Sam Most With Joe Farrell - Flute Talk

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:27
Size: 100,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:39)  1. Kim
(5:30)  2. Something Sweet and Tender
(4:42)  3. When You Wish upon a Star
(5:51)  4. Sound Off
(5:48)  5. Samba to Remember You By
(2:26)  6. Leaves
(5:06)  7. Love Season
(8:21)  8. Hot House

Essentially a blowing session, the flutes of Sam Most and Joe Farrell are in the forefront of this enjoyable straightahead date. Pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Bob Magnusson, drummer Roy McCurdy and percussionist Jerry Steinholtz are quite supportive of the flutes. Most and Farrell play a few standards (including a creative version of "When You Wish upon a Star"), some straightforward originals and on "Leaves" they freely improvise around each other in an interesting (if overly brief) duet. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/flute-talk-mw0000899234

Personnel:  Joe Farrell Flute;  Bob Magnusson Bass;  Roy McCurdy Drums;  Sam Most Flute; Jerry Steinholtz Conga, Percussion;  Mike Wofford, Piano (Electric)

Flute Talk

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Cootie Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart - Together

Styles: Trumpet, Saxophone and Cornet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 89,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(4:09)  2. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (Concerto For Cootie)
(8:29)  3. Alphonse and Gaston
(4:46)  4. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
(5:11)  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
(4:39)  6. Rex' Time
(4:09)  7. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues

Cootie Williams, one of the finest trumpeters of the 1930s, expanded upon the role originally formed by Bubber Miley with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Renowned for his work with the plunger mute, Cootie was also a fine soloist when playing open. Starting as a teenager, Cootie Williams played with a variety of local bands in the South, coming to New York with Alonzo Ross' Syncopators. He played for a short time with the orchestras of Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson (recording with the latter), before joining Duke Ellington as Miley's replacement in February 1929. He was a fixture with Duke's band during the next 11 years, not only recording many classics with Ellington (including "Echoes of Harlem" and "Concerto for Cootie"), but leading some of his own sessions and recording with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday, in addition to being a guest at Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert in 1938. His decision to leave Ellington and join Goodman's orchestra in 1940 was considered a major event in the jazz world. During his year with B.G., Williams was well-featured with both the big band and Goodman's sextet. The following year he became a bandleader, heading his own orchestra which, at times in the 1940s, featured such up-and-coming players as pianist Bud Powell, tenorman Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, altoist/singer Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and even Charlie Parker. 

Although he had a hit (thanks to Willis Jackson's honking tenor) on "Gator," by 1948 Cootie had cut his group back to a sextet. Playing R&B-oriented music, he worked steadily at the Savoy, but by the 1950s was drifting into obscurity. However, in 1962, after a 22-year absence, Cootie Williams rejoined Duke Ellington, staying even beyond Duke's death in 1974 as a featured soloist. By then his solos were much simpler and more primitive than earlier (gone was the Louis Armstrong-inspired bravado), but Cootie remained the master with the plunger mute. He was semi-retired during his final decade, taking a final solo in 1978 on a Teresa Brewer record, and posthumously serving as an inspiration for Wynton Marsalis' own plunger playing. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cootie-williams/id269584#fullText

Together

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Rex Stewart - Story 1926-1945

Styles: Trumpet And Cornet Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:45
Size: 143,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. The stampede
(3:00)  2. Rocky road
(3:06)  3. Showboat shuffle
(3:08)  4. Kissin' my baby goodnight
(2:29)  5. Watermelon man
(3:05)  6. Boy meets horn
(3:31)  7. John Hardy's wife
(2:47)  8. Back room romp (A contrapunctual stomp)
(2:35)  9. Swing baby swing (Love in my heart)
(2:35) 10. Sugar hill shim-sham
(2:30) 11. Tea and trumpets
(2:39) 12. San Juan hill
(2:39) 13. Fat stuff serenade
(3:05) 14. Solid old man
(4:26) 15. Cherry
(3:22) 16. Poor bubber
(3:01) 17. Dreamer's blues
(3:16) 18. Shady shade of the street
(3:12) 19. 12th street rag
(2:53) 20. Save it pretty mama

Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style and half-valve effects were exploited brilliantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influences of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley, and Bix Beiderbecke, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace's band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra in 1934.

He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part-time in Boston. Stewart led the Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon's club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. While he published many excellent pieces, a collection containing many of his best reviews, Jazz Masters of the Thirties, came out posthumously. There's also a Stewart autobiography available. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rex-stewart-mn0000888838/biography

Personnel: Rex Stewart (trumpet, cornet); Don Redman, Ivie Anderson (vocals); Django Reinhardt, Brick Fleagle, Fred Guy (guitar); Dave Wilborn, Charlie Dixon (banjo); Buster Bailey (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Benny Carter (clarinet, alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, Prince Robinson (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Pete Clarke, Earl Bostic (alto saxophone); Cecil Scott (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Cootie Williams, Charlie Allen ,Smith, Langston Curl, Louis Bacon, Sidney Bechet, Arthur Whetsol, Wallace Jones (trumpet); Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown , Ed Cuffee, Charlie Green (trombone); Billy Taylor, Sr., Bob Escudero (tuba); Fletcher Henderson, Dave Riviera, Lionel Hampton, Todd Rhodes, Billy Kyle , Earl Hines (piano); Fred Avendorf, Cuba Austin, J.C. Heard, Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall, Sonny Greer, Baby Dodds (drums)

Story  1926-1945

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Ida Landsberg - Acoustic Bossa Nova, Vol. 2

Styles: Vocal, Bossa Nova
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 92,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. When My Guitar Gently Weeps
(4:25)  2. Fantasy
(2:52)  3. Fame
(4:04)  4. Good Vibrations
(3:14)  5. Street Life
(4:37)  6. Can't Take My Eyes off You
(2:42)  7. Riders on the Storm
(4:03)  8. Black Hole Sun
(3:15)  9. Blame It on the Boogie
(3:14) 10. Crazy
(3:29) 11. Smoke on the Water

Music is in my life since I can think. In my case music always had been present but for a long time it wasn’t at the centre of my thinking and activities yet. It was more an accompaniment of every of my daily actions, an accessory, an atmosphere, a song to sing or an open ear for sounds and noises. I always had a very sensible ear that hated rumors and couldn’t tolerate notes that weren’t perfectly clean. Who loved high and clear voices and memorized melodies quickly. I didn’t grow up in an artist environment even though my grand-grandmother, from which I had my name Ida, was a sculpturist and lived surrounded by famous 19th Century painters in Kleinmachnow just outside Berlin. One of her friends were Max Liebermann. I know her only from my father’s tellings. I passed my childhood and adolescence by studying languages, literature and science, but music was my everyday companion, my friend, my breathe. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have been in constant contact with music making. In my earliest childhood, I sang on my grandmother’s balcony and the neighbors listened to me. At the age of 6 I started to play piano, to sing in a church choir and to be part of a children dance theatre.

Also my family enjoyed music. My grandmother played piano, my father accordeon and my mother guitar. They wanted to give us a good musical education. My mother was the one who raise my love for classical music as she took me to the opera house since I was a child. I knew all the arias of Mozart’s “Magical Flute” by heart and sang them the whole day long. She was also the one who forced me to practice piano everyday when I was about to quit at the age of 13. I couldn’t be any more thankful that she insisted.  I was very active at school performances. After a long and intense 70s musical rebel period in my adolescence at the sound of the The Doors, Janis Joplin and the Beach Boys, I discovered jazz music which would have been my strongest passion. Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck had become my new heroes, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald my idols. Soon the desire of letting music be a central part of my life became concrete. I was admitted to the Berlin University of Fine Arts and studied music pedagogy there until I left Germany for a student exchange program. My time at the UdK was one of the greatest I can remember. I had a female a cappella trio, sang in different choirs and we made plenty of University productions. It was a busy and fun period.

In Italy I continued my musical studies at the Siena Jazz School, took private singing and improvisation lessons and attended different master classes. I knew my guitarist and now husband Simone Salvatore and I remained in Tuscany for sentimental reasons. We started to play gigs in clubs, theatres and festivals.  From now on I experienced the completest fulfilment as a singer: sharing my music with other people and letting them feel what I always felt. The sensation of feeling alive by making music. Of stopping time by letting music be the protagonist of the moment. Of giving words to the unpronounceable. The joy to feel its unifying and enhancing power. Of being one. Its endless beauty. Pure emotion. Art. Sometimes. We played also at numerous weddings and private partys. Some of the funniest and most memorable moments are linked to some strange or unusual musical situation. I had the pleasure to collaborate with many wonderful musicians. And then one day I received an email from Singapore that I was about to move to the spam folder. But then I read it and after I read it again, and it sounded quite serious. They were asking for some music samples for their label and I decided to send them. And they liked them and wanted to release my works. This was the beginning of a great collaboration with EQ Music Singapore, Hitman Jazz and later Irma Records with whom I released 4 solo albums for now jazz and bossa nova as well as one album with my own compositions and many compilations. And others are about to be realized. Music is my aim and ambition, my continuous research and look to the future. No day passes without having some idea or project to realize, something new to create or experience, some unexperienced music style to live. Some notes left to write or to sing. Music for me is not a passion. It is a necessity. http://www.idalandsberg.net/about-me/

Acoustic Bossa Nova, Vol. 2

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Luis Perdomo - The 'Infancia' Project

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 130.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[7:20] 1. The Other Left
[6:31] 2. Berimvela
[4:52] 3. Solar
[4:45] 4. Happy House
[7:14] 5. Comedia
[6:15] 6. Un Poco Loco
[7:03] 7. Meggido Girl
[5:51] 8. Mind And Time
[6:56] 9. Major General

Luis Perdomo: piano, Fender Rhodes; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Andy Gonzalez: bass; Ignacio Berroa: drums; Mauricio Herrera: percussion.

Pianist Luis Perdomo's presence is marked by attributes that include lyricism, depth and adaptability. The onetime member of saxophonist Ravi Coltrane's quartet has worked on many releases for artists like trombonist Steve Turre and saxophonist Miguel Zenon. His visibility is coming more into focus with The Infancia Project, which the New York-based pianist avoided making for many years over concerns of being typecast as "just another" Latin jazz musician. While the project's flavor is influenced by the rich ethnic sounds of Perdomo's upbringing in Caracus, Venezuela, it identifies both the pianist's past and present, one that is deep-rooted yet equally progressive, as witnessed on 2012's A Universal Mind, which featured drum great Jack DeJohnette, and 2006's dual-rhythm section Awareness, both on Coltrane's RKM label. The set benefits from both the pianist's fine playing and his carefully chosen session players, starting with the first bars of the"The Other Left," its complex clave rhythms provided by percussionist Mauricio Herrera and drummer Ignacio Berroa. Bassist Andy Gonzalez introduces saxophonist Ornette Coleman's "Happy House," here transformed into an alluring groove-dance, while edgy trade-offs between Perdomo and Mark Shim's exceptional deep toned saxophone on trumpeter Miles Davis' "Solar" demonstrate the fire and verve that elevates the entire set beyond any typecast recording.

Perdomo explores diverse moods and shapes, from the pulsating interpretation of pianist Bud Powell's "Un Poco Loco" to the tranquil trio take of J.A. Espino's "Comedia." There are fireworks, yet also frosty grooves ("Berimvela," "Mind Time") that feature Perdomo on Fender Rhodes, his lithesome keying, Shim's throaty voicing, and the rhythm section's infectious grooves providing a low-temperature heat. DeJohnette's "closing Major General" demands an encore from this group. It's a breathtaking whirlwind, featuring a rousing drum solo from Berroa. The timing forThe Infancia Project is right, yet long overdue; here's hoping Perdomo records again with this excellent ensemble. ~Mark Turner

The 'Infancia' Project

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Badfinger - Timeless... The Musical Legacy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:20
Size: 135.8 MB
Styles: Album rock, AM Pop
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Day After Day
[4:43] 2. Without You
[3:16] 3. Rock Of All Ages
[2:38] 4. Dear Angie
[2:21] 5. Come And Get It
[2:50] 6. Maybe Tomorrow
[2:59] 7. No Matter What
[3:34] 8. Baby Blue
[2:59] 9. Believe Me
[5:20] 10. Name Of The Game
[2:52] 11. I'll Be The One
[3:05] 12. Apple Of My Eye
[2:55] 13. Suitcase
[7:40] 14. Timeless
[5:14] 15. Dennis
[3:36] 16. Love Is Gonna Come At Last

This 16-track Badfinger compilation is mostly concerned with the band's Apple years, although a couple of later period tracks are thrown in for good measure. All digitally remastered, classic singles like "Come and Get It," "No Matter What," and "Day After Day" are all here along with songs like the early single "Maybe Tomorrow," from the group's pre-Badfinger days as the Iveys, and the 1979 post-Pete Ham reunion track "Love Is Gonna Come at Last." Their 1974 Warner Bros. albums are all but ignored except for the Ham-penned track "Dennis" from their final opus Wish You Were Here. Other compilations go into greater depth, but in terms of a good-sounding highlight reel from the legendary British rockers, Timeless is a great place to start. ~Timothy Monger

Timeless... The Musical Legacy

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June Christy - Ballads For Night People

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:35
Size: 115.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1959/2005
Art: Front

[4:56] 1. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[3:22] 2. Night People
[4:09] 3. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[3:51] 4. I Had A Little Sorrow
[2:46] 5. I'm In Love
[3:15] 6. Shadow Women
[2:43] 7. Kissing Bug
[4:01] 8. My Ship
[3:00] 9. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[3:08] 10. Make Love To Me
[3:01] 11. I Know About Love
[2:38] 12. Cry Like The Wind
[3:38] 13. Make Someone Happy
[2:34] 14. Asking For You
[3:27] 15. All You Need Is A Quarter

The music on this album features the popular singer June Christy in a ballad-oriented program. She is backed by trombonist Frank Rosolino, a French horn, a sax section, a rhythm section, and a harp, all arranged by her husband, tenor saxophonist Bob Cooper. One in a long string of Christy's Capitol recordings, this fine set (highlighted by "Bewitched," "Do Nothin' 'Till You Hear from Me," "Kissing Bug," and "My Ship") holds its own with the singer's best sets. ~Scott Yanow

Ballads For Night People

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Art Fell, David Cross & Friends - Shake Your Blues Away

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:00
Size: 167.1 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz, Ragtime
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:50] 1. Shaking The Blues Away
[2:38] 2. Baby Brown
[2:14] 3. How Come You Do Me Like You Do
[3:17] 4. Button Up Your Overcoat
[2:57] 5. Happy Days And Lonely Nights
[3:33] 6. Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby
[2:56] 7. 'deed I Do
[2:57] 8. Whose Honey Are You
[3:22] 9. Kiss Me Once And Then We'll Say Hello, Dear
[4:01] 10. Blue Turning Grey Over You
[2:46] 11. When You And I Were Young Maggie
[3:33] 12. Tishomingo Blues
[2:23] 13. Sunshine Of Love
[5:02] 14. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place
[3:19] 15. When I Take My Sugar To Tea
[2:12] 16. Sweet Emmalina
[2:24] 17. Is It True What They Say About Dixie
[2:02] 18. Little Rocke Getaway
[2:56] 19. I'll Always Be In Love With You
[3:46] 20. Margarita
[2:40] 21. I Found You Out When I Found You In Somebody Else's Arms
[3:09] 22. Singing The Blues
[2:59] 23. Mama's Gone Goodbye
[2:54] 24. Lou-Easy-Ania

Shake Your Blues Away with Jazz-- consists of twenty-four nostalgic classic "soft" jazz songs. The duo of Art Fell on piano and David Cross on horn (with others) results in smooth and soothing music. The result: sweet, cool jazz appropriate for sipping good wine before a log fire, or relaxing with when commuting to work. Close your eyes (not while driving, however) and enjoy. The musicians are not about dazzling listeners with their musical acumen, but about giving them sheer pleasure. ~Michael Swygert

Shake Your Blues Away

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Kenny Wheeler & The Colours Jazz Orchestra - Nineteen Plus One

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:32
Size: 157,2 MB
Art: Front

( 2:35)  1. Only the Lonely
(11:37)  2. All or Nothing at All
(10:05)  3. How Deep Is the Ocean
( 4:25)  4. Stella by Starlight
( 9:01)  5. I Should Care
( 8:42)  6. When Your Lover Has Gone
(11:20)  7. The Man I Love
(10:43)  8. W.W.

Following Kenny Wheeler's career can be a knotty proposition. Born in Canada, the trumpeter/composer relocated to Britain in the 1950s, becoming an integral part of its jazz scene. He recorded for Germany's ECM Records for over two decades, including the classic Gnu High (1976) in addition to his Azimuth collaborations with pianist John Taylor and singer Norma Winstone. More recently shifting his affiliation to Italian labels including EGEA and CAM Jazz, he's focused largely on small groups, though he's made a handful of albums for larger ensembles, including Music for Large & Small Ensembles (ECM, 1990). Regardless of context, the emphasis has always been on his own inimitable writing, making Nineteen Plus One a distinct entry in his discography. Collaborating with Italy's brass-heavy Colours Orchestra, Wheeler brings his densely modernistic harmonic approach to rearrangements of seven standards. From the brief fanfare of "Only the Lonely" to the more expansive "All or Nothing at All," "How Deep is the Ocean" and "When Your Love Has Gone" all exceeding ten minutes, with plenty of solo space for the Orchestra as well as Wheeler it's no surprise that, despite an unfailing allegiance to the essence of these enduring songs, they sound as if Wheeler wrote them in the first place. 

As if to hammer that point home, the disc ends with Wheeler's sole original  "W.W.," from Wheeler's quintet date Double, Double You (ECM, 1984) and later reworked for larger ensembles including Finland's UMO Jazz Orchestra on One More Time (Challenge, 2000). Contrasting UMO's more left-of-center disposition, Colours is a warmer, more centrist affair, swinging amiably through this and all of Wheeler's charts, with singer Diana Torto capably handling Wheeler's melody lines, originally written for Winstone, with equal aplomb. Wheeler's writing possess a characteristic melancholy; joining this one original with his standards arrangements further clarifies the distinctive touch found in anything on which he lays his hands. Saying that Wheeler's playing remains strong for a man in his eighties would be unfair; surrounded by a group of fine players including conductor Massimo Morganti, who puts his baton aside for a concise, plangent trombone solo on "How Deep is the Ocean" Wheeler's ability to weave lyrical lines with brief intervallic leaps into the stratosphere remains a stylistic touchstone few players half his age can match. 

Torto's lyric interpretations reference Winstone's less-is-more approach, though she demonstrates greater extremes in the thrilling duet with drummer Massimo Manzi that closes "W.W." Guitarist Luca Pecchia receives a moment in the spotlight during the intro to "I Should Care," solely supporting Torto before the ensemble enters to paint a broader palette, which in turn bolsters the guitarist's lithe solo and a particularly fluid feature from Wheeler. The material may be familiar, but the interpretations are completely fresh. Winstone's assertion that Wheeler is "the Duke Ellington of our times" is borne out by Nineteen Plus One. Few musicians alive can be recognized for their charts after just a few notes, or are as capable of making material recorded thousands of times their own within the space of a few short bars. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nineteen-plus-one-kenny-wheeler-astarte-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: trumpet, flugelhorn; Diana Torto: voice; Massimo Morganti: conductor, trombone solo (3); Simone La Maida: alto and soprano saxophones; Maurizio Moscatelli: alto saxophone; Filippo Sebastianelli: tenor saxophone; Enrico Benvenuti: tenor saxophone; Marco Postacchini: baritone saxophone; Giorgio Caselli: trumpet and flugelhorn; Luigi Faggi Grigioni: trumpet and flugelhorn; Giacomo Uncini: trumpet and flugelhorn; Samuele Garofole: trumpet and flugelhorn; Mauro Ottolini: trombone; Tony Cattano: trombone; Luca Pernici: trombone; Pierluigi Bastioli: bass trombone; Luca Pecchia: guitar; Emilio Marinelli: piano; Gabriele Pesaresi: bass; Massimo Manzi: drums.

Nineteen Plus One

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Tina May - Tina May Sings Piaf

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:50
Size: 123,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. J'Attendrai / Au Revoir
(3:59)  2. Sous le ciel de Pris
(4:21)  3. Les feuilles mortes
(2:59)  4. Mon manège à moi
(4:23)  5. Si tu partais - If you go
(4:30)  6. l'Accordéoniste
(4:50)  7. l'Hymne à l'amour - If you love me
(2:46)  8. C'est à Hambourg
(2:35)  9. La goualante du pauvre Jean
(4:23) 10. La vie en rose
(3:16) 11. Milord
(3:54) 12. Lovers for a day
(5:28) 13. Mon homme
(3:20) 14. Non, je ne regrette rien

Considered as one of the finest jazz vocalists the U.K. has ever produced, Tina May has been recognized for her vocal art on more than one occasion. She was selected Number One Vocalist and the Critic's Choice at the 1998 BT Jazz Awards and was voted Critic's Number One choice for the 1995 British Jazz Vocalist Award. She also was the recipient of London's Outstanding Young Musician Award in 1993. Given that Britain harbors many fine jazz vocalists, being recognized as one of the best is no small achievement. Influenced at an early age by her collection of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller records, she has emerged as a singer who is at ease with both the traditional pop and standards from the Great American Songbook, as represented by these two geniuses, as well as with songs produced by contemporary composers. During the early '80s, May headed her own Back Door Theatre Company, producing such shows as Lady Chatterley's Lover. In the late '80s, she moved on to establish herself in Paris, performing as a chanteuse at various clubs in the City of Light. It was then that she pretty much concentrated on a jazz career, forming her first quartet in 1989. May has a very abundant recording career, releasing seven albums under the U.K. record label 33Jazz. She has been featured soloist at important jazz events and venues including the Duke Ellington Mass, at the venerable London jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, and at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club in Paris. 

Among the jazz notables she has shared the stage and/or recorded with are Nikki Iles, David Newton, Stan Tracey, Marian McPartland, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, and Clarke Tracey, whom she married in 1989. May has appeared frequently on BBC radio and TV either as guest performer or as a leader of her own group. As a classically trained pianist, May has formed and leads a number of small groups over the year, including a trio and her Paris Quintet. An accomplished lyricist adding words to bop standards such as Cannonball Adderley's "Havin' Fun," she also produces original jazz material. Having a dusky soprano with a three-octave range which she employs with flexibility and imagination to interpret both traditional standards and newer material, Tina May continues to occupy a strong position as a premiere jazz vocalist. ~ Dave Nathan https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/tina-may/id152602515#fullText

Tina May sings Piaf

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Sunna Gunnlaugs - Long Pair Bond

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:29
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Long Pair Bond
(6:00)  2. Thema
(4:25)  3. Autumnalia
(5:21)  4. Elsabella
(5:35)  5. Crab Canon
(5:31)  6. Fyrir Brynhildi
(5:02)  7. Safe from the World
(4:20)  8. Diamonds on the Inside
(5:03)  9. Not What But How
(4:35) 10. Vicious World

With Long Pair Bond, Sunna Gunnlaugs returns to the piano trio format last heard on Far Far Away. Since that 1997 self-titled debut the only album to use her tongue-twisting full name, Gunnlaugsdóttir the Icelandic pianist has, in addition to contracting her name to the eminently more memorable Gunnlaugs, recorded almost exclusively with quartets, largely populated with American (or, at least, American-resident) musicians met after moving to the United States in 1993 to study at William Paterson College. Long Pair Bond's return to trio format is, however, just one of a number of significant changes afoot since Gunnlaugs released The Dream (Self Produced) in 2010. Returning to Iceland, Gunnlaugs still collaborates with husband/drummer Scott McLemore the only constant across all seven of her recordings including 2003's fiery Live in Europe (Sunny Sky) but shifts to local talent for the bass chair. Þorgrímur "Toggi" Jónsson may be a lesser-known entity when compared to past bassists including Drew Gress and Eivind Opsvik, but based on his performance here he's clearly someone to watch, with his flexible blend of firm-planted anchor and inventive melodic foil. On his sole compositional contribution, the folkloric "Fyrir Brynhildi" which introduces a hint of optimism at the end of each pass with a brief major chord, before returning to its melancholic, minor tonal center his warm-toned pizzicato drives both the melody and a solo that matches Gunnlaugs' own lyrical bent, though he proves equally capable of more angular playing on the pianist's harmonically oblique "Thema."

Long Pair Bond also signals a shift away from more complex compositional constructs, though Gunnlaugs still favors mixing up the meters, twisting her own "Autumnal," ever-so-slightly through occasional dropped beats. McLemore's three contributions lean more to the straightforward, with both "Elsabella" and the more up-tempo "Not What But How" in waltz-time, but even when he resorts to irregular time signatures, as he does on "Safe From the World," it never distracts from the song's gentle, easy-on-the-ears nature. Gunnluags' touchstones are unmistakable, with hints of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, but filtered through her unmistakable allegiance to Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson's classically informed and harmonically skewed melodism. But the barely forty-something pianist also looks beyond these touchstones for inspiration, delivering a relatively straightforward version of alt-rock singer/songwriter Ben Harper's "Diamonds on the Inside" and a less faithful look at Rufus Wainwright's "Vicious World," which may challenge even the biggest meter-o-phile to "find the one," but remains paradoxically delicate and singable. Throughout, McLemore's touch is light not unlike Norwegian drummer Jarle Vespestad's work with pianist Tord Gustavsen, employing a variety of sticks for textural effect while Gunnlaug's is firm yet pliant, moving from fragile vulnerability to robust power on her opening title track. Gunnlaugs has always been about musical depth that doesn't sacrifice inherent accessibility, but by trimming back to a trio, she's delivered one of her most approachable albums yet, where there's no shortage of challenge but that's largely left to the players. For everyone else, Long Pair Bond's 50 minutes pass by with ease, but not without leaving a lasting impression. 

~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/long-pair-bond-sunna-gunnlaugs-sunny-sky-review-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: Sunna Gunnlaugs: piano; Þorgrímur Jónsson: bass; Scott McLemore: drums.

Long Pair Bond

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Brian Culbertson - Funk!

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Jazz Funk
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:35
Size: 121,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:28)  1. Get Ready
(4:08)  2. The Call
(4:39)  3. Been Around the World
(4:14)  4. Take It Up
(3:45)  5. Let's Take a Ride
(4:02)  6. We Got What You Want
(1:08)  7. Sunshine
(4:36)  8. Hey Girl
(1:04)  9. Damn, I'm Hungry
(4:53) 10. Got to Give It Up
(3:43) 11. Mile Sauce
(4:24) 12. Play That Funky Music
(5:20) 13. Spend a Little Time
(1:05) 14. To Be Continued...

Brian Culbertson is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer who crosses genres between contemporary jazz, R&B, and funk and heralds from the musically rich city of Chicago. Starting at the early age of 8 on piano, he quickly picked up several other instruments by age 12 including drums, trombone, bass, & euphonium. Inspired by the great R&B/Jazz/Pop artists of the 70’s like EWF, Tower of Power, Chicago, David Sanborn, and others, Brian Culbertson started composing original music for his 7th grade piano recital and hasn’t stopped having self-produced 16 solo albums, most of which have topped the Billboard charts. Brian is always striving to push the boundaries of the contemporary jazz scene which is evident by his latest album, Funk! This new set is a throwback to the stanky P-Funk records from back in the day combining the throbbing bass lines, greasy horn lines, sing-a-long choruses and landing hard on the ‘One.’http://www.brianculbertson.com/about/

Funk!

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Sandy Dennison - Jazzed!

Size: 132,5 MB
Time: 57:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Art: Front

01. A Wonderful Day Like Today (3:22)
02. Close Your Eyes (3:22)
03. Primrose Color Blue (3:49)
04. On The Street Where You Live (5:06)
05. They Say It's Wonderful (5:17)
06. Moonlight (6:12)
07. Like Someone In Love (4:36)
08. Lonely Hours (5:15)
09. Sway (4:02)
10. I Get The Blues When It Rains (3:40)
11. A Sunday Kind Of Love (4:14)
12. Ooh Whatcha' Doin' To Me (2:53)
13. You're The One (5:36)

Sandy Dennison explores jazz and pop standards from the Great American Songbook on Jazzed! There are many CDs like this lately, but this one is a fine effort. Dennison does not try to do anything new. In fact, her press release calls her "sound uniquely centered in the tradition of vocalists such as Chris Connor and Helen Merrill of the 1950s era."

This CD sounds like a release of a 1950s singer updated with modern production values and a high degree of jazz sensibility. Unlike recordings from an earlier era, Andre St. James's upright bass can be easily heard, adding to the rhythm. The production by Vincent Frates, who also plays piano on the CD, brings out Dennison's clear-as-a-bell voice.

The songs are delivered in traditional style, but many are approached with a different tempo or feel. "A Wonderful Day Like Today" has fast, breezy solos by Derek Sims on muted trumpet. Frates uses three note patterns to anchor the rhythm for "Primrose Color Blue" and "On The Street Where You Live." David Evans's sax turns "Lonely Hours" into a film noir type of song. "They Say It's Wonderful" and "A Sunday Kind of Love" become plaintive ballads.

It is a subjective judgment that depends on the listener, but it seems to me that Dennison has more of a feel for these songs than nearly all the singers who are turning to standards to revive their careers, and her interpretive skills are far superior. In other words, this CD is the real thing.

Jazzed!

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Mike LeDonne - That Feelin'

Size: 139,6 MB
Time: 59:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. I'd Never Change A Thing About You (7:21)
02. That Feelin' (7:34)
03. La La Means I Love You (7:52)
04. Fly Little Bird Fly (4:26)
05. Gravy Blues (6:20)
06. Sweet Papa Lou (6:13)
07. At Last (5:09)
08. This Will Be An Everlasting Love (6:52)
09. A Lot Of Livin' To Do (7:48)

Mike LeDonne's splendid Groover Quartet has earned a cozy groove for itself, somewhere between fresh from the oven and the halcyon days of organ combos led by Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Shirley Scott, Don Patterson and others. While embracing their essential groundwork on the one hand, LeDonne moves steadily forward with the other, lending a more contemporary voice to what has been a popular staple of the jazz repertoire for well over half a century.

Far from alone in this pursuit, LeDonne is aided and abetted by a trio of eloquent trend-setters: long-time colleagues Eric Alexander on tenor sax, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth. They are enhanced along the way by another modernist, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, who adds warmth and color to "I'd Never Change a Thing About You," bassist Ray Brown's piquant "Gravy Blues" and LeDonne's fast-paced salute to alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, "Sweet Papa Lou." Speaking of "I'd Never Change a Thing," the first of LeDonne's three original compositions, the charming wire-to-wire gallop was written for his daughter, Mary, who has multiple disabilities and for whom LeDonne founded the non-profit Disability Pride NYC.

LeDonne and Co. (sans Alexander) are at their soulful best on the lone standard, Mack Gordon / Harry Warren's "At Last," a gorgeous ballad first heard in the 1942 film Orchestra Wives. "At Last" is followed by LeDonne's well-sculpted arrangement of the pop song "This Will Be an Everlasting Love" and the fast-moving finale, "A Lot of Livin' to Do," from the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie. Alexander hammers that one out of the park, a feat he duplicates on every turn at bat. The title song, another LeDonne original, is an ambling blues taken from the classic organ trio playbook with Alexander's razor-sharp tenor cutting straight to the chase.

The relaxed groove prevails on LeDonne's arrangement of "La La Means I Love You," a pop hit for the Delfonics in 1968, before giving way to the livelier cadences of trumpeter Donald Byrd's "Fly Little Bird Fly" (another tour de force for LeDonne and Alexander). Regardless of mood or tempo, LeDonne's quartet, which has been a working group for some years now, is emphatically secure and firmly in the pocket. Farnsworth's timekeeping is unerring, Bernstein excels whether comping or soloing, and as for LeDonne and Alexander, their ardor is amplified by exceptional technique. Herring's assertive cameos are icing on an already appetizing cake. ~by Jack Bowers

Personnel: Mike LeDonne: Hammond B3 organ; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Vincent Herring: alto saxophone (1, 5); Peter Bernstein: guitar; Joe Farnsworth: drums.

That Feelin'

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Susan Kohler - My Romance

Size: 101,6 MB
Time: 38:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Where Do You Start (4:59)
02. Being Alive (4:31)
03. My Romance (3:45)
04. When Lights Are Low (3:43)
05. So Nice (4:30)
06. My Foolish Heart (5:29)
07. Sway (3:31)
08. I’ve Never Been In Love Before (2:40)
09. On My Way To You (5:18)

My Romance is a collection of nine cover songs set to examine the cycle one endures in a romantic relationship. It begins appropriately with "Where Do You Start?" and ends with "On My Way to You," quietly suggesting that the journey is the destination. Susan produced the album with notable jazz musician Jeff Colella to find the tender, yet passionate message of each arrangement..

My Romance

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Orrin Evans - #Knowingishalfthebattle

Size: 168,9 MB
Time: 72:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. #Knowingishalfthebattle (Matthew Evans Remix) ( 0:58)
02. Calls ( 4:52)
03. When Jen Came In ( 5:55)
04. Chiara (10:00)
05. Kooks ( 6:30)
06. You Don't Need A License To Drive ( 7:13)
07. Half The Battle ( 7:23)
08. Heavy Hangs The Head That Wears The Crown ( 5:38)
09. Doc's Holiday ( 6:51)
10. Slife ( 5:29)
11. That's All ( 6:03)
12. Zeni Bea ( 4:09)
13. #Knowingishalfthebattle (Snarky) (Matthew Evans Remix) ( 1:05)

On paper, jazz pianist Orrin Evans returns to his childhood roots and all the branches of influence that accompany it to inspire the thematic forces of his next Smoke Sessions record, #knowingishalfthebattle. In reality, the listening experience provides so much more.

“Knowing is half the battle” comes from a 1980s children’s cartoon, “G.I. Joe,” and it’s a saying the Philly musician is fond of repeating during pivotal moments in his life.

The fruits of such inspiration lead Evans inward, as he relies on instinct and a sense of improvisation in every one of his original and originally designed compositions.

Enabling the improvisational instincts to flourish are two of the world’s finest examples, guitarists Kevin Eubanks and Kurt Rosenwinkel — also from Philadelphia. Eubanks and Rosenwinkel flavor Evans’ thematic scope with just the right amount of verve with open-minded absorption, gathering the inspiration from out there and within.

“They're two guitarists, but they're two people who have taken the guitar information and translated it in their own way,” Evans described in a recent press release from DL Media. “One uses a pick, one doesn't; one uses a volume pedal more than the other, one plays with more effects on their sound, one is coming from Wes Montgomery and the other is coming from a different point; but they're both taking the information they were given and doing something different with it.”

The album has Evans also playing with bassist Luques Curtis, borrowing his baby girl’s cries for her special number “Zeni Bea,” returning vocalist M’Balia, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., and saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis.

#knowingishalfthebattle is Evans’ third album from Smoke Sessions Records, a more than suitable follow-up to last November’s The Evolution Of Oneself. It’s also his way of imparting his own life lessons in his music. “We're taught that with knowledge comes power. Which is true, but we never really realize that with knowledge comes responsibility,” Evans explained in that press release. “Then we have to figure out how to forget. When you let go of everything that you've been taught, the possibilities of what can happen on the bandstand are endless.”

Evans and his recording band let go of everything to jam their hearts out on instrumental and vocal compositions mostly cooked up by these original artists.

M’Balia’s loose, on-key vocals in David Bowie’s “Kooks” keeps the melodically inclined happy, while the totally instrumental “You Don’t Need A License To Drive,” taken from Evans’ playwright dad, gives the jazzheads what they most desire, lots of funked-up chordal nodules to vibe off.

Evans displays originality of thought that pushes traditional jazz to the outer limits, into a kind of free form that encompasses more than the stagnant, meditative New Age class and the classicist-abstaining, experimental world music followers, where anything goes as long as it’s pregnant with possibility.

The slow-moving but not at all monotonous “Heavy Hangs The Head That Wears The Crown” by Caleb Wheeler Curtis fulfills the promise of both extremes, giving Eubanks and Rosenwinkel plenty of art room to create on the spot. Evans gives the creativity room yet grounds the lofty art with a place to go, rest, and return; he and his rhythm section come and go, reminding the guitarists to come back down to earth eventually, which they do in wispy, whispery strands. ~Carol Banks Weber

#Knowingishalfthebattle                 

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Buddy Collette Quintet - Buddy Collette Quintet With Guest Vocalist Irene Kral

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:37
Size: 65.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Vocal jazz
Year: 1962/1990
Art: Front

[1:52] 1. A Taste Of Fresh Air
[2:12] 2. Hunt And Peck
[2:00] 3. Emaline's Theme
[2:33] 4. The Meaning Of The Blues
[2:23] 5. Laura
[1:16] 6. Just Friends
[1:39] 7. There Will Never Be Another You
[3:01] 8. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[2:07] 9. Tenderly
[1:22] 10. Nobody Else But Me
[1:48] 11. Road Trip
[2:53] 12. Detour Ahead
[1:36] 13. Soft Touch
[1:50] 14. It's A Wonderful World

The fourth of four CDs released by Studio West, a subsidiary of V.S.O.P. Records, that is taken from previously unissued transcriptions made for the radio show "The Navy Swings" features the Buddy Collette Quintet, which in 1962 was comprised of the leader on flute, clarinet, tenor and alto, guitarist Al Viola, pianist Jack Wilson, bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Bill Goodwin. As good as Collette (who contributed four melodic originals) plays on these very concise performances (all clocking in around three minutes or less), it is the six often-touching vocals of Irene Kral that particularly make this a recommended disc. Kral's versions of "The Meaning of the Blues," "Nobody Else but Me" and especially "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" are quite definitive and memorable. ~Allmusic

Buddy Collette Quintet With Guest Vocalist Irene Kral

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Warren Greig Trio - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:10
Size: 112.6 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[4:01] 1. Sonnymoon For Two
[5:58] 2. Manha De Carnaval
[4:38] 3. Minority
[5:38] 4. It Could Happen To You
[5:11] 5. Melissa
[6:11] 6. Two-Part Strut
[6:41] 7. Invitation
[4:35] 8. Cianciana
[6:13] 9. Jersey Bounce

From the first tune, “Sonnymoon for Two” to the last, “Jersey Bounce”, Greig’s warm and woody tone (played on a gorgeous vintage ES-175) swings with fervor and delight as he exhibits a strong melodic playing style that is exceedingly musical, developed, and right on the money. From burn (“Minority”, “Melissa”), to bluesy (“Sonnymoon for Two”, “Jersey Bounce”), to bossa (“Manha De Carnival”), Greig is a dynamic guitarist who sounds right at home with the tunes he has chosen for this date. His playing style is fluid and smooth as he navigates through the changes with a confidence and ease that speaks of musical maturity and skill which is what I enjoyed most about Greig’s playing. His lines are clearly developed with a logical direction that speaks volumes about dedication to one’s craft. This is player who has obviously listened to the best and has learned his lessons well. Plus he can write cool tunes (“Melissa”, “Two-Part Strutt” and “Cianciana”). It’s no wonder he was a popular sideman for so long.

And speaking of sidemen, where would the “Trio” be without the remaining members of Greig’s group: Paul Wiggins on organ and Harry Ellis on drums. Both players take their roles as musical supporters very seriously as they lay down the harmonic and rhythmic foundations for Greig’s melodic musings. And in true organ trio fashion, organ and guitar share the solo spotlight as each player lends his own particular personality to the changes with Wiggins’ displaying an amusing penchant for quoting other tunes in his solos (check out Greig’s original composition “Melissa” for a taste.) Through all this, Ellis keeps the time steady and the tunes energized, while getting to shine during a few “trading fours” sections, making this CD a definite enjoyable listen.

If you are a student or fan of jazz guitar and appreciate those who are trying to keep the jazz flame burning bright, then pick up a copy of Warren Greig’s “Warren Greig Trio”. It makes a wonderful addition to any music lover’s collection. ~Lyle Robinson

Warren Greig Trio

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Bob Barnard - New York Notes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:26
Size: 140.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[3:56] 1. Song Of India
[5:39] 2. Washboard Blues
[4:35] 3. Smackaroony
[4:54] 4. Nightfall
[3:50] 5. The Sunshine Of Love
[4:05] 6. Don't Know If I'm Coming Or Going
[3:35] 7. You
[4:29] 8. Rainbow Hill
[3:53] 9. No One Else But You
[3:12] 10. Who's It
[3:53] 11. Sleepy Head
[2:17] 12. My Home Is In A Southern Town
[2:53] 13. Borsalino
[2:57] 14. Bank Street Bounce
[3:38] 15. All That I Can Ask Of You Is Love
[3:33] 16. You Made Me Love You

Bob Barnard - cornet, Cal Collins - gtr, Keith Ingham - pno, Earl May-bss, Jackie Williams - drms.

A well-chosen program of jazz standards, Bob Barnard's Satchmo-tinged solos, and Cal Collins superior guitar-work make this a set worth having. ~Brownian Motion

New York Notes

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Marcus Printup - Bird of Paradise: The Music of Charlie Parker

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:15
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Stupendous
(4:10)  2. Now's the Time
(5:51)  3. Lover Man Take 2
(4:08)  4. Bird of Paradise
(5:43)  5. Donna Lee
(7:04)  6. Parker's Mood
(6:45)  7. The Hymn
(6:02)  8. Quasimodo
(5:52)  9. Lover Man Take 1
(6:00) 10. Confirmation
(7:18) 11. Bird Feathers

A generation ago, tribute albums to Charlie Parker often featured extended passages of Bird’s solos transcribed for one or more horns, or bands mirroring the traditional Parker bebop small groups of alto sax, trumpet, piano, bass and drums. And musicians on them paid close homage to Parker by playing in a decidedly neo-bop style. You won’t find much, if any, of that here. Trumpeter Marcus Printup presents a repertoire of tunes written and/or performed by Parker, many of them familiar Bird lines. But Printup’s band (Kengo Nakamura, bass; Shinnosuke Takahashi, drums) eliminates piano; the only additional chording instrument is Riza Hequibal’s harp on five of the 11 tracks, but it comps on only three. Saxophonist Ted Nash is on nine tracks, but he’s mainly on tenor, playing alto on only two. And instead of the razzle-dazzle breathless excitement of charging through the changes of classic bop, Printup and Nash solo with more tonal and timbral variety, sacrificing sheer velocity for expressive sounds and fewer notes. It’s a creatively fertile way to revisit Bird’s music. 

That music is still memorable and welcome today, as Printup reminds us with the delightfully sly “Quasimodo,” Bird’s tongue-in-cheek title for his invention on the chords of “Embraceable You,” and that tricky, swirling blues line “Bird Feathers.” Printup gives a twist to two of Parker’s most familiar tunes, adding a harp and bass intro to “Now’s the Time” (source of “The Hucklebuck”) and heraldic harp intro and coda to “Parker’s Mood,” an iconic Bird line the trumpeter plays himself, also soloing personally, letting Nash’s tenor reference Bird’s famed solo. “Stupendous” (on “’S Wonderful” changes) opens the CD with a less-familiar line that Printup and Nash tear into, sharing and overlapping ideas in a sequence of fours and tandem exchanges. Their speedy workout on “Confirmation” is another highlight, featuring Nash’s most Bird-like alto outing. Printup’s two takes on “Lover Man,” one open, one muted, with just the rhythm section and comping harp, are emotionally resonant ballad interludes. ~ George Kanzler  http://jazztimes.com/articles/18263-bird-of-paradise-the-music-of-charlie-parker-marcus-printup

Personnel: Marcus Printup: trumpet, Ted Nash: alto sax, tenor sax; Kengo Nakamura: bass; Shinnosuke Takahashi: drums; Riza Herbqibal: harp.

Bird of Paradise: The Music of Charlie Parker

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