Grant Green - Standards

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:45
Size: 129.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Jazz-Soul, Guitar jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[4:55] 1. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
[6:31] 2. Love Walked In
[7:06] 3. If I Had You
[9:05] 4. I'll Remember April
[8:11] 5. You And The Night And The Music
[8:12] 6. All The Things You Are
[5:32] 7. I Remember You
[7:09] 8. If I Had You (Alt Take)

In 1998, Blue Note released several CDs of previously unavailable (at least domestically) material from its prime years under the title of Standards. Some are not up to the level of the label's best output, but this outing is a definite exception. Guitarist Grant Green is heard in prime form in a sparse trio with bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Al Harewood. Six of the eight performances were previously available in Japan as an LP but never before in the U.S. Because Green rarely ever played chords, sticking to single-note lines, hearing him in this setting is similar to hearing a tenor in a pianoless trio. Highlights include "Love Walked In," "I'll Remember April," "All the Things You Are," and two versions of "If I Had You." Recommended. ~Scott Yanow

Standards

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Gloria Reuben - Just For You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:14
Size: 85,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. Who
(4:31)  2. This Dream Is Real
(3:41)  3. Walk Away
(5:23)  4. Difficult Kind
(3:52)  5. Heart Strings
(3:52)  6. I Can't Make You Love Me
(3:55)  7. Sweet Thing
(3:57)  8. Angel Eyes
(3:54)  9. Just for You

Gloria Reuben is an actress, singer and social activist who has amassed impressive credentials in television, film, theater and music. Many will remember Gloria as the HIV+ health care professional “Jeanie Boulet”on the hit NBC series ER, a role that garnered her two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination.   Since then, she has had multiple regular starring roles in a variety of other television series, including RAISING THE BAR and FALLING SKIES. Most recently Gloria starred in the Lifetime movie HAPPY FACE KILLER opposite David Arquette, portrayed “Elizabeth Keckley”alongside Daniel Day-Lewis & Sally Field in the Steven Spielberg film LINCOLN, appeared alongside Paul Rudd and Tina Fey in Paul Weitz’s ADMISSION, and starred opposite Samuel L. 

Jackson in REASONABLE DOUBT. Gloria’s portrayal of Condoleezza Rice in David Hare’s play STUFF HAPPENS at the Public Theater garnered her a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress. Her music career includes being a backup singer for Tina Turner in 2000, which led her to record her solo record Just For You. She is currently performing with her jazz quartet and is scheduled to record a new album in the fall of 2014.  Gloria is also an activist, committing her time to the global climate change crisis through her participation with The Climate Reality Project, and to human rights issues with the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. ~ Bio  http://officialgloriareuben.com/about/

Just For You

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BB King, Pat Metheny, Dave Brubeck - Move to the Groove

Styles: Jazz/Blues
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:05
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(0:48)  1. Introduction
(7:19)  2. Move to the groove
(7:28)  3. Lover man
(7:07)  4. Blue rondo a la turk
(6:24)  5. Ol' Bill Basie
(4:59)  6. The thrill is gone
(5:47)  7. Guess who
(6:09)  8. Payin' the cost to be the boss

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. His bent notes and staccato picking style have influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric provides a worthy match for his passionate playing. Between 1951 and 1985, King notched an impressive 74 entries on Billboard's R&B charts, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone" crossed over to mainstream success (engendering memorable appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand). Since that time, he has partnered with such musicians as Eric Clapton and U2 while managing his own acclaimed solo career, all the while maintaining his immediately recognizable style on the electric guitar. The seeds of Riley B. King's enduring talent were sown deep in the blues-rich Mississippi Delta, where he was born in 1925 near the town of Itta Bena. He was shuttled between his mother's home and his grandmother's residence as a child, his father having left the family when King was very young. The youth put in long days working as a sharecropper and devoutly sang the Lord's praises at church before moving to Indianola another town located in the heart of the Delta in 1943.

Country and gospel music left an indelible impression on King's musical mindset as he matured, along with the styles of blues greats (T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson) and jazz geniuses (Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt). In 1946, he set off for Memphis to look up his cousin, a rough-edged country blues guitarist named Bukka White. For ten invaluable months, White taught his eager young relative the finer points of playing blues guitar. After returning briefly to Indianola and the sharecropper's eternal struggle with his wife Martha, King returned to Memphis in late 1948. This time, he stuck around for a while. King was soon broadcasting his music live via Memphis radio station WDIA, a frequency that had only recently switched to a pioneering all-black format. Local club owners preferred that their attractions also held down radio gigs so they could plug their nightly appearances on the air. When WDIA DJ Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert exited his air shift, King took over his record-spinning duties. At first tagged "The Peptikon Boy" (an alcohol-loaded elixir that rivaled Hadacol) when WDIA put him on the air, King's on-air handle became "The Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to Blues Boy and then a far snappier B.B.

King had a four-star breakthrough year in 1949. He cut his first four tracks for Jim Bulleit's Bullet Records (including a number entitled "Miss Martha King" after his wife), then signed a contract with the Bihari Brothers' Los Angeles-based RPM Records. King cut a plethora of sides in Memphis over the next couple of years for RPM, many of them produced by a relative newcomer named Sam Phillips (whose Sun Records was still a distant dream at that point in time). Phillips was independently producing sides for both the Biharis and Chess; his stable also included Howlin' Wolf, Rosco Gordon, and fellow WDIA personality Rufus Thomas. the Biharis also recorded some of King's early output themselves, erecting portable recording equipment wherever they could locate a suitable facility. King's first national R&B chart-topper in 1951, "Three O'Clock Blues" (previously waxed by Lowell Fulson), was cut at a Memphis YMCA. King's Memphis running partners included vocalist Bobby Bland, drummer Earl Forest, and ballad-singing pianist Johnny Ace. When King hit the road to promote "Three O'Clock Blues," he handed the group, known as the Beale Streeters, over to Ace. It was during this era that King first named his beloved guitar "Lucille." Seems that while he was playing a joint in a little Arkansas town called Twist, fisticuffs broke out between two jealous suitors over a lady. The brawlers knocked over a kerosene-filled garbage pail that was heating the place, setting the room ablaze. In the frantic scramble to escape the flames, King left his guitar inside. He foolishly ran back in to retrieve it, dodging the flames and almost losing his life. When the smoke had cleared, King learned that the lady who had inspired such violent passion was named Lucille. Plenty of Lucilles have passed through his hands since; Gibson has even marketed a B.B.-approved guitar model under the name.

The 1950s saw King establish himself as a perennially formidable hitmaking force in the R&B field. Recording mostly in L.A. (the WDIA air shift became impossible to maintain by 1953 due to King's endless touring) for RPM and its successor Kent, King scored 20 chart items during that musically tumultuous decade, including such memorable efforts as "You Know I Love You" (1952); "Woke Up This Morning" and "Please Love Me" (1953); "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta' Love," and "You Upset Me Baby" (1954); "Every Day I Have the Blues" (another Fulson remake), the dreamy blues ballad "Sneakin' Around," and "Ten Long Years" (1955); "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little Angel," and a Platters-like "On My Word of Honor" (1956); and "Please Accept My Love" (first cut by Jimmy Wilson) in 1958. King's guitar attack grew more aggressive and pointed as the decade progressed, influencing a legion of up-and-coming axemen across the nation. In 1960, King's impassioned two-sided revival of Joe Turner's "Sweet Sixteen" became another mammoth seller, and his "Got a Right to Love My Baby" and "Partin' Time" weren't far behind. But Kent couldn't hang onto a star like King forever (and he may have been tired of watching his new LPs consigned directly into the 99-cent bins on the Biharis' cheapo Crown logo). King moved over to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, following the lead of Lloyd Price, Ray Charles, and before long, Fats Domino. More Bio ~ Bill Dahl  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bb-king-mn0000059156/biography

R.I.P.  

Born: September 16, 1925 (age 89), Berclair, Mississippi, United States

Died: May 14, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Move to the Groove

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Martial Solal - Just Friends

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:34)  1. Just Friends
(6:40)  2. Coming Yesterday
(3:51)  3. Willow Weep For Me
(5:34)  4. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(2:39)  5. Hommage a Frederic Chopin
(7:20)  6. Sapristi
(5:35)  7. Summertime
(4:33)  8. Sacrebleu
(7:22)  9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

The liner notes quote pianist Solal as saying, "With Paul and Gary I feel as if I am at the wheel of a high-powered racing car that's running perfectly." Paul and Gary are the drummer Paul Motian and the bassist Gary Peacock. It would be difficult to improve on the pianist's description of the sensation of rhythmic inevitability the three generate. In some of these pieces the swing of linear motion is not the sole issue; Peacock's virtuoso solos on "Willow Weep For Me" and "Summertime" and Motian's exquisite cymbal fills behind Solal's out-of-tempo on "Hommage a Frederic Chopin" speak of other attributes. When the three are swinging, though, it is a visceral thrill. In many of their recordings, Peacock and Motian traffic in complexity, density and rubato avant garde adventurism. 

They do some of that with the astonishing Solal, notably on his composition "Sapristi." The three do an equal amount of straight-ahead cooking. All of it has Solal's remarkable facility and harmonic imagination, including a delicious retrofitting of "Summertime" with new chords. The elements of his solos come from sources as varied as Ravel, Monk, Evans and, of course, Chopin. He never merely stirs them into an improvisational stew. Solal's celebrated sense of form selects and marshals them, so to speak, into admirable coherence. ~ Doug Ramsey  http://jazztimes.com/articles/8751-just-friends-martial-solal

Personnel: Martial Solal (piano); Gary Peacock (bass); Paul Motian (drums).

Just Friends

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Sheena Davis Group - Young At Heart

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:06
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Young at Heart
(3:30)  2. It Must Be Love
(4:57)  3. Seasonal Memories
(3:07)  4. Got A Feeling
(3:30)  5. I Cried for You
(5:51)  6. Sentimental Journey
(3:54)  7. Sway
(5:16)  8. Only You
(4:07)  9. Up On The Roof
(1:58) 10. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
(4:02) 11. But Hey! That's Love
(5:18) 12. When You Wish Upon a Star

In his liner notes for the second album by the Sheena Davis Group, Richard Niles of BBC Radio 2 praises songstress Davis’s “perfect intonation, groove-laden emotive phrasing, charming vibrato and tone as clear as a cloudless sky.” Having given the group’s earlier album a generally lukewarm review, I’d say this one is roughly its equivalent. While Davis does have some sharp tools to work with, she remains a work in progress, sounding bright and confident on some numbers (“I Cried for You,” “Only You,” “When I Grow Too Old to Dream”) but less inspired on others, including the title selection, whose reading left me unmoved, as did the ballads “Sentimental Journey“ and “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The “perfect intonation” is in evidence much of the time but articulation can and does present a problem, especially at faster tempos (“Got a Feeling,” “Sway,“ “It Must Be Love”).

Davis and bassist Robert Rickenberg co-wrote “Seasonal Memories,” "Got a Feeling” and “But Hey! That’s Love,” and they’re pleasant enough tunes but no more than that. Rickenberg and drummer Pete Cater, both back from the earlier album, and Steve Holness, replacing fellow NYJO alumnus Tom Cawley at the piano, comprise a sturdy and empathetic back-up crew. Another returnee, guitarist Jim Mullen, blends in nicely on “It Must Be Love,” "Sentimental Journey” and “But Hey! That’s Love,” while another talented guest, trumpeter Guy Barker, is heard on “Seasonal Memories,” “I Cried for You” and “Only You.”  Returning to the liner notes, I’ve long wondered about their purpose. Is it promotional or informational? Niles begins his by asking, “Will anyone buy this record? More specifically, will you buy this record?” Well, if one is reading the liner notes he or she must have already done so, or else received a comp copy, as we reviewers do. So what’s the point of asking? Just thought I’d ask. As to whether the record is worth investigating, my answer would be a qualified yes, as the pluses do outweigh the minuses and it is by and large an enjoyable session, as was the group’s earlier album, Smile. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/young-at-heart-sheena-davis-jazzizit-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Sheena Davis, vocals; Steve Holness, piano; Robert Rickenberg, bass; Pete Cater, drums.

Young At Heart

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Mark Elf - New York Cats

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:49
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Brownie Speaks
(6:41)  2. Blues In The Night
(2:34)  3. From This Moment On
(4:41)  4. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(4:59)  5. No More Blues
(6:50)  6. The Conflict
(6:52)  7. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:35)  8. Heartfelt
(7:45)  9. Walker's Walk
(5:07) 10. Pemble's Tremble
(2:51) 11. Lady Be Good
(5:46) 12. Blues For Jenny

Lovers of mainstream jazz guitar will go crazy for this one! Elf has a sturdy, straight-ahead tone that recalls jazz guitar masters Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. The tunes are a lively mix of jazz standards/classics and originals. There's a sense of unhurried forward-motion to this set; it's relaxed without being "sleepy." 

The nimble bass and swinging drums compliment Elf's playing to perfection. Elf is a player who can dazzle with a barrage of long phrases, then tease you with one or two well-placed notes. No new ground broken here--just fine, end-of-the-day relaxation-jazz with considerable substance. 

http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-cats-mw0000047718

Personnel: Mark Elf (guitar, chimes, sound effects); Jay Leonhart (bass); Dennis Mackrel (drums, shaker); Kevin Burrell (percussion).

New York Cats

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Micah Barnes - New York Stories

Size: 101,2 MB
Time: 37:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. New York Story (4:26)
02. After The Romance (The Rent) (2:52)
03. Starting Tomorrow (4:15)
04. Harlem Moon (4:11)
05. I'm Going Back To My Used To Be (2:59)
06. La Rouge Ou Le Noir (The Roulette Wheel) (3:56)
07. Don't Take My Baby (New York, New York) (4:39)
08. Some Other Man (3:29)
09. I Came Back (4:09)
10. I've Been Awake Too Long (2:52)

Having cut his teeth in the cabarets and jazz clubs of Toronto while still a teenager Micah became a well loved singer songwriter on the Queen Street scene before joining The Nylons and touring the world. Recording with the A Capella Pop act brought Micah into the global music scene and landed him in Venice Beach, California where he launched a solo career touring the U.S.which led to his #1 international club hit "Welcome To My Head" and coverage in Rolling Stone Magazine as "an Indie artist to watch".

Returning to the jazz oriented songwriting of his earlier years has resulted in a series of critically acclaimed solo recordings including his most recent "Domesticated", which saw Micah returning to tour across Canada solo and with his trio. Micah's new collection "New York Stories" pays homage to the rich musical history of the Big Apple with songs that describe a long distance romance using the rhythms of the Cotton Club, the Brill Building, The Apollo Theatre and classic Broadway. The recordings are stripped down in classic jazz style with Micah at the piano performing live off the floor with his trio featuring Daniel Barnes on drums and Russ Boswell on bass. On this recording The Micah Barnes Trio is joined by special guest Michael Shand on keys and features a duet with the legendary Jackie Richardson. The results are an assured collection of deeply personal and sophisticated songs that remind us that the deepest of musical traditions are always contemporary.
The first single "New York Story" shot to the top of the Jazz charts in both Canada and the USA and resulted in Micah being named the Toronto Indie Awards best Jazz Act of 2014.

New York Stories

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The Buddy Tate Celebrity Club Orchestra - Unbroken

Size: 100,9 MB
Time: 40:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1970/2015
Styles: Jazz: Big Band
Art: Front

01. Undecided (4:11)
02. Moten Swing (7:01)
03. Candy (5:13)
04. Ben's Broken Saxophone (3:56)
05. Airmail Special (4:15)
06. Body And Soul (4:36)
07. Tuxedo Junction (4:59)
08. One For Johnny (6:34)

Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ben Richardson (4)
Bass – Eddie Jones
Clarinet – Ben Richardson (4)
Design – Heinz Bär
Drums – George Reed
Piano – Nat Pierce
Tenor Saxophone – Buddy Tate
Trombone – Eli Robinson
Trumpet – Wilbur Dud Bascomb

Starting in 1952 and continuing into the early 1970s, tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate worked regularly at the Celebrity Club in Harlem with his septet/octet, which he logically called the Celebrity Club Orchestra. Tate and his group made relatively few recordings, which makes this set (cut for MPS and last available domestically as a Pausa LP) quite valuable. In addition to Tate, the group features trumpeter Dud Bascomb (who was with Erskine Hawkins' Orchestra during the swing era), pianist Nat Pierce, bassist Eddie Jones, and such lesser-known players as trombonist Eli Robinson, Ben Richardson (on clarinet, alto and baritone) and drummer George Reed. The unit performs six veteran swing standards (including "Undecided," "Airmail Special" and "Tuxedo Junction") and a couple of basic originals. The enjoyable music swings hard.

Unbroken

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Jessica Young - Live In New York + Live In London

Size: 143,8 MB
Time: 29:39+31:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

Live In New York:
01. Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered (Live) [feat. George Coleman & Russell Malone] (5:24)
02. Feel Like Making Love (feat. George Coleman) (3:56)
03. Beautiful Love (Live) (3:12)
04. Peel Me a Grape (3:09)
05. Besame Mucho (Live) (Feat. Harold Mabern) (4:31)
06. Blame It on My Youth (Live) (feat. George Coleman) (5:00)
07. Hallelujah, I Love Him so (feat. George Coleman & Russell Malone) (4:23)

Live In London:
01. American Boy (Feat. Nigel Price) (3:36)
02. The Gentle Rain (Live) (6:08)
03. Crazy (Live) (Feat. James Pearson) (6:26)
04. Angel Eyes (Live) (Feat. Nigel Price) (4:42)
05. Toxic (Feat. Nigel Price) (4:22)
06. That's All (Live) (Feat. James Pearson) (6:42)

Jess is a powerful and talented singer from Melbourne, Australia who has recorded and is currently working with Ronnie Scott’s Artistic Director, James Pearson. She worked previously in New York on tracks that will appear on the record with jazz legends George Coleman, Russell Malone, and Harold Mabern.

Truly unique and versatile, Jess draws on her diverse background of opera, jazz, neo-soul and blues to offer a fresh contemporary style that has played well to audiences and garnered strong critical response.

Jess’s multi-octave voice and wide range of vocal influences has contributed to a sound that is both familiar and remarkably fresh. A little bit Sade, a lot Billie Holiday, a dash of Janis Joplin – these are all comparisons which have been made in recent months. The end result is a wonderful and dynamic sound that is uniquely “JESS”. .

Live In New York + Live In London

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Ray Charles - All That Jazz Vol. 30 & Vol. 31

Album: All That Jazz Vol. 30: Young Genius Singing The Blues Vol. 1 (Remastered)
Size: 117,0 MB
Time: 49:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Blues
Art: Front

01. Rocking Chair Blues (2:43)
02. Alone In The City (2:52)
03. Can Anyone Ask For More (2:46)
04. C.C. Rider (See, See Rider) (2:31)
05. Walkin' And Talkin' (3:06)
06. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (2:15)
07. Honey, Honey (2:39)
08. I'm Glad For Your Sake (2:37)
09. Baby Won't You Please Come Home (2:51)
10. Let's Have A Ball (2:28)
11. Kissa Me, Baby (3:07)
12. Sitting On Top Of The World (2:14)
13. Hey Now (2:15)
14. This Love Of Mine (2:59)
15. Blues Is My Middle Name (Some Day) (3:05)
16. I'm Going Down To The River And Drown Myself (3:00)
17. Midnight Hour (2:58)
18. If I Give You My Love (2:33)

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and composer, who is sometimes referred to as "The Genius".

He pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s by combining rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic Records. He also contributed to the racial integration of country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.

Charles was blind from the age of seven. Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, and country artists of the day, including Art Tatum, Louis Jordan, Charles Brown and Louis Armstrong. Charles' playing reflected influences from country blues, barrelhouse and stride piano styles. He had strong ties to Quincy Jones, who often cared for him and showed him the ropes of the "music club industry."

Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in show business", although Charles downplayed this notion.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Charles at number ten on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and number two on their November 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Billy Joel observed: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley".

All That Jazz Vol. 30

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Album: All That Jazz Vol. 31: Young Genius Playing The Blues Vol. 2 (Remastered)
Size: 170,5 MB
Time: 72:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Blues
Art: Front

01. The Genius After Hours (5:22)
02. Hornful Soul (5:25)
03. Ain't Misbehavin' (5:38)
04. The Man I Love (4:25)
05. Dawn Ray (5:00)
06. Charlesville (4:53)
07. Music! Music! Music! (2:52)
08. Joy Ride (4:36)
09. Rockhouse (4:00)
10. Hard Times (4:43)
11. Sweet Sixteen Bars (4:07)
12. Doodlin' (5:54)
13. How Long, How Long Blues (9:23)
14. Blues Waltz (6:29)

All That Jazz Vol. 31

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Reuben Bradley - Cthulhu Rising

Size: 122,6 MB
Time: 52:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Prologue (1:08)
02. Clay Horror (7:34)
03. Inspector Le Grasse (7:11)
04. Johansen's Voyage (5:17)
05. The Price We Pay (5:26)
06. In His House At R'lyeh (2:42)
07. The Esoteric Order Of The Dragon (5:01)
08. Cthulhu Fhtagn (2:34)
09. Erich Zahn (5:07)
10. Shadow Out Of Time (7:44)
11. Epilogue (2:48)

Native to Wellington, Reuben Bradley has travelled the world extensively. Drumming with international jazz performers has developed his creativity and passion for new music, whilst international cruise ship work has empowered him with the versatility of a first rate session musician.

Reuben has performed with artists such as: Mike Nock (Aus), Bernie McGann (Aus), James Muller (Aus), Matt Penman (US), Kristin Berardi (Aus), Brenda Earle (Canada), James Morrison (Aus), Roger Manins, Steve Barry, Charmaine Ford, Jonathan Crayford and Dixon Nacey. His session work have in turn led to work with: Julia Deans, Don McGlashan, Mickey Dolenz (the Monkees) The Coasters, The Drifters, NZSO, CSO & Wellington Vector Orchestra.

Formal education at Massey University (NZSM) culminated in his B.Mus (Jazz Performance 1999) led in turn to further individual study with rhythmic masters Scott Tinkler (Aus) and Master Jazz Drummer Barry Altschul in NYC. Although being awarded the greatly coveted position on the City College Masters course (NYC), Reuben decided in turn to focus on developing his performance abilities and compositional creativity.

Reuben has performed & headlined in every major Jazz Festival in New Zealand including; The Wellington International Jazz Festival, The Queenstown Jazz & Blues Festival, The Nelson Jazz & Blues Festival, Tauranga Jazz Festival, The Waiheke Island Jazz Festival. Reuben has also performed at major Australian festivals such as Wangaratta & the Melbourne women in Jazz Festival.

Cthulhu Rising

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Trish Hatley - I Remember: 2nd Set

Size: 134,5 MB
Time: 57:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing!) (3:00)
02. Loverman (5:02)
03. Shadow Waltz (3:23)
04. I Don't Want To Hurt You (3:43)
05. Four Brothers (2:50)
06. Robbin's Nest (4:14)
07. I'm Glad There Is You (4:08)
08. A Sleeping Bee (3:41)
09. Why Don't You Do Right (3:22)
10. Midnight Sun (4:32)
11. S'wonderful (3:06)
12. An Occasional Man (3:22)
13. Smile (4:18)
14. Beyond The Sea (4:20)
15. Thou Swell (3:37)
16. That's All (0:49)

Five years ago, West Coast vocalist Trish Hatley pleased her many jazz fans with an album full of classics from the past in I Remember. Familiar to Baby Boomers, Hatley faithfully covered beloved standards such as “Fascinatin’ Rhythm,” “Cry Me A River,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Tangerine,” and of course, “Stardust.” Warm and comforting like a quilt on a winter’s night, surrounded by family, the 12-track medley of old favorites brought back fond memories to many of the listeners who first heard the songs on record players, the radio, and live in a big band, with jazz legends leading the charge.

She’s back on the second set with most of the musicians from the first, fulfilling the dream of executive producers Frank and Joy Wili, some of her biggest fans. They imagined Hatley bringing even more jazz classics — from the 1940s-‘60s — back to life. They called Hatley “the 21st century version of the great jazz singers of yesteryear” and entrusted her again with “the truly American art form.”

Released this year, I Remember – 2nd Set brings Hatley back with many familiar musicians: pianist/associate producer/co-arranger Darin Clendenin, bassist/co-arranger Larry Holloway, saxophonist/co-arranger John Anderson, drummer Ken French, percussionist Jeff Busch, guitarist Dave Peterson, flugelhornist Paul Mazzio, and trombonist Dan Marcus. With Hatley at the helm as producer, she and her fellow musicians proceeded to do due diligence to a second set of jazz classics, popular songs of their era: “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” “Lover Man,” “’S Wonderful,” “An Occasional Man,” “Smile,” and “Beyond The Sea.” And these only cover less than half of the second collection.

The vibe for the entire second set is easygoing swing, nothing too out there, no egomaniacal solo swaps — just pure lyricism, serving the silhouettes and the romanticism of a lovely, popular song.

The musicians two-step a light samba in “Shadow Waltz,” with well-intonated brassy tones and a percolating percussion fix. Then they borrow a mini-big band splendor in an Ella Fitzgerald-inspired “Robbins Nest,” with a horn section kept in time by pianist Clendenin and a lively whistling skip and a jump from Hatley. Ballads fall in line behind “Midnight Sun,” a showcase of Clendenin’s quietly moving touch. He arranged this and most of the other classics, allowing Hatley enough room to elaborate almost just below the mystery line. Hatley has a knack for letting certain pivotal points of a song hang in the air and linger. This is most true for the languid rhythm in “Midnight Sun” and “Lover Man,” her vocals taking on the role that perhaps a saxophonist might, or answering the horn’s beck and call.

The finishes of these numbers curl every edge, as yellowed postcards and photographs of a bygone time, slipping out of a forgotten attic-tucked scrapbook. From the fun, Pink Panther slink of “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” to the sentimental, tear-inducing vocal embrace of a surprisingly sturdy “Smile,” Trish Hatley shows that less is more, so much more.

I Remember: 2nd Set

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Paul Desmond - Cool Imagination

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:27
Size: 161.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Imagination
[6:18] 2. A Ship Without A Sail
[3:38] 3. Desmond Blue
[5:41] 4. Glad To Be Unhappy
[5:44] 5. That Old Feeling
[6:41] 6. Out Of Nowhere
[5:36] 7. Samba Cantina
[5:38] 8. Here's That Rainy Day
[6:48] 9. Alone Together
[6:21] 10. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[5:42] 11. Autumn Leaves
[3:49] 12. My Funny Valentine
[4:24] 13. Samba De Orfeu

Anyone remotely familiar with “Take Five” will recognize Paul Desmond’s dry, feathery alto instantly. However, Desmond often lived in Brubeck’s shadow, and many may not know that Desmond also recorded several fine albums as a leader as well. Brubeck and Desmond had an unwritten contract that the altoist would not play with any other pianist, and Desmond was lucky enough to enlist guitarist Jim Hall as a sideman. Hall has a light, nuanced style more suited to Desmond’s approach than Rollins’ on the previous album, and the two crafted five albums of excellent understated cool jazz.

Cool Imagination is probably all the Desmond that anyone will really need, although the devoted will want to seek out the excellent RCA set that collects all of Desmond’s recordings with Hall. If there’s a fault to this compilation, it’s that the selection leans too heavily on the ballads and the whole thing comes off as a bit maudlin and sentimental; only “Alone Together” documents Desmond’s ability to swing at a faster tempo. Also, the selections from the over-represented Desmond Blue, saturated by orchestration from Bob Prince, sound like the soundtrack to Disney movies and may not be to everyone’s taste. Also included are two fine tracks featuring Gerry Mulligan, off of Two Of A Mind, a disc not included in the RCA box.

Despite its faults, Cool Imagination demonstrates how Hall’s shimmering chords and Desmond’s cool alto were a great match. Fans of Brubeck will definitely enjoy this collection, as will anyone who enjoys the cool school of jazz improvisation. ~David Rickert

Cool Imagination

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Knaus Trio - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:23
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[8:10] 1. Misty
[4:47] 2. Miles
[5:10] 3. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
[4:59] 4. Blue Bop
[7:56] 5. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[2:38] 6. Work Song
[2:58] 7. My One And Only Love
[4:11] 8. Alfredo Blues
[3:29] 9. When You Wish Upon A Star

Torbjørn Knaus - piano , Eilert Kolberg - bass, Stein Erik Evenstad - drums

Polka Dots And Moonbeams

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Cynthia & The Swing Set - Whoopsie Doo!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:20
Size: 103.8 MB
Styles: Retro swing
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Boogie Woogie Woman
[3:02] 2. Whoopsie Doo! (Vocal Version)
[2:56] 3. What'd I Do
[3:41] 4. How Come You Do Me Like You Do
[4:13] 5. Baby's Blue
[4:04] 6. Geraldine
[3:35] 7. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[2:57] 8. Whoopsie Doo! (Instrumental Version)
[3:37] 9. Adios
[2:52] 10. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[4:22] 11. I Don't Care If You Don't Care For Me
[2:44] 12. Them There Eyes
[3:58] 13. Doncha Cross Mama (Or Mama Will Cross You Off)

If you are sick of Retro Swing acts that are more rock than retro, check out Cynthia and the Swing Set. Their raucous mix of Jump Blues and Swing shows you where rock 'n' roll came from without diving into any modern production devices or big beats. Well played and sung, this will appeal to a broad audience -- finally something to unite grandparents and their grandchildren while the parents are left clutching their Rolling Stones records.

Whoopsie Doo!

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Fats Waller - The Chronological Fats Waller 1940-1941

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:56
Size: 160.1 MB
Styles: Stride, Early jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. Original E-Flat Blues
[3:30] 2. Stayin' At Home
[2:47] 3. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister
[2:54] 4. Everybody Loves My Baby
[3:14] 5. I'm Gonna Salt Away Some Sugar
[2:57] 6. T'aint Nobody's Bizness If I Do
[3:22] 7. Abercrombie Had A Zombie
[2:39] 8. Blue Eyes
[2:39] 9. Scram!
[2:27] 10. My Melancholy Baby
[2:39] 11. Mamacita
[3:01] 12. Liver Lip Jones
[3:27] 13. Buckin' The Dice
[3:01] 14. Pantin' In The Panther Room
[3:09] 15. Come Down To Earth, My Angel
[2:40] 16. Shortnin' Bread
[3:24] 17. I Repent
[3:15] 18. Do You Have To Go
[2:59] 19. Pan-Pan
[3:16] 20. I Wanna Hear Swing Songs
[3:25] 21. You're Gonna Be Sorry
[2:43] 22. All That Meat And No Potatoes
[2:57] 23. Let's Get Away From It All

Just a few days short of his 37th birthday, Thomas "Fats" Waller recorded five outstanding piano solos. These would turn out to be the last unaccompanied studio piano records of his career, with the exception of those somewhat alcohol-driven V-Disc platters from September of 1943. The 1941 Victor solos are studies in immaculate ease. The artist's choices are fascinating: two pleasantly reflective Hoagy Carmichael reveries, James P. Johnson's throw-down showpiece the "Carolina Shout," a delicate rendering of Duke Ellington's "Ring Dem Bells" and the ultimate interpretation of Waller's own "Honeysuckle Rose." The original 78rpm label bore the distinctive subtitle: "à la Bach-Beethoven-Brahms-Waller." Classics (1068) would be worth having just for the piano solos, even if it didn't convey all the excitement of Waller's small and large band recordings from this very transitional year. "Twenty Four Robbers" is particularly funny, and "Sad Sap Sucker" is an example of the kind of song Waller wrote in collaboration with his manager Ed Kirkeby. They also came up with several saucy numbers that Fats would record with his big band in Los Angeles during the summer of '41. The "Rump Steak Serenade" is an over-the-top paean to red meat, resounding with Waller's refrain: "let me stick my fork in the gravy!" The boisterous "Come and Get It" has more than vaguely sexual overtones, but "Ain't Nothing to It," which posed the question "Gettin' much lately?" was considered too near the bone and remained unissued until many years after Waller's demise. "Chant of the Groove" has a shouted scat intro by the pianist. Interestingly, his first two syllables come out as "be bop," but this is straightforward big band swing. The small group session of October 1, 1941 is most notable for Al Casey's guitar work on "Buck Jumpin'," Gene Sedric and John "Bugs" Hamilton's lively interplay in front of Waller's bubbly Hammond organ on "Clarinet Marmalade" and a lovely understated opus inspired by "The Bells of San Raquel." While "That Gets It, Mr. Joe" is rowdier, and the more-than-somewhat misogynistic "Bessie, Bessie, Bessie" is much saltier, "San Raquel" allows Waller to reveal the quieter side of his personality. For this reason the song never makes it on to any Waller "Best Of" collections. Be grateful that we have the Classics chronological series, for this is the only way to truly get to know someone who was so complex. "Winter Weather" is another heartwarming example of that marvelous creature, the relaxed Fats Waller. "Cash for Your Trash," an entire song devoted to the subject of metal recycling, was his first contribution to the war effort. By December 1943 he had literally worked himself to death by entertaining troops at all hours and selling U.S. bonds on the air. These 1941 sides could be considered the first of what would be his last studio recordings. ~arwulf arwulf

The Chronological Fats Waller 1940-1941

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Diane Hoffman - Someone In Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:16
Size: 106,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. If I Should Lose You
(5:23)  2. I Didn't Know About You
(2:57)  3. I'll Close My Eyes
(4:07)  4. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:23)  5. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
(4:16)  6. Come Fly With Me
(4:35)  7. Never Let Me Go
(2:57)  8. Like Someone in Love
(4:06)  9. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(3:48) 10. Come Closer To Me
(4:15) 11. There's A Lull In My Life
(2:14) 12. I Wish I Knew

Diane Hoffman is a multi talented powerhouse ... at a recent performance a fan remarked, "You can just see and feel the music moving through you." Diane is a truly inspiring performer. Her disciplined good taste pleases aficionados and her emotional directness stirs audiences to their feet. Diane grew her talent the old fashioned way...through hard work. Her grandfather was a much beloved musician in Cambridge, Mass. As a young teen, Diane made her way through the Harvard Square coffee houses and backwater juke joints. She was always an individualist, striving to find her own way. She sought the unusual, the true. She designed and made her own clothes. She set out for California and earned a BFA at the California School of Arts. She spent a year in independent study near Patzcuaro, Mexico. All the while she played her guitar, wrote and sang. She exhibited her paintings for more than fifteen years and is now represented in the U.S and internationally. Seeking more direct audience contact than the art world could provide, Diane moved from the gallery to the stage. She joined a large chorale, studied with a Cantor and NYC Opera member, and to this day enjoys performing the great liturgical works of Brahms, Bach, Handel and company. But, Diane's greatest love was and is the jazz song. 

She honed her skills with members of the Carnegie Jazz Ensemble, The Count Basie Orchestra, Mannes College, and the many gifted sidemen who have graced her trios and quartets. Diane's singing is unique, nuanced and textured. She searches for truth in the lyric, the phrasing, the tempo, and in the playful spontaneity of the moment. Musicians who accompany Diane always have a good time. Even her two grown sons love to play with her, one on the tenor and the other on drums. Diane is a tireless and driven musician. Her repertoire is always expanding and her renditions always growing and evolving. In short, she is a real jazz musician. Diane performs regularly in the NYC area and in the summer on the LI winery scene. She appeared on the SS Norway Jazz Cruise in 1999 and 2001, on the MS Maasdam Jazz cruise in 2002 and 2003 and on the MS Zenith in 2004. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dianehoffman

Someone In Love

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Scott Hamilton & Dany Doriz - Scott Hamilton Plays with the Dany Doriz Caveau de la Huchette Orchestra

Styles: Vibraphone And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:38
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Slipped Disc
(5:13)  2. Dropsy
(4:34)  3. Cotton Tail
(7:38)  4. Amen
(5:44)  5. Hershey Bar
(4:30)  6. Air Mail Special
(7:30)  7. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours
(6:39)  8. Place Du Tertre
(9:01)  9. Cherokee
(3:22) 10. Fanfreluche
(4:58) 11. Race Point

When Scott Hamilton appeared in the mid-'70s fully formed with an appealing swing style on tenor (mixing together Zoot Sims and Ben Webster), he caused a minor sensation, for few other young players during the fusion era were exploring pre-bop jazz at his high level. He began playing when he was 16 and developed quickly, moving to New York in 1976. Hamilton played with Benny Goodman in the late '70s, but he has mostly performed as a leader, sometimes sharing the spotlight with Warren Vache, Ruby Braff, Rosemary Clooney, the Concord Jazz All-Stars, or George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars. 

Other than a few sessions for Famous Door and Progressive, Hamilton has recorded a long string of dates for Concord that are notable for their consistency and solid swing. 

~ Bio  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/scott-hamilton/id738551911#fullText

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (Sax ténor), Dany Doriz (Vibraphone), Philippe Duchemin (Piano), Patricia Lebeugle (Contrebasse), Didier Dorise (Batterie),Ronald Baker (Trompette), Marc Fosset (Guitar).

Scott Hamilton Plays with the Dany Doriz Caveau de la Huchette Orchestra

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Brian Culbertson - Dreams

Styles: Jazz Funk, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:38
Size: 120,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Later Tonight
(4:53)  2. No Limits (feat. Stokley Williams)
(4:41)  3. Your Smile
(4:19)  4. Still Here (feat. Vivian Green)
(5:22)  5. In the City
(4:46)  6. You're My Music (feat. Noel Gourdin)
(3:42)  7. Dreams
(4:37)  8. Madelena
(7:08)  9. Lights Off
(6:09) 10. The Journey

On Dreams, Brian Culbertson attempts to dig further into the vein he opened on 2010's XII, where he seamlessly married adult-oriented R&B to contemporary jazz. In fact, Dreams feels like a bookend of sorts. He employs an alternating cast of studio aces who include Alex Al, John "Jubu" Smith, Eric Marienthal, Michael Stever, Ray Parker, Jr., Rex Rideout, and Rob "Fonksta" Bacon, as well as a trio of vocalists: Stokley Williams (Mint Condition), Vivian Green, and Noel Gourdin. There are some stellar numbers here, including the Williams vehicle, "No Limits," a midtempo babymaker. Culbertson's acoustic piano, Smith's guitar, and some pronounced loops ride atop the bassline to frame the singer's mellifluous tenor. This cut is the sweet spot where neo-soul, adult R&B, and contemporary jazz create a classy pop sound. Green's moment, "Still Here," juxtaposes her taut vocal against acoustic piano and Rideout's fat synth bass with an insistent loop. The result is dramatic. Opening instrumental "Later Tonight" features some nice horn work from Marienthal, Stever and Culbertson on trombone and very fine guitar from Bacon. Its melody is instantly recognizable with the horns being used sparely but effectively in the mix. 

"In the City" may be the strongest of the instrumentals, with a deep bass groove and chugging, almost dubwise, rhythm. Here too, the horns fill the backdrop as Smith's guitar accents the bassline. All of these cuts are in the first half of the album. "You're My Music," sung by Gourdin, is a nice soul-pop bubbler and the title track, with its infectious melody and contrasting acoustic and electric guitars, offers a wonderful palette of textures. The three closing instrumentals, however, are less distinguishable. They seem to blunt the impact of the set's previous cuts rather than provide the kind of balance one suspects Culbertson was looking to create. As "Chapter Two" of XII, this works well, but as an album, Dreams doesn't reach its predecessor's heights. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/dreams-mw0002361474

Dreams

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Cassandra Wilson - Coming Forth By Day

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:19
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. Don't Explain
(5:07)  2. Billie's Blues
(6:18)  3. Crazy He Calls Me
(4:08)  4. You Go to My Head
(4:05)  5. All of Me
(3:50)  6. The Way You Look Tonight
(4:56)  7. Good Morning Heartache
(4:09)  8. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
(4:13)  9. These Foolish Things
(4:54) 10. Strange Fruit
(6:08) 11. I'll Be Seeing You
(5:50) 12. Last Song (For Lester)

Cassandra Wilson is the most important jazz vocalist of the past thirty years. There. I said it. I meant it. It is out in the open (not that this was any secret).

After an impressive jazz debut with Point of View (JMT, 1985), Wilson would release seven more well- received, if not underrated, recordings before she changed the entire jazz vocals setting with Blue Light 'til Dawn (Blue Note, 1993). Wilson's singing and instrumentation had evolved into an expansive and spacious sonic landscape modelled after Miles Davis' earthy and provocative reading of the DuBose Heyward / George Gershwin song, "My Man's Gone Now" from We Want Miles (Columbia, 1982). This sound was an aurally golden fleece that Davis chased through five jazz genres and over fifty years. It was Wilson who perfected it. One of the hallmarks of Wilson's sound was her use of conventionally American Folk instruments dispersed among the traditional jazz instrumentation, all contained in 40 acres of Miles' Davis' "space." Spacious and expansive sound one can get out of the car and walk around inside. Resophonic guitars, slide guitars, banjos, upright pianos: Wilson's sound was one of a mixture of old and new. A musical eutectoid transformed into the perfect solution. Sparkling trumpet beside dead (no reverb) drumming made of a heady mix; miniature acoustic guitar against tenor saxophone...and Wilson populated her subsequent recordings with such novel formatting. New Moon Daughter (Blue Note, 1995), Rendezvous (with Jackie Terrason, Blue Note, 1998), and Traveling Miles (Blue Note, 1999) perfected her approach while reaching its apex. Her releases were of such high quality that they could not be seriously questioned.

That is not to say that perfection could not wear thin. Wilson released an additional six searching recordings before the approaching Billie Holiday. These were very good recordings in the guise of the logistics she set forth in the 1990s. And with the patience of the gods, Wilson planned this present project to be given birth on April 7, 2015, that would mark the centenary of the birth of Eleanora Fagan and that recording is Coming Forth By Day. With this recording, Wilson proves that she cannot only improve on her past, but can send her art to its zenith and beyond. Not to put too fine a point on it, Coming Forth By Day is a perfect recording. Wilson has left her organic roots and claimed the 21st Century in her music. The results are an ethereal musical climax to the memory of the legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday. Worthy of mention at the outset are the individuals surrounding this recording. Nick Launay, Nick Cave's producer for the last decade, a new and ground-breaking sound is brought to the already evolutionary miracle of the Cassandra Wilson 1990s. What they have collectively done is perfect the deep-bottom sonic landscape flirted with by Bob Dylan on this recent standards offering, Shadows in the Night (Columbia, 2015). On that recording, Dylan brilliant recasts the pedal-steel guitar to build low register of dark chocolate and clove with a splash of bay rum and old whiskey, poured neat on the whole affair. What Wilson does on her recording is take Dylan's intention, light that on fire and let it burn.

Coming Forth By Day features eleven re- interpretations of the Great American Songbook associated with Holiday (both "standards" and Holiday originals) plus the Wilson original "Last Song (For Lester)," conceived as an homage from Billie to her musical soulmate, Lester Young. Wilson recorded her Tour de Force in Los Angeles at the Seedy Underbelly studios with guitarists T Bone Burnett and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, string arranger Van Dyke Parks and rhythm section from The Bad Seeds (drummer Thomas Wydler and bassist Martyn P. Casey). This is considerably different from her more organic recordings of the 1990s. It is very much updated, and not in a cheap way. While updated, Wilson's atmospheric approach remains intact using her outstanding voice (as unique and singular at Holiday's) to defy space-time musically. If I was to make a 21st Century Film Noir, I would use this music for the soundtrack. It is music noir. There is a pungent and sensual darkness to this recording. This is forward-thinking arranging and orchestrating that favors deep hues and dark colors. It is slick without being cheap and clever without being too much so. There is a level of musical thinking above what Duke Ellington considered "good" music. This is simply "it." Ten standards and one original. What makes a perfect recording? First, the repertoire. One must be careful here. This is a well-trodden path and if the warhorses of the literature are to be presented, they must be scrubbed free of nostalgia and expectations and presented in a way that is not only novel, but translational. Second is theme. Intelligently conceived recordings enhance their own beauty and importance. Coming Forth by Day was a no-brainer. Wilson and this material came together at the right time in an act of synergy hard to imagine, much less equal. And finally, third is presentation. It is hard to make the old new effectively. Wilson excels in all of these categories.

While these performances have few, if any, stylistic comparison, an internal analyses might illustrate the beauty of these treatments. So focused and refined is this vision of Wilson's, that this recital can be divide in three parts: the first that is traditional ballads (save they are anything but). "Don't explain" kicks the recording off with something that will not scare the pats off the listener (that comes later). First and foremost, Wilson summons the deep blues in this music. It permeates every corner, nook and cranny of the music. Understanding this is the key to the rest of the disc. Think Eddie "Son" House before anything and this recording comes into focus. Her voice is not honey and morphine. It is just morphine... in a Sigmund Freud injection, and not just that. It is Morpheus... the god of dreams, the analogy, the simile, the metaphor. This is music of essence, not of tangibility. So don't waste your time looking for the tangible, fools. This music exist only in your most creative dreams. "Don't Explain," "All of Me" "These Foolish Things" "I'll Be Seeing You" all catch Wilson honoring the naive and hopeful Holiday (but not too much). Holiday was much too worldly for that...that one who believed all would be okay before she learned otherwise. "All of Me" "These Foolish Things" "I'll Be Seeing You," these are the straightest pieces on the disc. Wilson's low register is employed to the maximum and every positive vibe of the past is pulled forth. Then Wilson produces a post-Modern 1960s vibe that smacks of Percy Faith or Ray Conniff in an opium dream. Van Dyke Parks string arrangements, divine a sound that every Eisenhower baby and Clinton offspring will equally appreciate. "Your Go to My Head" is no longer a Charlie Parker invitation to a listener. Instead, it is a Frank (as in Frank Sinatra) invitation to bliss from Nelson Riddle. Wilson assimilates it into all that reflects the way things should be not as they are.

From there Wilson directs things in a slightly different direction. Think of an emulsion of the 21st century experience violently coupling with the Ray Conniff / Percy Faith white-bread vision of the Civil Rights Movement with the real thing. "You Go to My Head" "The Way You Look Tonight" "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" illustrated in, Wilson's performance, the work that remains to be done by all of us. "Your Go to My Head" and "Crazy He Calls me" are Mississippi Delta earth- rich thoughts that are more basic than the composers ever intended. The centerpiece of the recording is the sublime ballad, "The Way You Look Tonight." There may be no more perfect song sung by anyone. Wilson and her handlers make it a piece of perfection that proves that when a piece is composed, the appropriate performer may not yet exist. Introduced by the sublime bass clarinet into a 1950's musical environment, Wilson sings slowly those words of love and longing. It is a perfect performance of a standard. But Wilson reserves some spine rattling performances for a rare few pieces. "Billie's Blues" "Crazy He Calls Me" "Good Morning Heartache" "Strange Fruit" "last Song (For Lester). "Billie's Blues" is a transformed piece of 12-bars that is shot well ahead of us by ingenious production. The dirt and grit of Charlie Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson are brought into the world of T Bone Burnette. Sex is no longer a fecund and aromatic act of procreation but an experience of pleasure enjoyed only by the gods. "Good Morning Heartache" is five minutes of the most terrifying Great American Songbook you will ever hear. This is the darkest part of the whole disc. Wilson is lowered to the very basic of human experience. She twists the African America experience into the real. Billie Holiday would tremble. Aside from the Holiday parallel, Wilson's collection here amply show that the Great American Songbook is anything but dead. Every so often, an artist emerges as a breath of fresh air through the Songbook, thereby transforming it. Few efforts achieve the completeness and perfection of transformation that Coming Forth by Day does. Bob Dylan's recent Shadows in the Night does its part falling short with Dylan's less-than-perfect voice. Wilson's recording totally honors this approach, providing us a fine survey of not only Billie Holiday's oeuvre, but that of the Great American Songbook. 

~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/cassandra-wilson-coming-forth-by-day-by-c-michael-bailey.php
 

Personnel: Cassandra Wilson: vocals, guitar (10); Thomas Wydler: drums, percussion; Martyn Casey: bass; Jon Cowherd: piano, rhodes; Kevin Breit: guitar; banjo (7); Robby Marshall: saxophones, bass clarinet, melodica; Ming Vauz: guitar string effects; T Bone Burnett: baritone guitar (2, 7); Nick Zinner: guitar (4), loops (6, 8); Paul Cantelon: accordion (5); Eric Gofain: violin (11); The section Quartet, VDP Orchestra: strings.

Coming Forth By Day

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