Rich Perry - Nocturne

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:28
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:24)  1. Autumn Nocturne
(7:35)  2. Cherokee
(8:07)  3. Never Let Me Go
(8:54)  4. Old Folks
(8:48)  5. I've Never Been In Love Before
(6:37)  6. My Little Suede Shoes
(6:44)  7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(7:17)  8. Lotus Blossom

When, if ever, does loyalty to a record label become a liability for a musician? I posed the question in rhetorical fashion in a recent review of the latest release by saxophonist Ari Ambrose for Steeplechase. It’s a query that’s even more apposite in the context of labelmate Rich Perry. Nocturne marks Perry’s 21st disc for the Danish imprint, and curiously enough, like Ambrose’s album, it’s the tenorist’s first in the configuration of a conventional jazz quartet in which a guitar replaces a piano. Unlike the Ambrose disc, all of the tracks on Nocturne are standards dating from bebop and backward, and one of the participants, drummer Jeff Hirshfield, has been in Perry’s professional orbit since the saxophonist’s debut date way back in 1993. So the question stands: What can Perry possibly say that he probably hasn’t said in some shape or form before given the consistent circumstances of his output over several decades? The answer is a subjective one, but to these ears Perry’s situation exemplifies one of the fundamental advantages of jazz as a means of creative expression. In the right hands, even the most threadbare standard can be made to hold emotional and artistic weight. And nearly all of Perry’s picks for the session have seen their share of excessive use over the years.

“Cherokee,” which falls second in the program pecking order, has recorded renderings numbering well into the quadruple digits. Perry approaches it with little fanfare and not a hint of trepidation, decelerating the tempo from a customary bop gallop to lustrous crawl, his tone corpulent but his phrasing still airy and agile. Bassist John Hebert is especially helpful in this setting, planting a fat, strutting line in pace with the gentle glide of Hirschfield’s swishing brushes. Guitarist Nate Radley comps in the cracks, and Perry’s winding, aerated line receives just the right degree of support for the duration. The other tracks advance at speeds ranging from medium to gradual with the exceptions coming with a variable speed, behind the beat “Never Let Me Go” and the closing version of Kenny Dorham’s “Lotus Blossom.” These pieces almost sound like émigrés from another album, with Perry hinting at free playing in places and improvising with a vigor unmatched elsewhere in the set. While my preference would be for more blowing of this sort, it’s hard to fault the path of lesser resistance Perry and his colleagues choose instead. This is standards-centered jazz of the best sort. It’s the kind that mines the beauty in the melodies without being beholden to this history of their forms and it answers the aforementioned question of potential artistic stasis to my mind without equivocation. ~ Derek Taylor http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/76439049084/rich-perry-nocturne-steeplechase

Personnel:  Rich Perry, tenor sax;  Nate Radley, guitar;  John Hebert, bass;  Jeff Hirshfield, drums

Nocturne

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Conrad Herwig & Andy LaVerne - Shades of Light

Styles: Trombone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:31
Size: 143,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Three Flowers
(5:45)  2. Tones for Joan's Bones
(6:15)  3. Crystal Silence
(8:24)  4. Bessie's Blues
(4:31)  5. If You Never Come to Me
(6:07)  6. Shades of Light
(5:33)  7. Black Narcissus
(5:25)  8. Think on Me
(5:19)  9. African Flower
(7:26) 10. In Your Own Sweet Way

Trombonist Conrad Herwig and pianist Andy LaVerne picked some beautiful, modern tunes for this duo session. In addition to music by McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Hubert Laws, and George Cables, they tangle with Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way," Ellington's "African Flower," and Jobim's "If You Never Come to Me." (Corea's "Crystal Silence," famously played by its author and Gary Burton as a piano/vibes duet, is a particularly good choice.) Few besides Herwig can get the ungainly trombone to sing and turn corners like this; his rapport with LaVerne, one of Steeplechase's most sophisticated and prolific artists, is often breathtaking. This record came out around the same time as Wycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed's We, and makes for an interesting comparison. ~ David R.Adler http://www.allmusic.com/album/shades-of-light-mw0001032591

Personnel: Conrad Herwig (trombone), Andy LaVerne (piano)

Shades of Light

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Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron - As Never Before

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:33
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. Soundings
(3:16)  2. Improheart
(6:45)  3. A Nameless Gate
(7:50)  4. As Never Before
(9:12)  5. Many Moons Ago
(3:18)  6. Impromind
(6:52)  7. Song For Kenny
(7:03)  8. Time's Passage
(7:20)  9. Winter Moon

Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi isn't the only artist influenced by Kenny Wheeler's classic Gnu High. It's a safe bet that the trumpeter's 1976 debut as a leader for ECM, featuring the perfect line-up of pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette, has been one of small group jazz's most influential albums of the past thirty years; as remarkable for Wheeler's inimitable writing as its unparalleled performances. Few, however, get the opportunity to recruit Wheeler in the same quartet context for an album perhaps lacking the "classic" stamp of Gnu High, but coming darn close. With seven Pieranunzi compositions and two group improvisations of complete spontaneity but equally immediate compositional focus, the pianist augments his existing trio of bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron with Wheeler, making As Never Before an appropriately titled disc that actually manages to surpass Pieranunzi's career-defining Live in Japan (Cam Jazz, 2007).  Pieranunzi, Johnson and Baron may not have the cachet of Jarrett, Holland and DeJohnette. Still, over the past quarter century they've established themselves individually as comfortable in a variety of environments and, now early into its third decade, a trio capable of musical empathy akin to that Johnson experienced with his first major employer, the late legend Bill Evans. Pieranunzi, like most modern pianists, owes much to Evans, but he's long since transcended Evans as an overt reference point. If there's any pianist with whom he shares much these days it's John Taylor, who has worked regularly with Wheeler for five decades, making the Pieranunzi/Wheeler pairing an equally winning combination. Nor is this Pieranunzi's first recorded encounter with Wheeler. FelliniJazz (Cam Jazz, 2004) also brought the two together, but on a set of music culled largely from soundtracks to films of the great Frederico Fellini, and with a line-up possessing its own strength but lacking the simpatico inherent in a group that's worked together for twenty-five years. 

FelliniJazz's strength was in how its players found common ground to interpret non-original music with their own voices; written with this line-up in mind, As Never Before even more successfully speaks to the players' individual strengths. And what strengths. Baron, beginning as a vivacious and raucous player on the downtown New York scene, has evolved into a drummer of great nuance, swinging lightly alongside Johnson on "Time's Passage" while energetically punctuating without losing sight of the song's evocative resonance. Johnson, a most elegant and lyrical bassist, is the litmus test for perfection in instantaneous choice, balancing rhythm section responsibilities with a conversational approach that feeds Pieranunzi's own thematic disposition to solo building. And what of Wheeler? Approaching eighty, his peerless technique shows no signs of weakening, with every solo combining his unmistakable melancholy melodism with a nearly unequaled ability to deliver perfection, take after take. Quintessential modern mainstream jazz, As Never Before blends traditional elements with European classicism and, like its players, is as unassuming as it is stellar; as honest, committed and selfless as intimate, small group jazz gets. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/as-never-before-enrico-pieranunzi-cam-jazz-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Enrico Pieranunzi: piano; Marc Johnson: bass: Joey Baron: drums; Kenny Wheeler: trumpet, flugelhorn.

As Never Before

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Glenn Zottola - Miles Davis Remembered / Charlie Parker With Strings Revisited

Album: Miles Davis Remembered
Size: 72,1 MB
Time: 30:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. This Heart Of Mine (2:28)
02. I'll Be Seeing You (3:36)
03. Jupiter (2:44)
04. I Cover The Waterfront (3:48)
05. Spring Is Here (3:12)
06. Beta Minor (1:52)
07. Autumn In New York (3:35)
08. Just You Just Me (2:55)
09. My Funny Valentine (3:17)
10. Sunday (3:16)

A young musician's mind can be so very impressionable, so capable and available to lock onto a recording, a phrase or texture and hold it. The effect is almost nuclear—one note, perfectly placed by the performer and into a young listener's ear, can set into play a chain of music-driven events that can spawn professional careers, if not a lifelong interest in the art. Such was-and is—the case with trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, Glenn Zottola. A phenomenon in his own right.

With Miles Remembered Zottola, as he did with his prior tribute recordings of Clifford Brown, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker (all superb, by the way), Zottola offers a salute to another of his early childhood influences—Miles Davis. And, this effort is terrific.

Incorporating and recording in two accompaniment formats—a sextet and a full orchestra (both of which were previously recorded and plucked like gems mined from the exhaustive Classic Jazz Records vault), Zottola's complete focus here shades and genuflects to Davis and his classic Prestige and early Gil Evans/Columbia period. It's the best of all jazz worlds—great GAS material ("This Heart of Mine," "I Cover the Waterfront," "My Funny Valentine), highly-expressive improv, and trumpet wizardry.

Throughout the recording, Zottola demonstrates a beautiful sound, great technique and deep, musically sincere affection for Davis and this celebrated period. He wisely avoids any Miles Davis classics, direct playing imitation, or "Miles licks." Zottola doesn't have to; he's an Ace player with a great sound and jazz touch ("Just You, Just Me," "Beta Minus"). But, as any jazz trumpeter worth his valve oil would, the Davis influences on Zottola percolate effortlessly from the recesses of his mind and out the end of both his Harmon-muted or open horn.

A word about the accompaniment; as one would expect of Davis, Zottola or any performing great, the accompaniment here is A-1, swings and frames the front man fine. Zottola's overdubbing onto the support of Jimmy Raney, Stan Getz, Ed Shaugnessy and also the All-Star orchestra is dead-on. This is not karaoke or recorda-me, by any means.

While Miles Davis was a constantly evolving jazz entity over many decades, with Miles Remembered Glenn Zottola 'scopes a robust Davis period and in doing so does one of his idols -and himself -most proud. ~by Edward Blanco

Personnel: Glenn Zottola: trumpet; Jimmy Raney: guitar; Stan Getz: tenor saxophone; Hal McCusick: flute, clarinet; George Duvivier: bass; Ed Shaughnessy; unidentified string orchestra.

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Album: Miles Davis Remembered
Size: 68,4 MB
Time: 29:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Just Friends (3:29)
02. April In Paris (3:06)
03. Summertime (2:46)
04. East Of The Sun (3:40)
05. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (3:13)
06. Laura (3:05)
07. I'm In The Mood For Love (3:37)
08. Everything Happens To Me (3:12)
09. Dancing In The Dark (3:08)

Saxophonist and trumpeter Glenn Zottola came out of retirement from a long distinguished career, for the specific purpose of paying tribute to jazz artists who influenced his life and his music. The tribute series of albums which, include homages to Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Stan Getz among them, concludes with a tip of the hat to the legendary Charlie Parker with a reprise of his classic Charlie Parker with Strings sessions of 1949 and 1950 capturing the romantic and melodic side of this giant. Zottola's Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited employs new transcriptions of the original arrangements from both Mercury recordings covering nine pieces (five from the first album and four from the second), in re-visiting and re-imagining Parker's swinging rhythms section with the help of lush string arrangements that made these recordings a personal favorite of the jazz icon.

One major difference of note here is, that Zottola chose not to simply duplicate Parker's original solos but rather, to infuse the music with his own solo statements with, as he states, "Charlie Parker's "spirit" in mind..." the result of course, is another captivating documentation of the "Yardbird's" music with a decidedly Zottolian twist. Opening up with the 1931 John Klenner favorite and all-time standard "Just Friends," introduced by the sounds of the harp and strings, provides the saxophonist his first alto solo setting the stage for what is in store. Recording the standards for Parker was a bid for greater exposure and adding the strings just made it a first among jazz artists and as such, Vernon Duke's "April In Paris" was forever changed and here, Zottola's treatment of the classic brings the music to life.

The Gershwin's defining "Summertime" is recalled here quite well, though brief but beautiful, Zottola's magical solos make it memorable. Two oft-recorded standards, "East of the Sun," and "I Don't Know What Time It Was," are remembered here with much of the saxophonist's personal style imprinted on the arrangement clearly wielding a lyrical alto. The somber and humble David Raskin/Johnny Mercer classic "Laura," still conveys the emotional message the authors intended and this version does not change that but rather enhances the high-pitched alto in a delicate way.

The standard "I'm In the Mood for love" features Zottola in a more pronounced manner while the familiar "Everything Happens to Me," takes on a unique charm complimented well by the strings. The saxophonist does some off his best soloing on the Schwartz/Dietz finale tune "Dancing in the Dark" leaving little doubt that this Parker tribute has an unquestioned Zottola imprint. Traditional jazz at its best, Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited takes one on a musical journey of past glory remembering one of the legends of the genre fulfilling his long-held desire to record with a string section. Alto saxophonist Glenn Zottola pays homage to a legend and one of his most memorable works with a striking musical message that may be just as memorable. ~by Edward Blanco

Personnel: Glenn Zottola: alto saxophone; Mark Stalling: piano, arranger; String Section and other band members not listed.

Miles Davis Remembered / Charlie Parker With Strings Revisited

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Lucia Minetti - Fil Rouge

Size: 140,2 MB
Time: 60:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Chanson
Art: Front

01. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (3:15)
02. Mon Homme (3:41)
03. Avec Le Temps (4:11)
04. Tous Le Visages De L'Amour (5:18)
05. Ne Me Quitte Pas (4:23)
06. La Mer (4:41)
07. Jardin D'Hiver (3:25)
08. Chanson Des Vieux Amants (4:09)
09. Je Ne Sais Pas Dire Je T'aime (4:53)
10. Le Tourbillon De La Vie - La Vie S'Envole (2:48)
11. Litanies Pour Un Retour (2:46)
12. La Foule (3:28)
13. India Song (3:36)
14. La Vie En Rose (4:07)
15. Milord (5:27)

Personnel:
Lucia Minetti, voice
Andrea Zani, piano (tracks 3,5,7,9,10,11,13,14)
Ensemble “La Foule” (tracks 1,2,4,6,8,12,15)
Cecilia Franchini, orchestra leader and piano
Elio Orio, first violin
Francesco Mardegan, second violin
Francesca Marino, viola
Veronica Nava Puerto, cello
Giancarlo Pavan, doublebass
Salvatore Baronilli, clarinet
Mattia Marangon, horn
Lucrecia Fernandez, bassoon
Riccardo Nicolin, percussions

“Lucia Minetti and her enchanting voice are back: this great interpreter and her unique timbre so intense and elegant fascinate in the brand new album “Fil Rouge” a touching story about love, full of charm, lyricism and poetry.”

Lucia Minetti is an esteemed singer, famous for her elegance, artistic flair and thrilling voice. She is the favorite solo artist of many great authors of jazz music, classical or contemporary music; songwriters and theater directors who have dedicated her songs, lyrics and works. Lucia Minetti marks her artistic interests on the song form drawing new poetic shades to classical and pop music thanks to her intense personal interpretation and vocal evolutions.

Fil Rouge

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Brother Jack McDuff - Goodnight, It's Time To Go/The Honeydripper (Feat. Grant Green)

Size: 181,0 MB
Time: 78:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1961/2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sanctified Waltz ( 4:48)
02. Goodnight, It's Time To Go ( 6:10)
03. I'll Be Seeing You ( 7:40)
04. A Smooth One (10:46)
05. McDuff Speaking ( 6:20)
06. Godiva Brown ( 5:13)
07. Whap! ( 4:22)
08. I Want A Little Girl ( 6:43)
09. The Honeydripper ( 8:15)
10. Dink's Blues ( 7:54)
11. Mr. Lucky ( 5:04)
12. Blues And Tonic ( 5:00)

This release presents two complete original LPs digitally remastered, stereo, by Brother Jack McDuff: Goodnight, It's Time to Go (Prestige PRLP7220), and The Honeydripper (Prestige PRLP7199). Both albums showcase the organist in a quartet format with the brilliant guitarist Grant Green. (This CD includes all of their quartet recordings together under the leadership of McDuff. They also participated on two other quartet albums, one under Green's name, and the other under Lou Donaldson's). As a bonus, “Godiva Brown”, a song that completes the Goodnight, It's Time to Go sessions but wasn't included on the original LP.

Goodnight, It's Time To Go/The Honeydripper

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Alyssa Allgood - Out Of The Blue

Size: 114,5 MB

Time: 49:23

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 2016

Styles: Jazz Vocals

Art: Front

01. Watch Me Walk Away (Dig Dis) (5:24)

02. Noticing The Moment (Moment's Notice) (4:32)

03. It's You Or No One (3:45)

04. Speak No Evil (5:40)

05. Beatrice (5:00)

06. Peace (4:20)

07. If (5:01)

08. Only A Memory (Ceora) (4:17)

09. Moanin' (5:58)

10. Mirrors (5:22)

Jazz vocalist Alyssa Allgood celebrates the classic Blue Note recording era on her debut album Out of the Blue. Mining the catalog of jazz greats such as Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter, Joe Chambers, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, and others, Allgood reinterprets their work as vocal vehicles and presents the music with re-imagined arrangements and original lyrics that highlight the instrumental qualities of her vocals. Her voice is cool but expressive, and the maturity and nuance of her singing provides the perfect vehicle for bridging mid-century hard bop music with a more modern approach.

"One of the top up-and-coming jazz singers around today." -Scott Yanow, Jazz historian

"Radiant voice, soft but strong and coolly expressive...she sings with a maturity marked by restraint and nuance." -Neil Tesser, Grammy-award winning writer and critic

“It’s only a matter of time before her torch is lighting up everything everywhere. Clearly a new star on the rise, this is your golden opportunity to say you were there first." -Chris Spector, Midwest Record

“Alyssa Allgood is to be commended for tackling some difficult intervals and challenging jazz compositions… she’s pitch-perfect, as well as a fine songwriter.” -Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs

Out Of The Blue 

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Scott Hamilton - La Rosita

Size: 98,4 MB
Time: 34:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ladybird (5:52)
02. Willow Weep For Me (6:51)
03. The Girl From Ipanema (9:08)
04. The Way You Look Tonight (8:32)
05. La Rosita (4:30)

When Scott Hamilton appeared in the mid-’70s fully formed with an appealing swing style on tenor, mixing together Zoot Sims and Ben Webster but yet with a very personal sound, he caused a minor sensation, for few other young players during the fusion era were exploring pre-bop jazz at his high level. He was a nonexistent species at the time. Today he is one of the living legends of contemporary jazz and one of the best saxophonists which we can enjoy live.

Just as it to prove that affirmation this new album, with an extraordinary natural and warm sound, was recorded live on December 7th, 2015 in Benicásim, Spain. The great New York pianist Dena DeRose, Catalan bass player Ignasi Gonzalez and German drummer Jo Krause join Scott to play a great set of our favourite music. Lady Bird, Willow Weep For Me, Garota de Ipanema, The Way You Look Tonight and, closing the disc, an off the beat but fun and wonderful interpretation of La Rosita.

Dupont & Stuart wrote the piece to be played by the pianists accompanying Ernst Lubistch (first) silent movie in the big cinemas of the 1920’s. A Bolero model of Hawkins and Webster’s but making it more nostalgic and with a blatant vitality, Hamilton leaves us a rare jewel even within his consistently high playing standards.

Personnel::
SCOTT HAMILTON, tenor sax
DENA DeROSE, piano
IGNASI GONZÁLEZ, bass
JO KRAUSE, drums

La Rosita

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Clifford Jordan - Firm Roots

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:15
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:43)  1. Firm Roots
(8:56)  2. Angel In The Night
(3:50)  3. Scorpio
(4:50)  4. Bearcat
(7:57)  5. Inga
(6:28)  6. Voices Deep Within Me
(8:29)  7. One For Amos

Clifford Jordan was a fine inside/outside player who somehow held his own with Eric Dolphy in the 1964 Charles Mingus Sextet. Jordan had his own sound on tenor almost from the start. He gigged around Chicago with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some R&B groups before moving to New York in 1957. Jordan immediately made a strong impression, leading three albums for Blue Note (including a meeting with fellow tenor John Gilmore) and touring with Horace Silver (1957-1958), J.J. Johnson (1959-1960), Kenny Dorham (1961-1962), and Max Roach (1962-1964). After performing in Europe with Mingus and Dolphy, Jordan worked mostly as a leader but tended to be overlooked since he was not overly influential or a pacesetter in the avant-garde. 

A reliable player, Clifford Jordan toured Europe several times, was in a quartet headed by Cedar Walton in 1974-1975, and during his last years, led a big band. He recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic (a little-known album of Leadbelly tunes), Vortex, Strata-East, Muse, SteepleChase, Criss Cross, Bee Hive, DIW, Milestone, and Mapleshade. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/clifford-jordan/id2740524#fullText

Personnel: Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone), Cedar Walton (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Billy Higgins (drums)

Firm Roots

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David Friesen - Paths Beyond Tracing

Styles: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz 
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:12
Size: 101,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:56)  1. Song In The Night
(5:02)  2. As The Day Begins
(1:14)  3. Wind in The Wilderness
(5:17)  4. Symphonies
(5:11)  5. Tender Hearted
(5:22)  6. Shapes and colours
(6:29)  7. Blues/Heart Felt
(1:49)  8. Sword of The Prophets
(4:49)  9. Choir

David Friesen's music ranges from hard bop to mood music that borders on spiritual new age but on a higher emotional level. While stationed in Germany with the Army in 1961, he taught himself the bass. After short stints with John Handy and Marian McPartland, Friesen worked with Joe Henderson for two years. He toured Europe with Billy Harper (1975), made his recording debut as a leader that same year on Muse, started a longtime musical association with guitarist John Stowell (1976), and appeared with Ted Curson at the 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival. After working with Ricky Ford, Duke Jordan, and Mal Waldron and touring the U.S.S.R. with Paul Horn (1983), Friesen settled in the Pacific Northwest. He often plays the Oregon bass (an electrified acoustic bass) these days and has recorded as a leader for Muse, Inner City, SteepleChase, Palo Alto, ITM (including an intriguing series of duets during 1992-1993), and Global Pacific, in addition to some smaller labels. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/david-friesen/id5324396#fullText

Violin [Bass], Flute (Bamboo)– David Friesen

Paths Beyond Tracing

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Richard Davis - Fancy Free

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:46
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. The Wine of May
(9:40)  2. Silver's Serenade
(4:52)  3. Emily
(4:21)  4. Nardis
(5:40)  5. I Still love you, Baby
(7:52)  6. Fancy Free

It seems odd that this Galaxy LP was recorded at the same time as Way Out West for the rival Muse label. Bassist Richard Davis teams up with trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, keyboardist Stanley Cowell and drummer Billy Cobham for five selections that are highlighted by "Silver's Serenade," "Nardis" and a rare cover version of Donald Byrd's "Fancy Free"; singer Dolly Hirota is featured on "I Still Love You, Baby." Overall this is the stronger of the sets recorded during the two-day period in 1977, an advanced and mostly straightahead effort. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/fancy-free-mw0000921000

Personnel:  Richard Davis – bass;  Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6);  Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone;  Stanley Cowell - piano, electric piano;  Billy Cobham – drums;  Dolly Hirota - vocals (track 5);  Bill Lee - arranger, conductor

Fancy Free

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Stephen Riley & Peter Zak - Haunted Heart

Styles: Saxophone and Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:12
Size: 161,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. Isfahan
(7:29)  2. You Do Something To Me
(6:26)  3. Prisoner Of Love
(7:20)  4. Punjab
(5:20)  5. The Intimacy Of The Blues
(5:15)  6. Haunted Heart
(5:09)  7. After You've Gone
(5:12)  8. Moment's Notice
(5:23)  9. There's A Small Hotel
(7:51) 10. Alice In Wonderland
(8:15) 11. Pennies From Heaven

Seventy-years ago, the Great American Songbook was still paramount as the professional jazz performer’s bible. Players who couldn’t hang when popular tunes were called summarily found themselves shame-faced on the sidelines of a jam session or gig. Though barely pushing forty, saxophonist Stephen Riley comes out of that storied fealty to melodic mastery and the primacy of a well-minted song. Ten years Riley’s senior, pianist Peter Zak is equivalently versed. The pair put tradition to practice on Haunted Heart, an intimate assemblage of eleven standards that skew towards pre-WWII provenance, but prove anything but antiquated. Zak first teamed with Riley on the saxophonist’s fifth album, adding an element in his instrument that was previously outside the tenorist’s usual purview. Even so, the caliber of their musical camaraderie was nearly instantaneous. The accompanying essay to their last album together intimated the existence of this date and the results are certainly worth the wait. Absent bass and drums as rhythmic agents, the duo relies on agreed upon aural semaphores to keep the interplay from flagging. Zak’s keyboard approach, at once spare and porous allows his partner to range freely through the contours of each piece and devote an even greater than customary focus on textured tonal variation. Riley uses the hardest reeds possible to generate a breathy, almost bifurcated sound that sheathes his phrases in an enveloping fine-grained rasp with direct antecedents in past tenor paragons like Don Byas and Ben Webster.

Billy Strayhorn’s ballad “Isfahan” serves as opener and a scintillating distillation of the carefully-constructed dynamics on display as Riley voicing the theme with sensuous, flute-like buoyancy and Zak shapes terrestrial-bound chords beneath him. Joe Henderson’s “Punjab”, previously tackled by Riley on an earlier session and a regular entry in his stage songbook, features the duo in an up-tempo interaction that expertly blends melodic velocity with emotive import. Once again the spontaneous communication spills over into the sublime with each player anticipating and answering the other with accelerated alacrity. Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice” is the other “relatively-recent” selection and still well over six decades old. While not quite on par with the pristine performance of the Henderson piece, it’s still a gorgeous parade of sustained invention especially in a surprising mid-piece downshift to waltz-time. “Prisoner of Love”, “After You’ve Gone” and “Pennies from Heaven” all feature unaccompanied introductory choruses by Riley. His sterling command of the form suggests that a future solo album venture should be an enterprise worthy of serious consideration. Zak’s already recorded in that setting and takes comparable honors on “The Intimacy of the Blues”, the title piece and “Alice in Wonderland”. He makes equally excellent use of the isolation in priming the ears for Riley’s empyrean entry in each case. Whatever reservations the tenorist once harbored about piano placement in his ensembles or as pinion-resistant partner for improvisation, it’s safe to surmise they are firmly the province of the past. ~ Derek Taylor http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/132150779020/stephen-riley-peter-zak-haunted-heart

Personnel: Stephen Riley (tenor saxophone), Peter Zak (piano)

Haunted Heart

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Madeleine Peyroux - Secular Hymns

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:14
Size: 77,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:28)  1. Got You On My Mind
(3:21)  2. Tango Till Theyre Sore
(2:43)  3. The Highway Kind
(3:12)  4. Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)
(3:05)  5. If The Sea Was Whiskey
(4:13)  6. Hard Times Come Again No More
(3:08)  7. Hello Babe
(3:19)  8. More Time
(2:40)  9. Shout Sister Shout
(3:00) 10. Trampin

Remarkably, Madeleine Peyroux's Secular Hymns comes twenty years after her debut release, Dreamland (Atlantic, 1996), which catapulted her into the public eye and garnered heaps of praise. Since then her voice has often been compared to mid-career Billie Holiday, and that comparison remains valid on Secular Hymns. Some singers would find that a millstone around their neck, but Peyroux continues to wear it well. It is surprising that, two decades since Dreamland, this is only her seventh solo album release. Those albums have never settled into a predictable pattern for instance, some have contained mainly Peyroux originals, others few or none at all but her name long ago became a guarantee of high quality music. Coming on the heels of the Ray Charles-inspired The Blue Room (Decca/EmArcy, 2012), Secular Hymns again ploughs a new furrow. Rather than the larger groups that have featured on some of her albums, here she is just joined in her current touring trio by Steely Dan guitarist Jon Herington and Israeli-born bassist Barak Mori. The album was recorded in a 200-seater, twelfth-century Norman-styled church in Oxfordshire, at which the trio had played a concert-dinner event. Very taken with the way her voice sounded in the space, Peyroux and her live engineer, Doug Dawson, decided she should record an album there. That happened some months later at a free live show for the townspeople. The results fully justify the decision, as the sound is first-rate while the atmosphere brought out the best in the trio. The three together produce enough music with two guitars, double bass and voices to fill out the soundscape, so it never feels as if anything more should have been added.

There are no Peyroux compositions among the ten songs which cover an impressively broad time span and range of styles from the traditional spiritual "Trampin" and Stephen Foster's 1854 song "Hard Times Come Again No More" right through to contemporary composers Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and Linton Kwesi Johnson. As ever, Peyroux's voice perfectly conveys every song's emotions, no matter how poignant the subject matter. On past albums she has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to sing the blues on songs by Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson, and on recordings with "Pinetop" Perkins. Here, her version of Willie Dixon's "If The Sea Was Whiskey" again showcases that ability. For many listeners and maybe for Peyroux herself the track "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" will be especially poignant as its composer, the New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, died suddenly while on tour in Europe, less than a year before this album's release. Toussaint played piano in the band on Peyroux's fine Standing on the Rooftop (Decca/EmArcy, 2011). The YouTube clip of the song below was filmed at the recording of Secular Hymns. This album is a delight from start to finish, without a single track that is less than excellent. Peyroux continues to go from strength to strength. ~ John Eyles https://www.allaboutjazz.com/secular-hymns-madeleine-peyroux-impulse-review-by-john-eyles.php

Personnel: Madeleine Peyroux: vocals, guitar: Jon Herington: guitar; Barak Mori: bass.

Secular Hymns

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Donny McCaslin - Fast Future

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:36
Size: 127,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:54)  1. Fast Future
(5:55)  2. No Eyes
(9:30)  3. Love and Living
(6:38)  4. Midnight Light
(2:16)  5. 54 Cymru Beats
(5:56)  6. Love What is Mortal
(6:58)  7. Underground City
(4:32)  8. This Side of Sunrise
(1:28)  9. Blur
(6:25) 10. Squeeze Through

Saxophonist Donny McCaslin brought a fresh perspective to the acoustic-electronic jazz soundscape with 2012's Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf Music) which earned a Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Jazz Solo" for the track "Stadium Jazz." Thankfully it was not a one-off as McCaslin reassembles the tightly knit band and savvy production from saxophonist David Binney in Fast Future, a release that continues the groove factor. Like its predecessor, the music pulsates with energy as McCaslin's tenor powers over funky riffs, spaced-out backgrounds, and crisp beats provided by drummer Mark Guiliana, and bassist Tim Lefebvre while Jason Lindner colors things with copious keyboards embellishments. But there are also a few surprises. For one, there's the inclusion of wordless voice harmonies in the hard driving title track and the affecting spoken word performed by artist Jana Dagdagan on "Love What is Mortal." 

Next comes the appeal of Electronic Dance Music in "54 Cymru Beats" and the reggae shaded "Squeeze Thru" as McCaslin cites EDM musicians/composers Aphex Twin and Skrillex as influences alongside jazz/electronic giants Herbie Hancock and Weather Report as the band stretches out and kills "This Side of Sunrise" and "Blur" with spot on performances and improvisation. In summary, McCaslin's Fast Future further suggests that the lines between acoustic jazz and electronica are at times blurred and that music regardless of its instrumentation can find common ground. ~ Mark F. Turner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/fast-future-donny-mccaslin-greenleaf-music-review-by-mark-f-turner.php
 

Personnel: Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; Jason Lindner: keyboards; Tim Lefebvre: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums.

Fast Future

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Jason Palmer - Songbook

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:29
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Priest Lake
(5:59)  2. Found It
(6:57)  3. Laid Up
(7:03)  4. Checkmate
(4:15)  5. One For J Mac
(6:00)  6. In A Certain Way
(7:14)  7. The Shadowboxer
(6:05)  8. Hoop-Ti-Du
(6:11)  9. Will There Ever Be Employment For The Exonerated People

Trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer cares intensely about jazz and his place within its musical world. He's working hard to find his own voice, and represents one of the young players who has gone through the mentoring process, in this case, with saxophonist Greg Osby. Songbook's pieces are all written by Palmer, and played by Osby (alto saxophone), Ravi Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Warren Wolfe (vibes), Leo Genovese (piano, Fender Rhodes), Matt Brewer (bass) and Tommy Crane (drums). The arrangements are adventurous and balance the needs of structure versus improvisation. The music would have to be called mainstream, particularly from the rhythmic and harmonic viewpoint. However, while the connection to traditional jazz is perfectly clear (more so in some pieces than others), the feeling is more of acknowledgment rather than obeisance. The term "mainstream" describes the playing of Swing Era, big band musicians in the bebop era. For whatever reason, they could or would not jump on the bandwagon of the "new thing," (primarily meaning the rhythmic and harmonic innovations) but rather took what they wanted from bebop as extensions to their basic swing style. The more original players, like Lester Young, remained original, and influenced many later players.

It is in this manner that Songbook can be heard. Palmer has a gift for melody and he's very sure of his playing, which gives the sense of improvisation-that the notes he's currently playing formed in his mind only a moment before. The interest comes in how his lines evolve, rather than guessing his next move. Both Osby and Coltrane are of the generation prior to Palmer's and it shows in their playing. While respecting the vibe and harmonic conception of Palmer's music, their experience is displayed by their rhythmic freedom and unconventional phrasing. Of the players of Palmer's generation, Genovese stands out. He makes the Rhodes sound natural as he pushes the musical envelope, sounding fresh and exciting on both piano and keyboards. The musical unpredictability of the opening tune, "Priest Lake" originally written as a suite and presented here in compressed form offers a hint of where Palmer might be heading, while only parts of the rhythmically complex "Checkmate" follow suit. The ballad, "One For J Mac" (dedicated to Jackie McLean) is flat out beautiful. Other tunes fall back on the tried-and-true unison-head/solo(s)/recap format of the hard bop era, pulling the music backwards. With the release of Songbook, Palmer presents himself as a talented and ambitious player who is well worth watching. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songbook-jason-palmer-ayva-musica-review-by-budd-kopman.php
 

Personnel: Jason Palmer: trumpet; Greg Osby: alto saxophone; Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone; Warren Wolf: vibes; Leo Genovese: Fender Rhodes, piano; Matt Brewer: bass; Tommy Crane: drums.

Songbook

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Sunna Gunnlaugs - The Dream

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:38
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. The Dream
(6:31)  2. Holding Ground
(1:25)  3. Spin 1
(7:33)  4. Vitjun
(2:11)  5. Tear (as in wear)
(7:05)  6. Bump
(1:02)  7. Spin 2
(6:23)  8. Tunnel Vision
(1:38)  9. Spin 3
(5:35) 10. Anima
(1:42) 11. Spin 4
(1:14) 12. Spin 5
(2:30) 13. Kom

Bridging the Brooklyn-Reykjavik jazz divide with European elegance and a fiery, New York drive. The Washington Post described her music as possessing "such timeless virtues as lyricism and grace... elegantly bridges soul- searching passages with uncluttered swing." Sunna Gunnlaugs reaffirms that assesment on her latest CD, "Long Pair Bond" which features fellow Icelander bassist Thorgrimur Jo´nsson and long-time cohort Scott McLemore on drums. It’s her first trio album since her debut in 1997, and now a more mature, more experienced Gunnlaugs presents this music in an unhurried, contemplative fashion. Ironically, it is the spaces she leaves that creates a sense of urgency throughout the recording.

Equally influenced by such American pianists as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, and Scandinavians like Bobo Stenson and Jon Balke, Sunna has found a way to make music to which people on both sides of the Atlantic can relate. Her own charming brand of romantic lyricism soaring over a driving American rhythm section appeals to jazzers and non-jazzers alike. As a child growing up on a small peninsula called Seltjarnarnes not far from Reykjavik she began taking lessons on the organ at the urging of her mother. "The idea of playing the piano didn't appeal to me as a kid. I associated it with classical pianists who seemed to have no fun. But on the organ you could play anything, the Beatles, polkas, Strauss and that seemed like more fun." By her teens, having realized that you could in fact play a variety of music on the piano, it was the gift of a Bill Evans trio record (appropriately named "You're Gonna Hear From Me") that sold her on modern jazz. In 1993 she made her way to the US as a student at William Paterson College and began to hone her own distinct musical voice both as an improvisor and a composer while immersing herself in the standards and studying the masters. Just a 15 minute drive from Manhattan, inspiration was not hard to find. "Suddenly being able to go to the Village Vanguard or Bradley's any night of the week and hear amazing pianists was an incredible experience. It was such a stimulating environment," and one that Gunnlaugs had no intention of leaving after graduating in 1996. She moved to Brooklyn and made her debut recording "Far Far Away" with her trio: bassist Dan Fabricatore and drummer (and future husband), Scott McLemore. In New York her focus shifted decidedly to performing her own music. She began appearing at listening rooms such as Cornelia Street Cafe and the Knitting Factory, and rave reviews followed. Gunnlaugs was proclaimed an "impressive newcomer" by the Village Voice. However, the music she was writing began to need more than just a trio. "I had been listening a lot to the Keith Jarrett quartet and Jan Garabrek with Bobo Stenson and the sound of the quartet was so appealing to me." She called upon saxophonist Tony Malaby and bassist Drew Gress. "I was familiar with Tony from his own bands and was stunned by how expressive he was. Drew, I knew from his work with Fred Hersch and Dave Douglas. He always added such a bounce to my tunes, while keeping it really open." In 1999, along with McLemore, the quartet recorded "Mindful" and, with time left over on the same day, they recorded "Songs from Iceland."http://www.sunnagunnlaugs.com/biography.htm

Personnel:  Sunna Gunnlaugs – piano;  Loren Stillman - alto saxophone;  Eivind Opsvik – bass;  Scott McLemore - drums

The Dream

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Sting - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:40
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
(3:32)  2. Love Is The Seventh Wave
(3:58)  3. Russians
(5:02)  4. Children's Crusade
(4:50)  5. Shadows In The Rain
(5:42)  6. We Work The Black Seam
(4:20)  7. Consider Me Gone
(1:17)  8. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
(4:00)  9. Moon Over Bourbon Street
(4:39) 10. Fortress Around Your Heart

The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together largely because they just couldn't stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grant's studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis' band for his new combo thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Sting's jazz record. Which is partially true (that's probably the best name for the meandering instrumental title track), but that gives the impression that this is really risky music, when he did, after all, rely on musicians who, at that stage, were revivalists just developing their own style, and then had them jam on mock-jazz grooves or, in the case of Branford Marsalis, layer soprano sax lines on top of pop songs. This, however, is just the beginning of the pretensions layered throughout The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Only twice does he delve into straightforward love songs the lovely measured "Consider Me Gone" and the mournful closer, "Fortress Around Your Heart" preferring to consider love in the abstract ("If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," one of his greatest solo singles, and the childish, faux-reggae singalong "Love Is the Seventh Wave"), write about children in war and in coal mines, revive a Police tune about heroin, ponder whether "Russians love their children too," and wander the streets of New Orleans as the vampire Lestat. 

This is a serious-minded album, but it's undercut by its very approach the glossy fusion that coats the entire album, the occasional grabs at worldbeat, and studious lyrics seem less pretentious largely because they're overshadowed by such bewilderingly showy moves as adapting Prokofiev for "Russians" and calling upon Anne Rice for inspiration. And that's the problem with the record: with every measure, every verse, Sting cries out for the respect of a composer, not a pop star, and it gets to be a little overwhelming when taken as a whole. As a handful of individual cuts "Fortress," "Consider Me Gone," "If You Love Somebody," "Children's Crusade" he proves that he's subtler and craftier than his peers, but only when he reins in his desire to show the class how much he's learned. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dream-of-the-blue-turtles-mw0000201855

Personnel: Sting (vocals, guitar, bass); Branford Marsalis (saxophone, percussion); Frank Opolko (trombone); Kenny Kirkland (keyboards); Danny Quatrochi (Synclavier synthesizer, background vocals); Darryl Jones (bass); Omar Hakim (drums); Eddy Grant (congas); Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis, Pete Smith, Elliot Jones, Jane Alexander, Vic Garbarini, The Nannies Chorus, Rosemary Purt, Stephanie Crewson, Joe Sumner, Kate Sumner, Michael Sumner (background vocals).

The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

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Barbra Lica - I'm Still Learning

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:07
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Coffee Shop
(3:48)  2. Who Knows
(3:12)  3. Secret Heart
(4:58)  4. Nashville
(3:33)  5. Did I Just Say That?
(4:27)  6. How Insensitive
(3:39)  7. Lovefool
(3:16)  8. London Town
(4:16)  9. His
(3:13) 10. So in Love
(3:57) 11. 5 O'Clock Lullaby

Barbra Lica is a Canadian jazz singer and songwriter based in Toronto. She has released two full-length albums, Kissing You (2015) and That's What I Do (2012). She has been named one of Canada's top upcoming female jazz artists, and was the first runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition.  Barbra Lica was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in a musical family, and discovered jazz at the age of six. She studied at the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Music along with a major in Human Biology. In 2012, Lica released her debut album That's What I Do. It was released with a live-to-air concert broadcast on JAZZ.FM91. The album opened at #1 on iTunes Canada's jazz chart, and was released the following year in Japan by Universal Records. That's What I Do was produced by Juno-winning jazz producer/bassist/recording artist Paul Novotny, and featured instrumentalists Reg Schwager, Kevin Turcotte, Joe Sealy, Robi Botos, Archie Alleyne, Steve Heathcote, Perry White, Brian Dickinson, and Rob Piltch. Novotny and Sealy had first been introduced to Lica when she guest-starred on the duo's acclaimed 2009 album, Songs. 

The track featuring Lica, "You're Gonna Miss Me," was played on JAZZ.FM91, marking the first time Lica was on the radio. In November 2013, Barbra competed in and placed first runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition in New Jersey. Judges for the competition included Al Jarreau, Gretchen Parlato, and Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer. Lica's second full-length album, Kissing You, was first performed in public in December 2014 at Koerner Hall, and was officially released in January 2015. The album was produced in collaboration with Lou Pomanti, and was mixed by Juno-winner Jeff Wolpert, and features Reg Schwager, Kevin Turcotte, Mark Kelso, Marc Rogers, and Kevin Fox. Lica has performed at numerous venues, including at the Rogers Cup (2010) and Honda Indy (2014), with Bob Dorough at Toronto's Jazz Bistro (2013), at JAZZ.FM91's annual Jazz Lives concert among jazz greats Pat Metheny, Terence Blanchard, and Bill Charlap (2013), as well as a featured performance with Sylvia Tyson and Serena Ryder on CBC's 75th Anniversary Special with host Michael Enright. Lica has been called one of Canada's Top 5 Female Jazz Singers by CBC Radio 2 host Tim Tamashiro (Tonic). She has also been described as one of Toronto's top 5 up-and-coming jazz artists by blogTO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Lica

I'm Still Learning

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Don Byas - Slammin' Around

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:18
Size: 94.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Three O'clock In The Morning
[2:43] 2. One O'clock Jump
[3:05] 3. Harvard Blues
[2:40] 4. Slam-In' Around
[2:50] 5. Laura
[3:03] 6. Stardust
[3:03] 7. Slam, Don't Shake Like That
[3:03] 8. Dark Eyes
[2:58] 9. Super Session
[3:15] 10. Melody In Swing
[2:49] 11. Humoresque
[2:57] 12. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
[2:49] 13. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:57] 14. Slamboree

One of the greatest of all tenor players, Don Byas' decision to move permanently to Europe in 1946 resulted in him being vastly underrated in jazz history books. His knowledge of chords rivalled Coleman Hawkins, and, due to their similarity in tones, Byas can be considered an extension of the elder tenor. He played with many top swing bands, including those of Lionel Hampton (1935), Buck Clayton (1936), Don Redman, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk (1939-1940), and most importantly Count Basie (1941-1943). An advanced swing stylist, Byas' playing looked toward bop. He jammed at Minton's Playhouse in the early '40s, appeared on 52nd Street with Dizzy Gillespie, and performed a pair of stunning duets with bassist Slam Stewart at a 1944 Town Hall concert. After recording extensively during 1945-1946 (often as a leader), Byas went to Europe with Don Redman's band, and (with the exception of a 1970 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival) never came back to the U.S. He lived in France, the Netherlands, and Denmark; often appeared at festivals; and worked steadily. Whenever American players were touring, they would ask for Byas, who had opportunities to perform with Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie, Jazz at the Philharmonic (including a recorded tenor battle with Hawkins and Stan Getz), Art Blakey, and (on a 1968 recording) Ben Webster. Byas also recorded often in the 1950s, but was largely forgotten in the U.S. by the time of his death. ~ bio by Scott Yanow

Slammin' Around

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Lena Horne, Gabor Szabo - Watch What Happens

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:06
Size: 82.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, Jazz guitar
Year: 1970/2009
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Watch What Happens
[3:09] 2. Something
[2:54] 3. Everybody's Talkin'
[3:45] 4. The Fool On The Hill
[4:07] 5. Yesterday
[3:30] 6. Rocky Racoon
[4:41] 7. My Mood Is You
[3:17] 8. Message To Michael
[3:39] 9. Night Wind
[2:56] 10. In My Life

The pairing of chanteuse Lena Horne and guitarist Gabor Szabo may seem incongruous on paper, but Watch What Happens! is an unexpected delight, capturing a soulfulness and sass largely absent from the singer's previous efforts. Producer and arranger Gary McFarland's candy-coated orchestral settings afford Horne the opportunity to step out of the elegant but often stuffy refinement of her classic LPs and let down her hair. Her vocals pirouette around Szabo's hypnotically funky guitar leads with the focused abandon of a child playing hopscotch. Keyboardist Richard Tee, bassist Chuck Rainey, and drummer Grady Tate contribute the supple grooves that highlight so many McFarland sessions, and the material is top-notch, including no fewer than three Beatles covers: "In My Life," "Fool on the Hill," and "Rocky Raccoon," the latter featuring the most purely joyful performance of Horne's career. [Watch What Happens! was originally released on Szabo's Skye Records label as Lena & Gabor in 1970.] ~Jason Ankeny

Watch What Happens

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