Phil Woods Septet - Pairing Off

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:46
Size: 103,0 MB
Art: Front

(14:20)  1. The Stanley Stomper
( 9:47)  2. Cool Aid
(12:15)  3. Pairing Off
( 8:22)  4. Suddenly It's Spring

The title of this excellent CD reissue comes from the fact that the featured septet consists of two altos (Phil Woods and Gene Quill) and two trumpets (Donald Byrd and Kenny Dorham) in addition to a rhythm section (pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Philly Joe Jones). Of the pairings, Woods and Dorham were more distinctive in 1956, but both Quill and Byrd get in some good licks. The full group stretches out on four lengthy numbers: three Woods originals and the ballad "Suddenly It's Spring." ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/pairing-off-mw0000263287

Phil Woods Septet: Phil Woods, Gene Quill (alto saxophone); Kenny Dorham, Donald Byrd (trumpet); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Pairing Off

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Dave Koz - Live At Blue Note Tokyo

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:25
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. What You Leave Behind
(5:13)  2. Together Again
(5:36)  3. Put the Top Down
(3:28)  4. Let It Free
(3:31)  5. Anything's Possible
(6:04)  6. Love Is on the Way
(3:59)  7. It's Always Been You
(4:16)  8. All I See Is You
(4:37)  9. Honeydipped
(4:40) 10. Faces of the Heart
(5:42) 11. Silverlining
(7:22) 12. You Make Me Smile

Saxophonist Dave Koz has been recording as a solo artist since 1990. During that time he's issued more than a dozen albums of surprising variety, and has been nominated eight times for Grammy Awards. In an age when the live album has become a compulsory thing for artists who sometimes have only a single studio album to draw from, Koz waited until now to issue his first concert date, Live at the Blue Note Tokyo (recorded in 2011), which finds the saxophonist backed by a stellar quintet that includes musical director Brian Simpson on keyboards, guitarist Randy Jacobs, drummer Jay Williams, bassist André Berry, and Tio Banks on additional keyboards. 

The set was recorded impeccably by the gifted engineer Melissa Britton, who captured all of the spontaneity and warmth on display that evening. The material includes a number of excellent versions of tunes from Koz's then-current studio album, 2010's excellent Hello Tomorrow ("What You Leave Behind," "Anything's Possible," "Put the Top Down") and some killer new takes on catalog jams including "Together Again" and the hit "Love Is on the Way" from 1999's The Dance; "All I See Is You" and "Honey-Dipped" from 2003's Saxophonic; and even the funky "Silverlining," the ballad "Faces of the Heart" (which became the theme song for the soap opera General Hospital for a time), and an extended jam on "You Make Me Smile," all from 1993's Lucky Man. 

The stellar playing and the obvious love affair that takes place between audience and performers on Live at the Blue Note Tokyo make Koz's first live album one of his catalog's highlights. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-blue-note-tokyo-mw0002468987

Personnel: Dave Koz (saxophone); Randy Jacobs (guitar); Tio Banks, Brian Simpson (keyboards); Jay Williams (drums).

Live At Blue Note Tokyo

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Julius La Rosa - It's A Wrap

Size: 166,3 MB
Time: 70:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Medley: When The World Was Young - Yesterday, When I Was Young (3:55)
02. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (2:54)
03. Willow Creek (4:33)
04. You And Me (We Wanted It All) (3:27)
05. L. A. (3:14)
06. This Masquerade (2:42)
07. That's All (3:19)
08. You'll Never Know (3:16)
09. How About Me (2:08)
10. I Never Thought I'd Break (4:10)
11. Grow Tall, My Son (2:20)
12. Someone To Light Up My Life (2:43)
13. Where Or When (2:29)
14. Medley: The Summer Knows - Summer Me - Winter Me (3:28)
15. Yesterday I Heard The Rain (2:19)
16. Lovers Such As I (2:50)
17. Come In From The Rain (2:19)
18. You've Got A Friend (3:39)
19. Let's Take A Walk Around The Block (2:53)
20. I Only Have Eyes For You (2:14)
21. Mornin' (3:43)
22. Now I Have Everything (4:00)
23. Time, You Old Gypsy (1:55)

Julius La Rosa is one of those singers whose appreciation for a song's lyrics and meaning harks back to the Golden Years of Frank Sinatra. The Brooklyn native got his start as a singer in 1951 under the ravenous wings of Arthur Godfrey. Well into his seventies, La Rosa continued to sing a repertoire of songs by the likes of Sammy Cahn, Johnny Mercer, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lorenz Hart, and Cole Porter. This 23 track CD features material from three sessions backed by Loonis McGlohon's combos: The first session was recorded Feb. 22-23rd, 1984; the second session was in 1987, and the third in 1988. Here, he performs songs by Stevie Wonder, Leon Russell, Irving Berlin, Carole King and others. Features 11 never before released tracks.

It's A Wrap

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Lynn Miles - Winter

Size: 120,7 MB
Time: 52:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Folk/Pop
Art: Front

01. Last Night (Live) (4:15)
02. Just Let It Snow (4:19)
03. Little Snowflake (Live) (4:02)
04. The Coldest Winter In The History Of The World (4:50)
05. High Heels In The Snow (3:45)
06. This Heart That Lives In Winter (Live) (4:31)
07. Wintery Feeling (Live) (5:03)
08. Deep September Blue (2:55)
09. Casino El Camino (Live) (5:16)
10. Christmas Makes Me Miss You More (2:56)
11. Santa Clause Parade (Live) (3:24)
12. Blue Moon Bar (Live) [Feat. Rebecca Campbell] (3:51)
13. Twenty Pound Turkey (Live) (2:58)

Canadian singer/songwriter Lynn Miles, who is known for her plaintive singing and melancholy muse, is often compared to the likes of Shawn Colvin and Lucinda Williams. The Ottawa native entered Carleton University with the intention of studying music, but soon dropped out to write songs and perform at the bars and coffeehouses of Canada's capital city. She independently released a self-titled debut and Chalk This One Up to the Moon in the early '90s. Her song "Remembrance Day" ended up being featured in a Canadian Armed Forces video that depicted the losses of war and was televised nationally. In 1996, Miles released Slightly Haunted on Philo Records. The effort ended up as a year-end Top Ten pick in Billboard Magazine. (New York Times critic Jon Pareles has also praised Miles' forlorn songcraft.) Miles moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and the following year released Night in a Strange Town. Around that time, she also did a guest vocal on fellow Canadian Fred Eaglesmith's Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline album (on the track "Drinking Too Much"). For 2001's Unravel, Miles reunited with longtime collaborator, guitarist Ian Lefeuvre. ~by Erik Hage

Winter

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Bill Henderson - You Better Love Me (Joey Revisited Live)

Size: 110,3 MB
Time: 47:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1976/2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. You Better Love Me (3:54)
02. Don't Try To Send Flowers (3:20)
03. I Want You To Marry Me (2:42)
04. Sweet Georgia Brown (3:35)
05. Angel Eyes (3:27)
06. What Am I To You (2:33)
07. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (6:00)
08. Joey (6:16)
09. Royal Garden Blues (4:10)
10. My Funny Valentine (3:19)
11. Shades Of Mumbles (8:13)

The packaging of this live release is a bit shoddy, with bassist Steve LaSpina's name listed as "Lespina" and keyboardist Dave Mackay's being listed as "Malachai." Singer Bill Henderson is in generally strong voice on 11 songs (including "Tulips or Turnips" which is mistakenly listed as "What Am I to You"), although his dialogue between tunes should have been cut out. Henderson is accompanied by pianist Joyce Collins (who sings on three songs), Mackay, LaSpina and drummer Jerry Coleman; highlights include "You Better Love Me," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" and a surprisingly effective "Royal Garden Blues." The listed date is an estimate, since none is given on the release. This is the band that Henderson used around the period to record similar material for Discovery... ~by Scott Yanow

You Better Love Me

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Ernest Ranglin - Softly With Ranglin

Size: 105,7 MB

Time: 37:45

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 1969/2015

Styles: Jazz

Art: Front

01. Nocturne In E-Flat Major (2:27)

02. I Remember You (2:54)

03. Blue Velvet (3:26)

04. Like Someone In Love (2:42)

05. Deep Purple (2:26)

06. An Affair To Remember (2:35)

07. Why Don't You Believe Me (3:22)

08. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (4:25)

09. Misty (3:53)

10. They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful (3:30)

11. Blue Star (2:30)

12. San Francisco (3:31)

A pioneering force behind the rise of Caribbean music, guitar virtuoso Ernest Ranglin was born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 1932. He began playing ukulele as a boy, soon graduating to guitar; while in his teens he began performing live both locally and in the Bahamas, often in tandem with the young Monty Alexander. Ranglin's session work at the famed Studio One helped give birth to the ska phenomenon, which during the late '50s began taking Jamaica by storm. He finally began attracting international notice in 1964 when he traveled to London to perform at Ronnie Scott's jazz club, so impressing its owner that he remained on as the venue's resident guitarist for the next nine months. There he made a number of solo records for the fledgling Island label, and also collaborated with Prince Buster; additionally, Ranglin teamed with Jamaican singer Millie Small to cut the international smash "My Boy Lollipop." He soon returned to session work, arranging classics including the Melodians' majestic "Rivers of Babylon"; with his guitar leads on the Wailers' "It Hurts to Be Alone," he also laid the foundation for the rise of rockers reggae. Though remaining perhaps best known for his jazz prowess, in the 1970s Ranglin toured with Jimmy Cliff; in 1973 he was awarded the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Government for his contributions to music, and continued touring and recording regularly throughout the decades to follow, most notably signing to Chris Blackwell's newly formed Palm Pictures label to issue 1998's In Search of the Lost Riddim. E.B. @ Noon and Modern Answers to Old Problems arrived two years later, Grooving appeared in early 2001, and Alextown and Surfin' followed in 2005. ~Jason Ankeny

Softly With Ranglin

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Clara Vuust - A Winter Tale

Size: 106,9 MB
Time: 42:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Xmas
Art: Front

01. Mork Er November (3:21)
02. In The Bleak Midwinter (4:57)
03. Forunderligt At Sige (4:06)
04. Skyerne Grane Og Lovet Falder (4:30)
05. Christmas Time Is Here (4:11)
06. Der Er Ingenting I Verden Sa Stille Som Sne (2:36)
07. Tit Er Jeg Glad (3:00)
08. Det Er Hvidt Herude (3:32)
09. Den Yndigste Rose Er Funden (2:56)
10. Sorrig Og Glaede De Vandre Til Hobe (5:54)
11. Bliv Hos Os, Nar Dagen Haelder (2:53)

A WINTER TALE:
A year ago in the fall of 2014, I went to the studio with some of my my favorite musicians Francesco Calì, Nico Gori, Jeppe Holst and Andreas Hatholt to record my second album. The project started many years ago when Francesco, Jeppe and I toured Danish churches doing concerts with new arrangements of old Danish traditionals and hymns. These arrangements evolved over time, and when Nico Gori added his beautiful clarinet to the mix - we decided to record an album solely devoted to this these old songs.

I grew up singing all the songs that you find on my new album "A Winter Tale". But with the new arrangements by Francesco Calì the music comes to life in a different way. The melodies are the same, but everything else completely different. The idea was to bring the songs into a new setting with modern jazz reharmonisation without ruining, yet rather underlining, the feeling of the original tune.

A Winter Tale

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Dinah Washington - The Swingin' Miss 'D'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:52
Size: 116.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Vocal jazz
Year: 1956/1998
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. They Didn't Believe Me
[3:28] 2. You're Crying
[2:25] 3. Makin' Whoopee
[2:26] 4. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
[2:24] 5. But Not For Me
[2:36] 6. Caravan
[3:22] 7. Perdido
[2:41] 8. Never Let Me Go
[2:55] 9. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
[3:56] 10. I'll Close My Eyes
[2:31] 11. Somebody Loves Me
[3:07] 12. I'll Drown In My Tears
[2:25] 13. You Let My Love Grow Cold
[2:50] 14. Bargain Day
[2:41] 15. Relax Max
[2:43] 16. Tears To Burn
[2:22] 17. The Kissing Way Home
[3:06] 18. I Know

Dinah Washington was accompanied by an orchestra organized and conducted by Quincy Jones on this 1957 album, and she was singing to arrangements mostly written by the young bandleader, swing charts of pop standards by the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington. The result had much in common with the swing albums of Frank Sinatra in the same period, especially because Jones' arrangements were heavily influenced by Billy May and Nelson Riddle. Sinatra's records were regarded as "pop, " of course, and Washington's, at least when released on the EmArcy subsidiary of Mercury Records, as "jazz, " but her precise articulation and attention to lyrical meaning left little room for improvisation, and while Jones allowed for brief solos from a band that included Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, and Milt Hinton, the jazz categorization was actually arbitrary. Whatever musical genre you assign it to, however, this is an excellent Washington album. [For the 1998 reissue, Verve added seven bonus tracks recorded around the same time and with much the same personnel, though they were intended as singles and thus are inferior contemporary tunes. Often, however, Washington sounds more comfortable and enthusiastic on these pop and R&B songs than she does on the standards.] ~William Ruhlmann

The Swingin' Miss 'D'

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Jerry Weldon, Michael Karn - Head To Head

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:53
Size: 150.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[7:12] 1. Captain Morgan
[8:01] 2. Sweet And Lovely
[6:25] 3. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
[8:39] 4. Big D
[6:17] 5. Late Last Summer
[5:28] 6. All The Way
[6:48] 7. Ow!
[5:49] 8. Far East
[6:21] 9. If Ever I Woild Leave You
[4:48] 10. Koko

Jerry Weldon (Ts); Michael Karn (Ts); Bruce Barth (P); Peter Washington (B); Billy Drummond (D). Recorded June 9, 1998 in Brooklyn, NY, USA by Max Bolleman.

These two guys are great. But put them together and they are FANTASTIC. They are to the tenor sax, what Phil and Quill (Phil Wood and Gene Quill) were to the Alto. Their playing is faultless. The group inculdes Jerry Weldon and Michael Karn on Tenor sax, Bruce Barth on piano, the always great Peter Washington on Bass and Billy Drumond on drums. This CD, recorded in Brooklyn in 1998 sounds like the great sounds of the Bop, Be-Bop and Hard Bop eras. One would never know that it was recorded in the late nineties. I'm a lover of the 1950 to 1963 era of Jazz before all the fusion, avante garde and acid jazz that I can't stomach. It very encouraging to know that guys in this day and age are playing the kind of jazz that was popular back in the Golden Age of post Big Band Jazz. I really feel that these two guys are the best living Tenor sax players living today (along with Joel Frahm of course). I hear shades of Jimmy Griffin, the great tone of Charlie Rouse, the influence of Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon when I listen to this CD. The whole album is great, but my favorite is their GREAT version of the immortal Charlie Parker tune "Ko-Ko". You will NOT be disappointed if you like jazz from that era done by two of todays great players. A must have. By the way, the recording quality is great as well. None of that "Bass in your Face" mixing that ruins so many great recording nowadays. Kudo's to the recording engineer Max Bolleman. A Desert Island must ~Tony NYC

Head To Head

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Galen Weston - Plugged In

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:15
Size: 174.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[ 5:08] 1. Funk Opus #2
[11:56] 2. Song For Daphne
[ 6:01] 3. Bensonite
[ 6:25] 4. The Yellow Guitar
[ 8:49] 5. Rose Garden
[ 5:03] 6. Country
[ 7:00] 7. Galen's Vice (A Tribute To The 80s)
[ 5:26] 8. Austin
[ 4:36] 9. Tasteless
[ 6:27] 10. Like Someone In Love
[ 3:35] 11. Late And Never
[ 5:43] 12. Rock Jam

My latest CD Plugged In features 12 tracks including 10 originals and arrangements of Keith Jarrett's "Country"and Jimmy Van Huesen's "Like Someone in Love".

Musicians: Galen Weston guitar; David Woodhead bass; Al Cross drums; Simeon Abbott keyboards on #1; Matt Horner piano; Richard Underhill saxophone; Rick Shadrach Lazar percussion; Lenka Lichtenberg vocals.

Plugged In

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Bob Haggart & Yank Lawson - World's Greatest Jazz Band Of Bob Haggart & Yank Lawson

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:19
Size: 106.1 MB
Styles: Dixieland
Year: 1985/2008
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[4:04] 2. Midnight Sun
[3:58] 3. Diane
[2:31] 4. 42nd Street
[3:51] 5. Sometimes
[3:40] 6. Lonesome
[3:36] 7. Big Noise From Winnetka
[5:33] 8. Squeeze Me
[3:28] 9. At The Jazz Band Ball
[7:06] 10. St. Louis Blues
[4:59] 11. Jazz Me Blues

By 1985 the World's Greatest Jazz Band (which had last recorded in 1977) had been history for quite a few years. However under their original title, the former co-leaders (trumpeter Yank Lawson and bassist Bob Haggart) put together a talented octet for a European tour that also included clarinetist Abe Most, tenor saxophonist Eddie Miller, trombonist Bob Havens, pianist Lou Stein, guitarist Marty Grosz and drummer Nick Fatool. The liner notes to this album often confuse the composers with which musicians get featured (Abe Most did not write "I Can't Give You Anything but Love") but the disc is worth searching for by Dixieland collectors. Although Yank Lawson and Eddie Miller were both 74 at the time, they emerge as the main stars and sound quite strong. Highlights include "At the Jazz Band Ball," "St. Louis Blues" and "Jazz Me Blues." ~Scott Yanow

World's Greatest Jazz Band Of Bob Haggart & Yank Lawson

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The Jay McShann Trio - Hootie!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:45
Size: 162,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:49)  1. Cruisin' the Blues
(4:06)  2. Moonlight in Vermont
(8:28)  3. Kewpie Doll
(4:24)  4. Yardbird Suite
(4:57)  5. You're Driving Me Crazy/Moten Swing
(6:55)  6. Flippin' the Blues
(5:02)  7. All of Me
(6:22)  8. As Time Goes
(6:17)  9. Sweet Georgia Brown
(3:20) 10. My Chile
(2:43) 11. 'Fore Day Rider
(4:21) 12. Crazy Legs and Friday Strut
(7:52) 13. Moanin' Blues
(1:03) 14. Closing

Like many of producer Hank O'Neal's jazz cruises recorded aboard the S. S. Norway, this live set by pianist Jay McShann is a delight from start to finish. The blues veteran is in great form as he devotes nearly half of the release to his trio, which includes bassist Keter Betts and drummer Jackie Williams, and occasionally lightly sings along. The opener, "Cruisin' the Blues," features McShann's lively yet economical style of playing, along with a fine solo by Betts, while his lush interpretation of the old chestnut "Moonlight in Vermont" achieves a new degree of romanticism. But many fans will devour the appearances with special guests. Phil Woods, the greatest living alto saxophonist, sits in during McShann's sauntering blues "Kewpie Doll" and a rollicking take of Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite." 

Tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips, in his eighties (as was the leader) at the time of the performance, jointly improvises with McShann the strutting "Flippin' the Blues," and they follow it up with a swinging "All of Me." Phillips' impressive blowing belies his age during the timeless ballad "As Time Goes By" and an energetic "Sweet Georgia Brown." David "Fathead" Newman sits in for two McShann originals, the funky "Crazy Legs and Friday Strut" and the gospel-tinged "Moanin' Blues." Too bad there's no video of this music. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/hootie!-mw0000608939

Personnel: Jay McShann (vocals, piano); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Flip Phillips, David "Fathead" Newman (tenor saxophone); Keter Betts (bass); Jackie Williams (drums).

Hootie!

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Lena Horne - Love Songs

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:13
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:16)  1. It's Love
(3:12)  2. Love Me Or Leave Me
(3:21)  3. The Man I Love
(3:35)  4. You're The One
(3:25)  5. People Will Say We're In Love
(3:09)  6. Don't Take Your Love From Me
(3:20)  7. Love Is The Thing
(3:15)  8. Someone To Watch Over Me
(2:41)  9. At Long Last Love
(3:27) 10. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
(3:05) 11. Love Me A Little Little
(3:19) 12. Let Me Love You
(3:08) 13. Mad About The Boy
(3:00) 14. I'm Through With Love
(2:41) 15. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(3:14) 16. You're My Thrill

Some of the more jazz-oriented highlights of Lena Horne's recording career are on this CD. Unfortunately the full personnel is not given, although the recording dates and the various orchestra leaders are. As one can ascertain from the CD's title, the emphasis is on love songs, but most of the music swings too. Horne is heard with the orchestras of Charlie Barnet in 1941 ("You're My Thrill"), Artie Shaw in 1941 ("Don't Take Your Love From Me" and "Love Me a Little Little" which also include uncredited solos from trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen and altoist Benny Carter), Lou Bring (also 1941), Marty Gold (1961), and her husband, Lennie Hayton (1955 and 1958). Among the highlights are "Love Me or Leave Me," "At Long Last Love," "I'm Confessin'," and "Mad About the Boy." If the packaging was more complete and the music programmed in chronological order, the rating would have been higher, for the music is quite good. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-songs-2000-mw0000673007

Personnel: Lena Horne (vocals); Artie Shaw (clarinet); Benny Carter (alto saxophone); Charlie Barnet (tenor saxophone); Henry "Red" Allen (trumpet).

Love Songs

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Stephane Grappelli & Phil Woods - Anything Goes

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:51
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. All Of Me
(4:19)  2. Star Eyes
(4:34)  3. Anything Goes
(5:06)  4. Don't Blame Me
(2:38)  5. Moonlight In Vermont
(4:55)  6. It Might As Well Be Spring
(4:05)  7. Have You Met Miss Jones
(3:16)  8. Love Song
(3:56)  9. Sing Hallelujah

The 1987 session featured on Stephane Grappelli's edition of the Who's Who in Jazz series has been released on a variety of labels and is the only recorded meeting between Grappelli and Phil Woods. With guitarist Marc Fossett and bassist Jon Burr (two of the violinist's regular sidemen), plus the great Louis Bellson on drums, the musicians clearly are enjoying themselves as they delve into nine standards and Grappelli's "Love Song." No one musician dominates, as the solo breaks are generally short and passed around between everyone. 

The resulting music is quite unlike anything else in either Grappelli's or Woods' vast discographies. Highlights include a pulsating "Caravan," with Woods' boisterous solo, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" (with Woods switching to clarinet), and Grappelli's lyrical samba-flavored interpretation of "It Might as Well Be Spring." Two proofreading blunders by Who's Who in Jazz should be noted; the opening track is not "All of Me" but actually "You Took Advantage of Me," while the final selection is correctly titled "Hallelujah." ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1130267&style=music&fulldesc=T

Personnel: Stéphane Grappelli (violin); Marc Fosset (guitar); Phil Woods (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Louis Bellson (drums).

Anything Goes

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Emily Remler - Take Two

Styles: Guitar Jazz

Year: 1982

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:27

Size: 102,1 MB

Art: Front

(4:54)  1. Cannonball

(4:58)  2. In Your Own Sweet Way

(6:48)  3. For Regulars Only

(5:23)  4. Search for Peace

(6:50)  5. Pocket Wes

(6:41)  6. Waltz for My Grandfather

(2:30)  7. Afro Blue

(6:20)  8. Eleuthra

Emily Remler's second recording as a leader finds the 24-year-old guitarist still very much playing in the Wes Montgomery vein, although showing her own musical personality here and there. She is joined by pianist James Williams, bassist Don Thompson, and drummer Terry Clarke on a challenging set of material filled with obscurities. Certainly such numbers as Cannonball Adderley's "Cannonball," Dexter Gordon's "For Regulars Only," McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace," and Monty Alexander's "Eleuthra" are rarely performed. Better known are "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Afro Blue"; Remler also contributes two originals. Throughout the date the guitarist displays a great deal of potential, much of which would sadly go unrealized due to her early death. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/take-two-mw0000076188

Personnel: Emily Remler (guitar), James Williams (piano), Don Thompson (bass), Terry Clarke (drums).

Take Two

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Pat Martino - Stone Blue

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:52
Size: 137.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[ 4:25] 1. Uptown Down
[ 6:46] 2. Stone Blue
[ 9:15] 3. With All The People
[ 7:26] 4. 13 To Go
[ 8:08] 5. Boundaries
[ 3:39] 6. Never Say Goodbye
[ 6:13] 7. Mac Tough
[13:24] 8. Joyous Lake
[ 0:32] 9. Two Weighs Out

One could viably look at the recordings of renascent guitar hero Pat Martino's recordings of the last few years and pose the musical question: will the real Martino stand up? His Muse releases showed an artist in recovery from his life- and music-threatening brain aneurysm operation of 1980, and his 1996 album The Miracle may be his boldest complete effort yet in the post-op years. Last year's Blue Note debut, All Sides Now, was an odd hit-and-miss affair, a set of dialogues with guitarists with whom he didn't always have much to talk about with. He gets along well with the musicians on his newest album, a quasi-reunion with drummer Kenwood Dennard and keyboardist Delmar Brown, who played with him on his legendary 1976 album Joyous Lake.

Joined here by the admirable tenor saxist Eric Alexander and reliable bassist James Genus, the group navigates through a set of Martino originals that revisit his own corner of the fusion landscape. Mostly, the playing is intense-Martino's own, instantly identifiable style, the eloquent, clean-toned scramble-and the material builds off its built-in tensions, as in the opening "Uptown Down," the fast little postlude "Two Weighs Out," and the title track. The breezy tonalities of "With All the People" may veer a bit too close to smooth jazz for comfort, but the lyricism of his ballad "Never Say Goodbye" is darkly sweet.

Ironically, Brown's overly digital sounds now sound dated, in this age when the raw beauties of older keyboard sonorities are the rage. What sounds timeless here is the leader, wailing with a kind of concurrent wisdom and go-for-broke commitment to improvisational abandon. The truth is that Martino stands up every time he plays. Hints of Martino's unique power is contained in each episode of his work, this latest chapter included. ~Josef Woodland

Stone Blue

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Madeline Eastman - Art Attack

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:32
Size: 122.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[4:08] 1. The Thrill Is Gone
[4:39] 2. Gypsy In My Soul
[3:32] 3. Sonhos
[4:38] 4. I Like You, You're Nice I Like You
[4:38] 5. The Boy Next Door
[3:33] 6. Evidence
[5:00] 7. Say It Isn't So
[3:05] 8. My Heart Stood Still
[5:23] 9. Nefertiti
[3:09] 10. Telephone Song
[3:35] 11. MC
[2:44] 12. It Never Entered My Mind
[2:38] 13. You Can't Go Home Again
[2:44] 14. Love Came On Stealthy Fingers

Singer Madeline Eastman's third release for the Mad-Kat label shoots out in a lot of different directions, some more successful than others. Eastman is at her best on explorative workouts (such as a wordless version of "Nefertiti" in which she is joined by The Turtle Island String Quartet), uptempo pieces where she can scat and swing and on sensuous ballads such as "The Thrill Is Gone." In contrast, her treatment of "Gypsy in My Soul" comes across as overly pushy, the lyrics of Blossom Dearie's "I Like You, You're Nice/I Like You" are not too inspired and Eastman's decision to sing in Portuguese (as heard on Ivan Lins's "Sonhos") is a mistake. An energetic version of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" and a hard swinging "My Heart Stood Still" are much better. The supporting cast includes a trio with pianist Kenny Barron and drummer Tony Williams on half of the program; Bay Area musicians were enlisted for most of the other tracks. To Madeline Eastman's credit, she consistently stretches herself and is not afraid to take chances. The hits far outnumber the misses on this very interesting release. ~Scott Yanow

Art Attack

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The Dave Bailey Sextet - One Foot In The Gutter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:36
Size: 173.1 MB
Styles: Bebop, Contemporary jazz
Year: 2007/2012
Art: Front

[11:02] 1. One Foot In The Gutter
[12:58] 2. Well you needn't
[19:41] 3. Sandu
[17:13] 4. Blues For J.P
[ 7:55] 5. Two Feet In The Gutter
[ 6:44] 6. Our Miss Brooks

Bass – Peck Morrison; Drums – Dave Bailey; Piano – Horace Parlan; Tenor Saxophone – Junior Cook; Trombone – Curtis Fuller; Trumpet – Clark Terry. Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City, on July 19 and 20, 1960. Digitally remastered at La Source Mastering Paris, France.

All sides here were recorded during a series of blowing sessions that put great emphasis on the soloists. The moving spirit behind them was drummer Dave Bailey. All musicians involved play without strain, generating the kind of explosion only jazz can create. The three opening tunes were issued on the album One Foot in the Gutter, the first Bailey did as a leader, and as he himself explained in the original liner notes, “we had unusual freedom throughout, not only in what we played, but in what we did, and at one point you can hear Clark Terry and Junior Cook enthusiastically applauding one of Curtis Fuller’s solos. That was the spirit of the session, and the audience joined right in.”

One Foot In The Gutter

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Chet Atkins - Read My Licks

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:17
Size: 96.8 MB
Styles: Country-pop guitar
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[3:14] 1. Young Thing
[4:09] 2. Mountains Of Illinois
[3:29] 3. After You've Gone
[3:01] 4. Every Now And Then
[4:06] 5. Somebody Loves Me Now
[3:41] 6. Norway (Norwegian Mountain Song)
[4:33] 7. Read My Licks
[3:55] 8. Take A Look At Her Now
[3:42] 9. Around The Bend
[4:34] 10. Dream
[3:48] 11. Vincent

Chet Atkins is one of the most influential personalities to ever come out Nashville. Credited with creating the commercial middle-of-the-road "Nashville Sound," Atkins--a guitar virtuoso as well as a keen-eared record executive--remains at the forefront of the country music scene. READ MY LICKS won him a Grammy in 1995.

Tackling such diverse fare as pop standards and folk rock, Atkins is equally adept at capturing the breezy jazz feel of Johnny Mercer's string-accented "Dream" as he is with a spare, solo interpretation of Don McLean's "Vincent." Incorporating vocal assistance from sweet-voiced Suzy Bogguss and meaty instrumental backing from guitarist Mark Knopfler, fiddler Stuart Duncan and country piano legend Floyd Cramer, Atkins constructs a full spectrum of sound. But it is Atkins' own nimble and intricate fingerpicking that is the true centerpiece here. Country-based, with jazz, blues, pop and classical inflections, Atkins gracefully glides through styles as if he were skating on smooth ice. There is a constant motion when he plays, utilizing the three-finger-style Travis technique, with the melody floating above the booming lower notes. This method makes the solo "Vincent" as full-sounding as any of the more orchestrated tracks. ~AMG

Read My Licks

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Pee Wee Russell - Pee Wee Russell In England

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:29
Size: 165.9 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 1965/2006
Art: Front

[ 6:48] 1. There'll Be Some Changes Made
[ 5:23] 2. Sugar
[ 8:41] 3. Rose Room
[ 8:20] 4. Rosetta
[ 8:11] 5. If I Had You
[ 7:58] 6. 'deed I Do
[ 5:47] 7. Pee Wee's Blues
[14:28] 8. Untitled Blues
[ 6:49] 9. Indiana (Back Home...)

Pee Wee Russell with John Armatage (drums), Ray Crane (trumpet), Pete Strange (trombone), Cyril Keepher (tenor sax), Archie Sample (clarinet), Collin Bates (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Sandy Brown (clarinet). Recorded at Manchester Sports Guild, England, October 17th, 1964.

The idiosyncratic jazz clarinetist Pee Wee Russell is heard in a live 1964 performance backed by a band led by the British drummer Johnny Armatage. Recorded in Manchester, U.K., the set includes a variety of traditional jazz favorites, such as "There'll Be Some Changes Made," "Back Home Again in Indiana," and "If I Had You."

Pee Wee Russell In England

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