Charles Earland - Unforgettable

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:52
Size: 105,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:26)  1. Unforgettable
(12:48)  2. Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)
( 6:32)  3. Sheila
( 5:46)  4. Commitment to Love
( 4:52)  5. Heart Attack
( 6:52)  6. Yes, I Love Her
( 3:33)  7. The Kicker

Charles Earland is definitely a survivor. The Hammond hero had lost his first wife to cancer when he made a triumphant return to soul-jazz in the late '80s, and he had recovered from a major heart attack when he recorded the appropriately titled Unforgettable. Earland was in the Intensive Care Unit in August 1991, and by December 1991, was back in the studio to record this superb and varied CD. The Philadelphian stressed that he was lucky to be alive, and he celebrates his survival with imaginative interpretations of everything from Joe Henderson's "The Kicker" to Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" (which he takes a medium speed instead of its usual ballad tempo) to Santana's "Europa." Earland has consistently demonstrated that commercial appeal and accessibility can go hand-in-hand with musical integrity, and Unforgettable is one of many fine examples. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/unforgettable-mw0000177413

Personnel: Organ – Charles Earland; Drums – Buddy Williams (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 7), Gregory Williams (6) (tracks: 1, 2, 5); Guitar – Oliver Nevels; Percussion – Lawrence Killian; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Eric Alexander; Tenor Saxophone, Producer – Houston Person (tracks: 1, 5, 7); Trombone – Clifford Adams; Trumpet – Kenny Rampton

Unforgettable

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Sonny Stitt - Legends of Acid Jazz

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:06
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front

(11:10) 1. Turn It On
( 7:59) 2. Bar-B-Que Man
( 9:28) 3. Miss Riverside
( 3:54) 4. Cry Me a River
( 4:02) 5. There Are Such Things
( 7:26) 6. Goin' to D.C.
( 5:34) 7. Aires
( 6:43) 8. Black Vibrations
( 6:27) 9. Calling Card
( 2:23) 10. Where Is Love?
( 7:55) 11. Them Funky Changes

This CD reissues the complete contents of two former Lp's by saxophonist Sonny Stitt: Turn It On and Black Vibrations. These are rather unusual entries in Stitt's huge discography in that Sonny often sounds like a guest performer on his own sessions rather than the leader. During the earlier date, Stitt uses an electrical device (a Varitone) on his tenor that waters down his tone a bit. With organist Leon Spencer, guitarist Melvin Sparks and drummer Idris Muhammad setting down unrelenting grooves on most of the five numbers (including the 11-minute title cut), Stitt only seems to be making cameo appearances although trumpeter Virgil Jones gets in a few good solos on three of the numbers.

The later date (which also has some good Jones trumpet) finds Stitt playing acoustically and switching to alto on two of the six jams, but once again it is the nonstop chugging of Sparks, Muhammad and either Leon Spencer or guest organist Don Patterson that fuels the fire. It is silly to call these soul jazz outings "acid jazz" since Sonny Stitt's solos are essentially bebop, but the grooves are danceable and funky.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/legends-of-acid-jazz-mw0000190589

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Sonny Stitt; Drums – Idris Muhammad; Guitar – Melvin Sparks; Organ – Don Patterson , Leon Spencer; Trumpet – Virgil Jones

Legends of Acid Jazz

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Glenn Zottola - Classic Arrangements / I Got Rhythm

Album: Classic Arrangements
Size: 67,6 MB
Time: 28:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Big Band
Art: Front

01. Teach Me Tonight (3:47)
02. Angel Eyes (3:33)
03. Come Rain Or Come Shine (4:00)
04. You Make Me Feel So Young (2:04)
05. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (3:13)
06. Try A Little Tenderness (3:17)
07. If I Should Lose You (2:26)
08. Autumn In NY (4:36)
09. Street Of Dreams (1:56)

Any album that pays homage to the music associated with the “Chairman of the Board,” must be carefully designed for Frank Sinatra is a one-of-kind icon leaving his mark on American culture and history. Glenn Zottola’s Alto/Sinatra does exactly that, performing the music of Sinatra in an instrumental album where the saxophonist plays the featured role, a vocal role of sorts, fitting within his concept of “singing through the horn,” where on this album - through his alto saxophone voice - Zottola becomes Sinatra. Zottola grew up in a musical family listening to Sinatra and watching his TV
shows during the 60s. The voicing through the horn concept of this album was born in the early years where his father, a classical music conductor, played opera music at home leaving an impact on the young future musician.

Alto saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker served as one of Zottola’s main influences throughout his career, leading to his tribute album Reflections of Charlie Parker but, it was Parker’s playing in big band settings that inspired Zottola to integrate this approach to the Sinatra project. Thus is born Alto/Sinatra, an instrumental jazz album of music from the Sinatra songbook. The main feature: an alluring lead alto saxophone, the support: an amazing big band topped off by an occasional string section - all producing a sophisticated mature jazz sound that the Chairman himself would be proud of.

Zottola is one of the few jazz musicians to have had the pleasure of performing with Sinatra and did so on television playing alongside saxophonist Tommy Newsome, trumpeter Edward “Snooky” Young and the entire Tonight Show NBC Orchestra in a one-session dream come true. Deciding what to record from the lengthy Sinatra repertoire was not easy however, noting that Sinatra used some of the greatest arrangers for his music, Zottola chose a few of the legend’s greatest hits with arrangements from such song masters like Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Billy May, Don Costa and Torrie Zito.

Classic Arrangements

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Album: I Got Rhythm
Size: 99,2 MB
Time: 37:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Mainstream Jazz
Art: Front

01. Jeepers Creepers (3:04)
02. I Only Have Eyes For You (3:43)
03. April In Paris (3:35)
04. Just One Of Those Things (3:27)
05. I May Be Wrong (2:25)
06. Don't Take Your Love From Me (3:44)
07. What Is This Thing Called Love (3:20)
08. The Man I Love (3:45)
09. Lover Come Back To Me (3:00)
10. My Heart Stood Still (3:47)
11. I Got Rhythm (3:06)

Rhythm Section 1: (I Only Have Eyes For You; April In Paris; What Is This Thing Called Love; The Man I Love; Lover Come Back To Me; I Got Rhythm) - Nat Pierce, Piano; Barry Galbraith, Guitar; Milt Hinton, Bass; Osie Johnson, Drums

Rhythm Section 2 (I May Be Wrong) - Don Abney, Piano; Jimmy Raney, Guitar; Oscar Pettiford, Bass; Kenny Clarke, Drums

Rhythm Section 3 (Jeepers Creepers; Just One Of Those Things; Don’t Take Your Love From Me; My Heart Stood Still) - Don Abney, Piano; Mundell Lowe, Guitar Wilbur Ware; Bass; Bobby Donaldson, Drums

My thanks to my friend Les Silver of RS Berkeley Instruments for providing me with the Virtuoso Vintage Tenor and Stan Getz Legend Mouthpiece which I used on this album, both truly a joy to work with. Thanks also to Robert Polan and Kristen McKeon of Rico Reeds for allowing me to test literally dozens of reeds before recording. As any saxophone player will tell you, without a good reed all is for naught. - Glenn Zottola

I Got Rhythm

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Ray Davies, The Trumpet Of & His Button Down Brass - Whipped Cream

Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:07
Size: 74,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:50) 1. Dinah
(2:45) 2. My Baby Just Cares for Me
(2:03) 3. The Mexican Shuffle
(1:47) 4. Five Minutes More
(2:31) 5. The John B Sails
(2:02) 6. Flamingo
(2:52) 7. Cabaret
(2:02) 8. Spanish Flea
(2:34) 9. A Taste of Honey
(2:07) 10. Frenesi
(1:54) 11. South of the Border
(3:07) 12. A Swingin' Safari
(2:05) 13. Tijuana Taxi
(2:20) 14. Whipped Cream

Ray Davies was a Welsh trumpeter, session musician, and bandleader, active from the 1940s to 1970s. Much of his work featured on the Boosey & Hawkes stock music library, experiencing a surge in popularity during the 1990s lounge revival, and he also frequently conducted the BBC Radio Orchestra, as well as playing for the BBC Big Band. He is the father of record producer Rhett Davies, and served as chairman of BASCA from 2004 to 2010. During his childhood, he played in local military bands, after which he attended the Royal College of Music. After finishing his education, he began to play trumpet for a large number of orchestras, big bands, and theatres across London, including that of Frank Cordell.

In the 1960s, he took part in a session for Reader's Digest, which, wanting a British response to Herb Alpert, led to Davies forming his band. This group was known as Ray Davies and The Button-Down Brass (or The Button-Down Brass Featuring The Funky Trumpet of Ray Davies), and it released a series of popular easy-listening albums, as well as covers of television and film theme tunes. At the same time, he also entered the pop scene, playing trumpet on records such as It's Not Unusual, Downtown, and Shirley Bassey's version of Big Spender. Known for his short temper, he became an accomplished songwriter, and he was consulted by many pop bands, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, on musical arrangements. He died at the age of 89, on July 20, 2017. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Davies_(trumpeter)

Whipped Cream

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OM - OM with Dom Um Romao

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:55
Size: 96,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:47) 1. Chipero
( 7:38) 2. Back to Front
( 6:25) 3. Dumini
(17:03) 4. De Funk

Is there a high road? This is the question asked by OM’s third of four albums for JAPO. For its junior effort, the renegade quartet of Urs Leimgruber (reeds), Christy Doran (guitar), Bobby Burri (bass), and Fredy Studer (drums) would seem to hold to a relatively accessible doctrine. But while it is the most groove-oriented in their potent discography not surprising, given the driving center found in guest artist Dom Um Romão (1925-2005) the core provided by the legendary Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist, known for his work with Weather Report, allows a melodic brand of expressive freedom to take shape. The showdown is just as dreamy and feverish as anything OM had ever produced. This atmosphere comes about through the hypnotic effect of a steady pulse, the essence of all ritual. Burri’s “Chipero” opens the doors to a realm of bird and goddess, a forest where waters run shallow but sure. Romão provides the welcoming call, the rest evoking fauna and wounds of expectation. These energies sustain themselves throughout, especially in the two Doran-penned tunes.

“Back To Front” swings us farther out into the cosmic stretch by way of some especially colorful picking from the composer, unwrapping a package of candy and strewing its contents over Saturn’s rings. The flow is not without its detours, as evidenced by the stark change of scenery as bass and guitar mellow for a concluding night flight. Doran’s other half is “De Funk,” which churns the butter to even smoother consistency. Romão’s Nana Vasconcelos vibe adds just the right touch of salt to Studer’s metronome. Doran, ebullient as over, can only defer to Burri, who works overtime to keep us in the here and now. Leimgruber’s bass clarinet turns like a jigsaw piece crying for fit and sets up a round of witty exchanges. Nestled among these propulsive journeys, the artful dodge of Leimgruber’s “Dumini” awakens the behemoth of memory in a lanky, sweltering pitch. Because it is the only track to have made the cut for OM’s retrospective album, this collaborative joint is worth checking out for the surrounding paths it lays. OM remains attentive to ebb and flow, an oarless boat reaching shore. What does oxygen breathe? https://ecmreviews.com/2013/03/22/om-with-dom/

Personel: Urs Leimgruber soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet; Christy Doran 6- and 12-string electric guitars; Bobby Burri bass; Fredy Studer drums; Dom Um Romão percussion, berimbau

OM with Dom Um Romao

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Charlie Ventura - All That's Mine

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 77:10
Size: 176.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Exactly Like You
[5:55] 2. No More Blues
[2:24] 3. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:26] 4. Stardust
[3:15] 5. When The Saints Go Marching In
[4:14] 6. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
[2:55] 7. Runnin' Wild
[3:08] 8. I've Got You Under My Skin
[5:12] 9. Long, Long Summer
[2:28] 10. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
[2:55] 11. Dark Eyes, Pt. 1
[3:01] 12. Sweet Sue, Just You
[2:09] 13. Dark Eyes, Pt. 2
[4:31] 14. 's Wonderful
[3:13] 15. Charlie Comes On
[2:55] 16. It's Only A Paper Moon
[2:48] 17. Jack-Pot
[2:49] 18. I Surrender, Dear
[3:36] 19. Pau De Arara
[3:07] 20. C.V. Jam
[2:29] 21. Sweet Lorraine
[4:15] 22. Who's Sorry Now
[2:50] 23. Good (Big) Deal

A fine swing-oriented tenor saxophonist, Ventura is best-remembered for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. Born Charles Venturo, he came from a large, musically inclined family. His first instrument was C-melody sax. He switched to alto before eventually settling on tenor. Ventura left his day job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942 to join Gene Krupa's band. He became a featured soloist with Krupa, playing with the drummer from 1942-1943 and 1944-1946 (working in the interim with guitarist/bandleader Teddy Powell). Ventura achieved considerable popularity while with Krupa, winning a Down Beat magazine award as best tenor saxophonist in 1945. He started his own big band in 1946 with middling results. He had more success fronting a small band, one version of which included trumpeter Conte Candoli, trombonist Bennie Green, alto saxophonist Boots Mussulli, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, and vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Ventura recorded for small labels before getting signed to RCA Victor, which at the time wanted to capitalize on the emergence of bebop. An RCA executive purportedly told him that they wanted the word "bop" in the band's name. Ventura came up with the phrase "Bop for the People," which implied an accessible form of the music. Ventura formed a big band in 1948, but soon cut it down to eight members, retaining Cain and Kral, who were crucial components of the band's sound. The Bop for the People band worked through 1949 (during which time Ventura employed modern jazz's greatest saxophonist, Charlie Parker, on a record date), but in the end Ventura's stab at making a commercial success of bop failed. Indeed, as fine a player as he was, Ventura himself was never really a bopper. During the early '50s Ventura led another big band; formed a highly acclaimed group called the Big Four with bassist Chubby Jackson, drummer Buddy Rich, and pianist Marty Napoleon; briefly ran his own night club in Philadelphia; and also worked again with Cain and Kral. Ventura's health was not the best, yet he continued to work with Krupa into the '60s. After the '50s, Ventura recorded commercially only once (in 1977, with pianist John Bunch for the Famous Door label). Still, he remained active. He worked in Las Vegas (with comedian Jackie Gleason), and fronted various groups in the '70s and '80s, before dying of lung cancer in 1992. ~Chris Kelsey

All That's Mine

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Sonny Stitt & Eddie Davis - The Battle Of Birdland

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:35
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:53) 1. Marchin'
( 8:02) 2. S.O.S.
(10:08) 3. Jaws
( 7:30) 4. I Can't Get Started

The Battle of Birdland (also released as Tenor Battle at Birdland and Jaws N' Stitt at Birdland) is a live album by saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Eddie Davis recorded at Birdland in New York City in 1954 and originally released on the Roost label.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Birdland

Personnel: Sonny Stitt, Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis (tenor sax), Doc Bagby (organ), Charlie Rice (drum).

The Battle Of Birdland

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Mel Tormé - Mel Tormé In Hollywood

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:59
Size: 135.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[ 4:31] 1. From This Moment On
[ 6:37] 2. That Old Black Magic
[10:42] 3. My Shining Hour
[ 3:04] 4. The Christmas Song
[ 3:26] 5. A Stranger In Town
[ 2:08] 6. I Wish I Were In Love Again
[ 2:26] 7. Moonlight In Vermont
[ 3:05] 8. Bernie's Tune
[ 5:40] 9. Love Is Here To Stay
[ 2:35] 10. Blue Moon
[ 2:47] 11. Have You Met Miss Jones
[ 3:00] 12. Jeepers Creepers
[ 2:25] 13. Mountain Greenery
[ 3:21] 14. Imagination
[ 3:02] 15. Get Happy

This is an intriguing CD containing 20 performances (seven previously unissued) from one night in the life of Mel Tormé. Recorded live at the Crescendo in Hollywood, Tormé not only sings, but also plays piano with a quartet comprised of clarinetist/pianist Al Pellegrini, bassist James Dupre and drummer Richard Shanahan. Although not quite as strong a jazz singer as he would become, Tormé is consistently swinging on a well-rounded set highlighted by "That Old Black Magic," "My Shining Hour," "The Christmas Song," "Moonlight in Vermont," "Bernie's Tune," "Mountain Greenery" and "Get Happy." ~Scott Yanow

Mel Tormé In Hollywood

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Peter Bernstein - Signs Live!

Size: 202,4+151,6 MB
Time: 87:53+65:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Blues for Bulgaria (Live) (17:57)
02. Hidden Pockets (Live) (11:37)
03. Dragonfly (Live) (18:42)
04. Jive Coffee (Live) (19:03)
05. Pannonica (Live) ( 8:41)
06. Useless Metaphor (Live) (11:50)

CD 2:
01. Let Loose (Live) (15:23)
02. All Too Real (Live) (13:20)
03. Resplendor (Live) ( 8:42)
04. Crepuscule With Nellie - We See (Live) (14:34)
05. Ter Bernstein – Cupcake (Live) (13:45)

Signs LIVE! reunites the four master musicians who came together 20 years earlier to record the acclaimed Signs of Life, the second album by guitar-great Peter Bernstein. Recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the album captures the long-awaited live debut of Bernstein’s once-in-a-lifetime quartet featuring pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson.

Bernstein’s second release for Smoke Sessions Records, Signs LIVE! (available July 28) allows audiences around the world to share the experience of the lucky few who were in the room for this summit meeting with four of modern jazz’s most revered artists. The two-disc set documents both sets of the quartet’s third and final night, with each soloist given the space to work out – an opportunity which each of these musicians seizes brilliantly.

When they originally came together to record Signs of Life for Criss Cross in December 1994, only the most psychic of jazz fans could realize the impact that the members of Bernstein’s quartet would end up having on the shape of the music over the next two decades. Mehldau had only recently formed his soon-to-be landmark trio, and had apprenticed alongside Bernstein in legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb’s band. McBride had garnered notice along with Mehldau in Joshua Redman’s quartet and had only a few months prior released his leader debut for Verve. Hutchinson was just beginning to make waves as a member of Roy Hargrove’s band.

Signs Live! CD 1, CD 2

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Glenn Zottola - Glenn Zottola & Friends

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:46
Size: 152,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. Song of the Sails (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(5:10) 2. By the Brook (feat. Romero Lubambo & Pamela Driggs)
(5:46) 3. Crystal Silence (feat. Romero Lubambo & Pamela Driggs)
(3:05) 4. Stars In the Sky (feat. Ricky Kej)
(3:02) 5. Pch (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(4:24) 6. Starlight In Your Smile (feat. Kirby Jones)
(4:19) 7. In the Pocket (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(5:03) 8. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life (feat. Alan McPike)
(4:33) 9. Motown (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(5:49) 10. Natures Beauty (feat. Romero Lubambo & Pamela Driggs)
(3:58) 11. Blue In Green (feat. Glenn Alexander)
(3:38) 12. Then Sings My Soul (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(4:00) 13. The Look of the Hook (feat. Kirby Jones)
(5:00) 14. Ray’s Groove (feat. Ray Burghardt)
(3:51) 15. Sunshine (feat. Ray Burghardt)

B. Glenn Paul Zottola, 28 April 1947, Port Chester, New York, USA. Zottola first played trumpet at the age of three, his early start explained by the fact that his father not only played trumpet but was also a manufacturer of trumpet mouthpieces (his brother, Bob Zottola, played with the bands of Charlie Barnet, Maynard Ferguson and Billy May). At the age of nine Glenn was playing in public, and within three years was performing regularly on television and had made an appearance at the Atlantic City Jazz Festival. In the early 60s he played a leading role in a documentary film, Come Back. In 1967 he joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra, then under the direction of Buddy De Franco. In 1970, Zottola was briefly with Lionel Hampton and then began a fruitful decade that saw him backing a wide range of artists, including Bob Hope, Al Martino, Patti Page, Tony Martin, Robert Merrill and Mel Tormé. Towards the end of the 70s Zottola played lead trumpet in the orchestra accompanying the touring version of Chicago. In 1979 he joined Tex Beneke and that same year became a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet for a national tour.

Zottola began the 80s in fine style, playing, singing and acting in Swing, a musical presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, before playing in the pit bands of several Broadway shows including Evita, Annie and Barnum, and also for the Stratford, Connecticut revival of Anything Goes, which starred Ginger Rogers. In the early 80s he joined Bob Wilber’s Bechet Legacy band, playing on record sessions and international tours. Zottola has also recorded with Butch Miles, George Masso, Keith Ingham and Maxine Sullivan. In the mid-80s, in addition to his regular appearances with Wilber, Zottola led his own big band at the Rainbow Room in New York City and then joined forces with Bobby Rosengarden to co-lead a big band at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenwich, Connecticut. He toured overseas, playing jazz festivals in Ireland, Holland and Finland, while his US festival appearances have included St. Louis, Sacramento and the Kool Jazz Festival in New York. In 1988 he was featured soloist in Wilber’s recreation of Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. In 1990 Zottola was headlining at the Clearwater Jazz Festival in Florida and late in 1991 toured the UK and Europe with a band led by Peanuts Hucko and then Glenn moved to Los Angeles to become the band leader on the Suzanne Somers TV show out of universal studios.

Unusually among brass players, Zottola is also an accomplished saxophonist, playing alto with flair. Although rooted in the mainstream of jazz and with a marked kinship for the swing era, his playing shows flashes of a deep awareness of bop and post-bop developments in the music. The exceptional talent he displayed as a child has not been dissipated but has been nurtured into an impressive all-round ability. https://glennzottola.com/about/

Glenn Zottola & Friends

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Sallie Blair - Squeeze Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:35
Size: 72.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1957/2014
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Squeeze Me
[3:04] 2. Almost Like Being In Love
[3:02] 3. Better Luck Next Time
[3:10] 4. The More I See You
[2:51] 5. You Make Me Feel So Young
[2:14] 6. What Is This Thing Called Love
[2:28] 7. Come By Sunday
[2:52] 8. Ain't She Sweet
[3:01] 9. How Long Has This Been Going On
[2:47] 10. The I'll Be Tired Of You
[2:44] 11. Similau

With its saucy title and come-hither cover photo, Squeeze Me promises an abundance of sex-kitten thrills, but what separates Sallie Blair from dozens of other postwar bombshells is her bluesy, earthy voice -- sultriness notwithstanding, the girl can sing. This Bethlehem debut pairs Blair with arranger Richard Wess and a small-combo support unit headlined by bassist Milt Hinton, guitarist Sal Salvador, and pianist Sanford Gold. The record's candlelit ambience emphasizes Blair's prowess on romantic ballads, but a few uptempo, Latin-inspired cuts underscore the breadth of her vocal range. ~Jason Ankeny

Squeeze Me

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Cynthia Sayer - Joyride

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:49
Size: 114.0 MB
Styles: Dixieland, Swing, Banjo jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Banjo Blues
[3:25] 2. Move It On Over
[4:44] 3. I Get Ideas (Adios Muchachos)
[3:45] 4. Ella Miriam's Blues
[3:06] 5. You Talk Too Much
[5:08] 6. The Man On The Flying Trapeze
[4:13] 7. I Love Paris
[4:01] 8. Getting To Know You
[3:30] 9. El Irresistible
[3:45] 10. Goody Goody
[3:28] 11. Honey
[3:05] 12. Under The Bamboo Tree
[4:22] 13. When You Wish Upon A Star

Banjo!—one's mental and aural images might include straw-hatted gents picking away at an attraction at Disney World, Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole strolling in Cat Ballou, (Columbia Pictures, 1965) "The Beverly Hillbillies Theme," or perhaps the iconic "duel" from Deliverance (Warner Bros., 1972) There's probably no other musical instrument on the planet that's more associated with novelty, Americana and all-around Good Times.

Joyride from celebrated jazz banjoist and vocalist, Cynthia Sayer, lives up to its title. And, while the jazz here is more traditional than contemporary and there's a limited amount of extended improv, this is an exhilarating excursion via an artist's and her supporting musicians' talents that results in a funhouse of good music. Sayer, a Banjo Hall of Famer and mainstay in Woody Allen's jazz combo and on his film soundtracks, has performed and recorded with a diverse Who's Who of jazz, popular music and the cinema—Marvin Hamlisch, Bruce Springsteen, Wynton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli, and the New York Philharmonic. At that world-class level, Sayer and her 4-stringed buddy are no novelty. She's the real deal and this recording reinforces that standing.

Joyride is a terrific combination of Sayer's pluck, the wonderful sounds of Springsteen accordionist, Charlie Giordano, trumpeter Randy Sandke's Pops-like rides, and a Baker's Dozen of shrewdly selected offerings—past and present—performed by fine musicians who play with vigor. Sayer pens two interesting originals ("Banjo Blues," "You Talk Too Much") and re-lyrics another ("Man On the Flying Trapeze"). Overall, it's an eclectic hoot performed with sass and smarts. Sayer's vocal chops fit the material well and add a saucy dimension ("Banjo Blues," "Getting to Know You," "Move It On Over"). She's got a slick way with words and can shine new light on time-worn lines ("Goody,Goody," "I Love Paris," "When You Wish Upon A Star"). While banjo-centric jazz might not be everyone's cup of tea, Joyride is an entertaining effort from a truly gifted talent. It's a "'joy ride" indeed. ~Nicholas F. Mondello

Cynthia Sayer: banjo and vocals; Charlie Giordano: accordion; Mauro Battisti: string bass; Larry Eagle: percussion; Sarah Caswell: violin; Adrian Cunningham: clarinet; Jon Herington: electric guitar; Randy Sandke: trumpet; Scott Robinson: tenor saxophone, tarogato; Marcus Rojas: tuba; Mike Weatherly: string bass, backup vocals.

Joyride

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John Hicks - Five After Four

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:28
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. Cheaters Never Win
(3:33)  2. Five After Four
(5:08)  3. Behind the Velvet Rope
(3:09)  4. Outrun a Memory
(4:38)  5. I'm Going to Be Alright
(3:00)  6. Vanderbilt
(3:34)  7. Wonder Where Your Heart Is Tonight
(3:07)  8. Chasing the Sun
(4:54)  9. Bandera Wind
(3:01) 10. Missing You
(3:11) 11. Gift and a Curse

What do you get when you mix a six time Emmy Award winning producer, with brilliant musicians, back-up vocalists and raspy warrior poet lyricists? A Texas style cruising down the road feel good jam with a sprinkle of all the most edible genres! Finally here, and years in the making, John Hicks Five After Four is sure to delight, surprise and keep you coming back for more after just One Listen. Not a filler song on the entire album. Please enjoy! https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/johnhicks2

Five After Four

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Bud Powell - Compact Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:09
Size: 105.7 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1993/2012
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Fantasy In Blue
[2:59] 2. Buttercup
[2:26] 3. Tempus Fugit
[1:39] 4. When I Fall In Love
[3:33] 5. Crazy Rhythm
[2:19] 6. Salt Peanuts
[3:30] 7. All The Things You Are
[2:25] 8. Someone To Watch Over Me
[2:25] 9. Be-Bop
[2:49] 10. Yesterdays
[2:22] 11. I Know That You Know
[2:49] 12. Sweet Georgia Brown
[3:00] 13. Blues In The Closet
[3:29] 14. Lover Come Back To Me
[2:17] 15. Dance Of The Infidels
[2:40] 16. I'll Keep Loving You
[2:13] 17. Dusk In Sandi

As a budget sampler, this edition of the Compact Jazz series offers newcomers an attractive overview of Bud Powell's Verve material from 1949-1956. That said, the disc does include several cuts from Powell's less-than-stellar mid-'50s trio sessions, a time when mental illness and electroshock therapy had started to take its toll. And although there are a few sides from Powell's monumental 1949-1951 dates with drummer Max Roach and bassists Curly Russell and Ray Brown ("Tempus Fugit," "I'll Keep Loving You"), plus one solo number from the same period ("Dusk in Sandi"), the majority here is of variable quality. This is not to say there aren't any good performances to be found in the later cuts; but for fans looking into a quality introduction to Powell's Verve work, the label's two Jazz Giant discs would be the best place to start. ~Stephen Cook

Compact Jazz

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Toots Thielemans - Compact Jazz

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:55
Size: 135,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. A Volta
(4:19)  2. Dirty Old Man
(4:45)  3. Bluesette
(3:30)  4. I Do It For Your Love
(4:02)  5. Big Bossa
(3:33)  6. Lullaby
(8:00)  7. Tenor Madness
(3:43)  8. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:36)  9. Old Friend
(6:43) 10. Quarte's fever
(8:03) 11. Footprints
(3:52) 12. Sultry Seranade

Toots Thielemans virtually introduced the chromatic harmonica as a jazz instrument. In fact, beginning in the mid-'50s, he never had a close competitor. Thielemans simply played the harmonica with the dexterity of a saxophonist and even successfully traded off with the likes of Oscar Petersom.  Thielemans' first instrument was the accordion, which he started when he was three. Although he started playing the harmonica when he was 17, Thielemans' original reputation was made as a guitarist who was influenced by Django Reinhardt.

Very much open to bop, Thielemans played in American GI clubs in Europe, visited the U.S. for the first time in 1947, and shared the bandstand with Charlie Parker at the Paris Jazz Festival of 1949. He toured Europe as a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1950, and the following year moved to the U.S. During 1953-1959, Toots was a member of the George Shearing Quintet (mostly as a guitarist) and freelanced for the remainder of his lengthy career in music.   He first recorded his big hit, "Bluesette" (which featured his expert whistling and guitar) in 1961, and was subsequently in great demand (particularly for his harmonica and his whistling) on pop records (including many dates with Quincy Jones) and as a jazz soloist. Toots' two-volume Brasil Project was popular in the 1990s and found him smoothly interacting on harmonica with top Brazilian musicians. Heard on numerous movie soundtracks (including Breakfast at Tiffany's and Midnight Cowboy) and also on the opening theme of television's Sesame Street, Thielemans received Jazz Master honors from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. He died in Belgium in August 2016 at the age of 94.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/toots-thielemans-mn0000159791/biography

Compact Jazz

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Roger Kellaway - I Was There: Roger Kellaway Plays from the Bobby Darin Songbook

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:54
Size: 164,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Beyond the Sea
(5:16)  2. Charade
(4:12)  3. My Buddy
(4:23)  4. Just In Time
(6:41)  5. When I Look In Your Eyes
(5:35)  6. The Shadow of Your Smile
(5:03)  7. I Was There
(4:17)  8. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(5:51)  9. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
(5:34) 10. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:45) 11. That's All
(4:38) 12. My Funny Valentine
(5:08) 13. All By Myself
(4:19) 14. Something in Your Smile

With renewed focus on the late singer Bobby Darin in 2004, due in part to the making of a film biography starring Kevin Spacey, the timing became ripe for a musical tribute album to him as well. Pianist Roger Kellaway served as Darin's musical director between 1967 and 1968. He got to know him very well and recognized him as more than just an ambitious singer continuously in search of a hit, as many critics labeled him at that time. Darin often had in mind what he wanted in an arrangement and sang ideas for his pianist to score. When Kellaway was working for the singer, Darin was looking for more than rehashes of his earlier pop hits. The pianist therefore chose to salute him by recording a mix of standards from earlier decades, including "My Buddy," "My Funny Valentine" and "All By Myself," along with 1940s jazz ballads such as Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light." But there is also newer material, including a brisk, inventive treatment of Henry Mancini's "Charade," a pair of songs from the film Dr. Doolittle (a lovely take of "When I Look Into Your Eyes" and "Something in Your Smile," the latter which also features a warm vocal by Kellaway). 

There is also a dreamy take of Johnny Mandel's gorgeous ballad "The Shadow of Your Smile," played with a lightly implied bossa nova rhythm. The only song never performed by Darin, "I Was There," is a swinging tribute composed by Darin's former music director. The sincerity of Roger Kellaway's tribute to Bobby Darin is never in doubt. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-was-there-roger-kellaway-plays-from-the-bobby-darin-songbook-mw0000140195

Personnel: Roger Kellaway (piano)

I Was There: Roger Kellaway Plays from the Bobby Darin Songbook

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Swedish Swing Quartet - Live at Salsta Castle (Remastered)

Styles: Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:31
Size: 169,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:03) 1. Avalon
(5:19) 2. Poor Butterfly
(5:32) 3. Limehouse Blues
(5:18) 4. I Must Have That Man
(6:17) 5. I Got Rhythm
(6:31) 6. Sweet Georgia Brown
(8:31) 7. More Than You Know
(6:16) 8. Tangerine
(5:33) 9. Have You Met Miss Jones
(6:36) 10. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:52) 11. Moonglow
(5:37) 12. Flying Home

John Pizzarelli - With A Song In My Heart

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:25
Size: 101,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:53) 1. With A Song In My Heart
(2:27) 2. This Can't Be Love
(4:36) 3. I Like To Recognize The Tune
(4:13) 4. It's Easy To Remember
(2:59) 5. Johnny One Note
(4:12) 6. Nobody's Heart
(4:25) 7. Happy Talk
(2:47) 8. Mountain Greenery
(3:40) 9. I Have Dreamed
(2:34) 10. The Lady Is A Tramp
(4:36) 11. She Was Too Good To Me
(2:59) 12. You've Got To Be Carefully Taught

John Pizzarelli salutes composer Richard Rodgers with this songbook including a dozen of his works. The vocalist/guitarist is accompanied by his trio, with Larry Fuller replacing Ray Kennedy, bassist Martin Pizzarelli, and drummer Tony Tedesco. Pizzarelli adds a personal touch to "I Like to Recognize the Tune" by altering Lorenz Hart's lyrics a bit, while also scatting up a storm in unison with his guitar. Bucky Pizzarelli is an added guest and soloist for "It's Easy to Remember," an intimate duet with the vocalist playing rhythm. Cesar Camargo Mariano takes over at the piano for the breezy bossa nova setting of "Happy Talk." Arranger Don Sebesky wrote the charts for the six tracks and a quartet of brass and reeds, highlighted by the snappy scoring of "The Lady Is a Tramp," recalling Pizzarelli's previous Telarc salute to Frank Sinatra (Dear Mr. Sinatra, in which he trades fours scatting with each of the horns). This release is a little short in the CD era, clocking in at just over 43 minutes, but there's never a dull moment.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/with-a-song-in-my-heart-mw0000793387

Personnel: John Pizzarelli – guitar, vocals; Larry Fuller – piano; Martin Pizzarelli – bass; Tony Tedesco – drums; John Mosca – trombone, baritone horn; Andy Fusco – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Kenny Berger – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Tony Kadlech – trumpet, flugelhorn

Special guests: Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar (track 4); Cesar Camargo Mariano – piano (track 7); Don Sebesky – Swing Seven Arrangements

With A Song In My Heart

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Adam Rogers - Art Of The Invisible

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:03
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Long Ago (And Far Away)
(7:53)  2. Absalom
(6:41)  3. Bobo
(5:30)  4. The Aleph
(6:31)  5. The Invisible
(6:54)  6. Cathedral
(7:54)  7. Book Of Sand
(6:27)  8. In Broad Daylight
(6:37)  9. The Unvanquished

What's the best way to find out who's the best guitarist in New York? Simple-ask a few apple-based guitarists (or any other instrumentalists, for that matter). I've conducted an informal poll and the answer I've gotten more often than not is the leader here, who I've counted among the world's finest plectrists for almost a decade now. 2002 is shaping up to be nothing less than the "Year of Adam Rogers," with a hefty role taken in fantastic new releases by Scott Colley and Alex Sipiagin and notable appearances on Chris Potter's Traveling Mercies , The Mingus Big band's Tonight at Noon and a fairly well-received debut by Miss Norah Jones. Now, finally, Criss Cross Jazz gives us the long deserved and long overdue debut by quite simply, one of the world's finest guitarists- ever.

Adam's been developing his incredible gifts in a variety of genres throughout his career, and clearly finds fascination and inspiration in all musical places; from fusion to pop to mainstream to ethnic to avant-garde. This record finds him at his essence-swinging, mainstream, contemporary, small group, post-bop guitar nirvana. Guitar lovers-stop right now and buy this one before anything else this year because Adam's put himself right at the head of New York's, and therefore the world's, elite cadre of incredible players pushing the instrument's future forward. Highlights? The entirety of the outing swings incredibly hard or waxes gorgeously soft, with one standard and eight originals from Adam's mighty pen. Seems as though Mr. Rogers has known all along that composition, not merely prodigious technique on the instrument, is at the core of consequence on the musical map. That said, his skills as a pure player are absolutely mind-boggling, with long lines and phraseology extending the lineage of Martino, Montgomery and Benson, extruding a tone from a Gibson ES-335 so phat and warm it could be coming from a jazz box three times the width. One of the instrument's great compers as well, he relinquishes that role for the most part here to the refined and harmonically astute pianist Eduardo Simon. What a quartet he's assembled- Michael Brecker Band mates Clarence Penn, who stirs and swings the date hard and is full of surprises on the kit, and Scott Colley, a complete player with velvety tone on acoustic bass, round out the band.

Compositionally, it's full of layers. Listen to "Cathedral" for heart rendering piano and crystalline single note work emphasizing Rogers' mastery of linear phraseology, especially his uncanny ability to speed up and slow down the tempo of any given line and return to the phrase at precisely the right nanosecond. On "Book of Sand" he brings authentic classical technique to the fore while "Broad Daylight" and "Bobo" take Martino's and Montgomery's way with a minor blues to the next level, indeed. I had the pleasure of sitting stage side for Michael Brecker's Boston run last year. After that incredible string of performances, I remember leaving the club thinking Adam had nudged the bar delimiting the role of the small-group guitarist in a pianoless quartet up just a little further than it had been prior to that day. With Art of the Invisible, he's accomplished nothing less than raising the bar for all of mainstream jazz guitardom. ~ Phil DiPietro https://www.allaboutjazz.com/art-of-the-invisible-adam-rogers-criss-cross-review-by-phil-dipietro.php

Personnel: Adam Rogers- guitar, Scott Colley-bass, Edward Simon-piano, Clarence Penn-drums

Art Of The Invisible

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John Hicks - East Side Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:43
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:10)  1. East Side Blues
(6:03)  2. Yemenja
(7:18)  3. Never Let Me Go
(6:43)  4. Out of Somewhere
(7:15)  5. Mow's Move
(8:01)  6. Is That So?
(4:32)  7. Somedity
(6:38)  8. A Beautiful Friendship

East Side Blues is an album by pianist John Hicks's Trio recorded in Japan in 1988 and released on the Japanese DIW label. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Blues

Personnel:  John Hicks - piano; Curtis Lundy - bass; Victor Lewis - drums

East Side Blues

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