Bettye LaVette - Blackbirds

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 93,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:01) 1. I Hold No Grudge
(5:22) 2. One More Song
(3:46) 3. Blues For The Weepers
(3:40) 4. Book Of Lies
(4:18) 5. Romance In The Dark
(5:36) 6. Drinking Again
(4:14) 7. Strange Fruit
(4:50) 8. Save Your Love For Me
(3:28) 9. Blackbird

No argument here if you thought Things Have Changed, Bettye LaVette’s 2018 tribute to Bob Dylan, deserved its two Grammy nominations, and perhaps even a mantle-size trophy to boot. Still, for all its merits, that album is no match for Blackbirds, the 74-year-old vocalist’s remarkable follow-up.

Reuniting her with drummer/producer Steve Jordan, Blackbirds provides an unwaveringly soulful excursion into R&B, jazz, and pop waters. What’s more, because so many things have indeed changed in 2020, for better or worse, some of the album’s most compelling tracks now resonate in ways that LaVette and Jordan couldn’t possibly have imagined during their collaboration.

Following the murder of George Floyd in May, for example, fans got an early peek at Blackbirds when a quick shift in plans triggered the release of the album’s first single, “Strange Fruit.” Inextricably linked to Billie Holiday’s legacy, the anguished ballad sparks an emotionally searing performance that ranks with LaVette’s career highs no small thing. “Strange Fruit” is an outlier here, though. Most of the tunes on Blackbirds hew to smartly retooled Southern soul and funk grooves.

Not surprisingly, LaVette and Jordan seem connected at the hip in this setting, but the evocative (and often colorfully nuanced) support they receive from their session mates, especially guitarist Smokey Hormel and keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, adds to the album’s numerous charms. There’s also no mistaking the emotional connection LaVette and Jordan forged with the songs they chose for the occasion. In prime, raspy, expressive form, the singer salutes her guiding lights the short list includes Nina Simone (“I Hold No Grudge”), Ruth Brown (“Book of Lies”), and Della Reese (“Drinking Again”) with a potent mix of defiance, passion, joy, and despair. By Mike Joycehttps://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/bettye-lavette-blackbirds-verve/

Personnel: Bettye LaVette: voice / vocals; Smokey Hormel: guitar; Leon Pendarvis: keyboards; Monte Croft: vibraphone; Tom Barney: bass; Steve Jordan: drums.

Blackbirds

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Brook Benton - Endlessly

Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1959
Time: 32:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 75,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:21) 1. People Will Say We're in Love
(3:20) 2. Because of You
(2:17) 3. More Than You Know
(2:37) 4. Blue Skies
(3:08) 5. Time After Time
(2:41) 6. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
(2:18) 7. Endlessly
(3:32) 8. The Things I Love
(2:39) 9. (It's No) Sin
(2:45) 10. Around the World
(2:36) 11. May I Never Love Again
(2:24) 12. You'll Never Know

Silky smooth: that was Brook Benton's byword from his first record to his very last, as the singer parlayed his rich baritone pipes into seven number one R&B hits and eight Top Ten items. Stints on the gospel circuit preceded Benton's first secular session for Okeh in 1953, but his career didn't begin to take off until he teamed with writer/producer Clyde Otis. Benton co-wrote and sang hundreds of demos for other artists before frequent collaborator Otis signed his friend to Mercury; together they pioneered a lush, violin-studded variation on the standard R&B sound, which beautifully showcased Benton's intimate vocals.

Benton crashed the top spot on the R&B charts in early 1959 with his moving "It's Just a Matter of Time," then rapidly encored with three more R&B chart-toppers: "Thank You Pretty Baby," "So Many Ways," and "Kiddio." Pairing with Mercury labelmate Dinah Washington, their delightful repartee on "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way" paced the R&B lists in 1960.

The early'60s were a prolific period for Benton, but he left Mercury a few years later and bounced between labels before reemerging with the atmospheric Tony Joe White ballad "Rainy Night in Georgia" on Cotillion in 1970. Benton later made a halfhearted attempt to cash in on the disco craze, but his hitmaking reign was at an end long before his death in 1988.By Bill Dahl https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brook-benton-mn0000524239/biography

Endlessly

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Dick Hyman - Mad About The Boy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:14) 1. Dance, Little Lady
(3:14) 2. A Room With A View
(3:24) 3. I'll Follow My Secret Heart
(2:29) 4. Any Little Fish
(2:04) 5. Play, Orchestra, Play
(2:23) 6. Nevermore
(1:45) 7. Mad About the Boy
(2:24) 8. Poor Little Rich Girl
(2:14) 9. Zigeuner
(1:12) 10. Polka
(3:11) 11. World Weary
(3:05) 12. We Were Dancing
(3:47) 13. You Were There
(2:15) 14. Ladies of the Town
(2:27) 15. Twentieth Century Blues

Throughout a busy musical career that got underway in the early '50s, Dick Hyman has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and composer. His versatility in all of these areas has resulted in film scores, orchestral compositions, concert appearances and well over 100 albums recorded under his own name. While developing a masterful facility for improvisation in his own piano style, Mr. Hyman has also investigated ragtime and the earliest periods of jazz and has researched and recorded the piano music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Zez Confrey, Eubie Blake and Fats Waller, which he often features in his frequent recitals. Other solo recordings include the music of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Duke Ellington. Some of his recordings with combos are From The Age Of Swing, Swing Is Here, Cheek To Cheek, and If Bix Played Gershwin, plus numerous duet albums with Ruby Braff, Ralph Sutton and others. In a different vein, Mr. Hyman was one of the first to record on the Moog synthesizer, and his ?Minotaur? landed on the Billboard charts.

Mr. Hyman's concert compositions for orchestra include his Piano Concerto, Ragtime Fantasy, The Longest Blues in the World, and From Chama to Cumbres by Steam, a work for orchestra, jazz combo, and prerecorded railroad sounds. A cantata based on the autobiography of Mark Twain was premiered with the choral group, Gloria Musicae, in Sarasota. In a growing catalogue of chamber music compositions, his most recent pieces are Dances and Diversions for the Kinor String Quartet, and Parable for a Parrot, a trio for the Palisades Virtuosi. Earlier compositions include a violin/piano sonata, a quintet for piano and strings, and a sextet for clarinet, piano and strings. Mr. Hyman has been heard in duo-piano performances with Derek Smith, in Three-Piano Crossover with Marian McPartland and the late Ruth Laredo, and in pops concerts under the direction of Doc Severinsen. In 2004, after serving as artistic director for the acclaimed Jazz in July series at New York's 92nd Street Y for twenty years, he stepped down, as he has from a similar role in the annual Oregon Festival of American Music. He continues his Jazz Piano at the Y series in New York.

In addition to his activities in the jazz and concert worlds, Mr. Hyman has had a prolific career in New York as a studio musician and won seven Most Valuable Player Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He acted as music director for such television programs as Benny Goodman's final appearance (on PBS) and for In Performance at the White House. He received an Emmy for his original score for Sunshine's on the Way, a daytime drama, and another for musical direction of a PBS Special on Eubie Blake. He is a member of the Jazz Hall of Fame of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies and the New Jersey Jazz Society.

In years past, Dick Hyman was music director for Arthur Godfrey and orchestrator of the hit musical Sugar Babies. He has served as composer/arranger/conductor/pianist for the Woody Allen films Zelig, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Broadway Danny Rose, Stardust Memories, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says ?I Love You?, Sweet and Lowdown, The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion and Melinda and Melinda. Other scores have included Moonstruck, Scott Joplin?King of Ragtime, The Lemon Sisters, and Alan and Naomi. His music has also been heard in The Mask, Billy Bathgate, Two Weeks Notice, and other films. He has been music director of the production The Movie Music of Woody Allen, which premiered at the Hollywood Bowl.

In the dance field, Mr. Hyman composed and performed the score for the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet Company's Piano Man, and Twyla Tharp?s The Bum?s Rush for the American Ballet Theater. He was also the pianist/conductor/arranger in Ms.Tharp's Eight Jelly Rolls, Baker?s Dozen, and The Bix Pieces and similarly arranged and performed for Miles Davis: Porgy and Bess, a choreographed production of The Dance Theater of Dallas. A recent premier, a dance based on Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, was presented by the John G. Shedd Institute of Eugene, Oregon, and danced by the Eugene Ballet Company.

Dick Hyman?s 100 Years Of Jazz Piano, an encyclopedic CD-ROM, soon to be available in a set of audio CDs, is based on his frequent recital-lecture. New recordings include three duo-piano albums with Ray Kennedy, Bernd Lhotzky, and Chris Hopkins; a trumpet/piano duet album with Randy Sandke; and Lost Songs of 1936 with Bucky Pizzarelli and Jay Leonhart. Dick Hyman is a Yamaha artist and endorses all of their keyboard products. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/dickhyman

Mad About The Boy

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Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton & Friends - Rare Recordings Vol. 1

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:31
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:29) 1. Seven Come Eleven
(6:07) 2. Line For Lyons
(7:27) 3. Cherokee
(4:35) 4. So Long Eric
(4:21) 5. I Know That You Know
(9:22) 6. Stardust
(7:00) 7. Cute
(6:23) 8. Sweet Sue
(5:07) 9. Slop
(7:34) 10. Gerry Meets Hamp

During the mid-to-late '70s, Lionel Hampton sought to recapture the magic of his classic '30s all-star recordings with a series of albums featuring his vibes with musicians who he normally did not encounter in his travels. This particular CD draws one or two selections apiece from seven of these albums (originally on the Who's Who label), all but one from 1977. The lone exception, a version of "Stardust" from 1965, has quite a lineup (trumpeters Clark Terry and Thad Jones, trombonist J.J. Johnson, Lucky Thompson on soprano and tenor great Coleman Hawkins) and is quite listenable but does not live up to its potential.

The same can be said for most of these performances which include meetings with pianists Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson, a workout with baritonist Gerry Mulligan, a version of "Cherokee" featuring Steve Marcus's soprano and drummer Buddy Rich, two selections with Dexter Gordon (who has a rare outing on soprano during "Seven Comes Eleven") and a pair of numbers from what would be bassist Charles Mingus's final recording date. Hopefully, these interesting sessions, even though they do not reach the creative heights of Hampton's earlier recordings, will eventually be reissued on CD complete and in chronological order.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/lionel-hampton-friends-rare-recordings-vol-1-mw0000309774

Lionel Hampton & Friends - Rare Recordings Vol. 1

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Sophie Alour - Insulaire

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:08
Size: 156,3 MB
Art: Front + Back

( 6:07)  1. Septembre
( 8:15)  2. Les samourais
( 7:19)  3. Almost Paradise
( 7:42)  4. You've Changed
( 5:41)  5. At First Sight
( 4:31)  6. Doctor C.
( 3:37)  7. Black Narcissus
( 6:43)  8. Cheer Up!
( 6:30)  9. Oraison
(11:37) 10. Dedale

Alour Sophie learns the clarinet from 13 years in a music school in Quimper . Learning saxophone begins later, around 19 years, mainly self-taught in courses taken in the Parisian schools and jazz music, CIM and IACP . The young saxophonist truly begins on the jazz scene in 2000 participating in the new group called the Vintage Orchestra. This year, she is also associated with trumpeter Stephane Belmondo to form a sextet and occurs in various Parisian clubs. It also participates in orchestra Christophe Dal Sasso. Sophie Alour 2004 integrates a quartet of musicians, led by organist Rhoda Scott , along Bilberry Besson and Julie Saury, allowing him to further develop his game to the saxophone. During the year it also attracts the attention of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis who chooses to engage his orchestra . It is also asked to participate in a project of drummer Aldo Romano and noted for his interpretation on the big stage of Jazz in Vienna in 2004. The following year she released Islander, a first album as a leader that is well appreciated by critics.

She collaborates again with the Vintage Orchestra group recording the album Thad. In 2006, she participated in the recording of the album Christophe Dal Sasso Opening and Belmondo brothers. In 2007, the quintet saxophonist accompanied by pianist Alexandre Saada when recording his album Be Where You Are. This year, she published her second album Uncaged receiving good evaluations by critics. For 2 years she performed in various cities in France and abroad. In 2010, Sophie Alour presents his third album Opus 3, a trio along with bassist and drummer Yoni Zelnik Karl Jannuska, two musicians on his previous album. The following year she participated in the recording of the album Christophe Dal Sasso pretexts. In 2012 saxophonist released a new album entitled The geography of dreams. Sophie Alour form a new quintet with two musicians she knows well, Yoann Loustallot and Nicolas Moreaux, and two new Frédéric Pasqua on drums and vibraphone Stéphan Carracci. ~ Translate by Google   http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Alour

Personnel:  Sophie Alour - tenor saxophone; Huggo Lippi – guitar; Guillaume Naud - piano, Fender Rhodes; Sylvain Romano – bass; David Grebil – drums;  Emmanuel Bex - Hammond B3 organ (#4,8);  Stephane Belmondo - flugelhorn (#9)

Insulaire

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Paul Bollenback - Double Vision

Styles: Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:00
Size: 122,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:55) 1. I Am Singing
(5:44) 2. Open Hand
(6:54) 3. Danny
(7:33) 4. Breaking the Girl
(5:07) 5. Reflections of Jaco
(3:16) 6. Lush Life
(6:00) 7. After the Love Has Gone
(6:35) 8. Thank You Mr. Hancock
(6:54) 9. Let Her Cry

Award-winning jazz guitarist Paul Bollenback developed a taste for the exotic over the course of a three-year period when his family lived in India. He was 11 years old when the family traveled to New Delhi, and years later the sounds and experiences of that early journey found their way into his first album from Challenge Records, Original Visions. His next release, Double Gemini, continued to stir up a buzz among critics, and it drew honors as CD of the Month from both WBGO, a Newark jazz station, and 20th Century Jazz Magazine. Bollenback remained with Challenge for his next project, Soul Grooves.

The guitarist first got his hands on an instrument with nylon strings when he was seven years old. The guitar was a gift from his dad, who adored music as much as the younger Bollenback and also played the trumpet. At the age of 14, the budding guitarist headed home to the states with his family, where he discovered the delights of rock & roll. Around this time he started to play the electric guitar, another gift from his dad. When he discovered Miles Davis, it was a major turning point in his musical development.

Bollenback's education includes music studies at the University of Miami. He continued his studies with eight more years of private instruction under the tutelage of Asher Zlotnik in Baltimore. In 1993, the year that he embarked on a European tour, he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant, in conjunction with the Virginia Commission on the Arts, for "New Music for Three Jazz Guitars." The Washington Area Music Awards dubbed him Musician of the Year in 1997, the same year that he joined the music faculty at American University. SESAC honored two of his original pieces, "Romancin' the Moon" and "Wookies' Revenge," both of which were included on the album Reboppin' by Joey DeFrancesco, who returned the favor by appearing on Bollenback's Soul Grooves.

The Litchfield Jazz Festival Summer Music School installed Bollenback as artist-in-residence. He also is a featured artist on the bill of the Summer Guitar & Bass Workshop offered by Duquesne University. The guitarist has performed on numerous television programs, among them Entertainment Tonight, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Joan Rivers, and Good Morning America. He has shared the stage with a long list of musical artists, including Charlie Byrd, Arturo Sandoval, Herb Ellis, Stanley Turrentine, Spyro Gyra's Scott Ambush, and Della Reese. ~ Linda Seida https://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-bollenback-mn0000746344/biography

Personnel: Paul Bollenback - guitar; Joey DeFrancesco - organ; Ed Howard - bass; Terri Lyne Carrington – drums

Double Vision

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John Boutté - At the Foot of Canal Street

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:20
Size: 119,1 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:27) 1. Sisters
(4:49) 2. At the Foot of Canal Street
(4:22) 3. A Change is Gonna Come
(5:05) 4. Battle Hymn of the Republic
(6:22) 5. Black Orpheus
(5:10) 6. Someone to Watch Over Me
(3:05) 7. Didn't it Rain
(7:39) 8. This Masquerade is Over
(3:31) 9. Just a Little While to Stay Here
(3:29) 10. All These Things
(4:16) 11. If I Had My Life to Live Over

The Canal Street that John Boutté is referring to in this album's title isn't the one that runs through Lower Manhattan it is the Canal Street of New Orleans, where he grew up. Boutté is not an easy singer to categorize; parts of this superb CD (which was recorded in 1998 and released in 2001) are pure Crescent City soul, but other parts of it are vocal jazz or African-American gospel. Boutté, whose influences range from Sam Cooke and Aaron Neville to Little Jimmy Scott, is a convincing soul singer on "Sisters," the title song, and Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." But he is equally believable and equally expressive as a torchy jazz singer on "The Masquerade Is Over," the Gershwin standard "Someone to Watch Over Me," and Luiz Bonfa's "Manha de Carnaval" (which is listed as "Black Orpheus" in the credits and is also known as "A Day in the Life of a Fool").

Meanwhile, Boutté favors African-American gospel (as opposed to white country-gospel or modern Christian R&B) on "Didn't It Rain" and "Just a Little While to Stay Here." As unpredictable as this album is, Boutté never comes across as unfocused or confused. Boutté genuinely appreciates a variety of music, and his eclectic nature serves him well on this impressive, consistently rewarding CD. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/at-the-foot-of-canal-street-mw0000119758

Personnel: John Boutte – Vocals; Loren Pickford – Piano, Alto Sax; Bill Huntington – Bass; John Bagnato – Guitar; Joe Vinnittell – Drums

At the Foot of Canal Street

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Warren Vaché Trio - Live at the Vineyard

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:30
Size: 119,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. Sunday
(7:23) 2. A Time for Love
(5:13) 3. The Best Thing for You
(0:47) 4. Vaché Remarks About Cornet and Trumpet
(6:15) 5. I've Got a Crush on You / Embraceable You
(4:38) 6. Twelve by Twelve
(1:25) 7. Warren Vaché Remembers Roy Eldridge
(7:27) 8. The Song Is You
(5:28) 9. The Touch of Your Lips
(6:27) 10. Cherokee

Warren Vaché, Jr., one in a long line of important cornetists following Bix Beiderbecke, Jimmy McPartland, and Ruby Braff, showcases his effortless lyricism and ability to swing during this 1984 trio concert at New York's Vineyard Theatre. Accompanied by veteran pianist John Bunch and bassist Phil Flanigan, two equally strong musicians, Vaché's intimate interpretations of decades-old standards such as "Sunday" and "The Best Thing for You" prove that this smaller brass cousin of the trumpet is hardly an obsolete instrument. He starts on open horn in a blistering take of "The Song Is You" before adding a mute for a typically sassy solo. The fire of earlier greats can also be heard in his rendition of "Cherokee," which is played at a moderate tempo rather than the all-too-often breakneck pace, also showcasing Flanigan to good effect. Vaché sits out Ron Carter's "Twelve by Twelve," a lively bop duet feature for Bunch and Flanigan. The cornetist's comments about his instrument and jamming with trumpeter Roy Eldridge (who baited him into joining him on the bandstand by explaining he wasn't feeling well!) are priceless. Warmly recommended!~Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-vineyard-mw0000079453

Personnel: Warren Vaché - cornet | John Bunch - piano | Phil Flanigan - bass

Live at the Vineyard

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Sophie Alour - Opus 3

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:28
Size: 102,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Grekerna
(5:01)  2. Mystere et boule de gomme
(5:15)  3. Eloge du lointain
(3:14)  4. Ode a Arthur Cravan
(5:08)  5. Haunted
(3:31)  6. En ton absence
(5:29)  7. Why people always laugh about serious things
(3:12)  8. Pensee vagabonde
(3:04)  9. Caprice
(2:59) 10. Karlston
(3:05) 11. Petite anatomie du temps qui passe...

French saxophonist Sophie Alour's Opus 3 is not only her third album as a leader, it is also her first in a trio setting. The recipient of the French Django D'or award, Alour departs from the electric intensity of her previous release, Uncaged (Nocturne, 2007), to explore her voice as an instrumentalist. The 11 originals are tone poems bearing heavy western classical influences, with occasional peppering of other styles that showcase the leader on both tenor and soprano saxophones.  "Eloge du lointain" for example, has hints of Caribbean rhythms, with Alour's rapid-fire, staccato tenor enhancing the island ambience created by Karl Januska's rhythmic drums. Much like Sonny Rollins ' classic "St Thomas," she extends her improvisation far beyond the tune, although her sound is not as brassy as the legendary saxophonist, but rounder and more fluid.  There is not much distinction made on these tracks between the composed and the improvised. Alour's solos build on a basic foundation, but the final result is a musical construct that is quite imaginative and far-reaching.

Her angular soprano on "Mystère et boule de gomme!" climbs logically up the scales and chords driven by Januska's propulsive drumming and anchored by Yoni Zelnik's resonant bass.  Alour's warm tenor blows softly over Zelnik's undulating notes on "Grekerna," its melancholic melody bearing hints of Eastern European music, while Zelnik's atonal pizzicato carries a conversation with Alour's unpredictable yet never out of place musical ideas on "Ode à Arthur Cravan." The stylistic angularity continues on "Haunted," featuring a lengthy tenor solo that is quite mellifluous with Januska's hyper-rhythmic drums bringing a rock sensibility to the piece.  Alour's fast lines add bop flavor to "Karlston," while the delightful cacophony that ends the march-like "Caprice" reflects Alour's more avant-garde side. The classical influences are most heard on the serpentine romantic song "En ton absence" and atmospheric and explorative sonata, "Petite anatomie du temps qui passe..."  Opus 3 is a more personal and more mature recording than Alour's previous two; although it lacks the energy and the excitement of her Uncaged, it is an intimate portrait of an artist with great promise. ~ Hrayr Attarian https://www.allaboutjazz.com/opus-3-sophie-alour-plus-loin-music-review-by-hrayr-attarian.php

Personnel: Sophie Alour: tenor and soprano saxophones; Karl Jannuska: drums; Yoni Zelnik: bass.

Opus 3

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Randy Sandke - Uptown Lowdown - A Jazz Salute to The Big Apple

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 82:46
Size: 191,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:07) 1. Echoes of Harlem / Drop Me Off in Harlem
(3:37) 2. Jungle Nights in Harlem
(3:33) 3. Boys from Harlem
(2:31) 4. Sugar Hill Penthouse (3:07) 5. Blue Belles of Harlem
(5:28) 6. Harlem Speaks
(3:09) 7. Chinatown, My Chinatown
(6:44) 8. Rose of Washington Square / Broadway Rose
(5:13) 9. Slumming on Park Avenue
(5:59) 10. 42nd Street
(5:48) 11. Scrapple from the Apple
(8:14) 12. Nostalgia in Times Square
(8:31) 13. Grand Central
(4:42) 14. 52nd Street Theme
(7:47) 15. Take the "A" Train
(5:09) 16. What's New

It took a German recording team to enable trumpeter/arranger Randy Sandke to assemble this all-American, 12-piece ensemble for a panorama of New York-inspired tunes, recorded in the Big Apple in the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse as part of the 1999 JVC Jazz Festival. In doing so, he raided the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as several independent history-minded players in the area, and emerged with a band that fires off the numbers with crisp virtuosity in any idiom called for. Thankfully, there is also more than enough gusto in the playing, due in no small part to the live festival recording situation. "The Harlem Medley," a lengthy leadoff stream of delicacies from the land of Ellingtonia, gets close enough to the Ellington sound to convey the idea without being slavishly imitative or ghostly.

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra boys know their Ellington craft well and apply the plunger mutes accordingly. From there, the band doubles back to Dixieland, works its way up to swing, and slides without a glitch into bebop ("Scrapple From the Apple"), a Mingus shuffle blues ("Nostalgia in Times Square"), transitional Coltrane ("Grand Central"), and some Monk ("52nd Street Theme"), before being deposited back in Harlem by naturally the "'A' Train." In between the main tour stops, Concord Jazz teammates guitarist Howard Alden and clarinetist Ken Peplowski serve up another of their fluid duets on Irving Berlin's "Slumming on Park Avenue."

Other high points include clarinetist Allan Vaché wailing in the trad flagwaver "Chinatown" and trumpeters Sandke and Warren Vaché duking it out on "42nd Street." In all, a well-recorded souvenir of what sounds like a heartwarming local celebration.~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/uptown-lowdown-a-jazz-salute-to-the-big-apple-mw0000102679

Personnel: Randy Sandke - trumpet; Warren Vaché - trumpet; Wycliffe Gordon - trombone; Ken Peplowski - clarinet, tenor sax; Allan Vaché - clarinet; Scott Robinson - alto sax, tenor sax, flute; Joe Temperley - baritone sax; Howard Alden - guitar; Eric Reed - piano; Mark Shane - piano; Rodney Whitaker - bass; Joe Ascione - drums

Uptown Lowdown - A Jazz Salute to The Big Apple

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Sylvia Vrethammar, Magnus Lindgren - Vortex

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:34
Size: 122,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:05) 1. Round Midnight
(3:26) 2. The Look of Love
(3:00) 3. Love for Sale
(4:28) 4. Corcovado
(3:43) 5. My Love
(4:05) 6. A Felicidade
(4:08) 7. Te Quiero Amor
(4:48) 8. Who Cares?
(4:26) 9. Why Do People Fall in Love?
(5:05) 10. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(4:05) 11. Spooky
(7:08) 12. Cry Me a River

Singer Sylvia Vrethammar continues to celebrate her 50 years as an artist. Since her debut in 1967 in Rune Öfverman's Trio until today, she has moved easily between jazz, pop, hits and bossa nova. At Vortex , she has brought together six of her favorite jazz musicians: Magnus Lindgren (saxophone, flute), Ulf Wakenius (guitar), Jan Lundgren (piano), Joel Lyssarides (piano) Hans Backenroth (bass) and the German pianist and organist Frank Chastenier. The songs were created during three separate studio sessions with three different trio formations. Instead of arrangements, the end result has been achieved through improvisation in the moment.

We get to listen to a string of pearls of compositions that have always been close to Vrethammar's with authors such as Burt Bacharach, George Gershwin, Richard Rogers, Paul McCartney and Antônio Carlos Jobim. With her directly recognizable, airy, easily veiled voice, the singer makes elegant reinterpretations of the famous melodies. She has been synonymous with the South American rhythms since the early 70's when she was a great success at the song festival in Rio. Especially her Jobim interpretations breathe presence and soul: Corcovado with Lyssarides and Lindgren and A Felicidade with Wakenius and Chastenier. Lundgren and Backenroth come in particularly good harmony with the singer in Bacharach's The Look of Love and Gershwin's Who Cares? .Vortex is only available through digital streaming services.(Translate By Google) By Patrik Sandberg https://orkesterjournalen.com/sylvia-vrethammar-vortex/

Vortex

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Enric Peidro Swingtet - Keep That Swing in Your Soul

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:06
Size: 129,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:06) 1. Tickle Toe
(3:51) 2. Thru' for the Night
(3:35) 3. Wine O Junction
(4:17) 4. Straight Life
(4:33) 5. All the Cats Join In
(3:36) 6. The Blues I Like to Hear
(3:23) 7. 9:20 Special
(3:36) 8. Indiana
(3:50) 9. Tea for Two
(3:52) 10. Flying Home
(3:51) 11. Jacquet Bounce
(2:50) 12. At Big Mama Swing
(5:00) 13. Rockin Steve
(5:39) 14. How Can You Lose

Tenor saxophonist, Enric Peidro is a self-taught musician. He began his journey of becoming a professional musician at age fourteen. Peidro’s sound and phrasing are deeply rooted in the swing-era, and he has often been touted as the “keeper of the flame” among classic jazz lovers all over Spain. His unpretentious approach is the cornerstone of his sound, firmly footed in the traditional jazz idiom. As a leader he has recorded fourteen CDs under his own name and contributed to approximately 35 CDs and counting as a sideman. Peidro’s latest work is titled Keep That Swing in Your Soul. He is joined by Paul Evans: trumpet; Pedro Ortuño: trombone; Richard Busiakiewicz: piano; Andrés Lizón: bass and Simone Zaniol: drums.

Opening up with Lester Young’s “Tickle Toe,” the swinging sextet makes a joyful sound that is exciting and authentic. A piano figure from Busiakiewicz leads to the well-arranged melody. Peidro solos first, his time-feel and tone are sublime. His lines flow through the harmony with ease and authority. Evans’ solo follows, his rhythmic playfulness evokes a spirited feeling. Busiakiewicz’s solo statement is like glass, shimmering rhythm and smooth lines. The short chorus is excellent, sharing space with Zaniol to speak his musical language on the skins. This band is all about swing and beautifully played melodies through an exciting arrangement.

“Indiana” begins with a cleanly played horn figure above the rhythm section’s hits. Instantly the clarity and balance of the band can be heard. When the well-known melody enters, it instantly signals this arrangement is authentic in character and phrasing. The band is swinging! The arrangement is full of written backgrounds and sections that give space to both the soloist and ensemble playing. The writing is excellent. Peidro’s solo tone is smooth and warm, as his lines clearly define the chord structures. In fact, all the soloist are first-rate. The best part of this track is the stimulating horn solos. Evans and Peidro get more time in the spotlight and their playing is captivating.

What Peidro has created is a lovely adoration of traditional jazz, played at a highly creative and poignantly articulate level. His relentless commitment to traditional jazz is expanded by his desire to carve out his personal sound in the idiom. His language on the saxophone is inspired and his fluidity is seamless. Keep That Swing in Your Soul is aptly titled and joyfully executed. A welcomed addition to the jazz cannon. By Sylvannia Garutch https://thejazzword.com/2019/01/enric-peidro-keep-that-swing-in-your-soul/

Personnel: Enric Peidro Tenor sax; Paul Evans Trumpet; Pedro Ortuño Trombone; Richard Busiakiewicz Piano; Andrés Lizón Bass; Simone Zaniol Drums

Keep That Swing in Your Soul

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Richard 'Piano' Scott & His New Orleans Jazz Band - Jambalaya Town

Size: 166,8 MB
Time: 71:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: New Orleans Jazz, Dixieland, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Jambalaya Town (5:10)
02. Take A Little Trip To New Orleans (Feat. Gerald French) (4:08)
03. Still The Same (4:09)
04. Crazy Kinda (Feat. Cristina Perez Edmunds) (3:39)
05. Behind Closed Doors (Feat. Chuck Brackman) (5:17)
06. I've Got My Heart Set On You (Feat. Barry Foulon) (4:54)
07. April Fool (Feat. Cristina Perez Edmunds) (3:44)
08. Potted Hibiscus (Feat. Tom Fischer) (4:04)
09. The Day You Were Born (To Rex) (Feat. Bruce Brackman) (4:59)
10. The Ghost Of Pirate Jean Lafitte (6:09)
11. Festival Louisiane (3:23)
12. Is Your Sister Half As Mean As You (Feat. Gerald French) (4:16)
13. I Won't Be Afraid (Feat. Anais St. John) (4:21)
14. Paintin' My Apartment Blue (Feat. Cristina Perez Edmunds) (3:54)
15. Song For Anita (Feat. Tom Fischer) (4:12)
16. Philip The Jar (Feat. Cristina Perez Edmunds) (4:46)

New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, and the city is still a destination for both Jazz enthusiasts and for those who want to develop their own musical styles. Richard "Piano" Scott is an example of a very talented musician who has embraced the New Orleans style of jazz piano, and now it is permanently infused in his own style. The stride piano mastery of Jelly Roll Morton is clearly an inspiration to the way Richard plays, but so are the works of more recent New Orleans greats like James Booker and Professor Longhair. The result is a very spirited, exciting expression of musical mischief and joy.

Richard has called New Orleans his home since 2000 and performs nightly on Bourbon Street. This 2014 album represents his abilities, along with a cast of many great players who also spend countless late evenings in the crowded, crazy jazz halls of the Crescent City. This album captures the ability of great musicians to blend together as if spiritually connected, while at the same time, improvising musical lines and coming up with an unrehearsed freshness that is constantly evolving and changing shape.

There are some fantastic vocalists that must be mentioned as well. Richard Scott demonstrates his personal and blues-inspired approach to singing in songs like "Still the Same". Drummer Gerald French shows off his own powerful and soulful voice in songs like "Take a Little Trip to New Orleans" and "Is Your Sister Half as Mean as You". Special guest Kristina Perez knocks the ball out of the park with her talents as well. She is featured on songs like the country ballad "Painting my Apartment Blue", and the 1920's style "Philip the Jar".

What really sells the album are the songs, though. Richard is the sole songwriter, and his songs are fun and refreshing. This is an enjoyable album for anyone, and a perfect reminder of the upbeat, fun style of music musicians like Richard Scott and his band are sharing with smiling listeners every night down in the French Quarter.

Jambalaya Town

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Etienne Charles - Kaiso

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:17
Size: 162,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:20)  1. Kaiso
(7:19)  2. J'ouvert Barrio
(6:14)  3. Russian Satellite
(8:15)  4. Congo Bara
(6:47)  5. Ten to One is Murder
(6:50)  6. Teresa
(5:54)  7. Kitch's Bebop of Calypso
(5:57)  8. Rose
(4:05)  9. My Landlady
(5:16) 10. Margie
(8:14) 11. Sugar Bum Bum

With Kaiso, trumpeter Etienne Charles revisits his robust Trinidad-Tobago roots, brilliantly exposing their beauty, mystery and fascinating flavors. The fruits of Charles and crew's labor blossom from multiple Caribbean grooves into a highly energized performance, with more jazz-tinged interpretations than his prior outing, the highly acclaimed Folklore (Self-Produced, 2009).  The title tune, from an African word loosely defined as "proceed" (as in "play on"), is dark and hard. With the frontline boiling hot over a pulsing harmonic and rhythmic base, it announces, musically, that this effort will stray in a different, more complex musical direction. "J'overt Barrio" embraces a Latin feel as it weaves across genres and tempos; a New Orleans-style musical gumbo, consisting of Creole, African, and Caribbean musical flavors spiced with whistles and chants. Charles' tone is sweetly robust and a supreme joy throughout. His marvelous playing intentionally childlike and playful showcases his masterful abilities. His classical training and the influence of Miles Davis ("Congo Bara") and Wynton Marsalis are pleasantly obvious. Guadeloupean tenor saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart adds a fine touch. Calypso master, Mighty Sparrow's "Russian Satellite" prances over a cool melody line before forging straight ahead. Alto saxophonist Brian Hogans generates boppish ideas and faux quotes that fire and pop, while the fine rhythm section lays a terrific, swinging foundation here and elsewhere.

Charles shows he can stretch out with the best on Mighty Sparrow's "Ten to One is Murder." Giving props to Marsalis and the bebop classic, "Salt Peanuts," Charles and Hogans fly on this burner, with guest pianist Monty Alexander and bassist Ben Williams both delivering heated solos. "Kitch's Bebop of Calypso" channels Charlie Parker, as Lord Superior's vocal and Hagans' solo confirm. Lord Superior's voice and Charles' cup-muted trumpet smile on the catchy calypso, "My Landlady," while bassist Ben Williams, drummer Obed Calvaire and percussionist Ralph MacDonald push without letting up. The lush orchestral prelude on Sparrow's "Teresa" sets up a luscious bossa nova melody, played with heart by Charles, while "Rose" showcases the orchestra's woodwinds flitting around Charles' calypso-dancing horn; two selections that are more accessible and, consequently, distinctive from the rest of the session. Charles' duo with Alexander on Lord Kitchner's "Margie," rounds out a trio of romantic beauties, and "Sugar Bum Bum," a jaunty calypso tip-of-the-hat to the Caribbean woman, perfectly seals this exotic date. Kaiso is an enticing recording by an extraordinary musician who is looking back historically and into his musical future. Whether calypso, straight-ahead, bebop or the mixture of all, Etienne Charles and his team show they have enough talent to cook up some truly spicy and wonderfully entertaining music. As they say in the Caribbean, "kaiso." ~ Nicholas F.Mondello https://www.allaboutjazz.com/kaiso-etienne-charles-culture-shock-music-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello.php
 

Personnel: Etienne Charles: trumpet, flugelhorn, cuatro, percussion, vocals; Brian Hogans: alto saxophone, piano (6), vocals; Jacques Schwarz-Bart: tenor saxophone, vocals; Sullivan Fortner: piano, vocals; Ben Williams: bass, vocals; Obed Calvaire: drums, vocals; 3 Canal: vocals (2); Monty Alexander: piano (5, 7, 9, 10); Ralph MacDonald: percussion (6-8, 11); Lord Superior: vocals (7, 9), guitar (7, 9).

Kaiso

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Jerry Bergonzi, The Modern Jazz Trio - Straight Gonz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:58
Size: 101,4 MB
Art: Front

( 3:25) 1. I See You
( 4:46) 2. Xtra Xtra
(11:38) 3. All of You
(10:56) 4. Body and Soul
( 9:49) 5. Ayaz
( 3:21) 6. Don't Look Back

Few saxophone players today trace the lineage from John Coltrane to today’s modern jazz scene as clearly American saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi. Now aged 72, but playing as strong as ever, the tenor giant rejoins The Modern Jazz Trio for Straight Gonz, their 6th album together. For more than a decade this Nordic supergroup has toured internationally in collaboration with star soloists including Dave Liebman, Tim Hagans & George Garzone. This latest outing was captured live at Denmark’s Dexter Jazz Club and showcases 4 Bergonzi originals alongside two timeless jazz standards: Cole Porter’s All of You and Johnny Green’s Body and Soul.

Bergonzi joined Dave Brubeck’s Quartet almost 50 years ago and, in the following years, has played on most of the world’s biggest stages and recorded for renowned labels including Blue Note & Atlantic Records. As one of the original modern jazz educators, his series of books Inside Improvisation have inspired a generation of players and this mix of authentic jazz tradition and modern jazz methodology is on full display on Straight Gonz.The album is pulled together by prolific drummer & bandleader Anders Mogensen whose 30-year career has seen him tour with a ‘who’s who’ of the jazz world, winning various Grammy’s along the way. https://jazzfuel.com/project/jerry-bergonzi-straight-gonz/

“Michael Brecker called Jerry ‘the best tenor player in the world’ for me, it’s is a dream to record with him.” Anders Mogensen

Straight Gonz

Hot Swing Sextet - Black Market Stuff

Styles: Swing, Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:41
Size: 112,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:06) 1. Benny's Bugle
(3:09) 2. When the Quailccome Back to San Quentin
(2:55) 3. I May Be Wrong
(4:22) 4. Lagwood Walk
(2:36) 5. Rose Room
(3:21) 6. A Smooth One
(2:46) 7. Effervescent Blues
(4:12) 8. N.R.C. Jump
(3:02) 9. Woke up Clipped
(2:44) 10. 9: 20 Special
(3:26) 11. Summit Ridge Drive
(2:57) 12. Loose Wig
(2:37) 13. Black Market Stuff
(3:02) 14. St. Louis Blues
(3:18) 15. Bunny

The HOT SWING SEXTET invites you to go back in time for a trip in the frenetic atmosphere of the jazz clubs of the 1930s. Between Paris and Harlem, between Django Reinhardt and Duke Ellington, via Louis Armstrong, The Hot Swing Sextet has organized for you , a "tailor-made" trip, direction: "the Swing". Get on board with these six young musicians bursting with energy. "Swinging", "swaying" and good humor are on the program of this great journey through "middle-jazz".Translate By Google https://www.paniermusique.fr/les-cds/2385-hot-swing-sextet-black-market-stuff-3760231765617.html

Black Market Stuff

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Mary Ann Redmond, Jay Cooley, Paul Langosch - Compared to What

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:09
Size: 127,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:04) 1. Come Rain or Come Shine
(5:16) 2. Dance Me To the End of Love
(5:18) 3. Compared To What
(4:17) 4. Storm is Coming
(3:21) 5. Never Make Your Move Too Soon
(4:37) 6. Creepin'
(4:57) 7. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(6:29) 8. Coyote
(5:02) 9. Ain't That Peculiar
(3:08) 10. What'll I Do
(5:04) 11. Fool On the Hill
(3:31) 12. Love Me Anyway

In 2003, after I heard Mary Ann Redmond's astonishing voice for the first time, we did an interview here called "On the Verge." Well, she's still on that verge at least everywhere outside of the Washington, D.C. area, where she lives. With just a handful of albums to her name, Redmond has won an astounding total of 22 Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards) in the jazz, pop, rock, blues, traditional R&B, and urban contemporary categories. The common denominator is the soulful power of her voice: it's safe to say that there's nothing like it in jazz.

Compared to What contains Redmond's most explicit jazz instrumentation to date. Produced by bassist Paul Langosch, who toured with Tony Bennett for 20 years, and arranged by keyboardist Jay Cooley, who's played with Phil Woods and Ernestine Anderson, it begins with a classic trio take on "Come Rain or Come Shine" that features a tasty tenor solo by Bruce Swaim. Langosch and Cooley are part of Swain's ongoing quartet, which helps explain the smooth camaraderie of their playing; they get fine rhythmic support from British drummer Dave Mattacks, who has recorded with Spyro Gyra, among many others.

But whatever genre she's exploring, Redmond's full-hearted interpretations distill every song into something unique and memorable. She swings just as hard on the blues anthem "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" as she does on Stevie Wonder's "Creepin'" and Joni Mitchell's "Coyote"; on Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" she gets down and dirty with the help of Dan Hovey's sexy electric guitar. Other highlights: Redmond's take on the jubilant title tune, which finally clarifies Les McCann's classic 1971 vocal (you can love his version without fully understanding it); the sinuous Latin twist to Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love"; and the surprise ending of "I Got It Bad" which discards the standard chick-singer drama to underscore the song's quiet, underlying dejection.

It's also worth noting that "Love Me Anyway," the haunting closing track, has earned her Song of the Year and Best Songwriter honors (with Todd Wright), and has also been covered by Celine Dion, in French. When music consumers download their favorite titles from a record, it's easy to ignore the rest of the tracks. Although such technology frees artists to be more eclectic, it can also obscure the full range of their musicality. Given what Compared to What reveals about Redmond's bold versatility and sparkling talent, it would be a real shame not to enjoy the whole ride. By DR. JUDITH SCHLESINGER https://www.allaboutjazz.com/compared-to-what-mary-ann-redmond-self-produced-review-by-dr-judith-schlesinger.php

Personnel: Mary Ann Redmond: voice, guitar; Paul Langosch: bass; Jay Cooley: keys; Dave Mattacks: drums, percussion; Dan Hovey: guitar; Bruce Swaim: tenor sax; John Jenson: trombone; Tim Stankey: trumpet.

Compared to What

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Lionel Hampton - Vintage Hampton

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:49
Size: 165,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:17) 1. Peggy's Blue Skylight
( 6:18) 2. Apple Core
( 4:18) 3. Lullaby Of Birdland
( 6:12) 4. Take The 'A' Train
( 3:44) 5. Midnight Blues
( 7:43) 6. The Man I Love
( 8:06) 7. Blues For Gates
( 5:17) 8. Fatha Meets Gates
(10:05) 9. As Long As We're Here
( 6:12) 10. Fables Of Faubus
( 8:31) 11. Blues For Gerry

During 1977, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton had the opportunity to record full albums with all-star groups headed by Charles Mingus (a nonet also including Woody Shaw and Gerry Mulligan), Mulligan, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Rich, Teddy Wilson and Earl Hines, among many others. One or two selections from each of those sets are included in this 1993 CD reissue, plus two titles "Ghost of a Chance," "Stella By Starlight," "When I Fall In Love" and "Sweet Sue."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/vintage-hampton-mw0000115008

Ricky Ford - Tenor Saxophone; Dexter Gordon - Soprano and tenor Saxophone; Lionel Hampton - Vibes; Earl Hines - Piano; Hank Jones - Piano; Thad Jones - Trumpet; Charles Mingus - Bass; Gerry Mulligan - Sax (Baritone); Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar; Buddy Rich - Drums; Dannie Richmond - Drums; Woody Shaw - Trumpet; Lucky Thompson - Soprano Saxophone; Jack Walrath - Trumpet; Teddy Wilson - Piano; Teddy Wilson Jr. - Drums; Oliver Jackson - Drums; Paul Jeffrey - Tenor Saxophone; Steve Marcus - Soprano Saxophone; Bob Neloms - Piano; Grady Tate - Drums; Candido - Conga; Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Saxophone; George Duvivier - Bass; Clark Terry - Trumpet; Milt Hinton - Bass; J.J. Johnson - Trombone; Osie Johnson - Drums; Barry Kiener - Piano; Peter Matt - Horn; Arvell Shaw - Bass; Tom Warrington - Bass; Tom Warrington - Trumpet; Sam Turner - Conga

Vintage Hampton

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Christina Von Bulow - The Good Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:45
Size: 132.2 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[10:31] 1. The Good Life
[11:03] 2. El Cajon
[ 6:44] 3. Tenderly
[ 9:33] 4. The Way You Look Tonight
[ 8:58] 5. Blues In The Night
[10:54] 6. Star Eyes

Christina von Bülow: altosax; Søren Kristiansen: piano; Jesper Lundgaard: bass; Eliot Zigmund: drums.

Christina von Bülow, Søren Kristiansen and Jesper Lundgaard have formed a trio since 2006. The co-operation came naturally in a love of the roots of the jazz and not least to all the fine, old melodies that belong to this tradition. Throughout the years, all three musicians have made a name both in Denmark and internationally and are considered among Denmark's finest jazz musicians. Christina von Bülow is one of the few musicians who have had the unique chance to receive Stan Getz's education during a 1990 stay in California the year before he died. Her music is also clearly inspired by this and she has been famous for its very melodic and lyrical games over the years.

In February 2014, the CD released 'The Good Life' (Stunt Records), which is a live recording of the concert at Jazzhus Dexter during the quarterly tour of November 2012. (Translated from Danish.)

The Good Life

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Maria Muldaur & Tuba Skinny - Let's Get Happy Together

Styles: Vocal And Cornet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:56
Size: 93,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:51) 1. I Like You Best of All
(3:46) 2. Let's Get Happy Together
(2:31) 3. Be Your Natural Self
(3:32) 4. Delta Bound
(2:35) 5. Swing You Sinners
(3:35) 6. He Ain't Got Rhythm
(3:21) 7. Got The South In My Soul
(3:13) 8. I Go For That
(2:53) 9. Patience And Fortitude
(3:12) 10. Some Sweet Day
(3:47) 11. Big City Blues
(3:35) 12. Road of Stone

Any album by Maria Muldaur is a cause for joy and celebration, and Let’s Get Happy Together, her collaboration with New Orleans band Tuba Skinny - Shaye Cohn (cornet), Todd Burdick (tuba), Barnabus Jones (trombone), Jason Lawrence (banjo), Craig Flory (clarinet), Greg Sherman (guitar), Max Bien-Kahn (guitar), and Robin Rapuzzi (washboard) - lives up to its title. Every song on the album dances exuberantly, strutting with the jaunty rhythms of second line swingers, with tuba, clarinet, trombone, and cornet sliding under and around one another and riding on a bed of guitar strums and banjo rolls. Muldaur sat in with the band when she was in New Orleans, but she and the band played a rousing official showcase at the 2020 Folk Alliance, and this album grew out of that rollicking performance of New Orleans blues and jazz standards from the 1920s and 1930s.

The album kicks off in high spirits with Cohn’s toodling cornet chasing Flory’s snaking clarinet leading into Muldaur’s buoyant vocals, which dazzle with a luminous joy as the singer affirms that of all the things in life that make her happy, “I Like You Best of All”; every instrument takes a turn on the instrumental bridge, allowing the band to bask in its glory. The swaying, toe-tapping “Let’s Get Happy Together,” written and originally recorded by Lil Hardin Armstrong, jubilantly showcases Tuba Skinny’s musical genius and Muldaur’s gift for conveying the emotions of a song’s lyrics in her vocals. The slow-burning “Delta Bound” contains similar sonic features to Muldaur’s classic version of “Can’t You Feel My Leg,” while the hopping juke joint number “Swing You Sinners” cannily illustrates that the gospel and jazz are two sides of the same coin and that there’s as much redemption in a Saturday night jazz ramble as there is in a Sunday morning gospel shout. Muldaur captures the tongue-in-cheek spirit of Irving Berlin’s “He Ain’t Got Rhythm,” as Tuba Skinny’s swinging rhythms deliver a sly parody of the song’s theme. The album closes with two sultry blues tunes, “Big City Blues” and “Road of Stone.”

Let’s Get Happy Together is a match made in jazz heaven, and we can only hope that Muldaur and Tubby Skinny will join forces again for another sashay and romp down Bourbon Street.By Henry Carrigan https://www.folkalley.com/album-review/2021/album-review-maria-muldaur-with-tuba-skinny-lets-get-happy-together#

Personnel: Tuba Skinny: Shaye Cohn – cornet; Todd Burdick – tuba; Barnabus Jones – trombone; Jason Lawrence – banjo; Craig Flory – clarinet; Greg Sherman – guitar; Max Bien-Kahn – guitar; and Robin Rapuzzi – washboard.

Let's Get Happy Together

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