Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Peggy Lee - Oldies Selection, Best of Peggy Lee Vol. 1 (Remastered)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2025
Time: 62:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 144,7 MB
Art: Front

(1:57) 1. Heart (Remastered)
(2:10) 2. On the Street Where You Live (Remastered)
(2:29) 3. Till There Was You (Remastered)
(2:07) 4. I Am in Love (Remastered)
(2:08) 5. Hey There (Remastered)
(2:07) 6. I Could Have Danced All Night (Remastered)
(1:57) 7. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Remastered)
(3:17) 8. The Party's Over (Remastered)
(2:27) 9. Dance Only with Me (Remastered)
(2:45) 10. Wish You Were Here (Remastered)
(2:04) 11. C'est Magnifique (Remastered)
(2:12) 12. I Enjoy Being a Girl (Remastered)
(2:26) 13. Come Dance with Me (Remastered)
(3:19) 14. By Myself (Remastered)
(1:45) 15. You're so Right for Me (Remastered)
(1:52) 16. Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me) (Remastered)
(2:03) 17. Fantastico (Remastered)
(1:46) 18. Together (Wherever We Go) (Remastered)
(2:04) 19. Love and Marriage (Remastered)
(2:24) 20. Non Dimenticar (Remastered)
(1:52) 21. From Now On (Remastered)
(2:28) 22. You Stepped out of a Dream (Remastered)
(2:24) 23. Ole (Remastered)
(2:11) 24. I Can't Resist You (Remastered)
(2:47) 25. Caramba It's the Samba (Remastered)
(2:34) 26. Laroo Laroo Lili Bolero (Remastered)
(2:55) 27. Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me) (Remastered)

Peggy Lee's alluring tone, distinctive delivery, breadth of material, and ability to write many of her own songs made her one of the most captivating artists of the vocal era, from her breakthrough on the Benny Goodman hit "Why Don't You Do Right" to her many solo successes that showed her bewitching vocal power, a balance between sultry swing and impeccable musicianship. Lee started out in the early '40s as the vocalist for the Goodman band, and shortly thereafter became a star in her own right. Though she had numerous pop hits, she constantly crossed the line between pop and jazz, and was hailed by numerous critics as one of America's finest singers in either genre. In addition, Lee was involved in the film world as both an actress and a composer, most actively in the '50s (she received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Pete Kelly's Blues). She was a pioneer of the cool vocal style, and best-known for her hit version of the Little Willie John tune "Fever," off 1958's Sea Shells. A tireless artist, she continued working until her health gave out in the '90s.

Born Norma Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, she suffered the death of her mother at the age of four and endured a difficult stepmother after her father remarried. Given her sense of swing by listening to Count Basie on the radio, she taught herself to sing and made her radio debut at the age of 14. She made the jump to Fargo (where she was christened Peggy Lee), then to Minneapolis and St. Louis to sing with a regional band. Lee twice journeyed to Hollywood to make her fortune but returned unsuccessful from both trips.

She finally got her big break in 1941, when a vocal group she worked with began appearing at a club in Chicago. While there, she was heard by Benny Goodman, whose regular vocalist Helen Forrest was about to leave his band. Lee recorded with Goodman just a few days later, debuting with the popular "Elmer's Tune" despite a good deal of nerves. That same year, several songs became commercial successes including "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" and "Winter Weather." In 1943, "Why Don't You Do Right" became her first major hit, but she left the Goodman band (and the music industry altogether) later that year after marrying Goodman's guitarist, Dave Barbour.

After just over a year of domestic life, Peggy Lee returned to music, first as part of an all-star jazz album. In late 1945, Capitol signed her to a solo contract and she hit the charts with her first shot, "Waitin' for the Train to Come In." Lee continued to score during the late '40s, with over two-dozen chart entries before the end of the decade, including "It's a Good Day," "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" the most popular song of 1948 and "I Don't Know Enough About You." Many of her singles were made in conjunction with Barbour, her frequent writing and recording partner.

After moving to Decca in 1952, Peggy Lee scored with the single "Lover" and an LP, Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues recorded with Ella Fitzgerald (both singers also made appearances in the film). It was also during the early '50s that she hosted her own radio show, often showcasing composers she loved, including Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Matt Dennis, and others. She spent only five years at Decca, however, before moving back to Capitol. There, she distinguished herself through recording a wide variety of material, including songs and occasionally, entire LPs influenced by the blues, Latin, cabaret, and pop. Lee also used many different settings, like an orchestra conducted by none other than Frank Sinatra for 1957's The Man I Love, the George Shearing Quintet for 1959's live appearance Beauty and the Beat, Quincey Jones as arranger and conductor for 1961's If You Go, and arrangements by Benny Carter on 1963's Mink Jazz. Barbour's problems with alcoholism ended their marriage, though they remained good friends until his death in 1965.

Peggy Lee was an early advocate of rock and made a quick transition into rock-oriented material. Given her depth and open mind for great songs no matter the source, it wasn't much of a surprise that she sounded quite comfortable covering the more song-oriented end of late-'60s rock, including great choices by Jimmy Webb, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Burt Bacharach, Randy Newman, Goffin & King, and John Sebastian. She nearly brushed the Top Ten in 1969 with Leiber & Stoller's "Is That All There Is?" She continued recording contemporary material until 1972's Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota brought her back to her roots. It was her last LP for Capitol, however. Lee recorded single LPs for Atlantic, A&M, Polydor UK, and DRG before effectively retiring at the beginning of the '80s. She returned in 1988 with two LPs for Musicmasters that revisited her earlier successes. Her last album, Moments Like This, was recorded in 1992 for Chesky. Her voice was effectively silenced after a 1998 stroke, and she died of a heart attack at her Bel Air home in early 2002. By John Bush
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peggy-lee-mn0000256349#biography

Oldies Selection, Best of Peggy Lee Vol. 1 (Remastered)

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Barbara Carroll Trio - Plays Standards plus 'Funny Face' and other Gershwin Tunes (2 LP on 1 CD)

Styles: Cool Jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 2021
Time: 74:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 170,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:15) 1. The Trolley Song
(4:52) 2. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(3:50) 3. Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
(4:16) 4. It Might As Well Be Spring
(3:20) 5. Will You Still Be Mine?
(4:53) 6. Love Is Just Around The Corner
(5:53) 7. Easy Living
(3:09) 8. Happy To Make Your Acquaintance
(4:48) 9. Blues For Blue-eyes
(2:13) 10. Let's Kiss And Make Up
(2:55) 11. Funny Face
(3:35) 12. He Loves And She Loves
(1:28) 13. 'S Wonderful
(3:08) 14. How Long Has This Been Going On?
(2:45) 15. Clap Yo' Hands
(2:42) 16. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
(3:45) 17. Someone To Watch Over Me
(2:23) 18. Who Cares?
(3:02) 19. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(4:06) 20. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(2:32) 21. They All Laughed

Plays Standards plus 'Funny Face' and other Gershwin Tunes

This CD presents the two albums The Barbara Carroll Trio recorded for the Verve label in 1957. On the first, Barbara, she confines herself to piano on a selection of familiar standards, with a strong leaning towards slow ballads. Relaxed and refreshingly at ease, she leisurely explores the tonal colours suggested by the material in a reflective approach to trio playing. On the up-tempo tunes, Mine and Acquaintance, the bassist Joe Shulmans strength and intelligence is evident, while drummer Bill Faites brushwork is a model of good taste.

The second album presents six songs from Funny Face, along with six from several Gershwin shows. This set contains a pair of nicely off-hand vocals, Who Cares?, and a lightly swinging version of S Wonderful that she sings much in the sophisticated style of Bobby Troup. With Joe Shulman on bass, and Joe Petti on drums, the trios approach displays a blend of imagination, taste, touch, and swing.

And though Barbara Carroll was by no means an innovator or trailblazer, she was a talented performer with a distinctive musical personality that enabled her to do justice to her repertoire and communicate musically with the listeners attractive and hardly minor gifts at any level of music. https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Carroll-Plays-Standards-Gershwin/dp/B0050HMCKY

Personnel on 'BARBARA': Barbara Carroll (piano), Joe Shulman (bass), Bill Faite (drums).
Recorded in New York City, on November 26, 1957

Personnel on 'Playing Selections From the Paramount Motion Picture Funny Fce and Other Gershwin Tunes': Barbara Carroll (piano, vocals only on #13 & 18), Joe Shulman (bass), Joe Petti (drums).
Recorded in New York City, March 7 & 8, 1957

Ahmad Jamal - The Complete 1962 Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Live, Bonus Track Version)

The Complete 1962 Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Live, Bonus Track Version) CD 1
Styles: Cool Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
Time: 51:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 119,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:12) 1. Medley: I'll Take Romance / My Funny Valentine
(5:15) 2. Like Someone in Love
(4:20) 3. Falling In Love with Love
(4:35) 4. The Best Thing for You
(6:15) 5. April in Paris
(4:13) 6. The Second Time Around [Master]
(5:08) 7. We Live In Two Different Worlds
(7:05) 8. Night Mist Blues
(4:33) 9. Darn That Dream
(4:03) 10. On Green Dolphin Street



The Complete 1962 Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Live, Bonus Track Version) CD 2
Styles: Cool Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2018
Time: 56:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 129,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:52) 1. Like Someone in Love (Alternative Version 1, Bonus Track)
( 5:32) 2. The Second Time Around (Alternative Version 1, Bonus Track)
( 6:51) 3. Angel Eyes (Bonus Track)
( 6:42) 4. Medley: Alone Together / Love Walked (Bonus Track)
( 3:37) 5. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Bonus Track)
( 3:51) 6. I'm Old Fashioned (Bonus Track)
(10:31) 7. We Kiss in a Shadow (Bonus Track)
( 4:50) 8. The Second Time Around (Alternative Version 2, Bonus Track)
( 7:26) 9. Like Someone in Love (Alternative Version 2, Bonus Track)

The Complete 1962 Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Live, Bonus Track Version) CDs 1 & 2


The Complete 1962 At The Blackhawk (2-CD Set + 9 Bonus Tracks). This release compiles all known 1962 performances by the celebrated Ahmad Jamal Trio with Israel Crosby and Vernel Fournier at the Blackhawk club in San Francisco. This material was originally issued on the LP, Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Argo LPS-703). Nine extra tunes from the engagement that were not issued on the original LP have been added here. This formation of the group wouldn't last long, as Israel Crosby died in mid-1962.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-1962-At-Blackhawk-Tracks/dp/B0B6RSJJDK


Don Elliott & Bob Corwin - The Don Elliott & Bob Corwin Quartet (2 LP on 1 CD)

Styles: Bop
Year: 2019
Time: 75:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 174,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. My Shining Hour
(4:06) 2. Isn’t It Romantic
(3:42) 3. I’ll Remember April
(4:15) 4. I Remember You
(4:10) 5. Rico-jico-joe
(3:28) 6. It Might As Well Be Spring
(5:16) 7. I’ll Take Romance
(4:44) 8. Gone With The Wind
(3:57) 9. It Could Happen To You
(4:19) 10. Pony Tail
(4:24) 11. It Might As Well Be Spring (Live)
(6:34) 12. But Not For Me (Live)
(5:38) 13. Isn’t It Romantic (Live)
(3:03) 14. Embessy (Live)
(4:58) 15. I Only Have Eyes For You (Live)
(5:21) 16. I Remember You (Live)
(3:23) 17. Moonlight In Vermont (Live)

The Don Elliott & Bob Corwin Quartet

Don Elliott’s collaboration with Bob Corwin was considered the East coast answer to the famous Chet Baker-Russ Freeman quartet.

Pianist Corwin was 23, when he made his recording debut as a leader with this NY studio session from June 1956 (#1-10). He was backed by bassist Ernie Furtado, drummer Jimmy Campbell, and had Don Elliott playing trumpet in all but two trio numbers. And although he was credited as a sideman in the album, the featured quartet was actually Elliott’s own unit, which he had been leading in clubs since mid-1955, and which can also be heard on the sides recorded live at Chicago’s Modern Jazz Room in July 1956, a mere month later (#11-17).

Elliott’s collaboration with Corwin was considered the East coast answer to the famous Chet Baker-Russ Freeman quartet. Elliott was best known for his work as vibraphonist and as mellophone player, but in these recordings we find him on trumpet, which he played with lyric warmth, authority and his usual sense of humor. You will also hear him on vibes in three of the numbers, and bongos and vocals on two—one each. At his side, Corwin plays with drive, fertile imagination, and generally interesting —if eclectic— conception; Campbell is crisp and steady, particularly his brushes, which are full of jumping strength; and they have a strong asset in Furtado, who plays tastefully throughout.

As is, there’s a wealth of musical satisfaction coming from both sessions, in good part because this quartet format allowed Elliott more freedom as a soloist, and proved to be the best framework for him to fully develop his talents as instrumentalist and singer.

Tracks #1-10, originally issued on the album "The Bob Corwin Quartet featuring the trumpet of Don Elliott" (Riverside RLP 12-220)

Tracks #11-17, originally issued on the album "Don Elliott at the Modern Jazz Room" (ABC-Paramount, ABC-142)

The Don Elliott & Bob Corwin Quartet: Don Elliott, trumpet (except on #3,7,12,14,17), vibes (#12, 14,17), bongos (#12), vocals (#15); Bob Corwin, piano; Ernie Furtado, bass; Jim Campbell, drums.
Recorded in New York City, June 1956 (#1-10) and live at the “Modern Jazz Room” in Chicago, July 1956 (#11-17)

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Lena Horne - Sings Your Requests + Like Latin (2 LP on 1 CD)

Styles: Jazz Vocal
Year: 2008
Time: 67:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 155,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:50) 1. Love
(2:33) 2. I Wish I Was Back In My Baby's Arms
(2:22) 3. Why Was I Born
(3:38) 4. Good For Nothin' Joe
(2:57) 5. Love Me Or Leave Me
(3:46) 6. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(3:21) 7. Stormy Weather
(2:24) 8. Poppa Don't Preach To Me
(2:57) 9. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:21) 10. The Lady Is A Tramp
(3:25) 11. Lover Man
(2:45) 12. Can't Help Lovin' That Man
(1:54) 13. From This Moment On
(2:27) 14. Take Me
(2:44) 15. Night And Day
(2:43) 16. Old Devil Moon
(1:47) 17. More
(2:28) 18. My Blue Heaven
(3:37) 19. Cuckoo In The Clock
(2:23) 20. Meditation
(2:47) 21. By Myself
(2:24) 22. Island In The West Indies
(2:49) 23. Ours
(2:03) 24. Falling In Love With Love
(1:52) 25. He Loves Me (Bonus track)

Sings Your Requests + Like Latin

Lena Horne undeniable artistry in weaving each of these songs adds conclusive proof to the previously convincing evidence that she is great with any kind of song. On the first album of this collection, she interprets some of her favorite tunes, together with Marty Paich, in a swinging combination which would go on to be widely accepted.

As for the songs she chose to include in the second album, they seem tailor-made for her unique interpretations. Lenas husband, Lennie Hayton, conducts the orchestra, and the skillful arrangements are by Shorty Rogers. Garnishing some of the tracks with an innovative jazz-samba rhythm, Lena offers moving interpretations to such great songs as Night And Day and Meditation. Here you will find clear evidence of the incomparable versatility that made her one of the worlds greatest stars.

Tracks #1-12, from the Charter album "Lena Sings Your Requests" (CLS 101)
Tracks #13-24, from the Charter album "Lena Like Latin" (CLS 106)
Tracks #25 is a non-LP bonus track

Orchestras conduceted by Marty Paich & Lennie Hayton
Arrangements by Marty Paich, Bob Florence & Shorty Rogers

Collective personnel includes:
Jack Sheldon, Al Porcino, Don Fagerquist, Bud Brisbois, Ray Triscari, Ollie Mitchell (tp), Lew McCreary, Bob Knight, Lawrence Lofton, Harry Betts, Dick Leith (tb), George Roberts (b-tb), Bob Enevoldsen (vtb), Bud Shank, Ronny Lang, Ted Nash, Harry Klee, Gene Cipriano, Justin Gordon (reeds), Larry Bunker (vib), Al Hendrickson (g), Gene DiNovi (p), Joe Mondragón, Monty Budwig (b), Shelly Manne (d), Frank Guerrero (conga), Ann Stockton (harp), 12 violins; 6 violas; 4 cellos.

All tracks recorded in Hollywood, 1963

Bobby Bryant - Chicago Years (2 LPs on 1 CD) + Bonus Track

Styles: Hard Bop, Progressive Jazz, Swing, Big Band,
Year: 2015
Time: 75:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:19) 1. Blues Excerpt
(4:40) 2. 'Round Midnight
(3:23) 3. Secret Love
(3:33) 4. Love for Sale
(2:13) 5. Sleepy
(3:35) 6. Cry Me a River
(2:39) 7. Indiana
(3:05) 8. Falling in Love with You
(4:10) 9. Harlem Rain
(3:17) 10. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
(3:29) 11. Husky
(3:31) 12. Church Seat
(5:20) 13. Sandra's Dream
(2:31) 14. Travelin'
(3:32) 15. Swingin' & Things
(3:15) 16. Santifism
(3:09) 17. Antler Rock
(4:28) 18. Nocturne
(2:44) 19. Unholy Four
(4:20) 20. Wild Wrice
(4:16) 21. Blues for the "Q"

Bobby Bryant Chicago Years

These recordings were made when Bobby Bryant (1934-1998) lived in Chicago, and document the beginnings of his later successful career in the Hollywood studios. The first ten tracks were recorded in 1961 for Vee Jay Records, but were released only in 1974 as Big Band Blues. As he recalled in the album notes, it was intended to bring out of obscurity a number of talented musicians. As it turned out, a couple of them did become better known, while others just remained in Chicago and are no more prominent today than they were then. The band was specially assembled for the session; we never did any gigs together.

The second album, Wild!, was made when drummer Larry Wild Wrice returned to Chicago in 1959, after eight months away, and formed the group heard here, with James Spaulding, Bobby Blevins, and Bobby Bryant, who arranged much of the groups material and wrote all the albums tunes except Travelin, written by Wrice.

The last track on this collection comes from the album The Billy Williams Revue, an example of the musical excitement with which the irrepressible Williams and company packed the countrys most celebrated night spots. A unique blues in waltz time, Blues for the Q features an electrifying trumpet solo by Bryant.

Tracks #1-10, from the album Big Band Blues (Vee Jay VJS 3059)

Tracks #11-20, from the album The Big Sound of Larry Wild Wrice Wild! (Pacific Jazz PJ ST 24)

Track #21, from the album The Billy Williams Revue (Coral CRL 757343)

Personnel on Big Band Blues: Bobby Bryant, trumpet, conductor & arranger; John Howell, Marty Marshack, Fortunatus Fip Ricard, trumpets; John Avant, Bill Porter, Louis Satterfield, trombones; Bill Adkins, Willie Randall, alto saxes; James Spaulding, tenor sax, flute; Eddie Williams, tenor sax; George Hunter, baritone sax; John Young, piano; Robare Edmondson, bass; Marty Clausen, drums. On #5-7, 9 & 10 Wilbur Wynne, added on guitar. Recorded in Chicago, February 9 (#1-4 & 8) and 13 (#5-7, 9 & 10), 1961

Personnel on Larry 'Wild' Wrice -Wild!: Bobby Bryant, trumpet & arranger; James Spaulding, flute, alto and tenor saxes; Bobby Blevins, organ; Larry Wild Wrice, drums. Recorded in Chicago, October 1959

Personnel on Bonus Track:  Bobby Bryant, trumpet with Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra. Recorded in New York, June 27, 1960

This CD is testimony to the memory of the talented soloist, composer and arranger Bobby Bryant was.

Stan Getz & Lionel Hampton - Hamp & Getz (Bonus Track Version)

Styles: Swing, Cool Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 78:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 181,0 MB
Art: Front

(9:21) 1. Cherokee
(8:13) 2. Ballad Medley_ Tenderly_Autumn In New York_East Of The Sun_I Can't Get Started
(6:52) 3. Louise
(8:29) 4. Jumpin' At The Woodside
(7:48) 5. Gladys
(2:47) 6. Stella By Starlight *
(3:01) 7. Time On My Hands *
(3:17) 8. Tis Autumn *
(3:07) 9. The Way You Look Tonight *
(3:00) 10. Lover Come Back To Me *
(3:19) 11. Body And Soul *
(3:27) 12. Stars Fell On Alabama *
(3:01) 13. You Turned The Tables On Me *
(3:23) 14. Thanks For The Memory *
(2:58) 15. Hymn Of The Orient *
(3:25) 16. These Foolish Things *
(2:48) 17. How Deep Is The Ocean? *

If one were to believe the clichés and stereotypes common in some jazz history books, this duo should not have worked. By 1955, Lionel Hampton was a veteran swing vibraphonist while Stan Getz was the leader of the "cool school" of young tenors. But what these two masters had in common (in addition to a healthy respect for each other's talents) was the ability to swing as hard as possible. Joined by a fine trio, the duo really rips into "Cherokee" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (listen to their blistering tradeoffs) and, even with a fine ballad medley, it is these torrid jams that make this a highly recommended LP.~ Scott Yanow

"Hamp and Getz" (Verve MGV-8128) came to be after producer Norman Granz attended a series of July-August 1955 sessions on which both Stan Getz and Lionel Hampton were present, appearing as guests of the Benny Goodman orchestra for the soundtrack of Benny’s biographical film The Benny Goodman Story. Hamp and Getz would be the second and last recorded encounter of the tenor saxophonist and the vibraphonist. The complete LP "Stan Getz Plays" (Norgran MGN1042), presenting Getz in a quintet format with Jimmy Raney and Duke Jordan, has been added here as a bonus.

Personnel includes: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone), Lionel Hampton (vibraphone), Lou Levy (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

(*) Bonus Album (6-17): 'Stan Getz Plays' Stan Getz, tenor sax; Jimmy Raney, guitar; Duke Jordan, piano; Bill Crow, bass; Frank Isola, drums.

Hamp & Getz

HAPPY WEEKEND!


Thursday, May 29, 2025

Cleo Laine - All About Me

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962/2015
Time: 36:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 84,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:42) 1. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
(2:38) 2. I Don’t Know Why
(2:49) 3. I Want to Be Happy
(2:43) 4. I Think of You
(2:58) 5. I Can Dream. Can't I?
(3:03) 6. All About Me
(1:54) 7. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
(4:27) 8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(2:36) 9. I'm a Dreamer, Aren’t We All
(2:26) 10. I'm Just Wild About Harry
(2:56) 11. I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire
(3:03) 12. I'll Be Around
(1:03) 13. Reprise: All About Me

Sometimes fame and international acclaim come just a little bit too late.

When Cleo Laine was finally introduced to US audience in her 40s and everybody went mad about her & wondered why Brits were hiding what must have been national tresure, in her native UK she was well-known name for almost two decades. She worked jazz gigs with her husband John Dankworth, acted in theatre ("Flesh to a Tiger"), sung in musicals ("Valmouth") and classical work (Kurt Weill), not to mention famous weekly TV appearances ("That was the week that was") so at home she was fairly known presence - it just took a world little longer to discover her.

Which is pity because her later, much more famous work from 1970s was not as half as exciting as her 1960s recordings when voice was at its best - young Cleo in full strenght possesed one of the best voices in jazz ever, with multi-octave range, depth, feeling and sensuality I found unsurpassed. While her 1950s records showed promise, in 1960s Laine metarmophosed into first rate jazz-tigress who was passionate, sensual and seductive beyond belief. Almost all of her 1960s albums are out of print now (and that also goes for her 1964 masterpiece Shakespeare: And All That Jazz) and just occasionaly compiled, so is this one that has young Laine surrounded with big orchestra, swinging through dozen of standards and getting all sexy in ballads - one exception is old ditty "I'm just wild about Harry" from 1921. Brodway show "Shuffle along" (and later Harry Truman's 1948. campaign song) that starts with Laine mock-imitating 1920s singing style and than half-way through turning to swing. It's just slightly out of place with the rest of album but not bad in itself and it makes sense as material here is mostly pre-WW2 anyway. My favourites are ballads - what she does with old Bing Crosby/The Andrews Sisters standard "I Can Dream,Can't I?" is magnificent, same goes for Duke Ellington and his "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" that she always had soft spot for and recorded it several times through decades.

Everything Laine recorded in 1960s has magic dust spread all over it - no wonder this album was called All About Me as it shows her different talents and versality - when in the next decade she was catapulted into international stardom and eventually awarded with "Grammy" in 1980s, the voice was not the same anymore (still exceptional but not as elastic as here) and too many flirtings with pop have something diminished the fact what sensational jazz singer she had been at the start. Of course she would eventually return to jazz later as to make it full circle and today this is what she sings again, but these early 1960s albums for me are her best and I reccomend it to everybody as essential listening - if you want to hear Laine at her best,go for any of her 1960s albums. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cleo-laine/all-about-me/

All About Me

Buddy Collette Quintet, James Newton - Flute Talk

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1989
Time: 46:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 107,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:59) 1. Magali
(6:31) 2. Blues In Torrance
(7:22) 3. Richmond In Acropolis
(5:25) 4. It's You
(5:06) 5. Crystal
(5:54) 6. André
(4:31) 7. Flute Talk
(5:55) 8. Roshanda

Other than a couple of releases for tiny labels in 1973, this Soul Note CD was Buddy Collette's first session as a leader since 1964. Collette and his former pupil, the great flutist James Newton, team up with pianist Geri Allen, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and drummer Gianpiero Prina for six of Collette's melodic originals (including "Blues in Torrance"), one of Newton's, and a free improvisation created by the two flutists.

Collette, who also plays some alto and clarinet on the date, sounds quite happy to be reunited with Newton and to finally be recording again. Although the music is primarily straight-ahead, there are some adventurous moments.
By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/flute-talk-mw0000272002#review

Flute Talk

Carmell Jones - Jay Hawk Talk

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:11
Size: 87.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1965/2000
Art: Front

[5:50] 1. Jay Hawk Talk
[4:56] 2. Willow Weep For Me
[8:56] 3. What Is This Thing Called Love
[5:32] 4. Just In Time
[6:17] 5. Beepdurple
[6:37] 6. Dance Of The Night Child

Bass – George Tucker; Drums – Roger Humphries; Piano – Barry Harris; Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath; Trumpet – Carmell Jones. Recorded May 8, 1965.

Hard bopper Carmell Jones is in fine form on this 1965 outing, Jay Hawk Talk. Together with tenor Jimmy Heath, pianist Barry Harris, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Roger Humphries, Jones confidently tackles a half-dozen tunes. From the piano/bass riff at the beginning of "Jay Hawk Talk" to the Parker-esque kickoff of "Beepdurple," the band holds a steady, driving groove. Both of those instrumentals, plus "Dance of the Night Child," were written by Jones and stand comfortably beside the other selections on this album. Tucker kicks off a particularly affecting version of "Willow Weep for Me," with a simple descending bass run. Jones enters with a full and rich tone for a beautiful, extended solo, and is followed by Harris, who emphasizes the bluesy, late-night feel of the piece. The band turns in a nine-minute version of Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" that pulls out all the stops, and gives Heath plenty of room to show that he can fly as high and play as fast as Charlie Parker himself. Throughout the album, Tucker's bass work adds greatly to the overall texture; Tucker and Humphries together provide a steady pulse with lots of charged rhythm to keep the whole project stimulating. Jay Hawk Talk will remind everyone of Jones' distinctive voice. Like Johnny Griffin, Jones moved to Europe in the '60s, greatly lowering his profile in the United States. This re-release of an old classic should help to familiarize everyone once again with a great trumpeter. By Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.

Jay Hawk Talk

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Boots Randolph - A Whole New Ballgame

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:57
Size: 135.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:09] 1. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[5:40] 2. Billy's Bounce
[3:18] 3. I'll Be Seeing You
[4:08] 4. Take Me Out To The Ballgame
[3:31] 5. Candy
[6:16] 6. Basically Blues
[4:33] 7. 'round Midnight
[3:53] 8. Dream Dancing
[3:49] 9. Stompin' At The Savoy
[5:55] 10. Cry Me A River
[5:09] 11. L-O-V-E
[3:38] 12. You'll Never Know
[3:43] 13. I'll Walk Alone
[1:10] 14. Nature Boy

Boots Randolph will always be best-known for his cornball pop hit "Yakety Sax" and for his association with country music, but he has long loved swinging jazz. Years ago he recorded an effective jazz album with Richie Cole called Yakety Madness! Randolph's huge tone, influenced by Illinois Jacquet, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Coleman Hawkins, perfectly fits into the idiom, and on A Whole New Ballgame, he performs no-nonsense jazz. Although the occasional synthesized strings of keyboardist Jason Webb sounds a little cheesy in spots, Randolph is heard throughout in top form. He displays very impressive technique, knows the songs well and swings hard without going too over the top. The rhythm section is fine in support, with pianist Steve Willets and guitarist Roddy Smith having solo space, but Randolph is the main show, really blowing up a storm on "L-O-V-E," an up-tempo "Take Me out to the Ballgame" and "Basically Blues." Recommended. Unfortunately, Radolph died about a month after this was released. ~ Scott Yanow

Recording information: The Groovhouse, Nashville, TN (02/2006-04/2006).

Boots Randolph (tenor saxophone); Boots Randolph; Mark Stallings (Hammond b-3 organ); Jason Webb (keyboards); Tim Smith (bass guitar); Ray VonRotz (drums, drum, percussion); Roddy Smith (guitar); Steve Willets (piano).

A Whole New Ballgame

James Newton - James Newton

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1983
Time: 36:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 84,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:05) 1. Daydream
(10:05) 2. Budapest
( 8:39) 3. Ismene
( 3:49) 4. Persephone
( 7:03) 5. The Crips

Flutist James Newton teams up with six distinctive players on this continually interesting set: violinist John Blake, trombonist Slide Hampton, vibraphonist Jay Hoggard, pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart. The five selections include Billy Strayhorn's beautiful "Daydream," Davis' "Persephone" (a 17-bar piece), and three of the flutist's originals. The variety in the music ranges from an atonal "The Crips" to "Budapest," which recalls Charles Mingus, and the high quality of the players makes this thoughtful presentation a recommended set.
https://www.todocoleccion.net/discos-vinilo/james-newton-james-newton-gramavision-deu-1983-lp-1st-edition~x57069900

James Newton

Win Pongsakorn - Time Has Changed

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 58:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 134,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:51) 1. Man In The Mirror
(5:18) 2. Pensri
(5:57) 3. Hummingbirds At Balata Garden
(6:16) 4. Time Has Changed
(5:40) 5. Caipirinha
(6:12) 6. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(5:35) 7. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
(5:59) 8. Theme For Ernie
(6:10) 9. Imagination
(5:26) 10. Pearls

Time Has Changed is the second recording as leader by trumpeter Win Pongsakorn who was born in Bangkok, Thailand, but has been firmly wedded to American-style contemporary jazz since he started playing trumpet at age fourteen in 2011. As on his debut album, Yes, It Is! (Cellar Music, 2020), Pongsakorn is backed by a stellar rhythm section overseen by the elebrated pianist David Hazeltine with Paolo Benedettini on bass and Jason Brown on drums.

Unlike that initial enterprise, on which Pongsakorn composed seven of eight numbers, he has written only four (of ten) this time around—including the next four in a row after Glen Ballard and Sarah Garrett's opening theme, the trim and handsome "Man in the Mirror." Besides the graceful title song, they include the waltz-like "Pensri," gently swaying "Hummingbirds at Balata Garden" and limber "Caipirinha." Pongsakorn then turns elsewhere with largely admirable results, covering Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," the standard "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," Fred Lacey's pensive "Theme for Ernie" and "Imagination" (not the standard) before closing with Hazeltine's sleek and shiny "Pearls."

Much of the rationale for the complimentary appraisal rests on Pongsakorn's singular ability to embrace and enhance the heart and soul within any song, owing to his keen and soulful approach. In reviews of his earlier album, Pongsakorn was compared to such masters as Blue Mitchell, Carmell Jones and Bobby Shew, among others, and he offers no reason to amend that opinion. The phrases are logical and clean, the tone is pure, and the improvisations are sharp and perceptive. An impartial listener might arguably contend that Pongsakorn plays older than his age, which is not yet thirty.

Ponsakorn also benefits from the expertise of his rhythm section, which not only provides staunch and unerring support but shares solo honors on most tracks, with Hazeltine, as always, especially creative and pleasing. Anyone who may have expected a sophomore slump from Pongsakorn will find no trace of one here. Yes, Time Has Changed, but that alteration has done nothing to lessen Pongsakorn's skills or demeanor. Indeed, based on the evidence presented here, a persuasive argument could be made that he is becoming an even more focused and inventive artist as time goes by. By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-has-changed-win-pongsakorn-cellar-music-group

Personnel: Win Pongsakorn – Trumpet; David Hazeltine – Piano; Paolo Benedettini – Double Bass; Jason Brown – Drums

Time Has Changed

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone & London Vocal Project - Mirrors

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:40
Size: 160,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Humpty Dumpty
(3:58)  2. The Broken Heart
(5:36)  3. The Lover Mourns
(7:48)  4. Black March
(8:59)  5. Through the Looking Glass
(3:59)  6. The Hat
(5:57)  7. Breughel
(8:37)  8. Tweedledum
(6:16)  9. The Bereaved Swan
(8:42) 10. The Deathly Child
(4:22) 11. My Soul

That trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Kenny Wheeler is challenging himself at 80 is surely inspirational. Mirrors represents his first recording where poems provide the music's source, though he composed the music over 20 years ago. The project was then commissioned for five solo voices in 1998, but the combination of Wheeler, singer Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, led by Pete Churchill, brings a fluid, suite-like permanency and epic scale to the original concept. Poets Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll and W.B. Yeats provide strikingly diverse imagery surreal, visceral and profound and Wheeler weaves it all together in a sumptuous melodic tapestry where the music of language is meaning enough. The inimitable Winstone's strength and nuanced delivery belie her 70 years. Hers is a remarkable performance, though the balance struck between all the voices makes Mirrors a truly collaborative success. Bassist Steve Watts, drummer James Maddren and pianist Nikki Iles engender a swinging undercurrent, breezy and understated, that's irrevocably felt throughout. These musicians enjoy tremendous understanding; Winstone and Wheeler first recorded together in Azimuth in the 1970s and Iles, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, Watts and Maddren all play with Winstone in the group Printmakers. Little wonder, then, that the evident chemistry seems so effortless and joyfully intuitive.

The LVP's seven sopranos, eight altos, five tenors and five basses are the protagonists on three numbers. "Humpty Dumpty" is a playful take on Carroll's poem, with delightful passing around of the vocals between the choir sections. A deceptive intensity inhabits the mantra-like vocal rhythm of Smith's "The Broken Heart," a particularly hypnotic number punctuated by Wheeler's fine bluesy solo. Wheeler and Iles shine on a swinging arrangement of Smith's "Black March," though its buoyancy derives primarily from the snappy choral cadences. Winstone's performance sets the jewel in the crown. Her dreamy, almost ethereal reading of Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" is wonderfully sympathetic. A rootsy and mellifluous instrumental passage, driven by Wheeler and Lockheart, serves as an interlude before the choir restores the contemplative mood. Carroll's "Tweedledum" is similarly episodic; jaunty in the choral passages, intimate and spare when Winstone holds court, and swinging when the quintet steps up. The singer, Iles and Lockheart confer a gentle majesty on Smith's seemingly throwaway, four-line poem, "My Hat."

Winstone and Iles treat the ghostly subject matter of "The Deathly Child" with a palpable sense of wonder, though when Winstone sits out the ensemble refashions this harbinger-of-death tale into joyous celebration. The fatalistic view of humankind's condition in Smith's "Breughel" is similarly dressed in more soothing robes by a lovely Burt Bacharach-esque melody. "The Bereaved Swan" captures the contrasting elements of melancholy and lyricism in Smith's words, whereby the choir's graceful waves form a canvas for Wheeler and Lockheart's more emotionally urgent colors. The subdued rhythm of "My Soul" highlights the powerful lyric content, lent suitable poignancy by Winstone's pitch-perfect delivery. How to categorize this glorious music, the ingenuity of Wheeler, Winstone and the LVP? To quote Smith: "Whatever names you give me, I am a breath of fresh air, a change for you." And what price Vol. 2 from James Joyce, via Robert Frost to John Cooper Clarke? ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mirrors-kenny-wheeler-edition-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php
 
Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: flugelhorn; Norma Winstone: vocals; Nikki Iles: piano; Mark Lockheart: saxophones; Steve Watts: double bass; James Maddren: drums; London Vocal Project: Pete Churchill: Director; sopranos: Fini Bearman; Hannah Berry; Jessica Berry; Helen Burnett; Katie Butler; Joanna Richards; Janni Thompson; tenors: Tommy Antonio; Sam Chaplin; Brendan Dowse; Richard Lake; Adam Saunders; altos: Mishka Adams; Paolo Bottomley; Nikki Franklin; Clara Green; Andi Hopgood; Chloe Potter; Emma Smith; Emmy Urquhart; basses: Kwabena Adjepong; Pat Bamber; Ben Barritt; Pete Churchill; Andrew Woolf.

Mirrors

Jackie Wilson - You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet

Styles: Soul
Year: 1961
Time: 29:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 68,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:06) 1. Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye
(3:41) 2. Sonny Boy
(1:45) 3. California Here I Come
(2:46) 4. Keep Smiling at Trouble (Trouble’s a Bubble)
(3:23) 5. You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It)
(2:38) 6. My Yiddishe Momme
(2:02) 7. Swanee
(2:56) 8. April Showers
(3:09) 9. Anniversary Song
(2:49) 10. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody.mp3
(2:35) 11. For Me and My Girl
(2:25) 12. In Our House

I suppose that my knowledge of the history of American pop culture still leaves a lot to be desired, because it was not until my second listen to Jackie Wilson’s You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet, accompanied with a look at Jackie’s own liner notes on the back cover, that I realized the entire LP was a concentrated, half-hour-long tribute to Al Jolson, Jackie’s personal childhood idol and a dear friend to such a great number of other artists, both black and white. The problem is that, while I do enjoy digging into the vaults of American popular music from the pre-war era, it is mostly on behalf of jazz or blues artists, with an occasional bit of folk, country, or, at most, the Andrews Sisters thrown in; people who, like Al Jolson, were more about vaudeville and show business in general the Neil Diamonds and Tom Joneses of their era interest me far less, and inspire me even lesser. (That’s right, I did not even immediately catch on to the title of the LP, which should immediately bring on associations with The Jazz Singer though I do wonder about exactly what percentage of modern young Americans would bring out that particular association faster than I did).

In a way, though, this album was an inevitability. Tribute LPs to legendary artists from the previous decades were becoming a standard thing in the early Sixties, partially due to the first generations of recorded legends beginning to pass away and partially due to the record industry’s yearning for the «good old clean days»: nothing could wipe off the scum of rock’n’roll better than a reappraisal of the comparatively innocent values of grandpa and grandma music. From LaVern Baker to Sam Cooke, everybody on the R&B circuit was doing these and for Jackie Wilson, Al Jolson probably seemed like the perfect choice: The King Of Black Entertainment paying homage to The King Of Blackface Entertainment. The only problem was that for both artists, «entertainment» meant the visual aspect almost as much as the aural; to complete the comparison, people should not only hear both artists, but see them as well, and you didn’t really get to do that in 1961.

My own problem with Al Jolson, of course, lies not in the blackface department (it is almost undignified to hold lengthy ethical debates on whether we should condemn hundred year old practices), but rather in the fact that Al Jolson arrived on the American pop scene too early to make his presence properly redeemable. The love people had for the guy was the same kind of love people show toward Luciano Pavarotti singing O sole mio or, at best, Nessun dorma it’s all about those immensely amplified F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S, inflated to the size of 800cc silicone mammaries and there was never any space for subtlety or emotional sophistication out there because that was simply not what the fans needed. Probably more than anyone else out there in the Radio Age, Al Jolson was the champion of the «give the people what they want» approach, and if not for the unfortunate practice of blackface (which is, after all, what the people also wanted), Al Jolson should have become the perpetual mascot of the pop market, more relevant in that role today than he’d ever been.

But at least one thing you cannot take away from Al Jolson is that, in his heyday, he was cutting edge at least, in taking the combination of those bombastically orchestrated folk ballads with those soaring melodramatic Yiddishe vocals into the studio and spreading it all over the country. On the other hand, having Jackie Wilson who, for a very brief while, may also have been cutting edge in his R&B showmanship try to put his own early Sixties stamp on a set of Al Jolson’s classics feels almost like an artistic surrender. At his best, with songs like ‘Reet Petite’ or ‘Lonely Teardrops’, Wilson was carrying on Jolson’s torch, but it was fueled by a whole other approach to making music; here, he is simply content with reusing what is left of the old stocks of musical oil, so the whole thing feels decidedly regressive rather than progressive.

Of course, the world has moved on. Better recording equipment, tighter backing bands, louder and more bombastic pro­duction values and a powerhouse singer with one of the best throats in the business, making poor old Al with his old-timey crooning feel like a homeless schmuck by comparison. But even if you are a big fan of both Al Jolson (which I am not) and Jackie Wilson (which I am, but strictly limited to the good stuff), I am not entirely sure that You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet shall properly justify its title for you. 1920’s vaudeville remade as early 1960’s orchestrated soul-pop simply may not have been that great an idea.

A song like ‘Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goo’ Bye!’, for instance, works fine as an ass-kickin’ flapper anthem for the Jazz Age and it can even maintain its slightly hooliganish flavor when remade as contemporary pop-rock by the likes of Brenda Lee. But when Jackie decides to open it with a slow, suspenseful soul intro ("I’m telling you baby I’ve gotta leave you now...!"), he sets our expectations up for something completely different and then launches into the very same vaudeville mood of 1922. It’s a crude transition, and since it is right there at the start of the LP, it symbolically tells us that this whole thing probably won’t work. It’s all just a meaningless nostalgia trip.

Now I won’t be taking any real cheap shots, for instance, guffawing at the idea of a black boy from Highland Park, Michi­gan, trying to put his imprint on a song like ‘My Yiddishe Momme’ considering that the song is placed on a tribute album to a Jewish popular artist who spent half his life performing in blackface, the joke would be on me anyway. (Fun fact, though: apparently, Jolson himself never performed or recorded ‘My Yiddishe Momme’ the song is rather associated with Sophie Tucker so I guess Wilson just put it here as a symbolic nod to Jolson’s ethnic and cultural heritage). Much has been written about the mutual empathy and elements of «cultural symbiosis» between Jewish and Black populations in pre-war America (let my people go and all that), making the gesture feel very reasonable. But it would have felt much more reasonable on the part of somebody like Paul Robeson, the freedom fighter, than Jackie Wilson, the entertainer.

The problem is that throughout the album, Jackie really, really wants to be Al Jolson, the Al Jolson of the Jazz Singer era, but only on those early Sixties’ vocal and instrumental steroids. For sure, he is in peak vocal form, way too peak for my tastes, groveling and worshipping at the altar of these old vaudeville tunes rather than taking them the same way we should be taking them today, or our grandparents should have been taking them in 1961 that is, with a sparkle of irony, perhaps acknowledging their musical merits but chuckling at their emotional innocence and unabashed sentimentality. Quite the opposite: he seems to be taking all of this with far more seriousness than Jolson did himself, and all that bombast which could have, for instance, be successfully applied to a truly modern soul sound (just imagine Jackie Wilson taking on, say, Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ three years later!), is ultimately wasted on corny old-timey trifles with corny old-timey titles like ‘Keep Smiling At Trouble (Trouble’s A Bubble)’.

There are no individual comments I can make on any of these songs: you either appreciate the idea of the album, in which case you’ll sympathize with all of them, fast or slow, danceable or sentimental or you find it crass and mismatched, in which case the album (unlike Al Jolson’s original recordings) will hardly trigger even historical interest: what sort of music history buff might get excited at the perspective of one fluffy pop entertainer paying tribute to another one? At least Jackie had the good sense not to put out any of these covers as singles. But there is hardly a single gesture in his career more symbolic than this one or more telling whenever we begin to wonder about the exact reasons why Jackie Wilson, ruler supreme of the R&B charts for at least half a decade, has been all but forgotten by critical history when so many of his less commercially successful peers have remained far above footnote status in the same history books. https://onlysolitaire.substack.com/p/review-jackie-wilson-you-aint-heard

You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet

Patricia Kaas - 1987-2025 Une Vie CD 1, CD 2


Patricia Kaas - 1987-2025 Une Vie CD 1
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2025
Time: 57:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 132,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:05) 1. Entrer dans la lumière
(4:20) 2. Quand j'ai peur de tout
(3:19) 3. Kennedy Rose
(3:46) 4. Les hommes qui passent
(5:14) 5. Ceux qui n'ont rien
(3:01) 6. Une dernière semaine à New York
(2:40) 7. Mon mec à moi (Live)
(3:31) 8. Une fille de l'Est
(4:19) 9. Je voudrais la connaître
(3:08) 10. Adèle
(3:28) 11. Le jour et l'heure
(5:52) 12. Avec le temps (Live)
(5:48) 13. Ma liberté contre la tienne
(4:33) 14. Quand on a que l'amour


Patricia Kaas - 1987-2025 Une Vie CD 2
Time: 60:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 141,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:22) 1. Mademoiselle chante le blue (Live)
(4:43) 2. Il me dit que je suis belle
(4:30) 3. D'Allemagne (Live)
(4:45) 4. Quand Jimmy dit
(4:59) 5. L'aigle noir
(5:30) 6. Les chansons commencent
(3:30) 7. Rien ne s'arrête
(3:33) 8. C'est les femmes qui mènent la danse
(5:18) 9. La vie en rose
(4:20) 10. Hymne à l'amour
(4:24) 11. If You Go Away
(3:22) 12. Je le garde pour toi
(4:46) 13. Toute la musique que j'aime
(3:51) 14. Les Yeux de ma Mère

This Friday, April 25, 2025, Patricia Kaas returns to the spotlight with a landmark album, a best-of album as touching as it is essential: "1987-2025: A Life."

Patricia Kaas's voice is, first and foremost, a timbre that is instantly recognizable. Warm, deep, sometimes raspy, always unsettling. A voice that tells the story of France in all its most sensitive and contrasting aspects: love and hurt, nostalgia and enthusiasm, memories and hopes.

It's also a voice that has conquered the world. Few French-speaking artists can boast of having sold more than 20 million albums in their career. Patricia Kaas has done just that; from Berlin to Moscow, from Paris to Tokyo, we still sing her choruses.

"1987-2025: A Life," a 38-year career in 28 songs

With "1987-2025: A Life," available as a double CD this Friday, April 25, 2025, the singer from Lorraine offers us much more than a classic best-of. She takes us on a true journey through time, a musical epic in 28 carefully selected tracks. These songs are not only emblematic pieces from her repertoire; they are also chapters in a love story between an artist and her audience.

Of course, it features the great collaborations that have marked her career. Jean-Jacques Goldman, Didier Barbelivien, Pascal Obispo, François Bernheim, Michel Mallory... so many writers who have written for her, and with her, lyrics that are both powerful and sensitive. More recently, Ben Mazué has added his contemporary touch to this already rich adventure.

Tributes and Covers: Passing on a Passion
This new best-of album doesn't just revisit the past. Patricia Kaas also includes vibrant tributes to the artists who inspired her. She covers "Les Yeux de ma mère" by Belgian singer Arno, who passed away in 2022. A previously unreleased song that concludes this double CD.

In addition, other great classics of French song are included: "L'Aigle Noir" by Barbara, "La Vie en Rose" by Édith Piaf, "Avec le Temps" by Léo Ferré, and "Toute la musique que j'aime" by Johnny Hallyday. So many monuments revisited with precision and humility, in the manner of a woman who knows what it means to pass on, bring to life, and enhance musical heritage.

A daughter of the East, a woman of the world
Patricia Kaas has remained true to her roots. Originally from Moselle-Est, she has always proudly claimed this place. But her music has transcended all borders. Her voice is universal, her songs resonate with each of us, whether we're from here or elsewhere.

"1987-2025: A Life" is also the story of this woman who has transcended the ages without ever betraying who she is. An artist of integrity, modesty, yet always whole. A performer who sings with her soul, and who, through the filters of time, continues to move with a rare intensity.

"1987-2025: A Life" is much more than a simple retrospective album. It's a declaration of love to the public, a celebration of an extraordinary artistic journey, a link between yesterday and tomorrow. Available as a double CD starting Friday, April 25, 2025, and on triple vinyl starting May 23, 2025.https://www.francebleu.fr/patricia-kaas-signe-son-grand-retour-avec-1987-2025-une-vie-5516494

1987-2025 Une Vie Cd1, Cd2