Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Steve Slagle - Plays Monk

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:42
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:45)  1. Think Of One
(11:20)  2. Worry Later
( 7:12)  3. Ugly Beauty
( 5:23)  4. Criss Cross
( 7:58)  5. Jackie-Ing
( 4:52)  6. Monk
( 4:33)  7. Light Blue
( 6:02)  8. Bemsha Swing
( 6:33)  9. Epistophy

Well, let's admit it; the whole idea of doing tribute albums has really gotten out of hand recently. But if you're going to do this type of thing, then saxophonist Steve Slagle and his talented crew have the right idea. For starters, a piano is nowhere to be heard from, with the chameleon-like guitar of Dave Stryker taking on the chordal functions. Right there we avoid any inclinations to produce a mere clone of the original. And instead of delivering the umpteenth version of "Round Midnight" or "Straight, No Chaser," Slagle has opted for a more intelligent selection of Monk charts while including one original of his own (this simply-titled affair, "Monk," also happens to be one of the highlights of the entire disc).  While it would have seemed logical for Slagle to pursue perhaps a tribute to Mingus, owing to his time currently spent with the Mingus big band, the Monk concept actually fits him quite well. His pungent alto, along with Stryker's biting tone, gives this music a contemporary edge that offers a new stance without sacrificing integrity. As an added bonus, Slagle pulls out his alto clarinet on "Jackie-ing" to great effect, at times suggesting the collective attack of Don Byron's work with Bill Frisell. Throughout, bassist Anderson and drummer Nussbaum are supportive and interactive, with Stryker's voicings often suggesting a larger front line than what we have in reality. In the final analysis, what a breath of fresh air it is to find a tribute album that manages to tip a hat to its honoree while also maintaining an identity and integrity of its own. And for anyone out there still ill at ease regarding the future survival of jazz, the sounds of Slagle and Stryker, both as a pair and separately, are just a few of the many coming from committed players who are proving you don't have to reject tradition in order to innovate. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/steve-slagle-plays-monk-steve-slagle-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Steve Slagle- alto saxophone & alto clarinet (track 5 only), Dave Stryker- guitar, Jay Anderson- bass, Adam Nussbaum- drums

Plays Monk

Misha Tsiganov Quintet - Misha's Wishes

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:46
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:13) 1. Fire Horse
(8:32) 2. Strike up the Band
(5:34) 3. Misha's Wishes
(6:09) 4. There Was a Birch Tree in the Field, So What
(2:18) 5. Lost in Her Eyes
(6:08) 6. Just a Scale
(8:20) 7. Give Me Five
(7:15) 8. Hope and Despair
(7:21) 9. Comrade Conrad
(7:51) 10. Are You with Me

Misha Tsiganov, who lived in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union until he emigrated to the U.S. in 1991, has never shied away from a challenge. That's apparent from the level's of complexity that Tsiganov embeds in the 18 arrangements and 9 originals on his three prior Criss Cross Albums.

As written in the liner notes for the album Spring Feelings, Tsiganov has established a signature blend of mixed meters, shifting tempos, changing keys and re-harmonization that he deploys in order to insure 'that something is happening’, so the listener doesn't fall asleep.

Tsiganov's latest, Misha's Wishes, doesn't eschew technical complexity. But the feel of this sophisticated, emotionally nuanced program - performed by old friends Alex Sipiagin, Seamus Blake, Boris Kozlov and Donald Edwards, with whom Misha Tsiganov feels such simpatico is different than its predecessors. https://www.challengerecords.com/products/16385399148366

Personnel: Misha Tsiganov: piano, Fender Rhodes; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet, flugelhorn; Seamus Blake: tenor saxophone; Boris Kozlov: bass; Donald Edwards: drums

Misha's Wishes

Monday, January 24, 2022

Sylvia Bennett - Sonrie

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:18
Size: 90,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:28) 1. Mirada De Amor
(3:12) 2. Besame Mucho
(3:22) 3. Por Ti
(3:56) 4. Sonrie
(2:38) 5. Quien Sera
(3:04) 6. Somos Novios
(2:40) 7. Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado
(3:44) 8. Tanto Vivir
(3:54) 9. Perfidia
(3:43) 10. La Sombra De Tu Amor
(2:39) 11. El Reloj
(2:53) 12. Sabor A Mi

Inspired by her passion for Latin music and culture, Sonríe realizes one of Sylvia Bennett’s most cherished dreams: a Spanish language recording of timeless classics. Lose yourself in the Grammy nominated artist’s sultry voice a voice first discovered by jazz legend, Lionel Hampton, and lauded by U.S. Presidents and critics alike. Sonríe is an irresistible Latin seduction, a tropical concoction as intoxicating as a first kiss.

“Grammy award winning vocalist Sylvia Bennett releases Sonríe, a jazz standards release with a new twist, well a Latin tinged one at least. In an era where a high percentage of jazz vocalists focus on the technique and articulation of the notes, it is refreshing to hear a master of song stylings put her spin on classic jazz standards completely sung in Spanish. So what about the authenticity you ask? Italian born, Bennett an always striving for perfection and reaching new heights (no wonder Lionel Hampton hired her permanently) artist procured a language coach (Juan Angelogianopulos) to make sure her journey would be flawless, and I must say that it is. Bennett shines; she lures the listener in with her luxurious voice and golden pipes, then sets the mood and delivers just the right atmosphere no matter the language for the listener.” http://www.sylviabennett.com/music_sonrie.html

Sonrie

Herb Ellis - Late Date

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 102:38
Size: 234.9 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:03] 1. Detour Ahead
[4:51] 2. Somebody Loves Me
[4:50] 3. Blues For Junior
[4:49] 4. Royal Garden Blues
[7:16] 5. Late Date
[3:20] 6. Clo's Blues
[6:04] 7. Patti Cake
[7:16] 8. Blues For Janet
[3:31] 9. Sweet Lorraine
[6:18] 10. Have You Met Miss Jones
[3:44] 11. It Could Happen To You
[6:01] 12. Soft Winds
[4:29] 13. Makin' Whoopee
[4:09] 14. A Simple Tune
[2:59] 15. Tin Roof Blues
[5:38] 16. Big Red's Boogie Woogie
[7:05] 17. Pap's Blues
[4:41] 18. Sweetheart Blues
[4:20] 19. Phil's Tune
[3:49] 20. Ellis In Wonderland
[3:15] 21. Les Tricheurs

An excellent bop-based guitarist with a slight country twang to his sound, Herb Ellis became famous playing with the Oscar Peterson Trio during 1953-1958. Prior to that, he had attended North Texas State University and played with the Casa Loma Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey (1945-1947), and the sadly under-recorded trio Soft Winds. While with Peterson, Ellis was on some Jazz at the Philharmonic tours and had a few opportunities to lead his own dates for Verve, including his personal favorite, Nothing But the Blues (1957). After leaving Peterson, Ellis toured a bit with Ella Fitzgerald; became a studio musician on the West Coast; made sessions with the Dukes of Dixieland, Stuff Smith, and Charlie Byrd; and in the 1970s became much more active in the jazz world. He can be heard on the first three releases issued by the Concord label, interacting with Joe Pass on the initial two, and he toured with the Great Guitars (along with Byrd and Barney Kessel) through much of the 1970s into the '80s. After a long series of Concord albums, Ellis cut a couple of excellent sessions in the 1990s for Justice, as well as 1999's Burnin' on Acoustic Music. After battling Alzheimer's disease, Herb Ellis died at the age of 88 at his home in Los Angeles on March 28, 2010. ~ Scott Yanow

Late Date

Beverly Kenney - Snuggled On Your Shoulder

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:50
Size: 80,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Tea For Two
(1:43)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(2:44)  3. The Things We Did Last Summer
(1:54)  4. Moe's Blues
(2:48)  5. Can't Get Out Of This Mood
(1:57)  6. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(2:15)  7. Snuggled On Your Shoulder
(2:46)  8. That's All
(2:13)  9. Ball And Chain (Sweet Lorraine)
(2:02) 10. A Foggy Day
(2:14) 11. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(2:26) 12. Violets For Your Furs
(1:57) 13. Mountain Greenery
(4:53) 14. Almost Like Being In Love

Notes for original 2006 Japanese issue.
Beverly Kenney was born in Harrison, New Jersey on January 29,1932, and began her professional singing career in Miami Beach in 1953. The following year she joined the Dorsey Brothers band, but only remained with them for a few months before going solo again. In 1955 alone she recorded three albums, accompanied by the likes of groups led by Ralph Burns, Johnny Smith and a small contingent from Basie band for the small but prestigious Roost label. And there were appearances in a number of top clubs, like Chicago's Mister Kelly's, and on major national TV shows such as Steve Allen's. In 1957 she signed with a major label, Decca. But by 1960, it was all over. Beset by changing mass tastes in music (Kenny once wrote a song entitled "I Hate Rock and Roll"), suffering money woes, and complicated by undiagnosed manic depression, on April 16th of that year she committed suicide It is somehow fitting that issue of this previously unreleased vocal-piano set, the first "new" material by Beverly Kenney in nearly half-a-century should occur in Japan where critics and fans have long continued to revere and appreciate her.~Bill Reed

Notes for 2010 re-issue:

Whether there is a connection or not, in the ensuing years following the release of "Snuggled" and of two subsequent SSJ Records (Japan) issues of unreleased Kenney, there continues an ever-increasing interest in the singer. More surprisingly, in the West she is also starting to become something of a known musical quantity. But there is little doubt about the impact on public awareness regarding Kenney that resulted from the article by New York broadcaster Jonathan Schwartz in the November '92 issue of GQ magazine. The five songs listed as "alternate versions" appeared on Kenney's first and third (of three) Roost label recordings. These albums were followed by three more albums and a handful of singles on Decca. According to those who were around the singer at the time, the making of her third release for that outfit, Like Yesterday, was an especially trying time. She was only able to complete the sessions with the help and guidance of a psychotherapist. Shortly afterward, she took her own life.~B.R. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/BeverlyKenney

Note: Two of these tracks, Violets for Your Furs and Mountain Greenery were never performed by the Kenney on any other recording.

Snuggled On Your Shoulder

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Matt Dusk - JetSetJazz

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:33
Size: 72,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:20) 1. Let’s Hop On A Plane!
(2:42) 2. Lo Siento
(2:24) 3. Kicks In The 6ix
(4:01) 4. Nothing On You
(2:50) 5. Lovers Lane
(3:27) 6. Four Seasons
(2:28) 7. My Paris Is You
(2:55) 8. Rich In Love
(2:47) 9. I’ll Find You
(3:35) 10. All Because Of You

Multi-award-winning, Platinum-selling artist Matt Dusk has been enthralling audiences around the world for years, leaving in his wake a series of radio hits, acclaimed albums, and a loyal fan base that continues to grow with every passing year. He has had three number one radio hits: All About Me, Back in Town and Good News, is an alumnus of the St. Michael’s Choir School and studied under jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson at York University. Dusk has been awarded three GOLD albums: Two Shots, Good News and JetSetJazz and three PLATINUM albums: My Funny Valentine, Just The Two of Us and Old School Yule! Notable award nominations include, five JUNO awards, one ADISQ, one Róze Gali: Muzyka and a Dimond from Trójka PR3 in Poland. https://www.mattdusk.com/#Discography

Crooners like Toronto’s Matt Dusk has taken what he has learned from the greats and molded it for a modern audience.~ LA Times

Blending distinctly Sinatra-esque swagger, Dusk is waist deep in grandiose arrangements that are dripping with Sin City excess and turns the clock back some four decades with excellence Jazz Times
Matt Dusk impressively brings Las Vegas back to the glory days as the standards singer sounds remarkably like Rat Packer Frank Sinatra.~ Billboard

JetSetJazz

Joe Venuti - S' Wonderful - 4 Giants Of Swing

Styles: Crossover Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@VBR ~256K/s
Time: 38:34
Size: 87,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:04)  1. Medley-'A' Train, Satin Doll, Soph Lady, 'C' Jam Blues
( 3:24)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
( 3:43)  3. Lime House Blues
( 2:44)  4. S' Wonderful
( 5:15)  5. Summertime
( 3:20)  6. Lady Be Good
( 4:05)  7. Rhapsody In Blue/I Got Rhythm
( 3:55)  8. Caravan

For this session, the veteran jazz violinist Joe Venuti is teamed with a top-notch group of country players including mandolinist Jethro Burns, Curley Chalker on steel guitar and guitarist Eldon Shamblin. The repertoire is strictly jazz and these diverse players (who are backed by a conventional rhythm section) find plenty of common ground on the veteran standards, most of them from the pens of Ellington or Gershwin. Venuti sounds inspired by the unusual setting. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/s-wonderful-4-giants-of-swing-mw0000675636

Personnel: Joe Venuti (violin); Eldon Shamblin (guitar); Curly Chalker (steel guitar); Jethro Burns (mandolin); Robert Hoban (piano); Angelo Varias (drums).

S' Wonderful - 4 Giants Of Swing

Dan Nimmer - All the Things You Are

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:02
Size: 125,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:50)  1. Alone Together
(4:12)  2. It's a Sin To Tell a Lie
(4:27)  3. Moon River
(3:41)  4. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:11)  5. Misty
(5:59)  6. Night And Day
(5:17)  7. So In Love
(5:09)  8. Lullaby of Birdland
(5:56)  9. Fly Me To the Moon
(4:59) 10. The Shadow of Your Smile
(4:17) 11. All the Things You Are

Dan Nimmer was born in 1982 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An old soul in a young body, Mr. Nimmer plays with the spirit, the passion and the soul of someone who has been on the planet much longer. With prodigious technique and innate sense of swing, his playing often recalls that of his own heroes, specifically Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Erroll Garner and Art Tatum. As a young man, Mr. Nimmer's family inherited a piano and he started playing by ear; he was, if you will, “called” by the instrument. Soon, he asked his parents for some piano lessons. He then began to study classical music with pianist Barbara Bunge. It wasn't long before he was studying with jazz pianist Mark Davis at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. At the same time, he began playing gigs in Milwaukee with renowned saxophonist Berkley Fudge. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Nimmer left Milwaukee to study music at Northern Illinois University. It didn't take him long to become one of Chicago's busiest piano players. He was making his mark on the scene playing with all of the Chicago heavyweights. It was because of this that Mr. Nimmer decided to leave school following his second year and make the big move to New York City where he immediately emerged into the New York scene. After being in New York for about a year, playing with many different musicians, Mr. Nimmer got a recommendation to play in Wynton Marsalis' band. In 2005, Wynton heard him and hired him to become a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, both in which he has been member ever since.. In addition to Wynton Marsalis, Mr. Nimmer has performed and or recorded with Jimmy Cobb, Norah Jones, Dianne Reeves, George Benson, Frank Wess, Clark Terry, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Cassandra Wilson, Benny Golson, Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Ed Thigpen, Wes “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Fareed Haque and many more. Nimmer has appeared numerous times on television including the The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno, The Late Show w/ David Letterman, The View, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Kennedy Center Honors, Live From Abbey Road, Live From Lincoln Center-PBS. You can also catch him in Apple's video I-pod commercial “Sparks”. He has released four of his own albums on the Venus label. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/dannimmer

Personnel:  Dan Nimmer (piano);  David Wong (bass);  Pete Van Nostrand (drums)

All the Things You Are

Boris Kozlov - First Things First

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:30
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:18) 1. Page One
(4:01) 2. Flow
(5:35) 3. The More Things Change
(6:51) 4. I.S. Adventure
(7:53) 5. Aftermath
(5:49) 6. Second Line Sally
(5:45) 7. Viscous
(7:13) 8. Mind Palace
(6:49) 9. Warm Sand
(7:39) 10. Once A Fog In Babylon
(2:32) 11. Eclipse

Two-time Grammy Award winning acoustic and electric bassist, composer and arranger, Boris Kozlov has been on New York and international jazz scene for the past 20 years. Currently serving as a Bassist, Arranger and Musical Director for Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and The Orchestra, as well as leading his own projects, he has also been a first-call bassist for such important jazz acts as Michael Brecker, John Blake, Ray Barretto's New World Spirit, Lew Tabackin, David Kikoski, Alex Sipiagin, Jean-Michel Pilc and many others.

Boris Kozlov was born in Moscow ,USSR on December 5, 1967 . Having a chance to go to Children's Music School to study piano for 7 years, he fell in love with the bass and won Gnesin Music Academy competition to enter college at the age of 15 on electric bass guitar. While being influenced by rock and classical music, he took interest in jazz at 17 and went on to study acoustic bass with a notable bassist Anatoly Sobolev. Upon graduation in 1987 with Diploma of Honor at the age of 19, he served mandatory 2 years in the Soviet Army, where he had to play tuba and other brass instruments besides basses in the military band.

Once out of the Army, he was hired by the State owned 'Melodia' Studio Ensemble in 1989 and proceeded to record more than 40 albums with them as well as many other Soviet jazz artists. At the same time he continued his studies at The State Academy of Music. At the First USSR Competition of Jazz Soloists in 1990 he won The Grand Prix as well as a special prize for his original composition. After winning the first spot in Young Musician category in USSR Jazz Journal in 1991 he moved to New York.

The self-study continued in a specific NY jazz environment ,where he was eventually hired by Hassan Williams and Terry Gibbs/Buddy De Franco Band and later by saxophonists Bobby Watson, Bob Berg , Benny Golson, James Moody, Ronnie Cuber, John Stubblefield, Ravi Coltrane, Seamus Blake, Donny McCaslin; trumpeters Dizzy Reese, Phillip Harper, Brian Lynch ( Grammy 2007), Alex Sipiagin,Ray Vega pianists Eddie Palmieri, Walter Bishop Jr., Michel Petrucciani, Arturo O'Farrill, Michel Legrand, Stanley Cowell, Jon Ballantyne, George Colligan, Orrin Evans, Edward Simon, Helen Sung, Joey Calderazzo; vibraphonists Joe Locke, Bill Ware; guitarists Mark Whitfield, David Gilmore, Adam Rogers, Jack Wilkins, Ximo Tebar drummers Tommy Campbell, Victor Jones, Marlon Simon, Victor Lewis, Jonathan Blake, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Ali Jackson, Antonio Sanches; vocalists Jay Mc Govern, Urszula Dudziak, Monday Michiru; trombonists Conrad Herwig, Robin Eubanks, Andy Hunter; trombonist/vocalist Frank Lacy’s Experience and the funk-jazz band NewHypeJazz .

After sharing a stage with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Cobb, Maceo Parker, Jimmy Smith, Henry Butler, Toots Thielemans & Clark Terry on multiple occasions and playing on 9 Grammy nominated albums plus the Grammy winning 'Simpatico' -in addition to the other 160 albums, having few of his Scores published, Boris continues to serve as an MD for all of the Mingus Dynasty projects( winning his 2nd Grammy with them in 2010) ,touring and recording extensively with multitude of different other bands ,as well as doing international work with his own “Malfunction Alibi”. He also performs solo bass and teaches master classes around the world following the release of his acoustic solo album “ Double Standard”. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/boris-kozlov

First Things First

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Earl Hines, Jonah Jones - Back on the Street

Styles: Piano And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:03
Size: 138,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:04) 1. I'm in the Market for You
(4:59) 2. Back on the Street
(3:11) 3. You Can Depend on Me
(7:28) 4. A Very Slow Blues
(5:30) 5. Rose Room
(6:25) 6. Sleepy Time Gal
(8:22) 7. Pennies from Heaven
(5:42) 8. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place
(8:05) 9. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
(5:11) 10. Wailing With Jonah

By the time trumpeter Jonah Jones teamed up with pianist Earl Hines and tenor-saxophonist Buddy Tate for this straightforward sextet date, Jones had been a star with his quartet for 15 years. On what would be one of Jones's last recording sessions from his prime, this Chiaroscuro reissue CD has a bit of slickness associated with the trumpeter's more commercial dates but also some very good jazz playing. Three previously unrelesed numbers have been added to the original seven-song program and the music falls between Dixieland and swing with an emphasis on familiar standards. A fine effort. ~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-on-the-street-mw0000074124

Personnel: Trumpet – Jonah Jones; Piano – Earl Hines; Bass – John Brown; Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Buddy Tate; Drums – Cozy Cole; Guitar – Jerome Darr

Back on the Street

Jack McDuff - Legends of Acid Jazz

Styles: Jazz,Funk,Soul
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:40
Size: 159,7 MB
Art: Front

( 4:53) 1. Scufflin'
( 3:16) 2. Au Privave
( 3:49) 3. Hallelujah Time
( 6:59) 4. Misconstrued
( 8:18) 5. Lew's Piece
( 6:57) 6. Opus de Funk
(10:26) 7. Our Miss Brooks
( 5:13) 8. East Of The Sun
( 8:33) 9. I Got A Woman
( 4:02) 10. Hey Lawdy Mama
( 3:44) 11. From The Bottom Up
( 3:26) 12. Lexington Avenue Line

While these 12 selections were originally released on six different albums between 1965 and 1969, all of them were cut during July 1964: nine at a New York studio session, and three (embellished by Benny Golson big-band arrangements) live at Stockholm. Thus it makes for a thematically coherent compilation, every track featuring a young George Benson on guitar and Joe Dukes on drums; Red Holloway plays tenor sax on all but two songs. It's top-drawer soul-jazz, recommended to those who might find some of McDuff's other releases too homogenous, as his B-3 travels through diverse moods here: the uptempo blues of "Scufflin'," the slow-burning funk of "Our Miss Brooks," R&B/soul in the cover of "I Got a Woman." The closing "Lexington Avenue Line" is the oddest track, though quite a good one, sounding like a movie soundtrack theme with its dramatic strings.~ Richie Unterberger https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-legends-of-acid-jazz-mw0000025212

Personnel: Organ – Jack McDuff; Drums – Joe Dukes; Guitar – George Benson; Tenor Saxophone – Red Holloway

Legends of Acid Jazz

Clifford Jordan - Cliff Jordan

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:20
Size: 93,4 MB
Art: Front

(11:41) 1. Not Guilty
( 8:14) 2. St. John
( 9:35) 3. Blue Shoes
( 6:56) 4. Beyond the Blue Horizon
( 3:53) 5. Ju-Ba

Cliff Jordan is an album by American jazz saxophonist Clifford Jordan featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Jordan_(album)

Personnel: Cliff Jordan - tenor saxophone; Lee Morgan - trumpet; Curtis Fuller - trombone; John Jenkins - alto saxophone; Ray Bryant - piano; Paul Chambers - bass; Art Taylor – drums

Cliff Jordan

Mark Murphy & Benny Green - Dim The Lights

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:29
Size: 156,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Your Red Wagon
(4:39)  2. Rules Of The Road
(7:53)  3. Street Of Dreams
(3:26)  4. Beautiful Love
(3:48)  5. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
(4:26)  6. A Quiet Place
(5:09)  7. See You Later
(6:53)  8. Two Lonely People
(5:48)  9. It Amazes Me
(3:13) 10. North Sea Night
(5:02) 11. Time All Gone
(6:19) 12. I Never Know When To Say When
(6:16) 13. Ravel Concerto / How Insensitive / Corcovado
(0:45) 14. The Man On The Other Side

"You live and you learn the rules of the road." So go Carolyn Leigh’s lyrics to Cy Coleman’s classic song. His experience gives Mark Murphy, 67, the insight to perform a romantic album his way with each song’s meaning clearly at the forefront. Make no mistake about it, this highly recommended album – a combination of slow ballads and up-tempo romps brings out the goosebumps and leaves lingering thoughts that last for days. But Murphy also injects his fresh manner of scat-singing a tune alongside those tender moments. Long known as "a hipster’s hipster," the singer was first "discovered" by Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1953 at a jam session in Syracuse, New York - Murphy’s hometown - when the veteran singer invited the 21-year-old bopster to join him on stage. Since then Mark Murphy has never been what you’d call predictable. His dozens of recordings borrow from the beat poetry of Jack Kerouac, the soulful vocalese of Eddie Jefferson, the pretty ballads of Nat King Cole, and more. A loping blues highlighting Benny Green’s strengths starts the session with an uplifting mood. It goes directly downhill from there into the stark realities of romance, requiring a box of tissue, a soft pillow, and a quiet moment. The title track, "Dim the Lights," sets the mood correctly with Murphy’s lyrics about looking back at memories of what could have been. Bill Evans’ "Two Lonely People" offers deep dramatic insight, while Hein Van De Geyn’s "North Sea Night" paints a picture of lasting desire, and Peggy Lee’s lyrics from "I’m In Love Again" remind us that we’ve seen all that before and look forward to better days. 

They’re sad songs with a lot to think about. A trilogy of "Beautiful Love," "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" is performed by multi-tracking the three tunes on top of each other, blending them proportionately with lyrics and scat singing. The trilogy adds a light touch to the album and serves to represent the mixed feelings we sometimes get from relationships. As the session nears the end, "Corcovado" bounces a little to brighten up the day with Gene Lees’ lyrics about being happy together again. Murphy and Green stir the emotions and provide an opportunity to just sit back and let yourself go. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/dim-the-lights-mark-murphy-millennium-recordings-review-by-jim-santella.php#.U_aYi2MfLP8

Personnel: Mark Murphy- vocals; Benny Green- piano.

Dim The Lights

Friday, January 21, 2022

Stephane Grappelli - Steff and Slam

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:16
Size: 118,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:22) 1. I Would Do Anything for You
(4:38) 2. 'Deed I Do
(3:48) 3. You're the Cream in My Coffee
(3:40) 4. It's Only a Paper Moon
(5:32) 5. Autumn in New York
(4:28) 6. You're Driving Me Crazy
(4:23) 7. It Had to Be You
(2:36) 8. Sysmo
(5:11) 9. As Time Goes By
(4:28) 10. I'll Never Be the Same
(5:31) 11. My Blue Heaven
(2:34) 12. Flonville

It only seems natural that violinist Stephane Grappelli and bassist Slam Stewart, two masters of swing whose careers both got underway in the 1930s, would eventually record together; they are joined by pianist Johnny Guarnieri, guitarist Jimmy Shirley, and drummer Jackie Williams. Things start off well with a lively run through "I Would Do Anything for You," featuring the leader's matchless violin and Stewart's trademarked bowing while singing in unison an octave above. Most of the rest of the numbers are also songs that both men likely played countless times during their respective long careers; there are no disappointments. Grappelli plays solo piano on two originals, "Sysmo" and "Flonville," while "Sweet and Lovely" was added from a different date, with Roland Hanna, Bucky Pizzarelli, George Duvivier, and Oliver Jackson taking over for the earlier rhythm section. Recommended.~ Ken Drydenhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/steff-and-slam-mw0000188132

Personnel: Violin – Stephane Grappelli; Bass, Vocals – Slam Stewart ; Drums – Jackie Williams; Guitar – Jimmy Shirley; Piano – Johnny Guarnieri, Stephane Grappelli; Sleeve Notes – Alain Antonietto

Steff and Slam

The Don Scaletta Trio - Sunday Afternoon At The Trident

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:19
Size: 86,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. Summer Samba
(3:18) 2. People Will Say We're In Love
(6:41) 3. Sweet Betsy From Pike
(4:00) 4. Favela
(2:23) 5. My Little Houseboat
(8:39) 6. Love For Sale
(4:41) 7. Time Weary Rock
(3:39) 8. Cheesy Cat

Don Scaletta ( August 16, 1937 in Cumberland (Maryland) ; † May 18, 2015 ) was an American jazz pianist and music teacher.

Scaletta has toured with the Glen Miller ( Ghost Band ) and the Charlie Spivak Orchestra. Under his own name, he played in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s in a trio for Capitol and Verve Records in the pop-jazz idiom several LPs, such as Any Time ... Any Groove! , All in Good Time! and Sunday Afternoon at the Trident (1967). He has also performed at the Walt Disney World Village and worked on Disney's Magic & Wonder cruise ships. In later years he taught jazz improvisation at the University of Louisville and the University of North Florida; he also worked in the Orlando area with his own formations. In the field of jazz he was involved in 15 recording sessions between 1964 and 2000, e.g. with Don Lamond , Nathan Page and Nat Adderley . In 2004 he presented his Jazz Project , a Stan Kenton tribute album. Scaletta died of heart failure on May 18, 2015 at the age of 77.https://de-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Don_Scaletta?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Personnel: Piano – Don Scaletta; Bass – Mel Nowell; Drums – Nikki Lamkin

Sunday Afternoon At The Trident

Brad Mehldau - New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1, Volumen 2

Album: New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 72:13
Size: 66,2 MB
Art: Front

(13:55) 1. "Wonderful"
(11:58) 2. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(10:01) 3. "Old Folks"
( 7:41) 4. "Sushi"
( 8:16) 5. "Bodi"
( 8:49) 6. "Começar de Novo"
( 9:32) 7. "Just One of Those Things"
( 1:58) 8. "No Blues"

The album was recorded in concert at the Jamboree Club in Barcelona on May 10, 1993. The material is mostly jazz standards and pieces from the Great American Songbook. It was released by Fresh Sound New Talent, after the Mehldau–Rossy album When I Fall in Love. The Penguin Guide to Jazz commented that Mehldau's "introduction and improvisation on 'Old Folks' are quite breathtaking and it's clear that the pristine touch of the later discs was already in place." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York-Barcelona_Crossing,_Volumen_1

Personnel: Brad Mehldau – piano; Perico Sambeat – alto sax; Mario Rossy – bass; Jorge Rossy – drums


Album: New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 2
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 60:11
Size: 55,8 MB
Art: Front

( 8:56) 1. "I've Told Every Little Star"
(12:25) 2. Un Poco Loco
( 7:54) 3. Easy to Remember
( 7:35) 4. Played Twice
(11:20) 5. Dat Dere
( 8:22) 6. Cousin Mary
( 3:36) 7. No Blues

The album was recorded in concert at the Jamboree Club in Barcelona on May 10, 1993. The material is mostly jazz standards and pieces from the Great American Songbook. The Penguin Guide to Jazz commented that this album was not as good as New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1, but that "It's Easy to Remember" is "another gorgeous ballad performance, at a dangerously slow tempo". The AllMusic reviewer wrote that "What is engrossing about the disc is the utter fluidity with which these four young musicians from varying backgrounds are able to communicate using the common language of standard songs." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York-Barcelona_Crossing,_Volumen_2

Personnel: Brad Mehldau – piano; Perico Sambeat – alto sax; Mario Rossy – bass; Jorge Rossy – drums

New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1, Volumen 2

Dave Stryker - Changing Times

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:29
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(9:31)  1. Changing times
(5:38)  2. Big mouth
(7:39)  3. Different worlds
(9:38)  4. Capetwon
(5:52)  5. Julia
(8:51)  6. Circular scene
(8:31)  7. Invocation
(7:45)  8. Rhythm method

Guitarist Dave Stryker recorded a string of albums for Steeplechase throughout the 1990s. This rewarding session kicks off his second decade with the Danish label. Like many of Stryker's previous outings, Changing Times features his regular partner Steve Slagle on alto sax, along with Bill Moring on bass, Tim Horner on drums, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. As the title suggests, there's an emphasis on odd or shifting time signatures. The multi-metric waltz "Different Worlds," the grooving 7/4 "Circular Scene," and the brisk 5/4 piece "Big Mouth" are among the highlights. Stryker's imaginative reading of "Julia," by John Lennon, is the one non-original cut. Slagle contributes the best track: "Invocation," inspired by the Dalai Lama, begins with a soaring rubato passage and then breaks into a beautiful harmonized line over an urgent 12/8 tempo. Slagle also penned the closing rhythm changes, "Rhythm Method." These two Slagle compositions feature some of Stryker's very best playing. ~ David R.Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/changing-times-mw0000331065

Personnel:  Guitar – Dave Stryker; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Steve Slagle; Bass – Bill Moring; Drums – Tim Horner

Changing Times

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Steve Slagle, Kenny Drew Jr - Reincarnation

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:49
Size: 163,3 MB
Art: Front

(10:48)  1. Reincarnation of a Lovebird
( 7:50)  2. Yesternite
(10:01)  3. Soultrane
( 6:55)  4. Sweet Pepper
( 7:21)  5. Afro Cubano
( 7:09)  6. Bess You Is My Woman Now
( 5:37)  7. Spirit of Miles
( 8:34)  8. Isfahan
( 6:30)  9. News Blues

B. 18 September 1951, Los Angeles, California, USA. Starting out playing saxophones while still very young, Slagle moved to the opposite side of the country where he studied at the Berklee College Of Music. Subsequently, and through the 70s, he worked with artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder, John Scofield and Machito. In the early years of the next decade he was with Woody Herman’s band, playing tenor saxophone, and also worked with Lionel Hampton, playing alto, and Charlie Haden, Carla Bley, Steve Kuhn, and Mingus Dynasty. At the end of the 80s he was musical director for the Ray Barretto Band. His first album as a leader was released in 1983, and during the 80s he often worked with a quartet featuring Jaco Pastorius (bass), Mike Stern (guitar) and Adam Nussbaum (drums). In the following decade Slagle recorded several sessions for SteepleChase Records, with musicians including Tim Hagans and Ryan Kisor (trumpets), Kenny Drew Jnr. (piano), Cameron Brown (bass), and Gene Jackson (drums). Slagle also co-leads a group with Dave Stryker (guitar), and works as lead altoist and chief arranger with the Mingus Big Band.

A brilliant stylist, who also plays soprano saxophone and clarinet, Slagle’s work indicates his abiding interest on the transitional music that followed hard bop into free jazz, although he is at his considerable best when he underpins these latter-day forms with the essence of the blues. His striking technical mastery of his instruments is always evident but it is never used for its own sake. Although adept on all the instruments in his arsenal, Slagle is perhaps must interesting on alto, where his sinuous solo lines create a musical atmosphere that is both demanding and compelling in its intensity. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-slagle-mn0000033922/biography

A talented bop-based pianist (whose son has been one of the brightest pianists of the 1990s), Kenny Drew was somewhat underrated due to his decision to permanently move to Copenhagen in 1964. He made his recording debut in 1949 with Howard McGhee and in the 1950s was featured on sessions with a who's who of jazz, including Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Buddy DeFranco's quartet, Dinah Washington, and Buddy Rich (1958). Drew led sessions for Blue Note, Norgran, Pacific Jazz, Riverside, and the obscure Judson label during 1953-1960; most of the sessions are available on CD. He moved to Paris in 1961 and relocated to Copenhagen in 1964 where he was co-owner of the Matrix label. He formed a duo with Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and worked regularly at the Montmartre. Drew recorded many dates for SteepleChase in the 1970s and remained active up until his death.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-drew-mn0000081841/biography

Reincarnation

Dizzy Gillespie - Bahiana

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 83:42
Size: 193,0 MB
Art: Front

( 8:07) 1. Carnival
( 9:46) 2. Samba
(12:29) 3. Barcelona
(10:37) 4. In the Land of the Living Dead
( 7:42) 5. Behind the Moonbeam
( 8:31) 6. The Truth
( 7:18) 7. Pelé
(19:07) 8. Olinga

One of the rare jazz two-record sets that's actually a worthwhile expenditure of vinyl and time, 1975's Bahiana is one of Dizzy Gillespie's finest albums of the decade. In the '40s, Gillespie had been one of the first U.S. bandleaders to take an active interest in Latin jazz, but his interest in the music had been intermittent in the intervening decades; Bahiana (named for the Brazilian state of Bahia) was his first all-Brazilian album in over a decade. It's a goodie, though. By the mid'70s, interest in the original wave of bossa nova had largely died out, replaced on the one side by the tropicalia movement and on the other by the fusiony disco-pop of Airto Moreira and Deodato. Bahiana's richly expansive tunes not one under seven and a half minutes, and even the three ten-plus minute entries deserving every second are built on pure carnival rhythms, like the percolating, self-explanatory "Samba." Guitarist Alexander Gafa contributes half of the eight tunes, but the highlights are Gillespie's own festive "Carnival" and the hypnotic "Olinga," which sounds like Antonio Carlos Jobim sitting in on rehearsals for Kind of Blue. Those wanting to explore Dizzy Gillespie's Latin side should start here.~ Stewart Masonhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/bahiana-mw0000076203

Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet; Roger Glenn - flute, bass flute, vibraphone; Al Gafa, Michael Howell - guitar; Earl May - bass; Mickey Roker - drums; Paulinho Da Costa - percussion

Bahiana

Chet Baker - Late Night Jazz

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:42
Size: 156,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. If You Could See Me Now
(3:23) 2. The Bird From Kapingamarangi
(5:29) 3. Skylark
(2:31) 4. How High The Moon
(2:29) 5. Makin' Whoopee
(3:47) 6. The Ballad Of Buttersmile
(4:10) 7. Body And Soul
(3:43) 8. Blåmann, Blåmann
(2:59) 9. Children's Waltz
(6:42) 10. Alice In Wonderland
(4:28) 11. Love For Sale
(5:16) 12. My Foolish Heart
(4:12) 13. I Want A Little Girl
(5:24) 14. Body And Soul (alternative)
(5:54) 15. If You Could See Me Now (alternative)
(2:27) 16. Makin Woopie (alternative)

Chet Baker was a primary exponent of the West Coast school of cool jazz in the early and mid-'50s. As a trumpeter, he had a generally restrained, intimate playing style and he attracted attention beyond jazz for his photogenic looks and singing. But his career was marred by drug addiction.

Baker's father, Chesney Henry Baker,Sr., was a guitarist who was forced to turn to other work during the Depression; his mother, Vera (Moser) Baker, worked in a perfumery. The family moved from Oklahoma to Glendale, CA, in 1940. As a child, Baker sang at amateur competitions and in a church choir. Before his adolescence, his father brought home a trombone for him, then replaced it with a trumpet when the larger instrument proved too much for him. He had his first formal training in music in junior high and later at Glendale High School, but would play largely by ear for the rest of his life. In 1946, when he was only 16 years old, he dropped out of high school and his parents signed papers allowing him to enlist in the army; he was sent to Berlin, Germany, where he played in the 298th Army Band. After his discharge in 1948, he enrolled at El Camino College in Los Angeles, where he studied theory and harmony while playing in jazz clubs, but he quit college in the middle of his second year. He re-enlisted in the army in 1950 and became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco. But he also began sitting in at clubs in the city and he finally obtained a second discharge to become a professional jazz musician.

Baker initially played in Vido Musso's band, then with Stan Getz. (The first recording featuring Baker is a performance of "Out of Nowhere" that comes from a tape of a jam session made on March 24, 1952, and was released on the Fresh Sound Records LP Live at the Trade Winds.) His break came quickly, when, in the spring of 1952, he was chosen at an audition to play a series of West Coast dates with Charlie Parker, making his debut with the famed saxophonist at the Tiffany Club in Los Angeles on May 29, 1952. That summer, he began playing in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, a group featuring only baritone sax, trumpet, bass, and drums no piano that attracted attention during an engagement at the Haig nightclub and through recordings on the newly formed Pacific Jazz Records (later known as World Pacific Records), beginning with the 10" LP Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which featured Baker's famous rendition of "My Funny Valentine."

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet lasted for less than a year, folding when its leader went to jail on a drug charge in June 1953. Baker went solo, forming his own quartet, which initially featured Russ Freeman on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Bobby White on drums, and making his first recording as leader for Pacific Jazz on July 24, 1953. Baker was hailed by fans and critics and he won a number of polls in the next few years. In 1954, Pacific Jazz released Chet Baker Sings, an album that increased his popularity but alienated traditional jazz fans; he would continue to sing for the rest of his career. Acknowledging his chiseled good looks, nearby Hollywood came calling and he made his acting debut in the film Hell's Horizon, released in the fall of 1955. But he declined an offer of a studio contract and toured Europe from September 1955 to April 1956. When he returned to the U.S., he formed a quintet that featured saxophonist Phil Urso and pianist Bobby Timmons. Contrary to his reputation for relaxed, laid-back playing, Baker turned to more of a bop style with this group, which recorded the album Chet Baker & Crew for Pacific Jazz in July 1956.

Baker toured the U.S. in February 1957 with the Birdland All-Stars and took a group to Europe later that year. He returned to Europe to stay in 1959, settling in Italy, where he acted in the film Urlatori Alla Sbarra. Hollywood, meanwhile, had not entirely given up on him, at least as a source of inspiration, and in 1960, a fictionalized film biography of his life, All the Fine Young Cannibals, appeared with Robert Wagner in the starring role of Chad Bixby. Baker had become addicted to heroin in the 1950s and had been incarcerated briefly on several occasions, but his drug habit only began to interfere with his career significantly in the 1960s. He was arrested in Italy in the summer of 1960 and spent almost a year and a half in jail. He celebrated his release by recording Chet Is Back! for RCA in February 1962. (It has since been reissued as The Italian Sessions and as Somewhere Over the Rainbow.) Later in the year, he was arrested in West Germany and expelled to Switzerland, then France, later moving to England in August 1962 to appear as himself in the film The Stolen Hours, which was released in 1963. He was deported from England to France because of a drug offense in March 1963. He lived in Paris and performed there and in Spain over the next year, but after being arrested again in West Germany, he was deported back to the U.S. He returned to America after five years in Europe on March 3, 1964, and played primarily in New York and Los Angeles during the mid-'60s, having switched temporarily from trumpet to flügelhorn. In the summer of 1966, he suffered a severe beating in San Francisco that was related to his drug addiction. The incident is usually misdated and frequently exaggerated in accounts of his life, often due to his own unreliable testimony. It is said, for example, that all his teeth were knocked out, which is not the case, though one tooth was broken and the general deterioration of his teeth led to his being fitted with dentures in the late '60s, forcing him to retrain his embouchure. The beating was not the cause of the decline in his career during this period, but it is emblematic of that decline. By the end of the '60s, he was recording and performing only infrequently and he stopped playing completely in the early '70s.

Regaining some control over his life by taking methadone to control his heroin addiction (though he remained an addict), Baker eventually mounted a comeback that culminated in a prominent New York club engagement in November 1973 and a reunion concert with Gerry Mulligan at Carnegie Hall in November 1974 that was recorded and released by Epic Records. By the mid-'70s, Baker was able to return to Europe and he spent the rest of his life performing there primarily, with occasional trips to Japan and periods back in the U.S., though he had no permanent residence. He attracted the attention of rock musicians, with whom he occasionally performed, for example adding trumpet to Elvis Costello's recording of his anti-Falklands War song "Shipbuilding" in 1983. In 1987, photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber undertook a documentary film about Baker. The following year, Baker died in a fall from a hotel window in Amsterdam after taking heroin and cocaine. Weber's film, Let's Get Lost, premiered in September 1988 to critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award nomination. In 1997, Baker's unfinished autobiography was published under the title As Though I Had Wings: The Lost Memoir and the book was optioned by Miramax for a film adaptation. Baker's drug addiction caused him to lead a disorganized and peripatetic life, his constant need for cash requiring him to accept many ill-advised recording offers, while his undependability prevented him from making long-term commitments to record labels. As a result, his discography is extensive and wildly uneven.~William Ruhlmann https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chet-baker-mn0000094210/biography

Late Night Jazz