Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs - The Best Of Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:08
Size: 64.4 MB
Styles: AM pop, Garage rock
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[2:19] 1. Wooly Bully
[2:39] 2. Lil' Red Riding Hood
[2:06] 3. Ju Ju Hand
[2:15] 4. Red Hot
[2:23] 5. Ring Dang Doo
[2:30] 6. Big Blue Diamonds
[2:05] 7. Pharaoh A-Go-Go
[2:34] 8. The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin
[2:13] 9. (I'm In With) The Out Crowd
[2:19] 10. How Do You Catch A Girl
[2:22] 11. I Couldn't Spell !! @!
[2:18] 12. Oh That's Good, No That's Bad

Like their fellow Texans the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs started as a response to the 1960s British Invasion, but the (eventually) Memphis-via-Dallas band's blend of swamp boogie, Latin rhythms, and gutbucket R&B was so singular that no one could be convinced they were British. From the classic garage-rocking debut single "Woolly Bully" through hit follow-up singles such as the lascivious "Lil Red Riding Hood" and the lubricious "Ring Dang Doo," Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs had a winning streak of raw pop singles that swing just as hard today. 20TH CENTURY MASTERS: THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION collects one dozen of the band's finest efforts in a simple, effective overview of their career. ~Bill Dahl

The Best Of Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

---

David Reinhardt Trio - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:50
Size: 114.1 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Swing 42
[2:55] 2. Dawson
[3:25] 3. Nina
[4:00] 4. All The Things You Are
[5:07] 5. Histoire Simple
[4:40] 6. Chaumont
[5:07] 7. Berga
[4:45] 8. Nuages
[3:16] 9. Micro
[4:21] 10. Casting
[2:44] 11. Pretexte
[6:15] 12. Oh Samba Lec

David Reinhardt has a lot to live up to. Perhaps, too much. The grandson of none other than Django Reinhardt and the son of Babik Reinhardt, David descends from not only the world's most renowned clan of Romany guitarists but the founder of a whole genre of music, Gypsy jazz. Big shoes, indeed.

David first performed on stage at just six years of age, playing alongside his father at the 1993 Django d'Or concert, Europe's jazz version of the Grammys. By 2004, he was sharing the stage with fellow Romany jazzman Biréli Lagrène's Gipsy Project concerts series in Vienna in 2004. Young, shy, and obviously nervous, David played a tentative version of the chorus of his grandfather's "Nuages," visibly relieved when Lagrène took over with a solo. It was perhaps the poorest song selection possible, as the Gypsy jazz world seems to measure players on their improvisations of the over-played anthem. And to bring the stress almost to the level of duress, David was sharing the bill with an all-star lineup including Dorado Schmitt, Stochelo Rosenberg, Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre, Serge Krief--the list goes on. But in the seven years since, David has become a fine guitarist, capable and confident--and with his own voice. He released his first solo album in 2004, David Reinhardt Trio, on his father's old label, RDC Records. David sounded much more sure in this intimate setting, trading solos with his cousin Noé Reinhardt (who was the more exciting player at the time) and Samy Daussat. ~V/Amazon

David Reinhardt Trio

---

Various Artists - Bob Belden's Shades Of Blue

Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:40
Size: 162,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:54)  1. Dianne Reeves, Geri Allen - Maiden Voyage
(5:34)  2. Jacky Terrasson - Un Poco Loco
(5:49)  3. John Scofield - Tom Thumb
(2:36) 4. Cassandra Wilson, Ron Carter - Joshua Fit De Battle Ob Jericho
(8:21)  5. Tim Hagans, Bob Belden - Siete Ocho
(7:40)  6. Marcus Printup - You've Changed
(5:36)  7. Holly Cole, Javon Jackson - Hum Drum Blues
(5:56)  8. Geoff Keezer - 2300 Skiddoo
(6:08)  9. Renee Rosnes - Song For My Father
(6:51) 10. Kurt Elling - Tanganyika Dance (The Man From Tanganyika)
(4:41) 11. T.S. Monk, Ron Carter - Evidence
(4:29) 12. Eliane Elias - Una Mas

In 1994, producer-tenor saxophonist Bob Belden received the unusual assignment of putting together a variety of all-star groups to revisit tunes associated with the Blue Note legacy. From November 1994 to March 1995 he recorded most of Blue Note's then-current roster, documenting 39 compositions in all. Twelve are on this CD, while many of the others have been released in Japan. Each of the dozen numbers uses a different group and they are generally consistent, if not filled with surprises. Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Holly Cole, and Kurt Elling are heard on vocal features (Reeves and Elling fare best), trumpeter Marcus Printup shows off his warm tone on "You've Changed," and, in a performance that brings back the "Bitches Brew" era (and is both the most modern and the most dated of these interpretations), Belden, trumpeter Tim Hagans and three keyboardists explore Andrew Hill's "Siete Ocho." 

Of the many pianists who are featured on this set (including Geri Allen, Jacky Terrasson, Renee Rosnes, and Eliane Elias), Geoff Keezer's fairly free improvisation on Herbie Nichols' "2300 Skidoo" is the most memorable. Quite unusual is the complete absence of any of the quintet or sextet lineups that were almost a trademark of Blue Note in the '50s and '60s, and the relatively few trumpet and saxophone solos. Sure to be a collector's item, this CD is not essential but it has enough variety to keep the interest of most jazz listeners. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/shades-of-blue-mw0000184479

Bob Belden's Shades Of Blue

---

Todd Coolman Trio - Lexicon

Styles: Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:00
Size: 151,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:21)  1. Lexicon
( 9:51)  2. Con Alma
( 8:31)  3. Caravan
( 4:47)  4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
( 8:04)  5. All Too Soon
( 5:06)  6. Summer Serenade
(10:36)  7. Cancion Para Cadiz
( 6:13)  8. You Go to My Head
( 5:26)  9. One for Walton

Bassist Todd Coolman makes his second recording as a leader with this Double Time CD. Accompanied by pianist Renee Rosnes and drummer Lewis Nash, Coolman explores a mix of established jazz standards and newer works. The interplay within the trio is marvelous throughout "Con Alma." Coolman takes the spotlight in the bittersweet Duke Ellington ballad "All Too Soon," while the Latin setting of Benny Carter's "Summer Serenade" features Rosnes' hip solo, followed by a Coolman improvisation backed by Nash's hand drumming. 

Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson is added for three tracks, including Rosnes' turbulent "Lexicon"; a brisk, exotic take of "Caravan"; and the leader's "Canción Para Cadiz." 

~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/lexicon-mw0000186486

Personnel: Todd Coolman (bass); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Renee Rosnes (piano); Lewis Nash (drums).

Lexicon

---

Sarah McKenzie - We Could Be Lovers

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:30
Size: 100,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. I Was Doing Alright
(3:34)  2. That's It, I Quit!
(4:16)  3. We Could Be Lovers
(3:04)  4. Tight
(5:19)  5. At Long Last Love
(3:36)  6. I Won't Dance
(3:04)  7. Love You Madly
(3:29)  8. Quoi, Quoi, Quoi
(4:35)  9. The Music Is The Magic
(5:03) 10. Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
(4:05) 11. Moon River

Sarah McKenzie, pianist-singer-composer and winner of the 2012 ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album, returns with a stunning new recording: We Could Be Lovers. One of Australia’s most consummate performers, in 2013 Sarah moved from Melbourne to New York to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and to perform with the established greats of the US jazz scene. The result is We Could Be Lovers, a brilliant new album which signals a new chapter in Sarah’s rise to international fame. Combining Sarah’s own compositions with her fresh new arrangements of favourite standards by among others Cole Porter, Gershwin and Henry Mancini, the album was produced by Grammy-Award-winner Brian Bacchus and recorded with an international line-up of musicians. Sarah will return to her native Australia in November 2014 to launch We Could Be Lovers, including a performance at the prestigious Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival. We Could Be Lovers boasts some of the finest music to come out of the international jazz scene in recent years. That’s It, I Quit, one of Sarah’s most appealing new compositions, combines catchy rhythms and tight groove in an irresistible combination; in Moon River, recorded here with an intimate accompaniment of just guitar and piano, Sarah’s magical vocals are at their most seductive.

“Sarah McKenzie is a musical marvel. She sings with the kind of phrasing that only a true jazz player can come up with, while her groove on the piano is that stuff that makes people want to play jazz” ~ James Morrison

Sarah McKenzie has been described as an Australian national treasure. She has performed throughout Australia and Europe, and has toured with Michael Bublé, Chris Botti, John Patitucci, and Enrico Rava. Now based in Boston, Sarah had the honor of being invited to perform her own material with The Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. After her highly praised performances at Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival, The Boston Arts Festival, and Stonnington Jazz Festival, she has been invited to play the Monterey and Wangaratta Jazz Festivals in 2014. http://www.ovationchannel.com.au/we-could-be-lovers-sarah-mckenzie-cd

We Could Be Lovers

---

Tom Brosseau - Perfect Abandon

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:22
Size: 95,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Hard Luck Boy
(3:50)  2. Roll Along with Me
(3:48)  3. Tell Me, Lord
(5:18)  4. Take Fountain
(4:44)  5. Landlord Jackie
(1:39)  6. The Empire Builder
(3:10)  7. Goodbye, Empire Builder
(4:07)  8. Island in the Prairie Sea
(3:55)  9. My Sweetest Friend
(6:35) 10. The Wholesome Pillars

What has been most remarkable about singer/songwriter Tom Brosseau is not, amazingly enough, his songs. Since the beginning of the century they have been almost uniformly fine in craft, but it is the grain of his voice when delivering them on recordings and on stages that casts a pervasive spell. Almost since the beginning, on 2002's North Dakota (named for his home state), Brosseau has been spinning tales with a timeless brand of popular song that descends equally from gospel, early country and bluegrass, folk music, and the Great American Songbook. Perfect Abandon is his ninth album. It was produced by John Parish and engineered by Ali Chant in an old community theater in Bristol, England. The collective approach was to record a pretty spare band acoustic and electric guitars, two-piece drum kit, and double bass  around a single microphone. The feel of early Sun Records sessions haunts the fringes of the sound a little especially since Parish initially thought to record there but it's in the electric guitars rather than anywhere else. Brosseau's songs are as enchanting as ever. The spoken word opener, "Hard Luck Boy," is a heartbreaking tale delivered in spoken word with musical accompaniment. Brosseau expects no sympathy and gives no quarter; without guile or artifice he simply tells the story accompanied by the band its content needs no embellishment to resonate. First single "Roll Along with Me" is a country song delivered with Johnny Cash's early cut-time two-step, but his voice floats and hovers, seeing the road wide open as he invites the listener along for the immediacy of the experience. 

"Take Fountain" has a straight country rockabilly backdrop; its fluid observations are fleet yet fluid, in the moment, full of loneliness and wonder. "Landlord Jackie," a tale of fantasy, is half spoken, half sung; it sounds made up in the moment, a straight yet dark recollection of a woman desired by a guy so inside his own head he couldn't get out if he wanted to. "Goodbye Empire Builder" has its own instrumental intro, and is a slow, 4/4 boogie with a melody straight out of the 1940s, but Brosseau lets the lyric move through his throat before running out of his mouth like water, just behind the beat. "Island in the Prairie Sea," an unaccompanied acoustic number, drips with ache and reverie. Throughout Perfect Abandon's nine vocal songs, Brosseau's unhurried delivery transports the listener from her own world into his seamlessly. Everything stops, gets very small, and opens wide into a panorama of moments that link to one another and toward the horizon and beyond. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/perfect-abandon-mw0002816278

Personnel: Tom Brousseau (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Ben Reynolds (electric guitar); John Parish (organ); Joe Carvell (double bass, upright bass); David Butler, David Butler (drums).

Perfect Abandon

---

Dani Joy - Let Me Introduce Myself

Size: 100,9 MB
Time: 35:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Pop/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. Fever (3:27)
02. Bennie And The Jets (3:51)
03. Tighten Up (3:36)
04. Caramel (2:52)
05. Mad World (3:49)
06. Sweet Pea (2:31)
07. Toxic (4:12)
08. Wasted Time (3:29)
09. Sailor Song (3:48)
10. Everybody Wants To Be A Cat (3:43)

Dani Joy’s debut album, Let Me Introduce Myself is a delightful collection of familiar jazz, pop and folk tunes sung in a soothing conversational style. Dani’s ukulele strumming and captivating voice is backed up by a team of world-class musicians including grammy nominated jazz bassist Brian Bromberg, clarinet and tenor sax player Otis Mourning (founding member of the Wooden Nickel Jass Band), ukulele master Carla Fontanilla (member of the Hawaiian group Kua’aina) and Northern California saxophone session artist Allan Olson.

Let Me Introduce Myself kicks off with a reimagined arrangement of Peggy Lee’s song Fever, weaving Dani’s sultry vocal style and Mourning’s expressive tenor saxophone with Bromberg’s masterful bass lines. Dani’s interpretation of Bennie and the Jets by Elton John, respectfully abandons the song’s original rock pallet and instead cradles the familiar melody with smooth bossa nova influences. The song, Toxic, first made famous by Brittney Spears is stripped down to its essence and reconstructed into a lively, toe-tapping acoustic jazz arrangement. The album also contains two original songs composed by Dani, Wasted Time and Sailor Song; singer/songwriter lyrics set to 40’s style jazz melodies.

The daughter of a traveling sound man, Dani spent a good deal of time on the road riding the highways, listening to the Oldies station and analyzing the tunes with her dad. As a result, Dani Joy’s first foray onto the music scene has unexpected depth to it. Let Me Introduce Myself, is a stunning first impression and will likely remain on your active playlist for quite awhile.

Let Me Introduce Myself

---

Oporto - Oporto

Size: 99,2 MB
Time: 36:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Gipsy Jazz, Jazz Blues, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Reality Leaves (4:02)
02. Get Lost (2:14)
03. What's The Matter With The Mill (2:55)
04. Something Strange (2:43)
05. Valse De Vasso (2:21)
06. Cry The Blues (2:44)
07. Don't Know Where I'm Going (2:30)
08. All Of Me (3:21)
09. Welpentanz (2:16)
10. Autumn Leaves (4:28)
11. Weary In The Morning (3:46)
12. St. James Infirmary Blues (3:28)

Personnel: Armano Persau, André Lautner, Kaje Glückert, Rebekka Wagner

Oporto

---

Martina Fiserova - Shift

Size: 101,8 MB
Time: 38:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Silver Streams (5:12)
02. Crater (2:55)
03. Song For Brian (3:13)
04. Cold (3:44)
05. Misunderstanding (2:24)
06. Invisible Blood (3:55)
07. And Fly! (3:03)
08. My Wind (3:09)
09. Chasm (3:11)
10. Silver Moon (4:33)
11. Closer (3:22)

A resident of New York City, Martina Fišerová is an experienced singer and musician from Prague, Czech Republic. She has performed with Impuls, Laco Deczi & Celula New York, Phishbacher Trio, Jan Korínek, Bharata Rajnošek and many others, mostly on the Prague jazz scene and also internationally. Fišerová supported the Czech rock star singer Kamil Strihavka as his backing vocalist for several years while leading her own original acoustic band, and was also honored to join the renowned chanson singer Hana Hegerová in concert. In the fall of 2010, Martina joined the Prague Conservatory Jazz Orchestra (under the leadership of Milan Svoboda), to perform her original songs in Taiwan and Vietnam. In 2011 she took part in creating CD "Ty Lidi" ("These people"), the debut album of bassist Jaryn Janek. In 2012, Blue Season Art Agency released her jazz oriented debut CD "Clearing Fields" recorded with Grammy nominated New York City organist Brian Charette, who is also featured on her second album "Shift", released in 2015. Shift was recorded both in Europe and in the USA and contains eleven original songs written by Martina.

Personnel:
Martina Fišerová: vocals, guitars, tone lyres, slate xylophone, bronze metallophone, keyboard
Brian Charette: piano, hammond B3, keyboards
Dano Šoltis: drums (except for track 5)
Tomáš Baroš: double bass on tracks 1,2,3,6
Jaroslav Janek: bass guitar on track 4
Andrea Valentini: drums on track 5
Michal Matejka: guitar (and a stone) on track 11

Shift

---

Michael Kocour - Spiffy

Size: 117,7 MB
Time: 50:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Dropped Third Strike (Feat. Bruce Forman, Dom Moio & Eric Schneider) (4:34)
02. Chunky (Feat. Bruce Forman, Dom Moio & Eric Schneider) (5:43)
03. Da Good Stuff (Feat. Dom Moio, Eric Schneider & Bruce Forman) (4:41)
04. Tenderly (Feat. Dom Moio, Eric Schneider & Bruce Forman) (5:35)
05. Huffininpuffin (Feat. Dom Moio, Eric Schneider & Bruce Forman) (7:44)
06. Collapso (Feat. Bruce Forman, Dom Moio & Eric Schneider) (4:07)
07. Girl Talk (Feat. Eric Schneider, Dom Moio & Bruce Forman) (6:14)
08. Spiffy (Feat. Bruce Forman, Dom Moio & Eric Schneider) (5:02)
09. Monk's Hayride (Feat. Bruce Forman, Dom Moio & Eric Schneider) (6:49)

You know how it is. Over the years, you change locales once or twice, and being the gregarious sort, you collect new friends wherever you go. Despite the fact that they inhabit different orbits, you feel pretty sure these friends would all get along; actually, you think they might even make up a solid little gang – a small fraternity with real staying power. Problem is, while each of them knows you separately, they’ve never all converged at once; they’ve never all been in the same place at the same time. So you decide to convene them: dinner, softball game, out for drinks – it doesn’t really matter. It’s just high time that they all met.

Sometimes, it ends in disaster. (Good reference point: the 2011 movie Bridesmaids.) But sometimes, it goes swimmingly. And once in a great while, it turns out even better than you might have hoped, and your solid little gang is off and running. Once in a very great while, it even sounds like the music on this disc.

To record Spiffy, the impeccable keyboardist Mike Kocour brought together several of his favorite jazz collaborators for a (thus far) twice-in-a-lifetime experience. The first time they all played in the same band was in February, 2015, in Scottsdale, Arizona, not far from Tempe, where Kocour directs the jazz studies program in the School of Music at Arizona State University. The second time they played together? You have the results in your hands.

Spiffy

---

Sweet Baby J'ai - Straight To That Place

Size: 130,5 MB
Time: 56:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Blues/R&B Vocals
Art: Front

01. Feeling Good (2:39)
02. Feva (Fever) (4:45)
03. Straight To That Place (Straight No Chaser) (4:51)
04. Killer Joe (Sweet And Low) (5:01)
05. When You're In Love (4:01)
06. Black Magic Woman (4:09)
07. That's All (4:12)
08. Scofield's Blues (4:24)
09. Call My Name (Message From Your Angel) (5:22)
10. Girl From Ipanema (4:26)
11. I'm Consumed (5:22)
12. Rock Me, B.B (4:23)
13. Feeling Good (Still) (2:23)

This latest CD, Straight To That Place, produced by renowned pianist, arranger, producer Jane Getz, critically acclaimed singer, composer, producer Sweet Baby J’ai and Grammy award winning engineer, producer Bob Tucker, showcases sublime offerings fusing jazz, blues, R&B and Latin. “It’s been a while since my last recording so with this project I wanted to go straight there – straight to that place where I go to in my heart and soul, ” says J’ai, “I wanted to express what I’ve been going through in love and life, celebrate some of my favorite musicians and composers, and share some of my own compositions. Every note, every chord and every word tells a story!”

There are incredible nuances and bold statements happening simultaneously on Sweet Baby J’ai’s current album, Straight To That Place. Respected for her considerable gifts as a vocalist and songwriter, J’ai’s original compositions draw us in with their openhearted lyrics, working into our consciousness and taking us to wondrous places. She breathes new life into classics with great reinterpretations giving us a new scope to appreciate timeless songs with a different perspective. Her deeply soulful vocals are infectious, and the stellar support by musicians Mimi Fox, Nolan Shaheed, Jane Getz, Karen Hammack, Chris Colangelo, Peter Buck, Carol Chaikin, Bob Tucker and others are electrifying. Straight To That Place delivers on what it promises, taking its listeners straight to wonderland. This is an outstanding album and well worth the wait!

Sweet Baby J’ai has performed extensively nationally and internationally and has been featured at numerous concert halls, festivals, and clubs. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as, Herbie Hancock, Etta James, Jill Scott, Joe Sample, KD Lang, Tom Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Sheila E., and Eddie Harris, to name a few.

Straight To That Place

---

Lee Wiley with Billy Butterfield & His Orchestra - A Touch Of The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 38:30

Size: 88.2 MB

Styles: Standards, Vocal

Year: 1958/2012

Art: Front

[3:24] 1. The Memphis Blues

[2:40] 2. From The Land Ofthe Sky Blue Water

[2:57] 3. The Ace In The Hole

[4:04] 4. Someday You'll Be Sorry

[3:08] 5. My Melancholy Baby

[3:05] 6. A Hundred Years From Today

[2:55] 7. Blues In My Heart

[3:12] 8. Maybe You'll Be There

[2:55] 9. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

[2:41] 10. I Don't Want To Walk Without You

[3:13] 11. Make Believe

[4:11] 12. A Touch Of The Blues

The stellar A Touch of the Blues pairs Lee Wiley with an exceptional band led by trumpeter Billy Butterfield, whose warm, beautiful tone proves a sympathetic counterpoint to Al Cohn and Bill Finegan's otherwise dark, melancholy arrangements. While a title like A Touch of the Blues guarantees the listener few surprises, the album consistently avoids the familiar bluesy clichés -- Wiley's sensuality and sophistication suggest emotional depths to make such gestures redundant anyway. And like her more celebrated songbook sessions, the material here is expertly selected, complementing Wiley's inherent strengths while affording her the latitude to stretch out in new directions. ~Jason Ankeny

A Touch Of The Blues

---

Chet Atkins - The Essential Chet Atkins: The Columbia Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Country-jazz-pop
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Bourree
[4:14] 2. Cosmic Square Dance
[3:17] 3. Wobegon (The Way It Used To Be)
[3:07] 4. Maybelle
[3:49] 5. Dixie McGuire
[3:18] 6. Jam Man
[4:01] 7. Poor Boy Blues
[3:00] 8. Road To Gundaghi Waltzing Matilda
[4:24] 9. Sneakin' Around
[4:34] 10. Dream
[3:30] 11. After You've Gone
[2:57] 12. I'll See You In My Dreams
[3:12] 13. Young Thing
[4:05] 14. Imagine
[3:15] 15. So Soft, Your Goodbye

The Essential Chet Atkins: The Columbia Years collects 15 tracks from eight albums recorded between 1983 and 1997. While Atkins never fully gives up his country roots, much of this material leans in a definite jazz-pop direction, highlighted by memorable collaborations with Mark Knopfler on "Poor Boy Blues," "So Soft, Your Goodbye," and "I'll See You in My Dreams." Atkins also trades licks with Tommy Emmanuel on "Dixie McGuire" and "Road to Gundaghi/Waltzing Matilda," as well as longtime buddy Jerry Reed on "Sneakin' Around." The selections have been digitally remastered so every tiny musical nuance can be detected, which should no doubt satisfy guitar enthusiasts and Atkins fans. ~Al Campbell

The Essential Chet Atkins: The Columbia Years

---

Andy Bey - Shades Of Bey

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:30
Size: 115.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, Soul jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[4:40] 1. Like A Lover (O Cantador)
[5:47] 2. Midnight Blue
[6:24] 3. Get It Straight
[5:17] 4. Pretty Girls (The Starcrossed Lovers)
[4:19] 5. River Man
[6:18] 6. Dark Shadows
[3:42] 7. Believin' It (Half & Half)
[4:10] 8. Some Other Time
[6:56] 9. The Last Light Of Evening (Blood Count)
[2:54] 10. Drume Negrita

Andy Bey's bass-baritone voice has aged over the last thirty-odd years, but it's aged well; he now sings in a husky drawl that sounds all the more warm and intimate for being a bit ragged around the edges. When he goes into falsetto, as on "Midnight Blue," athe sound is so dark that you don't recognize it as falsetto at first. This album peaks early on with "Like a Lover," a wistful love song with only the gentlest, sparest guitar accompaniment. But there are many other beautiful moments, the best of which always come on the slow numbers: the Billy Strayhorn classic "Pretty Girl," on which Bey sounds like Billy Eckstine with a weathered patina to his voice, and the surprising Nick Drake cover, the moody and intense "River Man." His vocal version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" is fun, but it tends to expose the limitations of his range; however, he makes the uptempo "Believin' It" work beautifully -- Geri Allen's edgy, modernist piano contrasts nicely with Bey's effusive, bop-inflected delivery. ~Rick Anderson

Shades Of Bey

---

Joe Locke, Milt Jackson Tribute Band - Rev-Elation

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:50

Size: 132.4 MB

Styles: Post bop, Vibraphone jazz

Year: 2005

Art: Front

[7:23] 1. The Prophet Speaks

[7:09] 2. Young And Foolish

[7:15] 3. The Look Of Love

[7:13] 4. Rev-Elation

[5:47] 5. Opus De Funk

[8:44] 6. Close Enough For Love

[7:20] 7. Big Town

[6:56] 8. Used To Be Jackson

Joe Locke was invited to join Milt Jackson's former rhythm section (pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Mickey Roker) for an engagement at Smoke in New York City that served as a tribute to the late vibraphonist. They gelled as a group and promptly booked a week at Ronnie Scott's in London, where this CD was recorded, primarily utilizing repertoire drawn from the rhythm section's days backing Jackson. Locke's blues-inflected solo in the opener, "The Prophet Speaks," and his playfulness in "Opus de Funk" are complemented by LeDonne's light touch on electric piano. Two of the charts come from Jackson's partnership with the late Ray Brown. Brown's soulful scoring of Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" adds a tense vamp at the end of each chorus, while Locke and LeDonne (back on grand piano) dig into Brown's hard bop vehicle "Used to Be Jackson." In addition to enjoyable treatments of a pair of standards, LeDonne contributed the soulful "Rev-elation" and Locke the sauntering "Big Town." Cranshaw and Roker provide terrific support throughout the disc. This intimate live recording gives the listener a front row table at this London nightclub. ~Ken Dryden

Rev-Elation 

---

Randy Sandke and the Metatonal Big Band - The Subway Ballet

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:13
Size: 141,2 MB
Art: Front

(1:18)  1. The Subway Ballet: Watch the Closing Doors
(5:35)  2. The Subway Ballet: Dance of the Downtown Punks
(1:07)  3. The Subway Ballet: Electriglide
(4:27)  4. The Subway Ballet: Dance of the Wall Street Brokers
(1:34)  5. The Subway Ballet: Steel Wheels
(4:33)  6. The Subway Ballet: Dance of the Hassidic Diamond Merchants
(1:13)  7. The Subway Ballet: Making Tracks
(4:20)  8. The Subway Ballet: The Blind Beggar Encounters the Korean
(1:01)  9. The Subway Ballet: Momentum
(4:38) 10. The Subway Ballet: Dance of the Midtown Career Women
(0:43) 11. The Subway Ballet: Straphanging
(4:39) 12. The Subway Ballet: Pas de Deux
(1:14) 13. The Subway Ballet: Express Stop
(9:14) 14. The Subway Ballet: 125th Street
(4:36) 15. Music from 1988: Red Hook Blues
(3:13) 16. Music from 1988: Happy Birthday Berlin
(5:10) 17. Music from 1988: How Did It Get So Late
(2:27) 18. Music from 1988: Realization

Trumpeter Randy Sandke, considered a mainstream jazz stylist, reveals another side on this release, compiled from two sessions recorded about fifteen years apart. The Subway Ballet is a wild suite scored for big band (substituting vibes and xylophone for piano) that utilizes a metatonal harmonic approach, frequently sounding like snippets of music written for a suspense movie. Key centers are often fleeting, though most of the charts seem tightly scored. Sandke's compositions fit his individual titles perfectly; it is easy to conjure characters to match them as the music unfolds. Sandke's setting for the piece is in the early '80s, when New York City was viewed as a dangerous place. "Watch the Closing Doors and "Dance of the Downtown Punks are very ominous, followed by the breezy, playful "Electricglide, showcasing trombonist Wycliffe Gordon to good effect, who sounds like he would have enjoyed playing with Spike Jones. Sandke pulls all stops in the hilarious "Dance of the Hassidic Diamond Merchants, which blends traditional Jewish themes with David Krakauer's deliciously loopy clarinet solo. "Making Tracks, featuring alto saxophonist Ted Nash, is suggestive of Eric Dolphy's late work. Although no one has yet choreographed Sandke's intriguing ballet for dancers, it would be a challenging, worthwhile venture.

The last four selections are grouped as "Music From 1988, described by Sandke as unreleased music that never found a home. The highlight, the gritty "Red Hook Blues, finds Jim McNeely making a rare appearance on organ. The eerie "How Did It Get So Late is a modern classical effort intermingling scored and improvised sections. Less interesting are "Happy Birthday Berlin, an ear-jarring techno track that seems out of place and "Realization, with the flavor of a generic rock soundtrack to an '80s action flick. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-subway-ballet-randy-sandke-evening-star-records-review-by-ken-dryden.php

Personnel: Chuck Wilson: alto sax, flute, piccolo; Ted Nash: alto sax, flute; Scott Robinson: tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet; John Allred: trombone; Joe Barati: bass trombone; Steven Bernstein: trumpet, slide trumpet; Erik Charlston: percussion, xylophone, vibraphone; Mike Christianson; trombone; Greg Cohen: bass; Jim Czak: voices; Glenn Drewes: trumpet; John Goldsby: bass; Wycliffe Gordon: trombone; John Riley: drums; John Hayward: drum machine; David Krakauer: clarinet; Jim McNeely: organ, piano; Bob Millikan: trumpet; Gerry Neiwood: flute, alto sax; Randy Sandke: trumpet, flugelhorn, electric guitar, keyboards, piccolo trumpet; Jack Stuckey: bass clarinet, baritone sax; Kenny Washington: drums; Walt Weiskopf: clarinet, tenor sax; Scott Wilson: clarinet, flute, soprano sax, tenor sax.

The Subway Ballet

---

Phil Traynor - Still Life

Styles: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:16
Size: 94,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:01)  1. Martin's Joy
(4:34)  2. For a Moment
(4:49)  3. I Remember Christmas Eve
(4:53)  4. Door to Babylon
(4:43)  5. Legacy #5
(5:10)  6. Down 'n' Out
(5:15)  7. Debbie's Wind
(5:48)  8. Embryo

Still Life is Phil Traynor's fourth CD, and represents over two years of work. Collaborating with some of the finest national and international guitarists, including national fingerstyle champion and Emmy® nominee Pete Huttlinger, Guitar Player Magazine "Guitar Superstar" winner Vicki Genfan, international jazz and fingerstyle virtuoso Adam Rafferty, and some of the Tampa Bay area's finest talent; including Stacey Knights on flute , Dan O'Hara on keyboards , Douglas Lichterman on guitars, Austin Vickrey on saxophone, Kevin Clark on trumpets, and Chris Barbosa on the viola, and dear friends like sax and flute virtuoso Brian Dyre; Still Life is a delightful collection of old-school smooth and contemporary jazz compositions spanning three decades, and bursts with the joy and love that poured into its creation. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/philtraynor2

Still Life

---

Kristine Mills - Kristine Mills Music

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 20:50
Size: 47,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:12)  1. All of Me
(2:40)  2. Vivo Sonhando
(3:00)  3. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(2:29)  4. Blue Skies
(2:29)  5. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(2:35)  6. Route 66
(2:54)  7. Bônus: Vivo Sonhando - Trio
(2:28)  8. Bônus: You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To - Trio

This, my first cd, is a brief glimpse into the songs and styles that have made me the musician I am today. You'll find a touch of Texas-style blues in each of the tracks whether they are heart-wrenching Cole Porter songs from the Great American Songbook to lush renditions, sung in Portuguese, of a Bossa Nova classic by Antonio Carlos Jobim. I believe that the voice is simply another instrument in the ensemble  just one among the others from the piano to the bass and even the drums. They all speak all work together communicating in our unique language music. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kristinemills

Kristine Mills Music

---

Seth Walker - Sky Still Blue

Styles: Vocal, Pop/Rock
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:00
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Easy Come, Easy Go
(3:45)  2. Trouble (Don't Want No)
(4:01)  3. Grab Ahold
(3:54)  4. Another Day
(2:56)  5. Tomorrow
(3:25)  6. All That I'm Asking
(4:05)  7. High Wire
(4:16)  8. For A Moment There
(3:59)  9. Either Way I Lose
(2:59) 10. Jesus (Make My Bed)
(4:03) 11. Way Too Far

Since On the Outside, his 2005 debut, songwriter and guitarist Seth Walker has been gradually refining his approach. Early records were full-band exercises of electric Texas juke joint blues. On 2012's fine, self-produced Time Can Change, he showcased a greater diversity in his writing and arrangement. Walker relocated to New Orleans in 2012, and the influence of the Crescent City's musical rainbow is reflected on the excellent Sky Still Blue. Produced by Oliver Wood (Wood Brothers), it is the leanest recording in his catalog. Walker's road band, bassist Steve Mackey and drummer/percussionist Derrick Phillips, are the primary players, but Wood (who co-wrote five tunes here) brought in a handful of supplemental musicians including brother Chris Wood (Medeski, Martin & Wood) on upright bass. Opener "Easy Come, Easy Go" is swampy, jazzy blues, whose melody and lyrics nod toward eternal hepcat Mose Allison, while the guitar work reveals both T-Bone Walker and Jimmie Vaughan.

"Trouble (Don't Want No)" and the slow, moody gospel blues "Jesus (Make My Bed)" are excellent portraits of the rumbling, gritty aspect of Walker's playing and singing. If one listens closely NOLA's deep impression on the songwriter can be heard throughout, but it's especially evident in the slow, slippery combination of gospel and R&B in "Grab Ahold" (one of the tunes the McCrary Sisters appear on) and in the acoustic R&B on "Tomorrow," with its greasy backbeat and upright bass and piano. "All That I'm Askin'" is double-time, second-line funk orchestrated by Ephraim Owens' double-tracked trumpet locking with Chris Wood's upright bas. Here Afro-Cuban and pre-bop jazz meet gritty, vintage R&B, featuring breaking rimshot percussion and chunky guitar vamps along with Brigitte DeMeyer's backing vocal. 

The McCrarys add a sweet chorus to Walker's soulful croon in the Big Easy R&B of "For a Moment There." Van McCoy's soul classic "Either Way I Lose" is interpreted as a jazz-laden blues, with a killer vocal and beguiling guitar work. As evidenced here, Walker has become an excellent singer adding to his skills as a songwriter and guitarist. He has deliberately streamlined his sound and applied what he's learned to what he already knows. The sum is that Sky Still Blue is his finest recording to date. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sky-still-blue-mw0002666296

Personnel: Seth Walker (vocals, guitar); Oliver Wood (guitar, background vocals); Ephraim Owens (trumpet); Jano Rix (piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, drums, percussion, background vocals); Chris Wood (upright bass); Derrek Phillips (drums, percussion); The McCrary Sisters, Brigitte DeMeyer (background vocals).

Sky Still Blue

---

Nicolas Folmer - Plays Michel Legrand

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:14
Size: 138,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:50)  1. Oum Le Dauphin
(3:20)  2. Watch What's Happen
(6:05)  3. Tu Dormiras Longtemps
(8:43) 4. The Windmills Of My Mind (Les Moulins De Mon Cœur)
(6:38)  5. Once Upon Summertime
(2:47)  6. Quand Ça Balance!
(5:02)  7. A Quiet Room
(6:40)  8. Papa Can You Hear Me
(4:34)  9. You Must Believe In Spring
(5:50) 10. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
(4:40) 11. Summer 42

After “I comme Icare” (Django d’Or new talent) and “Fluide”, Nicolas Folmer, considered as one of the best trumpttist of his generation, signs his third album as leader and is charged with deep emotion for Michel Legrand revisiting his repertoire who really becomes a very important part of French cultural patrimony. Nicolas Folmer, orchestratist himself (he is especially the co-leader of the Paris Jazz Big Band) and unconditional of the composing style and interpreter of Michel Legrand who has proposed this confirmed project. Michel Legrand was invested into this project as well playing piano and singing for 2 headings of this album, and also keeping Nicolas Folmer company and his group in concert. http://www.cristalrecords.com/cristalrecords/en/419

Personnel:  Nicolas Folmer : Trompette, arrangements;  Thierry Eliez : piano;  Jérôme Regard : contrebasse (sauf titres 7, 11);  Mauro Gargano : contrebasse (7, 11);  Benjamin Henocq : batterie;  Michel Legrand : piano, chant (7, 11)

Plays Michel Legrand

---