Ray Charles - The Ray Charles Story (Discs 1 & 2 of 4-Disc Boxset)

Ray Charles Robinson was a top vocal star, songwriter, leading jazz piano player and composer. He was sometimes referred to as "The Genius" and was also nicknamed "The High Priest of Soul". These compilations feature some of his best songs from his early Atlantic years.

Album: The Ray Charles Story Vol 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:06
Size: 105.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 1962/2005
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. The Sun's Gonna Shine Again
[3:10] 2. Losing Hand
[2:41] 3. Mess Around
[2:38] 4. It Should Have Been Me
[2:54] 5. Don't You Know
[3:03] 6. Come Back Baby
[2:49] 7. I've Got A Woman
[2:59] 8. A Fool For You
[2:31] 9. This Little Girl Of Mine
[2:45] 10. Mary Ann
[2:36] 11. Hallelujah I Love Her So
[2:32] 12. Lonely Avenue
[5:52] 13. Doodlin'
[4:04] 14. Sweet Sixteen Bars
[2:50] 15. Ain't That Love

The Ray Charles Story Vol 1

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Album: The Ray Charles Story Vol 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:30
Size: 108.8 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 1962/2005
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Rockhouse Parts 1 & 2
[2:17] 2. Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'bout That River)
[2:48] 3. Talkin' About You
[2:47] 4. What Kind Of Man Are You
[2:18] 5. Yes Indeed
[2:49] 6. My Bonnie
[2:00] 7. Tell All The World About You
[3:25] 8. Night Time Is The Right Time
[6:25] 9. What'd I Say, Pt. I & Ii
[3:22] 10. Just For A Thrill
[3:41] 11. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[6:22] 12. Drown In My Own Tears
[2:56] 13. Let The Good Times Roll
[2:19] 14. I'm Movin' On

Discs 3 & 4 tomorrow.
The Ray Charles Story Vol 2

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Tete Montoliu - Solo Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 1995

File: MP3@256K/s

Time: 68:12

Size: 125,4 MB

Art: Front

(5:49)  1. Yellow Dolphin Street

(6:39)  2. Come sunday

(4:31)  3. I hate you

(6:20)  4. You've changed

(3:52)  5. Waltz for Nicolien

(4:07)  6. Where are you?

(3:56)  7. Napoleon

(5:20)  8. If you could see me now

(5:02)  9. Cigales al vent

(4:39) 10. Canço de Matinada

(5:20) 11. Manuel

(4:17) 12. M'en vaig a peu

(3:54) 13. Una guitarra

(4:20) 14. Ruço

This 1995 Timeless release assembles together on CD two of the Catalonian pianist's finest recordings: 1977's Yellow Dolphin Street and Catalonian Folksongs, recorded just ten months apart. The contrast in Tete Montoliu's styles is very evident. Yellow Dolphin Street is an album of originals and standards that encompass the wide range of Montoliu's playing from the heart of the tradition. Here are readings of Jimmy McHugh's "Where Are You," Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday," and Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now." These stand in sharp contrast with Montoliu's own knotty, percussively savvy tunes such as "Yellow Dolphin Street" and the hilariously titled "I Hate You." Catalonian Folksongs features only one original composition, the elegantly uncharacteristic "Cigales Al Ven," with its wide-open midrange and striated thirds, along with four by the gloriously anthemic Joan Manuel Serrat and the album's closer, "Ruço" by Lluys Maria Millet. Of the two recordings, the latter is the one that will endure, hopefully forever, with its lush pronouncements, proud strides, and odd-timed rhythmic structures. The lyric side of these tunes is a cross between café music, work songs, and pastoral countryside singalongs. Beautiful stuff. ~ Thom Hurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/solo-piano-mw0000765921

Personnel:  Tete Montoliu – Solo Piano.

Super Solos

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Jim McNeely - Winds Of Change

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:02
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:18)  1. Winds Of Change
(6:48)  2. Too True To Be Good
(9:07)  3. Power Gap
(7:20)  4. Yours And Mine
(9:00)  5. All Or Nothing At All
(6:30)  6. Quietude
(7:00)  7. Brooder's Waltz
(7:56)  8. Bye-Ya

Jim McNeely's 1989 trio session with bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Kenny Washington is a proverbial "hidden gem" in his discography. The pianist's advanced yet accessible compositions include the dramatic opener, "Winds of Change," which starts in a Latin setting with shades of Igor Stravinsky's early ballets, along with the haunting "Brooder's Waltz." Another original, "Power Gap," features the leader on DX-7 and showcases Washington's superb brushwork. Since McNeely is a veteran of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, it shouldn't be surprising that he is a fan of Jones' compositions. 

His touching take of "Yours and Mine" and the gently swinging interpretation of "Quietude" would have pleased Jones. Washington opens Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" unaccompanied, while McNeely's rollicking arrangement has a Latin undercurrent. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/winds-of-change-mw0000265985

Personnel: Jim McNeely (piano, synthesizer), Mike Richmond (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)

Winds Of Change

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Kidd Jordan & Hamid Drake - A Night in November

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:12
Size: 171,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:01)  1. Set One Alto and Drums
( 2:47)  2. Set One Drums
(23:27)  3. Set One Tenor and Drums
( 3:53)  4. Set One Tenor Wade In The Water
(29:02)  5. Set Two Tenor and Drums

New Orleans is valued for its storied traditional jazz legacy, and not so much for avant-garde persuasions. But when it comes to off-center or free-jazz music, saxophonist Kidd Jordan's artistic persona frequently becomes a topic of conversation. He's performed and recorded with iconoclastic musicians and is perhaps the Crescent City's most prolific improviser. This excursion features his duets with the exceptional Chicago jazz drummer Hamid Drake, segmented into two sets and emanating from their encounter in front of a small audience at Piety Street Recording in New Orleans on November 20, 2011.  Except for "Wade in the Water" all pieces are the result of spontaneous compositions. And even though the duo engages in some hyper-mode cat and mouse episodes and occasionally blast off into parts unknown, there is a synergistic force that accentuates these six extemporized compositions. Jordan's razor-sharp choruses are often countered by Drake's spinning polyrhythmic patterns amid some nip and tuck articulations and precision-oriented thematic build-outs. They delve into Afro-Cuban formats and operate within variable cadences. And while many avant duo sessions are nestled in bombastic howling and screeching burnouts, this duo contrasts many of the fire-breathing sequences with fragmented shifts in momentum, dictated by second- guessing of each other's moves. It's like a rapidly moving chess match, sans a winner or loser. Therefore, the musicians' improvised mechanics and free-will underscore the pacing of the two sets.

There are a few temperate interludes, yet on the extended piece "Tenor and Drums," Jordan's ringing vibrato technique is interspersed with bluesy plaintive cries atop Drake's sturdy backbeats. As they counter and mimic each other with alternating flows, featuring the drummer's slick hi-hat and snare work. Here, the artists explore a conglomerate of variants, while slanting off the core rock pulse. Part of the magic is how they infuse conventional wisdom with a surfeit of unanticipated paradigm shifts and expansionary tactics that combine discipline with an inexhaustible array of ideas and modes of execution. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-night-in-november-live-in-new-orleans-kidd-jordan-valid-records-review-by-glenn-astarita.php
 

Personnel: Kidd Jordan: alto and tenor saxophones; Hamid Drake: drums.

A Night in November

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Lyn Collins - Think (About It)

Styles: Vocal, Soul, Funk
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:39
Size: 72,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. Think (About It)
(3:02)  2. Just Won't Do Right
(3:05)  3. Wheel Of Life
(2:51)  4. Ain't No Sunshine
(3:27)  5. Things Got To Get Better (Get Together)
(3:06)  6. Never Gonna Give You Up
(3:40)  7. Reach Out For Me
(5:21)  8. Women's Lib
(2:41)  9. Fly Me To The Moon

At the time of the release of Think (About It) in 1972, Lyn Collins had been a member of James Brown's performing revue for about two years. Her full-throated voice had earned her the nickname "the Female Preacher" and a shot to record her own album. Of course, the Godfather was in the producer's chair, writing four of the nine tracks, directing the J.B.'s as they laid down their usual funky grooves, and liberally adding vocals throughout. The title track is the main point of interest here; from Collins' throat-ripping vocals to the track's nasty groove to Brown's background interjections, this is a killer. (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock later sampled the track for their rap classic "It Takes Two"). The rest of the record is a little uneven: "Just Won't Do Right" is a good doo wop-ish ballad with some churchy organ and great vocals by Collins and Brown, "Wheels of Life" is a nice little groover that sounds like vintage Aretha Franklin, and "Women's Lib" is a very slow ballad that lets Collins show off her anguished yowl of a vocal to its fullest. Where the album stumbles is on the covers of familiar songs. Her versions of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Gamble & Huff classic "Never Gonna Give You Up" are mediocre, and worst of all is her leaden take on "Fly Me to the Moon." Still, the record is worth tracking down for hardcore James Brown or funky soul fans. The less devoted should look for "Think (About It)" on one of the many compilations on which it appears. ~ Tim Sendra http://www.allmusic.com/album/think-about-it-mw0000461114

Think (About It)

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Scott Hamilton - Ballads for Audiophiles

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 136,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. Everything Happens to Me
(7:00)  2. All or Nothing at All
(5:30)  3. The Gypsy
(6:52)  4. Moon River
(7:08)  5. This Is All I Ask
(5:35)  6. Hey There
(5:36)  7. The Shadow of Your Smile
(6:10)  8. Baby All the Time
(4:15)  9. Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Voçê
(5:14) 10. Goodbye

Saxophonist Scott Hamiton, pianist Paolo Birro, bassist Aldo Zunino and Alfred Kramer, drums, combine on an audiophile ballads program that includes such timeless favorites as "Moon River," "The Shadow Of Your Smile," "All or Nothing At All", "This Is All I Ask", "The Gypsy" and more. Recorded at the Hotel II Castello.

Personnel:  Scott Hamiton – Saxophone;  Paolo Birro – Piano;  Aldo Zunino – Bass;  Alfred Kramer – Drums.

Ballads for Audiophiles

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Cornell Dupree - Doin' Alright

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:56
Size: 153.2 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:51] 1. Doin' Alright
[4:47] 2. I Ain't Got You
[6:02] 3. I Got A Woman
[5:00] 4. Help Me Make It Through The Night
[5:22] 5. Honky Tonk
[6:12] 6. The Bird
[5:01] 7. Erma's Shades
[4:52] 8. Rainy Night In Georgia
[4:07] 9. Squirrel
[6:05] 10. Ham
[6:14] 11. Cl Blues
[4:02] 12. K.C
[4:15] 13. I Got A Woman (With The Cornell Stamp)

Bass – George Porter (tracks: 1), Larry Fulcher (tracks: 3,4,9,11,13), Ronnie James (tracks: 2,5-8,10,12); Drums – Barry "Frosty" Smith; Guitar – Cornell Dupree; Organ – Mike Flanigin; Piano – Nick Connelly; Saxophone – Kaz Kazanoff.

Many words have been used to describe Cornell Dupree's guitar playing over the last 45 plus years, but one label that fits the bill is the ultimate session guitarist. He has over 2500 credits, playing with the likes of King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers, Brooke Benton, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, the Gadd Gang and of course he was a member of the super session jazz/fusion group Stuff. Known as "Uncle Funky", Cornell, had a slew of well received solo albums over the course of his career, Like "Teasin", "Can't Get Enough", "Childs Play", "Cornell Dupree" "Who It Is" To name a few. Cornell who had been seriously ill over the past few years, passed away in May of 2011, but not before completing the final solo recording of his career, just eight weeks prior to his passing. His final words to his wife Erma was "I'm Doin Alright", hence the title of this cd. As sick as Cornell had been, attached to oxygen, he entered the recording studio, and let his wonderful guitar speak one more time. The result is stunningly well played Jazz/blues, with a touch of funky overtones that has a sound that is vintage Cornell till the end. Highlights include the funky "Doin Alright", a beautiful take on Brooke Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia', which Cornell played on. He adds spice with a funkified take on "Help Me Make It Through The night". He then uses a jazz shuffle on the tune "I Ain't Got You", complete with sax solo, that will get anyone's feet moving. This is a wonderful farewell recording that should not be missed by anyone who loves Jazz/Rock fusion. He is supported by a tight back-up band in the studio, With B.E Smith "Frosty" on Drums, Mike Flanigin on organ, Nick Connelly keyboards, Ronnie James and Larry Fulcher as well as George Porter on bass. This cd was released as an import under the title "Doin alright", and recently domestically under the title "I'm Alright" Both are exactly the same. It is difficult to find. It has been a pleasure to listen to this man's recordings over the past 40 years both as a session and solo artist. I only hope the RRHOF, will see fit to elect Cornell into its session wing, as one of the great influential guitarists of the modern pop era. RIP "Uncle Funky"! ~Anthony Accordino

Doin' Alright

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Mint Julep Jazz Band - Battle Axe

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:20
Size: 129.0 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. You Can’t Live In Harlem
[3:13] 2. Ducky Wucky
[3:07] 3. Six Jerks In A Jeep
[4:22] 4. Trebuchet
[3:28] 5. Swingtime In Honolulu
[3:31] 6. The Dwindling Light By The Sea
[3:23] 7. Old King Dooji
[3:25] 8. Exactly Like You
[4:01] 9. That's The Blues Old Man
[4:07] 10. Night On Bald Mountain
[2:55] 11. Two Sleepy People
[3:28] 12. When I Get Low, I Get High
[3:40] 13. Everything Is Jumpin'
[4:06] 14. Say It Isn’t So
[4:04] 15. Betcha Nickel
[2:32] 16. Battle Axe

Lucian Cobb: trombone; Laura Windley: vocals, glockenspiel, ukulele; Aaron Hill: alto saxophone, clarinet; Keenan McKenzie: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet; Paul Rogers: trumpet; Ben Lassiter: guitar; Jason Foureman: bass; Aaron Tucker: drums. Recorded by Jason Richmond at The Fidelitorium, Kernersville, NC. North Carolina-based little big band plays hot jazz and swing from the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's and original swing tunes on their second album.

I especially like the song "When I Get Low I Get High ", made famous by Ella Fitzgerald. That song is quite difficult to sing "correctly" - but here it sounds right and really nice - better than the Ella Fitzgerald-version! "Internet says", that song was written by Marion Sunshine, first recorded and released by Chick Webb and His Orchestra in 1936. Traditional Jazz! - here as a unique version. This entire album is a lot of fun! ~Werner Rohlfs

Battle Axe

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Betsyann Faiella - Can I Be Frank?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:24
Size: 108.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. All The Way
[3:37] 2. I've Got You Under My Skin
[4:20] 3. What Makes The Sunset
[3:25] 4. I'm Confessin'
[2:53] 5. Here Goes
[3:04] 6. No One Ever Tells You
[3:43] 7. Learnin' The Blues
[3:06] 8. I Get Along Without You Very Well
[3:10] 9. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[3:30] 10. (Love Is) The Tender Trap
[3:14] 11. Only The Lonely
[4:42] 12. All My Tomorrows
[3:31] 13. That's Life

Tribute albums to Frank Sinatra continue to proliferate. Here the title of Betsyann Faiella's entry is a question that is quite easy to answer. Can she be Frank? No. But can she sing songs that Sinatra sang? Absolutely, and she sings them very well. Faiella avoids the temptation many singers succumb too, over emoting. She takes a direct and relaxed approach to the music. While she includes some material that are automatically associated with Sinatra, refreshingly, there are some that Frank sang but were not exclusively his property and lesser known tunes like "No One Ever Tells You" and "Here Goes." There's a good sampling of Sinatra classics, including a nicely paced "I've Got You Under My skin" and "All the Way" with a Latin beat and a couple of surprises in the way the lyrics are delivered. There's a strong and varied group of musicians in the studio with Faiella. Don Shelton's tenor provides a mellow background on "All My Tomorrows," as well as an even mellower, and very pretty, solo. The one constant is Shelly Markham's piano, which makes important contributions to the success of the session. One of the favored tracks is "Only the Lonely" which Faiella does with just Markham's piano. Markham is also responsible for the fine arrangements which do not mimic those Sinatra used by any means. She has adequate range, good diction, and excellent phrasing. She's equally at home with the ballad and on the faster paced material. Irrespective of the tempo, her voice has a special brightness to it that makes it very appealing. But most of all, she sings in tune and has a very pretty voice, an unbeatable combination. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Can I Be Frank?

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Eddie Palmieri - Listen Here!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:08
Size: 142.2 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. In Flight
[7:19] 2. Listen Here
[5:13] 3. Vals Con Bata
[4:25] 4. Tema Para Eydie
[6:20] 5. Tin Tin Deo
[5:58] 6. In Walked Bud
[7:15] 7. La Gitana
[5:51] 8. Nica's Dream
[5:47] 9. Mira Flores
[8:16] 10. Ep Blues

Eddie Palmieri (piano); John Scofield (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Regina Carter (violin); Donald Harrison (alto saxophone); David Sanchez , Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Nicholas Payton, Brian Lynch (trumpet); Conrad Herwig, Doug Beavers (trombone); Christian McBride, John Benitez (bass instrument); Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (drums); Giovanni Hidalgo (congas). Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, New York (01/2005).

Is Latin jazz some musicians' excuse for having fun? Eddie Palmieri's really a jazz-influenced Latin pianist, but he has lots of fun running and recording bands of top-line jazzmen. He's no conventionally accomplished contemporary jazz pianist, but all the better because he's unconventional, distinguished mostly by his very competent musical extrovert verve. This outgoing date has only occasional quiet moments, like John Scofield's near-mandolin acoustic guitar in "La Gitana," amid examples of the boss-man's bass- supported and very musical crash, bang, and extended flourish. The guests are a very musical extravagance. Regina Carter delivers robust swing violin with the octet doing the little big band thing on Palmieri's "In Flight," before the horns and bassist go for a beer with Carter and Mike Brecker comes in on R&B tenor for an Eddie Harris tune; Christian McBride replaces the bassist and solos substantially. David Sanchez's tenor comes in with John Scofield's electric guitar for another Palmieri tune, along with the full band. Then the bassist duets with Palmieri on another of the latter's tunes.

Back come all the horns for the Gil Fuller/Chano Pozo Dizzy Gillespie big band piece "Tin Tin Deo," Sanchez soloing, then Palmieri and the sparky Giovanni Hidalgo. Monk's "In Walked Bud" is next, en famille, with no guests, featuring a solo from everybody bar the bassist and Doug Beavers, who gets credit throughout for "additional arrangement and orchestration" wherever the band is bigger. The two trombones are the pivot of the larger group music. Monk's rhythms lose some subtlety in louder performance, but they Latinise well, and there's always ample swing. Even Scofield's quieter bout in the trio interlude "La Gitana" doesn't calm things, Palmieri makes certain. Carter and trumpeter Nicholas Payton are the guest soloists on Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream," third in a dream trilogy. "Mira Flores" is yet another good Palmieri number, with Christian McBride guesting brilliantly on bass, compensating for Mike Brecker's lapse into a current pop tenor saxophone sound. "EP Blues" is a final Palmieri composition for the time being, carrying things to a close, Benitez back with a vengeance and Payton acting as guest soloist. Why is Ivan Renta, sometime saxophonist in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, thanked for "additional alto saxophone"? Are his performances all unlisted? Did the excellent Donald Harrison need help, or a did a tape of him need patching? Conrad Herwig storms in solo, followed by Brian Lynch, Donald Harrison better than ever and Payton building to the climax, which is of course Palmieri's. Hidalgo takes things out. His business is what it's all about, considering the drummer on this date is no less than Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. ~Robert R. Caldero

Listen Here!

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Jef Neve Trio - Nobody Is Illegal

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:19
Size: 122.1 MB
Styles: R&B, Piano jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Airplane
[8:57] 2. Nothing But A Casablanca Turtle Slide-Show Dinner
[6:23] 3. Abschied
[3:40] 4. Astra
[6:25] 5. Nobody Is Illegal
[1:04] 6. Unprepared
[9:32] 7. Second Love
[2:07] 8. Goldfish
[6:46] 9. Together At Last
[4:13] 10. Until Now
[1:51] 11. Delayed

Double Bass – Piet Verbist; Drums – Teun Verbruggen; Horns – Hans Verhulst (tracks: 2, 3, 7), Simon Haspeslag (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Piano, Producer – Jef Neve; Saxophone [Tenor] – Nicolas Kummert (tracks: 4, 6, 8); Trombone [Bass] – Pieter Kindt (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Trombone [Tenor] – Frederik Heirman (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Tuba – Berlinde Deman (tracks: 2, 3, 7). Tracks 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11: Recorded at 'La Chapelle', Waimes, on April 17-19, 2006. Tracks 5, 10: Recorded at Bijloke, Ghent, on July 18th, 2006.

Pianist/composer Jef Neve (1977) has become a prominent figure in his homeland Belgium and his reputation is rapidly spreading to the rest of the world. He studied at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven and graduated in 2000 as Master of Music in Jazz and classical piano, both with great distinction. In 2001 he specialized in Chamber Music and was rewarded the diploma 'cum laude'. He followed master classes with Brad Mehldau, Martial Solal, Lew Tabackin, Billy Hart, Bill Carothers, Kenny Werner, Bruce Barth and others.

Nobody Is Illegal

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Ketty Lester - Where Is Love?

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:19
Size: 79,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. Where Is Love?
(2:57)  2. My Romance
(2:42)  3. That's All
(2:41)  4. Wouldn't It Be Loverly
(3:19)  5. Love Locked Out
(2:39)  6. Deep Purple
(3:20)  7. Lover Man
(2:27)  8. Skylark
(3:11)  9. The Sweetest Sounds
(3:15) 10. My Foolish Heart
(2:40) 11. I Got Lost In His Arms
(2:31) 12. I Feel Pretty

Singer Ketty Lester has a career that spans music, TV, film, and stage. Her cover of Dick Haynes' 1945 hit "Love Letters" went to number five pop and number two R&B on Billboard's charts in the spring of 1962. The tune was originally the title theme from the 1945 Jennifer Jones movie. Ketty Lester was born Revoyda Frierson on August 16, 1934, in Hope, AR. She was one of 15 children born into a farmer's family. After winning a scholarship in 1955, she moved to California and attended San Francisco City College, majoring in nursing. Lester sang in church and the school choir, and performed in summer stock theater. She also appeared as a contestant on the classic '50s game show You Bet Your Life. Meeting country singer/comedienne Dorothy Shay at the Purple Onion club (where she was performing), Lester was introduced to producers Ed Cobb and Lincoln Mayorga. Herb Newman's Era Records released the resulting single, "I'm a Fool for You" b/w "Love Letters." DJs and listeners preferred the sparse, steamy B-side, making it a Top Five pop hit. The follow-up single, a cover of George Gershwin's "But Not for Me" from the musical Girl Crazy, peaked at number 41 pop during summer 1962.  

Ketty Lester was issued that same year. It featured two singles, "You Can't Lie to a Liar" and a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." Another Era single was "Fallin Angel" b/w "Lullaby for Lovers." She also recorded the upbeat "West Coast" b/w the ballad "I'll Be Looking Back" for Capitol, "I Said Goodbye to My Love" b/w "Queen for a Day" for Everest, and "Measure of a Man" b/w "Cracker Box Livin'," "Show Me" b/w "Since I Fell for You," and the LP Same for the Pete label. Lester recorded for RCA (Soul of Me, Where Is Love, the singles "Better World," "Roses Grow With Thorns," "You Go Your Way," "Some Things Are Better Unsaid," "The Luck of Ginger Coff") and for Tower (When a Woman Loves a Man, "Love Me Just a Little Bit"). She also recorded a Christian album, I Saw Him, for Mega Records. Originally offered the lead role in Julia, starring Diahann Carroll, Lester appeared in the films Just for Fun, Up Tight, Uptown Saturday Night, The Terminal Man, Street Knight, House Party 3, and Blacula, and the TV movies Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style and Percy and Thunder. She also guest-starred on TV series like Sanford and Son, Laugh-In, Quantum Leap, Hill Street Blues, Love American Style, The FBI, Harry 0 (the 1975 episode with Maureen McCormick), That Girl, Marcus Welby, and Lou Grant. She became a regular on Little House on the Prairie (as Hester Sue Terhune) and the soap operas Days of Our Lives (as Helen Grant) and Rituals. The singer won an Off-Broadway Theater Award for her performance in a revival of A Cabin in the Sky. Lester also had a recurring role as Vivica A. Fox's grandmother on the 1998 sitcom Getting Personal. ~ Ed Hogan http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ketty-lester-mn0000079654

Where Is Love?

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Tete Montoliu Trio - Hot House Disc 1 And Disc 2

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 57:25 + 48:11
Size: 93,2 MB + 78,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:37)  1. Sweet Georgia Fame
( 7:35)  2. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
( 8:54)  3. Blues for Perla
(10:22)  4. Falling in Love With Love
( 8:08)  5. Old Folks
( 4:52)  6. Au Privave
( 9:52)  7. Body and Soul

( 6:26)  1. Giant Steps
( 7:11)  2. Theme for Ernie
(12:19)  3. Body and Soul [#]
( 6:55)  4. Solar
( 8:22)  5. I Remember Clifford
( 6:56)  6. Hot Housse

Tete Montoliu (1933-1997) was an outstanding veteran pianist from Spain. Born blind, he learned to read music in Braille when he was seven and developed impressive technique on piano. He recorded with Lionel Hampton in 1956, had his first session as a leader in 1958, and played with the touring Roland Kirk in 1963. Through the years, he also worked with such visiting Americans as Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson, and even Anthony Braxton. Some of Tete Montoliu's most important recordings were done for the Danish SteepleChase label, but he also cut one date for Contemporary (1979) and recorded for Enja and Soul Note.

Personnel:  Tete Montoliu  (piano);  Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass);  Albert Tootie Heath (drums)

Hot House Disc 1 And Disc 2

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David S. Ware / Apogee - Birth Of A Being Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Birth Of A Being Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:15 + 52:44
Size: 122,4 MB + 121,3 MB 
Art: Front

(10:54)  1. Prayer
(16:33)  2. Thematic Womb
(13:47)  3. A Primary Piece #1
(12:00)  4. A Primary Piece #2

Album: Birth Of A Being Disc 2

(12:07)  1. Prayer
(14:06)  2. Cry
(17:04)  3. Stop Time
( 2:29)  4. Ashimba
( 6:55)  5. Solo

Birth of a Being presents the debut of the trio called Apogee -David S. Ware , Cooper-Moore , Marc Edwards -originariamente printed on vinyl by Swiss label hat Hut in 1979 and remained out of print for more than thirty years, more than a second of material CD coming from the same session and never published until now. If the debut album by the saxophonist leaders of Plainfield, New Jersey, lays the foundation of the celebrated quartet that recorded for Columbia and DIW in the nineties, the unpublished material heard in the second CD, while lacking the compactness and the impact force of the previous, however, contains more than a source of interest.  The beginning of everything is "Prayer," a mission statement that will accompany Ware throughout his career until his premature death in October of 2012. That is a tremendous spiritual inspiration which is expressed through grueling rides on tenor who moans, screams , screaming, whispering, communicates all the possible range of feelings, passions, joys and sorrows with repetitive notes and crazy spirals. Edwards on drums provide a rhythmic hellish, stifling, does not grant reprieve while Cooper-Moore becomes the alienating element, dissonant clusters and transform his piano in contrast fluid for the reaction of the trio.  Music that stuns, that leaves you breathless and without appeal, the tradition as an irreplaceable sap, expressive frenzy as the only escape route. 

The sublimation of this aesthetic will be completed, it was said, in the albums of the nineties especially in Godspelized , one of the vertices of a musician and as few others endeavored to gather and expand the legacy of John Coltrane. The second CD, as well as an alternate take of "Prayer" still interesting, shows the more reflective side of Ware. "Cry" and "Stop Time" -over thirty minutes overall -privilegiano interplay, the trio balances into its components, loses some vehemence and visionary but enhances the dense web of connections that are established between musicians in full harmony and wrapped in a sort of enigmatic suppleness. "Ashimba" sees Cooper-Moore grappling with a xylophone of its construction (a practice that more and more will refine over the years, that of the construction of original instruments) for two minutes of pure ancestral magic. While "only" it is the lone breath of Ware, the final prayer of a nodal registration for the developments of the David S. Ware career. Precious. Translate by Google ~ Vicenzo Roggero https://www.allaboutjazz.com/apogee-birth-of-a-being-david-s-ware-aum-fidelity-review-by-vincenzo-roggero.php
 

Personnel: David S. Ware: tenor sax;  Cooper-Moore: piano;  Marc Edwards: drums.

Birth Of A Being Disc 1
Birth Of A Being Disc 2

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Judy Holliday - Broadway To Hollywood

Size: 156,1 MB
Time: 66:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Full Of Life (2:38)
02. These Will Be The Good Old Days (Twenty Years From Now) (2:22)
03. Trouble Is A Man (2:38)
04. How About Me (3:31)
05. What I Was Warned About (2:32)
06. I Got Lost In His Arms (3:27)
07. What'll I Do (2:45)
08. Lonely Town (3:41)
09. Am I Blue (2:57)
10. Confession (1:59)
11. An Occasional Man (2:19)
12. A Ride On A Rainbow (3:37)
13. Where Have You Been (3:15)
14. I'm One Of God's Children (Who Hasn't Got Wings) (3:11)
15. Loving You (2:16)
16. The Party's Over (2:27)
17. It's A Perfect Relationship (3:10)
18. Better Than A Dream (2:42)
19. Just In Time (4:02)
20. Drop That Name (2:10)
21. The Party's Over (Alt. Version) (3:12)
22. I'm Going Back (3:28)
23. Finale (1:47)

Judy Holliday was a beloved Hollywood and Broadway actress who came to fame portraying the epitome of the 'dumb blonde' in the classic movie 'Born Yesterday'. This new collection from Jasmine contains her two famous recordings "Trouble Is A Man" and "Bells Are Ringing" which was the official soundtrack album from her hit movie based on the original Broadway musical. Such was the popularity of 'Bells Are Ringing', numbers such as "Just In Time" which also features Dean Martin and "The Party's Over" went on to become pop standards. This is a real collector's item for fans of the great Hollywood stars of the 50s and 60s.

Broadway To Hollywood

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Denise King & Massimo Farao Trio - Songs With Love

Size: 159,7 MB
Time: 67:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Look Of Love (3:07)
02. Say You, Say Me (3:07)
03. Back To Black (3:38)
04. Dindi (4:09)
05. Sway (3:05)
06. The Girl Of Ipanema (3:34)
07. And I Love Her (3:51)
08. Night And Day (2:30)
09. Another Star (3:22)
10. I'm In The Mood For Love (2:57)
11. Our Love Is Here To Stay (2:15)
12. Dream A Little Dream Of Me (2:49)
13. Falling In Love With Love (2:20)
14. Fly Me To The Moon (3:01)
15. Georgia On My Mind (5:15)
16. Wave (4:38)
17. Give Me The Night (2:39)
18. Corcovado (4:18)
19. Guess Who I Saw Today (3:52)
20. Stuck On You (3:07)

Influenced by Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw and Sarah Vaughan, Denise King is an expressive, big-voiced singer who combines jazz with elements of R&B, blues and gospel. King was born and raised in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to R&B as a child and discovered jazz at 12 thanks to an uncle who was an avid record collector. After graduating from high school, the Philadelphian entered the medical field and earned her living as a technician and a family-planning counselor. King was in her early 30s when she started doing club gigs around Philly, and eventually, she became a full-time singer. Though she's no stranger to standards, one of King's strong points has been her ability to provide jazz interpretations of rock and soul hits -- in fact, she has turned everything from Santana's "Evil Ways" to Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come" into swinging acoustic jazz. King started recording in the 1990s, offering Live In Japan: I Remember You in 1993, Now Ain't That Love in 1996 and Simply Mellow in 1997. ~ Alex Henderson

Songs With Love

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Joe Pass Quartet & Septet - Walking Up: Early Recordings

Size: 176,0+177,2 MB
Time: 75:36+75:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. C.E.D (3:16)
02. Aaron's Song (4:27)
03. Stay Loose (4:24)
04. Projections (5:12)
05. Hang Tough (6:32)
06. Self-Image (9:04)
07. Last Call For Coffee (4:40)
08. Blues (4:36)
09. Catch Me (Forward Pass No. 1) (3:14)
10. Days Of Wine And Roses (2:52)
11. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (3:06)
12. But Beautiful (2:39)
13. Mood Indigo (5:08)
14. It's All Right With Me (3:00)
15. Deep Purple (5:06)
16. Tangerine (3:11)
17. There Will Never Be Another You (5:03)

CD 2:
01. Bags' Groove (No. 1) (3:53)
02. There Is No Greater Love (3:58)
03. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (3:33)
04. No Cover, No Minimum (5:41)
05. Just Friends (3:38)
06. Walking Up (3:18)
07. Peri's Scope (2:45)
08. Catch Me (Forward Pass No. 2) (3:10)
09. Summertime (6:23)
10. Falling In Love With Love (5:49)
11. These Foolish Things (5:20)
12. Joe's Tune (Samba) (2:25)
13. Stragler (4:04)
14. Simon Potter (5:20)
15. Catch Up (Forward Pass No. 3) (2:57)
16. Sermonette (2:30)
17. Bags' Groove (No. 2) (3:10)
18. Sister Sadie (4:17)
19. Li'l Darlin' (3:39)

This edition contains Joe Pass’ earliest recordings as a leader. It including his complete original long unavailable 1962 LP "Sounds of Synanon" (Pacific Jazz PJ48), It presents an unusual instrumental combination with baritone horn and bongos in a program of originals by Pass and other members of the band. All of the musicians there, including Pass himself, were patients recuperating at the Synanon Drug Center in California at that time, hence the title of the album.

In addition to the seven songs on the original LP, this release also boasts a rarely heard blues that completes the session, as well as a selection of Pass’ earliest quartet dates under his own name.

PERSONNEL:
JOE PASS, guitar on all tracks, plus:

CD 1 [1-8]:
DAVE ALLAN, trumpet; GREG DYKES, baritone horn; ARNOLD ROSS, piano;
RONALD CLARK, bass; BILL CRAWFORD, drums; CANDY LATSON, bongos.

CD 1 [9-15]:
CLARE FISCHER, piano & organ; RALPH PEÑA, bass; LARRY BUNKER, drums.

CD 1 [16-17] & CD 2 [1-3]:
Unknown, piano/organ; RALPH PEÑA or JIM HUGHART, bass;
LARRY BUNKER or COLIN BAILEY, drums.

CD 2 [4-10]:
CLARE FISCHER, piano & organ; ALBERT STINSON, bass; COLIN BAILEY, drums.

CD 2 [11-15]:
LES McCANN, piano; HERBIE LEWIS, bass; PAUL HUMPHREY, drums.

CD 2 [16-19]:
LES McCANN, piano; PAUL CHAMBERS, bass; PAUL HUMPHREY, drums.

Walking Up CD 1
Walking Up CD 2

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Elsa Nilsson - Salt Wind

Size: 125,1 MB
Time: 53:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. Tiny Bridges, Homemade Islands (5:04)
02. Shift (6:14)
03. Someone For Something (6:38)
04. Inside Brooklyn Thunder (8:09)
05. Hedning (4:50)
06. Staffans Visan (6:08)
07. Continuum (5:40)
08. Byssan Lull (4:41)
09. Lucia (6:18)

Many instrumental genres feature different schools of performance, such as the French school of flute playing, following Claude-Paul Taffanel. or the Russian flute school after Vladimir Tsybin. Even in jazz’ short history we find the Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins schools of tenor saxophone performance, for example. When it comes to the flute in jazz, however, while great players such as Hubert Laws, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, James Newton, etc. have left their mark on the techniques adopted by jazz players, there are still about as many schools of jazz flute as there are jazz flutists.

Having said that, what does it mean to say that Elsa Nilsson is a unique voice in the field of jazz flute? There have been a lot of influences on jazz flutists, many from world music, particularly as it refers to jazz’s “first fusion” — Latin jazz, as flutists have readily assimilated influences from Brazil, Cuba, Argentina etc. Alternatively, players such as John Wubbenhorst and Deepak Ram have brought the sound of the Indian bansuri into jazz. In Elsa’s case, however, she has brought together influences from more unusual sources.

As stated in her website bio, Elsa “. . . believes the true beauty of music is its ability to create common ground, and she weaves all kinds of folk music (including jazz) to find a deeper understanding between people and cultures.” In her case, growing up in Sweden and assimilating Swedish folk music created a foundation, to which she added a passion for jazz acquired after moving to the United States. But these days, as we have noted, jazz is a multi-faceted genre, and immersion in jazz opens the door to many other influences. Elsa has embraced all of this in her development as an artist while retaining a very personal perspective. Referring to her new recording, Salt Wind, she writes that: “. . . it draws from all the influences I treasure including jazz, rock, Swedish traditional music, Bulgarian, Brazilian, African, and Syrian melodies and grooves.” As she points out, however, “My intention was not to try to create an authentic example of any of these styles, but rather to be genuinely and openly influenced by them and express them in my own way.”

Elsa goes on to succinctly describe the essence of the music on this recording and the wealth of diverse influences on her playing. As she describes them, each selection reflects aspects of Elsa’s personal experience, both musical and personal, from the Swedish Christmas song Staffans Visan to Continuum which came to her while biking around Brooklyn. Byssan Lull draws on a melody Elsa has encountered in several different settings, from Ukranian Punk Jazz to, again, Swedish folk music. Shift reflects the complex rhythms of Bulgarian wedding music – shades of 17/8 – while Lucia blends a Swedish melody with Syrian rhythms. As a change of pace, Nilsson displays her vocal prowess on Hedning which is a kind of Swedish heavy metal.

While these insights demonstrate the musicological background to Nilsson’s work they are by no means necessary for the pure enjoyment of the music which combines lightness and strength in a most appealing manner. Adding to the strength is guitarist Jeff McLaughlin who contributes some of the more muscular, jazz-centered playing to the date. The rhythm section, bassist Alex Minier and drummer Cody Rahn provide support of great sensitivity, following Nilsson and McLaughlin sure-footedly through every facet of the music.

Along with the breadth of conception and facility of execution, as an example of some of the areas jazz flute music can inhabit, this recording is essential listening. ~by Peter Westbrook

Salt Wind

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Massimo Farao Trio - Groovin'

Size: 162,4 MB
Time: 69:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. It's All Right With Me (5:49)
02. If I Should Lose You (8:41)
03. It's A Blue World (5:35)
04. For Sentimental Reasons (8:46)
05. Awful Mean (6:22)
06. Bye Bye Blackbird (7:13)
07. Sugar Ray (7:09)
08. The Nearness Of You (6:04)
09. Teach Me Tonight (7:39)
10. Temperance (6:37)

Personnel:
Massimo Farao': piano
Aldo Zunino: bass
Steve Williams: drums

Massimo Farao (16th March 1965 in Genoa) is an Italian jazz - pianist. Massimo Farao studied with Flavio Crivelli and worked with local formations; In 1983 he visited the United States, where he among other things, with the first Red Holloway and Albert 'Tootie' Heath played. In the 1990s he worked with Tony Scott, Adrian Mears, John Enders, Jesse Davis, Franco Ambrosetti, at its Enja -albumsGrazie Italia and Light Breeze he participated. He also played in the Nat Adderley Quintet at a European tour. In 1993 he took for Splasc (h) his debut album For Meon; his teammates included the trumpeter Flavio Boltro and bassist Dado Moroni. In 1995 the album Ciao Baby (on Monad).

In Trio with Ira Coleman and Jeff Tain Watts played Farao 1998 Brooklyn for Enja album Black Inside a; 2000 followed (also on Enja) the recorded in trio and quartet album Thorn on which Drew Gress, Jack DeJohnette and saxophonist Chris Potter participated. In 2001, he was (with Wayne Dockery and Bobby Durham)member of the quartet of Archie Shepp; 2001-2005 was the artistic director of the jazz department Farao the label Azzrra Music. In 2003, he stepped on the Jazz Piano Festival in Lucerne. In 2006 he recorded an album with compositions by Ennio Morricone on; In 2007 he toured in a trio with Joey DeFrancesco through Europe and the USA.

Groovin'

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Mary Bogue - One Night Of Sin

Size: 152 MB
Time: 24:08
File: FLAC
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues/Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Sneakin' Around (3:07)
02. Night Life (4:12)
03. Rock Me Baby (3:20)
04. One Night Of Sin (3:43)
05. Don't Explain (4:18)
06. I'm Going To Cry You Right Out (3:22)
07. Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast (2:03)

The first time I heard Karen Hernandez on keys, I about fell out. She had Les McCann riffs, and Gene Harris style, while being all Karen. She’s a beautiful soul, and talented beyond belief. . Her resume is astounding, and Les McCann calls her his favorite pianist.

Bringing it on home on bass guitar is Brad Bobo, whose discography includes Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Eddie Harris, Linda Hopkins, Nancy Wilson, and now me. Pinch me, someone. You’ll find the ever cool Jack Le Compte keeping time. I adore Jack, well everyone in L.A. does. He’s a dream to work with, always putting the singers first, laying back and never making a big deal for himself. He’s grace and steel. I love his stick work. On tenor sax is my very favorite sax man, Rickey Woodard. Our call and response on “Don’t Explain” will knock you out. I am the luckiest singer ever. ALL the talents on this CD are Living Legends of Jazz. How about that!

And shout outs to cabaret icon Marilyn Maye who along with the great Billy Stritch changed the tempo and style on “Don’t Explain.” Finally, my dear friend, the great Linda Hopkins has a part on this CD too. When I first met her, she heard me sing at the Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill and then told me I should sing her song, “I’m Going to Cry You Right Out.” I was both nervous and excited to perform for her the next time we met. She cried some happy tears, giving me the greatest compliment ever, “Honey, you sing that song better than I ever did!” Let’s leave it there

Big love to my dear friend Steve Rawlins. This is our third recording collaboration. He is an astonishing arranger, musician, composer, producer, father and grandfather. And he always has my back.

Thank you to all whose energy uplifted and enhanced this work. I just want to say that I hope you enjoy One Night of Sin with me, and when you’re done, go ahead and have One Night of Sin with your significant other. Fall on your knees and confess it all. Love is all there is.

One Night Of Sin

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