Ron McClure - Dream Team

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:25
Size: 165,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Denial's Goat
(10:59)  2. Dream Team
( 9:35)  3. One Of Us
(12:41)  4. Darius Dance
( 7:20)  5. A Song Of Love
( 7:28)  6. Tango
( 7:39)  7. Gaijin
( 9:36)  8. Aftermath

It would be hard to argue with bassist and leader Ron McClure when he assesses the musicians assembled here as being a “dream team”. Drummer Billy Hart alone guarantees the success of just about any record date he is a part of, while pianist Marc Copland has recently been turning heads with his own acclaimed series of Savoy dates. The ringer here is likely to be tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, at long last getting his due thanks to a viable gig with bandleader Maria Schneider and his own superlative SteepleChase discs. What we have here are eight modern originals penned by McClure (albeit one cut written by Copland) that have been tailor-made for the ensemble on deck. Perry’s virile and ingenious solo work is of great interest throughout, as are Copland’s expansive forays. McClure judiciously spreads his solo time throughout the set, while Hart colors each composition with a style that is marked by his innovative use of cymbal colors and textures. No need here to go into boundless track-by-track detail, except to say that fans of McClure’s mainstream fare will no doubt revel in this latest set to see an American release.~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dream-team-ron-mcclure-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Ron McClure- bass, Rich Perry- tenor saxophone, Marc Copland- piano, Billy Hart- drums

Dream Team

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Chihiro Yamanaka - The Spheres : Live In Osaka!!

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:14
Size: 140,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:05)  1. Rain, Rain And Rain
( 6:59)  2. Living Time: Event V
(10:34)  3. Yagibushi
( 6:23)  4. Bemsha Swing
( 3:52)  5. Himawari Musume
( 6:28)  6. Taxi
( 8:20)  7. The Entertainer
( 5:38)  8. Evidence
( 5:51)  9. Insight Foresight

Everyone in the world knows who Hiromi is - Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara was played with Chick Corea in Tokyo when she was 17 and after graduation in Berklee College in Boston (under Ahmad Jamal) she took the world by storm playing high energy technical fusion influenced by Return To Forever legacy. Hiromi is most probably most popular internationally Japanese jazz artist of today. Much less people outside of her homeland Japan know who is Chihiro Yamanaka, and it's a shame. She is Beklee graduated pianist who leads her own bands (usually trios as Hiromi does) from early 00's. Chihiro released her first album in 2001, two years prior to Hiromi, and in 2015 came with her first ever live release (and her 18th album at all). Being celebrity of sort in home country, she is relatively unknown in Western world. During last decade some her albums have been reissued in US and Europe though. The main difference between two is Hiromi is a piano power trio leader,playing technical high energy fusion, oriented first of all on neo jazz-rock fans. She started with playing tuneful contemporary chamber jazz, but it was fusion that made her a true star. Each success has its price trying to continue once reached success Hiromi for some years changes nothing in her music,which with every her new album becomes moreand more repetitive and predictable.

Chihiro Yamanaka played contemporary jazz for years - not polished anemic European chamber jazz,but groovy American one, closer to good pop-jazz.Her roots are all in bop, and there are no album where this influence isn't obvious. During last some years Chihiro turns more and more towards modern post bop, adding all her pop and rock legacy to it as well. The Sphere is are electro-acoustic trio with electric bassist Dana Roth and drummer Karen Teperberg. Chihiro herself plays piano and some analog keyboards, their music varies from pop-ballads to chamber tuneful songs to groovy post bop and fusion with analog keyboards passages. Played live in club in Osaka, all music is playful, shining, tuneful and full of joy.There are no really new things here, but the way how it is played will make you smiling. Nothing is repetitive or boring and that feeling recalls times when jazz was not a demonstration of techniques or ambitions,but the source of fan. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/review/the-spheres-live-in-osaka(live)/251925

Personnel:  Chihiro Yamanaka - Piano, Keyboards; Dana Roth - Electric Bass; Karen Teperberg - Drums.

The Spheres : Live In Osaka!!

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Bonfa & Burrows - Brazil

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz, Brazilian Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 50:45
Size: 85,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:51)  1. The Shade Of The Mango Tree
(3:22)  2. Sofisticada
(6:06)  3. Enchanted Sea
(2:33)  4. Batucada
(5:28)  5. Menina Flor
(2:36)  6. Giselle
(3:09)  7. Prelude
(2:04)  8. Passeio No Rio
(4:21)  9. Morning Of The Carnival
(2:50) 10. Amoroso
(2:06) 11. Indian Dance
(3:08) 12. Himalaia
(9:05) 13. The Gentle Rain

Although overshadowed by the towering figure of Antonio Carlos Jobim and to a lesser extent by João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá was right there at the birth of bossa nova as well. In fact, at least two of his songs, the haunting "Manha de Carnaval" and equally evocative "Samba de Orpheus" swept the world at least three years before Jobim's songs began to make a global impact, paving the way for the first Brazilian wave. In addition, Bonfá cultivated a delicate, precise classical guitar style, though more attuned to the traditional samba rhythm than the Gilberto/Jobim bossa nova lilt. Born near the bay of Guanabara in Rio his father was an Italian immigrant Bonfá took up the guitar at eleven and studied classical guitar with the Uruguayan master Isaias Savio. He began to work Rio's clubs as a singer with the Quitandinha Serenaders, and by 1946, he was appearing on Brazil's Radio Nacional. By 1957, Bonfa was beginning to split his time between New York City and Rio, touring the U.S. with singer Mary Martin, as well as writing and recording Brazilian film scores. The turning point in his career came in 1959 when film director Marcel Camus asked Bonfá to contribute some songs to his film version of the play Orfeo do Carnaval (to be renamed Black Orpheus on the screen). The director originally rejected "Manha de Carnaval" as the film's main theme, but after coming up with what he felt was an inferior second effort, Bonfá fought for his first tune and got his way, and "Manha de Carnaval" became a global pop/jazz/folk standard. In the late '50s and '60s, Bonfá began recording several albums for the American market on EMI Odeon (Capitol), Dot, Atlantic, Cook, Philips, Epic, and Verve, and he and his songs appeared prominently on the Jazz Samba Encore album with Jobim and Stan Getz. His songwriting skills were in demand in the most unpredictable places; for example, he wrote the schmaltzy "Almost in Love" for Elvis Presley (included in the forgettable 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little). 

Bonfá's profile in America virtually disappeared after the '60s, although he continued to tour and write, eventually cutting over 50 albums. But he resurfaced in U.S. CD shops after a 15-year gap in 1989 with Non-Stop to Brazil for Chesky, followed by the ravishing The Bonfá Magic in 1991 (released domestically on Milestone) and 1993's Moods on GSP. Also, the original soundtrack for Black Orpheus is available on a Verve CD, a firsthand snapshot of Bonfá and Jobim lighting the fuse for the world-wide Brazilian music explosion. On January 12, 2001, Luiz Bonfá died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro. ~ Richard S. Ginell https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/luiz-bonfa/id281115#fullText

Personnel:  Acoustic Guitar, Ovation Guitar – Luiz Bonfá;  Bass – George André;  Drums – Josè Boto;  Flute, Alto Saxophone – Don Burrows

Brazil

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Barbara Hendricks, Magnus Lindgren Quartet - Barbara Sings The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:44
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:23] 1. Lady Sings The Blues
[4:42] 2. Tell Me More And More (And Then Some)
[4:16] 3. Trouble In Mind
[4:16] 4. Don’t Explain
[4:01] 5. My Man
[3:26] 6. You’ve Been A Good Old Wagon
[5:48] 7. God Bless The Child
[4:29] 8. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
[4:48] 9. Billie's Blues-I Love My Man
[4:33] 10. Mood Indigo
[4:46] 11. Downhearted Blues
[2:44] 12. Allhelgonablues
[2:25] 13. Strange Fruit

African-American-Swedish soprano Barbara Hendricks formed her own label, Arte Verum, in the mid-2000s and has since been pursuing an impressive variety of adventurous projects. The spirit she has shown is exactly the ticket for classical music as it faces challenging times: the solution to its problems lies not in making the music more, or less, user-friendly, but in promoting musical enterprises that are personal, committed, and challenging to the artist involved in terms of pushing her or him into contact with new audiences. The last of these sounds like "crossover," but Hendricks insists that this is not a crossover release and has unkind things to say about the genre in the handsomely produced booklet (in English and French). It is instead, she says, a jazz release. That is somewhat contradicted elsewhere; although Hendricks' early training was in the African-American religious tradition, she sang little jazz during her early years and turned to it only in the 1990s. She says she approaches jazz as a "curious student...still learning so much." The bottom line is that this is a jazz album very much in the crossover vein attempted by other classical singers and it is an excellent example of the genre. The title Barbara Sings the Blues indicates not a special orientation toward blues material (indeed most of the pieces are not blues), but a program conceived as a tribute to Billie Holiday, from whose repertoire most of the music is taken. Hendricks is not Billie Holiday, but she does an extremely artful job of suggesting some of Holiday's vocal trademarks in a subtle way, and, as saxophonist Magnus Lindgren points out, she has a range greater than what most jazz vocalists can manage. The results range from intriguing to spectacular. Hendricks doesn't have the rhythmic control of a top-rank jazz singer, but her voice has entered a particularly rainbow-like phase in her middle age, and Lindgren's quartet adopts a particularly self-effacing stance in order to highlight it. And Hendricks adds something of her own to a few of the high points of Holiday's repertoire. The best comes last, and you could sample it or save it for hearing in its proper place: "Strange Fruit," with which Holiday ended her own shows, has a tragic operatic intensity here. It would be worth the purchase price even if nothing else on the album was, which is far from the case. ~James Manheim

Barbara Sings The Blues

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Ornette Coleman - The Best Of Ornette Coleman: The Blue Note Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:59
Size: 130.5 MB
Styles: Avant Garde jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[ 8:40] 1. Broad Way Blues
[ 6:15] 2. Round Trip
[ 8:09] 3. Dawn
[10:25] 4. Dee Dee
[ 5:56] 5. Zig Zag
[ 6:50] 6. Good Old Days
[10:40] 7. Old Gospel

If there ever was an artist unsuited to a best-of compilation, it's Ornette Coleman. His music is about space and texture within a certain context, not only within the compositions themselves, but in how those songs relate to each other on a particular album or session. By selecting highlights from a series of albums, the songs themselves lose some of their power. That's the main problem with The Best of Ornette Coleman, an otherwise solid overview of his three years at Blue Note. Between 1965 and 1968, he recorded several terrific sessions for the label, and they're all worth hearing. Arguably, the seven songs here are among the best moments from those records, and they do give some sense of what his music is about, but neophytes would be better off with a full album, which will give a more accurate portrait of Coleman's music and its greatness. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Best Of Ornette Coleman: The Blue Note Years

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Yusef Lateef - Multi-Man (Discs 1 & 2)

Yusef Lateef long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who did not care much for the term "jazz," consistently created music that stretched (and even broke through) boundaries. A superior tenor saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, by the 1950s Lateef was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, was an occasional bassoonist, and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe), and different types of flutes. Lateef played "world music" before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passed under that label in the '90s. Yusef Lateef grew up in Detroit and began on tenor when he was 17. He played with Lucky Millinder (1946), Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, and Dizzy Gillespie's big band (1949-1950). He was a fixture on the Detroit jazz scene of the '50s where he studied flute at Wayne State University. Lateef began recording as a leader in 1955 for Savoy (and later Riverside and Prestige) although he did not move to New York until 1959. By then he already had a strong reputation for his versatility and for his willingness to utilize "miscellaneous instruments." Lateef played with Charles Mingus in 1960, gigged with Donald Byrd, and was well-featured with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet (1962-1964). As a leader, his string of Impulse! recordings (1963-1966) was among the finest of his career, although Lateef's varied Atlantic sessions (1967-1976) also had some strong moments. He spent some time in the '80s teaching in Nigeria. His Atlantic records of the late '80s were closer to mood music (or new age) than jazz, but in the '90s (for his own YAL label) Lateef recorded a wide variety of music (all originals) including some strong improvised music with the likes of Ricky Ford, Archie Shepp, and Von Freeman. Lateef remained active as a composer, improviser, and educator (teaching at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst) into the 21st century, performing and recording as a leader and collaborator on such noteworthy recordings as Towards the Unknown with composer/percussionist Adam Rudolph (released in 2010, the same year Lateef was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts). Yusef Lateef died at his home in Shutesbury, Massachusetts in December 2013; he was 93 years old. ~ bio by Scott Yanow

Album: Multi-Man (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 63:50

Size: 146.1 MB

Styles: Post bop, World fusion

Year: 2016

Art: Front

[ 4:43] 1. Road Runner

[ 5:02] 2. Psychicemotus

[ 9:39] 3. Number 7

[ 3:25] 4. First Gymnopedie

[ 2:34] 5. One Little Indian

[10:10] 6. Delilah

[ 7:40] 7. Nu-Bouk

[ 5:17] 8. The Magnolia Triangle

[ 3:15] 9. The Greatest Story Ever Told

[ 3:03] 10. Soul Sister

[ 4:30] 11. P. Bouk

[ 4:26] 12. Semiocto

Multi-Man (Disc 1) 

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Album: Multi-Man (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 63:21

Size: 145.0 MB

Styles: Post bop, World fusion

Year: 2016

Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Listen To The Wind

[9:10] 2. Brother John

[5:26] 3. Sister Mamie

[3:26] 4. Slippin' And Slidin'

[4:28] 5. I Loved

[4:23] 6. Oasis

[2:11] 7. Try Love

[3:51] 8. Rosetta

[6:14] 9. Yusef's Mood

[6:31] 10. Medula Sonata

[8:13] 11. 1984

[4:38] 12. I'll Always Be In Love With You

Multi-Man (Disc 2) 

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Gal Costa - Gal Bossa Tropical

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:23
Size: 106.2 MB
Styles: Latin jazz, Brazilian rhythms
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:43] 1. Socorro
[4:07] 2. The Fool On The Hill
[3:46] 3. Onde Deus Possa Me Ouvir
[4:38] 4. Mulher (Sexo Frágil)
[3:58] 5. Quando Eu Fecho Os Olhos
[3:44] 6. Desde Que O Samba É Samba
[3:31] 7. Epitáfio
[3:58] 8. As Times Goes Be
[4:17] 9. Ovelha Negra
[3:08] 10. Marcianita
[4:24] 11. O Amor Em Paz
[3:03] 12. Cada Macaco No Seu Galho (Cho Chuá)

Gal bossa tropical is a music album that was nominated for Best MPB Album in the 2003 Latin Grammys.

Gal Costa is an awarded singer with an extensive solo discography and international experience. A fundamental presence in the Tropicalia movement, she has been in Brazil's leading team of singers for decades. Since very young, she has been involved with music as a singer and violão player; when her mother's business broke she became a record shop attendant, where she spent long hours listening to music, especially João Gilberto. She became acquainted with Caetano Veloso in 1963, and friendly disputed him as boyfriend with her girlfriend Dedé, who would later be Caetano's wife. In 1964, Caetano was invited to organize a Brazilian popular music show at the opening of Salvador's Teatro Vila Velha. The show, called Nós, por Exemplo, brought Caetano, his sister Maria Bethânia, Gilberto Gil, and Costa (still under her name Maria da Graça). The show was a success and was re-enacted two weeks later, with the addition of Tom Zé (still presented as Antônio José). The success was even bigger, and the group (without Tom) soon presented another show, Nova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova.

Costa continued to be a viable and active artist in the 21st century, issuing new recorded material even as repackaging of her previous work hit the market. Gal Boss Tropical was released in 2002 by Abril, followed by Hoje: 2005 from Trama Records three years later. 2006 saw the appearance of Gal Costa Live at the Blue Note from DRG.

Gal Bossa Tropical

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Lee Konitz, Red Mitchell - I Concentrate On You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:27
Size: 129.2 MB
Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1987
Art: Front

[5:09] 1. Just One Of Those Things
[3:02] 2. Just One Of Those Things, Take 7
[3:15] 3. Easy To Love
[2:57] 4. It's Allright With Me
[2:46] 5. Everytime We Say Goodbye, Take 1
[2:48] 6. Everytime We Say Goodbye
[3:46] 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:17] 8. Love For Sale
[2:08] 9. In The Still Of The Night
[5:11] 10. Night And Day, Take 1
[3:56] 11. Night And Day
[3:34] 12. I Love You
[3:20] 13. I Love Paris
[9:12] 14. I Concentrate On You

Lee Konitz has been a constant explorer throughout most of his career, never satisfied with a standard approach or falling into a rut with a particular instrumentation. This 1974 duo session with bassist Red Mitchell, which focuses exclusively on the works of Cole Porter, is one great example. With an inventive accompanist like Mitchell spurring him on, the alto saxophonist is able to work magical variations of the familiar Porter works, while Konitz retains his remarkable dry signature tone. "Easy to Love" has a bit of a bittersweet air in his hands, as does the more deliberate "Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye." Mitchell is a bit more subdued in the hip treatment of "'You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," as Konitz's intricate improvisation works its magic. The usually over the top "Love for Sale" features an understated arrangement here. Mitchell switches to piano for "Night and Day," playing a soft bop line behind the leader. ~Ken Dryden

I Concentrate On You

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Miki Howard - Miki Sings Billie: A Tribute to Billie Holiday

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:37
Size: 86,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:53)  1. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
(4:03)  2. I'm A Fool To Want You
(3:07)  3. My Man
(4:41)  4. Solitude
(2:55)  5. 'T'aint Nobody's Business If I Do
(2:14)  6. Yesterdays
(3:46)  7. Now Or Never
(5:24)  8. Don't Explain
(4:07)  9. Strange Fruit
(3:23) 10. I Want To Be Your Mother's Son-In-Law

Miki Howard tries her hand at jazz repertory with this Billie Holiday tribute album. Howard was smart enough to sing the songs in her own style rather than try to emulate Holiday. Howard mostly scores on this disc, turning in fine, sometimes triumphant performances on "Solitude," "My Man" and "Don't Explain." Only on "Strange Fruit" does she miss the boat; she's too mannered and pristine on a brutally painful number. In addition, the label made this the ninth, rather than last, track on the disc. The bemused, ironic qualities of "I Want To Be Your Mother's Son-In-Law" seem out-of-place following a tune about vicious inhumanity. But those two decisions aside, Miki Howard has given Billie Holiday a solid tribute and ably displayed her own skills in the process. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/miki-sings-billie-a-tribute-to-billie-holiday-mw0000105824

Miki Sings Billie: A Tribute to Billie Holiday

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Chris Byars - Bop-ography

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 62:07
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:19)  1. Festival
( 5:59)  2. Straight Ahead
( 6:20)  3. Lost Love
( 4:29)  4. Himalayan Sunrise
( 6:07)  5. Nature Boy
( 6:39)  6. Minority
( 6:33)  7. Indra
(20:38)  8. Bop-Ography

An equally skilled player on both alto and tenor saxes, Chris Byars leads a tantalizing pianoless quartet, using regular collaborators John Mosca on trombone, bassist Ari Roland, and drummer Stefan Schatz. After an earlier tribute to composer Gigi Gryce, Byars continues with three more of his songs, adding octogenarian vibraphonist Teddy Charles for the enticing slow blues "Straight Ahead" (with its meandering theme, it is anything but), while the leader's father is added on English horn in the ensembles for the breezy take of Gryce's well-known bop vehicle "Minority." Byars' exotic "Indra" features Schatz on kanjira (an Indian tambourine-like instrument, but without the metal rim) is full of twists and turns in its infectious theme, and his majestic "Himalayan Sunrise" has a Far Eastern air (with the backgrounds provided by both Mosca and Byars, Sr. on English horn) and rich harmonies often found in '50s jazz. This is yet another fine date by Chris Byars. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/bop-ography-mw0001983527

Personnel: Chris Byars (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); John Mosca (trombone); Stefan Schatz (drums); James Byars (oboe);  Teddy Charles (vibes);  Ari Roland (bass).

Bop-ography

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Russell Gunn - Plays Miles

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 52:06
Size: 85,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:20)  1. Tutu
(9:48)  2. Bitches Brew
(6:38)  3. Blue In Green
(7:24)  4. Footprints
(5:58)  5. Nardis
(5:45)  6. All Blues
(5:54)  7. Eighty One
(4:17)  8. New New Blues

Since introducing his hip hop/funk/fusion-centric Ethnomusicology series in 1999 culminating in Ethnomusicology Vol. 4: Live in Atlanta (Justin-Time, 2004)  forward-looking trumpeter Russell Gunn has alternated straight-ahead fare for HighNote like 2002's Blue on the D.L., with Ethnomusicology releases for a variety of labels. With Plays Miles, however, he finds clear common ground. Given his steadfast avoidance of labeling it's no surprise that Gunn is gradually moving towards a unified approach that brings together all of his diverse musical interests. There's no direct hip hop reference to be found here, but Gunn's tribute to musical paradigm shifter Miles Davis brings together post bop and fusion/funk in a remarkably integrated fashion. Most Miles tributes focus on one of the late trumpeter's many periods, but Gunn places material as old as the modal "All Blues and pensive "Blue in Green, from Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959), beside later material including the title tracks from Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1969) and Tutu (Warner Bros., 1986). Gunn encyclopedically finds the common thread running through the icon's four decade-plus career. 

Gunn's economical penchant for melodic development has everything to do with Miles. His thick tone, however, and a harmonic approach more evolved from the styles of Booker Little and Lee Morgan, bears little reference to the trumpet icon, making this a tribute that truly speaks with its own voice. "Tutu is as inevitably funky as the original, but more open-ended and less sonically dated, with keyboardist Orrin Evans alternating between acoustic piano, Rhodes and synthesizer. Gunn's Elektrik Butterfly Band is a small affair, also featuring bassist Mark Kelley, drummer Montez Coleman and percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell, resulting in a more spacious sound that contrasts with the greater density that Miles began with Bitches Brew and continued, with rare exception, to the end of his life. It also allows for greater interaction and clearer delineation. There are plenty of surprises. Ron Carter's "Eighty One, from E.S.P. (Columbia, 1965), is given a brisk Latin reworking, with Kelley and Coleman almost relentlessly propulsive. Evans' intro to "Blue in Green suggests a mainstream approach until the rhythm section enters and it morphs into a soulful take that would have been completely in context with Miles' '80s work if it weren't for Evans' remaining on acoustic piano throughout. Afro-beat meets go-go on the group's version of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints, from Miles Smiles (Columbia, 1966), while "Nardis revolves around Kelley's loosely repetitive bass line and features Evans at his show-stopping best. Gunn has always been a bit like actor/director Woody Allen: there's no middle ground, you either love him or hate him. With Plays Miles he's finally created a record that's funky, energetic and contemporary enough to appeal to Ethnomusicology fans while not neglecting the mainstream tradition that admirers of his HighNote discs are looking for. Rather than being a compromise it's the most stylistically assimilated record of his career, and may well convert some of his naysayers into new devotees. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-miles-russell-gunn-highnote-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Russell Gunn: trumpet, effects. The Elektrik Butterfly Band: Orrin Evans: keyboards; Mark Kelley: bass; Montez Coleman: drums; Kahlil Kwame Bell: percussion.

Plays Miles

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Joachim Schoenecker Trio & Minguet String Quartet - Nocturnes

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:13
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. City Lights
(5:51)  2. Visiting Darkness
(0:20)  3. Interlude
(6:56)  4. Eclectic Dance Scene
(7:32)  5. Sledding With Professor Ambrosius
(5:03)  6. While She Sleeps
(6:17)  7. Stella By Starlight
(6:43)  8. Turn Out the Stars
(5:08)  9. And So It Goes

Joachim Schoenecker: A master guitar-player of the modern age of classical jazz! With a style that is sure and expressive, technically brilliant and acoustically multicoloured, Joachim Schoenecker celebrates his musical visions with a smooth unobtrusiveness that is always on the same wavelength as his high-calibre band members. In the USA, the spiritual home of jazz, Schoenecker’s energy-charged music with its emotional, melodic ballads and virtuoso, sometimes breathtakingly fast-paced, tunes has long been considered the insider’s favourite on what is a very tough and demanding jazz scene. That Joachim Schoenecker is a first-rate guitarist is clearly evident on his latest album, Nocturnes: sensitive and technically perfect, this collection of tunes simply shines with the brilliance of his playing. However, his guitar by no means dominates the limelight, he also allows his equally talented colleagues Chander Sardjoe on drums and Dietmar Fuhr on bass the freedom and space to bloom in their own right. One particularly innovative feature of Nocturnes is, however, the dreamlike combination of this highly talented jazz trio with a classical string quartet (here: the Minguet Quartet). Rarely have jazz and classical instruments united so harmoniously to form one complete acoustic image. The very first piece “City Lights” creates a highly atmospheric closeness that is then characteristic of the entire album. The overall result is a musical delicacy, which impresses mainly through its astounding effortlessness and the dreamlike interaction between the different musicians.

Airy acoustic moments, intimate and gentle dialogues, dynamism and a wealth of variety characterise Schoenecker’s music. Attentive and introspective in the ballads, energy-packed and hands-on in the faster numbers Nocturnes will most certainly cause a stir in the jazz world and beyond, and not only in the States. With the 10 songs on Nocturnes, Schoenecker pays tribute to the “power of the night”, to the beauty and mystery of the “dark hours”. This wonderful atmosphere is impressively enhanced by the enormously intricate string arrangements of Florian Ross, which together with the dextrous skill of the trio make Nocturnes so unique. The listener can almost taste the electric atmosphere of the recording studio not least because of the high-quality recording and mastering technology that makes this hybrid Sacd into the most extraordinary sound experience around.

Born in 1966 and living in Cologne, Joachim Schoenecker is already according to music magazine Jazz Podium one of only a handful of people who have succeeded, with his début Cd, in “rising, in just one step, to the level of master guitarist of the modern age of classical jazz”. Since the release of his second CD, “In the Moment”, with an all-star American line-up comprising Chris Potter, Adam Nussbaum and John Goldsby, he has been fêted by the specialist press as one of the most outstanding European jazz guitarists on the scene. Schoenecker’s own compositions have all the makings of classics. And as evidenced by Nocturnes even pieces from the pens of luminaries such as Bill Evans or even Billy Joel become one with the musical vision of this recording artist and his companions. Numerous appearances in German and European jazz clubs and festivals, as well as a raft of guest appearances in various line-ups with internationally renowned musicians are further proof of Joachim Schoenecker’s high-quality talent. Since 1999, he has also been teaching jazz guitar and ensemble playing at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig. With outstanding ease and clarity, Joachim Schoenecker masters even the most difficult passages and fast-paced runs. But his virtuosity, though much lauded by the specialist press, is only one element of his playing. Schoenecker’s remarkable feel for melodic development, harmony and dramaturgical form, his amazingly original instrumental voice and the clear, sometimes melancholy, structures of his compositions will most certainly win over even those listeners who are not aficionados of jazz. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shoeneckerj1

Nocturnes

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Tony Bennett - Hot & Cool: Bennett Sings Ellington

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:48
Size: 139.2 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:58] 1. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[4:32] 2. Mood Indigo
[4:49] 3. She's Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[4:35] 4. Caravan
[3:58] 5. Chelsea Bridge
[3:56] 6. Azure
[3:38] 7. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[3:30] 8. In A Sentimental Mood
[3:16] 9. Take The A' Train/Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[4:43] 10. Sophisticated Lady
[6:53] 11. In A Mellow Tone
[3:56] 12. Day Dream
[4:55] 13. Prelude To A Kiss
[4:00] 14. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Tony Bennett's practically inevitable commemoration of the Duke Ellington centenary is an appropriately blue-chip affair, with a big band and orchestra augmenting the Ralph Sharon Quartet on arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli, who has slowed the tempos to give the singer time to give intimate interpretations to the lyrics of songs like "Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady." Especially impressive are the less familiar tunes, such as "Azure" and "Day Dream." The slowest tunes also leave room for expressive solos by trombonist Al Grey and trumpeter Wynton Maralis ("Mood Indigo") and violinist Joel Smirnoff ("Sophisticated Lady"). Marsalis even gets his own tune, "Chelsea Bridge," to himself, which means, oddly, that on an album called Bennett Sings Ellington, there is a track on which Bennett does not sing and that was not written by Ellington! ("Chelsea Bridge" was composed by Ellington's partner Billy Strayhorn.) When you hear it, though, it's hard to complain. Less effective is the decision to stick short excerpts of "Take the 'A' Train" (never heard in its entirety) in between many of the tracks. But the main pleasure here is found in Bennett's vocals. In his early seventies, he probably couldn't have belted these songs if they'd been played in more demonstrative ways, but he gets a lot of out them in his breathy, conversational style. ~William Ruhlmann

Hot & Cool Bennett Sings Ellington      

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David Murray Infinity Quartet - Be My Monster Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:09
Size: 128.6 MB
Styles: Post Bop, Modern creative
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[6:53] 1. French Kiss For Valerie
[6:34] 2. Be My Monster Love
[6:42] 3. Stressology
[6:18] 4. Army Of The Faithful (Joyful Noise)
[8:58] 5. Sorrow Song
[7:47] 6. About The Children
[5:39] 7. The Graduate
[7:14] 8. Hope Is A Thing With Feathers

David Murray: tenor saxophone; Marc Cary: piano,organ; Jaribu Shahid: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums; Bobby Bradford: cornet; Macy Gray: vocals; Gregory Porter: vocals.

David Murray's last Motema Music offering, Plays Nat King Cole en Español, wowed listeners with its inventive reading of the music from the great singer's two Spanish-language albums with a Cuban ensemble. On Be My Monster Love, Murray unveils his Infinity Quartet (named for the jazz loft he and Stanley Crouch operated in New York in the 1970s) with pianist/organist Marc Cary, drummer Nasheet Waits, and bassist Jaribu Shahid. While a Latin-tinged groove on opener "French Kiss for Valerie" sets the tone in post-bop terms, this is a varied affair that showcases the many aspects of the tradition Murray embodies in both his playing and arranging. He provides a link between an Ellington-ian elegance and the deep, gospel-influenced emotionalism of Albert Ayler, the soulful, melodic, inquisitive investigations of Ben Webster, and the modal openness of John Coltrane. The title track features Macy Gray (the first of three tunes here with lyrics by writer Ishmael Reed), offering her raw, sensual vocal on a fingerpopping swinger. Gregory Porter makes three appearances as well, first on the nearly gospel-ized R&B of "Army of the Faithful (Joyful Noise)," driven by Cary's B-3 and recalling Murray's Special Quartet with the late Don Pullen. The midtempo "Sorrow Song" is actually a deeply moving ballad with the saxophonist offering a rounded warmth in his tone as Waits' skittering cymbals set the groove. Rich, modal soul and Latin rhythms underpin Porter's vocal on "About the Children," with lyrics by Last Poet Abiodun Oyewole. Shahid's bassline is a propulsive glue, holding seemingly disparate elements together in a glorious whole. Murray's former teacher, trumpeter Bobby Bradford, guests with the quartet on the skillfully skewed blues walk that is "The Graduate." But the set's finest moment is on the nearly straight-ahead sprint that is "Stressology," with Murray getting in some of his most fleet-fingered lines and righteous groans. The interplay between Cary's piano and Shahid's bass is breathtaking. Be My Monster Love is a diverse, travel modern creative jazz through a prismatic lens. While Murray's compositions are tighter and more song-like than ever (the presence of these excellent vocalists highlights this), he simultaneously offers a group of stellar players the opportunity (collectively and individually) to shine and push their margins. Highly recommended. ~Thom Jurek

Be My Monster Love

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Chico Freeman / Von Freeman - Freeman & Freeman

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:08
Size: 162.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1981/2008
Art: Front

[ 8:12] 1. I Can't Get Started
[19:58] 2. Paying New York Dues
[ 6:36] 3. The Shadow Of Your Smile
[ 6:18] 4. Lover Man
[14:30] 5. Undercurrent
[ 5:27] 6. I Remember You
[10:04] 7. Jug Ain't Gone

The two tenors Chico Freeman and father Von Freeman had an opportunity to team up on this CD. Recorded live in concert, the Freemans are assisted by pianist Kenny Barron (Muhal Richard Abrams takes his place on "Paying New York Dues"), bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Von actually sounds the more modern of the two (due to his unusual tone) on a set mostly comprised of standards, plus McBee's "Undercurrents" and the lengthy jamming blues "Jug Ain't Gone," a tribute to Gene Ammons. The straight-ahead but sometimes eccentric music has its surprising moments, and the Freemans mostly battle to a tie. ~Scott Yanow

Freeman & Freeman

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Sarah Menescal - Consequence Of Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:12
Size: 76.0 MB
Styles: Lounge, Bossa Nova
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. Adventure Of A Lifetime
[3:35] 2. Save A Prayer
[3:48] 3. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
[2:50] 4. Lanternas Dos Afogados
[3:09] 5. Free Fallin'
[3:54] 6. Never Be The Same
[2:11] 7. Can't Get Enough Of You Baby
[2:50] 8. Mercy Mercy Me
[4:03] 9. Shout
[2:52] 10. Don't Stop Believin'

Sarah Menescal is the singer who has brought the bossa nova till an absolutely new place. Owner of a gorgeous voice and surrounded of an incredible crew of producers and musician she has arrived to the record studios with a solid career on her back. (Vintage Café, Jazz and 80s series, etc) On our artistic profit they have recorded this, her second album: "Consequence of Love" giving extremely sensitive versions of pop hits like Adventure of a Lifetime, Shout, Free Fallin´, Mercy, Mercy Me and Lanterna dos Afogados, among many others.

Consequence Of Love

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Cannonball Adderley & His Orchestra - African Waltz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:28
Size: 81.2 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Modern big band
Year: 1961/1993
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Something Different
[4:03] 2. West Coast Blues
[2:59] 3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:13] 4. The Uptown
[3:39] 5. Stockholm Sweetnin'
[2:10] 6. African Waltz
[4:51] 7. Blue Brass Groove
[3:48] 8. Kelly Blue
[1:58] 9. Letter From Home
[3:40] 10. I'll Close My Eyes
[3:01] 11. This Here

Alto Saxophone – Cannonball Adderley; Alto Saxophone, Flute – George Dorsey; Baritone Saxophone – Arthur Clarke; Bass – Sam Jones; Congas – Ray Barretto; Drums – Charlie Persip, Louis Hayes; Piano – Wynton Kelly; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Jerome Richardson, Oliver Nelson; Trombone – Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston, Paul Faulise; Trumpet – Clark Terry, Ernie Royal, Nat Adderley, Nick Travis; Tuba – Don Butterfield. Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City; February 28, May 9 and 15, 1961.

The music on African Waltz is better than it should be. Cannonball Adderley had a fluke hit with "African Waltz," so a full album was recorded with the hopes of coming up with additional hits. These 11 selections (which include "African Waltz") feature altoist Adderley backed by an 18-piece big band with arrangements provided by Ernie Wilkins and Bob Brookmeyer. The tunes clock in between two and five minutes and leave little room for much improvising by anyone other than Cannonball, his brother Nat on cornet, and pianist Wynton Kelly. There is some strong material on the set (including "West Coast Blues," "Stockholm Sweetnin'" and a remake of "This Here"), but the results are not too substantial and this was not that big a seller but it is still a reasonably enjoyable effort. ~Scott Yanow

African Waltz

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Ellis Marsalis, Makoto Ozone - Pure Pleasure For The Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:46
Size: 107,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:49)  1. Confusing Blues
(7:19) 2. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
(4:40)  3. Sweet Georgia Brown
(4:23)  4. A Moment Alone
(6:45)  5. Emily
(7:41)  6. Longing For The Past
(6:03)  7. What Is This Thing Called Love
(5:03)  8. Struttin' With Some Barbecue

It is a bit ironic that Ellis Marsalis had to wait for sons Wynton and Branford to get famous before he was able to record on a regular basis, but Ellis finally received his long-overdue recognition. The father of six sons (including Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason), Ellis Marsalis' main importance to jazz may very well be as a jazz educator; his former pupils (in addition to his sons) include Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, among others. He started out as a tenor saxophonist, switching to piano while in high school. Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians of the era who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm & blues. He played with fellow modernists (including Ed Blackwell) in the late '50s with AFO, recorded with Cannonball and Nat Adderley in the 1960s, played with Al Hirt (1967-1970), and was busy as a teacher. Marsalis freelanced in New Orleans during the 1970s and taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He recorded with Wynton and Branford on Father and Sons in 1982, an album that they shared with Chico and Von Freeman. After that, Marsalis recorded for ELM, Spindletop (a duet session with Eddie Harris), Rounder, Blue Note, and Columbia, issuing Twelve's It on the latter in 1998. Duke in Blue followed a year later. Since that time, Marsalis has kept busy releasing Afternoon Session, An Open Letter to Thelonious, and Ruminations. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ellis-marsalis/id503569#fullText

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Branford Marsalis (tracks: 8);  Piano – Ellis Marsalis, Makoto Ozone

Pure Pleasure For The Piano

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Andrea Motis, Joan Chamorro, Orquestra Simfonica del Valles - Live at Palau De La Musica

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Solitude
(4:51)  2. Sophisticated Lady
(4:04)  3. My Favorite Things
(5:52)  4. Body and Soul
(4:04)  5. The Girl from Ipanema
(6:05)  6. Lover Man
(5:16)  7. Sun Showers
(3:42)  8. Crazy He Calls Me
(6:44)  9. La Javanesa
(4:59) 10. Feeling Good

In 2012 we recieved a proposal by the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès to make a concert together in the cycle Simfònics al Palau. Immediatly we found the idea very interesting. Before, on our second album, Feeling Good, we had recorded some songs with a string quartet and we loved the experience. Now they gave us the opportunity to go further and be accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra. 

We accepted the proposal and we agreed on the repertoire to write the arrangements based on it, looking for a variety of rythms and that everyone felt comfortable. The concert was a success and the result is reflected in this new work. We hope you enjoy it. https://andreamotisjoanchamorro.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-palau-de-la-m-sica

Live at Palau De La Musica

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Grant Green - Reaching Out

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:49
Size: 151,0 MB
Art: Front

( 5:22)  1. Reaching Out (Take 4)
( 6:49)  2. Our Miss Brooks (Take 4)
( 7:51)  3. A Flick Of A Truck (Take 1)
( 6:09)  4. One For Elena (Take 5)
( 9:15)  5. Baby, You Should Know It (Take 3)
( 5:28)  6. Falling In Love With Love (Take 1)
( 6:47)  7. Reaching Out (Take 1)
(10:13)  8. Our Miss Brooks (Take 1)
( 7:52)  9. One For Elena (Take 4)

Grant Green was just established as a leader by 1961 when these recordings were made, but this is not the typical Blue Note date that stamped his individuality in following years. Though Green is credited as the leader, those responsibilities are accepted by tenor saxophonist Frank Haynes, one of the most obscure but tastiest players on his instrument this side of Joe Henderson and Stanley Turrentine. The cool, spacious, thoughtful and unhurried sound of Haynes dominates this recording, as Green barely comes up for air on solos or the occasional joint melody line. Billy Gardner, better known as an organist, plays beautifully and with feeling on the piano, while bassist Ben Tucker and the great drummer Dave Bailey team up to provide the perfect, steady rhythmic foundation so essential to great mainstream jazz expressionism. Detroiter Rudy Stevenson consistently contributed to Green's repertoire, and here he delivers the title selection, a steady, subtle bop line, while Gardner wrote "One for Elena," another bop tune for Haynes and his understated demeanor, with Green's signature single-note staccato style emerging on his solo. Tucker always a solid musician contributes the compositions "A Flick of a Trick" and "Baby, You Should Know It," the former an easy swinging blues based jazz tune with Gardner's rumbling piano and a plus-plus solo, while the latter is a famous soul-jazz classic, vocalized in later years, but here a nice, long groove tune where Haynes and Green play in tandem. Harold Vick's "Our Miss Brooks" became a staple of Green's repertoire after this session, here it is rendered in a slow grinding blues base, with Green's one-note accents and simple rhythm guitar buoyancy. In only one instance, Green leads out for "Falling in Love with Love" as his true colors and personalized vibe shines. There are much longer master first takes on the CD reissue of "Reaching Out," "Our Miss Brooks," and "One for Elena." As most of Grant Green's best work is on the Blue Note label, these developmental sessions constitute a fledgling effort, easily treasured by his fans. It is also a high-water mark for Haynes, who sadly passed away only four years after this album was made. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/reaching-out-mw0000310852

Personnel:  Dave Bailey – drums;  Frank Haynes - tenor saxophone;  Billy Gardner – piano;  Grant Green – guitar;  Ben Tucker - bass

Reaching Out

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