Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Ken Peplowski - Last Swing Of The Century

Styles: Clarinet Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 150,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:20)  1. Let's Dance
(3:27)  2. Hunkadola
(3:12)  3. Between The Devil And The Deep
(6:59)  4. King Porter Stomp
(5:17)  5. Moon Glow
(6:08)  6. Stealin' Apples
(2:32)  7. You Turned The Tables On Me
(3:07)  8. Bugle Call Rag
(3:19)  9. Don't Be That Way
(4:00) 10. Memories Of You
(4:11) 11. Restless
(3:16) 12. Get Happy
(5:14) 13. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:56) 14. China Boy
(3:29) 15. Down South Camp Meetin'
(3:53) 16. Good-Bye

Last Swing Of The Century - Big Band Music of Benny Goodman released on Concord Jazz in 1999 by Benny Goodman Orchestra alumnus, Ken Peplowski, is a heartfelt tribute to The King of Swing and the wonderful arrangements he commissioned in the 1930s and 1940s. Recorded the last night of a 15-concert tour, the CD is the perfect collection of swing standards for those who dance or those that spectate. Ken Peplowski takes 16 essentials, long associated with one of the greatest names in jazz and reinteprets it with veterans of various Benny Goodman orchestras including Randy Sandke, Eddie Bert, Bobby Pring, Ben Aronov, Frank Capp and Jack Stuckey along with other brilliant musicians as Conte Candoli, Frank Vignola, Bob Milikan, Scott Robinson, Joe Romano, Rickey Woodard, and Richard Simon.

 Although the cliche that big bands will never come back is somewhat true, Ken Peplowski is the closest that some listeners near the end of this century will remember as bringing the music back to the ‘90s with taste, drive and creativity. Peplowski doesn’t compromise the artistic integrity of his mentor even though each soloist is playing in their own style, with no re-creations of solos from old records! Popular standards such as “Let’s Dance,” “Moon Glow,” “Bugle Call Rag,” “Don’t Be That Way,” and the “King Porter Stomp,” receive some of the very best arrangements they’ve ever had. On “Memories Of You,” Ken spotlights Bobby Pring’s trombone and the young, Frank Vignola’s mellow guitar. He duets with Vignola on one of Goodman’s favorites, “China Boy,” originally recorded with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa in 1936. 

The clarinet of Ken Peplowski, taken up in honor of Goodman, is brilliant on this hard-swinging set of performances by his orchestra and serves as an excellent example of what can be done and has been done to the keep the music of the Big Band Era fresh and vital. Last Swing Of The Century - Big Band Music of Benny Goodman captures the brilliant essence of Benny Goodman and is ever so essential.
By Paula Edelstein http://www.allaboutjazz.com/last-swing-of-the-century-big-band-music-of-benny-goodman-ken-peplowski-concord-music-group-review-by-paula-edelstein.php 

Musicians: Ken Peplowski, clarinet; trumpets; Conte Candoli, Bob Milikan, Randy Sandke; trombones,  Eddie Bert, Bobby Pring; saxophones,  Jack Stuckey - lead alto,  Scott Robinson - tenor,  Joe Romano - alto, Rickey Woodard - tenor; rhythm section, Ben Aronov-piano, Frank Vignola - guitar, Richard Simon - bass, Frank Capp - drums.

Last Swing Of The Century
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Mark Weinstein - Con Alma

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:08
Size: 140.0 MB
Styles: Flute jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[6:57] 1. Santi's Africaleidoscope
[4:05] 2. Broadway Local
[5:14] 3. Con Alma
[6:28] 4. Crescent
[5:58] 5. Fee Fi Fo Fum
[3:10] 6. Evidence
[6:10] 7. La Coneja Loca
[2:48] 8. Gotcha
[8:50] 9. Soul-Leo
[5:50] 10. Monte Adentro
[5:33] 11. Stella By Starlight

Mark Weinstein and his San Francisco Bay area-based Latin jazz quintet perform bop-oriented Afro-Cuban jazz, music that is not all that much different than the Latin jazz of the '50s and '60s. Weinstein has an attractive sound and a fluent style on flute, pianist Mark Levine gets nearly as much solo space as the leader, and the rhythm section keeps the music swinging, grooving, and danceable. Weinstein, whether jamming on the chord changes of "Giant Steps" ("Broadway Local"), playing tunes by Wayne Shorter or Thelonious Monk, or Latinizing obscurities, is in top form throughout. Fans of Cal Tjader (despite the lack of vibes), 1960s Herbie Mann, and traditional Latin jazz will enjoy this likable set. ~Scott Yanow

Con Alma
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Peter Lehel - Chamber Jazz Quartets

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:15
Size: 109,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:51) 1. Gavotte
(4:10) 2. Libertango
(3:20) 3. Brahms Meets Santana
(4:17) 4. Vilia
(4:12) 5. Värmland
(3:20) 6. Pavane
(2:44) 7. Stride La Vampa
(4:49) 8. Adgaio In G Minor
(3:07) 9. Für Eine Nacht Voller Seligkeit
(4:28) 10. Reverie
(3:21) 11. Moldau
(5:36) 12. Adagio For Saxes

The saxophonist, bass clarinetist, composer and arranger Peter Lehel studied jazz and popular music at the music academies in Stuttgart and Budapest from 1988 to 1996 and passed his concert exam with distinction.

He has positioned himself internationally with very diverse and independent music in the field of tension between jazz and classical music. He is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding composers and arrangers for the saxophone and clarinet family. Numerous arrangements for saxophone quartets and ensembles, free of all stylistic barriers, have been published in the meantime.

He works as a musician and composer with renowned jazz musicians and internationally renowned ensembles such as the Oláh Kálmán Trio Budapest, Ulisses Rocha European Brazil Project, Kristjan Randalu from Estonia, Monika Herzig Acoustic Project (USA), Barbara Dennerlein (Germany) as well as with classical stars such as Sabine Meyer, Wolfgang Meyer, Henning Wiegräbe, Steven Mead and many others.

As an arranger, he has worked for the Cuban world star of Latin jazz, Paquito d'Rivera, and for the "Trio di Clarone" around the clarinettists Sabine and Wolfgang Meyer (Grammy nomination 2010). He has arranged the music of the Hammond organist Barbara Dennerlein for large symphony orchestra.His compositions for jazz soloists with chamber orchestra and with string quartet have received great attention.

As a soloist and composer Peter Lehel works with various orchestras including the Budapest Chamber Symphony, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Sinfonietta Tübingen, the Stuttgart Philharmonic and the Artisfact Chamber Orchestra.

Concert tours regularly take Peter Lehel to the USA, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Caribbean, Cuba, Jamaica, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Spain, Italy and France, the Netherlands and Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland and Austria, South Korea, Taiwan and China, Israel, Egypt, Oman, Jordan, United Arab Emirates.

He is a jazz prizewinner of the state of Baden-Württemberg (1997), twice received the "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik" (2000, 2006), was among the winners of the International Contest for Jazz and Church Organ (Best Group 2001).

In 2004 he received a scholarship from the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, on whose jury he was appointed in 2008. n 2007 he became visiting professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China.

Peter Lehel has a very rich discography with very diverse formations and CD productions that cross the boundaries of genres, including Peter Lehel Quartet, Finefones Saxophone Quartet, Pipes and Phones and SaltaCello. In 2011 he founded the Jazz Ensemble Baden-Württemberg, a formation that works on the development of special programmes in various constellations.

Since 2014 he has been artistic director of the Jazz Juniors of the Baden-Württemberg State Music Council, where he is responsible for the highly talented promotion of jazz. Peter Lehel teaches the subjects saxophone, jazz theory, big band and ensembles at the Karlsruhe University of Music.
https://www.hfm-karlsruhe.de/en/university/persons/peter-lehel

Chamber Jazz Quartets
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Christina Tourin - Geodepédie - Hidden Light

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:47
Size: 137,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Geodepédie - Hidden Light
(2:11) 2. Music Is Love
(5:00) 3. Passacaglia - Handel's Healing Harp
(3:02) 4. Brigid's Green Mantle
(3:20) 5. Land O' The Leal
(2:01) 6. Early One Morning
(2:54) 7. Walk Through The Sunflowers
(3:57) 8. Reminisce
(1:37) 9. Sommarpsalm
(6:57) 10. Icelandic Northern Lights
(1:46) 11. Grieg’s Morning Mood
(3:38) 12. Largo - Vivaldi's Vision
(3:23) 13. Arigatou, I For You
(3:28) 14. Amethyst Of Avalon
(8:39) 15. As Above So Below
(2:56) 16. Colors Of The Season

For Christina Tourin, Geodepédie - Hidden Light, is more than simply the perfect title for the influential, world renowned harpist/composer’s sparkling, magically lyrical new age album – her first since 2010’s Iona Inspirations, which capped a prolific and prodigious 20 years of composing and recording.

“With a twist on Erik Satie's Gymnopedie,” Tourin says, “I present Geodepédie! May we open ourselves to let light shine forth as with a beautiful geode!” The new album is a journey of peace and wonder, reflecting the boundless immensity of the earth and sky.

With each track, Tourin strives for a sound that can transform lives, emotionally and spiritually. Listeners may imagine the shining inside of a newly-opened geode, while also picturing a crystalline night sky filled with glittering stars, planets and galaxies. The music, she says, creates a place to find the center of one’s being, allowing each listener to let go of tension and rise into the cumulus of their own imagination.

Musicians on the album include Christina Tourin (harp), Peter Sprague(guitar/synth), David Eastoe (synth), Suzanne Doucet (synth), Buvana Gerlach (vocals), Lies Joosten (Harp,Track 1). The album was produced by Christina Tourin for her Emerald Harp Productions, LLC, and recorded at SpragueLand Studios, Encinitas, CA, with sound engineer Peter Sprague. Cover design is by Jaime Tourin, with liner notes by Jonathan Widran.

Tourin truly lives a life “as above so below,” experiencing the magnificent and transcendent in small but significant ways. As one of the foremost leading educators of the harp, she founded the International Harp Therapy Program, which has training centers in multiple countries and languages with Therapeutic Harp Practitioners from 32 countries serving on five continents.

Tourin’s musical life has taken her around the world from Japan to Ireland, where she’s brought the National Instrument of the harp to blind children. She trained in performance both at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at McGill University in Montreal, and has accompanied chorales, performed with symphonies and been part of ensembles in off Broadway theaters. A highlight of her career is performing for 17 years for the Von Trapp Family at their Austrian Chalet Lodge in Vermont.

Harp has been in Tourin's family for several generations. As she says, “Expressing through music is not what I do, it’s who I am.”
https://www.thebcompany.com/geodepedie-hidden-light-a-brilliant-new-harp-album-by-christina-tourin

Geodepédie - Hidden Light
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Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Scott Hamilton Quartet & Harry Allen - Burghausen Jazz Festival 2007

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 88:47
Size: 205,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:45) 1. Just You, Just Me
( 8:06) 2. Lonesome Road
( 9:18) 3. Cotton Tail
( 5:52) 4. Chelsea Bridge
( 8:43) 5. Sweet Georgia Brown
(10:06) 6. Did You Call Her Today
( 9:48) 7. Tickle Toe
( 7:02) 8. This Is All I Ask
(12:26) 9. Blues Up & Down
( 8:36) 10. Blue Caper

Scott Hamilton is the premier 'mainstream' saxophonist of today. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954, he came along at the time when the kind of jazz he loved-the small-group swing of such great stylists as Illinois Jacquet and Eddie Lockjaw Davis-was out of fashion, and largely out of the public ear. Scott's handsome sound and impeccable phrasing were a rare commodity among young jazzmen. So when he signed to Concord Records, and began making albums for label boss and mainstream advocate Carl Jefferson, it caused surprise and excitement among both devotees of the style, and in the wider musical world.

His first Concord set, [Scott Hamilton is A Good Wind Who IS Blowing Us No Ill] was made in 1977 and took it’s title from an admiring remark from veteran jazz critic Leonard Feather. But it became only the first in a long and memorable series of albums for the label, which now stretches to nearly 30 releases They feature Scoff's playing in all kinds of settings-with small groups, string orchestras, in partnership with such distinguished players as Ruby Braff and Dave McKenna, and in many other situations. The constant is Scoff's creative imagination and the beautiful, honeyed sound he gets out of the tenor saxophone.

While he acknowledges the sidelong influence of players such as John Coltrane, he continues to perform the music he loves, which first brought him into jazz - great ballads and blues, played from the heart, with the timeless virtues of swinging playing underscoring every phrase. A worldwide following of admirers wouldn't have it any other way. Long regarded a consummate interpreter of standards, Scoff Hamilton's big, warm tenor saxophone tone and unerring sense of swing have a way of making every tune he plays uniquely his own. For his latest Concord Jazz outing, Hamilton-with the help of his simpatico group featuring John Bunch (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Steve Brown (drums)-presents some of his very favorite tunes. Tunes which happen to have been penned by other great jazz players, including such legendary jazz musicians/composers as Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, Illinois Jacquet, Benny Carter, and many others.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/scott-hamilton

Gene Lees writes, "Stan Getz was once asked his idea of the perfect tenor saxophone soloist. His answer was, 'My technique, Al Cohn's ideas, and Zoot's time.' The fulfillment of that ideal may well be embodied in thirty-year-old Harry Allen."

BMG recording artist Harry Allen has over twenty recordings to his name. Three of Harry's CDs have won Gold Disc Awards from Japan's Swing Journal Magazine, and his CD Tenors Anyone? won both the Gold Disc Award and the New Star Award. His recordings have made the top ten list for favorite new releases in Swing Journal Magazine's reader's poll and Jazz Journal International's critic's poll for 1997, and Eu Nao Quero Dancar (I Won't Dance), the third Gold Disc Award winner, was voted second for album of the year for 1998 by Swing Journal Magazine‚s reader‚s poll.

Harry has performed at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide, frequently touring the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Flip Phillips, Scott Hamilton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus Johnson, Jeff Hamilton, Terry Gibbs, Warren Vache, and has recorded with Tony Bennett, Johnny Mandel, Ray Brown, Tommy Flanagan, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Barron, Dave McKenna, Dori Caymmi, Larry Goldings, George Mraz, Jake Hanna, and Al Foster, among others.

Harry is featured on many of John Pizzarelli's recordings including the soundtrack and an on-screen cameo in the feature film The Out of Towners starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has also done a series of commercials for ESPN starring Robert Goulet.

Harry was born in Washington D.C. in 1966, and was raised in Los Angeles, CA and Burrillville, RI. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1988 from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and currently resides in New York City.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/harry-allen

Personnel: Scott Hamilton - tenor sax; Harry Allen - tenor sax; Olaf Polziehn - piano; Dave Green - bass; Steve Brown - drums

Burghausen Jazz Festival 2007
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Mark Weinstein & Omar Sosa - Tales From The Earth

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 157,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:22)  1. Sunrise
(5:52)  2. Invocation
(4:46)  3. Walking Song
(2:36)  4. Tea Break
(3:32)  5. Forest Journey
(5:57)  6. River Crossing
(4:39)  7. Children At Play
(7:08)  8. Men's Talk
(5:21)  9. Flirtation
(1:39) 10. Praise
(4:30) 11. Spirit Messenger
(5:52) 12. Celebration
(4:02) 13. Elders Speak
(5:13) 14. Gratitude

Tales from the Earth by flutist, Mark Weinstein and pianist/vibraphonist, Omar Sosa, is one of the most extraordinary musical expeditions in a long time. The need for a subtext is not necessary; the extraordinary depth and ethereal beauty of the music would suffice. Nevertheless, once that subtext becomes evident, then the music touches parts of the body that much music might not. There is really no beginning and no end; this musical continuum needs only be entered with eyes wide shut and ears open; listening with the heart, soul, and every pore of the being is essential. Perhaps it is the result of a childhood epiphany, which Weinstein recalled years later. Like epic music that is worshipful and healing, profoundly hypnotic as an interminable dance, it simply skips and rushes, cartwheels and catapults. The notes and phrases are alive and breathe as they entwine into each other like gilded braid. One strain, an idea, and then the voice of another world of music unfolding almost like an ocean tumbling in harness. Suddenly drums and kalimbas sing and, with a rumble and thud, quaking of the earth begins. Sadness flows as one of the darkest moments of human history is relived; then, not joy, but resignation and peace. Such primeval beauty in melody, harmonic and utterly exquisite polyrhythms, slicing through voices that meander in more melodic counterpoint.

Weinstein probably imagined something like this all his life, however it is pure chance that brought the flutist together with guitarist extraordinaire, Jean-Paul Bourelly and piano wizard Sosa. The occasion was the Black Atlantic/Congo Square series that Bourelly was organizing in Berlin in 2004. For Weinstein, the opportunity to play with these musicians, as well as bassist Yola Wesolowska and balaphon master Aly Keita, was the lure. Then the chilling subtext comes into play the venue for the recording was the same building that was once the Ministry of Information during the Nazi era. For Weinstein the project now must have been one by Divine design and the music reflects just that; none of the music was written. The music appears to have been dictated by a Divine muse and attendant spirits. Nothing else can explain the mesmerizing set that simply flows from track to track. The heavenly suite opens with a brilliant "Sunrise" dawn aglow and alive with kalimba and brass percussion. The stage for the exorcism of pain is set by contrapuntal voices led by Aho Luc Nicaise, and the musical healing begins. In this 14-part suite, unwritten yet unfolding with inspired beauty through each of its sections as it tracks the journey of the group in a tale reminiscent of the ancient Legend of Gilgamesh the musical expedition makes its "Forest Journey" and "River Crossing." Then "Praise" and the "Spirit Messenger," who helps them through the "Celebration" of lives lived and pain left behind. Santeria and catharsis for Mark Weinstein and the whole Human Diaspora as the extraordinary improvised musical experience closes appropriately with "Gratitude." ~ Raul D´Gama Rose https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tales-from-the-earth-mark-weinstein-ota-records-review-by-raul-dgama-rose.php
 
Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert alto and bass flutes; Omar Sosa: vibraphone, marimba, piano, percussion; Aly Keita: balafon; Jean Paul Bourelly: guitar; Stanislou Michalak: bass; Marque Gilmore: drums; Aho Luc Nicaise: lead vocals, percussion; Mathias Agbokou: vocals, percussion.

Tales From The Earth
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Rachel Portman - Beyond the Screen - Film Works on Piano

Styles: Piano, Stage & Screen
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:44
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:16) 1. The Cider House Rules: Piano Suite
(2:53) 2. Chocolat: Piano Suite
(2:18) 3. The Pier (From "Never Let Me Go", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(3:53) 4. One Day: Piano Suite
(2:34) 5. Good Night You Kings (From "The Cider House Rules", Arr. For Piano)
(2:32) 6. The Duchess: Piano Suite
(3:30) 7. Letter Box (From "Snow Flower And The Secret Fan", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(2:50) 8. Girl Rising: Piano Suite
(3:57) 9. Still Life: Piano Suite
(2:58) 10. Vianne Sets Up Shop (From "Chocolat", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(3:10) 11. Emma: Piano Suite
(2:26) 12. I'd Miss You (From "Their Finest", Arr. For Piano)
(4:54) 13. Snow Story (From "Smoke", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(2:43) 14. Passage Of Time (From "Chocolat", Arr. For 2 Pianos)
(3:25) 15. Frozen Lake (From "The Human Stain", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(2:13) 16. Life Is Sweet: Piano Suite
(3:09) 17. Book Of Photographs (From "Still Life", Arr. For Piano & Cello)
(2:43) 18. The Last Dinner (From "Despite The Falling Snow", Arr. For Piano)
(5:07) 19. Never Let Me Go: Piano & Cello Suite
(1:03) 20. Good Night You Kings (From "The Cider House Rules",Arr.For Piano)- A Calm Version

This week's Feature Album, Beyond the Screen - Film Works on Piano, is a solo piano album by the renowned British composer Rachel Portman, featuring some of her most beloved and memorable film scores.

The album includes compositions from a variety of films, such as "Chocolat," "Emma," "The Cider House Rules," and "Never Let Me Go," among others. Portman's unique style of blending classical, contemporary, and folk elements is showcased throughout the album, and her beautiful piano playing brings a fresh perspective to these well-known compositions. Beyond the Screen is a delightful and introspective collection of music that captures the essence and emotional depth of some of the most iconic films of the past few decades.
https://www.abc.net.au/classic/featured-music/feature-albums/beyond-the-screen-rachel-portman/102129314

Personnel: Rachel Portman (piano), Raphaela Gromes (cello)

Beyond the Screen: Film Works on Piano
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Billy Childs - The Winds of Change

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:34
Size: 120,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:21) 1. The Great Western Loop
(10:32) 2. The Winds Of Change
( 8:02) 3. The End Of Innocence
( 7:12) 4. Master Of The Game
( 7:33) 5. Crystal Silence
( 6:45) 6. The Black Angel
( 6:05) 7. I Thought I Knew

On 2023's The Winds of Change, Billy Childs embraces a thrilling, deeply sophisticated post-bop sound that evokes his work from the early '70s and '80s with artists like Freddie Hubbard and J.J. Johnson. The Winds of Change marks his third album with the jazz-friendly Mack Avenue label, following 2017's Grammy-winning Rebirth and 2020's Acceptance. As with those records, here Childs leads a small group, this time a veritable all-star ensemble featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade.

Together,they delve into a mix of originals and covers inspired by Childs' longtime passion for film music, especially the moody West Coast film noir, neo-noir, and hard-boiled soundtracks associated with composers like Jerry Goldsmith, Michel Legrand, and Bernard Herrmann. The opening "The Great Western Loop" (perhaps a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest?) begins with a spiraling piano riff offset by big, chunky, dark bass hits and Akinmusire's climbing trumpet melody. It's a kinetic, harmonically rich composition that wouldn't sound out of place on any of Freddie Hubbard's fusion-influenced albums.

That song along with the shimmering, late-afternoon balladry of the title track and the slow-churning "The End of Innocence" also feel like a song cycle. Part of this is due to the empathetic interplay between Childs and Akinmusire, who both play with a painterly touch, their shadowy harmonies caressing the vast cityscapes and West Coast mountain ranges the songs seem to conjure. Just as evocative are the covers, including an airy take of Chick Corea's 1972 composition "Crystal Silence" where Akinmusire's breathy trumpet veritably traces the glassy surface of Childs' chordal lake.

There's also a roiling, militaristic rendition of Kenny Barron's "The Black Angel," originally featured on the aforementioned Hubbard's 1970 album of the same name, a further affirmation of the deeply personal influences at play on The Winds of Change.By Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-winds-of-change-mw0003900312

The Winds of Change
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Monday, May 1, 2023

Marian McPartland - My Old Flame: Marian McPartland Performs: The Classic Hits Of Sam Coslow Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: My Old Flame: Marian McPartland Performs The Classic Hits Of Sam Coslow Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 18:27
Size: 43,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:44) 1. My Old Flame
(2:54) 2. The Day You Came Along
(3:14) 3. Just One More Chance
(2:03) 4. In The Middle Of A Kiss
(3:10) 5. Je Vous Adore (I Adore You)
(3:19) 6. Thanks
Album: My Old Flame: Marian McPartland Performs The Classic Hits Of Sam Coslow Disc 2
Time: 18:14
Size: 42,5 MB

(2:33) 1. Sing You Sinners
(3:32) 2. Beware My Heart
(3:16) 3. I'm In Love With The Honorable Mr. So And So
(2:17) 4. A Little White Gardenia
(2:59) 5. Moon Song
(3:34) 6. Cocktails For Two

The name Sam Coslow may not be well known in the 21st century, but during the 1940s, he had a number of popular hits which were adapted by jazz musicians, 12 of which are featured on this Marian McPartland LP. Unfortunately, the A&R person who put together this date for the pianist saddled her with an annoying choir that proves to be little more than a distraction. As a result, her bittersweet trio treatment of "My Old Flame" and the lush arrangement of "Cocktails for Two" both end up sounding like dated Muzak, making one long for the hilarious spoofs of the two songs done by Spike Jones two decades earlier.

Most of the remaining numbers suffer the same fate. Fortunately, the label didn't demand this nonsense all the way through the session, so McPartland cuts loose on the choir-free tracks and is able to do justice to the now obscure numbers like "Sing You Sinners" and the brisk waltz "Je Vous Adore (I Adore You)." But most jazz fans will have a tough time sitting through the annoying easy listening (if fairly soft) backing vocals, so this long out of print and extremely hard to find album will likely appeal only to those attempting to collect all of her recordings.By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-old-flame-marian-mcpartland-performs-the-classic-hits-of-sam-coslow-mw0000969182

My Old Flame: Marian McPartland Performs The Classic Hits Of Sam Coslow Disc 1, Disc 2
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Jerry Hahn - Moses

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:51
Size: 89,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:25) 1. Moses
(3:27) 2. Prime Time
(4:37) 3. Stick & Shaep
(5:54) 4. Blues Suite
(1:43) 5. Full Moon And Empty Arms
(4:47) 6. Sunshine Superman
(4:15) 7. Joy Spring
(4:31) 8. All Blues
(5:09) 9. Honey Suite

Jerry Hahn's second album is a fairly definitive effort by the talented but greatly underrated guitarist. Best known as an educator and an alumnus of Gary Burton's group, Hahn shows a lot of potential on this quartet set with organist Merl Saunders, bassist Mel Graves, and drummer George Marsh. In addition to his diverse originals, Hahn performs swinging versions of "All Blues" and Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring." It is a double pity that this LP has yet to appear on CD and that Hahn was not more extensively recorded in the 1970s. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/moses-mw0000893414

Personnel: Guitar – Jerry Hahn; Bass – Mel Graves; Drums – George Marsh; Organ, Synthesizer – Merl Saunders

Moses
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Phil Woods - Bird with Strings...and More! Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Bird with Strings...and More! Disc 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:03
Size: 112,0 MB
Art: Front

( 4:14) 1. Just Friends
( 3:25) 2. Everything Happens To Me
( 3:00) 3. April In Paris
( 5:34) 4. Solitude
( 4:58) 5. You Go To My Head
( 5:28) 6. The Thrill Is Gone
( 9:06) 7. Willow Weep For Me
(10:30) 8. All The Things You Are
( 1:44) 9. Imitating Charlie Parker
Album: Bird with Strings...and More! Disc 2
Time: 53:19
Size: 124,2 MB

(6:11) 1. I'll Remember April
(4:58) 2. Easy To Love
(8:08) 3. And When We Are Young
(9:00) 4. The Best Thing For You / How Deep Is The Ocean
(3:40) 5. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(5:18) 6. Repetition
(4:59) 7. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
(2:43) 8. Rocker
(6:03) 9. Temptation
(2:14) 10. Meeting Charlie Parker

Storyville Records is proud to present one of master saxophonist Phil Woods' most impressive projects, Bird With Strings... And More! Due for release on Storyville Records on March 3, 2023. The recording of this album took place in Tonhalle Zürich on June 13, 2005 with the help of pianist Ben Aronov, bassist Reggie Johnson, drummer Douglas Sides and the fantastic Zürich Chamber Orchestra.

The beautiful and characteristic sound of jazz and pop supported by a string orchestra is a very special and rare experience. Bird With Strings... And More! #use the classic album Charlie Parker With Strings as a point of departure. Charlie Parker, also known as Bird, recorded the original Charlie Parker With Strings in 1949 with a rhythm section plus a very small string section. On this recording, PW has written all new arrangements based on the original scores, and expanded the original arrangements to a much larger string section of 24/30 pieces and added a small woodwind section of oboe, flute and clarinet. Woods also proceeded to write a dozen extra arrangements with the same instrumentation.

PW pays perfect tribute to Bird and his original project, as he is the continuator of Bird's music, spirit and life, but PW has his very own sound signature, sometimes warm and sometimes volcanic. PW was not only an extraordinary alto saxophonist, but also an incredible composer and arranger. He is a modern jazz giant and one of the most important alto saxophonists in the history of jazz. Woods was known for a lyrical and beautiful sound making him one of the most popular musicians in mainstream jazz.

Born in 1931, he was influenced by Charlie Parker and Lennie Tristano, but worked in both jazz and pop influencing artists like Kenny G and a whole generation of alto played in jazz. This is emotional music for lovers, so savor the moment and relax in the company of one of the true masters! By Editorial Reviews
https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Strings-More-Phil-Woods/dp/B0BRT689VG

Personnel: Phil Woods - saxophone; Ben Aronov - piano; Reggie Johnson - bass; Douglas Sides - drums; Zürich Chamber Orchestra

Bird with Strings...and More!Disc 1, Disc 2
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Bill Mcgee - The Tree of Life

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:58
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:31) 1. Flight Time
(5:01) 2. Life Got In The Way
(3:42) 3. Summers In Surry
(4:30) 4. On And On
(3:48) 5. Sho Is Funky
(4:24) 6. Gigi
(6:08) 7. We Shall Overcome
(4:42) 8. Funky Dolla Bill
(4:50) 9. For Ramsey
(5:58) 10. Zodiac Sign
(5:19) 11. The Tree Of Life

With the release of his 5th solo album “The Tree of Life”, Bill McGee is celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, yet he says he feels like he’s 18 years old when he’s in the studio. Bill started his recording career with the HBCU band from Atlanta (Hellaphenalia), who signed with Ray Charles’ Tangerine Records in 1970, and later morphed into (Brick) Bang Records. Bill moved back to Virginia where he was the leader of HBCU band (Trussel) from Virginia State University, Trussel had the hit “Love Injection” in 1979-80, after becoming the first touring band for Evelyn “Champagne” King.

However, he is most recognized for being the lead trumpet on the iconic hip hop hits “Apache” by The Sugarhill Gang and “Freedom” by Grandmaster Flash, while his work with Klymaxx, Joyce “Fenderella” Irby and the O’Jays is also duly noted in his bio. As a music teacher he mentored the father of Neo Soul, D’Angelo, on the way to starting his own hip hop label that spawned Mad Skillz, Danja Mowf and The Supafriendz. Together they recorded the rap version of “Are You That Somebody” with Aaliyah. Frustrated with the direction of hip hop, twenty-one years ago, Bill McGee began pursuing his career as a solo contemporary jazz / jazz-funk-soul artist.

He has released four albums which have received accolades and international chart success, including his last single, Cantaloupe and Watermelon (#18/BB and #12/SMJZ), a Herbie Hancock mash-up and Top 20 Billboard hit. Even with his two gold records, past accomplishments and accolades, Bill states he was more excited last year when as an arranger and multi- instrumentalist, he played on his first #1 billboard hit, “Hispanica” by bassist Christian de Mesones, which featured Bob James on piano.

This album “The Tree of Life” symbolizes another phase in Bill’s career as a veteran recording artist. The album is a collection of 11 amazing performances dedicated to the memory of two of his dearest friends who transitioned recently and features some of the industry’s finest recording artists, along with fifty plus (50+) excellent musicians associated with The 804 Music Group.

One of Bill’s favorite songs on the album, “GiGi”, is the name his nine (9) grandchildren call his beautiful wife Wanda. Written by Michael Thierry and Bill McGee, “GiGi” is a feel good record that has a really nice groove. It features drums by T K Johnson (A 2022 Berklee College Graduate) a funky drummer, who some call the next Sheila E., Michael Thierry on keys, Juan Nelson on bass, Ras Mel Glover on guitar (The Wailers), and Risegun Olomidun on percussion. The McGees will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary July 19, 2023.
https://urbanviewsrva.com/2023/03/28/richmonds-own-bill-mcgee-releases-his-newest-album-the-tree-of-life/

The Tree of Life
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Sunday, April 30, 2023

Maria Schneider Orchestra - Data Lords (Disc 1), (Disc 2)

Album: Data Lords (Disc 1)
Styles: Big Band
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:58
Size: 121,6 MB
Art: Front

( 9:41) 1. A World Lost
(13:37) 2. Don't Be Evil
(10:17) 3. CQ CQ Is Anybody There?
( 8:11) 4. Sputnik
(11:11) 5. Data Lords
Album: Data Lords (Disc 2)
Time: 43:06
Size: 99,1 MB

( 5:45) 1. Sanzenin
( 5:42) 2. Stone Song
( 9:04) 3. Look Up
( 3:59) 4. Braided Together
(11:11) 5. Bluebird
( 7:22) 6. The Sun Waited For Me

The skillfully designed cover art tells part of the story; a leaf half as nature intended the remainder, a circuit board doppelganger. The pastoral soundscapes associated with the music of Grammy-winning composer/bandleader Maria Schneider belie her activist alter-ego. An outspoken critic of copyright protections, prejudicial revenue schemes and the abuses of "big data," Schneider has authored op-eds and testified before the US Congress. She ventures onto unfamiliar terrain, coalescing her passions on a masterwork double album, Data Lords.

The two discs are respectively designated as "The Digital World" and "Our Natural World" and the first CD opens with the ominous "A World Lost." Ben Monder's brooding guitar and Richard Perry's tenor sax preside over rumbling brass; the piece is as dark as the title suggests. Monder's electric guitar becomes an emblematic figure in a substantial portion of the digitally-focused disc. "CQ CQ, Is Anybody There?" is based on the low-tech forerunner of the digital world; Schneider's engineer father was a ham radio operator.

The piece features Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone and Greg Gisbert on trumpet, with electronics, a rarity in Schneider's recordings. The two set up a clash between organic and enhanced sounds. A harbinger of the competition for technological dominance is manifested in the shadowy "Sputnik" where Scott Robinson's baritone sax takes center stage. The title track closes the first disc with an appropriately chaotic and conflicted warning of the potential risks of an AI dominated world.

Returning to more familiar ground, "Our Natural World" is not a divestiture from the concept but solace from the intrusion of mechanization. The striking "Sanzenin" is a meditative reflection on the Buddhist gardens in Ohara, Japan. Gary Versace's accordion evocatively soars above the low reeds. Schneider further lifts the spirits with the lavishly textured "Look Up" with Marshall Gilkes' inspired trombone interwoven with pianist Frank Kimbrough. Schneider builds on her visual observations of nature in the eleven-minute "Bluebird" and the second-disc closing piece "The Sun Waited for Me." Both of those, hopeful and energized arrangements are in the vein of her work on The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare, 2015).

Schneider found her inspiration to take a larger risk in working briefly with David Bowie on his final studio album Blackstar (ISO Records, 2016). The post-production version of the single "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" caught Schneider off guard but also opened her mind to new ideas. Data Lords was commissioned by the Library of Congress and premiered at the Library in 2016. Schneider has described the project as "very dark, chaotic, and intense." By comparison to her other releases, it's true but that account shouldn't be off-putting to her fans. Data Lords is often gorgeous and always intriguing. It is Schneider's best collection to date and sure to end up on most of the appropriate year-end lists. This is intoxicating music and highly recommended. By Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/data-lords-maria-schneider-orchestra-artist-share

Personnel: Composed By, Conductor – Maria Schneider; Accordion – Gary Versace; Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo Flute – Dave Pietro; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute – Steve Wilson (2); Bass – Jay Anderson; Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Scott Robinson (2); Bass Trombone – George Flynn (2); Drums, Percussion – Johnathan Blake; Guitar – Ben Monder; Piano – Frank Kimbrough; Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Donny McCaslin; Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Marshall Gilkes, Ryan Keberle; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert, Mike Rodriguez (9), Nadje Noordhuis, Tony Kadleck

Data Lords (Disc 1),(Disc 2)
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Sarah Vaughan - Songs with the Joe Lippman Orchestra

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:08
Size: 85,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. Black Coffee
(3:31) 2. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
(3:09) 3. Bianca
(3:20) 4. The Nearness Of You
(3:16) 5. Summertime
(2:35) 6. As You Desire Me
(3:00) 7. I’m Crazy To Love You
(3:01) 8. Just Friends
(2:41) 9. Make Believe (You Are Glad When You're Sorry)
(3:11) 10. You’re Mine, You
(2:42) 11. Give Me A Song With A Beautiful Melody
(3:18) 12. You Taught Me To Love Again

In the 1940s, when most women singers adorned big bands as stage attractions rather than legitimate members of jazz ensembles, Sarah Vaughan, along with her predecessor Ella Fitzgerald, helped elevate the vocalist's role as equal to that of the jazz instrumentalist. A woman known for her many vicissitudes, Vaughan's outspoken personality and artistic eloquence brought her the names "Sassy" and "The Divine One.” A talented pianist, she joined the ranks of the 1940s bebop movement and became, as a member of the Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine bands, one of its most celebrated vocalists. Her dynamic vocal range, sophisticated harmonic sense, and horn-like phrasing brought Vaughan million-selling numbers and a stage and recording career that spanned half a decade.

Sarah Lois Vaughan was born the daughter of Asbury and Ada Vaughan on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. As a youth Vaughan took piano lessons and attended the Mount Zion Baptist Church, where she served as a church keyboardist. At home Vaughan played the family's upright piano and listened to the recordings of jazz artists Count Basie and Erskine Hawkins. After discovering Newark's numerous theaters and movie houses, she skipped school and left home at night to watch dances and stage shows. By age 15, she performed at local clubs, playing piano and singing.

Not long after, Vaughan took the train across the river to Harlem to frequent the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theatre. One evening, in 1943, she sat in at the Apollo amateur show, a fiercely competitive contest that often exposed lesser talents to the harsh criticism of the theater's audience. Vaughan's moving performance of "Body and Soul" not only brought a fever of applause from the crowd, it also caught the attention of singer Billy Eckstine. Eckstine informed his bandleader Earl "Fatha" Hines about the young singer. Hines then allowed Vaughan to attend the band's uptown band rehearsal. At the rehearsal, Vaughan's singing won immediate praise from Hines and his musicians. One of the premiere modern big bands of the era, Hines's ensemble included such talents as trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro, saxophonist Charlie Parker, and trombonist J. J. Johnson. As the only female bandmember, Vaughan shared the vocal spotlight with Eckstine and played piano, often in duet settings with Hines. Vaughan debuted at the Apollo with Hines's band on April 23, 1943.

Not long after, most of Hines's modernist sidemen, including Gillespie, Parker, and Eckstine, gradually left the band. Vaughan remained briefly with Hines's band until she accepted an invitation to join Eckstine's newly-formed bebop big band in 1944. In December of that year, she cut her first side "I'll Wait and Pray," backed by the Eckstine band, which included Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons, and pianist John Malachi.

Through the intercession of jazz writer and pianist Leonard Feather, Vaughan recorded her first date as a leader for the small Continental label. Under the production of Feather, Vaughan and Her All-Stars attended their session on New Year's Eve 1944. Acting as the session's producer and pianist, Feather assembled such sidemen as Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Georgie Auld to cut four sides: "Signing Off," Feather's "No Smoke Blues," Gillespie's "Interlude" (a vocal version of "Night in Tunisia"), and "East of the Sun," on which Gillespie replaced Feather on keyboard.On a second session, Feather relinquished the piano duties to Nat Jaffe, and brought together Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
.....More https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/sarah-vaughan/

Songs with the Joe Lippman Orchestra
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Andrea Pozza Trio - Blue Toy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:42
Size: 178,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:35) 1. Blue Toy
(6:35) 2. Night Flower
(6:04) 3. I Was Doing All Right (Feat. Mila Ogliastro)
(4:52) 4. You Can Say That Again
(4:59) 5. If This Isn't Love (Feat. Mila Ogliastro)
(7:00) 6. By Herself (Mila In Silence)
(4:37) 7. Close To The Rainbow
(6:54) 8. Isn't This A Lovely Day (Feat. Mila Ogliastro)
(5:54) 9. Non Stop Riders
(3:31) 10. I Don't Know Why (Feat. Mila Ogliastro)
(6:46) 11. Isfahan
(6:37) 12. Who Cares (Feat. Mila Ogliastro)
(6:13) 13. Peggy's Blue Skylight

Andrea Pozza is considered "true jazzman:" eclectic pianist capable of handling with great ease any repertoire, he has been active on the national and international jazz scene for nearly 30 years and is recognized by critics and audiences as one of the most representative figures in jazz. Andrea Pozza is a complete artist as well as a valuable partner for great musicians. Thanks to these qualities he plays both as a sideman and frontman and is one of the most respected jazz pianists in Italy and abroad.

Pozza’s career started more than thirty years ago and has led him to perform at an early age (he made his debut only 13) with superstars such as Harry "Sweet" Edison, Bobby Durham, Chet Baker, Al Grey, Scott Hamilton, George Coleman, Charlie Mariano, Lee Konitz, Massimo Urbani, Luciano Milanese. Pozza has been part of the Enrico Rava Quintet (with Roberto Gatto, Rosario Bonaccorso and Gianluca Petrella) from 2004 to 2008 with whom he recorded "The Words And The Days" (released in 2007).

His intense concert activity, in addition to his solo career, sees him present in different formations including Rosario Bonaccorso Quartet and New York Connection co-directed with Emanuele Cisi. In addition, Pozza collaborates with Fabrizio Bosso, Tullio DePiscopo, Dado Moroni, Ferenc Nemeth, Bob Sheppard. He also played with Sal Nistico, Steve Grossman and Gianni Basso, with whom he has worked steadily for more than 25 years and recorded several CDs.

In 2011 the piano jazzman released "Gull's Flight" (Abeat rec, 2011) with the Andrea Pozza European Quintet, involving Christian Brewer on alto sax, Shane Forbes on drums, Dick DeGraaf on tenor and soprano sax and Jos Machtel on upright bass. In 2013 Andrea Pozza recorded "A Jellyfish from the Bosphorus" (Abeat Rec.,2013) the last one in trio with Aldo Zunino on upright bass and Shane Forbes on drums. His most recent albums are "I Could Write a Book" and "Who cares?" (Fonè Jazz, 2014) with Scott Hamilton, one of the most important sax in the world.

Among the other record projects, Andrea Pozza loves to remember: “Plays Ellington, Monk and Himself” (GoFour, 2005); “Sweet Lorraine” (Venus, 2005); “Love Walked In” (33Records, 2007); “Drop This Thing” (2007), "New Quiet" (2010) e “Blu Daniel” (2011) with Aldo Zunino (bass) and Shane Forbes (drums) by Dejavu Records. And two others cds recorded with Enrico Rava, “Andrea Pozza meets Gianni Basso feat. Enrico Rava – Making ’whoopee” (Philology, 2003) and "The Words And The Days" with Enrico Rava Quintet (ECM, 2005).http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/andrea-pozza

Blue Toy
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Tim Armacost - The Inevitable Note

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:07
Size: 163,1 MB
Art: Front

(9:05) 1. Lazy Afternoon
(6:08) 2. Since Before We Met
(8:56) 3. Work Wonk
(7:19) 4. Ramble In The Gramble
(9:43) 5. Yaomacost
(7:25) 6. I Love My Chiru
(8:48) 7. The Mayor's Counsel
(6:26) 8. A Sliver Of Silver
(7:12) 9. Lynn's Tune

Saxophonist Tim Armacost is a force to be reckoned with. He has slowly and steadily built a reputation and a body of work that has marked him out as a player of great originality and distinction. It is only to be hoped that recordings such as this will help propel his musical trajectory further.

In danger of becoming a musician’s musician, Armacost is very much his own man having processed his influences and distilled them into his own unique take on the modern jazz tradition. In his playing one can detect the influence of John Coltrane in the saxophonist’s steely tone, and the rhythmic dexterity and lyrical agility of Sonny Rollins, yet Armacost is able to project this in his own voice to which he adds his harmonic ingenuity.

Not prone to pyrotechnics, although he can turn up the heat when required, Armacost’s solos have a patient quality about them, and delivered if he all the time in the world to say what needs to be said before moving on.

With The Inevitable Note Armacost presents a neatly programmed set of contemporary hard bop with some cracking compositions that suit this new quintet very well indeed. Opening with ‘Lazy Afternoon’, the quintet settles into their groove. The theme is delivered with a commanding tenor statement for Armacost before he launches into his first solo of the album.

Immediately capturing the attention with a hard edged tone and melodic figures that never quite go where one might expect. This is followed by Joe Locke’s vibes solo that brings the pace down and releasing the tension built up by the saxophonist.

‘Ramble in the Gramble’ kicks off with a frantic bass riff that lifts the drummer and pianist carrying them along as the tenor picks up the theme. Armacost’s solo is a little more fragmentary as he rides the bass line that continues to propel the music along. Joe Locke’s vibes solo follows a similar path as the notes fly from his mallets, carefully building his melodic phrases over the tumultuous rhythm section.

Davis’s bass is again to the fore as he introduces ‘Yaomacost’ with his strong and full sound on the instrument gripping the attention. Switching to soprano saxophone, the playing is lyrical and tender from Armacost. If the tone is not as full as his tenor sound, his control and use of dynamics give his playing a lightness if touch that is most appealing. This can be evidenced on ‘A Sliver of Silver’ where his phrases tumble over each other in a lucid solo that generates real excitement.

Back on tenor, Armacost displays a gentle swagger on ‘The Mayor’s Counsel’ in a statement of real authority, as does a splendid solo from pianist Jim Ridl, once again propelled along with urgency and good taste by the bass and drums team of Kenny Davis and Rudy Royston.

Interestingly this fine album will be released not just digitally, but in the physical format of a 180gram LP, with no immediate plans to release on CD. For audiophiles everywhere a chance to add another quality album to the collection while the rest of us should make haste and dust off our turntables in readiness.By Nick Lea https://jazzviews.net/tim-armacost-the-inevitable-note/

Personnel: Tim Armacost (tenor & soprano saxophones); Joe Locke (vibraphone); Jim Ridl (piano); Kenny Davis (double bass); Rudy Royston (drums)

The Inevitable Note
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Saturday, April 29, 2023

Candy Dulfer - Golden Sax

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:06
Size: 163,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:24) 1. Lily Was Here
(4:29) 2. Saxuality
(5:37) 3. Man In The Desert
(4:16) 4. Wake Me When It's Over
(4:36) 5. I Can't Make You Love Me
(6:03) 6. Heavenly City
(4:46) 7. Capone
(4:51) 8. 2 Funky
(5:19) 9. Donja
(6:18) 10. 2 Miles
(4:57) 11. Sax-A-Go-Go
(6:01) 12. September
(5:37) 13. Mister Marvin
(1:45) 14. Lily Was Here (reprise)

Grammy nominated Dutch saxophonist and vocalist Candy Dulfer has been performing since age seven, leader of the band Funky Stuff since age fourteen, an international recording artist since age nineteen, and has toured world-wide since age twenty.

Dulfer has recorded and / or performed with numerous noted artists such as Prince, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Van Morrison, Maceo Parker, Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Larry Graham, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Cliff, George Duke, Blondie, Jools Holland, Jamie Cullum, Angie Stone, Tower of Power, The Time, Alan Parsons, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Joey DeFrancesco, Jonathan Butler, Mavis Staples, and the list goes on and on. Perhaps just as impressive is the thought that even jazz sax legend Sonny Rollins may be counted among Candy's fans and has commented favorably upon her work.

In 1989 "Lily was here" her first collaboration with former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart was a Number 1 hit all over Europe. In 1999 they worked together on the soundtrack of the Robert Altman motion picture Cookie's Fortune and in 2002 they toured Europe with Stewart's new project Da Univerzal Playaz, featuring reggae legend Jimmy Cliff.

Candy Dulfer's solo debut album Saxuality (Arista, 1991) sold over a million copies worldwide and was nominated for a Grammy. Her fourth album For the love of you (1997) was a major hit in the USA and remained in the Billboard charts for more than forty weeks. Sales of Dulfer's solo albums now total well into the millions worldwide

Dulfer appeared with Prince in the Partyman video, was featured on the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack, and performed with him on a special anniversary edition of Saturday Night Live. In 1998 and 2002 she once again toured with Prince, appeared on his 3-CD live box set One Nite Alone... Live! (Npg, 2002) and performed on his internet-only album Xpectation (Npg, 2003).

She again joined Prince in 2004 for the massive Musicology tour, playing over ninety shows in sell-out arenas across the USA to more than 1.5 million excited fans. Prior to the Musicology tour Dulfer performed with Prince and Beyoncé at the prestigious Grammy Awards and also performed with Prince on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. She was featured prominently with sax and vocals on Prince's hit album Musicology (Sony, 2004), including the smashing duet "Life 'o' the Party".

TV appearances include Jay Leno's Tonight Show, Good Morning America, CNN's Showbiz Today, Saturday Night Live, The Sinbad Show, and a recurring spot on The Arsenio Hall Show. Dulfer has also appeared on numerous major television shows in Japan. Her European TV appearances include Ohne Filter, The Harald Schmidt Show, Rockpalast and Pepe Linhardt.

"Finsbury Park, Café 67" from Dulfer's solo album Right in my Soul (Eagle Music Europe, 2003) became a major smash at all the smooth jazz stations across the USA and in October of that year reached the Number 1 position on the R&R Smooth Jazz chart making it the most played smooth jazz song in the USA.

Her second live album Live at Montreux (Video Arts Japan, 2005) was released on DVD and CD as part of a prestigious group of releases by Eagle Vision from the archives of the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival.

In 2006 Candy Dulfer performed as a special guest at the renowned Berks Jazz Fest in the USA, followed by more shows in the States in July together with Jason Miles (of Miles Davis fame) with a band that included Dulfer's fellow Prince bandmembers Rhonda Smith and Chance Howard. By popular demand, she continues to play numerous dates each year primarily in the USA, Europe, Canada, and Japan (including the famous Blue Note clubs).

Dulfer's latest effort titled Candy Store (Heads Up International, 2007) includes performances by Ulco Bed and Chance Howard. The album features a sprinkling of techno-style special effects, but it's funk and R&B roots are clear. A subsequent album is already in the works with an anticipated release in Spring 2009.

Although her music is often labeled "smooth jazz," Dulfer considers herself to be an R&B saxophone player. There are several videos available below which clearly illustrate Candy Dulfer's versatility and extraordinary musical ability.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/candy-dulfer

Golden Sax
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Raphael Laffont Quartet - Late Night At the Bar

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:52
Size: 83,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:55) 1. Mad About You
(2:13) 2. Midnight Romance
(2:33) 3. Devil In The Bottle
(2:13) 4. Ballad In Blue
(2:23) 5. Midnight Bop
(2:45) 6. Cocktail Hour
(2:47) 7. Blues For My Lady
(2:10) 8. Sunny Blues
(2:41) 9. Sweet Piano Rag
(3:14) 10. I'm In The Mood For Jazz
(2:35) 11. Around The Blues
(2:07) 12. The Way We Were
(2:42) 13. Last Call
(2:30) 14. Left Me Lonely

Late Night At The Bar in a smoky jazz club listening to sophisticated, nostalgic and romantic themes, bluesy tunes and ballads featuring a Jazz quartet with sultry tenor saxophone, soulful piano, upright bass and light drums with brushes. Includes alternative versions, underscores and 30 second commercial cuts.
https://www.bammusic.com/fr/release/late_night_at_the_bar/62e0f961e38f4c3d1adaa5cc

Late Night At the Bar
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Jonathan Butler - Ubuntu

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:28
Size: 130,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:58) 1. Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
(5:04) 2. Ubuntu
(4:14) 3. When Love Comes In
(4:52) 4. No Tomorrow
(5:19) 5. Bon Appétit
(4:02) 6. Rainbow Nation
(5:10) 7. Peace in Shelter
(4:49) 8. Coming Home
(7:04) 9. Silver Rain
(5:14) 10. Springtime in Afrika
(5:38) 11. Our Voices Matter (Bonus Acoustic Version)

Legendary singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler traveled back to his home country of South Africa to craft his most exciting and deeply personal album to date. Featuring producer/bassist Marcus Miller, Ubuntu is a reintroduction of Butler’s life story, going back 60 years to his upbringing in apartheid-era Capetown, which shaped his world view, prompted years of advocacy and instilled the ideology of ‘Oneness’ (Ubuntu).

Featuring special guests Keb’ Mo’ and Stevie Wonder on harmonica, the new album serves both as a rebirth of musical creativity and reconciliation with systemically biased history to forge a brighter future.
https://jonathanbutler.com/products/jonathan-butler-ubuntu

Ubuntu
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Pharoah Sanders - Great Moments with Pharoah Sanders

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 99:44
Size: 229,2 MB
Art: Front

( 7:53) 1. Times Past (This Is For You, John)
( 6:54) 2. Origin
( 5:31) 3. Naima
( 8:25) 4. Africa
( 4:57) 5. You Don't Know What Love Is
(12:19) 6. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
( 7:22) 7. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(10:43) 8. Moniebah
( 9:24) 9. Soul Eyes
(10:06) 10. You've Got To Have Freedom
( 8:10) 11. Moon Child
( 7:55) 12. Central Park West

"The double-LP Great Moments With Pharoah Sanders documents the music of Pharoah Sanders from 1983 to 1990, showcasing both the raw energy and tender nature of his music. It contains 12 of his recordings, including 'Africa', 'Naima', 'You've Got To Have Freedom' and also the previously unreleased version of 'Central Park West'.

Featured guest musicians are John Hicks, Idris Muhammad, Curtis Lundy, Benny Golson, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter and more jazz masters. For this compilation, Bret Primack has written new liner notes and Timeless Records founders Ria and Wim Wigt here share additional great moments from Sanders's sublime work.Great Moments Withis available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent blue color vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve."
https://www.inneroceanrecords.com/products/pharoah-sanders-great-moments-with-pharoah-sanders

Great Moments with Pharoah Sanders
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