Mark Murphy - Shadows

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:36
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:53)  1. Dawn
( 8:37)  2. If I Should Lose You
( 7:08)  3. Empty Room
( 6:17)  4. Next Page
( 7:33)  5. Lilac Wine
( 8:23)  6. Hodnik
( 5:12)  7. Shadows
(10:29)  8. Humanity Ltd

For decades, the question What exactly is a jazz singer has had two easy answers: Betty Carter and Mark Murphy. ~ New York Post

'Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians. Consider the company he has kept on records. In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway. In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers. In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, and the Azymuth Trio. Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. ~ Leonard Feather (jazz journalist)

I can't help relishing his sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spells jazz. ~ Dan Morgenstern (jazz journalist)

'Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians. Consider the company he has kept on records. In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway. In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers. In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, and the Azymuth Trio. Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. ~ Leonard Feather (jazz journalist)

I can't help relishing his sure and swinging time, his musical and ever-inventive phrasing and that certain quality of sound and feeling combined with time and taste that to me spells jazz. ~ Dan Morgenstern (jazz journalist) https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Mark-Murphy/dp/B00MVALK1U

Personnel:  Mark Murphy, vocal;  Karlheinz Miklin, saxes, flute;  Fritz Pauer, piano;  Ewald Oberleitner, double bass;  Dusan Novakov, drums

Shadows

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Will Downing - Black Pearls

Styles: Vocal, Soul, R&B
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:22
Size: 117,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Everything I Miss at Home
(4:32)  2. Don't Ask My Neighbors
(5:01)  3. Your Smile
(4:38)  4. Get Here
(6:02)  5. Street Life
(4:35)  6. Everlasting Love
(5:10)  7. Black Butterly
(4:52)  8. Nights over Egypt
(7:10)  9. Meet Me on the Moon
(5:22) 10. Don't Let It Go to Your Head

The source material for the inspired, all-covers Black Pearls album was popularized strictly by women. It's an unsurprising concept, given that Will Downing made his 1987 solo debut with a version of Deniece Williams' "Free" and went on to cover classics by Rose Royce and Aretha Franklin. The singer's first album for the Shanachie label, this features updates of well-known songs, mostly ballads, that originated in the late '70s and the early '90s. The likes of Jean Carn's "Don't Let It Go to Your Head," Williams' "Black Butterfly," René & Angela's "Your Smile," and Brenda Russell's "Get Here" easily the biggest crossover hit among the selections are reinterpreted faithfully with Downing's typical richness and restraint. Phyllis Hyman's "Meet Me on the Moon" (1991), co-written by Gene McDaniels, is the deepest selection, but even that one is far from obscure, and it's evidently as close to Downing's heart as anything else. A characteristically polished recording produced by Downing, it involves discerning use of strings and horns, as well as help from some longtime associates. Wife Audrey Wheeler Downing on background vocals, Melvin Davis on bass, and Randy Bowland on guitar are all along for the trip. Kirk Whalum's flute augments "Nights Over Egypt," and Najee takes a saxophone solo on "Street Life." ~ Andy Kellmanhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/black-pearls-mw0002948892

Black Pearls

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Al Cohn - Play It Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:12
Size: 89.8 MB
Styles: Swing, Bop
Year: 1975/2009
Art: Front

[6:02] 1. You're My Everything
[9:37] 2. Lover
[4:56] 3. Play It Now
[6:51] 4. Irresistible You
[6:09] 5. Georgia On My Mind
[5:35] 6. It's Sand, Man

Al Cohn tenor sax; Barry Harris piano; Larry Ridley bass; Alan Dawson drums.

Tenor saxophonist Al Cohn did some of his finest playing during his period (1975-80) with Xanadu. For this quartet set, Cohn is ably backed by the great bop pianist Barry Harris, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Alan Dawson. Cohn, who had spent much of his career as a successful arranger/composer, contributed only one of the six numbers ("Play It Now") on the album and was content to jam spiritedly on such tunes as "Lover," "Irresistible You" and "It's Sand, Man." ~Scott Yanow

Play It Now

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Peanuts Hucko, Lars Erstrand, Louise Tobin, Marty Napoleon, Jack Lesberg, Gus Johnson - Tribute To Benny Goodman

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:14
Size: 124.2 MB
Styles: Dixieland jazz
Year: 1984/2000
Art: Front

[4:11] 1. Rose Room
[5:32] 2. Rockin' Chair
[4:48] 3. If I Had You
[5:33] 4. Moonglow
[3:37] 5. Seven Come Eleven
[3:32] 6. He Is Funny That Way
[3:14] 7. Goodnight
[1:45] 8. 'deed I Do
[4:02] 9. The Man I Love
[5:20] 10. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
[3:15] 11. Am I Blue
[1:47] 12. There'll Be Some Changes Made
[7:32] 13. Stealin' Apples

Louise Tobin (vocals); Peanuts Hucko (clarinet); John Bunch, Marty Napoleon (piano); Lars Erstrand, Frits Landesbergen (vibraphone); Gus Johnson , Jack Hanna (drums).

A terrific homage to the hits of Benny Goodman beautifly recorded on the Timeless label. Recorded during the mid 80s in Germany. The clarinet is performed by Peanuts Hucko to great effect. Special treat are vocals by Hucko's wife Louise Tobin who was once married to Harry James and sung with Benny's big band in the 30's! 50 years later she sounds even more swell with a charming style similar to Mildred Bailey and a bit like Maria Muldaur. Wild! ~Bruce London

Tribute To Benny Goodman

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Yoichi Murata, Ivan Lins - Janeiro

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 128.7 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Setembro
[6:25] 2. Closer
[3:56] 3. Desesperar Jamais
[5:12] 4. Cross The Rubicon
[6:25] 5. Rei Do Carnaval
[4:16] 6. Rio De Maio
[5:42] 7. Janeiro
[3:12] 8. Sentimental Friends
[6:12] 9. Decisão Serena
[6:12] 10. Pontos Cardeais
[5:10] 11. Cadeira No Parque

Renowned as a carioca songwriter, vocalist, and pianist, Ivan Lins recorded several albums for EMI Brasil and Reprise, as well as writing Brazilian standards. Born in 1945, Lins came to fame in Brazil in 1970 when Elis Regina recorded his song "Magdalena" for a hit. His worldwide debut, A Noite, appeared in 1979. Lins' most famous composition, "Love Dance" ("Lembrança"), has been recorded by dozens of jazz artists, including Kenny Burrell, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, Mark Murphy, George Benson, Diane Schuur, and James Blood Ulmer. Other noted songs by Lins ("The Island," "Comecar de Novo," "Dona Palmeira," "Nocturna") have been recorded by artists including Airto Moreira, Herbie Mann, and Terence Blanchard. ~ John Bush

Janeiro

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June Katz - Shiny Stockings

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:22
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1983/1997
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Out Of Nowhere
[4:25] 2. Green Dolphin Street
[5:20] 3. But Beautiful
[2:59] 4. The Very Thought Of You
[3:57] 5. Slow Boat To China
[5:12] 6. Early Autumn
[3:08] 7. A Good Man Is Hard To Find
[3:14] 8. Shiny Stockings
[4:30] 9. Again
[3:52] 10. Red Top
[3:47] 11. Where Or When

Recorded Live at Blue Wave Studios, Vancouver, BC, January 30 and February 10, 1983.

Vocalist June Katz, the "resident den mother of the West Coast jazz scene," has been an important force in the music community as both a performer, and a nurturer for fellow artists. A fixture at the Alma Street Café from 1986 to 1993, Katz became known for her uniquely passionate and honest brand of jazz stylings, displaying what singer Kate Hammett-Vaughan has termed a "depth of innocence." In addition to holding down the venue's headlining spot, Katz turned the café into an informal training ground for musicians, inviting both veteran and up-and-coming artists to play and collaborate nightly. One of these up-and-comers was local musician Ross Taggart, who notes, "Playing at the Alma Street Café was like going to college for me, playing sax and piano with the best musicians in town." For Katz, " the young musicians who perfected their craft while playing in or with her band" became her "extended family."

Shiny Stockings

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Stan Getz - Serenity

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:52
Size: 127.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, West Coast jazz
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[13:37] 1. On Green Dolphin Street
[12:04] 2. Voyage
[ 9:05] 3. Falling In Love
[10:09] 4. I Remember You
[10:56] 5. I Love You

From the same sessions that resulted in Anniversary, Stan Getz celebrated his 60th birthday as he had his 50th, with a gig at the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen. Joined by pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, Getz (who only had four years left) plays in peak form, really stretching out on lengthy versions of three standards, Victor Feldman's "Falling in Love" and Kenny Barron's "Voyage." His solo on "I Remember You" is particularly strong. ~Scott Yanow

Serenity

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Wallace Roney - No Room for Argument

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:40
Size: 164,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:29)  1. No Room for Argument
( 7:47)  2. Homage & Acknowledgement 

( 7:11)  3. Straight No Nothing
( 4:33)  4. Metropolis
( 8:02)  5. Christina
(10:14)  6. NeuBeings
( 8:22)  7. Cygroove
( 5:19)  8. He Who Knows
( 8:27)  9. Virtual Chocolate Cherry
( 6:13) 10. Midnight Blue

In the mid-eighties I caught the great drummer Tony Williams’ band live. Williams, a member of Miles Davis’ second great quintet, had been making some pretty interesting music leading a band of youngsters including bassist Ira Coleman, saxophonist Billy Pierce, and trumpeter Wallace Roney. His music was a natural extension of those great sixties records and the Miles tradition. When the band took the stage my jaw dropped seeing the young Wallace Roney. He was the spitting image of the young Miles Davis. Although he didn’t play with his back to the band, I saw and heard the similarities. The resemblance has been both a blessing and a curse. It has drawn attention to his smoking trumpet, yet also given fuel to his detractors. The Art Blakey graduate received the ultimate blessing when Miles himself asked Roney to play alongside, and to take many of his parts on a Quincy Jones conduction of Gil Evans’ arrangements in 1991. His prior major label release Village (Warner 1997) was the precursor to this date, hinting at Miles’ Nefertiti, Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group and even some early Weather Report. No Room For Argument gives us a fully formed concept. Roney, like Williams before him, is taking Miles’ concepts the next logical step. In other words he is advancing the music of Davis, who advanced Charlie Parker, who advanced Lester Young, and so on. Many may claim Roney to be looking backwards. 

Listening to this disc, I’d say he’s walking a street dedicated to Miles, one few have dared to walk or even cross. The title track opens with samples of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Deepak Chopra and Marcus Garvey. Over the drum machine march, Roney’s muted melody speaks a continuous line almost in response to the samples. This opening blow signals this record is going to be forward looking and forward sounding, but with tradition in mind. Roney then follows with the bass line of “Love Supreme” and a melody from Miles’ “Filles De Kilimanjaro.” With this as a base camp, he climbs into a future formed from Herbie Hancock’s electric/acoustic years, Chick Corea’s Return To Forever bands, and the much loved/hated Bitches Brew. His band includes former Hancock Sideman Buster Williams, Corea and Davis sideman Lenny White and Davis sideman Adam Holzman. 

With the question WWMD (what would Miles Do?), Roney invokes the Miles admired music of Prince (and Morris Day’s Time) on “Virtual Chocolate Factory.” While the mid-eighties funk can get a bit silly, the fiery trumpet Roney displays makes you ignore the cheese.This isn’t a fusion record in any sense of the word. Roney speaks authentic jazz. His slow/fast “He Who Knows” emits enough spark to be bebop, yet it’s filled with synthesizers. Herbie Hancock is conjured on ‘CyGroove” as is the organ/funk of Medeski, Martin, and Wood. Roney burns on “Neubeings” along with brother Antoine and wife Geri Allen. They mix hard bop with a Wayne Shorter-like composition for Weather Report. Many criticize Roney for being too much like Miles. Now comes something more to hate, or love. Roney gives us a relentless hardcore electric record. If there is still a public audience for progressive jazz, let them digest, argue, and deal with this music. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-room-for-argument-wallace-roney-concord-music-group-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel: Wallace Roney (trumpet); Steve Hall (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Antoine Roney (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Geri Allen (piano, electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Adam Holzman (electric piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, mini-Moog synthesizer); Lenny White, Val "Gelder" Jeanty (drums).

No Room for Argument

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Marilyn Scott - Walking With Strangers

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:42
Size: 132,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Loving You
(6:04)  2. I Always Think Of You
(4:26)  3. Give In
(6:35)  4. All Of The Above
(5:51)  5. Beginning With You
(5:13)  6. You Don't Know What Love Is
(4:52)  7. Walking With Strangers
(4:41)  8. Don't Let Love Get Away
(4:44)  9. Who's Looking For Me?
(6:15) 10. No Room For Hate
(4:26) 11. A Call For Peace

The well-known adult contemporary singer debuted her powerful, poetic, and anthemic closing track, "No Room for Hate," in April of 2000 in front of 80,000 people at Equality Rocks, an all-star concert to benefit the Human Rights Campaign. The song and its message of compassion seem even more timely coming out just a few months after September 11. The rest of the time here, Scott's appealing voice tackles her usual spread of romantic lyrics and stylistic excursions to Brazil (the balmy, soundscape-enhanced samba-lite "I Always Think of You," co-written with and featuring guitarist Ricardo Silveira). She's been part of the Los Angeles studio scene for many years and always works with the cream of the crop. The inspirational, semi-gospel-flavored "Give In" features producer Russell Ferrante on keyboards, while Ferrante's fellow Yellowjacket, bassist Jimmy Haslip, plays on various cuts, including the dark-chorded, bluesy retro-soul meditation "All of the Above" (written by Brenda Russell and Michael Ruff) and an elegant cover of "You Don't Know What Love Is." This last cut was produced by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and features a seductive percussion line and Patrice Rushen's restrained piano behind one of Scott's more emotional vocals (in a duet with Frank McComb). Most of the disc features live drumming, so the programmed groove of the otherwise appealing title track comes as a little bit of a letdown. "Don't Let Love Get Away" is a more overt gospel-flavored rumination on love lost, while "Who's Looking for Me" brings Scott together once again with keyboardist George Duke. 

With the exception of a few tracks, this disc is pretty much typical middle-of-the-road Scott; she could be the poster girl for adult contemporary singers but she should also take a cue from Randy Crawford and try some more up-tempo material. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/walking-with-strangers-mw0000017175

Personnel : Marilyn Scott (vocals); Ray Fuller, James Hara (guitar); Patrice Rushen (piano, keyboards); Renato Russell Ferante (keyboards); Jimmy Haslip (electric bass, fretless bass, keyboards, percussion); Vinny Coliauta, Terri Lyne Carrington, Michael White (drums); Darlene Perry, Lori Perry, Carolyn Perry, Leslie Smith (background vocals).

Walking With Strangers

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Bobby Caldwell - Solid Ground

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:18
Size: 101,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Don't Lead Me On
(4:05)  2. Stuck On You
(4:42)  3. Cry
(4:27)  4. Janet
(4:42)  5. Without Your Love
(3:47)  6. Promised Land
(3:23)  7. Don't Give Me Bad News
(4:07)  8. Solid Ground
(4:24)  9. Back To You
(5:24) 10. Every Man

Contemporary jazz singer/guitarist Bobby Caldwell was born August 15, 1951, in Manhattan, NY; his parents, Bob and Carolyn, were the hosts of the television variety show Suppertime and exposed the child to a wide variety of musical influences. Caldwell began studying piano and guitar at age 12; he initially pursued a career in rock & roll but was equally adept at playing jazz and R&B and at 17 took his band on the road to play the Las Vegas circuit. From there the group moved on to Los Angeles, but despite recording an album titled Kathmandu, Caldwell enjoyed little success and eventually returned to his parents home in Miami. There he began work on his 1978 breakthrough album What You Won't Do for Love, scoring a hit single with the title cut. Efforts including a 1979 self-titled LP, The Cat in the Hat, and Carry On followed, and although Caldwell enjoyed a strong following at home, he became a superstar in Japan. He shifted creative gears with 1996's Blue Condition, a collection of big band-era standards; the similarly themed Come Rain or Come Shine followed three years later. ~ Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-caldwell-mn0000061045/biography

Solid Ground

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Hank Mobley - Straight No Filter (Limited Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:33

Size: 134.1 MB

Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 1986/2001

Art: Front

[ 5:53] 1. Straight No Filter

[10:57] 2. Chain Reaction

[ 4:43] 3. Soft Impressions

[ 6:20] 4. Third Time Around

[ 7:38] 5. Hank's Waltz

[ 5:31] 6. Syrup And Biscuits

[ 6:20] 7. Comin' Back

[ 5:35] 8. The Feelin's Good

[ 5:30] 9. Yes Indeed

Bass – Bob Cranshaw (tracks: 1 to 3), Butch Warren (tracks: 8, 9), John Ore (tracks: 6, 7), Paul Chambers (3) (tracks: 4, 5); Drums – Philly Joe Jones* (tracks: 6 to 9), Billy Higgins (tracks: 1 to 5); Piano – Andrew Hill (tracks: 6, 7), Barry Harris (2) (tracks: 4, 5), Herbie Hancock (tracks: 8, 9), McCoy Tyner (tracks: 1 to 3); Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley; Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 8, 9), Freddie Hubbard (tracks: 4, 5), Lee Morgan (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 7). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 17, 1966 (#1-3), February 4, 1965 (#4-5), October 2, 1963 (#6-7) and March 7, 1963 (#8-9).

Hank Mobley's Blue Note dates of the 1960s had a remarkable consistency, a blend of Mobley's mellow sound and fluid invention with a shifting core of sidemen who shared his commitment to the tenets of hard bop--music that matched harmonic complexity with forceful swing. That consistency comes to the fore on Straight No Filter, with material from four quintet sessions presented in reverse chronological order from 1966 to 1963. The core is a session from 1966, with a band of trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins that produced just three tunes, but they're all outstanding, from the insistent title track to the blues march of "Soft Impressions." Titles might have gotten mixed up between the recording and the material's first release in 1979. The extended "Chain Reaction" is a sideman's chronicle, a variant of Coltrane's "Impressions," already based on the scalar pattern of Miles Davis's "So What." It's a pattern that Mobley and Tyner had explored almost nightly during their tenures in the Davis and Coltrane bands respectively, and Mobley even throws in a quotation from "St. Thomas," a nod to Cranshaw's regular employer, Sonny Rollins. The other three sessions contribute two tracks each, completing the material from Mobley's Turnaround and No Room for Squares sessions. Along the way there are repeat appearances by Morgan, Higgins, and drummer Philly Joe Jones that give a unified feel, while there's a remarkable range of distinctive pianists, from the angular Andrew Hill to the boppish Barry Harris and the smoother Herbie Hancock. There's often a funkier feel, with "Hank's Waltz" inspiring a superb Freddie Hubbard trumpet solo and "Yes Indeed," the only standard included, suffused with a strong gospel feel. ~Stuart Broomer

Straight No Filter

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Laurie Wheeler & Nash De Ville - Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:03
Size: 98.6 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. Jeanie
[5:02] 2. Lil' Darlin
[2:35] 3. The Glow Worm
[2:55] 4. I Like To Riff
[3:30] 5. Centerpiece
[3:18] 6. You Can Depend On Me
[4:03] 7. Down For The Count
[2:52] 8. That Cat Is High
[3:54] 9. Tuxedo Junction
[2:35] 10. Gone
[6:19] 11. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[2:18] 12. Choo Choo Ch'boogie

Laurie, with her jazz vocal trio Nash deVille, recreate Big Band swing classics, with an edge. Her professional jazz colleagues commonly refer to Laurie Wheeler as an instrumentalist whose instrument happens to be her voice. Laurie has been ranked one of the World's Top 10 Female Jazz Vocalists 2 years in a row by the DownBeat Readers poll. She has performed with such notables as Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Michael McDonald, Louis Bellson, Steve Winwood, Buddy DeFranco, Charlie Byrd, and Bobby Peterson.

A veteran of jazz for over 20 years, Laurie has released 4 CD's – From the Land of Dreams, Twisted, Laurie Wheeler and Nash deVille, and Twilight. Her albums showcase tight vocal harmonies, be-bop scats, impressive arrangements, original song style, and her love and expertise of the art of vocalese. Laurie currently calls Nashville home, and aside from touring and writing songs for her next project, she dedicates much of her time helping young, aspiring musicians develop their talents.

Things Ain't What They Used To Be

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Sam Butera - La Vie En Rose

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:47
Size: 59.0 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. La Vie En Rose
[2:35] 2. All The Way
[2:04] 3. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody
[2:34] 4. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
[2:06] 5. Too Young
[1:55] 6. Around The World
[2:09] 7. Three Coins In The Fountain
[2:28] 8. I Love Paris
[2:12] 9. On The Street Where You Live
[2:54] 10. Hey There
[2:19] 11. Moulin Rouge

Sam Butera spent much of his career leading Louis Prima's band, but his career continued long after Prima's death, coming to include sounds and styles far beyond Prima's brand of New Orleans jazz. A rock, R&B, and jazz legend, Butera is a towering crossover figure at the saxophone and as a bandleader. He was born in New Orleans to Italian-American parents. His father Joseph owned a butcher shop in a black section of the city, and played the guitar and the concertina in his spare time. At a wedding he was taken to at age seven, Sam Butera first saw and heard a saxophone, and, with his father's blessings, asked to take lessons. He studied the clarinet at school but eventually returned to the sax, and at age 18 was featured in Look magazine (Life's major competitor) as one of the top young jazzmen in the country. He got a gig with Ray MicKinley right out of high school, and also played with the bands of Tommy Dorsey and Joe Reichman. His major influences in those years included Charlie Ventura, Lester Young, Gene Ammons, Charlie Parker, and Big Jay McNeely; he seemed to gravitate naturally to swing and bebop. Ultimately, however, the biggest influence on his playing was Lee Allen, a member of Paul Gayten's band, with which he frequently played. Butera formed his own group -- inspired by Gayten's band -- after returning to New Orleans, and they quickly began a four-year engagement at the 500 Club, which was owned by Louis Prima's brother. His sound reflected a vast range of influences, including modern jazz and R&B, and in 1951 Butera cut a pair of raunchy R&B instrumental sides that might have figured in the early history of white rock & roll if only they'd gotten out at the time. He also had a featured spot in a Woody Herman concert that yielded both a chance for a new tour and a recording contract with RCA. The resulting sessions in the fall of 1953 gave Butera a chance to rock out in an alternately soft and sweet, or hard and playful manner. There weren't any significant sales, but RCA had him back in early 1954 for a series of sessions of its R&B-oriented Groove label (home of Piano Red, amongst others), and his version of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" was a modest regional hit. He played some R&B shows, including a celebrated tour as part of Alan Freed's first East Coast rock & roll showcase, and Butera's loud, wild sax sound won him an enthusiastic following. By 1955, however, he was back doing jazz with Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Bellson. He finally hooked up with Louis Prima and spent the next 20 years leading his band, the Witnesses. Butera's own record releases were cut short, with only a handful of his Groove sides (including a vocal performance, "Giddyap Baby") ever issued at the time. Butera achieved financial security over the next 20 years working for Prima, and only then, in the mid-'70s, began re-emerging as a performer in his own right. ~bio by Bruce Eder

La Vie En Rose

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Simone Kopmajer - Moonlight Serenade

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:10
Size: 164,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. Tea For Two
(4:55)  2. Fragile
(3:43)  3. L-O-V-E
(3:47)  4. For No One
(5:08)  5. Save Your Love For Me
(6:05)  6. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(4:04)  7. I'm Through With Love
(4:19)  8. Autumn Leaves
(4:19)  9. What A Diff'rence A Day Made
(5:31) 10. The Nearness Of You
(5:08) 11. Besame Mucho
(4:12) 12. Like Someone In Love
(4:23) 13. Peace
(6:07) 14. Moonlight Serenade
(3:26) 15. Stompin' At The Savoy

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. She had classical piano lessons starting at the age of eight and at 12 began playing saxophone. She performed in a youth big band and sang regularly in her father's band as a teenager. At 17 she studied with Sheila Jordan, who encouraged her. Kopmajer also studied with Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, and Michele Hendricks. Since earning a Masters from the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, Kopmajer has toured the Netherlands twice with the Euro Big Band, appeared at European jazz festivals, and recorded three CDs: Moonlight Serenade (for the Japanese Venus label), her best-known set Romance (for Zoho), and her privately released Taking a Chance on Love. Each CD emphasizes her own fresh versions of standards. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/simone-kopmajer-mn0001897290/biography

Personnel:  John Di Martino (piano);  Hans Glawischnig (bass);  Philipp Kopmajer (drums);  Simone (vocals).

Moonlight Serenade

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Slim Gaillard - Laughing in Rhythm Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3 And Disc 4

The Proper label's irresistible trawl through the cumulative vaults of American jazz, country, and rhythm & blues arrived at the discography of Slim Gaillard with an easy task at hand: improve upon what was previously available of the jive king's recorded work. The four-disc box Laughing in Rhythm accomplishes that mission by a large margin, including over 100 performances from his 15-year heyday ranging from his recorded debut with the Slim & Slam duo in 1937, to his final sides for the Verve-associated labels in 1952. That debut, the syncopated silliness of "The Flat Foot Floogie," earned the group their first hit, and will always be the number most associated with Gaillard. Not a single one of his career landmarks is missing, whether they're early hits ("Tutti Frutti," "Laughin' in Rhythm") or later pieces ("Down by the Station," "Yep Roc Heresay"). As happens nearly every time an R&B pioneer is anthologized, however, this lengthy collection does prove that Gaillard recorded many soundalikes and only rarely departed from his trademark jive/vocalese workouts. Still, a parade of talented musicians Gaillard and Slam Stewart obviously, but also Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Teddy Edwards  makes the proceedings relatively easy to wade through without exhaustion, and the cheap price for any Proper box set makes it comfortable to splurge. ~ John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/album/laughing-in-rhythm-mw0000315521

Album: Laughing in Rhythm - The Flat Foot Floogie Disc 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:57
Size: 172,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:57)  1. There's No Two Ways About It
(2:43)  2. 'Cause My Baby Says It's So
(2:52)  3. The Flat Foot Floogie
(2:39)  4. Chinatown, My Chinatown
(2:42)  5. 8, 9 and 10
(2:55)  6. Ferdinand The Bull
(2:39)  7. Tutti Frutti
(2:16)  8. Look-A-There
(2:36)  9. Jump Session
(2:38) 10. Laughin' in Rhythm
(2:45) 11. Vol Vist du Gaily Star
(2:05) 12. Dopey Joe
(2:12) 13. Sweet Safronia
(2:32) 14. It's Gettin' Kinda Chilly
(2:39) 15. Buck Dance Rhythm
(3:00) 16. That's a Bringer
(3:04) 17. A-Well-A-Take-Em Joe (Crapshooter's Jive)
(2:53) 18. Chicken Rhythm
(2:51) 19. Swingin' in the Key of C
(3:30) 20. Boot-Ta-La-Za
(3:14) 21. It's You, Only You
(3:05) 22. Beatin' the Board
(2:53) 23. Look Out
(2:38) 24. Matzoh Balls
(2:37) 25. Early in the Morning
(2:54) 26. Chittlin' Switch Blues
(2:54) 27. Huh! Uh-Huh!

Laughing in Rhythm - The Flat Foot Floogie Disc 1

Album: Laughing in Rhythm - Groove Juice Special Disc 2

Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:57
Size: 177,0 MB

(2:46)  1. Windy City Hop
(2:54)  2. Baby Be Mine
(2:35)  3. Sploghm
(2:53)  4. Fitzwater Street
(3:02)  5. Don't Let Us Say Goodbye
(2:51)  6. Rhythm Mad
(3:01)  7. Bongo
(2:54)  8. Broadway Jump
(2:58)  9. Put Your Arms Around Me, Baby
(3:03) 10. Lookin' for a Place to Park
(2:41) 11. Hit That Mess
(2:40) 12. Hey! Chef
(3:00) 13. Ah Now
(3:09) 14. A Tip on the Numbers
(2:34) 15. Slim Slam Boogie
(2:44) 16. Bassology
(2:54) 17. Bingie-Bingie-Scootie
(3:04) 18. B-19
(2:38) 19. African Jive
(2:39) 20. Palm Springs Jump
(2:39) 21. Ra-Da-Da-Da
(2:43) 22. Groove Juice Special
(3:05) 23. Vout Oreenee
(2:32) 24. Please Wait for Me
(2:54) 25. Sighing Boogie
(2:56) 26. Queen's Boogie
(2:55) 27. Vout Boogie

Laughing in Rhythm - Groove Juice Special Disc 2

Album: Laughing in Rhythm - Cement Mixer (Put-Ti, Put-Ti) Disc 3

Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:34
Size: 173,8 MB

(2:47)  1. Slim Gaillard's Boogie
(2:44)  2. Harlem Hunch
(2:48)  3. Tutti-Frutti
(3:04)  4. Travelin' Blues
(2:48)  5. Sightseeing Boogie
(2:45)  6. Central Avenue Boogie
(2:43)  7. Slim's Cement Boogie
(2:44)  8. Laguna
(2:49)  9. Dunkin' Bagel
(2:52) 10. Boogin' at Berg's
(3:16) 11. Cement Mixer
(2:57) 12. Novachord Boogie
(2:49) 13. Tee Say Malee
(2:41) 14. Atomic Cocktail
(3:05) 15. Yep-Roc-Heresay
(3:09) 16. Jumpin' at the Record Shop
(2:41) 17. Drei Six Cent
(3:03) 18. Dizzy Boogie
(2:42) 19. Flat Foot Floogie
(2:52) 20. Popity Pop
(3:09) 21. Slim's Jam
(2:55) 22. Early Mornin' Boogie
(2:53) 23. Riff City
(2:54) 24. Mean Mama Blues
(3:07) 25. Chicken Rhythm
(3:05) 26. Santa Monica Jump

Laughing in Rhythm - Cement Mixer (Put-Ti, Put-Ti) Disc 3

Album: Laughing in Rhythm - Opera in Vout Disc 4

Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:09
Size: 161,3 MB

( 3:04)  1. Mean Pretty Mama
( 2:59)  2. School Kid's Hop
(11:54)  3. Opera in Vout Parts 1-4
( 2:52)  4. Boip! Boip!
( 2:52)  5. The Bartender's Just Like a Mother
( 2:49)  6. Arabian Boogie
( 2:53)  7. Tip Light
( 2:40)  8. Momma's in the Kitchen
( 3:05)  9. A Ghost of a Chance
( 2:57) 10. Little Red Riding Woods
( 2:40) 11. Puerto Vootie
( 2:18) 12. Serenade to a Poodle
( 2:23) 13. Down by the Station
( 2:52) 14. When Banana Skins Are Falling
( 2:46) 15. Bongo City
( 2:33) 16. Sabroso
( 2:30) 17. Taxpayers Blues
( 2:31) 18. Eatin' with the Boogie
( 2:53) 19. Make It Do
( 2:47) 20. You Goofed
( 2:35) 21. Gomen Nasai (Forgive Me)
( 3:07) 22. Potatoe Chips

Laughing in Rhythm - Opera in Vout Disc 4

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Brad Shepik - Top Down

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:00
Size: 117,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:12)  1. Friday
(5:55)  2. Sweet Suzy
(5:11)  3. Vampa
(5:49)  4. Hall
(8:28)  5. Top In The Middle
(5:03)  6. Major Major
(6:14)  7. Aeolia
(6:05)  8. Stumma Cake

Guitarist, composer, educator Brad Shepik has recorded 9 albums with his groups Brad Shepik Organ Trio, Brad Shepik Quartet, Brad Shepik Trio, Human Activity Quintet, Brad Shepik and the Commuters. Since 1995 his ensembles have performed at major festivals and clubs across Europe and North America including The North Sea Jazz Festival, Garda Jazz Festival, Cologne Biennale Jazz Festival, Toulouse Jazz Festival, Bell Atlantic Festival, Verizon, Earshot, Caramoor Jazz Festival, Langnau Jazz Festival, Groningen, Salzburg, Jerez, Cadiz, Sevilla, American Guitar Festival, Leeds, Rochester Jazz Festival, Cork, Brussels, Edgefest and others. He currently performs solo concerts and with Brad Shepik Organ Trio, The Brad Shepik Quartet, Rambler, Combo Nuvo, Tom Beckham/Brad Shepik Duo, Balkan Peppers, Jamie Baum Septet, Matt Darriau's Paradox Trio, George Schuller's Circle Wide, Arthur Kell and others. He teaches Theory, Improvisation, World Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Chicago Blues, Balkan Music and private guitar at New York University and private guitar at New England Conservatory and City College of New York. As a sideman Brad appears on more than 70 recordings and has performed and recorded with Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Dave Douglas' Tiny Belll Trio, Combo Nuvo, Yuri Yunakov's Bulgarian Wedding Band, Pachora, Paradox Trio, Jay Clayton and others. He has also performed with Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill, Bob Brookmeyer, Simon Shaheen, and was a a member of Joey Baron's Killer Joey from 2000-2009.

Born in Walla Walla, Washington and raised in Seattle, Brad Shepik began playing guitar at age 10, when he picked up his father's instrument. He continued to play both guitar and saxophone in school bands and studied guitar with Al Galante, Dave Petersen, Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie. He earned a B.F.A from Cornish College of the Arts and a Masters in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University. Shepik moved to New York in 1990, subsequently joining several bands including Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio, Matt Darriau's Paradox Trio, Pachora w/Chris Speed, Jim Black and Skuli Sverrisson, and BABKAS. He has also performed with Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill and Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra in the US and Europe. Shepik toured Europe and recorded two albums with Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band over 5 years. Concurrently, the guitarist deepened his interest in world music, performing and recording with Yuri Yunakov's Bulgarian Wedding Band and Simon Shaheen’s Quantara. Shepik’s first two records as a leader, The Loan and The Well, explored music of the Balkans and featured Shepik on Turkish saz and Bulgarian tambura as well as electric and acoustic guitars. “The Loan" and “The Well" received critical praise for their marriage of world music styles and jazz. Shepik also co-led two world music tinged trios; Triduga with accordionist Yuri Lemeshev and Tony Scherr on bass balalaika and Lingua Franca with alto saxophonist Peter Epstein and percussionist Matt Kilmer. In 2000 Shepik began re-examining the guitar trio format with drummer Tom Rainey and bassist Scott Colley. They recorded two cd’s,"Drip" and "Short Trip", both of which were critically acclaimed and featured on NPR. He also began touring with Joey Baron's two guitar group "Killer Joey" which performed extensively in Europe and the US for 9 years. His next group was an organ trio featuring Gary Versace and Tom Rainey. The trio performed at festivals across Europe and North America. Their CD “Places You Go" received a 4 star review in Downbeat and appeared on several “Best CD’s of 2007" lists.

From 2004-9 Shepik continued to tour with drummer Joey Baron’s Killer Joey, udist/violinist Simon Shaheen, George Schuller's Circle Wide, Matt Darriau’s Paradox Trio, Pachora, Alexis Cuadrado Puzzles Quartet, Arthur Kell Quartet, Combo Nuvo, Bob Brookmeyer’s Quartet East and others. In 2007 Shepik received a New Works Commission from Chamber Music America to write a suite of music on the subject of climate change for jazz quintet. The resulting CD "Human Activity Suite" was a 10 movement- work on the subject of climate change. The CD was released in February 2009 on Songlines Recordings. It features Shepik on electric and acoustic guitars, electric sax and Bulgarian tamboura. Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Gary Versace (piano, organ, accordion), Drew Gress (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums). In February 2011 Brad Shepik Quartet with Tom Beckham (vibes), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Mark Guiliana (drums) released it's acclaimed recording "Across the Way" on Songlines records. All About Jazz noted that the recording "..pushes Shepik into the fast lane of musicians communicating something both universally vital and intensely personal." In 2013 Shepik began performing solo concerts in the US and Europe. The UK's Jazzwise Magazine called his solo performances "exemplary in their fluidity and lyricism. He delights in showcasing his guitar mastery before an audience". 

A solo recording is planned for 2016. In 2014 he traveled to Mongolia with Combo Nuvo where he participated in a residency with the Morinn Khurr Ensemble, performing in the historic State Opera and Ballet Theater of Ulan Bataar which was documented in the video "Combo Nuvo in Mongolia". In 2015 his composition “Aquarians’" was recorded by the prog rock/jam band “Consider the Source" on their album “World War Trio Pt. ll &lll. 2015 saw the release of "Flower Starter", the debut recording by the Tom Beckham/Brad Shepik Duo which highlights the rich sonorities inherent in the pairing of vibraphone and electric guitar. In March 2016 the Brad Shepik Organ Trio with Gary Versace (organ) and Mark Ferber (drums) will release their debut recording "Top Down" on JLC Records. Shepik also leads Rambler- a quartet with Chris Cheek (saxophones), Ben Monder Fender Bass VI and Diego Voglino (drums). Shepik's newest project is the Balkan Peppers, a group that he co-leads with Macedonian drummer Seido Salifoski, a longtime collaborator in the Paradox Trio and The Commuters. B.F.A, Cornish College of the Arts. Masters in Jazz Performance/Composition, New York University; Studies with Gil Goldstein, George Garzone, Marc Consoli, Jerry Granelli, Julian Priester, Dave Petersen, Dave Peck, James Knapp, Ralph Towner, John Abercrombie. Currently teaching at The School for Improvisational Music, New York University, New England Conservatory, City College of New York, also previously taught at The New School and Long Island University. http://www.bradshepik.com/about.php?psi=31

Personnel:  Brad Shepik (guitar), Gary Versace (organ) and Mark Ferber (drums).

Top Down

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Ruthie Foster - Promise Of A Brand New Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:46
Size: 100.2 MB
Styles: R&B, Blues vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:43] 1. Singing The Blues
[4:01] 2. Let Me Know
[3:26] 3. My Kinda Lover
[3:56] 4. The Ghetto
[4:47] 5. Outlaw
[2:49] 6. Second Coming
[3:22] 7. It Might Not Be Right
[3:25] 8. Learning To Fly
[4:57] 9. Believe
[2:13] 10. Brand New Day
[3:51] 11. Complicated Love
[3:10] 12. New

There is optimism within the title of Ruthie Foster's Promise of a Brand New Day, an optimism that's reflected in the music itself. Some of this brightness may be due to Foster's decision to have Meshell Ndegeocello produce this 2014 album, giving the neo-soul singer free rein to hire musicians and choose final takes, but Ndegeocello is hardly imposing her own attitude on Foster. Instead, she focuses on the soulful, kind vibe emanating from Foster, a feeling that infuses the message tunes and songs of love that comprise Promise. Often, the record veers ever so slightly to soul over gospel or blues -- something that's perhaps inevitable when William Bell collaborates on "It Might Not Be Right," a song that harks back to the classic Memphis sound. A few other songs on Promise of a Brand New Day touch upon that groove, including the opening "Singing the Blues," while other cuts get a little bit harder and grittier ("Let Me Know," "Believe"), and Foster also has a bit of fun twisting old Dylan lyrics on "Outlaw." That playfulness is subtle, as are the stylistic hybrids, and that might be the best thing about this thoroughly winning record: Foster is wearing her open heart on her sleeve but she's never pushing too hard, never overselling her message; she's charming with her warmth and sly skill. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Promise Of A Brand New Day

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Dennis Chambers - Groove And More

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:20
Size: 124.4 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz, Smooth jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:24] 1. Aircraft (Feat.Brian Auger)
[4:43] 2. Past & Future (Feat. Stanley Jordan)
[0:46] 3. Drums Solo Pt. 1
[4:56] 4. We Don't Know ( Feat. Dora Nicolosi)
[7:18] 5. Virtual Life (Feat. Scott Henderson)
[6:40] 6. Fall Out ( Feat. Gregg Kofi Brown)
[4:50] 7. Practice What You Preaching (Feat. Patti Austin)
[6:30] 8. Running On Line (Feat. Brian Auger)
[1:14] 9. Drum Solo Pt. 2
[7:29] 10. Time To Time (Feat. Scott Henderson)
[4:24] 11. Fall Out, Radio Edit (Feat. Gregg Kofi Brown)

Bass – Rossana Nicolosi; Drums – Dennis Chambers; Guitar, Percussion – Lino Nicolosi; Keyboards, Organ, Electric Piano – Pino Nicolosi.

A drummer whose propulsive style and versatility have enabled him to play in combos or large groups, and work with fusion and hard bop bandleaders, Dennis Chambers has also released two sessions as a leader. He's also recorded and played with Bob Berg, Bill Evans (sax), Victor Bailey, Bob Belden, Kevin Eubanks and Mike Stern among others. All these musicians currently have sessions including Chambers available on CD. ~ Ron Wynn

Groove And More

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Tower Of Power - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:28
Size: 90.4 MB
Styles: Soul/Funk/R&B
Year: 1973/1990
Art: Front

[5:03] 1. What Is Hip
[2:52] 2. Clever Girl
[2:49] 3. This Time It's Real
[3:48] 4. Will I Ever Find A Love
[4:53] 5. Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground
[3:37] 6. So Very Hard To Go
[5:10] 7. Soul Vaccination
[3:21] 8. Both Sorry Over Nothin'
[3:18] 9. Clean Slate
[4:32] 10. Just Another Day

Lenny Williams - Lead vocals; Chester Thompson - Organ, Vocals; Bruce Conte - Guitar, Vocals; Francis Rocco Prestia - Bass; Brent Byars - Congas Drums, Bongos; David Garibaldi - Drums; Lenny Pickett - 1st Tenor Sax, Flute, Clarinet, Vocals; Emilio Castillo - 2nd Tenor Sax, Vocals; Stephen Kupka - Bari Sax, Oboe, Vocals; Mic Gillette - Trumpet, Trombone, Flugelhorn, Baritone Horn, Vocals; Greg Adams - Trumpet, Flugelhorn (Solo On "So Very Hard To Go"), Vocals.

For close to 50 years, Tower of Power has been creating their own kind of soul music. Since 1968, Tower of Power has delivered their unique brand of music to their fans, appearing before sold out crowds as they tour the world each year. Tower’s sound can be hard to categorize, but the band's leader and founding member, Emilio Castillo, has labeled their sound as "Urban Soul Music."

Tower's rhythm section lays down a groove like no other band. The band’s horn driven sound is unique, and the way they approach everything, from writing and arranging to mixing and performing, is totally their own. Combine all of that with an outstanding lead vocalist and you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians to ever hit the stage.

Tower Of Power

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Freddie Hubbard - On The Real Side

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:09
Size: 119.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[8:41] 1. Lifeflight
[7:04] 2. Up Jumped Spring
[6:32] 3. Theme For Kareem
[6:22] 4. On The Real Side
[7:35] 5. Take It To The Ozone
[9:33] 6. Skydive
[6:19] 7. Gibraltar

Like its predecessor, 2001's New Colors, On the Real Side, which again pairs Freddie Hubbard with the New Jazz Composers Octet (David Weiss, trumpet; Myron Walden, alto sax; Jimmy Greene, tenor and soprano sax; Steve Davis, trombone; Norbert Stachel, baritone sax and flute; Xavier Davis, piano; Dwayne Burno, bass; and E.J. Strickland, drums, plus guests Craig Handy, tenor sax on two tracks and flute on a third, and Russell Malone, guitar on the title tune), is in essence a victory lap for the veteran horn player, whose chops are admittedly diminished as he reaches age 70. Annotator Bill Milkowski makes no bones about that and even quotes Hubbard to the effect that "I gotta resolve myself to be happy with what I can do now...play a couple of choruses and get out." As such, this album -- with the exception of the newly written title track -- consists of re-recordings of Hubbard favorites, functioning as a tribute disc on which the honoree sits in. In that sense, it might be compared to the latter day recordings of Brian Wilson in the pop realm, in which a group of technically proficient Beach Boys fans efficiently plays the composer's music around him as he pitches in. At that, the result is not unpleasant, and Hubbard even manages some good solos, or at least parts of solos, before giving way to his acolytes. It is notable that he only plays flugelhorn, especially since he is glimpsed holding a trumpet on the album cover. ~William Ruhlmann

On The Real Side

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