Thursday, June 16, 2022

Rob Van Bavel Trio - Dutch Jazz

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:57
Size: 117,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. Just Vampin'
(6:09)  2. Another Seventeen
(5:16)  3. Three Bees
(4:27)  4. Bandal
(5:00)  5. Donde Esta?
(5:46)  6. Remember the Time
(4:53)  7. B&r
(5:07)  8. In April
(4:11)  9. R.B.
(5:28) 10. Giant Steps

With the first Rob van Bavel Trio (1985-2000) we recorded 'Just for You' , 'The Rob van Bavel Trio' (which cd was rewarded an 'Edison' - dutch Grammy) & 'The Other Side'; after several years a new Rob van Bavel Trio was born, with exciting players such as bassplayer Clemens van der Feen (at that time still very young) and masterdrummer Chris Strik. This trio released 2 official cd's: 'Piano Grand Slam' and 'Generations' (Munichrecords)....we made a 3rd recording which was never released: 'Dutch Jazz' - 9 original compositions by Rob van Bavel plus 'Giant Steps' (solopiano live) as a bonustrack! Enjoy!! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thenewrobvanbaveltrio

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Richie Cole - Latin Lover

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:19
Size: 142,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:41) 1. If I Only Had a Brain
(5:35) 2. Cieto Lindo
(3:48) 3. Leclipse Della Luna
(3:33) 4. Lonely Bull
(7:15) 5. Serenata
(4:53) 6. Laughter in the Rain
(6:40) 7. Girl from Carnegie
(4:29) 8. Harlem Nocturne
(5:28) 9. Island Breeze
(4:23) 10. Indicted for Love
(5:33) 11. Malibu Breeze
(4:55) 12. Almost Like Being in Love

Last year alto saxophonist/arranger Richie Cole released an album called the Many Minds of Richie Cole. Latin Lover could easily have carried the same title. There are indeed many minds in Cole's head often seemingly incompatible with each other. Several of them are in this CD. Cole was grabbed out of Berklee School of Music by Buddy Rich, who needed a replacement for Art Pepper in his big band in 1969 and after being featured with Rich and shortly after with Lionel Hampton he set out on his own. He toured frequently with vocalist Eddie Jefferson until the latter's untimely death and has built his reputation on being an unpredictable jokester who plays serious jazz with a smile.
Latin Lover continues Cole's brand of humor, starting off with the unlikely tune, "If I Only Had A Brain from the Wizard of Oz." On top of that, he defies the somewhat melancholy theme, kicking it into up tempo with a Latin rhythm. Oz fans may be offended, but Cole pulls it off well, with a sharp and adventurous solo. Who knew this song could be considered for a jazz album! He keeps the heat up with "Celito Lindo" and then slows it down with a pensive "L'Eclipse."

Cole reverts once again to his sense of humor by digging into "The Lonely Bull," made famous by the Tiajuana Brass and the vocal group and guitar behind him reinforces the corny essence of the tune. "Serenata" begins with a bull fight anthem with all the usual Latin flair only to magically transform into a quiet and slow tango. "Laughter in the Rain" allows Cole to duff his cap to his unaccountable appreciation for 1950's pop music. The song, written by Neil Sedaka, has all the earmarks of the era, but with more of a Latin tinge than the original. "Girl From Carnegie" is essentially "The Girl From Ipanema" with some melodic revisions. It begins with a Jobim like guitar intro and continues with a light Latin tempo.

There are two outliers, and they are the gems on this album. The first is "Harlem Nocturne." Cole shows his most sensitive and emotive side on this. He wraps himself deep within the very poignant sadness of the tune. It is shear beauty. The other is the album's final song, "Amost Like Being In Love." Cole owns this song. He plays it frequently on gigs and while he has probably performed it thousands of times, he just screams this song out. It is the most up-tempo tune of the set. It begins with a subtle Latin background, and then switches to straight ahead jazz, while Cole launches into his best solo of the recording. He plumbs the entire range of the alto, sometimes veering away from the changes before snapping back in. Guitarist Eric Susoeff and pianist Kevin Moore maintain the intensity before Cole bursts back on the scene with a couple bebop quotes and then back to the melody, with a few showy runs thrown in, and finally a very abrupt ending.

Cole has moved from New Jersey to Pittsburgh a few years ago and has become immersed in the jazz scene there, no doubt raising the level a bit. He has surrounded himself with talented locals and those are the people he chooses to record with. Cole's band of Susoeff and Moore, as well as bassist Mark Perna and drummer Vince Taglieri, may not be the big names that were on Cole's early Muse recordings, but it is a very compatible group. Their familiarity allows Cole to spruce up the songs with some simple, but effective arrangements, which raises the level beyond that of a good jam session. You can hear from the interplay that these musicians know the leader and can respond to his every whimsy. Overall, this is a fine jazz album, well written, well recorded and performed with solid soloists, with Cole playing with his usual inspired consistency. My only criticism is that there are too many back to back medium slow tempo songs.~ Rob Rosenblum https://www.allaboutjazz.com/latin-lover-richie-cole-richie-cole-presents-review-by-rob-rosenblum

Personnel: Richie Cole: alto sax; Eric Susoeff: acoustic & electric guitar; Kevin Moore: piano & Fender Rhodes; Mark Perna: bass; Vince Taglieri: drums; Rick Matt: baritone(4); Nancy Kepner: vocal (4).

Latin Lover

Bebop & Beyond - Plays Thelonious Monk

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:06
Size: 133,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:12) 1. San Francisco Holiday
( 7:01) 2. Brilliant Corners
( 7:29) 3. Think of One
( 4:38) 4. Crepescule with Nellie
(10:43) 5. Misterioso
( 5:02) 6. Criss Cross
( 6:35) 7. Gallop's Gallop
( 4:02) 8. Ugly Beauty
( 5:20) 9. Who Knows

This CD contains one of the best Thelonious Monk tributes that have come out since the pianist/composer's death in 1982. Mel Martin (heard here in top form on tenor, soprano and flute) leads Bebop & Beyond through nine of Monk's most difficult originals, and his arrangements (which use the versatile guitarist Randy Vincent in Monk's place) are consistently inventive. Pianist George Cables, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, and Howard Johnson (on baritone and tuba) make important guest appearances, while trumpeter Warren Gale contributes many fine solos.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/plays-thelonious-monk-mw0000690320

Personnel: Baritone Saxophone, Tuba – Howard Johnson (3) (tracks: 2 to 5,8); Bass – Jeff Chambers (3); Drums – Donald Bailey (tracks: 1 to 3,7), Eddie Marshall (2) (tracks: 4 to 6,8,9); Guitar – Randy Vincent; Piano – George Cables (tracks: 2,7); Tenor Saxophone – Joe Henderson (tracks: 2,7); Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Mel Martin; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Warren Gale

Plays Thelonious Monk

Trio Jazz - Second Song

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:28
Size: 77,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:34) 1. Fly Me to the Moon
(4:06) 2. Once I Loved
(2:27) 3. Second Song
(2:31) 4. Turn Around
(4:41) 5. When I Fall In Love
(3:19) 6. Come Rain Come Shine
(2:09) 7. Going West
(2:59) 8. Skylarc
(3:55) 9. Sometime Ago
(3:41) 10. I've Grown Accustomed
(1:26) 11. Efterårsvise

No Reviews found.If anyone would like to add a review, please feel free to add at the post's comments box.

Second Song

Ada Montellanico - WeTuba

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:33
Size: 104,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. The Time Will Come
(4:42) 2. Words
(4:04) 3. Heroes
(5:59) 4. A Trace of Grace
(5:17) 5. I'm a Migrant
(5:40) 6. Unsleepers
(7:07) 7. Go Deep
(5:20) 8. Sorriso
(2:57) 9. BallAda

On the various dates of the 2021 autumn season of A Jazz Supreme, the review that the Musicus Concentus has been organizing for years at the Sala Vanni in Florence, there were among others the concerts of WeTuba, the latest formation by Ada Montellanico with which the singer has recently released a record, and of the Monumental Duo, composed by Roberto Ottaviano and Alexander Hawkins.

Montellanico appeared on stage on October 29, at the head of (but, as we will see, it is more correct to say "together with") a quintet of first choice musicians: Simone Graziano on piano, Francesco Ponticelli on double bass, Bernardo Guerra on drums and special guest Michel Godard at tuba and serpentone. Although the singer plays a central role, the formation is in fact fundamentally equal, thanks also to the way in which she worked on the preparation of the repertoire which was then finished on the album of the same name: all unpublished material developed for this ensemble, with written songs. from each of the protagonists, plus a couple of compositions signed by Paolo Fresu, who is also present on the CD to interpret them as a guest. Such a partnership was felt both in the complex variety of the program and in the way in which the musicians moved in its realization.

On the first floor, in fact, the compositions that followed explored a multiplicity of musical universes, ranging from the simple song"Sorriso," by Fresu to the singer's lyrics - to duets between voice and tuba / serpetone with a baroque taste in "A Trace of Grace," by Godard, or more rhythmic in "Ballada," by Ponticelli and to singular moments recalling rock - "Heroes," by Graziano up to surprising moments with a Lacyan flavor - in "The Time Will Come, "by Grazieno and Ponticelli, always based on texts by Montellanico. On the second, however, the space given to the expressiveness of each one proved to be an added value, with Godard free to join the voice of the singer, Graziano who alternated the accompaniment with more abstract and rarefied interventions, Ponticelli ready to enter the plots not only as a rhythmic column and Guerra who intervened with measure, but also with decision where this could mark changes of pace or scenario.

All this, in addition to building a sound stage on which the singer could show all her flexibility, gave the music a considerable breadth and freshness, contributing together with the value of the performers and the social and political contents of most of the lyrics to the excellent success of the evening. The concert held two weeks later, on November 12, by Roberto Ottaviano and Alexander Hawkins, called themselves Monumental Duo in homage to the jazz greats with whom they had the opportunity to play and / or are authors of the compositions that are part of the repertoire, was very different. training. Frequent collaborators since, a few years ago, they released together one of the CDs of the double album that the saxophonist dedicated to Maestro Steve Lacy, Forgotten Matches, the two have in fact presented themselves with a program largely composed of songs from the sixties and seventies, many of them by South African authors like the first, by Harry Miller but also by Ornette Coleman or Mal Waldron among the Hawkins masters and with whom Octavian recorded the splendid duo album Black Spirits Are Here Again many years ago.

The understanding between the two, the common love for the music staged, the beauty of the latter itself, but above all the way - at the same time respectful and personal in which the two artists re-proposed it made the evening one of the best concerts that the writer has attended during the year. Ottaviano alternated soprano, sopranino and alto saxophone, interpreting the lyrical parts with great poetry, producing extremely touching solos; Hawkins, for his part, has expressed himself in an amazing way, putting his well-known technical skills - decidedly extraordinary, but which sometimes runs the risk of using a little too much ends in themselves - at the service of the musical content, enhancing aspects or giving it nuances unprecedented, thanks to a multiple and often unexpected work on the keyboard: counterpoints between the two hands, thunderous accompaniments with the left while the right described the theme or duet with the sax, and much more. Show of the highest level, which deserves a recorded documentation, which the two artists are thinking about and which we take the opportunity to solicit.~ Neri Pollastri https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ada-montellanico-wetuba-e-monumental-duo

Personnel: Ada Montellanico, voce; Michel Godard, tuba, serpentone; Simone Graziano, pianoforte; Francesco Ponticelli, contrabbasso; Bernardo Guerra, batteria

WeTuba

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Frank Sinatra & Antonio Jobim - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Styles: Vocal, Piano and Guitar
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:34
Size: 79,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. The Girl From Ipanema (Garota De Ipanema)
(3:30)  2. Dindi
(2:43)  3. Change Partners
(2:46)  4. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)
(2:56)  5. Meditation (Meditacao)
(2:12)  6. If You Never Come To Me
(3:18)  7. How Insensitive (Insensatez)
(2:40)  8. I Concentrate on You
(2:35)  9. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
(2:36) 10. Once I Loved (O Amor En Paz)

"I haven't sung so softly since I had laryngitis." That January 30, 1967, he did it. For the first time in his career, The Voice had to put its foot on the brake. And also for the first (and only) time in 52 years of life, Frank Sinatra signed his Christian name on a phonographic record. Francis Albert Sinatra was in the studio with the Brazilian Antonio Carlos Jobim. The meeting of the greatest American singer with the father of bossa nova - the title of the album brings together the full names of the two authors - has now won a new edition, commemorating 50 years.

Short album (does not reach 30 minutes) with ten songs, brings together seven of Jobim himself ( The girl from Ipanema , Dindi , Meditation , How insensitive , among others) and three North American standards ( Change partners , I concentrate on you and Baubles , bangles and beads ). The reissue brings two bonus tracks: the medley Quiet night of quiet stars / Change partners / I concentrate on you / The girl from Ipanema taken from the TV show A man and his music + Ella Jobim (also from 1967) and an unprecedented recording of The girl from Ipanema , made during the registration of Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. The sound is bossa nova with a more sophisticated outfit, since the arrangements were under the responsibility of the German Claus Ogerman. The album was a public and critical success, remaining 28 weeks on the Billboard charts.

Grammy-nominated, he justly lost the gold gramophone album of the year to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, by the Beatles. Sinatra was a little late in the hump. It was five years ago, since the historic concert at Carnegie Hall, that the Brazilian beat had become a fever in the United States. Although a little late, the album can be considered fundamental.

The main reason is for bringing Sinatra at a special time. His interpretation is very subtle, of a vocal technique that until then seemed unprecedented in his long trajectory. In complete harmony with Jobim and his soft guitar, the drummer Dom Um Romão stands out. "A Brazilian who seemed, at the same time, to be alert and drugged," wrote Stan Cornyn in the album insert. Warner executive, he worked several times on Sinatra albums. Sinatra and Jobim (“Tone”, as The Voice called the conductor) recorded another work together. In 1969, they got together for a new album. The irregular result came out in the compilation Sinatra and company, which went public only in 1971. Three other tracks from this same studio encounter remained unpublished until 2010, when the double album Sinatra / Jobim: The complete Reprise recordings was released, which brought together the recordings made in 1967 and 1969. In this way, it is the work of 50 years ago that must remain the meeting of the two giants of music. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim is a very silent album, to be tasted little by little. Without haste, and for many, many times. https://www.diariodepernambuco.com.br/noticia/viver/2017/08/album-historico-de-frank-sinatra-e-tom-jobim-ganha-edicao-comemorativa.html

Personnel: Frank Sinatra – vocal; Antônio Carlos Jobim – piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals; Claus Ogerman – arranger, conductor; Dom Um Romão – drums; Colin Bailey - drums I Concentrate On You, Baubles Bangles And Beads, Change Partners, Dindi;  Al Viola – electric guitar;  Jose Marino – doublebass

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Dick Hyman - Autumn In New York

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:14
Size: 75,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. Cabin In The Sky
(2:32)  2. What Is There To Say
(2:09)  3. Now
(2:33)  4. April In Paris
(3:32)  5. London In July
(1:47)  6. Autumn In New York
(1:53)  7. Suddenly
(1:22)  8. I Am Only Human After All
(2:27)  9. Rio Cristal
(2:09) 10. Taking A Chance On Love
(2:07) 11. When You Live On An Island
(2:35) 12. I Can't Get Started
(2:14) 13. The Love I Long For
(2:00) 14. I'm Gonna Ring The Bell Tonight

Dick Hyman, famous pianist, organist, arranger, and general jazz notable, is here presented in one of his earliest recordings. Hyman went on to play with Benny Goodman, Ruby Braff, Ralph Sutton, Marian McPartland, Doc Severinsen, Roy Eldridge, and many others. This album provides a very personal, warm look at Hyman's playing, showcasing the artist and the wonderful music of Vernon Duke. Listen to the creative and intelligent approach he takes to these songs, and enjoy a wonderful album from jazz giant's early days. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/dickhyman2

Autumn In New York

Jim Snidero - Close Up

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:33
Size: 125,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:13)  1. Close Up
(6:42)  2. I Should Care
(8:41)  3. Nippon Blue
(5:30)  4. Windswept
(6:02)  5. Blues for the Moment
(7:34)  6. Reality
(7:22)  7. Prisoner of Love
(6:26)  8. Smash

Prose laureate Whitney Balliett coined the phrase "the sound of surprise" as an encomium for jazz. Like most of his peers, saxophonist Jim Snidero shoots regularly for this ideal. His new Milestone effort flirts with the target but doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye. An accessible program of original tunes shored up by two standards, each cogently arranged to accentuate his talents and those of his rhythm section, makes for a winsome template. The guest tenor of former label mate Eric Alexander further stacks the deck in Snidero's favor. Despite these valuable trappings, the session still registers simply as a praiseworthy post bop outing rather than one for the ages. The album's title track establishes a promising opening mood, building from a theme that's funky in the old school Horace Silverish sense of the word. Both horns solo, with Alexander's robust Trane-styled inflections garnering the slight edge. Hazeltine's jaunty ivories round out the pecking order, ending with a rhapsodic flourish atop a syncopated support of Drummond's tight traps play. Snidero handles both balladic standards without Alexander's aid, starting with a frisky up-tempo reading of "I Should Care" that highlights his lustrous tone and mercurial phrasing. "Prisoner of Love" rolls out with a similar attention to nuance and mood, bolstered by the sensitive touch of Drummond's gossamer brushes. Alexander earns first crack at "Nippon Soul" after a slippery unison head, spooling out another note-packed Coltrane-indebted solo that also carries rich tonal pigments of Shorter. Snidero answers with an equally piquant urgency, sketching sweeping pirouettes above the ripe bass throb of Gill, who then turns in a striking solo of his own.  

A trifecta of Snidero originals comes next, with the crisp Latin-flavored bounce of "Windswept" leading the pack. "Blues for the Moment" trades on the immediacy reflected in its title with another tightly scripted theme that leads into ebullient extemporizations for each of the horns. The succinctly-titled "Smash" closes the date on an appropriately energetic note as the five men pay homage to the questing hard bop sound of the Sixties. In less symbolic terms it's also a reminder of a painful injury Snidero sustained while remodeling his home. A briskly twisting tandem head bleeds directly into another string of galloping solo statements. Hazeltine and the rest of the rhythm section tail the horns closely the entire way and sustain a streamline momentum. Snidero makes mention in the notes of a desire to explore more abstract musical directions in the future. Considering the level of acumen he brings to so-called mainstream fare, it's a potential course that would certainly suit him. ~ Derek Taylor https://www.allaboutjazz.com/close-up-jim-snidero-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel:  Jim Snidero- alto saxophone;  David Hazeltine- piano;  Paul Gill- bass;Billy Drummond- drums;  Eric Alexander- tenor saxophone.

Close Up

Buddy DeFranco - Garden of Dreams

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:08
Size: 126,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:34)  1. 73 Berkley Street
(5:19)  2. Sunshine State
(5:23)  3. I Remember Clifford
(4:42)  4. Mysteria
(5:15)  5. Blues for Breakfast
(5:28)  6. Holiday for Two
(6:13)  7. Garden of Dreams
(5:36)  8. Brazilian Dorian Dreams
(4:53)  9. Jena
(5:41) 10. Given Time

Buddy DeFranco is one of the great clarinetists of all time and, until the rise of Eddie Daniels, he was indisputably the top clarinetist to emerge since 1940. It was DeFranco's misfortune to be the best on an instrument that after the swing era dropped drastically in popularity and, unlike Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, he has never been a household name for the general public. When he was 14, DeFranco won an amateur swing contest sponsored by Tommy Dorsey. After working with the big bands of Gene Krupa (1941-1942) and Charlie Barnet (1943-1944), he was with TD on and off during 1944-1948. DeFranco, other than spending part of 1950 with Count Basie's septet, was mostly a bandleader from then on. Among the few clarinetists to transfer the language of Charlie Parker onto his instrument, DeFranco has won a countless number of polls and appeared with the Metronome All-Stars in the late '40s. He recorded frequently in the '50s (among his sidemen were Art Blakey, Kenny Drew, and Sonny Clark) and participated in some of Norman Granz's Verve jam session. During 1960-1963 DeFranco led a quartet that also featured the accordion of Tommy Gumina and he recorded an album with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers on which he played bass clarinet. Work, however, was difficult to find in the '60s, leading DeFranco to accept the assignment of leading the Glenn Miller ghost band (1966-1974). He has found more artistic success co-leading a quintet with Terry Gibbs off and on since the early'80s and has recorded throughout the decades for many labels.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buddy-defranco-mn0000638918/biography

Personnel:  Clarinet – Buddy DeFranco;  Bass – Alec Dankworth;  Drums – Clark Tracy;  Guitar – Martin Taylor;  Piano, Synthesizer – David Newton

Garden of Dreams

Monday, June 13, 2022

Tierney Sutton - Something Cool

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:57
Size: 149,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:41) 1. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66!
(4:29) 2. Something Cool
(3:35) 3. Wouldn't It Be Loverly?
(6:26) 4. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(3:07) 5. Show Me
(5:51) 6. Comes Love
(5:37) 7. Reflections
(4:13) 8. Alone Together
(6:06) 9. Out Of This World
(5:30) 10. All Or Nothing At All
(3:03) 11. Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
(3:00) 12. Walkin' After Midnight
(3:40) 13. Crazy
(4:34) 14. The Best Is Yet To Come

Tierney Sutton warms the soul with Something Cool. This offering, her third as a leader for the Telarc label, finds the vocalist using an array of vocal techniques, jazz styles, and formats on 14 great songs by several Great American Songbook composers, Bobby Troup, and the masterful Duke Ellington. Sutton is accompanied by her longtime trio of Christian Jacob on piano, Trey Henry on bass, and Ray Brinker on drums. The lovely vocalist/educator charms her listeners with elongated phrasings, a strong rhythmic sense, and amazing improvisational abilities on three Lerner & Loewe themes from the Broadway musical My Fair Lady. In addition to the outstanding vocal treatments she offers her listeners on these classic songs, Sutton scats and swings through an amazing "Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead."

This song not only shows her versatility with tempo changes and range, but also displays her unique talent for selecting songs commonly associated with another musical style and improvising them in a jazz context. She garnered international critical acclaim for this technique on her 1999 release titled Unsung Heroes. Additional highlights include Howard Dietz's "Alone Together," on which she duets with bassist Trey Henry, and her exceptional rendition of "The Best Is Yet to Come," which features her cool jazz vocal skills. Tierney Sutton is at her finest on this program and offers an impeccable selection of songs that showcase her distinct musical personality and quality sound.~ Paula Edelstein https://www.allmusic.com/album/something-cool-mw0000229587

Something Cool

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio - Misty for Direct Cutting

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:19
Size: 77,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:51) 1. Misty
(6:31) 2. Midnight Sugar
(7:48) 3. The In Crowd
(5:21) 4. Girl Talk
(5:27) 5. The Folks Who Live on The Hill
(2:19) 6. Yesterday

“MISTY for Direct Cutting” was recorded in May 2021 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Errol Garner’s birth. For this album of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, direct cutting was used for both analog and digital. For Direct Cutting in analogic, the recorded sound is engraved on a lacquer board in real time. For the digital, the recorded sound is recorded in DSD 11.2 MHz. The both records are realised without the editing, mixing and mastering steps. The goal is to go directly from the music to the recording without any intermediate processing.

We will review 5 editions (Vinyl analog Direct cutting, Vinyl from DSD , MQA-CD in PCM mode, MQA-CD with MQA decoded, Streaming Amazon UltraHD) of this album. https://magicvinyldigital.net/2022/01/30/tsuyoshi-yamamoto-trio-misty-for-direct-cutting-review-lp-mqa-cd/

Personnel: Piano – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto; Bass – Hiroshi Kagawa; Drums – Toshio Osumi

Misty for Direct Cutting

Ada Bird Wolfe - Birdie

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:45
Size: 117,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:38) 1. Lover Man
(2:45) 2. Doralice
(4:29) 3. All Blues
(5:37) 4. How I Wish (Ask Me Now)
(4:53) 5. Mon Fantôme
(2:42) 6. Monk's Dream
(6:34) 7. Round Midnight
(4:59) 8. Four
(4:56) 9. Valerie
(5:46) 10. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
(3:22) 11. Every Time I Sing the Blues

Unique soulful jazz vocals Ada Bird Wolfe – BIRDIE: What a splendid set of unique & soulful jazz vocals to wake up to on a rainy Great Northwest morning… this is my first listen to Ada’s fine jazz vocal work, but as you listen to tunes like the 4:40 opener, “Lover Man“, you’ll know right away why my ears are strongly attracted to her style.

There’s an excellent introductory trailer that will give you some very intimate insights into Ada’s mighty mellow personality… …as you’ll see & hear, she’s simply delightful, and her co-players (Jamieson Trotter (piano/musical director), Dan Lutz (bass), Mike Shapiro (drums), Scott Mayo (tenor saxophone), Jamelle Adisa (trumpet), Nathaniel LaPointe (guitar), Hideaki Tokunaga (guitar), Kleber Jorge (guitar) really help her spice it up. Of course, since you’re there already, be sure you SUBSCRIBE to her YouTube channel (I did), where you’ll find many highly spirited live videos to watch.

Ada’s vocal rendition of Mile’s “All Blues” will have those “jazz chills” runnin’ up & down your spine, I’ve no doubt… I do believe this is the most unique version of this jazz classic I’ve ever listened to!

Ada is a fan of Monk, and you’ll hear her talent just shining through on her 5:38 rendition of his “Ask Me Now“… laid-back, & the ultimate in cool… you’ll be hitting “replay” on this one often, and I can easily see it hitting the charts in a very big way.

It’s another Monk tune that got my vote for personal favorite… “‘Round Midnight” gives you a totally new perspective on this fine song… lush and mighty mellow, and I totally loved Jamieson’s keyboard on this one!

I give Ada and her players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this superb jazz vocal adventure… get more information about this fascinating artist at Ada’s website. https://contemporaryfusionreviews.com/unique-soulful-jazz-vocals-ada-bird-wolfe-birdie/

Birdie

Angela Verbrugge - Love for Connoisseurs

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:25
Size: 113,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. Love for Connoisseurs
(3:37) 2. Enough's Enough
(3:44) 3. This is Manhattan
(4:13) 4. Je Ne Veux Pas Te Dire Bonsoir
(4:08) 5. Cold and Hot Blues
(4:16) 6. Corn on the Cob
(3:47) 7. Mr Right
(5:26) 8. Jive Turkey
(3:43) 9. Not Here, Not Now
(3:40) 10. Twentieth Century Fox
(4:33) 11. Quarantine
(3:48) 12. Maybe Now's the Time

Based in British Columbia’s picturesque capital of Victoria, jazz vocalist and songwriter Angela Verbrugge introduced herself with 2019’s captivating debut The Night We Couldn’t Say Goodnight. That project covered a lot of ground, leading off with two originals that, in hindsight, offered a telling glimpse of her prowess and ambition. Focusing entirely on original material, written mostly in collaboration with veteran musicians, her second album Love for Connoisseurs establishes Verbrugge as a jazz artist mining everyday life for lyrical nuggets.

Well integrated into her capable band with pianist Miles Black, bassist Jodi Proznick, drummer Joel Fountain, and saxophonist Dave Say, she applies her considerable wit and winsome sound to songs that tend to focus on the vicissitudes of romance. She turns pianist Ray Gallon’s intricate tune “Enough’s Enough” into an exasperated list of offenses by a slobby housemate. One hopes that their collaboration detailing the exploits of a boorish cad, “Jive Turkey,” refers to someone else. On the all-too-topical “Quarantine” they take a left turn from an “All Blues”-like intro into a forbidding portrait of life in the pre-vaccination phase of the pandemic.~ Andrew Gilbert https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/angela-verbrugge-love-for-connoisseurs-gut-strings/

Love for Connoisseurs

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Django Reinhardt - The Unforgettable

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:50
Size: 112,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Sweet Georgia Brown
(2:27)  2. Minor Swing
(2:54)  3. Double Whisky
(3:45)  4. Artillerie Lourde
(2:35)  5. Saint James Infirmary
(3:34)  6. "C" Jam Blues
(3:34)  7. Honeysuckle Rose
(4:07)  8. Dream Of You
(3:47)  9. Begin The Beguine
(3:40) 10. How High The Moon
(3:28) 11. Nuages
(3:53) 12. I Can't Get Started
(3:41) 13. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(3:25) 14. Manoir De Mes Reves

Django Reinhardt was the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe and he remains the most influential European to this day, with possible competition from Joe Zawinul, George Shearing, John McLaughlin, his old cohort Stephane Grappelli and a bare handful of others. A free-spirited gypsy, Reinhardt wasn't the most reliable person in the world, frequently wandering off into the countryside on a whim. Yet Reinhardt came up with a unique way of propelling the humble acoustic guitar into the front line of a jazz combo in the days before amplification became widespread. He would spin joyous, arcing, marvelously inflected solos above the thrumming base of two rhythm guitars and a bass, with Grappelli's elegantly gliding violin serving as the perfect foil. His harmonic concepts were startling for their time making a direct impression upon Charlie Christian and Les Paul, among others and he was an energizing rhythm guitarist behind Grappelli, pushing their groups into a higher gear. Not only did Reinhardt put his stamp upon jazz, his string band music also had an impact upon the parallel development of Western swing, which eventually fed into the wellspring of what is now called country music.

Although he could not read music, with Grappelli and on his own, Reinhardt composed several winsome, highly original tunes like "Daphne," "Nuages" and "Manoir de Mes Reves," as well as mad swingers like "Minor Swing" and the ode to his record label of the '30s, "Stomping at Decca." As the late Ralph Gleason said about Django's recordings, "They were European and they were French and they were still jazz."

A violinist first and a guitarist later, Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt grew up in a gypsy camp near Paris where he absorbed the gypsy strain into his music. A disastrous caravan fire in 1928 badly burned his left hand, depriving him of the use of the fourth and fifth fingers, but the resourceful Reinhardt figured out a novel fingering system to get around the problem that probably accounts for some of the originality of his style. According to one story, during his recovery period, Reinhardt was introduced to American jazz when he found a 78 RPM disc of Louis Armstrong's "Dallas Blues" at an Orleans flea market. He then resumed his career playing in Parisian cafes until one day in 1934 when Hot Club chief Pierre Nourry proposed the idea of an all-string band to Reinhardt and Grappelli.

Thus was born the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which quickly became an international draw thanks to a long, splendid series of Ultraphone, Decca and HMV recordings.The outbreak of war in 1939 broke up the Quintette, with Grappelli remaining in London where the group was playing and Reinhardt returning to France. During the war years, he led a big band, another quintet with clarinetist Hubert Rostaing in place of Grappelli, and after the liberation of Paris, recorded with such visiting American jazzmen as Mel Powell, Peanuts Hucko and Ray McKinley. In 1946, Reinhardt took up the electric guitar and toured America as a soloist with the Duke Ellington band but his appearances were poorly received. Some of his recordings on electric guitar late in his life are bop escapades where his playing sounds frantic and jagged, a world apart from the jubilant swing of old. However, starting in Jan. 1946, Reinhardt and Grappelli held several sporadic reunions where the bop influences are more subtly integrated into the old, still-fizzing swing format. In the 1950s, Reinhardt became more reclusive, remaining in Europe, playing and recording now and then until his death from a stroke in 1953. His Hot Club recordings from the `30s are his most irresistible legacy; their spirit and sound can be felt in current groups like Holland's Rosenberg Trio.

Personnel: Guitar – Django Reinhardt; Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – André Ekyan;  Bass – Alf Masselier, Carlo Pecori;  Drums – Aurelio De Carolis , Roger Paraboschi;  Piano – Gianni Safred, Ralph Schécroun; Violin – Stephane Grappelli       

The Unforgettable

Houston Person - Trust In Me

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:08
Size: 179,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:58) 1. Chocomotive
(3:54) 2. You're Gonna Hear From Me
(7:38) 3. Close Quarters
(8:36) 4. Since I Fell For You
(7:59) 5. More (Theme From Mondo Cane)
(3:27) 6. Airegin [Bonus Track]
(5:27) 7. One Mint Julep
(4:57) 8. Trust In Me
(5:11) 9. Hey There
(4:24) 10. My Little Suede Shoes
(6:10) 11. That Old Black Magic
(6:31) 12. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
(5:49) 13. The Second Time Around

Houston Person is generally considered a soul-jazz specialist whose tenor playing can be counted on to elevate a standard organ combo or groove-based session into something memorable. This set, however, demonstrates Person's reach well beyond funk and blues grooves. The CD, combining the 1967 dates Chocomotive and Trust in Me, reveals a multi-faceted player who has grasped the lessons of tenor greats from Coleman Hawkins to Gene Ammons to Sonny Rollins. This explains why when Person sits down with a Johnny Hammond, Eddie Harris, or Charles Earland he has a whole lot more in his bag than blues licks and an assertive tone. Pianist Cedar Walton is a major presence on both sets, providing a powerful, personal approach that falls somewhere between Horace Silver's sublime earthiness and Thelonious Monk's knotty logic.

Veteran hard boppers Bob Cranshaw and Paul Chambers share the bass spot. The drummers are lesser-knowns Lenny McBrowne and Frankie Jones. Drummer's drummer Alan Dawson is on the Chocomotive tracks in a rare but effective turn at the vibes. Space limitations mean that "Girl Talk" and "Up, Up and Away" from the original Chocomotive are not on the compilation. On the other hand, the bonus track, a brief outing on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," serves as a prime example of Person's abilities in a probing, straight-ahead setting. A couple of tracks veer towards a blowsy lounge style, but even on "More" (a song that has not stood the test of time) Person with effective work from Walton, Dawson, and Cranshaw steers the performance to a swinging place that transcends the tune's inherent cheesiness.~Jim Todd https://www.allmusic.com/album/trust-in-me-mw0000012925

Personnel: Houston Person- tenor saxophone; Cedar Walton- piano; Alan Dawson- vibes; Bob Cranshaw- bass; Frankie Jones- drums; Paul Chambers- bass; Lenny McBrowne- drums; Ralph Dorsey- conga.

Trust In Me

Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks - Cotton Club Revisited

Styles: Big Band
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:14
Size: 102,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Cotton Club Stomp
(4:29)  2. Stormy Weather
(2:48)  3. Get Yourself a New Broom
(2:52)  4. Trickeration
(4:10)  5. I've Got the World On a String
(2:35)  6. Harlem Holiday
(2:37)  7. Happy As the Day Is Long
(3:22)  8. Minnie the Moocher
(3:36)  9. Raisin' the Rent
(3:23) 10. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
(3:38) 11. As Long As I Live
(4:49) 12. Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day
(2:48) 13. Truckin'

Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks once again establish a musical time warp, across 13 songs that carry listeners back to the summer of 1932, by way (mostly) of the music of Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen, with additional contributions by Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway. The playing is inventive and impeccable, and there's not a false note anywhere. From the opening "Cotton Club Stomp" through "Stormy Weather," "I've Got the World on a String," "Harlem Holiday," "Minnie the Moocher," "Raisin' the Rent," etc. (with John Leifert providing vocals where needed), the effect is seductive if not downright intoxicating, and even veteran listeners will be thrown by the obvious new vintage of the recordings themselves.
~ Bruce Eder http://www.allmusic.com/album/cotton-club-revisited-mw0001419025

Cotton Club Revisited

Flora Purim - If You Will

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:52
Size: 100,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:11) 1. If You Will
(5:27) 2. This Is Me
(6:30) 3. 500 Miles High
(3:22) 4. A Flor Da Vida
(4:55) 5. Newspaper Girl
(4:36) 6. Dandara
(4:26) 7. Zahuroo
(5:36) 8. Dois + Dois = Tres
(4:44) 9. Lucidez

Everyone loves a great comeback, and, after a lengthy hiatus, Flora Purim obliges with If You Will, the Brazilian's first studio album since Flora's Song (Narada, 2005). Released to coincide with her 80th birthday, If You Will is a somewhat nostalgic celebration that polishes a few old gems from a recording career that began under military dictatorship with the groundbreaking Brazilian jazz album é M.P.M. (1964, RCA). The production values are excellent, as are the performances from Purim and the trusted collaborators with whom she surrounds herself.

Airto Moreira's dancing percussion opens "If You Will," an uplifting tune originally penned by George Duke, and sung here by Flora's daughter, Diana Purim. Short-and-sweet solos from keyboardist Mika Mutti and electric bassist Fábio Hess come and go, but the album as whole is less about individual virtuosity and more about the collective vibe, with half a dozen percussionists and almost twice as many backing vocalists creating rich rhythmic layers and melodic textures. Mother and daughter share vocal duties on "This Is Me," a soaring, percussion-fueled slice of Brazilian jazz with call-and-response, a fine keyboard solo from Bryan Velasco and an utterly infectious vocal motif that proves impossible to shake.

The leader takes centre stage on Chick Corea's "500 Miles High," from Return to Forever's Light As A Feather (Polydor, 1973). Purim's pipes are still in remarkably good shape, her delivery of Neville Potter's lyrics as soulful and bright as it was half a century ago. Moreira's distinctive non-syllabic vocals bookend Jose Neto's breezy "Newspaper Girl." The guitarist's tasteful solo adds colorful splashes to this tune of loping rhythmic gate and sunny melodic contours. Another long-term collaborator of the leader, notably in the group Fourth World, Neto shines on Nuno Mindelis's Pino Daniele-esque blues "Dois +Dois = Tres," though it is Flora Purim who is in the driving seat.

The elegant bossa-jazz "Dandara," named for the 17th century Afro-Brazilian warrior who fought against slavery, is a family affair. Poet Judith de Souza wrote the lyrics, which grandson Felipe Machado put to music. His grandfather, singer-songwriter Filó Machado, who has worked with Michel Legrand, Jon Hendricks and Hermeto Pascoal, arranged the track, also adding acoustic guitar and backing vocals alongside Vitor Pinheiro. Flora Purim rolls back the years to makes it her own. Claudia Villela's catchy pop-samba "Zahuroo" features the leader on wordless vocals, with sizzling percussion from Celso Alberto and Moreira.

The shuffling acoustic ballad, "Lucidez," co-written by Diana Purim, Krishna Booker and Fabio Nascimento, closes the album on an introspective note. With percussion assuming a more subtle role, Flora Purim's warm vocals are to the fore, framed by Nascimento's acoustic strumming and Todd S. Simon's painterly touches on flugelhorn. Whether If You Will marks a late-career renaissance or a joyous swansong for Flora Purim remains to be seen. Regardless, it is a fine testament to a unique figure in contemporary Brazilian music.
~Ian Pattersonhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/if-you-will-flora-purim-strut-records__722

Personnel: Flora Purim: voice / vocals.

Additional Instrumentation: Airto Moreira: percussion, drums (9), vocals (5, 7); Diana Purim: vocals (1-2, 4), backing vocals (4); Mikka Mutti: keyboards (1, 9); Fábio Hess: bass (1); Léo Costa: drums (1-2); Grecco Buratto: guitar, backing vocals (2); Bryan Velasco: piano, keyboards (2); Andre de Santanna: bass (2); Alberto Lopes: percussion (2); Gibi dos Santos: percussion (2); Krishna Booker: percussion (2, 9), backing vocals (9); Caro Pierotto: backing vocals (2); Maria Joana: backing vocals (2); Emina Shimanuki: (2); Kana Shimunaki: backing vocals (2); Mari Nobre: backing vocals (2); Niura Band: backing vocals (2); Davi Sartori: electric piano (3); Thiago Duarte: bass (3); Endrigo Bettega: drums (3-4); Stéphane San Juan: drums (4); José Neto: guitar (5, 7-8); Frank Martin: keyboards (5); Gary Brown: bass (5); Celso Alberti: drums (5, 8), percussion (7); Café da Silva: bata (5); Filó Machado: acoustic guitar, backing vocals (6); Vitor Pinheiro: backing vocals (6); Claudia Villela: vocals (7); Marcio Lomiramda: keyboards (8); Stéphane San Juan: drums (8); Fabio Nascimento: acoustic guitar (9); Todd M. Simon: flugelhorn (9); Léo Nobre: bass (9); Filipe Castro: percussion (9).

If You Will

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Denise King & Massimo Farao Trio - Musica Che Riscalda Il Cuore

Size: 178,7 MB
Time: 76:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. And I Love Her (3:51)
02. Corcovado (4:17)
03. Dream A Little Dream Of Me (2:50)
04. Georgia On My Mind (5:14)
05. Night And Day (2:30)
06. Say You, Say Me (3:07)
07. Ain't No Way (4:17)
08. Crazy (2:29)
09. Endless Love (2:57)
10. Easy (4:20)
11. You Don't Know Me (5:15)
12. Think (2:34)
13. Unchained Melody (4:06)
14. Let's Stay Together (2:50)
15. Lately (4:09)
16. Just The Two Of Us (3:55)
17. My Funny Valentine (5:13)
18. Teach Me Tonight (4:29)
19. You Send Me (4:21)
20. I'm A Fool To Want You (3:52)

Influenced by Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw and Sarah Vaughan, Denise King is an expressive, big-voiced singer who combines jazz with elements of R&B, blues and gospel. King was born and raised in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to R&B as a child and discovered jazz at 12 thanks to an uncle who was an avid record collector. After graduating from high school, the Philadelphian entered the medical field and earned her living as a technician and a family-planning counselor. King was in her early 30s when she started doing club gigs around Philly, and eventually, she became a full-time singer. Though she's no stranger to standards, one of King's strong points has been her ability to provide jazz interpretations of rock and soul hits -- in fact, she has turned everything from Santana's "Evil Ways" to Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come" into swinging acoustic jazz. King started recording in the 1990s, offering Live In Japan: I Remember You in 1993, Now Ain't That Love in 1996 and Simply Mellow in 1997. ~by Alex Henderson

Musica Che Riscalda Il Cuore

Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul Desmond - Buried Treasures

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:14
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

( 1:30) 1. Introduction
( 7:19) 2. Mr. Broadway
( 7:21) 3. Koto Song
( 7:38) 4. Sweet Georgia Brown
( 7:22) 5. Forty Days
( 7:32) 6. You Go To My Head
( 5:10) 7. Take Five
(11:20) 8. St. Louis Blues

In 1998, Columbia reissued a bunch of CDs by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, often adding one or two previously unissued selections to the sets. Buried Treasures: Recorded Live in Mexico City, however, is something different, for none of the music had been out before. Recorded live in 1967 during a tour of Mexico that also resulted in the album Bravo! Brubeck!, the set features the classic Brubeck Quartet (with altoist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello) performing seven selections they had previously recorded, which was probably why this particular music stayed in the vaults for decades.

The quality is certainly quite high, with Brubeck and Desmond really digging into such songs as "Koto Song" (coming up with some inspired ideas over its vamp), "You Go to My Head," a lengthy "St. Louis Blues," and a fairly concise version of "Take Five," one of the few versions by Brubeck of the hit song that does not have a drum solo. Suffice to say, Dave Brubeck fans only need to be notified of two things: they do not already own this music, and the Quartet is heard throughout in prime form. Recommended.~ Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/buried-treasures-recorded-live-in-mexico-city-mw0000600878

Personnel: Dave Brubeck - piano, arranger, liner notes; Paul Desmond - alto saxophone; Gene Wright - double bass; Joe Morello - drums

Buried Treasures

Daniel Pinilla Music - Intuiciones

Styles: Guitar
Year: 2020
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 56:56
Size: 53,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:53) 1. En Cimientos
(4:02) 2. Como En La Luna
(5:57) 3. Paciencia
(7:05) 4. Cabrilla (Sapito)
(7:25) 5. El Cantor
(4:40) 6. Bajo Presión
(4:48) 7. Intuiciones
(8:03) 8. Quebrada
(5:58) 9. No Más

Intuitions, the debut of guitarist Daniel Pinilla, travels from the delicate and elegant Jim Hall sound to the density of the Colombian Pacific. With the company of some of the best musicians on the Bogota jazz scene, Pinilla gives himself quite a few liberties and reaches the fields of jazz/rock. A comforting recording, ideal for listening calmly.

Laura Otero: voice (9); Pablo Muñoz: alto sax (1, 5, 6, 8, 9); Pablo Beltrán: tenor sax (9); Daniel Pinilla: guitar; Alejandro Fernández: double bass; Santiago de Mendoza: drums

Intuiciones