Steve Kuhn, Gary McFarland - The October Suite

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:25
Size: 88.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1966/2003
Art: Front

[4:47] 1. Once I Could Have Loved
[6:18] 2. St. Tropez Shuffle
[7:09] 3. Remember When
[7:35] 4. Traffic Patterns
[6:30] 5. Childhood Dreams
[6:03] 6. Open Highway

The October Suite, recorded in 1966, is one of two Gary McFarland chamber music masterworks featuring brilliant pianists. It followed by nearly four years The Gary McFarland Orchestra, Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans (Verve). In each case, McFarland used economy of instruments and of compositional means to create expansive music that illuminates far beyond the size of the ensemble and the deceptive simplicity of his writing. Three of The October Suite's sections employ a string quartet, the second three a woodwind quartet and a harp. McFarland's settings, rich in beauty and daring, stimulated pianist Steve Kuhn to some of his most incandescent and imaginative playing of the '60s. Bassist Ron Carter and drummer Marty Morell supported him.

McFarland's legacy as a composer and arranger is sadly overlooked. His stunning accomplishments during his one busy decade ended with his death in 1971 at the age of 38. Many of McFarland's albums are unavailable except as used LPs. Kuhn's neglect is equally perplexing and less easily explained, since he is playing at the highest level of his career. Perhaps the long overdue reissue of The October Suite will help bring Kuhn the attention he has long deserved and continues to earn.

The McFarland-Bill Evans collaboration is on CD as a part of Verve's massive Evans boxed set, but it has never been reissued on its own. We may hope that Verve will reach into its vaults for more of the riches in McFarland's discography on the Verve and Impulse labels. ~Doug Ramsey

The October Suite

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Martin Taylor, David Grisman, Acoustic Jazz Quartet - I'm Beginning to See the Light

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:33
Size: 136.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz, Crossover jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. I'm Beginning to See the Light
[4:21] 2. Autumn Leaves
[5:10] 3. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
[4:42] 4. East of the Sun
[4:39] 5. Autumn in New York
[5:43] 6. Makin' Whoopee
[5:25] 7. Lover Man
[4:01] 8. Exactly Like You
[7:04] 9. Willow Weep for Me
[4:18] 10. A Foggy Day
[5:08] 11. Cheek to Cheek
[4:59] 12. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

As one of the prime movers behind the "new acoustic" movement that began gathering speed in the mid-'70s, David Grisman helped usher in a new era of acoustic jazz. With other renegade players like Tony Rice, Richard Greene and Sam Bush, he took an instrument generally associated with bluegrass music (in his case, the mandolin) and turned it to more adventurous uses, often combining the instrumentation and textures of bluegrass with the advanced harmonic structures and rhythms of jazz. He's never completely turned his back on bluegrass, but his primary focus has been on jazz and jazz-derived styles for some time. I'm Beginning to See the Light is a collection of standards recorded in collaboration with guitarist Martin Taylor, bassist Jim Kerwin and drummer George Marsh. The program is pretty predictable, including "Autumn Leaves," "Cheek to Cheek," and "Makin' Whoopee." But the mandolin gives the quartet an unusual texture, and Taylor's playing is always fun to listen to. There's a pervasive gentleness to the group's sound that sometimes borders on soporific, but every time you stir yourself to listen closely, you'll be rewarded. Recommended. ~Rick Anderson

I'm Beginning to See the Light

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Teddi King - The Storyville Sessions 1954-1955

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:16

Size: 138.0 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 2013

Art: Front

[2:45] 1. I Saw Stars

[2:25] 2. Love Is A Now And Then Thing

[2:53] 3. New Orleans

[3:12] 4. The Talk Of The Town

[2:36] 5. I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan

[2:30] 6. It's All In The Mind

[3:33] 7. Our Love Is Here To Stay

[3:13] 8. Spring Won't Be Around This Season

[2:48] 9. Why Do You Suppose

[3:39] 10. Over The Rainbow

[2:37] 11. This Is Always

[2:42] 12. Fools Fall In Love

[2:58] 13. I Didn't Know About You

[4:06] 14. Old Folks

[3:38] 15. You Turned The Tables On Me

[2:49] 16. Like A Ship Without Sail

[3:16] 17. Something To Live For

[3:26] 18. I'm In The Market For You

[2:22] 19. You Hit The Spot

[2:39] 20. You Can Depend On Me

Twofer: Tracks #1-8, from the 10-inch LP “Miss Teddi King” (Storyville LP 314). Teddi King (vcl), Ruby Braff (tp), Jimmy Jones (p), Milt Hinton (b), Jo Jones (d). Recorded in New York City, July 1954. Tracks #9-20, from the 12-inch LP “Now in Vogue” (Storyville LP 903). Teddi King (vcl), Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb), Billy Taylor (p), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d). On #9,10,11 & 15, Nick Travis (tp), Gene Quill (as) and Sol Schlinger (bs) added. Recorded in New York City, October 1955.

Possibly because of the sheer perfection of her vocal technique, Teddi King (1929-1977) may not have immediately seemed to some to be a jazz singer. But, in a career that included work with such piano luminaries as Nat Pierce, George Shearing and Dave McKenna, she won herself a small but discerning following as one of the best.

Influenced by such outstanding jazz singers as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, whom she did not resemble vocally, and Lee Wiley, Mabel Mercer and Mildred Bailey, whom perhaps to a slight degree she did, she was blessed with near-perfect intonation, impeccable phrasing and a voice of crystalline beauty and freshness. All this is evident on these early Storyville sessions, where she is backed by front-line jazz talent in Ruby Braff, Nick Travis, Bob Brookmeyer, Gene Quill, pianists Jimmy Jones and Billy Taylor and sterling drummers Jo Jones and Osie Johnson. In these intimate, subtly calibrated sessions she sings with a warmth and delicacy no less forceful for being presented with elegance, sophistication and a complete absence of superfluous gesture or vocal sleightof-hand.

It should surprise nobody that she held Sinatra as the epitome of what a popular singer should be and he, with his frank jazz awareness, was as close to perfection in terms of phrasing as any singer could aspire to.

The Storyville Sessions 1954-1955

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Dusko Goykovich & The International Jazz Orchestra - A Handful O' Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:11
Size: 126.3 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:52] 1. A Handful O' Soul
[6:12] 2. I Fall In Love To Easily
[6:57] 3. Yugo Blues
[6:55] 4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[8:58] 5. Remember Dizzy
[5:31] 6. Jeep's Blues
[7:25] 7. Balkan Blue
[7:17] 8. Porgy And Bess

In the summer of 2003 the president of the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Zivkovic, invited composer and trumpet player Dusko Goykovich to take an active part in the official celebration of 200 years of Serbian national identity. Born in 1931 in Jajce (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Goykovich had started his long international jazz career as an 18-year-old when joining the Radio Big Band of Belgrade. Dusko has been inspired by Serbian music for decades: He not only initiated the Balkan Jazz movement with his 1966 album "Swinging Macedonia" but has made good use of Balkan melodies and rhythms in most diverse jazz contexts. Of course, he accepted Zivkovic's offer with pleasure and suggested the creation of an international big band for this exceptional occasion.

In February 2004 The International Jazz Orchestra was formed -- composed of extraordinary musicians from the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, France, Slovenia, and of course Serbia. With support from the Serbian state as well as the Embassy of the United States of America, Austrian Cultural Forum in Belgrade, British Council, French Cultural Centre, Goethe Institute, and Italian Cultural Institute, an international top event took place that was going to relaunch Serbian jazz life. After a sold-out concert the orchestra went into the studio for two days, and the result is an album that offers the essence of Dusko Goykovich's big band philosophy.

Except for two special features for trombonist/singer Phil Abraham ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore") and ex-Basie orchestra altoist Brad Leali ("Jeep's Blues"), the album presents Dusko's arrangements throughout -- including great standard ballads ("I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Summertime") as well as his own evergreen originals: the soul-drenched "A Handful O' Soul", the odd-metered "Yugo Blues", the beboppish "Remember Dizzy" and the Serbian-influenced "Balkan Blue". With Dusko's relaxed arrangements and a bunch of thrilling solos by Britain's alto wizard Peter King, Germany's baritone giant Michael Lutzeier, the leader himself and others, "A Handful O' Soul" is a brilliant document of jazz orchestral maturity.

A Handful O' Soul

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Ondine Darcyl - Ondine Darcyl

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:29
Size: 99,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. Só Tinha De Ser Com Você
(3:13)  2. Summertime
(5:00)  3. Garota De Ipanema
(3:32)  4. Black Orpheus
(3:09)  5. Just In Time
(2:43)  6. You Go To My Head
(3:40)  7. Besame Mucho
(4:33)  8. Corcovado
(3:45)  9. La Vie En Rose
(3:54) 10. Chega De Saudade
(3:32) 11. Wave
(2:53) 12. Autumn Leaves

Ondine Darcyl was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina into a French-Romanian Jewish family and her artistic sensibility was influenced by visits to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Darcyl moved to the United States to study law and in her spare time practices some music law in New York City. She has a special quality that allows her to revisit Brazilian, Latin, French and American standards and make them her own. Ondine has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, and in Spanish Jazz festivals of Boadilla del Monte and Fuenlabrada as a featured guest of jazz vocalist Miles Griffith (best known for recording with Wynton Marsalis.) Both singers performed a capella at a press conference held at Midem in Cannes. Darcyl has been showcased at the Bimhius in Amsterdam as part of the Access to Amsterdam Music Festival. Because of her versatility; she’s a visual artist in addition to being a lawyer and a singer, Ondine Darcyl attracts attention from different directions. 

When her abstract collage won first prize at the annual art show 2000 at the City Bar Association, the National Law Journal, featured her in an article. Her CD was praised by the New York Latin community in a review in El Diario.  Darcyl also performs in jazz clubs like Caviarteria and The Red Eye Grill in New York City and in venues such as The Newark Museum and the international auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Joining Darcyl on her debut album is the multi- instrumentalist Hernan Romero, best known for playing with Al Di Meola.http://worldjazzscene.com/ondine-darcyl/

Ondine Darcyl

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Norman Connors - This Is Your Life

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:22
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. Stella
(4:15)  2. This Is Your Life
(3:43)  3. Wouldn't You Like To See
(4:01)  4. Listen
(4:38)  5. Say You Love Me
(3:19)  6. Captain Connors
(6:00)  7. You Make Me Feel Brand New
(5:01)  8. Butterfly
(8:00)  9. The Creator

The follow-up to the successful Romantic Journey, This Is Your Life was Connors' first album for Arista and found him doing the same great, intelligent music that had placed him at the top of the list of true jazz/R&B innovators. His self-production debut, the record was done in the same style of his high-selling late-'70s efforts. Although Connors was highly regarded as a sideman with Pharoah Sanders, among others, jazz/R&B was definitely his metier. The title track is a delicate rendering of a contemplative Jimmy Webb tune, powered by an emotional vocal from Eleanor Mills. 

As a producer, Connors was unabashed about his R&B skills and the execution comes across more confident and defined. The melodic "Say You Love Me" has Connors stepping out on lead vocals; unlike many other jazz artists turned singers, Connors' lack of great pipes provided a good juxtaposition to flawless backing track (having Jean Carn on backing vocals didn't hurt either). This Is Your Life, more than any of his albums of the time, skillfully balanced his R&B and jazz offerings. The cover of Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly" has a phenomenal and dramatic arrangement with vocals from Mills and James Robinson. The last track, "The Creator," doesn't fare half as well but it's not enough to dim the virtues of this effort. This Is Your Life is not only one of Connors' strongest, but also one of the genre's best. ~ Jason Elias  http://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-your-life-mw0000242585

This Is Your Life

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Lou Donaldson - The Scorpion: Live At The Cadillac Club

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:26
Size: 107,1 MB
Art: Front

(10:58)  1. The Scorpion
( 6:00)  2. Laura
(13:01)  3. Alligator Boogaloo
( 4:09)  4. The Masquerade Is Over
( 5:26)  5. Peepin'
( 6:49)  6. Footpattin' Time

This previously unreleased live set, which has been issued on Blue Note's Rare Groove Series, will bore anyone who listens closely. The repertoire is dominated by lengthy funk grooves that are quite danceable but never develop beyond the obvious. Altoist Lou Donaldson was using a baritone horn at the time that gave him a generic and unappealing tone, the obscure trumpeter Fred Ballard does his best to no avail and the enthusiastic rhythm section (guitarist Melvin Sparks, organist Leon Spencer, Jr., and drummer Idris Muhammad) keeps the grooves repetitious. 

Bob Porter's liner notes (which colorfully give readers the history of Newark jazz of the past 30 years) are superlative but, even with the inclusion of a fast blues, musically nothing much happens. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-scorpion-live-at-the-cadillac-club-mw0000126429

Personnel: Lou Donaldson (alto saxophone);  Fred Ballard (trumpet);  Leon Spencer Jr. (organ);  Melvin Sparks (guitar);  Idris Muhhamad (drums).

The Scorpion: Live At The Cadillac Club

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Elisabeth Kontomanou Feat. Geri Allen - Secret Of The Wind

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:58
Size: 138,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:43)  1. God Is Love
(5:24)  2. If I Ruled The World
(3:45)  3. Every Body Was Born Free
(4:07)  4. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
(4:25)  5. Secret Of The Wind
(2:50)  6. L.O.V.E
(4:41)  7. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
(4:09)  8. Trouble Of The World
(4:45)  9. Sack Full Of Dreams
(5:00) 10. Nature Boy
(2:41) 11. People Get Ready
(6:25) 12. Were You There
(4:57) 13. A Quiet Place

Vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou first met pianist Geri Allen in March 2011, when both were invited to participate in a Billie Holiday tribute presented in Montreal by the Jazz en Rafale festival. They immediately bonded, igniting a lively correspondence that often centered around thoughts on faith. Four months later, they reunited in a Normandy studio to create Secret of the Wind, a magnificent work that is both specifically and generally sacred. The disc’s core comprises traditional Afro-American spirituals and likeminded compositions by Marvin Gaye, Grady Tate, Curtis Mayfield, Billy Taylor, Ralph Carmichael and Kontomanou herself (contributing the title track and another original piece). Those tracks are augmented by a trio of secular pop standards “If I Ruled the World,” “L.O.V.E.” and “Nature Boy” that broaden the album’s theme to one of peace, love and understanding. 

Allen devotees might be surprised by the tremendous restraint she demonstrates. Though she is a full and richly imaginative partner in this project, she clearly appreciates its reverential tone. Kontomanou responds with her finest session to date, magnificently suggesting the musicianship of Carmen McRae blended with the grit of Nina Simone. The depth of their mutual respect is evident throughout, though it is perhaps most superbly demonstrated on Kontomanou’s “Everybody Was Born Free,” propelled by Allen’s steadily knotting and unknotting of tension, and a fiery, testifying treatment of Taylor’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free.” ~ Christopher Loudon  http://jazztimes.com/articles/58994-secret-of-the-wind-elisabeth-kontomanou-featuring-geri-allen

Personnel: Geri Allen (piano); Elisabeth Kontomanou (vocals).

Secret Of The Wind

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Johnny Griffin, Wilbur Ware - The Chicago Sound

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:18
Size: 147.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:33] 1. I Cried For You
[3:01] 2. Satin Wrap
[2:26] 3. Yesterdays
[3:06] 4. Riff Raff
[3:48] 5. Bee-Eyes
[3:14] 6. The Boy Next Door
[3:31] 7. These Foolish Things
[3:02] 8. Lollypop
[3:15] 9. Body And Soul
[7:21] 10. The Man I Love
[3:53] 11. Mamma-Daddy
[5:28] 12. Desert Sands
[6:27] 13. 31st And State
[2:56] 14. Lullaby Of The Leaves
[4:38] 15. Latin Quarters
[4:33] 16. Be-Ware

Twofer: Tracks #1-8 from "Johnny Griffin" (Argo LP 624). Johnny Griffin (ts), Junior Mance (p), Wilbur Ware (b) and Buddy Smith (d). Recorded in Chicago, 1956. Tracks #9-16 originally issued as Wirbur Ware's "The Chicago Sound" (Riverside RP 12-252). Johnny Griffin (ts), John Jenkins (as), Junior Mance (p), Wilbur Ware (b), Wilbur Campbell or Frank Dunlop (d). Recorded in Chicago, 1957.

Griffin's first date featured the saxophonist in the company of Junior Mance on piano, bassist Wilbur Ware, and session drummer Buddy Smith. The program features eight tunes that were fairly standard fare for jazzmen in 1956, such as "These Foolish Things," Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays," and the Youmans-Greene nugget "The Boy Next Door." These are played with the requisite verve and mastery of harmony, rhythm, and melodic changes [...] What does stand out in this program are Griffin's originals, such as "Satin Wrap," which has since been covered by any tenor player worth his mouthpiece. It's a funky blues number that does not fall headlong into the hard bop swinging that would be so pervasive in the tenorist's style. Instead there are more formalist notions that suggest Paul Gonsalves and Coleman Hawkins. In addition, the album-closer, "Lollypop," comes out swinging hard with an R&B hook that digs in. Mance propels Griffin with fat, greasy chords that suggest a Chicago bar-walking honk frenzy, but Griffin's own playing is too sophisticated and glides like Lester Young around the changes. Also notable here is Ware's beautiful bop run "Riff Raff." The bassist knew not only how to write for but arrange for horns. Mance and Griffin are in it knee-deep, note for note, with Mance adding beefy left-hand clusters to the melody as Ware and Smith play it straight time until the solo. It's got the hard bop blues at its root. This recording is brief, as it originally came out on a 10" LP, but is nonetheless a necessary addition to any shelf that pays Johnny Griffin homage. ~Thom Jurek

Bassist Wilbur Ware's only recording as a leader (which has been reissued on CD) mostly features Chicago musicians. Although Ware heads the set and contributed two originals, he does not dominate the music and delegated plenty of solo space to altoist John Jenkins (who also brought in two tunes), tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, and pianist Junior Mance; Wilbur Campbell or Frank Dunlop on drums complete the group. This fine hard bop date (which also has versions of "Body and Soul," Stuff Smith's "Desert Sands," "Lullaby of the Leaves," and "The Man I Love") was a fine debut by Ware. It seems strange that in his remaining 20-plus years the bassist never led another album. ~Scott Yanow

The Chicago Sound

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Steve Lawrence - Lawrence Goes Latin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 28:40

Size: 65.6 MB

Styles: Vocal

Year: 1961/2012

Art: Front

[1:44] 1. It's All Right With Me

[1:43] 2. Shall We Dance

[2:04] 3. Just In Time

[2:17] 4. Bewitched

[2:46] 5. Small World

[2:17] 6. Too Close For Comfort

[2:24] 7. People Will Say We're In Love

[3:11] 8. Everything's Comin' Up Roses

[2:49] 9. The Sound Of Music

[2:49] 10. Out Of This World

[1:54] 11. Tonight

[2:36] 12. Hello Young Lovers

Lawrence had success on the record charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s with such hits as "Go Away Little Girl" (U.S. #1), "Pretty Blue Eyes" (U.S. #9), "Footsteps" (U.S. #7), "Portrait of My Love" (U.S. #9), and "Party Doll" (U.S. #5). "Go Away Little Girl" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. However, much of his musical career has centered on nightclubs and the musical stage.

He is also an actor, appearing in guest roles on television shows in every decade since the 1950s, in shows such as The Danny Kaye Show, The Judy Garland Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Julie Andrews Hour, Night Gallery, The Flip Wilson Show, Police Story, Murder, She Wrote, Gilmore Girls, and CSI. In the fall of 1965, Lawrence was briefly the star of a variety show called The Steve Lawrence Show, "one of the last television shows in black and white on CBS."

He and Gormé appeared together in the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow, which ran from February 1968 until January 1969. Although the show was not a huge success (a summary of this experience is chronicled in unflattering detail in William Goldman's 1968 book The Season), the show contained the memorable song "I've Gotta Be Me." This song was originally sung by Lawrence at the end of the first act of the musical; Sammy Davis, Jr. would later record a version of the song that became a Top 40 hit in 1969. None less than the Chairman of the Board himself, Francis Albert Sinatra, is known to have repeatedly stated that the best male vocalist Sinatra had ever heard was Steve Lawrence.

Lawrence Goes Latin

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Anita O'Day - Pick Yourself Up

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 64:14

Size: 147.1 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 1957/1992

Art: Front

[2:31] 1. Don't Be That Way

[3:14] 2. Let's Face The Music And Dance

[4:21] 3. I Never Had A Chance

[3:17] 4. Stompin' At The Savoy

[3:04] 5. Pick Yourself Up

[2:49] 6. Stars Fell On Alabama

[4:12] 7. Sweet Georgia Brown

[3:24] 8. I Won't Dance

[3:54] 9. Man With A Horn

[3:07] 10. I Used To Be Color Blind

[3:16] 11. There's A Lull In My Life

[2:19] 12. Let's Begin

[2:03] 13. I'm With You

[2:43] 14. The Rock & Roll Waltz

[2:25] 15. The Getaway And The Chase

[2:28] 16. Your Picture's Hanging Crooked On The Wall

[3:08] 17. We Laughed At Love

[3:02] 18. I'm Not Lonely

[3:13] 19. Let's Face The Music And Dance

[2:45] 20. Ivy

[2:48] 21. Stars Fell On Alabama

For this well-rounded CD reissue that adds nine cuts to the original program, Anita O'Day, in her prime period, is mostly heard accompanied by Buddy Bregman & His Orchestra, but there are also a few tracks on which she is joined by a jazz combo featuring trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison. Highlights include "Don't Be That Way," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "Pick Yourself Up," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and "I Won't Dance." Virtually all of Anita O'Day's 1950s recordings are recommended, for her drug use had not yet affected her voice and her creativity was generally at its height. ~Steve Yanow

Pick Yourself Up

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Rob McConnell & The SWR Big Band - So Very Rob: Boss Brass Revisited

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:36
Size: 179.9 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[7:12] 1. Autumn In New York
[8:43] 2. Confirmation
[8:41] 3. Street Of Dreams
[9:37] 4. Peace Blue Silver
[5:55] 5. So Very Rob
[4:57] 6. What Am I Here For
[6:22] 7. Sith Sense
[9:12] 8. Stella By Starlight
[4:59] 9. Crazy Rhythm
[5:40] 10. A Child Is Born Our Waltz
[7:12] 11. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Few big bands anywhere have a more far-reaching or well-deserved reputation for excellence than Germany’s SWR Big Band, which began life in the early ’50s as Erwin Lehn and his Southern Radio Dance Orchestra. When Lehn stepped aside in 1991 after forty years at the helm, the Stuttgart-based band didn’t miss a beat, swinging resiliently onward first as the SDR Big Band and later the SWR. It was in 1992, barely a year after Lehn’s departure, that composer/arranger/bandleader/valve trombonist extraordinaire Rob McConnell first recorded with the band (known then as SDR), and now, a decade later, he’s back, leading the ensemble through a dozen of his fabulous arrangements on an album that one is compelled to describe as spectacular in every respect.

True, not much here is new (most of these charts have been introduced on various albums by McConnell’s sorely-missed Boss Brass), but to hear them again, played so marvelously by this superlative band, is almost as exhilarating as hearing them for the first time. Indeed, the album’s subtitle is “Boss Brass Revisited,” which is never a bad idea, especially as McConnell had to disband the Brass in ‘96 and replace it with a smaller but no less charismatic group, the Rob McConnell Tentet.

McConnell did write one new chart for the occasion, “So Very Rob,” a typically stylish medium tempo essay that builds in intensity behind roaring brass and mellow French horns before completing a smooth landing. A second original, the breezy “Sixth Sense,” is credited to the leader but appeared on the album Even Canadians Get the Blues with the composer acknowledged (by McConnell in the liner notes) as pianist Ron Johnston.

As is the case in most world-class big bands, the SWR’s sideman are not only flawless section players but admirable soloists as well. There are captivating features for alto saxophonist Axel Kühn (“Autumn in New York”) and tenor Andreas Maile (“What Am I Here For”), a scorching up-tempo romp (“Crazy Rhythm”) for agile trombonists Ian Cumming and Marc Godfroid, and ample room for such resourceful ad libbers as alto Klaus Graf, trumpeters Karl Farrent and Klaus Reichstaller, tenor Jörg Kaufman, pianist Klaus Wagenleiter, bassist Decebal Badila and guitarist Klaus-Peter Schöpfer. McConnell solos twice, on “Sixth Sense” and “A Child Is Born/Our Waltz,” and one need only note that he is playing as well as ever. Last but by no means least, the rhythm section (Wagenleiter, Schöpfer, Badila, drummer Holger Nell) is razor-sharp and persuasive throughout. This is a near-perfect gem of an album with state-of-the-art sound comprising 79 minutes of contemporary big band jazz that is never less than scintillating. ~Jack Bowers

Rob McConnell, composer, arranger, valve trombone; Felice Civitareale, Wim Both, Claus Reichstaller, Karl Farrent, Rudolf Reindl, trumpet, flugelhorn; Klaus Graf, Axel K

So Very Rob: Boss Brass Revisited 

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Ken Peplowski Gypsy Jazz Band - Gypsy Lamento

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:15
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:19)  1. Topsy
(4:42)  2. Anouman
(4:54)  3. Crepuscube
(4:26)  4. Tears
(7:33)  5. I'm Confessin'
(4:35)  6. Minor Swing
(4:24)  7. Solitude
(5:18)  8. Nympheus
(4:15)  9. Please
(5:33) 10. Nuages
(4:26) 11. I've Hat My Moments
(2:46) 12. Time On My Hands

This is a gypsy combo of the Django Reinhardt persuasion, rather than being fully-crazed wedding party cacophony. In fact, reedman Ken Peplowski makes matters even more specialized by concentrating on a preponderance of slow plodders rather than the frenetic hurtling that many gypsy jazz guitar outfits now prefer. The album's cover is slightly strange. Two pseudo-brides in billowing white silk cavort with a pair of goats. Is this what gypsy life entails?  Half of the compositions are written by the old Belgian guitar master Reinhardt, with Peplowski flanked by guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Howard Alden, which is certainly an impressive way to be surrounded. This is a world where reeds are not always invited, but Peplowski smoothly slides in his clarinet and tenor saxophone, delivering some of the most sensitive solos of his career. Pizzarelli and Alden opt for steely picking, bright with a percussive attack, but it sounds like it's the former who's taking most of the solos.

The playing, arrangements and production qualities make this a disc to savor, even though it would benefit from a few more briskly trotting numbers. Peplowski's oozing clarinet closeness on "Anouman" sinks the listener into a less familiar Reinhardt tune. Next up, his tenor tone on "Crepuscule" is magnificent; sounding like the mic is buried deep inside its velvet-lined bowels. Violinist Aaron Weinstein isn't around much, but when he's soloing, the impact is noticeable. He's half slick sluice, half hot friction. The guitars engage in a dialogue during "I'm Confessin,'" the leader layers up both of his horns on "Please," conversing with himself, while it's just Peplowski and Pizzarelli together for the closing "Time On My Hands." This album is an oldster's reflection, but this is no bad thing. Peplowski burns up frequently during other sessions, so a reclined set makes for a pleasurable change. ~ Martin Longley  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/gypsy-lamento-ken-peplowski-venus-records-review-by-martin-longley.php
 

Personnel: Ken Peplowski: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden: guitars; Aaron Weinstein: violin; Frank Tate: bass; Chuck Redd: drums.

Gypsy Lamento

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Kendra Shank - A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:31
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:13)  1. The Music Is The Magic
(6:24)  2. I Got Thunder, And It Rings
(3:53)  3. Not To Worry
(6:56)  4. Down Here Below
(5:42)  5. A Circle Of Love
(7:34)  6. Incantation/Throw It Away
(4:02)  7. Bird Alone
(7:03)  8. The World Is Falling Down
(7:55)  9. Wholly Earth
(4:06) 10. Natas (Aka Playmate)
(5:38) 11. Being Me

An album devoted to Abbey Lincoln's glorious compositions is such an obvious and appealing idea it's a wonder it's taken so long for someone to do it. For decades, Lincoln has written one gorgeous song after another, imbued with passion, emotion and her wise lyrical observations on life, love and loss. Yet while almost every major and minor figure in jazz has been the subject of a "tribute album, Lincoln's was nowhere to be found. Until now, that is. Kudos then to the fine New York singer Kendra Shank, a friend and disciple of Lincoln's, for finally taking on the challenge of recording an "Abbey Lincoln Songbook and a challenge it is, given how difficult and idiosyncratic Lincoln's tunes can be. But Shank, a former folksinger who shares some of Lincoln's theatrical intensity, knocks the eleven songs on A Spirit Free out of the park, capturing the essence of these deeply personal tunes without attempting the losing proposition of imitating Lincoln's wholly inimitable approach.

With fine, spare backing from a group featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough, saxophonist Billy Drewes, guitarist Ben Monder and accordionist Gary Versace among others, Shank makes some of Lincoln's best-known compositions her own. She squeezes all the melancholy drama out of the haunting torch song "Down Here Below and treats "The World Is Falling Down as a sort of Tom Waits-meets-circus-big-top theme. This will surely show up on many best vocal albums lists at the end of the year and will hopefully shine more light on the artistry of both Shank and Lincoln. ~ Joel Roberts  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-spirit-free-abbey-lincoln-songbook-kendra-shank-challenge-records-review-by-joel-roberts.php
 

Personnel: Kendra Shank: vocals; Frank Kimbrough: piano; Dean Johnson: bass; Billy Drewes: bass clarinet: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ben Monder: guitar; Tony Moreno: drums; Gary Versace: accordion.

A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook

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Kenny Davern - You And The Night And The Music

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:15
Size: 177,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:02)  1. Three Little Words
(5:21)  2. Indiana
(2:41)  3. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
(5:51)  4. Georgia On My Mind
(4:50)  5. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
(5:27)  6. I Would Do Anything For You
(4:33)  7. Don't You Leave Me Here
(3:08)  8. Skit Dat De Dat
(5:05)  9. Shine
(5:02) 10. Comes Love
(6:17) 11. New Orleans
(3:27) 12. Walk That Broad
(3:57) 13. Buddy Bolden's Blues
(5:40) 14. Sugar
(1:56) 15. Let's Sow a Wild Oat
(5:09) 16. Sweet Substitute
(3:40) 17. Too Busy

Described in The New York Times as "the finest clarinetist playing today" in the 1990s, that high praise wasn't far off the mark, as it applied to Kenny Davern in the autumn of his life, at the peak of his powers. Call him a jazz purist, even a snob, but Davern believed in playing standards, and that he did. Tunes by George Gershwin, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin; what are sometimes referred to as Great American Songbook tunes. He was often praised for the clarity and pureness of his tone, and often played outdoor festival gigs without amplification. Davern was born in Huntington, on New York's Long Island, on January 7, 1935. He lived with his grandparents in Queens, New York after his own parents split up, and was shuffled through a maze of foster homes in Brooklyn and Queens in his youth. He began playing clarinet when he was 11, via the radio. He heard Pee Wee Russell playing "Memphis Blues" with Mugsy Spanier's Ragtimers, and right then, he had a revelation. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life playing traditional and blues-based jazz. One big break was a phone call from trumpeter Harry "Red" Allen, who he accompanied locally on gigs around Queens while still in high school. He began playing clarinet and switched to saxophone for a time in high school, but switched back to clarinet before auditioning for pianist Ralph Flanagan's big band in the early '50s. Davern recalled he got the clarinet-playing part in Flanagan's band by bluffing his way in, saying he had another gig and the sooner he could audition, the better. He played with the bandleader in 1953 and 1954.

While still a teen, Davern made his recording debut with Jack Teagarden, and four years later, he recorded his first album under his own name, In the Gloryland, for the Elektra Records label. Davern's discography is extensive and includes many albums for the Concord, Chiaroscuro, and Arbors labels. Like any other focused musician, Davern devoted a lot of time to what he called his apprenticeship period, when he worked as a sideman to other bandleaders and recorded little under his own name. He collaborated on-stage and in the recording studio with trombonist Teagarden, trumpeters Harry "Red" Allen and Buck Clayton, and drummer Jo Jones. After he hit 40, he began having thoughts about leading his own group, and by that point, he'd been playing professionally for more than two decades. Davern always considered himself fortunate to have played with many of the pre-bebop jazz stylists in clubs in Manhattan in the '40s. Davern moved to the New Jersey Shore town of Manasquan from New York City in 1965, and he blamed the rise of rock & roll for diminished incomes suffered by many of his friends who played traditional jazz. He began to forge his own path and career with his own recordings, leading his own ensembles in the late '70s. 

For much of the '80s and part of the '90s, he spent upwards of 230 nights a year on the road, and it wasn't until the mid-'90s that he curtailed his travel schedule significantly, playing only a number of select festivals each year. His notable recordings include anything he recorded for the Florida-based Arbors Records label in the '80s and '90s and into the new millennium. "I like to play music that makes me feel good," Davern said in an interview. "I like to listen to it when I play it, and most of that music was played by people who happened to be born around the turn of the century. The lyrics may be corny, but the tunes are not. And the tunes will survive." Davern passed away at his home in Sandia Park, New Mexico, on December 14, 2006, after having a heart attack. He was 71. Bio ~ Richard Skelly  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-davern-mn0000767286/biography

You And The Night And The Music

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Zoot Sims - Getting Sentimental

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:02
Size: 114.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1975/1997
Art: Front

[6:36] 1. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[6:08] 2. Restless
[5:42] 3. Fred
[7:25] 4. Caravan
[6:43] 5. Dream Dancing
[6:20] 6. The Very Thought Of You
[4:52] 7. Love Me
[6:12] 8. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

Everyone needs a little Zoot Sims now and then, and this reissue from 1975, with Jimmy Rowles on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey ("The Stoker") Roker on drums will supply a good fix. This is classic Zoot -I think my grandmother could have passed a blindfold test with this recording- finding him relaxed and blowing hard. Recorded "on location" in a friend's living room near Long Island Sound, the ambiance must have been conducive to making jazz happen. The prime cut is Tom Satterfield's "Restless," but Zoot also captivates on soprano with a steamy "Caravan." ~David Zych

Getting Sentimental

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The Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra - Friends

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:34
Size: 138.7 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[6:36] 1. Blues For Clare
[8:33] 2. Fortune Teller
[6:44] 3. Dido's Lament
[7:01] 4. Point Of Return
[6:14] 5. Something From Everyone
[5:44] 6. Not So Happy Talk
[6:20] 7. I Fall In Love Too Easily
[4:19] 8. Nice And Easy
[4:17] 9. Only The Lonely
[4:42] 10. All The Way

Paul Ferguson has been director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University since 1988. A graduate of the University of Akron and the Eastman School of Music, Paul has travelled with the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller bands as lead trombonist and arranger and currently fills those functions with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.

Paul was principal trombonist of the Canton Symphony from 1989-98 and at various times has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Apollos’s Fire, the Cleveland Chamber Brass, the New Hampshire Festival Orchestra and various groups across Northeast Ohio.

In 1995, Paul was the recipient of the Gil Evans Fellowship in Jazz Composition. He has two recordings–”Blue Highways”, recorded with the RIAS Big Band of Berlin, and “Friends”, recorded with his own orchestra.

Friends

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Lily Frost - Lily Swings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 38:50

Size: 88.9 MB

Styles: Standards, Cabaret

Year: 2008

Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Lover Come Back To Me

[2:36] 2. Love Me Or Leave Me

[4:34] 3. Willow Weep For Me

[2:37] 4. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

[2:06] 5. I Cried For You

[4:35] 6. Solitude

[2:09] 7. Them There Eyes

[2:48] 8. Now Baby Or Never

[4:36] 9. Crazy He Calls Me

[2:38] 10. Keeps On Raining

[1:41] 11. All Of Me

[4:36] 12. [untitled]

Singer Lily Frost is a hard one to pin down. She’s studied modern jazz and is influenced by 1960s music and pop culture, yet Frost also has a background in ‘20s jazz and pop as well as '50s retro swing. LILY SWINGS is a tribute to two legends, jazz vocal icon Billie Holiday and the late Canadian underground retro-wizard Ray Condo. On LILY SWINGS, Frost presents an album’s worth of songs of Holiday classics, but she does them her way. While SWINGS has a particularly old-school ambiance to it, Frost performs Holiday in a mostly up-tempo, swinging style (as opposed to sublime melancholy). ~AMG

Lily Swings

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Mike Melvoin - The Capitol Sessions

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:28
Size: 165.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Vocal jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Bud's Open
[5:55] 2. I Think You Know
[4:43] 3. You Won't Hear Me Say Goodbye
[5:15] 4. Here's Looking At You
[7:13] 5. Haunted Heart
[3:19] 6. Ruth's Waltz
[5:46] 7. I Never Told You
[6:15] 8. Hello My Lovely
[9:17] 9. Blues For Leroy
[4:59] 10. Living Without You
[7:38] 11. Monday
[3:50] 12. 52nd Street
[4:24] 13. La Luna Negra

The world's most in demand piano-man-for-hire for over forty years, Mike Melvoin makes his debut for Naim Label in duo form with Naim regular and acclaimed bass player Charlie Haden.

Charlie was very keen to record an album with Mike, with whom he had not played since the pianist's move from New York to Los Angeles in 1962. "I was totally thrilled when Charlie asked me to do a record with him," enthuses Mike. The intensity of feeling and enjoyment involved in this record is obvious through listening. As Mike says, jazz is what he is, whereas pop is what he does.

There are three vocal tracks by Bill Henderson on the album. Bill and Mike are also old friends, having appeared as a duo many times. Bill features on Charlie's most recent Quartet West album. Bill is still going strong at well over 80 years old and was recently described as "one of jazz's greatest living male vocalists".

Capitol Sessions was recorded during two intense days of recording at the world famous Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

The Capitol Sessions

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Keri Johnsrud - All Blue

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:56
Size: 114,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Anything Goes
(4:31)  2. (The Old Man from) The Old Country
(4:49)  3. But Beautiful
(4:00)  4. More and More
(5:06)  5. The Great City
(5:49)  6. Cabin
(4:01)  7. For Every Man There's a Woman
(5:10)  8. Cryin' Time
(5:32)  9. A Blossom Fell
(5:06) 10. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

In her long-awaited debut album, All Blue, Keri Johnsrud creates a cool, indigo feeling, a mood of jazz and cocktails, city lights and smoky cafes. This exciting new singer brings us an eclectic assortment of songs, each humming with an urban pulse, dynamic and fresh, yet tinged with a world-weary sophistication. As a third-generation musician, born to a musical family in rural Iowa, Keri draws inspiration from her small town roots while communicating a finesse cultivated in Chicago clubs and lounges. With her subtle, casual delivery, Keri celebrates the universal nature and freedom of jazz by saluting well-known standards and re-imagining classic country and modern classical works. Supported by a superb group of versitile and talented musicians, she contributes her distinct and honest voice to the vibrant future of this music.

"She seamlessly sings Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” to the beautiful and distinctive melody of Miles Davis’s “All Blues.” The melding works wonderfully, as does Johnsrud’s cool and casual delivery throughout this project. Johnsrud’s duet version of “But Beautiful” with (Ari) Seder is just that. A low-key, laid-back beauty." ~ Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

“Keri Johnsrud has a unique and appealing voice. Sweet, clear and understated, but the girl can tinge it with blue more naturally than many of the female vocalists trying for that vein... A very nice debut from a singer with an appealing combination of talent and taste.”~ Brad Walseth, JazzChicago.net  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kerijohnsrud

All Blue

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