Gerry Mulligan - Little Big Horn

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 2014

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:21

Size: 91,2 MB

Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Little Big Horn

(6:54)  2. Under A Star

(6:46)  3. Sun On Stairs

(5:46)  4. Another Kind Of Sunday

(6:54)  5. Bright Angel Falls

(3:55)  6. I Never Was A Young Man

On one of the first relatively straightahead sessions for GRP, baritonist Gerry Mulligan (accompanied by a rhythm section led by Dave Grusin's keyboards with an occasional horn section) performs six of his then-recent compositions including the title cut. Strangely enough, the most memorable selection is "I Never Was a Young Man" which has a rare but very effective Mulligan vocal. Otherwise the music is good but not classic.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/little-big-horn-mw0000649665

Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone, vocals), Lou Marini (alto saxophone), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone), Marvin Stamm, Alan Rubin (trumpet), Keith O'Quinn (trombone), Richard Tee (piano), Dave Grusin (keyboards, synthesizer), Anthony Jackson, Jay Leonhart (bass), Buddy Williams, Butch Miles (drums).

Little Big Horn

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Barbara Lynn - Here Is Barbara Lynn

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:19
Size: 69,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:04)  1. You'll Lose A Good Thing
(2:55)  2. Take Your Love And Run
(2:15)  3. Maybe We Can Slip Away
(2:11)  4. Sure Is Worth It
(2:15)  5. Only You Know How To Love Me
(3:05)  6. I'll Suffer
(2:20)  7. You're Losing Me
(2:31)  8. Sufferin' City
(2:42)  9. Multiplying Pain
(2:33) 10. Why Can't You Love Me
(1:59) 11. Mix It Up Baby
(2:24) 12. This Is The Thanks I Get

To be a woman singing your own blues and soul songs in 1960s Texas was a rare thing. To do so while brandishing a left-handed Stratocaster and bashing out hard-edged licks was even rarer. Yet that's just what Barbara Lynn did, inspired by Guitar Slim, Jimmy Reed, Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee. And it was a hit: her 1962 debut single, You'll Lose A Good Thing, recorded with session musicians including Dr. John, gave her an R&B chart Number One and a Billboard chart Top 10 hit. It was a path that Lynn chose at elementary school in 1940s Beaumont, Texas, when she told her mother she wanted to play guitar. ''I decided that playing piano was a little bit too common, you know what I mean?'' says Lynn in the new liner notes. ''You'd always see a lady or a little girl sitting at a piano. I decided I wanted to play something more unexpected, so that's when I got interested in learning to play the guitar.'' Self-taught, first on the ukulele and then on a guitar, Lynn formed her first group, Barbara Lynn and Her Idols, while still at school and soon took the local scene by storm. Hers was a powerful talent in a petite package, a performer who could stand up against the best - even as a teenager.

Spotted while performing, underage, in Louisiana, she was offered the chance to record her own material, songs that filtered the experience of being a black Texan teen with power, feel, and guts. Ten of the twelve tracks on her debut album were her own compositions. ''It took a lot of time,'' Lynn remembers of the recording process, ''but we got Good Thing, we got our hit. I loved it. I loved meeting the new musicians; a lot of the guys who played on that record became friends. And seeing how the engineers worked and how they produced the sounds, all of that was really interesting to me.'' The success of that single took Lynn out on the road with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, BB King, The Supremes, Chuck Berry, Guitar Slim, and The Temptations. BB King even wrote a letter to Lynn's mother to tell her what a talented daughter she'd raised. She appeared at the Apollo Theater, she was twice on American Bandstand, and one of her songs, Oh Baby (We've Got A Good Thing Goin') was covered by The Rolling Stones.

Though she was a precocious performer, hers is a talent that came to full bloom on Here Is Barbara Lynn, her 1968 album produced by Huey P. Meaux and originally released on Atlantic Records. The record was conceived as an introduction to Lynn's prodigious talents: her deeply felt guitar playing, her gutsy soulful singing skills, and her songwriting prowess. It combined her early hit with a raft of new songs, each packed with Lynn's passion and fire. Yet the introduction to her world - now reissued by Light In The Attic - largely proved to be her swansong. She married in 1970, aged 28, had three children, and largely retired from the music industry for most of the '70s and '80s. Now touring again, she's amused to think of her 46 year-old album gaining new fans. ''I hear this album, and it seems like... it seems like the old times to me,'' she says. ''I don't know, it's strange to know it's coming out again. It is going to be a wild, first time thing for me, like going back in time. But I'm excited to see what happens.''~Editorial Reviews http://www.amazon.com/Here-Barbara-Lynn-Gram-Vinyl/dp/B00NWFE9KM

Here Is Barbara Lynn

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Kirk Whalum - The Babyface Songbook

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:19
Size: 131,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
(4:22)  2. I'll Make Love To You
(4:36)  3. Ca We Talk
(4:47)  4. When Can I See You
(4:44)  5. For The Cool In You
(4:27)  6. Breathe Again
(5:00)  7. Betcha Never
(5:17)  8. Someon To Love
(4:50)  9. Not Goin' Cry
(5:25) 10. Whip Appeal
(4:07) 11. I Said I Love You
(4:57) 12. Wey U

The title of saxophonist Kirk Whalum's 2005 album Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook speaks for itself. You get smooth jazz icon Whalum taking on R&B icon Babyface's best songs of the past 15 years, including "Waiting to Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," "I'll Make Love to You," "When Can I See You," and others. Joining in the intimate and stylish proceedings are other smooth jazz notables, including trumpeter Rick Braun, who adds a boppish elan to "Can We Talk," soprano superstar Dave Koz, and guitarists Norman Brown and Chuck Loeb among others. Fans of Whalum and Babyface alike should find much to enjoy here.~Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/kirk-whalum-performs-the-babyface-songbook-mw0000174120

Personnel: Kirk Whalum (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Kirk Whalum; John Stoddart (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Norman Brown (guitar); Mark Portmann (strings, keyboards, programming); Takana Miyamoto (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Ricky Peterson (Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Andy Snitzer (keyboards, programming); Christian McBride (bass guitar); Bashiri Johnson (percussion); Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Juan Winans, Melinda Doolittle, Babyface (background vocals); Chuck Loeb (acoustic guitar); Dave Koz (soprano saxophone); Rick Braun (trumpet, flugelhorn).

The Babyface Songbook

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Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns - A Blow For Me, A Toot To You

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:27
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(9:15)  1. Up For The Down Stroke
(7:23)  2. A Blow For Me, A Toot To You
(4:24)  3. When In Doubt: Vamp
(6:52)  4. Between Two Sheets
(8:05)  5. Four Play
(6:02)  6. Peace Fugue
(7:12)  7. A Blow For Me, A Toot To You [remix]
(7:07)  8. Four Play [remix]
(2:03)  9. Interview

Having been in the employ of James Brown, who gave them a first-class education in funk and soul, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker were obvious choices to contribute to George Clinton's P-Funk empire (the Godfather of Soul was a major influence on Clinton). In 1977, Clinton and Bootsy Collins produced A Blow for Me, A Toot for You, the debut album by Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns a group that boasted Wesley on trombone, Parker on tenor and alto sax, and Rick Gardner and Richard "Kush" Griffith on trumpet. Clinton and Collins did a lot of the writing, and not surprisingly, much of this vinyl LP is pure P-Funk. The album gets off to a gritty start with a remake of Parliament's "Up for the Down Stroke," and the Parliament influence is equally strong on "Between Two Sheets." As for the instrumentals, "Four Play" blends funk and jazz, while Wesley's moody "Peace Fugue" isn't unlike something you would have heard on a CTI recording in the 1970s. "Peace Fugue," in fact, is the least Clinton-sounding thing on the LP. A Blow for Me, A Toot for You may not be in the same class as Parliament's Mothership Connection, Collins' Ahh...The Name is Bootsy, Baby! or Funkadelic's One Nation Under a Groove, but not many LPs were. Overall, it's a likable record that anyone who loves P-Funk should be aware of.~Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-blow-for-me-a-toot-to-you-mw0000602306

Personnel :  Fred Wesley (trombone, background vocals); Bootsy Collins (guitar, bass instrument, drums, drum, background vocals); Phelps "Catfish" Collins (guitar, background vocals); Mike Hampton "Kid Funkadelic", Garry Shider, Glen Goins (guitar); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, background vocals); Richard "Kush" Griffith, Rick Gardner (trumpet, background vocals); The Brecker Brothers (horns); Bernie Worrell (keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Frankie "Kash" Waddy, Jerome Brailey (drums, drum).

A Blow For Me, A Toot To You

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Barb Jungr - Man in the Long Black Coat: Sings Bob Dylan

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2011

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 63:58

Size: 146,8 MB

Art: Front

(4:18)  1. Man in the Long Black Coat

(3:16)  2. The Times They Are a Changin

(4:08)  3. It Ain't Me Babe

(5:34)  4. Just Like a Woman

(6:09)  5. Like a Rolling Stone

(4:32)  6. Trouble in Mind

(5:58)  7. Tomorrow Is a Long Time

(6:04)  8. High Water (For Charlie Patton)

(5:07)  9. Sara

(4:57) 10. Ballad of Hollis Brown

(4:11) 11. Blind Willie McTell

(4:06) 12. With God On Our Side

(5:33) 13. I Shall Be Released

Barb Jungr has a new album devoted to the songs of Bob Dylan, Man In The Long Black Coat , celebrating Dylan's 70th birthday. A sympathetic and innovative interpreter of Dylan's work - principally because her own voice and delivery is unique the CD includes four regular live tracks: Sara, Man In The Long Black Coat, It Aint Me Babe and With God On Our Side, which appear on a Jungr CD for the first time. Approaching the songs as if they were all her own, the likes of Just Like A Woman is given a reggae/funk crossover, while those of a softer disposition may be drawn to a collection of Dylan songs that don't actually sound like Dylan songs.~http://www.barbjungr.co.uk/reviews-Man-In-The-Long-Black-Coat.html

Man in the Long Black Coat

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The Art Farmer Quintet - You Make Me Smile

Styles: Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:07
Size: 86,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. You Make Me Smile
(7:08)  2. Prelude No. 1
(5:49)  3. Nostalgia
(7:55)  4. Flashback
(6:58)  5. Souvenir
(4:49)  6. Have You Met Miss Jones?

Among the most consistent of jazzmen, flugelhornist Art Farmer sounds in fine form on this quintet outing with tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Akira Tana. 

The material, other than the standards "Nostalgia" and "Have You Met Miss Jones?" is more obscure than usual, with an adaptation of a Scriabin classical prelude and numbers by Rufus Reid, Farmer ("Flashback") and Benny Carter ("Souvenir"). Creative bop-based music with Farmer's usual subtlety clearly in evidence.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/you-make-me-smile-mw0000191813

Personnel: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone); Fred Hersch (piano); Akira Tana (drums).

You Mak

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Fred Wesley - New Friends

Styles: Trombone Jazz

Year: 1990

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 66:32

Size: 152,7 MB

Art: Front

(5:29)  1. Rockin' In Rhythm

(2:28)  2. Honey Love

(5:57)  3. Bright Mississippi

(6:32)  4. Love We Had Stays On My Mind

(9:58)  5. For The Elders

(6:23)  6. Plenty Plenty Soul

(7:58)  7. Blue Monk

(6:04)  8. Peace Fugue

(5:54)  9. Eyes So Beautiful

(6:08) 10. Birks Works

(3:40) 11. D-Cup And Up

Trombonist Fred Wesley, best-known for his long-term association with James Brown, has long expressed the desire to play jazz. This is mostly a jazz-oriented CD although he hedges his bets a little with "Honey Love" (which has a cute vocal by Wesley over a calypso groove), an R&B-ish Carmen Lundy vocal on "Love We Had Stays On My Mind," the ballad "Eyes So Beautiful" and the funky "D-Cup And Up." But on the other six numbers Wesley plays in a boppish style influenced most by J.J. Johnson and there is a suitable amount of solo space for altoist Maceo Parker (heard at his best when trying to emulate Hank Crawford), trumpeter Stanton Davis and a restrained but tasteful Geri Allen on piano. Highlights include "Rockin' In Rhythm," Thelonious Monk's "Bright Mississippi" and "Birks Works" on the mixed but generally enjoyable bag.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-friends-mw0000314191

Personnel:  Fred Wesley - trombone, vocals (track 2);  Maceo Parker - alto saxophone, percussion;  Anthony Cox – bass;  Bill Stewart – drums;  Geri Allen – keyboards;  Tim Green - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, percussion;  Robin Eubanks - trombone (tracks 5 and 8);  Steve Turre - trombone (tracks 5 and 8);  Stanton Davis - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Carmen Lundy - vocals (tracks 4 and 9)

New Friends

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Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:19
Size: 79,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Night Lights [1963 Version]
(5:33)  2. Morning Of The Carnival (From Black Orpheus)
(5:39)  3. Wee Small Hours
(4:16)  4. Prelude In E Minor (Chopin)
(6:51)  5. Festive Minor
(4:09)  6. Tell Me When
(2:53)  7. Night Lights [1965 Version]

This is a rather relaxed recording featuring baritonist Gerry Mulligan and some of his top alumni (trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Dave Bailey) exploring three of his own songs (including "Festive Minor"), Chopin's Prelude in E minor, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and "Morning of the Carnival" (from Black Orpheus). The emphasis is on ballads and nothing too innovative occurs, but the results are pleasing and laid-back.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/night-lights-mw0000188483

Personnel: Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone, piano;  Art Farmer – flugelhorn;  Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone;  Jim Hall – guitar;  Bill Crow – bass;  Dave Bailey - drums

Night Lights

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Isabelle Antena - Tous Mes Caprices

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:24
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Tous Mes Caprices
(3:36)  2. 7 A.M.
(3:17)  3. Romancia Del Amor
(3:07)  4. Ecrat De Nuit
(2:40)  5. Une Journee Banale A New York City
(3:33)  6. Je Respire
(4:22)  7. From Day To Day
(4:02)  8. Memories
(4:45)  9. Young Captive
(4:59) 10. Village Of The Sun
(3:26) 11. Time To Work

Isabelle Antena (born May 28, 1960) is a French singer and songwriter, notable both as a founder of electro-samba pioneers Antena and also as a prolific and successful solo artist. Isabelle Antena is a pioneer of bossa nova and samba-inflected nu jazz and electropop. She was a founding member of 1980s French-Belgian synthpop trio Antena, and in the 1990s led another group, the Powaga Sisters, for three albums between 1993-2004. Alongside these projects she maintained a solo music career, selling over a million albums and earning musical acclaim across the globe. As a solo artist Isabelle Antena has found particular success in Japan and the Far East. Originally Antena were a trio, discovering a sound all of their own on Camino del Sol, combining minimal electro, pop and samba styles. Thanks to producer Martin Hayles, in the summer of 1984 Antena signed a deal with Phonogram, who took a shot at the UK singles chart with "Be Pop". At the same time Isabelle moved to London. The second single, "Life Is Too Short", appeared in November, but did not bring mainstream success and so Isabelle returned to Les Disques du Crepuscule and a solo career. A new single, "Seaside Week End", appeared at the beginning of 1986, closely followed by the album En Cavale. Released early the following year, Hoping for Love saw Isabelle step left of the dance-floor, and expand her Latin, funk and samba palette to include jazz and acoustic stylings.

Hoping For Love took Isabelle to Japan for the first time, where in 1987 she was voted best international female singer at the prestigious Tokyo Music Festival. Her subsequent performance at the Tokyo Dome between spots by Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang remains a career highlight. Isabelle quickly consolidated this success with her third solo album On a Warm Summer Night. In Europe this was released as Tous Mes Caprices, and promoted with a Belgian tour supporting Vaya Con Dios, whose bass player Dirk Schoufs would go on to collaborate with Isabelle as a writer and musician, and become her second husband. Always a prolific writer, Isabelle went on to write and record De l'Amour et des Hommes (1988) and Jouez le Cinq (1989)  the latter being re-issued only months later as Intemporelle (1990) - performing live across Europe as well as North America and Japan. Dirk Schoufs left Vaya Con Dios to join Isabelle, bringing with him Vaya drummer Marco De Meersman and Fritz Sundermann, jazz guitarist and son of Freddy Sunder. This quartet formed the new creative core for the next album, Les Derniers Guerriers Romantique, a conceptual work released in April 1991. However tragedy struck on 24 May when Dirk Schoufs died, leaving Isabelle devastated. Following a year of reflection, she returned to the studio in 1992 to record one of the best albums of her career, Carpe Diem, released in Japan and France in November. Recorded by Gilles Martin with colleagues including De Meersman and Sundermann in the comfort of Studio Caraibes in Brussels, Isabelle produced the album herself.

Since Carpe Diem, Isabelle has released a further ten albums, spanning jazz, funk, Latin and house styles, as well as writing for and producing for other artists. These have included Fragile on the Rocks, The Powaga Sisters and the jazz project Pause Cafe. Although as a solo artist Isabelle Antena has often found greater commercial success in Japan and the Far East than in Europe, she remains critically acclaimed in Europe and the United States. In 1996 the track "Antena" opened the first ESL compilation by Thievery Corporation, and since then Isabelle has worked with many current DJs and producers including Buscemi, Nicola Conte, Ursula 1000 and Yukihiro Fukutomi. Along with Thievery Corporation, all contributed to her popular 2005 bossa mix double album, Easy Does It / Issy Does It (Remixes), and Thievery guested again on the 2006 Antena project Toujours du Soleil. Completing the Antena trilogy, Bossa Super Nova was issued in April 2010. Isabelle remains an artist of genuine integrity, proudly independent, and faithful to the philosophy she espoused to the New Musical Express in 1984: « The fact that we have had to struggle quite a lot to get to even where we are now is not important. I think there is always a value in people whose music is not mainstream. What is hard to listen to today might be easier to listen to tomorrow. The good thing about music is that anything is possible ».https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelle_Antena

Tous Mes Caprices

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Al Cohn - Rifftide

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:40)  1. Speak Low
(7:53)  2. Blue Monk
(5:07)  3. Hot House
(7:21)  4. The Thing
(6:29)  5. We'll Be Together Again
(5:59)  6. Rifftide
(7:17)  7. Do Nothing Till You're True
(7:03)  8. Secret Love

Although this recording of standards was made late in his career, tenor saxophonist Al Cohn was in peak form and clearly inspired by an excellent Dutch rhythm section. Cohn's very broad tone is much in evidence, as he runs through changes on tunes that he played innumerable times in his career. A distinct stylist, Cohn was never an innovator, but his lush, relaxed, carefully honed sound was perfect for the late nightclub atmosphere. Every solo was deliberately constructed, mixing just the right amounts of emotion and technique. You can hear Coleman Hawkins in his playing, but Cohn incorporated broad influences from the early history of bop. Pianist Rein de Graff is stunning throughout, and drummer Eric Ineke and bassist Koos Serierse add solid support.~Steve Loewy http://www.allmusic.com/album/rifftide-mw0000310851

Personnel: Al Cohn (tenor saxophone); Rein de Graaff (piano); Eric Ineke (drums).

Rifftide

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Al Grey - Snap Your Fingers

Styles: Trombone Jazz

Year: 1962

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:43

Size: 96,0 MB

Art: Front

(3:20)  1. Nothing But The Truth

(5:23)  2. Three-Fourth Blues

(2:57)  3. Just Waiting

(4:58)  4. R. B. Q.

(4:19)  5. Green Dolphin Street

(6:50)  6. Minor On Top

(4:29)  7. African Lady

(9:22)  8. Hi Fly

Trombonist Al Grey is joined by emerging young tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell on this pair of 1962 sessions, which were originally issued as an Argo LP and finally reissued on a limited-edition CD by Verve in 2003. The first five tracks also feature trumpeter Dave Burns and obscure pianist Floyd Morris. "Nothing But the Truth" is smoldering up-tempo blues with a bit of a gospel flavor, while Morris gets into the groove of the mid-tempo "Three-Fourth Blues." Mitchell especially shines on Melba Liston's soulful ballad "Just Waiting." The three tracks from the earlier session feature Donald Byrd on trumpet and Herbie Hancock on piano. Also here is the slashing hard bop composition "Minor on Top." Another Liston piece, "African Lady," is complex and showcases Grey's sensitive solo. There's not a bad track on this recommended CD.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/snap-your-fingers-mw0000600174

Personnel: Al Grey (trombone); Billy Mitchell (tenor saxophone); Dave Burns (trumpet); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Floyd Morris, Herbie Hancock (piano); Herman Wright (bass); Eddie Williams (drums).

Snap Your Fingers

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Illinois Jacquet - The Comeback

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:26
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

( 5:38)  1. The King
( 4:26)  2. Easy Living
( 8:03)  3. C Jam Blues
( 5:25)  4. The Comeback
(10:19)  5. Take The Train
( 8:33)  6. I Wanna Blow Now

This is a particularly interesting if not essential set by tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet. While Jacquet is in superior form (and does a suprisingly effective imitation of Ella Fitzgerald singing on the humorous "I Wanna Blow Now") and drummer Tony Crombie is fine in suport, the most dominant member of the trio is organist Milt Buckner. His "accompaniment" of Jacquet is often roaring and thunderous, sounding like two big bands at once. The trio, which also explores "The King" (Jacquet's feature in the 1940s with Count Basie), "Easy Living," "C Jam Blues," Jacquet's "The Comeback" and "Take the 'A' Train," is a bit out-of-balance and it is a pity that Buckner could not have played a bit of piano or at least let up a little.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-comeback-mw0000075924

Personnel: Illinois Jacquet (tenor saxophone, vocals), Milt Buckner (organ), Tony Crombie (drums).

The Comeback

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Angela Bingham - Everything I Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:13
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. I'm Just A Lucky So & So
(4:41)  2. Everything I Love
(4:27)  3. Dindi
(4:44)  4. Speak Low
(4:28)  5. Like Someone In Love
(5:48)  6. I Cain't Say No
(3:48)  7. How Deep Is The Ocean
(4:56)  8. Skylark
(3:27)  9. I'm Old Fashioned
(5:30) 10. But Beautiful
(3:23) 11. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Angela Bingham is a true jazz musician who happens to be a vocalist. Her singing is characterized by the qualities of honest expression, solid swinging and an emphasis on the blues. With a clear, steady tone and a penchant for improvisation, she communicates a song's lyric “as if she were speaking to you directly, over cocktails or supper.”While in New York, Angela successfully held down a monthly residency for four years at the now (sadly defunct) Total Wine Bar, where she garnered an extremely loyal fan base. During this time, she began working with many of New York's most heavyweight jazz musicians, including Yotam Silberstein, Greg Ruggiero, Chris Higgins, Marco Panascia, Oscar Perez, Tedd Firth, Frank Longino, Deidre Rodman, Massimo Biolcati, and others. She also held down a steady performance schedule at New York's famed Bar Next Door, a coveted venue for New York jazz musicians.Angela recently relocated to North Carolina after living and working in New York City since 2005. She is currently performing at local venues and booking date nationally.

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/index_new.php?url=angelabingham&width=#bio-top

Everything I Love

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Charles Tolliver - Live In Tokyo

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:31
Size: 113,9 MB
Art: Front

(12:16)  1. Drought
(10:44)  2. Stretch
( 7:02)  3. Truth
(10:48)  4. Effi
( 8:39)  5. 'Round Midnight

CDs led by the great and vastly underrated trumpeter Charles Tolliver are few and far between. This live set (originally released by the Japanese Trio label) finds Tolliver leading his Music Inc. group, a quartet with pianist Stanley Cowell, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Clifford Barbaro. Unfortunately the live set does have a bit of distortion in spots (particularly on some of the trumpet notes); otherwise this strong postbop set would have received a higher rating. Tolliver plays quite well, stretching out on three of his originals and Cowell's "Effi," plus an adventurous rendition of "'Round Midnight."~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-tokyo-mw0000250276

Personnel:  Charles Tolliver – trumpet;  Stanley Cowell – piano;  Clint Houston – bass;  Clifford Barbaro - drums

Live In Tokyo

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Grégoire Maret - Gregoire Maret

Styles: Harmonica, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:31
Size: 184,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. Lucilla's Dream
(4:48)  2. The Secret Life Of Plants
(4:57)  3. The Man I Love
(4:54)  4. Travels
(1:37)  5. 5:37 PM (Intro)
(7:14)  6. Crepuscule
(2:48)  7. 4:28 AM (Outro)
(5:49)  8. Manhã Du Sol
(7:59)  9. Prayer
(4:28) 10. Lembra De Mim
(1:01) 11. The Womb
(6:30) 12. Children's Song
(6:16) 13. Outro
(6:12) 14. O Amor E O Meu Pais
(3:39) 15. Ponta De Areia
(7:15) 16. Toyotama No Hikui Tsuki

Gregoire Maret's first album under his own name is both more and less than a Music lover following the harmonicist's career might expect. After years of collaborating with the likes of guitarists Pat Metheny and Charlie Hunter, and vocalist Cassandra Wilson, Maret (mostly) wisely but ambitiously places his instrument in a variety of settings that highlight various aspects of his playing.The sum effect of hearing his eponymous debut is to appreciate how much Maret has brought to the music of others. "Lucilla's Dream" recalls Maret's collaboration with Metheny on The Way Up (Nonesuch, 2005), and not just so obviously with the inclusion of wordless vocals; the performance builds through a series of carefully wrought crescendos and concludes emphatically with Clarence Penn's drum break. On a leisurely stroll through Metheny's co-composition with pianist Lyle Mays, "Travels," Maret takes the time to explore its melodic nuances with exquisite patience.Maret's distinctive presence as a musician also comes forth clearly on his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "The Secret Life of Plants," written by the one-time Motown wunderkind when he'd long since left his own harmonica behind for synthesizers and a variety of other keyboards. As he does throughout the CD, Maret brings a vivid tone to his playing in the straightforward arrangement, no small achievement given that his harmonica, by its very nature, puts forth a light breezy air. "Crepuscule Suite" is one of a pair of extended pieces here, and its body offers the opportunity for Maret to vigorously improvise with the other participants, including bassist James Genus and keyboardist Federico Pena. The other is "Children's Suite," one of the three Maret originals, and it highlights the harmonicist's playing in a series of delicious contrasts with strings as well as acoustic piano. Ultimately, this becomes the gateway to the slow unfolding of the album's track sequencing that conjures up a dream-like quality. For all the indisputably impeccable musicianship and production, however, Maret's album sounds as if he was too anxious to present his definitive artistic statement in one fell swoop. The track featuring mentor Cassandra Wilson is the most representative of that labored approach: the sole cut featuring a traditional vocal, her voice is as arresting as Maret's playing but is, in the end, simply too obvious a tribute/homage to the artist with whom Maret has collaborated. More than compensating for that understandable lapse, though, are those memorable moments within the orchestrated "O Amor E O Meu Pais." Here, fellow harmonicist Toots Thielemans appears to interact fluently with Maret, and the gusto in the pair's playing is unmistakable. The sound of their instruments and their interplay is stirring, but deceptively so, as is the case through most of the tracks on Gregoire Maret. ~DougCollettehttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/gregoire-maret-gregoire-maret-eone-music-review-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Grégoire Maret: harmonica, vocals; Federico G Pena: piano, taicho harp, percussion, vocals; James Genus: electric bass, vocals, acoustic bass; Clarence Penn: drums, vocals; Bashiri Johnson and Mino Cinelu: percussion; Brandon Ross: soprano acoustic guitar, 6- and-12 string acoustic guitar; Jean-Christophe Maillard: acoustic guitar, taicho harp; Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums; Alfredo Mojica: percussion; Cassandra Wilson: vocals; Stephanie Decailet: violin; Johannes Rose: viola; Fabrice Loyal: cello; Marcus Miller: fretless bass; Janelle Gill, Adia Gill, Clyde Gill, Micai Gill: vocals; Toots Thielemans: harmonica; Robert Kubiszyn: acoustic bass; Krzystol Herzdin: string arrangement; Gretchen Parlato: voice. Soumas Heritage School of Music Ensemble; Sinfonia Viva Orchestra

Gregoire Maret

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Cecil Taylor Quartet - Looking Ahead!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:16
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front + Back

(6:29)  1. Luyah! The Glorious Step
(5:15)  2. African Violets
(8:20)  3. Of What
(5:25)  4. Wallering
(7:43)  5. Toll
(9:02)  6. Excursion On A Wobbly Rail

One of Cecil Taylor's earliest recordings, Looking Ahead! does just that while still keeping several toes in the tradition. It's an amazing document of a talent fairly straining at the reins, a meteor about to burst onto the jazz scene and render it forever changed. With Earl Griffith on vibes, Taylor uses an instrumentation he would return to occasionally much later on, one that lends an extra percussive layer to the session, emphasizing the new rhythmic attacks he was experimenting with. Griffith sounds as though he might have been a conceptual step or two behind the other three but, in the context of the time, this may have served to make the music a shade more palatable to contemporary tastes. But the seeds are clearly planted and one can hear direct hints of Taylor's music to come, all the way to 1962 at least (the Nefertiti trio with Sunny Murray). Pieces like "Luyah! The Glorious Step" and "Of What" are so fragmented (in a traditional sense) and so bristlingly alive that one can understand Whitney Baillett's observation of crowds at a Taylor concert fidgeting "as if the ground beneath had suddenly become unbearably hot." 

The contributions of bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Dennis Charles cannot be understated; they breathe with Taylor as one unit and appear to be utterly in sync with his ideas. When the pianist edges into his solo on "Excursion on a Wobbly Rail," it's as though he's meeting the tradition head on, shaking hands and then rocketing off into the future. Looking Ahead! is a vital recording from the nascence of one of the towering geniuses of modern music and belongs in any jazz fan's collection.~Brian Olewick http://www.allmusic.com/album/looking-ahead-mw0000197292

Personnel:  Cecil Taylor: piano;  Buell Neidlinger: bass;  Denis Charles: drums;  Earl Griffith: vibes

Looking Ahead!

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Vicky Lane With Pete Candoli - I Swing For You

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz

Year: 1959

File: MP3@256K/s

Time: 31:55

Size: 59,4 MB

Art: Front

(2:26)  1. The Trolley Song

(3:23)  2. Our Very Own

(3:03)  3. My Romance

(2:06)  4. You Hit The Spot

(3:59)  5. Love Isn't Born, It's Made

(2:56)  6. My Heart Stood Still

(2:45)  7. They Say It's Wonderful

(2:39)  8. The Song Is You

(2:25)  9. Long Ago And Far Away

(2:00) 10. I Love You

(2:21) 11. Right As The Rain

(1:46) 12. This Heart Of Mine

This RCA Victor LP marked the recording debut of Vicky Lane, a native of Ireland who was also an actress. Although gifted with an attractive voice in the alto range, Lane evidently didn't make much of an impression with record buyers, as this also seems to be the only recording under her name. This doesn't mean this is a bad record; in fact, she shows a lot of promise for a first-time recording artist, assisted by Pete Candoli's swinging arrangements and a supporting cast that also includes Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel, Alvin Stoller, and Joe Mondragon, along with a host of additional percussionists. Perhaps her selection of all upbeat songs instead of mixing a wider variety of material worked against her, though it is impossible to tell almost a half century after these sessions were completed.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-swing-for-you-mw0000432544

Personnel:  Orchestra conducted by Pete Candoli (tp) with Barney Kessel (g), Johnny Williams (p), Joe Mondragon (b), Alvin Stoller (d), Larry Bunker, Milt Holland, Lou Singer, Ralph Hansell, Johnny Cyr, Gene Estes (perc)

I Swing For You

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Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything

Styles: Vocal, Soul, R&B
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:33
Size: 106,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)
(3:31)  2. Je Vous Aime (I Love You)
(3:51)  3. I Believe to My Soul
(3:38)  4. Misty
(4:05)  5. Sugar Lee
(3:15)  6. Tryin' Times
(5:50)  7. Thank You Master (For My Soul)
(6:53)  8. The Ghetto
(6:43)  9. To Be Young, Gifted and Black
(4:14) 10. A Dream

Already a respected arranger and pianist who'd contributed to dozens of records (by artists ranging from the Impressions to Carla Thomas to Woody Herman), with this debut LP Donny Hathaway revealed yet another facet of his genius -- his smoky, pleading voice, one of the best to ever grace a soul record. Everything Is Everything sounded like nothing before it, based in smooth uptown soul but boasting a set of excellent, open-ended arrangements gained from Hathaway's background in classical and gospel music. (Before going to Howard University in 1964, his knowledge of popular music was practically non-existent.) After gaining a contract with Atco through King Curtis, Hathaway wrote and recorded during 1969 and 1970 with friends including drummer Ric Powell and guitarist Phil Upchurch, both of whom lent a grooving feel to the album that Hathaway may not have been able to summon on his own (check out Upchurch's unforgettable bassline on the opener, "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)"). All of the musical brilliance on display, though, is merely the framework for Hathaway's rich, emotive voice, testifying to the power of love and religion with few, if any, concessions to pop music. Like none other, he gets to the raw, churchy emotion underlying Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul" and Nina Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," the former with a call-and-response horn chart and his own glorious vocal, the latter with his own organ lines. "Thank You Master (For My Soul)" brings the Stax horns onto sanctified ground, while Hathaway praises God and sneaks in an excellent piano solo. Everything Is Everything was one of the first soul records to comment directly on an unstable period; "Tryin' Times" speaks to the importance of peace and community with an earthy groove, while the most familiar track here, a swinging jam known as "The Ghetto," places listeners right in the middle of urban America. Donny Hathaway's debut introduced a brilliant talent into the world of soul, one who promised to take R&B farther than it had been taken since Ray Charles debuted on Atlantic.~John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/album/everything-is-everything-mw0000654662

Personnel:  Donny Hathaway - lead vocals (All tracks), background vocals (tracks 1-8), pianos (including electric) (All tracks), organ (track 9), additional bass (8), keyboard bass (9);  Master Henry Gibson - conga (track 8);  King Curtis - guitar (track 3);  Phil Upchurch - bass guitar (3-4, 6-7), guitar (1-4, 6-8); John Littlejohn - guitar, vocals;  John Avant – trombone;  Johnny Board - tenor saxophone;  Oscar Brashear – trumpet;  Clifford Davis - alto saxophone;  Aaron Dodd – tuba;  Morris Ellis – trombone;  Marshall Hawkins - bass (tracks 5, 8);  Willie Henderson - baritone saxophone;  John Howell – trumpet;  Morris Jennings - drums (tracks 1-4, 6-8);  Robert A. Lewis – trumpet;  John Lounsberry - French horn;  Ethel Merker - French horn;  Don Myrick - alto saxophone;  Ric Powell - drums (track 5), percussion (1-4, 6-8);  Louis Satterfield - bass (tracks 1-3)

Everything Is Everything

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Stefano Di Battista & Nicky Nicolai - Piu' Sole

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:45
Size: 102,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Piu' Sole
(4:00)  2. Sei Come Sei Just How U Are
(3:14)  3. Flora
(4:55)  4. Il Ragazzo Della Via Gluck
(3:28)  5. Lontano Da Qui
(4:03)  6. River
(4:34)  7. Coles Corner
(4:35)  8. Inverno
(5:40)  9. Stella by Starlight
(2:09) 10. Il Nero E il Bacio
(3:54) 11. Vorrei Capire

Italian saxophonist Stefano di Battista has released a trio of albums as a leader, two of which were never issued in the U.S. The third, a U.S. release in 2000 from Blue Note, is self-titled and mainly features di Battista's own compositions. In addition, it includes "Song for Flavia" by Rosario Bonaccorso and a pair of songs by Jacky Terrasson, "Chicago 1987" and "Little Red Ribbon." Both bassist Bonaccorso and pianist Terrasson appear on the album, accompanied by former Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones and trumpeter Flavio Boltro. Di Battista, a native of Rome who plays both soprano and alto saxophone, took up the instrument when he was 13 to play with some friends from his neighborhood. When he heard recordings by alto saxophonist Art Pepper, he knew the sound of jazz was for him. Later he received guidance from Massimo Urbani, another influential alto saxophonist. By his early twenties, di Battista had begun performing in Paris, thanks to an invitation from Jean-Pierre Como. The two had met during the Calvi Jazz Festival.

Within two years the Italian saxophonist had established himself at the Sunset, a prominent jazz hot spot in the City of Lights. He appeared frequently on the bill with Michel Benita, drummer Stéphane Huchard, and drummer Aldo Romano. From there he proceeded to work as a soloist, which led to associations with such artists as cornetist Nat Adderley, drummers Daniel Humair and Jimmy Cobb, and the late French pianist Michel Petrucciani, among others. Petrucciani invited di Battista into a sextet he was then forming and extended the invitation to include trumpeter Boltro, who frequently accompanied di Battista. Di Battista put out his debut recording as a leader for Label Bleu in 1997. Volare kicked up a lot of attention for the saxophonist and received an award nomination in France. The following year he put out A Prima Vista. The recording of his third album in 2000 so impressed veteran jazz drummer Jones that when the album was finally wrapped up and in the vault, he scooped up di Battista for his Elvin Jones Jazz Machine tour. Di Battista released his second album on Blue Note, the Charlie Parker tribute album Parker's Mood, in 2005. https://itunes.apple.com/it/artist/stefano-di-battista/id14638702#fullText

Piu' Sole

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Kirk Whalum - Roundtrip

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:38
Size: 133,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Courtney
(4:34)  2. Desperately
(4:55)  3. Ruby Ruby Ruby
(6:51)  4. Glow
(4:51)  5. The Wave
(4:27)  6. Big Ol' Shoes
(4:42)  7. Inside
(4:47)  8. In A Whisper
(3:48)  9. Roundtrip
(6:13) 10. Back In The Day
(6:42) 11. Afterthought

Contemporary jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum decided to take a little trip back in time on Roundtrip, back to the Memphis club scene that nurtured him early on, and to record some of his earliest compositions and ones written expressly for him with fresh ears as well as some new ones. Recording in four different places from Memphis to Los Angeles to New York to England, Whalum asked some old pals to pop in, like Earl Klugh, Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, and Philippe Saisse, as well as some of his stalwart rocksteady bandmates such as Rex Rideout, drummer Michael White, bassist Melvin Davis, guitarist Mark Jaimes, and trumpeter James McMillan. There are a few other surprises as well, such as the appearance of Kim Fields on "In a Whisper," Shanice on "Inside," and sons Kyle, Hugh, and Kevin making appearances as well. Issued on his own Rendezvous Music imprint, this is Whalum at his most relaxed and celebratory. That said, Roundtrip has no less polish than anything recorded over his nearly 30-year career, and the label was his idea. It's a deeply personal offering that is celebratory in nature rather than merely reflective. The pairing with Klugh on "Ruby Ruby Ruby" is on the money. The keen melodic sensibilities both men possess complement one another perfectly, and the mix is skeletal enough to let Klugh's gorgeous guitar playing stand out. Whalum's tenor playing and the light, Latin-kissed composition are sparse and in the pocket. The reading of Nat Adderley, Jr.'s "The Wave" (the original is from 1988's And You Know That LP on Columbia) doesn't work quite so well in that Saisse does all the keyboards and programming and Whalum just blows over the top. The problem is that the synthetic handclaps add nothing; in fact, they detract from what otherwise might have been a nice funkier version of the tune. "Big 'Ol Shoes," which immediately follows, however, gets right down to it. Co-written by Whalum and Rideout, it's funky in all the right places, with one of those transcendent choruses that Whalum slips into his own tunes so often. The Grover Washington, Jr./Creed Taylor/Kudu feel is all over this one, with some killer keyboard work from Rideout and tasty guitars by Darrell Crooks.

The vocal performance by Shanice on "Inside" is a beautiful urban soul and nearly gospel performance, and Whalum lets his vocalist get to it without getting in her way. Producer James McMillan (who co-wrote the cut) keeps his star back in the mix until it's time for him to blow a solo. Kim Fields speaks her track, and it works seamlessly. Rideout, who co-wrote the cut, produces it and takes the same approach with Whalum, though the saxophonist plays more fills, allowing his in-the-pocket sense of lyric improvisation to underscore the vocalist's lines. "Back in the Day" is a slick but fruitful hip-hop track with rapper Caleb tha Bridge and Albright on alto. This is positive hip-hop, with plenty of soul casting a reflective and nostalgic look at the past. Whalum and John Stoddart act as a backing chorus. It's innocent but not cloying, the groove is solid, and the saxophonists playfully entwine around one another and do call and response, ending up playing harmony in the solo break. The chorus has "single" written all over it if only the square urban and smooth jazz radio programmers would get out of their rut and test it on an actual audience. The set ends with another early Whalum composition in "Afterthought" from his debut album, Floppy Disk, in 1985. The lithe groove shimmers and swirls as White's backbeat kicks the tune just enough in contrast to the deep bassline of Alex Al and the vibes-like percussion of Kevin Ricard; Rideout's keyboards paint Whalum's backdrop brightly and he blows the tune out of memory, from that charmed place of having the gratitude and sheer lyric talent needed to look back. It's not hollow nostalgia here, but rather the quintessential taste to revisit this tune with so much soul over two decades later and play it like he means it only there's wisdom here, too: the tune means something a little different now, and his blowing near the cut's end is full of deep swelling emotion and smoking chops he didn't have in 1985. Anybody could play his old tunes, or replay them, or re-record a greatest-hits album, but Whalum didn't do that; he made something new and beautiful out of his past that points to an even brighter, more aesthetically satisfying future now that he -- instead of another record company controls it. Highly recommended.~Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/roundtrip-mw0000584656

Personnel: Kirk Whalum (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, background vocals); Caleb tha Bridge (vocals, rap vocals); Kevin Whalum, Shanice Wilson (vocals); Kim "Blondielocks" Fields (spoken vocals); Mark Jaimes (guitar, guitars, bass guitar); Earl Klugh, Jeff Golub (guitar); Gerald Albright (alto saxophone); Peter Murray (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Chris Carter (organ); Julian Crampton, Melvin Davis , Alex Al (bass guitar); Michael White , Elijah "DD" Holt (drums); Ekpe Abioto (percussion); Garry Goin, Darrell Crooks (guitar); James McMillan (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, programming); Philippe Saisse, Rex Rideout (keyboards, programming); John Stoddart (keyboards, background vocals); Simon Phillips (drums); Martin Ditcham, Kevin Ricard (percussion); Priscilla Jones-Campbell (background vocals).

Roundtrip

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