Stephen Bennett - 2 albums: More Beatles / Even More Beatles

Album: More Beatles
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:15
Size: 94.4 MB
Styles: Folk, New Age
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:48] 1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
[3:00] 2. Obla-Di Obla-Da
[3:59] 3. Across The Universe
[2:07] 4. Can't Buy Me Love
[3:55] 5. Let It Be
[2:02] 6. For No One
[2:45] 7. With A Little Help From My Friends
[2:33] 8. Your Mother Should Know
[2:50] 9. Mother Nature's Son
[2:54] 10. Michelle
[2:57] 11. Oh Darling
[2:52] 12. Day Tripper
[2:13] 13. She Loves You
[2:13] 14. Eleanor Rigby

A second collection of music from the greatest band ever by the greatest harp guitarist ever. Mostly solo harp guitar (11 out of the 14 tunes), with 6-string solo for 2 more and one duet.

More Beatles

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Album: Even More Beatles
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:22
Size: 78.7 MB
Styles: Folk, New Age
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. I Should Have Known Better
[2:39] 2. Birthday
[2:02] 3. Good Day Sunshine
[2:50] 4. I Saw Her Standing There
[2:15] 5. Lady Madonna
[2:20] 6. I'm Looking Through You
[3:15] 7. You Never Give Me Your Money
[1:44] 8. I Will
[2:42] 9. When I'm 64
[3:24] 10. Don't Let Me Down
[2:34] 11. And I Love Her
[2:43] 12. Because
[2:49] 13. Walking In The Park With Eloise

Stephen is one of our absolute favorite harp guitarists; in fact, one of our favorite musicians, period. As one of the finest composers of our generation - whether it be on 6-string acoustic, bottleneck or his main instrument, the Dyer-style harp guitar - his music will make you smile, laugh and cry. He tours the world as a soloist, and is a frequent participant in several major guitar festivals. Oh, and he won National Championships in both flat- and finger-style guitar. He’d win harp guitar also if they had the category! ~http://www.harpguitarmusic.com

Even More Beatles

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Julie London - Your Number, Please

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:26
Size: 88.0 MB
Styles: Vocal, Torch songs
Year: 1959/2010
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Makin' Whoopee
[3:10] 2. It Could Happen To You
[3:19] 3. When I Fall In Love
[2:20] 4. It's A Blue World
[3:05] 5. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[4:06] 6. One For My Baby
[3:53] 7. Angel Eyes
[3:14] 8. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[2:59] 9. The More I See You
[2:56] 10. A Stranger In Town
[3:11] 11. Two Sleepy People
[3:25] 12. Learnin' The Blues

One in a long series of Julie London records, this set features the sultry but subtle singer on a dozen standards, each of which she dedicates to a different male singer. No dates or personnel information are given other than the LP stating that Andre Previn arranged for the backing orchestra. Although not essential, this is a worthwhile set, with London adding sensuality to such songs as "Learnin' the Blues," "When I Fall in Love," "The More I See You," and "Angel Eyes." ~Scott Yanow

Your Number, Please

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John Swana & Friends - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[ 9:41] 1. Oleo
[ 7:52] 2. Before You
[ 7:16] 3. Darn That Dream
[ 6:19] 4. Out Of My Dreams
[ 6:19] 5. You Don't Know What Love Is
[ 8:42] 6. Straight, No Chaser
[ 5:28] 7. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[10:07] 8. Pendulum At Falcon's Lair

John Swana (Tp / Flh); Tom Harrell (Tp / Flh)l Billy Pierce (Ts)l Mulgrew Miller (P)l Ira Coleman (B); Billy Drummond (D). Recorded December 15, 1991 in New York City, NY, USA by Max Bolleman

John Swana is one of the most exciting trumpeters to arrive for a decade,” declares Mark Gardner, co-author of Blackwell's Guide to Recorded Jazz. Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Swana took up Trumpet at the age of 11. He was drawn to jazz at the age of 17 after hearing Dizzy Gillespie, and the interest developed into a passion while he was in college. There he began transcribing the solos of Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and Tom Harrell.

John Swana can be heard on recordings with: Benny Golson, Grover Washington Jr., Charles Fambrough, Craig Handy, Tito Puente, Bill O'Connell, Lenny White, Ricky Sabastian, Marlon Simon, Ed Simon, Dave Valentin, Cafe', Art Webb, Adam Holtzman, Ralph Bowen, Ron Blake, Peter Bernstein, Carl Allen, Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green, Kenny Barron, Tim Warfield, Lewis Nash, Clarence Penn, Kevin Hays, Chris McBride, Uri Caine, Peter Leitch, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Ralph Peterson, Bobby Zankel, and Tom Harrell.

John Swana & Friends

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Kate Daniels - Atmospherics

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:32
Size: 104.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Get Out Of Town
[5:08] 2. A Night In Tunisia
[3:30] 3. Whisper Not
[4:48] 4. You Don’t Know What Love Is
[3:21] 5. Beautiful Love
[3:35] 6. I Thought About You
[4:25] 7. Nature Boy
[6:14] 8. Angel Eyes
[4:10] 9. Witchcraft
[3:05] 10. Port Of Amsterdam
[3:14] 11. Don’t Worry About Me

London-based singer Kate Daniels has coined a musical genre of her own – jazz noir. On this self-produced album, her stated aim was to recreate the dark mood of the films she loved while growing up – particularly The Third Man. Shored up by an experienced crew of British jazz talent, Atmospherics is actually not as downbeat as that. On tunes such as the rim-shot clattering A Night in Tunisia and the folky Nature Boy, the music has a stripped- down quality whose sparseness creates space for the music to breathe, and freshens up material that might otherwise sound over-familiar; elsewhere, as on I Thought About You, a rollicking Tom Waits-style rendition of the Jacques Brel tune Port of Amsterdam and Don’t Worry About Me, Daniels’s background in folk music and cabaret shines through, to pleasing effect.

For me, the violin has not always been the most welcome instrument in jazz, but here, in the swinging and confident hands of Mike Piggott, it’s one of the best things about the album. Entwined with John Etheridge’s guitar, it lends several tracks a convincing Hot Club/gypsy jazz vibe. The styles vary: Beautiful Love and the Anita O’Day-inflected Whisper Not are pretty much straight-ahead piano trio tunes, whilst Angel Eyes marks the single appearance of a Fender Rhodes.

Daniels’s vocal delivery is breathy, dramatic and confident. An effortless style like this is always testament to years of actual effort. And it’s good to hear Witchcraft performed by a woman: despite famous versions by everyone from Sinatra to Mark Murphy, Carolyn Leigh’s lyrics never quite sound right coming from a man. Having said that, there are one or two instances (e.g. Angel Eyes, Nature Boy) where the last note of a vocal phrase isn’t precisely on pitch - an ever-present danger with minimalist arrangements that leave the singer exposed. However, as the title indicates, this album is all about atmosphere, and the playing of John Horler, Alec Dankworth and Winston Clifford is every bit as good as you’d expect. ~Peter Jones

Atmospherics

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Bobby Hackett - Soft Lights And Bobby Hackett (Expanded Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:40
Size: 102.3 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:08] 1. Soft Lights And Sweet Music
[2:49] 2. Bobby's Blues
[2:24] 3. I Cried For You (Now It's Your Turn To Cry Over Me)
[2:24] 4. You Turned The Tables On Me
[2:45] 5. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[2:53] 6. How About You
[2:16] 7. Easy To Love
[3:01] 8. That Old Black Magic
[2:32] 9. Someday You'll Be Sorry
[2:42] 10. The Song Is You
[3:26] 11. It's All Right With Me
[2:33] 12. Sleep
[2:51] 13. Bewitched (Bonus Track)
[6:49] 14. All Through The Night (Bonus Track)
[3:00] 15. Lazy River (Bonus Track)

Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an American jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet, and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Hackett is probably best known for being the featured soloist on some of the Jackie Gleason mood music albums during the 1950s.

Hackett was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He made his name as a follower of the legendary cornet player Bix Beiderbecke: Benny Goodman hired him to recreate Bix's famous "I'm Coming Virginia" solo at his (Goodman's) 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. In the late 1930s Hackett played lead trumpet in the Vic Schoen Orchestra which backed the Andrews Sisters. Hackett can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1940 Fred Astaire movie Second Chorus. In 1939 the talent agency MCA asked Hackett to form a big band with its backing. Unfortunately the band failed and Hackett was in substantial debt to MCA after it folded. Hackett joined the bands of Horace Heidt and then Glenn Miller to pay down this debt. To make matters worse, his lip was in bad shape after dental surgery, making it difficult for him to play the trumpet or cornet. Glenn Miller came to Hackett's rescue, offering him a job as a guitarist with the Miller Band. "When I joined the band and I was making good money at last, jazz critics accused me of selling out. Hell I wasn't selling out, I was selling in! It's funny, isn't it, how you go right into the wastebasket with some critics the minute you become successful". Despite his lip problems, Hackett could still play occasional short solos, and he can be heard playing a famous one with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on "A String of Pearls".

A dream come true for Hackett was his inclusion in Louis Armstrong's 1947 Town Hall Jazz Concert. In 1954, Hackett appeared as a regular on the short-lived ABC variety show The Martha Wright Show, also known as The Packard Showroom.

However, what made Hackett something of a household name was his being hired by Jackie Gleason as a cornet soloist for some of Gleason's earliest mood music albums. Starting in 1952, Hackett appeared on Gleason's first Capitol Records album, Music for Lovers Only. The record – as well as all of Gleason's next 10 albums - went gold. Hackett went on to appear on six more Gleason LPs. This association led directly to Hackett signing with Capitol for a series of his own albums.

Soft Lights And Bobby Hackett (Expanded Edition)

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Mccoy Tyner - New York Reunion

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:38
Size: 173,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:48)  1. Recorda Me
( 7:09)  2. Miss Bea
( 8:04)  3. What Is This Thing Called Love?
( 6:36)  4. My Romance
(12:11)  5. Ask Me Now
( 9:16)  6. Beautiful Love
(10:34)  7. A Quick Sketch
(10:56)  8. Home

Pianist McCoy Tyner and tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson had not recorded together in over two decades when they finally met up for this Chesky CD. With strong assistance from bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster, Tyner and Henderson make for a perfect team on four originals by group members (including the tenor's classic "Recorda Me") and four superior standards. The advanced hard bop music is as rewarding as one would expect. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-reunion-mw0000119834

Personnel: McCoy Tyner (piano); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Ron Carter (bass); Al Foster (drums).

New York Reunion

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Melody Gardot - The Absence

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:31
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

( 4:13)  1. Mira
( 3:00)  2. Amalia
( 3:46)  3. So Long
( 4:24)  4. So We Meet Again My Heartache
( 5:25)  5. Lisboa
( 3:47)  6. Impossible Love
( 3:32)  7. If I Tell You I Love You
( 3:38)  8. Goodbye
( 4:52)  9. Se Voce Me Ama
( 2:35) 10. My Heart Won't Have It Any Other Way
(18:13) 11. Iemanja

If Melody Gardot's 2009 sophomore effort, My One and Only Thrill, sustained the sultry, atmospheric vibe of her critically acclaimed 2006 debut, her 2012 follow-up, The Absence, is a bit of a creative departure for the vocalist. Apparently inspired by her world travels, and specifically by a trip that brought her to the desert around the city of Marrakech, the album moves her away from smoky, small-group jazz and into a bright, if still bedroom-eyed, rhythmically exotic sound. Produced by guitarist/composer Heitor Pereira, the album is a lush, somewhat orchestral album that finds Gardot delving into various Brazilian, Spanish, and African-influenced sounds including bits of samba, tango, bossa nova, and calypso that evince her global journey. However, rather than simply making a standards album, Gardot continues her all-original approach, offering up new literate and passionately delivered compositions that bring to mind the work of such similarly inclined artists as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Paul Simon, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and others. Although there are a few name musicians who help add spice to Gardot's musical caravan here, including percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, drummer Peter Erskine, and bassist John Leftwich, primarily it is still Gardot's burnished and yearning vocal style that takes the helm on these tracks. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-absence-mw0002353010

Personnel: Melody Gardot (vocals, piano); Heitor Pereira (vocals, guitar, piano, percussion); Jo Ann Turovsky (harp); Alyssa Park, Serena McKinney, Katia Popov, Helen Nightengale, Phillip Levy , Tamara Hatwan , Lisa M Absence album for sale. Sutton , Bruce Dukov, Julie Gigante, Sarah Thornblade, Roger Wilkie, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Marlow Fisher, Matthew Funes , Brian Dembrow, Keith Greene, Roland Kato, Dave Walther , Darrin McCann, Andrew Duckles (viola); Paula Hochhalter, Christina Soule, Dennis Karmazyn, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Armen Ksajikan, Martin Tillman, Stephen Erdody , Andrew Shulman, Cecilia Tsan (cello); Dan Higgins (flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet); Coco Trivisonno (bandoneon); Larry Goldings (melodica, piano); Ron Kerber (clarinet); Jessica Pearlman (oboe); Harry Kim, Ramon Flores (trumpet); Andrew Lippman (trombone); Jim Keltner, Peter Erskine (drums); Paco Arroyo, Yolanda Arroyo, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Alfie Silas-Durio, Ali Witherspoon, Louis Price, Phil Roy, Tata Vega, Bill Cantos, Bill Maxwell (background vocals).

The Absence

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Randy Brecker - Nostalgic Journey: Tykocin Jazz Suite

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:06
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

( 2:30)  1. Introduction - Movement 1
( 3:13)  2. Introduction - Movement 2
( 2:51)  3. Introduction - Movement 3
(10:27)  4. Nostaglic Journey
(10:45)  5. Let's All Go To Heaven
( 2:26)  6. Piano Introduction To No Words
( 9:39)  7. No Words
(12:54)  8. Magic Seven
( 5:18)  9. Blue Rain

Trumpeter Randy Brecker's jazz credentials are of the highest order. The Brecker Brothers, the group he co-led with younger brother/saxophonist Michael Brecker, was one of the most successful jazz/funk/fusion groups of the 1970s and '80s. But jazz snobbery/elitism never ran in the family. Brecker has played and recorded with seemingly everybody, from the original Blood, Sweat and Tears on its debut, Child is Father to the Man (Columbia Records, 1968), to albums by Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Dire Straits and Aerosmith. With a funk/fusion background and lots of work in the rock world, Nostalgic Journey: Tykocin Jazz Suite, a classical-leaning "jazz with strings" outing, is something of a surprise.The story of Michael Brecker's tragic and untimely death in 2007 from leukemia, and the search for a blood marrow donor, led to tracing the Brecker family roots to Poland's Tykocin area. The ancestral search was aided by Polish pianist/composer Wlodek Pawlik, whom Randy met in Germany in 1994 when Pawlik played with the Western Jazz Quartet. That meeting and the subsequent quest for Brecker bloodlines ultimately led to Pawlik's writing on this superb meeting of classical and jazz worlds. Though Brecker's name is the big one profile-wise and physically, on the CD cover the smaller lettering beneath his name states "The Music of Wlodek Pawlik." This suite, where Brecker blows with clean precision in front of Pawlik's trio and the Symphony Orchestra of Bialystok's Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, feels and sounds like serious art, more so than any number of great "jazz with strings" recordings on the shelf. It's less jazzy and more attuned to the classical side than Charlie Parker with Strings (Verve Records, 1950), the grandfather of the genre; Paul Desmond's Desmond Blue (RCA Victor, 1961); or Art Pepper's Winter Moon (Galaxy/OJC, 1980). The journey begins with a three part introduction, with the unaccompanied Pawlik painting delicate teardrops on "Movement 1." He is joined by a subtle backdrop of strings on the inward "Movement 2," leading into an enlivened, driving symphonic sound on "Movement 3." Brecker and Pawlik's trio mates, bassist Pawel Panita and drummer Cezary Konrad, make their appearance on the title cut, a beautiful tune that showcases Brecker's striking tone and deft navigation of the composition, as well as Pawlik's intricate pianism and tight trio interplay. The upbeat "Let's All go to Heaven" possesses the jazziest mood of the set, with the trio and Brecker sounding especially inspired and in the groove. "No Words," preceded by another gorgeous piano intro, is a soft ballad, the sort that Chet Baker was so good at delivering. Brecker does his own tangy, heartfelt delivery, backed by just the right subtle touch of string accompaniment, with a searching piano solo slipped in the middle. "Magic Seven" marries classical grandeur with jazz guts and fire, and "Blue Rain" gets into a jazz grooves on the upbeat closing to this musical journey. Nostaglic Journey: Tykocin Jazz Suite is a magnificent CD that presents both a new side to Randy Brecker and a fine introduction to Wlodek Pawlik. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nostaglic-journey-tykocin-jazz-suite-randy-brecker-summit-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php
 

Personnel: Randy Brecker: trumpet; Wlodek Pawlik: piano; Pawel Panita: bass; Cezary Konrad: drums; The Symphony Orchestra of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok, conductor: Marcin Nalecz-Niesiolowski.

Nostalgic Journey: Tykocin Jazz Suite

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Michel Bisceglia - The Night And The Music

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:44
Size: 140,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(6:46)  2. I Loves You, Porgy
(7:30)  3. Night And Day
(3:41)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(6:25)  5. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(6:33)  6. Easy To Love
(6:21)  7. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:14)  8. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(6:43)  9. I Love You
(6:40) 10. Summertime

”Michel Bisceglia’s artistry, prowess and vocabulary at the piano delivers a well versed slant on the traditions of modern jazz. He has taken an astute look at all the masters of his instrument and developed a uniqueness, all his own. I highly recommend the Michel Bisceglia trio. Our audience loved him.” ~ John Nugent - Rochester International Jazz Festival

Pianist, composer and arranger Michel Bisceglia is one of the most important and most vigorous musicians from Belgium. As a composer and musician he worked with jazz icons such as Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Toots Thielemans and Dewey Redman. He was also nominated twice as Best Belgian Musician of the year, in 1999 and 2002. Only rarely this trio finds the time to perform their exquisite music live on stage. Michel Bisceglia took his time to develop his most personal project. Since 1997 he recorded only five albums with his trio, but they played worldwide on famous jazz festivals such as the Rochester International Jazzfestival (USA), Jarasum International Jazz Festival (South Korea), Hong Kong International Jazz Festival (HK) the Guimaraes Jazz Festival (Portugal) with Dewey Redman Quartet, Ulverston Music Festival in the UK. Each one of those five albums is an absolute masterpiece. As Michel Bisceglia describes it himself: “They are exercises in subtilized meditations on intangible melodies.” A typical characteristic of Michel Bisceglia is working with artists outside the jazz world. His most notable coproduction in this regard was released with the famous Belgian DJ Buscemi on Blue Note Records. http://www.michelbisceglia.org/bio/

Personnel:  Piano – Michel Bisceglia;  Acoustic Guitar – Angelo Bisceglia;  Bass – Werner Lauscher;  Drums – Lieven Venken;  Piano [Tuned] – Jan Boon

The Night And The Music

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Tim Bowman - Smile

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:41
Size: 123,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. Heart and Soul
(4:12)  2. Smile
(5:07)  3. Happiness Is
(3:51)  4. Wanda Patrice
(5:09)  5. Glory to Glory
(5:00)  6. Columbus, Ga
(3:53)  7. Yes, No and Yes
(4:31)  8. Friends
(4:03)  9. Watchout
(4:39) 10. Flyin' Away
(3:59) 11. Just Another Day
(4:38) 12. My Prayer

Tim Bowman calls his disc Smile, and thus it follows naturally that the guitarist would create songs and moods that would provoke that response from the listener. Titles like "Happiness Is...," a bright, retro-soul charmer featuring Bowman's chipper electric lines and occasional wah-wah accents, tell the basic story; it's pleasant, uplifting music that only occasionally extends beyond simple cheery emotions with some well crafted improvisations. He toys with various acoustic tones on "Heart and Soul," sometimes bringing Peter White's lightheartedness to mind as synth strings waft through. The title track is in some ways the ultimate smooth jazz radio track a snappy guitar melody offset by some rich harmonic undertones and a lush solo by saxman Dave McMurray. His liner notes reveal his Christian faith, and it's no surprise that the best tracks here have more of a gospel influence. He gives gospel singer Fred Hammond's "Glory To Glory" a likeable reading, which allows some stretching on electric, even if it's over a very synthesized groove. The church roots truly come alive on the buoyant and funky "Columbus GA," on which Bowman blends his own low electric tones with the muted trumpet musings of Jesse McGuire all bouncing happily over the shimmering organ foundations of Bryan Bowman. The moody closer "My Prayer" isn't quite as inspired, but it's still a nice display of Bowman's rich and soulful sense of balladry. ~ Jonathan Widran http://www.allmusic.com/album/smile-mw0000621496

Personnel:  Tim Bowman (Guitars, Keyboards); Terrance Palmer, D'Andre Thomas, Al Turner (Bass); Philmore Bouldes (Keyboards); Bryan Bowman (Keyboards, Organ, Piano); Al Duncan (Piano Electric); Elijah "Double Portion" Lewis (Keyboards, Piano); David McMurray (Saxophone); Jesse McGuire (Trumpet); Ron Otis (Drums); Jeff Webb (Percussion); Dana Davis (Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Piano Electric); Howard Smith (Vocals, Vocals Background).

Smile

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Ella Fitzgerald - Sunshine Of Your Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:36
Size: 104.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1969/2014
Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Hey Jude
[3:17] 2. Sunshine Of Your Love
[4:26] 3. This Girl's In Love With You
[3:57] 4. Watch What Happens
[3:47] 5. Alright Okay You Win
[1:58] 6. Give Me The Simple Life
[5:08] 7. Useless Landscape
[4:16] 8. Old Devil Moon
[3:34] 9. Don'cha Go Way Mad
[4:06] 10. A House Is Not A Home
[4:09] 11. Trouble Is A Man
[3:04] 12. Love You Madly

During her long career, every once in awhile Ella Fitzgerald would attempt to "get with it" and record contemporary pop tunes. In 1968 for a live concert with a big band and the Tommy Flanagan Trio, the First Lady of the American Song did what she could with such unsuitable material as "Hey Jude," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Watch What Happens" and "A House Is Not a Home." The results (despite her sincerity) sometime borders on the embarassing; there is no way anyone can swing "Hey Jude." A few of the other numbers (particularly "Give Me the Simple Life," "Old Devil Moon" and "Love You Madly") are of a higher quality but when Ella tries to turn "Alright, Okay, You Win" into funk, it is time to switch records. ~Scott Yanow

Sunshine Of Your Love

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Eddie Erickson - I'm Old Fashioned

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:53
Size: 180.6 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. Pick Yourself Up
[3:41] 2. That's My Home
[4:59] 3. S'posin'
[7:45] 4. Medley: It's The Talk Of The Town/Chinatown, My Chinatown
[5:05] 5. Did I Remember'
[7:09] 6. Sweet And Slow
[4:44] 7. Little White Lies
[3:48] 8. You're A Sweetheart
[7:39] 9. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
[3:33] 10. I'm Old Fashioned
[7:59] 11. That's A Plenty
[5:02] 12. Just A Kid Named Joe
[4:47] 13. A Shine On Your Shoes
[3:39] 14. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
[3:49] 15. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

Eddie Erickson has been one of the most unsung heroes in traditional jazz for decades. A singer whose sound is much younger than his age, he's also an adept guitarist, mostly in the rhythmic sense, and occasionally picks up the banjo. This concert performance in Germany mines the deep well of American popular songs and early period jazz, is a fairly comprehensive look back to songs of the '30s and '40s, and showcases mostly sweet swinging sounds, a little blues, some dry humor, and some heat when needed to spice up the program. Though most of his bandmembers are relatively obscure, there is the veteran Finnish clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Antti Sarpila, the excellent rising star pianist Rossano Sportiello, and Euro-trad newcomers in drummer Moritz Gastreich, bassist Henning Gailing, and trumpeter Menno Daams. The star of every band he joins is trombonist Bill Allred, always a delight to hear, a true jazz master, and one who infuses kinetic energy with every note, solo, or ensemble contribution he plays. The instrumental numbers "Little White Lies" and "That's a Plenty" reflect the upbeat, good-time Dixieland style hot jazz where the instruments -- particularly Allred and Sarpila -- play battling counterpoint lines against each other. Erickson's singing, which lies somewhere between Jack Sheldon, Tom Saunders, and Harry Connick, Jr., is delightful, understated,. and endearing. The bouncy "Pick Yourself Up," the slower, bluesy "That's My Home," and the lighter "You're a Sweetheart" offer good contrast and consistency. Sportiello is featured during the solo medley "It's the Talk of the Town/Chinatown My Chinatown" with slight, laid-back stride inflections, Gailing gets the spotlight walking away during the old-time, midtempo "I'm Old Fashioned," and Sarpila's clarinet swings à la Benny Goodman for "Did I Remember?." While Erickson's instrumental guitar passages are mainly supportive, his banjo is upfront on his plucked and strummed solo effort "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise," and pulls it off easily, and proves both lyrical and funny on the doting "A Shine on Your Shoes." Arbors Records consistently produces very good trad jazz records from musicians dedicated to keeping this area alive, and Erickson's band does nothing to diminish those returns. ~Michael G. Nastos

I'm Old Fashioned

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Mel Tormé - Swingin' On The Moon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:48
Size: 86.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1960/1998
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Swingin On The Moon
[3:05] 2. Moonlight Cocktail
[3:52] 3. I Wished On The Moon
[3:12] 4. Moon Song
[3:14] 5. How High The Moon
[2:39] 6. Don't Let That Moon Get Away
[3:41] 7. Blue Moon
[2:56] 8. Velvet Moon
[2:32] 9. No Moon At All
[3:01] 10. Moonlight In Vermont
[3:16] 11. Oh You Crazy Moon
[2:45] 12. The Moon Was Yellow

Tormé displays a grasp of a certain agreeable absurdity in this 1962 release's concept--songs with the word moon in their titles or settings--when, at the end of the album's self-penned namesake cut, he begins babbling references to the rest of the tunes in a prophecy of Bill Murray's lounge-singer character. Fortunately, this reissue has more to recommend it than an amusing datedness--not least Tormé's own aplomb and a small big band that includes players like altoist Bud Shank and drummer Mel Lewis. ~Rickey Wright

Swingin' On The Moon

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Jimmy Raney, Doug Raney - Stolen Moments

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:29
Size: 90.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1979/1994
Art: Front

[3:51] 1. Jonathan's Waltz
[5:09] 2. Chelsea Bridge
[5:54] 3. Stolen Moments
[4:49] 4. How My Heart Sings
[6:37] 5. I Should Care
[6:07] 6. Samba Teekens
[6:59] 7. Alone Together

Other than one number on a Jimmy Raney album from 1975, this set was the first joint recording by Jimmy and his son Doug Raney. The two similar-sounding guitarists team up with bassist Michael Moore and drummer Billy Hart on five standards (including "Chelsea Bridge," "Stolen Moments" and "Alone Together") and a couple of Jimmy's originals. The guitarists blend together quite well, and often one does not know who is soloing; the results should delight fans of cool-toned modern mainstream guitar. ~Scott Yanow

Stolen Moments

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Leon Redbone - Any Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:43
Size: 100.1 MB
Styles: Pop/Rock/Jazz, Ragtime
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:56] 1. Any Time
[4:06] 2. If You Knew
[2:32] 3. Ain't Gonna Give You None Of My Jelly Rol
[3:52] 4. All I Do Is Dream Of You
[2:58] 5. Louisiana Fairytale
[2:58] 6. So Tired Of Livin' All Alone
[3:36] 7. Sittin' On Top Of The World
[2:42] 8. Sweet Substitute
[3:16] 9. Blossoms On Broadway
[4:05] 10. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
[2:20] 11. Sweet Lorraine
[3:42] 12. Moonlight Bay
[3:34] 13. Your Feets Too Big

Seven years passed between 1994's Whistling in the Wind and Leon Redbone's next studio album, Any Time -- which, like his previous recordings, demonstrates that the singer was born in the wrong time. Redbone should have been born in 1900 or 1905, but lucky for listeners, he wasn't -- and his nostalgia has made for a lot of enjoyable moments. On this 2001 release, Redbone continues his love affair with the jazz, pop, and folk of the '20s and '30s. The crooner takes listeners back to a time when Herbert Hoover or Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in the White House, and he maintains a relaxed, congenial, laid-back ambience on vintage tunes that include "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree," "All I Do Is Dream of You," and Jelly Roll Morton's "Sweet Substitute." Drawing on influences that range from Hoagy Carmichael to Bing Crosby -- although he has more of a rural, folksy, down-home outlook than the latter -- Redbone pays tribute to what is often thought of as a more innocent and naïve period of American music. Of course, not all of the music from the '20s and '30s was innocent. Classic blues singer Lucille Bogan's "Shave 'Em Dry" (just to give one example) is as raunchy and X-rated as anything by 2 Live Crew, Prince, or Lil' Kim. But a lot of '20s and '30s songs did have an innocent sort of charm -- at least by today's standards -- and that is the type of mood that Redbone goes for on this CD. Anyone who has enjoyed Redbone's previous releases will find Any Time to be a rewarding addition to his catalog. ~Alex Henderson

Any Time

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Wild Bill Davison - Pretty Wild/With Strings Attached

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:37
Size: 173.1 MB
Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:31] 1. Mandy, Make Up Your Mind
[2:54] 2. Black Butterfly
[2:20] 3. If I Had You
[3:52] 4. Just A Gigolo
[2:12] 5. Blue Again
[2:34] 6. When Your Lover Has Gone
[2:35] 7. Sugar
[3:13] 8. Sweet & Lovely
[2:28] 9. Rockin' Chair
[2:50] 10. She's Funny That Way
[2:59] 11. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You
[3:33] 12. Wild Man Blues
[3:24] 13. Love Is Here To Stay
[3:34] 14. Blue
[3:24] 15. It's The Talk Of The Town
[3:11] 16. Mournin' Blues
[3:00] 17. Prelude To A Kiss
[3:54] 18. Sentimental Journey
[3:52] 19. You Turned The Tables On Me
[3:46] 20. My Inspiration
[3:26] 21. Now That You're Gone
[3:04] 22. Limehouse Blues
[3:12] 23. Moanin' Low
[3:36] 24. Serenade In Blue

On the first session - Percy Faith and His Strings; Gene Schroeder, piano; Art Ryerson, guitar; Frank Carroll, bass; Bobby Rosengarden, drums. On the second session - With Strings Attached Orchestra; Cutty Cutshall, trombone; Bob Wilber, clarinet; Gene Schroeder, piano; Barry Gailbraith, guitar; Jack Lesberg, bass; and Don Lamond, drums. Wild Bill Davison plays cornet on all tracks.

Wild Bill Davison did not always front a go-for-broke Dixieland band playing his cornet above a high-octane rhythm section. Arbors Records has reissued two albums featuring Davison with strings. Pretty Wild and With Strings Attached, originally recorded in 1956 and 1957, reveal a lyrical, reflective Davison playing ballads and slow to medium tempo standards. This other side of Wild Bill Davison, a very attractive one, adds dimension to his reputation.

On Pretty Wild Davison plays with a jazz quartet and the Percy Faith Strings. The second album, With Strings Attached, features Davison with a session orchestra and a jazz sextet with a notable line-up that includes Bob Wilber on clarinet and Barry Gailbraith on guitar. Davison is in good form throughout the two sessions, obviously inspired by the settings. Those who are familiar with Davison mainly through his famous Commodore recordings may be a bit surprised by the lush, clear ballad tone that Davison casually sustains. At times, he dips into a growly blues that diverges from the sweet tone of the strings, but for the most part he plays with a graceful assurance in synch with the arrangers’ ambitions. The jazz groups are notable for some outstanding performances, especially on the With Strings Attached session. Bob Wilber’s solo work on “Now That You’re Gone,” and “Limehouse Blues” compliments Davison’s equally fine contributions. Trombonist Cutty Cutshall is also noteworthy for his concise, spirited playing. In general, the string arrangements are fairly unobtrusive and at times succeed. Two of the more successful arrangements are “My Inspiration” and “Mountain Low.” In the latter, the exchanges between the jazz soloists and the strings are engaged and inspired. The typical faults of jazz string arrangements, too sweet playing or a superfluous string presence, emerge at times in both sessions, but Davison’s cornet thrives throughout – so who’s complaining?

This is a long CD with 24 tracks. The focus is on Wild Bill Davison’s solos and he consistently delivers. If you’re fortunate enough to own a copy of the Commodore recordings this reissue is a wonderful compliment to those rough and tumble performances. ~Mike Neely

Pretty Wild/With Strings Attached

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Pee Wee Ellis - Gentle Men Blue

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:16
Size: 133,2 MB
Art: Front

(0:36)  1. Mercedes Benz - Take 1
(6:43)  2. I Love You For Sentmental Reasons
(7:49)  3. Someone To Watch Over Me
(5:59)  4. Party Time
(6:09)  5. Crazy
(8:26)  6. Old Folks
(4:30)  7. Parlaying
(9:00)  8. Cottage For Sale
(3:38)  9. Hamburg´n
(3:40) 10. Rock Of Ages
(0:40) 11. Mercedes Benz - Take II

Saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis was the architect of James Brown's era-defining soul classics of the late '60s, introducing the dynamic arrangements and punishing rhythms that would define the emerging language of funk. Born Alfred Ellis in Bradenton, FL, on April 21, 1941, he was raised in Lubbock, TX, and was playing professionally by the time he reached middle school. In 1955, his family relocated to Rochester, NY, where he collaborated with classmates (and fledgling jazzmen) Chuck Mangione and Ron Carter. Ellis spent the summer of 1957 under the tutelage of sax giant Sonny Rollins, and after graduating high school he returned to Florida to form his own R&B combo, Dynamics Incorporated. The experience honed his skills as a writer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, and after a brief stint with the Sonny Payne Trio he joined the James Brown Revue in 1965.  Assigned alto sax and organ duties, Ellis quickly proved himself an invaluable contributor to arrangements and horn charts as well, and when Nat Jones quit the lineup in early 1967, Brown named Ellis his new musical director, resulting in significant refinements to the Godfather of Soul's sound. Ellis channeled the lessons of his jazz background to strip Brown's music to its bare essentials, showcasing bold, precise horns and repetitive rhythms with a minimum of melodic embellishment hits like "Cold Sweat," "Licking Stick-Licking Stick," and "Funky Drummer" redefined the sound and scope of soul, pointing the way for its transformation to funk.

Ellis went on to co-write and arrange a series of James Brown smashes, including "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Mother Popcorn," as well as issuing a handful of solo singles on Brown's label King, among them "Little Green Apples" and "In the Middle." He resigned from Brown's band in the autumn of 1969, and after settling in New York City he signed to the Nashville-based Sound Stage 7 label and issued the rare groove classic "Moonwalk." Ellis also emerged as a sought-after session player, contributing to dates headlined by everyone from soul-jazz great Brother Jack McDuff to a latter-day blues-rock incarnation of the Blues Magoos. He then served as musical director and arranger for the CTI label's influential fusion imprint Kudu, overseeing sessions for Esther Phillips, George Benson, and Hank Crawford.  Ellis next teamed with the studio group Gotham to record the LP Pass the Butter for Motown's Natural Resources subsidiary before resuming his solo career with his first-ever full-length effort, the 1976 Savoy release Home in the Country. After relocating to San Francisco, Ellis formed a short-lived fusion quintet with soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, also playing on and producing Liebman's 1977 A&M release Light'n Up Please! With 1979's Into the Music, he was named arranger for blue-eyed soul mystic Van Morrison, a collaboration that spanned until 1986 and included a series of well-regarded albums including Common One and Inarticulate Speech of the Heart.

Ellis spent much of the late '80s touring behind longtime Brown backing vocalist Bobby Byrd in tandem with fellow J.B.'s alums Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker as the JB Horns, debuting on disc with the 1990 release Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo. Subsequent efforts include I Like It Like That and Funky Good Time/Live. After the JB Horns went on hiatus in 1992, Ellis reunited with another Brown alum, drummer Clyde Stubblefield, for the album Blues Mission. He then returned to his jazz roots with 1993's acclaimed Twelve and More Blues, a live set cut in Köln, Germany, with bassist Dwayne Dolphin and drummer Bruce Cox. That summer, Ellis also headlined a week of sold-out dates at Ronnie Scott's in London, an experience that shaped both his movement into acid jazz with 1994's Sepia Tonality and subsequent relocation to western England.  With the move overseas, Ellis also resumed his partnership with Van Morrison on the latter's 1995 effort, Days Like This, serving as musical director of Morrison's studio and stage crew for years to follow; Ellis also formed his own band, the Pee Wee Ellis Assembly, for 1996's A New Shift. The group remained active in concert and on record for years to follow, confining most of its activities to Europe and pursuing a direction Ellis dubbed "smunk”  i.e., smooth funk. ~ Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pee-wee-ellis-mn0000305424/biography

Personnel:  Pee Wee Ellis (saxophone), Horace Parlan (piano)

Gentle Men Blue

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Patricia O'Callaghan - Real Emotional Girl

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:01
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:00)  1. Hallelujah
(2:49)  2. Betterman
(3:10)  3. Real Emotional Girl
(1:48)  4. Captain Valentine's Tango
(4:22)  5. Je Rêve de Toi
(3:11)  6. I'm Your Man
(5:53)  7. Joan of Arc
(4:40)  8. Nanna's Song
(4:02)  9. Lucky to Be Me
(4:33) 10. Like a Rolling Stone
(2:57) 11. Attendez Que Ma Joie Revienne
(3:37) 12. Stay Well
(3:59) 13. Take This Waltz
(2:27) 14. Mon Manège à Moi
(3:30) 15. A Singer Must Die
(4:54) 16. Creepin'

Patricia O'Callaghan's Real Emotional Girl was her first album distributed in the U.S. and is also her major-label debut. This O'Callaghan album reduces the number of Kurt Weill tunes to just three, increases the Leonard Cohen quotient to five, and includes other songs from slightly more mainstream writers, such as Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan. Those who were introduced to O'Callaghan with Slow Fox may be critical of the inclusion of such songs as Eddie Vedder's "Better Man" or even Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." But her interpretations are often inspired. (In fact, can listeners be so hopeful as to expect that O'Callaghan's next record will be exclusively Cohen material?) Some expecting jazzy vocals may be disappointed; those familiar with her operatic soprano voice should be impressed again. For the pop music fan, covering lesser-known (but highly engaging) material may play better on the ears. One could argue that Real Emotional Girl is too pop and mainstream. Others would say that her take on those pop hits is not of interest to the early 20th century pop expert. The risk this collection takes may be considered a weakness by some. But it is hard to criticize a singer who covers Randy Newman as well as Cohen. (Real Emotional Girl repeats five songs from Slow Fox.) Standout tracks include "Je Rêve de Toi," "I'm Your Man," and "Real Emotional Girl." Real Emotional Girl, because of its diverse song selection, should be where a pop listener starts. But fans of Kurt Weill would be wise to check out this album too. ~ JT Griffith http://www.allmusic.com/album/real-emotional-girl-mw0000000686

Personnel: Patricia O'Callaghan (vocals); Howard Hughes (acoustic, piano); Rob Piltch (guitar); Mark Fewer, Barry Shiffman (violin); Claudio Vena (viola, accordion); Kathleen Kajioka, Max Mandel (viola); David Heatherington (cello); Camille Watts (flute); Mike Sweeney, Chris Sharpe (bassoon); Tom Szczesniak (accordion); Phil Dwyer (soprano saxophone); Robert Kortgaard (piano); Andy Morris (vibraphone, percussion).

Real Emotional Girl

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Bill Potts, Brasilia Nueve - How Insensitive

Styles: Piano, Latin Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:36
Size: 70,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:37)  1. How Insensitive
(2:49)  2. Brasilville
(3:05)  3. Day By Day
(3:14)  4. Now I Know The Feeling
(2:51)  5. My Heart Loves The Samba
(2:34)  6. Teach Me Tonight
(4:11)  7. Meditation
(3:08)  8. Como Va
(2:47)  9. Que Se Vaya
(3:13) 10. Forgetting You

Caetano Rodrigues said wonders about this album since it has arrived here. Actually, this LP was supposed to be released yesterday when that technical difficulties appeared. It is the kind of album that you make discovers each time you take for a hearing. Thanks Caetano for making it available, some type of music is very hard to identify, your knowledge has been of a great help to zecalouro and Loronixers. This is Brasilia Nueve, How Insensitive (1969), for Decca. I forgot to check with Caetano and I think the band known here as Brasilia Nueve was assembled only to release this album, recorded in New York. The main performer is the jazz pianist Bill Potts, followed by the sax tenor of Zoot Zimns and a special artist playing vibes that could not be listed, probably due contracts obligations. They made together a nice approach to Bossa Nova, melting at the same song the Bossa Nova rhythm, suddenly changing to jazz on very complex and transitions. Thanks Caetano for this LP, which is a very hard to find information about.

Personnel:  Piano – Bill Potts;  Bass – Richard Davis (2);  Cabasa – Charlie Palmieri;  Conductor, Arranged By – Bill Potts;  Congas – Chino Pozo;  Drums – Mel Lewis;  Guitar – Barry Galbraith, Tony Gottuso;  Percussion – Louie Ramirez;  Producer – Richard Marin;  Saxophone – Zoot Sims;  Trumpet – Markie Markowitz;   Vibraphone [Special Guest Artist] – Unknown Artist

How Insensitive

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Red Garland - The Nearness of You

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:30
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Why Was I Born?
(5:42)  2. The Nearness of You
(6:14)  3. Where or When
(3:57)  4. Long Ago (and Far Away)
(5:24)  5. I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)
(4:45)  6. Don't Worry About Me
(4:23)  7. Lush Life
(5:03)  8. All Alone

Unlike his slightly earlier recordings for Moodsville (which feature Red Garland on unaccompanied piano solos), this strictly ballad date has Garland joined (on all but the solo "Lush Life") by bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Frank Gant. Since all eight of the standards are taken at the same medium/slow tempo, there is not much variety here, keeping the CD from being essential. But Garland's attractive and distinctive chord voicings, plus his ability to uplift melodies while swinging at a slow speed, make this project a success. Highlights include "The Nearness of You," "Where or When," and Irving Berlin's "All Alone." Particularly effective when used as background music. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-nearness-of-you-mw0000602493

Personnel: Red Garland (piano); Larry Ridley (bass); Frank Gant (drums).

The Nearness of You

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