Chris Connor - Haunted Heart

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:40
Size: 89,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. By Myself
(5:26) 2. Haunted Heart
(3:32) 3. Snowfall
(3:25) 4. But Not for Me
(4:39) 5. Stairway to the Stars
(3:24) 6. Key Largo
(4:13) 7. Only the Lonely
(4:07) 8. Day in Day Out
(3:12) 9. I Wished on the Moon
(3:09) 10. Drinking Again

There is always a moment of trepidation when a jazz legend produces a new record after an absence of several years; a fear that what is will diminish the memory of what was. Thankfully, that is not the case with Haunted Heart, Chris Connor’s wonderful new CD on the HighNote label.

Vocally, the 73-year old singer sounds far younger than her chronological age. Ms. Connor’s voice has dropped noticeably in pitch over the last 30 years. However, she has compensated for the loss of her top notes with superb control over a warm and evocative lower register. Whereas in the 1950s and 1960s, she seemed to attack her material, Ms. Connor now sings from a calm, focused center. The tense energy of her youth has given way to a quiet confidence.

Pianist Mike Abene has drawn on his decades long association with Ms. Connor to craft smart, uncluttered arrangements that play to her strengths. Drummer Dennis Mackrel’s sure touch keeps the rhythm section humming along while Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and flugelhorn and Bill Easley on reeds prove to be much more than special guest soloists. Whether it’s playing unison passages, filling in behind the vocalist or taking extended solos, both Ms. Jensen and Mr. Easley fully integrate themselves into the ensemble. Ms. Jensen, in particular, displays exquisite tonal control and a truly distinctive voice.

However, Ms.Connor’s vast experience is the fulcrum on which Haunted Heart is balanced. The disc opens with a defiantly up-tempo “By Myself” that finds the singer’s formidable command of time undiminished. Nowhere is her lower register better showcased than on “Snowfall,” a composition by her old boss, pianist and bandleader, Claude Thornhill. Ms. Connor shapes the piece as a tone poem with her rich low notes juxtaposed against Mr. Easley’s fluid flute lines. “Day In, Day Out” and Benny Carter’s “Key Largo” (erroneously attributed to Schwartz & Dietz in the CD booklet) have been in Ms. Connor’s “book” for years, but her performances here show no signs of simply going through the motions.

Ms. Connor’s engagement with the material comes through most powerfully on the ballads. Without the use of any discernable dramatic devices, she sharpens the edges on lyrics, and, bypassing sentimentality, uses them to cut away at real emotions. “Haunted Heart” and “Only the Lonely” are masterpieces of unaffected communication. “Stairway to the Stars” and Johnny Mercer and Doris Tauber’s too-rarely heard gem “Drinking Again” are nearly as great.

Haunted Heart is probably Chris Connor’s finest album since 1986’s Classic. It is a compelling and deeply satisfying record by a singer who long ago earned her place in the pantheon of great jazz singers.By Mathew Bahl https://www.allaboutjazz.com/haunted-heart-chris-connor-review-by-mathew-bahl

Personnel: Chris Connor: vocals; Mike Abene: piano and arranger; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet and flugelhorn; Bill Easley: tenor saxophone and flute; Dennis Mackrel: drums; Chip Jackson: bass; Steve Laspina: bass.

Haunted Heart

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Dave Liebman - Selflessness

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:34
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:46) 1. Mr. Day
(5:37) 2. Compassion
(8:39) 3. My Favorite Things
(7:52) 4. Ole
(5:50) 5. Lazy Bird
(4:10) 6. Peace on Earth
(4:38) 7. One Up One Down
(7:22) 8. Selflessness
(4:36) 9. Dear Lord

Finding one's inspiration in an iconic figure like John Coltrane presents a huge challenge for any musician. The sheer scope of the master's vision and the uniqueness of his instrumental voice can become overwhelming particularly if the ultimate aim is to forge one's own path. But over a long and highly accomplished career, Dave Liebman has managed to do just that, even if it meant that for a time he had to break free of Coltrane's shadow by setting aside his tenor sax in favor of the soprano, allowing him to cultivate his individuality more decisively. On Selflessness, his latest offering from his regular working group, Expansions, he sticks with the straight horn on this fine tribute to Coltrane, helped by some crafty arrangements of nine well-selected tunes.

The repertoire runs the gamut of Coltrane's output. "Lazy Bird" comes from the Blue Train (Blue Note, 1957) session, while "My Favorite Things," "Olé" and "Mr. Day" are all from the late 1950s/early 1960s Atlantic years. Finally, the later Impulse! work is also represented, with "Dear Lord," "Compassion" and the title track drawn from some of Coltrane's most searching, spiritually focused music. Liebman is in top form throughout, from the charging opener, "Mr. Day" on which his biting solo pulses with energy, to "Dear Lord," the gorgeous closer, when bassist Tony Marino's evocative arco solo leads Liebman to some of his most reflective moments on the record.

Liebman's associates are consistently superb, as drummer Alex Ritz transitions smoothly from the hard swinging "Lazy Bird" to skilled use of the frame drum on the expansively atmospheric "Olé." Pianist/keyboardist Bobby Avey is as effective on the solo rubato piano opening of "My Favorite Things" as he is working the synths on the otherworldly "Compassion." And Matt Vashlishan serves as the perfect second horn for Liebman: he's outstanding on alto sax on "My Favorite Things" but just as compelling in a more meditative vein when playing flute on "Dear Lord" and "Peace on Earth."

Most importantly, Liebman's arrangements manage the trick of capturing Coltrane's spirit while avoiding sounding beholden to the pieces' original formulations. There's a lot to discover here, and Liebman has successfully revealed yet more layers to the vital Coltrane legacy.
By Troy Dostert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/selflessness-the-music-of-john-coltrane-dave-liebmans-expansions-dot-time-records

Personnel: Dave Liebman: Saxophone, Soprano; Matt Vashlishan: Saxophone, Alto; Bobby Avey: Piano; Tony Marino: Bass; Alex Ritz: Drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Dave Liebman: Wooden Flute (4); Matt Vashlishan: Flute (6, 9), Clarinet (4), Wind Synth (2); Bobby Avey: Synthesizers (4, 2, 8, 9); Alex Ritz: Frame Drum (4).

Selflessness

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Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn - Sarah: Dedicated To You

Styles: Vocal Jazz

Year: 1991

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 77:06

Size: 177,2 MB

Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Poor Butterfly

(3:22)  2. I've Got the World On a String

(4:06)  3. Misty

(2:41)  4. Wonder Why

(3:49)  5. Send In The Clowns

(6:18)  6. Black Coffee

(5:18)  7. Tenderly

(2:34)  8. The Best Is Yet To Come

(2:35)  9. I Will Say Goodbye

(2:58) 10. The Lamp Is Low

(4:53) 11. It's Magic

(5:58) 12. Dedicated To You

(4:50) 13. I'll Be Seeing You

(3:37) 14. Sarah

(4:55) 15. If You Could See Me Now

(3:58) 16. Wave

(7:36) 17. Embraceable You

(3:34) 18. Sarah

The follow-up to the essential Carmen Sings Monk is a tribute to the recently deceased Sarah Vaughan that ranks at the same very high level. Carmen McRae's final recording finds the singer backed by the Shirley Horn Trio (unfortunately, Horn turned down McRae's request to sing a bit) on 13 numbers associated with Sassy, plus Carroll Coates' original "Sarah." On such songs as "Poor Butterfly," "Misty," "Tenderly," "I'll Be Seeing You" and even "Send in the Clowns," McRae brings back the spirit (and some of the phrasing) of Sarah Vaughan while still sounding very much like herself. This very well-conceived tribute is a classic of its kind and a perfect swan song for Carmen McRae. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sarah-dedicated-to-you-mw0000320725

Personnel: Carmen McRae (vocals); Shirley Horn (piano); Charles Ables (electric bass); Steve "Syco Steve" Williams, Steve Williams (drums).

Sarah: Dedicated To You

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Kathy Ingraham - Everlasting Cool

Styles: Vocal
Time: 33:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 77,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:25) 1. Taste of Honey
(3:31) 2. Why Don't You Do Right
(6:12) 3. Angel Eyes
(5:30) 4. Cry Me a River
(3:39) 5. I'm All Smiles
(5:39) 6. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(3:37) 7. Ceyx & Alcyone

Kathy Ingraham’s new album 'Everlasting Cool' is a winner with Kathy’s takes on tunes you know-but have never heard like this! Kathy is a full throated, emotional singer, with a lot of chops and soul interacting on one another.....'Everlasting Cool' from beginning to end…with a few left turns into some hot territory too. By Randy Brecker

“Everlasting Cool features Kathy Ingraham in top form.” By Scott Yanow

Out of this world jazz vocalist and composer Kathy Ingraham returns with the release of her third solo album, Everlasting Cool. Adding to the catalogue of her debut album Cool Night (2017) and follow up album Paper Doll (2020), which are comprised primarily of original works, she wanted to pay homage to the artists who have inspired her as a composer.

Maintaining the style that is uniquely her own, Everlasting Cool is her loving interpretation of some favorite jazz standards. The album also features one original composition, “Cyex & Alcyone.” Always achieving a rare level of authenticity, Ingraham has been compared to a wide range of artists, including Kate Bush, Bjork, Eva Cassidy and even Kurt Elling. Speaking wisely from her decades long experience in music (and in life), Ingraham laughingly credits her at-once powerhouse and sensitive vocal abilities to “embracing her own limitations.”

She is most recently known as the voice that sang Johnny Depp off into the dark night with “Little Things” in the 2019 movie The Professor. As a result of an organic outgrowth of her fan base, her music has been embraced internationally and is now playing in over 90 countries. A true renaissance woman, Ingraham studied voice at Berklee, is a published poet and also holds degrees in Psychology and Gerontology.

Her new release, Everlasting Cool, features exciting collaborations with some of her most talented contemporaries. This “real deal, serious talent,” as she calls them, includes Clifford Carter (piano and arrangements), Randy Brecker (trumpet and flugelhorn), Steve Pearce (double bass), Joel Rosenblatt (drums), William Galison (harmonica), Peter Sachon (cello), and Evan Christopher (clarinet). These conversations, in the universal language of music, have been particularly precious to Ingraham and her collaborators as of late, “no matter the social distance, the music reaches out and effects each of us intimately."
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/vocalist-kathy-ingrahams-inspiring-new-jazz-album-everlasting-cool-is-out-of-this-world/

Everlasting Cool

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Emanuele Cisi, Eric Reed - Clear Days, Windy Nights

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:46
Size: 132,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:54) 1. On a Clear Day
(7:06) 2. Work
(7:47) 3. Song for Iolanda
(5:30) 4. The End of a Love Affair
(7:48) 5. Juta's Walk
(5:28) 6. Last Night When We Were Young
(5:28) 7. On a Windy Night
(4:57) 8. The Silver House
(6:44) 9. On a Clear Day, Pt.2

Clear Days, Windy nights, Emanuele Cisi's latest recording effort, is a tribute to the ideas born and developed starting from the 1940s in the famous Fifty-second street of New York. Well played, authoritatively representative of a precise musical movement, the album aligns with the rigor that the style imposes on ethereal ballads ("Song for Iolanda" and "Last Night When We Were Young"), captivating fast themes ("The End of a Love Affair "), episodes taken from the Monk repertoire (" Work ") and medium swing in which space is given to the basic expressive foundations that the reference model imposes.

Accompanied soloism, original themes composed by the same leader mimetically adhering to the reference jazz genre, rhythmic drive with a good swing component represent the ingredients of this record production.

The saxophone style is characterized by the delicacy of the sound; the instrumental voice is characterized by being soft and unobtrusive. The phrasing can be discreet and exhaustive and allows Cisi to express himself perfectly within the post-boppistic climate of reference.

The authoritative pianist Eric Reed is the authoritative pianist Eric Reed who supports and constructively re-elaborates the aesthetic visions of the Turin saxophonist.The disc appear in only two tracks ("Work" and "The Silver House") the balanced trombone of the good Humberto Amesquita.

Although the project does not show any opening data towards elements extraneous to a codified lexicon, it is nevertheless pleasantly light. Clear Days, Windy nights hovers in a suspended time, in which the basic criteria on which the entire modern jazz tradition is based fluctuate; it is a sort of dogmatic example of musical modernism that does not need linguistic compromises or lexical interferences of any other nature to express itself: the whole album is well liked and listened to for what it wants to be. Translate by Google....By Luigi Sforza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cleary-days-windy-nights-emanuele-cisi-abeat-records-review-by-luigi-sforza

Personnel: Emanuele Cisi: saxophone (tenor); Eric Reed: piano; Vincenzo Florio: double bass; Adam Pache: drums; Humberto Amesquita.

Clear Days, Windy Nights

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Karen Marguth - Until

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:59
Size: 122,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:13) 1. Comes love
(5:07) 2. Until
(5:23) 3. Black crow
(5:02) 4. What color is love
(3:42) 5. La ronda
(6:20) 6. Hearts and bones
(4:24) 7. Maureen
(4:08) 8. Close your eyes
(4:58) 9. Twistable turnable man
(5:35) 10. Old friends - Bookends
(4:03) 11. Days of wine and roses

Bay area vocalist and educator Karen Marguth hit the jazz recording scene with 2009's self-titled debut and has released a series of excellent albums. On 2015's Just You, Just Me is Marguth and bassist Kevin Hill build from the promise of previous efforts like her excellent Carrol Coates songbook A Way With Words by taking somewhat of a left turn. Taking cues from the bass and voice master, Sheila Jordan, she tackles classics like "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" "I Got it Bad," and "Imagination" perfectly capturing their melodic and rhythmic contours, and emotional essence in the sparsest of settings. She makes her greatest impact on her scat-laden rendition of the title track, a surprisingly blues-y and quite humorous rapid fire "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Taught Me," and fresh songs like her loping version of Phoebe Snow's "Harpo's Blues" and the charming Johnny Mercer tune "Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood." Other inspired choices include takes on Nellie Lutcher and Rickie Lee Jones. Marguth is quite assured in a variety of modes, and she and Hill have faultless chemistry.

Most recent album: On 2021's Until (OA2), Marguth continues her eclectic approach interpreting Paul Simon's "Hearts and Bones" and "Old Friends/Bookends" with great clarity, exploring Latin rhythms on Maria Gomez's "La Ronda" and Sting's "Until," and swinging with aplomb ("Comes Love," "Close Your Eyes"). She also contributes the original tune "Maureen" and take listeners on a unique journey on Andrew Bird and Shel Silverstein's "Twistable Turnable Man.
"https://originarts.com/oa2/reviews/review.php?ReviewID=1091

Personnel: Karen Marguth: Vocal; David Aus: piano; Richard Giddens: bass; Pat Olvera: bass; Dan Feiszli: bass; Brian Hamada: drums; Nathan Guzman: drums; Gilbert Castellanos: trumpet; Mike Taylor: guitar; Eva Scow: mandolin; George Ramirez: percussion; Omar Ledezma, Jr.: percussion and vocals; John R. Burr: piano; Matt Finders: bass; Kelly Zaban Fasman: drums; Erik Jekabson: trumpet.

Until

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Alvin 'Red' Tyler - Graciously

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:09
Size: 103.4 MB
Styles: New Orleans R&B, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1987/2011
Art: Front

[4:49] 1. Count 'em
[5:23] 2. Cutie Pie
[6:57] 3. Graciously
[5:11] 4. Here's That Rainy Day
[4:30] 5. If My Shoes Hold Out
[4:50] 6. Greystoke
[5:18] 7. Like So Many Others
[8:07] 8. Dreamsville

This is the second of two late-'80s straight jazz dates by Alvin "Red" Tyler, better known for his years toiling in the city's R&B studios. Tyler savored the opportunity to do more than play short bursts, demonstrating his expansive skills on the disc's eight cuts. While the soulfulness remained in his tone, Tyler proved he could handle hard bop chord changes, build and complete ideas, and head a jazz combo. The cuts "Dreamsville," "Here's That Rainy Day," and "Like So Many Others" emphasize the jazz connection, but the R&B and blues base comes through on "Cutie Pie" and "Count 'Em." This is nicely played, at times above-average, jazz from a celebrated veteran getting to show another side of his musical personality. ~Ron Wynn

Graciously

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Neil Swainson - Fire in the West

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:47
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:46) 1. Fire in the West
(5:09) 2. Fool's Gold
(7:41) 3. Cascades
(7:26) 4. Standing Back
(5:31) 5. Fell Among Thieves
(5:06) 6. Kyushu
(7:53) 7. Late Afternoon
(6:04) 8. Near North
(4:51) 9. Gone Away
(4:18) 10. Silver Mine

It hardly seems possible, but it took thirty-five years for Canadian bassist extraordinaire Neil Swainson to lead a sparkling quintet in this new recording of Swainson original compositions entitled Fire In The West. His prior recording from 1987 was called 49th Parallel and received little attention at the time. However it was re-released as an LP in 2020 by Reel to Real Records and it generated some welcomed critical reviews. Accompanying Swainson in this outing was a blue-chip rhythm section of pianist Renee Rosnes and drummer Lewis Nash, with a first rate front line of trumpeter Brad Turner and tenor saxophonist Kelly Jefferson.

The session opens with the title track "Fire In The West" which was inspired by a flight over the forest fires which were raging in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia at the time. This up tempo tune begins with some Turner and Jefferson unison playing which states the theme, before each of the principals takes a solo turn, working out their ideas. All of this was nicely done, while Swainson's sturdy hand maintained the composition's rhythmic pulse. As will be evident throughout the album, Swainson was a fan of the front line pairings that predominated in the '50s, with the bands of Miles Davis, {Art Blakey}} and {Horace Silver}} so, accordingly, his compositional structures reflect this dynamic.

Some of the charts Swainson created have implied dedications to a variety of influences and influencers. "Fell Among Thieves," which could be classified as a lament, is carried throughout by Jefferson's compelling mournful tenor saxophone with Rosnes providing support in a svelte linear style. The title is meant to convey how good people often fall into difficult company. "Kyushu" is a musical reflection on time the composer spent on the Japanese island of the title. Laid out in a relaxing swinging tempo, the band delivers a straight ahead rhythmic feel which supports the improvisations offered by Turner, Jefferson and Rosnes. Finally, in an acknowledgement to Horace Silver, one of his musical influences, Swainson penned "Silver Mine." The bop-fashioned line charges out of the gate in a full-fisted attack. The solos taken by Turner and Jefferson are down the center and Rosnes delivers a single note excursion which is filled with Silver nuggets. In summation, a musical excursion well worth the wait.By Pierre Giroux https://www.allaboutjazz.com/fire-in-the-west-neil-swainson-neil-swainson-cellar-records

Personnel: Neil Swainson: bass, acoustic; Renee Rosnes: piano; Lewis Nash: drums; Brad Turner: trumpet; Kelly Jefferson: saxophone, tenor.

Fire in the West

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David Flanagan - Eleventh Hour

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 46:34
Size: 43,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:27) 1. The Old Man and the Hill
(1:14) 2. Eleventh Reflection
(6:35) 3. Bring Deeps
(1:55) 4. Refraction i
(6:08) 5. Kirk on the Bay
(4:31) 6. Refraction ii
(6:24) 7. Dog Days
(5:24) 8. Bloodline
(4:14) 9. Horizon Vision
(8:36) 10. The Castle on the Waves

David Flanagan is a bassist, composer and improviser from the Orkney Islands and is currently based in Glasgow.

As a band leader, David thrives on pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz performance and composition, whether it be through his large ensemble writing, incorporating free improvisation into a big band, utilising electronics to create sonic soundscapes or his exhilarating quartet music.

His most recent works - The Unseen Genisis & Vista Impacts - written for trio and quartet respectively, pushes Flanagan’s music into complex structural and harmonic landscapes while still achieving an uplifting approach to contemporary jazz.

David’s album - Eleventh Hour - draws inspiration from the landscape of the Orkney Islands as well as contemporary jazz composers and performers such as Henry Threadgill, Matt Mitchell, Steve Lehman and Tim Berne. https://davidflanaganmusic.com/biography

Eleventh Hour

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John Allred, Jeff Barnhart, Danny Coots - The ABCs Of Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:07
Size: 155.9 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. Pick Yourself Up
[6:41] 2. My One & Only Love
[3:28] 3. All Through The Night
[5:03] 4. I Believe In Miracles
[3:49] 5. Anita
[5:11] 6. Some Of These Days
[8:18] 7. First Song
[4:05] 8. Just One Of Those Things
[5:33] 9. Medley Puttin' On The Ritz Bernie's Tune
[3:57] 10. In The Still Of The Night
[7:13] 11. Medley Jitterbug Waltz Valse Hot
[3:27] 12. You Must Be Losin' Your Mind
[3:17] 13. There's A Gal In My Life
[3:23] 14. High Society

John Allred - trombone; Jeff Barnhart - piano; Danny Coots - drums; Dave Stones - bass.

Jeff Barnhart, one of the top stride pianists on the scene today, and the versatile and very fluent trombonist John Allred, join with drummer Danny Coots and bassist Dave Stone in a wide-ranging repertoire, which includes three obscure Fats Waller tunes, an unlikely medley, a long-forgotten Hoagy Carmichael song, numbers by Sonny Rollins and Charlie Haden, and a pair of dixieland warhorses in presenting an unusually eclectic program of The ABC’s Of Jazz.

The ABCs Of Jazz

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Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side of Mingus

Styles: Trombone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:40
Size: 130,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:38) 1. Gunslinging Bird
(6:58) 2. Boogie Stop Shuffle
(5:50) 3. Don't Let It Happen Here
(8:46) 4. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
(5:03) 5. Hora Decubitus
(7:16) 6. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love
(6:16) 7. All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother
(8:50) 8. Better Get Hit in Your Soul

After receiving four Grammy nominations for his highly successful series of recordings that "latinize" the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, Conrad Herwig turns his attention to the legendary Charles Mingus. An imposing figure in jazz, Mingus was known for being complicated, volatile and a touched-by-genius innovator. As an homage to this influential artist, Conrad Herwig provides a fiery excursion into the world of Afro-Caribbean rhythms skillfully applied to Mingus' wildly imaginative compositions.

Joining Herwig is special guest trumpeter Randy Brecker together with long-time "Latin Side" band colleagues pianist Bill O'Connell, reedman Craig Handy and the trumpet/flugelhorn of Alex Sipiagin with the rhythm section of Luques Curtis, Robby Ameen and Camilo Molina. Collectively they bring a vibrant spirit and authority to this repertoire which is unique among today's salsa ensembles. Featured tunes run the gamut from the thoughtful and intimate "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" to the unbridled joy of "Boogie Stop Shuffle" with the somewhat lop-sided introduction to the opening track, "Gunslinging Bird," being the perfect harbinger of things to come. This latest installment in Conrad Herwig's "Latin Side" series pays tribute to the work of Charles Mingus with progressive arrangements, propulsive rhythms, exciting solos and the consummate musicianship of the leader and his bandmates. Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Latin-Side-Mingus-Conrad-Herwig/dp/B0BB8HHK72

Personnel: Conrad Herwig - Trombone; Randy Brecker - Trumpet; Alex Sipiagin - Trumpet; Craig Handy - Saxophone; Bill O'Connell - Piano; Luques Curtis - Bass; Robby Ameen - Drums; Camilo Molina - Percussion

The Latin Side of Mingus

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Sasha Dobson - Girl talk

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:15
Size: 107,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:27) 1. Better days
(5:27) 2. Sweet and lovely
(4:22) 3. Girl talk
(3:35) 4. Perhaps perhaps perhaps
(4:19) 5. You're the death of me
(4:08) 6. The great city
(5:04) 7. Softly as in a morning sunrise
(6:18) 8. Time on my hands
(4:48) 9. Autumn nocturne
(4:41) 10. The boots are made for walking

Sasha Dobson is an American jazz singer from Santa Cruz, California, now based in New York City. Dobson comes from a musical family. Her father, Smith Dobson was a pianist who recorded with Mark Murphy and played with Bobby Hutcherson and her mother Gail is also a singer, and her brother Smith is a tenor saxophonist, drummer, and vibraphonist. The family performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1991 when Dobson was twelve. Her debut album, Modern Romance, was released in August 2006 by Jesse Harris's Secret Sun Recordings label. Dobson participated in the Norah Jones The Fall tour, providing guitar, percussion, and vocal harmonies and she was the opening act on the tour. Her album Aquarius was released in 2013 and another Into The Trees was released in 2014. In 2020, she released an EP https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/sasha-dobson

Personnel: Sasha Dobson (vocals); Peter Bernstein (guitar); Ian Hendrickson-Smith (alto sax); Steven Bernstein (trumpet, flugelhorn, slide trumpet); Smith Dobson (vibes); Mauro Refosco (perc.); Neal Miner (bass); Dred Scott (drums) + Kenny Wollesen (drums - 2 tks); Norah Jones (backing vocal on Girl Talk).

Girl talk

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Allison Miller & Jane Ira Bloom - Tues Days

Styles: Bop, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:48
Size: 133,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:43) 1. Tues Days
(5:36) 2. Technicolor
(5:26) 3. Rowing In The Dark
(3:16) 4. This Is It
(2:16) 5. Five Bells
(8:30) 6. The Wild Frontier
(5:59) 7. Light Years Away
(4:16) 8. A's & J's Test Kitchen
(6:13) 9. Crayola
(4:19) 10. On Seeing JP
(6:08) 11. Walk Alone

The story goes that, during spring 2021, on five consecutive Tuesdays in March and April, soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and drummer Allison Miller recorded a handful of improvised sax and drum duets just to see what might happen and evolve. Well, a lot does because with Tues Days both Miller and Bloom cut their inner hippie loose to gambol out in the fields with flowers in their hair and their skirts all a-billow.

It is not all fun and games, as any ageing hippie learns, but still you have gotta get out in the sunshine, air it out and bond; close the chasm that technology, in equal terms ,either helps us cross or broadens, and jam merrily on. Even if it is remotely, you are never alone.

So we have the title track, a true reversal of fortune given the last two years of our human story, opening a dance fest of ideas. "Technicolor" vaunts and veers into the thoughtful and sparing "Rowing in the Dark." Pensive yet hopeful, the duo share epiphanies that last long after something proves otherwise.

"This Is It" sets the foot tapping once again while "The Wild Frontier" beckons in its own obstinate, oblique way. Bloom screams, Miller skitters and somehow everything is right with world. "Light Years Away" is that quieter moment everyone needs. "A's and J's Test Kitchen" is the duo's (and listeners') just reward for the unbridled, pure human engagement that Tues Days swears by. By Mike Jurkovic https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tues-days-jane-ira-bloom-outline-supaphine

Personnel: Allison Miller: drums; Jane Ira Bloom: saxophone, soprano.

Tues Days

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Various - Capitol Sings Harry Warren

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:33
Size: 127.2 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Nat King Cole - I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)
[2:36] 2. Ray Anthony & His Orchestra - Chattanooga Choo Choo
[2:53] 3. Bobby Darin - You'll Never Know
[2:22] 4. Dakota Staton - September In The Rain
[2:39] 5. Helen Forrest - I Had The Craziest Dream
[3:07] 6. The Four Freshmen - Lulu's Back In Town
[3:09] 7. Ethel Ennis - Serenade In Blue
[2:59] 8. Chet Baker - There Will Never Be Another You
[2:12] 9. Nancy Wilson - The More I See You
[3:10] 10. Nat King Cole Trio - I'll String Along With You
[3:02] 11. Al Belletto - Jeepers Creepers
[2:56] 12. Ann Richards - Lullaby Of Broadway
[3:01] 13. Time-Life Orchestra - At Last
[2:09] 14. June Christy - I Know Why (And So Do You)
[1:32] 15. Count Basie - With Plenty Of Money And You
[3:35] 16. Dinah Shore - I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:26] 17. The Four Freshmen - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Santa Fe
[2:41] 18. Peggy Lee - You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
[3:00] 19. Nat King Cole - An Affair To Remember
[3:06] 20. Dean Martin - That's Amore

If this era and genre of music is your taste then you will love this collection. The various singers add a wonderful blend of variety and the orchestrations are time capsules of a day long gone by. (Sad). But this music will bring you back and make you appreciate popular music again. ~Aurexia

Capitol Sings Harry Warren

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Kevin Eubanks, Orrin Evans - EEE (Eubanks-Evans-Experience)

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:51
Size: 110,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:53) 1. Novice Bounce
( 4:41) 2. Dreams Of Loving You
( 5:27) 3. I Don't Know
( 3:35) 4. And...They Ran Out of Bisquits!
( 5:18) 5. Dawn Marie
(13:02) 6. Variations on The Battle (Live)
( 8:51) 7. Variations on Adoration (Live)

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks and pianist Orrin Evans joined forces for a sympathetic duo offer designated as EEE - Eubanks-Evans Experience. These two musicians with strong ties to Philadelphia spent years honing their crafts, revealing a proclivity to expand horizons beyond pure jazz. Besides leaders in their own right, the twosome contributed as sidemen on albums of each other (Evans’ #knowingishalfthebattle; Eubanks’ East West Time Line). The guitarist is commonly associated with the bassist Dave Holland and the singer Diane Reeves, while the pianist was a member of the Ralph Peterson Quintet and groups led by trumpeter Sean Jones. He also replaced Ethan Iverson in the newfangled trio The Bad Plus.

Flowing with a relaxed vibe, “Novice Bounce” opens the record with smooth touches on jazz-funk and bossa. Written by Eubanks, this opening number collected from his first record, Guitarist (Discovery, 1982), finds him tackling it with half the tempo and electric guitar instead of the acoustic. If the ballads “Dreams of Lovin’ You” (composed by Tom Browne) and “Dawn Marie” (a tribute from Evans to his wife) - breathe and never rush, then other pieces make our heartbeat increase during their musical route by going in different directions.

The improvised “I Don’t Know” seems to squeeze two different worlds into the same sonic bubble. The artists treat their instruments with a newly discovered freedom, and the initial sense of bluesy dispersion is eased when Eubanks starts to work on the lower register, fulfilling bass duties. There are a couple more spontaneous numbers, but those don’t reach the heights of the two last tracks, both recorded live at Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia. They are variations of Evans’ “Half the Battle” and Eubanks’ “Adoration”. The former is transformed into a mercurial fusion work by the addition of often-bluesy rock licks, a spiritual harmonic progression evocative of Pharaoh Sanders, and a groovy funk-rock strut that contracts and expands with multiple levels of intensity. The latter piece, instead, arrives in triple time, spreading out a beautiful energy.https://jazztrail.net/blog/eee-eubanks-evans-experience-album-review

Personnel: Kevin Eubanks: guitar; Orrin Evans: piano.

EEE (Eubanks-Evans-Experience)

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Kate McGarry + Keith Ganz Ensemble - What to Wear in the Dark

Styles: Vocal and Guitar Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:48
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:08) 1. Dancing in the Dark
(7:49) 2. Barrytown
(7:31) 3. Both Sides Now
(5:52) 4. God Moves on the City
(6:48) 5. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)
(4:15) 6. Desperado
(5:45) 7. On the Road to Find Out
(7:26) 8. Anthem
(4:47) 9. Here Comes the Sun
(6:23) 10. It Happens All the Time in Heaven

Let us start with a nod to Steely Dan, the rock/jazz group headed up by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a pair of tunesmiths who hit a career zenith in the early 1970s with albums like Can't Buy A Thrill (1972), Countdown To Ecstasy (1973), Pretzel Logic (1974) and Aja (1974), all on ABC Records. The group drew in top jazz artists to help craft their albums saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Tom Scott, guitarists Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour, drummers Steve Gadd and Rick Marotta shaping high-polish productions featuring catchy melodies and cerebral lyrics to form up their pop/rock artistry.

Taking a tangent off from this digression we run into vocalist Kate McGarry's What To Wear In the Dark. Comparisons to Steely Dan? Beautiful production, meticulous arrangements and a bunch of top notch jazz players Gary Versace on keyboards, Ron Miles on cornet, Clarence Penn on drums, Keith Ganz of the Keith Ganz Ensemble on guitars creating the backdrops for McGarry's pure-toned everywoman deliveries on tunes mostly familiar, shaped into often unconventional readings of (again, mostly) pop/rock tunes of the 1960s and 1970s.

McGarry offers up her distinctive take on Steely Dan's "Barrytown," Paul Simon's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," The Eagles' "Desperado" and George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun." She picks her composers well, opening with the one Great American Songbook tune of the set, "Dancing in The Dark," featuring a spare arrangement with Gary Versace's sighing accordion playing prominently in the mix.

McGarry has the rare ability to deliver a tune with remarkable immediacy like she is singing it just for you. She sings "Barrytown" with a bounce in her step, with a hopeful self assurance, a clear-eyed aplomb. On Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" McGarry's delivery is angelic, the harp (actually Keith Ganz' acoustic guitar) in a perfect, heavenly simpatico with the singer's inward-looking vocal.

Then there is "Life, I love you," a line from Paul Simon's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)." It is one of Simon's happiest tunes. McGarry opens with a minute long, rapid fire rant (penned by pianist Hal Galper) about the travails of the working jazz artist, backed by Ron Miles' scratchy cornet complaint, before shifting into the simple melody in which she sings that "Life, I love you," line, drawing, apparently, on the balm the tune served up for her during difficult times.

The set wraps up with "It Happens All The Time In Heaven," penned in part by McGarry, from "The Subject Tonight Is Love" by poet Daniel Ladinsky. Again, she sings just for you, with a beautifully spare and crisp arrangement featuring Versace on organ and Ganz on acoustic guitar, closing up a masterfully-produced, highlight-filled recording. By Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/what-to-wear-in-the-dark-kate-mcgarry-keith-ganz-ensemble-resilience-music-alliance

Personnel: Keith Ganz: guitar; Kate McGarry: voice / vocals; Ron Miles: cornet; Gary Versace: piano; Obed Calvaire: drums; Sean Smith: bass, acoustic; Clarence Penn: drums; Becca Stevens: voice / vocals; Erin Bentlage: voice / vocals; Michelle Willis: voice / vocals; Christian Euman: drums; James Shipp: percussion.

What to Wear in the Dark

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Arturo O'Farrill - Dreaming in Lions

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:05
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:43) 1. Del Mar
(5:06) 2. Intruso
(3:53) 3. Beauty Cocoon
(5:21) 4. Ensayo Silencio
(7:52) 5. La Llorona
(6:30) 6. Dreaming in Lions
(4:09) 7. Scalular
(4:31) 8. How I Love
(4:38) 9. The Deep
(2:31) 10. War Bird Man
(5:03) 11. Struggles and Strugglets
(2:37) 12. I Wish We Was
(3:35) 13. Blood in the Water
(3:28) 14. Dreams So Gold

Music for dance comes in a variety of forms. At one end of the spectrum are abstract soundscapes composed without reference to the choreography with which they share the stage; an example being John Cage's work with the choreographer Merce Cunningham. At the other end of the spectrum is music written in close collaboration with the choreographer; an example being Igor Stravinsky's work for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which reached its peak in 1910 with The Firebird, jointly realized by Stravinsky and the choreographer Michel Fokine (a comparable collaborative triumph is Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins' 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story).

Composer and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill's Dreaming In Lions was written in collaboration with Osnel Delgado, the choreographer, principal dancer and artistic director of Cuba's Malpaso Dance Company, a relatively young company specializing in high energy, non-folkloric modern dance. The album, which is O'Farrill's Blue Note debut, includes two of the four suites O'Farrill has composed for Malpaso: the nine-part "Dreaming In Lions," which takes its name from an image in Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man And The Sea," and the five-part "Despidida," a word which in Cuba refers to partings and farewells, usually sorrowful ones.

The band is O'Farrill's ten-piece Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, a scaled-down edition of his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, which is replaced on the final section of "Dreaming In Lions" by classical pianist Alison Deane, O'Farrill's partner. O'Farrill learnt his art at the feet of his father, Chico O'Farrill, and the tradition continues here with the presence in the band of Arturo's sons, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and drummer Zack O'Farrill.

Some choreographers are wary of music so worthy of attention in its own right that it has the potential to upstage the dancers' steps. Fokine and Robbins did not have such concerns with Stravinsky and Bernstein, and neither, it appears, did Delgado with O'Farrill, whose scores are not shy of full-on fireworks. Dreaming In Lions is assured in composition and immaculate in execution but, that said, it is at times borderline generic and at those moments probably works better when heard in a theatre supporting the choreography; which is, after all, the purpose for which it was written.By Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dreaming-in-lions-arturo-ofarrill-and-the-afro-latin-jazz-ensemble-blue-note-records

Personnel: Arturo O'Farrill: piano; Adam O'Farrill: trumpet; Rafi Malkiel: trombone; Alejandro Aviles: saxophone, alto; Travis Reuter: guitar; Rodriguez Platiau: bass; Zack O'Farrill: drums; Vince Cherico: drums; Carlos Maldonado: percussion; Victor Pablo Garcia Gaetan: percussion; Alison Deane: piano.

Dreaming in Lions

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Jimmie Lunceford - The Complete Decca Sessions Disc 4, Disc 5, Disc 6, Disc 7

Album: The Complete Decca Sessions Disc 4
Styles: Big Band, Swing
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:15
Size: 157,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:41) 1. He Ain't Got Rhythm
(2:33) 2. Linger Awhile
(2:55) 3. Honest and Truly
(3:02) 4. Slumming on Park Avenue
(3:10) 5. Coquette
(2:56) 6. The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
(3:12) 7. Raggin' the Scale
(3:12) 8. Hell's Bells
(2:43) 9. For Dancers Only
(3:01) 10. Posin'
(2:47) 11. The First Time I Saw You
(3:12) 12. Honey, Keep Your Mind on Me
(2:50) 13. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet
(2:41) 14. Pigeon Walk
(2:46) 15. Like a Ship at Sea
(2:57) 16. Teasin' Tessie Brown
(3:12) 17. Annie Laurie
(3:12) 18. 'Frisco Fog
(3:01) 19. Honest and Truly
(3:14) 20. Coquette
(2:50) 21. The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
(3:10) 22. Raggin' the Scale
(2:46) 23. Pigeon Walk

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Album: The Complete Decca Sessions Disc 5
Time: 60:40
Size: 139,9 MB

(3:06) 1. Margie
(3:05) 2. The Love Nest
(2:52) 3. I'm Laughing Up My Sleeve
(3:07) 4. My Melancholy Baby
(2:50) 5. Sweet Sue, Just You
(3:17) 6. By The River Sainte Marie
(2:58) 7. Blue Prelude
(3:10) 8. Twenty-Four Robbers
(2:55) 9. I Had A Premonition
(2:47) 10. Battle Axe
(3:16) 11. Peace And Love For All
(2:56) 12. Chocolate
(3:13) 13. I'm Walking Through Heaven With You
(2:44) 14. You're Always In My Dreams
(3:05) 15. Flamingo
(3:03) 16. Siesta At The Fiesta
(3:08) 17. Gone
(2:55) 18. Hi Spook
(3:13) 19. Yard Dog Mazurka
(2:51) 20. Impromptu

The Manhattan Transfer - Fifty

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:47
Size: 114,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:27) 1. Agua
(3:47) 2. The Man I Love
(5:24) 3. Paradise Within
(4:40) 4. On A Little Street In Singapore
(4:27) 5. The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
(6:19) 6. Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone
(4:33) 7. Blues For Harry Bosch
(3:35) 8. Chanson D'Amour
(4:56) 9. What Goes Around, Comes Around
(5:32) 10. God Only Knows

GRAMMY Award-winning vocal group The Manhattan Transfer celebrate their 50th-anniversary with the new studio album, Fifty. Recorded with Germany's WDR Funkhausorchester, it contains arrangements of some of their biggest hits, combining the orchestral sounds of WDR with their trademark harmonies.
Included are new versions of "Chanson D'Amour," and "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul," plus arrangements of Artie Shaw's timeless "The Man I Love," and The Beach Boys' classic "God Only Knows." https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Manhattan-Transfer-WDR-Funkhausorchester/dp/B0B7NMVW19

Fifty

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