Ran Blake & Jeanne Lee - Free Standards

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:05
Size: 168,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:45)  1. Ticket to Ride
(2:58)  2. Kind'a Sweet
(2:18)  3. Corcovado - Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
(3:00)  4. Let's Go
(2:10)  5. Ja-Da
(2:41)  6. Bombastica!
(2:24)  7. Lydiana : People of this world
(1:31)  8. Crystal Trip
(2:38)  9. A Taste Of Honey
(4:02) 10. Night and Day
(2:17) 11. I Can Tell
(3:16) 12. Take the 'A' Train
(3:02) 13. Living Up to Life
(2:08) 14. A Hard Day's Night
(2:43) 15. The Girl From Ipanema
(3:32) 16. Vanguard
(0:34) 17. Glaziation
(5:29) 18. You Stepped Out of A Dream
(4:17) 19. I Can Tell More
(4:22) 20. Desafinado & One Note Samba
(2:31) 21. Stars Fell On Alabama
(3:35) 22. Just Friends
(4:07) 23. Free Standards
(2:55) 24. I'll Remember April
(2:38) 25. Honeysuckle Rose

In 1961 singer Jeanne Lee (1939-2000) and pianist Ran Blake (born 1935) emerged as one of the most innovative duos on the New York jazz scene. Presenting an almost freely improvised reading of standard and original melodies, they blended voice and piano in a manner seemingly without any boundaries except those imposed by their individual disciplines. It was a stunning combination, but aside from a few concerts, a local television show, a praised RCA Victor album, and an appearance at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival, they found little work in the US. In Europe, however, it was a different story. 

There the duo’s subtlety, daring and wit, along with Lee’s warmth and precision and Blake’s inventiveness, were immediately  appreciated. They opened a series of well-received North-European concerts in 1963 at Stockholm’s Golden Circle and returned there three years later, when these examples of their unique artistry were captured in a studio recording session. In combination they pass, blend, meld, and move around each other in a manner both delicately nuanced and vaguely disconcerting, demanding attention in a way no other group of this kind has done.
http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/free_standards__stockholm_1966-cd-5954.html

Featuring: Ran Blake (p), Jeanne Lee (vcl)

Free Standards

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Martina Dasilva & Dan Chmielinski - Chimytina and Chill

Styles: Vocal, Bop
Year: 2020
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 11:33
Size: 11,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:09) 1. The Best Things in Life Are Free
(1:01) 2. Fly Me to the Moon
(1:35) 3. When I Grow Too Old to Dream
(3:50) 4. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(1:11) 5. A Bushel and a Peck
(1:49) 6. Tea for Two
(0:55) 7. L-O-V-E

Jazz vocalist Martina DaSilva, a New York City native, captivates audiences with her signature blend of daring technical virtuosity and expressive emotional sensitivity. Drawing equally from the styles of early jazz, opera, and chamber music, her musicality transcends conventional genre labelling. As a Brazilian-American, Martina also has a passion for performing the works of Brazilian composers.

DaSilva actively performs with her own group in addition to leading the jazz vocal harmony group, The Ladybugs. Martina has received high praise for her performances at the Kennedy Center, the Bern International Jazz Festival, the Blue Note Jazz Festival, the NYC Hot Jazz Festival, Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Generations in Jazz Festival, and the NY Winter Jazzfest.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/martina-dasilva/

Chimytina and Chill

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Massimo Faraò, Sophia Tomelleri - On the Trail

Styles: Bop
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:48
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:36) 1. Reflections
(4:34) 2. Long Ago and Far Away
(6:24) 3. Flamingo
(3:51) 4. U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)
(4:59) 5. The More I See You
(3:30) 6. Sippin' at Bells
(4:21) 7. Nico's Dream
(3:53) 8. Stupendous
(3:52) 9. Ginetta
(5:04) 10. These Things You Left Me
(7:02) 11. My Melancholy Baby
(6:36) 12. On the Trail

«I’m not a fan of “pink quotas”. Least of all in music. Unfortunately, some people are still surprised to discover that women can play the saxophone, the double-bass or the drums. But it’s not like this everywhere. It is a question of culture, and we in Italy are still behind. I think the issue might be overcome with the support of education and school».

Sophia Tomelleri, 29 years old, is a Milanese saxophonist and composer, born in the trade (renowned saxophonist Paolo Tomelleri is her grandfather) who wants nothing to do with the gender controversies applied to jazz. And who can blame her?

After winning the prestigious Massimo Urbani award last year (this helped her record her debut “These Things You Left Me”, published by Emme Record Label and available on all online platforms) she is now among the most buzzworthy names of young Italian jazz. Tomelleri will play live on Thursday, October 28th at Milan’s Teatro Filodrammatici, during the first of three evenings of “JAZZMI FUTURE” at the head of an excellent quartet including Simone Daclon on piano, Alex Orciari on double bass and Pasquale Fiore on drums.

«Lately, when we talk about jazz, we don’t know what to think anymore. Too many things are trying to pass themselves off as jazz when they aren’t. While it’s true that jazz was born from a mixture of different cultures, it almost seems like it has lost its own identity», argues Sophia Tomelleri. What about new generations? «From what I’m hearing, some of my contemporaries appear to be too fixated on rational or conceptual music, with the result of neglecting harmony. I don’t want to appear too traditional, but I personally prefer a more acoustic kind of jazz, in the manner of saxophonist Mark Turner, who is one of my favorites». And speaking of favorites, Tomelleri places at the top of her preferred albums one of John Coltrane’s masterpieces, “My Favourite Things”, alongside “Something Gold, Something Blue” by trumpeter Tom Harrel. “Made in the U.S.A.” jazz clearly has a special place in Sophia’s heart.

Something she regrets about contemporary jazz is the clear lack of spaces it suffers from: «It’s not fair to say young people don’t like jazz. The main issue is a lack of spaces. Young people won’t go to theaters or venues where tickets are too expensive. And things become difficult even for us as musicians, if we don’t have anywhere to play. And I’m not just talking about clubs, sometimes it’s hard even to find a bar…».

Finally, we couldn’t resist asking Sophia about her encounter with the tenor sax. «It only happened three years ago», she explains. «I began with the piano when I was little, and at home we listened to a lot of jazz. Then I graduated from the conservatory in classical music and contralto sax. I feel very comfortable playing the tenor sax: it is the instrument I most like to use in my jazz improvisation. Lately I’ve been increasingly focusing on composing, and when I compose I use the piano. I am even thinking of deepening this aspect of my musical knowledge by signing up for a two-year course at Genoa’s conservatory of music».
https://ponderosa.it/en/sophia-tomelleri/

On the Trail

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Mundell Lowe - Guitar Moods

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:14
Size: 77,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:39) 1. Speak Low
(2:07) 2. We'll Be Together Again
(3:48) 3. Memories Of You
(3:02) 4. Ill Wind
(3:08) 5. You Don't Know What Love Is
(2:18) 6. I Dream Too Much
(2:54) 7. June In January
(1:53) 8. I'll Take Romance
(4:11) 9. It's So Peaceful In The Country
(1:54) 10. Our Waltz
(2:09) 11. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:06) 12. Goodbye

This is very much a chamber jazz set. Mundell Lowe plays "Our Waltz" as an unaccompanied guitar solo and his trio with bassist Trigger Alpert and drummer Ed Shaughnessy is joined by either Al Klink or Phil Bodner on various woodwinds during seven of the 11 other selections.

The bass clarinet, flute, oboe, and English horn are quite atmospheric, adding to the beauty of the ballads. The brevity of the individual selections is understandable but it is unfortunate that this CD reissue is only 32 and a half minutes long, for what is here is quite memorable. Guitar Moods, which lives up to its name, is recommended anyway. By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/guitar-moods-mw0000655549

Personnel: Mundell Lowe - guitar; Al Klink - bass clarinet, flute (tracks 1, 4, 9); Phil Bodner - oboe, English horn (tracks 3, 6, 7, 12); Trigger Alpert - bass; Ed Shaughnessy - drums

Guitar Moods

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Joan Osborne - Nobody Owns You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:12
Size: 111,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. I Should've Danced More
(3:31) 2. Nobody Owns You
(3:44) 3. So Many Airports
(3:38) 4. Woman's Work
(3:40) 5. The Smallest Trees
(4:03) 6. Time of the Gun
(3:40) 7. Dig a Little Ditch
(3:37) 8. Secret Wine
(4:26) 9. Child of God
(4:00) 10. Tower of Joy
(4:16) 11. Lifeline
(4:38) 12. Great American Cities

This new set from the splendid voice of Kentucky-bred Joan Osborne starts with a reflective ballad that’s unadorned, yet because of her fine writing & performance will resonate with many ears. All the things we should’ve done & didn’t. There’s a subject many singer-songwriters seldom tackle with verve & vitality with Joan’s poignancy. Yes, Ms. Osborne’s audience is a little older now but there’s nothing here that younger listeners won’t understand. “I Should’ve Danced More,” is superb. During Ms. Osborne’s recent live concert in NJ, she opened with this new song & immediately captured her audience’s ears with her experienced vocal caress.

Not stopping there “Nobody Owns You,” is another powerful message song specifically for her own daughter. The musicianship while spare is genuine in its atmosphere. It sticks gently in the memory. Joan is one of the few artists I find consistent enough to listen through an entire album. Joan knows where to put the emphasis & finesse. It’s clear just how formidable she is.

The 12-impressions Joan offers on her 47-minute Nobody Owns You (Drops Sept 8–Womanly Hips Records) collection produced by Ben Rice (banjo guitar) are small autobiographical snippets & short stories. Many singer-songwriters in a similar vein don’t always capture this dalliance with the same discipline.

Joan isn’t an MOR/easy listening mainstream pop singer because many of her songs are more based in a folk aesthetic than a pop one. She does possess an identifiable sound & is determined to make every song teach something, say something, or relay a personal experience. She has succeeded.

Joan doesn’t lay out each tune with attitude or pontificating but maintains an entertaining, optimistic forte (“Great American Cities”). Wonderful stuff. The LP is balanced with songs that are uniquely composed & performed. With “Dig a Little Ditch,” Joan seems to channel her inner Tom Waits with intense lyrics & a bluesy melody from the soil of old plantations. Quite affirming & heavy.

While many artists have influences that run through their musical incarnations what’s admirable is that Joan never sounds like she’s emulating anyone. She absorbs her influences & returns it with her own indominable style. The music speaks for itself. One of the year’s best.

This CD is a handsome one wonderful color portraits of Joan in a laminated 4-panel CD package that lacks only one feature her lovely lyrics. This release deserved that bonus.
https://americanahighways.org/2023/09/07/review-joan-osborne-nobody-owns-you/

Nobody Owns You

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Celine Rudolph - Brazaventure

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:23
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:34) 1. Mantra
(3:34) 2. Jongo
(4:11) 3. My one and only love
(3:03) 4. Deixa
(2:01) 5. Brazaventure
(5:48) 6. Lele
(3:51) 7. Naima
(5:34) 8. Midsummer Flight
(3:51) 9. Victime de la mode
(4:08) 10. Numenam
(2:43) 11. Wenn ich ein Vogel war

The singer and globetrotter Céline Rudolph navigates the realms of experimental jazz, Brazilian music, African-influenced music, and evocative chansons, as well as urban singer-songwriter sounds, moving effortlessly between Berlin, São Paulo, Paris, and New York. She allows herself to be carried by genres, languages, and cities, always landing precisely in the realm of music.

Born in Berlin, Céline grew up immersed in her French mother’s collection of chansons and her German father’s love for jazz and Brazilian music. As a self-taught musician, she began composing on the piano and wrote her first French songs on the guitar at the age of 12. On her birthday, she received a small Fostex 4-track recorder, and it was love and obsession at first sight! For the first time, multiple melodies could be layered, fostering a sense of compositional complexity, and the joy of producing music granted her early autonomy.

“Music is like breathing, it has always been there,” she says, recalling how her father would pause while playing the guitar, allowing the children to improvise. Early on, she fell in love with the Brazilian language and began writing poetic lyrics in German or French. Initially studying philosophy, she later traded her desk for the stage and pursued studies in jazz vocals and composition.

She improvised with Bobby McFerrin, learned from Djembe master Famoudou Konaté, traveled to Brazil and West Africa, and even created her own vocal language. Praised by the press as “one of the most beautiful European jazz voices” (Stefan Franzen, Badische Zeitung), Céline is highly regarded by colleagues such as Lionel Loueke, Burniss Travis, Bobby McFerrin, Gary Peacock, Naná Vasconcelos, Lee Konitz, Wolfgang Haffner, and Till Brönner. She has shared the stage and worked in the studio with these artists.

Céline Rudolph has embarked on tours across Europe, Asia, South and North America. Three albums were created solely in Brazil: BRAZAVENTURE feat. Marcos Suzano (enja 2007), METAMORFLORES feat. Naná Vasconcelos/Till Brönner (enja 2009), which earned her the Echo Jazz award in 2010, and SALVADOR (Verve, Universal 2011), a tribute to Henri Salvador with both German and French-language versions. Since 2015, she has collaborated with guitarist Lionel Loueke, who resides in New York and has roots in Benin.

Together, they recorded the duo album OBSESSION (2017), which Ralf Dombrowski praised as a “fascinatingly personal and captivating song mixture” (Echo Jazz and nomination for the annual German Record Critics’ List in 2018). The duo toured seven West African countries, as well as Europe and South Korea. “This is a very unique project because there are no boundaries. I knew from the start that we are kind of from the same tribe,” says Lionel Loueke.

Following their duo album OBSESSION, Céline released the album PEARLS (2019), featuring not only Lionel Loueke but also Leo Genovese, Burniss Travis, and Jamire Williams, known from bands led by Glasper, Spalding, and others. “One of the jazz vocal records of the year without a shadow of a doubt, and the main reason for this beyond her fine voice is the quality of the compositional arc and great sweep of style at play throughout,” writes British critic Stephen Graham in Marlbank.

In addition to her duo with Lionel Loueke, Céline also performs solo, combining loops, effects, percussion, and guitar. She now employs this setup in her new project, SONIQS. SONIQS was founded together with multi-instrumentalist and sound experimenter Sebastian Merk, who has created a custom drum set combining keyboards, electronics, and video art, allowing him to operate freely and intuitively.

Among his tools are dissected, sampled vocal fragments from Céline’s voice, which he processes through sound filters and rhythmically reassembles, as well as entire vocal melodies forming the basis of compositions as looped “songlines.” Despite its complexity, the music maintains a sense of lightness and playful song quality. In addition to music, Céline Rudolph also writes texts independent of music, “poems,” which SONIQS spontaneously sets to music. These poems are constantly embarked upon a sonic journey during live performances, becoming new songs in the process. https://www.celinerudolph.com/about-biography-discography/

Brazaventure

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Chris Connor - All About Ronnie: Recordings 1953-55 Vol. 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:28
Size: 120,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:45) 1. Blue Silhouette
(2:45) 2. Miser's Serenade (Mad Miser Man)
(2:45) 3. Ask Me
(2:48) 4. Chiquita From Chi-Wah-Wah
(2:17) 5. Ev'rything I Love
(2:56) 6. Indian Summer
(2:52) 7. What Is There To Say?
(2:20) 8. I Hear Music
(2:46) 9. Come Back To Sorrento
(2:45) 10. Why Shouldn't I?
(3:04) 11. Try a Little Tenderness
(2:24) 12. Lullaby of Birdland
(2:59) 13. All About Ronnie
(2:55) 14. Spring Is Here
(2:56) 15. Out Of This World
(2:54) 16. Lush Life
(2:35) 17. A Cottage For Sale
(2:32) 18. How Long Has This Been Going On?

Chris Connor has won every conceivable critical and popular accolade in her half century reign as one of the most gifted and distinctive vocalists in jazz history. Born in 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri, Connor studied clarinet, but her career direction was clear at an early age. “I always knew I wanted to be a singer,” she said, “I never wanted to be anything else.” After completing her schooling, she took a secretarial job while commuting on weekends to the University of Missouri to perform with a Stan Kenton-influenced college jazz band. An admirer of Kenton singers Anita O’Day and June Christy, Connor recalls, “I had my sights set on singing with Kenton.”

Frustrated by the lack of vocal musical opportunities in her hometown, Connor pulled up stakes and headed east in 1949. She was hired by Claude Thornhill and spent the next five years touring with his orchestra. Then, while appearing with Jerry Wald’s band, she received the phone call she had been dreaming of. June Christy, Stan Kenton’s current vocalist, had heard Connor on a radio broadcast and recommended her to the orchestra leader, who chose her from dozens of other vocalists eager for the job. “My voice seemed to fit the band,” Connor said, “with that low register like Anita’s and June’s.

Connor’s ten-month stint with Kenton during 1952-53 won her national recognition. Her haunting recording of Joe Greene’s ballad “All About Ronnie” announced the arrival of a fresh new artist. But the years of one-night stands, fast food and interminable bus rides soured Connor’s enthusiasm for life on the road. “By that time, I’d endured about six years of one-nighters and I’d just about had it.” To this day she values the musical training she received with Kenton, especially the skills relating to time, phrasing and “how to come in on exactly the right note while 18 or 20 musicians are playing their parts.”

Determined to forge a career as a solo artist, Connor returned to New York and signed with Bethlehem Records in 1953. Her three albums for that independent label, featuring Ellis Larkins, Herbie Mann, Kai Winding and J.J.Johnson, established her as a major jazz voice. In 1956, she began a six-year association with Atlantic Records that produced a string of chart-topping recordings arranged by Ralph Burns, Al Cohn, Jimmy Jones and Ralph Sharon, showcasing a host of jazz legends - John Lewis, Oscar Pettiford, Lucky Thompson, Phil Woods, Kenny Burrell, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson and, in a particularly memorable pairing, Maynard Ferguson’s big band.

The rock youthquake of the late ’60s and ’70s derailed the careers of many jazz artists, but Connor persisted, performing in clubs, touring Japan and recording for a variety of labels. The early ’80s resurgence of interest in jazz singing revitalized her career, leading to a brace of highly-acclaimed Contemporary CDs. In the ’90s she began to record for the Japanese label Alfa. Connor recorded two CDs with jazz pianist Hank Jones and his trio, “Angel Eyes” and “As Time Goes By.” She then recorded two additional CDs with her own quintet, “My Funny Valentine,” arranged by Richard Rodney Bennett, and “Blue Moon,” a collection of movie songs, arranged by Michael Abene.

The new Millennium brought the timeless singer into yet another recording agreement, signing with the New York based High Note Records in 2000. Her first release, “Haunted Heart,” also arranged by Michael Abene, was released September 2001, and a second CD "I Walk With Music," was released in 2002, also with Michael Abene arranging and producing.

Chris then returned to another Japanese label and recorded "Lullaby Of Birdland" for King Record Co.Ltd, with pianist/arranger David Matthews. It was released in September 2003.

Of her current singing, Connor said, “I haven’t changed my approach, although my voice has become deeper and softer, and I don’t experiment as much. When you’re young, you overplay as a musician and you over-sing as a singer because you’re trying all these ideas, and I was throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. I’ve eliminated a lot of things I used to do. The simpler it is, the better it works for me.” She remains, as critic Larry Kart proclaimed in the Chicago Tribune, “a dominating vocal presence whose music is full of hard-earned wisdom and truth.”
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/chris-connor/

All About Ronnie: Recordings 1953-55 Vol. 1

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Jimmy Dorsey - Contrasts

Styles: Big Band, Swing
Year: 1993
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 62:32
Size: 58,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:07) 1. Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps
(3:02) 2. In a Sentimental Mood
(3:11) 3. Stompin at the Savoy
(3:05) 4. I Got Rhythm
(3:16) 5. I Can't Face the Music
(3:00) 6. Don't Be That Way
(4:20) 7. I Cried for You
(3:14) 8. John Silver
(2:27) 9. Darktown Strutters Ball
(2:31) 10. Dusk in Upper Sandusky
(3:08) 11. All of Me
(3:02) 12. Contrasts
(3:16) 13. Dolemite
(3:06) 14. Turn Left
(2:26) 15. Turn Right
(3:21) 16. When the Sun Comes Out
(3:22) 17. Charleston Alley
(3:12) 18. Tangerine
(3:24) 19. Sorghum Switch
(2:52) 20. King Porter Stomp

This CD puts the emphasis on the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra's jazz sides rather than the vocal best-sellers. Popular singer Helen O'Connell does make three appearances (including the hit "Tangerine"), but most of these selections are instrumentals, with Dorsey's alto and clarinet in outstanding form (it was easy to forget how talented an instrumentalist he was during these commercial years).

Most of the other fine soloists are lesser names, although they include future bandleaders Ray McKinley (on drums) and pianist Freddie Slack. Highlights are "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps," "I Got Rhythm," "John Silver," "Ducks in Upper Sandusky," "Contrasts" (Dorsey's theme), and "King Porter Stomp," although there isn't a weak track on this release. Recommended this is Dorsey's definitive set. By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/contrasts-decca--mw0000099464

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Bill Covey (tracks: 20), Dave Matthews (2) (tracks: 1 to 7), Frank Langone (tracks: 17 to 20), Fud Livingston (tracks: 1 to 3), Jimmy Dorsey, Leonard Whitney (tracks: 4, 8 to 10), Milt Yaner (tracks: 8 to 19), Noni Bernardi (tracks: 5 to 7), Sam Rubinwich* (tracks: 11 to 16);

Baritone Saxophone – Bob Lawson (tracks: 20), Chuck Gentry (tracks: 19), Sam Rubinwich* (tracks: 12 to 16); Bass – Bill Miller (17) (tracks: 20), Jack Ryan (tracks: 4 to 12, 19), Slim Taft (tracks: 1 to 3);

Clarinet – Jimmy Dorsey; Drums – Buddy Schutz (tracks: 12 to 20), Ray McKinley (tracks: 1 to 11); Guitar – Allan Reuss (tracks: 19), Guy Smith (2) (tracks: 12 to 18), Roc Hillman (tracks: 1 to 11), Tommy Kay (tracks: 20); Piano – Bobby van Eps (tracks: 1 to 3), Dave Mann* (tracks: 20), Freddie Slack (tracks: 4 to 11), Joe Lippman* (tracks: 12 to 18), Johnny Guarnieri (tracks: 19);

Tenor Saxophone – Babe Russin (tracks: 19, 20), Billy Frazier (2) (tracks: 4 to 20), Don Hammond (tracks: 17, 18), Fud Livingston (tracks: 4), Herbie Haymer (tracks: 8 to 16), Jack Stacy* (tracks: 1 to 3), Leonard Whitney (tracks: 5 to 7), Skeets Herfurt (tracks: 1 to 3);

Trombone – Al Jordan (tracks: 15 to 19), Andy Russo (tracks: 19, 20), Bobby Byrne (tracks: 1 to 11), Bruce Squires (tracks: 4 to 7), Don Mattison (tracks: 1 to 16), Jerry Rosa (tracks: 12), Joe Yukl (tracks: 1 to 3), Nat Lobovsky (tracks: 13, 14), Mick DiMaio (tracks: 20), Phil Washburn (tracks: 17 to 19), Sonny Lee (tracks: 8 to 20), Billy Pritchard* (tracks: 20);

Trumpet – Bill Oblak (tracks: 19), Bob Alexy (tracks: 20), George Thow (tracks: 1 to 3), Jimmy Campbell (tracks: 17, 18), Joe Meyer (tracks: 4), Johnny Napton (tracks: 12 to 16), Marky Markowitz (tracks: 20), Nate Kazebier (tracks: 12 to 19), Shorty Solomson* (tracks: 12 to 20), Paul McCoy (2) (tracks: 19), Phil Napoleon (tracks: 20), Ralph Muzillo (tracks: 8 to 11), Ray Linn (tracks: 20), Shorty Sherock (tracks: 5 to 11), Toots Camarata* (tracks: 1 to 4), W. C. Clark (2) (tracks: 5 to 7).

Contrasts

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Wynton Marsalis - Jazz Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:33
Size: 147.8 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, New Orleans jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[ 8:33] 1. Twilight
[ 6:06] 2. After
[ 6:30] 3. Insane Asylum
[ 5:59] 4. Knozz-Moe-King
[ 7:36] 5. Juan
[11:24] 6. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
[ 2:37] 7. Cherokee
[ 8:12] 8. Goodbye
[ 7:31] 9. Foggy Day

Wynton Marsalis has been described as the most outstanding jazz musician and trumpeter of his generation, as one of the world’s top classical trumpeters, as a big band leader in the tradition of Duke Ellington, a brilliant composer, a devoted advocate for the Arts and a tireless and inspiring educator. He carries these distinctions well. His life is a portrait of discipline, dedication, sacrifice, and creative accomplishment.

The sound of Wynton Marsalis’ band is inspired by the basic principals of democracy. According to Marsalis, what you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.” This intelligent, hard swinging interplay has made Marsalis’ bands the favorite among jazz musicians and audiences worldwide. In the smallest of towns Wynton is received warmly and enthusiastically. The connection is the music, which mimics our valued way of life. Through jazz music Wynton Marsalis represents America all over the world. In such disparate locations from Prague to Warsaw, Seoul to Wellington, Paris to Istanbul, Santiago to Mexico City, Toronto to Calgary, Amarillo to Portland - you will find Wynton Marsalis sharing his vision of the union of jazz and democracy.

Wynton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 18, 1961 to Ellis and Dolores Marsalis. He was the second of six sons, one of whom is autistic. At an early age Wynton exhibited seriousness about study, an aptitude for music and a desire to contribute to American culture. At age 8 he performed traditional New Orleans music in the Fairview Baptist Church band led by legendary banjoist, Danny Barker. At 14 he was invited to perform with the New Orleans Philharmonic. During high school Wynton was a member of the New Orleans Symphony Brass Quintet, New Orleans Community Concert Band, New Orleans Youth Orchestra, New Orleans Symphony and on weekends he performed in a jazz band as well as in the popular local funk band, the Creators. At age 17 Wynton became the youngest musician ever to be admitted to Tanglewood’s Berkshire Music Center. Despite his youth, he was awarded the school’s prestigious Harvey Shapiro Award for outstanding brass student. When Wynton moved to New York City to attend Juilliard in 1979 and began to pick up gigs around town, the grapevine began to buzz. The following year (1980 ) he was rewarded with the opportunity to join the Jazz Messengers to study under master drummer and bandleader, Art Blakey. It was in Art Blakey’s band that Wynton learned the relationship between jazz and democracy. Art Blakey would always say, “No America, no jazz!” It was from Blakey that Wynton acquired his concept for bandleading and for bringing intensity to each and every performance. In the years to follow Wynton was invited to perform with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sweets Edison, Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, and countless other jazz legends.

Jazz Time

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Tal Farlow - The Return Of Tal Farlow/1969

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 41:26

Size: 94.9 MB

Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz

Year: 1969/1989

Art: Front

[6:21] 1. Straight, No Chaser

[4:22] 2. Darn That Dream

[5:35] 3. Summertime

[3:57] 4. Sometime Ago

[7:28] 5. I'll Remember April

[5:57] 6. My Romance

[7:43] 7. Crazy She Calls Me

After recording a series of rewarding albums in the '50s, guitarist Tal Farlow largely dropped out of the jazz scene, being quite content to be a sign painter in New England. This Prestige set (reissued on CD) was his first in a decade and would be followed by another seven years of silence. Fortunately, Farlow had continued playing on a low-profile basis in the interim, and he was still very much in top form. Joined by pianist John Scully, bassist Jack Six and drummer Alan Dawson, Farlow performs swinging versions of seven standards, including "Straight, No Chaser," "I'll Remember April" and "Crazy, She Calls Me." Recommended. ~Scott Yanow

The Return Of Tal Farlow1969">The Return Of Tal Farlow/1969

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Wynton Marsalis - Popular Songs: The Best Of Wynton Marsalis

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:22
Size: 174.8 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 1985
Art: Front

[ 8:46] 1. Jig's Jig
[ 3:48] 2. Root Groove
[ 5:03] 3. I Got Lost In Her Arms
[ 2:48] 4. Where Or When
[ 2:21] 5. Cherokee
[ 9:30] 6. Black Codes
[ 9:24] 7. Double Rondo On The River (Pedro's Getaway)
[11:54] 8. Down Home With Homey
[ 9:57] 9. Sunflowers
[ 5:59] 10. Invitation
[ 3:11] 11. The End Of A Love Affair
[ 3:35] 12. Soon All Will Know

This superb sampler of Marsalis performances recorded between 1985 and 1999 contains eight originals and four jazz standards, from the New Orleans-flavored “Jig’s Jig” and the bluesy “Root Groove” to ballads like “I Got Lost in Her Arms” and “Where or When.” The music shifts into blistering up tempos on “Cherokee” and the burning “Black Codes” by Wynton’s remarkable mid-’80s quintet.

Popular Songs: The Best Of Wynton Marsalis

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Eliane Elias - Brazilian Classics

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:45
Size: 169,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Passarim
(3:50)  2. Chega De Saudade
(5:08)  3. Carioca Nights (Noites Cariocas)
(3:54)  4. Garota De Ipanema (Girl From Ipanema)
(7:50)  5. Milton Nascimento Medley
(4:46)  6. Waters Of March / Aqua De Beber
(4:23)  7. One Note Samba
(4:14)  8. Crystal And Lace
(2:09)  9. Jazz 'n' Samba (So Danço Samba)
(4:59) 10. Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil)
(3:10) 11. Iluminados
(5:14) 12. Jet Samba (Samba Do Aviao)
(3:46) 13. Wave
(6:39) 14. Black Orpheus (Manhã De Carnaval)
(5:48) 15. Dindi
(1:37) 16. O Polichinelo (Clown)

Now that longtime Blue Note pianist/singer Eliane Elias has left the label for RCA/Bluebird, several compilations of her work are being released, including the present item, Brazilian Classics. A cynic might note “just in time for Christmas,” but even if its release is motivated mainly by marketing concerns, the CD provides a useful, focused troll through Elias’s back catalogue. Although Elias has ranged far and wide in her recordings (which include hard bop, pop-jazz, and classical pieces), this is the music with which she is most associated  bossa/jazz classics from the songbooks of Jobim, Nascimento, and others from her native Brazil. Elias is at home with this material and her piano work is muscular and confident. As such, the best tracks on the album are the instrumentals that feature her in a trio setting, mostly with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Throughout punchy and inventive takes on “Passarium,” “One Note Samba,” and “Black Orpheus,” Elias goes toe-to-toe with the rhythm section, with exciting results. Her tendency to introduce subtle reharmonizations and rhythmic variations keeps these well-worn tunes from sounding like boring retreads.

Somewhat less successful are the tracks featuring her vocals. While her thin yet husky delivery is appropriately unstudied on Só Danço Samba,” it can’t quite carry “Chega De Saudade” or “Girl From Ipanema” convincingly. Having Elias’s young daughter sing on “Ponta de Areia” was not the wisest of decisions either, bringing to mind, as it does, grade school recitals best left forgotten. That said, however, Brazilian Classics is an appealing listen, thematically unified and impeccably produced. The hardcore jazz fan may do better with Elias’s Plays Jobim album, from which many of the best tracks with Gomez and DeJohnette are taken. But bossa nova fanatics, or maybe those wishing for a warm Brazilian breeze in the dead of winter, will enjoy this generous selection of Elias’s work.By Joshua Weiner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brazilian-classics-eliane-elias-blue-note-records-review-by-joshua-weiner.php

Personnel: Eliane Elias, piano, vocals; Eddie Gomez, Marc Johnson, bass; Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, drums; Michael Brecker, sax; Cafe, percussion

Brazilian Classics

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Billy Eckstine - Everything I Have Is Yours: The Best Of The MGM Years (2-Disc Set)

This two-CD set improves upon the original two-LP package by adding 14 more songs. The pop side of Billy Eckstine was emphasized during his period with MGM and many of these selections (including hit versions of "Everything I Have Is Yours," "Blue Moon," "Caravan," "My Foolish Heart," and "I Apologize") feature his warm baritone backed by string sections. There are some exceptions, including "Mr. B's Blues" (which gives Eckstine a chance to solo on valve trombone), dates with Woody Herman and George Shearing, eight numbers on which the singer is accompanied by the Bobby Tucker Quartet, and a pair of wonderful performances with the Metronome All-Stars in 1953 (a group that includes trumpeter Roy Eldridge, both Lester Young and Warne Marsh on tenors, and vibraphonist Terry Gibbs). Although not as essential from the jazz standpoint as Billy Eckstine's earlier big-band dates, this two-fer features the singer at the peak of his powers; five ballad duets with Sarah Vaughan are a highlight. ~Scott Yanow

Album: Everything I Have Is Yours: The Best Of The MGM Years (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 133.1 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 1994/2002

[3:12] 1. Everything I Have Is Yours
[2:58] 2. Fools Rush In
[3:09] 3. Blue Moon
[2:27] 4. Mr. B's Blues
[2:54] 5. Temptation
[3:12] 6. Somehow
[2:48] 7. Caravan
[3:12] 8. Bewildered
[2:53] 9. Body And Soul
[3:02] 10. My Foolish Heart
[2:56] 11. Ev'ry Day (I Fall In Love)
[2:38] 12. Fools Rush In
[2:43] 13. Dedicated To You
[3:04] 14. You're All I Need
[2:55] 15. I Wanna Be Loved
[2:37] 16. You've Got Me Crying Again
[3:00] 17. I've Never Been In Love Before
[2:51] 18. I Apologize
[2:47] 19. You're All I Need
[2:40] 20. I Left My Hat In Haiti

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Album: Everything I Have Is Yours: The Best Of The MGM Years (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:25
Size: 170.4 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 1994/2002
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Here Comes The Blues
[2:41] 2. Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
[2:52] 3. Wonder Why
[3:05] 4. Blue Moon
[2:37] 5. Taking A Chance On Love
[3:07] 6. You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do )
[3:17] 7. Early Autumn
[3:40] 8. Temptation
[3:36] 9. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
[3:23] 10. If You Could See Me Now
[3:40] 11. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[3:15] 12. Laura
[3:30] 13. Mister, You've Gone And Got The Blues
[3:37] 14. Ill Wind
[3:05] 15. April In Paris
[3:06] 16. Coquette
[2:55] 17. Send My Baby Back To Me
[5:19] 18. How High The Moon Pts. 1 & 2
[6:18] 19. St. Louis Blues, Pts. 1 & 2
[2:30] 20. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[2:56] 21. Lost In Loveliness
[2:37] 22. Passing Strangers

Everything I Have Is Yours: The Best Of The MGM Years (Disc 1, Disc 2)

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Sam Miltich & The Clearwater Hot Club - Some Of These Days

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:20
Size: 76.3 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:58] 1. Honeysuckle Rose
[3:42] 2. Sorriso De Crianca
[5:05] 3. In A Sentimental Mood
[5:01] 4. The Mooche
[4:25] 5. Nuages
[2:49] 6. Flambee Montalbanaise
[2:42] 7. Anouman
[2:52] 8. Some Of These Days
[2:41] 9. Improvisation #6

Featuring guitarist, Sam Miltich, and saxophonist, Don Vidal, "Some of These Days" includes traditional American jazz, a Brazilian choro, and a French mussette in the style of Django Reinhardt.

Michael Dregni, author of "Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz" (Speck Press,2006) wrote, "Sam Miltich was just eighteen when he first appeared on the jazz scene, playing guitar as if he was channeling Django's spirit!His Minnesota-based Clearwater Hot Club is one of the most exciting and joyful of Gypsy bands anywhere." The Grand Rapids, Minnesota based Clearwater Hot Club was formed in the summer of 2003. The following November they released their first album, "Sammo". The group released a second CD in 2004 entitled "May Rain". Since that time, the Clearwater Hot Club has toured in the U.S., Canada and Japan including appearances at Django Fest Northwest and at the Ginza International Jazz Festival in Tokyo, Japan, with Connie Evingson. Sam has also played with Paul Mehling and the Hot Club of San Francisco, and was part of Amoeba Music's "Gypsy Caravan" tour with David Grisman and the Robin Nolan Trio. Sam has also toured with violinist, Randy Sabien,and performs with Peter Ostroushko.

Since releasing their last CD, "May Rain," Clearwater Hot Club lost their band-mate and song-writing collaborator, violinist, Raphael Fraisse, to leukemia in May 2006. The CWHC began to perform with saxophonist, Don Vidal, music educator, member of Mr. Pumpkinhead, and the Grand Rapids Community Big Band. "Some of These Days" showcases Don Vidal's versatile saxophone along with Sam's guitar work. The saxophone and guitar combination is a variation of the "hot club" sound as Django Reinhardt played with horn players when he and violinist, Stephane Grappelli were separated during WWII.

As on their last CD, Sam's sister, Mateya M. Miltich, created the cover art for the new CD. "Some of These Days" is dedicated to the memory of Raphael Fraisse and the spirit of joy he communicated in his playing.

Some Of These Days

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Joan Chamorro & Friends - Jazz House Sessions with Scott Hamilton

Styles: Mainstream Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:42
Size: 172,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:12) 1. Blues Up and Down
(4:57) 2. Prisoner of Love
(6:39) 3. If I Should Lose You
(3:07) 4. Você Vai Ver
(7:30) 5. Groove Yard
(5:34) 6. Alone Together
(4:28) 7. Dizem que o Amor
(5:37) 8. Tickle Toe
(5:11) 9. Old Folks
(4:40) 10. Groovin' High
(3:45) 11. Este seu Olhar
(6:40) 12. Lotus Blossom
(4:43) 13. É Preciso Perdoar
(5:33) 14. Lester Leeps in

Since 2013 there have been many collaborations with the great tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton. In Jazz House we have had him on many occasions. This new CD brings together themes from four sessions, themes that have not formed part of any of the albums already published:

1- A tenor battle with Joan Martí and Marçal Perramon, former musicians of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, which recreates the atmosphere of this type of session, just as Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Al Cohn, Zoot Simms, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Paul Quinichette, Lester Young and Scott Hamilton himself, along with other great tenor saxophonists, played in their day

2- Some unreleased tracks from the session "Èlia Bastida meets Scott Hamilton".

3- Tracks recorded during the recording sessions of the album "Joan Chamorro presenta Alba Esteban".

4- A couple of Brazilian songs from a session we did with Alba Armengou and Vicente López.

In total, 14 songs in which Scott shows why, today, he is still one of the great tenors of the world jazz scene.https://joanchamorro.com/album/jazz-house-sessions-with-scott-hamilton

Jazz House Sessions with Scott Hamilton

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Taylor Swift - Speak Now

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 104:45
Size: 247,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:51) 1. Mine
(4:21) 2. Sparks
(4:54) 3. Back To December
(4:02) 4. Speak Now
(6:45) 5. Dear John
(3:58) 6. Mean
(4:27) 7. The Story Of Us
(4:52) 8. Never Grow Up
(5:53) 9. Enchanted
(3:40) 10. Better Than Revenge
(5:01) 11. Innocent
(4:05) 12. Haunted
(6:09) 13. Last Kiss
(5:18) 14. Long Live
(3:55) 15. Ours
(4:35) 16. Superman
(4:26) 17. Electric Touch
(4:12) 18. When Emma Falls in Love
(4:33) 19. I Can See You
(5:06) 20. Castles Crumbling
(5:11) 21. Foolish One
(5:21) 22. Timeless

Speak Now, the third of Taylor Swift's albums she's re-recorded in their entirety, belongs among her earliest work the last of the three albums Swift made while still in her teens, her last to be aimed primarily at a country audience. These distinctions are lost, or at least softened, on Speak Now (Taylor's Version), which pairs a re-recording of the original 14-track album with two re-cut bonus tracks and six new tunes excavated "From the Vault."

Much of the shift is due to Swift revisiting these songs when she's a woman in her early thirties. Maturation has brought a hint of a grain to her voice, and she's gained control as a vocalist, two elements that give Speak Now (Taylor's Version) an appealing sense of distance; she sings as an observer, commenting on the emotions of the songs instead of inhabiting them. It's a subtle difference but it's especially notable on such songs as "Mine," "The Story of Us," and "Dear John," which benefit from the slight sense of increased gravity.

Apart from a lyrical change on "Better Than Revenge," the primary change on the 2023 version of Speak Now is Swift's vocals the arrangements are generally the same which means the main attraction is the six new songs added to the end. Swift brings in Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Paramore's Hayley Williams to duet on two separate songs, cameos that help push the album as a whole closer to pop than country, a shift that the ballad "When Emma Falls in Love," the sprightly radio-ready "I Can See You," and bubbling adult contemporary tune "Foolish One" underscore.

This understated makeover casts Speak Now not as the final Taylor country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions. By Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/speak-now-taylors-version--mw0004015858

Speak Now

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Taylor Swift - Midnights

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:30
Size: 161,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:22) 1. Lavender Haze
(3:38) 2. Maroon
(3:20) 3. Anti-Hero
(4:16) 4. Snow On The Beach
(3:14) 5. You're On Your Own, Kid
(2:54) 6. Midnight Rain
(3:30) 7. Question...?
(2:44) 8. Vigilante Shit
(3:14) 9. Bejeweled
(4:08) 10. Labyrinth
(3:24) 11. Karma
(3:08) 12. Sweet Nothing
(3:11) 13. Mastermind
(4:00) 14. The Great War
(3:38) 15. Bigger Than The Whole Sky
(3:16) 16. Paris
(3:51) 17. High Infidelity
(2:28) 18. Glitch
(4:20) 19. Would've, Could've, Should've
(3:45) 20. Dear Reader

Midnights is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 21, 2022, through Republic Records.

Swift announced the name of each track on the standard edition of the album through TikTok in a series called Midnights Mayhem with Me. Target revealed the name of each track on the lavender edition on October 13. On October 21, after the standard edition of the album came out, Swift announced that an additional seven tracks would be released at 3AM EST, in a digital-exclusive 3AM edition.

On May 24, 2023, Swift announced that there would be two new editions of Midnights released. The deluxe edition of the album, Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) was released on May 25, 2023, and the Midnights (The Late Night Edition) was released on May 26, 2023 as an on-site exclusive for ticket holders at the East Rutherford shows of The Eras Tour.
https://taylorswift.fandom.com/wiki/Midnights

Midnights

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Irakere - The Best of Irakere

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:09
Size: 177,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:46) 1. Gira gira
( 6:05) 2. Claudia
( 9:20) 3. Ilya
( 6:04) 4. Añunga Ñunga
( 7:49) 5. Ciento años de juventud
( 4:59) 6. Aguanile
(17:39) 7. Misa negra (The Black Mass)
( 5:46) 8. Adagio on a Mozart Theme
( 6:14) 9. Xiomara
( 5:22) 10. Por romper el coco

For Latin jazz fans, this is a succinct and nearly complete roundup of Irakere's two North American albums, a brief peek through Cuba's door before politics slammed it shut again for another generation. Irakere is represented by four tracks, including the lengthy, uncut "Black Mass," and Irakere II by six tracks. The live Irakere was an exciting breakthrough, a real advance in the alliance between Afro-Cuban and American jazz that took into account the electronic developments in music since politics isolated Cuba from the U.S.

Irakere II, a studio product, is not nearly as startling; the sound and arrangements are slicker, there are strings and voices on some cuts, super-trumpeter Arturo Sandoval was encouraged to show off his pretty tone as well as his fire, and the Cubans even tried to churn out a disco beat on some tracks, negating all of those wild, wonderful Afro-Cuban cross rhythms. Still, there are passages where the more commercially motivated grooves take off, as in the central section of "Ciento Anos De Juventud," and "Xiomara" is a killer in the old Cuban tradition.

Interestingly, when Irakere made their belated American comeback at the Playboy Jazz Festival at Hollywood Bowl in 1996, some of their innovative edge was gone, replaced by overt attempts to get the crowd up on their collective feet. All the more reason to cherish this CD which has become the only option one has to sample this Cuban band at or nearly at their peak. By Richard S. Ginell
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-irakere-mw0000111499

The Best of Irakere

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Martina Dasilva & Dan Chmielinski - Milky Way

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:05
Size: 98,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:13) 1. Twin Flame
(3:37) 2. Just Squeeze Me
(3:46) 3. To Each Their Own
(4:51) 4. Take a Picture of the Moon
(5:35) 5. Life on Mars
(2:02) 6. Manhã De Carnaval
(5:17) 7. It Never Entered My Mind
(5:45) 8. If You Want the Rainbow, You Must Have the Rain
(3:14) 9. On The Sunny Side of the Street
(4:41) 10. My Universe

Jazz vocalist Martina DaSilva, a New York City native, captivates audiences with her signature blend of daring technical virtuosity and expressive emotional sensitivity. Drawing equally from the styles of early jazz, opera, and chamber music, her musicality transcends conventional genre labelling.

As a Brazilian-American, Martina also has a passion for performing the works of Brazilian composers. DaSilva actively performs with her own group in addition to leading the jazz vocal harmony group, The Ladybugs. Martina has received high praise for her performances at the Kennedy Center, the Bern International Jazz Festival, the Blue Note Jazz Festival, the NYC Hot Jazz Festival, Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Generations in Jazz Festival, and the NY Winter Jazzfest.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/martina-dasilva/

Milky Way

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Terry Gibbs Legacy Band - The Terry Gibbs Songbook

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:52
Size: 167,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:58) 1. Let's Go to Rio
(4:33) 2. Those Eyes, Those Lips, That Nose, That Face, That Girl
(5:08) 3. I Was Loved
(5:54) 4. Now's the Time to Groove
(4:10) 5. The House That Might Have Been
(4:27) 6. Nina
(4:47) 7. I Can Hardly Wait for Saturday Night
(5:02) 8. If I Were You
(3:18) 9. Play and Sing
(4:27) 10. Lonely Days
(4:57) 11. And That's Why They Call It the Blues
(4:33) 12. Say Goodbye
(5:53) 13. Stay with Me Tonight
(3:58) 14. If I Knew Then
(5:41) 15. Sweet Young Song of Love

Legacy Band? At age ninety-eight, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs the last remaining member of a legendary group of jazz musicians who defined the big-band era in America and helped expand and sharpen the music's vocabulary hasn't finished writing his own legacy, which is why this album is subtitled "The Terry Gibbs Songbook."

Although best known as a player, Gibbs, as it turns out, is a splendid composer as well, and wrote every one of the album's fifteen songs, adding lyrics to a couple, with verses elsewhere courtesy of Michael Dees, Arthur Hamilton, Bobby Troup, Steve Allen and Jerry Gladstone. He even sings (in his own sweet way) and plays two-finger piano on the well-named "Now's the Time to Groove." As no lyricist is named on the ballad "If I Knew Then," the presumption is that Gibbs wrote both music and lyrics to that one.

Speaking of vocalists, Danny Bacher is the main man here, and he proves an admirable fit, giving every lyric its due and sparring playfully with Gibbs on "Now's the Time." When Bacher isn't holding court, the tunes are in the capable hands of the six-member Legacy Band, trimly anchored by Gibbs' son, drummer Gerry, with the marvelous Tom Ranier on piano, Mike Gurrola on bass and a superlative two-tenor front line consisting of Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen (whose solos are unlisted but essentially interchangeable).

As for the elder Gibbs' themes, they are bright and pleasing with an emphasis on soulfulness and emotion and a handful ("Let's Go to Rio," "And That's Why They Call It the Blues," "Stay with Me Tonight," "Sweet Young Song of Love") that stand out among the herd. That's not to say that anything else is less than engaging, as each one of Gibbs' songs has a temperament and charm of its own, and his ballads are well worth one's time and awareness.

As Terry Gibbs explains in his liner notes, he never intended that an album of his music should be recorded; he simply wanted to hear one of the songs he had written while in his nineties performed by professional musicians. But after sending a copy to lyricist Alan Bergman, he writes, one thing led to another...and now fifteen of his more than two hundred compositions have been recorded by the Legacy Band. While Gibbs calls that "a fluke," most listeners would call it a stroke of good fortune. Legacy or no, these songs deserve to be heard, and Terry Gibbs' stature as a jazz legend has grown even larger because of them.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-terry-gibbs-songbook-terry-gibbs-legacy-band-whaling-city-sound__8441

Personnel: Scott Hamilton: saxophone, tenor; Harry Allen: saxophone; Tom Ranier: piano; Danny Bacher: voice / vocals; Mike Gurrola: bass; Gerry Gibbs: drums.

The Terry Gibbs Songbook

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