Rick Vito - Band Box Boogie

Styles: Swing, West Coast Blues
Released: 2003
Label: Hypertension Records
File: mp3@320K/s
Size: 123 MB
Time: 49:05
Art: full

1. Rhythm - 2:19
2. Blues Town - 4:32
3. Last Change To Mambo - 3:39
4. Little Sheba - 4:16
5. Band Box Boogie - 2:49
6. Where Did You Go Bettie Page ? - 3:39
7. The Ways Of Sin - 4:46
8. Baby's In The Big House - 4:04
9. The Gypsy Serenade - 3:45
10. Message From Mister Jordan - 5:19
11. Hungry Man - 3:21
12. I Cant't Stop Rockin' - 3:28
13. Jack Knife Jump - 3:03

Notes: This CD blends Rick's unique brand of tasty guitar flash on material that incorporates elements of jump blues, cool swing and sensual slide guitar-driven rock and roll.
Backed by a pumping rhythm section that features the sax work of Jim Hoke, acoustic bassist Glen Worf, and drummer Ian Wallace (among others), Rick makes an impressive vocal delivery on tunes such as "Where Did You Go, Bettie Page?," "Last Chance to Mambo," and "Little Sheba," and tears up the frets on "Blues Town," and the fiery swing instrumental title track, "Band Box Boogie."
This is a great guitar-lovers CD, and will also be appreciated by those who appreciate their bluesy rock & roll with a jump and jive feel to it.
"BAND BOX BOOGIE" received a five star pick from Guitar Techniques magazine ("...an album that took our breath away from track one!"), and will soon receive featured reviews in both Guitar Player, and Vintage Guitar magazines.
We're betting that you'll love this one!

Band Box Boogie

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Deborah Shulman & The Ted Howe Trio - Get Your Kicks: The Music & Lyrics Of Bobby Troup

Size: 114,9 MB
Time: 49:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz: Vocals
Art: Front

01. You're Looking At Me (5:11)
02. Route 66 (3:34)
03. Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast (3:08)
04. Daddy (3:43)
05. Baby All The Time (5:09)
06. Girl Talk (5:19)
07. Lemon Twist (4:15)
08. February Brings The Rain (3:06)
09. The Three Bears (4:58)
10. It Happened Once Before (5:41)
11. Meaning Of The Blues (4:56)

Songwriter Bobby Troup was a master at composing conversational lyrics, and vocalist Deborah Shulman is a master at interpreting such lyrics. That the two come together on Get Your Kicks: The Music and Lyrics of Bobby Troup should be no surprise; also, it is about time that Troup received an homage treatment like this. His lyrics were always 1950s chic, written in a day before political correctness ended the evolution and expansion of the Great American Songbook. What Shulman does is bring an honest understanding of both a music and its period of popularity.

Ted Howe joins Shulman again after their collaboration with trombonist Larry Zalkind on Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Bernstein, Weill & Sondheim (Summit, 2012). Here, leading his trio, Howe's approach to arrangement is striking and illustrated in the rather dark "Route 66" and pathologically forlorn "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast." In Shulman's hands these are ballads of experience—too much, in fact, rather than a blushing socialite after an evening tryst.

One of Troup's most striking and controversial songs, "Girl Talk" is give a golden treatment, with Shulman navigating the period's sexism and making the song more ironic than a 1950s vision of women in the Eisenhower era. Get Your Kicks: The Music and Lyrics of Bobby Troup is a wholly conceived project by two masters at the top of their respective games. ~Review by C. Michael Bailey

Personnel: Deborah Shulman: vocals; Ted Howe: piano; Kevin Axt: bass; Dave Tull: drums.

Get Your Kicks

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Deborah Shulman & Larry Zalkind - Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Bernstein, Weill & Sondheim

Size: 159,1 MB
Time: 67:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Jazz: Vocals
Art: Front

01. Something's Coming (3:53)
02. Lucky To Be Me (6:03)
03. Mack The Knife (5:44)
04. The Ladies Who Lunch (3:29)
05. Children Will Listen (5:17)
06. It's Love (4:21)
07. I Feel Pretty (5:35)
08. Losing My Mind (5:34)
09. September Song (4:34)
10. Ain't Got No Tears Left (4:42)
11. My Ship (2:28)
12. Leave You (4:42)
13. Lost In The Stars (5:08)
14. Medley No One Is Alone - Not While I'm Around (6:18)

The respective output from compositional icons Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill and, to a lesser extent, Stephen Sondheim has frequently been putty in jazz musicians' and arrangers' hands, proving that malleability is a sine qua non for long-range success in writing; genius-level composing skills, of course, also tend to help.

While the actual act of interpreting the work of these three men is hardly original at this point, the fashion by which vocalist Deborah Shulman, trombonist Larry Zalkind and their talented compatriots dig into their music is wholly unique. They look at each of these fourteen selections as individual opportunities to honor each composer's original intention, while painting their own innovative brushstrokes atop these masterworks. While it would be easy to commit to a single strategy for a project like this, be it art song haughtiness, classical stringency or out-and-out nightclub jazz, Shulman and Zalkind take the high road, touching on everything but committing to no single avenue or approach. Zalkind's tone, honed through his work as the principal trombonist with the Utah Symphony, and Shulman's theatrical delivery hide no secrets about their respective stylistic comfort zones, but both artists prove to be just as malleable as the songs they interpret.

Four different arrangers were tapped for this project and each man brings something different to the table. Jeff Colella gives "Something's Coming" a terrific odd-metered makeover and brings a light-handed approach to "I Feel Pretty," while Terry Trotter moves "It's Love" from easy-does-it swing to Brazilian shores. Brad Warnaar turns "My Ship" into a rich and rewarding piece for a Zalkind overdubbed trombone choir, and Ted Howe removes the happy-go-lucky-swing shackles that often keep "Mack The Knife" from reaching its full potential. Here, it's reborn with chamber grace, riding atop a flowing 12/8 feel with graceful strings, accordion and, of course, trombone, helping to resurface its well-worn exterior.

Studio aces like guitarist Larry Koonse and drummer Joe LaBarbera deserve some credit for helping to shape and mold these songs into their final state, but this is really the Shulman and Zalkind show. Shulman's clear diction and artful interpretations of these songs, and Zalkind's fine and focused trombone work make for a winning combination. ~Review by Dan Bilawsky

Personnel: Deborah Shulman: vocals; Larry Zalkind: trombone; Jeff Colella: piano; Chris Colangelo: bass; Joe LaBarbera: drums; Larry Koonse: guitar; Roberta Zalkind: viola; Matthew Zalkind: cello; Frank Marocco: accordion; Steve Schaeffer: drums; Terry Trotter: piano.

Lost In The Stars

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Rick Wurzbacher - Rick Wurzbacher Live Feat. Joey DeFrancesco

Size: 154,0 MB
Time: 66:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. The Sermon ( 7:01)
02. The Reverand ( 8:06)
03. All Blues (12:25)
04. The Champ (11:21)
05. Lenny ( 5:48)
06. Champagne Glass Blues (11:10)
07. Mac Tough (10:52)

Rick Wurzbacher LIVE with very special guest "The Incredible JOEY DEFRANCESCO" on the B-3 organ. This cd was recorded LIVE at Blues Alley, Georgetown DC on July 30, 2001. There are many significant features about this CD; Rick goes into the audience and borrows a patron's champagne glass and uses it as a slide on the guitar. Joey plays the organ, bass lines, and trumpet all at the same time. Bertell Knox plays incredible percussion at the age of 74. This album was mixed and produced at Racetrack Sound Studios' Les Paul Control Room by Paul Chiacchierini and Rick Wurzbacher. Mastering was completed at John Oram's Analogue Barn in Meopham, Kent, England, by JOHN ORAM "The Father of British EQ", assisted by Dave Cherry and Ash Phipps using the patented British Analogue Mastering technique with Maximum Saturation Technology. The results are stunning!

Rick Wurzbacher Live Feat. Joey DeFrancesco

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Nancy Walker - 'Til Now Is Secret

Size: 149,1 MB
Time: 64:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Chamber Jazz
Art: Front

01. 'Til Now Is Secret (7:13)
02. Night On Earth (9:44)
03. Arctic Willow (6:27)
04. Folding (3:28)
05. Shade Of Many Shades (8:23)
06. Mock Turtle (3:02)
07. Luna Llena (6:28)
08. Buzz Theory (8:42)
09. Chemin Des Cascades (5:19)
10. I Read It Somewhere (5:47)

Pianist/composer Nancy Walker has been recognized with honours Canada-wide, including the National Jazz Awards Keyboardist Of The Year Award, the Montréal International Jazz Festival’s prestigious Grand Prix de Jazz, a JUNO nomination for Instrumental Album Of The Year, and an induction into the Mississauga Music Walk Of Fame.

Nancy has a solid background as a pianist and keyboard player for a variety of international recording and concert acts, both in and outside the jazz idiom. She’s recorded and toured with children’s entertainer Raffi, folk artist Sylvia Tyson, pop icons The Parachute Club, balladeer Roger Whittaker, and the late well-loved composer Hagood Hardy. As the pianist in the John Geggie Trio, Nancy held the piano chair in the house rhythm section for The Ottawa International Jazz Festival’s nightly jam sessions for over a decade. She can be heard on recently released recordings by Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra, Fair/Galloway Quintet, John Geggie + Donny McCaslin (this Plunge Records release garnered rave reviews and made several "best of" lists), and Swedish guitarist Mikko Hildén.

Nancy also has several discs to her credit as leader. Her most recent release is 'Til Now Is Secret. Showcasing ten of her original compositions, the recording features multi-reed player Shirantha Beddage, guitarist Ted Quinlan, bassist Kieran Overs and drummer Ethan Ardelli.

"Nancy Walker has played enough piano to know how to keep listeners interested however hard she pushes the boundaries of familiarity." - Geoff Chapman, The Whole Note Magazine

'Til Now Is Secret

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Jade De Lafleur - Jaded EP

Size: 73,4 MB
Time: 31:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Blues/R&B Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Way You Look At Me (3:54)
02. Fly (2:23)
03. Smokin' In My Car (Feat. James Fauntleroy) (4:47)
04. Stormy Weather (3:11)
05. Jaded (3:31)
06. Freedom (Feat. James Fauntleroy) (3:29)
07. Blue Notes And Green Trees (3:00)
08. So Long (Feat. Da From Chester French) (3:48)
09. Brown Box (3:37)

The 9 track EP features the singer/songwriter’s experimental mix of R&B, jazz and blues as well as songwriting and production from James Fauntleroy, D.A. from Chester French, Corey “Chorus” Gibson, The Page Brothers and LaFleur herself. To celebrate the release of the project, LaFleur exclusively premiered a stream of the EP on Noisey.

Jaded features the single, “Blue Notes & Green Trees” and the title track, “Jaded”, which was also featured on Solange’s Saint Heron compilation album. Other standout tracks include “Smoking In My Car” featuring James Fauntleroy, “So Long” featuring D.A. from Chester French and “Brown Box”. The EP tells the story of Jade’s first experiences moving to New York City and is a collection of her thoughts, heartbreaks, feelings and humbling moments.

2014 is already shaping up to be a great year for Jade as she has already won the praise and support of such outlets as Complex, VIBE, Billboard, Essence, CMJ and Centric who named her as one of “14 R&B Artists You Need to Know In 2014” along with such names as Jhene Aiko, Sampha and Kelela.

Jade de LaFleur is poised to change the landscape of R&B and Jaded is just the first taste of what is to come. Go ahead and take listen to the artist everyone is raving about!

Jaded

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Gill Manly - With A Song In My Heart

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:28
Size: 131,6 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:41)  1. Midnight Sun
(3:08)  2. Robbin's Nest
(6:04)  3. With A Song In My Heart
(3:51)  4. A Night In Tunisia
(4:29)  5. Daydream
(7:24)  6. Taxi Driver - Love For Sale
(3:55)  7. Take Love Easy
(5:57)  8. September Song
(3:00)  9. Sittin And a-Rockin'
(5:02) 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
(3:18) 11. Where Or When
(3:22) 12. Lush Life
(4:10) 13. I Keep Going Back To Joe's

Gill who? Until a decade or so ago, Gill Manly was a familiar face, a versatile singer who - like her friends Barb Jungr and Ian Shaw - could skip between blues, jazz and pop and who had built an impressive reputation as a teacher and all-round ideas machine. Serious illness then interrupted her career, and her devotion to Buddhism carried her off on a different path all together. Now she is back with an album that is easily one of the best vocal efforts of the past 12 months. 'With a Song in my Heart' is a desperately old-hat title, to be honest, and the bland cover photograph of the artist, microphone in hand, is not likely to stop many punters in their tracks. It is only when you delve deeper that you truly sense the level of sophistication. It is, perhaps, the sort of record that can only have been made by someone who has done her share of living. 'Lush Life' is the ultimate test, and Manly passes it in style. Her Soho date was a slightly more easy-going affair, the singer - who now walks with a cane - remaining seated for the most part as her band, directed by that understated pianist Simon Wallace, blew an unpretentious path through songs from the album. Guy Barker stepped up to add peppery trumpet obbligatos. It was not all torch songs. Manly let rip on 'I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues' and swung gently on 'Sittin' and a Rockin', the drummer Ralph Salmins and bassist Mark Hodgson setting up a nonchalant pulse. If the choice of material was conceived as a homage to Ella Fitzgerald, the finished product bears the stamp of Manly's own personality. Her performance, particularly on 'Midnight Sun' and 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most', had an intensity that made the work of many of her younger rivals seem callow by comparison. ~ The Times

It's been a decade since the last album from singer Gill Manly, and it's good to have her back. She's a wonderful interpreter of top-drawer songs and this new CD oozes class. The programme is designed as a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, so the programme is packed with timeless standards, as well as a few less familiar choices. Manly is superb, her rich voice bringing the best out of the lyrics, and her interpretations are coloured by a sense of improvisation, not least on a duet with the super-hip Mark Murphy on 'I Keep Going Back to Joe's'. ~ Yorkshire Post

Jazz singing is so much more difficult than many of the new jazz singers believe. It's so exposing, for a start - there is no external instrument to hide behind, no place to hide. One note hit not quite in the centre, one shaky rhythmic moment, one verse which doesn't quite convince the listener... it's just so easy to fall. Have you ever heard of Gill Manly? Nope, neither had I. I think we might be excused our ignorance as this is her first recording in over a decade and even before then she was working mostly locally in London. For a while she turned to a spiritual quest, convinced her singing career was behind her. She picked up the mic again two years ago and this is very much the work of an artist given a much valued and strongly embraced second chance. 

It's inspired by Ella and there are moments when an individual sample, subjected to a voice pattern test, might throw up an uncanny similarity in phrasing and timbre. To be able to approach the vocal near-perfection of the great Ms Fitzgerald is an achievement in itself. But this is certainly not to suggest that Gill Manly is an imitator for nothing could be further from the truth. It's truly remarkable and truly inspiring to hear a 'new' singer who is this good. The songs are mostly familiar ones  'September Song', 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most', 'Midnight Sun', 'Lush Life' but the insights Gill gives, both to their melodic and harmonic content, and to their lyrical meaning are fresh and original. She is just as comfortable at quicker, swinging paces as in slow ballads, and her vocal technique is both impeccable and apparently effortlessly delivered. She has a strong trio behind her, led on piano by Simon Wallace, Guy Barker adds some tasty trumpet and Mark Murphy pops in for a duet. I've searched this disc for some failure, some fall from grace, but I have searched in vain. It's as near perfection as we humans can manage. ~ The Jazz Breakfast  (Editorial Reviews)   http://www.amazon.com/With-Song-Heart-Gill-Manly/dp/B001PA7O4O

With A Song In My Heart

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Lisa Hilton - Kaleidoscope

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:04
Size: 115,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Simmer
(4:40)  2. Whispered Confessions
(5:00)  3. Labyrinth
(5:07)  4. When I Fall in Love
(3:41)  5. Bach, Basie, Bird Boogie Blues Bop
(3:51)  6. Kaleidoscope
(4:30)  7. Midnight Mania
(3:12)  8. Blue Horizon
(5:28)  9. Stepping Into Paradise
(3:51) 10. One and Only
(4:46) 11. Sunny Side Up

“Lisa Hilton’s signature style is impressively on display.”  George Harris/JazzWeekly

“Lisa Hilton is a jazz musician of incredible sensibility and nuance that, along with a beautifully evocative style of playing, places her at the very top. The track Midnight Mania is insanely great music, one of several by the way, where Hilton and JD are in perfect sync, with bassist Grenadier and drummer Marcus Gilmore pushing the beat in some truly fascinating ways.” ~ Hugh Carson/KVNF Radio

“We play a boat-load of Lisa Hilton’s music, & have quite a few fans on our staff.” ~ Mark DeBoskey/ KSDS Radio

 “LOVE IT! Nice arrangements/feel/music.  I really like the composed/impressionistic aspects, plus the lush recording.” ~ Todd Steed/WUOT Radio

 “Under the deft touch and considerable artistic vision of Lisa Hilton, modern and traditional jazz come together as one. The new sound for improvisational music is only enhanced with the prolific rhythm section of bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Marcus Gilmore when you toss in the King of improvisational minimalism in tenor player, J.D. Allen, then things just got serious. Nine of the eleven tunes on Kaleidoscope are originals further solidifying Hilton as a composer of note. In somewhat the same lyric vein as Allen there has been a zen-like less is more quality to Hilton’s work, yet with Allen the harmonics and the lyric flow are more open ended and there is a deceptively subtle sense of urgency smoldering just beneath the surface. Hilton moves effortlessly between classical and jazz with Bach/Basie/Bird Boogie Blues Bop while doing her own riff on Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock with the opening tune, Simmer. There is a shift, a lyrical and harmonic adjustment within the more traditional ranks of jazz and Lisa Hilton is now leading the charge. A formidable quartet with adventurous original compositions banged out by some of the finest musicians of our time. It doesn’t get much better than this”.  ~ Brent Black/Critical Jazz.com 2014     http://lisahiltonmusic.com/?p=1337

Personnel: Lisa Hilton (piano); J.D. Allen (tenor saxophone); Marcus Gilmore (drums).

Kaleidoscope

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Nils Gessinger - Ducks'N'Cookies

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:13
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:35)  1. Ducks`N`Cookies
(4:55)  2. Angel
(6:34)  3. Late Nite
(3:25)  4. Mind Overload
(6:27)  5. Nighttalk
(4:40)  6. Pem Pem
(5:08)  7. Central Park
(4:39)  8. Casacajun Girl
(5:26)  9. Smoothin´
(5:49) 10. Nilas
(6:05) 11. Afif
(4:45) 12. Bobo´s Blues
(6:06) 13. Almost Seven
(4:32) 14. Friends & Gloves

In the 1990s, smooth jazz was the whipping boy of the jazz world everyone from hard boppers to Dixieland revivalists to fusion guitarists railed against the schlock that filled NAC play lists. And their anger was often justifiable; elevator versions of Michael Bolton hits shouldn't be described as jazz. However, commercial pop-jazz doesn't have to be bloodless elevator Muzak, and the German keyboardist/organist Nils Gessinger was obviously well-aware of that fact when he recorded 1995's Ducks 'N' Cookies for GRP. Make no mistake: Ducks 'N' Cookies is commercial music. The pop-jazz instrumentals that dominate the CD are meant to be accessible and groove-oriented, and when Gessinger features a vocalist on occasion, he tends to favor soul-influenced pop/rock melodies along the lines of Steely Dan (but minus the cryptic, abstract lyrics that Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were known for). In fact, Ducks 'N' Cookies often sounds like it could have been recorded in the late '70s or early '80s instead of 1995  the CD recalls a time when artists like David Sanborn, the Crusaders, Ronnie Laws, and the late Grover Washington, Jr. were providing commercial pop-jazz that had some meat on its bones. Not a masterpiece but generally respectable, Ducks 'N' Cookies could easily be described as "smooth jazz with a difference." ~ Alex Hernderson   http://www.allmusic.com/album/ducks-n-cookies-mw0000646773.

Personnel Billy King – vocals, Nils Gessinger - piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Fender Rhodes

Ducks`N`Cookies

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Nancy Wilson - Broadway My Way

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1963/2006
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 45:29
Size: 73,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:08)  1. A Lot Of Livin' To Do
(4:42)  2. You Can Have Him
(2:33)  3. Tonight
(3:17)  4. Make Someone Happy
(2:02)  5. I Believe In You
(2:29)  6. As Long As He Needs Me
(2:35)  7. Getting To Know You
(3:14)  8. My Ship
(2:04)  9. The Sweetest Sounds
(3:56) 10. Joey, Joey, Joey
(2:12) 11. Loads Of Love
(2:31) 12. I'll Know
(2:07) 13. Hello, Young Lovers
(2:57) 14. If Ever I Would Leave You
(1:45) 15. I'm All Smiles
(2:35) 16. Come Back To Me
(2:12) 17. Don't Rain On My Parade

This fine album was one of many solid Capitol releases Nancy Wilson cut during the first half of the '60s. Having already visited Tinseltown's back catalog on Hollywood My Way, Wilson now turns to the wealth of Broadway songs for this 1964 offering. Along with material from familiar shows like Bye Bye Birdie "A Lot of Livin' to Do"), The King and I ("Getting to Know You"), and West Side Story ("Tonight"), Wilson also dives into stock from such relatively obscure stage excursions as Lady in the Dark ("My Ship") and No Strings ("Loads of Love"). All the performances are top-notch and feature the stellar charts of Jimmy Jones and a memorable cast that includes pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Bill Perkins, and trumpeter Dan Fagerquist, among others. [The 2006 CD reissue added five bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Cook   http://www.allmusic.com/album/broadway-my-way-mw0000573152

Personnel: Nancy Wilson (vocals); John Michael Gray, Al Hendrickson (guitar); Paul Horn (reeds); Bill Perkins, Justin Gordon, Bill Hood, Buddy Collette (saxophone); Don Fagerquist (trumpet); Lew McCreary (trombone); Lou Levy (piano); Shelly Manne, Kenny Dennis (drums); Emil Richards (percussion).

Broadway My Way

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Jim Alfredson's Dirty Fingers - A Tribute To Big John Patton

Size: 143,1 MB
Time: 62:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ, Soul-Jazz
Art: Front

01. Good Juice (8:31)
02. Daddy James (6:12)
03. Dirty Fingers (6:52)
04. Gentle John (7:45)
05. Let 'em Roll (7:23)
06. Early A.M (7:38)
07. String Bean (5:49)
08. My Valentine (4:34)
09. Along Came John (7:13)

Big John Patton (July 12, 1935 in Kansas City, Missouri – March 19, 2002 in Montclair, New Jersey) was a staple of the Blue Note label's roster during the heyday of soul jazz in the 1960s. As well as a respected and in-demand sideman, Patton also made a name for himself as a band leader and composer, defining the sound of acid jazz for decades to come.

Patton is the link between the bluesy hardbop of Jimmy Smith and the modal free-jazz explorations of Larry Young. His style is funky and raw, emotional and honest, and thrillingly visceral.

Jim Alfredson's playing and writing for organissimo is heavily influenced by Patton. This project is his way of honoring the man and his music. Featuring an all-star lineup, including the inimitable Randy Gelispie on drums (Professor of Jazz at Michigan State University, who has performed and/or recorded with Jack McDuff, Wes Montgomery, Larry Young, Gene Ludwig, Bill Heid, Nancy Wilson, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, and many more), the band romps through seven classic Patton songs as well as a contemporary ballad and an original by Alfredson.

A Tribute To Big John Patton

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Gabrielle Goodman - Songs From The Book / Spiritual Tapestry

Album: Songs From The Book
Size: 42,2 MB
Time: 17:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Soul, Gospel
Art: Front

01. Prelude (0:28)
02. I Wanna Be With You (2:45)
03. Neo Soul Etude (3:12)
04. Wade In The Water (3:51)
05. A Change Gon' Come (Feat. Jeff Ramsey) (2:17)
06. Thankful (4:52)
07. Neo (0:28)

"Songs From The Book" is a seven song collection of R&B and contemporary Gospel by the soulful diva Gabrielle Goodman. Goodman shows off her powerful vocals and demonstrates her skills as a songwriter and producer on this inspiring CD. As the writer of all but one of the songs on this CD, Goodman, the ASCAP award winning co-writer of Chaka Khan's "You Can Make The Story Right", proves that she's here to stay as a singer, songwriter, and producer. On "I Wanna Be With You" Goodman takes you back to the early days of Aretha Franklin and makes you wanna get up and dance. Her powerful vocals are a force to be reckoned with when her gospel roots shine through on "Thankful" and "Wade In The Water". Unafraid to share the spotlight, Goodman features vocalist Jeff Ramsey on "A Change Gon' Come" which is also written and produced by Goodman. When asked why she didn't sing lead on it she replied, " I wrote and produced it, so I'm there in a different capacity. And... Jeff sang the you "know what out" of it. I loved what he did with it and you will too!"All of the songs sizzle with soul power. Oh.. and if you're wondering what book the songs are from, all songs appear in Gabrielle Goodman's "Vocal Improvisation: Techniques in Jazz R&B and Gospel Improvisation" book. But "Songs From The Book" is strictly for your listening pleasure. So if you want to a taste of soul, sit back, relax and enjoy "Songs From The Book".

Songs From The Book

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Album: Spiritual Tapestry
Size: 150,6 MB
Time: 64:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Vocals, Gospel
Art: Front

01. Motherless Child (Feat. Terri Lyne Carrington & David A. Bunn) (4:13)
02. Steal Away (5:59)
03. Go Down Moses (6:28)
04. Deep River (Feat. Walter Beasley) (5:56)
05. Heaven Heaven (Feat. Patrice Rushen & Terri Lyne Carrington) (5:06)
06. Wade In The Water (4:33)
07. A City Called Heaven (Feat. Patrice Rushen) (5:41)
08. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel (5:38)
09. Swing Low Sweet Chariot (5:43)
10. Hold On (5:17)
11. Nobody Knows (The Trouble I've Seen) (4:55)
12. Over My Head (Feat. Matthew Truss) (5:00)

Spiritual Tapestry is a celebration of Negro Spirituals coupled with jazz and soul at its best with the soulful songstress Gabrielle Goodman at the helm. It is Gabrielle Goodman's 5th commercial CD. Spiritual Tapestry is a collection of 12 Negro Spirituals that have been given various stunning jazz treatments. Goodman's powerful vocals are featured on the CD with the sizzling sounds of Patrice Rushen (piano), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), Walter Beasley (sax), David Alan Bunn (piano), Yoron Isreal, Wiil Lydgate (bass), Jiri Nedoma (piano), Ron Reid (acoustic bass) and host of other great players breathing new life into the songs. Spiritual Tapestry takes listeners on a musical journey that freely moves from smooth jazz to traditional jazz with soul-stirring gospel inflections. Goodman's vocals will soothe your soul on "Steal Away" and have you dancing to the funky New Orleans beat on "Heaven Heaven". And on “Deep River” the singer clearly displays her gospel influences sounding like Aretha Franklin taking the song to higher heights with the help of saxophonist, Walter Beasley.

Spiritual Tapestry

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Zoe Gilby - Twelve Stories

Size: 131,8 MB
Time: 56:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz/Pop: Vocals
Art: Front

01. Windmills Of Your Mind - Waters Of March (5:21)
02. Is It Me (3:18)
03. In The Warm Room (3:30)
04. Guilty Man (3:02)
05. Red Headed Girl (4:52)
06. In It Together (3:14)
07. The Midnight Bell (4:31)
08. It Never Entered My Mind (5:24)
09. Red City (6:35)
10. Parents (7:52)
11. Money (3:50)
12. Caravan (5:15)

"A mix of intelligent original songs and innovative arrangements of tunes by both jazz and pop composers. It's the quality of the original songs that make this jazz vocal album stand out from the pack."

Zoë Gilby is a UK jazz vocalist and songwriter that has been making a real impression on the jazz scene today. A constantly expanding repertoire that starts with her compelling original compositions written with double bassist husband Andy Champion and performed by her highly accomplished band, which features guitarist Mark Williams and drummer Richard Brown. Her stockpile of music also reaches a wide range of more contemporary material from composers such as Pink Floyd through to Kate Bush. Also included in her varied programme are some superb interpretations of “The Great American Songbook”
Zoe is well deserving of the respect that she has been receiving from many leading jazz instrumentalists and publications. She has received touring support from Jazz Services and has performed with some of the UK top jazz musicians, including Louis Stewart, Jim Mullen Organ Trio, Dave Newton, Alan Barnes and Tony Faulkner.

Twelve Stories

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Adam Smale - Out Of The Blue

Size: 135,4 MB
Time: 58:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Guitar
Art: Full

01. New Start (5:27)
02. Blues To Yous (5:32)
03. Yes And No 2 (7:32)
04. Jazzenco (8:23)
05. Night Drive (6:02)
06. She Knows Me (7:15)
07. Autumn Confirmation (5:27)
08. Nyc Love Affair (6:00)
09. Original Sin (6:27)

Canadian seven-string guitar dynamo, Adam Smale makes his U.S. album debut with the March 4 release of Out of the Blue. Working with Tri-Fi, an established trio featuring pianist Mathew Fries, bassist Phil Palombi, and drummer Keith Hall, he plows through a nine-tune set consisting of eight original compositions and a reworking of a Wayne Shorter piece, “Yes and No.” He opens and closes the album with two tunes—“New Start” and “Original Sin”—played in trio format. In between, the quartet romps.

They do some sweet up-tempo work on “Autumn Confirmation,” a witty conflation of Bird’s “Confirmation” and the changes to the classic “Autumn Leaves,” and “NYC Love Affair,” a love song to the guitarist’s new home. “She Knows Me” is a gorgeous ballad played with touching lyricism, while “Jazzenco” adds an exotic note with its nod to flamenco.

Smale and company have put together a musically vibrant program from first note to last. Out of the Blue is an album with a kick.

Out Of The Blue

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Bronkenstein Connection - Bronkomania

Size: 131,9 MB
Time: 56:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Hammond Organ Jazz
Art: Front

01. Chicoree (4:55)
02. The Chirve (4:53)
03. It's All About Mcgriff (5:09)
04. Winter In Servoz (4:38)
05. Sunset Park (6:22)
06. Linguini (5:06)
07. Ghettoblaster (6:28)
08. Bronken Blues (9:02)
09. Marco Fogg (5:15)
10. A Liverpudlian Lion (4:48)

Bronkenstein Connection is a half French, half Swedish Funk/Jazz/Blues band based in Nice and Chamonix, France.
The Organ player Erik Brinkman and the guitar player Linus Olsson, representing the Swedish part of the group met up in 2008 via "Myspace" and started a trio with the drummer Max Miguel. In 2009 the saxophone player Benjamin Boutant also joined the group, to then become the quartet it still is today. Bronkenstein Connection recorded their first Album "Bronken Groove" in November 2010 in Valbonne, France. This new release "Bronkomania" Is the second album with the group.

Since their start in 2008 Bronkenstein Connection have played at numerous venues and festivals in France and Monaco. For example Cosmo Jazz Festival, Chamonix, La Note Bleue Jazz Festival - 2010, 2011, 2012, Monaco an much more. The sound of the group reminds for ex. of the Organ Combo recordings with "Jimmy McGriff" and of "Jimmy Smith" from the 70s. However, there's also similarities in their sound to more modern groups, such as "Soulive" and "John Scoefield" for example.

Bronkomania

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Simone Kopmajer - Emotion

Size: 134,6 MB
Time: 57:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Vocal Jazz/Pop
Art: Front

01. Valentine (2:59)
02. Emotion (3:45)
03. Go (3:54)
04. Sleepwalk (3:20)
05. Change The World (3:51)
06. Hello (4:14)
07. I Can't Tell You Why (4:11)
08. You're Still The One (4:07)
09. Words (3:51)
10. Rollin In The Deep (4:32)
11. Can't Help Falling In Love (4:46)
12. Lately (5:35)
13. You Raise Me Up (3:27)
14. Stairway To Heaven (5:16)

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. She had classical piano lessons starting at the age of eight and at 12 began playing saxophone. She performed in a youth big band and sang regularly in her father's band as a teenager. At 17 she studied with Sheila Jordan, who encouraged her. Kopmajer also studied with Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, and Michele Hendricks. Since earning a Masters from the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, Kopmajer has toured the Netherlands twice with the Euro Big Band, appeared at European jazz festivals, and recorded three CDs: Moonlight Serenade (for the Japanese Venus label), her best-known set Romance (for Zoho), and her privately released Taking a Chance on Love. Each CD emphasizes her own fresh versions of standards.

Emotion

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Esperanza Spalding - Junjo

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:07
Size: 112,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:56)  1. The Peacocks
(5:06)  2. Loro
(5:51)  3. Humpty Dumpty
(7:51)  4. Mompouana
(3:39)  5. Perazuán
(5:13)  6. Junjo
(4:55)  7. Cantora De Yala
(6:59)  8. Two Bad
(1:32)  9. Perazela

Esperanza Spalding's debut drives jazz's modern mainstream with a hip-sounding classic piano trio. Her emotional, wordless vocals and conversational bass playing offer a delightful celebration of music as folk art. Spalding's bass playing gets noticed while she interprets traditional jazz favorites as well as fresh new originals. Spalding, who was born in 1984, is younger than most jazz all-stars. And yet the fierce power of her trio proves that these musicians have all paid their dues many times over. The leader, a Portland, Oregon native, graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and now teaches there. Like many of us, she was turned on to jazz by Kind of Blue. Her pianist and drummer on this date, Aruán Ortiz and Francisco Mela, are from Cuba. She's chosen two of the best for her opening salvo in the competitive world of music. 

Of her chances, she says, "If your music is meant to be out there, and you stick to it and put everything you have into that, rather than making sure that someone is taking a nice picture of you, it will work. I think she's on her way to certain success. You can't argue with good taste. Unlike vocalese, Spalding uses a soft, wordless pattern that allows one vowel sound to flow into the next. It's not unlike the Portuguese sounds that often drive a bossa nova. She does sing one song with lyrics on Junjo, however, only to emphasize this point even stronger. "Cantora de Yala, sung in Spanish with nothing more than bass accompaniment, flows naturally with a poignant charm. The trio's interpretation of Chick Corea's Humpty Dumpty offers the best look at Spalding's bass playing. She likes to move with a comfortable rhythmic drive that never fades. Her concept remains lyrical from start to finish; she creates a focus for her energy and ensures that it follows a path toward beauty. Fresh voices such as this one on the modern jazz scene prove that good taste will always win over greedy ambition. ~ Jim Santella   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=22613#.Ux9hB4VZhhk 
 

Personnel: Esperanza Spalding (vocals, acoustic bass); Aruán Ortiz (piano); Francisco Mela (drums).

Junjo

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Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Diz 'n Bird at Carnegie Hall

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1947
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:13
Size: 169,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:11)  1. A Night in Tunisia
(4:05)  2. Dizzy Atmosphere
(5:16)  3. Groovin' High
(5:39)  4. Confirmation
(4:17)  5. Koko
(5:13)  6. Cool Breeze
(2:42)  7. Relaxin' at Camarillo
(5:20)  8. One Bass Hit
(3:59)  9. Nearness
(5:11) 10. Salt Peanuts
(7:15) 11. Cubano-Be, Cubano-Bop
(5:02) 12. Hot House
(3:17) 13. Toccata for Trumpet
(7:38) 14. Oop-Pop-A-Da
(3:02) 15. Things to Come

For those of us born too late to have experienced it ourselves, and for everybody else who missed it as it actually happened, Diz’N’Bird At Carnegie Hall documents an awesome concert performance by a partnership whose influence on the history of jazz is inescapable and profound, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Diz’N’Bird At Carnegie Hall provides fifteen selections from a Carnegie Hall performance by Dizzy Gillespie  with Joe Harris on drums, bassist Al McKibbon and pianist John Lewis (developing during this period into the eventual "Third Stream" musical master and leader of The Modern Jazz Quartet) as the rhythm section  with an orchestra and special guests Parker and Ella Fitzgerald, which took place September 29 1947. 

Parker and Gillespie square off in the quintet format for the first five tracks, then Parker drops out and Gillespie and crew are joined by an orchestra whose members include tenor James Moody, Milt Jackson (Lewis’ partner in the MJQ) on vibes, and Gillespie’s frequent foil when in a Latin mood, percussion player Chano Pozo. (Though not one of the six Gillespie and orchestra performances with Fitzgerald survive on this release). Suffice it to say that the five quintet numbers captured here present both Parker and Gillespie at or near the peak of their creative powers. After the Parker  Gillespie Quintet concluded a 1946 engagement in California, Gillespie returned home to New York City while Parker "took a rest" in a California hospital. Strengthened if not straightened out, Parker later returned to New York and by the summer of ’47 was leading bands at the Three Deuces, while at the same time Gillespie led his own bands at the Downbeat club right next door.  Diz’N’Bird At Carnegie Hall captures their first joint performance together since their California split. 

Their passionate and graceful playing on this program of "A Night In Tunisia," "Dizzy Atmosphere," "Groovin’ High," "Confirmation" and "Koko" helped establish the standard for the hard-driving, blue yet red-hot gestation of be-bop. During this period, Parker and Gillespie also helped "lift the bar" for improvisational standards for jazz musicians, viewed by many as the first such substantial shift since Louis Armstrong. Tunes with Gillespie and orchestra include such popular and be-bop standards as "Salt Peanuts," the solo vehicles "One Bass Hit" (for McKibbon) and "Cubano-Be, Cubano-Bop" (an absolute tour-de-force for Pozo), "Hot House" and a scatback vocal bit of comic relief, "Oop-Pop-A-Da." Such great songs played by great musicians would be enough, but there’s one more thing the arrangements, which include the work of some of the finest jazz musicians and music theorists ever, such as Lewis, ("Toccata For Trumpet"), George Russell (Parker’s "Relaxin’ At Camarillo" and "Cubano-Be, Cubano-Bop"), Tadd Dameron (his originals "Hot House" and "Nearness," and the blues "Cool Breeze," which he co-wrote with Gillespie and Billy Eckstine), and Gil Fuller (his originals "Things To Come" and "One Bass Hit," which he co-wrote with Gillespie and bassist Ray Brown). Diz ‘N’ Bird at Carnegie Hall completely leaves the listener with the sense that you have just walked among the jazz giants. ~ Chris M.Slawecki   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=2320#.UyE814VZhhk

Personnel: Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); Kenny "Pancho" Hagood (vocals); John Brown, Howard Johnson (alto saxophone); James Moody, Joe Gayles (tenor saxophone); Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone); Elmon Wright, Mathew McKay, Dave Burns, Ray Orr (trumpets); Taswell Baird, Williams Shepard (trombone); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Al McKibbon (bass); John Lewis (piano); Joe Harris (drums); Lorenzo Salan (bongos); Chano Pozo (congas).

Diz 'n Bird at Carnegie Hall

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Malene Mortensen - Malene Live In Paris

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 107,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:54)  1. Take Five
(5:18)  2. Blur
(4:55)  3. Date With a Dream
(5:59)  4. Temptation
(5:03)  5. All I Want
(4:11)  6. Morning Sun
(3:50)  7. Desperado
(6:24)  8. Mystery Man
(4:35)  9. We'll Be Together Again

Malene Winter Mortensen (born May 23, 1982) is a Danish singer. She made her entrance into the Danish music scene in 2001, during the first season of "Stjerne for en aften", the Danish edition of Star for a Night. She made it to the finals, with her rendition of Moloko's "Sing it back". The following year, she entered the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Although her song "Vis mig hvem du er" performed strongly in the national final, receiving top marks from all televoting regions, it was a full-scale failure at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, in its English version, "Tell me who you are". Her song received a mere seven points, placing her last amongst the 24 participating countries. The unforeseen Eurovision outcome was a blow to her previous achievements, but it did not make her give up her musical career. In 2003 she released her debut album called "Paradise". This album, revolving around modern jazz, was supported by three of Denmark's best known jazz musicians: Niels Lan Doky (piano), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass) and Alex Riel (drums).   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malene_Mortensen

Malene Live In Paris

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Tom Kubis Big Band - Slightly Off The Ground

Styles: Big Band
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:53
Size: 138,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Purple Porpoise Parkway
(7:25)  2. Exactly Like This
(4:36)  3. Play It Again, Sam
(4:41)  4. Who Can I Turn To
(3:24)  5. Slightly Off The Ground
(5:26)  6. Which Craft?
(3:40)  7. Ain't It Wonderful
(6:06)  8. Teach Me Tonight
(6:26)  9. Samba Dees Godda Do It
(4:28) 10. When You're Smiling
(4:47) 11. Imagine What A Change Will Do
(4:24) 12. Alexander's Big Time Band

Tom Kubis' first recording as a leader is quite impressive. His arranging chops were already in their prime, his big band uses similar personnel to the one in existence more than a dozen years later, and he makes several standards (along with a few originals) sound fresh and lively. Jack Sheldon helps out on "Play It Again Sam" (during which he quickly sums up the entire plot of Casablanca), "Who Can I Turn To," "Which Craft?," and "Alexander's Big Time Band," while trombonist Bill Watrous takes warm and heated solos on "Slightly Off the Ground" and a relaxed "When You're Smiling." The band swings hard, Kubis sounds fine on tenor and soprano, and the ensemble has a recognizable identity. For Tom Kubis, this was an impressive start to a productive career.~ Scott Yanow 

http://www.allmusic.com/album/slightly-off-the-ground-mw0000273008

Slightly Off The Ground

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