Silky Denims

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Thad Jones - The Fabulous Thad Jones

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:36
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:47) 1. Get Out Of Town
(7:33) 2. One More
(4:56) 3. Bitty Ditty
(5:16) 4. More Of The Same
(5:15) 5. Elusive
(2:50) 6. Sombre Intrusion
(6:08) 7. I Can't Get Started
(3:51) 8. I'll Remember April
(3:33) 9. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:45) 10. Chazzanova
(7:33) 11. Get Out Of Town (Alternate Take)
(4:03) 12. One More (Alternate Take)

Trumpeter Thad Jones made his debut as a leader for Charles Mingus' Debut label during 1954-55, music that has been reissued as a single CD in the OJC series and as part of a huge 12-CD Mingus Debut box set. The 12 performances (which include two alternate takes) really put the focus on Jones' accessible yet unpredictable style. Half of the music showcases Jones in a quartet with pianist John Dennis, bassist Mingus and drummer Max Roach. while the other six numbers are more in a Count Basie groove with Frank Wess on tenor and flute, pianist Hank Jones, Mingus and drummer Kenny Clarke.

The originals tend to be tricky, and even such standards as "I'll Remember April," "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Get Out of Town" have their surprising moments. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-fabulous-thad-jones-mw0000262510

Personnel includes: Thad Jones (trumpet); Frank Wess (tenor saxophone, flute); John Dennis, Hank Jones (piano); Charles Mingus (bass); Max Roach, Kenny Clarke (drums).

The Fabulous Thad Jones

Monday, April 5, 2021

Lisa Lindsley / La Belle Epoque - Wouldn't It Be Loverly?

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:42
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:38) 1. Everybody Want to Be a Cat
(3:51) 2. I Could Have Danced All Night
(3:36) 3. Jeepers Creepers
(4:55) 4. The Heather on the Hill
(3:49) 5. Wouldn't It Be Loverly
(3:58) 6. Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do
(4:36) 7. Isn't It a Lovely Day
(3:15) 8. That's Entertainment

Wouldn’t It Be Loverly is a new and noteworthy CD by chanteuse Lisa Lindsley. She performs on two continents, usually around the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. and, when in France, with her group La Belle Époque. This recording was made with her French group which includes Lauren Marode, piano; Jeff Chambers, bass; Mourad Benhammou, drums; and multi-instrumentalist Esaie Cid on tenor sax, flute, and clarinet.

Ms. Lindsley has a mellow voice with clear diction. Her group just plays the pretty notes and gives her lots of space in which to operate. Permit me to ramble a bit on my observations about the function of supporting musicians. I had opportunity to see late pianist Paul Smith perform at a number of Dick Gibson jazz parties, the so-called Super Bowl of jazz parties. He was versatile with great chops. When necessary, he could improvise with appropriate musical quotations providing humor to the ensemble’s music. However, when he came to Pensacola in 1985 as accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald, he just played the right notes to make the singer sound wonderful. This illustration, I hope, gets the point across when I said Ms. Lindsley’s ensemble performs to enhance the vocalist. https://syncopatedtimes.com/wouldnt-it-be-loverly-lisa-lindsley-and-la-belle-epoque/

Wouldn't It Be Loverly?

Monty Alexander - Love You Madly: Live at Bubba's

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 91:55
Size: 211,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:41) 1. Arthur's Theme
( 8:08) 2. Love You Madly
( 6:26) 3. Samba De Orfeu
( 5:57) 4. Sweet Lady
( 9:35) 5. Eleuthra
( 7:49) 6. Reggae Later
( 6:45) 7. Blues for Edith
(10:07) 8. Fungii Mama
( 6:05) 9. Consider
( 7:06) 10. Montevideo
( 7:21) 11. Body and Soul
( 3:53) 12. Swamp Fire
( 4:56) 13. SKJ

Risk and reward is honored in the selection of this premium sound night club gig from nearly forty years ago. Just how such a recording is going to play in a current climate is tricky business. Is it vintage or is it outdated? Is it a fond remembrance or better left forgotten? The answers are of course in the ear of the beholder. Certainly, the spirit and energy play well in any time period.

Jamaican born pianist Monty Alexander first made an impression on the jazz circuit as far back as the early to mid-nineteen sixties. While he didn't fully embrace his Jamaican roots until years later, there was always a certain swagger in his lines. He perhaps held that back a bit until he was more firmly entrenched as an artist. At any rate, by nineteen eighty-two, the year this was recorded, Alexander had begun to incorporate it into his swing. It occurs that being in the transitional development and growth stages of what is now his widely known jazz and Jamaican fusion, is key to the freshness and improvisational nature of the performance. Indeed percussionist Robert Thomas Jr. is brought in to infuse his hand drumming with bassist Paul Berner and drummer Duffy Jackson.

"Arthur's Theme" was a very popular song at the time. The tune from the movie Arthur(Warner Brothers, 1981) is given quite the jazz makeover and won the audience over in a heartbeat. The Duke Ellington composition, and title track, follows, and an evening of live jazz quartet music is underway at Bubba's Jazz Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. What was most striking about the next few tunes that completed the first set is Alexander's remarkable proficiently in shifting tempo, Jackson and Berner had an opportunity to stretch out during "Reggae Later," before stretching during the break. Berner noteworthy in his Ron Carterish grooves and sounds.

"Blues for Edith" set the mood for the second set with a bluesy feel. But one that seamlessly built into a briskly paced number. They sailed on into "Fungii Mama," and the house lit up. Alexander then took the risk of dropping way down into a slow and earnest melody. He was rewarded when "Consider" had the crowd in total silence, not wanting to miss a single note of the Alexander penned ballad. Unlike the first set when the tempo changes during songs were notable, this time it was the sequencing that was the ticket. "Montevideo" seemed to blast off like a spaceship coming off such a now quiet space. The orbit continued to soar with an impressive and charismatic vision of "Body and Soul." Alexander and company then proceeded to burn the house down in a "Swamp Fire." The Milt Jackson written "SKJ" closed the show amid band introductions and zealous fan appreciation. It is cliché to say that this record is a must for any Monty Alexander fan to add to their collection. It is, at the very least, of no risk and high reward.~ Jim Worsley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-you-madly-live-at-bubbas-monty-alexander-resonance-records

Personnel: Monty Alexander: piano; Paul Berner: bass; Duffy Jackson: drums; Robert Thomas Jr.: percussion.

Love You Madly: Live at Bubba's

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Gloria Reuben & Marty Ashby - For All We Know

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:22
Size: 80,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:15) 1. I’ll Close My Eyes
(2:39) 2. A Time For Love
(3:38) 3. Time After Time
(4:15) 4. For All We Know
(3:51) 5. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(3:53) 6. The People That You Never Get To Love
(4:06) 7. Maybe You’ll Be There
(2:13) 8. How High The Moon
(2:56) 9. Where Do You Start?
(2:32) 10. Sing My Heart

The deeply felt farewell on vocalist Gloria Reuben's Perchance To Dream (MCG Jazz, 2015) a duo take on "Here's to Life," with guitarist Marty Ashby foreshadowed the arrival of this intimate date. It may have taken five years for this pair to find their way to this work, but it was destined to happen at some point. This is quite simply a meeting that was written in the stars and the trailing suggestions of its predecessor. A testament to the power of two, For All We Know finds guitar and voice exploring the odyssey of love unfulfilled, unrequited, unmasked and unavoidable.

Neither mired in absolute sadness nor drawn to pure hope, this album prefers to explore intermediate states while linking timeless songs into one seamless quilt. It's a reminder that for all we know, we truly know nothing. The heart, in fact, does the knowing for us.

Opening on "I'll Close My Eyes," Reuben and Ashby use the introduction to bewitch before switching gears and swinging on through. A compact winner that gets its point across in less than three-and-a-half minutes, it lays out the concise approach in all that follows. There's balladic beauty, taking hold with "A Time For Love"; a verse introduction leading to a bossa-esque, moonwashed "Time After Time"; a relaxed take on the title track that speaks to what may be, what might have been, and where it can all lead now; and the ultimate statement of wrestling with love and denial "I Get Along Without You Very Well."

Furthering the picture of a mind concerned with love's past and future, Reuben and Ashby enter varied states of understanding and transmission. Everything from singer-songwriter Rupert Holmes' 1979 hit "The People That You Never Get To Love," to the heart-wrenching Johnny Mandel/Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman-penned "Where Do You Start?," to the 80-year-old "Sing My Heart" by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler comes into play in the proper light. And this pair has its way with all of them. With keen interpretive skills, good taste and an eye on making creative connections, Gloria Reuben and Marty Ashby illuminate aspects of life and love that plenty can relate to.~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/for-all-we-know-gloria-reuben-and-marty-ashby-mcg-jazz

Personnel: Marty Ashby: guitar; Gloria Reuben: vocals.

For All We Know

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Lori Mechem - Return To Ipanema

Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:29
Size: 126,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:07) 1. Wave
(4:17) 2. The Girl From Ipanema - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:59) 3. Corcovado - Instrumental Version
(4:02) 4. Agua De Beber - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(3:59) 5. How Insensitive
(4:58) 6. Zingaro
(4:21) 7. One Note Samba - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:29) 8. Meditation
(4:50) 9. Desafinado - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(4:11) 10. So Danco Samba - Return To Ipanema Album Version
(5:14) 11. Once I Loved
(4:57) 12. Dindi

Lori Mechem is one of the active leaders of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, which is a jazz education program consisting of live performances and classes featuring local musicians and, occasionally, nationally known musicians. Return to Ipanema is the pianist's salute to the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, with contributions by Denis Solee (tenor and soprano saxes plus flute), guitarist Pete Huttlinger, bassist Roger Spencer, drummer Chris Brown, and percussionist Dann Sherrill, playing the arrangements of Jeff Steinberg. The performances are enjoyable background music, though they are a little too conservative as Solee is the only musician who is improvising most of the time, while the strings provide more of a background feel. An example is "The Girl from Ipanema," where Solee's tenor takes a few chances (though not nearly enough), while Mechem sticks very close to the melody during her single chorus. Mechem does loosen up in "One Note Samba" and Solee's adventurous soprano seems to stimulate the leader a bit in the breezy "So Danco Samba." But because these compositions have been recorded so frequently in a jazz setting, they deserve to be played a little looser than many of them are on this session.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/return-to-ipanema-mw0000820786

Return To Ipanema

Greg Abate - Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:06
Size: 109,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:17) 1. Sunshower
(6:09) 2. Cook's Bay
(7:54) 3. Golden Lotus
(7:19) 4. Innocence
(8:59) 5. Water Lily
(7:38) 6. Sonia Braga
(3:47) 7. Bud Like

Album: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron Disc 2

Time: 40:44
Size: 94,9 MB

(6:14) 1. Lemuria
(4:52) 2. Concentric Circles
(8:28) 3. Rain
(5:25) 4. Voyage
(5:35) 5. Magic Dance
(4:32) 6. Song for Abdullah
(5:35) 7. And Then Again

Woonsocket native saxophonist Greg Abate is releasing a new album “Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron” on April 2, a tribute to the keyboard legend Barron. An inductee in the RI Music Hall of Fame, Abate has played and recorded with artists as diverse as Phil Woods, Richie Cole, Jerome Richardson, as well Kenny Barron. Abate was recently ranked #4 in the world on alto sax in the annual Downbeat Magazine Reader’s Poll. There’s a beautiful marriage happening with Greg Abate’s “Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron.” It’s the union between Abate’s multi-instrumental gift of bebop and Kenny Barron’s varied and sublime compositions. Abate and Barron, who, in addition to lending Abate his material, handles keys on this recording session, are soul mates occupying the same lovely musical space.

With Barron’s material and Abate’s fresh vision, the two-disc set, recorded over three days at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, is a revelation. Says Abate: “Kenny was kind enough to provide me with music for a range of his tunes, some more well-known than others. The only difficult part was choosing which ones to record.” Abate researched and reworked Barron’s music, inserting his own ideas when appropriate, enhancing his arrangements with multiple sax overdubs, and, when the original was so good, it made sense to leave well enough alone. The project was challenging, multi-dimensional, and immensely gratifying. “I even scored a big band sax section (two altos, two tenors and bari) on ‘Innocence’ and ‘Voyage.’ The other 12 tracks have either one horn, or two horns in harmony.”More...Ken Abrams https://whatsupnewp.com/2021/02/ri-jazz-great-greg-abate-to-release-magic-dance-the-music-of-kenny-barron-in-april/

Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron Disc 1, Disc 2

Theo Hill - Promethean

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:29
Size: 127,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:09) 1. This Here
(3:40) 2. Hey, It's Me You're Talking To
(5:00) 3. Finger Painting
(4:07) 4. I Love Music
(5:25) 5. Pee Wee
(4:59) 6. The Phoenix
(5:16) 7. Blasphemy
(5:26) 8. Is That So
(6:24) 9. Litha
(4:15) 10. Chance
(5:43) 11. Citadel

Promethean captures Theo Hill at a significant juncture in his development. The record is ample evidence that the thirty-something New York City-based artist is rapidly securing a place in the crowded field of noteworthy contemporary jazz pianists. On the one hand particularly during medium and up-tempo cuts such as "This Here," "Hey, It's Me You're Talking To," "Litha," "Is That So," and "Citadel"youthful exuberance and a cocky certainty imbue everything he plays. On the other, his improvisations are resourceful, well ordered, and hang together as a whole. Hyperliterate, thrill ride choruses are the norm. Throughout the eleven tracks the present state of his art speaks for itself and points to the future. Hill's efforts practically shout out: "This is what I can do now; but stick around, because in a matter of months or a year or so, my music will be in an even better place." With the exception of one original composition, the program is comprised of material by Bobby Timmons, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Kirkland, Duke Pearson, Tony Williams, Victor Lewis, Chick Corea and Hale Smith. Though these names may be used as a general stylistic compass, they're not an invitation to label Promethean as some sort of tribute record. Hill is way past any sort of fealty to his influences, and so the compositions serve as templates for an impressive skill set. A precisely calibrated relationship between his left and right hands is a hallmark of Hill's pianism. Generally speaking, the right hand does most of the talking, while the left enacts hurdles to leap over, swerve around, or surmount. Even at his most active, the deep-seated connection between his two hands is apparent and his touch never falters or sounds strained. On the head of Hill's original, "The Phoenix," the chords are as weighty as blocks of granite. Throughout the solo his left hand slices, dices, and chops, while the right feverishly moves forward. In contrast, during portions of Hancock's "Finger Painting," Hill's left hand takes on the character of subtle brush strokes. Though Mark Whitfield, Jr's rambunctious drumming and Yasushi Nakamura's solid bass lines make significant contributions throughout, Hill's solo on Kirkland's "Chance" shows that he's more than capable of sustaining momentum on his own. In the end, Hill's interpretations of a wide range of material and his exhilarating improvisations make Promethean an impressive recording. ~ David A. Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/promethean-theo-hill-posi-tone-records-review-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel: Theo Hill: piano; Yasushi Nakamura: bass; Mark Whitfield, Jr: drums.

Promethean

Friday, April 2, 2021

Mark Morganelli And The Jazz Forum All Stars - Speak Low

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:26
Size: 139,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. Speak Low
(6:39) 2. Dreams
(4:25) 3. Blues For Ian
(8:42) 4. When I Fall In Love
(6:58) 5. Summertime
(5:20) 6. Opus
(8:13) 7. Lamb Kurma
(6:25) 8. A Child Is Born
(6:14) 9. The Jolly Jumper

Mark Morganelli records infrequently as a leader, but he has been very active in New York City as a promoter and producer, and inevitably has been in charge of organizing the late-night jam sessions at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference and the now-defunct Jazz Times Convention, as well as serving as the New York producer for Candid during its second incarnation. It's hard for a horn player to go wrong when he has recruited a rhythm section of Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and Jimmy Cobb, and Morganelli seems additionally inspired by his company on this live date at Birdland. "Speak Low" is a real cooker, while Barron's "Dreams" is a gentle samba featuring the leader initially on flügelhorn before he returns on muted trumpet. Morganelli's dark flügelhorn and Barron's intriguing chord substitutions give a fresh sound to the oft-recorded "Summertime," and his waltzing version of another classic, "A Child Is Born," is also enjoyable. Morganelli also contributed two originals: the up-tempo post-bop "Blues for Ian" (in honor of his infant son) and a very happy sounding samba "The Jolly Jumper," named after one of his son's favorite toys. This CD will greatly please fans of hard bop and post-bop; Mark Morganelli clearly deserves to be recorded more frequently.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/speak-low-mw0000617098

Personnel: Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Mark Morganelli; Bass – Ron Carter; Drums – Jimmy Cobb; Piano – Kenny Barron

Speak Low

Duchess - Live at Jazz Standard

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:46
Size: 129,1 MB
Art: Front

(0:46) 1. Introductions
(4:15) 2. (We) Love Being Here with You
(0:33) 3. Dialogue
(3:21) 4. Swing Brother Swing
(1:13) 5. Dialogue
(3:48) 6. Heebie Jeebies
(4:11) 7. Band Introductions
(2:35) 8. It’s a Man
(3:10) 9. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
(3:45) 10. On the Sunny Side of the Street
(0:22) 11. Dialogue
(2:52) 12. Joseph, Joseph
(0:42) 13. Dialogue
(3:31) 14. Three Little Sisters
(0:24) 15. Dialogue
(3:53) 16. A Little Jive is Good for You
(6:04) 17. Creole Love Call
(1:18) 18. Dialogue
(3:57) 19. Chattanooga Choo Choo
(0:51) 20. Dialogue
(4:02) 21. Everybody Loves My Baby

There are a fair number of vocal groups blending harmoniously and swinging through the jazz set today, but none are as charmingly sassy as DUCHESS. With two studio albums already under a collective belt actually three, if you include an under-the-radar Christmas set it only made sense for vocalists Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou to finally show the greater listening community what Duchess does on the stage. Joining up with its regular rhythm section pianist Michael Cabe, guitarist Jesse Lewis, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Jared Schonig DUCHESS delivers a collection that's equally concerned with gaiety and focus. As on the trio's 2015 eponymous debut and the follow-up, Laughing At Life (Anzic, 2016) the music is tight and the performances are compact. But three or four minutes is all this crew really needs to sell a song, so there's no need to belabor the point(s). "Heebie Jeebies," for example, doles out tight, caffeinated lines, bluesy aplomb and some primo piano work from Cabe in short order. And "It's A Man," poking due fun at the not-so-fair sex while also beautifully hamming up the relationship dynamic, gets its wonderfully cheeky point across in the blink of an eye.

While Cervini, Gardner and Stylianou continue to nod to forebearers of the format notably their primary influence, The Boswell Sisters, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, The Andrews Sisters this program leaves little doubt as to their ability to stand on their own six feet. In tackling material from earlier dates, adding to their recorded catalog with familiar fare like "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo," and dusting off lesser-known delights such as "Joseph, Joseph" and the appropriately-adopted "Three Little Sisters" (complete with horn kazoo adornments), DUCHESS stands in no group's shadow. These whip-smart women see to it that all of the musical details in chief arranger Oded Lev-Ari's charts are on point, and they also seriously deliver with some marvelous banter. Some tend to sanitize live recordings with the removal of repartee, but this crew does no such thing. Instead, with asides giving background on a song's journey, opportunities to witness some gal-palling around, and even a playful turn of the gender tables offering some good-natured male objectification, DUCHESS adds volumes to the album and outlines the full experience of a live show. Those of us who missed out on these gigs at New York's Jazz Standard in May of 2019 clearly should have been there. It's doubtful that there was as much positive energy going on anywhere else in those moments.~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-jazz-standard-duchess-anzic-records

Personnel: Duchess: band/orchestra; Amy Cervini: voice / vocals; Hilary Gardner: voice / vocals; Melissa Stylianou: voice / vocals; Michael Cabe: piano; Jesse Lewis: guitar; Matt Aronoff: bass; Jared Schonig: drums.

Live at Jazz Standard

Marquis Hill - Modern Flows EP, Vol. 1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:24
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:31) 1. Modern Flows Intro
(5:03) 2. Black Harvest
(7:12) 3. White Shadow
(4:20) 4. The Essence
(2:19) 5. Love my Life
(4:34) 6. I Remember Summer
(4:48) 7. When We Were Kings
(2:47) 8. King Legend
(7:15) 9. Flow
(3:30) 10. Legend's Outro II

Chicago-raised trumpeter Marquis Hill, winner of last year’s Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, displays his compositional prowess along with his chops on his fourth recording as a leader, Modern Flows EP Vol. 1. Its 10 original compositions burst with equal parts passion and sophistication, the entire outing suffused with a strong and appealing sense of Afrocentric identity. Hill’s compositions cover a broad range of styles. “Black Harvest” finds Hill and alto saxophonist Christopher McBride trading spiky bop phrases over drummer Makaya McCraven’s staccato polyrhythms. “The Essence,” with its burnished melodic line for unison horns, includes charming, romantic fills from vibraphonist Justin Thomas. “I Remember Summer” is a serene showcase for vocalist Meagan McNeal. |

Hill’s best playing of the recording is his tight, smartly paced solo on the fascinating “White Shadow,” a tune melding McCraven’s tense runs and thunking bass from Joshua Ramos with a quirky melody that at times recalls a children’s song. This track and three others feature fiery spoken-word performer Keith Winford, who evokes both African-Americans’ regal ancestry (on “King Legend,” backed by McCraven’s stinging hip-hop-styled beats) and often-fraught contemporary circumstances (“White Shadow” finds Winford shouting, “Put me in a chokehold/Struggling to breathe”). Another spoken-word artist, South African poet Tumelo Khoza, graces the album’s intro track; she grandly intones, “Black, you do not lack/You are the crux of all that matters,” wafted along by a hushed melodic statement from Hill and McBride and a smooth groove from electric bassist Bryan Doherty.Hill’s Monk competition prize included a recording contract with Concord Music Group. If the musical artistry and powerful sociopolitical engagement of the self-released Modern Flows are an indication, we are in for an epochal recording. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/marquis-hill-modern-flows-ep-vol-1/

Modern Flows EP, Vol. 1

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Rhoda Scott - Movin'Blues

Styles: Soul Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:36
Size: 165,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:12) 1. Blue Law
(5:16) 2. Movin'Blues
(5:12) 3. Come Sunday
(5:42) 4. Blues at the Pinthière
(5:51) 5. Caravan
(3:52) 6. Dans ma vie
(4:42) 7. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:36) 8. Watch What Happens
(6:55) 9. I'm Looking for a Miracle
(6:35) 10. Let My People Go
(5:24) 11. Prière
(3:44) 12. Yes Indeed
(3:35) 13. Fais comme l'oiseau
(4:54) 14. In a Sentimental Mood

The eldest daughter of an American pastor, Rhoda Scott was immersed in the atmosphere of gospels throughout her childhood.

Passionate about the Hammond organ, The Barefoot Lady was quickly fascinated by jazz and its bluesy swing: “I first knew religious music and then jazz”. She has around fifty records to her credit.

Arrived in France in 1968, she played for many years in duet with a drummer. This was followed by Daniel Humair, Franco Manzecchi and Félix Simtaine. In 2009, she recorded Soul Sisters with singer La Velle and, in 2011, Rock my boat, with David Linx and André Ceccarelli. Recently, it was with her Lady Quartet that she played, recording We free Queens (nod to We free kings by Roland Kirk), with Sophie Alour (ts), Lise Cat Berro (as) and Anne Paceo (dm). For Movin’Blues, she returns to her old loves: the duo with drums. She is here accompanied by Thomas Derouisseau, young drummer who we discovered in Liège for the West Side Story Medley project. Here she chooses an eclectic repertoire: the spiritual Let my people go (Go down Moses), Caravan by Juan Tizol, Come Sunday by Duke Ellington, Honeysuckle Rose by Fats Waller and Watch what happens by Michel Legrand, without forgetting one or the other references to the blues: Movin’Blues, Blue Law, Blues at Pinthière. We find all the magic of the Hammond organ, its bluesy swing, its low notes played with the feet: “I sing with my instrument: it breathes in me.” A nice cover but a small gap: the list of titles does not specify the names of the composers.

Born in the United States, Rhoda Scott, the eldest daughter of a traveling pastor, grew up, she recalls, in the atmosphere of the small black churches with the accents of gospels and spirituals. In France, she also held the organ for forty years in her parish of Perche: “I sing with my instrument. He breathes in me. I’m faithful to it I first knew religious music and then jazz “, “God can encompass all styles of music” she says. Passionate about Bach’s works, she has established herself as the ambassador of the Hammond organ popularized by artists like Jimmy Smith. Mastery, energy and thick timbres, Rhoda Scott remains the living myth of the Hammond organ. Encircled by two monumental Leslie cabins and B3 controllers, she hops with a smile to groove his keyboards by ensuring a swing “bluesy”, airy and hard-hitting … With fifty records to his credit, concerts at the Olympia and in the most prestigious festivals, Rhoda Scott returns with his new “Movin ‘Blues” to his first love the drum organ duo that made his success and his trademark. The Barefoot Lady is back!

The Barefoot Lady is back! After a first album success with the Rhoda Scott Lady Quartet “We free queens” and more than 100 dates of concerts around the world, the adventure continues. Far from being sparse and reserved for initiates, her music is rich, dense, groovy, like Rhoda Scott’s generosity. As a tightrope walker, she gives the Hammond organ its full dimension, respecting the great tradition of jazz and blues in a special duet with drums that has been her hallmark all along her career. Her audience will enjoy this homecoming.

Personnel: Rhoda Scott, organ Hammond B3; Thomas Derouineau, drums

Movin'Blues

Rebecca DuMaine, Dave Miller Trio - Someday, Someday

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:22
Size: 116,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:09) 1. Just Friends
(4:04) 2. Alone Again (Naturally)
(3:59) 3. Samba De Mon Coeur Qui Bat
(3:47) 4. The Gentleman is a Dope
(3:38) 5. Someday, Someday
(4:02) 6. Both Sides Now
(2:56) 7. Time to Get Unstuck (Happy Little New Song)
(4:41) 8. As Long as I Live
(4:00) 9. On a Clear Day
(3:29) 10. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
(3:28) 11. Cry Me a River
(2:43) 12. La Vie En Rose Au Privave
(3:13) 13. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
(3:08) 14. Sunny

Rebecca DuMaine has a lightness and fragility to her sound that calls to mind Blossom Dearie, and, as with Blossom, that lightness extends to her perfectly realized scat in musically astute, smile-inducing style. Her terrific new recording, Someday, Someday, is filled with great songs (both classic and contemporary) and offers many pleasant surprises. It is also filled with great playing by the singer’s father, Dave Miller on piano (he also supplied all the arrangements), Chuck Bennett on bass, and Bill Belasco on drums. The album opens with an unexpectedly rollicking version of “Just Friends” (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis) revealing a resiliency against loss and sadness, a refusal to give in to heartbreak with unassuming strength that creates an album offering interesting re-examinations of well-known material. She never denies the hurt but she never lets it overwhelm her. The words to “Alone Again (Naturally)” (Gilbert O’Sullivan) become new and fresh from this perspective, replacing what can be overwhelming angst with healthy acceptance. Her repeated “alone again”s in the closing moments are an inspired ending.

Amid haunting chord changes, pleasant echoes of Astrud Gilberto abound in “Samba de Mon Coeur Qui Bat” (Benjamin Biolay) but with considerably more spine. One of my favorite Rodgers & Hammerstein songs, “The Gentleman Is a Dope,” stands out with a sparkling arrangement in which she makes a feast of the tasty lyrics while swinging to beat (or in this case match) the band. Her “Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell) has a sweetness that is lovely and a simplicity of delivery that allows the poetry to work for itself without overemphasis. The recording includes two of the singer’s original songs. The title song is musically derivative (apart from impressive percussion by Belasco) and lyrically problematic, but, on the other, “Time to Get Unstuck (Happy Little New Song),” the words are strong and flow naturally over an insinuating melody. “As Long as I Live” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) affords an extended scat chorus showing off DuMaine’s savvy musicality against Miller’s sparse accompaniment, displaying the swinging reserve of Count Basie. A slower than expected “On a Clear Day” (Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner) sparkles anew in a performance filled with hope and wonder.

If nothing else, this recording would have had me at “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan” (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz), one of my favorite songs from my favorite movie musical, The Band Wagon, and Jack Buchanan’s finest three minutes. It starts as a sad and slow acceptance of heartbreak and grows into a soft-shoe shuffle that perfectly cushions DuMaine’s bittersweet vocal. “Cry Me a River” (Arthur Hamilton) is done in three-quarter time over the usual bluesy-ness, and it is a literal breath of fresh air. The brittleness of her delivery and her understatement really work here. The singer and her trio transform “La Vie en Rose” (Louiguy, Marguerite Monnot/Édith Piaf) into something downright Ellingtonian. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” (Harry Barris/Ted Koehler, Billy Moll) is the most explicit declaration of what I suspect she wanted the entire project to be: a tuneful roadmap out of these dark and depressing times. She closes grooving on Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” and offers a post-pandemic forecast of much better days ahead. Someday, Someday and Rebecca DuMaine’s vocals display an economy, intelligence, warmth, and energy that make the recording an entertaining and welcome respite from the madness the world has to offer at the moment. https://bistroawards.com/cd-review-rebecca-dumaine-and-the-dave-miller-trio-someday-someday/

Personnel: Rebecca DuMaine, vocals; Dave Miller, piano ; Chuck Bennett, bass; Bill Belasco, drums

Someday, Someday

The Ahmad Jamal Trio - The Awakening

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:35
Size: 92.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1970/1997
Art: Front

[6:18] 1. The Awakening
[7:22] 2. I Love Music
[6:14] 3. Patterns
[5:05] 4. Dolphin Dance
[4:40] 5. You're My Everything
[6:28] 6. Stolen Moments
[4:25] 7. Wave

Bass – Jamil Nasser; Drums – Frank Gant; Piano – Ahmad Jamal. Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City on February 2nd and 3rd, 1970.

By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal's style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity. With bassist Jamil Nasser (whose double-timing lines are sometimes furious) and drummer Frank Gant, Jamal performs two originals (playing over a vamp on "Patterns"), the obscure "I Love Music," and four jazz standards. These are intriguing performances showing that Ahmad Jamal was continuing to evolve. ~Scott Yanow

The Awakening

Eli Degibri - Cliff Hangin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 117,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:47) 1. The Troll
(5:45) 2. Cliff Hangin'
(2:26) 3. Even Bees Do It
(5:17) 4. Kind of Blues
(4:57) 5. Suki the Cat
(5:22) 6. Twiced
(4:09) 7. Ocean View
(4:48) 8. SheshBesh
(4:03) 9. MomentoFugaz
(4:55) 10. The Unknown Neighbor
(4:59) 11. What Am I Doing Here

Eli Degibri has been making music for a long time with a long list of Jazz stars. And he is not even forty years-old yet. He graduated the Thelonious Monk Institute at the age of 19 and was noticed and recruited by Herbie Hancock for a world tour. Eli was with Hancock from 1999 until 2002 and was then picked up by Al Foster (former sideman with Miles Davis) who kept him along for almost 10 years (2002-2011). After 15 years in the US, Degibri returned to Tel Aviv, Israel, a long flowing with Jazz milk and honey. He hired and honed the talents of pianist Gadi Lehavi and drummer Ofri Nehemya and added to them the talents of his longtime friend and collaborator, bassist Barak Mori. With this group, Eli Was prepared to record. Indeed, he did already with the 2013 release of Twelve. Now, the quartet strikes again with Cliff Hangin’ (Degibri Music DR1007). The album opens with The Troll, a lovely and lyrical piece introduced by sweet piano work from Gadi Lehavi. The tenor sax joins the piano, bass and drums and you realize you’ve heard something unlike anything you’ve heard before. Yes, many sax players have the skills and the talent but Eli Degibri has…something else. His phrasing is cool and his intensity is palatable. Then drummer Ofri Nehemya steals your attention only for Eli to regain it yet again. Cliff Hangin’ follows after and the change is extraordinary. It was not the music I expected from the title. There is a beauty in the changes and the quartet are in such singularity that physics takes over the acoustics and you are drawn into it inexorably. Lehavi’s piano is quick and absolutely on target. His solo is just brilliant. Then the alto sax takes over again with such compelling emotion, that the voice even seems to break in the telling.

Even Bees Do It is the very image of Rimsky-Korsakov with the frenetic little critters buzzing everywhere. Musically speaking. From soprano sax to piano with dancing bass and drums below, the melodies are fun and vivid. Kind of Blues is exactly that. The tenor sax is back in Eli’s hands and the artists take a pace slower and more deliberate. Bassist Barak Mori has the cool swing with Nehemya going. Virtuosity is not even in question. There are lots of cats with the technical chops but Eli Degibri has the soul…and the Soul. And he has found the finest musical brothers to make his vision real. Kind of Blues ends so righteously. Just fabulous. Suki the Cat, which follows, is a great bit of fun. There is certainly a playfulness but also an emotion that cuts through the speed and such to create an image of adorable felinity. Twiced was written by Eli and Barak Mori. Barak leads off the piece and is joined by the fine piano. Eli’s sax then mirrors the melodic line before taking it on by himself. The is one of the best groove pieces on the album and that is saying a lot. Just when you think you can’t get enough of Eli, Gadi Lehavi’s piano takes a big swing for the fences and knocks it out of the park. All the while, Barak Mori is hammering away with Nehemya. Swinging.

The action is so furious that you get a good yell from one of the artists that only makes your smile even broader. The soprano sax is back for Ocean View. Placid and peaceful, the pace is not slow, by any means. Still, it is an idyll of tranquility that is obvious even in the midst of activity. Despite waves and creatures of the shoreline, the viewer is above it all and enjoying every minute of it. Nehemya’s snare rim-shots are energetic and all of the artists are putting their hearts into it. The piece closes with the gentleness that began it. SheshBesh offers some cool work from Eli. Again, the artists cover a complex of rhythmic variations that is like trying to escape Dr. No’s lair. These friends, compatriots and bandmates are in telepathic lock-step, it seems. They are amazing. Momento Fugaz features Shlomo Ydov on vocals and guitar. You’ve got to love this one. The acoustic guitar is warm and wonderful. Eli’s tenor sax and Gadi Lehavi’s piano are a splendid melodic triad with the guitar. The chord changes are quiet but profound. Palmas are a cool finishing touch for the piece. The Unknown Neighbor is slow and sweet. I swear to all the powers that be, the opening is the same chord changes as a tune from Disney’s Mary Poppins, albeit at about 1/4 the tempo. [Sorry if I’m wrong, Eli!] With all of that, however, the song is incredibly moving. From a touch of melancholy to bits of brightness, the track is astounding.

The album concludes with What Am I Doing Here. Everyone gets a voice in the piece. The bouncing bass of Barak Mori is right on it. Lehavi’s piano is just a wonder and Nehemya’s drums are so, so fine. Eli Degibri is wonderful. The ending is so full of joy and life. It is one of those uplifting themes that you hope never ends. He most assuredly saved the best for last. With a tweak of your nose at the very end. Cliff Hangin’ is one of the most rewarding and satisfying album I have heard in the last decade. Eli Degibri is more than a brilliant saxophone player, more than a stunning composer. There is something about Eli the person that commands attention and affection. There is something in his heart that reaches the listener. This was an incredible experience in listening and in life. ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl http://jazztimes.com/community/articles/171881-eli-degibri-and-the-emotions-of-cliff-hangin

Personnel: Eli Degribi, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Gadi Lehavi, piano; Barak Mori, bass; Ofri Nehemya, drums; Shlomo Ydov, vocals, guitar (9)

Cliff Hangin'

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Kitty White - Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:01
Size: 91,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:00) 1. Visit Me
(2:51) 2. Summer in the City
(2:06) 3. My Kind of Guy
(3:22) 4. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe
(2:11) 5. So Many Beautiful Men (So Little Time)
(1:41) 6. Do It Again
(2:02) 7. Call Me Darling (Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear)
(2:36) 8. Disenchanted Lady
(2:44) 9. Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)
(1:57) 10. Bossa Nova All the Way
(2:16) 11. Say It Isn't So
(1:49) 12. Just in Time
(3:04) 13. Mood Indigo
(2:59) 14. Honeysuckle Rose - Bonus Track
(2:17) 15. So Many Beautiful Men (So Little Time) - Bonus Track
(2:59) 16. My Love Is a Wanderer - Bonus Track

Born Kitty Jean Bilbrew in 1923, White grew up in a musical family, her mother and father being vaudevillian performers. White was a well-trained vocalist with perfect pitch. She was also a good music reader, which allowed her to find studio work. After recording a couple of albums for EmArcy, White even appeared in a number of movies during the early 1950s, including King Creole (with Elvis Presley), Last Train from Gun Hill and The Old Man and the Sea. It was only natural that Duke would insist on making a recording of her friend, White, for release on Clover Records. The record company came into focus in 1964 when Castro and Duke made amends and tried to reconcile as a couple. The label would begin with a number of projects featuring Castro but then began to branch out to other artists, most notably Anita O’Day, Kitty White and Teddy Edwards.

Duke was the catalyst for the White record, which would be the third project for Clover. In early 1965, she enlisted her friend, the Paris based pianist and arranger Art Simmons, to prepare a budget and coordinate a recording in Paris, a location that Duke knew White always dreamed of visiting. White had not been very active in some time and was excited for the opportunity not only to record but to visit Paris. Before going to Paris, White recorded a demo for Come Jet With Me with double bassist Helen Perry on Monday, August 9th. This was to be a joint venture with British Overseas Airways Corporation and Clover Records, which never came to pass. They recorded a version of “So Many Beautiful Men (So Little Time),” an original by White and her ex-husband, Edward “Gates” White.

The White recordings came at the beginning of Clover’s big push into the market. Castro and Duke intended to make an immediate splash and began recording a number of projects. Castro was not involved much in the White project as he was supervising a recording of Anita O’Day in Honolulu and his own small and big band projects in Los Angeles. Art Simmons had grand ideas for the Kitty White sessions. He originally intended to employ saxophonists Johnny Griffin, Dexter Gordon and Hal Singer, though none of these musicians could be identified on the recording. The sessions were held on December 2nd and 3rd and featured trumpeter Sonny Grey, soprano saxophonist/flautist Nathan Davis, bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Kenny Clarke, along with tenor saxophonist Jean-Louis Chautemps, baritone saxophonist Jacques Nourredine, French horn player Melih Gürel, guitarist Pierre Cullaz, bassist Michel Gaudry and conductor Charles “Big” Jones.

The program begins with Howlett Smith’s punchy “Visit Me,” which is followed by the bluesy Oscar Brown, Jr. and Norman Curtis tune, “Summer in the City,” featuring evocative tenor sax, piano and Latin percussion. Leslie Bricusse’s “My Kind of Guy” is subtly swinging and flirty, while E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen’s ballad, “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,” is hazily impressionistic. “ almost Beautiful Men (So Little Time)” is revisited in a slinky style. The tempo increases on a grooving version of George Gershwin and B.G. De Sylva’s “Do It Again.” White’s voice shines alongside Cullaz’s guitar on Reisfeld, Fryberg, Marbot and Dick’s sweet ballad, “Call Me Darling.” Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones’s “Disenchanted Lady” is dramatically performed and Bob Russell and Harold Spina’s “Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)” is a sad ballad with tenor sax accents over a warm horn section. Castro and Joe Lubin’s “Bossa Nova All the Way” is an attempt to take advantage of the bossa craze. Irving Berlin’s “Say It Isn’t So” is stripped down to voice, sax, piano and rhythm section, while the band is back for the brief and spirited take on Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s “Just In Time.”

The program concludes with a hushed version of Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Barney Bigard’s “Mood Indigo” with nice features for trumpeter Grey, saxophonist Davis and guitarist Cullaz. Fats Waller and Andy Razaf’s “Honeysuckle Rose” is a jaunty blues featuring a warm tenor solo, while Bart Howard’s “My Love Is a Wanderer” is a lilting ballad with White singing in an almost operatic style. Duke and White returned to the States on December 6th. Unhappy with some of the original vocals recorded in France, White went into the studio in Los Angeles to overdub new vocals on January 12, 1966. Two days later, she was back in the studio with a band led by pianist Eddie Bell to record a new version of what Castro hoped would be his hit, “Bossa Nova All the Way.” While pressings were being made of singles and long playing records and ads flaunted a new label in the wings, Clover was going through upheaval. In late April, Castro and Duke resigned from the board of the label. Their personal and professional relationship was finally at an end. Duke implored Peter Brookes to work the newly released Kitty White record harder. Though the record was released, as Kitty White (CL/CLS -1229), it never managed to develop any steam and languished as Clover subsequently failed. https://joecastro.bandcamp.com/album/happiness-is-a-thing-called-joe

Personnel: Kitty White - vocals, piano; Art Simmons - arranger, director; Sonny Grey - trumpet (2, 3-9, 11-14); Melih Gürel - French horn (2, 3-9, 11-14); Nathan Davis - flute, tenor saxophone (2, 3-9, 11-14); Hal Singer, Johnny Griffin, Dexter Gordon, Jean-Louis Chautemps - tenor saxophone (2, 3-9, 11-14); Jacques Nourredine - baritone saxophone (2, 3-9, 11-14); Pierre Cullaz - guitar (2, 3-9, 11-14); Jimmy Woode, Michel Gaudry - bass (2, 3-9, 11-14); Kenny Clarke - drums (2, 3-9, 11-14); Teddy Edwards - tenor saxophone (2, 10); Eddie Beal - piano (2, 10); Vernon Polk - guitar (2, 10); Wilfred Middlebrooks - bass (2, 10); Billy Moore - drums (2, 10); Jack Costanzo - bongos, güiro (2, 10);Eddie Beal - director (2, 10); Helen Perry - bass (15, 16)

Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe

Solveig Slettahjell - Come in from the Rain

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:11
Size: 99,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:07) 1. Come in from the Rain
(3:44) 2. On the Street Where You Live
(2:48) 3. You're Driving Me Crazy
(4:04) 4. Since I Fell for You
(4:40) 5. So I Borrow Your Smile
(4:51) 6. How Deep Is the Ocean
(3:13) 7. Now or Never
(4:19) 8. I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City
(4:34) 9. Johnsburg, Illinois
(6:46) 10. 'Round Midnight

Norwegian singer Solveig Slettahjell has been on the scene for almost 20 years since she debuted with her band Slow Motion Orchestra. Since then, she’s garnered an impressive discography and most recently, she’s recorded Come in From the Rain with a new group of musicians.

The songs chosen for this album make an interesting collection. There are songs with quirky arrangements like the opening Come in From the Rain (originally written by Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Sager in 1975 and covered by Captain and Tennille) that holds way more weight and depth to it than the earlier versions both in arrangement and in her vocal delivery. It’s a bold way to start an album but it sucks the listener in on a journey that has only just begun. The following arrangement is even more twisted – the My Fair Lady song On the Street Where You Live is a fairly uninspired Broadway staple, but here, it’s turned on its head with an percussive uneasiness to it. Andreas Ulvo’s piano solo is short but develops the theme enough to actually bring back some of the traditional joyfulness into the song and by the end, it feels like this is how the song was originally written.

Since I Fell For You and I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City show off some impressive blues chops and you can really hear the smokiness in Slettahjell’s voice. It’s earthy and sweet sounding and she knows how to use it. The Billie Holiday classic Now or Never, is given a 60’s sort of mod-pop shuffle feel and the attitude seeps out of Slettahjell, especially during her scat solo.In Slettahjell’s original song So I Borrow Your Smile, there is a tinge of sadness but the message is positive, like a prayer for anyone who needs it. She is a master at conveying message and meaning. The same goes for the Tom Waits song, the unbearably simple Johnsburg, Illinois here has such a beautiful intensity that it quickly becomes a favourite. By the end of the album it is clear that this thread of intensity is driven by the trio; as though Slettahjell’s voice is food for their well-oiled machine. Pål Hausken on drums using different techniques interplaying with Trygve Waldem ar Fiske on bass, as they draw out the interesting aspects of each song and complement everything so perfectly. If this is an indication of what this new band can accomplish, let’s hope this is only the beginning of their collaboration.~ Lavender Sutton https://londonjazznews.com/2020/08/24/solveig-slettahjell-come-in-from-the-rain/

Come in from the Rain

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Donna Burke - Blue Nights

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:14
Size: 130,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:28) 1. Blue Nights
(4:20) 2. Am I Your Future
(4:50) 3. Think of Me
(4:00) 4. A Quiet Night
(3:35) 5. Wherever You Go
(4:41) 6. Where Did The Time Go
(3:59) 7. My Perfect Man
(5:29) 8. Time Has Told Me
(3:50) 9. Goin' Walkabout
(3:42) 10. Don't I Look Pretty
(4:58) 11. Superstar
(3:29) 12. Mr. Wrong
(5:47) 13. Goodbye Nakamura

Donna Burke (born 12 December 1964 in Perth, Australia) is an Australian singer, voice actress and businesswoman. She is also known for her vocal work on songs produced for video game series such as Metal Gear and Final Fantasy. Burke graduated from Edith Cowan University. Her education included "operatic voice, speech and drama" and she received classical voice training for ten years. From 1989 to 1995 Burke taught Media, English and Religious Education to senior students at Chisholm Catholic College. She moved to Japan in 1996 and initially worked as a teacher of English before obtaining some recording work.

Burke married Bill Benfield, a British former teacher. In 2004, Burke and Benfield started a record label, Dagmusic, which catered for foreign artists. Burke released her debut album, Lost and Found, through Dagmusic. Burke has worked as a freelance announcer at NHK since 1999. She also is the lyricist for numerous Japanese TV commercials, anime songs and J-pop group tunes. Burke created Hotteeze in 2004, a company she created to export Japanese heat pads worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Burke

Blue Nights

Harold Danko - Spring Garden

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:29
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:23) 1. Spring Winds
(4:46) 2. Envisage
(6:22) 3. Address Unknown
(6:59) 4. Blossom Tango
(3:04) 5. Earth Dance
(8:27) 6. Second Act
(6:37) 7. Rising Aspirations
(7:58) 8. Nevele
(2:08) 9. Mysterious Ancesters
(4:39) 10. The Chosen

In a career spanning more than a half century Harold Danko has established himself as a distinguished pianist, composer and band leader, fortified by an impressive resume of collaborations with legendary jazz artists, at prestigious jazz venues throughout the world as well as in recordings, television and video. His work is well documented and readily available on multiple CDs and youtube clips These include Chet Baker’s classic 1987 Tokyo concert with more than five million hits, as well as featured performances with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and on James Moody’s version of “Giant Steps”.

As a leader Harold has been featured at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center’s “Meet the Artist” series, Washington DC Performing Arts Society series at J.F.K. Center, and numerous jazz festivals both in the USA and abroad. In the 1990’s he performed with and composed for his quartet with Rich Perry (tenor saxophone), Scott Colley (bass) and Jeff Hirshfield (drums), and in 1995 received an NEA Fellowship to perform his own works in a series of concerts in New York City. In recent years he has led a trio with Hirshfield and Michael Formanek or Jay Anderson (bass) in addition to adapting his compositions for solo piano performances, and can be heard in various formats on more than thirty CDs on the SteepleChase and SunnySide labels. Since 1980 he has earned ASCAP awards yearly for the value of his catalog of original compositions.

Danko holds Professor Emeritus status at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he chaired the jazz studies program for eleven years and established the Jazz Performance Workshop curriculum. In 2007 he received a Bridging Fellowship for research in the Linguistics Department of the University of Rochester on the relationship of speech and music. Prior to his appointment at Eastman he served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, the New School/Mannes, Hartt College, and other institutions. Harold’s featured column, “Solo Piano”, appeared in Keyboard Magazine for more than five years, and his keyboard improvisation method, “The Illustrated Keyboard Series”, is a highly regarded reference work. Beginning his piano studies at the age of five, he became serious about pursuing a career in jazz at the age of fifteen when he commenced studies with Gene Rush in Youngstown, Ohio. After graduation from Youngstown State University and a stint in the U.S. Army band Harold landed the piano chair in Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd, which launched his career as a much sought after jazz musician, composer, and educator.

His newest CD, released in March 2021 on the SteepleChase label, is entitled “Spring Garden”: “This recording documents an important step in my continuing exploration of Stravinsky’s music for purposes of composition and improvisation – in this case harvesting my own garden growing directly from the Rite of Spring. The ten pieces developed from my studies then served as springboards for further investigation and improvisation by the quartet. My post production work sparked greater interest in finding more content to draw on from Stravinsky’s score, and since then the pieces have evolved into a kind of suite for solo piano, incorporating details that had to be left out of the quartet’s performance. I presented an abbreviated version of it last year at my Leap Year concert on February 29 in East Rochester and hope for more opportunities to perform it in the future in both solo and quartet formats. My modus operandi has always been to figure out the how and why of musical sounds, and from my earliest experiences determined that the instinct to improvise should come from inside the music, regardless of the genre, rather than from mere facility or cleverness. To mix analogies, my ongoing musical archeological expedition of the Rite consistently uncovers new treasures and is a source of inspiration as well as nourishing recreation.” https://www.esm.rochester.edu/faculty/danko_harold/

Personnel: Harold Danko (p); Rich Perry(ts); Jay Anderson (b); Jeff Hirshfield (ds)

Spring Garden

Monday, March 29, 2021

Denise Jannah - Ella!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:35
Size: 160,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. Blue Skies
(5:36) 2. Early Autumn
(5:57) 3. To Ella
(7:32) 4. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:38) 5. If I Were A Bell
(6:00) 6. Moonlight In Vermont
(4:09) 7. Nature Boy
(4:14) 8. That Old Black Magic
(8:16) 9. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(4:14) 10. Comes Love
(5:33) 11. Sophisticated Lady
(2:57) 12. Basin Street Blues
(3:46) 13. It's De Lovely
(4:07) 14. Reach For Tomorrow

Ella!: an album with nostalgic Ella Fitzgerald songs. With her new album, Denise Jannah fulfills one of her biggest dreams: recording an album with top musicians: John Engels (drums), Rob van Kreeveld (piano), Hans Mantel (double bass) and Ack van Rooijen (bugle/trumpet). Denise Jannah is the first Dutch singer who signed a record deal with the famous American jazz label Blue Note Records. She played seven times at the North Sea Jazz Festival and sung for many Royal Families and presidents.~ Product Description https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ella-Denise-Jannah/dp/B016AX6HKW

Ella!

Schapiro 17 - Human Qualities

Styles: Jazz Funk, Big Band
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:10
Size: 161,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:18) 1. Count Me Out
( 7:51) 2. Tango
(10:03) 3. Hmmm
( 9:53) 4. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(11:08) 5. Human Qualities
(11:37) 6. Hallelujah
( 5:17) 7. A Bounce in Her Step
( 5:59) 8. House Money

Following its splendid premiere recording, an exploration of Miles Davis' unrivaled album Kind Of Blue (Capitol Records, 1959), composer/arranger Jon Schapiro's 17-member ensemble broadens its horizons on Human Qualities, pairing seven of the maestro's astute and adventurous charts with the Roberta Flack best-seller, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." This time around, Schapiro proves that he need rely on nothing more than his own considerable experience as a jazz artist to create an album that expresses his point of view and accomplishes its purpose.

When that posture involves straight-ahead swinging it is very good indeed; and even when it doesn't, it is seldom less than engaging. The emphatic Basie spirit is alive and well on the sunny opener, "Count Me In," with pianist Roberta Piket sitting in for the Count, and guitarist Sebastian Noelle for Freddie Green, on an irrepressible groover that calls to mind Basie's early era, one that produced such classic riffs as "One O'Clock Jump" and "Lester Leaps In." Stalwart solos courtesy of Piket, tenor Rob Middleton (channeling his inner Lester Young) and trombonist Deborah Weisz. "Tango," which follows, is a laid-back version of the fiery Latin dance showcasing Matt Hong's supple baritone. The lower end of Piket's keyboard is the launching pad for "Hmmm," a rhythmic powerhouse whose enticing melody and lively shout-outs by brass and reeds lead to muscular solos by trumpeter Andy Gravish and tenor Paul Carlon, some brisk four-bar exchanges and more of Piket's barrelhouse licks.

Schapiro's low-key arrangement of the album's lone ballad, "The First Time," whose amiable solos are delivered by Piket and trumpeter Eddie Allen, precedes the contrapuntal "Human Qualities," wherein Piket's piano plays hide-and-seek with brass and reeds before alto saxophonist Rob Wilkerson and trombonist Nick Grinder take their turns, engirding the ensemble and drummer Jon Wikan as the tempo undergoes subtle changes, and Piket resurfaces to draw some shapely lines in the sand, while Wilkerson and Grinder trade fours before brass and reeds wrap the package. The dirge-like "Hallelujah," which follows, opens well enough on the wings of Carlon's ardent tenor but overstays its welcome long before the 11:39 playing time has run its course. Happily, the group vitality returns on "A Bounce in Her Step," whose cool-bop cadences call to mind the West Coast scene of well over half a century ago. The carefree melody draws from Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce" and other themes, while the well-aimed solos are delivered by Wilkerson and trombonist Walter Harris. The album ends with a rocking second- line excursion to New Orleans to wager some "House Money" as Alex Jeun's muted wah-wah trombone enhances the tune's upbeat mood. Wikan and the rhythm section (Piket, Noelle, bassist Evan Gregor) are sharp and sturdy here, as they are on every number. If there is such a thing as a sophomore jinx, Schapiro manages to avoid it with ease on Human Qualities, a worthy successor to the Schapiro 17's impressive debut. Let us hope that the third time, whenever that happens, is also a charm. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/human-qualities-schapiro-17-summit-records

Personnel: Jon Schapiro: composer/conductor; Bryan Davis: trumpet; Andy Gravish: trumpet; Eddie Allen: trumpet; Noyes Bartholomew: trumpet; Rob Wilkerson: saxophone, alto; Candace DeBartolo: saxophone, alto; Paul Carlon: saxophone, tenor; Rob Middleton: saxophone, tenor; Matt Hong: saxophone, baritone; Alex Jeun: trombone; Deborah Weisz: trombone; Nick Grinder: trombone; Walter Harris: trombone; Roberta Piket: piano; Sebastian Noelle: guitar; Evan Gregor: bass; Jon Wikan: drums.

Human Qualities.