Luis Conte - La Cocina Caliente

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@192K/s
Time: 58:34
Size: 80,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:46) 1. Tu Sabes
(5:30) 2. Ahora Si
(4:40) 3. Mujaka
(4:12) 4. Para Papa
(4:53) 5. Tingo Talango
(5:52) 6. Even He Paid
(5:05) 7. Chevereando
(4:57) 8. Killer Joe
(5:43) 9. No Place To Hide This Heart
(5:07) 10. Luisongo
(6:45) 11. Spankin (Rumbon)

La Cocina Caliente is Luis Conte’s first solo album. Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist. As a child in Cuba, Luis Conte began his musical odyssey playing the guitar. However, he soon switched to percussion, and that has remained his mode since. He was sent to Los Angeles by his parents in 1967, in order to prevent him from being forced to serve in the Cuban military. This was a turning point in Conte’s life, as the musical community in Los Angeles during this period was vibrant. It was during this time that he studied at Los Angeles City College. https://www.sessiondays.com/2016/04/1988-luis-conte-la-cocina-caliente/

La Cocina Caliente/

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Lillian Boutté - The Jazz Book

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:37
Size: 111.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Now Baby Or Never
[5:04] 2. Comes Love
[4:21] 3. On Revival Day
[6:04] 4. Don't Worry About Me
[5:57] 5. Lover Come Back To Me
[5:02] 6. Muddy Water
[3:48] 7. Tennessee Waltz
[3:07] 8. That Old Feeling
[6:18] 9. Embraceable You
[4:46] 10. Barefootin

Lillian Boutte is a talented veteran singer from New Orleans who is quite credible in a variety of musical styles. For this fairly definitive outing, she mostly sticks to jazz standards and swings her way through such songs as "Now Baby or Never," "Comes Love," "Love Come Back to Me" and even the "Tennessee Waltz." Boutte is assisted by Thomas l'Etienne (her husband) on tenor and clarinet, trumpeter Leroy Jones (heard throughout in top form), pianist Edward Frank, bassist Lloyd Lambert and drummer Soren Frost. Dr. John, a longtime friend, guests instrumentally on four selections, playing either guitar, organ or piano. An excellent outing, easily recommended to listeners wanting to discover a "new" spirited singer. ~Scott Yanow

The Jazz Book

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Susie Meissner - Tea For Two

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:05
Size: 151.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:20] 1. If I Were A Bell
[7:06] 2. Tea For Two
[4:40] 3. Mean To Me
[2:42] 4. Moonlight Saving Time
[6:52] 5. Laura
[4:10] 6. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:04] 7. Moonglow
[2:33] 8. Just You, Just Me
[4:51] 9. Everything I Love
[6:46] 10. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[4:50] 11. I Didn't Know Time It Was
[4:46] 12. Crazy He Calls Me
[4:55] 13. Triste
[4:22] 14. Say It Isn't So

A major jazz and swing singer, Susie Meissner always seems to have a smile in her voice. In addition to her very appealing tone and impeccable musicianship, the enthusiasm that she displays when she performs is infectious. She always swings and is an excellent improviser yet the lyrics that she interprets are very important to her. "When I perform a song," says Susie, "I want to express the emotions of the words so the listener is experiencing the lyrics the way that the writer intended. I'm never casual about the lyrics." Her skill at reviving and revitalizing classic songs is very much in evidence throughout her finest recording, Tea For Two.

Since the New York-based Susie Meissner also performs regularly in Philadelphia, particularly at Chris' Jazz Café, for her latest recording she decided to feature some of Philly's best jazz musicians along with a few guests. Heard along the way are such greats as tenor-saxophonist Larry McKenna (a Philadelphia legend), valve trombonist John Swana, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, guitarist Paul Meyers and clarinetist Ken Peplowski plus the superb rhythm section of pianist John Shaddy, bassist Lee Smith and drummer Dan Monaghan.

Tea For Two

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Gretchen Lieberum - When This Kiss Is Over It Will Start Again

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:12
Size: 100,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:21) 1. Dark Days
(4:38) 2. Like Winter
(4:37) 3. Heaven
(2:23) 4. Permanently Lonely
(3:57) 5. In The End
(2:09) 6. One Sweet Day
(3:13) 7. Lover You Should Be Here
(4:47) 8. Walking In the Sun
(2:51) 9. Cut And Run
(4:05) 10. Real Love
(2:36) 11. The Tree Song
(4:28) 12. Floodgates

Gretchen Lieberum is a Los Angeles-based vocalist and songwriter.Raised in Berkeley, California and educated at UC Santa Cruz, she developed a passion for music within the Bay Area scene.After fronting a funk band for several years, Lieberum released her first solo album, Three a.m. (1999) followed by a record named Brand New Morning (2002), both produced by Greg Porée. Her latest albums, Siren Songs (2005) and When This Kiss Is Over It Will Start Again (2009), were independently released in the United States.She and college friend Maya Rudolph are in a Prince cover band together called Princess. Princess performed "Darling Nikki" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in September 2012 with the band The Roots. In April 2016 they performed "Sometimes It Snows in April " with D'Angelo on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon".Her song "You Closer" was featured as a sample track on the Sansa e200 series portable mp3 playersGretchen Lieberum's latest project is Sargent, cabaret-pop abundant in levitating lullabies and heart-ached ballads born of vintage instruments. The self-titled LP, out September 16, has been a long time (six years) in gestation with the help of collaborator Jake Blanton (The Killers, Beck) but was only recently completed and released. Sargent recently joined forces with director Kirk Woodward Nelson to make a powerful video for the single Miracles and Light. http://www.stereogum.com/1899515/sargent-miracles-light-video/video/"...loss and flux is elegantly woven into the record cinematic, often piano driven songs delivered with rare hairsbreadth intimacy. A slight hand with the sparsity." (VICE/Noisey) https://peoplepill.com/people/gretchen-lieberum

When This Kiss Is Over It Will Start Again

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Doc Cheatham, Rosemary Galloway's Swing Sisters - You're a Sweatheart

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:01
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:58) 1. Smokey Mary
(5:26) 2. You're a Sweatheart
(5:59) 3. Under the Moonlight Starlight Blue
(4:11) 4. Two Time Man
(4:08) 5. Quinn & Sonic
(3:21) 6. Eccentric
(5:04) 7. A Shine on Your Shoes
(4:56) 8. Judy
(5:14) 9. Just An Old Manuscript
(3:27) 10. Baby It's Cold Outside
(4:13) 11. Chu Chu Wa Wa

Trumpeter Doc Cheatham (87 at the time) gets top billing and is well-featured on six of this CD's 11 selections but the release from the Canadian label Sackville is more significant for helping to introduce Rosemary Galloway's Swing Sisters. This fine quintet (originally all women but now just three out of five) features the excellent trumpeter Sarah McElcheran and the local legend Jane Fair on tenor and clarinet. The repertoire mostly consists of swing obscurities and Cheatham is delightful during his two vocals (sharing "Baby It's Cold Outside" with the bassist/leader). The performances without Cheatham sound quite a bit more modern, leaning more toward early-'60s hard bop. This well-rounded set has some fine individual moments.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/youre-a-sweetheart-mw0000536913

Personnel: Doc Cheatham (vocals, trumpet); Rosemary Galloway (vocals); Jane Fair (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Jim Galloway (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone); Sarah McElcheran (trumpet); Norman Amadio (piano); Don Vickery (drums).

You're a Sweatheart

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Billy Taylor - Solo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:20
Size: 166,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:52)  1. All the Things You Are
(4:46)  2. A Bientot
(3:47)  3. Handle with Care
(5:13)  4. Old Folks
(4:12)  5. A Tune for Howard to Improvise Upon
(6:41)  6. Cool and Caressing
(5:04)  7. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(6:09)  8. Yesterdays
(8:11)  9. More Than You Know
(4:49) 10. A Bit of Bedlam
(4:33) 11. For Undine
(5:14) 12. Billy's Beat
(6:44) 13. Gone with the Wind

Other than a pair of obscure albums from 1956, this was Billy Taylor's first solo piano recording. Released by his Taylor-Made label, the music on this CD is consistently colorful. On the opener "All the Things You Are," Taylor plays the first three choruses quite successfully with just his left hand. Other highlights of this straightahead set include the pianist's "A Bit of Bedlam" (one of seven originals among the 13 songs), "More than You Know," "For Undine" and "Billy's Beat." Well worth checking out. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/solo-mw0000200661

Solo

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Ron Carter - Anything Goes

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:17
Size: 76,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:20) 1. Anything Goes
(5:45) 2. De Samba
(5:00) 3. Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)
(5:08) 4. Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)
(6:57) 5. Quarto Azul
(5:06) 6. Big Fro

Recorded in 1975 for Creed Taylor's Kudu imprint, Ron Carter's Anything Goes is a studied and even delightful exercise in the commercial aspect of funky jazz fusion. More interested in extrapolated grooves and pretentious motherchopper riffs, Anything Goes is a borderline disc, and no, that's not a bad thing. Using CTI's masterful, wide-ranging cast of studio players (as well as guests like Phil Woods), Carter cut a record that was as easy to dance to as it was to admire for the quality of its playing and David Matthews' arrangements. The finger-popping funk chart for the title cut as in the tune written by Cole Porter must have been scandalous to jazz pursuits, but so what. It was a finger-popping delight with a great piccolo bassline and solo from Carter, a groovy backing vocal trio, and killer flute work from Hubert Laws. Carter's own fascination with Brazilian samba began about this time in earnest a path he has followed into the 21st century. "De Samba," with its airy guitars courtesy of Eric Gale, Laws' lyrical flute, and Randy Brecker and Alan Rubin's trumpets, is a wonderful, funky jazz extrapolation on the form and is capped by Carter's own smoking bass solo. The read of Dave Grusin's "Baretta's Theme" is pure gritty R&B magic. David Sanborn's wailing alto saxophones play counterpoint to Gale's in-the-pocket chunky chords and fills, and lead the rest of the horn section into an orgy of swaggering funk. The four-horn front line on "Can't Give You Anything," with Woods, Michael and Randy Brecker, and Rubin's transcendent disco-jazz and Carter's fuzzed-out bass stomp, makes it all thump and hum. There's another samba variation on "Quarto Azul" that is a true jazz samba, with elegant playing from Randy Brecker and Gale stretching his own sense of rhythmic interplay on acoustic guitar. The set closes with "Big Fro," another Carter original, that should be on every single funk compilation that comes down the pike. His piccolo bass and the trio of backing vocalists which includes Patti Austin is a sweet, summery groovefest. The hooks just drip from this baby. In all, this is a pumping little record, indicative of a forgotten era, perhaps, but one that also reveals that this period in jazz was not only the black hole that the trad fascists have made it out to be, but was also a fertile, humid era where music like this was the rule rather than the exception.~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/anything-goes-mw0000477601


Personnel: Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn, Phil Woods; Bass, Arranged By – Ron Carter; Drums – Jimmy Madison, Steve Gadd; Electric Piano – Don Grolnick; Flute – Hubert Laws; Guitar – Eric Gale; Organ – Richard Tee; Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker; Trombone – Barry Rogers; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Alan Rubin, Randy Brecker; Vocals – Maeretha Stewart, Marilyn Jackson, Patti Austin

Anything Goes

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Ruby Braff - This Is My Lucky Day

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:09
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:23) 1. It's Been So Long
(6:04) 2. I'm Comin' Virginia
(6:11) 3. I Can't Get Started
(4:45) 4. Marie
(4:20) 5. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(6:29) 6. There's Something In My Mind
(5:17) 7. Did I Remember
(4:03) 8. Give My Regards To Broadway
(5:05) 9. Willow Weep For Me
(2:26) 10. This Is My Lucky Day
(3:03) 11. Someday You'll Be Sorry
(3:34) 12. Yesterdays
(5:23) 13. The Song Is Ended But The Melody Lingers On

This Bluebird CD reissue brings back seven of the nine selections that trumpeter Ruby Braff recorded with an impressive octet that also included trombonist Benny Morton, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, tenor-saxophonist Dick Hafer and a rhythm section led by pianist Nat Pierce. The material, superior swing standards highlighted by "It's Been So Long," "I'm Comin' Virginia" and "Did I Remember," features several tributes to the great Bunny Berigan, putting the emphasis on Braff's passionate horn although Russell gets in some of his unique licks. The remainder of this CD reissues half of an earlier LP, the complete session of Aug. 19, 1957. Braff is matched with fellow trumpeter Roy Eldridge for an interesting but slightly inhibited affair; there are few of the expected fireworks between these normally fiery players. Despite the excess of mutual respect, there are quite a few strong moments, particularly on "Give My Regards to Broadway," "This Is My Lucky Day" and "The Song Is Ended."~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-my-lucky-day-mw0000195234

This Is My Lucky Day

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Susie Meissner - I'll Remember April

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:14
Size: 137,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:02)  1. I'll Remember April
(4:40)  2. Never Let Me Go
(3:57)  3. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
(4:03)  4. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:10)  5. How Deep Is the Ocean
(4:13)  6. Dreamer
(4:09)  7. What a Wonderful World
(4:05)  8. There's a Small Hotel
(4:15)  9. Meditation
(5:21) 10. I Remember You
(8:08) 11. Little Girl Blue
(6:02) 12. My Foolish Heart
(2:04) 13. They Say It's Wonderful

Susie Meissner is one of those no-frills jazz singers who dot the American landscape. Her voice is pleasant enough; she sings only the best-known or well-worn standards with some Brazilian tunes; and she sticks by the book in terms of arrangements, the author of those charts not being credited. A slight vibrato shades her thin, plain-Jane, girl-next-door sweetheart of a voice, but she takes virtually no risks nor accepts any challenges in making these songs more than they are, or could be. It is good to hear the addition of stellar sidemen like the acclaimed trumpeter Brian Lynch, who always enlivens a session when he's not playing his personal brand of hard to post-bop, or sizzling Afro-Caribbean jazz with Eddie Palmieri. 

Alto saxophonist David Mann also appears in a refreshing move toward the mainstream and away from his contemporary commercialized comfort zone. Tenor saxophonist Greg Riley rounds out a fine front line that should do an album on its own. At her most convincing, Meissner sings "I'm Old Fashioned" simply, while "Never Let Me Go" is the softest of ballads and "How Deep Is the Ocean?" is an easy swinging traipse, including a good exchange with Riley. She's most effective on the light samba version of "Dreamer" with the horns cavorting about her, while the very slow take of "Meditation" allows Lynch to unfold his prettily wrapped gifts of melody. "My Foolish Heart" is a livelier bossa with a better concept in adapting this standard to a different arena. The remainder of the material ranges from maudlin to cutesy to lightweight with little distinction. At times Meissner's voice is flat and strained, the song is not suited for her key, or she sounds uninspired and the instrumentalists have to pick up the load. Pianist John Shaddy is a fine addition to the band, but lacks the firepower of the horns. If this is a starting point for Meissner, it's a decent one, although the instrumentalists lift the cachet of this music measurably. She's clearly competent and on the road to being a successful jazz singer. ~ Michael G.Nastos  

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-remember-april-mw0001741085

I'll Remember April

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Meredith d'Ambrosio - Sometime Ago

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:46
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:30) 1. When Springtime Turns To Fall
(5:45) 2. Feast Your Eyes
(6:16) 3. Moonlight
(4:57) 4. Sometime Ago
(5:15) 5. May I Come In
(4:27) 6. I Wished On The Moon
(4:09) 7. My Open Heart
(5:11) 8. I Remember You
(5:03) 9. Oh Well, What The Hell
(5:09) 10. If I Should Lose You

Boston born Meredith d'Ambrosio, a renaissance woman of international critical acclaim, has successfully combined careers in the musical and visual arts. Her musical sojourn began in 1958 in Boston singing with small bands with Roger Kellaway on piano. Although she worked primarily as a jazz singer-pianist she is also known as a respected calligrapher, watercolorist, creator of eggshell mosaics, composer, lyricist, recording artist and teacher.

She branched out into NYC in 1981, and since that time has been touring extensively throughout North America and Europe performing with such musicians as Harold Danko, Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, Fred Hersch, Eddie Higgins, Dick Hyman, Hank Jones, Lee Musiker, Mike Renzi, Richard Wyands, Milt Hinton, Major Holley, Jay Leonhart, Michael Moore, George Mraz, Rufus Reid, Leroy Vinnegar, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen, Lee Konitz, Ken Peplowski, Phil Woods, Jack Sheldon, Don Sickler, Al Grey, Johnny Frigo, Gene Bertoncini, Kevin Eubanks, Joe Ascione, Terry Clarke, Keith Copeland, Jake Hanna, Butch Miles and Ben Riley to name a few.

Meredith d'Ambrosio continues to delight those who have come to expect a high degree of proficiency in her artistic offerings and has shown herself to be, if not an iconoclast, one who is comfortable enough with her own sense of self to challenge the mainstream concept of popularity without sacrificing considerable talents and originality.

"To listen to d'Ambrosio is to abandon oneself to her charm. She leaves you spellbound with her impeccable diction, great sense of phrasing, intonation, and gentle swing, showing an unaffected simplicity and inner lyricism that expresses more than all the high-soaring excesses of scat singers."

(Serge Baudot, Jazz Hot, France)"Her secret,one shared by very few singers, is her ability to deliver the meaning of a lyric in her understated and hip-as-can-be way. "George Fendel,Portland Jazzscene)https://meredithdambrosio.com/bio/

Personnel: Meredith d'Ambrosio - vocals; Randy Halberstadt - piano; Daryl Johns - bass; Steve Johns - drums; Don Sickler - flugelhorn (4) & muted trumpet (9)

Sometime Ago

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Lela Kaplowitz - To One

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:29
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:04) 1. Liila
( 4:39) 2. Human Tapestry
( 5:03) 3. You Gave Me the Wings
( 4:27) 4. Everything Is Possible
( 4:42) 5. Love Is All There Is
( 3:59) 6. 300 Years of Silence
( 5:12) 7. Dreamland
( 4:32) 8. You Will See
( 5:44) 9. With Every Breath
( 5:58) 10. Love Prayer
(10:05) 11. Chant to One

Lela Kaplowitz gives something artistic to the world. It makes people look at the ordinary things in a new way. It stimulates them to see with a new perspective. Lela’s flood of creativity changes people’s lives for the better and raises beauty out of ordinary daily life. Lela’s mission is to stimulate, to entertain, to show beauty. She is a success because she loves her calling.

Lela began professionally singing at 16. She studied vocal improvisation with Sheila Jordan at the Jazz Conservatorium in Graz, Austria, and later in New York with world-renowned jazz musicians like Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy, Barry Harris, and Kate McGarry.

She also attended the Berklee Summer Music Workshop in Perugia, Italy, and studied at the New School in New York. Lela continues to study at Berklee Music online and with acclaimed vocal coach Dot Todman from LA.

She performed and recorded with prominent musicians and during the five years of her life in New York City, Lela was heard and seen at the most prominent places of the American musical history. In Europe, she travelled and performed in most prominent European jazz clubs and festivals.

In 2009, Lela won the title “Lady Summertime” at the one of the largest female vocal jazz competitions in the world in Kaajani, Finland. She recorded a few albums and appeared on several as a guest vocalist

On September 19th 2019she performed at the world renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City promoting her newest album “To One” published by Parma Recordings.

A piece of that concert's spirit she will bring to Lisinski and share with her audience. https://www.lisinski.hr/en/events/lela-kaplowitz-br-to-one/

On her concert she will be backed by a four-piece ensemble: Joe Kaplowitz –piano, organ; Elvis Penava – guitar; Vladimir Samardžic – bass; Dado Marinkovic – drums

To One

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Doc Cheatham & Rosemary Galloway - Chu Chu Wa Wa

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:05
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:57)  1. Smokey Mary
(5:26)  2. You're a Sweetheart
(5:58)  3. Under the Moonlight Starlight Blue
(4:11)  4. Two Time Man
(4:09)  5. Quinn And Sonic
(3:23)  6. Eccentric
(5:05)  7. A Shine On Your Shoes
(4:56)  8. Judy
(5:14)  9. Just An Old Manuscript
(3:26) 10. Baby It's Cold Outside
(4:14) 11. Chu Chu Wa Wa

Doc Cheatham was without question the greatest 90-year old trumpeter of all time; in fact, no brass player over the age of 80 had ever played with his power, range, confidence, and melodic creativity. Most trumpeters fade while in their 60s due to the physical difficulty of their instrument, but Cheatham did not truly find himself as a soloist until he was nearly 70. Doc Cheatham's career reaches back to the early '20s, when he played in vaudeville theaters backing such traveling singers as Bessie Smith and Clara Smith. He moved to Chicago, recorded with Ma Rainey (on soprano sax), played with Albert Wynn, subbed for Louis Armstrong (his main idol), and had his own group in 1926. After stints with Wilbur DeParis and Chick Webb, he toured Europe with Sam Wooding. Due to his wide range and pretty tone, Cheatham worked as a non-soloing first trumpeter with McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Cab Calloway throughout the 1930s. 

He spent time with Teddy Wilson's big band, and was with the commercially successful Eddie Heywood Sextet (backing Billie Holiday on some recordings). In the 1950s, Cheatham alternated between Dixieland (Wilbur DeParis, guest spots with Eddie Condon) and Latin bands (Perez Prado, Herbie Mann). He was with Benny Goodman during 1966-1967, but it was not until the mid-'70s that Cheatham felt truly comfortable as a soloist. Duet sets with pianist Sammy Price launched his new career, and until his death in 1997, he recorded fairly prolifically including dates for Sackville, New York Jazz, Parkwood, Stash, GHB, Columbia, and several European labels. Cheatham was also a charming singer whose half-spoken, half-sung vocals took nothing away from his chance-taking trumpet flights. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/doc-cheatham/id130548#fullText
 

Personnel: Doc Cheatham (vocals, trumpet); Rosemary Galloway (vocals); Jane Fair (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Jim Galloway (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone); Sarah McElcheran (trumpet); Norman Amadio (piano); Don Vickery (drums).

Chu Chu Wa Wa

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Susie Meissner - I Wish I Knew

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:33
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:08) 1. The Great City
(5:13) 2. I Wish I Knew
(3:20) 3. It Could Happen to You
(5:31) 4. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
(6:20) 5. Poinciana
(7:00) 6. Alfie
(3:39) 7. Hello Young Lovers
(3:39) 8. The Theme from "The Sandpiper" (The Shadow of Your Smile)
(5:48) 9. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(3:23) 10. In a Mellow Tone
(8:20) 11. You Go to My Head
(3:07) 12. The Party's Over

Over the past decade and three previous recordings, Philadelphia-based vocalist Susie Meissner has crafted an intelligently conceived and thoughtfully paced survey of the Great American Songbook. Meissner's considerations of the standard jazz repertoire, in concert with pianist John Shaddy's sturdy arrangements and educated performance manner, have emerged, evolving from chaste and reverent beginnings, into rich and supple layerings of stylistic and technical outreach with each subsequent recording.

Meissner's debut, I'll Remember April (Lydian Jazz, 2009), emerged as a fully realized collection of the most standard of standards. Whether a strolling "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" or a languidly humid "Never Let Me Go," Meissner delivered the goods with a clear-bell tone and brightly quaffed control. The addition of a tenor saxophone (David Mann) and trumpet (Greg Riley) to her solid rhythm section rounded out the routine mainstream jazz combo, who proved capable of close reading of The Songbook.

On I'm Confessin' (Lydian Jazz, 2011), Meissner adds her earlier horn front with Wycliffe Gordon's solid trombone. Gordon brought his deep knowledge of 1920s through '40s popular music to the project providing that slight sepia tint to the music. Meissner remains in close orbit with better known standards, delivered with the same commanding confidence delivered on I'll Remember April. The singer embraces Duke Ellington and Hoagy Carmichael with equal fervor and authority.

Meissner's vision evolves and, at the same time, begins to quicken, on 2015's Tea for Two (Lydian Jazz), where the singer begins to mix things up beginning with a rare slow take on the title song, featuring the electronic valve instrument of John Swanna. The EVI updates the song in a surprising way, giving it just a nick of modernity within its shell of nostalgia. She also brings on the reeds of Ken Peplowski and Larry McKenna who ground the recital firmly in the mainstream. This is a nocturnal recording anchored by "Moonlight Saving Time" and "Moonglow." Peplowski and McKenna strike the necessary conservative tone to counter Swanna's progressive stance.

Meissner's band from Tea for Two is kept mostly intact on I Wish I Knew with the exception of drummer Byron Landham replacing Dan Monaghan at the trap set. This is not the only change. Meissner adjusts her repertoire outside of the tried and true to include the peripheral chestnuts like the opener "The Great City." The Curtis Lewis composition was first recorded by Nancy Wilson in 1960, showing up most recently on Lauren Henderson's Ármame (Brontosaurus Records, 2018). Meissner minds Art Peppers admonition to never start a set with a ballad. "The Great City" crackles with a steady and determined swing featuring her equally steady and determined delivery. John Swanna's clipped trumpet solo mimics the urban stop-and-go of city life.

But I Wish I Knew is equally a ballad recording featuring the title song, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye." All of these are performed with punctilious detail at blissful ballad tempos. "You Go to My Head" is the "Tea for Two" on I Wish I Knew. Meissner takes the song at a very slow pace. Not morphine-honey slow, buy reticent in a way that is carefully crafted like fine spirits. This is the song featuring Swana's EVI, which, like on "Tea for Two" he performs to great effect, approximating the tone of the flute and delivery of a Moog. The disc highlight is a brisk and bright "In A Mellow Tone." Ken Peplowski provides the perfect swing foil to Meissner's down-the-middle delivery. Slippery and sly, Peplowski recalls the entire history of jazz clarinet in his solo, from Johnny Dodds to Buddy DeFranco. Meissner sounds perfectly comfortable in her foray into lesser considered standards. She is moving toward something significant, something of an enduring beauty, a testament to her vision.~ C. MICHAEL BAILEY https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-wish-i-knew-susie-meissner-lydian-jazz

Personnel: Susie Meissner: voice / vocals; John Shaddy: piano; Lee Smith: bass; Byron Landham: drums; Ken Peplowski: clarinet; Larry McKenna: saxophone, tenor; John Swanna: trombone; Paul Meyers: guitar.

I Wish I Knew

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Hiromi Kanda - Seven Elegant Ballads

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:58
Size: 60,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
(3:55) 2. Moonlight in Vermont
(2:55) 3. Around the World
(3:39) 4. Days of Yesterday
(3:44) 5. Smile
(4:20) 6. Don't Blame Me
(3:06) 7. Twilight Tears

Seven Elegant Ballads opens with “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” written in 1939. Hiromi makes it her own in this expansive rendition, which, she says, was inspired by Marc Chagall’s painting “Lovers in the Red Sky.” Says Hiromi, “I love the brilliant world he creates in that painting, and the lyrics of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ remind me of it. Plus, it’s just fun to sing.” “Moonlight in Vermont,” written in 1944, is “a very romantic love ballad that evokes the winter,” says Hiromi. “I love the image of the lines ‘Icy finger waves, ski trails on a mountainside, snow light in Vermont.’” “Around the World” is the theme from the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days. Once again, Kanda puts her own stamp on it, exploring the cinematic qualities of the tune with great flourish. “I sing this song as if I’m a traveler on a beautiful hot-air balloon,” she says. The first of the album’s two originals, “Days of Yesterday,” is next in the sequence.

Both it and “Twilight Tears,” which closes out the recording, were composed by Hiromi and Hoguchi, a famous Japanese composer, arranger, studio musician and lyricist, who is also Hiromi’s husband. Both songs appeared earlier on Hiromi’s Days of Yesterday album, and she felt the two sentimental love ballads deserved another go on the new project, in order to spotlight Hoguchi’s talents. “He is a marvelous composer and arranger, who knows and respects the Great American Songbook,” she says. “The original songs create a nice balance in the album. I believe it is important to keep this style fresh by creating new songs in that vein.” Two other classics fill out the track list. “Smile,” with music by the great Charlie Chaplin, is “a very lovely song and it gives me courage,” Hiromi says. “Joe Sample’s piano playing on this track is just wonderful.” Finally, there’s “Don’t Blame Me,” from 1933. “This is the first time I’ve sung the song,” she says. “I feel like it’s coming out of an old radio when I hear it.” Hiromi says that the time spent in Hollywood recording Seven Elegant Ballads with such an illustrious cast of contributors was “thrilling, and I’m very proud of it. We had a dream that someday we would create wonderful music in the U.S. That dream has now come true several times over the years. I hope listeners enjoy entering my romantic music world in Seven Elegant Ballads.” https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/seven-elegant-ballads-hiromi-kanda

Seven Elegant Ballads

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Billy Taylor - Ten Fingers, One Voice

Styles: Piano Jazz, Bop, Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:54
Size: 122,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:08) 1. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
(5:48) 2. In a Sentimental Mood
(5:31) 3. Joy Spring
(4:49) 4. Laura
(4:27) 5. Easy Like
(4:49) 6. Night and Day
(4:59) 7. Can You Tell By Looking at Me?
(3:10) 8. Early Bird
(6:01) 9. Tea for Two
(3:57) 10. Solo
(4:10) 11. My Heart Stood Still

This is delightful, unrestrained solo piano from one of the foremost jazz performers and educators of our time. For years Taylor recorded with trios, but here he goes it alone and treats the listener to another, more carefree realm of his playing. He covers eight jazz standards and does three originals, including the ballad "Can You Tell by Looking at Me?" and his tribute to Charlie Parker, "Early Bird." "Tea for Two" is probably the most widely recognized cover, but Taylor's treatment of it is far removed from its traditional arrangement. Teddi Castion's "Easy Like" is especially playful and features some great stride work, and Taylor takes Cole Porter's "Night and Day" into places no pianist has gone before. Taylor was 75 years old during this recording, and one would think that at that age perhaps the fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be. He definitely proves that wrong on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" (where he changes keys not once but twice!). If you listen closely to this disc while wearing headphones, you can hear Taylor softly vocalizing occasionally an interesting glimpse into what's going on between his ears as the music flows out of him.~ Ann Wickstrom https://www.allmusic.com/album/ten-fingers-one-voice-mw0000602416

Ten Fingers, One Voice

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Jérôme Gatius, Alain Barrabès - Echoes of Spring

Styles: Clarinet And Piano Jazz, Swing
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 133,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:59) 1. Weary Blues
(4:01) 2. Temptation Rag
(3:59) 3. Echoes of Spring
(3:18) 4. Crazy Rhythm
(3:11) 5. Grandpa's Spells
(3:55) 6. Stars Fell on Alabama
(3:26) 7. Wolverine Blues
(4:40) 8. Femme Martinique Dou
(4:32) 9. Shine
(3:07) 10. Puisque vous partez en voyage
(4:19) 11. High Society
(3:51) 12. La flambée montalbanaise
(2:36) 13. Rythmes gitans
(2:57) 14. My Blue Heaven
(3:25) 15. Wild Cat Blues
(3:33) 16. Yarbird Suite

We can say that these two have found each other. After crossing the swinging eighth note in lots of feasting situations, they decide to play as a duet. Their two languages complement each other wonderfully. They talk about swinging jazz (euphemism), which speaks to the heart. One chisels, the other supports, but sometimes, great happiness, the roles are reversed. Let's close our eyes, hardly believable, we would think they were more numerous: abundant music, counterpoint, questions and answers, games, comments, bubbling exchanges in a mutual listening. Suddenly, they record a cd: "ECHOES OF SPRING". Several good reviews in the press and several passages on France Musique confirm our two friends in their choice. Moreover, they are the only ones in the world (for the moment) to have recorded "echoes of spring" in piano / clarinet duo. After many explosive and delicate concerts, here they are scheduled at the Théâtre de l'Usine!...Translate by Google https://theatredelusine-saintcere.com/spectacles/357/echoes-of-spring/

Personnel: Piano: Alain Barrabès; Clarinet: Jérôme Gatius

Echoes of Spring

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The Ray Gelato, Enric Peidro Quintet - With All Due Respect

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:06
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:23) 1. Water Jug
( 5:58) 2. Lockjaw
( 5:43) 3. Hot Saxes
( 5:43) 4. Illinois Goes to Chicago
( 5:15) 5. Slammin' around
(10:09) 6. Medley Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Easy Living
( 6:21) 7. Woke up Clipped
( 5:20) 8. High on an Open Mike
( 5:14) 9. A Sound Investment
( 7:55) 10. Bean and the Boys

Throughout 10 Jazz songs without additives and brimming with swing, interaction and complicity, we attend a "saxophonistic" party where the two tenors of Peidro and Gelato, with their full and exuberant sounds, although perfectly easy to distinguish, engage in fluids and exciting musical dialogues - always exquisitely backed by an impeccable rhythmic section - celebrating at all times, but with "due respect" the legacy of their idols of which both saxophonists are more than worthy disciples: not a single one is perceived on the album. iota of nostalgia or pale imitation. On the contrary, the creativity and immediacy of the discourse of both tenors and the general enjoyment that is perceived throughout the entire CD by the quintet, makes it clear that we are dealing with musicians versed in a classic Jazz language that they use naturally to express yourself within an expressive and dynamic palette that is more than enviable. https://lamarinaplaza.com/ca/evento/jazz-concierto-presentacion-del-disco-with-all-due-respect-por-ray-gelato-enric-peidro-quintet-denia/

Since they performed their first concert together in 2016, these two saxophonists, who in their own right are instrumentalists of reference for all lovers of the saxophone in its most classical or “mainstream” aspect, have not stopped laughing as often as their agendas have allowed it, since they are not only united by a great friendship but also an enormous musical and stylistic connection. In this first album together, recorded in 2019, Gelato and Peidro wanted to pay tribute "with due respect" to their teachers in the tenor sax, who are none other than the great tenors of the 30s and 40s of the last century and their first disciples. Thus, throughout this peculiar and passionate album, which the critics describe as "high voltage swing not suitable for the faint of heart", both tenor saxophones "dialogue" with forceful and passion accompanied by a luxurious rhythmic section on an extraordinary and unusual selection of topics all written, wi thout exception, by some of his teachers. Thus, in the album there are compositions by Hawkins, Webster, by as, lockjaw and many others in an album so in U su al as interesting and essential for those who enjoy the sounds of the classical tenor sax in jazz. https://www.amazon.es/all-respect-Gelato-Enric-Peidro-Quintet/dp/B07YNKWR4N

Personnel: Ray Gelato & Enric Peidro Tenor sax; Richard Busiakiewicz Piano; Andrés Lizón Bass; Simone Zaniol Drums

With All Due Respect

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Rachel Sutton - A Million Conversations

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:08
Size: 71,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:37) 1. When Love Was New
(3:05) 2. Pick Myself Up
(5:25) 3. A Million Conversations
(5:03) 4. Kiss My Baby Goodbye
(5:22) 5. Brother Can You Spare a Dime
(2:59) 6. Evil Gal Blues
(4:33) 7. The Space

“I REMEMBER TIMES… when love was new.” This opening line, delivered with romantic phrasing reminiscent of the late, great Karen Carpenter, was all it took all it took to encourage further exploration of A Million Conversations, the debut release from vocalist Rachel Sutton with pianist Roland Perrin, bassist Michael Curtis Ruiz and drummer Paul Robinson.

To fall under the spell of the human voice is by no means automatic but, rather, a distinctly personal experience. In the case of Rachel Sutton, her background as a dramatic actress clearly feeds into the expressive detailing that illuminates the seven songs on this album, the majority of which are, musically and lyrically, self-penned. And it’s no surprise to read that Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Billy Joel and Judy Collins are amongst her long-time inspirations. But it takes more than a copyist to tug at the emotions as effectively (and, personally speaking, as involuntarily) as this.

Balladic When Love Was New possesses a timeless, yearning aura which encompasses both jazz and musical theatre and, immediately, it’s apparent that this is a vocalist who instinctively paces the progression of a song, with mellow, lower resonances as attractive as her controlled vibrato. A Million Conversations has the classic feel and timbre of 1970s Carly Simon or Don Henley/Glenn Frey (“So won’t you join me as we go back through the years… to a halcyon time?”), with restrained country-rock piano to accompany sung melodies which fix in the mind as well as heart.

There’s also showmanship aplenty, as sassy, Broadway-style Pick Myself Up proves, brimming with chromatic joie de vivre and deliciously mobile fretless bass. The smouldering bossa/swing rhythms and hiatuses of Kiss My Baby Goodbye reveal a swagger to Sutton’s resigned delivery (“Now it’s gone, I have to forget you”); and a dark, theatrical mood akin to Lionel Bart is present in The Space, her emotion playing out well in its forlorn, aching storytelling. Alongside these original songs are two classy interpretations. Brother Can You Spare a Dime (Al Jolson, Bing Crosby) can easily be oversung, but Rachel’s discipline is well suited to this 1930s blues of the Great Depression, accentuated here by the trumpet break of guest Stuart Brooks; and Evil Gal Blues (Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin) has a sprightly, impetuous step the final laugh confirming the joy of the performers!

Rachel Sutton’s voice sparkles, as do her own, memorable compositions. So it’s easy to imagine collaborations with larger ensembles and big bands, as well as maybe venturing into larger-scale compositional projects. Catch those opening words for yourself… and you may well hear why I delight in this discovery.

Personnel: Rachel Sutton voice; Roland Perrin piano; Michael Curtis Ruiz bass; Paul Robinson drums with Stuart Brooks trumpet

A Million Conversations

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Curtis Fuller - Down Home

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:31
Size: 151,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:35) 1. Down Home
(7:00) 2. Ladies Night
(6:22) 3. C Hip's Blues
(4:23) 4. Sadness and Soul
(9:15) 5. Nu Groove
(8:58) 6. Then I'll Be Tired of You
(5:43) 7. Mr. L
(8:04) 8. Sweetness
(4:54) 9. Jonli Bercosta
(4:11) 10. The High Priest

Legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller was 22 years old when he played on John Coltrane's landmark Blue Train (Blue Note, 1957), and the saxophonist remained best friends with Fuller during the 1950s and '60s. In 2005, the trombonist met saxophonist Keith Oxman, and has since developed a friendship leading to Fuller's favorable comparison of his new friend to Coltrane. For the past seven years, Fuller has been performing and recording with a sextet of players he now calls his "band of choice" which, he has assembled, once again, for Down Home.

At the ripe youthful age of 77, Fuller shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to produce one album after another. This terrific recording is a follow-up to Story of Cathy & Me (Challenge, 2011) and I Will Tell Her (Capri Records, 2010); while these albums served as tributes to his late wife Cathy, Down Home has no real theme, as Fuller's band focuses its attention on laying down some phenomenal post-bop swing. One sampling of the hot opening title track is enough to convince anyone that truly swinging affair is about to be unveiled. "Ladies Night" follows, an affirmation of that feeling after Oxman, Fuller and trumpeter Alan Hood contribute their solo magic.

Pianist Chip Stephens contributes a couple of charts with the bluesy "C Hip's Blues" and "Sadness and Soul," a more relaxing, down-tempo tune that may not swing but is pleasantly buoyed by a deliciously sweet melody. Bassist Ken Walker and drummer Todd Reid help Stephens pronounce the rhythm section on the expansive "Nu Groove," though Fuller and Oxman do get in their licks. The rhythm section once again joins forces on "Then I'll Be Tired of You," turning in the album's highlight with a gorgeous rendition of this warm-toned, 1934 standard from Yip Harburg and Arthur Schwartz.

Fuller and crew return to the recording's lively upbeat texture, offering the propulsive "Mr. L.," the engaging "Sweetness," and Oxman's bumpy, hard-driving "Jonli Bercosta," where the saxophonist delivers some of his best solo lines. Fuller and his "band of choice" close it out as they began, swinging mightily on the trombonist's last original "The High Priest." No wonder Fuller is a living legend; this great artist prefers to dwell in the present, offering new music as often as he can and, with Down Home, demonstrating that his talents as a performer and writer have not diminished with time. A truly superb outing from one of today's jazz greats, this should be commonplace by now, as it's a certainty that Fuller is already working on his next disc.~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/down-home-curtis-fuller-capri-records-review-by-edward-blanco.php

Personnel: Curtis Fuller: trombone; Keith Oxman: tenor sax; Al Hood: trumpet, flugelhorn; Chip Stephens: piano; Ken Walker: bass; Todd Reid: drums.

R.I.P.

Bob Mintzer & WDR Big Band Cologne - Soundscapes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Big Band
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:10
Size: 161,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:53) 1. A Reprieve
(5:50) 2. The Conversation
(6:13) 3. Stay Up
(5:04) 4. Montuno
(7:18) 5. Whack
(7:11) 6. Canyon Winds
(6:43) 7. Herky Jerky
(9:29) 8. New Look
(7:51) 9. One Music
(6:33) 10. VM

Bob Mintzer just got the hang of it. Whether as a result of his collaborations with the Thad Jones-mel Lewis Orchestra, the Buddy Rich Big Band or the Word Of Mouth Big Band by Jaco Pastorius is unclear. What is certain, however, is that over the years he has continued to perfect his instinct for orchestration and counterpoint. With “Soundscapes” the maestro is back as head of the WDR Big Band with ten newly arranged pieces. Following the tradition of the WDR chief conductors, Mintzer created his work with the big band from newly written and specially selected compositions.

"Soundscapes",an amalgam of moods, grooves and complex structures, not only shows Mintzer's work for this generally recognized ensemble, he even does double work, as main soloist on tenor saxophone and the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), while he inserts other outstanding soloists The spotlight is on for example long-time WDR members Paul Heller (tenor saxophone), Karolina Strassmayer and Johan Hörlén (alto saxophone), Ruud Breuls and Andy Haderer (trumpet) and Andy Hunter (trombone). The album, recorded in December 2019, is certainly one of the very best in Mintzer's long career...Translate By Google https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/jazz/detail/-/art/bob-mintzer-wdr-big-band-soundscapes/hnum/10441597

Soundscapes

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