Harlem Hamfats - Hamfat Swing 1936-1938

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:50
Size: 132.4 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Oh Red
[3:05] 2. Lake Providence Blues
[2:40] 3. What You Gonna Do
[2:38] 4. Live And Die For You
[3:00] 5. Move Your Hand
[3:03] 6. Let's Get Drunk And Truck
[3:18] 7. Weed Smoker's Dream
[2:31] 8. The Garbage Man
[2:46] 9. Bad Luck Man
[3:05] 10. Hamfat Swing
[2:37] 11. Growling Dog
[3:03] 12. Hallelujah Joe Ain't Preachin' No More
[3:07] 13. Let Your Linen Hang Low
[2:53] 14. Rosetta Blues
[3:00] 15. Root Hog Or Die
[2:40] 16. Black Gal You Better Use Your Head
[3:02] 17. Gimme Some Of That Yum Yum Yum
[2:50] 18. It Will Never Happen Again
[3:02] 19. Delta Bound
[2:42] 20. Mellow Little Devil

The Harlem Hamfats were a crack studio band formed in 1936 by black talent scout Mayo "Ink" Williams. Its main function was backing jazz and blues singers such as Johnny Temple, Rosetta Howard, and Frankie "Half Pint" Jackson for Decca Records; the Hamfats' side career began when its first record "Oh Red" became a hit. Despite its name, none of the band's members came from Harlem, and none were hamfats, a disparaging term referring to indifferent musicians. Brothers Joe and Charlie McCoy were blues players from Mississippi; leader Herb Morand, Odell Rand, and John Lindsay were from New Orleans; Horace Malcolm and drummers Pearlis Williams and Freddie Flynn were from Chicago. This territorial disparity created a sound which blended various blues styles with New Orleans, Dixieland, and swing jazz. The band's high-spirited playing and excellent musicianship compensated for what some critics have called lack of improvisational skill. The Hamfats' music has been somewhat neglected over the years. The vocalists tended to be derivative of other popular singers of the day such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and various blues singers. The lyrical content of their songs often revolved around subjects like drinking and sex, leading some to dismiss them as a lightweight novelty act. Although it is not seen as an innovative group, the Harlem Hamfats' riff-based style was influential to Louis Jordan, early Muddy Waters, and what would eventually become rhythm & blues and rock & roll. ~bio by Jim Powers

Hamfat Swing 1936-1938

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Eric Dolphy - ‘Out to Lunch!’

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:30
Size: 97,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:28)  1. Hat and Beard
( 6:06)  2. Something Sweet, Something Tender
( 7:24)  3. Gazzelloni
(12:10)  4. Out to Lunch
( 8:21)  5. Straight Up and Down

Out to Lunch stands as Eric Dolphy's magnum opus, an absolute pinnacle of avant-garde jazz in any form or era. Its rhythmic complexity was perhaps unrivaled since Dave Brubeck's Time Out, and its five Dolphy originals the jarring Monk tribute "Hat and Beard," the aptly titled "Something Sweet, Something Tender," the weirdly jaunty flute showcase "Gazzelloni," the militaristic title track, the drunken lurch of "Straight Up and Down" were a perfect balance of structured frameworks, carefully calibrated timbres, and generous individual freedom. Much has been written about Dolphy's odd time signatures, wide-interval leaps, and flirtations with atonality. And those preoccupations reach their peak on Out to Lunch, which is less rooted in bop tradition than anything Dolphy had ever done. But that sort of analytical description simply doesn't do justice to the utterly alien effect of the album's jagged soundscapes. Dolphy uses those pet devices for their evocative power and unnerving hints of dementia, not some abstract intellectual exercise. His solos and themes aren't just angular and dissonant they're hugely so, with a definite playfulness that becomes more apparent with every listen. The whole ensemble trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, vibist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Tony Williams takes full advantage of the freedom Dolphy offers, but special mention has to be made of Hutcherson, who has fully perfected his pianoless accompaniment technique. His creepy, floating chords and quick stabs of dissonance anchor the album's texture, and he punctuates the soloists' lines at the least expected times, suggesting completely different pulses. Meanwhile, Dolphy's stuttering vocal-like effects and oddly placed pauses often make his bass clarinet lines sound like they're tripping over themselves. Just as the title Out to Lunch suggests, this is music that sounds like nothing so much as a mad gleam in its creator's eyes. ~ Steve Huey http://www.allmusic.com/album/out-to-lunch-mw0000241418

Personnel: Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Richard Davis (bass); Tony Williams (drums).

‘Out to Lunch!’

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Lalah Hathaway - Outrun the Sky

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:03
Size: 146,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:39)  1. How Many Times
(4:49)  2. Back Then
(4:07)  3. Your Favorite Song
(5:52)  4. Forever, For Always, For Love
(4:04)  5. Better And Better
(3:06)  6. Outrun The Sky
(4:15)  7. If U Ever
(3:48)  8. In The End
(5:34)  9. Admit It
(5:47) 10. Stronger
(8:10) 11. We Were 2
(5:10) 12. More
(5:37) 13. Boston

Few mainstream artists can keep the lazy release schedule Don Hathaway's daughter does and retain a strong fan base. It's been a whole decade since Lalah Hathaway released one of her own albums and half that long since she joined Joe Sample for The Song Lives On. It's her warm voice, smooth delivery, and allegiance to fad-free R&B that keeps the faithful patiently waiting. Delivering on all counts, Outrun the Sky is a fan's dream and the singer's best showcase since her debut. While The Song Lives On was more ambitious and in turn brought more fans, Outrun the Sky is a better showcase. Not only does Hathaway cover a wider spectrum of tones and moods but she also producers and writes most of the highlights of the album. Her stream-of-consciousness lyrics for the title track give a more personal picture of the artist and paint her as an approachable dreamer who's as unsure as anyone. Hathaway's inspired writing is responsible for many of the other warm and reflective winners but it's the closing "Boston" that best illustrates how this husky voiced siren can conjure up a cosmopolitan song and deliver it with heart. Including her smoky take on Luther Vandross' "Forever, for Always, for Love" from the Forever, for Always, for Luther tribute is the icing on this cool cake. The ballad-heavy album still has its fair share of grooves that are rooted in R&B but the overall easy temperament isn't going to alienate any of Hathaway's smooth jazz converts. Nice to have her back; here's to a shorter wait next time. ~ David Jeffries http://www.allmusic.com/album/outrun-the-sky-mw0000301005

Personnel: Lalah Hathaway (background vocals); Lalah Hathaway (vocals); Mike City (various instruments); Chris Parks (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drum programming); Jubu Smith, John Jubu Smith, Ray Fuller, Eric Walls (guitar); Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Nick Lane (trombone); Rex Rideout (keyboards, programming); Michael White , Michael White (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Jenny Douglas McRea, Vivian Sessoms, Kenya Hathaway (background vocals); David Delhomme (guitar, keyboards); Brandon Fields (saxophone); Tim Carmon (Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Poogie Bell (drums); Ricky Rodriguez (percussion).

Outrun the Sky

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Naoko Terai - Night Flight

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:40
Size: 118,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Birdland
(5:09)  2. A Night In Galicia
(4:42)  3. Pompon Blanc Parfait
(3:27)  4. La Cumparsita
(5:34)  5. And Here You Are
(3:40)  6. Night Flight
(5:02)  7. Lazy Angel
(5:52)  8. Joy Of Singing
(5:08)  9. In My Childhood
(5:03) 10. Song From The Old Country
(3:56) 11. From Naught

Popular & proficient No.1 jazz · violinist who has both supple feeling and passionate passion

· From Kanagawa Prefecture. Began playing the violin at the age of 4 and appearing at the age of 6 at NHK Educational TV "Keiko no Violin".
· When I was 12 years old, I received a promotion prize at "Student Music Competition East Japan Convention" organized by the Mainichi Newspaper Company. Received again at the age of 14.
· In 1988, he debuted professionally as a jazz / violinist.
· Since being co-starred with Kenny Baron who came to Japan in 1995, he was invited to guests of his album "Things unseen" and recorded for the first time in NY.
· In 1998, the first leader work "Thinking of You" was announced. In the blink of an eye, he gets a lot of attention as a heroine in the jazz world.
· In January 2001, he won the Jazz Disc Grand Prize "New Star Award" sponsored by Swing Journal magazine.
· In August 2002, I participated in my 1st "Tokyo Jazz 2002" in my band. The overwhelming performance of is a topic. Herbie Hancock invited me to join his session.
· In February 2003, EMI (now Universal Music) first release "Anthem" was announced. Became a big best seller and received the Japan Gold Award Grand Prize .
· December, announced the second transfer "Jazz · Waltz" announcement. He won the Japan Jazz Award, a jazz and disc grand prize sponsored by Swing Journal magazine.
· In April 2004, in the swing journal magazine reader popularity vote, he won three divisions , . Become a top artist in the jazz world with both name and reality.
· From this year onwards until 2009, serve Kincho mosquito coil Tvcm character. (I will be in charge of music continuously after that)
· In January 2008, received the 33rd Nanri's Fumio Award.
· In March 2010, the Agency for Cultural Affairs received the Prize for Art Scholarship Minister Entry Science Minister's Newcomer Award (Grand Prize Division).
· From May, serve as the first regular personality in the BS - TBS program "Cinemagic Café" (~ 2012).
· In September 11th, "Tokyo Jazz" celebrating the 10th anniversary, she appeared on the stage entitled "Astor Piazzolla Project" with world accordionist Richard Galliano and performed again etc. The stage live record "Libertango in Tokyo" is also reputed.
- In January 15, the regular band was renewed for the first time in 12 years, and the latest work "Hot Jazz" was announced.http://www.universal-music.co.jp/terai-naoko/biography/

Night Flight

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George Howard - Love And Understanding

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:09
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Hopscotch
(5:24)  2. Only Here For A Minute
(6:35)  3. Baby Come To Me
(0:51)  4. Interlude
(5:21)  5. Love And Understanding
(5:13)  6. Everything I Miss At Home
(5:19)  7. Love Struck
(4:37)  8. Talk To The Drum
(5:10)  9. Red, Black, And Blue
(5:10) 10. Broad Street

After eight albums, the late soprano saxophonist George Howard found a comfortable and solid if slightly predictable niche in the intensifying realm of instrumental R&B. On Love & Understanding, his first original GRP outing (after a re-release of 1985's Dancing in the Sun), he sticks to the basic funk and romance formulas which made him one of the most consistent suppliers of sweet and nasty improvisational soul over the previous half decade. As always, his smooth yet bouncy lines and frequent circular breathing patterns stand out over the even most tried and true material, but he earns some kudos with "Talk to the Drum," an adventurous sax/percussion duet with masters Lenny Castro and Munyungo Jackson. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-understanding-mw0000320314

Personnel: George Howard (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, synthesizer, drums, drum programming); Kevin Chokan (guitar); George Duke (flute, synthesizer, Synclavier, programming); Bobby Brooks (saxophone); Victor Bailey (keyboards, synthesizer, programming, drum programming); Tim Gant (keyboards, synthesizer); Doug Grigsby (keyboards, programming, drum programming); Jerry Brown (drums); Alex Acuña (congas, percussion); Lenny Castro (bongos, timbales, percussion); Munyungo Jackson (bongos, percussion); Brad Buxer (programming); Alexandra Brown, Carl Carwell, Debra Parson, Keith John (background vocals).

Love And Understanding

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John Pizzarelli - Sinatra & Jobim @ 50

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:24
Size: 118,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
(4:07)  2. Aqua de Beber (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(3:59) 3. Meditation / Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Medley) (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(3:53)  4. Dindi (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(5:32)  5. I Concentrate On You / Wave (Medley) (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(5:04)  6. Antonio's Song (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(4:33)  7. Two Kites (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(4:19)  8. She's So Sensitive
(4:52)  9. Bonita (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(5:50) 10. If You Never Come To Me / Change Partners (Medley) (feat. Daniel Jobim)
(6:02) 11. Canto Casual

It may have been 50 years ago today (or thereabouts) that Sgt Pepper was released and Coltrane passed away, but for John Pizzarelli one anniversary trumps them both. That is, the half-century since Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim first shared a studio. Given that Pizzarelli is a singer-guitarist, able to play Jobim to his own Sinatra, this momentous meeting is a fitting one for him to celebrate. It’s sentimental rather than slavish. Jobim’s grandson Daniel adds some duet vocals, singing solo on the skittish Two Kites, one of four songs Sinatra didn’t do. It’s here because Jobim’s 1980 recording featured Pizzarelli’s guitarist father, Bucky. She’s So Sensitive, another newbie, is a romantic reversal of Jobim’s grim break-up song How Insensitive, and was written by…https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/times2/jazz-review-john-pizzarelli-sinatra-jobim-50-c28txm350

Personnel:  John Pizzarelli (Vocal, Guitar),  Daniel Jobim (piano), Duduka da Fonseca (drums/percussion), Helio Alves (piano), Daniel Jobim (Vocals)

Sinatra & Jobim @ 50

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Jackie McLean - The Source Vol. 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:23
Size: 161.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1973/1991
Art: Front

[18:36] 1. Half Nelson
[ 7:18] 2. I Can't Get Started
[19:02] 3. On The Trail
[ 0:21] 4. Closing
[13:31] 5. Another Hair-Do
[11:05] 6. Dexter Digs In
[ 0:27] 7. Closing (2)

Veteran tenor Dexter Gordon and altoist Jackie McLean teamed up for a few club dates in 1973 and the results have been released on two Steeple Chase albums; the other one is The Meeting. Unlike the earlier release which focused on lesser-known material, The Source features the saxophonists on three jazz standards (Miles Davis's "Half Nelson," "I Can't Get Started" and Charlie Parker's "Another Hair-Do") in addition to reviving Dexter Gordon's 1947 composition "Dexter Digs In." The music is a bit loose and long-winded ("Half Nelson" is over 18 minutes long) but recommended to straightahead jazz fans. ~Scott Yanow

The Source

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Chet Atkins - It's A Guitar World

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:38
Size: 70.1 MB
Styles: Country/Jazz/Pop
Year: 1967/1998
Art: Front

[2:10] 1. What'd I Say
[2:21] 2. Cast Your Fate To The Wind
[3:07] 3. Lara's Theme
[2:38] 4. A Taste Of Honey
[2:04] 5. For No One
[2:18] 6. Pickin' Nashville
[3:03] 7. January In Bombay
[2:17] 8. Ranjana
[3:12] 9. Et Maintenant (What Now My Love)
[2:20] 10. 'na Voce
[2:12] 11. Star Time
[2:50] 12. Sempre

This attractive LP from Chester Burton Atkins purports to leap international boundaries, but for the most part, he stays right home in Nashville. Categories certainly go by the boards as Atkins seamlessly translates "What'd I Say" into his fingerpicking language and Vince Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" gets a lovely straight-ahead treatment. There are also then-recent hits from the Tijuana Brass ("A Taste of Honey," "What Now My Love"), a quiet solo rendering of the Beatles' "For No One," and some ventures south of the border. The most intriguing, and certainly most bizarre, international experiment is a brief session with Indian sitarist Harihar Rao, who just happened to be passing through Nashville. "January in Bombay" is really "The Battle of New Orleans" with Rao strumming wildly, incoherently, on the gopi (either Rao had gone avant-garde or, more likely, he avant garde a clue), but then Rao gets some responsive sitar licks going as the track fades. "Ranjana" has a sitar lead with Atkins playing in unison, but the tune is quite Western and the backing is straight Nashville country, with a drone and a solo on one chord by Rao, and another by Atkins in his own countrified idiom. Hey, it was 1967, and India was in, but this fusion really needed a shotgun to make it happen. ~Richard S. Ginnell

It's A Guitar World

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DeDe Wedekind - Clear Skies Ahead

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:10
Size: 119.4 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Let's Fall In Love
[2:55] 2. Blue Skies
[4:35] 3. Psalm On Danny Boy
[3:12] 4. So In Love
[3:57] 5. I Dreamed A Dream
[2:38] 6. For All We Know
[4:13] 7. The Prayer
[3:47] 8. When I Fall In Love
[4:24] 9. Stormy Weather/Can't Help Loving That Man
[3:36] 10. Skylark
[3:27] 11. Til There Was You
[4:59] 12. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:06] 13. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[4:12] 14. Wishing

DeDe's an award-winning singer & songwriter from Texas. She's currently nominated in 9 CATEGORIES for the IMEA Awards including: ARTIST of the YEAR (2), ALBUM of the YEAR (2), & SONG of the YEAR (5). "The Fairy Tale Song" (Love & Fairy Tales, 2013) was a FINALIST in the International Songwriting Contest in March 2014. "The Plans I Have for You", from the same album, was a FINALIST in the UK Songwriting Competition in Aug. 2013. DeDe was honored as BEST VOCALIST in March 2014 by Singer Universe.com for "Blame It On the Summertime", from Love & Fairy Tales, & was named FIRST Runner-Up BEST SONG on Songwriter Universe.com, also in March 2014 for the same.

DeDe has 3 albums including her latest: World of Christmas, which includes new original songs & arrangements of classics, all by DeDe. This award-winning album was produced by GRAMMY-WINNING Producer of the Year, Jeff Bova (Celine Dion Falling Into You, 1996). This 10 song CD, has been called an album "that will not only touch your heart...but also your soul", by Bova. Grammy- Winner Jason Miles says "(DeDe) is...a superb vocalist, a talent to be watched". LA Music Examiner, Phoenix, of the LA Examiner, says "World of Christmas will turn your 'Silent Night', into a 'Joyful Christmas'!" She's called one of the "best vocalists in music now".

DeDe's 1st album, Clear Skies Ahead, is full of jazzy pop standards all arranged in DeDe's unique creative style. Breathecast.com says: "Wedekind has a way of bringing out something fresh out of each of these covers...some of the most intricate pieces from the American Songbook. When it comes to song interpretation, Wedekind is without peer." ~Timothy Yap.

Clear Skies Ahead

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Ringo Starr - Sentimental Journey

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:32
Size: 76.8 MB
Styles: Contemporary Pop/Rock
Year: 1970/1995
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. Sentimental Journey
[2:24] 2. Night And Day
[2:35] 3. Whispering Grass
[2:10] 4. Bye Bye Blackbird
[2:38] 5. I'm A Fool To Care
[3:20] 6. Stardust
[3:17] 7. Blue Turning Grey Over You
[3:04] 8. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
[2:40] 9. Dream
[2:18] 10. You Always Hurt The One You Love
[2:42] 11. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
[2:54] 12. Let The Rest Of The World Go By

Cut as the Beatles were disintegrating and released shortly before the group's final album, Let It Be, Ringo Starr's debut solo album was a collection of pre-rock standards dating from the 1920s to the '50s, sung over orchestral tracks arranged by everyone from fellow Beatle Paul McCartney and Bee Gee Maurice Gibb to jazz veterans Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson. Starr brought a good-natured, nearly humorous tone to his vocals, perhaps because he wasn't trying to compete with the classic pop stylists most identified with these songs, but only to express his nostalgic affection for the material. Coming more than a decade before the fad for standards albums by rock-era pop stars like Linda Ronstadt, the album was taken not as a career move, but as a highly eccentric and expensive novelty of a kind only Beatles could afford to indulge. In retrospect, it remains harmlessly charming, if unexceptional. (Originally released in the U.K. on March 27, 1970, as Parlophone 7101 and in the U.S. on April 24, 1970, as Apple 3365, Sentimental Journey was reissued in the U.S. on August 29, 1995, as Captiol 98615.) ~William Ruhlmann

Sentimental Journey

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Gene Harris & The Three Sounds - Live At The 'It Club'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:40
Size: 132.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[7:42] 1. Funky Pullett
[8:45] 2. I'm Still Sad
[7:19] 3. On Green Dolphin Street
[5:24] 4. Baby Man
[8:15] 5. Love For Sale
[7:31] 6. Sittin' Duck
[4:50] 7. Tammy's Breeze
[7:51] 8. John Brown's Body

Recorded in 1970 but not released until 1996, Live At the "It Club" shows the Three Sounds pulling out funky, gritty rhythms out of their basic bluesy hard-bop sound. The group's funky influences are most noticeable in the rhythm section of drummer Carl Burnette and bassist Henry Franklin, who had been playing with Harris for only a short time when this set was recorded. The rhythm section pushes Harris, making the music loose and swinging -- the groove matters more than anything on the album. Occasionally, the energy of the Three Sounds lags, but Live at the "It Club" is an enjoyable piece of grooving soul-jazz. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Live At The 'It Club'

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Dave Stryker - Guitar On Top

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:58
Size: 152,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:15)  1. Victor Strikes
(5:29)  2. Listen To Your Heart
(9:50)  3. Guitar On Top
(6:16)  4. Matthew's Waltz
(5:54)  5. Solid
(5:55)  6. Galapagos
(8:09)  7. A Time For Love
(5:30)  8. Goin' To New Orleans
(8:35)  9. Naked City

Features a quartet with Stryker, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Bob Hurst on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. 

These are extra-special musicians playing seven Stryker originals in modern mainstream plus two standards. It is good to discover and holds many surprises. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/guitar-on-top-mw0000613844

Personnel: Dave Stryker (guitar), Mulgrew Miller (piano), Robert Hurst (bass), Victor Lewis (drums).

Guitar On Top

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Lyambiko - Saffronia

Styles: Vocal, Contemporary Jazz  
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:04
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
(4:13)  2. Feeling Good
(3:33)  3. I Loves You Porgy
(5:05)  4. Don't Smoke On Bed
(4:31)  5. Here Comes The Sun
(7:08)  6. My Baby Just Cares For Me
(3:18)  7. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair
(4:48)  8. Four Women
(5:33)  9. I Put A Spell On You
(3:54) 10. Ne Me Quitte Pas
(6:01) 11. Mawe Mawe / I Sing Just  To Know That I'm Alive

On February 21, 2008, Nina Simone became one of the greatest icons of jazz, 75 years old. The sixth edition of the quartet around Lyambiko is, however, at most implicitly based on this jubilee. After five albums, she finally feels ready to publish a tribute to the woman, who inspired her eight years ago to go the way as a jazz singer, as the Thuringian woman with Tanzanian roots proclaims in the finest promo pathos. Now, God already quite different came to the idea, Nina Simone original interpretations to covern or further processing. Alone on the Verve Remixed series, which has since become a classic, Simone is represented six times, and even the sports show used the rhythm section of " Do not Let Me Be Misunderstood " as a jingle some 30 years ago. The appeal of cover versions is usually in the reinterpretation, in the success-crowned attempt to create something completely new from something existing. This is precisely the Crux at "Saffronia". Lyambiko is not to be accused of singing at all, but the record is simply sung over long stretches. Sure, everything is a bit fresher and more youthful, and at " My Baby Just Cares For Me " she tries it at least, takes a lot of pace out. The pianonummer, which is in the original, suddenly stimulates a relaxed rocking. That Liz is replaced in the text line "Liz Taylor is not his style" by Meg Ryan, I am at this point simply times. What is missing from Lyambiko is this fusion, this uncompromising identification with the song, which makes up the fascination of Nina Simones to this day. There are also slightly altered arrangements like the percussions in " Four Women ". The fact that one of the four women described in the play has to serve as a name for the record, at this point then also appears somewhat high. So the question is, why I should put Lyambiko, if I can also listen to the more intense original. Honest answer: I do not know. "Saffronia" is nice and not bad, but I still go back to Nina Simone. ~ David Hilzendegen  http://www.laut.de/Lyambiko/Alben/Saffronia-26714

Personnel:  Vocals – Lyambiko;  Backing Vocals – Lyambiko;  Bass – Robin Draganic;  Drums – Heinrich Köbberling;  Grand Piano – Marque Lowenthal

Saffronia

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John Di Martino's Romantic Jazz Trio - Music Of The Night

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 63:38
Size: 120,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. All That Jazz (from Chicago)
(6:26)  2. I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables)
(5:12)  3. Music Of The Night (from The Phantom of the Opera)
(5:05)  4. Memory (from The Cats)
(5:54)  5. When You're Good To Mama (from Chicago)
(4:49)  6. All I Ask Of You (from The Phantom of the Opera)
(4:48)  7. Mein Herr (from Cabaret)
(5:38)  8. Maybe This Time (from Cabaret)
(4:32)  9. On My Own (from Les Miserables)
(5:51) 10. Beauty And The Beast (from Beauty And The Beast)
(2:58) 11. Tomorrow Belongs To Me (from Cabaret)
(4:05) 12. Send In The Clowns (from Little Night Music)
(3:18) 13. If You Could See Her (from Cabaret)

The Romantic Jazz Trio, consisting of pianist John Di Martino, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Tim Horner, continue the tradition of covering songs from Broadway musicals, though most of their selections for this CD come from musicals written during the 1970s and later. As many longtime Broadway fans will attest, sellout crowds and long runs don't necessarily mean the songs are the equals of efforts by the greats of earlier decades, like Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and the like. But the trio manages just fine interpreting songs from Chicago, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, and the modern standard "Send in the Clowns" from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. The problem begins when the focus turns to the lame melodies of Andrew Lloyd Webber; as one veteran jazz musician remarked to an audience, "They begin OK but don't go anywhere." The trio makes a go of it, even bringing some life to the tedious "Memory," but in the end, the weakness of Webber's songs stand out in comparison to the others' works. At least no one requested that the Romantic Jazz Trio record Webber's nauseating, overblown "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/music-of-the-night-mw0001689286

Personnel:  Piano – John Di Martino;  Bass – Boris Kozlov;  Drums – Tim Horner; 

Music Of The Night

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Don Byas - Savoy Jam Party

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1946

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 73:48

Size: 169,7 MB

Art: Front

(2:55)  1. Riffin' And Jivin'

(3:39)  2. Free And Easy

(3:14)  3. Worried And Blue

(2:52)  4. Don's Idea

(2:58)  5. Savoy Jam Party

(3:00)  6. 1944 Stomp

(2:59)  7. What Do You Want With My Heart

(3:00)  8. Sweet And Lovely

(2:30)  9. White Rose Kick

(3:02) 10. My Deep Blue Dream

(2:39) 11. Byas'd Opinion

(3:18) 12. Candy

(2:56) 13. How High The Moon

(3:11) 14. Donby

(2:45) 15. Byas A Drink

(3:00) 16. I Don't Know Why

(3:02) 17. Old Folks

(3:01) 18. Cherokee

(2:58) 19. September In The Rain

(2:43) 20. Living My Life

(2:57) 21. To Each His Own

(2:23) 22. They Say It's Wonderful

(2:46) 23. Cynthia's In Love

(2:53) 24. September Song

(2:58) 25. St. Louis Blues

A former two-LP set with 32 tracks becomes a single CD consisting of the first 25 numbers. The packaging was shrunk to the point where the liner notes (which refer to all 32 songs) are nearly microscopic...But at least it is "an exact reproduction." Although this reissue from the Japanese Denon label could have been executed better, the music is excellent. Don Byas, one of the great tenors of the 1940s, is featured with groups ranging from a quartet to a sextet; the sideman include trumpeters Charlie Shavers, Emmett Berry and Benny Harris, altoist Rudy Williams, pianists Clyde Hart, Dave Rivera, Jimmy Jones, Teddy Brannon and Sanford Gold, bassists Slam Stewart and Milt Hinton and drummers J.C. Heard and Max Roach. Byas is in superior form on these late-period swing performances...it will interest those who can't find the original, better-packaged two-LP set (put out by Arista in the 1970s). ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/savoy-jam-party-the-savoy-sessions-mw0000645489

Personnel: Don Byas (tenor saxophone); Rudy Williams (alto saxophone); Charlie Shavers, Emmett Berry, Benny Harris (trumpet); Clyde Hart (piano, celeste); Dave Rivera, Jimmy Jones, Teddy Brannon, Sanford Gold (piano); Slam Stewart, Milt Hinton, John Levy, Frank Skeete, Leonard Gaskin (bass); Max Roach, J.C. Heard, Jack Parker, Fred Radcliffe (drums).

Savoy Jam Party

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Benny Green - Happiness! Live at Kuumbwa

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

( 0:35)  1. Introduction
( 4:33)  2. The St. Vitus Dance
( 0:16)  3. Announcement
( 6:53)  4. Down Under
( 6:46)  5. Martha's Prize
( 6:37)  6. Sixth Avenue
( 6:12)  7. 50-21
( 4:27)  8. Chant
(10:13)  9. Pittsburgh Brethen
( 3:35) 10. Twisted Blues

Happiness is listening to Benny Green. He brings joie de vivre to the piano keys with his Herculean chops, in-the-pocket soulfulness, and tight arrangements, all of which can be heard in spades on this live date. The scene for this spirited recording was the Kuumbwa Jazz Center a gem of a venue in California that's been a near-annual stop for Green for more than three decades. This particular event, taking place in June of 2016, found him in his favored trio configuration, covering (mostly) lesser known numbers penned by jazz greats. Sounds and styles only vary ever so slightly, as the energy rarely wanes and (hard) bop-based swing largely remains the thing. If you know Green's work already, you'll note right away that he's in his element; and if you've never heard the former wunderkind turned wise veteran, this isn't such a bad place to start.

It's hard to get through a single song here without marveling at some aspect of Benny Green's artistry and/or this trio's chemistry. Take "The St. Vitus Dance" dance, for example. This Horace Silver oldie-but-goodie is putty in this band's hands. A tight head leads straight into solo territory, where the pianist carves out and navigates switchbacks across the 88s and invites drummer Rodney Green into the action before heading back to the familiar. It's a performance that's indicative of the way this trio operates on the whole. Then there's Freddie Hubbard's "Down Under," where a semi-shuffling gait carries things forward until bassist David Wong steps into the spotlight; Cedar Walton's lively "Martha's Prize," which finds piano and bass perfectly in sync and finds the leader delivering some impossibly fast right hand runs; a second nod to Walton in the form of an attractively funky "Sixth Avenue"; a snazzy jaunt through Thad Jones' "50-21" with Rodney Green putting his brushes to good use on the snare; and a hip-as-can be stroll through Duke Pearson's "Chant," a bluesy winner that finds Benny Green digging in with some firm-handed statements.

The longest track on the album "Pittsburgh Brethren," sitting in the penultimate slot also happens to be the sole original on the playlist. It further solidifies Benny Green's hard bop cred not that he needs to do that for anybody at this point and nods toward the jazz history of the Steel City, a land that produced and/or nurtured Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Billy Eckstine, Sonny Clark, and numerous other giants of this music. There's not much to say after that, so a short and peppy trip through Wes Montgomery's "Twisted Blues" works just fine as a closer. There's no shortage of cooking trio dates in Benny Green's discography already, but there's always room for more when they sound like this. ~ Dan Bilawsky  https://www.allaboutjazz.com/happiness-benny-green-sunnyside-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Benny Green: piano; David Wong: bass; Rodney Green: drums.

Happiness! Live at Kuumbwa

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Laura Fygi - Eternal Flame: The Best Of

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. Only You In My Heart [Chinese]
(3:29)  2. Autumn Leaves
(3:39)  3. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
(3:27)  4. Disse Alguem (Al Of Me) [Portuguese]
(3:27)  5. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas [Spanish]
(3:38)  6. Noche De Ronda [Spanish]
(6:17)  7. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
(3:41)  8. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
(2:28)  9. For Me, Formidable [French]
(4:32) 10. Baby Come To Me
(2:34) 11. Do It Again
(3:09) 12. Et Si Demain [French]
(4:38) 13. The Summer Knows (From Summer Of '42)
(4:18) 14. Still
(3:35) 15. The Moon Speaks For My Heart [Chinese]

Although Dutch singer Laura Fygi initially garnered notice as a member of the disco group Centerfold, after setting out in 1992 as a solo performer she pursued a more jazz-inspired path with her debut effort Introducing Laura Fygi. 

On subsequent efforts including 1993's Bewitched and the following year's The Lady Wants to Know, she collaborated with figures including Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans and Clark Terry, and in 1997 Fygi worked with one of her idols, the great composer Michel Legrand, on Watch What Happens. ~ Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/artist/laura-fygi-mn0000115333/biography

Eternal Flame: The Best Of

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Louis Armstrong - Louis and the Good Book

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 144,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've
(2:46)  2. Shadrack
(3:41)  3. Go Down, Moses
(2:58)  4. Rock My Soul
(2:33)  5. Ezekiel Saw De Wheel
(3:05)  6. On My Way
(3:10)  7. Down by the Riverside
(3:09)  8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
(3:29)  9. Sometimes I Feel Like a Mother
(2:40) 10. Jonah and the Whale
(2:52) 11. Didn't It Rain
(2:31) 12. This Train
(3:18) 13. Sit Down, You're Rocking the B
(2:59) 14. That's What the Man Said
(2:36) 15. Shadrack
(2:49) 16. Going to Shout All Over God's
(3:12) 17. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've
(2:49) 18. Jonah and the Whale
(4:22) 19. Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Thro
(4:22) 20. Elder Eatmore's Sermon on Gene

An unusual album in the Louis Armstrong canon, this collection of gospel songs, spirituals, homilies, and comic vignettes was the only religious album this determinedly secular musician recorded. Backed by a gospel vocal group led by the celebrated jazz arranger Sy Oliver, Armstrong performs a variety of religious-themed favorites, including "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel," "Going to Shout All Over God's Heaven," and "Didn't it Rain," as well as "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys And Dolls. 

There's an affecting version of the traditional spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," and a particular highlight is the inclusion of two comic sermons by the musician's alter ego, Elder Eatmore. http://www.allmusic.com/album/louis-and-the-good-book-mw0000319753

Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Sy Oliver Choir (vocals); Trummy Young (trombone); Hank D'Amico, Edmond Hall, Dave McRae (clarinet); Billy Kyle (piano); Nickie Tragg, Harry Mills (organ); George Barnes (guitar); Joe Benjamin, Mort Herbert (bass); Johnny Blowers, Barrett Deems (drums).

Louis and the Good Book

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Kurt Edelhagen - Edelhagen plays Jimmy Webb

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:46
Size: 88,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Up Up and Away
(2:31)  2. By The Time I got to Phoenix
(5:40)  3. Didn't We
(2:35)  4. Galveston
(3:21)  5. Where's The Playground Susie
(4:05)  6. Evie
(2:24)  7. Sunshower
(3:42)  8. Mac.Arthur Park
(2:29)  9. Honey Come Back
(3:08) 10. If you must leave my life
(3:08) 11. Wichita Lineman

A well-respected bandleader whose orchestras tended to emphasize swinging dance music but were open to boppish solos, Kurt Edelhagen was a major name in Germany for quite a few years. He studied piano and conducting, and then in 1946 formed his first big band. Edelhagen was a natural bandleader and he headed ensembles for the radio station in Frankfurt, in Nuremberg (1949-1952) and most notably the orchestra of Sudwestfunk (1952-1957) which sometimes looked towards Stan Kenton. In 1957 he joined Westdeustcher Rundfunk in Cologne which in time included such players as trumpeters Dusko Goykovich and Jimmy Deuchar, altoist Derek Humble, and trombonist Jiggs Whigham. He headed that band until it broke up in 1973 and remained semi-active up until near his death. Kurt Edelhagen recorded fairly often in Germany during 1949-1972 although few of his records (other than one put out by Golden Era) have been made available in the U.S. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kurt-edelhagen-mn0001438091/biography

Edelhagen plays Jimmy Webb

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Louie Louie Louie

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:13
Size: 100,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Dinah
(2:41)  2. Oh,Marie
(4:04)  3. Is You Is, or Is You Ain't My Baby
(3:19)  4. Jack, You Dead
(2:31)  5. Whistle Stop
(2:59)  6. Choo Choo Ch'boogie
(3:44)  7. Basin Street Blues
(3:53)  8. Jump, Jive, an' Wail
(2:48)  9. Knock Me a Kiss
(3:55) 10. Struttin' with Some Barbeque
(2:29) 11. Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days
(3:20) 12. Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens
(4:31) 13. When the Saints Come Marching Home

Although still largely associated with the '90s neo-swing movement, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have long outrun that moment's MTV zeitgeist and spent the 2010s deepening their jazz roots. The past decade-and-a-half have found them branching out, exploring New Orleans blues, Cajun, and second-line traditions on 2003's Save My Soul, and paying tribute to legendary Harlem bandleader Cab Calloway on 2009's How Big Can You Get? In this spirit of reinvestigating their influences, the band's 11th studio album, 2017's urbane and upbeat Louie Louie Louie, finds them celebrating three of their biggest musical heroes: Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima. and Louis Jordan. Here, the band round up a nicely curated set of tunes popularized by the three "Louies" and inject them with their own zesty brand of jump blues. Some of the song choices are deliciously on the nose with cuts like Jordan's "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens," Prima's "Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days," and Jordan's "Jack, You're Dead!," feeling like well-loved road covers the band have played hundreds of times. Others, especially Armstrong's Herculean "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" and the suavely refined "Basin Street Blues," with their nuanced harmonies and tricky horn lines, vibrate with a sense of danger and ambition as if the band had dared themselves to make them their own. Thankfully, they do. Elsewhere, we get equally compelling takes on "Dinah," "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," "Knock Me a Kiss," and more. It's also fun to hear the band put their own stamp on one of the biggest anthems of the neo-swing movement, Prima's "Jump, Jive an' Wail," popularized in 1998 by the Brian Seltzer Orchestra. Still centered on lead singer/guitarist Scotty Morris, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have settled into a warm, crisply delivered style of swing that's studio savvy and precise while also full of in-the-moment improvisation and an overall live-sounding aesthetic. Helping to achieve this aesthetic is longtime pianist Joshua Levy, who supplied all the arrangements on Louie Louie Louie. Also impressive are bandmembers trumpeter Glen "The Kid" Marhevka, alto and tenor saxophonist Karl Hunter, and baritone saxophonist Andy Rowley, who all get plenty of room to solo. The result is an album that strikes a balance between Jazz at Lincoln Center-style adherence to tradition and dynamic, pop-informed bravura showmanship. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/louie-louie-louie-mw0003046852

Personnel: Scotty Morris (vocals, guitar, banjo); Andy Rowley (vocals, whistle, baritone saxophone); Dirk Shumaker (vocals, acoustic bass); Karl Hunter (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Glen "The Kid" Marhevka (trumpet); Joshua Levy (piano); Kurt Sodergren (drums); Lee Thornburg, Jim Fox, Paul Kreibich, Ira Nepus.

Louie Louie Louie

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