Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae - Golden Voices! Golden Memories!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:26
Size: 160,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:09)  1. Whispering Hope
(3:02)  2. No Other Love
(3:15)  3. Bluebird of Happiness
(2:26)  4. 'A' You're Adorable
(2:32)  5. Steppin' Out with My Baby
(2:14)  6. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
(2:11)  7. Where Are You Gonna Be When the Moon Shines
(3:16)  8. Our Very Own
(2:30)  9. Dearie
(3:11) 10. To Think You've Chosen Me
(2:28) 11. A Rosewood Spinet
(2:13) 12. Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart
(2:44) 13. Need You
(2:39) 14. Always True to You in My Fashion
(3:10) 15. I'll String Along with You
(2:29) 16. Down the Lane
(2:51) 17. The Little Old Church Near Leicester Square
(2:15) 18. Tea for Two
(2:58) 19. Neapolitan Nights
(2:58) 20. Why Can't You Behave
(3:16) 21. Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys
(3:02) 22. Love's Old Sweet Song
(2:55) 23. Evelyn
(2:48) 24. Wunderbar
(2:43) 25. The Pagan Love Song

One of the most technically gifted and popular vocalists of the immediate postwar period, Jo Stafford effortlessly walked the line between breezy pop and the more serious art of post-big-band jazz singing. With the help of her husband, top-flight arranger and Capitol A&R director Paul Weston, Stafford recorded throughout the '40s and '50s for Capitol and Columbia. She also contributed (with Weston) to one of the best pop novelty acts of the period, a hilariously inept and off-key satire that saw the couple billed as Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.

Born near Fresno, CA, Stafford sang from an early age and was classically trained, though she later joined her sisters in a country-tinged act (associated for a time with Joe "Country" Washburne). At the age of just 17, she became the first female voice in the seven-man vocal act known as the Pied Pipers. Soon after the group joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1939, however, it was pruned to a quartet (which also included Stafford's first husband, co-founder John Huddleston). The group appeared on several of the Dorsey band's hits of the early '40s, a few of which paired them with Frank Sinatra. Stafford gained her first solo spots on a pair of Dorsey band hits, "Yes, Indeed!" and "Manhattan Serenade." She finally left the Pied Pipers for a solo contract in 1944 (she was replaced by June Hutton), though the group provided backup for many of her initial solo hits.

Not only signed to Capitol but able to preview hit songs as the co-host of label founder Johnny Mercer's radio program, Stafford hit the charts with the mid-'40s songs "Long Ago (And Far Away)," "I Love You," and "Candy." The latter, a duet with Mercer and the Pied Pipers, became her first number one. In 1948, her duet with Gordon MacRae on "My Darling, My Darling" became her second. She later moved to Columbia and recorded the two biggest hits of her career, 1952's "You Belong to Me" and 1954's "Make Love to Me." Stafford gained her own television program during the mid-'50s, and also recorded the first LP by Jonathan & Darlene Edwards, American Popular Songs. (It wasn't the first time Stafford had used a pseudonym, however; in 1947, she billed herself as Cinderella G. Stump to record a cover of the cornpone single "Temptation [Tim-Tay-Shun].") Though she slipped from the charts in the late '50s and retired from performance, Stafford continued to record for many years and issued the LP Getting Sentimental Over Tommy Dorsey on Reprise in 1963. She also founded Corinthian Records, with Weston, to reissue the couple's various recordings. ~ John Bush  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jo-stafford-mn0000112017/biography

With his handsome boy-next-door looks, deep baritone, and glorious smile, Gordon MacRae found success as a recording artist, film actor, and television and radio personality. He recorded for Capitol Records for more than two decades, and starred in two of the most popular musicals of the 1950s, the movie versions of Richard Rodgers' and Oscar Hammerstein's Oklahoma! and Carousel, both of which had appeared previously on Broadway. Beginning in 1947, MacRae's releases for Capitol were quite successful. Through 1954 he scored numerous hits, among them "Rambling Rose," "So in Love," "It's Magic," "I Still Get Jealous," "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue," and "At the Candlelight Café." Following an absence of four years from the charts, "The Secret" brought about his return.

MacRae's chart success was not limited to solo efforts. He also collaborated with Jo Stafford, who previously sang for Tommy Dorsey's outfit. MacRae and Stafford hit the top of U.S. charts with "My Darling, My Darling." The duo also released the singles "A  You're Adorable," "Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart," "Whispering Hope," "Bluebird of Happiness," "Dearie," and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo." MacRae also put out an album in collaboration with his first wife, Sheila MacRae, an actress and singer. The performer's full name at birth was Albert Gordon MacRae. Born in New Jersey, he grew up in Syracuse, NY. During his high school years he was a member of the drama club. In addition to singing, he also could hold his own on the saxophone, clarinet, and piano. During his late teens, a contest win took him to New York, where he performed for several weeks during the World's Fair. The engagement gave him the opportunity to sing with professionals such as Les Brown and Harry James. The following year, Horace Heidt hired MacRae as a vocalist for his band. The singer stayed with Heidt's outfit for a couple of years before enlisting in the armed forces, where he received training in navigation.

After his war service, MacRae debuted on Broadway, taking over for Tommy Arbuckle in Junior Miss. In 1946 he moved on to Three to Make Ready, Ray Bolger's Broadway revue. The production brought him to the attention of Capitol and led to his contract with the company. During the late '40s MacRae landed a starring role in the music-based program The Railroad Hour, where he remained through 1954 despite a change of networks. During this period Warner Brothers snapped him up for its motion pictures, giving MacRae a seven-year deal and launching him in The Big Punch. A number of movie roles followed, casting him opposite such actresses as Doris Day, June Haver, Shirley Jones, Jane Powell, and Kathryn Grayson. MacRae bowed out of the movies in the mid-'50s and concentrated on television work and live concerts. He hosted his own program, The Gordon MacRae Show, and frequently turned up on such popular television shows as The Colgate Comedy Hour. He began struggling with alcoholism by the end of the 1950s, but by the 1970s he claimed to have wrested control over the addiction. In 1982 MacRae was struck down by a stroke, but he endured until 1986, when he died of pneumonia. He also suffered from cancer. MacRae and his first wife divorced in 1967. The marriage produced four children, among them actresses Meredith MacRae and Heather MacRae. He wed Liz Schrafft in 1967, and the couple raised one child. ~ Linda Seida  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gordon-macrae-mn0000018796/biography

Golden Voices! Golden Memories!

Jackie McLean - Right Now!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:11
Size: 111,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:08)  1. Eco
(10:12)  2. Poor Eric
(10:34)  3. Christel's Tune
( 9:29)  4. Right Now
(11:47)  5. Right Now (alt tk)

With the exception of a beautiful ballad version of Larry Willis' "Poor Eric," the music here (also available in Mosaic's four-disc Jackie McLean box set) is hard-charging, intense, and fairly free. The altoist was at the peak of his powers during this period and, inspired by the versatile rhythm section (pianist Larry Willis, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Clifford Jarvis), he plays explorative versions of his own "Eco," Willis' "Christel's Tune," and Charles Tolliver's "Right Now"; an alternate version of the latter is added on the reissue. This date offers a particularly strong example of McLean's unique inside/outside music of the 1960s. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/right-now!-mw0000675287

Personnel: Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Larry Willis (piano); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Clifford Jarvis (drums).

Right Now!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Asylum Street Spankers - Mercurial

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:01
Size: 135.1 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues/Swing/R&B
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:09] 1. Digga Digga Doo
[3:35] 2. Paul Revere
[4:10] 3. D.R.I.N.K
[4:05] 4. Since I Met You Baby
[4:30] 5. Shine On Harvest Moon
[4:26] 6. Got My Mojo Workin'
[2:50] 7. Some Of These Days
[4:35] 8. Dance This Mess Around
[4:28] 9. Tv Party
[4:19] 10. Hick Hop
[3:33] 11. Tight Like That
[7:02] 12. Sugar In My Bowl
[3:21] 13. Going Up To The Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue
[3:53] 14. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie

The Asylum Street Spankers defy easy categorization. Sticking resolutely to acoustic instruments including clarinet, harmonica, banjo and at times even musical saw, the Spankers perform a bewildering array of songs in just about every popular style extant in America since the end of World War I. Though the band's lineup changes with each recording, the two leaders have remained constant: Christina Marrs, whose vocal tone and range remind me of Barbara Cook with touches of Aretha Franklin and Betty Boop, and Wammo, who is truly one of a kind. The Spankers' MO is to take absolutely nothing seriously except their musicianship (which is polished to the point of glowing) and to celebrate all forms of pleasure, not excluding those that are generally considered to be either immoral, illegal or fattening. (For their sake, I hope John Ashcroft never gets hold of a copy of "Spanker Madness.") Their new album, "Mercurial"--so named for Mercury Hall in their home town of Austin, where this CD was recorded--basically is a sampler of everything that makes the Spankers great. They perform everything from true old-time numbers such as "Shine On Harvest Moon" and "Digga Digga Doo" to a hilarious cover of the B-52's "Dance This Mess Around." Christina Marrs lights up the torches in such down-and-dirty blues numbers as "Got My Mojo Workin'" and "Sugar in My Bowl," but it's Wammo who is the album's standout in his wonderful original, "Hick Hop," best described as a rumble between the posses of Toby Keith and Snoop Dogg. Sadly, "Mercurial" probably marks the last appearances of Stanley Smith and Korey Simeone as regular Spankers--Smith quit the band because of ill health, Simeone to pursue an acting career--but the new touring group of Spankers is as tight an ensemble as ever, and bodes well for the band's survival as a living monument to the Pleasure Principle. ~Miles D Moore

Mercurial

Blue Mitchell - Plays For Lovers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:43
Size: 139.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. The Nearness Of You
[5:39] 2. When I Fall In Love
[5:24] 3. Why Do I Love You
[5:46] 4. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[3:35] 5. But Beautiful
[3:45] 6. I Can't Get Started
[5:01] 7. There Will Never Be Another You
[6:40] 8. How Deep Is The Ocean
[3:35] 9. I'm A Fool To Want You
[4:59] 10. Turquoise
[5:39] 11. Missing You
[3:20] 12. For All We Know
[3:54] 13. Peace

In the '60s, Prestige launched its Plays for Lovers series with LPs by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and others. The concept was jazz as romantic mood music -- collections of previously released material that are dominated by ballads and emphasize a player's more lyrical side. Fantasy has long since acquired the Prestige catalog, and in the 2000s, it helped keep the Plays for Lovers concept alive -- not only with Prestige recordings, but also with recordings from the Fantasy-owned catalogs of Riverside, Contemporary, and other labels. The Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers collection, in fact, doesn't contain a single Prestige recording; all of the material originally came out on Riverside. In 2003, the late Mitchell was an obvious choice for a Plays for Lovers release because the Clifford Brown-influenced trumpeter was, quite simply, a superb ballad player. He had no problem swinging aggressively at a fast tempo, but he was equally skillful when it came to ballads -- a fact that is obvious on Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers, which spans 1958-1962 and finds him playing quite soulfully on "I Can't Get Started," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," and other famous Tin Pan Alley standards. Not everything on the 61-minute CD is a ballad; Cedar Walton's "Turquoise" is a moody, dusky post-bop offering that is played at a medium tempo. The tune's appealing melody bears a slight resemblance to the standard "You Don't Know What Love Is," and even though "Turquoise" is faster than any of the other selections, it doesn't really disrupt the overall mood and ambiance -- it's a momentary diversion but not an outright disruption. Besides, the Plays for Lovers series was meant to be ballad-heavy but not ballad-exclusive; being dominated by ballads isn't the same as excluding medium-tempo material altogether. And when all is said and done, Blue Mitchell Plays for Lovers lives up its title. ~Alex Henderson

Plays For Lovers

Chris Flory With Duke Robillard And Friends - Blues In My Heart

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:12
Size: 108,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:46)  1. Scam
(7:20)  2. Willow Weep For Me
(4:49)  3. Bernie's Tune
(5:01)  4. I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues
(3:34)  5. Shine
(4:51)  6. Blue Bossa
(5:09)  7. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(4:27)  8. If Dreams Come True
(5:10)  9. Blues In My Heart

Celebrated jazz guitarist Chris Flory (formerly of the Scott Hamilton Quartet and longtime associate of pianist Judy Carmichael) is joined for his fifth album as a leader by members of the New England jump blues aristocracy: guitarist Duke Robillard (who produced the album and sings on its closing track), Roomful of Blues vocalist Sugar Ray Norcia, bassist Marty Ballou, and drummer Chuck Riggs. Flory's former boss, Scott Hamilton, sits in on two track as well. The result is a program of small-ensemble swing that comes across as genuinely joyful, but maybe just a bit too gentle. Flory's tone is warm and soft, and Robillard seems to be holding back just a bit in response. 

The rhythm section keeps things moving along nicely but doesn't drive the proceedings as hard as they perhaps should have. But that's not to say that the album isn't thoroughly lovely and genuinely enjoyable the group's rendition of "Shine" offers a perfect balance between light virtuosity and inexorable swing, Flory's graceful, tripping solos on "Bernie's Tune" are especially impressive, and Norcia's vocal appearances are all highlights on the program. It's just that if the players had let loose a bit more, this album could have been a real blast. As it is, it's just thoroughly lovely and genuinely enjoyable. ~ Rick Anderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/blues-in-my-heart-mw0000598465

Personnel: Chris Flory (guitar);  Duke Robillard (vocals, guitar);  Sugar Ray Norcia (vocals);  Scott Hamilton (saxophone);  Chuck Riggs (drums);  Marty Ballou (bass).

Blues In My Heart

Stan Kenton - Cuban Fire!

Styles: Piano Jazz, Latin Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:06
Size: 125,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. Fuego Cubano (Cuban Fire)
(5:53)  2. El Congo Valiente (Valiant Congo)
(5:01)  3. Recuerdos (Reminiscences)
(4:49)  4. Quien Sabe (Who Knows)
(5:09)  5. La Quera Baila (The Fair One Dances)
(4:20)  6. La Suerte De Los Tontos (Fortune Of Fools)
(2:59)  7. Tres Corazones (Three Hearts)
(3:51)  8. Malibu Moonlight
(4:34)  9. El Panzon
(5:22) 10. Carnival
(3:05) 11. Wagon
(2:56) 12. Early Hours (Lady Luck)

This CD contains one of the classic Stan Kenton albums, a six-part suite composed and arranged by Johnny Richards. The Kenton orchestra was expanded to 27 pieces for these dates including six percussionists, two French horns and six trumpets. With such soloists as tenor-great Lucky Thompson (on "Fuego Cubano,") trombonist Carl Fontana, altoist Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins on tenor and trumpeters Sam Noto and Vinnie Tanno, and plenty of raging ensembles, this is one of Stan Kenton's more memorable concept albums of the 1950s. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/cuban-fire!-mw0000264239

Personnel : Stan Kenton (piano);  Lennie Neihaus, Gene Baltazar (alto saxophone);  Bill Perkins, Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone);  Billy Root, Marvin Holliday (baritone saxophone);  Ed Leddy, Sam Noto, Lee Katzman, Phil Gilbert, Al Mattaliano (trumpets); Vinnie Tano (trumpet, flugelhorn); Bob Fitzpatrick, Carl Fontana, Kent Larsen (trombone); Irving Rosenthal, Julius Watikins (French horn); Jay McAllister (tuba); Gene Roland (mellophonium); Ralph Blaze (guitar); Curtis Counce, Pete Chivily (bass); Art Anton, Mel Lewis (drums); Tommy Lopez, George Acevedo (congas); George Laguna (timbales); Roger Mozian (claves); Mario Alvarez (maracas).

Cuban Fire!

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Count Basie - Frankly Basie: Count Basie Plays The Hits Of Frank Sinatra

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:20
Size: 108.4 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1963/2003
Art: Front

[4:31] 1. The Second Time Around
[2:46] 2. Hey! Jealous Lover
[3:30] 3. I'll Never Smile Again
[4:05] 4. Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)
[3:03] 5. This Love Of Mine
[2:53] 6. I Thought About You
[3:12] 7. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
[2:41] 8. Come Fly With Me
[2:52] 9. On The Road To Mandalay
[3:13] 10. Only The Lonely
[3:51] 11. South Of The Border
[2:25] 12. All Of Me
[2:39] 13. My Kind Of Town
[2:51] 14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:40] 15. Hey! Jealous Lover

Originally titled More Hits of the 50's and 60's, Frankly Basie: Count Basie Plays the Hits of Frank Sinatra, a salute to Frank Sinatra by the Count Basie Orchestra, is mostly closer to dance music than jazz. The original 12-song program featuring Billy Byers' arrangements is augmented by a "new" alternate take of "Hey! Jealous Lover" and two selections ("My Kind of Town" and "Come Rain or Come Shine") taken from the LP Basie Picks the Winners. "All of Me" is most memorable. ~Scott Yanow

Frankly Basie: Count Basie Plays The Hits Of Frank Sinatra

Kate Meehan - Can I Play Too?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:44
Size: 102.4 MB
Styles: Blues-jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues
[3:44] 2. Wichita Lineman
[2:38] 3. Don't Go To Strangers
[5:03] 4. Aint Misbehavin
[4:29] 5. Body And Soul
[5:17] 6. You Don't Know What Love Is
[3:29] 7. Don't Touch Me
[4:48] 8. Don't Explain
[2:20] 9. All Of Me
[3:49] 10. The Gypsy
[1:59] 11. Paper Moon
[3:43] 12. Feel Like Going Home

Kate Meehan is an elegant, flaming, passionate singer, who shows herself as a woman with a special feeling for the blues, which is something enviable for women who live in the music business. The daughter of well known Hobart Jazz Trumpeter Clem Meehan, Kate was brought up with the sounds of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald bouncing around the lounge room. The sound of standards is in clear evidence on this disc, and well-executed versions are the order of the day. At times, the spirit of Julie London invades and a smoky, after hours feeling comes to the fore. Kate can really "mellow-down" and get a growl going too.

Can I Play Too?

Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - Good 'Nuff

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:35
Size: 163.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1962/2003
Art: Front

[6:28] 1. Good 'nuff
[7:10] 2. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[3:30] 3. Sonja's Dreamland
[3:55] 4. Besame Mucho
[6:10] 5. Neck Bones
[4:15] 6. Delicious
[7:42] 7. Y'all
[6:42] 8. The Stinger
[5:29] 9. There Is No Greater Love
[3:57] 10. Brother John
[5:01] 11. Cleopatra And The African Knight 2
[6:57] 12. You Don't Know What Love Is
[4:13] 13. Bennie's Diggin'

Good 'Nuff combines two Smith '60s albums onto one CD: 1962's Johnny Hammond Smith Cooks With Gator Tail (co-billed to tenor saxophonist Willis Jackson) and 1965's The Stinger. "Good 'Nuff" is one of the tracks on Johnny Hammond Smith Cooks With Gator Tail, which is typical early-'60s Prestige soul-jazz, with all the good and bad that implies. The good? It hits a lockstep earthy groove, with funky organ by Smith, smoky sax from Jackson, and some smooth guitar from Eddie McFadden. The bad? Well, it's not bad, really, just predictable. The compositions usually have easygoing, unchallenging bluesy progressions, and the whole thing has the agreeable ambience of a good-time bar where the music fades more into the background the longer it continues. Smith wrote four of the seven songs, the program balanced by Jackson's "Y'All" and covers of "Besame Mucho" and the traditional "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." "Sonja's Dreamland" goes the furthest into ballad territory, while "Neckbones" swings the hardest. The Stinger, on which Houston Person and Earl Edwards assume the tenor sax duties, is more interesting, with a slightly more gutbucket soul feel, though the title track too strongly recalls Bill Doggett's huge mid-'50s hit "Honky Tonk." "Brother John" sounds like a Ray Charles track without a vocal, and "Cleopatra and the African Knight," as the title indicates, incorporates a convincing tinge of Arabia. ~Richie Unterberger

Good 'Nuff

Paul Young - Rock Swings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:01
Size: 116.8 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock,Swing vocals
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Tainted Love
[4:05] 2. Bennie And The Jets
[4:29] 3. Enter Sandman
[4:10] 4. Why Does It Always Rain On Me
[4:26] 5. Isn't It A Pity
[4:15] 6. The Boys Of Summer
[5:12] 7. Lose Yourself
[4:01] 8. Hungry Heart
[3:06] 9. I'd Better Get My Coat
[3:07] 10. In The Ghetto
[3:23] 11. The Jean Genie
[3:56] 12. Walk On The Wild Side
[3:21] 13. White Christmas

As the title of this collection suggests, English blue-eyed soul man Paul Young, takes pop songs and reworks them into big band, Sinatra-Buble stylings. He covers songs made famous by Elvis, Springsteen, Elton John, Don Henley, and even Soft Cell and Eminem. What makes the collection special is that he pulls it off and it works more often than not. It's such a shame this wasn't a big hit. It has a rockabilly feel, kinda like something the Stray Cats might have tried.

I highly recommend this release to anyone who wants to try something extremely new, but also interestingly familiar. ~Last.FM

Rock Swings

Kenny Davern & Flip Phillips - Spanish Eyes

Styles: Clarinet and Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:35
Size: 173,4 MB
Art: Front

( 0:25)  1. Opening Remarks
( 9:27)  2. Elsa's Dream
(10:57)  3. Flip's Dido
(10:31)  4. Spanish Eyes
( 6:35)  5. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm
( 7:57)  6. Royal Garden Blues
(10:42)  7. Miki's Dream
( 6:18)  8. All Of Me
(12:39)  9. Lover Come Back To Me

As Gene Lees makes clear in his notes, there is escape from bebop. There's none of it here, or just a soupcon on one track from Phil Woods, who can't really help it, even if Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges were his earlier influences. But Phillips and Davern are a fine, tough pair and swing happily together despite a twenty-year age difference, a fact that goes to prove something. Certainly, their combination of tenor and clarinet falls agreeably on the ear, just as that of tenor and trombone does. They're caught in action here on a 1995 Floating Jazz Festival, with generally sympathetic backing by Derek Smith, Howard Alden, Milt Hinton and Joe Ascione, although some of Smith's piano solos at up tempo sound spectacularly overcrowded. The well-chosen program includes two attractive Phillips originals, "Flip's Dido" and to match Davern's "Elsa's Dream," an intriguing "Miki's Dream." Mrs. Davern is Elsa, but the identity of Dido and Miki is not revealed. The last and longest track, "Lover, Come Back to Me," on which Woods appears, runs for twelve and a half minutes that many will presumably find climactically exciting. ~ Stanley Dance  http://jazztimes.com/articles/7798-spanish-eyes-kenny-davern-flip-phillips

Personnel: Flip Phillips (tenor saxophone); Howard Alden (guitar); Kenny Davern (clarinet); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Derek Smith (piano); Joe Ascione (drums).

Spanish Eyes

Johanna Grussner - No More Blues

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:25
Size: 109,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:54)  1. Out Of This World
(4:16)  2. The Touch Of Your Lips
(5:03)  3. My Ship
(3:18)  4. No More Blues
(5:44)  5. The Very Thought Of You
(4:18)  6. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:28)  7. Help
(5:45)  8. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(4:52)  9. Hallelujah I Just Love Him So
(3:43) 10. Desafinado

Honestly, I do not know what thrills me more, the fact that Johanna Grussner's No More Blues makes a great companion disc to Peter Cincotti's On the Moon or the fact that it is the first Naxos Jazz release in two years. Let's address the second fact first. Naxos Records began Naxos Jazz in the late 1990s with the hope of replicating the same phenomenal success that the label's classical side has experienced. The result was sixty plus releases that I have written on in the past. The label has lain dormant for the past two years and now reemerges with the hope that the independent market is more receptive than at that time. This reemergence takes the form of a new vocal release by the beautiful Finnish chanteuse Johanna Grussner. Ms. Grussner makes No More Blues a notable recording in her choice of repertoire and instrumentation. The selections on this recording are eclectic and well chosen, ranging from the well covered "The Touch of Your Lips" and "The Very Thought of You" to the less frequently recorded "My Ship" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." The big surprises lie in the pop covers, "Help" and "Hallelujah I Just Love Him So," which treat the pop icons well and will surprise and delight. In her choice of instrumentation, Grussner forgoes the standard piano trio or quartet for the guitar variety. 

This effectively brings out the bossa nova quality of the singer's intentions and adds a particular synergy to the title tune and "Desafinado." This theme extends to the untethered "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and the rocking "Out of This World," which unconsciously mimics Cincotti's cover of "St. Louis Blues" on his On the Moon. Like Cincotti, Ms. Grussner covers a Ray Charles standard, "Hallelujah I Just Love Him So." She delivers the piece in a sultry fashion over the gutbucket guitar-bass-trio rhythm section. Her use of this ensemble is not unlike that of Cassandra Wilson, only more disciplined. Disciplined is how I would describe this recording, but not boring. This is a superb album deserving of anyone's year-end list. This is hyper-smart music that should satisfy the most critical among us. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-more-blues-johanna-grussner-naxos-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php 
 
Personnel:  Johanna Grussner-Vocals;  Hans Glawishinig-Bass;  Antonio Sanchez-Drums;  Miles Okazaki-Guitar and  Paul Pesonen-Guitar

No More Blues

Ken Peplowski Quintet - The Natural Touch

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:03
Size: 149,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. I'll Close My Eyes
(6:08)  2. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
(5:30)  3. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(5:02)  4. Evidence
(4:39)  5. Evenin'
(3:40)  6. You Never Know
(4:24)  7. You Must Believe In Spring
(4:28)  8. Flunk Blues
(4:58)  9. Circle Of Threes
(5:32) 10. My Buddy
(5:06) 11. How Deep Is The Ocean
(5:21) 12. Say It Isn't So
(5:08) 13. I Thought About You

Ken Peplowski has been one of the most consistent performers in the "new mainstream" movement of the 1990s. Whether playing his fluent clarinet or warm tenor, Peplowski sounds quite comfortable as a creative swing player. As usual, this date with pianist Ben Aronov, guitarist Frank Vignola, bassist Murray Wall and drummer Tom Helito includes a couple more recent tunes (including Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" and originals by Aronov and Vignola), but it is the swing standards (such as "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," "Evenin'," and "I Thought About You") that are most memorable. 
~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-natural-touch-mw0000083774

Personnel:  Ken Peplowski - clarinet, tenor sax;  Frank Vignola - guitar;  Ben Aronov -  piano;  Murray Wall - bass; Tom Melito -  drums.

The Natural Touch

Joe Temperley - Easy To Remember

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:05
Size: 170,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:06)  1. That Old Feeling
( 4:36)  2. The Very Thought Of You
( 8:47)  3. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
( 2:49)  4. Easy To Remember
(10:09)  5. East Of The Sun
( 3:50)  6. Warm Valley
( 6:32)  7. Just Friends
( 5:44)  8. How Little We Know
( 3:50)  9. Some One To Watch Over Me
( 8:16) 10. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
( 4:36) 11. Ask Me Know
( 7:42) 12. Torpedo
( 2:02) 13. Hielan' Laddie

Veteran baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley (who doubles on soprano) is best known for stepping into the huge shoes of Harry Carney with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra and for playing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Temperley's large tone is not overly heavy, and in fact he can play both rapid lines and in a more relaxed fashion with equal ease. On this set, his fourth CD as a leader for the Scottish Hep label, Temperley is heard in four different settings. Five songs (his "Torpedo" and four swing-era standards) have the saxophonist jamming with a British rhythm section (pianist John Pearce, bassist Andy Cleyndert, and drummer Steve Brown); he cooks on "That Old Feeling" and really stretches out on "East of the Sun." Five ballads feature Temperley's horns and the rhythm section joined by a string quartet and occasionally clarinetist/arranger Frank Griffith. Tony Coe and Temperley both play soprano saxes on "Just Friends" and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (blending together surprisingly well), while the leader takes the traditional Scottish folk melody "Hielan' Laddie" as a brief, unaccompanied baritone solo. Throughout, Joe Temperley improvises melodically and his tone is quite appealing and personal. An easily recommended set from one of the unsung greats of the baritone sax. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-to-remember-mw0000016033

Personnel: Joe Temperley (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone); Andy Laing, John Francis (violin); John Underwood (viola); Frank Griffith (clarinet); Tony Coe (soprano saxophone); John Pearce (piano); Steve Brown (drums).

Easy To Remember

Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Hot Sardines - The Hot Sardines

Size: 101,6 MB
Time: 39:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (4:04)
02. Goin’ Crazy With The Blues (3:06)
03. Wake Up In Paris (4:05)
04. Zazou (Sweet Sue) (2:46)
05. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (3:39)
06. Your Feet's Too Big (3:20)
07. Honeysuckle Rose (3:52)
08. Petite Fleur (3:22)
09. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (4:09)
10. Let’s Go (2:49)
11. (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance With You (4:03)

Bandleader Evan Bibs Palazzo and lead singer Miz Elizabeth combine with the Sardine ensemble of powerhouse musicians and their very own tap dancer to play hot jazz as it was in the era when live music was king...with a little glamour, a little grit, and a lot of passion. Even while giving voice to the history-defining jazz of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the Hot Sardines vibrant performances bridge generations and captivate 21st century audiences.

Forbes Magazine calls them One of the best jazz bands in NYC today

The Hot Sardines have a distinctive recipe for making musical magic: take a blustery brass lineup, layer it over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano virtuoso in the Fats Waller vein, and tie it all together with a one-of-the-boys front-woman who sings in both English and French with a voice from another era. The brainchild of Bibs and Miz Elizabeth, the Sardine sound fuses musical influences from New York, Paris, and New Orleans that were nurtured from the Prohibition era through the Great Depression, WWII and beyond.

One of the best jazz bands in NYC today --Forbes Magazine
A sound and style that are distinctly their own --Vanity Fair
Unforgettably wild… consistently electrifying --Popmatters.com

The Hot Sardines

Terry Adams - Talk Thelonious

Size: 120,7 MB
Time: 51:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Reflections (5:06)
02. Gallop's Gallop (3:17)
03. Hornin' In (3:09)
04. In Walked Bud (4:46)
05. Monk's Mood (6:41)
06. That Old Man (2:49)
07. Humph (3:38)
08. Think Of One (5:38)
09. Ask Me Now (4:23)
10. Ugly Beauty (3:44)
11. Straight, No Chaser (4:12)
12. Ruby, My Dear (3:55)

Musician and AAJ contributor Skip Heller calls the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet (NRBQ), "the greatest band of all time." A listen to the band's catalog reveals a depth and breadth of material that betrays an omnivorous appreciation of all American Music, all with a wicked and acute sense-of-humor, something so much music lacks. Never a stadium act, NRBQ has staked out for the past 50 years the responsibility of cataloguing, performing, combining, transmogrifying, and nuclear translating our native brands of music. Founded in 1967 by multi-instrumentalist Terry Adams, the band had its most stable and notable line-up between 1974 and 1994, including bassist Joey Spampinato, guitarist Al Anderson, and drummer Tom Ardolino. Today, Adams is the only remaining member of the original group.

Adams, who was born in the Baby Boom of 1948, stretches his arms out and embraces much of the past, which he translated into the present, and anticipated the future. When Adams came to New York City in 1967, during the NRBQ formation, he had the opportunity to attend many Thelonious Monk performances. So many, in fact, that Monk's close friend and benefactor Baroness Pannonica de Koenigarter noticed and befriended him remaining his friend until her death in 1988. The idea of a Monk disc has been percolating since...for nearly 50 years. Together with the current incarnation of the NRBQ, Adams combines musicians and instruments, rhythms and tempi not typically associated with Monk, bringing us to the second and third elements of a five-star disc, repertoire and interpretation.

Monk's music is so identifiable and iconoclastic of bristling creativity that he inhabits a category unto himself. Christened the "High Priest of Bebop," it was neither his chops nor his compositions that made him "bebop.' It was his visionary spirit. He just happened to be making his music at the same time Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were changing American Music from the ground up. While he performed with the bebop leaders of the day, Monk himself was redefining jazz in a whole new way, one that made his music sound foreign but exhilarating.

A major pitfall to Monk's repertoire is how much it has been stepped on, by other musicians and himself, since the notes transferred from his fingers to the piano. So we need one more performance of "'Round Midnight?" Well, it would have to be original and novel. And, gratefully, Adams leaves that one alone, concentrating on the lesser known compositions to give a wide variety of attention to. That attention is the fourth necessary element to a five-start recording, the invention with which the performing artist transforms the familiar into something else.

Which is exactly what Adams does in this (mostly) live performance recorded at the Flynn Space, Burlington, VT, on April 5, 2012. He opens the recital with Monk's "Reflections," played on the pipe organ. The pipe organ...nothing as vulgar as the Hammond B-3 (not that there is anything wrong with the Hammond... Adams' invention here is inspired and sheer genius). This is Monk somewhere between church and the 1950s soundtrack of The Edge of Night. Adams retains and accentuates Monkian quirks and burps with a certain sly reverence. Adams strolls through three choruses of the piece on the organ before switching to the standard piano trio to show approximately the song was supposed to sound like. The "wow" factor is eleven on a scale of ten.

"Hornin' In" begins like a Monk piece and transforms into a rockabilly-western swing exposition of Monk as heard through a glass of absinthe. Scott Ligon's guitar is hard country swing, jangly and twangy and Jim Hoke's alto is potent and boozy. The first stand out is "In Walked Bud," Monk's homage to colleague and pal, Bud Powell. Again, Adams starts straight, if not a bit stilted before relaxing into a walking bass pattern. Again Ligon recasts the piece with an electric guitar sound from somewhere between 1940 and far-west Texas. Hoke solos on alto and is doubled by Klem Klimek's tenor saxophone. Adams give a high-school styled piano solo that is if you went the UC Berkeley for high school. Adams trade notes with Hoke in the improvised exposition before Ligon enters to bring on the coda with just enough tremolo to recall Hank Williams, Sr. Invention, see what I mean?

"Monk's Mood" is provided a lengthy solo piano introduction before Hoke doubles on the harmonica and pedal steel guitar to produce one of the most singular and original Monk performances since Monk himself. The NRBQ mantra exists throughout the performance...take a well-known piece of music (like Glenn Miller's "In The Mood") and demonstrate how the piece is so durable that it can be played in any fashion and still retain its original spiritual intent. "That Old Man" is played like the nursery rhyme it is, Adams performing is greatest Vince Guaraldi on the piece. If the Charlie Brown franchise is ever updated, I want Adams in charge of the sound track.

"Humph." Think of what would happen if Roy Clark or Jerry Reed got a jazz jones and just had to have that itch scratched. That is what Ligon sounds like after the swing vampire bites him. "Think of One," one of the better known Monk compositions, is performed from within a New Orleans Big Band transplanted to the Gulf of Mexico Islands is what approaches a rumba. Klimek walks the R&B bar honking on the tenor before allowing Hoke his John Coltrane turn. Outstanding is drummer Conrad Choucroun with supporting percussion by Ligon- -music as sweet and dangerous as rum on the coast of some humid nowhere. "Ask Me Now" is a keyboard duet with Adams playing piano and Ligon playing the B 3. The original stride piece, as conceived by Monk, is given a strange and sacred patina in the form of the craziest keyboards-four-hands one could imagine. Think of Oscar Peterson and Count Basie enjoying a leisurely afternoon in that dive Billy Strayhorn imagined in "Lush Life."

"Ugly Beauty," "Gallop's Gallop" and "Straight, No Chaser" make an appropriate encore for this concert, 50-years in the making. "Gallop" is the jazziest piece here with Ligon and Adams going "off minor" and held in bay by bassist Pete Toigo and drummer Choucroun, who says more with his high hat than most drummers do this nuclear kits. "Straight, No Chaser" is the quintessential Monk blues. Adams imagines a Leon Russell playing with Don Helms at a Dallas honky tonk frequented by Eldon Shamblin, who sits in with the band. A beautiful (and studio recorded) "Ruby, My Dear" concludes the program on a quiet note.

It is a rare creative triple point that brings together the proper music, repertoire, and imagination necessary to make an outstanding recording. After 50 years of thinking about it, Terry Adams has done exactly that. Thank you, Terry Adams. ~by C. Michael Bailey

Personnel: Terry Adams: piano, pipe organ; Scott Ligon: guitar, Hammond organ, percussion; Jim Hoke: alto saxophone, harmonica, pedel steel guitar, ocarina; Klem Klimek: alto and tenor saxophones; Pete Donnelly: electric bass; Pete Toigo: bass; Conrad Choucroun: drums.

Talk Thelonious

Marlene VerPlanck - The Mood I'm In

Size: 116,0 MB
Time: 49:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Mood I'm In (3:39)
02. Me And The Blues (5:35)
03. Free And Easy (2:49)
04. It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (4:17)
05. Certain People (5:01)
06. I Want To Talk About You (4:19)
07. Come On Strong (3:56)
08. All Too Soon (4:26)
09. Medley It Started All Over Again/The Second Time Around (4:02)
10. This Is Always (4:48)
11. My Kind Of Trouble Is You (3:49)
12. Too Late Now (2:48)

Marlene has just recorded a new CD, "The Mood I'm In," with, John Pearce, Paul Morgan, Bobbie Worth, Mark Nightingale, and Andy Panyii.

"Marlene VerPlanck keeps acquiring superlatives in reviews of her albums and performances, and The Mood I'm In, shows exactly why!" -- Joe Lang, NNJS

"A wildly winning set throughout, this is a master class on jazz vocal that you better show up on time for. Killer stuff, once again". -- Chris Spector, Editor and Publisher, Midwest Record. Read entire review here.

"Congrats! THE MOOD I'M IN is top notch and handsome looking." -- Elliott Eames

"Great album. Pearce is a killer accompanist and the album is perfectly mixed. Terrific quintet." -- Marc Myers, Wall St Journal

The Mood I'm In

Larry Carlton - Session Masters

Size: 125,6 MB
Time: 54:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Simmer (5:40)
02. Four Of A Kind (7:06)
03. Chillin' After Dark (4:53)
04. Free Way (7:02)
05. Remember Me (5:02)
06. The Shade Tree (5:54)
07. West Coast (3:42)
08. Bits And Pieces (4:24)
09. The Little Sneak (4:43)
10. Sad But True (5:44)

Session Masters puts YOU in the studio alongside 4-time Grammy winner Larry Carlton with top-notch session players Jeff Babko on keys, Travis Carlton on bass and Toss Panos on percussion.

In the control room, hitmaker Csaba Petocz dials in the perfect mix for your standout performance on 10 original tunes written by Larry Carlton exclusively for Session Masters.

Session Masters

Jayne Manning & The Executive Suite - I Wish You Love

Size: 133,1 MB
Time: 57:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. P.S. I Love You (4:25)
02. Don't Go To Strangers (6:01)
03. The Touch Of Your Lips (3:44)
04. You Better Go Now (4:44)
05. I Don't Know Why (2:10)
06. I'll Close My Eyes (5:19)
07. I Got It Bad (5:58)
08. I Don't Want To Walk Without You (4:12)
09. My Foolish Heart (6:50)
10. The One I Love (3:05)
11. I Wish You Love (4:29)
12. The End Of A Love Affair (6:16)

From the beginnings of a "fictitious" love affair to the end of a love affair, love can go through many different stages: falling in love, not wanting to be apart, jealousy, and finally the ending. These songs are a representation of those emotions.

Big Band music was my starting point, and to this day, I do enjoy singing with an eighteen piece band.
The music may be swing or it may be a tender love song, but my heart goes with the feeling behind the lyric.
There is nothing quite like the power of a Big Band, but staying with the arrangement is required.
Working with my usual quartet, or in this case a quintet, gives me the opportunity to add my own spin on the song.
I like to enter the recording session as if it were a live performance where there is no second chance of re-takes.
The best part of this entire experience is working with the talented musicians who accompany and inspire me.

I Wish You Love

Bob Scobey's Frisco Band Feat. Clayce Hayes - Riverboat Shuffle

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:39
Size: 143,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Some Of These Days
(3:23)  2. Down By The Riverside
(2:19)  3. Dippermouth Blues
(3:07)  4. That's A Plenty
(2:42)  5. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
(3:47)  6. Friendless Blues
(2:47)  7. St. Louis Blues
(2:57)  8. Mississippi Mud
(3:49)  9. Riverside Blues
(1:58) 10. Floating Down To Cotton Town
(2:29) 11. Wolverine Blues
(4:11) 12. River Stay 'Way From My Door
(2:51) 13. Pretty Baby
(2:57) 14. Something's Always Happening On The River
(3:44) 15. Swanee River
(3:45) 16. Someday Sweetheart
(3:10) 17. Parson, Kansas Blues
(3:26) 18. Strange Blues
(4:16) 19. Riverboat Shuffle

Throughout his prime years, Bob Scobey was one of the more popular trumpeters in Dixieland. After many low-profile jobs in dance bands in the 1930s, in 1938 Scobey met trumpeter Lu Watters. As a member of Watter's Yerba Buena Jazz Band in San Francisco during 1940-1949 (with much of 1942-1946 spent in the military), Scobey participated in one of the most influential bands of the Dixieland revival movement. In 1949 he left to form his own Frisco Jazz Band, recording frequently (most notably for Good Time Jazz), and often featuring Clancy Hayes or appearing with Lizzie Miles. In 1959 Scobey opened his Club Bourbon Street in Chicago but four years later he died at the age of 46 from cancer. Many of Bob Scobey's Good Time Jazz dates have been reissued on CD and they still contain stirring and joyful music. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-scobey-mn0000071590/biography

Riverboat Shuffle