Albare & Co - Freedom

Styles: Guitar, Big Band
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:16
Size: 129,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:37) 1. Freedom
(4:58) 2. Adeus
(5:56) 3. La Fiesta
(5:30) 4. Lost Compass
(4:06) 5. Love is Always
(6:51) 6. Randy Makes Me Smile
(4:56) 7. Shimmozle
(5:11) 8. Sketches
(6:13) 9. Sunny Samba
(5:54) 10. New Expectations

"Jazz is the voice of freedom," says Israeli-born guitarist & composer Albare, "and it will never be silenced." To that end, Albare has assembled a world-class sextet to perform seven of his sunny, swing-based compositions, two others co-written with pianist Phil Turcio and Turcio's graceful "Shimmozle."

The session begins, appropriately enough, with Albare's open-hearted "Freedom," which introduces fellow front-liner Randy Brecker on trumpet. Soprano saxophonist Ada Rovatti (who also plays splendid alto and tenor saxophones) makes her first appearance on "La Fiesta," a rhythmic bossa nova not to be confused with Chick Corea's composition of that same name. This one was written by Albare, as were "Freedom" and "Adues" (or "Adeus," as it is spelled both ways), which precede it. The lively "Lost Compass," co-authored by Albare and Turcio, is next, followed by the easygoing "Randy Makes Me Smile" (with Brecker's mellow flugelhorn counterbalancing a robust tenor saxophone solo by Rovatti) and "Shimmozle."

Albare plays guitar in the manner of some of his main influences, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery and Antonio Carlos Jobim, combining old-world swing with more modern phrasings. It works well, especially when complemented by Brecker and Rovatti's expressly contemporary stance. As for the rhythm section (Turcio, bassist Phil Rex, drummer Felix Bloxom), it is diligent and flexible, tending to business while giving the front line ample room to breathe.

"Sketches" is another meditative number, leading to the buoyant "Sunny Samba" and free-wheeling finale, "New Expectations" (sans Brecker and Rovatti). Freedom isn't a classic session but a very good one with no letdown in quality from start to finish.
By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/freedom-albare-and-co-self-produced

Personnel: Albare: band/orchestra; Randy Brecker: trumpet; Ada Rovatti: saxophone; Phil Turcio: keyboards; Phil Rex: bass; Felix Bloxom: drums.

Freedom

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Julian Lage - Squint

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:37
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:27) 1. Etude
(3:25) 2. Boo's Blues
(4:30) 3. Squint
(4:35) 4. Saint Rose
(5:28) 5. Emily
(3:59) 6. Familiar Flower
(3:15) 7. Day and Age
(6:53) 8. Quiet Like a Fuse
(3:31) 9. Short Form
(4:18) 10. Twilight Surfer
(3:12) 11. Call of the Canyon

Before discussing guitarist Julian Lage's album, some food for thought... A credible argument could be put forward to say that the jazz piano trio reached its pinnacle of perfection with Bill Evans' Village Vanguard performances of June 1961, with the trio of bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, and that trios led by guitars, another chordal instrument, have long since replaced piano led trios at the evolutionary edge of the music.

Still thinking aloud, as it were, the acoustic piano might also be said to be increasingly anachronistic across jazz, its place taken in many young bands by an electric keyboard, or a guitar, or by no chordal instrument at all. On the other hand, the explanation for that could simply be cyclical. In any event, no denigration of acoustic pianists is intended. It is indisputable, however, that jazz guitar trios continue to push the boundaries of the music or, as in the case of Lage's Blue Note debut, Squint, bring a fresh spin to the lyric territory in which Bill Evans excelled.

All but two of the eleven tracks on Squint are Lage originals and they range from blues rock to exquisitely beautiful ballads. Predictably, Blue Note is pushing the first strand, which, enjoyable as it is, forms the smaller proportion of the album. The only YouTube clip available at the time of writing is "Boo's Blues," and the album's first single is "Saint Rose." Both tunes are radio-friendly drive-time chuggers. Among the ballads, a highlight is undoubtedly the cover of Johnny Mandel's "Emily," but Lage's "Day And Age" and "Quiet Like A Flower" are every bit as gorgeous. The guitarist's playing on all three tracks is as harmonically elevated as Bill Evans was on, say, "My Foolish Heart" and "Waltz For Debby" at the Vanguard (or indeed on the versions of "My Funny Valentine" and "Romain" he recorded in a duo with guitarist Jim Hall in 1962 for the United Artists album Undercurrent).

Lage excels throughout Squint as both an improviser and a composer, and he is well served by bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, both of whom had toured with him for two years before the pandemic delayed the completion of recording. From every angle, and from start to finish, the album is a delight. By Chris May
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/squint-julian-lage-blue-note-records

Personnel: Julian Lage: guitar, electric; Jorge Roeder: bass, acoustic; Dave King: drums.

Squint

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Lew Tabackin Quartet - Desert Lady

Styles: Flute And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:02
Size: 149,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Hot House
(9:40)  2. Pyramid
(8:04)  3. Serenade To Sweden
(7:19)  4. Chelsea Bridge
(3:57)  5. Johnny Come Lately
(9:55)  6. Desert Lady
(4:37)  7. A Bit Byas'd
(2:53)  8. You'll Never Know
(5:27)  9. Yesterdays
(7:57) 10. You Leave Me Breathless

The great tenor saxophonist and flutist Lew Tabackin is joined by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Victor Lewis on this well-rounded program. The Concord CD has many highlights, including "Hot House," Duke Ellington's "Serenade to Sweden," Tabackin's "A Bit Byas'd," and "You Leave Me Breathless"; the leader's tenor in particular is in top form. Highly recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz, this release gives one a strong sampling of Lew Tabackin's talents. ~  Scott Yanow  https://www.allmusic.com/album/desert-lady-mw0000208060

Personnel:  Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Lew Tabackin;  Piano – Hank Jones ;  Bass – Dave Holland;  Drums – Victor Lewis

Desert Lady

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Judy Niemack - What's Love?

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:47
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:25) 1. Feelin’ It In Your Bones
(5:06) 2. Firefly
(4:17) 3. For All We Know
(4:25) 4. Catalyst
(5:01) 5. I’m Moving On
(5:35) 6. What’s Love Got to Do With It
(4:46) 7. Just When I Thought
(4:39) 8. With You
(5:07) 9. Let Life Lead You
(4:27) 10. Blues That Soothe My Soul
(4:34) 11. I’ll Love Again
(4:38) 12. Born to Be Blue
(4:40) 13. Right Here, Right Now

Jazz vocalist Judy Niemack presents a collection of rhapsodic romantic songs on her upcoming album release, What’s Love, due out October 28 on Sunnyside Records. Following Niemack’s lauded 2018 release New York Stories with pianist Jim McNeely and Danish Radio Big Band, What’s Love represents a vulnerable side of the lifelong vocalist’s artistry. In an embrace of her distinctive sound, Niemack’s rich collection of original lyrics paired with select standards offers a glimpse into her resilient and inventive vocal prowess.

An exploration of the healing powers of love, What’s Love presents as a musical reconciliation with the boundless, yet relatable, challenges that continually loop through our lives. While conceptually, What’s Love is a beacon of effervescence, its sound is both capricious and exhilarating. Niemack takes to exploring the many varieties of love in her life on each selection, while also seizing an opportunity to explore her vocal range. Her trademark sound clear, yet warm with a cloudy edge is softer here. Employing this lower timbre, Niemack is keenly aware of her newfound sense of expression: “I haven’t lost my high notes, but gained lower ones,” she adds.

Niemack is joined among the highest level of jazz musicianship for the affair; What’s Love hosts Peter Bernstein on guitar, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Doug Weiss on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums and Eric Alexander on alto saxophone.

“This is my view of love which, of course, is unique,” the singer, author and professor shares while discussing her inspiration for the title, which also borrows from her arrangement of the Tina Turner hit, “What’s Love Got To Do With It, a high moment on the date for the leader, who takes a slower and more contemplative approach to Turner’s question.

“Michelangelo famously said that he saw the sculpture hidden in a piece of marble and simply revealed it by taking away the stone, bit by bit. Composing for me is similar I have a feeling I want to express, which leads to a poem, words, which then are set to music that I discover on the piano. It just comes to me. My songs grow out of emotion.”

An overt lyrical message of moving ahead after loss, the track “I’m Moving On” gives generous space for each band member to contribute solos that grapple with the notion of moving forward, making the track a more gentle and evocative standout off the record. With Bernstein and Fortner at the instrumental helm, Niemack’s gifted scatting is guided effortlessly throughout “I’ll Love Again” and “Right Here, Right Now” are two examples, where lush instrumentation is met by silken vocal intonations.

While recording at the Van Gelder, Alexander joined the band as a special guest alto saxophonist. He contributes his optimistic original composition “Let Life Lead You.” Though the cheerful message was originally penned ‘Little Lucas,’ a note to Alexander’s son, Niemack was galvanized by its universality. Contributing a new lyric and title, she sings about embracing risk and remaining grateful in moments of opportunity a key sentiment that prevails across the record.

Highlighting her propensity for articulation and translucence as a songwriter and vocalist, Niemack outrivals herself on What’s Love. A deliberate and tasteful meditation on life's various chapters, What’s Love captures the essence of a talent with an unrequited passion for the sounds of storytelling. Judy Niemack, through her confident command and glistening vocal range, is inviting us to think about what ‘love’ means, yet by her own seamless and magical invention, once we accept her call, all we really have to do is listen.

Personnel: Judy Niemack - vocals; Peter Bernstein - guitar; Sullivan Fortner - piano; Doug Weiss - bass; Joe Farnsworth - drums; Eric Alexander - alto saxophone (9)

What's Love?

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John Daversa - All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:14
Size: 168,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:08) 1. Loren's Theme
(4:47) 2. Searching but Never Finding
(6:30) 3. Two Steps Forward
(7:38) 4. Seeing It Again for the First Time
(5:08) 5. The Urgency of Every Moment
(6:46) 6. Invisible Things
(5:50) 7. Walking in Our Own Footsteps - The Circle Game
(8:02) 8. The Smallest Thing
(6:16) 9. A Day Is Forever - Like Any Other
(4:58) 10. Three Roads Diverged
(6:06) 11. Learning Simply to Be
(7:01) 12. It’s Enough to Be Here, Now

Music can be inspired by many things, such as romantic affection, personal experience, world events and social concerns among many others. This extraordinary piece of music was inspired by a parent's love for a child.

Trumpeter John Daversa asked his friend, composer Justin Morell, to write a large-scale orchestral piece for him. Morell came up with a composition based on his life with his son, Loren, who is autistic. Loren struggled with verbal communication from a very young age and completely lost the ability to speak by the time he was three. Nevertheless, Morell has constantly strived to connect and communicate with his son who was sixteen at the time this was recorded. The ongoing cycle of joys and sorrows in this struggle and the bond of undying love that powers it is all reflected in this music.

The work is a twelve movement trumpet concerto featuring Daversa backed by a full orchestra of jazz and classical musicians plus a choir, The main musical theme is a simple rising and falling melody Daversa plays at the beginning, based on Loren's own wordless singing, which is then put through eleven variations. The leader is the main soloist, working through a myriad of settings with classical and jazz elements. "The Urgency of Every Moment" has a brisk, cascading motif played by the string section that could be an orchestral cityscape written by Leonard Bernstein or Aaron Copland. "Seeing It Again for the First Time" moves along on a creeping jazz pulse led by Tal Cohen's piano and Justin Morell's own guitar playing. In both settings, and throughout the CD, Daversa's trumpet is a bright, glowing presence. He shines whether he is pushing out quietly childlike melodies over sweeping orchestral movement or vaulting gracefully and soulfully over a tense string theme.

The obvious comparisons for this work are the joyful humanity of Maria Schneider's music and the legendary collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. Davis and Evans never got to work on a scale this grand, but when Daversa blows eloquently over a rising curtain of piano, strings and voices on "Invisible Things" or plays muted over a slow pulse then switches to majestic open horn as the orchestra gets louder on "A Day Is Forever," the lineage is clear.

Some of the titles of the movements such as "A Day Is Forever," "The Urgency of Every Moment," and "Learning Simply To Be" convey the idea of taking joy from the present moment and approaching life with patience and compassion. The quiet, unceasing beat that consistently underlines the music brings home the fact that this composition is about an ongoing process of communication and discovery. The potent feelings expressed throughout are summed up in the final movement, "It's Enough To Be Here, Now" where Daversa's poignant whispers over the rhythm section's soft pulse seem to be suffused with quiet determination and love.

This music would sound wonderful even without its context. Knowing where it came from makes it infinitely more more powerful. John Daversa's trumpet playing is masterful throughout, giving the element of mercurial, unceasing life to the compassionate vistas Justin Morell composes. For beauty and heart, this music is above and beyond anything else around today. It is an outstanding recording.By Jerome Wilson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/all-without-words-variations-inspired-by-loren-john-daversa-jazz-orchestra-tiger-turn

Personnel: John Daversa: trumpet; Justin Morell: guitar; Tai Cohen: piano; Dion Kerr: bass; David Chiverton: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Scott Flavin, orchestra conductor; Amanda Quist, choir conductor; Abby Young, concertmaster. Conrad Fok: Piano; Lev Garfein: Violin; Strings: Violin I: Abby Young; Sheena Gutierrez; Karen Lord-Powell; Steffen Zeichner; Ashley Liberty; Gregory Carreno; Violin II: Svetlana Salminen; Yuhao Zhou; Orlando Forte; Katarina Nazarova; Julia Jakkel; Viola: Matt Nabours; Vishnu Ramankutty; Ross DeBardelaben; Cello: Brent Charran; Shea Kole; Tadao Ito; Bass: Brian Powell; Ethan Olaguibel; Winds: Jennifer Grim: flute; Alyssa Mena: flute, alto flute; Troy Roberts: soprano and tenor saxophone; Melvin Butler: soprano and tenor saxophone; Matt Clarke: clarinet; Frankie Capoferri: clarinet, bass clarinet; Gabriel Beavers: bassoon; Melanie Villarreal: bassoon; Richard Todd: horn; Stan Spinola: horn; Antoni Olesik: timpani, vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba; Choir: Emily Finke: soprano; Safia Zaman: soprano; Alexandra Colaizzi: alto; Kate Reid: alto; Sidney O’Gorman: tenor; Noah Zaidspiner: tenor; Thandolwethu Mamba: bass; Dylan Melville: bass.

All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

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Herbie Nichols Project - Strange City

Styles: Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:53
Size: 124,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:49)  1. Moments Magical
(5:21)  2. Enrapture
(7:29)  3. Delights
(4:43)  4. Blue Shout
(4:38)  5. Strange City
(5:11)  6. Karna Kangi
(3:36)  7. The Happenings
(5:23)  8. Change Of Season
(6:39)  9. Some Wandering Bushmen
(5:00) 10. Shuffle Montgomery

Since 1992, the Herbie Nichols Project has been dedicated to performing the music of a gentleman who in his lifetime was sadly neglected but who left behind a body of work just as idiosyncratic and distinctive as that of Thelonious Monk. Following their two previous releases, Dr. Cyclop’s Dream and Love Is Proximity, the group now makes their debut on the Palmetto label with Strange City, a program made up almost exclusively by tunes that Nichols never recorded himself. Arguably, this set contains some of the ensemble’s finest moments on record to date. There’s much to discover here and the variegated program moves from the almost classical sounding “Moments Magical” that opens the disc to the quintessential “Shuffle Montgomery” that acts as a closer. Along the way there are ample opportunities not only to luxuriate in the compositional genius of Nichols, but also to admire the strong ensemble passages and the individual voices that make up the ensemble. Trumpeter Ron Horton is darkly lyrical on the title track, drummer Matt Wilson is intensely musical during his solo spot on “Blue Shout,” and pianist Frank Kimbrough taps the Nichols genius in a splendid trio take on “Karna Kangi.” These are just three highlights among a great program that not only interprets and extends the Nichols legacy but also speaks highly in regards to each group member’s individual muse. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/strange-city-herbie-nichols-palmetto-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php
 

Personnel: Frank Kimbrough (piano), Ben Allison (bass), Ron Horton (trumpet & flugelhorn), Ted Nash (tenor saxophone), Michael Blake (soprano saxophone), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Matt Wilson (drums)

Strange City

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Andy Bey - Ain't Necessarily So

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 66:42
Size: 152.7 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[0:29] 1. Intro
[7:00] 2. Ain't Necessarily So
[9:24] 3. Hey, Love
[5:22] 4. All The Things You Are
[9:08] 5. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[9:02] 6. If I Should Lose You
[9:20] 7. On Second Thought
[8:37] 8. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime
[8:15] 9. Someone To Watch Over Me

Singer Andy Bey is less well known as a pianist, but nowadays he leads his trio from the piano stool, his instrumental wanderlust having an equal capacity to his voice for taking a saunter down the less familiar alleyways. This live album was recorded a decade back at Birdland, in what was effectively Bey's first significant New York residency as a leader. He's joined by bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington on most of the numbers, with sticksman Vito Lesczak sitting in on two tracks.

Bey's set is standard-based, unlike his more out-there work in the 1970s, but in a cunningly subversive way, he manages to tinker with even the most familiar material, literally unstitching it until it slides down from the bandstand, where it will then wrap its tender tendrils around both the audience or the armchair listener. Choices that include "All The Things You Are," "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? and the title track don't end up sounding tiresomely routine, but take on a freshness that is now increasingly difficult to maintain.

Bey is blessed with a commanding voice that can easily swoop from a falsetto down to a vibrato-ed thundering, taking his phrasing from gospel, blues and soul, then projecting it as if from a theatrical stage, or even a pulpit. The piano is used as an extension of this technique, underlining, answering or repeating his vocal lines. This produces the unnerving effect of a combined sense of conservative old-fashioned-ness and a bold tearing up of the sacrosanct songbook. There aren't too many parallels to point out. Maybe Mark Murphy, because of his shared sense of time-displacement and his instinctive coolness.

Bey threw an album release party at New York's Blue Note in December, 2007, and his set list still remained very similar. Could this be because he hasn't changed much in a decade, or is he merely attempting to reflect the album's contents? Even some of the between-song banter remained almost exactly the same. His braids are now longer, bunched behind a pirate scarf, Bey draped in a slick suit. His rhythm team has changed—Joe Martin on bass and Lesczak handling the sticks throughout. These two were in tune with Bey's sensitivity, as he scanned these familiar songs from his little notebook or launched off into an involved instrumental that revealed his similarly winding way on the piano keys. If anything, the personal live experience seemed even more conceptual, as Bey exuded the aura of an almost totally unpredictable, abstract artist, yet from within a traditional jazz milieu. ~Martin Longley

Andy Bey: vocals, piano; Peter Washington: bass; Kenny Washington, Vito Lesczak: drums.

Ain't Necessarily So

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Yola Nash - Manhattan Whispers

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:00
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. Manhattan whispers
(4:01) 2. Lovers in Paris
(4:20) 3. Still love you
(3:38) 4. World on fire
(5:18) 5. Pray for love
(5:04) 6. Angel’s tears
(4:59) 7. So in love
(4:46) 8. Truth tango
(4:55) 9. Wonderful life

A unique jazz singer-songwriter, Yola Nash’s new album MANHATTAN WHISPERS is out. Yola's smooth jazz style is stamped with her signature seductive sound, and her exotic delivery is lushly flavored with Eastern European folk, Parisian avant-garde texture of accordion harmonics and brilliantly anchored in the Latin grooves. Blending and blurring the lines between Jazz, Pop, Latin and Eastern European colors Yola Nash is expertly crafting a personal musical style that is irresistible! It’s the Polish-born jazz singer-songwriter’s third studio album, as a leader.

She co-produced the project with Grammy-winning musicians and producers Edsel Gomez (Dee Dee Bridgewater) and Lonnie Park (Steward Copeland). On her infectious Manhattan Whispers, her brilliant band tailored colorful groovy musical soundscapes around the award-winning jazz chanteuse’s passionate vocals. The album presents all original songs written by Yola and her long time music collaborators. Her evocative lyrics talk about life, love, current events in the world and her sensual direct delivery has taken her project to a unique dimension creating an intriguingly fresh new cross-over sound. She has come a long way to NYC, faced and triumphed over adversity, and lived to sing about it and inspire others to flourish in life. "Manhattan Whispers is a celebration of the mind and the heart." https://www.allaboutjazz.com/album/manhattan-whispers-yola-nash

Yola was assisted musically, by Fella Cederbaum (poet composer, spoken word), Edsel Gomez (musical director, pianist, arranger keyboard player), Alex Meixner (accordionist, composer), Graham Keir (guitarist, composer), Luisito Quintero (percussionist, drummer), Dave Baron (bassist), Octavio Vazquez, Ryan C.

Manhattan Whispers

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Various - Capitol Sings Johnny Mercer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:03
Size: 162.7 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[3:17] 1. Ella Mae Morse - Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
[3:11] 2. Martha Tilton - And The Angels Sing
[2:49] 3. Gordon MacRae - Autumn Leaves
[3:12] 4. Jo Stafford - Blues In The Night
[1:53] 5. Blossom Dearie - Charade
[3:40] 6. Judy Garland - Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:22] 7. Nat King Cole - Day In-Day Out
[3:16] 8. Matt Monro - Days Of Wine And Roses
[2:47] 9. The Pied Pipers - Dream
[2:32] 10. Benny Goodman - Goody Goody
[2:52] 11. Johnny Mercer - Glow Worm
[2:55] 12. The Four Freshmen - I Thought About You
[2:49] 13. Dinah Shore - I'm Old Fashioned
[2:57] 14. Dean Martin - In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening
[2:16] 15. Stan Kenton & His Orchestra - Jeepers Creepers
[2:22] 16. Vic Damone - Laura
[3:26] 17. Lena Horne - Moon River
[3:03] 18. Johnny Mercer - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Sante Fe
[4:13] 19. Harold Arlen - One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
[2:58] 20. Kay Starr - P.S. I Love You
[2:21] 21. Nancy Wilson - Satin Doll
[4:00] 22. Hoagy Carmichael - Skylark
[2:54] 23. Keely Smith - That Old Black Magic
[2:47] 24. Andy Russell - Too Marvelous For Words

Singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer was one of the founders of Capitol Records in the early '40s, so it's appropriate that he rates his own volume in the label's various-artists songbook compilation series of the 1990s (one that has already had discs devoted to Cole Porter and George Gershwin). As a lyricist working over a long career, Mercer provides a varied range of material for inclusion. This is a man who was setting words to 1930s swing hits like "And the Angels Sing," "Goody Goody," and "Satin Doll," and was still going strong in the 1960s, when he was writing movie themes like "Moon River" and "The Days of Wine and Roses" with Henry Mancini. In between, there were standards of the ‘40s such as "Blues in the Night" and "That Old Black Magic," and ‘50s favorites like "Autumn Leaves" and "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening." Capitol was devoted to singers, which allowed it to take advantage of the post-swing era of the late ‘40s and ‘50s when singers ruled. Tops among them was Frank Sinatra, a Capitol artist, who apparently didn't allow his recordings to be compiled on this sort of collection. But many other important singers are included, among them Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Dinah Shore, and Dean Martin. And Mercer himself pops in several times, as do a couple of his composer collaborators, Harold Arlen and Hoagy Carmichael. Although Mercer has an identifiable writing style, full of a self-invented Southern slang ("swingeroonie!," "my huckleberry friend"), his teaming with different sorts of composers allows for many different musical styles on this disc, making it one of the rangier volumes in the series. ~William Ruhlmann

Capitol Sings Johnny Mercer

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Marion Brown - Porto Novo

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:18
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:25) 1. Similar Limits
( 6:08) 2. Sound Structure
( 5:49) 3. Improvisation
( 6:33) 4. Qbic
(11:53) 5. Porto Novo
(16:10) 6. And Then They Danced
( 3:17) 7. Rhythmus No. 1

This was one of altoist Marion Brown's best recordings. Although a very adventurous improviser, Brown usually brought lyricism and a thoughtful (if unpredictable) approach to his music. Accompanied by bassist Maarten van Regteben Altena and drummer Han Bennink for this stimulating session (recorded in Holland), Brown stretches out on five of his compositions and is heard at the peak of his creative powers.By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/porto-novo-mr0000357302

Porto Novo

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Greg Skaff - Polaris

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:01
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:29) 1. Old Devil Moon
(3:54) 2. Angelica
(5:11) 3. Little Waltz (Duo)
(3:48) 4. Paris Eyes
(5:22) 5. Yesterdays
(4:30) 6. Mr. R.C.
(4:18) 7. Lady of the Lavender Mist
(3:17) 8. Polaris
(5:03) 9. Little Waltz (Trio)
(3:05) 10. Caminando
(1:59) 11. Ill Wind

The pandemic year of 2020 brought with it very little in terms of artistic endeavors, thanks to lockdowns and stay home orders. Yet even under extreme conditions, guitarist Greg Skaff managed to commit to tape some genuinely sublime music that is sure to be remembered as one of 2021'a most memorable releases. Of course, Skaff has been at the forefront of modern jazz guitar since his first big break in the '80s working with the legendary Stanley Turrentine.

Not always getting the press garnered by peers such as Peter Bernstein or Russell Malone, Skaff nonetheless has been part of a healthy New York scene over the past several decades working with an iconic list of employers such as Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Watson, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Mike LeDonne. His own recordings cover a good deal of ground, often putting him in the popular organ combo format. His great run with the Zoho label began in 2004 and culminated with 2017's Soulmation

For Polaris, Skaff was looking to stretch out in a format he had not previously used the standard trio of just guitar, bass, and drums. Without another chording instrument, Skaff carries the job of providing both the melody and supporting chordal structures. If that was not a heady enough prospect, he wanted to bring into the fold jazz luminaries Ron Carter and Albert Tootie Heath. The first sessions came together in the summer of 2019, however the second date almost didn't happen, coming in March of 2020 just as New York City entered lockdown.

The opening "Old Devil Moon" leaves no doubt that a simpatico relationship was established from the first note. Skaff had been working steady gigs with Carter's big band, but Heath and Carter have had few chances to get together over the years. Carter's huge tone fills in the spaces between Skaff's melody lines and Heath's ride cymbal propels the forward-moving momentum. Trading fours with the drummer, crisp snare drum accents echo naturally within the studio space, the recorded sound being another finely-carved facet of this jewel.

Heath drives the Ellington chestnut "Angelica" with his hybrid "Nawlins" groove. Skaff puts melody at a premium as he weaves together his filigreed phrases. The other number from the Ellington cannon, "Lady of the Lavender Mist" showcases the guitarist's lush chordal approach. Heath lightly feathers the beat with his eloquent brushwork. In a similar vein, "Yesterdays" opens with Skaff's burnished chordal work before giving way to Carter's extended statement.

Tipping his hat to the organ format he's favored for some time, Skaff offers up Larry Young's "Paris Eyes. The tune sparkles in this setting, complete with some tasty drum fills from Heath. The result of the drummer being late for the second session led to a fortuitous situation where Carter and Skaff tackled the bassist's "Little Waltz," first as a duo and then later again with Heath after he had arrived. Being in the moment, Skaff crafts unique statements in both versions, Carter's upward glissando closing the latter version on a sagacious note.

The significance of Skaff's original "Mr. R.C." will be immediately apparent to those in the know. Its open structure allows the guitarist to stretch out at a brisk tempo. The leader's title track also brings with it superb guitar lines, but its structure is based on a pedal tone that then breaks free during the turnaround. Skaff has stated he gathered bits and pieces of inspiration for this one from the late guitarist Vic Juris.

A beautiful parting statement, "Ill Wind," finds Skaff on his own. Considering what was yet to come in terms of the pandemic, the title seemed apropos for sure, but it also seems to come across with an optimistic tone that permeates the entire session.
By C. Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/polaris-greg-skaff-smk-jazz

Personnel: Greg Skaff: guitar; Ron Carter: bass; Albert Tootie Heath: drums.

Polaris

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Scott Hamilton, Paolo Birro, Alfred Kramer, Aldo Zunino - Poinciana

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:29
Size: 134,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Birk's Works
(5:55) 2. By Myself
(5:31) 3. You Taught My Heart to Sing
(8:24) 4. Chloe
(5:49) 5. Confirmation
(5:50) 6. I Remember Clifford
(8:56) 7. Poinciana
(6:42) 8. Put on a Happy Face
(6:26) 9. Eu E a Briza

Jazz Saxophone Star Scott Hamilton returns to NativeDSD with Poinciana, his 8th Album in Stereo DSD 64 from Fone Jazz. Poinciana features Hamilton playing in a Jazz Quartet with Paolo Birro, Aldo Zunino and Alfred Kramer. Among the songs on the album are Poinciana by Nat Simon that gives the title to the album plus Birk’s Works by Dizzy Gillespie and Put On A Happy Face by Charles Strouse.

Giulio Cesare Ricci tells us “This album is part of recordings I made during the concerts at the Fonè Music Festival Piaggio in 2021. I recorded this album at the Auditorium Piaggio located inside the famous Museum in Pontedera, the place where Piaggio was born and where it still continues to produce today. It is a state-of-the-art recording with no sound manipulation, no equalization, no reverb, no compression and expansion. With natural sound and true timbre to best enhance the acoustics of the Auditorium of the Piaggio Museum. I used a “field effect” recording technique to bring the listener the live effect as if the listener were present at the performance.”https://www.nativedsd.com/product/sacd238-poinciana/

Personnel: Scott Hamilton, Saxophone; Paolo Birro, Piano;Aldo Zunino, Bass; Alfred Kramer, Drums

Poinciana

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Oscar Peterson And Ella Fitzgerald - Jazz at the Philharmonic - Festhalle A, Hamburg

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:44
Size: 173,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:43) 1. Intro - Norman Granz
(8:01) 2. How High The Moon
(5:56) 3. Joy Spring
(7:04) 4. Gypsy In My Soul
(0:18) 5. Talk - Norman Granz
(4:27) 6. Pete Pet Pick
(4:22) 7. Undecided
(6:46) 8. Reunion Blues
(0:08) 9. Intro - Norman Granz
(2:35) 10. You Got Me Singing The Blues
(3:29) 11. Angel Eyes
(2:26) 12. Lullaby Of Birdland
(4:17) 13. Love For Sale
(2:51) 14. Tenderly
(3:56) 15. April In Paris
(3:34) 16. Dancing On The Ceiling
(3:44) 17. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(4:00) 18. Airmail Special

Canadian jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson was called the “Maharaja of the keyboard” by Duke Ellington, but simply “OP” by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours. He is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists, and played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 82.

Ella Fitzgerald was sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Song”, “Queen of Jazz”, and “Lady Ella”. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. She passed away in 1996 at the age of 79.http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=5655

Personnel: Ella Fitzgerald - vocals; Oscar Peterson - piano; Don Abney - piano; Herb Ellis - guitar; Ray Brown - bass; Jo Jones - drums

Jazz at the Philharmonic - Festhalle A, Hambrug

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Sonny Stitt - Soul Girl

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:36
Size: 81,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:20) 1. Got To Get Over
(3:51) 2. Soul Girl
(4:38) 3. Jeep Blues
(5:28) 4. I Known That You Know
(7:20) 5. I Should Care
(5:15) 6. Eight Track Blues
(5:41) 7. Gone With The Wind

Sonny Stitt (tenor and alto saxophonist) was born Edward Boatner Jr. on February 2, in 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He had a musical background; his father, Edward Boatner, was a baritone singer, composer and college music professor, his brother was a classically trained pianist, and his mother was a piano teacher. Boatner was soon adopted by another family, the Stitts, who gave him his new surname. He later began calling himself “Sonny”.

In 1943, Stitt first met Charlie Parker, and as he often later recalled, the two men found that their styles had an extraordinary similarity that was partly coincidental and not merely due to Stitt’s emulation. Stitt’s improvisations were more melodic/less dissonant than those of Parker. Stitt’s earliest recordings were made in 1945 with Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. He had also played in some swing bands, though he mainly played in bop bands. Stitt was featured in Tiny Bradshaw’s big band in the early forties. Stitt replaced Charlie Parker in Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1945.

Stitt played alto saxophone in Billy Eckstine’s big band alongside future bop pioneers Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons from 1945 until 1956, when he started to play tenor saxophone more frequently, in order to avoid being referred to as a Charlie Parker imitator. Later on, he played with Gene Ammons and Bud Powell. Stitt spent time in a Lexington prison between 1948–49 for selling narcotics.

Stitt, when playing tenor saxophone, seemed to break free from some of the criticism that he was imitating Charlie Parker’s style, although it appears in the instance with Ammons above that the availability of the larger instrument was a factor. Indeed, Stitt began to develop a far more distinctive sound on tenor. He played with other bop musicians Bud Powell and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, a fellow tenor with a distinctly tough tone in comparison to Stitt, in the 1950s and recorded a number of sides for Prestige Records label as well as albums for Argo, Verve and Roost. Stitt experimented with Afro-Cuban jazz in the late 1950s, and the results can be heard on his recordings for Roost and Verve, on which he teamed up with Thad Jones and Chick Corea for Latin versions of such standards as “Autumn Leaves.”

Stitt joined Miles Davis briefly in 1960, and recordings with Davis’ quintet can be found only in live settings on the tour of 1960. Concerts in Manchester and Paris are available commercially and also a number of concerts (which include sets by the earlier quintet with John Coltrane) on the record Live at Stockholm (Dragon), all of which featured Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers. However, Miles fired Stitt due to the excessive drinking habit he had developed, and replaced him with fellow tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. Stitt, later in the 1960s, paid homage to one of his main influences, Charlie Parker, on the album Stitt Plays Bird, which features Jim Hall on guitar and at Newport in 1964 with other bebop players including J.J. Johnson.

He recorded a number of memorable records with his friend and fellow saxophonist Gene Ammons, interrupted by Ammons’ own imprisonment for narcotics possession. The records recorded by these two saxophonists are regarded by many as some of both Ammons and Stitt’s best work, thus the Ammons/Stitt partnership went down in posterity as one of the best duelling partnerships in jazz, alongside Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, and Johnny Griffin with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Stitt would venture into soul jazz, and he recorded with fellow tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin in 1964 on the Soul People album.

Stitt also recorded with Duke Ellington alumnus Paul Gonsalves in 1963 for Impulse! on the Salt And Pepper album in 1963. Around that time he also appeared regularly at Ronnie Scott’s in London, a live 1964 encounter with Ronnie Scott, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, eventually surfaced, and another in 1966 with resident guitarist Ernest Ranglin and British tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey. Stitt was one of the first jazz musicians to experiment with an electric saxophone (the instrument was called a Varitone), as heard on the albums What’s New in 1966 and Parallel-A-Stitt in 1967.

In the 1970s, Stitt slowed his recording output slightly, and in 1972, he produced another classic, Tune Up, which was and still is regarded by many jazz critics, such as Scott Yanow, as his definitive record. Indeed, his fiery and ebullient soloing was quite reminiscent of his earlier playing. He also recorded another album with Varitone, Just The Way It Was – Live At The Left Bank in 1971 which was released in 2000.

Stitt joined the all-star group Giants of Jazz, which also featured Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kai Winding and bassist Al McKibbon) and made albums for Atlantic Records, Concord Records and Emarcy Records. His last recordings were made in Japan. In 1982, Stitt suffered a heart attack, and he died on July 22 in Washington, D.C. http://www.sonnystitt.com/biography/

Soul Girl

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Shirley Horn - Softly

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, Standards
Year: 1988/1998
Art: Front

[7:13] 1. Since I Fell For You
[4:26] 2. You're My Thrill
[7:06] 3. How Long Has This Been Going On
[5:15] 4. My, How Time Goes By
[8:41] 5. Summer (Estate)
[3:38] 6. Forget Me
[6:36] 7. I Watch You Sleep
[3:03] 8. Softly, As I Leave You
[6:13] 9. Dindi

Bass – Charles Ables; Drums – Steve Williams; Piano & Vocals – Shirley Horn;

Softly is a masterpice. Anyone who appreciates a grown up sense of romanticism and sensuality will find endless joy from this album. For me, Softly is the perfect soundtrack to a rainy Sunday afternoon in bed with your lover.

The Shirley Horn Trio played so slowly, but with perfect musicality and rhythm, as to be hypnotic. The drummer, Steve williams, is one of the finest percussionists you will ever hear. It should be noted that Shirley Horn is the singer AND pianist. Ms. Horn's voice is sultry and deep while her piano playing displays a highly sensitive understanding of chord structure and voicing. I often think her piano playing sounds like French impressionists like Debussy, Ravel, or Satie. You're my thrill is a hauntingly beautiful melody/lyric, How Long Has This Been Going On? includes the rarely used opening recitative as heard in "Funny Face" starring Audrey Hepburn, My, How The Time Goes By is the definition of "in-th-pocket" groove, and my favorites: I watch you sleep, and the title track, Softly, truly capture the tender satisfaction of watching your lover sleep and the complexities of adult relationships.

I am an audiophile. I used to think the album was poorly recorded because I had a cheap Pioneer stereo with boomy Bose speakers. On a mediocre stereo the bass is heavy and the treble sounds bright. On a high-end system the album is a bit cool, but very clearly recorded. Audiophile is the name of the record label that produced Softly! ~J. Evege

Softly

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Gary Smulyan - Tadd's All, Folks

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:40
Size: 155,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:23) 1. Whatever Possessed Me
(5:32) 2. This Night of Stars
(7:06) 3. Weekend
(7:42) 4. Lovely One in the Window
(6:40) 5. You're a Joy
(3:56) 6. Take a Chance on Spring
(9:57) 7. My Dream / Do You Remember Now
(4:54) 8. Sweet Life
(7:38) 9. I'm Never Happy Anymore
(6:48) 10. Never Been in Love

This album is all about Tadd Dameron (1917 - 1965), one of the most important American jazz composer/musicians. Multiple award-winner Gary Smulyan conceived the brilliant idea of recording Dameron compositions with lyrics.

The vocal part is phenomenally rendered by the young talent Anaïs Reno. Three songs including the lovely This Night Of Stars have never been recorded before. https://www.birdland.com.au/gary-smulyan-tadd-s-all-folks

Personnel: Gary Smulyan(baritone saxophone); Pete Malinverni(piano); David Wong(bass); Matt Wilson(drums); Anais Reno(vocal)

Tadd's All, Folks

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Francesca Tandoi Trio - For Elvira

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:21
Size: 143,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:12) 1. In A Mellow Tone
(6:16) 2. For Elvira
(4:47) 3. Love For Sale
(5:22) 4. P.S. I Love You
(4:49) 5. Dedicated To You
(4:54) 6. Parker 51
(6:44) 7. Estate
(6:33) 8. Mice's Blues
(3:32) 9. You Do Someyhing To Me
(4:20) 10. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
(5:01) 11. You're My Everything
(4:46) 12. Goodbye

Francesca Tandoi started to play classical piano at an early age. After a few years she got very much interested in jazz music and became a big fan of swinging virtuoso piano players like, Oscar Peterson, Phyneas Newborn, Gene Harris, Bobby Timmons, and other musicians of that generation. She started her carrier as a teenager in Italy, especially in the jazz scene of Rome, her own city. She had the chance to play and perform with many great italian musicians, joining some of the most important italian jazz festivals all around the country. In 2009 she moved to the Netherlands and in 2013 she gradueted with a special mention at the “Royal Conservatory of The Hague” in jazz piano and singing.

After that she moved to the Conservatory of Rotterdam “Codarts” and got her Master degree in 2015 writing a thesis about “The art of rearranging jazz standards for jazz piano trio” . In Holland she started playing with some of the finest dutch and international jazz musicians and performed all around the world. Jazz festivals in Japan, Malesya, Indonesia, India. Tours all around Europe. Holland, Italy, Swiss, Germany, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Ukraine. She also performed in many important jazz festivals as North sea jazz festival, Maastricht jazz festival, Breda jazz festival, Bosendorfer gala 2013, and many others, both as accompanist and as a leader of her trio. With her trio (Frits Landesbergen on drums and Frans van Geest on double bass) she recorded three CD's for a japanise label: Atelier Sawano For Elvira (2014) Something blue (2015) Wind Dance (2016) https://music.metason.net/artistinfo?name=Francesca%20Tandoi

Personnel: Piano, Vocals – Francesca Tandoi; Bass – Frans Van Geest; Drums, Producer – Frits Landesbergen

For Elvira

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Yola Nash - Touched By Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:23
Size: 77,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. Lies And Wishes
(5:29) 2. I Miss You Loving Me
(4:54) 3. Ready For Love
(4:56) 4. Dance With Me
(5:35) 5. Forbidden Love
(6:05) 6. Lololove Me

Yola Nash is often described as a European-American treasure, for her media, art, and humanitarian achievements. As an internationally accomplished singer, she has performed for Pope John Paul II and successfully debuted on the Top 40 AC radio charts in the USA. She made history by becoming the first Polish-American singer to perform and record with the world-renowned, Grammy-winning Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and its music director, legendary trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis.

And as music critics often emphasize Yola's Polish roots and vibes place her in a long line of female performers whose exotic delivery adds appeal to her music. Yola’s new highly anticipated album, “Touched By Love”, it's an intimate acoustic jazz meditation on love with European Folk, Pop and Latin flavors. And it's up for a Grammy this year in two Jazz Vocal categories. Best Jazz Vocal Album and Album Of The Year. All songs on the album written by Yola (except one) and acclaimed composers Dr. Octavio Vazquez and Dr. Graham Keir.

The lone song on “Touched By Love” not penned by Yola is “Dance With Me,” a cabaret-like track that she describes as “musical exploration.” It sets a beautiful theatric poem by award-winning Poet, Writer, Poetry Film Director Fella Cederbaum to music written by the author. The Poet Fella is also featured at the end of that track (Spoken Word).

This excellent collection of Yola's original, poetic songs and musical ideas married perfectly with the brilliant, artistic vocabulary of her band allowed the magic to happen and took her project to a unique dimension. Her songs derive from the depths of her personal experience. She collaborates with extraordinary musicians, artists and engineers including: award winning composer, poet Fella Cederbaum, Edsel Gomez, the Grammy winning, pianist, composer, arranger (former music director of jazz legend, Dee Dee Bridgewater), who came on board as Music Director to help produce Yola’s dream album; Grammy winning percussionist Luisito Quintero (also a member of legendary Chick Corea's band), Grammy nominated accordionist Alex Meixner, award winning jazz guitarist Dr. Graham Keir, accomplished bassist Dave Baron (known for his collaborations with Herbie Hancock).

Yola also brought a couple of master recording engineers to help shape her signature sound like Tom Tedesco, known for his works with the biggest jazz stars in the world, including: Joe Lovano, Ravi Coltrane, Randy Brecker as well as Grammy winning Fran Cathcart.

Aside from the music, you'll want to read Yola's inspiring and truly uplifting personal story, a story of triumph over adversity that shows the power of Yola's positive spirit. The spirit that bravely lead her from communist Poland and extreme adversities to freedom, to NYC, to her own show at WABC and to Grammy Awards.

Touched By Love

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Charlie Porter - Hindsight

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:42
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:49) 1. Tipping Point
(7:00) 2. Hindsight
(6:51) 3. Walking the Plank
(7:52) 4. Things Fall Apart
(7:37) 5. Requiem
(9:43) 6. In Short Supply
(5:55) 7. Going Viral
(5:32) 8. Paradise Lost
(4:19) 9. For Ellis

Portland based trumpeter/composer Charlie Porter is back, and following the trend industry wide over the past year, has released a finely crafted collection of pieces attached to a social narrative. Hindsight examines how we act in hindsight dealing with the long term societal struggles of racism, corruption and inequality. While two of the pieces feature the lyrics of Majid Khaliq and Madelaina Piazza, Porter has namaged to weave the emotional uncertainty of daily life during the Covid-19 pandemic into bittersweet melodies performed by a stellar cast.

Porter is no stranger to the abstract art of applying social commentary to instrumental composition, as this recording follows his acclaimed statement of the American condition, Immigration Nation (OA2, 2019). The two albums feature some common denominators in superb alto saxophonist Nick Biello, and the grounding presence of bassist David Wong and drummer Kenneth Salters. New to the crew is pianist Orrin Evans, vibraphonist Behn Gillece, guitarist Mike Moreno and transcendent vocalist Jimmie Herrod.

Getting down to the bones of the music, Hindsight is a fine jazz album that has two distinct chapters, and a delightful tag at the end. The opener, "Tipping Point," is a neo-bop gem that swings hard and fast, highlighted by Wong's relentless bass line. Porter's thick sound and elegant articulation is evident from the outset, as is the madly swinging Biello's otherworldly talents. The addition of Evans pays immediate dividends, as is the case throughout these nine tunes. While his solos are always an intrepid delight, his comping behind his mates enables the rhythm section to unspool freely and provide a seamless center for soloists to orbit about.

Adding Gillece to the mix for the title track, Porter offers a lovely ballad featuring a melody so beautiful, it seems as if the soloists handle it with special regard. Porter's muted solo is lush, his long tones expressing romance and melancholy. Evans shines once again, reimagining the piece with colorful chord voicings.

"Things Fall Apart" sends the album on a completely different path. Herrod's vocals are surrounded by a darker, electric fabric of sound, with the vibe set primarily by guitarist Moreno, and electric bassist Damian Erskine's Jaco-esque work. Herrod beautifully renders Khaliq's prose, and is joined by rapper Rasheed Jamal in that recitation. There is a slight disconnect in the arrangement as Jamal enters the fray in terms of phrasing, acting much like a double time solo within a ballad.

"In Short Supply" takes yet another turn, incorporating African instrumentation. Bassekou Kouyate joins on n'goni (African traditional guitar), and Mahamadou Tounkara provides amazing depth on tama (African Talking Drum). Herrod sings melody without lyrics, like a fresh wind blowing off the water.

While six of the tunes in this collection sound more like modern, post-bop jazz with traditional instrumentation, Porter is not afraid to wander into different quadrants of his imaginative compositional prowess. "For Ellis" welcomes his newborn son to the world in a very personal way. Porter's solo trumpet is framed by a choral arrangement performed by the Hallowed Halls Gospel Choir. The piece is detached from common grounding elements, left adrift and guided by Porter's gentle, yet abstract manifestations on trumpet.

Albums cobbled from work of seemingly disparate parts, can at times be seen as unfocused artistically. But having lived through 2020, an epic year of isolation we have all endured, the music on this album more seems like echoes of a mind left to the vagaries of time and space. It somehow finds a way to the listener's inner sanctum and sheds a light on that which we have all experienced collectively. It will be interesting in so many ways some decades down the road, to look back at this period of time in terms of jazz composition. With Hindsight, Porter leaves a blaze on that particular trail. By Paul Rauch https://www.allaboutjazz.com/hindsight-charlie-porter-oa2-records

Personnel: Charlie Porter: trumpet; Nick Biello: saxophone; Orrin Evans: piano; Mike Moreno: guitar; Behn Gillece: vibraphone; David Wong: bass; Kenneth Salters: drums; Damian Erskine: bass, electric; Jimmie Herrod: voice / vocals; Rasheed Jamal: voice / vocals; Majid Khaliq: violin; Mahamadou Tounkara: percussion; Bassekou Kouyate: various.

Hindsight

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Franco Ambrosetti - Nora

Styles: Flugelhorn and Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:03
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:38) 1. Nora's Theme
(7:05) 2. Morning Song
(7:48) 3. All Blues
(5:32) 4. Falling in Love
(5:55) 5. Autumn Leaves
(6:37) 6. Sweet Journey
(6:04) 7. It Happened Quitetly
(8:23) 8. After the Rain

When Alan Broadbent isn't playing extraordinary jazz piano with his trio, he's typically hard at work arranging and conducting a large orchestra for a jazz artist or vocalist. In the case of Swiss flugelhornist Franco Ambrosetti's new album, Nora (Enja), Alan is at the helm of a 22-piece string orchestra, and the result is gorgeous, reflective and perfect for this time of year. The album also features guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley, pianist Uri Caine and drummer Peter Erskine.

Ambrosetti began his recording career as a leader on trumpet in Milan in 1965 with A Jazz Portrait of Franco Ambrosetti, featuring Franco D'Andrea (p) Giorgio Azzolini (b) and Franco Mondini (d). Remarkably, he is self-taught, and his tone is deliciously embracing. Coming up in Italy over the years, he played with a long list of touring American jazz greats, including Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Geri Allen, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Mike Stern.

John Scofield has recorded with Ambrosetti multiple times. The first was in 1978 on The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band in Germany, followed by Movies in 1986, Movies, Take 2 in 1988, Cheers in 2017, Long Waves in 2019 and Lost Within You in 2020. For Alan, this is his first Ambrosetti collaboration. And what a score he has written. Ambrosetti was looking for a project on the same scale as Bird With Strings and Clifford Brown With Strings two of his favorite albums that marry a strong soloist and an understanding orchestral background. Mission accomplished on Nora.

The opening track is Nora's Theme by Ambrosetti, which sets the mood. Nora is Nora Helmer, the lead character in Ibsen's A Doll's House. Ambrosetti wrote the theme for a 1997 production of the play that starred his wife, Silli, in the Nora role. So in truth, Nora's Theme is a deep, passionate love song for his wife.

Moving forward, the album feels like the soundtrack to a romantic suspense movie set in Malibu, starring Kim Novak or Sandy Dennis. It's soft and panoramic, but there are undertones of psychological drama to come. The songs that follow Nora's Theme are George Gruntz's Morning Song of a Spring Flower, Miles Davis's All Blues, Victor Feldman's Falling in Love, the standard Autumn Leaves, Ambrosetti's Sweet Journey, Johnny Dankworth's It Happens Quietly and John Coltrane's After the Rain. Alan's arrangements remain wonderfully atmospheric and Ambrosetti's flugelhorn soars gracefully through the mist birdlike, but with strength and purpose.

Ambrosetti's tone throughout has a melancholy, sunny afternoon feel as if you're driving along country roads this fall with the trees ablaze in color. You can't help but think things over as you listen. The combination of Ambrosetti's soulful flugelhorn and Alan's empathetic and ruminative strings pull you in deeper on each track. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent conducting by Joe Vella]

Also unbeatable is the new 3D sound technology used to record the music. The fidelity creates the sensation that you're seated in the middle of the recording studio. As you listen, all that's missing are snapping logs in a fireplace. This album and Alan deserve a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and another for Ambrosetti for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.By Marc Myers https://www.jazzwax.com/2022/10/franco-ambrosetti-nora.html

Personnel: Franco Ambrosetti, flugelhorn; John Scofield, guitar; Scott Colley, bass; Uri Caine, piano; Peter Erskine, drums; Sara Caswell, violin, concertmaster; Alan Broadbent, arranger, conductor

Nora

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