Jesper Thilo, Jake Hanna - Jesper Thilo Meets Jake Hanna

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:09
Size: 149.1 MB
Styles: Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[ 7:00] 1. Montmartre Blues Up
[10:54] 2. Nancy
[10:05] 3. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
[ 5:37] 4. In A Sentimental Mood
[ 8:41] 5. China Boy
[10:40] 6. I Can't Get Started
[ 5:38] 7. Somebody Loves Me
[ 6:31] 8. Billies Bounce

One of the top European straight-ahead jazz musicians from 1970 onward, Danish reedman Jesper Thilo has appeared on many records with American artists in addition to recording with his fellow countrymen. His tenor sound is reminiscent of Zoot Sims. Thilo, who has also occasionally played alto and clarinet, first recorded as a leader for Storyville in 1973, and in the 1980s and 1990s on Storyville his sidemen at various times included Hank Jones, Kenny Drew, Clark Terry, Roland Hanna, and Harry "Sweets" Edison. Thilo also appeared on Miles Davis' Aura (with compositions and arrangements by fellow Dane Palle Mikkelborg), released by Columbia in 1989. After the turn of the millennium Thilo has continued recording for a variety of labels, including several releases on Stunt Records: Remembering Those That Were (2009), On Clarinet (2010), and Scott Hamilton Meets Jesper Thilo (2011). ~ Scott Yanow

A superior drummer equally at ease driving a big band or playing in small mainstream combos, Jake Hanna was a strong asset to a countless number of sessions. He started out playing locally in Boston and worked with Toshiko Akiyoshi (1957), Maynard Ferguson (1958), as the house drummer at Storyville in Boston, with Marian McPartland (1959-1961), and most significantly with the Woody Herman Orchestra (1962-1964). As a studio musician, he was a regular member of the Merv Griffin television program's big band (1964-1975), moving with the show to Los Angeles (1970) where he remained. Hanna co-led a group with Carl Fontana that recorded for Concord in 1975, played with Supersax, and went on to appear on many mainstream and swing sessions, becoming a fixture at jazz parties and festivals. He recorded many dates (mostly as a sideman) for Concord. Jake Hanna died in Los Angeles on February 12, 2010; he was 78 years old. ~Scott Yanow

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Various - The Music Of Henry Mancini

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:59
Size: 100.7 MB
Styles: Stage & Screen
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Andy Williams - Moon River
[2:11] 2. Johnny Mathis - The Sweetheart Tree
[3:20] 3. Lola Albright - Dreamsville
[3:11] 4. Bobby Hackett - Theme From Peter Gunn
[1:59] 5. Buddy Greco - It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Sta Sera)
[2:53] 6. Andy Williams - Dear Heart
[2:52] 7. Don Costa And His Orchestra - Baby Elephant Walk
[2:53] 8. Charlie Byrd - Two For The Road
[2:50] 9. Patti Page - Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:19] 10. Johnny Mathis - Whistling Away The Dark
[2:30] 11. Andy Williams - Charade
[2:43] 12. Ray Conniff - Nbc Mystery Movie Theme
[2:32] 13. Bobby Hackett - Theme From Mr. Lucky
[2:14] 14. Henry Mancini - Natasha's Theme
[2:48] 15. Johnny Mathis - Darling Lili
[2:53] 16. Andy Williams - In The Arms Of Love

If the recognition of one's peers is the true measure of success, then few men are as successful as composer, arranger, and conductor Henry Mancini. In a career that spanned 40 years, writing for film and television, Mancini won four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. For 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's alone, Mancini won five Grammys and two Oscars. Breakfast at Tiffany's includes the classic "Moon River" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer), arguably one of the finest pop songs of the last 50 years. At last count, there were over 1,000 recordings of it. His other notable songs include "Dear Heart," "Days of Wine and Roses" (one Oscar, two Grammys), and "Charade," the last two with lyrics by Mercer. He also had a number one record and won a Grammy for Nino Rota's "Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet." Among his other notable film scores are The Pink Panther (three Grammys), Hatari! (one Grammy), Victor/Victoria (an Oscar), Two for the Road, Wait Until Dark, and 10. His television themes include "Peter Gunn" (two Grammys, recorded by many rock artists), "Mr. Lucky" (two Grammys), "Newhart," "Remington Steele," and The Thorn Birds television mini-series.

Mancini's heyday was the early '60s, when his score for Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) yielded the Oscar-winning hit single "Moon River," which instantly became a pop standard. The following year, he wrote the music for Days of Wine and Roses, which also won an Oscar for its title song. Throughout the next three decades, he continued to be one of the most successful film composers in the world, as well as a popular concert conductor. He continued working until his death in 1994; just prior to his demise, he was writing the score for the musical adaption of Victor/Victoria.

What kept Mancini's work fresh was his ability to write in almost any style imaginable and his successful experimentations with unusual sounds and instruments. In his 1989 memoir Did They Mention the Music?, Mancini's co-author Gene Lees wrote that "More than any other person, he Americanized film scoring, and in time even European film composers followed in his path," and that Mancini wrote scores that "contained almost as many fully developed song melodies as a Broadway musical." Had he not remained true to his first love, film scoring, Mancini would have more than likely made as large an impact on the Broadway stage as he made on the silver screen. ~Kenneth M. Cassidy

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Tamara Kuldin - Love, Longing & Lullabies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:44
Size: 86.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:48] 1. The Nearness Of You
[3:23] 2. Que Sera
[4:20] 3. Embraceable You
[4:29] 4. My Favourite Things
[3:30] 5. Smile
[3:31] 6. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
[3:10] 7. Love Me Sweet
[3:32] 8. Blackbird
[5:57] 9. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Exquisite interpretations of much loved tunes from The Sound of Music, Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, The Beatles and more. Featuring an ensemble of renowned Australian jazz musicians Sam Keevers, Julien Wilson, Craig Fermanis, Jonathan Zion and Danny Fischer, this is quite simply a beautiful, gentle and evocative album to Immerse yourself in. A music box of love, longing and lullabies.

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Christophe Monniot, Rhoda Scott, Jeff Boudreaux - Blanc Casse

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:30
Size: 113.3 MB
Styles: Hammond Organ jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. Mack The Knife
[7:33] 2. Amazing Grace
[1:32] 3. Improvisation A 2 Voix
[9:07] 4. Chameleon
[1:50] 5. Before-Over
[8:35] 6. Over The Rainbow
[7:59] 7. Blanc Cassé
[8:14] 8. Mercy Mercy Mercy

Christophe Monniot brought together the legendary barefoot organist Rhoda Scott, and drummer of the New Orleans Jeff Boudreaus to form a trio with the deep colors of soul jazz, swing, love and freedom! Hot rooms with electric and eclectic atmospheres guaranteed! A legendary organist in the jazz and gospel scene, Rhoda Scott is the outstanding guest of saxophonist Christophe Monniot for an electrifying concert.

Christophe Monniot is truly one of the most beautiful emblems of today's jazz! He jostles the genres, plays the academic with the spirit of a fiery free-thinker.

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Bill Doggett - Jazz Cafe Presents Bill Doggett

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:19
Size: 87.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. Bill's Honky Tonk
[5:17] 2. Pots A Cookin'
[4:17] 3. I Wish You Love
[5:25] 4. Dig The Thing
[4:41] 5. Dug's Pad
[2:49] 6. Midnight Sun
[7:52] 7. Flying Home
[3:56] 8. Charley's Alley

With his instrumental hit "Honky Tonk" in February 1956, Bill Doggett (born William Ballard Doggett) created one of rock's greatest instrumental tracks. Although it generated scores of offers to perform in rock & roll clubs throughout the United States, Doggett remained tied to the jazz and organ-based R&B that he had performed since the 1930s. Continuing to record for the Cincinnati-based King label until 1960, he went on to record for Warner Brothers, Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue. His last session came as a member and producer of an all-star jazz/R&B group, Bluesiana Hurricane in 1995.

Born on the north side of Philadelphia, Doggett struggled with poverty as a youngster. Although he initially dreamed of playing the trumpet, his family was unable to afford lessons. Persuaded by his mother (a church pianist), to try keyboards instead, he quickly mastered the instrument. Hailed as a child prodigy by his 13th birthday, he formed his first band, the Five Majors, at the age of 15. Performing with the Jimmy Gorman Band, the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand Theater, while still in high school, Doggett assumed leadership of the group in 1938. The experience was brief, however, as Doggett sold the orchestra to Lucky Millinder, with whom he continued to work off and on for the next four years. He made his recording debut on Millinder's tracks, "Little Old Lady From Baltimore" and "All Aboard" in 1939. Although he formed a short-lived orchestra with Benny Goodman's arranger, Jimmy Mundy, in late 1939, Doggett continued to work primarily as a sideman. Playing piano and arranging for the Ink Spots from 1942 until 1944, he went on to arrange tunes for Count Basie's band and tour and/or record with Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton. Replacing Wild Bill Davis in Louis Jordan's band, in 1947, he appeared on the influential tunes, "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "Blue Light Boogie." He made his debut as an organist during June 1951 recording sessions with Ella Fitzgerald.

Debuting his own organ-led combo at New York nightclub, the Baby Grand, in June 1952, Doggett recorded more than a dozen singles before striking gold with "Honky Tonk" four years later. A longtime resident of Long Island, New York, Doggett died on November 13, 1996, three days after suffering a heart attack. ~ Craig Harris

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Kyle Eastwood - Candid Kyle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:38
Size: 159.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. Big Noise From Winnetka
[5:48] 2. Marrakech Remix
[6:24] 3. Solferino
[3:52] 4. I Can't Remember
[5:29] 5. Song For Ruth
[6:32] 6. Metropolitain
[7:21] 7. Samba De Paris
[3:22] 8. Song For You
[6:18] 9. Andalucia
[5:46] 10. Tonic
[5:17] 11. Café Calypso
[9:47] 12. Big Noise From Winnetka-Live In Tokyo

n the 17 years since the release of From There To Here, Kyle Eastwood’s first album as a leader, the multi-talented double bassist, composer and producer has forged a dynamic musical path. His artistry is eclectic, yet refined and transcends the boundaries of jazz by exploring an ever-widening range of musical influences. While continuing to develop his parallel career as a composer and arranger on his legendary father Clint’s Oscar nominated films “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” Eastwood has reaffirmed traditions while creating truly contemporary, lyrical and melodic jazz. He has flirted with electro-jazz cool on Paris Blue (2004); delved into 70s-tinged “smooth jazz” accents and grooves on Now (2006); and gone “arty” urban chic on the subtly mixed Metropolitan (2009).

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Jo Ann Daugherty - Range Of Motion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:38
Size: 118.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:00] 1. Out Of Round
[5:48] 2. Oak Creek
[7:37] 3. Harold's Tune
[4:49] 4. Myrrh
[7:12] 5. Wmd
[5:02] 6. Pearl
[6:06] 7. Part 4, Part 2
[5:36] 8. Still
[5:24] 9. Heading Out

Jo Ann Daugherty is an excellent modern mainstream pianist. Based in Chicago and influenced a little bit by Bill Evans (although she has her own sound in general), Daugherty is also a talented composer, as witness her nine originals on this well-rounded release. The witty and circular "Out of Round" and the New Orleans parade feel of "Harold's Tune" are among the highlights. In addition to the pianist's core trio, the most impressive sideman is Mitch Paliga, particularly on soprano. Overall, this is an impressive debut and a strong step forward for Jo Ann Daugherty. ~Scott Yanow

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Gerald Lewis - Jazz Clarinet For Quiet Moments

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:16
Size: 108.2 MB
Styles: Clarinet jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Deep Purple
[4:13] 2. Portrait Of Jennie
[5:50] 3. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
[6:25] 4. You Are Too Beautiful
[2:37] 5. Time After Time
[4:47] 6. Tis Autumn
[4:21] 7. Lucky To Be Me
[4:15] 8. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[3:20] 9. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[3:32] 10. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[3:45] 11. Lazy River

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Blue Note All Stars - Our Point Of View

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 90:28
Size: 207.1 MB
Styles: Post bop, Jazz-funk, Electric jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[ 1:31] 1. Bruce’s Vibe
[ 8:39] 2. Cycling Through Reality
[ 9:01] 3. Meanings
[ 4:22] 4. Henya
[17:41] 5. Witch Hunt
[ 5:39] 6. Second Light
[ 9:23] 7. Masquelero
[13:40] 8. Bayyinah
[ 7:05] 9. Message Of Hope
[10:57] 10. Freedom Dance
[ 2:23] 11. Bruce, The Last Dinosaur

The creative young voices of Jazz have been the lifeblood of Blue Note Records throughout its storied history, from Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock to Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson, all of whom made their debut albums for the legendary label. The Blue Note All-Stars continue that legacy with the release of Our Point of View, the debut recording from a supergroup of young visionaries that formed in 2014 for a series of live performances in honor of Blue Note’s 75th anniversary. Featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, the album also boasts a special guest appearance by Blue Note legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, and is dedicated to the memory of beloved longtime Blue Note President Bruce Lundvall, who passed away in 2015.

The song list includes originals by each of the band members, including two elegies for Lundvall which open and close the album, as well as two renderings of Shorter compositions: an expansive version of “Witch Hunt,” from Shorter’s 1965 Blue Note classic Speak No Evil, and a stunning performance of “Masquelero” on which the sextet is augmented by Shorter and Hancock.

“This is a band of open-minded, versatile musicians who are getting together for the love of the music. That can only equal great things,” says Glasper who co-produced the album with current Blue Note President Don Was. “The music itself should reflect the time period you’re in. We all love the history of the music. We’re infatuated with the history of jazz, but none of us are held back by the history of jazz. I feel like we’re all making our own history now.”

“It’s pushing the threshold in trying to do the next thing and not looking back,” Was adds. “That to me epitomizes what Blue Note is all about.”

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Shirley Horn Trio - A Lazy Afternoon

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:02

Size: 96.2 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz, Standards

Year: 1978/1986/2014

Art: Front

[2:41] 1. I'm Old Fashioned

[6:13] 2. There's No You

[2:48] 3. New York's My Home

[6:11] 4. Why Did I Choose You

[2:57] 5. Take A Little Time To Smile

[4:51] 6. A Lazy Afternoon

[9:54] 7. Gentle Rain

[3:08] 8. Gra'ma's Hands

[3:15] 9. I'll Go My Way By Myself

One of a series of recordings that helped Shirley Horn relaunch her career after taking time off to raise her daughter, A Lazy Afternoon is a fine studio set with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart. An always effective vocalist who provided her own top-notch accompaniment on piano, Horn's almost conversational style of singing works very well whether she is swinging an oldie like "I'm Old Fashioned" or delivering a lush, infectious interpretation of a ballad like "A Lazy Afternoon." In addition to well-known material, she uncovers lost gems like Gordon Jenkins' "New York's My Home" (delivered in a narrative-like style that has a funky flavor) and Peggy Lee's neglected swinging song "Take a Little Time to Smile." The one instrumental is an extended workout of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Gentle Rain." If there's a weak track on the date, it is Bill Withers' "Gra'ma's Hands," as even her best effort at casting it in a slow blues-gospel arrangement doesn't overcome the repetitious nature of the composition, a frequent problem with adapting Withers' work into a jazz setting. ~Ken Dryden

A Lazy Afternoon     

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Denny Christianson, Jan Jarczyk - Goin' Places

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:13
Size: 153.9 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[7:01] 1. Sugar Toes
[7:59] 2. There Is Always Time
[7:32] 3. Goin' Places
[7:47] 4. Isn't She
[2:24] 5. His Piano Piece
[2:59] 6. Her Piano Piece
[8:06] 7. Spatial Effects
[6:26] 8. Music For
[7:17] 9. Arlequin
[9:37] 10. To And Fro

About Denny Christianson: Trumpet, flugelhorn, bandleader. Canadian trumpeter and bandleader, part of their current crop of hard bop, swing and big band players gaining some attention in America. His big band made two recordings featuring guest star Pepper Adams in late '80s. ~ Ron Wynn

About Jan Jarczyk: Pianist and composer Jan Jarczyk was born in Cracow, Poland in 1947. Naturalized American and Canadian, while retaining his Polish nationality. Jan Jarczyk was recognized as an eminent pedagogue to generations of jazzmen in North America. Jan Jarczyk first received classical training at the Music Academy in Cracow. Performing concerti as a soloist, he also obtained a master in composition . Pioneer of the jazz scene, he became a prominent figure and performed in festivals such as Jazz nad Odrą, Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw and Summer Jazz Festival in Krakow. He relocated to North America in 1977, first moving to Boston, where he was invited to join the faculty at the Berklee College of Music, becoming the first non-american to teach harmony and composition. After meeting his wife from Montreal, he settled in 1985 and became associate professor in the jazz area of the Schulich School of Music of McGill University up until the end of his life (august 3rd 2014).

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Jackie McLean - Hat Trick

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:54
Size: 123.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[6:52] 1. Little Melonae
[7:41] 2. A Cottage For Sale
[7:47] 3. Solar
[4:32] 4. Bag's Groove
[5:25] 5. Will You Still Be Mine
[5:47] 6. Left Alone
[4:59] 7. Jackie's Hat
[6:02] 8. Sentimental Journey
[4:47] 9. Bluesnik

Veteran altoist Jackie McLean was not familiar with pianist Junko Onishi's playing until shortly before recording this quartet CD (which also includes bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Lewis Nash), but he was apparently pleased with how she sounded. Onishi's bop-oriented style (which sometimes uses more complex chord voicings) fits in well with McLean, and the results are generally memorable. Jackie McLean, one of the few hard bop stylists to embrace aspects of the avant-garde, sounds quite advanced on the straight-ahead program. His distinctive tone is unchanged from the 1960s, and he still displays all of the fire and enthusiasm he had in his early days. McLean really digs into his two durable originals ("Little Melonae" and "Bluesnik"), five standards, Mal Waldron's "Left Alone" and Onishi's "Jackie's Hat" (based on "Sweet Georgia Brown"), making this outing into something quite special. Recommended. ~Scott Yanow

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Chico Hamilton Quintet 1958-1959 - Complete Studio Sessions (2-Disc Set)

Eric Dolphy (as, fl), Dennis Budimir (g), Nate Gershman, Fred Katz (cello), Wyatt Ruther, Ralph Peña (b) Chico Hamilton (d), String Orchestra (9 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos). Recorded in Hollywood, 1958-1959

Chico Hamilton, a musician of extraordinary vision and understanding, knew the risks that small jazz bands take when they enter the so-called classical realms. So he licked the problem largely by selecting his men and materials with extreme caution and rare perspicacity. In the special talents of guitarist Dennis Budimir and cellist Nathan Gershman, the leader added two individual and skilled voices, one jazz-slanted and one classically oriented, but both highly flexible. And in Eric Dolphy, he acquired a remarkable instrumentalist whose command of horns and musical language ranged from Hodges to Parker. Dolphy was particularly outstanding in this third version of Hamiltons quintet. He thoroughly understood the disparate concepts of pitch and tone that frequently stand in the way of those who would deal with both jazz and legitimate techniques. This set is, in essence, a summation of the evolution Chico Hamiltons quintet had gone through before it reached the end of its time as a working group.

Album: Complete Studio Sessions (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:50
Size: 166.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:46] 1. Pottsville, U.S.A
[3:47] 2. Don's Delight
[2:28] 3. Andante
[2:58] 4. Fair Weather
[6:41] 5. Modes
[4:28] 6. Under Paris Skies
[3:54] 7. Something To Live For
[2:26] 8. Speak Low
[3:06] 9. Strange
[4:35] 10. Close Your Eyes
[2:08] 11. Ev'rything I've Got
[2:56] 12. Long Ago (And Far Away)
[4:37] 13. I Gave My Love A Cherry
[3:03] 14. Beyond The Blue Horizon
[5:03] 15. Nature By Emerson
[2:56] 16. Tuesday At Two
[4:46] 17. Gongs East
[4:02] 18. Far East
[3:01] 19. Good Grief, Dennis

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Album: Complete Studio Sessions (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:43
Size: 118.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. Passion Flower
[3:59] 2. Where I Live
[1:41] 3. Opening
[3:10] 4. Truth
[2:56] 5. Fat Mouth
[2:43] 6. Theme For A Starlet
[1:45] 7. Little Lost Bear
[2:30] 8. Champs Elysees
[1:51] 9. Pretty Little Theme
[3:20] 10. Lost In The Night
[3:21] 11. Frou Frou
[3:02] 12. Lullaby For Dreamers
[2:34] 13. Cawn Pawn
[2:41] 14. Lady E
[5:52] 15. More Than You Know
[4:36] 16. Newport News
[2:15] 17. Miss Movement

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Mario Pavone - Street Songs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:05
Size: 123.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Avant garde
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. Elkna
[3:27] 2. Streetsongs
[4:42] 3. Cobalt Stories
[4:17] 4. Short Story
[7:26] 5. Alban Berg
[8:43] 6. Mythos
[8:11] 7. The Dom
[6:04] 8. Deez
[5:59] 9. Eyto

Mario Pavone: bass; Dave Ballou: cornet,flugelhorn; Peter Madsen: piano; Adam Matlock: accordion; Carl Testa; bass; Steve Johns: drums.

Listing an accordion in a jazz sextet's lineup evokes either thoughts of avant-garde leanings or maybe kitschy hipsterism. Not so for bassist Mario Pavone. Street Songs includes Adam Matlock's bellows-driven squeezebox, not as a gimcrack ornament, but a link to the immigrant working class neighborhood music of Pavone's post-WW II youth. The musician's history is significant because his bass has anchored modern music including bands by innovators such as Paul Bley, Bill Dixon, Thomas Chapin, Anthony Braxton, and Wadada Leo Smith. As a leader he has released two dozen sessions with his previous being Arc Trio (Playscape, 2013). Pavone also leads his Orange Double Tenor sextet with Tony Malaby and Jimmy Greene.

This sextet swaps the tenors for a second bassist, Carl Testa, and accordionist. The remainder of the bandmates are his frequent collaborators, drummer Steve Johns, pianist Peter Madsen, and trumpeter Dave Ballou. As customary for Pavone-led groups, the music contains compelling compositions by the bassist and smart arrangements, the duties shared by Pavone, Ballou, and Steven Bernstein.

He navigates the opening track "Elkna" with a marching tone. Muted trumpet plays off the deep tones and tight bends of the piece. Matlock's accordion parades with the bass allowing for Madsen's Monk-like notes to spill forth. Pavone favors an intricate weave to his music with tight turns on "Streetsong," a sly and squiggly dance between players "Cobalt Stories," but also an urbane sense of swing, "Alban Berg." Ballou's horn completes the music here with crystal notes, gutbucket blats, and skittering waterbug expressions. The accordion flavors the music by separating the bowed bass of Testa from the plucked one of Pavone on "Deez." Its bellowed sounds make even the most cosmopolitan arrangements seem at home in the old neighborhood. ~Mark Corroto

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Etta Jones - Something Nice (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:35
Size: 83.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. Through A Long And Sleepless Night
[2:49] 2. My Heart Tells Me
[3:58] 3. That's All There Is To That
[3:12] 4. I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:06] 5. Till There Was You
[3:40] 6. Love Is The Thing
[3:38] 7. Maybe You'll Be There
[2:42] 8. Almost Like Being In Love
[4:53] 9. Easy Living
[2:34] 10. Canadian Sunset
[4:02] 11. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)

It's surprising that this recording, coming on the heels of Etta's most successful release, "Don't Go to Strangers," was so lean and mean in terms of production values. Etta's voice during her years with Prestige deserves at the very least the support of some of the era's top jazz instrumentalists if not full-scale orchestral arrangements by a Mandell or Riddle. On the other hand, she has such a natural gift that her voice can practically create the magic without benefit of lavish support. An unfamiliar song like "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" is instantly warm and accessible whereas an old chestnut like "Almost Like Being in Love" sounds so fresh a listener is apt to greet it as a new discovery. She literally redesigns melodies and reshapes the meanings of lyrics as few other singers.

Etta is the quintessential "jazz singer," every bit as deserving of the title as an Ella, Sarah or Billie. I wish that like Ella and Sarah there were more recordings of her working live with a mere back-up trio during this time, if only for some relief from the Van Gelder studio sound and for more interaction between the audience and a singer who is at her best creating "in the moment." Don't put this one ahead of "Strangers," "Lonely and Blue," or "Love Shout," but add it to the list of essentials. Any Etta Jones' recording on Prestige is five stars without a second thought. ~Samuel C.

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Organissimo - B3tles (A Soulful Tribute To The Fab Four)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:45
Size: 155.1 MB
Styles: Acid jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Taxman
[6:12] 2. Dig A Pony
[6:06] 3. And I Love Her
[5:40] 4. All You Need Is Love
[5:24] 5. Can't Buy Me Love
[5:20] 6. I Will
[6:56] 7. Dear Prudence
[4:37] 8. Come Together
[6:00] 9. The Long And Winding Road
[4:18] 10. If I Fell
[5:59] 11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
[5:59] 12. Within You Without You

Jim Alfredson; Hammond organ, Wurlitzer Electric piano; synthesizers; Lawrence Barris: guitar; Randy Marsh: drums; Bill Vits: percussion (1, 3, 5, 9, 12); Mike List: tabla (12).

Guitarist Grant Green was one of the early birds on this: turning Beatles tunes into soulful jazz workouts, with his I Want to Hold Your Hand (Blue Note, 1965), featuring Hammond organ master Larry Young on the B3, recorded a little over a year after the Fab Four's musical invasion of America. But it was mostly a jazz standards/Great American Songbook outing, with only the opener/title tune nodding to the—ultimately—most influential of pop music groups.

Now, fifty years later, Organissimo goes all in, with B3tles, a CD full of Beatles tunes in a cool, soul jazz mode. Jim Alfredson hold down the B3 chair, and adds the Wurlitzer and some synthesizer sounds to arsenal. He is joined by guitarist Lawrence Barris and drummer Randy Marsh, on a set that reinterprets these familiar tunes, sometimes injecting them with soul, sometimes taking them in unexpected directions.

The CD's cover art harkens to the cover of the Beatles first great album, their artistic breakthrough, Revolver (Capitol Records, 1966). With that it mind, the music starts fittingly with the Organissimo's version of George Harrison's "Taxman," the song that opened Revolver. Funky it is. The same for "Dig A Pony," a tune that seems made for the organ trio treatment. "Come Together"—that probably should have Chuck Berry added to Lennon McCartney tag for a songwriting credit, so you know it's got some hard-edged, Chess Records soul to it—sounds like a song the previously-mentioned Grant Green/Larry Young teaming should have tackled on a second recorded nod to the Beatles. But they couldn't have done it better or with more of a bluesy funk than Organissimo does.

"The Long And Winding Road" is lighter, more pop-ish in feel, buoyant and effervescent. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the George Harrison gem, takes things away from the soul atmosphere, slowing down the original's tempo, giving the song a beautiful, aching-in-the-bones sadness, leading into the set's closer, "Within You Without You," George Harrison's first full-on foray into Indian music. Organissimo's take is propulsive over dense drones, dense rhythms, and it sounds marvelously modern, on this outstanding and dynamic re-investigation of some classic Beatles tunes. ~Dan McClenaghan

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Esquivel - Exploring New Sounds In Stereo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:07
Size: 62.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Lounge
Year: 1959/2008
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. My Blue Heaven
[2:26] 2. Bella Mora
[3:01] 3. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
[2:43] 4. Lazy Bones
[3:28] 5. Spellbound
[2:15] 6. All Of Me
[2:33] 7. Whatchamacallit
[2:26] 8. La Ronde
[2:56] 9. My Number One Love
[2:23] 10. Third Man Theme

Exploring New Sounds in Stereo is the first of the typical Esquivel albums from which the CD compilations draw heavily. There is a lot to recommend it. "Whatchamacallit" is probably his second best-loved tune (released also as a single backed with the non-LP track, "I Feel Merely Marvelous"). The track features the ondioline, an electronic-organ-like instrument often associated with the theremin. And on Exploring New Sounds in Stereo, there is indeed theremin in Esquivel's spacy treatment of "Spellbound" (from the movie of the same name). Other highlights include the exotic "Bella Mora," the cheesy "My Number One Love," and "The 3rd Man Theme." The album also has slightly different arrangements than the monaural Exploring New Sounds in Hi-Fi. ~Tony Wilds

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Michael Kaeshammer - Tell You How I Feel

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:00
Size: 107.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Boogie woogie
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. Doodlin'
[2:39] 2. Move It On Over (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:40] 3. Sweet Georgia Brown (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:57] 4. I'll Always Love You
[4:43] 5. Sunny Side Of The Street (Feat. Danny B.)
[4:57] 6. John Brown's Body
[4:08] 7. Caravan
[4:13] 8. Jivin' With Dal (Feat. Guido Basso)
[5:36] 9. Basin Street Blues (Feat. Carol Welsman)
[3:01] 10. Airmail Special (Feat. Kevin Breit & Guido Basso)
[4:26] 11. Same Old Blues (Feat. Doug Riley & Joe Sealy)

What sort of strange, cross-cultural jazz hybrid do we have here? This twenty-one-year-old whiz kid was born in Germany, moved to Vancouver and tickles the ivories like old time stride/boogie-woogie legends Fats Waller, Pete Johnson and Meade "Lux" Lewis! The eleven tracks on Tell You How I Feel, Michael's second release, run the stylistic gamut from Horace Silver (Doodlin'), Duke Ellington (Caravan), Benny Goodman (Airmail Special), to country legend Hank Williams (Move It On Over). Michael has enlisted the aid of some top-notch sidemen for this project. Guido Basso (trumpet), Doug Riley (organ), Phil Dwyer (saxophone) and Carol Welsman (vocals) all contribute Class-A accompaniment throughout the set. A pair of Kaeshammer originals, I'll Always Love You and the barrelhouse swing of Jivin' With Dal, show that this lad is not only a fleet-fingered pianist, but a talented composer as well. Tell You How I Feel captures the sheer joy of a maturing artist gleefully st! rutting his stuff. This one is a lot of fun. ~John Sharpe

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LaVern Baker - Blues Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:41
Size: 63.4 MB
Styles: Blues vocals
Year: 1960/2005
Art: Front

[2:33] 1. I Cried A Tear
[2:37] 2. If You Love Me
[2:14] 3. You're Teasing Me
[1:54] 4. Love Me Right
[1:50] 5. Dix-A-Billy
[2:04] 6. So High, So Low
[2:33] 7. I Waited Too Long
[2:25] 8. Why Baby Why
[2:33] 9. Humpty Dumpty Heat
[2:20] 10. It's So Fine
[2:08] 11. Whipper Snapper
[2:24] 12. St. Louis Blues

Before she became a successful rock & roll vocalist, Lavern Baker did straight jazz and gutbucket blues, and that's what she's singing here. These tunes didn't have any crossover appeal, but they're gritty, unpolished, and sung with the intensity and energy that made Baker's later material so memorable. ~Ron Wynn

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The Quintet, Ryan Kisor, Grant Stewart - A Night In Tunisia

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:39
Size: 116.0 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Quicksliver
[7:40] 2. A Night In Tunisia
[4:33] 3. Confirmation
[4:01] 4. If I Had You
[6:22] 5. Split Kick
[5:12] 6. Mayreh
[5:45] 7. Now's The Time
[6:23] 8. Once In A While
[5:06] 9. Wee-Dot

Night in Tunisia is the second import CD by the Quintet, a group of thirty-something jazz musicians on the rise with trumpeter Ryan Kisor getting top billing, plus veteran drummer Victor Lewis. Also on hand are tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, pianist Sam Yahel (who, since this 2004 session, has been better known for his work on organ), and bassist James Genus. A quick glance at the play list indicates this group is focused on bop and hard bop; there are no originals or groundbreaking arrangements, just sincere performances of material that will be familiar to bop fans. Kisor and Stewart take solo honors for the session, though the choice of one or two obscure compositions from the bop era might have added a little more spice to the date. ~Ken Dryden

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