Jo Jones - Smiles (1969-1975)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:47
Size: 157.5 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[ 4:07] 1. Love Is Just Around The Corner
[ 5:55] 2. I Cried For You
[ 3:17] 3. A Wig On The Bold Headed Mountain
[ 2:40] 4. I Found A New Set Of Drums
[ 3:15] 5. Dinah
[ 2:34] 6. In A Little Spanish Town
[ 3:10] 7. Slide Jimmy Slide
[ 3:06] 8. The Way You Look Tonight
[ 2:49] 9. Smiles
[15:44] 10. Caravan
[ 4:04] 11. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[ 4:57] 12. Pennies From Heaven
[ 3:51] 13. Little Miss Maudlin
[ 9:10] 14. I Found A New Chapeau

Papa Jo performed regularly in Europe and especially in France during the late 1960s through a large part of the 1970s. This album captures some of those performances as recorded by Disques Black & Blue (hence, 'The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions'.) The first ten tracks were released as Jo Jones - Caravan in 1974 by Disques Black & Blue, and dominate the album. Those tracks were recorded on 28 February 1974 at Barclay Studios in Paris, except Slide Jimmy Slide, which was recorded on 26 February in the studio, and Caravan was recorded live in Paris on January 13th 1974. Personnel on the first ten tracks are: Papa Jo Jones on drums, Major Holley on bass (except for Caravan), Gerry Wiggins on piano on all tracks except for Slide Jimmy Slide, which has Milt Buckner on piano, and Caravan, which has Milt Buckner on organ. Illinois Jacquet is on tenor saxophone on Caravan. The remaining four tracks, taken from other Paris performances between 1969 and 1975, have basically Papa Jo Jones on drums and Milt Buckner on organ.

To my ears the music is excellent and Papa Jo's drumming in superb form. If you are a drummer this album is one to study (along with Papa Jo's other work). If you are a pianist or organist, Gerry Wiggins and Milt Buckner both are worth studying especially Buckner who is credited as a pioneer of parallel chord playing.~Mike Tarrani

Smiles (1969-1975)

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Julian Lage - View With A Room

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:16
Size: 99,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47) 1. Tributary
(3:15) 2. Word For Word
(4:28) 3. Auditorium
(3:31) 4. Heart Is A Drum
(4:52) 5. Echo
(4:19) 6. Chavez
(3:58) 7. Temple Steps
(3:57) 8. Castle Park
(5:10) 9. Let Every Room Sing
(3:55) 10. Fairbanks

View With A Room looks in on two generations of American guitarists; the younger generation is represented by Julian Lage, the leader of the effort, and the older generation by Bill Frisell, who sits in on seven of the ten original Lage tunes ("Echo" is co-written by Lage and the set's bassist Jorge Roeder).

Following up on Lage's 2021 Blue Note Records debut, Squint (and let's give the label's boss, Don Was, a big tip of the hat for bringing the label back into the forefront of modern jazz), Lage again employs his blue ribbon trio mates, drummer Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, along with his front line cohort and guitar partner, Frisell. The two guitarists share a complete lack of pretense in their approach to music, making excellent, rock- solid, stripped-down guitar atmospherics with a light but deft hand on the production side tunes which could fit into a playlist with the classic old and new guitar hits. The old: Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, Link Wray, the Chantays.

The new: Pat Metheny, Mary Halvorson and (of course) Bill Frisell, the finest of American jazz guitarists (and O. K, vote for Pat Metheny if you want to; an argument can be made), This is two masters of the six strings sitting down without overplanning (or so it sounds), in the Lage's garage actually not, though it has that relaxed atmosphere, the ease and fluidity of expression playing guitar tunes as engaging a 1963's "Pipeline" by the Chantays, or Link Wray's "Rumble" from 1958.

Drummer King and bassist Roeder are mostly understated, serving this intricate, plain-spoken music well, on a set which has a subdued mood from start to finish. The album features a definite American feeling, authentically so, twanging at times, picking out sharp, succinct, delicate points of light at others, with the pair of guitars painting lush, beautiful harmonies. It has the feel of a sophisticated and virtuosic cowboy band.

At this point in his career, Frisell has nothing to prove. Then he sits down and proves his expansive talent anyway. Lage, more than three decades Frisell's junior, does have things to prove, and he continues to go about that task with unwavering success on View With A Room.By Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/view-with-a-room-julian-lage-blue-note-records

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

View With A Room

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Rachael & Vilray - I Love A Love Song!

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 45:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 105,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:31) 1. Any Little Time
(3:47) 2. Even In The Evenin'
(4:13) 3. Is A Good Man Real?
(3:16) 4. Just Two
(3:04) 5. Why Do I?
(3:14) 6. I'm Not Ready
(3:33) 7. Join Me In A Dream
(3:33) 8. Hate Is The Basis (Of Love)
(3:48) 9. A Love Song, Played Slow
(3:07) 10. Just Me This Year
(3:41) 11. I've Drawn Your Face
(3:25) 12. Goodnight My Love
(3:31) 13. Let's Make Love On This Plane (Full Band Version Bonus Track)

Harking back to the jazz of the 1940s and '50s, Rachael & Vilray's sophomore album, 2023's I Love a Love Song!, is a delightfully romantic and swinging homage to the golden era of traditional pop. Showcasing the talents of singer Rachael Price and singer/guitarist/songwriter Vilray Blair Bolles, Rachael & Vilray initially met while students at Boston's New England Conservatory before reconnecting around 2015 over their shared love of jazz standards and Tin Pan Alley pop. Although they've performed classic standards together (here, they take on Mack Gordon and Harry Revel's "Goodnight, My Love"), it's their knack for crafting their own swooning, literate songs in the traditional style of composers like Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer that makes their work so uniquely compelling.

It's a vibe they debuted on 2019's Rachael & Vilray and which they further perfect here. Even if their songs weren't so good (and they are) Price and Bolles can sing the heck out of a tune. Although best known for her funk-infused pop with Lake Street Dive, Price is a trained jazz singer whose dusky style evokes the cool, West Coast sound of icons like June Christy and Peggy Lee. Equally evocative, Bolles' warm, matter of fact tone brings to mind a relaxing blend of Dean Martin and Perry Como. They take turns leading songs throughout the album, often trading choruses, or as on the magical, Count Basie-esque "Just Two," sing in close harmony á la vocal groups like the Modernaires.

Other notable songs full of wry, melodic wordplay pop up throughout, as on Bolles' "Why Do I" in which Price compares her relationship woes to the animal world, singing "clams to my knowledge don't sigh/and moths ain't left wondering why/each time their fellow flies out, they needn't weep their eyes out/so why do I?" Also adding to the air of stylistic legitimacy are the duo's stellar backing ensemble featuring pianist Larry Goldings, bassist David Piltch, and drummer Joe La Barbera. Also joining them again is saxophonist/arranger Jacob Zimmerman and his horn section, all of which add to the old-school nightclub vibes Rachael & Vilray are going for.By Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-love-a-love-song%21-mw0003837217

Personnel: Vocals – Rachael Price, Guitar, Vocals – Vilray; Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Jacob Zimmerman (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 7, 10); Bass – David Piltch; Drums – Joe LaBarbera; Piano, Organ, Celesta – Larry Goldings; Tenor Saxophone – Nate Ketner (tracks: 1, 7, 10); Trombone – Joey Sellers (tracks: 10); Trombone, Trumpet – Dan Barrett (3); Trumpet – Jim Ziegler (tracks: (Except track 10)

I Love A Love Song!

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Eric Reed - The Baddest Monk

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:37
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Rhythm-a-ning
(7:13)  2. Epistrophy
(6:19)  3. Green Chimneys
(4:06)  4. Monk's Mood
(8:22)  5. 'Round Midnight
(9:12)  6. Evidence
(5:59)  7. Monk Beurre Rouge
(3:28)  8. Bright Mississippi
(3:45)  9. The Baddest Monk

Eric Reed is making a habit of covering Thelonious Monk. A year after releasing The Dancing Monk, the pianist has issued another album of Monk tunes. The Baddest Monk includes seven of the bebop father’s tunes and two Monk-ish originals. In doing so, Reed proves that there is always something new to say about, and through, Monk’s music. The core of the band is the rhythm section, with Matt Clohesy on bass and Henry Cole on drums. Tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on four tunes and trumpeter Etienne Charles on three. When the whole quintet plays, it gets into some spirited grooves. The funky bop of a rearranged “Rhythm-a-Ning” sets up Reed’s solo nicely; he smooths Monk’s jagged edges even as he lets a hail of notes fly. After horn solos on “Epistrophy” marked by crisp staccatos (Charles) and winding, curving figures (Blake), Reed plays contrapuntally and counter-rhythmically as he sinks his claws into the chord changes. 

By itself the trio is equally powerful. “Green Chimneys” features an unusual rhythm, one that feels drawn from bebop, marches and West African music. Indeed, Cole’s masterful drumming is the focus; the melody disappears beneath the beat, the blistering bass and the piano’s flurry. The three are reflective on a soft rendition of “Monk’s Mood,” and they gallop through “Evidence,” with Reed taking a long workout of a solo. Reed’s originals “Monk Beurre Rouge,” which seems to interpolate part of “Crepuscule With Nellie,” and the title track, a bluesy piano solo fit in perfectly. The disc’s literal and figurative center is “’Round Midnight,” a vocal performance by José James, who revamps the melody with his velvety baritone, Reed comping behind him. ~ Steve Greenlee   http://jazztimes.com/articles/30417-the-baddest-monk-eric-reed.

Personnel: Eric Reed (piano); Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone); Etienne Charles (trumpet); Henry Cole (drums).

The Baddest Monk

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George Shearing - Lullaby Of Birdland

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:34
Size: 97.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1953
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Lullaby Of Birdland
[3:02] 2. I'll Never Smile Again
[2:41] 3. I Remember You
[2:54] 4. My Silent Love
[2:29] 5. They All Laughed
[2:31] 6. Loose Leaf
[2:32] 7. Minoration
[3:15] 8. Midnight Mood
[2:48] 9. Simplicity
[2:23] 10. Over The Rainbow
[2:47] 11. How High The Moon
[2:42] 12. When Lights Are Low
[2:17] 13. Basic English
[2:34] 14. I Hear A Rhapsody
[2:36] 15. Undecided
[2:18] 16. Lullaby Of Birdland

About the song "Lullaby Of Birdland": George Shearing's biggest hit is easily "Lullaby of Birdland," which is based on the chord changes to the now easily overshadowed standard "Love Me or Leave Me." This swinging tune caught on as the theme song used during radio broadcasts from the original Birdland club, with both swing bands and boppers alike putting their touch on it. Shearing's song has never really fallen out of favor since he first recorded it for MGM in 1952, countless recordings (either studio, concert or air checks from Birdland broadcasts) have been issued commercially; some of the many musicians who can be heard playing it include Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Erroll Garner, Miles Davis, Art Blakey and even Charlie Parker, for whom Birdland was named. Once lyrics were added by George Weiss, its appeal widened to singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme. Shearing has revisited his magnum opus on several occasions, and it still must bring in fairly hefty royalties for its composer, as its appeal has hardly declined since its initial surge of popularity. ~Ken Dryden

Lullaby Of Birdland

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Sonny Stitt - How High The Moon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:04
Size: 151,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:58)  1. Koko
(4:00)  2. Easy Living
(4:43)  3. It's Hipper Than That
(4:47)  4. How High The Moon
(3:49)  5. Lover Man
(5:28)  6. Fools Rush In
(7:13)  7. Lonesome Road
(4:23)  8. I Want To Go Home
(6:38)  9. Katea
(4:30) 10. Flame And Frost
(5:14) 11. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
(5:17) 12. Our Day Will Come
(5:57) 13. My Main Man

This is a 1998 CD reissue guaranteed to frustrate completists. Rather than bring back a complete session or two, the CD has "highlights" from three vintage Sonny Stitt dates owned by Chess and originally put out by Argo and Cadet. Five of the ten numbers cut at a superb 1958 quartet date with pianist Barry Harris (Burnin'), four of the six selections from a rare meeting with tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims (Inter-action) and four of the seven performances from a more routine encounter with trombonist Bennie Green and organist Bobby Buster (My Main Man) are included. The music is generally quite good (particularly "Koko," "How High the Moon," "Lonesome Road" and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"), and Stitt plays eight songs on tenor and five on alto, showing off his solid sense of swing and his command of the bebop vocabulary. One just wishes the music had been reissued more coherently. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/how-high-the-moon-mw0000036216

Personnel: Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Joe Diorio (guitar); Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Bennie Green (trombone); John Young , Barry Harris , Barry Harris Trio (piano); Bobby Buster (organ); Frank Gant, Dorel Anderson, Phil Thomas (drums).

How High The Moon

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Petra Van Nuis, Andy Brown - Lonely Girl: I Remember Julie

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:40
Size: 134,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:05) 1. Lonely Girl
(4:30) 2. Trav'lin Light
(4:51) 3. You've Changed
(3:28) 4. The End Of The World
(5:02) 5. Something Cool
(3:44) 6. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:58) 7. The Meaning Of The Blues
(5:11) 8. Blues In The Night
(4:58) 9. It Never Entered My Mind
(3:45) 10. I Should Care
(3:10) 11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
(6:54) 12. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(4:58) 13. Cry Me A River

Julie London made a name for herself as an actress and a singer during the '50s and '60s. Today, however, her legacy as a singer overshadows her acting career. During her lifetime, she released around thirty albums, and several of the recordings still continue to influence jazz performers. Chicago-based singer Petra van Nuis is among these, and Lonely Girl I Remember Julie is her tribute to this legendary performer.

Judging from the title alone, it might be tempting to assume that this is a track-by-track recreation of London's 1956 album Lonely Girl (Liberty). However, that is not the case. For this album, van Nuis focused more on London's overall influence, and the selections range from standards to popular songs which London recorded over the years.

One thing that set London apart from many other vocalists was her instrumentation. While many jazz vocalists recorded with lush orchestration or full bands backing them up, London's records often featured vocals only accompanied by a guitar. Julie Is Her Name (Liberty 1955) had Barney Kessel on guitar and Lonely Girl featured guitarist Al Viola. In keeping with that spirit, van Nuis recorded Lonely Girl I Remember Julie as a duet with her husband, Andy Brown, on guitar. Brown discusses this approach in the liner notes. Before London came along, the idea of simply having a singer backed by a guitarist "was unthinkable. Julie's landmark first album Julie Is Her Name changed that landscape forever."

Julie Is Her Name and Lonely Girl were both important albums for van Nuis. She describes how London was one of her earliest influences, "I studied every nuance of Julie's singing, and she became my teacher." Her albums became "my assignments." It is obvious that van Nuis did her homework because she manages to flawlessly capture the true spirit of London's recordings.

Along with van Nuis' vocals, Brown's guitar work deserves recognition. From listening to this recording alone, it is easy to see that he is one of the finest contemporary jazz guitarists. His playing is deeply rooted in jazz guitar tradition, and he has certainly listened to his share of Kessel and Viola. However, there are hints of Johnny Smith, Kenny Burrell, and Joe Pass in his style as well. His tasteful chord melody arrangements complement van Nuis' vocals in a way which brings out the emotional impact of each song. From melancholy songs such as "You've Changed" to upbeat numbers such as "Travelin' Light," there is a unique musical conversation going on here.

Something that is evident from Lonely Girl I Remember Julie is that van Nuis and Brown provide more than just excellent performances. They are able to convey a sense of true passion for the music, which greatly enhances the listening experience. It is easy to see that both are not only excellent musical performers but are also serious music listeners. This album successfully showcases their talents and presents a worthwhile tribute to Julie London's legacy. By Kyle Simpler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lonely-girl-i-remember-julie-petra-van-nuis-string-damper

Personnel: Petra van Nuis: voice / vocals; Andy Brown: guitar.

Lonely Girl: I Remember Julie

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Enrico Pieranunzi - Blues & Bach: The Music of John Lewis

Styles: Piano Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:54
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:36) 1. Skating In Central Park
(6:03) 2. Spanish Steps
(4:59) 3. Vendome
(6:12) 4. Autumn In New York
(7:53) 5. Django
(7:30) 6. Concorde
(7:31) 7. Milano
(5:06) 8. Jasmine Tree

If the work of any jazz composer lends itself to elegant reframing, as opposed to crass sweetening, by a chamber orchestra, it is that of John Lewis, co-founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Lewis' ambition, most often metaphorically realised but sometimes literally so, was to achieve a synthesis of blues and Bach. His blends were mostly successful and only occasionally, in self-conscious forays into "third stream" music, did his innate vibrancy become subsumed in arid academia.

Lewis composed and recorded a large body of work under his own name and for other bandleaders, but for many people his apotheosis was with the MJQ. Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and arranger Michele Corcella, here leading the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, appear to agree, for all but one of the pieces on the delightful Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis were written by Lewis for the quartet. The exception, Vernon Duke's "Autumn In New York," was recorded by the MJQ for its debut album, Modern Jazz Quartet (Prestige, 1953). A more accurate, though clunky, subtitle for Blues & Bach would be The Music John Lewis Composed For The MJQ.

Anyway, along with Duke's evergreen, there are seven Lewis originals: "Skating In Central Park," "Spanish Steps," "Vendome," "Django," "Concorde," "Milano" and "Jasmine Tree." A mere seven tracks could not possibly include everyone's favourite Lewis/MJQ tunes, but there is a good chance that most of these titles would be on most people's shortlists. The least well known track is probably "Jasmine Tree," from Under The Jasmin Tree (Apple, 1968), a beauty that thoroughly deserves its inclusion.

As collaborators on this project, Pieranunzi and Corcella are well matched. Pieranunzi is as well versed in classical music as he is in jazz, while Corcella has orchestrated for other A-list jazz musicians including Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, John Taylor and Norma Winstone. Pieranunzi leads his regular trio with bassist Luca Bulgarelli and drummer Mauro Beggio. Corcella conducts ten players, comprising five strings, four woodwinds and one brass. He is also credited as arranger, but whether this is of the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, or the orchestra plus Pieranunzi's trio, is not clear. It is inconceivable, however, that Pieraunzi was a passive spectator of the process, even if Corcella wrote the first drafts.

The project was several years in progress, as indicated by the YouTube clip below of a 2018 concert performance with a considerably larger orchestra. The album itself was not recorded until late 2021, and plenty of honing, tweaking and fine focussing happened between times.

It is foolish and presumptuous to attribute opinions to people who are no longer with us. But it is probably safe to say that the odds are that Lewis would enjoy Blues & Bach. The orchestrations bring new facets to the familiar compositions and are as light on their feet as the source material, while Pieranunzi's trio, collectively and as soloists, keeps the music foursquare in the realm of creative jazz.

Footnote: It would be fascinating to hear how Bach would have worked with the blues. The closest we are likely to get is with the MJQ's Blues On Bach (Atlantic, 1974), a concept album built around blues written by Lewis based on various Bach chorales and fugues.By Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blues-and-bach-the-music-of-john-lewis-enrico-pieranunzi-trio-and-orchestra-challenge-records

Personnel: Enrico Pieranunzi: piano; Luca Bulgarelli: bass; Mauro Beggio: drums
.
Additional Instrumentation: Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana: Cesare Carretta: first violin; Silvia Maffeis: second violin; Erica Mason: viola; Nicolo Nigrelli: cello; Andrea Sala: double bass; Serena Bonazzi: flute; Carlo Ambrosoli: oboe; Damiano Bertasa: clarinet; Luca Reverberi: bassoon; Angelo Borroni: French horn; Michele Corcella: arranger, conductor.

Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis

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Houston Person - Legends Of Acid Jazz: Truth!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:54
Size: 182,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:24) 1. Snake Eyes
(4:55) 2. Never Let Me Go
(5:04) 3. Groovin' And A-Groovin'
(5:57) 4. What A Diff'rence A Day Made
(3:58) 5. Soul Dance
(6:03) 6. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:58) 7. Teardrops From My Eyes
(5:26) 8. Blue 7
(8:36) 9. Cissy Strut
(9:27) 10. On The Avenue
(8:39) 11. Wadin'
(5:04) 12. The Pulpit
(5:17) 13. For Your Love

Released in 1999 for Fantasy's Legends of Acid Jazz series, this CD unites two of Houston Person's classic Prestige sessions, 1968's Soul Dance and 1970s Truth!, on a single 78-minute CD. Soul Dance is heard in its entirety, but because the CD didn't have enough room to hold everything from Truth!, the track "If I Ruled the World" ended up being sacrificed. The personnel on the sessions differs while Soul Dance employed organist Billy Gardner, guitarist Boogaloo Joe Jones, and drummer Frankie Jones, Truth! united Person with Frankie Jones, guitarist Billy Butler, electric bassist Bob Bushnell, and percussionist Buddy Caldwell. But the albums are fairly similar in their outlook. Both of them are quite accessible, and both emphasize Person's strong points: funky boogaloos, gritty blues, standards, and sentimental ballads. The tenor titan plays soulfully and authoritatively on material that ranges from "What A Diff'rence a Day Made" and "Here's That Rainy Day" to Horace Parlan's "Wadin," Sonny Rollins' "Blue 7," the Meters' "Cissy Strut" and the Ruth Brown hit "Teardrops from My Eyes." When these albums first came out, they received their share of negative reviews from jazz critics, who had little use for those who set out to fuse hard bop with soul and funk. But the fact remains: much of the music that Person recorded for Prestige was exciting and quite rewarding. Those who like their jazz with a heavy dose of R&B will find a lot to admire on this CD. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-truth%21-mw0000248230

Legends Of Acid Jazz Truth!

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Chihiro Yamanaka - Ballads

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 77:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 178,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:50) 1. For Heaven's Sake
(5:58) 2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(6:29) 3. Good Morning, Heartache
(2:13) 4. Danny Boy
(8:01) 5. This Masquerade
(4:39) 6. Old Folks
(6:42) 7. On The Shore
(3:10) 8. I Loves You, Porgy
(5:10) 9. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
(2:38) 10. Ruby, My Dear
(5:10) 11. Dove
(6:21) 12. Caught In The Rain
(2:20) 13. I Can't Get Started
(4:32) 14. Orleans
(3:30) 15. Abide With Me
(5:35) 16. Thank You Baby

Chihiro Yamanaka, Universal Music/Blue Note recording artist, is one of the most exciting jazz pianists and composers of her generation, and the leader of the Chihiro Yamanaka Trio. The new Chihiro Yamanaka CD, Somethin' Blue, is her Blue Note Records debut.

Chihiro has been a Universal Music/Verve recording artist since 2005, the same year in which she was named Swing Journal’s “Best New Artist." On the occasion of Universal's recent acquisition of Blue Note Records in time for Blue Note’s 75th anniversary Chihiro made the move to Blue Note. As a newly minted Blue Note artist, she has been a big part of the 75th anniversary celebrations, including a concert at the Blue Note Tokyo in which she performed with all-stars including bassist Ron Carter.

Chihiro, who most often performs and records in trio format, assembled a sextet for the Somethin' Blue sessions and created a new compositional universe that places this 2014 album in the lineage of classic Blue Note recordings. Her impressive technical mastery of the piano combines with her improvisational command to make her a member of the pantheon of great pianists who have recorded for Blue Note throughout its history.

Chihiro’s music pivots between her strikingly original compositions and her unique arrangements in which she accomplishes the impressive feat of introducing the element of surprise into some of the most famous songs in the jazz repertoire, contemporary popular music, and even the works of classical composers.

On Chihiro's 2013 CD, Molto Cantabile, she lovingly fractures classical gems, including one that has become a staple of her live shows, Beethoven's "Für Elise," which is exposed to an improbable series of kaleidoscopic variations which could withstand the involvement of knuckles and which let loose a torrent of effects that could lead the listener to wonder whether it's the music of Beethoven or of Thelonious Monk. As this unusual music unfolds, one could easily imagine both Beethoven and Monk looking on with astonishment and, ultimately, complete approval.

Chihiro took this concept in a different direction with her Beatles tribute, the 2012 CD Because, a groundbreaking disc that features some of the most creative reworkings of Beatles classics ever recorded. Along with the title track, “Because” (from Abbey Road), Chihiro transforms such great songs as “Yesterday” and “Michelle” into glittering vistas of her musical imagination.

Chihiro does all of her studio recording in New York City, working with some of the greatest talent in jazz. Her recordings have featured prominent artists such as Jaleel Shaw, Ben Williams, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard, Kendrick Scott, Gene Jackson, Vicente Archer, Robert Hurst, Yasushi Nakamura, Yoshi Waki, John Davis and Bernard “Pretty” Purdie.

Chihiro performs regularly on three continents. In New York City, Chihiro’s home base, her latest appearance was a spectacular March, 2015 concert with her trio at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where she played to a sellout crowd. Her New York appearances in recent years have also included Iridium Jazz Club, the Blue Note and Carnegie Hall.

Chihiro is active on the west coast (with repeat appearances at Yoshi’s San Francisco, Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, and Dizzy's in San Diego), in Boston (Café 939, Regattabar), where her popularity is influenced by her status as a Berklee graduate, and in the Washington/Baltimore area (Blues Alley, Kennedy Center, An die Musik, Warner Theater). Among the highlights was her concert that opened the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, a set that was selected for broadcast on National Public Radio's "JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater."

In Japan, Chihiro performs to sellout audiences at large venues across the country, and all of her Universal CDs have topped the Japanese jazz charts. As a classical pianist, she has performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue with major symphony orchestras. She has become a multimedia celebrity in Japan, hosting her own radio show, making TV appearances, and authoring a book, The Landscape With Jazz.

Europe is fertile ground for Chihiro’s tours, which have included the Umbria Jazz Festival, Bologna Jazz Festival, Sunset-Sunside in Paris, Blue Note Milan, A-Trane in Berlin, the major venues and festivals in Rome including Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Roma Jazz Festival and Alexanderplatz, and a recent weeklong engagement at Marians Jazzroom in Bern, Switzerland.

Keeping pace with Chihiro’s whirlwind touring schedule is her prolific international recording career with Universal Music and Blue Note Records. In the past three years she has had six CD releases. Besides Somethin' Blue, Molto Cantabile and Because, they include After Hours 2, the U.S. release of Reminiscence, and a compilation, My Favorite Blue Note, on which Chihiro served as producer and contributed original music. In the same period Chihiro and Universal also have released an EP, Still Working, and two DVDs, Live In New York, videotaped at Iridium Jazz Club, and Live at Blue Note Tokyo. A Chihiro Yamanaka DVD gives her fans the opportunity to experience on video the spectacular visual presentation that has been seen by anyone who has witnessed the fireball of energy and virtuosity on display at a live Chihiro concert appearance.

Chihiro has received numerous awards, including Jazz Japan’s “Album of the Year” and the Japan Gold Disc Award for best-selling jazz record of the year, along with acknowledgments from critics, fans and musicians for her recordings and live performances. Jazz Life Magazine called Chihiro “one of the greatest jazz talents in decades,” and the late George Russell hailed her as “a very gifted and imaginative musician.”

In JazzTimes Magazine, Giovanni Russonello wrote an enthusiastic review of Chihiro's set at the 2011 Umbria Jazz Festival, opening for Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Marcus Miller. “Opening for the Tribute to Miles band with her trio, the Japanese pianist tore into two originals at the top of her set…When she announced ‘Take Five,’ the crowd let out a gleeful 'ahh' but they weren’t ready for the voracious reharmonization, full of upward-creeping bass lines and chromatic descents, or her mid-song interpolation of 'In Your Own Sweet Way,' retrofitted in 5/4 time. Right and left, jaws were dropping."
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/chihiro-yamanaka

Ballads

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Eric Reed - The Adventurous Monk

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:01
Size: 105,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Thelonious
(6:37)  2. Work
(3:39)  3. Reflections
(5:05)  4. Evidence
(4:07)  5. 'Round Midnight
(4:47)  6. Nutty
(4:21)  7. Gallop's Gallop
(4:35)  8. Pannonica
(4:07)  9. Dear Ruby (Ruby, My Dear)
(5:12) 10. Ba-Leues Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are

The third in pianist Eric Reed's ongoing exploration of the music of pianist Thelonious Monk, 2014's The Adventurous Monk is a highly engaging, deeply swinging celebration of the bebop innovator's sound. The album follows up Reed's previous Monk-themed albums, 2011's The Dancing Monk and 2012's The Baddest Monk. Backing Reed here is his adept rhythm section of bassist Ben Williams and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Also joining Reed is tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, who appeared on The Baddest Monk, and vocalist Charenée Wade, who lends her urbane, soulful style to Monk's classic "Ruby, My Dear." More than just making a covers album or homage, Reed never fails to seize the opportunity to truly explore the complexities and nuances of Monk's music, endeavoring to find his own voice in the compositions. ~ Matt Collar  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-adventurous-monk-mw0002618615

Personnel: Eric Reed (piano); Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone); Gregory Hutchinson (drums); Charenée Wade, Ben Williams

The Adventurous Monk

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John Bailey - Time Bandits

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:00
Size: 122,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:12) 1. Time Bandits
(5:39) 2. Various Nefarious
(5:15) 3. Long Ago And Far Away
(6:00) 4. Ode To Thaddeus
(4:05) 5. Oh Man, Please Get Me Out Of Here!
(4:36) 6. She's Leaving Home
(4:20) 7. Rose
(5:55) 8. How Do You Know?
(5:42) 9. Lullaby
(6:13) 10. Groove Samba

Versatile and in-demand trumpeter and composer John Bailey has played alongside Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and Latin jazz giants Ray Barretto and Arturo O’Farrill as well as with major jazz musicians in NYC. The backing ensemble he has recruited for Time Bandits, his third album as a leader, is testament to his talent. Fronting a quartet that included mainstay drummer Victor Lewis, esteemed pianist George Cables, and virtuoso bassist Scott Colley, Bailey and crew deliver a varied set of seven originals, five by Bailey and one each by Lewis and Cables. In addition, they tackle a well-known standard, a Beatles tune, and a nod to Bailey’s original mentor, trumpeter Ira Sullivan. Bailey can swing with the best of them and quickly downshift into lovely ballads played on his flugelhorn.

The program opens with Bailey’s title track, the sharp, repetitive bursts from his trumpet inviting his bandmates to join in a swinging tune that bears elements of a New Orleans second line parade, and the bustling bebop heard on NYC’s 52nd street in the ‘50s. Cables is in his element, pushing the rhythm along with Lewis and Colley, each of whom step forward with brief statements of their own. “Various Nefarious” may well be inspired by the COVID viruses and whatever viral element is plaguing our political system (as we write, the Republicans can’t even decide on their leader). Musically, its soul-jazz shuffle fits into an Art Blakey-like groove, one perfectly suited to Blakey alumnus Cables, and perhaps the soulful strains that Bailey absorbed while working with Brother Ray. Colley impresses with his walking bassline and Lewis navigates the combo through those ‘various’ changes.

Bailey and Cables put their own harmonious stamp on Jerome Kern’s “Long Ago and Far Away,” making it a brisk swinger, while the first ballad, “Ode to Thaddeus,” nods to major trumpet influence, Thad Jones with Bailey’s sustained, warm tone and deeply emotive lines leaving no doubt to the degree ofc reverence which he holds for the iconic bandleader. It’s gorgeous statement. Lewis stirs the group to more nodding in his own “Oh Man, Please Get Me Out of Here” as strains of Dizzy, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and Woody Shaw echo through Bailey’s high-pitched jabs and the strolling rhythms from Cables, Colley, and Lewis.

The slowed tempo arrangement for The Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” is another opportunity to digest the balladry elegance of Bailey and Cable, drawing out a deeper sense of melancholy than the song’s original. Bailey’s “Rose” is the freest flowing of the pieces with a challenging pattern built on five 12-tone rows, with surprises at each turn, like a game of hide-and-seek set to music.

Colley introduces “How Do Know,” by Gary Dial, originally appearing on the 1982 Sprint from Red Rodney and the Ira Sullivan Quintet, this a tribute to Bailey’s aforementioned mentor. We hear Bailey’s flugelhorn on Cable’s standout track, “Lullaby.” The piece originally appeared on Frank Morgan’s 1989 Mood Indigo and has Bailey and Cables in lockstep as a duo rendering the tune with stunning tenderness. Given Bailey’s stints in Latin jazz, he’d be remiss to not include at least one piece of that ilk and does so with his own rollicking closer, “Groove Samba.”

Bailey’s Time Bandits speaks to tradition and a mastery of the various jazz idioms that only a group of this caliber could execute so deftly. It’s a clinic in tone, harmony, swing, balladry, and precise, declarative soloing.By Jim Hynes https://www.makingascene.org/john-bailey-time-bandits/

Personnel: John Bailey - Trumpet; Victor Lewis - Drums; George Cables - Piano; Scott Colley - Bass

Time Bandits

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Alice Ricciardi & Pietro Lussu - Catch a Falling Star

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:40
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:57) 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
(3:57) 2. Catch A Falling Star
(3:32) 3. Boys And Girls Like You And Me
(5:11) 4. Clues Blues
(3:58) 5. Good Vibrations
(3:04) 6. Liza
(5:58) 7. Sunday, Monday Or Always
(4:36) 8. Y-am
(3:36) 9. To One I Love
(3:24) 10. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:23) 11. Utah
(2:58) 12. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(2:59) 13. And Pink, And Gold, And Blue

The sources of inspiration are clear (primarily the masterful The Newest Sound Around by Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake) but the expressive choices and personal talents of Alice Ricciardi and Pietro Lussu make the album original and compelling. The Milanese singer was a pupil of Blake at the New England Conservatory and absorbed her rarefied and alienating aesthetic; Pietro Lussu is a highly sensitive pianist, one of the best in Italy, and relates to it in a natural way.

Refinement and interpretative subtleties are the hallmarks of this piano/voice album, aspects that extend to the editing of the cover. The two protagonists are photographed on an athletics track at dusk: an unusual place for artists who are not preparing to compete like athletes but turn around to catch the lights of the first star. That's what the neon sign above them says, which is the title of a 1957 hit by Perry Como.

That simple nursery rhyme becomes the emblem of the disc and takes on an intense, almost metaphysical connotation in the version by Ricciardi and Lussu, in the contrast between the allusive vocal exposition of the singer and the disjointed accompaniment of the piano. The thirteen pieces of the repertoire have been carefully chosen, ranging across the board.

Classic US songbook tunes like "Liza" and "What Is This Thing Called Love"; little-used songs like "Sunday, Monday or Always" or "Boys and Girls Like You and Me"; the Beach Boys classic "Good Vibrations"; three of their originals and a composition by Steve Lacy with lyrics added by Giulia Niccolai (which on Lacy's album Momentum was sung by Irene Aebi). Each of these pieces is transfigured with the refinement and emotional intensity we were talking about. That of the couple is an essential lyricism that respects the melodic significance of the themes without distorting it.

While alternating the piano with the Rhodes, Lussu varies the accents, introduces harmonic asymmetries (Monk and Tristano would be pleased), plays on the contrasts of register and volume with reflexive depth. Ricciardi's singing expresses its value in the chromatic variety, in the clearness of exposition, in the colloquial game with which she varies the accents and reverberations of the voice. While consistent with the poetics of introspection and whisper assimilated by Ran Blake, different climates and situations characterize the musical journey, alternating subtlety and pathos. To remember as brilliant gems the imaginative rewriting of "Good Vibration," the sensuality and lyricism of "Sunday, Monday or Always," the slow and dilated "Clues Blues."By Angelo Leonardi https://www.allaboutjazz.com/catch-a-falling-star-alice-ricciardi-pietro-lussu

Catch a Falling Star

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Houston Person - The Art and Soul, Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3.

Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. You Do Something To Me
(6:53) 2. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
(3:54) 3. You're A Sweetheart
(6:49) 4. Maybe You'll Be There
(4:56) 5. All The Things You Are
(5:28) 6. You're My Everything
(5:39) 7. Skylark
(4:36) 8. I Only Have Eyes For You
(5:35) 9. Everything I Have Is Yours
(4:05) 10. Wonder Why

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Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 2
Time: 54:34
Size: 125,4 MB

(5:50) 1. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
(5:05) 2. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:15) 3. Isn't It Romantic?
(5:48) 4. Fools Rush In
(6:36) 5. It Had to Be You
(6:13) 6. But Beautiful
(5:59) 7. For All We Know
(5:48) 8. Blue Moon
(4:42) 9. Bewitched
(4:13) 10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

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Album: The Art and Soul, Vol. 3
Time: 55:20
Size: 127,2 MB

(6:07) 1. Sentimental Journey
(5:09) 2. Where Are You?
(4:32) 3. There's A Small Hotel
(6:43) 4. Tenderly
(6:06) 5. Be My Love
(6:08) 6. It Might As Well Be Spring
(5:05) 7. My Funny Valentine
(6:27) 8. Gentle Rain
(4:04) 9. Mack The Knife
(4:56) 10. The Very Thought Of You

The Art and Soul of Houston Person is an irresistible combination of the celebrated tenor saxophonist and the Great American Songbook. The 30 songs on this generous three-CD set were culled by Person from ten of his HighNote CDs, with the addition of four new songs recorded in spring, 2008. The songs feature an array of talented sidemen, including pianist Bill Charlap, bassists Ron Carter and Ray Drummond and drummer Grady Tate. If that isn't compelling enough, all the tracks were mixed, edited and mastered by the eminent Rudy Van Gelder in his legendary Englewood Cliffs studio.

The collection is full of high points, with several songs particularly worth noting. The upbeat opener, "You Do Something to Me," showcases Person's golden warmth and impeccable swing. The song also features John di Martino's exquisite touch on piano and John Burr's fluid bass. The same group shines on "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance," elegantly capturing the song's quiet longing. Person exhibits a poignant tenderness and drummer Jerome Jennings adds just the right backup with incredibly spacious brushwork. "Sentimental Journey" is a joyful toe-tapper; "Here's That Rainy Day" explores the rich undertones of melancholy and "Blue Moon" is surprisingly upbeat, with Person's tenor fat and happy. And don't miss "Mack the Knife," a duet with Ron Carter where the two musicians turn the song inside out and trade lines with fluent ease.

In a 2004 interview, Person defined jazz as, "something that, when the end of the day comes, after a hard and frustrating day out in the world, relieves you. Relaxes you and makes you feel good." The Art and Soul of Houston Person is exactly that kind of music, a treasure chest of luscious, soothing sound. By Florence Wetzel https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-art-and-soul-of-houston-person-highnote-records-review-by-florence-wetzel

Personnel: John di Martino: piano; Jon Burr: bass; Jerome Jennings: drums; Richard Wyands: piano; Ray Drummond: bass; Kenny Washington: drums; Russell Malone: guitar; Grady Tate: drums; Stan Hope: piano; George Kaye: bass; Chip White: drums; Ron Carter: bass; Peter Washington: bass; Paul Bollenback: guitar; Per-ola Gadd: bass; Bill Charlap: piano.

The Art and Soul,Vol.1,Vol.2, Vol.3

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Ben Allison - Think Free (Remastered)

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:08
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:26) 1. Fred
(7:16) 2. Platypus
(6:00) 3. Broke
(6:21) 4. Kramer Vs. Kramer Vs. Godzilla
(5:38) 5. Sleeping Giant
(3:03) 6. The City At Night
(7:16) 7. Peace Pipe
(5:12) 8. Green Al
(2:50) 9. Steve Austin

Think Free (Remastered) is Ben’s 7th studio album and the third release in The Ben Allison Remastered Series 2004-2011, on Sonic Camera Records. It features Shane Endsley (trumpet), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Steve Cardenas (guitar), Ben Allison (bass & acoustic guitar), and Rudy Royston (drums). Originally released in 2009, this version contains two previously unreleased tracks: Steve Austin and The City at Night, both of which were completely improvised. https://benallison.com/#think-free-remastered-section

Personnel: Ben Allison – Bass; Jenny Scheinman – Violin; Shane Endsley – Trumpet; Steve Cardenas – Guitar; Rudy Royston – Drums

Think Free

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Andy Fusco - Turmoil

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:10
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:34)  1. Minor League
(7:44)  2. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(6:09)  3. Look for the Silver Lining
(6:22)  4. Rhapsodia
(9:46)  5. Hackensack
(7:47)  6. Turmoil
(9:12)  7. The Gypsy
(7:34)  8. Bella's Burn

No turmoil here, as saxophonist Andy Fusco is very much in charge heading up the group with a confident tone and strong sense of voice which maybe also allows a bit more openness in the other players! Fusco blows alto throughout, with a rich, crispy tone that almost moves more towards a tenor at points  and he shares lots of solo space with guitarist John Hart, a player with very open chromes evoking lots of harmonic moments from his instrument, as they ring out strongly with a sense of color that it might normally take a few other players to introduce. The rest of the quartet features Bill Morning on bass and Rudy Petschauer on drums and titles include "Turmoil", "Minor League", "The Gypsy", "Bella's Burn", "Look For The Silver Lining", and "Rhapsodia".  © 1996-2019, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/894257/Andy-Fusco:Turmoil

Personnel:  Andy Fusco - alto saxophone; John Hart - guitar; Bill Mooring bass; Rudy Petschauer - drums

Turmoil

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Jacques Loussier - Play Bach (5-CD Box Set)

Jacques Loussier - Play Bach Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1959/2020
Time: 34:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 81,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:24) 1. Prélude No.1 En Ut Majeur, Bwv 846
(5:00) 2. Fugue No.1 En Ut Majeur, Bwv 846
(4:18) 3. Prélude No.2 En Ut Mineur, Bwv 847
(2:45) 4. Fugue No.2 En Ut Mineur, Bwv 847
(8:53) 5. Toccata Et Fugue En Ré Mineur, Bwv 565
(4:53) 6. Prélude No.8 En Ré Dièse Majeur, Bwv 853
(1:51) 7. Prélude No.5 En Ré Majeur, Bwv 850
(1:49) 8. Fugue No.5 En Ré Majeur, Bwv 850

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Jacques Loussier - Play Bach Disc 2
Time: 36:48
Size: 85,9 MB

(6:16) 1. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-allemande (Album Version)
(2:28) 2. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-courante (Album Version)
(2:54) 3. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-sarabande (Album Version)
(1:57) 4. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-menuet I (Album Version)
(1:56) 5. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-menuet Ii (Album Version)
(3:07) 6. Partita N 1 Bwv 825 En Si Bémol Majeur-gigue (Album Version)
(4:09) 7. Cantate N 147 Bwv 147 Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben (Album Version)
(2:06) 8. Prélude N 6 En Ré Mineur Clavier Bien Tempere Livre I Bwv 851
(3:26) 9. Suite Pour Orchestre N 3 En Ré Majeur Bwv 1068 (Aria)
(2:54) 10. Prélude N 16 En Sol Majeur Clavier Bien Tempere Livre I Bwv 861
(2:43) 11. Fugue N 16 En Sol Mineur Clavier Bien Tempere Livre I Bwv 861
(2:46) 12. Prélude N 21 En Si Bemol Majeur Clavier Bien Tempere Livre I Bwv 866 (Album Version)

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Jacques Loussier - Play Bach Disc 3
Time: 36:13
Size: 84,3 MB

(5:34) 1. Concerto Italien Bwv 971 En Fa Majeur - Allegro
(4:36) 2. Concerto Italien Bwv 971 En Fa Majeur - Andante
(5:59) 3. Concerto Italien Bwv 971 En Fa Majeur - Finale
(2:20) 4. Invention À 2 Voix No 1 En Ut Majeur Bwv 772
(3:31) 5. Invention À 2 Voix No 13 En La Mineur Bwv 784
(2:42) 6. Invention À 2 Voix No 8 En Fa Majeur Bwv 779
(1:32) 7. Invention À 2 Voix No 14 En Si Bémol Majeur Bwv 785
(1:12) 8. Invention À 2 Voix No 15 En Si Mineur Bwv 786
(5:03) 9. Fantaisie En Ut Mineur Bwv 906
(3:40) 10. Cantate No 29 Bwv 29 - Ouverture

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Jacques Loussier - Play Bach Disc 4
Time: 24:47
Size: 57,3 MB

( 4:00) 1. Choral Bwv 721 (Instrumental)
( 4:36) 2. Choral No 16 Bwv 684 (Instrumental)
(11:18) 3. Fantaisie Et Fugue En Sol Mineur Bwv 542
( 4:52) 4. Choral No 1 Bwv 645 (Instrumental)

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Jacques Loussier - Play Bach Disc 5
Time: 33:20
Size: 77,1 MB

( 7:41) 1. Toccata En Ut Majeur Bwv 564 Toccata (Instrumental)
( 3:42) 2. Toccata En Ut Majeur Bwv 564 Adagio (Instrumental)
( 3:44) 3. Toccata En Ut Majeur Bwv 564 Fugue (Instrumental)
( 3:31) 4. Sonate Pour Flute Et Clavecin En Mi Bemol Majeur Bwv 1031 (Sicilienne En Sol Mineur)
(12:00) 5. 6 Chorals Schubler Bwv 645 Choral N 1 (Reveillez-vous La Voix Des Vei)
( 2:40) 6. Passacaille En Ut Mineur Bwv 582 (Theme)

Pianist Jacques Loussier has spent much of his career performing Bach melodies with his jazz group. Loussier's Play Bach Trio was quite popular during 1959-1978. After a few years off, he formed a new trio along similar lines in 1985, the group heard on this CD.

Although jazz and classical music have been combined together in many different ways through the years, no combo has worked harder at swinging Bach than Loussier's units. The pianist pays respect to Bach's melodies before swinging them and his improvisations are a natural outgrowth of the themes. This CD gives listeners an excellent example of his concept and is a constant delight.By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/jacques-loussier-plays-bach-mw0001939493

Play Bach

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Per Mathisen - More Secrets

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:02
Size: 126,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. More Secrets
(4:46) 2. Block C
(6:38) 3. Unity
(6:31) 4. Brdo In My Heart
(5:36) 5. As You Are
(5:10) 6. Hidden Stories
(6:07) 7. So Good
(9:20) 8. Wrapped Around Your Finger
(5:18) 9. Off The Wall

Per Mathisen (born 7 October 1969 in Sandefjord, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (upright acoustic bass and electric bass) and composer, known from collaborations with great jazz musicians like Terri Lyne Carrington, Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, Bill Bruford, Alex Acuña, Gary Husband, Ralph Peterson, Nguyen Le and Terje Rypdal. He’s brothers are jazz musicians Hans Mathisen (guitar), Nils Mathisen (keyboards, guitar and violin) and Ole Mathisen (saxophone and clarinet). Mathisen was educated on the Jazz program at Trondheim musikkonservatorium 1991–93, followed by a period at the Berklee School of Music in US, and returned to Norway in 1994.

In 2001 he toured in Europe with Terri Lyne Carrington, has also played with a number of international names, such as Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, Bill Bruford, Gary Husband, Ralph Peterson, Nguyen Le and Terje Rypdal. From 2003 he was member of the transatlantic jazz collective NYNDK (with a release in 2006), so-called because the musicians come from New York, Norway and Denmark.

Mathisen has otherwise participated on recordings with the band “String Zone” (Mystery bag, 2003), Hans Mathisen (Quiet songs 2002–04), Helge Sunde & Norske Store Orkester (Denada, 2005) and Roy Powell Peak Experience Trio (2006), and has been a regular feature as bassist and leader of “workshops” in Groove Valley (annually held in Beiarn in Nordland) where artistic director is Jan Gunnar Hoff.

2013 Played with Joseph Williams, Bill Champlin and Peter Friestedt All Star Band. In the last couple of years Mathisen joins forces on the stage with one of the most recognised Scandinavian jazz names in the world a Swedish guitarist, Ulf Wakenius. In December 2016 together with Utsi Zimring (drums) and David Kikoski (piano, synthesiser, Fender Rhodes, minimoog) he released a studio album New York City Magic under Alessa Records.

The Klangforum Wien – an Austrian chamber orchestra, based in Vienna at the Konzerthaus, which specialises in contemporary classical music, invited Mathisen to play on the latest opera of an Austrian composer Bernhard Lang‘s opera named “ParZeFool/MONDPARSIFAL Alpha 1-8” that was premiered June 4th 2017 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria. The orchestra was conducted by Australian condoctor Simone Young, and the piece was directed by German painter, sculptor and performance artist Jonathan Meese.

In October 2017 Mathisen announced a short tour with Jan Gunnar Hoff featuring on the drums one of the greatest Cuban drummers, Horacio (“El Negro”) Hernandez, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. Recording a studio album under Loosen Records in Barxeta (Spain) will follow the tour.

Has been a freelance electric and acoustic upright bass player since 1994 nowadays based out of Oslo (Norway), and Vienna (Austria), and has performed in as many as 35 countries worldwide with some of the most famous musicians on the planet.
He is often referred to as Norway’s answer to Jaco Pastorius on electric bass and Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen on acoustic upright bass. Since October 2016 Mathisen resides both in Oslo (Norway) and Vienna (Austria).
https://permathisen.com/biography/

Personnel: Electric Bass, Double Bass – Per Mathisen; Drums, Keyboards [Keys] – Gary Husband; Guitar – Hans Mathisen; Saxophone [Sax] – Petter Wettre

More Secrets

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Kari Kirkland - If (When You Go)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
Time: 41:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 94,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:23) 1. I Can't Help It
(5:29) 2. Since I Fell For You
(5:06) 3. Fix You
(5:12) 4. Fragile
(5:22) 5. Good Things Fall Apart
(4:54) 6. If (When You Go)
(4:49) 7. I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
(5:53) 8. Lover, You Should've Come Over

Collaborating once again with Shelly Berg, the duo assembled an all-star ensemble featuring the legendary Peter Erskine, Dean Parks, Kevin Axt, Brian Kilgore, with feature performances by Terell Stafford and Carlitos del Puerto.

Led by Kirkland’s intimate, honest vocal style, the unique arrangements encapsulate an essence of 'hope' in this collection of contemporary songs including Sting’s Fragile, Coldplay’s Fix You, and Jeff Buckley’s Lover, You Should’ve Come Over.

Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, Kari's vocals soar over a sonic landscape of pristinely recorded, masterful jazz musicianship, big-band-esque horn lines, lush string arrangements, and top tier production.https://karikirkland.com/

Personnel: Kari Kirkland | Vocals, Co-production Shelly Berg | Keyboards, Arrangements, Co-production Peter Erskine | Drums Dean Parks | Guitar Brian Kilgore | Percussion Kevin Axt | Bass Terrel Stafford | Trumpet Carlitos del Puerto | Bass Jason Arkins | Saxophone David Mason | Saxophone Camilo Molina | Trumpet Michael Gutierrez | Trumpet Brandon Bryant | Trombone Budapest Scoring Orchestra | Strings

If (When You Go)

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Plays Cole Porter Love Songs

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:52
Size: 158,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. I Love Paris
(5:15) 2. When Love Comes Around
(5:52) 3. You´re Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:46) 4. So In Love
(5:36) 5. At Long Last Love
(7:33) 6. What Is This Thing Called Love
(8:06) 7. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(7:23) 8. Love For Sale
(5:48) 9. Easy To Love
(3:23) 10. True Love
(6:38) 11. I Love You

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist.

While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö, he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren.

Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003. The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with ACT-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times. Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound”. In 2006 Lundgren becomes part of the ACT family: Initially he was featured as a sideman on the Ida Sand album Meet Me Around Midnight (ACT 9716-2). In July 2007 he released his first ACT album Fresu – Galliano – Lundgren: Mare Nostrum (ACT 9466-2), followed by Magnum Mysterium (ACT 9457-2), which will be released in November of 2007.

In 2008 Lundgren could reap the fruits of his labour, and his Mare Nostrum was performed in front of sold out houses on prestigious stages throughout Europe (Salle Gaveau – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Victoria Hall – Geneva, Teatro Dante Aligheri – Ravenna, S. Caecilia – Rome …) as well as at Jazz Baltica, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. There are many good reasons why the band has been called “the first European super group”.

In the same year Lundgren was honoured with the Swedish Django d’Or, and began a collaboration with the classical trumpet player H?kan Hardenberger and the Swedish writer Jacques Werup an exiting melange of modern classical and free music, of jazz and compositions of Jan Lundgren.

Lundgren also brought the Jan Lundgren 3io back to life in 2008, albeit with a new drummer, Zoltan Csörsz Jr who proved to be a truly lucky catch for the trio. A new repertoire has resulted in the new ACT album European Standards (ACT 9482-2) which will be released in Mai 2009 together with the re-release of Swedish Standards (ACT 9022-2) from the ACT Jazz Classics series.

Lundgren is part of a remarkable and long tradition of innovative pianists from Sweden like Jan Johansson who passed away early, and in more recent times Bobo Stenson and Esbjörn Svensson. Lundgren has never made life easy for himself, and has always tried to utilize his phenomenal technique to enhance his musicality. His ability to integrate the most disparate musical influences into a fascinating whole is unique in itself. Whether its contemporary classical music, the inexhaustible northern folk tradition or the pulsating groove of jazz, deeply rooted in Afro-American music: Lundgren has a unique way of leading the listener on a voyage of discovery sometimes relaxed, sometimes utterly invigorating through his highly individual soundscapes.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Piano – Jan Lundgren; Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Alex Riel

Plays Cole Porter Love Songs

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