Michael Weiss - Soul Journey

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:14
Size: 136,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:21) 1. Optimism
(6:56) 2. El Camino
(5:59) 3. Soul Journey
(6:59) 4. Orient Express
(7:07) 5. Atlantis
(7:14) 6. The Prophecy
(8:05) 7. The Cheshire Cat
(5:54) 8. La Ventana
(4:35) 9. Second Thoughts

Pianist Michael Weiss took home the Grand Prize in the 2000 BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute's Composition Competition for his song "El Camino," which is included on Soul Journey. This Latin-flavored mainstream beauty features three-horn harmonies and tasty soloing all around. "El Camino" is a sure winner, but the CD is full of other fine Weiss-composed songs: the upbeat opener, "Optimism"; the brooding title tune; and the brassy "Second Thoughts." The septet takes a very mainstream approach a three horn front line (trombone/trumpet/alto sax) and a standard jazz rhythm section, plus an additional percussionist. An Art Blakey approach, though with a smoother sound, harmony more in the forefront of the proceedings, and glowing unison blowing. Ryan Kisor stands out on trumpet solos with his buttery smooth tone.

It's the songs, though, that star on Soul Journey. And though Weiss doesn't call attention to himself as an instrumentalist, additional listens reveal a richness to his own solos, a smooth and understated eloquence. He tells stories when it's his turn: structured mini-songs beginning, middle, end slipped into the middle of the compositions. Another listen, and Steve Wilson's trombone solo on "La Ventana" sparkles. Then there's the very "jazzy" workout "The Cheshire Cat", where trumpeter Kisor sings a cool song before altoist Steve Wilson brings things back to a simmer. A standout effort by Michael Weiss and crew.~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/soul-journey-michael-weiss-sintra-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Michael Weiss, piano, Fender Rhodes; Steve Wilson, alto sax; Ryan Kisor, trumpet, flugelhorn; Steve Davis, trombone; Paul Gill, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums; Danile Sadownick, percussion

Soul Journey

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Just Coolin'

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:57
Size: 89,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:40) 1. Hipsippy Blues
(6:26) 2. Close Your Eyes
(6:22) 3. Jimerick
(4:43) 4. Quick Trick
(5:59) 5. M&M
(8:43) 6. Just Coolin'

This previously unreleased March 1959 studio session captures the Jazz Messengers in a period of transition. Benny Golson had departed; Wayne Shorter had not yet arrived. In the interim, the tenor chair was filled by Hank Mobley, who’d been a member of the original Messengers, appearing on their breakout albums At the Café Bohemia, Volumes 1 and 2, recorded in 1955 and released the following year. Jazz itself was also transitioning during this time; bebop had morphed into the funkier, more roots-driven hard bop (due in no small part to Art Blakey and the Messengers’ pioneering work), and the even rootsier Saturday night/Sunday morning amalgam that became known as soul-jazz was on the horizon (several musicians here, including Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons, would be central in this development).

Appropriately, then, these six tracks half of them penned by Mobley are buoyed by a hip, streetsy swagger, striding along the nexus between hard bop and soul-jazz. Mobley, alternately beguiling and blues-drenched, sounds in places almost like a tenorized Lou Donaldson, his characteristic flashes of humor adding both spice and hipster irony to his lines; Morgan imbues his usual technical virtuosity with fiery emotionalism, as if to give a workshop in the ongoing bop/hard-bop evolution. Timmons’ solo work is slyly understated but punctuated with spiky jabs, scurries, and curlicues. Blakey may be a bit more restrained than usual, yet he remains determinedly in control, relentlessly inspiring (compelling?) the soloists to alter their mood or rhythmic approach or, sometimes, just ratchet things up to a higher level with a well-placed kick, cymbal fusillade, or press roll. Until now, the only extant documentation of this Messengers unit had been At the Jazz Corner of the World, recorded at Birdland by Alfred Lion a few weeks later. Although the “without-a-net” creative tension of a live performance is necessarily missing here, this is an invaluable opportunity to hear a short-lived but significant incarnation of one of jazz’s most fabled groups. ~ David Whiteis https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/art-blakey-the-jazz-messengers-just-coolin-blue-note/

Personnel: Bass – Jymie Merritt; Drums – Art Blakey; Piano – Bobby Timmons; Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley; Trumpet – Lee Morgan

Just Coolin'

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The Peddlers - How Cool Is Cool Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: How Cool Is Cool Disc 1

Styles: Jazz-Pop
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:39
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:18) 1. Time After Time
(3:41) 2. Girl Talk - From the Motion Picture "Harlow"
(2:34) 3. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)? - From "The Roar Of THe Greasepaint"
(2:37) 4. Stormy Weather
(3:26) 5. Smile
(3:24) 6. Empty Club Blues
(2:28) 7. You're The Reason I'm Living
(3:43) 8. It Ain't No Big Thing
(3:02) 9. Sneakin' Up On You
(3:30) 10. Pentathalon - Instrumental
(2:01) 11. What Now My Love
(6:06) 12. Lover
(2:27) 13. Say No More
(2:36) 14. Irresistable You (2:43) 15. Murrays Mood - Instrumental
(1:42) 16. Nine Miles High
(2:15) 17. Comin' Home Baby
(3:38) 18. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
(3:12) 19. Basin Street Blues
(2:40) 20. Nobody Likes Me
(3:23) 21. I'm A Boy In Love

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Album: How Cool Is Cool Disc 2

Time: 76:42
Size: 176,6 MB

( 4:01) 1. People - From The Musical Production "Funny Girl"
( 2:53) 2. In The Still Of the Night
( 2:49) 3. Ebb Tide
( 2:34) 4. Just A Pretty Song
( 2:38) 5. Lost Continent
( 4:34) 6. Prime Of My Life
( 3:21) 7. Some Of This Some Of That
( 2:44) 8. Handle With Care
( 2:04) 9. Horses Collar
( 4:11) 10. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
( 3:16) 11. Little Red Rooster
( 2:23) 12. Southern Women
( 3:07) 13. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
( 6:33) 14. Girlie P. S. I Love You
( 2:22) 15. Day In Day Out
( 2:26) 16. City Living
(10:41) 17. Lockshen Pudding - Instrumental
( 4:04) 18. Birth
( 3:05) 19. That's Life
( 3:55) 20. Steel Mill
( 2:50) 21. Wasting My Time

Two CD 42 track set featuring their complete CBS recordings. Once derided as three blokes in matching shirts playing easy listening interpretations of pop hits, they now have a certain retro cool for what keyboardist/ vocalist Roy Phillips describes as 'a sort of pop-art-jazz' and can be seen as an influence on acts as diverse as Air & Lemon Jelly. This double CD compilation gathers the group's three late-60s albums they cut for CBS (Freewheelers, Three in a Cell and Birthday) as well as singles and rare recordings. Unbelievably tight, The Peddlers could swing with the best of them and their rich organ and funky rhythms recall both Ramsay Lewis & Booker T & the MG's. Although The Peddlers did not split up until 1976, the group (and their fans) consider these recordings the finest recordings Peddlers available and listening to them is a pleasure. Imaginative interpretations of 'Little Red Rooster' and 'Stormy Weather' alongside brooding originals make this a definitive set of a seriously underrated '60s act who truly embody the pop-art-jazz thing like no other. Sony Jazz. 2002. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/How-Cool-Peddlers/dp/B00006L403

How Cool Is Cool Disc 1, Disc 2

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Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell - The Cats

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:21
Size: 97,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:24) 1. Minor Mishap
( 5:55) 2. How Long Has This Been Going On?
( 7:55) 3. Eclypso
( 9:07) 4. Solacium
(11:58) 5. Tommy's Tune

The Cats are John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan, and Idrees Sulieman, heavyweights that clearly mark this as a Prestige All-Stars blowing session. However, this 1957 recording is actually a showcase for Flanagan, a rising star in his first major role. None of the tunes are all that challenging, following basic blues formulas that befit the nature of the session, which was probably quickly organized and recorded. But as you might expect this gives the players plenty of opportunities to wail.Coltrane demonstrates that he would soon be exploring more harmonically advanced territories than the others, tearing through rapid-fire solos with no trouble whatsoever. Burrell takes a more laid-back approach, stringing together bluesy licks in a relaxed fashion. If there's a weak link here, it's Sulieman, who despite a few nice solos seems tentative in spots and a little directionless in others.
But fortunately this is Flanagan's session, a gifted sideman who provides the right support to make sure that everyone stays on course. Along with the sextet tunes, a trio recording of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" proves that Flanagan was capable of handling the spotlight on his own. The slow, graceful rendering of the standard proves that the pianists had plenty of originality and taste and is the only track on the album that stands out. The Cats isn't the best recording by any of these musicians, who recorded in various combinations elsewhere (the later Kenny Burrell with John Coltrane , which also features Flanagan, is an essential purchase), but nevertheless The Cats is a solid album with plenty of tasty playing.~ David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-cats-john-coltrane-prestige-records-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Tommy Flanagan - piano; John Coltrane - tenor sax; Idrees Sulieman - trumpet; Kenny Burrell - guitar; Doug Watkins - bass; Louis Hayes - drums.

Various Artists - Esquire Jazz Concert - Metropolitan Opera House

Styles: Swing,Dixieland
Year: 1944/2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:44
Size: 175,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:00)  1. Esquire Bounce
(4:12)  2. Basin Street Blues
(3:22)  3. Sweet Lorraine
(8:26)  4. I Got Rhythm
(2:52)  5. The Blues
(5:13)  6. Esquire Blues
(4:23)  7. Mop Mop
(3:39)  8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
(4:15)  9. Billie's Blues
(1:28) 10. I'll Get By
(3:43) 11. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
(3:25) 12. Tea For Two
(3:06) 13. My Ideal
(2:51) 14. Buck Jumpin'
(3:13) 15. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:01) 16. For Bass Only
(3:33) 17. Back O' Town Blues
(3:06) 18. I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling
(1:39) 19. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:43) 20. Squeeze Me
(2:23) 21. Muskrat Ramble

The first Esquire All-Star Concert, which took place in 1944, has been well documented on various discs, generally in bits and pieces, but this CD has more of the music than most issues. Originally recorded on transcription discs for distribution by various Armed Forces Radio programs, including One Night Stand, Jubilee, and Swing Session, the music is sometimes briefly intruded upon by an announcer who felt obligated to identify a soloist in the middle of a song. But this is a rare opportunity to hear many jazz masters of the 1940s in a jam session atmosphere, including Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, and Red Norvo, to name a few. But the true star of the evening is the phenomenal pianist Art Tatum, who proves himself as a more than competent pianist in a group setting, something he was always accused of not being able to do. The highlight of the 21 selections on this Italian CD is easily the intense eight-minute workout of "I Got Rhythm," with potent solos by Tatum, Eldridge, Hawkins, and clarinetist Barney Bigard. The sound quality isn't bad for a vintage 1940s broadcast, though the rhythm section isn't always clearly audible. Unfortunately, the spelling of names and song titles is a bit sloppy, the music is out of sequence (unlike most reissues), and the concert took place on January 18, 1944, not January 13 as listed. This memorable concert should be part of any serious jazz collection. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/esquire-jazz-concert-1944-mw0000927901

Esquire Jazz Concert - Metropolitan Opera House

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Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal - Double Dealin'

Styles: Tumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:17
Size: 114,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Double Dealin’
(5:05)  2. 3 Deuces
(4:48)  3. Fast Lane
(5:34)  4. Mind The Fire - For Chuck
(5:52)  5. Sambop
(4:30)  6. You Ga (Ta Give It)
(5:39)  7. True North
(4:34)  8. The Hipster
(4:15)  9. Jetlagged
(4:46) 10. Habañero

It can be difficult for two giants to share space without colliding into each other. It alternatively can be a bold mix of dynamic forces. Double Dealin' (Shanachie, 2020) robustly falls into the second category. It took many years for Randy Brecker and Eric Marienthal to finally find the right project to come together on. The long wait is rewarded with energetic performances in this funk and groove extravaganza. The title track kicks the record off with more than a splash of what was to follow. Brecker's signature sound pops in new digs and is met by the gliding sophistication of Marienthal's melodic tapestry. Marienthal's own engaging solo is capped by the horn section in a tune that establishes what is to be the thread of the record. "Double Dealin'" is one of five Marienthal and George Whitty co-writes on the album. Whitty, who produced the record, contributed the tune "3 Deuces" to the record. The horn section floats through this Whitty arrangement that features a silky solo from Marienthal. Whitty is to be noted as producing, arranging, composing and playing throughout the record. His skillset left a major imprint on the core foundation of this record.

"Fast Lane" is funk in fifth gear. Dave Weckl and John Patitucci join in and somehow avoid a speeding ticket driving this number hard and creating a furious rhythm section pace for Brecker and Marienthal to ride. Their connectivity is never more apparent, as Brecker plays with gusto and Marienthal reaches in for a growl. It's a high wire act from start to finish. Sequencing to a slow down, the beautifully sentimental "Mind the Fire" is offered as a tribute to late guitarist Chuck Loeb. A long-time friend and band mate of both Brecker and Marienthal, Loeb had a special character to his playing that was honored in this Whitty/Marienthal composition. Played with heart and elegance, Brecker's understated grace brings a soft emotional current to this warm remembrance. The ensemble skyrocketed back to the high-end funk and groove display with Brecker's saucy "Sambop." Brecker breathes life into a nourishing solo, flourishing into a tantalizing, sensational riff that bridges to Marienthal. Grateful for the set-up, Marienthal ignites into a powder keg of his own in this funky barn burner. Patitucci and Weckl's resilient and energetic push are key to this tune's flavor and rhythmic cadence.

Brecker's second compositional entry to Double Dealin' is "You Ga (To Give It)." They give us an exhilarating funk rush that is laced with spirited note selections by Brecker and Marienthal. It's a tune that swings hard with improvisational bliss. The sophisticated "True North" manages to take you to a different place while staying in the bounds, or the aforementioned thread, of the record. The Whitty/Marienthal co-write is to be noted for its synergy and delightfully intelligent play from the horn section as a unit. Some big playing with some big chops by both Brecker and Marienthal as they gravitated due north with significant interplay. It would be remiss not to mention Patitucci's acoustic bass treatment on this number. Whitty's "The Hipster" is just a whole lot of fun. All aboard the funk train. The groovin' locomotive shimmies down the tracks with abandon and no stops along the way. Brecker's trip to the hardware store pays off, as he gets down and blows freely with a plunger mute. Some really great vibes on this tune make for some chill beats and cool moments. Whitty sneaking in to stretch out on a solo is a well-placed secret weapon. Well conducted, everyone is indeed on board and riding in first class. Brecker's wife, talented saxophonist Ada Rovatti, brought a song to the mix entitled "Jetlagged." Slick licks from Brecker and Marienthal are employed here in a song that has more umph than the sleepy title might imply. Creatively written and arranged, it is notable that Rovatti wrote engaging parts for each member of the ensemble. The riffs spew out off of tight edges in perhaps the most wonderfully complex piece on the record.

Double Dealin' finishes in the high style that was ridden and presented from top to bottom. Not surprisingly, "Habanero" is hot and spicy. The fifth Whitty/Marienthal offering is certainly a leave 'em wanting more conclusion. Brecker and Marienthal seize the moment and leave nothing on the table. Brecker did what Brecker does. A note selection gem performed with verve. Marienthal responds in a brisk and flavorful manner with an effervescent solo of his own. The word double is represented here in the scope of appreciation or listening methodology. There is plenty of meat on the bone for the jazz aficionado that wants to dig deep. 

Also, there is the opportunity to just take it easy, ride the grooves, and have some fun/funk. In a year dampened by pandemic woes, Brecker and Marienthal opt to raise spirits in presenting this high-end celebration of music and life. ~ Jim Worsley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/double-dealin-randy-brecker-and-eric-marienthal-shanachie-records

Personnel: Randy Brecker: trumpet; Eric Marienthal: saxophone; George Whitty: keyboards; Dave Weckl: drums; John Patitucci: bass.

Double Dealin'

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The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Quintet Plus

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:23
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:08)  1. Arriving Soon
(6:25)  2. Well You Needn't
(6:55)  3. New Delhi
(6:56)  4. Winetone
(7:05)  5. Star Eyes
(6:40)  6. Lisa - Take 8
(6:59)  7. Lisa - Alternate Take
(5:12)  8. O.P.

For this CD reissue of a Riverside date, altoist Cannonball Adderley's 1961 Quintet (which includes cornetist Nat Adderley, pianist Victor Feldman, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes) is joined by guest pianist Wynton Kelly on five of the eight selections, during which Feldman switches quite effectively to vibes. The music falls between funky soul-jazz and hard bop, and each of the performances (particularly "Star Eyes" and "Well You Needn't") is enjoyable. The CD adds a new alternate take of "Lisa" and the previously unissued "O.P." to the original program. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-quintet-plus-mw0000584171

Personnel: Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone; Nat Adderley - cornet; Wynton Kelly - piano; Victor Feldman - piano, vibes; Sam Jones - bass; Louis Hayes - drums

The Quintet Plus

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Jo Stafford - Autumn In New York And Other Classics

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:37
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:42)  1. Autumn In New York
(2:47)  2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(2:57)  3. If I Loved You
(2:58)  4. Almost Like Being In Love
(2:27)  5. Make Believe
(2:39)  6. Through The Years
(3:10)  7. Sometimes I'm Happy
(2:48)  8. In The Still Of The Night
(3:12)  9. Some Enchanted Evening
(2:25) 10. The Best Things In Life Are Free
(2:42) 11. Just One Of Those Things
(2:46) 12. Haunted Heart
(2:54) 13. Alice Blue Gown
(2:33) 14. Tell Me Why
(2:40) 15. Let The Rest Of The World Go By
(2:44) 16. Gee, It's Good To Hold You
(2:35) 17. The Wish That I Wish Tonight
(2:51) 18. As Long As I Know You're Somewhere
(3:03) 19. Rockin' Chair
(3:02) 20. Georgia On My Mind
(2:49) 21. Dream - Edit
(3:13) 22. Jamboree Jones
(3:29) 23. Temptation (Tim-Tayshun) - 1949 Version

An early LP for Jo Stafford (and the LP format itself), 1950's Autumn in New York assembled a dozen standards set at ballad tempo and arranged with crying strings by Stafford's primary arranger (and husband), Paul Weston. Most of them were show tunes, some dating back to the '20s, and all seemed tailor-made for Stafford's sweet, pure tone and way with a lovelorn lyric. The title song and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" earned pride of place, but there simply wasn't a deficient tune in the bunch "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Some Enchanted Evening," "Just One of Those Things" and Stafford treated them all with the reverence and devotion they deserve. The LP was released in several formats, including a collection of 78-rpm EPs, while a 2009 reissue by DRG boasted 11 bonus tracks, including a few previously unreleased songs as well as a pair of big hits: "Jamboree Jones" (featuring Johnny Mercer) and "Tim-Tayshun (Temptation)" (Stafford's cornpone sendup of the Bing Crosby standard). ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/autumn-in-new-york-mw0000814176

Autumn In New York And Other Classics

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Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:48
Size: 97,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. Chuck E's in Love
(2:31)  2. On Saturday Afternoons in 1963
(3:18)  3. Night Train
(4:03)  4. Young Blood
(3:19)  5. Easy Money
(4:05)  6. The Last Chance Texaco
(4:06)  7. Danny's All-Star Joint
(3:48)  8. Coolsville
(5:59)  9. Weasel and the White Boys Cool
(4:52) 10. Company
(2:13) 11. After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight)

With her expressive soprano voice employing sudden alterations of volume and force, and her lyrical focus on Los Angeles street life, Rickie Lee Jones comes on like the love child of Laura Nyro and Tom Waits on her self-titled debut album. Given the population of colorful characters who may or may not be real people that populate her songs Chuck E., Bragger, Kid Sinister, and others she also might have had Bruce Springsteen in her bloodline (that is, the Springsteen of his first two albums), and her jazzbo sensibility suggests Mose Allison as a grandfather. Producers Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, who know all about assisting quirky singer/songwriters with their visions, have brought in a studio full of master session musicians, many of them with jazz credentials, and apparently instructed them to follow Jones' stop-and-start, loud-and-soft vocalizing, then overdubbed string parts here and there. The music thus has a sprung rhythmic feel that follows the contours of Jones' impressionistic stories about scuffling people on the streets and in the bars. There is an undertow of melancholy that becomes more overt toward the end, as the narrator's friends and lovers clear out, leaving her "Standing on the corner/All alone," as she sings in the final song, "After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Goodnight)." It's a long way, if only 40 minutes or so, from the frolicsome opener, "Chuck E.'s in Love," which had concluded that he was smitten by "the little girl who's singin' this song." But then, the romance of the street is easily replaced by its loneliness. Rickie Lee Jones is an astounding debut album that simultaneously sounds like a synthesis of many familiar styles and like nothing that anybody's ever done before, and it heralds the beginning of a potentially important career. ~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/rickie-lee-jones-mw0000190561

Rickie Lee Jones

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Cybill Shepherd - Talk Memphis To Me

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:21
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:25)  1. Roll Big Muddy
(3:03)  2. Beal Street Blues
(2:20)  3. Tennessee Waltz
(4:47)  4. Walkin' The Dog - Who's Makin' Love
(4:13)  5. Power Of Love
(3:01)  6. Muddy Water
(3:51)  7. If I Could
(2:55)  8. Mama's Cookin'
(4:35)  9. Find Another Fool
(3:47) 10. Talk Memphis To Me
(3:19) 11. You Never Know

Cybill Shepherd is a one-of-a-kind steel magnolia, a Southern beauty queen who looks soft as a flower petal but who in reality is anything but soft on the inside. Her patrician looks and bombshell figure generated modeling and acting careers while her saucy attitude and flair for comedy won fans for her as well. Most interesting of all, behind the beautiful façade is a woman with brains and talent. She always spoke her mind, as evidenced by a tell-all memoir in 2000 in which she didn't hesitate to spill the beans and name which male co-star failed to finish a horizontal tango, which one tangoed too fast, and who was best equipped for the encounter. In addition to modeling, acting, writing, and producing, Shepherd also sings. She has released seven albums and has performed live in cabarets and other nightspots in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and London. Like many vocalists, Shepherd began with a stint in the church choir as a child. She started taking voice lessons when she was 16 years old. Her repertoire is a mixture of standards, blues, rock, and ballads. Peabo Bryson appears on her Somewhere Down the Road album. Stan Getz joins her on Mad About the Boy, and Phineas Newborn Jr. appears on Vanilla. Another album, Songs From the Cybill Show in 1999, is a tie-in to her similarly named television comedy series which launched in 1995.

A Tennessee native, Shepherd twice took the title of Miss Teenage Memphis, first in 1966 and again two years later. She was named Model of the Year by Stewart Models in 1968. Her photo has graced the covers of such magazines as Vogue, Life, People, and Glamour. One of those covers sparked Peter Bogdanovich's interest in Shepherd, leading to a long-term relationship and a starring role in his 1971 film, The Last Picture Show. The Heartbreak Kid followed the next year. Other films include Texasville, Married to It, Daisy Miller, and Taxi Driver. Her awards include four Golden Globes and an equal number of People's Choice Awards. 

The Hollywood Radio and Television Society dubbed Shepherd and Bruce Willis, her co-star in the Moonlighting television series during the late '80s, Woman and Man of the Year in Broadcasting. Shepherd was married twice. Her 1978 marriage to David Ford ended in divorce in 1982. In 1987 she wed Bruce Oppenheim, but that union, too, ended in divorce in 1990. She has three children. ~ Linda Seiva https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cybill-shepherd-mn0000149345/biography

Talk Memphis To Me

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Sue Ramsay & Mike Stanutz - Reunion

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:27
Size: 89,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:22)  1. Spend A Little Time With Me
(4:18)  2. A Light
(3:31)  3. Bossa Vagabundo
(3:05)  4. Cat
(2:43)  5. VooDoo
(2:32)  6. Reunion
(2:52)  7. Big Green Eyes
(3:02)  8. Cold House Blues
(4:19)  9. Come To Me
(1:33) 10. A Song We'll Always Know
(3:30) 11. You Say
(2:04) 12. Pumpkin
(2:30) 13. Winds Of Change

Reunion, probably the most rewarding and of course tantalizing for me is the original material.  I have Mike Stanutz to thank for that. "Reunion" is our first cd....and is full of joy and hope.   Writing lyrics....listening to a piece of music and creating is so surreal and  intoxicating.  Having a hand in creating what I sing is a privilege.  Once you've had a drop......well I'm not sure how to stop. http://www.suzanne-ramsay.com/music.html

Featured Tracks: A Light - David Matheson keys, Phil Desera guitar, Clark Johnston bass, Mike Stanutz drums, Sue Ramsay vocals  /    Cat - Clark Johnston bass, Sue Ramsay vocals /   A Song We'll Always Know By Heart -  Phil Desera guitar, Sue Ramsay vocals

Reunion

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Artemis - Artemis

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:54
Size: 119,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:24)  1. Goddess Of The Hunt
(7:20)  2. Frida
(6:12)  3. The Fool On The Hill
(5:01)  4. Big Top
(3:27)  5. If It's Magic
(5:27)  6. Nocturno
(6:25)  7. Step Forward
(5:29)  8. Cry, Buttercup, Cry
(5:05)  9. The Sidewinder

It's truly exhilarating yet sadly mundane and reductive that a recording as vital and victorious as Artemis will be universally hailed as a first from an all- female supergroup. That it cuts across all generational, cultural, international, and ethnic planes. That Blue Note Records has expanded its ever legendary ranks to include, well, you know, a female supergroup. It's like the more we think we've gotten past these worn, tired types of qualifiers we realize all the more we really haven't.

Until that day we no longer feel the need to identify such things, we turn, as every society does, to our artists to lead, and lead Artemis does. How could it not when pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes joins equally fierce forces with tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, clarinetist Anat Cohen, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, drummer Allison Miller, bassist Noriko Ueda, and featured vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant for a tough, tight and tenacious nine song set that catches fire immediately with Miller's "Goddess of the Hunt." A wily composition that brings each member to the fore without breaking the ensemble's inherent integrity. On "Goddess of the Hunt" propelled by Rosnes' and Ueda's insistence and Miller's persistence Aldana and Jensen run the gamut as Cohen binds it all together. It's a kick-off not to be to missed.

Aldana's precocious "Frida," one of the tunes the saxophonist didn't include on her emotionally weighted study suite of the painter Frida Kahlo, Visions (Motema, 2019) weaves more space for the five to establish both an intrinsic group synergy and individual personality. Never opting out for ego's sake, Jensen's intricate rendering of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "The Fool On the Hill" allows for each voice to freely interpret one of rock's greatest ruminations with a real time urgency for the real time absurdity we live through daily. All five minutes of Rosnes' finger snapping, toe tapping "Big Top" is sheer joy to listen to and a virtuoso testament by the septet to the Greek goddess that inspires them. Salvant makes a stunning entrance with Stevie Wonder's elegant 1977 ballad "If It's Magic." Cohen, whose high flights of fancy and in depth explorations of shadow and light throughout the album almost steals the whole show, brings the contemplative "Nocturno" for each player to color. In stark contrast of mood and style, Ueda's punchy swing-fest "Step Forward" lets us marvel at Cohen's acrobatics, Jensen's lyrical agility, and Rosnes' whimsical sense of light. It's a remarkably fluid piece. Which is a fine way to describe the whole of this debut by a crew of veterans. Inspired by the times around them, Artemis returns the inspiration tenfold.~ Mark Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/artemis-artemis-blue-note

Personnel:  Renee Rosnes: piano; Allison Miller: drums; Melissa Aldana: saxophone, tenor; Noriko Ueda: bass; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Cecile McLorin Salvant: voice / vocals; Anat Cohen: clarinet, bass.

Artemis

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Ciyo - So Inviting

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:54
Size: 158,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. So Inviting
(4:00)  2. Hello Happiness
(6:28)  3. We've Got Love to Share
(5:24)  4. Breezin'
(4:45)  5. Love Won't Leave Us Alone
(4:18)  6. Feel the Vibe
(4:15)  7. Kingston Nights
(5:12)  8. Jazzy Mood for Love
(3:52)  9. Come out to Play
(3:45) 10. The Feelings Right
(4:02) 11. Back to Nature
(3:22) 12. San Francisco
(3:17) 13. Let's Fall in Love
(5:30) 14. ….And There She Was
(5:41) 15. Treacle

Biography ‘Born in Jamaica, Ciyo arrived in England at the age of six months old. Though a high academic achiever qualifying as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives and specialising in the area of housing law, music has always been a dedicated and professionally nurtured constant in Ciyo’s journey through life.

From early beginnings having first been taught to play the guitar at the age of nine by his father, Ciyo has participated musically in theatrical, studio recordings and live performances alongside a parade of internationally acclaimed artists. These have included Caron Wheeler, Ann Nesby, Ruby Turner, Annie Lennox, Suggs, YolanDa Brown, Jason Rebello, soca queen Alison Hinds, Jean Carne, Jazz Warriors, Tomorrow’s Warriors, Talvin Singh, LCGC, East London Gospel Choir, Chevelle Franklin, Andy Hamilton, Eastwood and Saint, Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Urban Soul Orchestra, Alex Wilson, Sonny Okusons, internationally acclaimed jazz guitarists Jim Mullen and Dave Cliff, Pee Wee Ellis, Sly and Robbie, Freddie McGregor, Adele, Steel Pulse (where he shared lead guitar duties with Jimmy ‘Senyah’ Haynes on the 1991 album, Victims) and Carleen Anderson. Ciyo has also been appointed as Musical Director for a range or coveted artists to include the likes of Ronnie Laws, Billy Paul, Ann Nesby, Horace Andy, Sylvia Tella and Johnny Clarke.

An in-demand musicians’ musician, Ciyo’s ongoing collaborative works cover a range of genres. His talent has enhanced iconic popular music alongside artists such as Roachford, Linda Lewis, Raghav, Shara Nelson, through progressive Jazz with Soweto Kinch, to the ‘new psychedelia’ Brit-pop/folk influenced music of Bishi. Ciyo’s jazzy guitar contributions are also present in the genres of reggae and lover’s rock and can be found in his live and recorded work with many artists including JC Lodge, Sugar Minott, Bob Andy, Earl ‘Chinna Smith’, Barry Biggs, Dennis Bovell, Pam Hall, Jimmy Lindsay, Earl 16, Lukie D, Paulette Tajah, Susan Cadogan, Lorna Bennett, Kofi, Winston Reedy, Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson.

Ciyo has toured with Courtney Pine, Byron Wallen, Ronnie Laws, Billy Paul, Jean Toussaint, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, Horace Andy, Cleveland Watkiss, Steel Pulse and a host of others. He counts quality time spent with George Benson as amongst his most inspiring experiences to date. Ciyo has five album releases to date with two compilations and a new studio album consisting of acoustic guitar-led soulful jazz due for release in October 2012. Current projects also include a focus on his World Music Acoustic Trio featuring Colin McNeish (double bass) and Lenny Edwards (percussion). This project delivers an eclectic mix of musical themes from around the world featuring dynamic arrangements and interpretation underpinned by instinctive and sublime musicianship from a stellar trio of outstanding musicians. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/ciyo

So Inviting

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Jim Hall - Jim Hall Plays Standards

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 143:27
Size: 331,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:17)  1. 42nd Street
( 5:45)  2. 9:20 Special
( 5:03)  3. Body and Soul
( 5:46)  4. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)
( 4:14)  5. Easy Living
( 5:44)  6. Groovin' High
( 2:45)  7. I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
( 3:32)  8. I Can't Get Started
( 8:40)  9. I Get a Kick Out of You
( 3:31) 10. I Remember Clifford
( 7:28) 11. I Remember You
( 4:52) 12. I Should Care
( 4:29) 13. I'll Be Around
( 4:33) 14. I've Got You Under My Skin
( 8:01) 15. Jumpin' at the Woodside
( 2:41) 16. Laura
(10:11) 17. Moten Swing
( 3:52) 18. My Funny Valentine
( 3:07) 19. Skylark
( 3:59) 20. Stella by Starlight
( 4:41) 21. Stompin' at the Savoy
( 2:58) 22. Swinging on a Star
( 5:49) 23. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
( 2:51) 24. This Is Always
( 5:38) 25. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West
( 6:31) 26. What's New?
( 5:12) 27. Where Are You?
( 5:05) 28. You Go to My Head

A harmonically advanced cool-toned and subtle guitarist, Jim Hall was an inspiration to many guitarists, including some (such as Bill Frisell) who sound nothing like him. Hall attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied classical guitar in Los Angeles with Vicente Gómez. He was an original member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955-1956), and during 1956-1959 was with the Jimmy Giuffre Three. After touring with Ella Fitzgerald (1960-1961) and sometimes forming duos with Lee Konitz, Hall was with Sonny Rollins' dynamic quartet in 1961-1962, recording The Bridge. He co-led a quartet with Art Farmer (1962-1964), recorded on an occasional basis with Paul Desmond during 1959-1965 (all of their quartet performances are collected on a Mosaic box set), and then became a New York studio musician. He was mostly a leader during the following years and, in addition to his own projects for World Pacific/Pacific Jazz, MPS, Milestone, CTI, Horizon, Artist House, Concord, MusicMasters, and Telarc, Jim Hall recorded two classic duet albums with Bill Evans. A self-titled collaboration with Pat Metheny followed in 1999. A flurry of studio albums, reissues, and compilations followed throughout the next few years, with the exceptional Jim Hall & Basses standing out for its bass/guitar duet format. Jim Hall died at his apartment in Manhattan on December 10, 2013; he was 83 years old. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jim-hall-mn0000286483/biography

Jim Hall Plays Standards

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James Moody - Last Train From Overbrook

Styles: Saxophone e Flute Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:16
Size: 65,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Last Train From Overbrook
(2:34)  2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(2:25)  3. Why Don't You
(3:31)  4. I'm Free aka What's New?
(1:43)  5. Tico Tico
(2:25)  6. There She Goes
(2:07)  7. All The Things You Are
(3:09)  8. Brother Yusef
(3:44)  9. Yvonne
(3:28) 10. The Moody One

A wonderful album from Moody  one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days and the record certainly shows that  not only on the title track "Last Train From Overbrook", a jumpy little number that became one of the big new tunes in Moody's book, but on the whole album, which features some well-conceived large charts written by Johnny Pate. Pate and Moody wrote the bulk of the songs, too and titles include "Yvonne", "Brother Yusef", "The Moody One", "There She Goes", "Tico Tico", and "Why Don't You". The album also features a great double-exposed cover photo, and some of the most chilling liner notes you'll ever read about a jazzman's struggles with addiction.  © 1996-2020, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/41999/James-Moody:Last-Train-From-Overbrook

Personnel: James Moody - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute; Flip Ricard, Earl Turner, Sonny Cohn - trumpet; Ethel Merker - french horn on Last Train from Overbrook ; John Avant - trombone; Bill Atkins, Lenny Druss - alto saxophone; Vito Price, Sandy Mosse, Eddie Johnson - tenor saxophone; Pat Patrick - baritone saxophone; Junior Mance - piano; Floyd Morris - piano; Johnny Pate - bass; John Gray - guitar; Red Holt - drums

Last Train From Overbrook

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Jon Hendricks - Before Us

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:06
Size: 185,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. Out of the Past
(4:18)  2. Another Get Together
(2:51)  3. With Malice Towards None
(5:03)  4. The Shouter
(2:54)  5. Pretty Strange
(4:12)  6. If I Had My Share
(2:30)  7. Please Send Me Someone to Love
(3:33)  8. Saturday Night Fish Fry
(2:10)  9. That's Enough
(2:51) 10. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
(3:42) 11. A Good Git-Together
(4:24) 12. Contemporary Blues
(1:02) 13. Everything Started in the House of the Lord
(2:35) 14. Caravan
(2:35) 15. What Would You Do
(5:41) 16. Fast Livin' Blues
(2:23) 17. I'll Die Happy
(3:32) 18. I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I've Got
(2:22) 19. Social Call
(3:06) 20. Good Old Lady
(4:18) 21. Do You Call That a Buddy
(2:26) 22. Everything Started in the House of the Lord II
(3:31) 23. In a Mellow Tone
(3:02) 24. I'll Never Get Enough of You

Jon Hendricks, the pioneering jazz singer and lyricist with the vocal ensemble Lambert, Hendricks & Ross who helped create an inventive jazz vocal technique called “vocalese,” has died. Hendricks died Wednesday in New York City, his daughter, Aria Hendricks, said. He was 96. When Hendricks arrived on the jazz scene in the ’50s, his mastery of “vocalese”an expansion of scat singing had a powerful influence on the musical tenor of post-World War II bebop. The technique combined existing  usually recorded  instrumental jazz solos and newly written lyrics and often replaced instruments with vocalists. In Hendricks’ hands, the result was seen by his fans as rhythmic poetry. Although vocalese was a relatively new jazz art form, Hendricks quickly defined most of its significant elements in Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’ first recording, “Sing A Song of Basie,” based on such Count Basie classics like “It’s Sand, Man,” “Two For the Blues” and “Little Pony.” Not only did Hendricks create full band passages for the three singers to overdub, he also turned the solos of instrumentalists into vocal passages.

The album earned Lambert, Hendricks & Ross a Grammy nomination. Decades later it was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame award, given to musical recordings considered to have a lasting historical significance. Singer and pianist Carmen McRae called Hendricks “the greatest lyricist in the world” and Al Jarreau said he was “pound for pound the best jazz singer on the planet.” Joni Mitchell, who rarely recorded songs other than her own, featured Hendricks’ songs on both “Court and Spark” and “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” Mitchell said she fell in love with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’ “The Hottest New Sound in Jazz” as a teenager. “In a way I’ve always considered that album to be my Beatles, because I learned every song off it,” she said. “I don’t think there’s another album that I know every song on, including my own!” Time magazine labeled Hendricks “the James Joyce of jazz” and Times jazz critic Leonard Feather called Hendricks “the poet laureate of jazz.” As Hendricks’ visibility grew, Duke Ellington chose him as the featured soloist in the premiere performance of Ellington’s first Sacred Music Concert, and his music guided groups like The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices and Take 6.

Born Sept. 16, 1921, in Newark, Ohio, Hendricks and his 14 siblings bounced around before his parents finally settled in Toledo, Ohio.His musical talents were apparent at an early age, and Hendricks was singing on local radio shows by the time he was 7. As a teenager, he expressed ambitions to become a drummer. But opportunities to sing in the company of such major jazz artists as Fats Waller, Art Tatum and Ted Lewis convinced him that his instrument of choice should be his voice. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946, Hendricks returned to Ohio to study law and literature at the University of Toledo. His college funding fell through, however, and he fell back on his musical skills, playing drums and singing with local groups. When Charlie Parker heard him scat singing in a local club, the great bebop saxophonist praised Hendricks’ singing, and advised him to devote himself to music. Parker also urged Hendricks to move to New York, offering to help him make his first contacts in the New York City jazz community.

The introductions began to pay off in 1952 when Louis Jordan recorded Hendricks’ “I Want You to Be My Baby.” A year later, Hendricks recorded “Four Brothers” and “Cloudburst” with the Dave Lambert Singers, setting the stage for the foundation of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Hendricks formed the group in 1957, and the trio performed together until 1962, when Annie Ross left for a solo career and was replaced by singer Yolande Bavan. Hendricks and his family lived and performed in Europe between 1968 and 1973. When he returned to the U.S., Hendricks moved to San Francisco, where he wrote about jazz for the Chronicle newspaper and formed a group called the Hendricks Family with his wife, Judith, and children, Michelle and Eric. 

In 1985, Hendricks worked with the Manhattan Transfer on the recording of their album “Vocalese,” which won seven Grammy awards. Hendricks began to teach at the University of Toledo in 2000 and was eventually appointed distinguished professor of jazz studies and granted an honorary doctorate in performing arts. He is survived by a son, Jon; two daughters, Michele and Aria; and three grandchildren. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jon-hendricks-snap-story.html

Before Us

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Massimo Faraò Trio - Luiza

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:26
Size: 123,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. So In Love
(6:43)  2. Beautiful Love
(6:04)  3. Dear Old Stockholm
(5:06)  4. Luiza
(5:41)  5. Fly Me To The Moon
(7:06)  6. Someone To Watch Over me
(6:59)  7. E La Chiamano Estate
(4:47)  8. Blue Bossa
(4:47)  9. Stardust

Ferdinando Faraò belongs to one of the few Italian jazz dynasties. The son of an amateur drummer, he is the brother of piano player Antonio Faraò and the cousin of piano player Massimo Faraò. Inspired by his father's wide collection of jazz records and captivated by a concert of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald that he had seen in Milan at the age of 10, he started to study the drums with the support of his family. By the age of 20 he had become the in-house drummer at Capolinea, Milan's most important jazz venue. In the '80s he played in the Claudio Fasoli Quartet and accompanied many North American musicians that toured Italy, such as Lee Konitz, Mal Waldron, Sal Nistico and Bob Mover. In the '90s he joined the quintet of Italian singer Tiziana Ghiglioni and has been increasingly involved in special audio-visual projects. His recording career as a solo artist started relatively late, in 1997, with the album Listening Self, featuring Pietro Tonolo on saxophone, Piero Leveratto on double-bass and Franco D'Andrea on piano. Faraò is a subtle drummer that leads from the back rather than putting himself under the spotlight. Also at ease on percussion and xylophone, he can provide a versatile and wide aural palette. 

A witty composer, he privileges midtempo compositions in which he often experiments with odd time signatures, sudden rhythmic shifts and sampling. Though constantly active as a sideman and teacher, Faraò didn't record as a leader again until 2004's large ensemble offering Eschersuite, the first album in a trilogy that was followed by Darwinsuite (2009) and Pollocksuite (2010). In 2015 he led the Artchipel Orchestra on the date Play Soft Machine and enlisted them again along with drummer Chris Cutler for To Lindsay: Omaggio A Lindsay Cooper. ~ Luigi Santosuosso https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ferdinando-fara%C3%B2-mn0001342062/biography

Personnel: Massimo Farao; piano; Aldo Zunino bass; Marco Tolotti drums

Luiza

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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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