Carmen McRae - Carmen McRae

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:18
Size: 85,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:26)  1. You'd Be So Easy To Love
(3:17)  2. If I'm Lucky
(2:40)  3. Old Devil Moon
(2:40)  4. Tip Toe Gently
(2:09)  5. You Made Me Care
(3:05)  6. Last Time For Love
(3:53)  7. Misery
(2:33)  8. Too Much In Love To Care
(3:19)  9. Too Much In Love To Care (alt. take)
(2:37) 10. Old Devil Moon (alt. stereo)
(2:09) 11. You Made Me Care (alt. stereo)
(2:20) 12. Too Much In Love To Care (alt. stereo)
(3:03) 13. Last Time For Love (alt. stereo)

This is Carmen McRae's first recording as a leader. She's heard on four songs apiece with the Mat Mathews Quintet (a group including Herbie Mann on flute and tenor, and guitarist Mundell Lowe) and clarinetist Tony Scott's Quartet. On the emotional "Misery," Scott switches to piano and is the only accompanist to the singer. 

Five alternate takes augment this set, which emphasizes ballads. Overall the music is pleasing but not too memorable and one wishes there were more variety. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/carmen-mcrae-bethlehem-mw0000178616

Personnel:  Carmen McRae - vocals
Tracks 1-4:  Herbie Mann - flute, tenor saxophone;  Mat Mathews – accordion;  Mundell Lowe – guitar;  Wendell Marshall - double bass;  Kenny Clarke - drums
Tracks 5-8:  Tony Scott - clarinet, piano (on "Misery");  Dick Katz – piano;  Skip Fawcett - double bass;  Osie Johnson - drums

Carmen McRae

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Kurt Elling - Nightmoves

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:02
Size: 145,2 MB
Art: Front

( 4:23)  1. Nightmoves
( 2:55)  2. Tight
( 7:38)  3. Change Partners / If You Never Come To Me
( 5:10)  4. Undun
( 5:27)  5. Where Are You, My Love?
( 4:23)  6. And We Will Fly
( 4:13)  7. The Waking
( 5:31)  8. The Sleepers
( 5:04)  9. Leaving Again / In The Wee Small Hours
(10:20) 10. A New Body And Soul
( 6:53) 11. I Like The Sunrise

Kurt Elling has mellowed some. Quite the original voice in jazz for more than a decade, he's introduced us to adventure and thrills. He's helped to maintain the spirit of straight-ahead jazz with a superb pianist by his side while moving enchantingly in and out of the mainstream. Elling's soothing baritone voice lends itself to both the romantic ballad and to the thrills of more adventurous music. Lately, however, he's concentrated more on the romantic ballad and has put less effort into challenging material. It works, of course, but some of the spontaneity has disappeared. Through one romantic moment after another, Elling rewards us with lyric beauty while following the normal path for lovers. Pop music popularity combines with mellow overtures for a program that everyone can feel deeply. Nightmoves rolls comfortably with a program of poignant ballads. Even "A New Body and Soul, the old chestnut of a jazz standard interpreted in his unique, personal manner, remains true to its original form. Vocalese makes up a part what the singer does with this familiar tune, and he does create a masterpiece worthy of award-winning accolades. Pianist Laurence Hobgood, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Willie Jones III breathe life into the piece in support. Together, they represent jazz's mainstream with genuine authority. Most of the program remains tied to passionate ballads. Elling fills these selections with emotion worthy of goose bumps and back-of-the-neck tingling. Bob Mintzer lends an ethereal tenor saxophone quality to two selections, while the Escher String Quartet joins Elling's quartet for his heartfelt reading of "Where Are You, My Love? and "The Sleepers. Guitarist Guilherme Monteiro lends a bossa nova presence to several selections along with sultry harmonica refrains from guests Howard Levy and Gregoire Maret that captivate. Bassist Rob Amster joins Elling on "The Waking for a lovely duet ballad performance that simmers gently. When the singer turns to his pianist for "In the Wee Small Hours, he summarizes his latest album accurately through an emotional reading that adorns his shirtsleeve with hearts that glow noticeably. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nightmoves-kurt-elling-concord-music-group-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Kurt Elling: vocals; Laurence Hobgood: piano; Willie Jones, III: drums; Christian McBride: bass (1-4,6,10); Rob Amster: bass (5,7,8,11); Rob Mounsey: electric piano, keyboards (1, 4, 6); Guilherme Monteiro: guitar (3,6); Bob Mintzer: tenor sax (1); Howard Levy: harmonica (3); Gregoire Maret: harmonica (6); The Escher String Quartet (5,8).

Nightmoves

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Moacir Santos - Coisas

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:06
Size: 74,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Coisa nº 4
(3:08)  2. Coisa nº 10
(2:47)  3. Coisa nº 5
(3:02)  4. Coisa nº 3
(4:57)  5. Coisa nº 2
(3:10)  6. Coisa nº 9
(3:24)  7. Coisa nº 6
(2:27)  8. Coisa nº 7 (Quem é que Não Chora)
(2:43)  9. Coisa nº 1
(2:20) 10. Coisa nº 8 (Navegação)

Though Brazilian composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Moacir Santos was born in 1926, he didn't release Coisas, his debut album, until 1965 for Universal Music in his home country. (He is best known  if at all to Americans and Europeans for his three Blue Note recordings from the 1970s.) He led a colorful and at the beginning at least tragic life. Born in abject poverty and abandoned as a child, his mother died and his father abandoned him. As an orphan he was raised in an atmosphere of physical and psychological abuse. He began to learn music by tapping the various rhythms he heard around him with bare feet in the dirt, and later, as a runaway, from the sounds of ocean tides. The story would make a hell of a film: from learning with his first teacher, Paixão, to this record, all that experience and more is in these grooves, including his long-held fear of playing any instrument in front of others because he was ashamed he didn't play "right." But there is nothing raw or tragic about Coisas. It melds the various tonalities and flavors of creative jazz to the heart of Brazil's folkloric and emergent musical traditions. Colors, textures, spaces, and luxuriant rhythms and melodies all come to bear gently, strikingly, and subtly on these ten pieces. This was issued on the other side of the bossa nova revolution, when it had already been absorbed by the world. Santos took it a step further, melding it seamlessly into a lush harmonic system. 

Producer Roberto Quartin was essential to the task, hiring a slew of killer younger and veteran players including Baden Powell, Airto Moreira, Dori Caymmi, João Donato, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Wilson DasNeves, Gabriel Bezerra, Geraldo Medeiros, and more, as strings, winds, and other horns are all wound around gorgeous melodies. Nothing is overblown. For Santos, bossa nova and samba had become folk music because of their popularity, expressions of previous history that needed to be transferred outward. But to do this so elegantly on a first recording is not only remarkable, it is profound. Go no further than the first track, "Coisa No. 4," followed by the brilliant and lyrical bossa in "Coisa No. 10." The blues feeling in "Coisa No. 2" is dressed with an Ellingtonian sense of harmony. "Coisa No. 6," with its samba rhythms meeting post-bop jazz, is gorgeous. The choro drama drawn out by the presence of cellos and rounded brass is simply exquisite. Hardcore aficionados of Brazilian music and fans of its lighter side (so prominent in the mid-'60s) as well as fans of sophisticated jazz will all find this gem overlooked by most outside of its native country, where it is hailed (rightly) as Santos' masterpiece to be completely irresistible. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/coisas-mw0000470898

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Dulcilando Pereira (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9), Jorge Ferreira Da Silva (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10);  Baritone Saxophone – Geraldo Medeiros (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9), Moacir Santos (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10);  Bass – Gabriel Bezerra;  Bass Trombone – Armando Pallas (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9) Cello – Giorgio Bariola (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10), Peter Dautsberg (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10), Watson Clis (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10);  Drums – Wilson das Neves;  Flute – Nicolino Cópia (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9);  Guitar – Geraldo Vespar;  Piano, Organ – Chaim Lewak (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10);  Tenor Saxophone – Luiz Bezerra (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9);  Trombone – Edmundo Maciel (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9);  Trumpet – João Gerônimo Menezes (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9), Júlio Barbosa;  Vibraphone – Claudio Das Neves (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9)

Coisas

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Lillie Huddleston - How Long Has This Been Going On

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 105.9 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. One Note Samba
[8:01] 2. How Insensitive
[5:08] 3. Embraceable You
[3:06] 4. Anything Goes
[6:00] 5. Nature Boy
[2:30] 6. Summertime
[5:22] 7. You Don't Know What Love Is
[5:25] 8. Song For My Father
[5:52] 9. How Long Has This Been Going On
[2:01] 10. Let's Face The Music And Dance

Lillie was born into a musical family in Greenville, Mississippi. The daughter of a high school band director and jazz bandleader, her first musical experiences included jazz and classical music as well as sacred choral literature. Lillie has been a professional performer for over 15 years, discovering the jazz genre as a vocalist as an undergraduate music education major at Mississippi University for Women. Lillie continued her musical studies at Georgia State University earning a Master of Music degree with a concentration in music education.

Lillie is no stranger to the stage having numerous dramatic and musical theatre credits including a film cameo in Sweet Home Alabama. (See the DVD alternate ending) Her musical theatre experience segued into a love of the Great American Songbook. She has developed a powerful personal style strongly influenced by Nancy Wilson, Carmen McCrae, Shirley Horne and many others. Her delicate treatment of ballads is evident in "You Don't Know What Love Is" from her debut recording release, How Long Has This Been Going On.

Ms. Huddleston has been a featured vocalist at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Stone Mountain Jazz Jamboree, Callenwolde Jazz on the Lawn, and the Jocada Museum of Jazz History.

How Long Has This Been Going On

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The Pete Jolly Trio - Timeless

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 62:58

Size: 144.2 MB

Styles: Piano jazz

Year: 2000

Art: Front

[11:52] 1. Milestones

[ 4:40] 2. Tea For Two

[12:35] 3. That Old Devil Moon

[10:11] 4. Don't Worry About Me

[ 7:25] 5. Stars And Stripes Forever

[ 7:02] 6. I Should Care

[ 9:11] 7. Hey Jude

Pete Jolly has been one of the most active & talented pianists working in the Los Angeles area for the past 40 years. This version of his trio is a little different than his regular trio, as it features Nick Ceroli on drums. Recorded at Donte's by George Jerman in July of 1969, this fine program is another of the great live sets captured by George during the mid to late 1960s. Jolly's playing is energetic & inventive; the trio is well-rehearsed & tight.

Timeless 2000

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Leon Spencer - Where I'm Coming From

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:16
Size: 76.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:32] 1. Where I'm Coming From
[6:43] 2. Superstition
[5:11] 3. Give Me Your Love
[6:16] 4. Trouble Man
[5:18] 5. Keeper Of The Castle
[4:13] 6. The Price A Po' Man's Got To Pay

Leon Spencer's final recording is an understated but very groovy document that features keyboard solos with a restrained horn section and funky rhythm guitar providing tight and tasty support. Covers of contemporary tunes by Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Steve Wonder and The Four Tops simmer without ever coming to the boil, but it is the Spencer originals that come alive, particularly the title track that closes the album (recorded during sessions for his previous LP "Bad Woman Walking") which is the highlight. Strangely for a Rudy Van Gelder engineered recording the overall sound is a little flat with very little bottom end which actually gives it a refreshingly under-produced feel. This is a near peak for rare-groove releases and is certainly worth checking out. ~Adam Maiorano

Where I'm Coming From

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Montenia - Each And Every Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:00
Size: 146.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[6:32] 1. Throw It Away
[3:34] 2. I Thought About You
[2:44] 3. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[4:30] 4. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:18] 5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[4:42] 6. I've Got You Under My Skin
[6:31] 7. I Wish You Love
[5:11] 8. Corcovado
[4:35] 9. Misty
[5:01] 10. A Foggy Day
[3:54] 11. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:33] 12. Somebody Loves Me
[9:48] 13. Everything Must Change

Montenia - Each And Every Day with the Wade Mikkola Trio Plus One. Direct from Finland. First time available in North America and many other locations worldwide!!

Montenia has appeared many times in Scandinavia, but most often in Helsinki, Finland with the Wade Mikkola Trio Plus One (Lasse Hirvi, piano; Wade Mikkola, bass; Tomi Parkkonen, drums; and Joonatan Rautio, tenor saxophone). "Each And Every Day" was recorded on December 12, 1999 at the Happy Jazz Club Storyville on a night with Montenia and her backing musicians in splendid form. Familiar standards and other musical gems are on hand, all performed to summon up a variety of emotions the very same ones we all face and experience "Each And Every Day."

Hard to categorize but easy to snap your fingers to, or just relax to and lyrically savor like a musical sauna, Montenia frequently reminds listeners of many famous singers, but she actually has always been completely and uniquely herself, creating grooves, conveying moods, and thrilling listeners.

Each And Every Day

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John Abercrombie & Dave Holland & Jack DeJohnette - Gateway

Styles: Guitar Jazz

Year: 1975

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:35

Size: 95,9 MB

Art: Front

( 7:51)  1. Back-Woods Song

( 2:11)  2. Waiting

(10:59)  3. May Dance

( 4:50)  4. Unshielded Desire

( 4:46)  5. Jamala

(10:55)  6. Sorcery 1

Guitarist John Abercrombie was one of the stars of ECM in its early days. His playing on this trio set with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette is really beyond any simple categorization. Abercrombie's improvisations are sophisticated yet, because his sound is rockish and sometimes quite intense (particularly on the nearly 11-minute "Sorcery 1"), there is really no stylistic name for the music. Holland contributed four of the six originals while DeJohnette brought in the other two (one of which was co-written with Abercrombie). The interplay between the three musicians is quite impressive although listeners might find some of the music to be quite unsettling. It takes several listens for one to digest all that is going on, but it is worth the struggle. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/gateway-mw0000197160

Personnel:  John Abercrombie: guitar;  Dave Holland: bass;  Jack DeJohnette: drums

R.I.P.

Born: December 16, 1944

Died: August 22, 2017

 

Gateway

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Pamela Rose - Morpheus

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:30
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

(1:30)  1. Into The Dream
(4:38)  2. My Beloved
(3:45)  3. Walls
(4:01)  4. I Knew You When
(0:43)  5. Into The World
(3:46)  6. Guns of Love
(4:57)  7. Please Don't Make Me Say Goodnight
(4:32)  8. Into The Glade/I'll Get Over You
(5:31)  9. Old Ones
(5:21) 10. Louise, Louise
(5:00) 11. Into The Heart/That Ain't No Way To Treat A Lover
(4:34) 12. You Have No Idea
(0:39) 13. Into The Wood
(3:19) 14. Always
(1:14) 15. Into The Moon
(6:54) 16. Bring Down The Moon

An acoustic masterpiece, a journey through time, joined together with rich hypnotic segues, strong songs (featuring co-writers Mary Ann Kennedy, Pat Bunch, Randy Sharp, Terry Burns and others), and powerful production...a classic work by a classic artist. Pam is a Two Time Grammy Nominee, whose songwriting and performing come full circle in this classic debut solo record. After two CD with Mary Ann Kennedy as duo Kennedy Rose (signed to Sting's private label Pangaea Records), Rose releases "Morpheus", which combines the powerful Kennedy Rose influence with shades of Eva Cassidy to Samuel Barber. Woven together with rich orchestral sequence segues "Morpheus", is captivating, from beginning to end....a "must have" for anyone who likes the individual strong song, or the uniquely produced body of work...a musical journey of the heart. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/pamrose2

Morpheus

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Bobby Timmons - Easy Does It

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:57
Size: 91,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Easy Does It
(4:38)  2. Old Devil Moon
(5:52)  3. A Little Busy
(4:54)  4. (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance
(3:32)  5. Pretty Memory
(6:31)  6. If You Could See Me Know
(5:01)  7. I Thought About You
(3:33)  8. Groovin' High

Pianist Bobby Timmons, who became famous for his funky originals and soulful playing, mostly sticks to more bop-oriented jazz on this trio set with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Jimmy Cobb. He provides three originals (none of which really caught on) and is in excellent form on five standards, with highlights including "Old Devil Moon," "I Thought About You," and "Groovin' High." The Riverside CD reissue shows that Timmons was a bit more versatile than his stereotype; in any case, the music is excellent. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-does-it-mw0000615260

Personnel:  Bobby Timmons – piano;  Sam Jones – bass;  Jimmy Cobb - drums

Easy Does It

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Marc Copland - Better By Far

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:33
Size: 143,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:55)  1. Day and Night
(6:25)  2. Better by Far
(4:33)  3. Mr DJ
(9:40)  4. Gone Now
(5:20)  5. Twister
(8:29)  6. Room Enough for Stars
(5:16)  7. Evidence
(8:08)  8. Dark Passage
(5:43)  9. Who Said Swing

Marc Copland got his start in jazz in New York City as a sometimes plugged-in alto saxophonist, working with drummer Chico Hamilton's Quartet, and releasing an overlooked album, Friends (Oblivion Records, 1973) featuring his own quartet. Then he went away, and came back as a pianist, and has since shaped himself into one of finest jazz piano guys around, an artist with a supple touch, a feel for intricately gorgeous melodies and a deep immersion into complex harmonies. In 2015, after a fruitful career that shifted from one record label to another, Copland started his own Inner Voice Records, and offered up the maiden release, Zenith (2015), a quartet affair with Ralph Alessi on trumpet, with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron rounding out the rhythm section. The year 2017 finds Copland offering up his second release on the label, Better By Far, a reconvening the Zenith quartet. The music consists of three group improvisations, five Copland compositions, and a Thelonious Monk tune, "Evidence." Two of Copland's most significant teamings over the years have been with guitarist John Abercrombie, and now with trumpeter Alessi. Where Copland's brush paints sound with a developed delicacy of touch, shimmering chords, and gorgeous, amorphous shapings, Alessi uses brighter colors and sharper edges. Especially edgy are the group improvisations, like "Mr. DJ," that opens with Baron's soft drum whispers, joined by Alessi's stabs of metallic notes, Copland's percussive ruminations. "Twister" is a more fluid, more introspective, darker-toned piece that builds momentum along the way. Speaking of dark tones, the Copland-penned "Gone Now," has a pensive, melancholy mood similar to that of Gershwin's "Gone, Gone, Gone," from the masterpiece, Porgy And Bess (1938). "Room Enough For Stars" floats. It's a beautiful ballad like only Copland can write, featuring Alessi in a patient laying down of the melody, and a piquant bass turn by Gress; while Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" finds the group in a more playful mood an energetic romp that stretches the Monkian angularity with an appealing malleability. With Better By Far Marc Copland and Company continue to create the highest level of jazz. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/better-by-far-marc-copland-innervoice-jazz-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel:  Marc Copland: piano;  Ralph Alessi: trumpet;  Drew Gress: bass; Joey Barron: drums.

Better By Far

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Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden - Magico - Carta de Amor Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Magico - Carta de Amor  Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone, Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:18 + 42:40
Size: 153,8 MB + 105,4 MB
Art: Front

( 7:25)  1. Carta de Amor
(16:26)  2. La Pasionaria
( 9:51)  3. Cego Aderaido
( 8:10)  4. Folk Song
( 8:25)  5. Don Quixote
(14:01)  6. Spor

Album: Magico - Carta de Amor  Disc 2

( 7:37)  1. Branquinho
(15:35)  2. All That Is Beautiful
( 9:12)  3. Palhaco
( 3:39)  4. Two Folk Songs
( 7:35)  5. Carta de Amor - var

It's sure been a banner year for fans of the ECM label, with a slew of fine new releases from artists including guitarist John Abercrombie (Within a Song), bassist Arild Andersen (Celebration), pianist Tord Gustavsen (The Well), and saxophonist Tim Berne (Snakeoil). Previously out-of- print or never-before-in-print studio recordings from saxophonist Jan Garbarek (Dansere) and pianist Jon Balke (Magnetic Works: 1993-2001 ) are now back in circulation. And, for the first time since bassist Charlie Haden's duet record with pianist/guitarist Egberto Gismonti (2001's In Montreal, from a 1989 concert), the label has dug back into the past, with Terje Rypdal's Odyssey: In Studio & In Concert coupling the guitarist's 1975 classic, Odyssey finally on CD in its full, two-disc glory  with a previously unreleased Swedish radio performance, Unfinished Highballs, and Sleeper: Tokyo, April 16, 1979 debuting a full concert from Keith Jarrett's influential European Quartet. The year's not over by a long shot, but Magico: Carta de Amor may ultimately emerge as ECM's most significant archival release to date, trumping the Jarrett if only because, as superb as it is, Sleeper is not the pianist's first live recording with this group to see the light of day. Culled from live performances by a relatively short-lived trio that, with Magico (1980) and Folk Songs (1981), already stood as one of label head Manfred Eicher's most inspired collaborative suggestions, Carta de Amor liberally expands on material from both studio dates, but also adds plenty of music that, if familiar to fans of Garbarek, Gismonti and Haden individually, has not been heard performed by this vibrant chamber trio before and, in the case of Haden's uplifting "All That is Beautiful," appears on record for the first time.

The record demonstrates just how far this trio had come by the time of its April, 1981 performances at Munich's Amerika Haus no surprise, given the established reputations of all three members, and that it had been almost 18 months since Folk Songs was recorded, just a scant five months after the Magico sessions. Gismonti's characteristically lyrical yet emotionally ambiguous "Palhaço" was a tremendous closer to Magico and a highlight of the Brazilian's more heavily produced Circense (Carmo, 1980), but here Garbarek soars even higher in a version nearly double both studio counterparts' length and, taken at a brighter tempo, indicative of this trio's profound interconnectivity, as all three players transcend mere soloing to interact at a near-mitochondrial level. If, as a pianist, Gismonti has always felt a little more schooled without suggesting either predictability or an inability to stretch boundaries his more rough- hewn guitar work is the fulcrum on which both Garbarek and Haden balance on the bassist's Spanish-tinged "La Pasionaria," which he had yet to record at this point, and which would ultimately swing far harder and brighter on his Liberation Music Orchestra's Ballad of the Fallen (ECM, 1983). But if Gismonti provides the initial context, it's Haden who ultimately assumes role of both anchor and animator/instigator, in a free middle section that, despite form reasserting itself nearly ten minutes in to reiterate the theme, opens up once again for a closing bass solo that, in its muscular avoidance of grandstanding, is an early standout of Carta de Amor's 108-minute set. Beyond Garbarek's arrangement of traditional folk songs ("Folk Songs," "Two Folk Songs"), the saxophonist's "Spor" first heard on Magico, but reinterpreted, three years later, in more electrified form on Wayfarer (ECM, 1983) is another example of this trio's remarkable connection, another piece that breaks down into the kind of collective free play that's only hinted at on the studio recordings. As ever, Garbarek's attention to purity of tone is a marker, here matched by Haden, who has always favored tone, texture and the right note over pyrotechnic displays and whose rare use of a bow here is another distinguishing point in a set filled with highlights. Carta de Amor is a reminder of how a particular point in time, when the pan-cultural and cross-genre interests of three artists from vastly different backgrounds and musical upbringings, could come together in rare synchronicity. 

That such confluence couldn't have occurred before nor could it likely have happened again is only bolstered by Haden and Gismonti's subsequent In Montreal. A fine disc, to be sure, but without Garbarek, lacking that certain spark that clearly ignites throughout Magico: Carta de Amor, a set defined by selfless interplay, unrestrained yet ever-purposeful exploration, and the kind of power made all the more dramatic for Garbarek, Gismonti and Haden's ability to instantly change directions, as one, with the subtlest of gestures. In Galacian, "magico" means "magical" and "Carta de Amor" means "love letter," and in its decision to unveil Magico: Carta de Amor thirty years after the fact, ECM has delivered just that. The press sheet refers to the many recordings apparently made at Amerika Haus as "an artistic treasure trove awaiting further investigation." It sounds like the magic has just begun. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jan-garbarek-egberto-gismonti-charlie-haden-magico-carta-de-amor-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Jan Garbarek: tenor and soprano saxophones; Egberto Gismonti: guitars, piano; Charlie Haden: double bass.

Magico - Carta de Amor  Disc 1

Magico - Carta de Amor  Disc 2

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Bobby Timmons - Born to Be Blue

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08
Size: 96,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Born to Be Blue
(5:02)  2. Malice Towards None
(4:47)  3. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
(7:59)  4. Know Not One
(4:21)  5. The Sit-In
(6:07)  6. Namely You
(9:18)  7. Often Annie

Throughout his career, Bobby Timmons was typecast as a soulful and blues-oriented pianist due to his hits ("Moanin '," "This Here" and "Dis Dat"). But as he shows on this 1963 trio date (with either Sam Jones or Ron Carter on bass and drummer Connie Kay), Timmons was actually a well-rounded player when inspired. The repertoire on his CD ranges from bop to spirituals, from three diverse originals to "Born to Be Blue." This is excellent music but unfortunately Timmons would not grow much musically after this period. His CD is worth picking up. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-blue-mw0000522593

Personnel:  Bobby Timmons – piano;  Ron Carter (tracks 3, 4 & 6), Sam Jones (tracks 1, 2, 5, & 7) – bass;  Connie Kay - drums

Born to Be Blue

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Kirk Whalum - Hymns In The Garden

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:06
Size: 146,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. I Will Trust In The Lord
(4:18)  2. Jesus Paid It All
(4:47)  3. Christ Is All
(5:03)  4. Precious Lord Take My Hand
(3:38)  5. Just A Closer Walk With Thee
(5:19)  6. My Faith Looks Up To Thee
(5:55)  7. Jesus Is All The World To Me
(5:15)  8. Fairest Lord Jesus
(4:47)  9. Softly And Tenderly
(6:16) 10. I Must Tell Jesus
(4:02) 11. He's Sweet I Know / He Knows How Much You Can Bear
(5:26) 12. I Want Jesus To Walk With Me
(3:47) 13. In The Garden

Don't expect too many surprises from Kirk Whalum's Hymns in the Garden if you're familiar with his previous few gospel-tinged albums like Unconditional and The Gospel According to Jazz. Like those two albums, Whalum goes out of his way to invest a considerable amount of spiritual sentiment into his candy-coated crossover jazz. On this particular album, the religious overtones come via the song titles, "I Will Trust in the Lord," "Christ Is All," and "I Want Jesus to Walk With Me" being three examples. But while all this Christian sentiment may seem to be mostly packaging since this is an entirely instrumental album, you can't deny the fact that Whalum's playing seems considerably passionate here, even if it's still ironically plagued by its own accessibility. And it's not that Whalum wasn't passionate on his previous releases, because he was; it's just that these songs seem a little more invested with sentiment, and this is communicated partly through their introspective arrangements and partly through their laid-back tempos. In other words, this isn't the sort of album you throw on for a party unless it's a Sunday afternoon after church sort of party. It's more an album for reflective moments when you can really kick back and appreciate the sort of peaceful and hopeful mood Whalum is attempting to craft. And for the most part, he succeeds in crafting that very mood; there's not a song here that isn't charged with sentiment. Yet as successful and well-crafted as Hymns in the Garden is, you can't help feeling a bit underwhelmed if you're a longtime Whalum fan. After all, the guy seems to have become content when it comes to exploring new musical avenues and has instead turned toward the non-musical side of his music, further investing ideology into his music with Christian rhetoric song titles and packaging. This isn't necessarily a bad thing at all and, in a sense, is in fact noble. Sometimes you wish he'd take a few chances with his music, though. ~ Jason Birchmeier http://www.allmusic.com/album/hymns-in-the-garden-mw0000117629

Hymns In The Garden

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Valery Ponomarev - A Star For You

Styles: Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:50
Size: 123,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:10)  1. Commandments From A Higher Authority
( 6:02)  2. First Draft
( 9:54)  3. Dance Intoxicant
( 7:19)  4. A Star For You
( 5:58)  5. Uh Oh
(10:40)  6. We'll Be Together Again
( 7:47)  7. Blues For Elena

Valeri Ponomarev, one of the most underrated trumpeters in jazz, has a style based in the hard bop tradition of Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, yet he keeps an open mind toward newer developments. On this CD, he is teamed with tenor saxophonist Bob Berg (whose soulful post-bop style has long been influenced by Michael Brecker), the little-known but talented Philadelphia-based pianist Sid Simmons, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Billy Hart. The quintet performs six of the trumpeter's tricky yet swinging originals and a reharmonized rendition of "We'll Be Together Again." Ponomarev's very impressive range (hitting high notes with little difficulty), full sound and inventive ideas clearly inspire his sidemen. Berg puts plenty of passion into his solos, and Simmons makes one wish that he were recorded more extensively. Easily recommended to modern straight-ahead jazz collectors. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-star-for-you-mw0000664171

Personnel: Valery Ponomarev (trumpet); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Sid Simmons (piano); Billy Hart (drums).

A Star For You

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Jack Teagarden - Jazz Great

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:26
Size: 93,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. King Porter Stomp
(3:09)  2. Eccentric
(4:11)  3. Davenport Blues
(3:22)  4. Original Dixieland One Step
(5:16)  5. Bad Acting Woman
(4:44)  6. Misery And The Blues
(4:21)  7. High Society
(2:14)  8. Music To Love By
(3:49)  9. Meet Me Where They Play The Blues
(4:57) 10. Riverboat Shuffle

For this LP, trombonist Jack Teagarden is heard with three different groups on a dozen titles recorded in Nov. 1954. Although the supporting cast on various selections includes trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, clarinetists Edmond Hall and Kenny Davern, and Dick Cary, Norma Teagarden and Leonard Feather on pianos, Teagarden is the main star throughout. His trombone playing was still in prime form and his vocals give spirit to the music. Highpoints of this enjoyable Dixieland set include "Original Dixieland One Step," "Blue Funk," "Eccentric" and "Milenburg Joys." ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-great-mw0000240824

Personnel:  Trombone – Jack Teagarden;  Bass – Kasper Malone, Walter Page;  Clarinet – Edmond Hall;  Drums – Ray Bauduc;  Guitar – Carl Kress;  Piano – Norma Teagarden;  Trumpet – Fred Greenleaf, Jack Teagarden;  Vocals – Jack Teagarden

Jazz Great

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Patricia Barber - Mythologies

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:56
Size: 135,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:10)  1. The Moon
(4:34)  2. Morpheus
(4:39)  3. Pygmalion
(4:35)  4. Hunger
(5:13)  5. Icarus (for Nina Simone)
(4:33)  6. Orpheus/ Sonnet
(6:00)  7. Persephone
(3:40)  8. Narcissus
(5:21)  9. Whiteworld/ Oedipus
(5:20) 10. Phaethon
(7:46) 11. The Hours

In much the same way that a visual artist paints memorable themes on canvas, Patricia Barber puts her ideas into music by establishing an open avenue of communication with her audience. Her voice is always a pleasure. Her piano work is comfortable in the context of her role as storyteller. Her compositions are deep enough that we'll revisit them again and again. Barber puts the blues into each of her adventurous musical portraits. Her quartet partners, guitarist Neal Alger, bassist Michael Arnopol and drummer Eric Montzka, surround the singer/pianist with hot stuff from start to finish. The scenes vary, as the characters that she's chosen to represent come from different viewpoints. "Icarus is light and positive, while "Pygmalion suffers from a heavy dose of the blues. "Narcissus drowns in romantic sorrow; "Orpheus treads heavily while crying out in sorrow. "Oedipus perks up with a raging storm of percussion activity, while "Persephone waltzes slowly and lightly as if through a meadow of flowers in full bloom. The five-star program delivers a thousand images bound by progressive, enduring jazz wrappings. Barber, now fifty, grew up in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Her music retains the influence of America's heartland through its storytelling, down-home comfort and soulful sharing. Through Mythologies, we're transported home to our own roots: the church, school and neighborhood organizations that helped us to develop and mature. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mythologies-patricia-barber-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php
 

Personnel: Patricia Barber: piano, vocals; Neal Alger: guitar; Michael Arnopol: bass; Eric Montzka: drums; Jim Gailloreto: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Paul Falk, Grazyna Auguscik, Lawrice Flowers, Airreal Watkins.

Mythologies

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Jimmy Cobb & Friends - The Meeting

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:55
Size: 141,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:40)  1. The Meeting
(6:55)  2. On A Misty Night
(8:38)  3. Full House
(4:34)  4. Mountain Blues
(5:38)  5. Book's Bossa
(6:22)  6. What Was
(6:52)  7. Beni's Mounce
(3:47)  8. I Only Want You
(4:44)  9. Prelude To A Kiss
(6:40) 10. The Vermonter

A superb, mostly self-taught drummer, Jimmy Cobb has been a dominant accompanist and outstanding soloist. He approaches the drum kit in both a melodic and percussive fashion, never playing overly long or rambling solos. He's known for working slightly ahead of the beat, and has anchored many fine sessions as well as spending five years with Miles Davis in the '50s and '60s. Cobb did study briefly with Jack Dennett, a percussionist with extensive symphonic credentials. He played with Charlie Rouse, Leo Parker, Frank Wess, Billie Holiday, and Pearl Bailey in Washington, D.C. Cobb left in 1950 to join Earl Bostic, and cut his first recordings with him. He played with Dinah Washington over three years, then worked with Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz, and Dizzy Gillespie. He took over for Philly Joe Jones in the Davis band in 1958, and was on hand for several seminal dates. He finally left, along with Paul Chambers, to team with Wynton Kelly. The trio played and recorded with Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and J.J. Johnson before it disbanded. Cobb played on the soundtrack for the film Seven Days in May, and later worked with David Amram. He worked with Sarah Vaughan through the '70s, and was featured on a public television film of a Vaughan concert at the Wolf Trap Jazz Festival. Cobb also worked with Richie Cole, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, and Ricky Ford. During the '80s he worked with the Joe Albany trio. For all his session work from the '50s onward, Cobb was not particularly known as a leader on his own dates, and rather extraordinarily began developing his own discography in earnest beginning during the late '90s and extending across the first decade of the 2000s, starting (after 1994's Encounter, a duo release with singer Ada Montillanico) with Only for the Pure of Heart by Jimmy Cobb's Mob in 1998. A second Cobb's Mob album, Cobb's Groove, was released by Milestone in 2003. Tribute to Wynton Kelly & Paul Chambers by the Jimmy Cobb Trio was issued by the Japanese Sound Hills label in 2004, followed by two Chesky releases by the Jimmy Cobb Quartet, Cobb’s Corner in 2007 and Jazz in the Key of Blue in 2009. In addition, the Marsalis Music Honors series released a Jimmy Cobb volume in 2006, featuring Cobb on drums along with Ellis Marsalis on piano, Andrew Speight on saxophone, and Orlando Le Fleming on bass. Cobb received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award in October 2008. ~ Ron Wynn  https://itunes.apple.com/uz/album/the-meeting/id428728990

Personnel:  Jimmy Cobb – drums;  Helmut Kagerer- guitar;  Rob Bargad - Hammond b-3;  Michael Erian - tenor saxophone

The Meeting

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Jeff Golub - Out of the Blue

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:43
Size: 137,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:20)  1. Wanna Funk?
(4:35)  2. Indiana Moon
(4:22)  3. Manteca
(6:09)  4. The Velvet Touch
(6:27)  5. My Everything
(5:03)  6. Lucky Strike
(5:34)  7. Latitude 19
(4:44)  8. Come on Home
(7:41)  9. Paradise Lost
(9:44) 10. Groanin'

Jeff Golub is categorized in the smooth jazz genre because he's an instrumentalist; at heart, though, he's an Eric Clapton styled rockin' blues guitar player who, on Out of the Blue, finds himself stumbling happily into Tower of Power-like jam sessions. He pulls no punches from the start, rocking hard and furious with his distorted electric thrust darting around and over Ricky Peterson's brooding B-3 and a three-piece horn section on "Wanna Funk?" Same idea, south of the border style, on the similarly hard-hitting Latin blues hurricane "Manteca," where Golub explores some improvisational territory in between sizzling solo sections by his longtime friend Rick Braun. Golub co-produced the album with keyboardist Philippe Saisse, whose comparatively laid-back style keeps Golub in the cool on more mid-tempo, easy to latch onto pieces like "Indiana Moon"; the guitarist gets more aggressive as the song progresses, but the hooky piano harmony line stays a constant. Saisse helps bring out Golub's completely meditative side on "The Velvet Touch" for about half the tune before the electricity rises once again. It's as if Golub just can't keep his virtuosity to himself, no matter how emotionally restrained the trappings. "Groanin'" is a unique departure which plays as though Golub got up one night in a straight-ahead jazz club and tried his hand (pretty convincingly, at that) at the bebop quartet thing. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/out-of-the-blue-mw0000240008

Personnel: Jeff Golub (guitar); Vaneese Thomas, James "D-Train" Williams (vocals); Dave Woodford (saxophone, flute); Kirk Whalum, Tim Ries (saxophone); Rick Braun, Jim Hynes (trumpet, flugelhorn); Michael Davis (trombone); Jim Biggins (flute); Jeff Levine, Leon Pendarvis, Ricky Peterson (Hammond B-3 organ); Kenny White (Wurlitzer piano); Philippe Saisse (keyboards, percussion); Marc Antoine (nylon string guitar); Lincoln Goines (acoustic bass); Tony Levin (bass, Chapman stick); Neil Jason (bass); Steve Ferrone, Steve Barbuto, Shawn Pelton (drums); Richie Flores, Roger Squitero (percussion)

Out of the Blue

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Kurt Elling - Close Your Eyes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:39
Size: 146,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. Close Your Eyes
(6:36)  2. Dolores Dream
(6:20)  3. Ballad Of The Sad Young Men
(6:59)  4. (Hide The) Salomé
(1:32)  5. Married Blues
(6:16)  6. Storyteller Experiencing Total Confusion
(5:33)  7. Never Say Goodbye (For Jodi)
(3:09)  8. Those Clouds Are Heavy, You Dig?
(3:58)  9. Wait 'Till You See Her
(4:50) 10. Hurricane
(2:03) 11. Now It Is Time That Gods Came Walking Out
(5:53) 12. Never Never Land
(4:15) 13. Remembering Veronica

For his debut recording, Chicago vocalist Elling pushes the envelope, challenging listeners and his musicians with beat poetry, ranting, and his Mark Murphy-ish singing. There's quite a bit of dramatist/actor in Elling, although the romantic in him is also pretty prevalent. Acting much like a tenor saxophonist, Elling can wail and shout, expound on social themes, and scat like a demon. Help from the extraordinary pianist Laurence Hobgood, bassists Eric Hochberg and Rob Amster, and drummer Paul Wertico inspires Elling to even higher plateaus, while tenor saxophone foils Ed Peterson and Von Freeman appear separately on three of the 13 tracks. Elling writes a ton of lyrics. His take on Wayne Shorter's "Dolores" is "Dolores Dream," on which the singer speaks of Chi-Town in terms both favorable (hanging out at the Green Mill jazz club) and not so favorable ("fat frying, spluttering rank Chicago smeltering along, smothered in hot wooly sweat"), with a maniacal swing following his a cappella intro. His ramrod scatting is amazing both on this piece and on an exploratory take of Herbie Hancock's "Hurricane." A "So What"-type modality informs "(Hide The) Salome," with vicious scatting and Freeman's tenor in complete, frustrated agreement. Elling's poetic recitation of "Married Blues" and the avant beat style of "Now It Is Time" show his reverence for Rexroth and Rilke, respectively. As far as pure singing goes, "All the Sad Young Men" is beautifully rendered similar to Murphy, but not as overtly pronounced. "Close Your Eyes" opens with a tender piano intro, flowing into bass/vocal wistfulness and a midtempo romp. Elling extrapolates on the original lyric and scats feverishly on the bridge. He is at his most sexual on the slinky bossa "Never Say Goodbye" and the ballad "Storyteller Experiencing Total Confusion," with Peterson's sax shyly filling in cracks of fear and disillusionment. There's clearly more in store for Elling as he matures, but this is as auspicious a vocal jazz debut as the world has heard. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/close-your-eyes-mw0000644447

Personnel: Kurt Elling (vocals); Edward Peterson, Von Freeman (tenor saxophone); Laurence Hobgood (piano, synthesizer); Dave Onderdonk (acoustic & electric guitars); Rob Amster (acoustic & electric basses); Eric Hochberg (acoustic bass); Paul Wertico (drums, percussion).

Close Your Eyes

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