Michelle Nicolle - The Bach Project

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:30
Size: 97,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:21) 1. March In D’ornette (Coleman
(9:16) 2. Bist Du Bei Mir
(4:55) 3. Little Fugue In Gm With ‘round Midnight
(3:51) 4. Kommt, Ihr Angefocht’nen Sünder
(6:06) 5. Komm, Süsser Tod
(5:14) 6. Minuet In G
(5:15) 7. Sarabande (From Partita No.1) With Lonely Woman (Silver)
(4:28) 8. Musette In D Major

The Bach Project is a continuation of Michelle Nicolle’s ongoing passion project which was born in 2014 as part of the Bach Festival at the University of Adelaide.

As well as a great composer J.S. Bach was also one of the great improvisers of his time, a perfect fit for the Quartet’s chamber jazz approach. Also paying homage to other jazz composers, Ornette Coleman, Monk, and Horace Silver, these arrangements showcase the mastery of J.S. Bach’s compositions and add new flavour and energy to the improvisational elements found (and sometimes lost) in these great works.

This is undoubtedly modern music, yet steeped in one of the richest of all musical traditions.

“It’s bats and wonderful and so virtuosic…some amazing ensemble work going on. It’s so startling and wondrous.” Paul Kildea https://www.michellenicolle.com/recordings

The Bach Project

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Sienna Dahlen, Bill Coon - Balladextrous

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:22
Size: 92,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:56) 1. Too Late Now
(6:33) 2. Round Midnight
(6:29) 3. Happy Talk
(3:07) 4. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(4:01) 5. When Lights Are Low
(2:52) 6. Autumn In New York
(4:33) 7. Day Dream
(4:58) 8. All Of You
(2:48) 9. I'm In The Mood For Love

Balladextrous, a collaborative jazz album featuring vocalist Sienna Dahlen and guitarist Bill Coon, is a delightful exploration of the ballad form which allows the artists to make moment-to-moment choices about how they are feeling the rhythm or letting it breathe. This session invites the listener on a soothing and introspective musical journey which showcases the artists' chemistry and individual virtuosity.

Over the course of the nine tracks, Dahlen's warm and resonant voice, combined with Coon's delicate and expressive guitar playing, creates an atmosphere of intimacy and emotional depth. The opener is "Too Late Now" by Burton Lane & Alan Jay Lerner which immediately sets the tone for the collection. Dahlen's voice gently glides over the lyrics, with Coon's supporting guitar capturing the listener's attention. The Thelonious Monk classic "'Round Midnight" was originally created as an instrumental, but lyrics by Bernard Hanighen were subsequently added. Dahlen's phrasing and subtle inflections bring out the lyric's depth while, near the end of the tune, Coon subtly changes the rhythm to something slightly more lively, Dahlen picks this up seamlessly.

Tracks such as "When Light Are Low" and "Autumn In New York" showcase Dahlen's exceptional vocal control and ability to convey a wide range of emotions. Coon's sensitive accompaniment and inventive chord changes provide the perfect backdrop for her storytelling. The Billy Strayhorn compositional gem "Day Dream" is a perfect hand-in-glove moment for the duo as they engage in a musical dialogue which seems to transcend words.

Sienna Dahlen and Bill Coon's musical partnership is a testament to their deep understanding of each other's artistic sensibilities.By Pierre Giroux
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/balladextrous-sienna-dahlen-and-bill-coon-cellar-music-group

Balladextrous

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Ed Wiley Jr - Until Sunrise

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:31
Size: 100,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Until Sunrise
(4:05)  2. Twig's Tune
(4:46)  3. E-Three
(3:03)  4. My Foolish Heart
(6:55)  5. Jug Love
(6:28)  6. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(4:10)  7. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(7:13)  8. Blues Alley

During the 1950s and '60s, Ed Wiley Jr. recorded for such labels as Atlantic and Chess and also worked with such legends as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Big Joe Turner, and Big Mama Thorton; then, after putting his horn aside for years to raise his children, the Texas tenor returned in the 1990s, recording new albums and performing regularly. Wiley grew up in Houston and found inspiration in such "Texas tenors" as Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet. He performed his first gig at age 13 and scored his first hit record in 1950 with "Cry, Cry Baby." Wiley had moved from Houston to Baltimore just as the song was becoming a hit and subsequently recorded for Mercury, Chess, and Atlantic. 

During the early '50s he performed extensively, including a tour out west with blues singer Piney Brown and pianist Roosevelt Wardell, the latter a mainstay of his bands. In 1953 Wiley added vocalist May Robinson to his band and married her a year later. After years of going back and forth between his home in Baltimore and Robinson's in Philadelphia, the couple finally settled in Philly in 1960. At this point Wiley put down his horn and concentrated on raising his family. He worked as a machinist until his children were raised, and then returned to music. He performed mostly on the East Coast and in the 1990s began recording once again, releasing albums such as Until Sunrise (1994) and In Rememberance (1995) through Swing Records, his son's record label. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ed-wiley-jr./id137322142#fullText

Until Sunrise

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Dan Balmer - When the Night

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:32
Size: 46,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Wes (For my favorite)
(4:23) 2. Seattle
(6:33) 3. When the Night
(5:25) 4. Round and Round
(5:30) 5. Lifesize Bright (For the Man from Missouri)
(6:23) 6. Love Ballad (Two words say it all)
(4:05) 7. It Felt Like Drowning (My last divorce song)
(5:29) 8. The Wander Years (Ages 1-100)
(7:06) 9. Never Leave (A Song of Worry and Hope for us all)

When the Night is Dan Balmer’s first album in over five years, and it is a highly anticipated release from jazz fans around the Pacific Northwest. The album features a stellar cast of two of the finest musicians from the New York City jazz scene, Gary Versace on Hammond organ and Rudy Royston on drums. In the true spirit of the PJCE Records label, all of the tunes on the album are newly composed pieces by Balmer.

The album’s title track, “When the Night,” is a haunting and beautiful country-pop ballad that showcases Balmer’s lyrical guitar playing and his knack for writing memorable melodies. Two busts on the Mt. Rushmore of jazz guitar are honored in Balmer’s compositions. While “Lifesize Bright” bears a more obvious resemblance to a Metheny-esque tune, “Wes” has an indie rock vibe and liberal use of guitar effects. The tunes on the album are varied in tempo, vibe, and style. They all fit together nicely as a complete statement, but there are stand-out tracks as well. Though it starts with somber solo guitar, “Seattle” turns into a lilting anthemic piece that features dovetailing solos between Balmer and Versace. “It Felt Like Drowning (My last divorce song)” is rife with energy and Balmer’s impressive technique is on full display throughout.

In Balmer’s words:

This album is the latest installment in my effort to create original music that is emotional, interesting, enjoyable, and personal. Both Gary and Rudy immediately understood the music, its goals, and brought their voices to the project. My music covers a wide range of styles and influences and Gary and Rudy proved more than up to the task of bringing each song to its own particular best result.

I’m excited and pleased with the music we made. It justified my trip to New Jersey to record and I feel the end result is everything I was hoping for emotionally, artistically, and technically. Their virtuosity “served” the music and the outcome was even better than I hoped for! https://pjce.org/album/dan-balmer-when-the-night/

Personnel: Dan Balmer, guitar; Gary Versace, organ; Rudy Royston, drums

When the Night

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Doug Beavers - Luna

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:21
Size: 125,6 MB
Art: Front

(0:33) 1. Luna (Intro)
(6:32) 2. Tidal
(6:49) 3. Reflejo Del Sol
(7:00) 4. Las Piedras
(6:08) 5. Multicolores (Feat. Jeremy Bosch)
(5:11) 6. Luna (Feat. Carlos Cascante)
(6:18) 7. Sea (Feat. Joe Locke & Paul Bollenback)
(0:50) 8. Interlude
(6:28) 9. Flor De Lis (Feat. Conrad Herwig, Francisco Torres & Max Seigel)
(0:55) 10. Intro To 'Sands Of Time'
(7:31) 11. Sands Of Time (Feat. Joe Locke & Ada Dyer)

New York, NY - Tuesday, May 9, 2023 GRAMMY® award-winning producer, composer, trombonist and arranger Doug Beavers is thrilled to announce the June 30, 2023 release of Luna, his sixth leader recording, via his own label Circle 9 Records. Esteemed “master of transformative artistry” (Raul da Gama, Latin Jazz Net), Beavers is known widely as a leading trombonist of his time, as well as a member of the multi-GRAMMY® award-winning ensemble Spanish Harlem Orchestra. His critically-received 2020 predecessor Sol explored a dozen original compositions which blended salsa with styles of Afro-Latin, R&B and Soul. Luna continues an expedition across a terrain of similar rhythmic styles, this time infused predominantly with Latin Jazz.

The release of Luna will be celebrated on June 4 at the Jersey Jazz Festival, and on June 22 at Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center. More dates to be announced shortly.

In that regard, Luna is both a sonic counterbalance to Sol as well as a conceptual one Luna, the moon, is the celestial opposite to the sun. In 2021, Chamber Music America commissioned the Luna Suite, the first half of the record, through a New Jazz Works grant funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Beavers composed the suite while taking a residency in Sitges, Spain along the Mediterranean Sea. More.....https://www.dougbeavers.com/

Musicians:

Doug Beavers, trombone; Jeremy Bosch, flute & vocal (5); Ivan Renta, tenor and soprano saxophones; Manuel “Maneco” Ruiz, trumpet & flugelhorn; Max Seigel, bass trombone; Gabriel Chakarji, piano & fender rhodes (4); Jerry Madera, bass; Luisito Quintero, congas, timbales, percussion; Camilo Molina, drums, bongos

With: Carlos Cascante, lead vocal (6); Anthony Almonte, coros (5)

Tracks 7-11: Doug Beavers, trombone; Conrad Herwig, trombone (9); Francisco Torres, trombone (9); Max Seigel, bass trombone (9, 10) & tuba (10); Eric C. Davis, french horns (10); Dave Riekenburg, clarinets & bass clarinets (8); Joe Locke, vibraphone; Paul Bollenback, guitars; Gabriel Chakarji, piano & fender rhodes; Luques Curtis, acoustic bass; Robby Ameen, drums; Luisito Quintero, congas, timbales, percussion; George Delgado, itótele, shekere (4, 11); Camilo Molina, okónkolo, iyá (4, 11); Jeremy Bosch, vocal (11); Ada Dyer, vocal (11)

Luna

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Roni Ben-hur - Love Letters

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:34
Size: 111,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:45) 1. To Dizzy With Love
(5:12) 2. Seul, À Paris
(4:48) 3. Fair Weather
(5:06) 4. Lonely Town
(5:29) 5. Alegria De Viver
(6:06) 6. The House That Yosef Built
(6:25) 7. Faint Memories
(5:20) 8. Waiting For Jh
(3:19) 9. Love Letters

The clue’s kind of in the title: after decades in the business as a respected performer and educator, Ben-Hur pays back in spades the love and gratitude he feels for friends and musical heroes. The tone’s set by the sumptuous swing of ‘To Dizzy with Love’, a song dedicated not to Gillespie (although Jensen’s joyous horn evokes the great man), but pianist Barry Harris.

It was Harris who encouraged the young guitarist when he emigrated from Israel in 1985, mentoring him and then inviting him into his own band.

Ben-Hur embraced the styles of Hall and Burrell, clean-toned, mellifluously melodic, but most importantly swinging, swinging, swinging. Even on his own meditative, slow tempoed ‘Seul a Paris’, the swing seduces, helped by Tieman’s deft brushes. But it’s Jensen’s muted horn, evocative of Miles yearning for Juliet Greco, that steals the show.

Jensen and Ben-Hur are long- time collaborators, and their easeful collaboration is a treat: never over-complex, and never stuck in the same voicings. For example, the Brazilian beats of ‘Alegria de Viver’ brings another feel again. Indeed, it would have been good to get more of Ben-Hur’s love of all things Latin; there are only intimations of Baden Powell, one of his Brazilian heroes. Likewise, tapping further into his own Tunisian-Jewish roots may have brought forth even further sweetness. Either way, Ben-Hur remains a touchstone of classic style and swing; and for that deserves our love.By Andy Robson https://www.jazzwise.com/review/roni-ben-hur-love-letters

Personnel: Roni Ben-Hur - guitar; Ingrid Jensen - trumpet; Ugonna Okegwo - upright bass; Jason Tiemann - drums

Love Letters

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Tatiana Eva-Marie - Two at the Most

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:37
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:57) 1. The End Of A Love Affair
(4:20) 2. Penthouse Serenade
(4:17) 3. Fly Me To The Moon
(4:10) 4. Sophisticated Lady
(3:34) 5. I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)
(5:21) 6. You Go To My Head
(2:22) 7. They’ll Never Believe Me
(4:31) 8. The Nearness Of You
(3:37) 9. You Are Too Beautiful
(2:24) 10. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face

One of the great things about jazz, as I’m sure many fans will agree, is that the tunes stand up very well however they are arranged. Most often composed at a piano, this harmonically rich and rhythmically interesting music might later be translated into a small combo or big band format but it still sounds fabulous when played by a lone pianist, as the composer (usually) originally conceived it. If you require any evidence of this, I present for your consideration Two at the Most by Tatiana Eva-Marie, with Jeremy Corren, and guesting on two titles, Mark Buchan.

A minimalist production featuring one voice (plus guest) and one piano, this record takes ten familiar classics from the Great American Songbook and strips them right back to purest melody, harmony and rhythm. Providing the first of these is Eva-Marie, a Swiss-born actress, singer and bandleader who has been since a decade ago, when big band swing was all the rage a passionate advocate for softer, smoother French jazz in the vein of Jean Sablon, Yves Montand, and Henri Salvador.

Eva-Marie fronts the Avalon Jazz Band, a toe-tapping Francophile string outfit which is in much demand amongst the organizers of swing dance events. Her sweet voice sounds effortlessly flawless, with something of Billie Holiday about it a warmth, a faint vibrato, and the way she sometimes graces the end of a note with a little upward flick. And it gets even more air time than usual on this duet album, a tribute to “old New York, piano bars, the American Songbook, alcohol, late nights, friendship” and the late Manhattan-based pianist Rick Unterberg (a friend and a casualty, at 61, of the pandemic).

She is joined by Jeremy Corren, a recent graduate of Columbia University who has already clocked up performances at Blue Notes in New York, Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai, as well as playing the Newport, Chicago, North Sea, and Umbria Jazz Festivals. Young Corren displays both the dexterity and deft touch of an old master, with the way in which he releases each thoughtfully approached note saying as much about his skill as the manner in which he attacks them. (I use “attack” in the strictly technical sense, for none of Corren’s key presses could be called anything but a caress.)

I first heard it while sitting outside a café on a warm but overcast day, the drizzle bouncing gently off the awning above my head exactly how this music should be heard, I’d argue. Tracks include “Fly Me to the Moon,” “The Nearness of You,” and “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good),” presented in the simplest possible way, each tune arranged sparsely and without gimmicks. None will get you up and dancing but the result is a soothing balm for the nerves, a bubble bath for the brain, a spa for the senses, hot chocolate for the soul… you get the idea.

Eva-Marie takes a breather on tracks seven (“They’ll Never Believe Me”) and ten (“I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face”), allowing Mark Buchan to take over the vocals. He too has a voice like whipped cream, bright yet smooth, providing another perfect match to Corren’s keyboard caresses. Together these three have created something special, reverse engineering ten wonderful jazz pieces to reveal the essential beauty at the heart of each, without any embellishment. Check it out on Bandcamp, where you can pick up the digital album for whatever you think it’s worth. By Dave Doyle https://syncopatedtimes.com/tatiana-eva-marie-jeremy-corren-two-at-the-most/

Personnel: Tatiana Eva-Marie (vocals); Jeremy Corren (piano) + Mark Buchan (vocal on two tks).

Two at the Most

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Chris Speed Trio - Despite Obstacles

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:56
Size: 83,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:37) 1. Advil
(3:57) 2. Wrangled
(3:55) 3. Uncomfortable Truths
(4:18) 4. Despite Obstacles
(5:35) 5. Sunset Park In July
(4:08) 6. In The Wild
(4:33) 7. Lone Satellite
(4:50) 8. Amos

The initial idea for Chris Speed’s current trio - of drummer Dave King, both now joined in the newly-formatted The Bad Plus, and bassist Chris Tordini according to Speed was to stay in a jazz-trio world and play more swing-based music.

That’s an unexpected diversion for the saxophonist, who’s been an integral part of innovative downtown scene alt-jazz bands such as Tim Berne, Jim Black, Human Feel and The Claudia Quintet.

Although Speed is no straight ahead-er, his all-originals on the trio’s third album certainly hint at the giants of the modernist jazz lineage more than any of the aforementioned work. Speed opens with a strong Mr Wierd-ish modal theme on ‘Advil’, and he makes every note count soloing, while the folky Rollins-like ‘Uncomfortable Truths’ is at once direct and exploratory.

Speed’s lithe yet limp, sour-tone on tenor is more exposed in the sax-bass-drums trio setting, the hypnotic Tordini and King complement it superbly with low humming frequencies and churning percussive sonics.

Speed’s ballad ‘Sunset Park in July’ has the flavour of similarly titled standards, echoing ‘Autumn in New York’ in particular, his old-school tenor inflections eschewing anything mawkish, as he journeys unpredictably through a fine set of originals.By Selwyn Harris

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Chris Speed; Acoustic Bass – Chris Tordini; Drums – Dave King

Despite Obstacles

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Akiko Tsuruga - Beyond Nostalgia

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2024
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:53
Size: 151,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:47) 1.Tiger
( 6:31) 2.Happy Blues
( 8:35) 3.Middle Somewhere
(10:38) 4.Back Track
( 6:29) 5.I'll Close My Eyes
( 4:54) 6.Beyond Nostalgia
( 6:13) 7.Mack The Knife
( 6:48) 8.Dancing Cats
( 6:54) 9.What A Diff'rence A Day Makes

Another SteepleChase debut album here by Japanese-born B-3 organist Akiko Tsuruga who hails from Osaka, Japan's second largest city brimming with vitality and keen sense of good life. With her working group including husband trumpeter Joe Magnarelli Akiko leaps out with electrifying energy and at the same time displays her knack for elegant phrasing.

"Tsuruga wraps her own personality around our expectations, bringing out signature ideals of her instrument." - Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
https://propermusic.com/products/akikotsuruga-beyondnostalgia

Personnel: Akiko Tsuruga: B3 Hammond organ; Joe Magnarelli: trumpet; Jerry Weldon: tenor saxophone; Byron Landham: drums; Ed Cherry: guitar

Beyond Nostalgia

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Dexter Gordon - Gettin' Around

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:48
Size: 134.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1965/1987
Art: Front

[ 8:25] 1. Manha De Carnaval
[ 5:12] 2. Who Can I Turn To
[ 7:48] 3. Heartaches
[ 6:16] 4. Shiny Stockings
[ 6:43] 5. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
[ 6:58] 6. Le Coiffeur
[ 6:50] 7. Very Saxily Yours
[10:33] 8. Flick Of A Trick

Bass – Bob Cranshaw; Drums – Billy Higgins; Piano – Barry Harris; Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon; Vibraphone [Vibes] – Bobby Hutcherson.

Dexter Gordon's mid-'60s period living in Europe also meant coming back to the U.S. for the occasional recording session. His teaming with Bobby Hutcherson was intriguing in that the vibraphonist was marking his territory as a maverick and challenging improviser. Here the two principals prove compatible in that they have a shared sense of how to create sheer beauty in a post-bop world. Add the brilliant Barry Harris to this mix, and that world is fortunate enough to hear these grand masters at their creative peak, stoked by equally extraordinary sidemen like bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy Higgins, all on loan from Lee Morgan's hitmaking combo. The subtle manner in which Gordon plays melodies or caresses the most recognizable standard has always superseded his ability to ramble through rough-and-tumble bebop. It's hard to resist how Gordon massages the light and sweet bossa nova "Manha de Carnaval" hand in hand with Hutcherson, the heartfelt way "Who Can I Turn To?" or "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is turned into a personalized statement, or how the co-leaders take Frank Foster's Count Basie staple, "Shiny Stockings," beyond a classic and into immortal territory. Where Gordon and Hutcherson's true strength lies is in their ability to listen and balance their sound into a unified whole beyond any other tenor sax-vibraphone combination you might care to name, unless it's Hutch's partnership in the ensuing years with Harold Land. Picking up on a Sonny Rollins idea, "Heartaches" is a loping cowboy-type swinger with some lustrous comping from Hutcherson and Harris, while the light, cat-prancing "Le Coiffeur" is the highlight among highlights, a stealth calypso with Gordon's deftly rendered staccato notation. One has to listen closer to the pianist on this date, as he buoys the others without demanding equal space, but he is just as reverberant. While this is not Gordon's ultimate hard bop date, it is reflective of his cooling out in Europe, adopting a tonal emphasis more under the surface than in your face. It's not essential, but quite enjoyable, and does mark a turning point in his illustrious career. [The CD version contains two bonus tracks, including the Onzy Matthews composition "Very Saxily Yours" with a melody very similar to "Shiny Stockings," Hutcherson alone during a second chorus, and a classy quarter-to-eighth note solo by Gordon. Ben Tucker's "Flick of a Trick" is added on, an 11-minute groove blues that lets Harris cut loose, digging in after-hours style.] ~Michael G. Nastos

Gettin' Around

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Adi Braun - Moderne Frau

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 121,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:18) 1. Moderne Frau
(5:53) 2. Surabaya Johnny
(3:58) 3. Nannas Lied
(2:10) 4. Buddy on the nightshift
(3:33) 5. Josephine
(5:02) 6. Du sollst es leise sagen
(5:07) 7. Speak Low
(3:55) 8. I'm a stranger here myself
(2:07) 9. Mackie Messer/Mack the knife
(3:36) 10. Gestern
(4:39) 11. Und was bekam des Soldaten Weib?
(6:40) 12. It never was you
(3:52) 13. It's all a swindle

Adi Braun has a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit. She has performed in every major jazz and concert venue in Toronto, has toured Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2023 Adi released her sixth CD recording “Night and Day Adi Braun sings the Cole Porter Songbook” which follows her previously celebrated recordings “Moderne Frau Modern Woman” (2017), a tribute to the music of Weimar Cabaret, “Canadian Scenes I” (2010), Live at the Metropolitan Room (2007), The Rules of the Game (2006), and Delishious (2003).

Born in Toronto, Adi Braun grew up in Europe surrounded by music and musicians. Her parents were opera singers. Her father, Victor Braun, was one of Canada’s leading baritones. Her first instrument was piano, which she began studying at the age of six. With no formal voice lessons, she made her first pop/jazz recording at age 19.

Following family tradition, Adi trained classically at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. She began her singing career as a classical recitalist, a soloist with orchestra, and on-stage in operas and operettas alongside her brother, baritone Russell Braun.

Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90's and returned to the music she loved, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz. After winning a local competition in 2001, she was catapulted to centre-stage as one of Canada’s leading jazz vocalists. In 2007, Adi was nominated as “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).

Her sophisticated style and subtle delivery evokes such vocal greats as Sarah Vaughan, Lotte Lenya, Judy Garland and Rosemary Clooney. Elizabeth Ahlfors of New York’s Cabaret Scenes describes Adi as "A tad Dinah Washington, a hint of Lena Horne, the enveloping warmth of Doris Day, all gift-wrapped up in a unique sound that is singular Adi Braun!" Adi’s repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canada legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot as well as her own originals. Whether she is singing in English, French, Spanish or German, Adi Braun is “a power-frau who gives jazz standards a unique touch, telling stories that are miniature life moments” (Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf, Germany).

In addition to her performing, Adi is the co-host of “Classical Mornings”, a popular daily program on The New Classical FM. She has taught and coached German Diction at the Glenn Gould School - Royal Conservatory of Music, and for the Canadian Opera Company. Adi frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret. https://www.adibraun.com/welcome

Moderne Frau

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Sachal Vasandani, Romain Collin - Midnight Shelter

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:24
Size: 97,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Summer No School
(4:41) 2. Before You Go
(3:29) 3. Adore You
(3:31) 4. River Man
(4:07) 5. Great Ocean Road
(4:41) 6. Throw It Away
(3:19) 7. Don't think Twice, It's All Right
(3:08) 8. Love Away
(2:46) 9. Blackbird
(4:55) 10. Dance Cadaverous
(3:25) 11. One Last Try

"I'll leave you to your crowds," Sachal Vasandani murmurs to start off an album that couldn't be less suited to being with a crowd. The touch of irony is apt. The sound of Midnight Shelter is a lonely and thoughtful one (a reflection of the music's origin in a season of isolation), yet as with its title, there's a vital comforting angle too. This duality makes a gorgeous and mostly soothing listen for pandemic times. The players don't shy away from the sadness and uncertainty of their circumstances, which makes the underlying warmth resonate that much more in the end.

Comprising only Vasandani's butterscotch croon and Romain Collin's subtly eloquent piano, the recording is the exact personification of beautiful late-night quiet if anything, midnight almost feels on the early side for this wee-hours mood. The musicians are friends and neighbors who began playing together partly to deal with the Covid-imposed shutdown during the strange summer of 2020, and so the melancholy is always warmed by the fact that it's about connection rather than solitude.

More than anything, the overall effect is therapeutic. Vasandani's baritone hits just the right pitches: slow-flowing for a haunting take on Nick Drake's "River Man," plaintive for soft ballads like "Love Away," humbly understated in the quasi-folky "Adore You" and so on. It's a fascinating left-field decision to pen new words for a Wayne Shorter piece, which he and Collin turn into a wistful meditation without losing the trace of classic bop at the center. Selections from Bob Dylan and the Beatles make the warmest refreshing moments, pitch-perfectly familiar and heartwarming amidst the chilly spots.

The two have a smooth and cozy chemistry that keeps them in step even when playing loose with rubato timing. Selections from all eras feel of a piece in this timelessly simple format, from '60s classics to new originals to 2019's minor indie hit "Before You Go," whose sparse rendition makes it downright sublime. This Shelter is a spare yet reassuring one; Vasandani and Collin prefer to remind us that the loneliest hours of the night still have a little glow somewhere if you know where to look.By Geno Thackara https://www.allaboutjazz.com/midnight-shelter-sachal-vasandani-edition-records

Personnel: Sachal Vasandani: voice / vocals; Romain Collin: piano.

Midnight Shelter

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Ella Fitzgerald - The Complete Decca Singles Vol.2 (1939-1941) Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: The Complete Decca Singles Vol 2 (1939-1941) (Disc 1) Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:10
Size: 173,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:15) 1. Stairway To The Stars
(2:56) 2. Out Of Nowhere
(3:05) 3. I Want The Waiter (With The Water)
(3:09) 4. That's All, Brother
(3:14) 5. My Last Goodbye
(2:51) 6. Heart Of Mine
(2:37) 7. Billy (I Always Dream Of Billy)
(3:16) 8. Please Tell Me The Truth
(3:05) 9. You're Gonna Lose Your Gal
(3:02) 10. My Wubba Dolly
(2:52) 11. After I Say I'm Sorry
(3:03) 12. Baby, What Else Can I Do
(2:51) 13. Betcha Nickel
(2:57) 14. Moon Ray
(2:32) 15. Is There Somebody Else
(3:08) 16. The Starlit Hour
(3:08) 17. I'm Not Complainin'
(2:57) 18. What's The Matter With Me
(2:44) 19. Sugar Blues
(2:55) 20. Imagination
(2:56) 21. If It Weren't For You
(3:00) 22. Sing Song Swing
(2:31) 23. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
(2:43) 24. Shake Down The Stars
(3:11) 25. I Fell In Love With A Dream

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Album: The Complete Decca Singles Vol 2 (1939-1941) (Disc 2)
Time: 72:49
Size: 170,3 MB

(2:35) 1. Deedle-De-Dum
(2:54) 2. Gulf Coast Blues
(3:07) 3. Five O'clock Whistle
(3:07) 4. So Long
(3:09) 5. Louisville, K-Y
(3:03) 6. Taking A Chance On Love
(2:43) 7. Cabin In The Sky
(2:29) 8. Three Little Words
(3:02) 9. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
(2:30) 10. Hello Ma! I Done It Again
(2:59) 11. Wishful Thinking
(2:41) 12. I'm The Lonesomest Girl In Town
(2:23) 13. The Muffin Man
(2:58) 14. Keep Cool, Fool
(3:07) 15. No Nothing
(2:58) 16. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(2:41) 17. Melinda The Mousie
(3:02) 18. Jim
(2:53) 19. This Love Of Mine
(3:03) 20. I'm Thrilled
(2:45) 21. Make Love To Me
(3:22) 22. You Don't Know What Love is
(3:10) 23. Somebody Nobody Loves
(3:01) 24. My Man
(2:57) 25. Who Are You

Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra.

She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella.) She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common they all loved her.

The Complete Decca Singles Vol 2 (1939-1941)(Disc 1) (Disc 2)

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Candice Ivory, Charlie Hunter - When The Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:00
Size: 106,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:32) 1. Me and My Chauffeur
(3:34) 2. When The Levee Breaks
(2:42) 3. You Can't Rule Me
(2:38) 4. When You Love Me
(3:48) 5. Blues Everywhere
(5:10) 6. Crazy Crying Blues
(4:32) 7. World of Trouble
(3:31) 8. Pile Driving Blues
(3:53) 9. Hole In The Wall
(4:56) 10. Hard Down Lie
(3:18) 11. HooDoo Lady
(4:20) 12. New Bumble Bee

Candice Ivory is more than a little ambitious to conceive and execute an album comprised wholly of material by blues icon Memphis Minnie. But to her credit, she has been quite resourceful in enlisting some formidable resources in the effort: guitarist/bassist Charlie Hunter serves as a player and the album producer, the latter role he also filled on the album of the steel guitarist here DaShawn Hickman.
Needless to say, camaraderie abounds throughout the dozen cuts, beginning with a flourish on "Me And My Chauffeur." Percussion from Brevan Hampden and Atiba Rorie digs a groove deepened by Hunter, over which Hickman tosses tantalizing curls of notes. The Minnie tune covered (and duly credited) by Led Zeppelin is wisely the second track and continues in the earthy realm of the opener: the multi-track vocals of Ivory conjure a ghostly atmosphere by contrast with the use of just a single voice on the refrain.

Drummer George Sluppick's presence on the anthemic "You Can't Rule Me" recalls his redoubtable stability for the initial incarnation of the The Chris Robinson Brotherhood. He is straight ahead with his kit on this cut, meshing smoothly with the rest of the band and especially so with his rhythm partners, not the least of whom is Hunter when he injects some of his mobile bass work into the mix. Fully arranged for an ensemble, that number is well-positioned as an extension of the more skeletal opening.

That track also serves as a complement to the acoustic textures of "When You Love Me." Ivory's history in a choir featuring future R&B star D'Angelo stands her in good stead as she really cuts loose with her voice here; nevertheless, she sings with more than a little nuance and thereby clearly communicates the humorous symbolism of "Blues Everywhere."

In performing with such apparent effortlessness, in tandem with her kindred spirit accompanists, Candice Ivory nevertheless posits herself as a figure of staunch independence and forthrightness comparable to the source of her inspiration. The clarity of the Benjy Johnson recordings (subsequently mastered at Lurssen) are a direct reflection of that indomitable stance.

The punchy audio throughout this forty-six minutes might belie the vintage tenor of the songs. Ultimately, however, it's indicative of how timeless is the appeal of the blues, whether in the form of the nonchalant saucy strut of "World of Trouble" or the elastic reggae bounce of "New Bumble Bee."By Doug Collette https://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-the-levee-breaks-the-music-of-memphis-minnie-candice-ivory-the-little-village-foundation

Personnel: Candice Ivory-vocals; Charlie Hunter-guitar; George Sluppick-drums

When The Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie

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Roy Eldridge & His Orchestra - After You've Gone

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Swing
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:30
Size: 147,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:48) 1. After You've Gone (Alternate Take)
(2:55) 2. The Gasser
(2:42) 3. Jump Through The Window
(2:43) 4. Minor Jive
(2:28) 5. Stardust
(1:38) 6. Lady Be Good (Incomplete / Alternate Take)
(2:46) 7. I Surrender Dear (Alternate Take)
(3:18) 8. Body And Soul
(3:18) 9. I Can't Get Started
(3:03) 10. After You've Gone
(3:12) 11. Fish Market
(2:53) 12. Twilight Time
(2:23) 13. St. Louis Blues
(3:28) 14. Embraceable You
(2:45) 15. All The Cats Join In
(3:15) 16. Poor John
(2:45) 17. Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip
(3:05) 18. Yard Dog
(3:09) 19. Lover, Come Back To Me
(2:49) 20. Rockin' Chair
(3:02) 21. It's The Talk Of The Town
(2:54) 22. Christopher Columbus

This excellent CD features the great swing trumpeter Roy Eldridge shortly after the breakup of the Gene Krupa Orchestra. Eldridge is heard leading his own recording groups (mostly big bands) and, although his own orchestra never really caught on, the trumpet solos are always quite exciting.

This CD skips over five of Eldridge's Decca sides (it should have been a "complete" set) but does include three previously unissued performances plus a recently discovered jam on "Christopher Columbus" from 1936
By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-youve-gone-mw0000269940

After You've Gone

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Ed Wiley, Jr. - About The Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:24
Size: 152.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[8:49] 1. Without A Song
[4:04] 2. Too Close For Comfort
[6:22] 3. Till There Was You
[5:08] 4. Play Ray
[7:49] 5. Giselle
[2:20] 6. I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
[2:58] 7. Somebody Stole My Gal
[6:30] 8. B Man
[7:08] 9. Bay Area Blues
[5:19] 10. Send Me Someone To Love
[4:53] 11. By Bye Blackbird
[4:58] 12. St. Theresa's Blues

The Houston-raised Ed Wiley Jr. was born into the Texas-tenor style made popular by such fellow Houstonians as Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet. His soulful horn had graced numerous rhythm ’n’ blues bands by 1950 when he had a hit of his own with “Cry, Cry Baby.” Two decades later, Wiley took a long break from music, not returning to performing until the 1990s. Since 1994, he has recorded five albums, About the Soul being the latest. At 76, Wiley displays the confidence and surefootedness of the longtime performer. His technique is still sufficient to execute his earthy ideas, and his tone remains capable of expressing the intense emotion that permeates his music.

Wiley’s colleagues include some of the best in the business — pianists Kenny Barron, John Ozment and the late John Hicks; guitarists Jimmy Ponder and Kevin McNeal; bassists Keter Betts, Mike Boone and Corcoran Holt; and drummers Ben Riley, Mickey Roker and Mark Prince. ~David Franklin

About The Soul

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Ella Fitzgerald - The Complete Decca Singles Vol. 3 of 4 (1942-1949) 3-Disc Set

On June 16, 1939, it was decided that Fitzgerald would front the Chick Webb orchestra even though she had little to do with the repertoire or hiring or firing the musicians. She retained her popularity and when she broke up the band in 1941 and went solo; it was not long before her Decca recordings contained more than their share of hits. She was teamed with the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, and the Delta Rhythm Boys for some best-sellers, and in 1946 began working regularly for Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic. Granz became her manager although it would be nearly a decade before he could get her on his label. A major change occurred in Fitzgerald's singing around this period. She toured with Dizzy Gillespie's big band, adopted bop as part of her style, and started including exciting scat-filled romps in her set. Her recordings of "Lady Be Good," "How High the Moon," and "Flying Home" during 1945-1947 became popular and her stature as a major jazz singer rose as a result. For a time (December 10, 1947-August 28, 1953) she was married to bassist Ray Brown and used his trio as a backup group. Fitzgerald's series of duets with pianist Ellis Larkins in 1950 (a 1954 encore with Larkins was a successful follow-up) found her interpreting George Gershwin songs, predating her upcoming Songbooks series.

Album: The Complete Decca Singles Vol. 3 (1942-1949) Disc 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:20

Size: 165.6 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 2017

Art: Front

[2:42] 1. I'm Gettin' Mighty Lonesome For You

[2:52] 2. When I Come Back Crying (Will You Be Laughing At Me)

[2:57] 3. All I Need Is You

[2:44] 4. Mama Come Home

[2:32] 5. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me

[2:45] 6. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

[3:16] 7. He's My Guy (Nobody Knows Better Than I)

[2:52] 8. (I Put) A Four Leaf Clover In Your Pocket

[3:02] 9. My Heart And I Decided

[3:06] 10. I Must Have That Man

[2:56] 11. Cow Cow Boogie

[2:46] 12. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

[2:55] 13. Once Too Often

[3:05] 14. Time Alone Will Tell

[3:13] 15. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine

[3:22] 16. I'm Confessin' That I Love You

[3:05] 17. A Kiss Goodnight

[3:27] 18. Benny's Coming Home On Saturday

[2:53] 19. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So

[3:16] 20. I Didn't Mean A Word I Said

[2:52] 21. You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)

[3:11] 22. The Frim Fram Sauce

[3:10] 23. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

[3:11] 24. I'm Making Believe

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Album: The Complete Decca Singles Vol. 3 (1942-1949) Disc 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 75:07

Size: 172.0 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 2017

Art: Front

[2:42] 1. I'm Beginning To See The Light

[3:15] 2. That's The Way It Is

[2:39] 3. It's Only A Paper Moon

[2:44] 4. Cry You Out Of My Heart

[2:37] 5. Stone Cold Dead In The Market 2

[2:35] 6. Petootie Pie

[3:11] 7. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons

[2:37] 8. It's A Pity To Say Goodnight

[3:10] 9. Guilty

[3:18] 10. Sentimental Journey

[2:59] 11. That's My Desire

[3:12] 12. A Sunday Kind Of Love

[3:13] 13. Oh Lady Be Good

[2:29] 14. Flying Home

[2:25] 15. You're Breakin' In A New Heart

[3:06] 16. Don't You Think I Ought To Know

[2:32] 17. I've Got A Feelin' I'm Fallin'

[2:39] 18. My Baby Likes To Bebop (And I Like To Bebop Too)

[3:13] 19. How High The Moon (1st Take)

[2:55] 20. You Turned The Tables On Me

[3:15] 21. My Happiness

[2:40] 22. Tea Leaves

[2:36] 23. It's Too Soon To Know

[2:48] 24. I Can't Go On (Without You)

[3:05] 25. To Make A Mistake Is Human

[2:59] 26. In My Dreams

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Album: The Complete Decca Singles Vol. 3 (1942-1949) Disc 3

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 70:14

Size: 160.8 MB

Styles:

Year: 2017

Art: Front

[3:00] 1. No Sense

[2:32] 2. Robbin's Nest

[3:15] 3. I Couldn't Stay Away From You

[3:02] 4. Someone Like You

[2:21] 5. I Want To Learn About Love

[2:39] 6. Old Mother Hubbard

[2:25] 7. Happy Talk

[2:52] 8. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair

[2:39] 9. Baby It's Cold Outside

[2:55] 10. Don't Cry, Cry Baby

[3:03] 11. Black Coffee

[3:07] 12. Lover's Gold

[3:07] 13. Crying

[2:58] 14. A New Shade Of Blues

[2:56] 15. Foolish Tears

[3:10] 16. A Man Wrote A Song

[2:36] 17. In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)

[2:52] 18. Talk Fast, My Heart, Talk Fast

[2:50] 19. Fairy Tales

[3:19] 20. I Gotta Have My Baby Back

[3:07] 21. Basin Street Blues

[3:18] 22. I'm Waitin' For The Junkman

[3:00] 23. I Hadn't Anyone Till You

[2:58] 24. Dream A Little Longer

The Complete Decca Singles Vol. 3 (1942-1949) Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3

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Linda May Han Oh - The Glass Hours

Styles: Voice
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:10
Size: 159,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:49) 1. Circles
(6:42) 2. Antiquity
(5:33) 3. Chimera
(8:29) 4. Jus Ad Bellum
(6:37) 5. The Glass Hours
(9:15) 6. The Imperative
(7:23) 7. Phosphorus
(3:44) 8. Respite
(9:24) 9. The Other Side
(5:08) 10. Hatchling

Linda May Han Oh, a bassist and composer of enormous talent, approaches bandleading with fresh and distinctive vision. Backed by a new quintet that works really great, Oh delivers a set of pieces informed by abstract themes of the fragility of time and life, paradoxes and choices, and social issues in our world. The Glass Hours has that adventurous quality often found in her discography, creating a compound of collective exploration and deft improvisation.

The sinuous, complex melody of “Circles” is earnestly declared, side by side, by Portuguese singer Sara Serpa, whose technique is impressive, and saxophonist Mark Turner. The sounds spread within the organized structure, and we have pianist Fabian Almazan and Turner taking improvisational turns before a fearless double bass solo unfolds.

Introduced rubato by bass and piano before sliding into a 7/4 meter, “Antiquity” is a piece with lyrics centered on the weight of the past, whereas “Chimera”, taking the form of a sensual dance, mutates along the way. A swift rhythmic figure takes center stage, creating a motivically induced substratum later embellished with tasteful electronics.

Often abstract, these avant-leanings occasionally invite us to new territory, like “Phosphorous”, which is rendered with a relentless prog-rock rhythm bed. Drummer Obed Calvaire, who worked with Oh on her debut album, Entry (CD Baby, 2009), locks in with the bassist for the sake of a funk-inspired accentuation, supporting ethereal wordless vocals and saxophone cross-cuts. There’s also a more rugged than sweet keyboard solo here.

The composer delves deeply into this musical universe of linear and cyclical forms. With warfare as a topic, “Jus ad Bellum” flows rubato, later probing polyrhythmic patterns with ritualistic precision. More celebratory is the title cut, which has challenging metered cycles rising and waning periodically; Serpa is on the leading edge here, and Turner and Almazan take improvisational turns. Thematically contrary, “The Other Side” is a meditation on the afterlife, employing a push-pull strategy with well-placed staccatos that ground us in the present.

Impeccably layered with boundless energy, The Glass Hours is a mature work that positions Oh in the vanguard of progressive musical creativity.https://jazztrail.net/blog/linda-may-han-oh-the-glass-hours-album-review

Personnel: Sara Serpa: voice; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Fabian Almazan: piano, electronics; Linda May Han Oh: acoustic and electric bass, voice; Obed Calvaire: drums.

The Glass Hours

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Ahmad Jamal - Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1968 Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1968 Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@160K/s
Time: 45:11
Size: 52,0 MB
Art: Front

( 4:49) 1. Gloria
( 7:33) 2. Fantastic Vehicle
(12:36) 3. Misty
(15:08) 4. Mr. Lucky
( 5:03) 5. Autumn Leaves

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Album: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1968 Disc 2
Time: 48:35
Size: 55,9 MB

(11:01) 1. Corcovado (Quiet Night Of Quiet Stars)
( 8:36) 2. Where Is Love
( 9:30) 3. Dance To The Lady
( 6:58) 4. Naked City Theme
( 2:51) 5. Emily
( 9:36) 6. Alfie

It was a time of warring nations, either within themselves or without. John Coltrane had fallen as Miles Davis was firing up the jazz/funk. It was a time of young men screaming, their bodies on fire. Black and white images of villages savaged and children starving.

Into these unrivaled moments they had just taken down a holy man in Memphis a month before Ahmad Jamal, his uncluttered allegiance to cool, underscored syncopation, and profound ease and understanding of Erroll Garner's orchestral maneuvers, rides high the groove on Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1966-1968 and conclusively, both then and now, takes your mind off those, and these, turbulent times.

Volume three could unarguably be the master class of the whole endeavor. Which is no small feat considering the gymnastics of Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1963-1964 and Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1965, (both from Elemental Music, 2022.) Here, Jamal, bassist Jamil Sulieman Nasser and drummer Frank Gant lock into that Vulcan Mind Meld thing we were hearing so much about back then, making these performances no these passing works of art that burn in the brain until only shadows remain lift the audience into a state of euphoria that is hard to explain but one damn well knows it when it hits.

Take for instance the narrative stretch of "Fantastic Vehicle" and "Misty" from September 29,1966 and "Mr. Lucky," and "Autumn Leaves" from just under a year later. True masterpieces of the form each and every one. Yet this trio plays them in an unprecedented manner and exhilarating form. It is that provocative, harmonic grace only Jamal mastered and with which Davis took great electric liberty.

This is sly, rhythmic derring-do at its best. And it is within these four performances alone that the disc becomes invaluable. "Mr. Lucky" rips with a morse code punctuation and Nasser's fast and furious double timing. Hear him rip full force again on Antonio Carlos Jobim's ageless bossa nova "Corcovado (Quiet Night Of Quite Stars)." "Misty" is just an epic performance, that whole Vulcan Mind Meld thing in full swing. These three are tight but increasingly footloose, (let the two relentless Jamal/Gant fusillades be Exhibits A and B. Let Jamal's effortlessly fascinating runs here and, as on "Autumn Leaves," serve as Exhibits C and D)

Even with the 1967-1968 performances holding to a more classical, yet no more gregarious flaunting, trio approach, Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1966-1968 is immensely satisfying and promises to be one of those killer hot Record Store Day Black Friday releases. But that is hardly the point and probably of no consequence at all. For the music on Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1966-1968 has a decisively no-holds-barred pulse. It may not be exactly the steady beat of the blood, but it is definitely a pulse that keeps one alive.By Mike Jurkovic
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/emerald-city-nights-live-at-the-penhouse-1966-1968-ahmad-jamal-jazz-detective

Personnel: Ahmad Jamal piano; Jamil Nasser bass; Frank Gant drums

Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1968 Disc 1, Disc 2

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Larry Schneider - Mohawk

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 61:11
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

( 4:43)  1. Mohawk
( 6:05)  2. Moose The Mooche
( 4:48)  3. She Rote
(10:39)  4. Yardbird Suite
( 2:59)  5. Donna Lee
( 7:51)  6. Anthropology
( 9:35)  7. Scrapple From The Apple
( 5:05)  8. Steeplechase
( 9:24)  9. Confirmation

Larry Schneider on this latest recording plays alto sax instead of tenor sax which is his instrument. And when a jazz saxophone player picks up alto, there is one thing in his mind: Charlie Parker. “Larry Schneider Plays Charlie Parker” is what this CD is all about. A formidable task superbly executed.

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Larry Schneider;  Bass – Steve LaSpina;  Drums – Anton Fig;  Piano – Andy LaVerne

Mohawk

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