The Anita Kerr Singers - Mellow Moods Of Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:21
Size: 85.5 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal harmony group
Year: 1965/2015
Art: Front

[3:33] 1. Street Of Dreams
[2:21] 2. Honeymoon
[2:56] 3. All Of You
[3:50] 4. The Masquerade Is Over
[3:05] 5. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
[3:01] 6. Don't Dream Of Anybody But Me
[2:50] 7. Have I Told You
[2:59] 8. The Good Life
[3:25] 9. People
[3:02] 10. The Girl From Ipanema
[3:21] 11. The Girl That I Marry
[2:53] 12. I Had The Craziest Dream

Anita Kerr is a softly spoken, petite lady from Memphis, Tennessee. Her string of successes in many different styles did not happen by chance. She is one of the most talented and professionally accomplished women in popular music history. Her group the Anita Kerr Singers went on to beat the Beatles (when the Beatles were at the height of their powers) for Best Vocal Group Performance in the 1965 Grammys. Yet she barely gets a mention in most music reference books. Listen to this CD closely, and you will see why she was given the name of America's first lady of music! ~Mr. B. Pugh

Mellow Moods Of Love

---

Ralph Sutton - Easy Street

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:02
Size: 153.4 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1991/2000
Art: Front

[5:24] 1. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
[3:58] 2. Mary Lou
[4:16] 3. Easy Street
[4:06] 4. Clarinet Marmalade
[4:31] 5. June Night
[7:42] 6. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
[5:24] 7. Wolverine Blues
[5:11] 8. Tea For Two
[5:06] 9. A Hundred Years From Today
[4:43] 10. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave To Me
[4:35] 11. Handful Of Keys
[6:34] 12. T'ain't So Honey T'ain't So
[5:27] 13. China Boy

During a 1991 tour of Australia, the great stride pianist Ralph Sutton teamed up with the talented cornetist Bob Barnard and drummer Len Barnard. There are a pair of duets apiece by Sutton with just one Barnard at a time and the pianist takes Fats Waller's "Handful of Keys" unaccompanied in addition to performing eight trio numbers. Sutton mixes together obscurities (such as J. Russell Robinson's "Mary Lou" and "June Night") and more familiar but superior numbers such as "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," "Wolverine Blues" and "China Boy." Bob Barnard sounds in particularly inspired form, making this a delightful set that classic jazz fans will certainly enjoy. ~Scott Yanow

Easy Street

---

Joe Beck Trio - Girl Talk

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:37
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:01)  1. Gingi
(7:06)  2. Emily
(7:17)  3. Girl Talk
(6:52)  4. Have You Met Miss Jones?
(4:08)  5. Laura
(5:17)  6. Little Girl Blue
(5:41)  7. Nica's Dream
(5:21)  8. Ruby
(4:50)  9. Sophisticated Lady
(3:59) 10. Stella By Starlight

Studio and session guitarist Joe Beck was well known for hits when backing vocalist Esther Phillips on Kudu in the '70s, although his session credentials over the years also included the likes of Miles Davis, James Brown, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Gil Evans. During the '80s he made a series of competent fusion and pop-jazz recordings for DMP and had a big hit recording with Dave Sanborn on CTI in 1975. His career continued into the '90s and beyond with albums like 1991's Relaxin', 1997's Alto, and his 2000 collaboration with Jimmy Bruno, Polarity. Beck was active throughout most of the new millennium’s first decade with recordings on a variety of labels, including a number of CDs on Whaling City Sound, such as 2002's Just Friends, 2007's Tri07, 2008's Coincidence (a duo recording with John Abercrombie), and 2009's Golden Earrings. 

The latter album, featuring Beck and singer Laura Theodore performing music made famous by singer Peggy Lee, proved to be Beck’s final recording the guitarist was diagnosed with lung cancer soon after work on Golden Earrings had been completed and died from complications of the disease in July 2008 at age 62. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-beck-mn0000140752/biography

Personnel: Joe Beck (guitar); Joey DeFrancesco (organ); Idris Muhammad (drums).

Girl Talk

---

Jackie McLean & The Cosmic Brotherhood - New York Calling

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:20
Size: 136,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:14)  1. New York Calling
(12:25)  2. Star Dancer
( 8:53)  3. Camel Driver
( 8:03)  4. Some Other Time
( 8:52)  5. Adrians Dance
(10:50)  6. New York Calling (Take 3)

Jackie McLean's band on New York Calling, the Cosmic Brotherhood, plays with uncompromising passion, fury, and intelligence. The group, a generation younger than the leader, has a sound that is definitive '70s advanced hard bop. Although not as well-known as some of their contemporaries, by the time of this 1974 recording, the members of McLean's quintet had logged playing time with many of the leaders of the hard bop scene: McCoy Tyner, Gary Bartz, Sam Rivers, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and others. In addition to exceptional chops, the band has strong writers in trumpeter Billy Skinner and pianist Billy Gault. Their tightly voiced arrangements, punctuated by roiling power surges from the rhythm section, call to mind the work of Woody Shaw, whose classic Moontrane was also recorded in 1974. However, where Shaw's music possesses an urbane, majestic poise, Skinner and Gault go for a skittering, street-level urgency. McLean, recognizing the powerful talents in his midst including McLean's son, René, on tenor, alto, and soprano sax comes across as one among equals. It's to McLean's credit that the date bears the stamp of his band's artistry as much as it does his own. ~ Jim Todd http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-calling-mw0000181408

Personnel: Jackie McLean (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Rene McLean (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Billy Skinner (trumpet); Billy Gault (piano); Thabo Michael Carvin, Michael Carvin (drums); James Fish Benjamin (bass).

New York Calling

---

Ramon Valle Trio - Playground

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:03
Size: 188,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. Playground
(5:33)  2. El reto
(7:52)  3. Fabio
(6:31)  4. Zwana
(5:52)  5. Siboney
(5:43)  6. Laberinto
(6:36)  7. Cinco hermanas
(4:41)  8. The trio
(9:36)  9. Free at last
(6:14) 10. Baila Harold, baila
(9:09) 11. Dilsberg morning light
(4:12) 12. Reverso

Born Luis Ramón Valle Sánchez, 29 October 1964, Holguín, Cuba. Valle began playing piano at the age of seven. His studies were first at the Escuela Provincial de Arte in Holguín and he then attended the Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, graduating from there in 1984. He worked as a music teacher for some years in the mid-80s. A duo concert with fellow Cuban pianist Emiliano Salvador in 1985 brought him to the attention of audiences and critics. Valle subsequently performed at numerous festivals in Central American and Caribbean venues, both as solo artist and as leader of the quartet Brújula. He also worked in bands such as Ramón Huerta’s Grupo Galaxia. In the early 90s he spent two years with Silvio Rodríguez’s band, Diákara. He first performed in Europe at the Jamboree Jazz Club in Barcelona where his success led to more European engagements, including appearances in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin and Paris. In 1998, he settled in Europe and thereafter he toured Germany, Spain and Scandinavia to great acclaim and appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2000 and 2001. 

On the second of these occasions, saxophonist Jane Bunnett augmented Valle’s quartet. The following year Valle played at the Montreux International Jazz Festival and also at festivals elsewhere in Europe and in his homeland. Early in 2003, Valle premiered at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam a work commissioned by the city’s Foundation for the Arts, ‘Mixed-up Mokum’. This four-movement piece, written for a 10-piece ensemble, blends jazz and improvised music and is overlaid with classical form. Later that same year, Valle returned to the North Sea Jazz Festival, this time with trumpeter Roy Hargrove joining the band. Technically, Valle is highly proficient and delivers much of his repertoire with fire and dash although his high energy playing is leavened by a gentle touch with ballads. Rooted though he is in the music of his Cuban heritage, Valle seamlessly blends these forms with contemporary jazz styling and occasional touches of the classical music that formed a part of his education. His Danza Negra (2002), on which he is joined by Perico Sambeat (alto saxophone) and Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández (percussion), displays many of these qualities in a set comprising the music of Ernesto Lecuona that has been adapted by Valle to a Cuban jazz sound. The lineage of outstanding Cuban jazz pianists has been ably extended through Valle’s work. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ram%C3%B3n-valle-mn0000336056/biography

Personnel:  Ramon Valle (piano); Omar Rodríguez Calvo (bass), Owen Hart, Jr. (drums).

Playground

---

Billy Harper - Somalia

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:32
Size: 141,7 MB
Art: Front

(13:36)  1. Somalia
(21:56)  2. Thy Will Be Done
(12:45)  3. Quest
( 7:59)  4. Light Within
( 4:15)  5. Quest In 3

The passionate tenor saxophonist Billy Harper had not been heard on record as a leader in quite a few years when this superlative Evidence CD was released in 1995. Harper (who is joined by trumpeter Eddie Henderson, pianist Francesca Tanksley, bassist Louie Spears, and both Newman Taylor Baker and Horace Arnold on drums) brings back the spirit of John Coltrane, performing a very spiritual and generally intense set of music. The five originals are highlighted by the title cut, "Quest" and the nearly 22-minute "Thy Will Be Done." This CD contains some of Billy Harper's finest playing in years. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/somalia-mw0000646635

Personnel: Billy Harper (tenor saxophone, cowbell, vocals); Eddie Henderson (trumpet); Francesca Tanksley (piano); Louie "Mbiki" Spears (bass); Newman Taylor Baker, Horacee Arnold (drums); Madeleine Yayodele Nelson (shekere).

Somalia

---

Wycliffe Gordon, Jay Leonhart - This Rhythm On My Mind

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:57
Size: 128.1 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. Rhythm On My Mind
[4:14] 2. Problem
[3:21] 3. I Want My Blooz Back
[3:14] 4. Mr Leonhart Mr Gordon
[4:27] 5. Mood Indigo
[4:13] 6. Toast My Bread
[3:47] 7. Eddie Harris (Freedom Jazz Dance)
[4:46] 8. Missin Rb Blues
[4:16] 9. Lester Leaps In
[7:30] 10. All Alone
[4:45] 11. Little Honey
[4:15] 12. Lucky Day
[3:16] 13. Home For Supper

"Fun" is a word that one seldom hears in connection with jazz anymore. It's a word that easily describes Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway and many others who reigned supreme during jazz' pre-bop era, but the more jazz moved in a generally intellectual direction in the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s -- the more jazz musicians sought to be associated with "high art" rather than pop culture -- the less fun jazz' image became. But the word "fun" is most definitely applicable on This Rhythm on My Mind, a Wycliffe Gordon/Jay Leonhart collaboration that also includes tenor saxmen Wayne Escoffery and Harry Allen (not to be confused with the hip-hop journalist) and percussionist Jim Saporito. Although trombonist Gordon and acoustic bassist Leonhart are primarily instrumentalists, this 2006 date is vocal-oriented; Gordon and Leonhart both contribute to the album's vocals, and their fondness for the vocal styles of Armstrong and Waller is hard to miss -- which is not to say that This Rhythm on My Mind has a totally pre-bebop mindset. Actually, this 56-minute CD is more bop than anything, and bop vocalists like Babs Gonzales and Jon Hendricks are an influence along with Armstrong and Waller. An album that was strictly pre-Charlie Parker in its approach would not include Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance," which is a welcome part of the program along with material ranging from Gordon and Leonhart originals to Lester Young's "Lester Leaps In" and Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" (two well-known standards that came out of swing but have been used for bop and post-bop purposes time and time again). This Rhythm on My Mind is not the most essential disc that either Gordon and Leonhart have contributed to, but it's a consistently enjoyable and good-natured demonstration of the fact that jazz -- for all its complexity and intellectualism -- can still have fun. ~Alex Henderson

This Rhythm On My Mind

---

Rick Brown Trio - Jazzberry Sky

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:53
Size: 75.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. Andromeda
[2:07] 2. Asperation's Mirror
[3:17] 3. Copenhagen Town
[2:15] 4. Dance Of The Dustman
[2:43] 5. Doctor Jingle And Mister Hype
[2:48] 6. Jazzberry Sky
[2:52] 7. Lost In Las Vegas
[4:23] 8. Me Myself And I
[3:15] 9. Song For My Children
[2:30] 10. The Lovebug
[2:27] 11. Who What Where And Why

Rick has a clearly unique style of writing and producing music that he has developed over many years in the Music Business as a Songwriter/Composer, Producer/Arranger and Studio Musician. His songs and "Song Productions" have been affectionately described by many of his fellow Musicians and Colleagues as > Easy Listening Cow-Jazz. A unique blend of "Easy Listening POP, a sliver of COUNTRY, and a slice of Smooth JAZZ". Because of this, some songs have been very difficult to categorize as to a specific Genre or Style.

Jazzberry Sky

---

Rosemary Clooney - Swings Softly...

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:45
Size: 70.4 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal
Year: 1960/1999
Art: Front

[1:54] 1. For You
[2:46] 2. Always Together
[2:31] 3. You Ol' Son Of A Gun
[2:47] 4. I Wonder
[2:22] 5. Always Be In Love
[2:46] 6. Grieving For You
[2:20] 7. With You And Me
[2:12] 8. Looking For A Boy
[2:57] 9. With The Night
[2:29] 10. Love Eyes
[2:38] 11. Sorry For Myself
[2:57] 12. Keep It Simple

Nice compliation of Rosie singles from the early & mid fifties. I know the cd cover says stereo (mine does also) but it's mono. The reason this is is because these are selections from singles and other sources. This was not an album recorded when it was released. The original selections were not recorded in stereo. The Lp was available in stereo and mono but the stereo was not true stereo. It was electronically processed even though it doesn't say it was. I purchased the Bear Family boxed sets and all these songs are in one of the boxes. All recorded before stereo. I own the MGM Lp in stereo and it sounds fine. But this cd sounds much better even though it's not in stereo.

Aside from that this is still a great cd. Excellent songs sung very nicely by Rosie. I play this one often and you will too. ~Carl J. Freda

Swings Softly...

---

Jackie McLean Quintet - Lights Out!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:43
Size: 104.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1956/2013
Art: Front

[12:56] 1. Lights Out
[ 4:44] 2. Up
[ 6:23] 3. Lorraine
[ 6:21] 4. A Foggy Day
[ 8:48] 5. Kerplunk
[ 6:28] 6. Inding

Altoist Jackie McLean's second session as a leader is reissued on this CD. The music that he makes with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Elmo Hope, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor is essentially hard bop with fairly simple (or in some cases nonexistent) melody statements preceding two romps through the "I Got Rhythm" chord changes, a pair of blues, a thinly disguised "Embraceable You" and a straightforward version of "A Foggy Day." Enjoyable if not really essential music from the up-and-coming altoist. ~Scott Yanow

Lights Out!

---

Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson - The Two of Us

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:15
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Ram
(3:53)  2. Midnight Rendezvous
(4:17)  3. Breaker Beat
(4:45)  4. Slippin' Away
(4:32)  5. The Two of Us
(4:14)  6. Quiet Storm
(3:15)  7. Never Wanna Say Goodnight
(4:56)  8. Closer Than Close
(5:04)  9. Song Without Words (Remembering)

This is an interesting album, to say the least. Two very well-known names in jazz unite for this album, but the music contained within is not really what one would call “jazz” despite the former of the headliners’ inclusion; it’s more along the lines of what track number 6 indicates the “quiet storm” of R&B with hints of jazz. Boasting production by Stanley Clarke, this album launches from a not-so-quiet start in “Ram” and lands softly with the closer, “Songs Without Words (Remembering)”. Upon the first listen, this album really did sound like they were two separate albums combined to form one, an impression that was not that far off the mark other reviews of this album have indicated that Ramsey and Nancy were not in the studio together when making this album, and that they were two distinct projects produced by Stanley that were compiled to make this one album.

It’s also interesting to note that despite the array of keyboards heard on this record (especially in the earlier tracks), Ramsey Lewis’s contributions are restricted to his trusty Steinway Grand piano. In fact, on songs like “Closer Than Close” (featuring the superb lead vocals of one Daryl Coley, who also duets with Nancy Wilson on the title track), Ramsey falls into a trap not unlike Herbie Hancock in the same period, where he seems like a sideman on an album bearing his name. All these notes aside, the music here is very pleasing, no matter how it was assembled. “Ram” and “Breaker Beat” sound like outtakes from Stanley’s Time Exposure sessions, featuring the late (and ever understated) Robert Brookins in various keyboard roles. The latter especially sounds like a number of songs that came in the wake of “Rockit”, meant for windmilling on cardboard, or blasting from a JVC portable radio/tape deck. Taking songs from this set, Stanley’s Time Exposure, and Rodney Franklin’s Marathon (look for it on this blog soon) flow right together.

Nancy’s side of the album is much easier listening. A cover of “Midnight Rendezvous” from David Roberts’s 1982 All Dressed Up album introduces Nancy to the listener, and on songs like “Never Wanna Say Goodnight”, and the title track, which has the pleasant air of a Quiet Storm R&B-radio ready television theme song from the era, she really shines. Though, as noted above, if one were really looking to hear a more organic collaboration between the two headline artists, you most likely won’t find it here. However, Ramsey and Nancy did record several albums together after this one, in which they weren’t separated by recording sessions. The real draw to this album, besides the excellent songs, is Stanley Clarke’s production, which doesn’t fail to impress, though, it does result in a somewhat disjointed experience this time around.

The Two of Us

---

Herbie Nichols Trio - Love, Gloom, Cash, Love

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:53
Size: 96,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Too Close For Comfort
(4:00)  2. Every Cloud
(3:43)  3. Argumentative
(4:24)  4. Love, Gloom, Cash, Love
(3:51)  5. Portrait Of Ucha
(4:43)  6. Beyond Recall
(4:42)  7. All The Way
(4:32)  8. 45 Degree Angle
(2:51)  9. Infatuation Eyes
(4:08) 10. S'Crazy Pad

Recorded a year after his last landmark Blue Note dates, this album finds Nichols performing in the familiar trio setting again -- this time with Mingus drummer Dannie Richmond and bassist George Duvivier. These performances may be less animated than Nichols' earlier sides as a leader, but that's not to suggest the pianist's writing or playing had become pedestrian or predictable. The absence of the powerhouse drummers Art Blakey and Max Roach makes these ten tunes easier to appreciate upon first listen. Richmond's characteristic bombast and humor are kept in check here. With the drummer maintaining straight, subdued rhythms, Nichols' complex melodies and solos shine that much brighter especially on such standout originals as the album's title track, "Beyond Recall," and "S'Crazy Pad." Rhino reissued Love, Gloom, Cash, Love in 2001. ~ Brian Beatty http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-gloom-cash-love-mw0000626699

Herbie Nichols Trio: Herbie Nichols (piano); George Duvivier (acoustic bass); Dannie Richmond (drums).

Love, Gloom, Cash, Love

---

Billy Harper & Jon Faddis - Jon & Billy

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:43
Size: 89,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. Jon & Billy
(8:05)  2. Walter Bridge - Mizu Hashi San
(4:05)  3. Ballad For Jon Faddis
(7:06)  4. Two 'D' s From Shinjuku, Dig & Dag
(5:28)  5. 17-Bar Blues
(7:54)  6. This All-Koredake

Jon Faddis and Billy Harper made an interesting, if at times mismatched, team on this 1974 date recently reissued by Evidence. Faddis was then laboring to find his own voice on trumpet; his mentor, Dizzy Gillespie, remained both his predominant influence and stylistic guiding light. Harper had won critical attention and praise for his work with Lee Morgan, and his robust tenor sax was well-displayed throughout this date. The times were probably responsible for Sir Roland Hanna sometimes turning to electric piano; his elegant figures, precise melodies, and harmonic interplay are not as expertly articulated on electric as acoustic, which he also plays. But the date's value is in hearing where Harper and Faddis, as well as jazz itself, were in the mid-'70s and then comparing how far they and the music have and have not come since then. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/jon-billy-mw0000197645

Personnel: Billy Harper (tenor saxophone); Jon Faddis (trumpet); Roland Hanna (acoustic & electric pianos); George Mraz (bass); Motohiko Hino (drums); Cecil Bridgewater (kalimba).

Jon & Billy

---

Russ Reinberg & Dan Barrett - A Fool's Errand

Size: 142,3 MB
Time: 60:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Big Band, Swing
Art: Front

01. Rush Hour (3:50)
02. A Fool's Errand (3:55)
03. Atonement (3:05)
04. Walkin' Out The Door (3:33)
05. Right Place, Wrong Key (4:34)
06. Tin Pan Alley Man (3:09)
07. Walkin' The Cat (3:08)
08. Dog Tired Blues (3:27)
09. Write If You Get Work (3:32)
10. Waiting For You (3:40)
11. Laid Back Blues (3:08)
12. Hot Potato (3:54)
13. All Your Life (3:43)
14. Hogtown (3:12)
15. Midnight Passage (3:57)
16. Minor Detail (3:17)
17. Plain Ol' Blues (3:27)

Duke Ellington once said, “There are two kinds of music: Good and bad.” Westlake Records’ album, A Fool’s Errand, brims with the former, over an hour of consistently good music.

Westlake selected the finest Swing jazz musicians in California to perform seventeen original tunes by clarinetist Russ Reinberg, then digitally recorded them with some of the world’s finest ribbon microphones and audio components. The album’s superb sonics combine the clarity of digital with the warmth and richness of analog.

More about music: We live in a very odd world. It is a place where people judge art, music, and almost everything else by whether it is “in style”. Fashion, along with war, are two of man’s most asinine ideas. If something is good, especially music, it never goes out of fashion.

Despite the opinions of some twelve year olds, Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven have never gone out of fashion. And despite snobbish nonsense by some contemporary jazz aficionados or the inability of immature listeners to appreciate them, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie (among others) endure as icons of the Golden Age of American culture.

A Fool’s Errand continues that legacy with new tunes, new arrangements, and a uniquely pleasing sound. So Westlake Records challenges you:

Listen to the album. The uplifting, hard swinging rhythm section of Katie Cavera’s guitar, Brent Harding’s upright gut string bass, and Burr Middleton’s drums may yank you out of your chair and inspire you to jump around. While Dan Barrett and Russ Reinberg swing just as hard themselves, both are masters of traditional blues and melodic ballads. Their interpretations and improvisations may touch your heart.

It’s that kind of album with that kind of music. It gets to you. Before long you may find yourself in an unusually good mood.

A Fool's Errand 

---

Marina & The Kats - Wild

Size: 133,4 MB
Time: 56:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Swing, Gipsy Jazz
Art: Front

01. Kat Walk (2:51)
02. Shim Sham (3:23)
03. Mrs. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (3:58)
04. Bamboozle Boogie (3:32)
05. Moon On The Hill (3:56)
06. Easy Does It! (4:11)
07. Paradise City (3:44)
08. Wild (2:42)
09. Superb (3:08)
10. Porcelain (3:32)
11. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine (3:40)
12. I Fell For You (3:52)
13. C O F F E E (2:57)
14. Sweets On The Top Shelf (4:25)
15. Treat Me Nice (2:46)
16. Forever Young (4:10)

Just one year ago Marina & The Kats, the smallest Big Band on Earth, released their Debut LP „Small“. Now they are back in the studio. And this time the outcome is a vinyl double-album called „Wild“, with enough room for 16 songs.

Marina and her cats are remaining faithful to their style and their slogan SWING SWING SWING. Having the experience and know-how of over 100 live-concerts under their paws, they‘re diving even deeper into the driving sound of the Juke Joints and Ballrooms. Racy gypsy guitars, nimble melodies, airy snare drums and Marinas uniquely charming voice meld into a nostalgic cocktail - ready to be enjoyed either at breakfast or in the evenings at the dance cafè, bringing immediate smiles to everyone.

While on „Small“ Marina sang about how life goes if one's a bit short of stature, she shows us on „Wild“ that behind a sweet, innocent exterior there can lurk a rascal. In „Easy does“ she wonders why everyone rushes to work in the early morning after her having just come back from a wild and crazy dance party. She loves playing pranks on „Bamboozle Boogie“, squabbles with her lover on the bluesy „Mrs. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde“ and tries to distract with a syrupy, inncocent air all that she got away with („Wild“). Marina is a girl who wears the pants, and in the outspoken „Treat me nice“ she makes clear exactly how a man should treat a woman.

She knows how to help herself to the candy on the top shelf and she dances the seductive Cha Cha of a Femme Fatale („Sweets On The Top Shelf“).

Once in a while she‘ll dream of peaceful times like on „Moon On The Hill“, that’s spiced with a swift vibraphone, or she‘ll wonder about impermanence („Forever Young“.)

She declares her love of coffee (in the heartwarming C O F F E E) and to her hometown („I Feel For You“); she tries to seduce with recipes („Superb“), and just likes dancing her feet to a red hot glow. („Shim Sham“).

The album is topped off with two cover versions: Guns N' Roses classic „Paradise City“ and „And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine“, once already sang by the unforgettable Anita O'Day along with Stan Kenton.

With Marina & The Kats you take a dreamy journey into the times of Djano Reinhart and Cab Calloway, the Divas and the Crooners, the Lindy Hops and the Collegiate Shags, the Radio shows and the Revue theatres, the Miròs and the Picassos, the Peek-A-Boo's and the Victory Rolls, the Buick Rivieras and the Cadillac Convertibles, between the dim Cotton Club of Harlem and the sun sparkling palm trees of Santa Monica, and you still land softly in the here and now.

Wild

---

John Sheridan's Dream Band - Hooray For Christmas!

Size: 153,3 MB
Time: 65:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz: Jazz Vocals, Xmas
Art: Front & Back

01. Hooray For Christmas! (4:26)
02. Pocketful Of Miracles (6:48)
03. The Holiday Season (3:32)
04. Christmas Will Be A Little Lonely This Year (4:58)
05. (Everybody's Waiting For) The Man With (4:36)
06. The Christmas Blues (7:21)
07. Cool Yule (4:56)
08. I Know Why And So Do You (5:01)
09. Plenty To Be Thankful For (4:50)
10. A Song For Christmas (4:04)
11. Little Jack Frost Get Lost (2:40)
12. The Difficult Season (6:23)
13. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (5:23)

There's a certain sameness to many Christmas CDs because so many artists focus on a relatively small group of carols and standards of the season, but that isn't the case with Hooray for Christmas! Pianist John Sheridan formed his Dream Band after leaving his work as a sideman with Jim Cullum's Jazz Band, and he recruited one of his favorite singers, Rebecca Kilgore (who is a regular guest on his CDs), for this project, while he has shared the stage with many of the musicians at various jazz parties, including cornetists Randy Reinhart and Warren Vaché, trombonist Dan Barrett, and clarinetists Dan Block and Ron Hockett, among others. The upbeat "Hooray for Christmas!" was penned by Don Sebesky and it serves as a perfect opener, showcasing Kilgore's warm vocals. The forgotten gem "Pocketful of Miracles" features a delightful trombone conversation between Barrett and Russ Phillips. Guitarist Eddie Erickson is the featured vocalist in the witty "Christmas Blues," while Kilgore is on hand for Dave Frishberg's bittersweet "The Difficult Season." Kilgore's romantic touch is evident in her lovely interpretation of "I Know Why and So Do You." The swinging "Cool Yule" was penned by the prolific pianist/composer/author/television star Steve Allen, with Kilgore's snappy vocal backed by the swinging horn section. Sheridan wrote the lovely, touching ballad "Christmas Will Be a Little Lonely This Year," backing Kilgore's sensitive vocal with elegant piano and Vaché adding a touching muted solo, as the remainder of the band sits this one out. This is one Christmas CD that will stand the test of time without growing stale. ~by Ken Dryden

Hooray For Christmas!

---

Johnny Holiday - Songs Of Antonio Carlos Jobim

Size: 74,8 MB
Time: 31:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Samba, Bossa Nova, Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Triste (2:40)
02. The Wave (3:07)
03. I Concentrate On You (2:37)
04. How Insensative (3:18)
05. This Happy Madness (2:39)
06. Dindi (3:34)
07. The Girl From Ipanema (2:58)
08. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (2:41)
09. Meditation (2:52)
10. Once I Loved (2:41)
11. One Note Samba (2:27)

A superb ballad singer who also knows how to swing a good song, Johnny Holiday is an ageless performer who is still in his musical prime. "I want listeners to believe what I sing, as if I am singing directly to them. All of the things I have experienced in my life go into my singing. I am a storyteller. I've been in the business since I was 11 and I've seen so much." Very few performers have ever been active for as long a period and still emerged sounding in peak form. And very few dig as deep into the lyrics of classics from the Great American Songbook, give fresh and insightful interpretations, and sing with a smile in their voice. This is a talent just waiting to be discovered. ~Scott Yanow

Songs Of Antonio Carlos Jobim

---

Sammy Rae - Sugar

Size: 101,2 MB
Time: 37:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Rock Vocals
Art: Front

01. Dirty Brother (3:28)
02. Million Dollars (4:18)
03. Stop Time (3:18)
04. Shine (3:34)
05. Do Me No Favors (4:22)
06. No One Else Was Alive (3:28)
07. Roof & Walls (3:41)
08. Something (3:20)
09. Let Me Down Easy (3:52)
10. Ashes (4:15)

Sammy Rae is a NYC based singer/songwriter, currently in production of her second studio record. Accompanying herself on piano, Sammy has a unique sound that is youthful, rooted in jazz and classic rock, and sprinkled with hints of blues and R&B. Expect spirited and sassy lyrics, eclectic instrumentation and high energy performances. Quirky, vulnerable and confident, she's 2 parts jazz starlet, 2 parts rock belt, and 100% a breed all her own.

Sugar

---

Joel Evans & Friends - Swing, Lounge, Jazz Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Size: 159,0+165,9 MB
Time: 67:27+70:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Cool Jazz, Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

Vol. 1:
01. So Close To Getting Close (Feat. Patrick Maier) (3:22)
02. Plenty More (Feat. Carla Helmbrecht) (5:01)
03. Simple Evening (Feat. Kenny Washington) (4:40)
04. Because Of You (Feat. Shanna Carlson) (4:33)
05. Maybe It’s You! (Feat. Patrick Maier) (3:48)
06. I’ll Never Be The Same (Feat. Carla Helmbrecht) (4:31)
07. Something Blue (Feat. Kenny Washington) (4:35)
08. Ship Of Fools (Feat. Elya Finn) (3:49)
09. So Close To Getting Close (Instrumental) (3:22)
10. Plenty More (Instrumental) (5:04)
11. Simple Evening (Instrumental) (4:40)
12. Because Of You (Instrumental) (4:33)
13. Maybe It’s You! (Instrumental) (3:46)
14. I’ll Never Be The Same (Instrumental) (4:32)
15. Something Blue (Instrumental) (3:14)
16. Ship Of Fools (Instrumental) (3:50)

Vol. 2:
01. Fly Away (Feat. Patrick Tuzzolino) (3:50)
02. Watercolor Love (Feat. Tami Damiano) (3:36)
03. Jumpin' At The Juke Joint (Feat. Patrick Maier) (2:39)
04. No Easy Way To Say Goodbye (Feat. Roberta Donnay) (4:52)
05. The Diva (Feat. David Sparkman) (4:20)
06. So Near (Feat. Carla Helmbrecht) (5:24)
07. Love's Gonna Getcha! (Feat. David Sparkman) (3:35)
08. The More I Think Of You (Feat. Scott Dreier) (4:49)
09. The Day That We Met (Feat. Tami Damiano) (4:28)
10. Fly Away (Instrumental) (3:48)
11. Watercolor Love (Instrumental) (3:38)
12. Jumpin' At The Juke Joint (Instrumental) (2:39)
13. No Easy Way To Say Goodbye (Instrumental) (4:52)
14. The Diva (Instrumental) (4:17)
15. So Near (Instrumental) (5:21)
16. Love's Gonna Getcha! (Instrumental) (3:35)
17. The More I Think Of You (Instrumental) (4:47)

Joel Evans is extremely grateful to all the artists whose talented performances are embodied here!

Joel Evans & Friends is the "Band Name" for Producer/Songwriter Joel Evans' Collected Recordings.
Evans has songs & cues in more than 85 movies and 400 TV episodes; major Hollywood films, hip indie flicks, network and daytime dramas; ranging from Wedding Crashers to Hateship, Loveship (Kristin Wiig); and from Friends to Glee. The 2014 Daytime Emmy winning special Young & Restless Tribute to Jeanne Cooper features Joel's song, “That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You” as its main theme. Ciroq Vodka TV and radio ads highlight his Big Band number, "Fly Away." Grammy-winning vocalist Carmen Bradford sings his song, "No Easy Way To Say Goodbye” on tour with the Count Basie Orchestra. Evans' songs have been recorded by diverse artists, including Spencer Day, Dave Samuels, Hillary Smith, Shaun Murphy, Roberta Donnay, The Yellowjackets and Peter Tork. (the former Monkee has a great blues band!)

After earning his BA on flute at Cal State University East Bay he performed with a series of groups, and quickly realized the fortunes of a jazz flautist were capricious at best. “We did one gig where the pay didn't even cover our bar tab,” he notes wryly. Later, a stint on piano backing Bobby Freeman (“Do You Wanna Dance”) took Evans to Tahoe and Reno, where watching the rock godfather reiterate the same patter night after night further inspired him to improvise. Life imitates art: in the film Rumor Has It, Kevin Costner and Jennifer Aniston share a conversation while the Joel Evans Combo paints the aural backdrop in the same San Francisco hotel where he once worked a steady piano gig. Evans’ Hollywood-sophisticated melodies are often used on screen to evoke sumptuous surroundings like hotel lobbies and upscale restaurants, so it’s no coincidence that he spent years performing in just these types of venues as a live player. Swing, big band and jazz: he occupies a decided stylistic niche. “I can’t do everything. I don’t write stuff that’s like what’s on the radio. I decided early on to hell with it, I’m going to do what I love.”

Unlike many instrumental composers, Evans usually co-writes complete songs. “Until it Happens to You” from Mini’s First Time provided an improbable soundtrack to a fight scene with stars Jeff Goldblum and Alec Baldwin “trying to kill one another, with my Sinatra style swing thing in the background,” laughs Evans. He notes that one of his most unexpected inclusions was in the gritty rock and roll noir film, Sugartown, where his sweet song, “Moody” played behind, as he delicately phrases it, “The depiction of an act of love. But it fit the scene.” A self-professed team player, Evans enlists first call musicians who can deliver the requisite tones; veterans like Bernadette Peters' favorite bassist, Mario Suraci and David Rokeach from the Ray Charles band; seasoned authorities who helped invent the genres his compositions reference. Talented Co-writers like Nashville-based Lisa Aschmann and pop/theatrical writer Adryan Russ contribute their magic to the sterling credibility of the songs. ~Bio by Dan Kimpel

Swing, Lounge, Jazz Vol. 1
Swing, Lounge, Jazz Vol. 2

---

Victoria Mozalevskaya Trio - Freedom To Be You

Size: 99,7 MB
Time: 42:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Notice Of A Moment (3:46)
02. Pacific Motion (5:59)
03. Incentive (6:10)
04. Freedom To Be You, Pt. 1 (3:19)
05. Freedom To Be You, Pt. 2 (4:40)
06. My Ballad (6:06)
07. Anahata (7:09)
08. After Work Blues (5:36)

Victoria Mozalevskaya is a Russian saxophonist. Born in Kazakhstan, the first possibility was to learn to play an instrument at the age of 7 years. With a self-painted keyboard, she took her first "piano lessons" with a school colleague. After moving to the Russian region of Altai two years later Victoria received her first piano and vocal lessons at a music school. At the age of 13, the clarinet was taught for the first time, but it had to give way to the saxophone after only one year. Already during this classical education at the "Altai College of Culture" Victoria was so enthusiastic about the jazz that she switched to the music college in Novosibirsk in 2005, which offered as a single training place in Siberia a jazz course. Soon she founded the "Jazz City Band", very active in the local scene. In 2008, Victoria moved into the world: After an intensive, three - week jazz practice as part of the "Open World" sponsorship program, which was conducted by Bob Mintzer in California (USA), she began her apprenticeship with Andy Scherrer at the Swiss Jazz School in Berne. With her own bands as well as as a sidewoman in various projects, Victoria continued her career in Switzerland and played at several festivals. In 2012, she realized her biggest dream and lived in New York City for a whole year, where she was inspired by the tireless pulse of the jazz metropolis and gained unique experiences, which she has since incorporated into her music and projects. Back in Switzerland, Victoria 2014 completed her master's degree in music performance at the jazz department of the HKB in Bern.

Freedom To Be You

---