BWB - BWB

Size: 101,4 MB
Time: 43:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz, Soul, Funk
Art: Front

01. Triple Dare (3:57)
02. Bust A Move (5:08)
03. Bwb (5:02)
04. Bolly Bop (4:11)
05. I Want You Girl (4:38)
06. Lemonade (4:05)
07. Memphis Steppin' (4:26)
08. Hey Baby (4:19)
09. North Star (4:37)
10. Turn Up (2:47)

You can almost smell the tangy barbecue sauce dripping from the forthcoming third album "BWB" by chart-topping trio BWB, who throw down like a sweaty garage band at a Memphis backyard house party on their debut for the Artistry Music label arriving April 22. It's the first time the band made up of GRAMMY® winners Norman Brown (guitar, vocals) and Kirk Whalum (saxophone, flute, vocals) and Rick Braun (trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone, vocals) cooked up a festive, sticky-fingered feast of ten new contemporary jazz, R&B, soul and funk joints. Braun produced the session in his suburban Los Angeles-area home studio where the band moved in with their families and lived together for an entire week. The result is a collaborative disc celebrating brotherhood and live music. The tantalizing title track is the first radio cut, which enters Billboard's Top 10 on next week's singles chart and appears to be ticketed for the top spot.

Anytime the three solo stars get together to record, it's an instant candidate for event album of the year in the contemporary jazz world. BWB has been itching to record original material ever since they first recorded as a high-wattage trio in 2002 when they released a collection of covers entitled "Groovin'." Over a decade later, they reunited as a combo in 2013 with "Human Nature," paying tribute to Michael Jackson's songbook and scoring their first No 1 hit with "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)." This time around, they decided to compose the material entirely on their own, creating party jams specifically with their spirited live shows in mind.

BWB

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Rosie Carlino - The Letting Go

Size: 128,4 MB
Time: 55:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. What Do I Do With Me (3:13)
02. All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart (3:33)
03. On My Way To You (4:27)
04. Why Should I Care (4:48)
05. Like A Fool (3:26)
06. If I Didn't Care (5:28)
07. Close To You (4:30)
08. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (3:30)
09. I'll See You In My Dreams (3:59)
10. That Old Feeling (4:17)
11. There Will Never Be Another You (5:18)
12. My Favorite Year (4:15)
13. The Letting Go (4:14)

"Rosie Carlino sings from her heart on this intimate recording, choosing beautiful standards from the American Songbook that musically express her personal journey through some of Life’s most poignant transitions."

"Rosie Carlino is a jazz singer who performs from her heart. Impeccable phrasings, not hurried, unwavering vocals, a gorgeous voice and a beautiful spirit."

The Letting Go

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Victor Feldman - Rio Nights

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 1987

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 43:32

Size: 100,0 MB

Art: Front

(4:16)  1. In My Pocket

(4:20)  2. I Am Happy

(5:26)  3. Don't Ask Oscar

(4:30)  4. Skippin'

(4:12)  5. Welcome To The Party

(5:08)  6. You Gave Me The Runaround

(3:39)  7. Ruby Jubilation

(7:36)  8. Basin Street Blues

(4:22)  9. Rio

Victor Feldman was a child prodigy who was a professional from the age of seven and sat in on drums with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band in 1944 when he was ten. He was active in his native England through the bebop years (mostly on drums), debuting as a leader in 1948. By 1952, Feldman was getting better-known for his vibes playing and he recorded extensively during the 1950s. After touring with Woody Herman (1956-1957), he decided to move to the U.S. in 1957, where he worked at the Lighthouse with Howard Rumsey. Feldman recorded (on vibes and piano) for Mode, Contemporary, and Riverside during 1957-1961, a period in which he became a busy studio musician. Feldman was with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet (mostly as a pianist) for six months in 1960-1961 and recorded with Miles Davis in 1963 (who offered him a job with his new quintet and recorded his original "Seven Steps to Heaven"), but remained in L.A. and the studios. He cut jazz dates for Choice, Concord, Palo Alto, and TBA and in the 1980s up until his death he led a soulful crossover group (the Generation Band) that often featured his son, Trevor Feldman, on drums.~Scott Yanowhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/victor-feldman/id2753987#fullText

Personnel: Victor Feldman (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Fred Tackett (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Hubert Laws (flute); Eddie Karam (marimba); Chuck Domanico (upright bass, electric bass); Harvey Mason, Sr., Trevor Feldman (drums).

Rio Nights

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Lisa Lynn - Ten Cents A Dance

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:11
Size: 104,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Comes Love
(2:44)  2. Deed I Do
(2:48)  3. I Love Paris
(3:38)  4. I Wanna Little Sugar In My Bowl
(3:25)  5. Miss Jenny's Ball
(2:53)  6. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(3:38)  7. After You've Gone
(2:51)  8. All Of Me
(4:51)  9. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:00) 10. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(4:13) 11. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me
(3:09) 12. Bye Bye Blackbird
(4:32) 13. Ten Cents A Dance

A wonderful blend of jazz standards, Lisa Lynn has been described as a sultry, bluesy, bust your heart in half singer. Like many others before her, Ohio-born vocalist Lisa Lynn felt she'd never realy found a home until she his New Orleans. 

She's been in that music loving city since the 1990s, and has performed, to popular acclaim in more than a dozen top jazz clubs and other prominent musical venues around the town. Lisa has one CD under her own name to her credit, and is currently putting the finishing touches on two others. Offbeat magazine called her first effort, "Ten Cents A Dance," "sultry, bluesy, and even down home gutbucket....but with accent on the drama."http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lisalynn

Ten Cents A Dance

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Kenny Wheeler - One of Many

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:26
Size: 120,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. Phrase 3
(5:25)  2. Anticipation
(5:59)  3. Aneba
(3:16)  4. Any How
(4:05)  5. Canter #5
(3:06)  6. Ever After (Duo version)
(5:13)  7. Now and Now Again
(6:58)  8. Old Ballad
(6:26)  9. Fortune's Child
(5:41) 10. Even After

In a 2001 Norma Winstone interview, the British vocalist referred to Kenny Wheeler as "the Duke Ellington of our time." Wheeler, whose reputation has grown almost in spite of his own quiet humility, may not possess Ellington's populist cachet, but that doesn't mean the trumpeter's music is any less distinctive or groundbreaking, and with no small reach: his music, studied in detail at universities around the world; his large ensemble work, grist for many a big band. Not being a household name needn't mean lack of significance, with Wheeler's place in jazz history long since assured as one of the most important composers of the last half century. Equally influential on his instrument with immaculate control facilitating the peppering of his unmistakably melancholic lyricism with sudden leaps into the stratosphere there's no denying the harsh realities of age. The 81 year-old Wheeler may be predisposed to the middle range of his flugelhorn on One of Many, but he can still surprise, executing thrilling intervallic leaps during "Anticipation," the second of nine charts appearing, for the first time, on this, Wheeler's fifth recording for the Italian Cam Jazz label since the sublime delicacy of his duo debut with pianist of choice, John Taylor, Where Do We Go From Here? (2004).

Taylor is back for One of Many, bringing the kind of comfortable chemistry the two have shared dating back to Wheeler's early large ensemble recording, Song for Someone (Psi, 1973). But the wildcard in this trio set is surely Steve Swallow, who last collaborated with Taylor on New Old Age (Egea, 2005). Swallow has intersected with Wheeler before, but this is the first time he's appeared on one of the trumpeter's recordings and the first time Wheeler has used an electric bass on any of his Cam or ECM releases. More than the obvious change in complexion especially with Swallow's instrument, whose warm, full-bodied tone also possesses a unique clarity in the upper register it's the bassist's comfortable dual-role as contrapuntal melodist and rhythmic and harmonic anchor that makes One of Many stand out in Wheeler's discography. Nowhere is this more evident than on "Now and Now Again," reprised from The Widow in the Window (ECM, 1990). On that quintet session, Dave Holland's robust double-bass kept things firmly in ballad territory; here, Swallow keeps it equally simple, but occasionally moves seamlessly into a double-time feel, lending the track a different kind of swing. Wheeler sticks to flugelhorn throughout this elegant, largely low-to-mid-tempo set, though the trio does turn the heat up on "Anticipation," where Swallow's upper-register playing intertwines with Wheeler for its serpentine melody, leaving Taylor largely responsible for maintaining forward motion. Returning to more straightforward blowing after the string-driven Other People (CAM Jazz, 2008) doesn't mean less compositional weight, only that there's greater emphasis on the trio's interpretive interaction. Another superb entry in the discography of an artist whose career has been marked by consistency and the sound of surprise, One of Many is, well, one more reason why comparing Wheeler to Ellington is astute and right on the money.~John Kelman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/one-of-many-kenny-wheeler-cam-jazz-review-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: flugelhorn; John Taylor: piano; Steve Swallow: electric bass.

One of Many

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Aaron Heick & Romantic Jazz Trio - Europe

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:53
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:13)  1. Europe
(6:34)  2. Harlem Nocturne
(5:48)  3. Summer's Gone
(4:34)  4. Comin' Home, Baby
(8:10)  5. Moon and Sand
(5:11)  6. O Que Sera
(5:24)  7. And I Love Her
(6:44)  8. Infant Eyes
(6:29)  9. Where or When
(7:11) 10. Star-Crossed Lovers
(5:32) 11. Doin' Alright

Sometimes it takes extremely talented and worthy musicians a long time before releasing an album in which they lead. Some of the musicians never do. Luckily, Aaron Heick got together with the Japanese label Venus Records to release his first album under his own moniker. Easily one of the best modern alto saxophonists in the United States, Heick has performed and recorded with stars such as Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Richard Bona. In this one-horn quartet setting with the extraordinary John di Martino and his Romantic Jazz Trio, Heick shows his phenomenal technique, solid sound, and emotionally charged soulfulness. Some of the selections on this album include Carlos Santana's "Europe," flutist Herbie Mann's funky "Comin' Home, Baby," a song by the Beatles "And I Love Her," and the evocative "Infant Eyes," written by Wayne Shorter. There are also two original compositions by Heick himself. The powerful performances from the musicians are heightened by the classic sound produced by Venus' engineering team. This is a fantastic and solid debut from an incredibly talented musician's musician!

http://www.elusivedisc.com/Aaron-Heick-Romantic-Jazz-Trio-Europe-Single-Layer-Stereo-Japanese-Import-SACD/productinfo/VENSA0065/

Personnel:  Aaron Heick, alto saxophone;  John Di Martino, piano;  Boris Kozlov, bass;  Willie Martinez, drums

Europe

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Kenny Wheeler - What Now?

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:54
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:02)  1. Iowa City
( 8:16)  2. One Two Three
( 6:20)  3. March Mist
( 7:43)  4. The Lover Mourns
( 8:48)  5. The Sweet Yakity Waltz
( 7:47)  6. What Now?
( 6:19)  7. For Tracy
( 9:35)  8. Verona

When trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and pianist John Taylor toured Canadian festivals in the summer of '03, the clear high point was their performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where they were joined by bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Chris Potter. Wheeler and Taylor go back many years, working together in a variety of contexts since the '70s. They've also worked with Holland over the years, most notably on Wheeler's ECM recordings The Widow in the Window, Music for Large & Small Ensembles and Double, Double You. Wheeler also had the opportunity to play with Potter on Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi's '03 session for Fellini Jazz (CAM Jazz, 2004).  But the performance in Montreal marked the first time everyone had ever worked together as a quartet, and the empathy was so immediate that it just begged to be recorded. A year later this would finally happen, and the result is What Now?, the followup to Wheeler and Taylor's first duo recording for CAM Jazz, Where Do We Go From Here?, and a title that is typical of Wheeler's dry humour and self-effacing personality. In fact, when commenting on this quartet session's lack of a drummer, Wheeler remarked to Ira Gitler, who contributes the liner notes, "This CD could be a Music Minus One for drummers. 

True enough, but with the impeccable time of both Holland and Taylor driving the session rhythmically, there's no way a drummer is missed. And, while Wheeler has worked with Holland in a drummer less configuration before Angel Song, with saxophonist Lee Konitz and guitarist Bill Frisell this session is far more propulsive and outgoing, and considerably less of a chamber jazz outing than that '97 release.  This programme consists of mopstly new Wheeler compositions the jazz waltz "One Two Three and melancholy ballad "For Tracy were also on Where Do We Go From Here? and "The Sweet Yakity Waltz" first surfaced on Guest, a recording by the European Music Orchestra that featured Wheeler. One can only be in awe of Wheeler, who at 75 continues to create new music that is distinctive in its somewhat bittersweet texture, consistently harmonically rewarding but also wholly accessible.

It's also remarkable that one can so easily intuit the potential for his material to be interpreted in a variety of contexts, from small group to large ensemble. With only a two-horn frontline on What Now?, Wheeler's counterpoint is so vivid that there's invariably the implication of a larger section. With Wheeler heard only on flugelhorn, there's a richer warmth and smoother blend between his instrument and Potter's tenor. And while the overall approach is lyrical, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of excitement every solo on the driving yet relaxed swing of "Iowa City is alive with ever so slightly-contained energy. With the chemistry and sheer magic of their first meeting in Montreal now documented, one can only hope that What Now? is but the first of many future collaborations.~John Kelman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/what-now-kenny-wheeler-cam-jazz-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Kenny Wheeler (flugelhorn), Chris Potter (tenor saxophone), John Taylor (piano), Dave Holland (double-bass)

What Now?

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Basia Trzetrzelewska - The Sweetest Illusion

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Pop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. Drunk On Love
(5:01)  2. Third Time Lucky
(5:22)  3. Yearning
(4:52)  4. She Deserves It / Rachel's Wedding
(5:00)  5. An Olive Tree
(4:58)  6. The Sweetest Illusion
(3:51)  7. Perfect Mother
(4:13)  8. More Fire Than Flame
(4:53)  9. Simple Pleasures
(4:54) 10. My Cruel Ways
(4:58) 11. The Prayer Of A Happy Housewife

The sweet voiced Polish girl continues to set the standard by which other, less inventive adult contemporary vocalists should be measured. Her tender yet powerful feelings take listeners' hearts to places with fascinating, sometimes surreal imagery. 

Basia and partner/producer Danny White's real gift is rhythmic diversity, and the tandem take the artsy route on a big, brassy tour through Brazil and Latin America, employing jazzy touches that keep even the most staid tune hopping. The ballads are sweet as well. Nobody in this crowded genre outclassed or outperformed Basia, but as welcome as this comeback after four years was, the singer never followed up with another full-length studio project.~Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/sweetest-illusion-mw0000115018

Personnel: Basia Trzetrzelewska, Trey Lorenz (vocals); Peter White (guitar, accordion); Andy Ross (guitar, mandolin, bandurria); Gavyn Wright (violin); Tony Pleeth (cello); Chris Margary (flute, alto flute, baritone saxophone); Patrick Clahar (alto & tenor saxophone); Steve Gregory (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Chamberlain (baritone saxophone); Kevin Robinson (trumpet, French horn, flugelhorn, vocals); Fayyaz Virji (trombone); Danny White (keyboards, vocals); Julian Crampton, Andres Lafone, Randy Hope-Taylor (bass); Andy Gangadeen (drums, percussion); Karl Vanden Bossche, Bosco De Oliveria (percussion), Mark Anthoni (background vocals).

The Sweetest Illusion

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John Di Martino - A Tribute to King of Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:39
Size: 120,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. Candlelight Blues
(5:58)  2. Magic Beams
(4:22)  3. Falling Rain
(4:47)  4. Love in Spring
(4:24)  5. Love at Sundown
(4:33)  6. Oh I Say
(3:21)  7. Blue Day
(3:57)  8. H.M. Blues
(5:11)  9. I Think of You
(4:08) 10. Still on My Mind
(5:42) 11. Echo

John di Martino is a New York area based pianist, composer, arranger and Venus recording artist. He is a sought after musical director and is in demand by many singers as an accompanist, having accompanied such singers as Jon Hendricks, Sylvia Sims, Diane Schuur and Billy Eckstine. His talents as a pianist and arranger can be heard on recordings with Freddy Cole, Gloria Lynne and Grady Tate. Noted for his versatility, di Martino has also performed and recorded with such notables as Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Joe Lovano, the late David "Fathead" Newman, Pat Martino, Paquito D'Rivera and Houston Person. Di Martino was a long time member of Ray Barretto's "New World Spirit" group and he was a featured pianist and arranger on several recording including Barretto's Grammy-nominated CD, Contact! (Blue Note, 1997). He also enjoyed a long association with percussionist Bobby Sanabria and can be heard on Sanabria's Grammy-nominated CD Afro-Cuban Dream: Live And In Clave (Arabesque, 2000). Born in Philadelphia, di Martino was a student of Lennie Tristano, Don Sebesky and Jimmy Amadie. He has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Peoples' Republic of China.~Marcia Hillman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-di-martino-piano-man-in-on-demand-john-di-martino-by-marcia-hillman.php 

Personnel:  John Di Martino - musical direction, arrangements, piano, keyboards;  Alex Foster - soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet;  Paul Meyers - acoustic nylon string guitar;  Deanna Kirk – vocals;  Boris Kozlov – bass;  Tim Horner – drums

A Tribute to King of Jazz

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The Isley Brothers - It’s Our Thing

Styles: Vocal, R&B
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:57
Size: 62,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. I Know Who You Been Socking It To
(2:38)  2. Somebody Been Messin'
(3:31)  3. Save Me
(2:02)  4. I Must Be Losing My Touch
(3:27)  5. Feel Like the World
(2:49)  6. It's Your Thing
(2:19)  7. Give the Women What They Want
(2:37)  8. Love Is What You Make It
(2:42)  9. Don't Give It Away
(2:05) 10. He's Got Your Love

A very important album for the Isley Brothers, 1969's It's Our Thing found Ronald, O'Kelly and Rudolph Isley reviving their T-Neck label and marked the beginning of their association with Buddah (where they would remain until moving T-Neck to Epic/CBS in 1973). Creatively, this excellent LP put the siblings in the driver's seat they did all of the producing and songwriting themselves and they enjoyed the type of artistic freedom that they could only dream about when they were with Tamla/Motown from 1965-1968. At Tamla/Motown, Berry Gordy's team of producers and songwriters called the shots, but at T-Neck/Buddah, the Isleys' own vision was allowed to flourish. And that creative freedom made It's Our Thing a commercial triumph as well as an artistic one. The funky title track soared to number two on the R&B charts, and equally invigorating gems like "Give the Women What They Want" and "I Know Who You Been Socking It To" also went down in history as soul classics. Nor are tough, gritty album tracks like "He's Got Your Love" and "I Must Be Losing My Touch" anything to complain about. It's Our Thing made it clear that Tamla/Motown's loss was Buddah's gain.~Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/its-our-thing-mw0000075763

Personnel: Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley (vocals).

It’s Our Thing

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Helen Merrill - Brownie: Homage To Clifford Brown

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:54
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Your Eyes
(2:58)  2. Daahoud
(5:16)  3. Born To Be Blue
(7:00)  4. I Remember Clifford
(3:59)  5. Joy Spring
(7:14)  6. I'll Remember April
(6:18)  7. Don't Explain
(5:04)  8. Brownie
(4:33)  9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(4:53) 10. I'll Be Seeing You
(3:52) 11. Memories Of You
(2:28) 12. Gone With The Wind
(2:55) 13. Largo

40 years after recording a classic album with trumpeter Clifford Brown, singer Helen Merrill paid tribute to the late Brownie, who died tragically in 1956. Utilizing on various tracks trumpeters Tom Harrell, Wallace Roney, Roy Hargrove and Lew Soloff, as well as pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, Merrill performs a variety of tunes, most of which were associated with Brown. There are plenty of unexpected surprises on the date, including passages where the trumpet ensemble performs parts of Brownie's original solos; also noteworthy are Harrell's unaccompanied flugelhorn version of "Joy Spring," Barron's solo piano rendition of "Memories of You" and touching moments like "I'll Be Seeing You," "I Remember Clifford" and "Gone With the Wind." 

Producer Torrie Zito sometimes adds some atmospheric and effective synthesizer, and in addition to the standards, Zito contributed a new original, "Brownie." Throughout the often emotional date, Helen Merrill is heard in top form, giving plenty of feeling to the lyrics while leaving room for the guest trumpeters. Recommended.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/brownie-homage-to-clifford-brown-mw0000118498

Personnel: Helen Merrill (vocals); Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell (trumpet, flugelhorn); Wallace Roney, Lew Soloff (trumpet); Kenny Barron (piano); Torrie Zito (keyboards); Rufus Reid (bass); Victor Lewis (drums).

Brownie: Homage To Clifford Brown

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Roy Eldridge - Decidedly

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:45
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

(10:04)  1. Bee's Bloos
(16:43)  2. Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
(11:45)  3. Undecided
(15:12)  4. Hackensack

Norman Granz, legendary label impresario and concert organizer, had his own niche in the Seventies. Take an aging, but estimable swing star; match him with a band built on the talents of younger players; incite some sparks through friendly rivalries both manufactured and genuine; apply some promotional spin and watch the greenbacks roll in. Such was presumably the case with this until now unreleased concert recording financed and produced by Granz for a French audience under the auspices of his JATP promotional juggernaut. To be fair, Eldridge was more than deserving of the applause and adulation even though his chops on the date don’t seem to match the bountiful brio of his youthful years. His carefully chosen partners recognize his commanding stature and embrace his congenially combative nature in a manner that both inspires and challenges him. 

Four lengthy and diversely drawn tracks make up the songbook and each appears custom arranged for maximum blowing potential. Griffin steals the spotlight on the opening Eldridge original “Bees Bloos” following the leader with a solo that is at once rough-hewn, and highly flammable through its alacrity and speed. Eldridge eases into the more stately “Lover Man” muted and a shade tentative, but the blues oozes through, coating the supporting efforts of his partners in a cerulean satin sheen. Pass’s gossamer chords float in the sonic space around Griffin’s more incessant thematic variations and Bellson’s brushes further advance the relaxed mood. The guitarist’s later solo proves conclusively why the signifier of ‘virtuoso’ was so often attached to his name and the same can easily be said for Pedersen’s turn, where the bassist make four strings sing with choir-size depth and resonance. 

Despite its temporal breadth the tune rolls out smooth as silk and each minute seems packed with the right measure of invention and interplay. Monk’s somewhat obscure “Hackensack” offers an unusual closer considering Eldridge’s credentials, but Griffin’s presence in the quintet serves as an arguable explanation. 

Also surprising is the guest appearance of Milt Jackson who contributes a minimalist piano solo on the track for added color. This disc ranks as a minor entry in Eldridge’s extensive folio to be sure. But as a snapshot of the Little Jazz, as he was affectionately know, in his later years, still reveling in the myriad improvisatory possibilities of a music he helped create and shape, its time well spent and comes easily recommended.

~Derek Taylor http://www.allaboutjazz.com/decidedly-roy-eldridge-fantasy-jazz-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Roy Eldridge- trumpet; Johnny Griffin- tenor saxophone; Ray Bryant- piano; Joe Pass- guitar.

Decidedly

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Warren Vaché - Warren Plays Warren

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:48
Size: 172,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. This Heart Of Mine
(5:04)  2. Would You Like To Take A Walk
(5:21)  3. Nagasaki
(4:32)  4. Serenade In Blue - At Last
(4:13)  5. I Only Have Eyes For You
(5:20)  6. The Girlfriend Of The Whirling Dervish
(4:35)  7. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
(4:33)  8. Lulu's Back In Town
(3:03)  9. I Remember You From Somewhere
(5:56) 10. Forty-Second Street
(6:09) 11. September In The Rain
(5:33) 12. Blues Times 2
(3:45) 13. An Affair To Remember
(5:10) 14. I Had The Craziest Dream
(3:37) 15. Jeepers Creepers
(3:45) 16. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me

In my estimation, Harry Warren is the most underrated songwriter of the 20th Century. While very successful, he is less famous than his songs (“Lullaby of Broadway”, “There Will Never Be Another You”) or the people who sang them (Jolson, among many others.) While Gershwin and Coward became celebrities, Warren stayed in the shadows, quietly building an immense catalog. The songs are still here, and in the right hands are a gold mine. In an intimate setting with stellar rhythm, Warren Vache fills these tunes with joy, charm, and an unstoppable swing. It’s a great feeling, and the two Warrens fit each other very well. Vache, cornet in hand, takes the left speaker; Randy Sandke’s trumpet is on the right. The come in together on “This Heart of Mine”; then it’s Sandke for two glowing minutes. Check out Kenny Drew, Jr.: his little fills go way beyond comping. Warren goes high, with velvet touch: all the mellow of a flugelhorn. Sandke goes brassy on the exchanges, and Warren gives it back, shout for shout. Each blast tops the last, and still they fit together. They exit in concert, and you’ve got it: a marriage of tune and performer. Keep listening: the honeymoon is far from over. 

Murray Wall gets that bass going on (what else?) “Would You Like to Take a Walk”. The horns stroll beside him. Warren takes off  he muses, but loudly! Sandke is more restrained: he creeps where Warren struts. “Nagasaki” gets the bop treatment: locked horns with plenty of steam. Hear Sandke quote “The Theme”; the duet opening is a must. Vache then lays out on “I Only Have Eyes”; a marvelous solo starts right from the theme. Sandke owns it, and Drew ain’t bad either. Next we speak Latin: “Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish” is as turbulent as the name. Drew strikes a montuno, and Randy tumbles eloquently. The mutes go in for “Getting to be a Habit”, and we are back in the ‘Thirties. Randy is sly; Warren has a charming honk, as warm as an old floppy hat. He then sings a verse did I say charming honk? The rumply voice works in ways I can’t describe all I can do is enjoy. Game, set, and match we have a winner.

For the homestretch we kick it up some. “Lulu’s Back in Town” stomps like the old girl herself: a duel in dead heat. “42nd Street” gets its verse, and a whole lot of brass. Vache is higher than normal; Sandke’s deep like a trombone. Drew goes angular, a modern solo with some Monk bleeps. Warren growls, but he also shows some hard bop. Randy also goes this direction; a new sound from an old source. Likewise “An Affair to Remember”: the bossa beat, and a mute as warm as Miles’. Vache finishes the theme with equal charm. Bright piano, shining cymbals remember you will. This leads to other soft spots: “The Craziest Dream” a brassy soft focus, “I Remember You From Somewhere” a muted cousin to “Mood Indigo”. And for dessert there’s another “Habit”, minus the words. The drums are sharper here, with more oomph to the trumpet. 

Drew is big : wide chords, and the essence of class. You won’t forget the first version, but this should be heard. It’s a great work, and shows love for the great works of Harry Warren. Says Vache: “Back in the ‘Thirties, they threw away more good tunes no one’s heard of, than they’re writing now.”Hear this and you’ll agree.~AAJ Staff  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/warren-plays-warren-warren-vache-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: Warren Vache (vocals, cornet); Randy Sandke (trumpet); Kenny Drew Jr. (piano); Murray Wall (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).

Warren Plays Warren

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John Di Martino & Warren Vaché - Impromptu

Styles: Piano and Cornet Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:29
Size: 131,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. Love Me or Leave Me
(5:35)  2. You're My Thrill
(4:17)  3. It's Been So Long
(5:12)  4. A Time for Love
(2:05)  5. Skylark
(3:59)  6. Tres Palabres
(3:37)  7. I Remember You from Somewhere
(4:56)  8. Isfahan
(2:22)  9. Yesterdays
(5:09) 10. Willow Weep for Me
(3:57) 11. Emily
(3:32) 12. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
(5:31) 13. Blues in the Night
(2:46) 14. People

Impromptu is a collection of standard tunes with inspired performances from master cornet player Warren Vache and the elegant and melodically inventive pianist, John diMartino. A duo made in "musical heaven" this CD is breathtaking!

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johndimartino1

Personnel:  John Di Martino – piano;  Warren Vache - cornet

Impromptu

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Brian Thomas & Alex Lee-Clark Big Band - Superhero Dance Party

Size: 134,9 MB
Time: 58:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Funk, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Crawlin' (10:01)
02. Shootin' The $%#! ( 7:00)
03. Superhero Dance Party ( 8:28)
04. Rolo Tomassi ( 7:11)
05. Freetime ( 5:58)
06. New Days Ahead ( 9:21)
07. For Me To Know (10:11)

18 Piece Original Funk/Soul/Hip Hop/Jazz Big Band. This is not your daddy's big band!! (unless your daddy is James Brown!) Featuring a rotating cast of players including Aaron Bellamy, Amy Bellamy, Beau Sasser, Sam Gilman, Mike Tucker, Ben Griffin, Jeff Lockhart, Steve Fell, Ted Sullivan, Pete Levesque, Mark Zaleski, Dino Govoni, Paul Lieberman, Jared Sims, Jeff Galindo, Brian Thomas, Clayton DeWalt, Angel Subero, Yaure Muniz, Alex Lee-Clark, Trent Austin, Doug Olsen & Eric Bloom.

Superhero Dance Party

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Marian Bruce/Jacy Parker - Halfway To Dawn/Spotlight On Jacy Parker

Size: 164,8 MB
Time: 70:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

Marian Bruce - Halfway To Dawn:
01. Lucky To Be Me (3:03)
02. Let Me Love You (3:17)
03. It Never Entered My Mind (3:23)
04. Things Are Looking Up (2:42)
05. Something To Live For (3:07)
06. Looking For A Boy (2:58)
07. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (3:17)
08. My One And Only (2:45)
09. A Ship Without A Sail (3:21)
10. No One Ever Tells You (2:12)
11. The Gentleman Is A Dope (2:19)
12. Don't Like Goodbyes (3:06)

Jacy Parker - Spotlight On Jacy Parker:
13. I Thought About You (3:02)
14. Guess Who I Saw Today (3:26)
15. Here Comes Trouble Again (3:39)
16. My Ship (3:22)
17. Time After Time (1:55)
18. You're The Cream In My Coffee (2:56)
19. Like The Likes Of You (2:21)
20. Sweet William (1:52)
21. Long Gone Love (3:29)
22. It's You Or No One (3:35)
23. You Mean Old World (2:04)
24. But Beautiful (2:57)

This CD showcases two fine singers who, after starting promising careers, recorded only a single album each.

In similar, intimate settings aimed at both pop and jazz listeners, they showed their sophisticated talents on a series of quality songs. Marian Bruce had perfected her sultry style in the early 50s night clubs of New York, Paris and London. In 1958 trumpeter Clark Terry introduced her to the Riverside label, where she was able to make the most of her warm, strong and beautiful voice on a laid-back, late-night album, aptly titled “Halfway to Dawn”, backed by the superb accompanist, pianist Jimmy Jones, and the subtle, sensitive trumpet of Joe Wilder, with bassist Al Hall and guitarist Everett Barksdale.

Jacy Parker recorded her lone and lovely date for Verve in 1962. Having left her hometown, Chicago, in her mid-20s, she had been singing and playing piano around New York since 1954. “Spotlight on Jacy Parker” captured well the clarity of her voice and her jazz-oriented, musical phrasing. Her style—like that of so many singers of her generation—was marked by the influence of Sarah Vaughan, but her wry, sassy vocals and forward-thinking piano solos are in stark contrast to the prevailing girl singer sensibilities of the time. She is backed by an equally fitting rhythm section, and persuasively supported by Ernie Royal’s insinuating trumpet.

Personnel on #1-12:
Marian Bruce, vocals, accompanied by Joe Wilder, trumpet; Jimmy Jones, piano; Everett Barksdale, guitar; and Al Hall, bass.
Reeves Sound Studios, New York City, April 1958

Personnel on #13-24:
Jacy Parker, piano and vocals, accompanied by Ernie Royal, trumpet; Don Cinderella, bass; Sticks Evans or Roy James (#14,16,24) drums.
Recorded in New York City, March, 1962

Halfway To Dawn/Spotlight On Jacy Parker

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Chuck Israels - Garden Of Delights

Size: 127,6 MB
Time: 55:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Skipping Tune (6:21)
02. Garden Of Delights (6:31)
03. Mingus (6:29)
04. Speed Bumps (4:07)
05. Natural Beauty (4:45)
06. Bluesman's Holiday (5:07)
07. Warming Trend (5:20)
08. Double Clutching (4:16)
09. Chaconne A Son Gout (5:54)
10. Discretion Advised (6:08)

Best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1961 through 1966, he is also recognized for his pioneering accomplishments in the Jazz Repertory as Director of the National Jazz Ensemble from 1973 to 1981.

Chuck’s first release with Dot Time Records is entitled “Garden of Delights”, and will be released on April 15, 2016. In addition during the next year, Dot Time Records will also release selected archival recordings of the National Jazz Ensemble. The first release in this series is expected in early 2016.

Recently retired from directing the jazz studies program at Western Washington University, Chuck moved to Portland, Oregon to work in its vibrant jazz community and participate in his favorite Northwest city’s cultural life.

During his distinguished career Chuck has built a strong discography both as a leader and sideman including; “Coltrane Time”, with John Coltrane; “My Point of View”, with Herbie Hancock; “Getz au Go-Go”, with Stan Getz; and many recordings with the Bill Evans Trio, including “The Town Hall Concert”; “The Second Trio”; “Trio ’65; Live at the Trident”; “Time Remembered”; and “Live at Shelley’s Manne Hole.”

The Chuck Israels Orchestra was founded in 2011 to showcase some of the best jazz instrumentalists and vocalists in the Northwest playing finely crafted and demanding arrangements of the most exciting and durable music we know. The band has played at such international events as the Detroit Jazz Festival. Their debut CD, “Second Wind,” received a 4 ½ star review from DownBeat.

Garden Of Delights

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Mark Murphy - Live In Athens, Greece

Size: 169,8 MB

Time: 73:14

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 2016

Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals

Art: Front

01. My Funny Valentine (9:43)

02. All Blues (8:16)

03. On Green Dolphin Street (6:32)

04. Summertime (4:41)

05. Autumn Leaves (2:53)

06. When I Fall In Love (8:22)

07. Bye Bye Blackbird (7:08)

08. Miles (2:57)

09. Milestones (8:02)

10. Red Clay (7:57)

11. Inutil Paisagem (6:40)

Why do we need another Mark Murphy album? After all, well over 40 were released in his own lifetime, not counting all the compilations, collaborations, guest appearances and remixes. This live set was recorded at the Gazarte Club, Athens, in 2008, not long after Murphy’s 76th birthday. It features Spiros Exaras (guitar), Thomas Rueckert (piano), George Georgiadis (double bass) and Alex Drakos (drums).

The tune selection veers toward the hackneyed (the ‘bog standards’, as one London gig booker recently designated them): Summertime, Autumn Leaves, Bye Bye Blackbird. Surely, one might think, we don’t need yet more versions of these.

And yet, and yet…. Mark Murphy shows any doubting Thomases what he has been showing anyone prepared to listen over the decades: not only can the sheer power of a standard survive its (over)familiarity, but with the right performer, unsuspected beauties may still be revealed.

Acknowledging the genii loci of Homer and Socrates, Murphy slips straight into My Funny Valentine. It’s a spine-chilling performance. Almost everything you need to know about Mark Murphy can be found in this opening track: the vocal swoops, falsetto lines, scatting, swinging and riffing, plus some good jokes: ‘Is your figure less than Greek? Excuse me, that’s the lyric…’ and ‘Don’t change your hairdo for me’, and ‘Your looks are laughable’, sung with an affectionate chuckle. It’s all very hip and fun – Murphy’s pleasure in performing never seemed to dim.

The band are excellent. Going into double-time on a ballad may seem just another cliché, but on this tune it perfectly fits with the mood established by the singer, and Exaras and Rueckert pull out some dazzling runs. Murphy ends with a held falsetto note that extends into the intro of the next number, All Blues. Here he improvises both wordlessly and on the lyric. Afterwards it’s straight into the verse of On Green Dolphin Street, sung rubato and unaccompanied right through the first head, followed by another unaccompanied chorus in which he goes into time, scatting again and fracturing the tune and its lyric, before the band finally come in behind him.

There are no duff tracks. I particularly love the storming performance of On the Red Clay, and the inclusion of Murphy’s never-forgotten formative influences – Nat King Cole (When I Fall In Love), Miles Davis (both his own composition, the ballad Miles, and his famous version of Milestones, with his own lyric) and Jobim (a medley of Inútil Paisagem and Dindi).

Harbinger Records are currently trying to organise distribution in Europe. In the meantime this wonderful album can be obtained from the US or through the usual digital channels.

Considering the vast recorded output of Mark Murphy, and the thousands of gigs he performed around the world over a 60-year career, Live in Athens must surely be the tip of the iceberg. What other treasures still lie in the vaults? ~by Peter Jones

Live In Athens,Greece                

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Suzanne Lorge - Wild Birds

Size: 110,6 MB
Time: 47:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Out Of This World (5:44)
02. The Touch Of Your Lips (3:05)
03. Better Than Anything (3:01)
04. Gentle Rain (4:49)
05. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover (3:38)
06. She's Leaving Home (5:34)
07. No More (3:04)
08. Nobody Else But Me (3:15)
09. I Fall In Love Too Easily (3:29)
10. The Very Thought Of You (5:25)
11. If I Loved You (5:54)

Suzanne Lorge has performed extensively as a singer in clubs, theaters, and concerts, from Carnegie Hall to cruise ships to cathedrals. She's also worked as a studio singer on a host of albums, animated films, commercials, and industrials. In live performance she focuses on jazz, theater, and sacred music, preferring vocal compositions with compelling lyrics and soaring melodies.

On her debut solo jazz album, Wild Birds, released February 2016, Suzanne explores the migratory nature of human relationships through a series of swing, bebop, Latin, and re-imagined pop tunes. The album features two different trios of world-class musicians: pianist Frank Kimbrough (currently with Maria Schneider's GRAMMY-winning orchestra), bassist Dean Johnson (Gerry Mulligan's sideman for many years), and drummer Tim Horner (The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra) played on eight of the tracks, and David Budway (Jeff "Tain" Watts, Branford Marsalis, Hubert Laws), bassist Hans Glawischnig (Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea, Paquito D'Rivera), and drummer Tommy Campbell (Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Kevin Eubanks, Stanley Jordan) played on the remaining three.

Besides vocals, Suzanne contributed two pieces of verse to the project: original lyrics to the jazz waltz "Better Than Anything," a kinetic romp through some of the unforgettable places that she's visited in her world travels, and a poem that shares the album's title, "Wild Birds," a tribute to the wisdom of the natural world. Suzanne work-shopped this poem at the 2015 Bread Loaf Orion writers conference under the tutelage of poet/essayist Alison Hawthorne Deming, a direct descendant of writer Nathanial Hawthorne and a persuasive advocate for art as a bridge between the profane human and the numinous wild.

When not singing, Suzanne writes about culture, music, technology, and finance. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The Washington Times, Institutional Investor magazine, and All About Jazz. She writes a monthly column on vocal jazz for The New York City Jazz Record and has participated for several years in the NPR Jazz Critics Poll (formerly the Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll) edited by music journalist Francis Davis.

Suzanne holds a BA in Modern Languages & Literature from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and an MA in Vocal Performance from New York University. At NYU she studied composition with Kenny Werner and Rich Shemaria, percussion with Memo Acevedo, improvisation with Dave Pietro, voice with Brian Gill, and music criticism with Allan Kozinn. She continues to study privately with jazz superstars Jay Clayton and Sheila Jordan.

Wild Birds

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Mike LeDonne - On Fire

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream, Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:53
Size: 167,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:46)  1. Could It Be I'M Falling In Love
(10:41)  2. Spinky
(13:41)  3. Idle Moments
(10:52)  4. At Long Last Love
(13:07)  5. Prayer for Mary
( 9:43)  6. Bones
( 4:59)  7. In the Bag

The organ combo, a time-tested format, can stick to your ribs like a good meal. Organist Mike LeDonne, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth together are a tight working band, displaying all the qualities that make this formation classic and still relevant on their second Savant release, On Fire. LeDonne, best known for his stint in the late Milt Jackson's group as its pianist/musical director, has spent the past several years making the Hammond B-3 organ a focal point in his arsenal. For a long time now, he's been a featured organist at Smoke's Tuesday Hammond B-3 nights in New York. The quartet grooves right off with a cool swinging treatment of the soul classic "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love." Eric Alexander's impressive solo is a quick study of the big tenor sound that many younger players, except for James Carter and Joshua Redman, have forgotten. Alexander fits right in with the melody and form of the piece, tonally hinting at Gene Ammons and playing a few upper register notes that recall the huge, barking upper-register cries of Stanley Turrentine. Peter Bernstein follows with a masterful exercise in taste, letting his Kenny Burrell and Grant Green-influenced tone shine.

LeDonne's admiration for the late great "Mighty Burner," Charles Earland, is reflected in a skyrocket version of the late organist's "Spinky," based on "So What" and "Impressions." Alexander, Farnsworth and Bernstein are all veterans of Earland's combo, and Alexander in particular makes the most of his opportunity as does LeDonne, emulating Earland's stop setting, but infusing his solo and bass lines with some harmonic twists that are refreshing to hear in an organist's approach. Other highlights are a blue-hued take of Duke Pearson's "Idle Moments," featuring Bernstein, while LeDonne tips his hat to Jimmy Smith on a trio feature, Cole Porter's "At Long Last Love." He builds a stomping organ solo and takes us out with a little "squabbling," with great support from Farnsworth, who is what Grady Tate was to Smith: a great partner who didn't overwhelm the music. There is no question that LeDonne has a formidable technique on the organ, and this track should quiet astute jazz organ listeners who may posit that he's a pianist who cannot play organ. By the disc's end, the listener is put in a great mood. Mike LeDonne's organ group put together a satisfying session at Smoke for both those at the club and those listening to the disc at home. Despite the heavy nod in the direction of the jazz organ tradition, there is enough freshness here to make the album far from rote. New jazz organ albums seem more pleasurable these days, perhaps due to the fact the market is not so flooded with such albums as it was in the '60s and '70s. On Fire is fine listening for organ and mainstream jazz fans alike.~CJ Shearn http://www.allaboutjazz.com/on-fire-mike-ledonne-savant-records-review-by-cj-shearn.php
 

Personnel: Mike LeDonne: Hammond B-3 organ; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Peter Bernstein: guitar; Joe Farnsworth: drums.

On Fire

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