Thursday, November 2, 2017

Jill Johnson - Christmas Island

Size: 101,3 MB
Time: 37:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Big Band, Xmas
Art: Front

01. Christmas Island (3:01)
02. Mistletoe And Holly (2:28)
03. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (2:41)
04. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (3:50)
05. Ain't Nothing Like Christmas (3:31)
06. I Will Wait For You (2:37)
07. Let It Snow (2:52)
08. I Wish It Was Christmas (3:31)
09. Christmas Journey (3:00)
10. Christmas Time Is Here (3:31)
11. Winter Wonderland (2:23)
12. When You Wish Upon A Star (3:44)

The last time Jill Johnson released an album with her own material was in 2012 and the years since have probably added up to the most successful and happening period of her career to date! Two seasons of the Swedish National TV series “Jill’s Veranda, Nashville”, three seasons of her own dinner show, a big band album and a duet album with country artist Doug Seegers plus an array of concerts around Sweden and Europe.

After this eventful and successful period in her career Jill decided to take a break, she wanted some breathing space for new song-writing.

“But it wasn’t to be”, explains Jill. “Writing is an extremely soul-baring and finite process. I couldn’t come up with anything at all.”

So the pause became slightly longer than planned, but thanks to the rest came new energy and an inspiration was borne. The songs finally came as a flood and after an April week in Nashville and Austin, Jill came home with enough songs for an album, to be released on the 23 September and titled “For You I’ll Wait”. The album contains 11 tracks – with a delicate sound and intimate lyrics revealing who Jill is today – as a person and a musician.

“It should chafe, there should be brittleness and it should be felt! It is a feeling that became even more apparent after my collaboration with Gabriel Kelley. The meeting with him in ‘Jill’s Veranda’ in Nashville affected me quite profoundly. I felt an immediate contact with Gabriel on a spiritual level. He has that effect on people! I felt at once that I wanted to make music with him and I think that he brought me to a darker, deeper sound with more heart and soul,” explains Jill.

On ”For You I’ll Wait”, Jill worked with some of USA:s most outstanding song-writers and as well as Garbriel Kelley, was of course, Liz Rose, a close friend of Jill who’s a several time Grammy-nominee – and even award winning, Nathan Chapman, Kate York and Lori McKenna. A new acquaintance of Jill’s is the gifted, Emily Shackelton, who worked on the first single,”Gotta Love Me More”.

“It sounds almost silly when you say that you’ve written that much music over just four days, but that’s exactly what happened. I really opened up and we wrote around the clock which produced results. I was completely at a standstill when I got home but simultaneously felt quite elated”, says Jill.

The first single released in August was, “Gotta Love Me More” about which Jill says;

“Gotta Love Me More” is about a kind of survival, a renewal. It’s life not a war, The feeling that you’ve no choice. The pain of leaving someone you love with the impulse that you have to put oneself first and love yourself more.”

This is more or less the theme for the whole album, it’s about life, love and also about that which we all know, that a person should first and foremost love and respect herself – in order to love and respect others.

In November she will release a big band Christmas album called “Christmas Island”

Christmas Island

The Devin Kelly Organ Trio - Whenever You're Ready

Size: 109,5 MB
Time: 47:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Whenever You're Ready (3:56)
02. Hand In Hand (3:56)
03. Some Swink For Sinc (7:16)
04. Two For The Road (4:18)
05. Ah-Leu-Cha (4:01)
06. Bright Mississippi (3:52)
07. Three And One (4:20)
08. Blues For Coleman (4:09)
09. Funk In Deep Freeze (5:57)
10. Way Over Yonder (5:43)

DPK Records is pleased to announce the release of Central New York based drummer Devin Kelly’s second recording as a leader, “Whenever You're Ready”. The album features Los Angeles guitarist Gary Solt (Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Don Rader & Clark Terry) along with organist Joe Bagg (Larry Coryell, Jon Gordon, Anthony Wilson & Bill Holman). Mr. Kelly has shared the stage with Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Cunliffe, Larry Koonse, Peter Bernstein, Bob Sneider, Gary Foster, Bobby Militello, Julie Kelly & Judy Wexler, among other artists. The group's second album explores lesser-known compositions penned by Charlie Parker, Hank Mobley, Thelonious Monk & Mulgrew Miller, in addition to singer-songwriter icons Carole King & James Taylor. Original compositions by members of the group round out the album. All tracks were recorded live "in studio".

Whenever You're Ready

Cynthia Bane - Clearly

Size: 101,7 MB
Time: 42:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. It's A Wonderful World (Feat. John Harmon) (1:44)
02. Detour Ahead (Feat. John Harmon) (5:23)
03. Itsy Bitsy Blues (Feat. John Harmon, Andy Sachen & Mike Malone) (3:46)
04. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (Feat. John Harmon, Andy Sachen & Mike Malone) (4:30)
05. Midnight Sun (Feat. John Harmon) (4:33)
06. Have You Met Old Jones (Feat. John Harmon, Andy Sachen & Mike Malone) (3:07)
07. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most (Feat. John Harmon) (8:34)
08. West Coast Blues (Feat. John Harmon, Andy Sachen & Mike Malone) (3:19)
09. Twisted (Feat. John Harmon, Andy Sachen & Mike Malone) (3:32)
10. Never Let Me Go (Feat. John Harmon) (3:58)

Jazz vocalist Cynthia Bane's hip, understated style and pure vocal tone appeal to a wide variety of jazz fans. Jazz singer Janet Planet proclaimed her, "a star whose voice defines swing, elegance, and taste."

Cynthia's debut album, "Clearly" (Stellar! Sound Productions) provides the listener with an intimate view of Cynthia as a versatile jazz artist. Teaming up with renowned pianist John Harmon, along with Andy Sachen (bass), and Mike Malone (drums), Cynthia skillfully delivers jazz standards, bebop vocalese tunes, and ballads with warmth and authenticity.

Cynthia, a professor of psychology at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, took an unconventional path to vocal jazz. Growing up in Iowa, she played the French horn throughout high school and at Luther College, where she played in the concert band while earning a bachelor's degree in psychology. She continued playing in community bands and high school pit orchestras while pursuing a Ph.D. in social psychology at Miami University. A stroll through a Pottery Barn in Columbus, Ohio, where recordings by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong played in the background, sparked her interest in jazz. She immediately scoured the jazz cd collection at the local public library and checked out the cd with the hippest looking cover: Hank Mobley's "No Room for Squares" (cover designed by legendary photographer and graphic designer, Reid Miles). In addition to Hank Mobley, she became a fan of Lee Morgan, Anita O'Day, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley, Irene Kral, Miles Davis, and Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross..

In 2007, Cynthia attended Tritone Jazz Fantasy camp in Door County, Wisconsin as a vocalist. At Tritone she met faculty members John Harmon (piano), Janet Planet (vocal), and Tom Washatka (saxophone), who collaborated with Cynthia on the "Clearly" album.

Cynthia performs locally in Northeastern Iowa with the Bluetone Jazz Collective.

Clearly

Clifford Jordan Big Band - Play What You Feel

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:59
Size: 160.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Big band
Year: 1990/2010
Art: Front

[ 9:31] 1. Third Avenue
[10:40] 2. Angelica
[ 5:17] 3. Old Bo
[ 6:22] 4. I Waited For You
[ 0:32] 5. Introduction To Evidence
[ 7:24] 6. Evidence
[ 5:24] 7. I'll Be Around
[ 6:14] 8. Bearcat
[ 7:17] 9. Down Through The Years
[ 6:56] 10. Charlie Parker's Last Supper
[ 3:30] 11. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[ 0:44] 12. Band Roster

In 1990, tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan achieved one of his lifetime goals and formed a big band. They recorded a demo in December, 1990, that helped land them a record deal with Fantasy. The orchestra recorded one album before Jordan passed away in 1993. The music on Play What You Feel, which was originally the demo, was released for the first time in 1997. The 16-piece orchestra, which includes many of Jordan's friends and longtime associates, was loose but tight, featuring strong solos, spirited ensembles and colorful straight-ahead arrangements. In addition to Jordan, who is heard in prime form and often sounds exuberant, key soloists include Dizzy Reece, Benny Powell and Junior Cook. Highlights include Duke Ellington's joyful "Angelica," "Evidence" and "Charlie Parker's Last Supper" (a blues in the "Parker's Mood" vein) but all of the selections are fun and swinging. This is a highly recommended if little-known gem that makes one happy that Clifford Jordan was able to achieve his goal. ~Scott Yanow

Play What You Feel

Sara Bareilles - What's Inside: Songs From Waitress

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:36
Size: 83.8 MB
Styles: Broadway musical
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[1:15] 1. What's Inside
[3:19] 2. Opening Up
[2:54] 3. Door Number Three
[3:50] 4. When He Sees Me
[2:57] 5. Soft Place To Land
[2:23] 6. Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me
[3:24] 7. I Didn't Plan It
[3:24] 8. Bad Idea
[4:09] 9. You Matter To Me
[4:10] 10. She Used To Be Mine
[3:37] 11. Everything Changes
[1:09] 12. Lulu's Pie Song

What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress is a piece of a larger story. A story that began two years ago and is still ongoing. This is not a traditional record for Bareilles, it is very much a concept record, and as such might disappoint for someone looking for the next “Brave” or “Love Song.” But what it offers is a heavy dose of personality, warmth, insecurity, love, loneliness, and hope.

For anyone worried that Sara couldn’t pull off writing a Broadway Musical, set your fears aside. She’s done it. There’s moments of Sondheim, moments of deep character study and in-the-moment frantic examination (When He Sees Me). There’s the stylized and fuzzy feeling of Schwartz, where you just smile ear to ear for minutes on end (Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me). And there’s devastatingly somber notes reminiscent of Jason Robert Brown, that tug at your heart-strings and won’t go away (You Matter To Me). But make no mistake, this music is whole-heartedly Bareilles. She doesn’t try to be someone else, molding herself after their style. Sara is absolutely a composer and lyricist ripe for the medium of musical theatre, she always has been. She just uses this opportunity to write other people’s stories, instead of her own. ~Cassidy Knight

What's Inside: Songs From Waitress

Jackie Wilson - 20 Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:54
Size: 116.5 MB
Styles: Soul/Pop/R&B
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Reet Petite
[2:27] 2. To Be Loved
[2:41] 3. Lonely Teardrops
[2:03] 4. That's Why (I Love You So)
[2:08] 5. I'll Be Satisfied
[2:02] 6. You Better Know It
[2:16] 7. Talk That Talk
[2:52] 8. Doggin' Around
[2:47] 9. Night
[2:34] 10. A Woman, A Lover, A Friend
[2:35] 11. Am I The Man
[2:35] 12. The Tear Of The Year
[2:02] 13. Please Tell Me Why
[2:19] 14. I'm Comin' On Back To You
[2:59] 15. Baby Workout
[2:24] 16. Whispers (Getting Louder)
[2:36] 17. I Don't Want To Lose You
[2:58] 18. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher
[2:55] 19. I Get The Sweetest Feeling
[2:53] 20. (I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real

Jackie Wilson was one of the most important agents of black pop's transition from R&B into soul. In terms of vocal power (especially in the upper register), few could outdo him; he was also an electrifying on-stage showman. He was a consistent hitmaker from the mid-'50s through the early '70s, although never a crossover superstar. His reputation isn't quite on par with Ray Charles, James Brown, or Sam Cooke, however, because his records did not always reflect his artistic genius. Indeed, there is a consensus of sorts among critics that Wilson was something of an underachiever in the studio, due to the sometimes inappropriately pop-based material and arrangements that he used.

Wilson was well-known on the R&B scene before he went solo in the late '50s. In 1953 he replaced Clyde McPhatter in Billy Ward & the Dominoes, one of the top R&B vocal groups of the '50s. Although McPhatter was himself a big star, Wilson was as good as or better than the man whose shoes he filled. Commercially, however, things took a downturn for the Dominoes in the Wilson years, although they did manage a Top 20 hit with "St. Therese of the Roses" in 1956. Elvis Presley was one of those who was mightily impressed by Wilson in the mid-'50s; he can be heard praising Jackie's on-stage cover of "Don't Be Cruel" in between-song banter during the Million Dollar Quartet session in late 1956.

Wilson would score his first big R&B (and small pop) hit in late 1956 with the brassy, stuttering "Reet Petite," which was co-written by an emerging Detroit songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy would also help write a few other hits for Jackie in the late '50s, "To Be Loved," "Lonely Teardrops," "That's Why (I Love You So)," and "I'll Be Satisfied"; they also crossed over to the pop charts, "Lonely Teardrops" making the Top Ten. Most of these were upbeat, creatively arranged marriages of pop and R&B that, in retrospect, helped set the stage both for '60s soul and for Gordy's own huge pop success at Motown. The early Gordy-Wilson association has led some historians to speculate how much differently (and better) Jackie's career might have turned out had he been on Motown's roster instead of the Brunswick label. ~Richie Unterberger

20 Greatest Hits

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox - Fake Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:27
Size: 129.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:30] 1. What Is Love
[3:27] 2. Sledgehammer
[4:19] 3. Feel Good Inc
[3:24] 4. All The Small Things
[4:31] 5. Side To Side
[5:42] 6. Don't Look Back In Anger
[3:00] 7. Poker Face
[5:20] 8. I Want You To Want Me
[3:07] 9. Thong Song
[3:57] 10. Spiderwebs
[3:36] 11. Sunday Morning
[3:48] 12. Baby One More Time
[4:51] 13. Nothing Else Matters
[2:49] 14. Harry Potter Jazz Variations

How did Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" become a '50s-style doo wop number? Since when was Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" about an upright bass fiddle? At what point did Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" evolve into a '20s hot jazz tune? And whose idea was it to rework Lorde's "Royals" into a polished ballad sung by a sad clown? It's all part of the topsy-turvy world of Postmodern Jukebox, an ongoing musical project spearheaded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, who takes contemporary pop and rock tunes and fashions new arrangements for them that cast them in an unpredictable variety of musical styles from the past.

Born on Long Island, Bradlee relocated to New York City after studying jazz at the University of Hartford. While playing gigs at restaurants and nightclubs in New York City, Bradlee began experimenting with ragtime and jazz arrangements of pop tunes from the '80s, and he recorded several self-released digital albums of his offbeat versions of well-known melodies, as well as performances that interpolated seemingly dissimilar songs of different eras. Bradlee upped the ante on these experiments in 2012 with an album called A Motown Tribute to Nickelback, but as he began imagining a new platform for his experiments, he thought of YouTube, where he had been posting solo performance videos since 2009. In 2013, Bradlee began posting weekly videos in which he and a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists performed a new song each week, recorded live in a single take in Bradlee's living room. In September 2013, Bradlee posted his '50s-style reimagining of Cyrus' "We Can't Stop," and the clip soon went viral, racking up over four million views in less than two months and topping 14 million two years later.

Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox channel was soon racking up Internet successes on a regular basis, and Bradlee continued to release both videos and albums based on his playful fun-house covers of popular songs. By 2015, Bradlee had made over 130 Postmodern Jukebox clips available online, and he and his crew were taking the show on the road, touring in North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Bradlee was quite prolific in 2016, with the release of several albums including PMJ and Chill and Swing the Vote! ~ Mark Deming

Fake Blues

Charlie Byrd - Jazz Recital

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:05
Size: 73.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1957/2009
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Prelude
[3:37] 2. My Funny Valentine
[3:45] 3. Little Girl Blue
[3:17] 4. My Heart Stood Still
[1:32] 5. Interlude
[3:06] 6. Spring Is Here
[3:36] 7. A Foggy Day
[2:15] 8. Spanish Guitar Blues
[4:07] 9. Chuck A Tuck
[3:43] 10. Homage To Charlie Christian

Bass – Al Lucas, Drums – Bobby Donaldson, Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Tom Newsom, Guitar – Charlie Byrd.

Tasteful, low-key, and ingratiatingly melodic, Charlie Byrd had two notable accomplishments to his credit -- applying acoustic classical guitar techniques to jazz and popular music and helping to introduce Brazilian music to mass North American audiences. Born into a musical family, Byrd experienced his first brush with greatness while a teenager in France during World War II, playing with his idol Django Reinhardt. After some postwar gigs with Sol Yaged, Joe Marsala and Freddie Slack, Byrd temporarily abandoned jazz to study classical guitar with Sophocles Papas in 1950 and Andrés Segovia in 1954. However he re-emerged later in the decade gigging around the Washington D.C. area in jazz settings, often splitting his sets into distinct jazz and classical segments. He started recording for Savoy as a leader in 1957, and also recorded with the Woody Herman Band in 1958-59. A tour of South America under the aegis of the U.S. State Department in 1961, proved to be a revelation, for it was in Brazil that Byrd discovered the emerging bossa nova movement. Once back in D.C., he played some bossa nova tapes to Stan Getz, who then convinced Verve's Creed Taylor to record an album of Brazilian music with himself and Byrd. That album, Jazz Samba, became a pop hit in 1962 on the strength of the single "Desafinado" and launched the bossa nova wave in North America. Thanks to the bossa nova, several albums for Riverside followed, including the defining Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros, and he was able to land a major contract with Columbia, though the records from that association often consisted of watered-down easy listening pop. In 1973, he formed the group Great Guitars with Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel and also that year, wrote an instruction manual for the guitar that has become widely used. From 1974 onward, Byrd recorded for the Concord Jazz label in a variety of settings, including sessions with Laurindo Almeida and Bud Shank. He died December 2, 1999 after a long bout with cancer. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Jazz Recital

Joe Pass, Tommy Gumina Trio - Sound Project

Styles: Guitar And Accordion Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:44
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. My Shining Hour
(3:56)  2. My Ship
(3:42)  3. Once In A While
(2:32)  4. Cavaquino
(3:33)  5. Wee Small Hours
(4:16)  6. Secret Love
(5:02)  7. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(3:31)  8. When You Wish Upon A Star
(6:07)  9. About Time
(3:35) 10. Will You Give Me These
(5:07) 11. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry

Sound Project is an album by jazz guitarist Joe Pass, released in 1987. 
It is a collaboration with Tommy Gumina, the creator of Polytone guitar amplifiers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Project

Personnel:  Joe Pass – guitar;  Tommy Gumina – accordion;  Jimmie Smith – drums

Sound Project

Erin Bode - Photograph

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:01
Size: 111,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. The Mountain
(3:11)  2. Heart of Mine
(4:31)  3. To Lose
(4:47)  4. Stephanie Moore
(4:08)  5. November
(4:20)  6. The Letter
(4:29)  7. Joseph
(5:27)  8. Photograph
(4:08)  9. Beating on the Door
(4:03) 10. Telescope
(3:45) 11. Wise Man

Vocalist Erin Bode's debut, Don't Take Your Time (MAXJAZZ, 2001), showcased her abilities to coat jazz singing with a user-friendly, pop-oriented patina, but subsequent albums have taken her farther afield from the world of straightforward jazz vocals. Bode showed early promise as a singer/songwriter, with the title track on her debut release, and she's made good on that promise on Over And Over (MAXJAZZ, 2006) and The Little Garden (Native Language, 2008). Both of those albums put strong emphasis on Bode-as-writer, with the latter leaning toward a folk-based sound sporting modern production values, and she continues that trend with Photograph. Her original compositions resemble prior works in some ways, but Bode uses far different instrumental textures to deliver some of this material. Occasional songs, like "Joseph" and the album-closing "Wise Man," sound like they could be carryovers from The Little Garden sessions, but those tracks are the exception, not the rule. The biggest game-changer, in terms of sound, comes in the form of the DX7. Yamaha unveiled this synthesizer in the early '80s, and the sound of this machine came to epitomize the direction of many a pop artist during that era. Multi-instrumentalist Adam Maness Bode's prime collaborator and co-writer on all eleven tracks adds this instrument to his arsenal on three tunes, lending them a retro-'80s pop sheen. Bode fans who have enjoyed soaking in the earthy elements of her prior albums might not take to the slightly sugary "Heart Of Mine" or "Stephanie Moore," but the DX7 doesn't dominate the entire album, and it provides some complementary additions to "Beating On The Door." At other times, Bode strikes a balance between Nanci Griffith and Lisa Loeb ("Wise Man"), and shows Paul Simon-esque compositional savvy on "The Letter," where Adam Maness acts as a sound architect, his marimba and guitar work at the core of the group sound. Bode's voice is an emotionally resonant instrument of beauty on "November," and Maness is a masterful accompanist, cushioning Bode's voice with guitar and a bed of subtle synthesizer sounds. While this album is the least jazz-oriented production of Bode's career, her celestial vocals remain a draw in any genre and she hits quite a few along the way on Photograph. ~ Dan Bilaswsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/photograph-erin-bode-self-produced-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Erin Bode: vocals, whistle; Adam Maness: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, marimba, glockenspiel, DX7, synthesizers, accordion, road case, 750 piece 'Christmas Magic' puzzle, electric piano, phone; Syd Rodway: acoustic bass, banjo, electric bass, whistle, acoustic guitar, background vocals; Mark Colenburg: drums and percussion (1, 11); Jimmy Griffin: electric guitar (2, 4); Derek Phillips: drums and percussion (2-4, 6-9, 10); Seamus Blake: saxophone (4); Chris Hobson: hand claps (9), background vocals (6-7, 11).

Photograph

Ramsey Lewis - Fantasy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:01
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. This Ain't No Fantasy
(4:01)  2. Ram Jam
(4:28)  3. It's Gonna Change
(3:43)  4. Les Clefs De Mon Coeur (The Keys To My Heart)
(4:13)  5. Victim Of A Broken Heart
(4:16)  6. Slow Dancin'
(4:58)  7. Never Give Up
(4:34)  8. Part Of Me
(5:29)  9. The Quest

Pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis has been a major figure in contemporary jazz since the late '50s, playing music with a warm, open personality that's allowed him to cross over to the pop and R&B charts. Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 27, 1935, and was introduced to music by his father, who directed the choir at a local church and enjoyed the music of Duke Ellington and Art Tatum. Lewis began studying the piano when he was four years old, and was soon accompanying the choir at Sunday services. At the age of 15, he joined a jazz combo called the Cleffs, who played at parties and dances. Lewis was interested in a leaner, more bebop-oriented sound, and when the group splintered after several members joined the military, he formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with two other former Cleffs, bassist Eldee Young and percussionist Redd Holt. The trio became a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene, and they were signed to a deal with Chess Records, releasing their first album, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Jazz, in 1956.  Lewis and his trio continued to record and tour steadily over the years, building a sizable audience among jazz fans, but their career received a serious boost in 1965, when they recorded a swinging version of Dobie Gray's hit "The In Crowd" at a gig in Washington, D.C. Chess released the track as a single, and it became a sizable pop hit, earning Lewis his first gold record, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. As Lewis' star rose, he returned to the pop charts in 1966 with versions of "Hang on Sloopy" and "Wade in the Water." Meanwhile, Young and Holt left Lewis' trio to form their own group, Young-Holt Unlimited, and the pianist hired a new rhythm section, Cleveland Eaton on bass and Maurice White on drums. n 1970, White resigned to form his own group, and Morris Jennings signed on as the trio's new percussionist. Lewis continued to record for Chess until 1972, when he moved to Columbia Records, and as his music developed a more contemporary groove, White's group, Earth, Wind & Fire (also on Columbia), was beginning to enjoy considerable success on the R&B charts. White produced Lewis' 1974 album, Sun Goddess, in which he experimented with electronic keyboards for the first time, and several members of EWF played on the sessions; it became a major crossover hit and took Lewis to the upper ranks of the smooth jazz/fusion scene. Lewis would record R&B-influenced material through the '70s, but continued to explore his roots in more traditional jazz sounds as well as Latin rhythms. In 1983, he went into the studio with Eldee Young and Redd Holt for the album Reunion; in 1984, he collaborated with Nancy Wilson on The Two of Us; in 1988, he recorded with London's Philharmonia Orchestra for the album A Classic Encounter, and in 1989, Lewis and Dr. Billy Taylor cut a set of piano duets, We Meet Again.

In 1992, Lewis signed with the successful jazz label GRP Records, and in 1995, he launched the side project Urban Knights, in which he collaborated with a handful of successful crossover jazz stars, including Grover Washington, Jr., Earl Klugh, and Dave Koz. In 1997, Lewis added disc jockey to his résumé, hosting a popular show on Chicago's WNUA-FM that ran until 2009; the show went into syndication in 2006 under the name Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, and is still on the air. In 2005, Lewis looked back on his roots in gospel music with the album With One Voice, which earned him the Stellar Gospel Music Award for Best Gospel Instrumental Album. In 2007, he was commissioned to write a jazz ballet for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and "To Know Her..." debuted at Highland Park, Illinois' Ravina Music Festival, where Lewis is artistic director of the festival's jazz series, and helped found their Jazz Mentor Program. Lewis has also written several pieces for string ensemble and orchestra that have premiered at Ravina; highlights were featured on the 2009 album Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey, his first release from Concord Records. In addition to his work as a performer, composer, educator, and disc jockey, Lewis has received five honorary doctorate degrees, won the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Master Award in 2007, and is one of the few noted jazz artists to carry the Olympic Torch, having briefly escorted the flame as it passed through Chicago en route to the 2002 Winter Games. In 2011, he delivered Taking Another Look, a reworking of his classic 1974 electric jazz-funk album Sun Goddess. The album was reissued in a deluxe package with bonus tracks in 2015. Two years later, Lewis was a featured guest on pianist Alan Storeygard's trio album New Directions. ~ Mark Deming https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ramsey-lewis-mn0000334770/biography

Personnel: Ramsey Lewis (piano, keyboards).       

Fantasy

Jan Garbarek, Bobo Stenson Quartet - Dansere

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:10
Size: 88,5 MB
Art: Front

(15:02)  1. Dansere
( 4:55)  2. Svevende
( 6:13)  3. Bris
( 1:34)  4. Skrik & Hyl
( 5:38)  5. Lokk (Etter Thorvald Tronsgard)
( 4:46)  6. Til Vennene

Among the many stylistic twists and turns negotiated by Jan Garbarek early in his career, the subtle shift in direction from the previous, spectacular Witchi-Tai-To to Dansere was probably the most decisive. In fact, Dansere, recorded in 1975, was one of the first examples of what would come to be known as the "ECM sound," not so much for the usual crystalline recording quality but for a creeping, languidly pastoral sensibility that would become more and more prominent both in Garbarek's own work as well as in the label's releases in general. Still, that granola and Birkenstock aura is subdued enough in this album to grudgingly recommend it to fans of his earlier work. Bassist Palle Danielsson, while less angular and experimental than Arild Andersen, provides a solid and propulsive foundation for Garbarek and Stenson, the former tending to increasingly rein in his playing as the influence of Albert Ayler, so prominent in his first albums, continued to wane. Instead, one can hear traces of Keith Jarrett, with whom Garbarek had recently been working and, indeed, much of Dansere compares favorably with Jarrett's quartet work from around the same time. Fans of his subsequent work with the Hilliard Ensemble might find this relatively tough sledding while lovers of albums like Tryptikon could well hear excessive smoothness, but it stands up decently enough on its own merits. ~ Brian Olewnick https://www.allmusic.com/album/dansere-mw0000197829

Personnel:  Jan Garbarek – saxophones;  Bobo Stenson – piano;  Palle Danielsson – bass;  Jon Christensen – drums       

Dansere

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Clifford Lamb - Brothers & Sisters

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:34
Size: 58.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:54] 1. Hold The Line
[5:13] 2. Brothers & Sisters
[5:41] 3. What's Going On
[4:48] 4. Red & Blue
[2:43] 5. Fair Weather
[3:13] 6. Kamala's Dance

On Brothers & Sisters, Clifford Lamb builds upon his previous release to further bridge the several streams that flow together in his music: his work as a composer; his flair for arranging music written by others; his abilities as an improvising pianist, working with first-rank collaborators; and his desire to incorporate newer developments into a style and career steeped in the jazz tradition. Add in a concern with matters of fairness and justice, and that’s a lot to pack into 25 minutes. Yet this set feels neither rushed or overstuffed – a testament to the purpose and command at the heart of these songs.

Take the title track, for example. Although inspired by recent events – a political campaign that has exposed the deep divisions in American life – it in fact could have sprung from pretty much any epoch in the history of man. Spanish-born vocalist Laura Vall (of the indie pop band The Controversy) provides the ethereal introduction, aided by Cindy Blackman Santana’s shimmering cymbal work. Then Lamb and the legendary bassist Buster Williams fill out the groove, setting the stage for poet Chaim Dunbar to remind listeners of a message that always needs restating: “Unaware of our family ties,” raps Dunbar, “we become complicit in our own demise.” Adds Lamb: “It reflects the urgency I feel about what’s going on in the world, politically and socioeconomically, along with my feeling about how people should ideally be getting along. We’re all the same, and we should address each other as human beings first.”

Brothers & Sisters is the second of Lamb’s “cameo collections,” short albums of six or seven tracks that present a digital-age version of the vinyl era’s EP (Extended Play) discs. These allow Lamb to follow the lead of hip-hop and pop artists who – unburdened by the directive to complete a full-length album for each release – can intensify the relevance of their music by shrinking the gap between creation and consumption. As with the previous release Bridges, Lamb recorded direct to two-track, with no post-production tweaks to amend what took place in the studio. What you hear is what they played.

Brothers & Sisters

Barb Gordon - Eight To The Bar

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:00
Size: 73.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Just One Kiss
[4:29] 2. One Note Samba
[4:46] 3. Misty
[5:13] 4. Popsicle Toes
[4:03] 5. My Favourite Things
[3:30] 6. Lullaby Of Birdland
[4:45] 7. Second Time Around
[2:15] 8. Twisted

Barb Gordon's smoky, deep and lilting sound sets her apart from other vocalists. Known and loved for her energy and obvious love of her craft, she is one of the most exciting and entertaining performers to hit the Toronto jazz scene in years. An old soul with a fresh style, Barb channels a wide range of artists, including Billie Holiday, Betty Carter, Joan Armatrading, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, and Blossom Dearie in her renditions of beloved standards and lesser-known gems. Her sound and delivery, however, are characterized by Barb's distinctive interpretations and contagious enthusiasm for the music.

Her first album, “Eight to the Bar," received positive reviews and grew Barb's fan base around the world. Her recent release, “For the Record,” was produced by acclaimed Toronto musician/writer/producer Michael Maxwell, and engineered by Jeff Wolpert. Joining Barb is a brilliant rhythm section including the electric Adrean Farrugia on piano, Mark Cashion on bass and Ted Warren on drums; along with an amazing lineup of Canada's finest musicians on the guitars, strings and horns.

Eight To The Bar

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Going Places !!!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:49
Size: 68.3 MB
Styles: AM Pop, Easy Listening
Year: 1965/2016
Art: Front

[2:05] 1. Tijuana Taxi
[2:10] 2. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[2:45] 3. More And More Amor
[2:07] 4. Spanish Flea
[2:27] 5. Mae
[2:33] 6. 3rd Man Theme
[1:46] 7. Walk, Don't Run
[2:45] 8. Felicia
[2:37] 9. And The Angels Sing
[2:16] 10. Cinco De Mayo
[1:48] 11. A Walk In The Black Forest
[4:25] 12. Zorba The Greek

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass were rolling right down the middle of the American pop scene like a locomotive in 1966 -- and this album captures them at the peak of their exuberance. By now, there really was a live, touring edition of the Tijuana Brass, and there was an easily identifiable TJB sound, with its strummed Latin American guitars, twin trumpet leads, delicate marimba or vibes (played by Julius Wechter of Baja Marimba Band fame in the studio), and strong grooves rooted in Latin American music, jazz, and rock. Alpert's family of sidemen and composers were busy generating their own catchy hits, like Wechter's deadly, infectious "Spanish Flea," and the tragically short-lived Ervan Coleman's wonderfully goofy "Tijuana Taxi." The bossman's trumpet could be joyous, mocking, and melancholy in turns, and his choices of tunes totally unpredictable; who else would dare juxtapose "The 3rd Man Theme," "Walk, Don't Run," "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," and "Zorba the Greek" on one record? No other TJB record has as much unbuttoned fun and humor as this one -- and not surprisingly, it spent six weeks at number one in 1966. ~Richard S. Ginnell

Going Places !!!

Laurence Hobgood - Left To My Own Devices

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 135.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:35] 1. It Could Happen To You
[7:01] 2. The Heather On The Hill
[4:09] 3. Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me
[2:40] 4. Panonica
[7:35] 5. The Waltz
[5:07] 6. Say It (Over And Over Again)
[4:53] 7. Goin' Back To Joes
[4:01] 8. The Vocal Tune
[5:41] 9. Witchcraft
[3:59] 10. Cycle
[4:29] 11. The Masquerade Is Over
[4:21] 12. The Inconstant Lover
[2:46] 13. Lovesick Blues

For Laurence Hobgood's debut recording as a leader, he has chosen the solo piano format. It's a challenge for the most skilled of performers, but for the clearly brilliant Hobgood, it all seems as pure and natural as the driven snow of his native Chicago. Ideas easily tumble forth, rearrangements of standards sound renewed and revived, while the original material he plays is infused with a playful intensity and in many instances classical quality. His regular running mate vocalist Kurt Elling appears on four selections as crooner, wise man or surreal romantic soothsayer. Meanwhile it is Hobgood, as impressive a player as there is anywhere, who commands total attention. "It Could Happen to You" is usually played introspectively, but Hobgood infuses it with a buzzing, hyperactive, and minimalist deconstruction, astounding on all levels. Brittle phrases stopped and started, then furiously improvised, is the hallmark for Thelonious Monk's "Panonica," and he does fellow Chicagoan Ed Peterson's "The Vocal Tune" (it's an instrumental) with a kinetic bounce and truly amazing technique. Not completely bent on pyrotechnics, the pianist uses a lean, horse loping bluesy pace for "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me," employs tiny and tender arpeggiated stair step chords for Lerner & Lowe's "The Heather on the Hill," is patient and pristine during "Say It" (Over & Over Again), is reverent and hymnal on "The Inconstant Lover," goes baroque on the David Onderdonk waltz "Cycle," and is spooky and dark for "Witchcraft." The songs with Elling range from a pensive "The Waltz," the classic barroom theme "Goin' Back to Joe's," two-chord song of finality "The Masquerade Is Over," and the straight boogie "Lovesick Blues" with Elling's purposefully strained and campy whine. A solid, complete, and whole project fully realized and executed, it's great to hear Hobgood with and without his bossman Elling, and more so an auspicious debut that should be sought by all fans of contemporary jazz piano. ~Michael G. Nastos

Left To My Own Devices

Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie - Jazz Maturity

Styles: Trumpet And Piano Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:31
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:03)  1. Quasi-Boogaloo
( 8:08)  2. Take The A Train
( 7:56)  3. I Cried For You (Now It's Your Turn To Cry Over Me)
(11:21)  4. Drebirks
( 6:20)  5. When It's Happy Time Down South
( 6:41)  6. Indiana

Teaming together Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge should result in some classic music, but by 1975, Eldridge (although still a fierce competitor) was past his prime and Gillespie was starting to fade. The material performed for this CD reissue is just not all that inspiring a few overly played standards and blues. Despite some good efforts by Gillespie and Eldridge, pianist Oscar Peterson easily emerges as the most impressive soloist; better to acquire the magnificent collaborations of the 1950s instead. 
~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-maturitywhere-its-coming-from-mw0000651159

Personnel: Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Oscar Peterson (piano); Ray Brown (bass); Mickey Roker (drums)               

Jazz Maturity

Clare Teal - The Road Less Travelled

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:19
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Dream
(3:31)  2. So Blue
(3:36)  3. The Road Less Travelled
(3:35)  4. Blue Skies
(4:03)  5. Something I Dreamed Last Night
(4:07)  6. Miss Otis Regrets
(4:09)  7. Out Of Nowhere
(4:00)  8. Velvet Moon
(3:22)  9. This Time The Dream's On Me
(3:21) 10. Change Partners
(3:42) 11. What A Diff'rence A Day Makes
(4:39) 12. Madrugada
(3:46) 13. Teach Me Tonight
(3:04) 14. I'm Beginning To See The Light

Except for the duet with Jamie Cullum on the title track and the delicately yodelled country ballad So Blue, these are mostly American Songbook standards in 14 selections for British singer Clare Teal's third album. Though the opening of the duet makes Cullum sound as if he is wrestling for a lower register he doesn't have, the song becomes exhilarating, and confirms the velvety softness and triumphant power that makes Teal a little different from all the other low-volume singers that frequent this neck of the jazz woods. This album has a lot of bounce for a retro set, aided by a lively band playing Martin Litton's bright and propulsive arrangements. Teal is an inventive scat singer; her handling of slow material has a smoky sensuality coupled with a full, luxurious sound that never loses its richness. The arrangements offset the familiarity of the material, and the singer even casts a fresh eye over jazz samba with her restrained account of Mandrugada. A bit too much like dinner jazz for some, but made with skilful devotion. 
~ John Fordham https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/oct/31/jazz.shopping

The Road Less Travelled

Etypejazz - Under The Influence

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. Do you want to know a secret
(5:32)  2. I've Got You Under My Skin
(2:30)  3. Wives + Lovers
(2:30)  4. Agua de Beber
(5:55)  5. Play Me
(3:33)  6. Shout to The Top
(3:23)  7. How Deep Is Your Love
(3:50)  8. Fragile
(4:33)  9. Let's Stay together
(2:33) 10. You Are The Sunshine of My Life
(4:41) 11. No Aphrodisiac
(5:07) 12. Blue Eyes
(2:58) 13. Copacabana
(1:37) 14. S'Wonderful

Australian Live Music Awards winners - Etype, is one of Australia's hottest commercial, contemporary bands, performing smooth Jazz, Blues and Swingin' Soul. Imagine a late night dinner party jam session with James Brown, Joss Stone, The Brand New Heavies, Dionne Warwick and Michael Buble. Etype perform a mix of original and uniquely arranged songs. The band has performed frontline for international greats, such as Harry Connick Jr, Sir Cliff Richards, George Benson and Rod Stewart. Shows vary from intimate audiences of 50 people up to over 800 audience. Festival and support performances have seen the band perform for audiences of up to 35,000 people in Australia, and up to 1600 people in the United States Under the Influence buy CD music. "Every so often some new talents emerge, destined to do great things Under the Influence CD music. Such is the case with Etype Under the Influence album for sale. 

They have a healthy instinct to provide the right kind of musical material to the audiences, that is key to their success Under the Influence songs. I wholeheartedly support them and wish them a well-deserved bright and successful future.".  https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7755211

Under The Influence

Joachim Kühn - Free Ibiza

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:54
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:17)  1. Figuertas
(4:06)  2. Mar Y Sal Nights
(2:11)  3. Casa Nuestro
(3:25)  4. Flamingos At Cap Des Falco
(3:58)  5. Can Masia
(2:46)  6. Free Ibiza Afternoon
(3:25)  7. Es Cavallet
(4:30)  8. August In Ibiza
(2:44)  9. Talamanca
(2:42) 10. Free Ibiza Night
(4:26) 11. Clean Vision
(6:30) 12. Benirras
(3:38) 13. Free Ibiza Early Morning
(3:58) 14. Salinas Waves
(2:33) 15. Eirissa
(3:37) 16. Moment Of Happiness

Like the spectacular bouffant hairstyle he s sported since the 1970s, pianist Joachim Kuhn s music is at home in two, generally discrete traditions: intellectually rigorous, harmonically complex, longhair conservatoire music and a less cerebral strand of world jazz driven by vamps and grooves. ~ All Music Guide  https://www.amazon.com/Free-Ibiza-Joachim-Kuhn/dp/B005IQXTRC

Personnel: Joachim Kühn (piano).            

Free Ibiza