Harry Allen - Tenors Any One ?

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:54
Size: 128,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. It Was Just One Of Those Things
(4:04)  2. Blue And Sentimental
(6:01)  3. Flying Home
(4:27)  4. My Favorite Things
(4:07)  5. Lester Leaps In
(4:38)  6. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
(4:05)  7. America, The Beautiful
(5:20)  8. The Peacocks
(6:03)  9. Tea For Two
(3:03) 10. If I'm Lucky
(6:12) 11. Cool Man Chu
(3:18) 12. Four Brothers

Gene Lees writes, “Stan Getz was once asked his idea of the perfect tenor saxophone soloist. His answer was, 'My technique, Al Cohn's ideas, and Zoot's time.' The fulfillment of that ideal may well be embodied in thirty-year-old Harry Allen.” BMG recording artist Harry Allen has over twenty recordings to his name. Three of Harry's CDs have won Gold Disc Awards from Japan's Swing Journal Magazine, and his CD Tenors Anyone? won both the Gold Disc Award and the New Star Award. His recordings have made the top ten list for favorite new releases in Swing Journal Magazine's reader's poll and Jazz Journal International's critic's poll for 1997, and Eu Nao Quero Dancar (I Won't Dance), the third Gold Disc Award winner, was voted second for album of the year for 1998 by Swing Journal Magazine‚s reader‚s poll. Harry has performed at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide, frequently touring the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Flip Phillips, Scott Hamilton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus Johnson, Jeff Hamilton, Terry Gibbs, Warren Vache, and has recorded with Tony Bennett, Johnny Mandel, Ray Brown, Tommy Flanagan, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Barron, Dave McKenna, Dori Caymmi, Larry Goldings, George Mraz, Jake Hanna, and Al Foster, among others. Harry is featured on many of John Pizzarelli's recordings including the soundtrack and an on-screen cameo in the feature film The Out of Towners starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has also done a series of commercials for ESPN starring Robert Goulet. Harry was born in Washington D.C. in 1966, and was raised in Los Angeles, CA and Burrillville, RI. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1988 from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and currently resides in New York City. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/harryallen

Personnel:  Harry Allen - tenor saxophone;  John Pizzarelli – guitar;  Ray Kennedy – piano;  Martin Pizzarelli - bass

Tenors Any One ?

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Jackie Allen - My Favorite Color

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:07
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Sleepin' Bee
(3:54)  2. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
(6:45)  3. My Man's Gone Now
(7:33)  4. Blame It In My Youth
(7:06)  5. Manic Depression
(4:08)  6. Stuck In the Middle With You
(4:17)  7. A House Is Not A Home
(4:33)  8. Diana
(6:03)  9. Born To Be Blue
(4:04) 10. Call Me Winter

Eight years’ absence from the recording studio has done nothing to diminish Jackie Allen’s allure. The voice dusky, mellow and wise is as spellbinding as ever, now shot through with a captivating world-weariness, her folk-rock roots clearly showing. Though My Favorite Color’s inclusive playlist includes a tender, bruised “Born to Be Blue,” the album’s title is to be taken figuratively, Allen exploring various musical hues and shades that intrigue her. There are jazz standards: a lithe “A Sleepin’ Bee” that seems plucked fresh from an antebellum plantation; a gorgeous, near-baroque rendering, alone with guitarist John Moulder, of “Blame It on My Youth”; and an extraordinary “My Man’s Gone Now” that progresses from woe to rage before it settles into resigned gloom. There’s a delightfully curious assortment of rock and pop hits, stretching from the depths of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” and dejection of Bacharach and David’s “A House Is Not a Home” to the sass and slither of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You,” its funk gloriously reimagined by a collective that includes keyboardist Ben Lewis, drummer Dane Richeson, bassist Hans Sturm, trumpeter Tito Carillo and saxophonist Steve Eisen. Finally there are Allen originals, two exquisite pieces: the lilting “Diana,” a cautionary tale of abandoning bohemian freedom for fenced-in security; and the icebound “Call Me Winter,” a labyrinthine voyage of self-discovery co-crafted with Illinois Poet Laureate GE Murray. ~ Christopher Loudon http://jazztimes.com/articles/132339-my-favorite-color-jackie-allen

Personnel: Jackie Allen (vocals); John Moulder (guitar); Ben Lewis (keyboards); Hans Sturm (double bass); Dane Richeson (drums, percussion).

My Favorite Color

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The Horace Silver Quintet - Serenade To A Soul Sister

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 1968

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 38:17

Size: 102,9 MB

Art: Front

(7:18)  1. Psychedelic Sally

(6:22)  2. Serenade To A Soul Sister

(6:25)  3. Rain Dance

(6:51)  4. Jungle Juice

(5:58)  5. Kindred Spirits

(5:22)  6. Next Time I Fall In Love

One of the last great Horace Silver albums for Blue Note, Serenade to a Soul Sister is also one of the pianist's most infectiously cheerful, good-humored outings. It was recorded at two separate early-1968 sessions with two mostly different quintets, both featuring trumpeter Charles Tolliver and alternating tenor saxophonists Stanley Turrentine and Bennie Maupin, bassists Bob Cranshaw and John Williams, and drummers Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham. (Williams and Cobham were making some of their first recorded appearances since exiting the military.) Silver's economical, rhythmic piano style had often been described as funky, but the fantastic opener "Psychedelic Sally" makes that connection more explicit and contemporary, featuring a jubilant horn theme and a funky bass riff that both smack of Memphis soul. (In fact, it's kind of a shame he didn't pursue this idea more.) Keeping the album's playful spirit going, "Rain Dance" is a campy American Indian-style theme, and "Jungle Juice" has a mysterious sort of exotic, tribal flavor. "Kindred Spirits" has a different, more ethereal sort of mystery, and "Serenade to a Soul Sister" is a warm, loose-swinging tribute. You'd never know this album was recorded in one of the most tumultuous years in American history, but as Silver says in the liner notes' indirect jab at the avant-garde, he simply didn't believe in allowing "politics, hatred, or anger" into his music. Whether you agree with that philosophy or not, it's hard to argue with musical results as joyous and tightly performed as Serenade to a Soul Sister. ~ Steve Huey http://www.allmusic.com/album/serenade-to-a-soul-sister-mw0000203356

Personnel: Horace Silver (piano); Stanley Turrentine, Bennie Maupin (tenor saxophone); Charles Tolliver (trumpet); Bob Cranshaw (piano); Mickey Roker, Billy Cobham (drums).

Serenade To A Soul Sister

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Kenny Garrett - Do Your Dance!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:46
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:06)  1. Philly
(6:56)  2. Backyard Groove
(4:43)  3. Wheatgrass Shot (Straight to the Head)
(6:22)  4. Bossa
(4:58)  5. Do Your Dance!
(4:37)  6. Calypso Chant
(7:23)  7. Waltz (3 Sisters)
(8:08)  8. Persian Steps
(5:30)  9. Chasing the Wind

On Kenny Garrett's fourth Mack Avenue release, 2016's Do Your Dance!, the Detroit-born saxophonist dives headlong into a set of original songs that exploit dance rhythms in subtle, unexpected ways. Conceptually speaking, while there are dance beats from swing, funk, Latin, and more throughout Do Your Dance!, the idea of doing your dance could also simply refer to the idea of doing your own thing and expressing yourself in your own unique way. That seems to be the deeper notion running through much of Garrett's music, which is often explosive, harmonically challenging, and highly engaging here. Joining Garrett are several collaborators from his other Mack Avenue releases, including pianist Vernell Brown, Jr., bassist Corcoran Holt, drummers Ronald Bruner, Jr. and McClenty Hunter, and percussionist Rudy Bird. Together, they have a lively, organic ensemble sound that lends itself to group interplay even during solos. Everybody sounds alert and focused with all ears on Garrett. Bookended by two fiery post-bop swingers in "Philly" and "Chasing the Wind," both of which bring to mind mid-'60s John Coltrane, Do Your Dance! finds Garrett in an eclectic mood. His roiling "Backyard Groove" picks up on the angular circularity of Miles Davis' "Freedom Jazz Dance," while the aptly titled "Bossa" is a fluid, minor-key-tinged exploration the Brazilian sound. Elsewhere, Garrett displays his knack for combining disparate sounds, as on the classically inflected "Wheatgrass Shot (Straight to the Head)" featuring rapper Donald "Mista Enz" Brown, Jr., which sounds delightfully like the Roots making an ECM album. Also unexpected are the ruminative "Waltz (3 Sisters)" and the exotic "Persian Steps," which features Garrett on sax, flute, and the droney, traditional Indian Shruti Box. More expected, but no less impressive, is the buoyant "Calypso Chant," in which Garrett summons the titanic energy and island-inspired hard bop of Sonny Rollins. Ultimately, with Do Your Dance! Garrett has crafted an album that will get your blood flowing to your brain and your feet. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/do-your-dance!-mw0002945796

Personnel: Kenny Garrett: alto saxophone (1 – 6, 9, soprano saxophone (7), percussion, vocal (6), piano, flute, shruti box (8);  Vernell Brown Jr: piano (1 – 7, 9), chant (8);  Corcoran Holt: bass (1 – 7, 9);  Ronald Brunner: drums (1, 2, 8, 9);  McClenty Hunter: drums (3 – 7);  Rudy Bird: percussion (3 – 6); Donald ‘Mista Enz’ Brown: rap (3, 5).

Do Your Dance!

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The Al Cohn Quintet - The Al Cohn Quintet Featuring Bob Brookmeyer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 39:43

Size: 90.9 MB

Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 1956/2005

Art: Front

[3:21] 1. The Lady Is A Tramp

[3:33] 2. Good Spirits

[4:19] 3. A Blues Serenade

[2:53] 4. Lazy Man Stomp

[2:46] 5. Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)

[3:36] 6. Chloe

[3:43] 7. S-H-I-N-E

[2:33] 8. Back To Back

[3:46] 9. So Far So Good

[3:51] 10. Winter

[2:38] 11. I Should Care

[2:37] 12. Bunny Hunch

Al Cohn and Bob Brookmeyer appeared on a number of record dates together, each appearing as a sideman with the other, in addition to joint appearances on a number of Manny Albam-led sessions, among others. But this disc, initially issued by Coral on LP in 1957, was one of the hardest to acquire until its 2005 reissue as a limited-edition CD. With the assistance of pianist Mose Allison, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Nick Stabulas in the rhythm section, Cohn and Brookmeyer inspire one another throughout the sessions. Brookmeyer contributed the upbeat "Good Spirits" and breezy "Lazy Man Stomp." Cohn's strong originals include the cool ballad "Winter" and the swinging "Back to Back." They also update a number of standards from earlier decades, including Brookmeyer's exotic setting of "Ill Wind" (a terrific feature for Cohn) and Cohn's surprisingly uptempo setting of the usually hackneyed "Chloe." Since this CD reissue will no longer be available after March 2008, cool jazz fans are advised not to miss this edition. ~Ken Dryden

Featuring Bobby Brookmeyer

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Roxy Heartfelt & The Heart Throbs - Let's Face The Music And Dance EP

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 17:54
Size: 41.0 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues vocals
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:13] 2. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[3:18] 3. You Don't Move Me No More
[3:43] 4. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
[4:59] 5. Love For Sale

Roxy Heartfelt play Jazz, and Blues, Swing and Latin. The band has developed over the past 4 years to become a cohesive and solid rhythmic unit. All of us enjoy playing together immensely. There is space and room to solo, great melodies, and excellent musicianship.

Ex Jive Bomber Roz Hatfield becomes Roxy Heartfelt, a sultry singing sensation who really knows how to party. The Throbs provide sophisticated 3 part vocal backing and drive a house rockin’ rhythm all the way home from Memphis, Tennessee, via New York, Chicago and LA. Collectively, The Throbs boast a wealth of musical experience having run the gamut of the entertainment industry from concert halls to pubs and clubs, as well as live theatre, television to radio broadcasting.

Let's Face The Music And Dance

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Eddie Money - Playlist: The Very Best Of Eddie Money

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:57
Size: 118.9 MB
Styles: Album Rock
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Baby Hold On
[3:29] 2. Take Me Home Tonight Be My Baby
[4:37] 3. Walk On Water
[4:07] 4. The Love In Your Eyes
[3:51] 5. I Wanna Go Back
[3:09] 6. Think I'm In Love
[3:08] 7. Two Tickets To Paradise [single Version]
[3:04] 8. Maybe I'm A Fool
[3:07] 9. Shakin'
[4:20] 10. Fall In Love Again
[3:37] 11. The Big Crash
[3:22] 12. Endless Nights
[4:59] 13. Peace In Our Time
[3:30] 14. I'll Get By

Playlist: The Very Best of Eddie Money features 14 tracks defined on the back jacket as "the life-changing songs, the out-of-print tracks, the hits, the fan favorites everyone loves, and the songs that make the artists who they are." Money is no stranger to "greatest-hits" collections, most of which cover all of the pop/rock legend's biggest radio hits like "Shakin'," "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Think I'm in Love," "I Wanna Go Back," "Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby," and "Baby Hold On," all of which appear here. Listeners looking for a little more than just gravy may be disappointed, but this Playlist doesn't miss a beat. ~James Christopher Monger

Playlist: The Very Best Of Eddie Money

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Kenny Rankin - A Song For You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:57
Size: 100.6 MB
Styles: Standards, Adult Contemporary
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[6:08] 1. When The Sun Comes Out
[3:24] 2. Where Do You Start
[3:45] 3. 'round Midnight
[4:10] 4. She Was Too Good To Me
[4:26] 5. Spanish Harlem
[5:23] 6. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
[3:28] 7. The Way You Look Tonight
[3:16] 8. I've Just Seen A Face
[3:57] 9. Love Walked In
[5:55] 10. A Song For You

The great Kenny Rankin makes a subtle shift in stylistic focus on this label debut, titled A Song for You. The recording shows just how rewarding the marriage of songs from the Great American Songbook with the smooth jazz style can be when played by a talent of Rankin's stature. His singing explores new musical trails on such great compositions as Harold Arlen's "When the Sun Comes Out," the Lorenz Hart favorite "She Was Too Good to Me," and "Love Walked In" by George & Ira Gershwin. Rankin also reprises his vocal version of "'Round Midnight," the Thelonious Monk standard previously released on his 2001 CD Haven't We Met?. This vocal version is performed with harmonically viable guitar strumming, with Rankin making it a much easier task than one who may be trying to de-emphasize the difficult piano stylings associated with Monk. Other songs deserving noteworthy mention are the subtle sensuality of "Spanish Harlem" and "I've Just Seen a Face" by Lennon/McCartney. The results of this great variety of musical planning are distinctly even and make for nearly an hour of great smooth jazz fused with excellent material from the songbooks of some of the world's greatest composers. ~Paula Edelstein

A Song For You

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Marilyn Scott - Nightcap

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:06
Size: 93,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:02)  1. I Wished On A Moon
(4:00)  2. Smile
(4:59)  3. Here's That Rainy Day
(5:28)  4. Stardust
(4:04)  5. Isn't This A Lovely Day
(5:16)  6. Here's To Life
(5:04)  7. Yesterdays
(6:10)  8. If It's The Last Thing I Do

Over the course of seven previous recordings, while establishing herself as a premier adult contemporary singer/songwriter, Marilyn Scott has carried on a quiet but steady love affair with the Great American Songbook. Her rendition of "The Look of Love" (from 1998's Avenues of Love) earned producer George Duke a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement with vocals. Earlier recordings feature stunning versions of the classics "Let Me Be the One," "The Summer Knows," and "You Don't Know Me." On this much too short but still very satisfying collection, Scott's flirtation with pop standards evolves beautifully into a life-changing romance with the help of some of Los Angeles' most acclaimed studio musicians and jazz performers Brandon Fields (sax), Rick Baptist (trumpet), Ray Fuller (guitar), Brian Bromberg (upright bass), Dan Higgins (flute), Brazilian guitarist Dori Caymmi, and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums). Nightcap also marks the first time that frequent collaborator Duke has produced and arranged an entire Scott recording. The choices are inspired, from the coolly swinging Brazilian romance of "I Wished on the Moon" (from the Billie Holiday catalog) to the tender trio arrangement of "Smile" and understated poetry of "Stardust" (featuring Duke on piano and Rhodes). Scott skips through a nice variety of moods the heartfelt melancholy of "Here's that Rainy Day" balancing the optimistic "Isn't This a Lovely Day," with her bright vocal cruising gracefully over Bromberg's throbbing bass. The soulful big-band brass textures on "If It's the Last Thing I Do" adds a classy closing touch. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/nightcap-mw0000166040

Personnel: Dori Caymmi (vocals, guitar); Dean Parks, Ray Fuller (guitar); Dan Higgins (flute, tenor saxophone); Brandon Fields (alto saxophone); Rick Baptist (trumpet); George Duke (keyboards); Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion).

Nightcap

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Earl Klugh - Ballads

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:31
Size: 196,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. This Time
(4:58)  2. Waltz For Debby
(2:40)  3. If You're Still In Love With Me
(3:45)  4. The April Fools
(5:13)  5. Rayna
(2:59)  6. Natural Thing
(2:49)  7. Waiting For Cathy
(4:34)  8. Julie
(3:50)  9. Nature Boy
(3:36) 10. Dream Come True
(5:09) 11. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(4:12) 12. Christina

While this collection of ballads from past Klugh releases has many pleasant moments, it's so pastoral and calming that each song fades into another one without making much impression. As background music, they're effective. Klugh's solos are well constructed, marvelously articulated, and his lines and phrasing sublime. The material covers an impressive range of genres, from jazz to pop, originals and standards. Those who enjoy untaxing material should find this another delightful Klugh collection; others seeking visceral fare should look elsewhere. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/ballads-mw0000105266

Personnel:  Earl Klugh (guitar), Greg Phillinganes (electric piano, keyboards); Dave Grusin (keyboards); Lee Ritenour (electric & 12 string guitars); Paul Jackson (electric guitar); Charles Meeks, Anthony Jackson, David Saltman (bass); James Bradley Jr., Victor Lewis, Harvey Mason, Raymond Pounds (drums), Ralph MacDonald, Paulinho Da Costa, Dr. Gibbs (percussion).

Ballads

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Joe Beck & John Abercrombie - Coincidence

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:04
Size: 157,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Beautiful Love
(4:57)  2. Vingt-six
(5:43)  3. I Should Care
(4:40)  4. Israel
(4:48)  5. How Deep Is The Ocean
(5:49)  6. Mikey Likes It
(5:09)  7. Ma Funny Valentine
(4:47)  8. All Blues
(7:23)  9. My Romance
(5:58) 10. The Turnaround
(5:59) 11. Just A Waltz
(8:01) 12. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

His ECM albums may be more overtly modern and left-of-center but, based on a 2004 AAJ interview, when John Abercrombie is at home practicing, it's usually in the context of jazz standards. For those who feel such well-trodden material has little left to offer in the way of either challenge or modern interpretation, the guitarist's duet with Joe Beck, Coincidence, will go a long way to encouraging naysayers to reconsider. Like Abercrombie, Beck is a guitarist with a sizable discography as a sideman. His discography as a leader is smaller, however, and hasn't received the same attention as Abercrombie's 35-year association with ECM. But what the public doesn't know is the public's loss, as this program of standards and originals makes clear that these two guitarists are ideally matched. This pairing doesn't have the same eclecticism as Abercrombie's duet albums with Ralph Towner, but there's the same deep level of communication, with both players' ears wide open. There's also no mistaking Abercrombie's generally softer attack and Beck's slightly sharper, more often effected sound, but Abercrombie can be heard in the left channel, while Beck is in the right.

Traditionalists will be happy to hear an ambling version of "Beautiful Love" open the set, but it's a signal of things to come that the theme doesn't appear until both guitarists have taken solos and the tune is winding down. Nine of the twelve tunes may be standards, but the duo's approach is not always what one might expect. There may be no rhythm section, but with a 4/4 reinvention of Miles Davis' classic "All Blues" featuring Beck's funky rhythm playing behind Abercrombie's overdriven solo, one can almost feel the backbeat. Beck's bluesy "Mikey Likes It" might be screaming out for a shuffle, but it's to both guitarists' credit that, while their arrangements could be done with full group, they don't need to be; between them, Beck and Abercrombie provide all the rhythm, harmony, color and melody required. Abercrombie's impressionistic, rubato ballad "Vingt-six," first heard on The Third Quartet (ECM, 2007) takes more liberties with time. That the two guitarists feel so in touch with its inherent elasticity speaks volumes on a tune that's closer in aesthetic to the Abercrombie/Towner discs, though Beck's more percussive and cascading solo approach is a clear differentiator. Abercrombie's "Just a Waltz," from his duet DVD with pianist Andy LaVerne, The Art of the Duo (Mel Bay, 2006), is more straightforward at least, at first. Where it ultimately leads is further proof that it's possible to combine the traditional with the modern, as both guitarists apply a more sophisticated harmonic approach and a lyricism that's undeniable but far from predictable.While guitar duos aren't uncommon, the empathic interplay and nothing-to-prove selflessness of Coincidence is a strong addition to that tradition. Reverential of things past, it makes no bones about being firmly rooted in the present, with an unmistakable eye on the future. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/coincidence-joe-beck-whaling-city-sound-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Joe Beck: guitar; John Abercrombie: guitar.

Coincidence

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Ralph Sutton - Echoes Of Swing (2-Disc Set)

Although stride piano master Ralph Sutton has recorded steadily throughout his career, this double CD (which contains all the music from two sets played at a Hamburg, Germany concert) was his first at the head of a medium-size group since 1981. Joined by trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso, trombonist Bill Allred, Antti Sarpila on clarinet and soprano, bassist Jack Lesberg, and drummer Gregor Beck, Sutton is in fine form and seems to enjoy the role of being an occasional accompanist. With the exception of the pianist's showcase on Fats Waller's "Clothesline Ballet," the music is dominated by warhorses. However, the fine solos and spirited ensembles make such tunes as "California Here I Come," "Limehouse Blues," "Some of These Days" and "Shine" sound fresh and colorful. ~Scott Yanow

Album: Echoes Of Swing (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:27
Size: 131.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1997

[ 5:58] 1. Fine And Dandy
[ 7:16] 2. Moonglow
[ 7:27] 3. California, Here I Come
[ 4:58] 4. Clothes Line Ballet
[10:38] 5. Song Of The Wanderer
[ 6:15] 6. Sweet Lorraine
[ 5:34] 7. Medley: Happy Birthday/Blame It On My Youth
[ 9:16] 8. Limehouse Blues

Echoes Of Swing (Disc 1)

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Album: Echoes Of Swing (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:20
Size: 122.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[11:33] 1. My Gal Sal
[ 9:04] 2. Beale Street Blues
[ 5:04] 3. Some Of These Days
[ 7:10] 4. Runnin' Wild
[ 5:41] 5. Thanks A Million
[ 8:20] 6. Shine
[ 6:25] 7. Buddy Bolden Blues

Echoes Of Swing (Disc 2)

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Shirley Bassey - Let's Face The Music And Dance

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:41
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1962/1999
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:53] 2. I Should Care
[3:01] 3. Let's Fall In Love
[4:29] 4. The Second Time Around
[3:59] 5. Imagination
[3:05] 6. All The Things You Are
[2:46] 7. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[3:10] 8. Everything I Have Is Yours
[3:57] 9. Spring Is Here
[2:41] 10. All Of Me
[3:37] 11. I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind
[2:52] 12. What Now, My Love

Bassey's fourth EMI/Columbia album is regarded as the magnum opus of her pre-Goldfinger career, bringing her together with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle. (Ironically, it was Riddle's still being under contract to Capitol Records which prevented him from working with Sinatra on Reprise at the time, that made this record possible). Riddle approached this album from the standpoint that less is more, providing elegant and subdued accompaniment that emphasized the strings. Bassey's voice comes across with a delicacy of nuance that is startling to hear, achieving new levels of subtlety on this album. One may disagree with the order of the songs -- the moodily expressive "I Should Care," reminiscent of Judy Garland at her best, would be the ideal opener -- but not with the overall content of this album. Throughout Let's Face the Music, one almost gets a sense of Bassey slipping inside these songs, becoming part of them and they her, rather than merely performing them. The interpretations are fresh in other respects as well, with works such as "Let's Fall in Love" or "The Second Time Around" given unexpectedly slow tempos that work beautifully. Riddle is so careful and measured in his every orchestral nuance of this record, that he leaves us open to surprises at many points, perhaps most startlingly the sudden appearance of a harp glissando on "Spring Is Here," after we've been lulled into the expectation that no part of this orchestra will play full-out. Re-released in the late 1990s as part of EMI's anniversary reissue series, remastered in 24-bit sound. ~Bruce Eder

Let's Face The Music And Dance

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Sergio Mendes - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:00
Size: 89.3 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Agua De Beber
[1:45] 2. One Note Samba Spanish Flea
[2:22] 3. Roda
[1:51] 4. Bim Bom
[3:13] 5. Berimbau
[2:37] 6. The Joker
[3:03] 7. Day Tripper
[3:14] 8. Chove Chuva
[3:03] 9. Moanin'
[2:53] 10. Upa, Neguinho
[1:52] 11. Gente
[1:57] 12. Só Danço Samba
[2:15] 13. Wave
[3:12] 14. Laia Ladaia (Reza)
[3:08] 15. Lapinha

Mendes was born on February 11, 1941, and raised in Niteroi, Brazil, the son of a physician. He studied music at a conservatory and harbored hopes of becoming a classical pianist.

With his band Brazil ‘66, bandleader Sergio Mendes soared to the top of the popular music charts in the United States during the mid-1960s with covers of songs by Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Jimmy Webb. The songs featured a rhythmic Latin percussion foundation that percolated beneath the soaring crystalline vocal harmonies of Lani Hall and Janis Hansen (and later Hall and Karen Phillips). The arrangements, first by Mendes and later by Dave Grusin, included ethereal woodwinds, string sections, and keyboards that combined to create a style blending Brazilian bossa nova and American and British pop into a hybrid that was tremendously successful. Dismissed by some critics as easy listening, it was applauded by others for its rhythmic complexity, high production values, and intriguing vocals. After the heyday of the 1960s, Mendes attempted several updated versions of Brazil ‘66, including Brazil 77, and Brazil ‘99, had a major hit single in 1983 with “Never Let You Go,” and pursued his jazz leanings.

The Collection

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The Crew Cuts - Rock And Roll Doo Wop

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:05
Size: 71.2 MB
Styles: Doo wop, Pop
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Sh-Boom
[2:54] 2. Earth Angel
[2:36] 3. Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)
[2:24] 4. A Story Untold
[2:22] 5. Oop Shoop
[2:39] 6. Do Me Good Baby
[2:45] 7. Ko Ko Mo
[2:08] 8. Seven Days
[2:50] 9. Chop Chop Down
[2:35] 10. This Is My Story
[2:31] 11. Gum Drop
[2:33] 12. Angels In The Sky

On most informed lists of rock & roll villains, the Crew Cuts would have to rank near the top. They weren't rock & rollers in the first place: their clean-cut white harmony glee club approach was really in the style of early- and mid-'50s groups such as the Four Aces, the Four Lads, and the Four Freshmen. The Canadian quartet differed from those acts, however, in their concentration upon covers of songs originally recorded by R&B/doo wop vocal groups. Their cover of the Chords' "Sh-Boom" set the pattern, going to number one in 1954 and setting the stage for their other commercially successful pop treatments of R&B hits by the Penguins, Gene & Eunice, Otis Williams & the Charms, the Robins, the Spaniels, the Nutmegs, and others. The Toronto foursome already had a Top Ten hit under their belts with their first major label single, "Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby," before tackling "Sh-Boom"; what's more, their first hit had been a group original, not an R&B cover. When the Crew Cuts got a hold of "Sh-Boom," they gave the song a far more standard, whiter pop treatment than the Chords had, complete with big-band type orchestration. Although the original Chords version still became one of the first Top Ten rock & roll hits, the Crew Cuts' cover outsold it by a wide margin, finding a far easier entrance into established radio formats and mainstream white audiences. The Crew Cuts were regular visitors to the Top 20 over the next couple of years, repeating the "Sh-Boom" syndrome with songs like "Earth Angel," their second-biggest hit at number three (though nobody remembers the Crew Cuts' version today, the Penguins' original having long established supremacy with audiences and on oldies stations). Their strategy of foraging for sources among black R&B vocal singles was widely imitated throughout the industry, by Pat Boone, the McGuire Sisters, Georgia Gibbs, and numerous others. Many rock historians point out -- with a great deal of justification -- that this amounted to an attempt by the music establishment to buck the oncoming threatening storm of the rock era by watering it down into a much more palatable and conventional form that in reality had little to do with rock at all. For a while, it worked -- the white covers frequently outsold the black R&B originals throughout 1954-1956. But after Elvis, Chuck Berry, and others had staked their own claim on superstardom, it became increasingly obvious that teenagers preferred the real article, and that the entrenchment of authentic rock & roll was inevitable. Some revisionists have claimed, dubiously, that the Crew Cuts actually helped pave the way for the acceptance of rock in the mainstream by giving all those doo wop songs a far greater audience than they could have found if they were ghettoized in the R&B community. After a while, however, the Crew Cuts themselves were being widely outsold by their sources; "Young Love" (a cover, of course, although this time of the country classic by Sonny James) was their last Top 20 hit in early 1957. Their Mercury hits are far more properly classified as pop vocal outings than rock & roll, owing much more to pre-rock harmony and band arrangements. By 1958, they'd left Mercury for stints with RCA and other labels; they broke up in 1964. ~ Richie Unterberger

Rock And Roll Doo Wop

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Bob Wilber & The International March Of Jazz All Stars - Everywhere You Go There's Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:22
Size: 140.5 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 1999/2006
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Scarecrow
[6:45] 2. Duke's Feeling Sad
[5:50] 3. Stolen Sweets
[3:02] 4. Jeepers Creepers
[4:27] 5. Music Maestro Please
[3:52] 6. With A Song In My Heart
[4:54] 7. Mood Indigo
[6:00] 8. Sherman Shuffle
[3:56] 9. Sweet Lotus Blossom
[4:44] 10. Mahogany Hall Stomp
[4:44] 11. Racing With The Moon
[4:54] 12. Un Hommage A Sidney Bechet
[2:58] 13. Everywhere You Go

Wilber has been heard with smaller ensembles, so it's good to find him with a larger, more interactive group -- a diversely bred bunch of Dixieland-to-swing mavens. Swedes Bent Persson (trumpet/cornet) and Lars Erstrand (vibes), Finnish multi-woodwindist Antti Sarpila, native Brit/Canadian resident vibist Peter Appleyard, straight Brits Dave Cliff (guitar) and Dave Green (bass) join Americans Wilber, trombonist Dan Barrett, pianist Dick Hyman and drummer Ed Metz, Jr. for this 13-track program of classic, early period jazz. Things start off with a tribute to Benny Goodman with his lesser known number "Scarecrow," a good swinger with Wilber's clarinet and alto firing up the band, making way for Green's swing-to-bop guitar accompanied by a background horn chart. Persson's clear Louis Armstrong influence rises during another solid swinger, "Mahogany Hall Stomp." That same stoic rhythm informs the guitar-driven, full-band unison melody on "Sherman Shuffle." An unusual, piano-led waltz treatment of "Mood Indigo" and Wilber's downtrodden blues on clarinet in "Duke's Feeling Sad" are all hat tips to Duke Ellington. Other dedication tracks showcase Wilber's wonderfully ribald soprano sax during his original, seductive, slow tango "Un Hommage a' Sidney Bechet" with Sarpila's soprano following along, and his alto sax á la Johnny Hodges for the Wild Bill Davis song "Stolen Sweets." Wilber's soprano and Sarpila's clarinet during the uptempo "With a Song in My Heart" duel away in counterpointed bliss. A medium-swing take on Vaughn Monroe's pop tune "Racing With the Moon" is a definite improvement on the original, featuring Wilber's alto again Hodges-like and Persson's pronounced trumpet shakes á la Armstrong. Wilber's wife Joanne "Pug" Horton sings four tracks in her slightly flat, Rosemary Clooney-type voice, the best of the four being the ballad "Music Maestro Please," and the most energetic being "Everywhere You Go." She's a bit strained during "Sweet Lotus Blossom," and her corniest performance is on "Jeepers Creepers." Wilber proves time and time again, especially during "Everywhere You Go" why he is an enduring jazz man, especially on clarinet and soprano sax. His bandmates each get brief solos here and there, but it is the group sound of this fine band that will make it worth your while. ~Michael G. Nastos

The nationalities include Finland (Sarpila), Sweden (Persson and vibist Lars Erstrand), Canada (Appleyard), England (Cliff and bassist Dave Green), and the U.S. (Wilber, Barrett, Hyman, drummer Ed Metz, Jr., and Horton).

Everywhere You Go There's Jazz

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Harvey Mason - Funk In A Mason Jar

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:39
Size: 96,4 MB
Art: Front + Back

(5:13)  1. Pack Up Your Bags
(3:43)  2. Till You Take My Love
(3:36)  3. Space Cadets
(3:36)  4. Freedom Either Way
(1:56)  5. Funk In A Mason Jar
(8:31)  6. What's Going On?
(5:54)  7. Set It Free
(4:29)  8. Phantazia
(4:38)  9. Liquid

Throughout his career, Harvey Mason has been a busy studio musician and a highly versatile drummer able to excel in many different situations. Mason attended Berklee and graduated from the New England Conservatory. Early gigs included four months with Erroll Garner in 1970 and a year with George Shearing from 1970-1971. Soon after leaving Shearing, Mason moved to Los Angeles and quickly became established in the studios, working in films and television. In addition to his anonymous work through the years, Mason has often been part of the jazz world. He played with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters in 1973, Gerry Mulligan for a 1974 Carnegie Hall concert, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington, Jr. (appearing on Mister Magic), Lee Ritenour, Victor Feldman, George Benson (playing drums on "This Masquerade"), and Bob James, among many others. In 1998, Mason paid tribute to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in some local Los Angeles club gigs. The early 2000s found Mason continuing with his steady session work, as well as releasing two solo albums with 2003's Trios and 2004's With All My Heart. In 2014, Mason revisited his '70s Headhunters roots with Chameleon on Concord. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/harvey-mason/id917601#fullText

Personnel: Harvey Mason, Sr. Funk In A Mason Jar songs (drums); George Benson (vocals, guitar); Debra Laws, Eloise Laws, Julia Tillman Waters, Kim Hutchcroft, Merry Clayton, Paulette McWilliams, Stephanie Spruill, Venetta Fields (vocals); Walker, Jay Graydon, Al McKay, Lee Ritenour , Phil Upchurch, Ray Parker, Jr. (guitar); Dorothy Ashby (harp); Charles Veal (violin); Kenny Mason (trumpet); Bill Watrous (trombone); Chuck Findley, Emilio Castillo, Gary Grant, Richard Hyde, Greg Adams, Jerry Hey, Lenny Pickett , Seawind, Tom Scott, Tower of Power, Mic Gillette (horns); Dave Grusin, David Paich, Jerry Peters, Jorge Dalto, Ronnie Foster, Bob James (keyboards); Ralph MacDonald (percussion); Larry Williams (wind).

Funk In A Mason Jar

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Jacqui Naylor - Shelter

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:53
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:09)  1. Shelter
(3:15)  2. Before I'm  Gone
(4:52)  3. Miss You
(6:03)  4. I Remember You
(4:24)  5. Free My Love
(3:38)  6. All For You
(4:25)  7. Climb Higher
(3:45)  8. Winter
(5:03)  9. Take This Chance
(3:21) 10. Cheese Puff Daddy
(4:06) 11. If You Know Love
(4:38) 12. Love & Affection
(4:32) 13. Tired
(3:38) 14. Fall

There's a joke about jazz vocalists that goes like this: how many jazz singers does it take to sing "My Funny Valentine"? All of them. That joke is making fun of the countless jazz singers who insist on recording nothing but Tin Pan Alley warhorses that as great as they are have been recorded much too often over the years. But not all jazz singers have a warhorses-only policy, and risk-takers like Claire Martin, Cassandra Wilson, and the Philadelphia-based Lou Lanza are doing vocal jazz a huge favor by having adventurous, far-reaching repertoires that aren't limited to Tin Pan Alley. Jacqui Naylor is another risk-taking jazz vocalist with an interesting repertoire, but there's a catch: she's also a folk-rocker and her folk-rock side has the upper hand on Shelter. Naylor has been dividing her time between a folk-rock/adult alternative aesthetic and vocal jazz; she's compelling in both areas, but whether Naylor favors one or the other all depends on what a particular song calls for. 

Interestingly, the most jazz-oriented thing on Shelter is an interpretation of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You"; Naylor has no problem finding the tune's jazz potential, and her jazz side also prevails on Joan Armatrading's "Love and Affection" and the Billie Holiday-ish "All for You" (which Naylor co-wrote with pianist Art Khu). But most of the time, Naylor's folk-rock side wins out on Shelter. Most of the 11 songs she co-wrote with Khu for this album are more folk-rock than jazz, and folk-rock serves Naylor well on introspective tracks such as "Before I'm Gone" and "Free My Love." Some jazz snobs no doubt wish that Naylor would perform straight-ahead jazz exclusively, but she would be selling herself short if she did that and thankfully, Naylor doesn't sell herself short on the memorable Shelter. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/shelter-mw0000597739

Personnel: Jacqui Naylor (vocals); Bob Johnson (saxophone); Matt Brubeck, Marika Hughes (cello); Art Khu, Michael Blustein (piano); Steve Erquiaga, Brian Pardo, Craig Green (guitar); Jon Evans, Todd Sickafoose (bass); Jason Lewis, Jan Jackson (drums); Emiliano Benevides (percussion); John Scott, Pat Shanks, Tina Zenon (background vocals).

Shelter

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Manhattan Transfer - Boy From New York City And Other Hits

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:39
Size: 99,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. Boy From New York City
(2:48)  2. Java Jive
(3:00)  3. Gloria
(2:57)  4. Helpless
(3:09)  5. Tuxedo Junction
(6:09)  6. Twilight Zone/ Twilight Tone
(5:09)  7. Ray's Rockhouse
(5:03)  8. Mystery
(4:38)  9. Smile Again
(6:01) 10. Birdland

Boy from New York City & Other Hits is a budget-priced collection that features ten original recordings from the popular, kitschy East Coast vocal group Manhattan Transfer. For most listeners, the compilation's namesake will be the only familiar hit, but "Tuxedo Junction," the old Mills Brothers standard "Java Jive," and the ultra-weird "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" are decent examples of the group's signature modern vocalese, jazz-pop sound. 

Fans looking for more of a definitive product should hunt down Rhino's two-disc Anthology: Down in Birdland or the less intimidating single-disc Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer. ~ James Christopler Monge  http://www.allmusic.com/album/boy-from-new-york-city-other-hits-mw0000066050

The Manhattan Transfer: Cheryl Bentyne , Janis Siegel, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul, Tim Hauser.

Boy From New York City And Other Hits

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John Zorn - The Mockingbird

Styles: Jazz, Avant-Garde
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:13
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:13)  1. Scout
(4:36)  2. Riverrun
(5:07)  3. Child's Play
(4:54)  4. Porch Swing
(7:13)  5. Innoceence
(4:17)  6. Pegasus
(7:03)  7. A Mystery
(5:46)  8. The Mockingbird

Drawing on his experience in a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore punk, classical, klezmer, film, cartoon, popular and improvised music, John Zorn has created an influential body of work that defies academic categories. A native of New York City, he has been a central figure in the downtown scene since 1975, incorporating a wide range of musicians in various compositional formats. He learned alchemical synthesis from Harry Smith, structural ontology with Richard Foreman, how to make art out of garbage with Jack Smith, cathartic expression at Sluggs and hermetic intuition from Joseph Cornell. Early inspirations include American innovators Ives, Varese, Cage, Carter and Partch, the European tradition of Berg, Stravinsky, Boulez and Kagel, soundtrack composers Herrmann, Morricone and Stalling as well as avant-garde theater, film, art and literature. http://www.hipsroadedition.com/bio.html

Personnel:  Carol Emanuel: Harp;  Bill Frisell: Guitar;  Kenny Wollesen: Vibraphone, Chimes

The Mockingbird

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