Gina Kronstadt - Come Over

Size: 79,0 MB
Time: 33:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Magic (3:40)
02. Tell Me (Or Not) (4:54)
03. Come Over (4:24)
04. Twitter Stole My Boyfriend (4:02)
05. That Night (5:39)
06. Turn Around (3:04)
07. One More Time (4:01)
08. Just Ask (4:04)

Everybody wants to be a star and everybody wants their turn in the spotlight. The recent documentary 20 Feet From Stardom focused on the struggles of background singers to emerge from the shadows. Gina Kronstadt can surely identify with that struggle.

Whatever motivated Kronstadt's debut, Come Over, she demonstrates she's ready for her close-up. A veteran studio and concert performer, the Los Angeles based singer and songwriter can boast of an impressive resume performing on film soundtracks, television commercials, scores, and backing up a multitude of artists including Stevie Wonder, Chris Botti, and Michael Buble.

Kronstadt's skill sets are as an in-demand violinist and a vocalist, but Come Over emphasizes her singing talents as she wrote, composed, arranged, and produced the whole affair. The success of the album is in no small part due to the exceptional support she receives from John Beasley, Christian McBride, Reggie Hamilton and Bob Sheppard among a drum- head tight group of players.

"Magic" is a breezin' jazzer with Kronstadt bopping along to Sheppard's saxophone, McBride's upright bass, Gary Novak's in the pocket drumming and Beasley on Fender Rhodes complimented by the lush, string section conducted by Joel DeRouin. Kronstadt's expressive vocals are well-served by how effectively her arrangements match her talents. The moody, swaying "Come Over" embraces the listener as Sheppard's sax plays off of Kronstadt's sensuous crooning.

The only misfire is "Twitter Stole My Boyfriend,."a sort of half- sung/half-rapped stab at trendiness, but its mostly all lame. It a throwaway tune and one that should have remained buried deep on Kronstadt's hard drive. "That Night" offers a full recovery as her bluesy crooning meshes with another Sheppard sweet sax solo.

Come Over is one of the pleasant discoveries of the summer and leaves a lasting first impression. This is Kronstadt's time in the spotlight and she makes a strong case it is where she has belonged all along. ~By Jeff Winbush

Personnel: Gina Kronstadt: vocals; John Beasley: fender rhodes; Christian McBride: upright bass (1, 2, 5, 6); Reggie Hamilton: upright bass (3, 4, 7, 8); Gary Novak: drums; Luis Conte: percussion; John Daversa: trumpet (3, 5); Walt Fowler: trumpet (4); Bob Sheppard: flute, sax, bass clarinet; Joel Deroun: concertmaster; John Wittenberg, Daphne Chen, Susan Chatman, Cameron Patrick, Calabria Foti, Adrianna Zoppo, Shari Zippert: violins; Lynn Grants, Nancy Roth: violas; Maurice Grants, Stefanie Fife: celli.

Come Over

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Raul De Souza - Voila

Size: 112,9 MB
Time: 48:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Art: Front

01. Por Aqui Por Ali (4:49)
02. Alibi (5:19)
03. Todas As Tribos (5:03)
04. Up Jumped Spring (6:29)
05. Ligia (4:53)
06. 10 Minutos (5:08)
07. Isabella (6:13)
08. Voila (6:07)
09. Viva O Rio (4:39)

Boasting a distinctive and highly appealing tone, Raul de Souza was a Brazilian trombonist who kept busy in the '70s but faded into obscurity in the '80s. De Souza, although essentially a jazz artist, was quite versatile -- he played his share of fusion, pop-jazz, and Brazilian jazz, but could also handle funk and disco. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 23, 1934, de Souza was employed as a sideman by some of Brazil's musical heavyweights in the '70s, including Sergio Mendez, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Milton Nascimento. The trombonist, who also appeared on '70s albums by Sonny Rollins and Cal Tjader, signed with Capitol in 1976, and his first Capitol session, Sweet Lucy, was released the following year. Both Sweet Lucy and de Souza's second Capitol date, Don't Ask My Neighbors, were produced by George Duke. But de Souza changed producers on his next album, 'Til Tomorrow Comes, which was produced by Arthur Wright and found the Rio native jumping on the disco bandwagon. Devoid of jazz, the 1979 release is pure disco. 'Til Tomorrow Comes was his last album for Capitol -- after that, he faded into obscurity. All three of de Souza's Capitol albums are out of print, although his 1974 recording, Colors, is available on CD as part of Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics series. ~Biography by Alex Henderson

Voila

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The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Just Imagine

Size: 160,1 MB
Time: 68:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Ragtime
Art: Front

01. Oh, Look At Me Now (4:13)
02. Daddy Won't You Please Come Home (5:04)
03. Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina (4:29)
04. Song Of The Blues (5:31)
05. Seventh Avenue (3:36)
06. Just Imagine (5:16)
07. Lucky Day (3:14)
08. Almost In Your Arms (4:15)
09. I'm In A Low Down Groove (5:12)
10. I'm Rhythm Crazy Now (4:31)
11. Three Coins In The Fountain (4:35)
12. Cry Me A River (4:51)
13. Serenade To Sweden (4:49)
14. Soft Winds (4:51)
15. Mis'ry And The Blues (4:12)

More often than not, jazz is asked to blossom forth in inhospitable places: the noisy club where musicians must compete with the bartender’s blender, or the recording studio, a maze of headphones and wires. Imagine a quiet room, shaded as if an Edward Hopper nightscape, with three musicians, two grand pianos, the only other people a recording engineer, himself a musician; another man taking notes. It was no fantasy, for this all happened during two December 2013 sessions in Portland, Oregon, in a back room at CLASSIC PIANOS, where three friends gathered for warm, intimate musical conversations in the name of classic jazz.

Becky, Dan, and Paolo believe that music, created on the spot, can bring joy in the moment and renew us in the future. They gave each of the songs they had chosen its own life, reflective or ebullient: the poignancy of DADDY, the bounce of CAROLINA, the swagger of RHYTHM CRAZY, the romance of COINS, the melancholy of MIS’RY AND THE BLUES. Many of the songs have associations with Annette Hanshaw, Anita O’Day, Jack Teagarden, Julie London, Billie Holiday, Ellington, Charlie Christian, Trummy Young, Sophia Loren, Joe Bushkin, Lee Wiley, Fletcher Henderson. But these sessions were no “tribute,” no “repertory” re-creation, for the musicians brought their own personalities to this project, adding new melodies to the ones we know.

When Becky sings, we hear a gently compelling honesty. Yes, we admire the way she glides from note to note, the creamy naturalness of her voice, the way her smallest melodic embellishments enhance the song, her infallible swing. But what sets her apart is her quiet determination to share the song’s emotional message candidly, fully. Becky doesn’t overstate or dramatize. She doesn’t place herself in front of the material, but she opens the song for us, so that we feel what its creators hoped for.

Hearing Dan, I think, “That is how any creative player should sound: forthright, assured, subtle, inventive.” Like a great musical conversationalist, he always knows the right epigram to add at the right time. I can guess what some other musicians might play in their next phrase, but Dan’s imagination is larger and more rewarding than we expect. His reading of a melody is a joy; his improvisations are witty, pungent. The trombone can be a buffoon or a bully; in his hands it can be divinely inspired, even when Dan’s aural messages are earthy indeed.

Becky and Dan could float or soar all by themselves, and they’ve proved that many times in concert and on recordings since they first met in 1994. CRY ME A RIVER on this disc, majestic and mournful, is proof. But recently they have called in an Italian sorcerer, Paolo Alderighi, who generously spreads rich sound-weavings, Garneresque threads glittering – lovely orchestral tapestries, neither formulaic nor overemphatic. His solos gleam and chime.

In duet, Dan and Paolo are a model of creative conversation in jazz – empathic, intuitive, concise yet fervent. And when they sat down at the two pianos to accompany Becky for MIS’RY AND THE BLUES their contrasting textures were a delight. Completely original, too – neither Evans and Brookmeyer nor Ferrante and Teicher, but splendidly themselves.

What we call The Great American Songbook sometimes weaves helplessly towards songs that, if their lyrics were actual speech, would be legal documentation of domestic abuse, self-inflicted destruction. Over time, Becky has turned away from these famous masochistic outcries. But this disc shows her playing bravely in the dark, getting in a lowdown groove, calling out to an absent lover, creating rueful and vengeful tears. This isn’t a major life-shift in all things Kilgore, but a willingness to expand her repertoire into classic songs based on real life-experiences. She is having a good time being so sad for a few minutes: like Basie, she keeps the blues at bay by playing them. Or it might be her own particular jazz homeopathy practice, where dark cures dark.

These sessions produced lasting music, the rare kind that emerges from a devotion to the art. What a gift to us all!

Just Imagine

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Etta Jones - The Best Of Etta Jones: The Prestige Singles

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:59
Size: 137.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:48] 1. Don't Go To Strangers
[3:49] 2. If I Had You
[2:33] 3. Canadian Sunset
[3:57] 4. That's All There Is To That
[2:05] 5. Till There Was You
[4:38] 6. All The Way
[4:16] 7. Unchained Melody
[3:33] 8. Hurry Home
[2:23] 9. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
[2:56] 10. Just Friends
[2:49] 11. I'll Be There
[2:52] 12. In The Dark
[2:52] 13. Nature Boy
[3:34] 14. Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
[2:29] 15. Love Walked In
[4:11] 16. Old Folks
[2:59] 17. Someday My Prince Will Come
[4:06] 18. The Gal From Joe's

While Etta Jones could not be placed into the very top tier of jazz singers, she was a good one. And as this compilation draws 18 tracks from the most commercially and artistically successful phase of her career, it might be the best place to start for hearing her work. Recorded between 1960 and 1963, these did all happen to be released on singles, as the title indicates, though it's sometimes forgotten that there were still jazz tracks being issued as singles in the 1960s. Of course, the most popular of those was "Don't Go to Strangers," which actually made the pop Top 40 in 1960. Jones was a warm and versatile singer with a bit more appeal to pop listeners than most, usually backed by good small combos on this mixture of ballads and up-tempo material, though Oliver Nelson arranged and conducted the strings on a most adventurous, eccentric "Unchained Melody." More satisfying than the ballads, though, are the sassier, faster, and slightly bluesier outings, like "You Came a Long Way From St. Louis," "In the Dark," the sultry "The Gal From Joe's," and (again with Nelson's strings) "Just Friends." The cha cha pass at "Nature Boy" is good, too, with Kenny Burrell handling one of the guitars. ~Richie Unterberger

The Best Of Etta Jones: The Prestige Singles 

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Judy Philbin & Adam Levine - Keeping It Simple

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 40:38
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. A Wink And A Smile
[2:40] 2. Moonglow
[2:26] 3. Django's Delight
[4:05] 4. Skylark
[3:18] 5. Keeping It Simple
[3:11] 6. Nearness Of You
[3:37] 7. Bésame Mucho
[2:58] 8. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
[5:41] 9. Nova
[4:30] 10. Blue Bayou
[2:40] 11. Why Do Fools Fall In Love
[2:45] 12. Don't Be Easy On Me

Just voice and guitar. What a great idea! Keep it simple. In collaboration with the rhythmic and improvisational talents of guitarist Adam Levine, the result is a delightfully novel musical vision of well-known jazz standards, popular classics, and original compositions.

While some children strive to color outside the lines, Judy has always wanted to sing outside the melody. She injects her personal style into contemporary and folk, as well as jazz standards, delivering each song with the skill of a lyric storyteller. Her pure, clear tone has been called uplifting, healing, evocative and above all, beautiful.

“After years of classical instrumental and choral background, I yearned to express the music as it touched me personally, not necessarily as it was written,” says Judy. “I still love singing classical and Broadway-style music and, vocally, those are very challenging. But I also love the freedom that jazz brings to the table. It allows you to ‘color outside the lines’. It allows you to explore and express musical thoughts and ideas in the moment. Each performance is new, different. It’s exhilarating to create on the spot.”

Her influences have global roots, drawn from living in Latin America as a child, and Europe as an adult. “I enjoy just about all styles of singing. I’ve even sung in an Irish band. I consider myself a storyteller that draws from the musical and emotional freedom that grew out of many genres. It’s about moving the listener’s heart an inch, a mile, or sometimes light-years into another dimension.”

Keeping It Simple

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Johnny Mercer - My Huckleberry Friend: Johnny Mercer Sings The Songs Of Johnny Mercer

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 76:47

Size: 175.8 MB

Styles: Tin Pan Alley pop, Standards

Year: 1974/1996

Art: Front

[2:54] 1. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

[2:59] 2. Little Ol' Tune

[3:37] 3. Moon River

[2:29] 4. I Wanna Be In Love Again

[3:16] 5. The Days Of Wine And Roses

[3:14] 6. Talk To Me, Baby

[2:26] 7. Goody Goody

[3:34] 8. Summer Wind

[3:14] 9. Little Ingenue

[2:30] 10. Something's Gotta Give

[2:48] 11. Satin Doll

[2:27] 12. It's Great To Be Alive

[2:42] 13. That Old Black Magic

[2:51] 14. Tangerine

[2:39] 15. The What-Cha-Ma-Call It

[4:09] 16. Midnight Sun

[3:18] 17. I'm Old Fashioned

[3:21] 18. Come Rain Or Come Shine

[2:33] 19. Too Marvelous For Words

[3:47] 20. Autumn Leaves

[3:36] 21. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home

[2:48] 22. The Air-Minded Executive

[2:43] 23. Pineapple Pete

[2:42] 24. I Thought About You

[3:56] 25. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

Recorded in London just two years before his death, My Huckleberry Friend includes nearly an hour and half of singer Johnny Mercer updating his own compositions. The American musical giant is accompanied by the Pete Moore Orchestra and the Harry Roche Constellation. Mercer's voice is solid throughout this 25-track record that marries his Tin Pan Alley lyrical style with diverse pop arrangements. The song "It's Great to Be Alive" says it all about this release: "It's great to be alive, to work from nine to five." Fans of Mercer will enjoy this record, while purists may prefer his earlier (and more traditional) recordings. Mercer's career may have slowed down due to the onslaught of rock & roll, but he was never intimidated by the new styles. (After all, he founded Capitol Records, the home of the Beatles.) So in 1974, he flew to London to record new interpretations of some of his old classics. The results are often stunning. The "Shaft"-like version of "That Old Black Magic," with its funk-fortified guitar and soul-splashed keyboards, is an archival treat. Mercer truly gets down when he sings "Every time your lips meet mine/Down and down I go/All around I go/Loving the spin I'm in/Under that old black magic called love." This tasty morsel will be jarring for listeners who only associate the name Mercer with '40s songs like "G.I. Jive" or soundtrack cuts like "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" or "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." Mercer and arranger Pete Moore, however, do not abandon the big-band swing sound closely associated with these songs. And sometimes that is a problem. The moody and ethereal "The Days of Wine and Roses" is out of place next to some of the more modern-sounding tracks. The typical '70s instrumentations (dual use of flute and trumpet, etc.) make some songs sound hilariously familiar. The piano in "Too Marvelous for Words" hints at the "Theme From the Odd Couple." But if you are listening to Mercer, you expect some nostalgia, right? The only real criticism of this collection (besides the purists' crazy notion that funk and rock have no place in these standards) is that the pop flavors of the time are not embraced more completely: The funk guitar in "Something's Gotta Give" is strangely married to a brassy, swinging orchestration. There are some traditional takes here, especially on "Summer Wind," "Autumn Leaves," "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home," and "One for My Baby." Fans of lounge music and neo-swingers who appreciate Mercer will particularly like this collection. Who else would the island sounds of "Pineapple Pete" be for? My Huckleberry Friend" ends with a great reflection on Mercer's career: "Don't let it be said Old Unsteady can't carry his load. Make it one for my baby and one more for the road. That long, long, long, long road." ~JT Griffith

My Huckleberry Friend: Johnny Mercer Sings The Songs Of Johnny Mercer

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Melody Diachun - Lullaby Of The Leaves

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:33
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So
(4:57)  2. Lullaby Of The Leaves
(4:21)  3. Table For One
(4:54)  4. You And The Night And The Music
(5:59)  5. Same Sunday
(4:17)  6. So Many Words
(4:49)  7. Comes Love
(5:47)  8. Saint Catherine
(5:02)  9. Little Head
(3:32) 10. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
(4:54) 11. Like a Lover (O Cantador)

"Melody Diachun is one of the world's finest young jazz composers and vocalists." ~ Bravo!TV

" ... There seems to be a tight, near-telepathic rapport here. Melody Diachun's voice is light and understated with a bluesy accent ... romantic moods that can be sexy or sentimental as the song requires ..." ~ Cadence Magazine

"A warm, accomplished voice ... formidable range ... sparkling guitar ... standout (piano) work ... original material that catches the ear..." ~ The Vancouver Sun
"Simply wonderful... sultry vocals ... she uses language well, capturing images and feelings, reaching out to her listeners ..." ~ The Nanino Daily News

"Terrific ... pure voice and unembroidered style..." ~ The Vancouver Sun

" Lullaby Of The Leaves is a soothing, twilight companion ... includes originals and such gems as You and the Night and the Music." ~ The Montreal  Gazette

"It's hard to keep up with all the jazz vocalists emerging in these singer-saturated days, but Canadian singer Melody Diachun is worth keeping up with ... She sings attractively and is patient with the slowest ballad tempos ... Throughout, she resists the annoying temptation to be self-consciously jazzy." ~The Ottawa Citizen

"Melody Diachun is the quintessential vocalist, reminiscent of those great 'girl singers' of the past - Ella, Peggy, Sarah, Helen and the rest. Melody’s voice and feel for the music are a joy to hear as she delivers her repertoire with flare, elan, and her own unique style." ~ Dal Richards, Radio host, "Dal's Place", 600Am

"You have perfect phrasing! It's scary." ~ Kenny Werner, Jazz Pianist, Educator & Author

Conceived as a collaboration, the album explores and reveals classic and original songs from three points of view. Melody's warm voice and unaffected, sensitive approach wed perfectly with Murphy's expansive manipulation of harmony and time. Combined with "sparkling guitar" (The Vancouver Sun) and lyrical and supportive bass playing from Stephenson, the three take turns shining a light on the very soul of each composition. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/melody

Personnel:  Melody Diachun – Vocal; Bob Murphy -  piano, and Doug Stephenson, acoustic bass & guitar.

Lullaby Of The Leaves

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Angela Hagenbach - Weaver Of Dreams

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:22
Size: 145,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. You Turned The Tables On Me
(4:43)  2. Simone
(5:25)  3. Autumn's Flame
(3:24)  4. You Do Something To Me
(6:48)  5. Return To Paradise
(4:20)  6. Altos De Chavon
(6:35)  7. Street of Dreams
(5:22)  8. Now's The Time
(5:12)  9. Sometimes I'm Happy
(4:54) 10. It Had Better Be Tonight
(6:10) 11. Angel Eyes
(5:58) 12. Caravan

Weaver of Dreams marks Kansas City chanteuse Angela Hagenbach's national debut. Lucky listeners already familiar with her work will know that she's been working in jazz for ten years. Previous albums, including the remarkable Feel the Magic, and touring abroad has served as excellent dues-paying and her smoky voice and musicianship clearly deserve their debutante ball. This album, a mix of ballads and latin swing, showcases her vocal skills, featured on tracks like "Street of Dreams" with deliciously dizzying scatting, "Now's the time," a tribute to Charlie Parker, where she zips through the lyrics like the way Bird blew his saxophone, and the breezy "Return to Paradise," with the infectious beat cooly shuffling behind her voice lilting and dipping and winding around the words. She does Latin equally well, having a particular knack for Brazilian flavoring. She burns up the airwaves with her ensemble Musa Nova on tracks like the Ellington-penned "Caravan" and "It Had Better Be Tonight." 

Hagenbach's voice might remind one of Shirley Horn in its rich deep tone, but where Horn stylizes with pauses and working in conjunction with her piano, Hagenbach has a wider range and sings more aggressively, fitting well within the total orchestration. She improvises with great ease. She's listened to the albums of the legends and no doubt her own studies on the trombone and percussion have helped developed her scat talents. Weaver of Dreams comes well-recommended to fans of vocal jazz and Hagenbach is a new young musician whose career will be exciting to watch. ~ Robin Lickel   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/weaver-of-dreams-angela-hagenbach-amazon-records-review-by-robin-lickel.php#.U4vzNyioqdk

Personnel: Angela Habenbach, vocals; Danny Embrey, guitar; Joe Cartwright, piano; Bob Bowman, acoustic bass; Steve Rigazzi, electric bass; Greg Carroll, vibes; Gary Helm, percussion; Todd Stright, drums; Doug Aurwarter, drums & percussion

Weaver Of Dreams

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Marty Grosz - Rhythm Is Our Business

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:56
Size: 154,2 MB
Art: Front

( 3:39)  1. Rhythm Is Our Business
( 3:36)  2. Believe It Beloved
( 5:10)  3. Yellow Dog Blues
( 4:47)  4. Diga Diga Doo
( 3:44)  5. Penthouse Serenade
( 5:02)  6. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
( 3:42)  7. I'm In the Mood For Love
( 4:01)  8. Heartaches
( 3:41)  9. If We Never Meet Again
( 4:18) 10. That Da Da Strain
( 4:33) 11. Squeeze Me
( 2:37) 12. The Japanese Sandman
( 4:26) 13. Wabash Blues
( 3:18) 14. Dream Man
(10:15) 15. Rhythm For Sale  He Ain't Got Rhythm  I Got Rhythm

Marty Grosz recordings are always fun. Grosz, a top humorist (though his monologues have yet to be fully included on recordings), is a cheerful vocalist whose style is influenced by Fats Waller, and a superior acoustic chordal guitarist. His combos are superb examples of small group swing with an emphasis on songs from the 1920s and '30s. For this date recorded in Germany, Grosz leads his Hot Puppies, a quintet with fellow American Randy Reinhart on trumpet and three excellent German players. 

Frank Roberscheuten shows his versatility by playing clarinet (his best ax), tenor, and alto while bassist Nico Gastreich and drummer Moritz Gastreich are swinging and subtle in support. The repertoire is inspired and some of the frameworks (including a version of "Heartaches" that hints strongly at Ted Weems' hit recording) are inventive. Reinhart and Grosz are the solo stars and this set is easily recommended to fans of vintage swing and classic jazz. ~ Scott Yanow    http://www.allmusic.com/album/rhythm-is-our-business-mw0000693801

Personnel: Marty Grosz (vocals, guitar); Frank Roberscheuten (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Randy Reinhart (trumpet); Moritz Gastreich (drums).

Rhythm Is Our Business

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Saxophone Summit - Seraphic Light

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:29
Size: 157,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:54)  1. Transition
( 5:21)  2. The Thirteenth Floor
( 5:34)  3. Reneda
( 5:25)  4. All About You
( 5:46)  5. Message To Mike
( 5:42)  6. Alpha And Omega
( 6:47)  7. Our Daily Bread
( 7:12)  8. Cosmos
(11:11)  9. Seraphic Light
( 9:31) 10. Expresssion

Formed in the mid-1990s by three of jazz's leading post-Coltrane exponents not just to pay homage to the saxophone legend's exploratory latter period work, but to advance his collaborative and collective soloing aesthetic into a fully contemporary context nearly thirty years after his death Saxophone Summit was dealt a tremendous blow, as was the entire jazz world, when co-founding member Michael Brecker passed away in 2007. Still, Saxophone Summit's remaining front-liners, Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, decided that continuing on with pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart would better honor Brecker than throwing in the towel. Recruiting Coltrane's son Ravi to fill the third saxophone chair ("replacing" would be an absolutely inappropriate description) seemed a logical choice, making Seraphic Light not only a moving tribute to Brecker, but a logical extension and expansion of what made Saxophone Summit: Gathering of Spirits (Telarc, 2004) such a powerful record, and an unusually experimental one for the more centrist Telarc label. 

That's not to say Seraphic Light isn't completely accessible. Markowitz's "Transitions" opens the disc on a fiery note, but with an attention-grabbing groove and front-line melody that's equally attractive, so much so as to almost disguise the song's full depth. But by the time Saxophone Summit gets to the title track, first heard on Coltrane's Stellar Regions (Impulse!, 1967), it's fully migrated towards the "no-time, no changes, no harmonies" approach that so dominated Coltrane's final two years. Still, as free as it is, and with Lovano using his custom-built aulochrome (a twin-soprano hybrid that allows him a degree of polyphony that even multiphonics can't on a single horn), it's proof that Coltrane wasn't striving for chaos, but rather a deep, transcendent spirituality. It's no coincidence that the three Coltrane tunes are collected at the end of the disc, including "Cosmos," which begins with poetic beauty but dissolves into greater freedom for one of Markowitz's most stunningly unfettered solos on record. The first seven tracks are a democratic distribution of one song each by the group's six members, plus the up-tempo modal workout "Message to Mike" by brother Randy Brecker, who guests on trumpet on two tracks. Thus, Seraphic Light works its way gradually towards the more expansive freedom of the Coltrane covers. While Ravi Coltrane hasn't made the leap to broadly influential yet that both Liebman and Lovano have, his is a voice evolving in leaps and bounds. 

Here, while his warmer tone unmistakably alters Saxophone Summit's complexion, it's still a truly mighty meeting of three saxophonists whose lives have been inexorably altered by the spirit of John Coltrane. With Markowitz, McBee and Hart a creative and fluid triumvirate far beyond the restrictive term "rhythm section," Seraphic Light not only captures Coltrane's spirit but, dedicated to Michael Brecker, captures his intrepid soul as well. For those who consider Coltrane's latter period inaccessible, Seraphic Light capitalizes on its dense beauty in a most approachable fashion, without compromising its elan vital one iota. ~ John Kelman   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/seraphic-light-dave-liebman-telarc-records-review-by-john-kelman.php#.U4u7uyioqdk
 

Personnel:  Ravi Coltrane: tenor saxophone (1-6, 8-10), soprano saxophone (7); Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone (1, 3-6), tenor saxophone (8-10), C flute (2, 7), wooden flute (2); Joe Lovano; tenor saxophone (1, 3-5, 7, 8, 10), alto clarinet (2,6), Scottish flute (2), aulochrome (9); Randy Brecker: trumpet (5, 10); Phil Markowitz: piano; Cecil McBee: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Seraphic Light

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Warren Vache & The Scottish Ensemble - Don't Look Back

Size: 135,1 MB
Time: 58:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Big Band
Art: Front

01. It Was Written In The Stars (6:46)
02. My Misteress' Eyes (2:54)
03. Spring (4:15)
04. My Love And I (5:11)
05. Molly On The Shore (4:07)
06. April In My Heart (6:14)
07. Valse Prismatique (4:12)
08. I Fall In Love Too Easily (4:32)
09. Love Is For The Very Young (5:24)
10. On The Street Where You Live (6:04)
11. Don't Look Back (8:18)

A veteran trumpeter with an extensive resume that includes stage, radio and television performances, Warren Vaché filled a void in his three-decade career with the recoding of Don't Look Back. Having once stated that "Everybody really serious about jazz music dreams of making a recording with a string ensemble, Vaché accomplishes this long-held desire by joining forces with the Scottish Ensemble, a twelve-piece virtuoso string group that once specialized in only baroque music. Playing against the backdrop of the strings, his trumpet and cornet convey a warm and pleasant mood associated with a classical-jazz atmosphere.

On six of the ten tunes on this album, Vaché leads the Scottish Ensemble, and his trumpet is the only other instrument accompanying the group. Preferring to limit the music in this manner, he employs a rhythm section on four other tracks: bassist Ronnie Rae, pianist John Rae and drummer Brian Kellock. Another important contributor to this project was guitarist James Chirillo, who provides various arrangements and wrote "Valse Prismatique. The selections include lush standards like the Harold Arlen's "It was Written in the Stars, Hoagy Carmichael's "April in My Heart, Sammy Cahn's " I Fall in Love Too Easily and an absolutely beautiful rendition of the David Raskin classic "My Love and I.

Typical of classical-jazz music, Don't Look Back quenches the thirst for that soft and gentle side of jazz that we all need a sip from sooner or later. Vaché interprets the selections on this relaxing, soul-searching and soothing jazz session with graceful accompaniment from his instrumental collaborators. ~Edward Blanc

Personnel: Warren Vache: leader, trumpet, cornet; James Chirillo: guitar; Brian Kellock: drums (3,4,8,10); John Rae: piano (3,4,8,10); Ronnie Rae: bass (3,4,8,10). Scottish Ensemble (1,2,5-7,9): Jonathan Morton: director, violin; Cheryle Crockett, Liza Webb, Lowri Porter, Tamas Andras, Laura Ghiro, Amira Bedrush-McDonald: violins; Fionna Winning, Becky Jones: violas; Alison Lawrence,Naomi Boole-Masterson: cellos;Diane Clark: double bass; Helen Macleod: harp; Katherine Mackintosh: oboe.

Don't Look Back 

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Mike Ledonne Trio - Speak: Live At Cory Weeds' Cellar Jazz Club

Size: 117,6 MB
Time: 50:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Post-Bop, Piano Jazz
Art: Front
01. Suite Mary Part I: Speak (5:35)
02. Suite Mary Part II: Listen (3:28)
03. Suite Mary Part III: Play (4:43)
04. Suite Mary Part IV: I Will Always Love You (5:37)
05. Suite Mary Part V: Little M (8:26)
06. What You Say Dr. J (6:40)
07. I Loves You Porgy (5:58)
08. Blues For McCoy (5:10)
09. Bleeker Street Theme (5:17)

(Mike Ledonne – piano; John Webber – upright bass; Joe Farnsworth – drums)

In the liner notes to this Mike Ledonne Trio Cellar Live release entitled Speak, highly regarded pianist Bill Charlap offers the following assessment of the performer: “Mike Ledonne is one of my favorite pianists. An artist of great integrity and depth, he’s incapable of playing a dishonest note”. High praise indeed, but a listen to this album confirms this appraisal.

The first five tracks of this recording are all tied together as part of “Suite Mary” a story told in music and dedicated to Ledonne’s daughter Mary, who has a very rare disability called Prader Willi syndrome. All of Ledonne’s musical sensibilities are on display in the various sections where he brings each one to life. Demonstrating showy form, assured attack, and interesting turn of expression, Ledonne delivers a scintillating palette of music.

Pianist/composer James Williams wrote “What Do You Say Dr. J” for basketball legend Julius Irving and it is given a groovy downhome reading by the trio with drummer Farnsworth delivering a confident rhythmic signature and bassist Webber in full grasp of his instrument. “I Loves You, Porgy” opens with Ledonne stating the theme in soft Latin frame then picking up the pace to 4/4 time on the bridge. All in all an unusual rendition of the composition. A breakneck speed rendition of Ledonne’s composition “Blues For McCoy” which is dedicated to McCoy Tyner shows the pianist’s capability of owning the keyboard with an especially boisterous drum solo from Farnsworth. The set closes with Cedar Walton’s composition “Bleeker Street Theme”. Walton died on August 19, 2013 and was acknowledged as one of jazz’s most esteemed composers with a book of compositions that covered a panoply of styles. Ledonne’s take on the tune runs the gamut of Waltonian touches that give each piece its identity. Throughout this album, Ledonne demonstrates his profuse technique coupled with storytelling insight. —Pierre Giroux

Speak

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Cassandra Wilson - The Collection

Size: 188,6 MB

Time: 81:03

File: MP3 @ 320K/s

Released: 2014

Styles: Jazz Vocals

Art: Front

01. Blue Skies ( 3:05)

02. Blue In Green ( 4:06)

03. Tea For Two (With Jacky Terrasson) ( 4:44)

04. Tennessee Waltz (With Jacky Terrasson) ( 4:47)

05. Polka Dots And Moonbeams ( 5:42)

06. 'Round Midnight ( 5:54)

07. I Wished On The Moon ( 3:30)

08. Old Devil Moon (With Jacky Terrasson) ( 5:43)

09. Angel ( 4:35)

10. Chelsea Bridge ( 6:27)

11. The Ladies Who Lunch (With Don Byron) ( 6:13)

12. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face ( 5:12)

13. Shall We Dance ( 7:16)

14. Body And Soul (10:39)

15. I'm Old Fashioned ( 3:02)

Although her recording career has been somewhat erratic, Cassandra Wilson became one of the top jazz singers of the '90s, a vocalist blessed with a distinctive and flexible voice who is not afraid to take chances. She began playing piano and guitar when she was nine and was working as a vocalist by the mid-'70s, singing a wide variety of material. Following a year in New Orleans, Wilson moved to New York in 1982 and began working with Dave Holland and Abbey Lincoln. After meeting Steve Coleman, she became the main vocalist with the M-Base Collective. Although there was really no room for a singer in the overcrowded free funk ensembles, Wilson did as good a job of fitting in as was possible. She worked with New Air and recorded her first album as a leader in 1985. By her third record, a standards date, she was sounding quite a bit like Betty Carter.

After a few more albums in which she mostly performed original and rather inferior material, Wilson changed direction and performed an acoustic blues-oriented program for Blue Note called Blue Light 'Til Dawn. By going back in time, she had found herself, and has since continued interpreting vintage country blues and folk music in fresh and creative ways up until the present day. During 1997 she toured as part of Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields production. Traveling Miles, her tribute to Miles Davis, followed two years later. For 2002's Belly of the Sun, she drew on an array of roots musics -- blues, country, soul, rock -- to fashion a record that furthered her artistic career while still aligning well with trends in popular music. Glamoured, released in 2003, posed a different kind of challenge; half the material was composed by Wilson herself. Unwilling to stand still, she gently explored sampling and other hip-hop techniques for 2006's Thunderbird. She followed 2008's Loverly, another album of standards, with Silver Pony in 2010. Ever a musical chameleon, she changed direction again with an album of mostly original tunes entitled Another Country, which she co-produced with electric guitarist Fabrizio Sotti. Recorded in Italy, New Orleans, and New York, it was released in the summer of 2012. ~Biography by Scott Yanow

The Collection

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Susan Weinert Band - Point Of View

Size: 118,6 MB
Time: 51:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Fusion, Prog. Rock
Art: Front

01. Liebman ( 3:12)
02. The Kobayashi Syndrom ( 4:44)
03. Knock On Wood ( 3:41)
04. Trust Me ( 4:29)
05. Day (10:15)
06. Did I Get You Right ( 4:18)
07. The Proof ( 4:38)
08. Les Trois Arbes ( 5:50)
09. Fort Carre ( 4:20)
10. La Fuerza Del Viento ( 2:59)
11. No Warm-Ups ( 2:32)

Susan Weinert never ceases to amaze me with her growth and versatility as an incredible jazz guitarist and composer. This release has her growing into another new voice in her guitar stylings. This time around I picked up on a certain smoother Gambale feel moreso than Hendersonic crunch. Check out opening track, “Liebman” which calls to mind Gambale’s Thunder Down Under. Only on the groove-funk-scat, with distorto-axe, outro to “Day” do we hear the obvious tribute to Tribal Tech. Sonic snippets of Terje Rypdal/Bill Frisell howlings apppear too. She showcases an easy grasp of acoustic jazz guitar flair this go round on several pieces. I heard Towner, Abercrombie, and a smidgen of Bill Connors acoustics. Wonderfully rich and warm acoustic piano is offered on many tracks by Jean-Yves Jung. Tenor sax by Pierre Bertrand is heard on “The Proof”.

Probably the most extraordinary thing happening on Point of View alongside Weinert’s above par guitar is the absolutely unreal but true vocal abilities of Michael Schiefel! Wow! This guy has a dynamic range that is beyond androgynous. He wails so beautifully like a lady then swoops out of soprano and deep into octaves of the baritone boys. I actually had to e-mail Weinert to assure myself this was a man singing. Schiefel and Weinert do vox/string unison runs that bring goosebumps. She wails and bends notes right alongside the enchanting flurry of notes by songbird Schiefel. Scat has never sounded so very, very cool.

This is just one more recommended release in a string of goodies that Weinert and crew produce. Martin Weinert is acoustic bass throughout each song. Hardy Fischötter handles the drums like a pro everywhere. Nice job folks. Point of View will appeal to folks seeking great guitar in a mellower setting yet not compromising some edge here and there. Yeah, we get down and groove on the final cut, “No Warm-Ups”, I told ya so. Superb, Susan and gang! You’ve outdone yourselves once again. ~AAJ Staff

Point Of View

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Diane Schuur - I Remember You: With Love To Stan And Frank

Size: 120,2 MB
Time: 51:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. S' Wonderful (3:32)
02. Nice N Easy (4:11)
03. Watch What Happens (5:09)
04. I've Got You Under My Skin (5:21)
05. How Insensitive (5:09)
06. Here's That Rainy Day (6:42)
07. Didn't We (5:52)
08. I Remember You (3:02)
09. I Get Along Without You - Don't Worry 'Bout Me (5:01)
10. The Second Time Around (4:58)
11. For Once In My Life (2:56)

Diane Schuur is that rare songbird who is equally competent as a jazz singer and a pops entertainer. While some vocalists go with more lucrative popular music and some take the road of the jazz artist in the pure sense, Schuur is able to straddle the two careers. Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole had a superb grasp of the jazz idiom, but they made the decisive choice to become entertainers. By contrast, Chris Connor, Betty Carter, and Johnny Hartman all had shots at the klieglights and hit parade but took the route of the jazz scene. Schuur has made the two careers work together. She's consistently combined fine artistic efforts with the pizazz of an entertainer and held sway in both concert halls and small clubs. Her style incorporates both subtle jazz interpretation and the power of rhythm and blues. She has performed on stage with Ray Charles and with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. She has recorded albums with the Count Basie Band (GRP, 1987) and B.B. King (Heart to Heart, GRP, 1984). Schuur is a remarkably resilient singer.

In this album, she pays tribute to two star-studded influences on her music and career: jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, and crooner Frank Sinatra. (She knew them both personally. Getz, sensing her talent when she started out, worked with her on several occasions, and Sinatra hired her for a major celebration in his personal life.) Yet, while tipping her hat to these icons, she chooses to fully embrace an intimate jazz setting, with a quintet typical of a club date, tunes that stand out for their subtlety and sophistication, liberal use of scat, and an emphasis on the emotive interpretation of the songs. Her instrumentalists are eminent jazz musicians, most notably Alan Broadbent on piano and Joel Frahm on saxophone. Since it is a tribute album, all the tunes are those recorded at one time or another by Sinatra or Getz, and some are forever associated with them. Their influence is also felt with respect to their respective inflections: Sinatra's conversational emotionality and Getz' frenetic diversions, but the overall impact derives from Schuur's instantly recognizable voice and approach.

The album starts out with three lightly swung standards: "S'Wonderful," "Nice 'n Easy," and "Watch What Happens." Frahm sounds very much like Getz of the early years: laconic and lyrical. Schuur's singing is straightforward and her scatting is non-intrusive. "Nice 'n Easy" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" introduce a Sinatra-like lilt and occasionally invoke the conversational mode for which Sinatra was the master.

Up until then, the album offers what you might hear in a straightforward recapitulation of jazz standards. Then, with "How Insensitive," there's a subtle shift. The instrumental introduction has the heavy beat of a tango, then calms down. Frahm plays soprano sax, something rare for Getz, and the tag ending by Schuur is the sort of utterance we're familiar with from Sinatra at mid-life. Not at all sensitive the way that Astrud Gilberto did it with Getz.

The game with styles escalates in the particular way that Schuur renders "Here's that Rainy Day." This reviewer's favorite version of the timeless van Heusen and Burke song is from Irene Kral: Live (Just Jazz, 1995) recorded in 1977 with Broadbent at the piano. Schuur starts out like Kral offering a deeply felt ballad, but then the pace surprisingly escalates to double time with a Latin flair, with Schuur's scatting trading off with Frahm's tenor saxophone. They both adopt Getz' style, and Schuur gives an incomparable evocation of Getz' post-bossa nova squawks and catcalls, her incredibly resilient technique shining brightly, and ending with a gut-wrenching, back-breaking scat. One could argue that by this means she captures the underlying hysteria of a lover's otherwise melancholy "rainy day," but one could also wonder if this display of showmanship doesn't undermine the sense of loss that the song captures so well when left alone. Here, Schuur walks a fine line between meaningful interpretation and flashy entertainment.

Next, Schuur settles into a reflective groove with "Didn't We?" And she stays there, so the meaning of the song really comes through. Here, we also get a wonderful sampling of Broadbent's exceptional ability to accompany a vocalist with full chordal voicing. (Some great guitar work as well.) "I Remember You" is well articulated with the feel of Pete Rugolo's great arrangement of the tune (Four Freshmen and Five Trombones, CreateSpace, 1955.)

A medley of "I Get Along Without You" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" is sheer beauty on all fronts, showing what Schuur can do with straightforward ballad interpretations. The same can be said for "The Second Time Around." The album concludes with a lively, swinging version of "For Once in My Life" which, however, uniquely ends like a soprano aria in the death scene of an opera.

Some listeners are going to enjoy the straight-ahead renditions more than the intrusions of Getz and Sinatra, while others will dig the spice. Either way, the album provides a rich sampling of what Schuur can do with a small group jazz backup in an intimate studio setting. And it has all the vitality and energy that we expect from Schuur at her best. ~Victor L. Schermer

Personnel: Diane Schuur: vocals; Alan Broadbent: arrangements, piano; Roni Ben-Hur and Romero Lubambo: guitars, Joel Frahm: saxophone, Ben Wolfe: bass; Ulysses Owens Jr.: drums.

I Remember You With Love To Stan And Frank                 

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Chet Baker - Stella By Starlight

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:20
Size: 131.2 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 1962/1994
Art: Front

[ 6:23] 1. Milestones
[ 6:38] 2. Deep In A Dream
[13:06] 3. Once Upon A Summertime
[ 7:16] 4. Mister B.
[ 5:41] 5. I Waited For You
[10:49] 6. Stella By Starlight
[ 7:24] 7. Witchcraft

Despite his handicaps, Baker retained his compelling, moody performance style and had a consistent audience. Later based overseas, he produced a number of albums on European labels. In the last ten years of his life, he preferred playing in small clubs with trios and quartets, but managed a few concert appearances in New York, San Francisco and Tokyo for packed houses. One haunting Tokyo performance from June of 1987, less than a year before his death, is captured on the album Chet Baker in Tokyo, which includes an unforgettable version of “Stella By Starlight.”

On May 13, 1988, after three failed marriages and an erratic career, Chet Baker was found dead on a sidewalk two stories below his room at an Amsterdam hotel. The autopsy revealed the presence of narcotics but concluded nothing about the cause of the fall.

Even in decline, Baker maintained his mastery of midrange improvisations, many of which have been resurrected today by an obsessive coterie of fans, who post rare live performances on YouTube and MySpace. A subject of documentaries and several books, including Bruce Weber’s Let’s Get Lost and an incomplete autobiography, As Though I Had Wings, he was voted into the Down Beat’s Jazz Hall of Fame one year after his death.

Alto Saxophone – Glauco Masetti; Bass – Franco Cerri; Drums – Gianni Cazzola; Guitar – René Thomas; Trumpet – Chet Baker

Stella By Starlight

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Cyrille Aimee - Cyrille Aimee & The Surreal Band

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 125.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. This Can't Be Love
[4:08] 2. The More I See You
[6:01] 3. I'll Remember April
[5:29] 4. As Long As You're Living
[4:26] 5. How Deep Is The Ocean
[4:19] 6. Indifference
[8:00] 7. Que Pasa
[4:50] 8. Sunny
[5:41] 9. I'm Through With Love
[5:00] 10. Sometimes I'm Happy
[3:30] 11. Twenty Eight

Winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival's International Vocal Competition, the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and finalist in the Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, French vocalist Cyrille Aimée is—in the words of Will Friedwald of The Wall Street Journal—"one of the most promising jazz singers of her generation." In the same Wall Street Journal feature on Cyrille (and vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant), Friedwald declared "Both are astonishing creative singers, with a brilliant sound, fresh ideas, impeccable rhythm and an overall approach that honors tradition without being shackled to the past."

Cyrille was born in Fontainebleau, France, to a French father and Dominican mother. Her introduction to jazz was the result of the fortuitous location of her upbringing, the village Samois-sur-Seine—the same place where the legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt once lived. For decades gypsies from throughout Europe have descended upon Samois every June, setting up caravans in nearby meadows for the annual Django Reinhardt Festival. Many years ago, a young, curious Cyrille wandered (unbeknownst to her parents) into the encampments and fell in love with the gypsies’ music and way of life. She would climb out her bedroom window at night and spend evenings in their quarters, learned their language and sang by the fire with Django's descendants—before returning home prior to sunrise and school. "I was hypnotized by this music which made me want to tap my feet," said Cyrille. "Swinging music makes me so happy."

As a teenager, Cyrille performed in various Parisian cafés and clubs. When her family moved to Singapore, she remained in Paris to attend the American School of Modern Music. She also auditioned for "Star Academy," the French version of "American Idol." Selected to be one of 16 semi-finalists, Cyrille had second thoughts when she was handed a contract that tied her up every which way for ten years—including what she would sing. This was too much for her gypsy and jazz spirit to accept—so she quit. The French media so pursued Cyrille, she sought refuge in her mother's homeland—the Dominican Republic.

Cyrille Aimée's hybrid of influences has resulted in a sound that's fresh and enlivening. In addition, her distinctive voice—which did not escape the attentions of Stephen Sondheim, who cast Cyrille in an Encores! Special Event at New York City's City Center in November 2013—is guaranteed to enthrall. If the notion of joy factors into a concertgoer’s equation, Cyrille's concerts—whether with her band, an orchestra or in a duo setting—are not to be missed.

Cyrille Aimee & The Surreal Band

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Terell Stafford - Fields Of Gold

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:47
Size: 166.6 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:30] 1. Hey, It's Me You're Talkin' To
[5:24] 2. Minnesota
[6:47] 3. Dear Rudy
[7:18] 4. Ms. Shirley Scott
[4:56] 5. Ill Wind
[6:22] 6. If I Perish
[5:31] 7. Sagittarius
[6:46] 8. I Believe In You
[6:10] 9. His Eye Is On The Sparrow
[5:50] 10. Flashdance
[5:54] 11. That's All
[7:14] 12. September In The Rain

This is a recording of tightly arranged and performed originals (Stafford got almost everyone in the band to compose a piece) and not so standard standards ("Ill Wind" and "September in the Rain"). Never being a big fan of Antonio Hart, I found him to be quite the perfect foil for Stafford. Together, they have fashioned a finely crafted series of pieces, arrangements, and solos, all in that order. They swing in a succinct and propulsive manner. The disc is summed up on the Bill Cunliffe contribution, "Minnesota," where everyone solos extremely well.

If I were to define an overall mood, I would say light Bossa Nova. Certainly "Hey, It'' Me..." and Stafford's own "Dear Ruby" fill that bill. But as soon as I say that, things get a little greasy with Stafford's "Ms. Shirley Scott." Fueled by Cunliffe's chicken shack organ and Kitagawa's walking bass, Ms. Scott proves to be a saucy and daring lady. Stafford chooses tow traditional pieces, a samba heavy "If I Perish" and a 3/4 "His Eye is on the Sparrow." All other pieces follow suite. Fields of Gold is superb debut on a super label. Merci! ~Michael Bailey

Terell Stafford: trumpet; Antonio Hart: alto aaxophone; Bill Cunliffe: piano, organ; Kiyoshi Kitagawa: bass; Rodney Green: drums.

Fields Of Gold

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Mark-Almond - The Best Of Mark-Almond

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 75:22
Size: 172.5 MB
Styles: Pop rock, Jazz rock
Year: 1990
Art: Front

[ 4:53] 1. Tuesday In New York
[ 6:08] 2. The Ghetto
[10:25] 3. The City
[ 4:59] 4. Tramp And The Young Girl
[21:50] 5. Sausalito Bay Suite
[ 5:39] 6. One Way Sunday
[ 4:16] 7. Monday Bluesong
[ 5:07] 8. What Am I Living For
[ 5:02] 9. Lonely Girl
[ 6:58] 10. Home To You

Jon Mark and Johnny Almond were top London session musicians in the 60s, at a time when the British rock explosion was at full force. They played with everyone from The Rolling Stones to Marianne Faithfull. Mark even owned a production company with guitarist Jimmy Page, who later started the seminal rock group, Led Zeppelin. Mark and Almond met in the late 60s, on a two year tour with John Mayall, the acknowledged father of the white blues. Both recorded on Mayall's classic album, The Turning Point. On tour, they discovered a strong musical affinity which ultimately resulted in Mark-Almond. Through the 70s the band toured the United States and Europe, and made recordings for a variety of labels. Over time, Mark-Almond consistently forged new ground and retained an uncanny sense of identity due to the strong musical vision of its leaders.

The Best of Mark-Almond is a compelling retrospective of the band's most inventive and best-loved songs. We all know the distinctive sound this innovative English band was exploring in the late 60s and early 70s, carving out a niche in the unchartered territory between rock and jazz. Although the saxophone was rarely heard in pop music at that time, the smoky, melancholy tones of reedman Johnny Almond were an integral part of the group's sound. Characterized by an innovative blend of blues licks, jazz riffs, Latin beats, and rock sensibilities, and in counterpoint to the screaming guitar licks of his contemporaries, Jon Mark, the composer and band leader, lingered over subtle, melodic lines with a unique sense of warmth and intimacy.

The Best Of Mark-Almond

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Barbara Ann Van - Special Delivery

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:18
Size: 115,8 MB
Scans:

(5:01)  1. All Blues
(4:15)  2. It Had To Be You
(3:55)  3. Accentuate The Positive
(3:50)  4. Squeeze Me
(4:29)  5. This Nearly Was Mine
(3:40)  6. Funny But I Still Love You
(3:49)  7. If I Had You
(3:52)  8. On A String
(4:39)  9. Maybe You'll Be There
(2:49) 10. Just One Of Those Things
(4:58) 11. Cry Me A River
(4:56) 12. God Bless The Child

This Body of work consists of songs I fell in love with at various points in my life.From 'Cry Me A River" which I first heard on my Dads HIFI by Julie London to " Just One of Those Things" by Rosemary Clooney.  My biggest musical influences in my life have been singers like Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles.I grew up hearing these great singers and knew that I also wanted to sing their music. The Music of the 1940's and 1950's is some of the best music we still have to enjoy today. "Special Delivery" was my first album and it was done in a small local studio in Fort Lauderdale. 

The musicians were all friends of mine and we had a great time recording these out of the norm tunes. Paul Bonman ,piano and keyboards was in my band "The Johnson Boys " in the early 90's and we have always had a special connection. Don Miller on acoustic Bass helped me with arrangements as well as keeping the group tight and focused.Bobby Stern is a very energetic saxaphone player used to playing more  Rhythm and Blues than Jazz but delivered a strong back up for me.Brian Smith on drums kept us all in time all the time.Brian works with many groups in South Florida. 

Linc Lackey and Valerio Conti also joined me for a few tunes adding a different flavor to bass and piano backup for me.Linc was also in my band "The Johnson Boys" and has always been key in song selection for me at times. I hope you enjoy the first album as well as my second album "Her Way" This album was heavily influenced by a dear friend of mine who passed away a couple years ago.He was a very extrordinary pianist, composer, arranger by the name of Jim Belt. He accompanies me on the first two tracks as well as selecting 6 of the 12 songs I recorded. Jim took me under his wing in 1996 in Fort Lauderdale where we first met and mentored and encouraged me to record .He was a special person who now plays in the big jazz band in the sky.Keep the music in your heart always my fans I love you Barbara.   

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/barbaraannvan2

Special Delivery

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