Terrell Stafford - This Side Of Strayhorn

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 69:13
Size: 158.5 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[7:53] 1. Raincheck
[8:54] 2. Smada
[7:17] 3. My Little Brown Book
[7:39] 4. Lush Life
[8:38] 5. Multicolored Blue
[7:07] 6. U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)
[8:14] 7. Lana Turner
[7:03] 8. Day Dream
[6:25] 9. Johnny Come Lately

Trumpeter Terell Stafford's 2011 effort This Side of Strayhorn features the hornman performing a series of classic and lesser-known compositions from Duke Ellington's longtime collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Born out of his week-long participation the "Celebrating Billy Strayhorn" fest in Dayton, OH, the album is an urbane and well-crafted affair that finds Stafford wringing much joy improvisationally and otherwise out of these superb compositions. Joining Stafford here are such similarly adept players as saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Dana Hall. To these ends, tracks like "Smada" showcase Stafford's longstanding love of trumpeter Lee Morgan's bluesy and propulsive style, while "Little Brown Book" is a warm, cup-muted number. Elsewhere, the burnished slow-burn blues "Multicolored Blue" and the laid-back and sultry midtempo ballad "Lana Turner" are easily some of the best small group interpretations of Strayhorn you could ever find. ~ Matt Collar

Recording information: Systems Two Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY (05/17/2010-05/18/2010).

Terell Stafford (trumpet, flugelhorn); Tim Warfield (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bruce Barth (piano); Dana Hall (drums).

This Side Of Strayhorn

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Mulgrew Miller - Wingspan

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:18
Size: 124,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Wingspan
(6:48)  2. One's Own Room
(6:08)  3. The Eleventh Hour - Early Take
(5:25)  4. I Remember You
(7:55)  5. Soul-Leo
(7:32)  6. You're That Dream
(7:15)  7. Sonhos Do Brasil (Dreams Of Brazil)
(7:33)  8. The Eleventh Hour - Later Take

A beautiful set from Mulgrew Miller one of his greatest albums as a leader, and exemplary of the kind of underground jazz that was still bubbling strong in the 80s! The set features Miller's quintet with Kenny Garrett on alto and flute, Steve Nelson on vibes, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums led by Miller in a range of expressive styles carried off with effortless ease. There's some really nice numbers on here with a gentle and soulful groove mixing vibes, piano, and alto in wonderful shades of colors and tone. Titles include "Sonhos Do Brasil", "Wingspan", "One's Own Room", "The Eleventh Hour", and "Soul Leo".  © 1996-2019, Dusty Groove Inc.https://www.dustygroove.com/item/476436/Mulgrew-Miller:Wingspan

Personnel:  Mulgrew Miller – piano; Charnett Moffett – bass; Tony Reedus – drums; Rudy Bird – percussion (tracks: 2 5 7); Kenny Garrett – saxophone, flute; Steve Nelson – vibraphone

Wingspan

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Anders Mogensen - Brazilian Moods

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:23
Size: 88,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:13) 1. That's The Way It Is
(6:32) 2. Pele
(5:15) 3. Estate
(4:46) 4. Pulpo
(5:18) 5. Pacific
(6:45) 6. You And Me
(5:31) 7. Winther

For more than two decades, drummer Anders Mogensen has been one of the most sought after musicians on the Danish as well as the International Jazz scene. He has been a member of ground-breaking bands such as When Granny Sleeps, Jakob Anderskov Trio, Doky Brothers, Kasper Tranberg Yakuza Zhuffle, Lovedale and Copenhagen Art Ensemble. He has toured and recorded with Jazz Greats such as: Bob Berg, David Liebman, Steve Swallow, Marc Johnson, Brecker Brothers, Gary Thomas, Django Bates, Tim Hagans, Cuong Vu, Lew Soloff and Ray Anderson.

Anders holds a position as Associated Professor and head of the Jazzdepartment at Carl Nielsen Academy of Music, Odense. And he has done clinics and workshops throughout Europe, USA, Japan and Brazil.https://www.andersmogensen.dk/

Brazilian Moods

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Dave Liebman - Trust and Honesty

Styles: Saxophone and Flute Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:10
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:38) 1. Designs
(5:08) 2. Lover Man
(4:24) 3. Time Remembered (Bonus Track)
(5:32) 4. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(4:43) 5. Stella By Starlight
(1:07) 6. Blind Pig (Bonus Track)
(6:04) 7. Moon And Sand
(2:32) 8. Blue In Green
(5:16) 9. Bye Bye Blackbird
(6:40) 10. Zingaro

Dave Liebman's Trust And Honesty is the third release in Newvelle Records' limited edition audiophile-vinyl autumn 2022 Renewal Collection. It follows Elan Mehler's There Is A Dance and Michael Blake's Combobulate, both previously reviewed on these pages.

Liebman's album is an unassuming little gem. It takes a master musician to take a selection of familiar ballads, give them simple, straightforward readings with an average duration of around four minutes, and come up with something so lovely and compelling. Liebman, more than ably assisted by Ben Monder on guitar and John Hébert on bass, does all of that.

Liebman has essayed a similar venture before, on Classic Ballads (Candid, 1991), in a trio completed by guitarist Vic Juris and bassist Steve Gilmore. On that album, he played soprano saxophone throughout. On Trust And Honesty, he plays soprano on the first seven tracks and flute on the eighth, the closer, Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Zingaro." Monder, heard on electric guitar on the earlier tracks, also switches instruments here, to 12-string acoustic, bringing an understated bossa nova-ish vibe.

Some of the material inevitably brings to mind Liebman's early and mid 1970s employer Miles Davis: Davis and Bill Evans' "Blue In Green," Victor Young's "Stella By Starlight" and Ray Henderson's "Bye Bye Blackbird." Other tunes evoke different, multiple associations: Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez and James Sherman's "Lover Man," Harold Arlen's "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and Alec Wilder's "Moon And Sand."

Monder and Hébert drop out for "Blue And Green" but Liebman does not monopolise the album. It is an ensemble affair, all three musicians solo, and on "Stella By Starlight" (also covered on the aforementioned Classic Ballads) he does not enter until over three minutes into the track.By Chris May
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/truth-and-honesty-dave-liebman-newvelle-records

Personnel: Dave Liebman: saxophone,soprano,flute; Ben Monder: guitar; John Hébert: bass.

Trust and Honesty

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Andrea Motis & Joan Chamorro Quintet - Live At Jamboree Barcelona (Feat. Scott Hamilton)

Styles: Vocal,Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:20
Size: 175,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. Exactly Like You
(6:45) 2. Meditaçao
(6:33) 3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
(4:33) 4. Sun Showers
(7:41) 5. Someday My Prince Will Come
(5:45) 6. Moody's Mood For Love
(6:19) 7. Chega De Saudhade
(7:42) 8. Summertime
(6:25) 9. Lullaby Of Birdland
(5:18) 10. Corcovado
(5:16) 11. All Too Soon
(5:27) 12. My Baby Just Cares For Me
(3:06) 13. This Year's Kisses (Bonus Track)

"A friend recommended Andrea to me, and she's definitely a "comer," someone worth a lot of encouragement. I'm frankly tired of guitar-strumming singer-songwriters who do all "original material" because the harmonies of standards (like "Body and Soul" or "All the Things You Are") are totally beyond their reach. Andrea is taking a far more sophisticated path, reminiscent of Chet Baker -in both her singing and trumpet work- than any other musician.

She was in her early teens when this album was made. Her voice lacks mature body and firm, sustaining breath support both her singing and trumpet- but is nonetheless most pleasant, with clear elocution and precise intonation. And her trumpet work sparkles with note choices that are melodic and "hip." You can only hope she has the right teachers and influences to nurture her undeniable talent. Also, one might hope that she doesn't overdo the guitars. I'm not hearing the support of a firm walking bass or of a drummer with a strong hi-hat clap and ringing ride cymbal. Pianos are on the verge of extinction the reason I go back to Bill Evans and Duke Ellington for the majority of my listening. The presence of Scott Hamilton makes this album a no-brainer.
By Samuel Chell https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/joan-chamorro-andrea-motis-albums/6061-live-at-jamboree-barcelona-cd-dvd-featuring-scott-hamilton.html

Personnel: Andrea Motis (vocal, trumpet & Alto sax), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Joan Chamorro (bass), Ignasi Terraza (piano & Hammond organ), Josep Traver (guitar), and Esteve Pi (drums).

Live At Jamboree Barcelona (Feat. Scott Hamilton)

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Dave McKenna - Hear Me Now

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 132:50
Size: 305,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:39)  1. Lady Be Good
( 5:28)  2. Chinatown, My Chinatown
( 9:10)  3. Once I Loved
( 8:11)  4. I'll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her
(12:02)  5. Comes Love
( 7:18)  6. Fred
( 5:34)  7. September Song
( 9:23)  8. O Grande Amor
( 8:46)  9. The Touch of Your Lips
( 5:44) 10. Life Is Better
(10:34) 11. Holiday in the Sun
( 9:50) 12. Just You, Just Me
( 8:44) 13. Emily
(13:46) 14. It's Alright with Me
( 9:44) 15. On the Alamo
( 1:50) 16. Good Night, Travel Well

One of the top swing-based pianists of the past 25 years, Dave McKenna's hard-driving basslines give momentum to uptempo pieces, and his vast knowledge of superior songs from the 1930s has resulted in many rewarding albums of traditional but fresh music. Although talented from the start, McKenna did not achieve that much recognition until he was already in his forties. He joined the Musicians' Union when he was 15 and picked up early experience playing with Boots Mussulli (1947), Charlie Ventura (1949), and Woody Herman's Orchestra (1950-1951). After two years in the military, McKenna had a second stint with Ventura (1953-1954) and then worked with a variety of top swing and Dixieland players including Gene Krupa, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Eddie Condon, Bobby Hackett, and Bob Wilber (in the late '70s), and was a soloist at piano bars in Massachusetts. 

McKenna had recorded for ABC-Paramount (1956), Epic (1958), Bethlehem (a two-piano date shared with Hall Overton in 1960), and Realm (1963), but in 1973, McKenna's talents finally began to be more fully documented. He led sets for Halycon, Shiah, Famous Door, Inner City (with vocalist Teddi King), and four for Chiaroscuro. And then in 1979 with No Bass Hit (a trio date with Scott Hamilton and Jake Hanna), McKenna debuted with Concord, finding his home. He has made many sessions for Concord ever since, some as a sideman or with small groups, but the best ones being unaccompanied recitals. In the mid-'90s Dave McKenna was at the top of his field. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-mckenna-mn0000687586/biography

Hear Me Now

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Charlie Byrd - Forever Cool [feat. Keter Betts & Bill Reichenbach]

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:08
Size: 150,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:27) 1. Don't Explain
(2:43) 2. Makin' Whoopee
(1:47) 3. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(3:39) 4. My Funny Valentine
(4:42) 5. Satin Doll
(1:30) 6. Interlude
(3:45) 7. Speak Low
(4:15) 8. What's New
(3:24) 9. Django
(1:57) 10. Taking A Chance On Love
(9:41) 11. Taboo
(3:18) 12. My Heart Stood Still
(5:25) 13. Ginny
(3:01) 14. Nuages
(2:22) 15. Um Abraço No Bonfa´.mp3
(2:52) 16. Moonlight In Vermont
(5:45) 17. Four O'clock Funk
(2:05) 18. Cancio´n Di Argentina.mp3
(3:51) 19. Ring Them Harmonics

Charles L. Byrd (September 16, 1925 - November 30, 1999), better known as Charlie Byrd, was a famous jazz guitarist, born in Suffolk, Virginia. He was the only jazz guitarist of that era whose primary instrument was the classical guitar which gave him his uniquely identifiable sound.

Byrd primarily looked up to Django Reinhardt. He moved to Washington, D.C., to study classical guitar with the renowned Sophocles Papas. He later moved to Italy where he studied with Andrés Segovia. In the early 1960's he was on a State Department tour in South America where he was introduced to a new music, the bossa nova, which was the musical passion of Brazil beginning in the late 50's. Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz had been in Brazil about six months earlier than Byrd, also on a State Department tour, where he, too, was exposed to the bossa nova. A short time later Getz called Byrd in D.C. and suggested the idea that they collaborate on a bossa nova album. That album was the introduction of bossa nova to North America.

He is perhaps most well known as a collaborator with Stan Getz on the Jazz Samba album, which featured many themes of bossa nova, and of course, samba.
https://www.last.fm/music/Charlie+Byrd/+wiki

Forever Cool

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Aubrey Johnson & Randy Ingram - Play Favorites

Styles: Vocal And Piano
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:58
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:09) 1. My Future
(4:58) 2. If Ever I Would Leave You
(1:37) 3. Prelude
(5:32) 4. If I Should Lose You
(4:23) 5. Conversation
(5:38) 6. Olha Maria
(2:34) 7. Didn’t We
(4:57) 8. Chovendo Na Roseira
(4:53) 9. Quem É Você (Close To Home)
(3:58) 10. I’ll Remember April / April
(4:32) 11. Born To Be Blue
(3:51) 12. Bons Amigos
(3:50) 13. My Ideal

Before her 2019 debut album Unraveled introduced her as a songwriter with a keen ear as an arranger and composer, Aubrey Johnson had already earned widespread notice with her bright, crystalline tone and creative versatility via her work supporting fellow vocal explorers such as Bobby McFerrin, Sara Serpa, and Sofia Rei and contributions to recordings by Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra, Joe Phillips’ Numinous Ensemble, and Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble. Her follow-up, Play Favorites, offers a very different glimpse at an artist who’s still stretching her wings.

Partnering with Randy Ingram, a pianist with a gift for distilling harmonic essentials, the duo project features a ballad-centric program sifted from a wide array of sources, starting with a beguiling take on Billie Eilish/Finneas O’Connell’s “My Future” that accentuates the melody’s gentle contours so that it could have come from the pen of Sara Gazarek. Equally arresting on standards like “If I Should Lose You” and “Born to Be Blue,” Johnson is particularly striking on Joni Mitchell’s “Conversation,” navigating the upper register leaps with the liquid grace.

The brightest thread running through the project is their deep love of the Brazilian Songbook. Singing in Portuguese, Johnson renders Chico Buarque, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes’ abject lament “Olha Maria” in luminous pastels. Ingram’s love of classical music shines through on their setting of Toninho Horto and Ronaldo Bastos’s “Bons Amigos.” Another standout is Johnson’s take on her uncle Lyle Mays’ “Quem é Você,” which was introduced as Pat Metheny Group instrumental “Close to Home” and recorded most memorably with Luiz Avellar’s lyric by Milton Nascimento. It’s another sublime bloom in a garden, lovingly tended since the mid-20th century, where jazz and Brazilian hybrids proliferate. Johnson’s harvest with Ingram is bountiful indeed.
By Andrew Gilbert https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/aubrey-johnson-randy-ingram-play-favorites-sunnyside/

Personnel: Aubrey Johnson - vocals; Randy Ingram - piano

Play Favorites

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Jan Lundgren - In New York

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. Negotiations
(5:26) 2. East Of The Sun
(7:02) 3. Autumn In New York
(7:36) 4. Stablemates
(4:52) 5. The Gypsy
(7:29) 6. Straight Street
(5:12) 7. M.Z.
(5:51) 8. Cherokee
(4:35) 9. I Can't Get Started
(6:14) 10. This Is For Albert

In sports, coaches like to talk about “putting yourself in position to win.” Jan Lundgren has done exactly that with In New York. He borrowed Bill Charlap’s rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, one of the finest active piano-trio support systems. He recorded at Nola Studios with engineers Jim Czak and Bill Moss and got superb full-bandwidth sound. He assembled a stimulating program of originals, songbook classics (“East of the Sun,” “Autumn in New York,” “I Can’t Get Started”), and jazz standards by saxophonists (Golson’s “Stablemates,” Coltrane’s “Straight Street,” Shorter’s “This Is for Albert”).

Win he does. My only previous exposure to Lundgren’s work was a rather bland album of Swedish folksongs called Landscapes. But on In New York, with the Washingtons smoothing paths for him like two sweepers on the world champion Swedish curling team, Lundgren effortlessly glides and streaks over these songs. His versions of the three songbook pieces are rich, comprehensive and elegantly detailed. The positive energy is powerful and exhilarating. Even Lundgren’s “M.Z.,” for Monica Zetterlund, a wheelchair-bound Swedish singer who died tragically in an apartment fire in 2005, is much more about celebrating her life than mourning her death.
By Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/archives/jan-lundgren-in-new-york/

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums)

In New York

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Dave McKenna - Dave McKenna In Madison

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:37
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:18)  1. Too Marvelous For Words
(15:25)  2. Vernon Duke Medley
( 3:50)  3. Craziology
( 9:14)  4. Soon Medley
( 5:39)  5. Medley
( 8:19)  6. Exactly Like You
( 5:10)  7. Detour Ahead
(10:39)  8. Time Medley

Too many things have a way of getting forgotten. If you are unfortunate enough not to have experienced pianist McKenna, here's something to think about. I had been hired to start a jazz label. One of my first calls was to McKenna at a hotel in Boston. He was recording on a handshake with Concord at the time and expressed too much loyalty to Carl Jefferson to leave the stable. In coming hedge fund owners changed that dynamic around. The change led him to jazz fan Mat Domber while I was off in other directions. 

The sum total of all that is this live date recorded well away from his stomping grounds. It was never intended to be a record and it's nice to have it escape on a label that'll know what to do with it. Maybe the greatest saloon piano player of our times, this is him simply kicking it out, keeping the audience in the palm of his hand. Whether it was ever supposed to be a record or not, this is a master class of a master at work, doing it solo and swinging like he invented it. A winner throughout. ~ Chris Spector (Midwest Records).

Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Dave-McKenna-Madison/dp/B07HGBDNXD

Personnel:  Piano – Dave McKenna 

Dave McKenna In Madison

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Chris Hodgkins And His Band - A Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 68:23
Size: 63,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:16) 1. Cross a Busy Street
(3:09) 2. Cecil Beaten Strikes Again
(4:30) 3. Tribal Dance
(3:03) 4. Fat Tuesday
(3:34) 5. Susan
(4:09) 6. Holy Main
(3:26) 7. In Swinger
(3:55) 8. Late Night Final
(4:48) 9. Mezz's Tune/Mezzrow
(4:36) 10. We Fell Out Of Love
(3:23) 11. One For Buck
(5:58) 12. Wrestler's Tricks
(4:17) 13. Bad Penny Blues
(4:46) 14. Kath Meets Humph
(8:26) 15. Let's Get Out

This album is dedicated to Kathryn Shackleton and Iain Sutcliffe of Watermill Jazz for their perseverance and hard work in supporting the UK jazz scene. The “Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton” is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Humphrey Lyttelton’s birth and to showcase his wonderful life, times and music. As a life-long fan of Humphrey Lyttelton, I wanted to highlight how Humph led the way for the jazz revival of the late ’40s and ’50s by bringing jazz to the UK mainstream with ‘Bad Penny Blues’, the first UK jazz record to reach the Top20.

This album and the tour that preceded it is my dedication to Humph to thank him for his huge contribution to and advocacy of the UK jazz scene. What started off as a simple idea ended up with a substantial cast of helpers and supporters to coordinate a consecutive 17 date tour of the UK along with an accompanying album.

I would like to thank: Ina Dittke and Associates for generating the dates; Digby Fairweather and Mark Cass of the Jazz Centre UK for giving me unfettered access to the Humphrey Lyttelton Collection held at the Centre; Steve Voce for patiently answering my questions; Paul Kauffman, Chair of the National Jazz Archive for providing advice on the travelling exhibition and Gina Treadwell who designed the panels; Issie Barratt of the National Youth Jazz Collective who rode to the rescue on “Create Your Tune”, a scheme I devised to highlight how creativity abounds in schools to retirement homes everyday life from raw beginners to aficionados;

Arts Council England and Lottery Funding for generously financing the tour; The 17 promoters, many of whom are volunteer promoters who worked hard to market the tour; Joe Paice of the PizzaExpress Live kicked off the proceedings by booking the first two gigs; Phil Rose at Birmingham Jazz and Elaine Crouch whose knowledge and advice played a large part in securing funding for the project; Jazz London Radio who broadcast my ten-part series “Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton”; Rupert Burley who did a splendid job on the press and PR; Eric Gilchrist and Jane Reid who lent a hand on the leaflets and design; Roger Wilson who road-managed the tour and gave logistical support including driving one of the tour vans ensuring a smooth transition from one hotel to the next;

Selorm Anku for driving the other tour van and being a patient roadie. Susan da Costa, Humph’s manager since 1959 who gave her blessing to create the ‘A Salute to Humphrey Lyttelton”project.

Personnel: Chris Hodgkins | trumpet; Henry Lowther | trumpet/flugheal horn; Charlotte Glasson | baritone sax/clarinet/penny whistle; Diane McLoughlin | alto sax/soprano sax; Alex Clarke | tenor sax/clarinet; Mark Bassey | trombone; Alison Rayner | double bass; Buster Birch | drums; Wayne Wilkinson | guitar; Jinjoo Yoo | piano

A Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton

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Louise Bøttern - Listen Here

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:00
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:58) 1. Cloudy Treasures
(2:52) 2. I Want To Be A Sideman
(5:38) 3. Listen Here
(4:18) 4. Shine
(3:28) 5. Bye Bye Country Boy
(5:45) 6. A Timeless Place (The Peacocks)
(3:16) 7. Tight
(5:41) 8. Sweet Kentucky Ham
(3:27) 9. Experiment
(4:25) 10. This Could Be The Start Of Something
(2:09) 11. I Like You, You're Nice

Jazz singer Louise Bøttern has always been drawn to the lesser known jazz tunes and particularly to the cool jazz from the 60’s. The american popular songs of the time with a smart and clever wit are still rooted strongly in the jazz tradition. Among the 11 tracks are instrumental originals by Thelonious Monk with added lyrics.

Louise Bøttern was born in Denmark near Randers into a musical family. As a teenager she was singing Chicago blues in the band ”Louis’ Blues Machine”. The blues led her to discover jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae and later Irene Kral, Deborah Brown and Nancy King. In fact; Deborah Brown did on two separate occasions compare Louise’s voice to the one of Nancy King.

She studied at the jazz department of The Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands and with dedication, hard work and training changed both her speaking and singing voice completely. Studying jazz singing with Rachel Gould and Anette von Eichel she graduated in 2004.

She has been taught by jazz greats as Barry Harris, Mark Murphy, Meredith d’Ambrosio, Sanna van Vliet, Fay Claassen, Deborah Brown and Bob Stoloff.

Now back in Copenhagen she is sharing her passion for singing in her private teaching practice ‘Vokalrummet’. She has played concerts in The Netherlands and around Denmark and while planning upcoming events and doing concerts she is currently working on new material.
https://louiseboettern.com/about/

Listen Here

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The Pointer Sisters - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:04
Size: 161.5 MB
Styles: R&B/Pop-Rock
Year: 1989/1999
Art: Front

[6:26] 1. Jump (For My Love)
[5:32] 2. Neutron Dance
[6:16] 3. Dare Me
[3:27] 4. Fire
[6:05] 5. Automatic
[5:38] 6. I'm So Excited
[3:37] 7. He's So Shy
[3:51] 8. Slow Hand
[5:49] 9. I Need You
[6:11] 10. If You Wanna Get Back To Your Lady
[6:19] 11. Freedom
[3:58] 12. American Music
[7:19] 13. Baby Come And Get It

This "Greatest Hits" CD is unlike any of the others that are out by the Pointer Sisters and there are many. This CD gathers all of their biggest hits for Planet/RCA (1978-1985 on this disc). There are only 13 tracks because 8 of the 13 are extended remixes. The material presented here is overall great. The disc only clocks in to 71 minutes because in the late 80s' CDs could only fit a total 74 minutes worth of music. ~Amazon

Greatest Hits

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Judith Lorick - The Second Time Around

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:34
Size: 96,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Why Did I Choose You
(3:22)  2. Lucky to Be Me
(4:54)  3. Wild Is the Wind
(4:38)  4. For All We Know / I'll Be Seeing You
(5:00)  5. He Needs Me
(3:59)  6. If You Could See Me Now
(4:10)  7. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life
(5:08)  8. When I Look in Your Eyes
(2:54)  9. Hymne à L'amour
(2:41) 10. The Second Time Around

Lovely sophisticated jazz vocals Judith Lorick – Second Time Around:  An absolutely splendid lineup of players has a lot to do with total success on a new release, and Judith’s got it Down on this one… in addition to her comforting vocal work, you’ll hear piano from Eric Reed, trumpet by Jeremy Pelt, drums from McClenty Hunter, bass by Kiyoshi Kitagawa and tenor saxophone from Chris Lewis… songs like the jaunty “Wild Is The Wind” will make you a believer in Judith’s album, I’ve no doubt – just splendid! (no samples are up yet, since this doesn’t go HOT until the 28th of September; I’ll come back and add them in when it’s live). One thing that would be nice as it gets closer to the official date is a live performance video trailer of Judith’s excellent jazz talent… in the meantime, I can tell you that if it’s “sophisticated” you’re looking for, you’ll find “I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life” very attractive… what’s most unique about Judith’s singing is that she’s (unquestionably) “got the magic”… total groove, as you listen to a piece of her soul not to mention that Eric’s keyboard on this one is pure perfection! If you’ve been feeling “down” or “out”, you won’t be for long when you scope out Judith’s performance on “Lucky To Be Me” her joy simply shines through each and every note on this tune. Of the eleven songs offered up, it’s definitely the classic piece “For All We Know/I’ll Be Seeing You” that is my personal favorite… Judith’s passion in this vocal will dig down deep into your core & bring back memories you’d thought long lost. I give Judith and her fantastic players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this excellent vocal jazz adventure. http://contemporaryfusionreviews.com/lovely-sophisticated-jazz-vocals-judith-lorick-second-time-around/
 

Personnel:  Vocals - Judith Lorick;  Piano - Eric Reed;  Trumpet - Jeremy Pelt;  Drums - McClenty Hunter;  Bass -  Kiyoshi Kitagawa;  Tenor Saxophone - Chris Lewis.

The Second Time Around

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Aga Zaryan - Sara

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:33
Size: 112,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:18) 1. Central Park At Dusk
(4:52) 2. Blue Squills
(5:38) 3. Barter
(4:23) 4. Coney Island
(4:37) 5. The Mystery
(5:15) 6. A Little While
(2:19) 7. Summer Night, Riverside
(4:33) 8. Spring Rain
(6:38) 9. Jewels
(5:08) 10. Winter Noon
(4:27) 11. Dzien I Noc.mp3
(0:46) 12. Autumn Dusk

I have been gathering for a few days to write a few words about the new, 11th album in Aga Zaryan's career, because this is not music that is easy to perceive, which can be the background for everyday, prosaic home activities. You have to sit down to listen to this music, just as you sit down in a dark theater hall to watch a performance.

Aga Zaryan, is a Polish jazz vocalist, thanks to her parents (her mother - the author of English textbooks, father a classical concert pianist) part ofShe spent her childhood traveling around Europe and completed her primary education in Great Britain. After returning to Poland permanently, she practiced competitive tennis, winning the Warsaw Championship in the junior category at the age of 14.

Aga Zaryan gained her vocal skills at the State Secondary School of Music. Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw and in the Policealne Studium Jazzu under the direction of Ewa Bem, obtaining a diploma with honors. As part of the received scholarship, she also participated in jazz workshops at Stanford and Jazz Camp West in the United States.

As the first Polish artist, she can boast of releasing albums under the banner of the legendary label Blue Note Records from New York. She received the Fryderyk Award twice.

Her debut album, My Lullaby , released in 2002, consisted of jazz standards that she sang with the accompaniment of a classic jazz quartet. An important moment in her career was the opening performance of the 2006 Branford Marsalis concert, which took place as part of the JVC Jazz Festival. In the following years, Zaryan performed in numerous clubs and festivals in Poland, Great Britain, USA, Israel, Czech Republic, Sweden, France, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal, Russia and Iceland.

The album titled Sara was inspired by the timeless poetry of Sara Teasdale, an American poet living at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1918 for her collection of poems Love Songs . This is not the first time that the singer is inspired by poetry when recording an album ( A Book of Luminous Things to the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, Jane Hirshfield and Denise Levertov)

The authors of the music on the album, apart from Zaryan, are two outstanding guitarists - Szymon Mika and David Doružka from the Czech Republic. Both musicians are the only ones who performed next to the singer on this extremely intimate album. This unusual instrumental composition makes us deal with a multitude of colors, musical colors, sound spaces, and the musicians themselves play with different styles. In their playing you can hear Pat Metheny, John Scofield or Bill Frisell. Both guitarists have a fascinating dialogue with each other, sometimes even bantering and competing. For me, an unfulfilled guitarist, this instrumental composition provides a completely unusual aesthetic experience.

The voice of Aga Zaryan on the album sounds noble and intimate, and at the same time extremely light. There is a touching sadness in her singing and at the same time a magic difficult to describe, which I absolutely succumb to with each subsequent release of the singer.I definitely recommend Aga Zaryan-Sara's album.>By Jack Bulak
https://wkulturalnysposob-com.translate.goog/2022/12/12/aga-zaryan-sara-intymnie-i-lirycznie/?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Sara

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Tom Cabrera - A Standard Afternoon

Styles: Straight Ahead Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:11
Size: 150,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:31) 1. This Thing Is
(4:20) 2. This Thing Is (Take Two)
(6:12) 3. Just Us
(5:59) 4. Smiling
(5:35) 5. It's A Mystery
(4:28) 6. Buzz
(7:38) 7. All You Are
(4:51) 8. Fog
(4:23) 9. Fog (Take Two)
(5:27) 10. Especially
(6:09) 11. The Quarter
(5:33) 12. The Wrap

Tom Cabrera’s Unseen Rain recordings include Julie (UR9957) with the Julie Lyon Quintet, the trios Lion Hearted (UR9980) and Sumari (UR9962) and his duo with the quintet’s guitarist Jack DeSalvo have released several albums, among them are Tales of Coming Home(UR9986), Libra Moon (UR9978) and Juniper (UR9966). In addition to being an incomparable jazz drummer, Cabrera is an adept world percussionist, often adding to the proceedings instruments from all over the planet, particularly the middle-east. A Native of Long Island, NY, drummer and multi-percussionist Tom Cabrera began his career in local rock, folk-rock and country bands, but his love of jazz percolated and took over his music making.

Early on both a musician and visual artist/painter, Tom was drawn into the world of graphic arts but music soon took over his life and he became a mainstay on the Hudson Valley NY scene. Cabrera relocated to Orlando, FL, but not before acquiring a frame drum, an event that would prove auspicious to his future work. In Florida Tom gigged constantly, establishing himself as one of the most respected players on the jazz scene there. After meeting his future wife, singer Julie Lyon, they went on to form the Julie Lyon Quartet, a swinging ensemble and released their live album Between Then and Now. Tom and Julie pulled up stakes, settled back up in the New York metropolitan area and assembled a quintet of remarkable musicians for their Unseen Rain Records release Julie (UR9957).
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/tom-cabrera

A Standard Afternoon

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Jesper Thilo Quartet - Jesper Thilo Quartet & Clark Terry

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:45
Size: 167,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Sunday
(5:05)  2. Did You Call Her Today?
(4:06)  3. Stardust
(8:05)  4. Frog Eyes
(6:05)  5. Body And Soul
(6:29)  6. Just One Of Those Things
(6:37)  7. Sophisticated Lady
(6:11)  8. Save Your Love For Me
(5:35)  9. Rose Room
(6:41) 10. Wave
(7:16) 11. Ballad For Jesper
(6:18) 12. Cherokee

Between them Jesper Thilo and Clark Terry have covered virtually the entire jazz scene, both with big bands and small groups, and the meeting here produced music which will prove to be timeless. http://www.storyvillerecords.com/products/jesper-thilo-quartet-clark-terry-stcd8204

Jesper Thilo Quartet & Clark Terry

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Ben Webster - Music For Loving (2-Disc Set)

Combining two string albums by Ben Webster and one from Ellington sideman Harry Carney, the two-disc Music With Feeling delivers over two hours' worth of incredible ballad interpretations. Webster, of course, made his name with many an after-hours gem, and he predictably shines here amidst the lush yet tasteful orchestral charts penned by Ralph Burns, Gerald Wilson, and Billy Strayhorn; there are particularly fine renditions here of "Early Autumn" and Strayhorn's misty and mercurial "Chelsea Bridge." Carney, too, is stunning, handling the traditionally cumbersome baritone saxophone with grace and loads of feeling, especially on highlights like "It Had to Be You" and his and Strayhorn's "Chalmeau." Forget all those bachelor-pad compilations and give this collection a spin at your next cocktail party. ~Stephen Cook

Album: Music For Loving (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:48
Size: 171.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995

[3:55] 1. Chelsea Bridge
[4:38] 2. Willow Weep For Me
[3:45] 3. There Is No Greater Love
[4:03] 4. Teach Me Tonight
[4:09] 5. Until Tonight
[4:31] 6. We'll Be Together Again
[5:05] 7. Blue Moon
[4:53] 8. Early Autumn
[3:39] 9. My Greatest Mistake
[4:00] 10. What Am I Here For
[4:48] 11. All Too Soon
[3:21] 12. Love Is Here To Stay
[3:21] 13. It Happens To Be Me
[4:43] 14. Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me
[4:49] 15. Prelude To A Kiss
[4:25] 16. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:21] 17. Love Is Here To Stay
[3:16] 18. Love Is Here To Stay

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Album: Music For Loving (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:04
Size: 181.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Some Other Spring
[3:37] 2. When Your Lover Has Gone
[4:32] 3. Stars Fell On Alabama
[3:21] 4. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[4:40] 5. Stars Fell On Alabama
[3:31] 6. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[3:20] 7. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[3:22] 8. My Funny Valentine
[3:07] 9. You're Mine, You!
[3:04] 10. Sophisticated Lady
[3:19] 11. Love's Away
[3:59] 12. Almost Like Being In Love
[5:48] 13. (I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance (With You)
[4:47] 14. Take The 'a' Train
[3:40] 15. We're In Love Again
[3:37] 16. Chalmeau
[3:40] 17. Moonlight On The Ganges
[4:16] 18. It Had To Be You
[4:08] 19. Fantasy
[4:21] 20. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

Music For Loving (Disc 1), (Disc 2)

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Grace Kelly - All That I Need

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:01
Size: 36,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:20) 1. All That I Need
(4:11) 2. Spoon
(4:14) 3. A Night In Tunisia
(4:30) 4. Queens
(3:12) 5. We Will Rise
(6:08) 6. The Night Time
(3:58) 7. Good To See You Again
(4:09) 8. Shut Up And Dance
(5:16) 9. And So It Goes

An unequivocal musical prodigy, singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and band leader Grace Kelly has rocked the jazz world with sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl and as part of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” all before reaching her mid-twenties.

Kelly’s early career featured performances at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration at age 16 and at 14 as a soloist with the Boston Pops playing an original composition arranged for the legendary orchestra; she has since then played over 900 shows as bandleader in 35 countries at venues like the Kennedy Center and Moscow Symphony Hall and for the Montreal, Newport, and Montreux international jazz festivals. Touted for her scorching saxophone stylings and purring vocals, Kelly has performed and recorded with renowned artists including Lin Manuel- Miranda, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Questlove, and Wynton Marsalis.

Kelly was named the winner of “Song of the Year” for her single “Feels Like Home” in the 2018 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and has been named nine times consecutively in the Annual Downbeat Magazines Critics Poll “Rising Star Alto Saxophone” from the age of 17 in 2009 and winning the poll in 2017 (Youngest ever named to Downbeat critics poll in 2009.). She has also won multiple ASCAP Composer Awards, Boston Music Awards, and International Songwriting Awards. She has also appeared as a featured performer in films and television, including acclaimed documentary “Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story”, Amazon’s Emmy-nominated original series “Bosch”, and featured in the 2017 Emmy-winning Yamaha production “The Right Note”

Featured by Vanity Fair as a millennial shaking up the jazz world, Kelly’s state-of-the-art brand of electro jazz-pop and inventive digital content are pushing her to the forefront of the fusion scene, alongside names like Snarky Puppy, Jacob Collier, Cory Henry, Robert Glasper, Jon Batiste, and Too Many Zooz.

My new upcoming album “All That I Need” was inspired by the different emotions that embody the courageous spirit. I found myself on a journey thinking about what the courageous spirit feels and looks like to me. Kelly states, “I wanted to write an album that was fueled by the feeling of courage. Coming out of the pandemic, as an artist, I found myself battling the fear-based thought of: am I ever going to be able to do this thing that I love again for people? But I choose to be an optimist. To move forward with some type of courageous spirit. I always want to step into places that might feel scary or challenging in order to create an opportunity for both personal and artistic growth. That was the initial idea behind “All That I Need.”

The inspiration behind the album came in different forms I found inspiration in the written words of the great poet and activist Maya Angelou. Her bold beautiful words in her poem “And Still I Rise” inspired Grace to write the track, “We Will Rise.” It is a song dedicated to women all around the globe, a song about pushing forward during challenging times and standing up together to advocate and fight for our rights.

For full review please follow the link:
https://smoothjazzdaily.wordpress.com/2022/12/10/grace-kelly-all-that-i-need/

All That I Need

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Kirk Lightsey - Live at Smalls Jazz Club

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:01) 1. In Your Own Sweet Way
(12:01) 2. Bro. Rudolph
( 8:57) 3. Pee Wee
( 4:09) 4. Heaven Dance
(13:06) 5. Lament
( 8:17) 6. Blues On The Corner

The new SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series has issued Kirk Lightsey Live at Smalls Jazz Club, their second offering, following this past August’s release of vocalist Sheila Jordan’s Live at Mezzrow. As the series name implies, these recordings honor the best of iconic jazz musicians that are still with us. Detroit native and New York-based pianist Kirk Lightsey has been at his craft for over seventy years, having been born in 1937. For this date, we have Lightsey playing in his wonderful, inimitable style joined by his longtime bassist Santi Debriano, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and drummer Victor Lewis, from the live session on September 13, 2021.

Without delving into a lengthy history on Lightsey, suffice it to say that he cut his teeth with these musicians: Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, Clifford Jordan, and Sonny Stitt, as well as on his countless ground-breaking recordings as a bandleader, many years of which when he was based in Paris, France. As it turns out, Lightsey, like contemporary Ron Carter at age 85, shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Lightsey appears on guitarist Simon Belelty’s album Pee Wee, which was released just three weeks ago. So, this live recording enables us to hear Lightsey’s delicate, graceful touch, imaginative melodies, and yes, those lush voicings. Interestingly, these six selections contain only one Lightsey original, “Heaven Dance” although the aforementioned “Pee Wee,” penned by Tony Williams has long been a Lightsey staple that appears on almost every Lightsey project of recent vintage.

Much has been written and debated about the pairing of guitar and piano, but this writer is essentially done with debating the issue as there are so many fine examples of where it works brilliantly including here with Whitfield’s stunning melodicism. This pairing was a clear ‘meant to be.’ The program begins with Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” with Whitfield stepping forward immediately and trading lines with the pianist as Debriano and Lewis stir a subtle undercurrent. Jazz fans will recall that just last year Whitfield won a Grammy for his contributions to Christian McBride’s Big Band’s For Jimmy, Wes, and Oliver so his clean, Montgomery-like picking should come as no surprise. Debriano, a veteran of considerable duo work with the pianist, solos nimbly as well with Lewis trading fours on the way out.

The other composers covered, like Brubeck, are no longer with us. They are Eddie Harris, Tony Williams, J.J. Johnson, and McCoy Tyner. Lightsey’s vitality, best exemplified through his ever-vibrant right hand is a marvel as he brightens familiar fare such as “Freedom Jazz Dance” and “Blues on the Corner.” Whitfield is flying on the former and adds a distinctly bluesy tone to Tyner’s oft-covered tune, as the two lead voices lock-in, emitting enough power to light up a New City block. It all comes to hush as first Debriano and then Lightsey improvises lightly around the theme, gradually building it back to a full-throttle quartet explosive close.

As strong as those are, we’d be remiss to overlook Lightsey’s own “Heaven Dance,” first recorded in 1988 with Lightsey’s trio ‘The Leaders’ featuring Cecil McBee on bass and Don Moye on drums. Again, Whitfield adds a new dimension, pushing the tempo across subtle Latin rhythms as he and Lightsey each author brilliant turns with Lewis turning some of his sharpest kit work. As the title implies, J.J. Johnson’s “Lament” is the most tender reading in the set, a vivid portrait of Lightsey’s graceful touch, strengthened by Debriano’s arco technique and Whitfield’s collaborative role.

These are four musicians who never miss a step and seemingly never a note. Live performances don’t come any better. Admittedly, this writer bypassed Lightsey’s solo outing, 2021’s I Will Never Stop Loving You (Jojo) but am returning to it now. Lightsey’s piano playing is as bright as his legendary smile. https://glidemagazine.com/281997/legendary-jazz-pianist-kirk-lightsey-shines-leading-quartet-on-live-at-smalls-jazz-club-album-review/

Personnel: Kirk Lightsey - piano; Mark Whitfield - guitar; Santi DeBriano - bass; Victor Lewis - drums

Live at Smalls Jazz Club

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