Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Della Reese - Della Della Cha Cha Cha

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:19
Size: 75,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
(2:50)  2. Come-On-A-My House
(2:46)  3. Why Don't You Do Right
(2:41)  4. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(2:28)  5. Let's Do It
(3:14)  6. Whatever Lola Wants
(2:41)  7. Daddy
(2:09)  8. Tea For Two
(3:17)  9. Always True To You In My Fashion
(2:38) 10. It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
(2:15) 11. There's A Small Hotel
(2:22) 12. Love For Sale

Della Reese was an American singer, actress, as well as an ordained minister. She is remembered for her memorable jazz and gospel singing. Della started her career at an early age as a singer, and during the late 1960s, she started acting as well and became one of the most popular television personalities in the ensuing years. Reese was known for her gospel and jazz music and she released 18 studio albums during her extensive career. Some of her top hit singles like ‘And That Reminds Me’ and ‘Don't You Know?’ featured in the US Top 100 and US Cashbox charts. She was nominated for the Grammy Award thrice in her career. As an actress, she was much acclaimed for her role of ‘Tess’ in the American supernatural drama television series ‘Touched by an Angel’ that ran on CBS between 1994 and 2003. She also appeared in several other television films and shows in her illustrious career, including the likes of ‘Harlem Nights’, ‘A Thin Line Between Love and Hate’, ‘Nightmare in Badham County ‘, ‘Chico and the Man’, and ‘If I Had Known I Was a Genius.’..More... https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/della-reese-30272.php

Della Della Cha Cha Cha

John Dimartino - Passion Flower

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:47
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Johnny Come Lately
(4:20)  2. Lush Life
(4:19)  3. Rain Check
(4:38)  4. Star-Crossed Lovers (Pretty Girl)
(6:56)  5. Isfahan (Elf)
(5:59)  6. Chelsea Bridge
(6:33)  7. Daydream
(4:50)  8. Passion Flower
(3:33)  9. U.M.M.G.
(3:36) 10. Blood Count
(4:15) 11. Take The A Train
(4:44) 12. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
(4:09) 13. Absinthe (Lament For An Orchid)
(2:33) 14. Lotus Blossom

When esophageal cancer took Billy Strayhorn's life in 1967, his work and legacy rested squarely in the shadow of Duke Ellington's world. More than half a century later, though the two figures remain inextricably linked, Strayhorn's genius has moved past the penumbra of his legendary collaborator and employer, occupying its own clear place in the jazz firmament. Through biography and documentary film, his own lush life has been illuminated. And of equal importance, Strayhorn's compositions continue to bloom in others' hands, like perennials returning time and again to add welcome color and fragrance to the world.

For pianist John Di Martino, Strayhorn's music has always been part of the picture. Initially hooked in his teens, when he encountered "Lush Life" through the lens of Chet Baker and Russ Freeman, he's been a fan ever since. In the ensuing decades, Di Martino has had plenty of opportunities to explore Strayhorn's work in myriad settings, including, in recent times, concerts with multi-reedist Paquito D'Rivera. One such performance, at Flushing Town Hall in New York, inspired this album's executive producer, Neville Grusd, to drive the idea of this tribute forward.

Leading an all-star quartet with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Lewis Nash, Di Martino takes clear pleasure in working through fourteen classics. The quartet swings with verve on "U.M.M.G.," reconfigures "Day Dream" in waltz time, explores the ideals of wafting beauty on the title track, and gives "Take The 'A' Train" a twist through delayed melodic gratification. There's nary a weak spot to be found on the program, and the list of high points runs long. Alexander's absorbing cadenza on "Chelsea Bridge" elevates the ending, guest vocalist Raul Midon's solid work on "Lush Life" adds to the draw of that performance, a gorgeous solo piano take on "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" finds Di Martino in wonderfully reflective form, and a toned-down sax-and-piano look at Strayhorn's self-penned epitaph, "Blood Count," gets the proper message across. 

In short, everything is as creatively classy as could be expected with this A-list gathering. A testament to both the durability of Strayhorn's writing and the strengths of Di Martino's art, Passion Flower is pure beauty packaged in sound.~ Dan Bilaswsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/passion-flower-the-music-of-billy-strayhorn-john-di-martino-sunnyside-records

Personnel: John di Martino: piano; Eric Alexander: saxophone, tenor; Boris Kozlov: bass; Lewis Nash: drums; Raul Midon: voice / vocals.

Passion Flower

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Charles Turner - Dreamers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:53
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. Beautiful Friendship
(3:36)  2. When You're in Love
(3:29)  3. Bluesette
(5:32)  4. Dreamers
(6:10)  5. Just One of Those Things
(5:43)  6. Blame It on My Youth
(5:21)  7. In or Out
(7:31)  8. You and I
(7:46)  9. Honeysuckle Rose
(3:11) 10. Is It Love

Charles Turner, winner of the first 1st Annual Duke Ellington Vocal Competition in New York City, Hosted by  Mercedes Ellington has taken the jazz scene by storm. Turner has held residencies, hosted, and performed at venues such as Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center,   Birdland, Smoke Jazz club and  the historic Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem. International performances include, Pizza Express, in London, Sunside Sunset in Paris, Sala Claomores in Madrid, and more venues abroad from Seoul, South Korea to Wellington New Zealand.

Turner’s Sophomore Album “ Single & In Love” , produced by Grammy award winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. has received critical acclaim and continues to play all across the world. Berklee College of Music Graduate, he has extended his educational value by teaching at The American School of Modern Music in Paris, France in 2017 & 18. Then then participated in “ Jazz for Young People” at JALC and conducted Masterclasses in various high schools and Universities such as N.Y.U. Charles’ passion to bring swing and jazz to listeners of all generations and backgrounds proceeds through his new band and project Charles Turner & Uptown Swing. Bringing the Swing and Spirit of Harlem to music lovers and dancers around the world. Vibrant Swing , Virtuosic Bebop & Vital Blues, The band extends music from the swing era to present under the umbrella of swing . Vocalist, Composer, & Educator, moving forward to bring this incredible music to the people ; Turner holds the torch of the past and brings it along with him to present day for all to experience , embrace, and enjoy. http://charlesturnermusic.com/about

Dreamers

Monday, August 17, 2020

Oscar Peterson Trio - Oscar Peterson Trio Plus One

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:35)  1. Brotherhood Of Man
(3:00)  2. Jim
(6:54)  3. Blues For Smedley
(3:54)  4. Roundalay
(2:00)  5. Mumbles
(5:15)  6. Mack The Knife
(4:18)  7. They Didn't Believe Me
(3:28)  8. Squeaky's Blues
(5:08)  9. I Want A Little Girl
(2:42) 10. Incoherent Blues

Some guest soloists get overshadowed by Oscar Peterson's technical prowess, while others meet him halfway with fireworks of their own; trumpeter Clark Terry lands in the latter camp on this fine 1964 session. With drummer Ed Thigpen and bassist Ray Brown providing solid support, the two soloists come off as intimate friends over the course of the album's ten ballad and blues numbers. And while Peterson shows myriad moods, from Ellington's impressionism on slow cuts like "They Didn't Believe Me" to fleet, single-line madness on his own "Squeaky's Blues," Terry goes in for blues and the blowzy on originals like "Mumbles" and "Incoherent Blues"; the trumpeter even airs out some of his singularly rambling and wonderful scat singing in the process. Other highlights include the rarely covered ballad "Jim" and the even more obscure "Brotherhood of Man" from the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. A very engaging and enjoyable disc. ~ Stephen Cook https://www.allmusic.com/album/oscar-peterson-trio-one-mw0000615538

Personnel: Oscar Peterson – piano; Clark Terry – trumpet, flugelhorn, vocal; Ray Brown – double bass; Ed Thigpen – drums

Oscar Peterson Trio Plus One

Smokey Robinson - Smokey

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:57
Size: 94,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. Holly
(3:53)  2. Medley: Never My Love / Never Can Say Goodbye
(4:36)  3. A Silent Partner In A Three-Way Love Affair
(5:21)  4. Just My Soul Responding
(4:37)  5. Sweet Harmony
(4:40)  6. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?
(3:51)  7. Wanna Know My Mind
(4:21)  8. The Family Song
(4:57)  9. Baby Come Close

Smokey is a tentative step forward, carrying clear remnants of Smokey Robinson's latter-day music with the Miracles, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering that it’s anchored by “Sweet Harmony,” a tune he wrote about and for the Miracles but was persuaded by Motown A&R’s Suzanne de Passe to keep for himself. From there, Robinson built a full LP, using Willie Hutch as his co-producer and writing a clutch of songs with Marvin Tarplin, his co-author on several Miracles hits. Certainly, the rich, gorgeous harmonies of “Sweet Harmony” consciously evoke the Miracles but the group is heard elsewhere too, in the bright bounce of “Wanna Know My Mind” and in its covers of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and a medley of “Never My Love/Never Can Say Goodbye,” both bringing to mind Motown’s habit of recycling contemporary hits. These echoes of the past are comforting, particularly because they’re surrounded by modernity, thanks in part to Hutch’s lush, layered production but also Smokey’s willingness to embrace the shifting times, naturally favoring smooth soul to gritty funk, letting it escalate to an almost cinematic scale and, more importantly, not shying away from subjects he’d never tackle during the ‘60s whether it’s his family or the saga of a teenage runaway. It’s not a bold break into maturity on the level of What’s Going On or Music of My Mind but rather a transitional album, and a fascinating one at that, suggesting the path he would take going forward. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/smokey-mw0000320366

Smokey

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Susan Tobocman - Live In Detroit With The Cliff Monear Trio

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:54
Size: 177,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:28)  1. How Deep Is the Ocean?
(5:39)  2. I Never Meant to Dream of You
(5:28)  3. When Lights Are Low
(6:54)  4. I Got Lost In His Arms
(5:33)  5. Leaves of Absence
(4:07)  6. Wild Is the Wind
(6:00)  7. I Love Being Here With You
(7:26)  8. Nice and Easy
(3:46)  9. Where Do You Start?
(5:10) 10. I Don't Think of Him Anymore
(4:46) 11. Make Someone Happy
(7:55) 12. Besame Mucho
(3:52) 13. Again It's Spring
(4:43) 14. It's Alright With Me

Singer/composer/lyricist/producer/arranger, Susan Tobocman has been making a name for herself among audiences and musicians alike on the New York City jazz scene for a number of years. Whether leading her own gigs at Zinc Bar (where she was the original artist-in-residence), Cornelia Street Cafe, Flatiron Room, Fine & Rare, Symphony Space, Highline Ballroom, Smalls, the Bitter End, Birdland, Cliff Bell's, Steinway Jazz Gallery, Smoke, or Cleopatra's Needle (among others)- or as the guest of such luminaries as Barry Harris, Al Foster, or the late Doc Cheatham Susan is equally comfortable working as a leader or sideman.

Susan’s extensive repertoire of standards from the familiar to the obscure is distinctly enhanced by her inventive arrangements, in addition to her original compositions, some of which are strictly instrumental. Among her influences, the Detroit-born singer cites Shirley Horn, Carmen Mcrae, Joao Gilberto, Dena Derose, Johnny Mandel, and Andy Bey. Not only is Tobocman the first-prize recipient of the National Scholastic Writing Award for Poetry, she has also received the Ascaplus Composer Grant for the past fifteen consecutive years. Susan collaborates as both composer and lyricist with several of New York’s finest jazz musicians, including pianists Henry Hey and David Hazeltine, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, and trombonist Steve Davis. Her work is signed to renowned jazz publisher/grammy-winner Don Sickler; Susan has also written for and been recorded by Denise Donatelli, Norman Simmons, Allan Harris, and Rodgers Grant among others. https://www.bluellamaclub.com/event/susan-tobocman-quartet

Live In Detroit With The Cliff Monear Trio

Clifton Davis,The Beegie Adair Trio - Never Can Say Goodbye

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:43
Size: 113,0 MB
Art: fRONT

(2:43)  1. I've Never Been in Love Before
(4:49)  2. Never Can Say Goodbye
(3:58)  3. Two for the Road
(4:43)  4. Swept Away
(4:46)  5. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
(3:15)  6. Too Marvelous for Words
(4:21)  7. So Many Stars
(4:17)  8. Começar De Novo
(3:37)  9. Somewhere in the Hills
(3:56) 10. Teach Me Tonight
(3:40) 11. Minha Alma
(4:32) 12. Leaving It up to You

An actor, singer, and songwriter, Clifton Davis has appeared in several television shows and films. He has recorded numerous inspirational and gospel hits and has made a name for himself as a songwriter. More recently, he has taken to public speaking, mainly making motivational speeches at colleges and universities. Clifton Davis was born in Chicago and is the son of an evangelist. By the age of 15, he was set on an acting career. In 1963, he graduated from Pine Forge Institute and from there concentrated on his singing and acting career. During the '60s, his career focused mainly on the stage. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 with How to Steal an Election with music and lyrics by Oscar Brand. He also starred in Two Gentlemen of Verona, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. For his role in the musical Do It Again, he received the Theatre World Award. Despite his success on Broadway, the star became involved in drugs and alcohol at an early age. Davis recounts these experiences during his seminars and lectures across the country. He blames his addictions on peer pressure. During this time he claims he "lost valuable time and money and gained sickness, depression and desperation." Lately he has been reaching out to college and university students, telling them his story, hoping they learn from his experiences.

Aside from his stage reputation, Davis has also garnered film and television credits. In 1971, he made several appearances on Love American Style. This was followed by him becoming the host of his own variety show, The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show, on ABC. His film career began in 1974 with the film Lost in the Stars. From 1974-1975, he portrayed Clifton Curtis on the comedy show That's My Mama. The '80s were a very important decade for Davis. His popularity and fame grew enormously in 1986 when he starred as Reverend Reuben Gregory, opposite Sherman Hemsley, on the comedy sitcom Amen. During the four years the show was on the air, Davis also played the role of a minister in real life. He was the associate pastor at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in California. He also starred in several movies in the '80s, including The Night the City Screamed, Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, and Dream Date. Aside from his singing and acting talents, Davis is also credited with being a songwriter. He wrote the Jackson 5 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye." Despite obstacles and hardships, Clifton Davis remains a famous, inspiring actor and singer who contributed greatly to stage, film, and television. ~ Kim Summers https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clifton-davis-mn0000158244

Beegie Adair is a prolific, award-winning jazz pianist and arranger known for her interpretations of jazz and popular standards and show tunes. She has sold over two million recordings globally. Her melodic, fleet-fingered style reflects the sounds of her major influences, including George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner. Adair grew up in Cave City, Kentucky, where she began taking piano lessons at age five. She continued to study piano throughout college, earning a B.S. in music education at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. During and after college, she played in jazz bands, and spent three years teaching music to children before moving to Nashville, where she became a session musician, working at WSM-TV and on The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971). She and her husband also started a jingle company to write music for commercials. In 1982, she and saxophonist Denis Solee formed the Adair-Solee Quartet, which evolved into the Be-Bop Co-Op, a jazz sextet. In 1998, she released Escape to New York, her first trio-led date with a rhythm section consisting of Bob Cranshaw and Gregory Hutchinson. She signed to the fledgling Hillsboro label for 2001's Dream Dancing: The Songs of Cole Porter; bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown joined her. Dream Dancing was the first of dozens of themed albums devoted to songwriters and singers. In 2002, she was named a Steinway Artist.

Most of Adair's recordings have been issued by the independent jazz label Green Hill Productions. They include 2008's Yesterday: A Solo Piano Tribute to the Music of the Beatles, 2010's Swingin' with Sinatra, and 2012's The Real Thing (which spent 20 weeks on the jazz charts and was chosen one of the year's best 100 jazz albums). In 2015, her trio collaborated with saxophonist Don Aliquo on Too Marvelous for Words. Since 2011, Adair and her trio have played Birdland in New York. While visiting, they have often collaborated with vocalist Monica Ramey. In the spring of 2016, that partnership bore fruit on the album Some Enchanted Evening. The following year saw Adair issue the compilation By Request, which featured her most requested and personal favorites. ~ William  Ruhlmann  https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beegie-adair-mn0000149265/biography

Never Can Say Goodbye

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Maui Jazz Quartet Feat. Emil Richards - Maui Jazz Quartet

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:29
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:48)  1. Ciao Bella
(7:01)  2. Yo Go Jo Po
(8:00)  3. Celesta #4
(5:21)  4. Calamari Blues
(5:25)  5. Malloreddus
(7:27)  6. Sheep Lie
(5:25)  7. Bettune
(6:34)  8. Cauliflower Ear
(4:24)  9. Turn up The Audio for Claudio

Emil Richards has been a first call musician in L. A.. as well as an educator for the past 50 years. He has performed on over 1800 film soundtracks and performed with many top artists and composers, such as Frank Sinatra, George Shearing, Quincey Jones, Stan Kenton, Frank Zappa, George Harrison, Ravi Shankar and many more. Recognized and acknowledged as one of the best percussionist in the music industry, Emil was inducted to the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1994. The songs on this collection are all Emil's compositions and suggests to a critical listener Emil's mastery and sophistication. On this recording he has teamed up with three excellent musicians from Maui who have also travelled, recorded, and performed with world class musicians. Emil loves to spend time on Maui performing with this Quartet and doing clinics and teaching. https://www.fye.com/emil-richards---maui-jazz-quartet-aec.cdb5637289426.2.html

Jazz Maui, a program of Arts Education for Children Group (AECG) nonprofit organization, provides an opportunity for island residents, music students, aspiring and professional musicians, and jazz music aficionados to participate in or attend high-quality jazz music performances. Through festivals, music clinics and dance workshops, Jazz Maui provides a venue for student performers to establish connections with recognized professionals in music and dance. https://jazzmaui.org/

Personnel: Emil Richards - vibes; Brian Cuomo - piano; Bob Harrison - bass; Paul Marchetti - drums

Maui Jazz Quartet

Joan Chamorro New Quartet & Scott Hamilton

Styles: Saxofone Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:13
Size: 168,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:39)  1. Ella y yo
(4:10)  2. Love You're Spell
(4:00)  3. Day Dream
(4:02)  4. Doodlin'
(6:01)  5. Sugar
(6:13)  6. Chelsea Bridge
(5:07)  7. Sonho Meu
(5:05)  8. Baby It's Cold
(3:51)  9. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
(4:02) 10. A Kiss To Build a Dream On
(4:41) 11. Sem Fantasia
(2:49) 12. Ain't She Sweet
(4:15) 13. Meditaçao
(5:09) 14. How High The Moon
(4:15) 15. When I Fall In Love
(3:46) 16. Baiao de quatro

Alba Armengou, Carla Motis and Èlia Bastida have grown up jazzy in the context of my project Sant Andreu Jazz Band. The idea of uniting them on the same stage in this small format came from seeing that the combination of their voices, instruments and musical tastes could give a good result. To have the great tenor sax Scott Hamilton in this recording is, once again, a dream for us. 

And it is not by chance that he is part of the last cd's that I have recorded with the three of them, as part of the collection "Joan Chamorro presenta" and the last album with Èlia, "The magic sound of the violin". Listening to this cd brings us back to what the concert was like, in the framework of the Barcelona Jazz Festival, on November 27th 2019. A concert where we can see the magic of jazz in the 16 songs that were part of the set list of the session. https://santandreujazzband.bandcamp.com/album/joan-chamorro-new-quartet-scott-hamilton

Joan Chamorro New Quartet & Scott Hamilton

Friday, August 14, 2020

Red Holloway Quartet - S.R.O

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:26
Size: 181,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:07)  1. Strike Up The Band
( 5:50)  2. Mr. Cleanhead's Blues
( 0:54)  3. Introductions
(10:18)  4. Bag's Groove
(11:37)  5. Days Of Wine And Roses
(11:28)  6. Meditation
( 4:59)  7. Mo' Candy
(11:06)  8. You Don't Know What Love Is
( 7:02)  9. Phil's Medley
( 8:01) 10. Avalon

With a career spanning almost 60 years, Red Holloway is still presenting his special brand of sax playing on both the alto and the tenor, as he's equally adept with each horn. On this album, which documents performances from a 1998 floating jazz festival, Holloway is joined by a group of talented, veterans as they collaborate on over 70 minutes of entertaining music. https://mvdshop.com/products/red-holloway-s-r-o-cd

Personnel: Vocals – O.C. Smith (tracks: 4 to 6), Red Holloway (tracks: 2); Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Red Holloway; Bass – Keter Betts; Drums – Paul Humphrey; Guitar – Phil Upchurch; Piano – Junior Mance

S.R.O

Roberta Gambarini - Connecting Spirits: Sings The Jimmy Heath Songbook

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:24
Size: 138,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Without Song
(4:04)  2. Growing - New Picture
(4:14)  3. The Rio Dawn
(5:23)  4. The Thumper
(5:30)  5. A Loved One Lost
(4:23)  6. Life In The City
(5:42)  7. The Voice Of The Saxophone
(5:03)  8. Mandela
(4:23)  9. A Harmonic Future
(4:20) 10. A Mother's Love
(4:03) 11. A Sassy Samba
(2:51) 12. Ellington's Stray Horn
(4:22) 13. Frank Foster

Born and raised in Turin, Italy, to music loving parents (who had actually first met at a jazz concert), two-times Grammy nominated singer Roberta Gambarini grew up constantly listening to her father’s record collection. Her first vocal inspiration was the music of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald , but she soon discovered Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday,and Carmen McRae, as well as gospel and blues artists such as Mahalia Jackson and Bessie Smith. At age 12 she began studying clarinet, but realizing the versatility and talents of her clear alto, she moved to voice, singing and performing in clubs by the time she was 17. In 1998, Gambarini received a scholarship to study for two years at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Barely 2 weeks after setting foot on american soil for the first time, Roberta surprised the jazz world by being one of the runner-ups in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition.

With this recognition as a springboard and the assistance of some of the greatest musicians in the world, who immediately appreciated her talent and invited her to perform with them, she quickly became a fixture on the international jazz circuit, appearing in major concert halls, Festivals and clubs around the globe ( Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl , Jazz at Lincoln Center , the North Sea Jazz Festival, and many more) . As a result, Roberta has had the good fortune to appear in concert and record with such Giants as Dave Brubeck, James Moody, Hank Jones, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Michel & Randy Brecker, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, Slide Hampton, Frank Wess, Harold Mabern, Toots Thielemans, Paquito D’Rivera, Chucho Valdez, Mark O’Connor, Cyrus Chestnut, Percy Heath, Ron Carter, Johnny Griffin, the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars Big Band, Billy Higgins, Cedar Walton, Ray Drummond, George Cables, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra, and many others.

Roberta’s first American release ‘Easy to love’, earned the accolades of fans and critics alike and prestigious Grammy nomination, as did her third, ‘So in love’ ,which was also awarded the Grand Prix du Jazz Vocal 2009 by the Jazz Academy of France. She was twice named the “Female Jazz Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association (2007 & 2009 ). One of the most important music figures of the 20th century, the late Benny Carter, cited Roberta as his favorite singer. James Moody, the legendary saxophonist and singer, was Roberta’s mentor and teacher, and introduced her to many of the major venues in the world. In 2008 Roberta recorded a superb duet album titled ‘You are there’ with the Legendary pianist Hank Jones. Mr. Jones,who accompanied most of the celebrated vocalists of 20th Century such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, and Nat King Cole, declared Roberta Gambarini to be the best singer to emerge in the last 60 years . In 2015 , Roberta recorded ‘Connecting spirits’, a collection of compositions written by yet another of her mentors: Master saxophonist, composer and arranger Jimmy Heath . Along with Jimmy’s own lyrics, the album includes some of Roberta’s own lyrics to Mr Heath’s tunes performed with the legendary Heath Brothers ,with Master drummer Tootie Heath. Every once in a while, a truly great singer comes along who possesses the beauty, individuality, and talent to remind us once again of the magical majesty of the human voice ( without the aid of today’s technological tricks! ). That singer is ROBERTA GAMBARINI. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/robertagambarini

Personnel: Roberta Gambarini (vocal); Jimmy Heath (ts,ss); Jeb Patton (p); David Wong (b); Albert 'Tootie' Heath (ds); James Mtume (per); Freddie Hendrix (tp); Ed Cherry (g); Dave Stricker (g)Tommy Campbell (ds); Cyrus Chestnut (p); John Lee (b)

Connecting Spirits: Roberta Gambarini Sings The Jimmy Heath Songbook

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Red Rodney - Essential Jazz Quintets

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 131:05
Size: 301,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:33)  1. You Better Go Now
( 3:49)  2. Daddy-O
( 6:37)  3. Shaw Nuff
( 3:17)  4. Dig This
( 6:02)  5. Stella By Starlight
( 6:14)  6. Jordu
( 5:11)  7. Red Arrow
( 3:14)  8. I Love The Rhythm In A Riff
( 4:22)  9. You And The Night And The Music
( 6:10) 10. I Remember You
( 3:11) 11. Taking A Chance On Love
( 3:42) 12. Hale To Dale
( 4:55) 13. Ubas
( 4:24) 14. 5709
( 2:57) 15. Clap Hands, Hered Comes Charlie
( 4:28) 16. Two By Two
( 3:41) 17. Jeffie
( 5:52) 18. Red Is Blue
( 6:06) 19. Red Hot And Blue
( 3:59) 20. The Song Is You
( 5:32) 21. Shelley
( 4:15) 22. On Mike
( 4:44) 23. Laura
( 6:01) 24. Box 2000
( 5:45) 25. Whirlwind
(10:52) 26. Star Eyes

Red Rodney's comeback in the late '70s was quite inspiring and found the veteran bebop trumpeter playing even better than he had during his legendary period with Charlie Parker. He started his professional career by performing with Jerry Wald's orchestra when he was 15, and he passed through a lot of big bands, including those of Jimmy Dorsey (during which Rodney closely emulated his early idol Harry James), Elliot Lawrence, Georgie Auld, Benny Goodman, and Les Brown. He totally changed his style after hearing Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, becoming one of the brighter young voices in bebop. Rodney made strong contributions to the bands of Gene Krupa (1946), Claude Thornhill, and Woody Herman's Second Herd (1948-1949).

Off and on during 1949-1951, Rodney was a regular member of the Charlie Parker Quintet, playing brilliantly at Bird's recorded Carnegie Hall concert of 1949. But drugs cut short that association, and Rodney spent most of the 1950s in and out of jail. After he kicked heroin, almost as damaging to his jazz chops was a long period playing for shows in Las Vegas. When he returned to New York in 1972, it took Rodney several years to regain his former form. However, he hooked up with multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan in 1980 and the musical partnership benefited both of the veterans; Sullivan's inquisitive style inspired Rodney to play post-bop music (rather than continually stick to bop) and sometimes their quintet (which also featured Garry Dial) sounded like the Ornette Coleman Quartet, amazingly. After Sullivan went back to Florida a few years later, Rodney continued leading his own quintet which in later years featured the talented young saxophonist Chris Potter. Red Rodney, who was portrayed quite sympathetically in the Clint Eastwood film Bird (during which he played his own solos), stands as proof that for the most open-minded veterans there is life beyond bop. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rodney-mn0000883694/biography

Essential Jazz Quintets

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Night at Body and Soul

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:40
Size: 153,1 MB
Art: Front

(13:14)  1. Like Someone in Love
( 9:56)  2. Blue
( 6:19)  3. For Once in My Life
( 9:03)  4. Rhythem-A-Ning
( 7:56)  5. My Body, My Soul
(13:33)  6. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
( 6:35)  7. The Good Life

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto is a drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, and educator from Nagoya, Japan. He began playing drums in Japan as a teenager, excelling in rock, and funk. In college, he began to play Jazz and had many live performances with various big bands, small bands, and funk bands while continuing to play rock. His band released a CD on an independent label in March 2004, and toured in Japan around Tokyo and Osaka. He graduated from Nagoya University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Science in 2006.

In 2006 Tsuyoshi received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music where he majored in jazz composition and performance, winning the Louie Bellson Award, as well as a Berklee achievement-based scholarship. He graduated Magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in 2011.In 2011 Tsuyoshi moved to New York City to attend Rutgers University, where as a part of the Rutgers Jazz Ensemble, he had the honor of performing at the famous Blue Note in May 2013.

Since graduating with a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies from Rutgers, Tsuyoshi has been performing and teaching extensively in New York in the genres of jazz, fusion, salsa, and rock. Besides drum set, he also plays timbales, cajon, and djembe. http://www.tsuyoshiyamamoto.com/biography

Personnel: Piano – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto;  Bass – Tsutomu Okada; Drums – Winard Harper

Night at Body and Soul

Max Roach - Jazz In 3/4 Time

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:41
Size: 100,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:31)  1. Blues Waltz
(14:21)  2. Valse Hot
( 4:31)  3. I'll Take Romance
( 5:36)  4. Little Folks
( 5:35)  5. Lover
( 7:05)  6. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

At the time of its appearance in 1957, this album, currently part of the limited EmArcy reissue series, was considered somewhat revolutionary due to its all-waltz program. That's become a moot point after all of the triple-meter jazz material that would follow from "All Blues" to "Waltz for Debby" to "Someday My Prince Will Come." What makes this session essential listening is the masterful solo work, and not simply by Sonny Rollins. With Clifford Brown gone, trumpeter Kenny Dorham makes each of his turns, as usual, an adventure in melodic and rhythmic surprises, deliberately getting himself into trouble and always finding a way out. And whereas Rollins almost overcompensates for the absence of Brown, playing these tunes with broad and ballsy, aria-like bravado, Dorham takes the tunes inward, not afraid of the empty spaces where the poetry often resides, and in the process looking forward to a more subtle, implicit rhythmic approach to jazz waltzes, such as Freddy Hubbard's "Up Jumped Spring."

The enigmatic pianist Billy Wallace, who made this single auspicious recorded appearance then disappeared into various urban lounge scenes, is one of the few truly ambidextrous bop pianists. On the opening "Blues Waltz" his solo sounds like Monk playing counterpoint with himself; on his remaining solo spots his interdependent melodies and rapid, two-handed octaves are reminiscent of Phineas Newborn, Jr. Whether or not his saucy, copy-cat rejoinder to Dorham's complex solo on "Lover" was appreciated by its originator, Wallace can't help but impress the listener with his ear and quick instincts. He's a far stronger player than his predecessor, Richie Powell, who perished in the same car crash that took Brown's life. Besides the pop standards, Rollins' "Valse Hot" is a lovely composition, an extended 3/4 melodic equivalent of Brown's "Joy Spring." During each of his solos he clearly exudes a Viennese spirit, bringing to his deliberative, assured melodic constructions the singing bravura of a great tenor, legit or otherwise. It's a performance that clearly ranks with his work on the revered, almost contemporaneous Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1957).

Roach catches the lilting dancing spirit with heavily accented downbeats on his own "Little Folks, prompting both Rollins and Wallace to go for the gold on their solo turns. And for a change the relatively unfamiliar triple-meter holds down the tempos just sufficiently to allow Roach's bassist, George Morrow, to play some melodic lines during his solos. There seems little doubt that this is the best post-Clifford Brown, Roach-led session on record demonstrating that the fall of the drummer's ensembles from the visibility they once shared with Blakey's and Silver's groups cannot be entirely blamed on the loss of Clifford Brown (though nothing can detract from the luster of this musician's favorite). Consequently, as the only recording by this particular cast (there would be one sequel but without Billy Wallace), Jazz in 3/4 Time is a session that brings with its pleasures no small amount of regret about what might have been. ~ Samuel Chell https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-in-3-4-time-max-roach-emarcy-review-by-samuel-chell.php

Personnel: Max Roach: drums; Kenny Dorham: trumpet; Sonny Rollins: tenor saxophone; Billy Wallace: piano; Ray Bryant: piano (on "The Most Beautiful Girl"); George Morrow: bass.

Jazz In 3/4 Time

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh Trio - Generations

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 139,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Mimi
(5:49)  2. Lullaby
(1:42)  3. Sieben Kreisel
(4:47)  4. Netter Junge
(3:40)  5. Despite All
(4:37)  6. September Ballade
(6:15)  7. New Baku
(2:48)  8. Theatre of Marionettes
(9:57)  9. Näje Sevim
(3:27) 10. Prélude
(9:38) 11. Concert No. 2
(3:35) 12. Native Landscape

Aziza Mustafa-Zadeh born in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. Yet despite a mysterious name that could be straight out of Arabian Nights, this pianist & singer does not regard herself as the exotic product of a distant land. Since she was born, music has been an integral part of her life. Aziza's Father - Vagif Mustafa-Zadeh (1940-1979) is a legendary founder of Mugam-Jazz, composer & pianist, who played an important role in making Jazz acceptable in Soviet Union. Her Mother Eliza Mustafa-Zadeh is trained and famous singer of traditional Azerbaijani music and has rarely left her daughter's side during the constant rise of fame within last decade. Aziza Mustafa-Zadeh's music is the natural, easy fusion of two fundamental elements: Jazz, the modern sound of freedom, and Mugam, the ancient music of wisdom and love. “The Rainbow has many colors. The Soul, too, has many different shades.” Unquestionably, these words can applied equally well to the Artist herself, and to the Way she views the world around her. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/azizamustafazadeh

Generations

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Della Reese - You Don't Know What Love Is

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:09
Size: 81,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. I'm Through With Love
(3:45)  2. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(2:09)  3. I'll Never Be the Same
(3:13)  4. I'm Nobody's Baby
(3:31)  5. Something I Dreamed Last Night
(2:32)  6. And That Reminds Me
(2:56)  7. What Do You Know About Love
(5:54)  8. When I Fall In Love
(3:09)  9. You Better Go Now
(4:36) 10. You Don't Know What Love Is

Renowned as both a television star and a top-flight interpreter of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and straight-ahead pop music, Della Reese's many talents ensured a long, varied, and legendary show biz career. In addition to being nominated for both an Emmy and a Grammy and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Reese was also an ordained minister in the Universal Foundation for Better Living, an association of churches she helped found in the early '80s.

Born Deloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, the young Reese began singing in the Baptist church choir in her hometown of Detroit at age six. In 1945, having developed quite rapidly, she caught the ear of legendary gospel queen Mahalia Jackson, who invited Reese to join her touring choir; Reese did so for the next five summers. Upon entering Wayne State University to study psychology, Reese formed a women's gospel group, the Meditation Singers, but her college career was cut short by the death of her mother and her father's serious illness. Reese worked odd jobs to help support the rest of her family; she also continued to perform with the Meditation Singers and various other gospel groups. Encouraged by her pastor, Reese began singing in nightclubs in hopes of getting a singing career off the ground; recently married to a factory worker named Vermont Adolphus Bon Taliaferro, her name was too long to fit on marquees, and she eventually arrived at her performing alias by splitting up her first name. After impressing a New York agent, who promptly signed her, Reese moved to New York and joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1953. A year later, she had a recording contract with Jubilee, for whom she scored hits like "And That Reminds Me," a 1957 million-seller. Switching to RCA Victor, Reese landed her biggest hit in 1959 with "Don't You Know?," a song adapted from Puccini's La Bohème; this cemented her career, leading not only to plentiful appearances on variety shows, but successful nightclub tours of the country and eventually nine years of performances in Las Vegas, as well as recording contracts with a variety of labels over the next few decades.

Building on her previous variety show experience, Reese made a small bit of television history in 1969 when she became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Later that year, she became the first black woman to host her own variety show, the syndicated Della, which ran until 1970. Following its cancellation, Reese returned to her nightclub tours, often putting in guest appearances on television shows like The Mod Squad, Sanford and Son, and Chico and the Man; after three prior failed marriages, Reese also found a lasting relationship with producer Franklin Lett, whom she married in 1978. On October 3, 1980, while taping a song for The Tonight Show, Reese suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly proved fatal; however, thanks to a successful operation, she was able to make a full recovery. She kept up her singing career and appeared on television shows like Designing Women, L.A. Law, and Picket Fences, as well as the Eddie Murphy films Harlem Nights and The Distinguished Gentleman. Reese also starred in the Redd Foxx sitcom The Royal Family from 1991-1992, and garnered what was undoubtedly her highest level of recognition in the inspirational drama series Touched by an Angel, a quite popular program that ran for nine years, between 1994 and 2003, on the CBS network. After Touched by an Angel finished its run, Reese continued to act intermittently on television through to 2014. She died at her home in Encino, California in November 2017 at the age of 86. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/della-reese-mn0000196544/biography

You Don't Know What Love Is

Jimmy Heath - Love Letter

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:19
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. Ballad From Upper Neighbors Suite
(4:26)  2. Left Alone
(4:50)  3. Inside Your Heart
(7:12)  4. La Mesha
(5:32)  5. Don't Misunderstand
(5:12)  6. Con Alma
(5:37)  7. Fashion Or Passion
(7:11)  8. Don’t Explain

Often nicknamed "Little Bird," Jimmy Heath began on the alto saxophone acquiring this informal title by dedicating his studies to Charlie Parker and his wee stature. Although not a familiar name to many outside of the devoted jazz community, Heath would go on to pursue a remarkable 76-year career sadly passing away in January, 2020. A fabled musician to many tenor players, Heath presents us with his final testament, a collection of formative ballads. Enhancing the already prolific status that Love Letter features, guest appearances are warmly welcomed that include trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with vocalists Gregory Porter and Cecile McLorin Salvant. The robust rhythm section that accompany Heath are: NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano, Russell Malone on guitar, vibraphone veteran Monte Croft, bassist David Wong and longstanding jazz drummer Lewis Nash.

Whilst serving his four-and-a-half-year internment, Heath would manage the prison big band and also write for them. It was only the day after his discharge in 1959 when he met his lover, Mona Brown, a marriage which would span sixty years. Due to his parole restrictions, Heath was restricted to staying in Philadelphia which precluded him from embarking on an opportunity to succeed John Coltrane in Miles Davis' group. After being prompted by Cannonball Adderley and Philly Joe Jones, he signed with Riverside Records where he served as an arranger and releasing notable tracks such as "Gemini" and "Gingerbread Boy."  The opener, written by Heath more than twenty-five years ago, is named "Ballad from Upper Neighbors Suite" and makes use of brilliant bassist David Wong with an arco introduction. "Left Alone" is written by Mal Waldron and words originally by Billie Holiday, although she never recorded it. Salvant gives an intrinsic display of quality showing true justice to Holliday's lyricism. "Inside Your Heart" demonstrates Heath's idiomatic ability on soprano saxophone while "La Mesha" is proudly driven by Wynton Marsalis in honour of Kenny Dorham who wrote the tune.

"Don't Misunderstand" falls to Gregory Porter with "Con Alma" following, a composition by Dizzy Gillespie who was both a mentor and friend to Heath. The penultimate track on Love Letter is the third tune composed by Heath, "Passion or Fashion." It was originally composed to guide Lyndon B Johnson's civil rights address, "The American Promise." The final track named "Don't Explain" was a suggestion from Barron, Heath allowed it on the album commenting that he only permitted tunes that he knew the lyrics to. Jimmy Heath brings forward his final chapter where we experience melodic artistry. In 2001, Benny Golson said Heath "moved through chords, not scientifically, but melodically. He plays ideas. It's like a conversation, but musical, not linguistic. He has a story to tell, and it's right in tune with those chords" .~ Thomas Fletcher https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-letter-jimmy-heath-verve-music-group__347

Personnel: Jimmy Heath: saxophone, tenor; Kenny Barron: piano; Russell Malone: guitar, electric; Monte Croft: vibraphone; David Wong: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.

Love Letter

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Autumn In New York

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:52
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Summertime
(3:50)  2. Can't We Be Friends
(4:35)  3. A Foggy Day
(4:02)  4. Love Is Here To Stay
(5:01)  5. Don't Be That Way
(4:49)  6. I Won't Dance
(3:13)  7. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Wa
(6:01)  8. Autumn In New York
(5:16)  9. Stompin' At The Savoy
(3:54) 10. A Fine Romance
(4:15) 11. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
(5:56) 12. Cheek To Cheek
(3:45) 13. Moonlight In Vermont
(4:41) 14. They Can't Take That Way From
(4:20) 15. Under A Blanket Of Blue
(5:08) 16. Tenderly

Recognized worldwide as "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald is arguably the finest female jazz vocalist of all time. Blessed with a highly resonant voice, wide range, and near-perfect elocution, Fitzgerald also possessed a deft sense of swing, and with her brilliant scat technique, could hold her own against any of her instrumental contemporaries. She came to initial popularity as a member of drummer Chick Webb's band in the 1930s, scoring a hit with a "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," before ascending to wide acclaim in the 1940s with Jazz at the Philharmonic and Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band, and issuing landmark performances like "Flying Home" and "How High the Moon." Working with producer/manager Norman Granz, she gained even more acclaim with her series of albums on Verve, recording definitive versions of the music of the Great American Songbook composers, including 1956's Sings the Cole Porter Songbook. Over her 50-year career, she earned 13 Grammy Awards, sold over 40 million albums, and picked up numerous accolades including a National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A hugely important cultural figure, Fitzgerald made an immeasurable impact on the development of jazz and popular music, and remains a touchstone for fans and artists decades after her passing.

Born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, Fitzgerald grew up in a working-class family in Yonkers, New York. Her parents split up soon after her birth, and she was largely raised by her mother, Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald, and her mother's boyfriend Joseph "Joe" Da Silva. She also had a younger half-sister, Frances, who was born in 1923. To help with the family's finances, Fitzgerald often worked odd jobs including, at times, running bet money for local gamblers. By her teens, the self-professed tomboy was active in sports and often played in local baseball games. Influenced by her mother, she also enjoyed singing and dancing, and spent many hours singing along to records by Bing Crosby, Connee Boswell, and the Boswell Sisters. She also began taking the train to see shows with friends at Harlem's Apollo Theater. In 1932, her mother died from injuries sustained in a car accident. Deeply distraught over the loss, Fitzgerald went through a difficult period that found her skipping school and getting in trouble with the police. She was subsequently sent to a reform school, where she endured abuse by her caretakers. Eventually breaking free from the reformatory, she found herself on her own in New York during the height of the Great Depression. Despite her struggles, she worked to pursue her love of performing. In 1934, she entered and won an amateur contest at the Apollo, singing Hoagy Carmichael's "Judy" in the style of her idol, Connee Boswell. In the house band that night was saxophonist Benny Carter, who took the young vocalist under his wing and encouraged her to keep developing her career.....More https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ella-fitzgerald-mn0000184502/biography

A jazz pioneer, Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist to emerge in jazz, and he became the most influential musician in the music's history. As a trumpet virtuoso, his playing, beginning with the 1920s studio recordings he made with his Hot Five and Hot Seven ensembles, charted a future for jazz in highly imaginative, emotionally charged improvisation. For this, he is revered by jazz fans. But Armstrong also became an enduring figure in popular music due to his distinctively phrased baritone singing and engaging personality, which were on display in a series of vocal recordings and film roles. He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. By the '50s, Armstrong was widely recognized, even traveling the globe for the US. .State Department and earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." His resurgence in the '60s with hit recordings like 1965's Grammy-winning "Hello Dolly" and 1968's classic "What a Wonderful World" solidified his legacy as a musical and cultural icon. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Similarly, many of his most influential recordings, like 1928's "West End Blues" and 1955's "Mack the Knife," have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong had a difficult childhood. William Armstrong, his father, was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after the boy's birth. Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. He showed an early interest in music, and a junk dealer for whom he worked as a grade-school student helped him buy a cornet, which he taught himself to play. He dropped out of school at 11 to join an informal group, but on December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration, and was sent to reform school. He studied music there and played cornet and bugle in the school band, eventually becoming its leader. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. He was taken under the wing of cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, and when Oliver moved to Chicago in June 1918, Armstrong replaced him in the Kid Ory Band. He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. Armstrong moved to Chicago to join Oliver's band in August 1922 and made his first recordings as a member of the group in the spring of 1923. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. (She was the second of his four wives.) With her encouragement, he left Oliver and joined Fletcher Henderson's band in New York, staying for a year and then going back to Chicago in November 1925 to join the Dreamland Syncopators, his wife's group. During this period, he switched from cornet to trumpet....More.... https://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-armstrong-mn0000234518/biography

Autumn In New York

Jay Rodriguez, Chucho Valdes - Live In Verona

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:08
Size: 126,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:35)  1. Blues To You
(8:05)  2. Blue In Green
(5:46)  3. Beatrice
(7:28)  4. All of You
(1:28)  5. Channel Five
(7:40)  6. Sunday Kind of Love
(8:34)  7. Thing a Ma Jig
(7:28)  8. Mambo Influenciado

Colombian-born Jay Rodríguez (Hernan Ramiro Rodríguez Sierra) began playing music while attending elementary school and has been performing professionally since eighth grade. The talented musician studied clarinet with Paquito D'Rivera's father, Tito D'Rivera, and later harmony at the Hight School of Performing Arts. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, Rodríguez became involved in the tropical music field, teaming up with the legendary Eddie Palmieri and Ray Barretto, among other prominent Latin artists. However, New York's environment moved him to explore different sounds, having the opportunity to join the acid jazz outfit Groove Collective soon after. 

In 2001, DJ and producer Ron Trent teamed up with him to assemble an experimental duo called Batidos, issuing a full-length record titled Olajope. ~ Drago Bonacich https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-rodriguez-mn0000222172/biography

Live In Verona

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Emil Richards, Joe Porcaro All Star Big Band - Odd Men In

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:40
Size: 133,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Free Flight
(6:27)  2. This is the Moment
(7:59)  3. Blues for Royalty
(5:31)  4. Yo Go Jo Po
(4:00)  5. Turn Up the Audio for Claudio
(4:37)  6. Walking Proud
(5:31)  7. On Green Dolphin Street
(6:43)  8. Blues Machine
(6:12)  9. A Minor Affair
(5:33) 10. Hard Sock Dance

This band was assembled by Emil Richards (vibes) and Joe Porcaro (drums). Emil is a leading percussionist in the studios of LA and Joe is also a leading percussionist in the same area. They both hail from Hartford Connecticut and they have both worked the full gambit of music from jazz to classical and most things in between! The CVs of the band members justify the title of an "Allstar" big band: everyone has paid his dues, performing with the best of the best, and so as you expect this is a big band of great quality. 

The playing is crisp and clean and the solos a delight. The arrangements by the likes of Sammy Nestico and others are extremely musical and it is a real treat to hear them played so well. Today there are only a few working big bands. This wonderful music has become a hobby item for musicians, who earn their living playing in other genres, or it is played by musical educators and enthusiastic amateurs. For the latter group of players this album is an indication of what can be achieved when the charts are played correctly.More.. http://www.musicweb-international.com/jazz/2010/Richards_AIX80035.htm

Odd Men In