Gabriela Anders - Wanting

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 131,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Fire Of Love
(4:24)  2. The Girl From Ipanema
(4:39)  3. Wanting
(5:00)  4. Forever
(4:44)  5. You Know What It's Like
(5:41)  6. Seven Days
(6:03)  7. Just An Hour
(5:07)  8. Fantasia
(4:12)  9. I'll Be Loving You
(3:48) 10. Love Is So Unkind
(5:11) 11. Feels So Good
(3:39) 12. Brasileira

Gabriela Anders got her big break singing a duet with soft jazz giant Michael Franks, and like that new age patriarch, Anders wraps laid-back vocals around even more tranquil rhythms. It's all very calming and proficient and breezy. And also bland as hell. Like her mentor, Anders has a hard time injecting any soul into her work. Wanting, her debut album, mixes bits of her Argentine heritage with late-'70s California jazz; so, Brazilian music coasts along with soft and hazy saxophone fills and tapping percussion leads. It all can be very pretty the opening "Fire of Love" represents Anders at her most relaxed and relaxing but boring if you're expecting tempo shifts or even minor vocal inflections. Anders merely settles for a place next to the band to drift along. 

Yet, no one seems to be going anywhere or really caring about their passivity. ~ Michael Gallucci https://www.allmusic.com/album/wanting-mw0000041583  

Wanting

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Jonathan Kreisberg - Nine Stories Wide

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:20
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:17)  1. Summertime
(5:32)  2. Just in Time
(6:43)  3. Dana
(7:57)  4. My Ideal
(5:48)  5. Juju
(7:29)  6. That Reminds Me
(4:37)  7. Fever Vision
(4:30)  8. Michelle
(5:22)  9. Relaxing at Camarillo

Jonathan Kreisberg is an exciting young guitarist whose two latest releases will go a long way toward affirming his prominent place in the jazz landscape.Nine Stories Wide is a multi-layered program of old and new classics blended with originals. "Summertime" opens with a forbidding bass line by Larry Grenadier over Kreisberg's small intro over the theme. It's clear from this song that Kreisberg is a master of space: how to give it to his band mates and how to fill it effectively without wasting it. Drummer Bill Stewart lays down some fine licks and Grenadier adds a fine plucked solo. "Just In Time" is a burner that opens with a quicksilver statement, the trio plays the theme, then Kreisberg builds a challenging solo over Grenadier's power walking and Stewart's ride cymbal-driven comping. Kreisberg's original "Dana" is a bossa nova groove, with crisp single-note phrasing leading to spitfire harmonic runs. "My Ideal" is delivered with warmth and reverence. The trio handles Wayne Shorter's "Juju" with gusto, with Stewart recalling Elvin Jones' thrashing on the drums and Kreisberg inventing clever chord play over the classic melody. The other classics the group plays, "Michelle" and "Relaxing At Camarillo," are both arranged to Kreisberg's specs, that is, with carefully planned spacing so that the melodies are recognizable but stretched suitably enough so that the trio can weave its magic without constraint. ~ Terrel Kent Holmes https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jonathan-kreisberg-nine-stories-wide-and-unearth-by-terrell-kent-holmes.php

Personnel: Jonathan Kriesberg: guitar; Larry Grenadier: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

Nine Stories Wide

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Buddy Rich - The Solos

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:47
Size: 161,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:09)  1. Solo 1 (Live from Toronto, Canada, 1977)
( 8:20)  2. Solo 2 (Live from Germany, 1977)
( 9:28)  3. Solo 3 (Live from Disneyland, California, 1977)
( 4:58)  4. Solo 4 (Live from Sacramento, CA, 1977)
(10:58)  5. Solo 5 (Live from Germany, 1977)
( 7:24)  6. Solo 6 (Live from Binghamton, NY, 1976)
( 4:48)  7. Solo 7 (Live from Orlando, FL, 1976)
( 4:34)  8. Solo 8 (Live from Montreal, Canada, 1976)
( 8:03)  9. Solo 9 (Live from Boston Globe JazzFest, 1976)

An unusual album for sure, but one that should hold special interest for Buddy Rich fanatics, the 2014 compilation The Solos, features live recordings made of Rich during various concert dates in the 1970s. Rather than include complete tracks, however, The Solos showcases only Rich's solo improvisations. Perhaps not the best album for background listening or casual enjoyment, The Solos will certainly appeal to fans and music students fascinated by Rich's frenetic, virtuosic swing drumming style.

The Solos

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Club des Belugas & Thomas Siffling - Ragbag

Styles: Soul, Nu Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:58
Size: 194,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. This Is What You Want
(3:55)  2. Ragbag
(4:23)  3. Tequila
(4:42)  4. Beyond The Window
(4:17)  5. Jumping The Shark
(4:21)  6. Kinda Small Talk
(4:32)  7. Some Of That Jazz
(3:33)  8. Boogaloo Bebop
(5:00)  9. Sofa Clubbing
(3:48) 10. Flyby
(3:49) 11. Upper Valley
(5:23) 12. We Owe You One
(3:43) 13. Lil Fizz

Club des Belugas is one of the leading lounge & nujazz projects in Germany, perhaps in Europe. They combine Contemporary European Lounge & Nujazz Styles with Brazilian Beats and American Black Soul of the fifties, sixties and seventies, using their unique creativity and intensity. Main members are Maxim Illion & Kitty the Bill, with such exquisite guests as the Californian Jazz Lady Brenda Boykin, trumpeter Reiner Winterschladen (Nighthawks), Swedish singer anna.luca, London based Jazz singer Iain Mackenzie, Anne Schnell from Jojo Effect, Dean Bowman from New York and trumpet player Thomas Siffling. Club des Belugas started their career in 2002 with their first album "Caviar at 3 a.m." In 2003 they released their 2nd album "Minority Tunes", which included the German Club Charts no.1 hits "hiphip chinchin" and "Gadda Rio". In 2006 Club des Belugas enriched the world of music with a real masterpiece called "apricoo soul". The 12" vinyl "Wildcats gotta move" reached German Club Charts #3 and stayed in the Top Ten for 8 weeks (march & april 2006). The Album included Club des Belugas' Remix of Dean Martin's "Mambo Italiano" and was the first worldwide legal remix of any Dean Martin track, authorized by Capitol/EMI and the Dean Martin Family themselves . Club des Belugas tracks have been licensed for compilations more than 220 times. They have also been licensed for advertisements and TV commercials from companies like: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus (Toyota), Ford Mondeo, Smart, KIA motors, Campari, Martini, Strenesse, The German National Soccerteam, Kaufhof, Burlington, Unilever, Telekom Germany, Telekom South Korea, IGEDO… The album "Apricoo Soul" was chosen for "Best CD of the year 2006". In 2008 CdB released SWOP (wordplay from Swing and Pop) which again won "Best CD of the year 2008" from www.shirokko.de. This time the stress is more on jazz, less on electronics with use of interesting samples, and featuring vocalists Dean Bowman, Iain Mackenzie, Anna Luca, and Brenda Boykin. https://www.last.fm/music/Club+Des+Belugas/+wiki

Ragbag

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Stefon Harris - Evolution

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:18
Size: 154,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:54)  1. Nothing Personal
(6:20)  2. For Him, for Her
(6:21)  3. Until
(7:47)  4. Red-Bone Netti-Bone
(5:48)  5. A Touch of Grace
(7:17)  6. Summertime
(7:28)  7. Blackout
(6:07)  8. The Lost Ones
(6:36)  9. King Tut's Strut
(5:15) 10. Message to Mankind
(2:19) 11. Montara

It takes no time at all to get into Evolution , Stefon Harris’ fifth album for Blue Note, the young vibraphonist’s fourth as leader and his first with his new band. Immediately the music breaks into a sprint. And its appeal is equally as instantaneous. There is no acclimation period, no finger-drumming developmental warm-up, no amusing 30-second intro track. So it’s funny that this disc should bear the title Evolution , by all Darwinian or Lamarckian accounts an excruciatingly slow transformative process. But this, it seems, is the point Harris wants to make. Jazz music even his own has been swimming in the ooze of heady theory and generic territory-staking long enough. It’s high time an observable change took place. Blackout, Harris’ fresh line-up (named thus because they are “about blacking out the narrow views surrounding and constricting the definition of jazz”), is notably well suited to such a task. Don Grolnick’s “Nothing Personal” is transformed into a fleet-footed groove featuring Marc Cary’s soulful keyboard licks, which are at times reminiscent of Baby Face Willette. Harris contributes a radiant vibe line to match that of saxophonist Casey Benjamin. Darryl Hall raps out a tight, thumping funk on his acoustic bass. The energy is clearly that of classic hard bop, but the sound is utterly contemporary. The Gershwin standard “Summertime” is hazy, soporific, a bit like what you might expect from an electro-lounge DJ. In strictly jazz terms, it’s closer in execution to Charlie Parker’s lolling renditions than Trane’s skittish version of the same from My Favorite Things. Elsewhere we come to a lullaby cover of Sting’s “Until” a quiet declaration that everything from the popular to the esoteric is fair game in this evolutionary quest. 

Original compositions include the jaunty, freewheeling title track and “King Tut’s Strut,” something like a ride aboard an ancient Egyptian starship. Particularly striking is the exotic sway of “For Him, For Her,” during which Harris sounds out a slow-burning marimba romance atop the undulating rhythmic structure provided by drummer Terreon Gully and percussionist Pedro Martinez. Listeners may agree that Evolution is what Harris’ sprawling, overly ambitious The Grand Unification Theory (2003) was trying to be; or perhaps should have been. It’s more than just an issue of titular semantics. Evolution amalgamates a number of widely varying genres and performance styles, yet it sounds so seamless, cohesive and well, unified as to be cut from the same bolt of musical cloth. Using an instrumentation that is by no means unusual, it brings together the most distinctive and valuable characteristics found in the whole of jazz and beyond. This was precisely what its predecessor lacked. And if natural selection has its way, this disc will be one worth keeping for posterity. ~ Eric J. Iannelli https://www.allaboutjazz.com/evolution-stefon-harris-blue-note-records-review-by-eric-j-iannelli.php

Personnel: Stefon Harris: vibraphone, marimba; Casey Benjamin: alto saxophone (1, 2, 3-7, 9); Marc Cary: Fender Rhodes and keyboards (1, 2, 4-9); Darryl Hall: acoustic bass; Terreon Gully: drums; Anne Drummond: flute and alto flute, Xavier Davis: piano and Fender Rhodes (3, 10); Pedro Martinez: percussion, vocals (9).

Evolution

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Patti LuPone - Far Away Places

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:07
Size: 141,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(3:00)  2. Night Life
(0:57)  3. Back Then...
(4:54)  4. Bilbao Song
(4:11)  5. Far Away Places
(3:24)  6. Black Market
(5:29)  7. Come To The Supermarket In Old Peking
(1:28)  8. I Have Sicilian Blood
(3:21)  9. I Wanna Be Around
(0:50) 10. Ah The Sea Is Blue
(2:38) 11. I Cover The Waterfront
(4:19) 12. Pirate Jenny
(3:25) 13. By The Sea
(0:50) 14. I Do All Kinds Of Accents...Just Like Meryl
(2:34) 15. I Regret Everything
(3:07) 16. Hymn To Love
(4:33) 17. Travelin' Light
(0:53) 18. Give My Regards To Broadway
(3:53) 19. Nights On Broadway
(4:20) 20. September Song

[Patti] embodies decades of show business history. And her brilliant show, conceived and directed by her longtime collaborator, Scott Wittman, deserves many lives, perhaps even a Broadway run in an expanded edition. It certifies Ms. LuPone's place in the lineage of quirky international chanteuses like Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, who, like Ms. LuPone, conquered show business with forceful, outsize personalities while playing by their own musical rules. ~ New York Times

Every now and again there comes an experience that you immediately know you will always remember. That happened for me at Patti LuPone's cabaret evening 'Far Away Places,' christening the snazzy new nightclub 54 Below, which occupies the basement of Studio 54. LuPone levitated the audience of Broadway insiders in the intimate room, compellingly designed by John Lee Beatty in the style of a 1920s speakeasy, as effortlessly as she might flash one of her sly smiles. It was, simply, magic. ~ Backstage https://www.amazon.com/Far-Away-Places-Live-BELOW/dp/B009OYOVLW

Far Away Places

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Booker Ervin - Cookin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:22
Size: 101,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:32)  1. Dee Da Do
(5:18)  2. Mr. Wiggles
(7:25)  3. You Don't Know What Love Is
(6:13)  4. Down In The Dumps
(9:52)  5. Well, Well
(7:00)  6. Autumn Leaves

A very distinctive tenor with a hard, passionate tone and an emotional style that was still tied to chordal improvisation, Booker Ervin was a true original. He was originally a trombonist, but taught himself tenor while in the Air Force (1950-1953). After studying music in Boston for two years, he made his recording debut with Ernie Fields' R&B band (1956). Ervin gained fame while playing with Charles Mingus (off and on during 1956-1962), holding his own with the volatile bassist and Eric Dolphy. He also led his own quartet, worked with Randy Weston on a few occasions in the '60s, and spent much of 1964-1966 in Europe before dying much too young from kidney disease. Ervin, who is on several notable Charles Mingus records, made dates of his own for Bethlehem, Savoy, and Candid during 1960-1961, along with later sets for Pacific Jazz and Blue Note. His nine Prestige sessions of 1963-1966 (including The Freedom Book, The Song Book, The Blues Book, and The Space Book) are among the high points of his career. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cookin/3907000

Personnel:  Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone;  Richard Williams - trumpet;  Horace Parlan - piano;  George Tucker - bass;  Dannie Richmond - drums.

Cookin'

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Chuck Deardorf - Transparence

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:50
Size: 154,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:43)  1. Collage
(7:20)  2. Alone Together
(7:55)  3. Dear Prudence
(6:24)  4. Bruzette
(5:56)  5. Moon and Sand
(6:17)  6. De Mansinho
(3:45)  7. Sweet Lorraine
(7:45)  8. Zingaro
(6:18)  9. Creatinine
(9:22) 10. The Peacocks

An excellent outing to showcase the Northwest sound in jazz, Transparence features an outstanding ensemble of players from the region. Plus, the arrangements highlight the ability of the bass, in Chuck Deardorf's hands, to fit a variety of styles, all with the laid-back yet structured approach that is at the heart of Seattle's sound. Deardorf moves between a series of basses over the course of the album, each fitting a different sonic element. He uses a fairly standard bass for much of the proceedings, adapting it to bebop ideas or to modern jazz wanderings with equal ease. He switches to a fretless bass for a surprisingly sitar-like sound in a cover of "Dear Prudence." For a Brazilian piece, he moves to a Jaco Pastorius-like approach on an acoustic guitar-bass (essentially a massive guitar rather than a double bass), a difficult instrument to adapt to strong melodies. Surrounded by excellent players from around the Seattle scene, Deardorf manages to bring the bass to the forefront of the proceedings, but in a casual way it's never forced upon the listener, but he does enough interesting work with it that it catches the ear naturally. In other ensembles, Deardorf provides an excellent, stable bassline. Leading his own group, Deardorf brings an amazing touch and sensitivity to the sounds he can create, and puts that sensitivity to use in an excellent showcase of style and structure working together. ~ Adam Greenberg https://www.allmusic.com/album/transparence-mw0002112047    

Transparence

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Dan Siegel - Colors Of The Land Autumn Leaves

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:39
Size: 114,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Amber Waves
(3:45)  2. A Winding Lane
(3:26)  3. In The Stillness
(5:26)  4. Dancing In The Moonlight
(3:43)  5. Silver And Gold
(4:37)  6. Secret Path
(3:02)  7. First Snow
(3:53)  8. Each Passing Day
(3:36)  9. Falling Leaves
(4:17) 10. Yesterday's Memories
(3:59) 11. Elegy
(5:00) 12. As The Sun Sets

For the discerning adult looking for a moment of rest and relaxation, Autumn Leaves is the third in a series of new age/instrumental music inspired by nature. The album contains all original compositions by pianist Dan Siegel and features Charlie Bisharat (violin), Allen Hinds (guitar), and Mark Hollingsworth (flutes). Perfect for a fall afternoon! ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Leaves-Colors-Land/dp/B000AE8FV2

Personnel:  Dan Siegel (keyboards, programming);  Allen Hinds (guitar); Charlie Bisharat (violin); Mark Hollingsworth (flute, soprano saxophone).

Colors Of The Land Autumn Leaves

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Mal Waldron - Mal, Dance and Soul

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:55
Size: 164,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:34)  1. Dancing on the Flames
(7:59)  2. A Bow to the Classics
(8:11)  3. Little One
(7:52)  4. From a Little Acorns
(8:58)  5. Soul Mates
(6:49)  6. Blood and Guts
(8:56)  7. Solar
(7:35)  8. Blue Monk
(6:00)  9. Golden Golson

A pianist with a brooding, rhythmic, introverted style, Mal Waldron's playing has long been flexible enough to fit into both hard bop and freer settings. Influenced by Thelonious Monk's use of space, Waldron has had his own distinctive chord voicings nearly from the start. Early on, Waldron played jazz on alto and classical music on piano, but he switched permanently to jazz piano while at Queens College. He freelanced around New York in the early '50s with Ike Quebec (for whom he made his recording debut), Big Nick Nicholas, and a variety of R&B-ish groups. Waldron frequently worked with Charles Mingus from 1954-1956 and was Billie Holiday's regular accompanist during her last two years (1957-1959). Often hired by Prestige to supervise recording sessions, Waldron contributed many originals (including "Soul Eyes," which became a standard) and basic arrangements that prevented spontaneous dates from becoming overly loose jam sessions. After Holiday's death, he mostly led his own groups, although he was part of the Eric Dolphy-Booker Little Quintet that was recorded extensively at the Five Spot in 1961, and also worked with Abbey Lincoln for a time during the era. He wrote three film scores (The Cool World, Three Bedrooms in Manhattan, and Sweet Love Bitter) before moving permanently to Europe in 1965, settling in Munich in 1967. Waldron, who has occasionally returned to the U.S. for visits, has long been a major force in the European jazz world. His album Free at Last was the first released by ECM, and his Black Glory was the fourth Enja album. Waldron, who frequently teamed up with Steve Lacy (often as a duet), kept quite busy up through the '90s, featuring a style that evolved but was certainly traceable to his earliest record dates. 

Among the many labels that have documented his music have been Prestige, New Jazz, Bethlehem, Impulse, Musica, Affinity, ECM, Futura, Nippon Phonogram, Enja, Freedom, Black Lion, Horo, Teichiku, Hat Art, Palo Alto, Eastwind, Baybridge, Paddle Wheel, Muse, Free Lance, Soul Note, Plainisphere, and Timeless. In September of 2002, Waldron was diagnosed with cancer. Remaining optimistic, he continued to tour until he passed away on December 2 in Brussels, Belgium at the age of76. ~Scott Yanow

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mal-waldron-mn0000665824/biography                              

Personnel:  Mal Waldron - piano;  Jim Pepper - tenor saxophone;  Ed Schuller - bass;  John Betsch - drums

Mal, Dance and Soul

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Eileen Farrell - Sings Rodgers & Hart

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:07
Size: 97,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:34)  1. I Could Write a Book
(2:10)  2. I Wish I Were in Love Again
(3:13)  3. Wait Till You See Him
(3:08)  4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(2:01)  5. Love Me Tonight
(3:14)  6. Nobody's Heart
(5:28)  7. It Never Entered My Mind
(2:40)  8. Mountain Greenery
(2:29)  9. Sing for Your Supper
(2:52) 10. Can't You Do a Friend a Favor
(3:01) 11. Lover
(2:50) 12. My Heart Stood Still
(3:39) 13. Little Girl Blue
(2:41) 14. You're Nearer

Eileen Farrell won acclaim and fame as an opera singer. She proved an effective, sometimes impressive standards and pre-rock performer, although she wasn't a jazz singer in any sense. This is a 14-song package from 1989 with arrangments by Louis McGlobon. The backing band includes fine trumpet and flugelhorn solos from Joe Wilder and an unusual instrumental bonus with the inclusion of vibist Jim Stack on some cuts. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/eileen-farrell-sings-rodgers-hart-mw0000202465    

Personnel: Eileen Farrell - vocals;  Joe Wilder - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Jim Brock - percussion;  Loonis McGlohon - piano;  Bill Stowe - drums;  Doug Henry - flute, saxophone;  Greg Hyslop - guitar;  Jim Stack - vibraphone;  Terry Peoples - bass

Sings Rodgers & Hart

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Elvin Jones - In Europe

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:28
Size: 145,4 MB
Art: Front

(17:40)  1. Ray
(32:45)  2. Doll of the Bride
(13:02)  3. Island Birdie

Recorded live at a jazz festival in Germany, In Europe represents a typical Jazz Machine live performance, three selections from the group's regular repertoire where the musicians get plenty of room to stretch out, fueled by Jones' propulsive polyrhythms. "Ray-El," written by Elvin's brother Thad Jones, is a medium tempo blues number featuring a fine flute solo by Sonny Fortune. The traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride" is a 32 minute tour-de-force beginning with Fortune's flute and a long Jones drum solo using mallets, then moving into a Latin-ish vamp with excellent solos from Fortune on tenor sax and Willie Pickens on piano. "Island Birdie," written by McCoy Tyner, is a happy calypso reminiscent of "St. Thomas" with a nice turn on soprano sax by Ravi Coltrane, the son of Elvin's former employer John Coltrane, and bassist Chip Jackson. This was Jones' return to recording after a seven year hiatus. ~ Greg Turner https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-europe-mw0000678298

Personnel:  Elvin Jones - drums;  Sonny Fortune - tenor saxophone, flute;  Ravi Coltrane - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone;  Willie Pickens - piano;  Chip Jackson - bass

In Europe

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Vladimir Shafranov Trio - Whisper Not

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:45
Size: 153,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:14)  1. You And The Night And The Music
(6:21)  2. Hply Land
(7:10)  3. I Remember Clifford
(4:43)  4. Whisper Not
(8:48)  5. Moon And Sand
(9:21)  6. Hush-A-Bye
(6:41)  7. Day Dream/Star-Crossed Lovers
(3:18)  8. Oblivion
(4:58)  9. If You Could See Me Now
(8:06) 10. A Beautiful Friendship

Born December 31 1948 in Leningrad,Russia.  Vladimir Shafranov was educated in Leningrad Conservatory on violin and piano. Already as a teenager he began playing jazz at the local scene,much to dismay of his teachers. He emigrated to Israel in 1973 and then to Finland in 1974. While in Finland he was one of the most in demand pianist especially accompanying visiting Americans. Greatly encouraged by many of them to move to New York he did so in 1983 and was very active in Manhattan Jazz Scene playing at clubs such as Bradley's, Blue Note, Village Vanguard,Village Gate among others. He was a duo partner w. bassists like Ron Carter,Red Mitchell,George Mraz and Buster Williams, led trios with Ron Carter-Al Foster, Rufus Reid-Victor Lewis, George Mraz-Albert "Tootie" Heath to name but a few. He also played with many top soloists such as Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie,Art Farmer, Clifford Jordan,George Coleman, Pepper Adams and accompanied singers such as Carmen McRae,Ernestine Anderson, Etta Jones and Jimmy Scott.Since 1998 he and his family settled on Åland Islands and has become one of best-selling jazz pianists in Japan having released 11 CD's and DVD. His latest release is "I'll Close My Eyes"(20010) featuring Jesper Lundgaard on bass. https://www.last.fm/music/Vladimir+Shafranov/+wiki

Personnel:  Vladimir Shafranov - piano;  Peter Washington - bass;  Victor Lewis - drums.

Whisper Not

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Michael Franks - The Music In My Head

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:47
Size: 123,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:04)  1. As Long As We're Both Together
(4:35)  2. Suddenly Sci-Fi
(5:05)  3. The Idea Of A Tree
(4:23)  4. Bluebird Blue
(6:14)  5. To Spend The Day With You
(4:21)  6. Bebop Headshop
(5:52)  7. Where You Hid The Truth
(4:57)  8. The Music In My Head
(5:43)  9. Candleglow
(5:28) 10. Waterfall

A giant of Quiet Storm music since years before that label was coined, Michael Franks is still quietly going about his business. The Music In My Head (June 8 2018, Shanachie Entertainment) is his eighteenth long player over forty-five years, coming a leisurely seven years after his last one. Franks really doesn’t need to make new music apart from just the personal enjoyment of doing it; old farts like myself would be forever content to cue up Art of Tea on the turntable and come see him perform strictly fan favorites and hits from the 70’s and 80’s. But while he might record at the same languid pace that much of his music inspires in others, he’s never quit creating new music and new sides. That inner flame still burns and that smoky, breathy voice is exactly the same as it’s always been. A spiritual heir to the late Mose Allison but with less blues and more Brazil (though Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee once did record a few of his songs), Franks is part of a dying breed of singers who can still convincingly make the case for jazz as popular music, and do it with thoughtful, grown-up songs from his own pen. In going back to read my 2011 review of Time Together, at least ninety percent of what’s said about that last release could aptly describe The Music In My Head. That goes right down to Franks’ use of five different producers, with Gil Goldstein, Scott Petito and Jimmy Haslip responsible for all but two of the ten tracks. Such a strategy could be perilous and result in an uneven product but thankfully, every one of these producers were very much attuned to that classic Michael Franks sound and showed great respect for it. 

Even with his usual collection of star musicians and producers involved in this project, there is no question who is the mastermind. His songs reach out to listeners on a personal level and like Time Together, the clean and uncluttered way they’re arranged and recorded only makes it easier to feel that direct connection. In keeping with his Brazil fascination, several of these songs are played with soft, bossa nova rhythms, like “Suddenly Sci-Fi.” That song has such a silky texture, you might not even notice it’s all acoustic save for David’s Spinozza’s tasty-as-frick guitar, the perfect accompaniment to Franks’ cooing out his signature impishly clever lines (“It seemed to say in Phillip K. Dick-tation/It’s now a sci-fi nation”). Spinozza, who first appeared on a Franks album way back in 1980(!), traces Franks’ scatting on the sly number “The Idea Of A Tree” and further makes his mark on three other tracks. “To Spend The Day With You” is another breezy bossa nova groove and this time it’s showcase for pianist Rachel Z. Franks’ tender ballad “Bluebird Blue” is one of the best testimonies that this is the same guys who wooed fans back in the day with classic ballads like “Lady Wants to Know” and “Tiger In The Rain,” as Goldstein gives the song the same light production touch that Tommy LiPuma did for Franks’ recordings some four decades earlier. Memories of Franks’ jazz awakening during his time in college come to swinging life on the all-acoustic “Bebop Headshop.”“The Music In My Head” is also autobiographical, a song about how the sounds of nature serve as his muse. The title track has the most contemporary vibe of this grouping of songs, with a sophisticated bridge and Franks effortlessly trading phrases with Bob Mintzer’s sax. The tender, sensual “Candleglow” is notable for a melodic exchange between Haslip and saxophonist Gary Meek, and “Waterfall” takes the album to a willowy landing with a big assist from Goldstein’s balletic piano.Lastly, there’s the song that appears first. “As Long As We’re Both Together” (stream above) is the only one with Chuck Loeb’s involvement: he produced, arranged and played guitar and keys on it. But Loeb was a very sick man at the time he left behind the polished backing track that featured for a final time some very graceful guitar that he was known for. Soon afterwards, cancer had claimed his life. In the end, that great loss didn’t dissuade Michael Franks from presenting the world the music in his head. The Music In My Head continues his forty-five year tradition of delivering comfort music with intellect, wit and grace. http://somethingelsereviews.com/2018/06/04/michael-franks-the-music-in-my-head-2018/

The Music In My Head

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Booker Ervin - Exultation

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:01
Size: 98,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:18)  1. Mooche Mooche
(6:19)  2. Black And Blue
(8:32)  3. Tune In
(2:29)  4. Just In Time (short take)
(4:55)  5. Just In Time (long take)
(2:38)  6. No Man's Land (short take)
(5:39)  7. No Man's Land (long take)
(4:08)  8. Mour

Booker Ervin's debut for Prestige (which has been reissued on CD with two shorter alternate takes added) matches the intense tenor with altoist Frank Strozier, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Walter Perkins for some bop-based music that is actually quite adventurous. Highlights include "Mour" (based on "Four"), "Black and Blue" and Ervin's "Mooche Mooche." Ervin and Strozier made a mutually inspiring team; pity that this was their only recording together. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/exultation%21-mw0000644704

Personnel:  Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone;  Frank Strozier - alto saxophone;  Horace Parlan - piano;  Butch Warren - bass;  Walter Perkins - drums

Exultation

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Gabriela Anders - Eclectica

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:58
Size: 102,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Together Again
(3:37)  2. Pearls And Gold
(4:15)  3. Naufragio
(4:37)  4. What My Dreams Are Made Of
(4:32)  5. Fading Light
(5:30)  6. I Wait
(3:34)  7. Socamerengue
(4:08)  8. Like U Do
(4:46)  9. Far Away
(3:31) 10. Love So Right

Influenced by Brazilian pop and the music of her native Argentina, Gabriela Anders spent much time in America soaking up jazz and R&B sensibilities, all of which inform her singing. The daughter of a jazz saxophone player, Anders studied classical guitar while a child but moved to piano study at a Buenos Aires conservatory. She spent much time in New York as well, soaking up the music of tenor specialists John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon. She also studied with Don Sebesky and began singing with Grover Washington, Jr. and Tito Puente while going to college. A brief time in Japan resulted in her first album, 1996's Fantasia (recorded as Beleza), though she had returned to New York by 1997. After sending a demo tape into Warner Jazz, Anders signed a contract and released Wanting in August 1998. 

~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gabriela-anders-mn0000155617/biography

Eclectica

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Eddie Harris - Freedom Jazz Dance

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:48
Size: 123,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Freedom Jazz Dance
(6:25)  2. Georgia on My Mind
(9:06)  3. Little Sunflower
(7:53)  4. Stars Fell on Alabama
(7:48)  5. Lisa Marie
(7:54)  6. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
(9:10)  7. For All We Know

Eddie Harris' final "authorized" studio date, like most in the last decade-and-a-half of his life, is a conservative acoustic blowing session, trying one last time to capture the minds and hearts of bop-minded purists. Frankly, he never sounded better on tenor than he does here, his tone luminous, the freak high notes perfectly integrated into his uniquely swinging style, his ballad phrasing infused with an even more poignant singing quality. He had a crack backup piano trio in tow, anchored by his old cohort Billy Hart on drums (who sounds freer than ever), with the emerging Jacky Terrasson on piano and George Mraz on bass. Yet the CD's mainstream idiom is cautious in the extreme "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" à la Trane is about as adventurous as this quartet gets (and Harris was into that style when it was current) and the only Harris original is the title tune, albeit superbly done. As a document of Eddie Harris in full bloom as a hard bopper, Freedom Jazz Dance is marvelous, but reveals only one side of this bewilderingly multi-faceted, innovative musician and as such, it is an incomplete memorial. [A Japanese version adds a bonus track.] ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/freedom-jazz-dance-mw0000090767  

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Eddie Harris;  Bass – George Mraz;  Drums – Billy Hart;  Piano – Jacky Terrasson

Freedom Jazz Dance

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Dave McMurray - I Know About Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:10
Size: 151,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Time #4
(2:57)  2. I Luv You Like Jazz
(5:05)  3. First Night In Africa
(4:27)  4. Precious Memories
(4:04)  5. I'm Coming Up
(4:39)  6. Love Calls
(4:06)  7. Waba Doo Bop
(4:04)  8. One Night In Paris
(4:30)  9. I Know About Love
(4:04) 10. Radio Days
(4:05) 11. Inherit The Wind
(4:58) 12. Beautiful You
(4:34) 13. Naked
(4:18) 14. Break It Down
(1:39) 15. Ma's Song
(2:53) 16. I Luv You Like Jazz / Rollin

Whether as sideman for the likes of Bob James or contributor to albums such as Dylan’s ‘Under The Red Sky’ or the Rolling Stones ‘Voodoo Lounge’ fusion player Dave McMurray can always be relied upon to deliver the goods. This Detroit-based saxophonist made his solo debut in 1995 with ‘The Dave McMurray Show’ and since then has gone on to release four more CDs with the latest being the excellent ‘I Know About Love’. McMurray makes an early statement of intent with the opening track, ‘Time’ which, after a moody intro, evolves into a swaggering streetwise slice of edgy contemporary jazz. Predictably McMurray’s jazzy playing is outstanding and although he retains a similar groove for the aptly named ‘Waba Doo Bop’ much of what this fabulous collection is all about can be typified by two contrasting versions of the intensely foot tapping ‘I Love You Like Jazz’. The initial take has something of an hypnotic urban undertone which in the later rendition gives way to a ballsy rap by Paradime that is right on the money.  When McMurray takes a melodic diversion for the smoky ‘First Night In Africa’, he is still able to inject an urgency that is added to in no small measure by Marcus Miller on bass while the fusion filled ‘I’m Coming Up’ is notable on many counts and not least for fantastic keys from the great George Duke. This jazzy funk fest is wonderful and in delightful contrast to the deliciously relaxed ‘Precious Memories’ which proves to be a first rate slice of mellifluous contemporary jazz. By and large ‘I Know All About Love’ revolves around McMurray’s own excellent compositions but along side thirteen of his own tunes are the sensational ‘Love Calls’ from R & B star KEM (who also features on vocals) and a fine cover of the Wilton Felder composition ‘Inherit The Wind’ which was a massive hit in 1979 for Bobby Womack. The Womack like vocals of Sweet Pea Ackinson (with whom McMurray first collaborated back as 1982) are tremendously faithful to the original while when McMurray gets back to his own songs the reflective title cut is anchored by the distinctly soulful vocals of Herschell Boone who also shares writing credits. McMurray switches to flute for the expansive ‘Naked’ where Al Turner on bass also contributes and as ‘I Know About Love’ glides to a tranquil end the outcome is the mellow yet jazz drenched ‘My Ma’s Song’. Elsewhere ‘Beautiful You’ is another top-notch example of easy grooving urban jazz whilst the mellifluous ‘One Night In Paris’ is embellished by the vocals of TIYI Adjovi and more superb flute from McMurray. This track is right up there with the album’s best and in the good company of both the hugely inviting ‘Radio Days’ (which finds McMurray re-uniting with old pal Bob James) and the wonderfully intense ‘Break It Down’ where vocalist Jessica Wager Cowan vies for the spotlight with more of McMurray’s great playing.‘I Know About Love’ is out now and comes highly recommended. http://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/02/dave-mcmurray-i-know-about-love.html

I Know About Love

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Lucky Thompson - Accent on Tenor Sax

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:25)  1. Tune For Tex
( 6:24)  2. Where Or When
( 8:05)  3. Mr. E-Z
(13:13)  4. Kamman's A'Comin'
( 7:33)  5. Ever So Easy
( 3:20)  6. Salute To Charlie Parker
( 4:18)  7. Mood Indigo
( 5:02)  8. Easy To Love
( 3:35)  9. Prelude To A Mood

Born in Columbia, SC, on June 16, 1924, tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson bridged the gap between the physical dynamism of swing and the cerebral intricacies of bebop, emerging as one of his instrument's foremost practitioners and a stylist par excellence. Eli Thompson's lifelong nickname the byproduct of a jersey, given him by his father, with the word "lucky" stitched across the chest -- would prove bitterly inappropriate: when he was five, his mother died, and the remainder of his childhood, spent largely in Detroit, was devoted to helping raise his younger siblings. Thompson loved music, but without hope of acquiring an instrument of his own, he ran errands to earn enough money to purchase an instructional book on the saxophone, complete with fingering chart. He then carved imitation lines and keys into a broom handle, teaching himself to read music years before he ever played an actual sax. According to legend, Thompson finally received his own saxophone by accident a delivery company mistakenly dropped one off at his home along with some furniture, and after graduating high school and working briefly as a barber, he signed on with Erskine Hawkins' 'Bama State Collegians, touring with the group until 1943, when he joined Lionel Hampton and settled in New York City. Soon after his arrival in the Big Apple, Thompson was tapped to replace Ben Webster during his regular gig at the 52nd Street club the Three Deuces Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Art Tatum were all in attendance at Thompson's debut gig, and while he deemed the performance a disaster (a notorious perfectionist, he was rarely if ever pleased with his work), he nevertheless quickly earned the respect of his peers and became a club fixture. 

After a stint with bassist Slam Stewart, Thompson again toured with Hampton before joining singer Billy Eckstine's short-lived big band that included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey in other words, the crucible of bebop. But although he played on some of the earliest and most influential bop dates, Thompson never fit squarely within the movement's paradigm his playing boasted an elegance and formal power all his own, with an emotional depth rare among the tenor greats of his generation. He joined the Count Basie Orchestra in late 1944, exiting the following year while in Los Angeles and remaining there until 1946, in the interim playing on and arranging a series of dates for the Exclusive label. Thompson returned to the road when Gillespie hired him to replace Parker in their epochal combo he also played on Parker's landmark March 28, 1946, session for Dial, and that same year was a member of the Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette-led Stars of Swing which, sadly, never recorded. More...Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lucky-thompson-mn0000302799/biography             

Personnel: Lucky Thompson (tenor sax), Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet), Billy Taylor (piano), Sidney Gross (guitar on #1-3), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Osie Johnson (drums).

Accent on Tenor Sax

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Nellie McKay - Obligatory Villagers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:38
Size: 73,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:10)  1. Mother Of Pearl
(3:20)  2. Oversure
(2:59)  3. Gin Rummy
(0:23)  4. Livin
(3:27)  5. Identity Theft
(3:21)  6. Galleon
(4:18)  7. Politan
(5:40)  8. Testify
(5:56)  9. Zombie

The irony inherent in Obligatory Villagers, the shortest of Nellie McKay's first three albums, is that it's her most difficult to understand, comprehend, or even take in. This despite the fact that, unlike her first two albums, these nine songs don't sprawl stylistically. Except for a light pop opener granted, that opener is a mocking satire of conservatives called "Mother of Pearl" with an opening line ("Feminists don't have a sense of humor") that deftly counterbalances McKay's later call for a dance break the album is Broadway all the way. With McKay's voice and piano, plus heavyweight help from jazz horns including David Liebman, Phil Woods, and Bob Dorough (the latter a singing horn), the album charges by with lightning speed. Her nimble Broadway orchestrations step and kick so quickly that it's nearly impossible to decode McKay's lyrics until after several listens even keeping up with the lyric book is difficult. (On his features, Dorough plays it up perfectly, a bemused and befuddled onlooker to the madness.) The fact that Obligatory Villagers does eventually coalesce into a unified and pleasurable listening experience is primarily a testament to Nellie McKay's sizable skills in arrangement and orchestration; writing original charts to provide the meat, then quoting from show tune tradition where she needs to lighten the mood, she makes the entire album a treat, an entertaining experience that listeners will want to sit through over and over until they figure out all of the points large and small she's making in these songs. If only there were a Broadway musical companion for Obligatory Villagers that listeners could actually sit through, either to visually unite the songs or merely to watch while they listened, Obligatory Villagers would be an amazing soundtrack. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/obligatory-villagers-mw0000750785

Obligatory Villagers

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