Saturday, September 22, 2018

Yusuf - An Other Cup

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Pop/Rock
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:21
Size: 95,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Midday (Avoid City After Dark)
(4:49)  2. Heaven / Where True Love Goes
(3:06)  3. Maybe There's a World
(4:54)  4. One Day at a Time
(0:41)  5. When Butterflies Leave
(4:02)  6. In the End
(3:22)  7. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
(5:34)  8. I Think I See the Light
(2:04)  9. Whispers from a Spiritual Garden
(4:51) 10. The Beloved
(3:28) 11. Greenfields, Golden Sands

Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, re-enters the singer-songwriter realm after a 30 year hiatus and reminds us all of why we love him. He was born Steven Demetre Georgiou. In 1978, after converting to the Islamic faith, he changed his name to Yusuf Islam. In 2004, he was prevented from entering the US as his name had mistakenly been added to the no-fly list  it seems they had confused him with suspected terrorist Youssef Islam. So it would seem there's actually a lot more in a name than Billy Shakespeare would have you believe, but if it makes things easier, this album's packaging let's us know that you can still call him Cat Stevens. The reason I'm presenting all of this is not to stall; I've started this review countless times over and am under no pressure to finish it. No, I'm bringing this up because first impressions are important, even if they're of an already established artist, and thus are not first impressions at all. Confusing I know, but you'll get it eventually. This is Yusuf Islam's (simply known as Yusuf on the cover) first pop album since the name change, but fear not, this is the same guy your parents/peers/grandparents fell in love with thirty years ago. Yusuf hasn't missed a beat, as this is still the same sound he made famous on 70s staple "Tea for the Tillerman" and later perfected on "Teaser and the Firecat", and while it's certainly not as impactful, I'm comfortable saying that "An Other Cup" comes pretty close. Yusuf relies, as always, on the piano and acoustic guitar, as well as his warm, soft voice, which has only become more effective with age. At its core, the music found on "An Other Cup" is relatively simple, but beneath the subdued singer-songwriter sound you'll find plenty of subtle nuances to keep things interesting. "Midday (Avoid City After Dark)" opens the album focusing almost entirely on Yusuf's voice, which lends itself to the production. The song tells the story of a man enraptured by a city's implicit beauty, but terrified of the night. Along with the traditional guitar/piano sound, the track employs tribal-esque drumming and, perhaps the most interesting of twists, horns. Perhaps the horns are supposed to exhibit the apparent contrast between day and night, quiet and loud, but probably not. I think it's what it sounds like good. Other stand-outs include the romantic "Heaven/Where True Love Goes", a song describing true love, and more specifically, how Yusuf follows his heart regardless of situation. As it says, "[he] goes where true love goes, [he] goes where true love goes". 

As the title implies, the track employs two specific themes, which interchange flawlessly; you'd be hard-pressed to actually notice when Yusuf shifts from describing an immaculate beauty programmed by the heaven's themselves to the way he lives his life. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", Yusuf's interpretation of a song first made popular by Nina Simone over forty years ago, is probably the most important on the album. While it may not be the best, it's definitely the most necessary. In lieu of all the controversy the fatwa, the name/faith change, that beard Yusuf wants to make sure that people aren't getting the wrong idea. To do this, Yusuf enlists the help of strings, which, upon being paired with the piano and Yusuf's voice, make for a very heartfelt plea; one that sceptics will hopefully take to heart. As the lyrics once again state, "[he's] Well I'm just a soul whose intentions are good, oh lord, please don't let [him] be misunderstood". It's not perfect by any means. Some songs can often be a little bit dull, perhaps even a little samey, and the album does seem to, at times, lack the power found in classic songs such as "Wild World". "Whispers from a Spiritual Garden" is, for lack of a nicer word, a useless interlude; a new-age romp complete with an awkward spoken word jaunt at the end. In the end, "Whispers From A Spiritual Garden" is barely two minutes in length, and besides these few minor faults, Yusuf reminds us of how he got to where he was, how he made it to a level where a simple change of faith could cause a backlash. He's been gone a while, but listening to this, it's a fact you'll have a hard time considering. Yusuf Islam is a genuine and talented songwriter, and while the album isn't without flaw, that's probably why it works. It is, after-all, a highly introspective album, laced with his beliefs (which does mean you will find some God talk on here), his ideas and of course his classic storytelling. I think it's time the public welcomed him back with open arms, so I suppose I'll get the ball rolling. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/11659/Yusuf-Islam-An-Other-Cup/

An Other Cup

Mark Turner & Ethan Iverson - Temporary Kings

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:49
Size: 125,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Lugano
(5:44)  2. Temporary Kings
(5:55)  3. Turner's Chamber Of Unlikely Delights
(6:00)  4. Dixie's Dilemma
(4:44)  5. Yesterday's Bouquet
(6:49)  6. Unclaimed Freight
(7:15)  7. Myron's World
(4:24)  8. Third Familiar
(7:54)  9. Seven Points

Pianist Ethan Iverson and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner have a bond going back to the New York clubs of the ’90s, which incubated the current generation of jazz masters. They went on to major success, both individually and as members of the venerated Billy Hart Quartet. An Iverson-Turner duo project had long been in the works, and the lustrous sound couldn’t be more ideal for music of such depth and intimacy. 

The six Iverson pieces, including the solo piano meditation “Yesterday’s Bouquet,” are full of forbidding harmony, often approaching contemporary chamber music (true of Turner’s closing “Seven Points” as well). But the pulse of jazz is vividly present in Iverson’s abstracted blues on “Unclaimed Freight”; in “Dixie’s Dilemma” by the late Warne Marsh, a key Turner influence; and in Turner’s workhorse “Myron’s World,” honed here to its essence. ~ Editors' Notes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temporary-kings/1416139368

Personnel:  Mark Turner - Saxophone;  Ethan Iverson - Piano.

Temporary Kings

Friday, September 21, 2018

Ernie Wilkins - Top Brass and Trumpets All Out

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:36
Size: 165,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. 58 Market St.
(5:21)  2. Trick or Treat
(4:42)  3. Speeway
(5:39)  4. Dot's What
(3:21)  5. Top Brass
(2:17)  6. Willow Weep for Me
(2:42)  7. Imagination
(1:51)  8. It Might as Well Be Spring
(2:37)  9. The Nearness of You
(4:48) 10. Taking a Chance on Love
(8:28) 11. Five Cats Swingin'
(5:06) 12. Blues in 6/4
(3:19) 13. Trumpets All Out
(5:27) 14. She's Just My Size
(1:51) 15. Love Is Here To Stay
(1:49) 16. Time On My Hands
(1:51) 17. When Your Lover Has Gone
(2:00) 18. All Of Me
(3:53) 19. Low Life

Hard-swingin tracks from Ernie Wilkins one of the most soulful arrangers of his time, working here in a wonderful all-star session from the 50s! The album's definitely got the "top brass" promised in the title a lineup that features Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Wilder on trumpets all working at a level that allows plenty of space for well-blown solos, but tied up in tighter ensemble formation overall  all with that Wilkins sense of swing that really set Ernie apart at the time. Rhythm is from a trip that includes Hank Jones on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Kelly Clarke on drums and titles include "58 Market Street", "Trick Or Treat", "Speedway", "Dot's What", "Top Brass", "Imagination", and "Willow Weep For Me". Also features the album Trumpets All Out an all-trumpet affair, one that features 5 different players on the instrument Art Farmer, Emmet Berry, Charlie Shavers, Ernie Royal, and Harold Baker supported by spare rhythm from the trio of Don Abney on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums. 

There's a definite swing-based approach here different than usual for some of Farmer's outings of the time but the differences between the players are nicely pronounced, and the amazing thing about the album is how it manages to pack so much solo energy in such a relatively small space, in a way that still lets you hear the different voices clearly. Titles include "She's Just My Size", "Five Cats Swingin", "Blues In 6/4", "Trumpets All Out", and "Low Life".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/540512

Personnel:  Art Farmer, Emmett Berry, Charlie Shavers, Ernie Royal, Shorty Baker, Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Idrees Sulieman, Joe Wilder (trumpete),  Hank Jones, Don Abney (piano),  Wendell Marshall (bass),  Kenny Clarke, Bobby Donaldson (drums)

Top Brass and Trumpets All Out

Diane Schuur - Deedles

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:37
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. The Very Thought Of You
(5:20)  2. New York State Of Mind
(3:54)  3. Teach me Tonight
(2:35)  4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(4:20)  5. I'll Close My Eyes
(4:13)  6. Reverend Lee
(3:22)  7. I'm Just Foolin' Myself
(4:59)  8. Rock Me On The Water
(4:41)  9. Can't Stop A Woman In Love
(3:20) 10. Amazing Grace

On her 1984 debut album, vocalist/pianist Diane “Deedles” Schuur triumphs from the start (a fluid, assured vocal delivery on the standard “The Very Thought of You”) to the end (a duo version of “Amazing Grace” with her on piano and coproducer Dave Grusin on keyboards). Deedles is both traditional, with a 20-piece string section, and contemporary-sounding, with electric bass throughout. Schuur’s career-long penchant for tackling the contemporary songbook is established here with a pair of numbers from the '70s: Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” (one of two tracks to feature her mentor, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz) and Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me on the Water.” It’s definitely an album of its time, with Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer and occasional Simmons electronic drums. But her effortless scat interpolating of the circus favorite “Entrance of the Gladiators” into Ellington’s “I’m Beginning to See the Light” is evergreen. ~ Editors' Note https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/deedles/29085

Personnel: Vocals – Diane Schuur; Drums – Moyes Lucas (tracks: 1 to 9); Electric Bass – Dan Dean (tracks: 1 to 9); Electric Guitar – Howard Roberts (tracks: 1 to 9); Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Dave Grusin (tracks: 5, 6, 10);  Harp – Gloria Agostini;  Percussion – Dave Grusin (tracks: 2, 3, 6,);   Piano [Acoustic Piano] – Dave Grusin;  Strings – Barry Finclair, Charles Libove, Charles McCracken, Elena Barere, Gerald Tarack, Harry Lookofsky, Jan Mullen, Jean Ingraham, John Pintavalle, Julien C. Barber, LaMar Alsop, Lewis Eley, Regis Iandiorio, Richard Locker, Richard Sortomme, Sue Pray, Theodore Israel;  Strings, Concertmaster – David Nadien;  Synthesizer [OBX-a] – Dave Grusin (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10);  Synthesizer [Yamaha DX-7] – Don Grusin (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 9)

Deedles

Les McCann - Another Beginning

Styles: Piano, Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:58
Size: 101,2 MB
Art: Front

( 4:00)  1. Maybe You'll Come Back
( 3:18)  2. The Song Of Love
(10:30)  3. When It's Over
( 3:37)  4. Somebody's Been Lying 'Bout Me
( 5:24)  5. Go On And Cry
( 5:23)  6. My Soul Lies Deep
( 3:43)  7. The Morning Song
( 6:59)  8. Someday We'll Meet Again

Les McCann reached the peak of his career at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival, recording "Compared to What" and "Cold Duck Time" for Atlantic (Swiss Movement) with Eddie Harris and Benny Bailey. Although he has done some worthwhile work since then, much of it has been anticlimactic. McCann first gained some fame in 1956 when he won a talent contest in the Navy as a singer that resulted in an appearance on television on The Ed Sullivan Show. After being discharged, he formed a trio in Los Angeles. McCann turned down an invitation to join the Cannonball Adderley Quintet so he could work on his own music. He signed a contract with Pacific Jazz and in 1960 gained some fame with his albums Les McCann Plays the Truth and The Shout. His soulful, funk style on piano was influential and McCann's singing was largely secondary until the mid-'60s. He recorded many albums for Pacific Jazz during 1960-1964, mostly with his trio but also featuring Ben Webster, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Pass, the Jazz Crusaders, and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. McCann switched to Limelight during 1965-1967 and then signed with Atlantic in 1968. After the success of Swiss Movement, McCann emphasized his singing at the expense of his playing and he began to utilize electric keyboards, notably on 1972's Layers. His recordings became less interesting to traditional jazz fans from that point on, and after his Atlantic contract ran out in 1976, McCann appeared on records much less often. However, he stayed popular and a 1994 reunion tour with Eddie Harris was quite successful. A mid-'90s stroke put him out of action for a time and weakened his keyboard playing (his band began carrying an additional keyboardist) but Les McCann returned to a more active schedule during 1996 and was still a powerful singer. His comeback was solidified by 2002's Pump It Up, a guest-heavy celebration of funk and jazz released on ESC Records. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/another-beginning/204677906

Personnel:  Les McCann- (Vocals, Piano, Electric Piano, Clarinet, Synthesizer);  Jon Faddis, Joe Wilder- (Trumpet);  Herbie Hancock- (Piano);  Chuck Rainey- (Electric Bass);  Cissy Houston- (Background Vocals).

Another Beginning

Greg Osby - Symbols of Light (A Solution)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 122,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. 3 for Civility
(5:42)  2. Repay in Kind
(6:57)  3. 'M'
(4:14)  4. The Keep
(3:15)  5. Golden Sunset
(5:03)  6. This Is Bliss
(6:29)  7. One Room
(4:39)  8. Northbound
(3:32)  9. Wild Is the Wind
(3:34) 10. Social Order
(4:30) 11. Minstrale Again (The Barefoot Tap Dance)

Both Ted Nash and Tom Harrell have explored the "double quartet" concept. Now we can add to the list Greg Osby, whose music sounds nothing at all like theirs. Supplementing his working quartet (Jason Moran, Scott Colley, Marlon Browden) with a string quartet, Osby heightens the dark, austere quality of his harmonies. This results in some of the most moving music of Osby’s career. On the whole, it’s more striking and focused than last year’s Invisible Hand. It also features some of Jason Moran’s best playing on record. Wisely, Osby doesn’t run the strings concept into the ground: Andrew Hill’s "Golden Sunset" is a sax/piano duo, as is the closing "Minstrale Again (The Barefoot Tapdance)." Strings appear only at the beginning of "One Room." And "Wild Is the Wind," the old Johnny Mathis hit, is performed without strings or drums. The sound of the album never gets old. Osby’s originals are strong, particularly "Northbound," which features his most inspired horn playing on the date. Other highlights include Moran’s "Repay In Kind" and Masabumi Kikuchi’s "M." ~ David Adler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/symbols-of-light-a-solution-greg-osby-blue-note-records-review-by-david-adler.php

Personnel:  Greg Osby - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone;  Jason Moran - piano;  Scott Colley - bass;  Marlon Browden - drums, percussion;  Christian Howes - violin;  Marlene Rice - violin;  Judith Insell - viola;  Nioka Workman - cello

Symbols of Light (A Solution)

Marcin Wasilewski Trio - Live

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:18
Size: 149,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:28)  1. Spark Of Life / Sudovian Dance
(10:43)  2. Message In A Bottle
( 9:14)  3. Three Reflections
(13:32)  4. Night Train To You
( 7:42)  5. Austin
(10:36)  6. Actual Proof

It is timely, albeit in a melancholy way, that one-time Tomasz Stanko protégé Marcin Wasilewski and his trio would offer a retrospective live performance that closely coincides with the passing of the legendary Polish trumpeter. The pianist, still just in his early forties, first recorded with Stanko's octet while he was a teenager and quickly went on to release his first Simple Acoustic Trio album, Komeda (Not Two, 1995), at just twenty. From the outset bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz have been equally integral in shaping a distinctive sound that has straddled lines between minimalism, free playing and perpetual inquisitiveness. Live is the first planned release of the trio in performance though an earlier album, 20th Getxo International Jazz Festival (Hilargi Records, 1996), was apparently documented by the venue itself. Initially, it is a bit of a disappointment to learn that five of the six tunes on Live were taken from Spark of Life (ECM, 2014), given the wealth of exceptional material on the group's previous ECM albums, Trio (2005), January (2008) and Faithful (2011). 

That said, Spark of Life was a quartet album with tenor saxophonist Joakim Milder appearing on many of the tracks and so what we have here is a fresh perspective enhanced by the energy of a live performance. Take "Spark Of Life / Sudovian Dance"as a medley employing that familiar slow build up through the first half of its twelve-plus minute run. Wasilewski then takes the second half to new heights with his charged solo. Sting's "Message in a Bottle" is a longer, freer, looser interpretation giving Miskiewicz an opportunity to expand on his excellent drum solo of the previous version. The source outlier on Live is "Night Train To You," from Faithful. The Wasilewski composition stays true to its amalgam of groove and lyricism but here with the palpable dynamism of a well-oiled machine pushing its limits. "Austin"recorded in trio format originally is the only ballad on the album and in most respects, an accurate version of the beautiful original. Herbie Hancock's "Actual Proof" closes the album in an intense, spirited route that leaves the a five-thousand audience members at the Middleheim Jazz Festival ecstatic. The Marcin Wasilewski Trio of recent years has moved beyond their austere roots to a tranquility and airiness that often gives way to a show of force. Over time they have patiently and subtlety created a new identity where their low-key approach is often a stage-setter for their power trio alter ego. In this Live environment, partially fueled by an enthusiastic audience, the trio surpasses even their best studio material. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-marcin-wasilewski-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Marcin Wasilewski: piano;  Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double bass;  Michal Miskiewicz: drums.

Live

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie Meets Phil Woods Quintet

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:48
Size: 117,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:24)  1. Oon-ga-wa
( 8:09)  2. Loose Change
( 6:01)  3. Whasdishean
(12:47)  4. Round Midnight
( 8:49)  5. Love For Sale
( 8:37)  6. Terrestris

As the greatest musical heir on alto sax to Charlie Parker, it seemed only natural for Phil Woods to record a date with Dizzy Gillespie. This European studio session features Dizzy as a special guest sitting in with one of Woods' greatest quintets, with pianist Hal Galper and the brilliant trumpeter and flugelhornist Tom Harrell. In fact Dizzy's chops had already slipped somewhat during the decade and Harrell clearly outplays him even though he clearly isn't trying to embarrass the legendary trumpeter. Gillespie is at his best with a muted solo on "'Round Midnight," while Woods, Harrell and Galper are all outstanding throughout the entire CD. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/dizzy-gillespie-meets-the-phil-woods-quintet-mw0000916751

Personnel:  Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet;  Phil Woods - alto saxophone;  Hal Galper - piano;  Steve Gilmore - bass;  Bill Goodwin - drums;  Tom Harrell - trumpet, flugelhorn

Dizzy Gillespie Meets Phil Woods Quintet

Barb Jungr - Every Grain Of Sand

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:18
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
(3:09)  2. If Not For You
(4:57)  3. Things Have Changed
(3:14)  4. Ring Them Bells
(4:36)  5. Not Dark Yet
(4:37)  6. Don't Think Twice
(3:29)  7. Is Your Love In Vain
(4:10)  8. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
(3:13)  9. I Want You
(7:40) 10. Sugar Baby
(3:10) 11. Born In Time
(3:58) 12. What Good Am I
(5:33) 13. Tangled Up In Blue
(2:57) 14. Forever Young
(4:22) 15. Every Grain Of Sand

Every Grain of Sand is a breathtaking revelation on several fronts. First, Barb Jungr treats Bob Dylan as one of the great tunesmiths of the American popular tradition. Not merely as rock & roll's preeminent songwriter, the direction from which virtually all others have approached his canon, but as a sophisticated composer the equal of the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, or Cole Porter. Jungr dramatically re-reads that canon and she fearlessly reshapes it in the process. To cite the most radical instances, she turns "Things Have Changed" into an Eastern European jig and "Tangled up in Blue" into a jaunty, jazzy western, while "Born in Time" is a marvel full of Baroque voicings. One may quibble and Dylan fanatics, known to be provincial on occasion, certainly will, perhaps vociferously with an arrangement here or a lyrical interpretation or subtle shading there without and here is the magic of the album in the least invalidating the singer's choices. Indeed, part of the sublime beauty of Every Grain of Sand is that it inspires, even challenges, one to make personal revisions and reinterpretations. Ultimately, Jungr is one of the few artists who has managed to not only come out on the other side of this songbook unscathed, but to actually come out having enhanced its gravity, significance, and unvarnished beauty as well as her own. She is not merely singing, but telling stories. She opens up a window of vulnerability and sensuality that had previously sat stoic beneath the surface of these songs and suffuses them with such a delicate, gauzy luminosity that they seem to glow from the inside out. Her singing is soulful and emotionally naked, and the performances are so expressive that you take something new away with each listen. The treasures ("I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," "Ring Them Bells," "Not Dark Yet," "Is Your Love in Vain?," and "What Good Am I?") tucked away here are endlessly rewarding. If you think you've heard Bob Dylan or Barb Jungr before Every Grain of Sand, you are, simply put, mistaken. ~ Stanton Swihart https://www.allmusic.com/album/every-grain-of-sand-mw0000661771

Personnel:  Barb Jungr - vocals, harmonica;  Simon Wallace - piano (tracks 1-3, 5-8, 10-12, 14-15);  Russell Churney - piano (tracks 4, 9, 13);  Mark Lockheart - saxophone;  Kim Burton - accordion;  Sonya Fairburn - violin;  Sonia Oakes Stuart - cello;  Julie Walkington - double bass;  Gary Hammond - percussion

Every Grain Of Sand

Ornette Coleman - Of Human Feelings

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:25
Size: 83,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Sleep Talk
(4:24)  2. Jump Street
(4:20)  3. Him and Her
(6:11)  4. Air Ship
(3:58)  5. What is the Name of That Song?
(4:58)  6. Job Mob
(2:54)  7. Love Words
(6:03)  8. Times Square

When one thinks of Ornette Coleman's innovative Prime Time Band, it is of crowded ensembles played by the altoist/leader, two guitars, two electric bassists, and two drummers. Actually, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, who plays enough for two musicians, is the only bassist on this date, but guitarists Charlie Ellerbee and Bern Nix, along with drummers Denardo Coleman and Calvin Weston, keep the ensembles quite exciting. None of the eight Coleman originals (which includes a tune titled "What Is the Name of That Song?") would catch on, but in this context they serve as a fine platform for Coleman's distinctive horn and often witty and free (but oddly melodic) style. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/of-human-feelings-mw0000902383

Personnel:  Denardo Coleman – drums;  Ornette Coleman – alto saxophone, production;  Charlie Ellerbee – guitar;  Bern Nix – guitar;  Jamaaladeen Tacuma – bass guitar;  Calvin Weston – drums.

Of Human Feelings

Will Davis Trio - Have Mood Will Call...

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:11
Size: 77,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Will Call
(4:07)  2. Sock Cha-Cha
(2:47)  3. Bye & Bye
(3:14)  4. St. George's Groove
(2:59)  5. Everybody's Cha-Cha
(2:42)  6. Moon Child
(2:59)  7. Mad About the Boy
(3:04)  8. Old Devil Moon
(4:15)  9. 50-21
(2:41) 10. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise

Pianist Will Davis was eventually obscured in the shuffle of similar-sounding jazzmen, in name as well as in style. His single album as a leader came out in 1959, a trio session entitled Have Mood, Will Call on the Sue label, a firm whose name sounds more like brash legal advice than a record company. This album, combined with Davis' work on the bebop scene since the '40s, earned him a spot in Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz in the '60s. But by a few decades later, even jazz buffs probably thought Will Davis was an encyclopedia entry on organist Wild Bill Davis issing a handful of letters. Davis was raised in Chicago; his father was a clarinetist. The young man studied music initially with a private teacher in Virginia, then entered the Detroit Conservatory. He began gigging with bandleaders such as Snookum Russell and Paul Bascomb, becoming associated with new jazz directions through performances and recordings with trumpeter Howard McGhee. During the second half of the '40s, Davis was part of a scene of Detroit jazz players including important vibraphonist Milt Jackson, brilliant tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray, and perilously choppy saxophonist Sonny Stitt. Davis' own trio backed out-of-town stars such as Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis, the latter no family relation. While some of his associates were known for dazzling complexity, pianist Davis apparently never missed a chance to insert a funky touch. ~ Eugene Chadbourne https://www.allmusic.com/artist/will-davis-mn0000684410

Personnel:  Will Davis, piano;  William Austin, bass;  Oliver Jackson, drums

Have Mood Will Call...

The Count Basie Orchestra - All About That Basie

Styles: Jazz, Big Band, Swing
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:11
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Everyday I Have The Blues
(4:26)  2. Can't Hide Love
(3:38)  3. My Cherie Amour
(3:24)  4. Don't Worry ‘Bout Me
(4:25)  5. Tequila
(4:53)  6. Hallelujah
(3:53)  7. April In Paris
(3:08)  8. Honeysuckle Rose
(4:35)  9. Hello
(4:56) 10. Sent For You Yesterday
(6:08) 11. From One To Another

The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra celebrates their 80th anniversary as the premiere big band in jazz with a collection of classic material a twist on a few modern hits (Adele, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder, and others). Special guests include: Stevie Wonder, Carmen Bradford, Kurt Elling, Take 6, Jamie Davis, Jon Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Joey DeFrancesco, Eric Reed, Rickey Woodard, and Gregg Field. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Basie-Count-Orchestra/dp/B07FDVCMHP

Featuring Take 6, Kurt Eling, Carmen Bradford, Jon Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Jamie Davis, Joey Defrancesco and Stevie Wonder…

All About That Basie

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Ernie Watts - Chariots of Fire

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:56
Size: 82,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. Chariots of Fire (Theme) (Dance Version)
(4:25)  2. Hold On
(3:49)  3. Lady
(4:36)  4. Gigolo
(5:14)  5. Valdez in the Country
(3:46)  6. Abraham's Theme
(3:40)  7. Five Circles
(4:27)  8. Chariots of Fire (Theme) (Slow Version)

Inexplicably, Ernie Watts thought it a good idea to record an album dedicated to the movie Chariots of Fire, while having very little to do with the overall plot of the film. The opening number is indeed the theme to Chariots of Fire, but sped up to be danceable. The result is what disco connoisseur Morgan Geist might deem to be an "unclassic"really bad but in a very laughable way (it also could double as the fine theme to an afternoon syndicated talk show). James Ingram also makes an appearance on the smooth rocker "Hold On," and there's a ridiculous cover of the Lionel Richie/Kenny Rogers hit "Lady" and one of Donny Hathaway's "Valdez in the Country," which would be appropriate music bedding for your local cable weather forecast. The album is finally put out of its misery with a "slower" and more reggae-based interpretation of "Chariots of Fire" that is just as amusing as the album's opener, if not more so. Proceed with caution. ~ Rob Theaskton https://www.allmusic.com/album/chariots-of-fire-mw0000206731

Personnel: Ernie Watts - Tenor Saxophone; Michael Omartian - Acoustic Piano; Richard Tee - Electric Piano; Carlos Rios - Guitar; Neil Stubbenhaus - Bass; John Robinson - Drums;  Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion;  Ian Underwood - Synthesizer

Chariots of Fire

Rosemary Clooney - Thanks for Nothing

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:07
Size: 78,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:19)  1. Hello Faithless
(2:34)  2. The Rules of the Road
(2:32)  3. Just One of Those Things
(2:27)  4. All Alone
(3:43)  5. Black Coffee
(2:28)  6. A Good Man Is Hard to Find
(2:11)  7. Baby, The Ball Is Over
(4:16)  8. The Man That Got Away
(3:16)  9. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
(3:03) 10. Miss Otis Regrets
(3:06) 11. Thanks for Nothing (At All)
(2:07) 12. Careless Love

Thanks for Nothing was Rosemary Clooney's only album recorded for Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records. (Love, released by Reprise in 1963, actually had been recorded for RCA Victor in 1961.) It was also her last full-length LP project until she began recording for Concord Records in 1977. In his discography included in Clooney's autobiography, Girl Singer, Michael Feinstein notes that Clooney "isn't very fond of this album because the stresses of her personal life are audible on many of the tracks." But those very stresses, which included marital discord and a dependence on prescription drugs, may have contributed favorably to the final product on an album devoted to songs of love gone wrong, much in the mold of Sinatra's Only the Lonely. Arranger/conductor Bob Thompson isn't interested in making all the tunes into saloon ballads, however. True, here you get Clooney's take on "The Man That Got Away," and it isn't very different from Judy Garland's, while Clooney's interpretation of "Black Coffee" resembles Peggy Lee's. But the album opens and closes with country songs of a type Garland and Lee would never imagine trying, while Clooney sounds right at home. And "Just One of Those Things" (complete with introductory verse) and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" are taken at a jaunty pace that suggests the singer is going to be able to pick herself up off the barroom floor without assistance. Best of all are Carolyn Leigh and Cy Coleman's "The Rules of the Road" and the title song, which Clooney handles with her clear-spoken matter-of-factness. She may have been fading away personally and professionally at this point in her life, but she had one good album left in her, and this is it. ~ William Ryhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/thanks-for-nothing-mw0000662910

Thanks for Nothing

Randy Weston - Saga

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:46
Size: 174,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. The Beauty Of It All
(7:19)  2. Loose Wing
(8:47)  3. Tangier Bay
(6:45)  4. F.E.W. Blues
(8:06)  5. Uncle Neemo
(4:21)  6. Lagos
(4:41)  7. A Night In Mbari
(6:39)  8. Saucer Eyes
(6:14)  9. The Three Pyramids And The Sphynx
(2:58) 10. Casbah Kids
(5:30) 11. Jahjuka
(7:03) 12. The Gathering

Randy Weston was still at the peak of his powers, despite nearing his 70th birthday, for this set recorded with a septet in 1995. Weston's writing and playing have long drawn from a combination of American jazz and African traditions. This set celebrates that rich and entwined heritage, and Weston fearlessly juxtaposes dissonant note clusters with sweetly inviting melodies. "Tangier Bay," is, for example, relentlessly propulsive with undulating counter-rhythms.  His three front-line soloists are distinct and inventive: tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, alto saxophonist Talib Kibwe, and trombonist Benny Powell. This album, along with Earth Birth and the Portraits series, made the '90s an expansive and productive decade for Weston. https://www.allmusic.com/album/saga-mw0000183236

Personnel:  Piano, Composed By – Randy Weston;  Alto Saxophone, Flute – Talib Kibwe;  Double Bass – Alex Blake;  Drums – Billy Higgins;  Percussion – Neil Clarke; Tenor Saxophone – Billy Harper;  Trombone – Benny Powell

Saga

Young Gun Silver Fox - West End Coast

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock 
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:26
Size: 93,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. You Can Feel It
(4:06)  2. Emilia
(4:02)  3. Better
(3:35)  4. Distance Between Us
(3:19)  5. See Me Slumer
(4:58)  6. In My Pocket
(4:02)  7. So Bad
(3:48)  8. Spiral
(3:46)  9. Saturday
(5:26) 10. Long Way Back

“Whenever I’m feeling blue, you make me better. Whatever I’m going through, you make me feel better.”~ “Better,” Young Gun Silver Fox

Good things come to those who wait. In 2012, Andy Platts (U.K. soul-rock band, Mamas Gun) and Shawn Lee, a multi-instrumentalist producer (AM & Shawn Lee; Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra “Kiss the Sky” feat. Nino Moschella) began to work on an album they had wanted to make for nearly 10 years. The result: West End Coast, a soon-to-be critically acclaimed album that pays homage to the warm, analogue So-Cal pop-rock classics of the mid-to-late 1970s. Classified as Yacht Rock, Young Gun Silver Fox have created a debut album that is a testament to the AOR Studio Sound. Hands down, West End Coast is sonic gold. Young Gun Silver Fox is the talented UK-based duo comprised of Platts, a.k.a. Young Gun, and Lee, the “Silver Fox” who hails from Wichita, Kansas. Independently, Platts and Lee have over forty album credits to their names (Lee leads with about 33 albums) including work with Jeff Buckley, Kelis, Amy Winehouse, Rod Temperton, John Oates, Brian Jackson and Ben Oncle Soul. “Tasteful, soulful and very real” are words Lee, who relocated to London, England after spending seven years in Los Angeles, uses to describe the album. “Speaking for myself, this is an album I’ve wanted to make for some time and Andy was the only person I felt I could make it with. Andy understands the classic melodic pop side as well as the soul funky side that was absolutely vital to the creation of this music. What a voice!” Platts calls Lee a “mechanic” for his ability to take a pop song apart and put it back together. Together, Young Gun Silver Fox have created a “musician’s album”, rich with complex instrumental melodies, smooth vocals, and positive lyrics.

West End Coast has been compared to America, Hall & Oates, Loggins & Messina, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, and Ambrosia. The album’s vocal harmonies, lyrics, and production echo Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Earth Wind and Fire. Platts and Lee’s infectious chemistry deliver again and again. What’s old is definitely new again in West End Coast’s original material. It’s hard to pick favourite tracks from such a solid album. As soon as I hear Lee’s smooth guitar riff in the opening track “You Can Feel It”, a smile creeps over my face and induces a fuzzy, heart-warming buzz that recalls the seemingly more simple times of yesteryear. This was actually the last song written for the album, inspired by a riff and some chords Lee texted to Platts one night.  “By the morning, Andy had written and demo’d the song ready for production,” Lee explains. The lyrics and hook from “Better” are contagious and make you want to cruise down California’s Highway 1. The lush orchestration and wah-wah syncopation in “Long Way Back” recalls Curtis Mayfield. The harmonica riffs, horn lines, fat bass lines from “In My Pocket” evoke Hall & Oates, Prince, and Earth Wind and Fire. But Young Gun Silver Fox make the catchy synth pop licks and short electric guitar solo digestible. West End Coast is a warm ray of sunshine on a dreary day. It soothes some of life’s harsh edges through its laid-back west coast vibe. Ironically, the album’s title references both sunny California, as well as grey West London, where the album was written and recorded at Lee’s Trans-Yank Studio. “The most important thing is to make good music that you love and put it out into the world,” Lee, the “Silver Fox”, explains in an online video. “When your music lives out in the world, independently of you, that’s a beautiful thing.” Many iconic musicians may have left us in 2016, but we also gained West End Coast. As we shake off troubling headlines and over-produced, digitized pop, Young Gun Silver Fox brings back cozy love songs and hopeful anthems to help us glide over the snares that life throws at us, reminding us there is hope in life’s chaotic ups and downs. Whatever your personal connection to Yacht Rock or the ‘70s, West End Coast is a much needed audio-ceutical for many. It will warm you up, open your heart, and take you back to the simple things. Young Gun Silver Fox is wrapping up a European tour and will hopefully visit us across the pond by next summer. Live, the band includes Adrian Meehan (drums) and David Page (bass and vocals). Platts plays the Rhodes and does lead vocals while Lee plays the smooth, lead guitar. http://spillmagazine.com/spill-album-review-young-gun-silver-fox-west-end-coast/

Personnel:  Andy Platts (Young Gun): lead & harmony vocals, guitar;  Shawn Lee (Silver Fox): drums, bass, keyboards, vocals and many more guests

West End Coast

Willie Nelson - Last Man Standing

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Country
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:40
Size: 79,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Last Man Standing
(2:28)  2. Don't Tell Noah
(3:03)  3. Bad Breath
(2:49)  4. Me And You
(3:53)  5. Something You Get Through
(2:35)  6. Ready To Roar
(3:16)  7. Heaven Is Closed
(3:00)  8. I Ain't Got Nothin'
(2:43)  9. She Made My Day
(2:59) 10. I'll Try To Do Better Next Time
(3:48) 11. Very Far To Crawl

Willie Nelson started singing about the end of the line a while back but now that he's in his mid-eighties, he's so accustomed to having death lurking around the corner that he can kid about it. That's precisely what he does throughout Last Man Standing, an album that serves as a jocular counterpart to its predecessor, God's Problem Child. Nelson didn't avoid humor on that record, but the vibe seemed haunted by a looming sense that the clock is ticking away. Willie shakes off this spookiness on Last Man Standing, whose title track finds him singing that "it's getting hard to watch my pals check out" to a jaunty rhythm. Ultimately, he decides he wants to be the last man standing, a sentiment that's reiterated a few tracks later, when Willie looks into the mirror and determines it's "better to have bad breath than no breath at all." Nelson isn't seizing the day so much as shrugging off worries, and decides just to have a good time. Despite being riddled with songs about death and aging, Last Man Standing is ridiculously fun, thanks not just to Nelson's jocularity it's not just gallows humor, either; the swinging honky tonk of "She Made My Day" is filled with sly one-liners  but to the nimbleness of his band. It's no secret that his bandmembers are pros, but it's still a pleasure to hear them play they're as compelling sliding into the shimmering jazz overtones of "Something You Get Through" as they are kicking out the blues of "I Ain't Got Nothin'" and they give Nelson plenty of cover for working with his weathered voice. No longer able to croon as he once did, Nelson opts for playing around with the rhythms of his delivery, a move that makes him seem limber, adding a sense of vitality to Last Man Standing. Willie realizes he's not going to be here forever but he's made up his mind to make the most of his time here, and that's why Last Man Standing feels richer than so many self-conscious meditations on mortality. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/last-man-standing-mw0003151298

Personnel:  Willie Nelson – vocals, guitar;  Alison Krauss – background vocals, fiddle;  Mickey Raphael – harmonica;  James Mitchell – guitar

Last Man Standing

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Barbara Reed - On Stage

Size: 123,0 MB
Time: 52:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Tear Returns To Me (3:31)
02. The Way You Look Tonight (4:05)
03. It's All In The Game (4:43)
04. You Can Take It All Back (3:25)
05. The Child In You (5:05)
06. Right Here All The Time (5:38)
07. The Song Remembers When (6:29)
08. Beyond The Sea (2:06)
09. In A Kid's World (4:41)
10. Why Don't You Do Right (3:10)
11. Remember Me (3:24)
12. She Saw You Comin' (2:49)
13. But It's His Eyes (3:38)

Musicians who are also authors tend to be relatively common -it's those Muse juices, you know. Mary Higgins Clark would title her books with the names of well-known popular songs. Popster parrotter Jimmy Buffett and even Madonna have penned. Barbara Reed, however, does it all: she's an outstanding vocalist/pianist/composer/lyricist—and a celebrated author whose work on all embraces song.

The LA-based Reed has been a fixture on the So Cal music scene for years. She's a solid, musically-grounded artist who can deftly shape-shift across genres—and she does just that superbly here. Reed's On Stage offers a baker's dozen tracks, a varied bunch of material incorporating Reed originals, a GASser and a few pop classics—all recorded either in studio or live.

The album kicks off with a hip Reed original, "The Tear Returns to Me," an Al Jarreau-like groover that sets the upbeat tone for the date. Reed digs swingingly into the GAS with "The Way You Look Tonight" (with a tasty Sam Riney sax solo) and also into pop dusties -a straight-up version of Teddy Edwards,' "It's All in the Game" and Bobby Darin's signature hit, "Beyond the Sea." All are delivered impeccably and with respect for melody and line. Vocally, Reed's bright soprano voice is inviting and her technical chops there and on the keys are gymnast-like. Her dynamic control and phrasing are Aces.

There's a lovely intimacy in her interpretation of a line. Her genre versatility is on also display with her original "Right Here All the Time" and the Trisha Yearwood 90s' cross-over award-winner, "The Song Remembers When." Her take on Benny Goodman/Peggy Lee and Roger Rabbit's well-known "Why Don't You Do Right" is, to Reed's credit, fun and not goofily camped up.

As a composer, Reed has got to be L.A.'s biggest secret. Her writing and lyricist ability—remember, she's also a celebrated novelist—are versatile and her word choice is always right on. The "Child in You" and "It's a Kid's World" have that special ear-and heart-grab texture that you'd swear that they were in a flick from the Mouse House. The darker "She Saw You Comin'" lets Reed soul it up blue. The closer "But It's His Eyes" is a "killer," sending us off poetically into the Hollywood noir.

The groups behind Reed are L.A.-1 with terrific taste and support. They each frame Reed superbly offering tasteful back-up without stepping on musical toes.

While there are obviously no intentions to break envelopes or redefine things with On Stage, it's a most entertaining near-hour of great music and word delivered by a very talented artist—one certainly worthy of much wider recognition. On Stage is in deed the word. ~Nicholas F. Mondello

Personnel: Barbara Reed: vocals, piano, keyboards; Llew Matthews: piano, keyboards; bass: Max Bennett, Tom Gargano, Mark Tavarez, Eddie Young; drums: Randy White, Jeff Fish.

On Stage

Maria Baptist - Ressonance

Size: 95,6 MB
Time: 41:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. Resonance (6:48)
02. Stillness Speaks (3:24)
03. The High Line (3:44)
04. After The Darkness (5:32)
05. Urban Meditation (5:40)
06. Raising The Frequencies (3:09)
07. The Blossom (5:13)
08. Early Sunday Morning (3:20)
09. Song Of The Soul (4:27)

Personnel:
Maria Baptist: piano.

Maria Baptist has several favorite contexts for her piano—trio, trio-plus-one, solo or with an orchestra—and yet there's always a certain throughline that comes through in any setting. It's a sophisticated voice that's highly emotional, evocative and vivid as life.

Following on from a successful year of profile-building and highly visible gigs, Baptist goes small-scale here for her most cozy and intimate recording yet. It's themed around the practice of meditation, being fully present in one's surroundings and open to anything. Arguably most music is best experienced that way—even though that (to put it mildly) is often not the case—and Resonance not only deserves such attention but demands it. Baptist's intense focus and immersion in the music elevates it to beautiful, sometimes breathtaking, results.

In keeping with the in-the-moment theme, this recording was largely improvised in a single-day session starting with only a handful of loosely drawn ideas. Keith Jarrett listeners will doubtlessly notice the similarity to his iconic Facing You (ECM, 1971) for that reason right away. Baptist does show the stamp of her predecessor, from ear-catching vamps to classy chamber sounds and warm hints of American folk, and a blind listener would believe this was an ECM release with no trouble. Still, these meditations make an eclectic series of aural paintings that couldn't have come from anybody else.

Where Jarrett is known for spinning such patterns into epic explorations, Baptist turns them into carefully sculpted miniatures. There's almost a narrative flow through the set, as it begins with some deceptively simple-sounding candlelight meditations before drifting toward more skewed tonalities. The pieces are often dazzling on a technical level whether fast or slow (see the disquieting mid-set "Urban Meditation" and thunderous rumbles of "Raising the Frequencies"), though that's always secondary to the powerful emotional punch conveyed by the music's own picturesque lifts and falls.

The warmth is almost palpable when those roiling cascades give way to simple pastoral melodies towards the end. The early struggle of "The Blossom" makes its harmonic unfolding sound like a well-deserved reward; the easy-loping "Early Sunday Morning" channels just the right dose of Vince Guaraldi to follow, while the heartfelt closer feels like a pure cozy sunbeam. Resonance is a journey crafted with laughter and drama, unafraid to embrace simplicity and silence, and makes an experience worth savoring in every moment. ~Geno Thackara

Ressonance

Spencer Day - Angel City

Size: 107,6 MB
Time: 45:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Overture (0:32)
02. Angel City (3:55)
03. Lost In La (4:06)
04. Come And Save Me (2:48)
05. I Got Love (Gold Digger) (3:59)
06. The California Yes (3:12)
07. 72 And Sunny Interlude (0:46)
08. 72 And Sunny (3:51)
09. Riding On A Broken Dream (3:05)
10. Ghost Of The Chateau Marmont (3:08)
11. Who Do You Know (2:53)
12. I Wish I Didn't Care (3:32)
13. Training Wheel (5:10)
14. Somewhere There's A City (4:17)

Spencer Day – born in Utah, raised in rural Arizona, and currently living in New York City – has wandered amid the expansive and diverse landscape of American music, developing an artistic sensibility that borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul, folk, traditional and contemporary pop. He uses intuition and improvisation as his primary tools to craft a sound that is familiar, yet fresh and innovative at the same time. Day’s album Vagabond peaked at #11 on the Billboard Album Chart and stayed on the chart for 47 weeks. The lead single, “Til You Come To Me,” peaked at #3. His recent album, Daybreak, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart.

Angel City, his seventh and latest album, was recorded at Capitol Records with the support of the Budman-Levy Orchestra. Using the fabled city of Los Angeles as a backdrop, the recording continues Spencer’s meditations on love, fame, narcissism, and how an artist can maintain integrity and authenticity. New Yorkers will be able to find their own parallels in the themes of the songs. The album’s lyrics and melodies reveal something of a stylistic departure from Spencer’s previous records, although you’ll certainly find his unique blend of blue-eyed soul, pop and film noir moodiness from the classic jazz era. Incorporating slices of life from legends and nobodies, the city of dreams is built on projections and fantasy, light and darkness.

The Washington Post praised his “cool jazz sensibilities” and “cleverly crafted tales,” with Time Out New York calling him “a compelling, quirky singer-songwriter.” According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “his melodies are infectious, his arrangements are dazzling and, most of all, his delivery is heartfelt and, often, heartbreaking. He is not only a superb pianist, but a brilliant arranger, who consistently celebrates the partnership between his voice and the piano.

Angel City