Jimmy Smith - Fourmost

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Hard bop
Year: 1991/2006
Art: Front

[ 6:43] 1. Midnight Special
[ 6:41] 2. Main Stem
[ 8:12] 3. Summertime
[ 6:19] 4. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[10:10] 5. Soulful Brothers
[ 5:46] 6. My Funny Valentine
[10:50] 7. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Recorded Live at Fat Tuesday's, New York City, November 16-17, 1990.

FOURMOST captures the collaborative efforts of drummer Grady Tate, tenor saxman Stanley Turrentine, long-time Smith guitarist Kenny Burrell and the master organist himself, as they groove through a sizzling live set. Recorded in 1990 at Fat Tuesday's in New York City, the show overflows with the kind of evocative, free-flowing yet tightly disciplined artistry one has come to expect from Smith. The soul that drips off tracks like "Midnight Special" and Burrell's own "Soulful Brothers," as filtered through Smith's mind-bending hand/foot work at the Hammond, Turrentine's pure, personal tone, and Burrell's swinging melodic lines, is enough to make a convert of just about anyone.

Even tired standards such as "Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine," as well as the two Ellington treatments ("Main Stem" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be"), are resuscitated with new tempos, moods, and above all, blazing leads all around. The record's highlight may be "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars," a textured bossa nova jam that has Smith shouting "Oh, my God!" by the tune's end. With playing like this, there's a good chance listeners will be echoing Smith's sentiments.

Fourmost

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Tara O'Grady - A Celt In The Cotton Club

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:49
Size: 111.8 MB
Styles: Swing, Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. On Feeling Blue
[2:41] 2. You Won't Get Me There Tonight
[4:12] 3. Black Is The Color
[3:21] 4. In Belfast Tonight
[3:22] 5. Go Lassie Go
[4:12] 6. To Be Missing The Sun
[2:53] 7. Love Me Lovely Lashes
[4:17] 8. That's What The Miners Would Say
[3:31] 9. Where's My Valentine
[4:31] 10. La Dee Da
[4:56] 11. Gardenia Girl
[5:33] 12. Too Ra Loo Ra
[0:39] 13. (Hidden Track)

Awarded Irish Voice’s Most Influential Woman 2010 presented by Ireland's Prime Minister, the singer-songwriter has four CD releases, Black Irish (2010), Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (2011), A Celt in the Cotton Club (2013), and Irish Bayou (2015) and has performed at festivals from Butte, Montana to Austin, Texas's famous South By Southwest-SXSW.

"This torchy chanteuse leads one of the most badass old-time swing bands you'll ever hear. One thing that distinguishes her from the legions of come-hither, moldy fig front women is that O'Grady writes her own songs - when she's at the top of her game, which she generally seems to be, they sound like classics from the 1930s. She brings Bessie Smith into this century with lickety-split swing." ~ New York Music Daily

A Celt In The Cotton Club

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Booker Little & Booker Ervin - Sounds Of The Inner City

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:52
Size: 66,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:20)  1. Scoochie
(4:46)  2. Cycles
(3:41)  3. Stardust
(6:52)  4. The Confined Few
(3:39)  5. Blues De Tambour
(4:32)  6. Witch Fire

Two masters of hard bop, trumpeter Booker Little and tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, square off on this 1960 session reissued by Collectables as Sounds of the Inner City. This date has been released under various titles over the years since its original inception as Teddy Charles' New Directions Quartet Featuring Booker Little and Booker Ervin. Most of the material is straight-ahead bop under the leadership of vibraphonist Teddy Charles with Mal Waldron on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Ed Shaunesssy on drums. This is a noteworthy reissue considering that there are so few instances of Little's lyrical trumpet style and Ervin's passionate tenor recorded together. Original compositions include Ervin's "Scoochie," Little's "The Confined Few" and "Witch Fire," Shaunessy's "Blues de Tambour," pianist Ahmad Jamal's "Cycles," plus the standard "Stardust" (receiving an especially melancholy treatment.) The only complaint is the lack of liner notes, which excludes information on personnel and session history.~Al Campbell http://www.allmusic.com/album/sounds-of-the-inner-city-mw0000052199

Personnel: Booker Little (trumpet); Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone).

Sounds Of The Inner City

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Toots Thielemans - The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:24
Size: 98,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. You Are My Sunshine
(5:24)  2. Nuages
(4:37)  3. Five O'Clock Whistle
(4:59)  4. Soul
(4:23)  5. Lonesome Road
(2:59)  6. Misty
(6:34)  7. Confirmation
(4:55)  8. Les Enfants S'ennuient Le Dimanche
(2:12)  9. Brother John

This somewhat obscure date by the great jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans also features the leader playing some fine guitar (most notably on "Lonesome Road") and taking one of his first whistling solos on "Brother John." With pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tom Bryant and drummer Oliver Jackson completing the quartet, Thielemans is in excellent form introducing two of his originals and jamming such tunes as "You Are My Sunshine," "Nuages" and "Confirmation." 

The music on this enjoyable 1986 Doctor Jazz reissue LP of a Signature session is currently out of print.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-soul-of-toots-thielemans-mw0000197284

Personnel: Toots Thielemans (harmonica, electric guitar & whistling); Ray Bryant (piano);  Tom Bryant (bass);  Oliver Jackson (drums).

The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

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Tubby Hayes - Tubby's Groove

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1960

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 40:05

Size: 91,8 MB

Art: Front

(9:29)  1. Tin Tin Deo

(5:11)  2. Embers

(5:48)  3. Like Some One In Love

(6:06)  4. Surrey With The Fringe On Top

(7:41)  5. Sunny Monday

(5:47)  6. Blue Hayes

One of England's top jazz musicians of the 1950s and '60s, Tubby Hayes was a fine hard bop stylist on tenor and occasionally vibes and flute. A professional at 15, Hayes played with Kenny Baker and in the big bands of Ambrose, Vic Lewis, and Jack Parnell during 1951-1955. He led his own group after that, and started doubling on vibes in 1956. Hayes co-led the Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott (1957-1959), and appeared in the U.S. a few times during 1961-1965. He headed his own big band in London, sat in with Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1964, and was featured at many European festivals. Heart trouble forced him out of action during 1969-1971, and caused his premature death. Tubby Hayes led sessions for Tempo (1955-1959), London, Jazzland (1959), Fontana, Epic (a 1961 date with Clark Terry and Horace Parlan), Smash (a 1962 album which matched him with James Moody and Roland Kirk), 77, Spotlite, and Mole.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tubby-hayes-mn0000842398/biography

Personnel :  Tubby Hayes (tenor sax);  Terry Shannon (piano);  Jeff Clyne (bass);  Phil Seamen (drums)

Tubby's Groove

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George Cables - One For My Baby

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:55
Size: 150.9 MB
Styles: Post bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[8:53] 1. Drop Me Off In Harlem
[7:28] 2. Virgo
[9:04] 3. My Foolish Heart
[9:15] 4. I Should Care
[5:41] 5. Capricious
[6:38] 6. Emily
[8:54] 7. Anna Maria
[9:59] 8. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

George Cables draws from a variety of standards and jazz compositions by well-known composers for this 2000 trio date with bassist Jim Anderson and drummer Yoron Israel, the latter appearing for the first time with the pianist on a record date. Cables starts with a decidedly bop-flavored take of Duke Ellington's "Drop Me off in Harlem," romps through Billy Taylor's lively calypso "Capricious," and offers stunning interpretations of two gems by Wayne Shorter, "Virgo" and "Anna Maria." His interpretations of the standards are also of high value. He glides effortlessly through Johnny Mandel's "Emily" (a favorite of the late pianist Bill Evans and many others), while his sensitive rendition of the lush ballad "My Foolish Heart" is very lyrical. The session wraps with a loping, blues-drenched take of "One for My Baby." ~Ken Dryden

One For My Baby

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Jane Jarvis, Jay Leonhart - Jane And Jay At Duke's Place

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 59:50

Size: 137.0 MB

Styles: Mainstream jazz, Piano jazz

Year: 1995

Art: Front

[7:13] 1. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

[3:37] 2. Azure

[5:01] 3. Kisse

[5:14] 4. In A Sentimental Mood

[6:35] 5. Take The 'a' Train

[4:27] 6. Mood Indigo

[4:31] 7. Caravan

[4:53] 8. Satin Doll

[4:36] 9. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

[3:59] 10. C Jam Blues

[6:13] 11. Rose Room-In A Mellow Tone

[3:24] 12. To Duke

Swing pianist Jane Jarvis and versatile bassist Jay Leonhart decided to perform a set of Duke Ellington songs for this set of duets. Most of the tunes are quite familiar, other than 1967's "Kisse" and Jarvis' original "For Duke," but the duo shows that there is still plenty of life to be found in these warhorses. No rehearsal took place beforehand and they did not even discuss what the framework was going to be to the songs. Despite that, all but two tunes only needed to be played once and nearly all of this CD is made up of first takes. Leonhart's bowed solos are a particular joy, as are Jarvis' chord voicings. This is an underrated gem. ~Scott Yanow

Jane And Jay At Duke's Place

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Rusty Draper - Sings Night Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:55
Size: 82.2 MB
Styles: Country, Big band
Year: 1965/2015
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. Night Life
[3:56] 2. One For My Baby
[2:58] 3. Crazy
[2:11] 4. Look Down That Lonesome Road
[2:33] 5. I Gotta Have My Baby Back
[3:36] 6. Midnight Sun
[2:30] 7. The Lady Of The House
[3:36] 8. Skylark
[2:47] 9. I Miss You So
[3:08] 10. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[3:24] 11. St. James Infirmory
[2:46] 12. The Party's Over

Rusty Draper was a singer, a showman and a star, a country- and pop-music workhorse who scored gold records and made dozens of albums during a career that spanned more than three decades and made him a familiar name in glitzy show-biz circles of the time. But at home in little North Bend, where he and his wife lived for more than 30 years, Rusty Draper was just a quiet, modest resident who abhorred ostentatiousness and would just as soon shoot a round of golf and strum his guitar than sign autographs.

Mr. Draper, best known for 1950s and 1960s country hits "Gambler's Guitar," "Shifting Whispering Sands" and "Night Life," died of pneumonia Friday (March 28) at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue after a 20-year battle with heart disease, strokes and most recently throat cancer, which stole his famous voice. He was 80.

"He was much bigger than he ever thought he was," said Fay Draper of North Bend, his wife of 38 years and manager of 36. "He was a very humble man. You couldn't get him to talk about himself as a rule. But he was booked at least three or four years ahead of time."

Born Farrell Draper in Kirksville, Mo., on Jan. 25, 1923, Mr. Draper was already singing and strumming on the radio by age 12, his thick head of red hair lending him his stage name. As a teen he sang his way through Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois before ending up in San Francisco. There he landed gigs as master of ceremonies and singer at up-and-coming music clubs. ~Ian Ith

Sings Night Life

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Woody Shaw - The Time Is Right

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 46:56

Size: 107.4 MB

Styles: Hard bop, Trumpet jazz

Year: 1983/2010

Art: Front

[12:16] 1. From Moment To Moment

[12:03] 2. Time Is Right

[12:16] 3. You And The Night And The Music

[10:19] 4. We'll Be Together Again

Although the quintet featured on this CD reissue from the Italian Red label was one of trumpeter Woody Shaw's finest, it failed to make much of an impact before breaking up. Teamed with trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Stafford James and drummer Tony Reedus for an Italian concert, Shaw stretches out on two of his originals plus "You And The Night And The Music" and "We'll Be Together Again"; all four of the numbers clock in between 10-12 minutes apiece. High-quality advanced hard bop. ~Scott Yanow

The Time Is Right

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Peter Bernstein Quartet - Signs Of Life

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:14
Size: 166,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:04)  1. Blues For Bulgaria
(7:17)  2. Jet Stream
(9:43)  3. Jive Coffee
(6:46)  4. The Things We Did Last Summer
(8:15)  5. Minor Changes
(6:57)  6. Will You Still Be Mine
(9:43)  7. Signs Of Life
(8:04)  8. Nobody Else But Me
(7:20)  9. My Ideal

Peter Bernstein's second CD as a leader reunites him with pianist Brad Mehldau and once again features him in a quartet. However, both Bernstein and Mehldau had grown quite a bit as soloists during the previous two years (the pianist really tears into "Nobody Else but Me") and this time they are joined by the virtuosic bassist Christian McBride and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. In addition, the songs (five Bernstein originals and four standards) are stronger and challenge the soloists to play at their best. Among the highlights are "Jet Stream," "Jive Coffee" (Bernstein's sly revision of "Tea for Two"), "Will You Still Be Mine," and a tasteful "My Ideal" in addition to "Nobody Else but Me." An excellent effort.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/signs-of-life-mw0000031126

Personnel:  Peter Bernstein – guitar;  Brad Mehldau – piano;  Christian McBride – bass;  Gregory Hutchinson - drums

Signs Of Life

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Jimmy Smith - Fourmost Return

Styles: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:20
Size: 111,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:36)  1. Sonnymoon For Two
( 6:15)  2. Mood Indigio
( 3:31)  3. Ain't She Sweet
( 6:36)  4. Back At The Chicken Shack
( 5:06)  5. Organ Grinder's Swing
(10:48)  6. Laura
(10:25)  7. Blues For Stanley

Recorded during the same 1990 gig at Fat Tuesday's as the earlier Fourmost CD, Fourmost Return features Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and Grady Tate in great form once again, so this is no compilation of lukewarm leftovers. The music includes a burning, up-tempo take of "Sonnymoon for Two" and a bluesy and lyrical interpretation of "Mood Indigo," as well as an initially lounge-like "Laura" that gives way to a hot solo by Burrell.

Smith also revives his popular "Back at the Chicken Shack" and adds a good-natured but rather hoarse vocal to the oldie "Ain't She Sweet." All the players are in top form and this release should appeal to fans of soul-jazz.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/fourmost-return-mw0000001872

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (vocals, organ); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Grady Tate (drums).

Fourmost Return

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Salena Jones - Feelings Change

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:36
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Stuck On You
(3:16)  2. My Guy
(4:44)  3. Just A Gentle Rain
(3:26)  4. Stand By Me
(4:47)  5. You Are Always On My Mind
(4:07)  6. Something In Return
(3:30)  7. Even The Nights Are Better
(4:10)  8. You Decorated My Life
(4:39)  9. Up Where You Belong
(4:14) 10. Make The Most Of Love Tonight
(4:00) 11. Feelings Change

Born in Newport News, VA, in 1944, Salena Jones (real name: Joan Elizabeth Shaw) would over the course of a 60-plus-year career become one of the leading vocalists of swing music, performing in a number of countries in Europe and Asia and recording a number of albums. Jones got her first break at the famed Apollo Theater in New York, winning a talent contest that resulted in a record deal. She spent the early part of her career touring and performing with such leading lights as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington. Her first forays overseas, to Spain and the U.K., were in the mid-'60s and were to begin a life spent mostly outside the rather fickle confines of the United States. In 1978, she made her first appearance in Japan and performed there on an annual basis. By the first decade of the 21st century, she had performed on most continents, recorded more than 40 albums, and sang at the 2006 Shanghai International Jazz Festival.~Chris True http://www.allmusic.com/artist/salena-jones-mn0000290681

Feelings Change

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Al Caiola - Deep in a Dream

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:07
Size: 108,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Love Letters
(3:57)  2. There'll Never Be Another You
(4:29)  3. I Got it Bad
(4:33)  4. Everything Happens to Me
(4:39)  5. Deep in a Dream
(4:21)  6. You are too Beautiful
(3:55)  7. I Got a Crush on You
(4:57)  8. Thunderbird

Al Caiola is a guitarist who initially made his reputation as a session musician, playing on records made by Percy Faith and Andre Kostelanetz, among others. Caiola was the conductor and arranger for United Artists Records in the late '40s and early '50s. After leaving UA, he signed with RCA, where he released a number of singles in the '50s. In the early '60s, he went back to United Artists, which is where he scored his first hit with the theme to the film The Magnificent Seven. The single peaked at 35 in early 1961 and it was quickly followed by the theme to the television series Bonanza, which climbed to number 19. 

For the rest of the '60s, Caiola released a number of easy listening instrumental albums. During the decade he also hosted a television show, which was only aired for a short while. Caiola continued to record throughout the '70s and into the '80s.~Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-caiola-mn0000609000

Personnel: Al Caiola (guitar), Bernie Privin (trumpet), Hank Jones (piano), Clyde Lombardi (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

Deep in a Dream

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Mose Allison - Blues Pianist

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 62:08

Size: 142.3 MB

Styles: Jazz/blues piano

Year: 2014

Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Everything I Have Is Yours

[4:08] 2. Let Me See

[3:54] 3. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues

[2:33] 4. The Song Is Ended

[2:15] 5. I Don't Worry About A Thing

[2:41] 6. It Didn't Turn Out That Way

[2:34] 7. Your Mind Is On Vacation

[3:46] 8. If You're Goin' To The City

[3:56] 9. Stand By

[4:15] 10. Idyll

[3:22] 11. Stop This World

[3:20] 12. The Well

[3:02] 13. New Parchman

[2:44] 14. Don't Forget To Smile

[2:52] 15. What's With You

[1:45] 16. Just Like Livin'

[2:40] 17. Everybody's Cryin' Mercy

[2:58] 18. Rollin' Stone

[2:33] 19. Meet Me At No Special Place

[2:34] 20. Seventh Son

In 2012 Mose was honored with a blues marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in his home town of Tippo, Mississippi.

Mose Allison, pianist/singer/composer, has been a major influence on musicians of the last 50 years and has spent a good deal of his life touring and playing in jazz rooms all over the world. His songs have been recorded by many, among them, The Who, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, The Clash and Diana Krall. His singular style, a unique blending of jazz and blues, and his profound lyrical wit, mark him as a true American original.

Blues Pianist

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Donald Byrd & Doug Watkins - The Transition Sessions (2-Disc Set)

This CD compilation collects three separate sessions recorded by Donald Byrd and Doug Watkins for Transition with various small groups. The 1955 recordings (first issued under the title Byrd's Eye View) were made shortly after Byrd replaced Kenny Dorham in the Jazz Messengers, all of whom (Horace Silver, Art Blakey, and Hank Mobley, along with Byrd and Watkins) are present, with the addition of local trumpeter Joe Gordon as a guest on two tracks. The half-dozen songs mix an improvised blues ("Doug's Blues"), a favorite from the swing era ("Crazy Rhythm"), a ballad feature for Byrd and Mobley ("Everything Happens to Me"), plus a pair of potent hard bop pieces contributed by the tenor saxophonist. The second session, recorded at engineer Stephen Fassett's Beacon Hill home, features two local musicians (pianist Ray Santisis and drummer Jimmy Zitano) joining Byrd and Watkins; it was first released as Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill. This set is heavily ballad-oriented, with the exception of the surprising choice of Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway." Byrd sits out both "People Will Say We're in Love" and "What's New." The final of the three sessions in this two-CD set marks the bassist's debut release (Watkins at Large), and it proves to be the most interesting. Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, Duke Jordan, and Art Taylor are on hand, with the music including a piece written for a 1953 movie soundtrack (Dmitri Tomkin's "Return to Paradise"), Thad Jones' pulsating "More of the Same," as well as originals contributed by both Burrell and Jordan. These three enjoyable but often overlooked studio dates from the early days of hard bop make this reissue well worth purchasing. ~Ken Dryden

Album: The Transition Sessions (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 73:16

Size: 167.7 MB

Styles: Hard bop

Year: 2002

[12:06] 1. Doug's Blues

[10:02] 2. El Sino

[ 7:33] 3. Crazy Rhythm

[ 5:44] 4. Everything Happens To Me

[ 7:28] 5. Hank's Other Tune (Aka The Late Show)

[ 7:42] 6. Hank's Tune

[ 7:01] 7. Little Rock Getaway

[ 7:18] 8. Polka Dots And Moonbeams

[ 4:38] 9. If I Love Again

[ 3:40] 10. Stella By Starlight

The Transition Sessions (Disc 1)

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Album: The Transition Sessions (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 49:28

Size: 113.3 MB

Styles: Hard bop

Year: 2002

Art: Front

[12:47] 1. Return To Paradise

[ 9:21] 2. Phinupi

[ 4:53] 3. Phil T. Mcnasty's Blues

[10:01] 4. More On The Same

[ 3:48] 5. Panonica

[ 3:36] 6. People Will Say We're In Love

[ 5:00] 7. What's New

The Transition Sessions (Disc 2)

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Janiece Jaffe - It Takes Two

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:56
Size: 123.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[4:07] 1. Blue Bossa
[2:45] 2. Till There Was You
[3:46] 3. You Go To My Head
[3:27] 4. My Romance
[5:26] 5. Blue Moon
[3:20] 6. La Vie En Rose
[5:10] 7. Angel Eyes
[3:12] 8. Harlem Nocturne
[3:57] 9. Rain On The Roses
[2:52] 10. The Nearness Of You
[4:57] 11. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[2:58] 12. Prelude To A Kiss
[3:19] 13. Lotus Blossom
[4:35] 14. Gentle Rain

For her second album as a leader, Indiana denizen Janiece Jaffe has chosen to limit her accompaniment to guitar and bass, each separately. Guitar player Marcos Cavalcante provides the support on six cuts, while bass player Tom Hildreth is on the remaining eight tracks. Jaffe is in good company with just the one instrument approach. Sheila Jordan recorded with bass players Arild Andersen and Harvie Swartz behind her. More recently, fine Chicago songstress Jackie Allen has recorded with bass player Hans Sturm. On the guitar/voice side, Nancy King has been to the studio with guitar player Glen Moore to turn out exceptional albums.

With this sparse instrumental assistance, the singer has to be ready to carry more of the performance than she otherwise would. The results of Jaffe's efforts are mixed. She has exceptional range, good diction and works well with her accompanists. Her voice carries a slight vibrato which she uses to good effect, especially at the end of a phrase. On some cuts, however, she stays too long at the higher end of her range causing her voice to get a bit thin, as on "My Romance" and "Angel Eyes." Hildreth saves the track with some choice bass soloing. When Jaffe takes a more balanced direction, using her full vocal capacity, the results are more satisfying, as on a blusey "Just a Lucky So and So," highlighted by some good wordless vocalizing. Another outstanding rendition comes with "Gentle Rain." Both these cuts find her with Cavalcante's guitar, which fits her voice better than the bass, at least on this disc. The very good vocal/bass rendition of "Till There Was You," however, shows that it is possible for Jaffe to work well with a bass without straining. But this cut is the exception rather than the rule. Nonetheless, this CD has much to offer and will be a welcome addition to one's vocal collection. ~Dave Nathan

It Takes Two

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Eric Dolphy With Booker Little - Far Cry

Styles:  Saxophone, Clarinet And Flute Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:24
Size: 111,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:03)  1. Mrs.Parker of K.C. (Bird's Mother)
(8:45)  2. Ode To Charlie Parker
(3:55)  3. Far Cry
(4:18)  4. Miss Ann
(6:42)  5. Left Alone
(4:20)  6. Tenderly
(5:41)  7. It's Magic
(6:37)  8. Serene

In the early sixties, Eric Dolphy was one of the young rebels responsible for moving jazz forward in giant strides, advancements that led some to call his music “anti-jazz”. Although not quite as deliberately bizarre as Out to Lunch, Far Cry is still exactly that: a far cry from what virtually everyone considered jazz to be. On this session Dolphy is joined by two like-minded weirdos in Little and Byard, as well as an able rhythm section in Carter and Haynes (who benefit the most from the 20-bit remastering). Everything that we’ve come to love about Dolphy is on display here, from the unorthodox instruments to the stuttering, belligerent solos that seem to go from New York to LA by way of Saturn.

Although the first two tracks bear titles that pay tribute to Charlie Parker, Dolphy mainly keeps his Bird influences in his back pocket, instead exploring daring intervallic leaps and abstract phrasing (there’s even an unaccompanied saxophone solo, something no one since Coleman Hawkins had really successfully explored). Like Dolphy, Little was another prodigy who died early in his career; his smoothly wandering lines provide a sharp contrast to Dolphy’s prickly approach. Byard, of course, has an affection for all styles of piano playing and often welds them into the same passage, a technique he would really perfect in the company of Roland Kirk. At the time, this was forward thinking music that even today has a whiff of the avant-garde.However, some may prefer Dolphy’s earlier work as a sideman; in more straightforward sessions like Oliver Nelson’s Blues and the Abstract Truth or Chico Hamilton’s Gongs East, Dolphy makes more of an impact, simply because his contributions are so startling compared to the other players. Far Cry, a bold attempt to challenge the status quo, shows how others had begun to catch up to the new thing.~David Rickert http://www.allaboutjazz.com/far-cry-eric-dolphy-fantasy-jazz-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Eric Dolphy-bass clarinet, alto sax, flute; Booker Little-trumpet; Jaki Byard-piano; Ron Carter-bass; Roy Haynes-drums.

Far Cry

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Brad Mehldau - Live In Tokyo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:40
Size: 162,9 MB
Art: Front

( 4:37)  1. Things Behind The Sun
( 2:42)  2. Intro
( 9:55)  3. Someone To Watch Over Me
( 7:55)  4. From This Moment On
( 7:59)  5. Monk's Dream
(19:29)  6. Paranoid Android
( 9:00)  7. How Long Has This Been Going On
( 8:59)  8. River Man

With boundless energy and seemingly endless imagination, Brad Mehldau has evolved into one of the most prolific jazz musicians in the world today. Little surprise then, that a little over six months after the latest release with his trio, we have another sterling piece of work, his first on his new label affiliation. Fans of his oeuvre are well acquainted with his live recordings both solo and in a group setting and some may miss the intricate interaction with drummer Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier on Live in Tokyo at least to start. But throughout this disc, Mehldau plays beautifully on his own, his work is florid with detail, yet never just flowery. There is a deeply felt passion in all he plays, and that's exactly why he is so engrossing to hear: in a solo setting Mehldau demonstrates how he selects his ideas altogether discriminatingly from what must be a veritable flood of variations that occur to him as he plays. It's not long into listening to Live in Tokyo that you are reminded how skillfully he runs the gamut of emotion in his playing. Like precocious guitar wunderkind Derek Trucks, Mehldau becomes so deeply immersed in his playing it's as if he is in some kind of meditation and certainly, without any religious or even secular trappings to intrude, there is a definite spiritual aspect to Mehldau's music. But it is based on a deep knowledge of jazz history and an equally profound confidence that he can pay homage to icons such as Monk and Gershwin and still transcend tribute by dint of his own technical skill and improvisational inspiration. From carefree flights of fancy to dark ruminations on a chord progression, to knotty resolutions of melodic motifs. Mehldau makes music of these songs that stands on its own, on par with the material itself, no easy task and no small accomplishment.

On 2002's Largo studio project, Brad Mehldau incorporated horns, electric guitars and electronic ambience into this solid traditional jazz foundation without shortchanging either approach. It was an utterly contemporary marriage of style, not unlike the way Jeff Tweedy and Wilco have transformed folk music into new millennium rock. Perhaps not unconfidently, Live in Tokyo is bookended by interpretations of unsung British folk iconoclast Nick Drake and in addition, during this comparatively pure solo setting Mehldau reminds us of his special fondness for Radiohead as he covers "Paranoid Android"; the young pianist covered the Beatles ("Dear Prudence" on Largo ) and Paul Simon ("Still Crazy After All These Years" appeared prominently on his early 2004 trio session Anything Goes ), proof positive he appreciates a melody both minimal and ornate, and adjusts his playing accordingly. In much the same way he modifies his pace when performing with his aforementioned bandmates: he doesn't so much slow down as make room for them and allow them to catch up and keep pace with the flow of ideas. He is the center of gravity around which they orbit, the playing intersecting at various points on their shared plane. Alone Mehldau utilizes his right and left hands in a similar manner and in so doing, expands the scope of dynamics he uses, moving slower or faster when so moved, his playing more or less spare, more or less complex, but never merely complicated for its own sake. It's not to demean Brad Mehldau to say that, watching him on stage, as he collects his thoughts, centers himself, then bends over the keyboard to play, he recalls Charles Schulz's character Schroeder from the Peanuts comic strip. Remember how the musical notes just flow without interruption from that little guy's head when he begins to play? The effect is much the same when you watch this man, a marvelous vision not all that much less impressive when you are just listening to this disc.~Doug Collette http://www.allaboutjazz.com/brad-mehldau-live-in-tokyo-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Brad Mehldau: solo piano

Live In Tokyo

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Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart - Live At Smalls

Styles: Guitar Jazz

Year: 2011

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 69:27

Size: 159,3 MB

Art: Front

(10:56)  1. Chant

(10:00)  2. Molto Molto

(10:53)  3. Everytime We Say Goodbye

( 9:09)  4. Just A Thought

(12:13)  5. Milestones

( 9:17)  6. Nobody Else But Me

( 6:56)  7. The Danger Zone

Here’s proof that guitarist Peter Bernstein, Hammond B3 organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart excel at the art of the slow burn. Tempos aren’t rushed. Solos aren’t feverishly pitched. Call-and-response exchanges aren’t overheated. Instead, the trio shrewdly hews to a series of organ-combo grooves, turning this Manhattan club date into a simmering, soulful delight. Nothing is more sublime than the performance of “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.” Bernstein subtly embellishes the theme with Jim Hall-like finesse and, thanks largely to Stewart’s cushioning brushwork, it isn’t long before the melody is floating in the air. The burn factor rises on this track, and elsewhere on the album, when Goldings begins to pull out the stops, but don’t anticipate a lot of fuss and flash. Even Goldings’ performance on “Molto Molto,” which he wrote, isn’t molto busy. Look forward, instead, to Bernstein’s softly glowing rumination “Just a Thought,” and a slinky, blues-hued arrangement of Jerome Kern’s “Nobody Else But Me.” A 12-minute take on “Milestones” burns brightest, but there are times when even that track, with its bleeping sci-fi atmospherics, sounds more whimsical than wired. Not to be overlooked, too, is the way the trio salutes Ray Charles via Percy Mayfield’s “The Danger Zone,” which is saved for last. Bernstein is in slow shuffle mode, fluidly mixing blues riffs with jazz chromaticism until Goldings adds touches of Southern gospel fervor just the right note for the album’s closer. Amen.~Mike Joyce http://jazztimes.com/articles/29605-live-at-smalls-bernstein-goldings-stewart

Live At Smalls

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Bob Dorough, Bill Takas - Sing And Swing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:29
Size: 124.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1984/2011
Art: Front

[4:35] 1. Everything Happens To Me
[4:41] 2. Bijou, I'm Crazy For You
[7:49] 3. When Sunny Gets Blue
[4:56] 4. Be Careful, It's My Heart
[2:53] 5. It's Not Easy Being Green
[5:43] 6. Route 66
[5:07] 7. Moonlight In Vermont
[5:44] 8. Yardbird Suite
[7:15] 9. Quiet Nights
[5:42] 10. Better Than Anything

Bass – Bill Takas; Piano, Voice – Bob Dorough.

Although neglected and underexposed most of his life, Bob Dorough is an adventurous, risk-taking master of vocalese (the process of writing and singing lyrics to instrumental jazz solos) and scat singing who has directly or indirectly influenced Mark Murphy, Michael Franks, Mose Allison, and Kurt Elling. The Arkansas native started out on piano in the 1940s, then took up singing in the early '50s (when he played for boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, an entertainer at the time). From 1954-1955, Dorough lived in Paris, where he recorded with singer Blossom Dearie. The improviser launched his own recording career when he signed with Bethlehem in 1955 and recorded the excellent Devil May Care, which introduced the defiant title song and lyrics to Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite." But sadly, he recorded only sporadically after that. In 1962, Dorough co-wrote "Comin' Home Baby" (a hit for Mel Tormé) with Ben Tucker, and in 1966, he recorded his second album, Just About Everything, for Focus. In the early '70s, he began writing and directing the series of educational children's TV programs, Schoolhouse Rock. Though instructional material became his bread and butter, Dorough recorded obscure jazz dates for 52 Rue East, Orange Blue, Pinnacle, Boomdido, Laissez-Faire, and other tiny labels in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1997, a 73-year-old Dorough received some long-overdue attention from a major label when the Capitol-distributed Blue Note released Right on My Way Home. Too Much Coffee Man followed in the spring of 2000. His Sunday brunch residency at New York's Iridium club culminated in 2004's live offering Sunday at Iridium and, at a sprightly 82 years of age, Dorough traveled to England for a series of live dates. The tour culminated in a recording session that spawned the charming Small Day Tomorrow album in 2006. ~bio by Alex Henderson

Sing And Swing

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