Mel Tormé - That's All

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:28
Size: 158,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:52) 1. I've Got You Under My Skin
(3:49) 2. That's All
(3:11) 3. What Is There To Say?
(2:49) 4. Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?
(3:34) 5. The Folks Who Live On the Hill
(3:07) 6. Isn't It A Pity?
(2:54) 7. Ho-Ba-La-La
(2:46) 8. P.S. I Love You
(2:50) 9. The Nearness Of You
(2:46) 10. My Romance
(2:51) 11. The Second Time Around
(2:23) 12. Haven't We Met?
(2:32) 13. I Know Your Heart
(2:20) 14. You'd Better Love Me
(2:55) 15. I See It Now
(2:21) 16. Once In A Lifetime
(2:54) 17. Hang On To Me
(2:48) 18. Seventeen
(2:49) 19. I Remember Suzanne
(2:27) 20. Only The Very Young
(2:50) 21. Paris Smiles
(2:41) 22. Ev'ry Day's A Holiday
(2:35) 23. One Little Snowflake
(3:10) 24. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)

Mel Tormé's 1965 album That's All features beautiful vocals throughout the set, but there are a few problems. The arrangements (mostly by Robert Mersey) are essentially unimaginative middle-of-the-road pop with an orchestra and occasional strings and background singers greatly weighing down the proceedings. The album's selections (all ballads) are mostly taken at slow tempos and are clearly geared for radio airplay, clocking in around the three-minute mark, which means that Tormé's improvising is held to a minimum. So if the melody wasn't strong, the singer was not given a chance to improve it, and if the tune was excellent, Tormé's straight forward version added nothing to the song's legacy. At best, this recording makes for a mildly pleasant listen.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/thats-all-mw0000311828

That's All

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Arkadia Jazz All-Stars - Thank You, Joe! (Our Tribute to Joe Henderson)

Styles: Jazz Contemporary
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:56
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. Mamacita
(4:16) 2. Isfahan
(6:26) 3. Gazelle
(7:12) 4. The Kicker
(6:28) 5. Ask Me Now
(6:01) 6. Recorda Me
(3:53) 7. Isotope
(8:38) 8. Inner Urge
(6:38) 9. Granted

This 2000 release titled Thank You, Joe! Our Tribute to Joe Henderson represents Arkadia's fourth in a series of "tributes" to jazz artists who have made a conspicuous difference to this constantly evolving musical art form. On this recording, seasoned veterans such as trumpeter Randy Brecker and pianist Joanne Brackeen coalesce with some of the more prominent stars to emerge out of the '80s and '90s jazz scene for a hearty tribute to the great saxophonist Joe Henderson.

While Joe Henderson rose through the ranks during the '60s he did not enjoy the fame and success that several of his peers were receiving, yet Henderson gradually emerged as a gifted stylist who melded a silken, atmospheric tone with distinctive and altogether enviable chops. Additionally, the saxophonist has garnered a reputation as a shrewd and rather prolific composer. Here, the music of Joe Henderson serves as the framework for this upbeat and smartly produced set featuring some of the artist's more recognizable compositions. With the bossa nova-tinged "Mamacita," pianist Eric Reed, trumpeters Randy Brecker and Terrell Stafford, and tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson pursue poetic lyricism and impassioned soloing while Brecker and Stafford alternate and trade vicious fours on the bop burner, "The Kicker." Overall, the musicians engage Henderson's aura with bold enthusiasm and conviction as they eternalize the saxophonist's significance via strong soloing and finely crafted arrangements that sustain interest throughout~Glenn Astaritahttps://www.allmusic.com/album/thank-you-joe%21-our-tribute-to-joe-henderson-mw0000067831

Personnel: Eric Reed-piano, Javon Jackson-tenor sax, Randy Brecker-trumpet, Carl Allen-drums, Steve Nelson-vibraphone, Terrell Stafford-trumpet, Renato Thoms-percussion, Rodney Whitaker-bass, Carl Allen-drums

Thank You, Joe!(Our Tribute to Joe Henderson)

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Heinie Beau & & Milt Bernhart - Moviesville Jazz + The Sound of Bernhart

Album: Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums: Moviesville Jazz
Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:43
Size: 76,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:36) 1. Scotland Yardbird
(2:54) 2. The House on Olvera Street
(2:48) 3. In Your Private Eye
(3:08) 4. The Man with the Golden Embouchure
(2:25) 5. The Three Heads of Adam
(2:56) 6. The Tattoed Street Car Named Baby
(2:31) 7. Under the Blowtop
(2:42) 8. The Five and a Half Gallon Hat Story
(2:33) 9. The Gina Pastrami Cha Cha Cha
(2:29) 10. Gullible Travels
(3:06) 11. Moonset Boulevard
(2:30) 12. The Cool Tin Roof Story

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Album: Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums:The Sound of Bernhart
Time: 36:57
Size: 85,7 MB

(2:30) 1. Love Is Sweeping the Country
(2:54) 2. Don't Blame Me
(3:20) 3. Get Out of Town
(4:24) 4. Valvitation Trombosis
(3:07) 5. Poor Pierrot
(2:07) 6. Martie's Tune
(4:55) 7. Carte Blanche
(2:14) 8. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(4:28) 9. Legend
(2:48) 10. Jungle Drums (Canto Karabali)
(4:06) 11. Balleta

Heinie Beau (1911-1987), was not only a fine instrumentalist clarinet, alto sax, flute but also one of Hollywood’s finest independent arrangers, who worked for countless top orchestras and artists, including Tommy Dorsey, Red Nichols, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston, Peggy Lee, and others. He was also an arranger for major TV and radio shows for a time, and a frequent contributor to motion picture scores. "Moviesville Jazz" is mood music in the jazz idiom. Each track is loaded with excellent solos by some of the best Hollywood studio jazz musicians, and Heinie Beau’s compositions and orchestrations provide the cohesion, purpose, and integration that make the music so enjoyable. For when jazz goes to the movies, a good time is had by all.https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/heinie-beau-milt-bernhart-albums/54010-moviesville-jazz-the-sound-of-bernhart-2-lp-on-1-cd.html

Milt Bernhart (1926-2004) grew up as a musician playing in the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Buddy Franklyn, Jimmy James, Teddy Powell and ultimately Stan Kenton. His years with Kenton (1946-1951) led Bernhart to considerable popularity with jazz fans. After leaving Kenton, he devoted all of his time to studio work in Hollywood, where he participated in countless recordings. "The Sound of Bernhart" comprised of scores of sounds, five different groups all in all, playing mostly standards, with two originals, one each by Calvin Jackson and Fred Katz, who did most of the arranging. It is an out-and-out tour de force album, offering much variety, great musical interest and wonderful changes of pace, with Bernhart sliding fromlusty jazz blowing, to tight collaboration with the classically scored cellos.
In addition, all the playing is excellent and the writing is too.MoreInformation:https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/heinie-beau-milt-bernhart-albums/54010-moviesville-jazz-the-sound-of-bernhart-2-lp-on-1-cd.html

Moviesville Jazz + The Sound of Bernhart

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Sinne Eeg - Waiting For Dawn

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:18
Size: 128.9 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:41] 1. What It Means To Me
[4:19] 2. Let's Stay Awake
[5:29] 3. Waiting For Dawn
[4:22] 4. My Treasure
[4:45] 5. Sudden Change Of Weather
[6:17] 6. Snow
[5:05] 7. Stuck
[5:46] 8. Hours Of Ours
[4:59] 9. Better Than Anything
[5:35] 10. Brief Hesitation
[5:56] 11. Detour Ahead

Sinne Eeg (V); Lars Jansson (Pno); Morten Lund (Dr); Mads Vinding (B).

Sinne Eeg (born in Lemvig, Denmark in 1977) is a Danish jazz vocalist and composer. Sinne Eeg was admitted at the Academy of Music in Esbjerg in 1997, from where she graduated in 2003. She has received a number of positive reviews in the national and international press, and is considered among the best female jazz vocalists currently in Scandinavia. She has composed many of her own songs, and although she usually sings in English, she has also performed and recorded songs in Danish. As part of her musical studies, Sinne studied with American singer Janet Lawson in New York.

Sinne Eeg has won the Danish Music Awards prize in the category Best Danish Vocal Jazz Album of the Year three times: in 2007, 2010 and 2014, for her albums Waiting for Dawn, Don't Be So Blue and Face the Music. She also received the Ben Webster Prize on 28 March 2014, as the first vocalist ever. The Webster Foundation describes her as "a true jazz singer, who both shows sensitivity, improvisational skills, maturity, broad range and timing in her singing.". Sinne has toured Europe, Japan, China and the United States. The 26th of January in 2012, she sang in Brussels, accompanied by the Danish Radio Big Band, at the celebration for the beginning of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In Denmark, she regularly performs at the jazz venue of La Fontaine in Copenhagen.

Waiting For Dawn

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John Funkhouser Trio - Time

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 73:01
Size: 67,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:55) 1. Green Dolphin Street
( 8:59) 2. Ellipse
( 2:22) 3. Prelude and Fugue in A Minor: Prelude (More Cowbell!)
( 5:43) 4. Prelude and Fugue in A Minor: Fugue
( 3:17) 5. Dyin' Nation
( 7:41) 6. Emancipation
( 6:20) 7. Eleventy One
( 7:08) 8. Come Rain or Come Shine
( 6:54) 9. Alone Together
(10:09) 10. Ode to a Lame Duck
( 4:29) 11. Kelp

A sad indictment of much contemporary music is that it has been over-intellectualized. With fun expunged from the soul of music, it becomes so wooden and hard to enjoy that it may as well never have been released even made at all. However, on the occasion when intellect and soul meet, music of exceptional beauty and exceedingly important value is made, and it is possible to simply shut the eyes and enjoy it. Such is the impact of the music of John Funkhouser and his trio on Time.

It is easy to gloss over much of the impact of the music by suggesting that it fuses the rhythms of jazz and the forthright emotion of rock. But that would be shortchanging the music and the musicians alike. Like the fine trios of Paul Bley and Jimmy Giuffre, Funkhouser's music is rich in melodic invention, even when he is re-casting standards such as "Green Dolphin Street," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Alone Together." Funkhouser also employs such complex rhythms in deploying the melodies especially his own compositions "Ellipse," "Prelude & Fugue," "Eleventy One," "Ode to a Lame Duck" and "Kelp" that the music begins to live on several planes at once.

There is the extremely lyrical, literary plane, which appeals to the inner ear of the mind. "Ellipse" takes on the life of a geometric shape, and life is infused and breathed into it so it becomes at once gnomic and delightfully grotesque in a way that recalls Federico Fellini's film La Strada. "Prelude & Fugue" is a smarmy "yes-we-dare" play on Bach; but it is a study that combines Bach's patrician technicality with plebian frolic in a glorious manner. The first movement, "More Cowbell," becomes more than a perfunctory musical gesture, but revels in gamboling pastoral imagery. And the second movement, "Fugue," is performed as if the doors of the Prussian palace were thrown open to invite a Brazilian Carnival in.

"Dyin' Nation/Emancipation" is a lofty and damning comment on the state of social graces in the allegedly "developed world." There can be no doubt that Gustav Mahler envisioned dark thoughts about where the world was going in his Ninth Symphony. John Funkhouser, in no less a significant manner, sees the same social decay very similarly and employs dark tones and colors in viscous, wet paint on a musical canvas. "Ode to a Lame Duck" drips with dramatic irony, almost as if "Götterdämmerung" was returning to haunt the erstwhile predecessor of Barack Obama. Funkhouser employs a Wagnerian palette with a touch of Grecian pathos too. And, of course, "Kelp" is a splendid, murmuring suggestion of a sub-aquatic waltz.

Bassist, Greg Loughman and percussionist Mike Connors are simply superb on this record. Loughman plays arco con brio on "Ellipse" with sublime authority. His pizzicato playing especially on the ostinato passages of "Green Dolphin Street" is superb too. Connors excels as well. Both musicians are full participants in this memorable musical adventure with John Funkhouser.~ Raul d'Gama Rosehttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-john-funkhouser-self-produced-review-by-raul-dgama-rose

Personnel: John Funkhouser: piano; Greg Loughman: bass; Mike Connors: drums.

Time

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Alan Broadbent Trio - Like Minds

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:34
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:24) 1. This I Dig of You
(8:25) 2. Prelude to Peace
(7:18) 3. With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair
(5:16) 4. Dance Only with Me
(5:58) 5. Airegin
(8:19) 6. Stairway to the Stars
(4:45) 7. Blue Pearl
(6:42) 8. This Is New
(6:25) 9. Yardbird Suite

Out today is Alan Broadbent's new trio album, Like Minds (Savant), with Harvie S on bass and Billy Mintz on drums. It's a terrific trio recording, featuring Alan's elegant piano and superb conversational interactions with Harvie and Billy. I've known Alan for many years, and it's always a joy to hear his new releases, see him live and catch up. I first fell in love with his playing on his duo albums backing vocalist Irene Kral Where Is Love (1974) and Gentle Rain (1977). By then, my ear was grooved to the piano articulation of Bill Evans, and Alan's playing shared many similar traits, including the swing, the gentle quality, the pedal tones and chord voicings.

Alan's new album is terrific, with songs ranging from Hank Mobley's This I Dig of You, Bud Powell's Blue Pearl and Sonny Rollins's Airegin to Clara Edwards and Jack Lawrence's With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair and Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's Dance Only With Me. Harvie S is also such a gorgeous player, running sensitive, meaty lines behind Alan while Billy is right there with splashy but tender cymbals and drum figures. So great to hear a trio that's so in sync and in the pocket. https://www.jazzwax.com/2022/05/alan-broadbent-like-minds.html

Personnel: Alan Broadbent, piano; Harvie S, bass; Billy Mintz, drums.

Like Minds

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Jo Ambros, Dieter Fischer, Johann Polzer - How Many Times

Styles: Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 24:04
Size: 55,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:47) 1. Where Have All the Flowers Gone
(3:39) 2. El Quinto Regimiento
(2:43) 3. Strange Fruit
(2:59) 4. Blowin' in the Wind
(2:32) 5. Give Peace a Chance
(3:42) 6. Danser Encore
(4:40) 7. A Change Is Gonna Come

Jo Ambros (born September 3, 1973 in Böblingen ) is a German jazz musician and guitarist. Jo Ambros at the St. Ingbert Jazz Festival 2016.

Jo Ambros learned the guitar from Philipp Konowski and studied jazz and popular music at the music academies in Würzburg and with Werner Acker at the music academy in Stuttgart (graduating in 2002 with distinction). He received a scholarship for New York from the German Academic Exchange Service . In 2001 he received a grant from the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg . At the invitation of the Society for New Music in Cologne , he performed with the Ensemble Modern as part of the "Live and Electronics" competition . He also plays to surreal silent films (by Georges Méliès , Virgil Widrich ,Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí ) with drummer Jogi Nestel live music.

In addition to concerts with Helen Schneider , Marcia Haydée , Giora Feidman , Les McCann and the Pointer Sisters , he also worked on radio plays (with Patrick Bebelaar and Frank Kroll ), on sound installations with the visual artist Eva Paulitsch (SoundCities, 1998) and in the theater ( Theresa's dream, Museumsquartier Wien). In 2004 his solo CD "wanderlust" was released. He can also be heard on the CDs "Reality Music" by Torsten Krill 's frimfram collective (Vol. 1 nominated for the German Record Critics' Prize 2004, Vol. 2. 2006). With the Danish-German jazz quartet moldIn 2002 he recorded the CD "republic of" (nominated for the Danish Jazz Prize 2003). Further CDs were made with David Orlowsky's Klezmorim.

Jo Ambros is considered one of the most interesting and versatile jazz guitarists of the younger generation. In 2004 he received the Baden-Württemberg Jazz Prize for "his great stylistic breadth and the expressiveness of his artistic work". https://de-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Jo_Ambros

How Many Times

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Doug Raney - The Doug Raney Quintet

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:37
Size: 150,8 MB
Art: Front

(11:26) 1. Fata
( 8:02) 2. Fee-Fi-fo-Fum
( 6:37) 3. Good Morning
( 8:24) 4. Star Eyes
( 8:12) 5. Speedy Recovery
(11:33) 6. God Bless the Child
(11:19) 7. The Parting of the Ways

This LP was originally released in the summer of 1989 with Doug Raney at age 33. He released during his rather short life (1956 - 2016) 17 leader albums for SteepleChase including this 13th piano-less horn-featured recording which won accolades from critics all over the world. https://www.prestomusic.com/jazz/products/9246173--the-doug-raney-quintet

"Doug Raney is an elegant player even when he's attacking, as he does here on most of the content...Certainly recommended if you enjoy your jazz slightly in advance of bebop, but with all of that basic feel still there." ~ Martin Richards, Jazz Journal International

"No doubt, another in the string of successful Raney releases."~ Paul B. Matthews, Cadence

Personnel: Doug Raney (guitar), Bernt Rosengren (tenor saxophone), Tomas Franck (tenor and soprano saxophone), Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Jukkis Uotila (drums)

The Doug Raney Quintet

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Scott Hamilton, René Ten Cate Quartet - Live in the Netherlands

Styles: Saxophone And Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:09
Size: 170,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:44) 1. I Got Rhythm / Apple Honey
(10:43) 2. A Beautiful Friendship
( 9:22) 3. It's You or No One
( 5:49) 4. Darn That Dream
( 6:25) 5. Basie Kick
( 9:25) 6. On Green Dolphin Street
( 8:57) 7. Stella by Starlight
( 8:38) 8. A Smooth One
( 7:02) 9. Sweet Georgia Brown

The American tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton (1954) has long been controversial as a jazz musician. In the seventies and eighties he was dismissed in the Netherlands as a square traditionalist who belonged in establishments in Het Gooi and for whom there was no place on a real jazz stage. It is even rumored that the Bimhuis once canceled a concert of his at the last minute because the press condemned Hamilton. Special, because the Marsalis brothers were able to go about their business simultaneously worldwide undisturbed with a revival of traditional jazz.

The clouds of dust have now largely lifted and it is clear that Hamilton is an interesting musician who has the tradition in his pocket and carries it out with verve. If he reminds of anyone, it is the legendary Zoot Sims (1925-1985), a musician whose style was somewhere between swing and bop. Hamilton, who now lives in Italy, has a delightful tone and it is impossible to sit still during his improvisations. His sound comes in like a sultry summer breeze and his performances of standards are masterful. Last September he recorded an album with the quartet of vibraphonist René ten Cate in the Theaterbakkerheij in Gouda.

The chosen repertoire represents a cross-section of a century of jazz history, with well-known songs such as 'I Got Rhythm', 'It's You Or No One', 'Darn That Dream' and 'On Green Dolphin Street'. Titles that may seem unexciting, but get a remarkable metamorphosis in the hands of Hamilton. Also great is the imaginative playing of vibraphonist Ten Cate, who constantly answers the tenor. The rhythm section with pianist Johan Clement, double bassist Hans Mantel and drummer Barry Olthof forms an engine that runs as smoothly as that of an Italian sports car.

Of great allure is the musical story that the tenor saxophonist presents in Kahn and Styne's 'A Beautiful Friendship', in which he once again expresses his deep love for the Great American Songbook, an almost inexhaustible source of inspiration. Hamilton does not play jazz, but is jazz: a craftsman of the highest order. Rarely did 'Stella By Starlight' sound more tender and the closing 'Sweet Georgia Brown' more cheerful. A festive album that deserves worldwide attention!http://www.jazzenzo.nl/?e=4807

Line-up: Scott Hamilton tenor saxophone, René ten Cate vibraphone, Johan Clement piano, Hans Mantel double bass, Barry Olthof drums

Recorded: September 14, 2021, Theaterbakkerheij, Gouda

Released: December 2021

Live in the Netherlands

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Tal Farlow - Chromatic Palette

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:14
Size: 88,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. All Alone
(5:58)  2. Nuages
(3:24)  3. I Hear A Rhapsody
(4:52)  4. If I Were A Bell
(4:20)  5. St. Thomas
(5:21)  6. Blue Art, Too
(4:32)  7. Stella By Starlight
(5:29)  8. One For My Baby (& One More For The Road)

This album is most notable for the interplay between veteran guitarist Tal Farlow and pianist Tommy Flanagan. With bassist Gary Mazzaroppi completing the trio, the musicians perform Tal's "Blue Art, Too" (based on a blues), plus seven superior standards, including "Nuages," "If I Were a Bell" and "St. Thomas." In general, the music is on the relaxed side but there is plenty of inner heat to be felt on the fine set. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/chromatic-palette-mw0000611946

Personnel: Tal Farlow (guitar); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Gary Mazzaroppi (bass).

Chromatic Palette

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Avishai Cohen - Shifting Sands

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:08
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Intertwined
(4:34) 2. The Window
(7:05) 3. Dvash
(5:27) 4. Joy
(4:30) 5. Below
(6:45) 6. Shifting Sands
(3:23) 7. Chacha Rom
(4:15) 8. Hitragut
(4:14) 9. Videogame
(5:12) 10. Kinderblock

In the end it’s all about connection. The connection with your inner self, the connection between the musicians on stage, and, of course, the connection between the band and its audience. For the last twenty five years, legendary bassist, singer and composer Avishai Cohen has grown to be one of the heavyweights of contemporary jazz, with a catalogue to rival those of even the most legendary in the field of jazz… and beyond. He became a name of concert hall stature around the world and headlined the best festivals any artist could dream of.

Shifting Sands his brand-new album proves he’s not resting on his laurels, but don’t take our word for it. Listen to ‘Intertwined’ the charged opening track and the cornerstone of the record and you’ll feel right away that he raised the bar again. The message is loud and clear: it’s a new adventure on the DNA that you were already familiar with. Since the beginning of the century Avishai Cohen has travelled a varied road. He appeared leading with orchestras, led smaller ensembles and even duets. But it is the Trio format that he always returns to.

A trio always works because all elements are there. The piano is like an orchestra in itself. Add a beat and the low register of the bass, and you have everything. Yes, there have been different line-ups over the years. In 2008 he made Gently Disturbed, a landmark album considered a classic now, and some people even wondered if Avishai Cohen would ever be able to better it. Today we know he has. “That time with Shai and Mark was very special. But I honestly think I now have a trio where that kind of magic is happening again. First of all, Elchin Shirinov from Azerbaijan is a magnificent pianist in his own right. He’s very focused and confident, and I’m sure that comes across. Then I found drummer Roni Kaspi. She may only be 21, but she’s an exceptional talent and a new spirit who brings her own strong personality.

On stage, it’s about trust and feeling good in each other’s company. You can feel the joy we have in playing together, and to be completely honest the concerts we’ve been doing evolved way beyond the record.” Kaspi is very young, Shirinov will be 40 shortly, and Avishai Cohen celebrated his half-century back in 2020. Still,the age gap evaporates from the moment the trio starts playing. “I had that sense with Chick Corea. He was thirty years my senior,but when we played together there was a joy in the fact that he was his age, and I was mine. There was no barrier. Kaspi and Shirinov both grew up listening to my music and consider me an influence, which is incredible to me. Because they challenge me too.

One of the reasons why my music has progressed so well, is because of the musicians. I have a clear idea of what I want, but the musicians have total freedom. That, to me, is modern jazz. It’s the most democratic form of music but you have to be well invested and intelligent enough to respect what you’re getting. The hardest thing is to be yourself, and to give the freedom to others to be themselves too. And this new album is the highest level I’ve reached so far: of me being the composer and the idea-maker, but having them both state the mood and the vibe.”

That unity between human, sound and soul creates a sublime, sonically layered record that links mature compositions with a very youthful energy thriving through the music. Avishai feels it too. At this stage of his life, he has a degree of self-belief that gives him the courage to keep on pushing the boundaries. The compositions on Shifting Sands were born at home near Jerusalem on his piano during the pandemic. For the first time in years, this kept him off the road for several months. He kept communicating with his audience through regular live sessions on Facebook and Instagram. He considered it his little assignment. He had to practice, and it gave him motivation, and some distraction in a period of time where the whole world felt lost and lonely.

“It was an unusual way of working, but at the same time I found it cool and challenging to at least excite a few people every day. And excite me. Not being able to play shows for such a long time had never happened to me. It made me appreciate what I get to do for a living even more than I did before.” The compositions came to life when the trio played a handful of shows in the summer of 2021 in Europe, before they travelled to Sweden to record them. The result is a splendid, uplifting recording that ranks among his very, very best. https://avishaicohen.com/shifting-sands/

Personnel: Avishai Cohen - Bass and Vocals; Elchin Shirinov - piano; Roni Kaspi - drums

Shifting Sands

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LaVern Baker - Real Gone Gal

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:29
Size: 86,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:34)  1. How Can You Leave A Man Like This?
(2:08)  2. Jim Dandy
(2:41)  3. My Happiness Forever
(2:32)  4. Fee Fi Fo Fum
(2:03)  5. Jim Dandy Got Married
(2:13)  6. Substitute
(2:07)  7. Whipper Snapper
(1:45)  8. Voodoo Voodoo
(2:30)  9. I Cried A Tear
(2:11) 10. He's A Real Gone Guy
(2:26) 11. I Waited Too Long
(2:18) 12. Tiny Tim
(2:45) 13. Shake A Hand
(2:20) 14. Bumble Bee
(2:23) 15. Hey Memphis
(2:25) 16. See See Rider

?LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence. Born Delores Williams, she was singing at the Club DeLisa on Chicago's south side at age 17, decked out in raggedy attire and billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper" (the same handle that she made her recording debut under for RCA Victor with Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar's band in 1949). She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for OKeh in 1951 with Maurice King's Wolverines, then settled on the first name of LaVern when she joined Todd Rhodes' band as featured vocalist in 1952 (she fronted Rhodes' aggregation on the impassioned ballad "Trying" for Cincinnati's King Records). LaVern signed with Atlantic as a solo in 1953, debuting with the incendiary "Soul on Fire." The coy, Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" was a smash in 1955 on both the R&B and pop charts, although her impact on the latter was blunted when squeaky-clean Georgia Gibbs covered it for Mercury. An infuriated Baker filed suit over the whitewashing, but she lost. By that time, though, her star had ascended: Baker's "Bop-Ting-A-Ling," "Play It Fair," "Still," and the rocking "Jim Dandy" all vaulted into the R&B Top Ten over the next couple of years. 

Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964. A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government. Finally, in 1988, Baker returned stateside to star in Atlantic's 40th anniversary bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. That led to a soundtrack appearance in the film Dick Tracy, a starring role in the Broadway musical Black & Blue (replacing her ex-Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown), a nice comeback disc for DRG (Woke Up This Mornin'), and a memorable appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival. Baker died on March 10, 1997. ~ Bill Dahl https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lavern-baker-mn0000778344/biography

Real Gone Gal

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Gene Ammons - Up Tight!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:04
Size: 171.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1961/1994
Art: Front

[6:25] 1. The Breeze And I
[6:06] 2. Carbow
[5:03] 3. Moonglow
[6:01] 4. I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over
[4:47] 5. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[8:17] 6. Jug's Blue Blues
[4:13] 7. Lester Leaps In
[5:57] 8. The Five O'clock Whistle
[4:31] 9. I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
[5:12] 10. Song Of The Islands
[3:32] 11. Up Tight
[3:40] 12. Travelin'
[4:49] 13. Soft Summer Breeze
[6:24] 14. Don't Go To Strangers

Bass – Arthur Davis, George Duvivier; Congas – Ray Barretto; Drums – Arthur Taylor; Piano – Patti Bown, Walter Bishop; Saxophone – Gene Ammons. Recorded in October 17th & 18th, 1961.

Gene Ammons recorded many albums for Prestige but, if this CD is a good start for listeners unfamiliar with his playing. A reissue of two LPs (Up Tight and Boss Soul) recorded during the same two-day period, these performances find Ammons backed by a pair of four-piece rhythm sections (with either Walter Bishop or Patti Bown on piano and Ray Barretto's congas a major asset) and taking the lion's share of the solo space. Ammons sounds particularly warm and emotional throughout this CD, particularly on such numbers as "The Breeze and I," "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is over," a cooking "Lester Leaps In" and "Song of the Islands." His sound and style effectively bridged the gap between bop and soul jazz. ~Scott Yanow

Up Tight!

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Garrett Saracho - En Medio

Styles: Piano
Year: 2021
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 32:50
Size: 30,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:51) 1. Sunday's Church
( 4:18) 2. Happy Sad
( 5:49) 3. Rose For A Lady
( 3:53) 4. Senor Baker (Part 1)
( 5:07) 5. Conquest de Mexico (Part 1)
( 2:50) 6. Conquest de Mexico (Part 2)

The lost 1973 landmark Chicano jazz album, available to stream for the first time. A five star Downbeat cosmic slop of jazz, funk, latin soul, and rock, lost to time and rescued for modern audiences.

Personnel: Garrett "En Medio" Saracho- acoustic & electric piano; Lawrence "Patience" Higgins- soprano & tenor saxophone; Bruce Morgenthaler- string & electric bass; Roberto Miranda- string bass; Jeffrey Bahir Hassan- drums; Jamie Herndon- electric guitar; Carmelo Garcia- timbales, congas, & bongos; Owen Marshall- oboe & percussion; Marvin Palatt- violin.

En Medio

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Ranee Lee - Because You Loved Me

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:15
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:44) 1. My Heart Will Go On
(4:57) 2. I'm Alive
(4:14) 3. Tale as Old as Time
(6:01) 4. All By Myself
(7:55) 5. House of the Rising Sun / Je Crois
(5:11) 6. Nature Boy
(7:22) 7. Because You Loved Me
(7:05) 8. The Power Of Love
(6:43) 9. The Prayer

Ranee Lee embodies jazz. Her career has been a relentless pursuit to see where the music would take her, what she could learn, what she could pass on, how she could take new and exciting paths. She accepts challenges and constantly redefines herself. What is indisputable is that she is one of Canada's premiere jazz vocalists. Ranee's new album Because You Loved Me features the music of Quebec's superstar interpreted by the iconic jazz vocalist. The selections have been reimagined in a 'jazz style' with beautifully insightful new arrangements. In the end, you don't have to be a fan of Céline to love this album. But if you feel the beauty of a melody, the power of a song, the power of love, that's what Ranee Lee has captured. https://www.blowitoutahere.com/because-you-loved-me/068944027026

Because You Loved Me

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Sinne Eeg - Don't Be So Blue

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:13
Size: 112,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Don't Be So Blue
(4:54)  2. Highway One
(4:42)  3. The Writing on the Wall
(3:36)  4. Last Ride
(5:12)  5. Goodbye
(5:32)  6. Down on West Fuxing Lu
(5:55)  7. The Sound of Music
(5:38)  8. The Streets of Berlin
(5:39)  9. My Favorite Things
(2:38) 10. Time to Go

Sinne Eeg’s distinctive vocals have earned her a loyal and rapidly growing fan base in her native country of Denmark and around the world. Considered the preeminent jazz vocalist in Scandinavia, Sinne has already made her mark in Japan, China, and throughout Europe with her exquisite live performances and award-winning studio recordings. Face The Music, released in 2014, earned her the Danish Music Award (Denmark’s Grammy) for Best Jazz Vocal CD, along with the Ben Webster Prize (for which Sinne was the sole female recipient for the last 30 years), and the Prix du Jazz, awarded by France’s Academie du Jazz.As a singer she is influenced by Nancy Wilson, Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, but with her personal touch of soft darkness, Sinne keeps the Scandinavian melancholy settled in her music.“Eeg shows she’s steeped in tradition but pushing it in her own direction… with technique and sensitivity aplenty” Downbeat by Fred Bouchard.

“Eeg proves to be an expert in the art of inflection. She stresses a lyric in unexpected yet appropriate ways, demonstrates unerring intonation and pitch control, and shows herself to be an impressive improviser and communicator. Her vocals are never overbearing, but there’s no doubt about the fact that she’s in the driver’s seat.” All About Jazz by Dan Bilawsky  http://sinnemusic.com/about/

Personnel:  Bass – Morten Toftgård Ramsbøl;  Drums – Morten Lund (2);  Piano – Jacob Christoffersen ;  Vocals – Sinne Eeg

Don't Be So Blue

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Julie London - Our Fair Lady

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:46
Size: 74,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. The Days Of Wine And Roses
(2:49)  2. Call Me Irresponsible
(2:23)  3. Theme From "A Summer Place"
(3:11)  4. As Time Goes By
(2:41)  5. More
(2:28)  6. Charade
(2:26)  7. Never On Sunday
(2:56)  8. An Affair To Remember
(2:39)  9. Wives And Lovers
(1:59) 10. Fascination
(2:12) 11. Boy On A Dolphin
(3:02) 12. Second Time Around

Julie London spent most of the 1960s recording middle-of-the-road vocal pop albums of varying degrees of worth before returning to West Coast jazz with a vengeance on 1965's All Through the Night. Recorded the same year as that excellent Cole Porter tribute, the bland Our Fair Lady comes off like corporate payback for a quick jazz rebellion. The arrangements on this release are lifeless, and though she projected a sexy, confident image on album covers, Julie London was always better at singing torch songs of unrequited love then whispering winking, come-hither tracks like "Never on Sunday" or kitsch songs such as "Theme From a Summer Place." While Our Fair Lady seems like a stopgap release, the balance between jazz and upscale pop was achieved on London's next release, the fine For the Night People. ~ Nick Dedina https://www.allmusic.com/album/our-fair-lady-mw0000848727

Our Fair Lady

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Nicola Conte & Spiritual Galaxy - Let Your Light Shine On

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:40
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:46) 1. Uhuru Na Umoja
(5:27) 2. Ogun
(4:51) 3. Cosmic Peace
(5:11) 4. Universal Rhythm
(6:11) 5. Mystic Revelation of the Gods
(4:57) 6. Let Your Light Shine On
(6:54) 7. Space Dimensions
(2:06) 8. Tribes from the Unknown
(7:20) 9. Me Do Wo
(4:47) 10. Essence of the Sun
(4:44) 11. Love Power
(5:21) 12. Afro Black

One of the best parts of Let Your Light Shine On is how it plucks out musical threads from throughout the galaxy (more on that later) and knits them together into truly groovy, soulful cloth. But music is only one of many real good things this set has going on. Light is the first album by internationally-renown Italian DJ, composer, guitarist, bandleader and producer Nicola Conte for Germany's esteemed jazz label MPS Records. "For me, when it comes to European labels, MPS has always been leading the way," Conte explains. "'Jazz Meets the World on MPS,' that was their motto. It wasn't about exploiting trends, it was about genuine artistic expression."

Recorded in Conte's hometown of Bari (Italy) and in Johannesburg (South Africa), Light orbits around Conte's Spiritual Galaxy, a truly global ensemble comprising musicians from Italy, Sweden, and Finland, joined on this recording by soloists Theo Croker (trumpet) and Logan Richardson (alto sax) from the US, and British singer Zara McFarlane, with several local musicians jumping into the Johannesburg sessions.

This colorfully talented troupe shines their collective Light on American, African, European and intergalactic soul, weaving instrumental and vocal threads into a powerfully peaceful state of music and mind. "You could call it spiritual or cosmic Afro-jazz. I could also agree with calling it Afro-soul," Conte suggests. The opening "Uhuru Na Umoja" and subsequent traditional "Ogun" quickly demonstrates this band's Western dexterity with African culture, as their keyboards, guitars, bass and drums all link up and lock down with the vocals in masterful design. An instrumental "Mystic Revelation of the Gods" percolates Afro-beat like rich, dark, steaming hot coffee: Flute flutters above like a songbird overseeing ensemble horns that keep pinwheeling around the drummer's circular rhythm, which echoes drummer Michael Shrieve's jazz drum sound in Santana's Latin-rock context.
"Space Dimensions" opens up a window into the musical alternative universe of Sun Ra: As the breathless female vocal drifts in and out like floating clouds, the spacey lyrics naturally connect Sade with Sun Ra through the music's structure and lush production and nurture an organic flower of truly global and truly beautiful music. The follow-on two-minute drum jam "Tribes from the Unknown" extend Spiritual Galaxy's connection to Sun Ra's Arkestra. And oh this title track: A limber groove simply but soulfully repeating the refrain, "Let your light shine on...Let us live in peace..." There is something genuinely yet indescribably beautiful about this music the words, the instrumentation, and the vocals. Even the best writing/words couldn't do this one justice. Please just listen.

"We are connected by a higher force," Conte mused upon this set's release. "I don't want to sound like a hippie, but perhaps the light comes out of the universe. At the same time, it also comes out of ourselves."~ Chris M. Slawecki https://www.allaboutjazz.com/let-your-light-shine-on-nicola-conte-mps-review-by-chris-m-slawecki

Personnel: Nicola Conte: guitars; Bridgette Amofah: lead and backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12); Carolina Bussico: lead and backing vocals (1, 3, 7, 12); Zara McFarlane: lead and backing vocals (2); Zoe Modica: lead and backing vocals (6, 10); Gianluca Petrella: trombone, Mini Moog; Logan Richardson: alto saxophone; Magnus Lindgren: tenor saxophone, flutes; Theo Croker: trumpet; Pietro Lussu: piano. Vox organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes; Luca Alemanno: double bass, electric bass; Teppo Makynen: drums, percussion; Abdissa Assefa: congas, percussion; Tommaso Cappellato: drums (5); Nduduzo Makhathini: Fred Rhodes; Tumi Mogorossi: drums; Tlale Kakhene: percussion (8); Seby Burgio: organ (9, 11); Mike Rubini: baritone saxophone (9).

Let Your Light Shine On

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Sal Valentinetti - The Voice EP

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 19:19
Size: 44,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:28) 1. The Way You Look Tonight
(3:06) 2. Sway
(3:07) 3. More
(3:15) 4. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
(2:54) 5. You Make Me Feel So Young
(3:27) 6. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti, Heidi Klum’s unforgettable 2016 Golden Buzzer recipient and finalist of America’s Got Talent, is an Italian-American crooner known best for his flawless vocals, larger than life personality, and his heart of gold. Born August 26, 1995, Sal was raised in the small town of Bethpage, New York where he still resides today. From a very young age Sal was influenced by his grandmother to love the musical genius of the classic crooner sounds of Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

At the young age of fifteen Sal realized the hidden talent he possessed and began performing his flawless tribute to the great Frank Sinatra across New York. In 2016, Sal made his debut on Season 11 of the NBC hit show “America’s Got Talent.” That night, The 20-year-old college student went from delivering Pizzas for his cousin’s restaurant, to delivering what’s considered one of the best performances in AGT history.

Before long, the world would come to know and admire him as “Sal the Voice”. Since racking up over 350 million views worldwide with his captivating AGT audition, the celebrated charismatic crooner has been invited to appear in hundreds of sold out solo performances on stages around the world.

From Madison Square Garden in NYC, to opening for Jay Leno in Las Vegas, to selling out the legendary NYCB Theater at Westbury like all of the greats before him; it’s safe to say that Sal is only getting started. https://salthevoiceny.com/about-sal/

The Voice EP

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Jim Tomlinson Feat. Stacey Kent - The Lyric

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:11
Size: 136,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Manhã De Carnaval
(3:50)  2. Corcovado
(4:55)  3. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(3:59)  4. If I Were A Bell
(5:16)  5. I Got Lost In His Arms
(6:32)  6. What Are You Doing The Rest Of your Life?
(4:41)  7. Cockeyed Optimist
(3:45)  8. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(4:38)  9. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(4:55) 10. Outra Vez
(3:21) 11. Jardin D'Hiver
(3:55) 12. Something Happens To Me
(5:09) 13. Stardust

Jim Tomlinson originally intended to make this outing an instrumental CD, but when he had the opportunity to work with his wife, vocalist Stacey Kent, he quickly adapted most of the session to include her. The English tenor saxophonist chose time-tested material from standards and a few bossa novas, playing all of them with a lyrical sound reminiscent of the late giant Stan Getz, particularly in "'Manha de Carnaval" and"Corcovado." Kent's sweet voice complements her husband's band very well, catching the playfulness of "If I Were a Bell" and savoring the thoughtful tempo of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top." Pianist David Newton, one of Europe's most underrated jazz pianists, anchors the rhythm section (with bassist Dave Chamberlain and drummer Matt Skelton), providing perfect backgrounds for the couple, with his lush playing in "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" especially standing out. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lyric-mw0000466832

Personnel: Jim Tomlinson (tenor saxophone); Stacey Kent (vocals); David Newton (piano); Dave Chamberlain (double bass); Matt Skelton (drums).

The Lyric

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