Nat King Cole - Ballads Of The Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:25
Size: 81.1 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956/1992
Art: Front

[2:34] 1. A Blossom Fell
[3:05] 2. Unbelievable
[2:58] 3. Blue Gardenia
[3:15] 4. Angel Eyes
[3:09] 5. It Happens To Be Me
[2:59] 6. Smile
[2:56] 7. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
[2:56] 8. Alone Too Long
[3:00] 9. My One Sin (In Life)
[2:58] 10. Return To Paradise
[2:49] 11. If Love Is Good To Me
[2:40] 12. The Sand And The Sea

Since all but one of the tracks on Nat King Cole's 1956 LP Ballads of the Day were arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, the album might be thought of as a Cole/Riddle ballad album on the order of Sings for Two in Love. But it really should have been called something like "Nat King Cole's Greatest Hits, 1953-1955," since it is actually a compilation assembled from recent single releases. It boasts two Top 40 hits ("The Sand and the Sea" and "My One Sin [In Life]"), two Top 20s ("Return to Paradise" and "It Happens to Be Me"), and three Top Tens ("A Blossom Fell," "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," and "Smile"), plus five B-sides. There are some minor efforts, but also some gems, notably a version of the saloon song "Angel Eyes" (the B-side of "Return to Paradise," arranged and conducted by Billy May). This is not, perhaps, one of the great Cole/Riddle album collaborations, but the tracks remain pleasant examples of the lengthy musical partnership between the singer and his most frequent musical facilitator. ~William Ruhlmann

Ballads Of The Day

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Joey Calderazzo - Amanecer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:13
Size: 131.0 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[6:22] 1. Midnight Voyage
[8:13] 2. Sea Glass
[5:39] 3. Toonay
[6:30] 4. Amanecer
[5:47] 5. The Lonely Swan
[5:47] 6. I've Never Been In Love Before
[6:16] 7. So Many Moons
[6:09] 8. Waltz For Debby
[6:27] 9. Lara

Joey Calderazzo: piano; Claudia Acuna: vocals (4, 7, 9); Romero Lubambo: guitar (4, 5, 9).

On Amanecer, pianist Joey Calderazzo continues to prove that playing solo is one of his strengths. His fearless and stalwart performances with the Branford Marsalis Quartet have been documented over the last few years but outside of the group his playing soars even more. Like its predecessor Haiku (Marsalis Music,2004), this recording is intimate, insightful, flowing with a quiet strength as the pianist delivers an effective set of tunes (both solo and with special guests). The music covers originals and a couple of standards as Calderazzo performs impressively in a variety of styles, adding a personal touch of modern expression. One could picture Calderazzo playing solo at some local venue with a tip jar on the piano. He quietly accepts a few requests, yet transforms them into brilliant displays of agility and adroitness as deceptively brillant chops kick in. You're later introduced to Calderazzo's new-blues standard "Midnight Voyage holding elements of Thelonious Monk quirkiness and Fats Waller playfulness, or the peaceful ponderings of "Sea Glass written by the late great saxophonist, Michael Brecker. And by the time "Toonay —a complex tune of lyrical improvisation—ends, you clearly realize he's not your average house pianist.

The esteemed guests, singer Claudia Acuña and guitarist Romero Lubambo, bring voice and strings with Latin persuasions to the title "Amanecer and "Lara, guided by Calderazzo's light and thoughtful playing. The tone of the recording maintains a tranquil aura after the ingenious solo rendition of "I've Never Been in Love Before and depending upon ones preference, the set might be a little too relaxed. But after a hectic day, its soothing qualities are remarkable. This is another fine "solo effort by Calderazzo; an artist who continues to grow within a group setting and most definitely on his own. ~Mark F. Turner

Amanecer

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Jeri Southern - Meets Cole Porter

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:37
Size: 81,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. Don't Look At Me That Way
(3:04)  2. Get Out of Town
(2:31)  3. Looking At You
(4:45)  4. It's All Right with Me
(2:31)  5. Let's Fly Away
(2:30)  6. Why Shouldn't I
(2:49)  7. You're the Top
(2:50)  8. After You
(2:41)  9. Which
(3:49) 10. I Concentrate on You
(2:13) 11. It's Bad for Me
(2:49) 12. Weren't We Fools

As one of the supreme students (and teachers) of American popular song, Jeri Southern was properly prepared to shine on the full album of Cole Porter songs she recorded in 1959. But instead of floating the usual batch of Porter standards, she dug deeper into the catalog for several forgotten nuggets. (This wasn't simply a lack of satisfaction in singing the songs that everyone sang; her melancholic airs weren't particularly suited to relatively contented material like "From This Moment On," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Anything Goes," or "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To.") Arranger Billy May conforms to Southern's gifts, keeping the charts smooth and string-filled instead of brassy, except when the mood calls for a swing tune like "Let's Fly Away." Southern appears to be near the height of her powers, wringing the melodrama from "Get Out of Town" or "I Concentrate on You." Jeri Southern Meets Cole Porter could have been a real classic if Southern had chosen a few other of Porter's overlooked torch songs, such as "Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor)" or "Just One of Those Things" or "So Near and Yet So Far," any of which would have suited her skills at the jilted lover yearning for past romance.~John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/album/jeri-southern-meets-cole-porter-mw0000904673

Meets Cole Porter

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Miles Davis - In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete - Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3, Disc 4

In terms of remote recording, jazz more than any other type of music is most naturally found in its creative element. Musicians are most apt to improvise freely without thought to time limits when on the bandstand, and the nonverbal communication with the audience can certainly boost adrenaline levels, which in turn increases the intensity of the performance. Of the many jazz legends who have recorded in the modern era, Miles Davis was documented in more live settings than probably any other of his peers, thanks in part to the healthy coffers of Columbia Records. As a result, we have a much better picture of Davis’ many classic ensembles over the years as heard “on the job.” Back in the spring of 1961, Davis was in a period of transition. Tenor saxophone master John Coltrane had left the trumpeter’s employ to lead his own band and Hank Mobley had come on board to take his place. While the new tenor man had his own style, it was less radical than Coltrane’s histrionics and Davis was not always pleased with the end results. Still, the trio of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb had been together for some time and the chemistry they shared was undeniably strong. It is this band that appeared at San Francisco’s Blackhawk, where all of the music performed on the weekend of April 21st and 22nd was recorded for prosperity. 

Initially released in truncated form and with edited performances in some cases, the concerts have been expanded: for the first time we get to hear every recorded note, amounting to nearly four hours of music on four discs and with the best possible sound quality. Seven sets were recorded, with a total of 29 tracks being the net result. Thirteen of these have never before been heard, adding considerably to this cache of Davis memorabilia. There are several takes on familiar tunes such as “If I Were a Bell,” “I Thought About You,” and “Green Dolphin Street,” however each one speaks with an individual sense of creativity, a testament to the resourcefulness of each one of these talented musicians. Miles himself is in solid form, often playing with a mute and stretching out at length. Mobley spins some wonderful yarns despite some reed problems, although his melodic style is similar to Davis’ and as such there’s much less of a contrast between the two lead voices. Packaging for this boxed set consists of two slim double jewel boxes housed in a hard cover outer box. Notes inside the booklet are nothing all that revelatory, with a reprint of the original liners and a brief remembrance by Eddie Henderson.

While more exciting changes were to come for Davis and his ensembles, these two nights in San Francisco solidified his mainstream manifesto and are a valuable addition to the trumpeter’s legacy.~C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/complete-in-person-friday-and-saturday-nights-at-the-blackhawk-miles-davis-columbia-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Miles Davis- trumpet; Hank Mobley- tenor saxophone; Wynton Kelly- piano; Paul Chambers- bass; Jimmy Cobb- drums.

Disc 1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz

Year: 2003

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:23

Size: 138,3 MB

Art: Front

( 6:56)  1. Oleo

(17:13)  2. No Blues

( 2:54)  3. Bye Bye (Theme)

(12:43)  4. If I Were A Bell

( 7:38)  5. Fran Dance

(12:12)  6. On Green Dolphin Street

( 0:44)  7. The Theme

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Disc 2

Time: 57:08

Size: 130,9 MB

(15:48)  1. All of You

(10:18)  2. Neo

( 5:04)  3. I Thought About You

( 9:46)  4. Bye Bye Blackbird

(14:16)  5. Walkin

( 1:54)  6. Love, I've Found

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Disc 3

Time: 67:44

Size: 155,1 MB

(12:44)  1. If I Were A Bell

(12:14)  2. So What

( 0:27)  3. No Blues

(12:04)  4. On Green Dolphin Street

(14:16)  5. Walkin'

( 7:29)  6. 'Round Midnight

( 8:02)  7. Well You Needn't

( 0:23)  8. The Theme

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Disc 4

Time: 58:12

Size: 133,3 MB

(11:45)  1. Autumn Leaves

(12:29)  2. Neo

( 4:36)  3. Two Bass Hit

( 3:27)  4. Bye Bye (Theme)

( 1:57)  5. Love, I've Found You

( 5:31)  6. I Thought About You

( 9:39)  7. Someday My Prince Will Come

( 8:46)  8. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3, Disc 4

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Robbie Williams - Swing When You're Winning

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:00
Size: 170,0 MB
Art: Front

( 3:17)  1. I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen
( 3:18)  2. Mack The Knife
( 2:50)  3. Somethin' Stupid (With Nicole Kidman)
( 2:58)  4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
( 4:28)5. It Was A Very Good Year (With Frank Sinatra)
( 2:36)  6. Straighten Up And Fly Right
( 3:50)  7. Well, Did You Evah (With Jon Lovitz)
( 3:17)  8. Mr. Bojangles
( 4:18)  9. One For My Baby
( 3:22) 10. Things (With Jane Horrocks)
( 2:28) 11. Ain't That A Kick In The Head
( 3:07) 12. They Can't Take That Away From Me (With Rupert Everett)
( 2:34) 13. Have You Met Miss Jones?
( 3:16) 14. Me And My Shadow (With Jonathan Wilkes)
(28:14) 15. Beyond The Sea / Outtakes (Hidden Track)

Performance dynamo and chameleonic entertainment personality Robbie Williams made a rapid transformation from English football hooligan to dapper saloon singer for his fourth LP, Swing When You're Winning. Still, Williams' tribute to the great American songbook is a surprisingly natural fit with its intended target: '50s trad-pop patriarchs like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. And just like those two loveable rogues, Williams has brawled and boozed in the past, but isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve; in fact, he's one of the few modern pop stars to fully embrace affecting balladry and nuanced singing. Williams and longtime producer Guy Chambers are also extremely careful with their product, so it shouldn't be surprising that Swing When You're Winning has innumerable extra-musical touches to carry it over: the cover features Williams relaxing in the studio in a period suit; his contract with EMI enabled the addition of the treasured Capitol logo at the top of the sleeve, and several tracks were even recorded at the famed Capitol tower in Hollywood.

Fortunately, Williams is no less careful with his performances. Since he lacks the authoritative air of master crooners like Sinatra and Bing Crosby (along with the rest of humanity), he instead plays up his closer connections to the world of Broadway. His readings are dynamic and emotional sometimes a consequence of trying to put a new spin on these classics (six of the covers are Sinatra standards, three are Bobby Darin's). He also invited, with nearly universal success, a series of duet partners: Nicole Kidman for the sublime "Somethin' Stupid," Jon Lovitz for the irresistibly catty "Well, Did You Evah," Rupert Everett for "They Can't Take That Away From Me," longtime Sinatra accompanist Bill Miller on "One for My Baby," even Sinatra himself for a version of "It Was a Very Good Year" on which Williams takes the first two verses (over the 1965 arrangement), then bows out as Sinatra's original counsels him concerning the later stages of life. Though it may be an overly close tribute to a familiar original (like many of the songs here), Williams' considerable skills with expression and interpretation largely overwhelm any close criticism. He's definitely much better on the comedy songs, especially the hilarious "Well, Did You Evah" (originally a duet for Crosby and Sinatra in the 1956 film High Society). Lovitz's rounded tones and faux-affected airs are a spot-on interpretation of Brother Cros, while Williams' emulation of a boorish lug ("That's a nice dress think I could talk her out of it?") is nearly perfect as well. Though arranger Steve Sidwell hasn't done many charts (and those for the movies Moulin Rouge, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Romeo + Juliet), he also acquits himself nicely aping classic scores for "One for My Baby" and "Beyond the Sea." The lone Robbie Williams original is "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen," a sweeping pipe-dream fantasy of true American superstardom for Britain's biggest pop star. It could happen, too; Pierce Brosnan surely isn't growing any younger.~John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/album/swing-when-youre-winning-mw0002051610

Personnel:  Vocals: Robbie Williams;  Piano: Jim Cox;  Guitar: George Doering;  Bass: Chuck Berghofer;  Trumpets: Chuck Findlay, Gary Grant, Wayner Bergeron, Jeff Bunnell;  Tenor Trombones: Andy Martin, Bruce Otto, Alex Iles;  Bass Trombone: Craig Ware;  Alto Saxaphones: Gary Foster, Dan Higgins;  Tenor Saxaphones: Pete Christlieb, Sal Lozano;  Baritone Saxphone: Greg Huckins.

Swing When You're Winning

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The Marcels - The Best Of The Marcels

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:26
Size: 99.4 MB
Styles: Doo-wop, R&B
Year: 1986
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. Blue Moon
[2:32] 2. Heartaches
[2:33] 3. One Last Kiss
[2:23] 4. Honestly Sincere
[2:32] 5. Goodbye To Love
[2:18] 6. Crazy Bells
[2:12] 7. Summertime
[2:34] 8. Another Fool
[2:36] 9. Over The Rainbow
[2:36] 10. Blue Heartaches
[2:20] 11. Friendly Loans
[2:07] 12. Sweet Was The Wine
[2:21] 13. Footprints In The Sand
[2:19] 14. I'll Be Forever Loving You
[2:20] 15. I Wanna Be The Leader
[2:14] 16. That Old Black Magic
[2:38] 17. Allright, Okay, You Win
[2:26] 18. My Melancholy Baby

Lest anyone think the Marcels were a one-song phenomenon (i.e. "Blue Moon"), this CD will be a valuable learning experience, as well as delightful listening. Drawing primarily from their singles (with three LP cuts and an unissued outtake filling out the song lineup), this is a fairly dazzling array of vocal acrobatics, much of it hung around old pop standards, among them "Summertime," "That Old Black Magic," "My Melancholy Baby," and "Over the Rainbow," as well as songs of more recent vintage. Among the discoveries to be made here is a gloriously radiant recording of an otherwise "lost" Barry Mann/Cynthia Weill number called "Find Another Fool." Cornelius Harp's lead on "Summertime" is a glorious thing to hear, while the brilliantly arranged "Heartaches" -- dominated by Walt Maddox's baritone -- which managed to hit number nine nationally, manages to encompass something essentially poignant about R&B and rock & roll, and elicit a laugh or two (or three) in the process. Original producer Stu Phillips, whose subsequent career involved him in everything from the Monkees to the soundtrack of Battlestar Galactica, did a brilliant job on these tracks, which hold up very well today, the voices always out front and in your face, and just enough rhythm section and whatever lead instrument (usually a sax) to sweeten the mix and add a little punch behind the group. If this disc has any flaw, it's that the makers didn't follow the chronological order of the recording dates, which means that the sounds of the two distinctly different lineups of the group are intermingled -- but the notes also include a chart delineating precisely which lineup sang on which songs, and that's excellent compensation. The sound holds up extremely well for a CD mastered in 1990, and the only reason for not picking this up would be to grab Sequel records' Complete Colpix Sessions instead, which features 38 songs from the same source as these 18. ~Bruce Eder

The Best Of The Marcels

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Sean & Jimmy Gourley - Board The Straight Ahead Express

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:11
Size: 112.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. Oh Look At Me Now
[4:01] 2. Moonlight Saving Time
[4:22] 3. Speak Low
[5:19] 4. Angel Eyes
[3:37] 5. Still There
[2:32] 6. Biloxy Blues Walk
[4:18] 7. The Night We Call It A Day
[4:34] 8. Too Late Now
[4:20] 9. A Nightingale Sang In Berekeley Square
[4:06] 10. In A Mellow Tone
[3:47] 11. Blue Daze
[4:30] 12. Syracuse

It's a real pleasure for any listener to hear Jimmy and his son, not only playing guitar with style but most important of all, singing unforgettable standards.

Board The Straight Ahead Express

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Jazz In Blume - What A Wonderful World

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:10
Size: 92.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. The Best Is Yet To Come
[2:12] 2. 'deed I Do
[5:43] 3. Angel Eyes
[5:43] 4. Honky Tonk
[2:41] 5. Baby It's Cold Outside
[3:58] 6. One Mint Julep
[4:17] 7. Smile
[2:40] 8. Ain't Misbehavin'
[4:39] 9. Saturday Night Fish Fry
[2:31] 10. Orange Colored Sky
[3:02] 11. What A Wonderful World

Smooth. Crystal Clear. Tracy Blume transcends each song she sings going right to the heart of the music. You'll be delightfully transported by her joyful and evocative delivery of many of your favorite tunes from the classic jazz/swing era. Tracy began singing at the age of three with her first solo “I’m A Lonely Little Petunia In An Onion Patch” and has been singing ever since.

Tracy studied opera at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid, Spain and she also has a background in musical theatre, jazz/pop ensembles and production. Tracy and her husband, Roger, moved to the peninsula in the fall of 2002 and have been enjoying the wealth of talented musicians and musical opportunities that life on the North Olympic Peninsula has to offer. Tracy enjoys playing around the Peninsula in all formats from duo combinations at Michael’s Divine Dining of Port Angeles the trio format at the Olympic Cellars Winery to the “anything goes!” excitement of the weekly JazzExpress Jazz jam that she and her band, Jazz in Blume host every Wednesday at the Crazy Fish Restaurant in Port Angeles.

It’s a pleasure and a privilege to play with the wonderfully talented musicians of area and its Tracy’s hope to keep live music alive and thriving on the peninsula for all to enjoy! Tracy’s vocal range along with her infectious joy in the songs that she sings makes her a true delight.

What A Wonderful World

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Manhattan Jazz Quintet - Come Together

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop

Year: 2005

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:01

Size: 137,6 MB

Art: Front

(5:58)  1. Come Together

(7:19)  2. A Day in the Life

(6:24)  3. Big Apple Jam Part II

(7:55)  4. Michelle

(5:51)  5. We Can Work It Out

(6:44)  6. I Was Born to Love You

(6:18)  7. All My Loving

(6:11)  8. Don't Stop Me Now

(7:16)  9. Over the Rainbow

The Manhattan Jazz Quintet are an unusual group in that they very rarely perform as a unit in the United States (much less Manhattan) but have been a major hit in Japan, both for their recordings and occasional tours. Originally comprised of leader/pianist David Matthews, trumpeter Lew Soloff, tenor saxophonist George Young, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd, the band (which emphasizes straight-ahead hard bop swinging) first came together in 1983 at the suggestion of the King label and the top Japanese jazz magazine Swing Journal. To everyone's surprise, its first recording (simply called Manhattan Jazz Quintet) became such a big seller that it was awarded Swing Journal's annual 1984 Gold Disk Award as the number one album in Japan. Several years later the group broke up when Gomez and Gadd needed more time to pursue their individual projects and all of the quintet members later became quite successful in their own careers but this edition of the MJQ recorded reunions in 1990 (which found John Scofield guesting on a few selections) and in 1993. Victor Lewis replaced Gadd that year, and subsequently Young was replaced by Andy Snitzer and Gomez by Charnett Moffett. The Manhattan Jazz Quintet recorded primarily for King in Japan (those dates were mostly made available in the U.S. by Projazz) during the 1980s, although they cut some later recordings among the comparative very few that actually took place in Manhattan! for the Sweet Basil label. During the new millennium the Manhattan Jazz Quintet have recorded regularly for Video Arts. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/manhattan-jazz-quintet/id79729527#fullText

Personnel:  Lew Soloff – Trumpet;  Andy Snitzer – Tenor Saxophone;  David Mathews – Piano;  Charnett Moffett – Bass;  Victor Lewis – Drums.

Come Together

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Jill Barber - Chances

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:38
Size: 77,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:42)  1. Chances
(3:00)  2. Be My Man
(2:41)  3. Old Flame
(4:42)  4. Oh My My
(3:38)  5. Take It Off Your Mind
(3:41)  6. Wishing Well
(2:58)  7. Never Quit Loving You
(2:40)  8. All My Dreams
(2:51)  9. Leaving You
(3:41) 10. One More Time

On her album Chances, Canadian chanteuse Jill Barber picks up the torch where the golden age of music left off. Stepping away from her folk past, Jill delivers an album of ten original, fully orchestrated songs that strongly evoke and could themselves become classics. From the moment you hear her sultry voice on the opening title track, you are transported to another time and place. 

“The best songs ever written are the ones that somehow transcend time and fashion, “says Jill. ”They may be old, but they haven’t aged. It is that timeless quality that I aspire to in my own songwriting."https://jillbarber.bandcamp.com/album/chances

Personnel: Les Cooper (guitar); Aisslinn Nosky, Nancy Kershaw, Karen Graves, Chris Church (violin); Johann Lotter, Julia Knight, Karen Moffatt (viola); Orley Bitov, Kevin Fox , Alex Grant (cello); Robbie Grunwald (piano); Victor Bateman (bass guitar); Joel Stouffer (drums); Jill Barber (vocal).

Chances

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Joshua Redman - Wish

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:44
Size: 142,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:25)  1. Turnaround
( 6:32)  2. Soul Dance
( 5:26)  3. Make Sure You're Sure
( 5:40)  4. The Deserving Many
( 5:47)  5. We Had A Sister
( 3:32)  6. Moose The Mooche
( 3:23)  7. Tears In Heaven
( 5:22)  8. Whittlin'
( 7:24)  9. Wish (Live)
(12:08) 10. Blues For Pat (Live)

Joshua Redman's sophomore effort found him leading a piano-less quartet that also included guitar great Pat Metheny and half of Ornette Coleman's trailblazing late-'50s/early-'60s quartet: acoustic bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. With such company, Redman could have delivered a strong avant-garde or free jazz album; Haden and Higgins had played an important role in jazz's avant-garde because of their association with Coleman, and Metheny had himself joined forces with Coleman on their thrilling Song X session of 1985. But Wish isn't avant-garde; instead, it's a mostly inside post-bop date that emphasizes the lyrical and the introspective. The musicians swing hard and fast on Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooche," but things become very reflective on pieces like Redman's "The Undeserving Many" and Metheny's "We Had a Sister." One of the nice things about Redman is his ability to provide jazz interpretations of rock and R&B songs. While neo-conservatives ignore them and many NAC artists simply provide boring, predictable, note-for-note covers, Redman isn't afraid to dig into them and show their jazz potential. In Redman's hands, Stevie Wonder's "Make Sure You're Sure" becomes a haunting jazz-noir statement, while Eric Clapton's ballad "Tears in Heaven" is changed from moving pop/rock to moving pop-jazz. The latter, in fact, could be called "smooth jazz with substance." Some of bop's neo-conservatives disliked the fact that Redman was playing with two of Coleman's former sidemen and a fusion icon like Metheny, but then, Redman never claimed to be a purist. Although Wish isn't innovative, it's an appealing CD from an improviser who is willing to enter a variety of musical situations.~Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/wish-mw0000104577

Personnel:  Joshua Redman – tenor saxophone;  Pat Metheny – guitar;  Charlie Haden – bass;  Billy Higgins – drums

Wish

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Eric Gale - In a Jazz Tradition

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:08
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Eric's Gale
(6:39)  2. If You Could See Me Now
(5:46)  3. Bloomdido
(7:54)  4. Lover Man
(7:19)  5. Jordu
(7:39)  6. Loose Change
(8:29)  7. Blues for Everybody

Guitarist Eric Gale, best known for his work in R&B, funk, and commercial settings, was presented by bassist/producer Ron Carter on a strictly jazz date in 1987. With tenor saxophonist Houston Person, organist Lonnie Smith, and drummer Grady Tate completing the quintet, the music is soul-jazz with a strong dose of bebop. Gale performs his original "Eric's Gale," a couple of basic tunes by Carter, and four standards, including Charlie Parker's "Bloomdido" and "Jordu." Since Eric Gale rarely recorded in this type of freewheeling group, the swinging set was his definitive jazz recording.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-a-jazz-tradition-mw0000198410

Personnel:  Eric Gale: guitar;  Houston Person: tenor saxophone;  Lonnie Smith: organ;  Ron Carter: bass;  Grady Tate: drums

In a Jazz Tradition

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Jimmy Witherspoon & Groove Holmes - Blues For Spoon And Groove

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:34
Size: 74.6 MB
Styles: Urban blues
Year: 1965/2009
Art: Front

[2:08] 1. Take This Hammer, Pt. 1
[3:56] 2. Goin' To Chicago
[3:30] 3. In Blues
[2:30] 4. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
[2:12] 5. Loser's Blues
[2:26] 6. Please Send Me Someone To Love
[2:25] 7. Key To The Highway
[2:23] 8. Cry The Blues
[2:07] 9. Out Blues (For Big Joe)
[3:28] 10. Since I Fell For You
[2:20] 11. Everything
[3:03] 12. Take This Hammer, Pt. 2

This was originally released as Groovin' & Spoonin' on Olympic (7107). It's a decent if unremarkable set of blues-jazz, heavier on the blues, with organist Groove Holmes being Witherspoon's most important sideman on this date (which also features tenor saxophonist Teddy Edwards). Several of the numbers are shopworn standards like "Take This Hammer," "Key to the Highway," "Please Send Me Someone to Love," and "Since I Fell for You," though everything's performed with taste. If you're looking for Witherspoon blues-jazz with an organ groove, the 1963 album Evenin' Blues (1963) is more highly recommended, though 'Spoon & Groove has no serious flaws. ~Richie Unterberger

Blues For Spoon And Groove

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Ginai - Jazz Island

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:47
Size: 88.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Them There Eyes
[4:17] 2. Puamana All Blues
[3:33] 3. Take Five
[4:29] 4. The Land Of Make Believe
[3:45] 5. Whisper Not
[4:05] 6. Blue Moon
[4:21] 7. Jazz Island
[3:41] 8. Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:49] 9. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me
[4:28] 10. Poor Butterly

Talented, versatile Ginai steps up with a new CD, Jazz Island, that is a perfect showcase. If you’ve never been into jazz, this album could change your mind. Maybe divas are not what MTV shows us. Maybe pampered 18-year-olds singing about the loves they are yet to know don’t strike a chord of truth within us. Perhaps they should taste the bitterness of life first before we trust their opinion on things. If that is the case, then Hawaii should be proud at the final unveiling of our own local jazz diva, Ginai. On Friday, March 10, jazz aficionados island wide will finally get a chance to see what they knew all along: Ginai was meant to be one of the pre-eminent jazz solo artists in Hawaii.

The release of this album represents not just a new spin on some jazz classics, but a new lease on life for a woman who has had to battle for it her whole life.

Jazz Island

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James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:54
Size: 84.5 MB
Styles: Soft rock
Year: 1971/2012
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Love Has Brought Me Around
[4:27] 2. You've Got A Friend
[1:59] 3. Places In My Past
[2:40] 4. Riding On A Railroad
[1:12] 5. Soldiers
[5:20] 6. Mud Slide Slim
[3:45] 7. Hey Mister, That's Me Up On The Jukebox
[2:29] 8. You Can Close Your Eyes
[2:34] 9. Machine Gun Kelly
[2:19] 10. Long Ago And Far Away
[2:40] 11. Let Me Ride
[3:50] 12. Highway Song
[0:54] 13. Isn't It Nice To Be Home Again

James Taylor's commercial breakthrough in 1970 was predicated on the relationship between the private concerns expressed in his songs and the larger philosophical mood of his audience. He was going through depression, heartbreak, and addiction; they were recovering from the political and cultural storms of the '60s. On his follow-up to the landmark Sweet Baby James, Taylor brought his listeners up to date, wisely trying to step beyond the cultural, if not the personal, markers he had established. Despite affirming romance in songs like "Love Has Brought Me Around" and the moving "You Can Close Your Eyes" as well as companionship in "You've Got a Friend," the record still came as a defense against the world, not an embrace of it; Taylor was unable to forget the past or trust the present. The songs were full of references to the road and the highway, and he was uncomfortable with his new role as spokesman. The confessional songwriter was now, necessarily, writing about what it was like to be a confessional songwriter: Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon served the valuable function of beginning to move James Taylor away from the genre he had defined, which ultimately would give him a more long-lasting appeal. ~William Ruhlmann

Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon

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Sonny Stitt, Don Patterson - Brothers 4

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:19
Size: 172.4 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1969/1993
Art: Front

[8:51] 1. Brothers-4
[6:49] 2. Creepin' Home
[8:26] 3. Alexander's Ragtime Band
[8:32] 4. Walk On By
[8:25] 5. Donny Brook
[9:57] 6. Mud Turtle
[5:30] 7. St. Thomas
[8:30] 8. Good Bait
[5:52] 9. Starry Night
[4:22] 10. Tune-Up

In September 1969, regular collaborators saxophonist Sonny Stitt and organist Don Patterson recorded together for the last time. For the occasion, they were joined by guitarist Grant Green, forming something of an organ combo supergroup. Patterson's excellent regular drummer Billy James rounded out the quartet. The ten tracks they made together -- four of them found on the original LP, six others added to later editions -- were not the crowning achievement for any of the principals, but they still stand in the front ranks of organ jazz. Three of the LP's tracks clock in at over eight minutes, providing lots of room for stretching out. Patterson's title track -- a classic, driving soul-jazz theme -- is the highlight. James' "Creepin' Home" moves along at a slacker, shuffling pace. Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" surprisingly becomes a vehicle for impressive solos from the three lead players, once they get through stating the corny melody. The Burt Bacharach/Hal David pop ballad "Walk on By" also features good work from the quartet. [The six tunes not heard on the original LP eventually appeared on the Patterson LPs Donny Brook and Tune Up, then were rounded up here.] ~Jim Todd

Brothers 4

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Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:32
Size: 157,0 MB
Art: Front

(12:16)  1. Red Clay
( 7:25)  2. Delphia
( 8:49)  3. Suite Sioux
(10:48)  4. The Intrepid Fox
(10:27)  5. Cold Turkey
(18:45)  6. Red Clay

Like Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard's best work was always in the service of others until he signed with Creed Taylor's CTI label. He then released a trio of albums that represents his crowning achievement as a leader. Red Clay finds him in the company of Herbie Hancock, who played a large part in defining jazz fusion, as well as heavyweights like Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, and Lenny White. The title track kicks off the record with a funky groove that is much more memorable than any such trick attempted on Blue Note releases from the previous decade; the remaining tracks are fairly adventurous explorations of a variety of interesting themes. Hancock, whose electric piano is one of the guilty pleasures of the area, carries the day with funky vamping and tasteful soloing. 

But Hubbard is no slouch either, contributing some of his most memorable solos over the jazzy grooves. Henderson has smoothed out his previous sound, eliminating the stuttering and wailing that defined his style in the sixties. Simply put, Red Clay is one of the relatively few jazz masterpieces from the seventies.~David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/red-clay-freddie-hubbard-cti-records-review-by-david-rickert.php
 

Personnel: Ron Carter - Bass; Herbie Hancock - Piano; Joe Henderson - Saxophone; Lenny White - Drums; Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet.

Red Clay

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Jeri Southern - A Prelude To A Kiss: The Story Of A Love Affair

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:26
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Prelude To A Kiss
(3:10)  2. Cross My Heart
(2:33)  3. I Don't Want To Walk Without You
(3:24)  4. Please Be Kind
(3:22)  5. Trust In Me
(2:53)  6. Try A Little Tenderness
(3:31)  7. You're Mine You
(3:02)  8. Speak Low
(3:13)  9. Hold Me
(3:20) 10. Close To You
(3:02) 11. Close As Pages In A Book
(3:17) 12. The Touch Of Your Lips

An ambitious concept album that assembles a clutch of familiar romantic ballads into a narrative arc charting the birth of romance, A Prelude to a Kiss: The Story of a Love Affair remains Jeri Southern's most fully realized and consistent effort, evoking Frank Sinatra's classic late-'50s Capitol albums in both scope and tenor. Paired with arranger Gus Levene, whose richly melancholy backings are essential to the album's unified mood, Southern brings a sense of cinéma vérité to songs like "Speak Low" and "The Touch of Your Lips," transforming the familiar lyrics into deeply personal expressions as intimate as diary entries.~Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-prelude-to-a-kiss-the-story-of-a-love-affair-mw0000930656

A Prelude To A Kiss: The Story Of A Love Affair

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Eric Le Lann - I Remember Chet

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:43
Size: 130,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. For Minors Only
(5:21)  2. If I Should Care
(4:50)  3. The More I See You
(3:01)  4. I Am A Fool To Want You
(4:42)  5. Summertime
(4:30)  6. The Touch Of Your Lips
(4:53)  7. Milestones
(6:40)  8. Zingaro
(6:05)  9. Love For Sale
(7:38) 10. Angel Eyes
(5:05) 11. Backtime

French trumpeter Eric Le Lann has a bit part in Bertrand Tavernier's 1986 film Round Midnight, the story of a French jazz fan's friendship with wayward American jazz musician Dale Turner, played by tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Le Lann plays a French jazz trumpeter not much of a stretch. More to the point, the film's story mirrored, however approximately, an episode in his own life, in which Le Lann befriended the expatriate Chet Baker during the latter's troubled final decade. On I Remember Chet, Le Lann pays tribute to the older trumpeter, a quarter century after his death. The record features a cross section of tunes closely associated with Baker; the sole original, Le Lann's "Backtime," fits in well enough. Le Lann's playing would not likely be mistaken for Baker's, but the record makes clear his affinity for several key features of the late trumpeter's playing: particularly, a singing tone, a swinging sense of time and a certain tenderness. At the same time, Le Lann's playing is steely and more forthright than Baker's vulnerable sound. Le Lann favors the lower to middle portion of the trumpet's range. Most important, Le Lann is not in the least intimidated by Baker's mythic reputation, and he and his trio turn in a remarkably strong and satisfying performance.

The record's instrumentation is spare: trumpet accompanied only by Nelson Veras' acoustic guitar and Gildas Boclé's double bass. The Franco-Brazilian guitarist has an enigmatic style, never approaching a solo in a predictable way, never hewing too closely to the written melody but, at the same time, restrained and reverent. As a sideman on this project, Veras is excellent, maintaining a level of improvisational complexity that nicely complements Le Lann's directness. In fact, at times it sounds like Le Lann is encouraged by Veras' elliptical sensibility to develop solos that float a little more freely from the songs' melodic mooring.

Bassist Boclé, meanwhile, is essentially the sole rhythm instrument (Veras is particularly minimalist when he is not soloing, and on a particularly sunny "The Touch of Your Lips," he is absent altogether). Boclé provides a solid beat on what is, after all, a fairly swinging session.~Jeff Dayton-Johnson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-remember-chet-eric-le-lann-bee-jazz-review-by-jeff-dayton-johnson.php

Personnel: Eric Le Lann: trumpet; Nelson Veras: guitar; Gildas Boclé: double bass.

I Remember Chet

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Brad Mehldau Trio - Ode

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:28
Size: 178,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:46)  1. M.B.
(6:20)  2. Ode
(7:50)  3. 26
(7:25)  4. Dream Sketch
(6:42)  5. Bee Blues
(5:43)  6. Twiggy
(4:57)  7. Kurt Vibe
(5:25)  8. Stan The Man
(9:25)  9. Eulogy For George Hanson
(4:49) 10. Aquaman
(9:01) 11. Days Of Dilbert Delaney

The Art of the Trio: Recordings 1996-2001 (Nonesuch, 2011) provided an opportunity to reassess Brad Mehldau's rapid trajectory, though the trio that established him as one of the past two decades' most important pianists was long gone. If Jorge Rossy's replacement in 2005 seemed to open the trio up more, it's perhaps because drummer Jeff Ballard is a more assertive conversationalist, as demonstrated from the get-go on "Knives Out," the first track on Mehldau's debut with this updated incarnation, Day is Done (Nonesuch, 2005). It's a feeling immediately reaffirmed on "M.B.," the opener to Ode, Mehldau's first trio recording since Live (Nonesuch, 2008). While Mehldau's trio was his primary focus for the first decade of his career, the past seven years have seen him busier in a multiplicity of contexts, from solo performances like the stellar Live in Marciac (Nonesuch, 2011) and the ambitious Highway Rider (Nonesuch, 2010), with its larger cast of characters, to collaborations with guitarist Pat Metheny on Metheny Mehldau (Nonesuch, 2006) and Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007), and his more recent trifecta with pianist Kevin Hays and composer/arranger Patrick Zimmerli, Modern Music (Nonesuch, 2011). If Mehldau's trio plays fewer gigs and records less often these days, that just means that any release is to be eagerly anticipated, and Ode doesn't disappoint.

Ode represents Mehldau's first set of entirely original compositions for trio since Rossy's swan song, House on Hill (Nonesuch) released in 2005 but largely recorded in 2002. That a decade has passed means considerable growth for Mehldau the writer, who covers a lot of territory, from the vibrant opener dedicated to the late saxophonist Michael Brecker to the loose funk of "Dream Sketch," which reflects the same ongoing interest in song form that's compelled Mehldau to cover artists like Radiohead and Nick Drake on previous recordings. That doesn't mean Mehldau's lost sight of the jazz tradition: the ambling and aptly titled "Bee Blues," with its hint of Thelonious Monk-like idiosyncrasy, features Larry Grenadier, Mehldau's bassist of choice since 1995; while the incendiary "Stan the Man" swings at an almost impossible tempo made effortless by Grenadier and Ballard, with the pianist turning in one his most impressive solos of the set, executing a series of blinding unison passages with both hands. Mehldau's ability to accomplish seemingly impossible feats for two hands has also given him additional compositional flexibility; driven by Ballard's hand-played percussion, "Twiggy" may sound like two pianists, but anyone who's watched the Dvd of Live in Marciac knows this is the work of a single set of two hands. 

Few bassists are as instantly responsive as Grenadier, and in more open-ended environs like the rubato "Wyatt's Eulogy for George Hanson" which ultimately dissolves into the freest piece in Mehldau's entire trio repertoire it's the group's inestimable collective empathy that makes it so important and influential. Mehldau may no longer make this trio his primary focus, but with Ode, he makes crystal clear that it remains a vital one, with less frequent releases only serving to more vividly highlight the quantum leaps that Mehldau, Grenadier and Ballard make, both individually and collectively, year after year.~John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ode-brad-mehldau-nonesuch-records-review-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: Brad Mehldau: piano; Larry Grenadier: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Ode

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