jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Night Life
[2:35] 2. I'm So Lonesome
[2:07] 3. I Fall To Pieces
[2:15] 4. Heartbreak Hotel
[1:53] 5. Making Believe
[2:47] 6. Funny How Time Slips Away
[2:56] 7. Crazy
[2:31] 8. Today I Started Loving You Again
[2:34] 9. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
[2:44] 10. Last Date
[2:47] 11. Make The World Go Away
[2:29] 12. Sweet Dreams
[3:05] 13. I Can't Stop Loving You
[2:20] 14. Please Release Me
[2:49] 15. Welcome To My World

Jazz Instrumentals Of Country Classics

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Denis Solee - Blues In The Night

Styles: Traditional Jazz Combo
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:58
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Harlem Nocturne
(4:31)  2. Blues In The Night
(3:52)  3. Theme From The Pink Panther
(4:33)  4. Body Heat
(3:53)  5. Laura
(4:20)  6. Dreamsville
(4:32)  7. Theme From Perry Mason
(4:07)  8. Melancholy Serenade
(5:56)  9. 'Round Midnight
(3:51) 10. On Green Dolphin Street
(5:02) 11. Theme For Ernie
(4:43) 12. You Don't Know What Love Is

Sultry tenor sax and orchestra performing film noir classics and bluesy standards.

Personnel: Denis Solee (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Jack Jezzro (guitar); Mary Alice Hoepfinger (harp); Connie Ellisor, Karen Winkelmann, Pam Sixfin, Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, David Davidson , David Angell (violin); Elizabeth Lamb, Jim Grosjean, Monisa Angell (viola); John Catchings, Anthony LaMarchina (cello); Erik Gratton (flute); Lee Levine (clarinet); Ellen Menking (oboe); Beth Beeson, Jennifer Kummer (French horn); Lori Mechem, Beegie Adair (piano); Jeff Steinberg (keyboards); Chris Brown (drums); Eric Darken (percussion).

Blues In The Night

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Hot Club Sandwich - Green Room

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:23
Size: 111,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Stompin' at KAOS
(2:43)  2. Sweet Sue
(2:57)  3. Gaucho
(4:10)  4. Yogiri No Shinobiai
(2:50)  5. Renegade Cafe
(4:40)  6. Heavy Artillery
(2:50)  7. Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug
(4:33)  8. I'll Never Be the Same
(4:15)  9. Dedos Duros
(3:23) 10. Gotcha
(3:24) 11. Eight, Nine and Ten
(2:29) 12. Twilight in Turkey
(3:12) 13. Waltz Resistance
(2:59) 14. Green Room

The Seattle jazz string combo conjures the gypsy fire of Django Reinhardt and the mellifluous playing of his confrere, the violinist Stephane Grappelli, in a tribute to the music of the Hot Club De France. 

"Gaucho" is a carefree, European-style instrumental romp, and "Stompin' At KAOS" (presumably a reference to the Olympia radio station, not the GET SMART spoof spy organization) evinces a similar easy swing. http://www.allmusic.com/album/green-room-mw0000489111

Personnel: Kevin Connor (vocals, guitar); Rich Sikorski (vocals); Greg Ruby (guitar); Matt Sircely (mandolin); Chris Blacker (accordion)

Green Room

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Joey DeFrancesco - Estate

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:22
Size: 156,9 MB
Art: Front

(13:36)  1. Estate
( 8:59)  2. On a Clear Day
(11:04)  3. Fly Me to the Moon
( 9:43)  4. Voyage
( 6:32)  5. The Nearness Of You
(10:49)  6. Mauro's Blues
( 7:35)  7. I Could Write a Book

At seventeen jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco toured with Miles Davis (who showed DeFrancesco how to play trumpet). Since then this child prodigy and five year consecutive Downbeat Critics and Readers poll winner has changed the landscape of Jazz organ forever. He was the force behind the Hammond B-3 resurgence in the 80’s while embracing and recording with organ legends Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, and Jack McDuff. Grammy Nominated DeFrancesco is one of the finest and complex improvisers today and probably the youngest jazz great. His speed, timing, musicality, and feel, gives him the flexibility to play any style and move smoothly from a slow ballad to a burning swing. His influences are all the greats before him. On this album you’ll hear the influences of Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra and John Coltrane. Joey has it all, this album is a great representation of what he can do-he sings, he plays trumpet, flugel horn, and organ.

Sharing the spotlight is Italian pianist, Massimo Faraò. He tours internationally and has played with such greats as Benny Golson, Archie Shepp, Jimmy Cobb, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Buster Williams, and Sheila Jordan. One Estate, Faraò delicately interplays with DeFrancesco to create complimentary lines, and beautiful spacing not to get in the others’ way. There is some fantastic counterpoint on the tune, “Fly me to the moon”. Organ and piano records are not so typical because not everyone can play with another chordal instrument-but these two have more the proven it can be tastefully executed with keyboards in an artful way.

The heartbeat is drummer, Byron “Wookie” Landham. Landham spends most of his time on the road and has been playing with DeFrancesco for twenty years. The two share the groove making the simultaneous musical hits and breaks sound as thought it’s coming from the same person. He plays with such sensitivity and intensity that he has been revered by other instrumentalist and singers, including Betty Carter, with whom he toured. Landham, long overlooked by the media, is a long time endorsee for Bosphorus Cymbols, Taye Drums, and Regal Tip (look for the “Byron “Wookie” Landham” signature stick). He has played all over the world at every major jazz festival. Out of his love for Philly, when he is home, if you’re lucky you’ll catch him running a jam session at Ortleibs Jazzhouse.

And lastly, Italian bassist, Aldo Zunino plays with groove, poise and intent. He started playing very young and as a teen played with Shirley Scott. He has toured with many groups, and has recorded with the likes Bobby Durham, Tony Scott, and Jimmy Cobb. He has performed in Europe with Art Farmer, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Lew Tabackim, Gary Bartz, Tommy Flanagan, George Cables, and Kenny Burrell. Estate is a great representation of all four of these amazing players and would be enjoyed by the jazz novice to the jazz enthusiast. Enjoy… http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/zuccarecords

Personnel: Joey DeFrancesco (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, organ); Massimo Faraò (piano); Aldo Zunino (bass instrument); Byron Landham (drums).

Estate

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