John Proulx - Baker's Dozen (Remembering Chet Baker)

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:15
Size: 138,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Let's Get Lost
(4:21)  2. Long Ago And Far Away
(4:29)  3. Time After Time
(4:44)  4. But Not for Me
(5:15)  5. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(3:58)  6. Reunion/There Will Never Be Another You
(4:00)  7. I Remember You
(5:23)  8. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:29)  9. Before You Know It
(6:25) 10. I Fall in Love Too Easily
(3:21) 11. Line For Lyons
(6:02) 12. My Funny Valentine
(3:36) 13. Look For The Silver Lining

John Proulx is a new jazz singer and pianist with a light touch (and very good taste), as evidenced by his 2006 debut on MaxJazz, MOON AND SAND, which featured the sultry Alec Wilder bossa-inflected title track as well as nods to both Bill Evans ("Alice In Wonderland") and Dinah Washington ("What A Difference A Day Made"). As the subtitle to BAKER's DOZEN indicates, Proulx's followup is a more-or-less straight tribute to Chet Baker, the eerily romantic vocalist even more than the cool jazz trumpter. The warmed-toned Dominick Farinacci ably takes care of the trumpet and flugelhorn duties anyway, so this is very much a singer's album, a singer with a strong, lush style on piano it should be mentioned. As a singer, Proulx has a youthful spare sound, much like Baker himself, although he has greater range and staying power. (As effective as he was, Baker's semi-amateur vocals always made it on novelty value too). 

It's a pleasure to hear these note-perfect versions of "Let's Get Lost," "Look For The Silver Lining," "My Funny Valentine," and other Chet Baker signature tunes. For lovers of song-oriented jazz musicianship in a contemporary context, one could hardly improve on John Proulx. ~ Richard Mortifoglio  http://www.allmusic.com/album/bakers-dozen-remembering-chet-baker-mw0000822417

Personnel: John Proulx (vocals, piano); Dominick Farinacci (trumpet, flugelhorn); Joe La Barbera (drums).

Baker's Dozen (Remembering Chet Baker)

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Joni Janak - Let's Live Again

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:29
Size: 152,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Let's Live Again
(4:08)  2. S'Wonderful
(3:15)  3. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:20)  4. Bewitched
(3:44)  5. I Didn't Know What Time it Was
(6:39)  6. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:47)  7. Night And Day
(2:46)  8. I Could Write a Book/I've Got You Under My Skin
(3:58)  9. For You, For Me, For Evermore
(2:40) 10. Lover
(4:55) 11. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(3:53) 12. Let's Get Lost
(5:45) 13. Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
(3:40) 14. My Romance
(4:48) 15. My Funny Valentine
(3:27) 16. All of You

Born 24 August 1944, Amarillo, Texas, USA. Raised in a very musical family Janak was taught singing, dancing and piano at the Amarillo College of Music which was owned and operated by her parents and grandparents. She gave public recitals from the age of eight and had her first professional singing job at 13. She received a vocal scholarship to Texas Tech University in Lubbock and, after returning to Amarillo, sang with many different bands and performed a concert with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22. She went to Houston, Texas, to sing in the Carriage Club at the Sheraton Lincoln Hotel until 1969 when she moved to Denver, Colorado, to further her career. 

In Denver, she sang with many resident and visiting jazz musicians at various clubs, among them Dale Bruning, Ellyn Rucker, Phil Urso, Peanuts Hucko, Bobby Greene, Todd Reid, the Hot Tomatoes Jazz Band, Howard Davis and Jim Riley, recording with both of the last named. It was while Janak was appearing at the El Chapultepec club in Denver, where she has long held a residency, that she met Carl Fontana who invited her to Las Vegas to work with him. In Las Vegas, she also worked with Carson Smith, Tom Montgomery, Vinnie Tano, Bill Berry, Herbie Phillips and Bill Watrous. She also sang on a jazz cruise with the Johnny Carson Tonight Show Allstars. Janak has appeared at many jazz festivals and at concerts, sometimes with Bruning and storyteller Jude Hibler in their theme concerts celebrating the music of significant composers. 

In the early years of the new millennium, her name was beginning to attract attention overseas with appearances in Europe and the release there of her first own name album and a set with Fontana. A dynamic and highly polished performer, owing in large part to her background of training and extensive experience, Janak’s maturity of sound result in highly satisfying performances. https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/joni-janak/id45288044#fullText

Let's Live Again

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John Vance - Dreamsville

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:54
Size: 121,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(4:23)  2. Darn That Dream
(2:50)  3. Like A Lover
(4:24)  4. Invitation
(5:57)  5. If You Go
(3:57)  6. Better Than Anything
(2:29)  7. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(6:27)  8. My Foolish Heart
(4:46)  9. Speak Low
(3:24) 10. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:04) 11. Not Like This
(3:14) 12. Bluesette
(4:19) 13. Dreamsville

Singer John Vance's It's All Right With Me (Erawan, 2003), was an enjoyable debut; a breath of fresh at a time when Peter Cincotti, Michael Bublé and Harry Connick, Jr., were being touted as the next Male Vocal Jazz Star.  Dreamsville initially appears to be more of the same, consisting of songs from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards and one original composition. A change in personnel gives the album more depth, and Vance, again, provides the same vocal qualities as on his debut.

Guitarist Larry Koonse (on three tracks) and trumpeter Stacy Rowles trumpet (on two) are effective in adding texture to Vance's piano trio. As with It's All Right With Me, Vance's extensive background in acting aids his vocal jazz sensibilities by allowing his phrasing to be more sympathetic than a pop music reading of the same tunes. On "Like A Lover", a tune from Dori Caymmi, Nelson Matta, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman that has been around since the late 1960s, Vance is accompanied only by the simpatico Koonse. Vance brings great appreciation to the lyrics, describing how forces of nature and inanimate objects (e.g. the river wind, a coffee cup) are instruments of jealousy to the singer because they are in close proximity to the woman of his affection. Vance is at his best on romantic ballads like the ever-popular Young/Washington standard, "My Foolish Heart," and the title tune from Henry Mancini. Rowles turns up for her appearances on "Speak Low" and "I Hadn't Anyone Till You." ~ Michael P.Gladstone  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/dreamsville-john-vance-erawan-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php
 

Personnel: John Vance: vocals; Jeff Colella: piano; Trey Henry: bass; Kendall Kay: drums; Stacy Rowles: trumpet and flugelhorn (1, 9); Larry Koonse: guitar (3, 8, 13).

Dreamsville

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Buck Clayton - Buck 'n' The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:45

Size: 102.4 MB

Styles: Swing, Trumpet jazz

Year: 1957/2009

Art: Front

[5:25] 1. Buck Buckles

[8:47] 2. Claytonia

[2:57] 3. Cool Too

[5:47] 4. Squeeze Me

[8:56] 5. Good Morning Blues

[5:12] 6. Ballin' The Jack

[3:13] 7. Blues Blase

[4:25] 8. The Queen's Express

Buck Clayton-trumpet; Vic Dickenson-trombone; Earle Warren-alto sax; Hank Jones-piano; Kenny Burrell-guitar; Aaron Bell-bass; Jo Jones-drums.

One of the yeoman trumpeters of the swing era, Buck Clayton's career extended into the early-'90s as an arranger and band leader. Clayton was born in Parsons, Kansas, began piano lessons at age 6, and switched to trumpet at 16. The early days of his career were spent in California, where he organized a band to play in Shanghai in 1934. After returning to California, he continued to lead his own groups. During a tour to the Midwest he met Count Basie, who hired him to replace Hot Lips Page as soloist and arranger.

Clayton's trumpet style--a full, clear tone, warm lyricism, with swinging improvisations derived from Louis Armstrong and the often overlooked Joe Smith, can be heard on Basie's early recordings such as "Swingin' The Blues," "Jumpin' at The Woodside," and "Good Morning Blues." He also played sessions with Billie Holiday and jams produced by John Hammond and later with Jazz at the Philharmonic. After leaving Basie he led his own groups, toured Europe and worked with Jimmy Rushing. Clayton appeared in the film "The Benny Goodman Story" and played with Sidney Bechet at the World's Fair in Brussels.

Buck 'n' The Blues

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Jim Hall - Guitar & Folk Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:06
Size: 167.3 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:30] 1. Deep In A Dream
[4:28] 2. Tangerine
[5:41] 3. 9.20 Special
[3:35] 4. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[4:36] 5. Stompin At The Savoy
[5:45] 6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[4:11] 7. A-Roving
[4:29] 8. Seven Come Eleven
[5:03] 9. Look For The Silver Lining
[3:26] 10. Three Blind Mice
[2:47] 11. This Is Always
[4:17] 12. John Henry
[5:14] 13. Thanks For The Memory
[4:19] 14. Wayfaring Stranger
[6:42] 15. Go Down, Moses
[3:55] 16. Stella By Starlight

Jim Hall, born in Buffalo, and educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s. By 1960 Jim had arrived in New York to work with Sonny Rollins and Art Farmer, among others. His live and recorded collaborations with Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, and Ron Carter, are legendary.

Not only is Jim Hall one of the jazz world's favorite guitarists, but he has also earned critical acclaim for his skills as a composer and arranger. Some years ago, Guitar Player magazine quoted Jim as saying “I do feel good about my playing. The instrument keeps me humble. Sometimes I pick it up and it seems to say `No, you can't play today.' I keep at it anyway though.”

Guitar & Folk Jazz

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June Christy - Big Band Specials

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:23
Size: 74.2 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
[2:22] 2. Swingin' On Nothin'
[2:46] 3. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
[3:53] 4. Prelude To A Kiss
[3:00] 5. Skyliner
[2:50] 6. A Night In Tunisia
[1:43] 7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[2:20] 8. Frenesi
[2:28] 9. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:03] 10. Goodbye
[2:54] 11. Time Was (Duerme)
[2:46] 12. Until (The Mole)

By the time this album was recorded in 1962, singer June Christy had already cut the great bulk of her discography. Many, critics especially, put her past her prime. This album demonstrates that the critics were wrong and the "Misty Miss Christy" was still at the top of her form. Her instantly recognizable voice takes the listener through a roster of tunes associated with the big bands. And she has a big band backing her that is made up of some of the best players on the West Coast -- or any coast, for that matter -- many of whom were habitues of the Stan Kenton band before Kenton's music became pretentious. The charts also came from former Kenton chart makers, Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, and husband Bob Cooper. Most everything on this disc is done up-tempo. But things slow down a bit for a track or two, especially a typical Christy haunting version of "Goodbye" and a medium-tempo "Frenesi." The list of players in the band itself speaks eloquently of how good they sound. There are eloquent solos by Cooper, and Bob Mondragon basslines stand out on a few of the tunes. Jimmy Rowles and Mel Lewis round out the rhythm section. With Christy singing in her inimitable manner, backed by a big band of five star performers with top of the list charts, there's no way this album wasn't going to be successful. Originally issued on the Capitol label, the LP was reissued as a CD on Blue Note in 1999. A must for any jazz/pop vocal collection. ~Dave Nathan

Big Band Specials

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Spiral Starecase - More Today Than Yesterday

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:25
Size: 97.1 MB
Styles: AM pop, Sunshine pop
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. More Today Than Yesterday
[2:59] 2. Broken Hearted Man
[2:58] 3. For Once In My Life
[3:26] 4. This Guy's In Love With You
[2:25] 5. Sweet Little Thing
[2:38] 6. Proud Mary
[2:58] 7. The Thought Of Loving You
[2:44] 8. Our Day Will Come
[2:29] 9. No One For Me To Turn To
[2:35] 10. Since I Don't Have You
[2:30] 11. Judas To The Love We Knew
[2:18] 12. Baby What I Mean
[2:17] 13. Makin' My Mind Up
[1:51] 14. I'll Run
[2:28] 15. Inside, Outside, Upside Down
[2:37] 16. She's Ready

Spiral Starecase's sole completed LP was recorded less than five weeks before its release -- astonishingly, it's a thoroughly polished, smoothly enjoyable upbeat collection of romantic songs, all featuring delectable horn charts and Pat Upton's inimitable voice, which would be worth hearing in almost any repertory. As it happens, the band's covers of "Proud Mary," "Our Day Will Come," "For Once in My Life," and "Since I Don't Have You," add enough new wrinkles, by way of the guitar parts, the accompaniment, or the singing, to make them worth hearing. The Upton originals, including "Judas to the Love We Knew," are superb pieces of songwriting, and point up the loss that this group was never able to sustain itself for another year. This wasn't the best record of 1969, but it's arguably one of the most consistently enjoyable pop/rock LPs of its period, of which the title track is merely one highlight. ~Bruce Eder

More Today Than Yesterday

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Ben Sidran - Cien Noches (One Hundred Nights At The Cafe Central)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 64:54

Size: 148.6 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals, B3 Organ jazz

Year: 2008

Art: Front

[ 1:35] 1. Welcome To The Central

[ 5:14] 2. Gotta Serve Somebody

[ 7:39] 3. Take Me To The River

[ 5:04] 4. Drinkin' N Thinkin'

[ 6:29] 5. A Room In The Desert

[ 5:50] 6. Straight No Chaser

[ 0:22] 7. Something For You To Do

[ 7:14] 8. See That Rock

[ 5:47] 9. Subterranean Homesick Blues

[ 8:57] 10. Folio

[10:37] 11. Cave Dancing

This is Ben Sidran's first Hammond B3 organ project. It's an instrument he has played for forty years, and occasionally (as on his recent radio-friendly CD Nick's Bump) featured on recordings. But CIEN NOCHES -- the title refers to the fact that over a period of ten years he performed one hundred nights at Madrid's famed Cafe Central -- is the first time he has paid direct tribute to the instrument and the club scene it spawned.

The album includes the original songs "Get It Yourself," an acerbic commentary on the rock and roll industry, and "Cave Dancing," an extended parable of jazz and the roots of religion. In addition, it features two Bob Dylan classics, "Gotta Serve Somebody" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues," along with saxophonist Bob Rockwell's "Drinkin' and Thinkin," an obvious party favorite.

Sidran is no stranger to combining jazz, party music and story telling. Raised in the industrial lakeshore city of Racine, Wisconsin, while still in high school, he went to Madison, the home of the University of Wisconsin, to play with his own jazz trio and soon joined a Southern comfort party band led by frat boy singer Steve Miller and his Texas friend, Boz Scaggs. He eventually penned the lyrics for Miller's hit song "Space Cowboy" earning a place in rock history and royalties enough to cover his graduate education.

Cien Noches (One Hundred Nights At The Cafe Central)

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Jerry Bergonzi - Lineage

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 2010

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 59:56

Size: 137,5 MB

Art: Front

(12:52)  1. Inner Urge

(11:09)  2. Everything Happens to Me

(11:36)  3. Red's Blues

(10:40)  4. On The Brink

(13:37)  5. Jones

Jerry Bergonzi has long been an important part of the New England jazz scene, while he may very well be better appreciated in Europe than in his homeland. This 1989 concert features the powerful tenor saxophonist stretching out on each of the five selections, backed by the driving, equally inventive pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Dave Santoro, and drummer Adam Nussbaum. Starting with a roaring extended workout of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge" that equals the fire of the studio version recorded by its composer with McCoy Tyner, the quartet quickly switches gears for a heartfelt, expressive rendition of the standard "Everything Happens to Me." The disc concludes with three strong originals by the leader, with the brisk, breezy Latin-flavored "On the Brink" sounding like it is descended from Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee." This is one of many excellent recordings in Jerry Bergonzi's vast discography. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/lineage-mw0000089050

Personnel: Jerry Bergonzi (tenor saxophone); Mulgrew Miller (piano); Adam Nussbaum (drums).

Lineage

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Joe Krown - Exposed

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:58
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:19)  1. Exposed
(3:39)  2. Rum & Coca Cola
(4:44)  3. All That and Then Some
(3:39)  4. Pop's Dilemma
(5:19)  5. Last Call
(3:51)  6. Monkey On My Back
(4:55)  7. 13th Ward Boogie
(4:13)  8. Mother in Law
(3:27)  9. Man Down
(3:37) 10. Mardi Gras in New Orleans
(4:24) 11. So Fine, All the Time
(3:45) 12. Hucklebuck

Joe Krown is an American keyboardist, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is known for his long tenure with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's band. As a solo artist, he has been playing in several different styles. When he plays the piano, he typically plays in the traditional New Orleans style. When he plays with his band the Joe Krown Organ Combo, the sound is jazzy and funky, and he plays the Hammond B-3 organ. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Krown

Exposed

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Carrie Wicks - Maybe

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:25
Size: 122,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Ghost of a Perfect Flame
(6:50)  2. Small Day Tomorrow
(4:22)  3. Desolation Moon
(4:04)  4. It Could Happen to You
(3:23)  5. Maybe
(5:43)  6. Watercolor Rhyme
(6:11)  7. Afternoon
(4:20)  8. The Bottom of Your Heart
(5:23)  9. Dreamtime
(4:04) 10. Waltz Beyond
(4:48) 11. Solitude

Reaching deep into a space of quiet joy and beauty, tinged with bit of melancholy, Seattle vocalist Carrie Wicks presents a new set of original songs that complement lyrically and melodically the three accompanying classics, Bob Dorough's 'Small Day Tomorrow,' Van Heusen and Burke's 'It Could Happen To You,' and Ellington's 'Solitude. ' Featuring the same superb, simpatico trio as her prior two recordings, pianist Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson on bass, and drummer Byron Vannoy provide a comfortable, warmly swinging environment for Wicks' lyrics to shine. '. . . a skilled vocalist, top-notch in her phrasing and intonation, but she also possesses an ineffable 'something extra' that's both compelling and engaging. . . Carrie Wicks proves herself a very convincing storyteller. ' - All About Jazz ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Carrie-Wicks/dp/B013R4QHC0

Personnel: Carrie Wicks: vocals; Bill Anschell: piano; Jeff Johnson: bass; Byron Vannoy: Drums.

Maybe

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Jazzanova - Of All The Things

Styles: Pop/Rock
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:42
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Look What You're Doin' To Me
(6:25)  2. Let Me Show Ya
(3:29)  3. I Can See
(4:29)  4. Lie
(6:04)  5. Little Bird
(4:42)  6. Rockin' You Eternally
(4:11)  7. So Far From Home
(4:45)  8. What DoYou Want?
(3:32)  9. Lucky Girl
(2:38) 10. Gafiera
(4:08) 11. Morning Scapes
(4:13) 12. Dial A Cliche

Could it be? Is it really possible that one of the most innovative collectives in modern music could stoop to making a throwback soul record? (Perhaps they should have recruited Joss Stone as a guest vocalist.) Sarcasm aside, it's obvious that a soul record from a group like Jazzanova is quite a different proposition from the usual retro rot. So confident in their middle age that they feel no need to innovate (at least, purely for its own sake), the Berliner sextet ends up delivering one of the best soul albums of the era (or any other). True, the influences may be easy to spot Philly soul here, Motown there, plenty of '70s progressive jazz with taut strings or breezy woodwinds but with arrangements as accomplished as these are, and productions that crackle as gloriously as these do, the group can rest comfortably with their theft, genius as it is. Each track has a vocal feature, which might disappoint a few dance fans, but as with the first Jazzanova production LP (In Between), listeners won't spend long wishing they could hear instrumentals of these songs. The caressing vocalist Paul Randolph is responsible for a large share of the highlights, while Jazzanova must be proudest for snaring the smooth soul maverick Leon Ware to appear on a cover of his own "Rockin' You Eternally," with backing vocals from fellow Detroiter Dwele. 

(Still, Phonte from Little Brother is responsible for the record's greatest feat delivering a fine soul vocal on the opener "Look What You're Doin' to Me," then rapping just as well for "So Far from Home.") It's to be expected that Jazzanova would turn in excellent productions with every track, but what's most impressive about Of All the Things is the work that Jazzanova haven't made their forté in the past songwriting, arrangements, and the pairing of each vocalist with a song that works perfectly for them. (Credit for much of the songwriting and arranging for horn or strings goes to Stefan Leisering.) Whereas in the past, Jazzanova's preeminence was obvious on the surface, Of All the Things displays their subtle powers for music-making. ~ John Bush  http://www.allmusic.com/album/of-all-the-things-mw0000800609

Personnel: José James, Bembe Segue (vocals); Kalle Kalima (guitar, acoustic guitar); Volodymyr Korobov, Ralf Zettl, Kim Hyun Jung, Alexandra Shipilo, David Canisius, Sandor Farkas (violin); Astrid Hengst, Dieter Vogt, Verena Wehling, Benker Steiner, Matthias, Peter Bock (viola); Dirk Steglich (flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Magnus Lindgren (flute); Frank Fritsch (saxophone); Skip Reinhart (trumpet); Stephanie Böhm (trombone); Roberto Jose Bertrami (Fender Rhodes piano); Paul Kleber (acoustic bass); Alex Malheiros (electric bass); Ivan Conti (drums, percussion); Wilson Michael (background vocals).

Of All The Things

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Kenny Davern - I'll See You In My Dreams

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:22
Size: 124.5 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz, Clarinet jazz
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Blue Lou
[3:46] 2. Sweet And Lovely
[5:53] 3. Liza
[7:02] 4. Pee Wee's Blues
[5:32] 5. Riverboat Shuffle
[4:12] 6. Oh, Miss Hannah
[4:19] 7. My Melancholy Baby
[8:20] 8. Royal Garden Blues
[4:53] 9. In My Solitude
[5:11] 10. I'll See You In My Dreams

Recorded at the same two sessions as One Hour Tonight, this CD gets the edge due to more tempo variation. Clarinetist Kenny Davern, guitarist Howard Alden, bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Giampaolo Biagi are all heard in excellent form, coming up with fresh ideas on "Blue Lou," "Riverboat Shuffle," "My Melancholy Baby," "Royal Garden Blues" and six other veteran standards. Easily recommended to mainstream and Dixieland collectors. ~Scott Yanow

I'll See You In My Dreams

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Tony Bennett & k.d. lang - A Wonderful World

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:22
Size: 99.3 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Exactly Like You
[3:22] 2. La Vie En Rose
[4:42] 3. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
[2:56] 4. You Can Depend On Me
[3:19] 5. What A Wonderful World
[3:03] 6. That's My Home
[3:23] 7. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
[3:47] 8. I Wonder
[3:53] 9. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
[3:11] 10. You Can't Lose A Broken Heart
[4:36] 11. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
[3:50] 12. If We Never Meet Again

Tony Bennett has sung with k.d. lang previously, notably on his MTV Unplugged album, and the two have meshed well together, largely because of lang's willingness to sublimate herself to Bennett's approach. The same thing can be said of the two on this full-length duet album (which also contains solos -- Bennett is heard alone on "That's My Dream," lang on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "That Lucky Old Sun [Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day]"). It isn't just that lang joins in on material more suitable to Bennett's style than to hers. This is an album on which the musicians are the members of Bennett's backup group (plus strings), recorded in Bennett's studio. But one never gets the sense that lang is restricted by the approach. She is sufficiently versatile, or chameleon-like, to sound like she's enjoying herself, just as she did earlier in her career when she was working with producer Owen Bradley in Nashville and singing traditional country. At 76, Bennett sings with an easy, casual style, never seeming to work very hard for his effects, and lang, in her vocal prime, deliberately complements him, though she never seems quite as comfortable. Although there is no indication other than an uncredited painting (by Bennett, of course) inside the CD booklet, this is a tribute album to Louis Armstrong, who recorded these songs over the course of his long career. That doesn't mean that there's a trumpet to be heard anywhere on the disc or that either of the singers tries to re-create any aspect of Armstrong's vocal style. It simply provides an organizing principle that the listener can notice or not. (Well, it's hard not to notice during the title song, with Bennett's references to "Satchmo" and "Pops.") Like Armstrong, Bennett and lang are trying to make the music sound effortless and unstudied, and to a large extent they succeed. ~William Ruhlmann

A Wonderful World

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Hugo Montenegro - Magnificent

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 23:29
Size: 53.8 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1968/2011
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. String Of Pearls
[2:29] 2. Heartaches
[2:35] 3. Chanson D'amour
[1:56] 4. Slow Poke
[2:17] 5. Peg O' My Heart
[2:51] 6. And The Angels Sing
[2:45] 7. I'll Know My Love
[2:54] 8. Dardanella
[3:16] 9. Song Of India

Despite the groovy groupie on the cover, this is a repackaging of an earlier '60s LP from Montenegro, skimping on the time (a paltry nine tracks), but featuring the kookier side of Montenegro, from the very silly, bouncing kettle drums on "Dardanella" to the old standard "Peg O' My Heart" turned into a waltz-cha cha. There are also some very solid trumpet solos featured in these essentially big band arrangements, but the lack of credits or liner notes doesn't help matters. ~Ted Mills

Magnificent

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Pat Martino - Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:39

Size: 150.3 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 2006

Art: Front

[5:59] 1. Four On Six

[5:51] 2. Groove Yard

[7:00] 3. Full House

[6:49] 4. Heart Strings

[5:11] 5. Twisted Blues

[7:04] 6. Road Song

[7:15] 7. West Coast Blues

[7:06] 8. S.K.J

[7:40] 9. If I Should Lose You

[5:40] 10. Unit Seven

Pat Martino: guitar; David Kikoski: piano; John Patitucci: bass; Scott Allan Robinson: drums; Daniel Sadownick: percussion.

Guitarist Pat Martino has overcome far more than his share of obstacles. Emerging in the mid-1960s, he released a string of acclaimed albums starting with the classic El Hombre (Prestige, 1967) and ending with the overlooked fusion classic Joyous Lake (Warner Bros., 1977). Then a brain aneurysm literally stole his identity and for the next decade he struggled to regain who he was, both as a person and as a musician.

Since then Martino's dark-toned and rapid-fire but always swinging approach has not just returned, but surpassed itself on recent albums like the energetic fusion disc Stone Blue (Blue Note, 1998) and the outstanding organ trio Live at Yoshi's (Blue Note, 2001). Regardless of context, Martino's reverence for a jazz guitar history that he's now an integral part of has never swayed, making Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery an especially compelling album, given Montgomery's clear influence during Martino's formative years. Or at least it should be.

The playing is never less than stellar. Martino has surrounded himself with a sympathetic group of younger players: pianist David Kikoski, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Scott Allan Robinson and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. Martino's understanding of Montgomery's style runs deep, but this is no mere imitative homage. Martino pays the greatest tribute possible by managing to get right inside Montgomery's appealing style comfortably incorporating his trademark octaves, imaginative chord voicings and lithe linear phrasing without losing sight of the advanced chromatic approach that has defined Martino's style since nearly the beginning.

Martino culled the music from Montgomery's superior pre-A&M discography, avoiding the more commercial music that, sadly, became a less-than-fitting end to the icon's career when he died suddenly in 1968. From up-tempo burners like Montgomery's "Four on Six and aptly-titled "Twisted Blues to the more soulful "Road Song and mid-tempo "West Coast Blues, Martino filters his own distinctive voice through Montgomery's. There are also some thrilling moments from Kikoski, who's a mainstream player to be sure, but unafraid to push the limits. The ubiquitous Patitucci works hand-in-glove with Robinson, making the challengingly slow tempos of "Heartstrings and "If I Should Lose You swing in their own gentle way.

But what makes Remember a good album instead of a great one is the sound quality. Martino has always favored a dark tone, but the entire recording is muddy and distant. The guitarist sometimes gets lost in the mix; Patitucci's normally well-defined tone is thumpy, Robinson's kit muffled and Kikoski's piano far away. The recording sounds like a bad seat in a club with poor acoustics. The sound just sits there amorphously, neither drawing you in nor jumping out at you.

And that's a shame, because the playing is so clearly full of life. Musically speaking, Remember is highly recommended it's one of Martino's strongest efforts since his 1987 comeback, in fact, a modern master paying respect to a past legend and acknowledging an unequivocal debt. But it's a challenge to get past the substandard sound in order to appreciate just how fine this record is. ~John Kelman

Remember Tribute To Wes Montgomery                

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Jeremy Pelt - Close To My Heart

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:37
Size: 120,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Weird Nightmare
(6:24)  2. Excerent
(4:35)  3. Take Me In Your Arms
(7:27)  4. 502 Blues (Drinkin' & Drivin')
(3:53)  5. All My Life
(2:54)  6. Don't Y Know I Care 

(5:05)  7. Pioggia Di Perugia
(4:45)  8. It's A Beautiful Evening
(5:35)  9. This Is The Moment
(3:42) 10. Why Try To Change Me Now?
(2:48) 11. In Your Eyes

Jeremy Pelt has the most beautiful trumpet tone exercised today. One needs to listen no further than his cover of Mingus' "Weird Nightmare," where one cannot distinguish his trumpet from his flugelhorn, save for a period in the middle section. On this piece, Mr. Pelt's tone is round and buttery warm in the first and third sections and simmering in the middle. Backed by a string quartet on several pieces, a "with strings" connotation would not have been off base. In fact, this disc would be comparable to Chet Baker with Strings had Baker had a modicum of Pelt's creative sense. 

Pelt modulates between these two provocative personalities for the remainder of the disc. Pepper Adams' "Excerent" is a low key quartet stroll, with Mulgrew Miller providing impeccable hard bop accompaniment. Peter Washington and Lewis Nash provide the bass and drum parts of this fine rhythm section. Pelt's trumpet is fluid and soft, but by the time he takes on "Take Me in Your Arms" he has acquired a Freddie Hubbard edge to his tone that is at once demanding and authoritative."502 Blues" frames Pelt's perfectly round flugelhorn, as does his solo treatment of Ellington's "Don't You Know I Care." This formula continues to entertain throughout the remainder of this year-end-list disc.~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/close-to-my-heart-jeremy-pelt-maxjazz-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Jeremy Pelt: Trumpet, Flugelhorn; Mulgrew Miller: piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Lewis Nash: Drums; Meg Oruka: Violin; Joyce Hammann: Violin; Ron Lawrence: Viola; Dave Eggar: Cello; David O'Rourke: Guitar.

Close To My Heart

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James Moody - Moody 4B

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Take the A Train
(9:11)  2. Hot House
(6:27)  3. Speak Low
(9:50)  4. Polka Dots & Moonbeams
(6:45)  5. I Love You
(5:18)  6. O.P. Update
(6:06)  7. Nikara's Song
(6:16)  8. Along Came Betty
(6:41)  9. But Not For Me

Each year since 1950, James Moody has played a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2010, the annual visit will be a little sweeter as Moody celebrates his 85th birthday, with a slice of cake on Seventh Avenue and a concert of greats. No doubt, the sprightly sax (and flute) master behind such classic tunes as "Moody's Mood for Love" is still playing strong. Moody 4A (IPO, 2009) featured a killer quartet with longtime partner in crime, pianist Kenny Barron, as well as the excellent pairing of drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Todd Coolman. The follow-up, Moody 4B, was recorded a day later and maintains the same mix of well-chosen standards, one or two originals, and a healthy dose of good swing by the best in the business. The album opens with a touch of solo ragtime from Barron, before the band launches into a cooking tempo with Moody at the helm of "Take the 'A' Train." His solo alludes to bebop past, before giving way to Barron's inspired piano solo. The equally inspired choice of "Polka Dots & Moonbeams" provides the requisite ballad to pluck at heartstrings, with lush tenor and piano playing a duo chorus before bass and drums enter and pull the tempo up. Nash's brushwork here is particularly excellent, and the tasteful chemistry generated by the rhythm section make the Latin-infused grooves on "Speak Low" and "I Love You" dig deep.

Moody sounds as good as ever. His tenor is husky and lilting in the low register, giving way to the occasional bluesy exultation up high. It often has the tender smoothness of an organ, a warm hum with very little vibrato, and the quartet wraps tight around this sound and style. Standards are again the bread and butter, with the notable exceptions of Barron's "Nikara's Song" and Coolman's "O.P. Update," both of which are sweet and catchy enough to fit seamlessly into the program. Familiar bop melodies, like Tadd Dameron's "Hot House" and Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty" serve as highlights. The former is eased down from the high haste of Charlie Parker's days, into a slow-churned swingfest, with each member of the quartet trotting out his best stuff. Nevertheless, Barron's solo would be worth most piano students' while to transcribe for its splendid melodic development.

To top it all off, the package comes with a full-length sampler disc culled from other recent IPO label releases. With selections from Sir Roland Hanna, Eddie Daniels, Benny Golson, Roger Kellaway, Stefon Harris, and the great Hank Jones, these tracks alone might be worth the price of admission. Yet there's much more. As on 4A, the quartet digs into the stuffing of cool, with an easy chemistry happening between the band as they tackle nine beautiful, classic melodies. This music simply sounds like good jazz should. 

~ Warren Allen  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/moody-4b-james-moody-ipo-recordings-review-by-warren-allen.php
 

Personnel: James Moody: tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron: piano; Todd Coolman: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Moody 4B

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The Skyliners - Greatest Hits

Styles: Vocal, R&B, Doo Wop
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:23
Size: 109,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:38)  1. Since I Don't Have You
(2:33)  2. This I Swear
(2:07)  3. I'll Be Seeing You
(2:23)  4. Stardust
(2:25)  5. If I Loved You
(2:37)  6. Warm
(2:14)  7. Blossoms In The Snow
(2:54)  8. Believe Me
(2:18)  9. Lonely Way
(2:24) 10. How Much
(1:48) 11. It Happened Today
(2:10) 12. Pennies From Heaven
(2:33) 13. Zing Went The Strings
(2:04) 14. Happy Time
(1:56) 15. One Night, One Night
(2:22) 16. Tomorrow
(2:29) 17. Lorraine From Spain
(2:19) 18. I Can Dream, Can't I
(2:24) 19. Tired Of Me
(2:35) 20. When I Fall In Love

The Skyliners were best known for their 1959 hit "Since I Don't Have You". Covers by the Four Seasons, Trini Lopez, Chuck Jackson, Don McLean, Guns N' Roses, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Ronnie Milsap, Art Garfunkel and Buckaroo Banzai kept the song in the public consciousness. They also hit the Top 40 with "This I Swear" and "Pennies from Heaven". Other classics include "It Happened Today" (1959), "Close Your Eyes" (1961) and "Comes Love" (1962). The original group dissolved in 1963, but re-united eleven years later (without Jack Taylor), for what would become their last charted record, "Where Have They Gone?"

In 1965, Jimmy Beaumont recorded two notable singles for the Bang label: the first, "Tell Me"/"I Feel Like I'm Falling in Love", were medium-tempo soul-styled tracks. For his second Bang 45, "I Never Loved Her Anyway"/"You Got Too Much Going for You", Jimmy transformed into an impressive soul singer, sounding nothing like his previous more pop-styled efforts, leading some to question in later years, if it actually was his singing. These two tracks are now considered Northern Soul collectibles. The second 45 was also issued on UK London HLZ 10059 in 1966. Jack Taylor was drafted in 1965. In 1975 Wally Lester and Joe Versharen left the group; they were replaced by new members, Jimmie Ross and Bob Sholes.

In 1978, the Detroit based record producer Don Davis who produced Marilynn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Johnny Taylor, the Dramatics, and the Dells picked up one of his favorite groups (the Skyliners) to record in his United Sound Studios. They recorded the group's "comeback" album for the RCA subsidiary, Tortoise International Records. The songs "Oh, How Happy" and "The Love Bug" were included, as was a hefty re-make of Dan Schafer's original RCA Victor single, "A Day Without You, Dear".Janet Vogel committed suicide in 1980; Cathy Cooper joined the group as a replacement. She and Ross left two years later to form a duo; they were replaced by Rick Morris and Donna Groom.

Morris retired in 1993; Also in 1993, David Proch was singing with another group. At first listen the Skyliners' original lead singer, Jimmy Beaumont, invited Proch to join the group; Proch joined as a replacement. Also performing with the group at this time was Tom Sholes, brother of Bob Sholes. The two were local to the group; they attended St George High School in the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The group became Beaumont, Groom, Proch, and Nick Pociask. David Proch (at age 44) the third person to sing first tenor for the Skyliners, died on October 19, 1998, in a car accident. His car collided with a truck hauling asphalt on U.S. Route 30 near Ligonier, PA, about 45 miles east of Pittsburgh. Proch's place was taken by Dick Muse, a former member of The Laurels. Rick Morris replaced Muse in 2011. Frank Czuri replaced Morris in 2013. Their longtime manager and producer Joe Rock, who also co-wrote "Since I Don't Have You", died on April 4, 2000, at age 63, after complications from quadruple bypass heart surgery. Three of the original members have died: Janet Vogel committed suicide on February 21, 1980, she was 37, Joe Verscharen died of cancer on November 2, 2007, he was 67,Wally Lester (b. Walter Paul Lester, Jr. on October 5, 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) died of pancreatic cancer in Southport, North Carolina on April 21, 2015, he was 73.

Today, Jimmy Beaumont performs with The Skyliners in their current line-up of Nick Pociask, Frank Czuri, and Donna Groom (whose husband, Mark Groom, has been the group's drummer/conductor for more than 25 years). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skyliners

Greatest Hits

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Lisa Bassenge - Canyon Songs

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2015

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 45:51

Size: 105,5 MB

Art: Front

(5:07)  1. Riders on the Storm

(4:25)  2. Angeles

(3:56)  3. Aht Uh Mi Hed

(2:43)  4. All Stripped Down

(3:49)  5. For What It's Worth

(4:38)  6. The Last Chance Texaco

(3:41)  7. The Same Situation

(4:25)  8. Searching for a Heart

(5:39)  9. Her Town Too

(4:35) 10. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

(2:49) 11. Blue Skies

Canyon songs, the new album, is a new step for the artist. It is the first publication of the Berlin singer for precious / MPS. Lisa Bassenge took eleven songs in Los Angeles, at the mixing desk sat Grammy winner Larry Klein, who stands out above all by its excellent productions for Till Brönner, Melody Gardot (My One And Only Thrill), or Madeleine Peyroux. Lisa interpreted classics such as Riders On The Storm by The Doors and For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield, I Just Was not Made For These Times of the Beach Boys, The Same situation of Joni Mitchell or Blue Skies by Tom Waits. In addition to pieces from the 60s and 70s, the golden era of Laurel Canyon artist, Lisa Bassenge has with Angeles Elliott Smith also a song from 1997's repertoire. In addition, Lisa is accompanied on your album is equal to 3 times of the sympathetic and successful trumpeter Till Bronner music. Translate by google ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.de/Canyon-Songs-Lisa-Bassenge/dp/B00WYA9U1E

Canyon Songs

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