Kate Ceberano - 19 Days in New York

Styles: Jazz, Vocal, R&B
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:50
Size: 101,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Since I Fell for You
(2:31)  2. At Last
(5:14)  3. Seven Day Fool
(5:37)  4. Higher and Higher
(5:41)  5. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(3:53)  6. Wanted- Lover, No Experience Necessary
(4:48)  7. A Natural Woman
(4:03)  8. Fever
(4:25)  9. I Had A Talk with My Man
(3:28) 10. Let it Be Me

It May have Only Taken 19 Days in New York, but 1960s Chess Records Legend, Billy Davis, Has Managed to Produce an Album for Kate Ceberano that Will Leave People Begging for More. '19 Days in New York' is a Sublime Album of Classic Soul / R&B Songs, Presenting Ceberano in a Completely New Light. ~Editorial Reviews 

https://www.amazon.com/Days-New-York-Kate-Ceberano/dp/B0002W18AM

19 Days in New York

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Kathy Sanborn - Peaceful Sounds

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:21
Size: 114,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:43) 1. Mission Accomplished
(3:48) 2. Bailando
(3:28) 3. Goin' With The Flow
(4:10) 4. Anyone Can Be Rich In America
(2:39) 5. Forever War - Vocal
(3:08) 6. Ridin' The Rails
(3:05) 7. I Wonder
(3:59) 8. Angela
(3:48) 9. You're The One I've Waited For
(3:40) 10. Déjenos En Paz
(3:48) 11. What Does It Take
(4:39) 12. Du
(2:37) 13. Forever War - Instrumental
(2:42) 14. Kissed By The Sun

Kathy Sanborn performs new age and jazz songs of love, peace, and social conscience. Her sultry vocals draw you in and her powerful message stays with you long after the music's over. Here's what others are saying about Peaceful Sounds: GRAMMY® Award winner Joanne Shenandoah says, "a beautiful voice . . ." Eric Cohen from radio station WAER 88.3 in New York says, 'Magnificent . . . One of the most original CDs I have heard all year. Kathy's voice truly is a gift from the heavens.' Author and award-winning journalist Dahr Jamail says, "Peaceful Sounds is a great CD, and Kathy has an amazing voice." Hollywood actor, director, and film producer Paul Cross says, 'Kathy is the American Enya ...with an important message.' Peace activists from the Military Project say, "Begin with a mix of Marlene Dietrich, Billie Holiday, and go on to someone new, all her own, outstanding." https://towerrecords.com/products/kathy-sanborn-peaceful-sounds

Peaceful Sounds

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Charles Lloyd and The Marvels - Tone Poem

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:51
Size: 160,9 MB
Art: Front

( 3:10) 1. Peace
( 4:58) 2. Ramblin'
( 6:17) 3. Anthem
( 6:30) 4. Dismal Swamp
( 9:02) 5. Tone Poem
(10:24) 6. Monk's Mood
(10:03) 7. Ay Amor - Live
(10:48) 8. Lady Gabor
( 8:34) 9. Prayer

Charles Lloyd and The Marvels' April 2017 performance at UCLA's Royce Hall, with guest vocalist Lucinda Williams, was nothing but highlights from Lloyd's dance moves across the stage as one or other of his bandmates soloed, to Williams' impassioned performances on such songs as Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" and Jimi Hendrix's "Angel." They also played a song by The Beach Boys. ("In My Room"). But the night really got going when the band played about fifteen minutes of Ornette Coleman material, shifting from a reverent version of "Peace" to an extended rendition of "Ramblin,'" the great rhythm-and-blues inflected song that Lloyd himself, in his short-lived mid-1960s quartet with Gabor Szabo, covered as "Goin' to Memphis," and which provided an occasion for Lloyd and his Marvels Bill Frisell on guitar, Greg Leisz on pedal steel, bassist Reuben Rogers on bass, and drummer Eric Harland to rock the rafters in an auditorium where, with an equally packed house, Coleman himself performed in 2010. As it turns out, Lloyd and the Marvels were warming up for 2021's Tone Poem (Blue Note), which kicks off with "Peace" and a shorter, but no less incendiary, rendition of "Ramblin.'"

With the Marvels, Lloyd seems be circling back around the repertoire of his quartet with Szabo: on its first outing, I Long To See You (Blue Note, 2016) the former group played a sizzling version of "Of Course, Of Course," the title song of the Lloyd-Gabor unit's only album; while on Tone Poem, in addition to summoning "Ramblin'" / "Goin' to Memphis," Lloyd and company revisit Gabor's serpentine, restless composition, "Lady Gabor," which the two musicians first played near the end of their tenure in drummer Chico Hamilton's group and continued to perform live circa 1965, as documented on their recorded performances with Ron Carter and Pete La Roca, released as Charles Lloyd: Manhattan Stories (Resonance Records, 2014).

None of the Marvels an ensemble of all-stars is a stand-in for members of Lloyd's 1965 quartet; nevertheless, Frisell and Leisz, with their stringed instruments, provide a tangle of sound in and out of which Lloyd's flute weaves, hypnotically, while Rogers and Harland deepen the song's rhythmic mysteries. "Lady Gabor" is the "Dark Star" of '60s jazz, but it might be more accurate to call "Dark Star" the "Lady Gabor" of psychedelic rock especially since Lloyd also played Gabor's opus with his better-known quartet of the late '60s in mainstream rock venues and pop music festivals. The version on Tone Poem is not a throwback, however, but a renewal for the twenty-first century. Although Lloyd solos memorably on "Lady Gabor," on the title song, and elsewhere on Tone Poem, the sound he and the Marvels achieve doesn't rely on any one individual's playing. Lloyd can rivet this listener's attention by simply simply playing a song's melody line, as he does on a rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Anthem." There's music for everyone on Tone Poem; and by "everyone" that doesn't mean jazz listeners only, but every human being.~ ERIC GUDAS https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tone-poem-charles-lloyd-blue-note-records

Personnel: Charles Lloyd: saxophone; Bill Frisell: guitar, electric; Greg Leisz: guitar, steel; Eric Harland: drums; Rueben Rogers: bass.

Tone Poem

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Azar Lawrence, Al McLean - Frontiers

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:20
Size: 166,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:06) 1. Mystic Journey
(16:21) 2. Lonnie's Lament
( 9:37) 3. Ruby My Dear
(12:07) 4. Spirit Night
(11:03) 5. Get Up
( 5:48) 6. Round Midnight
( 8:16) 7. Up Jumped Spring

One of Canada's finest saxophonists, Montreal based Al McLean showcases an early mentor on this thrilling recording. New York based Azar Lawrence joins McLean in an all-out, take-no-prisoners session, captured 'live off the floor'. The group seethes with energy and raw passion, and a vivid performance is captured entirely in almost one take. Azar Lawrence was once tapped to fill the shoes of John Coltrane in McCoy Tyner's early '70's quintet. Fiery, spiritual, and steeped in the language of Trane, Lawrence was just 19 years old when he left the tutelage of Elvin Jones, and joined Tyner on tour. Al McLean counts Lawrence as one of his early influences, having listened intently as a young player to Tyner's 1973 "Enlightenment", and Mile's Davis' 1974 "Dark Magus", both albums featuring Lawrence. To McLean's delight, the two met in 2012 at the now defunct Lennox Lounge in Harlem, New York. This fortuitous meeting kicked off one of the most musically rich cross-border collaborations Montreal Jazz fans have seen, opening the floodgates for the pair's torrid musical offerings.
https://mvdb2b.com/s/AzarLawrenceAlMcleanFrontiers/CL073116

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Al McLean, Azar Lawrence; Acoustic Bass – Adrian Vedady; Drums – Greg Ritchie; Piano – Paul Shrofel

Frontiers

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Max Roach - The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:45
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Three-Four vs. Six-Eight Four-Four Ways
(5:13) 2. Off My Back Jack
(3:52) 3. Hope so Elmo
(6:39) 4. Almost Like Me
(6:09) 5. Din-Ka Street
(8:08) 6. Pay Not Play Not
(5:00) 7. To Inscribe

Hardly any other musician has released so little as Hasaan Ibn Ali, born William Henry Langford Jr., in 1931, who died in 1980. Just seven titles in all are his complete output, all of which he composed himself, all of them on the present Atlantic LP, and all recorded in December 1964. The saxophonist Odean Pope, who often practised with him, talks of a second recording session in 1965 for Atlantic, but the recordings were never released because Hasaan was sent to jail shortly afterwards; rumour has it that the tapes were destroyed in a fire and it might well be that recordings with John Coltrane still exist somewhere or other.

Until then, one should enjoy the Max Roach Trio with Art Davis on the bass to the full. We have here a recording that will astound and fascinate your ears with its originality. A first impression conjures up reminiscences of Cecil Taylor and Herbie Nichols, while Hasaan himself talks of the pianist Elmo Hope as the man who brought him closer to the ‘mystery of music’. When asked how the recording session with maestro Max Roach went, Hasaan said: »They scared me to death.«

According to Odean Pope, Hasaan was not an easy person to get on with, and he was convinced of his talent to the point of arrogance. But despite this or perhaps because of this one listens spellbound to the 40 minutes on this LP, a legacy and never-fulfilled promise of an extremely talented man. We are indebted to Max Roach, who persuaded the bosses of Atlantic Records to make these recordings. For many, many years they had vanished from the record market, but fortunately they are now available as an audiophile re-release to be listened to and admired. https://lightintheattic.net/releases/5903-the-max-roach-trio-featuring-the-legendary-hasaan

Personnel: Max Roach - drums; Hasaan Ibn Ali - piano; Art Davis - bass

The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

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Jeannette Lambert - Ask Her

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:16
Size: 95,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:55) 1. Givre
(3:26) 2. Someone Else
(5:12) 3. Dreamcatcher
(3:44) 4. Ask Her
(1:32) 5. Sintra Song
(3:36) 6. Alfama
(4:08) 7. Tango for One
(4:51) 8. Reminders
(3:22) 9. Salobreña
(3:50) 10. Where We Live
(3:35) 11. Winter Solstice

This is the first digital release of this newly mastered recording from 1994, a collection of songs with lyrics by Jeannette Lambert and music by the members of the band. These are torch songs and love songs coloured by the spirits of place with hints Spain, Portugal and Quebec. https://jeannettelambert.bandcamp.com/album/ask-her

Personnel: Jeannette Lambert, voice, Reg Schwager, guitar, Kiki Misumi, cello, Michel Lambert, drums. With guests Herbie Spanier, trumpet, Michael Stuart, saxophone and John McGarvie, violin.

Ask Her

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Ida Sand - Do You Hear Me?

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:37
Size: 102,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. Wasted on the Youth
(4:20) 2. Burning
(4:45) 3. Can You Hear Me Now
(5:34) 4. Waiting
(4:33) 5. Now Is Not the Time
(5:24) 6. Sweet Child
(5:15) 7. Too Close for Comfort
(4:14) 8. Don't Run Away
(3:46) 9. Let Go
(3:12) 10. Go Be with Her

Born out of the dire situation of not being able to perform or make music per se during last year’s lockdown, Swedish singer, songwriter, and pianist Ida Sand has come up with a stylish pop/soul album called “Do You Hear Me?”, to be released on the German ACT Music label this Friday. And on vinyl too! What started out as a session with her longtime keyboardist and organist Jesper Nordenström, ended up with 10 songs and a group of musicians like Per Lindvall on drums and percussion, Dan Berglund on bass, and Ola Gustafsson on guitar, rounded up with a few special guests on brass, vocals, and harmonica. The result is a singer/songwriter album with all tracks penned by Ida herself. Highlights of this pretty enjoyable set can be found midway through the album. The instant classic “Now Is Not The Time” sounds like the slickly produced, timeless West Coast blue-eyed soul pieces of the late 70s/early 80s. Ida’s voice remains to be one of the most distinguished in Europe, with a vast array of different sides, from elegant to robust, from tender to firestorm, always with a charming color which makes you want to hear more and more.

The other pivotal track here reminds me of one of the bittersweet tracks of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie: “Sweet Child” is another one of those perfect pop songs you don’t find a lot these days. Instrumentation is sparse and more on the folk/indie side of things and has some Joni Mitchell elements in it as well. Some of the pieces, like the intimate “Too Close For Comfort”, are skidding towards rather slippery roads, but Ida compensates with wonderful background vocals. “Where Did All The Good Times Go”, she asks on the forceful album opener “Wasted On The Youth”, as if she wants to remind us how serious our current situation is. She turns bluesy on “Burning”, wistful on “Can You Hear Me Now”, and ruefully arcane on the soulful “Waiting”, augmented by Mats Öberg on harmonica. I like the Phoebe Snow-ish shuffle of “Don’t Run Away”, where Ida is accompanied by Goran Kajfeš on trumpet and Per Johansson on sax. Turns out to be a sunny and bright endeavor. Ida concludes with a wonderful ballad which sounds like a Swedish lullaby. “Go Be With Her” is the perfect exclamation mark to an altogether satisfying new Ida Sand experience. http://ginalovesjazz.com/ida-sand-do-you-hear-me/

Personnel: Ida Sand vocals, piano & wurlizer; Jesper Nordenström organ, keyboard & synths; Per Lindvall drums & percussion; Dan Berglund upright bass & Höfner bass; Ola Gustafsson acoustic & electric guitars Anders Von Hofsten backup vocals;Goran Kajfeš trumpet; Per “Ruskträsk” Johansson saxophone; Mats Öberg harmonica (guest on “Waiting”).

Do You Hear Me?

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Dorothy Ashby - Django/Misty

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:03
Size: 78,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Django
(3:24)  2. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise
(4:52)  3. Round Midnight
(3:43)  4. Blues for Mr. K
(5:48)  5. My Favourite Things
(4:10)  6. September in the Rain
(3:45)  7. Misty
(3:19)  8. Amor en Paz

Django/Misty is a studio album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby released via the Philips Records label in 1984.  The album is named after two famous jazz compositions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django/Misty

Personnel:  Harp – Dorothy Ashby

Django/Misty

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Perry Smith Quintet - New Angel

Size: 124,7 MB
Time: 53:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Rise And Fall (7:01)
02. Deep Water (6:45)
03. New Angel (7:30)
04. Lullaby For Freedom (1:20)
05. Monk's World (6:23)
06. Notes For Nostalgia (0:45)
07. The Old Road (8:41)
08. Graceful Spirit (6:37)
09. Lucid Night (7:16)
10. Hope For Peace (1:22)

At the core of everything that guitarist/composer Perry Smith does is the desire to create personal and musical connections with the artistic community. That’s true of the community he’s built around his inclusive weekly series in Brooklyn, “The Nest Session;” it’s behind his decision to use social media as a means of reaching out, not cutting off. And it lies at the very heart of his third album as a leader, New Angel — both in the close relationships he shares with his bandmates and in his desire to make the sometimes heady concepts of modern jazz something accessible and deeply personal.

New Angel marks the debut of the gifted guitarist’s stellar new quintet, which features saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Allan Mednard. While they’ve all played together in a variety of contexts, Smith’s decision to bring together this particular group stems directly from their shared experiences at Nest Sessions jams, which he and Aronoff have co-led for more than three years.

The band’s thrilling chemistry is vividly apparent from the opening moments of “Rise and Fall,” whose title makes the tune’s shifting moods and tempos sound deceptively simple. The gentle, memorable melody is prime evidence of Smith’s gift for crafting compositions that embrace the listener while providing plenty of spark for improvisation.

“Deep Water” is a much knottier outing; its title, in fact, reflects the challenge that confronts the quintet in its harmonic complexity and sharp, treacherous angles. “Playing this song can feel like, ‘We’re in deep water right now,'” Smith admits. “That’s always been a tradition in jazz: the idea that you’re pushing yourself to try to explore something new while still trying to create something musical.”

If the title track seems to hang in the air like an unanswered question, that may be due to the fact that it’s the earliest piece on the album, one that Smith started working on as he turned 30, met the woman who would become his wife, and found himself facing many of the larger “what ifs” in life. “New Angel” may be a reference to his now-wife, but more broadly it’s a reference to a spirit of freshness and change.

The spikiness of “Monk’s World” immediately evokes the keen-edged genius and eyebrow-arched joy of the great Thelonious Monk. Smith wrote the piece on the chord changes of Monk’s classic “Epistrophy” as a way of paying homage to the legendary pianist’s outsized influence. “In my experience on the jazz scene in New York,” Smith says, “musicians are always more excited about playing Monk’s tunes than anybody else’s — more than even Coltrane or Wayne Shorter or Herbie. I think it has to do with the playful nature of his songs and the cool, creative melodies that he wrote, which open a lot of freedom in the landscape.”

Presaged by Smith’s introspective, soulful “Notes for Nostalgia,” “The Old Road” is a wistful rumination on the composer’s early days growing up in the California Bay Area. A similarly reflective spirit pervades “Lucid Night,” where the incisive melody suggests a certain brooding clarity.

“Graceful Spirit” returns the album to the theme of connection and community. It was specifically inspired by the eloquence and example of former President Barack Obama, but more generally muses on the idea of grace and empathy as powerful and necessary qualities in a leader — whether of the free world or of a scintillating and passionate jazz quintet.

New Angel

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Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway - Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe

Styles: Clarinet, Saxophone and Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:54
Size: 117,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:05)  1. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(4:31)  2. Creole Love Call
(7:33)  3. Perdido
(3:22)  4. Duke At The Roadhouse
(6:20)  5. In a Mellow Tone
(9:09)  6. In a Sentimental Mood
(5:27)  7. Duke in Ojai
(4:47)  8. Mood Indigo
(2:38)  9. It Don't Mean a Thing

For a powerful adrenaline rush, it's hard to beat a full house (sixteen or seventeen single-minded musicians wailing in unison and swinging like there's no tomorrow), although there's a lot to be said for a pair of aces, too. That's the hand that's dealt on Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe, the aces in question being clarinetist / tenor saxophonist Eddie Daniels and pianist Roger Kellaway (with cellist James Holland raising the ante as a wild card on four numbers). As the title denotes, this is music for the most part associated with Duke Ellington, amplified by one original apiece by Daniels ("Duke at the Roadhouse") and Kellaway ("Duke in Ojai"). Ellington wrote (or co-wrote) seven numbers, the odd song out being Juan Tizol's "Perdido."

Daniels penned "Roadhouse" to honor a time in 1966 when, as a new member of the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra, he was invited to play in a jam session with Ellington at a nightclub in Greenwich Village, an experience he has never forgotten. While Kellaway doesn't say what led him to write "Duke in Ojai," there must be a story there too. Daniels, who has become almost a full-time clarinetist since his tenure with the Jones / Lewis Orchestra, shows on "In a Mellow Tone" and "Sophisticated Lady" that he can still wield a mean tenor sax. He has "Lady" to himself (with Kellaway comping trimly), and his unaccompanied intro, lasting a minute and a half, is a gem among gems. Also worth noting is how easily Kellaway, who can swing with the best of them, slips into Ellington's more high-toned dinner jacket to produce subtle motifs that blend erudition with elegance.

The duo cut loose only on the closing theme, "It Don't Mean a Thing," and even here the customary exuberance is held somewhat in check, perhaps in deference to the session's sobriety quotient. In every respect, the temper is unmistakably Ellingtonian, from "I'm Beginning to See the Light" through "Creole Love Call," "Perdido," "In a Sentimental Mood," "Mood Indigo," Daniels' tenor showpieces and the two originals. The addition of a cello, suggested by Daniels, was enthusiastically endorsed by Kellaway, who wrote Holland's solos (he takes a couple) in advance. The album was (superbly) recorded in October 2012 at Santa Fe's Lensic Theatre as a benefit for the city's Center for Therapeutic Riding, which uses horses to help young people with disabilities recuperate. Whatever the cause, Daniels and Kellaway have dealt themselves a winning hand, one that is well worth betting on. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/duke-at-the-roadhouse-live-in-santa-fe-eddie-daniels-ipo-recordings-review-by-jack-bowers.php#.VD8LAxawTP9
 

Personnel: Eddie Daniels: clarinet, tenor saxophone; Roger Kellaway: piano; James Holland: cello.

Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe

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Mike Levine - Just Chillin'

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:58
Size: 124,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. Let's Do This
(4:08) 2. Gliding
(3:45) 3. Reflection
(4:39) 4. Miami
(3:39) 5. Just Chillin
(3:41) 6. I Found You
(4:36) 7. Summer
(3:27) 8. Soul Gumbo
(3:43) 9. Eleanor Rigby
(4:32) 10. Star Gazing (Vocal Version)
(3:53) 11. Simple Samba
(3:48) 12. Nice and Easy
(5:38) 13. On Ramp

A proponent of the more relaxing side of the jazz spectrum, pianist and keyboardist Mike Levine presents his fourth album as leader, offering thirteen primarily original pieces falling decidedly within the smooth jazz category. A talented composer, Levine's music seems to eschew the core jazz tenet of improvisation in favor of catchy melodies perfect for those chilling-out moments that overwhelm us all sooner or later. A first-call musician by anyone's count, Levine draws on his vast experience performing in various genres and in many formats from trios to big band in designing this special album. A well-established artist in Miami and the south Florida area, he calls on thirty musicians, playing in different formats, to complete this effort. From flautist Nestor Torres, and saxophonist Andy Snitzer to altoist Ed Calle as well as guitarists Steve Oliver and Randy Bernsen, among them. In reaching out to friends, including several musicians from the talent-rich Miami jazz scene, Levine assembles an impressive cast.

Opening up with the apropriately titled "Let's Do This," Levine and band do just that on a lively, percussive chart featuring Snitzer, whose exquisite solo moments slide right into the second piece, "Gliding," where guitarist Oliver takes over the tune with his light string work on a charming chart. The pianist's melodic lines come shining through. Paying tribute to the city he has called home for a long time, Levine plays joyfully and humbly on his own "Miami," accompanied well by the great Nestor Torres. Definitely a shoulder-moving number, the title track is one of the keepers of the set featuring the leader on keyboards. Other like tunes include "I Found You," "Summer" and "Star Gazing," featuring a vocal duet from LeNard Rutledge and Wendy Petersen.

The doctor is in the house when Dr. Ed Calle lends his high-pitch alto saxophone on the rousing "Soul Gumbo." Levine provides a delicate touch on Lennon-McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby" with fusion guitarist Aaron Lebos powering the track with his rock-styled riffs. The relaxing tunes wind down the set on the stellar "Simple Samba" and "Nice and Easy," and closes with "On Ramp," bringing one marvelous session to a smooth ending. But not for long: Mike Levine's Just Chillin is one of those albums that creates a distinct musical appetite which only repeated spins can satisfy.~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/just-chillin-mike-levine-self-produced

Personnel: Mike Levine: piano; Andy Snitzer: saxophone; Steve Oliver: guitar; Ed Calle: saxophone; Will Lee: bass; Nestor Torres: flute; Randy Bernsen: guitar; Lindsey Blair: guitar; Wendy Petersen: voice / vocals; Lee Levin: drums; Richard Bravo: percussion; Carlomagno Araya: drums; Jimmy Madina: percussion; Dan Warner: guitar; Aaron Lebos: guitar; Rene Toledo: guitar; Nicky Orta: bass, electric; Rafael Valencia: bass; Julio Hernandez: bass; LeNard Rutledge: voice / vocals.

Just Chillin'

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Stephan Thelen - Fractal Guitar 2

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Fusion
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:46
Size: 169,3 MB
Art: Front

(14:08) 1. Cosmic Krautrock
( 7:58) 2. Fractal Guitar 2
(12:03) 3. Mercury Transit
(14:54) 4. Ladder To The Stars
(12:29) 5. Celestial Navigation
(12:12) 6. Point Orf Inflection

Guitarist and composer Stephan Thelen's Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2018) found him stepping outside of his role in the band Sonar in a big way. An absolute feast of multiple guitars with electronic effects, live looping and soundscaping, it also featured a star-studded group of guest guitarists (not to mention a grooving rhythm section). The good news is that almost all of them are back for the second instalment, along with some new friends. The original album was largely created via file sharing, a process ideally suited to pandemic conditions. So, in that sense, the procedure was surprisingly similar to the first album; if anything this one is a bit more "live" in that one track was partially recorded by a core group of musicians in a room (back in the halcyon days of November 2019). "Cosmic Krautrock" opens the set with a familiar odd-meter groove. New drummer Andy Brugger (who alternates with Thelen's Sonar band mate Manuel Pasquinelli) is joined in the rhythm section by new touch-guitar U8 player Stefan Huth on bass, along with percussionist Andi Pupato. Pupato played on one track on the first album, but here he plays on all of the tracks, providing significant rhythmic continuity to the group sound. Solo highlights include Markus Reuter's heavily processed touch guitar, Jon Durant's blast of high energy guitar, Pupato's atmospheric percussion interlude (over soundscapes and feedback guitar), and Bill Walker's final psychedelic guitar solo.

The title tune, of course, features Thelen's fractal guitar (a rhythmic delay that creates cascading delay patterns), as well as Reuter's glitchy touch guitar, Barry Cleveland's melodic 12-string guitar, and the first of several striking Durant fretless guitar solos. "Mercury Transit" is marked by quite a bit of solo space for the composer, first in the opening section (with Cleveland's bowed guitar and keyboardist Fabio Anile, a new recruit), then with e-bow. "Ladder To The Stars" is built upon Anile's striking 11/8 bass line, played by Andy West. This is the track built upon a live session, with West, Chris Muir's electric guitar and live looping, Thelen's electric guitar, and guitarist Henry Kaiser (who plays a wild glitched solo near the end). "Point Of Inflection" closes the album with Cleveland as co-composer (also playing bowed guitar, a memorably melodic solo, and a lovely fuzz guitar ensemble), and no less than three David Torn solos. Once again, Thelen and his collaborators have crafted a banquet of odd-meter grooves (which always feel completely natural) and guitars, guitars, guitars! Enthusiastically recommended to fans of the first installment. Thelen has mentioned a number of contributions that will appear in the remix version something to look forward to.~ Mark Sullivanhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/fractal-guitar-2-stephan-thelen-moonjune-records

Personnel: Stephan Thelen: guitar, electric; David Torn: guitar, electric; Markus Reuter: guitar, electric; Henry Kaiser: guitar, electric; Jon Durant: guitar, electric; Bill Walker: guitar, electric; Barry Cleveland: guitar, electric; Chris Muir: guitar, electric; Fabio Anile: keyboards; Stefan Huth: guitar, electric; Andy West: bass, electric; Andi Pupato: percussion; Manuel Pasquinelli: drums; Andy Brugger: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Stephan Thelen: electric guitar, choppy organ, granular synth, programming, fractal guitar, e-bow, keyboards; David Torn: electric guitar, live looping; Markus Reuter: touch guitar U8, soundscapes; Henry Kaiser: electric guitar; Jon Durant: electric guitar, cloud guitar, fretless guitar, VCS3 guitar: Bill Walker: electric guitar, live looping, lap steel; Barry Cleveland: 6 & 12-string guitar, bowed guitar, Revox loops; Chris Muir: electric guitar, live looping; Fabio Anile: keyboards, electric piano; Stefan Huth: touch guitar U8 (bass); Andy West: bass guitar; Andi Pupato: percussion; Manuel Pasquinelli: drums; Andy Brugger: drums

Fractal Guitar 2

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Hristo Vitchev Quartet - In Search of Wonders Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: In Search of Wonders Disc 1
Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 116,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:44) 1. The Transitory Nature
(13:35) 2. It May Backfire
( 7:09) 3. Post Nubes
( 7:04) 4. Fuchsia Brown Eyes
( 5:30) 5. In Search of Wonders
( 1:38) 6. Almost Home (Intro)
( 6:50) 7. Almost Home

Ulla Haesen - Prendila Così

Styles: World Music
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:13
Size: 97,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:24) 1. Soittajapaimen
(4:36) 2. Prendila Così
(4:41) 3. Bambina
(3:36) 4. Anna Verrà
(4:01) 5. Amarsi Un Pò
(3:47) 6. E La Chiamano Estate
(3:40) 7. Napule È
(5:12) 8. Outra Vez
(5:33) 9. Rapaz De Bem
(5:38) 10. Caruso

"Prendila Così" is the title of the new album by guitarist and songwriter Ulla Haesen, about which we have already reported several times in SOUL TRAIN @ soultrainonline.de. What Ulla Haesen describes in the accompanying booklet as chic as well as excellent as a “musical arc that extends from the Nordic climate of Finland to the heart and soul of Italy to samba, swing and sway of Brazilian rhythms”, plays skillfully but also modestly through the tidy acoustic guitar playing by Ulla Haesen and shows character and a firm interpretational hand from the beginning, which is at the same time and above all based on modesty.

Haesen takes on material from songwriting giants such as Lucio Battisti, Pino Daniele or Antonio Carlos Jobim, to name just a few, all of them impressive personalities, about which we repeatedly reported in SOUL TRAIN, sometimes in detail and intensively. Recorded in the Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn by none other than Klaus Genuit (who reported on SOUL TRAIN), Ulla Haesen's “Prendila Così” once again shows her extremely sensitive and sometimes beautiful, melodic S (a / e) ite, but also the cohesive one , warm, discreetly designed guitar playing and Haesen's delicate but expressive, unobtrusive voice, which flow together naturally in one direction. The ten titles of the multilingual “Prendila Così” by Ulla Haesen show a strong cohesion and play Haesen's characteristics as a constantly advancing singer / songwriter and acoustic guitar player as well as composer and singer unobtrusively and sensitively and allow for many other such easy, at the same time demanding publications like this one hope - nice thing.~ Translated to English using Google Translator... http://www.soultrainonline.de/ulla-haesen-prendila-cosi/

Prendila Così

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Matt Chandler, Ross Stanley, Eric Ford - Astrometrics

Size: 155,2 MB
Time: 66:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Funk, Cool Jazz
Art: Front

01. Funk Work (8:11)
02. The Sting (5:32)
03. El Diablo (7:16)
04. Doctor's In The House (7:18)
05. Intricate Facade (8:46)
06. Scene Of No Scene (8:30)
07. 5 Bar Short (8:36)
08. Dirty Rat (7:20)
09. A Change Of Scene (Of No Scene) (5:09)

Guitarist Matt Chandler has worked with a diverse range of artists including Youth (Killing Joke, The Orb), Arno Carstens, Fake, Poly Styrene and more recently accompanied Ozark Henry on his European tour.

His innovative style is supported by a career that has spanned genres from jazz to punk, folk to electronica.

Based in London, this is album is Matt's current project and includes the respected musicians Ross Stanley on Hammond Organ and Eric Ford on drums.

Astrometrics

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Lina Nyberg - So Many Stars

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:23
Size: 152,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. Suddenly
(4:45)  2. So Many Stars
(4:22)  3. The End
(5:39)  4. I'll Be Seeing You
(4:34)  5. Nothing New
(6:50)  6. My Castle
(5:11)  7. For All We Know
(6:33)  8. Once I Was Like You
(2:23)  9. On the Street Where You Live
(5:06) 10. Going to Chicago
(7:09) 11. Lost But Still
(5:46) 12. Ordinary Day
(3:29) 13. Alone

Lina Nyberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1970 and raised in an artistic home. She discovered jazz at age 14 and at 18 years of age Lina began singing with Swedish senior jazz stars such as Bernt Rosengren, Nisse Sandström, Fredrik Norén Band, and others. In 1990 Lina built her own first constellation “Lina Nyberg Kvintett” consisting of Per “Texas” Johansson, Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Mikel Ulfberg. After gratuating from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm as a Master of Fine Arts in 1993 she released her first CD- Close (Prophone records). A duo recording with late pianist Esbjörn Svensson. An instant success and Swedish jazz classic. This was also the beginning of a very fruitful cooperation with the brilliant producer and owner of Prophone records, late Erland Boëthius.

Lina and her quintet received the prestigious Swedish Grammis award for her CD “when the smile shines through” in 1995. “OPEN” released in 1998 and recorded with bassist Palle Danielsson and pianist Anders Persson, among others, was nominated for a Swedish Grammis and received raving reviews.Over the years Lina Nyberg has collaborated with various jazz musicians such as John Taylor, Marilyn Crispell, Palle Danielsson and Rigmor Gustafsson. She has toured in Scandinavia, parts of Europe, Vietnam, Canada and Brazil. A couple of times Lina also has toured Japan with Yasuhito Moris Scandinavian Connection. The Brazilian connection is also very strong to Lina and she has produced two cds dedicated to Brazil and its vast musical landscape, Brasilien (Prophone) 2003 with world famous bassplayer Anders Jormin and Brasil Big Bom 2007 (Caprice records) with big band and the great Swedish saxophonist Magnus Lindgren.

Lina Nyberg is one of Sweden’s most creative and innovative jazz singers. For more than 15 years she has been attracting consistent and widespread attention, mostly in Scandinavia, but also in other parts of the world. As a solo artist and producer she has released 16 CDs. Her main constellation right now is Lina Nyberg Band featuring an all-star band: Cecilia Persson, piano, David Stackenäs, guitar, Josef Kallerdahl, bass and Peter Danemo, drums.In September 2011 Lina Nyberg and her band released their latest Cd Palaver (Moserobie Records). The Cd recieved fantastic reviews and was selected by Chicago Reader writer Peter Margasak as the Vocal CD of the year. The music is a blend of influences from Brazilian Tropicalia, European Free form, modern classical composers, the American songbook and old school jazz.

In March 2011 Lina Nyberg was awarded the prestigious Jazzmusician of the Year-prize by the Swedish Radio and in October 2011 she was the Guest of Honour at the Umeå International Jazz Festival.2014 she released her latest CD “The Sirenades” a project including composing music for Norrbotten Big Band on commission and her own quintet. The Cd got a wonderful reception from the press.She was awarded the prestigeous “Lars Gullin Award” and also the Bert Levin award of 75.000 swedish kronor. Lina was nominated as the Jazz composer of the year by the Swedish Radio Jazzkatten jury. http://www.linanyberg.se/?page_id=45

So Many Stars

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George Robert, Tom Harrell Quintet - Cape Verde

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:24
Size: 161.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995/2014
Art: Front

[ 8:45] 1. Streets
[ 7:22] 2. Softly
[12:36] 3. Morning Star
[ 8:38] 4. Cape Verde
[ 9:58] 5. Missing You
[10:29] 6. Sail Away
[12:34] 7. Fast Lane

Alto Saxophone – George Robert; Bass – Reggie Johnson; Drums – Byron Landham; Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Tom Harrell; Piano – Dado Moroni. Recorded live in Rheinfelden, Switzerland on September 24-25, 1992.

This is the fifth and final release by the George Robert/Tom Harrell Quintet, taped during a pair of Swiss concerts in 1992. As in previous outings, the alto saxophonist and trumpeter/flüegelhornist are in top form and each musician also contributed strong originals as well; the potent rhythm section includes the underrated pianist Dado Moroni, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Byron Landham. Harrell's snappy post-bop strut "Streets" features his flüegelhorn, plus fines solos by Robert and Johnson. An extended version of "Sail Away," an emotional driving samba that is also one of Harrell's best known compositions, is another highlight. Robert's rich ballad "Softly" also has a Latin feel to it, while his hard bop "Cape Verde" is clearly inspired by Horace Silver. The only work not composed by either co-leader is "Morning Star," by Rodgers Grant; this highly enjoyable work features an extensive solo by Moroni. The Robert/Harrell Quintet knew how to go out on top! ~Ken Dryden

Cape Verde

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Azar Lawrence - The Seeker

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:12
Size: 146,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:27)  1. Gandhi
( 7:45)  2. Lost Tribes Of Lemuria
(12:04)  3. The Seeker
( 9:21)  4. One More Time
( 5:57)  5. Rain Ballad
(10:24)  6. Spirit Night
( 7:12)  7. Venus Rising

Azar Lawrence is fulfilling his musical quest with a most impressive live recording!  Sunnyside Records will drop an incredible live set recorded at the Jazz Standard. This all star collective features saxophonist Azar Lawrence, trumpet great Nicholas Payton, and a critically acclaimed rhythm section of Benito Gonzalez on piano, Essiet Okon Essiet on bass and the mighty Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. The Seeker pays homage to those harmonic rebels that have forged their own path and this created and elevated the form and function of the improvisational music we have come to know as jazz. For the uninitiated, Lawrence has been cutting his own lyrical trail for the last four decades and has played with such luminaries as Freddie Hubbard and Earth Wind & Fire. 

The original compositions from Lawrence are diverse and visionary in their lyrical thought. Nicholas Payton shares the front line with Lawrence due largely in part to his exceptional conceptual feeling of just where Lawrence was heading on this most unique journey. Picking a highlight or two would be equivalent to asking a parent to pick their favorite child but I'll give it a whirl with "Rain Ballad" and "Spirit Night" topping the list. Both compositions are compelling lush ballad oriented tunes with a zen like serenity move slowly beneath the surface. Both tunes allow for dynamic interplay within the rhythm section with Essiet's bowed bass and Watts finesse on "Rain Ballad" while Gonzalez shines on "Spirit Night." The band finds their groove on the Gonzalez tune "One More Time" with a spirited exchange between Lawrence, Payton and of course Gonzalez.  Azar Lawrence may be a searching artist, the good artists are. The search for the listener can continue with one of the better live sets you will hear. Virtually flawless on all levels. http://www.criticaljazz.com/2014/06/azar-lawrence-seeker-sunnyside-2014.html

Personnel: Azar Lawrence (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Benito Gonzalez (piano); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).

The Seeker

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Avishai Cohen - Two Roses

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:29
Size: 144,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:59) 1. Almah Sleeping
(3:52) 2. When I'm Falling
(4:45) 3. Song for My Brother
(4:24) 4. Two Roses (Shnei Shoshanim)
(4:33) 5. Nature Boy
(7:14) 6. Emotional Storm
(6:24) 7. Puncha Puncha
(5:17) 8. Arab Medley
(8:35) 9. A Child Is Born
(4:55) 10. Alon Basela
(4:11) 11. Morenika
(4:16) 12. Nature Talking

Avishai Cohen dreamed big, with images of symphony orchestras dancing in his head. The Israeli-born bassist maneuvered that dream into a reality with Two Roses, a recording that finds Cohen in the company of the ninety-two piece Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, in addition to his jazz cohorts, Azerbaijani pianist Elchin Shirinov and New Jersey born and bred drummer Mark Guiliana. Eleven of the tunes presented here, in this lush landscape, come from Cohen's pen. The title piece is a popular tune from Cohen's homeland. "A Child Is Born" comes from the Thad Jones Songbook, and "Nature Boy" is the familiar Eben Ahbez tune, recorded by everyone from Miles Davis to Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims and many more.

The majestic, sweeping scope of this music suggests Cohen as a nominee for the "Aaron Copland of World" Music Award, as the bassist brings to the table influences which span the globe Afro-Caribbean music, melodies of Israeli folklore, Middle Eastern motifs, North African tinges and hints of Slavic and Russian shadings, all intertwined to create its own unique multicultural listening experience. With a beautiful and implacable grandeur in the embrace of a collective momentum of eighty-plus players including Cohen's occasional "every man of the world" vocals (he sounds like a nondenominational priest singing some kind of jazz Mass) the music could serve as a soundtrack to a grand epic of Cecil B. DeMille proportions, the orchestra at times delicate and fragile, at others powerful and momentous, and always profound.~ DAN MCCLENAGHAN https://www.allaboutjazz.com/two-roses-avishai-cohen-naive-believe__23161

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums; Elchin Shirinov: piano.

Two Roses

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Lina Nyberg, Daniel Karlsson - The Night and the Music

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:22
Size: 113,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:09) 1. Night and Day
(4:51) 2. Let's Face the Music and Dance
(4:26) 3. Red Sails in the Sunset
(5:44) 4. 'Round Midnight
(4:22) 5. Stardust
(3:54) 6. Dream a Little Dream of Me
(4:44) 7. Sure on This Shining Night
(3:36) 8. You and the Night and the Music
(4:09) 9. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
(4:36) 10. Good Morning Starshine
(4:46) 11. I Like the Sunrise

Two of Sweden's most successful jazz musicians perform together for the first time. Singer Lina Nyberg and pianist Daniel Karlsson have both had brilliant careers in Sweden and internationally through the years. April 30, 2021 the duo album The Night and the Music will be released, containing a string of famous songs inspired by nighttime. A number of jazz standards and evergreens has been carefully selected, all taking us step by step through evening, night and finally to early morning. You will hear classics like Red sails in the sunset and Thelonius Monk's Round midnight combined with modern hits such as Goodmorning starshine from the musical Hair, but also Samuel Barber's famous composition of James Agee's poem Sure on this shining night. With these melodies, the duo creates an inspiring musical experience for the listener and discovers new worlds in the music. https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Lina-Nyberg/dp/B08YHZVB1T

Personnel: Lina Nyberg - Vocal; Daniel Karlsson - Piano.

The Night and the Music

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