Steve Davis - Quality of Silence

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:23
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. The Quality of Your Silence
(5:27)  2. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:46)  3. One Two Free
(4:27)  4. I Thought About You
(4:19)  5. Yesterdays
(6:13)  6. Infant Eyes
(2:16)  7. Free To Be Me
(6:21)  8. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(5:46)  9. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:12) 10. Freedom
(4:59) 11. A Cole Porter Flat

Drummer Steve Davis has a keen ear that appreciates the sounds of silence as well as the sounds of music. “The power and beauty of a song is determined by the notes that you don’t play, as much as it is the notes you play,” Davis muses in the liners. Though an oft-touted goal, it’s one not generally made by drummers. Here, however, Davis really does “play” the silences thus living up to the promise of the project’s title. Indeed, it’s the charged negative spaces surrounding the notes as much as the notes themselves that keep resonating after the music has faded. Here, Davis’ implosive minimalism is fleshed out by soprano saxist Tim Ries, guitarist John Hart, bassist Drew Gress and pianist Andy LaVerne. “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” typifies the approach. Taken at a dizzyingly slow tempo, each pearl of Kern’s melodic strand stands alone, suspended against a black velvet void. Even when the tempo zooms, there’s still great clarity. Davis is a visionary, a master percussionist whose sticks and brushes paint rather than pound. Yes, Davis solos with elan (check out his pungent sketch at the end of “Blackbird”). This, however, is a project in which group interactions rather than soloistic stunting carry the day. ~ Chuck Berg https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/steve-davis-quality-of-silence/

Personnel: Steve Davis (drums); Tim Ries (soprano saxophone); Andy LaVerne (piano); John Hart (guitar); Drew Gress (bass).

Quality of Silence

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Suzanne Vega - Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:43
Size: 84,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. Crack in the Wall
(2:39)  2. Fool's Complaint
(3:08)  3. I Never Wear White
(4:18)  4. Portrait of the Knight of Wands
(3:31)  5. Don't Uncork What You Can't Contain
(4:05)  6. Jacob and the Angel
(3:47)  7. Silver Bridge
(4:05)  8. Song of the Stoic
(3:52)  9. Laying On of Hands - Stoic 2
(2:50) 10. Horizon (There Is a Road)

The four volumes in Suzanne Vega's Close-Up series revisited her catalog thematically with stripped-down charts. It appealed to her base of fans who patiently waited seven years for new material. The ten songs on Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles fits that bill. The set was produced by longtime associate and co-writer Gerry Leonard, and played by a weighty studio cast. The album isn't so much a change of musical direction as it is a classy revisioning of Vega's trademark sound. These tracks address many of humanity's big themes through Vega's canny, detailed gaze, sometimes with the added weight of the metaphorical wisdom from the tarot. "Crack in the Wall" is a Buddhist reflection on awareness with the songwriter's signature tight lines and vivid physical descriptions. Its martial snare and painterly electric guitars are countered by Larry Campbell's mandolin and banjo. "I Never Wear White" is a punchy rocker with Leonard's big fuzzy guitars up front, a whomping bassline by Tony Levin, and the loud drums of Jay Bellerose. Its lyric reveals Vega has lost none of her wry sense of humor. "Don't Uncork What You Can't Contain" samples 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" in an allegorical tale about caution, with Pandora as one of its muses. "Song of the Stoic" updates "Luka," in a sense. Written from a drifting, hardworking male's point of view, it uncovers the emotional cost that physical abuse can take on an adult life. Its musical vehicle is angular rockist Americana, with the Smichov Chamber Orchestra Prague providing windswept accompaniment, making the lyric's emotional impression indelible. "Laying on of Hands/Stoic 2" discusses the cost of repression physical and psychological with Mother Teresa and Epictetus its referent examples. 

The rumbling bassline and slippery backbeat feeds Vega's sung cadences as a psych-tinged six-string fills lines and codas; both feature the powerful backing vocals of Catherine Russell. Not everything here works, though. "Portrait of the Knight of Wands," despite its attractive melody, is marred by a very clunky refrain, and "Jacob and the Angel" feels more like a demo than a finished track. Closer "Horizon (There Is a Road)" is dedicated to Václav Havel's memory. It's a gentle acoustic rocker with an elegant trumpet solo in the bridge. It's the one place here where Vega's trademark detachment doesn't reign. Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles is a welcome return by an artist who has remained stubbornly true to herself and only records when she has something new to say. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/tales-from-the-realm-of-the-queen-of-pentacles-mw0002608210

Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles

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Steve LaSpina - Play Room

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 64:07
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:56)  1. Play Room
( 9:04)  2. Do The Math
(13:35)  3. Suite: It's Just Crazy-It Never Ends-That Explains It
( 3:19)  4. Melissa
(10:08)  5. On The Run
( 8:51)  6. Ashcroft Avenue
(12:11)  7. Just Because

Juggling a whirlwind schedule as a musician, father and student means that bassist Steve LaSpina is always in constant motion. Play Room is a selection of original compositions that comment on the recent state of affairs in his life. The music is lively, contemplative, playful and always involving. The title cut serves as the album's mission statement, placing avant-garde sensibilities within a bop framework. Dave Ballou and Billy Drewes banter mischievously on trumpet and soprano sax, and Gary Versace barks on the Hammond B-3. The shifting time signatures contribute to the overall feeling of spontaneity.  "Do The Math is a more conventional mid-tempo tune, with LaSpina's pizzicato and Versace's excellent piano complementing each other. The three-part suite ("It's Just Crazy -"It Never Ends -"That Explains It ) begins slowly, with LaSpina's dolorous plucking and measured playing by Drewes and Ballou. The suite gathers steam, then opens the valves to the most straight-ahead playing on the album, highlighted by Drewes' gritty tenor sax.

The album pauses for breath with "Melissa, a heartfelt duet by LaSpina and Versace, dominated by LaSpina's robust pizzicato. Then it's back on the treadmill with "On The Run, where Drewes' fluttering soprano works with Ballou's Harmon-muted trumpet. "Ashcroft Avenue continues the dynamism between Drewes and Ballou (on flugelhorn here), with some splendid piano from Versace. LaSpina's arco on "Just Because sounds like a man explaining why he's down on his luck, with Versace's initially nuanced and eventually spiraling organ serving as a sympathetic audience. And that's the trademark of Play Room: throughout the album the musicians don't seem to be playing their instruments as much as having a series of organized, spirited conversations. ~ Terrell Kent Holmes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/play-room-steve-laspina-steeplechase-records-review-by-terrell-kent-holmes.php
 

Personnel: Steve LaSpina: bass; Dave Ballou: trumpet, fluegelhorn; Billy Drewes: saxophone; Gary Versace: Hammond B-3 organ, piano; Jeff Hirshfield: drums.

Play Room

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Bernie Senensky - Homeland

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:18
Size: 175,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:28)  1. New Life Blues
( 9:28)  2. Leira
( 7:06)  3. Guys And Dolls
( 5:42)  4. Falling
( 8:44)  5. Doron
(10:49)  6. More Than That
( 7:32)  7. J.C.
(11:57)  8. Homeland
( 7:28)  9. Kiki

A versatile pianist who has been a valuable asset on many sessions through the years, Bernie Senensky has long been one of Canada's finest jazz musicians. Senensky started with classical piano lessons when he was nine and discovered jazz around five years later. He played locally as a teenager (including with Lennie Breau and Dave Young), led the house band in various Holiday Inns all over Canada and settled in Toronto in 1968. Senensky has performed with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Elvin Jones, Maynard Ferguson's Big Band, Rob McConnell's Boss Brass, Phil Woods, Dizzy Gillespie, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Art Pepper, Scott Hamilton and Bill Watrous, among many other visiting Americans. Throughout the 1980s he was a regular member of the Moe Koffman Quintet. As a leader, Senensky recorded for RCI, PM, Unity and Timeless, and as a sideman he made recordings with Moe Koffman, Gillespie, Eugene Amaro, Peter Appleyard, Herbie Spanier and Ted Moses. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bernie-senensky/id214289833#fullText

Personnel:  Bernie Senensky – piano;  Gary Bartz – saxophone;  Harvie Swartz – bass;  Akira Tana – drums.

Homeland

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Don Covay - Super Dude

Styles: Vocal, R&B 
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:42
Size: 156,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:06)  1. Overtime Man
(3:18)  2. I Stayed Away Too Long
(4:22)  3. I Was Checkin' Out She Was Chekin' In
(2:32)  4. Hold You To Your Promise
(3:22)  5. Memphis
(3:11)  6. The Pinch Hitters
(6:15)  7. Somebody's Been Enjoying My Home
(3:26)  8. Bad Mouthing
(4:41)  9. Leave Him Pt. 1
(3:23) 10. Leave Him Pt. 2
(3:00) 11. Money (That's What I Want)
(2:40) 12. Don't Step On A Man When He's Down
(3:29) 13. Sweet Thang
(4:33) 14. Daddy, Please Don't Go Out Tonight
(3:44) 15. Why Did You Put Your Shoes Under My Bed
(3:23) 16. Stop By
(4:19) 17. Bad Luck
(4:48) 18. Hitching A Ride

Don Covay hadn't seen a lot of chart activity since the '60s, but he returned in 1973 with the comeback album Super Dude. The singles "Overtime Man," "I Was Checkin' Out She Was Checkin' In," and "Somebody's Been Enjoying My Home" were all worthy of high recognition, but only "I was Checkin'," a classic about a guy cheating on his woman while she's cheating on him at the same motel, made any real noise. "Leave Him, Pts. 1-2" is another good gritty track, but Mercury spoiled it by putting the first part on the first side and the second on the second, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. On the positive side, Covay breathes new life into "Money (That's What I Want)." 

The recording quality is slicker and better engineered than his earlier material, and there are more musicians, but the raw charm of "See Saw" and "Mercy Mercy" is missing. This is the mature, been-through-the-mill Don Covay, whose singing about adultery and promiscuity had a Southern/uptown soul feel. [R.P.M.'s 2005 reissue adds six tracks from Covay's 1971 album on Janus titled Different Strokes for Different Folks.] 

~ Andrew Hamilton http://www.allmusic.com/album/super-dude-the-mercury-years-vol-1plus-mw0000336971

Personnel: Don Covay (vocals).

Super Dude

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Julie London - Make Love To Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:27
Size: 67.4 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1957/2010
Art: Front

[2:15] 1. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
[2:31] 2. It's Good To Want You Bad
[2:12] 3. Go Slow
[2:53] 4. A Room With A View
[2:20] 5. The Nearness Of You
[2:05] 6. Alone Together
[2:06] 7. I Wanna Be Loved
[3:40] 8. Snuggled On Your Shoulder
[1:55] 9. You're My Thrill
[2:32] 10. Lover Man
[2:23] 11. Body And Soul
[2:30] 12. Make Love To Me

Julie London's concise and melodic versions of standards were quite popular during the latter half of the 1950s. Her subtle sensuality and lightly swinging style made for a potent combination. This album (which has not yet reappeared on CD) matches London's voice with an orchestra arranged by Russ Garcia on standards and a couple of newer tunes, including Bobby Troup's "It's Good to Want You Bad." Among the more memorable selections are "If I Could Be With You," "Alone Together," "I Wanna Be Loved" and "You're My Thrill." ~Scott Yanow

Make Love To Me

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Trini Lopez - 2 albums: Trini Lopez At PJ's / More Trini Lopez At PJ's

Album: Trini Lopez At PJ's
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:51
Size: 82.1 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock
Year: 1963/2013
Art: Front

[3:51] 1. A-Me-Ri-Ca
[2:59] 2. If I Had A Hammer
[2:18] 3. Bye Bye Blackbird
[2:03] 4. Cielito Lindo
[3:51] 5. This Land Is Your Land
[3:12] 6. What'd I Say
[4:37] 7. La Bamba
[3:20] 8. Granada
[6:35] 9. Medley Gotta Travel On Down By The Riverside Marianne When The Saints Go Marching In Volare
[3:02] 10. Unchain My Heart

This was the album that made Lopez explode nationally, reaching number two, staying in the Top 40 LP charts for about a year, and yielding the hit "If I Had a Hammer." All of this seems to have been largely forgotten today, but at the time Lopez was ubiquitous indeed. What he did, at the head of a trio with Mickey Jones (later to play briefly with Bob Dylan) on drums and Dick Brant on bass, was to make folk-pop swing. There is certainly some folk music on here, including "If I Had a Hammer," "This Land Is Your Land," and "Gotta Travel On." It could be surmised that by treating such material in this fashion, Lopez had a tiny influence upon the subsequent folk-rock movement; Marty Balin of the Jefferson Airplane has said as much. In truth, however, Lopez was more the all-around entertainer with a Latin lilt than he was a folk singer, so you also get "America" (from West Side Story), "La Bamba," Ray Charles' "What'd I Say," "Volare," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." The live party-a-go-go atmosphere did much to put Lopez's likable energy over, and likely influenced the similar live-in-a-small-club ambience on Johnny Rivers' early hits, especially as Jones played with Rivers as well. ~Richie Unterberger

Trini Lopez At PJ's

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Album: More Trini Lopez At PJ's
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:02
Size: 75.6 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock
Year: 1963/2005
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Oh, Lonesome Me
[2:45] 2. Never On Sunday
[2:21] 3. The Gang That Sang Heart Of My Heart
[4:05] 4. Corazon De Melon (Watermelon Heart)
[2:02] 5. Go Into The Mountains
[2:14] 6. If You Wanna Be Happy
[2:32] 7. Walk Right In
[2:26] 8. Lonesome Traveler
[2:38] 9. Green, Green
[2:25] 10. Goody Goody
[2:46] 11. Yeah
[3:19] 12. Kansas City

The success of Trini Lopez's live debut, Trini Lopez at PJ's, ensured that the formula would be repeated with the release of More Trini Lopez at PJ's a few months later. The album was another success, barely missing the Top Ten on the album charts, and giving Lopez a second hit single with his hard-rocking performance of "Kansas City." The album was as varied as the debut, offering Latin-tinged, good-time renditions of folk, country, and rock & roll songs, standards, and even an original composition ("Yeah"). Less folk-oriented than the first album in terms of repertoire but no less entertaining, More Trini Lopez at PJ's rivals Lopez's debut in overall quality despite its more modest chart placement. ~Greg Adams

More Trini Lopez At PJ's

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Martin Pyrker - Boogie Woogie Storm

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:51
Size: 150.8 MB
Styles: Boogie woogie, Piano blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Sabine's Jive (Feat. Sabine Pyrker)
[2:52] 2. Boogie Woogie Storm
[2:56] 3. Black Key Roller
[3:01] 4. How Long Blues (Feat. Gine Heiger & Michael Hudec)
[3:18] 5. Knockin' Myself Out
[3:26] 6. Blues Whistle
[4:17] 7. Honky Tonk Train Blues
[3:59] 8. I Got A Mind To Ramble
[2:32] 9. My Man Is Gone
[3:08] 10. He's Dynamite
[3:26] 11. Grooving The Blues
[3:51] 12. Mostar Blues
[3:50] 13. My Mellow Man
[3:11] 14. You Can't Take It With You
[3:24] 15. George's Texas Stomp
[3:14] 16. V-Disc Stomp
[2:54] 17. It's Good Like That
[2:41] 18. Cry On Daddy
[4:11] 19. Pallet On The Floor
[2:18] 20. At The Window

Born on August 27th,1954 in Vienna, discovered his love for the piano and thereby for the blues in 1971, when he was 17 years young and already playing the drums for 4 years. A blues program on the radio, an acquaintance with the pianists Vince Weber, Hans-Georg Möller and Axel Zwingenberger from Hamburg, who caused at that time the boogie woogie fever in Germany, and the meeting with the Viennese “blues guru” Hans Maitner, protagonist of the legendary radio program “Living Blues” fascinated Martin Pyrker of a kind of music that has meanwhile become 100 years old: the classical piano-blues and boogie-woogie.

Pyrker’s legendary concerts in the 1970s with Zwingenberger, Weber and Möller and, originated from this, the first piano-boogie woogie record in Austria (“Boogie Woogie Session 76” / EMI) were the beginning of a growing enthusiasm for this kind of music in Austria and Germany and influenced further generations of young pianists. Solo and together with many other well-known artists at home and abroad, Martin gave a lot of concerts in jazz clubs, blues bars and at blues and boogie festivals, where he also shared the piano with long gone legends of the blues: Blind John Davis, Roosevelt Sykes, Memphis Slims, Champion Jack Dupree, just to mention a few of them.

Since the legendary boogie woogie festival of Cologne (WDR 1974) and Vienna (concert hall 1976) the renaissance of boogie woogie could not be stopped anymore, unnumerous tours through Europe and USA followed (as "Stars of Boogie Woogie" and others). More than 1500 performances and concerts at home and abroad have left their mark on Pyrkers career since then. Also a lot of records were produced, out from a repertoire of more than 100 own compositions and the most important blues and boogie woogie standards, solo and together with international stars of the blues, recorded in Vienna, Wels, Paris and Fort Worth.

Since 1999 he is accompanied frequently by his daughter Sabine on the drums, who attained in the meanwhile absolute professional experience and motivates her father anew at each of their performances in a refreshing way. Martin Pyrker today is the most known authentic blues and boogie pianist in Austria and his CDs are well known in USA too, the origin country of this kind of music.

Boogie Woogie Storm

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Various - In Swing We Trust

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:19
Size: 115.2 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:17] 1. Giorgio Cuscito - Tuxedo Junction
[2:48] 2. Eloisa Atti - Your Mother's Son In Law
[2:46] 3. Bayou Moonshiners - Me Myself And I
[2:43] 4. My Gypsy Soul - Dinah
[2:52] 5. Pepper And The Jellies - You Can't Bet On Love
[4:03] 6. Harp Bazaar - My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[2:58] 7. Paolo Tomelleri - Esquire Bounce
[2:41] 8. Lara Luppi - Baby It's Cold Outside
[4:07] 9. Mauro Ottolini - Conosci Mia Cugina
[3:48] 10. Eloisa Atti - Comes Love
[3:10] 11. Pepper And The Jellies - Some Of These Days
[2:42] 12. Paolo Tomelleri - Loch Lomond
[3:22] 13. Sandra Cartolari - Dottor Swing
[3:07] 14. Bayou Moonshiners - Big Time Woman
[2:46] 15. Giorgio Cuscito - Silent George
[3:02] 16. My Gypsy Soul - Hokey Pokey

COSE SONORE and RAGTIME MANAGEMENT present the first volume of the compilation IN SWING WE TRUST, selected for listeners and dancers. The mission of Ragtime Cultural Association is preserving, promoting and spreading a music for swing dancers and the label COSE SONORE joins in and with the collection IN SWING WE TRUST puts together some of the best italian musicians and bands which wonderfully continue the tradition of the music which was born in America at the beginning of the last century, went through all kinds of contamination, helped people's integration, brought together incredible amounts of people dancing happily just as it's doing again right now, one century after. Sixteen tracks including some classic songs of the beginning of the XX century like "Dinah", "Some of These Days", "Me Myself and I", "Tuxedo Junction" starring Giorgio Cuscito, Paolo Tomelleri, Lara Luppi and Greg, Mauro Ottolini, Eloisa Atti and many more.

In Swing We Trust

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Oscar Peterson, Stephane Grappelli - Skol (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:30
Size: 136.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Mainstream jazz
Year: 1979/2013
Art: Front

[8:14] 1. Nuages
[5:19] 2. How About You
[6:57] 3. Someone To Watch Over Me
[5:16] 4. Makin' Whoopee
[7:33] 5. That's All
[7:04] 6. Skol Blues
[6:32] 7. Honeysuckle Rose
[5:58] 8. Solitude
[6:33] 9. I Got Rhythm

Oscar Peterson: piano; Stephane Grappelli: violin; Joe Pass: guitar; Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen: bass; Mickey Roker: drums.

Music impresario Norman Granz (1918-2001) was a cagey so-and-so. When he inaugurated Pablo Records in 1973, he already had a catalog of recordings and an immediate pool of exceptional performers who also happened to be under his management (often making his acquaintance through Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic program). With this combination of fortunes, Granz was able to release some 350 recordings in 15 years, before he sold his company to Fantasy Records in 1987.

In 1979, with his label connections with pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Mickey Roker firmly cemented, Granz was in a perfect position to take advantage of recording this quartet's support of violinist Stephane Grappelli July 6, 1979 at Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens. Grappelli, veteran of guitarist Django Reinhardt's Quintette du Hot Club de France, was to meet another guitar titan in Pass for what would be a memorable show. The concert had two parts, the first recorded with Grappelli, Pass and Pedersen, released as Stephane Grappelli/Joe Pass/Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen: Tivoli Gardens (Pablo, 1979). The second part of the show added Peterson and Roker, eventually becoming the present Skol.

The original six tunes are supplemented with previously unreleased performances of Honeysuckle Rose," "Solitude" and "I Got Rhythm" making this overall re-release quite attractive. The performance begins with an extended suite version of Django Reinhardt's "Nauges" introduced first by a solo performance by Pass, followed by Pass supporting Grappelli and then a solo performance by Peterson. The entire band joins in the coda, reminding an appreciative audience why they came to this particular show on a balmy Summer night. ~C. Michael Bailey

Skol (Remastered)

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Vic Dickenson - Gentleman of the Trombone

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:23
Size: 134,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Too Marvelous for Words
(6:03)  2. Nice and Easy Blues
(4:59)  3. Just Too Late
(4:18)  4. Shine
(5:03)  5. Sweet Sue, Just You
(6:19)  6. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:01)  7. More Rain
(8:01)  8. S'posin'
(4:29)  9. Love Letters in the Sand
(5:28) 10. Christopher Columbus
(5:34) 11. I Ain't Got Nobody

Vic Dickenson was one of the great trombone stylists whose relaxed sound, slurred notes, and impeccable feel invested every solo with a unique warmth never duplicated by anyone else. While he was often recorded as a sideman, he was rarely captured as a leader. This mid-'70s studio session, recorded late in his career, features a mature Dickenson leading a sympathetic rhythm section of pianist Johnny Guarnieri, bassist Bill Pemberton, and drummer Oliver Jackson. The real treasure is the chance to hear the trombonist playing tunes with which he was comfortable and improvising at length. His renditions of "Sweet Sue, Just You," "Christopher Columbus," and "Bye Bye Blackbird" are perfect expositions of his classy way of capturing the essence of a tune. The trombonist sings on a couple of tracks ("Just Too Late" and "More Rain"), but his vocals are more of interest as novelty items for completists. Johnny Guarnieri struts his stuff on "Shine," with a hot solo worthy of the era in which the piece was written. ~ Steve Loewy http://www.allmusic.com/album/gentleman-of-the-trombone-mw0000232307

Vic Dickenson (vocal and trombone), Johnny Guarnieri (piano), Bill Pemberton (bass), Oliver Jackson (drums).

Gentleman of the Trombone

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Mindi Abair - In Hi-Fi Stereo

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:21
Size: 112,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Any Way You Wanna
(3:29)  2. All Star
(4:25)  3. L'Espirit Nouveau
(3:24)  4. Get Right (feat. Ryan Collins)
(3:52)  5. Be Beautiful (feat. David Ryan Harris)
(4:09)  6. Down For The Count
(4:04)  7. Girl's Night Out
(4:19)  8. Let The Whole World Know (Sing Your Song)
(6:10)  9. It's A Man's Man's Man's World (feat. Lalah Hathaway)
(4:41) 10. Take Me Home
(4:51) 11. The Alley

As soul music has vanished from urban radio, driven out by the predominance of rap, hip-hop and Auto Tune, it's become harder to find real soul made with real instruments, either on record or on the airwaves. A Mindi Abair album is not the go-to place that comes to mind for a showcase of old school soul and bluesy funk. Abair has carved out a niche as a capable, if not always inspired, smooth jazz saxophonist, cut from the cloth of her contemporaries Kenny G, Richard Elliot and others, whom occasionally dip a toe into R&B, but never totally immerse themselves in the idiom. Once again, the danger of making assumptions is proven, because with In Hi-Fi Stereo Abair takes the plunge headfirst into the deep end of soul-infused jazz. Equal parts homage to the music of David Sanborn, Hank Crawford and The Crusaders offer a testimony of her own artistic growth. Abair makes a declarative statement that she is a formidable talent who can do far more than smooth jazz noodling.

Abair shoots for a more organic feel than her often overly slick previous work, achieving a funkier feel, alongside producer Rex Rideout, by employing Rhodes electric piano, Wurlitzer and B3 organs, and even an ARP synth on "Take Me Home." Another masterstroke was utilizing soul music veterans, drummer Gadson and bassist Reggie McBride, as the rhythm section for most of the album.  On Stars (Peak, 2008), Abair split duties between saxophone and singing. The improvement here is that she focuses almost exclusively on saxophone, and wisely selects vocalists better suited to the material rather than stretch her own thin voice. This choice allows Abair to play to her strength as a far more accomplished saxophonist than vocalist. "Get Right" and "Be Beautiful" are a pair of soul/funk workouts, featuring vocals by Ryan Collins and David Ryan Harris respectively. Abair is content to support the vocals instead of competing with them for prominence. Lalah Hathaway's turn on the instantly familiar, but slightly sexist James Brown classic, "It's A Man, Man's World" is initially jarring. Abair has long wanted to work with her fellow Berklee alumnus, and this bluesy outing was the perfect opportunity to do so. Abair's sparkling alto sax dukes it out with Hathaway's swaggering vocal turn in a bold, audacious and totally unexpected way. And it all works perfectly. The best thing about In Hi-Fi Stereo is that it doesn't sound anything like what a Mindi Abair album is supposed to sound like. That may seem like a backhanded compliment, but it's not. It's more a recognition of how Abair has blossomed as an artist. Whether this signals a new course in Abair's career or if this is merely a sentimental romp, who can say? Either way, it's a good sign. ~ Jeff Winbush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-hi-fi-stereo-mindi-abair-heads-up-international-review-by-jeff-winbush.php

Personnel: Mindi Abair: alto saxophone, vocals, horn arrangement; James E. Gadson: drums (1-4, 7-10); Reggie McBride: bass (1-4) (6-11); Randy Jacobs: electric and acoustic guitar (1-4, 7-10); Stephen "Stevo" Theard: arrangement, keyboards 1, 6, 10); Rex Rideout: Wurtlizer, keyboards, piano, programming (1, 3, 5-11); Casssandra O'Neal: B3 organ (2, 3, 8,9) ; Lee Thornberg: trumpet and trombone (2, 8, 9); Dave Woodford: tenor and baritone saxophone (2, 8); Bud Harner: ride cymbal (3); Ryan Collins: lead and background vocals (4); David Ryan Harris: guitar, vocals (5); Smitty Smith: bass (5); Michael White: drums (5); Dewayne Swan: B3 organ (5); Jamey Tate: drums (6, 11); Jay Gore: electric guitar (6, 11); Rodney Lee: Wurlitzer solo (6), B3 organ solo (11); Jessi Collins: background vocals; Lalah Hathaway: vocals and background vocals (9); Phil Parlapiano: Rhodes, Arp keyboard, organ (10), Lance Abair: B3 organ (11).

In Hi-Fi Stereo

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Andy Laverne - Serenade To Silver

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:27
Size: 150,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. Nica's Dream
(7:51)  2. Strollin'
(6:47)  3. Song For My Father
(5:11)  4. Summer In Central Park
(6:05)  5. Nutville/Cape Verdean
(5:39)  6. Silver's Serenade
(6:53)  7. Gregory Is Here
(6:26)  8. Peace
(6:17)  9. Serenade To Silver
(8:03) 10. Barbara

One might think that focusing on a single composer's well-known pieces and then pretty much using the same instrumentation as he did in a recording session would be a recipe for disaster. But pianist Andy LaVerne manages to find something fresh within ten pieces by Horace Silver, even though he utilizes the same instruments as most of the original recordings. With a front line including trumpeter Tim Hagans and tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza, LaVerne approaches "Strollin'" with a lighter rhythmic touch, while he opens "Song for My Father" with a disguised vamp and immediately starts twisting it harmonically. An explosive medley combining "Nutville" and "Cape Verdean Blues" sizzles with excitement, contrasting with the mellow ballad "Peace," which beautifully blends Hagans' muted horn with Margitza's warm tenor. LaVerne's one original, "Serenade to Silver," is a perky original that captures the spirit of its honoree perfectly. This is a fine all-around salute by Andy LaVerne to the great Horace Silver. 

~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/serenade-to-silver-mw0000050642

Personnel: Andy LaVerne (piano); Rick Margitza (tenor saxophone); Tim Haggans (trumpet); Steve LaSpina (bass); Billy Drummond (drums).

Serenade To Silver

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Teddy Wilson And His Piano - Intimate Listening

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:52
Size: 114,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. The One I Love
(2:18)  2. Darn That Dream
(3:19)  3. Tea For Two
(3:01)  4. Oh, Lady Be Good
(2:38)  5. Emaline
(3:10)  6. Tenderly
(3:13)  7. Everything Happens To Me
(2:27)  8. Liza
(3:01)  9. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(3:22) 10. Airmail Special
(3:02) 11. Night And Day
(3:55) 12. Cheek To Cheek
(3:11) 13. East Of The Sun (West Of The Moon)
(2:48) 14. Autumn In New York
(4:12) 15. Isn't It Romantic
(3:09) 16. You Go To My Head

Intimate listening from pianist Teddy Wilson, but surprisingly lively listening too as Teddy's as fleet on the keys as ever, and maybe even more so in this well-recorded session from the 50s! The record's got a great Verve vibe simple, unadorned presentation of the Teddy Wilson genius at its mature height with bass and drums to help bring in a gentle bit of rhythm, but Teddy handling most of the energy himself with an amazing command of the keyboard that really transforms these familiar tunes. The approach is like Erroll Garner at his best from the time subtle magic from simple sources but Teddy's lighter, and more lyrical too  especially on his flourishes on the keys. Titles include "You Go To My Head", "Night & Day", "Cheek To Cheek", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "East Of The Sun", and "Everything Happens To Me". (SHM-CD pressing!) © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/799414

Personnel:  Teddy Wilson – piano;  John Simmons, Aaron Bell, Arvell Shaw – bass;  Buddy Rich, Denzil Best, J. C. Heard – drums.

Intimate Listening

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Jessica Pilnäs - Norma Deloris Egstrom - A Tribute to Peggy Lee

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:54
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. There'll Be Another Spring
(2:56)  2. Do I Love You
(3:29)  3. Blue Prelude
(4:34)  4. Smile
(4:10)  5. Fever
(2:57)  6. This Is a Very Special Day
(6:11)  7. It Never Entered My Mind
(2:52)  8. What's New
(3:01)  9. Boston Beans
(2:17) 10. I Wound It Up
(2:53) 11. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
(6:34) 12. The Folks Who Live On the Hill
(3:36) 13. The Gold Wedding Ring

Peggy Lee is not an artist who is usually associated with Sweden, but as Norma Deloris Egstrom A Tribute To Peggy Lee indicates, her real name comes straight from her family's roots in that Scandinavian country. Singer Jessica Pilnäs is Swedish, although this link is of relatively little importance to the music on offer here. More vitally, she's a talented interpreter of songs who can do justice to the legacy of one of the great singers of jazz and popular music. Pilnäs doesn't, as yet, have Lee's international profile or status although she's been singing for most of her life and has worked with trombonist Nils Landgren, among others. She's a talented singer and she's wise enough not to simply copy Lee's style. She's capable of replicating Lee's emotional engagement, however, be it the seductiveness of Cole Porter's "Do I Love You" or the pathos of Rodgers and Hart's "It Never Entered My Mind." Pilnäs' vocals have panache and, in combination with the unusual instrumental lineup and Johan Norberg's arrangements, she gives the songs a very personal touch. Mattias Ståhl's vibraphone is used to particularly good effect as the album's lead instrument, with telling contributions from trumpeter Karl Olandersson.

Two songs in particular emphasize the range of moods and emotions that Lee commands. Pilnäs retains Lee's assertive sexuality on "Fever" but the music exchanges the original's cool, hip, style for a lighter and more humorous arrangement that puts Olandersson's muted trumpet and Ståhl's vibraphone to the fore. Ståhl opens "The Folks Who Live On The Hill" with a few bars of gentle, relaxing vibes before Pilnäs and bassist Fredrik Jonsson make their own understated entrance. With subtle use of the Fleshquartet's strings, this is a beautiful version of the song, all the better for eschewing the full-on and rather over-dramatic orchestral arrangement of Lee's own recording. The song selection does occasionally seem rather quirky, with a few undistinguished numbers taking up space that might have been better occupied by much finer compositions. Lee may have written "I Wound It Up" and co-composed "Boston Beans," but they're a poor substitute for "Why Don't You Do Right," "Alright, Okay, You Win" or Leiber and Stoller's stunning "Is That All There Is?," to name just three songs she's strongly associated with. At least Pilnäs hasn't simply gone for the obvious entries in the Peggy Lee Songbook and she gives the same amount of care and spirit to every one of her performances. Norma Deloris Egstrom A Tribute To Peggy Lee is a welcome reminder of Lee's talents as a singer and composer. It's also a showcase for Pilnäs' own talent: she's an excellent interpreter of these classic songs and in creating a fine tribute to Lee, she has enhanced her own reputation. ~ Bruce Lindsay https://www.allaboutjazz.com/norma-deloris-egstrom--a-tribute-to-peggy-lee-jessica-pilnas-act-music-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

Personnel: Jessica Pilnäs: vocals; Mattias Ståhl: vibraphone; Karl Olandersson: trumpet; Fredrik Jonsson: bass; The Fleshquartet (Sebastian Öberg, Örjan Högberg, Mattias Helldén, Christian Olsson): strings.

Norma Deloris Egstrom - A Tribute to Peggy Lee

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Horace Parlan - On the Spur of the Moment

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:58
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:56)  1. On the Spur of the Moment
(10:59)  2. Skoo Chee
( 4:45)  3. And That I Am So in Love
( 7:06)  4. Al's Tune
( 6:59)  5. Ray C.
( 6:38)  6. Pyramid
( 8:00)  7. On the Spur of the Moment (alternate take)
( 6:31)  8. Pyramid (alternate take)

Again working with his longtime rhythm section of George Tucker (bass) and Al Harewood (drums), Horace Parlan manages to On the Spur of the Moment make distinctive by emphasizing the rhythmic side of his hard bop. Tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and trumpeter Tommy Turrentine help give the quintet a bluesy edge, which the band exploits to an appealing effect throughout these six, mostly original, compositions. There are a few ballads, and even when things are at their hottest, Parlan's understated playing is a cue for the group to keep it tasteful, but that relaxed atmosphere is part of the reason why On the Spur of the Moment is another winning effort from the underrated pianist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/on-the-spur-of-the-moment-mw0000033102

Personnel: Horace Parlan (piano); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Tommy Turrentine (trumpet); George Tucker (bass); Al Harewood (drums).

R.I.P.
Born: January 19, 1931, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: February 23, 2017, Korsør, Denmark

On the Spur of the Moment

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Steve Davis - Images

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:14
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:49)  1. Nato
(6:52)  2. The Modernist
(5:40)  3. Twain's World
(5:55)  4. J Mac's Way
(7:07)  5. Mode for Miantonomoh
(4:51)  6. Rose Garden
(6:00)  7. Tune for Calhoun
(5:21)  8. Park Street
(5:28)  9. Kenney's
(5:07) 10. Club 880

Images is trombonist Steve Davis' love letter to his hometown of West Hartford, CT. The ten pieces he wrote for the album, and which make up his "Hartford Suite," are all dedicated to people or places associated with this geographic region. While Davis' penchant for crisp swing and clear, lyrical lines plays a big part here, some compositional cunning and some pieces that fall outside this general area helps to keep things from falling into a stylistic rut.  Dedicated to bassist Nat Reeves, the mid-to-up-tempo swing of "Nato" possesses a persistent, four-note figure that drops in as the parade of soloists pass along. "The Modernist" plays off of oddly placed accents, slightly obscuring an otherwise straightforward feel, while the horns stretch out over some cymbal rolls and arco bass before the music starts to cook on "Twain's World." A phrase with a cycling rhythm leads into the solos here, putting Davis and trumpeter Josh Evans in the spotlight. "J Mac's Way," dedicated to Jackie McLean, features some of pianist David Bryant's most absorbing solo work on the album, while the bass hook at the start of the waltzing "Mode For Miantonomoh" is an instant attention grabber. Bryant's zeal adds a lot to this track, bit its alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo who is the standout soloist, showcasing his unique phrasing and style.

While the first half of the album has plenty to offer, the two tracks that seem to rise above the rest are on the latter half of the recording. Davis admittedly acknowledges the Billy Strayhorn influence on "Rose Garden," a ballad that exudes all of the tender sophistication and class associated with that genius of jazz composition. While Davis and DiRubbo carefully shape their lines to fit the song's mood, bassist Dezron Douglas provides some thick bass notes that hang, seemingly suspended in mid-air, behind them. "Park Street" has an infectiously joyous, party-like vibe, and uses a Latin groove as its rhythmic framework, set behind a 12-bar blues-like progression. All the soloists take things up a notch here, and Douglas' solo is bursting with creative energy. While familiarity with the city of Hartford would probably yield a unique appreciation for this album, the musical images presented here can easily stand on their own. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/images-steve-davis-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php
 

Personnel: Steve Davis: trombone; Mike DiRubbo: alto saxophone; David Bryant: piano; Dezron Douglas: bass; Eric McPerson: drums; Josh Evans: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kris Jensen: tenor saxophone (10).

Images

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Steve LaSpina - The Bounce

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:36
Size: 156,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:43)  1. The Bounce
( 6:23)  2. Only Now
( 4:51)  3. My One And Only Love
( 9:51)  4. Seven F
(11:03)  5. Ask Me Now
( 8:28)  6. Let Me Go
( 6:06)  7. I've Heard That Song Before
(13:06)  8. How Deep Is The Ocean

Bassist Steve LaSpina's seventh outing on SteepleChase features Dave Ballou on trumpet and flugel, Billy Drewes on tenor and soprano, Vic Juris on guitar, and Jeff Hirshfield on drums. The leader presents four originals: "The Bounce," based on a swinging bass ostinato; "Only Now," a ballad with beautiful chording from Juris; "Seven F," a medium waltz with mellifluous soloing by Drewes, Ballou, and LaSpina; and "Let Me Go," a free bop tune with multiple tempo shifts and a real romp for the horns (Drewes on soprano). Juris contributes "I've Heard That Song Before," which he plays on acoustic guitar (horns lay out), while LaSpina steps forward with a solo rendition of "My One and Only Love," wringing polyphonic possibilities from his instrument. 

The quintet also explores Monk's "Ask Me Now" and closes with a semi-abstract "How Deep Is the Ocean." Beautiful playing from everyone involved. ~ David R.Adler http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-bounce-mw0001203847

Personnel:  Steve LaSpina (bass);  Billy Drewes (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet);  Dave Ballou (trumpet);  Jeff Hirshfield (drums);  Vic Juris (guitar)

The Bounce

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Terry Myers - Smiles

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:13
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. Them There Eyes
(6:51)  2. Blue Prelude
(6:01)  3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(6:58)  4. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
(4:27)  5. As Long as I Live
(5:55)  6. Blue Hodge
(4:26)  7. Someday Sweetheart
(4:14)  8. It's You or No One
(6:24)  9. Everything Happens To Me
(4:15) 10. Oh, Baby
(6:13) 11. When Day Is Done
(4:51) 12. Smiles

Tuneful, swinging and technically polished. Terry Myers isn't worried about anything else jazz is "supposed" to be. Smiles is a relaxed yet energetic romp through some standards, ballads and blues that the Florida-based saxophonist clearly loves to play. There's nothing complex or innovative here, just four musicians having a good time and looking to take the listener along. A jumping "Them There Eyes" introduces Myers's straightforward approach to contemporary swing. He crafts phrases with rhythm and reason that are fun to follow, even if they're rarely surprising. On other fast numbers such as "It's You Or No One" and the title track, Myers sparks solid grooves from neatly structured patterns. Medium tempos are effective but not as stirring. "Blue Hodge" sounds dutiful rather than heartfelt, disappointing in a tune written for the emotive Johnny Hodges.  A spare but spurring rhythm section gives Myers plenty of room: no modern jazz interjections, just steady propulsion. Pianist Johnny Varro occasionally wraps playful counterpoint around Myers's lines, and contributes coy, Teddy Wilson-inspired solos. Bassist Joel Forbes walks effectively behind the band, and drummer Ed Metz maintains an airy, dancing beat. His solos are hummable orchestrations of skins and cymbals, for example on "Don't Get Around Much Anymore."

Duke Ellington's beloved pop song is given a simmering 6/8 waltz treatment, one of the few breaks from pure swing on this album. While the generic Latin feel on "Blue Prelude" suggests a two-drink minimum at the corner lounge, the reflective pace of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" presents Myers at his soul- searching best. His bright tone darkens slightly, but retains its flexibility. Here and on the other ballad "Everything Happens To Me," the saxophonist truly soars even as he sticks to his stylistic guns. In the liner notes Myers explains that if he had it his way, he'd mostly play ballads; the man could probably get by on those instincts. His soprano sax comes off as merely tepid during medium tempo strolls through "As Long As I Live" and "Someday Sweetheart." More chances to hear him open up on the larger horn would have been welcome. The title of this disc is a great example of honesty in advertising. It won't change the course of music, but it should raise the corners of your lips. You'll know how many more Smiles you need. ~ Andrew J.Sammut https://www.allaboutjazz.com/smiles-terry-myers-arbors-records-review-by-andrew-j-sammut.php
 

Personnel: Terry Myers: tenor and soprano saxophones; Johnny Varro: piano; Joel Forbes: bass; Ed Metz: drums.

Smiles

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Suzanne Vega - Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 76,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:56)  1. Carson's Blues
(3:09)  2. New York Is My Destination
(3:07)  3. Instant of the Hour After
(2:52)  4. We of Me
(3:18)  5. Annemarie
(2:47)  6. 12 Mortal Men
(3:43)  7. Harper Lee
(3:24)  8. Lover, Beloved
(4:18)  9. The Ballad of Miss Amelia
(3:32) 10. Carson's Last Supper

Suzanne Vega has always been a songwriter with a literary sensibility, displaying a feel for character and wordplay that was noticeably more nuanced than her peers. It seems entirely fitting that Vega might wish to honor one of her influences as a writer, and with Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, she's done just that. One of Vega's favorite authors is Carson McCullers, who enjoyed critical and popular success in the '40s with her novels The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Member of the Wedding, and Reflections in a Golden Eye. In 2011, Vega performed a one-woman show about McCullers' life and work, and five years later she's released Lover, Beloved, which features ten songs she wrote for the show. (Duncan Sheik co-wrote the music with Vega, except for two songs she wrote in collaboration with Michael Jefry Stevens.) The album often has a somewhat different feel than much of Vega's work, especially in the songs in which she takes on McCullers' persona and discusses her early days after leaving Georgia for New York City ("New York Is My Destination"), and dishes about fellow authors she sees as hopeless inferiors ("Harper Lee"). The vintage jazz accents on "Carson's Blues" and "Harper Lee" also take Vega's songs into musical territory that doesn't always seem comfortable to her. However, the less specifically biographical numbers are quite effective, as Vega takes up stories from McCullers' life and work and weaves them into her own creative sensibility. Vega's vocal performances are intelligent and skillful throughout, and the largely acoustic arrangements give this music a vintage sensibility without forcing the issue. Lover, Beloved isn't a radical shift from Suzanne Vega's usual body of work, but it does find her stretching a bit from her comfort zone, and she sails gracefully along on this smart and tuneful song cycle. ~ Mark Deming http://www.allmusic.com/album/lover-beloved-songs-from-an-evening-with-carson-mccullers-mw0002961432

Personnel: Suzanne Vega (vocals); Gerry Leonard (guitar, mandolin, ukulele, vibraphone); Jason Hart (piano); Byron Isaacs (upright bass); Yuvall Lyon (drums).

Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers

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