Harry Allen - Christmas in Swingtime

Styles: Christmas
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:30
Size: 158,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. O Christmas Tree
(6:22)  2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
(5:46)  3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
(5:52)  4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
(6:10)  5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
(5:51)  6. White Christmas
(3:28)  7. Blue Christmas
(6:07)  8. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
(5:13)  9. Rudolph Red-Nosed Reindeer
(5:26) 10. I'll Be Home for Christmas
(3:01) 11. Ding! Dong! Merry on High
(5:20) 12. Winter Wonderland
(4:03) 13. A Christmas Love Song

Although it was recorded in New York City, the liner notes for this splendid holiday release by tenor saxophonist Harry Allen are in Japanese, an indication that it was not necessarily aimed at a domestic audience but one that is somewhat farther east. What’s more, the copy I have is on the BMG label while the accompanying press release is from Koch Jazz, which, presumably, obtained the distribution rights from BMG (and has provided an English translation of Dan Polletta’s notes). Are you following me so far? Good. There’ll be a pop quiz later. Allen, who turned thirty–five in October (happy birthday, Harry), is a throwback to an earlier era in which lyricism and a lovely sound reigned supreme, and his influences range from Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster to Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and, among his contemporaries, Scott Hamilton. To these ears, he sounds most like Getz with Zoot’s unerring sense of time. What’s important, of course, is that Allen swings under any and all conditions including seasonal. When it comes to Jazz, there’s little difference between Christmas songs and others; they’re all comprised of chord changes, and once one knows the changes he can treat them like any other number, which is what Allen and his talented colleagues do here. After stating the melody they take the song wherever it leads them, which is invariably along a most picturesque and agreeable byway. Larry Goldings, who’s also an excellent pianist, stays with the Hammond on this date. He and mellow guitarist Peter Bernstein obviate the need for a bassist, while drummer Jake Hanna is a model of taste and proficiency. The quartet is augmented on one number, “Blue Christmas,” by vocalist John Pizzarelli who sounds rather like a latter–day version of Chet Baker. Most of these tunes should be immediately familiar to anyone who’s not been sequestered in a cave, the possible exception being Johnny Mandel’s “Christmas Love Song,” which closes the album. There’s one bona fide “burner,” the traditional carol “Ding! Dong! Merry on High,” on which everyone is in an exuberant holiday mood. The rest is slow to medium but no less earnest. If you can envision Stan Getz playing carols and other seasonal fare you’ll have a reasonably accurate idea of what to expect from Christmas in Swingtime.

 ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/christmas-in-swingtime-harry-allen-koch-international-jazz-review-by-jack-bowers.php
 

Personnel: Harry Allen, tenor saxophone; Larry Goldings, organ; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Jake Hanna, drums; John Pizzarelli, vocal

Christmas in Swingtime

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Junior Mance Trio +1 - Yesterdays

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:48
Size: 148.4 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[ 7:16] 1. Willow Weep For Me
[ 8:06] 2. Yesterdays
[ 7:48] 3. Georgia On My Mind
[ 4:52] 4. C Jam Blues
[10:12] 5. Summertime
[ 4:12] 6. Something
[ 8:04] 7. Cry Me A River
[ 9:02] 8. Blue Monk
[ 5:13] 9. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life

Junior Mance (piano); Chip Jackson (bass); Jackie Williams (drums); Eric Alexander (tenor sax). Recorded on December 10, 2000 at The Studio, NYC, by Katherine Miller.

Jazz legend Junior Mance remains very popular among Japanese jazz fans, and has been making quite a few important albums for Japanese labels. Yesterdays, recorded in 2000 for M&I, is one of them. It's special appeal, in addition to the great, bluesy pianism by the leader and the wonderful performance by bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Jackie Willaims, is the appearance of the young tenor titan Eric Alexander on five tunes.

Both firmly rooted in the tradition of jazz, and with the "heavy" sound that relies on the midrange of their respective instruments, Mance and Alexander show great rapport with one another. Recorded in New York by Katherine Miller, the sound of this CD is also very good! Strongly recommended!

Yesterdays

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Barbara Cook & Michael Feinstein - Cheek To Cheek

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:17
Size: 131.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Standards, Show tunes
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. I’ve Got The World On A String
[3:23] 2. Cheek To Cheek
[3:43] 3. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
[3:21] 4. The World Keeps Changing/There’ll Be Some Changes Made
[6:05] 5. The Very Thought Of You Tea For Two
[3:36] 6. Ac-Cent-Tchuate The Positive
[3:35] 7. Ever After
[3:26] 8. Where Do You Start
[3:25] 9. You Could Drive A Person Crazy
[4:49] 10. Without A Song
[4:59] 11. Here's To Life
[5:03] 12. You're Gonna Hear From Me
[3:14] 13. Give Me The Simple Life
[5:27] 14. Shine On Harvest Moon

Bass – David Finck; Drums – Warren Odze; Piano – John Oddo, Lee Musiker, Michael Feinstein, Zina Goldrich; Reeds – Aaron Heick; Trumpet – George Rabbai. Recorded live September 30 to October 2, 2010 at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.

Michael Feinstein hosts Barbara Cook, the reigning queen of New York cabaret, at his own club, Feinstein's at Loews Regency, in this album recorded during their joint appearance in the fall of 2010. Feinstein may count himself a nightclub veteran of a quarter-century's standing by now, but of course he has nothing on the octogenarian Cook, who remains in excellent voice and was vigorous enough to have made her return to Broadway earlier in the year in the musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim. From that show, she borrows the duet arrangement of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" to give her and Feinstein something to joust about here. Most of the time, however, they are of like minds and in warm harmony when they sing together. The set has no particular theme, simply consisting of a batch of quality songs and standards. If there is any overall message, it seems to be a celebratory and upbeat one, with songs such as "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and "Here's to Life" (Cook solos) and "Without a Song" and "You're Gonna Hear from Me" (Feinstein solos), as well as joint efforts like "Give Me the Simple Life." Different accompanists (including Feinstein himself) slide onto the piano stool at different times, and sometimes a reed (Aaron Heick) and a horn (George Rabbai) join a rhythm section (David Finck, bass, and Warren Odze, drums) for a Dixieland flavor. Cook and Feinstein turn out to be complementary performers, both capable of belting or burning a torch by turn, and displaying considerable rapport that makes the age difference between them disappear. ~William Ruhlmann

Cheek To Cheek

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The Band - The Band (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:03
Size: 162.7 MB
Styles: Country rock
Year: 1969/2000
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Across The Great Divide
[3:00] 2. Rag Mama Rag
[3:30] 3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[3:10] 4. When You Awake
[4:28] 5. Up On Cripple Creek
[3:55] 6. Whispering Pines
[3:29] 7. Jemima Surrender
[3:40] 8. Rockin' Chair
[3:07] 9. Look Out Cleveland
[4:18] 10. Jawbone
[4:14] 11. Unfaithful Servant
[3:35] 12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
[2:15] 13. Get Up Jake
[3:02] 14. Rag Mama Rag
[4:13] 15. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[4:51] 16. Up On Cripple Creek
[5:03] 17. Whispering Pines
[3:45] 18. Jemima Surrender
[4:28] 19. King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

Robertson and his mates had the songs and the sound to make an all-time classic with their second LP. This hit #9 in '69; this reissue has two versions each of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; Rag Mama Rag , and Up on Cripple Creek plus more bonus tracks!

Popularly known as the "Brown Album," this is the collection people first think of when this august outfit's name is mentioned. The four-parts Canadian, one-part Arkansan quintet's sophomore effort boasts more soon-to-be-staples than any other Band studio recording, what with the likes of the Joan Baez hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Across the Great Divide," and "Up on Cripple Creek" standing out among the dozen uniformly memorable tracks. Lesser-known group originals such as the achingly lovely "Whispering Pines" and the cryptic "Unfaithful Servant," however, play crucial roles in giving this 1969 classic its unique flavor. Given the high standard established by The Band and its better-still 1968 predecessor, Music from Big Pink, it's not surprising the Band peaked early as a recording group. As with all the 2000 Band reissues, this remastered reissue boasts a number of bonus tracks, though all but "Get Up Jake" are alternate takes of album selections. --Steven Stolder

The Band (Remastered)

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Earl Hines - The Mighty Fatha

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:40
Size: 157.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1973/2016
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Save It Pretty Mama
[2:55] 2. Bye Bye Baby
[4:20] 3. Smoke Rings
[8:00] 4. Shoe Shine Boy
[3:42] 5. Stanley Steamer
[4:15] 6. Bernie's Tune
[4:15] 7. Dream Of You
[4:05] 8. Undecided
[5:13] 9. Fatha's Blues
[4:19] 10. A Sunday Kind Of Love
[3:25] 11. I've Found A New Baby
[4:22] 12. Squeeze Me
[3:22] 13. Tosca's Dance
[3:36] 14. Jim
[5:21] 15. Black Coffee
[3:35] 16. You Always Hurt The One You Love

Bass – Richard Davis; Drums – Elvin Jones; Piano – Earl Hines.

Once called "the first modern jazz pianist," Earl Hines differed from the stride pianists of the 1920s by breaking up the stride rhythms with unusual accents from his left hand. While his right hand often played octaves so as to ring clearly over ensembles, Hines had the trickiest left hand in the business, often suspending time recklessly but without ever losing the beat. One of the all-time great pianists, Hines was a major influence on Teddy Wilson, Jess Stacy, Joe Sullivan, Nat King Cole, and even to an extent on Art Tatum. He was also an underrated composer responsible for "Rosetta," "My Monday Date," and "You Can Depend on Me," among others. ~Scott Yanow

The Mighty Fatha

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:07
Size: 167.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Stage & Screen, Standards
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Johnny Mercer - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Sante Fe
[3:10] 2. Jo Stafford - It Could Happen To You
[2:54] 3. Johnny Mercer - San Fernando Valle
[2:57] 4. Margaret Whiting - In Love In Vain
[2:38] 5. Paul Weston And His Orchestra - Ole Buttermilk Sky
[2:51] 6. Johnny Mercer - Baby, It's Cold Outside
[2:55] 7. The Dinning Sisters - Buttons And Bows
[3:15] 8. Jo Stafford - Blues In The Night
[2:58] 9. The Pied Pipers - The Trolley Song
[3:03] 10. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[2:59] 11. Gordon Macrae - It's Magic
[2:55] 12. Mel Blanc - I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat
[3:08] 13. Mel Tormé - Again
[2:48] 14. Bob Hope - Home Cookin'
[2:30] 15. Sammy Davis Jr. - Laura
[3:03] 16. Peggy Lee - Where Are You
[3:17] 17. Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa
[2:52] 18. Les Baxter - Ruby
[2:43] 19. Tex Ritter - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)
[2:59] 20. Jane Froman - I'll Walk Alone
[2:39] 21. Bob Hope - Wing-Ding Tonight
[2:51] 22. Hoagy Carmichael - When Love Goes Wrong
[2:31] 23. Tennessee Ernie Ford - River Of No Return
[3:14] 24. June Hutton - Never In A Million Years
[2:43] 25. Les Baxter - The High And The Mighty

It's a no-brainer that the Capitol From the Vaults series would dedicate a volume to their affluent association with the cinematic side of Hollywood. This is especially true since label co-founder Buddy de Sylva was previously the head of production for Paramount Pictures. As pop music artist and scholar Billy Vera points out in his liner notes essay, the label's first hit -- "Cow Cow Boogie" by Ella Mae Morse -- was featured in the all-star propaganda film Reveille With Beverly (1943). The tradition served Capitol well throughout their first decade and there are over two dozen examples -- which Vera also notes as being nowhere near complete -- on this single CD compilation. Many of these sides not only scored big at the box office, but held their own on the national pop and country & western charts as well. Included are a bevy of Top Ten hits such as "The High and the Mighty" (Les Baxter), "It Could Happen to You" (Jo Stafford), "Buttons and Bows" (Dinning Sisters), and even the animated antics of "I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" (Mel Blanc). This collection also features a couple of chart-toppers -- "On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe" (Johnny Mercer) as well as "Mona Lisa," the latter of which was also given an Oscar as "Best Song" in 1950 for its use in Captain Carey U.S.A. As an obvious labor of love, the audio in the Capitol From the Vaults series is unsurpassed -- rising to the occasion of such memorable pop music. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

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Grant Stewart - More Urban Tones

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:17
Size: 142,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Nica's Tempo
(8:42)  2. I Should Care
(7:21)  3. You Go To My Head
(7:26)  4. Rabbitron
(6:45)  5. All Through The Night
(8:04)  6. You Sweet And Fancy Lady
(7:06)  7. Manhattan Bridge
(7:12)  8. Pie-Eye Blues

Born in Toronto, Canada on June 4, 1971, Grant Stewart was exposed to the music of Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray and Coleman Hawkins by his father, a high-school English teacher and semiprofessional guitarist. Father and son often played together for hours on end. It was through these early experiences and his father's encouragement that Stewart first developed a strong ear for melody, style, and improvisation. He began with the alto saxophone at age 10, and when he was 14 his first teacher, noted Toronto bandleader Pete Schofield, invited him to play professionally in Schofield's Big Band. At 17 he switched to the tenor saxophone and was soon playing with such master saxophonists as Pat Labarbara and Bob Mover. Stewart considers Mover to be one of his greatest teachers and among his strongest influences along with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Don Byas, and Lester Young.

Since moving to New York City at the age of 19, Stewart has studied with such masters as Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, and Joe Lovano, and performed with Curtis Fuller, John Hendricks, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, Bill Charlap, Frank Gant, Dan Barrett, Bob Mover, Brad Mehldau, Russell Malone, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb, Harry Connick , Harold Mabern, Mickey Roker, Arthur Harper, Jimmy Lovelace, Cecil Payne, Dick Hyman, Herb Geller and was a member of the last Al Grey Sextet. Stewart can be found playing at such clubs in NY as, Birdland, Smoke, The Ketano, The Jazz Standard, Fat Cat and can be heard every Tuesday night at Smalls Jazz Club. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as Japan, Brazil, Taiwan and was one of the first jazz artists to be invited to play at the historical Hermitage Museum in St.Petersberg Russia. Grant was also a featured artist at the Guggenheim Museums' Jazz series with his trio-featuring Jimmy Cobb. Stewart has two releases as a leader out on Criss Cross, Downtown Sounds and More Urban Tones, as well as a third on the Fresh Sounds label entitled Buen Rollo. Downtown Sounds, heralded by critics in the U.S., Canada and Europe, was recorded in 1992 and includes Brad Mehldau, piano, Kenny Washington, drums, Peter Washington, bass and Joe Magnarelli, trumpet. Geoff Chapman, of the Toronto Star selected Downtown Sounds as one of the Top Five Jazz Albums of 1994. More Urban Tones features Peter Bernstein, guitar, Peter Washington, bass, and Billy Drummond, drums. You can also hear Grant on Ryan Kisors' recent Quintet release The Awakening on Criss Cross Jazz. One of his latest projects is a two-tenor group co-led with Eric Alexander. The C.D.is called Wailin' and is available on Criss Cross. Grant's latest quintet release Estate featuring Bill Charlap and Joe Cohn is available on Criss Cross as well. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/grantstewart

Personnel:  Grant Stewart (Ts);  Peter Bernstein (G);  Peter Washington (B);  Billy Drummond (D);  Chris Byars (Ts);  Jay Collins (Ts).

More Urban Tones

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Alexia Gardner - Jammin': Live in Shanghai

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:17
Size: 149,8 MB
Art: Front

(1:30)  1. The Moon Shines On My Heart
(3:45)  2. Cheek To Cheek
(4:57)  3. Let There Be Love
(5:14)  4. The Man I Love
(5:46)  5. Even As We Speak
(3:36)  6. I Hear Music
(4:15)  7. Change The World
(4:44)  8. Girl Talk
(4:18)  9. Jammin'
(4:21) 10. Mean To Me
(5:32) 11. Help Me Make It Through The Night
(7:10) 12. Fool On A Hill
(4:17) 13. To Be Free
(5:46) 14. Refrain. The Moon Shines On My Heart

Alexia's second Album - 'Jammin' Alexia Gardner, Live in Shanghai' - is a wonderful follow-up to her debut album -'The Rest Of Your Life'. Once again it was recorded in a "Live" setting which captures Alexia's unique command of a "Live" audience. She interacts easily with her listeners and has the abilty to keep them 'spellbound'! This cd has a strong audience participation and a fun, in-the-moment, feel to it! It is the culmination of a 6 month residency at JC Mandarin - a luxury five star hotel - in the middle of down-town Shanghai! There is a warmth and ease of playing between the band members. A together-ness that came from their Thursday - Saturday feature at the Hotel. The Room - The Wine Bar and Grill - was a warm, dark, intimate setting, hues of red decour making it a fitting, late night jazz concert! Dr Dwight Dickerson is on piano. He is from Los Angeles, California. A master on the piano. A Professor of music as well as a truely outstanding musician. You will hear his strong, distinct style throughout the cd. Alexia feels she is very fortunate to have him play on her second album.

The electric bass, in this ensemble, brings a strong, fat, bass sound throughout. It provides a superb contrast to the accoustic bass of the first album. Nicholas McBride an Australian is a master on the drums. He adds his gentle brushes for the soft ballads and mid-tempo feels and a funky or reggae or swing rhythm when needed. All three musicians furnish Alexia's light, warm jazz side as well as her swinging, up-tempo, fun songs. Alexia Gardner is a British girl of Jamaican parents, currently based in the art city of Basel, Switzerland. Her tours and concerts have brought her to this fascinating recording. This Global exposure is particularly reflected in Alexia's second album. She chose to open and close her cd with a glimpse of a traditional Chinese Song -'The Moon Shines On My Heart'. A beautiful ballad which then slides effortlessly into the traditional jazz feel of the next track - 'Cheek to Cheek'.  This is a really groovy cd! An enjoyable cd! A "must have" in your collection of Live recordings. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alexiagardner2

Jammin':  Live in Shanghai

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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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