Bob Dylan - Shadows in the Night

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:22
Size: 81,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:51)  1. I'm A Fool To Want You
(3:24)  2. The Night We Called It A Day
(2:56)  3. Stay With Me
(3:01)  4. Autumn Leaves
(3:38)  5. Why Try To Change Me Now
(3:28)  6. Some Enchanted Evening
(3:26)  7. Full Moon And Empty Arms
(3:37)  8. Where Are You?
(3:20)  9. What'll I Do
(3:36) 10. That Lucky Old Sun

As an encore at almost every show on his North American tour last fall, Bob Dylan performed an unlikely ballad: "Stay With Me," recorded by Frank Sinatra on a 1964 single and written for a 1963 film, The Cardinal, about a young priest who ascends to a post in the Vatican. Sinatra cut the song, a prayer for guidance, as if from on high, in orchestration as grand as papal robes. On this quietly provocative and compelling album, Dylan enters the words and melody as he did onstage like a supplicant, in a tiptoe baritone through streaks of pedal steel guitar that suggest the chapel-like quiet of a last-chance saloon. But Dylan's need is immediate, even carnal, and he pleads his case with a survivor's force, in a deep, shockingly clear voice that sounds like rebirth in itself. In stripping the song to pure, robust confession, Dylan turns "Stay With Me" into the most fundamental of Great American Songs: a blues. 

Dylan transforms everything on Shadows in the Night 10 slow-dance covers, mostly romantic standards from the pre-rock era of American popular songwriting into a barely-there noir of bowed bass and throaty shivers of electric guitar. There are occasional dusky flourishes of brass (the moaning curtain of horns in "The Night We Called It a Day"), but the most prominent voice, other than Dylan's, is his steel guitarist Donny Herron's plaintive cries of Hawaiian and West Texas sorrow. Sinatra is a connecting presence: He recorded all of these songs, and Dylan made Shadows at the Capitol Records studio in Los Angeles where Sinatra did his immortal work for that label. Sinatra even co-wrote the first song, "I'm a Fool to Want You," in 1951. When Dylan crawls uphill through the line "To share a kiss that the devil has known," it is easy to hear Sinatra's then-tumultuous romance with Ava Gardner along with echoes of the wounded desire Dylan left all over Blood on the Tracks.

Yet Shadows in the Night is less a tribute to Sinatra than a belated successor to Dylan's 1992 and '93 LPs of solo folk and blues covers, Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong: a spare, restorative turn to voices that have, in some way, always been present in his own. "Autumn Leaves" and Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do" are the kind of ladies' choices Dylan surely played with his Fifties bands at school dances. "That Lucky Old Sun" (Number One for Frankie Laine in 1949) turned up in Dylan's early-Nineties set lists, but that's no surprise: Its near-suicidal resignation is not far from that of Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine," on World Gone Wrong, or Dylan's own "Love Sick," on 1997's Time Out of Mind. The great shock here, then, is Dylan's singing. Dylan's focus and his diction, after years of drowning in sandpaper, evoke his late-Sixties poise and clarity on John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline also records of deceptive restraint and retrospect  with an eccentric rhythmic patience in the way he holds words and notes across the faint suggestions of tempo. It is not crooning. It is suspense: Dylan, at 73, keeping fate at arm's length as he looks for new lessons, nuance and solace in well-told tales. ~ David Fricke  http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/bob-dylan-shadows-in-the-night-20150203

Shadows in the Night

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Johnny Mathis - Close To You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1970
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 37:00
Size: 59,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. They Long To Be Close To You
(2:41)  2. Evil Ways
(3:13)  3. Come Saturday Morning
(2:44)  4. Yellow Days
(2:49)  5. Pieces Of Dreams
(4:06)  6. Song Of Joy
(3:37)  7. Everything Is Beautiful
(3:26)  8. The Long And Winding Road
(3:18)  9. Why Can't I Touch You
(3:33) 10. Wave
(4:00) 11. Until It's Time For You To Go

One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of the '60s and '70s. Though he debuted with a flurry of singles chart activity, Mathis later made it big in the album market, where a dozen of his LPs hit gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. While he concentrated on theme-oriented albums of show tunes and traditional favorites during the '60s, he began incorporating soft rock by the '70s and remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s. Unsurprisingly, given his emphasis on long sustained notes and heavy vibrato, Mathis studied with an opera coach prior to his teenage years, and was almost lured into the profession; his other inspirations were the smoother crossover jazz vocalists of the 1940s Nat "King" Cole, Billy Eckstine, and Lena Horne. Mathis was an exceptional high-school athlete in San Francisco, but was wooed away from a college track scholarship and a potential spot on the Olympic squad by the chance to sing. He was signed to a management contract by club owner Helen Noga, who introduced the singer to George Avakian, jazz producer for Columbia Records. Avakian signed him and used orchestras conducted by Teo Macero, Gil Evans, and John Lewis to record Mathis' self-titled debut album in 1957. Despite the name talent and choice of standards, it was mostly ignored upon release.

Columbia A&R executive Mitch Miller known for his desperately pop-slanted Sing Along albums and TV show decided the only recourse was switching Mathis to Miller's brand of pop balladry, and the formula worked like a charm; the LP Wonderful Wonderful didn't include but was named after a Top 20 hit later in 1957, which was followed by the number five "It's Not for Me to Say" and his first number one, "Chances Are." From that point on, Johnny Mathis concentrated strictly on lush ballads for adult contemporary listeners.

Though he charted consistently, massive hit singles were rare for Johnny Mathis during the late '50s and '60s half of his career Top Ten output had occurred in 1957 alone so he chose to focus instead on the burgeoning album market, much like Frank Sinatra, his main rival during the late '50s as the most popular traditional male vocalist. Mathis moved away from show tunes and traditional pop into soft rock during the '70s, and found his second number one single, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late," in 1978. Recorded as a duet with Deniece Williams, the single prompted Mathis to begin trying duets with a variety of partners (including Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Nana Mouskouri), though none of the singles enjoyed the success of the original. 

Mathis continued to release and sell albums throughout the '90s his fifth decade of recording for Columbia  and beyond, among them 1998's Because You Loved Me: Songs of Diane Warren and 2000's Mathis on Broadway. Mathis followed the Broadway album with 2002's The Christmas Album and 2005's Isn't it Romantic: The Standards Album, both of which found the iconic vocalist in fine form. In 2008, Mathis released the Walter Afanasieff-produced and arranged A Night to Remember, his first straight-ahead adult contemporary album in over a decade. Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville, Mathis' first full-length album of country music, appeared in September of 2010. ~ Bio  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnny-Mathis/e/B000APEDOO

Close To You

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Lilly Martin - The Velvet Mission

Size: 125,1 MB
Time: 53:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues/Jazz/Soul Vocals
Art: Front

01. Closer (4:47)
02. Funny How Time Slips Away (Feat. Philipp Fankhauser) (4:07)
03. Shut Your Eyes (3:33)
04. Vicious Games (4:13)
05. Money Don't Matter 2Nite (5:12)
06. Every Night (3:55)
07. Too Much Trouble (4:59)
08. Deja Vu (4:26)
09. Wicked Game (5:03)
10. 29 Ways (3:15)
11. What Is & What Should Never Be (5:26)
12. When My Final Hour Has Come (Feat. Polo Hofer) (4:27)

Over the years, along her professional journey, Lilly has had the privilege of performing for star-studded audiences that included personalities such as Harry Belafonte and Bob Geldof. She was honored to perform backing vocals with music celebrities Michael Bublé and Phil Collins as well as a number of acclaimed Swiss performers.

On her recent CD "The Velvet Mission“ (released in 2012), the New York singer showcases her sultry vocal interpretations on many familiar songs - personalized with blends of jazz-soaked Blues and Soul. Polo Hofer and Philipp Fankhasuer are featured guests in duets with Lilly.

Lilly Martin was born and raised in the heart of New York City. She grew up in an artistically influenced Cuban family and was accepted to attend the "Fiorello La Guardia School of Performing Arts" in Manhattan. Lilly's educational foundation and life revolved around music, art and theater. But years later, with the uprooting of family and home, Lilly felt compelled to pursue academic studies and a more conventional lifestyle. But passion for music and songwriting never let go.

Only many years later did she establish her career in music. Finally coming full-circle - back to her calling - she began meaningful collaborations in both songwriting and performance. It started when she joined a small group of singers who met weekly. Her fire for music was immediately rekindled and she began singing backing vocals, live and in-studio, for a variety of recording artists in Switzerland. It was during these years of regaining ground in her musical direction that Lilly played on her gift for interpreting so many different music genres. From Gospel and Blues to Soul, Jazz and Pop – the influences were spiraling her into another level of musical expression.

Lilly Martin formed her own event band together with keyboardist, producer and band-leader Michael Dolmetsch and became a popular front singer. Together with Michael she also began a creative songwriting-team known as "the loop". Their songwriting skills would later be recognized with an honorable mention from Billboard Magazine's newcomer contest for their original composition "Goin' Greyhound".

The Velvet Mission

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Joshua Breakstone - 2nd Avenue

Size: 164,2 MB
Time: 70:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. Thingin' (9:30)
02. Home (8:43)
03. I'm An Old Cowhand (6:57)
04. I Wish I Knew (6:03)
05. Evergreenish (7:03)
06. The Lamp Is Low (5:20)
07. Hit It (9:20)
08. My Conception (8:38)
09. 2nd Ave/Blues For Imahori (9:10)

A touch of nostalgia as I glanced at the sleeve - "Joshua Breakstone uses Ernie Ball strings exclusively". If I'd had a lousy dime for every set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky's I'd sold during my 30 year incarceration in Newcastle's Central Arcade I'd be worth a bob or two (well maybe one bob).
I don't suppose Joshua Breakstone ever bought any Super Slinkys from me, him being 3000 miles away, which is a pity because, if he had done, I'd have been able to claim to have had some involvement in one of the most listenable guitar albums I've heard since Charlie Christian showed the way.
This is guitar playing as cool as Stan on tenor or Chet on trumpet, music that makes you want to lay back and luxuriate in the sounds with maybe a G & T to hand.
We've also got a cello in the mix which is great. I've long advocated the cello - not as a double bass substitute - but as a frontline horn which is what we get here.
Bass players such as Harry Babasin, Oscar Pettiford and Sam Jones have dabbled with cello so it is far from being a first. Nevertheless, it's a worthy successor to these earlier efforts although I'd have preferred more arco and less pizzicato (I find I made a similar comment in my review of their previous album - With the Wind and the Rain) - still, I doubt if the boppy heads would have been as clean if the instrument had been bowed so what do I know!
The five tracks with cello are Thingin' (Konitz); Home (Cannonball); I'm an Old Cowhand (Mercer); Evergreenish (Dexter) and Hit It by bassist Atkinson..
The trio numbers are I Wish I Knew (Harry Warren/Mack Gordon); The Lamp is Low (Ravel and others); My Conception (Sonny Clark) and a Breakstone original 2nd Ave: Blues For Imahori.
Breakstone describes the quartet as A Chamber Jazz Foursome and I see no reason to quibble although I would have referred to it as The Chamber Jazz Foursome!
Recommended!

2nd Avenue

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Brussels Jazz Orchestra - The Music Of Enrico Pieranunzi

Size: 140,8 MB
Time: 61:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Persona (6:18)
02. Within The House Of Night (7:20)
03. Fellini's Waltz (6:24)
04. Newsbreak (7:26)
05. With My Heart In A Song (8:42)
06. Coralie (7:29)
07. Distance From Departure (8:25)
08. It Speaks For Itself (8:55)

The Italian pianist and composer Enrico Pieranunzi makes music that appeals to the imagination: filmic, compelling and with the kind of frivolity you might expect from an Italian.Bert Joris succeeded in adapting these light, airy compositions for the larger forces of the BJO.

Compositions by Enrico Pieranunzi, arranged for the Brussels Jazz Orchestra by Bert Joris. Performed and recorded live at De Werf in August 2014. With Enrico Pieranunzi at the piano. All trumpet solos by Bert Joris.

The Music Of Enrico Pieranunzi

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The Singer & The Songwriter - What A Difference A Melody Makes

Size: 103,2 MB
Time: 40:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Art Of Missing You (2:18)
02. Homebody (2:27)
03. Old Fashioned (3:17)
04. Dry Spell (3:40)
05. Out Of The Fog (3:31)
06. Half The Week (2:58)
07. Over The Town (2:23)
08. A Borrowed Room In A Borrowed House (3:09)
09. Pacific Coast Highway (3:02)
10. Unlove You (2:52)
11. Someday (2:15)
12. Summer Song (5:49)
13. A Lullaby (For Malcolm) (2:59)

Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran met in the winter of 2006, as students of San Francisco State University at an open mic night at the now defunct Canvas Gallery Café. Some years later, on a road trip up the coast of California to Oregon, on the Pacific Coast Highway, they were inspired to write their first song together, which led to the formation of the band. In the fall of 2009 they recorded their independently produced, 5-song debut EP at Amadeo Studios in the Bay Area.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 2008, they began writing and performing music together (under the name Ampersand, later transitioning to The Singer and The Songwriter). Tran’s pop and folk influenced songwriting and Garcia’s jazz and blues vocal styling blend together to create TS&TS’s vibrant, sophisticated sound. Their music is a stylistic hybrid, reflecting their diverse musical and cultural backgrounds.

Rachel Garcia grew up listening to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Elvis and Michael Jackson. At a young age, her love of music was nurtured by performing in choirs. Her rich and nuanced vocal style draws inspiration from female vocalists old (Ella Fitzgerald, June Christy, Mama Cass) and new (FIona Apple, Laura Mvula, Melody Gardot, and Cecile McLorin Salvant).

Thu Tran is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist (guitar, piano, harmonica, ukulele, banjo) and songwriter who merges traditional styles with modern pop sensibilities. His musical style draws inspiration from the Bossa Nova sounds of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the swinging jazz guitar of Django Reinhardt, and the lyricism of modern songwriters like Sufjan Stevens and Rufus Wainwright.

In May 2012, the duo won the West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest in the Miscellaneous category for their recording of ‘The Art of Missing You.’ The competition was judged by an Executive Committee comprised of noted singer/songwriters and industry leaders. Past judges and conference guests have included hit songwriters and producers Narada Michael Walden, Steve Seskin, Andre Pessis, George Merrill and Bonnie Hayes.

The Singer and The Songwriter have performed at many Los Angeles venues such as The House of Blues, The Eagle Rock Music Festival, The Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, Levitt Pavilion and The Silverlake Lounge. Of their live show, TheEastsiderLA.com writes: “Tran’s vibrant rhythm guitar swung faster than Amanda Byne’s changing moods and his colorful playing style paired wonderfully with the dramatic and soulful voice of his partner in crime. It was clear that underneath Garcia’s cafe-jazz voice lay a rich, billowing and powerful vocal onslaught. This duo’s set of original material did clearly mine the annals of Gypsy Jazz (as well as ‘60s folk) for inspiration. However, The Singer and The Songwriter are a Los Angeles original.”

In May 2014, The Singer and The Songwriter released their debut full-length LP, What a Difference a Melody Makes, produced by Charlie Stavish (Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis) with mixing and mastering by Brooklyn collective Mason Jar Music (Lucius, Feist and Andrew Bird).

What A Difference A Melody Makes

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Kenny Burrell - Soulero

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:55
Size: 137.2 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1966/1995
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. Hot Bossa
[4:38] 2. Mother-In-Law
[2:39] 3. People
[4:57] 4. Isabella
[3:06] 5. Girl Talk
[4:42] 6. Suzy
[4:55] 7. The Tender Gender
[3:37] 8. La Petite Mambo
[3:14] 9. If Someone Had Told Me
[3:54] 10. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[3:30] 11. My Favorite Things
[3:20] 12. I Want My Baby Back
[3:29] 13. Con Alma
[3:01] 14. Soulero
[3:08] 15. Wild Is The Wind
[3:01] 16. Blues Fuse

This CD reissues the ten selections on guitarist Kenny Burrell's Cadet LP The Tender Gender, a version of "My Favorite Things" from a Christmas album and five selections from his 1967 date Ode to 52nd Street. The former set showcases Burrell with a quartet also including pianist Richard Wyands, bassist Marty Rivera and drummer Oliver Jackson, while the other numbers feature him accompanied by orchestras arranged by Richard Evans. Burrell plays typically tastefully throughout the performances, displaying a clear tone and a solid mastery of the bebop vocabulary. No real surprises occur except perhaps for the repertoire, which includes such unlikely numbers as "People," "Girl Talk" (which works quite well) and "Wild Is the Wind." ~Scott Yanow

Soulero

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Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett & His Large Band

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:49
Size: 93.4 MB
Styles: Country-jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:24] 1. The Blues Walk
[4:01] 2. Here I Am
[2:27] 3. Cryin' Shame
[3:13] 4. Good Intentions
[3:56] 5. I Know You Know
[3:04] 6. What Do You Do/The Glory Of Love
[3:13] 7. I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You
[2:42] 8. Stand By Your Man
[4:08] 9. Which Way Does That Old Pony Run
[3:04] 10. Nobody Knows Me
[4:07] 11. If You Were To Wake Up
[4:24] 12. Once Is Enough

While from the outset Lyle Lovett sounded like a hard artist to pigeonhole, his sponsors at Curb Records and MCA Records seemed determined to sell him as a country artist, though the blues and retro-jazz leanings of Lovett's second album, Pontiac, suggested that strategy would only be practical for so long. With his third album, 1989's Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Lovett seemingly sidelined any career aspirations as a mainstream country act he or his handlers may have held. The album kicks off with a lively cover of Clifford Brown's "The Blues Walk," and the next five tunes all bear the smoky, late-night vibe of a low-key jazz joint, with top marks going to the hilariously off-kilter "Here I Am," the witty scenario of potential infidelity "What Do You Do/The Glory of Love," and the marvelously sly "Good Intentions." The second half of the album is steeped in twang, but it was hardly more comforting for country radio programmers; "I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You" is a "sweet on the outside and sick on the inside" tale of romantic obsession, "Nobody Knows Me" bears a punchline that makes "God Will" sound generous, and Lovett's straight-faced cover of "Stand By Your Man" stubbornly refuses to either announce itself as a joke or suggest another interpretation. Wherever you choose to file it, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band made it clear that Lovett was only getting better with each album; the songs are uniformly well-crafted, Lovett's vocals are full of subtle nuance, and his band is in brilliant form throughout (with special kudos to Lovett's frequent vocal foil, Francine Reed). If you're going to burn your bridges, you could hardly find a better way to do it than this. ~Mark Deming

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band

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George Freeman - George Burns!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:52
Size: 143.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:03] 1. It's Cha Time!
[5:27] 2. Hot Box
[4:15] 3. And She Left Me
[4:58] 4. Vonski
[4:57] 5. You Are My First Love
[5:54] 6. George Burns!
[5:47] 7. Here's Bruz
[5:23] 8. Swinging Shepherd Blues
[4:35] 9. Once In A While
[4:18] 10. Hen Pie
[4:31] 11. Satin Doll
[4:14] 12. Tee-Hee
[4:24] 13. Messy

Guitarist George Freeman has long been in the shadow of his brother, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman and his nephew, saxophonist Chico Freeman. The guitarist does a fine job of generating excitement on this well-rounded and varied set, which ranges from heated blues to soul-jazz. Most of the selections feature Freeman in a quartet with pianist Lou Gregory, drummer Phil Thomas, and veteran bassist Eldee Young (who was with the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the 1960s). Brother Von sits in on "Vonski," Ron Cooper adds a so-so vocal to "And She Left Me," and the one-time vocal team of Cooper and Joanie Pallatto sound like a somewhat demented (and oddly successful) version of Jackie & Roy on "Here's Bruz." But most of the focus is on the leader, and George Freeman plays in prime form throughout. ~Scott Yanow

George Burns!

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Nancy Harrow - The Beatles & Other Standards

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:26
Size: 121,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:04)  1. My foolish heart
(4:04)  2. Drive my car
(3:18)  3. Yesterday
(3:58)  4. Got to get you into my life
(4:07)  5. When the world was young
(5:23)  6. Here comes the sun
(2:55)  7. Blackbird
(4:01)  8. Nature boy
(4:00)  9. Because
(3:54) 10. Yesterdays
(6:16) 11. Something
(6:21) 12. More than you know

"The Emarcy disc comes from Japan and finds Ms. Harrow singing so well that we are beguiled into believing that Ringo, Paul, John and George are legitimate pretenders to the ranks of Jerome, Johnny, Vincent, Victor, and Otto. In the end, we are only incredulous that she has been able to make tortes out of muffins like 'Drive,' 'Got to Get,' 'Here Comes,' 'Because,' and 'Blackbird.' 'Drive' comes off sounding like something Dave Frishberg might have written in an off moment, while 'Here Comes,' enhanced by Bill Easley's pirouetting soprano, is as cheering as a Summer sunrise. 'Got to Get' is slowed down, denied its usual air of hyperventilation and made marginally meaningful. Ms. Harrow manages to make something out of next to nothing with 'Something,' and clears up considerable confusion about 'Yesterdays and 'Yesterday'. The former is a masterwork by Harbach & Kern, whose perfection of lyric ('...gay youth was mine/truth was mine/joyous free and flaming life, forsooth, was mine') wed to melody is examined in great detail in a performance abetted only by George Mraz's resolute bass. 

The latter is Lennon & McCartney's adolescent whine ('Love was such an easy game to play/now I need a place to hide away'), but this singer elevates it to a reasonable level of maturity by dint of her interpretive resourcefulness. Together with 'Yesterday', her reading of three of the other non-Beatle tunes, 'Foolish', 'World,' and 'Know' constitute the warm, pulsating marrow of this recital, the moments during which she eschews any pretension whatever, draws on the pain and pleasure of her own experience and makes confession. With only Roland Hanna's unbelievably empathic piano lighting the way on these three tracks, we emerge from the inner passages of her psyche, abashed but slightly wiser than we were."~ Alan Bargebuhr, Cadence  http://www.nancyharrow.com/rev.php

The Beatles & Other Standards

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Claude Tissendier & Saxomania Starring Phil Woods - Out Of The Woods

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 50:49
Size: 93,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:14)  1. Quill
(5:59)  2. Bloomdido
(4:36)  3. Randi
(6:57)  4. Star Eyes
(6:07)  5. Eddie's Mood
(6:02)  6. Yardbird Suite
(6:04)  7. Memoir de Mes Reves
(7:48)  8. Yes There is a Coda

Born France. While studying classical clarinet and alto saxophone at Toulouse Conservatory, Tissendier began playing jazz. His interests followed a chronological path, starting with New Orleans music, passing through the mainstream into bop. In 1977 he joined the big band led by Claude Bolling and also worked with Gerard Badini and others. In the early 80s he taught at the Paris School of Jazz and in 1983 formed a sextet especially to recreate the music of John Kirby. 

In demand for club and festival dates, the band won many awards for both live performances and records. In 1987 Tissendier formed Saxomania, a seven-piece band featuring two alto saxophones, two tenors and three rhythm. Once again he won honours and gained invaluable experience and exposure accompanying visiting American jazzmen including Benny Carter, Buddy Tate, Jimmy Witherspoon and Spike Robinson, with some of whom he also recorded. Tissendier’s alto playing is striking for its intensity and driving swing and the high musical standards displayed by the Saxomania band ably demonstrate that his is a major talent. ~ Bio  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/claude-tissendier-quintet-mn0000391438/biography

Out Of The Woods

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Branford Marsalis - Trio Jeepy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:06
Size: 170,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:28)  1. Housed from Edward
(10:33)  2. The Nearness of You
( 5:15)  3. Three Little Words
( 0:47)  4. Makin' Whoopee
( 7:13)  5. UMMG
( 6:29)  6. Gutbucket Steepy
( 8:00)  7. Doxy
( 9:07)  8. Makin' Whoopee (Reprise)
( 9:12)  9. Peace
( 7:57) 10. Random Abstract (Tain's Rampage)

Branford Marsalis clearly had a lot of fun during this set. On seven of the ten numbers included on the double LP (the CD reissue actually has one less selection), Marsalis romps on tenor and soprano in a trio with veteran bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts; the remaining three numbers have Delbert Felix in Hinton's place. The performances are quite spontaneous (the occasional mistakes were purposely left in) and Marsalis really romps on such tunes as "Three Little Words," "Makin' Whoopee," and "Doxy." On the joyful outing that is also one of Branford Marsalis' most accessible recordings, Milt Hinton often steals the show. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/trio-jeepy-mw0000200678

Personnel: Branford Marsalis (soprano & tenor saxophones); Milt Hinton, Delbert Felix (acoustic bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

Trio Jeepy

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Tad Shull - In The Land Of The Tenor

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:58
Size: 138,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:38)  1. Here's The Kicker
(5:14)  2. Night Horse
(8:02)  3. I Keep Going Back To Joe's
(7:39)  4. A Portrait Of Bojangles
(6:06)  5. This Is New
(7:11)  6. Pick Yourself Up
(6:55)  7. Nobody Else But Me
(5:55)  8. Angel Face
(5:15)  9. Prey-Loot

Tad Shull grew up in Westport on; during his school days at the Westport Public School, he started with the saxophone and entered the age of 13 in a swing band, also with 15 years in blues and rock and roll bands. In Westport, he studied jazz piano and improvisation at 1970/71 John Mehegan , with 16 years of saxophone and jazz improvisation with David Liebman (1971-73), with 18 years improvisation with Richard Beirach (1973-4). He attended the New England Conservatory , where he met with Gunther Schuller and Jaki Byard worked. Shull 1978 went to New York and worked in swing clubs in Midtown, as the Jimmy Ryan's and Eddie Condon's. Shull learned while musicians such as Roy Eldridge , Jimmy Rowles , Eddie Locke and Bobby Pratt know that as swing and mainstream jazz veterans were still active. 1981/82 Shull played in the Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble of Bob Wilber , from which he also received clarinet lessons. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra, with whom he went in the late 1980s on numerous tours. Until 1997, Shull worked with the formation. 

1990 Shull began to play with their own formations; Here, among other things worked the pianist Mike LeDonne and Ray Gallon , bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Kenny Washington with. He also played with Dizzy Gillespie , Milt Jackson , Joe Williams , Cab Calloway and Woody Herman . In 2002, he participated in various events tribute in honor of Billy Strayhorn in Lincoln Center and played less well-known pieces by the composer. In addition, Shull underwent a study of political science at Columbia University ; Since then he has published about politics, music and culture. Furthermore, he has worked as a marketing consultant and also in the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University.  Shull's game on the tenor saxophone combined influences of Coleman Hawkins , Don Byas , Lucky Thompson , Eddie Lockjaw Davis , Johnny Griffin and Sonny Rollins. ~ Bio  http://translate.google.com.br/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad_Shull&prev=search

Personnel: Tad Shull (tenor saxophone); Kenny Washington (drums); Mike LeDonne (piano); Dennis Irvin (bass).

In The Land Of The Tenor

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David McAlmont and Michael Nyman - The Glare

Styles: Vocal, Avant-Garde
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:59
Size: 161,2 MB
Art: Front

( 3:13)  1. Take the Money and Run
( 3:32)  2. Secrets, Accusations and Charges
( 3:00)  3. City of Turin
( 2:28)  4. Friendly Fire
( 2:38)  5. In Rai Don Giovanni
( 6:29)  6. In Laos
( 3:05)  7. Going to America
( 3:00)  8. Fever, sticks and bones
( 2:41)  9. A Great Day In Kathmandu
( 2:42) 10. Underneath the Hessian Bags
( 2:41) 11. The Glare
(17:24) 12. Songs for Tony

For the benefit of non-Britons, David McAlmont is a vocal sensation hailing from the U.K., noted for his work with the two-man groups Thieves, McAlmont & Butler, and as a solo artist. McAlmont's collaborations were not very long lived enterprises, partly as McAlmont is tough on collaborators, and though he is known to have mended fences with those he has broken with, it's usually long after the fact. Classical composer Michael Nyman is noted for his calm demeanor and patience; while he might seem an unlikely match for the flamboyant McAlmont, here they are together on MN's The Glare. The title work is a song cycle based on McAlmont's own poems, which are further based on news events that happened in the year 2008, though it is not always clear from the lyrics alone what McAlmont is singing about. Nyman occasionally dips into textures he has used before, such as in "In Re Don Giovanni," to find the right setting for McAlmont's words, but it is clear this is the object of dipping back into his bag, and not because Nyman is being particularly lax about the project. 

It is hard to avoid suggesting the overall effect of The Glare is rather similar to Burt Bacharach's 2004 collaboration with soul-specialist Ron Isley, though that was a very good show. So, essentially, is this, with the major differences being that the songs are original to the project and that Nyman's style is considerably tarter and employs far more economy of means than Bacharach's complex polyrhythms and tendency toward thick chords. As McAlmont's singing is so stylized, however, it would have been very useful to have on hand the lyrics, or at least a summary of their content, as it would let the listener in on what the meaning of these songs are. There is no need for the usual pop mystique in regard to the words, and clarity of purpose should have been the main consideration in the presentation of The Glare. From Nyman's end, he has adapted to McAlmont's delivery and sense of style with the same facility as in his work with German cabaret artist Ute Lemper.

Songs for Tony (1993) is scored for sax quartet and has been recorded before; here it is heard from Nyman's own sax section. The four movements of the piece are presented as one long, 17-minute track; the lack of access points for the individual movements is a bit of a disadvantage. With its liberal use of slap-tongue on the baritone and high register writing in the soprano, the first movement, titled "Aggressive" in some sources, amusingly almost sounds like "what if the Six Brown Brothers played minimalism?" The rest of the piece, however, is restrained and reflective, and suits well the music it is paired with. Apart from the minor quibbles already mentioned, overall McAlmont and Nyman's MN release represents a seamless marriage of popular idioms with classical form and results in an eminently satisfying listening experience. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-glare-mw0001872990

The Glare

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Benny Goodman - The Complete Trios

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:15

Size: 133.4 MB

Styles: Big band, Swing

Year: 1999

Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Blue

[3:04] 2. After Hours

[2:19] 3. All I Do Is Dream Of You

[3:13] 4. I'll Never Be The Same

[2:26] 5. Bye Bye Pretty Baby

[2:47] 6. Shoe Shine Boy

[2:24] 7. At Sundown

[2:33] 8. When You're Smiling

[2:37] 9. Alll I Do Is Dream Of You

[2:48] 10. Stompin' At The Savoy

[2:56] 11. Mean To Me

[3:00] 12. Puttin' On The Ritz

[3:05] 13. I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody (Like I'm Loving You)

[2:58] 14. Lazy River

[3:07] 15. There'll Be Some Changes Made

[3:50] 16. Everything I've Got Belongs To You

[2:22] 17. But Not For Me

[2:39] 18. Margie

[3:53] 19. Rose Room

[3:07] 20. (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry

The Complete Captiol Trios is a long-overdue reissue of the five trio sessions Benny Goodman led for Capitol Records. The five sessions are easily broken down into two categories recordings from 1947 and recordings from 1954. The highlights of the 1947 recordings are sessions with pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Jimmy Crawford. This provided Goodman an opportunity to reunite with Wilson who he had toured with in the late '30s in a trio with drummer Gene Krupa. Goodman and Wilson have a real ease to their interaction and the results are positively joyful. There are three other recordings from 1947, featuring pianist Jimmy Rowles and drummer Tom Romersa; these are good, but not quite as delightful as their 1947 companions. However, the 1954 recordings all featuring pianist Mel Powell, four featuring drummer Eddie Grady, and two featuring drummer Bobby Donaldson are equally wonderful, filled with good humor, elegant flair, and magical interludes. These sessions have been out of circulation for too long, but The Complete Capitol Trios is so well-done  and its fidelity is so good that the wait was certainly worthwhile. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Complete Trios 

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Etta James - Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 37:55

Size: 86.8 MB

Styles: Jazz-blues vocals

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Stormy Weather

[2:55] 2. Fool That I Am

[2:24] 3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

[2:23] 4. Dream

[3:25] 5. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

[3:34] 6. Don't Take Your Love From Me

[2:21] 7. Don't Blame Me

[3:57] 8. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)

[2:12] 9. Prisoner Of Love

[3:52] 10. Lover Man

[3:11] 11. Misty

[4:29] 12. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

This CD presents the dynamics of Etta James capabilities as a songstress. She was much more than "Tell Mama". I'm certain everyone is famillar with "At Last". This CD goes beyond that and takes you into her abilities to perform the classic jazz standards with her soulful signature voice. This is a collector's must have. ~Glen

Jazz

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The Jazz Ambassadors - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:01
Size: 103,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:40)  1. One O'Clock Jump
(3:18)  2. Don't Get Around Much Any More
(3:09)  3. Don't Be That Way
(4:18)  4. I'll Be Seeing You
(3:55)  5. Johnson Rag
(4:10)  6. Ladies of the Big Bands
(2:50)  7. Bugle Call Rag
(8:39)  8. Tribute to Glenn Miller
(3:09)  9. Song of India
(7:49) 10. Songs of World War II

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy album for sale by Jazz Ambassadors was released Feb 25, 2008 on the Panda Digital label. Full performer name: The Jazz Ambassadors The United States Army Field Band. 

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy CD music contains a single disc with 10 songs.  http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/5654379/a/boogie+woogie+bugle+boy.htm

The Jazz Ambassadors includes: Dana Rogers (vocals); Loran McClung (alto saxophone, clarinet); Vince Norman, Pat Dillon (saxophone); Kevin Watt, Greg Reese (trumpet); Lew Chapman, Jim McFalls (trombone); Fred Hughes (piano); Tom Williams (bass).

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

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Dara Tucker - Soul Said Yes

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Soul
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:50
Size: 125,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. All That You Have Is Your Soul
(4:05)  2. Save Their Souls - Soul Said Yes
(4:07)  3. Tangerine
(4:59)  4. Easy To Love
(3:37)  5. Partly Cloudy
(4:06)  6. The Space
(5:31)  7. Body and Soul
(4:48)  8. Stronger Than Pride
(5:53)  9. Poinciana
(3:41) 10. Pure Imagination
(3:57) 11. (Our) Love Is Here To Stay
(5:00) 12. I Will Move On Up A Little Higher
(1:23) 13. Soul Says Yes

Jazz vocalist and songwriter Dara Tucker's third studio project, ‘The Sun Season’ is a celebration of life, energy and the human experiencer. Tucker's new project differs from her previous releases, ‘Soul Said Yes’ (2011) and ‘All Right Now’ (2009), in that ten of the twelve tracks that comprise ‘The Sun Season' (2014) are original tunes with memorable melodies, rich harmonies and strong rhythms. These sensibilities are immediately felt on such tunes as "Sometimes Love," "Beautiful Sun," "The Sun Suite" and "See It Always." Her gift of balladry, as evidenced on "Naïve", and "The Nearness of You," one of the albums two covers, reveal a mature singer with the wisdom to communicate the tender essence of love with a flair that is distinct and enveloping. “When I fall in love with a song, I fall in love with the melody first; then the lyrics," Tucker said. "If I can communicate the essence of that melody to the listener without relying on attention-grabbing melisma, and instead, focus on creating subtle yet effective embellishments that will draw the listener in, then I feel I’ve done my job.” Recorded over two days at David Stoller's Samurai Hotel Studios in Queens, New York, the project features pianist Helen Sung, drummer Donald Edwards, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist/producer Greg Bryant and horn men John Ellis and Alan Ferber. The resultant material is a joyful presentation with memorable contributions from the entire cast.

"The singer-songwriters of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were hugely influential on me, as were gospel and the Great American Songbook. What I end up producing as a writer is essentially an amalgam of all these genres. Couple those influences with one of the baddest New York jazz ensembles around, and you have the ingredients that came together to make up “The Sun Season”. During her brief career, Dara Tucker has already managed to catch the ear of some of the most significant figures in jazz such as vocalist Cassandra Wilson, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Benny Golson. Within the last two years, Tucker has won audiences on such stages as The Blue Note (NYC), Smoke Jazz Club (NYC), Snug Harbor (New Orleans, LA), The San Jose Jazz Festival, Sculler’s in Boston, MA, Nighttown in Cleveland, OH and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Peeling away the layers of her diverse background sheds ample light on her unorthodox path to becoming a significant contemporary voice on the vocal jazz scene.

“I grew up singing gospel in church with my brothers and sisters. There were 7 of us, so my father (an accomplished music minister) and my mother (also a singer) had a built in choir. We traveled a lot, and we would back our parents up everywhere we went. I learned tons about harmony before I was even in the first grade. That provided me with amazing ear-training very early on. My father, a minister, didn’t allow secular music in the house. But eventually, when I began to come of age, I started to explore the sounds of big band music and the Great American Songbook. I spent many nights with my radio tucked under my pillow, surreptitiously soaking in artists like The Manhattan Transfer, The Hi-Lo’s, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn."

Tucker says writing the songs that make up “The Sun Season” was an organic process  mostly. After writing furiously for more than 7 years, she knew it was time to make her own statement. "The question in my manager’s mind was always, 'Where will your songs fit? You’re one of those in-between writers.' This was something I understood all too well. "I'm excited to share this project with everyone, and I look forward to performing the material in concert. It's my statement on what jazz is to me in the here and now. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to shine a light on the particular Space that I choose to occupy in my singular Sun Season. ~ Bio  http://www.daratucker.com/

Soul Said Yes

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The Jeff Steinberg Jazz Ensemble - Jazz Blends: A Robust Blend of Instrumental Jazz With Your Coffee

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:33
Size: 107,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. How About You
(3:50)  2. That Old Black Magic
(4:15)  3. Black Coffee
(3:16)  4. Old Devil Moon
(3:40)  5. But Not for Me
(4:17)  6. Taste Of Honey
(4:07)  7. You're the Cream In My Coffee
(4:30)  8. I'll Never Fall in Love Again
(3:56)  9. Coffee Song
(3:41) 10. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(4:02) 11. Stars Fell on Alabama
(3:48) 12. Teach Me Tonight

After more than thirty-five years as a composer, arranger/orchestrator, pianist, producer and music educator, Jeff Steinberg's work continues to span the professional spectrum which includes spectacular Jazz, Big Band, and Orchestral recordings as well as original scores for advertising, television, and film.Upon graduating from the Berklee School in 1969, he joined The Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Buddy DeFranco and toured the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Japan. Since then, he has worked with such luminaries as Maynard Ferguson, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Perry Como, and Michel Legrand, and produced and arranged music for the advertising campaigns of General Motors, McDonald s, ALCOA, The Monsanto Company, TimeLife and others. He has arranged, conducted, and performed with and for The London Symphony, Scottish National Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestras of Nashville, Detroit and Tampa, as well as Randy Newman, Anne Murray, Art Garfunkel, Roberta Flack, Michael Feinstein, Olivia Newton-John, and Paul Anka. Steinberg currently serves as a frequent POPS Conductor for The Nashville Symphony and other orchestras. As producer/arranger of exciting up and coming artists, Jeff also front The Jeff Steinberg Jazz Ensemble on piano. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Blends-Robust-Instrumental-Coffee/dp/B00DPKQB0U

Personnel:  Jeff Steinberg – piano; Denis Solee - tenor sax, baritone sax & flute; George Tidwell - trumpet & flugelhorn; Jack Jezzro – guitar; Jay Patten - alto sax; Jim Ferguson – bass; Jim White - drums

Jazz Blends

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Elaine Lucia - Let's Live Again

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:55
Size: 103,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Azure Te
(3:28)  2. The Wildest Gal In Town
(3:30)  3. All Dressed Up (With A Broken Heart)
(3:41)  4. In The Night
(3:42)  5. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
(4:29)  6. Blue Prelude
(3:27)  7. I'd Love To Make Love To You
(2:55)  8. Daddy
(4:31)  9. Don't Go
(3:46) 10. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
(3:40) 11. Let's Live Again
(4:14) 12. Sayulita

Elaine Lucia has a beautiful, high and clear voice that is versatile, quite powerful and perfectly fits her swinging style. “My goal has always been to be as great a singer as I can and really master my instrument, to soak songs with emotion while singing in a simple and straightforward style. I don’t want to sound like anyone but myself.” One listen to any of Elaine’s three CDs shows that she has already accomplished that goal and is a memorable jazz singer. She was raised in upstate New York, and was very impressed at the age of four when she saw Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand singing “Happy Days Are Here Again” on Garland’s television show. “I remember thinking: ‘I want to do that!’” When she was 12, Elaine discovered Ella Fitzgerald and that was soon followed by Peggy Lee and Lorez Alexandria. “I like singers who are powerful, musically emotive, with clean, clear tones. I was as amazed by the quality of Ella’s voice as I was of her virtuosity.” Elaine performed her first solos in seventh grade with her school choir, started singing with her choir teacher’s jazz trio on weekends when she was 13, and taught herself guitar. “I simply wanted to be “a great singer”, so I begged my father for voice lessons and started studying opera when I was 15. The training helps me to this day, allowing me the vocal stamina to sing seven nights a week, if I had to, without tiring or harming my vocal instrument. The classical training also helped me win auditions and carried me through the many musical theater productions, rehearsals and shows I was in during my teen years.”

Elaine won a summer scholarship to attend the Chautauqua Institute for the Arts and, after graduating early from high school, received a theater scholarship to the State University of New York at Binghamton (now Binghamton University). She soon switched her focus from theater back to music. Two years later, Elaine transferred to the Eastman School of Music on a vocal scholarship but, when the Reagan administration drastically cut back on college grants, she was unable to attend her fourth year of college. “I decided to take a year off from school and go to northern California. Within a month I was singing in a rock band and recording background vocals with a country group, and I never did get the money to go back to the conservatory.” Since that time, Elaine Lucia has sung in a countless number of situations, performing all kinds of music. “I would sing anything, anytime, anywhere with anyone. I had no fear! I would beg to sit in at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, and the veteran musicians there were so generous; they taught me a lot about jazz performance. I learned early to only sing with the very best musicians, and that has been a very educational and joyful experience. It gave me the confidence to put together my own jazz combo, and musical shows, like my Peggy Lee tribute (2002) and our “Classical Jazz to Jazz Classics” repertoire. Ultimately, the great players I have with me now have given me the freedom to experiment with a pretty eclectic song list.”

In 2001, she recorded her debut jazz CD, \"Elaine Lucia...Sings Jazz and Other Things.\" “I felt that I had arrived at an important musical place, so I simply recorded songs that I loved. On my second CD, \"A Sonny Day,\" I followed a specific musical theme, and dedicated the project to my late father, Frank “Sonny” Lucia. The CD musically depicts a day of the life of my father, starting with ‘I Love the Sunrise’ and ending with ‘Final Remembrance.’ It is a very personal project.” Elaine Lucia’s newest CD, \"Let’s Live Again,\" is a tribute to the vocal LPs that the George Shearing Quintet of the late 1950s/early ‘60s recorded with such singers as Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Dakota Staton and Nancy Wilson. “On \"A Sunny Day,\" I had the same instrumentation as the George Shearing Quintet that beautiful combination of vibes and guitar with the piano, bass and drums. So we just carried that same quintet into the new project.”

“My trio with pianist Jonathan Alford, bassist Pierre Archain and drummer Alan Hall has been playing and recording with me for over 12 years now. We added Gerry Grosz on vibes when we did \"A Sonny Day; Gerry really fits in very well with the band and wrote almost all of the arrangements on this new CD. And then I asked Randy Vincent to bring his wonderful, classic guitar sound into the mix. The quintet was the perfect setting for me to record some rare songs like the title track ‘Let’s Live Again’ by Nancy Wilson, ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Azure-Te’ by Nat King Cole, and ‘In The Night’ and ‘I’d Love to Make Love To You’ by Dakota Staton.” Elaine Lucia has appeared at nightclubs and festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Reno and Lake Tahoe areas for many years, gathering a solid following among fans and musicians alike. “I gig several times a month, doing a lot of private parties and shows in addition to one or two nightclub dates. I look forward to performing in larger venues and traveling more. I really just want to sing as much as possible!” Her growing number of fans look forward to hearing the very appealing Elaine Lucia singing many more times in the future, adding to her already impressive musical legacy.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elainelucia2

Let's Live Again

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