Saturday, July 28, 2018

David Garfield & Friends - Music From Riding Bean

Styles: Keyboards, Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:33
Size: 111,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. Road Buster
(3:39)  2. Bad Girl
(6:55)  3. Dealin'down
(4:11)  4. Bean Bandit Boogie
(5:28)  5. Brewy's Bag
(3:50)  6. King Of The Road
(4:35)  7. Hit The Highway
(4:58)  8. Get Out Of My Way
(4:58)  9. Kickin' Booty
(4:57) 10. Runnin' The Road

David Garfield's mission statement is "I make music." And "make music" he does, as a world-renowned keyboard artist, producer, and composer. Be it jazz, rock, funk, or world beat - he is the creative force behind the production of many internationally acclaimed recordings. Whether working as a Musical Director for other artists or Performing or Recording with one of his own bands, David (known to some as "Creatchy") is constantly and consistently involved in creating music for the listening enjoyment and pleasure of music lovers everywhere. "Giving Back" is Garfield's most current Creatchy Records release, which once again features world-class musicians and artists. Recorded in both Los Angeles and New York, these 13 hot new tracks reflect a fresh direction for his West Coast Sound. Enjoying regular air-play in the U.S., Japan, Europe, and Australia, the response to "Giving Back" has been overwhelming and its popularity with listeners continues to grow David's international fan base. The extraordinary release Tribute to Jeff, a 80 member all-star memorial to famed Grammy winning drummer Jeff Porcaro, marks David Garfield's solo debut under his own name. The album's fascinating breadth of styles, arrangements and top name band member contributions are a fitting culmination and reflection of Garfield's three decade plus career-span notable for his amazing genre-to-genre diversity, all-star collaborations and success as a lead performer, composer, arranger and musical director for some of popular music's leading artists. Garfield has one of those who's who, what's what resumes that begs the question, what HASN'T he done? Over the span of his career, he's scored and recorded for films ("Annie," "Always" with J.D. Souther), Television ("Fame" and its five accompanying "Kids from Fame" recordings), and commercials (Coca Cola, McDonald's, Seven Up, Mitsubishi). He's produced over 50 albums and appeared on over 100, with such artists as Cher, Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton, Spinal Tap, The Manhattan Transfer, Keiko Matsui, The Rippingtons, and Smokey Robinson; performed with Earl Klugh, Michael McDonald, Nancy Wilson, Oleta Adams, Brenda Russell, Dianne Reeves, and Michael Bolton and was musical director for George Benson (from 1986-90, 2000-2004); appeared on The Tonight Show, Arsenio Hall, Solid Gold, Jimmy Kimmel, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Soul Train; and has composed and recorded hundreds of original compositions.

As if that array of challenges weren't enough to satisfy his creative urges, Garfield has led several popular rock / jazz / funk / world beat fusion bands in Los Angeles since his arrival in the mid-70s. The first of these was Karizma, which he formed with top session players Carlos Vega, Lenny Castro, Mike Landau and Jimmy Johnson. Karizma played sold out club dates in L.A. for years and released six albums to great success in Japan, Australia, and throughout Europe. There have been many incarnations of the band over the years. One version which was David with Vinnie Colaiuta, Neil Stubenhaus, and Michael Landau was recorded live at the Modern Drummer Festival 2000 and is available as a DVD. This is currently the only publicly available footage of the band. Some of the highlights for Karizma over the years have been the release of their first CD in 1983 in Japan, appearance at Sadao Watanabe's Bravas Club in 1986 with Jeff Lorber and the Yellowjackets, use of their first single "Say You Will" for the Nissan Sylvia car campaign, two European tours in 2000 and 30th Anniversary tour of Japan in 2005. Garfield and longtime friend / collaborator, percussionist Lenny Castro, formed Los Lobotomys in 1985 along with Toto members Jeff Porcaro and Steve Lukather, bassist Nathan East, and reedman Brandon Fields. This band has also met with great success in L.A. and abroad. In 1994, Los Lobotomys released its second CD "The Candyman." The project featured Fee Waybill from the Tubes and drummer Simon Phillips (The Who / Jeff Beck) and the band embarked on a sell out tour of Europe and Japan, sharing stages with Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, and others. As is typical of his musical resume, Garfield has worked on a number of unique projects over the past few years, both at home, in Europe and Japan. The Los Lobotomys tour led to a scoring assignment on the German TV show "Balko", and he has produced various Japanese artists in addition to working with top Italian singing star Eros Ramazzotti. Garfield has also performed at Keyboard Magazine's 20th Anniversary Concert at the NAMM show alongside Bruce Hornsby and Joe Zawinul; played at the Modern Drummer magazine's anniversary concert with Steve Ferrone; sat in with Isaac Hayes and The Blues Brothers at a House of Blues benefit concert; released two instructional videos on how to play rock and roll keyboards and released a book, Pop and Rock Keyboards. He's also written and / or recorded background music for the syndicated TV shows "Sentinel," "Gideon's Crossing," "Good Day L.A.," and the trailer for the Billy Crystal - Robin Williams comedy "Father's Day." In between these gigs, he was always writing, recording, and performing his own music. Garfield also formed a production company, Creatchy Productions. 

With access to the top studio musicians and state of the art technological equipment, they have offered modern production values to both commercial and experimental projects. Creatchy Productions has produced numerous projects for various artists, Television & Films. By continuing to delve into new technologies and to craft world music with Contemporary Jazz and Vocals, Garfield has secured his niche as an international visionary in contemporary music. At first glance, all of these diverse projects may seem to have little in common with his earliest gigs touring and recording with Willie Bobo, Freddie Hubbard and Tom Scott. But in his 40's, the Chicago born, New York and St. Louis bred Garfield can summarize his entire, admittedly all encompassing, career in three simple words: "I make music. That's my mission statement. Things developed slowly over time, till I was playing every different kind of music in unique situations. Always going against the grain, doing music that may not have been the in thing at the time but hanging around until it became popular". "It all goes back to when I was seven years old, first learning the piano," he adds. "There seemed like a great spiritual connection there, and I felt compelled to keep playing. I started my life playing rock, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk and started meeting more and more jazz musicians in St. Louis which made jazz a logical second love for me. It's been an incredible education." Currently living in the Los Angeles area, David always strives to expand his talents while pursuing a wide range of activities whether it be performing with his own bands, as a guest player with other popular artists, or producing artists / groups such as Oleta Adams, Flora Purim, and Los Lobotomys. In addition, he writes and produces his own music and is looking forward to several new Creatchy Records projects to be released in the coming year. Due to Garfield's diverse musical background and versatility, he has earned the respect of both his peers and critics alike and is one of the most in-demand musicians in the world today. http://www.creatchy.com/DG_pages/DG_bio.html

Personnel:  David Garfield (Keyboards, Piano); Phil Perry, Andrea Robinson (Vocals); Carlos Vega (Drums); Jimmy Johnson (Bass); Michael Landau, Teddy Costellucci (Guitar); Lenny Castro (percussion); Steve Tavaglione (EWI); Larry Klimas (Flute); Brandon Fields, Larry Klimas (Sax); Paulette Brown, Leslie Smith, Kate Markowitz, Phil Perry (Background Vocals).

Music From Riding Bean

Fats Navarro - Memorial

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1947
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:34
Size: 104,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Boppin' A Riff 1&2
(5:44)  2. Fat Boy
(3:00)  3. Be Bob Carroll
(3:12)  4. Gone With The Wind
(2:36)  5. Serenade to a Square
(2:39)  6. Good Kick
(5:53)  7. Everything Cool
(5:39)  8. Webb City 1&2
(2:53)  9. Tadd Walk
(3:03) 10. That Someone Must Be You
(2:31) 11. Seven Up
(2:43) 12. Blues In Be Bop

Along with other bebop sides Navarro did for Capitol and Blue Note, these Savoy cuts are part of the trumpeter's essential recordings. And being mindful of his early demise in 1950, it's amazing to realize that the Memorial album is one of several incredible sessions Navarro was able to produce in just over a two-year period during the late '40s. Teaming up with frequent musical partner Tadd Dameron, Navarro reels off fluid solos on both the outstanding Dameron original "The Tadd Walk" and a second impressive swinger "Be Bop Carroll." The remaining sides from this date feature vocalist Kay Penton, who, while not being terribly exciting, delivers some beguilingly languid lines; the rest of the top-flight group includes altoist Ernie Henry, bassist Curly Russell, and drummer Kenny Clarke. The second Navarro session here includes classics like "Webb City" and "Fat Boy," and features first-tier beboppers like trumpeter Kenny Dorham, altoist Sonny Stitt, pianist Bud Powell, and Clarke again on drums. As a sort of bonus, there are four additional tunes from this same session. Amazingly, though, Navarro is not on board, but the balance is quickly redressed with some high-quality originals and more incredible solo work by Dorham, Stitt, and Powell. A classic bebop session. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/memorial-fats-bud-klook-sonny-kinney-mw0000100221

Memorial

Al Jarreau - We're In This Love Together

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 110:33
Size: 260,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. We're In This Love Together
(4:03)  2. Boogie Down
(3:04)  3. Moonlighting
(6:20)  4. Roof Garden
(4:18)  5. Mornin'
(5:37)  6. Your Song
(4:13)  7. Breakin' Away
(3:06)  8. Rainbow In Your Eyes
(4:19)  9. After All
(3:49) 10. Trouble In Paradise
(3:59) 11. Never Givin' Up
(5:23) 12. L Is for Lover
(3:56) 13. Closer to Your Love
(4:57) 14. You Don't See Me
(4:28) 15. Step By Step
(4:39) 16. So Good
(4:31) 17. High Crime
(4:27) 18. Heaven and Earth
(3:31) 19. Take Five (Edit Version)
(4:52) 20. Black and Blues
(4:27) 21. Raging Waters
(5:05) 22. We Got By
(3:51) 23. Says
(5:14) 24. Mas Que Nada (Live 1993)
(4:28) 25. My Old Friend

The only vocalist in history to net Grammy Awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively), Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 12, 1940. The son of a vicar, he earned his first performing experience singing in the church choir. After receiving his master's degree in psychology, Jarreau pursued a career as a social worker, but eventually he decided to relocate to Los Angeles and try his hand in show business, playing small clubs throughout the West Coast. He recorded an LP in the mid-'60s, but largely remained an unknown, not reentering the studio for another decade. Upon signing to Reprise, Jarreau resurfaced in 1975 with We Got By, earning acclaim for his sophisticated brand of vocalese and winning positive comparison to the likes of Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis. After 1976's Glow, Jarreau issued the following year's Look to the Rainbow, a two-disc live set that reached the Top 50 on the U.S. album charts. With 1981's Breakin' Away, he entered the Top Ten, scoring a pair of hits with "We're in This Love Together" and the title track. After recording 1986's L Is for Lover with producer Nile Rodgers, Jarreau scored a hit with the theme to the popular television program Moonlighting, but his mainstream pop success was on the wane, and subsequent efforts like 1992's Heaven and Earth and 1994's Tenderness found greater success with adult contemporary audiences. A string of budget compilations and original albums hit the shelves at the end of the decade, but into the turn of the century his original output slowed down. That was until he signed with the Verve/GRP label in 1998 and reunited with producer Tommy LiPuma. LiPuma had produced Jarreau's ostensible 1975 debut, We Got By, and the pairing seemed to reinvigorate Jarreau, who went on to release three stellar albums under LiPuma's guidance, including 2000's Tomorrow Today, 2002's All I Got, and 2004's Accentuate the Positive. Givin' It Up, recorded with George Benson and released in 2006, was nominated for three Grammy Awards each one for a different song. Jarreau returned with his first ever full-length holiday-themed album, Christmas, in 2008. Four years later he offered a live recording, Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest: Live, performing alongside the Dutch ensemble. A frequent live performer into his seventies, Jarreau was hospitalized in 2010 and forced to cancel concert dates, but he resumed touring after leaving the hospital, and indicated that reports about possible health problems had been exaggerated. In February 2017 an announcement was posted on Jarreau's website stating that the singer had been hospitalized for exhaustion in Los Angeles; that he was canceling upcoming scheduled tour dates; and, in fact, that he would be retiring entirely from touring in the future. He died in the morning of February 12 at age 76, mere hours before the 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was to begin. ~ Jason Ankeny https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/were-in-this-love-together/1373144935

We're In This Love Together

Friday, July 27, 2018

Sonny Rollins - What's New

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:53
Size: 114,6 MB
Art: Front

(12:06)  1. If ever I would leave you
( 6:09)  2. Don't Stop The Carnival
(10:54)  3. Jungoso
( 4:43)  4. Bluesongo
( 9:13)  5. Tha Night Has a Thousand Eyes
( 6:46)  6. Brownskin Girl

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins returned from a self-imposed two-year sabbatical in 1962 with a fury, recording prolifically and exploring various directions from outside to inside. The five cuts on this LP were originally recorded in New York, with Rollins mixing standards and originals and providing his take on what was then an exploding trend, the bossa nova. Rollins' characteristically huge tone, relentless harmonic and rhythmic inventiveness, and fierce solos were consistently impressive. Not only did he state the melody clearly and superbly, but his ideas and pacing were remarkable; no solo rambled and his phrases were lean, thick and furious. While this wasn't in the class of Rollins' late-'50s epics, it was a well-done date.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-new-mw0000099423

Personnel:  Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone;  Jim Hall – guitar;  Bob Cranshaw – bass;  Ben Riley – drums;  Denis Charles, Frank Charles, Willie Rodriguez – percussion;  Candido – percussion.

What's New

Bettye LaVette - Thankful N' Thoughtful

Styles: Vocal, Soul
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:23
Size: 115,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Everything Is Broken
(3:34)  2. I'm Not The One
(3:55)  3. Dirty Old Town
(4:21)  4. The More I Search (The More I Die)
(3:18)  5. I'm Tired
(5:47)  6. Crazy
(3:38)  7. Yesterday Is Here
(4:21)  8. Thankful N' Thoughtful
(3:15)  9. Fair Enough
(4:05) 10. Time Will Do The Talking
(3:20) 11. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
(7:00) 12. Dirty Old Town (Slow Version)

Bettye LaVette gets classified as an R&B singer, which she is, of course, but her newest album, the Craig Street-produced Thankful N' Thoughtful, finds her taking her blues, gospel, and soul-influenced singing style into deep, swampy, and edgy American roots territory, and she makes it all work with a sting and bite to her phrasing that ranks her as one of the best living soul singers. She gives Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" a little jump of joy, moving the song away from being plaintive and lonely to something closer to anxious homesickness. Tom Waits' "Yesterday Is Here," complete with brass and reeds, loses some of its clang and becomes a poignant blues. The most stunning track here is LaVette's reinvention of the old folk song "Dirty Old Town," best known in the version by the Pogues. She fills it with disgust and ominous menace  there's also a slower version of "Dirty Old Town" that lets a measure of sadness creep back in at the close of the album. Thankful N' Thoughtful is a solid outing from an outstanding singer who knows how to growl, croon, grumble, praise, and jump for joy with her vocal phrasing whatever makes the song live and breathe. She is still a marvel. ~ Steve Leggett https://www.allmusic.com/album/thankful-n-thoughtful-mw0002410225

Thankful N' Thoughtful

David 'Fathead' Newman - I Remember Brother Ray

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:44
Size: 116,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. Hit the Road Jack
(7:20)  2. Georgia on My Mind
(5:05)  3. When Your Lover Has Gone
(6:16)  4. Drown in My Tears
(5:27)  5. Deed I Do
(5:32)  6. It Had to Be You
(9:44)  7. Ruby
(5:32)  8. Them That Got (I Ain't Got Nothing Yet)

When Ray Charles passed away last June, his influence was so far reaching that there was little doubt all manner of tributes would soon follow. While there are bound to be attempts to capitalize on his death, nothing could be further from the truth in this case. Saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman got his first big break with Charles in the early '50s, playing in his band from '54 through '64 and making numerous guest appearances in the years to come. And so "Fathead" a nickname Charles never liked, preferring to call him "Brains" entered the studio of another legend engineer Rudy van Gelder just two months after Charles' death to record I Remember Brother Ray, a tribute to the jazzier side of a man who always regarded himself as a jazz singer anyway.  Some music is meant to stretch boundaries, and some is meant purely as a salve for the soul. Newman has never been considered a particularly adventurous tenor player, yet his warm tone, occasionally terse phrasing, and always heartfelt delivery has placed him in high demand by artists as diverse as B.B. King, Herbie Mann, Jane Monheit, and Gregg Allman. In fact, one look at his discography and it becomes evident that his career has been marked more by appearances as a guest than as a leader. Still, with over twenty recordings to his name, I Remember Brother Ray stands as an understated highlight, a record that doesn't so much jump out at you as it does gently sidle up beside you and caress you with its warmth and affability. Like saxophonist Houston Person, who coproduces the disc with Newman and delivered his own heartfelt tribute to longtime collaborator Etta Jones last year with To Etta With Love, I Remember Brother Ray evokes the ambience of a smoky bar in the early hours of the morning. 

Never getting much past a medium tempo "Hit the Road Jack" is about as lively as things get, and even then, it's more a finger-snapping number than a foot-moving one Newman has assembled a quintet as comfortable with the tender balladry of "Georgia on My Mind" as it is the soul-drenched blues of "Drown in My Tears." Charles believed that the ability to play jazz permits the ability to cross over into other genres, and the playing on I Remember Brother Ray clearly supports his conviction. One sometimes forgets that vibraphonist Steve Nelson, heard most often these days in the more modernistic Dave Holland Quintet and Big Band, comes from a mainstream background, but his playing on the relaxed swing of "Ruby" and "It Had to Be You" proves that even the most forward-thinking of players have to have roots. While there will undoubtedly be many tributes in the near future, few discs will equal I Remember Brother Ray for its grace, honesty, and pure connection to the true essence of Charles' legacy.~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-remember-brother-ray-david-fathead-newman-highnote-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – David "Fathead" Newman;  Bass – John Menegon;  Drums – Winard Harper;  Piano – John Hicks;  Vibraphone – Steve Nelson

I Remember Brother Ray

Jack DeJohnette - Made in Chicago

Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:38
Size: 179,4 MB
Art: Front

(16:56)  1. Chant
(14:53)  2. Jack 5
(12:13)  3. This
(13:37)  4. Museum of Time
(10:19)  5. Leave Don't Go Away
( 3:29)  6. Announcement
( 6:09)  7. Ten Minutes

At one point on Made In Chicago, drummer and occasional pianist Jack DeJohnette announces, "We'd like to do something spontaneous for you." By then, spontaneity is a foregone conclusion. With a discography that includes almost two-hundred recordings, DeJohnette is best known among more casual listeners as one third of pianist Keith Jarrett's long-time trio. Significant though the role has been, it hardly represents the scope of his career or his musical proclivities. In 1965, along a group of local Chicago musicians and composers, DeJohnette helped found the still active Association for the Advancement of Creative Music. At the forefront of the original AACM were pianist Muhal Richard Abrams saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and saxophonist and flautist Henry Threadgill. Together with the aforementioned, the quintet on Made In Chicago is filled by the versatile Chicago bassist Larry Gray whose work spans from the Chicago Symphony to saxophonist Branford Marsalis.  With this reunion of South Side friends and colleagues, DeJohnette has documented his purpose of re-connecting with his musical roots. Those roots are connected in the experimental and free jazz scene in Chicago of the 1960's, a time when free jazz was still widely vilified, even within the jazz community. However, there is nothing nostalgic in this live recording from the 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival. Of the seven tracks on Made In Chicago, one, "Announcement" is just that; a verbal set up to the closing number. The remaining six tracks clock in at well over ten minutes each, with the ironic exception of "Ten Minutes."  

The set opens with the Mitchell penned "Chant" which moves from Abrams simple, dignified lines to forceful and enthralling group improvisations where melody minimized and the ensuing session builds to a feverish pitch. DeJohnette uses a hand-held mic to pick up the overtones of the cymbals on "Jack Five," an Abrams composition. The slower tempo piece has a warped floating feeling, anchored just slightly by Abrams and Threadgill's alto but once again, the piece takes off. DeJohnette's extended solo with its polyrhythmic intonations and variety of tones is exceptionally musical. Threadgill takes up the bass flute on Mitchell's neo-classically influenced "Think." Mitchell's bass recorder, Gray's cello and DeJohnette's disembodied thunder give the composition and ethereal feel. Abrams rolling blues and open harmonies dominate the early stage of DeJohnette's "Museum of Time," the most lyrical of the pieces on Made In Chicago. As on all the pieces in this collection, it eventually heads into abstract territory. There isn't a venue that regularly gathers a more prestigious collection of progressive artists than does the Chicago Jazz Festival. DeJohnette, was given free rein to assemble a band and create a program and with the fiftieth anniversary of the AACM at hand he could not have paid a more fitting tribute to an organization that fosters imaginative thinking. More to the point of the music, to hear these veterans express the love of their work in a powerful, forward looking set that's not likely to be repeated. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/made-in-chicago-jack-dejohnette-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel:  Jack DeJohnette: batteria;  Henry Threadgill: sax alto, flauto basso;   Roscoe Mitchell: sax soprano, sax alto, flauto a becco;  Muhal Richard Abrams: pianoforte;   Larry Gray: contrabbasso, violoncello.

Made in Chicago

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Eric Le Lann - New York

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:43
Size: 133,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. Sandra
(7:25)  2. 14 Rue Hegesippe Moreau
(4:45)  3. Tgv
(5:49)  4. Sans Lendemain
(6:06)  5. Viva
(5:11)  6. Taormina
(8:49)  7. Stomelen in Blue
(5:26)  8. Blue in Green
(6:35)  9. Viva (Alternate)

Éric Le Lann (born 1957 in Brittany) is a French jazz trumpeter. He moved to Paris in 1977 where he had his professional debut and gained notice in 1980. He has worked with Aldo Romano, Henri Salvador, and others. He also did music for films including those of Bertrand Tavernier. In 2005 he and guitarist Jean-Marie Ecay did an album in tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89ric_Le_Lann

Personnel:  Eric Le Lann (trumpet), Mino Cinelu (percussions), Eddie Gomez (bass), Paco Sery (drums), Mike Stern (guitar)

New York

Teddy Edwards - Sunset Eyes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:46
Size: 107,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. Tempo de Blues
(7:12)  2. Vintage '57
(3:32)  3. I Hear a Rhapsody
(3:06)  4. Up in Teddy's New Flat
(5:27)  5. Sunset Eyes
(6:11)  6. Teddy's Tune
(6:32)  7. Takin' Off
(2:16)  8. The New Symphony Sid
(5:11)  9. My Kinda Blues
(2:28) 10. Takin' Off (first version)

Teddy Edwards, who took part in classic tenor battles with Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray in Los Angeles during the mid- to late '40s, remained a major tenorman for more than half a century. However, his decision to live in L.A. resulted in him being greatly underrated through the years. Fortunately, the superior hard bop tenor (who showed that there was more than just cool jazz being played on the West Coast in the 1950s) recorded on a fairly frequent basis throughout his career. This set features music from 1959-1960 with Edwards joined by either Amos Trice, Joe Castro or Ronnie Ball on piano, Leroy Vinnegar or Ben Tucker on bass, and Billy Higgins or Al Levitt on drums. Edwards, an underrated composer, performs six of his originals (including his most famous composition, "Sunset Eyes," and two versions of "Takin' Off"), Vinnegar's "Vintage '57," and a pair of standards. Although there are short solos for Castro and Vinnegar, the focus throughout is on the leader's distinctive and likable tenor. Since the great Teddy Edwards never recorded an uninspiring record, this date is easily recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/sunset-eyes-mw0000599920

Personnel:  Teddy Edwards - tenor saxophone;  Ronnie Ball, Joe Castro , Amos Trice - piano;  Leroy Vinnegar, Ben Tucker  - bass;  Billy Higgins, Al Levitt - drums

Sunset Eyes

Bob Mintzer Big Band - Gently

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:26
Size: 135,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:39)  1. Gently
( 7:20)  2. Timeless
( 5:26)  3. Original People
(11:48)  4. Body And Soul
( 8:10)  5. Who's Walkin' Who?
( 6:37)  6. Don't Ever Leave Me
( 7:01)  7. Bright Lights
( 4:22)  8. Saxophone Quartet #2

Bob Mintzer, who is known to favor fiery Latin rhythms and big-band charts with an abundance of punch and power, has a softer side too, one that is laid bare on this understated but no less invigorating new release, his fourteenth (or fifteenth? I've lost count) on the dmp label. 'I think I've... reached a point,' Mintzer writes, 'where I can appreciate the subtlety factor in music and in life, where I would just as soon be gently caressed rather than smacked with a large stick.' With that in mind, Mintzer says, he designed his latest album as 'a gentle approach to big-band instrumentation, using clarinets and flutes in place of saxophones; muted brass; the addition of French horns on two numbers, and writing for the band in a range and style [that] projects a soothing, warm sound.' The climate is especially sultry on Mintzer's ballad feature, Johnny Green's 'Body and Soul,' which he calls 'every tenor's measuring stick' (except for Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, of course), while the reed section (deftly backed by drummer Peter Erskine's improvised counterpoint) is front and center on the gossamer 'Saxophone Quartet #2' (middle movement), written for Miles Osland's talented undergrads at the University of Kentucky. Less heated tempos, however, don't necessarily denote an absence of warmth; Mintzer's concept, gentle as it is, can still stir one's blood, thanks to his seductive charts, shapely solos by such old hands as trumpeter Scott Wendholt and Michael Phillip Mossman, alto saxophonists Pete Yellin and Charles Pillow, soprano Lawrence Feldman, tenor Bob Malach, baritone Roger Rosenberg, trombonists Larry Farrell and Keith O'Quinn, pianist Phil Markowitz and bassist Jay Anderson, and unremitting support from the ever-reliable Erskine. 'Timeless' unveils a bossa-style Brazilian fa'ade, while 'Who's Walkin' Who' (inspired by Mintzer's labrador retrievers, Davis and Yosemity) is a softly ambling blues and 'Bright Lights,' written in '92 for his small group, the Yellowjackets, a funky shuffle that opens calmly and builds to a less-than-muted climax. "This one was hard to play soft,' Mintzer writes, 'but I think we got it.' They did. 'Gently,' inspired by Gil Evans, is an unassuming 4 / 4 swinger (with more perceptive work by Erskine) that uses woodwinds and cup-muted brass to state its theme, Thad Jones' 'Don't Ever Leave Me' a winsome ballad that Mintzer says he's always wanted to record. Gently is a conspicuous change of pace for the usually upbeat Mintzer, but one that underlines his structural resourcefulness and never fails to please. Easily recommended. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/gently-bob-mintzer-dmp-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Bob Mintzer, tenor sax, flute, leader; Lawrence Feldman, Charles Pillow, alto sax, flute; Pete Yellin, alto sax; Bob Malach, tenor sax, flute; Roger Rosenberg, baritone sax, clarinet; Bob Millikan, Frank Greene, Michael Phillip Mossman, Scott Wendholt, Jim Seeley, trumpet, flugelhorn; Keith O'Quinn, Michael Davis, Larry Farrell, trombone; David Taylor, bass trombone; John Clark, Fred Griffin, French horn; Phil Markowitz, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Peter Erskine, drums.

Gently

Jane McDonald - Cruising With Jane McDonald

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:55
Size: 116,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Club Tropicana
(4:16)  2. Caledonia
(4:24)  3. Vienna
(3:41)  4. Let It Go
(3:56)  5. The Winner Takes It All
(3:44)  6. Cuba
(2:32)  7. Mambo Italiano
(3:59)  8. Lost In France
(3:45)  9. It's Oh So Quiet
(5:37) 10. (Something Inside) So Strong
(2:42) 11. California Dreamin'
(4:27) 12. Proud Mary
(3:07) 13. Step Back In Time

One of the U.K.'s first successful reality TV recording artists, cabaret singer Jane McDonald became an overnight sensation after appearing in BBC docu-soap The Cruise. Born in Wakefield in 1963, McDonald started her singing career performing at various workingmen's clubs across the North of England, employing her father as her roadie. After working as an entertainer on several cruise ships, she retired from the business for nine months until a call from her agent persuaded her to take up one final job, a residency on The Galaxy. Coincidentally, the BBC was filming a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the day-to-day running of the cruise liner and asked McDonald if she would like to appear. Thanks to her down to earth nature and Northern sense of humor, she became the show's biggest star, and following its huge ratings success, she was signed to Focus Records. In 1998, her self-titled debut album reached number one in the U.K. charts, where it stayed for three weeks; she performed a sold-out show at the London Palladium, and her televised marriage to Henrik Brixen attracted 14 million viewers. In 2000, she returned with second album Inspiration (number six) and became a TV presenter for the BBC, fronting both The National Lottery and Star for a Night, a talent show which helped launch Joss Stone. A year later, her third album, Love at the Movies, reached number 24 and she appeared in the West End production of Romeo and Juliet: The Musical. In 2005, she released her fourth album, You Belong to Me (number 21) and became a regular panelist on ITV chat show Loose Women. In 2008, following an appearance on a program revisiting the stars of The Cruise, her fifth studio album, Jane, saw her return to the Top Ten for the first time in eight years and she embarked on a sold-out theater tour across the U.K. In 2014, she released the album Singer of Your Song, and the same year embarked on a tour in support of the album. Two years later the singer launched the Making Memories tour, and the popularity of the performance extended the show's run into 2017. That same year, McDonald released her seventh album. Hold the Covers Back featured original material, and a guest spot from Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley. ~ Jon O'Brien https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cruising-with-jane-mcdonald/1387824485

Thank You Dave! 

Cruising With Jane McDonald

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Maynard Ferguson - Live From London

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:47
Size: 136,3 MB
Art: Front

(14:36)  1. A Night In Tunisia
( 8:39)  2. In A Mellow Tone
( 8:08)  3. St. Thomas
( 3:53)  4. Fox Hunt
( 7:22)  5. Rhythm Method
( 8:18)  6. My One And Only Love
( 7:48)  7. Glenn's Den

Utilizing a 13-piece band that includes ten horns, Maynard Ferguson performs bebop with his Big Bop Nouveau on this CD. All of the music is fairly basic, using common chord changes and charts that leave plenty of room for solos. Ferguson shows at age 65 that he still has most of his outstanding range and, assisted by a trumpet section full of screamers, the performances are boisterous and sometimes a bit bombastic. Chip McNeill takes a passionate soprano solo on "A Night in Tunisia," Matt Wallace has a couple of rewarding spots on tenor and trumpeter Walter White fares well on "Fox Hunt," but it is the leader who gives this music its main personality.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-from-london-mw0000110888

Personnel:  Maynard Ferguson - trumpet, flugelhorn;  Chris Brown - drums;  Matt Wallace - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Christian Jacob - piano, keyboards;  Roger Ingram - trumpet;  Brian Thompson - trumpet;  Chip McNeill - soprano & tenor saxophones;  Dave Pietro - alto saxophone
Ed Sargent - percussion.

Live From London

Brother Jack McDuff - A Change Is Gonna Come

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:23
Size: 86,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:19)  1. Down In The Valley
(3:07)  2. A Change Is Gonna Come
(3:34)  3. Hotcha
(2:35)  4. What'd I Say
(4:42)  5. No Tears
(2:36)  6. Gonna Hang Me Up A Sign
(5:52)  7. Minha Saudade
(4:20)  8. Same Old, Same Old
(7:15)  9. Can't Find The Keyhole Blues

This album is an elegant mix of soul and sambas, interspersed with a pair of distinctly blues-focused pieces. Jack McDuff's Hammond B-3 organ surges and trills and rocks, at times seeming to talk as the lead instrument on renditions of works as different as Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" and Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." His calls and responses with the five-man brass section on several of the tracks here comprise another highlight, but even the slow numbers, such as "No Tears," offer virtuoso playing by McDuff. The tempo and texture shifts throughout keep this record continually interesting to the listener, and the range of influences, from jazz to gospel with side trips into the blues (culminating with a seven-minute epic in the latter genre), gives a lot of great playing for everybody.~ Bruce Eder https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-change-is-gonna-come-mw0000378740

Personnel:  Jack McDuff - organ;  Johnny Grimes, Harold Johnson - trumpet;  Richard Harris - trombone;  Danny Turner - alto saxophone;  Arthur Clarke, George Coleman - tenor saxophone;  Buddy Lucas - baritone saxophone James Oliver - guitar;  Cornell Dupree - guitar, congas;  Jimmy Tyrell - bass;  Joe Dukes, Bernard Purdie - drums;  Warren Smith - percussion

A Change Is Gonna Come

Naoko Terai - The Standard II

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:23
Size: 157,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Charade
(5:02)  2. California Dreamin'
(4:37)  3. Beautiful Love
(5:05)  4. Overjoyed
(5:33)  5. A Taste Of Honey
(4:51)  6. A Boy Named Charlie Brown
(3:40)  7. Pick Yourself Up
(5:19)  8. Daydream Believer
(4:27)  9. Twilight Time
(3:45) 10. Are You Lonesome Tonight
(6:01) 11. Going Out Of My Head
(5:22) 12. The Summer Knows
(3:59) 13. South Of The Border
(4:32) 14. All The Way

Naoko Terai ( Japanese, Terai Naoko , born May 1, 1967 ) is a Japanese jazz violinist. Naoko Terai studied the violin when she was four years old and began working in the Japanese jazz scene in the 1990s. In 1995 she participated in the album Things Unseen by pianist Kenny Barron ; In 2000 she was honored as Newcomer of the Year by the magazine Swing Journal . She played since then u. a. with Herbie Hancock , Wayne Shorter , Michael Brecker . In 1996 she presented her debut album Thinking of You ; her third album Princess T was produced by Lee Ritenour . At All For You (2005) Richard Galliano was a guest musician. Terai, who works with her own quartet of Naoki Kitajima (piano), Kunio Tanaami (bass) and Go Nakazawa (drums), performed in 2012 with Richard Galliano in the context of the Paris exhibition Jazz en Japan. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoko_Terai

The Standard II

Richie Cole - Cool 'C'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:52
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Back To Bop
(7:35)  2. Willow Weep For Me
(5:45)  3. Blue Bossa
(4:35)  4. Someday My Prince Will Come
(4:35)  5. Autumn Leaves
(5:01)  6. Cool 'C'
(4:55)  7. On Green Dolphin Street

Recorded during his first visit to Japan, this out-of-print LP features altoist Richie Cole playing five bop standards, his own "Cool 'C"' and pianist Himiko Kikuchi's "Back to Bop." Cole is joined by eight brass players, a rhythm section and two percussionists, all of whom are fine Japanese musicians. The results are generally hard-swinging bop with enough humor and color to hold one's interest. The focus is on Cole throughout and he makes a rare appearance on tenor during "On Green Dolphin Street."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/cool-c-mw0000897790

Personnel:   Saxophone – Richie Cole;  Trombone – Hitomi Uchida, Michio Kagiwada, Toshinobu Kawashima;   Trumpet – Masahiro Kobayashi, Shin Kazuhara, Yoshikazu Kishi;   Piano – Himiko Kikuchi;   Drums – Motohiko Hino;   Drums – Motohiko Hino

Cool 'C'

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Bob Mintzer Big Band - Camouflage

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:06
Size: 139,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Techno Pop
(6:23)  2. Mr. Fone Bone
(8:28)  3. A Long Time Ago
(1:46)  4. After Thought
(7:54)  5. Camouflage
(5:47)  6. One Man Band
(9:39)  7. Truth
(6:10)  8. Hip Hop
(8:18)  9. In The Eighties

Good '86 big band set led by tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Bob Mintzer, a fine player and arranger. These recordings are in a conventional format, with polished ensemble sections and good, occasionally great solos. They are well produced and mastered, but the material and style tend to be conservative.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/camouflage-mw0000649651

Personnel:  Bob Mintzer (Saxophone, Bass Clarinet); Lawrence Feldman, Bob Malach, Roger Rosenberg (Saxophone); Pete Yellin (Alto Saxophone); Randy Brecker, Laurie Frink, Bob Millikan, Marvin Stamm (Trumpet); Keith O'Quinn, Chris Seiter, Bob Smith, David Taylor (Trombone); Don Grolnick (Piano); Peter Erskine (Drums); Zev Katz (Bass); Frank Malabé (Percussion).

Camouflage

Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Folk
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:52
Size: 114,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:40)  1. Game of All Fours
(4:15)  2. The Lark
(3:29)  3. No Names
(3:22)  4. Mary Blaize
(4:52)  5. A Ballad
(3:24)  6. You Belong to Me
(4:04)  7. Elfin Knight
(5:40)  8. Bonnie House of Airlie
(4:24)  9. Moon Shadow
(4:14) 10. Wandering Soul
(3:51) 11. Fare Thee Well
(4:30) 12. Little Jack Frost

Yorkshire singer/songwriter Kate Rusby has been quietly resurrecting English folk music for the last ten years with a grace, wit, and reverence that others have attempted yet failed to achieve. 2004's Underneath the Stars was a triumph of contemporary music both new and borrowed, an acoustic symphony of brass, guitars, and Rusby's mesmerizing voice. Listeners craving a sequel will find much to love in The Girl Who Couldn't Fly, another collection of traditional ballads and self-penned charmers that firmly establish Rusby as the Alison Krauss of British folk music. Produced again by John McCusker, her renditions of songs both old and new are presented with an effervescence that belay their sometimes wistful and often sexual, as in the bawdy opener, "Game of All Fours" natures. Rusby's own compositions ("Elfin King," "Little Jack Frost," and "The Lark," just to name a few) are marvels of timelessness. Like June Tabor and Gillian Welch, she's got one hand on the pulse of history and the other on a heart that contains a very old soul. Here's to hoping that those hands continue to pen such lovely tales.~ James Christopher Monger https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-girl-who-couldnt-fly-mw0000181513

The Girl Who Couldn't Fly

Terry Gibbs - The Latin Connection

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:58
Size: 103,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Scrapple from the Apple
(4:37)  2. For Keeps
(5:01)  3. Groovin' High
(4:21)  4. Chelsea Bridge
(4:33)  5. Sing Sing Sing
(5:11)  6. Kick Those Feet
(5:26)  7. Good Bait
(4:41)  8. Flamingo
(5:44)  9. Sweet Young Song of Love

Vibraphonist Terry Gibbs sounds fine on this Latin jazz date, which also includes altoist Frank Morgan, pianist Sonny Bravo, bassist Bobby Rodriguez and three percussionists, including Tito Puente playing timbales on three of the nine numbers. Most of the tunes are bop and swing standards (such as"Scrapple From the Apple," "Groovin' High," "Good Bait" and "Sing, Sing, Sing") and have excellent spots for Gibbs, Morgan and the percussion section. A fine date.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-latin-connection-mw00002675

Personnel: Vibraphone, Arranged By – Terry Gibbs;   Alto Saxophone – Frank Morgan;  Bass – Bobby Rodriguez;  Bongos, Percussion – Johnny Rodriguez;  Congas, Percussion – Jose Madera;  Piano – Sonny Bravo;  Timbales – Orestes Vilato, Tito Puente .

The Latin Connection

Johnny Griffin - Live In Tokyo

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:37
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(18:53)  1. All The Things You Are
(17:08)  2. When We Were One
( 3:47)  3. Wee
(16:47)  4. The Man I Love

The great tenor Johnny Griffin really gets a chance to stretch out on this two-LP set. Joined by pianist Horace Parland, bassist Mads Vinding and drummer Art Taylor for this Tokyo concert, Griffin digs into three standards and a pair of his originals; all except for a rapid "Wee" are at least 16 minutes long. 

Griffin's long cadenza on "The Man I Love" is a highlight.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-tokyo-mw0000094442

Personnel:  Johnny Griffin (saxophone), Horace Parlan (piano), Art Taylor (drums), Mads Vinding (bass).

Live In Tokyo

Louis Hayes - Louis at Large

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:35
Size: 141,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:42)  1. Check In
( 5:19)  2. Rio
( 6:24)  3. Hen and Hub
(10:00)  4. My Ship
( 6:53)  5. Teef
( 7:33)  6. Dear Lou
( 5:49)  7. Dream Surreal
( 6:34)  8. My Old Flame
( 6:21)  9. Perambulation

For Louis Hayes' first domestic release in nearly 20 years the veteran drummer assembled a group consisting of tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, trumpeter Riley Mullins, pianist David Hazeltine, and bassist Santi Debriano, took them into the studio, and recorded this collection of no-nonsense, high energy hard bop. Best known for his stints in the groups of Horace Silver (1956-59) and Cannonball Adderley (1959-65), Hayes is at his cymbal ridin', snare drum poppin' best, and the other musicians are up to the task, with Mullins' go-for-broke, high note filled solos giving Louis at Large much of its flavor. Favorites include the uptempo burners "Check In" written by Mullins and Hayes, and Mullins' "Hen and Hub," dedicated to Hayes' former bandmates Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard, the bop blues "Teef," which also appeared on Hayes' self-titled 1960 debut recording, and an uptempo arrangement of the standard "My Old Flame," with a medium tempo bridge throughout. This a welcome return to an American label for Hayes.~ Greg Turner https://www.allmusic.com/album/louis-at-large-mw0000082109

Personnel:  Louis Hayes - drums;  Riley Mullins - trumpet;  Javon Jackson - tenor saxophone;  David Hazeltine - piano;  Santi Debriano - bass.

Louis at Large