Andy Laverne - Severe Clear

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:36
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:23) 1. Severe Clear
(8:39) 2. No Guts, No Glory
(9:10) 3. Plasma Pool
(6:13) 4. Fact or Fiction
(6:31) 5. Rick's Trick
(7:59) 6. Trajectory
(9:16) 7. Three Times Twice
(8:20) 8. Ethereal Spheres

Augmented by trumpeter Tim Hagans, this recording finds Laverne in top gear playing some of the most incredible chord voicings. Rick Margitza (ts) is also prominently featured.
By Paul Kohler https://www.allmusic.com/album/severe-clear-mw0000415916

Personnel: Andy LaVerne – piano; Tim Hagans – trumpet; Rick Margitza – tenor saxophone; Steve LaSpina – bass; Anton Fig – drums

Severe Clear

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Rosemary Clooney - The CBS Radio Recordings 1955 - 61 Disc 4, Disc 5

Album: The CBS Radio Recordings 1955 - 61 Disc 4
Styles: Vocal, Swing, Ballad
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:45
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:21) 1. There Goes My Heart
(2:23) 2. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
(2:25) 3. Love Letters
(2:40) 4. Too Close For Comfort
(2:09) 5. This Can't Be Love
(2:23) 6. We'll Be Together Again
(2:24) 7. You Took Advantage Of Me
(2:35) 8. Moonlight Mississippi (A Whistle Stop Town)
(2:27) 9. Blue Moon
(2:21) 10. There Will Never Be Another You
(2:20) 11. That Old Black Magic
(2:33) 12. Love, Look Away
(2:23) 13. I Wish I Were In Love Again
(2:07) 14. What Did We Do Last Night?
(2:09) 15. You Ol' Son Of A Gun
(2:15) 16. Sing, You Sinners
(2:36) 17. Tenderly
(2:28) 18. I Should Have Told You Long Ago
(2:55) 19. Goodbye Blues
(2:40) 20. You Got
(3:02) 21. Harbor Lights

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Album: The CBS Radio Recordings 1955 - 61 Disc 5
Time: 54:02
Size: 124,7 MB

(1:49) 1. Everything's Coming Up Roses
(2:05) 2. I Love You (My Every Thought Is You)
(2:20) 3. Where Or When
(2:09) 4. Danny Boy
(2:48) 5. Give Me The Simple Life
(2:30) 6. Bye Bye Blackbird
(2:21) 7. Anyone For Love
(2:59) 8. How Will I Remember You?
(2:20) 9. Get Me To The Church On Time
(2:39) 10. Love Among The Young
(2:34) 11. The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me)
(3:05) 12. Every Time I See You I'm In Love Again
(2:21) 13. A Lot Of Livin' To Do
(3:18) 14. If I Ever Love Again
(2:46) 15. With A Dream Of Love
(2:31) 16. I'm Losing Control
(3:48) 17. My Old Kentucky Home
(3:16) 18. Don't Blame Me
(2:48) 19. (Why Don't You Give Yourself) Half A Chance
(3:25) 20. Can't Get Out Of This Mood

The CBS Radio Recordings 1955 - 61 Disc 4, Disc 5

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Mark Winkler - Late Bloomin' Jazzman

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:20
Size: 117,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:32) 1. It Ain't Necessarily So
(3:25) 2. Don't Be Blue
(4:43) 3. When All the Lights in the Sign Worked
(4:27) 4. Late Bloomin' Jazzman
(3:43) 5. In Another Way
(5:01) 6. Bossa Nova Days
(3:17) 7. Old Devil Moon
(3:44) 8. I Always Had a Thing for You
(4:01) 9. Before You Leave
(4:33) 10. Old Enough
(5:36) 11. Marlena's Memories
(4:13) 12. If Gershwin Had Lived

Anyone who can hold their own on a stage on in a studio with Cheryl Bentyne cannot be all bad, right? Even if one's taste runs more to Harry Connick, Jr than to Mark Murphy, it is difficult not to get seriously into Mark Winkler. Oh, he can sing, for sure, but even if he could not carry a tune, he is a lyricist for the ages. Not all ages, mind you. But for those of a certain age, sensibility, and experience. As people are wont to say of life, "tell me your truth," not tell me the truth. Winkler tells the audience his truth. And more than a few will nod in agreement. Winkler may be a romantic, but he is no fool.

"You're playing better than in your well-regarded youth...the prodigies come and go, don't they?" If there is a mirror image to "September Song," "Late Bloomin' Jazzman" must be it, and Brian Swartz' tart trumpet adds the exclamation point. Yeah, novelty is sometimes confused with talent, or youth with beauty. Is it not, one thinks, the truth of the well-traveled?

"Bossa Nova Days" really drives it home. "I wasn't born for these times, music's not musical, and words don't even rhyme." Winkler remembers being lost in those bossa nova days, "singing of lost romance, sand beneath my feet." You, too, brother? "Take me back," he intones. Well, maybe not to Brazil, but some less exotic shore worked just as well. There were wars in 1967, too, but they had not visited one's doorstep yet. Not better times, but memory convinces otherwise. "Old Enough" explains it all. With ironic good humor. "I'm old enough not to be fooled by the lights and the show." "This time the clever is gone." And one gets it, including, "too many notes and too little feeling." Rueful, but funny. "I'm still young enough to know that I don't know that much." Point taken.

Too sentimental? Maudlin? Then try "Old Devil Moon." Winkler can swing, and he does not try too hard. The musicians are especially well placed here: Rich Eames on piano; Bob Sheppard on tenor sax; Christian Euman on drums; Gabe Davis on bass; and Grant Geissman on guitar, with Brian Swartz playing a solid backup line. Players of this caliber make it easier for a singer to sound good.

"Marlena's Memories" is almost too painful to hear, but a good reminder of how ordinary are the sources of pain. Winkler confesses he once wrote bad songs. Somehow, that seems implausible.

There are twelve tracks here. It really is not possible to write about all of them. And probably not necessary. To paraphrase a Founding Father, "If you have to ask, you will never know." A memorable performance indeed in a most memorable career.
By Richard J Salvucci https://www.allaboutjazz.com/late-bloomin-jazzman-cafe-pacific-records

Personnel: David Benoit: Piano; John Clayton: Drums; Jamieson Trotter: Piano; Bob Sheppard: Saxophone, Tenor; Nolan Shaheen: Flugelhorn; Kevin Winard: Drums; Jon Mayer: Piano; Gabe Davis: Bass, Acoustic; Clayton Cameron: Drums; Brian Swartz: Trumpet; Grant Geissman: Guitar; Christian Euman: Drums; Mark Winkler: Voice / Vocals.

Late Bloomin'Jazzman

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Vanessa Rubin - I'm Glad There Is You : A Tribute to Carmen McRae

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:28
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. Yardbird Suite
(6:59) 2. I'm Glad There Is You
(5:36) 3. Midnight Sun
(5:32) 4. Inside A Silent Tear
(5:59) 5. No Strings Attached
(6:29) 6. Alfie
(6:43) 7. Speak Low
(6:05) 8. Easy Living
(3:50) 9. A Child Is Born
(6:12) 10. Send In The Clowns

This Vanessa Rubin release is a tribute to Carmen McRae. Although she cites McRae as a major influence, Rubin actually does not sound much like her and leans as much toward middle-of-the-road music as jazz. Also, not all of these songs are really identified with McRae (most notably "Send in the Clowns" which was largely owned by Sarah Vaughan). The ballad-dominated set does have a reasonable amount of variety, Rubin gets off some fine scatting on "Yardbird Suite" and she introduces an excellent original in "No Strings Attached."

A variety of guests (including Grover Washington, Jr., Frank Foster, Antonio Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Burrell and Monty Alexander) only appear on one or two songs apiece and do not make that much of an impression. However Vanessa Rubin's attractive voice is strong enough to carry the music and this release is a step forward for her. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/im-glad-there-is-you-a-tribute-to-carmen-mcrae-mw0000113171?1664031000028

I'm Glad There Is You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae

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Martin Speake, Nikki Iles, Duncan Hopkins, Anthony Michelli - Secret

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:30
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:14) 1. Secret Place
(3:42) 2. Veils
(6:47) 3. The Heron
(6:20) 4. Oncology
(5:09) 5. J.T.'s Symmetrical Scale
(8:15) 6. The Thrill Is Gone
(5:31) 7. Westerly
(5:09) 8. Coventry
(1:53) 9. So To Speake
(5:27) 10. Fly's Dilemma
(5:14) 11. Nikki
(8:05) 12. Secret Wood
(6:53) 13. Willow (For Mick Hutton)
(4:43) 14. Luiza

Secret is a cooperative quartet comprised of British altoist Martin Speake and pianist Nikki Iles, together with Canadian bassist Duncan Hopkins and drummer Anthony Michelli. Their eponymous debut as a unit, recorded in the fall of 2000 in London, is a 79-minute opportunity to hear a new combo. All but two of the compositions are written by Iles (5), Speake (5) and Hopkins (2).

The most immediate reason for celebration is the work of Martin Speake. He has more than a passing resemblance to Jackie McLean and carries the torch of post bop into the new millennium without a glance backwards. His styling is that of a bopper with the fluency of a Charles McPherson in the mid-1960s updated to today's scene. Speake was responsible for the formation of the group and they seem to mesh very well together. In fact, the others record and tour as a working unit as the Nikki Iles Trio.

The album begins in a ballad or mid-tempo fashion, almost leisurely, on the first four tracks. On "J.T.'s Symmetrical Scale" Speake picks it up and interplay with Iles leads into an acerbic solo. Michelli uses brushes throughout on the tune. Speake also plays aggressively on "Fly's Dilemma," followed by a surging piano solo by Iles. B.B. King may have advised all that "The Thrill is Gone," but on Secret's updating of the Brown & Henderson standard, an attractive ballad delivery becomes a funky showcase.

In all, most of the original tunes are fine vehicles for ensemble and solo performance, and the album concludes with Jobim's "Luiza." Since this album, the different group members have recorded on several other Basho albums. Speake has a pending ECM release with Bobo Stenson and Paul Motian and expects to be signed to the label. His duo album My Ideal with Ethan Iverson, pianist for the Bad Plus, was released by Basho in spring of 2004.By Michael P. Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/secret-martin-speake-basho-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone

Personnel: Martin Speake, alto sax; Nikkii Iles,piano; Duncan Hopkins,bass; Anthony Michelli,drums.

Secret

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Michel Petrucciani / Ron McClure - Cold Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:07
Size: 99,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:39)  1. Beautiful But Why?
(5:45)  2. Autumn Leaves
(6:20)  3. Something Like This
(6:58)  4. There Will Never Be Another You
(8:47)  5. I Just Say Hello!
(6:35)  6. Cold Blues

?Michel Petrucciani's last European recording before hooking up with Blue Note, this set of duets matches the tiny but powerful pianist with bassist Ron McClure. They perform post-bop explorations of four originals (including an ad-lib "Cold Blues"), "Autumn Leaves" and "There Will Never Be Another You." The interplay between the two musicians is impressive, but although McClure plays a prominent role, Petrucciani is clearly the dominant force. Worth searching for.
By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/cold-blues-mw0000651592

Personnel: Michel Petrucciani (piano); Ron McClure (bass guitar).

Cold Blues

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NILS - Cool Shades

Styles: Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:17
Size: 118,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. Nine 2 Five
(3:44) 2. Tangie
(3:53) 3. Step Into the Beat
(3:48) 4. Hey Joe
(3:50) 5. Windsurfer
(4:02) 6. Sweet Soul
(3:46) 7. Night in the Algarve
(4:26) 8. Cool Shades
(4:10) 9. Walkin' the Dog
(4:23) 10. Our Last Goodbye
(4:12) 11. Waiting on Hold
(4:04) 12. My Friends
(2:53) 13. The Fade

LA based jazz guitarist Nils has always recorded excellent music on his numerous albums, which I had the privilege to comment with great pleasure. With Cool Shades, he is delivering again this year.

With the exception of one cover Nils has written all tracks, foremost in Munich, where Nils spent his time in 2021 to accompany his father through the last stage of his life. Again many friends of Nils were involved in the making of the album, as the credits show.

The album opens with Nine 2 Five. With routinized elegance Nils' guitar draws us under its spell. Countless years in the service of the audience are reflected in the stylistic confidence.

It means carrying owls to Athens to mention that Nils can rely on a perfectly rehearsed team. Tangie is one of the many examples on which to base this fact. The aptly titled Step Into The Beat is meant in earnest and provides the infectious momentum we so desperately need.

Hey Joe is Nils' reference to the great guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was so talented and left us so early. With Windsurfer, Nils takes on the sport that is so popular, especially in Nils' new adopted homeland. On Sweet Soul, Nils sets gentle tones.

Every year Christian Bößner from Smooth Jazz Europe invites us to a grandiose festival week in the Algarve. Night In the Algarve evokes the unique atmosphere under Portugal's palm trees. Cool Shades gives itself undercooled and yet remains so close.

Walkin' The Dog is a term that describes the favorite pastime of so many Americans. Nils takes it the funky way. Nils has processed the farewell to his beloved father in the soulful song Our Last Goodbye. If you can't get enough of this mood, Nils delivers with Waiting on Hold a second helping.

My Friends is recognizably influenced by Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You. The album's finale is short and heartfelt with The Fade. The farewell could well have been longer.

With his new album Cool Shades, Nils has once again impressively demonstrated his ability to reach our hearts with just a few guitar riffs.http://www.smooth-jazz.de/firstview/Nils/CoolShades.htm

Personnel: Nils - guitars, synths and programming; Gorden Campbell - drums; Darryl Williams - bass; Oliver C. Brown – percussion; Clydene Jackson - Rhodes; Tracy Carter - piano; Johnny Britt - Trumpets, Flugelhorn; Mike Parlett - saxes

Cool Shades

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Hiromi Uehara - Silver Lining Suite

Styles: Piano
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:16
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:57) 1. Silver Lining Suite: Isolation
( 7:11) 2. Silver Lining Suite: The Unknown
( 9:09) 3. Silver Lining Suite: Drifters
( 7:27) 4. Silver Lining Suite: Fortitude
( 7:57) 5. Uncertainty
( 5:29) 6. Someday
( 5:00) 7. Jumpstart
(10:01) 8. 11:49 PM
( 4:00) 9. Ribera del Duero

Never one to take a safe, familiar route, pianist Hiromi (Uehara) has composed a classical quintet for her superb new album performed by, well, a classical quintet. That’s to say that her keys merge with a standard string quartet (violinists Tatsuo Nishie and Sohei Birmann, violist Meguna Naka, cellist Wataru Mukai) to play a highly melodic four-part suite with complex arrangements, as well as five additional tracks. The “classical” in question is European classical, albeit with large jazz components.

First and foremost, all but one of the album’s nine tracks are intensely percussive and staccato. (The other, “Uncertainty,” is a mellifluous solo recital.) The effect tends to be less of Schumann and Brahms than, say, Penguin Café Orchestra or the theme from Downton Abbey. That said, there are delightful chamber-music moments in play: A third of the way through “The Unknown,” the suite’s second movement, Hiromi plays a series of flowing ascending chords, then allows pizzicato violins to scamper back down the scale as she doodles around them with single-note lines. On “11:49,” the strings come together to mark off a syncopation that ticks like the second hand on a stopwatch, then suddenly stops to let Hiromi imitate a decisive, if discordant, chime.

Each tune (again excepting “Uncertainty”) also leaves plenty of room for jazz-informed improvisations. Though the strings were ostensibly chosen for their facility with jazz language, in practice they merely accompany Hiromi’s jazz language, which is formidable. She plays giddy games with rhythm on “Isolation,” the suite’s opener; offers a thoughtfully energized counterstatement to the melancholia of the theme to “Drifters” (the third movement); and turns the wistfulness in the title of “Someday” into foot-stamping impatience.

Recorded while quarantining in Tokyo, Silver Lining Suite came about due to unique circumstances that make its music unlikely to enter Hiromi’s regular performing repertoire. It should, however, enter your listening one.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/hiromi-silver-lining-suite-concord-jazz/

Personnel: Hiromi Uehara – piano; Wataru Mukai – cello; Meguna Naka – viola; Tatsuo Nishie – violin; Sohei Birmann – violin

Silver Lining Suite

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Various - The Best Of The 80s

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:31
Size: 106.5 MB
Styles: Pop, Rock, New Wave
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
[3:30] 2. Blondie - Call Me
[3:58] 3. Squeeze - Tempted
[8:54] 4. Soft Cell - Tainted Love Where Did Our Love Go
[4:10] 5. Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
[3:20] 6. Madness - Our House
[3:36] 7. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
[3:22] 8. The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another
[3:54] 9. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
[4:10] 10. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
[4:04] 11. Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love

The Best Of The '80s: The Millennium Collection attempts to capture the musical trends of the decade in a dozen songs, including the Fixx's "One Thing Leads to Another," the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," and Steve Winwood's "Higher Love." Blondie's "Call Me," the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and Soft Cell's "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go" are some of the album's other highlights. By concentrating on new wave and pop hits rather than trying to document every sound of the '80s, The Best of the '80s may not quite live up to its name, but it does present a fairly cohesive and entertaining mix of some of the decade's catchiest singles. ~ Heather Phares

Digitally remastered by David Schultz (DigiPrep Mastering, Hollywood, California).

The Best Of The 80s

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Martin Speake - Generations

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:36
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

( 3:56)  1. My Melancholy Baby
(10:12)  2. I'm a Fool to Want You
( 7:54)  3. In Love In Vain
( 7:20)  4. I Wish I Knew
( 8:37)  5. Jitterbug Waltz
( 6:07)  6. All The Way
( 6:17)  7. Donna Lee
( 4:10)  8. Just A Gigolo

British altoist Martin Speake isn't as well-known as he ought to be, but he may well be the clearest successor to the unadorned, warm-toned approach of the legendary Lee Konitz. But while Konitz has undeniably led a career defined by diversity, Speake has stretched considerably farther, with albums ranging from the Indo centric The Journey (Black Box, 2004) and uniquely modern, guitar-centric take on Charlie Parker (Jazzizit, 2005), to accessible free improvisation with percussionist Mark Sanders on Spark (Pumpkin, 2007) and original composition with an all-star band on Change of Heart (ECM, 2006). Generations harkens back to his intriguingly minimalist take on standards, Exploring Standards (33 Jazz, 2003), but instead of a saxophone trio turning a variety of well-heeled tunes into concise miniatures, Generations features a quartet that lets the music stretch out further. Generations refers to a quartet of players ranging from youthful pianist Barry Green to middle- aged Speake bassist Dave Green and American drummer Jeff Williams, who still has plenty of years left in him but is now heading into senior citizen territory. It also references Speake's choice of material largely well-known tunes that date as far back as "My Melancholy Baby" (1912) and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1930) to Generation's most recent song, the 1957 Van Heusen/Cahn chestnut, "All the Way."

Speake's relationship with Williams dates back four years to a chance meeting at one of Speake's gigs in the UK. Since then they've worked together occasionally in different contexts, and while this quartet is new there's a comfort level and relaxed ambience that feels as though they've been playing together for years. The group kicks things up on the bebop classic "Donna Lee," but takes its good time getting there, with Speake beginning on his own and implicitly defining the tune's changes through improvised melody alone. He's joined by Barry Green for some in tandem interplay before Dave Green enters, with Williams not completing the picture until well into the tune, signalling the quartet to play the familiar, serpentine melody...then bringing things to a full stop, only to begin the same process again but at a brighter tempo. It's a strong example of how Speake has always managed to find fresh ways to cover familiar terrain. 

But even when the group is playing with great energy as it does on an unexpectedly up-tempo opener, "My Melancholy Baby," which starts with a fiery exchange between Speake and Williams it never seems to break a sweat. A lengthy look at the appropriately triste ballad, "I'm a Fool to Want You," features Speake at his most lyrical, even as he scopes out new corners on an extended solo that's supported with increasing verve by Barry Green, who takes an equally strong solo defined by broad dynamics and nuanced variation. Generations is a decidedly mainstream effort for Speake, but as ever he's still finding subtle ways to push the envelope. The material may be familiar, but the approaches are new, making Generations an appealing disc that's never short on substance.By John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/generations-martin-speake-pumpkin-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Martin Speake: alto saxophone; Barry Green: piano; Dave Green: double-bass; Jeff Williams: drums.

Generations

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Joe Coughlin - Dedicated to You

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:10
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:42) 1. When Your Lover Has Gone
(3:37) 2. On Green Dolphin Street
(6:33) 3. Lush Life
(5:39) 4. It Could Happen to You
(6:07) 5. They Say It's Wonderful
(4:12) 6. Kiss & Run
(3:56) 7. Autumn Serenade
(4:35) 8. My Ship
(5:40) 9. My One and Only Love
(4:34) 10. Who Cares
(4:58) 11. Nature Boy
(6:31) 12. Dedicated to You

Multi-award winning jazz vocalist Joe Coughlin's career has spanned 4 decades. He's one of the rare breed of singers able to inhabit and truly flourish in the land where jazz meets the great American Song Book. Evident from his first eponymously titled release 40 years ago, it continues to this day where he is reunited with pianist Bernie Senen­sky and drummer Terry Clarke, both of whom performed on that first recording.

Joe cites Johnny Hartman as an early influence when, as a teenager he began to develop an interest in and talent for vocal jazz. Joe and Johnny have also shared sidemen, both having recorded with Lorne Lofsky, Chris Connor and Buff Allen. Over the years, Joe has honed his craft and developed his own sound although the nods to Hartman and Sinatra are still evident. Along with Canadian jazz icons Bernie Senensky and Terry Clarke, joining Joe on this recording are Neil Swainson on bass, a true jazz heavyweight and consummate tenor player, Ryan Oliver. Not surprisingly, the result is impressive.

The album opens with an uptempo, swinging rendition of Eino Swan's "When Your Lover Has Gone", a main­stay of the Hartman and Sinatra catalogue and takes us on a voyage through that Great American Song Book with stops along the way including a magnificent (perhaps definitive) version of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". The deep connection and empathy among Joe and the band members is evident throughout this truly splendid journey.

Personnel: Joe Coughlin – voice; Bernie Senensky – piano; Neil Swainson – bass; Terry Clarke – drums; Ryan Oliver – tenor saxophone

Dedicated to You

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Josefine Cronholm, Kirk Knuffke, Thommy Andersson - Near the Pond

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:34
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:50) 1. Clara Mathilda's Dream
(4:17) 2. I Don't Know
(3:57) 3. White Shoulders
(3:27) 4. Dozen a Day
(3:05) 5. Subway
(3:48) 6. One Wish
(4:45) 7. I Sang
(1:30) 8. Wrong with You
(3:50) 9. One for All
(4:01) 10. Near the Pond

The most notable qualities of this set are the balances finely struck between tentativeness and assertiveness, between reflection and improvisatory fire, both of which effectively serve to place it in a category of its own, one that’s informed by both art song and some of the more rarefied elements of contemporary jazz.

All these points are brought home in the opening Clara Mathilda’s Dream, a piece which has the air of a Tove Jansson short story about it. The lyricism is restrained, yet the lack of contrivance ensures no casual definition will suffice. Comparatively speaking, the following I Don’t Know is marked by an earthiness that’s at odds with what sounds like an uncredited mbira; Knuffke’s cornet solo pays a kind of homage to the setting.

Initially Dozen A Day hints less than coyly at ECM-type atmospherics, but it soon becomes clear that there’s business afoot quite at odds with that idea. Knuffke’s work is that of a musician conscious of the passing moments and leaving a telling stain on them.

Cronholm’s One Wish mines a seam of minimalism but pulls off the not inconsiderable trick of making it compelling. Wollesen’s vibraphone is the principal instrument of colouration, while a brief burst of Cronholm scatting makes for contrast before the reiteration of the two-word title.

The title track, with Cronholm and Knuffke harmonising vocally at first, has the quality of lamentation about it but avoids becoming mired in melancholy principally through the latter’s restrained cornet declamations and a brooding percussion and strings bed. Here, as elsewhere, the restraint is intriguing as opposed to distancing, which makes the prospect of returning to this set in the future an enticing one. By Nic Jones https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2021/09/07/josefine-cronholm-kirk-knuffke-thommy-andersson-near-the-pond/

Personnel: Vocals, Percussion – Josefine Cronholm; Vocals – Kirk Knuffke; Bass, Arranged By [String] – Thommy Andersson; Cello – Melissa Coleman; Cornet, Drums, Vibraphone, Percussion – Kenny Wollesen; Viola – Lena Fankhauser, Marta Potulska

Near the Pond

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Ksenia Parkhatskaya - Colours

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:48
Size: 86,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:35) 1. For Saturdays
(4:01) 2. In My Room
(4:35) 3. How Long
(6:00) 4. Close Your Eyes
(3:42) 5. Fear
(3:20) 6. Behind My Eyes
(3:10) 7. Standing in the distance
(4:33) 8. Rose and Blue
(3:47) 9. Green Eyes

Lionel Messi has left Barcelona but excellence hasn't. Barcelona-based Ksenia Parkhatskaya is a performer whose skills are as varied in the creative arts as Senor Messi's are on the football pitch. The breadth of her talent is unique making it difficult to excel in one thing, but blessed as she is, she excels in all she attempts. In this case it's with the help of her husband and a group of international players.

Parkhatskaya's successful debut as a singer-songwriter is Colours. Of the 9 songs on the recording she and her husband wrote 8. "Close your Eyes," the only song not written by them, was written by the "Queen of Tin Pan Alley." Irving Berlin gave Bernice Petkere the moniker for penning that song and some other songs favored by jazz musicians like "Lullaby of the Leaves."

Parkhatskaya has gained notice as a dancer with the Paris Opera Orchestra and Christian McBride. She's also been the modeling face of Italy's largest phone company. The video made for "Fear" has been nominated in several categories at the International Fashion Film Awards. It's a dark song with a positive ending. When talking about her songwriting with her husband and bassist she had this to say..."Some songs paint a deep blue haunting loneliness, red inner turmoil or grey melancholy. Others paint a golden dawn full of hope and youth, a purple milky way where all things intertwine and connect, a green endless ocean of the eyes of a loved one. Play, musicianship, storytelling and individuality are the core ideas of my work."

Having grown up in Russia, English is not her first language but she shows facility in Shakespeare's language; her lyrics do have a poetic quality, maybe derived from her Irish husband, co-producer and co-composer David Duffy. The rich, sometimes sombre vocals, tell stories that are at times both personal and cinematic.

Barcelona's almost legendary (legends per some people's point of view can only be dead) Joan Chamorro, has influenced this international band whose roots spread from Russia, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil and Cuba. Barcelona has become a jazz hotbed. Chamorro's impact on this youthful gathering includes pianist Marc Martin who played in the Saint Andreu Big Band founded by Chamorro. Martin intros, solos and dialogues with Parkhatskaya and Duffy in a trio format version of "How Long," a noirish romance from its opening line..."Friday night in a busy bar."

Cuban trumpeter Carlos Sarduy is currently on tour with Richard Bona. His soulful sound fills a smoke- filled room version of "Close Your Eyes." Frank Sinatra pal Alec Wilder said the song had a self-consciousness whose fictional narrator comes off as a "shopgirl Shakespeare." But Wilder also said it was well-written music. Don't worry Bernice Petkere, the jazz world in the persons of Arthur Prysock, Benny Goodman, Stacey Kent, Kurt Elling, and now Parkhatskaya has embraced your song.

So far Shakespeare has come up twice before. Here's a third. The lyrics of "Behind My Eyes," deal with a psychology similar to the Bard's metaphysical treatment of isolation in "Hamlet." The award-winning 2020 video of "Rose and Blue" was released in collaboration with German animators Julie Boehm & Marc Zimmerman. Dedicated to Parkhatskaya's mother, it tells its story in stunning color. Sarduy's trumpet and Parthatskaya's voice blend with heartfelt lyricism.

Duffy's bass intro sets the tone for the dreamscape melody of "Standing in the Distance." Parkhatskaya's vocal is both a haunted and haunting echo of Katie Melua. Besides the bass, Duffy's synthesizer and Martin's piano are the only accompaniment, a hard-to-forget minimalist treatment. The final track is the light-hearted "Green Eyes." A sunny-side-of-the-street vocal, Gabriel Amargant's saxophone and Martin's organ add joy to the palette of colours.

The artwork on the album cover is credited to Evgenia Parhatskaja. Without doubt talent runs in the family. Evgenia is an artistic sister. All the musicians contribute to an outstanding singer-songwriter debut. Next time you're in Barcelona, find a spot to listen to world-class jazz. It is a city filled with music and colours. By William H. Snyder https://www.allaboutjazz.com/colours-ksenia-parkhatskaya-ksenia-parkhatskaya-jazzville-productions

Personnel: Ksenia Parkhatskaya: voice / vocals; David Duffy: bass, acoustic; Anton Jarl: drums; Marc Martin: piano; Gabriel Armagant: saxophone; Gilles Estoppey: keyboards; Carlos Sarduy Dimet: trumpet; Alan Sousa: percussion; Ferran Donatelli: guitar; Keelan Kenny: guitar, steel; Hugh Dillion: guitar.

Colours

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Martin Speake - My Ideal

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 40:12

Size: 92.0 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz

Year: 2004

Art: Front

[5:53] 1. Everything Happens To Me

[4:13] 2. My Ideal

[4:06] 3. What Is This Thing Called Love

[4:39] 4. So In Love

[5:40] 5. Loverman

[3:05] 6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

[3:34] 7. Stardust

[5:36] 8. How Insensitive

[3:22] 9. You Must Believe In Spring

British alto saxophonist Speake duets with a regular Transatlantic associate, the composer and pianist Ethan Iverson - better known as one-third of the lively and now fashionable genre-breakout band the Bad Plus. Although that full-on trio's robust irony, percussion-driven ferocity and raucous reworking of old pop hits is on another, noisier planet to these stripped-down duets exploring standards and ballads, including Michel Legrand's You Must Believe in Spring and a variety of Cole Porters, Jerome Kerns and a Jobim. But Speake's soft tone and undemonstrative audacity found an excellent counterpoise in Iverson, who is as likely to veer off into streams of classical arpeggios as he is to play swing or stride, though he does plenty of those too.

This music was recorded in December 2002 (and produced by Iain Ballamy, no stranger to saxophone understatement) when the pair were touring the UK, and their absorbing live show is recalled by Iverson's technically-sweeping free-classical upsurge after Speake's smoke-rings on Everything Happens to Me, the duo's limping, Monkish arrangement of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and the almost sinister idling saunter of Jobim's How Insensitive. Iverson's powers are probably better revealed in these bare surroundings than they are in the Bad Plus. ~John Fordham

My Ideal

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Bob Baldwin - B Positive

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:32
Size: 134,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Strength
(5:37) 2. Take the High Road (Just Crush It)
(5:49) 3. Summertime 3000 (Don't You Cry)
(4:02) 4. B Positive
(6:25) 5. A Woman Like You
(4:48) 6. Let's Rewind
(5:20) 7. Keep Your Spirit
(5:33) 8. You Got This
(4:54) 9. All My Life
(4:57) 10. Believe
(5:23) 11. Rejuvenate

Bob Baldwin’s 34th studio offering is a continual stay-at-home event. The 33rd offering was a live record recorded in Elmsford, NY (The live ‘Stay-at-Home Series’). The latest offering, “B Positive” is a musical road map on how to keep your chin up high. More information here.

“Having faced near-death family illness, I’m glad I can take away some things that I can share with my listener,” says the native New Yorker Pianist. “Chances are, if I’ve gone through it, so has a lot more people”, says Baldwin. “If you just look at the titles, you’ll clearly see what my intent is…simply don’t lose control of the ship, no matter what goes down”.

Here’s Baldwin’s further takes on some of the project below: This record feels more like a rejuvenation of his old projects like “Cool Breeze”, hearkening back to fun and bouncy melodies, with just enough harmonic tension to make the hair on the back of your neck tingle and tickle.
https://smoothjazzdaily.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/bob-baldwin-b-positive/

B Positive

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Joe Williams Feat. Ben Webster - Havin' A Good Time

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:25
Size: 125,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:21) 1. Just a Sittin' and a Rockin'
(6:43) 2. Kansas City Blues
(3:02) 3. By the River St. Marie
(5:00) 4. That's All
(2:36) 5. Alone Together
(3:10) 6. I'm Through with Love
(2:34) 7. The Great City
(6:23) 8. A Hundred Years from Today
(6:46) 9. Ain't Misbehavin'
(5:57) 10. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:05) 11. Alright, Okay, You Win
(4:47) 12. Have a Good Time
(0:54) 13. Band Intro & Goodbye

Havin' A Good Time documents a concert that never should have happened. In the winter of 1964 Providence was socked with a blizzard that kept eager concertgoers away from the club where Joe Williams was playing. Enough people showed up that he still had to perform a few sets, but the lucky few who were there were given a rare treat; improbably, Ben Webster showed up out of nowhere and asked if he could sit in.

This is the sort of magical encounter on which jazz thrives: no preparation, no rehearsal, just a couple of masters joining together to produce some wonderful music on the spot. According to pianist Junior Mance, this was the only meeting between Webster and Williams, and fortunately it was caught on tape. All of these songs are either well-known or based on fairly simple chord progressions, which allows the band to plug into the numbers without much difficulty.

If Webster hadn't appeared, the set would still have been worth a listen; Williams always did his best work in front of an audience, and the fact that the small crowd had braved the storm to see him no doubt only added to his enthusiastic delivery. Blues songs like "Just A Sittin' and A Rockin' were tailor-made for Williams' rich baritone and exuberant presence. But the presence of Webster adds a new dimension; he gets ample solo space, really digging in to the slower numbers that he plays so beautifully, and huffs quietly behind Williams as he sings. The rhythm section seems invigorated by the chance to play with the added firepower; Junior Mance in particular carves out a niche with some smoking accompaniment.

Havin' A Good Time is an appropriate title for this new release. Clearly the audience enjoyed the collaboration and the musicians crafted some terrific entertainment. It may have been cold and snowy outside, but it sure was hot inside. By David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/havin-a-good-time-hyena-records-review-by-david-rickert

Personnel: Joe Williams: Vocals; Junior Mance: Piano; Mickey Roker: Drums; Ben Webster: Tenor Saxophone; Bob Cranshaw: Bass.

Havin' A Good Time

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Bob Reynolds - Somewhere in Between

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:25
Size: 137,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:23)  1. Creep
(5:30)  2. Feedback
(5:25)  3. The Beginning
(4:16)  4. Holocene
(5:18)  5. What She Didn't Say
(7:01)  6. Rise and Fall
(4:50)  7. A Love Story (In Three Cities)
(4:52)  8. Everlong
(5:55)  9. Phalanx
(5:31) 10. Closer
(5:19) 11. 622 (Bonus Track)

As a saxophonist, Bob Reynolds has worked with a diverse array of artists in both pop (John Mayer, Michael Buble, Usher, Amos Lee, Jessica Simpson, Willie Nelson, Guy Sebastian) and jazz (Richard Bona, Tom Harrell, Brian Blade, Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland, Gregory Hutchinson). Reynolds is also an award-winning composer with 4 albums of original material and 4 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards to his credit. He graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music and currently lives in Los Angeles.It's been nearly one year since we went into the studio to record this album. It's been nearly two years since I began talking with   Matt Pierson (Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau) about what this album would be.It's been even longer since I began jotting down configurations for who might play this music, what songs would go on this album, and what the overall concept would be. Longer still since some of these tunes were born.I knew it was going to be a great album; I got the best people for the job. I naively thought this might be the record that caught the attention of a Blue Note, Nonesuch or Concord Records. 

Not because one needs a record label to release music these days. Anybody can put their music on iTunes. All my records are available online. But if you want to reach a wider audience, get promotion, tour effectively, and make more records, you need help. Or you need to be independently wealthy.I discovered jazz during the height of the young lion era. Wynton Marsalis paved the way in the '80s; Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove and Christian McBride carried the torch in the 90's, and for awhile, every decent jazz musician in New York was putting out records for a label and touring.Those days are gone.But there's a big upside: I get to make whatever music I want with whomever I choose. You can't get dropped when you've never been picked up.My style doesn't fit neatly into a category like acoustic, straight-ahead, mainstream, contemporary or–God-forbid–smooth jazz, so it's a blessing I don't have to make music to please a particular record label.I don't have anyone telling me to make radio edits, use certain "marquee" players, what tunes to play, or that I'd sell more tickets/albums if I just wore leather pants and walked through the audience playing my sax high above my head.That is something to be grateful for.I'm also very grateful there are people in the world who dig my music. And thanks to technology, we're able to communicate directly.

I'm beyond grateful to find myself in such talented company. To have musical friends and compatriots who not only understand my vision, but bring such life, intensity, and personality to it. Does it take longer to produce and manufacture high-quality albums on your own? Yes. Will that prevent me from doing it? No. I only wish I could increase the pace of my output (hence the lament for a label [read: bank]). People love to talk about how "easy and cheap" making music is thanks to laptops, home recording software and the web, but the fact is it costs considerable sums to hire the best musicians, engineers and studios. You can buy tools and materials at Home Depot, but does that mean you should build your own house? Anyway, there's a track below in the YouTube media box we are all very excited about. I hope it makes you smile. http://www.jazzreview.com/jazz-spotlights/somewhere-in-between-by-bob-reynolds.html

Personnel: Bob Reynolds - tenor, soprano saxes; Eric Harland - drums; Janek Gwizdala - bass; Oli Rockberger - piano, keyboards; John Shannon - guitar; Bashiri Johnson - percussion with special guests John Mayer - guitar, lap steel guitar (2, 3)
Aaron Parks - piano (1, 3, 5)

Somewhere in Between

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Jeri Southern - Jeri Southern Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 158,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. I Hadn't Anyone Till You - Live
(0:23)  2. Jeri Introduces Her Trio Members - Live
(2:33)  3. Mad About the Boy - Live
(2:19)  4. You Better Go Now - Live
(3:19)  5. I'm in Love with the Honorable Mr. So and So - Live
(2:16)  6. Dancing on the Ceiling - Live
(2:18)  7. I Get a Kick out of You - Live
(3:33)  8. Too Late Now - Instrumental, Live
(4:18)  9. This Can't Be Love - Live
(3:30) 10. Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today - Live
(4:15) 11. One Day I Wrote His Name Upon the Sand - Live
(3:56) 12. It's De-Lovely - Live
(3:24) 13. September in the Rain - Live
(3:49) 14. When I Fall in Love - Live
(2:09) 15. Every Time - Live
(3:49) 16. He Was Too Good to Me - Live
(2:55) 17. Someone to Watch over Me - Live
(3:05) 18. Scarlet Ribbons - Unaccompanied Vocal, Live
(4:45) 19. Too Marvelous for Words - Live
(4:19) 20. Something Wonderful - Live
(3:10) 21. I've Got a Crush on You - Live

It’s a shame that pianist and vocalist Jeri Southern’s self-truncated career has left her a mere footnote in the history of jazz singing-for she ranked among the most gifted and compelling artists of the 1950s, blending the cool-school sangfroid of Chris Connor with the purr of Peggy Lee and the sophisticated sultriness of Julie London. (All the while she proved equally impressive behind a Steinway, with shades of Nat Cole, Art Tatum and Erroll Garner.) Southern released a dozen albums, all for major labels-Decca, Capitol, Roulette-before her chronic stage fright got the better of her and she retired from performing in 1962, still in her mid-30s. Her slim but stellar output included just one live LP, 1959’s At the Crescendo. At last, a quarter-century after her death, comes this 70-minute session, captured with stunning quality at Chicago’s Blue Note in early 1956. Alongside a pair of house-band stalwarts-bassist Al Bruno and drummer Dominic Simonetta-she navigates a sterling playlist: Noël Coward, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner, the Gershwins and a stunning, a cappella “Scarlet Ribbons.” Across her career’s dozen years, Southern also carved a unique niche, specializing in vaguely scandalous romantic mini-sagas. That enticing peculiarity is winningly exercised here, as she sketches the angst-driven drama of “Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today,” “One Day I Wrote His Name Upon the Sand,” “I’m in Love With the Honorable Mr. So and So” and her sole signature hit, the edge-of-sin “You Better Go Now.”~ Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/jeri-southern-blue-note-chicago-march-1956/

Jeri Southern Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956

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Jazz Funk Soul - Forecast

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:48
Size: 103,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:33) 1. Hustle
(5:43) 2. Keep Holding On
(5:17) 3. Funkin' in AZ
(4:23) 4. Forecast
(3:50) 5. Bouncing Back
(5:15) 6. Fish Grease
(3:14) 7. Count Me In
(5:44) 8. When the Time Comes
(3:43) 9. Hidden in Plain Sight
(4:02) 10. CSL (For Charles Samuel Loeb)

On their fourth album, 2022's wryly titled Forecast, instrumental jazz supergroup Jazz Funk Soul further embrace their hooky, soulful sound. The record follows 2019's Life and Times, which found guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. taking over for original guitarist Chuck Loeb (who tragically died from cancer in 2017) and joining forces with the other founding members, saxophonist Everette Harp and keyboardist Jeff Lorber. Though subtle, the change from Loeb to Jackson was significant, as each player brought his own distinctive style to the band's overall sound.

With Loeb, the trio favored soaring, brightly attenuated pop-jazz melodies. While that melodicism remains a core part of the group's style (just check out "Count Me In"), Jackson brings a crisp, rhythmic R&B sensibility to their sound, informed by his many years of working with artists like Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston. If Life and Times evoked the funky soul-jazz of the Crusaders and sax icon David Sanborn, then Forecast makes such comparisons vibrantly explicit. Cuts like the opening "Hustle," "Fish Grease," and "Funkin' in AZ" spotlight the warm interplay between Harp's juicy sax lines, Lorber's rich keyboard harmonies, and Jackson's bluesy fretboard riffs.

Particularly evocative of the Crusaders' sound is "When the Time Comes," with its warm acoustic bass groove and summery, laid-back atmosphere. The trio even pay tribute to their late bandmate with the poignant slow-jam album closer "CSL (For Charles Samuel Loeb)." With Forecast, Jazz Funk Soul underline their reputation as masters of no-consense, soulful contemporary jazz.By Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/forecast-mw0003734081


Personnel: Everette Harp - Saxophone; Jeff Lorber - Keyboard; Paul Jackson Jr.- Guitar

Forecast

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Martin Speake - Change Of Heart

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:50
Size: 121,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:53) 1. The Healing Power Of Intimacy
(4:43) 2. Change of Heart
(5:29) 3. Barefaced Thieves
(4:20) 4. Venn
(9:03) 5. Buried Somewhere
(5:16) 6. In The Moment
(8:21) 7. Three Hours
(8:40) 8. In Code

One of the more interesting extra-musical things to observe in jazz is how the connections between musicians happen, and then, of course, how those connections affect the music they produce.

In 1993, Martin Speake connected with Paul Motian, and they toured as a trio with bassist Mick Hutton, playing both Speake's and Motian's compositions. Fast forward seven years to 2000 and Speake added Bobo Stenson to the group, playing and composing music that was sensitive to both Motian's and Stenson's jazz conception. Stenson's Goodbye (ECM, 2005) is a direct result of Stenson and Motian playing together in Speake's band.

A delightful album, Change Of Heart has the perfect mix of understated playing and melodies that are direct, yet full of surprising turns of phrase and varied musical development. While it's entirely comprised of Speake compositions, it sounds at times very much like Motian's Garden of Eden (ECM, 2006) in the way the floating quality of Speake's phrasing is reinforced by Motian's drums and his very cool (meaning reserved, understated and thoughtful) sound, which evokes Chris Cheek's work on the Motian album.

Thus, Speake's response to Motian is clearly audible. Stenson is remarkably adept at fitting chameleon-like into any role, still being totally himself. While he might also be described as a cool player, the pianist always adds intensity to every note and phrase he plays.

Speake's alto tone is quite interesting, and if you close your eyes, it sounds at times like a trumpet with some kind of subtle mute. His phrasing has a strong vocal quality as he sings through his horn. The album's melodies take their time to unfold, and this quality is echoed in the way the tracks proceed and how each member of the group adds to the mix, yielding music with an organic wholeness.

For me, the essence of Change Of Heart is evident in the last track, "In Code." Introduced by Hutton alone on bass, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense is created, only to be intensified by the entrance of Motian and Stenson. As Speake plays the theme, supported mostly by a pedal tone, Stenson echoes and embellishes each phrase. The music washes upon the shores as Speake jumps into a higher range, as if to try to escape from the pedal anchor. Stenson replies with a magnificent solo that encapsulates his cool blue burning intensity and leads seamlessly to Speake's recap.Simple directness, overtly beautiful, cool and compact: just wonderful.
By Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/change-of-heart-martin-speake-ecm-records-review-by-budd-kopman

Personnel: Martin Speake: alto saxophone; Bobo Stenson: piano; Mick Hutton: bass; Paul Motian: drums.

Change Of Heart

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