Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Eddie Daniels - Beautiful Love

Styles: Flute And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:13
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Awakening
(5:41)  2. Beautiful Love
(4:43)  3. First Gymnopedie
(5:52)  4. Waltz For Mirabai
(5:37)  5. The Ninth Step
(5:04)  6. We'll Always Be Together
(5:11)  7. A Take On Five
(4:59)  8. Love's Journey
(4:25)  9. Brunete
(4:34) 10. Summer's Gone

A remarkable clarinetist who ranks at the top of his field, Eddie Daniels sounds quite restrained throughout the easy listening set, although he throws in a few complex runs on "Beautiful Love." 

With a tasteful rhythm section (including guitarist Chuck Loeb and pianist Bob James), Daniels mostly sticks to melodic interpretations during a theme apiece by Bach, Erik Satie, and Rachmaninov, four of his own originals, two by Loeb, and the title cut. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/beautiful-love-mw0000098727

Personnel: Eddie Daniels (alto flute, clarinet); Lawrence Feldman (alto flute); Ron Odrich (bass clarinet); Bob James (piano); Chuck Loeb (guitar); David Finck, Tim LeFebvre (bass); Wolfgang Haffner (drums); David Charles (percussion).

Beautiful Love

Melissa Stott - The picture

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 68:22
Size: 110,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:05)  1. Wish it wasn't true
(5:06)  2. You
(5:32)  3. A little contented place
(3:48)  4. Beware of your heart
(5:54)  5. I just can't stop the tears
(5:22)  6. That 'll be us
(4:37)  7. The picture
(4:03)  8. I'm looking at you with new eyes
(5:10)  9. Romance addio
(4:38) 10. Cara
(4:57) 11. Cutch O'Lanza
(6:02) 12. Mexico blue
(6:03) 13. Hindsight

Songwriter and vocalist Melissa Stott learned from a few of the best, such as Porter, Gershwin, Ellington, Strayhorn, Berlin, and more, but she has a more modern appeal to her music. She learned to play the piano at age six and was ear trained by her father. Melissa also took part in various choral activities. She decided to do acting in Italy and slipped into the jazz scene. Her first jazz record was of Ella Fitzgerald with Ellis Larkin at the piano. Melissa has studied with Barry Harris, Stjepko Gut, Dennis Jeter, LaVerne Jackson, Andy Farber and Vince Benedetti. She participated in festivals and coached many students in classical piano and harmony, jazz singing, choral singing and ballet.

Melissa is very talented and has written catchy tunes with interesting harmonies and witty, touching lyrics in this album The Picture. From the up-tempo dismissal of a lover in "Romance Addio," to the haunting Evans-esque "The Picture," or the aching, melancholic "Wish It Wasn’t True," each and every one of Stott’s original songs casts a spell which is hard to forget. As a vocalist, her style is natural and understated, yet "an almost conversational intimacy combines with subtle power" to produce feelings that it’s hard to put your finger on. ~ Alonda Washburn  http://www.jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/jazz-vocals-cd-reviews/the-picture-by-melissa-stott.html

The picture

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Leana Sealy - Undecided

Size: 103,9 MB
Time: 37:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Call The Police (3:25)
02. Cheek To Cheek (3:12)
03. So What (3:25)
04. Night In Tunesia (3:19)
05. Love For Sale (3:57)
06. No More Blues (2:14)
07. Seven Steps (2:08)
08. Scrapple From The Apple (3:13)
09. Lush Life (4:01)
10. Man Who Sold The World (5:22)
11. Uninvited (3:10)

Born in Dublin with parents from Barbados and Ireland, Luxembourg based vocalist Leana Sealy infuses jazz standards and contemporary songs with her fresh new style.

The talented singer blends scat, soul and jazz into effortless and passionate interpretations from great songbooks spanning from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to pop songs from James Morrison or Alanis Morissette. A classically trained saxophonist, she merges her unique phrasing and improvisation style with an exceptional and charming soulful voice to produce an acoustic and intimate sound that pays homage to the great jazz tradition whilst giving it a youthful, modern touch.

Having done numerous recordings and live performances with notably Gast Waltzing, Guy Cabay, the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and her own Leana Sealy Quintet with whom she released her debut album in 2004 (On The Street Where You Live), Sealy has just finished recording her second album to be released later this year (2009) on WPR Jazz with fellow musicians David Laborier on guitar and Rom A Heck on bass and Michel Mootz on drums.

Undecided

Tony Yazbeck - The Floor Above Me

Size: 125,2 MB
Time: 53:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Broadway
Art: Front

01. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (2:23)
02. Let Yourself Go/No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)/Fascinating Rhythm/Can't You See It (4:31)
03. My Mom And I Drove Into New York... (0:48)
04. Pure Imagination (2:54)
05. Flash Forward To 2007... (0:17)
06. All I Need Is The Girl (2:55)
07. I Was Living Out My Dream... (0:36)
08. Moses Supposes (2:58)
09. 'Til Kingdom Come (3:34)
10. Got To Get You Into My Life (1:37)
11. Dance Me To The End Of Love/I Won't Dance (5:06)
12. Cheek To Cheek (1:46)
13. Change Partners/Let's Face The Music And Dance (4:44)
14. Nothing I Do (2:56)
15. Where Did I Go Wrong (4:01)
16. I Was Taught To Be A Fighter... (0:38)
17. Both Sides Now (4:20)
18. I'm Backstage At This Theatre... (0:19)
19. Lucky To Be Me (2:57)
20. Hello, My Old Heart (3:36)

Having conquered Broadway with a string of acclaimed roles – from Gypsy to White Christmas to On the Town – triple-threat Tony Yazbeck sets his sights on reinventing the solo album with his new studio recording, The Floor Above Me, adapted and expanded from his one-man show. Blending song, dance and personal narrative, Yazbeck breathes new life into not only the time-honored tale of the Broadway dreamer but the solo album as well, with ecstatic tap dancing and a moving story that deepens the emotional impact of Yazbeck's carefully curated program. Yazbeck, whose "easy, warm, open-hearted and touchingly real performance" as Gabey in the 2014 Broadway revival of On the Town "provided the show with a firm emotional center" (The New York Times), brings his openness, charm and boundless energy to his own story as a hardworking kid growing up in Pennsylvania who dreamed of making it on Broadway – and did. Comprising an eclectic mix of songs ranging from the classic tunes of Irving Berlin ("Let Yourself Go," "Cheek to Cheek") and the Gershwins ("Fascinating Rhythm," "Slap That Bass") to the more modern pop of Coldplay, Jamie Cullum and Martin Sexton, and featuring guest appearances by Clyde Alves (Yazbeck's co-star in On the Town) and Melinda Sullivan (So You Think You Can Dance), The Floor Above Me gives audiences the chance to join Yazbeck on his journey to Broadway.

The Floor Above Me

Donatella Luttazzi & Amedeo Tommasi Trio - I Love You Chet

Size: 119,3 MB
Time: 50:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I Love You Chet (3:16)
02. Donatella Luttazzi Amedeo Tommasi Trio (3:13)
03. All The Thinks You Are (3:59)
04. My Funny Valentine (4:34)
05. Like Someone In Love (3:49)
06. Angel Eyes (3:23)
07. My Romange (3:39)
08. Stella By Starlight (4:33)
09. Just Friends (4:43)
10. In Love Too Easily (3:17)
11. My Foolish Heart (4:41)
12. Alone Togheter (4:04)
13. The Touch Of Your Lips (3:25)

Donatella Luttazzi, singer, singing teacher, composer and arranger.

Jazz Singer, American folk, loving even the Brazilian repertoire, sang with Tony Scott, Francesco Puglisi, Eddie Palermo, Antonello Vannucchi, Irio De Paula, Cinzia Gizzi, Amedeo Tommasi, and many others, and for some months to Barbra's of New York with the quintet of Jeff Hittman.

She has just finished recording a CD with the trio of Amedeo Tommasi, with John Thomas at CB and Marco Valeri on drums, the repertoire of his loved Chet Baker.

I Love You Chet

Dirk Schaadt Organ Trio - Time To Change

Size: 148,5 MB
Time: 64:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Eddie Likes It (5:54)
02. Tristesse Royal (6:33)
03. You Think You Know It (6:37)
04. Seven Dance (6:45)
05. Both Of You (6:31)
06. She's Late (5:57)
07. Keep The Flow (5:53)
08. Time To Change (7:22)
09. Just An Option (6:19)
10. Gut Gelaunt (6:10)

The Cologne music scene has always been a very fertile ground for spectacular projects - international names of many genres make the city as their home and meet local heroes as well as emerging talents. Cultural life, club and concert culture is a pulse of this city. See you on stage and in sessions - and sometimes then meet musicians, which are already "sparks" at the first meeting. This happened when Dirk Schaadt organ trio that now his debut album Time To Change presents.

Dirk Schaadt (Hammond organ), Martin Feske (guitar) and Marcus Möller (drums), all already known quantities of their craft have immediately sensed that they are musically exactly on the same wavelength.

"The high-energy, homogenous trio sound was the first common tone there. And we was all at once a compelling need clear that this is the birth of a new sensational band be m u s s! "Schaadt gives a nod to protocol.

Their concert program of this high-energy trio presented here also an immense variety of styles: Songs of funky soul jazz finely engraved ballads to groovy and swinging jazz compositions combine to create a dynamic, homogeneous and therefore unique, unmistakable trio sound and thus ensure an absolutely authentic and varied musical experience. ~Google translator

Time To Change

Jeff Beal - Three Graces

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Jazz Fusion
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:49
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:43)  1. Jazz Habit
(5:40)  2. Three Graces
(5:41)  3. I Saw Isabella
(5:15)  4. Wrong Number
(6:40)  5. Through A Glass Dimly
(5:19)  6. The Watchers
(3:49)  7. Prayer of St. Francis
(6:22)  8. Dizzy Spells
(6:22)  9. For Miles
(2:54) 10. Waltz for Mary


Trumpeter Jeff Beal's compositions do not contain catchy melodies, but instead set mysterious and often melancholy moods with interesting frameworks, using occasional funk lines creatively. Much of the music builds logically to unexpected heights with surprising turns. Beal's fine trumpet playing is generally quite original (even if he hints strongly at Miles Davis' sound when he is muted) and his sextet (with Steve Tavaglione's tenor, pianist John Beasley, and bassist John Patitucci) is flexible enough to interpret his complex compositions. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/three-graces-mw0000621319

Personnel: Trumpet – Jeff Beal;  Bass – John Patitucci;  Drums – Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta;  Guitar – Steve Cárdenas;  Piano – John Beasley;  Saxophone [Tenor] – Steve Tavaglione

Three Graces

Dave Weckl Band - Multiplicity

Styles: Jazz, Crossover Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:11
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Watch your step
(5:40)  2. Elements of Surprise
(5:55)  3. Vuelo
(6:01)  4. Inner vision
(6:25)  5. What it is
(5:34)  6. Chain reaction
(5:33)  7. Cascade
(6:37)  8. Mixed bag
(6:54)  9. Down on the corner

Sometimes it's best to take things on face value. A solid collection of engaging compositions, plenty of infectious grooves, and strong soloing/interplay can go a long way to making an album worthwhile, even if it doesn't demonstrate any kind of specific characteristics that give it a distinctive personality. Sometimes an album is just plain fun, nothing more, nothing less. Over the course of his 25-year career, drummer Dave Weckl has created an almost unparalleled reputation in fusion circles as a player with staggering chops and the ability to navigate the most complex of charts the latter arguably most visible during his tenure with keyboardist Chick Corea's Elektric Band, which reconvened last year for a new record and tour, after a fourteen-year hiatus. But along with his reputation as a virtuosic player was often an undercurrent that his playing always felt somehow cold and sterile. While Weckl has been releasing solo albums since '90's Master Plan, it's really been over the past five years that his Dave Weckl Band has emerged with a combination of deep funk grooves and hints of rhythmic influences from farther afield that lay waste to the claim that Weckl is a skilled but clinical player. Multiplicity is a high-energy but never bombastic session that gives everyone plenty of chance to stretch out, all within the context of some attractive and upbeat compositions, most being collaborations between Weckl, reedman Gary Meek, and keyboardist Steve Weingart, with three tracks by Weingart alone. But, most important, the album feels good. 

The precedents are all there. Weckl's time with Corea can be heard in some of the charts' complicated and unexpected rhythmic twists and turns, but Yellowjackets and Jaco-era Weather Report are the clearest foundations. Weckl and his long-time rhythm section partner, bassist Tom Kennedy, seem joined at the hip on tunes ranging from the bright opener "Watch Your Step, the Latin-informed "Vuelo, and the 7/4 mover, "Mixed Bag. But Weckl is equally connected to bassist Ric Fierabracci, who plays on four of the nine tracks, most notably on the Weather Report-inflected shuffle of "Elements of Surprise and the visceral, behind-the-beat funk of "What It Is. Weingart and Meek are capable soloists, but if there's any criticism, it's that, while everything is delivered with complete commitment, no originality distinguishes the players. The generic nature of the playing, despite its high level, is what stops the record, clearly an enjoyable one, from being great. There's no doubt that, in the area of funkified fusion, Weckl and his band represent some of the better players around. And in that regard, for fans of the genre who want to hear vivid playing that avoids its almost inherent excesses, one could do far worse than check out Multiplicity. Still, if Weckl wants his band to get to the next level, he needs to find a way of giving it a clear identity. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/multiplicity-dave-weckl-stretch-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Dave Weckl (drums, timbales, percussion, programming); Paul Pesco (guitar); Gary Meek (alto flute, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Steve Weingart (keyboards); Richie Gajate Garcia (congas, percussion).

Multiplicity

Eddie Harris - Dancing By A Rainbow

Styles: Vocal, Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

(12:52)  1. Mean Greens
( 5:30)  2. The Grand Strut
( 7:09)  3. Set Us Free
( 3:42)  4. Boogie Woogie Bossa Nova
( 6:40)  5. You Are Not The Right One For Me
( 5:33)  6. Dancing By A Rainbow
( 7:19)  7. An April To Be Remembered
( 8:02)  8. It's Just Fun And Games

If Musicmasters' claim that Freedom Jazz Dance is the last "fully authorized" Eddie Harris studio session is to be believed, what are listeners to make of this baby, which followed the Musicmasters date by nearly a year? Whether authorized or not, Dancing by a Rainbow is actually a better capstone to his studio legacy. Recorded in a reverberant Munich studio, with old '70s cohort Ronald Muldrow back on electric guitar, Nolan Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, and a strutting rhythm section (electric and acoustic bassist Jeff Chambers, drummer Gaylord Birch), the music-making is hotter, the styles more diverse, and the 60-year-old leader who had a little more than a year and a half to live is in just as splendidly inventive shape. All the compositions are Harris', nearly half of which are remakes of some of his best, less-often-encored stuff from his heyday in the '60s and early '70s. If anything, this hard-swinging, nearly 13-minute remake of "Mean Greens" is even better than the original, with Muldrow's rhythm guitar serving as the main engine. 

Harris' solo is a career-encompassing summary of his funk style, and further down on the track he starts comping on piano right in the middle of Chambers' solo which has the electrifying effect of driving everyone even harder. "Set Us Free" (originally recorded with Les McCann) goes at a faster, more brittle, percolating tempo, and "Boogie Woogie Bossa Nova" is brighter in tone and funkier in pace. The newer tunes range from truckin' soul-jazz ("The Grand Strut") through the loose-jointed syncopated funk of the title track, the good-time Brazilian samba "It's Just Fun and Games," and the more straight-ahead manner that Harris often cultivated in the last years. For old times' sake, Harris also cuts loose a bop-scat vocal on "An April to Be Remembered," with an occasional reminder of his Leon Thomas-style yodel. Clearly, the Europeans understood Eddie Harris' versatility perfectly. ~ Richard S. Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/album/dancing-by-a-rainbow-mw0000646878

Personnel: Eddie Harris (vocals, tenor saxophone, piano); Nolan Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ronald Muldrow (electric guitar); Jeff Chambers (electric bass); Gaylord Birch (drums); Uli Stach (percussion).

Dancing By A Rainbow

Monday, February 22, 2016

Eldar Djangirov - Three Stories

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:51
Size: 174,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:11)  1. I Should Care
( 3:56)  2. Prelude In C# Major
( 5:49)  3. Darn That Dream
( 5:00)  4. Windows
( 5:49)  5. Etude Op. 2 No. 1
( 4:53)  6. In Walked Bud
( 5:43)  7. Three Stories
( 4:17)  8. So Damn Lucky
( 4:33)  9. Embraceable You
( 3:33) 10. Russian Lullaby
( 2:58) 11. Air on a G String
( 5:45) 12. Impromptu
(14:59) 13. Rhapsody in Blue
( 3:19) 14. Donna Lee

Since emerging on the worldwide jazz scene in 2004, pianist Eldar Djangirov has been touted for the classical skill he brings to standard jazz and original material alike. With Three Stories, Eldar attacks the classical repertoire itself, mixing a pair of Bach pieces, and one from Alexander Scriabin, with standards by the likes of Sammy Cahn, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and George Gershwin, plus a few originals. The three stories classical, standards (or popular music he also covers a Dave Matthews tune) and originals are told with a consistent voice that serves to twine and intermix the narratives not unlike Claude Simon's fiction. By the time the penultimate "Rhapsody in Blue" rolls around, the inventive mix in Gershwin's jazz concerto can be heard anew. The album is Eldar's first solo piano recording and first, incidentally, to feature his full name on the cover (whether this signals an attempt to move away from the one-name moniker he has favored heretofore is unclear). He opens, appropriately enough, with a full minute's worth of classical flourishes, before advancing the melody of "I Should Care" in any sustained manner. 

But even then, the linear course is brief. The tune having been established, Eldar is off to the races, but it's a neck-and-neck gallop between classical and ragtime motifs. And a brief pause is all that separates this standard of popular music and Bach's "Prelude in C# Major" the exuberant runs that course Bach's piece stemming, seemingly, from Cahn's to bore into the German heart and emerge not much later as the dust from Tchaikovsky's "Sugar Plum Fairy" sprinkling over Van Heusen's "Darn That Dream." The high-end, raspy plunkings that form the sleepy melody of "Dream" constitute, perhaps, the album's most inspired crossing of musical tracks.

Other highlights include a take on Monk's classic celebratory piece, "In Walked Bud," here rendered with a deep undercurrent of pain, an abiding melancholy (if yet shy of all-out misery), stabbing dully but consistently at the daily effort of coming and going of sitting, of waiting, of walking in even as the motion surges inevitably ahead. Gershwin's "Embraceable You" is achingly beautiful, romantic and maybe too sweetly sentimental for some the crush of heavily scented roses but the piece never lacks for intelligence. And when Eldar reaches the "Rhapsody" apex, the entire weave of musical stories comes to seem an undressing of Gershwin's mind, his brain rattling the "musical kaleidoscope of America" on a train ride to Boston. Tchaikovsky and Scriabin are dead. Stravinsky's in flower. And the tracks race into America for all the wild vagabonds to jump onboard. Eldar stitches his one-man concerto with improvised "orchestral" fills, allowing the glimpse of a time, not far off, when the soloist will rage over the stateliness of symphonies  ragtime-infused or not. It hardly seems an accident that the pianist closes his album with a Charlie Parker tune. ~ Matt Marshall  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/three-stories-eldar-djangirov-sony-masterworks-review-by-matt-marshall.php
 
Personnel: Eldar Djangirov, piano.

Three Stories

Jackie Ryan - Speak Low

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:49
Size: 144,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Doozy
(5:14)  2. Speak Low
(6:33)  3. Caminhos Cruzados
(4:49)  4. Do Something
(4:52)  5. Opportunity Please Knock
(8:34)  6. I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do
(5:25)  7. Brigas Nunca Mais/A Felicidade
(3:25)  8. Tell Me More and More and Then Some
(5:12)  9. Dat Dere
(5:08) 10. With the Wind and the Rain In Your Hair
(4:56) 11. My How the Time Goes By
(4:26) 12. Solamente una Vez

"One of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time...rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall." ~ Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times

Jackie teamed with Grammy Award winner John Clayton to deliver her latest chart-topping CD "Listen Here" - a tour de force through a myriad of jazz idioms from blues and gospel flavored jazz gems, to luscious love songs, a soaring Spanish ballad, a Gershwin classic, pulsating samba rhythms, an original with lyrics penned by Grammy/Oscar/Emmy Award winners all culminating with the title track: a stunning duet with 3-time Grammy nominee Gerald Clayton. "Those who hear her are the fortunate ones," writes Howard Mandel - president, Jazz Journalists Association; "An astonishing contralto voice," (Downbeat), thrilling audiences across the globe with her powerful 3 & 1/2 octave range and her magnetic stage presence - and amassing, along the way, an impressive array of records (three back-to-back #1 CDs on JazzWeek's nationwide chart) and glowing reviews. Her last outing - a double CD, "Doozy" - featured Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Carl Allen, Ray Drummond and Romero Lubambo, garnered universal praise (4-Stars from both Downbeat and AMG), and held the #1 position nationwide on JazzWeek's industry-standard chart for a record-breaking 7 solid weeks. Her previous CD, "You and The Night and The Music" featuring Red Holloway, Tamir Hendelman, and Jeff Hamilton among others, also received 4 stars from AMG and Downbeat. In addition to these jazz greats , Ms. Ryan has recorded and/or performed with: Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Ernie Watts, Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton, John Clayton, Gerald Clayton, Amina Figarova, Mike Wofford, Jon Mayer, Larry Vuckovich, Barry Harris, Bill Cunliffe, Shelly Berg, Benny Green, Jeff Hamilton, Terry Gibbs, Emil Richards, and Jon Hendricks

Grammy- Award winning John Clayton - who produced and arranged her latest chart-topping CD for Jackie "Listen Here" (#1 on Jazzweeks nationwide radio chart for 4 weeks!) - has a gift for arranging for singers (Diana Krall, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Whitney Houston, among others), and this pairing was a match made in musical heaven. "I first paid attention to Jackie when I heard her stunning recordings with The Jeff Hamilton Trio," John says. "Her version of 'Besame Mucho' stopped me in my tracks." For these special recordings, John called on members of both the Grammy - nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and the Clayton Brothers Quintet (nominated for two Grammy Awards)  the extraordinary pianist Gerald Clayton, fiery percussionist Obed Calvaire, soulful saxmaster Rickey Woodard, trumpet virtuoso Gilbert Castellanos, and gifted guitarist Graham Dechter. John also lent his prodigious talents to this CD, weaving a sensitive bow - as on "A Time For Love," that literally melts into Ms. Ryan's sultry voice. Ms. Ryan's rousing rendition of "The Gypsy In My Soul" perfectly reflects the gypsy in her soul - the far-reaching range of musical territory she traverses in her concerts and her lifelong love of jazz in all its manifold permutations. This ability to explore genres both culturally outside of jazz's mainstream, as well as those conventional touchstones within its borders, is the mark of a true jazz mind. Not content to merely rehash the safety of well-worn standards, Jackie will often overlook the ordinary, and seek out and delve into the extraordinary, the a-typical, the exotic. Ms. Ryan has been profiled as the featured artist for NPR, Voice of America, Primetime A&E and CNN TV en Español and has filled premier venues both here and abroad - Asia, Australia, and Europe (such as eight years at London's famed Ronnie Scott's Club) - and festivals at home such as Telluride, Monterey, and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and packed concerts at New York's Birdland, Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Florida's Broward Center, and the San Francisco Bay Area's Yoshi's. But it is not by accident that her cross-cultural appeal "bridges the gap between both geography and generations," as Billboard so aptly put it. Part Irish, part Mexican, she was born into it - and grew up listening to a unique blend of voices around her family's small home. Her father was of Irish descent, born in San Francisco's Butchertown, working night shifts and educating himself in Greek and Latin and singing classical pieces around the house in his trained baritone.

Her mother (who sang operettas at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara) was Mexican and crooned Spanish folk songs to her as a child. "I remember those romantic album covers she had with the Spanish ladies in brilliant colors; and the melodies I heard, the songs I heard, just filled me up. So that's what I kept inside of me." Tragically, Jackie lost her mother at the age of 15 and, in memory, always includes a Spanish song in each of her CDs - in this case, the passionate "La Puerta."  Ms. Ryan's natural affinity for languages extends deeply into the language of jazz and its intricate structures. She possesses a keen ear for jazz phrasing and its internal rhymes - and, as a lyricist, has composed note-for-note vocalese to the scorching sax solos of Benny Carter's "DOOZY" and Joe Henderson's "The Kicker." Her love of a great lyric is reflected in her choices for this concert and her CD - a collection celebrating some of her favorite lyricists - from lesser-recorded jazz gems such as Carolyn Leigh's wry lyrics in "How Little We Know," to Abbey Lincoln's joyous ode to love and life in "Throw It away." "Dear wonderful Abbey Lincoln was a true original, one of my heroines," Jackie says. "I've been a fan of her ever since I saw her as an actress in 'Nothing But A Man.' She had a freedom of expression - a voice for social activism she shared with her husband, Max Roach - their 'We Insist/Freedom Jazz Suite' was a masterpiece." In her CDs, like in her concerts, Jackie offers us a bounty of lyrical choices. So give a "Listen Here," and you will be joining Jackie and these superb musicians on an adventurous journey across a most inviting, expansive terrain - and maybe put a little gypsy in your soul!  http://www.jackieryanmusic.com/bio.html

Personnel:  Jackie Ryan (vocal);  Cyrus Chestnut (piano);  Eric Alexander (tenor sax);  Jeremy Pelt (flugelhorn,trumpet);  Romero Lubambo (guitar);  Carl Allen (drums);  Ray Drummond (bass);  Neal Smith (drums);  Dezron Douglas (bass)

Speak Low

Bobby Durham, Massimo Farao, Lorenzo Conte - Fascinating

Styles: Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:22
Size: 180,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Aranjuez Mon Amour (J.Rodrigo)
(4:43)  2. Recuerdos de Alhambra (F.Tarrega)
(3:13)  3. Romance (Jeux inter dits) (Trad.)
(6:26)  4. Adriana
(4:11)  5. Toccata (G.Rolland)
(5:25)  6. This masquerade (L.Russel)
(2:42)  7. Scarborought Fair (P.Simon-Garfunkel)
(6:04)  8. Badahmbe
(4:46)  9. Estrellita (P.Ponce)
(5:27) 10. Gelsomina (M.Galdieri-N.Rota)
(6:34) 11. Brutus Is Gone
(4:26) 12. Never on Sunday (M.Hadjdakis-B.Towne)
(4:21) 13. The Third Man Theme (A.Karas)
(5:34) 14. My funny Valentine (R.Rodgers)
(2:51) 15. Washington square (B.Goldtsein)
(5:07) 16. The Duck

Bobby Durham (February 3, 1937 – July 6, 2008) was an American jazz drummer. Durham was born in Philadelphia and learned to play drums while a child. He played with The Orioles at age 16, and was in a military band between 1956 and 1959. After his discharge he played with King James and Stan Hunter. In 1960 he moved to New York City, where he played with Lloyd Price, Wild Bill Davis, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Slide Hampton, Grant Green, Sweets Edison, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Rowles, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, in which he played for five years. While working with Basie he met Al Grey, and was a member of several of Grey's small ensembles. 

He accompanied Ella Fitzgerald for more than a decade, and worked with Oscar Peterson in a trio setting. Durham also played in trios with organists such as Charles Earland and Shirley Scott, and there was a resurgence in interest in Durham's work during the acid jazz upswing in the 1990s. Many of Durham's projects, both as sideman and as leader, have come due to his association with producer Norman Granz, who had him work with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Harry Edison, Flanagan, and Joe Pass. Durham has led his own combos as well; he is noted for scat singing along with his drum solos. Durham has also performed often with pop and soul musicians such as Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Marvin Gaye. He died in Genoa, Italy, aged 71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Durham_%28jazz_musician%29

Fascinating

Pharoah Sanders - Elevation

Styles: Post-Bop, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:22
Size: 108,6 MB
Art: Front

(18:01)  1. Elevation
( 4:10)  2. Gretting To Sauid
( 5:38)  3. Ora-Se-Rere
(13:51)  4. The Gathering
( 5:41)  5. Spiritual Blessing

Elevation, Pharoah Sanders' final album for Impulse!, is a mixed bag. Four of the five cuts were recorded live at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles in September of 1973, and the lone studio track, "Greeting to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)," was recorded in the same month at Wally Heider's studio. The live date is fairly cohesive, with beautiful modal piano work from Joe Bonner, Pharoah playing tenor and soprano as well as a myriad of percussion instruments and vocalizing in places, and a percussion and rhythm section that included Michael Carvin on drums, bassist Calvin Hill, and hand drummers John Blue and Lawrence Killian. The standout on the set is the opener. At 18 minutes, it's the longest thing here and gives the band a chance to stretch into African and Latin terrains. Sanders' long, loping, suspended lines create a kind of melodic head that is underscored by Bonner's hypnotically repetitive piano work, playing the same chord progression over and over again as he begins his solos (one on each horn). Somewhere near the five-minute mark, Pharoah enters into a primal wail and the whole thing becomes unhinged, moving into a deep blowing session of free improv. 

Honks, squeals, wails, and Bonner pounding the hell out of the piano erase any trace of what came before, and this goes on for four minutes before the theme restates itself and once more the magic begins. It's utterly compelling and engaging. "Saud" finds a host of percussionists (including Sanders) along with Hill on tamboura, Bonner, and violinist Michael White. It's a subtle and droning work, full of a constant hum. The other long track, "The Gathering," clocks in at almost 14 minutes, but instead of being a somber nocturnal work it's a lively South African-inspired work that nods to Dollar Brand for inspiration. A gorgeous, nearly carnival piece, it rolls and chugs and runs along on the steam created by Bonner's beautiful chord work. 

The chorus of vocals chanting in the foreground and background adds to the party feel, but once again it choogles right off the track into some rather angry and then spooky free improv, with a fine solo by Hill. This may not rate as highly as some of Sanders' other recordings for the label like Thembi or Karma, but there is plenty here for fans, and it is well worth the investigation and the purchase. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/elevation-mw0000172047

Personnel: John Blue: percussion; Joe Bonner: percussion, piano, harmonium, vocals, cowbell, wood flute; Sedatrius Brown: vocals; Michael Carvin: drums, vocals; Calvin Hill: bass, vocals, tamboura; Jimmy Hopps: percussion; Lawrence Killian: percussion, Conga, Vocals, bell tree; Kenneth Nash: percussion; Pharoah Sanders: flute, Percussion, soprano sax; tenor sax; vocals, bells, shaker; Michael White: violin.

Elevation

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Jeremy Monteiro & Friends Feat. Eden Atwood - The Girl from Ipanema

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:31
Size: 132,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Desafinado (with Eden Atwood)
(4:45)  2. Brazil
(4:05)  3. How Insensitive (with Eden Atwood)
(6:26)  4. Blue Bossa
(3:26)  5. Mas Que Nada (with Eden Atwood)
(5:29)  6. The Girl from Ipanema
(4:51)  7. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (with Eden Atwood)
(5:39)  8. Agua de Beber
(4:49)  9. Wave
(8:51) 10. Spain

Jeremy Monteiro (pianist, vocalist, composer, jazz educator) has won critical acclaim in many parts of the world. He has performed all over the World in addition to numerous occasions at home in Singapore, where he has been dubbed "Singapore's King Of Swing" by the local press. In November of 2011, Jeremy was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Asia Academy of Music Arts & Sciences under the chairmanship of Quincy Jones. That month, Jeremy was also appointed as Artistic Director of the Kuala Lumpur International Jazz Festival to be held in May 2012. In November 2006, he became a Fellow of the London College of Music which is part of the Thames Valley University in the UK. On 12th October 2006, Jeremy Monteiro was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce in the UK (the RSA). Current Fellows of the RSA include Nelson Mandela and Stephen Hawking. 

Past Fellows of the RSA include Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Gugliemo Marconi and Yehudi Menuhin. On 1st September 2006, he was appointed a Board Member of the National Arts Council of Singapore. The NAC is a Statutory Board of the Government of Singapore and comes under the auspices of the Ministry of Information, Communication and The Arts (MICA). On 29th May 2006, Jeremy Monteiro was appointed Professor & Visiting Chair of Jazz, School of Music, Faculty of Performing Arts & Integrated Studies, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts. He is the first Singaporean to be appointed Professor at the Institution since Brother Joseph McNally founded it in 1984. Also on 29th May 2006, Jeremy released his first album of all original compositions. The album, which is the latest in his discography of more than 20 albums, is entitled Homecoming, was recorded in Los Angeles and is released in HDCD format on the Jazznote label. The recording was funded by the National Arts Council’s Cultural Medallion grant. On 28th November 2003, Jeremy was conferred the "Lifting Up The World With A Oneness-Heart" lifetime achievement Award by the late Sri Chinmoy, who was the leader of the interfaith Peace Meditation at the UN (since 1970) and also the leader of the International Peace Centre. Previous recipients of this life-time achievement award include, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the Blessed Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, scientist Dr, Jane Goodall, sportsmen Muhammad Ali & Carl Lewis, Musicians Ravi Shankar, Roberta Flack, Sting, Quincy Jones and Keith Jarrett.

Jeremy was conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's pinnacle award in arts achievement on 8th October 2002. In 1988, Swing Magazine of Switzerland called him "one of the best exponents of Jazz Piano".  That year, he performed with his all-star band, Monteiro, Young & Holt at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival.  Jeremy has been mentioned in more than 400 press articles in publications around the world, including Billboard Magazine and The Washington Post. He has more than 20 albums to his credit. He has performed and/or recorded with the likes of James Moody, Michael Brecker, , Bobby McFerrin, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Mann, Paulinho DaCosta, Ernie Watts, Charlie Haden, Leroy Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Vanessa Rubin, Carmen Bradford, Matt Monro and Simon & Garfunkel to name a few. On June 18 & 19th 2003, Jeremy performed with legendary harmonica player, Toots Thielemans, together with the members of his NYC Trio, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum at the Victoria Concert Hall as part of the Singapore Arts Festival. Also in 2003, Jeremy's CD, "A Song For You, Karen" a jazz tribute to the music of the Carpenters recorded on the SACD format for American label First Impression Music (FIM), was recognized by respected American Audiophile magazine Soundstage, as being one of the three best sounding High Resolution albums in that year. Among the other CDs given this prestigious recognition was the re-issue of Bob Dylan's album, Highway 61 Re-visited. On March 11th 2005, as part of the inaugural Mosaic Music Festival, he performed at the Esplanade Theatres by the Bay in Singapore, with his international trio of Shawn Kelley and Belinda Moody, Singaporean singers Claressa Monteiro, Jacintha Abisheganaden, Anne Weerapass and Rani Singam together with Jazz legend James Moody, in a concert to commemorate James Moody's 80th birthday.

With another of his own bands, Asiana, he has performed at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas. In late 1992, he produced the Ernie Watts album "Stand Up", joining an illustrious alumnus of Ernie Watts' producers, which include Quincy Jones, Creed Taylor, Don Grusin and Gilberto Gil. In March of 1990, at the same time as Natalie Cole, he was admitted as an active voting member of the National Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences (Los Angeles Chapter), and has voted at the Grammy Awards from 1991 through 2006.  As a composer, Jeremy has been awarded a Silver Medal at the 1991 International Radio Festival of New York, as well as finalist awards at the 1990 and 1991 London International Advertising Awards for best original music score (radio, T.V. and Cinema). 

He has composed or produced over 700 pieces of music and is listed in the year 2000 edition of Who's Who of The World. Jeremy, who is also a vocalist, has been singing more and more often in his recent performances. The Sept/Oct 2005 issue of the Chicago Jazz Magazine, in an article by Judy Roberts had this to say about Jeremy's singing, "Jeremy has an appealing and expressive voice.... you don't expect such a technically dazzling pianist to have such an intimate and wistful vocal sound...Jeremy is a consistently excellent vocalist." His last album release in June of 2005 is a duet album with top Chicago Saxophonist, Greg Fishman called, "Only Trust Your Heart" an album of mostly ballads on the Jazznote label. He served as Artistic Director of the Singapore International Jazz Festival 2001, an event which featured 52 bands and more than 150 musicians from Singapore and overseas. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51946891/Jeremy%20Monteiro%20Websites/Jeremy_Monteiro_website/Biography.html

Personnel:  Eden Atwood – vocal;  Jeremy Monteiro – piano;  Oele Pattiselnno – guitar;  Christy Smith – bass;  Edmond Branson – drums;  Mohamed Noor - percussion

The Girl from Ipanema

Ron Carter - Where?

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:02
Size: 83,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Rally
(5:43)  2. Bass Duet
(7:37)  3. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
(5:58)  4. Where?
(5:51)  5. Yes, Indeed
(5:08)  6. Saucer Eyes

This 1961 set has appeared under Eric Dolphy's name, but it is, in fact, bassist Ron Carter's date his first as a leader. Carter and Dolphy had played together in Chico Hamilton's group and on Dolphy's important 1960 date Out There. Where? has elements in common with both, but is closer to Hamilton's late-'50s chamber jazz than to the more outward-bound Dolphy date. As on the Dolphy session, Carter is heard on cello for three of the six tracks. Carter's skill is undeniable, but his playing on Where? is a bit polite and monochromatic. The easygoing duet with George Duvivier, for example, is a quiet, back-porch conversation that makes few demands on either of these bass giants. Dolphy playing bass clarinet, alto sax, and flute is a far more interesting prospect, even if he doesn't blow his face off to the extent he did in other settings. 

Pianist Mal Waldron is characteristically dry, economical, and swinging. Drummer Charlie Persip quietly impresses with thoughtful, detailed work. Duvivier is on bass when Carter plays cello. The tracks comprise two Carter originals, two standards, and a pair of Randy Weston numbers. Weston's "Saucer Eyes," the album's best track, features a strong group performance, a superbly laconic statement from Waldron, Dolphy's ebullient flute, and captivating brush work from Persip. Carter's "Rally," with Dolphy's freewheeling bass clarinet and the composer's most adventurous cello work on this set, is closest in spirit to Dolphy's own dates from this period. ~ Jim Todd  http://www.allmusic.com/album/where-mw0000654723

Personnel: Ron Carter (cello, bass); Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Mal Waldron (piano); George Duvivier (bass); Charlie Persip (drums).

Where?

Ed Thigpen - Out Of The Storm

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:08
Size: 74,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:43)  1. Cielito Lindo
(1:16)  2. Cloud Break (Up Blues)
(7:30)  3. Out Of The Storm
(2:42)  4. Harper
(6:16)  5. Elbow And Mouth
(5:17)  6. Heritage
(4:22)  7. Struttin' With Some Barbecue

Drummer Ed Thigpen's first album as a leader (recorded a year after he left the Oscar Peterson Trio) was reissued as a CD in 1998. Although not soloing much, Thigpen wrote three of the seven selections and occasionally played tuned drums, which sound a little bit like timbales. In addition to the leader, the main star is Clark Terry (on flugelhorn and trumpet), who plays quite freely on two numbers utilizing only a trumpet mouthpiece in spots. Guitarist Kenny Burrell gets in a few good solos and is showcased on "Struttin' With Some Barbeque" while bassist Ron Carter and pianist Herbie Hancock also make strong contributions. Unfortunately, there are only 32 minutes of music on this CD (which is highlighted by "Cielito Lindo"), so its brevity keeps it from being too essential, but the performances are enjoyable. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/out-of-the-storm-mw0000040830

Personnel: Ed Thigpen (vocals, drums); Clark Terry (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Herbie Hancock (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Ron Carter (bass).

Out Of The Storm

Joey Baron - Down Home

Styles: Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. Mighty Fine
(8:53)  2. Little Boy
(8:35)  3. Wide Load
(5:07)  4. The Crock Pot
(8:00)  5. What
(1:47)  6. Listen to the Woman
(6:41)  7. Aren't We All
(1:04)  8. Supposing

Befitting its title, Down Home is a surprisingly soulful set by four pros who live up to their promising intrigue as an all-star quartet. Arthur Blythe, Bill Frisell, Ron Carter and leader Baron combine forces and the result is not what you'd expect. Such a quartet may suggest a hip trip through the downtown avant-garde, with Carter, whose playing has tended more toward classical these days, something of an afterthought. But all four have exceptional musical versatility, so any preconceptions are unwise. Smart and sassy soul is what's on the menu here. There's the gut-bucket R&B of old Prestige records ("Mighty Fine"), the Meters beat of "Wide Load" (featuring a gem of a Carter solo), the James Brown funk of "What" (with the funkiest Frisell solo ever) and the lively bar band blues of "The Crock Pot" (showcasing Baron himself). 

The tunes, all Baron originals, seem to pay homage to the other players as well; especially Baron's former boss, Frisell. There's the Frisell-like ballad of "Little Boy," the all-too brief guitar-bass duo of "Listen To The Woman" (which, surprisingly, suggests Gabor Szabo) and "Supposing," a short recollection of Jerry Granelli's A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing (another Frisell project). "Aren't We All" is prototypical Arthur Blythe. And "Wide Load" is reminiscent of Carter's CTI days. The spotlight, however, shines on Blythe and Frisell. Blythe whose style is never less than distinctively his own strikes a balance somewhere between David Sanborn and Hank Crawford in these environs.

And Frisell, who sticks to his electric guitar throughout (no synth), is outstanding; giving at least two solos ("Mighty Fine" and "Wide Load") that are worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Baron's previous solo work with unusual trios like Baron Down. But anyone who's seen Baron in performance (with Frisell or John Zorn) knows the drummer likes to have fun when he plays. Here, the listener joins the joyride too. Down Home, despite its brief 45-minute running time is, indeed, mighty fine; a hearty menu with plenty of meaty playing. ~ Douglas Payne  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/down-home-joey-baron-intuition-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Personnel:  Arthur Blythe: alto sax;  Bill Frisell: guitar;  Ron Carter: bass;  Joey Baron: drums.

Down Home

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Della Reese - Swing Slow And Cha Cha Cha

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:08
Size: 251,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:51)  1. Come On-A-My House
(2:48)  2. Why Don't You Do Right
(2:55)  3. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend
(3:07)  4. When A Woman Loves A Man
(3:09)  5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
(2:30)  6. You're Driving Me Crazy
(2:25)  7. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(3:49)  8. You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You
(2:40)  9. It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
(2:12) 10. Tea For Two
(2:46) 11. Call Me
(3:22) 12. I Get The Blues When It Rains
(2:05) 13. There's Nothing Like A Boy
(3:16) 14. Whatever Lola Wants
(3:06) 15. Three O'Clock In The Morning
(2:43) 16. Daddy (Hey Daddy)
(2:42) 17. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
(2:27) 18. Let's Get Away From It All
(2:37) 19. I'll Get By
(2:40) 20. And Now
(4:23) 21. How Did He Look
(5:16) 22. Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)
(3:10) 23. Won'cha Come Home Bill Bailey
(2:42) 24. The Most Beautiful Words
(2:35) 25. Don't You Know
(2:38) 26. Not One Minute More

This two-fer from BMG International features a pair of out of print Della Reese LPs: Swing Slow and Della Della Cha-Cha-Cha. 

Originally issued on RCA Victor in the early '60s, these 26 traditional pop songs include "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)," "Come on-A-My House," "Tea for Two," and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." This is a nice sampler of familiar items that should satisfy the needs of casual fans.~AlCampbellhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/swing-slow-della-della-cha-cha-cha-mw0000767284

Swing Slow And Cha Cha Cha

Marcus Koch - Behind The Rhodes

Styles: Piano Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:37
Size: 164,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Smooth
(4:11)  2. Lovely Clouds
(7:02)  3. Summertrain
(4:47)  4. Whispering Birds
(4:00)  5. Isolde
(4:47)  6. Misty Sax
(3:31)  7. Sonic Cubes
(4:07)  8. Lazy Old Trees
(4:29)  9. Affair
(4:30) 10. Bayana
(5:47) 11. Desire
(5:45) 12. Finest
(4:51) 13. Good News
(4:48) 14. Living Motion
(4:25) 15. Loft

Marcus grew up in a musical family and got an early piano lessons. As a teenager he developed a strong interest in the composition , as well as the production of their own music. During this time he learned more instruments among other guitar , drums and accordion . After graduation in 1998 he started studying music, which he successfully completed of 2004. Consequently, he worked as a producer in many recording studios with artists such as Martin Solveig , Shaun Baker and John Davies together. The M & M's remix of "Rocking Music" for Martin Solveig made ??it to number 9 of the Media Control Charts . The collaboration with Shaun Baker and John Davies could demonstrate various chart positions. 2011, wrote Marcus exclusively the label Plusquam Records and released his debut album "Behind the Rhodes" the lead single "Smooth" reached the 13th place of the German charts Chillout. 

The title of this album are now available on many successful and international compilations represented. 2012 published Marcus his second album "Last Summer", as well as the EP's "Maldives", "One by One" and "Symphony". 2013 took over the label Amaro - Music its entire music catalog. His third album "Chill Modes" and the piano-LP "Time" were released in December, 2013. Under the pseudonym "Symphonicum" published his first classical work named "Awakening" in the same year. Translate by google  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Koch_(Musiker)

Behind The Rhodes

Lonnie Liston Smith - Astral Traveling

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:28
Size: 138,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Astral Traveling
(6:21)  2. Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord
(5:33)  3. Rejuvenation
(6:11)  4. I Mani (Faith)
(7:18)  5. In Search Of Truth
(4:35)  6. Aspirations
(5:41)  7. Astral Traveling (Alternate Take)
(6:38)  8. Rejuvination (Alternate Take)
(6:04)  9. Imani (Alternate Take)
(6:29) 10. In Search Of Truth (Alternate Take)

For many jazz fans, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith irredeemably blotted his copy book decades ago. Right enough, for Smith's smooth jazz and quiet storm albums of the 1980s and 1990s were bland, blissed-out, insubstantial affairs. But between 1965, when he was featured on saxophonist (Rahsaan) Roland Kirk's Here Comes The Whistleman (Atlantic), and the early 1970s, when he was a member of trumpeter Miles Davis' electric group, Smith was not only on the page, he was helping to write it.  From 1969-73, Smith was a key player in the astral jazz movement led by pianist/harpist Alice Coltrane and saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was Sanders who made the first fully-formed astral jazz album, his Bob Thiele-produced Impulse! debut, Tauhid (1967). Smith was featured as pianist (and occasional co-arranger) on five Sanders albums: Izipho Zam (Strata-East, 1969) and Impulse!'s Karma (1969), Jewels Of Thought (1970), Summun Bukmun Umyun (1970) and Thembi (1971). Smith did not work with Coltrane: she played all the piano she needed, plus the harp and Wurlitzer organ. In Sanders' bands, Smith approximated the sweeping harp and piano glissandos which were emblematic of Coltrane's spin on astral jazz. He also added block chord accompaniments more redolent of McCoy Tyner (an early influence), and fit into the music's hummable melodies and vamp- and ostinato-driven grooves like they were made for him.

With Sanders, Smith played a supporting role, but an important one. The trouble, the intimations of quiet storm, came when Smith started leading his own band, the Cosmic Echoes. Well, not exactly when he started. The group's debut, Astral Traveling produced by Thiele for Flying Dutchman, the label he set up on leaving Impulse! in 1969 was rooted in the sound of Sanders' bands. Revisited almost 40 years later, it still has weight.  Astral Traveling leads off with two tunes associated with Sanders: the title track, written by Smith, which Sanders and Smith had recorded on Thembi, and "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord," a traditional gospel tune which they had recorded on Summun Bukmun Umyun, where it had been arranged by Smith. George Barron, the Cosmic Echoes' saxophonist, is not in Sanders' league, technically or conceptually, but his soprano is pleasing enough on both tracks. His multiphonic tenor solo on "I Mani (Faith)" is more memorable. Smith, who is mainly heard on acoustic piano, solos infrequently, and approaches Astral Traveling much as he did Sanders' albums: embellishing the melodies and subsuming himself in the collective groove.  

The other musicians anchored by bassist Cecil McBee (a frequent member of Sanders' lineups) and drummer David Lee Jr drive the ostinatos and add color. There are three percussionists, including conga player James Mtume and tabla player Badal Roy (both Sanders alumni), and on "In Search Of Truth" (at 7:08, the longest track), Geeta Vashi is heard on tamboura, astral jazz's signature instrument. At no point does Astral Traveling reach the heights of Sanders' or Coltrane's contemporaneous albums, but on "Rejuvenation," "I Mani (Faith)" and "In Search Of Truth" it gets close enough. 

Recent CD reissues have included alternate takes of all three tracks. Anyone bitten by the astral jazz bug is sure to find plenty to enjoy on the disc. Sad then, that Smith's subsequent Flying Dutchman releases moved steadily towards smooth jazz and cocktail funk. 1974's Cosmic Funk had its moments, as did, to a lesser extent, the same year's Expansions. But by the time the synths and disco beats moved in, on 1975's Visions, it was bye-bye Lonnie Liston Smith for most of the jazz world. (A half dozen Pharoah Sanders/Alice Coltrane albums of the early/mid 1970s were reissued in October 2011 in Impulse!'s 2-on-1 series and are reviewed here). ~ Chris May  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/lonnie-liston-smith-astral-traveling-lonnie-liston-smith-by-chris-may.php

Personnel: Lonnie Liston Smith: piano, electric piano; George Barron: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Joe Beck: guitar; Cecil McBee: bass; David Lee Jr.: drums; Sonny Morgan: percussion, conga; James Mtume: percussion, conga; Badal Roy: tabla; Geeta Vashi: tamboura.

Astral Traveling