Martin Taylor's Spirit of Django - Gypsy

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Gypsy Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:28
Size: 171,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:08)  1. Gypsy Medley
(7:20)  2. My Vardo
(4:58)  3. Chicago
(6:07)  4. Chez Fernand
(2:31)  5. Tears
(6:38)  6. Kushti
(5:06)  7. Nuages
(4:57)  8. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(5:02)  9. Dreaming of You
(7:06) 10. Sweet Sue Just You
(6:34) 11. Musette for a Magpie
(4:19) 12. Chillin' with Oscar
(5:37) 13. Squid Kid

Martin Taylor's first CD of live dates as a leader proves to be very rewarding listening. With his delightful Spirit of Django band, he sticks exclusively to the acoustic guitar throughout the release, giving a new look to pieces either written by Django Reinhardt ("Tears" and "Nuages") or performed by the late Gypsy guitarist ("Chicago" and "Sweet Sue Just You"). But that's not all the opening medley centers around David Grisman's engaging "The Tipsy Gypsy," and there are several strong originals by Taylor as well, including the mellow but upbeat "Chez Fernand." Accordion player Jack Emblow and saxophonist Dave O'Higgins (who is especially compelling on soprano) are also strong soloists who complement Taylor's work; hopefully Taylor will keep this group going in addition to his fine work as a solo performer. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/gypsy-mw0000054375

Personnel:  Accordion – Jack Emblow;  Acoustic Guitar – John Goldie, Martin Taylor;  Bass [Acoustic] – Terry Gregory;  Saxophone – Dave O'Higgins

Gypsy

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Stanley Turrentine - Hustlin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:57
Size: 113,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:51)  1. Trouble (No. 2)
(7:39)  2. Love Letters
(6:03)  3. The Hustler
(6:26)  4. Ladyfingers
(6:16)  5. Something Happens To Me
(7:07)  6. Goin' Home
(7:32)  7. Trouble (No. 2) (alt. take) (bonus track)

This is a typically excellent recording from the husband-wife team of tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and organist Shirley Scott. With assistance from guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Otis Finch, Turrentine (who always had the skill of playing melodies fairly straight but with his own brand of soul) and Scott dig into "Love Letters," Lloyd Price's "Trouble," "Something Happens to Me," a couple of basic originals, and "Goin' Home." The Turrentine-Scott team never made an unworthy disc; all are easily recommended, including this one. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/hustlin-mw0000228132

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Shirley Scott (organ); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Otis Finch (drums)

Hustlin'

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Archie Shepp - Down Home New York

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1984

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:15

Size: 97,2 MB

Art: Front

(10:59)  1. Down Home New York

( 9:16)  2. 'Round About Midnight

( 9:12)  3. May 16th

( 6:08)  4. The 4th World

( 6:39)  5. Straight Street

Archie Shepp was the picture of rebellion and anger in the 1960s, but he became the voice of swing, blues and classicism in the 1980s. Shepp displayed his penchant for honking R&B and soulful blues on this 1984 date. The title piece was a jaunty stroll, as was the celebratory "Straight Street." Shepp turned to impressionistic fare with his version of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight." The group included a great drummer in Marvin Smith and also other competent players, although Saheb Sarbib sometimes did not offer as full and aggressive a backbeat as needed. But Shepp's swaggering, confident tone and style maintained the pace. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/down-home-new-york-mw0000188764

Personnel: Archie Shepp (vocals, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Charles McGhee (vocals, trumpet); Kenny Werner (vocals, piano); Saheb Sarbib (vocals, electric bass, bass guitar); Marvin Smith (vocals, drums); Bazzi Bartholomew Gray (vocals).

Down Home New York

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Kathryn Williams - Crown Electric

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:57
Size: 114,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Underground
(3:19)  2. Gave It Away
(3:35)  3. Heart Shaped Stone
(3:29)  4. Count
(3:31)  5. Out Of Time
(3:35)  6. Monday Morning
(3:38)  7. Darkness Light
(4:49)  8. Picture Book
(4:50)  9. Morning Twilight
(3:16) 10. Arwen
(3:35) 11. Tequila
(4:56) 12. Sequins
(3:40) 13. The Known

Before Elvis Presley was crowned the King of Rock N Roll and basically changed the music world forever, he worked as a truck driver and delivery man for a company called Crown Electric. It’s that company which gives Kathryn Williams‘ 10th album its title, and although it’s unlikely to eventually power her to Presley-style success, her most accessible album yet should win her a fair proportion of new fans. So often dismissed as a ‘folkie’, with all the niche interest that implies, Williams in fact sounds nothing less than a contemporary singer/songwriter, and it’s a sound that’s been refined and perfected on Crown Electric. There isn’t a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio without turning overtly poppy or dumbing down, it typifies the kind of quiet, pretty songs she’s specialised in since 1999. As ever, beneath the beauty of Williams’ melodies lies a darkness. Opening track Underground skips along irresistibly, but concerns the mundane existence of commuters “I see the same people on the train, I don’t say hello, I don’t even wave” muses Williams, before deciding “I don’t want to live like this till I’m underground”. As with her best work, it’s like having your hair stroked before being punched in the gut.

There’s certainly an existential theme running through Crown Electric, with several songs concerning the passing of time as Count explicitly states “I’ve got to make these hours count, these seconds count”. It’s a subject revisited in the gentle jazz swing of Out Of Time, with the heart-rendering line “when you’re supposed to know you’re in your prime, until it’s behind you”, while the gently lilting Monday Morning is a plea to stop wishing the days away. Williams’ long-term producer Neill MacColl sprinkles his usual magic on the album, with the lovely, string-accompanied Heart Shaped Stone already sounding like a hit in waiting, and the second half of the record sees a couple of collaborations with Ed Harcourt which give Williams’ music an added depth. The swirling torch ballad Darkness Rises is probably the best of these, but Sequins (apparently written by Williams in Harcourt’s bath) is a definite highlight, if only for the line “If I walked the afterlife with no make-up on, I’d  be frightening the angels for good”. It’s little lyrical gems like that which make Crown Electric such a joy to listen to. The title track cleverly compares the life of tragic icons like Presley, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston to the travails of the ordinary singer/songwriter (“well, stones can feel just as heavy as gold”) while Tequila contains probably the album’s key line, “Be brave enough to be yourself”. It’s been Williams’ ability to be herself that’s let her quietly grow into being an immensely talented songwriter. Crown Electric is not so much a case of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ but rather ‘it ain’t broke, but let’s make it even better’. ~ John Murphy https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/kathryn-williams-crown-electric

Crown Electric

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Makoto Ozone - My Witch's Blue

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:21
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Bouncing in My New Shoes
(4:53)  2. My Witch's Blue
(4:31)  3. Gotta Get It!!
(5:59)  4. Longing for the Past
(6:28)  5. So Good!!
(6:18)  6. Take the Tain Train
(5:21)  7. Time We Spent Together
(5:12)  8. Nova Alvorada
(4:48)  9. Solo Improvisation 'Continuum'
(6:51) 10. Satin Doll

Japans most famous Jazz pianist, Makoto Ozone, releases My Witch's Blue with the Makoto Ozone Trio. Makoto Ozone Trio features Christian McBride & Jeff Tain Watts. The trio recorded My Witch's Blue in New York in May. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/My-Witchs-Blue-Ozone/dp/B008UTV5KC

A premier jazz musician in Japan, Makoto Ozone has made a successful transition to America, where he became equally prominent in this nation's improvisational community. He began on organ at four, then took up piano as a teenager. He went to Berklee in 1980 and studied composing and arranging. He was noticed by Gary Burton and later recorded with him and was part of his band. Ozone's striking ability (especially on mid-tempo pieces) and impressive technique made him a big hit at the Kool Jazz Festival. His 1984 debut recording featured Burton and bassist Eddie Gomez. It was a stunning example of complete knowledge and mastery of the full jazz piano spectrum. Ozone later worked with European pianist Michel Petrucciani and spent extensive time studying classical music. ~ Ron Wynn https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-witchs-blue/id561504267

Personnel:  Makoto Ozone – Piano;  Bass – Christian McBride;  Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts

My Witch's Blue

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Konstantin Klashtorni - Smooth Jazz IV

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:50
Size: 101,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. If I Told You
(4:02)  2. Hills and Valleys
(4:39)  3. I Feel It Coming
(4:07)  4. Everywhere I Go
(4:28)  5. Give Me Your Eyes
(4:19)  6. I Need You
(3:57)  7. You Look Good
(4:28)  8. Moondance
(5:32)  9. Find Your Wings
(4:12) 10. Made a Way

Multi-instrumentalist Konstantin Klashtorni is known by his projects Kool & Klean, Chillaxing Jazz Kollektion, Love Suggestions and Smooth Jazz. His newest album of the latter is Smooth Jazz IV (2017). The front photo indicates Konstantin's musical main weight, the saxophone. In order to avoid a false impression, Konstantin plays all his instruments himself, composes all the pieces and produces them. Releasing more than 30 tracks each year makes him to the most productive artist of the smooth jazz scene. Listening to the first track If I Told You immediately comes Grover Washington's The Two Of Us into mind. The soul searing beauty of the melody can compete with the great inspiration. With Hills and Valleys Konstantin not only presents a catchy melody but also invests time and efforts in a sophisticated rhythmic background. On I Feel It Coming arrangement and composition have reached a high degree of artistry. Horns and piano are interwoven to form a highly complex musical whole of extreme smartness. Everywhere I Go is comparable with music by Gerald Albright or Richard Elliot: the sax in the center of interest with great overdub effects. Give Me Your Eyes fuels the groove with a saxy intensity reinventing the smooth jazz idea on a higher level. I Need You relies on the shuffle principle with flute as dialogue partner and piano as instrumental main speaker in interchange with guitar all in a conceptual natural flow. Slowing down the pace to a romantic mood You Look Good is not only an acoustic compliment for the listener. Moondance smiles with guitar, sax and a wonderful synth tapestry of ambient finesse. Find Your Wings is a clap along song in the best sense. For which the rhythm offers the occasion, the melody provides the argumentative underpinnings. Made a Way is the follow up in the same style and fire to touch your heart.There are musicians in the search for the ultimate harmony and there are artists like Konstantin Klashtorni who realize melodious perfection again and again with effortless ease. Smooth Jazz IV is a sonic power package of juvenile freshness. http://smooth-jazz.de/firstview/Klashtorni/SmoothJazz4.htm

Smooth Jazz IV

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Janet Seidel - Winter Moon

Size: 146,1 MB
Time: 63:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Seems Like Old Times (4:19)
02. Just You, Just Me (2:50)
03. Nuages (4:35)
04. For Heaven's Sake (4:43)
05. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (3:12)
06. Golden Earrings (4:22)
07. Cocktails For Two (4:34)
08. Change Partners (4:20)
09. Baby Won't You Please Come Home (3:01)
10. Prelude To A Kiss (4:53)
11. Down With Love (2:58)
12. Big Bad Bill (2:58)
13. There I Go Again (4:44)
14. Harlem Nocturne (3:32)
15. Winter Moon (4:11)
16. Fascinatin' Rhythm (3:39)

Born in Australia's bush country, Janet Seidel has emerged as one of that country's leading cabaret and jazz vocalists. She has been appearing frequently at Australia's top jazz and hotel venues since the early '80s often working with bassist brother, David Seidel. Janet Seidel has also been featured at jazz festivals in the U.S. working with such jazz notables as Harry Allen, Dan Barrett, Dave McKenna, and Michael Moore. Her first venture into cabaret came in 2000 when she put together and starred in Doris and Me, a tribute to Doris Day's singing career. Often working with saxophone player Tom Baker and always with her brother, she has made eight albums for the La Brava label. Her double album The Way You Wear Your Hat was named vocal album of the year by Australia's national newspaper and was a finalist for the prestigious ARIA award. Her The Art of Lounge, Vol. 2 was similarly as finalist for that award for the AIRA Jazz Album of the Year.

Seidel does not have great range, but she uses the tools she possesses with great skill and effectiveness. With her intimate style, great feel for the lyrics of songs she sings, Seidel is one of those vocalists who is as much a story teller as she is a singer. The way she goes about handling the music comes off as a fortuitous blend of Blossom Dearie and Doris Day with an occasional nod to Julie London, although she is somewhat jazzier than the latter two. Like Jeri Southern, Shirley Horn, and Diana Krall, she often doubles at the piano. Seidel has an exquisite, gentle, and agile voice and honors each tune she sings, irrespective of whether it's a classic standard, pop, or novelty song.

Winter Moon

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Larry Newcomb Quartet - Living Tribute (Feat. Bucky Pizzarelli)

Size: 109,7 MB
Time: 46:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. I Remember You (3:59)
02. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (3:45)
03. Morningside Heights (3:45)
04. Alone Together (5:30)
05. Round Pond Reunion (5:07)
06. Gold Top (3:17)
07. Band Of Brothers (3:20)
08. One Heart Ain't As Great As Two (4:42)
09. Love Is Here (5:28)
10. Crossing Over (3:59)
11. Peace (3:59)

New York-based guitarist Larry Newcomb's latest album, Living Tribute, isn't directed toward a single honoree but several, some of whom are living and some of whom are not. One of them, fellow guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, even bolsters Newcomb's regular quartet, playing with the sort of bounteous energy that makes it hard to believe he would be celebrating his ninety-first birthday a month after the studio date was held in December 2016.

Newcomb opens with the standard "I Remember You," a warm and appropriately named salute to his earliest influence on guitar, friend and college roommate Dick Hall, who passed away in June 2016. The country-leaning "Gold Top" and gospel-tinged "Crossing Over" (with a bow to J.J. Johnson's "Lament") are also dedicated to Dick Hall, the well- grooved "Round Pound Reunion" to Hall's family and friends. Another guitarist, and another Hall—the late Jim—is eulogized twice, with the standards "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "Alone Together," while Newcomb's no-nonsense "Morningside Heights" defers to Pizzarelli who plays a mean rhythm guitar on that track and elsewhere.

Newcomb doesn't overlook family ties either. "Band of Brothers" salutes his sons Jonah, Jake and Ian, while "Love Is Here" and "One Heart Ain't as Great as Two" (both sung by Leigh Jonaitis) are dedicated to his wife, Mary. The session closes with a final homage, "Peace," to Newcomb's spiritual guru, Prem Rawat. Having mentioned Newcomb and Pizzarelli (who may or may not be the main soloist on "You'd Be So Nice," "Morningside Heights" and Crossing Over"), it should be noted that the ensemble as a whole is splendid. Pianist Eric Olsen frames a number of polished solos while bassist Dmitri Kolesnik, solid throughout, is featured prominently on "Alone Together." Meanwhile, drummer Jimmy Madison simply goes about his business, leaving no rhythmic issue to chance.

An admirable quartet date that is further enriched by the masterful presence of the great Bucky Pizzarelli, still swinging in his ninetieth decade. ~Jack Bowers

Personnel: Larry Newcomb: electric guitar; Bucky Pizzarelli: acoustic guitar (1-5, 11); Eric Olsen: piano; Dmitri Kolesnik: bass; Jimmy Madison: drums; Leigh Jonaitis: vocals (8, 9).

Living Tribute

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Doris Day - Day Time On The Radio: Lost Radio Duets From The Doris Day Show

Size: 136,6 MB
Time: 56:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Pop
Art: Front

01. It's Magic (Radio Announcer Version) (0:43)
02. A Wooin' We Will Go (With Howard Keel) (2:28)
03. The Love Nest (With Gordon MacRae) (1:27)
04. You're Just In Love (With Van Johnson) (1:31)
05. Ma Says, Pa Says (With Broderick Crawford & Don Wilson) (2:24)
06. Dearie (With Dan Dailley) (1:44)
07. If Life Were All Peaches & Cream (With Tony Martin) (2:41)
08. Red Hot Henry Brown (With Kirk Douglas) (1:16)
09. I Will Marry You (With John Agar) (1:50)
10. By The Light Of The Silvery Moon (With Gordon MacRae) (1:45)
11. A Kiss Like This (With Alan Young) (1:20)
12. Merrily Song (With Donald O'Connor) (1:38)
13. Take Me Out To The Ball Game (With Ronald Reagan & Bob Crosby) (0:27)
14. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (With Jack Smith) (1:17)
15. Tea For Two (With Gordon MacRae) (1:49)
16. We're In Love (With Broderick Crawford) (1:54)
17. My Darling, My Darling (With Frank Loesser) (1:22)
18. Around The Corner (With Marais & Miranda) (2:45)
19. Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie (With George Jessel) (0:52)
20. Little By Little (With Walter O'Keefe) (1:12)
21. Something Sort Of Grandish (With David Wayne) (2:10)
22. You're My Peaches & Cream (With David Butler) (1:00)
23. Together (With Don Wilson) (1:14)
24. I'll Be Seeing You (With George Murphey) (2:22)
25. Ma Says, Pa Says (With Marais & Miranda, Gordon MacRae) (4:10)
26. I'm Gonna Mend My Fences (With Howard Keel) (2:16)
27. Cuddle Up A Little Closer Till We Meet Again (With Gordon MacRae) (2:08)
28. Jingle Bells Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (With Jimmy Boyd, Jack Kirkwood & Don Wilson) (1:51)
29. Love To Be With You (Radio Announcer Version) (1:14)
30. Till I Waltz Again With You (2:56)
31. It's Magic (0:44)
32. Love To Be With You (2:07)

One couldn’t imagine a better opening number for the radio program The Doris Day Show than “It’s Magic,” for each week between March 1952 and May 1953, the versatile song stylist and beloved motion picture star cast a spell over listeners worldwide with an intimate gathering of famous friends filled with music and laughter. Over the course of five dozen broadcasts of The Doris Day Show—recorded in Hollywood in front of a live audience and happily preserved on 16-inch transcription discs—Doris joined her special guests at the piano for performances of songs she often had never commercially recorded. This is a largely unknown and scarcely documented facet of Doris’ career, and Day Time on the Radio brings to light no less than 32 rarities including 27 duets and five solo performances. Among her notable foils are frequent leading man Gordon MacRae, who starred in five pictures with Doris; here the two of them sing a total of four duets, highlighted by their medley of “Cuddle Up a Little Closer”/”Till We Meet Again.” Movie stars Kirk Douglas, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan (!), and Broderick Crawford all prove willing and able duet partners, while the more musically-inclined Tony Martin, Howard Keel, Smilin’ Jack Smith, and Frank Loesser lend their formidable talents to a mix of traditional and Broadway-inspired fare. Doris’ sparkling solo performance of “Till I Waltz Again with You” finishes Day Time on the Radio with a flourish before a couple of hidden bonus tracks: her renditions of the opening “It’s Magic” and closing “Love to Be with You” radio themes sans announcer. Joe Marchese’s detailed notes and rare photos round out what is a fantastic addition to the Doris Day discography, the first authorized release ever of her long-lost radio performances.

Day Time On The Radio

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James Morrison - The Great American Songbook

Size: 161,1 MB
Time: 69:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. They Can't Take That Away From Me (6:22)
02. The Way You Look Tonight (4:41)
03. A Time For Love (7:29)
04. Our Love Is Here To Stay (5:30)
05. Love Is A Many-Splendoured Thing (3:55)
06. I've Got The World On A String (5:43)
07. Tenderly (7:23)
08. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (2:35)
09. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (5:17)
10. My Funny Valentine (5:46)
11. The Shadow Of Your Smile (6:00)
12. Summertime (5:04)
13. A Foggy Day (In London Town) (3:27)

Jazz great James Morrison returns with an essential new album: timeless hits from The Great American Songbook, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart.

Performing on a range of instruments (including trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, tenor sax and piano), Morrison brings his trademark virtuosity and flair to classics by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern and more. These tunes were originally made famous by many of the great singers of all time; for this album, Morrison especially commissioned arrangements that bring alive the melodies, styles and meanings that have made these songs so immortal and beloved.

These jazz ‘standards’ are close to Morrison’s heart: “I proposed to my wife by walking into the bathroom playing My Funny Valentine, Every Time We Say Goodbye was played at the funeral of a dear friend, Summertime was the first time I worked with a singer, A Foggy Day was the first song I performed in public on the piano (aged 10), and of course Duke Ellington answered the unanswerable question ‘what is jazz’? (It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing).”

James Morrison is regarded as one of the finest musicians of his generation, with a distinguished career featuring collaborations with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles, invitations to perform at the world’s great venues and for multiple US presidents and Queen Elizabeth II, and pioneering education work.

The Great American Songbook

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Liv Stoveland - Solitary Moon

Size: 124,8 MB
Time: 53:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Freezing Fears (5:43)
02. Solitary Moon (5:12)
03. Calling You (5:31)
04. The Gentle Rain (3:52)
05. Freezing Hearts (4:39)
06. No Moon At All (4:13)
07. Skylark (4:09)
08. Freezing Star (4:06)
09. Little Waltz (3:10)
10. Bon't Let It Bring You Down (4:07)
11. Moon And Sand (9:00)

Personnel:
Rasmus Solem – piano
Espen Larsen – guitar
Ole Kelly Kvamme – bass
Arild Nyborg – drums/percussion
Per Willy Aaserud – trumpet

It’s been a while since Stoveland made her debut with the album ”Close your eyes” released to wonderful reviews.

Now the album ”Solitary Moon” is here and she has handpicked the musician, and the guitarist Espen Larsen has composed all the tunes written specifically for this recording with lyrics by Arne Birketveit.

Solitary Moon

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Tardo Hammer - Tardo's Tempo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:34
Size: 127,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Last Time I Saw Paris
(8:42)  2. I Waited For You
(4:49)  3. Russian Lullaby
(5:51)  4. Philly Twist
(6:58)  5. Journey To Lichtenstein
(6:21)  6. Minor Mishap
(4:48)  7. Very Early
(5:21)  8. Littme Man (You've Had A Busy Day)
(6:33)  9. Thelonious

In tandem with bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Jimmy Wormworth, Tardo Hammer carves out his own space in the bebop tradition once again, proving that accomplished musicians still have a lot to say while mining established styles. The pianist doesn’t mess with the bebop blueprint; rather, he excels at executing its fundamental elements. The material on “Tardo’s Tempo” is a carefully selected mixture of selections from the American Popular Songbook, a few jazz standards, a Monk tune, plus one original. Neither franticly busy nor gratuitously virtuosic, most of the tracks move along at a pace that invites the listener to pick-up on telling details and appreciate the trio’s interaction. The opening track, Hammerstein and Kern’s “Last Time I Saw Paris,” typifies their approach to the music and sets a very high standard for the rest of the record. Juggling a number of ideas while maintaining a coherent narrative thread, Hammer begins with an out-of-tempo solo that states the melody in an oblique fashion, rapidly changing from a stately to a lighthearted disposition, adding a nice stride feel during some of the bridge, and integrating the occasional, Monk-like dissonance. The labyrinth-like opening sequence immediately evaporates as the bass and drums lay down a steady medium tempo bounce. This time Hammer’s take on the melody is sunny and optimistic, as he rides Wormworth’s strokes to the hi-hat and top cymbal. Encouraged by Irwin’s sturdy walking, the two-chorus solo that follows has a lot going on, yet its logical development is never marred by too much activity. For instance, while it comes as a surprise when a quote from “Thelonious” (which is the also the last track on the record) is followed by a smattering of fast, single note lines, Hammer soon returns to something more grounded that stays closer to the pulse.

Hammer’s interpretation of “Little Man (You’ve Had A Busy Day),” one of two ballads on the recording, is a fine example of a jazz musician turning a maudlin pop song into something memorable. He plays it three times, at first solo, and then twice with the bass and drums. Smartly juxtaposing improvised passages and snatches of the tune, each time Hammer takes more liberties without completely bending the melody out of shape or removing the sentiment, all the while evincing a decisive rhythmic drive. Both cleaving to and providing counterpoint to the leader’s piano, the snap of Wormworth’s snare and melodic ring of his tom-toms animates the head of Tommy Flanagan’s “Minor Mishap.” As always, Hammer’s reliance on Irwin and Wormworth’s firm, expressive support rather than just heedlessly playing over them is an important element of his three-chorus solo. He swings purposefully and doesn’t feel the need to fill up all available space, taking the time to develop ideas, and frequently pausing in order to let a phrase sink in. There’s no dramatic arc to the course of the solo instead, Hammer and company offer something more important; namely, a resolute momentum, simultaneously disciplined and flexible, which feels so good that you wouldn’t mind if they continued without end. ~ David O. Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tardo-hammer-tardos-tempo-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel: Tardo Hammer—piano; Dennis Irwin—bass; Jimmy Wormworth—drums.

Tardo's Tempo

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Patricia Barber - Nightclub

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:26
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(4:58)  2. Invitation
(6:40)  3. Yesterdays
(3:20)  4. Just For A Thrill
(3:46)  5. You Don't Know Me
(4:50)  6. Alfie
(5:05)  7. Autumn Leaves
(3:44)  8. Summer Samba
(3:25)  9. All Or Nothing At All
(3:42) 10. So In Love
(4:18) 11. A Man & A Woman
(3:28) 12. I Fall In Love Too Easily

The harping of rigid purists or self-proclaimed visionaries aside, the enduring strength of jazz has always been its ability to accommodate both tradition and innovation. Patricia Barber has done plenty of experimenting on albums like Café Blue, Modern Cool and Companion. Her smartly crafted originals and reinventions of rock tunes like “Light My Fire” and “The Beat Goes On” have earned Ms. Barber a much deserved reputation as one of the most unique and interesting singer/songwriter/pianists in jazz. Having found her own distinctive voice and having demonstrated a willingness to push boundaries, Ms. Barber turns her attention to the music’s tradition with this collection of twelve standards. Nightclub provides Ms. Barber with an ideal showcase for her formidable keyboard skills. She is an astonishingly creative improviser who manages to burrow deep inside a song without losing her sense of proportion. Her piano solos on “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Invitation” and “All or Nothing at All” are concise, brilliantly constructed explorations of those tunes. She undertakes a more extended improvisation on “Yesterdays” where she creates a fascinating dynamic between relaxation and tension. Ms. Barber has surrounded herself with musicians who can match her own high standards. “Autumn Leaves” features a remarkable solo from bassist Marc Johnson, and “Alfie” is highlighted by Charlie Hunter’s 8-string guitar. 

Ms. Barber is a quiet, intense, enormously intelligent singer who can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with a single word or phrase. She has chosen these standards with care and her singing is blessedly free of irony or tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. Rather than trying to subvert the lyrics, Ms. Barber underscores the timelessness of their themes by infusing them with her own thoroughly modern perspective. She turns “Just for a Thrill” and a perfectly phrased “You Don’t Know Me” into meditations on dependency and desire that feel completely contemporary. She makes a spare, evocative “I Fall in Love Too Easily” into an exercise in painful self-examination and an exceptional reading of Cole Porter’s “So in Love” into the last word on romantic obsession (no singer has ever gotten as much from the lines “so taunt me / and hurt me”). The CD is not, however, all brooding introspection. There are some lighter moments like the deliciously romantic “Summer Samba.” Some critics will no doubt express consternation over the fact that Nightclub is not a repeat of the Modern Cool formula. However, Ms. Barber deserves credit for refusing to adhere to pre-set expectations. So long as she continues to make CDs with the kind of musicianship and insight she demonstrates here, then the past, present and future of jazz are all in good hands. ~ Mathew Bahl https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nightclub-patricia-barber-review-by-mathew-bahl.php

Personnel: Patricia Barber (vocals, piano); Charlie Hunter (8-string guitar); Michael Arnopol, Marc Johnson (bass); Adam Cruz, Adam Nuzzbaum (drums).

Nightclub

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Buddy Rich - In Miami

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:28
Size: 97,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:22)  1. Lover Come Back To Me
( 8:12)  2. Topsy
( 9:27)  3. Undecided
( 8:12)  4. Broadway
(10:13)  5. Jumpin' At The Woodside

When it came to technique, speed, power, and the ability to put together incredible drum solos, Buddy Rich lived up to the billing of "the world's greatest drummer." Although some other drummers were more innovative, in reality none were in his league even during the early days. A genius, Buddy Rich started playing drums in vaudeville as "Traps, the Drum Wonder" when he was only 18 months old; he was completely self-taught. Rich performed in vaudeville throughout his childhood and developed into a decent singer and a fine tap dancer. But drumming was his purpose in life, and by 1938 he had discovered jazz and was playing with Joe Marsala's combo. Rich was soon propelling Bunny Berigan's orchestra, he spent most of 1939 with Artie Shaw (at a time when the clarinetist had the most popular band in swing), and then from 1939-1945 (except for a stint in the military) he was making history with Tommy Dorsey. 

During this era it became obvious that Buddy Rich was the king of drummers, easily dethroning his friend Gene Krupa. Rich had a bop-ish band during 1945-1947 that did not catch on, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recorded with a countless number of all-stars in the 1950s for Verve (including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Art Tatum, and Lionel Hampton), and worked with Les Brown, Charlie Ventura, Tommy Dorsey (1954-1955), and Harry James (off and on during 1953-1966). 

A heart attack in 1959 only slowed him down briefly and, although he contemplated becoming a full-time vocalist, Rich never gave up the drums. In 1966, Buddy Rich beat the odds and put together a successful big band that would be his main outlet for his final 20 years. His heart began giving him trouble starting in 1983, but Rich never gave his music less than 100 percent and was still pushing himself at the end. A perfectionist who expected the same from his sidemen (some of whom he treated cruelly), Buddy Rich is definitively documented in Mel Tormé's book Traps the Drum Wonder. His incredible playing can be viewed on several readily available videotapes, although surprisingly few of his later big band albums have been made available yet on CD. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/buddy-rich-in-miami/id41230739

Personnel:  Drums – Buddy Rich;  Bass – Peter Ind;  Piano – Ronnie Ball;  Tenor Saxophone – Flip Phillips

In Miami

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Hey guys...

Starting Monday 5 June 2017 the SD team will be on vacation for about a week.

Charles Earland - Front Burner

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream  
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:15
Size: 101,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. Moonlighting (Theme)
(7:27)  2. My Two Sons
(5:18)  3. I Will Always Love Her
(5:22)  4. Gospel Time
(9:51)  5. Mom and Dad
(6:25)  6. Can You Wait
(5:15)  7. Kickin' the '3

Charles Earland is among the most consistent of organists, with nearly every one of his recordings on that instrument (as opposed to his interlude on synthesizers) being easily recommended to soul-jazz and hard bop collectors. For this CD, Earland heads a sextet also including trumpeter Virgil Jones (long an underrated player), Bill Easley on tenor, guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer Buddy Williams and occasionally Frank Colon on conga. Other than a throw-away version of the theme from Moonlighting, the mostly basic music on this set is rewarding, with Earland infusing the tunes with plenty of grease and funk. ~ Scott Yanow

Personnel: Charles Earland (organ); Bobby Broom (guitar); Bill Easley (tenor saxophone); Virgil Jones (trumpet); Buddy Williams (drums); Frank Colon (congas)

Front Burner

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Gwyneth Herbert - All The Ghosts

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:02
Size: 96,7 MB
Art: Front

( 3:36)  1. So Worn Out
( 3:54)  2. Annie's Yellow Bag
( 3:40)  3. Lorelei.
( 3:37)  4. My Narrow Man
( 3:04)  5. Jane Into A Beauty Queen
( 4:42)  6. Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is..
( 3:00)  7. Nataliya
( 4:34)  8. My Mini And Me
(11:51)  9. Some Days I Forget..

On her fourth album, Gwyneth Herbert builds on the strengths that made her last release, Between Me And The Wardrobe, a success. Focussing on her folk-jazz vocal style and on her own compositions rather than cover versions, All The Ghosts should see her career continue on its recent upwartrajectory.Herbert's songs are rightly starting to draw comparisons with those of 60s Ray Davies and Paul McCartney. She has a fine sense of melody and her latest songs tell stories that equal ''Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station, every Friday night'' or ''Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins''. The songs create a cast of inner-city archetypes, each with an intriguing tale to tell. Many of the protagonists are society's losers or victims. Unlike Davies or McCartney, Herbert unfailingly sees the world from a woman's point of view. It is no coincidence that four of the track titles contain women's names. Her voice and phrasing are often reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, noticeably on Nataliya. The elasticity of her voice perfectly conveys the songs' emotions and softens their occasional bleakness. Men are either objects of desire, as on My Narrow Man, or contempt, as on Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is. The accompaniment from pianist Steve Holness, bassist Sam Burgess, percussionist Dave Price and guitarist Al Cherry is subtly understated, complementing the voice well. Rarely in the limelight, the music impresses when it is featured. Cherry's acoustic guitar is the highlight of My Mini and Me, notably the slide guitar coda. 

Previously available online in 2008 as a download-only album entitled Ten Lives, this expanded and retitled version is a coherent and compelling song suite. One of the added tracks comes as a surprise after the nine Herbert originals. Almost as an afterthought, the album closes with a raw version of Bowie's Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.It seems an odd finale given Herbert's age. She was born years after Ziggy Stardust gave his last performance. Nonetheless, as on the original Bowie release, it brings this impressive album to a suitably emotional and rousing conclusion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviewsGwyneth Herbert – vocals, piano (on "My Narrow Man")

Personnel:  Gwyneth Herbert – vocals, piano (on "My Narrow Man");  Al Cherry – guitars;  Dave Price – percussion;  Sam Burgess – bass;   Steve Holness – piano and organ;  Jonathan Bierman – "droid" electronics on "So Worn Out"

All The Ghosts

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Cedar Walton - Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:44
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

( 0:12)  1. Opening Remarks
( 9:43)  2. Midnight Waltz
(11:56)  3. Jacob's Ladder
( 8:37)  4. For All We Know
(11:05)  5. Byrdlike
(10:22)  6. Ugetsu
(13:46)  7. Impressions

The “moment” in question occurred in late 1977; the event was the Rahsaan Roland Kirk Memorial Jazz Festival at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner. The Cedar Walton Quartet, co-headlining with Leon Thomas and Bobby Hutcherson, were joined by Walton’s old Jazz Messengers compatriot Freddie Hubbard, returning to a straight-ahead context in the wake of the trumpeter’s controversial plunge into jazz-funk fusion. Judging by what’s here, these were three nights of hard-charging swing and unfettered creativity. 

Walton’s piano lines, complex and multi-textured yet resolutely straight-ahead, are powered by a percussive impetus that both complements and goads drummer Billy Higgins’ dexterous punctuations; when tenorman Bob Berg weighs in with his astringent tone and Trane-like roils and flurries, he brings a bracing element of rawness and emotive unpredictability into the mix. We first hear Hubbard on Walton’s “Ugetsu,” a tune that dates back to the pair’s ’60s-era tenure with the Messengers. The aggression with which Hubbard fires out his hard-bop lines-blunt and confrontational, despite that soft-edged flugelhorn tone-suggests that he may have been sending a message to the purists who’d been accusing him of fusionist apostasy. (He sounds less combative but no less fired up on “Byrdlike,” his tribute to Donald Byrd, another postbop icon who’d been castigated for selling out to Mammon.) “Jacob’s Ladder,” Latin-tinged and soulful, invokes Horace Silver, a connection Walton makes clear with a quote from “Song for My Father” (one of numerous witty quotes scattered throughout). The final workout on “Impressions” transforms Coltrane’s standard into a free-swinging jam-session set piece-a perfect capstone to a set that proclaims joy, discovery and new beauty from first note to last. ~ David Whiteis https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/cedar-walton-featuring-freddie-hubbard-live-at-the-keystone-korner-reliving-the-moment/ 

Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Billy Higgins (drums).

Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

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Freddie Hubbard - The Blue Note Years

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:02
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:34)  1. Crisis
( 7:10)  2. Open Sesame
( 9:39)  3. Lament for Booker
( 5:16)  4. Hub Cap
( 6:28)  5. Gypsy Blue
( 6:26)  6. D Minor Mint
( 6:35)  7. You're My Everything
( 6:45)  8. Asiatic Raes
( 6:31)  9. Body and Soul
( 7:33) 10. The Melting Pot

In the pantheon of jazz trumpeters, Freddie Hubbard stands as one of the boldest and most inventive artists of the bop, hard-bop and post-bop eras. Although influenced by titans like Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, Hubbard ultimately forged his own unique sound – a careful balance of bravado and subtlety that fueled more than fifty solo recordings and countless collaborations with some of the most prominent jazz artists of his era. Shortly after his death at the end of 2008, Down Beat called him “the most powerful and prolific trumpeter in jazz.” Embedded in his massive body of recorded work is a legacy that will continue to influence trumpeters and other jazz artists for generations to come. Hubbard was born on April 7, 1938, In Indianapolis, Indiana. As a student and band member at Arsenal Technical High School, he demonstrated early talents on the tuba, French horn, and mellophone before eventually settling on the trumpet and flugelhorn. He was first introduced to jazz by his brother, Earmon, Jr., a piano player and a devotee of Bud Powell. Hubbard’s budding musical talents caught the attention of Lee Katzman, a former sideman of Stan Kenton. Katzman convinced the young trumpeter to study at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music with Max Woodbury, the principal trumpeter of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

As a teenager, Hubbard worked and recorded with the Montgomery Brothers Wes, Monk and Buddy. His first recording session was for an album called The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others. Around that same time, he also assembled his first band, the Jazz Contemporaries, with bassist (and manager) Larry Ridley, saxophonist/flutist James Spaulding, pianist Walt Miller and drummer Paul Parker. The quintet became recurring players at George’s Bar, the well known club on Indiana Avenue. In 1958, Hubbard moved to New York at age 20 and quickly established himself as one of the bright young trumpeters on the scene, astonishing critics and fans alike with the depth and maturity of his playing. Within the first two years of his arrival in the Big Apple, he landed gigs with veteran jazz artists Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton and Eric Dolphy. He joined Quincy Jones in a tour of Europe that stretched from 1960 to 1961.Per a recommendation from Miles Davis, Hubbard was signed to Blue Note, where he recorded Open Sesame, his solo debut, in 1960 at the age of 22. The album, which also featured Tina Brooks and McCoy Tyner, marked the launch of one of the most meteoric careers in jazz. Within a year’s time, Hubbard followed up with his second and third recordings – Goin’ Up (1960), with Tyner and Hank Mobley, and Hub Cap (1961), with Julian Priester and Jimmy Heath. In 1961, Hubbard released what many consider to be his masterpiece, Ready For Freddie, which marked his first Blue Note collaboration with Wayne Shorter. Later that same year, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In the span of a few short years, this hard-blowing young lion had quickly established himself as an important new voice in jazz.

Hubbard left the Jazz Messengers in 1964 to form his own small group, whose ranks included Kenny Barron and Louis Hayes. Throughout the remainder of the decade, he also played in bands led by a variety of other high-profile jazz artists. He was a significant presence on Herbie Hancock’s Blue Note recordings, beginning with Takin’ Off (1962) – Hancock’s debut as a leader – and continuing on Empyrean Isles (1964) and Maiden Voyage (1965). Hubbard’s other noteworthy session work in the 1960s included Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz(1960), Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961), Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch (1964), and John Coltrane’s Ascension (1965). He achieved his greatest popular success in the 1970s with a series of crossover albums on Atlantic and CTI Records. His early ‘70s jazz albums for CTI  Red Clay (1970), Straight Life (1970) and First Light (1971) were particularly well received (First Light won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance). Later in the decade, he returned to the acoustic, hard-bop idiom with the V.S.O.P. quintet, which teamed him with members of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Ron Carter. Hubbard also stepped briefly into the pop arena when he played a solo on “Zanzibar,” a track from Billy Joel’s Grammy-winning 1978 album, 52nd Street. As the ‘80s got under way, Hubbard was once again leading his own group, playing at concerts and festivals in the U.S. and Europe. He frequently collaborated with Joe Henderson, playing a repertory of hard-bop and modal-jazz pieces. Other associations throughout the decade included Monterey Jazz Festival dates with Bobby Hutcherson; studio projects with Woody Shaw and Benny Golson; and a live recording in Holland (Feel the Wind) with Blakey in 1988.

In 1990, he appeared in Japan in an American-Japanese concert package that also featured Elvin Jones, Sonny Fortune, George Duke, Benny Green, Ron Carter and Rufus Reid. He also performed at the Warsaw Jazz Festival – a date that was recorded and released in 1992. Other pursuits in the early ‘90s included the formation of a new band of emerging young artists: Christian McBride, Javon Jackson, Carl Allen and Benny Green. He continued to seek out fresh young talent as the decade unfolded by collaborating with the New Jazz Composers Octet. Hubbard performed and recorded with the Octet – a collective led by fellow trumpeter David Weiss – for the last decade of his career, culminating with his final recording, On The Real Side, released in 2008. Despite failing health as the new century got under way, Hubbard continued to carry the jazz torch by participating in clinics and residencies at various colleges around the country to share the wealth of his knowledge with up-and-coming artists. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts granted Hubbard its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He suffered a heart attack in late November 2008 in Sherman Oaks, California, and died a few weeks later, on December 29, at the age of 70. At his peak, Freddie Hubbard was a brilliant virtuoso performer with a rich, full tone that remained consistent in slow passages as well as fast ones. As one of the greatest hard-bop trumpeters of his era, he created impassioned blues lines without sacrificing the context of the music he was playing. He was perhaps one of the greatest technical trumpeters ever to play in the jazz idiom, and arguably the most influential. http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/landing.php

The Blue Note Years

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Clark Terry - Wham (Live At Jazzhouse Hamburg)

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 121,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:33)  1. Perdido
( 8:19)  2. On The Trail (Grand Canyon Suite)
( 4:36)  3. Jazzhouse Blues
( 2:30)  4. In der Heimat gibt's ein Wiederseh'n
( 5:36)  5. Straight, No Chaser
(11:48)  6. Wham
( 9:52)  7. Take The "A" Train

The irrepressible Clark Terry was all over jazz in the second half of the 20th century, playing a technically demanding but playful style that made him a crowd favorite. Here on this live album from Hamburg, Germany originally released in 1976 he’s joined by pianist Scott Bradford, bassist Larry Gales (misspelled as “Gailes”), and drummer Hartwig Bartz. One of the earliest jazz proponents of flugelhorn, Terry plays that instrument throughout. He actually opens with trumpet, then trades off the two horns (holding one in each hand) for a very peppy version of “Perdido.” Terry then takes the band through an easy-swinging “On the Trail” that features speedy runs that give Dizzy Gillespie a run for his money (for more of this, also check out “Straight No Chaser”). There's a slow improvised blues that functions as a vehicle for his famous scat singing, and Terry opts to close out with Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train” where he again is in vocal mood after everyone solos. It's now available digitally for the first time, with a fresh mastering job to boot. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wham-live-at-jazzhouse-hamburg/id873105286

Personnel:  Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals – Clark Terry;  Bass – Larry Gailes;  Drums – Hartwig Bartz;  Piano – Scott Bradford

Wham (Live At Jazzhouse Hamburg)

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