Mel Tormé And Friends - Mel Torme and Friends: Recorded Live at Marty's, New York City

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Swing
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:59
Size: 181,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:51) 1. Let's Take a Walk Around the Block
(5:06) 2. New York State of Mind
(4:28) 3. When the World Was Young
(4:27) 4. Pick Yourself Up
(4:24) 5. Silly Habits
(3:46) 6. Mountain Greenery
(4:03) 7. Cottage for Sale
(2:29) 8. Take a Letter Miss Jones
(5:53) 9. Real Thing
(3:15) 10. Medley: Watch What Happens / Fly Me to the Moon / You And The Night And The Music / Shaking the Blues Away
(3:25) 11. Isn't It Romantic
(8:15) 12. "Porgy & Bess" Medley
(3:37) 13. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
(4:26) 14. The Best Is yet to Come
(3:54) 15. Isn't It a Pity
(4:36) 16. Wave
(5:02) 17. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
(4:54) 18. Love for Sale

Recorded live at the nightclub Marty's in New York City, Mel Tormé and Friends was originally released as a double LP in 1981. It's a welcome reissue, presenting prime later Tormé who was, as usual, performing a nightclub show with a trio backup largely devoted to standards like Rodgers and Hart's "Mountain Greenery," Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields' "Pick Yourself Up," Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" and a medley of songs from the Gershwins and DuBose Heyward's Porgy and Bess. What is unusual is the "and Friends" part, as Tormé is joined by such complementary guests as Cy Coleman (who plays piano on his and Carolyn Leigh's "The Best Is Yet to Come"), Gerry Mulligan (who performs on his and Tormé's composition "Real Thing," but whose solo medley has been cut), Jonathan Schwartz (who sings Lorenz Hart's original lyric for the song that became "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan") and one surprising but appropriate one: Janis Ian (who duets with Tormé on her own "Silly Habits").~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-martys-mw0000875927

The Friends Are: Cy Coleman/Janis Ian/Gerry Mulligan/Jonathan Schwartz

Personnel: Bass – Jay Leonhart, Rufus Reid; Drums – Donny Osborn; Piano – Mel Tormé, Mike Renzi

Mel Tormé And Friends

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Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:57
Size: 96,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:01) 1. Blackbird
(2:58) 2. It's Not That Easy
(4:51) 3. Fix It
(3:42) 4. Ruler of my Heart
(3:38) 5. Nobody's Sweetheart
(3:17) 6. Collage
(3:20) 7. Five Feet Tall
(4:21) 8. Lost and Looking
(3:39) 9. It'll Never Happen Again
(4:13) 10. Beware the Stranger
(3:54) 11. Black Acid Soul

The highly-anticipated and debut album Black Acid Soul, due for its long awaited release on September 3rd via Foundation Music/BMG. With a voice that has stopped critics in their tracks, Lady Blackbird is a revelatory new talent with music that transcends the jazz scene through which the LA-based artist is rooted. Reflecting influences as varied as Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and Chaka Khan, with critics drawing comparisons to Adele, Amy and Celeste, Lady Blackbird’s distinct and beguiling talent is not one to be missed. Honouring the great's has come as a musical process to Lady Blackbird, having recorded her highly anticipated debut album Black Acid Soul in legendary Studio B (Prince’s room) in Sunset Sound, produced by Grammy-nominated Chris Seefried. Minimal yet rich, classic yet timely, the album connects backwards to Miles Davis (his pianist, Deron Johnson, plays Steinway Baby Grand, Mellotron and Casio Synth throughout) and forwards to Pete Tong (he made the Bruise mix of ‘Collage’ his Number Two Essential Selection tune of 2020) and, yes, Victoria Beckham Matthew Herbert’s remix of second single ‘Beware The Stranger’ soundtracked the designer’s Spring/Summer 2020 Fashion show. https://iamladyblackbird.bandcamp.com/album/black-acid-soul

Line-up: Lady Blackbird, Vocals | Deron Johnson, Steinway Baby Grand, Mellotron, Casio Synth | Jon Flaugher, Double Bass | Jimmy Paxson, Drums, Percussion | Chris Seefried, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar | Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Trumpet.

Black Acid Soul

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Dizzy Gillespie - Free Ride

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:56
Size: 110,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:54) 1. Unicorn
(4:29) 2. Fire Dance
(6:44) 3. Incantation
(4:37) 4. Wrong Number
(5:23) 5. Free Ride
(6:33) 6. Ozone Madness
(4:38) 7. Love Poem for Donna
(4:32) 8. The Last Stroke Of Midnight

Although Lalo Schifrin is justifiably praised for his soundtrack work, many jazz purists turn up their noses at his jazz dates, such as his '60s work with Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery. The things that make Schifrin an anathema to the diehards the huge orchestras, the pop and soul riffs, the general air of over the top theatricality are all over 1977's Free Ride, his reunion date with Dizzy Gillespie. (Schifrin had been Gillespie's arranger in the late '50s.) In fact, Free Ride is so painfully dated that it's transformed into cockeyed cool, just the sort of record ironic hipsters should listen to while they're reading the novelizations of '70s cop shows that they bought for a bundle off of eBay. Gillespie plays with his usual wit and panache, but most of the time, he sounds like a sideman on his own album; the real focus of Schifrin's arrangements is the funky wah-wah guitars and ARP synthesizer solos that take center stage on tracks like "Fire Dance" (which sounds exactly like it should be the theme for a Charlie's Angels spinoff) and the mellow disco of the closing "Last Stroke of Midnight." Occasionally, Gillespie gets to break out on his own album, with the lovely solo on "Love Poem for Donna" his particular standout. For what it is, Free Ride is really quite good (guests include Lee Ritenour and future star Ray Parker, Jr.), but it's very much a record of and for its time.~Stewart Mason https://www.allmusic.com/album/free-ride-mw0000102458

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Lalo Schifrin - keyboards, arranger, conductor; Oscar Brashear, Jack H. Laubach - trumpet; Lew McCreary - trombone; Jerome Richardson - flute; Ernie Watts - saxophone; James Horn - saxophone, flute; Sonny Burke - piano, electric piano; Charles E. Spangler - synthesizer; Ray Parker Jr., Lee Ritenour, Wah Wah Watson - guitar; Wilton Felder - bass; Ed Greene - drums; Paulinho Da Costa - percussion

Free Ride

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Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass - Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:34
Size: 100,2 MB
Art: Front

( 4:47) 1. Just Friends
( 4:57) 2. September Song
( 4:28) 3. Don'cha Go 'Way Mad
( 3:38) 4. A House Is Not A Home
( 3:46) 5. The Song Is You
( 4:03) 6. Cow Cow Boogie
( 5:36) 7. A Handful Of Stars/Stars Fell On Alabama
(12:15) 8. Duke Ellington Medley

This was a very logical matchup that came out as well on record as it looked on paper. Valve trombonist/arranger Rob McConnell has long led one of the top mainstream jazz big bands, while Mel Tormé blossomed into one of the truly great jazz singers in the 1980s. McConnell's charts suited Tormé perfectly, and the result is this consistently enjoyable and swinging album. The singer is quite enthusiastic and in top form on "Just Friends," a touching "September Song," "Don't 'Cha Go 'Way Mad," "A House Is Not a Home," "The Song Is You," a whimsical "Cow Cow Boogie," a "Stars" medley, and an exciting six-song Duke Ellington medley. Highly recommended.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/mel-torm%C3%A9-rob-mcconnell-and-the-boss-brass-mw0000188380

Personnel: Mel Tormé - vocals

The Boss Brass: Arnie Chycoski - trumpet, flugelhorn; Erich Traugott, John MacLeod, Ian McDougall - trombone; Dave McMurdo, Bob Livingston, Ron Hughes - bass trombone; James MacDonald - french horn; Eugene Amaro - flute, tenor saxophone; Moe Koffman - clarinet, flute, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Bob Leonard - flute, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone; Rick Wilkins - clarinet, tenor saxophone; Dave Woods - trumpet, violin, flugelhorn; Robert Leonard - flute, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone; George Stimpson, Jerry Toth - flute, alto clarinet; Jimmy Dale - piano, electric piano; Guido Basso - harmonica, trumpet, flugelhorn; Ed Bickert - guitar; Jerry Fuller - drums; Brian Leonard - percussion; Steve Wallace - double bass; Rob McConnell - arranger, conductor, trombone.

Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass

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Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side Of Joe Henderson

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:28
Size: 137,3 MB
Art: Front

(11:45)  1. Recorda Me
( 9:56)  2. Mamacita
( 9:18)  3. Afro-Centric
(11:15)  4. Black Narcissus
( 8:52)  5. Blue Bossa
( 8:20)  6. Inner Urge

So what makes The Latin Side Of Joe Henderson different from trombonist Conrad Herwig's previous Latin Side albums? Well, for starters, Herwig played with Henderson for several years, an experience which gave him great insight into the music and the man who made it. Then there's the material itself. Henderson's music, more so than that of previous Latin Side honorees like Herbie Hancock or John Coltrane, is tailor-made for this type of project, as some of the songs already lean toward the Latin side. This album, recorded live at New York's Blue Note in July of 2012, gives Herwig and some other A-list musicians featured guest Joe Lovano and trumpeter Alex Sipiagin chief among them a chance to cut loose on six spicy numbers. Stellar arrangements, feisty percussive tides, and strong solos are all here, as expected, but that doesn't mean things are predictable. Plenty of surprises await. Herwig and company cook right out of the gate with a sizzling "Recorda Me." Hot saxophone work, fun exchanges between Herwig and Sipiagin, winning piano work from Bill O'Connell, and over-a-vamp soloing from drummer Robby Ameen and percussionist Richie Flores all help to make this a memorable one. Next comes the Latin hard bop blues of "Mamacita," which proves to be another album highlight, followed by "Afro-Centric," which features some tight ensemble work and memorable soloing. 

The gentler flow of "Black Narcissus" serves as a brief respite from the heat, but the temperature rises again with the musical one-two punch that brings the album to its end. First up is "Blue Bossa," which finds Sipiagin in fiery form and features a thrilling percussion breakdown over a vamp in seven. Then the group finishes off with "Inner Urge," which may be the best showcase for Herwig's writing; the band sounds like it's twice its true size here. Herwig finished a stint at the Blue Note with his Latin Side Of Horace Silver project shortly before this review went to press, so it's fairly certain that this won't be the final Latin Side release. This will, however, be hard to top. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-latin-side-of-joe-henderson-conrad-herwig-half-note-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php
 

Personnel: Conrad Herwig: trombone; Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Ronnie Cuber: baritone saxophone; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet; Bill O'Connell: piano; Ruben Rodriguez: bass; Robby Ameen: drums; Richie Flores: percussion.

The Latin Side Of Joe Henderson

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Joe Krown - Just The Piano... Just The Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:16
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. Pudding Time
(4:53)  2. All That
(4:39)  3. Rockhouse
(4:29)  4. Midnight Boogie
(4:42)  5. Grind
(4:40)  6. 15@7
(4:44)  7. Pinetop Boogie
(2:35)  8. Swinging the Gate
(2:49)  9. Allie's Lament
(4:04) 10. Easy Does It
(4:31) 11. Big Chief/Mess Around
(3:56) 12. Jump Rope

Joe Krown is a resident and is based out of the city of New Orleans. He is a New Orleans styled piano and Hammond B-3 player. He has been nominated twice and won a New Orleans Big Easy Award in the Blues category in April 2001. His blues trio, Sansone, Krown & Fohl won a 2004 Big Easy Award. Krown has been highlighted in a feature article in the September 2000 and April 2005 OffBEAT Magazine. Joe's third compact disc, Buckle Up, was picked #4 CD, "Best of 2000CDs" in the Times Picayune, and "Best CDs of 2000" in OffBeat magazine. Joe was also selected "Best Keyboardist, Editor's Choice" at CitySearch.com for New Orleans. Joe's fourth CD, Funkyard was picked #4 CD in Gambit Magazine and #15 in the Times Picayune "Best CD's of 2002" and "Critic's Choice Best of 2002" in Offbeat Magazine. Joe's band, the Joe Krown Organ Combo was the front page feature "Fest Focus" article for the Times Picayune 2003 Jazz Festival Focus series. Joe's latest CD, Livin' Large clocked in at #11 in overall sales for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2005.

Joe held the keyboard chair with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown & Gate’s Express from 1992 until Gatemouth's passing in the fall of 2005. Joe is featured on the chart topping albums The Man, Gate Swings, American Music, Texas Style and most recently Back to Bogalusa albums. In 1995, Gatemouth and the Gate's Express including Joe on keyboards, did a 62 date world tour as the opening act for Eric Clapton. The band, Gate’s Express won an Offbeat 2004 Best Band in the Blues Category. More... http://www.jambase.com/Artists/6738/Joe-Krown/Bio

Just The Piano... Just The Blues

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Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side of Horace Silver

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:58
Size: 182,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:38) 1. Nica's Dream
(10:38) 2. Song for My Father
(11:39) 3. The Gods of Yoruba
( 8:11) 4. Peace
( 9:27) 5. The Cape Verdean Blues
(10:52) 6. Filthy McNasty
( 8:55) 7. Silver's Serenade
(11:34) 8. Nutville

New York-based trombonist Conrad Herwig began exploring the "Latin side" of various jazz musicians in 1996, with The Latin Side of John Coltrane, which earned him the first of four Latin Grammy Award nominations. Since then, Herwig has done the same for Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and, now, pianist Horace Silver. The formula is trim and solid; choose several of an artist's more notable compositions and recast them in a rhythmic Latin framework. For The Latin Side of Horace Silver, recorded live in 2017 (the notes don't say exactly where), arrangements are in the capable hands of Herwig (three), pianist Bill O'Connell (four) and Marc Stasio ("The Gods of the Yoruba").

This is basically an octet, which can sound larger or smaller than its size, depending on the context and the chart. (For examples of each, compare "Nica's Dream" or "Filthy McNasty" with "Peace" or "Silver's Serenade.") Herwig shares the front line with alto saxophonist Craig Handy, tenor saxophonist Igor Butman and trumpeter Alex Sipiagin. O'Connell plays the keyboard on five tracks, guest Michel Camilo on the other three, with Ruben Rodriguez on bass, Robby Ameen on drums and Richie Flores on congas. The other selections each of which, beyond any doubt, is well known to Silver's many fans are "Song for My Father" and "Nutville," which wraps up the concert.

The album's generous seventy-nine-minute running time affords ample room to stretch, and there are engaging south-of-the-border solos along the way by everyone on the front line, as well as by O'Connell, Camilo and Flores who also adds considerable energy and weight to the Latin pulse. The easygoing "Silver's Serenade" offers nearly nine minutes of (relative) calm, with Handy on flute and Sipiagin on flugelhorn (as they are on "Peace"). Even here, however, the Latin temperament holds sway and the rhythm never flags. Herwig, who has long been a champion of Latin music and culture, takes great pleasure in sharing that passion with others, and The Latin Side of Horace Silver looks to be a splendid candidate for a fifth Latin Grammy nomination.~Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-latin-side-of-horace-silver-conrad-herwig-savant-records

Personnel: Conrad Herwig: trombone; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet; Craig Handy: saxophone, alto; Igor Butman: saxophone, tenor; Bill O'Connell: piano; Michel Camilo: piano; Ruben Rodriguez: bass; Robby Ameen: drums; Richie Flores: congas.

The Latin Side of Horace Silver

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Sonny Stitt, Don Patterson - The Boss Men

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:52
Size: 176.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:47] 1. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm
[4:41] 2. Answering Service
[5:28] 3. Tangerine
[5:53] 4. Night Crawler
[3:19] 5. Who Can I Turn To
[5:58] 6. Star Eyes
[5:49] 7. Diane
[8:22] 8. Someday My Prince Will Come
[5:44] 9. Easy To Love
[5:35] 10. What's New
[3:13] 11. Big C's Rock
[7:52] 12. They Say It's Wonderful
[5:42] 13. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
[5:22] 14. 42639

In another of those two-fers that are going to tangle discographies for some time to come, this bears the title of a Don Patterson album, The Boss Men, and includes all of the material from that LP. However, this CD, though it's also called The Boss Men, is billed to both Sonny Stitt and Don Patterson, and combines the original Patterson The Boss Men LP with another album cut in 1965, Night Crawler, that was billed to Sonny Stitt, although it featured the exact same lineup (Stitt on alto sax, Patterson on organ, Billy James on drums) as The Boss Men. Not only that, the CD adds two cuts from a Patterson 1964 LP, Patterson's People, also featuring the Stitt-Patterson-James trio. As for the original The Boss Men, it's a respectable straight-ahead jazz-with-organ session. It's also very similar to so many other Prestige dates from the mid-'60s -- not to mention the other dates with featured the exact same three players as this LP does -- that it challenges the reviewer to come up with anything new, fresh, and exciting to say about the music. It's an even-tempered mix of up-tempo tunes and more meditative ones, the only original being Patterson's "Big C's Rock," which is far by the bluesiest and most riff-driven tune of the bunch. Night Crawler is a standard Stitt Prestige session (not to say a standard mid-'60s Prestige jazz session) that's not so much soul-jazz as solid, unexceptional straight-ahead boppish jazz with organ (just two of the six numbers are Stitt originals). He swings pretty hard on the opener, "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," in which Patterson takes his own solo, with a skittering intensity that makes it the highlight of the LP. The soul-blues element comes more to the fore on the title track, with its syncopated beat; a bit of Afro-Cuban tempo sneaks into "Star Eyes"; and the interpretation of the pop standard "Who Can I Turn To?" is the lone slowie. ~Richie Unterberger

The Boss Men

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Maynard Ferguson - Dimensions

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1956
Time: 36:37
Size: 43,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:46) 1. Egad, Marths
(3:55) 2. Breakfast Dance
(2:55) 3. Maiden Voyage
(2:40) 4. Thou Swell
(2:50) 5. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:50) 6. All God's Children Got Rhythm
(2:37) 7. Slow Stroll
(3:24) 8. Wonder Why
(2:59) 9. Willie Nillie
(2:30) 10. Hymn To Her
(3:04) 11. Lonely Town
(3:01) 12. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

This Trip LP is a reissue of an earlier EmArcy album that has not yet appeared on CD. The always-impressive trumpeter Maynard Ferguson is featured with a nonet arranged by Bill Holman in 1955 and a septet from 1954. The concise performances include both standards and originals with all but two four-minute songs clocking in around three minutes; the soloists include Ferguson, trombonists Milt Bernhart and Herbie Harper, altoists Herb Geller and Bud Shank, baritonist Bob Gordon and Bob Cooper on tenor. Although not essential, the bop-oriented music is well-played and gives one a good taste of early Ferguson.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/dimensions-mw0000919103

Personnel: Trumpet – Conte Candoli, Maynard Ferguson; Alto Saxophone, Flute – Bud Shank, Herb Geller; Baritone Saxophone – Bob Gordon ; Bass – Curtis Counce, Red Mitchell; Drums – Gary Frommer, Shelly Manne; Piano – Russ Freeman; Tenor Saxophone – Bob Cooper, Nino Tempo; Trombone – Herbie Harper, Milton Bernhart

Dimensions

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Curtis Fuller - The Story Of Cathy & Me

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:38
Size: 149,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:03) 1. Interlude 1: My Name Is Curtis DuBois Fuller
(7:26) 2. Little Dreams
(4:16) 3. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(3:43) 4. I Asked & She Said Yes
(7:52) 5. The Right To Love
(5:27) 6. My Lady's Tears
(1:50) 7. Interlude 2: My Children
(3:08) 8. Sweetness
(5:30) 9. Look What I Got
(1:25) 10. Interlude 3: Cancer, A Horrible Experience
(4:24) 11. Life Was Good, What Went Wrong
(3:57) 12. Love Was Everything When Love Was You And Me
(5:40) 13. Too Late Now
(5:07) 14. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
(2:43) 15. Interlude 4: My Wish For Cathy And My Friends

Legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller pays heartwarming tribute to his wife, Catherine Rose Driscoll Fuller, on The Story of Cathy & Me, a musical tale of how they met, how they lived and how he now lives without her (she passed away in January, 2010). The album's many soft and intense pieces reflect Fuller's deeply personal memories, and range of emotions from excitement to sadness. With titles like "My Lady's Tears," "Too Late Now," and "Life Was Good, What Went Wrong," and a somber theme to boot, it might seem that this is an entirely down-tempo and dreary affair. Not so, as the lively, swinging "I Asked & She Said Yes" is taken for a ride on dazzling solos from tenor saxophonist Akeem Marable and trumpeter Lester Walker, with a percussive foundation provided by Clarence Levy. "Sweetness" another Fuller composition referring to his late wife is another upbeat track where Walker is featured. Despite its title, there's nothing wrong with "Life Was Good, What Went Wrong," as it turns out to be the high-octane even funky boisterous tune of the set.

Fuller delivers warm phrasings on "Look What I Got," its gorgeous, relaxing melody departing from the album's main theme. The soft texture of the project begins to come through on "Little Dreams," followed by a light rendition of the pop classic "The First Time I Saw Your Face." With delicate accompaniment from Fuller and pianist Nick Rosen, Tia Michelle Rouse lays down tender vocals on "The Right To Love," which, along with the lovely "Too Late Now" and "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year," completes the mellow tribute to Fuller's soul mate. Speaking to light background music, Fuller includes four interludes where he first introduces himself, subsequently talking about his children, reflecting on learning of his wife's illness, and finally affirming to the world that Cathy was the "love of his life." A touching tribute to his late wife, The Story of Cathy & Me is an inspirational love story from Fuller, expressed beautifully through music.~ Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-story-of-cathy-and-me-curtis-fuller-challenge-records-review-by-edward-blanco

Personnel: Curtis Fuller: trombone; Lester Walker: trumpet; Daniel Bauerkemper: tenor saxophone; Akeem Marable: tenor saxophone (1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 14); Henry Conerway III: drums; Clarence Levy: percussion (4, 8, 10); Nick Rosen: piano; Kenny Banks, Jr.: piano (1, 3, 5, 9, 14); Brandy Brewer: bass; Kevin Smith: bass (4, 5, 8); Tia Michelle Rouse: vocals (5, 11).

The Story Of Cathy & Me

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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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