Suzy Bogguss - Swing

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:07
Size: 86,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:32)  1. Straighten Up and Fly Right
(3:09)  2. My Dream is You
(4:07)  3. Comes Love
(2:40)  4. Sweetheart (Waitress in a Donut Shop)
(1:57)  5. Jumping Into Spring
(4:48)  6. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
(2:51)  7. Burning the Toast
(3:32)  8. It's Always New to Me
(2:32)  9. Cupid Shot Us Both With One Arrow (With Ray Benson)
(3:33) 10. Picadilly Circus
(2:17) 11. It's All About You
(3:04) 12. Stay Out of My Dreams

Suzy Bogguss has had a very successful career in the contemporary country arena in the 1980s and ‘90s. Her debut recording for Liberty Records, Somewhere In Between, was critically well received and contains songs by Nashville and Austin royalty Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, and Merle Haggard. Ms. Bogguss today finds herself with a new label and a bit of a new direction. This is not strictly a jazz record to be sure, and Suzy Bogguss is not the first artist to attempt to crossover into a jazz/swing genre. Where Ms. Bogguss chimes in with novelty is her foray into western swing. Joining Bogguss is Asleep At The Wheel’s Ray Benson, who exerts a great deal of creative control over the recording, casting the songs in a more commercially appealing light than a hard western swing one. The absence of the pedal steel guitar, long a western swing staple, is to be owed for this softer brand of this genre. Ms. Bogguss has a perfect voice for this material, and I would hazard to say a better voice than many of the recent vocal jazz recordings crossing my desk. She brings a complete package to the table. Ms. Bogguss includes both standards and original compositions on the recording, all offered in a light swing style. Of the standards, Nat King Cole’s "Straighten Up and Fly Right," Ellington’s "Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear from Me," and Billie Holiday’s "Comes Love" are the most effective. But added to this palette are the more contemporary songs of April Barrows, including the very innovative and clever "Burning the Toast" and "Cupid Shots Us Both With One Arrow." Benson’s trademark guitar is present throughout and Jason Robert’s fiddle provides just enough of the swing in this western swing recording. ~ C. Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/swing-suzy-bogguss-compadre-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Suzy Bogguss (vocals); Jason Roberts (guitar, fiddle); Dave Biller, Ray Benson (guitar); John Mills (clarinet, saxophone); Floyd Domino (piano); Spencer Starnes (bass); David Sanger (drums).

Swing

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Stanley Turrentine - Look Out!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:06
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:12)  1. Look Out!
(4:58)  2. Journey Into Melody
(4:50)  3. Return Engagement
(7:51)  4. Little Sheri
(5:02)  5. Tiny Capers
(6:13)  6. Minor Chant
(6:18)  7. Tin Tin Deo
(6:58)  8. Yesterdays
(5:41)  9. Little Sheri [45rpm-single take]

This 1960 set is from a period which many consider to have been Stanley Turrentine's most creative. The saxophonist, who would have been 75 this month (March), was just coming out of an extended run with Max Roach's notably up-tempo orchestra. Backed here by a then-emerging powerhouse of sidemen, the set kicks off with the title track, a tersely phrased Turrentine blues composition. The straightforward rhythm section bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood makes a perfect berth for some wide open and bouncing solos from pianist Horace Parlan and the composer's tenor sax.  It's followed by an unexpected treat. "Journey Into Melody" is a luxuriant piece by British conductor Robert Farnon. Well-known for his lush orchestrations, his music would hardly be expected to turn up on a Turrentine session, he who only a few years earlier had taken Coltrane's seat in Earl Bostic's band. But it all works easily between these two romanticists. The great Ben Webster was a major influence on Turrentine, and a tender sound very akin to Webster's is evident on this leisurely, warmly played melody. Another Turrentine tune, "Little Sheri," is dedicated to his then-young daughter, and grew to become a signature tune for the saxophonist. Here, after a warm, low-key intro by Turrentine accentuated by Harewood's brushes, Parlan swings in with some easy, gentle chords. Throughout the set, Turrentine and especially Parlan give out with a grabbing, bluesy soul quality. Back in the early '50,s Turrentine had recorded with Ray Charles and echoes of that special soul sound appear here. Turrentine's partnering with Parlan here is especially notable, presaging other memorable recordings of theirs for this same label. But it was here that they really began to cook and the heat is palpable. ~ Andrew Velez https://www.allaboutjazz.com/look-out-stanley-turrentine-blue-note-records-review-by-andrew-velez.php
 

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine: tenor saxophone; Horace Parlan: piano; George Tucker: bass; Al harewood: drums.

Look Out!

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Vusi Mahlasela - The Voice

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Latin World
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:56
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:47)  1. Melodi Ya Mamelodi
(5:38)  2. Silang Mabele
(4:10)  3. When You Come Back
(5:39)  4. Weeping
(4:09)  5. Sleep Tight Margaret
(4:27)  6. Red Song
(4:32)  7. Troubadour
(4:36)  8. Emtini Wababe
(3:24)  9. Fountain
(4:04) 10. [Untitled 10]
(4:53) 11. Mma Modiane
(4:29) 12. Loneliness
(3:27) 13. Ntate Mahlasela
(2:37) 14. A Prayer for Our Time

In his home country of South Africa, singer/songwriter Vusi Mahlasela is fondly known as "The Voice." His fellow countrywoman, the writer Nadine Gordimer, once said about him: "Vusi Mahlasela sings as a bird does: in total response to being alive." Apart from his remarkable songwriting talent, Mahlasela is in fact blessed with one of the most remarkable voices in contemporary popular music. Vusi Mahlasela grew up listening to people singing in his grandmother's shebeen (an informal pub in South African townships) and taught himself while playing the guitar. As a teenager, he started writing his own songs with lyrics of social significance. In 1981, he joined the poetry group Ancestors of Africa, who were on the watch list of the Apartheid regime. His joining of the Congress of South African Writers in 1988 marks a new quality in his artistical maturing process. Besides starting a collaboration with South African dub poet Lesego Rampolokeng, he explored South African jazz and traditional music as well as the work of Chilean songwriter Victor Jara, who in his own opinion was his strongest influence. His first international performance in London (1990) made him more popular overseas than back home. Consequently, his debut album, When You Come Back (1992), a tribute to the political exiles of South Africa, catapulted him to instant fame in Europe and North America. Nowadays, it is considered a South African classic. Wisdom of Forgiveness, the 1994 successor, was an equally strong effort. The album title nicely summarized the political approach taken by the new democratic South African government: not revenge, but forgiveness was the strategy of the new era. Extensive touring was the reason that Mahlasela's next album, Silang Mabele, was only released at the end of 1997. The message of this album was clear: the time of singing praise songs is over, now let's make this new country work. The live set, Vusi Mahlasela & Louis Mhlanga Live at the Bassline (1999) captured a sizzling performance with one of his longterm collaborators and friends, guitarist Louis Mhlanga, stripped down to two guitars. In 2002, Vusi Mahlasela also appeared in Lee Hirsch's acclaimed documentary Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony which examined the role of music in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. The compilation The Voice (2003) which Mahlasela himself handpicked for listeners in North America, marked his official record debut in the U.S.. To celebrate the twenty year anniversary of When You Come Back, the album that brought him onto a world stage in 1992, Vusi assembled his band and threw a concert at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg in 2012, performing several of his signature songs in front of an enthusiastic and very involved audience, and the whole affair was recorded and released as a live set, Sing to the People, early in 2013. ~ Frank Eisenhuth  https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-voice/id252021518

Personnel: Vusi Mahlasela (vocals, acoustic guitar); Lloyd Ross (guitar, mandolin); Mauritz Lotz (guitar); Louis Mhlanga (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Moses Mafiri (acoustic guitar); Paul Majoro (electric guitar); Noise Khanyile (violin); Kelly Petlane (flute); Phil Holder (saxophone); Bra Ntemi Piliso, Barry Snyman (alto saxophone); Marcus Wyatt, Bruce Cassidy (trumpet); Jannie VanTonder (trombone); Johan Laas (keyboards, programming); Christopher Letcher, Tani Mello (keyboards); Herbie Tsoaeli (upright bass); Ian Herman (drums, percussion); Johnny Motuba, Kevin Gibson (drums); Jahn Beukes (bendir); Basie Mahlasela (percussion); Rick Mitchell (programming); Queen Ranyama, Sipho Mbhele, Margaret Motsage, Wings Segale, Faith Kekana, Stella Khumalo, Sipho Mxumalo, Vicky Vilakazi, Thandi Masemola, Caroline Masemola, Constance Mahlo, James Stewart (background vocals)

The Voice

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Harold Mabern - To Love And Be Loved

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:44
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. To Love and Be Loved
(5:23)  2. If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You
(6:10)  3. The Gigolo
(5:30)  4. Inner Glimpse
(6:45)  5. My Funny Valentine
(9:12)  6. The Iron Man
(7:15)  7. So What
(6:57)  8. I Get a Kick out of You
(5:29)  9. Dat Dere
(6:22) 10. Hittin' the Jug

Mabern reunites with the legendary drummer Jimmy, two world-renowned former students Eric Alexander and Freddie Hendrix, swinging bassist Nat Reeves, and the incredible percussionist and master colorist Cyro Baptista. On his latest album, "To Love and Be Loved", Harold Mabern is joined by a multigenerational band that brings together one of his legendary peers with some of his most acclaimed former students all of whom play with the same love and respect that Mabern has shared with them over the years. http://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/74334/harold-mabern/to-love-and-be-loved

Personnel:  Eric Alexander , tenor sax;  Harold Mabern, piano;  Nat Reees, bass;  Jimmy Cobb, drums;  Freddie Hendrix, trumpet on tracks 3, 4 & 7;  Cyro Baptista, percussion on track 1.

To Love And Be Loved

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Frank Sinatra - Sinatra And Swingin' Brass

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:05
Size: 68.9 MB
Styles: Swing, Jazz vocals
Year: 1962/2014
Art: Front

[1:47] 1. Goody, Goody
[2:40] 2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[2:12] 3. At Long Last Love
[2:34] 4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[3:10] 5. Don'cha Go 'way Mad
[3:13] 6. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[2:02] 7. Tangerine
[2:26] 8. Love Is Just Around The Corner
[2:07] 9. Ain't She Sweet
[2:59] 10. Serenade In Blue
[2:17] 11. I Love You
[2:33] 12. Pick Yourself Up

Sinatra and Swingin' Brass, a collection of brash, bold up-tempo numbers, followed the all-ballads effort Sinatra and Strings. Working with Neal Hefti, Sinatra turned in a robust, energetic performance, which was infectious even when his voice was showing signs of wear -- he was suffering from a cold during the sessions. The record captures the spirit of the Rat Pack era nearly as well as Ring-a-Ding Ding!. [This album was later released with three bonus tracks]. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sinatra And Swingin' Brass

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Clark Terry - The Happy Horns Of Clark Terry

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:11
Size: 78.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1964/1994
Art: Front

[4:39] 1. Rockin' In Rhythm
[4:08] 2. In A Mist
[3:04] 3. Return To Swahili
[2:56] 4. Ellington Rides Again (Medley)
[4:39] 5. Impulsive
[3:35] 6. Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me
[4:30] 7. Jazz Conversations
[3:47] 8. High Towers
[2:48] 9. Hammer Head Waltz

Double Bass – Milt Hinton; Drums – Walter Perkins; Piano – Roger Kellaway; Saxophone [Alto], Clarinet – Phil Woods; Saxophone [Tenor] – Ben Webster; Trumpet – Clark Terry. Recorded: March 13, 1964.

This all-star LP has plenty of memorable moments. Flugelhornist Clark Terry teams up with altoist Phil Woods (who doubles on clarinet), tenor great Ben Webster, pianist Roger Kellaway, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Walter Perkins for a varied program that includes a rollicking version of "Rockin' in Rhythm," Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist," a Duke Ellington medley, and "Return to Swahili," which is mostly a flügelhorn-drums duet. The lively music is quite enjoyable. ~Scott Yanow

The Happy Horns Of Clark Terry

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LeAnn Rimes - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:25
Size: 88.0 MB
Styles: Country vocals
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Crazy
[3:29] 2. Don't Worry
[2:29] 3. Leavin' On Your Mind
[3:52] 4. Faded Love
[3:18] 5. Born To Lose
[3:08] 6. Cryin' Time
[3:14] 7. She's Got You
[2:53] 8. I Fall To Pieces
[2:39] 9. Your Cheatin' Heart
[2:45] 10. Lovesick Blues
[4:33] 11. Me And Bobby McGee
[3:09] 12. Big Deal

This is a collection of LeAnn Rimes's favorite country standards, plus one newly written hit, "Big Deal." Say what you will about this woman-child--yes, she really needs direction (the 11 remakes couldn't be more obvious choices) and a producer besides her dad. But she's slowly growing into her own style, which here falls somewhere between Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, and Tammy Wynette. Especially Patsy. Her timing on "Crazy" is quirky enough to offset the ham-fisted arrangement, and she's not bad on "I Fall to Pieces," either; her efforts on "She's Got You," "Leavin' on Your Mind," and "Faded Love" (a Bob Wills song Cline cut) fall short. She also chooses "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Lovesick Blues," two songs identified with Hank Williams that Cline recorded, and sings the latter like she knows what it means. The wanna-rock "Me and Bobby McGee" is a travesty, but at least she gets to act her age, sort of, on "Big Deal." ~John Morthland

LeAnn Rimes

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Si Cranstoun - Smokehouse Sessions

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:55
Size: 61.6 MB
Styles: R&B, Swing
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:13] 1. Mary Lou
[2:30] 2. True Lovers
[2:38] 3. Rosie Lees
[3:29] 4. Around Midnight
[2:55] 5. Ruby Baby
[3:47] 6. The Throwback
[1:49] 7. Them There Eyes
[2:05] 8. Sea Cruise
[2:38] 9. Little By Little
[2:47] 10. 50's Pin Up

A fantastic dancable Rhythm & Blues album by Si Cranstoun, one of the most requested pf today's artists for Rock & Roll festivals! The Smokehouse Sessions was recorded at the famous Smokehouse Studios

in London and features Si Cranstoun and his eight piece band playing old and new vintage dance floor favourites.
It includes new covers of songs by Frankie Ford, Varetta Dillard, The Drifters, Nappy Brown and Sam Cooke along with some upfront vibey new renditions from Si's ever growing songwriting catalogue.
One to listen out for is the newly written track True Lovers - it's killer vintage style R&B.

Smokehouse Sessions

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Lionel Hampton - Ring Dem Vibes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:11
Size: 98.9 MB
Styles: Vibraphone jazz
Year: 2001/2007
Art: Front

[ 7:44] 1. Ring Dem Bells
[ 2:13] 2. Seven Come Eleven
[ 4:28] 3. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[ 7:06] 4. Blue Lou
[10:30] 5. Psychedelic Sally
[ 4:41] 6. Vibraphone Blues
[ 6:26] 7. Hamp's Thing

Alto Saxophone – Michel Attenoux; Double Bass – Michel Gaudry; Drums – Sam Woodyard; Guitar – William Mackel; Organ – Reynold Mullins (tracks: 6); Piano – Raymond Fol, Reynold Mullins (tracks: 3, 4); Tenor Saxophone – Gérard Badini (tracks: 1, 5, 7); Trombone – Claude Gousset (tracks: 1, 5, 7); Vibraphone – Dany Doriz (tracks: 2); Vibraphone, Vocals – Lionel Hampton. Recorded on May 25 (1, 2, 5, 7) and 26 (3, 4, 6) 1976, at the Hoche studio, Paris.

Lionel Hampton's two-day session for Blue Star in 1976 was a very productive date; he only brought along two regulars, guitarist Billy Mackel and pianist/organist Reynold Mullins, but was joined by an assortment of outstanding European players, including pianist Raymond Fol, alto saxophonist Michel Attenoux (who had worked with Hampton before), trombonist Claude Gousset, tenor saxophonist Gerard Badini, bassist Michel Gaudry, and former Ellington drummer Sam Woodyard, who was living and working in Paris. Hampton was only 68 years old at the time of the recording and still had the reputation for wearing out men a third of his age on the bandstand; his enthusiasm is infectious from the opening number, "Ring Dem Bells," as he introduces each soloist in turn in a lively jam. Dany Doriz, the man who had instigated this session, joins Hampton on vibes for a spirited if brief run through "Seven Come Eleven." The leader also revisits old favorites such as his "Vibraphone Blues" (which includes some humorous commentary in addition to his vocal) and standards like "Blue Lou" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" with the same vigor as when he first recorded them decades earlier. One surprise inclusion is Horace Silver's "Psychedelic Sally," which turns into an extended workout with one hot chorus inspiring yet another. The players mesh very well and each of the soloists is in top form when called upon. Although Lionel Hampton recorded frequently in the second half of the 1970s, this pickup session is among the best of the two dozen or so releases made during this period of his career. ~Ken Dryden

Ring Dem Vibes

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Valery Ponomarev - Beyond The Obvious

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:21
Size: 150,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:06)  1. You Dig, I Hear You, You Know What I Mean, etc.
( 6:16)  2. Close Your Eyes
( 9:43)  3. Party Time
( 6:53)  4. The Blessing
( 9:09)  5. From Cat To Nat
(15:05)  6. Sale On Love
( 7:11)  7. Chelsea Bridge
( 4:54)  8. Gina's Cooking

Beyond The Obvious is ex-Jazz Messenger Valery Ponomarev's seventh CD as a leader for Reservoir. His Means of Identification, recorded in 1985, was the label's debut release. Beyond The Obvious stands apart from the six prior (all quintet) sessions in terms of its instrumental format. It's out at a time when the Russian-born trumpeter is in the news for a troubling incident. In mid September, Ponomarev reportedly had his arm broken by Charles DeGaulle Airport security after refusing to relinquish his trumpet. He was asked to check his trumpet at the gate, despite the fact that it was already properly tagged as carry-on baggage. Beyond the Obvious features a piano-less quartet, balancing two horns (Ponomarev's trumpet and Don Braden's tenor sax) with the bass and drums of Martin Zenker and Jerome Jennings, respectively. Jennings, who has toured and studied with Ponomarev, is a graduate student at New York's Juilliard School of Music. Suffice to say that he plays with empathy and talent belying his years.  

This is a half-and-half mix of jazz standards and savory originals, one of which ("Love On Sale ) is an extended Ponomarev composition loosely based on Cole Porter's Tin Pan Alley chestnut "Love For Sale. The opening "You Dig, whose odd conversational patter title is actually the melody, was recorded by Ponomarev and the rhythm section while Braden sat in traffic on the way to the studio. It's a clever full-throttle blues.  Even on the standards including "Close Your Eyes and "Chelsea Bridge Ponomarev is the clever rearranger, enabling the quartet to mine interesting new facets, hence the project title. There's an intensity and beauty to their interpretation of Ornette's classic "The Blessing, from the late '50s. "Chelsea Bridge features three primary solo voices trumpet, tenor and bass and is a gem. Check out the subtleties and rhythmic variations that the ensemble adds to Lee Morgan's "Party Time, a classic blues from one of the leader's trumpet heroes. Braden and Ponomarev's horn lines artfully complement each other both in tandem and as foils throughout this session. It's clear that the leader, so thoroughly grounded in bebop, is extending that exciting tradition. ~ Ken Frankling https://www.allaboutjazz.com/beyond-the-obvious-valery-ponomarev-reservoir-music-review-by-ken-franckling.php

Personnel: Valery Ponomarev: trumpet; Don Braden: tenor saxophone; Martin Zenker: bass; Jerome Jennings: drums.

Beyond The Obvious

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Brenna Whitaker - Brenna Whitaker

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:32
Size: 93,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Black And Gold
(3:28)  2. Misty Blue
(2:22)  3. It's A Good Day
(2:54)  4. You Don't Own Me
(3:16)  5. My Heart Cries For You
(3:37)  6. When I'm Gone
(2:36)  7. I Can't Hear A Word You Say
(3:53)  8. It's Not Easy Bein' Green
(3:43)  9. Love Back
(3:08) 10. Anyone Who Had A Heart
(3:27) 11. Sayonara
(3:50) 12. A House Is Not A Home

After landing her first professional theater gig at age 11, moving to New York City on her own to study with Broadway veterans at age 17, and spending her early 20s leading jazz bands back home in Missouri, Whitaker headed to L.A. and started setting up a series of residencies that eventually attracted fans like Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, and Michael Bublé and caught the attention of Verve Records chairman and 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster. The first new artist Foster has agreed to develop and produce since discovering Bublé, Whitaker is now set to release a debut album for Verve that finds her reviving a vast American jukebox of classic songs and revealing the full force of her stunning, soulful voice. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Brenna-Whitaker/dp/B014GF44V0

Brenna Whitaker

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Moacir Santos - Saudade

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:36
Size: 84,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. Early Morning Love
(6:08)  2. A Saudade Mata a Gente
(3:36)  3. Off and On
(3:37)  4. The City of LA
(4:07)  5. Suk Cha
(3:36)  6. Kathy
(2:58)  7. Haply-Happy
(3:24)  8. Amphibious
(2:32)  9. This Life
(3:08) 10. What's My Name

Saudade is an album by Brazilian composer Moacir Santos recorded in 1974 and released on the Blue Note label. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudade_(Moacir_Santos_album)

Personnel:  Moacir Santos - alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, conductor, arranger;  Steve Huffsteter - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Benny Powell – trombone;  Morris Repass - bass trombone;  Sidney Muldrow - french horn;  Ray Pizzi - bassoon, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo;  Jerome Richardson - soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute;  Mark Levine - piano, electric piano, arranger;  Lee Ritenour - guitar, electric guitar;  John Heard - bass, electric bass;  Harvey Mason – drums;  Mayuto Correa, Carmelo Garcia - conga, percussion;  Donald Alves, Mike Campbell, Jose Marino, Petsye Powell, Carmen Saveiros, Regina Werneck - backing vocals

Saudade

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Joe Williams - Here's to Life

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 59:31
Size: 110,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Here's To Life
(4:52)  2. What A Wonderful World
(4:17)  3. When I Fall In Love
(4:14)  4. I Found A Million Dollar Baby
(4:54)  5. If I Had You
(4:07)  6. Maybe September
(4:00)  7. Save That Time
(4:49)  8. Young And Foolish
(5:15)  9. I Didn't Know About You
(4:32) 10. Little Sir Echo
(4:58) 11. Someone You've Loved
(4:06) 12. A Time For Love
(3:44) 13. Here's To Life

Joe Williams loves the string arrangements of Robert Farnon and the sappy ballad "Here's to Life" but in truth the charts border on muzak and the slow tempoes on this Telarc CD have little variety. Reminiscent a bit of Nat King Cole's string sessions of the 1950s with Gordon Jenkins, there is little jazz content to this set. Williams is in particularly strong form, interpreting the ballads in dramatic and sensitive fashion, but, despite his charm, this is one of his lesser recordings. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/heres-to-life-mw0000623648

Personnel: Joe Williams (vocals); Louis Stewart (guitar); Hugh Webb (harp); Liz Edwards, Belinda Bunt, Trevor Williams , Michael Berrow, Madeleine Whitelaw, Rachel Cohen, John Ronayne, Raymond Keenlyside, Diana Cummings, Raymond Cohen, Jonathan Strange, Celia Sheen, Homi Kanga, Gillian Cohen, Roy Wilson, Roger Garland (violin); John Underwood , Kenneth Essex, Michael Ponder (viola); Keith Harvey, Denis Vigay, Anthony Pleeth (cello); Dennis Walton, Peter Hughes , Tommy Whittle, Roy Willox (woodwinds); Paul Pritchard, John Rooke, John Pigneguy (French horn); Bill Geldard, Christopher Dean, Don Lusher (trombone); Laurie Holloway (piano, celesta); George Shearing (piano); Jack Parnell (drums).

Here's to Life

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Najee - Poetry In Motion

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:43
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Stratosphere
(5:31)  2. Is It The Way Back
(4:24)  3. Let's Take It Back
(5:19)  4. Noche Romantica
(6:19)  5. We'll Be Missing You
(4:49)  6. Song For The Ladies
(4:33)  7. Don't Make Me Wait
(6:28)  8. Poetry In Motion
(4:45)  9. Running Away
(3:50) 10. Duolology

One of the best-selling instrumentalists of the late '80s to mid-'90s, Najee has been a consistent favorite in the quiet storm and smooth jazz markets. Often compared to Kenny G, George Howard, and Dave Koz, the New Yorker has been greatly influenced by Grover Washington, Jr.although he hasn't been nearly as adventurous. Heavily produced and quite formulaic, Najee's albums have tended to avoid improvisation and strive for commercial radio airplay above all else. Debuting in 1987 with Najee's Theme, Najee was an immediate hit in the new adult contemporary (NAC) market. Similar pop/urban jazz dates like 1988's Day by Day and 1990's Tokyo Blue did nothing to jeopardize his niche on smooth jazz radio. On-stage, Najee takes some risks and stretches out more.

Morning Tenderness was released in 1998, followed by Love Songs (2000), Embrace (2003), My Point of View (2005), True Spirit (with John Grant, Victor Williams, and Dennis Chambers in 2006), Rising Sun (2007), and Mind Over Matter (2009). In 2012, Najee released his 14th studio album, The Smooth Side of Soul, featuring the track "First Kiss," a collaboration with R&B vocalist Phil Perry. Najee returned in 2013 with The Morning After: A Musical Love Journey, which included the song "Shinjuku," a tribute to the late jazz keyboard legend George Duke. Two years later, he delivered his 16th studio effort, You, Me and Forever, which reached the Top Ten on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. In 2017, he returned with Poetry in Motion. ~ Alex Henderson https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/poetry-in-motion/id1266264056

This release includes guests:  Will Downing, Maysa, Incognito, Eric Roberson and Phil Perry, among others

Poetry In Motion

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Jimmy Witherspoon - Witherspoon Mulligan Webster At The Renaissance

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:54
Size: 95.9 MB
Styles: Jazz/Blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:34] 1. Introduction
[3:25] 2. Time's Gettin' Tougher Than Tough
[3:22] 3. How Long Blues
[4:41] 4. Corrine, Corrina
[4:24] 5. C.C. Rider
[2:42] 6. Roll 'em Pete
[3:10] 7. Every Day I Have The Blues
[3:46] 8. Kansas City
[3:25] 9. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
[5:32] 10. St. Louis Blues
[3:49] 11. Trouble In Mind

Bass – Leroy Vinnegar; Drums – Mel Lewis; Piano – Jimmy Rowles; Saxophone – Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan; Vocals – Jimmy Witherspoon. Recorded live at the Rennaissance Club, L.A., California, Dec. 2 & 9 1959.

In what sounds like a late-'50s session at the Renaissance Club in Los Angeles, blues belter Jimmy Witherspoon is backed by an all-star quintet featuring soloists Ben Webster and Gerry Mulligan, with pianist Jimmy Rowles and his trio. There are ten classic selections: first-rate familiar tunes to all fans of the blues, and not a speck of cereal filler. 'Spoon and his band sound on the money, but the only problem lies in the production values, where the musicians -- and especially the vocalist -- are distant, and recorded a bit thinly. Regardless, this is a collection most fans of the legendary Witherspoon should want and search for. ~Michael G. Nastos

Witherspoon Mulligan Webster At The Renaissance

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Alice Babs - Swingtime Again

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:52
Size: 118.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[2:35] 1. Me And You
[4:25] 2. It's Wonderful
[4:15] 3. Sugar
[2:45] 4. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[4:42] 5. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[5:03] 6. A Sailboat In The Moonlight
[1:50] 7. Swing It Magistern
[4:31] 8. I Don't Mind
[1:51] 9. Who's Got The Other Half Of Heaven (Tralla På Svenska)
[3:45] 10. Regntunga Skyar
[4:16] 11. I'm Checkin' Out Go'om Bye
[3:20] 12. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[4:08] 13. Drop Me Off In Harlem
[4:17] 14. Bluer Than Blue

An amazing lady with an amazing voice who has been delighting people for over 50 yrs including Duke Ellington who picked her out to sing in his second sacred concert and commented that if he did not have Babs to sing for him he would have to hire three other singers to cover for her. She is also on other Ellington recordings including "Sernade to Sweden" where the liner notes have this quote from the Duke, "This voice embodies all the warmth, joy of life, rhythm and tragedy that, for me, is the innermost secret of jazz". As always DE says it like it is. ~Brian Beale

Swingtime Again

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Various - Anything Goes (1956 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:29
Size: 124.7 MB
Styles: Soundtrack
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Donald O'Connor - Ya Gotta Give The People Hoke, Song
[3:46] 2. Mitzi Gaynor - Anything Goes
[4:02] 3. Jeanmaire - I Get A Kick Out Of You
[2:29] 4. Mitzi Gaynor - You're The Top
[7:40] 5. Joseph Lilley - Dream Ballet
[5:48] 6. Donald O'Connor - It's De-Lovely
[2:57] 7. Bing Crosby - All Through The Night
[6:09] 8. Donald O'Connor - A Second Hand Turban And A Crystal Ball, Song
[4:07] 9. Donald O'Connor - You Can Bounce Right Back, Song
[4:48] 10. Donald O'Connor - Blow Gabriel Blow
[2:52] 11. Bing Crosby - Sailor Beware
[3:21] 12. Bing Crosby - My Heart And I
[3:08] 13. George Stoll's Trio - Moonburn

This is the second film titled Anything Goes to star Bing Crosby (the first was a 1936 film). Both films change a lot of the original Cole Porter stage musical, but at least the later version keeps a few more Porter songs. Still, there is something odd about a Cole Porter film filled with "additional songs" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen (perhaps Porter's work was not warm and cuddly enough for 1956 America, although it seemed to work well at MGM with High Society, released the same year). Crosby plays a Broadway star teamed up with young TV hotshot Donald O'Connor. Vacationing separately in Europe and needing a leading lady for their upcoming show, each signs a prospect--Crosby snaps up Mitzi Gaynor (at her perkiest) and O'Connor finds Jeanmaire, a French dancer. The show can only have one female star, so when the quartet crosses paths on the ocean liner back to the U.S., sparks will fly. Or not--this Paramount musical lacks any definable zip, from the sleepy dialogue to the listless camera. The capable Nick Castle staged the musical sequences, although Jeanmaire's numbers were choreographed by Roland Petit (also her husband). The Porter songs are half-heartedly rendered, although O'Connor and Gaynor get some oomph into "It's De-Lovely." Der Bingle was born to burble "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," but it's too little, too late. --Robert Horton

Anything Goes (1956 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Remastered)

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David Linx & The Brussels Jazz Orchestra - Changing Faces

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:42
Size: 184.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[6:11] 1. Deep Night
[6:53] 2. Down On Lovers Lane
[8:09] 3. Black Crow
[5:47] 4. Bilhete
[4:12] 5. Then We'll Be Home
[9:46] 6. A Day's Journey
[4:54] 7. Home, In The Spring
[5:33] 8. The Land Of Joy
[2:17] 9. Por Toda Minha Vida
[5:32] 10. Miziane
[5:34] 11. There Is You
[9:33] 12. Sweet Suite
[6:15] 13. For The Time Being

Never thought I’d be mentioning that pre-Crosby crooner, Rudy Vallee, in this space, but one of the tunes associated with the megaphone meister, “Deep Night,” receives a surprisingly hip, propulsive makeover. It typifies the extremes to be found here. Linx, the Belgian jazz singer, will resort to any idiom, any language, any time signature. Occasionally he seems to dispense with bar lines altogether, or he will go beyond lyrics, as he abandons his own words on “A Day’s Journey,” for some free-wheeling scat. “Home, In the Spring” features Linx and the wordless Natalie Dessay in a wistful duet. While he strains for falsetto, she leaps octaves effortlessly. The most impressive tour de force is “The Land of Joy,” in which Linx resorts to jet-speed unison scat with pianist Nathalie Loriers. Linx wrote some of the tunes, which compete quite well against entries by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joni Mitchell. He can do it all, at the highest level of professionalism, like the superb Brussels Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece band, used to the coloristic effects that accrue from their apparently endless doublings. ~Harvey Siders

Changing Faces

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Johnny Griffin - Chicago, New York, Paris

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:48
Size: 143.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[7:50] 1. The Jamfs Are Coming
[5:46] 2. Do It
[4:37] 3. To Love
[7:27] 4. Hush A Bye
[6:58] 5. You Must Believe In Spring
[8:19] 6. Without A Song
[5:57] 7. Leave Me Alone
[8:39] 8. My Romance
[7:11] 9. Not Yet

Acoustic Bass – Christian McBride; Drums – Greg Hutchinson; Piano – Kenny Barron; Saxophone – Johnny Griffin; Trumpet – Roy Hargrove.

Like Joe Henderson who released one beautiful CD after another in the past 10 years or so, Griffin plays here with gorgeous tone and overflowing musicality only getting better with age. I love the newer sax lions like James Carter, Joshua Redman, and Joe Lovano but Griffin, again like Joe Henderson, seems to be bringing out the qualities only possessed by those who came from 50s.
To me, this album is up there with the very best works by Dexter Gordon and Hank Mobley. If you think that's a stretch, just listen to My Romance, one of the most poignant ballad renditions I've ever heard on saxophone. Add Roy Hargrove (trumpet) and Kenny Baron (piano) to that and you have a formula for utmost beauty. ~Jonson Lee

Chicago,New York,Paris   

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David Binney - Barefooted Town

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:28
Size: 127,6 MB
Art: Front

( 9:42)  1. Dignity
( 7:25)  2. Seven Sixty
(10:51)  3. The Edge of Seasons
( 7:42)  4. Barefooted Town
( 7:35)  5. Secret Miracle
( 5:22)  6. A Night Every Day
( 6:48)  7. Once, when she was here

Politics isn't the only thing that increasingly demands clear vision and steadfast commitment (even if it isn't getting it). In the jazz world where the changing landscape makes getting heard one challenge, acceptance by a broader culture that views "jazz" as a dirty word another it takes artists with unshakable resolve to stay the course. David Binney has not only honed an instantly recognizable compositional language without the trappings of predictability, he's become a mentor for younger artists, mixing and matching from a gradually increasing cadre of players. Binney continues alternating between releases on his own Mythology label where the saxophonist has the luxury of time to fashion ambitious work like Graylen Epicenter (2011) and more reductionist sets for The Netherlands' Criss Cross label, where just one day to record means the altoist has to make, if not concessions, then certainly compromises. On the basis of Barefooted Town, however, whatever Binney sacrifices to get everything done in eight hours in no way dilutes the strength of his message. It's no lighter on the compositional front than the broader palette of his Mythology recordings are in retaining the kind of open space necessary to maximize the people with whom Binney regularly collaborates.

Binney brings back a number of players with whom he's worked increasingly in recent years, in particular Dan Weiss, who's been on all of Binney's Criss records since 2005's Bastion of Sanity, and for good reason: there seems little this drummer can't do, effortlessly combining cymbal-driven delicacy with more powerful twists and turns on the episodic "The Edge of Seasons." Initially waxing lyric, the 11-minute piece shifts, just as quickly, to an almost funky thematic section of layered meters before opening up to an extended solo from Binney newcomer David Virelles, suggesting that this pianist largely associated with Cuban music, but clearly possessing a much broader reach combines lithe linear dexterity with choppy chords informed by his roots, but taken much farther than past collaborators ever made possible. The three-horn frontline combines, on the inevitably building title track, long-toned melodic baton-passing with unison and occasionally expanding harmony as a foundation for Weiss' equally patient marvel of a constructed solo, with Mark Turner's subsequent spot making this tenor saxophonist's relatively below-the-radar position all the more curious. More than just a distinctive writer, Binney proves similar virtuosic mettle on "Secret Miracle," sharing the solo space with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire on another piece that, despite its mathematical idiosyncrasies, flows naturally; its melody so singable that Binney adds his voice to the mix, as he does at the end of the title track. The horns rarely stray from playing unison doing otherwise might dilute the intrinsic strength of Binney's constructed themes with the exception of "A Night Every Day," where overlapping lines create shifting harmonies, and the intertwining duality of the powerful opener, "Dignity." Binney may create music of no small compositional complexity, but at its core is a lyricism so strong that, amidst impossible to ignore ensemble and solo performances, Barefooted Town's greatest strength may well be in its unforgettable melodies, which remain unforgettable, long after it's over. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/barefooted-town-david-binney-criss-cross-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: David Binney: alto saxophone, voice; Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; David Virelles; piano; Eivind Opsvik: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Barefooted Town

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