Silky Denims

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Kevyn Lettau - Walking In Your Footsteps: Songs Of The Police

Size: 112,7 MB
Time: 48:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Message In A Bottle (5:48)
02. Wrapped Around Your Finger (4:32)
03. Every Breath You Take (5:47)
04. Murder By Numbers (4:36)
05. Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic (4:18)
06. Walking In Your Footsteps (3:23)
07. King Of Pain (4:14)
08. When The World Is Running Down (0:44)
09. Synchronicity (3:25)
10. Don't Stand So Close To Me (4:34)
11. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (2:51)
12. I Burn For You (4:08)

Kevyn is on a journey. Her life and career have always been about movement and a refusal to accept boundaries, confinement or stereotypes.

At the age of fourteen Kevyn left her native Germany for the United States, where she finished high school while supporting herself cleaning houses and studying dance on the side. By seventeen the singing bug had gripped her and she was ready to make the fulltime commitment to becoming a singer. She started working with Peter Sprague singing Jazz, R & B and Brazilian music on the streets of Del Mar, California.

Kevyn sang with local San Diego groups until she was discovered by the famous Brazilian legend, Sergio Mendes. She toured and recorded with Sergio for eight years, as she developed her own very personal vocal style.

Kevyn's first two solo releases were on Nova records entitled Kevyn Lettau and Braziljazz respectively. She immediately garnered critical acclaim and a loyal following both in the U.S. and abroad, particularly in Japan and the Philippines, where she achieved near superstar status. She was a spokes model for a San Miguel soft drink, with multiple television commercials and print ads running there for years.

In 1992, Kevyn signed with JVC Music, where she continued her journey of musical and personal exploration. She recorded four albums for JVC including Simple Life in 1992, Another Season in 1994, Universal Language in 1995 and The Language of Flowers in 1998. 1999 brought the release of her greatest hits collection entitled Miracle Voice: The Best of Kevyn Lettau.

In 2000, Universal Music released Kevyn's Police CD, which was Kevyn's exploration of the music from the pop/rock genre-bending group, The Police. She followed in 2001, with another Universal Music release entitled Little Things.

"I feel like music has to grow and change as I do the same. I hate to have to categorize my music as one style or another. It seems impossible to put it into one small box with a neat bow wrapped around it! My hope is just to make good music one song at a time!"

Walking In Your Footsteps

Ian Date, Andy Firth, Nigel Date & Howard Cairns - A Date With Firth

Size: 131,3 MB
Time: 56:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Jazz: Swing, Gipsy
Art: Front

01. Date Fingers (4:28)
02. Call Me Darling (5:12)
03. Flamingo (2:48)
04. South of the Border (4:32)
05. Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schon.mp3 (5:45)
06. Cherokee (2:49)
07. I Left My Heart In San Fransisco (3:37)
08. On The Street Where You Live (3:59)
09. All The Way (6:32)
10. Up A Lazy River (4:37)
11. Besame Mucho (4:07)
12. Starlight Serenade (4:24)
13. Your Smile (Bonus Track) (4:21)
14. Far Away Across The Sea (5:00)

Personnel:
Andy Firth - Clarinet & Tenor Saxophone
Ian Date - Solo guitarist
Nigel Date - Rhythm guitar
Howard Cairns - Upright Bass

"On a very quick trip through my home town of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Ian, Nigel and Howard came over to my home for a very quick recording session. After 5 hours recording we had about nine good tracks in the can. We all did a few more the next morning and then played a gig that night. In April of 2012 Ian came back over for another duo session with me and we got a further 5 tracks done. The bonus tracks come from a session that Ian and I did with John Morrison and Natalie his bass playing wife at the time. As Ian resides in Ireland I grab every opportunity I can to work and record with this master of Gypsy swing guitar".

A Date With Firth

Oz Noy - Twisted Blues Vol. 2

Size: 144,0 MB
Time: 62:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Blues Jazz, Jazz Rock
Art: Front

01. You Dig (Feat. Greg Leisz) (6:33)
02. Rhumba Tumba (Feat.Chick Corea) (6:04)
03. Let Your Love Come Down (Feat. Gregroire Maret) (6:32)
04. Come Dance With Me (7:35)
05. Ej's Blues (Feat. Eric Johnson) (6:36)
06. Get Down (6:46)
07. Blue Ball Blues (Feat. Warren Haynes) (6:06)
08. Just Groove Me (Feat. Dave Weckl) (4:59)
09. Slow Grease (Feat. Allen Toussaint) (5:54)
10. Freedom Jazz Dance (Feat. John Medeski) (4:59)

Bassists Will Lee (The Late Show with David Letterman) and Roscoe Beck (Leonard Cohen, Robben Ford, The Dixie Chicks, Eric Johnson) provide the low end for singular guitarist/composer Oz Noy on his sixth album, Twisted Blues: Volume 2. The album is a follow-up to the 2011 release of Volume 1, also featuring Lee and Beck.

An Israeli native who has called the U.S. home since 1996, Noy says his work isn’t as complicated as some may think, and believes an understanding of the blues is key to sounding good. He says the improvisation in his work “is always on straight R&B or blues grooves. To me, blues and bebop are the glue to good music.”

Twisted Blues not only features the two star bassists, but guitarists Johnson and Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band), legendary New Orleans songwriter and musician Allen Toussaint, and another jazz legend, Chick Corea, on piano.

Twisted Blues Vol. 2

Laura Garam - This Gentle Rain

Size: 96,3 MB
Time: 41:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. An Easy Tune (2:57)
02. Lonely Hours (4:51)
03. Don't Be That Way (2:43)
04. Summer Goodbye (3:20)
05. Shiny Stockings (3:22)
06. Get The Feeling (2:27)
07. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (3:59)
08. This Could Be The Start Of Something Big (2:14)
09. Sweet Georgia Brown (3:44)
10. This Gentle Rain (3:17)
11. Look For Me I'll Be Around (3:56)
12. That's All (2:28)
13. Once Again (1:49)

Laura Garam comes as something of a surprise. A household name, even in her homeland Finland, she left full obscurity one and a half year ago and began singing jazz in the old way. Her voice, a natural and enjoyable one, shows exceptional talent and sense of style. Jazz ballads’ sentiment comes off amazingly and expressively, without compulsion over a jazz song cliché.

“This Gentle Rain” is a welcome debut from a new European jazz vocalist. Laura's voice has charm, and her willingness to go beyond the standard vocal repertoire is to be applauded.

The thirteen songs are accompanied by Mikki Nuorivaara (piano), Jukka Kampman (double bass, guitar) Antti Snellman (flute, saxophone) and Roni Kaspi (drums, percussion).

This Gentle Rain

David Reinhardt Trio - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 49:44
Size: 113.9 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. All The Things You Are
[2:55] 2. Berga
[3:25] 3. Casting
[4:00] 4. Chaumont
[5:07] 5. Dawson
[4:39] 6. Histoire Simple
[5:06] 7. Micro
[4:44] 8. Nina
[3:16] 9. Nuages
[4:20] 10. Oh Samba Lec
[2:44] 11. Pretexte
[6:14] 12. Swing 42

Grandson of the great Django Reinhardt and son of Babik, David Reinhardt was born in Longjumeau, France in 1986. He made his first stage appearance as a guitar player in 1993 at the age of 6, accompanied by his father Babik in a tribute to Django at the Django d'or. Without any concerns for the pressures that might come with such a namesake, David Reinhardt has carried out his family tradition with grace and a style all his own. After the passing of his father in 2001, he naturally took on his role in Christian Escoudé's Trio Gitan. With his David Reinhardt Trio, he has graced the stage of countless jazz events worldwide, including Philips Dubaï International Jazz Festival, Festival Internazionale Jazz Manouche de Turin and Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

David Reinhardt Trio

Kellylee Evans - Nina

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:40
Size: 111.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Do What You Gotta Do
[3:59] 2. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
[2:48] 3. Ain't Got No/I Got Life
[4:27] 4. Mood Indigo
[4:21] 5. Feeling Good
[4:03] 6. Tomorrow Is My Turn
[2:30] 7. I Loves You Porgy
[2:11] 8. July Tree
[3:43] 9. Love Me Or Leave Me
[4:02] 10. Ne Me Quitte Pas
[5:19] 11. Sinnerman
[7:48] 12. Wild Is The Wind

Every once in a while an homage project comes along actually doing what it sets out to do: pay homage. That the object of the present homage is the enigmatic Nina Simone makes Canadian Kellylee Evans' Nina that much more a definitive statement of a courageous cultural career. Add to this that Evans thoughtfully does not cover Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn," and this collection is properly frames not only Simone, but also Evans, whose musical vision, already established, is a formidable one.

Evans employs a small, uncomplicated band for her spare treatment of the Simone songbook. The piano trio is replaced by a svelte guitar trio led by guitarist Marvin Sewell, whose damped round tone provides a retro-Herb Ellis tone. Evans effects a performance of the traditional "Sinnerman" that lays half-way between Simone's 1965 recording pm Pastel Blues (Philips), and Peter Tosh's reggae incarnation "Downpressor Man," from Equal Rights (CBS, 1977). Sewell plays a soupy slide guitar over Francois Moutin's burping jungle groove, propelled by Andre "Dede" Ceccarelli's snare-less drumming. Evans sings with a relaxed urgency, one not unlike Simone. But amidst it all, Evans retains her own potent identity with material that would have eaten lesser talent alive. Simone is properly honored while Evans is properly framed. ~C. Michael Bailey

Kellylee Evans: vocals; Marvin Sewell: guitars; François Moutin: bass; Andre Ceccarelli: drums.

Nina

Oscar Peterson Trio - Encore At The Blue Note

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:55
Size: 169.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1990/2009
Art: Front

[ 9:24] 1. Falling In Love With Love
[ 9:00] 2. Here's That Rainy Day
[13:00] 3. Medley: Goodbye Old Girl/He Has Gone
[ 8:35] 4. The Gentle Waltz
[ 9:15] 5. Billie's Bounce
[ 5:10] 6. The More I See You
[ 8:43] 7. I Wished On The Moon
[10:45] 8. Cool Walk

The fourth CD taken from a reunion engagement at the Blue Note by pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Bobby Durham, this set is up to the same level as the other three. The Oscar Peterson Trio of the late '50s (along with Peterson's drummer of a decade later) jam through five standards (including a heated "Falling in Love with Love") and four of Peterson's originals, highlighted by a medley of his "Goodbye Old Girl" and "He Has Gone."

Encore At The Blue Note

Sarah McLawler & Richard Otto - We Bring You Swing

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:18
Size: 131.2 MB
Styles: Swing
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[1:51] 1. When Lilacs Bloom
[2:05] 2. Canadian Sunset
[2:23] 3. Slow Boat To China
[2:39] 4. Robbins Nest
[2:35] 5. Rainbow On The River
[2:35] 6. My Reverie
[2:52] 7. Midnight Sun
[2:15] 8. Lullaby Of Birdland
[2:15] 9. Love Walked In
[2:29] 10. The High And The Mighty
[2:18] 11. A Foggy Day
[2:18] 12. Caravan
[2:16] 13. A Foggy Day
[2:36] 14. My Reverie
[2:15] 15. Lullaby Of Birdland
[2:29] 16. The High And The Mighty
[1:51] 17. When Lilacs Bloom
[2:18] 18. Caravan
[2:23] 19. Slow Boat To China
[2:37] 20. Robbins Nest
[2:17] 21. Love Walked In
[2:05] 22. Canadian Sunset
[2:35] 23. Rainbow On The River
[2:50] 24. Midnight Sun

In mid 1953, Sarah is signed to Brunswick. She is joined by her childhood friend Gayle Brown for the Brunswick release "Gone Are The Days". In June, Sarah and her trio are on stage for a week at New York's Apollo Theater. In May Brunswick releases #84009 - "I'm Tired Of Crying Over You" and "Foolin' Myself". This is followed the next month by #84014 - "Let's Get The Party Rockin'" and "Blue Room" recorded with Georgie Auld and his band. In early July Sarah plays a week at Washington D.C.'s Howard Theater. Not much is heard from McLawler until the following April when she begins a long association with violinist Richard Otto. Brunswick #84026 contains "Somehow" and "You're Gone". Other records for Brunswick include "Body And Soul" and "Yesterday". The Capitol Lounge is the last remaining R & B room in the Chicago Loop. In May of 1954 that room calls it a day and Sarah has the distinction of being the last musical attraction to perform at that room. In October Sarah plays a number of club dates in New York's Harlem.

From that time on for a number of years, Sarah was part of a unique trio of organ, violin, and drums. The violinist was Otto whom she eventually married, and the drummer was Tommy Hunter. They recorded a number of singles including "Relax Miss Frisky", "Flamingo", "Canadian Sunset", and "At The Break Of Day", and albums for the Vee-Jay label, the most successful being the "We Give You Love". A followup LP was recorded under the title "We Give You Swing". The McLawler - Otto trio closed out 1959 with a tour through the Midwest with Ray Charles ending up with a holiday week at Chicago's Regal Theater. She remained a wonderful performer, and a part of the R & B legacy that started it all.

We Bring You Swing

Janis Mann - A Perfect Time - Drummers And Other Friends

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:23
Size: 175,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:51) 1. All my tomorrows
(6:29) 2. Summer night
(4:11) 3. Sharing the night with the blues
(6:35) 4. Quietly there
(4:32) 5. Can’t get out of this mood
(6:11) 6. The meaning of the blues
(4:26) 7. Cool
(5:41) 8. Someone to light up my life
(4:29) 9. Young and foolish
(5:31) 10. Everything happens to me
(4:27) 11. Love walked in
(4:18) 12. Watch what happens
(4:25) 13. Just in time
(3:41) 14. Once in a while
(5:29) 15. Old devil moon

Perhaps you know Janis Mann for her decade-long prominence among Seattle’s many great female jazz singers, or for the four collections of standards she released between 1997 and 2003. If not, then A Perfect Time: Drummers and Other Friends is, indeed, a perfect time to acquaint yourself with a truly splendid, if vastly underappreciated, vocalist. Mann, who originally hails from Brooklyn and has now settled in L.A, is owner and operator of a splendid instrument that owes as much to June Christy as it does to Sarah Vaughan. She possesses the unique ability to be simultaneously cool and sultry, to seem as crystalline as Baccarat’s finest yet smoky as a Dietrich film festival, and to suggest that she’s just stepped out of the 1950s while sounding utterly contemporary.

As the album’s title hints, Mann’s intent is to celebrate her admiration for first-class drummers by dividing the 15 tracks among four of the very best, with Peter Erskine, Joe La Barbera and Roy McCurdy each sitting in for four tracks and Paul Kreibich stick-handling the remaining three. The four lads’ contributions are expectedly superb. But, being the pros they are, all are far more interested in keeping their brilliance in the background, pushing Mann’s magnificent voice fully in the spotlight. (Oh, and while we’re on the subject of superlative accompaniment, it is imperative to add that bassists Chuck Berghofer and John Clayton deserve high praise for their equally subdued, equally gorgeous work.) The exquisite way in which Mann, with considerable assistance from arranger, producer and pianist Tamir Hendelman, finesses the likes of “Love Walked In,” “Just in Time,” “Once in a While” and “Watch What Happens” is beyond compare.

But what makes A Perfect Time most pleasurable is Mann’s ability to dig up less-familiar chestnuts Harry Warren’s softly wistful “Summer Night,” Johnny Mandel’s heartbreakingly wishful “Quietly There,” Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn’s joyously optimistic “All My Tomorrows” and the cautionary West Side Story anthem “Cool” (performed with such keenly intelligent precision that it sounds more choreographed than arranged) and transform them into the luminous gems they deserve to be. ~ Christopher Loudon http://jazztimes.com/articles/20852-a-perfect-time-drummers-and-other-friends-janis-mann

Personnel: Janis Mann (vocals); Diane Schuur (vocals, piano); Jeff Clayton (alto flute, alto saxophone); Tamir Hendelman (piano); Joe La Barbera, Peter Erskine, Roy McCurdy, Paul Kreibich (drums).

A Perfect Time - Drummers And Other Friends

Jessy J - Second Chances

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:41
Size: 96,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:57) 1. Listen 2 the Groove
(3:42) 2. Second Chances
(3:34) 3. Feel Like Makin' Love
(4:25) 4. Magalenha
(4:15) 5. Tango For Two
(4:14) 6. Dos
(3:24) 7. La Luna Feliz
(5:15) 8. Double Trouble
(3:06) 9. Mambo Gumbo
(4:45) 10. Twice

It's a paradox that what distinguishes Jessy J was the very thing she did not put enough emphasis upon; being a female Latin jazz artist. Through three albums of solid, if standard, smooth jazz grooves enlivened somewhat by more distinctive outbursts of originality the lady known as Jessica Spinella stumbled with the blandly generic Hot Sauce (Heads Up, 2011). In every musician's career a time comes when they must choose to follow a path to success chartered by others or one chartered by themselves. Perhaps Jessy J realized she was marginalizing herself as just another smooth jazz saxophonist in an overcrowded field and decided it was time for a course correction. Either way Second Chances shows a musician willing to take chances even if they aren't big chances. It's still a compliment as Hot Sauce failed to be little more than product. Here, with Jessy J handling the production chores herself, she isn't going for complete reboot as much as a conceptually constructed album built around original compositions on the number two ("Listen 2 the Groove," "Second Chances," "Tango for Two," "Dos," "Double Trouble," "Twice") and a few covers, Eugene McDaniels' classic "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Magalenha" by Sergio Mendes.

The result is the most fully realized album of the young musician's career and certainly her most consistent. Playing alto, tenor, soprano and baritone sax as well as flute, Jessy J shows off her versatility. Her breathy, girlish vocals on "Feel Like Making Love" won't make anyone forget Roberta Flack, but the support from Bryant Sinono (bass), Tim Stewart (guitar) and Norman Jackson (keyboards) from her own band step up and elevate the tune from a skip to at least listenable. In the shift to put smooth jazz riffing aside to get closer to her Latin roots Jessy J is ably assisted by Jeff Lorber and Johnny Britt, a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter who takes a lead vocal turn on the jumpin' "Mambo Gumbo" penned by Jessy J and Joe Sample. It doesn't hurt that her playing here is easily her best on record. Jessy J's confidence and skill has done nothing but grown and whether she's jamming on the tenor sax with Lorber and Jimmy Haslip on "Tango for Two" or soaring as she alternates between soprano and flute the lady does not fail to impress.

Initially, Jessy J seemed fated to be just another underachiever playing her saxophone competently if not memorably. Despite this being her fourth album, she truly seems to have made the most of a second chance to distinguish herself from a crowded field of players and by getting back to basics Second Chances is reason enough to give her a second listen. ~ Jeff Winbush http://www.allaboutjazz.com/second-chances-jessy-j-shanacie-review-by-jeff-winbush.php#.U3PpdCi9a5w

Personnel: Jessy J: tenor, alto, baritone, and soprano saxophone, flute, vocals; Jeff Lorber: keyboards, guitar, strings; Jimmy Haslip: bass, background vocals; Tony Moore: drums; Dwight Sills: guitar; Johnny Britt: keyboards, drum programming, trumpet, vocaks, additional vocals and vocal arrangement; Norman Brown: guitar, keyboards; Frank Abraham: bass; Michael Angel: rhythm guitar; Richie Gajate Garcia: percussion; keyboards; Norman Johnson: keyboards, strings; Bryant Sinono: bass, bass, keyboards, electric guitar; Charles Streeter: drums; Tim Stewart: guitar; Michael Thompson: guitar; Mike White: drums; Nancy Lyons: chorus vocals; Facundo: vocals, guitars

Second Chances

Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:08
Size: 124,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:59) 1. Night Train
(4:04) 2. Five Foot Two
(4:29) 3. Ochi Coymiye
(3:47) 4. Paramour
(5:12) 5. Darkness On The Delta
(4:15) 6. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me
(4:47) 7. Sweet Sue
(3:15) 8. Diga Diga Doo
(4:26) 9. Sweet Potato Fries
(4:23) 10. Comes Love
(5:37) 11. I Like Pie
(5:47) 12. Dream A Little Dream

Pianist Gordon Webster has performed with Wycliffe Gordon, Grant Green Jr., Tim Hagans, Donny McCaslin, Ingrid Jensen, Chris Parker, Steve LaSpina, Jim Rotondi, Adam Nussbaum, Ron McClure, Chris Potter, Joel Frahm, and Jim Black among others. His playing has been showcased in numerous New York City venues including the Blue Note, The Iridium, Sweet Rhythm, The Cutting Room, Cleopatra’s Needle, Makor, 92nd Street Y, Mannahatta Lounge, Kavehaz, Triad Theater, Smalls, Cafe Vivaldi, The Bar Next Door, St. Nick’s Pub, Night and Day, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Webster graduated from the Manhattan School of Music Masters Degree in jazz studies program in 2006, and has studied privately with Kenny Barron, Garry Dial, Sonny Bravo, Ari Heonig and Samir Chatterjee. He has performed in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Australia, and throughout the United States and Canada at international jazz festivals, jazz clubs, and dancing events including lindy exchanges, workshops and camps.

Originally from Ottawa, Webster began studying music at the age of four. In 1993 he moved to Toronto where he earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto in 1999. During his eleven years as a Toronto resident, Webster was able to collaborate with many of Canada’s finest jazz instrumentalists and singers. His first trio recording, as a leader, “Three We” was released in 2000 with sidemen Duncan Hopkins and Kevin Dempsey. Other recording credits include Canadian jazz releases with Chris Robinson, Kim Addison, Rita di Ghent; groove/fusion projects KITE, Jukejoint and Gruvoria; a recent duo album with Rochester trumpeter Mike Kaupa; and brother Mike Webster’s fall 2005 release Leading Lines featuring bassist John Benitez (Eddie Palmeri, Chick Corea, John Scofield) and trumpeter Mike Rodriguez (Charlie Haden, Joe Lovano, Clark Terry).

Gordon has taught jazz improvisation and piano at Jazzworks summer camp near Ottawa, Canada for five years, maintains a sizeable roster of private students, and has appeared in educational concerts for children with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in collaboration with conductor Boris Brott. In addition to his ongoing creative pursuits as a jazz musician, Gordon developed a passion for lindy hop and blues dancing over the past six years, which has become a significant influence in his life since 2001. ~ Bio http://www.last.fm/music/Gordon+Webster/+wiki

Personnel: Naomi Uyama, Steven Mitchell, Aurora Nealand, Jesse Selengut - vocals; Gordon Au, Jesse Selengut - trumpet; Aurora Nealand, Dan Levinson - reeds; Matt Musselman - trombone; Gordon Webster - piano; Cassidy Holden - guitar; Rob Adkins - bass; Jeremy Noller - drums

Live In Rochester

Evan Christopher - Delta Bound

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:39
Size: 153,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:50) 1. Vieux Carre
(5:58) 2. Rampart Street Ramble
(4:02) 3. Creole Belles
(7:26) 4. New Orleans
(3:34) 5. Kiss Me Sweet
(7:22) 6. La Ciudad Criolla
(3:48) 7. The King Of Treme
(4:55) 8. Desire
(3:55) 9. Out Of There
(6:17) 10. While We Danced At The Mardi Grac
(6:30) 11. Sunday Morning
(6:55) 12. Delta Bound

The clarinet and New Orleans share a long tradition of rhythmic swing and lyrical adventure. Long before Pete Fountain and Larry Shields, there were trad jazz pioneers including Lorenzo and Louis Tio, Lorenzo Tio Jr., Albert Nicholas, Alvin Batiste, Johnny Dodds, Barney Bigard, Omer Simeon, Jimmy Noone, Tony Scott and Sidney Bechet. The instrument, with its throaty, wooden timbre, allows emotions to be bared and feelings set free when in the hands of a master. Delta Bound recalls the masters of the clarinet while applying fresh, original songs to a syncopated rhythmic memory that remains timeless. Clarinetist Evan Christopher, still in his thirties, hails from Long Beach, California, where he was exposed to all kinds of music and art as a youngster. Now working on his Masters Degree at Tulane University in New Orleans, he's enlisted the support of pianist Dick Hyman, bassist Bill Huntington and drummer Shannon Powell to 'splain the magic of The Big Easy and all its charming musical elements.

Christopher has you dancing in the streets, holding a colorful parasol and tossing baubles and beads to passers-by before the CD player reaches the album's title track. Written by Alexander Hill, it drives like a slow freight that knows where the tracks lead, as Christopher's clarinet signals a passive voice above the rhythmic stride of piano, bass and drums. Christopher gives Hoagy Carmichael's "New Orleans a welcome waltz step that swings high and low through the clarinet's registers. "La Ciudad Criolla and "The King of Treme, both originals, balance deep feeling with superb musicianship. A winning combination such as this shares the tradition of New Orleans while lifting spirits to lofty heights. ~ Jim Santella http://www.allaboutjazz.com/delta-bound-evan-christopher-arbors-records-review-by-jim-santella.php#.U3bqIyi9a5w

Personnel: Evan Christopher: clarinet; Dick Hyman: piano; Bill Huntington: double-bass; Shannon Powell: drums.

Delta Bound

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Mulgrew Miller - Forget Me Nots

Size: 245,6 MB
Time: 105:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Piano Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. One Fine Day In May (7:01)
02. Summertime (9:25)
03. No Moon At All (6:59)
04. What's New (4:59)
05. The Survivor (8:46)
06. Come Rain Or Come Shine (5:36)
07. Cool Breeze (5:17)
08. Twerk It (8:40)
09. I Concentrate On You (6:26)
10. Sincerely Yours (9:22)
11. One For Mulgrew (4:32)
12. Willow Weep For Me (7:36)
13. The Hook Up (9:05)
14. I Fall In Love Too Easily (8:21)
15. Let's Face The Music And Dance (3:44)

Mulgrew Miller with Christian Scott, Donald Harrison, Harry Allen & Randy Sandke

An excellent pianist who played in a style influenced by McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller was quite consistent throughout his career. He was with Mercer Ellington's big band in the late '70s and had important stints with Betty Carter (1980), Woody Shaw (1981-1983), and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1983-1986). For a long period, he was a member of the Tony Williams Quintet (1986-1994). In addition, Miller led his own sessions for Landmark (starting in 1985) and Novus. Sadly, Mulgrew Miller died of a stroke in Allentown, Pennsylvania on May 29, 2013; he was 57 years old. ~Biography by Scott Yanow

Forget Me Nots

Magos & Limon - Dawn

Size: 127,0 MB
Time: 54:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Flamenco, Fusion
Art: Front

01. Afro Blue (4:41)
02. Dawn (3:41)
03. Skylark (4:23)
04. La Martiniana (4:42)
05. My Love For You (5:11)
06. Wild Is The Wind (3:36)
07. O Que Tinha De Ser (3:24)
08. Tierra Movida (5:28)
09. Oraçao Ao Tempo (4:14)
10. La Llorona (6:04)
11. Nature Boy (4:33)
12. Blue In Green (4:37)

It’s seven p.m., in an indistinguishable neighborhood bar in New York City. There’s a man sitting alone with a cup of coffee, his guitar leaning against the wall. A tall, thin, young woman with a slow, elegant gait walks through the door. Without saying a word she approaches him, and sits down next to him.

This could be the opening scene of a novel or a French thriller from the 50s, but in reality, it is the start of an extraordinary musical adventure – a first encounter between two musicians destined to fall in love.

Magos Herrera, renown Mexican-born jazz singer and resident of New York City, has worked with the best jazz musicians from around the world for many years, combining her Latin roots with the sound of contemporary American jazz, thus, positioning herself among a musical elite.

The man sitting in the bar, Javier Limón, is a laureate composer, guitarist and internationally recognized producer, known for his collaboration with Paco de Lucia, Bebo and Chucho Valdes, Buika, Avishai Cohen and Wynton Marsalis, among others. He has become an indispensable reference in the genre of Flamenco and future international music.

DAWN represents an encounter between the profound, sophisticated voice of Magos Herrera and the intricate Flamenco guitar of Javier Limón, the convergence of vanguard jazz and minimalist Flamenco, a summit of sound for the 21st century.

It is an intimate trek through a repertoire of select American and Latin jazz masterpieces including songs such as Afroblue, Skylark and Blue in Green by Miles Davis and O que tinha de ser (What Has to Be) by Antonio Carlos Jobim, among others, while flirting with some new and surprisingly original compositions by the duo.

Be it in English, Spanish or Portuguese, the self-control of Magos’ interpretation and the power of her words and voice combined with Limón’s refined simplicity and harmony, in addition to the careful rendering of this project make DAWN a cutting-edge, revolutionary approach to Flamenco-jazz.

A blanket of silence in the air, fragile words, glances and emotions which mark the momentum of the recording production coupled with a live performance experience give pause to time affording a trek through an eternal DAWN.

Dawn

New Orleans Organ Trio - Organ Transplant

Size: 135,6 MB
Time: 57:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: New Orleans Jazz Blues
Art: Front

01. Vinny's Blues (5:21)
02. 15 Hours Of Your Love (3:52)
03. Second Line Fever (2:36)
04. Worried Man Blues (3:53)
05. Ease Back (5:57)
06. Fried Neckbones (6:15)
07. Hey Pocky A-Way (4:09)
08. The Smell Of Paradise (3:53)
09. Get The Money (5:00)
10. I`ve Been Hoodood (4:58)
11. Jockomo (4:28)
12. Soul Shakedown Party (3:46)
13. I Don`t Wanna Say Best Wishes (3:32)

Raphael Wressnig - Hammond B3 organ, backing vocals
Paul Griesbach - sax, backing vocals
Matthias Peuker - drums, vocals

Organ Transplant

Libby York - Memoir

Size: 122,8 MB
Time: 53:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Give Me The Simple Life (Feat. Russell Malone) (5:39)
02. When In Rome (I Do As The Romans Do) [Feat. John Dimartino] (5:37)
03. Put It There, Pal (Feat. Warren Vache) (2:45)
04. Thanks For The Memory (Feat. Russell Malone & Warren Vache) (6:31)
05. Take Me Back To Manhattan (Feat. Warren Vache) (4:31)
06. I Was Doing Alright (Feat. John Dimartino) (4:04)
07. My Little Boat (O Barqueno) (Feat. Russell Malone) (5:27)
08. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Feat. Warren Vache) (5:02)
09. On A Slow Boat To China (Feat. Warren Vache) (5:36)
10. How Long Has This Been Going On (Feat. John Dimartino) (5:41)
11. Walk Between The Raindrops (Feat. Greg Sergo) (2:40)

While Diana Krall continues to top vocal polls and rack up platinum album sales, Chicagoan Libby York remains comparatively obscure. So consider this open invitation to all Krall fans to dip into York’s meager—just four albums across 15 years—but mighty oeuvre. Memoir, a terrific collection of standards, is an ideal place to start. What you’ll discover is an interpreter who is not only every inch Krall’s equal but also bears a strong vocal resemblance to the Canadian superstar: warm, intimate and imbued with a fogbound sexiness.

York has always demonstrated superb taste in both song selection and sidemen. Here, traveling from a tender “How Long Has This Been Going On?” and a sly “When in Rome” to a shimmering “My Little Boat” and sprightly “Walk Between the Raindrops,” she is seamlessly supported by pianist John di Martino (her co-arranger on all 11 tracks), bassist Martin Wind, drummer Greg Sergo and cornet player Warren Vaché. Guitarist Russell Malone joins on three tracks, including a misty “Thanks for the Memory,” and Vaché twice contributes vocal accompaniment, adding gravel-filled joy to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and a cleverly updated take on the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope chestnut “Put It There, Pal.” ~Review by Christopher Loudon

Memoir

Count Basie - Chairman Of The Board

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:23
Size: 108.5 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1959/2011
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Blues In Hoss' Flat
[2:37] 2. H.R.H (Her Royal Highness)
[6:11] 3. Segue In C
[3:31] 4. Kansas City Shout
[3:24] 5. Speaking Of Sounds
[3:12] 6. T.V. Time
[5:10] 7. Who Me
[4:46] 8. The Deacon
[3:22] 9. Half Moon Street
[3:35] 10. Mutt And Jeff
[3:32] 11. Fair And Warmer
[4:48] 12. Moten Swing

Although it appeared at a time when Count Basie was enjoying respect from all quarters (as evidenced by the pop acclaim of several Grammy awards and the jazz faithful's enthusiasm for his concert at Newport), Chairman of the Board was, comparatively, a low-profile session. The record was surrounded in Basie's discography by several prize-winners and a parade of studio collaborations -- with vocalists Tony Bennett, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and Billy Eckstine, plus arranger Neal Hefti. This 1958 date for Roulette was a rare chance for the orchestra to perform on its own, and listeners to hear how powerful the band could be when its concentration was undiverted. Of course, Basie's band already possessed three fine arrangers (Frank Foster, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess) and at least a dozen solo voices. Each of the ten songs on Chairman of the Board were originals by Foster, Jones, Wess, or Ernie Wilkins, all of them arranged by the composer. The record is admittedly heavy on the blues, but it's a brassy, powerful vision of the blues; Foster's "Blues in Hoss' Flat" and Wilkins' "Kansas City Shout" take the band back to its hometown, beginning with a subtle swing but ending with a raucous display of power from each section. The contributions by Jones and Wess provide a necessary complement to that forceful swing. Jones' "Speaking of Sounds" employs the woodwinds to provide color and texture, while Wess' "Segue in C" relies on bassist Eddie Jones and Basie's piano to lead the band while Wess himself takes several choruses on alto sax. A dynamic date, it shows the "new testament" edition of Basie's orchestra in top form. ~John Bush

Chairman Of The Board

Kristine Mills - Bossanovafied

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 34:23
Size: 78.7 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:03] 1. I Wish
[3:45] 2. That Was Yesterday
[4:34] 3. Sweet Sorrow 2
[5:06] 4. Sasha's Lullaby
[4:51] 5. Burden Of Choice
[3:33] 6. Fallin' In Love
[4:24] 7. You Are
[4:05] 8. Inspiracao

Brazil has a very special allure—not only for the Bacchanalian enjoyment of its Carnival in Rio, but for artists as well. Swinging musicians from all over North America have found the rhythmic seduction of the samba and the urbane swish and sway of bossa nova quite irresistible for decades. Lately, however, North American musicians appear to have discovered that seduction alone is not the prerequisite for making music in an authentic Brazilian idiom, even in the most popular one of all: the bossa nova.

Houston-born vocalist Kristine Mills is one of those North American musicians who has shown she can sashay with the best, with a moving record soaking in the spirit of Brazil's most popular urban export: bossa nova. The appropriately entitled Bossanovafied is a short yet beautiful collection of songs done in the rhythm of this urban mélange of jazz and samba, made internationally popular by Joao Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Mills and musicians like her appear to have also been influenced by a slew of other more contemporary musicians from Brazil's tropicalia movement.

Mills sings with child-like charm, recalling the guileless wonder of Blossom Dearie's annunciation and phrasing. Despite a flatter, slightly oblique attack, Mills' lyrical approach is to soak the words and phrases in the emotion of their poetry. Her sense of tone is sharp, and she can make subtle changes in inflection to alter the color of the song, with minute changes in breath or dallying over end-words or phrases to create just the effect she wants. ~Raul D'Gama Rose

Bossanovafied

Patrick Saussois & Rhoda Scott - The Look Of Love (A Tribute To Burt Bacharach)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:27
Size: 127.0 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Gypsy jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:34] 1. The Look Of Love
[4:12] 2. Alfie
[5:20] 3. Walk On By
[4:09] 4. Wives And Lovers
[4:12] 5. Don't Make Me Over
[3:03] 6. Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head
[5:04] 7. Close To You
[6:12] 8. I Will Never Fall In Love
[4:24] 9. This Girl Is In Love With You
[4:29] 10. What The World Needs Now Is Love
[6:45] 11. A House Is Not A Home
[3:58] 12. Don't Go Breaking My Heart

I stand at the forefront of Jazz Manouche. As a musician he is one of the few able to navigate between styles and genres, whether it's playing bebop with Richie Cole, musette with Jo Privat or jazz Manouche with my own band, Alma Sinti, never letting one style bleed into the other and always maintaining my own identity. It is with the latter group that I has risen above the rest of my contemporaries. Alma Sinti uses Jazz Manouche as a base to incorporate swing, Latin, bop and valse Manouche and musette all without losing their unique guitar/accordion driven sound and all supported with “le pompe”, the Manouche style of rhythm guitar that gives the music its unique flavor. A gifted and prolific composer and improviser par excellence whose originals “Jojo Swing” and “Just One for Babik” have become standards in the jazz Manouche lexicon. I am at the top of a very short list of Jazz Manouche's most important and respected players. My record company, Djaz Records has released a slew of acclaimed CD's highlighting some of today's finest artists including Dorado and Tchavolo Schmitt and Dino Mehrstein. They swing- three guitarists, acoustic bassist, and button accordionist - offer a heady mix of tzigane (music in the gypsy style), musette (post-1910, accordion-driven music played for public balls), and jazz associated with Belgian gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt , Stephan Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France during the '30s and '40s. I am perhaps best known for my work with accordionists, having in the past accompanied the late great accordion legend Jo Privat for years, and later he has collaborated with other fine players of piano des bretelles, like Jean-Claude Laudat and Daniel ... ~ All About Jazz

The Look Of Love (A Tribute To Burt Bacharach)

John Bunch - Do Not Disturb

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:24
Size: 163.4 MB
Styles: Post bop, Standards, Piano jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[6:56] 1. John's Bunch
[6:37] 2. Doxy
[2:43] 3. Bill
[6:30] 4. Do Not Disturb
[2:57] 5. My Ideal
[6:28] 6. Anthropology
[5:40] 7. I've Just Seen Her
[5:01] 8. Four
[3:11] 9. My Man's Gone Now
[6:20] 10. In Your Own Sweet Way
[6:03] 11. Come Sunday
[6:22] 12. You're My Everything
[6:29] 13. Get Out Of Town

While veteran jazz pianist John Bunch has always been of the swing era, he readily embraces bebop, the music of Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck, and great show tunes. With a trio of guitarist Frank Vignola and bassist John Webber and no drummer, Bunch envisioned this combo ten years prior, recorded but did not release a session with them, and he revisits this format in 2009 with a wonderful result. Vignola fits perfectly with Bunch's highly melodic ideas, and gets him to improvise or accompany more than most "leaders," while they swim effortlessly through these timeless and full-bodied melodies of familiar mainstream jazz tunes and ballads. You might not expect Bunch to be adept at boogie-woogie, but there it is on the opening track, his original "John's Bunch," nor might you expect him to do a note-for-note perfect version of Charlie Parker's "Anthropology" in lockstep with Vignola. He unearths the title track, an Ellington blues/ballad, and pristinely interprets "Come Sunday," while versions of "Four" and "Doxy" are as laid-back and simplified as a relaxing day at the beach. There's absolutely no forced movement on Do Not Disturb, but rather an effortless swing and good feelings between these three excellent musicians, a testament to Bunch's long-lasting viability in authentic and substantive jazz modes. ~Michael G. Nastos

Do Not Disturb