Saturday, January 23, 2021

Debby Yeager - Live 1999

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:02
Size: 103,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:39) 1. Introduction by James Janisse
(4:20) 2. I'll Remember April
(6:05) 3. Happy Stuff
(3:24) 4. So Nice / Summer Samba
(4:09) 5. Shadow of Your Smile
(3:11) 6. Whisper Not
(4:47) 7. At Last
(7:01) 8. Tribute
(4:24) 9. Manhã De Carnaval
(5:57) 10. All Blues

During the mid-1950’s I was born into a Bohemian environment. Music was like breathing. At the age of three, pop tunes were blasting from a little radio in our kitchen. And in another direction, the ocean breeze carried jazz sounds from our neighbor's hi fi record player, while someone from down the street played bag pipes every morning! Venice, California (known for its eccentric artists and beatniks) was a magical place in time. "Harry Belafonte to the left, Miles Davis to the right, Bob Dorough in back, Scotland coming through the front, and Chet Baker around the corner! I guess I breathed it all in, got a good dose of early ear training and was labelled the goofy kid!”

By the time I was five, the family took a financial tumble and relocated to the inner city of Lynwood, CA, where I first heard Gospel music. Since it came from a small church on the corner of our shabby street, I believed those glorious voices were sent from the heavens above. Ballet training came shortly after and continued well into my teens, dancing and singing my way through a disheveled childhood. At about eight or nine, every bit of my weekly allowance was spent on vinyl and a record collection began to grow like wildfire. Jazz, pop, blues, African rhythms, Broadway, R&B... and then a new sound, the Bossa Nova, which stopped me in my tracks! I discovered the voice of Wanda De Sah. It was true! Brazilian music (at that time) seduced the world. Who would have thought that thirty-seven years later, I'd be recording "Reza" on my debut disc, "Mood Swing" History played the same trick on me when I also recorded a duet with the legendary, Bob Dorough.

Around 1977, divorced as a young mother, music was still the guiding force. Vocal lessons became necessary when I auditioned as a lead vocalist and landed my first job as a singer. Formal training was essential in order to belt out rock tunes for several hours, five nights a week. A few years later with an intensive vocal study regimen and carrying a beautiful daughter in my arms, I landed a gig on a Japan tour as a lead vocalist for a Funk band. As time marched on, I was fortunate to have studied under Grammy winning composer/arranger Alan Copeland, jazz genius Horace Silver and Jim Mooney from the original Sage and Sound Recording Studio in Hollywood, and jumped into the Jazz Scene. Lucky to work with some of the most gifted musicians in LA, my performance level continued to progress, especially in regard to improvisation. Eventually I became a band leader and began to teach vocal technique and therapy while playing jazz clubs, concerts and various venues. But living the dream ended abruptly when repressed memories of childhood abuse surfaced and all hell broke loose. Suffice it to say life got in the way. Early June 1996, “Mood Swing” was released. The album was remastered and re-released in 2017, with a bonus track. Now recording and producing a variety of music, my second disc, "Precocious", was released January 2018, following up with a vocal project, "Psychology of Jazz", to be released in mid 2018. For further information, please visit my website www.DebbyYeager.com, and drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks, - Debby 'A portion of proceeds is donated to the education of child abuse prevention services. 'https://debbyyeager.com/bio/

Live 1999

Friday, January 22, 2021

Lauren Henderson - Alma Oscura

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:55
Size: 69,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:25) 1. From the Inside Out
(4:57) 2. Something Bigger
(3:26) 3. Alma Oscura
(2:23) 4. El Árbol
(2:43) 5. Ven Muerte
(3:54) 6. Where Are You Now?
(2:00) 7. Protocol
(4:02) 8. Dream

With the exception of a cappella artists, a singer can’t soar without a supportive squad. And an empathetic producer is essential to the equation. Lauren Henderson’s sixth release, Alma Oscura, is a gem, thanks to a combination of strong material, a subtle vocal style and carefully crafted settings that showcase the vocalist’s strengths. Much of the credit belongs to Michael Thurber, who played bass on the sessions, produced the album, composed three songs in the program and co-wrote the title track with Henderson. Singing in Spanish and English, Henderson has a soft delivery that emphasizes nuance and heightens a narrative’s drama without pyrotechnics. She surrounds herself with a terrific supporting cast that provides powerful coloration, whether it is Jon Lampley’s trumpet echoing the lead vocal line on “Something Bigger,” Emi Ferguson’s poignant flute on the title track, Sullivan Fortner’s fluid pianism on “El Arbol” or Leo Sidran (Ben’s son) sculpting a fine bilingual vocal duet with Henderson on his composition “From The Inside Out.”

Although a total of 15 musicians played on the sessions, Henderson and Thurber avoid excess at every turn, favoring a spare, impactful aesthetic. “Where Are You Now?” (a Thurber tune) has a smoky flavor that would appeal to fans of jazz, r&b and sophisticated pop, while “Protocol” has an infectious tango vibe. This album is 30 minutes long, inviting repeated spins and revealing Henderson’s admirable penchant for quality over quantity.= Henderson’s European tour includes a Nov. 22 gig at Zig Zag Jazz Club in Berlin.~ Bobby Reed https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/alma-oscura

Alma Oscura

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Muriel Grossmann - Reverence

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:48
Size: 181,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:54) 1. Okan Ti Aye
( 9:26) 2. Union
( 9:42) 3. Water Bowl
( 8:57) 4. Sundown
( 9:47) 5. Chase
( 9:02) 6. Tribu
(10:23) 7. Afrika Mahala
(11:34) 8. Morning

Since the late 1990s, the Spanish island of Ibiza has been synonymous with two things: electronic dance music and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine aka MDMA or ecstasy. Austrian-born saxophonist Muriel Grossmann has lived on Ibiza since 2004 and her intense wall-of-sound style of astral jazz suggests she is familiar with both those pillars of Ibizan nightlife. Grossmann has not spent her time in Ibiza simply partying and chilling, however. Reverence is her eleventh album since moving to the island. She fronts her regular quartet comprising bass guitarist Gina Schwarz, drummer Uros Stamenkovic and guitarist Radomir Milojkovic, who has been with her since her debut, Homecoming Reunion (Dreamland, 2007). The group has been expanded for Reverence by Hammond B3 organist Llorenc Barcelo, who makes a terrific addition to the lineup.

Grossmann's main saxophone is the tenor, though she also plays alto and soprano. Her composing style is strictly modal and her sound evokes late period John Coltrane and post-Coltrane Pharoah Sanders. Her harmonic palette is limited but she makes up for it through the exuberance and commitment of her playing. Milojkovic brings echoes as diverse Sonny Sharrock, James Blood Ulmer and Grant Green; Barcelo's B3 is winningly retro; and Schwarz and Stamenkovic drive the groove. Such is the band's hard-wired intensity on some of the tracks that it touches on La Monte Young and drone music. "Count Basie once said about his band that he wanted it sounding like one big drum," says Grossman. "That's what I aimed for with this album." She hits the target, ramping things up with a little Phil Spector along the way and enriching the percussive mix with African instruments including a balafon, kalimba and ngoni. Reverence is a double album which clocks in at around 77 minutes. The pace is mostly high energy but Grossmann rings the changes with more restrained and reflective passages. If you like some rocket fuel with your astral jazz, this one is for you. ~ Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/reverence-muriel-grossmann-rr-gems

Personnel: Muriel Grossmann: saxophone; Radomir Milojkovic: guitar, electric; Llorenc Barcelo: organ, Hammond B3; Gina Schwarz: bass; Uros Stamenkovic: drums.

Reverence

Kandace Springs - The Women Who Raised Me

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:12
Size: 123,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:59) 1. Devil May Care
(6:00) 2. Angel Eyes
(3:57) 3. I Put A Spell On You
(4:44) 4. Pearls
(5:30) 5. Ex-Factor
(4:35) 6. I Can't Make You Love Me
(3:55) 7. Gentle Rain
(4:59) 8. Solitude
(3:36) 9. The Nearness Of You
(3:59) 10. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
(5:17) 11. Killing Me Softly With His Song
(3:36) 12. Strange Fruit

Cover albums tend to sort themselves pretty neatly into two separate bins. One is filled with tiresome stacks of uninspired music soon to be filed away and forgotten. The other, smaller pile is made up of those few in which the artist on the cover managed to do something more than parrot their predecessors. Those who wish to belong to the latter group find a way to add a personal touch to their songs, in such a way that each takes on its new performer's characteristics. At times, singer and pianist Kandace Springs' previous release, Indigo (Blue Note, 2018), had an irritatingly generic blend of pop and R&B influences, while her debut two years earlier often fell upon traditional blues vibes. She detours from those paths with her third full-length entry, titled The Women Who Raised Me, decidedly placing it atop the latter stack.

The album marks a new phase for Springs, who curated a list of songs made famous by the female vocalists who inspired her career. She also recruited a trio comprising guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Clarence Penn, all of whom share ties to those women. Their presence provides some validation for The Women Who Raised Me, which is a mostly acoustic affair. That, combined with the menagerie of high profile guest artists, and wise song choices keeps the album from taking on a quaint tone. There is a crisp purity in her singing throughout and, while Springs avails herself of modern technology, she is not beholden to it. She excels during songs that challenge her to build to a climax, spending their outset ramping up tension and intensity. "I Put A Spell On You," has her laying the familiar rhythm down on piano while ambling up to the tipping point. Just as Penn's cymbals gather up and crash through both speakers, saxophonist David Sanborn blows out his solo. It is a perfect example of what the singer is capable of when backed by the right talent. Their dark, heavy take on the prolifically covered song offers a possible glimpse into Springs' future, subverting the expectations of a performer within her genre.

This isn't to say that the album's calmer moments drag. "Pearls" and "The Nearness Of You" feature enough simmering passion to keep listeners engaged. Avishai Cohen's trumpet provides a mournful backdrop for Springs during the latter; she loves to allow a note to wither in her throat, ruthlessly wringing every drop of sensuality from it. Another obvious vocal highlight is "Angel Eyes," a duet between Springs and Norah Jones, who is credited as one of the album's eponymous "Women." Neither is heard to overpower the other, and their new rendition sounds more fleshed-out than the one made famous by Ella Fitzgerald in 1958. This could easily boil down to the benefits of 21st century recording technology, but more likely is that Jones' somewhat downtrodden performance keys very well off the wry, positive tones Springs spends the song crooning.

The pair of tracks featuring Chris Potter on saxophone, "Gentle Rain" and "Solitude," in addition to her earlier collaboration with David Sanborn, really demonstrate how much stronger the singer is with a horn in the mix. Unfettered by the restraints of tradition or expectation, she stretches her range without pulling too hard, and the addition of brass or woodwinds gives each piece an added touch of sentiment. Rarely in the modern era of music is one able to simply marvel at the beauty of a singer's voice. So easily distracted by the public persona they sell, the politics they preach, or the awkward impurity of soundboard effects, we find ourselves unable to focus the entirety of our attention upon the same artistic endeavors that got them to the stage in the first place. It is hard to say that anyone in the public eye can shy away from fame in the age of internet video and necessary self-promotion. But Kandace Springs seems content to play to her strengths and take no quarter; the one thing listeners are guaranteed to receive is authenticity.~ Peter J.Hoetjeshttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-women-who-raised-me-kandace-springs-blue-note-records

Personnel: Kandace Springs: voice / vocals; Steve Cardenas: guitar; Scott Colley: bass; Clarence Penn: drums.

The Women Who Raised Me

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Nils Landgren, Jan Lundgren - Kristallen

Styles: Vocal, Trombone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:49) 1. Blekinge
(3:50) 2. Byssan Lull
(4:15) 3. Country
(5:20) 4. Didn't We
(3:04) 5. Hornlatar
(4:24) 6. I Will
(4:18) 7. Why Did You Let Me Go
(4:56) 8. Lovers Parade
(3:42) 9. Norwegian Wood
(4:36) 10. Olu
(5:25) 11. The Nearness of You
(3:45) 12. Värmlandsvisan
(4:53) 13. The Wedding

Just as he has two roles musically, as a trombonist and singer, Nils Landgren has two sides stylistically: the upbeat and the sedate. Kristallen, his 24th album, leans to the latter, finding him in duet with pianist Jan Lundgren for a collection mostly of pop ballads and folk songs. It’s easy enough on the ears that, if left as background, it could be mistaken for fluff. Listen closely, though, and it’s surprising how much depth these Swedes deliver.

Start with the fact that Landgren is a stunningly good trombonist, the sort of player whose sound is so light and smooth as to seem effortless. Although his solos aren’t obviously showy, they reflect some serious chops, as he stays almost entirely above middle C and moves around the horn with the crisp agility of a veteran bebopper. Rhythmically imaginative, he swings hard even when playing in three, as his fine solos on “Norwegian Wood” make plain, while his ballad work makes the most of his sweet, Dorsey-like tone.

Lundgren is Landgren’s second duet partner, the first having been the late Esbjörn Svensson, and that leaves him with some fairly big shoes to fill. Although he spends much of the album as an accompanist, backing the trombone with well-colored chords and providing lush, gently rhythmic counterpoint for Landgren’s husky, Chet Baker-ish vocals, he has a strong enough sense of the blues to cut straight to the heart of Keith Jarrett’s “Country,” and puts enough rhythmic punch into the Beatles’ “I Will” that you’d almost think someone snuck a rhythm section onto the track. In all, an understated delight.~ J.D. Considine https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/nils-landgren-jan-lundgren-kristallen-act/

Personnel: Nils Landgren - Vocal, Trombone; Jan Lundgren - Piano.

Kristallen

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Scott Hamilton, Paolo Birro - Pure Imagination

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:54
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:54) 1. Expense Account
(5:01) 2. You're Gonna Hear from Me
(6:21) 3. That's Entertainment
(6:01) 4. If I'm Lucky
(4:58) 5. Day Dream
(6:51) 6. Funkallero
(6:43) 7. Easy to Love
(6:50) 8. Con Alma
(4:33) 9. Pure Imagination
(6:00) 10. All God's Children Got Rhythm
(5:38) 11. Drinkin' and Driving (502 Blues)

Saxophone player Scott Hamilton is one of the top artists on the Fone Jazz label. Pure Imagination is his 6th DSD release at the Native DSD Music store. The album features Hamilton with pianist Paolo Birro performing 11 songs from the american song book. The tracks include That’s Entertainment by Arthur Schwartz, Day Dream by Billy Strayhorn, Funkallero by Bill Evans, Easy To Love by Cole Porter, Con Alma by Dizzy Gillespie, Drinkin’ and Driving 502 Blues by Jimmy Rowles and the title track Pure Imagination by Leslie Bricusse. This is a Stereo DSD recording. There is no editing used on the album. All the tracks on this release are heard as they were performed. https://www.nativedsd.com/catalogue/albums/sacd205-pure-imagination/

Personnel: Piano – Paolo Birro; Saxophone – Scott Hamilton

Pure Imagination

Amedeo Ariano, Francesca Tandoi, Luca Bulgarelli - Triplets (Live in Roma)

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:13
Size: 122,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:53) 1. BulgArianTandoj (Live)
(7:12) 2. Best Part (Live)
(4:52) 3. Fsr (Live)
(8:06) 4. Maybe You'll Be There (Live)
(9:55) 5. Night Mist Blues (Live)
(7:18) 6. I Dind't Know What Time It Was (Live)
(7:55) 7. Bis Blues (Live)

The project boasts the collaboration of two of the greatest jazz musicians at an international level: Francesca Tandoi on the piano and Luca Bulgarelli on the double bass. Considered by the public and critics among the best Italian drummers, Ariano, thanks to his musical versatility, has at his side with international jazz players, including George Coleman, Johnny Griffin and Benny Golson and Italian pop artists such as the pianist and songwriter Sergio Cammariere, with with whom Lucio Dalla and Renzo Arbore have been collaborating for 18 years. The record, produced by Promu - All For Music, is part of the "Unplugged" project, a collection of "Live Albums", which the guys from Promu recorded during the "Gianicolo In Jazz" festival in Rome in the summer 2019 and which they subsequently re-proposed on YouTube during the rigid lockdown of last March, to relive the experience of the live concert to the public at home, in the most realistic way possible.

In fact, the characteristic of this project consists in having treated the audio, particularly enhancing the spatialization of the sound: if the listener wears headphones, he will realize that each musical instrument has a precise sound space, therefore, if during the concert the battery has been placed to the right of the stage, you will hear more in the right earphone. The "Triplets Live" record, as well as all the concerts in the "Unplugged" collection, are "audio photographs", which have the aim of ideally bringing the audience back to that precise moment of the live concert. Translate by Google https://www.musicaincontatto.it/2020/11/30/amedeo-ariano-pubblica-triplets-live-version-il-suo-nuovo-album-in-collaborazione-con-francesca-tandoi-e-luca-bulgarelli/

Personnel: Francesca Tandoi (pianoforte), Luca Bulgarelli (contrabbasso) e Amedeo Ariano (batteria)

Triplets (Live in Roma)

Monday, January 18, 2021

Ron Carter - Foursight - Stockholm, Vol. 1

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:15
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:38) 1. Cominando
( 8:50) 2. Joshua
( 7:03) 3. Little Waltz
(10:34) 4. Seguaro
( 1:59) 5. Cominando, Reprise
(13:10) 6. Nearly
( 7:57) 7. You and the Night and the Music

The strings vibrate gently. Accurate tone, unconditionally clear. And quietly. The longest fingers of jazz seem to dance weightlessly along the wooden bridge; yearning, filigree and elegant. No one else sounds like Ron Carter. His double bass often produces a crisp groove like an electric bass, yet it is always clearly definable as the sound of a classical music instrument. https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/81938/ron-carter/foursight-stockholm-vol-1

Personnel: Bass – Ron Carter; Drums – Payton Crossley; Piano – Renee Rosnes; Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Greene

Foursight - Stockholm, Vol. 1

Gabriela Anders - Los Dukes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:11
Size: 67,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:06) 1. I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues
(2:55) 2. Take the a Train
(3:22) 3. Mood Indigo
(3:53) 4. It Don't Mean a Thing
(3:03) 5. Do Nothing 'Til You Hear It from Me
(4:15) 6. Satin Doll
(4:02) 7. In a Mellow Tone
(3:30) 8. Sweet Georgia Brown

Los Dukes is a new 9 piece band arranged and directed by Gabriela Anders, featuring songs from the Duke Ellington’s catalog done in wildly distinctive Latin American styles. A Latina’s tribute to the music of Duke Ellington. Gabriela Anders is one of the most accomplished and appealing contemporary vocalists creating today. Her debut album on Warner Jazz, “Wanting,” enjoyed much success and critical praise. Her new band, Los Dukes, pays loving tribute to the elegant GENIUS of Duke Ellington and includes some of the best Latin Jazz players on the New York scene. Los Dukes is an explosive, artistic, riotously fun post-macho latin-jazz experience featuring New York City’s baddest gauchos. Los Dukes rocks the groove from all corners of Latin America from North to South and beyond

Personnel: Gabriela Anders Vocal; Bobby Sanabria - Drums; Oreste Abrantes on percussion; Edward Perez on bass; Matthew Jondrell on Trumpet; Alex Brown on piano; Chris Washburne on trombone

Los Dukes

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Bucky Pizzarelli & Manu Lafer - Buckskin

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:06
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:12) 1. Take Ten
(2:44) 2. Ain't She Sweet
(4:03) 3. Wave
(3:35) 4. Benny's From Heaven / Pennies From Heaven
(1:54) 5. Fishing Hole
(1:57) 6. Um Abraço nos Pizza
(1:59) 7. Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans
(5:11) 8. Love Walked in
(4:20) 9. Estrada Branca / This Happy Madness
(2:56) 10. Easy to Remember / This Nearly Was Mine
(3:01) 11. Yvette
(2:47) 12. Slow Movin' Sam
(2:44) 13. My Cutey Is Due at Two-to-two Today
(2:12) 14. Bossa Nova
(2:25) 15. Caroline

Buckskin , the name of the CD, was the childhood nickname of Bucky Pizzarelli, then 91, one of the greatest legends and dean of jazz, specialized in the American 7-string guitar and owner of a unique style in the instrument school, coming from George Van Eps, and the jazz swing of the 6-string guitar by Freddy Green and Charlie Christian. Bucky accompanied Benny Goodman, Julie London, Frank Sinatra to Paul McCartney, also making theatrical performances of Stephen Sondheim's shows. On television he played at Johnny Carson and Skitch Henderson.He recorded as a studio musician many hits from the 60's pop and jazz records with guitarists George Barnes, Tal Farlow and Wes Montgomery, among others, before starting a prolific phonographic partnership with saxophonist Zoot Sims.

Produced by bassist Martin Pizzarelli and co-produced by Brazilian guitarist Ricardo Baldacci (who also participates in playing and singing), the album is a tribute and a celebration of Bucky's music and the joy of playing, around whom everyone orbits in these records and always .The swing repertoire band is based on the drums of Tony Tedesco, a constant figure in the films of Woody Allen (as well as Bucky), the acoustic bass of producer Martin and the piano of Larry Fuller, with the participation of the virtuoso of the clarinet and saxophonist Ken Peplowski. Manu shares the vocals of most tracks with Ed Laub, who regularly performs in duo with Bucky on the 7-string guitar and is one of the most expressive voices today, reminiscent of Arthur Prysock, in addition to being the author of the seminal CDSoft Guitar , tribute to a great connoisseur and lover of Brazilian music, Kenny Rankin.

Martin and Bucky (who recorded in Tom Brasil's Terra Brasilis ) read Tom Jobim's bossa-jazz ( Wave , Estrada Branca ), with Duduka da Fonseca's drums, Marc Sganga's nylon guitar and the participation of a of the greatest Brazilian singers, Maucha Adnet, who was part of the vocal ensemble Céu da Boca and Banda Nova by Tom Jobim, along with Danilo Caymmi, Manu's most frequent partner. In the instrumental repertoire, plus a solo guitar medley by Bucky ( Easy to Remember and This Nearly Was Mine, both by Richard Rodgers), a pearl from Bucky, Take Ten , soloed by Ken Peplowski in the fashion of him and Zoot Simms, and accompanied by Manu's vocalise, in addition to Manu's own guitar in his Um Abraço nos Pizza , dedicated to the Pizarellis (originally recorded on the CD Mané Mandou, with a brass arrangement by Lincoln Olivetti). In Canto Casual , John Pizzarelli's album commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sinatra and Tom's LP, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey took advantage of Manu's verses in an authorial song, hence the opportunity for the tribute

In the American repertoire, frequent numbers of the duo Bucky - Ed Laub ( Bennies / Pennies From Heaven , Love Walked In ), less recorded songs (Caroline , by Randy Newman, Fishing Pole , in a rare version with the lyrics, in addition to the famous whistle on American TV) and two pearls by the brilliant Brian Gari ( Yvette and Slow Moving Sam ). Highlight for the work of the sound engineer Bill Moss, who gives linearity and spontaneity to the repertoire, of a team and comprehensive and ambitious musical style of the project, making the hearing a ride for the ears and hearts. http://manulafer.com.br/discografia/solo/buckskin-pt/

R.I.P.

Born: January 9, 1926

Died: April 1, 2020


Buckskin & Manu Lafer

Joe Stilgoe - Stilgoe In The Shed

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 140,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:02) 1. Wichita Lineman
(5:21) 2. Some Other Time
(3:38) 3. Mountain Greenery
(3:48) 4. Sunny Afternoon
(3:44) 5. How Are Things in Glocca Mora
(4:15) 6. Seaside
(4:21) 7. Big Yellow Taxi
(3:34) 8. Happier Than the Morning Sun
(3:56) 9. Rainbow Connection
(2:38) 10. You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams
(5:05) 11. In the Still of the Night
(4:43) 12. What's Up
(3:55) 13. Make You Feel My Love
(2:43) 14. This Will Be Our Year
(4:09) 15. No One is Alone

Tour cancelled due to lockdown, Joe Stilgoe suddenly found himself missing the adrenalin and human connection that has fuelled his live performances. He decided to perform a show on day 1 of the lockdown via his YouTube channel this led to Joe taking direct song requests and broadcasting online Stilgoe in the Shed was broadcast every day at 1pm, reaching 150,000 viewers worldwide.

67 online shows and 4 months later, Joe’s restless energy resulted in a 15-song album recorded in a single day in his shed. With his friend, Grammy-nominated producer James McMillan, Joe made a decision to recreate the lockdown experience by capturing his performances under the same restrictions as his YouTube show. The songs that made it onto the album where chosen either for being the most requested or for having the most powerful response from his fans all the choices seem to take on a new relevance at a time when live music is barely available but is needed more than ever.

Joe says “It was just one day recording, with McMillan in the pilot seat. We recorded 17, but you’ll only get to hear 15 (I blame the piano pedals…). All these songs mean different things to different people, but for me there’s an attachment because at a time when the days seemed to meld into one another, playing every day in the shed gave me a tangible memory for each flip of the calendar, and each song its own poignant place. They, and music in general, took on new meaning during the lockdown and I’m grateful not only for the escape and comfort that music brings but also the support I and the show received every day.”

Stilgoe in The Shed is Joe’s 8th album. A new UK tour is scheduled for 2021 and the YouTube shows helped raise over £20,000 for local and national charities that Joe felt were being overlooked as so much fundraising and donations were being focused on the NHS charities. These included hospices, disabled arts charities and those from his own industry including Tomorrow's Warriors and Help Musicians UK. https://www.joestilgoe.com/news/

Stilgoe In The Shed

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Walter Beasley - Going Home

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:49
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:16) 1. Feeling Good (feat. Phil Davis)
(3:49) 2. House of Sax (feat. Phil Davis)
(4:41) 3. Strasbourg, St. Denis
(4:28) 4. Moonstreams (feat. Tres Gilbert)
(4:30) 5. No No (feat. Will Downing)
(4:37) 6. Jojo (feat. Derek Cannon & Phil Davis)
(4:08) 7. Aqui
(4:55) 8. My Name Is Love
(3:30) 9. It's Alright
(3:35) 10. En La Noche
(3:16) 11. Gail's Groove (feat. Derek Cannon)

Over the past three decades, saxophonist, Walter Beasley, has artfully and dynamically redefined the phrase “musical Renaissance Man” for the modern generation. Considered by fans and critics alike as the “heir to Grover Washington, Jr.’s Throne,” Beasley is the acclaimed saxophonist, vocalist, educator, and entrepreneur of the decade. As the highest selling full-time Professor / Recording Artist in history, the Boston-based musician has long mastered an exhilarating high wire act of balancing a successful career as a contemporary jazz recording artist and performer with an equally thriving presence in the field of music education. A leading alto and soprano saxophonist and prominent vocalist all the same, Beasley is hailed by fans for his thrilling performances along the East Coast and throughout the U.S. and Caribbean. Notable performances include the all-star tour To Grover, With Love, performing alongside Chuck Loeb, Buddy Williams and Andy Snitzer and performing as the headlining act for the 2011 Playboy Jazz Festival.

As to the release of his latest CD/DVD project, “Live In The Club,” Beasley’s chart-topping single, “Groove In You,” debuted on the Groove Jazz Chart at #29, climbing to Top 20 on the Billboard/R&R Chart, Radiowave, SmoothJazz.com, & Mediabase, earning a spot in the Top 10 on the Indie Chart. Other notable works by Beasley include his self-titled albums, Sax Meditations and Live in the Groove, both released through his Affable Publishing, as well as Free Your Mind (Heads Up), whose presence earned Beasley the 2009 Jazz Awards, and Backatcha (Shanachie Entertainment / Affable), featuring his hot single, “Lovely Day.” During 2011, Backatcha rose to #10 on Billboard Top 50, with his single “The Call” debuting at 30 on Billboard Smooth Jazz chart and #3 Most Added in June 2011.

Since 2008, Beasley continues to thrive at the forefront of digital media and communication by offering consultation services to independent sax artists via Skype. Students are worldwide and of all ages and skill levels. He extends his influence to the younger generation by sharing his experiences and educational expertise through “Walter Beasley Sax Lessons” on YouTube and through his educational app offerings on iTunes and Google. Beasley also creates instructional DVDs for young players who are not able to afford a traditional music education. Projects include 14 Steps To Maximizing your Performance, which is currently available for download on his official website. His other best selling videos released through his Affable Publishing include Sound Production for the Saxophone, Hip Hop Improvisation, Circular Breathing and Performance Workshop.

A native of El Centro, CA, Beasley found his calling in the 1970’s after his Aunt gave him his first Grover Washington, Jr. record at the age of nine. During his early teens, Beasley played sax and sang in various bands throughout Southern California. In the following years, Beasley attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music and graduated alongside such prominent classmates as saxophonist, Branford Marsalis, and vocalist, Rachelle Ferrell. Upon graduation, Beasley accepted a teaching position at Berklee where he continues to share his musical genius with students, nearly 30 years later. https://walterbeasley.com/about/press_kit/

Going Home

Margriet Sjoerdsma - With The Whisper Of A Morning

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006/2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:14
Size: 100,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. Lovin Like I Love You
(6:04) 2. Creepin'
(4:50) 3. God Bless The Child
(3:50) 4. Carry On
(3:33) 5. Our Morning
(0:58) 6. Still Creepin
(3:44) 7. Old Devil Moon
(4:57) 8. Help Me
(4:12) 9. The Meaning Of I Love You
(3:43) 10. I Didnt Know What Time It Was
(2:52) 11. Detour Ahead

The beginning of a new musical project came to life in 2017. With ODELION, Margriet Sjoerdsma is taking a new musical path. The eponymous debut album is the first exit on this new, musical route.In recent years, Margriet has conquered the Netherlands with A Tribute to Eva Cassidy. She played more than 80 times with this project in sold-out venues. The starting shot for this was a performance in Vrije Geluiden, followed by the North Sea Jazz Festival and a packed Concertgebouw. De Telegraaf concluded: "Sjoerdsma is of world class, her Eva Cassidy Tribute is reminiscent of the American self who died too young." **** De Stentor wrote: "Sjoerdsma is outgoing, charming and a little naughty." She recently won the prestigious Dutch Oeuvre Prize Kleinkunst en Cabaret, which will be cashed in on 2 February 2019 with a Bronze Lion in the Schiller Theater (previous winners include Lenny Kuhr and Herman van Veen).

With this new project Margriet returns to her first love: making her own songs. The songs came to life in Odelien, a cottage in Norway. Far away from everyday life, the stress, bustle and chaos of modern life. She sat there alone for three months. As a great lover of all kinds of music, she did not want to devote herself to a particular musical direction. But she wanted to get to the core of what was happening within her and let it arise from there. Do it yourself and decide for yourself was the motto of this album. On this versatile album Margriet shines as a vocalist, composer and producer. She worked with producer Tobias Fröberg (Ane Brun). Recorded in Fattoria Musica (Germany), mixed in Gotland (Sweden) and mastered by Petet Maher (Damian Rice) in England.

ODELION is a strong mix of dark pop and folk with a slightly classical touch and jazz influences. Think of Joni Mitchell's poetry and Tori Amos's musically free spirit. Expect adventurous arrangements with harmonically exciting twists and melancholic melodies with unexpected turns.The press about Margriet Sjoerdsma as a stage personality: "Sjoerdsma is outgoing, charming and a bit naughty."

The press about Margriet Sjoerdsma as a stage personality:

"Sjoerdsma is outgoing, charming and a bit naughty." **** - De Stentor

The press about "With the whisper of a morning" (2006/2020):

“It deserves admiration when you come up with a debut that captivates from start to finish. Margriet Sjoerdsma shows with "With the whisper of a morning" that she can do this. "" With songs sung "laid back", surprising arrangements and swinging musicians, this is a record to enjoy forever. Her voice is warm, her intonation lyrical and personal. The Netherlands has an excellent jazz vocalist again! ” - Frank Huser Jazz Flash 2006

“Our country has gained a promising singer” - Hans Dijkstal, Financieel Dagblad 2006 - Translate By Google https://margrietsjoerdsma.com/wordpress/about/

With The Whisper Of A Morning

Friday, January 15, 2021

Red Mitchell - Presenting Red Mitchell

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:28
Size: 100,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Scrapple from the Apple
(5:23) 2. Rainy Night
(5:23) 3. I Thought of You
(6:19) 4. Out of the Blue
(7:02) 5. Paul's Pal
(5:36) 6. Sandu
(8:09) 7. Cheek to Cheek

Bassist Red Mitchell, who had led two fairly obscure sessions for Bethlehem in 1955, came up with a gem on his lone Contemporary set as a leader (which has been reissued as this CD). Based in Los Angeles at the time, Mitchell utilized pianist Lorraine Geller and two up-and-coming players: James Clay (who splits his time between tenor and flute) and, in one of his first recording sessions, drummer Billy Higgins. The quartet performs then-recent tunes by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Clifford Brown ("Sandu"), a pair of Mitchell originals, "Scrapple From the Apple" and "Cheek to Cheek." Despite Higgins' and (to a lesser extent) Clay's connections with Ornette Coleman, the music is strictly high-quality modern mainstream bop of the era. Easily recommended to collectors of straight-ahead jazz.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/presenting-red-mitchell-mw0000080163

Personnel: Bass – Red Mitchell; Drums – Billy Higgins; Flute – James Clay; Piano – Lorraine Geller; Tenor Saxophone – James Clay

Presenting Red Mitchell

Viktoria Tolstoy - Stations

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:28
Size: 116,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:19) 1. I Should Run
(4:30) 2. Stations
(4:36) 3. The Mind Is Free
(3:56) 4. Land of the Humble
(5:14) 5. Million Miles
(4:53) 6. The Streets of Berlin
(5:59) 7. Old Country
(3:57) 8. The Great City
(3:56) 9. Where the Road Ends
(4:07) 10. Poinciana
(4:56) 11. Here's to Life

Born in Sigtuna, Sweden in 1974, Viktoria Tolstoy has built a strong following mainly in Scandinavia and northern Europe. Her unconventional repertoire typically contains songs originating in these regions and particularly draws upon her Swedish homeland as well as her Russian heritage (she is the great great granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy). For some years she collaborated extensively in both performance and songwriting with pianist Esbjörn Svensson.

She has been recording since the early 1990s and on this, her 11th album, she continues with her chosen path, avoiding over-used songs, concentrating mainly on little heard and original material. Here, seven of the songs she sings fall into these categories, the others being Bob Dylan’s Million Miles, Nat Adderley’s The Old Country (lyrics by Curtis Lewis), a lively and engaging version of Nat Simon and Buddy Bernier’s Poinciana, and a gently moving performance of Phyllis Molinary and Arthur Butler’s Here’s To Life. Tolstoy’s vocal sound is clear and unforced and her interpretation of the lyrics and accompanying exposure of the central meaning is admirable. Her accompanists, well known in Sweden, are all top-flight musicians and provide appropriate and subtle backing to the singer’s warm interpretations of songs that are mostly unknown to the international audience.~ Bruce Crowther https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2020/02/05/viktoria-tolstoy-stations/

Stations

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Sidsel Storm - Awake

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:13
Size: 99,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:59) 1. Comes Love
(5:13) 2. The Road
(3:54) 3. You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me
(3:36) 4. I Didn't Know About You
(4:39) 5. Back to You
(4:19) 6. I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)
(5:53) 7. All Through the Night
(6:03) 8. Too Marvelous for Words
(3:31) 9. Awake

The 36-year-old jazz singer Sidsel Storm is ready with his 5th release in his own name. She has been very successful on stages in both Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Germany and Scandinavia and has taken the audience as well as reviewers by storm with her warm personal voice and her unique presence. Now she is ready with new release and concerts in 2019/20. Sidsel Storm has previously made her marks at home and received prestigious awards such as DPA’s jazz composer award (2008) and a Danish Music Award for “The best Vocal Jazz Release” (2009). In addition, she has gained international recognition with tens of thousands of sold CDs in, Asia and Germany among other things.

AWAKE is recorded in The Village Studio in Copenhagen and in Sidsel’s own small studio in Dragør. The record is mixed and mastered in Nilento Studio, Gothenburg (SE). AWAKE contains songs by Sidsel and other together with the Swedish jazz pianist Magnus Hjorth opens up for a new and exciting compositional collaboration. Sidsel and her husband, pianist and producer Peter Storm Otto, have together written the title composition “AWAKE”. A concept they both recognize after the last couple of years with 3 young children. The songs on AWAKE touch on topics such as presence, love, grief, longing, bad habits and gratitude. In addition to her own compositions, Sidsel also interprets some old standards that are treated with a great deal of respect and love. Sidsel Storm has gathered her regular live team on this record and has also invited a stringtrio on the album. Sidsel feels it is natural to involve the band musicians in both the composition work and the organizer work, as this is often a natural process in the rehearsal room and strengthens the band as a whole and thus the overall expression. http://calibrated.org/portfolio/sidsel-storm-2/

Musicians: Sidsel Storm: Vocal; Magnus Hjorth: Piano; Snorre Kirk: Drums; Tobias Wiklund: Cornet; Lasse Mørck: Double bass

Guest musicians:: Nicole Hogstrand; Violin: Pernille Kristiansen; Bratsch: Jenny Lüning

Awake

Eric Reed - For Such a Time as This

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(1:04) 1. Paradox Peace
(4:19) 2. Western Rebellion
(5:31) 3. Thelonigus
(3:51) 4. Stella by Starlight
(5:50) 5. It's You or No One
(6:45) 6. Walltz
(5:50) 7. Bebophobia
(2:52) 8. Come Sunday
(3:55) 9. We Shall Overcome
(5:26) 10. Make Me Better
(8:17) 11. The Break
(2:28) 12. Hymn of Faith

For more than three decades as one of the most influential and beloved jazz musicians, Eric Reed has recorded close to 30 accomplished leader albums showcasing his virtuosic chops, intellectual clarity, unwavering will to swing, and ability to refract and coalesce a wide range of musical, spiritual, and personal influences into a single stream of consciousness. Perhaps the most personal of them all is For Such A Time As This (available November 27 via Smoke Sessions Records), the remarkable November release on which the veteran pianist transcends the high bar he’s established for himself. An important part of this story dates to 2008, when, after two decades in the jazz epicenter of New York City, Reed relocated to Los Angeles, his home as an adolescent and teenager, where he reintegrated into the local scene. It was there in mid-March, when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a city-wide shutdown, that Reed began to conceive For Such A Time As This to be recorded in L.A. with local musicians. At the end of June, he was ready and assembled a gifted, young quartet in the studio, adhering to full physical distancing and masking protocols, with remote production by Paul Stache. The end result is Reed’s cogent, impassioned response to the dystopic “new normal” of recording during COVID.

“These are great musicians, each with some quality that I wanted to utilize,” Reed says of the personnel. “My generation came up under mentorship and apprenticeship 7 from Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, who all believed in hiring young people. That’s where I come from, I’ve come by it honestly, and it’s something that I believe in doing.”He met drum virtuoso Kevin Kanner several years ago though pianist Gerald Clayton, and Australia-born bassist Alex Boneham at a jam session Kanner runs at an L.A. Tenor and soprano saxophonist Chris Lewis “a laid-back, quiet dude who turns into a killer when he puts that horn in his mouth” initially came to Reed’s attention during a master class at Temple University, where Lewis studied with Jazz department head Terell Stafford, and woodwind masters Dick Oatts and Tim Warfield.Assembled for the session, the band nonetheless displays the chemistry of a unit of long standing throughout the program. “Alex and Kevin breathe together,” Reed says. “Alex has an intense bass pulse that keeps you on your toes, and gives an edge, an urgency to the pieces with some tempo.”

That stated urgency infuses the first two quartet numbers, “Western Rebellion” and “Thelonigus (For Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus),” both Reed originals. The former is an affirmative line depicting the feeling and vibration of L.A.; the title signifies on a group led during the 1970s by master pianist-composer Cedar Walton, to whom Reed paid tribute on his previous Smoke Sessions outing Everybody Gets The Blues. “Thelonigus” layers Monkishly capacious intervals with a motif reminiscent of Mingus’ “Peggy’s Blue Skylight.”A solemn, contemplative quality infuses “Walltz,” a tribute to the late trumpeter Wallace Roney (one of the first Jazz casualties of COVID-19), whom Reed met during his late teens and played with periodically over the years, most notably during a memorable week at Catalina Bar & Grill after his return to Los Angeles.Reed projects a similarly reflective feel on “Paradox Peace,” the solo piano vignette that opens the recital. Reed traces its gestation to a Sunday night drive through normally teeming Los Angeles streets, now completely devoid of pedestrians and drivers. “To witness this calm and quiet was the most beautiful and scariest thing I’d ever witnessed,” he says. “It was so peaceful, but when I thought about the reason why, it made me sad that’s the paradox.”

He also offers fresh readings of old chestnuts “Stella By Starlight,” rendered with impressionistic emotion, and “It’s You Or No One,” which receives a crisp, vertiginous trio reading (piano-bass-drums). There’s also a swinging, harmonically erudite exploration (tenor sax-piano-bass) of “Bebophobia,” an ingenious “Cherokee” contrafact with the idiomatic aura of an undiscovered original line that the iconic bebop tenor saxophonist Teddy Edwards (who hired teenaged Reed for more than a few Los Angeles gigs during the 1980s) might have played during bebop’s glory days. As has been his frequent custom during the last 15 years, Reed whose father pastored a Baptist church in Philadelphia and Los Angeles presents a gospel section, referencing early roots to address portentous present-day realities. In response to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and the protesting and rioting that ensued in the face of racial injustice, Reed explains, “The messages of ‘We Shall Overcome,’ ‘Come Sunday,’ and the ebullient ‘Hymn of Faith’ go hand in hand.” His original composition “Make Me Better,” sung by the soulful Henry Jackson, “puts a fine point on everything I’m hoping and wishing for that I will be made better by this experience, and that I will encourage other people to be better as well.”Towards that aspiration, For Such A Time As This concludes affirmatively with a rousing blues (“The Break”), an impromptu line born out of the first session Eric played with musicians since the quarantine.“This record is the first I’ve done framed by this kind of specific circumstance,” Reed concludes. “But even though we had to do it with these pandemic restrictions, it seemed normal because we were in the recording studio, where there’s no audience anyway. It’s the circumstances surrounding the creativity that were so different. All of that had an impact on the music.” http://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/11/eric-reed-to-release-new-albumfor-such-a-time-as-this/

For Such a Time as This

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Rebecca Kilgore - Live at Jazz Ascona Festival 2001 & Rimini Jazz Festival 2008

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:04
Size: 95,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:04) 1. Exactly Like You
(4:37) 2. You Took Advantage of Me
(4:22) 3. Sugar (That Sugar Baby O'mine)
(3:52) 4. Them There Eyes
(6:10) 5. It Had to Be You
(5:21) 6. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
(6:03) 7. Sugar (That Sugar Baby O'mine) #2
(6:33) 8. All of Me

As an interpreter of classic American popular songs from the 1930s and 1940s, vocalist and guitarist Rebecca Kilgore helped revive the hits of yesterday for modern-era jazz audiences. Born in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1949, she relocated to Portland, Oregon at the age of 30, beginning her music career fronting an area swing band dubbed the Wholly Cats and recording a 1982 LP titled Doggin' Around. Following the group's 1984 breakup, she formed her own unit, the Rebecca Kilgore Quintet, which quickly emerged as a mainstay of the Northwest jazz scene, and in 1989 she released the cassette-only I Hear Music. Most of Kilgore's subsequent recordings were in conjunction with other performers: in 1990 she teamed with John Miller for Put on a Happy Face, and in 1993 appeared with Portland's Tall Jazz Trio on their Plays Winter Jazz disc. However, Kilgore's most fruitful collaborations were in conjunction with pianist Dave Frishberg; after teaming for 1993's Looking at You, they reunited a year later for I Saw Stars, followed in 1997 by Not a Care in the World and again in 2001 by The Starlit Hour.

At the same time, Kilgore also fronted a '60s-style country band, Beck-a-Roo, and in 1994 contributed vocals to the score of the CBS animated special Tales from the Far Side, inspired by the popular Gary Larson comic strip. Released in 2004, For Lovers Only featured her voice in the company of noted stride pianists John Sheridan and Jeff Barnhart. The next year she issued the tribute disc The Music of Jimmy Van Heusen on Jump Records, followed by I Wish You Love on CD Baby in 2007. Her desire to focus on single composers was unabated, however, and she reinforced it with Why Fight the Feeling: Songs by Frank Loesser for Arbors a year later. Arriving in 2010, Lovefest at the Pizzarelli Party featured her voice fronting an all-star family band led by guitarists Bucky and John Pizzarelli, along with bassist Martin Pizzarelli, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, pianist Larry Fuller, drummer Tony Tedesco, and violinist Aaron Weinstein. The album became one of her most critically acclaimed. Kilgore was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon's Hall of Fame that same year. n 2011, she issued Live at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. In 2013, she was the guest of honor at the Roswell Jazz Festival in New Mexico. On her next date, 2014's I Like Men, she was backed by the Harry Allen Quartet, and followed it the next year with a collaborative album with vocalist Nicki Parrott entitled Two Songbirds of a Feather. Kilgore was honored as a Jazz Legend at the San Diego Jazz Party in 2016 and reentered the studio with pianist Bernd Lhotzky. They emerged with This & That, issued by Arbors in 2017. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rebecca-kilgore-mn0000870355/biography

Live at Jazz Ascona Festival 2001 & Rimini Jazz Festival 2008

Brian Culbertson - Music from The Hang

Styles: Jazz Funk, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:21
Size: 133,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. The Hangout
(1:28) 2. It's Friday Night with Opening Drone
(5:19) 3. Keep Movin'
(4:44) 4. Hey There
(1:00) 5. It's Monday Night
(4:37) 6. Let's Go
(3:55) 7. When I'm With You (Solo Piano)
(1:13) 8. Happy Birthday
(3:18) 9. Bootsy's Road Story Soundtrack
(1:42) 10. It's Wednesday Night
(2:07) 11. Stars and Stripes Forever
(1:58) 12. Sitting by the Fire (Solo Piano)
(5:50) 13. Together Tonight (2020 Version)
(1:22) 14. It's Friday Night
(6:16) 15. Sexy Love
(6:05) 16. A New Beginning

Even though Brian Culbertson might be categorized as jazz lite, his music has enough "oomph" to keep you interested. The talented composer, arranger, keyboardist, and trombonist displayed a talent beyond his years at an early age, and credits his dad with helping him develop an ear for the type of music he makes. His father, Jim Culbertson, a respected high-school jazz band director and trumpeter, cultivated a love of sanguine sounds in the young Brian, who eagerly listened to anything his dad put on the stereo. Their Decatur, Illinois, home would be alive with the recorded sounds of Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, the Brecker Brothers, and David Sanborn. Growing up, Culbertson also listened to '70s R&B/pop/funk bands like Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, and Earth, Wind & Fire. He began his musical training at the age of eight with piano lessons; at nine he moved to drums, at ten trombone, and at 12 bass. Bored with classical recital pieces, he began composing in junior high. By his freshman year in high school, Culbertson was experimenting with the then-new Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer and an old four-track recorder in the basement of his parents' home. His dedication earned him six individual and five group Down Beat student awards.

During his high-school years, Culbertson started getting into MIDI sequencing and synthesizers. He couldn't find musicians who were able to play his songs on the level he wanted, as most of his peers were into heavy metal, so Culbertson, who cites pop producer/songwriter David Foster (Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Is Gone") as one of his strongest influences, learned how to play all the parts himself. After graduation, he headed to Chicago to begin studies in the music program at DePaul University. On campus, he began to run into high-level musicians and started playing in a band. A family friend helped Culbertson get a deal with Mesa/Blue Moon in 1994. In the bedroom of the apartment he shared with three college buddies, he recorded his debut album, Long Night Out, playing most of the instruments himself but also enlisting a small backing group. The LP spent ten consecutive weeks in the Top Five of the adult contemporary charts. On his follow-up album, Modern Life, Culbertson eschewed the one-man band approach in favor of a live band made up of some of the best musicians in Chicago, plus stellar saxophonist Gerald Albright.

He put out several other albums in the '90s, including After Hours (1995), Secrets (1997), and Somethin' Bout Love (1999). Culbertson's productions include albums by Bob Mamet and Steve Cole. Having gotten into composing advertising jingles, Culbertson set his sights on soundtracks. In 2001, the pianist (who could play the trombone, trumpet, and percussion as well) released Nice & Slow, followed by Come on Up in 2003. Two years later, he issued It's on Tonight, and in 2006 Soulful Christmas, a collection of holiday favorites as well as an original. In 2008, Culbertson released Bringing Back the Funk, an acclaimed album that is credited with bringing new life to the urban jazz genre. It featured a sizable list of collaborators including Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Ray Parker, Jr., and David T. Walker. He followed it with a live album in 2009 and XII, a return to the studio, in 2010. In June 2012, Culbertson released Dreams, his 13th album, featuring a host of all-star contemporary jazz and R&B session players and vocalists. Later that year, he set about realizing a dream project. Now an independent artist, Culbertson had long desired to revisit the music from his 1994 debut offering, Long Night Out, initially cut in his apartment on a very limited budget. In 2013, he re-recorded the same tracks with a large all-star lineup that included Nathan East, Russ Freeman, Steve Lukather, and Candy Dulfer, to name a few, plus a 33-piece orchestra. Entitled Another Long Night Out, it was issued on his own BCM label in February 2014. Two years later, he delivered the concert album Live: 20th Anniversary Tour, showcasing his band in concert at Yoshi's in San Francisco. The full-length Colors of Love appeared in 2018, and reached the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. A trio album, Winter Stories, arrived the following year. In 2020, Culberston issued his 20th studio album, the aptly titled XX, featuring guest vocals from Bootsy Collins, Avery Sunshine, and Noel Gourdin. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-culbertson-mn0000521564/biography

Music from The Hang

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Dave Koz - A New Day

Styles: Saxofone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:06
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:09) 1. Summertime In NYC
(4:13) 2. The Closer We Get
(4:43) 3. Still Got It
(3:26) 4. Yesterday
(4:57) 5. Side By Side
(3:33) 6. Long Goodbyes
(4:10) 7. Dr. Norm
(4:09) 8. Barcelona
(4:23) 9. All The Love In The World
(4:35) 10. Highwire
(4:21) 11. A New Day
(3:21) 12. It's All Love

Dave Koz’s ‘A New Day’ is the saxophonist’s first solo album of original material since ‘Hello Tomorrow’ in 2010. This legend of Smooth Jazz delivers an album that will not disappoint his legion of fans and ranks, alongside the classic ‘The Dance’ from 1999, as his finest work. The album starts with the breezy ‘Summertime In NYC’ that features Brian McKnight on vocals. It enjoys a retro Soul feel, not dissimilar to Bill Withers’ Lovely Day’. There is a joyful optimism to the uplifting ‘The Closer We Get’, whilst Koz gets into a smooth funky groove on ‘Still Got It’. Fellow alto man, Dave Sanborn joins Dave on the slightly slower ‘Side By Side’. The mellow lament ‘Long Goodbyes’ is subtle and endearing with a lovely contribution from piano maestro Bob James. There are several fine instrumentals such as ‘Barcelona’, ‘Dr. Norm’ and the funkier ‘Highwire’. Koz reveals his renowned, romantic side on the title number and ‘It’s All Love’. Guests sound like a who’s who including Jeff Lorber, Marc Antoine, Meshell Mdegeocello and Rick Braun amongst many others. ‘A New Day’, recorded under COVID distancing restrictions, is a fine album and a candidate for Smooth Jazz album of the year. https://soulbrother.com/shop/a-new-day-7/

A New Day