Kool & The Gang - 1s

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:09
Size: 130.8 MB
Styles: R&B, Funk, Pop
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:31] 1. Ladies Night
[3:29] 2. Hollywood Swinging
[3:42] 3. Celebration
[3:38] 4. Take It To The Top
[3:58] 5. Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)
[3:32] 6. Get Down On It
[3:59] 7. Joanna
[3:58] 8. Cherish
[3:49] 9. Fresh
[4:58] 10. Higher Plane
[3:30] 11. Spirit Of The Boogie
[3:03] 12. Jungle Boogie
[4:06] 13. Misled
[3:48] 14. Too Hot
[4:02] 15. Victory

It's yet another Kool & the Gang compilation, this time an installment in Universal's cheaply packaged (but ecologically conscious) Number 1's series. Not all of the selections went to number one on the R&B singles chart. Some reached number two or three -- which means that they are designated as bonus tracks -- while one ("Get Down on It") comes from an album that went to number one. For the most part, this is a decent way to become more familiar with the band's more pop-oriented material, while other sets place more focus upon the years when it played straight-up funk (as highlighted with "Jungle Boogie," one of the bonus tracks). Do keep in mind that much of the band's best material came nowhere near the top of any chart. ~Andy Kellman

1s

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Josh Evans - Hope And Despair

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:25
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Steps
(3:42)  2. Lake Superior
(8:48)  3. Bad Dream
(7:32)  4. Prayer For The Innocent
(8:55)  5. Good Morning
(2:00)  6. So Long Sterling
(3:09)  7. Hope And Despair
(8:27)  8. Clark Street
(8:14)  9. Chronic Mistakes
(2:03) 10. Gone But Not Forgotten
(7:41) 11. 1984
(6:14) 12. Nji Lule

As on his debut release, Portrait, Hope and Despair showcases Evans'considerable compositional capabilities. 'I'm definitely trying to play more of my own music. I wanted to have a complete range of songs and feelings,' he says. 'Everything here is something about my life. They're all originals except for the last one (the beautiful 'NjiLule', a traditional Albanian folksong arranged for quintet by the trumpeter). ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Despair-Josh-Evans/dp/B010U4V93W

Personnel:  Josh Evans - trumpet. Abrahan Burton - saxophone, Rashaan Carter - bass, David Bryant - piano, Eric McPherson -drums, Lummie Span - alto sax.

Hope And Despair

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Della Reese - The Jubilee Years Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: The Jubilee Years   Disc 1

The many talents of Della Reese has meant she has enjoyed a long and successful career as top drawer performer of Jazz, Blues, R&B, Gospel and stylish pop music. Here the spotlight is on her two complete albums and a collection of her singles from Jubilee Records including the classics hit "And That Remind Me". 

This is a great introduction to the work of Della Reese ans shows exactly why she was considered one of the foremost interpreters of The American Songbook. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Jubilee-Years-

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Swing

Year: 2010

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 77:06

Size: 142,1 MB

Art: Front

(3:03)  1. In the Still of the Night

(2:45)  2. Time After Time

(2:10)  3. Fine Sugar

(2:51)  4. Years from Now

(2:19)  5. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

(2:20)  6. Headin' Home

(2:51)  7. Daybreak Serenade

(3:34)  8. My Melancholy Baby

(4:02)  9. One for My Baby

(2:41) 10. In the Meantime

(2:41) 11. The More I See You

(2:56) 12. How Can You Not Believe Me?

(2:26) 13. How About You?

(2:30) 14. And That Reminds Me

(2:38) 15. I Cried for You

(2:21) 16. By Love Possessed

(2:58) 17. I Only Want to Love You

(2:18) 18. How Can You Lose (Whatcha' Never Had?)

(2:25) 19. If Not for You

(2:19) 20. I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'

(2:19) 21. C'mon C'mon'

(2:31) 22. Wishing (I Wish)

(2:06) 23. You Gotta Love Everybody

(2:23) 24. Sermonette

(2:43) 25. My Dreams End at Dawn

(2:32) 26. When I Grow Too Old to Dream

(2:49) 27. You're Just in Love

(2:44) 28. Time Was

(2:37) 29. Once Upon a Dream

Album: The Jubilee Years   Disc 2

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Swing

Year: 2010

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 69:12

Size: 127,4 MB

Art: Front

(2:02)  1. Sometime's I'm Happy

(4:09)  2. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe

(2:05)  3. Almost Like Being in Love

(3:58)  4. Someone to Watch over Me

(2:45)  5. The Birth of the Blues

(1:50)  6. Pennies from Heaven

(2:14)  7. Getting to Know You

(3:12)  8. If I Forget You

(1:53)  9. All of Me

(3:10) 10. The Nearness of You

(3:57) 11. Just One of Those Things

(1:48) 12. The Party's Over

(1:26) 13. The Story of the Blues

(3:50) 14. Good Morning Blues

(3:37) 15. Empty Bed Blues

(3:13) 16. Squeeze Me

(3:33) 17. You've Been a Good Old Wagon

(2:28) 18. Sent for You Yesterday

(3:56) 19. St. James Infirmary

(3:42) 20. Lover Man

(2:45) 21. Things Ain't What They Used to Be

(4:09) 22. Stormy Weather

(3:19) 23. There's Always the Blues

The Jubilee Years Disc 1 And Disc 2

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Coleman Hawkins - Soul

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:49
Size: 104,7 MB
Art: Front

(9:56)  1. Soul Blues
(4:38)  2. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(5:47)  3. Groovin'
(3:16)  4. Greensleeves
(6:33)  5. Sunday Mornin'
(4:46)  6. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
(6:50)  7. Sweetnin'

This is a decent but not very exciting outing. Then 52, Hawkins uses a typically young rhythm section (including guitarist Kenny Burrell and pianist Ray Bryant) and plays melodically on a variety of originals and standards. This insipid version of "Greensleeves" is difficult to sit through but the rest of this CD is enjoyable if not overly inspiring. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-mw0000203528

Personnel: Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Ray Bryant (piano); Osie Johnson (drums).

Soul

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Yuji Ohno - My Little Angel

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:22
Size: 104,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. Mr. Happy-Gon
(6:59)  2. My Foolish Heart
(8:29)  3. Alone Together
(2:56)  4. A Boy on a Dolphin
(5:15)  5. My Little Angel
(5:23)  6. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
(8:30)  7. On Green Dolphin Street
(3:23)  8. My One and Only Love

Yuji Ohno ( born 30 May 1941 in Atami, Shizuoka, Japan), also known as MahouP, is a Japanese jazz musician. Ohno is known for his musical scoring of Japanese anime television series, particularly Lupin III, and most famously the 1977 series Lupin III Part II and the feature film The Castle of Cagliostro. Later anime series scored by Ohno include Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars, the 1979 Toei series Captain Future (known as Capitaine Flam in France) and the 1982 series Space Adventure Cobra. He has composed scores for live-action films, namely Toei's tokusatsu series Seiun Kamen Machineman, his only work on this genre to date. Ohno is also a member of a jazz trio with Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous and American drummer Lenny White. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuji_Ohno

Personnel:  Piano – Yuji Ohno;  Bass – Yoshio Ikeda;  Drums – Kazuyoshi Okayama

My Little Angel

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Tim Miller - Trio Vol. 3

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:25
Size: 107,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Lift
(3:49)  2. Stowed
(6:06)  3. New York
(3:01)  4. Roller Coaster
(5:41)  5. Breathe
(6:48)  6. Rb
(3:21)  7. Up the Steps
(3:34)  8. Three Sides

I purchased this on itunes and have listened to many times over the last several days. This is a slight departure from his other trio recordings which were  for lack of a better word more jazzy whereas this album seems to be more in the fusion camp. I hate to use labels because labels are for Mayonaise, not music but this new recording is more ethereal and the influence of Allan Holdsworth comes through quite clearly. Tim is one of the seminal players of this generation. There is nobody out there doing what he does. Sure, he's got the Holdsworthian, legato feel going but so do a thousand other guys. What separates Tim Miller's playing is that his time feel and groove are so locked in. And harmonically, he is a jazz musician, despite what genre he is playing in. His command of the harmonic structures and superimposition of tonalities over the written structures of the tunes make him stand out in a way that places him at the pinnicle of creative guitar playing. Yet, at times he just rocks out and is not purely an intellectual player. He has it all, groove, feel, note choices and emotion and YES, intellect. Whether you love great guitar or want to capture what I feel is a pedologically important milestone in the guitar evolution. http://www.timmillermusic.com/trio-vol-3/

Personnel:  Tim Miller – guitar; Sam Mineaie – bass; Nate Wood - drums

Trio Vol.3

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Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Cedar Walton - Bags' Bag

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:10
Size: 96.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1980/1997
Art: Front

[8:32] 1. Blues For Roberta
[2:21] 2. Groovin'
[5:27] 3. How Are You
[3:50] 4. On A Slow Boat To China
[3:20] 5. I Cover The Waterfront
[5:21] 6. The Rev
[4:28] 7. Tour Angel
[8:48] 8. Blues For Tomi-Oka

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson teams up with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ray Brown and (on six of the eight songs) either Billy Higgins or Frank Severino on drums. Together they play group originals and (on the two drumless pieces) a pair of standards. Although the material was largely new, the swinging style is timeless and Milt Jackson typically sounds in top form; has he ever made an indifferent recording? ~Scott Yanow

Bags' Bag

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Finn Ziegler - Lover Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:47
Size: 109.4 MB
Styles: Violin jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:55] 1. Just Friends
[4:42] 2. Lover Man
[6:14] 3. L.O.V.E
[7:31] 4. All The Things You Are
[5:02] 5. My Funny Valentine
[6:21] 6. Lullaby Of Birdland
[6:19] 7. Cheek To Cheek
[6:39] 8. That's All

Danish violinist, vibrafonist and bandleader. Born Nov. 24.th 1935 - died Dec. 10.th 2005.

Lover Man

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Walter Beasley - I'm Back

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:44
Size: 88.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Smooth jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:13] 1. Hard Work (Feat. Michael O'hara)
[4:20] 2. Skip To My Lew (Feat. Phil Davis)
[4:47] 3. Living For Today
[3:40] 4. Music
[3:58] 5. I'm Back
[4:20] 6. Haven't You Heard
[4:52] 7. Slippin' Away (Feat. Wain Jonze)
[4:47] 8. The King Lives (Feat. Derek Cannon)
[3:45] 9. Aubrey

Over the past three decades, saxophonist, Walter Beasley, has artfully and dynamically redefined the phrase “musical Renaissance Man” for the modern generation. Considered by fans and critics alike as the “heir to Grover Washington, Jr.’s Throne,” Beasley is the acclaimed saxophonist, vocalist, educator, and entrepreneur of the decade. As the highest selling full-time Professor / Recording Artist in history, the Boston-based musician has long mastered an exhilarating high wire act of balancing a successful career as a contemporary jazz recording artist and performer with an equally thriving presence in the field of music education.

A leading alto and soprano saxophonist and prominent vocalist all the same, Beasley is hailed by fans for his thrilling performances along the East Coast and throughout the U.S. and Caribbean. Notable performances include the all-star tour To Grover, With Love, performing alongside Chuck Loeb, Buddy Williams and Andy Snitzer and performing as the headlining act for the 2011 Playboy Jazz Festival.

I'm Back

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Jane Morgan - The Second Time Around

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:39
Size: 67.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:24] 1. The Second Time Around
[2:43] 2. My Favorite Things
[2:04] 3. Our Language Of Love
[2:49] 4. Romantica
[2:20] 5. The Twilight Waltz
[2:04] 6. The Angry Sea
[2:04] 7. Somebody
[2:32] 8. Love Is A Simple Thing
[3:09] 9. Odyssey
[2:48] 10. I Am A Heart
[2:02] 11. Why Should I Cry Over You
[2:35] 12. The Bells Of St. Mary's

Morgan was born Florence Catherine Currier in Newton, Massachusetts on May 3, 1924, one of five children born to musicians Olga (Brandenburg) and Bertram Currier. When she was four years old, the Currier family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida. At five she began vocal lessons while continuing piano lessons. During the summers, she took on child roles and appeared in theater productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine, which her brother had founded. In 1941, she was listed as the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse. While attending grade school, Morgan actively engaged in singing and competing against other students throughout Florida and the Southeast. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, she and her multiple musical talents were promptly accepted into New York's prestigious Juilliard School of Music. Intending to become an opera singer, she studied opera by day and performed whenever possible.

Morgan sang popular songs in nightclubs and small restaurants, and at bar mitzvahs and other private parties, to help pay her tuition expenses at Juilliard. Eventually she was hired as a singer at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan with the house second band for $25 a week, six nights a week. While she was still at Juilliard (1944), orchestra leader Art Mooney heard her perform and hired her. Mooney changed her name to Jane Morgan by taking the first name of one of his vocalists, Janie Ford, and the last name of another, Marian Morgan

The Second Time Around   

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Stefano Bollani Trio - Black And Tan Fantasy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:23
Size: 103.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Just One Of Those Things
[4:23] 2. Black And Tan Fantasy
[3:31] 3. Day Dream
[5:07] 4. I'm Thru With Love
[5:54] 5. It's Always You
[5:56] 6. It's You Or No One
[4:42] 7. La Ultima Noche
[5:35] 8. Flowers Is A Lovesome Thing
[6:23] 9. The Sophisticated Lady

Bass – Ares Tavolazzi; Drums – Walter Paoli; Piano – Stefano Bollani. Recorded at House Recording Studio in Rome On July 7 and 8 , 2002.

Jazz pianist Stefano Bollani was born in Milan, Italy, on December 5, 1972. He began playing piano as a child in order to accompany his singing, but soon concentrated solely on the instrument, enrolling in a conservatory in Florence when he was 11. There, he studied both jazz and pop music, and after graduating in 1993, added his keyboard skills to albums for many of Italy's top pop stars, including Laura Pausini, Irene Grandi, and Jovanotti. When working with the latter in 1996 he met avant-garde jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava, who invited the young pianist to play with him in Paris, an opportunity Bollani quickly accepted.

He then began to release more jazz albums, first with his trio (completed by bassist Ares Tavolazzi and drummer Walter Paoli) but also as a solo artist (like on 2003's Småt Småt and 2006's Piano Solo) as well as with other trios (2002's Fleurs Bleues drew from the talents of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Clarence Penn, while 2005's Gleda: Songs from Scandinavia used his trio with bassist Jesper Bodilsen and drummer Morten Lund) and even a quintet (2006's I Visionari). Bollani has also appeared on stages at the Umbria and Montreal Jazz Festivals, among others, and has performed with musicians like Gato Barbieri, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Paolo Fresu, and Phil Woods.

The pianist's ECM debut as a leader, Piano Solo, was issued in 2007. That same year he played on Tati with drummer Paul Motian in a Rava-led trio, and in duet with the trumpeter on The Third Man. In 2008 Bollani shifted gears and led two large-group ensembles for Verve. The first was entitled Carioca, while the second was simply called Big Band! The following year, he and the trio delivered Stone in the Water for ECM. In 2010 Bollani appeared as a soloist with conductor Ricardo Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester in an all-Gershwin program for Decca (Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; Catfish Row; Concerto in F), released in Europe that year and globally in 2011. Orvieto, his duet recording with Chick Corea, appeared on ECM in 2011 as well.

The pianist issued a slew of records in 2012 and 2013 in various settings, including two more duet offerings: a self-titled album with Italian pop singer Irene Grandi and O Que Será, a collection with Brazilian bandolim (a ten-string mandolin) player Hamilton de Holanda. Ever ambitious, Bollani reconvened his trio and enlisted guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Mark Turner as guests in a diverse program of original material arranged for various groupings from quintet to duo. Joy in Spite of Everything was issued in the late summer of 2014 on ECM, followed by Arrivano Gli Alieni on Universal in 2015. The following year, he paid homage to the Italian city of Naples with Napoli Trip. ~bio by Marisa Brown

Black And Tan Fantasy

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Buddy DeFranco - Charlie Cat 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 136.6 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[7:50] 1. Charlie Cat II
[4:54] 2. All My Life
[5:36] 3. By Myself
[5:14] 4. Walk This Way
[8:07] 5. What Is This Thing Called Love'
[6:24] 6. Ill Wind
[4:46] 7. Joy Spring
[4:45] 8. Once More With Feeling
[6:47] 9. For Keeps
[5:13] 10. Anthropology

This is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging record by Buddy DeFranco and his well-selected and balanced ensemble. There is Buddy's fabulous clarinet playing, yes - lots of it - but the overall feel is one of a great ensemble running through some old standards and sounding at once fresh and yet, well, timeless. It would be impossible for me to say what year this was released if I did not follow Mr. DeFranco's work and have just downloaded this recording - it could easily be from the 1960's. For me, the highlights are All My Life, Joy Spring, For Keeps... Buddy's tone is amazing and his facility completely intact after all these years. As a clarinet player, it's hard not to give 5 stars (I wanted 4.5). It's not a groundbreaking record, or a "classic", but just a solid recording by jazz artists of very high caliber, enjoying their art and putting down some solid, beautiful music. If you like clarinet at all, or follow Buddy's music, you cannot go wrong with this gem of a recording. ~Michael H. Ricereto

Charlie Cat 2

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Bill Evans, Jeremy Steig - What's New

Styles: Piano And Flute Jazz
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:57
Size: 104,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. Straight No Chaser
(6:23)  2. Lover Man
(4:53)  3. What's New
(6:17)  4. Autumn Leaves
(7:23)  5. Time Out For Chris
(5:01)  6. Spartacus Love Theme
(9:13)  7. So What

This LP has the debut of drummer Marty Morell with Bill Evans and bassist Eddie Gomez, and this particular trio would retain the same personnel for six productive years. Actually, this is a quartet set with guest flutist Jeremy Steig, whose playing recalls Herbie Mann's recording (Nirvana) with Evans back in the early '60s. Both flutists were always open to the influences of pop and rock, although in both of their collaborations with Evans, the music is very much on the pianist's turf. With the exception of Evans' "Time Out for Chris" and the "Spartacus Love Theme," the songs performed on this date would fit securely in the Miles Davis repertoire of the late '50s. Steig is in particularly fine form on the program which includes tunes such as "Straight No Chaser," "Autumn Leaves," and "So What." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-new-mw0000188122

Personnel:  Bill Evans – piano;  Eddie Gómez – bass;  Marty Morell – drums;  Jeremy Steig – flute

What's New

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Laila Biali - Tracing Light

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:08
Size: 117,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:57)  1. Let Go
(3:47)  2. Simple
(3:48)  3. A La Poursuite Des Marees
(4:28)  4. The Best Is Yet to Come
(5:59)  5. My Romance
(4:28)  6. Still The One
(3:37)  7. Joy
(5:05)  8. Nature Boy
(5:45)  9. Where Will I Be
(4:49) 10. Human Condition
(4:19) 11. And So It Goes

Award-winning Canadian pianist and vocalist, Laila Biali, has been garnering world-wide recognition for her music which she has performed at prestigious venues including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Tokyo’s Cotton Club, and Carnegie Hall. She has toured with GRAMMY award winners Chris Botti, Paula Cole and Suzanne Vega, and recorded with and supported international icon, Sting.  Her studio recording, Tracing Light, received a JUNO nomination in 2011 for “Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year”, and her follow-up album, Live in Concert, was given an enthusiastic four-star review and named one of the “Best Albums of 2013” by DownBeat Magazine.  In 2015, Laila released her first album of entirely original music, House of Many Rooms an indie-pop project featuring Lisa Fischer (Rolling Stones, 20 Feet From Stardom), Jo Lawry (Sting, Paul Simon), Alan Hampton (Robert Glasper), and the Toronto Mass ChoirExpanding on her unique “ability to meld traditional jazz with contemporary pop so effortlessly that neither style seems out of place on the same record” (Spinner Magazine), Laila is currently set to release a new album of original songs alongside covers of David Bowie, Coldplay and more. http://lailabiali.com/bio/

Tracing Light

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Hubert Laws - Bridge over Troubled Water

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:12
Size: 126,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:20)  1. The Sound of Silence
(3:52)  2. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
(5:12)  3. I Am a Rock
(5:18)  4. April Come She Will
(5:01)  5. El Condor Pasa
(4:08)  6. Bridge over Troubled Water
(5:30)  7. The Boxer
(6:54)  8. Scaborough Fair
(4:41)  9. Mrs. Robinson
(3:12) 10. America
(2:55) 11. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
(5:05) 12. Cecilia

Flute virtuoso Hubert Laws has always occupied his own artistic turf, whether interpreting works by Mozart, Stravinsky, Dvorák, Debussy, Satie, Fauré, and J.S. Bach or improvising with immaculate ease through the modern jazz compositions of Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. He has also demonstrated a well-grounded attitude toward the mainstream pop repertoire, which he handles with comparable mastery. Bridge Over Troubled Water, as one might guess, is an entire album of hit tunes by Paul Simon. Each melody is executed with the relaxed precision that has always characterized much of this artist's work. The flutist is backed by pianist John Beasley, bassist Stanley Gilbert, drummer Ralph Penland, and the West L.A. Strings under the direction of Stanley Gilbert. The familiarity of the playlist makes this an ideal choice for weddings and family gatherings, with the friendly friction generated during "Cecilia" and "I Am a Rock" bringing up welcome intimations of honest jazz. ~ arwult arwulf  https://www.allmusic.com/album/bridge-over-troubled-water-mw0000535453

Personnel:  Hubert Laws – flute;  John Beasley – piano;  Stanley Gilbert – bass;  Ralph Penland - drums

Bridge over Troubled Water

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Seth MacFarlane - Music Is Better Than Words

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:42
Size: 121,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. It's Anybody's Spring
(3:23)  2. Music Is Better Than Words
(4:03)  3. Anytime, Anywhere
(2:38)  4. The Night They Invented Champagne
(4:28)  5. Two Sleepy People (feat. Norah Jones)
(2:25)  6. You're The Cream In My Coffee
(4:17)  7. Something Good
(3:14)  8. Nine O'Clock
(3:53)  9. Love Won't Let You Get Away (feat. Sara Bareilles)
(5:07) 10. It's Easy To Remember
(2:57) 11. The Sadder But Wiser Girl
(5:30) 12. Laura
(3:44) 13. You And I
(2:59) 14. She's Wonderful Too

A vanity project that evades any rational explanation, as its flights of fancy are so far removed from its creator’s home turf, Music Is Better Than Words is a traditional big-band album from Seth MacFarlane, the self-satisfied wise-ass behind Family Guy. Demonstrating precisely the same amount of imagination that led him to creating no less than three permutations of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, MacFarlane plays it straight throughout Music Is Better Than Words, hiring American Dad composer Joel McNeely to create approximations of Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Billy May's arrangements for Frank Sinatra's deathless, mid-century records for Capitol. These classic concept albums are clearly the blueprint for Music Is Better Than Words, which was, after all, recorded at Capitol Records' legendary studio with MacFarlane singing into the very same microphone Sinatra used all those years ago, and there is a bit of a concept to this 2011 LP, too, with the cartoonist selecting songs never recorded by any member of the Rat Pack along with a couple recent tunes like “She’s Wonderful Too,” which McNeely originally wrote for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for his tribute to that ring-a-ding-ding swing. MacFarlane and McNeely don’t attempt to ape the pizzazz of Frank’s Reprise years, nor do they spend much time with May’s snazzy snap, they stick with Riddle and Jenkins, keeping things sentimental and lush even when the words crackle with wit. Then again, MacFarlane is so concerned about inhabiting Sinatra’s silken suits he doesn’t really care about the meaning of the songs; all that matters is sounding like Ol' Blue Eyes, which MacFarlane does about as well as any number of hotel lounge singers this world over. Sure, it’s a surprise that he can carry a tune, but it’s no surprise that MacFarlane, who came to fame and fortune by telling obvious jokes so slowly a dog could understand, considers his competence as proof of his excellence, his smugness bearing no swagger, his self-satisfaction undercutting his otherwise perfectly pleasant surroundings. ~ Tomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-better-than-words-mw0002154821

Personnel: Larry Koonse (guitar); Jo Ann Turovsky (harp); Joel Pargman, Lorenz Gamma, Alyssa Park, Henry Gronnier, Helen Nightengale, Phillip Levy , Tamara Hatwan , Mark Robertson , Cheryl Norman, Julie Rogers, Sid Page, Richard Altenbach, Roberto Cani, Bruce Dukov, Julie Gigante, Clayton Haslop, Roger Wilkie, Josefina Vergara, Endre Granat, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Victoria Miskolczy, Michael Nowak , Marlow Fisher, Robert Brophy , Brian Dembow, Dave Walther (viola); Steve Kujala, Geri Rotella (flute); David Weiss (oboe); Kenneth Munday (bassoon); Dan Higgins , Brian Scanlon (alto saxophone); Bill Listen, Pete Christlieb (tenor saxophone); Greg Huckins (baritone saxophone); Chuck Findley, Warren Luening, Wayne Bergeron, Bob Summers (trumpet); Alex Iles, Steven Holtman, Andrew Martin , William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. (trombone); Daniel Kelley , James Thatcher, Dave Everson (horns); Alan Broadbent (piano); Peter Erskine (drums); Alan Estes, Wade Culbreath (percussion).

Music Is Better Than Words

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Barry Harris - Listen to Barry Harris ... Solo Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:16
Size: 90,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. The Londonderry Air
(3:17)  2. Mutattra
(3:47)  3. Louise
(4:05)  4. Body and Soul
(3:54)  5. Ascension
(4:55)  6. Anachronism
(4:58)  7. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(3:46)  8. Teenie
(4:06)  9. Sphere
(2:09) 10. Dancing in the Dark

Second-generation bop pianist Barry Harris puts the spotlight on the songs in this 1960 solo excursion. Split between standards and originals, the set hears the 31-year-old pianist evoking Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and occasional hints of Fats Waller in performances that defy easy classification as bop, swing, or mainstream. Essentially, it's Harris working within the songs, opening up new pathways in and around the melodic and harmonic structures. The opening track, "Londonderry Air" (aka "Danny Boy"), provides a clue to Harris' method. He plays the song straight, but subtly brings out the simple, fresh, and elegant possibilities in the traditional folk melody. 

The same creative process is worked out on the other tracks, which allude to Harris' key influences, but also make clear his own contributionan appealingly updated, modernistic approach to the jazz piano tradition. Among the standards, "Body and Soul" is given a thoughtful, illuminating reading. "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is handled with a natural, sophisticated ease. The centerpieces are the originals "Ascension" and "Anachronism." The former, the most boppish track on the CD, has a long shifting melody that lets Harris tastefully demonstrate the depth of his technical and improvisational skills. "Anachronism" is a blues, pure and simple, a timeless statement drawn from the tradition and from Harris' unique ability to keep the tradition vital and progressive. ~ Jim Todd https://www.allmusic.com/album/listen-to-barry-harris-mw0000046433

Personnel:  Barry Harris - piano

Listen to Barry Harris ... Solo Piano

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Don Braden - The Voice of the Saxophone

Styles: Flute And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:25
Size: 150,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Soul Station
(5:43)  2. Speak No Evil
(6:36)  3. Winelight
(6:43)  4. After the Rain
(6:24)  5. The Dust Kicker
(6:36)  6. Monk's Hat
(6:24)  7. Cozy
(6:40)  8. The Face I Love
(6:36)  9. Point of Many Returns
(5:59) 10. The Voice of the Saxophone

Don Braden's The Voice of the Saxophone is, for the most part, impressive. His quartet arrangements of "After the Rain" and the title track should turn heads. His big-toned tenor sax carries the octet in covers of hard bop gems like "Soul Station" and "Speak No Evil." He's also making headway as a composer, especially on "Cozy," which features both him and Vincent Herring on flutes. Less successful is the pseudo-Monk TV theme from The Cosby Show, which is called "Monk's Hat." ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-voice-of-the-saxophone-mw0000025404

Personnel: Don Braden (flute, tenor saxophone); Vincent Herring (flute, alto saxophone); Hamiet Bluiett (clarinet, contrabass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Frank Lacy (trombone); Darrell Grant (piano); Dwayne Burno (acoustic bass); Cecil Brooks III (drums).

The Voice of the Saxophone

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Kyle Eastwood - Paris Blue

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:31
Size: 127,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Big Noise (From Winnetka)
(5:56)  2. Marrakech
(5:48)  3. Muse
(6:43)  4. Le Point Royal
(6:26)  5. Solferino
(5:33)  6. Cosmo
(8:15)  7. Paris Blue
(7:17)  8. Big Noise Remix
(5:51)  9. Marrakech Remix

At last! A recording firmly planted in the jazz tradition of Charles Mingus, but updated and as fresh as this morning's brew. Bassist Kyle Eastwood has brought together a collection of (mostly) original compositions and mixed them with programmed or hip-hop rhythms underneath a mainstream horn section to create an accessible yet challenging listen. On the original "Marrakech," Michael Stevens' keyboards and programming create an exotic Middle Eastern flavor that melds perfectly with the serpentine soprano sax and mourning duduk. "Solferino" creates a mood of haunting moonlight sonatas, featuring the dark and forboding tenor saxophone of Doug Webb. A Freddie Hubbard-like Jim Rotondi spits out bullets over a CTI-era keyboard backdrop on "Cosmo." Eastwood even digs up the Swing Era classic "Big Noise" with whistles and all, grooving it with a heavy beat that is a perfect counterbalance to the bop solos by Webb and trumpeter Lee Thornberg. Paris Blue has something for everyone: creativity, deep grooves and excellent lead solos. Something new is rising from Eastwood. ~ George Harris https://www.allaboutjazz.com/paris-blue-kyle-eastwood-rendezvous-review-by-george-harris.php

Personnel: Kyle Eastwood: bass; Vinnie Colaiuta, Kendall Kay: drums; Jim Rotondi, Lee Thornberg: trumpet; Michael Stevens: keyboards; Alan Pasqua, John Beasley: piano.

Paris Blue

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Silje Nergaard - For You a Thousand Times

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:17
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. It's Gonna Rain
(5:08)  2. For You a Thousand Times
(4:49)  3. Breathe
(5:50)  4. Cocco Bello
(3:25)  5. Amy
(4:19)  6. Sleepwalking
(4:32)  7. Run Run Run
(5:25)  8. Hush Little Bird
(3:39)  9. Jaded Childhood Dreams
(4:53) 10. Winter Moon
(4:06) 11. Cocco Bello (Radio Edit)
(3:50) 12. Breathe (Radio Edit)
(4:46) 13. For You a Thousand Times (Radio Edit)
(4:04) 14. It's Gonna Rain (Radio Edit)

Every song on the album "For You A Thousand Times" is a musical story in which the Norwegian jazz singer and songwriter Silje Nergaard makes past encounters and personal experiences with rousing melodies in a subtly arranged sound panorama. "I have seen pictures of how families from North and South Korea have met again after decades of separation. Everyone cried with joy and were filled with happiness. This is the song "For You a Thousand Times", "recalls Nergaard. One of the most intimate memories is her "Hush Little Bird," a sleepy figure for her little Ethiopian adoptive son Jonah, who sneaks in his native language before falling asleep. "For You A Thousand Times" is full of such stories: About invisible connections, longing and love. It is Nergaard's most personal album and a musical tale full of hope. Nergaard is accompanied by Andreas Ulvo (keyboard), Audun Erlien (bass), Sidiki Camara (percussion), Wetle Holte (drums and percussion), Mathias Eick (Trompetet), Håkon Aase (violin) and Håkon Korn. Translate by Google  https://www.amazon.de/You-Thousand-Times-Silje-Nergaard/dp/B07487316S

For You a Thousand Times

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