Arkadia Jazz All-Stars - It's About Love

Styles: Jazz Contemporary
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:43
Size: 160,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:44) 1. Mood Indigo
(5:48) 2. A Summer Affair
(4:38) 3. My Cherie Amour
(8:37) 4. My Funny Valentine
(5:06) 5. Round Midnight
(4:27) 6. It's Really All About Love
(5:18) 7. The More I See You
(6:02) 8. Interlude
(5:53) 9. Passionata
(6:28) 10. Ask Me Now
(4:51) 11. I Want to Talk About You
(5:46) 12. A Perfect Couple

It could be said that jazz is really the musical language of Love. Like any quest, you have to seek jazz out, it never comes to you, and it may take a long time to truly understand its message but as soon as you hear it, you know you’ve found love. Jazz, like all personal relationships, has so many moods that it may confound you at first, but once you get to know it, there’s no turning back. Much of the repertoire of jazz has been dedicated to love and Arkadia Jazz All-Stars have recorded an album that celebrates the romantic, intimate side of jazz, and musically explores the unanswerable question: What is Love?

Starting off with Benny Golson’s sublime reading of Duke Ellington’s Mood Indigo, the stage is set for romance. The nylon strings of Nigel Clark are featured next in the breezy A Summer Affair, capturing the smoldering flame of passion. Joanne Brackeen performs Stevie Wonder’s pop standard My Cherie Amour in her own dynamic and totally individual way, and Randy Brecker’s Grammy Nominated performance on My Funny Valentine is a moment of real beauty. Both artists bring new depth to several of the all time great love songs. Paul Tobey’s sensitive and insightful rendition of Monk’s Round Midnight is rhapsodic, using subtle dissonances to create tension, released by his flowing lines.

T.K. Blue’s original composition, It’s Really All About Love features the flute, an instrument often tied with romanticism. The More I See You by Mary Pearson expresses the sentiment of undying love that we all long to have, as does the masterful ballad Interlude by the Billy Taylor Trio. Passionata was an unfinished composition by Kenny Drew Sr. that was completed and recorded by his son, Kenny Drew Jr., and is a testament to familial love. Eric Reed’s rendition of Monk’s Ask Me Now is a sparse, yet tender and eloquent doctrine on the state of love. David Liebman and Vic Juris show their gentle sides on the sparkling I Want To Talk About You, while pianist Uli Lenz’s mesmerizing A Perfect Couple brings this recording to a romantic close and is the perfect denouement for this CD, “It’s About Love.”

What happens to us when we fall in love, and when we hear or see something that kindles our passions? Our outlook on life becomes filled with possibilities. Jazz mirrors our life experiences, and we should try to remember that in our collective consciousness. As in our personal relationships, jazz is about the joy and creation of beauty and human emotion in real time. Share this music with someone; it has something to do with discovery and hope. It has something to do with love.

Whether looking surround yourself with beautiful ballads, or to set the mood for a romantic evening, or simply looking for a special Valentines Day gift all year round, “It’s About Love” is a wonderful collection that provides both the romantic atmosphere and world class music from some of the most influential sounds in Jazz.
https://arkadiajazzallstars.com/product/arkadia-jazz-all-stars-its-about-love/

Personnel: Carl Allen: Drums; James Weidman: Piano; Santi Debriano: Bass; Kenny Drew Jr.: Piano; Eric Reed: Piano; Peter Washington: Bass; Lewis Nash: Drums; Rodney Whitaker: Bass; Dave Liebman: Soprano sax; Vic Juris: Guitar; Dean Johnson: Bass; Ron Vincent: Drums;

It's About Love

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Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:34
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:33) 1. Squeeze Me
(4:54) 2. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:22) 3. Nuages
(3:38) 4. Why Shouldn't I
(3:41) 5. Everything I Love
(4:30) 6. Warm Valley
(4:09) 7. Till The Clouds Roll By
(5:10) 8. Mean To Me
(3:04) 9. Theme From Mash
(6:21) 10. Wave
(4:47) 11. Nuages (Alt. Take)
(4:05) 12. Squeeze Me (Alt. Take)
(5:13) 13. Till The Clouds Roll By (Alt. Take)

With a dry tone, and unhurried phrasing definitive of the emergent West Coast Cool a relaxed alternative to the edgier hard bop coming from New York alto saxophonist Paul Desmond had already made a name for himself with pianist Dave Brubeck's quartet on the legendary Time Out (Columbia, 1959). Desmond also wrote the tune that became Brubeck's signature, "Take Five," and, while he passed away too young at the age of 52 from lung cancer, he's left behind a relatively small but significant legacy of recordings that have sometimes become overlooked with the passing of time.

Pure Desmond was only one of two albums the saxophonist made for CTI (though he did record two albums with Creed Taylor for A&M, before the producer started his own label), but it's the absolute winner of the two. A small group album featuring the same three bonus tracks as a previous CD version, with CTI Masterworks' warm remastering and beautiful mini-vinyl-like soft digipaks, it represents a welcome return to print of an album that, despite alcoholism and heavy smoking, finds Desmond in great form just three years before his death in 1977.

With label staple Ron Carter swinging comfortably with Modern Jazz Quartet and longtime Desmond musical cohort, drummer Connie Kay, Pure Desmond stands as one of the altoist's best records as cool as a calming breeze on a summer's day and as dry as a good martini. The album blend of standards ranging from Duke Ellington to Antonio Carlos Jobim also features the tremendously overlooked Ed Bickert, a Toronto, Canada native whose uncharacteristically warm-toned Fender Telecaster had already been heard in the company of fellow Canadians like flautist Moe Kaufman, and bandleaders Phil Nimmons and Rob McConnell, but whose star mysteriously never rose as it deserved, amongst peers like Joe Pass, Herb Ellis and, in particular, Jim Hall.

The tempo never gets past medium, but there's a simmering energy on some of the material, in particular the Jerome Kern chestnut, "Till the Clouds Roll By," heard here in two versions: the original album version, where Bickert's solo is the height of linear invention and occasionally bluesy bend; and a slightly longer alternate take where he builds a solo filled with rich voicings and single note phrases constantly accompanied with periodic chordal injections. The mix and overall tone of the alternate take is a little rawer, with Carter's bass a more visceral punch in the lower register.

Light Latin rhythms also define the session, with the by-then-popular "Theme from M*A*S*H" given a light bossa treatment, as is Jobim's "Wave," which closes the original album on a graceful note, but here acts as a gateway to alternate takes including the ambling opener, "Squeeze Me," and the Django Reinhardt classic, "Nuages," that skips the guitar/sax duo intro and heads straight into an ensemble reading.

With a supportive group that clearly gets the value of less over more, the aptly titled Pure Desmond stands, alongside The Paul Desmond Quartet Live (A&M/Horizon, 1975)his other album with Bickert as the pinnacle of this West Coast cool progenitor's career.
By John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/pure-desmond-paul-desmond-cti-masterworks-review-by-john-kelman

Personnel: Paul Desmond: alto saxophone; Ed Bickert: electric guitar; Ron Carter: bass; Connie Kay: drums; Don Sebesky: musical supervision.

Pure Desmond

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Judy Whitmore - Can't We Be Friends

Styles: Vocal, Piano
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:33
Size: 101,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:39) 1. Can't We Be Friends
(2:26) 2. I Could Write a Book
(4:34) 3. I Should Care
(3:49) 4. It Had To Be You
(4:44) 5. The Lies Of Handsome Men
(4:50) 6. How About You/Manhattan/ Autumn In New York
(3:16) 7. The Last Time I Saw Paris/The River Seine
(3:35) 8. S'Wonderful
(4:18) 9. My Favorite Year
(2:54) 10. Love Is Here To Stay
(3:12) 11. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(3:11) 12. Two For The Road

Judy Whitmore, a true modern-day Renaissance woman, heeds the call of the stage, the sky, and beyond. Her life as a vocal artist and writer has taken off, and the sky is the limit. The best-selling author, vocalist, theater producer and pilot, who also holds a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology, approaches all her endeavors with style and spirit. “When you walk alone to the center of the stage, it’s similar to flying,” she observes. “It’s exciting and it’s terrifying at the same time. You step up to the microphone, glance at your musical director, and it’s like hearing the guy in the control tower say ‘cleared for take-off,’ and somehow, you just soar.”

Named after the legendary singer Judy Garland (a friend of her grandfather from his days in the MGM Studio Orchestra), Judy was born in New York City and raised in Studio City, California. Her parents’ passion for the symphony and musical theater fueled her desire for a career in music. Her first foray as a vocal artist and performer began during college when she sang background vocals for Capitol Records in Hollywood. Although she expected to continue on this road, her journey took unexpected and often unbelievable detours.

Marrying young, she and her husband settled in Beverly Hills and had two children. Before long they were embarking on a new adventure that took them away from the glitz and glamour of that storied city. Wanting to raise their children in a more rural environment, they packed up the family and moved to the Rocky Mountain paradise of Aspen, Colorado. There, Judy learned to ski, can peaches, and saddle a horse. She maintained her love of theater, serving as president of both the Aspen Playwright’s Conference and the American Theatre Company, where under her presidency, ATC produced plays that featured Hal Holbrook, Vincent Price, and John Travolta.

It was also in Aspen Judy befriended her closest neighbors, Annie and John Denver. John coaxed her to confront her fear of flying and invited her to board his private plane, Windstar One. The experience was so powerful that it wasn’t long before Judy began to pursue and earn her pilot’s license. She eventually became a licensed commercial jet pilot and worked search-and-rescue missions for Pitkin County (Aspen) Air Rescue. She later flew seaplanes, and took up hot-air ballooning. (Listen to Judy describe her confrontation with the fear of flying and her transformation on Tim Benjamin’s “Fear of Flying” podcast.)

Lured back to Los Angeles and the stage, Judy undertook her first independent theater project as the producer of “Taking a Chance on Love” which received a rave review in Variety. From there, she headed to London to co-produce Leonard Bernstein’s “Wonderful Town,” then returned to Southern California where she met the man who would become her second husband. After settling in Pacific Palisades, Judy craved a new life experience. She went back to college, earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, and opened a private practice in West Los Angeles.

In due course, it was time for yet another new and exciting move. Judy headed to Newport Beach and enrolled in a series of writing courses at UC Irvine. Her romantic-adventure Come Fly with Me, inspired by her own life as a pilot and penned in 2013, topped the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List. She was recognized with “First Place for Women’s Fiction” at The Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference and the “Editor’s Choice Award” at the San Diego State University’s Writer’s Conference. Other literary credits include All Time Favorites: Recipes From Family and Friends and an illustrated retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.

Her passion for performing would never be too far out of sight. In 2014, she co-founded ACT THREE with her brother Billy and her neighbor Lynn. The trio brought timeless standards to life at legendary venues including The Ritz Hotel in Paris and both the Metropolitan Room and Carnegie Hall in New York. Once Upon a Dream, the award-winning documentary film, chronicled the trio’s journey to Carnegie Hall.

“I always wanted to sing full-time, but it was never possible. I had to pack my dream of a musical career away in an imaginary box. I tucked it on the highest shelf in my closet and tried to forget about it. I loved being a pilot, and a therapist, and a theater producer, and a writer. I had done all these exciting things, and none of it was easy. But I always felt something was missing,” she admits. “I knew it was time to get that box of dreams out of the closet, cast off the lid and embrace the music career I had always wanted.”

In 2018 Judy ventured onto the stage alone with her show-stopping, cabaret-style vocal act. She’s garnered critical praise from The OC Register and Los Angeles Times who observed “[she] has a bit of a Judy Holliday comedic edge” and “tackled some tough ballads with style.” Her repertoire is diverse, extending from the great American standards to Broadway and jazz. Coming full circle, she seized the moment and returned to Capitol Studios to cut her new album, Can’t We Be Friends, alongside collaborators John Sawoski and GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning composer Michael Patterson. Together, they have created a love letter to The Great American Songbook. “This is the music I grew up with, and I don’t want people to forget it. I think it’s one of the most extraordinary bodies of work every created.” Judy currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Pacific Symphony. There’s no end in sight to her adventures.https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/judy-whitmore

Can't We Be Friends

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Ben Goldberg - Everything Happens to Be

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:50
Size: 133,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:41) 1. What About
(6:14) 2. 21
(4:48) 3. Fred Hampton
(7:04) 4. Everything Happens To Be
(6:23) 5. Cold Weather
(9:53) 6. Chorale Type
(5:51) 7. Tomas Plays the Drums
(5:10) 8. Long Last Moment
(5:32) 9. To-Ron-To
(1:10) 10. Abide With Me

The music of Ben Goldberg seems to come from a place outside of time—or maybe it comes from several times simultaneously. Maybe it's the instruments he chooses; while the clarinet family has been on the comeback trail in jazz for a quarter century, it's a sound that invariably invokes the New Orleans of a century ago. That's especially true when Goldberg picks up the mellow, woody, Albert-system E-flat instrument on "Cold Weather." That tune's sweet melancholy wobbles perilously close to Hoagy Carmichael, but by way of "Pannonica" by Thelonious Monk, another composer who had a soft spot for sentimental old tunes.

If you're interested in a nostalgia trip, you don't choose guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara to be your traveling companions, and the tension they create between the retrogressive and the transgressive gives Everything Happens To Be. a low-key charge. On paper, Goldberg is following in the great tradition of hiring the All-Star rhythm section of the moment. They are certainly that and as the cooperative Thumbscrew, also one of the formidable bands of the last decade. But Everything Happens To Be. isn't a Thumbscrew+horns date.

Goldberg has worked with Halvorson and Fujiwara as The Out Louds, and with Formanek in a variety of settings. Tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin is a long-time Goldberg collaborator who shares the leader's affection for putting new wine in old bottles. His big tenor sound, slippery but warm, hearkens back to players such as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Gene Ammons and fits right in on the almost-vaudevillian bounce of tunes such as "21" and "To-Ron-To." If you've always wanted to hear Halvorson strum four-to-the-bar, Freddie Green-style, cue the latter, which seems to be based loosely on "Sweet Georgia Brown." It ends in a collective, New-Orleanean tangle that resolves into something like a 21st-century updating of the Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian and Georgie Auld. It takes iron control to play this loose.

But then there are knottier compositions such as "Fred Hampton," a lilting, 6/4 tune where Halvorson spins a songful line only to smudge it with a pedal effect, as if to say let's not make this too pretty. Yet beauty is never far away on Everything Happens To Be., though it seldom arrives in conventional fashion. Take "Chorale Type," which starts in church and detours to a middle-school gym where Goldberg and Halvorson circle each other warily like seventh graders at their first dance. The almost 10-minute cut ends in the mosh pit with Goldberg getting his metal on via a stomping bass line on contra-alto clarinet over Fujiwara's slamming 4/4. The exception is another chorale, "Abide With Me" which, inspired by Monk's 1957 septet version, is played straight in a single reverent chorus.

Though this session was recorded at New Haven's Firehouse 12 in 2018, that hymn tune is a perfect way to and a session that feels old and sounds fresh, that is joyful and melancholy. Just like life. By John Chacona
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/everything-happens-to-be-ben-goldberg-bag-production

Personnel: Ben Goldberg: clarinet; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Ellery Eskelin: saxophone; Michael Formanek: bass, acoustic; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

Everything Happens to Be

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John Escreet - Seismic Shift

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:54
Size: 119,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:46) 1. Study No.1
(5:51) 2. Equipoise
(6:45) 3. Outward and Upward
(5:26) 4. RD
(6:15) 5. Perpetual Love
(4:31) 6. Digital Tulips
(6:25) 7. Seismic Shift
(1:41) 8. Quick Reset
(8:09) 9. The Water Is Tasting Worse

John Escreet's recording Seismic Shift, the pianist's first trio recording, might be the case for the return of warning labels on packaging. Not that there are explicit lyrics or violent images, it is just that the 52 minutes of music contained here are quite tempestuous and unrelenting. By design.

Escreet is known for his wide-ranging interests in creative music. He has recorded in both the acoustic and electric realms, performing on instruments including the harpsichord, synthesizers, Fender Rhodes piano, and with adventurous musicians such as Evan Parker, Wayne Krantz, and Antonio Sanchez. Maybe the finest testimonial to his prowess are the musicians who have accompanied his project. They have included the bassists John Hébert, Matt Brewer, Eivind Opsvik and drummers Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Harland, Nasheet Waits, Jim Black, and Marcus Gilmore.

With Seismic Shift, add to that esteemed list bassist Eric Revis and drummer Damion Reid, whom Escreet assembled in Los Angeles during the pandemic. Maybe it was the oppressiveness of isolation and the exhilaration of finally performing together that makes this session sound as if it were a pressure release; "Study No. 1" sprints from the gate with a torrent of sound, Escreet plying a two-handed attack part Cecil Taylor and part Alexander von Schlippenbach. The pianist's pugnacity is equaled by both Reid's drumming and Revis' pulse.

These musicians are like three wrestlers, entangled and tangling by design. Escreet penned "RD" (Revis/Damion) for this bandmates. It progresses from a repeated pattern into an open structure with cascades of notes and energy detonations. Escreet plays off the agilities of this trio with their turn-on-a-dime skills. They can sprint through a composition like "Digital Tulips" with its changing time patterns, or gently stroke the face of the one cover piece here, Stanley Cowell's "Equipoise." Escreet, Revis, and Reid deliver two fully improvised pieces "Outward And Upward" and "Quick Reset." Both tracks maintain an internal logic consistent with Escreet's composed music. In other words, these three musicians are one tight working team and that makes for a stellar recording.
By Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/seismic-shift-john-escreet-whirlwind-recordings

Personnel: John Escreet: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Damion Reid: drums.

Seismic Shift

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Naama Gheber - Dearly Beloved

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:15
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:34) 1. Dearly Beloved
(5:00) 2. So in Love
(2:36) 3. S Wonderful
(4:19) 4. Since I Fell for You
(5:00) 5. I Can't Give You Anything but Love
(4:02) 6. Get out of Town
(4:56) 7. This Time the Dream's on Me
(3:56) 8. You Stepped out of a Dream
(5:01) 9. What's New
(4:18) 10. Just Squeeze Me
(3:48) 11. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:08) 12. Good Night My Love
(3:22) 13. Exactly Like You
(4:08) 14. Good Night My Love (Layla Tov)

Cabaret singer? Jazz singer? Pop singer?

The splendid debut from Israeli singer Naama Gheber recalls a time when such distinctions were utterly without meaning. "Dearly Beloved" finds her inhabiting the same territory as such classic crossover singers as June Christy, Peggy Lee and Lena Horne. Of course, for that generation, jazz WAS the popular music when they were coming up, and it underpinned and influenced the stage and film soundtracks of the day as well so there was a common musical currency.

For the 28-year-old Gheber, her approach was obviously more intentional than subconsciously ingrained. And yet, whatever her path, the result is remarkably organic: Possessed of a rich, beautiful tone, and relaxed and conversational in delivery, the performance is imbued with a joyful naturalness that makes it seem she's simply telling us a story.

The material certainly doesn't hurt: Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Ellington, Arlen. And she chose wisely: Time-burnished standards like "'S Wonderful" and "This Time The Dream's On Me" are interspersed with equally evocative but lesser-known tunes like the title track by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter's "Get Out of Town," or "Sometimes I'm Happy" by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar. The backing band is equal to the material and to Gheber's singing.

Pianist Ray Gallon isn't a nationally prominent name but should be. His playing behind Gheber is simultaneously sparkling and complementary, recalling some of the great accompanists: the superb Paul Smith (Ella Fitzgerald), Bill Miller (Frank Sinatra), or Ralph Sharon (Tony Bennett). He'll comp softly behind Gheber or vibraphonist Steve Nelson so on-point that you barely realize he's there, but then his own solos and lead passages are brilliant riffs on the melodic theme that left this listener wondering where HIS debut as leader is? Nelson's vibes lend a supper-club sheen to an outing that is already dripping in elegance.

Bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel cue off each other throughout, providing a supple, rippling undercurrent that is a study in understated but unmistakable swing it's the foundation for everything wonderful that happens here. Few singers ever achieve the sense of mastery Gheber exhibits on her first outing: Supremely confident, in control, unafraid to surround herself with the kind of talent that might intimidate a lesser singer. It is an exhilarating experience to listen to this new voice here's hoping this is only the beginning of a lifelong body of work. By Jim Trageser
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dearly-beloved-naama-gheber-cellar-music__13581

Personnel: Naama Gheber: voice / vocals; Steve Nelson, vibraphone (tracks 1, 5, 8, 10, 12); Ray Gallon, piano; David Wong, bass; Aaron Kimmel, drums.

Dearly Beloved

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Tony Bennett - Blue Velvet

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:05
Size: 83,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:03) 1. Blue Velvet
(2:47) 2. I Won't Cry Anymore
(3:10) 3. Have A Good Time
(3:01) 4. Congratulations To Someone
(3:06) 5. Here Comes That Heartache Again
(2:23) 6. While We're Young
(3:20) 7. Solitaire
(3:07) 8. My Heart Won't Say Goodbye
(2:52) 9. Until Yesterday
(3:08) 10. Funny Thing
(3:14) 11. May I Never Love Again
(2:49) 12. It's So Peaceful In The Country

Through Tony Bennett's long, remarkable career, it's possible to trace the evolution and endurance of vocal pop and jazz in the 20th century. Unlike his idol Frank Sinatra, Bennett was too young to be part of the first wave of the Great American Songbook in the years before World War II. He achieved his national breakthrough in 1951, when the charts were dominated by soft-focused orchestral pop and novelties, music that Bennett himself would often sing during his early years.

Occasionally, he was given the opportunity to sing jazz while recording for Columbia in the '50s, but it was a pop song that turned him into a superstar in 1962: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," a song styled after the classic pop of the pre-war era. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" turned into an enduring standard of the 20th century but, for a while, its popularity eclipsed that of the singer who popularized the tune. Bennett didn't weather the '60s well, thanks to record companies who attempted to modernize his sound, and while he had an artistically fruitfully '70s on his short-lived independent label Improv, he recorded albums with pianist Bill Evans that established his jazz bona fides he suffered a series of personal problems that left him at rock bottom at the dawn of the '80s.

It was then he achieved one of the greatest comebacks in pop music history. Hiring his son Danny as his manager, he reunited with his music director/pianist Ralph Sharon and began targeting younger audiences without shedding his longtime fans. This strategy paid off in the '90s, when 1992's Perfectly Frank topped Billboard's jazz charts and went Gold. Bennett's crossover to the pop mainstream seemed to culminate with 1994's MTV Unplugged, an unexpected hit that took home the Grammy for Album of the Year, but it turned out his revival was no flash in the pan. Bennett stayed in the spotlight until the '90s, not only maintaining his audience but building it through a series of duets with stars as diverse as Lady Gaga and Diana Krall. His partners may have changed along with the times, but through it all, Bennett remained a skilled, charismatic practitioner and vocal advocate for classic American pop.

The son of a grocer, Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926. Raised in Astoria, Queens by Italian emigrates his father John was a recent arrival from Reggio Calabria, his mother Anna was born to natives of the Calabria region who headed to the States in 1899 Bennett suffered from poverty and ill fortune as a child, yet he also cultivated an interest in art and music. By the time his father died when Tony was ten, he was already singing professionally, notably performing alongside Mayor Fiorello La Guardia at the opening of the Triborough Bridge in 1936. As a teenager, Bennett had several gigs as a singing waiter and he enrolled in New York's School of Industrial Art, studying music and painting. When times got tight in his family, he dropped out of school to support his mother and siblings, making money once again as a singing waiter.

Bennett was drafted into the Army in 1944, during the final year of World War II. Stationed in Europe, he saw combat in France and Germany; he was also part of the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp outside of Landsberg. Staying in Germany as part of the occupying force, he sang in a Special Services band before his discharge in 1946. Upon returning home, he attended the American Theatre Wing under the G.I. Bill, all the while working as a singing waiter.

During 1949, Bennett's career began to take off. While working under the stage name Joe Bari, he recorded a version of George & Ira Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm" for Leslie, a single that didn't go anywhere but did coincide with the singer catching the attention of Pearl Bailey. She hired him to open for her at a Greenwich Village concert, which was attended by comedian Bob Hope. Taken by the singer then known as Joe Bari, Hope invited the vocalist on tour on the provision he change his name. Deeming Anthony Bendedetto too long for a marquee, Hope shortened the singer's name to Tony Bennett.

Things began to happen quickly for Bennett after this point. In 1950, he recorded a demo of "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," on the basis of which Mitch Miller signed him to Columbia Records. The label was steeling itself for the departure of Frank Sinatra, who feuded often with Miller. Bennett eased into his vacancy by singing chart-friendly pop tunes, starting with "Because of You," which was buttressed by an arrangement by Percy Faith. It reached number one in September 1951, followed quickly by a cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." This single also reached number one, its success often cited as elevating Hank Williams' reputation outside of the South and country music circles. "Cold Cold Heart" also proved Bennett wasn't a one-hit wonder, either.

During 1952, he racked up three hit singles, the biggest of which was "Here in My Heart," which peaked at 15, and he reached the top of the charts again in 1953 with "Rags to Riches," which was followed quickly by the number two single "Stranger in Paradise," a song taken from the Broadway musical Kismet. Bennett charted regularly over the next two years, with a handful of songs breaking into the Top 10 "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" and "Cinnamon Sinner," both from 1954 before the pop charts were changed irrevocably in 1956 by the rise of rock & roll. More... By Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tony-bennett-mn0000006334/biography

Blue Velvet

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Lew Tabackin & Warne Marsh - Tenor Gladness

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:08
Size: 89,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:47) 1. Basic No. 2
(6:03) 2. Easy
(6:23) 3. March Of The Tadpoles
(8:22) 4. Hangin' Loose
(3:59) 5. New-ance
(7:31) 6. Basic 1

A great little session that features some of the best 70s work from these two tenorists a great little record that has Warn Marsh and Lew Tabackin really opening up next to each other! Toshiko Akiyoshi produced the album for the pair and although she plays piano on one track, most of the set is piano-less and opens with this great reed interplay over rhythms from Larry Bunker on drums and John Heard on bass a very cool setting that's kind of an update of older west coast modes, but with more 70s edges overall! Titles include "Basic #2", "Easy", "March Of The Tadpoles", and "Hangin Loose".
© 1996-2022, Dusty Groove, Inc.https://www.dustygroove.com/item/106220/Lew-Tabackin-Warne-Marsh:Tenor-Gladness

Personnel: Lew Tabackin, Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone; Toshiko Akiyoshi – piano; John Heard – bass; Larry Bunker – drums

Tenor Gladness

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Josh Lawrence - Call Time

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:34
Size: 68,5 MB
Art: Front

(0:43) 1. Paradise In Blue
(4:53) 2. Pumpkin Pi
(4:18) 3. Silver's Drag
(3:52) 4. Sam I Am
(5:36) 5. Cornbred
(8:38) 6. Black Bottom's Up
(1:30) 7. Paradise In Blue Reprise

Josh Lawrence is releasing Call Time, his latest Posi-Tone Records project, with seven tracks of a broad palette of qualities and textures. The trumpeter brings a quintet for his fourth album for Posi-Tone, the ever-present Posi-Tone team of bassist Boris Kozlov and pianist Art Hirahara, rounded out with drummer Jason Tiemann and saxophonist Willie Morris. Together the five musicians form a pleasing unit that focuses on group communication and musical expression.

“Paradise In Blue” opens with a rubato melody in which Lawrence’s warm trumpet tone will inspire you to listen to the following selection, “Pumpkin Pi,” a delightful medium swing composition. The two-horn melody is memorable as Lawrence and Morris flow with a relaxed swing. Lawrence’s improvisational style flows from the Miles Davis lineage, where the focus is time feel, melody, and space. His warm tone and clarity of pitch are other highlights of his style. The ensemble swings and Lawrence performs a delightful solo.

Celebrating the hard-bop sound of the 50s is “Black Bottom’s Up.” Lawrence does an excellent job of making the “Oleo” styled approach from the Miles Davis Quintet work very well here. His Harmon mute tone is round and resilient as he mixes blues with bop lines to outline the rhythm changes clearly. Hirahara does not play on this track, and hearing Lawrence and Morris perform with just bass and drums accompaniment lets you hear their harmonic/melodic language.

Call Time is a very musical and stylish set from Lawrence. His tone and melodic approach are modern while still being imbued in the classic 50s and 60s jazz heritage. The ensemble is a strong unit, and everyone plays well with each other and communicates beautifully. Though this is not Lawrence’s regular working ensemble, they still have chemistry, but I do wonder how his regular ensemble would sound performing this set. Lawrence is a beautifully clear trumpet player and one you should have on your radar. By Sylvannia Garutch https://thejazzword.com/2022/09/josh-lawrence-call-time-review/

Personnel: Josh Lawrence – trumpet; Willie Morris – tenor saxophone; Art Hirahara – piano; Boris Kozlov – bass; Jason Tiemann – drums

Call Time

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Conrad Herwig - New York Hardball

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:28
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:12) 1. Hardball
(4:52) 2. Vendetta
(6:17) 3. Zal
(4:39) 4. Code Blue
(3:52) 5. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(5:31) 6. Master's Image
(3:40) 7. Hey, New Day
(9:22) 8. Out Of Darkness, Into Light

This lesser-known set from the now-defunct Ken label features the fluent and creative trombonist Conrad Herwig, who is joined by the harmonically advanced pianist Richie Beirach, bassist Ron McClure and drummer Adam Nussbaum. The music ranges from introspective ballads to a swinging version of the lone standard "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Herwig is mostly in the spotlight and he rises to the occasion, excelling on the complex straight-ahead material.
By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-york-hardball-mw0000896298

Personnel: Trombone, Producer – Conrad Herwig; Bass – Ron McClure; Drums – Adam Nussbaum; Piano, Liner Notes – Richie Beirach

New York Hardball

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Larry Schneider - Live at Jazz on the Coast (Larry Schneider Meets Gaspare Di Lieto)

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:15
Size: 127,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:46) 1. Mohawk
(10:51) 2. Tropax
( 5:11) 3. Autumn Leaves
( 3:56) 4. Stardust
(11:59) 5. Days of Wine and Roses
(11:08) 6. My One and Only Love
( 2:22) 7. All the Things You Are

Backed by an outstanding Italian rhythm section (pianist Gaspare DiLieto, acoustic bassist Dario Deidda, and drummer Amedeo Ariano), tenor saxophonist Larry Schneider takes tunes such as Charlie Parker's "Mohawk," Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses," and Johnny Mercer's (with Joseph Kosma) "Autumn Leaves," and confuses and exceeds expectations.

Rather than simply knocking out the melodies, followed by solos, followed again by returning to the heads, the saxophonist re-orients the listener by subverting the mix, but without any disrespect toward the original. The approach freshens and infuses new life into the tunes. Schneider's a cappella rendering of "Stardust" is a minor tour de force. Recorded live at the Jazz on the Coast Festival in Italy, the sound quality is surprisingly good. By Steve Loewy https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-jazz-on-the-coast-mw0001089125

Live at Jazz on the Coast (Larry Schneider Meets Gaspare Di Lieto)

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Muriel Grossmann - Union

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:45
Size: 105,2 MB
Art: Front

(11:12) 1. Happiness
(11:29) 2. Traneing In
( 8:29) 3. Sundown
( 6:13) 4. African Dance
( 8:20) 5. Union

The music on saxophonist Muriel Grossmann's Union is very familiar. Is that because all the compositions had been previously released? Not at all. Actually, the versions heard here are more vibrant than their first incarnations. Chalk that up to Grossman and company working and reworking these compositions in performances. The band's familiarity with the material blossoms into a stellar recording. That said, the session may not have happened. The band's long-time bassist Gina Schwarz was not available for this recording date. Grossman's quartet adapted. Fortunately when you tour with Llorenc Barcelo, a Hammond B3 master, the bass-lines can be a serviceable add-on. Maybe this different perspective acted as the spark for the musicians to focus and deliver this special recording.

The recording opens with "Happiness," one of two tracks that appeared on Natural Time (Dreamland Records, 2016), the other being "African Dance." "Happiness" is a meditative slow boiler with Grossman's tenor saxophone floating about the groove laid down by Barceló and drummer Uros Stamenkovic. When guitarist Radomir Milojkovic solos, it is in a style reminiscent of vintage George Benson with Lonnie Smith and Jack McDuff. But vintage is a misnomer. Grossman's "Traneing In," a nod to John Coltrane, mixes the flavors of Coltrane's "India" with an up-tempo country feel with her soprano saxophone and Milojkovic's guitar dancing over a shuffling pulse. "Sundown" and "Union" were previously heard on Reverence (RR Gems/Dreamland, 2019). Both pieces are spiritually filling, the sounds that make you understand music's higher calling. Grossman knows her Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Joseph Jarman and she embodies their spirit, especially the meditative side. From introspective to exuberant, "African Dance" is an irresistible piece that invites you to get up and shake your rump. Union is available as a download, CD, or as a limited edition 200 gram vinyl release. By Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/union-muriel-grossmann-rr-gems

Personnel: Muriel Grossmann: saxophone; Llorenc Barcelo: organ, Hammond B3; Radomir Milojkovic: guitar, electric; Uros Stamenkovic: drums.

Union

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Marilyn Kleinberg - Let your Heart Lead The Way

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:07
Size: 122,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. Invitation
(5:29) 2. Alfie
(4:24) 3. I didn't know about you
(5:01) 4. Then I'll be tired of you
(3:15) 5. I just found out about love
(4:58) 6. Never let me go
(5:03) 7. Visions
(5:03) 8. Say it
(4:31) 9. If I only had a brain
(4:43) 10. You won't forget me
(5:56) 11. I didn't know what time it was

In September of 2021, when live music was just sputtering back to life in NYC, I went to see my old friend Marilyn Kleinberg at the Soapbox gallery in Brookyln. She appeared that night with the incomparable John DiMartino on piano, and a bass player who knocked me off my feet; Noriko Ueda.

I was so moved by the performance that right after the last notes were played I approached John and asked what it would take to produce a record of this trio plus a drummer...and me. "Give me a call and we'll discuss it" replied John and to his surprise, I did!

Victor Lewis was the natural choice for drums, being a great friend of Marilyn, and a musical legend in his own right. A short while later, with some arrangement sketches by John, we knocked out eleven songs in one session at Tommy Tedesco's studio. The trio nailed every take of course, and after Marilyn and I did some "touchups" we mixed at Dave Darlingon's Bass Hit studio. we all knew we had captured something special.

I "let my heart lead the way" when I asked John about making the album, and each of the musicians certainly let their hearts lead the way when playing every note. Every step of them process was a delight and flowed like this album was simply meant to be. We hope your heart will resonate with the joy and camaraderie we felt while making this music.

Personnel: Marilyn Kleinberg on vocals; Will Galison, chromatic harmonica; John Di Martino, piano, arrangement; Noriko Ueda, bass; Victor Lewis, drums

Let your Heart Lead The Way

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Gloria Lynne - From My Heart to Yours

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:58
Size: 105,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:15) 1. Secret O' Life
(5:30) 2. My Funny Valentine
(3:27) 3. Evergreen
(3:41) 4. Wild Is the Wind
(3:27) 5. I Could Make You Care
(3:59) 6. Mountian Greenery
(4:29) 7. It's Magic
(4:01) 8. There Are Such Things
(3:12) 9. How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
(4:23) 10. Shangri-La
(4:29) 11. Can You Read My Mind

What a pleasure it is to hear an artist sing a song simply with no frills and a heartfelt and warm delivery. This is what Gloria Lynne has done on her new album, a collection of standards and a couple of surprise choices with a superb band of David "Fathead" Newman (flute), John di Martino (piano), Greg Skaff (guitar), Leon Lee Dorsey (bass), Vincent Ector (drums) and PJ Allen (tambourine).

Lynne is a seasoned performer experienced in lyrical interpretation with a vocal quality that gives her the necessary shading, allowing her to tell each song's story in a totally believable fashion. This she does in either two choruses of each song or the classic one-and-a-half chorus rendition.

The surprising material is James Taylor's "Secret O' Life," not traditional jazz material and done as a ballad, and "Can You Read My Mind?," one of the themes from the first Superman movie with music by John Williams and appropriate lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The latter is a 'big' song, but is done here with a gospel feel over which Lynne can demonstrate her facility as the vocal builds. The remainder of the CD is an interesting mix of mostly ballads and a few lightly swinging numbers such as "Mountain Greenery" and "I Could Make You Care."

The di Martino arrangements are varied and never boring, each song approached individually and given only what is needed to back the vocal. He also displays a consummate ability to accompany a singer with just the right amount of tasty fills and a swinging solo on "There Are Such Things." Also worth mentioning is Newman's elegant flute on "Shangri-La" and Skaff's work on "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" This is an offering that is wonderfully easy on the ears from a vocalist who knows how to sing from the heart. By Marcia Hillman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-my-heart-to-yours-gloria-lynne-highnote-records-review-by-marcia-hillman

Personnel: David "Fathead" Newman: flute; John di Martino: piano; Greg Skaff: guitar; Leon Lee Dorsey: bass; Vincent Ector: drums; P.J. Allen: tambourine (tracks 6 and 11).

From My Heart to Yours

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Billy Bang - Lucky Man

Styles: Violin
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 92:54
Size: 214,1 MB
Art: Front

( 4:10) 1. Lucky Man: Introduction
( 6:16) 2. Billy playing with the Banhar Gong Group of Kuntum (traditional and improvised) (feat. Banhar Gong Group of Kuntum)
( 1:26) 3. Lucky Man: Flashback Tunnel Reflections
( 6:59) 4. Mystery of the Mekong (feat. Hanoi Symphony Orchestra)
( 1:03) 5. Lucky Man: The Sun Rising - Introduction to Song for Don Cherry
(13:26) 6. Song for Don Cherry (feat. Duc Dau & Phu Dong Family Band of Ho Chi Minh City)
( 1:45) 7. Lucky Man: Flashback Memories
(11:35) 8. New Saigon Phunk (Extended Version) (feat. Duc Dau & Phu Dong Family Band of Ho Chi Minh City)
( 0:59) 9. Lucky Man: Traditional Vietnamese Catru Music
( 0:51) 10. Lucky Man: Billy Reflecting on Memories and Feelings
(12:26) 11. Jungle Lullaby (Live at the Sax n'Art Club) (feat. Sax n’Art Band)
( 1:07) 12. Lucky Man: Quynh Anh Pham's Memories About Her Father
( 9:46) 13. Dan Da
( 0:47) 14. Lucky Man: Billy Speaking About Music and Art
( 1:53) 15. Lucky Man: Flashlight and a 45 Tunnel Memories
( 1:06) 16. Lucky Man Title Music: Vietnam 1967 Battle Composition
( 1:09) 17. Lucky Man: Teach Me Banhar
( 5:47) 18. Traditional Quan Ho (feat. Cau River Singers)
( 1:05) 19. Lucky Man: Billy Reflecting on America, Music and Being Left Alone
( 2:30) 20. Moments for the KIAMIA (Solo in a Hotel Interior Courtyard)
( 0:44) 21. Lucky Man: Quynh Anh Pham Lullaby
( 5:51) 22. New Saigon Phunk (feat. Duc Dau & Phu Dong Family Band of Ho Chi Minh City)

When he performed in Germany, they called him the "black devil violinist," his frenetic playing wrapped in a gyrating, trance-like state. For Billy Bang, who believed he had schizophrenia, the epithet bore a resemblance to his inner turmoil. He was born William Walker in Mobile, Alabama but grew up in the South Bronx. He studied violin and classical music, and his talent earned him a hardship scholarship to the Stockbridge School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Bang felt out of place in the predominantly white prep school and quit, returning to the Bronx, where he was drafted into the army. He fought in the infantry during the bloodiest period of the Vietnam War's TET Offensive.

Back home, now with substance abuse problems, he found his neighborhood re-christened as Fort Apache; with burned-out buildings and urban decay, the South Bronx itself looked like a war zone. Bang's expertise in weaponry led to a job buying guns for a black militant group. He wandered into a pawnshop's backroom on one such buying trip in Baltimore and found a twenty-five-dollar violin hanging from the wall. He brought it home and started over.

In New York's avant-garde and experimental loft scene of the 1970s, Bang studied with Leroy Jenkins and began playing and recording with David Murray, Frank Lowe and others. In the 1980s, he played with the Sun Ra Arkestra. But Vietnam haunted him. It would be seventeen recordings and three decades later that he found catharsis in his music. What Bang unlocked with Vietnam: The Aftermath (Justin Time, 2001) and Vietnam: Reflections (Justin Time, 2004) was in his words "painful, but it was very honest and truthful for me." Bang took that reckoning a giant step further, returning to Vietnam in 2008. Out of that journey comes Lucky Man.

French cinematographer/producer Jean-Marie Boulet and German multi-media artist Markus Hansen shadowed Bang on his voyage through Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and the 17th parallel, which divided North and South Vietnam. Lucky Man is the title of both their documentary film and this soundtrack. There are twenty-two audio tracks, of which twelve are spoken narrations taken directly from the film and mostly alternating with musical tracks. The music is unlike anything else that Bang had recorded.

"Billy playing with the Banhar Gong Group of Kuntum" is, as the subtitle indicates, a mix of traditional Vietnamese and improvised music, the latter falling primarily to the violinist. Here we see the difficulty in communicating as Bang encourages the ensemble to decrescendo with frustratingly slow results. No matter; the piece is superb. "Mystery of the Mekong," with the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra, is a stunning avant-garde orchestration of Bang's Vietnam: The Aftermath composition. In "Song for Don Cherry," Ho Chi Minh City native Duc Dau plays a "dan da," a primitive stone idiophone comparable to the vibraphone. Bang improvises along with Dau, and the two become caught up in a rapid-fire contest. A brief but moving highlight of Lucky Man is "Moments for the Kiamia." Bang plays solo in an interior courtyard of a hotel, the sounds of the violin echo off the grey concrete, and the background noises of guests and workers become part of the music.

The documentary film is raw at times, particularly in its footage of the war, but it goes a long way explaining what Bang feels. The spoken tracks are mesmerizing and seamlessly incorporated into the field recordings. Bang sometimes sounds like he has conquered his demons, but at other times, his pain is palpable. Always, he is acutely aware of the same racial dichotomies that Dizzy Gillespie struggled with as a U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador. Bang talks about the trauma of coming home to a country jeering rather than cheering its vets. There's no bitterness in his voice, but there is profound sadness, regret, and a reluctant acceptance. As a stand-alone feature, the music conveys much the same context and emotion; Bang's trademark acerbic but animated style is peppered with the violinist's inner dialog. He says, "You can't hurt a guy that got no more feelings." In Bang's case, neither of those things seem authentic. He died of lung cancer three years after completing this project, but his final act may have been his best. By Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lucky-man-billy-bang-bbe-records

Personnel: Billy Bang: violin.

Additional Instrumentation: Banhar Gong Group (1); Hanoi Symphony Orchestra (3); Duc Dau: dan da (5); Phu Dong Family Band (22); Tran Manh Tuan: saxophone (13).

Lucky Man

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Tim Hagans - The Moon Is Waiting

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:37
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:22)  1. Ornette's Waking Dream of a Woman
( 6:13)  2. The Moon Is Waiting
( 8:45)  3. Get Outside
( 6:17)  4. First Jazz
( 6:53)  5. Boo
( 7:11)  6. What I'll Tell Her Later Tonight
( 8:59)  7. Wailing Trees
(10:54)  8. Things Happen in a Convertible

Those who mine exploratory veins of music often eschew structure, confusing lack of form with freedom, but trumpeter Tim Hagans knows the difference. The new quartet that he's convened for The Moon Is Waiting is a malleable unit that thrives on bringing unpredictable ideas into structured environments. The music it makes isn't fusion, free jazz, or post-modern patchwork, but it borders on all of those territories. While the first three pieces were commissioned by the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble, they don't require accompanying visual stimuli to be stimulating from an artistic stand point. "Ornette's Waking Dream Of A Woman" is introduced with the sounds of suspicion, leading to an explosive second act, while the title track is underscored by constant cacophony. A mysterious ten-note motif makes its mark as the last of these three pieces, "Get Outside," sets sail, but the music takes a drastic turn when drummer Jukkis Uotila shifts to piano. He delivers curious yet stable chordal statements which serve as dividing markers between abstract musings from Hagans and guitarist Vic Juris. Eventually, the piece erupts into a Black Sabbath-worthy groove in seven, with Hagans running rampant atop the mix.

While Hagans has always been a visionary, capable of charting his own course without any outside help, influence or direction, his sidemen on this date help to determine how these pieces play out. Bassist Rufus Reid's tonal presence adds weight to every piece, and his ability to fatten up a unison riff or supply some saucy soloing ("Boo") make him a major asset. Guitarist Vic Juris' chameleon-like abilities help to broaden the sonic variety in the music and, while he's not as well-known as the other musicians, Jukkis Uotila proves to be a powder keg of percussive intensity. He swings in beyond-bop fashion, as Juris and a Freddie Hubbard-like Hagans show what they're made of ("First Jazz"), and he engages the rest of the musicians with perpetual drumming motion as he scampers across the rangy terrain of Hagans' compositions. His steady rhythmic barrage is actually one of the defining characteristics of this ensemble. Hagans has proven to be a master compositional architect in more formal settings, but his ability to let loose with this small group is the key to its success. The Moon Is Waiting is a marvel of elastic expressions from one of the most shrewd and intelligent minds in jazz today.~Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-moon-is-waiting-tim-hagans-palmetto-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php
 

Personnel: Tim Hagans: trumpet; Vic Juris: guitar; Rufus Reid: bass; Jukkis Uotila: drums, piano.

The Moon Is Waiting

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Nils Landgren - 3 Generations Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3

Album: 3 Generations Disc 1
Styles: Jazz, Big Band
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:28
Size: 93,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:14) 1. Lets Act Together
(4:45) 2. Little Jump
(4:33) 3. You Are a Friend of Mine
(3:03) 4. White Moon
(4:08) 5. Eternal Beauty
(3:21) 6. Lenny
(4:52) 7. Hurt
(2:28) 8. Gammal Fäbodpsalm
(4:55) 9. Send in the Clowns
(4:05) 10. Greta (Live)

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Album: 3 Generations Disc 2
Time: 47:01
Size: 108,2 MB

(3:43) 1. Dear Diary
(4:42) 2. Hide and Seek
(3:52) 3. Dannys Dream
(4:26) 4. Bizarre
(5:40) 5. The Return of Mohammed
(4:05) 6. Mountain
(4:49) 7. Olu
(4:02) 8. Fire and Rain
(4:27) 9. Riverendings
(7:11) 10. My Heart's in the Highlands

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Album: 3 Generations Disc 3
Time: 46:48
Size: 107,7 MB

(5:50) 1. Weltall
(3:37) 2. And so It Goes
(4:19) 3. Blue Corner
(4:01) 4. Mosaique Bleu
(4:13) 5. Modal Submission
(3:39) 6. Früchte
(8:14) 7. Doll of the Bride
(4:50) 8. Silent Way (Live)
(4:50) 9. Don't Stop (Live)
(3:09) 10. Young at Heart

Born in 1956, Nils Landgren began playing drums at the age of six, before at last discovering the trombone at 13. Between 1972 and 1978 Nils studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad with David Maytan and at the university in Arvika with Ingemar Roos. Meeting the legendary Swedish Folk-Jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin as well as the fantastic trombonist Eje Thelin persuaded Nils to move from strict classical studies to improvisation and to begin the development of his own approach.

After his graduation Nils moved to Stockholm to work as a professional trombone player. He was soon touring with the most successful Swedish pop star of that time, Björn Skifs’ “Blue Swede” who got to number 1 in the US pop charts with “Hooked on a feeling”. In 1981 Thad Jones invited the Swede into his new big band project “Ball of Fire”, to take the lead-trombone chair. Ever since that time Nils Landren has been involved in most styles equally: jazz and rock, soul and hip hop, big band sessions, and by his own reckoning, at least 500 albums including such internationals stars as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Wyclef Jean and Herbie Hancock.

In 1983 Nils’ debut album “Planet Rock” was released, followed by “Streetfighter” in 1984, “You are my Nr 1? in 1985, “Miles from Duke” with Bengt-Arne Wallin in 1987, “Chapter Two 1?, in 1987, “Chapter Two 2? and “Follow your heart” in 1989. Between 1985 and 1987 Nils also performed as actor, singer, trombonist, and dancer in over 360 performances of the Swedish “play of the year”, SKÅL, as well as appearing in several TV-films as an actor.

1992 saw the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren “Unit”. The final breakthrough beyond Scandinavia came first in 1994: it was at the Jazz Baltica Festival at Salzau in Germany that the “Unit” became the “Funk Unit”. The album “Live in Stockholm” (ACT 9223-2) was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his then young ACT label.

The next Funk Unit release, “Paint It Blue” (ACT 9243-2), was one of 1997's most successful albums and received Germany’s Jazz Award. The following tour of over 100 dates gave Nils Landgren and the Funk Unit their breakthrough in Germany. Inspired by his mentor Bengt-Arne Wallin, Nils Landgren ventured into non-funky realms with a re-working of traditional Swedish folk songs: “Swedish Folk Modern” (ACT 9257-2), his first duo with the pianist Esbjörn Svensson, followed up by “Layers of Light” (ACT 9281-2), an even gentler evocation.

Between January 1998 and January 2001 Nils Landgren was also a member of the NDR Big Band in Hamburg, but continuously touring throughout with the Funk Unit worldwide. During this time three albums were released: after “Live in Montreux” (ACT 9265-2) appeared in 1999 “5000 Miles” (ACT 9271-2) and in September 2001 “Fonk da World” (ACT 9299-2), which was presented live at a special 3 day festival in Hamburg dedicated to Nils Landgren’s music. The “grooving band, which encouraged the younger members of the audience into a dance frenzy, but which was also taken seriously by the greying jazz snobs” (Spiegel), proved that it could be counted as “the best funk band in Europe today” (Stereo).

As artistic director of the illustrious Berlin Jazz Festival in 2001 Nils Landgren set up a concise overview of the current directions in Scandinavian jazz and was awarded the “Tore Ehrling Prize” by the Swedish Composers’ Federation for his “special contribution in bringing worldwide attention to Swedish jazz”.

A further aspect of Landgren’s multi-facetedness has been shown since 1993, when the album “Ballads” (ACT 9268-2) was recorded, and on its release in Germany in 1999 showed for the first time his talent as an emotional ballad singer. With his tasteful tenor voice he has been compared to the introverted style of Chet Baker. In 2002 he undertook a recording of a sequence of love songs on a “Sentimental Journey” (ACT 9409-2) which was enthusiastically received by public and critics alike. “We want more of this” proclaimed the WOM Journal and so was able to follow this through the production of the album “I Will Wait For You” (ACT 9418-2) where the singer Rigmor Gustafsson – having previously made her name as a guest on “Sentimental Journey” – took centre stage. It stormed into the jazz charts in Sweden and Germany, reaching number 1 and number 2 respectively.

In 2004, after a self-imposed sabbatical of almost two years, Landgren went full steam ahead with his Funk Unit and produced the acclaimed Platinum „Funky Abba“ album (ACT 9430-2); his own personal hommage to one of the greatest pop bands in history. 2005 marks the new album “Creole Love Call” (ACT 9707-2) together with the legendary keyboarder Joe Sample of The Crusaders, in which Nils Landgren can be heard again primarily as a vocalist.

In December 2005, Nils Landgren celebrated Christmas in a church in Stockholm with some friends from the Scandinavian music scene and thus fulfilling a long-time dream. This unique recording of the most beautiful Christmas songs from the middle ages to our time was released in December 2006 on CD and DVD, went gold in Sweden and Germany within a month of its release, and climbed to #2 of the German Jazz charts: “Christmas with my Friends” (ACT 9454-2).

2007 brings the Funk Unit back again. The eighth funk album demonstrates the same killer groove as its award-winning predecessors lead us to expect. Nils Landgren definitely has it: the “Licence to Funk” (ACT 9455-2).

Given the resounding success of JazzFest Berlin ’01, Landgren has been nominated again in 2008 as artistic director of the JazzFest Berlin for the coming three years. At the end of 2008 he will release a sequel of his successful first Christmas album: “Christmas With My Friends II”.

Music knows no borders, music is freedom – this is Nils Landgren’s credo. For every record of his new Funk Unit album “Funk For Life” (released in spring 2010) sold, one Euro goes to the Funk Unit – Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without borders) project ”Funk For Life” in Kibera Nairobi. By purchasing the CD the buyer will contribute in making life for people in Kibera just a bit easier. And he helps to guarantee that from now on, music will be a central part of the education in Kibera. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/nils-landgren

3 Generations Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3

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Dizzy Reece & Ted Curson - Blowin' Away

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:40
Size: 95,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:23) 1. Stella By Starlight
(6:27) 2. All The Things You Are
(5:37) 3. Bass Conclave
(5:02) 4. Moose the Mooche
(7:04) 5. Marjo
(9:04) 6. Walkin'

Trumpeters Dizzy Reece and Ted Curson team up with a top-notch trio (pianist Claude Williamson, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Roy Haynes) on three of the six numbers on this bebop-oriented LP, originally recorded for Interplay and then soon reissued by Discovery.

In addition to those pieces ("Walkin'" and a basic original apiece by each trumpeter), Reece is showcased on "Stella By Starlight," Curson gets the spotlight on "All the Things You Are," and the rhythm section romps on "Moose the Mooche." It is a pity that Reece and Curson do not get to tangle on all of the numbers, but they do shoot off some fireworks (most notably on "Walkin'"); the playing by all of the veterans is up to par. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/blowin-away-mw0000910495

Personnel: Dizzy Reece - trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 6); Ted Curson - trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 2, 3, 5 & 6); Claude Williamson - piano; Sam Jones - bass; Roy Haynes - drums

Blowin' Away

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Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin Big Band - Kogun

Styles: Piano And Saxophone
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:19
Size: 95,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:13) 1. Elegy
(10:21) 2. Memory
( 6:48) 3. Kogun
( 5:48) 4. American Ballad
( 9:08) 5. Henpecked Old Man

As a writer known for her incorporation of traditional Japanese music into idiomatic big band writing, it is only on the title track of this 1974 recording that this propensity is exhibited. The rest of the album is dedicated to more traditional big band approaches, but, in the hands of Toshiko Akiyoshi, "traditional" techniques always manage to sound fresh. Few of the many twists and turns on display in the five songs off of Kogun fail either to surprise or to work. Although straight-ahead cookers such as "Elegy" (which features a wicked piano solo by the leader) succeed marvelously, it is when Akiyoshi turns to more unconventional writing techniques, such as the spoken word fragments that are interspersed throughout the extraordinary "Memory" or the endlessly shifting form and mood of "Kogun," that her muse is most clearly on display.

This is big band as orchestra, and it is evocative in a way that most other big band records simply are not. Although Akiyoshi's contributions are impossible to downplay, the reason for this record's sublimity must also rest in the orchestra itself, co-led by tenor (and hubby) Lew Tabackin. From trumpeter Bobby Shew to alto saxophonist Dick Spencer, the winds are uniformly excellent, and the rhythm section of Gene Cherico and Peter Donald cook without being heavy-handed. Kogun easily displays why Akiyoshi is such a treasure. It's a record that is simultaneously driving, romantic, and experimental, seductive in its implications and undeniable in its swing. A difficult combination, to be sure, but one for which Akiyoshi clearly has the winning formula.
By Daniel Gioffre https://www.allmusic.com/album/kogun-mw0000351554

Personnel: Toshiko Akiyoshi – piano; Lew Tabackin – tenor saxophone; Tom Peterson – tenor saxophone; Dick Spencer – alto saxophone; Gary Foster – alto saxophone; Bill Perkins – baritone saxophone; Bobby Shew – trumpet; John Madrid – trumpet; Don Rader – trumpet; Mike Price – trumpet; Charles Loper – trombone; Jim Sawyer – trombone; Britt Woodman – trombone; Phil Teele – bass trombone; Gene Cherico – bass; Peter Donald – drums; Scott Ellsworth – voice (on "Memory")

Kogun

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Yannick Robert - Soul Cages Trio

Styles: Guitar
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:12
Size: 120,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:57) 1. A Thousand Years
(5:13) 2. Be Still My Beating Heart
(4:54) 3. Englishman In New York
(7:01) 4. Walking On The Moon
(6:13) 5. Children's Crusade
(4:25) 6. We'll Be Together
(4:21) 7. Fields Of Gold
(4:31) 8. We Work The Black Seam
(4:47) 9. Message In A Bottle
(3:45) 10. La Belle Dame Sans Regrets

Born: October 3, 1960. Guitarist, with a very unique finger playing technic, French Ibanez guitar schools teaching director, Nancy’Music Academy International permanent member, Yannick Robert is very active on the french and international jazz and fusion scene since years. He is endorsed by Ibanez since 1992, who built for him a Fretless signature model, he takes part to the Fretless Guitar Masters and Village of the Unfretted recordings. He is also endorsed by Savarez strings.

He recently took part on the cine-concert of the original movie soundtrack The Artist with the Strasbourg symphonic orchestra and the composer Ludovic Bource. He produced more than twenty methods and teaching Dvds, and has released about twenty albums among which La Danse du Chat (2011) and Echec et Malt (2013), recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios with the Blues & Beyond Quartet, with world known bass player Dominique Dipiazza, harmonicist Sébastien Charlier et drummer Yoann Schmidt, with whom he has toured in the whole world.

He recently released with his Soul Cages Trio (2017) an album dedicated to jazz arrangements of Sting’s compositions, and also Baïkal (2017) in duet with Belgian bass-player Benoit Vanderstraeten, and ?nally with the Millenium trio (2018) with Franck Agulhon (drums) et de Benoit Vanderstraeten (basse).

In September 2019 has been released AGORA quartet’s ?rst album recorded with Franck Agulhon, Diégo Imbert (cb) and Sébastien Charlier. Yannick Robert is guitar referent at the MAI, and collection director at MAI BOOKS, LEMOINE and HAL LEONARD editions. He has also recorded a lot of teaching modules for the music teaching website imusic-shool.com https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/yannick-robert

Personnel: Yannick Robert: Electric Fretless Guitar; Gilles Coquard: Electric Bass; Cedric Affre: Drums

Soul Cages Trio

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