Saturday, January 30, 2016

Jane Fielding - Embers Glow & Trio

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:48
Size: 143.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1956/2012
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Embers Glow
[2:29] 2. Our Waltz
[3:12] 3. Key Largo
[3:08] 4. Along With Me
[2:44] 5. In Love Vain
[3:40] 6. Round About Midnight
[2:31] 7. The Irretrievable Loss Of Personal Belonging
[2:51] 8. Make The Man Love Me
[2:49] 9. Right Boy For Me
[3:20] 10. All Dressed Up Tonight And No Place To Go
[3:31] 11. How Long Has This Been Going On
[1:53] 12. Long Ago And Far Away
[3:46] 13. A Summer Day
[2:39] 14. One Song
[2:05] 15. This Heart Of Mine
[3:00] 16. How Deep Is The Ocean
[2:46] 17. I'll Remember April
[3:38] 18. Stars Didn't Fall
[2:06] 19. I Wish I Knew
[2:10] 20. Something To Remember You By
[1:51] 21. If I Were The Only Girl In The World And You Were The Only Boy
[2:37] 22. Something I Dreamed Last Night

Jane Fielding (vcl), Joe Maini (as), Ted Efantis (ts), Kenny Drew (p), Leroy Vinnegar, Paul Chambers (b), Lawrence Marable (d) / Lou Levy (p), Red Mitchell (b). Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, August 29, 1955.

Tracks #1-10, from the album "Embers Glow" (Jazz:West JWLP-5). Tracks #11-20, from the album "Jazz Trio For Voice, Piano and String Bass" (Jazz:West JWLP-3). Tracks #21 & 22, form the album "Sessions, Live - Oscar Peterson-Gerald Wiggins" (Calliope CAL3001).

Jane Fielding was only 21 when she made these recordings in 1956. Her voice, low and warm, with a fine phrasing, revealed a natural affinity for jazz, something confirmed by the calibre of the stellar West Coast jazzmen she could call on for these rare examples of her fine talent. They are the only two albums she recorded for Jazz:West, a small, label based in Hollywood. On the first she’s backed by a quality quintet led and arranged by pianist Kenny Drew, with two outstanding saxophonists, altoist Joe Maini and tenor Ted Efantis, and a rhythm section including Leroy Vinnegar—sharing bass duties with Paul Chambers—and drummer Lawrence Marable. Drew’s beguiling charts blend beautifully with Jane’s singing.

The second album, made six months earlier, embraces a more intimate mood, and her musical empathy with Lou Levy and Red Mitchell is confirmed by the jazz-trio effect they achieve. Included as a bonus are two songs she performed on the Stars of Jazz TV show in 1957. She sings so well on these sessions—and with such an innate feel for jazz—that it makes the fact she enjoyed such a brief career on the mid-fifties West Coast scene all the more extraordinary. And disappointing.

Embers Glow & Trio

Frank Vignola - Off Broadway

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 93:19
Size: 213.6 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 5:24] 1. Funny How
[ 4:20] 2. Stars Fell On Alabama
[ 5:24] 3. Off Broadway
[ 5:28] 4. Limone's Blues
[ 5:18] 5. The Return
[ 5:12] 6. Stardust
[ 4:51] 7. Sing That
[ 4:22] 8. Cookin' At The Continental
[ 4:50] 9. Never, Never
[ 5:15] 10. Annie
[ 4:03] 11. In The Hills
[ 6:09] 12. Frankly Speaking
[ 3:58] 13. Stars Fell On Alabama
[ 9:57] 14. It's All Right With Me
[ 4:22] 15. What's Up
[14:19] 16. Blues #5 (Blues For Kurtchen)

This album might be subtitled "Frank Vignola Plays the Music of Joe Ascione," as six of the tunes were penned by the talented drummer. Others in the group who collect royalties by having their compositions performed on this album are Randy Sandke and John Goldsby, as well as Vignola. There are also some standards on the 15-tune play list. This is the guitarist's first effort for the very active German company, Nagel-Heyer, coming over from Concord Jazz where he recorded several albums as a leader, including a flirtation with smooth jazz. Vignola is known for his close study of the styles of Django Reinhardt and Joe Pass. Judging from his playing, he has also absorbed the techniques of other guitar masters, especially Mundell Lowe. Over his relatively short career (he was just 35 when this CD was cut), he has taken a turn at a variety of musical styles, working with ragtime pianist Max Morath and performing in jazz clubs and on recordings and live gigs with everyone from rockers Leon Redbone and Ringo Starr to jazzers Les Paul and Milt Hinton. He is also a noted jazz instructor, having authored his own set of instructional materials. With his well-honed technique and feel for the music, the presence of distinguished jazz performers, and an arresting play list, this initial effort for Nagel-Heyer portends a solid association, which should go long into the future. Whoever decided to include veteran Frank Wess on some tracks deserves a good deal of credit for the success of this album. The Count Basie veteran tenor man has laid-back but commanding solos on such cuts as "It's All Right With Me" and Horace Silver's "Cookin' at the Continental," where he and another jazz veteran, Sir Roland Hanna, assume control of the track, making it an album highlight. The second version of "It's All Right With Me" is a regular ten-minute session as Vignola and Wess, together and individually, add their artistic imprimatur to this chestnut, with Ascione's revved-up drums not letting anyone off the hook. This album is a generous 79-plus minutes of solid jazz and is recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Off Broadway

The Diamond Five - Montmartre Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:27
Size: 94.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Funk
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. The Beauty Of The Ball
[4:32] 2. Fair Weather
[3:58] 3. Alexander's Ragtime Band
[5:01] 4. Montmartre Blues
[4:10] 5. Parlez Moi De Velours
[2:56] 6. Bobby Tale
[5:16] 7. Jubilation
[2:42] 8. Royal Dream
[3:23] 9. Oleo
[6:26] 10. Sister Sadie [live]

Bass – Jacques Schols; Drums – John Engels Jr.; Piano – Cees Slinger; Tenor Saxophone – Harry Verbeke; Trumpet, Trombone – Cees Smal.

10 previously unreleased tracks by the godfathers of the Dutch Jazz scene, recorded between 1960 and 1963, compiled for Sonorama by the Jazzdiggers from Holland. Featuring great but unknown tunes by the legendary quintet around pianist Cees Slinger, pulled from promotional vinyl EPs, radio programmes, unreleased schellack records or flexi discs. Lost chapter of European jazz history, restaurated from original records and tapes, including lost compositions by Cees Smal as well as nice versions of classics like Sonny Rollins'"Oleo", Horace Silver's "Sister Sadie" or Oscar Pettiford's "Montmartre Blues".

Montmartre Blues

Paul Anka - 15 Songs: Songs I Wish I'd Written

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:15
Size: 96.7 MB
Styles: Pop-rock
Year: 1963/1977
Art: Front

[2:54] 1. Ramblin' Rose
[2:43] 2. I Can't Stop Loving You
[2:53] 3. The End Of The World
[2:22] 4. He'll Have To Go
[2:04] 5. All I Have To Do Is Dream
[2:21] 6. Can't Get Used To Losing You
[2:11] 7. Oh, Lonesome Me
[3:23] 8. Save The Last Dance For Me
[2:30] 9. Blue On Blue
[2:42] 10. Moon River
[3:16] 11. It's Not For Me To Say
[2:10] 12. Memories Are Made Of This
[3:47] 13. You Always Hurt The One You Love
[3:24] 14. Cry
[3:28] 15. Who's Sorry Now

15 Songs: Songs I Wish I'd Written

Grant Stewart - Shadow of Your Smile

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:56
Size: 116,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:55)  1. This Could Be the Start of Something Big
(5:34)  2. The Fabio Complex
(7:28)  3. Shadow of Your Smile
(6:22)  4. Kawa Power
(7:57)  5. You and the Night and the Music
(4:21)  6. Danny Boy
(5:44)  7. I Won't Dance
(6:31)  8. Autumn Leaves

Grant Stewart was born in Toronto, Canada, on June 4, 1971, and moved to New York City at the age of nineteen studying with masters such as Donald Byrd and Barry Harris. He has performed internationally with Jimmy Cobb, Harold Mabern, Louis Hayes, Curtis Fuller, Renee Fleming, Clark Terry, Bob Mover, Etta Jones, Bill Charlap, Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Brad Mehldau, Russell Malone, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Harry Connick, Mickey Roker, Jimmy Lovelace, Cecil Payne, Dick Hymen, Herb Geller and was a member of the last Al Grey Sextet. In New York, Stewart can be found playing at such clubs as Smalls, Lincoln Center, Birdland, Smoke, The Kitano, The Jazz Standard and many more. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as in Japan, Brazil, and Taiwan. He was also one of the first jazz artists to be invited to play at the historical Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg, Russia. In addition Grant was a featured artist at the Guggenheim Museums’Jazz series with his trio including drum legend Jimmy Cobb.

Stewart has released sixteen recordings as a leader, the highlights of which are his most recent release Grant Stewart Trio on Cellar Live Records and his award winning Live At Smalls (2012), released on Smalls Live Records, In the Still of the Night (2007), Young at Heart (2008), Grant Stewart Plays the Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (2009) and Around The Corner (2010). He also has co-led two sessions with fellow tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander on the Criss Cross label and has appeared on many other recordings as a sideman.

From 2008 until 2015, Stewart has been voted a “rising star on the tenor” in the Downbeat Critic’s Poll and was the subject of a feature in the July/August 2009 issue of JazzTimes magazine. Downbeat magazine has also featured Grant in its the December 2008 issue in a piece written by noted jazz writer Ted Panken. On the international front Stewart was named one of the top 3 tenor saxophonists and as number 7 jazz artist of the year by the noted jazz magazine Swing Journal in its 2009 poll. http://grantstewartjazz.com/about/

Shadow of Your Smile

Joey Calderazzo - Going Home

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:13
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:14)  1. Manifold
( 7:17)  2. I Never Knew
( 4:25)  3. Why Me
( 6:45)  4. Stars Fell On Alabama
(10:07)  5. Legend
( 6:09)  6. One Way
( 7:22)  7. My Foolish Heart
( 8:22)  8. Mike's Song
( 5:29)  9. Going Home

Joey Calderazzo has carved out a sneaky-good career for himself. Probably best known for replacing Kenny Kirkland in the piano chair of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he has released nine discs as a leader over the past 24 years. Although they routinely garner plaudits, he’s not the type of highly conceptual stylist who registers in the polls. His art is mostly formulated by the breadth and precision of his craft.

Going Home piques the intellect and challenges that breadth and precision with open-ended tunes that encourage improvisation. (Seven out of the nine cuts are Calderazzo originals.) He operates in a classic piano-trio format with bassist Orlando le Fleming and drummer Adam Cruz, and it’s a pleasure to hear their tentative forays on foundational riffs and barebones themes gradually quicken into more detailed textures and confident interactions. The slow-boiling intensity that eventually enlivens “Manifold” and “Legend” is a particular highlight.

Calderazzo has absorbed the contemporary masters of his instrument in a manner that informs rather than sacrifices his own identity. You hear the prowling gallop of McCoy Tyner, the playful hopscotch of Chick Corea and the ascending vamps of Herbie Hancock all churning within the mix of his improvisations. The Crescent City jazz-funk of “One Way” (previously heard on Calderazzo’s 2011 album of duets with Branford Marsalis, Songs of Mirth and Melancholy) feels like a delightful hybrid of Hancock and Dr. John. The better of the disc’s two standards, “Stars Fell on Alabama,” is a perfectly rendered soul-blues tearjerker that variously recalls Ray Charles and Hank Jones.

Calderazzo invokes all these linkages without any sense of pastiche or indebtedness, creating a personal style that yields enhanced professionalism and reduced notoriety. There are no guest stars except for Marsalis blowing plush tenor on the elegantly subdued “I Never Knew.” The rich trio interplay that characterizes most of the record is overshadowed by Calderazzo’s muscular virtuosity on the final two numbers, “Mike’s Song” (a tribute to his early employer Michael Brecker) and the emotionally evocative title track, performed solo, that closes the collection. It’s a polished coda for a sneaky-good record. ~ Britt Robson  http://jazztimes.com/articles/158683-going-home-joey-calderazzo

Personnel: Joey Calderazzo (piano); Adam Cruz (drums); Branford Marsalis (tenor saxophone); Orlando Le Fleming (bass).

Going Home

Diana Krall - Glad Rag Doll

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:32
Size: 157,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:07)  1. We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye
(4:29)  2. There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears
(3:43)  3. Just Like A Butterfly That's Caught In The Rain
(3:47)  4. You Know - I Know Ev'rything's Made For Love
(4:34)  5. Glad Rag Doll
(4:36)  6. I'm A Little Mixed Up
(4:22)  7. Prairie Lullaby
(5:09)  8. Here Lies Love
(2:50)  9. I Used To Love You But It's All Over Now
(5:44) 10. Let It Rain
(6:57) 11. Lonely Avenue
(3:51) 12. Wide River To Cross
(4:51) 13. When The Curtain Comes Down
(2:29) 14. As Long As I Love
(2:55) 15. Glad Rag Doll [Alternate Version]
(2:55) 16. Garden In The Rain
(2:06) 17. There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears [Alternate Version]

For only the second time in her career, jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall deviates from her tried, true m.o. of covering easily identifiable jazz standards. On Glad Rag Doll she teams with producer T-Bone Burnett and his stable of studio aces. Here the two-time Grammy winner covers mostly vaudeville and jazz tunes written in the 1920s and '30s, some relatively obscure. Most of the music here is from her father's collection of 78-rpm records. Krall picked 35 tunes from that music library and gave sheet music to Burnett. He didn't reveal his final selections until they got into the studio. Given their origins, these songs remove the sheen of detached cool that is one of Krall's vocal trademarks. 

Check the speakeasy feel on opener "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye," with Marc Ribot's airy chords, Jay Bellerose's loose shuffle, and Dennis Crouch's strolling upright bass. Krall's vocal actually seems to express delight in this loose and informal proceeding though her piano playing is, as usual, tight, top-notch. The shimmering sentimental nocturnal balladry there gives way to swing in "Just Like a Butterfly That's Caught in the Rain," which stands out because of the interplay between Ribot's ukulele, a pair of basses, and Bellerose's brushes. Krall's vocal hovers; she lets the melody guide her right through the middle. On the title cut, her only accompanist is Ribot on an acoustic guitar. Being the best-known tune in the bunch, it's easy to compare this reading with many others, but Krall's breathy vocal fully inhabits the lyric and melody and makes them her own. A few tracks stand apart from the album's theme. 

There's the modern take on Betty James' rockabilly single "I'm a Little Mixed Up," which allows Burnett to indulge himself a little and showcases a rarity: Krall playing rock & roll piano. The atmospheric reading of Doc Pomus' "Lonely Avenue" is somewhat radical, but is among the finest moments here. Burnett gets his obligatory reverb on here, but the weave of his and Ribot's guitars (and the latter's banjo) and the mandola by Howard Coward (Elvis Costello in one of several guest appearances) is arresting. The arrangement also contains an odd yet compelling reference to Miles Davis' "Right Off (Theme from Jack Johnson)"; Krall's piano solo is rife with elliptical, meandering lines and chord voicings. But vocally she gets inside the tune's blues and pulls them out with real authority. Glad Rag Doll is not the sound of Krall reinventing herself so much as it's the comfortable scratching of an old, persistent itch. The warmth, sophistication, humor, and immediacy present on this set make it a welcome addition to her catalog. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/glad-rag-doll-mw0002406053

Glad Rag Doll

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels - I Long To See You

Styles: Flute And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:35
Size: 155,1 MB
Art: Front

( 8:02)  1. Masters Of War
( 6:02)  2. Of Course, Of Course
( 6:00)  3. La Llorona
( 6:21)  4. Shenandoah
( 7:29)  5. Sombrero Sam
( 5:00)  6. All My Trials
( 4:48)  7. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
( 1:22)  8. Abide With Me
( 6:02)  9. You Are So Beautiful
(16:24) 10. Barche Lamsel

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd has been working with guitarists periodically since the 1950s: Calvin Newborn, Gabor Szabo, John Abercrombie, and others have played in his bands. On I Long to See You, he (with his stellar rhythm section bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland) renews that relationship with two gifted players: Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz (the latter on lap and pedal steel). This program yields folk and spiritual songs, re-recordings of Lloyd's own tunes, a pop nugget, and a new original. In what feels like the input from the label, there are two guest vocal appearances to boot: Willie Nelson beautifully delivers Ed McCurdy's antiwar classic "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," and Norah Jones offers a slow, dreamy reading of "You Are So Beautiful." I Long to See You feels more like a collaboration between Lloyd and Frisell than a leader date, which is sometimes problematic: these men can be overly deferential to one another. The album starts promisingly with a brooding read of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" that threatens to explode at any moment. Frisell and Leisz (who have worked together a lot) take it through deep winding blues, building tension before Lloyd enters and carries it toward the outside before returning to blues, while Harland's circular drumming becomes somberly hypnotic. Lloyd plays flute on "Of Course, of Course" (originally recorded for an album of the same name for Columbia in 1964). 

Like its predecessor, it's tough, swinging post-bop with colorful slide guitar work and rim-shot syncopations. "La Llorona," from Lloyd's ECM years, is a standout: it captures his open, mournful, Spanish-tinged wail, fleshed out by elegant, timbral guitars, a sad bassline, and Harland's magical timekeeping. "Shenandoah" (which Frisell has recorded before), "All My Trials," and "Abide with Me" are all melodically attractive, but they lack the undercurrent of passion Lloyd has imbued traditional material with in the past. He and Frisell appear so seduced by their melodies, they treat them as fragile objects, not songs whose meanings need to be further explored. Frisell's speculative solo intro on "Sombrero Sam" is overly long; Lloyd's rhythmic sweeping flute doesn't enter until five minutes in, and slips out too quickly. The lone new tune, "Barche Lamsel," more than compensates. Over 16 minutes in length, it's easily the most exploratory thing here. It commences slowly but starts cooking five minutes in. Lloyd and the rhythm section are at their modal improvisational best, moving through folk, funk, blues, Eastern modes, and post-bop. Frisell and Leisz lend fine solos as well as layered textural and atmospheric support. The tune is a journey that ends in a question mark. I Long to See You is well worth investigating even if, at times, it is overly tentative. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-long-to-see-you-mw0002902467

Personnel: Charles Lloyd (alto flute, tenor saxophone); Bill Frisell (guitar); Greg Leisz (steel guitar); Eric Harland (drums).

I Long To See You

Sonny Fortune - Waves of Dreams

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:13
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:17)  1. Seeing Beyond the Obvious
( 7:22)  2. A Space in Time
( 6:39)  3. In Waves of Dreams
( 9:39)  4. Revelation
(10:15)  5. Thoughts

Considering his talent, this was a rather weak and overly commercial effort by the great altoist Sonny Fortune. On several of the numbers, Fortune is joined by some dated electronics; his playing on flute and soprano (during two of the five songs) is not on the same level as his alto, and the songs (four of which are his originals) are forgettable. 

The tricky time signatures and some of the solos are worthwhile (in the supporting cast are trumpeter Charles Sullivan and keyboardist Michael Cochrane), but the set overall is not the least bit memorable. Sonny Fortune eventually showed that he was capable of much better. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/waves-of-dreams-mw0000912637

Personnel:  Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, tambourine, synthesizer, shaker, percussion;  Charles Sullivan - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Michael Cochrane - piano, electric piano; Clifford Coulter – synthesizer;  Buster Williams – bass;  Chip Lyle – drums;  Angel Allende - congas, percussion

Waves of Dreams

Friday, January 29, 2016

Duško Goykovich - Soul Connection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:22
Size: 161.1 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1993
Art: Front

[9:49] 1. Soul Connection
[7:07] 2. Ballad For Miles
[8:49] 3. Inga
[7:48] 4. I'll Close My Eyes
[9:51] 5. Blues Time
[7:27] 6. Adriatica
[6:03] 7. Nyc
[4:19] 8. Blues Valse
[9:06] 9. Teamwork Song

Bass – Eddie Gomez;Drums – Mickey Roker; Piano – Tommy Flanagan; Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9); Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Duško Goykovich.

Trumpeter Dusko Goykovich, a fixture in Germany for decades, has had few of his recordings available in the United States. This Enja CD is an exception, an excellent quartet/quintet date with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Mickey Roker; tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath is on five of the nine selections. Goykovich, whose hero was Miles Davis (one of his eight originals on this session is called "Ballad for Miles"), has a mellow tone and a likable swinging style. This relaxed CD is an excellent example of his talents. ~Scott Yanow

Soul Connection

The Jazz Makers, The Jazz Five - The Jazzmakers & The Jazz Five

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:16
Size: 181.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. The Country Squire
[3:35] 2. Pitiful Pearl
[4:00] 3. The Moonbather
[6:30] 4. The Real Funky Blues
[5:15] 5. It's A Big Wide Wonderful World
[4:51] 6. Blues For The Five Of Us
[3:41] 7. I Won't Fret If I Don't Get The Blues Anymore
[4:21] 8. How Long Has This Been Going On
[7:00] 9. There It Is
[7:10] 10. The Five Of Us
[7:45] 11. 'pon My Soul
[6:15] 12. The Hooter
[9:30] 13. Autumn Leaves
[5:23] 14. Still Life

Ronnie Ross (bs), Art Ellefson (ts), Stan Jones (p), Stan Wasser (b), Allan Ganley (d) / Vic Ash (ts), Harry Klein (bs), Brian Dee (p), Malcom Cecil (b), Bill Eyden, Tony Mann (d).

Twofer: Tracks #1-8, from the 12" album "Ronnie Ross & Allan Ganley - The Jazz Makers". Tracks #9-14, from the 12" album "The Jazz Five - The Hooter!’”.

This CD presents two of the best English modern jazz combos of the late 50s and early 60s, both sharing the same instrumentation. Two outstanding British talents, baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross and drummer Allan Ganley, launched The Jazz Makers in 1958, recruiting the delightful tenor of Art Ellefson for an impressively balanced and imaginative front line, with pianist Stan Jones and bassist Stan Wasser completing a formidable rhythm section. Ross, always a strong, coherent and inventive soloist, blended intuitively with Ellefson’s warm, flowing style and the results were filled with tremendous snap, vigour and musicality. It was a superb ensemble which produced compelling results and much music to remember.

The Jazz Five was formed in 1960 by baritone Harry Klein and tenor Vic Ash, two consistent, capable and accomplished soloists. Klein a confident, self-assured performer, was an assertive and swinging player, while Vic Ash possessed an outgoing, fluent approach, making him an ideal front-line partner. On a well written set of five originals and one standard, their ensemble had a bruising impact, with the rhythm section rounding out the group effectively, thanks in no small measure to the stimulating style of pianist Brian Dee, one of the highlights of this reunion.

The Jazzmakers & The Jazz Five

Pat Morrissey - Standing Pat: Pat Morrissey Swings Songs Of Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:43
Size: 68.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:03] 1. It's You Or No One
[2:42] 2. He Needs Me
[2:24] 3. Trapped In The Web Of Love
[2:11] 4. Mean To Me
[2:35] 5. The More I See You
[2:20] 6. Day In Day Out
[1:50] 7. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[1:58] 8. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[3:32] 9. I'm A Fool About Someone
[3:11] 10. Easy Living
[3:15] 11. Weak For The Man
[1:37] 12. Everybody Loves My Baby

Standing Pat: Pat Morrissey Swings Songs Of Love

Hot Club Of Derbytown - The Thomas Family Winery Live!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:22
Size: 133.6 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Shine
[4:18] 2. Minnie The Moocher
[3:52] 3. Deep River Blues
[4:27] 4. Tchavalo Swing
[3:47] 5. Smike Smoke Smoke (That Cigarette)
[4:53] 6. Brain Cloudy Blues
[4:03] 7. After You've Gone
[4:02] 8. Kentucky Means Paradise
[3:47] 9. Hal C. Blake
[4:43] 10. Nuages
[3:46] 11. Talking Head Blues
[4:34] 12. Have A Little Dream On Me
[3:12] 13. Knock Knock
[4:48] 14. Sweet Georgia Brown

The Hot Club of Derbytown re-creates the hot sounds of vintage jazz produced in Paris in the 1930s and 40s produced by the Quintet of the Hot Club Of France featuring legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and the virtuoso swinging violinist Stephane Grappelli. We threw in a gypsy swing number, some Western Swing and swingy blues to round it out. Veteran performers Tom Cunningham (fiddle and vocals), 'Django' Jim Webb (guitar and vocals), and Blue 'Bleu' Murphy (bass and vocals) bring this sophisticated and energetic music to life once again, along with red-hot gypsy melodies and old-time blues and ragtime music. Throw in some Western Swing and you’ve got a swinging good party!

Jim Webb grew up in Washington, DC, and has played music professionally almost 40 years. He is a farmer, educator, ethnomusicologist who played with the Juggernaut Jug Band for several years. Jim was a KY Arts Council Artist in the Schools for 10 years, developing and implementing folk arts programs for the classroom. He played in the Falls City Ramblers and many other local bluegrass bands in Louisville. He has done research on British traditional music in Edinburgh, Scotland and played at the Philadelphia Folk Fest, Winfield, Silver Dollar City, Branson, MI, Sacramento Jazz Festival, National Press Club, Las Vegas Jazz Festival, KET Specials, Kent State Folk Festival, Kentucky FolkLife Fest., Somerset Master Musician Festival, Augusta Heritage Center Concert, Dollywood, Nashville Now. He has opened for Livingston Taylor, Norman Blake, Jonathan Edwards, Jimmy Martin, Frank Wakefield, Lester Flatt, John McEuen.

Tom Cunningham grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, but moved to Louisville 5 years ago. Tom is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, performer and teacher, and creator of FiddleTales. He has been instrumental in founding, playing and arranging for many of Pittsburgh's best-known acoustic/bluegrass bands, including bluegrass bands The Flying Cunninghams, The Rank Strangers, swing band The Swing Shifters, and the contra dance band Band du jour. In Louisville, Tom has played with several top acoustic bands, including Flat Possum; The Hot Club of Derbytown; Blue Murphy and the Doghouse Serenaders; and The Next Exit. In addition, he has played (and acted) in many theatre productions, including: Woody Guthrie’s American Song, Grapes of Wrath, Christmas at Plum Creek, Quilters and Desire Under the Elms, at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre, Starlight Productions, Prime Stage Theatre and the University of Pittsburgh Theatre Department. The City Theatre production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song toured 4 states in 1995-96.

Blue Murphy started playing music in hippie drum circles when he was 19. He says, “Near that time, a friend had a bamboo flute he couldn't play, so he gave it to me. It was a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi. It was end-blown without the usual hole near the top. No one could get a sound out of it, so I spent a day and a half making myself dizzy until it finally sounded. It became an extension of my arm after that. My friend John Paul and I started a duo called OneSong. We did drums and flute and poetry. Somehow or another I lost the flute and didn't play anything for a couple of years. I found I couldn't live without playing music, so I picked up the bass. I've been playing ever since. I've been in a folk rock band, an Irish/Old-time band (Ten Penny Bit), a few Bluegrass bands, and most recently in a gypsy swing band.”

The Thomas Family Winery Live!

Connie Francis - Do The Twist

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:50
Size: 172,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:10)  1. Mr. Twister
(2:27)  2. Teach Me How To Twist
(2:15)  3. Johnny Darlin'
(2:39)  4. Telephone Lover
(2:36)  5. Ain't That Better Baby
(2:42)  6. Mommy Your Daughter's Falling In Love
(2:50)  7. Drop It Joe
(1:58)  8. Kiss 'n' Twist
(2:29)  9. I Won't Be Home To You
(2:27) 10. My Real Happiness
(2:37) 11. Hey Ring-A-Ding
(2:49) 12. Does Ol' Broadway Ever Sleep
(2:59) 13. Gonna Git That Man
(2:32) 14. It Happened Last Night
(2:28) 15. Send For My Baby
(2:44) 16. Someone Else's Boy
(2:14) 17. I Walk The Line
(2:26) 18. I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter
(1:58) 19. Hearts Of Stone
(2:28) 20. Baby Roo
(2:18) 21. Oh Lonesome Me
(2:56) 22. Don't Cry On My Shoulder
(2:13) 23. Playin' Games
(2:21) 24. Pretty Little Baby
(2:01) 25. Ein Boy Für Mich: Kiss 'n' Twist
(2:26) 26. Too Many Rules
(2:16) 27. I'm Movin' On
(2:40) 28. Valentino
(2:51) 29. It's Gonna Take Me Some Time
(2:45) 30. You're Gonna Miss Me

Born on December 12, 1938, in Newark, New Jersey, Connie Francis won television's Startime Talent Scouts at age 12 and signed with MGM Records. She performed "Who's Sorry Now" on American Bandstand, and it became an immediate hit. In 1974, Francis was the victim of a brutal rape in her hotel room. Her lawsuit led to improved security measures throughout the hotel industry. For years after she was assaulted, Francis didn't perform. She returned to the stage in the early 1990s and released an autobiography Who's Sorry Now, in 1984. Singer and actress Connie Francis was born Concetta Franconero, on December 12, 1938, in Newark, New Jersey. The daughter of George Franconero, a roofing contractor, Connie won first prize on Arthur Godfrey's Startime Talent Scouts television show at age 12, and performed on the show for four years. Godfrey convinced her to change her real last name to Francis after he had difficulty pronouncing it.

Francis signed with MGM Records in 1955 after she was rejected by nearly every major recording label. MGM released her first recording, "Freddy" because the president of MGM had a son named by the same name. During the next two years, she recorded a number of mediocre songs. Francis was all set to quit music and study pre-med at NYU on scholarship when her father convinced her to record a decades-old tune, "Who's Sorry Now." Dick Clark introduced the song on his Bandstand TV show in 1958, and it became an immediate hit, selling a million copies less than six months after release. She started working with songwriters Neil Sedaka and Howie Greenfield, and recorded a string of hits, including "Stupid Cupid," "Lipstick on Your Collar," "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" and "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You." Francis is primarily known for her singing career, but she played the lead in a number of films created for teenagers in the early 1960s. She starred in four motion pictures, Where the Boys Are (1960), Follow The Boys (1963), Looking For Love (1964) and When The Boys Meet The Girls (1965).  http://www.biography.com/people/connie-francis-9542086#film-career

Do The Twist

Benny Carter All Stars - Benny Carter All Stars

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 136,5 MB
Art: Front

(10:32)  1. Easy Money
( 5:27)  2. Memories Of You
( 4:39)  3. Here's That Rainy Day
( 8:47)  4. Blues For Lucky Lovers
( 5:34)  5. Work Song
( 6:33)  6. When Lights Are Low
( 6:24)  7. Just Friends
( 4:30)  8. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
( 6:51)  9. What Is This Thing Called Love

To say that Benny Carter had a remarkable and productive career would be an extreme understatement. As an altoist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and occasional trumpeter, Carter was at the top of his field since at least 1928, and in the late '90s, Carter was as strong an altoist at the age of 90 as he was in 1936 (when he was merely 28). His gradually evolving style did not change much through the decades, but neither did it become at all stale or predictable except in its excellence. Benny Carter was a major figure in every decade of the 20th century since the 1920s, and his consistency and longevity were unprecedented.

Essentially self-taught, Benny Carter started on the trumpet and, after a period on C-melody sax, switched to alto. In 1927, he made his recording debut with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten. The following year, he had his first big band (working at New York's Arcadia Ballroom) and was contributing arrangements to Fletcher Henderson and even Duke Ellington. Carter was with Henderson during 1930-1931, briefly took over McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and then went back to leading his own big band (1932-1934). Already at this stage he was considered one of the two top altoists in jazz (along with Johnny Hodges), a skilled arranger and composer ("Blues in My Heart" was an early hit and would be followed by "When Lights Are Low"), and his trumpet playing was excellent; Carter would also record on tenor, clarinet (an instrument he should have played more), and piano, although his rare vocals show that even he was human.

In 1935, Benny Carter moved to Europe, where in London he was a staff arranger for the BBC dance orchestra (1936-1938); he also recorded in several European countries. Carter's "Waltzing the Blues" was one of the very first jazz waltzes. He returned to the U.S. in 1938, led a classy but commercially unsuccessful big band (1939-1941), and then headed a sextet. In 1943, he relocated permanently to Los Angeles, appearing in the film Stormy Weather (as a trumpeter with Fats Waller) and getting lucrative work writing for the movie studios. He would lead a big band off and on during the next three years (among his sidemen were J.J. Johnson, Miles Davis, and Max Roach) before giving up on that effort. 

Carter wrote for the studios for over 50 years, but he continued recording as an altoist (and all-too-rare trumpeter) during the 1940s and '50s, making a few tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic and participating on some of Norman Granz's jam-session albums. By the mid-'60s, his writing chores led him to hardly playing alto at all, but he made a full "comeback" by the mid-'70s, and maintained a very busy playing and writing schedule even at his advanced age. Even after the rise of such stylists as Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and David Sanborn (in addition to their many followers), Benny Carter still ranks near the top of alto players. His concert and recording schedule remained active through the '90s, slowing only at the end of the millenium. After eight amazing decades of writing and playing, Benny Carter passed away quietly on July 13, 2003 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 95. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/benny-carter/id2984502#fullText

Personnel: Benny Carter (alto saxophone); Nat Adderley (vocals, trumpet); Horace Parlan (piano); Red Norvo (vibraphone); Ronnie Gardiner (drums).

Benny Carter All Stars

Cab Calloway - The Hi-De-Ho Man

Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:18
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:55)  1. St Louis Blues
(3:12)  2. Minnie The Moocher
(3:05)  3. St James Infirmary
(3:19)  4. Nobody's Sweetheart
(3:23)  5. Six Or Seven Times
(3:15)  6. You Rascal, You
(3:10)  7. Kickin'The Gong Around
(3:02)  8. Between The Devil And The Deep Blues Sea
(3:13)  9. Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day
(3:08) 10. The Seat Song
(2:30) 11. Bugle Call Rag
(2:56) 12. Blues In My Heart
(2:36) 13. Sweet Georgia Brown
(2:27) 14. Mood Indigo
(3:10) 15. Dinah
(2:48) 16. Aw You Dawg

Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, where he was a regular performer. Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular big bands from the start of the 1930s to the late 1940s. Calloway's band featured performers including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker, and bassist Milt Hinton. Calloway continued to perform until his death in 1994 at the age of 86. More..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_Calloway

The Hi-De-Ho Man

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Various - Blue Bossa

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:40
Size: 157.2 MB
Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[4:18] 1. Horace Parlan - Congalegre
[3:53] 2. Charlie Rouse - Back To The Tropics
[7:20] 3. Big John Patton - Latona
[3:28] 4. Duke Pearson - Sandalia Dela
[3:09] 5. Ike Quebec - Loie
[3:31] 6. Cannonball Adderley - Sambop
[5:02] 7. Kenny Dorham - Afrodisia
[5:47] 8. Grant Green - Mambo Inn
[4:56] 9. Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues
[6:17] 10. Andrew Hill - Mira
[8:09] 11. Hank Mobley - Recado Bossa Nova
[5:30] 12. Lou Donaldson - South Of The Border
[7:14] 13. Donald Byrd - Ghana

This compilation should be titled Blue Latin because it's more of a sampler of various Latin jazz styles than just a bossa nova-jazz mix. In an age of overzealous marketing and grab-bag reissues, though, the oversight is understandable. Thankfully, the misguided approach doesn't dim the quality of this very enjoyable Blue Note release. The six actual bossa nova tracks in the collection -- out of 14 -- range from effervescent, hard bop treatments by Hank Mobley ("Recado Bossa Nova") and Cannonball Adderly ("Sambop") to languid ballad renditions by Ike Quebec ("Loie") and Eliane Elias ("Waters of March/Agua de Beber"). The most authentic and best of the bunch is Duke Pearson's "Sandalia Dela," which spotlights Brazilian stars Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Another standout is John Patton's B-3 organ bossa "Latona," which features inspired solos by guitarist Grant Green and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. Throughout this collection, in fact, excellent solos and support abound by the likes of Lee Morgan, Joe Henderson, Willie Bobo, Dom Um Romao, Nana Vasconcelos, Horace Silver, and J.J. Johnson, among others. The remaining numbers on Blue Bossa showcase everything from mambos to calypso. The highlights here include Horace Parlan's piano trio number "Congalegre," Kenny Dorham's superbly arranged, large ensemble original "Afrodesia," and Donald Byrd's cool cooker "Ghana." If you fancy more authentic Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, or otherwise, then check out Blue Note's excellent Blue Brazil series, which features Brazilian musicians exclusively. If you are a jazz fan with a yen for Stan Getz and the whole stateside bossa nova craze of the '60s, then Blue Bossa is a great buy. ~Stephen Cook

Blue Bossa

Howard McGhee - Dusty Blue Remembered

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:13
Size: 80.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1960/2012
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Dusty Blue
[3:29] 2. Park Avenue Petite
[5:49] 3. Flyin' Colors
[4:17] 4. Groovin' High
[3:20] 5. The Sound Of Music
[4:05] 6. I Concentrate On You
[2:52] 7. Sleep Talk
[3:59] 8. With Malice Towards None
[4:27] 9. Cottage For Sale

Howard McGhee (tp) Bennie Green (tb) Roland Alexander (ts) Pepper Adams (bars) Tommy Flanagan (p) Ron Carter (b) Walter Bolden (d) recorded NYC, June 13, 1960.

McGhee had been one of bop’s premier league of trumpet-players since the Forties, alongside Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham and notable for his collaborations with Fats Navarro, a fellow addict. Few had his mastery of the instrument, however his musical career in the Fifties was dogged by spells in prison as a consequence of his addiction, as was the case with Art Pepper and many other jazz musicians. Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock” had more truth to it than people at the time imagined – Jailhouse Bop.

Dusty Blue, released in 1960 by Bethlehem, is one of the highlights of his Sixties comeback, and sees him teamed with some of long-standing bop collaborators like Bennie Green Tommy Flanagan and Pepper Adams, as they all slide seamlessly into the groove.

Dusty Blue Remembered

Helen O'Connell - Green Eyes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:55
Size: 73.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1950/2011
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Star Eyes
[2:44] 2. Not Mine
[2:36] 3. Tangerine
[3:51] 4. Amapola
[4:51] 5. When The Sun Comes Out
[2:57] 6. All Of Me
[2:47] 7. Green Eyes
[3:32] 8. Jim
[2:47] 9. Time Was
[2:36] 10. Yours

Helen O'Connell, who had a fairly long career, will always be best remembered for her squeals on "Green Eyes" and her work with Jimmy Dorsey. She originally left her native Toledo with Jimmy Richards' nine-piece group, gigging and touring for a year and a half. O'Connell appeared on a regular radio show in St. Louis until she agreed to tour with Larry Funk's band (which was billed as "Band of a Thousand Melodies"). After the outfit started working in New York, she was discovered and quickly signed up by Jimmy Dorsey in 1938. O'Connell soon had a hit rendition of "All of Me," which was followed by popular recordings of "Embraceable You," "Brazil," "Jim." and "When the Sun Comes Out" (which she introduced). However, it was in December 1940, when she started sharing recordings with ballad singer Bob Eberly, that O'Connell for a time became a household name. Eberly generally took a slow chorus, Jimmy Dorsey would have a brief instrumental interlude, and then O'Connell would finish up the record with a swinging chorus. This combination worked very well on hit versions of "Amapola," "Yours," "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine." After appearing in the 1943 movie I Dood It with Dorsey (singing "Star Eyes"), O'Connell retired to get married; she would eventually have four daughters. In 1950 she began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. Although her voice was limited, she made her deficiencies into assets and carved out her own place in musical history. Helen O'Connell was active up until shortly before her death from cancer.

Green Eyes

Trombone Shorty - Backatown

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:42
Size: 97.8 MB
Styles: Jazz/Funk/Rock/Soul
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Hurricane Season
[3:34] 2. On Your Way Down
[3:02] 3. Quiet As Kept
[3:40] 4. Something Beautiful
[2:45] 5. Backatown
[2:53] 6. Right To Complain
[2:59] 7. Neph
[3:18] 8. Suburbia
[3:14] 9. In The 6th
[2:47] 10. One Night Only (The March)
[2:57] 11. Where Y' At
[3:42] 12. Fallin'
[3:37] 13. The Cure
[0:50] 14. 928 Horn Jam

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews' new album, Backatown (Verve Forecast April 20), is the work of a rare artist who can draw both the unqualified respect of jazz legends and deliver a high-energy rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars and audiences alike. With such an unprecedented mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul, he had to create his own name to describe his signature sound: Supafunkrock! Andrews is the kind of player who comes along maybe once in a generation, and Backatown is the latest, clearest proof that his artistry is as singular as his raw talent.

The album title comes from the locals' term for the area of New Orleans that includes the Tremé [pronounced Tre-MAY] neighborhood in the city's 6th Ward, where Troy was born and raised-getting his nickname at four years old when he was observed by his older brother James marching in a street parade wielding a trombone twice as long as the kid was high. The cultural backdrop of the Tremé-the oldest black neighborhood in the U.S.-is at the very root of Troy's music, on top of which he's built his own sound. The streetwise, gritty feel of the term underscores the difference between the stereotype of the New Orleans jazz musician and what this audacious young artist and his cohorts are going for, and pulling off.

Equally adept on trombone and trumpet, Andrews plays a variety of other instruments as well. He's applied the same skill sets and fierce discipline to his vocal instrument, to soulful effect, as the album demonstrates. Surrounding Andrews is his band, Orleans Avenue-Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dwayne Williams on percussion and Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax-virtuosos every one.

Backatown