Saturday, January 15, 2022

Andrej Hermlin & His Swing Dance Orchestra - Life Goes To A Party

Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:47
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:21) 1. Life Goes To A Party
(2:43) 2. Jump, Jump's Here
(3:40) 3. Blue Moon
(3:09) 4. The Dipsy Doodle
(2:28) 5. Nonstop Flight
(3:30) 6. Over The Rainbow
(2:57) 7. Wll All Right
(3:47) 8. Pickin' The Cabbage
(3:02) 9. Jeepers Creepers
(2:44) 10. Dinah
(2:59) 11. Sweet Sue, Just You
(5:49) 12. You Go To My Head
(2:15) 13. I'll See You In My Dreams
(3:59) 14. Chattanooga Choo Choo
(2:26) 15. God Save The Swingking
(2:39) 16. The Glory Of Love
(3:22) 17. Tropical Nights
(2:28) 18. A Tisket, A Tasket
(4:29) 19. Yes Indeed
(4:52) 20. Sing, Sing, Sing

Hermlin was born the son of the writer Stephan Hermlin . Hermlin grew up bilingually through his mother Irina Belokoneva-Hermlin, who was from Russia . Hermlin received his first piano lessons at the age of seven. After graduating from the Carl von Ossietzky High School in Berlin-Pankow, he studied piano from 1986 to 1990 at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin . He learned the swing style he played by himself . In 1986 he founded the Swing Dance Band , which became the Swing Dance Orchestra in 1995 , of which he has been the band leader ever since. So far (as of 2014) Hermlin has released more than ten CDs with this formation and has performed with it regularly, both nationally and internationally. The Swing Dance Orchestraplays swing in the style of the 1930s, partly with original equipment, such as consoles from that time, and mostly unamplified only the singing is amplified and recorded with microphones with a historical look (but modern inner workings). Andrej Hermlin became known beyond his music when he was arrested after the 2008 presidential election in Kenya on suspicion of terrorism. Hermlin had previously supported the democracy movement and candidate Raila Odinga , with whom he is friends. In the village of Thumaita, 130 kilometers from Nairobi , he and his wife Joyce built an art deco style house.

He is involved in the community, wired the village , had street lamps installed and organized the garbage collection . Due to the reforms in the party and as a supporter of Gorbachev , Hermlin joined the PDS in February 1990 "when everyone else had left". For a time he was a member of the Berlin State Executive of the PDS and a candidate for the House of Representatives . He has been a member of the Left Party since it was formed and regularly appears at their events. Due to his interest in historical aviation , Hermlin supported a referendum by the Berlin CDU in 2007 to keep Tempelhof Airport open . With me you are beautifulHermlin specially designed a program of swing pieces by Jewish musicians to protest anti-Semitism. Hermlin and his wife Joyce have two children. His son David Hermlin and daughter Rachel Hermlin perform as singers and dancers with their father's orchestra. Andrej Hermlin lives in Berlin-Niederschönhausen in the house where his father lived and where he grew up. The equipment of the house is at the level of 1927, but modernized. The furniture dates from the period 1930-1960. The Biermann affair had begun in the living room of the house. Hermlin's father Stephan had written a petition against the expatriation, which had been signed by twelve people in the living room.https://de-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Andrej_Hermlin

The Swing Dance Orchestra is a multinational orchestra in big band format from Berlin , which mainly plays swing in the style of the 1930s; its predecessor was founded as a quintet in 1986 by Andrej Hermlin (band leader) with four other musicians. The first rehearsals of the quintet, which was still called the Swing Dance Band at the time, took place in a father's garage. The first appearance took place in the spring of 1987 in what was then the construction workers' youth club with a repertoire of 15 titles. In 1995 today's formation was created. https://second.wiki/wiki/swing_dance_orchestra

Life Goes To A Party

Al Grey - Ya Dig ?

Styles: Trombone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:05
Size: 177,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:00) 1. Something's Got a Hold on Me
(5:23) 2. Stardust
(2:58) 3. I Don't Want to Cry
(5:40) 4. King Bee
(4:14) 5. Through for the Night
(4:52) 6. Al-Amo
(3:32) 7. Stand by Me
(6:09) 8. Stella by Starlight
(4:48) 9. Boss Tina
(4:29) 10. Night and Day
(5:11) 11. Stone Crazy
(4:23) 12. African Lady
(4:54) 13. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:56) 14. Laughing Tonight
(3:49) 15. Deep Fried
(3:20) 16. Nothing but the Truth
(5:19) 17. Blues in the Night

Al Grey's trademark phrases and often humorous use of the plunger mute long made him quite distinctive. After getting out of the service, he was with the orchestras of Benny Carter (1945-1946), Jimmie Lunceford (1946-1947), Lucky Millinder, and Lionel Hampton (off and on during 1948-1953). Grey was a well-featured soloist with the classic Dizzy Gillespie globetrotting orchestra during 1956-1957 (taking an exciting solo at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival on a blazing version of "Cool Breeze"). He was with Count Basie's orchestra on three separate occasions (1957-1961, 1964-1966, and 1971-1977), led a band with Billy Mitchell in the early '60s, and had a group with Jimmy Forrest after leaving Basie in 1977. In later years, Grey performed and recorded often with Clark Terry, made a CD with the Statesmen of Jazz, and for a time led a quintet that featured his son Mike Grey on second trombone. Al Grey recorded as a leader for Argo (1959-1964), Tangerine, Black & Blue, Stash, Chiaroscuro, and Capri, and co-led an excellent Pablo date in 1983 with J.J. Johnson. He died of complications from diabetes on March 24, 2000.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-grey-mn0000931891/biography

Personnel: Al Grey - trombone; David Burns - trumpet; Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone; Hugh Lawson - piano; Calvin Newborne - guitar; Herman Wright - bass; Otis Finch - drums

Ya Dig ?

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Kurt Rosenwinkel Plays Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:26
Size: 111,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:44) 1. Love Signs
(4:45) 2. Music
(4:37) 3. Lost Song
(5:09) 4. Whispers of Love
(4:13) 5. The Cross
(4:32) 6. For Dad
(4:34) 7. Cycle Five
(5:00) 8. Hommage à Mitch
(4:48) 9. Reassurement
(6:00) 10. Heavenly Bodies

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and Heartcore Records founder Kurt Rosenwinkel is acclaimed as one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation, but many might not know that he is also an accomplished pianist. Heartcore Records is proud to present Kurt Rosenwinkel Plays Piano, an album of original compositions written and performed by Kurt Rosenwinkel. Some songs have been recorded and performed before, and will be familiar to fans of Kurt’s music. They are presented here as solo piano pieces, with the melodies, chord voicings, and rhythmic structures of these pieces intact and unadorned by the interpretation of bandmates. Listeners are afforded a glimpse into Kurt Rosenwinkel’s long relationship with the piano, as well as rare insight into his probing compositional mind. https://shop.heartcore-records.com/product/kurt-rosenwinkel-piano

Kurt Rosenwinkel Plays Piano

Friday, January 14, 2022

Ray Gelato & Kai Hoffman - Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:15
Size: 127,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. Hey Boy! Hey Girl!
(2:37)  2. I've Got You Under My Skin
(3:25)  3. You're Just in Love
(4:17)  4. Cold Cold Heart
(4:14)  5. Under a Blanket of Blue
(3:17)  6. They All Laughed
(1:59)  7. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
(2:45)  8. Nothin's Too Good for My Baby
(3:21)  9. The Lady Is a Tramp
(3:24) 10. Don't Worry 'Bout Me/I'm in the Mood for Love
(3:01) 11. Undecided
(3:24) 12. Frim Fram Sauce
(3:54) 13. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(4:03) 14. I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire
(3:46) 15. If I Didn't Care
(2:36) 16. That Old Black Magic
(1:37) 17. Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (Reprise)

Hey Boy! Hey Girl! is a fabulous show celebrating the magic of the boy/girl duets. Great artists such as Louis Prima and Keely Smith, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong helped to bring this concept great popularity. Ray Gelato, (winner Ronnie Scotts best band, Radio 2 best jazz vocalist nominee), and Kai Hoffman (smoky-voiced award-winning US Diva and Ronnie Scott’s regular) have developed a wonderful, fun show, taking tunes from the great American songbook! You will hear such classics as ‘That Old Black Magic’, ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’, ‘Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off’, and many, many more wonderful tunes. All performed with fun, romance and swing! Hey Boy!, Hey Girl! is sure to rock you out of your seats with Ray and Kai’s fun and jumpin’ renditions of some of your favorite classic songs. The golden age of the vocal duet is back!  http://www.kaihoffman.co.uk/index.php/line-ups/hey-boy-hey-girl/

Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

Don Scaletta - All In Good Time !

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:58
Size: 94,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Exodus
(5:36)  2. You're My Girl
(4:06)  3. Walk With Buddha
(1:55)  4. They Can't Make Her Cry
(6:18)  5. Secret Love
(8:52)  6. We Kiss In A Shadow
(2:39)  7. Chim Chim Cher-Ee
(4:09)  8. Here's That Rainy Day
(3:22)  9. Bitter Wine

If anyone has any information on this album are welcome!

Personnel: Don Scaletta(p), Ted Blondell(b), Nikki Lamkin(dr)

Andrej Hermlin & His Swing Dance Orchestra - Happy Birthday Mr. Swing!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:21
Size: 99.2 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:50] 1. Bugle Call Rag
[2:28] 2. Careless
[2:29] 3. Lonesome Road
[3:17] 4. Embraceable You
[2:50] 5. I Come From A Musical Family
[3:08] 6. Five O'clock Whistle
[2:36] 7. Happy Birthday Mr. Swing
[3:42] 8. Only You
[3:31] 9. One O'clock Jump
[4:38] 10. Blues In The Night
[3:02] 11. King Porter Stomp
[3:26] 12. Minnie The Moocher
[5:19] 13. Drummin' Man

Initially, the first jam sessions were conducted in Andrej’s parents’ garage. Back then the four young musicians playing with Andrej Hermlin could not imagine what would result from their experimental music-making. But one thing they knew for certain: they wanted to play swing, and they wanted it to sound authentic. In their first gig in the spring of 1987 in an establishment then called the “Club of Young Construction Workers”, the group played their entire repertoire – barely more than 15 titles. Several years later the SWING DANCE BAND – with new outfits, and now including a guitarist and female vocal soloist – could be heard playing at larger ball events. Bettina Labeau, at that time married to the bandleader, is still today the vocal soloist of the orchestra. At the end of 1995 the band renamed itself the SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA, now there was a small wind section and arrangements were added to attempt to emulate the sound of the American big bands. On a rather coincidental trip to New York, Andrej Hermlin was rather surprised to experience the new craze for swing in the U.S. In view of the thousands of young swing dancers at “Midsummer Night Swing“ on Lincoln Plaza the Berlin bandleader vowed: “I’ll bring my orchestra to New York no matter what the cost.”

In the summer of 1999 – after months of difficult preparations, everything was finally ready: the band traveled to America. The first gig of the SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA in America took place high above the roofs of Manhattan – in the restaurant of the World Trade Center “Windows of the World“ – a place that no longer exists. Many remarkable things have happened since then: David Rose was signed on as second vocal soloist, the band appeared more often on television, released more albums, was involved in film productions and gave guest performances in Hong Kong, Brussels, Zurich and London. But during all these years, Andrej Hermlin’s foremost goal was to found his own big band. He waited a long time to do it, but since the beginning of 2001 he has been the bandleader of an orchestra with 16 musicians. In the following summer he fulfilled a dream: he returned with his band to the “Big Apple“, played in the “Rainbow Room“, at the legendary “Hotel Pennsylvania“ – and at the “Midsummer Night Swing“ at Lincoln Plaza…

In 2004 the orchestra traveled to the Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa, Glenn Miller’s native city. The SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA has played gigs in the most prestigious concert halls in Germany and elsewhere. Under the Sony/BMG label the orchestra has released the albums : “Live in New York“ and “Benny Goodman´s Carnegie Hall Concert 1938“ – evidence of an amazing development which began so modestly many years ago. All of the old pals who played back then in the garage are still playing together today as musicians in the SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA. The story of this extraordinary band has not yet come to an end, so keep posted to find out what will happen next.

Happy Birthday Mr. Swing!

Dan Nimmer - Kelly Blue: Tribute To Wynton Kelly

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:39
Size: 132,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:29)  1. No Blues
(5:43)  2. Brimsha Man
(3:57)  3. On A Clear Day
(2:46)  4. Quick Jump
(5:09)  5. Close Your Eyes
(5:16)  6. Eleanor
(5:09)  7. Kelly Blue
(5:56)  8. On The Trail
(6:04)  9. If You Could See Me Now
(5:21) 10. Autumn Leaves
(6:49) 11. Temperance

In 2004, Wynton Marsalis hired 21-year-old Dan Nim-mer for his quartet and for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. It is easy to hear what Marsalis likes about Nimmer. He has lights-out chops and is a deeply traditional player. Nimmer’s second recording as a leader, Kelly Blue, is a curious project. It is described as a Wynton Kelly tribute, but it is more like a channeling. Nimmer does a Wynton Kelly so exact it is spooky. He not only gets the elastic snap of Kelly’s swing, his harmonic ingenuity and his scurrying phrasing, he gets Kelly’s single most inimitable characteristic: his touch. Like Kelly, Nimmer can make every note pop like a champagne bubble.

Nimmer provides lush, complete, immaculate trio versions of songs Kelly usually recorded with horns (“Autumn Leaves,” “No Blues,” “On the Trail”). His portamento portrayal of “If You Could See Me Now” is even more luminous than Kelly’s and is the highlight of the album. The songs that Kelly never knew (like the ultra-funky Nimmer original “Brimsha Man”) sound like Kelly has come back to earth to play them. It’s all great fun, but the question (as it so often seems to be for musicians associated with Wynton Marsalis) is whether Nimmer’s technique and intimacy with history will eventually lead to the development of a distinctive personal voice. ~ Thomas Conrad http://jazztimes.com/articles/18897-kelly-blue-dan-nimmer-trio

Kelly Blue - Tribute To Wynton Kelly

Bennie Green Quintet - Glidin' Along

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:52
Size: 91,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. African Dream
(8:04)  2. Sweet Sucker
(5:11)  3. Glidin' Along
(8:29)  4. Green's Scene
(4:03)  5. Milkshake
(4:16)  6. Stardust
(4:00)  7. Expubidence

Bennie Green was one of the few trombonists of the 1950s who played in a style not influenced by J.J. Johnson (Bill Harris was another). His witty sound and full tone looked backwards to the swing era yet was open to the influence of R&B. After playing locally in Chicago, he was with the Earl Hines Orchestra during 1942-1948 (except for two years in the military). Green gained some fame for his work with Charlie Ventura (1948-1950) before joining Earl Hines' small group (1951-1953). He then led his own group throughout the 1950s and '60s, using such sidemen as Cliff Smalls, Charlie Rouse, Eric Dixon, Paul Chambers, Louis Hayes, Sonny Clark, Gildo Mahones, and Jimmy Forrest. 

Green recorded regularly as a leader for Prestige, Decca, Blue Note, Vee-Jay, Time, Bethlehem, and Jazzland during 1951-1961, although only one further session (a matchup with Sonny Stitt on Cadet in 1964) took place. Bennie Green was with Duke Ellington for a few months in 1968-1969 and then moved to Las Vegas, where he spent his last years working in hotel bands, although he did emerge to play quite well at the 1972 Newport Jazz Festival and in New York jam sessions.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bennie-green-mn0000160618/biography

Personnel: Bennie Green (trombone); Johnny Griffin (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Junior Mance (piano); Ben Riley (drums)

Glidin' Along

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Verve Jazz Masters 13

Styles: Vocal, Bossa Nova
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:34
Size: 131,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
(2:39) 2. Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer)
(3:40) 3. So Danco Samba
(2:47) 4. Desafinado (Off Key)
(3:35) 5. Aguas De Marco (Waters Of March)
(5:29) 6. O Grande Amor
(2:53) 7. Agua De Beber
(3:15) 8. Chovendo Na Roseiro (Double Rainbow)
(6:55) 9. O Morro Nao Tem Vez
(2:12) 10. Fascinating Rhythm
(2:57) 11. Insensatez (How Insensitive)
(3:11) 12. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape)
(3:25) 13. O Morro não tem Vez
(2:06) 14. Por Toda Minha Vida
(2:43) 15. Triste
(4:23) 16. Borzeguim

Antonio Carlos Jobim's entry in the exhaustive VERVE JAZZ MASTERS set of historical reissues is one of the best single-disc Jobim anthologies available. It's not got much in the way of historical range, since it stops in the mid-'60s, just before Jobim left Verve for Reprise and then A&M. However, since Jobim's Verve years were, in the minds of many, his career highpoint, VERVE JAZZ MASTERS 13 distills the best of his most artistically and commercially successful period. Nearly all of Jobim's greatest songs are here in their definitive versions, and the whole is sequenced thoughtfully, so that the disc has a logical and delightful flow. This is magnificent stuff, as well as being the birth of bossa nova. https://www.allmusic.com/album/verve-jazz-masters-13-mw0000112351

Personnel: Antonio Carlos Jobim - Vocal, Guitar, Piano; Stan Getz - Tenor Saxophone; Joao Gilberto - Guitar, Vocal; Tommy Williams - Bass; Luiz Bonfa Bass; George Duvivier Bass; Paulo Ferreira Drums; Paulo Braga Drums; Paulo Jobim Guitar, Vocal, Producer

Verve Jazz Masters 13

Sammy Davis Jr., Carmen Mcrae - Porgy And Bess

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:02
Size: 86,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:57) 1. Summertime
(3:39) 2. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
(4:15) 3. My Man's Gone Now
(3:27) 4. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
(4:50) 5. Bess, You Is My Woman
(3:54) 6. It Ain't Necessarily So
(3:47) 7. I Loves You Porgy
(3:58) 8. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
(3:26) 9. Oh Bess, Where's My Bess
(2:44) 10. Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way

The 1959 film Porgy and Bess was supposed to be the crowning achievement of the legendarily tyrannical producer Samuel Goldwyn’s career; he had wanted to film the Gershwin brothers’ ‘American folk opera’ since seeing it on stage in 1935. Instead, it was a disaster: the director was fired and replaced, the sets burned down just before filming started, the actors were suspicious of potentially insulting stereotypes, the critics didn’t like it, and the Gershwins hated it. About the only thing to recommend it was Sammy Davis, Jr.’s turn as the serpent-tongued Sportin’ Life. Nonetheless, the widespread anticipation for the movie, coupled with the manifest genius of the opera’s score led to the Porgy-and-Bess-ification of music in jazz circles in 1959. No fewer than ten jazz albums of Porgy and Bess’ score were released in 1959: Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Ralph Burns, Mundell Lowe, Hank Jones, Bill Potts, Buddy Collette, Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams, Diahann Carroll with the André Previn Trio, and a duet album featuring Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne.

While shooting Porgy and Bess in Hollywood in the second half of 1958, Sammy Davis, Jr. also laid down tracks for his own Porgy and Bess album, with which to capitalise on his star billing in the film. Joining him would be his Decca stablemate Carmen McRae, with whom he had already recorded a duet album, Boy Meets Girl. Carmen provided two cuts (“Summertime” and “My Man’s Gone Now”, both recorded in New York), and joined Sammy in Los Angeles for one duet (“I Loves You Porgy”). Sammy recorded the remaining songs solo. Sporting notable cover art by pop artist James Meese, Decca’s Porgy and Bess was released in March 1959, exactly three months before the film’s premiere at the end of June. Columbia also released an official Porgy and Bess soundtrack album in June, but contractually Sammy could not appear in it. Cab Calloway subbed in for Sportin’ Life’s two songs from the film, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “There’s a Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon For New York”. Despite this, the name Sammy Davis, Jr. is emblazoned across the reverse of the LP sleeve, and so for many years many people have assumed it is Sammy when it is not.

Decca’s Porgy and Bess marked Sammy’s first collaboration on record with arranger Buddy Bregman, well known at the time for his work with Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. Bregman and Sammy had been friends for years, and while Bregman was working on the charts for Porgy and Bess, the two were actually rehearsing together for a stage play production of The Desperate Hours at the Hollywood Centre Theatre. A full string orchestra and The Bill Thompson Singers were brought in to back Sammy and, believe it or not, the arrangements manage to overcome even Sammy’s powerful voice, at times swallowing him with brass or suffocating him with strings (perhaps an audio mixing issue). Despite this, you can tell that Sammy isn’t holding anything back Porgy and Bess was a labour of love for him, especially given how hard he lobbied Goldwyn for his role in the film in the first place. http://sammydavisjr.info/music/releases/original-albums/porgy-and-bess/

Personnel: Sammy Davis, Jr. - vocals (on all tracks but 1 and 3)Carmen McRae - vocals (1, 3, 7)

Porgy And Bess

Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra - Two Seconds To Midnight

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:52
Size: 158,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:38) 1. Song For Bilbao
(6:08) 2. Night And Day
(5:26) 3. Skylark
(6:26) 4. Two Seconds To Midnight
(8:31) 5. Sea Changes
(7:48) 6. Out House
(6:08) 7. One Mint Julep
(7:57) 8. Dee Minor
(9:02) 9. Cottontail
(4:45) 10. When I Fall In Love

When it comes to putting together a big band, Alan Baylock has an enormous advantage. As chief arranger for the U.S. Air Force’s renowned jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, he’s on a first-name basis with some of the most accomplished big band musicians in the country, if not the world. Nearly a dozen of the sidemen on Two Seconds to Midnight, Baylock’s splendid debut recording as leader of the band, were enlisted from the ranks of the AON with four others from the Army Blues and one from the Navy Commodores. As a bonus, there are guest appearances by the celebrated pianist Kenny Werner on Baylock’s “Sea Changes” and Ellington’s “Cottontail.”

Of course, assembling these pros in a studio is one thing; handing them charts that are rewarding to play is quite another. The good news for musicians and listeners alike is that Baylock excels in that sphere as well. One doesn’t replace a legendary arranger such as Mike Crotty without having uncommon resourcefulness and talent. Baylock knows what it takes to make a big band fresh and exciting, and writes accordingly. As he explains it: “I consciously try to forget old habits to discover newer ways of doing things. Whether it’s mixing and matching instrument[al] colors to achieve subtly different sounds, adding a few extra notes into a voicing for more ‘crunch,’ putting in an unexpected rhythm... or completely reworking the harmonic and formal structure of a tune, it’s the process of experimentation that makes creating music so exciting...”

The excitement is evident throughout, from Pat Metheny’s dancing “Song for Bilbao” to the Victor Young/Ned Heyman’s ballad “When I Fall in Love.” The album’s other two standards are as different as, well, “Night and Day,” with tenors Tyler Kuebler and Jeff Antoniuk dueling on a scorching arrangement of the Cole Porter confession, and trumpeter Tim Leahey and trombonist Joe Jackson taking wing on Hoagy Carmichael’s achingly lovely “Skylark.” Ensemble and soloists are equally impressive on Jerry Bergonzi’s busy “Out House,” Mike Mainieri’s strapping “Dee Minor,” Rudolph Toombs’ funky R&B classic, “One Mint Julep,” and Baylock’s on-the-edge title selection.

There is one departure from the big band format, with Werner, bassist Paul Henry and drummer Steve Fidyk showcased on the billowing “Sea Changes.” Fidyk, bassists Henry or John Pineda, guitarist Shawn Purcell and pianist Bob Larson, it must be noted, comprise as capable a rhythm section as one could desire. And with trumpet and trombone sections made up almost entirely of Airmen, there’s no letdown there either.

“Cottontail,” with ripping solos by Werner, Fidyk, alto Andy Axelrad, Antoniuk (soprano), baritone Doug Morgan and tenor Luis Hernandez, is a gem, but so is almost everything else, with “Out House” (solos by Kuebler, Purcell and Fidyk) and “Dee Minor” (Larson, trombonist Ben Patterson, baritone Chad Makela) sure to give almost every attentive listener goosebumps. Not bad for a first try, Alan. We hope to hear from you again, not only as principal arranger for the Airmen but with your “own” band as well.~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/two-seconds-to-midnight-alan-baylock-sea-breeze-jazz-review-by-jack-bowers

Personnel: Alan Baylock, leader, arranger; Andy Axelrad, Antonio Orta, alto sax, flute; Joseph Henson, alto sax; Tyler Kuebler, tenor sax, clarinet; Luis Hernandez, tenor sax; Jeff Antoniuk, tenor, soprano sax, clarinet; Chad Makela, baritone sax, bass clarinet; Doug Morgan, baritone sax; Brian MacDonald, Mike Davis, Mike Kamuf, Rich Sigler, Tim Leahey, trumpet, flugelhorn; Ben Patterson, Jeff Martin, Joe Jackson, trombone; Jeff Cortazzo, bass trombone; Shawn Purcell, guitar; Bob Larson, piano; John Pineda, Paul Henry, bass; Steve Fidyk, drums.

Two Seconds To Midnight

Laura Tate - I Must Be Dreaming

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:13
Size: 92,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Snake Tattoo
(3:21)  2. No Place to Hide
(3:00)  3. What a Way to Go
(3:43)  4. I Must Be Dreaming
(2:36)  5. Dead End Road
(4:27)  6. Talk Is Cheap
(4:06)  7. If Ever Forever Should End
(2:53)  8. Cowboy Jazz
(3:24)  9. Counting Up the Ways
(3:08) 10. Don't Try to Talk Me Out of Loving You
(2:50) 11. Too Blue
(3:27) 12. Hold On (The Edge of Your Love)

Whether she is singing Broadway hits or ballads, pop favorites or original compositions, Laura Tate brings heart and soul to her performance and recordings. The versatile singer, actor, producer, and community advocate continues to mesmerize audiences in both intimate cafes and huge concert halls, reaching each listener with her smooth sultry torch singer voice and warm stage presence. 

Released on June 1, 2015, the album, "I Must Be Dreaming," recorded in Los Angeles at Jesi-Lu Recording Studio, produced by Terry Wilson as a tribute the music of Mel Harker. http://www.musicbylauratate.com/

I Must Be Dreaming

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Christian McBride - The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Styles: Post-Bop, Straight-Ahead Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:50
Size: 149,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:43) 1. Overture/The Movement Revisited
( 3:20) 2. Sister Rosa - Prologue
( 6:25) 3. Sister Rosa
( 3:08) 4. Rosa Introduces Malcolm
( 2:49) 5. Brother Malcolm - Prologue
( 7:35) 6. Brother Malcolm
( 1:03) 7. Malcolm Introduces Ali
( 2:42) 8. Ali Speaks
( 6:00) 9. Rumble In The Jungle
( 0:40) 10. Rosa Introduces MLK
( 5:38) 11. Soldiers (I Have a Dream)
( 4:14) 12. A View From The Mountaintop
(10:26) 13. Apotheosis: November 4th, 2008

The spring 2020 release of The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait Of Four Icons is the latest chapter in Christian McBride's inspirational salute to the African American civil rights movement and to four of its heroes: Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Embracing big band jazz, small group jazz, gospel, funk and chorale musics, together with spoken word passages, the suite employs an eighteen-piece band, the ten-piece Voices Of The Flame gospel choir, two lead vocalists and four narrators. It concludes with a recently written fifth movement inspired by Barack Obama's election victory in 2008. At least two more movements suggest themselves: the Trump era and (bring it on) its aftermath.

The backstory: The Movement Revisited has its genesis in 1998 and a commission from the Portland (Maine) Arts Society. McBride was given a free hand in the commission other than the stipulation that it had to include a choir. He chose to write what he called a portrait of the civil rights movement, performed by a jazz quartet and a gospel choir. Rather than attempt documentary reportage in words and music, McBride set out to evoke the spirit of the movement.

In 2008, the Los Angeles Philharmonic invited McBride to make an expanded version of the suite for its upcoming concert season. (Timeline check: this was the year McBride was part of the lineup which recorded Pat Metheny's trio masterpiece Day Trip on the Nonesuch label). A few months later, Obama was elected President, and the Detroit Jazz Festival asked McBride to put together an ensemble to perform the piece. This led to the writing of the fifth movement, "Apotheosis November 4th 2008," in which the narrators playing King, Parks, X and Ali return to the stage to voice portions of Obama's victory speech. Rewind again: As a child, McBride learnt the history of the movement in school, but he had the good fortune to discover a more emotionally accessible resource than text books his grandmother's carefully archived collection of Jet and Ebony magazines from the 1960s and their profiles of the movement's leading lights. This was, he says, "the greatest gift my grandmother could have given me."

Fast forward to The Movement Revisited: Much of the album consists of instrumental ensembles and soloists, but these are anchored in spoken word sections in which actors quote passages from speeches made by King, Parks, X and Ali. Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Treme) represents King. Dion Graham (Malcolm X, The Wire) plays X. Vondie Curtis-Hall (Chicago Hope, Daredevil) plays Ali. The only non-actor is the distinguished poet Sonia Sanchez, who plays Parks.

This is an epic work. There are glancing resonances with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra's Blood On The Fields (Columbia, 1997), but McBride tells his story in little over an hour, compared to the 3xCD set which Marsalis required. And do not mention Kamasi Washington. In that context, one is reminded of the 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal's postscript to a correspondent: "I have made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter." Then again, in defense of Marsalis and Washington, McBride has had over twenty years on this project.~Chris Mayhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-movement-revisited-christian-mcbride-mack-avenue-records

Personnel: Christian McBride: bass; Steve Wilson: saxophone, alto; Todd Bashore: saxophone; Ron Blake: saxophone; Loren Schoenberg: saxophone; Carl Maraghi: saxophone, baritone; Michael Dease: trombone; Steve Davis: trombone; James Burton: trombone; Doug Purviance: trombone; Lew Soloff: trumpet; Ron Tooley: trumpet; Frank Greene: trumpet; Freddie Hendrix: trumpet; Darryl Shaw: trumpet; Warren Wolf: vibraphone; Geoffrey Keezer: keyboards; Terreon Gully: drums.

The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet And Flute Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:15
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:08) 1. The Black and Crazy Blues
(2:54) 2. A Laugh For Rory
(4:45) 3. Many Blessings
(4:15) 4. Fingers In the Wind
(4:58) 5. The Inflated Tear
(3:54) 6. The Creole Love Call
(2:42) 7. A Handful of Fives
(4:18) 8. Fly By Night
(4:04) 9. Lovellevelliloqui
(2:12) 10. I'm Glad There Is You

The debut recording by Roland Kirk (this was still pre-Rahsaan) on Atlantic Records, the same label that gave us Blacknuss and Volunteered Slavery, is not the blowing fest one might expect upon hearing it for the first time. In fact, producer Joel Dorn and label boss Neshui Ertegun weren't prepared for it either. Kirk had come to Atlantic from Emarcy after recording his swan song for them, the gorgeous Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith, in April. In November Kirk decided to take his quartet of pianist Ron Burton, bassist Steve Novosel, and drummer Jimmy Hopps and lead them through a deeply introspective, slightly melancholy program based in the blues and in the groove traditions of the mid-'60s. Kirk himself used the flutes, the strich, the Manzello, whistle, clarinet, saxophones, and more the very instruments that had created his individual sound, especially when some of them were played together, and the very things that jazz critics (some of whom later grew to love him) castigated him for. Well, after hearing the restrained and elegantly layered "Black and Crazy Blues," the stunning rendered "Creole Love Call," the knife-deep soul in "The Inflated Tear," and the twisting in the wind lyricism of "Fly by Night," they were convinced and rightfully so. Roland Kirk won over the masses with this one too, selling over 10,000 copies in the first year. This is Roland Kirk at his most poised and visionary; his reading of jazz harmony and fickle sonances are nearly without peer. And only Mingus understood Ellington in the way Kirk did. That evidence is here also. If you are looking for a place to start with Kirk, this is it.~Thom Jurekhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/the-inflated-tear-mw0000765520

Personnel: Roland Kirk – tenor saxophone, manzello, stritch, clarinet, flute, whistle, cor anglais, flexatone; Rahn Burton – piano; Steve Novosel – bass; Jimmy Hopps – drums; Dick Griffin (incorrectly credited on the LP sleeve as Dick Griffith) – trombone (on "Fly by Night")

The Inflated Tear

Matt Dusk - Back In Town

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:54
Size: 103,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. Back in Town
(3:32)  2. All About Me
(3:04)  3. Best Is Yet To Come, The
(3:54)  4. Way You Look Tonight, The
(4:08)  5. More
(4:47)  6. As Times Goes By
(4:03)  7. Learning the Bluesn
(3:17)  8. Get Me To The Church On Time
(2:53)  9. Who's Got The Action
(3:38) 10. On the Street Where You Live
(3:56) 11. A Million Kisses Late
(4:01) 12. Where Were You When

Back in Town is the fourth studio album by Canadian jazz singer Matt Dusk. It was released by Decca Records on June 13, 2006 in Canada. The album was released worldwide with an alternative cover later in 2006.

In Canada, the album debuted at number seventeen on the albums chart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_in_Town_%28Matt_Dusk_album%29

Personnel: Matt Dusk (vocals); John Faux, John Chioidini (guitar); Assa Drori, Al Hershberger, Karen Winkelmann, Dynell Weber, Jennifer Munday, Jennifer Walton, Irina Voloshina, Anatoly Rosinsky, Johana Krejci, Katia Popov, Carolyn Wann Bailey, Becky Bunnell, Erin Hall, Christian Teal, Kevin Connolly , Sid Page, Raymond Kobler, Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, Pamela Sixfin, Alan Umstead, Darius Campo, Liane Mautner, Catherine Umstead, Haim Shtrum (violin); Raymond Tischer, Dave Walther , Harry Shirinian (viola); Dan Higgins (flute, piccolo, clarinet, alto saxophone); Pete Christlieb, Bob Sheppard (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Gene Cipriano (clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Gary Grant, Mike Haynes , Larry Hall , Warren Luening, Wayne Bergeron, George Tidwell (trumpet); Paul Klintworth, Dana Kelley, Steven Becknell (French horn); Andy Martin , Roy Agee, Chris McDonald, Barry Green , Charles Loper, Chauncey Welsch (trombone); Craig Gosnell (bass trombone); Michael Lang (piano, celesta); Tom Rainer (piano); Mike Long (celesta); 'Big' Jim Right (organ); Peter Erskine, Shannon Forrest, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums, drum); L.A. String & Horn Section, Nashville String & Horn Section (unknown instrument); Ilya Toshinsky (guitar, banjo); Neil Stubenhaus, Spencer Campbell (electric guitar, electric bass); Tom Ranier, Randy Kerber (piano); Rob Wells (keyboards, programming); Chuck Berghofer (acoustic bass); Daniel Greco , Eric Darken, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

Back In Town

Laura Tate - Songs From My Suitcase

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:01
Size: 94,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. Blue Moon
(3:12)  2. Stormy Weather
(4:40)  3. Cry Me a River
(3:51)  4. Since I Fell for You
(2:47)  5. Fly Me to the Moon
(4:33)  6. I'm a Fool to Want You
(3:49)  7. Once
(4:19)  8. Round Midnight
(4:29)  9. I've Got You Under My Skin
(2:43) 10. At Last
(3:12) 11. Come Rain or Come Shine

Whether she is singing Broadway hits or ballads, pop favorites or original compositions, Laura Tate brings heart and soul to her performance and recordings. The versatile singer, actor, producer, and community advocate continues to mesmerize audiences in both intimate cafes and huge concert halls, reaching each listener with her smooth sultry torch singer voice and warm stage presence.

In this new album, she breathes new life into some of the most-beloved classics in the history of popular love songs, and debuts an original work, "Once" by longtime friend, songwriter/producer Joe Plewa. With her signature smoky voice and her expressive, soulful style, Laura beautifully conjures up sweet memories for many listeners while introducing these standards to a whole new generation of fans. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauratate

Songs From My Suitcase

Miles Davis - Bag's Groove

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:23
Size: 106,4 MB
Art: Front

(11:17)  1. Bags' Groove (Take 1)
( 9:27)  2. Bags' Groove (Take 2)
( 4:55)  3. Airegin
( 5:13)  4. Oleo
( 5:45)  5. But Not For Me (take 2)
( 4:56)  6. Doxy
( 4:45)  7. But Not For Me (take 1)

There are a multitude of reasons why Bags' Groove remains a cornerstone of the post-bop genre. Of course there will always be the lure of the urban myth surrounding the Christmas Eve 1954 session featuring Thelonious Monk which is documented on the two takes of the title track. There are obviously more tangible elements, such as Davis' practically telepathic runs with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax). Or Horace Silver's (piano) uncanny ability to provide a stream of chord progressions that supply a second inconspicuous lead without ever overpowering. Indeed, Davis' choice of former Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and concurrent Modern Jazz Quartet members Milt Jackson (vibes), Kenny Clarke (drums), and Percy Heath (bass) is obviously well-informed. This combo became synonymous with the ability to tastefully improvise and provide bluesy bop lines in varied settings. 

The up-tempo and Latin-infused syncopation featured during the opening of "Airegin" flows into lines and minor-chord phrasings that would reappear several years later throughout Davis' Sketches of Spain epic. The fun and slightly maniacally toned "Oleo" features one of Heath's most impressive displays on Bags' Groove. His staccato accompaniment exhibits the effortless nature with which these jazz giants are able to incorporate round after round of solos onto the larger unit. Bags' Groove belongs as a cornerstone of all jazz collections. Likewise, the neophyte as well as the seasoned jazz enthusiast will find much to discover and rediscover throughout the disc. [Some reissues include both historic takes of "Bags' Groove" as well as one additional rendering of the pop standard "But Not for Me."] ~ Lindsay Planer http://www.allmusic.com/album/bags-groove-mw0000649467

Personnel: Miles Davis (trumpet); Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver (piano); Percy Heath (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Bag's Groove

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Frank Foster & SDR Big Band - A Fresh Taste Of The Blues

Styles: Big Band, Swing
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:36
Size: 153,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:38) 1. Victorious Blues
(7:51) 2. Easin' It
(5:00) 3. Love Handles
(8:11) 4. Mirror Lake
(6:16) 5. Brotherly Shove
(8:02) 6. Lady In Lace
(5:22) 7. Didn' You
(5:18) 8. Ode To Joe Newman
(5:10) 9. Winners
(8:45) 10. A Fresh Taste Of The Blues

Frank Foster (b. 21 September 1928) is an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, arranger, and composer, who is best known for his work in different periods with the Count Basie orchestra, as well as under his own name. His playing style has been influenced by that of John Coltrane, but has remained very much his own.

Foster was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and educated at Wilberforce University. In 1949 he played in Detroit with local musicians such as Wardell Gray, and on finishing his military service in 1953 he joined Basie's big band. Aside from his tenor playing, Foster contributed both arrangements and originals to the band's book (his best-known composition being "Shiny Stockings"), and when he left Basie in 1964, he worked as a freelance composer, providing material for such stars as Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra. His time with Basie had also seen him work outside the band, most significantly a session with Thelonious Monk in 1954.

From 1970 to 1972 (and on occasional later dates) he played with Elvin Jones, and in 1972 and 1975 with the Thad Jones Mel Lewis big band. He has also led small groups, as well as the Living Color and The Loud Minority big bands, with which he toured Europe and Japan. He co-led a quintet with Frank Wess in 1983, and toured Europe as a member of Jimmy Smith's quintet in 1985. In 1986, Foster succeeded Thad Jones as leader of the Basie band, with which he stayed until 1995, since which he has led various small groups and revived The Loud Minority. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/frank-foster

Personnel: Frank Foster (sax, cond, arr); Thomas Vogel (tp); Don Rader (tp); Karl Farrent (tp); Lubomir Rezanina (tp); Rudolf Reindl (tp); Marc Godfroid (tb); Ludwig Nub (tb); Ian Cumming (tb); Georg Maus (tb); Bernd Rabe (sax); Axel Kuhn (sax); Peter Weniger (sax); Andreas Maile (sax); Rainer Heute (sax); Klaus Wagenleiter (p, el-p); Henning Sieverts (b ); Klaus-Peter Schopfer (g); Keith Copeland (ds)

A Fresh Taste Of The Blues

Miles Davis - Blue Period

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1953
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 19:04
Size: 17,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:56) 1. Bluing
(2:51) 2. Blue Room
(6:16) 3. Out Of The Blue

Blue Period is the third studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis. It was released in 1953 as a 10" LP, his second released by Prestige Records, recorded over the course of two 1951 recording sessions at New York's Apex Studio.

Bluing" and "Out of the Blue", two Davis compositions, were recorded on October 5, 1951, at the same session as the material for his first album The New Sounds (PRLP 124). "Blue Room", composed by Rodgers and Hart, was recorded earlier that year, at the same January 17 recording session as the three tracks used on the various artists LP Modern Jazz Trumpets (PRLP 113). This earlier session was Davis' first for Prestige.

The tracks on Blue Period were split when Prestige reconfigured its recordings for 12-inch LP. "Bluing" and "Out of the Blue" are featured on Dig (PRLP 7012), and two versions of "Blue Room" (including an alternate take) are on the CD of Miles Davis and Horns (originally PRLP 7025). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Period_(album)

Personnel: Miles Davis – trumpet; Jackie McLean – alto saxophone; Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone; Walter Bishop, Jr. – piano; Tommy Potter – double bass; Art Blakey – drums

On "Blue Room": Miles Davis – trumpet; Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone; John Lewis – piano; Percy Heath – double bass; Roy Haynes – drums

Blue Period

Jim Hall - Jazz Impressions of Japan

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:43
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:56) 1. Light
(6:20) 2. Careful
(8:36) 3. Kyoto Bells
(2:29) 4. Without Words
(6:44) 5. Echo
(5:59) 6. Young One, For Debra
(3:02) 7. Two Special People
(2:34) 8. Something for Now

A harmonically advanced cool-toned and subtle guitarist, Jim Hall was an inspiration to many guitarists, including some (such as Bill Frisell) who sound nothing like him. Hall attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied classical guitar in Los Angeles with Vicente Gómez. He was an original member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955-1956), and during 1956-1959 was with the Jimmy Giuffre Three. After touring with Ella Fitzgerald (1960-1961) and sometimes forming duos with Lee Konitz, Hall was with Sonny Rollins' dynamic quartet in 1961-1962, recording The Bridge. He co-led a quartet with Art Farmer (1962-1964), recorded on an occasional basis with Paul Desmond during 1959-1965 (all of their quartet performances are collected on a Mosaic box set), and then became a New York studio musician. He was mostly a leader during the following years and, in addition to his own projects for World Pacific/Pacific Jazz, MPS, Milestone, CTI, Horizon, Artist House, Concord, MusicMasters, and Telarc, Jim Hall recorded two classic duet albums with Bill Evans. A self-titled collaboration with Pat Metheny followed in 1999. A flurry of studio albums, reissues, and compilations followed throughout the next few years, with the exceptional Jim Hall & Basses standing out for its bass/guitar duet format. Jim Hall died at his apartment in Manhattan on December 10, 2013; he was 83 years old.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/jim-hall-mn0000286483/biography

Personnel: Guitar – Jim Hall; Bass, Piano – Don Thompson ; Drums – Terry Clarke

Jazz Impressions of Japan