Larry Vuckovich - Somethin' Special

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:32
Size: 169.9 MB
Label: Tetrachord
Styles: Bebop, Piano jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[7:10] 1. Somethin' Special
[6:25] 2. Enchantment
[7:18] 3. What Will I Tell My Heart?
[7:08] 4. Comin' Home Baby
[8:54] 5. Soultrane
[6:06] 6. How Insensitive
[3:36] 7. Pannonica
[9:08] 8. Cheese Cake
[6:45] 9. Loving Linda
[6:29] 10. Zeljko's Blues
[4:29] 11. Star Dust

A veteran pianist deserving of wider recognition, Larry Vuckovich has spent several decades on the American jazz scene since leaving his native Yugoslavia for the U.S. in the early '50s. For the most part the songs on these 2011 sessions focus on bop and hard bop from the late '50s and early '60s, ranging from solo piano to trio, quartet, and quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton on five selections. Vuckovich's working group includes tenor saxophonist Noel Jewkes, bassist Paul Keller, and drummer Chuck McPherson. Vuckovich's solo treatment of Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica" mixes glistening lines with jaunty bop, while his approach to Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" is lush with a few Tatum-inspired runs added for fun. Hamilton shares the spotlight with Jewkes for three songs. The robust twin tenor interpretation of Sonny Clark's "Somethin' Special" is a breezy take of an infectious blues with potent solos all around, with Hamilton's hard blowing contrasting with Jewkes' lighter but equally swinging approach, in which they both playfully exchange a tag from Bizet's Carmen. Keller steals the show with his intricate opening solo to "Comin' Home Baby," though the one-two punch of the tenor team energizes this favorite, with the leader's solo blending soul-jazz with a Brazilian air. The tenor men also devour Dexter Gordon's "Cheese Cake" with a delicious performance. Hamilton plays the sole tenor in a snappy rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim's melancholy "How Insensitive" and the touching ballad "What Will I Tell My Heart," while Jewkes is featured in Horace Silver's infrequently recorded "Enchantment." Vuckovich contributed two fine originals as well. "Loving Linda" showcases Jewkes' impressive chops on soprano sax, a shimmering swinger with a Brazilian touch. The rhythm section tackles the pianist's driving "Zeljko's Blues" with gusto, featuring each of them individually in what should be a natural set-closer for Vuckovich. This CD easily lives up to its title with outstanding performances throughout the sessions. ~ Ken Dryden

Recording information: Megasonic Sound, Oakland, CA (02/14/2011/02/15/2011).

Larry Vuckovich (piano); Noel Jewkes (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); Chuck McPherson (drums).

Somethin' Special

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Kelly Eisenhour - Now You Know

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 54:01

Size: 123.7 MB

Label: (Self released)

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2005

Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Now You Know

[4:58] 2. Lazy Afternoon

[3:54] 3. Moondance

[5:02] 4. My Funny Valentine

[3:02] 5. You Do Something To Me

[4:56] 6. Gentle Rain

[4:49] 7. The Right Thing

[4:08] 8. God Bless The Child

[3:03] 9. Day By Day

[6:58] 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

[3:00] 11. Just In Time

[4:02] 12. Love Is Here To Stay

[3:07] 13. It Had To Be You

A collection of original jazz and classic standards with a twist. Great arrangements with sultry, sophisticated, yet soulful vocals. Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops says "...she's the real thing."

Kelly Eisenhour is a prolific jazz vocalist, and the winner of the 6th annual Seattle-Kobe Female Vocal Jazz Competition in 2010. Her last album released in 2007, "Seek and Find" featuring Bob Mintzer, reached #14 on JazzWeek national radio airplay charts, #11 on College radio, and #3 on the respected national jazz radio show, "The Bob Parlocha Show." It received continuous airplay for 7 months after it's release. Kelly has performed in various jazz festivals and has toured as guest soloist with the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart. She is also a songwriter and arranger, and has done numerous projects in that capacity, including the 2006 Grammy award winning album, Gladys Knight: One Voice, in which she serves as songwriter, soloist, co-arranger, and assistant choir director. Kelly has two more jazz recordings, "Kelly Eisenhour, Now You Know," released in 2001, and "Kelly Eisenhour with the Jeff Hamilton Trio." She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music as a vocal performance major, and has an M.M. from the University of Utah in jazz studies, composition and performance. Her career has taken her many places, starting as a jazz singer in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona (sometimes working with another native Tucsonan -Brian Bromberg), and then diving into the various music scenes in Boston, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and currently in Seattle. Other career highlights: opened for Ramsey Lewis at the Park City Jazz Festival, performed live at the Apollo Theatre, and was an invited performer at the 2007 International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference. As an educator, Kelly is a sought after clinician, and was the vocal jazz instructor for the 2006 3-day Teacher's Training Institute for IAJE, as well as workshops for UMEA. She was the vocal jazz director at Brigham Young University as an adjunct instructor, and made the move to a full-time faculty position as the choral director at Green River Community College in Washington state where she now resides. Kelly loves the combination of teaching and performing and feels she has the best of both worlds. The great sax player Bob Mintzer says, "I truly enjoyed playing on her recording and I look forward to watching Kelly's rise to the recognition level she deserves."

Now You Know      

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Joe Loco - Vaya! With Joe Loco

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 29:18
Size: 67.1 MB
Label: Hallmark
Styles: Latin jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:21] 1. Vaya
[2:28] 2. Los Marcianos
[2:10] 3. Aqui Viene El Swing
[2:20] 4. Rhumba Rhapsody
[2:43] 5. En Vano Te Espero
[2:41] 6. Anaboaca
[2:20] 7. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[2:30] 8. Almendra
[2:49] 9. My Rival
[1:50] 10. Coco Seco
[2:54] 11. Pan Con Queso
[2:07] 12. Siboney

A composer of numerous hit recordings, quality music orchestrator and top contender for the title of "most melodic pianist." Started with Montecino's Happy Boys in 1938. He was Machito's pianist before being drafted into the US Air Force in November, 1945. After his discharge in 1947, he free lanced with Latin music's top bands, which included Polito Galindez, Marcelino Guerra, Pupi Campo, and Julio Andino before striking gold whith his monstrous hit recording of "Tenderly" in 1952. His Latinized arrangements of American pop standard tunes enabled Loco's Quintet to perform at jazz clubs and other popular spots which never featured Latin music. ~bio by Max Salazar

Vaya! With Joe Loco

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Lyn Stanley - Lost in Romance

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Self Released
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:10
Size: 143,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Change Partners
(4:00)  2. Watch What Happens
(4:08)  3. Fever
(4:00)  4. That Old Black Magic
(5:18)  5. The Nearness of You
(5:00)  6. You Go To My Head
(3:48)  7. I Just Want To Make Love To You
(4:26)  8. My Foolish Heart
(3:36)  9. What Am I Gonna Do With a Bad Boy Like You?
(4:47) 10. Losing My Mind
(4:07) 11. One For My Baby
(4:29) 12. Sugar on the Floor
(2:40) 13. Too Close For Comfort
(3:53) 14. Something
(3:09) 15. The Last Dance

Singer, dancer, ingenue, Lyn Stanley is a fully realized and mature talent exploding into her own. An award-winning ballroom dancer, Stanley melds that physical experience of movement with her performance of jazz standards, bringing the genre back to its dancing, kinetic roots. As executive producer, Stanley brings a Midas touch to the proceedings, producing in wholly urbane and sophisticated collection of the best the Great American Songbook has to offer. It takes a certain fortitude to record one more collection of jazz standards,but, then again, this is the most appropriate starting place for Stanley. Standards are the proving ground for Stanley's singing philosophy and that philosophy is a sound and entertaining one. 

The songs include a smoldering "Fever," an island humid "That Old Black Magic" and a late-night "The Nearness of You" (featuring the inestimable Bob Sheppard on tenor saxophone) that set a relaxed mood, one that is sure of the talent to which it's being devoted. There are no steep cliffs here, only straight and elegant byways to pass the time, with some exceptional ballad and mid-tempo vocal performances by the dense loam of talent that is Lyn Stanley. Stanley takes these songs on with a conservative ear, opting for a traditional performance. The value of this approach is to always allow the composer to speak as intended when conceiving these pieces. Stanley's singing is beyond sexy or sensuous; it is whatever transcends these anemic descriptors. This is singing and delivery that must wait for the proper word to come along to define it. The same applies for the elegance and grace her accompanying musician bring to the project, a who's who of West Coast jazz talent convening for a holiday and that holiday is Lost In Romance.~C.Michael Bailey 

(http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45010#.UhdknX-Ac1I).

Personnel: Lyn Stanley: vocals; Tamir Hendelman: piano (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 15); Mike Lang: piano (3, 6, 9-11); Llew Matthews: piano (7, 13, 14); Trey Henry: bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 15); Jim DeJulio: bass (3, 6, 9-11); Kevin Axt: bass (7, 13, 14); Jeff Hamilton: drums (1-3, 6, 9, 15); Bernie Dresel: drums (4, 5, 8, 10-12); Paul Kreibich: drums (7, 13, 14); Gilbert Castellanos: flugelhorn (1), trumpet (15); Bob Sheppard: tenor saxophone (4, 5); Thom Rotella: guitar (10-14); Bob McChesney: trombone (6, 9).

Lost in Romance

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Harry Allen & John Pizzarelli - Harry Allen Meets the John Pizzarelli Trio

Styles: Jazz
Label: Slider Music
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:46
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. Pennies from Heaven
(3:33)  2. Dear Old Stockholm
(7:01)  3. P-Town/You're Driving Me Crazy
(3:23)  4. Early Autumn
(5:30)  5. I Want to Be Happy
(6:00)  6. These Foolish Things
(3:47)  7. Blue Lou
(5:35)  8. Body and Soul
(4:43)  9. Sunday
(5:43) 10. Dot's Cheesecake
(3:15) 11. When Harry Met Martin
(4:28) 12. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(5:07) 13. Limehouse Blues

After a decade on the scene, tenor-saxophonist Harry Allen, in 1995, was finally on the brink of being discovered, or at least recognized, by the greater jazz world. At that point in time, his tenor sound often recalled Stan Getz and Zoot Sims, but in a more swing-oriented setting. Teamed up with the John Pizzarelli Trio (with Pizz on guitar, pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist Martin Pizzarelli), Allen performs 11 vintage standards plus Bucky Pizzarelli's "Dot's Cheesecake" and his own "When Harry Met Martin" (which he co-wrote with Martin Pizzarelli). Among the highlights of this melodic and swinging set are "Pennies from Heaven," "Dear Old Stockholm," "I Want to Be Happy," "Sunday" and "Limehouse Blues." Easily recommended to mainstream swing collectors and an excellent example of Harry Allen's tenor playing.~Scott Yanow (http://www.allmusic.com/album/harry-allen-meets-the-john-pizzarelli-trio-mw0000602194).

Harry Allen Meets the John Pizzarelli Trio

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Marian McPartland - All My Life

Styles: Jazz, Piano Jazz
Label: Savoy Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:30
Size: 153,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(3:18)  2. It Might As Well Be Spring
(2:46)  3. Strike Up the Band
(2:50)  4. Love is Here to Stay
(2:58)  5. Lullaby of Birdland
(3:17)  6. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
(2:27)  7. Limehouse Blues
(2:48)  8. It's Only a Paper Moon
(3:06)  9. Hallelujuh!
(2:59) 10. Moonlight In Vermont
(3:04) 11. Moonlight In Vermont
(2:31) 12. Love For Sale
(2:31) 13. Love For Sale (Previously Unreleased Version)
(2:54) 14. Yesterdays
(2:44) 15. All the Things You Are
(3:04) 16. All My Life
(5:48) 17. Love You Madly
(3:08) 18. The Lady is a Tramp (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:42) 19. Four Brothers (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:10) 20. Aunt Hagar's Blues (Previously Unreleased Version)
(3:14) 21. A Foggy Day (Previously Unreleased Version)

This Savoy Jazz anthology compiles various recordings pianist Marian McPartland made in the studio as well live performances recorded at the Hickory House in New York City during the 1950s, with the pianist backed energetically by various rhythm sections. Showcasing a startling technique and impeccable melodic sense, McPartland was just beginning to lead her own trio and develop a personal style on these tracks. Some of these cuts are rare, and longtime fans should find the newly discovered live recordings fascinating.~Matt Collar(http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-my-life-mw0000032546).

Personnel: Marian McPartland (piano); Max Wayne, Eddie Safranski, Bob Carter, Vinnie Burke (bass); Mel Zelnick, Elmer "Mousie" Alexander, Don Lamond, Joe Morello (drums).

R.I.P.
All My Life

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Paul Desmond - Like Someone In Love

Styles: Jazz
Label: Telarc Distribution
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

( 8:45)  1. Just Squeeze Me
( 9:46)  2. Tangerine
(10:59)  3. Meditation
(10:37)  4. Nuages
( 9:50)  5. Like Someone In Love
(11:11)  6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

In 1992, Telarc unveiled a series of performances from the vault on a short-lived label punningly entitled "Telarchive," beginning with this long-delayed encore to the original releases from Paul Desmond's "Canadian" quartet. Recorded live in Toronto's Bourbon Street Jazz Club several months before the live dates released on Horizon and Artists House, it finds Desmond growing comfortable with his new Toronto friends but not quite settled into their laid-back ways quite yet. There are passages in this session where Desmond sounds a bit uncharacteristically scattered and unfocused, where guitarist Ed Bickert becomes the more fluid and stable solo partner, and bassist (and engineer) Don Thompson takes a lengthy solo on every track. 

Desmond seems to produce his best work in the material that he seems most familiar with. The title track is the one that catches fire most brightly (with a wry assist from "We're in the Money") and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" finds him working in some clever asides from, yes, Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe." The wistful European melancholy of Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" suits him perfectly and Jobim's "Meditation" makes its first appearance on a Desmond recording. The boxy, confined live sound doesn't suit the late saxophonist nor, obviously, the perfectionist standards at Telarc but every precious unreleased note from Desmond is definitely worth sampling at whatever sonic level.~Richard Ginell (http://www.allmusic.com/album/like-someone-in-love-mw0000088986).

Personnel: Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Ed Bickert (guitar); Don Thompson (bass); Jerry Fuller (drums).

Like Someone In Love

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Meredith D'Ambrosio - By Myself

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:43
Size: 141.3 MB
Label: Sunnyside
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:38] 1. By Myself
[4:46] 2. Through a Thousand Dreams
[4:30] 3. Once Upon a Long Ago
[4:24] 4. If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You
[6:01] 5. All Through the Night
[4:44] 6. High and Low
[3:01] 7. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
[4:37] 8. You and the Night and the Music
[4:08] 9. Something to Remember You By
[3:10] 10. Dancing in the Dark
[5:22] 11. Then I'll Be Tired of You
[3:12] 12. Why Go Anywhere at All
[3:00] 13. I See Your Face Before Me
[6:05] 14. Haunted Heart

As a title, By Myself contains multiple levels of meaning. For starters, it's the first album on which jazz vocalist and pianist Meredith D'Ambrosio has devoted herself to the work of a single composer (Broadway songwriter Arthur Schwartz). Secondly, it's her first recording since 1981's Another Time on which she appears as the sole instrumentalist. Lastly, it is her first recording since the death of her husband, pianist Eddie Higgins. All but three of these 14 Schwartz compositions were written with longtime partner, lyricist Howard Dietz, and most of them are standards. Two exceptions are "All Through the Night" (with Johnny Mercer) and "Then I'll Be Tired of You" (with Ernie "Yip" Harburg). In addition, there are two little-known Schwartz compositions here, "Once Upon a Long Ago" and "Through a Thousand Dreams," written with Leo Robin. These last two were handpicked for her to sing by her son. D'Ambrosio's approach sounds a bit austere, at least initially. That's only because we're familiar with iconic singers -- from Sinatra and Streisand to Fitzgerald and Vaughan -- performing these tunes with more populated and complex arrangements. But D'Ambrosio's intimate setting provides a prime setting for her signature vocal interpretation of these songs. She slows tempos, transposes keys, and gives them over to her unique phrasing. Her piano actually becomes a second voice. Her sense of timing is impeccable; she isn't showy, but she is precise and flowing in her economy. With her voice she can wring nuances, impressions, and ghost traces from these melodies that we didn't know were there, and her piano knows just where to highlight them, as in "Something to Remember You By." The title track is full of simmering intensity; "High and Low," "Dancing in the Dark," and "You the Night and the Music" are sung not in the moment, but in the moment of remembering; not nostalgically, but emotionally. The closer, "Haunted Heart," is the lone exception, sung in the moment to the absent beloved, of her own ache and loneliness. The sense of restraint D'Ambrosio's so well known for serves these songs beautifully, because none of them can ever appear overwrought. Instead, they are abundant with meaning. Their melodies entwine with the lyrics in complete balance, expressing a musical poetry of the heart itself. In listening to By Myself, and long after it has ended, D'Ambrosio's voice reveals to the listener that she knows exactly what these songs mean as a highly skilled musician, and as a human being who has lived, loved, and lost.

By Myself

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Dion Parson & 21st Century Band - Live At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola Vol. 2 (Discs 1&2)

Dion Parson And The 21st. Century Band: Here is the followup to Live At Dizzy's Coca Cola Vol. 1. Dion Parson is back with a star studded ensemble of first rate jazz musicians including Ron Blake (Saxophone), Marcus Printup (Trumpet), Rueben Rogers (Bass), Carlton Holmes (Piano) Victor Provost (Steel Pan) and Alioune Faye (Talking Drums). This is a two disc set with over 98 minutes of the best jazz, recorded at Jazz At Lincoln Center. A must have for any jazz fan.

Recording information: Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, New York City (09/03/2011).

Dion Parson (drums); Ron Blake (saxophone); Marcus Printup (trumpet); Carlton Holmes (piano); Alioune Faye (talking drum, djembe, sabar); Victor Provost (steel pan).

Album: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola Vol. 2 (Disc 1)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 116.7 MB
Label: MVD Audio
Styles: Bop
Year: 2012

[ 6:31] 1. Quelbe Song
[10:43] 2. What A Wonderful World
[ 6:14] 3. Lullaby For Belle
[ 8:35] 4. D's Blues
[ 7:30] 5. Song For Maya
[10:57] 6. Knights At The Round Table

Live At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola Vol. 2 (Disc 1)

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Album: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola Vol. 2 (Disc 2)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:43
Size: 117.2 MB
Label: MVD Audio
Styles: Bop
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:09] 1. Appointment
[7:51] 2. Avocado
[5:34] 3. The Things I Ame
[8:26] 4. 21st Century
[8:38] 5. Redemption Song
[8:22] 6. Rain-O-Rama
[7:40] 7. Down D Road

Live At Dizzy's Club Coca Cola Vol. 2 (Disc 2)

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Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet - When The Sun Goes Down

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 58:31

Size: 134.0 MB

Label: House Kat

Styles: Vocal jazz, Vocal harmonies

Year: 2002

Art: Front

[2:32] 1. Love Walked In

[5:58] 2. You're Everything

[4:52] 3. 'Deed I Do

[5:20] 4. And the Melody Still Lingers On (A Night in Tunisia)

[6:29] 5. Le Souffle Dernier D'hiver

[5:19] 6. Birth of the Blues

[3:52] 7. Jazz Face

[3:49] 8. When the Sun Goes Down

[6:46] 9. Secrets Held By Time

[4:56] 10. He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped

[4:43] 11. You Don't Love Me Like You Used To

[3:48] 12. In the Gloaming

A rising star on the jazz horizon, Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet has been captivating audiences internationally with its creative, lush vocal arrangements sung against a blazing jazz rhythm section. They have put their mark on group vocal jazz with their own tightly harmonized arrangements, inventive lyrics and swinging renditions of classic and original jazz.

An interview and sampling of the group's musical excerpts on NPR's broadcast of "Weekend Edition" with Susan Stamberg made the group's first release, "Half-Past Swing", a top-selling jazz CD on Amazon in 2000.

The group has appeared at the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival and Ottawa International Jazz Festival, sharing the main stage with such jazz greats as Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett, Abbey Lincoln, Mingus Big Band, and Sonny Rollins. They have teamed in concert with the Four Freshmen, been profiled by PRI's Jazz Smithsonian in the documentary series "The Jazz Singers", hosted by Al Jarreau, been profiled on Radio Jazz Copenhagen, and played extensively on jazz and public radio across the US, Canada and Europe. They have also appeared as symphony orchestra guest artists, adding another dimension to their growing resume of live performances in jazz festival, concert, club, and educational venues.

When The Sun Goes Down                

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Andy Bey - The World According To Andy Bey

Styles: Jazz
Label: Blue Note
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:36
Size: 116,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. It Never Entered My Mind
(6:07)  2. But Not For Me
(3:21)  3. Dedicated to Miles
(6:46)  4. The Demons Are After You
(4:03)  5. Love Is Here To Stay
(6:08)  6. There's So Many Ways to Approach the Blues
(2:32)  7. This Joint is Jumpin'
(4:44)  8. Being Part of What's Happening Now
(3:57)  9. The Morning After
(2:07) 10. S'Wonderful
(5:18) 11. Dissertation On A State Of Bliss

Andy Bey is one of those vocalists who every jazz enthusiast knows but is not generally well-known. He has been performing since he was 17 when he formed a trio with his two sisters called Andy And The Bey Sisters. When the group broke up in 1967, Bey went out on his own as a sometime pianist with Horace Silver and Gary Bartz, and then doing his own thing as a pianist/vocalist. It is in this last configuration that Bey emerges with The World According To Andy Bey, his first release since 2007.

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the context (piano/vocals) and the material that Bey has chosen, most of the compositions are sung as ballads or in slower tempos. The two ex-ceptions are Fats Waller’s “The Joint Is Jumpin’” and the George Gershwin standard “’S’ Wonderful” both of which are offered in a slightly more robust fashion than all the other tunes. The Waller opus has more bounce, given the engaging and witty lyric.

Unadorned, and supported by his own minimalist piano-playing, Bey’s baritone voice has a swooping throaty tone, but filled with a dramatic command of resonance and tex-ture. Using all his proficiency, Bey leads off this session with a surely attuned rendition of “It Never Entered My Mind” which is faultlessly followed by the George and Ira Gershwin classic “But Not For Me”. Bey’s skill with vocalese is brought into sharp relief with his own composition “Dedicated To Miles”, which is just one of several of his own tunes that populate the album. Songs such as “The Demons Are After You”, “There’s So Many Ways To Approach The Blues” and “Being Part Of What’s Happening Now” are word-stories more talked thru than sung, but still replete with expressiveness.

Andy Bey is an adroit and fascinating vocalist who teases the best out of his material to give his listeners an invigorating experience.~Pierre Giroux (http://audaud.com/2013/06/the-world-according-to-andy-bey-high-note-records/)

The World According To Andy Bey

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Kimiko Kasai & Gil Evans - Satin Doll

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label: Sony
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:26
Size: 81,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. Day by Day
(3:35)  2. Poor Butterfly
(2:54)  3. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:05)  4. I Fall in Love Too Easily
(3:51)  5. Satin Doll
(5:47)  6. I'm Walkin'
(3:25)  7. When Sunny Gets Blue
(3:40)  8. There'll Never Be Another You
(3:51)  9. Good-bye

When Gil Evans came to Japan in 1972, he was revered as one of the best jazz arrangers in the world and often referred as the "magician of the sound." Many top Japanese jazz musicians wanted to collaborate with him, and talented singer Kimiko Kasai was no exception. Kasai had visited Evans' home in New York earlier and agreed on most of the tunes and rough arrangements. When Evans came to Japan, he only had a few days to rehearse with eitht other musicians. Despite the short preparation time and the fact that he probably had not met the six Japanese musicians before, Evans produced a magical result. It is astonishing to hear such dense and airy sound from only five horn players. The arrangements support Kasai beautifully: they are musical, unobtrusive, sympathetic and very effective. 

With such a wonderful backing, Kasai sounds relaxed and gives a swinging, soulful vocal performance. (http://www.eastwindimport.com/product-info.asp?ProductId=52).

Kimiko Kasai - vocals; Gil Evans - arranger, conductor, piano, electric piano; Marvin Peterson - trumpet; Hiroshi Fukumura, Hiroshi Munekiyo - trombone; Kosuke Mine - soprano saxophone, alto saxophone; Billy Harper - tenor saxophone, flute; Masayuki Takayanagi - guitar; Yoshio Suzuki - bass, electric bass; Yoshiyuki Nakamura - drums

Satin Doll

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John Pizzarelli - All Of Me

Styles: Swing Revival
Label:  Novus
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:44
Size: 111,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Three Little Words
(4:20)  2. If I Had You
(4:43)  3. The More I See You
(6:11)  4. S'Wonderful
(4:02)  5. This Will Make You Laugh
(4:23)  6. All of Me
(4:08)  7. The River Is Blue
(2:35)  8. I Know That You Know
(4:24)  9. For All We Know
(4:22) 10. Love Falls Into Place
(3:37) 11. My Baby Just Cares For Me
(2:59) 12. Roslyn

This CD is a middle-of-the-road showcase for the pleasant but somewhat limited vocals of John Pizzarelli. Dick Lieb's big band and string arrangements occasionally border on Muzak and are extremely predictable. The tunes (most from the swing era) are superior, but Pizzarelli's treatments pale next to the originals (particularly Nat King Cole), and very little is heard from the leader's guitar. John Pizzarelli would improve as a singer within the next few years so; despite his charm, this project indispensable. ~ScottYanow(http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-of-me-mw0000273170

 

All Of Me

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Bill Evans & Shelly Manne - Empathy

Styles: Jazz
Label: Wax Time
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:43
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:26)  1. The Washington Twist
(3:42)  2. Danny Boy
(4:32)  3. Let's Go Back To The Waltz
(9:09)  4. With A Song In My Heart
(5:07)  5. Goodbye
(5:46)  6. I Believe In You

This album came about through a fortuitous convergence of circumstances. Shelly Manne & His Men were appearing at New York's Village Vanguard, sharing the bill with the Bill Evans Trio. Getting Riverside's permission to let the pianist participate, Creed Taylor set up a session at Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Evans and Manne sharing top billing. Manne's bass player, Monty Budwig, made up the trio. This was a busman's holiday for Evans, who was freed from the musical parameters he had set for his then-current trio. The result is that his playing seemed lighter, freer, and more relaxed than it had for a while. The album kicks off with a jaunty version of Irving Berlin's "The Washington Twist" from the unsuccessful Mr. President with Budwig sharing the honors with Evans as much as Manne. Manne spends most of his time driving Evans into more diminished and sharper playing than was usually Evans' wont. Another relatively unfamiliar Berlin work, "Let's Go Back to the Waltz," gives full reign to Evans' lyricism. The longest tune on the set is an audacious, almost lampooned version of "With a Song in My Heart" with light chordal phrasing that pretty much characterized much of the tone coming from this session. Listening to these three, it's clear that everyone was having a good time and simply enjoying being relieved of their duties with their regular combos, even if for just one day. Empathy has been reissued by Verve as a CD that also includes another Evans' goody, A Simple Matter of Conviction.~Dave Nathan (http://www.allmusic.com/album/empathy-mw0000531139).

Empathy

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Beth McKee - Next To Nowhere

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:00
Size: 93.9 MB
Label: Swampgin Music
Styles: Louisiana blues vocals, R&B
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:01] 1. Next to Nowhere
[4:13] 2. On the Verge
[2:53] 3. Shoulda Kept on Walkin'
[3:01] 4. Not Tonight, Josephine
[4:42] 5. New Orleans to Jackson
[3:22] 6. River Rush
[3:47] 7. Tug of War
[4:07] 8. Someone Came Around
[3:34] 9. Same Dog's Tail
[4:03] 10. Return to Me
[4:12] 11. Already Mine

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Beth McKee came to the attention of those outside the deep south with her stellar 2009 album I'm That Way, a collection of Bobby Charles covers. Like him, she possesses one of the most unaffected singing voices out there; it takes pleasure in the act of singing itself. That's part of what makes Next to Nowhere, her first collection of original material, so special; the other is her songs. McKee is a smoking piano, organ, and accordion player, and all are amply displayed here. The set was self-produced and Tony Battaglia's mix is clean and true. The band is a close-knit group of friends and family including drummer/husband Juan Perez. Subdudes founder Tommy Malone lends his slide guitar playing. McKee's songs effortlessly criss-cross the entire panorama of Southern music. The title track, with its funky electric Cajun choogle, is a churning rocker that accepts responsibility for life's mistakes. It's the most danceable articulation of hard times in a dog's age. This is quickly countered by gratitude in the bluesy rocking R&B of "On the Verge," that celebrates survival and second chances. The Swamp Sistas gospel-flavored backing chorus sweetly sings its assent to the protagonist's testimony. "Not Tonight, Josephine" is a rollicking piano stomper in the grand NOLA 88s tradition. "New Orleans to Jackson," with its ghostly violin and B-3, could be covered by Lucia Micarrelli on the Treme series, but McKee singing it would be far better: David Simon, sign this woman up! Gospel and R&B fuel "River Rush," with its grooving Fender Rhodes and popping snare. McKee sings with conviction without having to strive -- it's there as soon as she opens her mouth -- this is modern Southern soul personified. She can lay out the blues too: "Tug of War" is worthy of Bonnie Raitt at her early best. Cajun-meets-R&B and barroom stroll in "Same Dog's Tail," and the shimmering rocker "Return to Me" would have been worthy of Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton. The set closes with the swampy, sensual blues of "Already Mine," a swaggering testament to all forms of love: unconditional, mutual, and sensual. While the sounds on Next to Nowhere are rooted in the great musical hallmarks of the past, it's only because they speak eternally. So do McKee's songs: they poetically yet directly come right at the gristle and grain of life itself -- without reservation. They wear their scars as badges of honor; their victories with grace, sass, and swagger. Her protagonists detail our own struggles, failures, celebrations, loves, and losses with honesty, commitment, acceptance, and willingness. All this in an era when we need them most. Tough, tender, and resilient, McKee's excellent Next to Nowhere comes from a songwriter we need to hear more from. Period. ~ Thom Jurek.

Next To Nowhere

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Blue Mitchell - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 31:25
Size: 71.9 MB
Label: Mainstream Records
Styles: Bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1963
Art: Front

[6:18] 1. Soul Village
[7:13] 2. Blues For Thelma
[4:55] 3. Queen Bee
[7:30] 4. Are You Real
[5:28] 5. Hi Hermano

Owner of a direct, lightly swinging, somewhat plain-wrapped tone that fit right in with the Blue Note label's hard bop ethos of the 1960s, Blue Mitchell tends to be overlooked today perhaps because he never really stood out vividly from the crowd, despite his undeniable talent. After learning the trumpet in high school -- where he got his nickname -- he started touring in the early '50s with the R&B bands of Paul Williams, Earl Bostic, and Chuck Willis before returning to Miami and jazz. There, he attracted the attention of Cannonball Adderley, with whom he recorded for Riverside in 1958. That year, he joined the Horace Silver Quintet, with whom he played and recorded until the band's breakup in March 1964, polishing his hard bop skills. During his Silver days, Mitchell worked with tenor Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, drummer Roy Brooks, and various pianists as a separate unit and continued recording as a leader for Riverside. When Silver disbanded, Mitchell's spinoff quintet carried on with Al Foster replacing Brooks and a young future star named Chick Corea in the piano chair. This group, with several personnel changes, continued until 1969, recording a string of albums for Blue Note. Probably aware that opportunities for playing straight-ahead jazz were dwindling, Mitchell became a prolific pop and soul session man in the late '60s, and he toured with Ray Charles from 1969 to 1971 and blues/rock guitarist John Mayall in 1971-1973. Having settled in Los Angeles, he also played big-band dates with Louie Bellson, Bill Holman, and Bill Berry; made a number of funk and pop/jazz LPs in the late '70s; served as principal soloist for Tony Bennett and Lena Horne; and kept his hand in hard bop by playing with Harold Land in a quintet. He continued to freelance in this multifaceted fashion until his premature death from cancer at age 49. ~bio by Richard S. Ginnell

Bass – Larry Gales; Drums – Doug Sides; Piano – Walter Bishop, Jr.; Saxophone [Tenor] – Jimmy Forrest; Trumpet – Blue Mitchell.

Blue Mitchell

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Lou Rawls - Rawls Sings Sinatra

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 33:37

Size: 77.0 MB

Label: Paradise Music Works

Styles: Vocal jazz, Easy Listening

Year: 2003

Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Come Fly With Me

[2:54] 2. Nice 'n' Easy

[3:52] 3. All The Way

[3:29] 4. Learnin' The Blues

[3:35] 5. That's Life

[4:11] 6. The Lady Is A Tramp

[2:43] 7. Summer Wind

[3:22] 8. The Second Time Around

[3:21] 9. My Kind Of Town Chicago

[3:01] 10. They Can't Take That Away From Me

Tackling the Sinatra songbook seems like a dicey proposition. Who wants to be compared to one of the greatest singers of all time? Most likely you are going to come up short in comparison. Lou Rawls decided to take on the challenge on his 2003 release Rawls Sings Sinatra, which features Rawls wrapping his distinctive baritone around 12 songs associated with Sinatra. It is produced very cleanly by Billy Vera, arranged swingingly by Benny Golson, and split between up-tempo songs like "Come Fly With Me," "That's Life," and "My Kind of Town/Chicago" and ballads like "All the Way," "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road"), and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." Vera and Rawls make a few interesting choices song-wise, picking a few lesser-known songs like "Summer Wind," "The Second Time Around," and "Learnin' the Blues." All the pieces are in place to make this a pleasant exercise in Sinatra-worshipping nostalgia. The only problem is the less-than-perfect state of Rawls' vocals. He definitely shows his age as he occasionally scrapes his way through the trickier passages and growls his way through the swinging tunes. If you can handle him not sounding exactly as he did in his prime, Rawls actually sounds pretty good on most of the disc. In fact on some of the songs, and especially on the ballads like "All the Way" and "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road"), his newfound vocal unsteadiness adds a new shade of vulnerability that is quite interesting. Fans of Rawls who want to live in the past should avoid this disc for certain, but those who are willing to hear the real Rawls of 2003 will find themselves in possession of a pleasant and swinging disc. (Oh yeah, the Sinatra comparison. Does it stack up well against Sinatra in his prime? Not even close. How about against Sinatra when he was 68 as Rawls is in 2003? Well, Sinatra was still better, but not by much.)

Rawls Sings Sinatra               

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Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet - Hustlin' For A Gig

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:37
Size: 102.1 MB
Label: HouseKat
Styles: Jazz vocal harmonies
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. He Was The Cat [a Tribute To Eddie Jefferson]
[5:28] 2. Hustlin' For A Gig
[5:02] 3. Gone Gone Gone
[4:33] 4. I'll Remember Why
[3:02] 5. Caught You Spreadin' Your Love All Over The Place
[2:42] 6. This Is The Life
[5:00] 7. A Million Miles
[3:45] 8. Java Junkie
[6:45] 9. Now I Have This
[4:14] 10. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Their sound reminds the listener of such iconic vocal groups as Lambert/Hendricks/Ross and The Manhattan Transfer, but Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet has put their own distinctive signature on 4-part harmony jazz vocals with this diverse package of new music, clever lyrics, and arrangements they wrote themselves! spanning vocalese, bop, big band swing, sentimental ballads, Chicago blues, cool jazz, driving samba, lilting bossa nova, Basie-style swing, lyricized scat, and even a warm dose of harmonized R&B.

Recording information: Bias Studios, Springfield, VA.

Ginny Carr (vocals, keyboards); Andre V. Enceneat, Robert McBride, Holly Shockey (vocals); Steve Herberman (guitar); Chris Vadala (clarinet, alto saxophone); Leigh Pilzer (tenor saxophone, bass saxophone); Chris Walker (trumpet); Jen Krupa (trombone); Alan Blackman (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Frank Russo (drums, percussion).

Hustlin' For A Gig 

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Laura Ainsworth - Necessary Evil

Styles: Jazz, Cabaret
Label: Eclectus Records
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:56
Size: 111,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Necessary Evil
(3:22)  2. One More Time
(4:19)  3. The Gentleman Is a Dope
(3:20)  4. Just Give Me a Man
(3:25)  5. Love Is a Dangerous Thing
(4:37)  6. My Foolish Heart
(4:39)  7. The Lies of Handsome Men
(3:24)  8. Get Out and Get Under the Moon
(5:24)  9. Out of This World
(3:20) 10. Hooray for Love
(3:30) 11. I'd Give a Dollar for a Dime
(4:24) 12. Last Train to Mercerville

“Singing in a satiny, impossibly old-fashioned, nearly three-octave voice, Ainsworth is the very portrait of West Coast cool…"~Nick DeRiso, SomethingElseReviews.com

As the daughter of renowned saxophonist Billy Ainsworth, Laura Ainsworth grew up watching her dad accompany such legends as Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. Her first album, "Keep It To Yourself," announced to the world that the sophisticated vocal style of the 1940s and '50s was still alive and well. Now, her second album, "Necessary Evil," extends that legacy of great music even further, and in new and exciting directions. On the film noir-themed "Necessary Evil," Laura and her partner/producer/pianist Brian Piper (2011 Dallas Jazz Musician of the Year and leader of the Newport Jazz Beach Party spotlight group, the Brian Piper Trio) offer a collection of terrific songs from the 1920s to today, all about love. 

Not love as a happily-ever-after fairy tale, but love with a twist: songs of heartache, lust, infatuation, fantasy, self-delusion and all the other aspects that sometimes make it feel less like a beautiful dream than a "necessary evil." Love is presented in all its forms, from heartbreaking (Laura's gorgeous new rendition of "My Foolish Heart") to hilarious ("Just Give Me A Man"). Opening with a blast of cool, Vegas-style big band brass from a 13-piece horn section on the title cut, "Necessary Evil" runs the stylistic gamut. Snap your fingers to the irresistibly bopping "The Gentleman Is A Dope"...be enchanted by the lush, exotic world jazz reinvention of "Out Of This World"...be transported back in time with the lilting "Get Out And Get Under The Moon"...and raise a martini to the cynical AC-style anthem to female empowerment, "The Lies Of Handsome Men." In the end, we realize that the only place you can always turn to for true, pure, eternal love is in the great old songs on the jukebox ("I'd Give A Dollar For A Dime). 

And so the album concludes with the brilliant new tribute to the king of romantic standards, "Last Train To Mercerville." Accompanied by a swinging big band and Piper's genius arrangement, this track cleverly weaves together lyrical and musical references to dozens of timeless Johnny Mercer songs. It's a brand new Big Band classic for the 21st century, and a song that Laura believes her late dad would've loved. So hop on the train back to a time when men donned fedoras to take dames with dangerous curves and long, satin gloves to swank gin joints, to hear great music by a stunning flame-haired chanteuse who's earning worldwide airplay and gushing reviews. But don't take our word for it. Download a FREE SONG at lauraainsworth.com, join her on Facebook and Twitter, or just check out what the critics had to say...More (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauraainsworth3).

Necessary Evil

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Larry Coryell - Fallen Angel

Styles: Jazz, Fusion
Label: CTI Records
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:42
Size: 118,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Inner City Blues
(3:45)  2. Fallen
(3:34)  3. Never Never
(5:40)  4. (Angel on Sunset) Bumpin' on Sunset
(0:54)  5. Stardust
(4:31)  6. Misty
(3:07)  7. I Remember Bill
(5:52)  8. Pieta
(4:49)  9. Thus Spoke Z
(4:32) 10. Stella by Starlight
(6:25) 11. Monk's Corner
(2:03) 12. Westerly Wind
(2:53) 13. The Moors

On Fallen Angel, Larry Coryell teams up with arranger Don Sebesky to produce a wide-ranging album full of sampled sounds and programmed tracks in an attempt to mix the old CTI sound of the '70s with the production techniques and rhythms of the '90s. "Inner City Blues" kicks things off with great promise, as Coryell jams over a pre-programmed rhythm track with background vocalists. On "(Angel on Sunset) Bumpin' on Sunset," he improvises along with a sampled Wes Montgomery, then turns Erroll Garner's classic "Misty" into a mid-tempo reggae jaunt through which he and pianist Mulgrew Miller travel lightly. The CTI connection is brought to the forefront with a remake of Deodato's "2001" hit called "Thus Spoke Z," on which the famous theme is implied but never stated. Other highlights include a funky, angular tribute called "Monk's Corner," Sebesky's attractive "I Remember Bill" and the solo "Westerly Wind." 

There are also two pleasant smooth jazz vocal pieces at the front of the album, the beautiful ballad, "Fallen," a duet between vocalists Klyde Jones and Jeanie Bryson, and the funky made-for-radio "Never Never," featuring saxophonist Richard Elliot and a vocal from Ms. Jones. Fallen Angel was obviously an attempt to find Larry Coryell a place on the smooth jazz playlist, a task it didn't really accomplish. While it is not likely to appease those who bemoan the guitarist's failure to live up to his initial promise, it can be enjoyed if taken on its own terms.~Jim Newsom(http://www.allmusic.com/album/fallen-angel-mw0000622907).

Personnel: Larry Coryell (electric guitar); Klyde Jones (vocals); Chris Hunter (alto saxophone); Richard Elliot (tenor saxophone); Mulgrew Miller, Ted Rosenthal (piano),Mulgrew Miller (piano); Don Sebesky, Jamie Lawrence (synthesizer).

Fallen Angel

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