Chris Flory, Mike LeDonne, Mark Taylor - Word On The Street

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:03
Size: 139.8 MB
Styles: Swing, Guitar jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. When You Grow To Old To Dream
[4:39] 2. Snibor
[6:38] 3. Comes Love
[5:05] 4. Crazy, He Calls Me
[4:53] 5. Taps Miller
[4:58] 6. You Don't Know Me At All
[6:10] 7. I'm A Fool To Want You
[7:10] 8. Going To Meetin'
[8:10] 9. Don't You Know I Care (Or Don't You Care To Know)
[7:35] 10. The Touch Of Your Lips

Chris Flory (guitar); Mike LeDonne (organ); Mark Taylor (drums). Recorded at Sear Sound, New York, New York on September 22, 1996.

Especially inspired by guitarist Bill Jennings and organist Wild Bill Davis, Flory swings relentlessly, often serving up a generous blues helping. On this recording he opts for the organ trio format, relying on the talents of B-3 pilot Mike LeDonne and drummer Mark Taylor.

The tunes themselves, generally not associated with the organ trio, constitute one of the more obvious aspects that set this album apart. “Comes Love” gets a Latin make over and finds Flory swinging hard over clave rhythm rim shots and a lush organ cushion. He particularly burns on Basie’s “Taps Miller,” a brisk rhythm changes workout that also features LeDonne’s fancy footwork on the B-3’s pedals and Taylor’s tight, succinct fills. But Flory can also play it soft and sensitive, as he demonstrates on “I’m A Fool To Love You,” where he renders the melody with lyrical single notes and octaves before taking the tempo up a notch for the solos. A grooving, refreshing blend of tradition, subtle creativity, and fiery fretwork. ~Jim Ferguson

Word On The Street

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La Bouche Manouche, Irene Serra - Roseland

Styles: Gypsy Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 42:19
Size: 39,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:37) 1. Rose Room
(4:06) 2. After You've Gone
(4:27) 3. How Deep Is the Ocean
(2:21) 4. La Vie En Rose
(3:18) 5. Can't Help Lovin' that Man
(3:53) 6. Tu Solamente Tu
(5:22) 7. Russian Lullaby
(4:07) 8. Medley : I Love Paris/Django's Tiger/Tico Tico
(4:34) 9. Billie's Bounce
(4:30) 10. Valse Des Lilas

La Bouche Manouche is a vintage jazz band influenced by the chic and sophisticated era of the jazz age and beyond. Their ample repertoire is rooted in the sound of gypsy jazz, with swing tunes from Django Reinhardt, as well as traditional gypsy swing tunes, charlestons, French chansons, bal musette and classic jazz standards from the Great American Songbook. https://ireneserra.com/

Personnel: Irene Serra : Vocals; Andy Ruiz-Palma : Lead Guitar; Simon Rawling : Rhythm Guitar; Amy Baldwin : Double Bass; Nathan Mansfield : Violin, Trumpet (on Track 2)

Roseland

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Eddie Daniels - Nepenthe

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:41
Size: 143,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:20)  1. Sun Dance
(6:08)  2. Equinox
(5:19)  3. Nepenthe
(6:39)  4. Waltz Of Another Color
(5:44)  5. Sueños (Dreams)
(4:05)  6. Chaser
(6:13)  7. The Only One
(6:15)  8. Soul Eyes
(5:57)  9. The Chant
(4:37) 10. Quiet Space
(5:21) 11. Reverie For A Rainy Day

One of the world's great clarinetists, Eddie Daniels is primarily in the spotlight during this modern jazz set. He is joined by guitarist Chuck Loeb (who is excellent in support and as a secondary solo voice), bassist John Patitucci, either Dave Weckl or Adam Nussbaum on drums, and percussionist Sammy Figueroa. They perform seven diverse Daniels originals (complex but swinging), plus two by Loeb and the standards "Soul Eyes" and "Equinox." This release is not as memorable as Daniels' flashier and more spectacular recordings (it is more mellow at times), but it does contain plenty of subtle creativity and effortless (but brilliant) clarinet solos. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/nepenthe-mw0000207928

Personnel:  Clarinet, Producer – Eddie Daniels; Acoustic Bass, Bass [Six String] – John Patitucci; Drums – Adam Nussbaum;  Dave Weckl ; Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Chuck Loeb; Percussion – Sammy Figueroa

Nepenthe

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Imelda May - 11 Past The Hour

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 88,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:59) 1. 11 Past the Hour
(3:24) 2. Breathe
(3:25) 3. Made to Love (feat.Ronnie Wood,Gina Martin & Dr.Shola Mos-Shogbamimu)
(3:01) 4. Different Kinds of Love
(2:59) 5. Diamonds
(3:37) 6. Don’t Let Me Stand On My Own (feat. Niall McNamee)
(3:34) 7. What We Did in the Dark (feat. Miles Kane)
(3:47) 8. Can't Say
(3:22) 9. Just One Kiss (feat. Ronnie Wood)
(3:35) 10. Solace
(3:27) 11. Never Look Back

Having transformed her sound with 2017's empowered Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, Ireland's Imelda May continues her bold artistic metamorphosis with her sixth studio album, 2021's 11 Past the Hour. At turns dusky and ebullient, 11 Past the Hour builds nicely upon May's past work as she continues to move away from the twangy retro-rockabilly of her early years and fully embrace the anthemic, yet still organic pop/rock she showcased on Life. Love. Flesh. Blood. Co-produced by Tim Bran (James Morrison, London Grammar), the album finds May joined by an elite cadre of special guests, all of whom add their distinctive pop charisma to the proceedings. Early in her career, May's vintage-inspired Chuck Berry-esque rock caught the ear of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who then brought her on tour with him in 2019. Here, Wood continues the goodwill, applying his crunchy electric guitar riffs to several tracks, including "Just One Kiss," a very Stonesy duet with another special guest, Oasis' Noel Gallagher. Wood also plays on "Made to Love" a soulful pop anthem featuring backing vocals by noted women's rights activists Gina Martin and Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.

That May, who has worked on charities dealing with homelessness and domestic abuse, chooses to spotlight two nonprofessional singers with strong activist voices speaks to the deeper messages at play in her work here. Equally uplifting is "Don't Let Me Stand on My Own," a folky and soulful Celtic duet with singer Niall McNamee that brings to mind Rod Stewart's '70s work with the Faces. May also brings along Last Shadow Puppets' Miles Kane for the wicked, Berlin-esque post-punk anthem "What We Did in the Dark." Thankfully, none of the guest choices seem overly calculated and primarily feel like natural additions to the album. Furthermore, while the duets are a highlight, May's solo work also shines here as she delves into the Johnnie Ray-meets-Portishead-sounding title track and proves her diva mettle on the rousing piano ballad "Diamonds." With 11 Past the Hour, May has crafted a generous, collaborative album that feels like she's lifting others up, just as they are lifting her.~Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/11-past-the-hour-mw0003476397

11 Past The Hour

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Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland Big Band, Stan Getz - Change Of Scenes

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:12
Size: 90,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:03) 1. Extravagances
(5:52) 2. Symptones
(9:18) 3. Quiproquos
(4:47) 4. Escarmouches
(6:33) 5. Touchstone
(6:36) 6. Provocations

This amazing album was the last recording by the Clarke-Boland Big Band and features six original compositions by Francy Boland with Stan Getz as featured soloist. The album was originally released only in Europe and its current CD re-release is now out of print, which is regrettable because it features some of the finest big band compositions and performances of all time. Francy Boland, now semi-retired and living in Switzerland, has never received his due as a jazz composer. Part of this has to do with the fact that his compositions and arrangements always swing, regardless of their harmonic or contrapuntal complexity; and therefore, critics have mistaken him for a mainstream jazz composer. Another reason may be due to the fact that the C-BBB had limited exposure in America during its 12-year existence.

The first piece, "Extravagances," features a 12-tone theme and excellent solos by Getz on tenor, Sahib Shihab on alto flute and Tony Coe on clarinet. This work, along with its companion pieces, utilizes not only a lot of highly complex and dissonant harmonies, but also frequent changes of meter and tempi. The next piece, "Symptones," features Herb Geller on oboe with some fine backup by flutes and bass. Geller's multifaceted woodwind talents are also put to good use in "Quidproquos" and "Escarmouches" where he provides some outstanding solos on the English horn. Fans of Stan Kenton will appreciate the album's finale, Provocations," which has many similarities to the big production numbers featured by the Kenton bands of the 1970s as well as some of the symphonic complexities of the Innovations Orchestra of the 1950s. Albert Mandelsdorff on trombone sounds eerily like Kenton lead trombonist Dick Shearer on the out chorus. Kudos need to go to Stan Getz who instigated this collaboration and proved himself to be more than up to the challenge of Francy Boland's difficult and highly original charts.~ William Grim https://www.allaboutjazz.com/change-of-scenes-kenny-clarke-verve-music-group-review-by-william-grim

Ack Van Rooyen, flugelhorn, trumpet; Stan Saltzman, woodwinds; Sahib Shihab, alto flute, baritone sax, soprano sax, flute; Erik Van Lier, trombone; Jean Warland, electric bass, bass; Stan Sulzmann, soprano sax, tenor sax, flute; Kenny Clare, drums; Kenny Clarke, drums; Tony Inzalaco, percussion; Rick Keefer, trumpet; Rick Kiefer, flugelhorn, trumpet; Benny Bailey, flugelhorn, trumpet; Francy Boland, composer/arranger, keyboards, piano, electric piano; Art Farmer, flugelhorn, trumpet; Herb Geller, English horn, oboe, piccolo, alto sax, flute; Stan Getz, tenor sax; Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone; Tony Coe, tenor sax, clarinet; Ake Persson, trombone; Manfred Schoof, flugelhorn, trumpet; Ronnie Scott, tenor sax

Change Of Scenes

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Jean DuShon - Feeling Good

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:24
Size: 79,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. Wild Is The Wind
(2:17)  2. Goodbye Is A Lonesome Sound
(2:30)  3. Out In The Cold Again
(2:49)  4. The Heather On The Hill
(2:07)  5. I'll Never Find Another You
(2:41)  6. You Don't Know
(2:49)  7. Feeling Good
(2:52)  8. Take A Chance
(2:44)  9. What Now My Love
(2:40) 10. Watching The World Go By
(3:07) 11. If I Ruled The World
(3:25) 12. Make Him Your Own

Jean Du Shon's third and final album for Chess records maintains the high standards of two previous LPs. She's again accompanied by Herman Foster (piano), Earl May (bass), and Bruno Carr (drums) -- members of Lou Donaldson's band who also supported her on Make Way for Jean Du Shon. Oliver Nelson's orchestrations are stellar and Phil Ramone's engineering crisp and clear. Du Shon delivers crafty renditions of "Wild Is the Wind" and "Feeling Good," as well as the jazz/pop standards "Out in the Cold Again," "You Don't Know," "What Now My Love," and "If I Ruled the World." Not included on this or any of her Chess albums is her original rendition of "For Once in My Life" (cut while at Chess), which Berry Gordy supposedly had pulled from the market in favor of Stevie Wonder's. The song was co-written by Ron Miller, who was under contract to Motown at the time. It's time MCA (they own the Chess catalog) reissues Jean Du Shon's rare nuggets on CD. ~ Andrew Hamilton https://www.allmusic.com/album/feeling-good-mw0001879624

Feeling Good

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Monica Mancini - I've Loved These Days

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:14
Size: 99,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. These Days
(3:17)  2. God Only Knows
(4:30)  3. American Tune
(5:02)  4. Blame It On The Sun
(2:47)  5. Without Him
(3:41)  6. How Can I Be Sure
(3:06)  7. I'll Follow The Sun
(5:55)  8. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
(3:48)  9. Something So Right
(3:06) 10. I've Loved These Days
(3:27) 11. Joy

Just a hum of the “Moon River” (1961) tune, and you’d get set a group of Grandmas rollicking, the moment they hear a classical Henry Mancini’s concerto. It’s striking to see how much such good music impact even the Senior citizens. But more importantly is how far Monica Mancini too has warmed to her father’s legacy when it comes to making concert and orchestral piece. She quintessentially etches her own stamp and connects the past with the now, in her music.

Monica is noted to have said “Much of my favorite music comes from the movies,” she explains. “Theme songs are so evocative when you listen to the lyrics, they really tell a story. I’ve always thought these kind of songs had more meaning because they conjure up both images and emotions.”

I’ve Loved These Days, is the fourth album from vocalist and double-Grammy nominee, Monica Mancini. This beautifully crafted 11-track album is a compilation of vintage 60s songs. They’ve been composed and sang by artistes who’ve had profound impact on Monica’s formative years. In honour of this, she’s had to have a few of these legends feature on the album. An array of music legends, including Lennon & McCartney, Fran Landesman, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Harry Nilsson, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel and Janis Ian.

Joining Monica on “I’ve Loved These Days” are original composers Jackson Browne, offering guitar and vocal accompaniment on “These Days”, Brian Wilson and the multi- Grammy winning vocal group Take 6 contributing vocals and arranging on “God Only Knows,” Stevie Wonder’s delectable harmonica duets on “Blame It On the Sun,” and the Young Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere provides B-3 organ accompaniment on his classic “How Can I Be Sure.” More.. http://blogcritics.org/music-review-monica-mancini-ive-loved/

I've Loved These Days

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Brian Lynch Quintet/Sextet - At The Main Event

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:54
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:20)  1. Dance The Way U Want To
(8:09)  2. At The Main Event
(7:00)  3. Blues For Woody And Khalid
(9:59)  4. Cry Me A River
(7:50)  5. Nite 'Vidual I
(8:50)  6. Ecaroh
(7:43)  7. Nite 'Vidual II

Brian Lynch, one of the top hard bop-oriented trumpeters of the 1990s, is heard interacting with tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, guitarist Peter Bernstein, organist Melvin Rhyne, drummer Kenny Washington, and (on three of the seven selections) Jose Alexis Diaz on congas. Lynch is a powerful player and, on this set with the legendary organist Rhyne, he gets to show off some of his soulfulness too. Lynch contributed the first three songs, the band performs two versions of Rhyne's "Nite 'Vidual," and the group also stretches out on "Cry Me a River" and Horace Silver's "Ecaroh." Although not innovative, this music easily fits into the modern mainstream of the period and is quite creative within the genre. Then again, all Brian Lynch recordings are well worth acquiring by straight-ahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-the-main-event-mw0000100102

Personnel: Brian Lynch (trumpet); Peter Bernstein (guitar); Ralph Moore (tenor saxophone); Melvin Rhyne (organ); Kenny Washington (drums); Jose Alexis Diaz (congas).

At The Main Event

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Tony Bennett - A Swingin' Christmas (With The Count Basie Big Band)

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 36:34

Size: 83.7 MB

Styles: Swing, Vocal, Holiday

Year: 1999/2008

Art: Front

[2:09] 1. I'll Be Home For Christmas

[3:14] 2. Silver Bells

[4:15] 3. All I Want For Christmas Is You

[2:52] 4. My Favorite Things

[3:57] 5. Christmas Time Is Here

[2:28] 6. Winter Wonderland

[4:33] 7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

[2:50] 8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

[3:28] 9. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

[3:18] 10. The Christmas Waltz

[3:24] 11. O Christmas Tree

Tony Bennett reigns as one of the finest-ever jazz-oriented pop singers. Count Basie's Big Band reigns as one of the hippest-ever orchestral jazz organizations. Put them together and how could you not have one of the coolest Christmas discs ever?. With Bennett's classy, heartfelt phrasing and the Count's brassy, classy, earnestly swinging large jazz band (with ace-of-the-88s Monty Alexander sitting in for the late Basie), this platter will have listeners swingin' through whatever holidays they might celebrate well into the New Year.

Grant Langford, Marshall McDonald (alto saxophone); Doug Lawrence, Doug Miller (tenor saxophone); Scotty Barnhart, James Zollar, Michael Williams, Kriss T. Johnson Jr. (trumpet); Clarence Banks, Alvin Walker, Dave Keim, Barry Cooper (trombone); Gray Sargent (guitar); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Doug Miller , Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone); John Williams (baritone saxophone); William Barnhart (trumpet); Alvin Walker II (trombone); Paul Langosch (piano, bass instrument); Monty Alexander, Lee Musiker (piano); Harold Jones (drums).

A Swingin' Christmas (With The Count Basie Big Band)

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Michel Legrand - 50 Years Of Music And Movies

Styles: Piano Jazz

Year: 2010

File: MP3@320K/s 

Time: 66:31

Size: 153,4 MB 

Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Happy

(5:08)  2. Watch What Happens

(5:26)  3. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life

(4:20)  4. His Eyes, Her Eyes

(4:12)  5. How Do You Keep the Music Playing

(3:45)  6. Summer Knows

(3:29)  7. I Will Wait for You

(3:18)  8. The Windmills of Your Mind

(4:19)  9. Love Makes the Changes

(3:48) 10. Summer of '42

(2:52) 11. Brian's Song

(4:09) 12. Summer Me, Winter Me

(5:18) 13. Rhapsody in Blue

(3:05) 14. Un Parfum De Fin Du Monde

(9:42) 15. Steve McQueen Tribute

Michel Legrand has made his fame and fortune from writing for films, but he has done significant work in jazz on an occasional basis. In 1957, he arranged a set of Dixieland and swing standards for a French orchestra (recorded on Philips), in 1958 he used three different all-star groups for the classic Legrand Jazz (with such sidemen as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Herbie Mann, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Art Farmer, and others), in 1968 he recorded a strictly jazz set with a trio and Legrand has written for albums led by Stan Getz (1971), Sarah Vaughan (1972), and on several occasions, Phil Woods. Several of his songs (such as "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life," "Watch What Happens," and "The Summer Knows") have been recorded many times by jazz musicians. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/br/artist/michel-legrand/id10943?l=en#fullText

50 Years Of Music And Movies

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Oscar Peterson - A Tribute To Oscar Peterson - Live At The TownHall

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:38
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:23) 1. Anything Goes
(6:36) 2. Reunion Blues (with Benny Green)
(8:08) 3. If Only You Knew (with Benny Green)
(7:25) 4. Bags Groove (with Milt Jackson)
(6:44) 5. Willow Weep For Me (with Milt Jackson)
(4:15) 6. Mumbles (with Clark Terry)
(3:48) 7. I Can't Face The Music (with Shirley Horn)
(5:09) 8. Here's To Life (with Shirley Horn)
(5:23) 9. In A Mellow Tone (with Stanley Turrentine)
(5:26) 10. My Foolish Heart (with Roy Hargrove)
(2:16) 11. The Duke Of Dubuque (with The Manhattan Transfer)
(4:10) 12. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 (with The Manhattan Transfer)
(7:49) 13. Mack The Knife (with Clark Terry)

This live concert was recorded on October 1, 1996 at The Town Hall in New York. Oscar Peterson was also present. The other musicians have certainly also made their mark in jazz: Ray Brown (bass), Herb Ellis (guitar), Benny Green (piano), Roy Hargrove (flugelhorn), Shirley Horn (vocals), Milt Jackson (vibraphone) , The Manhattan Transfer (vocals), Lewis Nash (drums), Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass), Clark Terry (trumpet / vocals) and Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax). The repertoire was certainly worthwhile, including: Reunion Blues, If You Only Knew (both with Oscar Peterson and Benny Green on piano), Willow Weep For Me, I Can't Face The Music, In A Mellow Tone, My Foolish Heart and "(Get your kicks on) Route 66. Oscar Peterson is still a very inspiring jazz musician, as can be heard on this CD with this animated live concert! https://www.muziekweb.nl/en/Link/JE15161/A-tribute-to-Oscar-Peterson-live-at-Town-Hall

Personnel: Oscar Peterson - piano; Niels-Henning Orsted Petersen - bass; Ray Brown - bass; Herb Ellis - guitar; Lewis Nash - drums.

Special guests: Benny Green - piano; Milt Jackson - vibes; Clark Terry - trumpet&flugelhorn; Shirley Horn - vocal; Stanley Turrentine - tenor sax; Roy Hargrove - trumpet; Manhattan Transfer - vocal

A Tribute To Oscar Peterson - Live At The TownHall

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George Shearing Quintet - Rare Form

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:57
Size: 83,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:51) 1. The Sweetest Sounds
(2:04) 2. Look No Further
(3:59) 3. Hallucinations
(3:06) 4. Sunny
(2:45) 5. They All Laughed
(2:50) 6. Station Break
(2:52) 7. Over The Rainbow
(3:28) 8. Why Not
(3:15) 9. I'll Never Smile Again
(8:41) 10. Stop, Look And Listen

For a long stretch of time in the 1950s and early '60s, George Shearing had one of the most popular jazz combos on the planet so much so that, in the usual jazz tradition of distrusting popular success, he tended to be underappreciated. Shearing's main claim to fame was the invention of a unique quintet sound, derived from a combination of piano, vibraphone, electric guitar, bass, and drums. Within this context, Shearing would play in a style he called "locked hands," which he picked up and refined from Milt Buckner's early-'40s work with the Lionel Hampton band, as well as Glenn Miller's sax section and the King Cole Trio. Stating the melody on the piano with closely knit, harmonized block chords, with the vibes and guitar tripling the melody in unison, Shearing sold tons of records for MGM and Capitol in his heyday.

The wild success of this urbane sound obscures Shearing's other great contribution during this time, for he was also a pioneer of exciting, small-combo Afro-Cuban jazz in the '50s. Indeed, Cal Tjader first caught the Latin jazz bug while playing with Shearing, and the English bandleader also employed such esteemed congueros as Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Armando Peraza. As a composer, Shearing was best known for the imperishable, uniquely constructed bop standard "Lullaby of Birdland," as well as "Conception" and "Consternation." His solo style, though all his own, reflected the influences of the great boogie-woogie pianists and classical players, as well as those of Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell and fellow pianists long admired his light, refined touch. He was also known to play accordion and sing in a modest voice on occasion.

Shearing, who was born blind, began playing the piano at the age of three, receiving some music training at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London as a teenager but picking up the jazz influence from Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller 78s. In the late '30s, he started playing professionally with the Ambrose dance band and made his first recordings in 1937 under the aegis of fellow Brit Leonard Feather. He became a star in Britain, performing for the BBC, playing a key role in the self-exiled Stéphane Grappelli's London-based groups of the early '40s, and winning seven consecutive Melody Maker polls before emigrating in New York City in 1947 at the prompting of Feather. Once there, Shearing quickly absorbed bebop into his bloodstream, replacing Garner in the Oscar Pettiford Trio and leading a quartet in tandem with Buddy DeFranco. In 1949, he formed the first and most famous of his quintets, which included Marjorie Hyams on vibes (thus striking an important blow for emerging female jazz instrumentalists), Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. Recording briefly first for Discovery, then Savoy, Shearing settled into lucrative associations with MGM (1950-1955) and Capitol (1955-1969), the latter for which he made albums with Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole. He also made a lone album for Jazzland with the Montgomery Brothers (including Wes Montgomery) in 1961, and began playing concert dates with symphony orchestras.

After leaving Capitol, Shearing began to phase out his by-then-predictable quintet, finally breaking it up in 1978. He started his own label, Sheba, which lasted for a few years into the early '70s and made some trio recordings for MPS later in the decade. In the '70s, his profile had been lowered considerably, but upon signing with Concord in 1979, Shearing found himself enjoying a renaissance in all kinds of situations. He made a number of acclaimed albums with Mel Tormé, raising the singer's profile in the process, and recorded with the likes of Ernestine Anderson, Jim Hall, Marian McPartland, Hank Jones, and classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell. He also recorded a number of solo piano albums where his full palette of influences came into play. He signed with Telarc in 1992 and from that point through the early 2000s continued to perform and record, most often appearing in a duo or trio setting. Shearing, who had remained largely inactive since 2004 after a fall in his New York City apartment, died of congestive heart failure at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on February 14, 2011. He was 91.~ Richard S. Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-shearing-mn0000642664/biography

Personnel: George Shearing - piano, arranger; Armando Peraza - percussion; Gary Burton - vibraphone; Ron Anthony - guitar; Gene Cherico - double bass; Vernel Fournier - drums

Rare Form

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Cyril Stapleton And His Orchestra - Just For You

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:06
Size: 83,8 MB
Art: Front

(1:55) 1. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(2:01) 2. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:20) 3. Tell Me Tonight
(2:55) 4. April Showers
(2:21) 5. Ain't She Sweet
(2:38) 6. For Me And My Gal
(2:01) 7. Charmaine
(2:22) 8. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
(2:49) 9. Me And My Shadow
(2:38) 10. If You Were The Only Girl In The World
(2:35) 11. Beer Barrel Polka
(2:25) 12. Anything Goes

Cyril Stapleton was a ubiquitous figure in English pop music across three decades, initially by way of the BBC and later as an independent bandleader. Born on the last day of the year 1914 in Mapperley, Nottingham, he took to music easily and early in life, taking up the violin at age seven, and he made his first local radio appearance at age 12. He made regular appearances on the BBC as a boy, from their Birmingham studios. In his early teens which coincided with the tail-end of the silent movie era he frequently played in movie theater orchestras, playing accompaniment to silent films. He later attended Trinity College of Music in London on a scholarship, and during this time he auditioned for and won a spot in a new dance band being formed by leader Henry Hall under the auspices of the BBC. In addition to broadcasts, Stapleton played on several of Hall's recordings for EMI's Columbia label. Stapleton eventually lost the spot, however, owing to his youth, and returned to Nottingham. He then had ambitions as a bandleader himself, however, and formed his own group, which got work locally in theaters.

He subsequently toured South Africa with Jack Payne's orchestra, and played on records by Payne's group. In the second half of the '30s, Stapleton's band moved to London, and by March of 1939 they'd made their BBC debut. He still occasionally worked in other bands, including the Jack Hylton Orchestra, however, and the outbreak of the Second World War late in 1939 forced Stapleton to abandon his career he served in the Royal Air Force for the duration. Although he was initially an air gunner, he was eventually able to put his musical abilities to work organizing entertainment, and by the end of the war he'd become a member of the RAF Symphony Orchestra.

Stapleton continued working in his field after leaving the RAF, and in the period immediately after the war he played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the newly founded Philharmonia Orchestra. He soon wearied of the limited repertory in the classical field, and re-formed his own band in 1947. In short order he was also back on the BBC, and one of the singers he featured in those broadcasts was Dick James, the future music publisher, immortalized by his signing of members of the Beatles as songwriters in 1962.

In 1952, Stapleton was appointed leader the BBC Show Band, the radio service's most prestigious performing unit for popular music, with its biggest audience in addition to featuring top homegrown talent, only the biggest visiting American singers -- including Frank Sinatra appeared with this orchestra. Stapleton became a ubiquitous presence in English entertainment and popular culture across the mid-'50s his mere selection of a song could make or break it, and like Sinatra (and, later, Elvis Presley) among singers in America, Stapleton as a bandleader was given first refusal on new tunes by profit-minded publishers. He was also able to make the leap to the big-screen by way of the widescreen feature Just for You (1955). By that time, the orchestra had become so successful that several members, including Bill McGuffie and Tommy Whittle, had started their own separate careers as bandleaders in their own right, and the band had introduced one huge star, Matt Monro, to his first national exposure.

And then, in the spring of 1957, for reasons that have never been clear, the BBC decided to disband the orchestra. Stapleton was cut loose from his longtime employers, but he never broke stride, organizing his own orchestra again and going out on the road, in addition to cutting more records and still appearing on radio. Surprisingly, even amid the rise of rock & roll, he didn't find any interruption in his work, and he tried to understand the new music. In the mid-'60s, he occasionally tried to record and sign promising rock bands that crossed his path. In 1965, he became the head of A&R (artists and repertory) at Pye Records, one of England's three major recording organizations. His audience was still there, however, and in the early '70s he resumed recording and touring with a re-formed orchestra. Stapleton passed away in early 1974, at the age of 59.~Bruce Ederhttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/cyril-stapleton-mn0000148919/biography

Just For You

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Eydie Gorme - The Look Of Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:12
Size: 63,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:02) 1. The Look Of Love
(2:23) 2. Life Is But A Moment
(2:39) 3. What Makes Me Love Him
(2:59) 4. Crazy
(2:30) 5. Make The World Go Away
(3:12) 6. I Walk The Line
(3:20) 7. I Really Don't Want To Know
(2:38) 8. You Don't Know me
(2:28) 9. As Long As He Needs Me
(1:56) 10. Shall We Dance

Eydie Gorme was born in New York on August 16, 1928 to Sephardic Jewish parents. Her father, Nessim Garmezano, was a tailor, from Sicily, who changed his last name when he arrived in the United States. Gorme began singing straight out of high school, with various big bands. But her big break came after she auditioned for, and joined, "The The Tonight Show (1953) Show" in 1953. There, for $90 a week, she sang solos and sang duets with the up-and-coming Steve Lawrence. The two performed on the show for five years, and married in 1957. After their "Tonight Show" stint, the pair had a short-lived TV show of their own, The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gorme Show (1958). Then, Lawrence entered the Army leaving Gorme, a new mother, to frequent the night club circuit on her own. Two years later, when Lawrence was discharged, the couple came to a decision to enter show business more professionally. Their career took off, with audiences drawn to their penchant for the classics in favor of rock 'n' roll, as well as their spontaneous banter. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331171/bio

The Look Of Love

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Simon Mulligan - Christmas At Steinway Hall

Styles: Piano, Christmas
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:47
Size: 137,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:20) 1. Baby, It's Cold Outside
(5:25) 2. The Christmas Song
(4:29) 3. Winter Wonderland
(5:19) 4. O Holy Night
(4:48) 5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
(4:27) 6. The First Noel
(4:46) 7. I Saw Three Ships
(5:37) 8. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
(5:16) 9. Away In A Manger
(3:23) 10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
(5:19) 11. I'll Be Home For Christmas
(3:03) 12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
(4:27) 13. Silent Night

The U.S. Steinway & Sons label has made a strong impact with albums by performers who evoke the concert atmosphere of a hundred years ago: the era, as it happens, when the Steinway piano was supreme. British pianist Simon Mulligan does this, but not with quite the same classical repertoire as other pianists on the label. Mulligan has played both classical music and jazz, but here he offers a kind of salon music that has improvised elements, but for the most part is not jazz. (The exception is the upbeat I'll Be Home for Christmas.) The music consists entirely of Christmas or holiday-season tunes, but even such a chestnut as Winter Wonderland is fresh, a bit meditative in Mulligan's hands. Steinway's engineers have made great strides forward in showcasing their home hall at its best, and the mood struck by the sound design here is deep. For a classy soundtrack to your Christmas gathering you couldn't do better than this, but there's more to Mulligan's album than simply background music.~ James Manheim https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-at-steinway-hall-mw0003113994

Christmas At Steinway Hall

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Monica Mancini - Cinema Paradiso

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:00
Size: 113,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Cinema Paradiso
(4:02) 2. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(4:49) 3. The Summer Knows
(3:42) 4. A Love Before Time
(3:31) 5. Soldier In The Rain
(3:59) 6. Alfie
(5:00) 7. Too Late Now
(5:12) 8. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(4:26) 9. Baby Mine
(2:43) 10. Senza Fine
(3:46) 11. I'll Never Say Goodbye
(3:11) 12. Over The Rainbow

Monica Mancini has been careful in her recording projects to reflect her heritage and promote it without exploiting it. Her first album, Monica Mancini, was, naturally enough, a collection of songs written by her father, Henry Mancini. Her second, The Dreams of Johnny Mercer, was a tribute to one of her father's main collaborators. Cinema Paradiso features songs by many different songwriters, but its source is the kind of movie theme music in which her father worked successfully for his entire career. Mancini deliberately mixes things up in her choices of material, going back in time as far as the late '30s for "Over the Rainbow" and as far forward as "Senza Fine" from Ghost Ship, a film that opened 11 days before her album was released. And she mixes well-known songs like "Alfie" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" with worthy but lesser-known efforts such as Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's "Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding and her father's "Soldier in the Rain" from the movie of the same name with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. She has also considered the arrangements carefully, using eight different arrangers to create settings for the songs. Some of the charts are lush, while three songs employ a single instrument as accompaniment. Yet they all work together well. And the material and arrangements prove to be good choices for Mancini's voice, which is fully showcased. It is a rich voice, and if her interpretations have their precious moments and are at times too deliberate, she also exudes warmth and feeling for the songs, making this another successful collection.~ William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/album/cinema-paradiso-mw0000227963

Cinema Paradiso

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Rhoda Scott - Rhoda Scott Lady All Stars

Styles: Soul Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:17
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. R & R
(4:45) 2. City of the Rising Sun
(5:28) 3. Les Châteaux de Sable
(6:04) 4. Laissez-moi
(5:59) 5. Golden Age
(6:03) 6. Escapade
(5:11) 7. I Wanna Move
(5:12) 8. Short Night Blues

Rhoda Scott is one of the greatest musicians in the history of jazz, playing on the most important international stages with Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Count Basie… She returns this year, after her much appreciated stint in 2007, at the head of an incredible all-female octet made up of major musicians in today's jazz: Anne Paceo, Geraldine Laurent, Airelle Besson, Céline Bonacina, Sophie Alour… Groove and swing await you!Translate By Google https://www.rendezvouserdre.com/portfolio/rhoda-scott-ladies-all-stars/

Personnel: Rhoda Scott: Hammond organ / Sophie Alour: tenor saxophone / Lisa Cat-Berro: alto saxophone / Julie Saury: drums / Anne Paceo: drums / Géraldine Laurent: alto saxophone / Airelle Besson: trumpet / Céline Bonacina: baritone saxophone

Rhoda Scott Lady All Stars

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Buddy Rich, Harry 'Sweets' Edison - Buddy And Sweets

Styles: Swing, Bop
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:54
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:35) 1. Yellow Rose Of Brooklyn
(8:20) 2. Easy Does It
(2:13) 3. All Sweets
(4:07) 4. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(9:43) 5. Barney's Bugle
(4:43) 6. Now's The Time
(5:10) 7. You're Getting To Be A Habbit With Me

The powerhouse drums of Buddy Rich together with the understated trumpet of Harry "Sweets" Edison? Seems like an odd pairing, but they really clicked on this 1955 quintet session-this is small-group swing at its liveliest and most captivating: Yellow Rose of Brooklyn; Easy Does It; Now's the Time; Nice Work if You Can Get It , and more!~Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Buddy-Sweets-Rich-Harry-Edison/dp/B0000ACAJJ

Personnel: Harry Sweets Edison – trumpet; Buddy Rich – drums; Jimmy Rowles – piano; Barney Kessel – guitar; John Simmons – bass

Buddy And Sweets

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Jan Lundgren - Lonely One

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:25
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:02) 1. Will You Still Be Mine
(4:12) 2. The Lonely One
(5:11) 3. Jitterburg Waltz
(5:01) 4. When Sunny Gets Blue
(6:54) 5. Blues For Jesper
(5:47) 6. Trubbel
(4:54) 7. Caravan
(5:13) 8. A New Town Is A Blue Town
(4:35) 9. Falling In Love With Love
(4:50) 10. One For My Baby
(5:41) 11. Who I Can I Turn To

A fine bop-based pianist, Jan Lundgren has visited the United States several times since the mid-'90s and been gradually gaining a very strong reputation. Even while undergoing extensive classical piano training, Lundgren was playing jazz locally and by the time he was 20, he had begun working with Arne Domnérus and Putte Wickman. Lundgren has picked up valuable experience accompanying many visiting Americans (including Herb Geller, Johnny Griffin, and Mark Murphy). In 1994, he recorded his debut as a leader for the Four Leaf Clover label. Since then, Lundgren has recorded separate sets with Herb Geller and Bill Perkins for Fresh Sound and led further albums for Alfa and Four Leaf Clover. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Jesper Lundgaard (bass); Alex Riel (drums)

Lonely One

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Roger Kellaway - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 11

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:24
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(0:12) 1. Introductory Announcement
(9:04) 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
(6:03) 3. I'm Still In Love With You
(4:47) 4. Love Of My Life
(7:23) 5. Close Your Eyes
(9:44) 6. New Orleans
(9:12) 7. My One And Only Love
(7:58) 8. Creole Love Call
(6:58) 9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

Leave it to Roger Kellaway to come up with one of the most strikingly individual editions of the exhaustive Live at Maybeck series. Overall, the disc captures a more reflective side of Kellaway in a typical Maybeck program of mostly standards mixed with a pair of originals. Yet Kellaway's stride-grounded manner still veers off unpredictably and delightfully into the ozone, sometimes invoking Debussy-like whole-tone scales and skirting the lower orbits of bitonality and atonality before neatly extricating himself. His own shuffling stride tune, "I'm Still in Love With You," is a match for any of the standards, and he's not afraid to take it outside with flashes of bitonal color. He also gives "Creole Love Call" a similar treatment which fits the rhythm of the tune with a rumbling, murky intro deep in the bass. Though this is not one of his more endearingly off-the-wall recordings, it is one of the best listeners have that is still widely available.~Richard S. Ginellhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-maybeck-recital-hall-vol-11-mw0000675314

Personnel: Roger Kellaway – piano

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall,Vol. 11

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