John Scofield - EnRoute

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:57
Size: 167,8 MB
Art: Front

( 8:24)  1. Wee
( 7:25)  2. Toogs
( 6:30)  3. Name That Tune
( 9:26)  4. Hammock Soliloquy
( 9:01)  5. Bag
( 6:39)  6. It Is Written
( 6:49)  7. Alfie
( 7:23)  8. Travel John
(11:15)  9. Over Big Top

Some artists are revolutionary, making periodic stylistic leaps that herald in a completely new direction or approach. Others are more evolutionary, with a gradual development that often unfolds over a number of years. John Scofield clearly falls in the second camp; while the context of his albums may vary wildly from one to the next, the actual meat of his style has matured at such a slow and steady pace that differentiation over the short term might be difficult to discern. But compare one of his earlier albums, like 1981's live trio recording Out Like a Light , with his new trio release, the live EnRoute , and you'll find an artist who has, in fact, made quantum leaps in his growth as a player, writer and bandleader. The two records share another common element, that of bassist Steve Swallow who, along with drummer Bill Stewart, lends an energy to the proceedings that is characteristic of many of Scofield's bands. But whereas Scofield has spent the last couple of years on jam-band turf with his younger quartet, this record returns him solidly to jazz territory, although with grooves from the New Orleans grease of "Hammock Soliloquy" and "Over Big Top" to the up-tempo swinger "Travel John"; from the straight-ahead blues of "Bag" to the tender reading of the Bacharach/David standard "Alfie," this is hardly a mainstream set. Aside from a clearly more mature linear conception, since the early '90s Scofield has also grown considerably as a chordal soloist. 

The roots of this style go as far back as his early '80s trio with Swallow, but his harmonic sense is now just that much deeper. Recorded during a weeklong engagement at New York City's Blue Note in December of 2003, the album manages to capture the energy that was clearly in the room at the time. This, in no small part, thanks to Stewart, who continues to be as inventive as always; of his generation he is arguably the drummer who most ably combines a solid footing in tradition with a more progressive rhythmic edge. But everyone rightly smokes. Scofield, armed only with a guitar, amp and whammy pedal, his one nod to the more effects-laden work with his quartet, burns through Swallow's contrapuntal "Name That Tune"; Swallow blends an ability to anchor with inciting Scofield to further heights; the riff-based "Over Big Top" gradually builds in intensity, never letting up over its eleven minute duration. Scofield has managed to attract a whole new generation of listeners to his music through his association with his current jam-band quartet. And the good news is that the success of that project has resulted in those same listeners checking out more straightforward projects like EnRoute. In a time where jazz is a marginalized genre, that's a remarkable achievement. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/enroute-john-scofield-verve-music-group-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: John Scofield: guitar; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

EnRoute

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Sarah McKenzie - Secrets of My Heart

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:57
Size: 133,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:39)  1. You Only Live Twice
(6:09)  2. You and the Music
(3:16)  3. De Nada
(4:17)  4. Secrets of My Heart
(3:34)  5. It's All About Love
(5:17)  6. Till the End of Time
(4:40)  7. You Must Believe in Spring
(4:44)  8. A Beautiful Friendship
(3:58)  9. I Fell in Love with You
(5:28) 10. Come on Home
(3:12) 11. My True Love Is You
(8:38) 12. The Gershwin Medley

Australian pianist, singer, composer Sarah McKenzie became well established globally with her Impulse! 2017 Paris in the Rain and now returns on an independent label with the half originals/half covers Secrets of My Heart. She reunites with noted Australian composer, arranger, and events music director Chong Lim who produced her first two projects. This was recorded in New York City with a core quartet of French bassist Pierre Boussaguet, guitarist Dan Wilson and drummer Donald Edwards. Tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, cellist Judy Redhage, flutist Danilo Caymmi and percussionists James Mack and Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Bocatto also support McKenzie on select tunes. Both Wilson and Roberts are from Joey DeFrancesco’s band. There are plenty of gems in her originals, but we’ll take the covers first. She opens with John Barry and Leslie Bricusse’s “You Only Live Twice” ( a theme from the James Bond film of the same name) that showcases both her vocal talents and sprightly piano touch. She delivers her interpretation of the Stanley Styne/Donald Kahn classic “A Beautiful Friendship” and shows her bluesy side, with scintillating guitar from Wilson, on Dinah Washington’s “Come on Home.” The closing track is a dazzling piano medley of her Gershwin favorites, snippets of “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Summertime,” “The Man I Love,” and “I Got Rhythm.” McKenzie is grateful for the opportunity to travel globally to play her music and nods to the iconic composer with whom she spent time in France, Michel Legrand, as she covers “You Must Believe in Spring.” McKenzie hails from Melbourne, studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and began her career in Europe, first in Paris and then in London. 

Steeped with strong knowledge of the Great American Songbook, she says that this album reveals her time spent in Europe from a harmonic standpoint, pointing, as one example to Legrand’s style being influenced by Debussy and Ravel. Now to her originals, or as McKenzie says, “Ultimately this album is about me embracing the unknown and going with love.”  The title track, with its supple bossa nova rhythm and large backing cast is about reticence while being pulled in multiple directions. Using rather dark imagery, here is a sample of her lyrics  “Kept in a box/Locked in a darken room/Buried beneath the places where roses bloom/Sinking so slowly/Drifting apart/Just like the secrets of my heart.” She alternates between this type of dark imagery and more hopeful messages, the latter not coming quite as naturally to her. She does render her “I Fell in Love with You” in upbeat fashion with glistening piano and wonderful guitar from Wilson. Wilson and McKenzie shine again on the guitar/vocal duet “My True Love Is You,” a pensive ballad, showcasing her sultry side. Her other ballad, also an original is “You and the Music” which she cites as the album’s anthem. While that one channels Cole Porter, she challenges herself with putting lyrics to a fast tempo bebop tune in the bluesy “It’s All About Love.” Her favorite track is the Brazilian tinged “’Till the End of Time,” written in Rio de Janeiro where she collaborated with musicians who has played with Jobim. It features some stirring tenor from Roberts. She also wrote “DeNada” in Brazil and it has one of her strongest piano solos. McKenzie is exploring with a fearless eclectic approach. With her gift for composing, her sparking piano work and elegant vocal delivery, she seems right at home with these accompanists. ~ Jim Hynes https://www.makingascene.org/sarah-mckenzie-secrets-of-my-heart/

Secrets of My Heart

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Lew Tabackin - Dual Nature

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz 
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:24
Size: 104,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:30)  1. Euterpe
(5:53)  2. Yellow Is Mellow
(9:44)  3. Out Of This World
(9:28)  4. No Dues Blues
(6:56)  5. My Ideal
(5:50)  6. Russian Lullaby

The dual nature of Lew Tabackin as an otherworldly flutist and straight-ahead post-bop tenor saxophonist does merge into a common ground that can be simply spelled out as brilliant. Transcending his influences while also remaining true to them, Tabackin devotes three tracks apiece to his main instruments, alternating originals and standards with an outstanding quartet featuring the equally extraordinary pianist Don Friedman, reliable drummer Shelly Manne, and his favored bassist, Bob Daugherty. Hardly a split personality, it's more two sides of a coin in theory, as any jazz musician as extraordinary as Tabackin must explore his inner and outer soul. The flute side of his persona is more pronounced, exotic, atmospheric, and tinged with vibrato-drenched Asian flourishes. The impressionist Greek-based theme of pianist Bill Mays' "Euterpe" (goddess of music and poetry) sets the tone for this multicultural stance, a statuesque, somewhat busy, Rodin-type mysterious bronzed melody suggesting more than it states. Wife Toshiko Akiyoshi's big-band chart "Yellow Is Mellow" strips away the horns, leaving Tabackin's flute to muse lightheartedly in an easy swinging mood. Then "Out of This World" ramps up into a furious bop with some unusual off-minor vamps from Daugherty, with harmonies quickly sweetened over nearly ten minutes. The tenor side of Tabackin is easily identifiable on his original "No Dues Blues," a showstopping hard bopper with the influence of Sonny Rollins as the focal point, starting with a drum/sax duet, then rambling on. The ballad "My Ideal" offers ultimate tenderness, as Tabackin expresses the lineage between Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, and especially Lester Young. Again like Rollins, Irving Berlin's "Russian Lullaby" has that "Airegin" swagger of Rollins down pat fluid, warm, and effusive hard bop at its best. There's no need to overemphasize the impressive qualities Tabackin and his band possess, as it's all here for appreciative listeners to enjoy on this marvelous recording that has been issued on CD by Inner City one of two excellent efforts from this time period. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/dual-nature-mw0000875878

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Alto Flute – Lew Tabackin; Bass – Bob Daugherty; Drums, Bells, Waterphone – Shelly Manne; Piano – Don Friedman

Dual Nature

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Pepper Adams - Walk with Me

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 103:53
Size: 240,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:53)  1. My One and Only Love
(5:55)  2. Muezzin
(6:26)  3. Minor Mishap
(4:58)  4. Blackout Blues
(6:23)  5. Unforgettable
(5:27)  6. Apothegm
(8:12)  7. 5-0-2-1
(6:03)  8. Freddie Froo
(5:50)  9. Alone Together
(8:30) 10. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
(5:21) 11. Your Host
(4:45) 12. You Turned the Table on Me
(8:42) 13. High Step
(5:36) 14. Cottontail
(6:40) 15. Yourna
(5:57) 16. Afternoon in Paris
(5:09) 17. You're My Thrill

Pepper Adams was one of hard bop's most significant baritone saxophonists. His dark, hearty tone on the horn and driving rhythmic sense provided the antithesis to the lighter, floating (and consequently more popular) styles of Gerry Mulligan. His family moved to Rochester, New York when he was young and in that city he began his musical efforts. That said his family's later move to Detroit, Michigan, a suburb of which was his birthplace, would be more important to his career. This occurred when he was sixteen and in Detroit he met several musicians who would later be important to his career, one example being Donald Byrd. He also became interested in Wardell Gray's approach to the baritone saxophone and indicates he and Harry Carney were his baritone influences. 

He also spent time in a United States Army band and briefly had a tour of duty in Korea. He later moved to New York City where he briefly worked in 1958 with Benny Goodman and for a much longer, if sporadic, period with Charles Mingus. He later became a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band from 1965 to 1978. He also co-led a quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd with whom he recorded a live date, 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot featuring Elvin Jones. He died of lung cancer in 1986. Adams has influenced many notable jazz baritone sax players, including Scott Robinson and Vanguard Jazz Orchestra bari chair holder Gary Smulyan. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/pepperadams

Walk with Me

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Fapy Lafertin Quintet, Tim Kliphuis - Fleur d'Ennui

Styles: Guitar And Violin Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:06
Size: 122,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Fascinating Rhythm
(3:08)  2. Alemberts
(4:14)  3. Stranger in Paradise
(4:37)  4. The Lady is a Tramp
(2:14)  5. Vou Vivendo
(3:40)  6. Vespers
(5:25)  7. I Never Mention your Name
(3:45)  8. Just One of Those Things
(4:35)  9. Fleur d'Ennui
(3:40) 10. Choro Negro
(3:24) 11. Gostosinho
(3:13) 12. When Day is Done
(3:26) 13. Double Scotch
(3:17) 14. Vendredi 13

In the early ’50s, near the end of his life, Django Reinhardt had switched to electric guitar and was playing in a more bebop vein. He was evolving. Little did he know that it was his acoustic, swing-based Hot Club work of the ’30s that would give rise to vast numbers of imitators. What would Django have thought? Would he have cared? While those questions will never be answered, he remains the most blatantly imitated jazz guitarist to have worn shoe leather. Today, especially in Europe, where the past takes on dimensions unknown to most Americans, myriad groups model themselves after the Hot Club, and several Django/Gypsy jazz festivals are held each year. While most Django imitators by definition are highly derivative in approach and execution-if the great Gypsy hadn’t lived, they wouldn’t exist-occasionally somebody emerges from the time warp to at least demonstrate that they’re a cut above the pack and maybe even offer a surprise or two. One such player is Fapy Lafertin, whose latest CD, Fleur D’Ennui (Jazz Is Timeless), features the Fapy Lafertin Quintet. Like Django, Lafertin is the real McCoy, having been raised in a Manouche Gypsy family, which, of course, doesn’t make his playing any less derivative but does give him a credential that most six-string pretenders don’t have. Despite his playing’s origins, Lafertin, after one listening, has got to be admired for the way he enthusiastically floats over his group’s bouncy Hot Club-esque tandem guitar rhythm section on tunes like “Fascinating Rhythm” and “Just One of Those Things,” where he tosses off Django licks like he’s been playing them since he’s been in short pants, which he probably has. Throughout, Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis matches him note for note in terms of technique and spirit, skillfully playing the role of Django’s sidekick, Stephane Grappelli. And while the set draws heavily from Reinhardt’s vocabulary and repertoire, a breath of fresh air wafts through the program in the form of four nicely arranged Brazilian choros, which paved the way for the emergence of samba and bossa nova, by the likes of Pixinguinha and Ernesto Nazareth. The choros help this album rise above offerings by the seemingly endless stream of Gypsy knockoffs who are out there. ~  By Jim Ferguson https://jazztimes.com/archives/fapy-lafertin-quintet-and-tim-kliphuis-fleur-dennui/

Personnel: Fapy Lafertin - guitar, Portuguese guitar; Tim Kliphuis - violin, mandolin; Reinier Voet - rhythm guitar; Jan Brouwer - rhythm guitar;  Simon Planting - double bass 

Fleur d'Ennui

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Paul Bley - When Will The Blues Leave

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:35)  1. Mazatlan
( 5:37)  2. Flame
( 9:48)  3. Told You So
( 7:14)  4. Moor
( 5:33)  5. Longer
( 6:01)  6. Dialogue Amour
( 5:26)  7. When Will The Blues Leave
( 4:56)  8. I Loves You Porgy

Had Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian recorded together more consistently, they would have been considered among the best piano trios in modern jazz history. The three first recorded on the ECM collection Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (1970), a compilation from the 1960s where three of the eight tracks had Billy Elgart on drums. It would be decades before the trio reunited in the studio, and again, ECM captured the session, Not Two, Not One (1998). When Will The Blues Leave, from that same period of time, was recorded live in 1999, at Lugano's Aula Magna in 1999 at the Great Hall of University of Lugano, Italy. When Will The Blues Leave is the first posthumous release of new Bley material since his passing in 2016. The Canadian-born pianist/composer is considered by some to be one of the most important innovators in jazz music. His musical associations date to work in the 1950s with Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. He was a pioneer in the fusion of jazz and electronics, a tireless explorer of new music, technique, and an educator and mentor. There are none of the typical parameters with a rhythm section of Peacock and Motian; they were, by this time, highly regarded composers and leaders whose individual ideas were incorporated into any setting in which they worked. Peacock, most famous for the Keith Jarrett trio, has worked with many legendary pianists including Bill Evans, Mal Waldron, Marilyn Crispell and Marc Copland. Motian had worked in those same circles, at times, with Peacock. The trio reaches back to the 1960s for the opener, "Mazatlan," which first appeared on Bley's Ramblin' (BYG, 1969). 

At more than eleven-minutes, it's a deep dive into Bley's early avant-garde phase. There are slower paced tunes such as "Flame" and "Told You So" from Bley's solo albums Tears (Owl, 1984) and Basics (Justin Time, 2001), and the Peacock/Bley composition "Dialogue Amour" from Not Two, Not One. The sophistication and creative skills of Peacock and Motian are on full display in these pieces as they establish interchanges, break off, and return with new ideas. Ornette Coleman's title track is an astoundingly knotty and energetic lead up to the closing tune, a beautifully quirky "I Loves You, Porgy."  It's difficult for piano trios to distinguish themselves in that most common of jazz formations, but When Will The Blues Leave could have been a defining moment for this unit. Their juxtaposition of lyricism and free improvisation within single pieces, and in real time, is challenging listening, but this elite group of artists have left us with a scrapbook of stunning ideas. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-will-the-blues-leave-paul-bley-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Paul Motian: drums.

When Will The Blues Leave

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Joe Locke - Beauty Burning

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:44
Size: 131,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:58)  1. Litha
(6:26)  2. Twilight
(7:31)  3. Pools Of Amber
(7:30)  4. Somewhere Waiting
(8:30)  5. Quiet As It's Kept
(5:45)  6. Where Is Love?
(6:37)  7. I - 95
(7:22)  8. Rasputainian Dance

On Beauty Burning, the fourteenth release under his own name, it's clear that vibraphonist Joe Locke was interested in making a good recording rather than merely providing a showcase for his own considerable talents. The disc is a thoughtful mixture of intimate, finely tuned ensemble playing and capable solos by the leader, pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, and guitarist Paul Bollenback. Recording shortly after the band (minus Bollenback) played an engagement in New York, their empathy and willingness to listen to one another is evident on every cut. With the exception of Bollenback, each musician contributes at least one tune, and the material also includes compositions by Chick Corea, Darrell Grant, and Lional Bart. At his most assertive, such as on the lively "Litha," Locke's long, skittering lines are balanced by reflective, blues influenced passages. Kimbrough's solo on the same track sustains the vibraphonist's momentum, and Watts backs them both with insistent rhythms. "Twilight" is smooth jazz with substance, with Locke playing more deliberately and displaying considerable intelligence and wit. His "Somewhere Waiting" (which would make a great theme for a movie soundtrack) features a fine solo turn by Drummond. The bassist's "I-95" is mysterious-sounding stroll in which Watts fuels Locke's busy, intense solo. The empathy between Locke and Kimbrough on last year's release, Saturn's Child (OmniTone), is once again apparent in the ballad "Where Is Love." Their duet is filled with understated pleasures, such as Locke's beautiful voicing of the melody, his figures behind Kimbrough's graceful solo, and their penchant for augmenting and finishing each other's phrases. ~ David A.Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/beauty-burning-joe-locke-sirocco-music-limited-review-by-david-a-orthmann.php?width=1920

Personnel: Joe Locke: vibraphone; Frank Kimbrough: piano; Ray Drummond: bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts: drums; Paul Bollenback: guitar.

Beauty Burning

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Patti Page - The Patti Page Collection: The Mercury Years, Vol. 2

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:07
Size: 123,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:27)  1. (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
(2:54)  2. This Is My Song
(2:57)  3. Changing Partners
(2:33)  4. Cross over the Bridge
(2:17)  5. Steam Heat
(2:45)  6. I Cried
(2:52)  7. What a Dream
(2:42)  8. The Mama Doll Song
(2:25)  9. Let Me Go Lover
(2:55) 10. Go on With the Wedding
(2:52) 11. Allegheny Moon
(2:52) 12. Mama from the Train
(2:30) 13. A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)
(2:36) 14. Old Cape Cod
(2:42) 15. I'll Remember Today
(2:20) 16. Left Right Out of Your Heart
(2:34) 17. One of Us (Will Weep Tonight)
(2:36) 18. Mom and Dad's Waltz
(2:05) 19. Most People Get Married
(1:57) 20. The Boys' Night Out
(1:08) 21. Patti Page Radio Spots

The best-selling female singer during the 1950s, Patti Page in many ways defined the decade of earnest, novelty-ridden adult pop with throwaway hits like "The Doggie in the Window" and "I Went to Your Wedding." By singing a wide range of popular material and her own share of novelty fluff, she proved easily susceptible to the fall of classic adult pop but remained a chart force into the mid-'60s.  Born Clara Ann Fowler in Muskogee, Oklahoma, she began singing professionally at a radio station in Tulsa and took weekend gigs on the side. (After being billed as Patti Page for a program sponsored by Page Milk, she decided to take the name even after leaving.) Page toured the country with a band led by Jimmy Joy and ended up in Chicago by 1947, where she sang in a small-group outing by Benny Goodman and gained a recording contract with Mercury. Her first hit, "Confess," came that same year and made her the first pop artist to overdub harmony vocals onto her own lead. After a few more successes, Page gained her first million-seller in 1950 for "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming," which cashed in on the novelty effect of overdubbing (the added touch came with listing it as "the Patti Page Quartet"). Also in 1950, "All My Love" became her first number one hit and spent several weeks at the top. That same year produced the biggest hit of her career, "The Tennessee Waltz." Notched at number one for months, it eventually became one of the best-selling singles of all time and prompted no less than six Top 40 covers during the following year. During 1952-1953, Patti Page scored two more huge hits with "I Went to Your Wedding" and "The Doggie in the Window," both of which spent more than two months at number one. She gained her own television program, The Patti Page Show, in 1955 and moved into full-lengths with In the Land of Hi Fi and Manhattan Tower. Page also proved more resilient to the rise of rock & roll than most of her contemporaries, hitting big in 1956 with "Allegheny Moon" and "Old Cape Cod" the next year. Indeed, she kept reaching the charts (if only in moderate placings) throughout the '60s, paced by the Top Ten theme to the film Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in 1965. Though she stopped recording for the most part in 1968, she continued performing into the '90s. Patti Page died on January 1, 2013, at a retirement community in Encinitas, California, at the age of 85. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/patti-page-mn0000747506/biography

The Patti Page Collection: The Mercury Years, Vol. 2

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Chuck Redd - The Common Thread

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:19
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. I Hear Music
(5:16)  2. Moonlight in Vermont
(4:50)  3. The Common Thread
(4:26)  4. My One and Only
(5:27)  5. Purple Gazelle
(5:23)  6. Some Other Spring
(4:19)  7. Old Man Roker
(6:38)  8. Witchcraft
(4:52)  9. Beat's Up
(3:50) 10. The Shadow of Your Smile
(2:51) 11. All God's Children Got Rhythm
(4:59) 12. I Wish I Were Twins

Chuck Redd is a deft, subtle vibraphonist who surrounds himself with equally talented and experienced musicians. He’s the equivalent of a midlist author: no blockbuster but dependable and reassuring. The Common Thread is enjoyable for its skillful blend of imagination and modesty. Propelled by similarly light-fingered drummer Mickey Roker and the highly selective bassist Bob Cranshaw, Redd turns in standards spanning a luminous, watery “The Shadow of Your Smile” and a seductive “Moonlight in Vermont”; should-be standards like Ellington’s sultry “Purple Gazelle” and Tommy Flanagan’s breakneck “Beat’s Up” (cool pun), a showcase for the rhythm section, particularly the nicely florid pianist Rossano Sportiello; and revamps like “Old Man Roker,” Redd’s tribute to his drummer and “Ol’ Man River” scribe Jerome Kern. Soul saxman Houston Person lends earthiness and funk to four selections. Don’t call Redd a throwback, even though his music is accessible and largely familiar. His is the kind of group one hopes to stumble upon in a jazz club. Redd’s touch and fluid sense of harmony stand out, as does his choice of musicians; Redd can sure pick them, not surprising considering this D.C. jazzman has worked with everyone from Charlie Byrd to Dizzy Gillespie. The Common Thread is expert mainstream jazz designed to give pleasure rather than provoke-an album to visit again and again, discovering more wit and depth each time. ~ Carlo Wolff https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/chuck-redd-the-common-thread/

Musicians: Chuck Redd: vibes, drums (5, 9, 11); Mickey Roker: drums (1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12); Bob Cranshaw: bass (except 4, 10, 11); Rossano Sportiello: piano; Houston Person: tenor sax (1, 2, 3, 12)

The Common Thread

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The Claude Williamson Trio - The Fabulous Claude Williamson Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:54
Size: 67,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. Witchcraft
(2:27)  2. A Foggy Day
(2:35)  3. Young At Heart
(1:58)  4. You Make Me Feel So Young
(3:01)  5. Nancy
(2:29)  6. The Lady Is a Tramp
(2:49)  7. Anything Goes
(3:31)  8. All the Way
(2:54)  9. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(2:23) 10. While We're Young
(1:57) 11. Let There Be Love

The Fabulous Claude Williamson Trio captures the pianist in collaboration with bassist Duke Morgan and drummer Chuck Flores on a solid if unremarkable collection of standards. While Flores' subtle but insistent rhythms are particularly well matched to Williamson's graceful, feather-light touch, the session takes too few chances to soar both the material and the arrangements are regrettably pedestrian. 

Aficionados of the postwar Los Angeles jazz scene will nevertheless appreciate the skill and dexterity of the performances it's just a shame the album is nowhere near as fabulous as advertised. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-fabulous-claude-williamson-trio-mw0000528550

Personnel: Piano – Claude Williamson; Bass – Duke Morgan; Drums – Chuck Flores

The Fabulous Claude Williamson Trio

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Seamus Blake - Guardians of the Heart Machine

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:06
Size: 131,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:17)  1. Guardians of the Heart Machine
(7:09)  2. Vaporbabe
(6:54)  3. Sneaky D
(7:40)  4. I'm Okay
(5:21)  5. Lanota
(7:53)  6. Wandering Aengus
(4:50)  7. Betty in Rio
(4:19)  8. Blues for the Real Human Beings
(4:37)  9. The Blasted Heath

Seamus Blake was born in 1970 in London, England but raised in Vancouver, Canada. He studied jazz at Berklee College of Music and following his graduation moved to New York Cit, where he became a fixture on the jazz scene including being a member of the Mingus Big Band. He's played or recorded with Victor Lewis, John Scofield, Chris Cheek, Bill Stewart, Ethan Iverson and Dave Douglas and appeared as a sideman on over 70 albums. In 2017 Blake assembled a new quartet, The French Connection which included Tony Tixier on piano, bassist Florent Nisse and Gautier Garrigue on drums, all three, unsurprisingly, hailing from France. They recorded their first album in Paris in November 2017 and this is Blake's debut for Whirlwind Recordings. Following in the wake of Blake's 2016 album Bridges (AMP) and 2015's Superconductor (5Passion), Guardians Of The Heart Machine opens with the title track that's distinguished by a lustrous, memorable melody. Blake's tenor saxophone dominates on "Vaporbabe," alternately limpid and coruscating. Meanwhile the Thelonious Monk-ish "Betty In Rio" is an exuberant tune with a lithe, indelible hook line.  

A point of difference arrives with the closer "The Blasted Heath," Blake's fragile, plaintive vocals subtly melding with piano and bass. The feeling here is not unlike the recitative populating several sections of Carla Bley's Escalator Over The Hill (JCOA, 1971), which makes Blake's unusual delivery all the more appealing. The album's mood is comprehensive, ranging from the mellow ballad "I'm Okay" to the angular "Lanota," but all sharing the unifying characteristics of sheer bravura performances and satisfyingly assured compositions. ~ Roger Farbey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/guardians-of-the-heart-machine-seamus-blake-whirlwind-recordings-review-by-roger-farbey.php

Personnel: Seamus Blake: tenor saxophone, voice; Tony Tixier: piano; Florent Nisse: double bass; Gautier Garrigue: drums.

Guardians of the Heart Machine

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Lee Konitz Quartet - Tranquility

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:08
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. Stephanie
(3:12)  2. Memories of You
(4:57)  3. People Will Say We're In Love
(3:48)  4. When You're Smiling
(3:27)  5. Sunday
(5:26)  6. Lennie Bird
(6:10)  7. The Nearness of You
(3:09)  8. Jonquil

Lee Konitz' Verve label debut remains the purest expression of the sculpted, geometric aesthetic the altoist honed throughout the Eisenhower era crafted with startling precision and economy, Tranquility extols the virtues of mood and shape with Talmudic zeal, towering astride thought and expression. Supported by the bedrock rhythm section of bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Dave Bailey, Konitz and guitarist Billy Bauer weave melodies as intricate and ephemeral as spider webs. Rarely is music so profoundly cerebral also so deeply heartfelt. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/tranquility-mw0000765548

Personnel: Lee Konitz – alto saxophone; Billy Bauer – guitar; Henry Grimes – bass; Dave Bailey – drums

Tranquility

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Chuck Hedges - Chicago Live

Styles: Clarinet Jazz 
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:35
Size: 149,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:57)  1. Blue Skies
(6:08)  2. I Want A Little Girl
(6:17)  3. Get Happy
(7:43)  4. Scuttlebutt
(4:48)  5. In A Sentimental Mood
(5:24)  6. I Hear Music
(4:30)  7. Daydream
(5:56)  8. Avalon
(5:17)  9. Sweet And Lovely
(3:28) 10. I Surrender Dear
(7:03) 11. Undecided

Chuck Hedges explained that he wanted this CD to give full credit and exposure to each member of the band and to give the listener a personal experience of how the music sounds in a live concert, undiluted by the technical guru's best intentions. For this he assembled a group of the best veteran Chicago area musicians, all of whom know each other's playing intuitively, and then personally supervised the sound mixing for the desired result. So hitch up your chair on-stage, look out at the live audience and, listen carefully to what it really sounds like to be in the middle of the band where you can hear everything, all of the time. For the full experience, we recommend you listen with your eyes closed and your ears open. In his early 20's Chuck Hedges remembered that he once played clarinet in high school and, wouldn't it be cool if he got it out again to see if he remembered how to play it. Then, apparently he jumped on-stage with some local Chicago guys like George Brunies, Muggsy Spanier and Danny Alvin and headed out on a half-century career which has taken him all over the world and launched him into the ranks of the best jazz clarinetists on planet Earth. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/hedges

Personnel: Clarinet: Chuck Hedges; Guitar: Dave Sullivan; Vibes: Duane Thamm; Piano: Steve Behr; Drums: Charlie Braugham; Bass: John Bany

Chicago Live

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Philip Catherine - End Of August

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:02
Size: 88,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Petit Nicolas
(5:09)  2. Grand Nicolas
(9:26)  3. Janet
(6:17)  4. September Start
(4:57)  5. Goodbye
(2:53)  6. Birth Of August
(3:14)  7. End Of August
(0:50)  8. Presque

An immensely gifted Belgian guitarist, Philip Catherine is a highly regarded performer known for his harmonically nuanced, deeply lyrical playing and crisply rounded fretboard touch. Born in London in 1942 to an English mother and Belgian father, Catherine moved to Brussels with his family at a young age. As a teenager, he became interested in the guitar, influenced at the time by French singer/songwriter and poet George Brassens. By age 14 he was taking lessons, and learning the basic elements of jazz improvisation when he discovered Django Reinhardt. He quickly absorbed the jazz legend's distinctive style, and eventually picked up other influences, including Belgian guitarist René Thomas. He also immersed himself in albums by such luminaries as Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, and others. Catherine began playing gigs while in his teens, working in a trio with American Hammond B-3 specialist Lou Bennett and drummer Oliver Jackson. There were also stints with Belgian saxophonist Jack Sels and Philadelphia-born/Brussels-based drummer Edgar Bateman. In 1970, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty asked him to join his band and, inspired by contemporaries like John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell, Catherine stayed with Ponty for a year, dedicating himself to the progressive fusion sound. Also during this period, he attended formal music classes at Berklee College of Music in Boston. 

After returning to Belgium, Catherine found himself in high demand and developed a bevy of connections, including playing with Klaus Weiss, Les McCann, Karin Krog, Dexter Gordon, and others. As a solo artist, he made his debut with 1971's Stream, a funky, inventive mix of acoustic and electric jazz. He followed up in 1975 with Guitars and September Man, both also highly inventive, fusion-influenced albums. Sessions with Herb Geller, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and Charles Mingus followed, as did a duo tour with guitarist Coryell. Also during the '70s, he paired with close associate saxophonist Charlie Mariano for a handful of sessions, and rounded out the decade with his own Nairam, which also featured Mariano, along with trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg and others. During the '80s, Catherine's profile continued to rise as he released several more well-regarded efforts, including Babel, End of August, and Trio with guitarist Christian Escoude and violinist Didier Lockwood. There also were dates with Aldo Romano, Stéphane Grappelli, and Kenny Drew. Also in the '80s, he gained attention for his work with legendary West Coast trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, touring and appearing on such albums as 1983's Mr. B and 1985's Strollin'. Although his 1986 album, Transparence, layered keyboards into his atmospheric sound, his work with Baker pointed toward a more acoustic-leaning aesthetic. It was a sound he further embraced on 1990's I Remember You. 

Dedicated to Baker (who died in 1989), the album also featured trumpeter/flügelhornist Tom Harrell. Throughout the '90s, Catherine released a steady stream of albums for smaller jazz labels like Enja, Criss Cross, and Dreyfus, including albums like Moods, Vol. 1, Spanish Nights, and 1999's Guitar Groove. In 2001, he returned with Blue Prince, which found him balancing his love of acoustic jazz and electric fusion. Joining him were trumpeter Bert Joris, bassist Hein van de Geyn, and drummer Hans Van Oosterhout. Joris was also on board for 2002's Summer Night. The orchestral album Meeting Colours followed three years later. The more intimate Guitars Two appeared in 2008. He then joined bassist van de Geyn, pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, and drummer Joe La Barbera for the 2010 live album Concert in Capbreton. A year later, he delivered the trio date Plays Cole Porter, followed by 2013's warmly sophisticated Côté Jardin. The duo album New Folks with bassist Martin Wind followed a year later. He then joined the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie for 2015's The String Project: Live in Brussels. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/artist/philip-catherine-mn0000287463/biography

Featuring: Philip Catherine (guitar), Trilok Gurtu (percussions), Charlie Mariano (saxophone), Toots Thielemans (harmonica), Nicolas Fiszman (bass) & electric

End Of August

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Bill Frisell - Gone, Just Like a Train

Styles: Guitar Jazz 
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:56
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:18)  1. Blues for Los Angeles
( 3:10)  2. Verona
( 4:38)  3. Godson Song
( 3:38)  4. Girl Asks Boy - Pt. 1
( 4:12)  5. Pleased to Meet You
(10:20)  6. Lookout for Hope
( 4:58)  7. Nature's Symphony
( 5:07)  8. Egg Radio
( 3:23)  9. Ballroom
( 2:19) 10. Girl Asks Boy - Pt. 2
( 2:51) 11. Sherlock Jr.
( 5:31) 12. Gone, Just Like a Train
( 5:50) 13. The Wife and Kid
( 3:24) 14. Raccoon Cat
( 4:18) 15. Lonesome
( 0:51) 16. Blues for Los Angeles "reprise"

Drawing from all over the musical spectrum, Frisell selects drummer Jim Keltner (best known for his records with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and other rock stars) and bassist Viktor Krauss (a fixture in Lyle Lovett's country band), and comes up with an immensely likable, easy-grooving CD that defies one to put a label on it. If anything, Frisell leans toward a drawling country twang heavily indebted to Chet Atkins in his guitar work here, but there is a freewheeling jazz sensibility at work on every track. Keltner contributes the heavy rock element with his emphatic strokes, occasionally pushing Frisell in that direction on the title track and the lengthy "Lookout for Hope." Yet Keltner is also capable of surprising subtlety, and Krauss provides firm, unflashy underpinning. Above all, this is thoughtful, free-thinking, ear-friendly jamming that was recorded in bustling Burbank, CA. but sounds as if it was laid down in a relaxed cabin in the hills. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/gone-just-like-a-train-mw0000031842

Personnel: Bill Frisell – guitar; Viktor Krauss – bass; Jim Keltner – drums

Gone, Just Like a Train

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The Tierney Sutton Band - ScreenPlay

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:51
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. The Windmills of Your Mind
(4:40)  2. Moon River / Calling You
(4:05)  3. On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
(5:48)  4. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
(4:29)  5. I've Got No Strings
(5:59)  6. If I Only Had a Brain
(5:31)  7. The Sound of Silence
(2:27)  8. Goodbye for Now
(3:23)  9. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
(4:11) 10. Hopelessly Devoted to You
(5:01) 11. You're the One That I Want
(4:20) 12. How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
(2:59) 13. Ev'ry Now and Then
(6:24) 14. It Might Be You
(2:55) 15. Arrow

Cinema-related "standards" have been fertile territory for musicians to harvest ever since Al Jolson walked miles for smiles. With Screenplay, 8-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Tierney Sutton here as the Tierney Sutton Band takes a fascinating retrospective, delivering fifteen tunes we have often heard  but never this creatively. The result is a showcase that is unique, engaging, and in terms of how Sutton, pianist Christian Jacob, bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt and drummer Ray Brinker collectively speak brilliant. "The Windmills of Your Mind" spins slowly with a Brinker cymbal "drone," Jacob's keys sparkling, and Sutton poetic. "Moon River" is paired with the lesser-known "Calling You" in which Sutton's lyric and dynamic delivery is Siren-seductive, drawing us in to both rainbow's end and desert zephyrs. "On a Clear Day" is a swinger with Sutton and Henry whipping up a tempest before a torrid Jacob trip and Brinker burning. Sutton inquires "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" fairly straightforwardly in a stunningly beautiful duo with Jacob. The rarely heard "I've Got No Strings," here a ballad, adds those of guitarist Serge Merlaud to Sutton's truth-telling. With "If I Only Had a Brain" Sutton cooks soulful with funkster Kevin Axt's electric bass and Henry's arco working a savvy complement. Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" plays like a Medieval chanson with Sutton the trobairitz. 

Stephen Sondheim's "Goodbye for Now" is a dark, deep farewell. "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" dazzles with Sutton scat singing over Brinker's Fred Astaire like brushes. "Hopelessly Devoted to You," taken slower than usual, and the rhythmically driving "You're the One That I Want" are interesting no-ham cuts. Alan Bergman makes a cameo appearance with Sutton on "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and it is a touching entendre. Sutton and Jacob haunt on "Ev'ry Now and Then" and "It Might Be You." Both those tracks are gems. "Arrow," which Sutton and Jacob wrote for Clint Eastwood's Sully (Warner Bros. 2016) soundtrack closes the session dream like. Sutton's vocal chops and her phrasing are impeccable. Not only is she dead-on pitch, but, her instrument and the way she handles it across the dynamic spectrum enables her to derive new imagery from the vintage material. The effect is so stunningly beautiful and emotionally profound that it seems as if we are hearing these classics come prima. As expected, the support work of Jacob, Henry, Axt and Brinker is superb. 

Additionally, the arrangements are so creative, so colorfully savvy, that the ensemble takes on the dimension of a "vocalized orchestra."  The Tierney Sutton Band does much more than revive memories. Through the creative efforts of these masterful musicians, glorious melodies and their poetic lyrics are elevated and brilliantly honored. It is an aural Oscar. With Screenplay the play is indeed the thing. ~ Nicholas F. Mondello https://www.allaboutjazz.com/screenplay-tierney-sutton-bfm-jazz-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello.php

Personnel: Tierney Sutton: vocals; Christian Jacob: piano; Kevin Axt: bass; Trey Henry: bass; Ray Brinker: drums/percussion; Serge Merlaud: guitar (5, 12, 14); Alan Bergman: vocals (12).

ScreenPlay

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Courtney Pine - Modern Day Jazz Stories

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:00
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

( 1:24)  1. Prelude - The Water Of Life
( 4:21)  2. The 37th Chamber
( 4:56)  3. Don't 'Xplain
( 8:48)  4. Dah Blessing
( 5:58)  5. In The Garden Of Eden - Thinking Inside Of You
(10:36)  6. Creation Stepper
( 7:33)  7. Absolution
( 3:50)  8. Each One - Must) Teach One
( 6:39)  9. The Unknown Warrior - Song For My Forefathers
( 3:41) 10. I've Known Rivers
( 1:09) 11. Outro - Guiding Light

On his return to Antilles and his debut with the Verve Group, Courtney Pine reaches out to unchartered musical zones, reflecting the sound of the street in a modern mix of pop, hip hop and jazz music. Described as Courtney's most focused album to date, Modern Day Jazz Stories combines the worlds of jazz and hip hop, utilizing the traditional sounds of jazz instruments simultaneously with turntables, but without overdubs. Full album to ship to jazz and college radio. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Jazz-Stories-Courtney-Pine/dp/B000004703

Personnel: Saxophone [Tenor], Saxophone [Soprano], Flute – Courtney Pine; Double Bass – Charnett Moffett; Drums, Percussion – Ronnie Burrage; Guitar – Mark Whitfield; Piano [Acoustic], Organ [Hammond B3] – Geri Allen; Trumpet – Eddie Henderson; Voice – Cassandra Wilson

Modern Day Jazz Stories

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Kellylee Evans - Come On

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:45
Size: 79,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Come On
(3:17)  2. Tell Me What You Like
(3:47)  3. Right To Love
(3:29)  4. Hands Up
(3:52)  5. These Arms
(2:59)  6. Know His Worth
(3:22)  7. Alright Maybe
(3:31)  8. Find Your Heart
(3:41)  9. I Do
(3:36) 10. Unbreakable

Six albums deep and Juno Award winner Kellylee Evans is still shaking it up on Come On, her latest Decca album. The stylistic connoisseur has tackled everything from jazz to R&B and pop in such previous tasty classics fight or flight?, Nina, her Juno-winning tribute to the legendary Nina Simone and I Remember When. Praised by the Latin Jazz Network for a "gorgeous voice (that) rises to the heavens in rapturous wonder as if in consanguinity with a chorus of angels" and by the Yukon Arts Centre for "a stunning crystalline voice, both powerful and emotive," Evans now pushes her muse firmly into the soulful pop territory with Come On: a wonderfully refreshing album about love and life that comes on the heels of two nearly career-ending accidents: a freak lightning strike in her Ottawa kitchen and further effects of a concussion suffered during a fall at her home. However, Evans is nothing if not resilient: the runner-up of the 2004 Thelonious Monk Competition offers views on love and loss in an alluringly rhythmic approach that has touches of psychedelic pop, resonating soul groove and that je ne sais quoi that is strictly Kellylee and forged by her jazz discipline. From the stirring soul-stomper "Come On" which combines an effervescent Motown feel with traces of psychedelia and the funky groove-a-liciousness of "Hands Up" to the string-and-horn-spiced magnetism of "Know His Worth," the 10 songs of Come On find Kellylee at her most magically potent. Produced and co-written by Eric Legnini (Stefano Di Battista), this is post-romantic soul at its finest; a project of strong vision and great execution that signals the return of Kellylee Evans as a bold explorer and interpreter. It only gets better when you experience her live, in her element. Kellylee Evans' time is nigh, and Come On is just the catalyst to get her there. http://www.kellyleeevans.com/bio/

Come On

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Wolfgang Haffner - Zooming

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:41
Size: 128,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:20)  1. Zooming
(5:24)  2. The Day Before Yesterday
(5:54)  3. Trip
(3:57)  4. Somewhere Else
(4:54)  5. Facing West
(6:47)  6. Metropolis
(5:19)  7. Shape of Peace
(4:59)  8. Momo's Dance
(5:43)  9. Seventy Five
(6:19) 10. Corazon

"Besides his virtuosity as an instrumentalist, Wolfgang Haffner is an excellent songwriter, arranger and producer.His current release literally "takes the cake" .He successfully manages to create a convincing blend of innovative sounds, catchy melodies and brilliant group tightness, for the first time, bears purely European traits. Much like the proverbial chef de cuisine, he has taken the creme de la creme of European jazz musicians and formed a dish that has all the makings of a classic recipe: shimmering guitar riffs from Martin Koller, electronic effects by the ultra-manipulated sounds of saxofonist / bass clarinetist as a reminiscent of the best up-to-date Scandinavian productions, a taste of uncompromising rock here and there and naturally well-laced jazz solos at their finest. Till Brönner, Rebekka Bakken and Nils Landgren are among the colourful gang of characters." 

Personnel: Wolfgang Haffner (drums), Johannes Enders (tenor saxophone), Rebekka Bakken (vocals), Till Bronner (trumpet), Nils Landgren (trombone), Vladyslav Sendetzki (keyboards)

Zooming

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Kevin Hays - 7th Sense

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:55
Size: 147,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:50)  1. Take The D Flat Train
(6:57)  2. Seventh Sense
(7:13)  3. Three Pillars
(8:24)  4. My Man's Gone Now
(5:47)  5. Interlude
(7:08)  6. Space Acres
(5:06)  7. Little B's Poem
(7:57)  8. East Of The Sun
(4:33)  9. Makyo
(4:57) 10. Black Narcissus

Pianist Kevin Hays' style mixes together the influences of Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner and he helps define the modern mainstream on this Blue Note disc. The quintet set also features plenty of solo space from vibraphonist Steve Nelson and the excellent tenorman Seamus Blake. 

Opening with three Hays originals and also including Hindermith's "Interlude" (which finds the group sounding a little like the Modern Jazz Quartet) and such standards as "My Man's Gone Now" and "East of the Sun," the music pays tribute to the past without becoming predictable or overly derivative. It's a fine release. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/seventh-sense-mw0000114092

Personnel: Kevin Hays - piano;  Seamus Blake - tenor saxophone; Steve Nelson - vibraphone; Doug Weiss - bass; Brian Blade -drums

7th Sense

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