Anna Lauvergnac - Unless There's Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:21
Size: 108,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. The Great City
(4:57)  2. Since I Fell for You
(2:44)  3. Senza fine
(5:57)  4. Speak Low
(5:19)  5. Why Don't You Do Right
(4:42)  6. Tell Me More and More and Then Some
(3:30)  7. Social Call
(4:37)  8. Traveling Light
(4:37)  9. You Know Who
(4:05) 10. Lonely Town

Jazz singer, traveler and social activist Anna Lauvergnac was born in Trieste -Italy, where she received a diploma as a primary school teacher and before choosing singing as the center of her existance, she studied Psychology for two years. In the meantime she took an impressive variety of different jobs: she’s been a private teacher, a model, a cloak room attendant, a telephone operator, a waitress, a book seller,a cleaner, a music manager and concert organizer, a carpenter (as she puts it “…I guess I wanted to be Bohumil Hrabal”). She started studying Jazz Singing in 1989 at the Berklee College Summer Clinics in Perugia -Italy, where she was offered a scholarship and received a special Artistic Mention. The same year she enrolled at the Art University for Music and Performing Arts of Graz  Austria, where she studied with Jazz Greats Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy, Andy Bey and Sheila Jordan. Masterclasses with Reggie Workman and Barry Harris in New York City. From 1999 to 2008 she’s been the vocalist of Europe leading international orchestra, the Vienna Art Orchestra. She toured extensively with the VAO, appearing on jazz festivals worldwide, and recorded on 12 of the band’s CD. In 2008 she started her lates project, the Anna Lauvergnac International quartet, that features the wonderful Claus Raible on piano, bass-master Giorgos Antoniou, and the great Steve Brown on drums. Their first CD “Unless there’s love” was released in 2012 and was nominated for the German Critic Prize the same year, ranking number 2. Collaborations include extraordinary musicians such as Andy Bey, Bojan Zulfikarpasic, Julien Lourau, Pete Bernstein, Franco Vallisneri, Fritz Pauer, Francesco Bearzatti, Paolo Fresu, Bumi Fian, Andy Scherrer, Marc Buronfosse, Till Martin, Claus Raible,Thomas Stabenow, Paoulo Cardoso, Henning Siewert, Alegre Corrèa, Steve Kirby, Wolfgang Puschnig, Bruno Cesselli, Florian Bramboeck, Hank Gradischnig, Karl Sayer, Willi Resetarits, Oliver Kent to name a few. Theater and Festival performances include Umbria Jazz, Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, Havanna, Berlin, Guimares, Paris, Freiburg, Milano, Varna, Madrid, Moskaw, Essen, Kiev, Vilnius, Vienna, Moers, Le Mans, Dresden, Nord Sea JazzFestival, Joragua do Sul, Joinville, Hamburg, Beijing, Oporto, Amsterdam, Angouleme, Zaragozza, Belfast, Zagreb, Lugano, Brugge, Orleans, Essen, Salamanca, Luzern, Salzsburg, Budapest, Berlin, Munich, Bolzano, Mantova, Nevers, Red Sea Jazz Festival, JVC festival, Time in Jazz, Barcelona, London, Luxenburg, Auxerre, San Sebastian, Graz, Gdynia, Prag, Zurich, Couches, Granada, Sevilla, Junas, Sarajevo, Sibiu, Bern, Cannes, Bergen, Lisbona, Basel. She teaches workshops and masterclasses in various European countries, from 2000 to 2002 she’s been teching jazz repertoire and body work at the Bruckner Konservatorium Linz-Austria.  She wrote six soundtracks (tv and cinema) for the Austrian director Xaver Schwarzenberger. As a lyricist she’s been writing for different bands and projects, including the Vienna Art Orchestra. She practice yoga, and Vipassana Meditation, loves flowers and doesn’t eat meat. https://jazztimes.com/artists/anna-lauvergnac/

Unless There's Love

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Dave Valentin - Sunshower

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 123,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Reunion
(4:37)  2. Sunshower
(4:05)  3. Embers
(5:44)  4. Bandit
(4:15)  5. Porkchops
(5:40)  6. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(6:31)  7. Subway Six
(6:47)  8. Sierra Madre
(3:36)  9. Feelin' Alright
(5:45) 10. Space Cadet

Flautist Dave Valentin is fast becoming as ubiquitous a player as his former teacher, Hubert Laws, used to be. Indeed, Valentin has become the flautist of choice on a great quantity of recent Latin jazz recordings by such varied artists as McCoy Tyner, Tito Puente, Elaine Elias and Dave Samuels. Not as distinctive as Laws (nor as notable as many reed players who blow flute part time), he is nevertheless a highly appealing player whose often simple melodies seem to inspire some superb improvisation that positively sings and dances. Valentin's Concord debut, Sunshower , is the first recording under the flautist's name since 1996's Primitive Passions. Like many of the 18 albums he recorded for GRP between 1979 and 1996, Valentin here weds jazz, pop and r & b with his own particular blend of smooth Latin sounds. In essence, the man knows how to craft a purely pleasurable listening experience. One part of the disc's success is that Valentin sounds very much at ease in this setting. Well he should, too, for he's featured along with his working quintet here, which features the under sung virtues of pianist Bill O'Connell's marvelous playing and catchy songwriting. This is an exceedingly well programmed disc. Valentin starts with "Reunion," his own appealing fusion redux, segues into the sprite Caribbean dance of Valentin and O'Connell's title track (recalling Columbia-era Laws) and heads gently toward the ultra-smooth "Embers" (featuring Rodriguez's popping bass and Ed Calle's Brecker-istics on tenor). From here, Valentin explores his varied interests with dedicated abandon. He goes full-on Latin with "Bandit," funky with "Porkchops" (Calle here sounds Sanborn-esque on alto), sweetly sensitive to Duke's "I Got It Bad," straight ahead on O'Connell's "Sierra Madre" (featuring guest guitarist Steve Khan) and genuinely witty on his funkified take on "Feelin' Alright" (also covered by Laws in 1970). The disc's high point is O'Connell's effervescent "Subway Six," a solid Latin groover  with one of the simplest heads ever conceived and reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts classic, "Skating." It features outstanding, breezy solos from the leader, the pianist and vibraphonist Dave Samuels (and closes with some fiery interjection from Valentin). Not as deep as Valentin has proven elsewhere to be, Sunshower is nevertheless hugely enjoyable music that will satisfy a variety of musical cravings and invite repeated listening.~ Douglas Payne https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sunshower-dave-valentin-concord-music-group-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Players: Dave Valentin: C flute, alto flute, piccolo on "Porkchops" and assorted flute sounds; Bill O'Connell: acoustic piano, electric piano, synthesizers; Ruben Rodriguez: electric bass, Ampeg Baby bass; Robbie Ameen: drums; Milton Cardona: congas, shakere and various percussion instruments with Dave Samuels: vibes; Steve Khan: electric and acoustic guitars; Ed Calle: alto sax, tenor sax; Rafael de Jesus: percussion on "Embers," "Porkchops" and "Feelin' Alright."

Sunshower

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Boogaloo Joe Jones - My Fire

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:53
Size: 77,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Light My Fire
(7:06)  2. For Big Hal
(5:26)  3. St James Infirmary
(3:54)  4. Take All
(7:27)  5. Time After Time
(6:00)  6. Ivan The Terrible

Jones made his solo debut as Joe Jones on Prestige Records in 1967, but earned the name "Boogaloo Joe" following a 1969 record of that title. The nickname was meant to distinguish him from the other people with similar names in the music business, such as R&B singer Joe Jones, jazz drummers "Papa Jo" Jones and Philly Joe Jones, and the Joe Jones of the Fluxus movement. Later, he turned to billing himself as Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones. Jones recorded several albums in a soul-jazz vein for Prestige between 1966 and 1978. In addition to leading his own group for recording purposes, Ivan Jones recorded with Richard "Groove" Holmes, Houston Person, Harold Mabern, Wild Bill Davis and, most notably, Willis Jackson, Rusty Bryant, Charles Earland, and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie are among the sidemen also featured on Jones' albums. His sound and style clearly derived from the blues, but it was a solid understanding of rock that Jones brought to his style of jazz. He was influenced most by Tal Farlow and Billy Butler, but gravitated toward the rhythm and blues-styled jazz Butler was popularizing with organist Bill Doggett's combo. Jones' sound and style stayed remarkably consistent during his recording career. His twangy tone coupled catchy chordal vamps[3] with astonishing rapid-fire single-note playing. He could handle familiar pop covers ("Light My Fire", "Have You Never Been Mellow") and ballads. But he really excelled in the jazz-funk groove and proved himself a first-rate blues player. Jones has lived in South New Jersey most of his life and mostly worked in and around the Atlantic City area with chitlin circuit heroes like Wild Bill Davis, Willis Jackson and Charlie Ventura. Jones, who never won the notice of critics or great support from fans during his career, is finding new life on CD. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogaloo_Joe_Jones

Personnel:  Joe Jones - guitar;  Harold Mabern - piano;  Peck Morrison - bass;  Bill English - drums;  Richie "Pablo" Landrum - congas

My Fire

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Ornette Coleman - The Empty Foxhole

Styles: Saxophone, Trumpet And Violin Jazz 
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:48
Size: 89,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Good Old Days
(3:20)  2. The Empty Foxhole
(7:16)  3. Sound Gravitation
(8:18)  4. Freeway Express
(7:05)  5. Faithful
(5:57)  6. Zig Zag

Denardo Coleman, son of the free jazz master, is now forty years old and has been playing drums for thirty-four years. The virtuosity that he has developed over these years can be heard to best advantage on his father's two new albums of 1996, Sound Museum: Three Women and Sound Museum: Hidden Man. His playing has been fine through the years, as on James Blood Ulmer's 1978 Tales of Captain Black. The Empty Foxhole, however, dates from 1966, when the drummer was ten years old. Proud papa explains in the liner notes that he gave an enthusiastic Denardo a drum set for Christmas when he was six. That would mean that at the time the album was recorded Denardo probably had more experience playing drums than Ornette had on trumpet and violin, his two new instruments which are lovingly featured on this album. Of the six cuts, only "Good Old Days," "Faithful," and "Zig Zag" contain Ornette's inimitable alto saxophone. The title track and "Freeway Express" present the master on trumpet, and "Sound Gravitation" is the first and only piece Ornette has ever recorded exclusively on violin. Father and son are joined by Charlie Haden on bass, who thus becomes, on three of these tracks, the only player who has extensive experience with the instrument he's playing. As such he is the stabilizing force of the trio. 

Freddie Hubbard famously commented in a Blindfold Test that Denardo the drummer sounded "like a little kid fooling around." Miles Davis, in a Blindfold Test of his own, mistook Don Cherry for Ornette on trumpet, which may be insulting to Don Cherry, Ornette, or neither one. In any case, the trumpeter, the violinist, and the drummer in this group are anything but conventional, and that's just what the leader wanted. When Ornette picks up his alto here, he plays more simply than usual. "Good Old Days" is as straightforward a blues as Ornette plays; "Faithful" is another in the series of mournful ballads Ornette was playing at the time (the wrenching "Sadness" never made it to the studio, but is worth checking out on live discs); "Zig Zag" is playful. Ornette's adventurousness here is confined to the intense trumpet piece "Freeway Express," where he pulls Miles' chain a little with a harmon mute, and the intense violin workout "Sound Gravitation." I had a chance to pick up a violin the other day. I've never played it in my life, but in a few seconds I was approximating "Sound Gravitation." Does that mean it's worthless as music? No. Ornette Coleman is not a conventional musician, but he has too much musical talent to make a bad album. Haden's bowed bass interacts skillfully with his furious violin. For that matter, Haden is masterful all the way through.

Listening to him listen to Ornette (and Denardo) and react is a musical experience of value. Nor is the little kid just fooling around. The music here is unlike most everything else that ever came out of Blue Note, or anywhere, but those who won't notice or care that these guys are not the smoothest of instrumentalists might enjoy this album. I do. ~ Robert Spencer https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-empty-foxhole-ornette-coleman-blue-note-records-review-by-robert-spencer.php

Personnel  Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone (tracks 1, 5, 6), trumpet (2, 4), violin (3);  Charlie Haden - bass;  Denardo Coleman - drums

The Empty Foxhole

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Allison Moorer - Miss Fortune

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:49
Size: 133,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:19)  1. Tumbling Down
(4:52)  2. Cold in California
(3:49)  3. Let Go
(5:54)  4. Ruby Jewel Was Here
(3:07)  5. Can't Get There From Here
(4:41)  6. Steal the Sun
(3:26)  7. Up This High
(4:30)  8. Hey Jezebel
(2:51)  9. Mark My Word
(4:03) 10. No Place for a Heart
(5:27) 11. Yessirree
(3:57) 12. Going Down
(6:47) 13. Dying Breed

Rather than open her Universal South debut with a boot-stompin' rave, Moorer sounds an autumnal tone  not just on the opening track, but on the first three. Though several up-tempo tunes do follow, this muted quality pervades Miss Fortune. Clearly the point is that Moorer intends to move past her identification with traditional country into a more personalized and varied realm in which she exercises full creative control. Make no mistake: This is a country album, but it's closer to what the music might have become rather than to where it has sunk in its current doldrums. A honey-toned and expressive singer, Moorer does seem more at home with slower, thoughtful material; on faster numbers, like "Ruby Jewel Was Here" and "Hey Jezebel," her phrasing is more affected in fact, the grooves are transparently derivative, reflecting the Band and the Stones, respectively. On the other hand, when she slinks into a Kurt Weill pose on the closing track, "Dying Breed," she feels totally at home with the idiom and its interpretive implications. Despite the ambiguity of the title, Miss Fortune suggests an intriguing turn for Moorer, not to mention affirmation that there are still opportunities to experiment outside the boardrooms of Music Row.~ Robert L. Doerschuk https://www.allmusic.com/album/miss-fortune-mw0000226707

Miss Fortune

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Andrew Hill - Spiral

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:44
Size: 102,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Tomorrow
(6:07)  2. Laverne
(6:07)  3. The Message
(7:30)  4. Invitation
(4:49)  5. Today
(9:10)  6. Spiral
(7:25)  7. Quiet Dawn

After four years mostly off of records, the innovative pianist/composer Andrew Hill re-emerged for this Freedom set, which has since been reissued on CD. The program is split between quintet numbers with altoist Lee Konitz (who doubles on soprano) and trumpeter Ted Curson, and quartet performances that showcase the somewhat forgotten altoist Robin Kenyatta. In addition, "Invitation," the one Hill nonoriginal, is taken as a spontaneous duet with Konitz. Although the music overall does not reach the heights of the pianist's earlier work for Blue Note (or his later sessions), there are enough surprising moments and thought-provoking solos to make this a release worth picking up by open-eared listeners.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiral-mw0000651843

Personnel:  Andrew Hill – piano;  Ted Curson – trumpet, flugelhorn, pocket trumpet (tracks 1-4);  Lee Konitz – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4);  Robin Kenyatta – alto saxophone (tracks 5-7);  Cecil McBee (tracks 1-4), Stafford James (tracks 5-7) – bass;  Barry Altschul (tracks 5-7), Art Lewis (tracks 1-4) – drums

Spiral

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Christopher Hollyday - Christopher Hollyday

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:33
Size: 138,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Appointment in Ghana
(8:25)  2. Omega
(5:42)  3. Bloomdido
(4:43)  4. This Is Always
(6:35)  5. Ko-Ko
(7:05)  6. Little Melonae
(8:19)  7. Embraceable You
(6:37)  8. Blues Inn
(6:16)  9. Bebop

Altoist Christopher Hollyday's first release for Novus (following a few small-label sets) immediately made him one of the top Young Lions of the era. Nineteen at the time, Hollyday was clearly strongly influenced by Jackie McLean (one of his main teachers), but holds his own with an all-star group comprised of trumpeter Wallace Roney, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist David Williams, and drummer Billy Higgins. Performing two of McLean's originals ("Appointment in Ghana" and "Omega") and five bop standards, the young saxophonist shows plenty of potential and fares quite well.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/christopher-hollyday-mw0000653669

Personnel:  Saxophone [Alto] – Christopher Hollyday;  Bass – David Williams ;  Drums – Billy Higgins;  Piano – Cedar Walton;  Trumpet – Wallace Roney

Christopher Hollyday

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Jay Lawrence - Sonic Paragon

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:13
Size: 200,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:38)  1. Full Moon in Havana
(5:07)  2. What'll I Do
(7:31)  3. Vamonos
(7:06)  4. Slide
(5:38)  5. Maria
(6:51)  6. Dayspring
(4:18)  7. From Nadir to Zenith
(6:26)  8. Sonic Paragon
(5:16)  9. Tchoupitoulas
(5:58) 10. Golden Ratio
(4:41) 11. Crosstown Traffic
(5:39) 12. My Winsome Consort

"Drummer Jay Lawrence gathered together an impressive all-star group to perform swinging originals (all but one are his with one being co-written) and inventive versions of two standards and Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic” (turned into a straight ahead uptempo romp). The colorful music covers a variety of moods and tempos ranging from the rhythmically catchy “Tchoupitoulas” and the cheerful “My Winsome Consort” to an infectious modernized version of “Maria.” Among the most memorable moments are Renee Rosnes’ sly Monkish solo on “My Winsome Consort,” Terrell Stafford’s riotous plunger mute chorus on “Slide,” Romero Lubambo pushing the rhythm on “Maria,” and the leader’s drum breaks on the Latinish “Vamonos.” Harry Allen’s tenor is a major part of the group’s sound throughout, the three guitarists each have spots to shine, and how can one beat John Patitucci on bass? Sonic Paragon is worthy of many listens; there is a lot to discover in this music."~ Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books

Jay Lawrence, (freelance musician, composer, educator) operates LIJA Music Inc., is the percussionist for the MT Pit Orchestra, co-owns the Jazz Hang record label with colleague Ray Smith, and is the drummer for the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra. Lawrence graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor of Science degree - Summa Cum Laude. He has been a member of the adjunct faculties at Brigham Young University (1996 to present), University of Utah (24 years), Snow College (1998 to present), and other Universities. His vast professional experience began when Lawrence joined The Musicians Union (A. F. of M.) at the age of fifteen. In Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, Nevada hotel/casino show bands, Jay performed with many celebrities, including: The 5th Dimension, Paul Anka, Vikki Carr, Cher, Roy Clark, The Coasters, Natalie Cole, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr., Barbara Eden, Michael Feinstein, Andy Gibb, Englebert Humperdink, Tom Jones, Ben E. King, Gladys Knight, Rich Little, Loretta Lynn, Ann Margret, Maureen McGovern, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, The Moody Blues, Anthony Newley, Lou Rawls, Charlie Rich, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Jr. and Nancy Sinatra, Red Skelton, Dionne Warwick, Raquel Welch, Mary Wilson, and many others. Former President of the Salt Lake Jazz Society, Lawrence has also performed with many jazz artists, including: Shelly Berg, Brian Bromberg, Kenny Burrell, Cyrus Chestnut, Pete Christlieb, Dee Daniels, Eddie Daniels, Carl Fontana, Al Grey, Don Grolnick, Roy Hargrove, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Carol Kaye, Mark Levine, James Moody, Andy Narell, New York Voices, Nicholas Payton, John Pizzarelli, Tom Scott, Bobby Shew, Byron Stripling, Tierney Sutton, Clark Terry, Stanley Turrentine, and Phil Woods. Many award-winning recordings have been recorded by Jay, including albums with Bob Mintzer, Andy Martin, Joey DeFrancesco, Mike Stern, Eddie Daniels, Chuck Findley, Ellis Hall, Natalie Cole, Rodney Jones, Reggie Thomas, Ron Blake, Rodney Whitaker and others. The Jay Lawrence trio’s Thermal Strut on OA2 Records featured Tamir Hendelman and Lynn Seaton and received critical acclaim in Percussive Notes, Jazz Times, and other magazines. Jay’s 2012 recording, Sweet Lime, released on Jazz Hang Records, reached number 7 on the Jazz Week Radio Airplay charts. It features Bob Sheppard and John Clayton. Lawrence also soloed on Kaskade’s Grammy Nominated album Atmosphere. He has toured throughout the U.S.A., Canada, Europe, the South Pacific and the Caribbean with luminaries such as Chris LeDoux, James Moody, Liberace, Enoch Train, and The Osmonds. Lawrence has recorded film scores and trailers for the following motion pictures: The Sandlot, 101 Dalmatians, Army of Darkness, Double Impact, Eulogy, Flubber, Frank and Jesse, Gettysburg, Hercules, Huck Finn, Jumanji, Mighty Ducks 2, Nightmare on Elm Street- Part VII, Stargate, Surviving Picasso, The Swan Princess, The Three Ninjas Kick Back, U-57, and Saturday's Warrior. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/jaylawrence

Personnel:  Jay Lawrence, drums;  John Patitucci, bass;  Renee Rosnes, piano;  Harry Allen, tenor saxophone;  Terell Stafford, trumpet;  Anthony Wilson, Yotam Silberstein, Romero Lubambo, guitars

Sonic Paragon

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Duke Robillard & Herb Ellis - Conversations In Swing Guitar

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:22
Size: 110,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Flying Home
(7:59)  2. Easin' In
(5:16)  3. Jivin' In Rhythm
(8:49)  4. Just Squeeze Me
(6:31)  5. Avalon
(9:14)  6. Blue Brew
(5:46)  7. Stuffy

This is a not very challenging, but thoroughly charming, summit meeting between a blues guitar master and a jazz guitar legend. Taking four classic swing tunes ("Just Squeeze Me," "Avalon," "Stuffy," and, inevitably, "Flyin' Home"), two Robillard originals, and a jointly composed slow blues, and helped out by bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Marty Richards, Duke Robillard and Herb Ellis deliver a 48-minute swing guitar master class, Conversations in Swing Guitar. Ellis comes from jazz and Robillard from the blues, so their approaches are just distinct enough to keep things interesting; although both play with a clean, fat jazz tone and no one ever really hauls off and shreds, Robillard tends towards bent notes and funky chordal things while Ellis thinks a bit more in terms of long lines and florid ornamentation. Every so often you might find yourself wishing that the edges were just a bit rougher, but both of these guys are clearly having a great old time, and you will too.~ Rick Anderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/conversations-in-swing-guitar-mw0000258558

Personnel:   Lead Guitar [Right Channel] – Duke Robillard;   Lead Guitar [Left Channel] – Herb Ellis;   Bass – Marty Ballou;   Drums – Marty Richards. 

Conversations In Swing Guitar

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Aretha Franklin - The Queen Of Soul Disc 3 And Disc 4 of 4 Discs

Styles: Vocal Soul
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:36
Size: 176,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Son Of A Preacher Man
(2:31)  2. Try Matty's
(4:42)  3. The Thrill Is Gone [From Yesterday's Kiss]
(4:42)  4. Dark End Of The Street
(3:35)  5. You And Me
(3:30)  6. You're Taking Up Another Man's Place (Spirit In The Dark Outtake)
(3:01)  7. Don't Play That Song
(3:04)  8. Why I Sing The Blues
(4:02)  9. Spirit In The Dark
(4:08) 10. My Way (Spirit In The Dark Outtake)
(2:52) 11. One Way Ticket
(3:37) 12. Pullin'
(3:23) 13. Border Song (Holy Moses)
(4:27) 14. A Brand New Me
(3:37) 15. You're All I Need To Get By
(5:32) 16. Bridge Over Troubled Water
(3:33) 17. Spanish Harlem
(4:40) 18. Lean On Me
(8:13) 19. Spirit In The Dark (Reprise With Ray Charles) [Live At Fillmore West, San Francisco, February 5, 1971]

The Queen Of Soul Disc 3

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Album: The Queen Of Soul   Disc 4

Time: 79:10

Size: 181,9 MB

(3:14)  1. Rock Steady

(3:34)  2. Young, Gifted And Black

(3:54)  3. All The King's Horses

(3:42)  4. Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby)

(4:01)  5. Day Dreaming

(7:09)  6. Mary, Don't You Weep [Live At New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles, January 14, 1972]

(2:45)  7. Climbing Higher Mountains (Live 1972)

(7:21)  8. Precious Memories [Live At New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles, January 14, 1972]

(3:27)  9. Master Of Eyes [The Deepness Of Your Eyes]

(4:29) 10. Angel

(6:19) 11. Somewhere

(4:18) 12. So Swell When You're Well

(2:52) 13. I'm In Love

(3:49) 14. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing

(3:28) 15. Until You Come Back To Me [That's What I'm Gonna Do]

(4:03) 16. Look Into Your Heart

(4:13) 17. Sparkle

(6:22) 18. Something He Can Feel

R.I.P.

Born on March 25, 1942

Died on August 16, 2018

The Queen Of Soul Disc 4

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Linda Eder - Retro

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:01
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:49)  1. Love Is Here at Last
(3:14)  2. In the Stone
(3:09)  3. When the Right Man Comes Along
(3:15)  4. You Never Can Tell
(2:47)  5. I'm Doing Just Fine
(2:24)  6. Someone
(4:27)  7. The One That Got Away
(3:20)  8. Matter of Luck
(1:53)  9. So Young So Beautiful
(3:01) 10. Sweet Surprise
(3:36) 11. Could It Be
(3:01) 12. Easy
(3:37) 13. There Is Love
(4:22) 14. Is This Where Our Story Ends?

Showcasing one of the greatest voices of our time, Linda Eder’s diverse repertoire spans Broadway, Standards, Pop, Country, and Jazz. When she performs “live” in concert, it is amazing to experience the ease with which she moves back and forth from one genre to another as if she were gifted with the vocal ability to perform each genre as well as all the others. Born in Tucson, Arizona and raised in Brainerd, Minnesota, Eder began her career right out of high school singing all around her home state, and she eventually landed a gig at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But it was her appearance on the 1987 season of “Star Search,” during which she won for an unprecedented 12 straight weeks, which attracted the attention of audiences and record companies alike.  Eder launched her recording career in 1991 with her self-titled debut album and soon established a vital niche as America’s most popular and acclaimed new interpreter of Pop, Standard and Theatrical genres. She released two more solo albums before starring in the Broadway production of JEKYLL & HYDE beginning on April 28, 1997. As the tragic character “Lucy” in this new musical, Eder blew the roof off New York City’s Plymouth Theatre eight times a week as she belted out her signature songs “Someone Like You” and “A New Life.” Her Broadway debut, for which she was rewarded with a Drama Desk nomination, sent her already rapidly rising star blazing across the sky securing her a spot as one of America’s most beloved singers and dynamic “live” performers. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, “What do we mean when we use the word perfection? The question arises every time I watch the pop singer Linda Eder….”http://lindaeder.com/about/

Retro

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Kenny Burrell - Round Midnight

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:45
Size: 87,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:02)  1. A Streetcar Named Desire
(5:19)  2. Make Someone Happy
(5:13)  3. 'Round Midnight
(5:02)  4. I Think It's Going To Rain Today
(4:48)  5. Since I Fell For You
(6:44)  6. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
(3:35)  7. Blues In The Night

This is a typically tasteful Kenny Burrell record (reissued on CD) with the guitarist mostly emphasizing ballads. Five of the seven songs (which include "Make Someone Happy," "Since I Fell for You" and the theme from "A Streetcar Named Desire") find Burrell assisted by pianist Richard Wyands (who also played electric piano), bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Lenny McBrowne. "'Round Midnight" is played by Burrell with pianist Joe Sample, bassist Johnson and drummer Paul Humphrey while "Blues in the Night" is an unaccompanied guitar solo. Although the music overall is well-played, no real sparks fly and the results often border on being sleepy.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/round-midnight-mw0000600580

Personnel:  Kenny Burrell - guitar;  Joe Sample (track 3), Richard Wyands (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6) - piano;  Reggie Johnson - bass (tracks 1-6);  Lennie McBrowne (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6), Paul Humphrey (track 3) - drums

Round Midnight

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Lee Konitz & Dan Tepfer - Decade

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:25
Size: 106,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. Thrill
(3:49)  2. 9/11 Suite, Part I
(2:39)  3. 9/11 Suite, Part II
(4:26)  4. 9/11 Suite, Part III
(1:34)  5. Pulsing Green
(3:10)  6. Alter Ego
(6:02)  7. Through The Tunnel
(1:08)  8. Egos Alter
(4:25)  9. Rebounds
(2:16) 10. A Place We Know
(1:39) 11. Pulsing Orange
(1:59) 12. Whirlpool
(2:42) 13. Ceaseless
(0:58) 14. Eager Altos
(7:00) 15. Body & Soul

To celebrate a decade of intense musical collaboration and friendship, the masterful 90-year-old altoist Lee Konitz and the resourceful pianist Dan Tepfer, 36, release Decade on Verve Records, an auspicious follow up to Duos With Lee (Sunnyside, 2009). The duo has been performing extensively throughout the years, but their mature sense of impromptu comes bolstered throughout these 15 spontaneous short tunes. In possession of an enviable originality in terms of sound and language, the pair takes the same direction and overcomes any possible generational gap with their modernistic facility. This aspect becomes immediately perceptible on “Thrill”, the illuminated, if enigmatic, opening piece, which shows Tepfer into a fantastic textural work while insisting on a specific note, chromatically bent at regular times. The delicate tension that arrives from it, favors Konitz's cliché-free vocabulary. Comprising three distinct parts, “9/11 Suite” kicks off with introspective piano melodies entering our ears like raindrops on a breezy spring day. The melodic lyricism conducted by the veteran saxophonist frequently takes you to the unexpected. 

If the second part of the suite, marked by scattered call-response actions, points out to an uncertain destiny by carrying a flaring turbulence and an unregulated plasticity typical of the avant-garde genre, then the touching third part is enveloped by a sequence of high-pitched piano swirls whose dreamy tones urge the saxophone to search for a hidden secret with yearning musicality. Three title puns, “Alter Ego”, “Egos Alter”, and “Eager Altos” feature Konitz’ overdubbed sax lines in a merry polyphony, but it’s with “Through the Tunnel”, an overwhelming piece of aurorean transcendence that the duo reaches a subliminal state of unearthly contemplation. If Konitz evokes the melody of “Peacocks” at an early stage and makes use of his unmistakable scat singing by the end, then Tepfer’s improvised lines have prompted responses from a programmed Disklavier piano. The saxophonist repeats the vocalization on Johnny Green’s “Ceaseless”, where circular and arpeggiated movements, typical from classical music, sustain his liberal yet never-misplaced ruminations. There are other moments of extraordinary creativity: “Body and Soul” is completely transformed through a snazzy re-harmonization and entirely fresh melody; “Rebounds” claims a contrapuntal groove that is later expanded into grandiose chords; and “A Place We Know” shapes into a more traditional song format through balladic harmonic progressions flanked by profound saxophone impressions. Wielding a delightfully quirky style, Konitz and Tepfer provide the listener with those truly magical moments that will keep them sigh with pleasure. http://jazztrail.net/blog/2018/7/29/konitz-tepfer-decade-album-review

Personnel:  Lee Konitz - Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Voice;   Dan Tepfer - Piano.

Decade

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Sonny Criss - I'll Catch The Sun

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:46
Size: 82,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Don't Rain on My Parade
(8:11)  2. Blue Sunset
(4:45)  3. I Thought About You
(6:05)  4. California Screamin'
(5:43)  5. Cry Me a River
(5:33)  6. I'll Catch the Sun

Altoist Sonny Criss made some of his finest recordings for Prestige during the mid- to late '60s; I'll Catch the Sun was the seventh and final. Since this CD reissue is only 35 minutes long, it is overly brief, but the straight-ahead music (featuring Criss with pianist Hampton Hawes, bassist Monty Budwig, and drummer Shelly Manne) is often excellent as the altoist performs two blues, two standards (including a passionate "Cry Me a River"), and two forgotten pop tunes from the era. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-catch-the-sun-mw0000626431

Personnel:  Sonny Criss - alto saxophone;  Hampton Hawes - piano;  Monty Budwig - bass;  Shelly Manne - drums

I'll Catch The Sun

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Aretha Franklin - The Queen Of Soul Disc 2 Of 4 Discs

Styles: Vocal Soul
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:00
Size: 181,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:18)  1. Think
(2:28)  2. You Send Me
(3:36)  3. I Say A Little Prayer
(2:21)  4. The House That Jack Built (Mono Version)
(2:18)  5. You're A Sweet Sweet Man
(2:34)  6. I Take What I Want
(2:27)  7. A Change
(2:44)  8. See Saw
(3:33)  9. My Song (Mono Version)
(3:04) 10. I Can't See Myself Leaving You
(3:45) 11. Night Life (Live At The Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 7, 1968)
(3:09) 12. Ramblin'
(4:25) 13. Today I Sing The Blues
(2:40) 14. River's Invitation
(3:04) 15. Pitiful
(3:29) 16. Talk To Me, Talk To Me (Soul '69 Outtake) (Mono Version)
(2:56) 17. Tracks Of My Tears
(2:58) 18. The Weight
(3:21) 19. Share Your Love With Me
(4:13) 20. Pledging My Love / The Clock
(3:23) 21. It Ain't Fair
(3:53) 22. Sit Down And Cry
(3:32) 23. Let It Be
(2:38) 24. Eleanor Rigby
(3:57) 25. Call Me

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since. Yet as much of an international institution as she's become, much of her work outside of her recordings for Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s is erratic and only fitfully inspired, making discretion a necessity when collecting her records.  Franklin's roots in gospel ran extremely deep. With her sisters Carolyn and Erma (both of whom would also have recording careers), she sang at the Detroit church of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, while growing up in the 1950s. In fact, she made her first recordings as a gospel artist at the age of 14. It has also been reported that Motown was interested in signing Aretha back in the days when it was a tiny start-up. Ultimately, however, Franklin ended up with Columbia, to which she was signed by the renowned talent scout John Hammond.  Franklin would record for Columbia constantly throughout the first half of the '60s, notching occasional R&B hits (and one Top 40 single, "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody") but never truly breaking out as a star. The Columbia period continues to generate considerable controversy among critics, many of whom feel that Aretha's true aspirations were being blunted by pop-oriented material and production. In fact, there's a reasonable amount of fine items to be found on the Columbia sides, including the occasional song ("Lee Cross," "Soulville") where she belts out soul with real gusto. It's undeniably true, though, that her work at Columbia was considerably tamer than what was to follow, and suffered in general from a lack of direction and an apparent emphasis on trying to develop her as an all-around entertainer, rather than as an R&B/soul singer.  When Franklin left Columbia for Atlantic, producer Jerry Wexler was determined to bring out her most soulful, fiery traits. As part of that plan, he had her record her first single, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," at Muscle Shoals in Alabama with esteemed Southern R&B musicians. In fact, that was to be her only session actually at Muscle Shoals, but much of the remainder of her '60s work would be recorded with the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, although the sessions would actually take place in New York City. The combination was one of those magic instances of musical alchemy in pop: the backup musicians provided a much grittier, soulful, and R&B-based accompaniment for Aretha's voice, which soared with a passion and intensity suggesting a spirit that had been allowed to fly loose for the first time. In the late '60s, Franklin became one of the biggest international recording stars in all of pop. Many also saw Franklin as a symbol of black America itself, reflecting the increased confidence and pride of African-Americans in the decade of the civil rights movement and other triumphs for the black community. The chart statistics are impressive in and of themselves: ten Top Ten hits in a roughly 18-month span between early 1967 and late 1968, for instance, and a steady stream of solid mid- to large-size hits for the next five years after that. Her Atlantic albums were also huge sellers, and far more consistent artistically than those of most soul stars of the era. Franklin was able to maintain creative momentum, in part, because of her eclectic choice of material, which encompassed first-class originals and gospel, blues, pop, and rock covers, from the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to Sam Cooke and the Drifters. 

She was also a fine, forceful, and somewhat underrated keyboardist. Franklin's commercial and artistic success was unabated in the early '70s, during which she landed more huge hits with "Spanish Harlem," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Day Dreaming." She also produced two of her most respected, and earthiest, album releases with Live at Fillmore West and Amazing Grace. The latter, a 1972 double LP, was a reinvestigation of her gospel roots, recorded with James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. Remarkably, it made the Top Ten, counting as one of the greatest gospel-pop crossover smashes of all time. Franklin had a few more hits over the next few years "Angel" and the Stevie Wonder cover "Until You Come Back to Me" being the most notable. Her Atlantic contract ended at the end of the 1970s. She signed with the Clive Davis-guided Arista and scored number one R&B hits with "Jump to It," "Get It Right," and "Freeway of Love." Many of her successes were duets, or crafted with the assistance of contemporaries such as Luther Vandross and Narada Michael Walden. In 1986 Franklin released her follow-up to Who's Zoomin' Who?, the self-titled Aretha, which saw the single "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me," a duet with George Michael, hit the top of the charts. There was also another return to gospel in 1987 with One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. Franklin shifted back to pop with 1989's Through the Storm, but it wasn't a commercial success, and neither was 1991's new jack swing-styled What You See Is What You Sweat. Now solidly an iconic figure and acknowledged as one of the best singers of her generation no matter what her record sales were, Franklin contributed songs to several movie soundtracks in the next few years before releasing the R&B-based A Rose Is Still a Rose in 1998. So Damn Happy followed five years later in 2003 and again saw disappointing sales, but it did generate the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful." Franklin left Arista that same year and started her own label, Aretha's Records, two years later. A duets compilation, Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen, was issued in 2007, followed by her first holiday album, 2008's This Christmas. The first release on her own label, A Woman Falling Out of Love, appeared in 2011. She signed to RCA and realigned with Clive Davis, who connected her with the likes of Babyface and OutKast's André 3000 for Sings the Great Diva Classics, for which she covered Gladys Knight, Barbra Streisand, and Adele, among others. ~ Richie Unterberger https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aretha-franklin-mn0000927555/biography

R.I.P.
Born on March 25, 1942
Died on August 16, 2018

The Queen Of Soul Disc 2

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Ilan Salem & Kenny Werner - Twists & Turns

Styles: Flute And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:51
Size: 137,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:10)  1. Floating
(6:02)  2. Naivete
(4:29)  3. Hurly-burly
(7:16)  4. Sway
(8:53)  5. Twists and turns
(5:23)  6. Song for anna
(7:18)  7. Heart and soul
(7:14)  8. Longing
(6:01)  9. Bliss

Ilan Salem is an Israeli jazz flautist. His latest solo album, Twists and Turns, was recorded in 2005 and released in 2006 under the Ilan Salem & Eyla label. He graduated from Thelma Yellin, which is one of Israel's most important schools for art. After graduating from Thelma, he went to to the Berklee College of Music, out of which he graduated aswell.

Personnel: Ilan Salem on flute and alto flute;  Kenny Werner on piano;  Eitan Itzcovich on drums;  Johannes Weidenmueller on bass.

Twists & Turns

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Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Rapsodia

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:41
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:41)  1. Contagio
( 9:46)  2. Circuito II
( 9:08)  3. Tributo
( 4:45)  4. Santo Canto (Holly Chant)
( 6:39)  5. Moose The Mooche
( 7:27)  6. Chancletera
(10:11)  7. Rapsodia Cubana

Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has such impressive technique that he has the potential of completely overwhelming any song he plays but Rubalcaba shows admirable restraint throughout much of this quartet date. Influenced to a degree by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, Rubalcaba still shows a fresh personality when he utilizes an electric keyboard on a few of the selections. His quartet (which includes trumpeter Reynaldo Melian, bassist Felipe Cabrera and drummer Julio Barreto), in addition to fine support, offers a contrasting solo voice in its virtuosic trumpeter. This is a well-rounded set of complex but fairly accessible music.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/rapsodia-mw0000111676

Personnel:  Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Piano);  Felipe Cabrera (Bass);  Julio Barreto (Drums);  Reynaldo Melian (Trumpet)

Rapsodia

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Karrin Allyson - Some of That Sunshine

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:28
Size: 132,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Wish You Were Mine
(4:21)  2. Home
(4:31)  3. As Long as I Know You Love Me
(4:56)  4. Some of That Sunshine
(4:17)  5. Shake It Up
(4:32)  6. Just as Well
(4:59)  7. Time Is a Funny Thing
(4:35)  8. One of These Days
(4:03)  9. Nobody Said Love Was Easy
(5:37) 10. Happy Now
(4:30) 11. Right Here Right Now
(3:51) 12. You Don't Care
(3:02) 13. Big Discount

Throughout her fifteen albums, Karrin Allyson, five-time Grammy nominee in the Best Jazz Vocalist category, has demonstrated an uncanny ability to ‘get inside’ a lyric  to take over a song and reshape it into something magical. “Ever since her impressive debut (I Didn’t Know About You, Concord, 1992) Karrin Allyson has successfully pulled material from both the pop and jazz world and it all works well with her voluptuous huskiness and rhythmic sensibility.” ~ Roger Crane, The International Review of Music

Stephen Holden, in a NY TIMES concert review, praised Allyson as “one of the most grounded singers working today,” with an “exceptionally keen eye for the smart, semi-obscure pop or jazz number that speaks directly to the moment.” In his Wall Street Journal preview, writer Will Friedwald buzzed, “she sings with amazing subtlety.” And in his lead Jazztimes Magazine CD review, VOX critic Christopher Loudon said Allyson’s songs “shimmer with tender vibrancy.” Now, in a brand-new album to be released on 3 August 2018, Karrin steps forward commandingly in a new role as songwriter, revealing thirteen new songs in an astonishing range of styles and moods. Teaming up with the remarkable L.A. producer and recording artist Chris Caswell and her very talented current working band  Miro Sprague on piano, Jeff Johnson on bass, Rod Fleeman on guitar and Jerome Jennings on drums and featuring guest artists Regina Carter on violin and the magisterial Houston Person on tenor saxophone, she has produced an album full of unexpected delights, including a guest appearance from mega-bassist Lee Sklar. “It feels like coming home in a way,” says Allyson “As a young musician I was writing songs in a variety of styles, even before I discovered jazz. I loved the singer-songwriters of my youth and I followed their influence. Now, after years of performing all sorts of jazz and Brazilian and French music, I’m coming back to where I started.”

“These songs are quite varied in style very ‘Allyson-like’, I suppose you could say. I’ve always loved to mix things up. Take the title track “Wrap Up Some of that Sunshine” featuring violinist and MacArthur fellow Regina Carter that’s more of a traditional swing- standard. And then there are a few unabashedly romantic ballads like “Just As Well” featuring Houston, “You Don’t Care”, (lyrics by my Dad) and "Time is a Funny Thing”. I drop back more into my pop roots with songs like “As Long as I Know You Love Me”, "One of these Days”, "Happy Now”, and “Home"…and dig into the blues with “Right Here Right Now”, “Wish You Were Mine” and "Nobody Said Love was Easy”. I am acutely aware of the political scene and its challenges and so I penned a couple songs begging for change; "Big Discount" and "Shake it Up”. “Though I take every song I sing very personally, of course, there’s something extremely personal-and scary too, about singing your own stuff... the audience gets to know you even better  And I’m ready for that.” So, if you like soulful, sly, heartfelt, groovy songs with meaningful (and fun) lyrics here they are brand new, welcome and somehow beautifully familiar. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/karrinallyson2

Personnel:  Karrin Allyson, voice and piano, Rhodes;  Chris Caswell, Hammond B-3, accordion;  Miro Sprague;, acoustic piano and Rhodes;  Jeff Johnson, bass;  Jerome Jennings, drums.

Special Guests:  Lee Sklar featured on “One of These Days”;  Regina Carter (Some of That Sunshine, Time is a Funny Thing, Big Discount);  Houston Person (Right Here, Right Now, Just as Well, Nobody Said Love Was Easy).

Some of That Sunshine

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Shelly Manne and His Men - Yesterdays

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:49
Size: 103,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:38)  1. Cabu
(13:33)  2. Bag's Groove
( 7:48)  3. Poinciana
( 8:28)  4. Straight, No Chaser
( 8:21)  5. Yesterdays

Shelly Manne, who died suddenly of a heart attack on September 26, 1984, left behind an impressive body of recorded work as a leader and sideman. Like Dave Tough, one of his formative influences, Manne was a musician first and drummer second. Evincing an unusually nuanced approach to the trap set, he had no interest in technique for its own sake, instead tailoring his sticking and footwork to the demands of bands of varying sizes and instrumentation sometimes even working without a bassist. Every stroke was true and had a purpose. Moreover, Manne thought and played in melodic as well as rhythmic terms, often adapting accompaniment to a composition’s melody, and singing along with his own solos. An uncommonly versatile performer who was equally at home in a number of jazz styles (from Art Hodes to Ornette Coleman, as he once proudly declared), Manne had an extraordinary talent for getting to the heart of the music, and making an ensemble swing in a natural, unforced manner. Aside from the selfless nature of his musicianship, Manne’s playing is filled with unusual sounds such as drumming with his fingers and hands, dropping a coin on a drumhead, damping drums with a hand in order to bend the pitch of strokes, or simply not playing at all. These were not circus tricks, but rather integral parts of his vocabulary that functioned as part of the music. Consisting of previously unreleased tracks from Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts in Europe during February and March of 1960, Yesterdays is another first-rate addition to Manne’s discography. The antithesis of the crowd-pleasing antics that frequently characterized the JATP tours, his superb quintet shuns excess and radiates a joyful enthusiasm. Firmly lodged in the swing-to-bebop stylistic continuum, the band’s excellent musicianship, attention to detail, and willingness to consistently make changes within certain parameters, make the music lively and interesting. There’s a sense of balance between carefully arranged ensemble passages and solos which are usually kept to 3 to 5 choruses; background riffs are often used for color as well as to spur the soloist; the rhythm section is steadfast, responsive, and always finds ways to add something fresh to the presentation; moreover, the band displays a wide dynamic range. While all of the recording’s three primary soloists develop themes logically, each of them makes an impact in a different way. On the title track, pianist Russ Freeman, a cautious almost polite bebopper, begins his solo unhurriedly; at first playing lines that fit with bassist Monty Budwig’s pulse on beats 1 and 3 of each measure, then gradually becomes more expansive. Expertly riding Manne and Budwig’s foursquare swing, his melodically inventive themes continue to build in strength as the choruses mount; yet, Freeman doesn’t reach for a rousing climax. Instead, he simply yields to tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca.

Not unlike Freeman, Joe Gordon’s five choruses on Milt Jackson’s “Bag’s Groove” are thoughtful and measured; nonetheless he manages to generate considerable heat. Gordon and Freeman bounce variations of triplet figures off one another on the first chorus; then the trumpeter settles in for some impassioned blues playing for the next two, showing off his fine, full tone, and well-ordered phrasing. When the band accents beats 1,2 and 3 in unison for the next 12 bars, Gordon brings down the volume and becomes a little subdued before rising again with some powerful bebop lines, then eases his way to the finish line. There’s something unrelentingly efficient in the way Richie Kamuca keeps on churning out variations of eighth-note lines during his solo on an up-tempo version of the standard “Poinciana.” The tenor saxophonist is in constant motion, sustaining a four-chorus improvisation almost without interruption, and feeding off of everything that’s going on around him. During this incessant, albeit calculated burst of energy, he displays a heightened awareness of where the pulse is, without feeling the need to always begin and end sequences on top of the beat. He flies over a Gordon riff that sounds like an abbreviated version of one of his phrases, and when Freeman lays out for the last two choruses, Kamuca isn’t thrown by Manne’s choppy, ground-shifting hits to the bass and snare drums. In addition to his customary reliable accompaniment, Manne serves as a catalyst for some of the record’s most exciting moments. Toward the end of “Bags' Groove,” he executes a continuous buzz roll over Budwig and Freeman’s laid-back, 12-measure promenade. Beginning at just a whisper and gradually working up to a roar, Manne creates an incredible amount of tension, setting the stage for a shout chorus by the whole band that explodes like a bomb. Manne, the anti-virtuoso, shapes a short, rubato introduction out of portions from the melody of Thelonious Monk’s “Straight, No Chaser.” Interspersing clusters of strokes (particularly the opening five-note phrase) to different combinations of drums (and a partially opened hi-hat cymbal) with brief silences, he brilliantly captures the spirit of the composition, and sounds nothing like a traditional, go for broke drum soloist. Almost before you can grasp the logic of what he’s doing it’s over. The band enters to play the melody in its original, fully recognizable form, and Manne reverts to his normal, crisply swinging ways. ~ David A.Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/shelly-manne-and-his-men-yesterdays-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel: Shelly Manne—drums; Joe Gordon—trumpet; Richie Kamuca—tenor saxophone; Russ Freeman—piano; Monty Budwig—bass

Yesterdays

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Aretha Franklin - The Queen Of Soul Disc 1 Of 4 Discs

Styles: Vocal Soul
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:23
Size: 178,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (Mono Version)
(3:15)  2. Do Right Woman - Do Right Man (Mono Version)
(2:26)  3. Respect
(4:06)  4. Drown In My Own Tears (Mono Version)
(2:38)  5. Soul Serenade (Mono Version)
(2:22)  6. Don't Let Me Lose This Dream (Mono Version)
(2:54)  7. Baby, Baby, Baby (Mono Version)
(3:21)  8. Dr. Feelgood [Love Is Serious Business]
(2:09)  9. Good Times (Mono Version)
(2:19) 10. Save Me (Mono Version)
(2:44) 11. Baby, I Love You
(2:40) 12. Satisfaction
(4:21) 13. You Are My Sunshine (Mono Version)
(2:55) 14. Never Let Me Go (Mono Version)
(2:59) 15. Prove It (Mono Version)
(4:24) 16. I Wonder (Mono Version)
(2:37) 17. Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around) (Mono Version)
(3:46) 18. It Was You (Mono Version)
(2:47) 19. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
(2:48) 20. Chain Of Fools
(3:44) 21. People Get Ready
(2:27) 22. Come Back Baby
(3:58) 23. Good To Me As I Am To You
(2:25) 24. Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
(4:13) 25. Ain't No Way

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since. Yet as much of an international institution as she's become, much of her work outside of her recordings for Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s is erratic and only fitfully inspired, making discretion a necessity when collecting her records.  Franklin's roots in gospel ran extremely deep. With her sisters Carolyn and Erma (both of whom would also have recording careers), she sang at the Detroit church of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, while growing up in the 1950s. In fact, she made her first recordings as a gospel artist at the age of 14. It has also been reported that Motown was interested in signing Aretha back in the days when it was a tiny start-up. Ultimately, however, Franklin ended up with Columbia, to which she was signed by the renowned talent scout John Hammond.  Franklin would record for Columbia constantly throughout the first half of the '60s, notching occasional R&B hits (and one Top 40 single, "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody") but never truly breaking out as a star. 

The Columbia period continues to generate considerable controversy among critics, many of whom feel that Aretha's true aspirations were being blunted by pop-oriented material and production. In fact, there's a reasonable amount of fine items to be found on the Columbia sides, including the occasional song ("Lee Cross," "Soulville") where she belts out soul with real gusto. It's undeniably true, though, that her work at Columbia was considerably tamer than what was to follow, and suffered in general from a lack of direction and an apparent emphasis on trying to develop her as an all-around entertainer, rather than as an R&B/soul singer.  When Franklin left Columbia for Atlantic, producer Jerry Wexler was determined to bring out her most soulful, fiery traits. As part of that plan, he had her record her first single, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," at Muscle Shoals in Alabama with esteemed Southern R&B musicians. In fact, that was to be her only session actually at Muscle Shoals, but much of the remainder of her '60s work would be recorded with the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, although the sessions would actually take place in New York City. The combination was one of those magic instances of musical alchemy in pop: the backup musicians provided a much grittier, soulful, and R&B-based accompaniment for Aretha's voice, which soared with a passion and intensity suggesting a spirit that had been allowed to fly loose for the first time. In the late '60s, Franklin became one of the biggest international recording stars in all of pop. Many also saw Franklin as a symbol of black America itself, reflecting the increased confidence and pride of African Americans in the decade of the civil rights movement and other triumphs for the black community. 

The chart statistics are impressive in and of themselves: ten Top Ten hits in a roughly 18-month span between early 1967 and late 1968, for instance, and a steady stream of solid mid to large-size hits for the next five years after that. Her Atlantic albums were also huge sellers, and far more consistent artistically than those of most soul stars of the era. Franklin was able to maintain creative momentum, in part, because of her eclectic choice of material, which encompassed first-class originals and gospel, blues, pop, and rock covers, from the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to Sam Cooke and the Drifters. She was also a fine, forceful, and somewhat underrated keyboardist. Franklin's commercial and artistic success was unabated in the early '70s, during which she landed more huge hits with "Spanish Harlem," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Day Dreaming." She also produced two of her most respected, and earthiest, album releases with Live at Fillmore West and Amazing Grace. The latter, a 1972 double LP, was a reinvestigation of her gospel roots, recorded with James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. Remarkably, it made the Top Ten, counting as one of the greatest gospel-pop crossover smashes of all time. Franklin had a few more hits over the next few years "Angel" and the Stevie Wonder cover "Until You Come Back to Me" being the most notable. Her Atlantic contract ended at the end of the 1970s. She signed with the Clive Davis-guided Arista and scored number one R&B hits with "Jump to It," "Get It Right," and "Freeway of Love." 

Many of her successes were duets, or crafted with the assistance of contemporaries such as Luther Vandross and Narada Michael Walden. In 1986 Franklin released her follow-up to Who's Zoomin' Who?, the self-titled Aretha, which saw the single "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me," a duet with George Michael, hit the top of the charts. There was also another return to gospel in 1987 with One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. Franklin shifted back to pop with 1989's Through the Storm, but it wasn't a commercial success, and neither was 1991's new jack swing-styled What You See Is What You Sweat. Now solidly an iconic figure and acknowledged as one of the best singers of her generation no matter what her record sales were, Franklin contributed songs to several movie soundtracks in the next few years before releasing the R&B-based A Rose Is Still a Rose in 1998. So Damn Happy followed five years later in 2003 and again saw disappointing sales, but it did generate the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful." Franklin left Arista that same year and started her own label, Aretha's Records, two years later. A duets compilation, Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen, was issued in 2007, followed by her first holiday album, 2008's This Christmas. The first release on her own label, A Woman Falling Out of Love, appeared in 2011. She signed to RCA and realigned with Clive Davis, who connected her with the likes of Babyface and OutKast's André 3000 for Sings the Great Diva Classics, for which she covered Gladys Knight, Barbra Streisand, and Adele, among others. 

~ Richie Unterberger https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aretha-franklin-mn0000927555/biography

R.I.P.
Born on March 25, 1942
Died on August 16, 2018

The Queen Of Soul  Disc 1

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