Yusef Lateef - In A Temple Garden

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:06
Size: 91,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. In A Temple Garden
(4:06)  2. Bismillah
(6:52)  3. Confirmation
(3:04)  4. Nayaz
(6:28)  5. Jeremiah
(3:55)  6. Honky Tonk
(3:57)  7. How I Loved You
(4:22)  8. Morocco

Yusef Lateef long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who did not care much for the term "jazz," consistently created music that stretched (and even broke through) boundaries. A superior tenor saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, by the 1950s Lateef was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, was an occasional bassoonist, and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe), and different types of flutes. Lateef played "world music" before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passed under that label in the '90s. Yusef Lateef grew up in Detroit and began on tenor when he was 17. He played with Lucky Millinder (1946), Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, and Dizzy Gillespie's big band (1949-1950). He was a fixture on the Detroit jazz scene of the '50s where he studied flute at Wayne State University. Lateef began recording as a leader in 1955 for Savoy (and later Riverside and Prestige) although he did not move to New York until 1959. By then he already had a strong reputation for his versatility and for his willingness to utilize "miscellaneous instruments." Lateef played with Charles Mingus in 1960, gigged with Donald Byrd, and was well-featured with the Cannonball Adderley Sextet (1962-1964). As a leader, his string of Impulse! recordings (1963-1966) was among the finest of his career, although Lateef's varied Atlantic sessions (1967-1976) also had some strong moments. 

He spent some time in the '80s teaching in Nigeria. His Atlantic records of the late '80s were closer to mood music (or new age) than jazz, but in the '90s (for his own YAL label) Lateef recorded a wide variety of music (all originals) including some strong improvised music with the likes of Ricky Ford, Archie Shepp, and Von Freeman. Lateef remained active as a composer, improviser, and educator (teaching at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst) into the 21st century, performing and recording as a leader and collaborator on such noteworthy recordings as Towards the Unknown with composer/percussionist Adam Rudolph (released in 2010, the same year Lateef was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts). Yusef Lateef died at his home in Shutesbury, Massachusetts in December 2013; he was 93 years old. 

~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-a-temple-garden/1182630776

Personnel:   Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute;   Randy Brecker - trumpet;  Jim Pugh - trombone, bass trombone;  Jerry Dodgion - alto saxophone;  Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone;   Tom Schuman - piano, electric piano, synthesizer;   Jeremy Wall - keyboards, percussion;  Suzanne Ciani - synthesizer, programming;   Eric Gale - guitar;   Steve Gadd - drums;   Jimmy Madison - drums.

In A Temple Garden

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James Austin Jr. - Songs In The Key Of Wonder

Size: 129,3 MB
Time: 55:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Isn't She Lovely (5:20)
02. My Cherie Amour (4:51)
03. Another Star (6:34)
04. You've Got It Bad Girl (5:02)
05. Part-Time Lover (4:53)
06. Golden Lady (5:51)
07. Overjoyed (5:10)
08. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (6:33)
09. Tuesday Heartbreak (5:39)
10. Lately (5:26)

Songs In The Key Of Wonder is an album of Stevie Wonder covers by jazz pianist James Austin, Jr. What’s interesting is that this is James Austin, Jr.’s debut album. I find it intriguing whenever an artist chooses for his or her first release to do a tribute album. The person the artist is covering and honoring must mean a lot to him or her personally and must have had a strong influence on his or her musical development. If you are going to do a tribute album for your first release, Stevie Wonder is certainly a good choice of artists to cover. Stevie Wonder has so many excellent songs. For the ten selections on this CD, James Austin Jr. chooses a few of Wonder’s most famous songs, such as “My Cherie Amour” and “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” but also some lesser-known numbers like “Golden Lady” and “Tuesday Heartbreak.” Joining the pianist on this release are Bobby Broom on guitar, Ben Rubens on bass, David Williams on bass, Kobie Watkins on drums, Samuel Torres on percussion, Jarrard Harris on alto saxophone, and Joe Magnarelli on trumpet.

This album opens with a sweet rendition of “Isn’t She Lovely,” a song that was included on Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, the 1976 album that obviously gives this release its playful title. James Austin Jr.’s rendition begins differently from Stevie Wonder’s original version, with a nice, thoughtful, quiet introduction on piano. This version then builds and grows in joy, with some wonderful stuff on both trumpet and saxophone, as well as on drums, even including a drum solo. That’s followed by “My Cherie Amour,” which is given a different and prominent rhythm. But it is that lively piano lead that is most interesting. I don’t recall this song ever sounding so sprightly. James Austin Jr. then returns to Songs In The Key Of Life, giving us a rendition of that album’s “Another Star.” This version begins with the good groove, and the piano, when it comes in, basically at first simply joins that rhythm, adding its voice to it (a piano is a percussion instrument, after all). It is then the horns that rise above the strong rhythm. This is one should get your body moving.

“You’ve Got It Bad Girl” is a more relaxed number, with some nice work on bass. This is a song that was included on Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book, a 1972 LP from which James Austin Jr. chooses a total of three tracks to cover. The second song from that album to be included here is “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” which was also released as a single and reached #1 on the Billboard chart. The flip side to that single was “Tuesday Heartbreak,” the third track from Talking Book to be covered on this release. This version has kind of an easygoing vibe, and I really like James Austin Jr.’s lead section on keys.

“Part-Time Lover” was a big hit for Stevie Wonder in the mid-1980s, and here James Austin Jr. and his band seem to be having fun with it, getting loose, and delivering a really good rendition. This was never one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs, but this version is giving me more of an appreciation for it. I particularly love the work on guitar and on drums. That’s followed by “Golden Lady,” which features some really nice stuff on both piano and trumpet, and a prominent rhythm. Then James Austin Jr. dips back into In Square Circle (the album that gave us “Part-Time Lover”) for a cover of “Overjoyed.” This is a gentle, incredibly pretty rendition, and I love that gorgeous, tender work on saxophone. This is one of my favorite tracks. This tribute to Stevie Wonder ends with “Lately,” from Hotter Than July. This version includes just piano and bass, and is an absolutely gorgeous way to conclude the album. ~by Michael Doherty

Songs In The Key Of Wonder

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Bob Baldwin - Bob Baldwin Presents Abbey Road And The Beatles

Size: 148,1 MB
Time: 63:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz: Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

01. Come Together (Can We All Just Get Along ) (6:00)
02. (Mellow) Yellow Submarine (7:05)
03. And I Love Her (5:26)
04. Don't Wanna Be (The Fool On The Hill) (Feat. CeCe Peniston) (5:52)
05. Imagine (Living As One) (Feat. Euge Groove) (5:11)
06. Michelle (My Girl) (Feat. Ragan Whiteside) (5:38)
07. Something (In The Way She Moves) (Instrumental) (3:44)
08. My Love (Feat. Lori Williams) (4:19)
09. Abbey Road (Feat. Lori Williams) (4:38)
10. Yesterday (4:43)
11. Eleanor Rigby (6:03)
12. Something (In The Way She Moves) (Vocal) (4:40)

As we enter into the fall of 2018, pianist/keyboardist Bob Baldwin has craftfully unleashed several projects this year in celebrating his 30th year as an artist, and 10/1/18 will mark his 10th year on the air with his NewUrbanJazz Radio Network, which begun with a humble five stations within the NPR Radio chain. The show continues to grow with over 45 terrestrial stations and a listening base of over 500,000 listeners. The show can be consumed with a NewUrbanJazz app via your smartphone, or you can listen in from your desktop computer at work. Archived weekly shows appear on Soundcloud.

So what way to further celebrate 30 years in the music business and still turn heads? By releasing a personal best 10 projects in a 12-month period. His brand new September 20 release entitled, Bob Baldwin Presents Abbey Road the Beatles featuring House groove singer CeCe Peniston, Smooth saxman Euge Groove, Flutist Ragan Whiteside and Washington DC vocalist Lori Williams.
His creatively arranged arrangements of classic tracks by Lennon, McCartney and the rest of the Abbey Road gang has been on the back burner for several years, but Baldwin had to time it perfectly to record and release the project in 2018.

Bob Baldwin Presents Abbey Road And The Beatles

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The Funkstamatics - Koekwaus: The Best Of The Euro Cinema Years

Size: 82,1 MB
Time: 35:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Funk, Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Koekwaus (100K Horns Mix) (3:32)
02. Going Up (3:03)
03. One Kind Of Coffee (3:49)
04. Ducktape (3:39)
05. Funkstamatic (3:57)
06. Der Alte (3:02)
07. Scool (3:38)
08. Brooklyn Groove (3:08)
09. The Mulligan (3:10)
10. Jazz Dog (3:59)

Looks like The Funkstamatics (a.k.a. the band formerly known as Euro Cinema) have been having rather a lot of success on digital platforms these days recently clocking up an impressive one hundred thousand plays of their 2013 single Koekwaus. Thinking that perhaps they ought to celebrate, the band had a ponder about how they could top the original version of this guitar-n-Hammond-heavy beast and decided they might throw in a blaxploitation brass section courtesy of Efraïm ‘Amsterdam Funk Orchestra’ Trujillo. Which is precisely what they have done – and you can get your hands on the bad boy known as the Koekwaus (100K Horns Mix) as part of the band’s new comp. Koekwaus – the Best of The Euro Cinema Years.

Koekwaus

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Clara Vuust - Before You Walk Away

Size: 103,2 MB
Time: 44:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Some Other Time (6:16)
02. Estate (4:37)
03. I Will Wait For You (3:59)
04. Out Of Nowhere (4:13)
05. Sea Lady (4:02)
06. One November Day (2:53)
07. I Wish You Love (3:46)
08. Watch What Happens (2:51)
09. Tomorrow (4:01)
10. When I Look In Your Eyes (4:23)
11. Joana Francesa (3:18)

Clara Vuust is a Danish jazz singer from Copenhagen, a capital of jazz in Northern Europe and once home to great musicians such as Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon...

In September 2018 she is releasing her third studio album "Before You Walk Away" - recorded in both Copenhagen and Catania - from the very north to the very south of Europe. The sound combines a Nordic, lyrical vocal tradition with the Mediterranean warmth in the arrangements by Italian composer and arranger Francesco Calì - and as such it makes sense to have created the album in the two places that also come together in the music.

Clara was born in the outskirts of Aarhus – the second biggest town in Denmark. Her childhood was all about children's choir and classical piano until, at the age of 11, she discovered jazz music. For her eleventh birthday she got a Real Book filled with jazz standards and a new world opened: Nancy Wilson, Cannonball Adderley and Ella Fitzgerald were put on repeat on the stereo. Clara continued with classical singing, but slowly the love for the jazz genre took over and after a breif encounter with medical school she decided to pursue a career as a jazz singer and vocal trainer.

Clara Vuust did her musical education as a singer at RMC – the Rhythmic Music Conservatory – in Copenhagen. There she met Francesco Calì, pianist and composer from Italy. They quickly became partners, both in music and in life, and he co-writes, arranges and produces all of Vuust's albums.

Clara is currently an artist at Storyville Records - the oldest independent jazz label in Europe - where she has released two albums "Here's to Love" and "A Winter Tale", and has a third one coming September 2018. The Storyville "family" counts numerous great Danish Jazz musicians.

Before You Walk Away

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Milt Jackson Sextet - Invitation

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:15
Size: 116,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Invitation
(5:14)  2. Too Close For Comfort
(4:27)  3. Ruby, My Dear (take 6)
(4:20)  4. Ruby, My Dear (take 5)
(6:33)  5. The Sealer
(6:54)  6. Poom-A-Loom
(4:00)  7. Stella By Starlight
(5:53)  8. Ruby
(3:58)  9. None Shall Wander (take 8)
(3:59) 10. None Shall Wander (take 6)

Once in while, an audiophile reissue can make the listener realize that what seemed like a good, solid record is better than that. If I had been asked to evaluate Invitation before hearing this release, I would’ve said it was a fairly typical early-60s hard-bop record, led by the great vibraphonist Milt Jackson. I might have added that it suffers from neither the overly careful approach that plagued much of the Modern Jazz Quartet’s output, nor from the opposite extreme, of simply blowing long solos on overly familiar standards, something Jackson has done more than enough of in his time. The success of Invitation owes on both counts to the presence of trumpeter Kenny Dorham and alto saxophonist Jimmy Heath. Each contributes not only fine solos, but a couple of nifty arrangements. But what this listener had not fully appreciated from earlier releases is the fantastically subtle interplay of the rhythm section: Tommy Flanagan, piano, Ron Carter, bass, and Connie Heath on drums. On this remastered LP, one hears every nuance with delicious clarity, from the crackle of Kay’s cymbals to the big, fat sound of Carter’s walking lines. Rarely have Jackson’s uniquely swinging vibes been heard in a more sympathetic setting. ~ Duke Baker http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/milt-jackson-sextet-invitation/

Personnel:  Milt Jackson – vibes;  Kenny Dorham, Virgil Jones (tracks 2 & 6) - trumpet;  Jimmy Heath - tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3-5 & 7-10);  Tommy Flanagan - piano;  Ron Carter - bass;  Connie Kay - drums

Invitation

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Janet Seidel - Songs in the Key of Peggy Lee

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:25
Size: 155,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Blues in the Night
(3:17)  2. You do Something to Me
(2:48)  3. He's a Tramp
(2:22)  4. Things are Swingin'
(5:18)  5. Fever
(4:14)  6. Johnny Guitar
(4:06)  7. It Takes a Long Train with a Red Caboose
(5:47)  8. Black Coffee
(2:43)  9. Why don't ya do Right
(3:12) 10. I Don't Know Enough About You
(4:34) 11. Bella Notte/La La Lu
(3:48) 12. Mr. Wonderful
(2:23) 13. Bye Bye Blues
(3:02) 14. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
(4:22) 15. Street of Dreams
(3:46) 16. Don't Smoke in Bed
(3:02) 17. Lover
(3:22) 18. Golden Earrings

Lounge and cabaret performer and all-around ace singer Janet Seidel's Don't Smoke in Bed honors the important contributions of Peggy Lee to the vocal art. Australia's Seidel doesn't stop at entries from the Great American Songbook that Lee liked to sing, and includes her significant contributions to that document as a composer. In addition to the title tune, "Don't Smoke in Bed," there are five more Lee pieces on the play list. Through her personal appearances and many recordings, Seidel is a virtual institution in that country down under. This album is understandably somewhat jazzier and a lot torchier than her previous release, which was a nod to another one her favorites, Doris Day. Thus, you have a swinging, lilting "Street of Dreams," a sassy "I Don't Know Enough About You," and a very smoky version of a Lee classic, "Black Coffee." Kevin Hunt and Chris Morgan on piano and guitar, respectively, add just the right amount of the jazz feel for this cut, especially Morgan's intense, smoldering guitar. Another interesting element added by Seidel and cohorts is that the songs are not just limited to Lee's big recordings, such as the always enduring "Fever," but those she sang in her early days with Benny Goodman and some from her movie work, such as the films The Lady and the Tramp and Johnny Guitar. As always, Seidel is backed by top musicians. In addition to Hunt and Morgan, reed player Don Burrows is on a couple cuts. Her brother, David Seidel, carries on with his usual bass duties, helped along by Adam Pache on drums. Seidel by no means replicatesLee's way of doing this material, but presents it Seidel style. So this release offers the best of two worlds, literally: Peggy Lee and Janet Seidel. ~ Dave Nathan

Personnel: Janet Seidel (vocal,piano);  Kevin Hunt (piano);  Chuck Morgan (guitar);  David Seidel (bass);  Adam Pache (drums);  Ian Bloxson (bongos), Special Guest: Don Burrows (flute, aito sax cralinet)

Songs in the Key of Peggy Lee

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Mary Ann Redmond - Here I Am

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:58
Size: 139,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:00)  1. Cry Love
(4:13)  2. Because I Told You So
(4:54)  3. Enemy Lines
(4:45)  4. Stop In The Name Of Love
(4:38)  5. Time Will Do The Talking
(4:46)  6. Man I Wanted
(5:02)  7. Man On A Mission
(5:07)  8. Here I Am
(4:02)  9. Alone But Not Lonely
(4:09) 10. (I Know) I'm Losing You
(4:58) 11. Out On A Limb
(4:10) 12. I've Been Loving You Too Long
(5:08) 13. You Don't Wanna Be With Me

When Mary Ann Redmond recorded Here I Am in 2000, she was a hot local attraction in the Washington, D.C., area. The expressive, whiskey-voiced singer wasn't well known nationally, but in and around D.C., people really swore by her. And listening to Here I Am, it isn't hard to understand why; this CD is an enriching example of what can happen when soul and rock intersect. All of Redmond's albums have some type of rock influence like Tina Turner, Redmond is a soulstress with rock leanings but Here I Am is especially rock-minded. Had this release come out in 1970 instead of 2000, it's quite possible that black radio would have responded to Redmond in much the same way that it responded to Ike and Tina Turner back then; in other words, some tracks would have enjoyed airplay on black radio, and some would have been considered "too rock." It's easy to envision the black radio of the late '60s and early '70s playing "Out on a Limb" or Redmond's version of the Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love" (which she transforms into a slow, moody ballad). However, "Man on a Mission," the title track, and John Hiatt's "Cry Love" probably would have been considered "too rock" for black stations (just like some of Ike and Tina Turner's work). Regardless, Redmond is consistently soulful and funky. And while it is interesting to speculate on how Here I Am would have been received 25 or 30 years earlier, the fact is that Redmond isn't dealing with the '60s or '70s market she's dealing with the 21st century market. In 2000, this excellent album was well received in the D.C. area, although one hoped that Redmond would become as well known nationally as she was locally. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/here-i-am-mw0000229321

Here I Am

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Jack Teagarden And His Band - 1951 - Live At The Royal Room-Hollywood

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:26
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. Stars Fell On Alabama
(1:55)  2. Little Rock
(2:36)  3. But Not For Me
(5:53)  4. That's A Plenty
(6:42)  5. Ain't Misbehavin'
(6:00)  6. Muskrat Ramble
(6:54)  7. At The Jazz Band Ball
(1:44)  8. Tickled To Death
(2:15)  9. Possum And Taters
(4:20) 10. Peg O' My Heart
(7:01) 11. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(4:46) 12. Stardust
(6:07) 13. Somebody Loves Me

Jack Teagarden was a trombone player, singer, and band leader whose career spanned from the 1920’s territory and New York jazz scenes to shortly before his death in 1964. Teagarden was not a successful band leader, which may explain why he is not as widely known as some other jazz trombonists, but his unusual singing style influenced several other important jazz singers, and he is widely regarded as the one of the greatest, and possibly the greatest, trombonist in the history of jazz. Teagarden was born in 1905 in Vernon, Texas. Born Weldon Lee Teagarden or Weldon John Teagarden (more sources say Weldon Lee, but John makes more sense considering his nickname), Jack’s earliest performances were working with his mother Helen, who played ragtime piano, in theaters. His siblings also became professional musicians: his younger sister Norma played piano, his younger brother Charlie, trumpet, and his brother Clois (“Cub”), drums. Jack Teagarden began playing piano at age five, took up baritone at age seven or eight, and had settled on trombone by age ten. Some sources claim his unusual style of trombone playing stemmed from the fact that he began playing before he was big enough to play in the farther positions. He moved to Chappell, Nebraska, with his family in 1918, but by 1921 was back in Texas playing with Peck Kelley’s Bad Boys. Through the early and mid 1920’s, he played with several other territory bands, including Doc Ross’s Jazz Bandits, and the Orginal Southern Trumpeters. My sources disagree concerning which band brought Teagarden to New York, and with whom he made his earliest recording, but there is agreement that he arrived in New York in 1927 and was playing with Ben Pollack’s orchestra by 1928. Although Teagarden enjoyed a long career, it was at this point that he had the greatest effect on the history of jazz. The reaction to his unique style of trombone- playing appears to have been both immediate and widespread. Historians and critics widely agree: “No one disputes Jack Teagarden’s place in the trombone pantheon”(Morgenstern, 2004, p.292). Teagarden “is considered by many critics to be the finest of all jazz trombonists....”(Kernfeld, 1988) Teagarden “single-handedly created a whole new way of playing the trombone “ a parallel to Earl Hines and the piano comes to mind “ and did so as early as the mid-twenties and evidently largely out of his own youthful creative resources.”

His unusual approach to trombone playing had both a technical and a stylistic component. His technical approach in particular was quite unorthodox. A short digression into the mechanics of trombone playing will explain why. The trombone slide has seven positions where traditionally notated (chromatic scale) pitches can be played. Each position causes the instrument to be a slightly different length, and the instrument can play a (different) harmonic series at each length. The notes in any harmonic series are much closer together in the upper part of the series. This has a practical effect on trombone playing: in the lower register of the instrument, there are fewer notes in any given position, and often only one position in which a note can be played. In the upper register, notes in any position are closer together, and many notes can be played in more than one position. New Orleans-style trombonists tended to play in the lower range of the instrument, where it is simply impossible to change notes as quickly as a trumpet or clarinet does; entire arms can’t move as fast as a single finger. So the traditional trombone stylists specialized in playing simpler accompaniment parts featuring cute special effects like glissandos. Jack Teagarden apparently did not like this “tailgate” style of trombone-playing. Instead, he played higher in the instrument’s range, using mostly the first and second positions, and rarely moving beyond fourth position. Using “alternate” positions and an embouchure that was apparently extremely flexible (meaning he could change the pitch of a note using only small changes in his lips, mouth, and face muscles), Teagarden could play in the way that appealed to him. It apparently also greatly appealed to other musicians as soon as they heard it, but it relied so heavily on using unusual slide positions and on his ability to bend notes with his unusually flexible embouchure, that his style is generally considered to be literally “inimitable.” Teagarden’s style is also often described using words such as lyrical, vocal, legato, relaxed, fluent and smooth. The two premier trombonists on the New York scene when Teagarden arrived had also already rejected “tailgate” style playing, and there is disagreement about how much Miff Mole and Jimmy Harrison influenced Teagarden. But Teagarden appears to have arrived in New York with a clear idea of how he wanted to sound, and although the three players do seem to have influenced each other somewhat, they each also retained their distinctive styles. Harrison also played in the upper register of the instrument, so that he could play fast trumpet-style licks, but his playing is still firmly in the jazz brass tradition, with hard, clear articulations. More.. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/jackteagarden 

Personnel:  Jack Teagarden-trombone & vocal;  Charlie Teagarden-trumpet (Jack's brother);  Norma Teagarden-piano (Jack's sister);  Helen Teagarden-piano (8.9) (mother);  Pud Brown-reeds;  Ray Leatherwood-bass;  Ray Bauduc-drums

Live At The Royal Room-Hollywood

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Steve Dobrogosz - Golden Slumbers

Styles: Piano
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:34
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. Goodnight
(2:49)  2. Golde Slumbers/You Never Give Me Your Money
(6:17)  3. Across The Universe
(3:49)  4. Two Of Us
(3:26)  5. Blackbird
(4:26)  6. If I Fell
(4:26)  7. Don't Let Me Down
(4:53)  8. The Long And Winding Road
(4:14)  9. Because
(2:29) 10. I'll Follow The Sun
(4:17) 11. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
(3:50) 12. I Will

Steve Dobrogosz is an American pianist and composer based in Sweden whose career spans several decades and ranges in style from classical to jazz and pop. He was particularly successful in collaboration with vocalists Radka Toneff during the early '80s, Berit Andersson during the late '80s and early '90s, and Anna Christoffersson during the mid- to late 2000s. Born on January 26, 1956, in Bellefonte, PA, Dobrogosz grew up in Raleigh, NC, and later studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. In 1978 he moved to Stockholm, Sweden, and began a fruitful musical career there amid the city's vibrant jazz scene. Dobrogosz made his solo album debut in 1980 with Songs on the Caprice label. He later collaborated with Norwegian jazz legend Radka Toneff on the album Fairy Tales (1982), a classic pairing of vocals and piano that was released around the time of the vocalist's tragic death. A couple years later he began a long-running collaboration with Swedish vocalist Berit Andersson that spanned the years 1984 to 1992 and resulted in three full-length albums, The Final Touch (1989), Jade (1990), and Skin Balloon (1993), plus the double-disc compilation Best of Steve Dobrogosz & Berit Andersson (1999). During the 1990s he also released the albums Pianopieces (1992), a collaboration with percussionist Petur Östlund; Duckwalk (1996), with the Steve Dobrogosz Quartet; Mass (1997), with St. Jacob's Chamber Choir; and Ebony Moon (1998), a solo piano collection. After the turn of the century Dobrogosz was particularly successful in collaboration with Swedish vocalist Anna Christoffersson. Their first album, It's Always You (2006), was a Top 20 hit on the Swedish albums chart while their second, Rivertime (2008), reached the Top Ten. Other recordings by Dobrogosz released during the 2000s include Feathers (2000), a collaboration with vocalist Jeanette Lindström; Requiem/Te Deum (2004), with St. Jacob's Chamber Choir; Chambers (2007), a solo piano collection; and Poems (2009), a six-track EP with vocalist Annika Skoglund. ~ Jason Birchmeier https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/golden-slumbers/338053298

Golden Slumbers

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Duke Jordan - Do it Yourself Jazz Vol.1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:50
Size: 120,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. Sometimes I'm Happy
(7:30)  2. Embraceable You
(4:57)  3. Jordu
(4:31)  4. Oh Yeah
(7:14)  5. Pennies from Heaven
(7:51)  6. Yesterdays
(5:20)  7. It's Only a Paper Moon
(5:28)  8. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To

Duke Jordan was a pianist whose work with the saxophonist Charlie Parker endures in the jazz pantheon. Jordan was regarded as one of the great early bebop pianists, the sound that he helped to create in the postwar era was something new, and it remains a cornerstone of jazz. Irving Sydney Jordan was born in New York in 1922, and began his formal piano studies at the age of eight.He continued to study piano until he was 16, playing in the school band at Brooklyn Automotive High. After graduation in 1939 he joined the septet of trombonist Steve Pulliam. This combo, appearing in an amateur contest at the New York World's Fair that summer, won a prize and earned the attention of John Hammond, who was impressed by the teen-aged efforts of young Duke. The unit stayed together for a year or two, after which Duke entered what, was almost certainly the most important formative phase of his career. Jazz was undergoing a quiet but vital upheaval in 1941. Around the time when Duke Jordan went to work at a club in Harlem, the experiments that were to crystallize in the form of bebop had gotten underway at several uptown clubs. The group was under the nominal leadership of Clark Monroe, the veteran night club host who was involved in the operation of a series of clubs, including his own Uptown House where Charlie Parker first worked in New York. Thus, though Duke gained his first experience in jazz through the records of Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum and their contemporaries, he was exposed early to the work of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, as well as to Gillespie and Parker. Duke was one of the very first to play in what was then a revolutionary new style; in fact the only other bop pianists of any note on the 52nd Street horizon, aside from Powell himself, were Al Haig, Billy Taylor and George Wallington. For a while Duke played with Coleman Hawkins at Kelly's Stable, in a combo similar to the one that had been organized by Clark Monroe. 

After this he returned to the uptown front, working for a year with a “jump band” called the Savoy Sultans, which functioned as a part-time house band at the late lamented Savoy Ballroom. Charlie Parker was sufficiently impressed by Duke to hire him for his quintet. Duke worked intermittently for Bird during this period (1946-48), the other members of the group being Miles Davis, Max Roach and Tommy Potter. A handful of recordings from 1947 and 1948 featuring Parker, along with Miles Davis on trumpet, Jordan on piano and Max Roach on drums, are considered masterpieces. They include “Embraceable You,” “Crazeology,” and “Scrapple From the Apple.” During the Bird years Duke played for a few months with Roy Eldridge, recording on a big band date with Roy. Later, after leaving Bird, he worked with the Stan Getz combo in 1949. During the 1950s he free-lanced around New York, gigging with Oscar Pettiford, with off-night groups at Birdland, and also spending some time with Gene Ammons' band. His work in the 1950’s sometimes embraced more of a blues and gospel feeling but never left the fundamentals of the bebop sound.It was about 1954 that Duke began to develop as a composer. His first and best known original, “Jordu,” was recorded first by the Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet; soon after, Duke cut it as a sideman with a Julius Watkins group for a ten-inch LP on Blue Note. In 1958 he was in Europe for a time with Kenny Dorham, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke. Jordan's career drifted for a while in the late 60s, during which period he worked as a New York cab driver. In the 1970’s, he began a new life as a leader of trios and quartets in Copenhagen, where he settled permanently in 1978. He recorded more than 30 albums for the Danish label SteepleChase Records, but his 1960 date for Blue Note “Flight to Jordan,” remains his most recognized album endeavor. Duke Jordan remained in Denmark until his passing in August of 2006. Parts of this bio by Leonard Feather. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/dukejordan

Personnel: Duke Jordan - piano;  Oscar Pettiford - bass;  Kenny Clarke - drums

Do it Yourself Jazz  Vol.1

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Laura Nyro - Angel in the Dark

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:25
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Angel in the Dark
(4:01)  2. Triple Goddess Twilight
(6:01)  3. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(2:38)  4. He Was Too Good to Me
(4:28)  5. Sweet Dream Fade
(4:18)  6. Serious Playground
(3:03)  7. Be Aware
(2:15)  8. Let It Be Me
(2:46)  9. Gardenia Talk
(3:26) 10. Ooh Baby, Baby
(2:09) 11. Embraceable You
(4:20) 12. La La Means I Love You
(2:18) 13. Walk On By
(1:29) 14. Animal Grace
(3:24) 15. Don't Hurt Child
(5:32) 16. Coda

Angel in the Dark is a lovely recording featuring the graceful vocals and finely crafted songs that everyone expects from Laura Nyro. These sessions were completed in the summer of 1995 and represent the last music Nyro recorded. The title cut and "Sweet Dream Fade" mine the same soul terrain as her late '60s recordings, featuring horns and underlined by heavy guitar riffs. These upbeat pieces perfectly integrate voice, arrangements, and lyrics to create an organic whole, and are two of the best cuts on the album. Slower, piano-based songs like "Triple Goddess Twilight," "He Was Too Good to Me," and "Serious Playground" are mixed in-between these songs. These pieces are quieter and introspective, with Nyro's voice more intimate. 

It is almost as though she was sitting at the piano, late at night, and singing to herself. There are also several covers including "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Let It Be Me." The first of these is over five minutes and has been slowed down so much that it drags. In fact, she slows down all of the covers as if to convert them into heartfelt ballads. This works best on "Ooh Baby, Baby," partly because the arrangement is fuller and more dynamic. One other standout is the upbeat "Gardenia Talk," filled with lively percussion and a sensual vocal. Angel in the Dark is a fine coda, perfect for late-night listening, and a perfect companion to Nyro's other recordings. ~ Ronnie D.Lankford, Jr. https://www.allmusic.com/album/angel-in-the-dark-mw0000116833

Personnel: Vocals – Laura Nyro;  Piano [Acoustic] – Laura Nyro (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6 to 8, 10, 11, 14, 15);   Piano [Electric] – Laura Nyro (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 12, 13, 16);   Acoustic Guitar – John Tropea (tracks: 15);  Bass – Freddie Washington (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15), Will Lee (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Drums – Bernard Purdie (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15, 16), Chris Parker (2) (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Electric Guitar – John Tropea (tracks: 1, 5, 9, 15);  Guitar – Jeff Pevar (tracks: 3, 7, 10, 12);  Harmony Vocals – Laura Nyro (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 14 to 16);  Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker (tracks: 1, 5) Trumpet – Randy Brecker (tracks: 1, 5)

Angel in the Dark

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Lou Rawls - Now Is The Time: Close Company

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:47
Size: 185,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:51)  1. (Will You) Kiss Me One More Time
(4:20)  2. Let Me Show You How
(4:35)  3. Ain't That Love Baby
(5:27)  4. When The Rain Comes Down
(3:41)  5. Now Is The Time For Love
(4:21)  6. Watch Your Back
(4:19)  7. It's Too Late (To Say Goodbye)
(3:26)  8. Back To You
(4:28)  9. This Love
(3:20) 10. All Time Lover
(4:18) 11. In The Middle Of The Night
(4:47) 12. Close Company
(3:57) 13. Pretty Eyes
(3:27) 14. When We Were Young
(3:36) 15. Ready Or Not?
(4:43) 16. Forever I Do (The Wedding Song)
(4:44) 17. The Lady In My Life
(3:15) 18. Say It Again
(4:02) 19. Sunshine (When You Are Coming My Way)

This reissue from Expansion features a pair of LPs by Lou Rawls: Now Is the Time and Close Company, originally issued on Epic in 1982 and 1984. Highlights among the 19 tracks include "All Time Lover," "When We Were Young," and "Ready or Not." Casual listeners should pick up The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another on Capitol before delving into these recordings. ~ Al Campbell https://www.allmusic.com/album/now-is-the-time-close-company-mw0001995173

Now Is The Time: Close Company

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Vincent Peirani - Gunung Sebatu

Styles: Accordion Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:57
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Truc'Muche'
(7:20)  2. Untitled Suite
(3:49)  3. Ballade en re bemol
(3:01)  4. Anataule Ondulee
(5:06)  5. Les Yeux du jour
(5:08)  6. Gunung Sebatu
(3:55)  7. Every little thing she does is magic
(4:23)  8. Miniature
(3:51)  9. 56 33
(5:50) 10. My Little Girl
(6:38) 11. Still Song

The eleven poetic themes proposed here by accordionist Vincent Peirani in collaboration with saxophonist Vincent Lê Quang and, here and there, the remarkable guitarist Sylvain Luc , is a luminous testimony of wandering and friendship. The all-out opening to free music as the air allows them to run sometimes under the feverish light of flickering lanterns of a nostalgic musette ("Truc'Muche", which opens the album), sometimes looking for a Balinese melody gleaned by a heart exalted by the journey. This is the case of "Gunung Sebatu", which gives its title to this album; this beautiful and tender evocation of Sebatu - a Bali village between sea and rice field - allows Serena Fisseau to gently stir the sensitivity of a skin-deep theme. This delicacy of the compositions and their nomadic membership to fantasized landscapes imbue the disc with a subtle essence. The spontaneity and the diversity of the themes were forged in the intimist improvisations behind the scenes, without virtuosity misplaced but with an obvious jubilation, in the periods of waiting, in particular at the time of the bel Air Libre of Muvien, Céléa and Humair ... It is these encounters, and the notion of exchange attached to it, that found this "world" music in the sense that it travels freely, without contingencies. There is in Gunung Sebatu all the poetry of the stolen moments to see the fluffy atmosphere of the "Ballad in D flat", which allows to appreciate the depth of the sound of Lê Quang to the soprano, or the mischief almost childish d "Wavy Anatas", when Peirani and his saxophonist play hide-and-seek in a frenzied pursuit with rhythm. A rhythm that we find at the corner of a dilettante visit in the Indian modes and cycles on the beautiful "Untitled Suite". Drunk with travel and contrasting colors, Gunung Sebatu offers itself a few suspended moments of wandering poetry, letting go that take you into the universe of two accomplices, who take an undeniable pleasure to give the keys. A delightful crossing without compass. (Translate by Google) https://www.citizenjazz.com/Vincent-Peirani,3463878.html

Personnel:  Vincent Peirani (acc), Vincent Lê Quang (ss), Sylvain Luc (gu), Serena Fisseau (voc)

Gunung Sebatu

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Sofi Hellborg - Sun & Rain

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone JAzz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:10
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. What I Might Think Of
(5:03)  2. Sun & Rain
(4:16)  3. Do We Have to Run
(5:33)  4. The Morning Comes
(5:29)  5. Mali
(5:20)  6. No Yesterday No Tomorrow
(4:35)  7. Love's First Fever
(4:52)  8. Her Voice of Liberty
(5:46)  9. Our Time Is Here Today
(3:48) 10. Borja Om Igen

Sofi Hellborg is a Swedish jazz musician and composer . She plays soprano saxophone and sings. She first went to the musician line at Svalöv Folk High School and then moved to Cameroon as a 20-year-old, where she studied pygmy music. Then she moved to London . She moved to Paris in 1985, where she spent full time music until 1999, when she moved back to Lund . Some well-known names she worked with while in France are Mory Kante , Charlelie Couture and Wasis Diop. https://translate.google.com.br/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&u=https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofi_Hellborg&prev=search

Sun & Rain

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Andy Fusco - Joy-Riding

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:54
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

( 9:07)  1. Ezz-Thetic
( 5:39)  2. Tender Leaves
( 8:08)  3. Today
( 7:35)  4. Skylark
(10:18)  5. Erin's Blues
( 4:38)  6. What a Difference a Day Makes
( 6:45)  7. Relaxin' with Andy
( 6:24)  8. Joy-Riding
( 7:16)  9. Hot House

Veteran NYC altoist Andy Fusco returns to the Steeplechase label, and the result is Joy-Riding, a post hard bop date with a good mix of originals and classic jazz anthems. Having done long stints with the likes of drummers Buddy Rich and Steve Smith's Vital Information, Fusco has also appeared and recorded with Don Sebesky and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. His sidemen include tenorist and composer Walt Weiskopf, and his younger brother, pianist Joel Weiskopf. Louisville-born and bred  drummer Jason Tieman, and bassist Mike Karn complete the sterling rhythm section.  A first class date by all hands, indeed, with Fusco keeping the spirits of Jackie and Charles Mac (McClean and McPherson) thriving well into the millenium. Andy's rich and liquid sound is imbued with a snakelike bendy-ness in his phrasing that is unique and endearingly warm and comforting to boot. Dig his reading of Hoagy Carmichael's Skylark with his moist melodicism coupled with his biting rhythmic acuity on Walt Weiskopf's Joy-Riding, spelling out long and serpentine lines for evidence of this.  A top mod bop date indeed that will elate and please listeners from many different camps. http://www.londonjazznews.com/2017/10/cd-review-andy-fusco-joy-riding.html

Personnel: Andy Fusco - alto saxophone;  Walt Weiskopf - tenor saxophone;  Joel Weiskopf - piano;  Mike Karn - bass;  Jason Tiemann - drums.

Joy-Riding

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Charito - American Gold Standards: Charito Meets Tamir Hendelman

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:39
Size: 158,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. I've Got the World on a String
(4:16)  2. Dearly Beloved
(6:42)  3. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
(4:46)  4. Blue Skies
(5:33)  5. I Get a Kick Out of You
(5:25)  6. Do It Again
(5:02)  7. Cheek to Cheek
(5:59)  8. Blues in the Night
(5:23)  9. It's Magic
(4:14) 10. A Fine Romance
(6:18) 11. Dreamer
(5:36) 12. The Man I Love
(5:58) 13. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Excited to share the upcoming Japanese release of vocalist Charito’s American Gold Standards: Charito meets Tamir Hendelman. I first met Manila-born, Tokyo-based jazz vocalist Charito in Japan when she sat in with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Her soulful spark, the way she sings from the heart- stayed with me.  Years later, we finally got to collaborate and it was truly a joyous occasion. Charito has recorded with Ivan Lins, Michel Legrand and Harvey Mason on some special projects.  This was a chance to pay tribute to the Great American Songbook. It was all about breathing new life to this classic songs by Irving Berlin,Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jobim and more. We hope you enjoy the music…

Personnel:  Charito (Vocals); Tamir Hendelman (Piano); John Clayton (Bass); Jeff Hamilton (Drums); Lori Bell (Flute); Gilbert Castellanos (Trumpet); Graham Dechter (Guitar).

American Gold Standards: Charito Meets Tamir Hendelman

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Tal Farlow - Cookin' on all Burners

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:01
Size: 96,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
(5:05)  2. If I Should Lose You
(5:28)  3. I Wished on the Moon
(6:29)  4. I've Got the World on a String
(4:04)  5. Love Letters
(3:14)  6. Why Shouldn't I
(5:46)  7. Lullaby of the Leaves
(3:54)  8. Just Friends
(4:23)  9. I Thought About You

On the fifth of six Concord albums (a surprising amount of activity considering that he only played locally in the New England area during most of 1957-1975), the brilliant bop-based guitarist Tal Farlow performs concise renditions (none over six and a half minutes in length) of nine standards with pianist James Williams, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Vinnie Johnson. Highlights of the excellent straight-ahead date include "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "I've Got the World on a String," "Love Letters," and "Just Friends." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/cookin-on-all-burners-mw0000184177

Personnel:  Tal Farlow – guitar;  James Williams – piano;  Gary Mazzaroppi – bass;  Vinnie Johnson – drums

Cookin' on all Burners

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Young Gun Silver Fox - AM Waves

Styles: Vocal, Guitar, Pop/Rock
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:21
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Midnight in Richmond
(4:01)  2. Lenny
(4:02)  3. Take It or Leave It
(4:40)  4. Underdog
(3:33)  5. Mojo Rising
(3:48)  6. Just a Man
(4:20)  7. Love Guarantee
(4:00)  8. Caroline
(5:06)  9. Kingston Boogie
(4:36) 10. Lolita

The 1990s saw a mostly UK based nostalgia of American 70s RnB and jazz-funk, demonstrated by the rise of acid jazz acts like Jamiroquai, The James Taylor Quartet, Brand New Heavies and Incognito. As the 90’s turned into the Aughts, another figure in that general space emerged, the insanely talented producer and instrumentalist Shawn Lee. He’s not a household name, but with his work for video, movie and TV soundtracks like Desperate Housewives and Malcolm in the Middle, he’s certainly been widely heard. Furthermore, Lee has mastered as many music styles as he’s mastered musical instruments, which is to say, a whole lot of them. Lately, one of Lee’s main projects has been a collaboration with Andy Platts (Mama’s Gun), a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist too, and a gifted singer to boot. As the two-man act Young Gun Silver Fox, Lee and Platts seeks to serve a slightly different kind of nostalgia, for late 70s Southern California pop. The smooth, rich, analog-washed sounds of Young Gun Silver Fox began with 2016’s West End Coast, an album particularly well received in the Netherlands. Two years after that album, which reflected an inviting Fleetwood Mac/Philly Soul vibe, Young Gun Silver Fox returns with AM Waves. Fender Rhodes, clavinets, tight bass lines, and smooth harmonies…all the hallmarks (the good ones, anyway) from that era are present. Apart from the horns, Lee and Platts handle virtually all the instruments and craft some catchy tunes. There isn’t a single track lacking hooks, and Platts is a rather solid lyricist: On the opener “Midnight in Richmond” he spins off stanzas like passages in a best selling novel (“Cross the bridge where the river threads silently like footsteps in the dark/where my mind comes alive with a new memory igniting up another spark”) or the kind of lines that are very much of the time being celebrated (“I wanna be so high, so free/Where I can feel my mojo rising”). “Take It Or Leave It” (video above) is a virtual rewrite of “What A Fool Believes” and “Mojo Rising” lifts its groove from “How Long,” that 1974 hit from the Paul Carrack-fronted band from England, Ace. A good depiction of RnB inflected rock from the Jimmy Carter years isn’t complete without a horn section on at least a few numbers and Young Gun Silver Fox take care of that by bringing in a platoon of brass and reeds dubbed the “Seaweed Horns,” making “Love Guarantee” a lost Earth, Wind & Fire gem and give the funky “Underdog” a hard, uplifting kick in the pants. Another 70s nostalgia act Lenny Kravitz figures into a couple of songs: Platts imagines him as a bartender serving him liquid salve for his pain on the Hall & Oates-like “Lenny” and again as the namesake for a festive bar sung about on the four-on-the-floor dance tune “Kingston Boogie.” Anyone who liked the MOR music coming from the radio forty years ago will find everything to like about Young Gun Silver Fox’s AM Waves, from Fat Beats. Yacht rock has a new soundtrack, and it’s a good one. http://somethingelsereviews.com/2018/07/06/young-gun-silver-fox-am-waves-2018/

AM Waves

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Steve Coleman And Five Elements - Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 152:34
Size: 351,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:49)  1. Horda
( 6:35)  2. Djw
(16:50)  3. Little Girl I'll Miss You | Embedded #1
( 6:46)  4. idHw
( 7:08)  5. twf
( 8:25)  6. Figit Time
( 8:21)  7. Nfr
( 7:02)  8. Little Girl I'll Miss You
( 7:01)  9. Change The Guard
(16:34) 10. rmT | Figit Time
( 9:47) 11. Nfr
( 6:55) 12. idHw
( 7:22) 13. twf
( 6:26) 14. Horda
( 6:58) 15. Embedded #1
( 7:33) 16. Djw
(14:52) 17. rmT | 9 to 5

Do you long for the days when jazz was punk? Not meaning music that is loud and out-of-control. but punk as in innovative, nonconformist, and seditious. One hundred years ago, the music of Louis Armstrong was punk, and a few decades later so was Charlie Parker's revolutionary bebop. You probably did not witness those rebellions, nor Ornette Coleman's free jazz of the 1960s. What would you give to be there for the "what-did-I-just-hear" moment?  Steve Coleman and Five Elements deliver that double-take experience with their performance on Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets). But then again, Steve Coleman's music, beginning with his first releases in the mid-1980s, has always turned heads. Like the music of Charlie Parker, Coleman's sound is simultaneously contemporary, futuristic, and ancient. The unusual titles here are transliterations of Egyptian hieroglyphics utilized to develop his sound, which is very much related to spoken passages. Coleman has explained that he knits together chains of tonal dyads to create embedded melodic structures. Simply stated, the quintet engages in a conversation. These improvised colloquies though, can only be had within a very tight working group. Five Elements are composed of Coleman on alto saxophone, bassist Anthony Tidd, drummer Sean Rickman, and band leaders in their own right trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and guitarist Miles Okazaki. The music is culled from three nights of recording at The Village Vanguard in 2017, a yearly residency Coleman began in 2015. The sounds grab hold from the first track "Horda" with Coleman introducing his composition (as he does often here) unaccompanied. He shapes much of the music with visual and sonic cues. His band, ever ready to follow, parlay and push back. There is a fluidity to the music here and a boldness. Finlayson plays the perfect foil, negotiating the complexities of the compositions and acting as counterpoint to Coleman, while Okazaki threads the needle to tie the music together. Live might be the best way to experience Coleman's music. He has released several live sessions, the first being The Tao Of Mad Phat < Fringe Zones > (RCA, 1993) and the last Resistance Is Futile (Label Bleau, 2001). Outside of a studio his staccato lines, metamorphosing thoughts, and threads of sound come alive against his signature M-BASE grooves. You might find yourself turning the volume dial up louder and still louder. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-village-vanguard-vol-1-the-embedded-sets-steve-coleman-pi-recordings-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personnel:  Steve Coleman: alto saxophone;  Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet;  Miles Okazaki: guitar;  Anthony Tidd: bass;  Sean Rickman: drums.

Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 1

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