Jimmy Greene - Mission Statement

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:28
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:37)  1. Mission Statement
(6:49)  2. Fathers and Sons
(6:29)  3. Trials
(6:56)  4. Love In Action
(6:27)  5. Revelation
(4:46)  6. In Nelba's Eyes
(5:57)  7. YeahYouRight!
(5:55)  8. Mr. Octopus
(7:56)  9. Ana Grace
(5:31) 10. Give Thanks

Possessing a concise pithy tone on his tenor sax that at times can be reverential, Jimmy Greene also surprises with an ability to translate that same depth to soprano, when making the switch for the odd tune. Greene's quartet consists of pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, and, while this ensemble fits squarely in the world of precise modern jazz, the tunes due in equal measure to Greene's respect for melody and compositional skill stand on their own as interesting listens. This is not a shy rhythm section, and proves itself capable of laying in a very richly textured and supportive bottom and middle. It's joined on a majority of the album by guitarist Lage Lund, who possesses a tone as delicately beautiful as Greene's is juicy. This makes for some very fine moments, as Lund's web-like runs contrast with Greene's depth in a variety of stylistic settings, which occasionally benefit from Davis' funky fare on Rhodes.

The opening title cut begins with Greene strongly stating an intricate theme, followed by Lund's soothing restatement that enchants and surprises with its cool mature feel. Although the songs obviously differ in content the funkiness of "Yeah You Right"; the spirituality and Trane-signifiers of "Love in Action"; the rhythmic complexity of "Mr. Octopus" and tenderness of "In Nelba's Eyes" and "Ana Grace" it is the interplay that makes this a must-listen. Vibraphonist Stefon Harris also joins for a particularly strong performance of "Revelation" that artfully showcases his speed and improvising ability, alongside Greene's similar attributes on soprano. Mission Statement is a clear declaration that there is a whole lot of music in the horn and mind of Jimmy Greene.
~ Elliott Simon https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mission-statement-jimmy-greene-razdaz-recordz-review-by-elliott-simon.php

Personnel: Jimmy Greene: tenor and soprano saxophones; Lage Lund: guitar; Stefon Harris: vibraphone (Revelation); Xavier Davis: piano, Rhodes; Reuben Rogers: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

Mission Statement

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Bill Charlap Trio - Uptown, Downtown

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:27
Size: 125,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:00)  1. Curtains
(7:54)  2. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(6:00)  3. Uptown, Downtown
(5:01)  4. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
(7:28)  5. I'm All Smiles
(6:41)  6. There's A Small Hotel
(4:18)  7. Satellite
(6:46)  8. Bon ami
(3:16)  9. Sophisticated Lady

Bill Charlap is one of the strongest mainstream jazz pianists on the scene and one of the most gifted interpreters of standards. He grew up in a musical household, as the son of Broadway songwriter Moose Charlap and singer Sandy Stewart. Taking to the piano at a young age, he went on to study at New York's High School of Performing Arts. He then entered college, but rather than finishing, opted to practice and gig on his own. Pianist Bill Mays soon took up Charlap's cause, recommending the young man as his replacement in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. During this time, Charlap also worked with Benny Carter, Clark Terry, and Frank Wess, and was sought after as an accompanist for singers such as Tony Bennett, Carol Sloane, and Sheila Jordan. In 1995, he secured one of the most coveted piano chairs in jazz, with the Phil Woods Quintet. All the while, Charlap showed steady development as a leader. His debut came in 1994 with Along with Me, followed by Souvenir in 1995 and Distant Star in 1996. His 1997 release, All Through the Night, was the first to feature his current trio, with the redoubtable (and unrelated) Washingtons, Peter and Kenny, on bass and drums respectively. In 2000, this lineup had its major-label breakthrough with the highly acclaimed Blue Note disc Written in the Stars. Two albums appeared in 2001: 2Gether with Warren Vaché and Contrasts with Jon Gordon. 'S Wonderful hit the shelves in 2002, as did Stardust, which began a series of albums that focused on a single composer. Stardust featured the music of Hoagy Carmichael, 2004's Somewhere was an all-Leonard Bernstein affair, while 2005's Plays George Gershwin featured ten songs by the man Charlap considers "the American soul." Also in 2005, he released an album with vocalist Sandy Stewart, Love Is Here to Stay. The concert album Live at the Village Vanguard appeared in 2007. In 2010, Charlap joined pianist Rene Rosnes for the duo effort, Double Portrait. Two years later, he reunited with Stewart for Something to Remember. In 2015 he collaborated with legendary vocalist Tony Bennett for Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/uptown-downtown/id1265237243

Uptown, Downtown

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Cleo Brown - Living In The Afterglow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:15
Size: 140.2 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues piano
Year: 1996/2015
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. I'm A Little Old Woman
[4:05] 2. Without A Song
[2:58] 3. Afterglow
[3:35] 4. Down By The Riverside
[2:26] 5. High Up On The Mountain
[3:20] 6. Silent Night
[2:21] 7. I'm Gonna Rise Up Singing
[4:20] 8. Amazing Grace
[4:06] 9. Medley The Old Rugged Cross Near The Cross
[3:21] 10. A Great Big Wonderful God
[4:40] 11. Marian's Mood
[2:37] 12. Walk All Over God's Heaven
[2:46] 13. Medley Fly Away Army Air Corps Song
[3:28] 14. Show Me A Rainbow
[4:10] 15. Just A Closer Walk With Thee
[2:35] 16. We're Running, Running, Running
[4:05] 17. I've Been 'buked And Scorned
[3:13] 18. I'm Gonna Tell God How You Treat Me

Cleo Brown was a singing boogie-woogie pianist active from the 1930s into the 1950s who was one of Dave Brubeck's early influences. She retired from music and she stuck to playing exclusively for her church in Denver as the jazz world lost track of her -- until Marian McPartland sought Brown for an appearance on her Piano Jazz series in the 1980s. This studio session followed the taping of the program, with McPartland as a guest on several tracks. Many of the numbers are original gospel compositions by Brown, some sung in a very friendly manner, such as her "I'm a Little Old Woman," the charming "Afterglow," and the very bluesy "I've Been 'Buked and Scorned." Brown's chops show no signs of slipping as she plays wonderful two-fisted piano on standards such as "Without a Song," and her stimulating duets with McPartland include the spiritual "Down by the Riverside," the surprising choice of "Silent Night," "Marian's Mood" (possibly worked out on the spot in the studio by the pianists), and the old hymn "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." Sadly, this was Cleo Brown's final recording prior to her death in 1995. ~Ken Dryden

Living In The Afterglow

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Jesper Thilo - Jesper Thilo & The American Stars (2-Disc Set)

Album: Jesper Thilo & The American Stars (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 147:05
Size: 336.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011

[5:05] 1. Did You Call Her Today
[5:02] 2. My Romance
[6:24] 3. Just One Of Those Things
[6:07] 4. Save Your Love For Me
[6:22] 5. Cherokee
[6:23] 6. On The Trail
[9:08] 7. Like Someone In Love
[6:38] 8. Old Folks
[8:42] 9. Stelle By Starlight
[6:11] 10. God Bless The Child
[6:52] 11. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[2:45] 12. Cotton Tail
[4:05] 13. Star Dust
[6:04] 14. Body And Soul
[5:32] 15. Rose Room
[6:33] 16. Wave
[3:54] 17. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
[3:40] 18. Blue And Sentimental
[3:21] 19. Sweets To My Sweet
[6:48] 20. Now And Then Blues
[5:00] 21. Cherokee
[7:10] 22. Seque In C
[7:15] 23. A Night In Tunisia
[5:06] 24. I'm Hungry Sabina
[6:48] 25. The Girl From Ipanema

This excellent sampler features the Zoot Sims-influenced Danish saxophonist Jesper Thilo on previously released performances taken from five LPs recorded during 1980-1987. Thilo is heard in a quintet with flügelhornist Clark Terry and pianist Kenny Drew (their version of Ben Webster's "Did You Call Her Today" is a delight), leading a quartet with Drew and drummer Billy Hart, jamming in a sextet with trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, interacting with pianist Roland Hanna in a quartet, and co-leading a quintet with trombonist Al Grey. In each setting, Thilo holds his own with the better-known Americans, jamming music that falls between swing and bebop. Terry, Edison, and Grey are all fun to hear as usual, since they not only swing hard but are witty improvisers. It would be preferable to have the complete sessions and hopefully they will be reissued on CD eventually, but this sampler will suffice in the meantime, serving as an introduction to the playing of Jesper Thilo. ~Scott Yanow

Jesper Thilo & The American Stars (Disc 1)

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Album: Jesper Thilo & The American Stars (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:41
Size: 173.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:11] 1. Sunday
[8:05] 2. Frog Eyes
[2:53] 3. Mumbles
[6:13] 4. This Time It's Real
[6:50] 5. Star Eyes
[5:16] 6. Body And Soul
[5:28] 7. Just Jazz
[7:10] 8. The Vanguard Groove
[5:09] 9. There Will Never Be Another You
[4:57] 10. Medley: Lover Man/Embraceable You
[5:34] 11. Satin Doll
[6:36] 12. Sophisticated Lady
[7:12] 13. Ballad For Jesper

Jesper Thilo, a swinging tenor saxophonist from Denmark, has Zoot Sims as his musical role model, although he also sounds a bit like Johnny Griffin on "Cherokee" and otherwise displays a bit of his own personality in his solos. Thilo recorded a series of albums for Storyville in the 1980s that teamed him with some notable American all-stars. This sampler has three songs apiece from four of the dates and two from a fifth project. The first three selections match Thilo with flügelhornist Clark Terry (who always sounds so jubilant) and a trio with pianist Kenny Drew. Thilo is quite warm on "Body and Soul" and Terry is wonderful on "Cotton Tail." The next three numbers have Thilo mostly in the spotlight, since it is a quartet session with Drew. There are also three numbers with trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and the superior pianist Ole Kock Hansen, a trio of selections with the Sir Roland Hanna Trio, and finally a matchup with trombonist Al Grey. There are no throwaway tracks and the music is highly recommended to fans of the styles of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. Hopefully, Storyville will reissue the complete contents of these five rewarding sessions at some point in the future. ~Scott Yanow

Jesper Thilo & The American Stars (Disc 2)

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The Anita Kerr Singers - All You Need Is Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:55
Size: 86.8 MB
Styles: Vocal pop, Easy Listening
Year: 1967/2015
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. All You Need Is Love
[3:33] 2. Holiday
[3:03] 3. [you Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman
[2:36] 4. Never My Love
[3:24] 5. Stay
[2:59] 6. How Can I Be Sure
[3:28] 7. Autumn Afternoon
[2:33] 8. No Salt On Her Tail
[3:33] 9. Look Of Love
[2:52] 10. In The Morning
[3:25] 11. I Make A Fool Of Myself
[3:18] 12. The Last Waltz

The multi-talented, Nashville-based Anita Kerr had been a studio arranger and behind-the-scenes mover and shaker in Music City USA for nearly two decades when she signed with Warner Brothers in the mid-'60s. Her fourth LP bore the optimistic title All You Need Is Love (1967). In addition to remaking the Beatles' Summer of Love anthem, Kerr (soprano/soloist) leads her ensemble -- which also consists of B.J. Baker (alto), Gene Merlino (tenor), and Bob Tebow (bass) -- through an assortment of contemporaneous light rock and pop. Some of the re-arrangements work better than others in a choral setting. For instance, the Bee Gees' languid "Holiday" is exquisite and moody with Kerr's voice hovering over the ensemble for an ethereal listening experience that is particularly recommended for those who like the original. The Addrisi Brothers-penned "Never My Love" bears the same harmonic earmarks and complexities as the Association's hit version with the buoyancy of Kerr's gliding vocals. From the Bacharach/David songbook comes arguably the most endearing inclusion of them all, Kerr's interpretation of "The Look of Love." It retains all of the mystique and subtle charm of Dusty Springfield or Dame Shirley Bassey without becoming too instrumentally watered down or vocally tarted up. While not quite on par with the previously mentioned tunes, for the remake of "How Can I Be Sure?," Kerr and company match the minor-chord noir, yet can't seem to believably pull off the blue-eyed soul ingrained within the Rascals' formidable grooves. And to the same point, Kerr perhaps would have been better served having shelved the utilitarian choral reading of "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman." Clearly, Aretha she ain't! And for her next album Sounds (1968), the Anita Kerr Singers returned to delivering selections that are uniformly better suited to the combo's strengths. ~Lindsay Planer

All You Need Is Love

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Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber - You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet: Summit Reunion Plays Some Al Jolson Songs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:13
Size: 140.2 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz, Swing
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:09] 1. Baby Face
[4:47] 2. Carolina In The Morning
[4:19] 3. Chinatown, My Chinatown
[4:12] 4. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody
[3:40] 5. Swanee
[3:50] 6. After You've Gone
[6:02] 7. The Anniversary Song
[3:34] 8. When The Red, Red Robbin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin Along
[4:28] 9. You Made Me Love You
[3:56] 10. April Showers
[3:48] 11. Rose Of Washington Square
[6:49] 12. Avalon
[4:25] 13. Indiana
[3:07] 14. California, Here I Come

Described in The New York Times as "the finest clarinetist playing today" in the 1990s, that high praise wasn't far off the mark, as it applied to Kenny Davern in the autumn of his life, at the peak of his powers. Call him a jazz purist, even a snob, but Davern believed in playing standards, and that he did. Tunes by George Gershwin, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin; what are sometimes referred to as Great American Songbook tunes. He was often praised for the clarity and pureness of his tone, and often played outdoor festival gigs without amplification.

Throughout his long career, Bob Wilber has done a lot to keep classic jazz alive. A bit misplaced (most jazz players of his generation were much more interested in bop and hard bop), Wilber (along with Kenny Davern, Ralph Sutton, and Dick Wellstood) was one of the few in his age group to stick to pre-bop music. In high school he formed a band that included Wellstood, and as a teenager he sat in at Jimmy Ryan's club in New York. Early on he became Sidney Bechet's protégé and led his own young group, the Wildcats (with whom he made his recording debut). The close association with the dominant Bechet led to a bit of a personality crisis in the 1950s as Wilber sought to find his own voice. He studied with Lennie Tristano and formed the Six, a group that tried to modernize early jazz. When that ended, he played Dixieland with Eddie Condon, and in 1957 joined Bobby Hackett's band for a year. Wilber freelanced throughout the 1960s, in 1968 became a founding member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band, and in 1973 he formed Soprano Summit with Kenny Davern, one of the top swing-oriented groups of the decade.

Summit Reunion Plays Some Al Jolson Songs

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Zoot Sims & Kenny Drew Trio - Flower Walts

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:24
Size: 118,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:05)  1. Flower Walts
(9:38)  2. Groovin' High
(4:45)  3. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(7:45)  4. Fled
(7:17)  5. I Wonder Where Our Has Gone
(5:13)  6. In A Mellow Tone
(2:14)  7. I Got It Bad
(6:23)  8. Caravan

This 1978 live date recorded in a unnamed Copenhagen nightclub finds Zoot Sims and the Kenny Drew Trio in great form; the outstanding bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Ed Thigpen (both of whom worked with Oscar Peterson in separate time frames) round out the supporting cast. The first portion includes two unaccredited pieces, a lively bossa nova called "Flower Walts" and the rhythm & blues-flavored "Fled," featuring some of the tenor saxophonist's harder-edged blowing. Following a lyrical take of the infrequently recorded "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone," the quartet devotes themselves to strong interpretations of three classics from the Duke Ellington songbook: a swinging "In a Mellotone," an all too brief "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," and a romp through "Caravan," with Sims switching to soprano sax and a fine solo by Thigpen. This is an excellent CD, though the label was very sloppy with the text in several places within the booklet. Highly recommended, as are virtually all of Zoot Sims' releases. 

~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/flower-walts-mw0001245707

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims;  Piano – Kenny Drew;  Bass – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen;  Drums – Alex Riel

Flower Walts

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Lovisa Lindkvist - That Girl!

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:36
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. The Look Of Love
(3:19)  2. New At Last
(4:52)  3. When I Fall In Love
(3:56)  4. Time is a Healer
(4:51)  5. My One And Only Love
(3:26)  6. My Romance
(4:21)  7. I Fall In Love Easily
(4:07)  8. Skylark
(5:22)  9. Some Other Time
(3:13) 10. I'm All Smiles
(4:30) 11. He Was Too Good To Me
(3:57) 12. Line' Em Up
(4:08) 13. There Was A Room
(2:42) 14. That Girl

Jazz from Scandinavia is well tolerated, the presence of Swedish and Norwegian artists on world-wide festival platforms inevitably connected with quality and originality. The fact that Sweden has more than one piece of furniture for the world has turned around since singers such as Viktoria Tolstoy or Rigmor Gustafsson were brought into the limelight by their famous countryman, the trombonist Nils Landgren. Already in the 1960s it was the Stockholm actress and singer Monica Zetterlund, who was put into the public focus of the Jazzgemeinde by Quincy Jones and Bill Evans. And right there the circle closes to the most recent discovery from the almost inexhaustible reservoir of Scandinavian singers, the only 26  year old Lovisa Lindkvist, who was the first scholarship holder to be awarded the Monica Zetterlund Scholarship.

A voice that stands out in its purity and intonation security, a young artist, whose naturalness is refreshingly like a spring day. In her debut album, she was with the pianist and arranger Bengt Lindkvist as an old hare of the Swedish jazz scene, who acquired his craft in the 60s and 70s when the poles of the music world were somewhere between Burt Bacharach and John Coltrane. And so it is no wonder that the repertoire of Lovisa's first work is between timeless jazz standards like some Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" (in a very contemporary interpretation) or the Rodgers & Hart - Evergreen "He Was Too Good For Me" "The Look Of Love" by Burt Bacharach, but also small Pop miniatures such as the relatively new James Taylor song "Line` em Up "or" Time Is A Healer "from the unforgotten Eva Cassidy. All in all, a very personal and very youthful look at half a century of great songwriting. To the musicians of the album "That Girl!" belongs among others. the great Swedish trumpeter Jan Allan, who belongs to the first series of Swedish jazz musicians. The merit of having presented the young Stockholmian Lovisa for the first time outside of Sweden is due to Nils Landgren, who was already mentioned at the outset, who presented the young singer as part of a new generation in Bonn. In the meantime, successful performances even followed exotic places like the Dubai Jazz Festival. Translate by Google https://www.amazon.de/That-Girl-Lovisa/dp/B0015UGNDM

Statements from the Swedish press: "What is the meaning of this?" - "It's pleasant listening: pure and natural voice, clear and sensitive knowledge of both music and lyrics.

The German audience can already look forward to the Swede on 17 April, when she is part of the first Skip Labelnight Jazz is Now! in the Hamburg Kampnagelfabrik the album "That Girl!" will be presented.

That Girl!

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Kaori Kobayashi - Spirit

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:19
Size: 136,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. High Flyer
(4:43)  2. The Fighter
(4:33)  3. Sunny Orange
(3:56)  4. Light And Shadow
(6:34)  5. Azuchi-Momoyama
(5:01)  6. Edo-Mae
(6:01)  7. Dream
(5:11)  8. Now And Forever
(5:15)  9. Shooting Star
(5:33) 10. Looking Forward
(2:13) 11. See You
(6:05) 12. Place In The Sun

Saxophonist and flutist Musical composition and arrangement / producing.

Kaori Kobayashi was born in October of 1981 in Kanagawa Prefecture. She grew up in Tokyo and is a graduate of Senzokugakuen Music University’s Jazz Course. She has released eight albums, one Greatest Hits album, one DVD of her live performance, as well as a collection of her own sheet music. She performs at music venues and at jazz festivals all over Japan, and makes appearances on many TV and radio programs. She has also released her CDs and has performed in Taiwan, South Korea, China and Thailand. She became a household name after her YouTube video “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You” gained more than 5 million views and was widely picked up by newspapers and TV. 2005 February: Released her debut album “Solar” from JVC;  2011 August: Fan clubs were created in both Thailand and Taiwan. A meet-and-greet she held at a music venue in Taiwan was so crowded many fans could not get inside. 2011 February: Released her self-produced album “SEVENth”, which included works she had composed and arranged herself in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The album topped the Jazz Charts for two weeks in a row in Taiwan. She also toured around North East Japan, visiting Ishinomaki and other affected sites of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

2012 January: Received “Most Beautiful Saxophonist in Asia” from the Thailand Sax Society. 2012 November: Held a successful solo concert in Hong Kong’s STAR HALL. 2013 February: Released the R&B themed “Urban Stream”, her eighth studio album in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Placed #1 in the Taiwanese Jazz Charts for the third year in a row. 2013 March: Performed at the Java Jazz Festival, the biggest jazz festival in Asia, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. There, her performance was met with high praise and she made the front page of the local newspaper, alongside musicians such as Basia. 2013 October: Performed at the Taichung Jazz Festival, held in Taichung, Taiwan, and received a stating ovation from a crowd of 60,000. 2014 March: Invited by the Japanese Embassy to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. The next day, she performed at Blues Alley in front a full audience, her first show in the USA. 2014 May: Released the 9th Self-produced J-pop themed album “SPIRIT” in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 2015 June: Released the 10th Anniversary album “STORY” in Japan and Asia. which includes 3 music numbers produced by Jamie Odell of the SHAKTAK Family. July perform in SAPPORO CITY JAZZ. September perform in TOKYO JAZZ. 2016 August : Released the11th  album “Melody”, covering the well known popular songs . Kaori is also participating as a sax player  in the band of such singers as Shigeru Izumiya and YukihideTakekawa, the artists representing Japan. http://kaorikobayashi.com/biographyeng

Spirit

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Red Garland - Rojo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:06
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:54)  1. Rojo
(6:47)  2. We Kiss In A Shadow
(5:14)  3. Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
(6:43)  4. Ralph J. Gleason Blues
(5:12)  5. You Better Go Now
(8:14)  6. Mr. Wonderful

Pianist Red Garland recorded frequently with trios for Prestige during the second half of the 1950s. For this set (reissued on CD), Garland, bassist George Joyner and drummer Charlie Persip are joined by Ray Barretto on congas and the emphasis is on forceful swinging. Garland takes such ballads as "We Kiss in a Shadow" and "You Better Go Now" at faster-than-expected tempos. "Ralph J. Gleason Blues" and the Latin feel of "Rojo" are among the highlights of this enjoyable disc. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/rojo-mw0000619557

Personnel: Red Garland (piano); Ray Barretto (congas); George Joyner (bass); Charlie Persip (drums).

Rojo

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Bruce Barth - Don't Blame Me

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 137,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Don't Blame Me
(6:47)  2. Days of June
(6:33)  3. Evidence
(5:59)  4. Song for Alex
(7:37)  5. For Clara
(6:46)  6. Prospect Blues
(3:40)  7. Lazy Bird
(5:19)  8. The Way He Wore His Hat
(4:48)  9. Autumn in New York
(7:01) 10. Fascinating Rhythm

A rewarding trio session from Bruce Barth, one of the most underrated post-bop pianists. Joined by bassist Ed Howard and drummer Billy Drummond, Barth splits the program evenly between standards and originals, the latter including a lovely pair of dedications: "Song for Alex" and "For Clara." Barth's affinity for Monk comes through on "Evidence" and an intriguing original called "The Way He Wore His Hat," intended as a Monk tribute but based on a motif from "They Can't Take That Away From Me." With "Lazy Bird," "Fascinating Rhythm," and the title track, Barth and company display their flair for rhythmic surprises. ~ David R.Adler http://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-blame-me-mw0000030718

Personnel: Bruce Barth (piano); Ed Howard (bass); Billy Drummond (drums)

Don't Blame Me

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Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:56
Size: 86.8 MB
Styles: Piano & Vocal jazz
Year: 1958/2013
Art: Front

[4:00] 1. Mood Indigo
[3:09] 2. Don't Smoke In Bed
[2:27] 3. He Needs Me
[4:15] 4. Little Girl Blue
[3:20] 5. Love Me Or Leave Me
[3:34] 6. My Baby Just Cares For Me
[5:26] 7. Good Bait
[3:46] 8. Plain Gold Ring
[3:44] 9. You'll Never Walk Alone
[4:10] 10. I Loves You Porgy

LITTLE GIRL BLUE is sublime. From the first catchy beats of "Mood Indigo" to the last bonus track, the extended "My Baby Just Cares For Me," you're in for a real treat. Simone's vocals are smoky and deep, at times almost sounding male, and her voice carries in it such melancholy  maybe melancholy isn't the right word  but there's a likability factor that cannot be denied. Perhaps it's in her phrasing or in its sincerity, but whatever it is, it sounds comforting and familiar.

And then there's her grand mastery at the piano and her arrangements that takes songs and makes them her own. Listen to the swinging arrangement on "Love Me Or Leave Me," and the interpolation of "Good King Wenceslas" into "Little Girl Blue." You might not recognize the name but you'll know it when you hear that little melody. There are four tracks that are just instrumentals "Good Bait," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Central Park (Blues)," and "African Mailman." These four tracks show off Simone's talent as a pianist. They're gorgeous, too. I think the sound is fantastic, the remastering is great, and it doesn't sound dated even though this album is from 1957. ~Alex H.

Little Girl Blue    

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Dominick Farinacci - Short Stories

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:07
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:38] 1. Bamboleo
[6:07] 2. Señor Blues (Feat. Jacob Collier)
[5:34] 3. Soldier's Things
[2:55] 4. Doha Blues
[5:08] 5. Sunshine Of Your Love
[5:28] 6. Tango
[6:00] 7. Somebody That I Used To Know (Feat. Jacob Collier)
[5:28] 8. Afternoon In Puebla
[8:11] 9. Black Coffee
[1:34] 10. Parlour Song

There are so many superlatives thrown around these days that they seem to have lost their effect; but as this unique and deeply grounded album sinks into your consciousness, you will undoubtedly come to the conclusion that Dominick Farinacci is not only one of the truly outstanding musicians of his generation, but also that what is behind the music is nothing short of miraculous.

Short Stories – a compelling suite of music with a repertoire that spans genres and generations united by the trumpeter/composer’s soulful conception. Bringing together songs from Tom Waits, Horace Silver, Dianne Reeves, The Gypsy Kings as well as original compositions, Farinacci has managed to create his own musical universe, aided by musicians of the highest caliber. A short glance at the artists he and producer Tommy LiPuma involved speaks for itself: Christian McBride, Steve Gadd, Larry Goldings, Jacob Collier, Jamey Haddad and Gil Goldstein, for starters. All of the songs have a narrative that any listener can relate to. It might be the eternal duet between people in love, a memory from way back triggered by a chance encounter, an enchanting melody heard from afar that takes over your life or the tremendous empathy that can come from seeing someone else overcome an unimaginable personal struggle.

Farinacci had already achieved enough stature by his mid-teens that Wynton Marsalis offered to help him set his sights on coming to New York, and by 2001, Farinacci was one of only four trumpeters in the world to be selected as the inaugural students in The Juilliard School’s first jazz curriculum. During his school years and afterwards, Farinacci immediately distinguished himself as a soloist/bandleader/composer with a vision.

Short Stories

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Marty Grosz - Keep A Song In Your Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:14

Size: 149.3 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz

Year: 1995

Art: Front

[3:32] 1. Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia

[3:38] 2. He Ain't Got Rhythm

[4:10] 3. I've Got To Sing A Torch Song

[3:36] 4. Hot Lips

[4:19] 5. I've Got A Crush On You

[3:58] 6. Georgia Jubilee

[5:50] 7. Snuggled On Your Shoulder

[3:31] 8. Keep A Song In Your Soul

[3:53] 9. Little White Lies

[4:48] 10. From Monday On

[4:42] 11. Love Will Find A Way

[4:15] 12. A Cheerful Little Earful

[3:49] 13. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

[3:47] 14. By The Fireside

[3:35] 15. You Can't Stop Me From Loving You

[3:43] 16. You Came To My Rescue

Marty Grosz is quite notable in at least three ways. He is one of the top (and one of the few) rhythm acoustic guitarists, and his chordal solos are always delightful. He sings in a Fats Waller-inspired style. And Grosz is one of jazz's top comedians, able to spin out hilarious, sometimes nonsensical monologues. Two of his three talents are heard on this CD, although he should record a comedy album someday. Grosz leads two different groups during the 1994 sessions. One band has the members of his Orphan Newsboys (trumpeter Peter Ecklund, clarinetist Bobby Gordon, and bassist Greg Cohen) along with the reeds of Dan Levinson, pianist Chris Dawson, and drummer Hal Smith. The other half of this set features Ecklund, Cohen, trombonist Joel Helleny (whose plunger work is outstanding), Dan Block on clarinet and alto, Scott Robinson on tenor and baritone, pianist Keith Ingham, and drummer Artie Kinsella. The repertoire is dominated by obscurities from the '20s and '30s, with a couple of standards tossed in. Grosz sings on half of the songs. Highlights include "Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia," a cooking version of "Hot Lips," "From Monday On," and "Love Will Find a Way." This is a spirited and enjoyable outing, well worth picking up by hot jazz fans. ~Scott Yanow

Keep A Song In Your Soul

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Sarah Elgeti Quintet - Into The Open

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:54
Size: 139.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Home
[6:19] 2. Bossa Among The Trees
[7:45] 3. Out In The Fields
[5:42] 4. Downstairs
[4:47] 5. Ringe I Vand
[5:24] 6. But I Wish I Could
[3:30] 7. Trying To Forget
[4:47] 8. Blustering Waves
[4:11] 9. Clouds
[6:43] 10. Angelique
[4:32] 11. Night Moves
[4:41] 12. Bossa Among The Trees (Remix)

From the Danish Radio (DR) Big band—directed by such greats as Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely—to the jazz environment of Copenhagen's Café Montmarte, Denmark has been at the forefront in nurturing and producing some of the finest jazz musicians in Europe and, indeed, the world. Saxophonist/flautist Sarah Elgeti is the latest Danish wonder to emerge on the international stage, astounding critics with Into the Open, by her all-Danish quintet. Elgeti wields her sax like a veteran journeyman, pens her own music, is an educator and as a multi-instrumentalist on this debut, performing on tenor and soprano saxophones, flute and percussion.

The leader pairs with alto and baritone saxophonist Marianne Markmann-Eriksen, creating a saxophone front line that powers the music in an assertive yet stylish manner. The very brief "Home" seems more of a warm-up for Elgeti, the only featured soloist, sounding off on a number many have described as Nordic in nature. Nevertheless, "Bossa Among the Trees" reveals a superb band and the first Elgeti-Markmann-Eriksen saxophone combination on a pulsating bossa-influenced excursion. "Out in the Fields" takes the band to a quieter landscape, maintaining the musical conversation between the saxophonists while highlighting beautiful chords from Christian Bluhme Hansen's nylon string guitar.

The funk is alive and well coming into the open on the gyrating "Downstairs," while "Ringe I Vand" (let it rain) and "Clouds" share common atmospheric textures, showcasing Elgeti on flute. The swinging, hard bop "Blustering Waves" captures excellent play from Ben Besiakov on Fender Rhodes, though it is not the main highlight of the tune. The all-out saxophone assault from the leader and Markmann-Eriksen's husky baritone are the featured voices, augmented by Mikkel Uhrenholdt and Magnus Poulsen's additional alto saxophones.

With the short "Clouds" drifting into more mellow territory, the light and melodic "Angelique" (dedicated to her mother) takes the sensitive balladic route, offering Elgeti an opportunity to strike a warm and tender tone. In stark contrast, the official finale, "Night Moves," provides a very different approach with an improvised avant-garde sound. The album concludes with a fusion-tinged percussive rendition of "Bossa Among the Trees" as a remixed bonus track.

Presenting a variety of styles from bop, bossa and funky blues to straight-ahead and avant-garde, Into the Open is a sparkling debut from the Sarah Elgeti Quintet, a group of unheralded Danish musicians led by the newest saxophone voice to emerge from Denmark's proud jazz scene and culture. Virtually unknown in the United States, with this gem of a recording, Elgeti is poised to take her music into the open embrace of American audiences. ~Edward Blanco

Into The Open

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Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - The Best Of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:08
Size: 64.4 MB
Styles: Smooth Soul, R&B
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Your Precious Love
[2:26] 2. Ain't No Mountain High Enough
[2:47] 3. You're All I Need To Get By
[2:13] 4. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
[2:26] 5. Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By
[2:39] 6. If This World Were Mine
[2:12] 7. Two Can Have A Party
[2:20] 8. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
[2:29] 9. Keep On Lovin' Me Honey
[2:46] 10. You Ain't Livin' Till You're Lovin'
[2:43] 11. Hold Me Oh My Darling

This installment in the 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series is an excellent 11-track overview of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's legendary duet partnership, made all the more invaluable by Motown's inexplicable failure to keep any other Gaye/Terrell compilation in print. All the important items are here, from "Your Precious Love" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." While other volumes in this overall pretty decent budget-line series still have a definite feeling of incompleteness, this one plays like a detailed look at Gaye and Terrell's best material together; it differs from the early-'70s comp Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell: Greatest Hits by omitting "What You Gave" and "The Onion Song," and including "Two Can Have a Party." ~Steve Huey

The Best Of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

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Finn Ziegler - Blues Up

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:50
Size: 107.2 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[6:02] 1. Blues Up
[6:24] 2. Rebild In Rhythm
[9:44] 3. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine
[5:24] 4. Dan
[5:59] 5. Angel
[7:17] 6. I Want To Be Happy
[5:57] 7. Den Lille Anemone

Trained as a violinist at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory, but quickly found out, inspired by Svend Asmussen, that it was the jazz music closest to his heart. He has contributed to about 1000 recordings and appeared alongside many of the jazz's big names. Also a handful of solar charger was made, by 2003.

First and foremost, the jazz career Stan Fåz, the vibraphoneist Milt Jackson and the violinists Svend Asmussen / Stuff Smith in the luggage, Finn Ziegler got into the jazz career, which for a period of five decades stylistically brought him wide. Besides his own groups he appeared in numerous contexts. Eg in the 1950s with Finn Savery, Erik Moseholm and Ib Glindemann's orchestra. From the 1970s with the Radio's Big Band as soloist, leader and family member. A significant part of Finn Ziegler's work as a jazz musician took place at two venues/hostels, which he therefore also very naturally has been strongly identified with. In the 1990s Finn Zieglers Hjørne was in Frederiksberg and from the early 1970s La Fontaine, whom he co-ownered until 1986. He helped to make Fontaine one of Copenhagen's most held jamsession places. It was time for La Fontaine, who made his reputation with foreign musicians who visited the city/country and left the road by finishing their jobs elsewhere.

Finn Ziegler died on December 10, 2005 70 years old after being surgery for cancer in the jaw. (Translated from Danish).

Blues Up

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Jimmy Greene - Beautiful Life

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz

Year: 2014

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 49:11

Size: 113,4 MB

Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Saludos / Come Thou Almighty King

(6:38)  2. Last Summer

(3:22)  3. When I Come Home

(7:14)  4. Ana's Way

(5:21)  5. Your Great Name

(4:35)  6. Where Is The Love?

(6:16)  7. Seventh Candle

(3:06)  8. Maybe

(4:03)  9. Prayer

(3:23) 10. Little Voices

Two years after the death of his six-year-old daughter, Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, in the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, saxophonist Jimmy Greene returns with 2014's Beautiful Life. Both a direct response to Ana's death and a celebration of her life, Beautiful Life is a gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting album. Backed by a stellar rhythm section featuring pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Lewis Nash, as well as a handful of guests and many close friends, including NBC's The Voice season one winner (and fellow Hartt School graduate) Javier Colon, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and singer Kurt Elling, Greene has crafted an album of deep spiritual grace, imbued throughout with Ana's exuberant personality and wide-eyed joy in life. With his warm, burnished saxophone tone and swinging improvisational lines, one might expect Greene to stick to a straight-ahead jazz approach here. Certainly, while his concept is grounded in soulful post-bop jazz, he displays an open-hearted, cross-genre love of music, reworking a contemporary Christian worship song into a small-group jazz number, as he does on "Your Great Name," and setting "The Lord's Prayer" to music, as he does on the orchestral "Prayer" with vocalist Latanya Farrell. Whether it's his lyrical duet with pianist Kenny Barron on "Where Is Love?" from the musical Annie or the spoken word soliloquy set against a children's choir in "Little Voices," delivered here by The Princess and the Frog actress Anika Noni Rose, Greene incorporates songs and artists Ana loved. And it's not just Ana's spirit that's present on all of Beautiful Life; working with guitarist Pat Metheny, Greene begins the album in poignant fashion, weaving together recordings he made of Ana singing both the traditional Puerto Rican holiday song "Saludos" and the hymn "Come Thou Almighty King." Although born out of tragedy, Beautiful Life is surprisingly never sad or, as one might understand, angry. On the contrary, by celebrating his daughter's unconditional love for her family, music, and life, Greene transforms his personal anguish into something that's as inspirational to the soul as it is beautiful to the ears. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/beautiful-life-mw0002757119

Personnel:  Jimmy Greene - tenor and soprano sax, flute;  Lewis Nash – drums;  Renee Rosnes - piano (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10);  Isaiah Marquez-Greene - piano (track 1);  Kenny Barron - piano (tracks 6 and 8);  Cyrus Chestnut - piano (track 9);  Pat Metheny - acoustic guitar (track 1);  Jonathan DuBose - guitar (track 10); Christian McBride – bass;  Jeffrey Krieger and Peter Zay - cello (tracks 3 and 9);  Michael Wheeler and Sharon Dennison - viola (tracks 3 and 9);  Leonid Sigal, Cyrus Stevens, Karin Fagerburg, Millie Piekos, Yuri Kharenko-Golduber, Candace Lammers, Krzysztof Gadawski, Lu Sun Friedman, Michael Pollard - violins (tracks 3 and 9);  Javier Colon - vocals (track 3);  Kurt Elling - vocals (track 4);  Latanya Farrell - vocals (track 9);  Ana Marquez-Greene - vocals (track 1);  Anika Noni Rose - spoken word (track 10)

Beautiful Life

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Anne Chris - Just Kissed the Sun

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:22
Size: 109,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:44)  1. Mirrorman
(4:13)  2. In This Green Field
(3:45)  3. Love Is a Battlefield
(5:22)  4. Keep On Walking
(3:10)  5. Everlasting Springtime
(3:46)  6. Still
(4:34)  7. Natural
(4:15)  8. Naked
(3:18)  9. Stepping Out
(4:34) 10. Rise and Fall
(3:58) 11. Alphabet of You
(3:38) 12. Just Kissed the Sun

Anne Chris is a Dutch vocalist and composer currently living in Amsterdam. To date, Anne Chris has released three albums, ‘Tomorrow is Today’ (2004), ‘Play for Now’ (2010), and ‘Just Kissed the Sun’ (2014). She has performed at world-renowned venues such as Bimhuis, North Sea Jazz Festival and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. http://annechris.com/bio/

Just Kissed the Sun

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Stan Kenton - Live From The Las Vegas Tropicana

Styles: Piano Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:21
Size: 170,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Artistry In Rhythm
(3:41)  2. Bernie's Tune
(3:25)  3. Tuxedo Junction
(4:31)  4. Street Scene
(3:44)  5. Puck's Blues
(5:25)  6. This Is Always
(3:23)  7. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(4:49)  8. Design For Blue
(4:24)  9. Home Journey
(3:32) 10. A String Of Pearls
(4:32) 11. It's All Right With Me
(6:00) 12. Intermission Riff
(3:36) 13. I Concentrate On You
(5:47) 14. The End Of A Love Affair
(1:21) 15. You And I And George
(4:43) 16. Sentimental Riff
(3:47) 17. Random Riff

The 1959 Stan Kenton Orchestra, which boasted such soloists as trumpeter Jack Sheldon, altoist Lennie Niehaus, Richie Kamuca and Bill Trujillo on tenors and trombonist Ken Larsen, is heard in spirited form on this live LP. Performing arrangements mostly by Gene Roland along with one apiece by Johnny Richards, Niehaus and Kenton, the band plays some surprising material (such as "Tuxedo Junction" and "Street Scene") but mostly comes up with creative, fresh and concise statements. This is admittedly not one of the classic Stan Kenton recordings but is generally superior to his studio recordings of the period. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/kenton-live-from-the-las-vegas-tropicana-mw0000879812

Personnel: Stan Kenton (arranger, piano); Lennie Niehaus (arranger, alto saxophone); Gene Roland, Bill Mathieu, Johnny Richards (arranger); Bill Trujillo, Richie Kamuca (tenor saxophone); Billy Root, Sture Swenson (baritone saxophone); Frank Huggins, Bud Brisbois, Jack Sheldon, Joe Burnett, Roger Middleton (trumpet); Archie Lecoque, Kent Larsen, Jim Amolette (trombone); Bob Olson, Bill Smiley (bass trombone); Red Kelly (bass); Jerry McKenzie (drums)

Live From The Las Vegas Tropicana

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