Al Cohn & Zoot Sims - Motoring Along

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:21
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Stockholm - L.A.
(8:51)  2. My Funny Valentine
(8:07)  3. Yardbird Suite
(4:56)  4. Motoring Along
(7:16)  5. Fallin'
(8:53)  6. What The World Needs Now
(4:06)  7. Stockholm - L.A. (alternate take)
(6:24)  8. Fallin' (alternate take)
(7:50)  9. What The World Needs Now (alternate take)

Al Cohn and Zoot Sims were lifelong friends who were frequent collaborators both in the studios and in clubs. Cohn only led four recording sessions (two for tiny labels) during 1963-74; all featured Sims. For their Sonet date, Al and Zoot are joined by pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Hugo Rasmussen and drummer Sven Erik Norregaard and they perform three standards, two Cohn songs and Jimmy McGriff's "Motoring Along." Zoot plays some effective soprano on "Yardbird Suite." As usual the two saxophonists mutually inspire each other on the cool-toned but frequently-heated bop date.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/motoring-along-mw0000270417

Personnel: Bass – Hugo Rasmussen;  Drums – Sven Erik Norregaard;  Piano – Horace Parlan;  Saxophone – Al Cohn, Zoot Sims

Motoring Along

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Susan Weinert Band - The Bottom Line

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:21
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:42)  1. Hombre
(4:26)  2. Triple X
(8:34)  3. Tribute To Fitzcarraldo
(5:05)  4. Don't Smile Too Soon
(1:21)  5. Masters Of The Midiverse
(4:29)  6. That's For You
(6:08)  7. Kluski Theory
(6:18)  8. Dakota Kid
(3:54)  9. Nothing
(5:10) 10. Trabucco
(7:11) 11. Vinnie

This time out, Susan Weinert has mellowed some since her fiery Crunch Time 1994 release. The excellent guitar playing is still everywhere but things are toned down a few notches leaning more towards straight up jazz with less crunchy-edged fusion. Weinert's acoustic guitar and Martin Weinert's acoustic bass works well in the melding of electric and non-electric moods. Even keyswoman extraordinaire, Rachel Z, chimes in with ivory clean runs and flourishes to augment Weinert's electric guitars and guitar-synth. That jazz standards feel comes through here and there but this release retains Weinert's strong signature sound, slightly overdriven, and sustained warmly. Again that Scott Henderson aura is predominantly present but a certain Frank Gambale lilt and warmth of presence and tone is recurrent. Rachel Z comes and goes in keyboard washes and embellishings, interwoven wonderfully in Susan Weinert's delightful compositions. Hardy Fischötter plays the drums with perfection and evident purpose. 

On "Masters of the Midiverse" we are treated to a delicious Holdsworthian guitar-synth intro that melts into an oh-so-Metheny moment complete with brushes on drums and Rachel Z tinkling away in her butterfly kisses way. Very, very nice.This release is an 11 song delight, track to track, with surprise after surprise of mellow wonder. The final cut, "Vinnie" again treads Holdsworthian waters in the composition's stylings early on but is also seems a subtle tribute to Vinnie Coliauta?, sounding at times like a cut from his recent solo release. Rachel Z gets to stretch a great deal here! For those of you out there looking for great jazz guitar and splendid keys but want less screaming amps yet able to groove too The Bottom Line is just right for you. Recommended!~AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-bottom-line-intuition-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel:  Drums – Hardy Fischötter;  Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass – Martin Weinert;  Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer – Susan Weinert;  Piano, Keyboards – Rachel Z

The Bottom Line

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Sylvia Bennett - It's All About Love

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Contemporary
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:43
Size: 92,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. It's All About Love
(3:31)  2. Another Love Song
(3:49)  3. Letting Our Feelings Go
(4:04)  4. Somewhere In The Moonlight
(3:27)  5. Don't Need Another Lover
(3:22)  6. Por Ti
(3:09)  7. You Were My Best Friend
(3:56)  8. I Still Love You
(3:44)  9. New Love
(3:15) 10. One Love
(3:23) 11. Pour Toi

Sylvia Bennett’s first all original, contemporary jazz album, It's All About Love, is finally available. Featuring the Grammy–nominated singer in an entirely new sonic atmosphere, one that plays on her sensual side and taps into her 24/7, deeply held belief that love is the answer as well as the question. The project has produced two hits before its release date and the 3rd single, the title track, “It’s All About Love,” is no doubt going to be another runaway radio smash as well with its smooth, ethereal groove featuring the high studio standards of producer/songwriter Hal S. Batt (Shakira, Julio Iglesias) and the gorgeous layering of voice with a sweet, seductive musical ambiance. 

The Miami song machine is in her creative prime and is redefining the business of music, with no intentions of stopping anytime soon! Sylvia Bennett, is an international recording artist and songwriter who has performed at Presidential Inaugurations and opened for such renowned artists as Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Jackie Mason, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Gibb and David Brenner. Discovered by the legendary Lionel Hampton, she has since captivated audiences and critics alike with her sultry and honeyed toned voice. She’s the inimitable, unforgettable Sylvia Bennett.http://www.sylviabennett.com/music_its_all_about_love_album.html

It's All About Love

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Flip Phillips - Swinging With Flip

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:19
Size: 87,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:06)  1. If I Had You
(3:14)  2. Cottontail
(3:18)  3. Blues For The Midgets
(3:23)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(3:01)  5. Singing In The Rain
(2:49)  6. Gina
(3:38)  7. Goodbye
(2:55)  8. Salute To Pres
(3:20)  9. Swedish Pastry
(3:10) 10. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:01) 11. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
(3:16) 12. Trio Boogie

Flip Phillips, who angered some critics early on because he gained riotous applause for his exciting solos during Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, for over 50 years was an excellent tenor saxophonist equally gifted on stomps, ballads, and standards. He played clarinet regularly in a Brooklyn restaurant during 1934-1939, was in Frankie Newton's group (1940-1941), and spent time in the bands of Benny Goodman, Wingy Manone, and Red Norvo. However, it was in 1944 that he had his breakthrough. As a well-featured soloist with Woody Herman's Herd (1944-1946), Phillips became a big star. His warm tenor was most influenced by Ben Webster but sounded distinctive even at that early stage. He toured regularly with Jazz at the Philharmonic during 1946-1957, scoring a bit of a sensation with his honking solo on "Perdido" and holding his own with heavy competition (including Charlie Parker and Lester Young). He occasionally co-led a group with Bill Harris, and that band was the nucleus of the ensemble that Benny Goodman used in 1959. Phillips then retired to Florida for 15 years, playing on just an occasional basis, taking up the bass clarinet as a double and making only a sporadic record date. But by 1975 he was back in music full-time, making quite a few records and playing at festivals and jazz parties. Even as he passed his 80th birthday, Flip Phillips had lost none of the enthusiasm or ability that he had a half-century earlier. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/lu/artist/flip-phillips/id121154#fullText

Personnel:  Bass – Ray Brown; Drums – Buddy Rich;  Guitar – Barney Kessel;  Piano – Oscar Peterson;  Tenor Saxophone – Flip Phillips;  Trumpet – Charlie Shavers

Swinging With Flip

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VA - The Blue Note Years Vol. 3: Organ And Soul 1956-1967

Size: 168,2+148,2 MB
Time: 72:54+64:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Jazz: Jazz Soul, Jazz Funk
Art: Front

CD 1:
01 Jimmy Smith - The Sermon (20:11)
02 Baby Face Willette Quartet - Somethin' Strange ( 6:40)
03 Fred Jackson - Southern Exposure ( 6:51)
04 Don Wilkerson - Sweet Cake (Digitally Remastered) ( 5:57)
05 Ike Quebec - Easy, Don't Hurt (1992 Digital Remaster) ( 6:08)
06 Freddy Roach - I.Q. Blues ( 5:18)
07 Big John Patton - Let 'em Roll (1992 Digital Remaster) ( 6:45)
08 Grant Green - Blues In Maude's Flat (15:01)

CD 2:
01 Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue ( 3:58)
02 Lou Donaldson - Hog Maw (Digitally Remastered) ( 6:18)
03 Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor ( 5:40)
04 Stanley Turrentine - River's Invitation ( 6:13)
05 Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (10:22)
06 Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple ( 6:43)
07 Hank Mobley - The Turnaround ( 8:14)
08 Donald Byrd - Slow Drag ( 9:43)
09 Lou Donaldson - Alligator Bogaloo ( 6:51)

This two CD collection was originally released as part of Blue Note's 60th Anniversary boxed set. Jimmy Smith, who was signed by Alfred Lion after he saw just one of Smith's shows, sets the pace for this chronicle of the organ fever of soul jazz. Other great organists featured include John Patton, Larry Young, and Freddie Roach. Aggressive and funky, this CD documents a sound that borrowed heavily from the blues and would influence jazz and rock well into the next decade. ~by Stacia Proefrock

The Blue Note Years Vol. 3: Organ And Soul 1956-1967 CD 1
The Blue Note Years Vol. 3: Organ And Soul 1956-1967 CD 2

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Josefine Lindstrand & Norrbotten Big Band - While We Sleep

Size: 136,9 MB
Time: 59:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Big Band
Art: Front

01. Send Out The Singers (4:51)
02. Winter Night Song (4:12)
03. There Will Be Stars (4:50)
04. Jewels (4:17)
05. Broadway (7:06)
06. Oh My Love (5:10)
07. Make My Day Tomorrow (5:43)
08. The Net (5:59)
09. In Spring (6:07)
10. The Mystery (5:53)
11. I Had Too Much To Think 'bout (5:15)

Josefine Lindstrand is a Swedish singer living in Stockholm, Sweden. She received the Jazz in Sweden award for 2009 from the government agency Rikskonserter, and her debut record There Will Be Stars was released soon afterwards. The album received a favourable review in Svenska Dagbladet. In 2012 her second album Clouds was released. Lindenstrand used her middle name Britah for this record, which a reviewer in Dagens Nyheter characterised as pop rather than jazz.

Lindstrand has also performed with artists such as Efterklang, Django Bates, Uri Caine, Petra Marklund, Veronica Maggio, Maia Hirasawa, Laleh, and Jonathan Johansson.

While We Sleep

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Jas Miller - Follow The Sun

Size: 114,9 MB
Time: 48:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Follow The Sun (Feat. Gianni Vancini) (4:44)
02. Isle Of View (Feat. Rocco Venttrella) (3:50)
03. Room To Wriggle (3:49)
04. Steppin (Feat. Rick Parma) (4:01)
05. North Shore (3:58)
06. Jello Coconuts (Feat. Hans Solo Zermuehlen) (4:47)
07. Cheaper Buy The Dz (Feat. Alexx Daye) (4:35)
08. Mm Mm Mm (4:32)
09. Where R U (Feat. Michael Paulo) (3:27)
10. Espresso Yo Selfie (Feat. Elan Trotman) (4:09)
11. Steppin (Single Version) (Feat. Rick Parma) (3:30)
12. Follow The Sun (Single Version) (Feat. Gianni Vancini) (3:30)

After quite a bit of debilitating deliberating, receiving some great cover art from Blue Johnson (Al Jarreau, Seawind), after having done an initial release with my own cover art, and then re-listening to the album & radio editions of all the tracks; I found, In some cases the radio editions of the songs really flowed better. In others, it's the album edition that makes the vibe flow best. In this release are my choices for each.

Stellar performances turnt by Michael Paulo (sax, Where R U), Èlan Trotman (sax, Espresso Yo Selfie), Rocco Ventrella (sax, Isle Of View), Gianni Vancini (sax, Follow The Sun), Hans Zermuehlen (keyboards, drums, Cheaper Buy the Dz), Isha Love (keyboards, Isle of View), Marco Basci (keyboards, Room to Wriggle), Nate Harasim (drums & bass, Isle of View), Derrick Murdock (bass, Follow the Sun), Anthony Crawford (bass, Espresso Yo Selfie), Sergio Bellotti (Yamaha DTX drums, Follow The Sun), David "Fingers" Haynes (drums, Mm Mm Mm), Alexx Daye (vocals, Cheaper Buy the Dz). Jas Miller (guitars, basses, keyboards, horn & string arrangements, percussion, steel drums & add’l programming)

Follow The Sun

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Sidsel Storm - Closer

Size: 107,0 MB
Time: 46:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Walking Blindly (4:38)
02. April In Paris (5:26)
03. Get Out Of Bed (4:46)
04. That Old Black Magic (3:34)
05. Sadness (6:23)
06. Lead The Way (4:18)
07. Who Cares (3:18)
08. I've Got A Crush On You (4:42)
09. You Leave Me Low (4:34)
10. The Party's Over (4:22)

Prize winning Danish jazz singer Sidsel Storm in conjunction with the recording of the new album, Storm is enjoying a busy year of live performances – the discipline that first gained her enormous popularity both in Denmark and worldwide.

Sidsel Storm's new album remains true to the modern, airy vocal jazz for which she is known, presenting the listener once again with an ear catching, whimsical expression and vocal style combining the best of jazz and pop.

Despite her youth, Sidsel Storm is already sought after in the international music scene, where critics praise her ability to capture audiences with her warmth, engaging melodies and powerful voice. In increasing demand since the release of her debut album 'Sidsel Storm' in 2008 and 'Swedish Lullaby' in 2010, Storm has, among other things, appeared on the cover of the Japanese jazz magasine Jazz Perspective and performed to full houses in USA, Germany, Thailand and Sweden and most recently at the mini-festival 'Le Jazz Danois' in Paris, where an enthusiastic audience met The Sidsel Storm Quintet with a standing ovation. Success brings with it obligation, and life continues in full swing for Sidsel Storm, who from her base in Dragør is planning a longer Danish and international tour in conjunction with the release of the new album.

Closer

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Nina Baun - Human

Size: 101,0 MB
Time: 43:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Wave Of Evergreen (4:39)
02. No Plans. Don't Ask (5:12)
03. Twisted (6:23)
04. Older Than I (4:27)
05. Cohabitant (4:49)
06. Implosive (4:31)
07. Stereo (4:41)
08. Tucked Away (3:49)
09. Life's Wiser (4:49)

“Nina is a very talented and conscientious singer with a totally professional attitude to music making. Refreshingly, Nina views herself as more than just a soloist; her contribution is always for the greater good of the music…” says Django Bates, musician and composer, about Nina Baun’s music.

“What I’m doing is organic and in constant development, and I do not let my compositions be limited by fixed types of music. This record (“Something is always moving”, debut album released in DK in 2011 red.) is an offer of me, and just like people skip around between what is easy and what is hard, so do my music”, she says.

The tune Something is Moving, which will be on Nina Baun’s second album, was written in a rehearsal room in New York. It didn’t take her many hours, as it all came flowing to her. Nina rented the room, which is in an old stone house in Brooklyn, for a couple of hours, and on an old piano she composed one of the tunes, which she is most proud of today.

It is those kinds of moments that are significant to Nina Baun. Those moments are just as important as when she is on stage with Danish or international jazz musicians. It is the feeling of having a moment of pure and unrefined musicality, whether it’s bending over a grand piano in a rehearsal room in Brooklyn or on stage.

Nina Baun approaches her singing, compositions, and arrangements with great musical understanding and knowledge. It is not the role of figurehead that appeals to her. No, Nina is mainly a musician and a composer. And she’s been like that all through her career as performing artist and composer as well as student through four years in MGK at Sankt Annæ Gymnasium followed by five years in The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, where in 2010 she earned her Master’s Degree in performing arts.

Many years before her time as a music student, Nina Baun made her first songs, when in the late 80’s she sat on the back of her father’s bike driving home from daycare.With her brother, Soren Baun, and her dad, who both are musicians as well, they wrote songs about what they saw and about things that meant something. Nina Baun sang about toys, candy, pets, and friends.

When Nina at the age of 11 began taking singing lessons, things started to speed up, and it was clear that she had an exceptional talent.

But it was especially when Nina Baun, at a four-year basic course in music (MGK), encountered a world that took music deadly seriously, that she realized she wanted to be a musician.

In the later years of the course, Nina Baun arrived at a feeling of being present in her own personal expression and sound. Next stop was the music conservatory, where five years shaped and challenged her.

Her own project, Nina Baun & GUMA, became a fundamentally creative source during the years at the music conservatory. With Jesper Thorn (bass),William Larsson (pia, Orpheus), Mads Emil Nielsen (dr, GRAF), Henrik Olsson (gui) and earlier Mathias Jørgensen (pia, Girls in airports) and Kevin Brow (dr, Canada) in the band, she had a place to convey the many impressions, ideas and new knowledge that the school offered her.

The band broke up in the spring of 2012. The time at the music conservatory was long gone and Nina Baun viewed the break-up as a natural result. Now she wanted to challenge herself in other constellations.

It is not only the schools that gave Nina Baun her training as a musician. It is on her journeys to New York and in her meetings with other artists that Nina Baun strikes the wild creativity and naturalness that characterize her music.

Age 28, Nina Baun is well on her way to establishing her name on the Danish jazz- and crossover scene. Even though she has played with many accomplished musicians in the business, such as Django Bates, Thomas Fonnesbaek, Jacob Christoffersen, and Jorgen Emborg, it is among other young, challenging, and promising artists she finds herself at home. ~by Sofie Tholl

Human

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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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