Joy Bryan - Joy Bryan Sings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:48
Size: 79.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1957/1995
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. I Was Doing All Right
[3:11] 2. 'round Midnight
[1:47] 3. My Shining Hour
[3:54] 4. When The World Was Young
[3:10] 5. Mississippi Mud
[2:39] 6. My Heart Stood Still
[2:28] 7. You're My Everything
[3:44] 8. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
[3:07] 9. Swinging On A Star
[2:33] 10. What Is There To Say
[3:04] 11. Down The Old Ox Road
[2:08] 12. I Could Write A Book

Joy Bryan only made two albums in her career and that is a real pity for she was a subtle and talented jazz singer. This CD reissue brings back her earlier date, a septet outing arranged by Marty Paich and including such fine sidemen as trumpeter Jack Sheldon, altoist Herb Geller and Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, clarinet and bass clarinet. Bryan performs a dozen standards with the most unusual selections being "Down the Old Ox Road," "Mississippi Mud" and a rare early vocal version of "'Round Midnight." Excellent music. ~Scott Yanow

Joy Bryan Sings

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Andrew Hill - Whataya Want

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:59
Size: 176.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[6:58] 1. Dedication
[6:12] 2. Ghetto Lights
[4:09] 3. Flight 19
[7:15] 4. Catta
[5:32] 5. Carolyn (Alternate Take)
[9:42] 6. Spectrum
[7:14] 7. Me 'n You
[8:29] 8. Jasper
[6:37] 9. Les Noirs Marchant
[7:46] 10. Three Way Split
[7:00] 11. New Monastery

Andrew Hill was a great and even groundbreaking composer and pianist, yet the relatively circumscribed scale of his innovations might have originally caused him to get lost in the shuffle of the '60s free jazz revolution. While many of his contemporaries were totally jettisoning the rhythmic and harmonic techniques of bop and hard bop, Hill worked to extend their possibilities; his was a revolution from within. Much of the most compelling '60s jazz was nearly aleatoric; Hill, on the other hand, exhibited a determined command of his materials, however abstract they might sometimes be. His composed melodies were labyrinthine, and rhythmically and harmonically complex tunes like "New Monastery" from his Point of Departure album exhibit a sophistication born of mastery, not chance or contingency. As a pianist, Hill had a flowing melodicism and an elastic sense of time. Like his composing, Hill's playing had an ever-present air of spontaneity and was almost completely devoid of cliché. ~Chris Kelsey

Whataya Want

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Chico O'Farrill - Perlas Cubanas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:28
Size: 62.9 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:54] 1. La Malagueña
[2:54] 2. Siboney
[2:55] 3. La Bella Cubana
[2:15] 4. Madrid
[2:39] 5. Bahia
[2:47] 6. Almendra
[2:44] 7. La Camparsa
[2:41] 8. La Cucaracha
[3:02] 9. La Margarita
[2:33] 10. El Manisero

Chico O'Farrill was right in the thick of the Afro-Cuban and Latin waves that hit jazz in the late '40s and '50s. His sophisticated writing for Latin big bands of the early '50s was often bold, brassy, and tense, yet he could also achieve a delicate, almost classical ambience in such pieces as "Angels' Flight" and work capably in larger forms (the groundbreaking "Afro-Cuban Jazz Suites").

O'Farrill took up the trumpet while in military school in Georgia, returning to Cuba as a full-fledged jazz fan after hearing the top American big bands. He studied composition in his native Havana and led his own band there before moving to New York City in 1948, where he soon made a name for himself writing music for Benny Goodman ("Undercurrent Blues"), Stan Kenton ("Cuban Episode"), and Machito ("Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite"). From 1950 to 1954, O'Farrill made six fiery 10" albums of Latin and American big band jazz for Clef and Norgran, all of which have been reissued on a Verve two-CD set, Cuban Blues. He also appeared with his own band at Birdland and toured the U.S. Toward the end of the decade, he moved to Mexico City, returning to New York in 1965 to work as arranger and music director of the TV series Festival of the Lively Arts and to write arrangements for Count Basie. O'Farrill also put his classical training to use by writing pieces for symphony orchestra such as "Three Cuban Dances" and "Symphony No. 1." Though he continued to write pieces for Machito, Kenton, Gato Barbieri, and Dizzy Gillespie into the '70s, there were no recording sessions under O'Farrill's name from 1966 until 1995, when he came roaring back on the scene, his imagination and vigor miraculously intact, with the outstanding Pure Emotion CD (Milestone). He recorded two more strong albums for Milestone, the last being Carambola, released in October 2000. Eight months later, on June 27, 2001, Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill died while hospitalized in New York. ~bio by Richard S. Ginnell

Perlas Cubanas

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Chris Potter - Sundiata

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:45)  1. Fear Of Flying
(7:39)  2. Hibiscus
(7:40)  3. Airegin
(6:52)  4. New Lullaby
(8:16)  5. Sundiata
(8:00)  6. Body And Soul
(9:36)  7. Leap Of Faith
(5:42)  8. C.P.'s Blues

Although it wasn't released until 1995, this album was recorded in 1993, when Chris Potter was still in the process of emerging as a great jazz talent. Still, Sundiata ranks as one of Potter's finest efforts. His band members (Kevin Hays on piano, Doug Weiss on bass, and the great Al Foster on drums push him to inspired heights on tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones. Two of the session's originals, "Hibiscus" and "Leap of Faith," are unforgettable. And Potter's confident readings of Sonny Rollins' "Airegin" (sans piano) and the timeless standard, "Body and Soul," firmly establish that he knows the tradition like the back of his hand. Sundiata is an early sign of Chris Potter's importance in the jazz world. ~ David R.Adler  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sundiata-mw0000183086

Personnel: Chris Potter (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Kevin Hays (piano); Al Foster (drums).

Sundiata

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Torun Eriksen - Prayers & Observations

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:10
Size: 104,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. Joy
(4:26)  2. My Boys
(4:33)  3. Way to Go
(3:50)  4. Song of Sadness
(5:24)  5. Featuring Youth
(5:12)  6. The Sky From Where I Live
(4:39)  7. Stories
(4:44)  8. (This Is) So Real
(4:46)  9. Tired
(3:27) 10. Saviour

This voice is a dream come true! Who has something left for Scandinavian singers like Silje Nergaard, Rebekka Bakken, Viktoria Tolstoy or Solveig Slettahjell, will probably also find in Torun Eriksen favor and she soon not want to miss. Even the young Norwegian, who completed her musical education in Skien in Telemark province, and today lives in Oslo, enchanted her audience with that enigmatic melancholy, as they just encountered only in northern Europe.

When divine longplayer Prayers & Observations all (style) terminals drawers. Eriksen can not nail down to a direction changes depending on the mood and the song content genres. She has behaved resilient radio ("My Boys"), Winds increasing R & B à la Joss Stone ("Way To Go") and sumptuous mini-dramas with string accompaniment ("This Is Real") in the program, it takes the chamber music-intimate "The Sky From Where I Live "sent bonds at Art Song of the classical period, resulting in" Stories "the modal jazz of Miles Davis blessed contemporary into the 21st century and comes in" Song Of Sadness "in the Country Dress therefore (pedal steel guitar included). This touching song, a duet with Paal Flaata (Midnight Choir) singing is, incidentally, dedicated to the saxophonist Sigurd Kohn, which can killed in the tsunami in Thailand.

Torun Eriksen agrees to all the rather subdued until restrained. Where their Sangeskolleginnen of the southern hemisphere put on spirited performances usually full of fire, preferably the "Northern Lights" the supercooled eroticism of the polar region which is certainly no less sexy. All music lovers who Eriksens tingly-mysterious Vokaltimbre on Prayers & Observations appreciate, can Glitter Card equal dazubestellen yet unheard. For the debut album of Norwegian, which was inundated by the critics guild rightly superlatives is qualitatively equal and the fans melancholy northern sounds inspire determined exactly. Promised! ~ Harald Kepler  http://www.amazon.de/Prayers-Observations-Torun-Eriksen/dp/B000E9913O

Prayers & Observations

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Jeremy Pelt - Soul

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:45
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:17)  1. Second Love
( 6:21)  2. The Ballad Of Ichabod Crane
( 6:31)  3. Sweet Rita Suite Pt. 2: Her Soul
( 8:36)  4. The Tempest
( 6:21)  5. The Story
( 3:46)  6. Moondrift
(11:19)  7. What's Wrong Is Right
( 5:30)  8. Tonight...

On Soul, trumpeter and composer Jeremy Pelt's third offering for High Note, his stellar quintet with saxophonist J.D. Allen, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Dwayne Burno, and drummer Gerald Cleaver is intact, having been together for nearly six years. That said, where his first two offerings for the label were exceptional exercises in on-the-edge post-bop and modal jazz, Soul looks all the way back to 2003's Close to My Heart for comparison one that reveals just how far Pelt has come as a composer, a soloist, and an arranger. Soul is a collection of (mostly) blues and ballads. He wrote all but two of the album's eight tunes: the Sammy Cahn standard "Moondrift" (on which the band is fronted by vocalist Joanna Pascale) and a lively reading of George Cables' "Sweet Rita Suite, Pt. 2: Her Soul." Pelt and his band recorded this set in a single day, and had nuanced it all live before hitting the studio. 

On display here are intimacy, nuance, elegance, and an adventurous communication that is nearly symbiotic traits not normally associated with ballads or blues (these days, anyway). The frontline of Pelt and Allen is in perfect sync throughout, whether the two are playing counterpoint ("The Ballad of Ichabod Crane") or in unison ("The Story"). The exchange between ballads and blues is fluid. The former is an example of both existing side by side because of Pelt's structural harmonic development and Grissett's confident pianism. On "The Tempest," Burno and Cleaver push Grissett, who responds with flurries of notes and then the horns. The rhythm section's freedom is balanced by the horn solos and brief, contrapuntal head. On "Moondrift," Pascale is able to extract from her delivery every unnecessary utterance; Pelt is known for his sharp sense of economy, and Pascale rises to the challenge with a lovely, disciplined vibrato that allows the band to create shades of meaning behind her. The set's longest tune, "What's Wrong Is Right," commences with a slightly dissonant, Monk-esque harmonic statement and features excellent solos from Pelt, Grissett, and Allen; Burno and Cleaver drive them relentlessly, all the while swinging like mad. Soul is another high-water mark for Pelt and company, and an exercise in taking the tradition and giving it a thoroughly modern twist without sacrificing its heart. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-mw0002280210

Personnel: Jeremy Pelt (trumpet, flugelhorn); Danny Grissett (piano); Gerald Cleaver (drums).

Soul

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Herbie Mann - Herbie Mann & Fire Island

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:30
Size: 84,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:44)  1. Rhythmatism
(5:10)  2. Once I Had A Love
(5:51)  3. Summer Strut
(8:02)  4. Welcome Sunrise
(3:03)  5. In The Summertime
(4:57)  6. You Are The Song
(1:40)  7. Flute Love

Whenever a jazz artist embraces more commercial music, he/she is bound to be lambasted by purists in the jazz press. Herbie Mann was no exception when he tried to sell more records by embracing commercial funk, soul and disco in the mid- to late 1970s, the flutist was denounced as a sellout by many jazz critics and received one scathing review after another from them. One of the albums that was attacked the most was Herbie Mann and Fire Island, an overtly commercial, club-minded disco/soul LP.

Because this release has nothing to do with jazz, it's silly to judge it by jazz standards although many jazz critics of the late 1970s did exactly that. Instead, one must judge Herbie Mann and Fire Island by disco/soul standards, and when those standards are applied, it's clear that the album is generally likable, if unspectacular and uneven. Although Mann produced the LP, most of the writing was done by the vocal trio Fire Island (which consists of Carmine Calabro, Jr. Googie Coppola, and Arnold McCuller). The best track is the dreamy yet funky "Welcome Sunrise," which brings to mind the R&B that Roy Ayers was providing at the time. Lush disco numbers like "Summer Strut" and "Rhythmatism" are fairly catchy, although not breathtaking. Herbie Mann and Fire Island isn't the atrocity that many jazz critics described it as being -- however, it isn't one of Mann's more memorable commercial projects either. ~ Alex Henderson  http://www.allmusic.com/album/herbie-mann-and-fire-island-mw0000908581

Herbie Mann & Fire Island

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Pete Fountain - Loving Is A Way Of Living

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:56
Size: 180.7 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz, Clarinet jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[ 6:26] 1. A Closer Walk With Thee
[ 2:27] 2. Do You Know What It Means To Miss
[ 6:03] 3. St. Louis Woman
[ 4:02] 4. Unforgettable
[11:41] 5. Avalon
[ 4:40] 6. Tin Roof Blues
[ 7:21] 7. After You've Gone
[ 2:18] 8. Stomp Mr. Henry Lee
[ 2:25] 9. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[ 9:41] 10. Stardust / Dixie
[ 3:00] 11. Tiger Rag
[ 3:16] 12. Sweet And Lovely
[ 2:22] 13. Little Rock Get Away
[11:32] 14. Hindustan
[ 1:34] 15. Way Down Younder In New Orleans

One of the most famous of all New Orleans jazz clarinetists, Pete Fountain has the ability to play songs that he has performed a countless number of times (such as "Basin Street Blues") with so much enthusiasm that one would swear he had just discovered them. His style and most of his repertoire have remained unchanged since the late '50s, yet he never sounds bored. In 1948, Fountain (who is heavily influenced by Benny Goodman and Irving Fazola) was a member of the Junior Dixieland Band and this was followed by a stint with Phil Zito and an important association with the Basin Street Six (1950-1954), with whom the clarinetist made his first recordings. In 1955, Fountain was a member of the Dukes of Dixieland, but his big breakthrough came when he was featured playing a featured Dixieland number or two on each episode of The Lawrence Welk Show during 1957-1959. After he left, he moved back to New Orleans, opened his own club, and has played there regularly up until retiring from the nightclub business in early 2003. Fountain's finest recordings were a lengthy string for Coral during 1959-1965 (they turned commercial for a period after that). ~bio by Scott Yanow

Loving Is A Way Of Living

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Gerald Wilson Orchestra - State Street Sweet

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:28
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. State Street Sweet
(6:06)  2. Lakeshore Drive
(7:50)  3. Lighthouse Blues
(5:22)  4. Come Back to Sorrento
(4:06)  5. The Serpent
(5:58)  6. The Feather
(6:29)  7. Caprichos
(8:48)  8. Jammin' in C
(6:37)  9. Carlos
(2:23) 10. Nancy Jo

Bandleader/arranger Gerald Wilson's first recording in several years is a success. He revisits "Carlos" (featuring trumpeter Ron Barrows) and "Lighthouse Blues" and performs some newer originals including "State Street Sweet," "Lakeshore Drive" and "Jammin' in C." With such soloists as trumpeters Barrows, Bobby Shew, Tony Lujan and Snooky Young, altoist Randall Willis, tenors Louis Taylor, Plas Johnson (showcased on "Come Back to Sorrento") and Carl Randall, pianist Brian O'Rourke and guitarists Anthony Wilson and Eric Otis, this edition of the Gerald Wilson Orchestra is quite strong but it is the leader's colorful and distinctive arrangements that give the band its personality. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/state-street-sweet-mw0000645243

Personnel: Eric Otis, Anthony Wilson (guitar); Louis Taylor, Jr. (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); John Stephens, Randall Willis (alto saxophone); Carl Randall, Jr., Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone); Jack Nimitz (baritone saxophone); Bobby Clark , George Graham, Ron Barrows, Snooky Young, Tony Lujan, Frank Szabo, Bobby Shew (trumpet); Alex Iles, Thurman Green, Charles Loper, Ira Nepus (trombone); Maurice Spears (bass trombone); Brian O'Rourke (piano); Mel Lee (drums);  Gerald Wilson (Arranger).

State Street Sweet

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Teresa Brewer - Let Me Go Lover

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:23
Size: 153,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:31)  1. Let Me Go Lover
(3:07)  2. Baby Baby Baby
(1:59)  3. The Banjo's Back In Town
(2:42)  4. Pledging My Love
(2:48)  5. Skinny Minnie (Fishtail)
(2:56)  6. Gonna Get Along Without You Now
(2:35)  7. Bell Bottom Blues
(2:43)  8. If You Want Some Lovin'
(2:36)  9. Silver Dollar
(2:26) 10. How To Be Very, Very Popular
(2:33) 11. Sing Sing Sing
(2:46) 12. I Don't Want To Be Lonely Tonight
(3:00) 13. Till I Waltz Again With You
(2:13) 14. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You
(2:57) 15. How Important Can It Be?
(2:39) 16. You'll Never Get Away
(2:50) 17. I Guess It Was You All The Time
(2:54) 18. Music, Music, Music
(2:36) 19. I Gotta Go Get My Baby
(3:08) 20. Choo'n Gum
(2:24) 21. Danger Signs
(2:43) 22. Richochet
(2:11) 23. Jilted
(2:10) 24. Shoot It Again
(2:48) 25. Au Revoir

Teresa Brewer started out as a spunky novelty vocalist in the 1950s and weathered the rise of rock to emerge as an exuberant jazz singer in the 1970s. Though some find it disconcerting to hear her cutesy, slightly nasal Your Hit Parade-style delivery in a jazz context, at her best she can swing with a loose and easy fervor, aided greatly by the distinguished company she often keeps on her records. Brewer started singing on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour at the age of five and scored her first big hit as a teenager in 1950 with the diabolically catchy "Music! Music! Music!" That ditty found its way onto almost every jukebox in the land and launched a series of hit singles on Coral stretching all the way to 1961. Her marriage to record producer Bob Thiele in 1972 led to her re-emergence via a long string of albums for Thiele's labels (Doctor Jazz, Signature, Red Baron), often in tandem with such luminaries as Count Basie, Benny Carter, Duke and Mercer Ellington, Stephane Grappelli, Earl Hines, and Clark Terry. ~ Richard S.Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/teresa-brewer-mn0000017882/biography

Let Me Go Lover

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George Wallington - Live! At Cafe Bohemia

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:12
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:29)  1. Johnny One Note
(7:03)  2. Sweet Blanche
(6:49)  3. Minor March
(5:59)  4. Snakes
(8:44)  5. Jay Mac's Crib
(8:26)  6. Bohemia After Dark
(7:39)  7. Minor March (alternate)

This live set, although led by pianist George Wallington, is most significant for giving listeners early examples of the playing of trumpeter Donald Byrd and altoist Jackie McLean; bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor complete the quintet. The music, although comprised mostly of group originals (other than "Johnny One Note" and Oscar Pettiford's "Bohemia After Dark"), is essentially a bebop jam and it is particularly interesting to hear just how much McLean was influenced by Charlie Parker at this point (although his sound was already quickly recognizable). This was a solid if short-lived group and their brand of hard bop will be enjoyed by straightahead jazz fans. The CD reissue adds a second version of "Minor March" to the original program. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/live!-at-cafe-bohemia-prestige-ojc-mw0000617315

Personnel: George Wallington (piano); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Paul Chambers (bass); Arthur Taylor (drums).

Live! At Cafe Bohemia

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Ted Curson - Plays Fire Down Below

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:17
Size: 71,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:39)  1. Fire Down Below
(4:50)  2. The Very Young
(4:47)  3. Baby Has Gone Bye Bye
(4:33)  4. Show Me
(5:30)  5. Falling In Love With Love
(6:56)  6. Only Forever

A fierce early album from Ted Curson one with a slight bit of a Latin touch, and all the fire that the title implies! Ted's working here with a quintet that include Gildo Mahones on piano, George Tucker on bass, Roy Haynes on drums, and Montego Joe on a few tracks on conga. The groove is more straight ahead and soulful than on some of Ted's more modernist work but no less edgey, as you'd expect from his always-strong work on trumpet. Titles include "Fire Down Below", "The Very Young", "Only Forever", and "Baby Has Gone Bye Bye". (Out of print.) https://www.dustygroove.com/item/557912

Plays Fire Down Below

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Lou Levy Trio - A Most Musical Fella

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:10
Size: 96.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1957/1983/2007
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. Night And Day
[4:04] 2. Angel Eyes
[3:44] 3. Lou's Blues
[6:16] 4. Yesterdays
[3:24] 5. Apartment 17
[3:33] 6. How About You
[4:13] 7. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
[2:58] 8. Woody'n Lou
[4:29] 9. We'll Be Together Again
[5:11] 10. I'll Remember April

Lou Levy (p), Max Bennett (b), Stan Levey (d). Recorded in Los Angeles, January 2 & 26, 1957.

This early effort by pianist Lou Levy (28 at the time) finds him playing superior bop interpretations of seven standards and three straight-ahead originals. Levy is teamed on the Los Angeles dates with bassist Max Bennett and drummer Stan Levey. Last available as a French RCA LP in 1983, the music is an excellent example of the modern mainstream of the period and still sounds quite stimulating and swinging. ~Scott Yanow

A Most Musical Fella

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Barbara Lea - A Woman In Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:02
Size: 100.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1957/1991
Art: Front

[4:57] 1. I'm Old Fashioned
[4:23] 2. Too Late Now
[4:00] 3. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:25] 4. As Long As I Live
[4:07] 5. Love Is Here To Stay
[2:38] 6. Thinking Of You
[4:19] 7. I See Your Face Before Me
[3:15] 8. I Didn't Know About You
[2:25] 9. Love Me
[3:36] 10. What Is There To Say
[2:46] 11. The Best Thing For You
[5:07] 12. A Woman Alone With The Blues

Singer Barbara Lea often recalls her idol and friend Lee Wiley on this set of love songs. The backup is uniformly tasteful but changes from song to song with such impressive stylists as trumpeter Johnny Windhurst, baritonist Ernie Caceres, Garvin Bushell (on oboe and bassoon), Dick Cary (the arranger on piano and alto horn), guitarist Jimmy Raney and (on a beautiful version of "True Love") harpist Adele Girard making memorable appearances. Lea's straightforward and heartfelt delivery is heard at its best on such songs as "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "Mountain Greenery," "More than You Know" and "Autumn Leaves" (which is partly taken in French). These interpretations are often touching. ~Scott Yanow

A Woman In Love

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Charlie Shaffer - Serenata

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:24
Size: 122.3 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Serenata
[3:36] 2. What Difference A Day Makes
[3:18] 3. Here's That Rainy Day
[3:51] 4. Gentle Rain
[3:03] 5. La Paloma (The Dove)
[2:59] 6. Morning Of The Carnival (Manha De Carnival)
[3:18] 7. You Are Always In My Heart
[2:43] 8. I Go To Rio
[3:06] 9. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[3:12] 10. A Man And A Woman
[3:32] 11. Once I Loved
[3:10] 12. Without You (Tres Palabras)
[2:38] 13. The Coffee Song
[3:07] 14. Invitation
[3:10] 15. Be True To Me (Sabor A Mi)
[2:50] 16. Samba De Orfeu
[3:01] 17. Some One To Light Up My Life

Charlie was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His family was a music loving one, although no one in it (at that time) was a trained musician. His mother, father, and sister all had a natural ability to find the right harmonies to sing when they engaged in impromptu barbershop style sing-a-longs. His parents social group came to the house frequently and the usual activity was to put on the records and dance. This was a perfect environment in which to develop a great love of music, and to observe the positive effect it could have on people. His younger sister Carol (Koock) was also affected and she became an award winning pianist who is currently active in the music and theater scene in Austin, Texas. At a young age, Charlie had memorized many songs. He studied classical and popular music privately from the age of five, and upon reaching high school age, added French horn and cornet to his arsenal of instruments. It had been assumed that he would follow his dad into the oil business, but by the time Charlie entered the University of Houston on a trumpet scholarship, music had become his first love, and the direction his life would take was becoming obvious.

Serenata

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Herb Jeffries - Easy To Remember

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 40:24

Size: 92.5 MB

Styles: Jazz-country vocals

Year: 2002

Art: Front

[3:55] 1. It's Easy To Remember

[4:01] 2. Sweet Lorraine

[3:14] 3. Where The Blue Of The Night (Meets The Gold Of The Day)

[3:32] 4. I Apologize

[4:14] 5. Smile

[3:49] 6. Nature Boy

[4:06] 7. I Surrender, Dear

[3:20] 8. Unforgettable

[2:17] 9. Pennies From Heaven

[4:17] 10. Pretend

[3:34] 11. My Melancholy Baby

Although not really a jazz singer, Herb Jeffries was the last surviving member of the 1940 Duke Ellington Orchestra and a fine interpreter of swing songs and ballads. He performed with Erskine Tate in the early '30s, Earl Hines (1931-1934), and Blanche Calloway, before becoming the first black cowboy actor in a series of '30s Westerns. He gained his greatest fame while with Ellington (1940-1942), having a big hit in "Flamingo." Jeffries, who recorded with Sidney Bechet in 1940, worked as a single artist after leaving Ellington in 1942, recording on an occasional basis and remaining active into the mid-'90s. He died, reportedly of heart failure, on May 25, 2014 in West Hills, California. ~bio by Scott Yanow

Easy To Remember

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Xavier Cugat - The Best Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:33
Size: 104.3 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Yours (Quiereme Mucho)
[3:16] 2. Jalousie (Jealousy)
[3:09] 3. Begin The Beguine
[3:22] 4. Calientito
[2:42] 5. La Comparsa (Carnival Procession)
[2:59] 6. Isle Of Capri
[3:14] 7. I Want My Mama
[2:53] 8. Adios Muchachos
[2:26] 9. La Negra Leonor
[2:53] 10. Babalu
[3:09] 11. Siboney
[3:05] 12. Bim Bam Bum
[3:17] 13. Habanera
[3:08] 14. Green Eyes
[2:47] 15. Cachita

Remembered for his highly commercial approach to pop music, Xavier Cugat (born Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Cru y Deulofeo) made an even greater mark as one of the pioneers of Latin American dance music. During his eight-decade-long career, Cugat helped to popularize the tango, the cha-cha, the mambo, and the rhumba. His hits included "El Manicero" in the 1930s, "Perfidia" in 1940, and the original recording of "Babalu" in 1944. Members of Cugat's band included Desi Arnaz, Miguelito Valdés, Tito Rodriguez, Luis del Campo, Yma Sumac, and his third wife (of four), Abbe Lane. Cugat used the success of his musical career as a springboard for a movie career that included appearances in such films as Gay Madrid (1930), You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Bathing Beauty (1945), Weekend at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1946), On an Island With You (1948), A Date With Judy (1948), Chicago Syndicate (1955), and Desire Diabolique (1959).

A native of Girona, Spain, Cugat emigrated with his family to Cuba in 1905. Trained as a classical violinist, he played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana at the age of 12. Emigrating to the United States, sometime between 1915 and 1918, he quickly found work accompanying an opera singer. At the height of the tango craze, in 1918, Cugat joined a popular dance band, the Gigolos. His involvement with the group, however, was brief. As the popularity of the tango faded, he took a job as a cartoonist for The Los Angeles Times. Cugat returned to music in 1920, forming his own group, the Latin American Band. Although they played regularly at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and supplied the soundtracks for several musical shorts, the group had its greatest success after moving to New York and became the house band for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Despite being criticized for their middle-of-the-road approach, Cugat remained committed to his commercial-minded sound. He later explained, "I would rather play 'Chiquita Banana' and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve." Cugat and his orchestra remained at the hotel for 16 years. Beautiful women were consistently featured in Cugat's band. After helping Rita Hayworth launch her career, he appeared in her film You Were Never Lovelier. Cugat's recordings of the 1950s featured the singing of his third wife, Abbe Lane. In the mid-'60s, he featured his fourth wife, Charo, who he billed as a "folksinger." Upon his retirement in 1970, Cugat returned to Spain. He died in Barcelona on October 27, 1990. His band, which was led by Tito Puente following his retirement, continued to perform under the direction of dancer, musician, and vocalist Ada Cavallo. ~bio by Craig Harris

The Best Collection

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Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas

Styles: Vocal, Latin Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:26
Size: 167,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. Me Odio
(4:12)  2. No Llores
(4:14)  3. Lo Nuestro
(3:33)  4. Píntame De Colores
(3:21)  5. Caridad
(3:42)  6. Yo No Cambiaría
(3:53)  7. Bésame
(2:59)  8. Refranes
(3:43)  9. A Bailar
(3:51) 10. Esta Fiesta No Va' Acabar
(3:47) 11. Volveré
(4:41) 12. Esperando
(4:13) 13. Morentia
(3:15) 14. 90 Milas
(3:38) 15. Vueltas De La Vida
(4:01) 16. No Llores

Ever since Gloria Estefan split from Miami Sound Machine in 1989 to go solo, her best efforts tended to be her Spanish-language ones, and her fourth such album, 90 Millas, is no exception. In fact, it might be her best overall effort  regardless of language since Mi Tierra (1993), which was her first to be sung entirely in Spanish and an instant, best-selling classic. In a couple ways, 90 Millas is a follow-up to Mi Tierra. Both are heartfelt albums inspired by Cuba and Cuban music whereas Abriendo Puertas (1995) and Alma Caribeña (2000), Estefan's other two prior Spanish-language efforts, were more broadly Hispanic and Caribbean, respectively, in their influences and intent and both 90 Millas and Mi Tierra are graced by some of Latin music's most gifted instrumentalists, many of them legends. In this case, the featured guests include Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco, Candido Camero, Paquito d'Rivera, Nelson González, Andy García, Sheila E, Carlos Santana, Orestes Vilato, Israel "Cachao" López, Generoso Jiménez, Giovanni Hidalgo, India, José Feliciano, Arturo Sandoval, Sal Cuevas, and Luis Enrique. It's an impressive lineup of musicians; for instance, the album's lead single, "No Llores," alone boasts Carlos Santana on electric guitar, José Feliciano on acoustic guitar, Sal Cuevas on bass, Sheila E. on timbales, and Luis Enrique on congos and bongos.

That's not all, though. 90 Millas also boasts an ace production and songwriting team: husband/impresario Emilio Estefan (of course) and the Gaitán Bros. (Ricardo and Alberto). Then there's Gloria herself, who is the vehicle for this superstar project. She's in good voice here as well-mannered and graceful as usual and co-writes many of the songs. Yet it's the musicianship and the songs themselves, surprisingly few of them ballads, that shine brightest here on this love letter to Cuba, that oft-romanticized, and fiercely politicized, island 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Though born there, Gloria left as a child. In her heart, however, she never left her homeland behind, as this album and its predecessor, Mi Tierra, make clear, for both albums are among the best and certainly most poetic and impassioned efforts of her long, illustrious career. Practically every song here is a gem, and they're a rarity in 2007, a year in which traditional Cuban music like this couldn't have been further away from the mainstream of Latin music in America, where regional Mexican and urban dominated the marketplace. ~ Jason Birchmeier  http://www.allmusic.com/album/90-millas-mw0000482833

Personnel: Gloria Estefan (background vocals); Gloria Estefan; India (vocals); José Feliciano (guitar, acoustic guitar); Carlos Santana (guitar, electric guitar); Marco Linares (guitar, cuatro); Juanito Márquez (guitar); Lionel Delao (electric guitar); Nelson Gonzalez (tres); Johnny Pacheco (flute); Paquito d'Rivera & The United Nation Orchestra, Paquito d'Rivera (saxophone); Chocolate Armenteros, Arturo Sandoval (trumpet); Generoso "El Tojo" Jiménez (trombone); Papo Lucca (piano); Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Sal Cuevas (bass guitar); Daniel Berroa (congas, bongos, guiro, maracas, percussion); Orestes Vilató (congas, bongos, timbales); Luis Enrique (congas, bongos); Candido Camero (congas); Andy García (bongos, bells, bell); Sheila E. (timbales); Jesus Cruz (unknown instrument); Gaitán Bros., Cheito Quinonez (background vocals); Giovanni Hidalgo (quinto, congas, bells); Pedro Alfonso (violin); Ed Calle (clarinet, saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Herman "Teddy" Mulet (trumpet, trombone); Braily Ramos (trombone, horns); Javier Concepcion, Paquito Hechavarria (piano); Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, bata, guiro, shekere, timbales, percussion).

90 Millas

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Club des Belugas - Zoo Zizaro

Styles: Soul, Nu Jazz

Year: 2009

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 70:42

Size: 162,9 MB

Art: Front

(4:29)  1. Passing On The Screen

(4:35)  2. Wild Is My Love

(5:42)  3. Radio Utopia feat. Bajka - Human Loss And Gain (Club Des Belugas Remix)

(4:03)  4. Clyde Beluga

(3:52)  5. Wigwag

(3:47)  6. Floating On Air

(4:57)  7. Un Grao De Areia

(4:46)  8. Back To My Room

(4:32)  9. My Hunger Hurts

(4:41) 10. Ella Fitzgerald - Air Mail Special (Club Des Belugas Remix)

(3:49) 11. Something Big And Endless

(3:59) 12. Habana Twist

(4:24) 13. Zoo Zizaro

(4:26) 14. Too Late

(3:50) 15. Les Baxter - Jungle Flower (Club Des Belugas Remix)

(4:41) 16. Pain Is Temporary

Club des Belugas is one of the leading Nujazz projects in Europe, perhaps in the world. They combine contemporary European Lounge & Nujazz Styles with Brazilian Beats, Swing and American Black Soul of the fifties, sixties and seventies using their unique creativity and intensity. This beautifully produced CD comes packed with 16 stunning electro flavoured jazzy tracks. As the 4 albums before, Zoo Zizaro is a writers and producers collaboration of Club des Belugas' founders and all time members Kitty the Bill and Maxim Illion .... The most important thing is: they have never been better. Zoo Zizaro is the coronation of their work. If ChinChin Records decided to release a Best of Club des Belugas album, 85% of the tracks would come from Zoo Zizaro. The following guest musicians appear on this album:

-Newcastle/UK singer Ferank Manseed. His voice has a range of about 4 octaves. In the high regions he sounds rather woman-like, which gives him the alias Nina Someone . In the lower regions of his voice you will think that he is the reincarnation of Frank Sinatra. Ferank appears on 3 tracks of Zoo Zizaro. He is also a well-known tattoo artist, famous for his tattoos by hand.

-Swedish vocalist Anna-Luca. Who has already had 5 tracks on the 4th album SWOP , appears again on 5 tracks, starting with Passing on the Screen , one of the most impressive Club des Belugas tracks ever. Anna-Luca is also working on her solo album, which will be released by SonyBMG in summer 2010.

-Multi award winning Californian jazz impresario Brenda Boykin. Who has also appeared on the 3rd Club des Belugas album Apricoo Soul and the 4th album SWOP . In 2008 she had huge success with her solo album Chocolate & Chili , which has also been released by ChinChin Records.

-All members of the Club des Belugas Orchestra. Who appear on many of the tracks on this album and who have also performed around 200 live concerts in China, Russia and all over Europe in the last 2 years. With special thanks to the brass players, who perform brilliantly as solo artists and as a section.

-The horn section of Greg Adams' Big Brass Band, who supports the Beluga brass section on the tracks Clyde Beluga and Habana Twist

-Not forgetting the 3 fantastic remixes: Ella Fitzgerald - Air Mail Special, which has been originally recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957. Les Baxter - Jungle Flower, which appeared originally on the album The Ritual of the Savage in 1952. Then the contemporary track Radio Utopia - Human Loss and Gain with the incredible voice of Bajka, who has had releases with Bonobo, Beanfield, Radio City and Una Mas Trio.

Club Des Belugas have been compiled on 630 compilations with a total of 4,5 million CDs so far (September 09). Their tracks have been licensed by Hollywood movies, TV films, TV shows and TV adverts all over the world. Their album Apricoo Soul was chosen for Best CD of the year 2006 and their album SWOP was chosen for Best CD of the year 2008 Shirokko.de. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Zizaro-Club-Des-Belugas/dp/B002S4DNZA

Personnel: Anna.Luca, Brenda Boykin (vocals); Detlef Hoeller (guitar); Karlos Boes (saxophone); Lars Kuklinski (trumpet); Philipp Schug (trombone); Maxim Illion, Roman Babik (keyboards); Mickey Neher (drums); Kay Vester (percussion).

Zoo Zizaro

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Roberto Gatto Quartet - Sixth Sense

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 140,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. One for Avi
(7:25)  2. Sixth Sense
(4:43)  3. Hat on the Bobcat
(5:41)  4. Togo
(7:50)  5. Bonanza
(4:54)  6. Dee's Dilemma
(5:05)  7. Unknown Shape
(7:01)  8. Black and Tan Fantasy
(5:36)  9. Remember Rockefeller at Attica
(7:50) 10. Peace

"Sixth Sense" is the first CD of a new, spectacular training pianoless. The quartet assembled by Roberto Gatto is the most unique and interesting you could find in issue. The melody part is performed by two horns, trumpet young and acclaimed Avishai Cohen and the tenor sax and clarinet Francesco Bearzatti.  "Sixth Sense" to be released March 30, 2015 for the label Music Park Records, it is the first CD of a new, spectacular training pianoless. The quartet assembled by Roberto Gatto is the most unique and interesting you could find in issue. The melody part is performed by two horns, trumpet young and acclaimed Avishai Cohen (Rising Star 2012 according to the Downbeat Critics Pool already internationally established) and the tenor sax and clarinet in a great representative of Italian music in the world Francesco Bearzatti (named best European musician in 2011 by the Académie du Jazz). To support him and accompany him in the rhythm part, a prominent representative of the new generation of jazz bass, the New York Doug Weiss.

Four personalities who have put at the service of music, their cultural and musical with great transport and energy, but above all with originality. He imposed on the national jazz scene in the mid-70s, Roberto Gatto - born in 1958, with a path that knows no setbacks from about forty years - has never exhausted the thirst of research and testing. The latter feature that, combined with extraordinary skill, led the drummer to write the history of Italian jazz. Removed the clothes of prestigious sideman alongside national players (Enrico Rava, Enrico Pieranunzi) and international (Johnny Griffin, John Abercrombie, Chet Baker, Steve Lacy, Pat Metheny, Bob Berg, Curtis Fuller, George Coleman, Joe Zawinul etc.) Cat, undertook more vigorously the activities of leaders creating its formations harbingers of original projects, never predictable. To mention in this regard the acclaimed Perfect Trio completed by Alfonso Santimone and Pierpaolo Ranieri, the recent New York Quartet, index increasingly frequent stays in the Big Apple, which sees drummer converse with the brass of the Chilean young saxophonist Melissa Aldana, next Nir Felder and Joe Lepore, and the newest play with Zappa Quintorigo, especially live work dedicated to one of his best-loved artists defined the best and most convincing jazzy tribute to the music of Frank Zappa. Translate by google  http://www.traccedijazz.it/index.php/nuove-uscite/24-nuove-uscite-italiane/1063-roberto-gatto-sixth-sense

Personnel:  Roberto Gatto – Drums;  Avishai Cohen – Trumpet;  Francesco Bearzatti - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet;  Doug Weiss - Double Bass

Sixth Sense

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