Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Steve Davis - Say When

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:59
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. Pinnacles
(5:01)  2. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(6:03)  3. Shortcake
(5:51)  4. Mr. Johnson
(8:28)  5. Lament
(6:38)  6. Say When
(6:45)  7. Kenya
(5:39)  8. Shutterbug
(6:43)  9. Village Blues
(5:48) 10. There Will Never Be Another You
(5:56) 11. When the Saints Go Marching In

Trombonist Steve Davis will release Say When, his new Smoke Sessions album, on June 9. On the album, Davis pays tribute to the great J.J. Johnson, "the Charlie Parker of the trombone," in Davis' own words. Say When features trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and the rhythm section of pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Joe Farnsworth. by Jazz Times  http://jazztimes.com/sections/AlbumPreviews/articles/162406-exclusive-album-premiere-steve-davis-say-when

Inspired by the bebop of the 1950s, Steve Davis has crafted a distinctive sound on the slide trombone. In addition to leading his own group and serving as co-leader of One for All, Davis continues to perform with Chick Corea's sextet Origin. "I'm drawn to music which allows for creativity of expression," Davis said during a 2001 interview, "music which challenges the listener (as well as the musicians playing it) to think, to imagine, to feel." A native of Binghamton, NY, Davis grew up surrounded by music. His father had a huge collection of jazz, blues, and rock records while his mother was an avid fan of the radio. Together with his younger brother, he developed a knack for harmonizing. Davis' musical abilities were inherited from his maternal grandmother, a self-taught stride piano player who performed in local restaurants. 

Although he taught himself to pick out basslines on the piano by the age of six, he studied trumpet, baritone saxophone, and tuba in school. Switching to the trombone in order to play with the high-school stage/dance band, he discovered his natural musical voice. Davis sharpened his technique while attending a summer jazz workshop at SUNY Binghamton in which the Bob Brookmeyer Sextet featuring Joe Lovano served as the resident band. He later spent three years with the Binghamton Youth Symphony. He continued his studies at the University of Hartford's Hartt College of Music, where he was mentored by alto saxophonist and music teacher Jackie McLean. Davis' first career break came when McLean recommended him to influential jazz drummer Art Blakey. After sitting in with Blakey's band during several gigs, he replaced Frank Lacy in 1989. He remained with the band until Blakey's death in 1990. Teaching since 1985, Davis joined the jazz faculty at the Hartt College of Music in 1991. ~ Bio  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/steve-davis/id462910#fullText

Personnel: Steve Davis – trombone; Eddie Henderson – trumpet; Eric Alexander – tenor sax; Harold Mabern – piano; Nat Reeves – bass; Joe Farnsworth – drums.

Monday, June 8, 2015

VA - Ladies In Blue: The Best Blue Note Female Vocals

Size: 175,6+164,6 MB
Time: 75:40+70:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Blue Note Records
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Stacey Kent - What A Wonderful World (4:24)
02. Norah Jones - Those Sweet Words (3:24)
03. The Bird & The Bee - How Deep Is Your Love (3:22)
04. Sabrina Starke - Yellow Brick Road (4:07)
05. Cassandra Wilson - Time After Time (4:05)
06. Traincha - What The World Needs Now (3:56)
07. Abbey Lincoln - Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear From Me (2:14)
08. China Moses - What A Difference A Day Makes (7:17)
09. Alice Ricciardi - Comes Love (4:27)
10. Billie Holiday - Detour Ahead (3:01)
11. Blossom Dearie - May I Come In (20 Bit Mastering 1998 Remastered Version) (2:12)
12. Julie London - I Left My Heart In San Francisco (2:48)
13. Jacinta - Baby Won't You Please Come Home (5:45)
14. Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims - Violets For Your Furs (6:07)
15. Holly Cole & Javon Jackson - Hum Drum Blues (5:36)
16. Molly Johnson - Melody (3:44)
17. Grant Greens - Down Here On The Ground (Ummah Remix Feat. Dianne Reeves) (4:36)
18. Cecilie Norby - Set Them Free (4:27)

CD 2:
01. Priscilla Ahn - Dream (3:29)
02. Marlena Shaw - Feel Like Making Love (4:58)
03. Shirley Eikhard - There But For Love Go I (5:12)
04. Eliane Elias - They Can't Take That Away From Me (3:43)
05. Carmen Mcrae - The Man I Love (4:15)
06. Denise Jannah - You Must Believe In Spring (7:13)
07. Betty Carter - There Is No Greater Love (3:49)
08. Dodo Greene - Jazz In My Soul (2:35)
09. Jackie Allen - Lazy Afternoon (3:49)
10. Helen Eriksen - Arms Around You (4:45)
11. Lena Horne - Something To Live For (Live) (4:43)
12. Sarah Vaughan - Stormy Weather (With Jimmie Jones And Orchestra) (3:26)
13. Nancy Wilson - Call Me Irresponsible (2000 Remastered Version) (2:25)
14. Nina Simone - The House Of The Rising Sun (Live At The Village Gate 2004 Remastered Version) (4:37)
15. Sheila Jordan - Baltimore Oriole (2:34)
16. Sue Raney - Maybe You'll Be There (2006 Remastered Version) (2:23)
17. Annie Ross - I'm Just A Lucky So And So (4:46)
18. George Shearing - In The Night (2003 Remastered Version) (2:00)

Ladies In Blue CD 1
Ladies In Blue CD 2

Stefan Patry & Rene Sopa - Hammondeon: Live At Joinville-Le-Pont

Size: 129,6 MB
Time: 55:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Raymonde 007 (5:44)
02. It Ain't Necessarily So (3:41)
03. L'ete Indien (9:28)
04. For Astor (3:56)
05. Calypsong (5:31)
06. Agathe The Funk (4:25)
07. Toulouse (4:34)
08. Killer Joe (9:09)
09. Andabluesy (9:27)

Recorded Live at the Espace Prévert Joinville le Pont, this filmed concert Hammondéon is a rare moment of energy and communion between four exceptional musicians; Stéfan Patry flying his Hammond B3 and René SOPA, incredible accordion; Jean Philippe FANFANT, one of the best drummers of the moment and Sydney HADDAD, ethnic percussionist. This quartet transmits a "sun" immortal music with covers such as the famous "Indian Summer" by Joe Dassin immortalized or Killer Joe Golson Beeny reviewed and corrected or the inevitable "Toulouse" Nougaro plane in which the mind and verve of the poet ... compositions of the two initiators of this project.

Hammondeon

Emily Asher's Garden Party - Meet Me In The Morning

Size: 102,7 MB
Time: 40:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Open Invitation To A Rainstorm (3:19)
02. I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling (3:24)
03. Garden Party Party (4:17)
04. Meet Me In The Morning (3:43)
05. My Life Would Be Easy (4:54)
06. When You Wore A Tulip (4:31)
07. Memphis In June (3:58)
08. Walk It Off (4:58)
09. Big Butter And Egg Man (4:42)
10. Pacific Lullaby (3:05)

Emily Asher’s Garden Party has been called “red hot” and “very exciting” by the Wall Street Journal. This seven member band of all-stars from New York City’s vibrant early jazz scene performs coast to coast in the finest jazz clubs to the busiest swing dance halls. Drawing on the repertoire of Louis Armstrong’s enchanting Hot Fives and Duke Ellington’s sophisticated melodies to the funky and soulful music of New Orleans brass bands, and Hoagy Carmichael’s masterpieces, they are, as the title of their 2013 EP asserts, a “Carnival of Joy!”

Trombonist and vocalist Emily Asher is a rising musical personality in New York City in strong demand as a bandleader and sidewoman. The Wall Street Journal also said, “In traditional jazz, the trombone comes closest to the human voice, although up to now it’s rarely been cast as a distinctly female voice… Ms. Asher plays with both grit and grace.”

Emily Asher’s Garden Party has just released “Meet Me in the Morning,” which they describe as “a fresh new, tail-shaking, joy-waking, romance-making, rule-breaking, breath-taking, Big Easy meets The Big Apple,” album length recording.

Personnel: Emily, trombone, vocals, composition, arrangements; Mike Davis, trumpet, fluegelhorn, cornet, arrangements, vocals; Tom Abbott, clarinet, alto saxophone; Dalton Ridenhour, piano; Nick Russo, banjo, guitar; Sean Cronin, string bass, composition, arrangements; Rob Adkins, string bass, arrangements; Jay Lepley, drums, arrangements, vocals.

Meet Me In The Morning

Norbert Stachel - Shades Of The Bay

Size: 129,8 MB
Time: 55:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Crawdaddy Dance (4:23)
02. Step On It (5:28)
03. Afrobaldi (4:57)
04. Peace On Earth (4:57)
05. For Tito (8:13)
06. Mandela (4:56)
07. Last Minute Blues (7:40)
08. Power Tap (3:33)
09. Goodbye Elgin Park (6:21)
10. Elbo Greaze (5:05)

Personnel: Norbert Stachel, Happy Sanchez, David K. Mathews, Peter Horvath, Ray Obiedo, Marc Van Wageningen, Karl Perazzo, Dave Schul, Victor Little, Brian Collier, Daniel Gonzalez, Mic Gillette, Louis Fasman, Jeff Cressman, Yosvany Terry.

Norbert Stachel, a saxophonist and multi woodwind instrumentalist, is widely recognized for being a unique soloist and also for his strong ensemble contributions in all kinds of musical genres. Norbert has recorded, toured, and performed with a variety of known and established names, as well as artists deserving wider recognition. He has worked with famous names including: Aerosmith, Tower of Power, Roger Waters, Tony Toni Toné, Ted Nugent, Eddie Money, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Prince, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Dream Theatre, Diana Ross, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt, Cold Blood, Neil Diamond, En Vogue, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Sheila E, Quincy Jones, D’Angelo, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffet, Quicksilver, Les McCann, Don Cherry, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Andrew Hill, Charlie Haden, Benny Green, Russel Malone, Woody Herman, Kenny Burrell, Buddy Montgomery, Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson, George Cables, Bobby Hutcherson, Lou Rawls, Eartha Kitt, Dizzy Gillespie, Zigaboo Modeliste, Flora Purim & Airto, Merle Saunders, Bob Weir, Hiram Bullock, Carlos Santana, & countless others.

Norbert is accomplished on all saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and ethnic wind instruments. Norbert has 30+ years experience playing Jazz, Classical, Rock, R&B, Afro Cuban/Latin, Salsa, Klezmer, Middle Eastern, World, and most other forms of music. Norbert also composes instrumental & vocal music, and also arranges for any kind of instrumental ensemble or choir.

Instruments Played: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, & Bass Saxophones- Eb Soprano, Bb, Bb Bass (low C), & BBb Contrabass (low C) Clarinets- Piccolo, C, Alto , & Bass Flutes- & a variety of ethnic wind instruments.

Shades Of The Bay

Jamie Lynn Fletcher - My Desire Of You

Size: 103,3 MB
Time: 44:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. My Desire Of You (4:09)
02. Dangerously Beautiful (4:07)
03. In My Dreams (5:26)
04. I'll Kiss You In The Rain (3:11)
05. Unresolved (3:21)
06. Just A Little Bit (2:42)
07. Night And Day (5:34)
08. Proper You (3:23)
09. What Now (3:01)
10. Fever (3:57)
11. That's All (5:20)

Jamie hails from the great frozen tundra of Wisconsin, USA. With a Bachelors Degree in International Political Economics and a Masters degree in Broadcast Journalism, Jamie's logical career endeavor was to entertain the planet with her piano and vocals.

Music has taken Jamie to over 90 countries and territories, but she loves most her homeland USA where she has played in R&B, cover, and high-end corporate bands from coast to coast, along with freelancing either solo or with her trio.

Having been bitten by the sea bug, Jamie also tours via cruise ships and conveniently gets wanderlust when the tundra of Wisconsin famously freezes over and every avian species moves to Florida for the winter.

Jamie has performed at 5-star hotels, entertained many dignitaries such as former US President Jimmy Carter, and shared the stage with jazz greats such as Steve March-Tormé and Arturo Sandoval. Jamie’s new album ‘My Desire of You’ can be heard on radio world-wide

"Jamie has... a powerful and moving voice, which she uses with the utmost sophistication."
- Axel Melhardt, Jazzland, Vienna, Austria

“An incredible writer, arranger and performer who is in a league of her own.”
- Roy Elkins, President & CEO, Broadjam

“Jamie is an inventive, jazz-oriented, outside-the-box performer whose musicality goes far beyond the ordinary.”
-Steve March-Tormé , Jazz Singer & Composer

“Emerging in the music press, one may compare the sounds of Jamie Lynn Fletcher with those of other
piano-splendid jazz icons such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones … Jamie is, beyond dispute, easy to maintain in that list of known singing jazz pianists.”
-Valere Sampermans, RootsTime Jazz Magazine & Radio, Belgium

My Desire Of You

Lupa Santiago & Anders Vestergard Quintet - Lisboa Sessions

Size: 117,7 MB
Time: 50:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sliding (8:03)
02. Lais (7:45)
03. Another Perspective (5:30)
04. Pizindim (5:26)
05. X-Directions (4:04)
06. Antes Tarde (5:37)
07. Paraspasm (7:17)
08. Ornethology (7:02)

Lupa Santiago from Brazil is one of the most well renowed jazz guitarists in South America. He has recorded and played on numerous recordings and performed in South America, Europe and United States.

Anders Vestergård born in Finland but living in Sweden is highly involved in the modern jazz sene in Sweden and has led, recorded and performed with several groups in Europe, Brazil, United States and Russia.

When meeting in Denmark 2013 Anders and Lupa set up the plans to make a record together and contaced highly acclaimed musicians from Irland and Portugal which eventually led to a week of playing and recording their music in Lisbon 2014.

Lupa Santiago & Anders Vestergård Quintet comes out of earlier collaborations both of them have done with the other musicians on different occasions playing in Brazil, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, Denmark and South Africa. When meeting in 2013 they set up the plans to make a record together and contaced the other musicians which eventually led to a week of playing and recording our music in Lisbon 2014. It’s all original music composed by both of them. They wanted to create music characterised by strong melodies, rhythmic creativity and dynamic interplay with improvisations that can go in any direction.

Lisboa Sessions

Jay McShann - Havin' Fun

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:46
Size: 164.3 MB
Styles: Piano blues
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[ 6:13] 1. Jumpin' The Blues
[ 7:32] 2. Nevertheless
[ 6:34] 3. Vine Street Boogie
[ 6:54] 4. Summertime
[ 5:56] 5. Margie
[10:37] 6. Sometimes I Wonder
[ 7:13] 7. Lullaby Of Birdland
[ 7:26] 8. Just Squeeze Me
[ 7:16] 9. All Of Me
[ 6:01] 10. Wellington Street Bounce

The team of pianist-vocalist Jay McShann and bassist Major Holley was very natural. Their 1986 engagement at Toronto's Café des Copains was the first time they had worked together in years, but the spontaneity adds to the fun of the music. Holley contributes swinging and witty basslines along with occasional bowed solos (singing along with his bass), while McShann plays and sings more standards and less blues than usual. The great deal of joy in this collaboration can be heard in such songs as "Jumpin' the Blues," "Margie," "Lullaby of Birdland," and McShann's lengthy "Sometimes I Wonder." ~Scott Yanow

Havin'Fun  

Arturo Sandoval - Americana

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:32
Size: 118.0 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:18] 1. Just The Way You Are
[5:19] 2. Come Back To Me
[4:18] 3. Englishman In New York
[4:48] 4. Let's Stay Together
[5:42] 5. All Night Long (All Night)
[3:28] 6. Baby, Come To Me
[4:38] 7. Killing Me Softly With His Song
[5:41] 8. If You Leave Me Now
[3:35] 9. She's Out Of My Life
[4:20] 10. We've Only Just Begun
[5:20] 11. Isn't She Lovely

Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval offers a love letter to American pop songwriting on Americana (N Coded Music NC-4206-2; 52:09), featuring his takes on an interesting lineup of selections, from the truly classic (Al Green's Motown immortal "Let's Stay Together") to pop muzak (Peter Cetera's "If You Leave Me Now"). All are subject to Sandoval's lively, percussion-centered interpretations, which jell well for a gospel romp on Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and a seductive, slow-burning Latin waltz on the Roberta Flack chestnut "Killing Me Softly." Sandoval uses his mute trumpet and fluegelhorn for gentle romance on the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" (which also takes off into a smooth jazz ride), and "Just the Way You Are," highlighted by a sweet Latin guitar sway, if slightly marred by tinny keyboards. Most surprising is the punch lent to "All Night Long," which Sandoval injects with a wow-worthy horn chorale, uncovering and accentuating calypso and Latin elements of Lionel Richie's bubblegum tune. Sandoval's enthusiastic approach, highlighting both technical skill and lyrical melodic interpretation, allows listeners to revere and rethink this interesting cross section of Americana. ~Hilarie Grey

Americana     

Miki Purnell - Swingin' To The Sea

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:22
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. On Green Dolphin Street
(5:13)  2. Bluesette
(6:30)  3. Estate
(5:55)  4. A Night In Tunisia
(4:32)  5. Like Me
(3:31)  6. Swingin' On A Star
(4:16)  7. Sexy, Sexy
(5:16)  8. Moon And Sand
(6:28)  9. Maiden Voyage
(3:40) 10. The Nearness Of You
(5:11) 11. Free
(6:22) 12. The Island
(3:59) 13. Sunny San Diego Sunday

When I discovered that Miki Purnell, the jazz songstress making her album debut with Swingin’ to the Sea, was not merely a singer but a medical doctor as well, before I had even listened to it, I thought I had the perfect sentence to open my review if I didn’t like it. “Don’t quit your day job.” Then I heard the lady sing. And while I think she could have chosen some of her material more wisely, one thing is certain. This is a lady who can sing. If Purnell is half as good with her patients, quitting her day job would be nothing short of criminal. I guess she should simply work them both. Born in Japan, Dr. Purnell studied classical piano as a child, but it wasn’t until she was in college that she first heard any jazz. As she puts it on her website, “I heard ‘Blue In Green’ by Bill Evans and Miles Davis and it hit me so strong that I could not resist the temptation to sing jazz. I was also deeply impressed by Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald. I was inspired not only by their improv but by the stories of their lives.”

Medical school came first, and after graduation, Purnell began her practice first in Hawaii and then in San Diego. But as is often the case, once you get the itch, eventually you have to scratch. She began to study voice, and eventually it was suggested that if the singer was serious about music, she needed to record an album. Purnell was serious. Swingin’ to the Sea makes it clear just how so.

As far as the choice of material is concerned, a singer can go with the tried and true or work with original or lesser-known material. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Singing classics gives you songs that your audience knows and loves while putting you in competition with all the vocalists who worked on the song before you, a competition you may well lose. On the other hand, while unfamiliar material may not engender comparisons; it may well be unfamiliar for a reason. Purnell solves the problem the way many singers do; she does a mix of both. Of the 13 tunes on the album, more than half are well-known pieces, and to these she adds two of her own and two by Dave MacKay, who helps out on piano.

She does a playful version of “Swinging on a Star,” a sappy song made famous by Bing Crosby in the movie Going My Way which paled in comparison with some of the other tracks. Her version of “Estate,” on the other hand,  is a smoldering take on the classic. Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” allows Purnell to show her chops, holding notes and doing a bit of scat singing. It also features some fine solo work from Lori Bell on flute and Kevin Koch on drums. Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia” begins exotically with Reiko Obata joining her on the koto, but very quickly Purnell starts to swing. It is a dynamic treatment of the classic. Her version of “Bluesette” is equally appealing, especially in her climactic give-and-take with Bell.

“Sexy, Sexy” and “Sunny San Diego Sunday” are the two Purnell originals, and while her vocals are fine, my own preference (with one exception) would have been for better-known material. I would have been much happier to see what she could do with more songs in the vein of ones on here such as “On Green Dolphin Street” and “The Nearness of You.” Joey Carano has a sweet guitar solo on the former. MacKay’s “Free” and “Like Me,” along with “Moon and Sand” and “The Island” round out Miki Purnell’s excellent debut album. ~ Jack Goodstein  http://blogcritics.org/music-review-miki-purnell-swingin-to-the-sea/

Roy Haynes & Quincy Jones - Jazz Abroad

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:36
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:15)  1. Pogo Stick
(5:32)  2. Liza
(5:39)  3. Jones' Bones
(5:51)  4. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:49)  5. Little Leona
(5:02)  6. Miss Mopsy
(5:56)  7. Gone Again
(5:29)  8. Hagnes

"Jazz Abroad" was originally a Mercury LP with two totally distinct faces, except that they were both recorded in Stockholm. On one side signed by Quincy Jones, his first session on 10 vovembre leader in 1953, including Lars Gullin and Art Farmer and Alan Dawson on drums. And a B-side dedicated to Roy Haynes, canning 3 October 1954. Four compositions for sextet formed on site (three weeks before a meeting in Paris with a different sextet for the Vogue label). 

Roy Haynes and bassist Joe Benjamin were now on tour with Sarah Vaughan and the concert of the singer in Stockholm was coupled with that of the Illinois Jacquet training which included Shahib Shihab and Adrian Acea. The tenor and trombonist them were the heyday of the local scene ...Translate by google ~ Alex Dutilh  http://www.francemusique.fr/jazz/jazz-au-tresor-roy-haynes-jazz-abroad-18081

Personnel: Bjarne Nerem - Sax Tenor;  Sahib Shihab - Sax Alto, Baritone;  Arne Domnérus - Clarinet, Sax (Alto);  Lars Gullin - Sax (Baritone);  Art Farmer – Trumpet;  Ake Persson - Trombone, Choir, Chorus, Soloist;  Jimmy Cleveland - Trombone, Choir, Chorus;  Adriano John Acea – Piano;  Joe Benjamin, Simon Brehm – Bass;  Roy Haynes, Alan Dawson – Drums;  Quincy Jones - Arranger, Composer, Director

Jazz Abroad

Viper Mad Trio - Buddy Bolden's Blues

Styles: New Orleans Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:32
Size: 102,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:36)  1. Buddy Bolden's Blues
(3:21)  2. 8 9 & 10
(3:08)  3. Just Squeeze Me
(3:17)  4. Shorty's Got to Go
(4:20)  5. Lotus blossom
(3:47)  6. Bucket's Got a Hole In It
(2:47)  7. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(4:13)  8. I'm Beboppin' Too
(4:37)  9. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
(4:15) 10. Sweet Marijuana Brown
(2:53) 11. Hot Nuts
(3:13) 12. Viper Mad

You know by the very title here that Buddy Bolden's Blues is proudly old-timey, and yer dead right in thet thar conjecture, Jethro, but it also has a very distinctive twist to it. For one, the group is a trio of just guitar, trumpet, bass, and vocals, but the gig's captained by the pixyish Molly Reeves, who's far from a Tinkerbelle…unless Tink's been roller skating around the speakeasy and ogling the boys 'n menfolk, winking and waggling her bustle. There's precious little about Molly that indicates any shade of shrinking violet, no siree. She's half coquette, half temptress, and more than a little vamp lessee now, that makes three halfs, right?; yeah, that's about right and Ryan Robertson is constantly beelining around her with a belled trumpet, sassy, perky, and hopsteppin'.

BB's Blues is just plain ol' ribald fun through and through, a collection of a dozen classic tunes and an obscure gem or two (Leonard Feather's Sweet Marijuana Brown, f'rinstance…and, okay, now we know where daughter Lorraine got her too cool off-kilter wont), all given the loving grinning once-over, bassist Kellen Garcia taking up the down-lo with Reeves occupying an interesting zone covering both fetching guitar picking and drum work. Drumwork Yep! "But, Mark," you say, gobsmacked, "you said there was only gee-tar, (s)trumpet, bass, and vocals!" Well, ya gotta pay attention, Jerome, because what you think is a half-brushed / half-stick bottom rhythm is actually Reeves doing semi-damped strumming and stun-strum that adroitly ape what a percussionist would lay beneath the ensemble.

The promo lit mentions the pre-WWII nature of the disc and refers to Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan cool! but don't forget later mad catz like Leon Redbone and Bette Midler, and there's more a trifle of Rickie Lee too, not to mention a smidge of her one-time beau, Tom Waits…minus the cigar-chompin' basso, of course. Yep, this is the kind of music no one with heart and soul, as well as an itch and a yearnin', can pass by. Even God, when he climbs down from that Sistine Chapel thing of his, sparks up the Victrola and lays an ear to precisely this ilk of naughty and humorous hanky-panky. Hey, don't take my word for it, it's in the Bible! Somewhere. I think. ~ Mark S. Tucker  http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p09618.htm

Personnel:  Molly Reeves – Guitar & Vocal;  Kellen Garcia – Bass & Background Vocal;  Ryan Robertson – Trumpet & Vocal

Buddy Bolden's Blues

Toquio Bossa Trio - Angel Eyes

Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:37
Size: 111,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:00)  1. Tim Dom Dom
(4:52)  2. Girl from Ipanema
(4:39)  3. Samba De Orly
(4:54)  4. Angel Eyes
(3:39)  5. Moment's Notice
(4:41)  6. Vento No Canavial
(6:05)  7. Mas Que Nada
(5:02)  8. Ela é Carioca
(5:33)  9. Gift
(5:09) 10. Tristeza

Toquio Bossa Trio and is a piano trio of Brazilian music (bossa nova and samba), which is a patient's ChuNaru-do dental clinic "Kazuo Yoshida," Mr. is a member. It is insanely cool. Actually it is flowing as BGM even during practice in ANNEX. Patients healed in the music, medical staff has got a power. When asked to listen to Brazilian patients, she was telling me as "very nostalgic, nimble feeling is it's the best!". Album name is "Angel Eyes". Please enjoy slowly and carefully. Translate by google  http://chuseido.com/chuseidoblog/2011/01/toquio-bossa-trio.html

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Alma Micic - Introducing Alma

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:02
Size: 114.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:03] 1. Day Dream
[3:07] 2. Corcovado
[2:52] 3. Close Your Eyes
[6:17] 4. Something To Live For
[4:00] 5. Yesterdays
[6:48] 6. That April Day
[6:55] 7. Sejdefu Majka Budjase
[6:27] 8. Infant Eyes
[3:05] 9. I Remember You
[5:24] 10. But Beautiful

On her début recording, singer Alma Micic presents a program of ten songs from the Great American Songbook or jazz standards with one original and a traditional Montenegrin "Sejdefu Majka Budjase."

Alma Micic has a nice way with a ballad and opens with the Strayhorn/Ellington "Day Dream," then moves on to an up-tempo, non-bossa "Corcovado." She mixes more ballads like "Something to Live For" and "But Beautiful" with swingers like "Yesterdays" and "I Remember You," on which Micic demonstrates a decent scatting ability. The original composition, "That April Day," has traces of the Ellington classic "Chelsea Bridge" and Micic offers a vocal version of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" with uncredited lyrics.

Of special mention is the piano trio led by Brandon McCune that provides fine support with bassist Sean Conty and drummer Israel Bannerman. McCune demonstrates mastery of block chording in the manner of Red Garland. ~Michael P. Gladstone

Alma Micic, voice; Brandon McCune,piano; Sean Conly, bass; Israel Bannerman,drums.

Introducing Alma

Milt Jackson, Hubert Laws - Goodbye

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:32
Size: 83.7 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1974/2004
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Old Devil Moon
[6:44] 2. SKJ
[6:43] 3. Opus De Funk
[7:57] 4. Detour Ahead
[9:20] 5. Goodbye

Recorded in 1973 as a foray away from the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson's second entry on the CTI label is also one of its highlights. This is one of Creed Taylor's finest productions both in terms of material and sidemen. Drummer Steve Gadd, flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist Cedar Walton accompany Jackson on the majority of the album. Indeed, Jackson's ability to swing funky is evidenced to delightful extremes on "Old Devil Moon," with a rolling cymbal shakeout from Gadd, whose rim shots and tempo-pushing musculature are a sharp contrast to those of the MJQ's Connie Kay.Likewise, Laws, whose playing is usually over the top, stays inside melodic nuances here and provides Jackson with an essential harmonic foil. And Ron Carter is playing throughout with a popping edge he never had before or since. On Jackson's own SKJ, recorded in December of 1972, Don Sebesky conducted a jazz orchestra for Taylor that included Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Cobham, Carter, a string section, a reed and woodwind and brass section, and a harp. Sounds sticky, eh? Hardly, Jackson is pure Bags here, playing it blue-black and rolling out around the ends of the turnarounds into deep, funky, post-bop terrain. The orchestra is mixed way down and is added for texture so the sextet is what one hears most -- along with a burning Freddie Hubbard solo. The other number of real note here is a ripping rendition of Horace Silver's "Opus de Funk," which sprawls the slim harmonic edge, rolls it out on a carpet, and turns it inside on itself, before rolling through the blues to move the intervals into a sequence Silver might not have considered when he wrote it, but which Jackson reveals was in there all the time. ~Thom Jurek

Goodbye

The Jodi Beach Trio - West Of The Moon

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 121,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Stardust
(5:39)  2. Besame Mucho
(3:04)  3. You Stepped Out of A Dream
(5:09)  4. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
(3:19)  5. Tenderly
(5:18)  6. Pure Imagination
(3:35)  7. If You Want To Hear I Love You
(3:22)  8. I See A Face In the Clouds
(3:55)  9. One Warm Day
(4:46) 10. Days of Wine and Roses
(3:44) 11. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
(5:18) 12. When You Wish Upon A Star

This release features soaringly romantic arrangements of timeless jazz classics book-ending some spicy Latin flavored original love songs. Lush vocals and classic "old school" instrumentals will take you back in time and touch your heart. Moon, stars, & dreams have long been subjects that have fascinated and inspired poets, musicians and artists of all types. I am often drawn to lyrics that reflect these images. There is a fairy tale that tells of a prince who lives in a castle “east of the sun and west of the moon.” It is believed that this story inspired Brooks Bowman to write the dreamy lyrics for his song. “I wish that we could live up in the sky, to live among the stars, the moon, just you and I.” 

Sounds delightful to me! This collection of songs will take you on a musical journey of love through the stars to the moon and back. My hope is that you enjoy them as much as we do! I hope that this music transports you to another place and time...where we can all visit in a place “east of the sun and west of the moon” where we will “live in a lovely way, on love in the pale moonlight”….keep wishing on stars….and believing in the power of your dreams. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jodibeachtrio

Denny Zeitlin - Wherever You Are: Midnight Moods for Solo Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:01
Size: 156,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:01)  1. Body and Soul
(6:55)  2. Good-Bye
(7:10)  3. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars/How Insensitive
(9:16)  4. Last Night When We Were Young
(6:33)  5. I Hear a Rhapsody
(3:51)  6. Time Remembers One Time Once
(9:28)  7. The Meaning of the Blues
(4:24)  8. My Dream Is Yours
(8:49)  9. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:31) 10. Wherever You Are

There's something magnificent about a top-level artist alone with a piano, immersed in a mood of quiet nights, under quiet stars. Denny Zeitlin, a versatile music maker who wrote the electro-acoustic symphonic soundtrack for the 1978 remake of the science fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, has released a handful of excellent trio albums on the MaxJazz and Sunnyside labels, but since 2010, has concentrated on solo perforomances. Precipice (Sunnyside Records, 2010) and Labyrinth (Sunnyside Records, 2011) are both live recordings of solo piano outings. Zeitlin continues his solo run with Wherever You Are Midnight Moods for Solo Piano. On previous albums, Zeitlin has always included varied programs, with Midnight Moods though, he tries a different tangent a thematic album. Featuring a sustained mood, dealing in gentle ballads with the kind of extended ruminative atmosphere that Frank Sinatra pioneered with his In the Wee Small Hours (Columbia Records, 1955).

The tunes are familiar standards, some bossa-nova and a couple of classic Zeitlin originals. Opening with the often covered "Body and Soul," from the 1930 Broadway review Three's a Crowd, and brought irretrievably into the jazz cannon by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins' 1939 take on the tune. Zeitlin reharmonizes and injects a stately atmosphere, his exquisite touch and early classical background shining through.Gordon Jenkins' "Good-bye" was covered beautifully in the jazz piano arena by Keith Jarrett and Bobo Stenson, and here Zeiltin explores the fragility of the tune through use of rubato, sounding as if he's feeling his way into uncharted territory. Antonio Carlos Jobim's most beautiful of works, "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" transitions into "How Insensitive," then slips back and forth between the two tunes.

Zeitlin also revisits two of his most cherished originals, "Time Remembers One Time Once," from his 1983 ECM Records album of the same name a beautiful duet recording with bassist Charlie Haden and "Wherever You Are." The former evoking the feeling of the universal search for human connection while the latter is a tender description of love's transcendence. Wherever You Are Midnight Moods for Solo Piano is Denny Zeitlin's most intimate and contemplative sets of songs, and perhaps the loveliest work from a top jazz pianist at the height of his expressive powers. ~ Dan McClenaghan  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/wherever-you-are-midnight-moods-for-solo-piano-denny-zeitlin-sunnyside-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php
 
Personnel: Denny Zeitlin: piano.

Tony Messina - All About Love And Life

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 116,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Wave
(3:59)  2. Yesterday When I Was Young
(3:03)  3. That's Life
(3:21)  4. Desperado
(3:19)  5. New York State of Mind
(4:08)  6. So Many Stars
(3:48)  7. You Woke My Senses
(2:48)  8. Call Me Irresponsible
(3:41)  9. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
(3:09) 10. April Smiled
(4:24) 11. Everything Must Change
(3:16) 12. If
(4:21) 13. The Way You Look Tonight
(3:44) 14. Misty

Tony Messina's singing style is classical/jazz fusion with traces of swing with a natural sense of crooning.

"'All About Love and Life' is first rate, elegant and utterly enjoyable."Bob Collins - Music Director WRHU FM New York  Oct 15, 2014

"'All About Love and Life' is a pure delight. This one's keeper". Scott Harper - Host, Tuesday Nite Straight Ahead  KAJX FM Aspen Public Radio Oct 26, 2014  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tonymessina9

Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:30
Size: 90,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:23)  1. The Darktown Strutters Ball
(3:50)  2. Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out
(2:38)  3. I'm Having A Good Time
(3:44)  4. Always
(3:49)  5. My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More
(3:24)  6. Amtrak Blues
(4:14)  7. Old Fashioned Blues
(4:12)  8. Sweet Georgia Brown
(3:59)  9. A Good Man Is Hard To FInd
(4:13) 10. I've Got A Mind To Ramble

Alberta Hunter's second recording since launching her remarkable comeback (she was 83 when this album was cut) finds the veteran blues singer (a survivor of the 1920s) still in surprisingly strong form and full of spirit. Such songs as "Darktown Strutters' Ball," "My Handy Man," "Old Fashioned Love" and "I've Got a Mind to Ramble" are given fine treatment by Hunter, who is joined by the Gerald Cook quartet, trombonist Vic Dickenson, trumpeter Doc Cheatham and tenorman Frank Wess on various tracks. 
~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/amtrak-blues-mw0000193668

Amtrak Blues

Lokua Kanza - Plus Vivant

Styles: R&B
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 122,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:55)  1. Voir le jour
(3:35)  2. Camera dans le coeur
(3:47)  3. Envie d'aventure
(3:18)  4. Tu es l'infini
(3:36)  5. Plus vivant (avec Corneille)
(3:44)  6. Aller simple pour l'infini
(3:44)  7. Laisse-moi le remps
(3:11)  8. Si tu pars
(4:05)  9. Anticyclone
(3:58) 10. A tes cotes
(3:36) 11. La clef des champs
(3:36) 12. Le monde est fou
(4:25) 13. Mal a dire
(0:33) 14. Piololo
(3:37) 15. Plus vivant (solo)

Lokua Kanza has one of the most exceptional voices of Africa. It has a clarity that rings out, calls you from what you're doing and begs you to sit down and listen.His last album, released in 2001, was a piece of work that was close to perfect. Toyebi Te brought Lokua's home country of Congo to the listener in powerful and touching songs, spiced with intricate rhythms tapped out on bottles and call-and-response vocals, in his mother tongue of Lingala. With his children speaking amid the melodies and the sound of the rain coming down, it was a genuine work of art. Four years later, Lokua has brought out Plus Vivantwhichprompts me to ask,what has happened to his Africa? Plus Vivant is a fifteen-track album of guitar introspections; some done in an R&B style ("Le monde est fou"), some haunting acoustic ballads ("Mal a dire"), and some upbeat tracks,which point towards the Congolese style without being overpowering. There's some beautiful piano, some exceptional guitar solos and it's all very pleasant. However, it isn't until track seven, "Laisse moi le temps". that I begin to remember the Lokua of Toyebi Te and I find myself up and moving to this uplifting, finely arranged and rhythmically interesting song. 

The unknown percussion instrument sounds like something beating against a tin roof, the electric guitar resounds like a smile, and the smooth voice of Lokuapulls the whole thing together.The album only peaks like this again in a duet with French R&B singer Corneille, but this is quite a collaboration, and their voices do each other justice in the way that others can only dream of. There's also a thirty two second snippet of something magical, "Piololo", that comes in so briefly with its chimes and humming vocals that it's gone before I can say Toyebi Te.Still, if there are moments when I wonder why Lokua has recorded an album entirely in French, all is redeemed by the sound of his voice. It is as vibrant as ever, allowing me to think of him still as the voice of the African continent. ~ Rose Skelton  http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/9vw6