Niels Lan Doky, Daniel Humair, Chris Minh Doky, Randy Brecker - Paris by Night

Styles: Piano, Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:37
Size: 171,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:37)  1. Invitation
( 7:29)  2. Blue 'n' Boogie
( 8:34)  3. Lover Man
(13:13)  4. Sonnymoon for Two
(10:52)  5. Dreams
(12:16)  6. Secret Love
(10:33)  7. Someday My Prince Will Come

While this is ostensibly a shared session, with pianisron  Niels Lan Doky, drummer Daniel Humair, bassist Chris Minh Doky and trumpeter Randy Brecker equal participants, it's Brecker's mix of mellow solos, bent notes, slurs and superb statements that dominate the date. While the others play nicely, Brecker's melodic and harmonic inventiveness dominates such songs as "Invitation," "Lover Man" and "Sonnymoon For Two." It's been many years since he's demonstrated such facility and command in a straight jazz setting, and those times he lays out the energy level dips considerably. The results are outstanding when Brecker's featured, and otherwise interesting, but subdued. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-by-night-mw0000623104

Personnel: Neils Lan Doky (piano); Daniel Humair (drums); Chris Minh Doky (bass); Randy Brecker (trumpet).

Paris by Night

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Andy LaVerne Quartet - Stan Getz In Chappaqua

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 59:29
Size: 109,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Lester Left Town
(7:55)  2. Dear Old Stockholm
(5:57)  3. Early Autumn
(5:54)  4. Eiderdown
(4:18)  5. Blue Serge
(7:36)  6. Windows
(5:48)  7. Desafinado / O Grande Amor / The Girl From Ipanema
(6:14)  8. 500 Miles High
(6:38)  9. Stan's Blues
(3:33) 10. Stan Getz in Chappaqua

Andy LaVerne was Stan Getz's pianist from 1977 to 1981; this tribute CD is primarily a standard quartet covering some of the late tenor giant's favorite songs, although LaVerne never recorded any of them with him. Don Braden's approach to the tenor is not as powerful or lush as Getz but he is more than adequate. Highlights include the sensuous "Early Autumn," the snappy "Eiderdown" and a strolling version of Getz's hit "Dear Old Stockholm." Especially worth hearing is the LaVerne-Braden duet of the title track, a retitled remake of the an original piece "Chappaqua" that he recorded as a member of the Getz Quartet. Bassist Steve LaSpina, drummer Danny Gottlieb and guitarist Dave Stryker (who performs only on the Jobim bossa nova medley) round out the excellent rhythm section. Andy LaVerne's output in the 1990s has been consistently excellent, yet he still hasn't drawn the critical attention he deserves; this CD out to help put him on the map. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/stan-getz-in-chappaqua-mw0000049605

Personnel: Andy LaVerne (piano, keyboards); Dave Stryker (guitar); Don Braden (tenor saxophone); Danny Gottlieb (drums).

Stan Getz In Chappaqua

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Archie Shepp And Roswell Rudd - Live In New York

Styles: Saxophone And Trombone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:01
Size: 174,2 MB
Art: Front

( 2:11)  1. Keep Your Heart Right
( 8:23)  2. Acute Motelitis
( 7:33)  3. Steam
( 8:27)  4. Pazuzu
( 5:46)  5. We Are The Blues
( 9:16)  6. Ujamma
( 5:46)  7. Bamako
(11:57)  8. Slide By Slide
( 3:59)  9. Deja Vu
(10:38) 10. Hope No 2

The year was 1994. The venue: the Eilat Red Sea Jazz Festival. Hundreds of sweltering Jazz aficionados waited in a huge converted cargo shed to witness reedman Archie Shepp and his quartet a marquee coup for the Israeli festival. When Shepp swaggered onto the stage, the more discerning members of the audience (including this reviewer) could scarcely conceal their disappointment. Here was the 1960s hero of radical Jazz conservatively bedecked in two–piece gray suit and tie. He might as well have emerged from Wall Street. More disconcerting was that this aging maestro and his group played mostly standards, and Shepp’s vocals were not always up to the task. With a lineup that included a shaky–looking but strong–sounding Horace Parlan on piano, one couldn’t help but be dismayed. Fast forward to 2000.   On Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp Live in New York, Shepp (playing tenor sax, piano and crooning) is in top avant-garde form in the company of trombone titans Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III, percussionist extraordinaire Andrew Cyrille and ever surprising bassist Reggie Workman. The CD sizzles with excitement. The one downer  as odd as a seven–dollar bill  is the inclusion of Amiri Baraka (“We Are the Blues”) with a hideously boring poem about the blues. 

One of the most endearing aspects of this collaboration  recorded live at the Big Apple’s Jazz Standard last September is the seamless way in which Rudd and Shepp move between the orbits of furious abandon (“Acute Motelitis”) and engagingly mellow pieces (“Steam,” “Déjà Vu”). The Paris–based saxophonist’s deft and delicate piano playing and crooning is a major highlight of this disc. Shepp shines on saxophone too, with his trademark vibrato and lyrically sculpured phrasing. The influence of Herbie Nichols and Elmo Hope overwhelms but never threatens to suffocate the proceedings. Tunes like “Acute Motelitis,” “Ujamma” and “Hope No. 2” bear out this tendency. Located somewhere between the stylings of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, these numbers bristle with their own unique harmonic sense. 

Reggie Workman has been such a ubiquitous presence in Jazz circles for nearly fifty years that one could say he “hides in plain sight.” From straight-ahead blues to avant-garde situations, this creative bassist anchors this particular live session with great flair. Ditto Andrew Cyrille who has been grossly overlooked in terms of his contribution to the percussive lexicon. His sheer prowess in punctuating and parsing the pulse of each of the compositions on Live in New York is breathtaking. For the more discerning Jazz aficionado, this new Rudd / Shepp collaboration will not disappoint. ~ John Stevenson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-in-new-york-roswell-rudd-universal-music-group-review-by-john-stevenson.php

Personnel: Archie Shepp, tenor saxophone, vocals, piano; Roswell Rudd, trombone; Grachan Moncur III, trombone; Reggie Workman, bass; Andrew Cyrille, drums; Amiri Baraka, poetry.

Live In New York

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Count Basie - King Of Swing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 76.0 MB
Styles: Big band, Swing
Year: 1954/2002
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. Cherry Point
[4:00] 2. Bubbles
[2:39] 3. Right On
[3:37] 4. The Blues Done Come Back
[3:46] 5. Plymouth Rock
[2:53] 6. I Feel Like A New Man
[3:14] 7. You For Me
[3:04] 8. Soft Drink
[2:47] 9. Two For The Blues
[3:42] 10. Slow But Sure

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Marshall Royal; Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Wilkins; Baritone Saxophone – Charlie Fowlkes; Bass – Eddie Jones; Drums – Gus Johnson; Guitar – Freddie Green; Piano, Conductor – Count Basie; Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster, Frank Wess; Trombone – Benny Powell, Bill Hughes (2) (tracks: 6 to 10), Henderson Chambers (tracks: 1 to 4), Henry Coker; Trumpet – Joe Newman, Joe Wilder (tracks: 1 to 4), Reunald Jones, Thad Jones (tracks: 6 to10), Wendell Culley. Tracks 1-4: Recorded December 12, 1953 at Fine Sound, New York City. Track 5: Recorded August 13, 1953 in Los Angeles. Tracks 6-10: Recorded August 16, 1954 at Fine Sound, New York City. 96 kHz, 24-bit digital transfer.

Following a brief lull earlier in the 1950s, Count Basie had rebuilt his big band by the time of this trio of studio sessions originally recorded for Clef. Among the musicians present on one or more of the dates are trumpeters Joe Newman, Joe Wilder, and Thad Jones and a reed section with Marshall Royal, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Ernie Wilkins, along with a dependable rhythm section anchored by Basie's longtime rhythm guitarist, Freddie Green. While none of the numbers seemed to stay in the band book for all that long, the consistently swinging performances and tasty solos make this worth the attention of swing fans. ~Ken Dryden

King Of Swing

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The Randy Johnston Trio - Riding The Curve

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:15
Size: 133.3 MB
Styles: Swing, Guitar jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 6:16] 1. The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
[ 8:30] 2. All Through The Night
[ 6:15] 3. I Get Along Without You Very Well
[ 8:26] 4. High-Heel Sneakers
[10:04] 5. You've Never Been There!
[ 5:12] 6. The Park
[ 8:09] 7. Wives And Lovers
[ 5:19] 8. For Thomas

Trio was formed during a tour of Spain in 1997 - guitarist Johnston, Hammond B-3 player Joey DeFrancesco, drummer Idris Muhammad, as well as special guest saxophonist Johnny Griffin, swing from start to finish.

Riding The Curve

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Tina May - A Wing And A Prayer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:21
Size: 126.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Maybe September
[3:04] 2. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:36] 3. Who Can I Turn To
[5:03] 4. Sunshower
[6:44] 5. Too Late Now
[5:51] 6. Blue Narcissus (Black Narcissus)
[4:55] 7. Turn Out The Stars
[2:48] 8. When In Rome
[7:12] 9. A Wing And A Prayer
[5:08] 10. Easy To Love
[4:49] 11. A House Is Not A Home

Tina May: vocals; Stan Sulzmann: saxophone, flute; Nikki Iles: piano.

Even though she has over ten discs to her name, Tina May is still little known in the wider jazz world. A regular performer in clubs and arts centres in Britain and Europe, she has never had the major label backing that seems to be required to catapult a jazz singer into the public eye. For those who have heard her, this is something of a blessing. Recording mainly on the small 33 Records label has allowed her to develop without the pressures that star status might have imposed. The result has been a string of excellent albums using outstanding instrumentalists like Don Weller, Alan Barnes, Tony Coe and Dave Newton, each one centred on the American songbook, but with the added surprises of vocal adaptations of jazz tunes and the occasional foray into French (for a whole album on Jazz Piquant!). On A Wing and a Prayer, May is supported by just two instrumentalists. Nikki Iles, her pianist of choice for some years, is a beautifully lyrical player from the John Taylor school. Reedsman Stan Sulzmann is one of the quiet heroes of British jazz, with a reputation stretching back to the 1960s. Together they have made a record of quiet introspection that''s dominated by songs of loss and longing.

The boppy voice and piano duet on "Maybe September sets the mood, and Sulzmann provides immediate contrast, his simultaneous tenor weaving around the vocal line. All three musicians take "Who Can I Turn To? well away from Broadway self-pity into a spirited jazz exploration, with particularly fine piano from Iles. "Too Late Now and "Turn Out The Stars explore the bleak downside of relationships, greatly benefiting from the sparse instrumentation. "When in Rome brings a few moments of comedy to lighten the overall mood. However, the tracks that really stand out are Tina May's own vocal interpretations of two very different jazz tunes. Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus, re-titled "Blue Narcissus, emerges as a striking demonstration of her almost perfect pitch; she hits the notes without wavering during some extremely difficult chord changes. The title track, "A Wing and a Prayer, takes Kenny Wheeler's gorgeous "Gentle Piece and turns it into a pastoral ballad with ethereal, breathy flute. On an earlier album May shaped Bobby Watson's "Time Will Tell into a heart-stopping vocal performance; the two adaptations on this CD further suggest that jazz singers seeking fresh repertoire should be giving May's recordings a listen.

A Wing and a Prayer is much more than just another CD from an aspirational singer. It's a superbly crafted piece of work from three top-flight musicians who work together as an integrated jazz trio. Listen to it as you would listen to a piano or saxophone trio—it repays that sort of concentration. ~Bev Stapleton

A Wing And A Prayer

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Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra - Cugat Plays The Continental Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:07
Size: 66.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Latin jazz
Year: 1962/2012
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Mack The Knife
[2:32] 2. Petite Fleur
[3:00] 3. Apache
[2:08] 4. Volare
[2:15] 5. Never On A Sunday
[2:26] 6. Calcutta
[2:21] 7. Sucu Sucu
[2:30] 8. The Third Man Theme
[2:44] 9. Wonderland By Night
[2:18] 10. The Poor People Of Paris
[2:33] 11. Come Prima
[2:01] 12. Guaglione

Born in Spain, Xavier Cugat's family moved to Havana, Cuba, when he was three. Always musically inclined, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times newspaper during the day and labored to put together a band at night. After a few years of playing smaller clubs in the L.A. area, Cugat finally got his break when he and his band secured a job at the prestigious Coconut Grove nightclub in 1928. His style of music caught on, and Cugat was instrumental in bringing Latin music to the attention of the US public. In the '30s and '40s he was nicknamed "The Rumba King" because of his popularization of that Latin dance. In Cugat's film appearances he usually played himself, even if the character had a name other than Xavier Cugat, and he and his band appeared in several memorable MGM musicals in the '40s. After suffering a stroke in 1971, Xavier Cugat retired.

Cugat Plays The Continental Hits 

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Sue Palmer - After Hours

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:28
Size: 95.0 MB
Styles: Piano blues/jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. After Hours
[3:33] 2. Down The Road A Piece
[3:17] 3. Boogie Noir
[3:20] 4. Room Service Boogie
[2:59] 5. Speakin' My Mind
[2:52] 6. Frog Tongue Stomp
[2:55] 7. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[2:23] 8. Honeysuckle Rose Boogie
[3:21] 9. Domino Boogie
[3:09] 10. Caddo Boogie
[3:30] 11. Rockhouse
[4:38] 12. Lil' Rock Getaway
[1:20] 13. La Vie En Rose

Best known for her beehive-wearing stint with blues diva Candye Kane in the '90's, Sue Palmer has been making her mark in the last decade with her high energy band, the Motel Swing Orchestra, and her flashy boogie woogie stylings. Wearing a couple of pounds of big cocktail rings on each hand, she wails through a very complete blues keyboard vocabulary like the veteran she is. She has performed with many of the legends of the boogie genre, playing double piano with Marcia Ball, Hadda Brooks, Sonny Leyland, Steve Lucky, Jeannie Cheathem, Ricky Nye, Mr. Boogie Woogie (from the Netherlands), Mike Seeley, Caroline Dahl, Wendy Dewitt, Lisa Otey, Doña Oxford, Deanna Bogart, Silvan Zingg (Switzerland), Janie-Noele Helies (France), Elena Tourbina (Russia) and Jan Preston (New Zealand). Sue, known widely as San Diego's Queen of Boogie Woogie, has been honored by her city for her cultural contributions by having a day named after her (March 25th, 2008), played at the Arches Piano Stage in Cinncinnatti (2008), won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis for Best Self Produced CD 2008 ("Sophisticated Ladies") from the Blues Foundation, won numerous San Diego Music Awards for her albums and bands, including Best Blues Album 2010 for her first solo piano album "After Hours."

After Hours

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Frank Rosolino - Fond Memories Of...

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:19
Size: 144.9 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[13:18] 1. All The Things You Are
[10:15] 2. My Funny Valentine
[10:35] 3. I Love You
[ 7:20] 4. Violets
[ 6:58] 5. Corcovado
[ 8:08] 6. Autumn Leaves
[ 6:42] 7. Free For All

Bass – Jaques Schols; Drums – John Engels; Orchestra – Metropole Orchestra; Piano – Louis Van Dyke. Recorded June 1973 and May 1975 at Radio NOS Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands.

This album brings together two Rosolino recording sessions made in the Netherlands during 1973 and 1975 which sat somewhere for 20 years. One of jazz's premier players, this album displays Rosolino's unique facility with the trombone. Although he died tragically in 1978, he remains a major influence on the way the slide instrument is played. The opening cut sets the tone with a 13 minute plus exploration of all the nooks and crannies of "All the Things You Are." This is followed by a similar in-depth improvisional probe of "My Funny Valentine." Although the Metropole Orchestra is highlighted on the album cover, it is present on just 2 of the 7 tracks . One of them, "Violets," was written especially for Rosolino by Jerry Van Rooyen. On this track, and on the other backed by the Metropole Orch., Rosolino plays with long, clean, melodic lines, putting out the mellow sound unique to the trombone. For the remaining cuts, Rosolino is backed by the Louis Van Dyke Trio collaborating on Jerry Van Rooyen's arrangements. Rosolino uses strong staccato attack on all of these tunes, spurred on by Van Dyke's driving piano. Van Dyke does not permit any lapse into a softer playing style. ~Dave Nathan

Fond Memories Of...

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Roma Trio - Ciao Ciao Bambina

Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:07
Size: 152,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. All Of You
(4:23)  2. Solar
(6:21)  3. Amarsi Un Po'
(8:34)  4. Anche Un Uomo
(7:51)  5. Moon And Sand
(6:00)  6. Just One Of Yhose Things
(6:57)  7. Torna A Surrient
(2:35)  8. Maramao Oerche Sei Morto
(6:01)  9. Ciao Ciao Bambina
(5:10) 10. That's All
(7:11) 11. Celestina's Waltz

Youthful and adventurous Roma Trio, led by pianist Luca Mannutza, released its thrilling debut CD Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing (TKCV-35401) from Venus Records ago in June 2007. It became an instant hit with its unique, thrilling and lyrical sound. At hand we have their strong sophomore release, Ciao Ciao Bambina. The group retains its unique mixture of tradition-oriented lyricism and forward-looking, progressive concepts. After a relatively straight-ahead rendition of "All Of You," the trio launches into a surprising version of "Solar" with fragmented rhythm figures and fiery solos. This album also includes the trio's unique treatments of Italian popular songs and traditional melodies. The Italian jazz scene is really hot right now, and this trio is one of the top groups in the country. Recommended!

Personnel:  Luca Mannutza (piano);  Gianluca Renzi (bass);  Nicola Angelucci (drums)

Ciao Ciao Bambina

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Elmo Hope - Hope Meets Foster

Styles: Piano Jazz, Bop 
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:13
Size: 88,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. Wail, Frank, Wail
(5:16)  2. Zarou
(6:17)  3. Fosterity
(6:41)  4. Georgia On My Mind
(5:51)  5. Shutout
(7:38)  6. Yaho

This decent bop session features tenor-saxophonist Frank Foster and pianist Elmo Hope in a quintet with the forgotten trumpeter Freeman Lee (who is on three of the six songs), bassist John Ore and drummer Art Taylor. They perform three of Hope's originals, two by Foster and an uptempo version of "Georgia on My Mind." None of the originals caught on (when was the last time anyone played "Fosterity"?) and nothing that innovative occurs but the music should please bop fans. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/hope-meets-foster-mw0000267678

Personnel:  Elmo Hope (piano); Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Freeman Lee (trumpet); John Ore (bass); Arthur Taylor (drums).

Hope Meets Foster

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David Binney - The Time Verses

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:58
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

( 0:26)  1. Dawn
(10:56)  2. Walk
( 5:11)  3. Arc
( 0:25)  4. Morning Tide
( 8:58)  5. Strange Animal
( 7:26)  6. Seen
( 0:25)  7. Noon Tide
( 6:08)  8. The Reason To Return
( 6:12)  9. Time Takes It's Time
( 0:19) 10. Evening Tide
(11:24) 11. Where Worlds Collide
( 6:17) 12. Fifty Five
( 1:16) 13. Arc Reprise
( 0:27) 14. Dusk

A slightly different album than usual from saxophonist David Binney a set that still features plenty of the leader's great work on alto sax, but which also includes a few electric textures, and sampled sonic moments elements used sparely, on short tracks before the main instrumental moments but in a way that adds a nice degree of color to the record, but without getting in the way of the jazz performance! The piano of Jacob Sacks is also a key part of the album's sense of sound and the core group also features Eivind Opsvik on bass and Dan Weiss on drums. Jen Shyu joins on vocals for the track "Seen" and other titles include "Fifty Five", "The Reason To Return", "Dawn", "Arc", "Strange Animal", and "Time Takes Its Time". © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/824766/David-Binney:Time-Verses

Personnel:  David Binney (Saxophone);  Jacob Sacks (Piano);  Eivind Opsvik (Bass);  Dan Weiss (Drums).

The Time Verses

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Blue Mitchell - Out Of The Blue

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:10
Size: 105.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1959/1991
Art: Front

[9:06] 1. Blues On My Mind
[5:53] 2. It Could Happen To You
[5:01] 3. Boomerang
[6:10] 4. Sweet-Cakes
[5:39] 5. Missing You
[7:01] 6. When The Saints Go Marching In
[7:18] 7. Studio B

Bass – Paul Chambers (3) (tracks: 2, 5 to 7), Sam Jones (tracks: 1, 3, 4); Drums – Art Blakey; Piano – Cedar Walton (tracks: 7), Wynton Kelly (tracks: 1 to 6); Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson; Trumpet – Blue Mitchell. Recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, New York; January 5, 1959.

This early recording by Blue Mitchell finds the distinctive trumpeter in excellent form in a quintet also featuring tenor saxophonist Benny Golson (who contributed "Blues on My Mind"), either Wynton Kelly or Cedar Walton on piano, Paul Chambers or Sam Jones on bass and drummer Art Blakey. The consistently swinging repertoire includes a surprisingly effective version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." "Studio B," recorded in the same period but formerly available only in a sampler, has been added to the program. It's an enjoyable date of high-quality hard bop. ~Scott Yanow

Out Of The Blue

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Mark Lewis - New York Session

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:42
Size: 150.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[7:35] 1. Koan
[4:59] 2. Child's Play
[5:47] 3. Dl Blues
[6:06] 4. Boberto's Magical World
[6:57] 5. Connie
[7:20] 6. Sierra Leone
[4:05] 7. Up To It
[5:29] 8. Not As Beautiful As You
[5:47] 9. Summer Is Over
[6:18] 10. The Lydian Express
[5:13] 11. Roll 'em Joe

As well-traveled and widely recorded as alto saxophonist Mark Lewis has been over the past four decades, his new CD "The New York Session" is likely to be the album that helps rectify his current under-the-radar reputation. Recorded last year in Brooklyn with a world-class rhythm section—pianist George Cables, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Victor Lewis—the new disc was released by Lewis’s Audio Daddio label on January 27. It’s the work of an artist clearly reveling in the company of fellow masters making the most of his tasty compositions.

“There’s so much to savor and admire here,” writes critic Ted Gioia, a self-professed Mark Lewis fan who contributed the CD booklet notes. “Lewis’s musicality, his inventiveness, his humor, his ability to immerse himself in the soundscape of the performance with total emotional commitment—these all stand out here in track after track.”

Based in Bremerton, a small city west of Seattle on the Puget Sound where he returned to be close to his family, Lewis maintains a busy schedule that includes teaching private students and college clinics. He continues to expand his daunting book of compositions, which number over 1,700. Though he’s recorded more than 20 albums, only a fraction of his compositions have been documented on record, another reason why "The New York Session" is a particularly important release. The discovery of a master improviser is always thrilling, but finding a player/composer at the peak of his powers is a rare occurrence indeed. Though fully aware of his accomplishments, Lewis sees himself as part of a modern jazz continuum. “I try to approach each composition, each performance, with knowledge and technique from studying the masters who came before and also the innocence of a child,” he says. “I hope it keeps the music authentic and genuine.”

New York Session

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Helen Reddy - Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:55
Size: 112.0 MB
Styles: Adult Contemporary, Soft rock
Year: 1975/1987
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. I Am Woman
[3:15] 2. I Don't Know How To Love Him
[3:24] 3. Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)
[3:11] 4. Delta Dawn
[3:09] 5. You And Me Against The World
[3:28] 6. Angie Baby
[2:51] 7. Emotion
[3:02] 8. Keep On Singing
[2:52] 9. Peaceful
[3:29] 10. Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady
[3:26] 11. Somewhere In The Night
[2:46] 12. I Can't Hear You No More
[2:42] 13. You're My World
[4:00] 14. The Happy Girls
[3:49] 15. Make Love To Me

Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in the fall of 1975 by Capitol Records. On December 5 of that year the Recording Industry Association of America awarded the album with Gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States, and both Platinum and Double Platinum certifications were issued on February 5, 1992. The album debuted on Billboard's Top LP's & Tapes chart in the issue dated the day following Gold certification, December 6, 1975, and made it to number five during its 51 weeks there. In Canada's RPM magazine it reached number 9, and on the album chart in the UK (where it was renamed The Best of Helen Reddy) it matched its number five US showing. In 1987 an expanded edition that was given the title Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More) was the first release of the original compilation on compact disc.

Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)

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Chris Whiteley - Swing, Blues & Big Band

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:41
Size: 86.3 MB
Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[1:38] 1. Chip Shot
[2:42] 2. Another Slice
[3:02] 3. Locomotive
[2:25] 4. Uptown Swing
[2:34] 5. Jump Swing
[2:30] 6. Private Eye
[3:32] 7. Swing Ballad
[2:35] 8. Porch Blues
[2:23] 9. Blues Harps Shuffle
[2:47] 10. D Blues
[3:27] 11. Late Night
[2:58] 12. Low Down Blues
[2:41] 13. Back 9
[2:20] 14. Kickin'

This 'Live off the Floor' CD written by international and award winning recording artist Chris Whiteley, features some of the best live players around on trumpet, trombone, sax, clarinet, piano, guitar,drums & bass. This CD offers a great range of styles and tempos for just about any Swing, Blues & Big Band style needs.

Swing, Blues & Big Band

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Mark Weinstein - Jazz Brasil

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:27
Size: 131,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. I Mean You
(6:20)  2. Triste
(6:04)  3. Nefertiti
(7:00)  4. Brazil
(5:44)  5. Ruby My Dear
(6:06)  6. Sambosco
(7:34)  7. Dawn's Early Light
(4:37)  8. Memphis Underground
(4:33)  9. If You Never Come To Me
(4:08) 10. Isotope

Mark Weinstein has quietly established himself as one of the most wildly inventive flutists in modern memory. He is also one of the finest virtuoso players in the entire spectrum of 20th and 21st century music. His only rivals may well be the late Eric Dolphy, the Canadians, Jane Bunnett and Bill McBirnie, and, of course, the great James Galway. Weinstein is radically different from Dolphy, who imparted a speech-like quality to his flute, inspiring the mighty John Coltrane in the bargain and radically expanding the vocabulary of that instrument. Weinstein, on the other hand prefers to stay within the confines of the almost classical language of the instrument, but like the others mentioned, makes soaring leaps and swoops from the stratosphere and into the oceanic depths of music, bringing a renewed elasticity to the alto and bass flutes, as well as the concert flute (although his astounding album, Tales from the Earth (Ota Records, 2009), with pianist Omar Sosa, might suggest that he now resides closer to Dolphy in the extremely creative improvisations).

Weinstein has also been steady in his output in recent years, with four albums in as many years, but more than quantity, the consistency of his form has been quite impressive. Jazz Brasil, however, must surely rank as one of his finest albums to date. It is radically different from his album with Omar Sosa; more like the earlier Jazzheads album, Lua e Sol (2008), which also paid tribute to the Brazilian milieu. Jazz Brasil is not as thematically connected as the former Brazilian album, featuring a greater sense of urgency and seeking to unite two great traditions, by melding the jazz swing of delight with the shuffle of samba. His reading Ary Barroso's classic, "Brazil," is a case in point. Rather than play this chart like wave upon wave of thundering rhythm (as Maria Beth once did, for instance), Weinstein drops the song into a trance-like Bossa Nova groove, with master bassist Nilson Matta chugging along with a steady shuffle and swing. Likewise, his interpretations of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Triste" and "If You Ever Came to Me" are magnificently linear re-imaginings of Brazilian standards, crafted, no doubt, with Matta in tow. The bassist had a leading hand in this album. His joyous playing also raises the level of excitement exponentially. Matta is positively buoyant on his own compositions, employing great leaps, covering multiple octaves on the bass with unbridled technical virtuosity. His double stops on "Brazil" are breathtaking. Pianist Kenny Barron must surely be an inspired choice for this musical journey. The ingenuity of this decision is borne out on the set's two Thelonious Monk charts, "I Mean You" and "Ruby My Dear." While Weinstein skips and pirouettes his way through the songs, Barron plays perfect foil, recreating the charts in singular fashion. Drummer Marcello Pelliteri not only completes the quartet, but leaves an indelible mark on this unforgettable album. ~ Raul d'Gama Rose https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-brasil-mark-weinstein-jazzheads-review-by-raul-dgama-rose.php
 

Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert flute, alto flute, bass flute; Kenny Barron: piano; Nilson Matta: bass; Marcello Pelliteri: drums, percussion.

Jazz Brasil

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Simone Kopmajer - Didn't You Say

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:05
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. Didnt You Say
(3:50)  2. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
(3:49)  3. Ghost In This House
(4:29)  4. Ive Never Been In Love Before
(6:19)  5. Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered
(4:30)  6. Come Fly With Me
(4:06)  7. S Wonderful
(4:25)  8. Forgetting To Breathe
(4:41)  9. Pathway Out Of The Darkness
(5:12) 10. Everything Must Change
(5:00) 11. Kiss
(3:35) 12. How Sweet It Is
(4:35) 13. Tennessee Waltz
(3:20) 14. Dont Explain

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. She had classical piano lessons starting at the age of eight and at 12 began playing saxophone. She performed in a youth big band and sang regularly in her father's band as a teenager. At 17 she studied with Sheila Jordan, who encouraged her. Kopmajer also studied with Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, and Michele Hendricks. Since earning a Masters from the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, Kopmajer has toured the Netherlands twice with the Euro Big Band, appeared at European jazz festivals, and recorded three CDs: Moonlight Serenade (for the Japanese Venus label), her best-known set Romance (for Zoho), and her privately released Taking a Chance on Love. Each CD emphasizes her own fresh versions of standards. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/simone-kopmajer-mn0001897290/biography

Personnel:  Bass [Upright, Electric] – Richie Goods;  Drums – Tim Horner;  Guitar – James Chirillo (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11);  Piano, Producer – John Di Martino;  Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Tim Ouimette (tracks: 4, 5, 7);  Vocals, Producer – Simone Kopmaje

Didn't You Say

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Steve Khan - Backlog

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:21
Size: 162,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Criss Cross (Entrecruzado)
(5:40)  2. Concepticus in C
(8:07)  3. Latin Genetics (Genética Latina)
(7:12)  4. Our Town (Nuestro Pueblo)
(5:57)  5. Head Start (Ventaja)
(6:42)  6. Rojo
(8:27)  7. Invisible
(6:03)  8. Emily
,(7:56)  9. Go Home (Vete a Casa)
(8:28) 10. Catta

In what could best be described as an enduring exploration, Steve Khan has undertaken the role of expanding and redefining the role of the guitar in the hybrid genre of Latin Jazz. Backlog continues with the concept established as far back as 2005 on The Green Field (Tone Center), in the transformation of straight-ahead jazz compositions into unique Khan improvisations drawing deeply from the Afro-Cuban tradition. The percussion duo of Marc Quiñones and Bobby Allende have been an essential part of his sound since 2007, and bassist Ruben Rodriguez complements the ensemble with a solid tumbao foundation. Drummer Mark Walker rounds out the rhythm section, a dynamic propulsion machine which allows Khan to perform his magic. The defining clave opens Thelonious Monk's "Criss Cross," Rodriguez's baby bass establishing the band's melodic direction, Khan weaving his phrases around the percussive layers. "Concepticus In C," by Greg Osby, is reworked in a classic cha-cha-cha mode and demonstrates Khan's affinity for Caribbean dance music. As is customary in Khan's recordings, Ornette Coleman is a major influence and contributor, and his "Latin Genetics" is given a Puerto Rican plena treatment, featuring Randy Brecker on trumpet, playing with a genuine street carnival approach.

It's no secret that the prolific composer Sammy Cahn was Khan's father, and "Our Town," is a personal tribute, complete with lush orchestration courtesy of Rob Mounsey, who does a commendable job on the keyboards. Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson was another musician who delved into the Afro-Cuban rhythms, and Khan covers him on two tunes, "Head Start," with Mike Mainieri on vibes, and "Rojo," where Khan switches to a steel-string acoustic for a more relaxed montuno voicing. Coleman is revisited again on "Invisible," bringing Bob Mintzer in on tenor sax to lay out an esoteric blues, against the exotic backdrop. Khan melodically depicts a floating sensation in "Emily," with the understated rhythm serving as a buoyant cloud for his musings. The ancestral Oriza rhythms are utilized on "Go Home," plucked from Stevie Wonder's 1985 release In Square Circle. The song is driven by Quiñones' deft work with the intricate double bell pattern, and Khan goes into soul/funk territory with high energy and volume. The Brazilian tinge, courtesy of vocalist Tatiana Parra, appears on the remake of "Catta," by Andrew Hill. This song closes the set with the unmistakable sense of romance which is so dominant in Latin music, though sometimes forgotten by the dominant rhythmic undulation. With Backlog, Khan rounds out the mesmerizing trilogy encompassing Parting Shot (2011) and Subtext (2014), which were recorded under the pressure of a mysterious medical affliction. Khan's music continues to evolve and his quest to take the guitar into an uncharted trajectory has bestowed him with a singular style. No one plays or sounds like Steve Khan, his clever interpretations of jazz compositions shaken up with Afro-Caribbean rhythms are always on the cusp. He is an inquisitive jazz musician, mastering the evasive art of reinvention and improvisation on his own terms, in his own time. ~ James Nadal https://www.allaboutjazz.com/backlog-steve-khan-esc-records-review-by-james-nadal.php
 

Personnel: Steve Khan: guitar; Rubén Rodriguez: baby bass, electric bass; Mark Walker: drums; Marx Quiñones: timbales, bongo, percussion; Bobby Allende: conga, bongo; Randy Brecker: trumpet (3); Bob Mintzer: tenor sax (7); Mike Mainieri: vibes (5); Rob Mounsey: keyboards (2, 6, 7, 9) orchestrations; Tatiana Parra: voice (10).

Backlog

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Manhattan Jazz Quintet - Manhattan Jazz Quintet

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:07
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:59)  1. Summertime
(3:11)  2. Rosario
(8:26)  3. Milestones
(9:22)  4. My Favorite Things
(5:43)  5. Airegin
(4:25)  6. Summer Waltz

The Manhattan Jazz Quintet are an unusual group in that they very rarely perform as a unit in the United States (much less Manhattan) but have been a major hit in Japan, both for their recordings and occasional tours. Originally comprised of leader/pianist David Matthews, trumpeter Lew Soloff, tenor saxophonist George Young, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd, the band (which emphasizes straight-ahead hard bop swinging) first came together in 1983 at the suggestion of the King label and the top Japanese jazz magazine Swing Journal. To everyone's surprise, its first recording (simply called Manhattan Jazz Quintet) became such a big seller that it was awarded Swing Journal's annual 1984 Gold Disk Award as the number one album in Japan. Several years later the group broke up when Gomez and Gadd needed more time to pursue their individual projects and all of the quintet members later became quite successful in their own careers but this edition of the MJQ recorded reunions in 1990 (which found John Scofield guesting on a few selections) and in 1993. Victor Lewis replaced Gadd that year, and subsequently Young was replaced by Andy Snitzer and Gomez by Charnett Moffett. The Manhattan Jazz Quintet recorded primarily for King in Japan (those dates were mostly made available in the U.S. by Projazz) during the 1980s, although they cut some later recordings among the comparative very few that actually took place in Manhattan!  for the Sweet Basil label. During the new millennium the Manhattan Jazz Quintet have recorded regularly for Video Arts. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/manhattan-jazz-quintet-mn0000674690/biography

Personnel:  Lew Soloff (trumpet) George Young (tenor sax) David Matthews (piano) Charnett Moffett (bass) Steve Gadd (drums)

Manhattan Jazz Quintet

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