Nanette Natal - Stairway To The Stars

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:54
Size: 134.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[ 5:49] 1. Fascinating Rhythm
[ 8:32] 2. When Your Lover Has Gone
[ 5:29] 3. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[ 7:03] 4. Stairway To The Stars
[10:38] 5. I Won't Dance
[ 6:38] 6. Crazy He Calls Me
[14:43] 7. You Go To My Head

On her fourth album for Benyo Music, New Yorker Nanette Natal continues her vocal quest for a sophisticated & daring exploration of standard material. The album has just seven cuts, but there is just under a hour of music, which means that each tune receives extended attention from the group, giving them plenty of time to explore every nook & cranny, every twist & turn on the melody. Natal is one of the preeminent apostles of scatting & wordless vocalizing; in her improvisional approach & in her voice, she draws upon the likes of such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Sheila Jordan & Jeanne Lee.

Stairway To The Stars mc
Stairway To The Stars zippy

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George Robert, Phil Woods - Soul Eyes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:44
Size: 155.1 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Bop, Swing
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[14:22] 1. Alone Together
[11:19] 2. Kin Tama
[14:32] 3. Blues For C.T
[10:07] 4. I'm Confessin'
[10:12] 5. Soul Eyes
[ 7:09] 6. Cannonization

Alto Saxophone – Phil Woods; Alto Saxophone – George Robert; Bass – Rufus Reid; Drums – Alvin Queen; Piano – Kenny Barron. Recorded on May 10, 2000 at the Chorus in Lausanne, Switzerland by the Radio Suisse Romande.

Small group meetings of two alto saxophonists are all too rare, though Phil Woods made a number of records with Gene Quill over the years. This concert, recorded in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2000, features George Robert as the leader who shares the spotlight with Woods, along with a superb rhythm section consisting of Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, and Alvin Queen. The two reed players complement one another beautifully, whether they exchange the lead or play terrific unison lines together.

An extended workout of a loping "Alone Together" is followed by Robert's roller coaster bopper "Kin Tama," which would have fit in perfectly during the heyday of 52nd Street during the bop era. "Blues For C.T.," another original, is dedicated to the great trumpeter Clark Terry. Though not by any means a conventional blues, Robert and Woods take turns dazzling the audience with superbly crafted solos. The two saxophonists sit out "I'm Confessin'," a feature for Kenny Barron. The pianist's strident, unaccompanied introduction has elements of both Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, with things settling down somewhat as Reid and Queen join him. Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes" has been a favorite of saxophonists for decades; this powerful version features the leader with the rhythm section. Woods returns to join Robert for the finale, an original called "Cannonization" (dedicated to alto sax great Cannonball Adderley); it is soulful hard bop at its best. Like their earlier meeting on The Summit, this live CD is warmly recommended to bop fans. ~Ken Dryden

Soul Eyes   

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Sam Yahel Trio - Truth And Beauty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:10
Size: 137.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[7:57] 1. Truth And Beauty
[7:24] 2. Man O' War
[5:00] 3. Check Up
[6:55] 4. Bend The Leaves
[7:52] 5. Saba
[4:46] 6. Night Game
[8:14] 7. Child Watching
[4:26] 8. A Paz
[7:31] 9. Festinhas

Drums – Brian Blade; Electric Organ [Hammond B3] – Sam Yahel; Tenor Saxophone – Joshua Redman.

Besides showcasing organist Sam Yahel's talents as a composer, "Truth And Beauty" highlights the easy rapport Sam, saxophonist Joshua Redman and drummer Brian Blade have developed over the last six years. Compositions by Paul Simon, Ornette Coleman and Gilberto Gil round out the project beautifully, helping to expand the frontiers of the classic organ trio. Yahel has played and/or recorded with Benny Golson, Maceo Parker, Lou Donaldson, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Joe Lovano and many others. He performed and was a producer on Joshua Redman's Grammy nominated recording "Momentum." He has three recordings out as a leader and recently won Downbeat's poll of "Rising Star" on the organ for the third straight year.

Truth And Beauty mc
Truth And Beauty zippy

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Yusef Lateef - The Sounds Of Lateef (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:21
Size: 71.8 MB
Styles: Fusion
Year: 1957/1996
Art: Front

[11:10] 1. Take The A Train
[ 4:14] 2. Playful Flute
[ 6:09] 3. Love And Humor
[ 5:06] 4. Buckingham
[ 4:40] 5. Meditation

Out of print in the U.S.! Highly creative and forward-looking 1957 album that has Lateef performing on tenor sax, flute and argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon). He is supported by the talented playing of Wilbur Harden, Hugh Lawson, Ernie Farrow and Oliver Jackson.

The Sounds Of Lateef (Remastered) mc
The Sounds Of Lateef (Remastered) zippy

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Jamie Shew - Eyes Wide Open

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:11
Size: 137.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Easy To Love
[4:29] 2. The Flat Foot Floogie
[6:15] 3. The Answers Are You (Question And Answer)
[6:09] 4. Detour Ahead
[4:29] 5. Thou Swell
[4:00] 6. Mountain Greenery
[5:47] 7. Easy Living
[5:10] 8. You Don't Know What Love Is
[5:59] 9. First Song (For Ruth)
[4:24] 10. O Cantador
[5:12] 11. Reflections
[4:08] 12. Eyes Wide Open

Jamie Shew, Vocals; Larry Koonse, Guitar; Joe Bagg, Piano and Hammond B3 Organ; Darek Oles, Bass; Jason Harnell, Drums.

In her newest CD project, Eyes Wide Open, released May 2018, Jamie uses song to tell the story of her 20-year relationship with her husband, bass player Roger Shew, and the loss she experienced when he succumbed to cancer. The music follows the arc of her life from the early days of their relationship through Roger's illness and beyond. Jamie's extensive musical training informs her singing. Her timbre is warm and inviting, while her timing, phrasing, and ability to interact so well with the band reflects her years of study. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's playing with some of the finest musicians in Southern California including guitarist Larry Koonse, pianist and Hammond B3 player Joe Bagg, bass player Darek Oles, and drummer Jason Harnell, who are all leaders in their own right. Jamie chose songs she had considered recording in the past, but now they took on new meanings for her. She wrote two original compositions and selected and arranged the rest with a lot of deliberation. Each song became a metaphor for her journey. Eyes Wide Open is a project imbued with love and loss but eschews mere sentimentality. Jamie doesn't just perform moving interpretations of these songs, she opens her heart and exposes the genuine, raw feelings that have propelled her to make this CD. Her innate musicality is showcased in her phrasing and tone, but it's how she reveals the depth of the human condition that sets this project apart.

Eyes Wide Open mc
Eyes Wide Open zippy

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Ben Webster - Gentle Ben

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:49
Size: 127.8 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1972/2013
Art: Front

[9:01] 1. Ben's Blues
[5:35] 2. Strike Up The Band The Man I Love
[5:23] 3. My Nephew Bent
[8:03] 4. Rosalie How Long Has This Been Going On
[6:28] 5. Sweet Georgia Brown
[8:00] 6. Don't Blame Me
[8:38] 7. Did You Call
[4:37] 8. Barcelona Shout

Bass – Eric Peter; Drums – Peer Wyboris; Piano – Tete Montoliu; Saxophone [Tenor] – Ben Webster.

This recording was made 10 months before Ben Webster's death in 1972. Webster, who had left the United States in 1965 to settle in Europe - first in Copenhagen and then in Amsterdam - was visiting fellow musician and friend Tete Montoliu in Barcelona. Webster and pianist Montoliu went back a ways, having played together regularly in Webster's Copenhagen days. In fact, Montoliu cited Webster and Don Byas as his two chief musical influences. Webster and Montoliu understood each other deeply, and their comfort with one another is palpable in this recording. Their accompaniment of one another is seamless. On board with these two is Montoliu's regular working trio-mates, Eric Peter on bass and Peer Wyboris on drums.

Gentle Ben mc
Gentle Ben zippy

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Ted Curson - The New Thing & The Blue Thing

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:27
Size: 81,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Straight Ice
(5:37)  2. Star Eyes
(5:16)  3. Ted's Tempo
(9:10)  4. Nublu
(4:16)  5. Reava's Waltz
(5:31)  6. Elephant Walk

Few musicians have gotten as much continued recognition from one sideman appearance as Curson has from his participation on the stupendous Mingus Presents Mingus record. Even as the weak link in that superhuman quartet, he played some great jazz. His post-Mingus career was on a more mortal level, but the recordings he made in groups featuring tenorman Bill Barron are well worth checking out. The New Thing and the Blue Thing is the best-known of these. Curson’s soaring lines and brilliant trumpet sound are well-matched by Barron, who was at the top of his form on this date. Neither was really an avantgardist by 1965 standards, but both were interesting modern voices whose best work came when they were pushing the limits. The sidemen don’t stand out particularly, but there is some good writing, like the slightly Ornettish “Reava’s Waltz” or the interesting “Nublu,” and the principal soloists are consistently engaging throughout. ~ Duck Baker https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/ted-curson-the-new-thing-and-the-blue-thing/

Personnel:  Ted Curson - trumpet;  Bill Barron - tenor saxophone;  Georges Arvanitas - piano;  Herb Bushler - bass;  Dick Berk - drums

The New Thing & The Blue Thing

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Rolf Kuhn - Solarius

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:10
Size: 92,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:55)  1. Minor Impressions
(6:16)  2. Solarius
(6:24)  3. Sie gleicht wohl einem Rosenstock
(6:33)  4. Mountain Jump
(6:21)  5. Lady Orsina
(6:39)  6. Soldat Tadeusz

Rolf Kuhn's style has evolved through the years. The clarinetist started out playing in German dance bands in the late '40s. He worked with radio orchestras starting in 1952 and moved to the U.S. in 1956. Kuhn subbed for Benny Goodman on a few occasions during 1957-1958, played in the Tommy Dorsey ghost band (1958), and worked in a big band led by Urbie Green (1958-1960). 

In 1962, Kuhn returned to Germany, where he has explored more adventurous styles of jazz (including dates with his younger brother, keyboardist Joachim Kuhn) but still occasionally shows off his ties to swing. Kuhn recorded with an all-star group called Winner's Circle (1957), Toshiko Akiyoshi (1958), and as a leader starting in 1953, including a 1956 New York quartet date for Vanguard. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rolf-k%C3%BChn-mn0000312444/biography               

Personnel:  Rolf Kühn - clarinet;  Michael Urbaniak - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Joachim Kühn - piano;   Klaus Koch - bass;  Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

Solarius

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Elvin Jones - Dear John C.

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:38
Size: 99,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. Dear John C.
(5:22)  2. Ballade
(3:49)  3. Love Bird
(5:54)  4. Everything Happens To Me
(3:41)  5. Smoke Rings
(4:24)  6. This Love Of Mine
(4:11)  7. Anthropology
(4:09)  8. Feeling Good
(3:59)  9. Fantazm
(3:08) 10. That Five-Four Bag

The second album by Elvin Jones as sole title rights leader (excluding the co-op ensemble that recorded the stunning and essential progressive jazz icon Illumination!) has the drummer sounding more like a backup musician, as he claims no compositional duties or noticeable solo space. In fact, this is one of the very best albums in the career of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, who occupies the bulk of lead lines and improvising responsibilities. He's so up-front, and on an instrument that is not John Coltrane's main instrument the tenor sax that the title is also a bit of a misnomer. The value of Jones as a bandleader lies in his concept of using fellow Detroiter Sir Roland Hanna or brother Hank Jones on selected tracks, or in the case of three tracks, no pianist. Bassist Richard Davis rounds out this truly brilliant ensemble of burgeoning mid-'60s jazz stars, who play an enticing collection of standards, bop, compositions of Bob Hammer, and originals from several modern sources. A stone cold bebopper and Charlie Parker devotee at the time of this recording. Mariano is the standout performer. He swings easily but mightily on the title track paralleling Coltrane's "Milestones," stretches the Charles Mingus evergreen "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" (titled here as "Love Bird"), and pulls out all the stops with Hank Jones during an only slightly flawed (they miss two notes) version of the tricky "Anthropology." 

They tack a calypso beat onto Duke Ellington's "Fantazm" in a playful, modern dress, and stroll on the quirky Hammer composition "That Five-Four Bag" as an offshoot retort to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five." The three tracks sans piano include a walking version of "Everything Happens to Me"; the ballad "Smoke Rings," where the band excepting Mariano is relaxed; and Frank Sinatra's "This Love of Mine," where the emotive saxophonist dips into humor, even a bit ribald. The variety from cut to cut is engaging, and there's nothing over the top, even the drumming of Elvin Jones. With the musicality at a high level, Dear John C. needs revisiting by drumming students and jazz fans to note how teamwork, shared values, and held-in-check dynamics benefit the overall quality of music. It seems this recording is underrated when over time it should never be. Dear John C. is deserving of an excellent rating. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/dear-john-c-mw0000096993  

Personnel: Elvin Jones (drums); Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone); Roland Hanna, Hank Jones (piano); Richard Davis (acoustic bass).

Dear John C.

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Kelly Willis - Back Being Blue

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:33
Size: 74,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:48)  1. Back Being Blue
(2:38)  2. Only You
(3:19)  3. Fool's Paradise
(2:27)  4. Modern World
(2:41)  5. Freewheeling
(3:17)  6. Afternoon's Gone Blind
(2:42)  7. What the Heart Doesn't Know
(3:03)  8. I'm a Lover (not a Fighter)
(3:12)  9. We'll Do It for Love Next Time
(4:22) 10. Don't Step Away

Kelly Willis is Back Being Blue, to take a color-coded cue from the title of her seventh album. It’s a shade she wears well, though long-patient fans might just say: You had us at back. They’ll take a new Willis record in whatever hue it comes, now that it’s been 11 years since her last solo release, 2007’s Translated from Love. The Austin-based singer/songwriter has hardly been MIA in the intervening years, having recorded and toured as part of a duo with Bruce Robison. But she’s setting the duet Mm.Oo. aside for do it-alone mode, at least as far as the spotlight is concerned.  (Robison hovers just outside it this time, as producer.). Hers is a solo voice again, but it’s not necessarily sotto voce: This is an album of songs about lonesomeness that also happens to be a cracklingly good time. Willis wrote six of the 10 tracks on Back Being Blue by herself, the first time she’s penned that big a portion of one of her albums without outside assists. That doesn’t mean she’s gone into deeply confessional territory for her “Blue” period. Lyrically, “it’s not an extremely personal record,” she says, downright cheerfully. There may be profundity within, but what Willis was really after was a sense of playfulness. “I wanted to make a fun, interesting record that leans on the influences that first inspired me to make music,” she says. “I don’t think of it as even being so much about my vocals as an album about vibe.” Explaining, “The important thing to me was to take these songs and to get them just right musically. And in my mind, I was thinking of where maybe Skeeter Davis meets Rockpile, or Marshall Crenshaw meets the Louvin Brothers.”Who wouldn’t want to hang out at either of those intersections? Not ignoring the fact that in Willis’ world, as the album title might augur, high times and heartache are inextricably tied, “I guess the songs I write can be more sad than I think they are,” she admits with a laugh. “The lyrics are always sad in country music. I mean, we sometimes wonder why people hire us to do weddings. We’re like, ‘Really? You wanted this? Well, okay!’ But the music, more than ever, I think, is very fun.”

The title song, which brings a slight R&B vibe to her trademark country, was key in setting the tone. “When I wrote ‘Back Being Blue,’ I felt like I made a discovery,” she says. “Up until writing that song, my songs were all feeling a little bit wordy and complicated and personal, and they just weren’t clicking. Then I wrote that one, I just felt like, oh!­ what I need to do is try to simplify, and write these stories in a way that feels like you’re not quite sure what era they were written in.” She makes it sound like a fresh epiphany, but some might say that sending the hands of the clock spinning –in a word: timelessness has always been a hallmark of her career. As the New York Times wrote, “Kelly Willis looks back to country music before Nashville embraced power ballads and cute happily-ever-after songs. She has an old-fashioned country voice with a twang, a breathy quaver, a break or a throaty sob whenever she needs one… Whether she was wishing for comfort, admitting to a bruised heart, yielding to illicit romance or trying to say goodbye, her voice was modest and true, illuminating the delicate tension and pain in every line.” No Depression noted that her music transcends throwback appeal: 

“There’s no point in being nostalgic for the generic delineations of the past. We are in the present. That’s where Kelly Willis lives. And it’s there that she sings, as keenly and movingly as any singer in the country or pop or rock present.” Rolling Stone zeroed in on the eternality of her tone: “Willis’ Okie soprano still crackles like no other, and her control and phrasing make it more devastating than ever.”The native Okie-ness Rolling Stone noticed in her honeyed voice is tempered by a whole lot of Texas. Romance and music brought her to Austin while she was in her late teens, fronting a celebrated but short-lived rockabilly band, Radio Ranch. Famed singer/songwriter Nancy Griffith took a shine to her voice and recommended Willis to producer Tony Brown, one of the titans of Nashville country, who signed her to a deal with MCA. Her three major -label albums yielded plenty of critical acclaim, with enough media attention that she even found herself representing for Texas on People magazine’s annual “50 most beautiful people” list. But, not for the first or last time, mainstream radio didn’t quite know what to make of a youthful neo-traditionalist who appeared to have been transported from a less trendy era. More...https://www.kellywillis.com/bio/

Back Being Blue

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Enrico Pieranunzi - Monsieur Claude A Travel with Claude Debussy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:15
Size: 141,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. Bluemantique
(4:52)  2. Passepied nouveau
(5:38)  3. L'autre ballade
(5:04)  4. Romance
(7:47)  5. Rêverie
(5:13)  6. Cheveux
(4:30)  7. Blues for Claude
(8:13)  8. Nuit d'étoiles
(5:37)  9. Mr. Golliwogg
(2:06) 10. My Travel with Claude
(6:38) 11. L'adieu

An acclaimed Italian jazz pianist, composer, and educator, Enrico Pieranunzi is known for his virtuosic, classical-influenced technique, nuanced sense of harmony, and elegantly restrained approach to modern post-bop jazz. Influenced heavily by Bill Evans, Pieranunzi emerged in the 1970s leading his own trio, and quickly established himself internationally as an in-demand sideman for such jazz giants as Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, and others. Along with performing, he is a dedicated teacher, having worked for many years as a full professor at the Conservatorio di Musica in Frosinone. Recognized as one of the foremost Italian jazz artists, he has garnered a handful of awards, including taking home the 1997 Django d'Or as Best European Jazz Musician and winning the 2014 German Echo Jazz Award as Best International Keyboard Artist. Born in Rome in 1949, Pieranunzi was introduced to classical music and jazz by his father, guitarist Alvaro Pieranunzi. (In addition, his brother is noted classical violinist Gabriele Pieranunzi.) Encouraged to study piano from a young age, he eventually graduated university with a music degree in 1973, and began working as a teacher. However, in 1975 he left his teaching position to focus on leading his jazz trio. He debuted that same year with the album Jazz a Confronto, and followed up with a handful of well-regarded efforts including 1976's New & Old Jazz Sounds with his father, 1976's The Day After the Silence, and 1978's A Long Way. By the '80s, Pieranunzi had gained the attention of many touring American artists, including saxophonists Phil Woods and Lee Konitz, flügelhorn player Art Farmer, and bassist Charlie Haden. 

He also developed a close working relationship with trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, a partnership that resulted in several superb albums, including 1980's Soft Journey and 1987's Silence, which also showcased Haden. The pianist also released more of his own albums, including pairing with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron for several efforts such as 1984's New Lands. He went solo on 1985's What's What, and joined saxophonist Konitz on 1988's Solitudes. Pieranunzi capped the decade by appearing on Ennio Morricone's soundtrack to the acclaimed 1989 film Cinema Paradiso. More work followed in the '90s, including dates with Baker, Haden, and Woods, as well as adventurous sessions with trumpeters Enrico Rava and Eric Vloeimans. As a leader, he recorded regularly for Enja, Timeless, and Soul Note, issuing such albums as 1995's Flux & Change, 1997's Seaward, and 1998's Ma l'Amore No. He also gained increasing praise for his work, including taking home the prestigious Django d'Or as the Best European Jazz Musician in 1997. Two years later, he paired with trumpeter Bert Joris for the quintet date Don't Forget the Poet. A duo session with pianist Bert van den Brink followed in 2000. He furthered his own work over the next decade, releasing albums like 2001's Improvised Forms of Trio, 2002's Play Morricone, and 2003's Fellini Jazz. He also paired with acclaimed drummer Paul Motian for a handful of albums, including 2004's Doorways with saxophonist Chris Potter and 2005's Special Encounter with Haden. Pieranunzi also continued his ongoing association with bassist Johnson and drummer Baron, releasing a steady flow of studio and live sessions, including 2008's Yellow & Blue Suites and 2009's Dream Dance. There were also similar efforts with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Antonio Sanchez, such as 2013's Permutations and 2014's Stories. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monsieur-claude-a-travel-with-claude-debussy/1348298958

Monsieur Claude A Travel with Claude Debussy

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Johnny Griffin - Introducing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:18
Size: 108.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Mil Dew
[5:36] 2. Chicago Calling
[5:08] 3. These Foolish Things
[4:53] 4. The Boy Next Door
[4:18] 5. Nice And Easy
[5:00] 6. It's All Right With Me
[7:53] 7. Lover Man
[6:19] 8. The Way You Look Tonight
[4:15] 9. Cherokee

Bass – Curly Russel; Drums – Max Roach; Piano – Wynton Kelly; Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin. Recorded At Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on April 17, 1956.

Johnny Griffin had been kicking around in R&B bands for years before his Blue Note debut in 1956. A tenor saxophonist with fresh sounds, a warm, soulful style and the fastest technique in jazz, he moves from lyrical ballads to blistering tempos with ease. Two bonus tracks from the session have been added to the original LP. The first-class accompaniment is provided by Wynton Kelly, Curly Russell and Max Roach. Within two years, Griff would becomes one of the leading tenor saxophonists in jazz as a member of Thelonious Monk's quartet.

Introducing mc
Introducing zippy

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Ida Landsberg - Acoustic Bossa Nova

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:27
Size: 97.2 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Jazz vocals
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
[2:41] 2. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
[3:03] 3. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
[2:35] 4. Venus
[3:48] 5. The Look Of Love
[3:21] 6. It's Too Late
[3:34] 7. Walk On The Wild Side
[3:44] 8. Sunny
[4:34] 9. Maniac
[3:11] 10. Jammin'
[3:51] 11. Fragile
[3:41] 12. You Are Not Alone

Guitar – Simone Salvatore; Vocals – Ida Landsberg.

After a long and intense 70s musical rebel period in my adolescence at the sound of the The Doors, Janis Joplin and the Beach Boys, I discovered jazz music which would have been my strongest passion. Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck had become my new heroes, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald my idols. Soon the desire of letting music be a central part of my life became concrete. I was admitted to the Berlin University of Fine Arts and studied music pedagogy there until I left Germany for a student exchange program. My time at the UdK was one of the greatest I can remember. I had a female a cappella trio, sang in different choirs and we made plenty of University productions. It was a busy and fun period.

I had the pleasure to collaborate with many wonderful musicians. And then one day I received an email from Singapore that I was about to move to the spam folder. But then I read it and after I read it again, and it sounded quite serious. They were asking for some music samples for their label and I decided to send them. And they liked them and wanted to release my works. This was the beginning of a great collaboration with EQ Music Singapore, Hitman Jazz and later Irma Records with whom I released 4 solo albums for now – jazz and bossa nova as well as one album with my own compositions – and many compilations. And others are about to be realized.

Music is my aim and ambition, my continuous research and look to the future. No day passes without having some idea or project to realize, something new to create or experience, some unexperienced music style to live. Some notes left to write or to sing. Music for me is not a passion. It is a necessity.

Acoustic Bossa Nova mc
Acoustic Bossa Nova zippy

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Bireli Lagrene - 2 album set: Djangology / To Bi Or Not To Bi

Guitarist Bireli Lagrene is one of several European heirs to the tradition of Gypsy swing launched by Django Reinhardt. Lagrene has incredible technique on display through this two-CD set, which compiles a solo concert and a meeting with the WDR Big Band, which have also been released separately. In the solo live set, the guitarist plays ten originals that show the influence of Django Reinhardt yet incorporate elements of modern jazz and other styles. The intricate "Sur la Croisette" will impress fans of classical guitar, though it is very much a jazz composition. His moving take of "La Belle Vie" revives a popular decades-old ballad written by jazz guitarist Sacha Distel. One wild twist is Lagrene's blending of two rock songs, Queen's "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You," with the 1960s pop hit "It Was a Very Good Year" in a long medley, which actually proves to be viable in a jazz setting, though the middle selection is its weakest link. On the second disc, Lagrene is joined by the WDR Big Band for a concert that is essentially a salute to Django Reinhardt, with a few modern twists added and imaginative arrangements by conductor Michael Abene. He plays electric guitar (which Reinhardt also utilized on occasion during the last decade of his career). There is also material not associated with Reinhardt, such as Lagrene's fiery bop opener "Place du Tetre," which is full of a distracting series of song quotes, while his sincere vocals in "The Shadow of Your Smile" and "The Good Life" (both written long after Reinhardt's death) are a nice surprise. The Reinhardt selections are all superb efforts. "Anouman" is an obscure masterpiece written by Reinhardt shortly before his death; Lagrene's touching rendition also features baritone saxophonist Jens Neufang. Abene's distinctively post-bop scoring of Reinhardt's "Impromptu" ignites Lagrene, who takes plenty of chances in his crowd-pleasing solo. The guitarist is also absolutely amazing in the uptempo post-bop setting of "Caravan." ~Ken Dryden

Album: Bireli Lagrene, WDR Big Band - Djangology
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:38
Size: 159.4 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[9:15] 1. Place Du Tertre
[5:08] 2. Good Life
[5:59] 3. Djangology
[8:28] 4. Impromptu
[6:11] 5. The Shadow Of Your Smile
[8:59] 6. Blues En Mineur
[5:37] 7. Anouman
[6:47] 8. Flêche D'or
[6:18] 9. Caravan
[6:51] 10. All Of Me

Djangology mc
Djangology zippy

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Album: To Bi Or Not To Bi
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 140.3 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[ 7:10] 1. Sur La Croisette
[ 5:52] 2. London (Soli Love)
[ 3:12] 3. R & Bi
[ 5:45] 4. We Are The Champions We Will Rock You It Was A Very Good Year
[ 4:04] 5. Sous Les Pommiers
[ 2:19] 6. Capucines
[ 1:55] 7. La Belle Vie
[ 5:44] 8. Madras Express
[10:42] 9. Amparo
[ 6:13] 10. Bar De Nuit
[ 2:06] 11. To Bi Or Not To Bi
[ 6:07] 12. Vague à L'âme

To Bi Or Not To Bi mc
To Bi Or Not To Bi zippy

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Mel Torme - Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:52
Size: 79.8 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:07] 1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[3:55] 2. Something's Gotta Give
[2:34] 3. A Foggy Day
[3:00] 4. A Fine Romance
[3:25] 5. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
[3:08] 6. Top Hat, White Tie And Tales
[2:21] 7. The Way You Look Tonight
[2:33] 8. The Piccolino
[2:59] 9. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[2:57] 10. Cheek To Cheek
[2:19] 11. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[2:29] 12. They All Laughed

Though it's sometimes relegated to second or third place among Tormé's best albums of the '50s (behind Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette and It's a Blue World), it's difficult to hear how Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire can't be the best album of his entire career. Featuring an artist at the peak of his ability and talent, a collection of top-drawer songs from the best pop composers ever, and a swinging ten-piece that forms the perfect accompaniment, Sings Fred Astaire is one of the best up-tempo vocal albums ever recorded. Coming hot on the heels of Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette in 1956, this tribute to Hollywood's most stylish dancer finds Tormé obliging with his nimblest and most elegant singing. Even while Marty Paich's band takes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Cheek to Cheek" at a breakneck pace that Astaire himself would've had trouble with, Tormé floats over the top with death-defying vocal acrobatics. He's breezy and sophisticated on "They Can't Take That Away from Me," ecstatic and effervescent on "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" (matching an exuberant solo by trumpeter Pete Candoli), and even breaks out an affectionate croon for "A Foggy Day." A collection of perfect hard-swinging pop with a few ballads thrown in for good measure makes Sings Fred Astaire a masterpiece of the vocal era. ~John Bush

Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (Remastered) mc
Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (Remastered) zippy

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Various - Nuevos Flamencos

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 96:58
Size: 222.0 MB
Styles: Flamenco, World music
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Veneno - Titiriti
[3:58] 2. Alejandro Conde - Cada Cual Por Su Camino
[3:47] 3. Los Delinquentes - La Primavera Trompetera (Radio Edit)
[4:20] 4. Alba Molina - Alegría De Coral
[9:48] 5. Triana - Abre La Puerta
[4:41] 6. Carmen Linares - Aquel Que Tenga Un Sentir
[4:02] 7. Jose Merce - Aire (Bulerías)
[3:58] 8. Navajita Platea - Frio Sin Ti
[3:33] 9. Parrita - Eres Parte De Mi Vida
[3:15] 10. Martires Del Compas - Tu Hielo
[4:31] 11. Rancapino - Bésame Mucho
[4:27] 12. Mayte Martin - Serenoke (Malagueña)
[3:40] 13. Raul Mico - Malos Tiempos Para La Lírica
[3:47] 14. Azucar Moreno - Luna
[2:38] 15. Chacho - La, La, La
[3:08] 16. Romero San Juan - Con Ella
[3:28] 17. Veneno - Palabras Para Julia
[4:27] 18. Dorantes - Nana De Los Luceros
[2:53] 19. Alba Molina - Summertime
[4:27] 20. Remedios Amaya - Turu Turai(Tango)
[2:17] 21. El Chocolate - El Alcalde De Guadix
[3:11] 22. Aurora Guirado - Reciproco
[1:51] 23. Raul Mico - El Calor Del Amor En Un Bar
[3:52] 24. Martires Del Compas - Echale, Echale
[3:40] 25. Parrita - Ayúdame

New flamenco (or nuevo flamenco) is synonymous with modern flamenco and is a derivative of traditional flamenco. It combines flamenco guitar virtuosity with musical fusion. Jazz, rumba, bossa nova, Gypsy, Latin, Middle Eastern, rock, Cuban swing, tango, salsa and especially blues have all been fused into flamenco by different artists to produce its sound.

Traditional flamenco had been displaced in Spain in the 1950s and 1960s by rock-and-roll. Artists such as Camarón de la Isla worked with the music during that period, infusing it with new sound. However it was during the 1980s that revival really took off, by artists such as Paco de Lucia, Nina Corti, Pata Negra, Ketama, and later more mainstream stylists, such as the Gipsy Kings. The artists fused it with other forms, including jazz and salsa. Although fused with other music, it was still based on the classic flamenco the artists had grown up with, a new form of the old. Among the artists wrongly associated with this style is Ottmar Liebert. Another example is the duo Strunz & Farah, who, in an interview in Guitar Player magazine, strenuously denied that their music was a form of flamenco, whilst acknowledging an influence.

Nuevos Flamencos mc
Nuevos Flamencos zippy

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Monty Alexander - The Way It Is

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:59
Size: 105.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2006/2014
Art: Front

[11:22] 1. People Make The World Go Round
[ 6:34] 2. What Are You Doing With The Rest Of Your Life
[ 4:49] 3. Bluesology
[ 4:18] 4. Soft Winds
[ 8:28] 5. Come Sunday
[ 5:08] 6. That's The Way It Is
[ 5:18] 7. Bossa Nova Do Marilla

Bass – John Clayton; Drums – Jeff Hamilton; Piano – Monty Alexander.

Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, and Frank Sinatra. Alexander also sings and plays the melodica. He is known for his surprising musical twists, bright rhythmic sense, and intense dramatic musical climaxes. Monty's recording career has covered many of the well known American songbook standards, jazz standards, pop hits, and Jamaican songs from his original homeland. Alexander has resided in New York City for many years and performs frequently throughout the world at jazz festivals and clubs.

The Way It Is mc
The Way It Is zippy

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Rolf Kuhn - And His Sound Of Jazz

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:33
Size: 96,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Istambul
(3:58)  2. Waltzing Matilda
(3:44)  3. Lady Of Spain
(5:18)  4. Canadian Sunset
(4:10)  5. South Of The Border
(5:01)  6. Atlanta, GA
(3:08)  7. A Touch Of Berlin
(4:39)  8. Manhattan
(3:21)  9. Chicago
(3:56) 10. Caravan

Rolf Kuhn's style has evolved through the years. The clarinetist started out playing in German dance bands in the late '40s. He worked with radio orchestras starting in 1952 and moved to the U.S. in 1956. Kuhn subbed for Benny Goodman on a few occasions during 1957-1958, played in the Tommy Dorsey ghost band (1958), and worked in a big band led by Urbie Green (1958-1960). In 1962, Kuhn returned to Germany, where he has explored more adventurous styles of jazz (including dates with his younger brother, keyboardist Joachim Kuhn) but still occasionally shows off his ties to swing. Kuhn recorded with an all-star group called Winner's Circle (1957), Toshiko Akiyoshi (1958), and as a leader starting in 1953, including a 1956 New York quartet date for Vanguard. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rolf-kuhn-and-his-sound-of-jazz/462175205

Personnel: Rolf Kuhn (clarinet); Jack Sheldon (trumpet); John Bunch (piano); Jim Hall, Chuck Wayne (guitar); George Duvivier, Henry Grimes (bass); Don Lamond, Ray Mosca (drums).

And His Sound Of Jazz

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Lionel Hampton - The Lionel Hampton Quintet

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:10
Size: 168,0 MB
Art: Front

(17:11)  1. Flying Home
( 6:33)  2. Je Ne Sais Pas
( 5:52)  3. On the Sunny Side of the Street
( 6:25)  4. April in Paris
( 9:28)  5. Don't Be That Way
( 8:36)  6. These Foolish Things
(11:14)  7. The Way You Look Tonight
( 6:48)  8. It's Only a Paper Moon

In 1954, producer Norman Granz held a couple of marathon recording sessions featuring vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray Brown, drummer Buddy Rich, and (on April 13) clarinetist Buddy DeFranco. This set has three selections from the DeFranco date (a 17-plus-minute "Flying Home," the original "Je Ne Sais Pas," and "On the Sunny Side of the Street") and one from the earlier session ("April in Paris"). Hampton is typically exuberant throughout (grunting rather loudly during a few later ensemble choruses on "Flying Home"), DeFranco and Peterson are as swinging as usual, and the overall music is quite joyous. Even if "Flying Home" does not reach Granz's claim of being the best-ever version of the song (one misses the honking tenor and screaming trumpet), this is an excellent and rather spontaneous outing. [The Verve Master Edition also features the tracks "Don't Be That Way," "These Foolish Things," "The Way You Look Tonight," and "It's Only a Paper Moon."] ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lionel-hampton-quintet-mw0000591293 

Personnel:  Lionel Hampton - vibraphone;  Buddy DeFranco - clarinet;  Oscar Peterson - piano;  Ray Brown - double bass;  Buddy Rich - drums

The Lionel Hampton Quintet

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John Wright - Mr. Soul

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:28
Size: 81,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Our Waltz
(3:27)  2. Blue Prelude
(5:32)  3. What's New
(3:28)  4. Everything's Gonna Work Out Fine
(5:37)  5. Mr. Soul
(2:34)  6. Shake
(5:18)  7. Strut
(4:05)  8. Now Hang In There

Mr. Soul is the 1962 album by pianist John Wright. Originally released on the Prestige label, this was remastered by Phil De Lancie and released in 1995 by Original Jazz Classics/Fantasy Jazz.Called "the songwriter's singer" for his uncanny interpretive abilities, John Wright emerged late in life as one of the foremost British folk balladeers of his generation. Born June 22, 1947, in coastal Bournemouth, England, and raised in Manchester, Wright first sang alongside his three older brothers in their church's choir, and in his early twenties he moonlighted in a series of little-known rock bands while working by day as a salesman. After impulsively joining the British Army's Household Cavalry unit in 1970, Wright grew deeply attached to country life, and upon leaving the military in 1974 he settled in North Yorkshire, working as an assistant shepherd. He continued toiling as a hill shepherd after relocating across the border to the Newcastleton and Hawick area, and in his spare time began collecting and playing traditional folk songs only when a postman heard Wright singing around his farm was he invited to perform at a local social dance, and for years he remained in relative anonymity, singing almost exclusively at community events. With proceeds from the sale of a horse, in 1990 Wright funded sessions for Border Crossings, a stark collection of traditional British folk ballads the initial pressing of 200 cassettes sold out in three days thanks to a profile in a local newspaper, and subsequent editions sold about 3,500 copies in all. A collaboration with local guitarist Kenny Spiers brought Wright to the attention of Fellside Records, and in 1993 the label issued his first proper full-length, Ride the Rolling Sky. A brief tour of the Netherlands followed, and with the follow-up The Things We've Handed Down he began moving past his traditional repertoire in favor of more contemporary material, much of it self-penned. For 1999's Pages Turning Wright signed to the Greentrax label, a leap that brought his music even greater attention, and he continued releasing new LPs on an annual basis until his sudden death on February 7, 2008. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-wright-mn0000194942                

Personnel:  John Wright - piano;  Wendell Marshall - bass;  Walter Perkins, Jr. - drums;

Mr. Soul

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