Dave Turner, Nelson Symonds - The Pulse Brothers

Styles: Saxophone And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:05
Size: 151,9 MB
Art: Front

(11:19)  1. Star Eyes
(13:20)  2. Like Someone in Love
(12:02)  3. Black Orpheus
( 9:26)  4. It Could Happen to You
( 7:36)  5. You Stepped out of a Dream
(12:19)  6. Au Privave

A native of Montreal, alto/baritone saxophonist & composer Dave Turner has been a mainstay of the city’s jazz scene since the mid 1970’s. During this time, he has performed extensively with his own groups around the Montreal area, and has been a featured performer at every major Jazz festival in Canada. He has also performed at many prominent clubs on the international jazz scene Top of the Senator (Toronto), Sweet Basil (New York), Le lion s’envole (Liege) and l’Archiduc  (Brussels), Dizzy’s (Rotterdam), Café Alto (Amsterdam).

Dave Turner has been a featured soloist and lead alto saxophonist with the Vic Vogel Big Band since 1979. He has also collaborated with the Orchestre Metropolitain (conducted by Agnes Grossman), the National Arts Center Orchestra (conducted by David Amram) and, in 1999, he performed and recorded with the European Broadcast Union Orchestra in a series of concerts celebrating the centennial of the birth of Duke Ellington. In 1996, Dave Turner was honoured as “Alto Saxophonist of the Year” by Jazz Report magazine. A prolific recording artist, he has released a total of ten albums under his own name, each one receiving wide critical acclaim across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. “Café Alto”, recorded in 1987, was nominated for a Juno. In 1995, he was the recipient of a Teaching Excellence Award from Concordia University for his work in the Jazz Studies program, of which he has been an involved faculty member since 1982. https://www.daveturner.ca/wp/?p=174

Personnel: Dave Turner – alto sax; Nelson Symonds – guitar; Dave Gelfand – bass; Claude Lavergne – drums

The Pulse Brothers

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Teddy Wilson - Solo Piano (Keystone Transcriptions)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:05
Size: 152,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You
(2:25)  2. Sunday
(2:50)  3. More Than You Know
(1:42)  4. Summer's End
(2:12)  5. Goin' Home Blues
(1:05)  6. Minute Steak
(2:51)  7. Sugar
(2:31)  8. At Sundown
(2:28)  9. Tuesday Jump
(2:28) 10. The Moon Is Low
(2:39) 11. Afternoon Blues
(2:27) 12. The Little Things That Mean so Much
(2:41) 13. You're My Favorite Memory
(2:20) 14. Rhythmatics
(2:32) 15. Almost Blues
(2:18) 16. Tempo Positioned
(2:33) 17. Out of Nowhere
(2:27) 18. Night and Day
(2:37) 19. Oh, Lady Be Good
(2:52) 20. Jumpin' Off
(2:53) 21. You'll Be Sorry
(2:33) 22. Chinatown, My Chinatown
(2:57) 23. Twilight Blue
(2:32) 24. Love Is the Sweetest Thing
(2:38) 25. Rose Room
(2:23) 26. Why Shouldn't I

One of the great swing era pianists Teddy Wilson arrived at a mature style early in his career. The first Wilson record I know of (with Benny Carter's wonderful, short-lived 1933 big band) introduces him as an advanced, gifted band pianist and soloist. Wilson's later records (He had a fifty-year career.) as a trio or solo pianist stand as elegant, logical, and swinging miniatures, but they generally lack the freshness of his 1930's playing. The tension from his left hand counterlines smoothed out for one thing.

The Keystone Transcriptions present Wilson in near-ideal cicumstances. Originally recorded for radio play (instead of for commercial release), these piano solos were apparently lost or forgotten until recently. He contemporaneously recorded a few of these tunes with Billie Holiday or Benny Goodman, but these solo versions deserve to be heard on their own merits they are not remakes. There are several tunes he rarely if ever played again. Some are Wilson "heads" on standards for example "Tempo Positioned" is "Cherry" with a "'Swonderful" bridge. Vocalist Johnny Mercer later recorded "You'll Be Sorry" as "Shoo Be Doin'". Wilson rarely played the blues as he got older, but there are three choice examples here. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-keystone-transcriptions-teddy-wilson-storyville-records-review-by-craig-jolley.php

Personnel: Teddy Wilson - piano.

Solo Piano (Keystone Transcriptions)

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David Gilmore - Transitions

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:08
Size: 129,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. End of Daze
(5:31)  2. Beyond All Limits
(7:06)  3. Blues Mind Matter
(5:57)  4. Bluesette
(5:05)  5. Both
(6:32)  6. Spontanuity
(5:37)  7. Kid Logic
(9:13)  8. Farralone
(4:36)  9. Nem Un Talvez

Veteran guitarist David Gilmore has assembled a marvelous band for this album: tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, pianist Victor Gould, bassist Carlo DeRosa and drummer E.J. Strickland. He’s also chosen to de-emphasize his own compositions and focus on the work of artists who have (to borrow from the title) transitioned to the next world, three of them Bobby Hutcherson, Victor Bailey and Jean “Toots” Thielemans quite recently.

Hutcherson gets two nods, with intricate versions of “Farralone,” featuring Bill Ware on vibes, and “Blues Mind Matter,” which draws particularly well-conceived solos from Gould, Shim and Gilmore. For a funky, percussion-led and piano-less take on Bailey’s “Kid Logic,” Gilmore plays electric and acoustic guitar, impressively choosing the latter to navigate the hand-cramping central riff in unison with DeRosa. Thielemans’ “Bluesette” is converted to 4/4 time and given a set of reharmonized changes that seem to repeatedly circle in on themselves. Guest harmonica player Grégoire Maret’s wistful playing keeps the tune at least partly connected to its roots.

A few living composers are represented on Transitions too. Annette Peacock’s “Both” is the vehicle for some suitably spooky group improv. Hermeto Pascoal’s “Nem um Talvez” receives a tender reading on nylon-string acoustic. And there are two Gilmore originals, “End of Daze” and “Spontanuity,” both of which brilliantly combine the abstract and the visceral. Producer Gerry Teekens deserves extra audio-geek kudos for panning DeRosa’s bass toward the left side of the stereo spectrum and Strickland’s drum kit toward the right rather than, as is far more common, orienting both in the center. It’s a move that arguably gives listeners a better sense of what the rhythm section’s doing, and ought to be considered more often.~ Mac Randall https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/david-gilmore-transitions/

Personnel: Electric Guitar – David Gilmore; Bass – Carlo DeRosa; Drums – E.J. Strickland; Harmonica – Gregoire Maret (tracks: 4); Piano – Victor Gould; Tenor Saxophone – Mark Shim; Vibraphone – Bill Ware (tracks: 8)

Transitions

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Gary Peacock, Marc Copland - Insight

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:06
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. All Blues
(2:22)  2. The Wanderer
(6:23)  3. Blue in Green
(2:42)  4. Rush Hour
(6:44)  5. River's Run
(2:21)  6. Matterhorn
(4:17)  7. The Pond
(6:47)  8. Goes out Comes In
(2:25)  9. Late Night
(7:24) 10. Cavatina
(4:53) 11. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:43) 12. Benediction
(3:36) 13. Sweet and Lovely

Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland have been working together for nearly 20 years, though most often in a trio setting. Peacock was Copland's bassist of choice on two of his New York Trio Recordings trilogy sets  Modhina (2006) and Voices (2007), both on the German Pirouet label. But for a pianist who mines dark, impressionistic yet subtly romantic places, the most intimate of settings is the duo, and this pair's first (and, until now, only) duet recording, What It Says (Sketch, 2004), was a remarkable demonstration of profound interaction and sublime beauty. The two reunite for Insight, with Peacock's name first on the marquee, though it's likely nothing more than the egalitarian nature of this duo that his name is first, since Copland's was the lead on What It Says. It's another set of deeply connected music a mix of Copland and Peacock originals, free improvisations and well-known but instinctively personal covers. It may or may not be a coincidence that two tunes from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) are played, opening with a version of "All Blues" that's bright in tempo but tenebrously indigo in ambience. He possesses unmistakable roots in Bill Evans, the primary pianist on Davis' iconic recording, but Copland's voicings are more abstract and even more impressionistic, running both in tandem and in contrast with Peacock's relentlessly frenetic bass line. "Blue in Green" is even more subdued, though Peacock takes a solo that's one of his best on the album, an endless wellspring of thematic invention.

Peacock's highest profile gig is with Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, but while it's an unequivocally creative place to be, he feels more open-ended here, especially during the five spontaneous compositions he creates with Copland. The act of not playing is as active a participating action as playing, and on "The Wanderer," he doesn't even enter until the song's final 25 seconds, but it grounds Copland's repetitive, gradually solidifying pattern, despite doing nothing more than following the pianist's right hand. He's more actively engaged on "Rush Hour," a kinetic free improv about two voices merging as one. Copland revisits his own brooding blues, "River's Run," heard solo on his remarkable Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005) and on Voices; here, Peacock provides a more definitive pulse while interacting contrapuntally with Copland. Peacock solos initially, between Copland's rippling, cued figures on "The Pond" with Copland taking over to introduce delicately elegant cascading lines without ever losing sight of the song's core.

The duo is at its most direct during the intro to Stanley Myers' melancholic "Cavatina," the theme song to Michael Cimono's classic The Deer Hunter (1978), but ultimately dissolves into freer time, again still respecting the song's essence. It's their innate ability to head into uncharted territory while remaining reverential to their source that makes Peacock and Copland such a compelling duo. A clear window into the improvisational mindset, Insight is another high water mark for both of these fine, interpretive, and consistently inventive musicians.~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/insight-gary-peacock-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: bass; Marc Copland: piano.

Gary Peacock (R.I.P)
Born: 12-05-1935
Died: 05-09-2020

Insight

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Peggy Lyn Haden - Beloved Partner

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:07
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Autumn Leaves
(2:34)  2. Beloved Partner
(2:06)  3. Days of Wine & Roses
(3:45)  4. Fall Is Here
(2:09)  5. Fly Me to the Moon
(6:18)  6. God Bless the Child
(3:27)  7. I Never Knew
(4:28)  8. Just in Time
(4:34)  9. My Funny Valentine
(3:22) 10. Norwegian Wood
(4:42) 11. Rio de Janeiro Blue
(4:13) 12. Route 66
(2:47) 13. A Small Cafe Mam'selle
(3:51) 14. In the We Small Hours
(2:35) 15. You Are So Beautiful

Peggy Lyn Haden, on vocals (and piano where listed), studied vocal performance and music at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, and piano at the University of South Carolina, under the late Dr. John Emcee. She performed with numerous jazz and dance groups in the Southeast, including Touch of Class in Greenville, SC, and Peggy Lyn & Co. in Atlanta, GA.

Peggy performed at the North Carolina Jazz Conference at Queens College in Charlotte, NC. She was a featured jazz singer at Freedom Weekend Aloft, Greenville Main Street Jazz, university concerts under the direction of Tim Haden, and performed on North Carolina ETV. She was the vocalist for Touch of Class, and vocalist and pianist for the Silk & Spice trio in Greenville, SC. Peggy was the resident solo vocalist and pianist at the Commerce Club in Greenville, SC, for 23 years. She is an accomplished studio performer and previously released the album “I’m Glad There Is You,” recorded at Sandcastle Studios in Greenville, SC. “Beloved Partner” was recorded live by Don Dixon in a three-day session with 16 musicians performing in selected duos, trios, quartets, and quintets. The album also features Hugh Hamilton and Gene Linville on vocals with accompaniment by Peggy Lyn Haden on piano. https://peggylynhaden.com/

Beloved Partner

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Cybill Shepherd - Somewhere Down The Road

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:39
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:43)  1. Somewhere Down The Road (duet with Peabo Bryson)
(3:16)  2. Shot Full Of Love
(3:26)  3. One More Night
(3:55)  4. Same Old Blues
(4:05)  5. Push For You
(3:35)  6. Til You
(3:49)  7. I Cross My Heart
(4:49)  8. Too Soon
(4:00)  9. Bend
(3:57) 10. Whatever We Imagine

Recorded over 5 years and released in 1990, "Somewhere Down The Road" was produced by Memphis music legend Sid Selvidge. The album blends a satisfying mix of ballads and upbeat pop, featuring the title cut with Peabo Bryson. 

While Cybill Shepherd is best known as a model and actress, she is also and accomplished singer. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cybill started singing with her church choir at age eight, and began studying voice at sixteen. She has performed sold out concerts blending rock, blues, ballads and standards. Cybill has recorded seven albums, including "Mad About The Boy" AKA "Cybill Getz Better" with Stan Getz and "Vanilla" with Phineas Newborn Jr., and "Somewhere Down The Road," featuring the title cut with Peabo Bryson. Cybill's recent CD "Talk Memphis To Me", a musical homecoming inspired by the sounds of Memphis, is Cybill's proudest musical endeavor. Her latest effort, "Cybill:Songs From The Cybill Show" is a collection of songs and comedy soundbites from her hit CBS sitcom "Cybill". Currently Cybill performs her cabaret act to audiences across the country. Check out www.cybill.com for engagement dates. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-Down-Road-Cybill-Shepherd/dp/B000008KND

Somewhere Down The Road

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Warren Vaché - Remembers Benny Carter

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:47
Size: 147,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:35)  1. A Walking Thing
(2:34)  2. When Lights Are Low
(4:42)  3. Doozy
(3:54)  4. Key Largo
(5:34)  5. Evening Star
(6:52)  6. Boulevard Bounce
(5:38)  7. Summer Serenade
(4:08)  8. Only Trust Your Heart
(6:01)  9. Souvenir
(3:50) 10. Rock Me to Sleep
(4:44) 11. I'm Sorry
(4:45) 12. All That Jazz
(4:24) 13. The Romp

There's lots of life to this recording. Veteran trumpeter Warren Vache knows a thing or two about an old friend, mentor Benny Carter. With The Warren Vache Quintet Remembers Benny Carter we take a step back in time even as we venture forth into the present. A present that finds cornetist Vache's style and personage slightly at odds with that goofy-looking guy with the lid shaking hands with Carter for the cover of this release. It's a remarkable transformation for someone who, during Carter's life, was enthralled by the man's spirit as well as his humanity and substantial musical contributions.

Then and now. That's what these kinds of recordings are all about, aren't they? The trick is to pull it off convincingly, which means you gotta inhabit that spirit and wonder with your whole heart and still have the means to convey it. In Vache's case, that's just what happens with this recording of 13 tunes associated with the multi-instrumental maven, whose career spanned a mind-boggling number of years and eras. To perhaps repeat, then and now is furthered along by the visual presentation of this CD. You get the younger, livelier Vache shaking hands with the master along with more recent photos which show a man weathered by the times since Carter's death in 2003 at age 95. Gone is that goofy smile of innocence, replaced by a more taciturn and wry grimace. Vache's seasoning no doubt has included some trials and disappointments in the intervening years. And that's just what seems to be so much a part of this recording: the sound of a man in love with his music and, in this case, the music of another, a more mature voice.

So, take all that in, and then listen to this music and discover a kind of transcendence that speaks to the music's ability to be ageless, Vache's formal treatments of these songs are true to the spirit of Carter's own muse and whatever Vache picked up by being associated with him. There is a joyous quality to everything here, except when "lights are low," but then it somehow remains surreptitiously buoyant. Take any tune and find a group cohesion fostered by the leader of this makeshift group and you'll hear something that's rare in today's marketplace of jazz recordings: an authentic embrace of ... then and now. With regular cohort Tardo Hammer at the keys, along with old friends and colleagues tenorist Houston Person, Nicki Parrott on bass and vocals and Leroy Williams on drums on selective cuts, the moods tend to be mellow when they aren't a tad bouncy. The transition between "Boulevard Bounce" and "Summer Serenade," for example, is the transition between that bounce featuring Vache playing a real cozy mute with tasteful brushwork from Williams to yet another example of Hammer's modest eloquence as he brings the serenade forward, Parrott's basslines and solo work simpatico all the way. "Summer Serenade" is that kind of rendition that certainly suggests what the song implies, a lazy river coursing through a nearby meadow, everything in its rightful place as the late-afternoon sun finds its way through the willows and the breezes are soft and reassuring. It's a trio piece, sans Vache, that serves as the midpoint to this collection, having followed what might be considered the overall mood of the album with "Boulevard Bounce," namely, a lighthearted party.

And so, with Remembers Benny Carter (featuring incisive, Carter-centered liner notes from Carter biographer Ed Berger) there's the seemingly inevitable gesture that comes with age and the talent to deliver it: a bittersweet melancholy and a certain longing for what was, maybe best heard when Parrott's voice enters here and there, her feminine energy a vital ingredient here as she expands on her bassist role via a samba version of "Only Trust Your Heart" and the more rightfully easygoing "When Lights Are Low" (featuring some delicate muted-horn work from the leader). Her voice is intimate, relaxed, lilting, as she inhabits the words to these songs in ways that make her an ideal foil to Vache's sometimes more caustic yet generous spirit. A generous spirit that leaves others to carry the tune, so to speak, from time to time without him.

With the quiet eloquence of "Souvenir" Vache returns with a full-bodied open horn, cradling the song's melody in this gently delivered ballad, a certain highlight that could be adapted to any time of day, but especially when those lights are low. Tardo's piano is once again a voice that provides that rare mesmerizing balance to Vache's clear, recital-like tones. You can practically feel the love for Mr. Carter. "Rock Me To Sleep" kicks it up a notch, echoing not only Carter the trumpeter but an even earlier master of that instrument, Louis Armstrong, the song's medium-tempo swing a lure for anyone who loves to hit the dance floor anytime of day. And with "All That Jazz," Vache joining Parrott in the vocal department, we hear not only more up-tempo swinging but some real harmonizing between these two singers that makes you wish they'd done another. Ending with the up-tempo swinging blues "The Romp" may have you forgetting everything that came before, this quintet seemingly refusing to go out quietly, but instead opting for just a wee bit more fun. Vache's horn and leadership on this date should be a welcome treat for any music lover, regardless of age or taste. His ultimate compliment to Carter could be Vache's overt presence implied as well as stated and his subdued, age-appropriate enthusiasm for this music, and his hitting every note just right even as he also allows everyone in on the party, for everyone to come celebrate the wonder that Benny Carter will always represent. ~ John Ephland https://www.allaboutjazz.com/warren-vache-quintet-remembers-benny-carter-by-john-ephland.php

Personnel: Warren Vache, cornet; Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Nicki Parrott, bass, vocals; Tardo Hammer, piano; Leroy Williams, drums.

Remembers Benny Carter

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Booker Ervin - Heavy!!!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:20
Size: 106,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:16)  1. Bachafillen
( 8:43)  2. You Don't Know What Love Is
( 5:00)  3. Aluminum Baby
( 7:54)  4. Not Quite That
(12:28)  5. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
( 3:57)  6. Ode to Charlie Parker

This 1998 CD reissue differs from the original LP in that the immediately distinctive tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin is featured on a previously unreleased four-minute dirge, "Ode to Charlie Parker." The set matches Ervin with a remarkable rhythm section (pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Alan Dawson), plus trumpeter Jimmy Owens and trombonist Garnett Brown (who sometimes takes co-honors). The music is quite moody, soulful, and explorative yet not forbidding. Although the originals are fine (particularly Brown's "Bächafillen"), the main highlights are an inventive reworking of "Bei Mir Bist du Schön" and Ervin's quartet feature on an emotional rendition of "You Don't Know What Love Is."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/heavy%21-mw0000599980

Personnel: Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone; Jimmy Owens - trumpet (3,4,5,6), flugelhorn (1); Garnett Brown - trombone (1,3,4,5,6); Jaki Byard - piano; Richard Davis - bass; Alan Dawson - drums

Heavy!!!

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David Gilmore - From Here to Here

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:02
Size: 152,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:36)  1. Focus Pocus
( 5:24)  2. Cyclic Episode
( 5:04)  3. Metaverse
( 7:20)  4. Child of Time
( 7:50)  5. When and Then
( 4:26)  6. Innerlude
( 4:48)  7. Interplay
( 7:20)  8. The Long Game
(10:07)  9. Free Radicals
( 7:01) 10. Libation

On his second Criss Cross record, From Here To Here, guitar master David Gilmore picks up where he left off on his well-received 2017 label debut, Transitions (Criss 1393). Here, joined by a quartet of New York all-stars comprising pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Brad Jones, and drummer E.J. Strickland, Gilmore navigates 8 recently-penned originals as well as Sam Rivers' Cyclic Episodes and the Bill Evans-Jim Hall classic Interplay. Throughout the proceedings, Gilmore unfailingly displays virtuosic technical and conceptual chops, exhaustive harmonic knowledge, melodic gifts, luminous sound, and sense of focus and proportion. These qualities made him an indispensable sideman several decades ago during long-term engagements with Steve Coleman and Wayne Shorter -- they've only developed and evolved over time.~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Here-DAVID-GILMORE/dp/B07W47GFQL

Personnel: Guitar – David Gilmore;  Bass – Brad Jones; Drums – E.J. Strickland; Piano – Luis Perdomo

From Here to Here

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Andy Biskin - Trio Tragico

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:00
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Boomerang
(6:13)  2. I Should Talk
(5:05)  3. Hey Day
(5:28)  4. Walking Distance
(4:15)  5. I Think Not
(5:18)  6. You That Knew Him
(4:32)  7. Paging Mr. Yes
(2:59)  8. Night Shade
(4:52)  9. Over the Years
(6:10) 10. Top Left Corner
(4:04) 11. Still Busy (the Honk Honk Song)
(5:38) 12. You Who
(2:48) 13. Plaything

Released in tandem with Early American (an exploration of the music of Stephen Foster), Trio Tragico showcases clarinetist Andy Biskin working within the confines of an unconventional chamber-jazz trio. With characteristic wit, the composer delivers an album that is not nearly as melodramatic as the title implies. Biskin enjoys a sublime foil in the rich and classically pure trumpet of Dave Ballou. Ubiquitous Downtown bassist Drew Gress is the fulcrum on which the two horn players pivot. With no drummer present, his lines support not only the pulse, but the principal melody and implied harmonies as well. A mercurial writer and economical improviser, Biskin's sense of humor seeps into his music in subtle ways. While the trio occasionally flirts with melancholy, it never sounds morose. Embracing postmodern irony, but without the cool detached attitude, Biskin and company plot a lyrically poignant course that's unfettered by stylistic conventions.

"Boomerang" opens the album with a solemn refrain, recalling an Old World dirge by blending mournful clarinet, somber trumpet and plangent bowed bass. Suddenly, the tune comes alive; the bass bounds into a brisk walking pattern, launching a jubilant clarinet flight, followed by an equally ebullient trumpet solo. The horns weave a sonorous web, accompanying each other throughout, and Gress takes a brief statement before the collective finish. The baroque-inspired composition "Over The Years" follows a similarly whimsical strategy. Biskin maintains straight-laced classicism, intermittently inserting searing Yiddish doina laments, then just as abruptly returning to the formal structure. The trio generates more than just pleasant melodies; compare the rich harmonies of "Hey Day" to the folksy, see-saw jauntiness of "Walking Distance," with its fractured lullaby ambience. The infectious "Paging Mr. Yes," while outwardly reminiscent of an early two-step, employs shades of an impulsive, Ivesian nature. Biskin's pieces are enigmatic but always accessible, from the gorgeous balladry and Middle Eastern flourishes of "I Should Talk" to sprightly bop pieces such as "I Think Not" and "Plaything." The trio blends subtle improvisation and nuanced group interaction so seamlessly into Biskin's compositions that the dividing line between the two vanishes. With creative arrangements and stellar interplay, Trio Tragico invokes a broad sonic palette, bringing these enchanting pieces to life. Whether exploring tangos, marches, Dixieland, bebop or any number of early American song forms, Biskin's trio handles it all with respect and good humor.~ Troy Collins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/trio-tragico-andy-biskin-strudelmedia-review-by-troy-collins.php

Personnel: Andy Biskin: clarinet, bass clarinet; Dave Ballou: trumpet; Drew Gress: bass.

Trio Tragico

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Art Van Damme - A Perfect Match

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 87,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:04)  2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
(2:27)  3. Tickle-Toe
(3:45)  4. Gone with the Wind
(2:34)  5. Valse Hot
(2:28)  6. The Best Thing for You
(3:48)  7. Satan's Doll
(3:05)  8. Bluesy
(4:06)  9. Spring Is Here
(3:47) 10. Tangee
(3:15) 11. Poinciana
(2:04) 12. Nicollet Avenue Breakdown

Jammed with writing assignments this week, I spent yesterday working and listening to accordionist Art Van Damme. It makes no sense to tell you how much Van Damme swings, since all great jazz accordionists swing. What made Van Damme singular were his thick chord voicings and his groovy attack, which sounded almost vocal. So teaming with guitarist Johnny Smith on A Perfect Match (1962) was a brilliant pairing. Van Damme's meaty, sighing chords and Smith's ringing, bell-like guitar notes sound like five people instead of two. Van Damme was born in 1920 in Norway, Mich. He was classically trained on the piano and began playing accordion at age 9, performing regularly at a local theater. After his family moved to Chicago when he was 14, Van Damme added concerts for the Sante Fe Railroad between the Midwest and California. At age 18 in 1938, he became fascinated by swing and started a trio with accordion, bass and guitar. He was hired in 1941 for a few months by bandleader Ben Bernie and left to become a solo act before forming another trio this time with accordion, vibes and bass. Drums were added in 1944.

Van Damme's impeccable playing style and one-man band approach landed him a steady job with NBC Radio in 1945 a spot that lasted until 1960. Thanks to his ability to craft small-group arrangements on the fly, he played on more than 100 episodes of The Art Van Damme Show, a 15minute segment for NBC (I wish someone would haul these out for a fresh listen). He also appeared regularly on TV in the '50s on celebrity-hosted variety shows. His visibility on the radio in the post-war years inspired a generation of jazz accordionists. After NBC, Van Damme opened a music studio and store in suburban Chicago in 1960, moving to Northridge, Calif. in 1968, spending his spare time playing golf. From the 1970s on, Van Damme regularly toured Japan and Europe, where the accordion was a familiar instrument, Van Damme died in 2010 at age 89.~ Jazzwax By Mar4c Myers https://news.allaboutjazz.com/art-van-damme-a-perfect-match

Personnel: Accordion – Art Van Damme;  Guitar – Johnny Smith

A Perfect Match

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Della Reese, Glenn Osser - Della Reese with Glenn Osser

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:37
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. The Touch of Your Lips
(3:21)  2. He Was Too Good to Me
(3:30)  3. That Old Feeling
(3:55)  4. I Had the Craziest Dream
(3:23)  5. I Wish I Knew
(3:40)  6. Lamplight
(4:20)  7. How Did He Look?
(4:30)  8. More Than You Know
(4:24)  9. These Foolish Things
(3:41) 10. Deep in a Dream
(3:47) 11. Embraceable You
(3:43) 12. Two Sleepy People

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

Born  28 August 1914, Munising, Michigan, USA. The son of Russian immigrants, Osser has had a successful career arranging and conducting for many leading bands and singers. He has also achieved a distinctive string sound through his clever scoring, which he describes as ‘voicing register, and composition of the counterpoint’. In his early career Osser concentrated on arranging, and his scores were accepted by Bob Crosby, Charlie Barnet, Bunny Berigan, Paul Whiteman, Les Brown and Red Nichols. During the 50s, while still regularly working with Whiteman (who was Musical Director of the ABC Network at that time), Osser was in demand to back many singers for albums, including Georgia Gibbs, Vic Damone, Jack Jones, Frankie Laine, John Raitt, Maurice Chevalier and Guy Mitchell. Osser was also recording his own instrumental albums, notably some with Bobby Hackett and Joe Bushkin. Further albums found Osser backing Johnny Mathis, Jerry Vale, Tony Bennett, Robert Goulet and Leslie Uggams. Leaving US Columbia Records and moving to RCA Records, Osser worked with Della Reese and Sam Cooke. Until 1987 he was Music Director and arranger for the Miss America Beauty Pageant on television, with Osser and his wife contributing various original songs including ‘Miss America, You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Look At Her’. He has also written many works for concert bands that are still regularly performed by many high school and college bands in the USA. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/glenn-osser-his-orchestra-mn0000663196/biography

Della Reese with Glenn Osser

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Harold Mabern - Mabern Plays Mabern

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:53
Size: 160,4 MB
Art: Front

( 9:44)  1. Mr. Johnson
( 8:00)  2. The Iron Man
( 7:34)  3. Lover Man
(11:56)  4. The Lyrical Cole-Man
( 8:53)  5. Edward Lee
( 5:59)  6. It's Magic
( 7:34)  7. The Beehive
(10:09)  8. Rakin' and Scrapin'

A tad more subdued than the barn-burning The Iron Man: Live At Smoke (Smoke Sessions Records, 2019), Mabern Plays Mabern still manages to jump full throttle from where that defining recording left us, with a lush, lyrical intensity and a vital, legacy-culling energy which plays as an exquisite coda to the pianist's long, outstanding career.  Alive with the same stylist's intuition and unbridled spirit which found him cutting through the ranks with such contemporaries as Charles Lloyd and Steve Coleman, and had him sitting on many notable sessions with, among others, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Archie Shepp and Sarah Vaughan, the 81-year-old gentleman bopper takes to the spotlight and the stage, and celebrates our common humanity joyously with a virile drive that will surely stun young lions half his age.

Riding rubato into his rollicking tribute to J.J. Johnson, stalwart saxophonist Eric Alexander launches into the first of many flights of high-stakes frenzy as Mabern comps raucously behind him, buoyed by long-standing bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth on high heat. The guest addition of trombonistSteve Davis gives the performance added zest, to the great delight of the Smoke audience. Mabern and Alexander trade blows (and Farnsworth solos for all he is worth) on "The Lyrical Cole-Man" a fevered nod to Coleman, whom he remained close friends with till the end. 1968's "Rakin' and Scrapin" makes its second, though lengthier rock solid appearance in as many recordings. Mabern's big hands swing a lot like, well, the Mabern of '68. Webber and Farnsworth hold steady with a soulful groove as Alexander sails and wails along. "The Beehive" buzzes as Alexander and special guestVincent Herring's winding alto sax leap and bound, play tag, and fuel each other's performance. A fitting farewell, indeed. ~ Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mabern-plays-mabern-harold-mabern-smoke-sessions-records

Personnel: Harold Mabern: piano; Eric Alexander: saxophone, tenor; John Webber: bass, acoustic; Joe Farnsworth: drums; Steve Davis: trombone; Vincent Herring: saxophone.

Mabern Plays Mabern

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Ciyo - Put a Little Jazz in Their Lives

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:14
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Don't Worry Yourself
(4:44)  2. I'm in the Mood for Love
(6:20)  3. My Likkle Jamaica
(5:57)  4. Love Has Found Its Way
(6:13)  5. Living Inside Your Love
(5:04)  6. Put a Little Jazz in Their Lives
(5:45)  7. Flight of the Icons
(5:55)  8. A Blessing Waiting to Happen
(4:23)  9. Message to the Father
(7:28) 10. Cruisin' on the Sea
(6:13) 11. The Virtue of Patience
(1:41) 12. Song for Ernest, Earl & George

Put A Little Jazz In Their Lives is the long-awaited new album from one of the UK's finest musicians, guitarist and vocalist Ciyo Brown. This is Ciyo s 6th album release to date and illustrates his desire to celebrate diversity by merging jazz with reggae, in his own unique and inimitable way. Ciyo has worked with the likes of Suggs, Carleen Anderson, Caron Wheeler, Ronnie Laws, Jean Carne, Courtney Pine, Annie Lennox, Freddie McGregor, Roachford, Billy Paul, Carroll Thompson, John Holt , Janet Kay, Steel Pulse, Aswad, Hill-Street-Soul and the legendary Linda Lewis. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Put-Little-Jazz-Their-Lives/dp/B00LH1993K

Personnel: Ciyo - Vocal And Guitar

Put a Little Jazz in Their Lives

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Julie Budd - Julie Budd

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:23
Size: 87,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. Don't Take Your Love Away
(3:47)  2. I Don't Know How To Love Him (from the rock-opera "Jesus Christ Superstar")
(2:54)  3. Touch Me
(2:50)  4. Just Say Goodbye
(2:51)  5. I Love Your Kind Of Loving
(3:06)  6. The Long And Winding Road
(4:31)  7. You've Got A Friend
(3:26)  8. West Side Apartment
(3:23)  9. Marie de Vere
(3:19) 10. How Can I Be Sure (Of You)
(3:48) 11. Call Me

Hailed as one of the most sophisticated, sensitive and dynamic singers today, Julie Budd began her professional career at the age of twelve, in a Catskill Mountains talent show where she caught the attention of producer/arranger Herb Bernstein. Within six months Julie signed a major recording contract, and appeared on the Merv Griffin Show where she received a standing ovation from both the audience and the staff. Merv immediately took Julie under his wing, and from there she went on to appear on several major TV shows, including the Tonight Show, on which she has been a frequent guest. Throughout her career, Julie Budd has co-starred with such legendary performers as: Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, George Burns, Bob Hope, Don Rickles, Liberace and Robert Klein, to name a few. Julie Budd has also headlined in her own one-woman show and appeared in concert in: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New York's Avery Fisher Hall, The London Palladium, Tel Aviv's Israeli Arts Center and with major symphonies throughout the country. Successful in her acting career, she has appeared in dramatic productions at New York's Circle Repertory Theatre, and Playwright's Horizons. In addition, Julie Budd has starred in Neil Simon's They're Playing Our Song, and also on Broadway in Catskills On Broadway. Julie made her film debut co-starring with Bill Cosby and Elliot Gould in Disney's The Devil and Max Devlin, where she received glowing notices. https://premierespeakers.com/julie-budd/bio

Julie Budd

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Charlie Shavers - Complete Recordings Vol. 3

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:00
Size: 176,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. The Best Things In Life Are Free
(3:00)  2. Taking A Chance On Love
(2:25)  3. In A Little Spanish Town
(3:01)  4. You're My Everything
(2:45)  5. My Old Kentucky Home
(2:30)  6. Caroica
(2:20)  7. In The Still Of The Night
(2:35)  8. Soon
(3:26)  9. I'm A Fool To Love You
(2:50) 10. Blues For Choo Loos
(2:48) 11. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(2:43) 12. Don't Be Late
(3:24) 13. It Might As Well Be Spring
(2:37) 14. Jada
(2:57) 15. But Beautiful
(2:35) 16. Fly Me To The Moon
(1:59) 17. It Don't Mean A Thing
(2:35) 18. Period Of Adjustment
(2:11) 19. Bossa Nova Petite
(1:39) 20. I Kid You Not
(3:15) 21. Porgy
(2:50) 22. Undecided
(2:17) 23. Opus 5
(2:55) 24. A Night In Tunisia
(2:30) 25. Shiny Stockings
(2:42) 26. Minor Blues
(2:31) 27. Tenderly
(1:53) 28. School Days
(1:55) 29. Big Time Blues

Charlie Shavers, one of the greatest if most underrated trumpeters of all time, was in his late prime during the period covered by Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 and four other volumes of Lone Hill Jazz reissues. Shavers' extroverted sound, brilliant technique, wide range and fertile wit always made his solos a delight. This CD reissues all of the music from his LPs Like Charlie and Excitement Unlimited plus five cuts from Charlie Shavers at Le Crazy Horse Saloon. The Like Charlie album has Shavers joined by a rhythm section with pianist Ray Bryant, and includes spectacular versions of "The Best Things in Life Are Free," "A Little Spanish Town," "Carioca," and other swing standards. The Crazy Horse numbers have Shavers with an unidentified trio while the Excitement Unlimited sessions showcase the trumpeter in an octet with tenor-saxophonist Budd Johnson and altoist Jerome Richardson. Although the first two volumes in this series are a bit more essential, this generous CD is also a must for Charlie Shavers collectors.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-recordings-vol-3-charlie-shavers-ray-bryant-quartet-mw0000357955

Personnel: Charlie Shavers (tp), Ray Bryant (p), Tommy Bryant (b), Oliver Jackson (d)

Complete Recordings   Vol. 3

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Charlie Shavers - Complete Recordings Vol. 2

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:36
Size: 176,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:31)  1. Girl Of My Dreams
(2:33)  2. September In The Rain
(2:40)  3. What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
(2:27)  4. Lover
(2:15)  5. I'll Get By
(2:45)  6. Out Of Nowhere
(2:38)  7. Dream
(2:35)  8. Bye Bye Blackbird
(2:48)  9. Pennies From Heaven
(2:18) 10. Frenesi
(2:34) 11. Green Eyes
(3:00) 12. Let's Fall In Love
(2:21) 13. All Of Me
(2:57) 14. Makin' Whoopee
(3:18) 15. Russian Lullaby
(2:57) 16. Taboo
(4:09) 17. You've Changed
(3:21) 18. It's All Right With Me
(2:34) 19. Loch Lomond
(2:33) 20. I Want A Little Girl
(2:40) 21. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(3:10) 22. On The Alamo
(3:15) 23. Undecided
(3:08) 24. All Of You
(3:00) 25. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(2:26) 26. I've Got The World On A String
(2:29) 27. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby

Sublime work from trumpeter Charlie Shavers  a player with a wonderful tone, and a clear, straightforward sound that was often sadly overlooked! The CD brings together the full tracks from 2 albums that Shavers recorded with pianist Ray Bryant Memorial, from 1959, and Here Comes Charlie, from 1960  both of them well-crafted sets that are a great example of Shaver's understated genius. 

The rhythms on both records are surprisingly complex  thanks to free drum work on the kit from Roy Burns, modern bass tones from Aaron Bell, and always-soulful work on piano from Ray Bryant and if we had to pick one album as our favorite, we'd say that we're especially flored by the Here Comes Charlie set as it goves far beyond even our already high opinion of Shaver's talents. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/charlie-shavers-ray-bryant-albums/3991-complete-recordings-vol2.html

Personnel: Charlie Shavers (tp), Roy Burns (p), Tommy Bryant or Aaron Bell (b), Ray Bryant (d)

Complete Recordings  Vol. 2

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Charlie Shavers - Complete Recordings Vol.1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:18
Size: 173,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:04)  1. C'est Si Bon
(2:29)  2. Domino
(2:19)  3. Mam'selle
(2:36)  4. The Last Time I Saw Paris
(1:54)  5. Pigalle
(2:29)  6. Song From "Moulin Rouge"
(2:06)  7. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
(2:54)  8. Petite Fleur
(2:21)  9. My Man
(3:24) 10. I Kiss Your Hand, Madame
(2:27) 11. Comme Si, Comme CA
(3:21) 12. I Love Paris
(1:57) 13. Alexander's Ragtime Band
(3:20) 14. Basin Street Blues
(3:31) 15. Jazz Me Blues
(3:06) 16. Beale Street Blues
(2:41) 17. If I Could Be With You
(3:03) 18. Royal Garden Blues
(2:26) 19. At The Jazz Band Ball
(2:42) 20. Muskrat Ramble
(2:27) 21. Margie
(2:38) 22. St. Louis Blues
(3:16) 23. Daddy's Got The Gleeks
(3:00) 24. When The Saints Go Marching In
(2:35) 25. One O Clock Jump
(2:39) 26. Man With A Horn
(2:27) 27. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
(1:52) 28. Back Home Again In Indiana

Charlie Shavers was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. He had brilliant technique, a very wide range, his own sound, a witty and swinging style, and gave the impression that he could play anything. Over five CDs, the Lone Hill label has reissued most of Shavers' recordings as a leader from 1954-1964, just skipping an album for Capitol, live sets put out by Hep and Spotlight, a Storyville date and two albums released by Vogue. Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 is a perfect place to start, because this CD reissues a set of French-associated songs (from the album Charlie Digs Paree), an exciting and successful program of Dixieland tunes (from Charlie Digs Dixie) and four numbers from the trumpeter's At Le Crazy Horse Saloon, an album whose contents are split between three CDs in this series. Shavers is heard throughout as the only horn in a quartet, with pianist Ray Bryant on all but the Crazy Horse selections. Sometimes the rhythm section provides a shuffle rhythm (à la Jonah Jones) while at other times they swing conventionally. It is particularly fun to hear the trumpeter tear into the Dixieland repertoire. Shavers is the star throughout and was at the peak of his remarkable powers during this period. It is a pity that he is largely forgotten today, for he was a truly remarkable player.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-recordings-vol-1-charlie-shavers-ray-bryant-quartet-mw0000704042

Personnel: Charlie Shavers (tp), Oliver Jackson (d), Aaron Bell or Tommy Bryant (b), Ray Bryant (p)

Complete Recordings Vol.1

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Benny Goodman Trio, Quartet - After You've Gone Vol. 1

Styles: Clarinet Jazz, Swing
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:59
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:45)  1. After You've Gone - Take 2
(3:23)  2. Body and Soul - 1996 Remastered - Take 2
(3:13)  3. Who? (From the First National Film "Sunny")
(2:48)  4. Someday Sweetheart
(2:30)  5. China Boy
(3:09)  6. More Than You Know
(3:14)  7. All My Life - 1987 Remastered
(3:02)  8. Oh, Lady Be Good
(2:45)  9. Nobody's Sweetheart
(3:27) 10. Too Good To Be True
(3:22) 11. Moonglow - Take 1
(2:42) 12. Dinah (From "The Plantation Revue")
(3:18) 13. Exactly Like You
(3:22) 14. Vibraphone Blues
(3:18) 15. Sweet Sue - Just You
(3:27) 16. My Melancholy Baby
(3:22) 17. Tiger Rag
(2:49) 18. Stompin' at the Savoy - Take 2
(3:23) 19. Whispering
(3:44) 20. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider
(3:06) 21. Tea For Two
(2:38) 22. Runnin' Wild

Although Benny Goodman came to fame as leader of a big swinging orchestra, from nearly the beginning he always allocated some time to playing with smaller groups. On July 13, 1935, the Benny Goodman Trio debuted (featuring drummer Gene Krupa and pianist Teddy Wilson) and 13 months later vibraphonist Lionel Hampton made the unit a quartet. The first interracial group to appear regularly in public, this outlet gave BG an opportunity to stretch out and interact with his peers. The CD After You've Gone contains the first ten Trio recordings and the initial twelve studio performances by the Quartet. Helen Ward contributes two fine vocals but the emphasis is on the close interplay between these brilliant players.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/original-benny-goodman-trio-and-quartet-sessions-vol-1-after-youve-gone-mw0000651279

Personnel: Clarinet – Benny Goodman; Drums – Gene Krupa; Piano – Teddy Wilson; Vibraphone – Lionel Hampton

After You've Gone  Vol. 1

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Archie Shepp - Gemini

Album: Gemini Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:09
Size: 152,9 MB
Art: Front

( 4:17)  1. The Reverse - Alternate Version 1
(10:31)  2. Revolution (Mama Rose)
( 6:05)  3. Burning Bright
( 4:41)  4. Trippin'
( 6:54)  5. Time Stood Still
( 7:25)  6. Intertwining Spirits
( 5:19)  7. La Manzana
( 6:50)  8. Eva
( 5:10)  9. Pannonica
( 4:32) 10. The Reverse
( 4:21) 11. The Reverse - Alternate Version 2

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Album: Gemini Disc 2

Time: 41:24

Size: 95,4 MB

(11:08)  1. Hope Two

( 5:30)  2. Call Him

( 7:20)  3. Do You Want to Be Saved

(13:23)  4. Ujaama

( 4:02)  5. Rest Enough

Archie Shepp is a jazz legend. His links to Coltrane and his highly charged mix of out-there sax playing and political comment in the sixties and seventies assure him of a proud place in jazz history. Still going strong, for his 70th birthday he’s released this beautifully packaged, deluxe double CD. The first “The Reverse” is a new studio recording while the second is a live set from five years ago. “The Reverse” contains material in many different styles; blues, gospel, latin and bop. Public Enemy’s Chuck D raps on the title track. But like many birthday parties, while everybody’s having fun, there’s a sloppy atmosphere and some mess. Shepp’s energy is amazing. His playing pushes at the boundaries of tonality (which is a fancy jazz way of saying he occasionally sounds out of tune), with a breathy, raw, wobbly tone, lots of notes, over-blowing and shrieks. Sometimes this works, but occasionally his playing seems at odds with the material, for example on Thelonious Monk’s “Pannonica”. The mix is unbalanced, with Shepp pushed forwards at the expense of the other players; guest guitarist Stephane Guery sounds like he’s playing behind a wall.

Shepp’s singing is an acquired taste. You’ll either love the political, sexually explicit, talking jazz of “Revolution” or you’ll find it curiously old fashioned and tasteless, although Shepp’s soprano sax is on fine, keening form. I prefer the second CD, 'Live in Souillac'. This is a simply recorded live concert from 2002. The driving post-bop of “Hope Two” and “Ujaama” suits Shepp’s intense, over-the-top lines better than some of “The Reverse”, and to be frank, in my humble opinion his playing is better. Amina Claudine Myers contributes two entertaining, warm gospel songs and it all adds up to a very pleasant listen. It seems rude o be lukewarm about a birthday celebration. Hard-core Shepp fans will love this. But if you’re unsure how much you like Shepp, try before you buy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/p4p2/

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Voice – Archie Shepp; Voice [Guest] – Chuck D (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11) Bass – Cameron Brown (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5), Wayne Dockery (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Drums – Ronnie Burrage (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5), Steve McCraven (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Guitar [Guest] – Stéphane Guery (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Piano – Tom McClung (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Piano, Voice – Amina Claudine Myers (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5)

Gemini Disc 1, Disc 2

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