Sunday, April 3, 2016

Stanley Turrentine - A Bluish Bag

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:54
Size: 158,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Blues For Del
(6:31)  2. She's A Carioca
(5:54)  3. Manhã De Carnaval
(5:32)  4. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:38)  5. What Now My Love
(5:12)  6. Samba De Aviao
(6:33)  7. Night Song
(6:06)  8. Days Of Wine And Roses
(5:55)  9. Come Back To Me
(5:07) 10. Silver Tears
(7:17) 11. A Bluish Bag
(5:49) 12. With This Ring

Stanley Turrentine's great blues-inflected tenor sax work for Blue Note Records in the 1960s helped build the template for what became known as soul-jazz, but Turrentine was always restless, and he recorded in a wide variety of formats, from trios to sextets, during his nine years at the label. This set, drawn from a pair of 1967 sessions, one in February that included Donald Byrd on trumpet, and the other in June with McCoy Tyner on piano, wasn't released by Blue Note at the time, although it is a smooth-running and varied album from start to finish, featuring several fine Turrentine sax solos over artfully arranged massed horn charts (eventually some of the tracks were released as Stanley Turrentine in 1975 and others as New Time Shuffle in 1979). Obvious highlights include the lead track, the lightly bouncing "Blues for Del," the title piece, "A Bluish Bag," composed by Henry Mancini and drawn from his Gunn movie soundtrack that had just come out that year, and the beautiful Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen ballad "Here's That Rainy Day," which allows Turrentine's concise, vibrato-free tenor sax playing to go tender and movingly soft. The large band arrangements mean that Turrentine often sits back in the mix here, but his solos, when they come, are always both appropriate and striking, a balance that is tougher to achieve than one might think. A Bluish Bag doesn't rewrite the book on Turrentine, but it shows that, whether large ensemble or small, he always brought his game.~Steve Leggett http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-bluish-bag-mw0000584454
 
Personnel:  Tracks 1-7: Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophon;  Donald Byrd – trumpet;  Julian Priester – trombone;  Jerry Dodgion – alto saxophone, flute, alto flute;  Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone, flute;  Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone, clarinet;  Kenny Barron – piano;  Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar;  Ron Carter – bass;  Mickey Roker – drums;  Duke Pearson – arranger.

Tracks 8-12:  Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone;  Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine – trumpet;  Julian Priester – trombone;  Jerry Dodgion – alto saxophone, flute;  Al Gibbons – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone;  Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone, clarinet;  McCoy Tyner – piano;  Walter Booker – bass;  Mickey Roker – drums;  Duke Pearson – arranger.

A Bluish Bag

Caecilie Norby - My Corner of the Sky

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:44
Size: 116,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. The Look Of Love
(3:00)  2. The Right To Love
(4:28)  3. Set Them Free
(3:48)  4. Suppertime
(5:45)  5. African Fairytale
(3:40)  6. Life On Mars
(5:07)  7. Spinning Wheel
(3:10)  8. What Do You See In Her
(3:56)  9. Just One Of Those Things
(5:24) 10. Snow
(3:54) 11. A Song For You
(5:25) 12. Calling You

Danish singer Caecilie Norby's first recording to be released in the United States is quite a mixed bag. At times, Norby comes across as Nancy Wilson, going over the top in places and not showing much subtlety; on Irving Berlin's classic "Suppertime," she does not seem to know what she is singing about, sounding quite upbeat about a lynching. Some other selections are poppish (including odd revivals of "The Look of Love" and "Spinning Wheel"), but there are places (such as on "Just One of Those Things" and Wayne Shorter's "African Fairytale") where Norby shows potential as a jazz singer. 

She is assisted by a strong cast of Americans and Scandinavians (including pianists Dave Kikoski and Joey Calderazzo, keyboardist Lars Jansson, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and, on "Spinning Wheel," tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker).
~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-corner-of-the-sky-mw0000020007

Personnel:  Caecilie Norby - vocals, background vocals;  Scott Robinson – flute;  Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone;  Randy Brecker – flugelhorn;  Dave Kikoski, Joey Calderazzo, Lars Jansson – piano;  Lars Danielsson, Lennart Ginman – bass;  Terri Lyne Carrington - drums, percussion;  Alex Riel, Jeff Boudreaux – drums;  Jacob Andersen – percussion;  Louise Norby - background vocals.

My Corner of the Sky

The Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane - Live At Carnegie Hall

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:35
Size: 118,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:52)  1. Monk's Mood
(4:41)  2. Evidence
(4:26)  3. Crepuscule with Nellie
(5:04)  4. Nutty
(4:29)  5. Epistrophy
(6:31)  6. Bye-ya
(9:34)  7. Sweet & Lovely
(6:31)  8. Blue Monk
(2:24)  9. Epistrophy (inc.)

Let's be clear from the start: this discovery of a new Monk/Coltrane live concert completely puts to shame the over-hyped Five Spot CD from years ago. Not only is the sound as sterling and clear as the sound on the Five Spot date was excretory, but the performances of the stars are light years beyond that muddy recording. There is a sense that both Monk and Coltrane knew they were going to make history in 1957 at Carnegie Hall, and it's palpable from the opening notes of "Monk's Mood. Monk sounds grandly baroque in summoning grandly cascading arpeggios from his piano (which sounds infinitely better than the junk pianos he was often saddled with), while Coltrane sounds immensely assured. To really savor Coltrane's performances, begin by listening to the studio session with Monk currently listed in the Fantasy catalog (Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane). Then listen to the Five Spot recording, and then this new discovery.

During the studio date, Coltrane sounds remarkably reserved, perhaps too star-struck still, as he was on his session with Duke Ellington, to do very much but hang on for the ride. The Five Spot recording has Coltrane sounding looser, particularly on "In Walked Bud, but the recording sounds like it was recorded at the wrong end of a mine shaft, and much of what Coltrane played has to be imagined. Coltrane at Carnegie Hall with Monk is a man certain of his own voice while not afraid of showing his roots, clear-thinking, wonderfully focused, in tune with Monk's logic, simpatico with the rhythm section. A case could be built that this is the finest Coltrane recording before the historic Atlantic and Impulse sessions. High points among Coltrane's solos abound, but my favorites are on "Nutty, with some wild cross-conversations between Coltrane and Monk going on, and "Sweet and Lovely, which Coltrane gooses into a galloping romp, clearly revealing his roots in early Dexter Gordon. The only dull patch for me is his lackluster accompaniment to "Crepuscule With Nellie, which was never about Coltrane anymore than Nellie was. It was Monk's showcase, regardless of who accompanied him.

On to Monk. After the grand opening gestures, he continues with buoyant, hyper-kinetic interpretations of "Evidence, "Epistrophy" (two versions, the complete one perhaps the better of the two for Monk, the incomplete one more of a Coltrane showpiece), and "Blue Monk. Very familiar fare, but toyed with harmonically and rhythmically as only Monk could do on a good night, and this was. Drummer Shadow Wilson was no Art Blakey, whom I always thought of as Monk's most apt drummer, but he respectably kept the band churning, along with rock-steady bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik. The only flaw, and a minor one at that, is the heavy set of liner notes by five different hands. Only Lewis Porter really says something that deepens appreciation of this lovely recording. Amiri Baraka and Stanley Crouch pass beyond self-parody. I suggest that their future liner notes be published as e-books, though even that format might not accommodate their stadium-sized egos. This is, though Woody Allen hated the phrase, "jazz heaven.~Norman Weinstein http://www.allaboutjazz.com/at-carnegie-hall-thelonious-monk-blue-note-records-review-by-norman-weinstein.php
 
Personnel: Thelonious Monk: piano; John Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Ahmed Abdul-Malik: bass; Shadow Wilson: drums.

The Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane: Live At Carnegie Hall

Roger Cicero - Maennersachen

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:54
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Zieh die Schuh aus
(2:45)  2. Kein Mann fuer eine Frau
(3:14)  3. Kompromisse
(3:31)  4. Ich atme ein
(2:18)  5. Schiess mich doch zum Mond (Fly Me To the Moon (In Other Words))
(4:44)  6. Wenn sie dich fragt
(3:19)  7. Fachmann in Sachen Anna
(2:53)  8. Ich Idiot liess dich gehen
(3:51)  9. Mein guter Stern auf allen Wegen
(4:05) 10. Murphys Gesetz
(2:38) 11. Schoen dass du da bist
(3:05) 12. Das ganze Leben ist ein Zoo
(3:25) 13. Du willst es doch auch
(2:44) 14. So geil Berlin (Bonustrack)
(2:57) 15. Frauen regier'n die Welt (Bonustrack)

He is the son of Eugen Cicero, who is one of the greatest jazz pianists in Germany. As an infant he was pushed from the legendary Josephine Baker to the musical chest. He had his first stage appearance at the age of 12 years with Helen Vita, which was also a clever intone the swing. What wonder that the 1970-born Roger Cicero after excursions in classical singing and Soul, finally landed back in swing and blues. A trained pianist and guitarist who studied music in Amsterdam, came practically with everything on what the jazz scene of distinction: with the Eugen Cicero Trio of his father, Horst Jankowski Trio, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the baton Peter Herbolzheimer, and also with international stars like George Benson. He founded and played in various bands such as the Roger Cicero Quartet, the legendary Soulounge, with Nils Gesinger and Cornell Dupree, and with After Hours. Männersachen is an absolute must for everyone. More than just worth listening to!~Julia Edenhofer

The man from the hit "Put the shoes of" you have to imagine something like this: A little too far unbuttoned white shirt, a little too large pilot watch on the wrist, a little too fat Benz in the garage, something blonde girlfriend home. A real bloke, a real man, a great pike. And then God's gift to manhood home, wants to be admired - and is out the trash. Good God, have felt 4000 years "Brigitte" - psychology dossier because nothing brought to an understanding between men and women, guys and snails? No, the hoot Cicero fans, the man has so right. I farmland me here butt off, delivery behaved the coal from and am otherwise quite ok, and the moment I'm at home, I have to deal with Weiberkram. Marktlücke found! Roger Cicero is a mixture of Annett Louisan and Ildikó of Kürthy for men - at least he and Louisan employ the same lyricist. Ideally, as in Cicero from the romantic evergreen "Fly Me To The Moon" a simple "shoot me but to the Moon" is. If something bothers you about this swinging plate, it's the penetrance, is celebrated with the ultra loose here manliness close to cliché. A little tip: Daily Garbage Out Bring brings a jiffy back to earth.~Tobias Schmitz - star. http://www.amazon.de/Männersachen-Roger-Cicero/dp/B000FIGY52(Translate by Google)

Maennersachen

Saturday, April 2, 2016

The Art Farmer Septet - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:58
Size: 82.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1954/1993
Art: Front

[5:13] 1. Mau Mau
[5:44] 2. Work Of Art
[4:03] 3. The Little Bandmaster
[3:59] 4. Up In Quincy's Room
[2:53] 5. Wildwood
[2:39] 6. Evening In Paris
[3:24] 7. Elephant Walk
[2:49] 8. Tiajuana
[5:10] 9. When Your Lover Has Gone

This CD reissue features the mellow-toned but hard-swinging trumpeter Art Farmer on a pair of four-song sessions from 1953 and 1954. Among Farmer's sidemen are trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, either Clifford Solomon or Charlie Rouse on tenor and Horace Silver or Quincy Jones on piano. In addition Farmer is showcased on a version of "When Your Lover Has Gone" that is taken from a 1956 album titled Two Trumpets. Highlights overall include "Mau Mau," "Up in Quincy's Room," "Evening in Paris" and "Elephant Walk." An excellent early hard bop set. ~Scott Yanow

The Art Farmer Septet

Ana Caram - Bossa Nova

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:19
Size: 110.6 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. Chega De Saudade (No More Blues)
[3:25] 2. Summer Samba (Samba De Verão)
[3:16] 3. Rio
[5:44] 4. Garota De Ipanema
[4:16] 5. Agua De Beber
[3:29] 6. Chovendo Na Roseira
[5:12] 7. O Amor Em Paz
[3:24] 8. O Pato
[3:59] 9. Voce Vai Ver
[2:47] 10. Brigas, Nunca Mais
[4:20] 11. Olha Pro Ceu
[4:34] 12. Samba Do Aviao

After saluting Antonio Carlos Jobim's lesser-known songs on The Other Side of Jobim, Ana Caram turned to his more famous work with equally splendid results on Bossa Nova. Jobim had recently died when she recorded the CD in January 1995, and the singer/guitarist felt that another tribute was in order. While Other Side purposely avoided standards, Bossa Nova is full of them. Anyone with even a casual knowledge of Brazilian pop-jazz and the bossa nova will be familiar with such standards as "The Girl From Ipanema," "Agua de Beber" and "Chega de Saudade." But while Caram's choices may be obvious, her treatment of them isn't. From "O Pato" to "Double Rainbow," everything on Bossa Nova sounds personal and individualistic rather than cliched. ~Alex Henderson

Bossa Nova

The Cookers Quintet - Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Ryan Oliver: tenor sax; Tim Hamel: trumpet; Alex Coleman: bass; Richard Whiteman: piano; Joel Haynes: drums.

Heavy-swinging, no-nonsense quintet from Toronto serving up authentic, original hard-bop jazz. The Cookers Quintet are a Toronto-based jazz combo, with a sound firmly rooted in the ‘50s and ‘60s hard bop movement. Inspired by the 1965 Blue Note recording “Night Of The Cookers” featuring Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan, the group cut their teeth on standards at a weekly residency where they developed the inspiration and chemistry to write tunes of their own. Rising to the challenge of updating and performing music with the classic sound of jazz’s golden era, TCQ bring a throwback feel without ever playing it safe. Their versatile frontline is made up of Ryan Oliver (tenor sax) and Tim Hamel (trumpet) whose combined tonal talents can a bring hot, uptempo number to a boil or carry a ballad with sophistication and subtlety. The glue of the group is Toronto veteran Richard Whiteman (piano), whose lyrical playing gives the rock solid swing of Alex Coleman (bass) and Joel Haynes (drums) the rhythmic freedom to drive the group’s compositions to the next level.

“We wanted to have tunes that would be swinging, straight ahead, and arranged for a quintet. Essentially, fun tunes with great rhythms and memorable melodies that even non-jazz lovers would be attracted to,” says Coleman. Indeed, they’ve cooked up so many original tunes that they couldn’t be contained in one dish: TCQ Vol. 1 & 2 serve up piping hot compositions that will satisfy both sophisticated jazz heads and casual listeners alike.

Album: Vol. 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:12
Size: 108.1 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:38] 1. Obligatory Blues
[7:42] 2. Mudbug Shuffle
[5:52] 3. Crosstalk
[5:52] 4. The Ramble
[6:28] 5. Blues To Booker
[5:10] 6. See You Next Thursday
[5:09] 7. The Fork Test
[5:17] 8. Open Air

Vol. 1

Album: Vol. 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:43
Size: 141.3 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. The New Deal
[3:38] 2. They Say It's Wonderful
[6:59] 3. Sheriff
[4:44] 4. Deed I Do
[4:38] 5. Hot For Preacher
[4:44] 6. Speak To Me Of You
[3:50] 7. The Thrill Is Gone
[4:28] 8. Blindside
[5:12] 9. This Is The Thing
[5:07] 10. The Crumpler
[6:01] 11. Little Light
[7:05] 12. The Up And Up

Vol. 2

Kenny Burrell - All Day Long / All Night Long

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:47
Size: 178.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[17:08] 1. All Night Long
[ 6:48] 2. Boo-Lu
[ 6:10] 3. Flickers
[ 8:23] 4. Li'l Hankie
[18:18] 5. All Day Long
[ 7:31] 6. Slim Jim
[ 6:44] 7. Say Listen
[ 6:42] 8. A.T

The jazz jam session has always been reserved for in-concert or club performances. Where these 1956-1957 recordings from guitarist Kenny Burrell and his all-star septet and sextet differ is that they were made in the confines of Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio, where the musicians were able to stretch out on two of the most memorable modern long-distance jam sessions of all time -- All Night Long and All Day Long. Initially available as individual LPs and then together as a two-fer, this is a welcome reissue from the Prestige vaults, showcasing perhaps the finest collective groups the Detroiter ever fronted. The extended aforementioned title tracks, with ample solo room for these individualists, were the best friends of after-hours radio DJs, and in the case of All Day, very danceable. They epitomize the hard bop sound as mastered by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, as well as Detroiters like Burrell, trumpeter Donald Byrd, and drummer Doug Watkins. For the All Day sessions, Jerome Richardson's strong, angular, fluttery flute jumps into the hard bop calypso "Boo-Lu" as Burrell follows with a second melody line. Horns including tenor man Hank Mobley join in on definitive hard bop evergreens "Flickers" and "Li'l Hankie," utilizing unison melodies and harmonies. The All Night session is a smaller group, with Tommy Flanagan on piano and Frank Foster playing tenor as the Detroit connection is solidified. Another calypso, "Slim Jim," follows, along with hard boppers "Say Listen" (again with a Jazz Messengers-style front-line unity) and the frantic, joyous "A.T." This group employs a slightly different approach, still very much like Blakey, but in the case of "Slim Jim," Byrd and Foster chit-chat with short, clipped counterpointed quips as a head melody vehicle. Among the top five recordings Kenny Burrell ever led, this is also jazz music that has stood the test of time, and is heartily recommended. Also note that Art Taylor's liner notes from the 1972 double-album release are required reading for further insight on these landmark sessions. ~Michael G. Nastos

All Day Long / All Night Long

Eddie Higgins, Benny Green - The Swingin'est

Styles: Piano and Trombone Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:31
Size: 174,4 MB
Art: Front

( 5:16)  1. Zarac, The Evil One
( 4:35)  2. Falling In Love With Love
( 4:27)  3. You Leave Me Breathless
( 2:31)  4. Ab's Blues
( 4:07)  5. Blues For Big Scotia
( 7:13)  6. Foot's Bag
( 4:24)  7. Satin Doll
( 6:29)  8. Jugging Around
(10:46)  9. Going South
( 7:02) 10. Jim Dog
( 4:19) 11. Sermonette
( 4:01) 12. Little Ditty
( 9:17) 13. Swingin' For Benny

This album is another welcome entry in the reissues of the Chicago-based Vee-Jay jazz albums recorded during the 1950s and 1960s. One of the Two-in-One series (which takes two sessions originally issued on separate LPs and puts them on a single CD), there's a serious amount of music provided in this case, over 76 minutes. The first set comes from a straight-ahead 1960 session lead by pianist Eddie Higgins, with Chicago-based trumpet player Paul Serrano and Count Basie tenor man Frank Foster joining in on three of the album's seven cuts. The Higgins-composed "Zarac, the Evil One" is the source of one of the album's more attractive tracks. Starting off with Serrano and Foster playing in unison, with Higgins' piano comping behind them and seguing into a Higgins' boppish solo. Higgins' deftness on the piano is heard best on "Falling in Love with Love" and "AB's Blues," where he and the rhythm section, which keeps things moving along throughout the album, go all out to give a bouncy, buoyant rendition of these tunes.

The Benny Green half of the CD was initially issued in 1958 under the title The Swingin'est and was the first jazz album issued by Vee-Jay. It's a much more interesting session than the Higgins' set. Featuring such young lions of the 1950s bop scene as Green, Nat Adderley, and Gene Ammons who are joined by Count Basie players Frank Wess and, once again, Frank Foster the session is also graced by the inimitable piano player from Detroit, Tommy Flanagan, with Al "Tootie" Heath anchoring the rhythm section. This is one of those blowing sessions that replaced the older jam sessions during the 1950s and 1960s. And blow these players did on such barn burners as "Jugging Around." On this piece, Adderley's trumpet is sassy, while Heath's drums lay out a breathtaking beat. There's excellent ensemble work on Foster's "Going South." Saving the best for last, "Swingin' for Benny" kicks off with a blistering Flanagan solo with the ensemble following in behind and then everyone taking off with extended solo relentlessly urged on by Heath's drums. This latter piece was originally issued on an LP called Juggin' Around. This album has fine music played by young, vigorous musicians, most of whom became jazz giants.~Dave Nathan http://www.allmusic.com/album/eddie-higgins-the-swinginest-mw0000415278

Personnel:  Bass – Ed Jones (4) (tracks: 8 to 13), Jim Atlas (tracks: 1 to 7);  Drums – Albert Heath (tracks: 8 to 13), Marshall Thompson (2) (tracks: 1 to 7);  Flute – Frank Wess (tracks: 8 to 13); Piano – Eddie Higgins (tracks: 1 to 7), Tommy Flanagan (tracks: 8 to 13);  Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster, Frank Wess (tracks: 8 to 13), Gene Ammons (tracks: 8 to 13);  Trombone – Benny Green (tracks: 8 to 13);  Trumpet – Nat Adderley (tracks: 8 to 13), Paul Serrano (tracks: 1 to 7)

The Swingin'est

Benny Golson - Up, Jumped, Spring

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:53
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:14)  1. Up, Jump, Spring
( 7:59)  2. Voyage
(14:55)  3. Beautiful Love
( 7:37)  4. Goodbye
(10:10)  5. Gypsy Jingle-Jangle
(10:56)  6. Stable Mates

Since Laserlight is a budget CD label, it is easy not to take its releases overly seriously, particularly since its personnel listings and dates are often wrong. In the case of this CD, however, the music is excellent, and the listing of musicians (Benny Golson on tenor, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Tony Reedus) is accurate, although the dates are not given and there are several errors with the listing of composers for the songs. Golson is heard throughout in top form, stretching himself on Freddie Hubbard's "Up Jumped Spring" (listed as an original called "Up, Jump, Spring!"), Kenny Barron's "Voyage" and his own "Stable Mates." On the latter, Golson plays an effective and intense duet with drummer Reedus. 61 at the time, Benny Golson is heard here at the peak of his powers.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/benny-golson-quartet-mw0000083916

Personnel:  Bass – Rufus Reid;  Drums – Tony Reedus;  Piano – Mulgrew Miller;  Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson

Up, Jumped, Spring

Roger Cicero - Cicero Sings Sinatra: Live In Hamburg

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:04
Size: 179,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Come Fly With Me
(3:40)  2. I've Got You Under My Skin
(5:17)  3. Cheek To Cheek
(3:05)  4. Somethin' Stupid
(3:06)  5. I've Got A Crush On You
(3:48)  6. It's All Right With Me
(3:11)  7. September Of My Years
(5:16)  8. MacK The Knife
(3:09)  9. Let's Face The Music And Dance
(2:38) 10. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
(3:29) 11. Summer Wind
(5:21) 12. Luck Be A Lady
(2:41) 13. Where Or When
(3:36) 14. Angel Eyes
(5:11) 15. New York New York
(3:57) 16. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
(5:21) 17. My Way
(2:59) 18. Somethin' Stupid (Studio Version)
(3:13) 19. Winter Wonderland (Studio Version)
(4:46) 20. My Way (Studio Version)

Roger Cicero returns to the first live album of his career brilliantly back to swing. "Cicero Sings Sinatra - Live In Hamburg" is Roger Cicero tribute to Frank Sinatra, the unquestionably largest and most influential crooner of all time, who would have turned on 12/12/2015 100 years. The two live concerts in Hamburg more! Theater convinced the 13-member big band every critic and also the appearances of guests Yvonne Elliman, Sasha and Xavier Naidoo thrilled the audience. The quality hardcover book with 24 pages includes LIVE CD and LIVE DVD.The CD befinen next to the concert three studio tracks with the duet partners Paul Anka ( "My Way"), Viktoria Tolstoy ( "winter Wonderland") and Yvonne Strahovski ( "somethin Stupid") on the DVD, there is a complete live concert to see plus bonus material in the form of a "Behind the Scenes "-doku and an interview with Roger Cicero.http://www.amazon.de/Sinatra-Live-Hamburg-Limited-22Premium-Edition-22/dp/B0178R2HPS (Translate by google).

Cicero Sings Sinatra: Live In Hamburg

Friday, April 1, 2016

Hot Lips Page - Jump For Joy!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:46
Size: 148.3 MB
Styles: Swing, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. St. James Infirmary
[2:39] 2. Walkin' In A Daze
[2:48] 3. Take Your Shoes Off, Baby
[2:34] 4. La Danse
[2:58] 5. Baby, It's Cold Outside
[2:58] 6. The Hucklebuck
[3:01] 7. Baby, Look At You
[3:12] 8. Far Away Blues
[3:20] 9. Jump For Joy
[2:51] 10. Limehouse Blues
[2:49] 11. Limehouse Blues
[2:48] 12. Now You're Talking My Language
[2:49] 13. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
[2:54] 14. When You're Smiling
[2:33] 15. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[2:31] 16. Why Did I Always Depend On You
[3:04] 17. Long Gone Blues
[3:06] 18. Got An Uncle In Harlem
[3:10] 19. Jeety-Boat Joad
[3:01] 20. Blow, Champ, Blow
[3:22] 21. There Ain't No Flies On Me
[3:02] 22. Miss Larceny Blues

Because this is a mix of solo sessions from one era (the late '40s and early '50s) and Hot Lips Page's work in the bands of Pete Johnson, Chu Berry, Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday from another era (the late '30s), it's too scattered to function as an overview or as a detailed snapshot of a particular aspect of Page's career. There's still some material here for Page fans to enjoy, particularly as some of the tracks were previously unreleased. On the solo sides, he comes off as similar but inferior to Louis Armstrong, though enjoyable on his own terms if comparisons with that behemoth are avoided; the interpretation of Ravel's "La Danse" is a highlight. A young Pearl Bailey duets with him on "Baby It's Cold Outside" and a previously unreleased alternate take of "The Hucklebuck." A young Joe Turner is the vocalist on the Johnson sides, and here the main collector attraction is the previously unreleased "Jump for Joy." More such goodies include a previously unreleased alternate take of "Limehouse Blues" (as part of Berry's band); two previously unissued performances as a member of Wilson's orchestra; and, finally, previously unavailable alternate takes of "Got an Uncle in Harlem" and "Jeety-Boad Joad" (both from 1949) and the hitherto unissued "Blow, Champ, Blow" (from 1950). ~Richie Unterberger

Jump For Joy!

Curtis Cantwell Jackson & Janiece Jaffe - Songs That Make You Feel This Way

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:00
Size: 107.6 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. Sunshine On My Shoulders
[4:47] 2. Lazybones
[3:25] 3. It's Lonely Here
[4:37] 4. Don't Know Why
[6:01] 5. Autum Leaves
[3:46] 6. Three Little Birds
[4:35] 7. You Send Me
[6:30] 8. Weakness
[4:44] 9. Corcovado
[4:36] 10. You Are So Beautiful

Curtis and I met at the Farmer's Market in Bloomington IN in 2002! We did not sing with each other until 2007 when we kept hearing from fans and friends that we should collaborate. Little did we know we would become such a dynamic duo! We both come from a rich background of teaching and performing, and enjoy the magic that comes from sharing our passion for life and music.

Songs That Make You Feel This Way

Coleman Hawkins - On Broadway

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:56
Size: 173.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[4:17] 1. I Talk To The Trees
[4:36] 2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:23] 3. Wanting You
[6:14] 4. Strange Music
[4:03] 5. The Man That Got Away
[4:09] 6. Get Out Of Town
[4:05] 7. Here I'll Stay
[4:45] 8. A Fellow Needs A Girl
[4:10] 9. Loads Of Love
[4:18] 10. The Sweetest Sounds
[7:45] 11. Wouldn't It Be Loverly
[4:28] 12. Cry Like The Wind
[4:31] 13. Climb Ev'ry Mountain
[3:03] 14. Make Someone Happy
[4:48] 15. Out Of My Dreams
[3:23] 16. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
[4:42] 17. I Believe In You

A generous 76-minute CD, Coleman Hawkins On Broadway contains 1962 recordings originally heard on three LPs: Good Old Broadway, Coleman Hawkins Plays Make Someone Happy From Do Re Mi and The Coleman Hawkins Quartet Plays The Jazz Version Of No Strings. All of the songs Hawk interprets were from Broadway plays, and everything boasts the sparkling Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass and Eddie Locke on drums. Fast-tempo aggression isn't a priority here instead, the seminal tenor saxman brings a relaxed confidence to standards like "The Sweetest Sounds," "Make Someone Happy" and "Get Out Of Town." Comfortable tempos are the rule, and in fact, much of this CD can function quite well as nocturnal mood music but mood music of a consistently high quality. And as usual, Hawk's big, breathy tone is something to savor. ~AAJ Staff

On Broadway

Dinah Shore, Andre Previn - Dinah Sings Previn Plays

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. The Man I Love
(2:58)  2. April In Paris
(3:13)  3. That Old Feeling
(2:43)  4. I've Got You Under My Skin
(3:23)  5. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
(2:42)  6. Sleepy Time Gal
(3:42)  7. My Melancholy Baby
(3:36)  8. My Funny Valentine
(3:26)  9. It Had To Be You
(3:10) 10. I'll Be Seeing You
(3:22) 11. If I Had You
(3:00) 12. Like Someone In Love
(2:54) 13. Stars Fell On Alabama
(3:08) 14. While We're Young
(4:17) 15. The Man I Love

While maintaining her status as a television star, Dinah Shore made a series of classy albums for Capitol Records between 1959 and 1962. On this, the fourth of her five LPs for the label, she again teamed with André Previn, who had arranged and conducted her earlier album, Somebody Loves Me. This time, Previn took to the piano, joined only by an occasional rhythm section for another set of ballads (or, as the sleeve note put it, "songs in a mid-night mood"). They included standards by the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hart and others, and Shore handled them with more than her usual warmth; she smoldered. The result was a concept album that ranks with some of Frank Sinatra's. Maybe sales were negligible because the Shore of this album was hard to reconcile with the grinning hostess on TV, but it probably had more to do with the overexposure TV gives any regular performer, causing the public to look for her on the small screen rather than on the record shelves. In any case, that made this album a lost gem.~William Ruhlmann http://www.allmusic.com/album/dinah-sings-previn-plays-mw0000557770

Personnel: Dinah Shore (vocals); Dinah Shore; Red Mitchell (upright bass); André Previn (piano); Frank Capp (drums).

Dinah Sings Previn Plays

Chano Dominguez - Hecho A Mano

Styles: Piano Jazz, Latin Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:39
Size: 145,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. Alma De Mujer
(4:23)  2. Retaila
(5:31)  3. Pinar Hondo
(4:35)  4. Tu Enciendes Las Estrellas
(2:52)  5. Cardamomo
(6:34)  6. Bajamar
(7:15)  7. Cilantro Y Comino
(6:58)  8. Solea Blues
(3:55)  9. Jacaranda
(7:23) 10. Bubango
(2:57) 11. Bemsha Swing
(4:34) 12. Solo Con Verte

The cross-pollination of Latin music and jazz has been going on for decades. Typically, a jazz group will borrow Latin grooves and instrumentation, while Latin players apply their rhythms and harmonies to the American standards songbook. It's usually a rather self-conscious blending in which the genre lines are still obvious; only a few musicians have managed to make the mix organic (Chick Corea, Michel Camilo, and Al DiMeola's The Grande Passion CD come to mind).  Now we have Chano Dominguez, a fine pianist from Cadiz, Spain, who weaves jazz with a flamenco approach. Hecho a Mano (aka Handmade) was recorded in Madrid in September, 1996, for Nuba Records, and released on October 15, 2002 by Sunnyside. Dominguez's ten originals integrate jazz improvisation and harmonies with the fire and mystery of his native culture; it's a seamless blend, exciting and original. Dominguez also breathes fresh life into a pair of classics: "Turn Out the Stars" gets a new Spanish subtitle {"You Turn On the Stars") as a tribute to composer Bill Evans; it also gets a new feel as a lovely flamenco waltz. Monk's quirky "Bemsha Swing" becomes a delightful mix of piano and powerful hand-clapping and shoe-tapping.

Dominguez introduces the American listener to a broad range of flamenco forms which extend far beyond the Hollywood stereotype of the fierce, scowling dancer to include the tango, the exuberant buleria and sequidilla, and the bluesy solea. His compositions range from a musical description of a woman's soul ("Alma de Mujer"), which builds from tenderness to passion, to the tabla-inflected "Cardomono," the gypsy "Retaila" and the sexy fandango, "Pinar Hondo." "Cilantro y Comino" is an extended journey that's full of rhythmic surprises and joyful energy. All the musicians are first-rate, with notable solos delivered by bassist Javier Colina and guitarist Tito Alcedo. This is exciting, soulful, memorable music.~Dr Judith Schlesinger http://www.allaboutjazz.com/hecho-a-mano-chano-dominguez-sunnyside-records-review-by-dr-judith-schlesinger.php

Personnel: Chano Dominguez: piano; Javier Colina: bass; Guillermo McGuill: drums; Tomatito: guitar; Antonio Toledo: guitar; Nono Garcia: guitar; Tito Alcedo: guitar; Tino di Geraldo: percussion, tablas, cajon, drums, tambourine, clapping); Chonchi Heredia: vocals, clapping; Joaquin Grilo: foot tapping, clapping; Juan Diego clapping; Lorenza Virseda: clapping.

Hecho A Mano

Keyon Harrold - Introducing Keyon Harrold

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:52
Size: 135,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:27)  1. TMF Nuttz
(7:17)  2. Sudden Inspiration
(8:00)  3. Shirley's Blues
(6:34)  4. Keyon Beyond
(6:41)  5. Amazing Grace/ Lord My God
(7:57)  6. Peace
(7:38)  7. Hip Hop Joint
(7:14)  8. The Awakening

Keyon Harrold comes to jazz and pop from his home in St. Louis, and at age 28 presents his debut recording of straight-ahead modern mainstream music in the typical Criss Cross label tradition. He's not carved in the mold of hometown icon Miles Davis, but has some of the bold technique of Freddie Hubbard and fluidity of Lee Morgan, while stylistically within the neo-bop range of Wynton Marsalis or Tom Harrell. Harrold has played with the Count Basie and Roy Hargrove big bands and as a sideman with Billy Harper, and has worked with Jay-Z, Beyoncé Knowles, and Snoop Dogg, among others, so he knows the twentysomething audience as well as grown-up purist jazz listeners. Brothers Marcus Strickland (saxes) and E.J. Strickland (drums) support Harrold, along with the fabulous young pianist Danny Grissett and bassist Derzon Douglas. 

As you'd expect, Harrold is an accomplished player with both youth and experience on his side, but also uses different arenas of modern jazz as a composer. His opener, "TMF Nuttz," is a Marsalis-type angular bop-strewn swinger powered by Grissett's two-fisted chords and a ripe solo by the brassman, and features Harrold's mentor, fellow trumpeter Charles Tolliver. The chunkier melody of "The Awakening" takes into account a blues aspect that identifies Harrell's pure tuneful sound, while an atypical version of Horace Silver's "Peace" is stewed in a light Brazilian broth with guitarist Jeremy Most added on in an interpretation quite different from the pensive, balladic original. Grissett is fond of switching to the electric Fender Rhodes piano, adding more of a retro feel to the funky boogaloo strains of "Shirley's Blues" and the 4/4 bounce during "Hip Hop Joint," with Harrold's muted horn alongside Marcus Strickland's solid tenor sax. In reference to his deep St. Louis gospel roots, "Amazing Grace"/"Lord, My God" is fairly typical in the main, but Marcus Strickland's soprano sax adds brighter color to the combo piece. 

These are all very good and well for what one might expect, but "Sudden Inspiration" stands out in its easy swing stance offset by staggered phrasings that jump out, where "Keyon Beyond" more perfectly envisions the duality of clockwork beats with a hip-hop sway that made Ahmad Jamal's "Poinciana" a seminal reference point for current music in the urban collective. Certainly this is a credible first effort, as Harrold only scratches the surface of his potential, and though somewhat derivative of past predecessors, it bodes well for his bright future alongside Jeremy Pelt, Sean Jones, and Ambrose Akinmusire as the leading jazz trumpet players of a new generation.~Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/introducing-keyon-harrold-mw0000833353

Personnel: Keyon Harrold (trumpet); Jeremy Most (guitar); Marcus Strickland (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Charles Tolliver (trumpet); Danny Grissett (piano); E.J. Strickland (drums).

Introducing Keyon Harrold

Larry Coryell - Spaces

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:04
Size: 85,2 MB
Art: Front

(9:23)  1. Spaces (Infinite)
(4:12)  2. Rene's Theme
(4:32)  3. Gloria's Step
(9:02)  4. Wrong Is Right
(9:32)  5. Crisis
(0:21)  6. New Year's Day In Los Angeles-1968

This album features the pioneer fusion guitarist Larry Coryell with quite an all-star group. Two selections match Coryell with fellow guitarist John McLaughlin, bassist Miroslav Vitous (doubling on cello) and drummer Billy Cobham, all important fusion players at the time. "Rene's Theme" is a guitar duet with McLaughlin, while "Gloria's Steps" (a Scott LaFaro composition) has Coryell, Vitous and Cobham jamming as a trio. Chick Corea sits in on electric keyboard for "Chris," and the 20-second closer ("New Year's Day in Los Angeles 1968") finds Coryell playing alone. Overall, the music has its energetic moments, but also contains some lyricism often lacking in fusion of the mid-'70s. In addition, all of the musicians already had their own original voices, making Spaces a stimulating album worth searching for.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/spaces-mw0000197196

Personnel:  Larry Coryell – guitar;  John McLaughlin – guitar;  Chick Corea – electric piano;  Billy Cobham – drums;  Miroslav Vitous – bass

Spaces

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Jimmy Rushing - Remastered Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:46
Size: 118.5 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues-R&B vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:50] 1. Boogie Woogie
[3:04] 2. Goin' To Chicago Blues
[2:59] 3. Listen My Children (And You Shall Hear)
[2:42] 4. Exactly Like You
[2:59] 5. Pennies From Heaven
[2:25] 6. Boo-Hoo
[3:03] 7. Don't You Miss Your Baby
[2:29] 8. Georgianna
[3:05] 9. Good Morning Blues
[2:47] 10. Now Will You Be Good
[3:02] 11. The Blues I Like To Hear
[2:37] 12. Do You Wanna Jump, Children
[3:10] 13. Evil Blues
[3:03] 14. Blues In The Dark
[2:39] 15. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[2:37] 16. I Want A Little Girl
[3:13] 17. I Left My Baby
[2:53] 18. London Bridge Is Fallin' Down

He was known as "Mister Five-By-Five" -- an affectionate reference to his height and girth -- a blues shouter who defined and then transcended the form. The owner of a booming voice that radiated sheer joy in whatever material he sang, Jimmy Rushing could swing with anyone and dominate even the loudest of big bands. Rushing achieved his greatest fame in front of the Count Basie band from 1935 to 1950, yet unlike many band singers closely associated with one organization, he was able to carry on afterwards with a series of solo recordings that further enhanced his reputation as a first-class jazz singer.

Raised in a musical family, learning violin, piano and music theory in his youth, Rushing began performing in nightspots after a move to California in the mid-'20s. He joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927, then toured with Bennie Moten from 1929 until the leader's death in 1935, going over to Basie when the latter picked up the pieces of the Moten band. The unquenchably swinging Basie rhythm section was a perfect match for Rushing, making their earliest showing together on a 1936 recording of "Boogie Woogie" that stamped not only Rushing's presence onto the national scene but also that of Lester Young. Rushing's recordings with Basie are scattered liberally throughout several reissues on Decca, Columbia and RCA. While with Basie, he also appeared in several film shorts and features.

After the Basie ensemble broke up in 1950, a victim of hard times for big bands, Rushing briefly retired, then formed his own septet. He started a series of solo albums for Vanguard in the mid-'50s, then turned in several distinguished recordings for Columbia in league with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, the latter of whom he appeared with at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 as immortalized in "Brussels Blues." He also recorded with Basie alumni such as Buck Clayton and Jo Jones, as well as with the Duke Ellington band on Jazz Party. He appeared on TV in The Sound of Jazz in 1957, was featured in Jon Hendricks' The Evolution of the Blues, and also had a singing and acting role in the 1969 film The Learning Tree. ~bio by Richard S. Ginnell

Remastered Collection

Tara O'Grady - Black Irish

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:39
Size: 74.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Black Velvet Band
[4:27] 2. Danny Boy
[4:35] 3. The Water Is Wide
[2:26] 4. I'll Tell Me Ma
[4:04] 5. Nora
[3:34] 6. Wild Rover
[3:24] 7. Peggy Gordon
[2:49] 8. Molly Malone
[4:31] 9. The Holy Ground

Nominated as one of Irish Voice’s Most Influential Women of 2010, her debut album, Black Irish, is a collection of Irish songs she grew up listening to as a child. But don’t expect any jigs on this CD. She’s swinging it, baby!

Her version of 'Danny Boy' was featured in a 2013 BBC documentary film for the song's 100th anniversary called "Danny Boy: The Ballad That Bewitched The World," along with Elvis Presley's and Johnny Cash's versions. Tara is also interviewed in the film along with folk singer Judy Collins, actor Gabriel Byrne, musician Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains, and film maker Jim Sheridan.

“I think Tara O’Grady has a fierce soul, because her glorious voice is positively dripping with it. I was totally moved by this album. Her unique jazz arrangements of Irish standards, and that VOICE, take me to places I haven’t been in a long time. This delightful album is not only fun, it’s deep!” ~Dr. Christine Ranck, Co-Author, Ignite the Genius Within.

Black Irish