The Jimmy Cobb Quartet - Jazz in the Key of Blue

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:26
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(5:30)  2. With You I'm Born Again
(5:08)  3. I'll Still Be in Love with You
(4:52)  4. Emily
(5:23)  5. Stairway to the Stars
(4:31)  6. I Had the Craziest Dream
(8:21)  7. Remembering U
(4:12)  8. What Will I Do
(6:25)  9. If Ever I Would Leave You
(4:16) 10. We'll Be Together Again

The 50th anniversary celebrations for Miles Davis's Kind of Blue in 2009 reminded the world that drummer Jimmy Cobb is the last surviving participant from that groundbreaking session. This set is a romantic-standards programme fronted by trumpeter and flugelhornist Roy Hargrove and guitarist Russell Malone, with only the swish of Cobb's understated brushwork testifying to his presence for long stretches. In an era in which such familiar jazz materials are frequently subverted, rhythmically reinvented or morphed into hybrids with other songs, it would be easy to write off this straightahead session as craftsmanlike but out of its time except that something, perhaps respect for Cobb's pedigree, stirs a dazzling inventiveness from the more familiarly funk-and-R&B-inclined Hargrove, and from Malone who sounds like the best of guitarists Charlie Christian, Jim Hall and himself  combined. Hargrove's breathy flugel immediately establishes his captivating poise on Everytime We Say Goodbye over Malone's cushioning chords, and his eruption into a fiercer attack after the delicate opening of With You I'm Born Again is a delicious shock. The trumpeter's New Orleans roots come out over Malone's bent notes and Charlie Christian swing on I Had the Craziest Dream. It shows just how much younger players cherish the standards book, and how unobtrusively a veteran such as Cobb can help them.

… just when we need it the most. Millions of readers around the world are flocking to the Guardian in search of honest, authoritative, fact-based reporting that can help them understand the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetime. But at this crucial moment, news organisations are facing an unprecedented existential challenge. As businesses everywhere feel the pinch, the advertising revenue that has long helped sustain our journalism continues to plummet. We need your help to fill the gap. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to quality news and measured explanation. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from our readers, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.

We have upheld our editorial independence in the face of the disintegration of traditional media with social platforms giving rise to misinformation, the seemingly unstoppable rise of big tech and independent voices being squashed by commercial ownership. The Guardian’s independence means we can set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Our journalism is free from commercial and political bias never influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This makes us different. It means we can challenge the powerful without fear and give a voice to those less heard. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/dec/31/jimmy-cobb-quartet-key-of-blue

R.I.P.
Born: 20. Januar 1929 in Washington, D.C;
Died: 24. Mai 2020 in New York

Jazz in the Key of Blue

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Angela Davis - Little Did They Know

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:29
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:11)  1. Little Did They Know
(6:57)  2. Our Spanish Love Song
(4:48)  3. Pretty Flowers Were Made For Blooming
(5:48)  4. Circuit For Three
(5:41)  5. The Light Between Us
(5:52)  6. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
(7:04)  7. Hymn For Haden
(2:05)  8. Lascia ch’io pianga

Aussie saxophonist Angela Davis arrived just in the nick of time with her third recording Little Did They Know, following up on her introductory The Art of The Melody (Self Produced, 2013) and sophomore effort Lady Luck (Self Produced, 2015). Davis allowed this one to incubate, resulting in a fully evolved project produced by a confident professional who knows exactly what she wants. Opting for the smallest rhythm section possible, bassist Sam Anning and pianist Tony Gould, Davis steers through four original compositions and four pleasant surprises.

The paired-down music frames Davis' warm and delicate alto saxophone tone in a three-dimensional space of quiet where a magical counterpoint takes place. Davis' original title piece is a case in point, where she chooses a simple harmonic scaffolding upon which to hang the subtle filigree of melody, faintly Old-World European and melancholy. 

She addresses Charlie Haden from his collaboration on Ginger Baker's Falling off the Roof (Atlantic, 1996) a humid reading of "Our Spanish Love Song" and Bill Frisell from his Blues Dream (Nonesuch, 2011) on a pastoral "Pretty Flowers Made for Blooming." A brief and beautiful recitation of Handel's "Lascia ch'io pianga" closes this sensitive recital, Davis' tone and approach are effective and direct and it serves her sound. This recording is a quiet interlude in an otherwise busy field. ~C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-artists-june-2019-polly-gibbons-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Little Did They Know

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Enzo Pietropaoli - The Princess

Styles: Contemporary Jazz 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:38
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:01)  1. Jealous Guy
(5:06)  2. A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall
(5:37)  3. Night and Day
(6:18)  4. Scaleno Beat
(7:06)  5. Father Son
(5:11)  6. The Princess
(4:24)  7. Supereroa
(5:35)  8. Philadelphia
(7:52)  9. The End
(4:23) 10. God Only Knows

It can be risky for jazz musicians to play pop songs. They have to navigate the memories that each composition holds for the listener while also making the music distinctive and personal. Miles Davis could do it with Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," and of course Sonny Rollins can make any popular song his own. Add to that list, Enzo Pietropaoli. The bassist has been exploring popular music with his quartet, which has released three volumes of Yatra (Via Vento Jazz). Here he gets more intimate with a piano trio session, performing mostly slow tempos and meditative pieces.

His trio has the same lineup as the Yatra quartet, minus trumpeter Fulvio Sigurta. It comprises pianist Julian Mazzariello, drummer Alessandro Paternesi, and Pietropaoli on double bass. The seven covers and three original tracks on The Princess invite a type of nostalgia, not for the way it was, but for the sense of possibility those particular songs spurred in us when we heard the originals. Take Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows." Played at an achingly decelerated pace, the trio teases out the unsung lyric to great effect, making the Beach Boys into the most romantic band ever. Not your era? Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam wrote "The End," and the trio performs it with the same magic. The formula is consistent here. Pietropaoli has a knack for diving deeper into pop music to reawaken the message. Bob Dylan's warning call "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" is reiterated with Mazzariello's very simple piano lines and Paternesi's brushes. Where an act like The Bad Plus tends toward the overelaborate cover song, this trio favors the understated. Even when they travel back to 1932 for Cole Porter's "Night And Day," there is no hint of saccharine. Just the most gentle swing. Of the three Pietropaoli originals, "Supereroa" is the one composition that reroutes the trio into an up-tempo (think Ahmad Jamal) swing. The title track opens with a bass solo, before walking the same territory as the cover tunes. It's begging for someone (anyone?) to write some lyrics. Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-princess-enzo-pietropaoli-via-veneto-jazz-review-by-mark-corroto.php

Personel: Enzo Pietropaoli: double bass; Julian Mazzariello: piano; Alessandro Paternesi: drums.

The Princess

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Diane Schuur - Running on Faith

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:48
Size: 154,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Walking on a Tightrope
(4:52)  2. The Danger Zone
(4:38)  3. All Blues
(5:52)  4. Something so Right
(7:15)  5. Let It Be
(5:32)  6. The Sun Will Shine on You
(6:51)  7. Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line
(4:59)  8. There is Always One More Time
(6:17)  9. Chicken
(3:30) 10. This Bitter Earth
(4:38) 11. Running on Faith
(4:22) 12. Way over Yonder
(3:33) 13. Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Veteran Diane Schuur writes in liner notes that her CD running on faith is the first time she chose all of the included material. “I’ve been focusing on the condition of our world, about what is, about what can be,” she explains. Her tone is forcefully expressive; numbers are a mixture of singing, parlando, a little preaching, and irrepressible instrumental breaks. Ernie Watts (tenor and soprano sax) and Kye Palmer (trumpet and flugelhorn) are top of the line. “They got me ‘Walkin’ on a Tightrope,’ headin’ for The Twilight Zone” asserts at-ti-tude. Back-end vibrato is an undulating hum. Control of slip/slide octaves makes the rendition her own. Schuur unexpectedly goes high for just a word here and there. Dropped Gs sound natural. Rhythm is infectious. And oh the trumpet! “The Danger Zone” is all dive bar. The vocalist is talking TO us.  Tempo arrives like a rubber-soled, tapped foot. The sax has its way with this tune. (Both songs were written by Percy Mayfield)

Miles Davis’ “All Blues” became iconic as an instrumental. The lyrics, though minimal, may be a revelation. Muted horn glides. Thom Rotella’s quick-fingered guitar goes for the gut. Musicians are all in. “Let It Be” (Paul McCartney) begins halting. Just when I dread the band laying siege, expecting loss of uncluttered openness, the tune takes off with evangelical abandon. (Still, I’d love to hear the accompaniment cut to the bone.) The cynical “Everything Looks Good at the Starting Line” (Paul W. Thorn/William M. Maddox), with back-up vocals, straddles gospel and blues. An extended instrumental has the feel of a New Orleans marching band. You can almost see Schuur’s head nodding “no.” She comments from experience. In direct contrast, “This Bitter Earth” (Clyde L. Otis) conjures satin and a spotlight. Circling brushes (Kendall Kay), delicate piano (Schuur), and nodding bass (Bruce Lett) make the palpably melancholy song more smoothly lyrical than others in the collection. “Running on Faith” (Jerry Lynn Williams) and “Way Over Yonder” (Carole King) are gospel without the flash. The first muses with sincerity, the second, pours like molasses. Both seem personal. Schuur closes with a gorgeous, minimalist piano rendition of the traditional “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Did I say gorgeous? Good listening, fully fleshed character, fine musicianship. Cohesive arrangements have clear intention. We get it. http://cabaretscenes.org/2020/03/26/diane-schuur-running-on-faith/

Running on Faith

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Craig Brann - A Conversation Between Brothers

Styles: Guitar Jazz 
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Johnny B Goode
(4:29)  2. Poetic
(6:17)  3. Folksong for Ethan
(6:08)  4. Dorothy's Welcome
(5:09)  5. Glory! No Pleading the Fifth
(6:08)  6. Isle of View
(7:44)  7. Reinventing Something Round
(6:28)  8. Keith-Ar
(6:25)  9. A Conversation Between Brothers
(6:32) 10. Autumn Trane
(4:06) 11. Faux Pass

"The cream always rises to the top. So it follows that guitarist Craig Brann would then be the crème de la crème and has firmly established his place at the table of NYC jazz cats." ~ Mark Corroto (All About Jazz)

During the mid-nineties, Brann came to the NYC-area from rural Maine to attend William Paterson University's jazz program under the artistic direction of Rufus Reid, James Williams and other masters and later graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta. He has studied with many wonderful educators including John Foss, David Demsey, Tony Gaboury, Bob Thompson, Steve Grover, Richard Nelson, Paul Meyers, James Weidman, Rich Derosa, and Don Braden, however, his education was not limited to formal environments. At the same time, Smalls Jazz Club was in its nascent boom of a creative community. With weekly residencies by Kurt Rosenwinkel, Sam Yahel, Josh Redman, Brian Blade, Chris Potter, Omer Avital, Avishai Cohen, etc.  including late-night jam sessions hosted by Sasha Perry with guests like Roy Hargrove Smalls provided Brann a whole 'nother world of learning. Later, these same luminaries Mark Turner, Greg Tardy, Joel Weiskopf, and Matt Wilson would join him on the bandstand and on various recordings.   

Since his arrival in NYC, guitarist Craig Brann has quietly and steadily established himself as one of the elite players of his generation. Now Brann has residencies and regular performances throughout NYC (Smalls, Bar Next Door, Tomi Jazz, Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola @ Jazz at Lincoln Center, etc). The band may include the mentors above or other seasoned greats such as Seamus Blake, Donny McAslin, Rudy Royston, his fellow WPU alums Nick Morrison, Freddie Hendrix, Ethan Herr, Sam Barsh, and Johnathan Blake, or rising stars like John Raymond or Sanah "Hawk Eyes" Kadoura. Brann lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Rebeccah Hope, and their four children: Tehilah ('07), Irving ('09), Verdinah, ('13), and Dorothy ('15). He has recorded 5 albums for SteepleChase: Advent(ure) ('12), Mark My Words ('14), Conversation Between Brothers ('16), Lineage ('18), and The Twelve ('19). https://www.craigbrann.com/bio

Personnel: Bass – Nick Morrison (5); Drums – Matt Wilson; Guitar – Craig Brann

A Conversation Between Brothers

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Sinéad O'Connor - Am I Not Your Girl?

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:41
Size: 110,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:30)  1. Why Don't You Do Right
(6:15)  2. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(2:56)  3. Secret Love
(3:20)  4. Black Coffee
(4:27)  5. Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home
(5:35)  6. Don't Cry for Me Argentina
(2:45)  7. I Want to Be Loved by You
(3:54)  8. Gloomy Sunday
(3:06)  9. Love Letters
(3:26) 10. How Insensitive
(4:12) 11. Scarlet Ribbons
(5:10) 12. Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Instrumental

Based on Sinéad O'Connor's version of "You Do Something to Me" (a highlight on the Red Hot + Blue album), an album of pop standards performed with a big band might have actually worked. At times, such as on "Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," Am I Not Your Girl? does work. However, O'Connor runs into trouble with acknowledged standards and songs heavily identified with other vocalists. She doesn't offer a new perspective on these songs, and her airy voice is buried by overwrought string arrangements. Plus, there's O'Connor's bizarre two-minute rant on love, hatred, herself, and the Catholic Church. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/am-i-not-your-girl-mr0001306918

Am I Not Your Girl?

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Andrea Tessa - Tribute

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:53
Size: 149,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:09)  1. The Nearness of You
(5:51)  2. Willow Weep for Me
(6:06)  3. My One and Only Love
(6:25)  4. The Way You Look Tonight
(6:03)  5. Cry Me a River
(5:30)  6. New York State of Mind
(3:34)  7. The Man I Love
(5:01)  8. La mentira -Se te olvida-
(5:43)  9. Someone to Wach Over Me
(4:34) 10. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:53) 11. My Funny Valentine
(5:00) 12. Yellow Days (La mentira)

Andrea Tessa Vergara (born 1961,Santiago) is a Chilean singer-songwriter, TV presenter and actress of Italian descent. Daughter of the operatic soprano Victoria Vergara Olguín and Patricio Tessa Marchant. She studied at Scuola Italiana de Santiago.She started her musical career in 1979, singing "Decir te Quiero" in Viña del Mar International Song Festival, a song written by Scottie Scott, winning for "Best Interpreter".Her first album was Páginas (1996), followed by Equipaje Clandestino (2002), Tribute (2007) and Leaving Home (2008) which won Best Album of the Year in the 2011 APES awards.She was the host of the television show Más Música from 1984–1992. In 1989 she debuted as an actress in the TV movie Bravo. She appeared as the vocal coach of the Italian chorus (Italian immigrants or descendents) in the TV show Todos a Coro hosted by Rafael Araneda and Karen Doggenweiler. She and her chorus won second place. https://peoplepill.com/people/andrea-tessa/

Tribute

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Jimmy Cobb - This I Dig of You

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:53
Size: 154,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. This I Dig of You
(6:51)  2. Blood Wolf Moon Blues
(6:38)  3. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(4:58)  4. My Old Flame
(7:05)  5. Cheese Cake
(8:03)  6. Edward Lee
(6:22)  7. Somewhere in the Night
(6:35)  8. Yesterdays
(8:13)  9. I'll Wait and Pray
(6:17) 10. Full House

Is there a ride cymbal more integral to solid groove-making on more jazz recordings and performances than the one(s) played by drummer Jimmy Cobb, the last surviving musician from the sessions for Miles’ Kind of Blue? Cobb, also heard with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley over the decades, creates a special kind of graceful, creative, forward-moving swing when he locks in with a bassist and rhythm section (as I discovered firsthand, playing with the master trappist at a 2000 memorial concert for Nat Adderley in Florida). At 90, Cobb still has it, as he handily demonstrates on This I Dig of You, leading and driving a quartet on an uncluttered, frills-free program dominated by standards, some of which he’s been playing for decades. For these warmly recorded, intimate-sounding recordings, he’s joined by several musicians with whom he’s previously collaborated: pianist Harold Mabern and two former students of Cobb’s at the New School in New York, bassist John Webber and guitarist Peter Bernstein.

As a soloist, Cobb shines most when he’s most in the moment, directly responding to rhythmic and harmonic ideas tossed up by bandmates, as during the trading-bars sections on the title track, a fast-moving hard bop tune by Hank Mobley, and “Yesterdays,” a Cobb favorite. His deft touch as a ballad player enlivens “My Old Flame,” and he reinvigorates two tunes for which he drummed on the original recordings: Wes Montgomery’s bluesy “Full House,” one of several showcases for Bernstein’s agile, sometimes provocative soloing, and the Coltrane-associated “I’ll Wait and Pray.” Bernstein’s laidback “Blood Wolf Moon Blues,” which features a particularly buoyant improvisation by Webber, is the sole new original on the album, which also includes Mabern’s soul-jazz gem “Edward Lee,” in honor of Lee Morgan. Of This we dig. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/jimmy-cobb-this-i-dig-of-you-smoke-sessions/

Personnel: Drums – Jimmy Cobb;  Bass – John Webber; Guitar – Peter Bernstein; Piano – Harold Mabern

R.I.P.
Born: 20. Januar 1929 in Washington, D.C;
Died: 24. Mai 2020 in New York

This I Dig of You

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Angela Davis - The Art of The Melody

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:36
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. 41 St Nick
(6:58)  2. We're All Alone
(5:40)  3. Annie Laurie
(6:42)  4. The Road To Montgomery
(8:13)  5. Conscientia
(7:50)  6. Crazy She Calls Me
(4:34)  7. Joana's Waltz
(3:56)  8. Martha
(4:04)  9. Smile

Saxophonist and All About Jazz contributor Angela Davis has made it official, releasing her debut recording, The Art of The Melody. Davis joins a growing legion of female reeds players that includes Sharel Cassity, Alisha Pattillo, Virginia Mayhew, Claire Daly, and Mercedes Figueras, who are flexing their respective chops in the ravenous particles of digital music. Concentrating on alto saxophone for this recording, Davis immediately channels the dry ice-and-gin tone established in the early 1950s by the young Art Pepper and Paul Desmond. Her tone is even and narrow, uniformly dense throughout its spectrum. Think of a Bombay Sapphire martini, straight up, with an olive; expand that metaphor, and you get the idea. But that is just her tone. Davis' choice of repertoire spans some 300 years, between the Scottish folk song "Annie Laurie" and those originals more recently composed. Davis crosses jazz styles effortlessly, transitioning from her bebop-oriented "41. St Nick" into an adult contemporary acoustic treatment of Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone." 

Her band is as style-pliant as she is, featuring noted bassist Linda May Han Oh, whose own Initial Here (Self Produced, 2013) could not be more different than the present recital. All members take Davis' lead, producing an integrated 1950s-style blowing session in the 21st Century. This music is lean and trim, well conceived from beginning to end. The traditional "Annie Laurie" is given a John Coltrane quartet arrangement, transformed into a modern ballad. Tom Waits' "Martha" is organic in presentation, Chris Ziemba's churchy piano sweeping along Davis' dry "wounded bird" alto into its melodic flight on this beautiful and neglected song. Yes, Frank Morgan makes his influential appearance in Davis' pedigree. That tone is continued on Chaplin's "Smile," played as a duet between Davis and Oh, a pairing from whom we might want to hear again in the future. ~ C. Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-art-of-the-melody-angela-davis-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Angela Davis: saxophone; Chris Ziemba: piano; Linda Oh: bass; Rajiv Jayaweera: drums. 

The Art of The Melody

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Abbey Lincoln - Devil's Got Your Tongue

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:00
Size: 162,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Rainbow
(7:08)  2. Evalina Coffey (The Legend Of)
(5:34)  3. Story Of My Father
(6:25)  4. A Child Is Born
(6:18)  5. People In Me
(6:00)  6. A Circle Of Love
(6:16)  7. Jungle Queen
(7:53)  8. The Merry Dancer
(5:54)  9. Devil's Got Your Tongue
(7:53) 10. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
(5:50) 11. The Music Is The Magic

This 1992 album was Abbey Lincoln's third for Verve and another fine display of her musical vision. The set consists primarily of her own compositions. The arrangements vary throughout, depending on the needs of each song. Lincoln is supported by her core trio, with guest spots by trombonist J.J. Johnson, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, the Staple Singers, and the Noel Singers, a group made up of children. Lincoln revisits a couple numbers from earlier in her career, "Rainbow" and "People in Me." Her interpretive skills and emotional commitment to the material are such that she can even take on a familiar standard like "A Child Is Born" and make it her own. It's gratifying to see a major jazz label allowing Lincoln's musical vision to flourish and grow. https://www.allmusic.com/album/devils-got-your-tongue-mw0000617623

Personnel: Vocals – Abbey Lincoln;  Ashiko [Ashiko Drum] – Kehinde O'Uhuru; Bass – Marcus McLaurine; Djembe [Djembe Drum], Agogô [Agogo Bells] – Sule O'Uhuru; Drums – Grady Tate, Yoron Israel; Drums [Ngoma, Djembe, Ashiko, Sekere] – Babatunde Olatunji; Piano – Rodney Kendrick

Devil's Got Your Tongue

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Dani Klein, Sal La Rocca - Dani Sings Billie

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:46
Size: 85,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. Comes Love
(3:03)  2. Do Your Duty
(2:30)  3. Having Myself A Time
(4:01)  4. Baby Get Lost
(2:31)  5. A Fine Romance
(2:28)  6. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (and Throw Away the Key)
(3:28)  7. Summertime
(2:28)  8. Getting Some Fun Out Of Life
(3:45)  9. Weep No More
(2:45) 10. You Let Me Down
(3:01) 11. I'm Painting The Town Red
(3:25) 12. God Bless The Child

Together with Sal La Rocca (bass), William Lecomte (piano) and Tim De Jonghe (trumpet) Dani sings Billie. The three renown jazz musicians and Dani will be releasing I’m gonna lock my heart as the first single on Friday June 19th. For the upcoming album Dani Klein has selected her feel-good favorites from the valuable repertoire of the legendary Billie Holiday. All songs recorded mixed & produced @ studio "Elle" Brussels (BE) in may-july 2015 by Pascale Snoeck, Sal La Rocca & Dani Klein. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/dani-klein-and-sal-la-rocca-dani-sings-billie-sal-la-rocca

Dani Sings Billie

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Stephen Riley - Friday the 13th

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:50
Size: 158,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:25)  1. Love For Sale
(10:49)  2. Four
( 8:58)  3. Freedom Jazz Dance
( 5:11)  4. Friday The 13th
( 6:38)  5. Hoe Down
( 7:20)  6. Round About Midnight
( 8:53)  7. Our Man Higgins
( 6:13)  8. Willisee
( 5:18)  9. Gingerbread Boy

Several subjective connotations are gleanable from the title of saxophonist Stephen Riley’s latest album as a leader for Steeplechase. First, there’s the numerical reference reflecting his thirteenth session as a leader for the Danish label. More transparently, Friday the 13th is a Thelonious Monk composition, at once part of the program and reflective of Riley’s open-ended approach to the pieces selected for the project in sum. It’s also a sardonic (if probably unintentional) metaphor for the past four luckless years of American political life. Riley’s brand of jazz has always been the opposite of that disastrously fractious debacle, and instead ripe with amicable collaboration, inquisitive exploration, and equity-minded improvisation. Only eighteen-months have elapsed since Riley’s band hit the studio, but the gestation period for the date may still feel painfully protracted for anyone familiar with the players. Riley and cornetist Kirk Knuffke have been circling around the promise of a piano-free quartet encounter for years. The tenorist’s early recordings emphasized bass and drums accompaniment and his last added the trumpet of Joe Magnarelli to an already potent crew. Knuffke had something of unrelated dry run eight-years ago in the company of elder Ted Brown, a tenorist whose sound has much in common with Riley by way of Warne Marsh. The two played together on a steady string of projects under the leadership of guitarist Pierre Dørge, and vocalists Allegra Levy and Steve Herring before finally landing in the studio in undiluted association.

The collective strength of the program’s nine pieces makes the delay behind this occasion almost instantly forgivable. Tonally and harmonically, Riley and Knuffke are like siblings separated at birth. Each ekes exacting, breath-suffused phrasing from his instrument that is saturated in striated textures and billowy warmth. The opening tandem salvos on “Love for Sale” are the first of many examples of just how well they mesh in the complementary investigation of a melodic line. “Four” is even more intentionally diffuse on the surface as a loose string of diaphanous solos starting with a richly nuanced Riley soliloquy reveals an umbrella logic in execution grounded by bassist Jay Anderson’s shading and shadow commentary. Knuffke absorbs it all patiently before taking talkative wing himself on the tail end. Eddie Harris’ “Freedom Jazz Dance,” “Oliver Nelson’s “Hoe Down,” and Dewey Redman’s “Willisee” almost sound like classic Ornette Coleman performances in terms of the amount of melodic equilibrium achieved between the players. Drummer Billy Drummond’s propulsive snare rolls kick off the former, supporting a staggered statement of the theme by the horns that’s plump with playful swagger and deceptively slippery in terms of rhythmic center. The Nelson tune is bright and bouncy, too, with a barn dance vamp giving way to another Riley reverie built from cotton candy phrases that glom together into a confectionary aural gestalt. Knuffke and Riley are a directly collaborative pairing now and their partnership politely demands many more dates like this one. ~ Derek Taylor https://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/616199901347545088/stephen-riley-friday-the-13th-steeplechase

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Stephen Riley; Trumpet – Kirk Knuffke;  Bass – Jay Anderson; Drums – Billy Drummond

Friday the 13th

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Craig Brann - Mark My Words

Styles: Guitar Jazz 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:02
Size: 156,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:34)  1. Hindsight
( 5:31)  2. The Late Pope
( 7:32)  3. B(ro) Blues
( 8:46)  4. Astral
( 8:01)  5. Still
( 7:35)  6. Turner-Round
( 5:11)  7. Providence
(12:46)  8. What, Though?
( 7:01)  9. Mark My Words

Craig Brann (born April 3, 1978 in Whitefield , Maine is an American jazz musician ( guitar , composition ) of modern jazz . Brann moved from his hometown Windsor in rural Maine to New York City in 1996, where he has been active in the jazz scene there ever since. Under his own name, he presented several albums at SteepleChase ; his debut album Advent (ure) was recorded in mid-2011 with Nicholas Kozak (alto saxophone), Gregory Tardy (tenor and soprano), Joel Weiskopf (piano), Nicholas Morrison (Bass) and Jaimeo Brown (drums). Tenor saxophonist Mark Turner contributed to his publication Mark My Words ; A Conversation Between Brothers , Brann's third album, was created in a trio with bassist Morrison and drummer Matt Wilson. In 2017 he recorded the album Lineage in a quintet line-up . a. with trumpeter John Raymond. He is currently (2019) leading a quintet that includes Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Ethan Herr (piano), Nick Morrison (bass) and Sanah Kadoura (drums). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Brann

Personnel: Craig  Brann - guitar; Mark Turner - saxophone; Gregory Tardy - tenor sax, bass clarinet; Nicholas Kozak - alto sax; Nick Morrison -  bass; Rudy Royston -  drums

Mark My Words

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Katrine Madsen - Winter Sun

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:13
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Alfie
(5:56)  2. Both Sides Now
(2:58)  3. Winter Sun
(6:20)  4. A Lovely Summer's Dream
(6:00)  5. Send in the Clowns
(4:22)  6. Traveler
(6:40)  7. In Your Embrace
(4:48)  8. You Are so Beautiful

Winter Sun is a pure solo project in which Katrine Madsen accompanies herself on the grand piano, and this is the first time the singer with the warm and hearty voice chooses to provide both vocals and music. On her previous albums Katrine Madsen has always performed with orchestras of varying size and composition. With 'Winter Sun', she takes a step away from this setup and places herself in the group of jazz vocalists who, through time, have accompanied themselves. And on the record you can find inspiration from singers such as Shirley Horn and Ernestine Anderson, while Katrine Madsen's compositions lead listeners' thoughts on musicians such as Toots Thielemans and Bill Evans. The repertoire of 'Winter Sun', recorded in 'The Village Recording', is a mix of American song tax classics and compositions. Translate by Google https://www.gatewaymusicshop.dk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1563

Winter Sun

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Andrea Tessa - Jazzy!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:15
Size: 100,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. Arthur's Theme
(3:58)  2. Comecar de Novo
(3:56)  3. You Can Leave Your Hat On
(3:26)  4. So In Love
(3:33)  5. Holding Back The Years
(6:06)  6. Caruso
(4:40)  7. I Just Wanna Stop
(3:16)  8. Sentencia
(4:20)  9. You Don't Know Me
(5:31) 10. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar

Singer Andrea Tessa debuted in 1979 while representing Chile at Viña del Mar's Festival with a song called "Decir te Quiero," composed by Scottie Scott. An appearance on a TV show called Lunes Gala performing "Lost Love Concerto" soon followed. Andrea Tessa's spontaneous and sparkling personality allowed her to get a deal hosting a TV show called Estudio 26 and in 1984, Más Música, becoming the first Chilean VJ. In 1989, the artist played a role in a soap opera called Bravo, acting along with Latin star Roberto Vander and local Bastián Bodenhofer. In 1994, following one of her priorities, Andrea Tessa recorded Páginas, an album produced by Juan Carlos Duque. ~ Drago Bonacich https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrea-tessa-mn0002303239

Jazzy!

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Helen Merrill - Dream Of You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:41
Size: 92,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:35)  1. People Will Say We're In Love
(3:24)  2. By Myself
(4:11)  3. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is My Home
(3:34)  4. I've Never Seen
(3:02)  5. He Was Too Good To Me
(3:10)  6. A New Town Is A Blue Town
(3:26)  7. You're Lucky To Me
(2:46)  8. Where Flamingos Fly
(2:55)  9. Dream Of You
(4:08) 10. I'm A Fool To Want You
(3:09) 11. I'm Just A Lucky So And So
(3:16) 12. Troubled Waters

One thing that set Helen Merrill apart from other '50s jazz singers was her acutely dramatic vocal style. Her earnest phrasing, elongated notes, and incandescent tone might even strike the contemporary listener as qualities more appropriate for the Broadway stage than a jazz club. On 1955's Dream of You, though, Merrill found reconciliation, sounding both melodramatic and swinging within Gil Evans' darkly spacious, yet economical arrangements. Suitably, torchy ballads are prominent. On the somewhat grandiose side there's "Where Flamingos Fly" and "I'm a Fool to Want You," which find Merrill in a pensive mood amidst a variety of tempo and timbre shifts. More subdued ground is covered on "I've Never Seen" and "He Was Too Good to Me." Briskly swinging numbers like "People Will Say We're in Love," "By Myself," and "You're Lucky to Me" balance the program and feature the demure, yet fluid delivery Merrill favored on fast numbers. What is most impressive on this date is a group of sultry, medium tempo numbers including "Anyplace I Lay My Hat Is Home," "Just a Lucky So and So," and in particular "A New Town Is a Blue Town." The programmatic quality of Merrill's coyly sensual voice and Evans' slightly askew, bubbling reeds and languid rhythm conjure up dramatic, balmy southern scenes á la Tennessee Williams. In the picturesque arrangements one also hears the seeds of Evans' own future collaborations with Miles Davis. Even though her collaborations with Clifford Brown and others are great recordings, this one with Gil Evans shows off more of Merrill's expressive vocal talents, due in no small part to the sympathetic and urbane arrangements. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/dream-of-you-mw0000090446

Personnel: Helen Merrill - vocals;  Gil Evans - arranger, conductor;  John LaPorta - clarinet, alto saxophone;  Jerome Richardson - flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Danny Bank - baritone saxophone;  Art Farmer, Louis Mucci - trumpet;  Jimmy Cleveland, Joe Bennett - trombone;  Hank Jones - piano;  Janet Putnam - harp; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Oscar Pettiford - double bass;  Joe Morello - drums

Dream Of You

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V.A. - Maestros of Cool : A Tribute To Steely Dan Vol. 1 And Vol. 2

Styles: Jazz-Rock, Fusion
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 129:11
Size: 298,6 MB
Art: Front

 1. Nathan Haines - Fm ( 4:39)
 2. Stereo - Remember ( 5:02)
 3. Debbie Deane - Any World ( 4:08)
 4. Raw Stylus - 37 Hours ( 5:24)
 5. Nash Kato - Dirty Work ( 3:37)
 6. Pam Bricker - Home At Last ( 4:58)
 7. Tony Gallo - Black Cow ( 5:39)
 8. GrooveTHing - The Fez ( 5:30)
 9. David Garfield - Josie ( 5:40)
10. Carl Orr - Tomorrow's Girls ( 4:21)
11. Liquid Blue - Rikki Don't Lose That Number ( 4:44)
12. Jango - Joyful Caravan ( 4:33)
13. David Garfield - Babylon Sisters ( 6:26)
14. Chuck Loeb - Maxine ( 5:26)
15. Don Braden - Kid Charlemagne ( 6:38)
16. hr-Bigband - Pretzel Logic ( 5:26)
17. Justin Morell - My Rival ( 4:47)
18. Abebi Stafford - Green Earrings ( 4:09)
19. Gustavo Assis-Brasil - Aja ( 7:02)
20. Stolen Van - Aves of Altamira ( 5:40)
21. Alex Gunia & Philipp Van Endert - Third World Man ( 6:45)
22. Cornelius Bumpus - Chain Lightning ( 5:06)
23. Ben Lacy - Hey Nineteen ( 3:16)
24. Trinity - Steal It Again Dan (10:04)

A fabulous compilation of cover versions of songs from Steely Dan, MAESTROS OF COOL is far too good for the tribute album stamp. What we've got here is a compilation disc featuring an incredibly wide assemblage of musicians, most of whom, although likely unknown to listeners, have not only been influenced by Steely Dan, but have gone on to create spectacular and unique music that ventures far beyond that of their mentors. 24 tracks on 2 CDs with artists from the USA, Europe and Australia. Featured artists include Donald Fagin, Bernard Purdie, Randy Brecker, John Patitucci and Dave Weckl. https://www.amazon.com/Maestros-Cool-Tribute-Steely-Dan/dp/B000H8SE58

Maestros of Cool: A Tribute To Steely Dan

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Sammy Davis Jr.- A Man Called Adam

Styles: Soundtracks, Jazz 
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:56
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. Main Title - All That Jazz
(3:22)  2. I Want To Be Wanted (Song)
(2:06)  3. Go Now
(3:09)  4. Someday Sweetheart (Song)
(3:17)  5. Ain't I
(3:55)  6. Soft Touch
(2:57)  7. Claudia
(3:06)  8. All That Jazz (Song)
(5:09)  9. Back Of Town Blues (Song)
(3:57) 10. Night Walk
(3:16) 11. Whisper To One (Song)
(3:55) 12. Claudia
(2:54) 13. Crack Up (Playboy Theme)
(1:46) 14. All That Jazz (Song)

FSM revives the "Retrograde Records" label for its first new release since 1998: A Man Called Adam, a classic jazz album as well as movie soundtrack. A Man Called Adam (1966) was an independent production starring Sammy Davis Jr. as a troubled jazz trumpet player, costarring Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis and ratpacker Peter Lawford. Louis Armstrong and Mel Torme appear in the film and on the soundtrack album as does the famously versatile Davis. Adam was notable for its prominence of African Americans both in front of and behind the camera (it was produced by Ike Jones, an associate of Nat "King" Cole). The film's composer was Benny Carter (1907-2003), who may be little-known to soundtrack collectors, but was a hugely respected jazz artist as well as a pioneering figure for African Americans in fact, the first black composer to receive screen credit for an original score for television (on M Squad). Carter worked on numerous classic musicals of the 1940s and '50s and became, on A Man Called Adam, one of only a small number of African Americans to score a motion picture.

The musical requirements of A Man Called Adam called almost entirely for jazz source music, particularly that for the lead character's band (the reason we are issuing it on our Retrograde label). Carter composed and arranged a variety of small band numbers, taking care to achieve not only musical excellence but story appropriateness in reflecting the on-screen performers. ("Night Walk," track 10, is the only score cue on the CD.) The studio musicians include Nat Adderley (who "ghosted" Davis's trumpet performances), Bill Berry, Kai Winding, Tyree Glenn, Junior Mance, Billy Kyle, Buster Bailey, Danny Barcelona and Jo Jones. Original lyrics are by Al Stillman. Unavailable since the Reprise Records LP in 1966, A Man Called Adam is a jazz classic soundtrack with historical significance, and has been remixed here from the three and four-track master tapes for excellent stereo sound. Liner notes are by Jon Burlingame, documenting the film, Carter's importance, and the various selections. https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/382/Man-Called-Adam-A/

A Man Called Adam

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Wolfgang Muthspiel, Scott Colley, Brian Blade - Angular Blues

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:54
Size: 124,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:20)  1. Wondering
(5:55)  2. Angular Blues
(5:15)  3. Hüttengriffe
(7:42)  4. Camino
(3:50)  5. Ride
(6:52)  6. Everything I Love
(7:41)  7. Kanon in 6/8
(3:34)  8. Solo Kanon in 5/4
(5:41)  9. I'll Remember April

Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's fourth leader date for ECM Records and his second trio outing for that storied imprint, following Driftwood (ECM Records, 2014) is a marvel of ingenious interplay, musical sensitivity and absolute sincerity. Joining forces with drummer Brian Blade, a longtime band mate, and bassist Scott Colley, a playing partner from the '90s, Muthspiel delves into the deepest recesses of his mind and sound, delivering a program which is as absorbing as it is refreshing.  Recorded in Tokyo after a three-night, six-set run at that city's Cotton Club, Angular Blues provides a picture of an outfit which is at once relaxed and attentive. The opener "Wondering," with Colley's warm and wide bass in a featured role is marked by gossamer graces and substantial suggestions, as all three parties weave and dance in five while taking to shadows and light. Switching gears with the title track, Muthspiel and company actively engage in somewhat evasive maneuvers, which have a quirky brilliance and mercurial character all their own, while owing acknowledged debts to both Chick Corea's Three Quartets (Warner Music, 1981) and the music of Thelonious Monk. Then, trading in shifty ideals for pure beauty, the trio delivers the soothing "Hüttengriffe." With gorgeous slow-flow aesthetics and a less-is-more outlook, it's easily one of the most attractive tunes on the record (and in Muthspiel's entire catalog).

Muthspiel works with acoustic guitar on that opening third of the album a choice which adds to the quiet and nuanced draw of the music but electric guitar owns the remainder of the program. In some places when he comps behind Colley on "Camino," for example the difference is almost unnoticeable. But the subtle boost in presence, timbre and tonal sustain all become a bit more apparent when he's out front there and in feistier settings, like "Ride." Ultimately, though, Muthspiel's personality remains intact and persuasive, regardless of which instrument he chooses to use. While Angular Blues focuses on original music with those first five numbers, the dynamic "Kanon in 6/8" and the mesmerizing "Solo Kanon in 5/4" all originating from Muthspiel's pen and mind the guitarist breaks from the norm of his previous ECM efforts by including a pair of standards in this set. "Everything I Love," with one of Colley's most memorable solos and some playful trading with Blade, and the album-ending "I'll Remember April," prioritizing melody and vibe, both prove to be standouts and complementary inclusions.
 

Calling this Muthspiel's strongest set for Manfred Eicher's lauded label may downplay the strengths of its forerunners, but that doesn't make it any less true. Angular Blues, both aligned with and apart from that which precedes it, is a winner through and through. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/angular-blues-wolfgang-muthspiel-ecm-records

Personnel: Wolfgang Muthspiel: guitar; Scott Colley: bass, acoustic; Brian Blade: drums.

Angular Blues

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Halie Loren - After Dark

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:03
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. After Dark
(4:27)  2. Waters of March
(4:17)  3. Gray to Grand
(4:28)  4. La Vie En Rose
(4:17)  5. Thirsty
(4:06)  6. Bye Bye Blackbird
(5:50)  7. Ode To Billie Joe
(3:53)  8. Tango Lullaby
(4:17)  9. Beyond the Sea
(3:38) 10. In a Sentimental Mood
(4:36) 11. Happier Than the Morning Sun
(4:35) 12. Give Me One Reason
(4:38) 13. It's You
(3:56) 14. Time to Say Goodbye

Halie Loren conceives a new style of jazz singer on her fourth album, After Dark. While the lively alto is not averse to putting her own stamp on evergreens like "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "In a Sentimental Mood," her conception also extends to songs borrowed from various branches of the pop/rock era including folk-rock singer/songwriters (Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" and Joni Mitchell's "Carey"), pop/R&B (Stevie Wonder's "Happier Than the Morning Sun"), and country-pop (Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe"). She is also willing to take on material closely associated with notable interpreters (Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March," Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose"), and to mix in the occasional composition of her own. The package is not as eclectic as all that might make it seem, since Loren sticks to one of two sets of backup musicians, either cutting in her own studio in Eugene, Oregon, with her stage trio (pianist Matt Treder, bassist Mark Schneider, and percussionist Brian West) or outside Nashville with such noted local jazzers as guitarist Jack Jezzro and bassist Jim Ferguson. They find the jazz feel in such seemingly unlikely material as "Ode to Billie Joe," given a bass/drums accompaniment with some sax work by Bryan Cumming, and "Give Me One Reason," which actually is simple enough to provide a platform for improvisation. Throughout, Loren sings with a light touch, even when she's dipping into Portuguese, French, or Italian. When she takes on the classical crossover standard "Time to Say Goodbye," the nominal closing song ("Carey" is billed as a "bonus track"), it has none of the histrionics applied by the likes of Andrea Bocelli. Loren and her musicians never lose sight of their duty to entertain, and that keeps this lengthy, varied set floating along to its conclusion. ~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-dark-mw0002073052

Personnel: Vocals – Halie Loren, John Shipe (2) (tracks: 9); Baritone Saxophone – Bryan Cumming; Bass, Backing Vocals – Mark Schneider (6); Cello – Dale Bradley; Clarinet – Denis Solee (tracks: 9); Drums, Percussion – Brian West (2); Piano – Matt Treder

After Dark

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