George Wallington - The New York Scene

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:17
Size: 90,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. In Salah
(6:14)  2. Up Tohickon Creek
(4:55)  3. Graduation Day
(7:12)  4. Indian Summer
(8:05)  5. 'Dis Mornin'
(7:21)  6. Sol's Ollie

Before he retired from music in 1960, pianist George Wallington led a series of excellent bop-based quintet albums. For this particular CD (a reissue of a date originally put out by New Jazz), Wallington heads a group featuring altoist Phil Woods, trumpeter Donald Byrd, bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Nick Stabulas. With the exception of the standard "Indian Summer," the repertoire is pretty obscure (with now-forgotten originals by Byrd, Woods and Mose Allison in addition to "Graduation Day") but of a consistent high quality. The emphasis is on hard-swinging and this set should greatly please straightahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-new-york-scene-mw0000707494

Personnel: George Wallington (piano); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Teddy Kotick (bass); Nick Stabulas (drums).

The New York Scene

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Rotem Sivan - Enchanted Sun

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:29
Size: 112,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:23)  1. Here With You
(3:47)  2. There Without
(4:15)  3. Rodent's Blues
(5:32)  4. Isn't It Romantic?
(4:07)  5. Scene #5
(7:36)  6. How Long Has This Been Going On?
(4:02)  7. Keep Breathing
(5:59)  8. Enchanted Sun
(5:43)  9. Sun-Song

Is this destined to be one of the great undiscovered albums of the year? Released with little fanfare on Steeplechase's Lookout strand back in June, Enchanted Sun has picked up precious few reviews. Maybe it is just the summer slumber. Let us hope so, for the debut recording from Israeli-born, New York-based guitarist Rotem Sivan and his trio deserves to get n.o.t.i.c.e.d.  Unusually for a modern guitar-led album, there are no loops, no effects, no overdubs, no turntablists, no fusionism. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things (except fusionism, obviously). But how refreshing it is to hear classicism such as this. The first point of reference which suggests itself is the work of guitarist Johnny Smith on Roulette in the 1950s. Sivan favours radiant, upper register, single-note lines over Smith's lush, chorded treatments, but he casts the same ineffably romantic spell. The second point of reference is the trio clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre led at the 1958 Newport Festival (immortalised in the documentary film Jazz on a Summer's Day). The presence of guitarist Jim Hall in Giuffre's trio is incidental here; it is the buoyant, limber freshness of the trio's overall performance that resonates.

Of the nine tracks on the album, only two are covers: George Gershwin's "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and Richard Rodgers' "Isn't It Romantic?" Eighty-one years after it was written, Rodgers' piece receives another definitive performance. The rest of the tunes were written by Sivan, who, more often than is decent for someone so young, approaches the same melodic heights as the composers of those two treasures from the standards repertoire. If you could hear a great perfume an understated dream weaver such as Guerlain's Après l'Ondée or L'Artisan Parfumeur's Timbuktu it would sound like this. Like those two olfactory masterpieces, Enchanted Sun is concerned with luminescence rather than impact, and the shimmer lingers long. A captivating debut. 

~ Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/enchanted-sun-rotem-sivan-steeplechase-lookout-review-by-chris-may.php
 

Personnel: Rotem Sivan: guitar; Sam Anning: bass; Rajiv Jayaweera: drums.

Enchanted Sun

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Richard Elliot - Summer Madness

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:09
Size: 101,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Cachaca
(4:19)  2. Breakin' It Down
(4:22)  3. Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)
(3:58)  4. West Coast Jam
(4:31)  5. Harry the Hipster
(4:25)  6. Slam-O-Rama
(4:43)  7. Back to You
(5:11)  8. Ludicrous Speed
(4:08)  9. Summer Madness
(4:26) 10. Mr. Nate’s Wild Ride

When tenor saxophonist Richard Elliot began preparing Summer Madness, his follow-up to 2014’s critically acclaimed Lip Service, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. First and foremost, it had to be funky. “When I was growing up in the ’70s and first learning to play the saxophone,” he says, “I was mostly attracted to instrumentally based R&B and to jazz that had R&B roots. This record definitely goes down that path, leaning more on the funk side.” He also knew precisely who he wanted to accompany him on the new music. “I wanted to involve my band,” Elliot says. “A lot of artists tour with a group of musicians, and then when it’s time to make a record they hook up with a producer and go into the studio and use completely different people that maybe they’ve never even met before. I feel that if you’re lucky enough to have a regular group of musicians that you work with, and you don’t draw on their talent and their inspirations, you’re short-changing yourself.” Summer Madness, set for release on September 9, 2016 via Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group, is a new kind of Richard Elliot recording. For one thing, the cast includes two other horn men augmenting Elliot’s signature sax work: trumpeter/trombonist Rick Braun, who also produced the album and, on several tracks, baritone saxophonist Curt Waylee. Most importantly though, the music was created from scratch as Elliot and his handpicked musicians formulated and honed their ideas in the studio, with Braun’s ultra-capable guidance. For Elliot, recruiting the additional players and having the entire band plus a well-respected veteran producer help him shape the music was integral to the project’s success.

   “I didn’t want to direct them,” he says. “I wanted to bring them in and let them be part of the process the writing, the arranging and to do it all together. I had a lot of confidence that these guys are mature enough musically. Everybody brought what they do to the table and we all put our heads together. We didn’t have rehearsals first, we didn’t have writing sessions first. We booked some days in the studio and the music just poured out.” The result of these impromptu jams seven new originals and three classic interpretations is unquestionably one of the most electrifying and gratifying recordings of Richard Elliot’s three-plus-decade solo career. From the opening salvo, a super-funkified take on Spyro Gyra’s “Cachaca,” through the closing “Mr. Nate’s Wild Ride,” spotlighting bassist Nathaniel Phillips, who wrote the track along with Elliot and Braun, Summer Madness is one of those albums that simply takes hold the moment you press play and never lets go. Along the way it touches down on a variety of moods and styles, from Latin- and African-inspired funk to soul jazz, even flirting with fusion on the hard-driving, appropriately titled “Ludicrous Speed.”  A couple of sparkling ballads pay tribute to heroes of Elliot’s going back to his earliest days of musical discovery: “Europa,” on which he honors one of his saxophone inspirations, the late Gato Barbieri who famously remade the Carlos Santana-penned track in his own image, and the title track “Summer Madness,” a mid-’70s hit for funk titans Kool & the Gang. Among the original compositions, “Harry the Hipster,” says Elliot, “is reminiscent of songs that had cool, recurring melodies and a funky pulse the idea was not to wrap yourself up in how much complexity you could put into the song, but how much feeling and groove can you put into the song?” Another highlight, the band-written “West Coast Jam,” is Elliot’s nod to yet another influence, the late leader of funk trailblazers Zapp, Roger Troutman, while “Breakin’ It Down,” which arrives early on Summer Madness, is designed, he says, to bridge the genres of funk and contemporary jazz, with which Elliot has long been associated. “I sort of formulated that theory later though,” he confesses. “When we were making the music we were just making it.”

   It should come as no surprise to Elliot’s longtime fans that he would, at some point in his career, choose to celebrate funk in such a dedicated, decisive way. It was, after all, with the legendary Tower of Power that many first heard the saxophone virtuosity of Richard Elliot. Although he was born in Scotland and grew up in Los Angeles, where he started playing saxophone while in middle school, his five-year run with the Bay Area institution ToP during the 1980s was when Richard Elliot first came to prominence. “I learned more about being a musician, about being a performer, about being a team player in a horn section, about how to make a statement when you step out and do a solo, from being with Tower of Power than from any other group or artist I ever worked with,” Elliot says, adding that it was “initially terrifying” to find himself among some of the most accomplished and highly respected musicians on the funk/R&B scene. In fact, he learned enough from working with them, Elliot says now, to know that he was ready to go off on his own when he did. “Leaving Tower of Power was the hardest decision I ever made,” he says now, but great things were to follow almost immediately. By the late ’80s, Elliot  had launched his solo career and was signed to Blue Note Records, where he worked with the legendary record executive Bruce Lundvall, an early champion of Elliot’s work. Since then, Elliot has released more than 20 albums as a leader, and has also polished his chops serving as a sideman for a considerable list of diverse giants, including Motown hitmakers Smokey Robinson and the Temptations. One of Elliot’s favorite projects was the collaborative 2013 release Summer Horns, which found him teaming up with fellow sax-slingers Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Mindi Abair the album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album. Throughout all of his music, Richard Elliot has always strived to achieve one certain goal. “Miles Davis said, ‘The hardest thing for a musician to do is sound like himself.’ That stuck with me,” Elliot says. “If you fixate on a single influence, you tend to sound like someone who’s trying to sound like that person. I never know if I’ve achieved that goal but on occasion I’ve had someone come up to me and say, ‘I heard a song on the radio and I knew it was you.’” Summer Madness puts a bit of a new twist on the classic Richard Elliot sound, but you won’t doubt for a single second who you are hearing. http://www.richardelliot.com/

Summer Madness

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Eddie Henderson - Time and Spaces

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:05
Size: 119,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:10)  1. Water Babies
(6:58)  2. Spaces
(7:10)  3. Masqualero
(4:42)  4. Tender You
(7:16)  5. Entropy
(5:52)  6. Summer Knows
(5:53)  7. Angola
(7:00)  8. Directions

Long before Wallace Roney became a Miles Davis protege in the late '80s, Eddie Henderson had forgone his training in medicine, falling under the direct and indirect influence of the Prince of Darkness in the late '60s. With groups including Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band from '70 to '72, Henderson forged a voice whose tone may have been influenced by Davis, but with an adventurous spirit all his own. In the ensuing years, while the spirit of Miles never left him, Henderson developed his own body of work, one that in recent years has seen him returning to a more hard bop style. Until now. His latest release on Sirocco, Time & Spaces , finds Henderson in an almost schizophrenic mood, alternating between the more cerebral post bop of Miles' mid-'60s band and his more fusion-informed work of the later '60s, and a more tender and lyrical disposition. While this could come across as unfocused in lesser hands, it all makes perfect sense under Henderson's leadership. Ably supported by pianist Dave Kikoski (who doubles on Fender Rhodes and synthesizers on two tracks), bassist Ed Howard, and drummer Victor Lewis, Henderson reconvenes the group that was responsible for most of his last recording, '03's So What , for a session that combines the heady intellectualism of Wayne Shorter's "Water Babies," "Masqualero," and "Angola" with a more poignant duet with Kikoski, "Tender You," and the late-night romanticism of "Summer Knows (Theme from Summer of '42)." 

Henderson's own "Entropy," which superimposes a swinging sensibility over a deep, dark groove, may be the revelation of the set, a tune that has its reference point in Miles' work of the late '60s, but is less dense, less brash. Kikowski peppers the piece with abstractions on Fender Rhodes, while Howard and Lewis are more implicit, alluding to a variety of feels without ever settling wholly on them for any length of time. The album closes with a powerful version of Joe Zawinul's "Directions," with Henderson's approach honouring the looser, rockier inflection of the tune without becoming overly aggressive. Over the course of a forty-year career, Henderson has managed to build a strong reputation for integrity and personal vision, even while he remains a little more under the radar than he deserves. Perhaps it is his ongoing reference to Miles that has caused him to be ultimately well-regarded but not considered a creative trend-setter, but that's a moot point. One testimonial of a true performer is the ability to create vibrant music that remains current while honouring the traditions that came before. By mixing the abstract and the corporeal, the tender and the strong, the old and the new, the Time and Spaces , Henderson has created a paradoxical recording that manages to ultimately succeed on its own term as a unified, coherent and cogent statement. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-and-spaces-eddie-henderson-sirocco-music-limited-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Dave Kikoski (piano, Fender Rhodes/Keyboards on "Entropy," "Directions"), Ed Howard (bass), Victor Lewis (drums).

Time and Spaces

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Charlie Parker And His Orchestra - Swedish Schnapps

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1951

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 52:31

Size: 126,6 MB

Art: Front

(2:40)  1. Si Si

(3:17)  2. Swedish Schnapps (alternate take)

(3:13)  3. Swedish Schnapps

(2:39)  4. Back Home Blues (alternate take)

(2:50)  5. Back Home Blues

(3:26)  6. Lover Man

(2:49)  7. Blues For Alice

(2:41)  8. Au Privave (alternate take)

(2:45)  9. Au Privave

(3:12) 10. She Rote (alternate take)

(3:08) 11. She Rote

(3:27) 12. K. C. Blues

(3:42) 13. Star Eyes

(3:22) 14. Segment

(3:18) 15. Diverse

(2:57) 16. Passport (rare)

(2:59) 17. Passport (common)

Musicians like to observe that for all his notoriety as the wellspring of bebop, Charlie "Bird" Parker's music was loaded with the blues. Swedish Schnapps is as good a place as any to make that connection with Parker's music, including as it does two of his most enduring bop heads based on the blues, "Au Privave" and "Blues For Alice." While you wouldn't mistake either composition for a Muddy Waters tune, both relate Bird's off-kilter accents and serpentine melodicism at walking tempos that let you hear what's actually going by, instead of leaving you astonished but bemused. To really drive the point home, there's "K.C. Blues," which finds the altoist at his hollerin' best, and "Lover Man," certainly one of the bluesiest 32-bar standards around. http://www.allmusic.com/album/swedish-schnapps-mw0000265091

Personnel: Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Red Rodney (trumpet); Al Haig, John Lewis, Walter Bishop (piano); Ray Brown, Teddy Kotick, Tommy Potter (bass); Max Roach, Kenny Clarke (drums).

Swedish Schnapps

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Paul Bley - Annette

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:51
Size: 151,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:52)  1. Touching [take 1]
(8:30)  2. El Cordobes
(6:26)  3. Cartoon
(3:46)  4. Albert's Love Theme
(4:26)  5. Kid Dynamite
(6:47)  6. Miracles
(5:03)  7. Blood [take 1]
(6:26)  8. Annette
(4:26)  9. Both
(2:46) 10. Blood [take 2]
(8:37) 11. Mister Joy
(1:45) 12. Touching [take 2]

Those familiar with the music of Paul Bley, as well as Annette Peacock after whom this album is named, and whose compositions are featured will recall the nervy sense of creativity that flowed through their veins and music. In fact, the manner in which Peacock's work is described also fits Bley; both play music that is austere, exacting, somewhat laconic, minimalist and always wildly individual, which is what makes it so sensual, singular and utterly memorable. And while Bley's music has always been instrumental in nature, Peacock's was defined not just by the primal highs and lows of her voice, but also by the nakedness of her lyrics; the soft scream of her poetry that propelled her songs. So to find her music played here without words is both a surprise and a big challenge. The slashing experimentalism of that music was, however, almost certainly an invention of Bley's as much as it was Peacock's. They were husband and wife during the time most of this music was composed and recorded, though they were not even remotely connected when this album was made in 1992. So Bley 's remarkable intimacy in interpreting these songs instrumentally is astounding, notwithstanding his being ably abetted by another of Peacock's ex-husbands, bassist, Gary Peacock, who brings his robust melodism to this date as well. To complete the trio, which surreptitiously inhabit Peacock's bitter oeuvre is Franz Koglmann, credited with originating the idea before he took some charts to Bley, who was in the unique position of making, just five months prior to this album, another record featuring the music of his another significant ex-other, Carla Bley, on Plays Carla, (SteepleChase, 1992).

Deeply influenced by the early psychedelic era as well as elements of the Way of Zen, Annette Peacock composed works that were characterized as much by hypnotic whorls as by the use of silence and harmonic space between phrases and lines. Right from the early mid-sixties, when Peacock joined Albert Ayler, her earliest work was marked by an invention all her own, an idiom that she called "free-form song." One of these is the miraculously beautiful, "Albert's Love Theme," which she composed to mark her devoted friendship with the great saxophonist. Her songs were designed for sound and silence, a sonic architecture that she continues to work with to this day, as even her most recent work shows. Bley remains true to Peacock's stylistic idiosyncrasies throughout this album. His heart-wrenching performances of "Touching" and "Blood" cast Peacock as a musical doppelganger of author Sylvia Plath. Peacock's originals possess stripped down emotions that bare her soul, and Bley's versions emanate directly from his artistic soul. His astounding work is matched, note-for-note by the ingenious soul-searching minimalism of Peacock's sinewy pizzicato playing, as well as the lonesome, electrifying beauty of Koglmann's trumpet and flugelhorn, capturing Peacock's sensibilities ever so accurately, especially on Miracles." Small wonder this album remains as fresh 18 years on as it was when it was originally released. ~ Raul D’Gama Rose https://www.allaboutjazz.com/annette-paul-bley-hatology-review-by-raul-dgama-rose.php
 

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Franz Koglmann: flugelhorn, trumpet; Gary Peacock: double bass.

Annette

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Art Farmer Quintet - Plays The Great Jazz Hits

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:07
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:35)  1. Song For My Father
(5:27)  2. Round Midnight
(3:58)  3. Sidewinder
(4:47)  4. Moanin'
(3:59)  5. Watermelon Man
(3:13)  6. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
(5:38)  7. I Remember Clifford
(3:38)  8. Take Five
(5:27)  9. Gemini
(4:20) 10. The In Crowd

Really great work from Art Farmer one of a handful of records from the mid 60s that have the trumpeter picking up a slightly sharper edge than before a nice contrast to some of his more spacious albums on labels like Argo or Atlantic! The vibe here is almost a small group take on the Jazztet sound that Art created with Benny Golson but a bit more organic overall, thanks to a tight rhythm trio that features Cedar Walton on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Jimmy Roker on drums who almost give the record a Prestige Records sort of vibe. 

The great Jimmy Heath plays sublime tenor in the lead and turns out to be a perfect partner for Art, helping hit a different sound than his material with Golson and although the tunes are mostly the jazz hits promised in the title, they get some really fresh readings here – as the pair make magic on tunes that include "Take Five", "I Remember Clifford", "Watermelon Man", "Song For My Father", "Sidewinder", "Moanin", and "Gemini". © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/711481

Personnel:  Art Farmer - flugelhorn, trumpet;  Jimmy Heath - tenor saxophone;  Cedar Walton – piano;  Walter Booker – bass;  Mickey Roker – drums.

Plays The Great Jazz Hits

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Lyman Woodard Organization - Don't Stop The Groove

Size: 110,9 MB
Time: 47:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1979/2009
Styles: Jazz/Funk, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Don't Stop The Groove (7:13)
02. Disco Tease (7:29)
03. Ron's Song (5:56)
04. Theme In Search Of A Sportspectacular (6:58)
05. Down Lowe (6:57)
06. Kimba (6:21)
07. Djarum (6:53)

Detroit jazz-funk trio the Lyman Woodard Organization were taking their own crack at a “Detroit sound” at the same time Motown was making the Jackson 5 a dance floor staple.

Recorded live January 26, 1979 at Cobb's Corner, Detroit, Michigan, with brilliant trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, this record captures the show stopping power of the Lyman Woodard Organization’s live performances. Perfectly blending their R&B-styled jazz and funky grooves, it is our pleasure to preserve this performance.

Don't Stop The Groove

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Catherine Russell - Harlem On My Mind

Size: 122,1 MB
Time: 52:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Harlem On My Mind (4:13)
02. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (4:08)
03. Swing! Brother, Swing! (2:30)
04. The Very Thought Of You (5:03)
05. You've Got The Right Key But The Wrong Keyhole (3:52)
06. Don't Take Your Love From Me (4:49)
07. Blue Turning Grey Over You (3:07)
08. You're My Thrill (4:40)
09. I Want A Man (3:52)
10. When Lights Are Low (4:47)
11. Talk To Me, Talk To Me (3:16)
12. Let Me Be The First To Know (5:00)
13. Goin' To Town (2:58)

With her sixth album, Harlem On My Mind, Grammy® Award-winning vocalist Catherine Russell journeys to the blue heart of the great African American songbook. Swinging forth with soulful interpretations, Russell taps the golden age of Harlem, as befits this vibrant daughter of jazz. Vocalists Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Dinah Washington provide inspiration where tunesmiths like Benny Carter, Irving Berlin, Andy Razaf and Fats Waller once ruled the roost of a renaissance which continues to reverberate. Of the title track, Russell says, “It’s about not forgetting your roots,” which also serves as her modus operandi for the entire 12 song collection. “The album is comprised of songs from artists who played at The Apollo in Harlem, where all African American artists of note appeared.”

Russell is a native New Yorker, born into musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist/composer/bandleader and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist/guitarist/bassist who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Sy Oliver. Russell notes, “My mother was born and raised in Harlem and my father led one of the leading orchestras in Harlem, which was part of the inspiration for this album.

Harlem On My Mind

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Dylan Taylor With Mike Clark & Larry Coryell - One In Mind

Size: 150,7 MB
Time: 64:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Jazz Fusion
Art: Front

01. The One Or The Nine (4:24)
02. Loft Funk (6:59)
03. Jumbo Liar (5:15)
04. Song For Dennis (5:04)
05. Excerpt (From War And Peace) (5:23)
06. John's Abbey (9:17)
07. Hittin' And Missin' (7:35)
08. Alabama Rhap Corollary (5:20)
09. Jem'n'eye'n (8:25)
10. The Dragon Gate (6:41)

Personnel:
Larry Coryell - Guitar
Mike Clark - Drums
Dylan Taylor - Bass

Bassist/Cellist/Composer and Arranger Dylan Taylor is a veteran mainstay of the greater Philadelphia area Jazz scene. During his busy career Dylan has provided the bottom anchor for name artists such as Lee Konitz, Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison and Larry Coryell, and taken part in steady local Jazz engagements in Center City's better hotels with pianist Tom Lawton's trio at the Four Seasons and saxophonist Tony Williams' quartet at the RitzCarlton.

Taylor has recorded extensively for the C.I.M.P. label on respective releases with saxophonist Bobby Zankel, vibraphonist Khan Jamal and Vocalist Kelly Meashey, and was a longtime member of Bobby Zankel's "little big band," The Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, with recordings on Dreambox Media.

Dylan studied bass with Al Stauffer, Dennis Sandole, Buster Williams (under an NEA Jazz study Fellowship) and John Pattitucci at City College of New York, where he also studied composition with Mike Holober. In 2013 Taylor's musical score for the feature film Takao Dancer was premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Taylor's first self-produced project as leader, 2013's Sweeter for the Struggle, features his friend Larry Coryell and three of Dylan's original compositions. On both the recording and at the CD release concert, the legendary guitarist joined top Philadelphia Jazz talents including the aforementioned Tom Lawton and Bobby Zankel; one of the tunes, Art the Messenger (inspired by drummer Art Blakey), encapsulates Taylor's spiritual feelings regarding both his musicmaking/ bandleadingapproach and his overall worldview: Specifically, that positive hope combined with the musical diversity displayed in his compositions weaving together AfroCuban,fusion, straight ahead, blues and avantgarde canplay a part in a larger message of connecting us all individually to something bigger than ourselves, a sum truly greater than its parts. As Dylan Taylor states, "I hope that my music can contribute in some way to this process.

One In Mind

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Lolo Gervais - Under A Lolo Moon

Size: 134 MB
Time: 23:44
File: FLAC
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Tainted Love (3:17)
02. Higher Love (3:18)
03. Wild Women (3:27)
04. I Will Survive (Autumn Leaves) (4:22)
05. Angel Eyes (2:16)
06. Dynamite (4:07)
07. Teach Me Tiger (2:54)

Stirring up a mix of classic modern pop, rock and soul tunes into a fun Neo Vintage party soundtrack— vocalist Lorraine Gervais belts out over the backdrop of a mean ragtime/boogaloo/stride piano, standup bass, horn riffs, gypsy guitar & slammin drumbeats — creating a great party wherever they end up.

Lolo Gervais takes tunes of one style and then recreates them into roaring 20's, swinging 30's, New Orleans funky boogaloo style, swanky 50's & 60's, classic early Motown & beyond. Everything is fair game as they bend musical genres into whole new grooves that are hot to hear and fun to play.

Think Paula Abdul meets Louis Armstrong, or Daft Punk, Michael Jackson and Sting running headlong into a funky 1920's swing, Kenny Loggins grooving over an old New Orleans style beat, or Pharrel Williams, the Clash, and Train gettin all jazzed up into 50's swank with a touch of old school Jackson 5 or African Highlife grooves laid over the top. A great rhythm ride down the track of a party you want to go to!

Lolo Gervais began in 2015 after Lorraine Gervais & Jacob Aginsky, as kindred musical spirits who've separately worked alongside the likes of Zap Mama, Mavis Staples, Pink, Chris Isaak, Etta James, Taj Mahal, Charlie Hunter & Pete Escovedo, realized that they both gravitated towards taking tunes from one era and antiquing them into anything from classic swing to vintage funky boogie beats of all kinds. Under Jacob's music direction with Lorraine as frontswoman and a hot rhythm section behind them— the band goes off into musical territories where few others dare…

Under A Lolo Moon

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Kat Gang - Love & The Lack Thereof

Size: 110,7 MB
Time: 47:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. You're All The World To Me (4:27)
02. You've Really Got A Hold On Me (3:43)
03. Love And The Lack Thereof (3:15)
04. They Were You (4:45)
05. My Shining Hour (4:51)
06. Then I'll Be Tired Of You (6:11)
07. Wings And Fangs (5:40)
08. Nobody's Heart (Belongs To Me) (2:12)
09. Oh, But I Do! (3:53)
10. The Sweetest Sounds (3:12)
11. It's The Last Dance (5:17)

Love and the Lack Thereof is a beautifully crafted and passionate example of some of the best vocal jazz available today. The album features Kat Gang's romantic, sly, and swinging take on lesser-known gems from the American Songbook, from the Lerner and Lane classic "My Shining Hour" to the bittersweet "Nobody's Heart (Belongs To Me)" by Rodgers and Hart. The musicianship here is outstanding, with Mike Renzi leading the way as pianist/ arranger alongside Jay Leonhart on bass and Buddy Williams on drums. Guest appearances by Harry Allen on saxophone and Warren Vache on flugelhorn add spirit and depth. The album was one of the last recordings ever made at the historic Nola Recording Studios, with the great Jim Czak as engineer.

Love & The Lack Thereof

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Mark Turner & Baptiste Trotignon - Dusk is a quiet place

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:50
Size: 112,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:56)  1. Bolero
(8:14)  2. Left Hand of Darkness
(3:26)  3. Only One
(7:57)  4. Von Gott Will ich nicht lassen / Winter Solstice / Herliebster Jesu, Was Hast Du Verlochen
(6:44)  5. Wasteland
(9:13)  6. Sonnet for Stevie
(5:17)  7. O Do Borogodo

After 'Share' and 'Suite...' two Franco-American albums that pianist Baptiste Trotignon released a few years ago, 'Dusk is a quiet place' marks the reunion with New York saxophonist Mark Turner. 

This album was co-directed by two artists who blended their styles to offer dusky and dreamy music, mainly composed of ballads, except for a short final wild samba evoking Sao Paulo nights. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Dusk-Quiet-Place-Turner/dp/B00BJ6AKS6

Personnel: Mark Turner (tenor saxophone); Baptiste Trotignon (piano).

Dusk is a quiet place

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Branford Marsalis - Scenes In The City

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1984

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:04

Size: 95,5 MB

Art: Front

(6:48)  1. No Backstage Pass

(5:51)  2. Scenes In The City

(8:56)  3. Solstice

(6:50)  4. Waiting For Tain

(7:00)  5. No Sidestepping

(5:36)  6. Parable

Branford Marsalis's debut as a leader is ambitious yet consistently successful. On "Scenes of the City," his narrative is in the same spirit of some of Charles Mingus's recordings of the 1950s. Otherwise the music is in the modern mainstream vein with Marsalis (on tenor and soprano) hinting strongly at Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane, along with a touch of Sonny Rollins. The backup crew includes such notable young lions as pianist Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charnett Moffett, and drummers Jeff "Tain" Watts and Marvin "Smitty" Smith in addition to bassist Ron Carter. It's an impressive start to a notable career. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/scenes-in-the-city-mw0000188339

Personnel: Branford Marsalis (soprano & tenor saxophones); John Longo (trumpet); Robin Eubanks (trombone); Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Kirkland (piano); Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Charnett Moffett, Phil Bowler (bass); Marvin Smith, Jeffrey Watts (drums).

Scenes In The City

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Flip Philipp - Duffin'

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:51
Size: 116,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:26)  1. Ed Thigpen
(7:17)  2. Odd Caravan
(5:35)  3. Green's
(6:43)  4. Vic's Field
(4:53)  5. Wes Licks
(8:11)  6. Monks Idea
(5:06)  7. On the Dogwatch
(4:38)  8. Clinker Some

The Titel of Flip Philipp´s last Album is a hommage to grant green´s long time organ player Brother Jack McDuff. Even tough the Compositions are inspired by him and his workingfield. The tunes come easy,floating and provide a hard swing for the soloist. Exceptional the flexible comping of organist Renato Chicco who supported jerry Bergonzi in his former musical Career. The Mixture of Vibes with Guitar supported by the foamy chords of the Hammond give the tracks a fresh and sunny west coast feeling. One can quickly find out where the roots of the tunes of this work lay.The spacey ballad Monk´s Idea and the odd meter waltz Green´s bear out of the tradition of blue note . In Flip Philipp ATS Records has one of the more rare contemporary phenomena in jazz- a thouroughly skilled vibes player who recognizes the virtues of clarity and spereness as well as the need to keep attuned to the individual,expressive needs and directions of his colleagues. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/flipphilipp1

Duffin'

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Gil Evans - New Bottle Old Wine

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 91,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. St Louis Blues
(3:18)  2. King Porter Stomp
(4:37)  3. Willow Tree
(4:32)  4. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(4:14)  5. Lester Leaps In
(4:06)  6. 'Round About Midnight
(5:14)  7. Manteca!
(6:50)  8. Bird Feathers

Gil Evans' second album as a leader (a World Pacific set that has been reissued by Blue Note) features his reworking of eight jazz classics including "St. Louis Blues," "Lester Leaps In" and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue." Evans' charts utilize three trumpets, three trombones, a french horn, a prominent tuba, one reed player, altoist Cannonball Adderley and a four-piece rhythm section. Most memorable is a classic rendition of "King Porter Stomp" featuring the exuberant altoist Cannonball Adderley, who is the main soloist on most of the selections. Other key voices include Evans' piano, guitarist Chuck Wayne and trumpeter Johnny Coles. This is near-classic music that showed that Gil Evans did not need Miles Davis as a soloist to inspire him to greatness. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-bottle-old-wine-mw0000194405

Personnel: Gil Evans (piano, arranger, conductor); Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Johnny Coles, Louis Marcel, Ernie Royal, Clyde Reasinger, Frank Rehak (trumpet); Joe Bennet, Tom Mitchell (trombone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Harvey Phillips, Bill Barber (tuba); Jerry Sanfino (reeds); Chuck Wayne (guitar); Paul Chambers (bass); Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones (drums).

New Bottle Old Wine

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Duke Ellington - The Popular Duke Ellington

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:37
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Take The 'A' Train
(2:36)  2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(3:14)  3. Perdido
(5:10)  4. Mood Indigo
(5:12)  5. Black And Tan Fantasy
(3:11)  6. The Twitch
(3:37)  7. Solitude
(1:55)  8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
(5:36)  9. The Mooche
(3:02) 10. Sophisticated Lady
(3:56) 11. Creole Love Call
(5:27) 12. Caravan
(1:59) 13. Wings And Things
(1:56) 14. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

This CD reissue from 1997 features Duke Ellington and His Orchestra running through 11 of the leader's hits and a lesser-known blues tune, "The Twitch." The 1966 version of his big band still had all of its main stars, including such major voices as trumpeters Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson, trombonists Lawrence Brown and Buster Cooper, altoist Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and clarinista Jimmy Hamilton. 

All are featured on The Popular Duke Ellington. Since the material is all very familiar, and mostly quite concise (nothing over six minutes long, and a version of "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" that is under two minutes), few surprises occur. But Ellington fans will enjoy this well-played effort. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-popular-duke-ellington-mw0000529326

Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Harry Carney, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves (reeds); Cootie Williams, William "Cat" Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones (trumpets); Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors (trombone); John Lamb (bass); Sam Woodyard (drums).

The Popular Duke Ellington

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Von Freeman - Lester Leaps In

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:56
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

(12:55)  1. Scrapple from the Apple
( 3:31)  2. All About Ronnie
( 9:55)  3. I Love You
( 9:12)  4. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
(11:33)  5. The Whippenpoof Song
(14:48)  6. Lester Leaps In

Although Von Freeman's unusual, very recognizable tone has been admired by jazz's avant-garde, the tenorman has always been a hard bopper/post-bopper first and foremost. And that's what makes a Freeman recording jump right out at you -- his tone sounds like it belongs on an AACM recording, but he tackles swift bop chord changes with such enthusiasm that you know bop was his calling. Freeman is in fine form on Lester Leaps In, an unapologetic hard bop date employing pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Eddie de Haas and drummer Wilbur Campbell. The saxman was 69 when this CD was recorded in Paris, and he sounds like he's very much in his prime on hard-swinging, passionate versions of Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple" and Lester Young's "Lester Leaps In." The album is unlikely to convert those who aren't already sold on Freeman's merits, but the Chicagoan's admirers wound do well to find a copy. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/lester-leaps-in-mw0000665452

Personnel:  Von Freeman (Saxophone); Jodie Christian (Piano); Eddie de Haas (Bass); Wilbur Campbell (Drums).

Lester Leaps In

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Dick Oatts - Two Hearts

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:52
Size: 128,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:39)  1. If I Should Loose You
(5:25)  2. We'll Be Together Again
(6:07)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(5:23)  4. Come Sunday
(5:25)  5. Yesterdays
(6:14)  6. My Foolish Heart
(3:41)  7. Darn That Dream
(5:52)  8. Angel Eyes
(5:50)  9. But Beautiful
(6:10) 10. Hello Young Lovers

Dick Oatts is a name well known to seasoned jazz fans, who recognize him for his work as a sideman with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra (and its descendant, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra), Red Rodney,Bob Brookmeyer, Jerry Bergonzi, Fred Hersch, and others, along with his partnership with pianist Garry Dial. Most of Oatts' recordings as a leader have been for European labels, such as this 2009 session for Steeplechase, his seventh for the Danish company. The focus is on ballads, with Oatts looking to build upon each melody in a creative fashion without losing its essence, something that he does consistently throughout the date. Accompanied by pianist Michael Weiss, either Ugonna Okegwo or David Wong on bass, and drummer Rodney Green, Oatts' renditions of the nine standards plus one well-known Duke Ellington gem, the alto saxophonist gives a virtual master class to young jazz musicians (being a veteran jazz educator as well) on how to construct an intelligent solo built upon a familiar theme without resorting to showboating. The brisk rendition of "You Don't Know What Love Is," the brisk, angular setting of "Yesterdays" and the refreshingly unsentimental take of "Angel Eyes" are among the highlights, but simply put, all of the music is rewarding. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/two-hearts-mw0002013877

Personnel:  Dick Oatts (alto saxophone);  Michael Weiss (piano);  Ugonna Okegwo (bass);  David Wong (bass);  Rodney Green (drums).

Two Hearts

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Jerry Bergonzi - Spotlight on Standards

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:19
Size: 145,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:54)  1. Witchcraft
(7:01)  2. Bi-Solar
(8:24)  3. Blue Cube
(6:33)  4. First Lady
(6:42)  5. Gabriella
(6:02)  6. Dancing in the Dark
(6:17)  7. Out of Nowhere
(6:01)  8. Come Rain or Come Shine
(7:20)  9. Stella by Starlight

There's an old saying that a great jazz musician never plays a song the same way once. That could certainly be said of Jerry Bergonzi. He is an intellectual artist of uncompromising integrity and a bold, original composer. On Jerry's new Savant recording he returns to the organ-tenor trio format after a long hiatus from it. From the opening track, Cy Coleman's “Witchcraft” with its hypnotic organ vamp and “bewitching” chord substitutions Jerry gives to the first 8 bars, you know this isn't going to be your parents' organ-tenor gig. Bergonzi and his discmates, Renato Chicco on organ and Andrea Michelutti on drums, take these standards down new harmonic paths and use them as a launching pad for fertile and impressive improvisation. The playing is always intense and distinctive, fresh and spontaneous. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Spotlight-Standards-Jerry-Bergonzi/dp/B01GFZ4BDU

Personnel: Jerry Bergonzi (tenor saxophone); Renato Chicco (organ); Andrea Michelutti (drums).

Spotlight on Standards

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