The Buddy Rich Big Band - Mercy, Mercy

Styles: Jazz, Bop, Big Band 

Year: 1968

File: MP3@320K/s 

Time: 61:52 

Size: 144,5 MB 

Art: Front

( 5:35)  1. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

( 4:06)  2. Preach And Teach

(12:50)  3. Channel 1 Suite

( 3:22)  4. Big Mama Cass

( 6:18)  5. Goodbye Yesterday

( 5:50)  6. Acid Truth

( 3:49)  7. Alfie

( 3:39)  8. Ode To Billie Joe

( 5:21)  9. Chavala

( 5:47) 10. Mr. Lucky

( 5:11) 11. Chelsea Bridge

This CD reissue brings back the finest all-round recording by Buddy Rich's big band. The original version of "Channel 1 Suite" is a classic and contains tenor saxophonist Don Menza's most memorable solo, plus a couple of brilliant improvisations from the explosive drummer/leader. Another highlight is an inventive Phil Wilson arrangement of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," and even "Alfie" (a melodic feature for altoist Art Pepper) and "Ode to Billie Joe" come across well. In addition to the original LP program, three selections were released for the first time on this CD. 

"Chelsea Bridge" is particularly significant, for it showcases Pepper, who was making a brief (and unsuccessful) comeback seven years before he finally returned to the scene. This spirited and often-exciting set is a real gem and is essential. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/mercy-mercy-mw0000619226     

Personnel:  Buddy Rich - drums;  Walter Namuth - guitar;  William Prince - trumpet;  Al Porcino - trumpet;  Kenneth Faul - trumpet;  David Culp - trumpet; Jim Trimble - trombone;  Richard Stepton - trombone;  Peter Graves - bass trombone;  Don Menza - tenor saxophone, arranger;  Art Pepper - alto saxophone;  Charles Owen -salto saxophone, arranger;  Pat LaBarbera - tenor saxophone;  John Laws - baritone saxophone;  Joe Azarellopiano;  Gary Walters - bass, string bass.

 

Mercy, Mercy

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Leon Bridges - Coming Home

Styles: Vocal, Soul 

Year: 2016

File: MP3@320K/s 

Time: 34:07 

Size: 78,6 MB 

Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Coming Home

(2:20)  2. Better Man

(3:26)  3. Brown Skin Girl

(3:03)  4. Smooth Sailin'

(3:37)  5. Shine

(4:03)  6. Lisa Sawyer

(2:56)  7. Flowers

(3:00)  8. Pull Away

(4:12)  9. Twistin' & Groovin'

(4:00) 10. River

Leon Bridges is the 'out of almost nowhere' story that only comes along once in a while. Awareness of Leon Bidges and his unique craft continues to grow authentically and consistently.  It was only last summer that Leon was singing open mics in his hometown Fort Worth, TX. One of those open mics was attended by Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of the notable indie band White Denim who were absolutely floored by Leon's voice, songs, and creative vision. They soon after set-up shop in a makeshift studio and recorded the album's opener "Coming Home" completely live to tape. This first take is exactly what you hear opening the album. The remaining 9 songs followed in a burst of creativity and inspiration. Leon was the breakout artist of 2015's SXSW, and performed to capacity crowds at A-level events including Heartbreaker at Willie Nelson's ranch, the Gorilla-vs-Bear HypeHotel showcase, Spotify House and Saint David's Church. His soulful, movement based performances and adept backing band garnered strong reviews from a variety of top-level media including the New York Times, Billboard and Grantland amongst many others. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-Leon-Bridges/dp/B00VVZUPIU    

 

Coming Home

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Stefano Bollani - Que Bom

Styles: Piano Jazz 

Year: 2018

File: MP3@320K/s 

Time: 72:07 

Size: 166,1 MB 

Art: Front

(5:15)  1. Sbucata da una nuvola

(3:46)  2. Galapagos

(5:02)  3. Certe giornate al mare

(3:33)  4. La nebbia a Napoli

(5:02)  5. Habarossa

(5:42)  6. Uomini e polli

(3:29)  7. Ho perduto il mio pappagallino

(4:40)  8. Criatura dourada

(3:20)  9. Michelangelo Antonioni

(3:58) 10. Accettare tutto

(6:31) 11. Ravaskia

(4:28) 12. Olha a Brita

(4:57) 13. Il gabbiano ischitano

(4:16) 14. Aleijadinho lê o Codex Seraphinianus aquì

(3:45) 15. Nação

(4:16) 16. Que Bom

Italian piano genius Stefano Bollani's new Brazilian album QUE BOM building on the success of his successful album CARIOCA (2008), which sold over 70'000 copies. Que Bom primarily consists of Bollani's own original tunes and distinctive melodies strongly influenced and informed by Brazilian music culture, which Bollani has always cherished since the very beginning of his rich, multifaceted crackerjack music making and dexterous playing.  In QUE BOM - a genuine hymn to life marked by sparkling liveliness and (contagious) joy Bollani is joined by the same outstanding rhythm section as in CARIOCA - Jorge Helder (db), Jurim Moreira (dr) and Armando Marçal (perc) - plus Thiago da Serrinha (perc), but here, in QUE BOM, also by the grand guest stars Caetano Veloso, João Bosco, Jaques Morelenbaum and Hamilton de Holanda. The CD packaging, an elegant and exquisite 6-side DigiSleeve with an 8-page booklet (concept & supervision of the art work by Italian actress and artist Valentina Cenni) contains the lyrics of the songs with Caetano Veloso and João Bosco, photos of the merry Rio recording session by Vinícius Giffoni and extraordinary pictures from Codex Seraphinianus by Italian artist and designer Luigi Serafini. QUE BOM, entirely produced by Bollani, is the first album to be released worldwide by his own newly created label ALOBAR. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Que-Bom-Stefano-Bollani/dp/B07BSXX4GT               

 

Que Bom

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Archie Shepp, Michel Marre - Passion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:11
Size: 119.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1986/2016
Art: Front

[12:07] 1. Passion
[ 5:06] 2. Prelude To A Kiss
[ 5:19] 3. We'll Be Together Again
[ 5:11] 4. For Heaven's Sake
[ 8:48] 5. You're My Thrill
[ 9:09] 6. Little Folks
[ 6:27] 7. Never Thought

In mid 80s one of free jazz cult figures American tenor Archie Shepp returns to his early r'n'b roots again and again. Usually combined with vocals and bluesy hard-bop numbers, Shepp's albums from that period are often a mixed bag, but for followers contain lot of interesting moments. One of better known albums of such kind is his "Down Home New York", recorded in States and released on renown Italian Soul Note label in 1984. "You're My Thrill" (reissued later on CD as "Passion" with two bonus tracks) was recorded in France and released on tiny domestic Vent Du Sud label. Both vinyl and CD (reissued in 1990) versions are real obscurities. From very first album sounds it becomes obvious that Shepp (or label) obviously tries to re-vitalize "Down Home NY.."'s successful formula. At the very same way, "You're My Thrill" opens with 10+ minute long catchy r'n'b number of the same way (actually, it is same song as "Down Home.."'s opener, just titled here as "Passion" and completed with slightly different lyrics).

Then (strictly according to previous album formula again) we have series of hard hard bop ballads with a few freer reeds solos and some of vocals.In contrast to Soul Note release where Shepp plays with team of renown Americans (incl. Kenny Werner on piano and Saheb Sarbib on bass among others), on "You're My Thrill" we hear mostly domestic European band. Weirdest collaborator is German keyboardist Siegfred Kessler using solely analog synths with extremely non-jazzy plasticky effervescent sound. Supporting band's leader trumpeter/tuba player Michel Marre demonstrates few solos, not on the level of Shepp's better collaborators' though. CD version's two bonuses are more lively compositions, contain more inspired (and a bit freer) playing but can hardly save all album. Obscure and hardly attractive for casual listener, this album still contains its two or three attractive moments for Shepp's fan or collector.

Passion mc
Passion zippy

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Venissa Santi - Big Stuff

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:01
Size: 121.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Sunny Side Of The Street
[4:11] 2. Big Stuff
[5:25] 3. What's New
[3:58] 4. My Man
[4:04] 5. Strange Fruit
[3:37] 6. Stormy Weather
[5:29] 7. You're My Thrill
[3:08] 8. Travelin' Light
[3:45] 9. Involved Again
[4:55] 10. That Old Devil Called Love
[3:45] 11. I Cover The Water Front Monks Dream-
[5:28] 12. You Better Go Now

Venissa Santí: Vocalist​​; ​François Zayas: Drums, Percussion; Tim Thompson: Trumpet; Chris Aschman: Trumpet, and Flugelhorn; John Stenger: Piano; Jason Fraticelli: Bass​; Cuco Castellanos: Congas; Madison Rast: Bass; Paul Klinefelter: Contrabass; Jon Thompson: Clarinet; Jef Lee Johnson: Guitar.

Born in NY, trained in jazz in Philadelphia, and schooled in sacred/secular music in her ancestral homeland of Cuba, vocalist Venissa Santí traveled a long road to develop her signature musical style. She is a 2008 PEW Fellow, signed to Sunnyside Records. Venissa’s artistry stems from the necessity to express the many influences that have nourished her spirit as a Cuban American. She was born in Ithaca, New York and hails from a line of Cuban artists intellectuals, but it was her grandfather, Jacobo Ros Capablanca, a Cuban composer who instilled in her a life-long passion for music.

As a child she grew up listening to the sounds of Ravel, Celia Cruz and Michael Jackson as well as theatrical productions and jazz. After completing high school, she moved to Philadelphia, where she enrolled at the University of the Arts, connected with her Cuban roots (via her grandfather’s compositions) and majored in Jazz Vocal Performance.

Big Stuff mc
Big Stuff zippy

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The Real Thing - New Wrapping

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:50
Size: 93.5 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[5:31] 1. No Bones About It
[3:23] 2. Schmell
[4:27] 3. Summer Blue
[5:53] 4. La Garota
[5:05] 5. Wrap It Up
[4:02] 6. On The Bus
[4:46] 7. The Black Pearl
[3:37] 8. Swedish Compliments
[4:00] 9. Maybe Paris

The Real Thing was a Soul Jazz Band from Oslo, Norway, founded in 1992 when Sigurd Køhn and Palle Wagnberg formed the forerunner, The B3 Blues Band with Vidar Busk and Hamlet Pedersen. They changed the name when Staffan William-Olsson and Fredrik Carl Stormer joined the band. Størmer was replaced by Torstein Ellingsen in 1995, and Ellingsen again by Børre Dalhaug in 1998. Due to the sudden death of the band's saxophonist Sigurd Køhn in December 2004 The Real Thing was hibernating until a reunion in 2010.

The quartet released eight albums, their debut in 1992 with the album The Real Thing and later both live and studio recordings. They for the most play original music, combining influences from American Blue Note jazz (represented by people such as like Jimmy Smith, George Benson and Wes Montgomery) and elements from modern popular music. The result is a mixture of genres including swing, blues, soul, Latin, funk and rock.

New Wrapping mc
New Wrapping zippy

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Nina Simone - Let It Be Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:27
Size: 120.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1987
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. My Baby Just Cares For Me
[3:17] 2. Sugar In My Bowl
[6:00] 3. Fodder On My Wings
[3:54] 4. Be My Husband
[3:37] 5. Just Like A Woman
[3:19] 6. Balm In Gilead
[4:30] 7. Stars
[2:54] 8. If You Pray Right (Heaven Belongs To You)
[7:15] 9. If You Knew Let It Be Me
[4:51] 10. Four Women
[5:02] 11. Mississippi Goddam
[4:40] 12. Baltimore

Drums – Cornell McFadden; Guitar, Bass [Electric] – Arthur Adams; Vocals, Piano – Nina Simone. Recorded live at Vine St.

Nina Simone's live performances have a power and an intimacy all their own, and those qualities stand out in this 1987 recording from Vine Street. It's a stunning form of cabaret singing, dramatic without melodrama, and with roots that reach to Billie Holiday's surprising success with "Strange Fruit." Simone can add profundity to a usually carefree song like "My Baby Just Cares for Me," and the range of the performance broadens with the startling "Be My Husband," a simple pattern reduced to the naked force of a field holler, and the stark hymn "Balm in Gilead." Carefully chosen songs from Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, and Janis Ian achieve new dimensions in Simone's treatments. Her own deeply felt "Four Women" and "Mississippi Goddam" are potent and enduring protests. There's some effectively spare accompaniment from guitar, bass, and drums, but Simone's piano is the essential instrumental voice, from slow barrelhouse to Bach. ~Stuart Broomer

Let It Be Me mc
Let It Be Me zippy

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John Swanson - If We Only Knew

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:27
Size: 104.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:15] 1. Easier Said Than Done
[3:13] 2. Just Around The Corner
[3:56] 3. Nobody Home
[3:40] 4. If We Only Knew
[5:04] 5. Chasin' Jeanie Around
[3:51] 6. Good To Go
[4:00] 7. I Just Stopped By To Say Hello
[3:11] 8. Sycamore Drive
[3:17] 9. Have I Got A Deal For You
[3:28] 10. Feelin' Hit
[3:44] 11. Ivory Tower Man
[3:42] 12. Takin' My Time

Smooth with full 30+ piece big band setting the tone for male crooner vocals. Nostalgic sound that might be heard in the 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s.

"I like songs with characters, places, foods, drinks. Tangible subject matter makes the best stories. The world around you is the lyrics. You just have to come up with a melody. You cannot hide from yourself in songwriting - you're in there at every turn. It demands honesty. Sometimes I'll write a song about some "other" people. You know, from a cool, detached observer point of view...then I'll go back and listen and think "Swanee, who you kidding? That's just you in that song. As important as creating original music is to me, playing the standards is just as important. That's one of the things I love so much about jazz and blues. There is no such thing as "cover music". Playing standards is not just accepted in jazz; it's required. It's required to be able to speak the language and to help define your own style.

I would list the great New Orleans bluesman Lonnie Johnson as my all-time fav. He was an innovative guitarist, a captivating singer, a brilliant songwriter, an A-list side-man, and a one-of-a-kind soloist. LJ was one of the most complete musicians ever. He pretty much exemplifies everything I would ever hope to be as a musician. Unless you happen to be Bob Dylan or Louis Armstrong you ain't gonna change the world with a musical instrument; but you can change YOUR world with one." ~"Swanee"

If We Only Knew mc
If We Only Knew zippy

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Terence Blanchard - Bounce

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:13
Size: 153.9 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[8:40] 1. On The Verge
[6:29] 2. Passionate Courage
[7:40] 3. Fred Brown
[7:31] 4. Nocturna
[6:00] 5. Azania
[7:28] 6. Footprints
[8:56] 7. Transform
[7:20] 8. Innocence
[7:05] 9. Bounce Let's Go Off

Bass – Brandon Owens; Drums – Eric Harland; Electric Piano – Robert Glasper (tracks: 2 to 6, 8); Guitar – Lionel Loueke (tracks: 1 to 8); Piano – Aaron Parks (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 8); Soprano Saxophone – Brice Winston (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 8); Trumpet – Terence Blanchard.

Although he’s spent much of the past 15 years scoring films for Spike Lee and others, trumpeter Terence Blanchard certainly hasn’t forgotten about jazz, as his impressive Blue Note debut makes clear. Bounce finds the former Jazz Messenger having grown well past his early days as part of the “young lions” phenomenon of the ‘80s into a mature, individual artist exploring a wide palette of jazz colors. Like the best jazz artists working today, Blanchard has an awareness of the music’s past and present and openness to influences outside the jazz world (at least, that is, to those who would offer a narrow definition of all that jazz encompasses). Along with a band of talented young stars in the making (Aaron Parks on piano, Brandon Owens on bass, Eric Harland on drums, Lionel Louke on guitar and Brice Winston on saxophone), Blanchard deftly blends neo bebop and Latin grooves, New Orleans funk and African rhythms into a cohesive, expressive, contemporary whole.

Among Blanchard’s impressive original compositions, his “Azania” digs deep into Afro-Caribbean traditions, including a wordless chant from Louke, while the title tune (which is paired with former partner Donald Harrison’s “Let’s Go Off”) is flavored with the down-home gumbo of his (and most of the band’s) Crescent City home. Blanchard even delves into free form funk, with the addition of Robert Glasper on Fender Rhodes, on the fiery original “Fred Brown” and on an edgy reworking of Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints.”

A generous leader and mentor, Blanchard gives plenty of room for band members to express themselves with extended solos, and in the case of Parks, Harland and Owens, with notable originals of their own. While never hogging the spotlight, Blanchard is an adroit soloist himself, always in full command of his instrument whether playing fast and furious runs or moody ballads. With Bounce, Blanchard proves himself a jazz artist very much of the moment and a jazz man for all seasons. ~Joel Roberts

Bounce mc
Bounce zippy

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Robert Stewart - Judgement

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:56
Size: 105,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Serene
(4:26)  2. Speak Through Your Horn
(4:59)  3. Revelations
(8:36)  4. Judgement
(6:33)  5. Invitation
(5:59)  6. Familiar Changes
(3:41)  7. Soul Searchin'
(6:15)  8. As Time Goes By

Old Wine, Old Bottles. I was cleaning out my to review list recently and came across a couple of older RED Records releases that I had not previously spun under the laser. Tenor Saxophonist Robert Stewart emerged first and I found this disc to me most enjoyable. Judgement is one of the most thoroughly entertaining jazz offerings that is hiding its light under the proverbial basket. Robert Stewart has made his name being a musical jack-of-all-trades. He has orchestrated and arranged film scores ( Howard’s End and Remains of the Day ), acted as engineer (Dennis Brown’s Live In Montego Bay Sonic Sound 39), produced ( Welcome To the Universe, Twisted 11753) and even performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra ( Jazz At The Lincoln Center: They Came To Swing, Sony 66379). He has released two discs on RED Records and Two on Warner Brothers. The All Music Guide cites Judgement as having been released on World Stage Records. It is the same recording as that released on RED, for whom I credit with the first release. Equal Representation. Judgement has a little of everything, ballads, bossa nova, Hard Bop blues, minor blues, and one standard. The blues are the hard hitters with the “Cornbread”-like “Speak Through Your Horn” and the “Watermelon Man”-like “Soul Searchin’”. The ballads, “Serene” and “Revelations” are silky smooth and soft. “As Time Goes By” betrays Stewart’s warm, broad tone as being influenced by Long Tall Dexter, Ben Webster, Hank Mobley, and Sonny Rollins. No Coltrane here, No. Stewart is joined by Eric Reed on piano, Billy Higgins on drums, and Mark Shelby on Bass. The support is solid and crisply recorded. Reed, who most lately has been recording with Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and his Septet. Here he plays with a controlled funky abandon that he previously had little opportunity for. Higgins is his propulsive self. And Shelby, a rock bassist by trade, pulls a few jazz tricks out of his sleeves. This sold support along with Stewart’s solid tone make this disc readily accessible to all. A superb jazz recording. ~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/judgement-robert-stewart-red-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Robert Stewart: Tenor Saxophone; Billy Higgins: Drums; Eric Reed: Piano; Mark Shelby: Bass.

Judgement

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Renee Geyer - Difficult Woman

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:58
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Close
(3:47)  2. Careless
(4:30)  3. Difficult Woman
(2:05)  4. God only Knows
(3:30)  5. Foggy Highway
(5:34)  6. Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall
(4:56)  7. Just the Thought of You
(4:35)  8. Sweet Guy
(5:21)  9. Real
(3:10) 10. He Was Too Good to Me
(3:11) 11. Trouble

Renée Geyer is Australia's most respected and successful soul singer, with a recording career of nearly 30 years. Her career began around 1971 in Sydney, when a girlfriend took her along to the rehearsal of friends who were forming a band. Geyer was encouraged to get up and have a sing and was instantly invited to join as singer. Although she was so shy in the beginning she couldn't face the audience, musicians noticed her, and Geyer was invited to join one more experienced band after another until 1971, when she became part of an ambitious jazz fusion group called Sun. Geyer was still just 19. After one album (Sun '72), Sun and Geyer parted company; Geyer eventually found herself part of a group called Mother Earth, still with jazz leanings but also incorporating the soul and R&B Geyer loved and excelled at. With Mother Earth, she started touring and was offered a solo recording contract. She insisted that Mother Earth provide the backings on her first album. For her second album, the cream of Melbourne musicians were assembled for the sessions. Geyer formed such a strong bond with these musicians, but by the time the It's a Man's World album was released and her powerfully provocative version of the James Brown title song was a big hit, Geyer was ready to throw her lot in with those musicians rather than be a solo performer.

Her two solo albums so far had been cover versions or sourced songs, apart from the single "Heading in the Right Direction." The Renée Geyer Band wrote the songs for 1975's Ready to Deal album in the studio and toured extensively. A live album, Really.. Really Love You, followed, based on Geyer's building reputation as a powerfully voiced, raunchy performer. That reputation found its way to America and led to an invitation to record an album in Los Angeles with famed Motown producer Frank Wilson. While the Movin' Along album provided another hit at home, in America Stares and Whispers created confusion. R&B stations loved the record, but didn't know what to do when they discovered Geyer was a white Jewish girl from Australia. For the next few years, Geyer bounced between Australia and America, working in Australia and recording two more albums in America. When 1981's So Lucky album presented her with a huge hit with "Say I Love You" both in Australia and New Zealand, it became necessary to put the American dream aside for two years. In 1983, Geyer returned to base herself in America permanently, still keeping in touch with her Australasian fans with tours. While in America, Geyer became part of a group called Easy Pieces with former members of the Average White Band. But the album took so long to record, by the time it was finished, the group had never performed and were going their separate ways. Geyer spent several years in America doing session work for Sting (the fade vocal on "We'll Be Together"), Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne, and others, touring with Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan and others, and writing songs. During one foray back to Australia, Geyer was invited to sing the Paul Kelly song "Foggy Highway" for the soundtrack of a TV series based on the seven deadly sins. Kelly was so impressed by Geyer's version, he offered to produce an album and wrote some of the songs, including the title track, which (alongside "It's a Man's Man's World" has become Geyer's signature song, Difficult Woman). The working relationship with Paul Kelly was such a happy and satisfying one, Geyer decided to base herself back in Australia. With Paul Kelly and Joe Camilleri (Jo Jo Zep, Black Sorrows) producing, she recorded 1999's Sweet Life album.

At the end of 1999, Geyer released her frank life story, Confessions of a Difficult Woman through Harper Collins. ~ Ed Nimmervoll https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ren%C3%A9e-geyer-mn0000884390

Difficult Woman

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Stefon Harris, David Sanchez, Christian Scott - Ninety Miles

Styles: Vibraphone, Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:09
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:04)  1. Nengueleru
(4:17)  2. E'cha
(6:47)  3. City Sunrise
(3:53)  4. The Forgotten Ones
(6:21)  5. Black Action Figure
(6:30)  6. Congo
(9:28)  7. And This Too Shall Pass
(5:01)  8. Brown Belle Blues
(5:46)  9. La Fiesta Va

They're all relative youngsters in a jazz world that still finds nonagenarians like Dave Brubeck hitting the summer festival circuit. Tenor saxophonist David Sanchez may be the elder statesman on the marquis of Ninety Miles, with vibraphonist Stefon Harris in the middle position at 38 and trumpeter Christian Scott still on the shy side of 30, but each of them has already made his mark, making this an all-star in-the-making American/Cuban collaboration on an upward trajectory. Scott's visibility has been soaring, with an album almost every year since Rewind That (Concord, 2006), and delivering incendiary live performances like his 2010 Ottawa Jazz Festival appearance. Harris' career has unfolded a little more slowly since bursting out with Cloud of Red Dust (Blue Note, 1998), but an impressive 2006 Montreal Jazz Festival appearance and sophomore set with his electrified Blackout on Urbanus (Concord, 2009) proves his mesh of cerebral sophistication and get-down grooves remains intact. Sánchez is even more patient, with albums coming every three or four years, but in the time between Cultural Survival (Concord, 2008) and now, he's kept busy with Kenny Werner, heard in a 2009 Montreal performance and on the pianist's Balloons (HalfNote, 2011). For non-Americans, the significance of Ninety Miles the distance between coastal United States and Cuba might be lost; small, perhaps, but with the troubled past between the two nations, it's always held greater significance. Over a year of red tape was required to bring Harris, Sánchez and Scott together with two outstanding Cuban piano quartets one led by Rember Duharte, the other by Harold López-Nussa, who wowed audiences at Germany's 2010 Enjoy Jazz Festival but it was clearly worth the effort. Ninety Miles combines originals from the two Cuban pianists with two tunes by Sánchez and three from Harris, including a new look at the title track to the vibraphonist's Black Action Hero (Blue Note, 1999) that's faithful, but achieves far greater liftoff, thanks to López-Nussa's drummer, brother Ruy A Lopez Nussa and percussionist Edgar Martinez Ochoa. It's a song that defines the entire set, filled with irresistible rhythms, memorable melodies and some of the most flat-out exhilarating playing heard from everyone involved. A marriage (well, two, really) made in heaven, then, but one that doesn't neglect the need to balance the more energetic material with some much-needed respite. Despite being propelled lightly by Ochoa's bata, Sánchez "The Forgotten Ones" is an atmospheric breather, a four-minute duet for the saxophonist and the shimmering, ethereal Harris. And while the three stars are working with two similarly configured Cuban groups, Osmar Salazar's electric bass on tracks like the effervescent "Congo" pushes the bottom end differently than acoustic bassist Yandy Martinez González's Latin swing on Harris' "And This Too Shall Pass."  Without compositional representation, Scott has to rely on his inestimable chops and taste to make his presence felt, but with brash solos like his searing, stratospheric work on "Congo," there's little fear of being ignored. Together with Harris, Sánchez and their Cuban friends, Ninety Miles is music that could bridge the gap if it was ninety light years. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ninety-miles-stefon-harris-concord-picante-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Stefon Harris: vibraphone; David Sanchez: tenor saxophone; Christian Scott: trumpet (1-3, 5-8); Rember Duharte: piano (1, 6 8), voice (6); Osmar Salazar: electric bass (1, 6, 8); Eduardo Barroetabena: drums (1, 6, 8); Jean Roberto San Miguel: batá, congas, percussion (1, 6, 8); Harold López-Nussa: piano (2-3, 5, 7, 9); Yandy Martinez Gonzalez: bass (2-3, 5, 7, 9); Ruy Adrian López-Nussa: drums (2-3, 5, 7, 9); Edgar Martinez Ochoa: congas, djembe, percussion (2-3, 5, 7, 9), batá (4).

Ninety Miles

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Vladimir Shafranov Trio - Kids Are Pretty People

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:30
Size: 185,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. O Que Tinha De Ser
(5:07)  2. With Malice Toward None
(6:12)  3. Avila And Tequila
(6:52)  4. I Wish I Knew
(3:44)  5. Cinema Paradiso 'Love Theme'
(5:54)  6. Glad To Be Unhappy
(5:16)  7. Firm Roots
(6:08)  8. Brigas Nunca Mals 'No More Fighting'
(4:15)  9. Easy Walker
(3:26) 10. Cup Bearers
(6:50) 11. Kids Are Pretty People
(4:36) 12. Prelude No.20
(3:02) 13. It Never Entered My Mind

Vladimir Shafranov , Russian jazz pianist , born December 31, 1946, residing in Jomala.Vladimir started playing piano and violin at four years of age. At the beginning of 1973, he moved from his hometown St. Petersburg to Israel . A few years later, he moved to Finland and since 1980 he is a Finnish citizen. During his time in Finland he played with the best Finnish jazz musicians. 1983 moved to New York where Vladimir played with musicians like Art Farmer , Stan Getz , Chet Baker , George Coleman , Ron Carter , Dizzy Gillespie and Al Foster . Nowadays Vladimir lives in Jomala with his wife Lena. They have three children, Alexandra (f 92), Rebecca (f 97) and David (f 99). He composes and releases regular discs. Famous producers include Kompass Records, Atelier Sawano and Venus Records. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&u=https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Shafranov&prev=search

Personnel:  Vladimir Shafranov - piano; Pekka Sarmanto - bass;  Jukkis Uotila - drums.

Kids Are Pretty People

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Clifford Brown, Max Roach - Study In Brown

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:41
Size: 90.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1955/2017
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. Cherokee
[5:07] 2. Jacqui
[2:53] 3. Swingin'
[4:57] 4. Lands End
[5:36] 5. George's Dilemma
[4:52] 6. Sandu
[2:53] 7. Gerkin For Perkin
[3:24] 8. If I Love Again
[4:15] 9. Take The A Train

Bass – George Morrow; Drums – Max Roach; Piano – Richie Powell; Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land; Trumpet – Clifford Brown. Recorded between February 23 & 25, 1955.

Study in Brown features the 1955 version of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, a group also including tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow. One of the premiere early hard bop units, this band had unlimited potential. Highlights of this set are "Cherokee" (during which trumpeter Brown is brilliant), "Swingin'," and "Sandu." All of this group's recordings are well worth acquiring. ~Scott Yanow

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Dayramir Gonzalez - The Grand Concourse

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:12
Size: 165.3 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[1:51] 1. Smiling
[7:27] 2. Moving Forward
[6:07] 3. Sencillez
[8:15] 4. Iyesa Con Miel
[5:43] 5. Blood Brothers
[4:47] 6. Camello Tropical
[8:19] 7. Lovely Time With My Dear
[6:30] 8. Linear Patterns In Havana
[5:45] 9. Two Makes The Difference
[5:40] 10. West Coast Exchange
[2:37] 11. Hand In Hand, You And I
[9:06] 12. Situaciones En 12 8

Dayramir González: Steinway Grand Piano, Fender Rhodes and synthesizers (2, 8, 9) and coro (2, 3, 10, 12); Antoine Katz: electric bass (1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12); Alberto Miranda: electric bass (2); Carlos Mena: contrabass (3); Zwelakhe Duma-Bell Le Pere: contrabass (5, 7, 9); Zack Mullings: drums (1, 4, 6, 10); Keisel Jimenez Leyva: drums (2); Jay Sawyer: drums (5); Willy Rodriguez: drums (5); Raul Pineda: drums (8); David Rivera: drums (12); Paulo Stagnaro: congas (1,, 3, 6, 10), batá drums: (6), surdo, cajón, güiro, pandeiro and miscellaneous percussion (1, 5, 7, 8, 9) ; Marcos Lopez: congas (2); Mauricio Herrera: congas (12), batá drums (2); Pedrito Martinez: batá drums (4) and lead vocals (4); Gregorio Vento: miscellaneous percussion and lead vocals (12); Yosvany Terry: alto saxophone (1, 4, 8, 10), shekere (10); Marcos Lopez: timbal (10); Harvis Cuni: trumpet (1); Oriente Lopez: flute (1, 3, 4, 8, 10); Kalani Trinidad: flute (12); Rio Konishi: alto saxophone (12); Dean Tsur: alto saxophone (7), tenor saxophone (1, 4, 8, 10); Edmar Colon: tenor saxophone (12); Ameya Kalamdani: electric and acoustic guitars (1, 6); Tatiana Ferrer: coro (2, 3, 10, 12) and viola (1, 3, 5, 7); Jaclyn Sanchez: coro (2, 3, 10); Nadia Washington: lead vocals (6) and coro (3, 10); Ilmar Lopez Gavilan: violin (1, 3, 5, 7); Audrey Defreytas Hayes: violin (1, 3, 5, 7); Jennifer Vincent: violoncello (1, 3, 5, 7); Caris Visentin Liebman: oboe (5); Amparo Edo Biol: French horn (5).

Remarkably this is only the second album by Mr. González. His first album, Habana enTRANCe (Cinquillo, 2007) certainly announced the arrival of another master musician from the fertile musical topography of Cuba, which continues to suggest that it has an almost magical and mystical formula for creating pianists. Although he needed no introduction from older masters such as Chucho Valdés, he got one anyway. However with the explosive start to the album from “Gozando” and the nine other pieces that followed, Mr. González’s music spoke for itself and it seemed that not since Gonzalo Rubalcaba had Cuba produced an artist with such impressive credentials. The Grand Concourse is an enormous development.

From the very (title) The Grand Concourse, an artistic and spiritual portal of sorts, Mr. González beckons us into the deeply spiritual world of Santeria. But the welcome here is unique and it isn’t until “Iyesa Con Miel” with the elemental Lucumi chant by Pedrito Martinez, that one is greeted with something familiar in the way of the Afro-Cuban sprit world. But it is always there, right from the first bars of “Smiling”. It is just that Mr. González has found a new idiom to express what is traditional to him rhythmically. And this is what makes this music so wonderfully unique. This is unlike almost every recent album of Afro-Cuban music, even music by Cuban musicians who visit the same musical ground over and over again, making the evocation of the Lucumi idiom seem laboured.

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Soesja Citroen - Here & Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:28
Size: 140.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:21] 1. As Long As I Live
[4:23] 2. Some Other Spring
[6:41] 3. Peel Me A Grape
[5:23] 4. Born To Be Blue
[5:13] 5. Old Devil Moon
[4:51] 6. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So
[5:13] 7. In Twilight (Crepescule With Nellie)
[3:56] 8. Never Make Your Move Too Soon
[8:04] 9. But Beautiful
[4:50] 10. No One Around
[4:49] 11. The Lonely Ones
[3:39] 12. My Shining Hour

Soesja Citroen joined the Challenge roster with Here and Now, which was produced by the Dutch label's in-house producer, Chris Ellis. A veteran jazz producer, Ellis was known for having great instincts when it came to singers, and he does well by Citroen on this album. Joined by pianist Cees Slinger, bassist Jan Voogd, and drummer Arnoud Gerritse, the singer is in good-to-excellent form on selections that range from Dave Frishberg's sexy "Peel Me a Grape" and Stix Hooper's bluesy "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" to well-known standards like "But Beautiful" and "My Shining Hour." Jarmo Hoogendijk, a talented Dutch trumpeter, joins Citroen on four of the CD's 12 songs, including "Peel Me a Grape," "Old Devil Moon," and Duke Ellington's "The Lonely Ones." Thankfully, Here and Now would not be the last time Citroen and Ellis would work together. ~Alex Henderson

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The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra - In Europe (2-Disc Set)

Alto Saxophone – Dick Oatts, Steve Coleman; Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis; Bass – Jasper Lundgaard; Drums – Mel Lewis; Flugelhorn – Thad Jones; Piano – Jim McNeely; Tenor Saxophone – Robert Rockwell, Rick Perry; Trombone – Doug Purviance, John Mosca, Lolly Bienenfeld, Lu Robertson; Trumpet – Irvin Stokes, Larry Moss, Ron Tooley, Simo Salminin. This is a compilation of live recordings previously released on three West Wind releases, A Touch Of Class, The Orchestra and Body And Soul.

During the second half of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was the world's most successful band when it comes to creatively developing swinging big band jazz. This musically outstanding and extremely inventive outfit set the tone for everybody else in the genre. The band played their first public gig at the Village Vanguard in New York City on Monday, February 7, 1966 and staged their very last concert in late October 1978 in Berlin. This CD is a veritable rarity in memoriam, as it contains the very last live recordings of the now legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

Album: In Europe (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:32
Size: 159.2 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[13:05] 1. Samba Con Get Chu
[ 7:36] 2. Quietude
[ 6:28] 3. Cecilia Is Love
[ 5:55] 4. Mexican Hayride I Love You
[ 7:31] 5. And I Love You So
[ 9:04] 6. That's Freedom
[10:31] 7. The Second Race
[ 9:19] 8. Willow Weep For Me

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Album: In Europe (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:06
Size: 171.9 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[12:00] 1. Sixty First And Richard
[ 7:32] 2. Body And Soul
[11:07] 3. Don't Get Sassy
[10:17] 4. A Child Is Born
[15:38] 5. Fingers
[18:31] 6. The Intimacy Of The Blues

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Rein De Graaff - Confirmation

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:29
Size: 165.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[16:09] 1. All The Things You Are
[11:49] 2. Easy Living
[10:31] 3. Out Of Nowhere
[ 6:04] 4. Confirmation
[ 9:54] 5. There's No Greater Love
[ 6:14] 6. Ghost Of A Chance
[11:45] 7. Music Inn Blues

Pianist. Dutch self-taught pianist who's made himself one of Europe's best session players. De Graaff led a trio from 1959 to 1962, then joined The Jazzopters for a year. He then headed his own quartet until 1964, at the same time playing with Erwin Some and Gijs Hendriks. De Graaff formed a new group in 1964 that stayed together until the '80s. He also played with a number of visiting American musicians, among them Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Johnny Griffin, Art Taylor, Clifford Jordan, Cecil Payne, Dexter Gordon, Clark Terry, Sonny Stitt, Philly Joe Jones and Arnett Cobb. He made several appearances in New York, and was awarded the Dutch National Jazz Prize in 1980. ~ Ron Wynn

Confirmation

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Nellie McKay - Home Sweet Mobile Home

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:25
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. Bruise On The Sky
(2:13)  2. Adios
(4:18)  3. Caribbean Time
(3:10)  4. Please
(4:59)  5. Beneath The Underdog
(3:53)  6. Dispossessed
(3:53)  7. The Portal
(3:39)  8. Bodega!
(4:32)  9. Coosada Blues
(4:38) 10. No Equality
(3:50) 11. Absolute Elsewhere
(4:32) 12. Unknown Reggae
(3:10) 13. Bluebird

Nellie McKay's first album of new material in three years returns her to the stylistically scattershot, lyrically ingenious nature of Obligatory Villagers. As she admits herself ("I have no idea how this album happened"), McKay is working on instinct, which helps preserve not only her many idiosyncrasies but also the charming and witty nature of her songwriting. She did gain guidance from two elder sources, one being her mother Robin Pappas (a co-producer) and the other David Byrne, who recruited McKay to appear on his Imelda Marcos concept album Here Lies Love and then returned the favor by making compilations and recommending people for Home Sweet Mobile Home. Byrne's help is intriguing, since the album has all the sounds of the post-millennial global village: reggae rhythms and vocal inflections for several tracks (including "Caribbean Time"), a New Yorker's version of Latin-ized tradition for "¡Bodega!," and, as before, plenty of the good-time, slightly New Orleans-influenced jazz she's floated in the past. The album also has slightly more guitar than any since her debut. Guitars were expected on her first record, since it was produced by Geoff Emerick, but here McKay and her group appear to be attempting an adult-alternative pop crossover of some type. Lyrically, she continues the incisive satire and parody heard on her earlier material. (The first line on Obligatory Villagers was "Feminists don't have a sense of humor," while Home Sweet Mobile Home begins with "The New York Times invents the news.") While her mood inevitably varies from track to track, McKay, more often than before, sounds as though circa-2000s malaise has infected her songwriting; the opener, "Bruise on the Sky," is especially dark (its chorus ends "What I hoped would be my rainbow, was just a bruise on the sky"). "Beneath the Underdog" and "No Equality" are equally dispirited, nearly fatalistic, despite the latter's airing as an organ-led soul jam. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-sweet-mobile-home-mw0002024100

Personnel: Nellie McKay: vocals, piano, organ, marimba, ukulele, saxophone, clarinet, cello, percussion, synthesizer; Ben Bynum: drums; Danny Cahn: trumpet; Tim Carbone: violin; Lucien Ceran: saxophone; Rick Chamberlain: trombone; Jim Daniels: tuba; Glenn Drewes: trumpet; Bob Glaub: bass; Paul Hoderbaum: saxophone; Brian Jobson: bass; Wayne Jobson: guitar; Reggie McBride: bass; Joslyn "Speckles" McKenzie: drums; Willie Murillo: trumpet, backup vocals; Barry O'Hare: keyboard; Cary Park: guitar; Lance Rauh: saxophone; David Raven: drums; Spencer Reed: guitar; Paul Rostock: bass; Mark Visher: saxophones, clarinet, backup vocals; Paul Wells: drums.

Home Sweet Mobile Home

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Dave Valentin - Primitive Passions

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. San Juan
(4:37)  2. Sanba For Denise
(5:33)  3. Morning Light
(7:10)  4. Primitive Passions
(7:01)  5. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:36)  6. The Old Man (El Viejo)
(3:49)  7. Enchantment
(6:44)  8. Equinox
(3:59)  9. Wasabi
(4:50) 10. Keep On And On

?Dave Valentin, who recorded over 15 albums for GRP, combined together the influence of pop, R&B, and Brazilian music with Latin jazz to create a slick and accessible form of crossover jazz. At age nine, Valentin enjoyed playing bongos and congas. He gigged at Latin clubs in New York from age 12 and it was not until he was 18 that he seriously started studying flute. Valentin's teacher, Hubert Laws, suggested that he not double on saxophone because of his attractive sound on the flute. In 1977, he made his recording debut with Ricardo Marrero's group, and he was also on a Noel Pointer album. Discovered by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen, Valentin was the first artist signed to GRP and he was a popular attraction for years to follow. After the mid-2000s, Valentin was signed to Highnote Records, releasing World on a String in 2005, Come Fly with Me in 2006, and Pure Imagination in 2011. Valentin suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012 and a second stroke three years later; he died in 2017 at the age of 64. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-valentin-mn0000625994/biography  

Personnel: Dave Valentin - flute;  Milton Cardona - trumpet, percussion;  Robby Ameen - drums, percussion;  Lincoln Goines - electric & acoustic basses;  Robbie Ameen - drums, percussion

Primitive Passions

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