Hal Singer - Challenge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:50
Size: 174,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:16)  1. Challenge
( 9:01)  2. Hamid's Time
(10:57)  3. Hong Kong Nights
( 8:38)  4. I Thought About You
( 7:55)  5. Long March to Freedom
(10:27)  6. Stressology
(10:02)  7. Dreams of Dream
( 8:31)  8. About the Children

This was a very interesting collaboration between saxophonists Hal Singer and David Murray. Aided my Murray's core band of Lafayette Gilchrist on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass and Hamid Drake on drums, the group develops a nice swing feel that is less of a tenor battle and more of a friendly conversation. The saxophone tones contrast nicely, with Singer's lighter Pres like tone counteracting nicely with the gruff Hawkins like feeling of David Murray. Occasionally I longed to hear them let rip with a Kansas City like tenor sax battle of history, but that's not the point of this disc. Rasul Siddik sits in on trumpet on two tracks, enlivening Murray's "Hong Kong Nights" and "Stressology" with strong brassy accents. Gilcrest is excellent throughout with a bright and strong tone. Drake, as always, is a joy mixing rhythm and pace, getting his own feature on the aptly named "Hamid's Time," composed by Singer. But the focus is really on the two saxophonists throughout, trading solos and ideas and sparking off of each other with ebullient energy and taste. Singer tends to reign in Murray's occasional over-exuberance, and Murray in turn challenges Singer to a high level. Classy photographs of the sessions and liner notes in English and French round out an excellent package.

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Hal Singer; Tenor Saxophone, Art Direction – David Murray;  Bass – Jaribu Shahid; Drums – Hamid Drake; Piano – Lafayette Gilchrist; Trumpet – Rasul Siddik

Challenge

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Basia - Butterflies

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:30
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Vocal

(3:50)  1. Bubble
(3:40)  2. Matteo
(4:35)  3. No Heartache
(4:33)  4. Butterfly
(4:07)  5. Where's Your Pride
(3:59)  6. Be.Pop
(3:17) 7. Liang & Zhu
(4:28)  8. Show Time
(4:20)  9. Like Crazy
(1:15) 10. Rachel's Waltz
(4:23) 11. Pandora's Box

Nine long years after It’s That Girl Again, it’s that girl again. The international singing star Basia customarily takes her time with recording new material but rewards her fans’ patience with Butterflies, out on May 18, 2018 from Shanachie Entertainment. Brazilian-flavored jazz-pop didn’t begin with Basia or her pre-solo group Matt Bianco: Sergio Mendes tasted the first success stateside with his Brasil ’66 group. However, Basia updated the sound and often made it discotheque-ready, and just as Lani Hall lent a unique voice to Brasil ’66, Basia boasts a distinctive, powerful voice of her own. The enduring appeal of this brand of pop is proven with the trio of platinum-selling studio albums Basia made from 1988 to 1993. Many of the things expected from a Basia record are here: smart and snappy songs co-composed by Basia and her collaborator from the start, Danny White, with rich vocal arrangements.

And of course, there’s the virtuosic voice of Basia herself, who seems to have lost none of her edge. But the jazz part of Basia’s jazz-pop gets more explicit here. That element was always present in her music but the production is scaled back with more acoustic elements (particularly the frequent presence of the unplugged guitar of Danny White’s brother Peter), enough to make the jazz easier to identify. That’s most apparent right from the start: “Bubble” is nearly all-acoustic straight-ahead jazz, a far cry from the elaborately constructed affairs of the first three albums and the swing suits Basia well.

“Be.Pop,” with its big band accompaniment, reminds us that big band swing used to pop music decades ago, but there’s just enough of a contemporary sheen to this number to make one wonder why can’t it be that way again in the 21st century. The heartfelt Latin folk number “Matteo” was the sneak peak of the album when it gave fans a taste back in March. “Show Time” rides on one of Basia and White’s signature bossa nova struts, a close cousin to 1990’s “Cruising For A Bruising” hit but this time Mark Reilly handles singing one of the verses, making this song a de-facto Matt Bianco reunion.

Per usual for Basia, there’s enough variety in the moods and styles of the songs to hold attention. “No Heartache” lures listeners into yet another breezy cadence before slamming into a funky chorus, and then a jazzy sax solo courtesy of Paul Booth. The synth bass line on “Butterfly” is a throwback of sorts to Time and Time‘s late 80s production values but sounds much less dated here; actually it underpins a choice mid-tempo groove and a nifty piano turn by White. The piano-led, slow-dance tempo “Where’s Your Pride” gives the song a sway that’s enticing. Even gentler is the Chinese-inspired ballad “Liang & Zhu,” which even has a hint of East Asian violin to underscore the heritage intended for the song. A little mellower and little more intimate, Butterflies is Basia aging gracefully with music that will likely not age at all. http://somethingelsereviews.com/2018/05/17/basia-butterflies-2018/

Butterflies

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Black Art Jazz Collective - Ascension

Styles: Post Bop,Jazz Contemporary
Size: 110,1 MB
Time: 48:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Art: Front

1. Ascension (5:36)
2. Mr. Willis (4:16)
3. Involuntary Servitude (6:46)
4. Twin Towers (6:28)
5. No Words Needed (1:54)
6. Tulsa (6:32)
7. Iron Man (6:31)
8. For the Kids (5:33)
9. Birdie's Bounce (4:27)

On Ascension, the Black Art Jazz Collective, a like-minded sextet co-founded in 2012 by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery to salute the artistry of their mentors and musical heroes while moving the idiom forward into the twenty-first century, is unbending in its allegiance to the straight-ahead canon espoused by the architects of modern jazz. It's a stance that gives rise to pluses and minuses.

On the upside, this is splendid music, rhythmically and melodically pleasing, well-played by an ensemble whose members are bright and durable pillars on the New York-area scene. On the downside, the burnished performance can't becloud the fact that there's nothing special on the menu, simply well-arranged jazz that seems somehow vaguely familiar. In other words, the meal is meat and potatoes, even though remarkably well-cooked. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that every number is an original composition: three by Pelt, two each by pianist Victor Gould and trombonist James Burton III, one apiece by Escoffery and the late Jackie McLean, and, even more so, that none would have seemed out of place in a straight-shooting Prestige-Blue Note session from the '50s or '60s.

That's not to suggest that anything here is less than appetizing. Everyone writes well, and solos are as sharp and resourceful as one would expect from musicians with their awareness and expertise. Still, one can't evade the impression he/she has heard this before in other contexts. And yet, even an "encore" can be no less than agreeable when it is mapped out as well as this. Ascension embodies jazz whose contemporary framework is bolstered by an unerring trust in time- honored precepts as its anchor. By Jack Bowers
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ascension-black-art-jazz-collective-highnote-records

Personnel: Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; Wayne Escoffery, tenor saxophone; James Burton III, trombone; Victor Gould, keyboards; Rashaan Carter, bass; Mark Whitfield Jr., drums.

Ascension

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Lauren Henderson - Riptide

Styles: Vocal
Size: 54,5 MB
Time: 23:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Art: Front

1. Ámame (3:21)
2. Riptide (3:01)
3. Separate (4:17)
4. Bajito (5:12)
5. Ennui (3:28)
6. Slow Control (3:47)

Vocalist Lauren Henderson goes deep with a bedroom eyes of a voice on this seductive ep. The team of Chris Pattishallpp-key, Eric Englid/b and Joe Saylor/dr create deep and thick soulful moods for Henderson’s palpably soft coo. The team is a bit funky for the soulful “Amame” as Henderson gives hints of Melody Gardot’s bohemia on “Separate”.

Some clip clop drumming and chunky guitar creates an indie mood for “Bajito” and the stark “Ennui” gets things dramatic while she is playful and coy as she draws you into her world on “Slow Control.” She doesn’t rely on range or chops, preferring to let her implications bring you to the music.
https://www.jazzweekly.com/2018/12/lauren-henderson-riptide/

Riptide

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Eddie Chamblee - Blowing In Paris

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:30
Size: 149.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:27] 1. Gone
[6:32] 2. Jacques, That's The Blues
[4:11] 3. Pour Chamblee
[3:32] 4. A Pretty Song
[5:22] 5. Encore Flying Home
[4:45] 6. New Green Onions
[4:31] 7. Tenderly
[6:00] 8. Satin Doll
[5:07] 9. Blowing In Paris
[4:01] 10. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:43] 11. Twenty Years After
[5:00] 12. Soul Food Boogie
[2:50] 13. Gone
[4:12] 14. I Cover The Waterfront
[3:09] 15. Limehouse Blues

Eddie Chamblee (ts), Wallace Davenport (tp), Buster Cooper (tb), Earl Warren (as), Arnett Cobb (ts), Milt Buckner (org, vib, vcl), André Persiany (p), Roland Lobligeois (b) & Panama Francis (d).

Eddie Chamblee was a good, sometimes inspirational player who made contributions in both big-band and small-combo settings as well as early R&B. Chamblee studied law at Chicago State University, then played with several Army bands from 1941 to 1946. He headed a small group in Chicago from 1946 until the mid-'50s, then worked for two years with Lionel Hampton, recording and touring in Europe in 1956. Chamblee went back to small combos, and backed vocalist Dinah Washington on many superb dates in 1957, 1958, and 1963. (He and Washington were also briefly married.) Chamblee worked with Milt Buckner and Hampton in the '70s, returning with them to Europe in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He also recorded with each musician, and did some sessions with his own band in 1976. Chamblee played for a short period in Count Basie's orchestra in 1982. ~bio by Ron Wynn

Blowing In Paris

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Sarah King - The Masquerade Is Over

Styles: Vocal
Size: 81,3 MB
Time: 35:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Art: Front

1. Willow Weep For Me (3:19)
2. I've Got You On My Mind (3:00)
3. Make Someone Happy (3:11)
4. The Masquerade Is Over (5:21)
5. Steppin' Out With My Baby (3:18)
6. Why Try To Change Me Now (3:53)
7. Wake Up! Chill'un Wake Up (4:03)
8. Wild Is Love (3:17)
9. When Sunny Gets Blue (2:39)
10. Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair (3:24)

Known for her powerhouse voice and "fiery, vulnerable songs," Sarah King creates thought-provoking, versatile Americana music. Her genuine stories about real-life emotions and situations also draw on classic folk-blues themes, balancing songs about the devil and booze with hard-won moments of reflection and acceptance.

Her acclaimed 2021 EP The Hour, produced by Simone Felice and David Baron, earned her recognition as the New England Music Awards songwriter of the Year and performances at the 2022 Folk Alliance International and Philadelphia Folk festivals, as well as supporting slots for acts including Blues Traveler, The Steel Woods, Anders Osborne, & Nathan Graham. She won the Great River Folk Festival Singer/Songwriter Contest in 2023.
https://sarahkingsings.com/about

The Masquerade Is Over

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Steve Grossman - In New York

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:56
Size: 167,2 MB
Art: Front

(13:15)  1. Speak Low
( 9:46)  2. My Ship
(12:09)  3. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
(10:15)  4. Impressions
( 9:30)  5. Over the Rainbow
( 8:56)  6. Love for Sale
( 9:02)  7. Good Bait

For his second Dreyfus Jazz album, Grossman ventures into New York's Sweet Basil club, with a stellar piano trio (McCoy Tyner, Avery Sharp, Art Taylor) in tow. With this kind of firepower, the listener is usually guaranteed a satisfying level of cooking jazz, and that's certainly what we get here, though it seldom rises above that into a higher region. Grossman's tune choices are mostly predictable standards, the one exception being his own cheeky title "Love for Sal," a bop-style number where the bass and then the piano double the tune's lead sax statement. Throughout, Grossman likes to fire away the eighth notes in that pungent, Sonny Rollins-influenced tenor tone, with Tyner often temporarily (and generously) dropping out so that the saxophonist can develop freer melodic patterns over the bass and drums. "Impressions" taken virtually at Tyner's late employer John Coltrane's tempo does achieve a special ignition, driven hard by Taylor, with some exploration of multiphonics by an inspired Grossman. Otherwise, a mostly solid live session of post-bop.By Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-new-york-mw0000627313

Personnel: Steve Grossman (tenor saxophone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Avery Sharpe (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

In New York

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Toninho Horta - Foot on The Road

Styles: Latin Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:22
Size: 115,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:55) 1. Party In Olinda
(3:44) 2. Afternoons In Thailand
(4:05) 3. Moon River
(7:04) 4. Akiko's Song
(5:28) 5. Encantament
(7:29) 6. Tecno Burger
(3:48) 7. Where Are You
(6:20) 8. Foot On The Road
(3:38) 9. Nenel
(3:47) 10. Mocidade

Toninho Horta is a virtuoso electric and nylon-string guitar player; his music could be defined as (jazz influenced) Brazilian music. He has developed his own very personal style. His compositions are marked by beautiful harmonies and rich melodies often with surprisingly virtuoso right hand grooves. Besides being a strong composer and player, he worked many years as arranger or/and guitarist for many of the biggest stars in the Brazilian pop music scene such as: Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Maria Bethania, Joao Bosco, Airto Moreira, Edu Lobo, Nana Caymmi, Flora Purim, Gal Costa, Sergio Mendes, Chico Buarque, Flavio Venturini, Joyce, Johnny Alf, Wagner Tiso, Francis Hime and Beto Guedes (to mention but a few).

His beautiful compositions and original guitar playing has influenced a whole generation of musicians in Brazil. Pat Metheny, who considers him to be "one of the world's great composers on nylon-string guitar (named violao in Brazil)," comments, "He (Toninho) plays such great voicings with such a cool time feel... I've often described him to other musicians as the Herbie Hancock of Bossa-Nova guitarists ...in short, Toninho Horta is an incredible musician, the rare guitarist who understands harmony in its most intimate ways..." (Pat Metheny's words on the booklet of Toninho's "Diamond Land"). Pat's strong admiration for Toninho's music can be heard on many of his own compositions.Among Toninho's most beloved compositions are Beijo Partido (Broken Kiss, on Diamond Land), Gershwin, Pedra da Lua and Manuel o Audaz (the last three on Moonstone. The last two appear with English titles consecutively Moonstone and Eternal Youth).
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/toninho-horta

Foot on The Road

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Brandee Younger 4tet - Live At the Breeding Ground

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:01
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

( 4:33)  1. Soul Vibrations
( 3:59)  2. Wax and Wane
( 4:56)  3. Essence of Ruby
( 6:28)  4. Hortense
( 4:46)  5. Respected Destroyer
( 5:45)  6. Games
(13:10)  7. Blue Nile
( 7:24)  8. He Has a Name (Awareness)
( 5:55)  9. Effi

While a list of currently operating notables on nearly any given instrument could fill anywhere from a chapter to a book or two, a rundown of head-turning active jazz harpists might only fill out a very small portion of a leaflet. The most important among them Latin jazz trailblazer Edmar Castaneda, refined role model Carol Robbins, and wide-ranging experimentalist Zeena Parkins, to name just a few all manage to say something unique with the instrument, pushing it into places where it wasn't always welcome or expected before. Brandee Younger, who manages to do the same here with a post-Alice Coltrane/Dorothy Ashby brand of soulful and mystical jazz that's coated with a twenty-first century urban glaze, has earned her place on that short list. On Live At The Breeding Ground, Younger taps into the spiritual well that fueled the art of both Ashby and Coltrane, yet she remains ever-cognizant of the time in which she lives and plays. Younger goes in a heavy and funky direction with some help from E.J. Strickland's hard-hitting drum work and Dezron Douglas' bubbly bass ("Soul Vibrations"), builds easy-to-absorb melodies atop slick foundational grooves ("Essence Of Ruby"), sparkles aside soprano saxophonist Stacy Dillard ("Hortense"), and creates music that's simultaneously powerful, sophisticated, hypnotic, and sly (Stanley Cowell's "EFFI"). 

Younger's most direct allusions to the aforementioned female harp pioneers Coltrane's "Blue Nile"; Ashby's "Wax And Wane" and "Games"serve as fitting tributes. "Blue Nile" veers close to Coltrane's version, speaking directly of the weighty blues spirit that exists within her legendary husband's music. The Ashby tunes offer more surprises. The free-your-mind aesthetic of the original "Wax and Wane" is washed away by a flow of energy, transforming the very nature of the piece, and the pseudo Afro-Brazilian vibe of Ashby's version of "Games" is replaced by a measured, searching sound that gives way to a more outwardly soulful statement. While Younger, as mentioned, isn't alone in elevating and broadening her instrument's place in jazz, this album certainly indicates that she's carved out her own niche and done her part. She's as hip as harpists come. 

~ Dan Bilaswky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-breeding-ground-brandee-younger-self-produced-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Brandee Younger: harp; Dezron Douglas: bass; E.J.Strickland: drums; Chelsea Baratz: tenor saxophone; Stacy Dillard: soprano saxophone.

Live At the Breeding Ground

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Threestyle - No Matter What

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Size: 119,3 MB
Time: 50:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Art: Front

1. No Matter What (4:15)
2. Love of My Life (4:03)
3. Special to Me (4:04)
4. No Looking Back (4:22)
5. Spend a Little Time (4:07)
6. Be with you (4:25)
7. Don´t take your Love away (4:00)
8. It´s a Jam Tonight (4:06)
9. Lift Them Up (4:07)
10. Memories of you (4:50)
11. Don´t Know What to do (4:15)
12. Track No Matter What Instrumental (4:15)

Threestyle is a contemporary smooth jazz band known for their unique blend of jazz, R&B, funk, and pop influences. Their music is characterized by catchy melodies, soulful grooves, and intricate harmonies. The Munich-based formation has also made a name for itself on the Internet. Even in these times, when musicians are finding it difficult to assert themselves with their music, the group has released their new album No Matter What (2024).

The album is featuring Robert Fertl on guitars & production, twin sisters Magdalena (saxes, keys) and Gabriela Chovancova (drums), Damon Dae (vocals), James L. Manning (bass) and Lew Laing (keys). All songs were written by Magdalena Chovancova, Robert Fertl, Damon Dae and James L. Manning.

The album opens with No Matter What, a song that singer Damon Dae has put his stamp on. Stylistically, the title song can easily be categorized as R&B. Love Of My Life is a theme that has been explored by singers from Freddie Mercury to Céline Dione. Damon Dae finds his own interpretation, which Threestyle also sets in the right instrumental framework.

Damon has written all lyrics of this album and the themes are mostly about love. This is how Damon describes his special love in Special To Me, which is only now making him realize his own emptiness.

The album comprises a total of 12 songs. All the tracks are R&B with the exception of the radio-edited version of the title track, which can be classified as smooth jazz.

Both instrumentally and vocally, the album is of a high standard and confirms Threestyle's strong development. No Matter What's overall concept, however, focuses more on the R&B community.
http://www.smooth-jazz.de/firstview/Threestyle/NoMatterWhat.htm

No Matter What

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Eddie Henderson - Shuffle and Deal

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Size: 135,2 MB
Time: 59:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Art: Front

1. Shuffle and Deal (5:30)
2. Flight Path (5:15)
3. Over the Rainbow (8:11)
4. By Any Means (3:15)
5. Cook's Bay (7:19)
6. It Might as Well Be Spring (9:22)
7. Boom (4:04)
8. God Bless the Child (6:53)
9. Burnin' (4:56)
10. Smile (4:13)

Heading into his 80th birthday, Eddie Henderson issues Shuffle And Deal a material addition to his vast oeuvre of leader dates. The album builds on several long-term creative relationships fostered during the trumpeter’s prolific career. He returns to the studio with practically the same winning lineup from his 2018 release, Be Cool, and daughter Cava Menzies and wife Natsuko Henderson again contribute compositions. Most notably, though, the aesthetic pull of the album derives from Henderson’s deep affinity with freakishly empathic pianist Kenny Barron.

The word “shuffle” is a play on the groove of the title cut a sophisticated, Miles Davis-inspired composition Henderson penned for the album but also describes the recurrence of tunes from his and his players’ established repertoire. Henderson includes two Barron compositions: “Flight Path,” a fervent, melodic imperative, and the charming Latin medium-tempo “Cook’s Bay.” There’s also altoist Donald Harrison’s “Burnin’” and four lovingly polished standards recognizable ballads rendered all the more touching alongside the rambunctious originals.

Besides Henderson’s own pieces, two other tunes are all-new with this release. Menzies’ clever, mixed-meter “By Any Means” delights with its clean horn lines and irresistible harmonic undertow, and Natsuko Henderson’s neo-soul “Boom” featuring Mike Clark’s high-velocity drumming sparkles with intensity.

But it is Henderson’s clarion trumpeting that guides the crush of talent on this album. His musical wisdom, gleaned during decades spent on the best jazz bandstands, informs every unerring note.By Suzanne Lorge
https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/shuffle-and-deal

Personnel: Eddie Henderson, trumpet; Donald Harrison, alto saxophone; Kenny Barron, piano; Gerald Cannon, bass; Mike Clark, drums.

Shuffle and Deal

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Erroll Garner - Campus Concert

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:07
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Indiana (Back Home Again in Indiana)
(5:47)  2. Stardust
(2:21)  3. Mambo Erroll
(4:35)  4. Lulu's Back in Town
(4:11)  5. Almost Like Being in Love - Live
(5:30)  6. My Funny Valentine
(5:29)  7. These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
(3:17)  8. In the Still of the Night
(3:59)  9. La Petite Mambo

This is the final live concert album released by Erroll Garner during his lifetime. It showcases the pianist in rare form, flanked by his classic trio and performing for an attentive and receptive audience of mostly young fans. This new edition includes a previously unreleased version of his rarely recorded “La Petite Mambo,” as well as fully restored musical introductions from the original masters. https://www.errollgarner.com/campus-concert-ors

Personnel: Erroll Garner: piano; Eddie Calhoun: bass; Kelly Martin: drums.

Campus Concert

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Lisa Bassenge - Wildflowers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:41
Size: 111,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:00) 1. Till I Get It Right
(4:39) 2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
(6:08) 3. Parasite
(4:01) 4. Wildflowers
(4:44) 5. The Look Of Love
(3:12) 6. Four Seasons In One Day
(4:26) 7. Skylark
(4:05) 8. I Think It's Going To Rain Today
(4:37) 9. Precious
(3:10) 10. I'll Follow You Into The Dark
(4:33) 11. Morning Sounds Of Spring

Lisa Bassenge is back with a bouquet of flowers. "Wildflowers" completes her trilogy of trio albums, again with Jacob Karlzon on piano and Andreas Lang on bass - same as on her two previous albums.

“Wildflowers” covers a range of songs that stretches from Dolly Parton to Depeche Mode, from Bob Dylan to Death Cab for Cutie. The way the trio arranges and performs them, these individual pieces don't seem to be thrown together, but rather like chapters of a story. Each one shimmers on its own, but the ensemble is more than the sum of its parts.

Jacob Karlzon from Sweden and Andreas Lang from Denmark embed Lisa Bassenge's unique voice in a warm sound that is ‘Scandinavian’ in the best sense of the word: relaxed but always engaging; playful, dynamic, full of subtle energy. "This sound has found us", says Lisa Bassenge.
https://herzogrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wildflowers

Personnel: Lisa Bassenge (vocal); Jacob Karlzon (piano); Andreas Lang (bass)

Wildflowers

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Al Grey & Arnett Cobb - Ain't That Funk For You

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 46:03
Size: 105.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Trombone jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:10] 1. On The Trail
[3:45] 2. Saint Louis Blues
[5:06] 3. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[3:43] 4. A Familiar Song
[6:11] 5. Blues Abrupt
[6:03] 6. Ain't That Funk For You
[5:33] 7. Get It Going For Black And Bue
[4:24] 8. On The Trail
[6:04] 9. Blues Abrupt

As the sixties drew to a close, Jean-Marie Monestier and Jean-Pierre Tahmazian discovered the whereabouts of the last living classical jazz musicians. They decided to bring them to France, out of the anonymity into which forgetfulness had plunged them. With the applause of the concert audience still ringing in their ears, these musicians then recorded some of their most beautiful music for Black & Blue. Jean-Michel Proust and Jean-Marc Fritz who were aware of their historical value, listened to these treasures. The result was “The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions”.

Al Grey (tb), Arnett Cobb (ts), Ray Bryant (p), John Duke (b), J.C. Heard (d). Recorded on July 11, 1977 at Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, France. Digitally remastered.

Ain't That Funk For You

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Brandee Younger - Wax & Wane

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:40
Size: 62,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Soul Vibrations
(5:46)  2. Essence of Ruby
(2:04)  3. Ruby Echo
(3:15)  4. Afro Harping
(4:11)  5. Wax and Wane
(1:46)  6. Ebony Haze
(4:53)  7. Black Gold

Being a harpist on the jazz scene can’t be easy.  And though jazz, as much as any genre, takes a sincere stab at incorporating non-traditional instruments into the body of work, it’s a not a huge stretch to assume that a harpist has gotta work a bit harder than most to find ways to fit in.  Historically, there aren’t a lot of predecessors to glean wisdom from on a course to chart, and it’s not like the current scene is loaded with jazz harpists, so hoping for some gestalt action from fellow birds of a feather might be too much to expect.  But it’s in the context of those potential obstacles that it’s so encouraging when someone like Brandee Younger steps up with such creative abandon to express a bold vision, and it’s why it’s really easy to forget that there may have been some obstacles less than ordinary in her path getting there. Younger’s debut EP Prelude immediately displayed equal willingness to groove, swing and sway.  That was followed by the excellent live set Brandee Younger 4tet Live @ the Breeding Ground, an album that kicked up all kinds of sparks and heat.  A great live set recording is the kind of thing where you immediately go and check the tour page on the artist’s site to see if she’s performing in a town near you.  Younger’s Breeding Ground release elicits that kind of response.  It has all the electricity you want to feel from music and it has all the intelligence you want to excite your cortex.  And while much of the music sounds planted firmly in Today, Younger doesn’t turn her back on what came before.  The composition “Soul Vibrations,” a frequent tune performed by jazz harp trailblazer Dorothy Ashby, is a fixture in Younger’s repertoire.  Another trailblazer in jazz harp is Alice Coltrane… a different sound and a different approach than Ashby, yet Younger seamlessly insinuates her own sound onto the Coltrane composition “Blue Nile” and makes it part of the whole mix for some remarkable cohesion.  A mix, worth noting, that incorporates an impressive number of Younger originals.  Another Ashby tune Younger embraces is “Wax and Wane.”  It’s also the title of her newest release.

Younger’s take on a contemporary soul-jazz sound is positively addictive.  Where Live @ the Breeding Ground showed she has the ability to kick out flames and flash a sharp edge, Wax and Wane is proof that the music is still highly charged even when Younger chooses to lower the voltage and develop a flow that’s gift-wrapped for dance.  The trio of bassist Dezron Douglas, guitarist Mark Whitfield and drummer Dana Hawkins dig deep for a groove that’s light on its feet with “Essence of Ruby.”  And though it’s a tune just dripping with sunshine, the tenor sax of Chelsea Baratz reminds us that sometimes the heat of sunshine burns.  But perhaps most impressive, and enjoyable, is how the seemingly different goals of the rhythm section, tenor sax, and the duo interaction of Younger’s harp and Anne Drummond‘s flute work in tandem in a fluid construct, as if Younger’s crew were taking individual streams of water and weaving them into a flowing river. But then there’s a track like the elegant “Ruby Echo,” and the abundance of warmth generated by the melodic bursts from harp and strings… an elegance that remains when the thick grooves return on “Afro Harping.” The cinematic “Ebony Haze” recalls Alice Coltrane’s spiritual heavy works on the Impulse label.  Those early 1970’s recordings were melodically striking and maximized dramatic effect without risking its abiding sense of serenity.  It’s nifty that Younger shows she’s already got a handle on that approach to her instrument and compositions, but it’s that she’s able to drop that track right after the groove-heavy “Wax and Wane” and park it up against the fender of subsequent track “Black Gold,” with its drifting ambiance and punctuated tempos, that’s an entirely different level of creative deftness. Younger is showing all kinds of promise with her recordings to date, and it’s a seriously positive sign about the strength of the modern jazz scene that albums like Wax and Wane are getting a share of the spotlight. https://www.birdistheworm.com/recommended-brandee-younger-wax-and-wane/

Personnel:  Brandee Younger (harp), Anne Drummond (flute), Dezron Douglas (electric bass), Mark Whitfield (guitar), Dana Hawkins (drums), Chelsea Baratz (tenor sax) and Chargaux (violin, viola).

Wax & Wane

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Tubby Hayes Quartet - The Complete Hopbine '69

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 107:02
Size: 245,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:24) 1. For Members Only
(15:30) 2. Off The Wagon
(19:03) 3. Where Am I Going?
(14:09) 4. What Is This Thing Called Love
(11:35) 5. Mainly For The Don
(13:24) 6. For Heaven's Sake
(18:03) 7. Vierd Blues
( 4:51) 8. Walkin'

Of all the many talented jazz musicians who blazed trails in Britain in the late 1950s and 1960s, tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes in 2022 stands among the tallest. Hayes, too, is one of a handful of British musicians of his generation who have been practically deified by some of the emergent young players who are currently invigorating the British scene.

Hayes died tragically young, aged thirty-eight, in 1973, from heart disease exacerbated by heroin use. So his discography, though a decent size, is not massive. Previously unknown recordings continue to be unearthed, however, and The Complete Hopbine '69 is the latest. It is not, strictly speaking, unknown: much of the material has already surfaced, spread over around half a dozen different albums. But this is the first time all of it recorded at a December 1969 one-nighter at the Hopbine jazz club, in actuality the back room of a pub in northwest London has been collected and presented complete and in the order in which it was performed that night by the Tubby Hayes Quartet.

It is also the first time the material has been made available in such pristine audio the sound is really, really great; it could have been recorded in a London studio last week rather than on a Revox reel-to-reel by the Hopbine's soundman some five decades ago. The first-generation tape was found in late 2020 among the possessions of the Hayes Quartet's bassist, Ron Mathewson, who had passed earlier in the year, shortly after giving the Jazz In Britain label's director, John Thurlow, permission to digitize his tape archive. Thurlow worked with drummer Spike Wells, the only surviving member of the Quartet, and technician Matt Parker to make the transfer. And a remarkable job they have done.

There is more good news. Hayes and the rest of the quartet (the fourth member was pianist Mick Pyne) are on fire throughout the performance, which is spread over two CDs. In December 1969, Hayes was on the cusp of being forced by ill-health to moderate (on occasion) his energy levels. No hint of that here though. Instead, what The Complete Hopbine '69 documents is late mid-period Hayes, when the technical virtuosity which delivered bucketloads of excitement, but at times overwhelmed the musical depth of his early period work, had been leavened by maturity.

Sure, speed of light tempos are still present on tunes such as Hayes' "For Members Only" and Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love," but they are balanced by the sumptuous balladeering of Elise Bretton's "For Heaven's Sake" and the comic overtones of Hayes' "Off The Wagon," which has a playful vibe similar to Sonny Rollins' contemporaneous calypso outings (Hayes described it as "our country and western, rock and roll, avant-garde, rhythm and blues, bebop tune"). Add in "Vierd Blues," Richard Carpenter's "Walkin'" and Cy Coleman's showtune "Where Am I Going," every one of them played by a world-class band at the peak of its powers, and you have close on two hours of timeless, thrilling jazz.By Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-complete-hopbine-69-tubby-hayes-quartet-jazz-in-britain

Personnel: Tubby Hayes: saxophone, tenor; Mick Pyne: piano; Ron Mathewson: bass, acoustic; Spike Wells: drums.

The Complete Hopbine '69

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Linda Ronstadt - Get Closer

Styles: Vocal
Size: 89,7 MB
Time: 36:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1982
Art: Front

1. Get Closer (2:30)
2. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (3:02)
3. I Knew You When (2:54)
4. Easy For You To Say (4:01)
5. People Gonna Talk (2:38)
6. Talk To Me Of Mendocino (3:02)
7. I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine (with James Taylor) (3:58)
8. Mr Radio (4:07)
9. Lies (2:34)
10. Tell Him (2:41)
11. Sometimes You Just Can't Win (2:32)
12. My Blue Tears (2:40)

Released in 1982, Get Closer is in many respects a classic Linda Ronstadt album. It contains the style of songs most associated with her, from pop ballads to country. The album took over a year to record and features musicians who had played with her for years (in Kenny Edwards' case, he had played bass with her since the Stone Poneys). The title track was nominated for a Best Rock Performance Female Grammy, and the album was nominated for Best Popular Performance Female. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a duet with James Taylor and a cover of the Ike & Tina Turner hit. Ronstadt also does a smooth cover of Billy Joe Royal's hit "I Knew You When." Another standout track is her version of Jimmy Webb's ballad "Easy for You to Say," which might even top the original.By Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/get-closer-mw0000191525#review

Get Closer

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Steve Turre - Sanyas

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Size: 114,0 MB
Time: 49:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Art: Front

1. Sanyas (13:18)
2. All the Things You Are (10:21)
3. Wishful Thinking ( 9:15)
4. Mr. Kenyatta ( 9:52)
5. These Foolish Things ( 6:24)

Trombonist and conch shell blower Steve Turre (who appears with a quintet at the Jazz Showcase from June 20 th through the 24 th ) has been called by allmusic.com “perhaps the most visible jazz trombonist of the 20 th and 21 st centuries.” Whether the website is referring to his recognizable facial hair features or his commanding stage presence, Turre has certainly crafted his own niche within the jazz world. Ever since his breakthrough album "Rhythm Within" in 1995, Turre has attracted fans worldwide with his deft mix of Latin and Eastern-infused compositions and interpretations, as well as his steady post bop chops.

But live material wasn’t part of his catalogue as a leader until recently, when "Sanyas" was released on Smoke Sessions Records. On this initial live release, one receives all the representations of Turre’s work, from straight-ahead bop to those exotic takes that flow through one’s soul. As a live recording, "Sanyas" is either too short at just over 49 minutes or refreshingly short, without any fluff or pretentious jamming.

What we get is a tidy and masterful display involving veteran musicians who have played with Turre before and are very comfortable with his music. As on Turre’s last album, "Generations" (Smoke Sessions), the cast of performers includes a septet consisting of Turre, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Ron Blake on tenor sax, Isaiah J. Thompson on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Lenny White on drums.

The album begins with the title cut, a composition first heard when Turre played with a key mentor, the late trumpet hero Woody Shaw. On this effort, the modal jazz stew opens with a horn cacophony that leads to a Williams a la Paul Chambers intro that sets up a repeating piano chord riff from Thompson, over which an Eastern-tinged horn line expresses the song. Turre’s punchy solo, aggressively accompanied by White, is answered by Blake’s deeply-textured response before Turre finishes with a shell coda.

“All the Things You Are” receives a quasi-big band swing treatment, and the horns deliver big time. Blake’s solo is a treat and Payton, who seems to have reclaimed his own bop chops, adds a spirited and crystal clear comment. The group’s interplay here is impressive, bolstered by Williams’ sturdy presence, Thompson’s stately riffing and soloing, and White’s energetic support.

A new ballad, “Wishful Thinking,” demonstrates Turre’s more lyrical side, with a tastefully restrained partner in Payton. Then Lee Morgan’s “Mr. Kenyatta” properly returns the ensemble back into exotic rhythm, with another conch shell solo added.

The CD/digital “bonus track” is “These Foolish Things,” which is rendered in soft swing, with Turre in plunger mode atop Williams’ lilting bass lines; Buster is, as usual, brilliant throughout the album.

"Sanyas" thus ends, leaving this listener with a craving for more. If you hear this album before Steve Turre, the continuously enticing trombonist, visits Chicago, you might start planning a visit to the Showcase to see and hear the consummate pro in action. If you can’t, this relatively brief but well-performed excursion can serve as a replacement for the time being.By Jeff Cebulski
https://www.chicagojazz.com/post/jazz-review-steve-turre-sanyas-by-jeff-cebulski

Personnel: Steve Turre, trombone and conch; Nicholas Payton, trumpet; Ron Blake, tenor saxophone; Isaiah J. Thompson, piano; Buster Williams, bass; Lenny White, drums.

Sanyas

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Yelena Eckemoff - Romance of the Moon

Styles: Piano Jazz
Size: 182,3 MB
Time: 79:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Art: Front

1. Bells (5:53)
2. Barren Orange Tree (8:14)
3. Guitar (6:08)
4. Ballad of the Sea Water (6:12)
5. About Cats (7:13)
6. Romance of the Moon (9:08)
7. Window Nocturnes (5:59)
8. Diamond (5:56)
9. Adventurous Snail (4:59)
10. Thirsty for New Songs (6:02)
11. Memento (3:36)
12. Old Lizard (4:41)
13. August (5:05)

Comparable to the rare and valuable likes of a first edition book worth treasuring, Yelena Eckemoff's Romance of the Moon is no small achievement. The keyboardist/composer creates music as vivid as the images in her own paintings that adorn the inside and out of the CD package, all of which graphics (as well as those in the enclosed booklet) appear in a glossy finish.

And that corresponds to the polish of the production of a baker's dozen compositions inspired by the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca (included in the aforementioned twenty-eight-page insert). Played by a quartet of Italian musicians, the pinpoint musicianship on "Bells," for instance, reflects the detail in the arrangements for horns, electric guitar, double bass and drums. From this fairly finite instrumental palette, the fivesome with the Russian-born bandleader on piano and keyboards intelligently utilizes light and dark plus variable shading on cuts like "Barren Orange Tree."

Never rushed but with not an iota of hesitation either, the collective playing exudes the expectant air of collective improvisational sense(s). At the same time, a spacious air emanates from these 2023 recordings engineered by Carlo Cantini, an atmosphere amplified by the mixing and mastering of Stefano Amerio: the intuitive transitions between instruments become readily audible. Nearly as tangible is the momentum the quintet generates throughout individual tracks, this despite the prevalent slow-to-mid tempo at which they are rendered.

None exceed ten minutes, proceeding at a continuously slow to mid-tempo pace. Nonetheless, as with "Ballad of the Sea Water," six-plus minutes duration sound as full and complete as the longest track here, the title song, which runs just over nine minutes. A dramatic sense of finality arises around the portentously named "Moments." At this point, it's impossible not to sense that, even without looking at the track sequence on the back cover of the digipak, the album is heading into its home stretch.

Terse instrumental exposition on the part of all involved precludes lack of direction or purpose on Romance of the Moon. On a selection like "Thirsty For New Songs," the common sonic timbres of the instruments overlap, thus solidifying the continuity of the compositions, performances and arrangements. The effect is no less in the lower registers of Luca Bulgarelli's double bass and Stefano Bagnoli's drums the team is as unobtrusive as it is steady than the liquid lines of Riccardo Bertuzzi's fretboard activity on, most conspicuously, "Old Lizard."

The sensation of listening on "Guitar" is less akin to being in the same room as the band, than simply becoming immersed within the sounds created by the players' interactions. And while "About Cats" may give a listener pause, based on its title, any tentative reaction fades as Paolo Fresu's horn lines entwine with the strings of notes Eckemoff elicits from the ivories.

A veritable renaissance artist of contemporary jazz, Yelena Eckemoff redefines the phrase 'complete package' with Romance of the Moon, right down to using virtually the entirety of compact disc capacity in seventy-nine plus minutes playing time. Perhaps equally importantly, she simultaneously returns truth to that descriptive verbiage so that it resonates very much like the musicianship at the core of this project. By Doug Collette
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/romance-of-the-moon-yelena-eckemoff-l-and-h-production

Romance of the Moon

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Jo Harrop & Jamie McCredie - Weathering the Storm

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Size: 105,4 MB
Time: 46:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Art: Front

1. My Foolish Heart (4:51)
2. I Fall in Love Too Easily (3:46)
3. Tenderly (3:00)
4. Take It with Me (4:34)
5. Guilty (5:08)
6. More Than You Know (4:48)
7. You Must Believe in Spring (5:22)
8. Charade (3:16)
9. Early Autumn (4:19)
10. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (4:34)
11. If (2:24)

This is a little gem of an album: simple, modest and, as far as I can tell, perfect. Jo Harrop sings, Jamie McCredie plays guitar, and the songs date from between the late 1920s and the early 2000s, from Billy Rose to Tom Waits. Nothing unusual there, you might think. However, what sets Weathering the Storm apart from similar offerings is that the duo get everything right, and that’s quite rare.

Harrop has a soft contralto voice which, particularly on lower notes, is wonderfully warm and intimate. Mostly, she trusts the song to tell its own story, occasionally altering or adding a phrase. The guitar accompaniment is light, almost skeletal at times, but always cannily fitting. There’s always space around the music, and this holds the listener’s attention well, mine anyway.

All 11 songs are slow, or slowish, ballads and the calm mood settles them happily together. It’s an enterprising choice too: the rarely heard Early Autumn, Randy Newman’s Guilty, Legrand’s You Must Believe In Spring, etc. People remember albums like this, with their own unique atmosphere that you enter as you listen. Just what we need at this trying time.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/30/jo-harrop-jamie-mccredie-weathering-the-storm-review-they-get-everything-right-gem

Weathering the Storm

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